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Digital EditorA 37-year-old man arrested under the Arms Act for illegal possession of ammunition is being questioned in connection with the murder of Kannada tabloid Editor Gauri Lankesh in the city nearly six months ago, police said on Friday.

"K.T. Naveen Kumar was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police," SIT Investigating Officer M.N. Anucheth told IANS here.

Kumar, who hails from Birur town in Chikmagalur district, about 250km west from here, was booked by the city police on February 19 under the Arms Act for illegal possession of 15 bullets of a revolver, Anucheth said.

The man had been remanded in Crime Branch custody, which ended on Friday.

"Based on certain clues provided by him, the SIT took him into custody for further questioning and investigation," he said.

Lankesh, 55, the Editor of "Lankesh Patrike", was shot dead outside her residence in the city's southwestern suburb by unidentified assailants on September 5 last year by unidentified men. Of the seven bullets fired, three hit Lankesh -- two in the chest and one in the forehead.

The state government had set up the SIT to probe the journalist-activist's killing.The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its draft report has detected major irregularities and diversion of funds by the Jute Commissioners office and the National Jute Board (NJB) between 2014 and 2018.

CAG said that the diversion charge is serious in the sense that it is 'against the financial propriety of the Government of India as the funds diverted by the Jute Commissioners office form part of the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) which is collected by way of levy of cess on jute manufacturers under the Jute Manufacturers Cess Act of 1983. The central ...India and Vietnam on Saturday vowed to join hands for an open and thriving Indo-Pacific besides ensuring an efficient and rules-based regional security architecture, seen as a thinly veiled message to China over its increasing military posturing in the region.

After wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, the two strategic partners inked three pacts providing for cooperation in nuclear energy, trade and agriculture. They decided to explore co-development projects in defence sector and boost ties in oil and gas exploration, including trilateral cooperation.

Modi said both sides expressed commitment to an open, efficient and rules-based regional architecture and to expand bilateral maritime cooperation further.

"We will jointly work for an open, independent and prosperous Indo Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and where differences are resolved through talks," Modi said in a media statement in the presence of the Vietnamese President.

In an apparent reference to the South China Sea dispute, the Vietnamese president said it supports India's multi-faceted "connectivity" with ASEAN and asserted that there must be freedom of navigation and over flight in the region. He said that disputes must be resolved through peaceful means.

Vietnam and several other ASEAN member countries have territorial disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea.

While India, the US and several other world powers have been pressing for resolution of the dispute on the basis of international law, China has been favouring a bilateral framework with respective countries.

Modi said India and Vietnam will also look for trilateral partnership in oil and gas sector.

China has been opposing India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) exploring oil in areas claimed by Vietnam in the South China Sea (SCS). India has been asserting that the ONGC's exploration is a commercial operation and not connected with the dispute. Oil exploration in the SCS is a sensitive issue in the Vietnam-China relations.

On his part, the Vietnamese president said, "We highly value projects including the cooperation in joint oil and gas exploration in the continental shelf of Vietnam."



The Vietnamese president said it was important to respect the diplomatic and legal process in resolution of maritime dispute.

"We reaffirm our close collaboration to support India to further its relations and multi-faceted connectivity with ASEAN attaching high importance to the maintenance of security, maritime safety and freedom of navigation and over flight, settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law including UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)," Quang said.

He said both sides also agreed to work closely to address regional security challenges including in the domain of maritime and cyber security.

On defence cooperation, which is on an upswing, the prime minister said both sides decided to cooperate in defence production and explore opportunities in transfer of technology.

The Vietnamese president said both sides continue to promote "sound cooperation" in areas, including English language teaching, capacity-building, training, concessional credit, UN peace-keeping operation, maintain effective defence security dialogues and consider expanding cooperation in other areas.

Modi noted that defence and security cooperation is one of the strong pillars of relationship between the two countries.

During the talks, Modi said India and Vietnam have also "agreed" to deepen trade and investment ties in sectors like oil and gas exploration, renewable energy, agriculture and textiles.

The two sides also resolved to harness the potential of trade, minimise barriers and facilitate exports to bring the two way trade to USD 15 billion by 2020, which is currently around USD 10 billion.

The three pacts signed after the talks between the two leaders will provide for cooperation in areas of nuclear energy, trade and agriculture.

Modi said the two sides had extensive dialogue on all aspects of bilateral relationship and noted that Vietnam has played an important role in India's Act East policy framework and its cooperation with the ASEAN bloc.

The visit of the Vietnamese president is the second high-level visit from that country in little more than a month. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was in India as one of the chief guests for the Republic Day Parade this year.

"After the Vietnamese prime minister's visit in January, the visit by the Vietnamese president reflects the commitment of both the nations to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries," Modi said.

In 2016, the two countries had agreed to elevate their ties from Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Vietnamese president.

Their discussions focused on steps to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Quang was also given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Within its digital borders, China has long censored what its people read and say online. Now, it is increasingly going beyond its own online realms to police what people and companies are saying about it all over the world. For years, China has exerted digital control with a system of internet filters known as the Great Firewall, which allows authorities to limit what people see online. To broaden its censorship efforts, Beijing is venturing outside the Great Firewall and paying more attention to what its citizens are saying on non-Chinese apps and services. As part of that ...A day after US President Donald Trump took a swing at the countrys trading partners by threatening stiff and sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminum, they hit back. They promised to retaliate against quintessential American goods like Kentucky bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. That is likely to turn into a wave of protest aimed at American products as other countries, including traditional allies, respond to Trumps plan to clamp down on imports of metals from overseas. Canada, China and the European Union have already said they would respond with tariffs of ...The US Justice Department has asked a court to lift a stay on civil proceedings linked to a Malaysian fund at the centre of its biggest ever kleptocracy probe, so that a settlement can be reached with producers of the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. In September, US prosecutors were granted a stay on dozens of civil lawsuits they filed in connection with $1.7 billion in assets allegedly bought with or funded by money stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), to make way for a criminal probe into the scandal-hit state fund. The court filing on Friday ...In an anti-Naxal operation by Telangana and Chhattisgarh state police, at least 10 naxals, including six women, were killed on Friday in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.

"Telangana Police's Greyhounds swooped on a Naxal camp in the district in which a personnel of the elite force also lost his life. The bodies of the Naxals and martyred Greyhound have been taken to Bhadrachalam in Telangana by an IAF chopper for post-mortem," officials said.

"Two naxal bodies have been identified, one as Sanjeev, who is a Deputy Commander, action team member and Pedda Budri (female cadre), protection team member of top naxal leader Hari Bhushan. While Susheel Kumar, a junior commando of the Greyhounds, scummed to his injuries," they added.

Three other police personnel were also injured and airlifted.

Police recovered an AK-47, an SLR rifle, five INSAS rifles, one .303 rifle, a pistol, a Sony wireless set, three laptops, detonators, Rs 41,000 in cash, and other explosive materials and literature from the site.

"The incident took place near Pujari Kanker area of Bijapur. A joint team of Telangana and Chhattisgarh Police on specific information carried out this operation," Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohit Garg told ANI.

"10 naxals have been killed. We have recovered automatic weapons and other ammunitions. It was a very successful operations," Garg added.

Although the identity of eight naxal bodies are not yet known, officials believes that some top naxal leaders could be among those killed.

According to media reports, the encounter site was close to the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district in Telangana.

Among the naxals who have been killed, top leader Hari Bhushan alias Jagan, State Committee Secretary of the group and another key leader Chukka Rao has been killed in the attack. However, the officials are yet to confirm it.

According to reports, Hari Bhushan's wife Samakka has also been killed in the encounter.

Hari Bhushan was carrying a bounty of Rs. 30 lakh on his head and was an accused in at least 50 criminal cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)One has been arrested by Lucknow police for allegedly raping his three-year-old niece in Lucknow's Thakurganj town.

"The girl went missing on Friday afternoon while she was playing outside her house. She was found later from an abandoned under-construction house nearby," victim's father told ANI.

Reportedly, she was duped and taken to an abandoned building by her uncle who raped her and abandoned there.

According to reports, the victim's father, a daily wage labourer in Lucknow Nagar Nigam, has been residing in a rented place in Thakurganj locality for several years now.

The victim is currently battling for life at King George's Medical University. Her condition is said to be critical, media reports added.

A case has been registered and further investigations are on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least eight people were killed and 80 others were injured when a vehicle laden with explosives struck the French Embassy and the army headquarters in the Burkina Faso capital.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has expressed the AU's solidarity with the people and the government of Burkina Faso in these difficult circumstances, according to a statement from the pan-African bloc, Xinhua reported.

"The African Union will continue its advocacy efforts to sensitize the international community on the imperative of an international engagement that is commensurate with the threat confronting the countries of the region, said the chairperson", the statement added.

"The attacks are a further illustration of the seriousness of the scourge of terrorism in the Sahel (an arid region in central Africa), as well as of the urgency of a more sustained international action in support of the efforts of the countries of the region", it said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued a statement condemning "in the strongest terms the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attacks" in Ouagadougou, according to the CNN.

Burkina Faso, like other countries in West Africa, has been continuously targeted by extremist groups operating across the region.

The western countries, especially France, considers Burkina Faso a key ally in the fight against al-Qaeda in Africa.

Ouagadougou has been hit by terror attacks in the last two years. Friday's attack was the third one.

Also, 29 people were killed when militants stormed the Splendid Hotel, popular with Western diplomats in the city in 2016.

Last year in August, suspected extremists killed at least 18 people during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Kashmiri writer and activist based in London, Dr. Shabir Choudhry, has asked the All Parties Parliamentary Kashmir Group (APPG) to listen to the oppressed people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Dr. Choudhry has written a letter to the APPG requesting it to invite him for a hearing to reveal the truth prevailing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The chairman of South Asia Watch, Dr. Choudhry, said, "When I learnt that APPG, for a change, wanted to investigate human rights abuses on the Pakistani side of the divide, I also wrote a letter to the Chairman of the APPG and requested him to provide me an opportunity to present my case before the group. I gave some details in the letter as to how Pakistani authorities and secret agencies curtailed my fundamental rights."

He wrote in the letter sent to 'I would like to appear before the APPG or have a meeting with you that we can discuss this matter further. Your report cannot be complete without hearing the man who is a British citizen and who among the Kashmiri Diaspora is the prime victim of Pakistani agencies and the state."

All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) are informal cross-party groups that have no official status within UK Parliament. They are run by and for Members of the Commons and Lords, though many choose to involve individuals and organisations from outside Parliament in their administration and activities.

The All-Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group (APPG) which was chaired by Chris Leslie, Member of Parliament, had invited Sardar Masood Khan, President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) as a witness to the hearing.

Sardar Masood, who acts as puppet of Islamabad, did not reveal any truth about PoK and rather blamed India for human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dr.Shabir blamed APPG for not inviting him, "When I leant that President of Pakistani administered Kashmir, was once again, visiting Britain; and he was invited by the APPG, I wrote another letter requesting the APPG Chairman to invite me as well that I can also discuss denial of fundamental rights in Gilgit Baltistan and so called Azad Kashmir. Like last time, he did not care to respond to my letter."

Sardar Masood Khan served Pakistan for many decades as a Pakistani diplomat.

Islamabad was pleased with his services, so after his retirement, they rewarded him with another lucrative post. He was appointed President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

"He is not loyal to people of Jammu and Kashmir; his loyalty is with those who appointed him. His loyalty is apparent in his speech made during his visit to Britain", alleges Dr. Choudhry, who is a noted Kashmiri writer and journalist.

He added, "Respected members of the APPG need to understand that Masood Khan's mission is to advance the agenda of Islamabad. It is crystal clear that he is not interested in the plight of the suffering people. He cannot, and will not speak about fundamental rights of people of Gilgit Baltistan and so called Azad Kashmir."

If the APPG sincerely wants to find out about human rights abuses and problems of the people of Gilgit Baltistan and so called Azad Kashmir, then they need to invite citizens of Jammu and Kashmir who aspire for united and independent Jammu and Kashmir.

If they want to please certain quarters and satisfy their voters then they are already doing a good job, said Dr. Choudhry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bollywood veteran actor Anupam Kher has been invited to speak on Saturday, at the LSE SU India Forum (LIF) 2018, hosted by the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE).

LSE SU India forum is a unique conference held in the United Kingdom, which involves speeches and panel discussions by keynote speakers on issues facing India in current times across different fields.

The program was known as Economic Forum for India at LSE before renaming it to London School of Economics Students' Union India Forum.

The forum is a platform for interaction between students, professionals, and leaders to hear from and engage with inspiring leaders.

Meanwhile, he acknowledged being given a chance to speak at such a prestigious platform and hoped to motivate students by sharing his life experiences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Eminent Bangladeshi science fiction writer and educationist Prof. Muhammad Zafar Iqbal was brought to Dhaka by air ambulance after being stabbed on the campus of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology in Sylhet on Saturday.

Reports on various media outlets in Bangladesh said that the assailant might have hit Iqbal, 65, on his head by rod and stabbed on his back and hand at around 5:40 pm.

Prof. Iqbal was attacked when he was climbing to the podium of a science festival to address the students in the afternoon.

The accused was caught red-handed and taken to custody for interrogation. The identity has not been revealed yet.

Soon after the attack, Iqbal was rushed to Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet, where the physicians said he was "out of danger".

Reports said, as per Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's orders, he was then brought to Dhaka Combined Military Hospital by air ambulance for better treatment.

Osmani Medical Director Brig Gen Mahbubul Haque Chowdhury said during a press briefing late Saturday night that the doctors there had put 26 stitches on Zafar's head, left arm and back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)His party, the CNRP, was dissolved by the Supreme Court in a decision that also banned more than 100 CNRP lawmakers from politics.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has never forgiven the United States for dropping bombs on Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court found veteran opposition chief Sam Rainsy guilty of defaming Hun Sen last December and ordered him to pay damages of $1 million.

The White House said it was suspending or curtailing USA programs worth $8.3 million that support Cambodia's tax department, local government and military.

The decision comes amid what rights groups have described as a government crackdown against the political opposition.

The council also demanded the release of Kem Sokha, and expressed concern over the dissolution of the CNRP and the suspension of several NGOs and media outlets.

It said the European Union would step up its monitoring of its "everything but arms" trade arrangement with Cambodia that allows the Southeast Asian country to export goods, including clothing and textiles, free of tariffs into the bloc, a market of some 500 million people.

Hun Sen has been in power for three decades, and while maintaining a framework of democracy, tolerates little opposition.

"We need an immediate solution to the current political crisis", Mu Sochua, a CNRP deputy president, told RFA's Khmer Service on Tuesday.

"We urge the United Nations and the worldwide community to denounce the holding of the Senate election this [last] weekend and to take immediate and stringent measures including sanctions as a signal that it will not condone dictatorship", it said.

However, government officials, including Hun Sen, have stated consistently that there will be no talks with the CNRP and have accused the party of breaking up the dialogue between them in the first place.

In a warrant dated Feb 26 and seen by AFP on Tuesday, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court chose to "temporarily seize the property (land and building)" of Rainsy following a request by a lawyer for both Hun Sen and the president of the National Assembly, Heng Samrin.

The presiding judge issued the order pending damages payments from CNRP leader Sam Rainsy to Prime Minister Hun Sen and another ruling party leader. Rainsy was ordered to pay damages of $62,500.

Chum Bunrong, Cambodian ambassador to the USA, told VOA's Khmer language service that the reasons used by the US government to make the announcement was the results in Sunday's sweep by the ruling party in elections for Cambodia's senate.

"I shall continue to stand up for freedom and justice for our people and bring the notorious regime of the tyrants to an end", he wrote. Translated by Nareth Muong.As the Congress Party is leading with a low margin in the Meghalaya Assembly election mid trend, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is mulling forging alliance with other political parties.

The Meghalaya in-charge of BJP, Nalin Kohli told ANI that an anti-Congress alliance is possible in the state, given that the People's Party (NPP), United Democratic Party (UDP), and the BJP -all part of the Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre- together have an upper hand over the Congress, as per the latest trends.

"In Meghalaya, the vote is clearly against the Congress because if you see it from the larger perspective, the anti-Congress vote goes to the NPP, the UDP, BJP, and all of us are part of NDA. Now it is up to the leaders to decide, but there can be a possibility of a post-poll alliance," Kohli said.

As per the latest trends, the Congress Party is struggling to retain its government in Tripura, as the party's victory on two seats and lead on 19 seats is being closely followed by the NPP that has won one seat and is leading on 17 seats.

Meanwhile, the BJP has registered a lead on three seats and the UDP has won two seats with a lead on four seats.

Tripura went to polls on February 18, and the results are expected to be out by afternoon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Despite a ceasefire by the United Nations, at least 23 civilians have been killed in the fresh round of airstrikes by the Syrian regime forces in Syria's Eastern Ghouta.

Anadolu Agency quoted the Syrian Civil Defence as saying that the President Bashar al-Assad regime's ground and air attacks occurred despite decisions to implement a ceasefire made separately by Russia and the UN.

Around 697 people have been killed in the Eastern Ghouta since February 19.

The UNSC on Saturday unanimously backed a 30-day ceasefire resolution in Syria to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations "without any delays."

In the past eight months, regime forces have intensified their siege of Eastern Ghouta, making it nearly impossible for food or medicine to get into the district and leaving thousands of patients in need of treatment.

Since February 19, escalating hostilities have resulted in 500 deaths and some 1,500 injuries in Eastern Ghouta, with 24 health facilities impacted by shelling and airstrikes, according to UN officials.

Eastern Ghouta, which houses around 400,000 residents, has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years with humanitarian access being completely cut off.

In May last year, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed an agreement to set up de-escalation zones, in order to prevent airstrike-related incidents in some parts of Syria.

The de-escalation zones include- Idlib province, some parts of Latakia province, Hama and Aleppo provinces, Homs, Eastern Ghouta, Daraa and al-Quneitra provinces in southern Syria.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since 2011. Protesters have been long demanding the resignation of President Assad over his autocratic rule.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Brad Pitt looked "happy and healthy" in a recent Oscar Party at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, making it his first appearance post Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux announced their separation.

On that note, Pitt and Aniston were America's hottest celebrity couple for five years and went strong from 2000 to 2005 before announcing their tragic divorce.

So now, tons of fans reportedly started calling for the two to give their romance another go as they are both single.

The 54-year-old actor attended the Gersh Oscar Party, along with some of the buzziest nominees ahead of the 90th annual show this weekend.

"He looked happy and healthy," a source at the party told, as quoted by PEOPLE.

"He stayed pretty low-key in a cap, but guests were definitely buzzing about him being there and how great he looked. He was smiling and being social with people," source added.

Pitt's appearance came just hours after it was revealed he will be starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and reuniting with Quentin Tarantino for the director's upcoming ninth film titled, 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'.

The film will open in theaters in 2019.

This also marks a rare public appearance for Pitt who has been keeping a low profile since his September 2016 split from Angelina Jolie.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday thanked the people of the northeastern state of Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura for supporting the 'good governance agenda' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly election.

Taking to his Twitter handle the Prime Minister said that the party remains committed to working to fulfill the dreams and aspiration of the people of the northeastern state.

"People of Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura have spoken! I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and 'Act East Policy' of @BJP4India & our valued allies. We remain committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams & aspirations of the people (sic)," the Prime Minister tweeted.

Terming the assembly result in Tripura as an 'epoch-making one', Prime Minister Modi said that the people of the state have done an extraordinary work by extending 'phenomenal support' towards to the party in the state.

He further said that victory of the party, in a state with the strong foothold of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) was only possible due to a development agenda and the strength of the BJP.

"2018 Tripura election will be remembered as an epoch-making one! What my sisters and brothers of Tripura have done is extraordinary. No words will be enough to thank them for the phenomenal support towards @BJP4Tripura. We will leave no stone unturned in transforming Tripura," he tweeted.

"The victory of @BJP4Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. This journey from 'Shunya' to 'Shikhar' has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years," he added.

Promising the people to provide good government, Prime Minister Modi further said that it was a victory for democracy over brute force and intimidation in the state of Tripura.

"The historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one. It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves," the Prime Minister said.

Further speaking about the results of Meghalaya assembly polls, Prime Minister Modi said that the welfare of the people of the state is utmost important and appreciated the BJP workers continued efforts to the serve the people of the state.

"I express my gratitude to the people of Meghalaya for supporting @BJP4Meghalaya. The welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for us. I appreciate the BJP Karyakartas for their continued efforts in the state to serve the people," the Prime Minster Tweeted.

Applauding the worker of the BJP in the state of Nagaland, Prime Minister Modi said that the party remains committed to working for the progress and prosperity of the people of the state.

"Thank you Nagaland for supporting @BJP4Nagaland and our valued ally. I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit," the Prime Minister tweeted.

He further said that with each election, the people are showcasing their faith in the 'development oriented agenda' of the Democratic Alliance (NDA) and are disassociating themselves from the negative and disruptive

"Time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development-oriented agenda of the NDA. People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected of any kind," he added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Arun Jaitley also extended greetings to the people and the BJP workers for their support in the legislative assembly elections.

Jaitley on his social media handle said that the success of the party in the three state of northeastern India emphasises zero tolerance policy of the party against corruption.

"Success of BJP & allies in #Tripura #Nagaland & #Meghalaya legislative assembly elections emphasises zero tolerance policy of BJP against corruption, focus on development & growth of the country with the highest priority to #SabkaSaathSabkaVikas," Jaitley tweeted.

Reacting to the overwhelming victory of the party in the state of Tripura, the Finance Minister said that the result shows that the people have accepted development against discriminatory.

"Congratulations to people of #Tripura for historic victory of BJP in the legislative assembly elections. People of #Tripura have accepted development against discriminatory and oppressive leftist rule. Gratitude to the people," he added.

As the counting of votes for Tripura Assembly election is underway, the BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance is leading on 28 seats followed by the CPI (M) in 16 leads as per the early trends.

As per the latest trends in Meghalaya Assembly elections, released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), Congress is leading on 11 seats, while in Nagaland the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance has been leading on seven seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) set to form the government in the Left bastion, Tripura; Chhattisgarh Raman Singh on Saturday said that the country is walking towards Congress-free India.

"The biggest part of the Tripura win is that BJP won with more than 50 percent votes. We were successful in Nagaland as well. All this shows that people of the country want a Congress- Mukt Bharat," Singh said while addressing the media here.

He added that people are continuously giving their answers to Congress through these election results.

"This is a historical win and is showing the increasing support BJP is getting in North-East. In the past three years BJP has won in about 14 states, in five states there is NDA-led BJP government. The number was earlier 19 but has increased to 21," said Singh.

Singh also seemed confident that BJP would win in Karnataka as well.

At the time of filing the report, the latest trends showed the BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance leading in 43 seats in the 60-member Assembly.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has won from both Ampati and Songsak constituencies, in Assembly elections.

Results for 18 assembly seats in the state are out, and the Congress Party has won nine seats till now, including the two won by the chief minister.

As per the latest trends, Congress is on 21 seats.

BJP is showing a decent performance as it along with its allies Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is leading in Nagaland, with 31 seats, as per the latest reports.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)With the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarifying their stance on the Dalai Lama's activities in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday said that the Tibetan spiritual leader should focus on the religious activities.

Speaking to ANI, Swamy said that as per the treaty signed between India and China, New Delhi has accepted Tibet as a part of Beijing and it should be respected.

"The Dalai Lama can do any event in India provided it's not political and not aimed against China. As two treaties were signed, one by Jawaharlal Nehru and other by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, where we accepted Tibet as a part of China," Swamy said.

"It's a hint to him that he should stick to religious activities," he added.

Earlier in the day, an official government spokesperson clarified that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been "accorded all freedom to carry out his religious activities in India."

The clarification came in the wake of reports that appeared in a certain section of the media stating that the Centre had allegedly asked to skip Dalai Lama events, in a bid to mend fences with Beijing.

In this regard, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that New Delhi's stance on the spiritual leader was "clear and consistent."

Earlier in February, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had reportedly issued an official statement asking to skip all functions of the Dalai Lama, seeking to be an embodiment of India's commitment to mending ties with China.

The note was reportedly issued a day before the foreign secretary departed for Beijing to hold talks with China's Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, Foreign Minister Wang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Frank Graham, the son of Late Rev Billy Graham, on Friday conducted a funeral service for his father at the Billy Graham library, situated at Charlotte in North Carolina.

The funeral service was conducted at 12:00 noon and was broadcasted live from his Twitter handle.

According to the Washington Post, around 2,000 people had gathered at the Billy Graham library to attend a private funeral service of Billy Graham.

In a series of tweets, Frank Graham requested his followers to pray for the departed soul and join him for his father's last rites.

"A beautiful morning at theBGLibrary in Charlotte, NC, as we prepare for my father's funeral today. You can watch the service live on my Facebook page at 12:00 noon Eastern", he tweeted.

"It is my prayer that God will be honored and that many will hear the Gospel message and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ today as the service is broadcast. Will you pray with me?" he further Tweeted.

Vice President of United States Mike Pence also took to his Twitter account to express his grief over the death of the American evangelist and popular television presenter.

"Karen and I are on our way to North Carolina to join @POTUS and @FLOTUS to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Reverend Billy Graham. We'll join the Graham family and the hearts of millions to say, "Thank you Billy Graham, and God bless you.", he tweeted.

Frank further requested the followers of Billy to watch the Billy Graham channel to keep them updated with his life journey.

William Franklin Graham who is well-known by his screen name Billy Graham is considered to be the most influential preacher of 20th century.

The US evangelist died at the age of 99. He had served as a councilor to various US presidents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)French President Emmanuel Macron will embark on a four-day visit to India from March 9 to 12 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

He will be accompanied by his wife, Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron, and a delegation of businessmen and ministry officials.

"The visit of President Macron is aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic, political and strategic dimension of our engagement", the MEA said in a statement.

"The strategic partnership between India and France, established in 1998, is one of the most important and comprehensive bilateral engagements and is marked by intense and frequent high-level exchanges and deep political understanding", it added.

Both sides will continue to enhance and cooperate in the defence, maritime, space, security, and energy-related sectors. It will also work together on issues of concerns such as terrorism, climate change, sustainable growth and development, infrastructure, smart urbanization, science and technology cooperation and youth exchanges.

Prime Minister Modi and the French President will co-chair the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which will take place on March 11.

The ISA, an alliance of more than 121 countries, was initiated by Prime Minister Modi in January 2016. The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The last visit of the French President to India was in January 2016, when Macron was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. Prime Minister Modi had last visited France in June last year.

The visit is also aimed at forging not only strong manufacturing and technology partnerships but also greater people to people contacts especially through greater exchanges of students and researchers.

The bilateral trade between India and France for the period between April 2016 to March 2017 reached USD 10.95 billion. France is the ninth largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 6.09 billion from April 2000 to October 2017.

Close to 1000 French companies are present in India. About 120 Indian companies have invested in excess of 1 billion euros in France and employ close to 7000 people. The India-France CEO's Forum will also take place during the visit.

The Indian community, including Non-Residential Indians (NRIs) in mainland France number around 1.1 lakh people, largely originating from the French enclaves of Puducherry and Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Yanam (Andhra Pradesh), Mahe (Kerala) and Chandannagar (West Bengal).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday extended his support to Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying that he will take time to grow in the organisation.

Abdullah while talking to the media said that the performance of the party in the Assembly Election of the northeast states is not Gandhi's defeat and he has not failed in it.

"No, I don't think he (Rahul) has failed. Give him time, he has just become President. It will take time for him to grow in the organisation. Elections come and elections go," Abdullah said.

Talking about the revival of the Congress party, the former chief minister said that any party can recover if it works for the welfare of the people.

The BJP has created history by winning the Tripura Assembly Elections with a thumping majority.

In Meghalaya, results of all the 59 assembly seats have been declared. Ruling Congress has become the single largest party by winning 21 seats.

At the time of filling the report, BJP has till now won 11 seats in Nagaland, while its alliance partner-NDPP got 16.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delta Air Lines on Friday refused to take sides in the debate over gun control reform regarding its decision to no longer offer discounts to National Rifle Association members.

The debate over gun control reforms was reignited post the deadly shootout by a student at Florida high school on February 18.

Delta Air Lines said, "It would review its discounts for "any group of a politically divisive nature."

It further clarified that this decision was not taken to ensure economic gain to the company rather the company wanted to remove itself from the debate around the gun debate.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian clarified the intention of the company behind remaining neutral regarding the controversy around the gun control reform.

"While Delta's intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course," he wrote.

"Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale. We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature."

Delta has now joined several other organizations which have ended their aid to the NRA members following the Feb. 18 incident.

"Our people and our customers have a wide range of views on how to increase safety in our schools and public places, and we are not taking sides," Bastain wrote.

Leaders in multiple other states have invited Delta to move its headquarters following the dustup.

"Our people and our customers have a wide range of views on how to increase safety in our schools and public places, and we are not taking sides," Bastian wrote in the memo. "Our objective in removing any implied affiliation with the NRA was to remove Delta from this debate."

Further, the Georgia lawmakers voted on Thursday to strip a sales tax exemption on jet fuel that is highly valued by the Atlanta-based Delta. The move appeared to be an act of retribution for Delta's decision to sever ties with the NRA.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vande Hei, Acaba and Misurkin were assisted out of their Soyuz by Russian recovery forces, who along with NASA flight surgeons, provided initial medical checks to the three crew members.

We've seen all kinds of unusual little robot helpers, from Robelf to Temi, but Cimon is probably the weirdest: it's a floating face in a ball, created to help astronauts carry out tasks on deep space missions.and keep an eye on them. Three hours later, the Soyuz spacecraft will plunge into Earth's atmosphere before parachuting down to the steppe of Kazakhstan, where the crew is scheduled to land at 9:32 p.m. EST (0232 GMT, or 8:32 a.m. local time in Kazakhstan, on February 28).

"It was like one day". The command changing ceremony happened on Monday 2:40 pm when commander Misurkin handed over the station control to cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov. "I will never forgot our jobs and staying here".

Its first mission will be on the International Space Station, where it will help to record experiment results and test out its basic functions, like voice and facial recognition.

Now operating the station are Expedition 55 crew members Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Flight Engineers Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Three more Expedition 55 members - Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel of NASA - are scheduled to launch to the space station on March 21 and arrive two days later. We didn't broke nearly anything.

The time on station for the three marks the start of the first long-term increase in the crew size of the US segment of the space station.

All three crewmates also conducted spacewalks. Acaba completed one spacewalk to lubricate an end effector and install new cameras on the station's arm and truss.

Soyuz MS-06 crew patch.

Misurkin, Acabaand and Vande Hei were part of ISS expeditions 53/54.

The two Americans and one Russian entered their attached Soyuz capsule and undocked for the ride back to Earth.

Both NASA men will board a plane from Kazakhstan to Houston to continue post-mission testing while Misurkin is bound for Star City, just outside Moscow.

This involved providing the Watson AI with voice samples and photos of Gerst as well as procedures and plans of the Columbus module of the International Space Station.US Olympic Committee was aware that Former Michigan State and United States' gymnastic team physician Larry Nassar had molested gymnasts who participated with USA Gymnastics, alleged Olympic gold-winning gymnast Aly Raisman.

She also filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court in California against the US Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, disgraced doctor Larry Nassar and others over the allegation, reported CNN.

The complaints said that Nassar sexually abused Raisman, two-time Olympian who won medals in London and Rio de Janeiro, at the Karolyi Ranch in Texas, national and international competitions and the 2012 London Olympics.

"My highest priority has been to push for change, so future generations of athletes will be safer," Raisman said in a statement.

"It has become painfully clear that these organisations have no intention of properly addressing this problem. After all this time, they remain unwilling to conduct a full investigation, and without a solid understanding of how this happened, it is delusional to think sufficient changes can be implemented."

"Meanwhile, thousands of young athletes continue to train and compete every day in this same broken system. I refuse to wait any longer for these organisations to do the right thing. It is my hope that the legal process will hold them accountable and enable the change that is so desperately needed."

In a statement, Raisman's attorney, John Manly, accused the USOC and USA Gymnastics of "a conspiracy to silence victims and cover up the largest child sex abuse scandal in history."

"A simple fact is this: If USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic Committee had followed their own bylaws, policies and procedures designed to protect children from sexual abuse, Ms. Raisman never would have met him, never would have been 'treated' by him and never would have been molested by him," Manly said.

"Instead they conspired to hide their knowledge of Nassar's horrible crimes from the public and attempted to frighten Ms. Raisman and other victims into keeping quiet. USOC and USAG can and will be made accountable by our justice system."

Declining to comment on Raisman's lawsuit, USA Gymnastics offered support to athletes who have been abused by Nassar.

"USA Gymnastics is committed to doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again by making bold decisions and holding ourselves to the highest standards of care," it said in a statement.

Larry Nassar was sentenced to life imprisonment after he admitted to sexually abusing and molesting girls and women, who were receiving treatment from him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A special magistrate court sent 10 parents behind bars for a day for allowing their minors to drive motorcycles in Telangana's Hyderabad city.

According to media reports, a penalty of Rs. 500 was also slapped on the parents, under Section 180 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Amid a massive crackdown against underage driving, a 14-year-old was also sentenced to remand for one day in a juvenile home, media reports added.

In all these cases, vehicles have been seized, and the minor driver and parents are being summoned to attend counselling at the Traffic Training institute and later prosecuted.

The campaign to curb underage driving follows close on the heels of another campaign to curb drunken driving in the city.

Last year, police recorded 130 accidents involving minors and many of them turned out to be near-fatal and in some cases caused death.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)United Nations-designated global terrorist and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed has claimed that India is using Afghan soil against Pakistan, resulting in the United States' decision to suspend military aid to the country.

In a gathering at Masjid Al-Qadsia here on Friday, Saeed claimed that India and the US "encircled" Pakistan and were specially targeting Balochistan for terrorism, according to the Khaama Press.

He added that India's activities on Afghan soil had made Pakistan a battlefield.

Continuing his tirade, he described the US as the "biggest terrorist" in the and criticised the Pakistani politicians for obeying the orders of the US and other Western countries.

Saeed, who is the founder of Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD), was designated a "terrorist" by the UN and has a USD 10 million-bounty placed on him by the United States in 2012.

The United States' department in 2014 had named the JuD as a "foreign terrorist organisation", a status that freezes assets of the organisation under its jurisdiction.

Saeed, who had recently been released from house arrest, is also looking to contest the 2018 general elections in Pakistan and has, thereby, formed a party by the name of Milli Muslim League (MML).

Pakistan prohibited the JuD and Falah-i-Insaaniyat Foundation (FIF) from collecting donations from individuals and companies in January.

However, they were found working openly under the patronage of security forces.

India has, time and again, protested against Pakistan for harbouring Saeed, who is wanted for allegedly plotting the 2008 attack, which claimed 166 lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Nagaland faction of the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) on Saturday announced its decision to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the formation of a stable government in the state.

The party stated that the decision was taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the declared results of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly elections, and also to safeguard the interest of the Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Tongpang Ozukum, an independent candidate also submitted his letter of support to the BJP here.

As per the latest results posted by the Election Commission of India, the BJP has won ten seats and leading in one, while its ally, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), has won 15 seats and is leading in one.

Meanwhile, the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF) has won 25 seats and is leading in two, while its partner, the People's Party (NPP) has won one seat and is leading in one.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A Students' Federation of India (SFI) leader of Nirmala College in Kochi's Muvattupuzha town has been suspended for allegedly insulting the Anthem.

The SFI leader has been identified as Aslam Salim, who ridiculed the anthem while it was being sung during the end of the day's class.

The incident took place on February 27, after the staff council recommended the principal to suspend Salim, a third year student of BA, who disrespected the Anthem.

In the video, Aslam is reportedly seen conducting himself in a manner disrespectful to the anthem and tried to take photographs of other students who were standing for the anthem and distracted them.

Soon following that, the members of the Congress-affiliated Kerala Students Union (KSU) filed a police complaint, along with a video, against Aslam.

"The suspension notice was given to him yesterday," Jose Karikkunnel, Vice-Principal of the college told ANI.

According to media reports, the SFI denied claims that Aslam is one of its leaders.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A majority of North Koreans are against their country's nuclear weapon programme, saying that it is not a source of national pride and prosperity, according to a survey done by the US-based think tank.

The survey, which was conducted through individual conversations with 50 North Korean citizens last year, found that 43 of the respondents were highly negative on the nuclear development in North Korea, according to Beyond Parallel, a project of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Around seventy percent of the responders felt that the nuclear programme did not give the citizens a sense of national pride, while 72 percent thought it did not make North Korea a prosperous country, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing the research.

The respondents consist of 30 men and 20 women and also included ruling party officials, security officials, farmers and homemakers.

They ranged in the age from 24 to 64 and their educational background varied from middle school graduates to university degree holders.

The participants lived across North Korea, from Ryanggang Province on the northern border with China, to the capital Pyongyang and to Gangwon Province on the southern border with South Korea.

A mid-career soldier denounced the nuclear weapons, calling them as "the devil's weapons" and warned that it "will lead to our extinction."

A middle-aged woman called the nuclear programme "crazy" and accused the North Korean leaders of thinking only about themselves and not worrying about its citizens, who are struggling to make their ends meet.

The remaining seven participants supported the nuclear weapon programme, saying that it helped protect the country from "attacks" by other powerful countries such as the US and China.

In North Korea, it is extremely rare to speak out against leader Kim Jong-un and his family, for the fear of detention and torture.

Along with Kim, his father, Kim Jong-il and his grandfather, Kim il-sung, who were former leaders of the regime, have established a cult of personality around them.

The country, which had tested three intercontinental ballistic missiles last year, is currently under heavy economic sanctions imposed by the US and the United Nations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Mt. Pleasant police on Saturday identified the prime accused as James Eric Davis in the Central Michigan University shooting incident that took place on Friday.

According to the Fox News, 19-year-old James Eric Davis was a sophomore at Michigan University who targeted two people at the University due to personal rivalry.

Two people had lost their lives to an incessant firing done at the CampBell Hall of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, post which the police had issued an advisory to the students to take a shelter and contact 911 in case of an emergency.

The police have further described the shooting as family-type domestic issue.

The gunman is still at large.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In the final result of the Nagaland Assembly elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 11 seats, while Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) 16, Development Front (NDF) 27 and others four seats.

Seems like, the alliance between NDPP and BJP look set to form the next government in Nagaland, which is the home to India's oldest insurgency.

Meanwhile, former Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio stated, "We have two topmost priorities. First is the Naga political issue, we should bring solution as early as possible because Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very concerned and an agreement will be signed on Aug 10".

"Second is the development aspect, infrastructure and railways," Rio added.

NDPP chief Neiphiu Rio, a former three-time chief minister, has already been declared elected uncontested from Northern Angami II seat.

Former Nagaland Chief Minister's statement comes after the BJP had parted ways with the NPF just ahead of the polls and joined hands with the newly launched NDPP, also an old Naga People's Front hand.

BJP leader Ram Madhav said that the party will form the government with its partner NDPP.

Yesterday, the Nagaland faction of the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) announced its decision to support the BJP in the formation of a stable government in the state.

The party stated that the decision was taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the declared results of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly elections, and also to safeguard the interest of the Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Delhi.

Tongpang Ozukum, an independent candidate also submitted his letter of support to the BJP here.

A neck and neck fight was on in Nagaland between NPF and BJP-NDPP alliance.

The NFP has been in power in the state since 2003 except for a three-month-long break during the President's Rule in 2008.

The BJP and the NDPP had contested in 20 and 40 seats, respectively. The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, contested only in 18 seats.

Though filing of nominations started on January 31, the first batch of 22 contestants filed their papers only on February 5, the penultimate day for filing of nominations.

There was a heavy rush of nominees to file the nomination papers on the last day, February 7, and finally after scrutiny and withdrawal, 227 candidates were in the fray for the state polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Nepal has made a record attempt on Saturday, taking over India, in the category of 'Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously- Single Location'.

A total of 75,000 people had gathered to recite Dhammapada, the preachings by Lord Buddha, at an event in Kathmandu's Tundikhel.

The official declaration of the record is yet to be done.

The event was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Nepal Khadga Prasad Oli, who appealed to the citizens of Nepal to spread love and affection and opt for the method of dialogue to resolve conflicts.

He said, "Nepal is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the country which has the height like of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) let's make it peaceful. We have adopted the path of prosperity let's make it that way. Let's make it happiest country in the I want to make a request with the world, the leaders, the world's government and all organisations to search for the solutions through dialogue or through peaceful way if problems exist not the war".

Nepal did this exercise in an attempt to mark itself for the event of "Most People Reading Aloud Simultaneously- Single Location" as part of the Guinness Records. It further wanted to promote Nepal as the birthplace of Lord Buddha with the slogan "Buddha was born in Nepal".

Currently, this title is being held by India after making the record at an event organized by the Art of Living Foundation on February 2, 2014.

As part of the event, a total of 46,660 participants had gathered at the Vadakkunnathan Temple at Thrissur in Kerala to recite Njanappana, a poem written by 16th Century poet Poonthanam whose motive was to promote peace and non-violence in the area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the northeast has come forward to lead India on the path of development.

Addressing the party workers at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Headquarters here, the Prime Minister averred that the people of Tripura have given the 'Maoist ideology', suppressing their will, a befitting reply by defeating them through ballots.

"The North East has today come forward to lead India on the path of development," Prime Minister Modi said.

"Spreading fear and propaganda have been two weapons of Maoist ideology to suppress the will of the people. The people of Tripura have given a befitting reply by defeating them through ballots," he added.

The Prime Minister also congratulated the party workers of Tripura for their victory in the assembly election, saying that a team of young BJP candidate, who was scared of rejection, managed to win people's confidence.

Taking about the victory in the state of Tripura and Nagaland, Prime Minister Modi said that now the time has come when the election analysts in India need to understand the journey from 'No one to One'.

"I do not have the figures but I think the elected team in Tripura is the youngest ever team. Some of them were even scared that would be rejected on the grounds of their age. Such young candidates successfully won people's confidence," he said.

"Election analysts in India will have to understand the journey from No one to One, shunya se shikhar tak. When the sun sets it is red in colour and when it rises it is saffron," he added.

The Prime Minister further said that it is truly the strength of a democracy that even the poorest people can answer to their sufferings by the power of their votes.

Prime Minister Modi tore into the Congress party, saying that the latter will be left out with only one Chief Minister in the entire country and that would be in Puducherry after the BJP will defeat the Congress in the upcoming assembly election in Karnataka.

He said that the Congress has shrunken to its 'lowest ever size', which is a lesson for the other parties of the country.

"The Congress party will be virtually left with only one Chief Minister in Puducherry in the country after they will be defeated in Karnataka in June 2018. In any case, the Congress party doesn't treat Punjab Chief Minister as their own, nor does Captain Amrinder Singh treat the Congress party as his own," Prime Minister Modi said.

"The Congress party has shrunk to its lowest ever size ever. There is a lesson to be learned from this for other political parties, especially the BJP. We must not let 'Congress culture' creep in our party," he added.

The Prime Minister further training guns at other political parties by accusing them of harming the BJP workers, when they were not able to fight with them.

He said that the parties cry 'vendetta' when they take action on such issue, which is actually a step for the betterment of the nation.

"Be it Kerala, Bengal or Karnataka, the way two dozen workers were murdered there, when they can't fight to the face they stooped down to this," he said.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the BJP workers, who lost their lives last year, by observing silence for a minute at the event.

Meanwhile, The Congress party has been able to retain its hold on Meghalaya as the party wins 21 seats in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)British police searched for survivors on Monday in the rubble of a shop and apartment destroyed by an explosion that killed at least five people and injured five others in the city of Leicester on Sunday evening.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue sent six fire engines to the scene, stating that the building had suffered a "pancake collapse" as a result of the incident, which occurred just after 7pm on Sunday.

They are Mary Rajoobeer, 46, and her two sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17, Leah Beth Reek, 18, who was Shane's girlfriend, and Viktorija Ljevleva, 22.

One man comes from East Anglia, one is from the North West, and the other is from the East Midlands.

The cause of the explosion had not been disclosed, but police said "we stress that there remains no evidence that the events of Sunday night are in any way terrorist related".

Police and the fire service said it would take time to establish what caused the explosion but that there was no immediate indication it was linked to terrorism.

Remains belonging to five people have been recovered from the wreckage.

Mrs Ragoobar's husband, Jose Ragoobeer, was out working at the time of the explosion and a third son is in hospital.

Five people were also taken to hospital after the blast, one of whom suffered critical injuries.

In a statement, the LOROS Hospice, which serves Leicestershire and Rutland, confirmed she had recently been nominated for the Lord-Lieutenant's Young Volunteer of the Year award for her work.

"She worked hard and her passion for committing to pursue a career in the health sector was clear, with the patients" needs always at the forefront of her work'.

The spokesperson did reiterate, however, that there remains "no evidence" that the explosion was in any way terror-related.Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to meet the Tamil Nadu all party and farmers delegation to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), said Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president MK Stalin on Saturday.

Terming Prime Minister Modi's refusal a betrayal to the people of the state, Stalin asked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to convene an Assembly session to discuss the issue.

"The Prime Minister has denied to meet Tamil Nadu all-party delegation and has rather advised to meet the concerned Minister. This is a huge betrayal for people of Tamil Nadu. We asked the Chief Minister to convene an assembly session to move a resolution in this regard. The Chief Minister has agreed," Stalin told media after a meeting with the Chief Minister.

Stalin further said that the DMK has put forward a proposal of mass resignation of all Tamil Nadu MPs to stress their point to the Centre.

"During our meeting with the Chief Minister, we have put forward a proposal of mass resignation of all Tamil Nadu MPs from the Parliament to stress our point to the Union Government. The Chief Minister has said that this proposal could be discussed in the Assembly session," Stalin added.

Earlier in the day, Stalin met Palaniswami in Tamil Nadu Secretariat to discuss the formation of the CMB.

The Supreme Court on February 16 had ordered the central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks.

The apex court had reduced Tamil Nadu's share in the Cauvery water to 177.25 thousand million cubic feet, down from 192 TMC allocated by a tribunal in 2007.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Ahead of the bilateral talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang at the Hyderabad House here on Saturday.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar shared the information about the meeting on Twitter.

"PM @narendramodi welcomes Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. India and Vietnam enjoy warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history. #ActEastPolicy," he tweeted.

Earlier today, Vietnamese President paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in Delhi.

Vietnamese President Quang also received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He was received by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival.

Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening.

President Quang is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen.

The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.

On a related note, Prime Minister Modi had visited Vietnam in 2016, a year before the two countries celebrated 45 years of honouring diplomatic ties.

During this visit, the two countries signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.

India had also extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Vietnam for facilitating deeper defence cooperation between the two sides.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making frivolous statements.

He rebutted Prime Minister Modi's assertion that as the Punjab Chief Minister he was functioning like an independent soldier and the Congress does not have control over him.

He also said Prime Minister's effort to create a wedge between him and the Congress will not yield any result.

"Who told you that @narendramodi ji? Not me for sure. Did the @INCIndia high command complain to you against me? Anyways, let me make it clear that such frivolous statements won't help you create a wedge between me and my party, which has full faith in my leadership & vice versa," Captain Amarinder tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi asserted that the Congress was crumbling as a political party and does not have control over its Chief Ministers.

"In Punjab, the Congress does not even consider their CM as their own. He marches on like an independent soldier," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers at the party headquarters here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang here on Saturday and discussed ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to Twitter and informed about the meeting.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj called on President of #Vietnam Tran Dai Quang. Discussion focused on steps to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors. #ActEastPolicy," he tweeted.

Earlier today, Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He was received by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival.

Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening.

He aims to strengthen their partnership to ward off China's growing influence and will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Quang is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen.

The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.

On a related note, Prime Minister Modi had visited Vietnam in 2016, a year before the two countries celebrated 45 years of honouring diplomatic ties.

During this visit, the two countries signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.

India had also extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Vietnam for facilitating deeper defence cooperation between the two sides.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Friday expressed the confidence of winning the assembly polls in the northeastern states of Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Tripura.

Talking to ANI, Swamy said that it would be a 'historic victory' of the BJP in Tripura and Nagaland and accused the Congress party of using a communal card in Meghalaya.

"We will snatch Tripura from the communist. We have got the edge in Nagaland and it will be a historic victory. In Meghalaya, it was polarized between Christians and non-Christians, and it is unfortunate that the Congress used the communal card there," Swamy told ANI.

He further said the result of the assembly polls will clear the picture of 2019 General election.

The results for assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland will come tomorrow.

The counting of votes

Tripura went to polls on the February 18, while voting in Meghalaya and Nagaland was held on February 27.

In the three northeastern states, elections were held for 59 seats each.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is leading from Dhanpur constituency by 1682 votes in the assembly elections.

The counting of votes for Tripura Assembly election is currently underway, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance is leading on 30 seats followed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 17 leads as per the early trends.

Tripura went to polls on February 18 and recorded around 92 per cent voting.

The election in this northeastern state will decide the electoral fortunes of 292 candidates, including 23 women.

The BJP has fielded candidates on 51 seats while its ally IPFT has fielded candidates on nine seats. Meanwhile, the CPI (M) has fielded 57 candidates.

The BJP is eyeing to dethrone the Manik Sarkar-led Left government that has been in power in the state for more than 20 years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Australia's Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop on Saturday confirmed that two of its nationals were injured in the suicide blast in Qabel Bai area of Afghanistan capital Kabul on Friday.

Tolo News quoted Bishop as saying in a statement that a car bomb was detonated near a convoy of Australian Embassy vehicles while they were travelling in Kabul.

"All Australian Embassy staff are safe," she said in the statement. However, two Australian security contractors were injured in the attack," she added.

Yesterday, Afghan Ministry of Interior's (MoI) spokesman Najib Danish said at least one person was killed and 14 others injured in the explosion.

Bishop further said, "The Australian government extends its sympathies to families and friends of people killed and injured in this attack."

Due to the high-intensity blast, some houses also got damaged.

No insurgent group has claimed the responsibility for the attack, so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has described the United States as biggest terrorist in the while addressing a Friday Sermon at the Markaz Al Qadsiya here.

He also criticised the politicians of Pakistan, blaming them for obeying the orders of America and other Western countries.

"Pakistan is facilitating the US, who is the biggest terrorist of the and involved in killing lakhs of people every year. Now demanding arrest of facilitators of terrorists," said Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations and has a USD 10 million bounty on him since 2012.

He added, "Pakistan is facilitating the US to launch drones attacks from Pakistan to kill people in Afghanistan. Rulers of Pakistan are silent assuming that America is pleased. The US is putting the blame of its defeat in Afghanistan on Pakistan and allegedly grabbing USD 33 billion. Neither the Afghan Taliban and nor the Afghan Mujahideen are responsible for the defeat of US. In Qatar, they (US) opened an office and asked the Taliban to settle their issues".

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Saeed, also alleged that the U.S. has plotted against his charities and that is why Islamabad has been acting against them.

Saeed said, "Now issued an order to seize assets of JuD i.e. to take control of Masjid (mosques), Madrasas (religious schools) and educational institutes as well as ambulances of JuD. America wishes not to see JuD's name in Pakistan."

Days before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris, Pakistan had amended the anti-terror legislation through a presidential ordinance to include all UN-listed individuals and groups in the national listings of proscribed outfits and persons.

Saeed said, "Those who went Paris to attend the FATF's meeting stated that they have seized all assets of JuD and requested FATF not to enter name of Pakistan into their grey list. They admitted of obeying instructions of their bosses (the West) and pleaded them to release aid for Pakistan."

Showing his discontent over Islamabad's stand at FATF meeting Saeed also blamed India for pressuring Pakistan to act against his organisation.

He said, "We must have openly conveyed in FATF meeting that JuD is not a terrorist organisation and it has been working for freedom of Kashmiris who are being subjected to torture and innocent children are being made blind. JuD is raising voice for rights of Kashmiris."

He even asked Pakistan to keep distance from Turkey and China. "Urged Pakistani rulers to stop slavery of infidels as well as stop seeking help from Turkey and China. No one will help you and only Allah will help you. Now they are deciding about future of JuD. All the enemies of Allah are enemies of Pakistan. Jews, Christians, Americans and Hindus are our enemies".

Pakistan claims to have banned the offices and charities of Jamaat-ud-Dawah, but they were found working openly under the patronage of security forces.

Terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, who openly holds rallies and meetings across Pakistan, enjoys the full support of the army and intelligence agencies, including ISI and military intelligence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang met with his Indian counterpart, President Ram Nath Kovind, at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here today.

Earlier in the day, the Vietnamese President also met former Congress President Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leader Anand Sharma and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

President Quang's three-day visit to India has been quite significant to both the countries as strategic partnerships between the two nations in the spheres of defence and security, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, science and technology and tourism have been reinforced.

In an official release, the Ministry of External Affairs announced the signing of three Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs). One on economic and trade co-operation to establish a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion, another between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership(GCNEP), India and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) to strengthen the technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

The two countries also agreed on a work plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam.

The purpose of the work plan is to promote cooperation in the transfer of technology and exchange of technical expertise in the fields of agriculture and allied.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2)  The Department of Health on Friday said it is coordinating with Taguig local government officials to solve the measles outbreak in the city.

Health Secretary Francsico Duque III said DOH is providing assistance to Taguig city health officials to strengthen surveillance of children with rashes and fever across all barangays.

Taguig City government, in a statement, said several medical personnel have been going door-to-door around the city to conduct anti-measles immunization on children between 6 months to 5 years old - even to those who have been immunized before.

"The city government is doing all that it can for its constituents. I am also appealing to the residents to have their children immunized," Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano said in a statement.

The measles outbreak was announced on Thursday. The city's Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit recorded 8 confirmed cases of measles, as of February 23. It assured the outbreak is "contained" in one barangay.

Duque said even one case of measles can be considered an outbreak.

"You have one measles case that's already an outbreak. That's a source of spread. So especially in communities, there is no sufficient herd immunity, kahit may isang nakalusot," he said.

A measles outbreak was also declared in Zamboanga City on February 27, which prompted authorities to conduct house-to-house immunization of children in 98 villages.

Measles is a highly contagious disease, which is normally passed through direct contact or through the air. It is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a vaccine is available, the World Health Organization said.

Symptoms such as high fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks can develop in the initial stage. After several days, a rash erupts. Most measles-related deaths are caused by complications associated with the disease.

Outbreak caused by Dengvaxia panic?

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque believes the measles outbreak is caused by the unnecessary panic brought by the Dengvaxia controversy.

"Kapag hindi ninyo po tinuloy ang mga bakunang yan, mas malaking banta po ang mangyayari sa kalusugan ng inyong mga anak. Dati rati po wala na tayong measles kasi may bakuna na sa measles. Ngayon mayroon na pong measales outbreak," he said in a media briefing on Friday.

He appealed to all parents not to be afraid of letting their children get vaccinated for measles and other illnesses, which can be prevented by vaccines administered by the government.

"Iyan po siguro ay dahil na rin dun sa natakot ang mga magulang sa lahat ng klase ng bakuna. Huwag po tayong matakot sa mga bakuna na matagal na natin ginagamit," he said.

Duque earlier said the unnecessary panic over the controversial dengue mass immunization program is affecting immunization programs.

As a result, DOH saw a "substantial" 37 percent decline of children getting vaccinated, including the deworming program, which does not even involve injecting children.

CNN Philippines' Lara Tan and Camille Abadicio contributed to this report.Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang called on former Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Saturday.

President Quang also met Congress leader Anand Sharma and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

At the joint press meet with the Vietnamese President earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the steps being undertaken to further enhance the strategic partnership between both the countries in the fields of defence and security, trade and investment, energy, agriculture, science and technology and tourism.

The two leaders also discussed issues of global importance.

India and Vietnam inked three agreements in the areas of trade, agriculture and atomic energy.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in an official release said the countries signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on economic and trade cooperation to establish a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion.

Another MoU on Cooperation between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, India (GCNEP) and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) were signed to strengthen the technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, the MEA release added.

Both countries also signed a work plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam.

The purpose of the work plan is to promote cooperation in the transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in the fields of agriculture and allied.

Earlier today, the Vietnamese President paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in Delhi. He also received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan as well.

President Quang, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening.

He is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen at the India-Vietnam Business Forum.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on Saturday received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

He was received by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to Twitter and said, "And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome @RashtrapatiBhvn in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM @narendramodi."

Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening.

He aims to strengthen their partnership to ward off China's growing influence and will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Quang is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen.

The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.

On a related note, Prime Minister Modi had visited Vietnam in 2016, a year before the two countries celebrated 45 years of honouring diplomatic ties.

During this visit, the two countries signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.

India had also extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Vietnam for facilitating deeper defence cooperation between the two sides.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Maldives opposition denounced on Saturday the arrest of 17 protesters, including three MPs of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), in the latest round of defiance against the emergency imposed by President Abdulla Yameen a month ago.

The opposition, led by the MDP, said in a joint statement that police had arrested 17 demonstrators, including three MPs -- Abdulla Shahid, Abdul Latheef Mohamed and Abdulla Riyaz -- along with several activists and council members of the party during the latest protests in the archipelago, which began on Friday and continued early Saturday, Maldives Independent reported.

"President Yameen is abusing the Maldives Police Service to attack his political critics in the most cowardly way possible," the opposition said in the statement.

Mickail Naseem, president of the MDP's youth wing was also arrested.

Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, exiled in the UK and currently in Colombo, demanded on his official Twitter account all 17 detainees be released "immediately".

MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Efe news that although 17 people were "officially" arrested, "many more (were) removed from the protest and then released" and that even Nasheed's mother had been attacked by anti-riot police.

According to the opposition, a total of 110 people had been arrested since President Abdulla Yameen imposed on February 5 a national state of Emergency of which 31 people remain in custody without trial.

The Maldives is experiencing deep political and institutional turmoil after a Februar 1 Supreme Court ruling ordering the retrial and immediate release of nine opposition leaders, and the reinstatement of a dozen opposition MPs.

Yameen's government initially said it would abide the order but later rejected it, declaring a state of Emergency instead, claiming it had thwarted a coup attempt by former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed, both currently in custody.

On February 5, the President declared a 15-day state of emergency, which he later extended a further 30 days.

--IANS

soni/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least six civilians, including a girl, were killed on Saturday in bombings by unidentified aircraft on areas in Eastern Ghouta, the besieged rebel-held enclave on the outskirts of Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitoring group, said the bombings targeted the towns of al-Mohamadiya and Beit Sawa, but did not say whether they took place before or after the 9 a.m. start of the daily five-hour ceasefire that has been applied by Syrian government forces since Tuesday.

The Syrian government claimed to have created humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave Eastern Ghouta, but the official news agency SANA on Saturday accused the rebels of firing on civilians trying to flee.

Fighting continued between forces loyal to the Syrian government, which are supported by Russia, and militias from the Jaysh al-Islam rebel group in the east and southeast of Eastern Ghouta, in an attempt by government troops to advance in that area, Efe news reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the SOHR reported that unidentified warplanes had bombed several parts of Eastern Ghouta and carried out 40 attacks between Friday night and Saturday morning, targeting the areas of Douma, Harasta and al-Shifuniya.

The SOHR raised the number of people killed in Douma in the last 24 hours to 19, including two children and three women.

Russia proposed a daily humanitarian ceasefire from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Eastern Ghouta after the approval last weekend of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a month-long humanitarian ceasefire across Syria.

Since February 18, Eastern Ghouta has been bombed by Syrian and Russian aircraft as well as government artillery, claiming the lives of at least 636 people, including 151 children and 93 women, the SOHR reported.

According to the UN, some 400,000 people remain trapped in Eastern Ghouta's rebel-held network of towns and satellite cities on the outskirts of Damascus, which has been under siege by forces loyal to the Syrian government for several years, preventing much-needed food and humanitarian aid from entering.

--IANS

soni/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Riding on the BJP's poll victory in the northeast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah on Saturday set the party on the goal of securing power in Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal, saying the golden period is yet to come until and unless they have won these states.

Addressing party workers at the newly inaugurated BJP Headquarters here, Modi mocked at the Congress saying its stature had never become so small as it is now and recalled his speech on last Sunday in Puducherry where he told the Chief Minister V. Narayansamy that he would be lucky to be the sole Congress Chief Minister in the country soon.

He exhorted party workers to work for establishing BJP governments in Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha, saying the BJP was spread across the nation like a Banyan tree on the efforts of its workers.

"For all round development a popular approach of 360 degrees is followed. It is considered to be the perfect approach for bringing good results. It has its own importance," Modi said remembering slain party workers killed in political violence in Tripura, Karnataka, West Bengal and other parts of the country.

"Can we take a pledge to move towards 360 degrees. I believe that the party President will decide at a proper time as to which way we should move forward. As a party worker, we will do whatever the party asks us to do to bring victory results."

Earlier in his victory speech and at a press conference, Shah also spoke of the party forming governments in Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha and returning to power at the Centre in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Till the (BJP) governments are formed in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala, till the time we win Karanataka, the golden period is yet to come. We will form governments in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala and surely win Karanataka," he said.

Modi said about two dozen BJP workers have been killed in Kerala, West Bengal and Karnataka.

"Still we maintained silence. When we take action they cry 'vendetta'. This isn't vendetta but a mandate, a step for the betterment of nation."

Targeting the Left and the Congress, Modi said the election results in the northeast have proved that the best reply to those spreading rumours and lies was given by people in democracy through their votes.

Referring to the spectacular win, ousting the Left from 25 years of power and the BJP surge in the northeast, Modi said: "When the sun sets its colour turns red, when it rises it is absolute saffron. Yesterday (Holi) the nation was smeared in all the colours but today all those colours have merged into saffron."

He said the "Congress stature has never been so low as it is today. Our President (Amit Shah) is winning us elections after elections and the Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) was thrust on the party and his stature is getting smaller by the day due to losses in elections in one after the other," Modi said.

He warned BJP workers, asking them to remain vigilant against Congress culture seeping into the party ranks.

Talking about the electoral victories in the northeast, Modi said the region was the most important part of the country as per the "vastu shastra".

"In vastu also, the northeast in a house is very important. According to vastu shastra, northeast is the most auspicious side. I am happy that northeast is now a part of the BJP's development path. With the northeast now taken care of, the foundation for the rest of the country has automatically become solid."

He said people from the region used to feel that Delhi was too far from them but now the situation is such that New Delhi (the Central government) has itself at the doorstep of the northeast. We sent more ministers to northeast in the last four years than any other government since independence. Every 15 days, we would send a minister there to spend at least 24 hours so that we can understand their aspirations and there problems."

Modi said victory and defeat are natural in a democracy but he has seen from 2014 that BJP rivals have not reconciled to loss. He cited the statement of the CPI-M which blamed its defeat in Tripura on use of money power by the BJP and said he was taken aback by that statement.

Shah said the poll results on Saturday were a "historic" verdict from all angles. "It is a historic day for the BJP. Victory celebrations are being held in the new party office. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the victory chariot has reached the northeast and is on its way to Karnataka.

"It is the victory of act east policy and development policies of the NDA government. The people of the northeast have put a stamp of approval on the policies of the government."

He said the Congress has not been able to open its account in Nagaland and Tripura and the manadate in all the three states of the northeast was against the Congress.

--IANS

mgu-sar-vsc/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said an alternative to both BJP and Congress would emerge soon to bring qualitative change in the Indian

He told reporters that the talks in this regard had already started and it would soon take some shape.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President claimed that people want change as the present political system had miserably failed and said he was ready to play an active role in bringing that change.

"I am 64. If I can help bring the change and serve the country for few years, I will definitely do it," he said.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, believes that the once the process for change begins, it will spread like wildfire.

"The country has to move in new direction. People should think about it otherwise we will remain the same. How long we will hear stories of the progress in the US and China," he asked.

"Change should come in the people. The tools for this change could be coalition, front, or anything," he said.

Stating that there is no difference between the BJP and Congress, he said these two parties were in power for almost the entire period since independence but even after 70 years there is no qualitative change.

"No qualitative change could be seen by people even after 70 years of democratic exercise. This is unfortunate. People are vexed now," he said.

The TRS chief did not attach any significance to Saturday's results in three northeastern states, where BJP has done well. "You will have different results in different states," he said.

He said BJP could bring no changes. He criticized it for not doing anything for farmers.

"If tomorrow Congress comes to power, nothing will change. Only the names of the schemes will change," he said.

"Qualitative change is not taking place in both the regimes. What has happened so far is unsatisfactory. Why there are naxalites in this country. Why there is so much unrest. Why there are social fights everywhere. Why Dalits and tribals are fighting," he asked.

KCR also did not rule out joining hands with Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a partner in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. TDP, the ruling party in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, has threatened to walk out of the alliance over the BJP not fulfilling the commitments made to the state.

Recalling that he was the first Chief Minister to support demonetisation, KCR said he thought it will yield dividends and curb black money. Similarly, he supported Goods and Services Tax (GST) as he thought the move would improve taxation.

KCR said he had nothing personally against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described him as his best friend.

"I have nothing against Modi or BJP. I am against the slow progress of the country. The slow pace of progress is not digestible," he said.

The Chief Minister denied making comment in his recent speech in Karimnagar to insult Modi, saying he had respect for him.

KCR, however, found fault with the BJP leaders who are targeting him for criticizing Modi. "This is democracy. When there is a situation, we can criticize the prime minister," he said.

The TRS president said that he doesn't recognize BJP as a political party in Telangana. He termed as joke the statements of some BJP leaders that BJP will come to power in the state in the next elections.

--IANS

ms/ahm/

(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.)Filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia's next "Palace of Horrors" is a part of the international horror anthology "The Field Guide To Evil", which will have its world premiere at the prestigious festival, South by Southwest (SXSW) in the US.

The anthology of dark folk tales on possession, curses, love, lust and envy.tales, brings together eight talented genre filmmakers from around the world including Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Poland, Turkey and the US.

The movie will have its world premiere on March 16 at SXSW, to be held from March 9-18. It will open theatrically across US and Europe later this year.

"It is quite an honour to be the first Indian filmmaker to have a world premiere at SXSW. It has become the most relevant film festival in the US today. Our film 'The Field Guide to Evil' is a collaboration between eight international directors, all very exciting in their own right, and in that sense is very different from what I'm used to," Ahluwalia said in a statement.

"It's a horror film, inspired by dark folk tales from around the world, and the buzz on the premiere has been huge. I'm really excited for the audience to experience this," he added.

Ahluwalia's "Palace of Horrors" shot in luminous black and white, unfolds over the summer of 1913 in Bengal where deep within the ancient Sunderban jungles and veiled from the outside world, lies a crumbling palace - home to strange rites and malformed, barely-human curiosities, collected by a long-dead king.

--IANS

rb/ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi government employees would continue to not meet ministers till Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologises for an alleged attack on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by two AAP MLAs, the employees' association said on Saturday, countering the government's claim that the association has "assured full cooperation".

On Friday, Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma tweeted that an employees' delegation had met the Chief Minister and "assured full cooperation" to the Delhi government.

Deepak Bharadwaj, a member of Government Employees Joint Forum, said that the government's claim was "wrong" and they would continue to communicate with ministers only through written channel till Kejriwal apologises.

D.N. Singh, another member of the forum and one of the members who visited the Chief Minister on Friday, said that he met Kejriwal as the latter's mother was ill and termed it as a "personal visit".

Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash on February 20 alleged that he was assaulted by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators -- Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan -- at Kejriwal's residence in his presence, where the top bureaucrat had been called for an emergency meeting.

--IANS

nkh/nks/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 1)  There is a "world of difference" between the impeachment cases involving two of the countries top judges.

This was the statement of Atty. Josa Deinla, a spokesperson for Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Deinla told CNN Philippines On the Record Thursday that the differences lay in the articles of impeachment, the basis of the conviction of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, and the impeachment proceedings now being faced by Sereno.

"The difference lies in the fact that, before the late Chief Justice was proven to have misdeclared or did not disclose certain properties in his SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth). This is not the case with the Chief Justice now," Deinla said.

Deinla added the political context was also different, however, she said that she could not say that it was the Duterte administration backing Sereno's ouster.

She however, said, "But what is clear is that there are people who are clearly working for the removal of the Chief Justice in different...on all fronts practically."

She also said there were justices who were displeased by Sereno's appointment as Chief Justice back in 2012.

In 2012, the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, convicted former Chief Justice Renato Corona for misdeclarations in his SALN.

Corona and his wife, Cristina, were facing a P130.6 million forfeiture case before the second division of the Sandiganbayan.

Corona died from heart failure in April 2016. Under Philippine law, death ends a persons criminal and civil liability. These are extinguished when the death of the offender occurs before the judgment on the case, Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code states.

In a press briefing earlier, Supreme Court Spokesperson Theodore Te quoted a statement signed by 13 justices who urged Sereno to take an indefinite leave.

"After extended deliberations last Tuesday, February 27, 2018, 13 of the justices present arrived at the consensus that the Chief Justice should take an indefinite leave," Te read.

READ: SC: 13 justices wanted Sereno to go on indefinite leave

Only Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa was not present because he was on leave.

Also speaking to On the Record, House Justice Committee Chairman Rey Umali said he felt relief upon hearing the news as it proved Sereno was forced to take a leave.

Umali added the number of justices who wanted Sereno to go on leave showed "she did not have any support coming from any of the members."

"If I were her, I would not only go on leave, but probably resign," he said.

Deinla however, said she was bothered by the justices actions.

"I actually find it disturbing that Chief Justice's colleagues would 'force' her to go on an indefinite leave, because that will have the practical effect of vacating her post, " she said, adding she could not find any basis in law and in the Constitution where justices of the Supreme Court could do such to a peer.

Deinla said she did not know why the justices decided the way they did.

CNN Philippines Digital Producer Eimor Santos contributed to this report.It is a startling statistic which beggars belief, but the truth is there are more tigers living in captivity in the US than survive in the wild in their natural habitat in Asia -- several sub-species are already extinct, and those that remain cling on in their last bastions. They have some prominent champions -- including the Russian President and the governments of Cambodia and Kazakhstan -- and there are some positive signs with India reporting an increase in numbers.

There is no room for complacency. Far from it. The tiger's closest and most famous cousin, the African lion, is the subject of sad news, setting alarm bells ringing. Lion numbers are reported to have fallen by 40 per cent in just two decades, with the lion now only occupying 17 per cent of its historic range -- and the "King of the Beasts" faces the prospect of being dethroned. And even if some tiger populations are recovering, they are a long way from the levels seen at the start of the 20th century -- before uncontrolled hunting took its toll.

Hunting may well be banned and international trade regulated to the point of prohibition, but this does not mean that poaching does not occur. Tiger skins and other body parts command phenomenal prices on the black market, and even the modest share of the booty offered to those at the sharp end presents a temptation too great to resist for people scraping a living in harsh, unforgiving environments providing limited options for making a livelihood. Reduced tiger populations in Asia is also bad news for lions, as its body parts are seen as a possible substitute.

The problems afflicting the lion and the tiger also affect their smaller cousins, such as the snow leopard and the Asiatic cheetah, both of which are suffering from reduced habitat and depletion of their prey species. The snow leopard, known locally as the "Ghost of the Mountains", occupies a vast and inhospitable terrain at high altitudes in the mountains of Central Asia and probably numbers fewer than 10,000. The terrain makes survey work difficult, and so the figures are the best estimate experts can give.

Even in the mountains, the snow leopards are not safe from their main enemy -- people -- and the effects of climate change and growing human demand for space are making encounters -- and conflict -- more common. Warming temperatures are opening more and more areas to pastoralism; so as well as being hunted for the pelts and body parts for traditional medicine, snow leopards are even more exposed to persecution by farmers seeking to protect their livestock.

Wildlife tourism is not a viable option in Central Asia -- the area is inaccessible and lacks the infrastructure which all but the hardiest of travellers want. There is also no guarantee that visitors will even catch a glimpse of the elusive creatures.

It is not only agriculture that is encroaching on unspoilt leopard territory; there are also plans to develop ski resorts in the mountains, with the implicit threat of bringing more people and more disturbance. Any such developments need to be planned sensitively to ensure minimal impact and maximum sustainability.

There are two contrasting elements essential for the success of conservation efforts undertaken on behalf of the snow leopard. The first is recognition of the fact that because they cross national borders, the Range States that host them have to cooperate. Fortunately, governments are fully aware of this and the President of Kyrgyzstan has initiated high-level meetings which have resulted in the establishment of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP).

The second element is bringing local communities and livestock owners on board. As tourism is unlikely to make much significant impact in terms of new employment opportunities, conservation programmes must include measures to reduce the negative impact of the cats' presence; examples of this being the provision of predator-proof corrals for livestock and setting up insurance schemes to compensate farmers for any animals lost to the leopards.

Despite their apparent sparseness and harsh terrain, the mountains support a surprisingly large range of plants and animal species, and the snow leopard serves as an indicator of the ecosystem's health; so if they are thriving, chances are that the wider too is in good shape.

The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) is lending its support to World Wildlife Day and I commend our colleagues at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), who take the lead in organising the campaign each year. Focussing on big cats this year helps raise awareness of their precarious conservation status and complements the efforts of Range State governments such as Kyrgyzstan by emphasising the need for international cooperation to address the threats and ensure that lions, tigers, snow Leopards and the rest can survive in the wild.

(Dr Bradnee Chambers is the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The views expressed are those of CMS. He can be reached at cms.secretariat@cms.in)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a majority in the Tripura Assembly elections, the party's state unit Chief B.S. Yeddyurappa on Saturday exuded confidence in winning over 150 of the 224 assembly constituencies in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly poll due in April-May.

"People of northeast and Tripura, in particular, have rejected corrupt and divisive of the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)..it is now clear that Karnataka will also reject Congress for its corruption and divisive unleashed by Siddaramaiah," Yeddyurappa said in a statement in Bengaluru.

Karnataka will emulate Tripura, he asserted.

The verdict from the northeast polls has further enthused the party cadre in the poll-bound southern state, Yeddyurappa said.

"This will enable us to reach the target we have set for ourselves in Karnataka -- 150 plus seats," reiterated the Lok Sabha member from Shivamogga, about 300 km northwest from Bengaluru.

The "countdown" for the Congress party had begun as the people were choosing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's " of development" and were keen on making India Congress-free, the BJP leader said.

The BJP came to power in the state on its own in 2008 but lost to the ruling Congress in May 2013 Assembly elections following a split in its state leadership in 2012 when Yeddyurappa quit the party and formed Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP).

Along with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the BJP on Saturday had won 43 out of the 59 seats, ousting the Left Front government that had ruled the state for about 25 years.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bharatiya Janata Party appears to have consolidated its position as the principal pole of Indian due to its stunning victory in Tripura and its improved performance in Meghalaya and Nagaland with the results also showing that Congress continues to face multiple challenges to check its slide in the states.

The results are expected to help the BJP keep up its electoral momentum for the crucial electoral battle in Karnataka in about two months and expand its footprint to new areas for the crucial electoral battle in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The results are also expected to boost the morale of BJP workers in the difficult challenges the party faces to retain Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at the end of the year.

The BJP's concerted push in Tripura, based on solid work at the grassroots, has given a jolt to the Left parties who have ruled the northeastern state for 25 years, and virtually decimated the Congress, which was the principal opposition party, with 36 percent vote share in 2013 polls.

With victory in Tripura, where the BJP had lost its deposit on 49 of 50 seats it contested in 2013 polls, the party has now set its eyes on winning Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha - three other states where it has traditionally been on a weak wicket.

BJP's victory in Tripura has come on the back of its victory in Assam and was its first direct contest with the Left parties.

With the National Democratic Alliance winning both Tripura and Nagaland and a hung house in Meghalaya, Mizoram is now the only state northeastern state out of ambit of NDA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving a special thrust to the development of northeast since he came to power in 2014 and has been sending central ministers on regular tours to the region, which has severe development challenges and has faced challenge of militancy.

The government has also worked towards sustaining peace in the northeast and improving its connect with the neighbouring countries for enhanced business opportunities.

For a party seen to be inextricably linked to Hindutva, the outcome in Tripura coupled with improved performance in Christian-majority Nagaland and Meghalaya has come as a morale-booster. The northeast region has 25 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress tally came down in Meghalaya, where it was in power, and it failed to open its account Tripura and Nagaland. The northeast has been a Congress bastion in the past but in both Tripura and Nagaland it was barely in contest.

The party was short of resources and some of its internal differences came out in the open. Five of its 23 candidates in Nagaland withdrew from the contest due to severe shortage of funds.

The party's Nagaland unit president, Kewe Khape Therie, complained that its candidates were on an "abandoned ship" and sought resignation of AICC general secretary-in-charge C.P. Joshi for the failures of the party in the northeast.

Saturday's poll outcome seems to have interrupted the momentum that the Congress was building against the Modi government following its improved performance in Gujarat and the bypoll victories in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The party would have to make more concerted efforts to pin down the Modi government on the issue of corruption over the huge frauds in public sector banks and the flight of the main accused from the country.

If the Congress is not able to cobble together a majority in Meghalaya, it will be left in power in only in Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and the union territory of Puducherry.

The party has the onerous task of defending Karnataka, with the BJP now likely to focus all its energies to wrest the southern state.

If the Congress loses Karnataka, it will be left with Punjab as the only major state in its kitty, making the task of its revival ahead of 2019 polls that much more difficult.

The Congress continues to face organisational challenges with the likely revamp by its new president Rahul Gandhi nowhere in sight.

The Congress faces a formidable opponents in Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah who work in synergy to deliver electoral results. The BJP also appears to have developed an expertise in booth-level management and has considerably expanded its footprint since its victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress is holding its plenary later this month and has to work out a strategy to arrest its downward slide while getting back to its winning ways.

(Prashant Sood can be contacted at prashant.s@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 Congress on Saturday termed the BJP's "20-page pictorial booklet" expose, charging the ruling party of "ruining" Bengaluru, a lie. The party said the pictures were from Mizoram and Nepal.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party caught lying again! While Congress is working towards providing the best amenities for Bengaluru's citizens, BJP is busy defaming and lying about the city," tweeted Congress state unit's working president Dinesh Gundu Rao.

While a picture claiming to display the garbage menace in the capital city Bengaluru was taken in Kathmandu by the American website npr.org, another picture showing potholes was reportedly shot in Mizoram.

Reacting to the Congress' allegations that his party was "lying", BJP state spokesman Vamanacharya said the ruling party has "lost its face" after the booklet was released and was hence finding loopholes.

"Sometimes different pictures might look alike, but the content of the booklet is entirely true. Congress has lost its face after the chargesheet was released by us and is now only looking for loopholes," Vamanacharya told IANS here.

BJP state unit in-charge and Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday had released the booklet listing the omissions and commissions of the ruling Congress government that "allegedly" ruined the city.

"Since the Congress came to power in 2013, Bengaluru has turned into a garbage city, a crime city and a rape city from what it was known for greenery, salubrious climate and IT prowess," Javadekar had said.

The Congress has made the city a "hell" to live in, he had remarked.

The BJP was demanding an answer from the ruling Congress for its "mal-administration" that led to the city's infrastructure being ruined, he asserted.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Accepting the Tripura mandate, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday charged the BJP with using money and muscle power to win the state assembly elections.

The CPI(M), in a press statement, said the "BJP has, apart from other factors, utilized massive deployment of money and other recources to influence the elections".

"This has happened because the Bharatiya Janata Party has unscrupulously utilised huge amounts of money and muscle power and managed to successfully bring together all anti-Left elements and parties, including the erstwhile opposition parties, into one anti-Left platform. They succeeded as a result," Yechury said.

Yechury warned the people of Tripura that there would be unfavourable ramifications due to misuse of money in elections.

"The BJP brought together all kinds of forces using money power and without attaching any morality to it. There will be results, against which the people need to be alert," he added.

In a series of tweets, Yechury said: "We will continue to oppose the BJP and its divisive agenda, not only in Tripura but all over India. It is imperative for those who believe in India's constitutional ideals to defeat the nefarious designs of the BJP-RSS combine. The battle is on."

Earlier, Yechury said the CPM accepts the people's mandate in Tripura which is poised the a BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura government. This has come after the Left Front was in power for 25 years, winning five consecutive elections, he said.

"Forty-five per cent of the people... have voted for the Left Front. We assure the people of Tripura that the CPI-M will continue to work for their interests, their welfare, and most importantly for the unity of the tribal and non-tribal sections in the state, which we believe is very important for this northeastern state," the Left leader said.

He said the party would analyse the poll results and then decide its next course of action.

The party statement said: "The Politburo thanks 45 per cent of the voters who extended support to the CPI-M and the Left Front. The party will carefully examine the reasons for this setback and take necessary remedial measures."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ruling Congress is leading in 21 seats while the National People's Party is ahead in 14 and the BJP in six in the vote count for the Meghalaya assembly on Saturday, the Election Commission said in New Delhi.

Polling for 59 out of the state's 60 assembly seats was held on February 27. The election to one seat was countermanded following the killing of a candidate.

As per the counting on 58 seats out of 60, Congress was leading in 21 seats.

The Conrad Sangma-led NPP, which is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, Rajasthan and Manipur, fought the elections in Meghalaya on its own and is leading in 14 seats. The BJP is leading on six as per the early trends.

Sangma, who has won five consecutive terms from Ampati constituency since 1993, is leading by 797 votes over his nearest rival Bakul Ch. Hajong of the BJP.

According to poll panel, United Democratic Party (UDP) was leading on six seats, while the People's Democratic Front was leading on five seats and independent candidates were leading on at least four seats.

In Songsak, the veteran Congress leader is leading by 1,501 votes against NPP's Nihim D. Shira.

The Congress has fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP contested in 47 assembly constituencies.

Polling to the Williamnagar seat was countermanded following the killing of Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathone Sangma in an IED blast at Sawilgre area in East Garo Hills district on February 18.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least five people have been killed and over 90,000 households left without electricity as powerful storm continued to pound the US East Coast on Saturday with drenching rain.

The nor'easter has also prompted the cancellation of more than 3,300 flights, snarled ground traffic and knocked out power to 900,000 customers with more than 400,000 of them in Massachusetts, reports CNN.

At least five people have died, according to authorities: a 77-year-old woman in Kingsville, Maryland; an 11-year-old boy in Putnam County, Virginia; a 44-year-old man in James City County, Virginia; a juvenile in Chesterfield County, Virginia; and a Newport, Rhode Island, man who was in his 70s. All were killed by falling trees.

Massachusetts is taking the brunt of the storm, which hit Friday and was not expected to ease up until midday Saturday, according to weather authorities.

High tides powered coastal flooding in major cities including Boston, leaving streets awash for the second time since a massive nor'easter in early January.

Record-setting high tides might strike Boston Harbour on Saturday morning.

Kayakers paddled down Boston streets and national guardsmen rescued 50 people from their homes in nearby Quincy, sometimes carrying them to safety in the scoopers of front-end loaders, CNN reported.

Twenty-two million people were under a coastal flooding warning as of Friday.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said he has called in the National Guard and urged vigilance.

"Do not ride out the storm if you are told to evacuate," Baker said.

The storm morphed into a "bomb cyclone" late Friday morning when it underwent so-called bombogenesis, signalled by an extreme drop in atmospheric pressure.

"Since 10 a.m., Thursday, this storm has rapidly dropped in pressure, officially passing the definition of 24 millibars in 24 hours," a meteorologist told CNN. "It continues to strengthen."

More than 3,000 US flights have been cancelled, including hundreds at the busiest Northeast airports in Boston, Philadelphia and New York, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.

Airlines, including Delta, United and Southwest, are offering fee waivers for flight cancellations or changes involving affected airports.

Amtrak also announced it had suspended train service between New York and Boston.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and as many Indians were injured, including two army men and two civilians, in border hostilities in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 48 hours.

Informed sources said that the four Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliation on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts since Thursday.

"The Pakistani Army has been using 120mm and 82mm mortars to target defence and civilians facilities.

"Two of our soldiers and two civilians were injured during this period in Pakistan shelling and firing," the sources said.

At least half a dozen residential structures have been damaged completely or partially in the shelling.

Authorities have ordered all schools in the proximity of the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri to be closed till March 5.

People remained indoors most of the time in these areas avoiding any movement in fields and other places, the authorities said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In the wake of an alleged multi-crore fraud on state-run Punjab Bank (PNB), the auditors and financial professionals on Saturday accused the central government of "diluting the bank audit system as well as power of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for selection of auditors for auditing of banks".

They also questioned how the management of banks are allowed to select the statutory auditors.

"Earlier, the RBI used to appoint statutory auditors of banks. But to our utter surprise, we observed that from 2014-15, the power of the RBI to appoint central statutory auditors and branch statutory auditors was snatched by the central government and was handed over to the management of the respective banks," Association of Chartered Accountants' General Secretary Kingsuk Datta told reporters.

Forum of Finance Professionals and Economists' General Secretary Sunil Kumar Gandhi said banks' managements were allowed to select the statutory auditors taking only nominal permission of the RBI before the appointment.

"Can you imagine a situation where the examinees themselves are appointing their own examiners," he asked.

They demanded the selection of bank central auditors and statutory branch auditors should be done under the control of the RBI and not in the hands of the bank management.

The association and forum also demanded the creation of a audit board which will act as a regulatory body for appointment of auditors of private listed companies, parallel to C&AG.

They also apprehended there might be a "nexus" between the management of a particular bank and selected auditors' of the lender if the selection process continues in this way.

Criticising the Ministry of Finance's circular dated September 26, 2012, Datta also said the Ministry of Finance directed banks that "the statutory branch audit has become routine and not much effective post implementation of CBS (core banking solution) in PSBs (public sector banks)".

"Statutory branch audit is essential and unfortunately, branches with advances of Rs 200 million or below are not selected for statutory audit," Datta said.

In view of the alleged multi-crore bank fraud case, Gandhi said keeping "Swift" out of the core banking solution was "one of the loopholes".

Both the association and forum demanded the scrapping of the FRDI Bill, 2017.The bitter cold gripping Europe has frozen over parts of Amsterdams canals, allowing the locals to ice skate on the waterways, the media reported on Saturday.

For the first time in about six years, part of the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht canals froze hard enough to support the weight of dozens of sightseers, locals and ice skaters, reports the Guardian.

Footage from the canals showed people on skates criss-crossing the ice while others stroll along enjoying the novelty of walking on what is normally flowing water.

However, the unusual conditions did snare two skaters who took to the ice on Thursday when it was not quite thick enough.

According to local media, the pair fell through the ice and were rescued by passersby.

Europe's deep freeze continued to wreak havoc on Saturday, the Guardian reported.

After heavy snowfall and deadly blizzards, conditions marginally improved in some regions on Friday - although temperatures generally remained sub-zero, forcing more major delays on roads, railways and at airports.

The freezing conditions have left over 60 dead so far.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2)  As the country celebrates Women's Month this March, the Palace took the time to address concerns of women's groups calling out President Rodrigo Duterte for his remarks against women.

"Palabiro po ang bibig ng ating Presidente, pero kinakailangan husgahan siya kung ano talagang ginawa niya bilang mayor ng Davao City," Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Friday.

He said Duterte has been serious in advancing the lives of Filipino women.

Roque enumerated some of the efforts of the President which are "pro-feminist," such as implementing a local version of the Reproductive Health Bill in Davao City before it was legislated nationally, establishing a Women and Children Protection Unit, and recently, as President, upholding a deployment ban to Kuwait to protect overseas Filipino workers, which he said are mostly women.

Roque insisted Davao City, under then Mayor Duterte, was a trailblazer in upholding the rights of women.

Duterte drew flak in numerous occasions from the 2016 election campaign until today for his language towards women. The most recent instance was in a speech before former communist rebels in February 7, where he said female communist rebels should be shot in the vagina.

"Ingna ang mga sundalo. "Ah, unsa man nang mga babae." Ingna sila. Tawga run ang mga sundalo. "Order bag-o ni mayor. Di lang daw mo patyon. Pusilon lang mo sa bisong arong ---" Og wa na ma'y bisong, wa na ma'y silbi," the President said.

[Translation: Tell the soldiers. "There's a new order coming from mayor. We won't kill you. We will just shoot your vagina, so that ' If there is no vagina, it would be useless."]

Women's groups say his "jokes" are completely unacceptable for a state leader.

"In our culture, those who are aggressive, who are violent are being seen as real men," Jean Enriquez of women's group Coalition Against Trafficking of Women said.

But Roque said Duterte does not promote violence against women, saying there is a contradiction between the President's language and his policies.

"Pagdating po sa polisiya niya bilang mayor, recognized po ang Davao as one of the friendliest cities to women," he added.

[Translation: When it comes to policies as mayor, Davao is recognized as one of the friendliest cities to women.]

He also claimed that women in Metro Manila feel safer with the campaign against illegal drugs in place, citing figures from the Philippine National Police that claim the number of rape cases has gone down by 13.53% last year. Roque said this cut the number of rape incidences from 9,384 in 2016 to 8,114 in 2017.

But groups maintain their disfavor for the way the President treats women.

"Sa lahat ng nasubaybayan kong pangulo, ito na 'yung pinakamalala," Nice Coronacion of Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa said.

[Translation: Of all the presidents I've seen, this is the worst.]

Enriquez added, "Even men who are aware (of what the President does) are saying, we cannot emulate such a man."

CNN Philippines' Senior Correspondent David Santos contributed to this report.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has joined criticism of US President Donald Trump's plan to impose a 25 per cent tariff on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminium.

The body warned that such a move would hurt the US, as well as other countries, the BBC reported.

It said others could follow Trump's precedent by claiming tough trade restrictions were needed to defend national security.

Canada, the largest supplier of steel to the US, said tariffs would cause disruption on both sides of the border, the BBC report added.

It is one of several countries that have said they will consider retaliatory steps if the president presses ahead with his plan next week.

EU trade chiefs are reportedly considering slapping 25 per cent tariffs on around $3.5bn of imports from the US.

World Trade Organisation Director General Roberto Azevedo said: "A trade war is in no one's interests."

But the rhetoric ramped up as Trump tweeted: "Trade wars are good."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In what can be seen as a strong signal to China, India and Vietnam on Saturday agreed to work for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as the two sides signed three agreements, including one on enhancing bilateral economy and trade.

"We will work together for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and disputes are resolved through dialogue," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a joint address to the media with visiting Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang following delegation-level bilateral discussions here.

"Both of us are committed to expanding our maritime ties and ensure an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture," Modi said.

On his part, Quang said that both countries will work together for regional security, including maritime and cyber security.

The remarks assume significance given China's increasing influence in the Indian Ocean region and aggressive attitude in the South China Sea.

In his remarks, Modi said that Vietnam has played a significant role within the framework of New Delhi's Act East Policy and India's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc.

Vietnam is the country coordinator for India with the Asean, a role that will be passed on to Thailand later this year.

The Prime Minister recalled that during his visit to Vietnam in 2016, the bilateral relationship was elevated from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"Last year, we celebrated 45 years of our diplomatic relationship and the 10th anniversary of our Strategic Partnership," he said.

"Our ties are not just limited to our two governments. Our civlisational ties are 2,000 years old."

Stating that all aspects of the bilateral relationship were discussed in detail in Saturday's talks, Modi said that both nations, being developing nations, gain from the experiences of each other.

"We are fortunate that thousands of Vietnamese people have received education and training in technical and other areas in India," he said.

He also pointed out that bilateral trade continued to grow even in the current global economic scenario and said trade between the two countries rose from $6 billion to $10 billion in the last five years,

He said that, in the discussions, both sides agreed to further strengthen trade and investment ties, including in sectors like renewable energy, agriculture and agro-products, textiles and oil and gas.

"We will not only strengthen our longstanding bilateral partnership in oil and gas, but also explore possibilities of working with other countries for trilateral partnership," Modi said.

Stating that defence and security is an important pillar of the strong bilateral ties, he said that the all defence services of the two nations enjoy close cooperation and it was decided in the talks to increase cooperation in defence production.

"We will also explore possibilities in co-production and transfer of technology in the defence sector," he stated.

Stating that the old civilisational ties between the two countries are still alive and can be seen in the increasing cultural, tourism and people-to-people links, the Prime Minister said that the Archaeological Survey of India has contributed to the preservation and restoration My Son Unesco World Heritage site in Vietnam.

He also thanked Vietnam for its invaluable support last year in getting Ahmedabad recognised as a Unesco World Heritage City.

"Our relations are are not only beneficial for the well-being and happiness of our two nations, but also important for peace, security and stability of the entire region," Modi stated.

On his part, President Quang said that both sides hoped to increase two-way investment and hoped that bilateral trade will reach $15 billion by 2020.

He thanked Vietnam Airlines for starting services between Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi and urged Indian airlines to start operations between the two countries.

Stating that there will be more breakthroughs in cultural tourism, he said that both sides will intensify people-to-people contacts.

"Both sides will continue to cooperate in multilateral forums, including in the multifaceted relations with Asean," Quang stated.

He said that both countries respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), adding that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to be deepened.

The three agreements signed between the two sides include two memorandums of understaning (MoUs) - one on to establish a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion and the other to strengthen technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

A work plan for the years 2018 to 2022 was also signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to promote cooperation in transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in agriculture and allied fields,

Quang, who first touched down at Bodh Gaya on Friday while coming on a three-day visit to India, reached New Delhi later in the evening.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A senior Iranian military official said here on Saturday that Iran will not negotiate its missile programme unless Europe and the US destroy their nuclear weapons and missiles.

"What Americans say out of desperation about exerting restrictions on Iran's missile capabilities is their unreachable dream," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

The US concerns about Iran's nuclear power stems from "their failures and defeats in the region," Jazayeri said.

Besides, development of Iran's defence power has put the United States in a weaker position, he said, urging the US forces to leave the region.

"The precondition for talks on Iran's missiles program is the dismantle of the US and Europe's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles," Jazayeri stressed.

Under the US pressures, Europe has stepped up pressures on Iran to start negotiations on the country's developing missile programme.

Iran has reiterated that its military forces will keep boosting defence capabilities and deterrent power.

Also, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Iran does not allow any interference in its domestic affairs and defensive policies, especially its missile programme.

--IANS

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(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.)BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said the party's victory in the Tripura assembly elections is a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's of development.

"I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to the BJP. This is the victory for Modi's of development and his commitment to the welfare of northeastern region of India," Shah said in a tweet.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is headed to form the government in Tripura for the first time after toppling the Left Front led by Communist Party of India-Marxist which had been ruling the state since 1993.

The elections to 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly were held on February 18. Polling was deferred to March 12 in Charilam (Reserved-Tribal) seat due to the death of sitting MLA and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma.

--IANS

aks/tsb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actress Jessica Alba will be returning to the small screen as Gabrielle Union's partner in a "Bad Boys" spinoff.

Alba will also executive produce the show, reports variety.com.

Union will star in the untitled drama as Syd Burnett, her character from "Bad Boys 2".

In the show, she has left the DEA and now has a fresh start in her new job as an LAPD detective.

Alba will play Nancy McKenna, Burnett's partner. McKenna joined the Army out of high school and spent most of the 2000s in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women weren't allowed in combat, so she joined the military police to get closer to the action. McKenna is now a detective raising two preteen stepkids with her husband.

Alba is a film and television star who broke out in the action TV series "Dark Angel". She followed that up with roles in films like "Sin City", "Fantastic Four" and the sequel "Rise of the Silver Surfer", and "Into the Blue".

Most recently, she appeared in the films "El Camino Christmas" and "Mechanic: Resurrection".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The White House was put on lockdown after a man shot himself in front of its north lawn on Saturday, the authorities said.

"Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse," the Secret Service tweeted.

"No other reported injuries related to the incident at @WhiteHouse," said the Secret Service.

US President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time of the shooting. He is at West Palm Beach in the state of Florida and is expected to return to Washington on Saturday evening.

"We are aware of the incident," deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said, Xinhua reported. "The President has been briefed."

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Maoists have shot dead two men in their stronghold Jamui district in Bihar suspecting them to be police informers, police said on Wednesday.

The incident created panic in Gurubad village late on Tuesday in which a woman was also injured.

A group of armed insurgents attacked the village and killed Mohammad Ushman Ansari, 40, and Mohammad Ghulam Ansari, 38, Officer in-charge of Chakai police station Chandeshwar Paswan said.

"First both were forcibly dragged from their house, beaten and then shot dead," Paswan added.

Villagers informed the police that Maoists targeted them as they suspected them to be police informers.

Security forces have been deployed in the village as the police continue a combing operation in the area.

--IANS

ik/in

(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.)As India pushes ahead with its engagements with southeast Asia under the Act East Policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang ahead of bilateral talks here on Saturday.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted that Modi welcomed Quang, who is oin his first state visit to India, at Hyderabad House here.

"India and Vietnam enjoy warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history," Kumar said.

Following the talks, a number of agreements across different sectors are expected to be signed.

Earlier in the day, Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary,

The visiting dignitary will also attend a Vietnam-India Business Forum and the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Days in India 2018.

Vietnam is an important partner in southeast Asia under New Delhi's Act East Policy and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

Apart from Asean, India and Vietnam closely cooperate in other regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides the UN and WTO.

India-Vietnam trade stood at $6.24 billion in fiscal 2016-17 and the two sides have agreed to raise this to $15 billion by 2020.

Defence has emerged as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.

India is also an important development aid partner for Vietnam and has extended several lines of credit for capacity building in the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam is also among the larger recipients of scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A PMLA court here on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against absconder diamantaires Nirav Modi and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi in the Rs 12,600-crore (almost $2 billion) Punjab National Bank fraud.

The NBWs, issued by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act court Judge M.S. Azmi, will facilitate the extradition of Modi and Choksi once their whereabouts are traced, said Special Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar.

The development comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 27 moved the PMLA court for issuing the NBWs after the duo failed to honour three summonses and appear before the agency for questioning on February 15, 17, and 23.

Simultaneously, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had sent a communication to Nirav Modi, asking him to return to India for the ongoing probe, but the latter spurned the agency by repling in the negative on the ground that he was tied up in his businesses abroad.

The Indian government has already suspended Modi's and Choksi's passports, among others, and asked Interpol to issue lookout notices for them as their current whereabouts are a matter of speculation.

Nirav Modi Group's flagship company Firestar Diamonds, with branches in several countries, has already filed for bankruptcy in a New York court, which has granted an interim stay to prohibit creditors from collecting debts.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The ruling National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is leading in 12 seats and its ally, the BJP, in six seats -- just ahead of the Naga Peoples Front (NPF), which is leading in 15 seats -- in the vote count for the Nagaland Assembly on Saturday, as per the Election Commission.

The figures are for the 35 out of 59 seats that went to polls on February 27.

The Bharatiya Janata Party contested the polls in alliance with the newly-floated NDPP in the state poll. The two contested in 20 and 40 seats, respectively.

The voting was held in 59 of the total 60 constituencies as three-time Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of the NDDP was declared elected unopposed from Northern Angami-II constituency.

The Janata Dal-United and National People's Party are each ahead in one seat.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)This story was updated to include statements from Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 2)  The recruiter of slain household helper Joanna Demafelis said the government was obliged to keep tabs on the situation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) after its agency's license was revoked in 2014.

The legal counsel of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Global E-Human Resources Inc., Demafelis' recruitment agency, on Friday said looking after its OFW clients is not the recruiter's responsibility once a license is canceled.

Lawyer Jude Marfil said the recruitment agency legally processed Demafelis' papers so she could work in Kuwait in May 2014.

Marfil, who represents the agency's former assistant manager Mary Gey Abrantes, said Mt. Carmel applied to renew its license in November 2014. But the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) suspended the company due to a violation.

Marfil said the suspension was lifted after the company paid a P750,000 fine.

But despite the payment, the company was not allowed to renew its license after it failed to submit required documents on time.

"There's a statement by then POEA administrator Hans Cacdac that the duty to monitor is not included in the license," he said. "But our argument is it's a very absurd situation that you require the agency to operate for the purpose of monitoring. When in fact, the primary function of monitoring is with the POEA. Ang hirap po kasi nagtuturuan kung sino ang liable [It's hard because people are pointing fingers on who's liable]."

He said Agnes Tuballes, the person who allegedly referred Demafelis to Mt. Carmel, is not connected with the company.

However, he confirmed that Marissa Ansaji Mohammed, the person who allegedly recruited the OFW, was a former company trainee.

The agency, however, is unaware about the alleged P13,000 commission that Tuballes supposedly received from Mt. Carmel through Mohammad.

Marfil said the company did not give any commission to anyone at the time.

Adrian Briones, a former president of the recruitment agency, also said he is no longer connected with the company when Demafelis was recruited. He said he divested his interests in 2012.

But records of the National Bureau of Investigation show he was the registered owner of Mt. Carmel in 2014.

They are also at a loss on how Joanna extended or renewed her two-year contract in Kuwait after the original contract expired in May 2016.

"Wala pong nakakaalam kung bakit o sino ang employer niya during the renewal. But yung ginawa niya po na pag-extend more than the two-year period, she already ran the risk of being an undocumented worker," he said.

[Translation:Nobody knows why or who was her employer during the renewal. But getting an extension beyond the two-year period, she already ran the risk of being an undocumented worker.]

"'Pag undocumented worker ka po, wala ka nang protection, wala nang agency na joint and solidary liability sa Philippines. It was her own initiative na nag-renew siya," he added.

[Translation:If you're an undocumented worker, you have no more protection, there is no more joint liability for the agency in the Philippines. It was on her own initiative that she renewed.]

But speaking to CNN Philippines Saturday, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III reasoned agencies should ensure the safety of the workers they deploy.

"When you are an agency and you deploy an overseas worker, you should see to it that while she's there... she's properly protected. 'Yung provisions of the contract are observed," he said, when asked if the agency should be held liable.

Bello questioned why the agency was suspended in the first place.

"Kasi they're claiming na wala silang liability dahil na cancel sila... Eh di nila sinabi baka cinancel sila dahil dun sa pinabayaan nila si Joanna," Bello said.

[Translation: They're claiming they don't have any liability because they were canceled... They didn't mention it but maybe they were canceled because they didn't take care of Joanna.]

He added, they are also investigating the possibility that Demafelis was passed on to another employer.

The NBI said it will carry out a thorough investigation even as former company officials pledged to cooperate.

Demafelis' body was found in a freezer in Kuwait in January, with authorities believing she was killed in November 2016. Her death prompted the total deployment ban and the immediate repatriation of distressed OFWs from Kuwait.Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah for the party's victory in Tripura.

"Congratulations @narendramodi ji, Shri @AmitShah ji, BJP karyakartas and the people of North East for the splendid performance of BJP in assembly polls and for this historic victory in Tripura," Parrikar tweeted.

The BJP is heading for a comfortable victory in the Tripura state assembly elections, trumping the Communist Party of India (M) which was in power in the northeastern state for more than two decades.

The BJP is in alliance with the tribal-based IPFT outfit, crushing the CPI-M led Left Front in one of the country's last remaining red bastions.

A virtual political non-entity all these years in the tiny northeastern state, where it had drawn a blank in terms of seats and secured only 1.5 per cent of votes in the assembly polls five years back, the saffron outfit Bharatiya Janata Party has raised prospects of getting an absolute majority on its own with its candidates leading in 32 constituencies in the 60-strong assembly.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The international cell of the Kerala Crime Branch has brought a Romanian to Thiruvananthapuram from Nicaragua in connection with a 2016 ATM heist, State Police Chief Loknath Behra said. He said the Romanian was picked up by the Nicaraguan authorities following alerts by the Interpol.

Behra told reporters on Saturday that a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM heist was done in Thiruvananthapuram on August 8, 2016, by a gang of five Romanian nationals. The Romanian nationals tampered with the SBI ATM using duplicate ATM cards and withdrew Rs 2.50 lakh.

"While one Romanian national was arrested then, the others managed to escape. We took the help of the Interpol and we had shared the information of the four other Romanian nationals. Our officers went to Nicaragua and have brought Alexandro. We have now managed to track out the two others who were part of the gang out of which one of them is based now in Germany and the other in the UK. We have shared all the information with these countries and are expecting that once they are arrested there, by the local authorities, they will be tried there using our case history or if they can be brought here, we will bring them down. We are confident of tracking the fifth accused also," said Behra.

Soon after the fraud was detected, the police got into action and arrested one of them and since then was on the lookout for the rest of the gang who were all identified from their passports, which they had submitted while checking into a hotel.

"This case has got the award from Nasscom for being the best probed cyber case and our officials who took part in the investigation were also awarded for their efforts. Now, the state police also will reward them for their hard work," added Behra.

--IANS

sg/and/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)External Affairs Minister called on visiting Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang and discsueed ways to further deepen the bilateral relationship.

"Discussion focused on steps to further strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vietnam in 2017 the bilateral relationship was elevated from Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnerhip.

Modi and Quang will hold a bilateral meeting later in the day following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.

The visiting dignitary will also attend a Vietnam-India Business Forum and the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Days in India 2018.

Vietnam is an important partner in southeast Asia under New Delhi's Act East Policy and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

Apart from Asean, India and Vietnam closely cooperate in other regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides the UN and WTO.

India-Vietnam trade stood at $6.24 billion in fiscal 2016-17 and the two sides have agreed to raise this to $15 billion by 2020.

Defence has emerged as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.

India is also an important development aid partner for Vietnam and has extended several lines of credit for capacity building in the southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam is also among the larger recipients of scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)DMK leader M.K. Stalin on Saturday upped the ante on the Cauvery water issue, suggesting to Chief Minister K. Palaniswami that the parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu should resign if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not meet the all-party delegation from the state.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Palaniswami at the state secretariat on the Cauvery water issue, Stalin said there was also a suggestion to convene the Assembly and pass a resolution to meet the Prime Minister.

Stalin said the refusal of Modi to meet the all party delegation from the state is an insult to Tamil Nadu as a whole.

On February 22, at a meeting of leaders of all political parties and representatives of farmer associations here, it was decided Palaniswami would lead a delegation to meet Modi and urge him to set up Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee -- as the Supreme Court had mandated.

The PMK had announced a major protest if the apex court order was not followed.

On Saturday Palaniswami met Stalin to discuss the Cauvery issue.

According to Stalin, Chief Minister Palaniswami told him that Modi had suggested the all party delegation from Tamil Nadu to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources first.

Stalin said when Modi can meet Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam or the Chief Minister Palaniswami for other reasons it is an insult to Tamil Nadu that the Prime Minister is not willing to meet the all-party delegation from the state.

Stalin said he has told Palaniswami to wait till Monday for a communication from the Prime Minister's Office. If there is no message from the PMO then the assembly should be convened on March 8 and pass a resolution to meet Modi.

Responding to Stalin's charge, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D.Jayakumar said Modi has not refused to meet the all party delegation from Tamil Nadu but had suggested to meet the Union Minister for Water Resource first.

On Stalin's suggestion to convene the assembly, Jayakumar said the Chief Minister had said a decision would be taken after deliberating on that.

The Supreme Court had on February 16, while ordering the central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks, had also reduced Tamil Nadu's share in the waters to 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), down from 192 TMC allocated by a tribunal in 2007.

--IANS

vj/in/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Police in the Swiss capital city of Bern said on Friday that some suspicious items were found inside the Church of the Holy Spirit, which is located just outside the train station's main entrance.

The train station area in the town has been closed for about five hours as a result of "a bomb threat", Xinhua quoted the police as saying.

"We are currently on the mission to close the area due to a bomb threat. We have arrested a person and are clarifying the situation," police said on Twitter.

The latest information from the police indicated that the arrested man was a 21-year-old Afghan man who threatened to detonate "a bomb" on Friday afternoon.

According to a police statement, two unknown components linked by cable have been neutralised and have been taken for further analysis, which police said would take more time.

So far, it is unknown whether the objects found presented a real danger.

--IANS

sku/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Europe has warned US President Donald Trump to expect retaliatory strikes against American icons like Harley-Davidson, Levis jeans and Kentucky bourbon if he sparks a trade war by going ahead with the proposed tariffs on foreign steel.

On Friday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that there would be consequences for the US if Trump's threat of a 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium imports takes effect, reports the Guardian.

"If the Americans impose tariffs on steel and aluminium, then we must treat American products the same way.

"We must show that we can also take measures. This cannot be a unilateral transatlantic action by the Americans... I'm not saying we have to shoot back, but we must take action.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levi's," Juncker added.

His warning came as the International Monetary Fund said that Trump's plan would cause international damage and also harm America's own economy.

"The import restrictions announced by the US President are likely to cause damage not only outside the US, but also to the US economy itself, including to its manufacturing and construction sectors, which are major users of aluminium and steel," the IMF said.

Other world leaders also threatened retaliation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the US tariffs would be "absolutely unacceptable" and China too expressed "grave concern" over the plans, the Guardian reported.

Canada has the largest share of steel imports to the US at 16 per cent, according to data from the Department of Commerce, followed by Brazil and South Korea, with steel imports from China down 5 per cent in the most recent period.

Japan's steel industry also urged Trump not to impose steep tariffs on imports, warning it would have "serious harmful effects" on trade worldwide.

Meanwhile, the US President on Friday night asserted that "trade wars are good".

In tweet Trump wrote: "When a country (the US) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don't trade anymore-we win big. It's easy!"

Trump's announcement sent stock markets around the world tumbling and could prompt other countries to take action.

--IANS

ksk/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature have launched an action plan to prevent Rohingya deaths from wild elephant attacks at a refugee camp that lies between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

At least 10 refugees, including young children, have been killed in such incidents at the Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp, bdnews24.com reported.

The camp located along the migratory route between Myanmar and Bangladesh is used by the critically endangered Asian elephants, the UNHCR said in a statement on Friday.

The "tusk force" will install watch-towers at key lookout points around the settlement and organise an Elephant Response Team to raise an alarm if elephants enter the camp.

The programme will also set up elephant routes and corridors so refugees know what areas to avoid during an incident. It will also implement an awareness campaign regarding the risks.

The project is part of wider initiatives by the organisations to mitigate the environmental impact of the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.

--IANS

soni/hs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A California state police officer was indicted on federal charges related to the illegal sale of more than 100 firearms.

According to a statement issued by the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, Pasadena police officer Vasken Kenneth Gourdikian, a 48-year-old lieutenant on administrative leave, turned himself in to federal authorities on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Thursday, he was named by a federal grand jury in a four-count indictment that accuses him of dealing in firearms without a license, making false statements on forms from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as well as possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

The federal indictment charged that Gourdikian sold over 100 firearms without a license from March 2014 through February 2017.

He allegedly used his official status as a police officer to purchase firearms that were not available to the general public, and then sold the "off-roster" firearms through third-party transfers to the public.

His status as an officer let him purchase more than one handgun in a 30-day period, according to the indictment. He also allegedly obtained authorization from his employer to acquire a firearm before the 10-day waiting period was over, the indictment said.

Gourdikian appeared in the US District Court in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty in court, then was released on a $100,000 bond.

If convicted on all four charges, he could face up to 35 years in federal prison.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vietnam-based low-cost airline Vietjet Air on Saturday said it will commence direct flight service between Ho Chi Minh city and New Delhi four days a week to cater to the fast-growing air traffic between the two cities.

The company declined to divulged the commencement date of the flight, however, a company official said that services will be started "very soon".

At present, there are no direct flights between the two countries.

The announcement was made at the India-Vietnam Business Forum organised here to mark the visit of Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang.

Currently, the airline has a fleet of 55 aircraft and operates 385 flights daily on its 82 routes spanning Vietnam and across to international destinations.

--IANS

rv/hs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang, who is on a three-day visit to India, was on Saturday accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

President Quang landed in Bodh Gaya in Bihar, a Buddhist pilgrimage site, earlier on Friday before reaching New Delhi in the evening.

Modi and Quang will hold a bilateral meeting later in the day following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.

The visiting dignitary will also attend a Vietnam-India Business Forum and the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Days in India 2018.

Vietnam is an important partner in southeast Asia and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

Apart from Asean, India and Vietnam closely cooperate in other regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides the UN and WTO.

India-Vietnam trade stood at $6.24 billion in fiscal 2016-17 and the two sides have agreed to raise this to $15 billion by 2020.

Defence has emerged as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.

India is also an important development aid partner for Vietnam and has extended several lines of credit for capacity building in the southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam is also among the larger recipients of scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

--IANS

ab/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 3)  Two gunmen shot and killed a stall owner at a mall in Divisoria, Manila, Saturday afternoon.

The victim was identified as Edilberto Pernobe, 60 years old.

A witness said Pernobe was in his stall at the 999 Shopping Mall when the gunmen shot him in the head.

Pernobe's wife, Theresa, was wounded by a stray bullet.

Police are looking for the unidentified gunmen.

The assailants were captured on CCTV but they could not be immediately identified as they were wearing face masks, ball caps, and sunglasses.

The 999 Shopping Mall was temporarily closed to the public following the incident.

Manila Police Department Spokesperson PSupt. Erwin Margarejo said they will investigate how the gunmen were able to bring a gun inside without alerting security.

"Considering na merong sariling security yung 999 mall, iimbestigahan natin kung papaano nakalusot 'yung baril doon sa loob," he said.

(Translation: Considering they have their own security at the 999 mall, we're investigating how they were able to bring a gun inside.)

CNN Philippines' Triciah Terada contributed to this report.Unidentified warplanes on Saturday bombed several parts of Eastern Ghouta, the main stronghold of the opposition on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, causing an unknown number of casualties shortly before the start of the fifth consecutive day of a humanitarian truce.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the warplanes carried out 40 attacks between Friday night and Saturday morning, targeting Douma, Harasta and Al-Shifuniya, killing and wounding an unknown number of people.

The UK-based war monitor raised the number of people killed in Douma in the last 24 hours to 19, including two children and three women, Efe news reported.

A new humanitarian truce came into effect on Saturday in the region at 9 am and was scheduled to last until 2 pm

Russia proposed a plan of five-hour long pauses in fighting in Eastern Ghouta after the approval in last weekend of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a month-long humanitarian ceasefire across Syria.

Since February 18, the region had been targeted by Syrian and Russian planes as well as government artillery, which claimed the lives of at least 636 people, including 151 children and 93 women, according to the SOHR.

--IANS

soni/hs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP on Saturday said people in the northeast have voted for a change in Tripura and Nagaland and its effort in Meghalaya would be to usher in a non-Congress government.

"We are happy with the trends so far in Tripura where the BJP looks like forming a government with 40 or more seats (in the 60-member assembly). Go for change was our slogan and the people have accepted our campaign," BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav told reporters as elated party workers gathered in large numbers at the party office to celebrate the verdict.

Madhav conceded that the CPI-M gave a good fight in Tripura but people voted for change.

"We are seeing a revolutionary verdict. It is a historic verdict," the BJP's northeast in charge said.

Behind this verdict, he said, there was hard work by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who not merely addressed four election meetings but was continuously monitoring the BJP strategy in Tripura along with party President Amit Shah.

Madhav said in the neighbouring Nagaland the BJP and its alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) are putting up a good performance.

Madhav said in Nagaland the pre-poll alliance of the BJP and NDPP will get the numbers to form the government.

In Meghalaya, he said, the results appeared to be producing a divided house. "There is a possibility of a non-Congress government in Meghalaya and our effort would be towards that."

The BJP Parliamentary Party is expected to meet in the evening in Delhi to devise its strategy on forming the governments in the three northeast states.

--IANS

sar-mgu-vsc/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Meghalaya voters returned a hung Assembly on Saturday, with the ruling Congress emerging as the single largest party with 21 seats in the 60-member house, 10 shorts of the 31 seats needed to retain power.

"It is a fractured mandate. Now it is a question of looking at people who would like to look at common agenda acceptable to the state's people and come together," outgoing Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told IANS.

Sangma, retained Ampati seat for the sixth consecutive term and unseated two-time People's Party (NPP) candidate Nihim D. Shira in Songsak.

Asked if the Congress had sent feelers to other parties and independents to form the new government, Sangma said: "All parties have gone on their own and the regional parties have not shown any pre-poll alliance either with the Bharatiya Janata Party or the NPP."

The Congress has already parachuted its two senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Mukul Wasnik to try and form the new government in Meghalaya.

The NPP -- an ally of the BJP at the Centre, Rajasthan and Manipur -- emerged as the second largest party with 19 seats and is likely to join hands with the non-Congress parties.

NPP President Conrad K.

Sangma, who has arrived in Shillong, is expected to meet leaders of regional and otehr parties -- United Democratic Party (UDP), Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP), People's Democratic Front (PDF), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Khun Hyniewtrep Awakening Movement (KHNAM) to seek their support to form the non-Congress government.

The UDP and HSPDP, which stitched a pre-poll alliance, won only six and two seats respectively, while the newly floated People's Democratic Front won four.

The BJP won two seats and the NCP and KHNAM one seats each, besides three independents. ALSO READ: Northeast win gives Modi-Shah push for Lok Sabha fight, Congress-mukt India

"The regional alliance will be meeting this evening and decide the next course of action," UDP leader Metbah Lyngdoh, who retained Mairang seat for the third consecutive term, told IANS.

Accepting the People's mandate, HSPDP supremo Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said the regional alliance will take a decision when it meets.

BJP General Secretary in charge of Meghalaya affairs, Nalin Kohli, refused to divulge details, only saying that the people's verdict was against the Congress.

Prominent winners include Public Works Department Minister Martin Danggo, Information and Technology minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, Excise Minister Zenith Sangma, Social Welfare Minister, Clement Marak and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma's wife Dikanchi D. Shira of the Congress.

Leader of Opposition and UDP chief Donkupar Roy retained Shella seat for the seventh consecutive term, James Sangma retained Dadenggre seat for the third consecutive term, James' youngest sister and former Union Minister Agatha Sangma and former Meghalaya Rajya Sabha member Thomas Sangma also won elections as NPP nominees.

Prominent losers include Home Minister Horju Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh, Public Health Engineering Minister Celestine Lyngdoh, Urban Affairs Minister Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, HSPDP chief Artdent Miller Basaiawmoit and UDP Working President Paul Lyngdoh.Look back at the headlines screaming out of your front pages that caused prime time shout-rage about a week ago. They were all about the nephew-uncle duo of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, and the money they had stolen from Punjab National Bank. In their wake, came Vikram Kothari of Rotomac Pens and sundry others, in the sub-Rs 10-billion zone.

It seemed there was a run on public sector banks (PSBs). It wasnt good for a government that came to power on the plank of fighting corruption. Critics and the Congress were mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming to be the ...As Rahul Gandhi jetted off to the cooler climes of Italy, he left behind the earthquake in the northeast, the decimation of the Congress, near complete. The region that was once awash with blue is now almost entirely saffron.

Almost entirely? The Congresss blushes were saved by Meghalaya where the party staved off anti-incumbency and kept the BJP at bay, possibly because of the role of the Conrad Sangma-led National Peoples Party (NPP) which has emerged as the second largest force in the state. A bit about NPP: it is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, ...Voters in the northeastern states do not follow the ideological and electoral patterns of mainland India. But that cannot take away from the impressive performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the three northeastern states that went to polls in February.

The BJP's showing is particularly sweeter for having defeated the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Tripura, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lead the celebrations at the BJP's newly inaugurated national headquarters here. On the lighter side, but something that had gnawed at party leaders ever since the ...Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called the BJP's impressive performance in Tripura Assembly polls people's answer to "fear, lies and confusion" being spread against his government, and targeted the Congress, saying it was never so diminished as a party as it is now.

Addressing party workers at the BJP's newly constructed headquarters following the announcement of results of polls in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, Modi also took an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying some people grow in designation but shrink in stature. In contrast, he said, BJP chief Amit Shah rose by leading the party to victories in many states.

In remarks laced with sarcasm, Modi said he had recently told Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy that the Congress leader was lucky as he will soon become a "specimen of a Congress chief minister" as his party will be in power only in his state by June after losing Karnataka, which goes to the polls in April-May.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who heads the Congress government in the state, he said neither he nor they (Congress) consider each other their own. "He is a 'swatantra fauji' (independent soldier)," Modi said of Singh.

The Prime Minister said people of northeast had a sense of alienation but his government worked overtime to remove it.

Central ministers have spent more nights in one of these states to deal with their problems in the last four years than they did all the years earlier, he said.

"Fear, lies and confusion were being spread," he said, an apparent reference to the opposition's criticism of his government over a host of issues, and now people have answered it through their votes.

Modi took a brief pause when there was a call for prayers from a nearby mosque, and also paid respects along with the audience to deceased party workers, allegedly victims of political violence, by keeping silence for a while.

He was felicitated by senior party functionaries, including members of the BJP parliamentary board, headed by Shah.The BJP Parliamentary Board will meet this evening to decide on the future Chief Minister of Tripura, where the party is likely to form a government, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said today.

"Our Parliamentary Board (the party's highest decision making body) will meet in the evening and take a call," he said at a press conference when asked who will be the BJP chief minister in Tripura.

The BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) had surged ahead and established a lead in 40 constituencies, according to television reports.

The majority mark in the 60 member Assembly was 31.

The BJP Parliamentary Board comprises Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari besides a few others.

If the BJP does form the government in the state, it will end 25 years of Left rule in Tripura.Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 3)  Despite President Rodrigo Duterte's consistent criticisms against the European Union (EU), it is set to provide 243.13 million in aid for the Philippines' drug rehabilitation program.

"We are now about to disburse to pay 3.8 million (243.13 million) now, which is part of our budget support which is precisely aiming at completing this drug rehabilitation program," European Commission's Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development Stefano Manservisi said in a press briefing Friday.

He said the donation, the last component of the EU development program, will be disbursed in the "next days."

"We have a program which is called drug rehabilitation program in which we are addressing how to bring back to normal life people who have been into this segment," he said.

Manservisi added there is no condition attached to the latest development aid provided to the Philippines.

He said this is part of the P10.6 billion EU is planning to donate for more development projects in the Philippines until 2020.

EU aid won't stop

Manservisi explained the Duterte administration's alleged disregard for human rights does not mean an automatic suspension of EU's aid.

"This is something on which we express concern. This is part of the political dialogue. But this does not imply an automatic conditionality that since we are concerned therefore we suspend our cooperation. This is not true," he said.

The Duterte administration announced in May it would no longer accept EU aid, as the President claimed it comes with conditions for the Philippines, particularly on human rights and the rule of law.

In December 2017, the country formally rejected 6.1 million (382.45 million) in aid from the EU.

Manservisi said the rejected Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) is different from their ongoing development assistance projects in the country. He explained the TRTA was merely canceled because of lack of an implementation agreement between the EU and the Philippines.

The regional bloc's Ambassador to the Philippines, Franz Jessen, then said they will talk to Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez by March to make a "last attempt" to come to an agreement to accept the aid.

The EU allotted the Philippines a total of 320 million (20.2 billion) in development aid from 2014 to 2020. To date, only 4.8 billion has been used.

CNN Philippines' Claire Jiao contributed to this report.More than 12,000 people were booked by the Delhi Police on Holi for different traffic violations in the city, even as the police control room (PCR) received over 77,000 distress calls.

The number of calls received by the police this Holi registered over 100 per cent growth as compared to 2017 when 35,474 such calls were received.

The police control room received a total of 77,805 calls from the morning of Holi till the next morning this year. Over 51,000 of these were blank calls, said a senior police officer.

Most of the distress calls responded by the police were related to quarrels, he said.

"Police responded to 20,973 distress calls, including 14,339 complaints of quarrel on minor issues in different parts of the city," the officer said.

Around 5-6 per cent calls were related to accidents, he said.

According to the data by the Traffic Police, a total of 12,626 persons were prosecuted for different traffic violations, including drunken driving.

Bikers and other two wheeler riders gave us a hard time by rash driving, not wearing helmets and tripling, said a traffic police officer.

Traffic police personnel were deployed at all major intersections and vulnerable points in the run up to the festival. A total of 9,848 challans amounting to Rs 13,95,800 was collected from the law-breakers, he said.

Court challans were issued to 2,778 violators while 1,267 vehicles were impounded, he said.

A total of 678 people were booked for driving under the influence of alcohol, the officer said.

Over 5,000 bikers were booked for not wearing helmets, while 1,209 were fined for triple riding, he said.

Other violations like red light jumping, dangerous driving, over-speeding among others were also checked by the traffic police.

The Delhi Police had made elaborate arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during the Holi celebrations and deployed a huge number of personnel to maintain law and order, and prevent violation of traffic rules in the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Crime Branch of city police today brought 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts accused Abdul Subhan Qureshi here from Delhi, over a month after the Delhi police's special cell arrested him, a top official said.

He was produced in the special court set up for conducting the trial of the blasts case, which remanded him in police custody till March 23.

Serial blasts killed 56 people and injured 240 others in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008.

"Qureshi is one of the key conspirators of the 2008 blasts. He had been in touch with the absconding accused, such as founder leader of the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen Riyaz Bhatkal, and had worked with some of the arrested accused," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) J K Bhatt said here.

So far, police have arrested 81 persons in the blasts case, while thirteen are absconding.

"Qureshi stayed in Vatva locality in Ahmedabad where he trained and mentored other accused...and was in touch with IM mastermind Bhatkal. We have learnt he also attended a terrorist camp in Halol and another camp in Kerala," Bhatt said.

"We will take him to Vatva, Vadodara, Halol and another place where he had stayed before the blasts. We would like to find out how he was associated with the SIMI and IM, and who helped him," the senior police official said.

Qureshi, who holds a diploma in electronic engineering, is technology savvy, and played important role in making the explosive devices used in the blasts by getting information from the internet, Bhatt said.

He could be involved in other blasts in the country too, the official added.

"We have learnt that after the blasts in Ahmedabad, he fled to Nepal where he lived for six years and taught English. He also went to Saudi Arabia. We will try to find out what he did in Saudi Arabia and who helped him in Nepal," Bhatt said.

"We are coordinating with the Delhi Police's Special Cell. They are forming an interrogation squad so that we know more about his Nepal stay," he said.

Qureshi was arrested from Ghazipur in east Delhi in January this year.

Delhi police alleged that Qureshi was indoctrinating unemployed youth to fill the void left by the fall of top IM operatives, and planned to revive IM's terror network in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

He was wanted by the National Investigation Agency in the December 2007 Wagamon SIMI arms training camp case, and by Maharashtra Police in July 2011 Mumbai blasts case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The CPI(M)-led Left Front (LF), which had first assumed power in Tripura in 1978, winning 56 of the 60 seats in the state Assembly, never fared so badly in elections in the north-eastern state as it did in this year's polls, the results of which were declared today.

Nripen Chakrabarty had headed the first LF government in the state in 1978. The Congress had drawn a blank and the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity (TUJS), a tribal outfit, had managed to bag four seats in 1978.

In the 1983 Assembly election, the LF had bagged 39 seats, while the Congress-TUJS alliance captured 20 and the Amra Bangali, a regional party, won the remaining seat. Of the 39 seats won by the LF, the CPI(M) alone had bagged 37 while the other two seats fell into the kitty of its ally, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).

The Congress had won 14 and the TUJS six seats in 1983.

The LF was defeated by the Congress-TUJS combine by a slender margin in the 1988 Assembly election.

Polling was held in 59 seats in 1988, while it was countermanded in one seat due to the death of the CPI(M) candidate.

The Congress had captured 23 and the TUJS seven seats in 1988, while the CPI(M) won 29. Subsequently, the Congress-TUJS alliance's tally went up to 31 after the tribal outfit won another seat in a by-election.

In 1993, the LF had wrested power from the Congress-TUJS combine, winning 49 seats. The Congress had managed to win 10 seats and the TUJS only one.

The LF had retained power in the 1998 Assembly election, capturing 41 seats. The Congress-TUJS combine had won 19 seats with the former bagging 15 and the latter four.

Manik Sarkar was elected Chief Minister after the 1998 polls.

In the 2003 Assembly polls, the LF had retained power by winning 41 seats. While the Congress had bagged 13 seats, its new ally, the Indigenous People's Party of Tripura, won six seats.

The LF had pulled up an impressive victory in the 2008 Assembly election, getting 49 seats, while its opponents -- the Congress and the INPT -- won 10 and one seats respectively.

The LF's tally went up to 50 in the 2013 polls, while the Congress won the remaining 10 seats.

Six Congress MLAs had quit the party and joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2016. Subsequently, they had switched over to the BJP. Another Congress MLA, Ratan Lal Nath, had also joined the saffron party two months before the 2018 Assembly election and was disqualified by the Assembly speaker under the anti-defection law.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a gang trafficking minor girls with the arrest of four persons and rescued three underage girls.

A 14-year-old girl had been reported missing yesterday from Geeta Colony area in Shahdara. Efforts were on to locate the girl after registering a case, said Nupur Prasad, DCP(Shahdara).

Acting on human and technical intelligence, police managed to rescue the girl from Palla village in Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh within 24 hours, she said.

The girl was produced before a child welfare committee and her statement was recorded.

It was found that she was sold for Rs 4 lakh to 32-year-old Neeraj. In the case registered earlier, other relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act were added, she said.

Neeraj was arrested and grilled by police. He disclosed that the girl was sold to him by Anuj and his wife. Both were arrested along with another accused Babloo, she said.

Two other minor girls were rescued from the house of Anuj. A separate case was registered in this connection.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that there are four more girls with their gang. A team has been constituted to rescue them and to arrest the other accused, Prasad said.

The gang used to look for minors at busy places like railway and bus stations in Delhi-NCR and pick them up and sell them to buyers, she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The 84 suspected red sander woodcutters from Tamil Nadu, who were arrested here by Andhra Pradesh Police for allegedly entering into Seshachalam forests, were released today, an official said.

Mandal Executive Magistrate in Renigunta here, let off the 84 accused on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 each.

The magistrate M Narasimhulu Naidu also warned them against indulging in such activities again and said the punishment would be vigorous if they break the law next time.

Later, as a precautionary measure, they all were transported to Vellore and Tiruvannamalai by the buses arranged by the Tamil Nadu government, Sub-Inspector of Police, Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force, G Ashok Kumar said.

The police also collected their fingerprints, he said.

The Andhra Pradesh Police had yesterday arrested 84 suspected red sander woodcutters hailing from Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts when they were on their way to Seshachalam forest at Anjaneyapuram, 15 km from here.

On February 28, a PIL was filed in the Madras High Court alleging that over 500 suspected woodcutters from Tamil Nadu had been "illegally detained" by the Andhra Pradesh Police.

The PIL had requested the court to take an appropriate action against "erring officials" of that state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A young Afghan man was arrested in Bern today following a bomb threat near the city's train station and the discovery of "suspicious objects" in a nearby church, local police said.

Shortly after 1:30 pm (1230 GMT) Bern police were informed of a bomb alert at the nearby Holy Spirit church, a police statement said.

Officers were sent to the scene and noticed a man behaving strangely.

"Initial information has identified him as an Afghan man," police spokesman Ramona Mock told AFP.

The young man was arrested and all those inside the church were allowed to leave, but the area remained closed for several hours, police said.

Two suspicious objects found in the man's possession were rendered harmless, the police statement added. There was no explosion or any injuries or damage.

Rail traffic was not affected but passengers were required to use an alternative entrance to the station.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)BJD leaders today ridiculed BJP president Amit Shah's statement and claimed that the saffron party's "dream" of forming the government Odisha will never be fulfilled even though it has won in Tripura and other north eastern states.

Patro was reacting to Shah's statement in Delhi that BJP's golden period will start when it forms government in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala.

Shah's statement has not gone down well with the BJD leaders and ministers who are celebrating defeat of BJP in the recently concluded by-poll in Bijepur assembly seat.

Amit Shah had confidently told that his party will win the Bijepur by-elections, but it did not happen. Therefore, there is no chance of BJP coming to power in 2019 assembly elections in Odisha," BJD Vice-president and minister S N Patro said.

Shah had in September last year set an ambitious 'Mission 120' of winning at least 120 of the 147 assembly seats in Odisha after BJP registered unexpected success in the rural polls.

"Only Naveen Patnaik is popular in Odisha. Nobody knows Shah in Odisha. The BJP is passing through a silver period but it will not reach its golden era. His (Shah) desire of BJP forming government in Odisha will never be fulfilled," Odisha's Panchayati Raj Minister Pradeep Maharathy told reporters.

Maharathy, a veteran BJD leader in coastal Puri district, had announced before the results of the Bijepur by-polls were announced that he would resign from the ministry if BJP won the seat. BJD candidate Rita Sahu won the Bijepur seat over a margin of 41,932 votes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP today credited the favourable results in Tripura, where the party is leading in majority of seats, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and people of the state's desire for change.

The BJP was leading in 29 seats while its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) was ahead in eight seats in Tripura. The ruling CPI(M), which is power for the last 25 years, was ahead in 17 seats, according to the trends available.

"The prime minister had addressed four rallies in Tripura. He had worked very hard and continuously monitored our campaigning. The credit must go to him," BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said at a press conference here.

He said people of Tripura has also positively responded to the BJP's call for defeating the CPI-M-led government, which has been ruling the state for more than two decades.

"People responded very well to our call 'Chalo Paltai' (Let's Change)," he said.

The BJP leader also praised the CPI-M for its "spirited fight" during the election and said but the people wanted a new government.

Elections in 59 seats, out of the 60-member Tripura Assembly, were held on February 18. Election in one seat was countermanded due to the death of the CPI-M candidate.

Madhav also said in Nagaland, the BJP and its alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has been performing well as per the initial trends.

"We hope to form a government with our pre-poll ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party," he said.

Elections in 59 seats, out of 60 member Nagaland Assembly, were held on February 27. In one seat, former chief minister Neiphiu Rio, was declared winner unopposed.

As per the initial trends available for 39 seats, the BJP and its ally are leading in 17 seats while the Naga Peoples Front is leading in 18 seats.

Meghalaya, Madhav said, is heading for a hung Assembly and the BJP will work for forming a non-Congress government there.

As per the available trends for Meghalaya, the Congress won two seats and was leading in 19, the National People's Party is leading in 18 seats, BJP in four seats and others in 12 seats.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma registered wins from both Songsak and Ampati constituencies.

Elections to 60-member Meghalaya Assembly were held on February 27.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Riding the crest of a Modi wave, the BJP today demolished the communist citadel of Tripura, winning a two-third majority with ally IPFT and ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

The saffron party, which did not have even a single councillor in all of Tripura, had secured less than two per cent votes in the 2013 polls.

In Nagaland, though the BJP-NDPP alliance failed to secure a majority with the state throwing up a hung Assembly, the party's participation in the future government looks certain.

The ruling NPF, which emerged as the single largest party, extended invitation to the BJP join the new dispensation, though the BJP-NDPP combine may be able to form a government with help from smaller parties like NPP, JD(U) and an independent.

Meghalaya too gave a fractured verdict with the ruling Congress as the single largest party with 21 seats, nine short of a simple majority.

All three states have 60-member assemblies but polling was held for 59 seats each due to various reasons.

"It is a journey from no one to number won, from 'shoonya to shikhar' (zero to top)," a jubilant Prime Minister Narendra Modi said addressing BJP workers at the newly constructed party headquarters in the national capital referring to the giant leap of the party in the Northeast.

The BJP is already in power in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

In a series of tweets on the outcome of Assembly polls, Modi said the victory of the BJP in Tripura was not ordinary.

"This journey from Shunya to Shikhar (zero to the top) has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years," the prime minister said.

Modi also said that people are reposing faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA.

"People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected of any kind," he said.

About the resounding victory in Tripura, he said, "It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves."



Though the BJP secured a majority on its own in Tripura, winning 35 seats, Amit Shah told a press conference in the national capital that it will form government with ally Indigenous People's front of Tripura (IPFT), which won eight seats. The CPI(M)-led Left Front could manage just 16 seats.

While the unprecedented consolidation of Bengali and tribal votes was seen as the reason behind the BJP alliance's triumph, the CPI(M) accused it of using "money and muscle power" to win the elections.

"The BJP used money and muscle power and managed to bring together all anti-Left forces," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

Though the ruling Congress emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya, it failed to secure a majority, winning 21 seats. The party could not open its account in Tripura and Nagaland.

The BJP could win just two seats in Christian-dominated Meghalaya, but its North-East Democratic alliance partner National People's Party clinched 19. Together they equal the Congress's tally.

Smaller parties that won 13 seats and three independents would play a decisive role in government formation.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who was despatched to Shillong to explore ways of forming a Congress-led government, said the party had the support of MLAs necessary to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly.

"Congress being the single largest party should be invited by the governor to form its government. We will prove our majority any time the governor asks," he told TV channels in Shillong.

Nagaland also gave a fractured verdict with no party or pre-poll alliance having a majority. The BJP got an informal invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister T R Zeliang to join the new government. The NPF, is the single largest party in the House with 27 seats.

The BJP-NDPP combine has also won 27 seats and are leading in one each.

The NPP of Conrad Sangma, a North-East Democratic alliance partner of the BJP, has won two seats, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) one. If the BJP-NDPP alliance wins the two seats where their candidates are leading, its tally would go up to 32, two more than the magic figure of 30.

The BJP had parted ways with the NPF just ahead of the polls and joined hands with the newly launched NDPP of three-time former chief minister Neiphiu Rio, also an old Naga People's Front hand.

Zeliang, the NPF leader, said his party continued to be a part of the North-East Democratic alliance led by the BJP and hoped the saffron party will form the new government with it.

"We have not parted with the alliance. I hope BJP will join our government. I will welcome it if they join us. The BJP has two ministers in my cabinet," he told NDTv.

Though there was no official word from the BJP on whether it would be a part of the NPF-led government, Shah had told a press conference in New Delhi that the number of states under the saffron party's belt has gone up to 21 from 19.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Continuing its winning streak, the BJP today wrested Tripura, the last Left bastion, and received invitation to be part of the government in Nagaland, while Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly.

The BJP, which was hitherto a marginal player in Tripura politics, having failed to clinch even a single seat in the state in the last polls, has already won a majority on its own, pocketing 32 seats in the 60-member Assembly. It was leading in three more seats.

Elections were held in 59 seats in all three states due to different reasons despite them having 60-member assemblies.

BJP ally, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), won seven seats and was leading in one.

The CPI(M), which ruled Tripura for 25 years running, won 11 seats and its candidates were leading in five more.

"It is a journey from no one to number one, from 'shoonya to shikhar' (zero to pinnacle)," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said addressing BJP workers at the newly built party headquarters in the national capital.

He described BJP chief Amit Shah as the "sculptor" of the party's victory march.

Nagaland headed for a hung Assembly with no party or pre-poll alliance having a majority. However, the BJP received invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister T R Zeliang to join the new government. The NPF looks all set to emerge as the single largest party having won 24 seats and leading in three.

The BJP had parted ways with the NPF just ahead of the polls and joined hands with the newly launched NDPP of Neiphiu Rio.

The BJP won nine seats and was leading in two. Its ally NDPP won 11 seats and was leading in four.

Results and trends were available for 57 seats only.

Zeliang said NPF continued to be a part of the North-East Democratic alliance led by the BJP and hoped the saffron party will form the new governemnt with it.

"We have not parted with the alliance. I hope BJP will join our government. I will welcome it if they join us," he told NDTv.

The Congress, which was in power in Meghalaya since May 2009, failed to win a majority but emerged the single largest party with 21 seats. The Nationalist Congress Party of Sharad Pawar has won one seat.

While the BJP could manage just two seats in Meghalaya, its North-East Democratic alliance partner National People's Party won 19.

Smaller parties that have won 13 seats and three independents would play a decisive role in government formation.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who was despatched to Shillong to explore ways of forming a Congress government, said the party had necessary support of MLAs to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly.

"Congress being the single largest party should be invited by the governor to form its government. We will prove our majority any time the governor asks," he told TV channels in Shillong.

"The BJP is out of the fray. We will ensure that people's will prevails," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 3)  Malacanang said Friday negotiations with China are ongoing regarding a possible joint exploration deal in two areas in the South China Sea.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the areas of Service Contracts (SC) 57 and Service Contract 72 are being considered for the exploration.

"We are still in the process of negotiating with China. Wala pa pong desisyon [There has been no decision yet]," Roque said in a press briefing in Tarlac.

SC 57 is an undisputed area within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and lies beyond China's nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea. Roque said this meant the country can agree to jointly explore it with China.

"Exclusive Economic Zone refers to exclusive right to explore and exploit. But it is your sovereign decision kung gusto mo magkaroon ng joint exploration [it is your sovereign decision if you want a joint exploration]," he explained.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said SC 57 is a joint exploration of state-run PNOC Exploration Corporation, Mitra Energy Ltd., and China's state-owned China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC). The area of the exploration is located offshore of Northwest Palawan.

But Roque said SC 72 is another story, since it covers a disputed territory.

SC 72 refers to the agreement on the Reed Bank off Palawan in 2010. The government awarded exploration rights to an area in Reed Bank to United Kingdom-based oil and gas company Forum Energy Plc. (FEP). The majority of FEP's shares are owned by business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan.

"(Kinakailangan) magkaroon muna ng kasunduan ang dalawang bansa bago po matuloy itong joint exploration na ito. Pero ang joint exploration naman po, gaya noong nangyari ng Joint Maritime Seismic (Understanding), it will be implemented by corporations and not by sovereign states," he said.

[Translation: We need to have an agreement between both countries before this pushes through. But joint exploration, like with the JMSU, it will be implemented by corporations and not by sovereign states.]

The JMSU tripartite agreement was signed in Manila on March 14, 2005, with the Philippines, China, and Vietnam as signatories. It allowed the countries to jointly explore with the Philippines oil resources in the country's claimed territories in the South China Sea.

Too much, too soon

However, maritime expert Jay Batongbacal took issue with Roque's statement on SC 57.

"SC 57 is not a disputed area, therefore, this is not a case of joint exploration, but rather unilateral exploration by the PH carried out by a sub-contractor, one of whom happens to be CNOOC," he said in a statement Saturday.

Batongbacal further said by classifying the activity in SC 57 as "joint exploration," it opens the possibility of elevating the status of China's state-owned oil company from a sub-contractor to a "co-owner" of Philippine waters.

"The government appears to be offering all of Philippines' waters to joint exploration with (China), not just the West Philippine Sea. It seems to be 'downgrading' the status of SC 57... as being equivalent to an area also disputed by China," Batongbacal said.

He added Roque's statement implies any and all areas, even uncontested Philippine waters, are open to joint exploration with China.

China has been in a maritime row with the Philippines over parts of disputed waters in the South China Sea. Although the government has proposed joint exploration with China in the South China Sea, Roque said there will be no co-ownership since the Philippines will "definitely not" recognize China's claimed sovereignty.Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said the BJP's poll result in the North East today has sent out the message that it has become the party of the people.

''The people have stood with Prime Minister Narendra Modis of development and the people of the north east have given the stamp of approval for four years of Modi government at the Centre,'' an official release said quoting him.

Congratulating BJP president Amit Shah, he said the BJP is continuously winning under his leadership.

Das also congratulated the people of Tripura for choosing development and throwing out the 25 year-old communist government.

In Jamshedpur he described BJPs victory in Tripura as ''historic'' and expressed confidence that the party would form the government in Nagaland and Meghalaya with its allies.

He congratulated the BJP workers for their hard labour in the NE states, particularly Tripura for the poll result.

The people have reposed full faith in the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his call of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', he said.

''The of development of Modji has been accepted by the people across the country,'' he said adding that the number of states ruled by NDA would go upto 22-23 in the near future.

Referring to Nagaland, Das said there was every possibility of BJP forming an alliance government and opted for wait and watch in Meghalaya, where the mandate was a fractured one.

''People of the North East are very much aware that a strong and stable government under the leadership of Modiji exists at the Centre and they will prefer to install a BJP government to achieve all round rapid growth of their region,'' Das said.

Referring to Jharkhand, he criticised opposition parties in the state for queuing up before the Hotwar jail to forge alliance with a ''convicted leader'' (Lalu Prasad).

Any new experiment of alliance with the ''convicted leader'' will not work in Jharkhand as the people of the state were aware of their ''nefarious designs'' and the mineral-rich state was in safe hand of BJP, he said without naming Prasad, the RJD president.

The general masses will not accept such experiment as they had seen how Jharkhand was looted under the RJD regime in the past, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP and its ally surged ahead of the Left Front in Tripura establishing a lead in 37 seats, while the Congress was ahead in Meghalaya, according to Election Commission sources.

In Nagaland, the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) was ahead in 15 constituencies. The BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) were also leading in 15 seats.

Election in 59 seats for Tripura's 60-member Assembly was held on February 18. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to death of a CPI(M) candidate.

The BJP was leading in 29 seats while its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) was ahead in 8 seats.

The ruling CPI(M), which is power for the last 25 years, was ahead in 17 seats, according to the trends available.

BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb and party MLA Sudip Roy Burman were leading in their respective seats of Banamlipur and Agartala.

According to trends of 58 constituencies available in Meghalaya, the ruling Congress won two seats and was leading in 19 followed by the National People's Party (NPP) in 14.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma registered wins from both Songsak and Ampati constituencies.

While the United Democratic Party (UDP) was leading in five, the People's Democratic Front (PDF) was leading in four. The BJP was leading in 5 constituencies.

The Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) was leading in 2 seats while Independents were ahead in 6 seats. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) was leading in one seat.

Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27.

In Nagaland, the BJP is ahead in five and the NDPP in 10 seats. Trends were available for 33 seats till 11 am.

The National People's Party was ahead in two seats and the JD(U) in one.

Commenting on the trends in the three states, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said that it indicated to a new political direction and would have an effect on national as well.

"We are confident of forming government in all three states", he said.

BJP leader Ram Madhav said, "Seeing the early trends, I feel that in Tripura BJP is going to do very well. In Nagaland too, our alliance is doing very well and Congress is trailing in Meghalaya".

"The results of North East are going to be very good for the BJP," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP today launched a four-day yatra in communally-sensitive coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka, aiming to create awareness about the "anti-Hindu" policies of the Congress government in the state.

The 'Jana Suraksha Yatre' (protection of people march) with a call "Mangaluru Chalo" was kicked off simultaneously from Kushalnagar and Ankola.

It would reach Mangaluru on March 6, where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to address a rally, the BJP said.

The party yesterday launched its 14-day "protect Bengaluru" march, with a call to save the city from Congress's "misrule."



Earlier, it had organised a state-wide 85-day "Parivarthana Yatre" (march for change) that concluded on February 4.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off the "Jana Suraksha Yatre", which will be led by Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde and MP Shobha Karandlaje from Ankola.

In Kushalnagar, Union minister Sadananda Gowda kicked off the yatra, led by MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha.

"We have lost our 23 karyakarthas in last four-and-a half years of Tughlaqi Congress rule in the state. To create an awareness about CM's anti Hindu policies, we will embark on a 4 days Jana Suraksha Yatre, starting from Ankola and Kushalnagara from today," the state BJP said in a tweet.

Speaking in Ankola, Hegde hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government, holding them responsible for "criminal activities" and the alleged killings of BJP activists.

He said "I would like to say to Siddaramaiah that in one or two months there will be elections, you are not fit to sit in the chair even for one month, step down immediately...get down."



Meanwhile, BJP state president Yeddyurappa and Union minister Ananth Kumar, among others, participated in 'Bengaluru Rakshisi Padayatre' that will will criss-cross the city till March 15.

The 85-day "Parivarthana Yatre" had criss-crossed all 224 assembly constituencies in the state and virtually sounded the bugle for the assembly polls expected to held in April/May.

The BJP, which had ruled Karnataka from 2008-13, has been eyeing to return to power in the coming polls and has declared Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate.

Yeddyurappa was credited with leading the BJP to form its first ever government in the south in 2008.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Hitting out at Narendra Modi over his his independent soldier jibe today, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh accused the prime minister of trying to create a wedge between him and the Congress leadership.

Modi, while addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters in Delhi after the poll results of three northeastern states, said "In Punjab, the Congress does not consider the chief minister as its own, as he marches on like an independent soldier.

Dismissing the remark as frivolous and unsubstantiated, Singh said the prime ministers comment was part of the BJPs "futile" attempt to create a wedge between him and the Congress high command ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Who told you that Narendra Modi ji? Not me for sure. Did the Congress high command complain to you against me?



Anyways, let me make it clear that such frivolous statements wont help you create a wedge between me and my party, which has full faith in my leadership and vice versa, he said on Twitter.

Questioning the source of Modis "information", he said, I dont remember complaining to him against the Congress high command. Did the high command go and complain to him against me?.

One really fails to understand what prompted Modis ill-conceived and unfounded remark, he asked.

The chief minister said that neither he nor the Congress high command needed the prime ministers advice on how to manage their internal relations.

I know my business and I know how to run my state and manage my relationship with my party high command, which is more than one can say about the BJP leaders, he said.

Singh said that the Congress high command had full faith in his leadership and had given him a free hand to bring Punjab out of the mess into which the BJP, in alliance with SAD, had put the state.

As a loyal soldier of the Congress, which has a deep-rooted connect with the people across every state, the chief minister said he was leading it in Punjab in a truly democratic manner, as becoming of a party of the stature of the Indian National Congress, and as guided by the high command.

Contrary to what Modi would like to believe, the Congress is not a fly-by-night party which he could simply wish away, Singh said.

Declaring his partys complete readiness, under the leadership of its president Rahul Gandhi, to take on the BJP in the parliamentary elections next year, he said, And I am personally set to take this battle to the finish, Modi."



The chief minister said that the Modi's "jumlebaazi" (gimmicks) would not have any impact on either the Congress leadership, party workers, or citizens of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The results in the northeast, including Tripura, show that the BJP has used all powers, including money, to manipulate and the people's mandate, CPI national secretary D Raja said today.

He said the way the BJP has entered into an alliance with certain forces like the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) is highly questionable and exposes the BJP's hypocrisy.

In its 25 years of rule in Tripura, the Left front has ensured harmony among all sections of people and given them good governance, and there are no allegations against it, Raja said.

The situation demands that all secular, democratic and Left forces should unite to resist the fascist onslaught from the RSS-BJP which is pursuing an aggressive agenda, the CPI leader told PTI.

While Left parties would have to do some serious introspection, the Congress should also do the same and rework its neo-liberal economic programme, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The BJP will form the government after winning around 45 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, Assam Minister and BJP in-charge for the state Himanta Biswa Sarma today said.

The BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) were leading in 41 out of 59 constituencies, according to television reports, with the Left front ahead in 18. The Congress was still to open its account at the time that this article was being uploaded.

"We will be winning 44-45 seats in Tripura. We will form the government," he told reporters here as initial trends indicated that the BJP is leading in 25 seats out the 59 seats where elections were held.

Crediting the favourable results to the hardwork of party workers of Tripura in the last three years, Sarma said merger of Trinamool Congress' Tripura unit with the BJP was the most significant factor in the of the Northeastern state as it consolidated the opposition and anti-CPI-M votes.

"People were fed up with the Manik Sarkar government which has been ruling the state for more than two decades and wanted to get rid of the CPI-M rule," he said.

The Assam education minister also said the BJP's alliance with the tribal dominated IPFT has also helped the saffron party.

"Tribal votes in Tripura is around 35 per cent and they voted for the BJP lock, stock and barrel," he said.

Sarma also dismissed the suggestion that the minorities, particularly the Christians in the Northeast, were against the BJP saying the community "wholeheartedly" supported the party.Film trade analyst Komal Nahta has claimed that Bollywood diva Sridevi's filmmaker husband Boney Kapoor has opened up to him about his final meeting with his wife, a surprise that turned into a tragedy.

Sridevi, 54, passed away on February 24 in her Dubai hotel room due to accidental drowning following loss of consciousness.

Nahta in his blog said Boney wanted to surprise Sridevi who had decided to spend a couple of days in Dubai to shop for daughter Janhvi after the wedding of nephew, actor Mohit Marwah, in Ras Al-Khaimah on February 20.

He said the 62-year-old producer had a meeting to attend in Lucknow on February 22, which he did. On the same day Sridevi, spent time with her friend, chatting and relaxing in her hotel room.

"On 24th morning, I spoke to her," Nahta quoted Boney as telling him.

The producer said Sridevi had told him, "Papa (that's how Sridevi addressed Boney), I'm missing you."



Boney, however, didnt tell her that he would be joining her in Dubai in the evening.

"Boney recounted that there had been only two occasions in the last 24 years when they had not travelled together abroad when Sridevi had travelled alone on two brief foreign trips one to New Jersey and the other to Vancouver for two appearances...," Nahta wrote.

The filmmaker took a 3:30 p.m flight to Dubai and reached the Dubai hotel around 6.20 p.m (Dubai time).

Nahta said, "Boney opened the door of Sridevi's room with his duplicate key. 'But she told me, she had a hunch that I would come to Dubai to fetch her,' Boney recalled. The couple hugged, kissed and chatted for almost half an hour."



According to Nahta, Boney suggested, the two go for a romantic dinner and requested Sridevi to postpone the shopping to the following day.

The actor, 54, then decided to go for a bath and get ready for the dinner.

"I went to the living room while Sridevi went to the master bathroom to bathe and get ready," Nahta quoted Boney as telling him.

The trade analyst said Boney watched TV for around 15-20 minutes but started getting restless "because he was aware that being a Saturday, there would be a rush in the restaurants. It was around 8 p.m. then."



"He made shout out to Sridevi from the living room but when he did not get any response he knocked at the bathroom door and even called out to her".

"The unsuspecting husband, hearing the tap inside on, then called out 'Jaan, Jaan' still louder but got no reply, which was unusual. He panicked and opened the door which had not been bolted from inside, nervous but yet not at all prepared for what he was going to see. The tub was full of water and Sridevi was immersed completely, from head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he reached out to her but watching her motionless, he feared the worst," Nahta added.

"... The mystery will remain unsolved. But that was not of much relevance to her near and dear ones. What mattered the most was this: Sridevi, the vivacious, beautiful and talented heartthrob of millions, had become late Sridevi," he concluded.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In yet another fraud on a public sector bank, as many as 13 people including a kabaddi player got a loan of Rs 32.9 million for buying top-end cars, but 'misused' the money for producing a Tamil film.

When the fraud came to light, the Madras High Court, on a plea from the State Bank of India (SBI), granted an interim injunction against the movie's release.

The fraud was done with the connivance of an auto loan counsellor who allegedly hacked the bank's computers to facilitate the loan sanction and its disbursement.

Justice C V Karthikeyan passed the interim order on a civil suit of the lender restraining White Screen Productions (WSP) from releasing the movie till March 16, 2018.

The production house is represented by kabaddi player Raja and he is among the 13 borrowers.

According to the SBI, 13 persons including Raja of WSP got a total loan of Rs 3,29,71,000 for purchase of various types of cars.

The loan papers were submitted through an auto loan counsellor, D Chitra, who handed over the relevant documents including the KYC (know your customer) of the applicants to the lender.

ALSO READ: PNB chief Sunil Mehta admits the collusion of employees in LoUs scam

According to the bank, Chitra gained confidence of the branch officials and got acquainted with the loan sanction and disbursement norms. She submitted misleading facts and dubious documents to the authorities.

Through fraudulent methods, she accessed the operating system of the computers by hacking the user ID and password of the officials.

Also, she fraudulently diverted the loan amount directly to the borrowers instead of crediting it to the account of the car dealers.

Subsequently, the loan proceeds were misused for film production by the borrowers and no cars were purchased by the people who procured loans through her.

Fraud comes to light



During a routine check, SBI's branch manager at Velachery in the city found abnormalities in the loans recommended by Chitra and on verification noticed irregularities in such loan accounts and reported the matter to higher authorities for further probe.

On investigation, it was noticed that Chitra had hacked the URL of Loan Originating Software.

Though the high court directed the police to register a case against all the 13 borrowers, including the producer and actor of the film, the police did not act and hence, the bank filed a civil suit, the bank submitted in its plea.

In its suit, the bank had sought an injunction to restrain the producers who are all the debtors from releasing the movie.

The PSU lender had also sought a declaration from the court that it is entitled to have a 'first charge' from the sale proceeds of the movie and rights over the film like DVD and satellite rights.A bus carrying foreign tourists was allegedly attacked with stones by unidentified persons on Holi in Shahpur area of the city, police said today.

A Chinese national suffered minor injuries in the attack, they said.

The tourists were on a pilgrimage tour to Buddhist circuit when they came under the attack yesterday, police said.

"The crime was apparently committed by some bike-borne men who were returning after playing Holi. A case has been registered against unidentified people under relevant sections of IPC following a complaint by bus driver, Zaheer Ahmed," Om Hari Vajpayee, SHO, Shahpur, said.

As per reports, the vehicle was attacked near 26 PAC battalion, Bichhia, around 1.30 pm when it was on its way to Kushinagar from Lumbini.

The driver said the tourists, mostly from Australia and China, began their tour from Delhi last week. They were to visit the Buddhist circuit, including Shravasti, Sarnath, Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and end their journey at Varanasi.

"Two youths on motorcycle came from behind and started pelting stones. When I tried to speed the vehicle, they chased us upto 100 meters and also used foul language," the driver alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The bodies of eight Maoists, who were among the 10 ultras killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, were flown to a Telangana hospital and their identification was likely to be completed today, an official said.

The Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal force, had yesterday swooped on the camp of Maoists near Pujari Kanker in Bijapur district, as part of a joint operation with the Chhattisgarh Police. Ten Maoists, including six women, were killed in the early morning operation in which a personnel of the elite force also lost his life.

"Bodies of two Naxals and the junior commando of Greyhounds were airlifted yesterday. Due to the inaccessibility of the location, the rest of the bodies were flown in a chopper this morning to the hospital," Superintendent of Police of Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district Ambar Kishor Jha told PTI.

"We have received all the ten bodies from the encounter site. Post mortem will be conducted today. We will follow all the Supreme Court directions related to encounter cases," he said.

According to the SP, the post-mortem examination will be conducted at the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital.

The identification process is also underway. "By (this) afternoon we hope to complete the process and get a clear picture," the SP said.

Security forces from Telangana and Chhattisgarh had launched the counter-insurgency operation in the forest on the inter-state border based on inputs about a gathering of a large group of ultras, officials had said.

"Susheel Kumar, a junior commando of the Greyhounds, lost his life," officials had said.

Six women were among the ultras killed in the operation which took place around 6.30 AM, the SP said.

The Chhattisgarh Police had identified two of the dead Naxals as Sanjeev, a "deputy commander", and a woman named Pedda Budri.

Both were part of the protection team of Hari Bhushan, secretary of the Maoists' Telangana state committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Bastar range, Sundarraj P had said.

An AK-47 among others was been recovered from the encounter site indicating the presence of of a top leader of the outfit at the site where encounter took place, a senior police official had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 3)  Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Saturday the government would invite United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard to swim in the Pasig River if she comes to the Philippines.

"Kung siya po ay papasok sabihin niya, nagkaroon siya ng obserbasyon bilang turista. So kapag pumasok po siya ay aanyayahan po namin siyang lumangoy sa malamig na tubig ng Pasig River," he said.

[Translation: If she enters the country, she should say her observations as a tourist. So if she enters here, we'll invite her to swim in the Pasig River's cold water.]

Roque said this after being asked what the government would do if the rapporteur decides to enter the Philippines as a tourist, but investigates during her stay in the country.

Callamard has been at odds with President Rodrigo Duterte over the deaths allegedly taking place under the administration's war on drugs. She has been seeking a probe on the alleged killings.

READ: Callamard calls for probe on all 'unlawful' deaths following Kian slay

Just last Tuesday Roque expressed openness to having a UN expert investigate the country's drug war as long as Callamard was out of the picture.

He said she had failed to pass the government's standards in terms of "character, credibility, and trustworthiness."

READ: Roque to recommend UN expert to probe drug war: 'Definitely not Callamard'

Roque, however, said Saturday Callamard is "welcome" as a tourist and has entered the Philippines without an invitation before.

He added if Callamard enters, she should make it clear her observations were made as a visitor and not part of her work as a rapporteur.

"Kaya lang ang masama doon huwag niyang palalabasin na nag-imbestiga siya kasi ang pagpasok sa Pilipinas, hindi naman po iyan katumbas ng pag-iimbestiga," said Roque.

[Translation: She should make sure that sure that she doesn't make it look like she's investigating once she enters the Philippines, because that's not the same thing.]

Roque also clarified Duterte's recent statement telling police officers not to answer or "bother" if international human rights investigators talk to them about the war on drugs.

READ: Duterte tells police to ignore UN human rights probers of drug war

He said this was because the President believes rapporteurs looking to investigate the country already have existing biases.

"Well iyong mandato po ni Presidente, dahil sa tingin niya na iyong gustong pumasok na mga UN Rapporteur ay iyong mga bias at mayroon nang konklusyon bago pa magkaroon ng imbestigasyon," he said.

"Makikipagtulungan lang po tayo doon sa mga tao na wala pang konklusyon at mayroon pong katapatan na talagang mag-iimbestiga bago magkaroon ng konklusyon."

[The President mandate comes because he believes the UN Rapporteurs looking to enter are already biased and have formed conclusions before their investigations We'll only cooperate with people who have not yet formed their conclusions and are truthful enough to investigate before forming conclusions.]

Callamard had already visited the Philippines in May last year as a guest speaker for a two-day drug policy forum.

Malacanang claimed she had not informed them of her visit, but she refuted this, saying the Philippine government acknowledged receipt of her letter and reacted to the information with letters on April 29 and May 1.

READ: U.N. Special Rapporteur: I informed PH of my visit

Just this week, the Philippine government called on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) not to "politicize or weaponize" human rights.

READ: PH to UN council: Do not politicize, weaponize human rights

The drug war has been criticized by local and international human rights groups since it began in 2016, when Duterte took office.

While government data show around 4,000 drug suspects were killed in operations, the groups believe the number to be as high as 13,000 - including those killed in vigilante-style executions.

CNN Philippines' VJ Bacungan and Chad De Guzman contributed to this story.The 'Chhatra' of a Sai Baba idol at a temple in Hauz Khas was stolen on the night of Holi, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday. Efforts are being made to arrest the culprit and recover the stolen item, a police officer said.

CCTV footage shows a man, whose face was covered, entering the temple, he said.

In another case of theft in a temple in outer Delhi on the same day, a man was arrested for stealing cash from three donation boxes, police said



The incident occurred at the Dada Mandu temple in Karala village.

Sandeep, 42, was caught within three hours of the theft being reported around 1.36 PM. He was identified through CCTV camera footage, Rajendra Singh Sagar, Additional DCP (outer), said.

Rs 10,055 was recovered from him, besides an iron rod and a chisel used to break open the locks, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)China today formally began its well-choreographed annual Parliament season during which a constitutional amendment removing the two-term limit for President Xi Jinping is expected to be ratified, paving the way for his continuation in power, possibly for life.

The annual Parliament season, during which about 5000 delegates of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the legislature the National Peoples Congress (NPC) would hold full sessions to deliberate on a vast agenda for the year prepared by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

This years sessions assumed significance and attracted considerable attention as days ago, the CPC has proposed constitutional amendment to remove the two-term limit for the president and vice president, setting aside decades old principle of collective leadership.

The proposal sparked off concern and speculation at home and abroad that Xi, heading the CPC and military besides the presidency, who recently began his second five-year term would continue for an unprecedented third term and beyond, wielding unquestionable power exercised by the party founder, Mao Zedong in the heydays of China's revolution.

The Parliament season formally commenced with the opening of the CPPCC at the Great Hall of People. It was attended by Xi, now a designated core leader by the party. The opening of the session was telecast live all over the country.

Also, other party leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang, members of the Standing Committee of the CPC, who virtually rule the country attended the session.

This Parliament season this year is also significant as top officials on almost all posts except the ones held by Xi and perhaps by Li might change.

It includes a new State Councillor replacing the incumbent Yang Jiechi who for the past five years was the Special Representative of India-China Border talks. Yang has been elevated to CPCs politburo.

The present Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, might take over as the State Councillor, which also means that China will have a new foreign minister.

The new names approved by the CPC's Central Committee would be announced after the formal ratification by the NPC, which is often regarded as rubber stamp Parliament for its routine approval of the partys proposals.

As he set to cement his power removing two term limit, Xi plans to appoint four vice premiers to work on popular programmes like poverty relief, environmental protection and improving economy which would enhance his image at home.

The proposal sparked off speculation that Xi is working on populist agenda which would contribute to his public image.

Tomorrow, the NPC spokesperson would address the press during which China would announce the defence budget, which last year stood at over USD 150 billion.

The NPC, which has 2,980 deputies would begin its session on March 5 with a work report from Li. Its delegates included 269 deputies from the military.

As China's main legislative body, it was expected to formally ratify the amendment to remove the term limit as well as appointment of new officials.

The CPPCC is made up of appointees from difference walks of life, including film actors like Jackie Chan.

CPPCC Chairman Yu Zhengsheng commenced the session and spoke about deepening reforms.

Yesterday, CPPCC spokesman Wang Guoqing addressed a nationally televised conference in which he took selected questions, mostly from the Chinese official media, on issues like poverty alleviation, US' plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium among others.

Conspicuous by their absence was any questions on removal of the two-term limit for President and Vice President which made headlines at home and abroad.

Hong Kong-based the 'South China Morning Post' has reported that that Xi has identified four CPC officials -- Hu Chunhua, Han Zheng, Liu He and He Lifeng, for the post of vice premiers who are likely to be put in charge of the Chinese President's top three priorities of poverty relief, environmental protection, the control of economic risks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Missing Assistant Police Inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gore was killed by a fellow police official who is the prime suspect in the case, and her body was thrown into a creek, a co-accused has allegedly told police.

Inspector Abhay Kurundkar of Thane rural police, who is now accused of killing her and who was arrested last December, is a recipient of President's medal.

Ashwini Bidre-Gore (37), an API with the Navi Mumbai police's human rights cell, went missing on April 11, 2016.

"Recently we arrested a fourth accused, Mahesh Palnikar. In his interrogation some shocking facts came to light," said an official of Navi Mumbai Crime Branch today.

Palnikar and Kurundkar were childhood friends, he said. According to police, Kurundkar, attached to Thane rural police, had an extra-marital relationship with Gore.

Palnikar told police that Kurundkar decided to kill her when she insisted on marriage.

Investigators believe that he killed Gore on April 11, 2016 with the help of three others at his house in Mukund Plaza, Bhayandar, near Mumbai.

Palnikar allegedly told police that after Gore was killed, her body was chopped into pieces. Body parts were kept in a refrigerator before they were thrown into Bhayandar creek.

"We are corroborating all this with available evidence," the Crime Branch official added.

The police would seek the help of the Navy and Coast Guard to search for the remains of the body, he said.

Police had initially registered a case of abduction against Kurundkar, his driver Kundan Bhandari and his friends Rajesh Patil and Mahesh Palnikar after Gore went missing and her brother expressed suspicion about Kurundkar.

Following Palnikar's questioning, police have added a charge of murder to the FIR, the official said.

Kurundkar had received the coveted President's medal for meritorious service on Republic Day, 2017, another police official said. He was arrested on December 7, 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress today dubbed the SSC paper leak scandal as another Vyapam scam and demanded a thorough probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the government should immediately agree to all the demands of the agitating students and order a CBI probe into the paper leak.

In a statement, he said students from across the country were protesting on the streets of Delhi for days to highlight the corruption in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruitment exam.

Surjewala also asked whether the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was selling jobs, instead of providing job opportunities to the youth.

The protesters have alleged that the SSC question papers were leaked and that the incident played with the careers of the nine lakh students who took the exam.

Surjewala also questioned the silence of the BJP government over the incident and asked whether the charges levelled by the students that a big recruitment racket was operating in the country were true.

Voicing support to the demands of the protesting students, the Congress leader said the issue was very important as the SSC conducted the employee selection examinations for various ministries of the Government of India and over 10 million students appeared in the recruitment examinations for around 12,000-40,000 government posts.

He alleged that the question papers were leaked in an orchestrated manner and that the price of the aspirants' future was being fixed at Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

The students want this paper leak scam to be probed by the CBI. We demand that the BJP government accept all of their demands immediately, Surjewala said.

He added that this was not the first time such a scam had come to light as complaints about irregularities in the SSC recruitment exams had surfaced earlier too.

The Congress leader claimed that the charges of mass cheating, question paper leak and bogus candidates appearing in the examination showed the same modus operandi that was used in the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, which was going on since 2006.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress has sent its top guns to Meghalaya to explore possibilities of government formation there after its losses in two other northeastern states of Tripura and Nagaland.

The BJP wrested Tripura, the last Left bastion, and received invitation to be part of the government in Nagaland, while Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly.

Elections were held in 59 seats in all three states due to different reasons despite them having 60-member assemblies and results were announced today.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya with 21 seats. The party's senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with Independents in to form a government.

No comments were issued by the Congress on its losses as party president Rahul Gandhi is out of the country. It did not win a single seat Tripura and Nagaland.

The Congress defended Gandhi's visit to Italy over the weekend, saying he had every right to meet his grandmother.

The party's leader Mukul Wasnik was also present in Shillong, where all the leaders held talks with the local leadership, other parties and Independents.

The Congress' move comes in the wake of criticism in the past that the party was caught "napping" in Goa and Manipur, where despite emerging as the single-largest party it failed to form governments.

Sources said that Patel and Nath soon after reaching Shillong in the afternoon held discussions with party leaders, including outgoing chief minister Mukul Sangma.

Both the leaders claimed that the Congress would form government in Meghalaya and was working towards it.

The Congress was in power in Meghalaya for five years and it hoped to get a majority this time too, which did not happen, Wasnik said.

No party has got majority and parties with the same ideology should work together to form a government, he said.

Meghalaya is one of the five states currently held by the Congress. The other states are Punjab, Karnataka and Mizoram, and Union territory Puducherry.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called the BJP's impressive performance in Tripura Assembly polls people's answer to "fear, lies and confusion" being spread against his government, and targeted the Congress, saying it was never so diminished as a party as it is now.

In an address to party workers at the BJP's newly constructed headquarters following the announcement of the polls results in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, Modi also took an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying some people grow in designation but shrink in stature.

In contrast, he said, BJP chief Amit Shah was marching ahead by leading the party to victories in many states.

The prime minister described Shah as the architect of the party's victories.

In remarks laced with sarcasm, Modi said he had recently told Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy that the Congress leader was lucky as he would soon become a "specimen of a Congress chief minister" after the party loses Karnataka, which goes to polls in April-May.

"I told him you are a most lucky person in the Congress. I told him that after June you will be a specimen for the Congress to highlight what it used to be. That it also used to have chief ministers and was in power. You will be such a specimen that they will carry you on their shoulders and dance saying it also has a chief minister," Modi said amid laughter.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who heads the Congress government in the state, he said neither he nor they (Congress) consider each other their own. "He is a 'swatantra fauji' (independent soldier)," Modi said of Singh.

The prime minister said the people of the northeast had a sense of alienation but his government worked overtime to remove it.

Central ministers have spent more nights in one of these states to deal with their problems in the last four years than they did all the years earlier, he said.

"Fear, lies and confusion were being spread," he said, an apparent reference to the opposition's criticism of his government over a host of issues, and added now people have answered it through their votes.

When his government takes some actions, it is dubbed as vendetta, he said, apparently referring to criminal cases against some opposition leaders and their kin in corruption and other matters. But it is in fact "mandetta" as the people have given the mandate to act, he said.

In 'vastu shastra', Modi said, it is believed that the northeast corner is the most important part of a land and with his party now in power in most of this region, these states are leading the country on the path to development.

The prime minister charted his party's phenomenal rise in different parts of the country as from "no one to won".

With the Left accusing the BJP of using money and muscle power in its bastion of Tripura, Modi said opposition parties often did not concede defeats in a sportsman's spirit.

Amid a "disinformation" campaign, stories about the BJP's and its government's good works had reached far corners, he claimed, and asked its leaders to work with a 360-degree approach for all-round development.

He also attributed the party's performance to its organisational work and local leaders, who, he said, are not highlighted in the media as they are not known much.

Modi took a brief pause when there was a call for prayers from a nearby mosque, and also paid respect along with the audience to deceased party workers, allegedly victims of political violence, by keeping silence for a while.

He said BJP workers were victims of political violence in West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and now in Odisha too.

He was felicitated by senior party functionaries, including members of the BJP Parliamentary Board, headed by Shah.

The board also took stock of the party's performance in three states.

Shah has said that the board will meet soon to take a call on chief ministership of Tripura. Its state chief Biplab Kumar Deb is being seen as a front-runner for the job.

The CPI(M) lost in the polls in Tripura , where it was in power for the last 25 years.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The counting of votes for the assembly election in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura began today amid tight security, officials said.

Counting began at 8 AM in all the three north eastern states, Election Commission sources said.

Though the strength of each assembly is 60, voting was held for 59 constituencies in all the three states, for different reasons.

While a CPI(M) candidate died in Tripura, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in Meghalaya, and this resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat in each of the two states.

In Nagaland, former chief minister Neiphiu Rio won from one seat unopposed.

Tripura went to the polls on February 18 and elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.

The Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Tripura, Tapas Ray said counting is on in 59 counting halls for 59 constituencies in 20 sub-divisions of all eight districts.

A three-tier security arrangement has been made for all the counting centres, Ray said adding that it is expected that the results would be out by five hours.

In Nagaland, 349 tables in 17 centres across the state have been set up for the counting of votes, its Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said.

Votes in Nagaland are being counted in the presence of the candidates and their agents under the supervision of the respective district returning officers and assistant returning officers, State Additional CEO N Moa Aier told PTI.

Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer F R Kharkongor said a three-tier security arrangement has been made at all the 13 counting centres and 11 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed here for the counting process.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari today met students who have been protesting outside the SSC office at Lodhi Road over alleged cheating in this year's exam, and said he would take up the issue with the minister concerned.

Tiwari spent an hour with the candidates, who were demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter, to listen to their grievances, read a Delhi BJP statement.

He said the agitating candidates belong to various states and he met them on "humanitarian" grounds.

Tiwari assured the aspirants of taking up the issue with the minister concerned, and a fair inquiry and action, it read.

A large number of candidates have been protesting outside the Staff Selection Commission's office at CGO Complex for the last five days over alleged leak of the paper for the Combined Graduate Level Examination (SSC CGL Tier II Exam 2018) and mass cheating.

A delegation of the agitating candidates also met the SSC chairman but no solution could be found to end the protest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)DMK today suggested to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami that all MPs from the state should resign if Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not meet a proposed all-party delegation to press setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Board.

DMK Working President M K Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, made the suggestion during a meeting with Palaniswami held at the state secretariat here to discuss the Cauvery issue.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, he said Palaniswami told him that Modi had declined to meet the delegation, a claim denied by the state government.

Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar said "neither the Prime Minister's Office nor Modi have declined to meet the Tamil Nadu delegation."



The Chief Minister had only said that the Centre had informed that the delegation could first meet the concerned Minister and later the Prime Minister, he told reporters separately.

Stalin said he told Palaniswami that the assembly could be convened and a resolution adopted on the issue to step up pressure on the Centre on setting up the board, as directed by the Supreme Court in its recent order.

Besides, the DMK leader said he also mooted the idea that the Chief Minister should announce the convening of the assembly and also that all MPs of ruling AIADMK and DMK from would resign if the Prime Minister failed to meet the delegation or immediately intervene in the Cauvery issue.

"They (government) said that this issue could be discussed when the assembly convenes," Stalin said.

An all-party meeting convened by the state government here on February 22 to discuss the Cauvery issue had decided that the Chief Minister would lead a delegation of leaders of all parties, farmers and MPs from the state to meet Modi.

Stalin also said the Chief Minister told him that they could wait till March 5 and if there was no communication, he assured that the House will be convened on March 8.

"Prime Minister declining to meet the delegation is an insult to Tamil Nadu," he charged.

Jayakumar said a proposal for convening the assembly and adopting a resolution to put pressure the Centre on the Cauvery issue was discussed at the meeting.

"The Chief Minister said the matter will be considered and steps will be taken for convening the Assembly," he added.

On the proposed meeting with the Prime Minister, the senior minister said the government was taking continuous action on the issue and expected a communique on March 5.

"We are confident about it, if there is no information (from PMO), the Assembly will be convened and follow up action taken," he said.

Stalin was invited for the consultation with the chief minister to discuss the follow up action on Cauvery issue even as neighbouring Karnataka has called for an all-party meeting on March 7. He was accompanied senior leader DMK Duraimurugan.

From the government side, Palaniswami's senior Cabinet colleagues, including Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, attended the interaction.

The apex court had on February 16 raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin.

It was passing orders on appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final order of 2007 apportioning quantum of water from the river among its riparian states.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The CPI (M)'s Jammu and Kashmir unit today alleged that some people were trying to give a "communal colour" to the alleged rape and murder of a eight-year-old girl in Kathua district.

The incident took place in January and day-by-day the matter is becoming controversial, the party claimed.

A criminal is a criminal irrespective of his caste, colour and creed, and must be dealt according to law. By evoking emotions and giving communal colour to the girl's rape and murder.

"These fringe elements are committing a heinous crime against the humanity, The CPI (M)'s Jammu regional committee secretary Sham Prasad Kesar said in a statement here.

The girl's body was recovered from the Rassana forest on January 17, a week after she went missing while grazing horses in the forest area.

On January 23, the government handed over the murder case to the state police's crime branch which arrested a Special Police Officer (SPO) in February for his alleged involvement in the abduction and killing of the girl.

Earlier, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had arrested a 15-year-old boy and claimed the accused had strangulated the victim after she resisted his rape attempt.

Questioning the presence of two senior BJP ministers at a rally organised by a fringe right-wing group protesting against the arrest of the SPO, the CPI (M) leader said a criminal act is being given "communal colour which is unfortunate.

"It is an irony that the (BJP) ministers are questioning the probe ordered by the state government, of which they are the part. The Crime Branch is a professional state government agency.

"Even the BJP has officially issued a statement, saying what was the objection to hand over the case to the CBI. Why is the BJP and its two ministers questioning the credibility of state institutions, he said.

The Hindu Ekta Manch is spearheading an agitation claiming that the probe agency is harassing innocent people and also demanded handing over of the case to the CBI.

By supporting the accused the Hindu Ekta Manch has shamelessly displayed their communal intentions, he said.

However, the Left party leader said the civil society and political groups in Jammu are strong and they should "unite and isolate the fringe elements, who want to communalise the situation in Jammu by holding marches", Kesar said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)(CNN)  A self-described Russian "seductress" is asking for U.S. help to escape a Thai detention center in exchange for information on alleged links between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia, according to her Instagram account.

Anastasia Vashukevich, who also goes by the name Nastya Rybka, says she's being held in Thailand after being arrested on February 26, along with nine other Russians, in the city of Pattaya for running so-called "sex training" sessions.

Rybka has said she's from Belarus but entered Thailand on a Russian passport, a Thai immigration official told CNN.

While on the way to prison in Pattaya, Rybka published a video on her Instagram account begging U.S. journalists to help her.

"I'm ready to give you all the missing puzzle pieces, support them with videos and audios, regarding the connections of our respected lawmakers with Trump, Manafort and the rest. I know a lot. I'm waiting for your offers and I'm waiting for you in a Thai prison," she said.

Rybka has come under the spotlight in recent weeks after the Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny published an investigation earlier this month on his anti-corruption foundation website into her connections with some of Russia's richest and most powerful men.

Rybka has described herself as a seductress and has published a "diary" on "how to seduce a billionaire."

In the investigation, Navalny published video from Rybka's Instagram account showing an August 2016 yacht trip with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Prikhodko.

Navalny said the two men could be heard in the video discussing Russia's poor relationship with the United States. Navalny suggested Deripaska and Prikhodko may have served as a link between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

CNN has repeatedly tried to contact Prikhodko for comment, but has received no response.

Deripaska previously worked with President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

According to emails described to The Washington Post, Manafort, through an intermediary, offered to provide Deripaska with "private briefings" about the state of the Trump campaign. But a spokesperson for Deripaska told CNN that the billionaire "never received any communication about it.

Manafort's spokesman told the Post that any briefing offered on the state of the campaign would have been "routine," but that no briefings took place.

When he was confronted by CNN last year, Deripaska called allegations that he may have been a back channel from the Kremlin to the Trump campaign "fake news."

In a post on his Instagram account, he called the most recent allegations contained in Navalny's investigation "outrageous" and "false."

In a statement provided to CNN, his spokesperson said he was suing Rybka and her business partner because they "maliciously made his private photos and personal information public. If someone sneaked onto your house and then published photos from it you would do the same. This information was then used by Mr. Navalny as bait to drum up the interest of an audience, and make up a story far from any truth."

CNN contacted Rybka after Navalny's report came out but she failed to provide any evidence about Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

The Russian Embassy consul in Thailand, Vladimir Sosnov, told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that 10 Russians, including Rybka, were detained for running "illegal training" sessions and were "awaiting trial and deportation from Thailand."

The deputy chief of Pattaya's immigration police office told CNN that Rybka, who was traveling on a Russian passport, was released on bail after being held for working in Thailand without a work visa.

She was subsequently detained again and is being held in custody prior to deportation because her tourist visa was revoked, police Lt. Col. Dulayapat Techapornchayasin said.

Rybka has claimed she was arrested in Thailand on the orders of the Russian government because of the videos she published with Deripaska and Prikhodko.

"If we go back to Russia we will die in Russian's [sic] prison or they will kill us," a post on Rybka's Instagram account said. "This is very serious. ... Please USA help us not to die from Russians!"

After she was detained, a post on Rybka's Instagram account suggested her arrest was connected to the recent arrival in Thailand of Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia's Security Council and former head of the FSB.

The Kremlin dismissed any such suggestion, saying "such visits are, of course, organized in advance. It is quite ridiculous to associate it with the arrests of Russian citizens in Thailand."

This story was first published on cnn.com, "Russian model in Thai jail promises to spill Trump-Russia secrets."As many as 7,000 people today participated in a book reading event here and managed to break a Guinness world record set in Turkey in May last year, district officials said.

The event was organised by police authorities here and had representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records in attendance, officials added.

The event in Turkey on May 18, 2017 had seen the participation of 5,754 people as audience for a book reading event.

"Gadchiroli is mostly known for Naxal violence but this event will create a positive image for the district across the world. We wanted to propagate the message of non-violence and ensured maximum participation of school students. We are proud that we managed to set this world record," said Maheshwar Reddy, Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli.

A passage in Marathi from the book "Gandhi Vichar Aani Ahimsa' (Gandhian Thoughts and Non Violence) was read out here today by Uday Jagtap of the Adarsha Mitra Mandal, Pune in the presence of Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir and other dignitaries, officials said.

Among the special guests were the descendants of tribal icon Birsa Munda, they added.

Sukhram Munda, Budhram Munda, Champa Munda and Jowni Munda had come from Jharkhand to attend it, the official said.

"A special band with a barcode was tied around the wrist of each participant to record their presence online. A giant video monitor displayed the number of people attending as mandated by the Guinness authorities," an official said.

The event in Turkey was organised by the Interior Ministry of that country in Ankara and a passage from the book 'Ayyildiz Ruhu' (Spirit of Moon and Star), authored by Omer Gurdal, was read out, said officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Punjab police today claimed to have arrested a dreaded gangster who had once remained a close aide of slain criminal Vicky Gounder.

Tirath Singh, 28, who is an 'A-category' gangster carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh, was arrested from Bodsi at Samrala-Ludhiana road last night, Khanna SSP Navjot Singh Mahal said.

During checking, police officials deputed at a check point signalled a car coming from Chandigarh to stop, the officer said.

The drive tried to speed away but was caught, he said.

The police personnel later identified him as Tirath Singh, the SSP said, adding that a .30 bore pistol and six live cartridges were seized.

Tirath, who had been a Kabaddi player before becoming a gangster in 2010, faces several murder and extortion cases in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

He is a native of Dhilwan village in Faridkot and was a close associate of Gounder and Prema Lahoria who were killed in January by the Punjab Police in Rajasthan.

He was with Jaipal gang and wanted for his involvement in the murder of a rival gangster Sukha Kahlwan in 2015 and Jaswinder Singh Rocky in 2016, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Union Minister Harsh Vardhan today appealed people to become "green soldiers".

"Dr Harsh Vardhan appealed people to become 'green soldiers' in order to realise the dream of 'New India' by 2022 as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," said a release issued by the Gujarat information department.

The minister was speaking at a seminar on 'Big Cats: Predators under Threat', organised by his ministry and the state government at Sasan Gir in Junagadh district, the habitat of Asiatic lions, to mark the World Wildlife Day.

Later, speaking to reporters, he said, "We should create a movement of 'green good deeds' for the protection of wildlife, to make better and to return to our kids the kind of our grandfathers bequeathed to us."



The event was also attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Minister of State for Forest and Environment Ganpat Vasava.

Rupani noted that thanks to the help extended by local people and the environment-friendly policies of his government, the number of lions in Gujarat has increased to around 600.

Vasava announced a development package of Rs 15 crore for the Gir National Park on this occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Buoyed by the success of its online teachers transfer policy, the Haryana government today decided to extend the initiative to eight more departments having 500 and more state cadre posts.

These departments will upload a draft of the online transfer policy for their respective employees on the websites by next week, an official release said here.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will launch the online transfer policy for these departments on April 15, it said.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of administrative secretaries and heads of these departments, under the chairmanship of the chief minister here today.

Khattar directed the additional chief secretaries and principal secretaries of the departments with 500 and more state cadre posts to invite suggestions from employees, MLAs, and MPs on the draft of the online transfer policy.

He directed the officers to send copies of the policy to all 90 MLAs, 10 MPs and five members of the Rajya Sabha.

While transferring an employee, preference would be given according to the marks obtained by him in the Annual Confidential Report, the release added.

Under the online transfer policy, a teacher is invited to mark their choice for school and place of posting through the Education Departments Management Information System portal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Madras High Court has granted the Tamil Nadu government three months time to implement fully its order with regard to provision of ramps and fire-fighting equipment in hospitals in the state.

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose gave the order on a PIL by Jawaharlal Shanmugam, seeking a direction to make it mandatory to provide ramp facility in hospitals from top-most floor to ground floor for easy evacuation of patients during emergencies.

In a status report filed by Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan, the state government said it has already sanctioned a sum of Rs 1.154 crore for providing fire-fighting sprinkler system in the basement of Tower Block I and II at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.

The petitioner, who appeared in person, alleged that in a majority of private hospitals there was violation of statutory rules and regulations.

The petitioner, who was made member of an expert panel, was asked to inspect and monitor fire-fighting arrangements in hospitals and medical centres, both government and private in the state along with the assistance of Dr P R Subas Chandran, the report said.

As per the status report, of the 203 multi-storied buildings in tertiary care institutions (medical college hospitals), ramp facilities were available in 105 while 98 buildings don't have them.

In secondary care institutions (district/taluk hospitals), of the 326 multi-storied buildings, ramp facilities were available in 211 while they were not available in 95 buildings.

It was submitted in the report that inspection of private hospitals was carried out from December 5 to 12 last in Chennai district by forming six teams.

The petitioner also accompanied the team and a total of 296 hospitals in Chennai were inspected, it added.

District-level teams have been formed by Joint Directors of Health Services, the report said, adding so far 67 per cent of hospitals (1,977 out of 2,934 hospitals) were inspected in the districts.

The report said the engineer-in-chief (Buildings) had submitted a detailed estimate to the tune of Rs 29.71 crore for construction of ramps and making fire-fighting arrangements for secondary care institutions and Rs 55.92 crore for tertiary care institutions.

The proposals were sent to the Finance Department and the government had already sanctioned Rs 1.154 crore for providing sprinkler system at the general hospital in Chennai.

The government also sought three months time for reporting compliance of the order dated April 7 last.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Highlights from the Southern region at 1700 hrs.

MDS2 AP-WOODCUTTER-RELEASE



Tirupati(AP): The 84 suspected red sander woodcutters from Tamil Nadu, who were arrested here by Andhra Pradesh Police for allegedly entering into Seshachalam forests, were released today, an official said.

MDS3 TN-VIJAYAN



Chennai: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in the city for a routine medical check-up and would be discharged tomorrow, the hospital.

MES1 PD-CM-SCHEMES



Puducherry: Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy says it was "unfortunate" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not announce any development scheme for the union territory, during his recent visit here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The IMF has warned that the plans of US President Donald Trump to impose heavy tariffs on import of steel and aluminium would cause damage not only outside the US, but also impact the American economy.

Trump on Thursday said that he would impose a 25 per cent import tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium to protect US producers.

The import restrictions announced by the US president are likely to cause damage not only outside the US, but also to the US economy itself, including to its manufacturing and construction sectors, which are major users of aluminium and steel, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said, a day after Trump made an announcement in this regard.

IMF, he said, is concerned that the measures proposed by the US will, de facto, expand the circumstances where countries use the national-security rationale to justify broad-based import restrictions.

We encourage the US and its trading partners to work constructively together to reduce trade barriers and to resolve trade disagreements without resort to such emergency measures, Rice said.

The tariffs -- 25 per cent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium -- cover two materials that are the lifeline of the construction and manufacturing sectors in the US.

The announcement angered key US allies -- Canada, the EU, Australia, Mexico and China.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker vowed the bloc "will react firmly" to defend its interests.

Canada and Germany both termed the tariffs "unacceptable".

Trump has defended his decision, saying "trade wars are good".

He tweeted that the US was "losing billions of dollars on trade" and would find a trade war "easy to win".

In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said the US would "win big" in a trade war.

He later followed this up with further tweets, saying the US must "protect our country and our workers" and that the trade deficit left him with no choice on tariffs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The overall cost of implementing the Paris climate deal between 2020 and 2050 could be offset by savings made from reduced air pollution-related deaths and diseases, a new study has said. It also said India and China are likely the biggest beneficiaries of mitigation efforts.

Published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal, the study said that the two countries would benefit immensely from climate mitigation efforts because a large section of their populations is exposed to unacceptable levels of pollution.

The study estimates significantly fewer air pollution-related deaths between 2020-2050 globally. It says deaths can be reduced by 21-27 per cent (101-93 million) if the 2C target were met.

The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement aims to reduce the impact of climate change by preventing the global average temperature from rising to 2C above pre-industrial levels. Nearly 195 nations have signed up to the deal, due to commence in 2020.

In the study, researchers combined several existing models to estimate emission levels, air pollution-related deaths and their costs, costs of climate change mitigation, and healthcare co-benefits for the US, EU-27, China, India, and the rest of the world.

They modelled the impacts of doing nothing, continuing the current country-level policies, and three different strategies to implement and fund the historic Paris agreement.

The study said the current country-level strategies could cost USD 7.5 trillion and potentially lead to 5 per cent fewer air pollution-related deaths globally between 2020-2050, compared to no mitigation strategies being in place. It estimated 128 million deaths for no mitigation as against 122 million using country-by-country interventions.

The study said under the Paris deal the cost increases are likely to be smallest for the US and EU, and largest for the rest of the world, India, and China.

"Overall, the costs of the implementing the Paris Climate Agreement ranged from 0.5-1 per cent of global GDP or USD 22.1 trillion-USD 41.6 trillion for the 2C target," it said.

The study said India and China were likely to see the biggest health savings from improved climate change mitigation under the three scenarios it has proposed.

India can retain almost 43 per cent and China 55 per cent in health savings "in all scenarios", the study said. "This is because these countries have large populations, many of whom are exposed to higher than acceptable pollution levels."



Additionally, it pointed out that the cost of setting any climate change mitigation policies in India and China would be compensated by just the health savings made in most scenarios.

"We hope that the large health co-benefits we have estimated for different scenarios and countries might help policymakers move towards adopting more ambitious climate policies and measures to reduce air pollution, and to consider how to share the burden of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution-related disease," said study co-author Anil Markandya of the Basque Centre for Climate Change, Spain.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The armed forces are "proportionately" retaliating to Pakistani actions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and effectively containing cross border infiltration, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today.

She also said there was "no rethinking as of now" on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir and several insurgency-hit states in the Northeast.

The act gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations in disturbed areas. There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in J-K and the Northeast to withdraw it.

Asked about the situation in Maldives, Sitharaman said "we are watching it".

On the situation along the LoC, she said, "We are able to contain infiltration to a large extent. We are also able to retaliate proportionately (to Pakistani actions)."



She said security forces are "eliminating" the infiltrators at the LoC before they could sneak into the Indian side but added that it would be not right to say that no one manages to infiltrate.

The LoC has remained volatile since last year. According to official figures, 860 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were reported in 2017 as against 221 the year before.

Six Army personnel and a civilian were killed in an attack on the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on February 10. The attack on the camp had come days after four Army men were killed in Pakistani firing in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

After the Sunjuwan attack, Sitharaman had said that Pakistan would pay for the misadventure.

Following the spate of attacks, the Army had given "full freedom" to locals commanders of the army along the LoC to effectively retaliate any act of violence by Pakistani troops, Army sources had said.

They said the Indian Army has been inflicting heavy casualties to Pakistani troops while replying to Pakistani shelling along the LoC in the last few weeks.

Asked about demands to withdraw the AFSPA from J-K and certain states of Northeast, Sitharaman said "there is no rethinking on it as of now."



In January, Army Chief Bipin Rawat had also said that time has not come to rethink on AFSPA.

"We have never been strong in applying the force the way it could be applied (under AFSPA). We are very concerned about human rights. We are absolutely concerned about collateral damage," he had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang today said India will emerge as the top trading partner of Vietnam soon and the target of USD 15 billion bilateral trade turnover by 2020 is feasible.

He said India can become provider of inputs for the Vietnam's textile and footwear industry and his country also wants to enhance cooperation with India in tourism sector.

"Currently, India is among top 10 trading partner of Vietnam. Soon, India will emerge as the top trade partner of Vietnam.

"Our target of USD 15 billion bilateral trade by 2020 from USD 10 billion currently is feasible," the Vietnamese President said while addressing India-Viet Nam Business Forum organised by industry bodies CII, FICCI and Assocham.

Tran said that with population size of 100 million, Vietnam is among the fastest growing economy and it is also safe destination of investment.

Noting that Vietnam is growing at 6.5-7 per cent rate, he said, "India has always identified Vietnam as important part of its Act East policy".

The president also pointed out that India and Vietnam has enjoyed long standing traditional friendship.

The Vietnamese President is on three-day visit in India.

Speaking at the same occasion, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre said that our founding fathers have lead struggle against the colonialism.

India admires bravery of Vietnamese people in their fight against colonial power, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)(CNN)  The U.S. ambassador to Mexico has announced that she is stepping down in May.

Roberta Jacobson made the announcement in a tweet in Spanish on Thursday, "I will be departing at the beginning of May, in search of other opportunities."

The resignation comes at a time when U.S. relations with Mexico have been strained. Jacobson ended her tweet stating, "We are Stronger Together!"

Last weekend, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off an official trip to Washington to meet with President Donald Trump after a tense phone call.

CNN previously reported Pena Nieto was tentatively planning the trip for March, a White House official said, but the official confirmed to CNN that the trip was put on hold following the phone call, which took place on February 20.

This story was first published on cnn.com, "US ambassador to Mexico stepping down."Indian-origin Ranjit Singh Boparan, also known as Britain's 'chicken king', has stepped down as the chief executive officer of the 2 Sisters Food Group, a poultry group which he founded and owns.

Boparan has stepped down from the post of the chief executive officer (CEO) earlier this week to take charge as the President of Boparan Holdings Limited (BHL), the parent company of the group.

The 51-year-old businessman from the West Midlands region of England had founded the 2 Sisters Food Group 25 years ago in 1993 with his wife Baljinder Kaur Boparan.

It went on to become one of the country's largest suppliers of poultry with numerous factories.

I am fully committed to building a better, more transparent business, modernising our company and simplifying our operations, Boparan said in a statement related to the change in his role.

I want to take a broader industry leadership role and concentrate more on the issues and challenges that affect not only our business, but also the food sector in general such as Brexit, social responsibility and sustainability, he said.

The 2 Sisters Food Group said that a process has been put in place to find a new CEO and Martyn Fletcher, in his capacity as chief operating officer (COO), will be responsible for the operations of the business until a formal appointment has been made.

The change comes in the wake of a hygiene scandalat one of Boparan's chicken plants last year following an undercover investigation, which triggered wider investigations by the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Boparan said his decision comes at a very important stage in the business history and will help secure strong foundations for future development and growth.

Charles Allen, chairman of the Boparan Holdings Ltd, added: Ranjit has spent 25 years of his life building a world class food business. He has been a catalyst for change within the food industry, by challenging the norm and providing our customers and consumers with great service, great quality food, and great prices.

In his new role, he will be playing to his strengths, looking at new opportunities and reducing debt that will help take the business to new levels of success, he added.

Separately, Boparan owns British turkey giant Bernard Matthews through Boparan Private Office. There were recent reports that he was considering the sale of his Irish fish supplying business to consolidate his food empire and in January, he sold another part of his business - the pizza brand 'Goodfellas' for 200 million pounds in cash.

The businessman, who left school at 16 to get into business, turned the 2 Sisters Food Group into Britain's largest poultry supplier through a series of acquisitions.

The latest decision to transform his role within the food group came as the FSA report on regulatory failures and poor hygiene at the firm's poultry plants was released.

The FSA had inspected sites operated by the 2 Sisters following a joint investigation by the Guardian newspaper and ITV television channel at the firms West Bromwich plant last year.

In a report published yesterday by MPs on the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs (EFRA) committee, the FSA said it had reviewed CCTV footage at the poultry plants between July 2 and August 18, 2017, to gather evidence.

This provided evidence of sporadic poor hygiene and bad practice, such as inadequate use of protective clothing, placing of knives on unhygienic surfaces or inadequate cleaning procedures but did not represent widespread systematic failures, the report concluded.

The agency, however, said it was satisfied that the company had resolved the issues identified through corrective actions.

2 Sisters has also agreed to install upgraded CCTV systems in all its processing plants, to improve staff training, introduce a mystery worker programme, and improve the groups corporate culture.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Authorities in Burkina Faso were today hunting for clues about the masterminds behind the deadly twin attacks on the French embassy and the country's military HQ.

The coordinated attacks in Ouagadougou, which coincided with a meeting of regional anti-jihadist forces, underlined the struggle the fragile West African nation faces in containing a bloody and growing jihadist insurgency.

Eight armed forces personnel were killed, the government said, while a French security source said 12 more were seriously injured. Earlier security sources had reported a higher toll.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and while a jihadist plot is the most likely, the government was not ruling out the involvement of plotters behind a failed coup in 2015.

"This is a terrorist attack, linked to a current or another terrorist movement in the Sahel... or to others who want to are destabilise or block our democratic progress," said communication minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou this morning.

Two people were arrested near the headquarters, a security source told AFP.

The government said the attack on the military HQ was a suicide car bombing and that the G5 Sahel regional anti-terrorism force may have been the target.

"The vehicle was packed with explosives" and caused "huge damage", Security Minister Clement Sawadogo said.

Prime minister Paul Kaba Thieba described "truly apocalyptic scenes" in the aftermath of the attack.

He said the terrorists had targeted both France and Burkina Faso in an attempt to divide the two countries.

"Obviously that will not happen."



Officials from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger had gathered for a G5 Sahel meeting, an anti-terrorist group designed to combat jihadists on the southern rim of the Sahara.

The location of the meeting was changed at the last moment, Sawadogo said, adding the room they had been due to use at the military HQ was blown up.

"Perhaps it was the target. We do not know at the moment. In any case the room was literally destroyed by the explosion," the minister added.

The violence began mid-morning when heavy gunfire broke out in the centre of the Burkinabe capital.

Witnesses said five men armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the French embassy.

They were "dressed in civilian clothes" with their faces uncovered, witnesses said.

At the same time, the bomb went off near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural centre, about a kilometre (half a mile) from the site of the first attack.

A gunman who attacked the military HQ was wearing the uniform of the national army, according to a security source.

Four attackers were shot outside the French embassy and another four at the military HQ, another security source told AFP.

"After soft targets, such as hotels and restaurants, this attack aimed at hard targets, strong symbols," Paul Koalaga, a security consultant in Burkina Faso said, adding there appeared to be "a problem at the intelligence level".

The G5 Sahel force aims to train 5,000 troops and to be fully operational by the end of the month.

It has already carried out operations against jihadist fighters with help from the French army.

Mahamadou Issoufou, Niger's president and the current chair of the group, said Friday's attacks "will only strengthen the resolve of the G5-Sahel and its allies in the fight against terrorism".

French President Emmanuel Macron offered his condolences, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a visit to neighbouring Mali, "strongly condemned" the attack while UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an "urgent and concerted effort" to improve stability in the Sahel.

The insurgency in the region has caused thousands of deaths, prompted tens of thousands to flee their homes and dealt crippling blows to economies that are already among the poorest in the world.

Burkina Faso has been the target of jihadist attacks since 2015, and this is the third time in two years that Ouagadougou is the target of jihadist attacks targeting places frequented by Westerners.

On August 13 last year, two assailants opened fire on a restaurant on the capital's main avenue, killing 19 people and wounding 21. No one has so far claimed responsibility for it.

On January 15, 2016, 30 people -- including six Canadians and five Europeans -- were killed in a jihadist attack on a hotel and restaurant in the city centre.

That attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Murabitoun group, which was led by the one-eyed Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

A group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) also said some of its militants were involved.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)- Iraq's parliament on Saturday adopted an USD 88.5 billion budget for 2018, with Kurdish lawmakers boycotting the vote to protest against a cut in the amount allocated to their autonomous region.

The reduction comes after a controversial independence reference by the Kurds last year sparked a furious dispute with the central government.

The budget is based on projected oil exports of 3.9 million barrels per day, including 250,000 bpd produced in the Kurdistan autonomous region of northern Iraq, at a price of USD 46 per barrel.

It also projects USD 77.5 billion in revenues and a deficit of USD 10.6 billion, and allocates USD 20.8 billion for investments.

Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the vote because it reduced Kurdistan's part of the national budget from 17 per cent to 12.6 per cent.

Article 9 of the Iraqi constitution stipulates that Kurdistan's share of the budget must reflect the size of the population of the autonomous region.

But the text of the budget approved by parliament on Saturday states that the autonomous Kurdish government must export 250,000 bpd and hand over the money it earns from the sales to the federal authorities.

"If Kurdistan does not hand over (the money), the finance ministry will take it from its part of the budget," it said.

Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of the northern province of Kirkuk, home to key oilfields, in June 204 after federal forces withdrew in the face of an offensive by the Islamic State group.

Late last year, following the failed Kurdish referendum on independence rejected by Baghdad, federal forces recaptured the oilfields, severing a key lifeline for the Kurds whose economy largely depended on oil revenues.

Iraqi parliament speaker Salim Jubburi today said the 2018 budget had also "resolved" the issue of "salaries for Kurdish civil servants and the peshmerga".

The federal government will resume paying those salaries which had been frozen for the past six month amid demands by Baghdad for an audit to determine the number of civil servants in Kurdistan, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi Metro today closed the JLN Stadium station for public in the wake of a big protest by students at the nearby CGO Complex, officials said today.

The station falls on the Delhi Metro network's busy Violet Line that connects Kashmere Gate to Escorts Mujesar.

It was closed around 9am on the advise of Delhi Police, a senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official said.

"The station will remain closed till further directions," he said.

Police said the station was closed for public to prevent any disturbance after a large number of students gathered near the station building.

Students from across India have gathered outside the CGO Complex, where the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) is headquartered, demanding a CBI inquiry into the Combined Graduate Level-Test following allegations of irregularities.

"Irregularities in the test were evident as the answer key of Maths paper appeared on social media even during the test on February 21," said Rohit Kumar, a candidate from Bihar.

The students, holding demonstration outside the complex for the past five days, met with the SSC chairman but no solution could be found to end the protest.

Police said the situation was being monitored and the protest has so far been peaceful.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A journalist was shot dead by unidentified assailants in a high-security zone in Pakistan's Rawalpindi, according to a media report.

Anjum Muneer Raja, 40, was returning home on a motorcycle late on Thursday night when the bike-borne attackers waylaid him and opened fire, the police said.

The incident had occurred on the Bank Road, minutes away from the Pakistani military's national headquarters, the Dawn reported.

Raja was shot six times on the head, neck and torso, killing him instantly, the report said, adding the attackers then fled



Raja was father to a five-year-old boy and used to teach at a school in the mornings and worked as a sub-editor for a Islamabad-based Urdu newspaper in the evenings, his uncle Tariq Mehmood said.

Mehmood said his nephew did not have a personal enmity with anyone and expressed shock over the killing in such a "highly-secured" area, according to the report.

The journalist community condemned Raja's murder and demanded immediate arrest of the attackers. The scribes have also demanded protection for all journalists and threatened protest if Raja's killers are not held soon, the report said.

Last year prominent reporter Ahmed Noorani was also savagely beaten and stabbed in the head after being dragged out of his car in Islamabad by armed assailants.

Pakistan is among the most dangerous countries in the world for journalism, France-based watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual press freedom report last May.

According to the 2017 World Press Freedom Index compiled by RSF, Pakistan ranks at 139 out of 180 countries.

At least 117 journalists have been killed in the past 15 years in Pakistan, and of these, only three cases were taken up in the judicial courts.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said he was keen to participate in the national to bring about a "change", and was in talks with others to form a platform of like-minded parties.

"There is need for qualitative change in the national ...There is a serious need. People are vexed now. No qualitative change is seen by people even after 70 years of democracy....China developed in less than three decades. What both Congress and BJP did all these years?" Rao said, addressing a press conference.

"People are looking for change. Can we expect something new to happen if Congress comes to power after BJP? It can be a third front or any front...Are we not part of the country? Discussions are going on. There is no secret about it," he said, when asked if he was talking to other non-Congress, non-BJP leaders.

To a question, he said he would not mind leading the movement for the "change". "Recently I met (CPM leader) Sitaram Yechury. He is my good friend. We spoke on a lot of issues," he said.

All the leaders he spoke with agreed with his "thoughts", Rao said.

When asked about the outline of the political change he wanted, Rao said, "For changing the mood of the people, (we are working on) what kind of tool is required, and that will emerge."



He had nothing against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and had never used foul language against him as alleged by some BJP leaders, the chief minister maintained.

"I am his (Modi's) best friend too. People hardly know what kind of friendship we have and what kind of matters we discuss. I sought his appointment when I was coming back from Delhi recently too. He could not give the appointment. It (his initiative) is nothing against the BJP or Modi. It is against the slow progress of the country," Rao said.

The chief minister also said that TRS MPs will raise, in Parliament, pending state-related issues including the Muslim reservation bill and promises made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill-2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital here for a "routine medical check-up" and discharged today, the hospital said.

The 73-year-old Vijayan, admitted to the hospital at Greams Road here at 11.55 pm yesterday, was discharged around 4 pm today, hospital authorities said.

A hospital bulletin said he was admitted for 'routine annual medical check-up'.

Earlier, the Chief Minister's Office in Thiruvananthapuram had said Vijayan was scheduled to be discharged tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, popular Tamil film icon-turned politician Kamal Haasan today called on Vijayan at the government guest house here and enquired about his health condition.

Vijayan said he met Haasan at the guest house and shared a picture of the meeting on his facebook page.

During the brief interaction, the Makkal Needhi Maiam President enquired about Vijayan's health, a release from the actor's party said.

Last year, the 63-year-old actor had met Vijayan at his residence in Kerala capital ahead of his political foray.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The last rites of the Greyhounds commando, killed during an encounter with Naxals in Chhattisgarh, were performed with full state honours at Bidar in Karnataka this afternoon.

Susheel Kumar (32) was killed in an exchange of fire after the personnel of Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal force of the Telangana Police, yesterday swooped on a camp of Maoists in Bijapur district.

Ten Maoists, including seven women, were killed in the operation carried out jointly by the Telangana and Chhattisgarh Police.

Kumar's body was airlifted from the encounter site yesterday and brought to Bidar where his last rites were held.

Telangana DGP M Mahender Reddy and other officials attended the last rites and paid tributes to the brave commando.

Kumar originally hailed from Meka Vanampally village in Vikarabad district of Telangana and shifted to Bidar town some years ago. He joined the police force in 2004.

The slain commando is survived by wife Shashikala and three-year-old daughter Sushma.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Lebanon's prime minister has met with Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince during his first trip to the kingdom since relations strained following Saad Hariri's brief resignation late last year.

Hariri posted a selfie with Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom's ambassador to the United States following their meeting in Riyadh late yesterday at the end of a three-day visit.

The three appeared in informal clothes and flashed wide smiles, apparently signalling relations have been normalised following last year bizarre sequence of events around Hariri's resignation.

Hariri's resignation, announced while he was in Riyadh, was widely seen as orchestrated by his Saudi backers who complain that the Lebanese government is controlled by the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Hariri reversed his resignation upon return to Lebanon following international mediation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)(CNN)  Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday used a concept video of unlimited range nuclear warheads apparently raining down on Florida  President Donald Trump's home away from home  to tout his country's new firepower.

Putin boasted about the Kremlin's resurgent military might during his annual address to his nation's parliament, hyping weaponry that he said would render NATO defenses "completely useless."

He drew repeated applause with animation-backed claims of nuclear-capable weapons that elude air-defense systems and "invincible" missiles that travel at hypersonic speed.

"Any use of nuclear weapons against Russia or its allies, any kind of attack, will be regarded as a nuclear attack against Russia, and in response, we will take action instantaneously no matter what the consequences are," Putin said. "Nobody should have any doubt about that."

Putin, who is up for reelection March 18, used Thursday's speech to showcase his country's strides in military technology.

"Russia still has the greatest nuclear potential in the world, but nobody listened to us," he said. "Listen now."

To drive home his point, Putin spoke as a video showed multiple nuclear warheads streaking through space before showering down on what appears to be the outline of the state of Florida.

"But even this is not the end," Putin said. "We've developed new strategic weapons that don't use ballistic trajectory at all, which means that missile defense will be useless against it."

CNN national security analyst Samantha Vinograd said Putin's braggadocio was meant to rile up Trump, whose presidency has been marred by investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"I do think Vladimir Putin was speaking to one audience," she said. "It wasn't anyone in Russia. It was Donald Trump."

"He was trying to get the President distracted from anything that Trump may be doing to hold Russia accountable for the ongoing attack on the United States," she said. "The President's inaction makes Vladimir Putin think, 'Why wouldn't I say all this? Why wouldn't I show that I can violate treaties and laws and talk about strategic attacks all around the world?' Vladimir Putin has no reason to feel constrained in any way."

This story was first published on cnn.com, "Putin boasts military might with animation of Florida nuke strike."Janhvi Kapoor & Sridevi As she turned a year older on Saturday, Sridevi's daughter Janhvi penned an emotional note remembering her mother, her "best friend", and requested people to respect the purity of the love shared by her parents.

Hinting at the sensational TV coverage of Sridevi's untimely death, Janhvi said all she wants is that people remember her mother "fondly and pray for her soul to rest in peace".

"On my birthday, the only thing I ask of all of you is that you love your parents. Cherish them and devote yourself to making them feel that love. They have made you. And I ask that you remember my mother fondly, pray for her soul to rest in peace. Let the love and adulation you'll shower on her continue and please know that the biggest part of my mother was the love she shared with papa.

"...Their love is immortal because there was nothing like it in the whole world. Nothing as joyful and pure and no two people as devoted to one another as they were. Please respect that because it hurts to think anyone would ever try to tarnish it," she wrote on Instagram.

Sridevi, 54, passed away on February 24 in Dubai, where she had gone to attend a relative's wedding ceremony.

Janhvi, who will be making her acting debut soon, said her mother was full of joy and was an embodiment of "dignity, strength and innocence".

"She was so much more than just an actor or a mother or a wife. She was the ultimate and the best in all these roles. It mattered a great deal to her to give love and to get love. For people to be good and gracious and kind. She didn't understand frustration or malice or jealousy.

"So let's be that. Let's be full of only good and give only love. That would make her happy, to know that even in death, she gave you all something. The courage and inspiration to fill yourselves with nothing but love and rid yourselves of bitterness in any way and form. That's what she stood for. Dignity, strength and innocence," she added.

Janhvi also shared another note accompanied by series of pictures of her, sister Khushi and father Boney along with mother

The young actor said the sudden demise of her mom has left a "gnawing hollowness in my chest that I know I'll have to learn how to live with".

"I feel you protecting me from sadness and pain. Every time I close my eyes, I only have good things to remember. I know it's you doing that. You were a blessing in all our lives, we were blessed to have had you for as long as we did. But you weren't meant for this world. You were too good, too pure, too full of love. That's why he took you back. But at least we had you," she said.

Janhvi added her mother was the source of her happiness and all she wants now is to make her proud.

"You are a part of my soul. My best friend. My reason for everything. Your whole life you kept giving, and all I wanted was to do that for you too, Mumma. I want to make you so proud.

"Every morning all that I would do was with the hope that one day you'd be as proud of me as I was of you. But I promise I'll wake up every still with that same thought. Because you're here and I can feel you. You're in me, Khushi and in Papa. The imprint you've left on us is so strong, it might just be enough to keep us going, but never enough to be fully whole," she concluded.



A homeless man died in a fire at a night shelter in Delhi's Kashmiri Gate area, a police official said today.

The body of the unidentified man, aged about 25, was found in the remains of the burnt tent of the night shelter run by a non-government organisation at Yamuna Bazar, the official said.

More than a dozen people were in the night shelter when the fire started last night. Except the deceased, others managed to escape, he said.

Police had received a call about the fire at 11:15pm. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot and it took them half an hour to douse the fire, a Delhi Fire Service official said.

Police suspect a short-circuit may have led to the fire, the official said, adding that an investigation is underway.

The body has been sent for autopsy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang today discussed ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of defence and trade.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Vietnamese president.

Their discussions focused on steps to further strengthen country's comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Quang was also given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"PM @narendramodi welcomes Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. India and Vietnam enjoy warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history. #ActEastPolicy," Kumar tweeted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid agitation by students, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has assured to issue appointment order of NERIST permanent director, Arunachal Pradesh Minister Honchung Ngandam said.

Ngandam said Javadekar informed him over telephone last evening.

The president of the agitating students of the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), Banta Natung said their stir would continue till they were given proof of the appointment order.

The students have launched an agitation from February 27 at the NERIST entrance gate with eight on hunger strike since March one.

Natung said the agitation has been launched as the Institutes academic standard was hit after departure of last director Deepankar Pal in October 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Dismissing allegations of corruption in the contract for 36 Rafale jets, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman today asserted there can be no comparison between the scam-hit Bofors gun deal and the procurement of the fighter aircraft.

"Do not even compare it (Rafale deal) with Bofors. There is no scam here," Sitharaman told reporters when asked whether Rafale deal will go the Bofors way.

Sitharaman said she would welcome if the Congress raises the issue of procurement of Rafale jets when the budget session of the Parliament reconvenes from Monday.

"I will welcome it (if Congress raises it)," she said.

The Congress has been ramping up attack on the government over the Rafale issue, claiming that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper then the contract signed by the Modi government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore.

Official sources claimed the original deal to procure 126 fighter jet could not go through during the UPA rule despite reaching the final stage due to an intervention by the then defence minister A K Antony as he felt something wrong in the process.

They said the government selected Rafale for procurement of the 36 fighter jets not because of the price arrived at during the UPA tenure but due to the "overarching" assessment of the jet.

There were allegations that pay-offs were made in procurement of the artillery guns from Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors in late 1980s during the then Congress government. The allegations and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army's procurement of artillery guns.

Alleging corruption, the Congress has been asking the government whether the per aircraft price of Rafale, according to international bids opened on December 12, 2012, comes to USD 80.95 million (Rs 526.1 crore) as against the Modi government's per aircraft negotiated price of USD 241.66 Million (Rs 1,570.8 crore) as per current exchange rates.

The UPA government floated a tender in 2007 for purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for the Air Force and, post negotiations, two of them--Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon -- remained in the reckoning.

However, the deal could not be finalised by the UPA regime.

The Congress had also claimed that Qatar had purchased 12 Rafale fighter jets in November 2017 for USD 108.33 million per aircraft (Rs 694.80 crore), noting that the per aircraft rate at which the Gulf nation is buying the jet is much lower than the rate at which India will procure them.

The government has refused to give details of the price break up of each rafale aircraft, citing confidentiality provisions of a 2008 Indo-France pact.

In a detailed statement, the defence ministry last month had termed as "unfounded" allegations made by the Congress about the Rafale deal, asserting that the demand to disclose details such as its value was "unrealistic" as doing so might compromise India's national security.

It had said giving an item-wise cost and other information would reveal details about weapons systems and customisation of the jet.

The ministry had said that in 2012, the then defence minister exercised an unprecedented personal veto on the laid down institutional process then underway for the procurement of the 126 jets.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The National People's Party (NPP) today exuded confidence that the party would form the next government in Meghalaya saying the people of the Northeastern state were looking for a change.

As the results for the February 27 elections indicated a hung house for the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly, NPP President Conrad Sangma said his party would be able to form the next government with the help of other like-minded parties.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to form the government. People are fed up with the corrupt Congress government and looking for a change," he told PTI.

Sangma, son of veteran leader late P A Sangma, said results were still coming but the NPP will be in a position to form the government with the help of other parties.

Elections to 60-member Meghalaya Assembly were held on February 27.

As per the available trends for Meghalaya, the Congress won nine seats and was leading in 11 others, the NPP has won three seats and was leading in 16 seats, the BJP was leading in two seats and smaller parties and independents won six seats and leading in 12 others.

After the Assembly elections last year threw hung verdicts in Manipur and Goa, the BJP was able to form the governments there with the help of smaller parties and independents.

Facing similar situation, the BJP has asked Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to rush to Meghalaya for holding talks with smaller parties and independents.

The Congress has also rushed senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong.

The Congress has been in power in Meghalaya since 2003 while the incumbent Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has been in the helm of affairs since 2010.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the government to include the Brahmins in the list of communities in the state and issue community certificates to them.

When the PIL filed by advocate V Arunagiri came up for hearing yesterday, the first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose directed the registry to post it before the bench headed by Justice Hulivadi G Ramesh on March 5.

The petitioner submitted that neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh were issuing community certificates to the Brahmins.

When community certificates were given by authorities to other communities, why are they not being issued in the case of the Brahmin community, he asked.

He submitted that the Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, had in an RTI reply said the Brahmins were not classified as community according to a government notification and hence, the issue of community certificates to them does not arise.

The petitioner said the act of the government declining to give community certificates to the Brahmins was "illegal and against the law of the land".

It also affected the fundamental right of equality guaranteed under the Constitution, he said.

He sought a direction to authorities to include the Brahmins in the list of communities in the state and issue community certificates to them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today said it was "unfortunate" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not announce any development scheme for the union territory, during his recent visit here.

Addressing reporters here, the Chief Minister said in the past whenever a Prime Minister visited Puducherry, development schemes were announced.

"But Narendra Modi is the only Prime Minister who disappointed the people of Puducherry without making any announcements for its development (during his visit).. It is really unfortunate," he said.

A detailed memorandum was presented to the Prime Minister during his visit to Puducherry on February 25, highlighting the current fiscal difficulties of the territorial government, headded.

Stating that he had urged Modi to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board as per the directive of the Supreme Court on sharing of Cauvery river water, Narayanasamy said, "Prime Minister promised me to do the needful."



Modi had arrived here on a one-day visit on February 25 to participate in the golden jubilee celebrations of nearby Auroville International township and had addressed a public rally here.

Reacting to the arrest of Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in a corruption case, he said the NDA government at the Centre was "indulging in vendetta "



The arrest of Karti Chidambaram is a "politically motivated act" aimed at "stifling the voice" of Chidambaram, who has been "relentlessly pointing out various wrong doings" of the central government, he added.

The CBI had on February 28 arrested Karti Chidambaram at Chennai airport on his return from London in its probe in the INX media case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Chief ministers in BJP-ruled states today gave the credit for the party's performance in the assembly elections in the northeast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies.

The BJP wrested Tripura, the last Left bastion, and received invitation to be part of the government in Nagaland, while Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly.

Elections were held in 59 seats in all three states due to different reasons despite them having 60-member assemblies.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who had campaigned in Tripura, said, "The party is achieving historical success in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I want to congratulate all party workers, PM Modi and party president Amit Shah."



It is the victory of the Modi government's achievements at the Centre and the strategies and election management of Shah, and hard work of party workers, he said.

State BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey also attributed the party's performance to the prime minister and Shah.

"BJP has breached the bastion of the communists in Tripura, and has also registered a win in Nagaland along with its allies," he said.

In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the BJP's poll victory in Tripura was the triumph of Modi's agenda of development and the party president's efficient leadership.

"By turning the policy of'look east' into that of 'act east', the prime minister has given a new direction to the development in eastern India. The poll verdicts show that people in thenortheast have embraced the PM's policies," Rawat said in a statement.

The Jammu and Kashmir government described the BJP's performance in the northeast as "impressive". The party is in alliance with the PDP in the state.

"With its impressive performance in the northeastern states of Tripura and Nagaland, Modi and his party have got the fresh political and electoral legitimacy to take on the challenges confronting the country and the region on economic and political fronts," state works minister Naeem Akhtar said.

He is also the state government's spokesman.

The minister also reiterated that the resolution of momentous problems confronting Jammu and Kashmir should be brought to the centre-stage with fresh political resolve.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A special court today issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the alleged Rs 12,700-crore Punjab National Bank scam.

The court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), issued the NBWs on applications filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies probing the bank fraud cases registered last month.

The court also allowed the ED's application seeking Letters of Rogatory (LR) to seven countries - Malaysia, Armenia, France, China, Japan, Russia and Belgium - in connection with the case.

The ED had earlier issued summonses to Modi and Choksi, both key accused in the scam cases, asking them to appear before the central agency.

However, the two diamond traders, who are said to have left the country before criminal cases were registered, had failed to appear before the ED, prompting the agency to move the PMLA court for issuance of NBWs against them.

On February 27, the ED had moved the court seeking an NBW against Modi.

The agency had told the court that it had issued three summonses to Modi to appear before it.

The agency said it received replies from Nirav Modi for two summonses. In response to the second summons, Nirav Modi said he cannot appear before the agency owing to his business commitments.

In reply to the third summons, the businessman raised the issue of his security, the ED counsel said.

"We issued three summonses to Choksi. He neither responded to those summonses nor appeared before the agency," special ED prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar had told the special court presided over by Judge M S Azmi here on March 1.

Meanwhile, another court here today allowed the CBI to arrest Gokulnath Shetty, then deputy manager (now retired) of PNB, in connection with issuance of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LOUs) to Choksi-owned firms.

Shetty has already been arrested in the case related to Nirav Modi's firms.

Earlier in the day, special CBI judge S R Tamboli remanded Shetty, Manoj Kharat, a single window operator of PNB; Hemant Bhatt, authorised signatory of Nirav Modi; Bechhu Tiwari, then chief manager in the Forex department of PNB; Yashwant Joshi, scale II manager in PNB's Forex department, and Praful Sawant, scale-I officer handling the bank's exports section, in judicial custody till March 17 in the Nirav Modi case.

"It was informed by PNB...that there are more than 150 LOUs amounting to Rs 6,498 crore which are falling due with effect from January to April, and all these were issued in 2017 by Shetty. The amount is likely to go up," CBI lawyer Limosin A told the court.

"The modus operandi adopted by the accused persons was that for settling the earlier LOUs/Buyer's credit, fresh LOUs were opened and the funds received from foreign banks against the LOUs were utilised for settling the outstanding LOUs/Buyers Credit," the agency's plea for judicial remand read.

A file containing copies of SWIFT messages from February 2017 to April 2017 was recovered from PNB's Brady House Branch following disclosure made by Shetty, it said.

Bhatt told the investigators that all the LOUs were issued as per Nirav Modi's instructions, the CBI said.

Bhatt was also the authorised signatory for the accounts of Modi firms, and also a director in more than 20 companies of the Modi group, which "indicates that he is in collusion with Modi to induce PNB to issue fraudulent LOUs", the CBI said.

Fraudulent LOUs were being issued since 2010, but the documents related to them were not yet recovered, it said.

"The scam by the Modi group was going on for the last more than eight years unchecked which is unusual," the agency said.

Joshi, the arrested PNB official, admitted that Modi had gifted him two gold coins of 60 grams each which were recovered, the CBI said.

On January 31, the CBI registered an FIR against Nirav Modi, his companies, and diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi in connection with the PNB fraud.

The CBI has also arrested Vipul Ambani, president (finance) of Nirav Modi's Firestar Diamond; Kavita Mankikar (executive assistant and authorised signatory of three firms -- Diamond R US, Stellar Diamond, Solar Exports), Arjun Patil (senior executive, Firestar group) and Rajesh Jindal, then head of the Brady House branch of PNB.

Among those arrested in connection with Choksi's firms are Nakshatra group and Gitanjali group CFO Kapil Khandelwal and Gitanjali group manager Niten Shahi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)(CNN)  Another night of frigid temperatures and heavy snow brought fresh chaos to parts of Europe, snarling transport networks and leaving at least 21 people dead and hundreds stranded and without power.

Fifteen people in Poland have died this week as a result of the unrelenting cold, a spokesperson for the country's Government Center for Security told CNN Friday.

Six people have also died in Spain, according to the Spanish interior ministry.

Snow and ice continues to cause problems with air passengers facing cancellations and delays.

Geneva Airport suspended all flights for a second consecutive day as snowstorms continued to rage in Switzerland.

Flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport are being delayed and canceled. In Ireland, airlines have suspended all flights to and from Dublin Airport until Saturday, and the Shannon, Cork and Kerry airports are closed until then.

Key developments:

15 people have died in Poland as a result of the freezing temperatures, according to authorities

6 people have died in Spain, according to the interior ministry

Airports closed and flights canceled across Europe

British army drafted in to help stranded motorists and National Health Service.

British army deployed

In Britain, the army was deployed late Thursday to help hundreds of motorists stranded on the country's motorways, while some rail travelers were trapped overnight as temperatures plummeted.

Parts of the UK struggled once more Friday as freezing winds from Siberia  dubbed the "Beast from the East"  combined with Storm Emma to bring additional snow and ice.

There are also flood warnings in place in the southwest of the country.

Roads are particularly treacherous. Chelsea Seeds and Francesca Goodall told CNN that they were trapped on the M27 and A31 near Cadnam in the southern English county of Hampshire for eight hours overnight.

Their journey from south London to Bournemouth, which would normally take around two hours, lasted 12 instead.

But even in freezing conditions, people in the area rallied to help those stuck in their cars.

"The locals at Cadnam were amazing," Goodall said.

"They had a Scout hut set up as a drinks station. They also had baby formula and nappies. Another guy was handing out bananas and another offering blankets and his own home for a a place to stay overnight. The kindness was unreal."

In northern England, police said at one point 3,500 vehicles were stuck on the M62 freeway with 200 remaining there overnight.

Rail passengers also suffered, with some trains left stranded for hours.

The army is helping transport medical staff across the country in an effort to reach the most vulnerable.

"The armed forces are assisting emergency services in ensuring essential (National Health Service) staff are able to get to work and carry out their work in local communities and are standing by to help the police and civil authorities across the UK following heavy snowfall," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said.

"We are also aware of armed forces personnel volunteering in their own time with their own vehicles to help those in need."

Hundreds of schools remain closed across the country, while Britain's National Health Service remained hugely busy.

'Risk to life'

After issuing a rare red weather warning Thursday, the UK Met Office has downgraded its alert to amber and yellow across most of the UK.

Frequent and heavy snow showers could block roads and cause transport delays. Some rural communities could be cut off for days, the Met Office warned.

Up to 50 centimeters (19 inches) of snow are expected in Dartmoor and Exmoor in southwest England and in upland parts of southeast Wales on Friday morning.

Storm Emma has battered Ireland, where a red weather warning has been in place since Wednesday night. Train and bus services have been canceled.

Weather warnings are also still in place across much of central and southern Europe, with red warnings for extreme low temperatures or snow and ice issued in Hungary and Serbia, according to Meteoalarm.

Both British Airways and Ryanair, which have canceled multiple flights to and from British airports, said they are working to rebook customers on future flights.

Rail travelers in the UK are also facing significant disruption. London's Paddington Station was closed temporarily Thursday morning because of a build-up of ice and snow on the platforms and multiple routes across the country are affected.

Drivers were urged not to venture out in areas hit by deep snow.

National Grid UK, which manages the distribution of electricity and gas across England and Wales, said Thursday there were gas supply losses overnight "due to the extreme weather conditions" and issued a gas deficit warning.

Why is this extreme weather happening?

Much of Europe has been blanketed in snow this week, with rare falls of the icy stuff in the south of France, Spain and Italy.

According to Simon Clark, researcher of stratosphere-troposphere interactions in Bristol, England, the current cold snap was triggered by a disruption to the stratospheric polar vortex  a doughnut of air 6,000 kilometers (3,800 miles) across that forms high up in the atmosphere above the Arctic Circle every winter.

Now and again  perhaps six times every decade  the vortex gets split in two, a phenomenon known as sudden stratospheric warming.

The disruption allows icy Arctic air to spread further south, often lowering temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere.

"That big mass of Arctic air  which is normally trapped over the poles, so it's really freezing cold  is then able to spill further south," Clark told CNN.

Storm Emma, currently making its way across the UK from the southwest, is a normal phenomenon for this time of year, and would usually result in heavy rainfall.

But as it meets the freezing polar air swirling around much of Britain, the storm is much more likely to dump its moisture as snow, Clark explained.

Conditions are expected to improve by the end of the weekend, but average temperatures across the UK could remain lower than normal over the next month as the polar air gradually returns to the Arctic.

Clark expects Europe to feel the effects of disruptions to the vortex more often as the global climate continues to warm.

"It's very difficult to say for sure whether this one event was caused by climate change," he said, "but as the climate warms, we expect the polar vortex to get weaker.... We will then see more of these sudden warmings."

Precise predictions are difficult, however, due to the rate at which the climate is changing. "It's changing faster than we can collect data on it," Clark said.

This story was first published on cnn.com, "Death toll rises as snow causes chaos across Europe."A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory before running from campus was apprehended early today following an intensive day-long search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said.

James Eric Davis Jr was arrested without incident after an individual spotted him on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight, according to a release posted on Central Michigan's Emergency Communication website.

CMU President George E. Ross thanked the campus, surrounding community and law enforcement personnel "who came together to keep each other safe and apprehend the suspect," according to the university police website.

Yesterday's shooting at Campbell Hall happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break.

The university identified the two dead as Davis' mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr, a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.

The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles (112.6 kilometres) north of Lansing.

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldn't be confronted.

Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a "slow, methodical removal" of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings, Lt Larry Klaus said, adding that he "should be considered armed and dangerous."



Klaus said video at the dorm suggested that Davis had fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.

"This has been a tragic day. ... The hurting will go on for a while," Ross said.

The search focused on Mount Pleasant neighbourhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.

Klaus said Davis was taken to a hospital Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.

The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 38 miles (61 kilometres) southwest of Chicago. Davis Jr graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.

Bellwood Police Chief Jiminez Allen released a statement last night praising Davis Sr's work.

Davis' "contributions to our community positively impacted everyone he served and served with," Allen said.

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a week-long break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.

A student, Tyler Whipple, was driving through campus when his route was blocked by police cars at the scene of the killings. He had to catch a flight to Florida.

"These roads are kind of spooky right now," Whipple said. The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message was sent to students.

Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from the dorm. She had planned to run errands before travelling home to southeastern Michigan. "It's scary thinking about how easy a shooter can come into a college campus anywhere, a classroom, a library. There's so much easy access," Byron said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A police officer was arrested after he was allegedly found drunk in violation of prohibition in Bihar and indulging in Holi revelry at a village ignoring his duty, police said.

"Sub-inspector of police Madan Mohan Jha has been arrested and sent to jail custody. He has been charged with dereliction of duty and flouting the ban on sale and consumption of alcohol that has been in force in the state", they said.

Jha had been sent to Nihura police station yesterday for supervision of law and order. The sub-inspector, however, got drunk and joined other inebriated villagers who were gyrating to loud music. A video clip of the sub-inspector's acts were captured by a local on his mobile phone and forwarded the same to a number of senior police officials via social media.

"As the reached the police station, we summoned Jha who was arrested at the police station itself and sent to jail custody", they said.

"Investigations are on to find from where liquor found its way into the remote village in violation of prohibition", they said.

Sale and consumption of alcohol was banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government two years ago.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Congress in Karnataka today said the election results in three north-eastern states will not have any bearing on the upcoming state assembly polls.

"At some places, Congress has won while in other places it has lost. The BJP leaders are unnecessarily projecting it has a big victory," Karnataka Congress president G Parameshwara said in a press release.

Elections are due in Karnataka in a couple of months.

State BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa said the people of North-East in general and Tripura in particular have rejected the "corrupt and divisive" politics, practised by the Congress and the CPI (M).

"It is now clear that the people of Karnataka will also reject the Congress for its corruption, collapse of law and order and divisive being unleashed by Siddaramaiah," he said in a release.

"The writing on the wall is crystal clear the countdown of the Congress has begun," he added.

Union Minister Ananthkumar said the Congress has lost its base substantially across India and is limited to Karnataka, Punjab and Puducherry.

"It is the writing on the wall (for the congress)," he told PTI.

According to Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Congress is losing its relevance in national and the same may broadly apply to Karnataka as well.

"People in Karnataka are fed up with rampant corruption...the Congress and CPI (M) are in a race to lose their relevance and at present CPI (M) is leading," he said.

The BJP wrested Tripura from the CPI-M, securing a majority on its own, while in Nagaland it has received an invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister T R Zeliang to join the new government.

In Meghalaya, BJP could manage just two seats while its North-East Democratic alliance partner National People's Party won 19.

The Congress, which was in power in Meghalaya since May 2009, failed to win a majority but emerged the single largest party with 21 seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Italian populist and far-right parties have their eye on making major gains in tomorrow's election, spooking investors and European capitals after a campaign dominated by fears about immigration and the economy.

Rival parties held their final rallies on Friday as no campaigning was allowed on Saturday, at the end of a bitter race marred by clashes between far-right and anti-fascist activists.

The result could end up in a draw between the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing coalition and the ruling centre-left Democratic Party.

Many Italians are cynical about promises made by squabbling politicians and confused, also because a new electoral law makes the outcome hard to predict and increases the chances of a stalemate.

"Personally, I see a lot of confusion, a lot of disorientation. And then a lot of disgust, to be honest, towards politics, politicians," said Giuseppe, a resident of Florence -- the hometown of Democratic Party leader Matteo Renzi.

Franco Bianchi, another Florentine, said: "This campaign has lacked clarity. There are manifestos that, I think, are impossible to realise."



One of the most remarkable features of the election has been the return to the political limelight of the 81-year-old Berlusconi despite a career overshadowed by sex scandals and legal woes.

While he cannot hold office because of a tax fraud conviction but is still hoping to play a leading role and has put forward European Parliament President Antonio Tajani as his prime ministerial nominee.

Berlusconi's plans, however, face a challenge from his ambitious coalition partner, League leader Matteo Salvini, whose anti-immigration and eurosceptic rhetoric has fired up the campaign.

Italy's election "epitomises everything, it is pure populism," former White House adviser Steve Bannon, who harnessed the populist insurgency that propelled US President Donald Trump to power, said in an interview with the New York Times.

Bannon, who is visiting Italy as part of a European tour, told the paper: "The Italian people have gone farther, in a shorter period of time, than the British did for Brexit and the Americans did for Trump".

Bannon called a coalition between the Five Star Movement and the League the "ultimate dream".

Salvini could head the government if the coalition wins and if his party gets more votes than Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy).

"From Monday, the League will govern this country," Salvini told supporters at his final campaign rally in Milan on Friday.

The right-wing alliance has promised to deport some 600,000 irregular migrants -- a proposal dismissed by the government as unfeasible.

Democratic Party leader Matteo Renzi told a final campaign event in his native Florence that only a vote for his party would prevent Salvini from taking power.

"The Democratic Party is the only serious political force that can bring concrete results," Chiara Serdone, a 70-year-old retired railway company employee, told AFP at the rally.

If no party wins an overall majority, one scenario outlined by analysts could be a grand coalition between the Democratic Party and Forza Italia.

Another possibility could be a temporary government shaped by President Sergio Mattarella, whose role is normally largely ceremonial, and eventually new elections.

The last polls -- issued on February 16 before a pre-election ban came into force -- showed Berlusconi's four-party coalition in the lead with 37 percent, including 17 percent for Forza Italia and 13 percent for the League.

The Five Star Movement garnered 28 percent of voting intentions while the main centre-left coalition scored 27 percent, including 23 percent for the Democratic Party.

Experts estimate a coalition would have to win at least 40 percent of the vote to win an overall majority.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Various groups staged a sit-in while businesses remained shut today in Kathua town in Jammu and Kashmir in support of their demand for a CBI probe into the rape-and-murder case of an eight-year-old girl in January.

People in groups had visited various markets in the town last evening to solicit support for the 'bandh' today.

The protesters have alleged harassment by crime branch officials investigating the brutal rape and murder of the minor girl, whose body was recovered from Rassana forest on January 17, a week after she had gone missing in the area.

Most of the shops and business establishments remained shut in the town along the Jammu-Pathankot highway.

Authorities, however, claimed that educational institutions and transport facilities functioned normally.

Several organisations, including the Bar Association and the Hindu Ekta Manch, staged a sit-in in the town.

"We are here to press for a CBI probe... We have lost faith in the crime branch investigation as politics is being played under the garb of probe," Hindu Ekta Manch president Vijay Sharma said, addressing the protesters.

Sharma alleged that the investigators were harassing a particular community.

Bar Association president Anil Andotra stressed that a fair investigation would restore people's faith in the system.

On January 23, six days after the minor girl's body was recovered, the Jammu and Kashmir government had handed over the case to the crime branch of the state police. The crime branch arrested a Special Police Officer (SPO) for his alleged involvement in the abduction and killing of the girl.

Before that, a special investigation team had arrested a 15-year-old boy and claimed that the accused had strangulated the victim after she resisted his rape attempt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)After the BJP swept to power in Tripura ending the Left Front's 25-year-rule, state party chief Biplab Kumar Deb today said he was ready to take on the mantle of chief minister, but a decision on it would be taken by the party's Parliamentary Board.

The BJP Parliamentary Board, the highest decision-making body of the party, will meet tonight in New Delhi to decide on the future chief minister, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said.

"I am ready to take the responsibility. I will not run away from taking the responsibility," he told reporters here when asked if he would accept the task of chief ministership.

Deb, a gym instructor-turned-politician, thanked the people of Tripura for their overwhelming support and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah with the party's showing.

"I have already been given a bigger responsibility, the party's state presidentship, which I have been fulfilling to the best of my ability," he said.

The BJP has bagged 32 seats and is leading in three seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, while its ally the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura has won seven seats and is ahead in one more.

The CPI(M) has won 11 seats and is leading in five.

Deb assured the people that all promises made in the poll manifesto, which was published as 'vision document', would be implemented.

He said the people of Tripura favourably responded to the BJP's call to root out the CPI(M) government, which has been ruling the state for more than two decades.

"People responded favourably to our call call 'Chalo Paltai' (let's change)," he said.

When the same party forms government in a state and the Centre, it helps in faster development in the state, Deb said.

He alleged that 11 officials of the BJP were murdered allegedly by the goons of the CPI(M).

He also appealed to the people not to resort to post-poll violence.

"We do not believe in the of vengeance and hatred, so we appeal to the people to maintain peace and calm," he said.

Deb said the next government's priority would be all-round development of Tripura and the people voted for the BJP as there had been total backwardness in the state under the Manik Sarkar government.

"The word development does not exist in the dictionary of the CPI(M). Our government will provide good governance and time-bound implementation of all developmental works," he said.

Manik Sarkar has been chief minister since 1998. He is a politburo member of the CPI(M) and has been ruling the state for the fourth consecutive time.

Polls in 59 seats, out of the total 60, were held on February 18. The election in one seat was countermanded due to the death of the CPI(M) candidate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)South Africa's Kevin Anderson moved one step closer to capturing his second consecutive title with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over American qualifier Jared Donaldson at the ATP Mexican Open.

Anderson, of Johannesburg, won the New York Open crown two weeks ago.

The world No. 8 Anderson has plenty of confidence heading into Saturday's final where he will face Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro.

"It just feels great to win tonight's match," Anderson said. "When you're out there, you're not really thinking about finals and what happened before. In the heat of the battle, I thought it was a really tough match."



Since last January, when he plunged to 80th in the world, Anderson has made five finals comprising Washington D.C., the US Open, Pune, New York and now Acapulco. He was runner-up at the 2017 US Open.

Anderson saw his ranking fall of as a result of a variety of injuries and health issues.

In the other semi-final, Del Potro blasted six aces and broke Alexander Zverev's serve three times en route to a 6-4, 6-2 win on Friday night.

Del Potro, who is seeded sixth, won 78 percent of his first-serve points and 55 percent of his second serves in the one hour, 31 minute match.

Zverev, of Germany, hammered 10 aces but had two double faults.

On the women's side of the draw, defending champion Lesia Tsurenko earned a ninth straight victory at this event as she held off a late charge from Daria Gavrilova to return to the WTA final with a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Tsurenko will have the opportunity to play for her fourth career WTA title against Swiss Stefanie Voegele who cruised past Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).

"I just really like it here. I think all the conditions for the tournament are just great and I know that all the players enjoy to play here," the Ukrainian Tsurenko said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Buoyed by BJP's maiden win in Tripura and impressive performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya, party chief Amit Shah today said it is an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and a reflection of the future results in Karnataka and the next Lok Sabha elections.

Shah used today's assemble elections verdict in the three northeastern states to present the BJP as being a truly pan-India party, noting that it is not restricted to the Hindi belt as claimed by its critics.

Targeting the Congress, he pointed out that the party did not win a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland, and also hit out at the communist parties, saying "what the results have clearly showed is that the Left is not right for any part of the country."



He cited the BJP's successive victories in states to claim that popular verdict is the "thermometer" to find out a government's acceptance, and the masses have supported the Modi government in different parts of the country.

Addressing a press conference, Shah underlined the significance of his party's win in the tiny state of Tripura, where it was for the first time pitted against the Left in a direct fight, and set his sights on Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala- three big states which have been out of its reach so far- and poll-bound Karnataka where the Congress is in power.

"This is a win of the prime minister's policies. People have put their stamp of approval on his of performance and development.... The results in the three states are a reflection of the future results of Karnataka polls and the next Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Asked if he feels that the party has now entered its golden era, he suggested that such an assertion can be considered only after it rules these states as well.

While the party has got a majority on its own in Tripura and won over two-thirds of seats with its ally, it is in a position to form government in Nagaland- where two biggest regional parties see it as an ally- and is hoping to cobble together an alliance in Meghalaya which has thrown up a hung assembly.

Shah dismissed Left's claim that the BJP had used money power in Tripura polls and said the opposition can no longer blame electronic voting machines due to use of voter-verified paper audit trail system.

He said the party will celebrate 'Vijay Utsav' (victory celebrations) across the country tomorrow.

Rejecting the charge of Congress, which was in power in Meghalaya, that the BJP will turn to horse-trading, Shah said the verdict there is against the Mukul Sangma government. He took a swipe at the Congress wondering why it had sent its two central leaders to the state.

He also said the party in Tripura will share power with its ally, which represents the state's tribal region, despite getting a majority on its own.

He called it a "historic" win and also paid tributes of to nine party workers, victims of alleged political killing.

To a question about Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's visit to Italy ahead of declaration of results, he replied tongue-in-cheek about polls being held in that country as well, a dig at his mother Sonia Gandhi's Italian origins.

"It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways," he said.

He praised key central and state party leaders involved in the campaign while making it clear that the verdict was an endorsement of Modi who, he said, had been making specials efforts to develop eastern, and especially northeastern region.

Shah noted that the BJP had got only 1.3 per cent votes in 2013 assembly polls in Tripura and lost its deposit in all but one seat. This time it received 43 per cent of votes while its ally got close to 8 per cent.

The party and it ally had won all 20 seats in the state reserved for tribals, he said, claiming that it showed people's appreciation for the central government's work for the poor, backwards, dalits and tribals.

After Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, this is the third state where the party has got close to 50 per cent votes, he said.

The BJP is expecting victory in Karnataka and will now fight polls there with increased confidence to get a big win, he said. The southern state is likely to go to elections in April-May.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)State-owned SAIL's crude steel production grew 9 per cent to 1.272 million tonnes in February 2018.

"The new mills at company's...plant locations are being rapidly ramped up and stabilised for harnessing the entire potential of these facilities. SAIL produced 1.272 MT of crude steel in the month of February 2018 which is 9 per cent higher than CPLY," Steel Authority of India Ltd said in a statement today.

SAIL Chairman P K Singh has emphasised on winding up the few remaining projects under modernisation and ramping up production from the new units. The company is in the final leg of completing the modernisation and expansion, where only few downstream facilities at SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant are under completion, the company said.

The chairman recently visited Bhilai Steel Plant and exhorted the employees to perform to their utmost potential. During this, he also visited the recently commissioned blast furnace no 8 Mahamaya, Universal Rail Mill and the Steel Melting Shop III.

The new BF (blast furnace) is under stabilisation and production from it is steadily being ramped up. BF No 8, Mahamaya, has produced more than 60,000 tonnes of hot metal since it was blown on February 2.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Manik Sarkar, regarded as the ''poorest chief minister'' of the country and the man who helmed the Leftist bastion of Tripura for 20 years, failed to steer the Left Front (LF) to election victory today.

The LF's drubbing by a resurgent BJP, which captured power in the north-eastern state for the first time, nixed the Left Front's efforts to form the government for a record sixth consecutive time in the state.

Sarkar, a CPI(M) politburo member, won from his Dhanpur seat, defeating his nearest rival, Pratima Bhowmick of the BJP.

His party, however, bagged only 16 of the 59 seats, where polling was held on February 18. The BJP, which had no member in the Tripura Assembly, won 35 seats this time.

The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal party, won eight of the nine seats it had contested.

Sarkar, a low-profile politician, had guarded the Left fortress in his state even when the Leftists were on the wane in the rest of the country.

Had the Left Front won this time, it would have been the 69-year-old CPI(M) leader's fifth consecutive term at the helm in Tripura.

He fell to the storm kicked up by a resurgent BJP. Enthused by its poll victory in Assam, the saffron party had used "change" and "development" as its plank in Tripura.

In Sarkar's own admission, the prime challenger to the 25-year-old LF government was not its traditional rival, the Congress, but the BJP.

Regarded as the "poorest chief minister of the country", Sarkar is known for his simple lifestyle. He donates his entire salary to his party and takes only Rs 5,000 per month as subsistence allowance.

According to the affidavit submitted by him at the time of filing nomination to the Election Commission (EC) this year, the veteran leader had Rs 3,930 -- Rs 1,520 in hand and Rs 2,410 in his account in a nationalised bank.

He does not have any other bank deposit, homestead or cultivable land. He possesses an inherited land, measuring 0.0118 acres, in Krishnanagar, on the outskirts of Agartala, jointly with his sister.

He does not have a personal car, investments or assets and is not active on the social media.

Sarkar is credited to have ended the insurgency problem in Tripura and revoked the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 2015 on the ground that terrorism had waned in the state. The act was in force in Tripura since 1997.

Sarkar rose from humble beginnings. Born on January 22, 1949 in a middle-class family in Udaipur in the state, he became a student leader in Maharaja Bir Bikram College when he was just 19. His initial political exposure and experience had led him to be appointed as the Students Federation of India (SFI) general secretary of the college the same year.

He had actively participated in the 1967 Food Movement by campaigning against the policies of the then Congress government in Tripura.

In 1972, at the age of 23, Sarkar had joined the CPI(M) state committee. He was inducted into the party's state secretariat six years later, when the CPI(M) got the chance to govern Tripura for the first time.

In 1980, he was elected as a member of the Tripura Assembly, where he represented the Agartala constituency and became the chief whip of the party.

In 1983, Sarkar won the election again from Krishnanagar in Agartala and became the CPI(M) state secretary when the party rose to power again in 1993.

In 1998, Sarkar was inducted into the CPI(M) politburo, the policy-making and executive body in a communist party. The same year, he was appointed the chief minister of Tripura for the first time after Dasarath Deb refused to contest elections anymore on health grounds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Shiv Sena today criticised its ally BJP for revoking the suspension of Prashant Paricharak, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, who had run into a controversy over his remarks about wives of soldiers last year.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party described the revocation as a "surgical strike" conducted by the Maharashtra government on jawans and their families.

"The slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' has been humiliated in the present BJP regime. It is as if they have laid a red carpet welcoming Prashant Paricharak. The proposal to revoke his suspension should have been opposed by all the legislators, like they had unanimously demanded his suspension," it said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government had revoked the suspension of Paricharak, who had made objectionable comments about wives of soldiers. Paricharak was suspended on March 9 last year for his comments.

The BJP-backed MLC had later apologised for his remarks.

"Revoking Paricharak's suspension was a surgical strike by the Maharashtra government conducted on lakhs of serving and retired soldiers and their families. Disrespecting soldiers amounts to disrespecting Shivaji Maharaj but the BJP, drunk on power, does not realise this," the Sena alleged.

The Sena said the blood of soldiers at the borders is being spilled every day while the government keeps boasting about teaching Pakistan a lesson.

"However, the one who spoke ill about the families of soldiers is being accorded a red-carpet welcome," it said.

It asked "why were charges of being a traitor not slapped against Paricharak and that why were different yardsticks applied to the police constable from Ahmednagar district who had forwarded a post against the prime minister.

"The constable Ramesh Shinde remains suspended while Paricharak is free. This is the height of shamelessness. Those who introduced the proposal (in the Legislative Council) to revoke Paricharak's suspension and those who supported it have no right to take Shivaji's name anymore," the Sena said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A senior Maoist leader carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head was among the 10 Naxals killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a top Telangana Police official said today.

The Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal force, had yesterday swooped on the camp of Maoists near Pujari Kanker in Bijapur district, as part of a joint operation with the Chhattisgarh Police. Ten Maoists, including seven women, were killed in the early morning operation in which a personnel of the elite force also lost his life.

Dadaboina SwamyaliasPrabhakar, adivisional committee rank member of the banned CPI (Maoist), figures among the rebels killed in the encounter yesterday, he said.

"He (Prabhakar) was a divisional committee member and a native of Warangal district (in Telangana). He carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh on his head," the official said.

Earlier, Superintendent of Police of Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district Ambar Kishor Jha said bodies of two Naxals and the junior commando of Greyhounds were airlifted yesterday. Due to the inaccessibility of the location, the rest of the bodies were flown in a chopper this morning to the hospital.

"Susheel Kumar, a junior commando of the Greyhounds, lost his life," officials had said.

The Chhattisgarh Police had yesterday identified two of the dead Naxals as Sanjeev, a "deputy commander", and a woman named Pedda Budri. However, a senior police officer today clarified that Sanjeev was not among the dead Naxals.

The Naxals killed were identified asIthu, Budri, Rame, Mallesh, Kamala, Kosi, Sukki, Ratna and Sombi,the official said, adding most of them were members of dalam (an armed unit).

Most of the Naxals killed yesterday hailed from Chhattisgarh, he said.

The police earlier said there were six women among the dead rebels.

"Since all the members were in their uniforms, we could not distinguish between men and women. Today during 'panchanama' it was noticed there were seven women members among them," Jha said.

An AK-47, among other things, was recovered from the encounter site indicating the presence of a top Maoist leader at the gunfight site, a senior police official said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Telangana DGP M Mahender Reddy paid floral tributes to slain commando Sushil Kumar at his residence in Bidar in Karnataka.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Pakistan's ruling PML-N of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif today won 15 seats in Senate and became the largest party in the upper house of Parliament, according to provisional results.

Provincial and federal lawmakers voted to elect 52 Senators in the Senate elections that started at 9 AM and continued till 4 PM, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Twelve seats each from Punjab and Sindh, 11 each from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, four from tribal region and two from federal capital territory were up for grab due to retirement of 52 senators this month.

More than 130 candidates including those nominated by political parties and independent candidates were in the contest.

PML-N won 15 seats including 11 from Punjab and two each from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and federal capital territory.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) got 12 seats, including 10 from Sindh and two from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to become the second largest party.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)A small-time actor and three of her family members, arrested in connection with alleged cheating of some persons promising wedlock with her, were today detained under the stringent Goondas Act, police said.

Shruthi alias Mythili Venkatesh, her father Prasanna Venkatesh, mother Chitra and brother Subash, were arrested following a complaint from an NRI engineer, they said.

The engineer, hailing from nearby Salem, had alleged that the family had cheated him of Rs 41 lakh after he had got in touch with them through a matrimony website, police said.

Further investigations revealed that the family had cheated seven persons in Chennai, Thirumangalam, Nagapattinam, Salem and Coimbatore to the tune of Rs two crore on the promise of wedlock with the actress.

Orders detaining the four under Goondas Act was served on them in the central prison where they are lodged, police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi today met visiting Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang here and held discussions on ties between the two countries.

Former Union Minister Anand Sharma was also present during the meeting that lasted around half an hour.

During the discussions the Congress leaders discussed matters of mutual interest between India and Vietnam, the economic situation and international issues.

The Vietnamese President is on a three-day state visit to India.

Quang was earlier in the day accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan where both President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were present.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is currently out of country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)At least 125 students complained of food poisoning after having snacks at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Chhattisgarhs Surajpur district, an official said.

Students, mostly from classes 9th to 11th, had consumed "dahi wada" yesterday at the school, located in Basdei village, and complained of uneasiness, dysentery, headache and fever, Surajpur Collector KC Devsenapati told PTI today.

"Around 10 students had dysentery. About 70 had headache and 45 had fever. A medical team was rushed to the school and 46 students were admitted to the district hospital today morning. Others have been kept under the supervision of a team of six doctors camping at the school," he informed.

He said that of the students who were admitted, 20 were discharged after their parents took them home.

"The condition of the remaining 26 is also normal and they too will be discharged soon. We are investigating the incident," he said.

In another incident, at least 45 people fell ill allegedly after drinking water from borewells in Akaltara town in the state's Janjgir-Champa district, an official said.

"The Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr B Jai Praksh along with his team visited the area and treated them. The condition of those affected is now normal. Some borewells are located in the vicinity of a pond and that could be the cause of contamination," an official said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a brief respite next week from the deluge of legal woes he faces when he heads to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.

Even as he prepared for his trip, Netanyahu was again questioned by police in Jerusalem on Friday in connection with alleged corruption as concerns mount over whether he will eventually be forced from office.

Monday's visit to a White House that has shown enthusiastic support for Israel and Netanyahu may help bolster the long-serving prime minister, who has called Trump a "true friend" of his country.

Both men have used populist appeals in the face of investigations, with Netanyahu borrowing Trump's "fake news" moniker to denounce reports of his alleged corruption.

Israeli police recommended last month that Netanyahu be indicted in two corruption cases and investigations are continuing in others.

"I think they are partners in ideology, and the ideology is a populist, conservative ideology which says that the old liberal elites are against us," said Gayil Talshir, political scientist at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

"I think from that perspective it is a boost" for Netanyahu.

But Trump has given Netanyahu far more than moral support.

The United States is set to upturn decades of international consensus when it moves its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem in May.

Trump has also frozen tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to the negotiating table.

Both moves have left the Palestinian leadership outraged, accusing Trump's administration of blatant bias and declaring it can no longer serve as mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That, along with Trump son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner losing his top-level security clearance, has raised questions over whether Trump's pledge to reach the "ultimate" peace deal will get off the ground any time soon.

Kushner has been among those heading up the White House's efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Netanyahu may not be troubled by any such delay.

He appears more interested in speaking with Trump about other issues, such as Israel's arch-enemy Iran and its influence in neighbouring Syria.

He will likely seek to further push his case that the Iran nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers should be changed, said Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington.

"Israel, I think, is hoping that there will be a more active American role in trying to block, trying to stem, the Iranian advances in Syria," Shoval said.

Beyond his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu will address a conference organised by powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC during his trip after having done so by satellite link the last two years.

The speech, expected on Tuesday, comes as Netanyahu faces what some in Israel see as an important concern: a growing divide between Republicans and Democrats over support for his country, according to at least one recent poll.

The United States remains by far Israel's most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid and key diplomatic backing.

But poll results released in January by the US-based Pew Research Centre showed 79 percent of Republicans sympathise more with Israel than the Palestinians, while 27 percent of Democrats said the same.

Although Netanyahu may want to avoid talk about the Palestinians during his trip, the decades-long conflict is certain to be on the agenda.

Trump has spoken of wanting to reach the elusive Israeli-Palestinian deal that repeated US presidents have been unable to achieve.

At the same time, many analysts have trouble seeing how progress can be made with the Palestinians angered and a pressured Netanyahu playing to his right-wing base -- not to mention Kushner no longer able to access America's most closely guarded secrets.

Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator now with the Wilson Centre think-tank, said Kushner faces a "prestige problem", but that may make little difference.

"The Arab-Israeli peace process right now is so fraught, so challenged, so burdened with complexity and problems that Jared Kushner could have access to every piece of classified information in the world," he said.

"It would not help him significantly broker a deal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Outgoing Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar can take shelter in West Bengal, Kerala or neighbouring Bangladesh as the BJP is going to form the next government in the state, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today.

"Manik Sarkar has just three options before him. He can go to West Bengal, where the CPI-M still has some presence. He can go to Kerala, where the party is in power and will rule for three more years or he can go to neighbouring Bangladesh," Sarma told reporters here when asked about his comments on Sarkar during an election rally.

The BJP leader had kicked up a row by reportedly saying that the Tripura chief minister would be sent to Bangladesh after the assembly elections in the state.

Sarma reportedly made the remark at an election rally in Dhanpur, Sarkar's constituency, while criticising the state government over the alleged deteriorating law and order situation and cross-border crimes.

The 69-year-old chief minister has governed Tripura since 1998. He is a politburo member of CPI-M and has been ruling the state for the fourth consecutive time.

Elections in 59 seats, out of the 60-member Tripura Assembly, were held on February 18. Election in one seat was countermanded due to the death of the CPI-M candidate.

The BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) were leading in 31 out of the 47 constituencies whose trends were available, according to Election Commission sources here today.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)In his quest to tackle gun violence, President Donald Trump has ricocheted between calling for tougher laws and declaring his fealty to the Second Amendment's right to bear arms, leaving a trail of befuddled lawmakers and advocates in his wake. One thing he still has not done: clearly outline his legislative priorities. Washington's week closed yesterday without further explanation from the president, the White House indicating that for now, at least, he is backing an incremental proposal on background checks and a bill that would provide new federal dollars to stem school violence. Just what Trump would like to see in the "beautiful" and "comprehensive" bill he called for earlier in the week remained unclear. That comment came at a bipartisan meeting with lawmakers Wednesday, which was quickly followed by a private session with the National Rifle Association on Thursday. "Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!" Trump tweeted Thursday night. He had outlined some of his preferences via Twitter earlier Thursday, saying that both good and bad ideas had come out of the bipartisan meeting. He said: "Background Checks a big part of conversation. Gun free zones are proven targets of killers. After many years, a Bill should emerge. Respect 2nd Amendment!" Amid the confusion, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has shelved the gun debate for now, saying the Senate will turn next week to other measures. Disagreement continues among legislators over the appropriate response after the Florida school shooting that left 17 dead. Republicans have largely backed away from stricter gun limits, while Democrats emboldened by Trump's rhetoric are pushing for ambitious action, including expanded background checks and even a politically risky ban on assault weapons. As is often the case, the president has been an unreliable negotiator. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said yesterday that Trump supports a limited proposal from Sen John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Murphy that would boost participation in the existing federal background check program, as well as a bill that would provide new federal grant funding to stem school violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin today, a monitoring group said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democractic Forces alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours.

They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more yesterday, the monitor said.

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20 when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 per cent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin today.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

The YPG has been a key component of a United States-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to the town of Afrin or to nearby government-controlled areas.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Pune (rural) police have registered a case against two women, employed as guards at an educational institute, for allegedly getting two minor girl students to undress while checking for chits to deter copying in the exams, police said today.

The incident happened at the Gurukul School belonging to the Maharashtra Institute of Technology here during Class 12 exams which were held between February 21-28, police informed.

"Two girls from Class 12 (Commerce) lodged a complaint today and we have taken a case under Section 354 (sexual harassment) of the IPC and Section 8 (sexual assault)and Section 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act," Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Suvez Huque told PTI.

Police officials said the opinion of the state's Education department would be sought on what was the procedure stipulated for checking students for materials aiding copying in exams.

Loni Kalbhor police station officials said investigations were underway and no arrests had been made so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Amid its senior-most office bearer's meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Government Employee Welfare Association has asserted that all officials are "united to fight for the dignity and safety" of Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and other employees.

The association has issued a statement terming "baseless" reports that it has changed stance on the issue of the alleged assault on Prakash by some AAP MLAs during an official meeting at Kejriwal's residence on the night of February 19.

The statement came after the association's president Dayanand Singh and a few other officials met Kejriwal at his residence on Holi yesterday.

A joint forum of Delhi government employees, including IAS and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar & Islands Civil Services (DANICS) officers, have been boycotting meetings with AAP ministers since the alleged assault on Prakash, demanding a written public apology from Kejriwal for the incident.

"We have not changed our stand on the assault of the chief secretary, and that we all are united to fight for the dignity and safety of the chief secretary and all other government employees.

"Our movement will continue and intensify until the chief minister apologies for the misconduct of MLAs who assaulted and misbehaved with the CS," the association's general secretary Deepak Bharadwaj said.

In a statement, Singh said he met Kejriwal at the chief minister's residence after receiving information that "his mother is serious and admitted to hospital. Arvind Kejriwal is also suffering from fever.

"This was absolutely my personal visit..." Singh added.

The IAS and DANICS officers have maintained only written communication with Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues in protest against the alleged attack on Prakash.

Earlier this week, nearly 500 Delhi government employees carried out a candlelight march in support of Prakash.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)DiabetOmics Inc, a US-based medical diagnostics company, today launched its new manufacturing facility here.

Telangana Minister for IT and Industries K T Rama Rao inaugurated the plant which will manufacture non-invasive point-of-care diagnostic tests for monitoring diabetes, the company said in a press release.

The facility, constructed on a three-acre plot with a built-up area of 34,000 sq ft, will cater to the global needs of DiabetOmics , it said.

The unit has an annual manufacturing capacity of 10 million test strips and can assemble 15,000 readers to begin with. The commercial production is likely to commence in the second quarter of 2018, it added.

Varaprasad Reddy, Chairman, DiabetOmics Medical (P) Ltd, said the vision of the company is to bring affordable, accessible and easy-to-use diagnostic tests for monitoring of diabetes to those who need it most.

"With the new facility we are well on the way to realising this vision; our non-invasive and patient-friendly diagnostic tests are one fifth the price of other available options," Reddy said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The IMF has warned that President Donald Trump's decision to impose hefty tariffs on imported steel and aluminium is likely to cause damage to the US and its trading partners, urging all countries to "constructively" resolve trade disagreements.

Trump on Thursday said that he would impose a 25 per cent import tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium to protect US producers.

The import restrictions announced by the US president are likely to cause damage not only outside the US, but also to the US economy itself, including to its manufacturing and construction sectors, which are major users of aluminium and steel, International Monetary Fund spokesman Gerry Rice said, a day after Trump made the announcement.

IMF, he said, is concerned that the measures proposed by the US will, de facto, expand the circumstances where countries use the national-security rationale to justify broad-based import restrictions.

We encourage the US and its trading partners to work constructively together to reduce trade barriers and to resolve trade disagreements without resort to such emergency measures, Rice said.

The tariffs -- 25 per cent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium -- cover two materials that are the lifeline of the construction and manufacturing sectors in the US.

The announcement angered key US allies -- Canada, the EU, Australia and Mexico.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker vowed the bloc "will react firmly" to defend its interests.

Canada and Germany both termed the tariffs "unacceptable".

Trump has defended his decision, saying "trade wars are good".

He tweeted that the US was "losing billions of dollars on trade" and would find a trade war "easy to win".

In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said the US would "win big" in a trade war.

He later followed this up with further tweets, saying the US must "protect our country and our workers" and that the trade deficit left him with no choice on tariffs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Prime Minister Narendra Modis thrust on Vikas (development) brought miraculous change in the scenario of the northeast region, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said.

Reacting on poll results of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, he said this was a huge vindication and gratification of the focus on development in the region over the last three years.

It was an optimum combination of PM Modi's focus on Vikas, Vikas, Vikas, coupled with restructured organisational focus of BJP president Amit Shah on intermingling with the common masses and identifying with them, Minister of State in the Prime Ministers Office said.

The minister said the electoral outcomes gave him a special sense of satisfaction, also because he had been assigned to work for the development of northeast.

It is difficult to imagine how much of effort and consistent hardwork had been put in over the last three years to achieve this miraculous change of scenario in the north eastern region, he said.

Giving example of the three states, he said, till 2014 people of Meghalaya had never seen a train, but today, there is a double-gauge railway line network being set-up.

Similarly, Tripura is going to get the first-ever train to Bangladesh and the rail track from Agartala to the Bangladesh border is being funded by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), the minister said.

At the political level, Singh described today's results as an end of the politics of appeasement, exploitation and winning elections by creating false and negative illusions about the BJP.

One of the biggest achievements of the Modi-Amit Shah leadership has been that the youth of northeast have identified their aspirations with BJP dispensation and have totally amalgamated themselves with mainstream India, politically, culturally and at all other levels, he said.

There was a time till a few years ago, when a Union minister hardly visited the northeast and if he did, it was a rare event, Singh said.

Today a roster has been put in place, wherein eight Union ministers visit northeast every fortnight, which means that there is one minister in each state in each fortnight, he said.

Not only this, the Ministry of Northeast, which was hardly visible earlier, today sets up its Camp Secretariat by rotation every month in each of the eight states, the minister said.

The Modi government has not only brought in a new era of development in the region, but it has owned up the people of the eight states so intimately that there is no longer the earlier demarcation of so called hinterland and so called main land, Singh said.

Narendra Modi was the first prime minister after 40 years who went to attend the Plenary Meeting of North Eastern Council (NEC) at Shillong, while Shah began his tenure as BJP national president with an extensive tour of the region spending at least two full days in each of the eight states, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)Actors Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong'o will star in the feature film "The Woman King", based on an original story by Mario Bello.

The Oscar-winning duo will play mother and daughter in the film, which is inspired by true events that took place in the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It tells the story of Nanisca (Davis), general of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter Nawi (Nyong'o), who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they've lived for.

Bello will also produce the film via her Jack Blue Productions, along with Cathy Schulman, and with Davis and her husband Julius Tennon via their JuVee Productions.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)AAP leader Kumar Vishwas today took a dig at the party leadership over its poor performance in elections in the northeastern states, saying those who polled votes that could be counted on the fingers of one hand were still indulging in negativity.

"The activists who used to question polling and its process... their votes can be counted on the fingers of one hand instead of EVMs, but still they are indulging in negativity. This is dangerous for democracy," Vishwas wrote on Twitter, in an apparent dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Following its poor performance in Punjab last year, Kejriwal had questioned the authenticity of electronic voting machines.

According to the data available on the Election Commission's website, the AAP contested six seats in Meghalaya and three in Nagaland. The party could not save its deposit in eight of them.

The AAP's Akavi N Zhimomi from the Ghaspani constituency in Nagaland polled 6,233, and finished a distant third.

AAP leaders were unavailable for comment.

The party had contested 29 seats in the 2017 Gujarat polls and its candidates lost their deposits in all the seats.

Vishwas has been at odds with the party leadership for sometime now. Although a part of the Political Affairs Committee, Vishwas is practically out of the decision-making process.

Once considered to be a strong candidate to be sent to the Rajya Sabha, Vishwas was overlooked by the party leadership.

The poet-turned-politician has in the past hit out at the "coterie" around Kejriwal for targeting him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Delhi High Court has directed the police to ensure protection to a woman, residing in south Delhi's Jamia Nagar, who was allegedly disrobed and molested in public by land mafia goons as she owned a piece of land in the area.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher passed the order on the woman's plea alleging that the police instead of taking action against the perpetrators had approached her to settle the matter.

While ordering her protection, the court said a senior woman police officer should investigate the case and also asked the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) to look into her grievance.

The woman, in her plea, further contended that no protection was provided to her despite two earlier orders, of April and August 2017, of the high court to ensure her safety and security.

In her petition, filed through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, the woman claimed that on February 23, around 20-25 people illegally entered her house and not only attempted to rape her, but also disrobed and molested her and seriously injured her husband.

Her young daughters have also been threatened, the petition claimed and alleged that the police was urging her to settle the matter.

The plea also said she was forced to move the high court as her complaints to the DCW and the Commissioner of Delhi Police did not elicit any response.

The woman also said that she apprehends that "the police was trying in every way to help and assist the conspirators" so that they can illegally grab her land.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)The Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government and Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to inform it of the action taken against hospital staff and others in connection with a woman's death in 2014 after allegedly some anti-biotics were administered to her.

The woman, admitted in the civic-run K B Bhabha hospital died, and 27 others took ill after allegedly some anti-biotics were administered to them.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Bharati Dangre also directed the state and municipal authorities to file an affidavit listing down the steps taken against the concerned supplier of the drugs to the hospital.

The bench was hearing a PIL seeking appropriate directions to the MCGM and state government following the said incident which occurred on August 18, 2014 at the Bhabha hospital in Kurla.

As per the plea, 28 women including the victim, were undergoing treatment for flu, typhoid, and such common ailments at the hospital when they suffered an allergic reaction after they were administered some anti-biotics.

The women were immediately shifted to other hospitals. While the others recovered eventually, 47-year-old Saira Shaikh lost her life.

During the hearing conducted earlier this week, the petitioner, activist Ketan Tirodkar, contended that the hospital authorities had failed to take any action against the supplier and that the same supplier continued to provide the drugs to the hospital even now.

MCGM's counsel S U Kamdar, however, submitted that immediately after the incident, the civic body had constituted a committee to probe the incident.

"The probe report had revealed that the reaction wasn't due to wrong drugs, or the anti-biotics administered to the women. It occurred due to the pace at which the injections were administered. The women were all administered some injections.

"The due procedure required that those be administered at a gap of some seconds but the inquiry revealed that the injections might have been administered at a very fast pace," Kamdar said.

The bench, however, noted that even if that was the case, there had been a clear breach of the standard operating procedure by the doctors and medical staff attending to the women.

"There is a prima facie breach in the case. The due process was not followed either in administering the injections, or, in procurement of the drugs," the bench said.

"So, tell us what action has been taken against the doctors as well as others concerned with the incident," the bench said.

It also directed all concerned parties to submit a compilation of their previous replies, action taken reports etc. within the next two weeks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus plans to move or cut 3,600 positions within the group due to a decline in production rates of the A380 and the A400M, Challenges magazine reported on its website on Friday.The manufacturer will tell unions at a European committee meeting on March 7 in the French city of Toulouse of its desire to begin negotiating its "workforce adaptation" plan, the economic magazine said, citing identified sources. The German factories of Bremen and Augsburg, the Spanish plant in Seville, and the British site of Filton will be the focus of talks. Two other German sites in Hamburg ...By David ShepardsonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - More automakers on Friday warned that U.S. President Donald Trump's announced steel and aluminium tariffs would boost car prices by hiking commodities costs for manufacturers.Honda Motor Co Ltd said in a statement that "imprudent tariffs imposed on imported steel and aluminium would raise prices on both domestic and imported products, thus causing an unnecessary financial burden on our customers."Ford Motor Co said "despite the fact that Ford buys the vast majority of its steel and aluminium for U.S. production in the U.S., this action could result ...WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. officials stressed concerns about the U.S. trade deficit with China, market access and unfair treatment of U.S. companies in a second day of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser at the White House on Friday.Liu He met U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer after a similar meeting with the three on Thursday.Their second day of talks came amid heightened economic tensions with Beijing and fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump announced ...Every few seconds in India, someone somewhere is undergoing an MRI, a CT scan, an X-ray or some kind of test that requires the services of a radiologist. If one goes to any doctor with virtually any symptom, they usually ask for some scan and some blood tests.

Unlike some years ago, it has become almost the regular protocol. Although in the metros and bigger cities in India, usually your scan will be examined and the problem diagnosed by a qualified expert, the chances of that happening in a small town  or a remote village  are quite slim. Often the patient will be ...HOUSTON (AP)  A Brazilian couple accused of helping their daughter kidnap their grandson from Texas and keep him in Brazil for the last five years was granted a $3 million cash bond by a federal judge on Friday.

However, Carlos and Jemima Guimaraes will remain jailed as U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo stayed her order pending a possible appeal of her decision by federal prosecutors, who allege the couple would use their vast wealth to flee the U.S.

Attorneys for Carlos Guimaraes, 67, and his 65-year-old wife, Jemima, said the couple isnt a flight risk and want to have their day in court to prove their innocence.

Rusty Hardin, an attorney for Carlos Guimaraes, said he was pleased the couple had been granted a bond.

Hardin has portrayed the couple as loving grandparents and that the case is a custody matter that belongs in civil and not criminal court. Each has been indicted on two counts  international parental kidnapping and conspiracy. They have pleaded not guilty.

Its pretty self-evident (prosecutors) were incredibly overstating things that will not be supported by evidence in the trial, Hardin said. The couples trial has been set for May 7.

It was not immediately known if the couple would be able to post their bond, Hardin said. Each has to pay $1.5 million in cash.

Prosecutors allege the couple has assets of at least $11 million. Carlos Guimaraes is president of ED&F Man Brasil, a commodities trading firm, while his wife owns a young childrens school in Brazil.

Palermo, who had delayed her decision on bond after a detention hearing on Wednesday, also ordered several conditions for their release, including electronic monitoring and a curfew.

Angela Dodge, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office in Houston, declined to comment on the bond decision. Prosecutors could present their possible appeal of Palermos ruling to the trial judge in the case as soon as Monday.

Prosecutors allege the couple helped their daughter, Marcelle Guimaraes, keep her son in Brazil after she took him there in 2013 and failed to return to the United States, violating a custody order in a divorce case.

Marcelle Guimaraes, whos also been indicted, and her 8-year-old son, Nico, both remain in Brazil.

Authorities said Carlos and Jemima Guimaraes helped their daughter conceal her efforts to keep the boy in Brazil by misleading her ex-husband, Christopher Brann, about her plans.

A Texas judge in 2015 ordered that the boys primary residence be in Harris County, where Houston is located.

Christopher Branns attorneys said they are appealing a ruling in 2015 by a Brazilian judge that denied the boys return to the U.S. under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, an international treaty for governmental cooperation on such cases.

Nico Branns case is one of several in recent years involving Brazil and the U.S. that have attracted international attention, including the case of Sean Goldman, whose father spent years in American and Brazilian courts before he finally took Sean home to New Jersey in December 2009.

Seans case prompted a 2014 law that gives the State Department more tools  including the limitation or suspension of economic support  to pressure foreign governments to send home abducted American children.

In its 2017 report on international child abduction, the State Department said that Brazil in 2016 demonstrated a pattern of noncompliance to the Hague Convention child abduction treaty and that the country has been cited as non-compliant since 2005.



Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at <a target=blank href=http://www.twitter.com/juanlozano70>www.twitter.com/juanlozano70</a>COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  After 10 years in hotel management, Khaled Bahgat grew accustomed to defusing tense situations involving out-of-control banquet hall parties. Often, he had the situation in hand by the time police showed up.

One day, an officer asked, Have you ever thought about being a police officer yourself?

It was the farthest thing from the mind of the Egyptian-born Bahgat, who arrived in Columbus as a teenager in 1980 speaking almost no English. But he applied and has served as an officer in Ohios largest city for 21 years.

Recently, police chief Kim Jacobs appointed Bahgat a liaison officer between the department and the citys growing immigrant populations, particularly people from Somalia and Bhutanese-Nepali refugees. Bahgat joins Columbus officers with outreach responsibilities to the black and gay communities.

There has definitely been some areas where law enforcement doesnt understand the culture, and likewise the culture doesnt understand why we do the things that we do, Bahgat told worshippers last month at Masjid Ibnu Taymiyah and Islamic Center, a mosque on Columbus north side serving mainly Somali immigrants.

Yet everyone shares the same goal, he said. We want to make sure that we can offer everybody a safe neighborhood and we want to make sure that were all on the same page, said Bahgat, dubbed the departments New American Diversity and Inclusion Officer.

Police Chief Kim Jacobs said her goal in appointing Bahgat was breaking down communication barriers preventing police from hearing from everyone in the city. He joins officers around the country who have been appointment to achieve similar goals.

Houston police have officers working with the citys Muslim, Vietnamese, LGBTQ, Hispanic and other communities. The Minneapolis police department, with the countrys largest Somali population, has outreach officers for the citys East African immigrants along with southeast Asians and American Indians. The Washington, D.C. department has officers who work with the deaf community, a large population thanks to the presence of Gallaudet University.

In Virginia Beach, Filipino-American officers are frequently in touch with the citys large Filipino community, said chief James Cervera.

Its very hard to hate up close, he said.

Outreach efforts are valuable tools for police departments, particularly at a time agencies are having difficulty reflecting the local community make-up on their force, said Nelson Lim, a RAND Corporation researcher who helps police departments and the military diversify their workforces.

You have to turn the whole force around and then say, Hey, not just this officer is responsible for this  all of us are responsible for including everyone, regardless of their background,' Lim said.

Orlandos outreach efforts attempt this broad brush approach, with Orlando Speaks public forums that bring together officers and residents. The city adopted the concept after town hall meetings deteriorated into shouting matches, said chief John Mina.

Orlando resident Kisha Ohana, who is black, said the forums helped her understand what officers face on the job. She still doesnt think a lot of black Orlando residents trust police, though she does herself after sitting through one such forum.

Theres good and bad on the force just as theres good and bad in our communities, Ohana said.

In Columbus, Bahgat has his work cut out for him, especially with the Somali community. Residents are upset that two Somalis initially hired by the police department didnt make it through the police training academy. A third recruit left the academy over rules prohibiting her from wearing a headscarf.

Some Somali residents also think police dont always listen to their side of a story during when responding to calls, said Ahmed Ahmed, director of the Masjid Ibnu Taymiyah. He calls Bahgat a useful middleman who can explain things from the police perspective.

For now Bahgat, 52, fits his work in between taking calls as a patrol officer, though he has no complaints.

Even after 21 years, I go home, and I cant wait until I go back to work, Bahgat said. Thats how much I love this job.



Andrew Welsh-Huggins can be reached on Twitter at https://twitter.com/awhcolumbus.KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  A man already charged with killing three people in the Kansas City area was indicted Friday in the deaths of three more men, all of whom were shot in apparently unprovoked attacks along or near hiking trails, Jackson County prosecutors said.

The suspect, Frederick Demond Scott, a 23-year-old black man, once threatened to kill all white people. All the victims were white, but investigators and prosecutors have not discussed a motive for the killings.

After the indictments, Scott faces six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of armed criminal action in a string of killings that began in August 2016. The last killing currently linked to Scott occurred Aug. 13, 2017. He has pleaded not guilty in the previous three cases.

Scotts mother previously told authorities and The Kansas City Star that her son is schizophrenic.

All five of the male victims were shot as they walked on or near the trails or, in one case, walked home after getting off a bus. The female victim was homeless and her decomposing body was found in a tent in woods in Grandview. She also was shot, police said.

Kansas City Police spokesman Lionel Colon said he has no information that suggests the investigation into other potential victims is ongoing.

Scott made his comment about wanting to kill people while he was a student in January 2014 at an alternative school near Kansas City, according to a municipal citation for harassment regarding the case. His mother said she did odd jobs for white people and she wasnt aware he had any problems with them.

Scott was indicted Friday in the deaths of David Lenox, 67, Timothy Rice, 57, and Michael Darby, 61.

The first victim was John Palmer, 54, who was shot Aug. 19, 2016. His body was dragged off the Indian Creek Trail and was found in nearby woods. The last victim, Steven Gibbons, 57, died Aug. 13, 2017, after he got off a bus in south Kansas City. The woman, 64-year-old Karen Harmeyer, was found in her tent by friends.

Lenox was killed Feb. 27, 2017, as he was returning home from walking his two dogs. His daughter, Mindy Lenox of San Francisco, told The <a target=blank href=http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article203130029.html>Star</a> that she and her family appreciated the efforts of investigators and prosecutors to provide a charge in her fathers death.

Were thankful that he is off the street and hopefully hell be held accountable for what he has done, Lenox said. I dont know for me personally that there is any closure. Nothing can bring my dad back and nothing can take that pain away, but at least knowing that the person responsible will be held accountable, it will certainly be helpful.

Rice, of Excelsior Springs, was found dead from multiple gunshots on April 4, 2017, inside a shelter at a park where he was camping, his family said.

Darbys son, Brian Darby, said Friday he appreciated the work of police and prosecutors. I feel like we are one step closer to where we need to be, he said.

Scott was arrested after Gibbons killing, when surveillance video showed Scott following Gibbons, according to court records. Detectives later linked Scott to the scene with DNA from an iced tea bottle and a cigarette butt. He was linked to the Palmer killing with DNA from a T-shirt left at that scene.



This story has been updated to correct the suspects name to Frederick Demond Scott, not Smith.



Information from: The Kansas City Star, <a target=blank href=http://www.kcstar.com>http://www.kcstar.com</a>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Australia on Saturday urged Indonesia against any leniency toward the ideological leader of the Bali bombers as the government considers house arrest or other forms of clemency for the ailing radical cleric who is now in prison.

Wiranto, Indonesias top security minister, said Friday that a meeting of security ministers and police will make a recommendation on Abu Bakar Bashirs treatment to President Joko Jokowi Widodo.

Clemency, pardon, house arrest or just hospital treatment. It will be discussed in the near future and will be reported to the president, said Wiranto, who uses a single name.

Bashir, who turns 80 in August, was treated in a Jakarta hospital on Thursday for pooling of blood in the legs, a common condition in the elderly known as chronic venous insufficiency, and later returned to prison.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said on Thursday that the government plans to place Bashir under house arrest so he can be cared for by his family or transfer him to a prison near his hometown, Solo in Central Java, according to local media.

His numerous sympathizers hope Jokowi will grant him a permanent release due to his poor health, a move that would help mend fences between hard-line Muslims and Jokowi ahead of a presidential election in 2019 but alarm allies such as the United States and Australia. Jokowis approval ratings remain high with the broader Indonesian public.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishops office on Saturday described Bashir as the mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners including 88 Australians.

Bishops office said in a statement that Australians expected justice to continue to be served to the full extent that Indonesian law allows.

Abu Bakar Bashir should never be allowed to incite others to carry other future attacks against innocent civilians, the statement added.

Bashir was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 for supporting a military-style training camp for Islamic militants.

The firebrand cleric was arrested almost immediately after the Bali bombing. But prosecutors were unable to prove a string of terrorism-related allegations. He was instead sentenced to 18 months in prison for immigration violations.

Jokowis spokesman, Johan Budi, said the president will review the case, and house arrest is possible under the law.

He said a suggestion to pardon Bashir came from Indonesian Ulema Council chairman Maruf Amin and would require Bashir to apply for clemency.

That appears unlikely as it would involve Bashir recognizing secular authority. After being sentenced in 2011, he said he rejected the conviction because it was based on infidel law.



Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.Friday, March 2, 2018 at 10:50PM

Anna Hanks/Flickr

Even when faced with less than warm reception for it movies, Netflix still isnt backing down from trying to make films. Its being reported that Netflix has greenlit a new superhero film called Past Midnight and it wants Keanu Reeves to be its start. The movie is going to be co-directed by Rick Famuyiwa and the Russo Brothers. Written by TJ Fixma, Past Midnight is reportedly a story about a new kind of vigilante superhero. Not much else is known about the production but the team behind it is pretty promising. Famuya is known for directing the 2015 film Dope and will be directing the upcoming adaptation of Charles Burns Black Hole. And you might have known projects of the Russo Brothers, ever heard of Captain America: Winter Soldier or Avengers: Infinity War?

Source: io9news, latest-news

Canberra's drivers and car dealerships are feeling the sting of the Takata airbag recall that is causing waves in the automotive industry all over the world. Following the announcement this week the federal government was introducing a compulsory recall of all cars fitted with the defective Takata airbags, many have discovered they are potentially being put in danger each time they drive their vehicle. It is estimated the recall will capture 2.3 million vehicles in Australia, from major manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda. Various voluntary recalls on Takata airbags had been in place since 2009. An estimated 1.7 million vehicles have had their airbags replaced, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). Mazda owner Ben Arthur said he had been receiving correspondence from the company for about six months before the compulsory recall emphasised the importance of having his airbags replaced. He said it was only after a colleague sent around an email to staff with a list of affected vehicles that he realised his 2006 RX-8 had Takata Alpha airbags installed, a particular subset of the airbags more likely to malfunction and possibly shoot shrapnel into passengers. "The idea of having a piece of metal shoot through my stomach is not particularly fun," Mr Arthur said. "The ACCC's advice for the alpha airbags is essentially stop driving the car immediately, but I live in Gungahlin and work in Fyshwick so that's not realistic." Mr Arthur lodged an online request with Mazda noting his VIN and contact details five days ago but is yet to receive a response. He also questioned why, if the fault had been known since 2009, did manufacturers not act more proactively to replace the faulty airbags. The FCAI said the automotive industry "would move heaven and earth" to comply with the compulsory recall. The peak body added manufacturers had experienced difficulties with contacting owners, securing replacement airbags and processing such a large number of vehicles. They called on state and federal governments to assist the car industry in keeping motorists safe. Dealer principal at Capital Subaru in Fyshwick Adam Clearihan said while the dealership had been affected by the recall he welcomed the federal government stepping in. Mr Clearihan estimated in just his dealership's area (Fyshwick, Queanbeyan and the inner south) there were likely 1800 Subarus affected. He said the dealership, which has been replacing the airbags for about 18 months, had been forced to employ two new technicians, one new receptionist and begin servicing cars on Saturday to cope with the demand the recall had introduced. Mr Clearihan said Capital Subaru had been able to so far stay on top of the influx and he encouraged Subaru owners to get in touch with their relevant dealerships. Service manager at Rolfe Honda Conor O'Donnell said the Honda dealer network had enough airbags to cover all Hondas in Australia and said the Belconnen service centre had the staff to cover Canberra's need. Representatives from other manufacturers were unable to be reached for comment.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/4887883e-42c6-4d7f-ba42-d339f692042f/r0_129_2000_1259_w1200_h678_fmax.jpgFlanked by cypress pine-clad ridges which tumble precipitously to the valley floor, we paddle steadily down the Snowy River under the midday sun. Downstream, as if on cue, we hear a distinctive splashing sound. Startled by our appearance, a brumby gallops through the shallows and shelters in thick undergrowth on the shore. No, we're not acting out a verse of Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River, rather we are on the family adventure of a lifetime, a two-day paddle down Australia's most fabled river, which if first impressions are anything to go by, is even more spectacular in experience than it is in verse. This isn't the babbling brook as many would know the Snowy as it runs by Jindabyne or Dalgety, this is the wild Snowy which further south, like a giant serpent, cuts a slithering swathe through the Byadbo Wilderness, home to some of the most remote mountainous country in Australia. This is the same rugged country which in 1847 forced surveyor Thomas Townsend to turn back, describing it as follows on his original map: "It is impossible to proceed along the banks of the river at this point, and appears to continue for miles." Almost 100 years later, in 1937, when kayakers Stanley Hanson and Arthur Hunt set off from Jindabyne in a pine bark canoe to journey down the river, one local, Mick O'Malley, echoed the sentiments of almost all on the Monaro. "If you go down there, you'll never come back," he warned. But today we needn't be nervous for both of these observations were before the advent of the Snowy Hydro Scheme resulted in a dramatic reduction in the flow of the Snowy, reducing it to a mere trickle of its former glory. Also in our favour is our guide, ''Mr Snowy River'' Richard Swaine. You need complete confidence in your guide when you don't know what's around the next corner and ''Swainy'' has been down this river more than anyone else alive, negotiating rapids and avoiding hazards for over a quarter of a century. In fact, in 2012 Swainy was one of the first to paddle the river following the first significant environmental water flows since the damming of the river in the 1950s and 60s as part of the Snowy Hydro Scheme. "It was amazing, it was like the animals hadn't seen people before," Swainy says. "Everything stood and looked at us as we went past, even pigs stood on the side of river and looked at us in awe. "It was like something out of Grizzly Adams." Our adventure today actually began early at Box Ridge, at an eagle's eyrie lookout suspended almost a kilometre above the river. While we tucked into a three-course breakfast whipped up by Owen Davis and Karen Davidson from High Country Trails and Tucker, Swainy pointed out prominent landmarks in the landscape from the imposing Black Jack Mountain to the south-east and unnamed peaks stacked up against the Victorian border to the south. He also gestured in the general vicinity of a much closer mountain he calls Mt Malagan (Mulligans on the map). "That's women's business there, men aren't allowed to look at it," he cautioned. I didn't need much convincing for the focus of my gaze was in the deep gorge below, on a tiny clearing next to the river  apparently our camp spot for tonight. The binoculars hardly made it any bigger. At the time it seemed a world away. And now as we paddle down river from our launch point at Paupong, soaked in the Snowy's fabled waters (yes, OK, so I fell out while launching, but it was only once), now it's that lofty ridge and all the comforts of home which seem a world away. This paddle is into unchartered waters for the Yowie clan, all of whom have none or limited paddling experience. Sitting up front in a seemingly sturdy rubber raft and peering out from under their ratcheted helmets are an anxious Mrs Yowie and my eldest daughter Sarah (10). Meanwhile, up the back of the raft next with Swainy's steady hand at the helm is Emily (7) who in her snug PFD is leaning over the side dragging her hand through the water and grabbing handfuls of ''treasure'' from the river bed (don't try telling her it's just fools gold). It's clear who is going to do all the muscle work in that vessel. Meanwhile, along with Owen, who is embarking on his first trip down river beyond the familiarity of his own slice of high country freehold, I've opted for an inflatable kayak. Earlier atop Box Ridge we were huddled around the crackling fire, clutching blankets to keep warm, but here in the depths of the valley, the temperature is pushing 30 degrees and with no recent environmental flows to push us along, paddling is a tough slog. "During a flow, we'll zoom through here", Swainy explains as we approach what would normally be a Grade 2 rapid. But instead of being jettisoned through a maze of river pebbles punctuated by car-sized granite boulders, my kayak bottoms out. I get the feeling it'll be the first of many portages. One advantage of our near glacial pace is that it gives you time to attune to your surroundings. Like to watch a mother Moonbah duck swimming beneath us (as a decoy to lead us away from its young) and to count the number of flaps of its wings it takes a lone majestic black swan just ahead of us to lift off from the water. We eventually reach a deep pool and the kids, hot from their paddling efforts (well, that's what they claim, anyway), don't need any encouragement to jump overboard for a swim. Think of the Snowy and you think icy, but at this time of the year the water temperature is pleasant. "All the granite here acts like giant head beads and as the rocks heat up, so does the water," Swainy says. From his kayak, Owen points out the side of the valley where the height of the water flow pre-Snowy Hydro reached. Heck, you'd almost need a packed lunch to hike up to it from today's river level. "In its full glory it would have been a sight to behold," he remarks. Little wonder when Hanson and Hunt sent off in 1937 so many thought they were embarking on a certain suicide mission. However ''tough'' times were for European explorers, our paddle isn't about the trials and tribulations of early pioneers. No, we're also here to discover the Snowy's lesser-known past, as a place of plenty for the first peoples of the Monaro. When I ask Swainy, whose aboriginal heritage links him to this area, when we'll reach the first indigenous site, his response is as short as is it telling. "Mate, this whole river is one big significant site," he deadpans. What exactly does he mean? Most indigenous sites I've visited have been contained within a certain area. From its headwaters up near the side of Mt Kosciuszko to where it flows into the Tasman Sea at Marlo in Victoria, the Snowy is over 350 kilometres long. How can it be just one site? But my thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the reflection in the water of a mountain peak. Oh no, it looks like Mt Malagan. Oops. I've only glimpsed its fractured reflection but I don't dare tell Swainy. I couldn't anyway for as I glance over towards the fully-laden raft, he is deep in thought, almost like a priest about to deliver the first words of his sermon. Ahead, the sides of the valley become higher and steeper, causing the familiar line of contrails in the sky to temporarily vanish. A strange silence suddenly descends. It's not eerie, more a sense of reverence. The girls seem to have picked up on it too, their playful banter replaced by a rare and respectful silence. Even the birds have stopped singing and as Swainy quietly motions us to beach our kayaks on the near shore, the hairs on my neck stand up. Without saying a word Swainy drags the raft up on the sand, unstraps his helmet and peels off his life jacket. We each follow suit and in single file follow him up an ancient creek line. Next Week: Don't miss part two of this series on the Snowy River as Swainy shares with me some of its ancient secrets. Wilderness Rafting Adventure: Alpine River Adventures and High Country Trails and Tucker have teamed up to offer family-friendly fully-guided and catered Snowy River Rafting Adventures through the Byadbo Wilderness. Ex-Jindabyne. Prices vary depending on numbers (max six) and dates dependent on water flow. Suitable for age 7 and above but with at least an average level of fitness, an adventurous spirit and an appreciation for remote wilderness travel. Paddling experience not essential. More info: www.highcountrytrails-tucker.com and www.riverguide.com.au Did You Know? Although Hanson and Hunt did survive their 1937 expedition down the Snowy River, it wasn't without incident and in an article published in The Canoe Club of NSW newsletter of 1938, Hunt articulated one of the best descriptions I've heard of the country now known as the Byadbo Wilderness. "Surely the Creator of the Universe must have raked together all the spare, rough mountain ranges, gorges and boulders into one vast heap, meaning to level them out when he had nothing more important on hand." While driving from Coolendel towards Burrier, inland from Jervis Bay, Ron Jacobs of Calwell recently noticed this large-nosed "stone pixie peering out from a rock face". "If you're on the section of single-lane road where you have to give way to oncoming traffic, you'll see him appear on a very slight left bend," advises Jacobs, who recommends that if you're in the area, don't miss the view from McKenzie's Lookout, off Old Burrier Fire Trail from Yalwal Road. Clue: Thousands drive past here every day, but not many visit. Degree of difficulty: Medium Congratulations to Rosemary Parker of Fisher who was the first reader to correctly identify last week's photo as Belconnen Mall (now Westfield Belconnen). Parker just beat a number of other readers to the prize, including first-time entrant Rhys Cardew of Crace and serial guesser June McKenzie of Fisher who "used to shop there a lot when living in Aranda". Terry Sheales of Melba reports, "as a (then) new resident of the Belconnen area, its opening for business in February 1978 (hence your clue of Happy 40th) was a very welcome addition to our (until then) relatively limited shopping facilities." How to enter: Email your guess, along with your name and address, to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday March 3, 2018, will win a double pass to Dendy.

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Calvary Hospital has launched an internal investigation into the suicide of an emergency department nurse who was allegedly bullied at work during the space of a year. Andrew Earl, who had been a nurse since 2009, was found dead in his Canberra home in late June 2017. Those closest to him have told The Sunday Canberra Times that before his death, Andrew faced relentless psychological bullying while in the workplace. Calvary Hospital refused to comment on the alleged bullying when contacted. The ACT Health Services Commissioner is investigating Andrew's death following a formal complaint made to it in September 2017. The commission underwent a review into the incident, according to documents seen by the Times. "This decision [to investigate] was made on the basis that if substantiated, the issues raised may reveal systemic problems at Calvary Hospital," the document said. His death also triggered an investigation in the ACT Coroners Court. A decision was made in February not to hold a full hearing after initial inquiries. While the coroner was unable to find enough evidence to prove the alleged bullying was the sole cause of Andrew's suicide, those who knew the nurse have rejected the findings, and are seeking answers about what happened in Calvary's emergency department. According to those who knew him, Andrew Earl was the type of nurse you would want around in a life-threatening situation. "He was the most gentle and giving person you'll ever meet," a long-time friend said. "All nurses are so incredible and giving and compassionate and they work so hard, and Andrew was just the epitome of that. He was a beautiful person." After graduating in 2009, Andrew worked as a nurse in the emergency department of Calvary Hospital, a position he held for many years. Away from the emergency room, those close to him describe Andrew as a talented swing dancer, a lover of cooking, a breeder of Japanese spitz dogs and someone who made many friends across the world playing online games of Scrabble. According to those close to him, Andrew was also the target of alleged bullying within Calvary's emergency department, which they claim eventually contributed to his death. A close friend of Andrew's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Sunday Canberra Times that Andrew was subjected to bullying over many months. She said toward the end of his life, Andrew confided in her about the details of the bullying. "He experienced psychological bullying. Over time it wore him down until he was mentally and emotionally exhausted," the friend said. "He told me that he had to report it so it wouldn't happen to anyone else. In the end, he didn't have the strength." The friend said Andrew told her the bullying began after a single incident with a colleague. "[The colleague] constantly criticised and questioned his work. [Andrew told me the colleague] made changes to his work so it appeared to the rest of his team that he'd completed his work incompetently. Over nine to 12 months, it wore him down until he was mentally and emotionally exhausted," she said. "He felt belittled and also ashamed that he couldn't cope with it. He also knew that by reporting it he would risk jeopardising his career and be labelled unfit for practice." As a result of the bullying, Andrew took time away from work on stress leave, but as the leave was starting to run out and the return to the emergency department was getting closer, the friend said he was dreading it more and more. "He ran out of stress leave and personal leave. No one raised the alarm until he hadn't shown up at work for four days after he was due back." A former colleague of Andrew's, who declined to be named, said the emergency nurse was the model of the perfect employee. While she wasn't working at Calvary at the time of the alleged bullying, she said she still heard about it through people working in the ACT health system. She said if bullying was reported to managers at Calvary, it would be "swept under the carpet". "What's upset me the most was that Andrew is a victim of circumstance, a victim of the organisation and the nastiness that is endemic in that place," she said. "I was really distressed when I heard about [what happened to Andrew]. "He would've just kept toiling along, doing the job he was supposed to be doing. He wouldn't have spoken about the intimidation by management." Andrew's case is just one of many alleged bullying incidents inside the ACT health system. Earlier this year, The Sunday Canberra Times revealed ACT Health investigated seven instances of bullying and harassment in the 2016-17 financial year, and several staff were sacked as a result. The Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons have previously said the number of bullying incidents was higher than reported as many people were afraid of speaking out. A KPMG report in 2015 found 76 per cent of ACT Health staff had observed bullying, harassment or discrimination. ACT Health said all seven of the report's recommendations were being implemented in order to reduce bullying in the workplace. While the Calvary investigation into Andrew's circumstances is still ongoing, a full hearing will not be held in the coroners court following initial inquests, which concluded last month. "The coroner was of the opinion after consideration of police and other information that the manner and cause of Mr Earl's death was sufficiently disclosed and that a hearing was unnecessary," a spokeswoman for the Coroners Court said. The ACT's chief coroner said there was no agreed legal definition of suicide in an "Australian coronial context", and evidence required for suicide to be the legal finding for a manner of death will "depend on the context and circumstances of a particular death". "Sometimes in potential suicide cases there will be evidence which is capable of multiple interpretations; in such cases the coroner exercises judgment in accordance with legal principle to arrive at findings with which she or he is reasonably satisfied on the available evidence," the chief coroner said. "Where no single interpretation is preferable on the evidence, there may be an open finding." The Sunday Canberra Times sent Calvary Hospital a list of questions on the alleged bullying but a hospital spokesman said Calvary would not respond. "Calvary is not able to comment on the death of Andrew Earl. We respect Andrew's privacy and our thoughts remain with his family and friends," the spokesman said. "Andrew was a much liked and admired member of the Calvary team and is greatly missed." Rather than a funeral, a memorial service was held for Andrew, with the chapel at Calvary Hospital overflowing with people paying their last respects. In the aftermath of his death, the long-time friend said many people who knew Andrew were just wanting the truth to come out about what happened in the corridors of the emergency department. "Hospitals need to create a culture that encourages other managers to raise a flag. Bullying victims shouldn't have to bear the responsibility of reporting their own cases," she said. "It's devastating for everyone, especially his colleagues. I think about him every day, and I'm sure they do too." Do you know more? Email: andrewbrown@fairfaxmedia.com.au Lifeline: 13 11 14 BeyondBlue: 1300 22 4636

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This might just be the best way to take in the spectacle that is the Enlighten Festival: riding an electric bike dressed up with LED lights to add to the show. Canberra Urban Adventures is running nightly e-bike tours around the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin and into Civic to see the Enlighten in all its glory. But the operator can't understand why Events ACT hasn't promoted the tours as part of the Enlighten program. The glowing bike tours will be at 8.30pm and 9.40pm each night of the festival, starting and finishing from Parkes Place West at the the Questacon carpark entrance. The cost is $35 per person (12 and over). Tours for children from six to 11 cost $15. Younger children can ride with adults if they pre-arrange a seat. Canberra Urban Adventures owner Graham Tupper said the special pop-up tours had been wholly organised and promoted by himself. "We will be taking people from the heart of Enlighten, around the lake and into Civic, where Enlighten has expanded its footprint this year," he said. While Mr Tupper was excited to provide a different kind of Floriade experience, he was disappointed that Events ACT had not done anything to promote the bike tours. He said until recently the Enlighten website under the Visit Canberra tab had made no mention of his tours. There was now a link to the general Canberra Urban Adventures site but not mention of the glowing light tours especially for Enlighten. Mr Tupper said he attended an Enlighten briefing last November and "followed up three times" to see if his tours would get any support or promotion. He finally got an answer that Events would "not commit to, nor guarantee any marketing support". Mr Tupper said he found it strange that other niche Enlighten events such as a photography course continued to be promoted by Events ACT, even though they were sold out, but his tours could not get a guernsey. "We are a small, local operator who has gone out of our way to do something special and we've been kind of sidelined," he said. Mr Tupper said events attached to the national institutions were getting the most promotion. If he had known that would be the case, he would have approached one to ensure a collaboration. He had also written to Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Andrew Barr to outline the situation. Mr Barr's reply said he understood the tours would be "recognised and promoted as part of the broad festival program on the Enlighten Festival website". The Events marketing team had also committed to pursuing other opportunities for promotion and given Mr Tupper an Enlighten "toolkit"to help promote the tours with items including Enlighten logos and "digital banners". Bookings for the glowing e-bike tours are at www.canberraurbanadventures.com

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Three F/A-18 Hornets flew low over Canberra performing a "bomb burst" manouvre as part of an Australian Defence Force Academy parade on Saturday. The Hornets flypast of ADFA was at 10.20am, flying from east to west at an altitude of 150 metres, for the Chief of Defence Force Parade. A C-17A Globemaster will do another flypast, at 11am, flying overhead at 90 metres altitude from east to west, then re-approaching ADFA to overfly the parade from south to north. "The parade is a significant milestone in the career of year one officer cadets and midshipmen as it marks the end of their initial military training at ADFA and symbolically represents their acceptance into the academy," the air force says. The fly past was also to recognise Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Binskin, who was attending his final parade in the role. Air Chief Marshal Binskin told the 329 officer cadets about the unique role of military leaders. "It is a great privilege to exercise the responsibility of leadership on behalf of the Australian Defence Force at any level," Air Chief Marshal Binskin said. "From the moment you were sworn in, you accepted the responsibility of leadership and by default, the trust of the Australian people with an expectation that you will uphold the highest standards  always."

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Bangalore: more than 12 million people. Throsby: at least four. Deepika and Shakti Khemchandani, along with sons Sidhaan, six, and three-year-old Samar, were the first residents of Canberra's newest community when they moved into their freshly-built home late last year. It's a long way from Mr and Mrs Khemchandani's Indian hometown in almost every sense. There's been no traffic. Sidhaan and Samar are able to ride their bikes down the street and have had the park to themselves. Save for prospective residents peering into display homes and the drone of development around them, it's been "like living in a resort", according to Mrs Khemchandani. "It was a completely new experience, especially coming from where we do - full of noise and chaos - and moving into a suburb where there was literally nothing," she said. "It was beautiful. It was something completely different." The Suburban Land Agency expects Throsby - named after European explorer Charles Throsby - to eventually house about 2500 Canberrans. It should be fully developed in about four years. A residents' breakfast held in the park last week attracted about 35 people, some of whom owned vacant blocks or were still building their home. The Khemchandanis are members of the Throsby Mingle group, a branch of the ACT government's community development program, and believe the suburb will be eventually filled with young families. The former Harrison residents chose Throsby because of its proximity to the Gungahlin marketplace, Sidhaan's school and Mr and Mrs Khemchandani's government jobs. "We were sure we wanted to stay in the Gungahlin district so that's why we stayed close-by as well," Mrs Khemchandani said. "We have a lot of immigrants over here so we feel quite at home, in a way, and the fact our kids have everything over here, they have activities and their school and everything else." There have been challenges. The Khemchandani's house is not yet on Google Maps, a huge challenge when trying to organise the delivery of products or services. The family had to contact NBN directly to let them know the suburb even existed. But they're sure they made the right choice. And others are moving in - recently, they've noticed a few more bins on the streets. "Just the suburb had a really good feel to it the first time we drove past. It just clicked with us," Mrs Khemchandani said.

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Francis Rooneys recent presentation at his Fort Myers Town Hall meeting spoke of his meeting as representative government.

Representative government is defined as An electoral system where citizens vote to elect people to represent their interests and concerns. As such, Mr. Rooney either misuses or misunderstands his role as our districts elected representative, elected to Congress to represent our interests and concerns.

An example was made that over 80 percent of his constituents support net neutrality, and Mr. Rooney flatly opposes it. Mr. Rooney refuses to represent his constituents in this issue; representative government clearly does not apply here.

While only 28 percent of Americans oppose the Mueller investigation into Russian interference into our 2016 election, Rooney nevertheless still stuck by his assertion that it was a witch hunt. He further asserted that the independent investigation was created solely to implicate Trump, either a total misunderstanding of its purpose or a lie  but not representing the interests of his district or our country he vowed to protect.

Our nation does not want to talk about the threat that guns pose to our safety as a society, and Mr. Rooney is no exception. But to have Parkland survivors in the room and to repeat, over and over, canned responses that are not solutions comes across as cold hearted and dismissive.

Hardening the target with an armed and guarded entrance to a school is a pat answer and it only ensures that the guard will be the first to be shot. Children go outside for sports, recess and to get on and off the bus. People attend concerts, church, and are entitled to their freedom from random slaughter as much as gun owners are allowed their freedom to own weapons of choice. These freedoms must be balanced. As an elected representative, your job is to work for that balance.

Representative government means us, Mr. Rooney, not you.

Susan McGuire,

on behalf of Pine Island ROAR,

Bokeelia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.With the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva well-known for their seashells  and the collection of them  it is no surprise that the community hosts the countrys oldest-running event spotlighting them.

Organized by the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club and Sanibel Community Association, the 81st Annual Sanibel Shell Festival will be held March 1-2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and March 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Community House on Sanibel. It will feature a juried show, exhibits, shells for sale and more.

This shell show is the longest-running and the most prestigious shell show in the nation, Joyce Matthys, of the Sanibel Shell Festival Committee, said. Because of its history, its a premier show.

Co-chairs for this years festival are Sue Schoenherr and Mary Burton, along with Matthys.

The inside of The Community House will hold the competition portion of the event, along with an authors table, shell identification assistance  for those unknown finds  and childrens games.

Matthys explained that the show is broken down into scientific and artistic divisions.

There are about 200 entries, she said of the artistic division.

Items entered range from traditional sailors valentines and bouquets of flowers, to jewelry and even antique collectibles. For the first time last year, one man brought a ukulele made of conch shells.

It can be mirrors, theres photography. We have people who enter paintings, Matthys said.

Artistic creations made entirely from shells and sea life, she added.

As for the scientific division, it will features about 450 linear feet of exhibits.

Some of these entries are 40 feet in length, Matthys said.

Entries include individual shells and collections of shells, broken down by categories like Sanibel-Captiva finds, Florida and Caribbean finds, and worldwide finds. The shells are self-collected.

Its the rarity of the shell or group of shells, she said of how the entries are judged in the scientific division. Its the presentation or how the exhibit is presented.

One entry this year involves 165 venomous snails and images of the poisonous harpoons that they shoot at prey, while another features sea-silk  a rare fabric that dates back to antiquity, only found in museums and private collections. Attendees get to touch sea-silk spun from the hairs of pen shells.

There are nearly 100 areas to complete in between the two divisions.

There are about 98 classes of competition, Matthys said.

The show is open to shell collectors and artisans from around the world.

Award winners have come from as far away as New Zealand, India, Japan and the Caribbean.

According to the Sanibel Shell Festival Committee, this years competitors range in age from 6 to 99. Grace Horn, who will mark her 100th birthday in June, entered three shells collected on Sanibel during her early years on the island. She has been collecting on the island since 1956. Naples resident Hayden Osborn entered a decorative shell box in the Student Artistic Division and is the youngest competitor.

The authors table will feature 15 writers, with four of them  Pam Boynton, Richard Batt, Jennifer Schiff and Anne Joffe  also club members. There will be book signings and meet-and-greets.

Its a variety of topics, including shell-related books, she said.

Dr. Jos Leal, the science director and curator at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, will be on hand to help attendees identify shells they may bring in, as well as answer questions about shells.

Shells that they may have picked up on the beach and they dont look familiar, Matthys said.

There are also childrens games set up, with prizes like a shell or free club membership up for grabs.

We also have a scavenger hunt for the youngsters, she said.

Some shells, books and other miscellaneous shell-related items will be for sale inside.

We usually have two documentary videos playing that describe the life of a mollusk, Matthys said.

Outside, however, attendees will find the anything and everything shell-related to buy.

The shell tent will house thousands of shells, starting as low as 25 cents each.

We will sell bags of shells and loose individual shells, Schoenherr said. Weve got a lot of nice Sanibel shells. We have some other shells that are from other parts of the world.

We get donations of shells constantly throughout the year, she added.

Under the artistic creations and the creation tents, attendees will find hand-crafted items made with shells. They range from flower bouquets and holiday decorations, to shell critters and jewelry.

All created with shells and sea life, Schoenherr said.

The Shell Crafters, who meet at The Community House, create it all throughout the year.

There will also be a live tank area set up outside, containing mollusks.

Many people dont realize that every shell on the beach was once a living animal and they have a big part in the ecology of our oceans, she said. Its a wonderful way to get acquainted with these marvelous animals that create these beautiful shells and gives us all purpose to protect these animals from being taken live and (from) over-collecting.

The event will also feature a raffle, with items donated by award-winning artists.

Admission is free, with a $5 donation requested to enjoy the inside show. The donation also grants attendees free admission to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum during the festival.

In addition, the first 2,300 people to donate will receive a free bag of shells.

Proceeds raised inside will fund grants to marine education and conservation organizations in the community, along with scholarship to the University of South Floridas College of Marine Science and Florida Gulf Coast Universitys Department of Marine and Ecological Sciences.

Proceeds raised outside will go to the maintenance and support of The Community House.

For more information, call 239-472-2155 or visit sites.google.com/site/sanibelshellfestival.

The Community House is at 2173 Periwinkle Way.Photo: File photo Doug Findlater

While West Kelowna council has made it clear they're not in favour of a new provincial speculation tax, the city is looking for opinions from the public.

In February's budget, the province announced the implementation of the new tax that will target foreign and domestic speculators in West Kelowna, Kelowna, Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Victoria and Nanaimo.

In the fall, a 2018 tax rate of $5 per $1,000 of a home's assessed value will be added to those who own homes in these areas, but do not live full time in B.C. The rate will increase to $20 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2019.

At Tuesday night's council meeting, West Kelowna mayor Doug Findlater said the new tax would slow down development in the area, and Coun. Rick de Jong said the lack of consultation they received from the province was disgusting.

West Kelowna council is looking for opinions on the speculation tax from the public, in advance of a report on it at the March 13 council meeting. Comments received before 9:30 a.m. on March 13 will be included in the report to council.

Comments can be sent to [email protected]Photo: Contributed

If you're a fan of legendary artists like The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Bee Gees and the soul music that became known as Motown, "FOUR BY FOUR" has just what you've been waiting for.

The unique tribute show is back by popular demand and features a spectacular celebration of the songs made famous by legendary artists.

The show stops in Kelowna, Monday, April 2, 2018.

With over fifty hits in this Vegas style review, the stars of "FOUR BY FOUR" sing and dance their way through a musical journey of the music you know and love: Yesterday, Stayin' Alive, Surfin USA, Stop In The Name of Love, Twist and Shout, How Deep Is Your Love, Please Mister Postman, Yellow Submarine and More Than A Woman are just a few of the timeless hits that will have you singing from the first note.Photo: Suzanne Lafleur

UPDATE: 4:40 p.m.

RCMP are conducting traffic control on Highway 97 south of Antler's Beach in Peachland following a rockslide Friday afternoon.



Motorists initially reported that debris as large as garbage cans covered the southbound lane of the highway, while smaller debris covered much of the northbound lane.



"Traffic continues to flow slowly in both directions at this time, under the direction of RCMP at the scene, with one lane alternating traffic," says Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey.

"Police have not received any reports of any injuries at this time."



RCMP recommend that the public monitor the Drive BC website for updated information.

ORIGINAL: 3:20 p.m.

A rockslide south of Peachland is affecting traffic in both directions this afternoon.

The slide occurred sometime around 3 p.m. just south of Antlers Beach.

The entire southbound lane is covered with large rocks, while smaller debris covers much of the northbound lane.

Traffic is able to use a paved pullout next to the slide.

Motorists report traffic is backed up on both directions.

Emergency crews are not yet on the scene.

More details when they become available.Photo: Facebook Strides to end homelessness

Kelowna's Gospel Mission is coming off a tough and expensive winter and is hoping a fundraising event can level up the coffers headed into the spring.

Strides to End Homelessness will feature a five- or 10-kilometre walk or run Saturday afternoon, starting at 3 p.m.

"We serve 600 meals a day and our 90-bed shelter has been full all winter, residents staying at the shelter are also given counselling to help with finding work, addictions and any other issues they may be facing," said Sonja Menyes director of development and manager of volunteers for the mission.

The organization hopes to raise $45,000 dollars for the event, with fund going back to support core programming.

People can still take part either by arriving around 2:45 at the Mission at 259 Leon Ave. or online.

The opening ceremonies begin at 3 p.m. with the walk/run starting at 4 p.m. A light supper of soup, provided by Earl's restaurant, will be served at the end of the event.Photo: Colton Davies Penticton Nissan president John Kot standing next to a Nissan Qashqai on the lot.

The long-awaited opening of the first tenant at the Penticton Indian Band's Satikw Crossing development came to fruition this week.

Penticton Nissan did a soft opening on Thursday  just over 10 months after construction began.

President John Kot said the dealership, located at 151 Satikw Crescent, employs 15 people currently and will eventually employ about 30.

He said staff will be operating out of a trailer in front of the facility for about a month until the showroom is complete. The vehicle bay will be open to customers on Mar. 9.

"I really like the location. We explored it with the Penticton Indian Band... We made a good agreement, that obviously took a little bit but they've been very supportive," Kot said.

PIB Chief Chad Eneas said Nissan's opening is "a symbol in many ways to strengthen our Indigenous participation in BCs economy."

He said the opening is part of the PIB "realizing increased opportunities for on- and off-reserve revenue generation."

Satikw Crossing boasts 140 acres of flat land west of the Penticton Channel, and the PIB is preparing for future development on the land.Photo: Contributed

The City of Pentictons bylaw department is bringing a new enforcement plan before council next week that includes the hiring of a fourth full-time officer.

The municipal bylaw department has had an increasing workload thrown at it recently, with growth in complaints about downtown vagrancy, nuisance properties and safety of parks and beaches.

If approved, the officer would allow the city to offer greater enforcement in the evenings and on Saturdays. A new administration position in the department was already approved with the 2018 budget last year.

The new four-officer system would see two officers work Mon.-Fri. and the other two work evenings Tues. - Sat.

The city says it has heard a desire from the community for more enforcement after dark, and in particular, more enforcement of the Good Neighbour Bylaw.

The new officer will cost the city $75,000 per year, however some additional vehicle expenses will likely be required.

In addition to increased downtown foot patrols, the plan going before council says the additional officer will also help enforce bylaws in parks and beaches during the summer, school-zone road safety and allow changes to the local pawnbrokers bylaw.

Council will discuss the plan on Tuesday.Photo: Getty Images

People in Penticton on a low or fixed income will be eligible for free assistance filing their income taxes.

The community volunteer income tax program, ran by the Penticton and Area Access Centre, will open on Monday.

Katrina McKeown, executive director of the Access Centre, said more than 1,200 people used the program last year and received income-boosting tax benefits.

Lots of people scrape things together to make ends meet, and our free income tax clinic helps people access tax credits they may not even know about," McKeown said.

Families with children, in particular, are at risk of missing out on thousands of dollars of benefits and credits that are only accessed by completing a tax return.

The program will be available at the Access Centre, located at 306 Martin Street, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays.

McKeown said the volunteers are accountants, bookkeepers and retirees who are all registered and trained by the CRA.

This is not small stuff. For example, a senior getting the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) can lift them out of poverty," tax coordinator Shirley Pretty said, adding volunteers filed 1,570 tax returns last year.

"Our returns last year generated $1.7 million in benefits for the GIS benefit alone. And we helped parents get over $322,000 in child tax benefits for the care of their children.

The free program is funded by the City of Penticton and the United Way of Central and South Okanagan.

More information on the program can be found by visiting the Access Centre or calling 250-493-6822.Photo: Chantelle Deacon Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh posing with residents during his last visit to Penticton in September 2017.

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will be visiting Penticton next week for the first time since being elected party leader last fall.

Singh and South Okanagan - West Kootenay MP Richard Cannings will meet with residents to "explore issues and ideas that matter to Canadians coast to coast."

The 'JagMeet and Greet' takes place on Mar. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Nest and Nectar, located at 1475 Fairview Road.

"This is an exciting opportunity to hear from the new NDP leader, learn more about his personal and political journey and ask questions about the issues that matter most to you," the NDP's event information reads.

Singh previously visited Penticton on Sept. 11, before he was voted the new federal party leader on Oct. 1 to replace outgoing leader Tom Mulcair.

Those looking to RSVP can do so here.Photo: Colton Davies

The largest focus for RCMP in the South Okanagan and Similkameen continues to be on property crime in all areas, but the region's top cop said the arrests of prolific criminals should help reduce those crimes and others.

The number of property crimes in the region went up eight per cent in 2017  totalling 5,419 last year compared to 5,022 in 2016.

RCMP Supt. Ted De Jager said small groups of prolific offenders can often be attributed to a large percentage of those offences  in urban and rural areas.

He said a more regional deployment of the RCMPs targeted enforcement unit helped take prolific criminals into custody just before Christmas  a group that he said was committing property crimes all over the region.

It started in West Kelowna, they moved through Summerland, they hit Penticton. They took up residence in OK Falls and Oliver, and then hit all the way through Keremeos and Princeton, De Jager said.

He said the arrests of the suspects were a result of old-fashioned police work, after the targeted enforcement had been heavy on their trail for two-to-three weeks prior.

One of our junior members saw someone on the side of the road and said she doesnt belong in Naramata, and she was picked up and that led to the arrest of the entire group. So that was some pretty heads-up policing.

De Jager didnt say how many arrests were made or how many offenses the individuals were accused of, but he said the arrests will likely show in the region's overall crime numbers.

Its very labour intensive, but I think youll see at the next quarterly update that our numbers will drop with this crowd in jail.

While property crimes increased last year, De Jager pointed out violent crimes in the region dropped six per cent  which he said can also be attributed to regional policing and the apprehension of repeated offenders.

Those prolific offenders travel up and down the corridor. Although they are primarily focused on drugs and property crime, if we dont keep a lid on them thats where our violent crimes start to increase.Photo: CTV A state memorial service will be held today in Victoria for former British Columbia premier Dave Barrett.

A state memorial service will be held today in Victoria for former British Columbia premier Dave Barrett, who died last month in the capital city.

The New Democratic Party swept to power in the province for the first time in 1972 under Barrett's leadership and passed a record 357 bills that led to enduring reforms including public auto insurance and the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Welfare reforms, a provincewide ambulance service and affordable prescription drugs through the Pharmacare program are also legacies of Barrett's political accomplishments during his time in office, which lasted for three years.

Barrett's New Democrats made history by defeating the five-term Social Credit government of W.A.C. Bennett, marking the end of that party's dominance in B.C. politics.

The former social worker from Vancouver who died at age 87 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease will be remembered for his wise-cracking personality.

Current NDP Premier John Horgan has called Barrett's accomplishments during his short time at the helm extraordinary and remembers Barrett bringing his "B.C. swagger" to Ottawa when he was elected to the federal NDP in the late 1980s.

Horgan says British Columbia's left-right, no-holds-barred politics were steeped in Barrett's political rivalry with W.A.C. Bennett and then with Bill Bennett, the son of the man he'd dethroned in the 1972 election.

However, Barrett lost to the younger Bennett in 1975, 1979 and 1983.

Horgan, along with former New Democrat premiers Glen Clark and Dan Miller, and another 500 NDP members, will gather in Vancouver tomorrow to celebrate Barrett's life.Filipinos begin celebration of 500 years of catholicism A journey of four years begins with Mass  and a fiesta celebration.



At 7 p.m. March 16, the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland will be the starting point of four years of commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Filipino Catholic Evangelization.



Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, will celebrate the Mass, with the Filipino priests of the Diocese of Oakland concelebrating.



In addition to preparing the liturgy, which will be celebrated in English, the priests have been preparing a prayerful, ambitious program, culminating in the March 6, 2021, celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Catholicism to the Philippines.



"Our Faith, Our Journey, Our Mission" is the theme that will propel the Diocese of Oakland through four years of symposia and thoughtful study and reflection, firmly rooted in the New Evangelization. Catholics in the Philippines are in the midst of a nine-year program leading up to the 2021 celebration.



Kickoff Mass



When: 7 p.m., March 16



Where: The Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison St., Oakland



Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ, celebrant; Filipino priests of the diocese concelebrating



Fiesta celebration follows Mass





Related Stories



The Symposia:

Themes and Patron Saints



Prayer on the 5th Centenary of Filipino Catholic Evangelization "It's a time for us to celebrate the faith that we have," said Rev. Gerald Pedrera, parochial vicar of St. Isidore Parish in Danville. "It is to give thanks that God has been with us for 500 years, and God has been very faithful with us all throughout the history, whether within the Philippines or outside the Philippines."



Catholicism arrived in the Philippines in March 16, 1521. The first Mass was celebrated on Limasawa Island on March 31 of that year. Over the centuries, the Catholic faith has permeated Philippine life and culture. That faith has been carried by immigrants. Those coming to the Diocese of Oakland have brought their religious traditions and devotions.



The celebration is not, however, simply a look backward. Nor is the journey for Filipinos only. In a letter to pastors, Bishop Barber wrote that while it is a Filipino celebration, it is not exclusively for Filipinos.



"The faith that was brought to the Philippines is the faith we all share," Father Pedrera said.



Each pastor in the diocese's 84 parishes has been offered the opportunity to host a replica of the Pilgrims' Cross, which will travel from parish to parish, in intervals of about two weeks. Prayers accompany the cross' visitation, sharing the Filipino experience of faith expression. "It will be concretely lived and celebrated through the visit of the Pilgrims' Cross," said Rev. Rolando Bartolay, parochial administrator of St. Clement Parish in Hayward.



The Cathedral Parish of Christ the Light will be the first to receive the cross; the cross will be at the cathedral until April 6, when it will move to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Brentwood.



The celebration plans call for four symposia  one a year.



"We want to make it very relevant," Father Pedrera said. "We want to do the celebration in the context of the Diocese of Oakland and the context of the Bay Area.



"First-generation Filipinos, the heart would always be going home to the Philippines. The second-, third- and fourth-generations, this is already home." Family, he said, is at the heart.



This fall, the first symposium will convene at St. Isidore Parish in Danville. "Rooting, Uprooting, Replanting: The Filipino Experience of Moving from Home (Philippines) to Home (Oakland diocese, Bay Area)" will be presented by Joaquin Jay Gonzalez III. He teaches at the University of San Francisco and is the author of "Filipino American Faith in Action: Immigration, Religion and Civic Engagement."



"Our aim is at the end of the four years, we will be able to come up with a pastoral mechanism that will be able to help pastors and the diocese in addressing the needs of the immigrant communities, especially the Filipino people."



The program, Father Pedrera said, reflects Bishop Barber's goals for the Diocese of Oakland: the Sunday experience; the spiritual and corporal works of mercy; and forming missionary disciples. "All in the context of the New Evangelization," he added.



Those coming to the March 16 Mass are invited to bring canned goods to be donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society and food banks.



Father Bartolay said he is looking forward to the upcoming celebration as "a once-in-a-lifetime experience." The Symposia: Themes and Patron Saints 2018: Sept. 19, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., St. Isidore Parish, 440 La Gonda Way, Danville, gym. "Rooting, Uprooting, Replanting: The Filipino Experience of Moving from Home (Philippines) to Home (Oakland diocese, Bay Area)." Patron saint: San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila.



2019: Oct. 19, time and place to be determined, "The Experience of Filipino Religious Groups, Devotions and Celebrations in the Diocese of Oakland: An Analysis." Patron saint: Our Lady of the Rosary.



2020: Sept. 19, time and place to be determined, "Giving Voice: Conversation with New Generations of Filipino-American Youth, Young Adults and Young Families on Life and Faith." Patron Saint: St. Peter Calungsod.



2021: March 6, time and place to be determined, "Discerning Responses: Challenges and Approaches to Evangelization, Pastoral Mechanism for Filipino-Americans in the Diocese of Oakland." Patron saint: Sr. Sto. Nino.



2021: March 6, time and place to be determined, Grand Fiesta Celebration of 500 Years of Catholic Evangelization. Prayer on the 5th Centenary of Filipino Catholic Evangelization Almighty ever-living God,

we offer our praise and thanksgiving to the honor of your glory,

for by the grace of the Catholic faith

planted in the islands of the Philippines on March 1521,

You blessed us with a prophetic calling

to become missionary disciples of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.



Graciously hear our pleading

for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit

that we may embrace and embody the mission entrusted to us:

"to know Christ better and to make Him better known."



Bless the Philippines and the Diocese of Oakland,

together with its Clergy, Religious and Lay Faithful,

as we embark on this four-year journey

toward the Jubilee of our Filipino Catholic evangelization.



We fervently implore that You continue to strengthen

and empower us so that the faith we have received

may become the journey we will ever live

and the mission we will ever propagate,

thereby bringing us to a divine encounter with Christ the Light,

who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.



San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, pray for us.

San Pedro Calungsod, pray for us.

Our Lady of the Rosary, intercede for us.

Sr. Sto. Nino, have mercy on us. Next Front Page Article back to top home



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Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.While the original plan was to use the system for police and fire vehicles, Assistant to the Mayor Robert Fulton said it's been expanded to include some snow plow equipment. He said the plows are more effective if they don't have to stop.Forty contestants between the ages of 8 and 13 were split into groups of boys and girls. The girls were tasked with cooking a medium-rare filet mignon and a vegetable side in 25 minutes for a chance to win one of 12 aprons.The author's 6-year-old son waits to enter his kindergarten classroom in Chicago. (Courtesy of Jackie Spinner / Courtesy of Jackie Spinner)Thats the miracle of democracy. The famed Roman law had different rules for honestiori and humiliori  big shots and nobodies. Well into the 20th century, a British big shot  a lord  had the right to be tried by other big shots in the House of Lords. But in America, the same law applies to a man trying to hold onto his presidency and a woman seeking compensation in a routine personal injury suit.Displacement of low-income people caused by well-intentioned public works is one of the most vexing urban-planning problems of our time. In 2016, a year after The 606 brought a sliver of much-needed open space to Chicagos Northwest Side, residents marched to draw attention to families being squeezed out of their homes because of increasing property taxes and rising rents in Logan Square, one of the neighborhoods along the bike and pedestrian path. Even businesspeople who support putting the privately funded Obama center in historic Jackson Park express concern that the 19-acre complex will push out the poor  the very kind of people for whom Obama advocated as a young community organizer.It was Rauner who used Madigan as a shield in that Tribune debate, constantly bringing up Madigan almost every time he was asked a question he didnt like. And Ives mocked him for it, saying, There he goes, attacking Madigan again, and so on.Ruby Gomez, 22, of the 100 block of South Clifton Avenue; Gino Moraca, 26, of the 300 block of Raymond Street; and Kassandra Delgado, 22, of the 200 block of McClure Avenue; agreed to prison terms in exchange for reduced charges in connection with a February 2016 incident in which a woman was beaten in her Elgin home, taken to Moraca's apartment and restrained, beaten and burned with cigarettes, a state's attorney's office news release said."He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him, and the officer calmed him down and tried to gain more information about what was going on. ... Mr. Davis was very vague and he kept talking about someone having a gun," Yeagley said, adding that Davis Jr. said he had not actually seen the person with a gun.Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos."We're not playing around," Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in announcing the task force Feb 4. "If they want to continue to go out there and take the easy path to taking someone's vehicle, then we are going to take that (federal) path to punish them to the fullest extent of the law that we can."But when they got there, the phone sellers tried to rob them, police said. One of the robbers then pulled out a gun and shot the 19-year-old in the hip and the 39-year-old in the hand, police said.Poulos had been placed on paid desk duty shortly after the shooting, but he was suspended without pay when the disciplinary charges were filed last summer. Now that those charges have been dismissed, he has been restored to active duty, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. He declined further comment on the case.Tolbert is also accused of pointing the gun at security officers while running away, as well as making phone threats to the detectives investigating the case, police said.Two people were injured after a vehicle that Chicago police officers were chasing crashed into another vehicle early Saturday on the West Side, police said.Two girls were outside at Chicago and Michigan avenues, walking away from the mall, crying and talking on cellphones. They said they were inside and heard shots but didn't see anything.Its incredible to me that in the era of (President Donald) Trump and Rauner, here in the Democratic primary for governor of Illinois we have two guys in this primary, J.B. Pritzker and Chris Kennedy, who are going to tell us that because of their experience as wealthy businessmen, they know how to create jobs for the state of Illinois. Lets not make that mistake again, Biss said.Trump has been lured to support the project by New York and New Jersey politicians, including Christie, Schumer and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D. Christie led a delegation to the Oval Office this year with Schumer, a sometimes friend and sometimes foe of the president. They engaged in chitchat with the president about New York infrastructure, with the president criticizing the airports, reminiscing about his days as a developer and even asking somewhat technical questions about building tunnels.My problem, however, is this: Why is it that, time and time again, Democrats and media players look at the wild success of Texas  a state that is growing and thriving and drawing people who are fleeing Illinois, New York and other blue states  study it for a bit, scratch their chins like a herd of drunk professors and then say, Ah, yes. Texas needs to be more like Illinois or New York! I myself fled a blue state five years ago, and I can tell you that I didnt move to Texas so that it could be more like Illinois. (Illinois, much to its chagrin, recently joined New York and New Jersey to make up the top three in the latest United Van Lines survey of Americas most-fled states.)We dont see this ending well: It likely kills more domestic jobs than it creates because costs will go up for the basic materials used to produce cars, trucks and six-packs of beer. Those manufacturers will compensate in part by reducing employment, in part by raising prices on their products, so consumers will get hit in the pocketbook. Trumps tariffs invite retaliation on American exports by other countries. If friction gets out of hand, the presidents action will cause a meltdown in global trade.Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of ZimbabweAny legislator who opposes any of these changes should be required to face the American people and explain why. Just saying that lawmakers cant get the votes is not a valid answer  that has to do with getting re-elected, not with protecting the American people. Invoking the Second Amendment is a well-worn argument that most Americans feel does not permit possession of assault rifles or allow those deemed dangerous to the general public to own guns.Every night in yet another house in Afghanistans capital, a U.S. green card-holding couple from California take turns sleeping, with one always awake to watch over their three young children so they can flee if they hear the footsteps of the Taliban.Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Kelly M. Orland stated in court that on May 7, 2015, officers from the North Central Narcotics Task Force served a search warrant at Lewis' St. Charles residence in the 0-99 block of Squire Lane, according to the release. They found 110 marijuana plants, more than 11,000 grams of processed marijuana, a handgun and ammunition. Lewis' FOID card had been revoked.Drake then asked a deputy to use the toilet, and he, too, was escorted to the cell where the female detainee was housed, according to statements that both Tribble and Drake made to investigators. Drake told investigators that the deputy who escorted him let him enter the cell without checking to see whether it was occupied and then walked away, leaving him alone with the female detainee. After Drake finished, he banged on the cell door for a deputy to come and escort him back to his holding cell, according to statements made to the investigator."This is my kids' first parade," said Ewers, who said she brought her sons, 6 and 2, and her 5-year-old daughter to the Oak Forest parade because it's calmer and more family-friendly than some celebrations later in the month, such as the South Side Irish Parade. "They're excited about getting all the candy."The clerk's office also is the "Keeper of the Records," and accepts the filing of certain financial  documents, related to tax levies and the tax extension  all duties in which she has experience in her current role as township clerk, she said.And they think alike when it comes to social activism. The two have been so moved by the actions of students at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., following the shooting that left 17 dead that they want to promote the same causes  safer schools and sensible gun control."That would be a big mistake," Police Chief Frank Kaminski said of cutting staffing levels in light of a nearly 20 percent drop in criminal offenses in 2017 after several years of steady declines. "Now that we've got programs that are working in the community, the last thing you want to do is reduce the police presence we have.""If my portion of the lakefront received the same services as the public beach, while I may not be happy, I would have fewer reasons to complain," he wrote. "The city, however, does not clean up the trash and cigarette butts from the sand, it does not dispose of the charcoal ashes that get dumped on the beach, and it does not police the dune grass on my private property for people urinating (or worse) in the middle of the day."Cheesecake by Thomas is offering the full 'cheesecake experience'

Thomas Cosgrove began his cheesecake business to help Puebloans feel good following city's 19th-place listing among worst places to live in America.An official with China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Friday that the latest U.S. decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum products would "have huge impact on normal international trade order."

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that the United States was set to impose 25 percent of tariff on steel imports and 10 percent for aluminum to protect the domestic industries, citing national security concerns.

"The steel and aluminum products imported by the United States are middle- and low-end products for civil use, which by no means hurt U.S. national security," Wang Hejun, head of the MOC trade remedy and investigation bureau, said in a statement.

The U.S. practice "seriously damages multilateral trade mechanisms represented by the WTO and will surely have huge impact on normal international trade order," Wang said. "Possible U.S. measures have already been opposed by the EU, Canada, Brazil, the Republic of Korea and other countries and regions, while some U.S. industry associations have also expressed their discontent."

"If the final measures of the United States hurt Chinese interests, China will work with other affected countries in taking measures to safeguard its own rights and interests," Wang said. "We hope the U.S. side respects the authority of the multilateral trade system, works with other countries to maintain normal global trade order and consolidates the foundation for world economic recovery."Eurogroup President Mario Centeno said on Friday Greece has met conditions for getting the next tranche of bailout funds.

"I have been informed that the Eurogroup Working Group on 2 March verified that all prior actions of the third review of the Greek ESM programme have been completed, "Centeno said in a statement.

The full implementation of the prior actions confirmed the commitment of the Greek government to the program and a continued reform effort, said Centeno.

The ESM Board of Directors is expected to approve the disbursement of the fourth tranche of the ESM program after national parliamentary procedures have been completed, the president said. "This will pave the way to the release of the first subtranche of 5.7 billion euros in the second half of March," he said.

He also mentioned the fourth and final review and the technical work of possible new debt relief measures is ongoing.



The ASEAN economic ministers expressed their confidence on Friday that the achievement of the region's economic priorities for 2018 would translate into a more business-friendly environment for e-commerce and innovation.

The ministers gathered in Singapore for the 24th ASEAN Economic Ministers' Retreat and Related Meetings starting Friday.

According to a press release from Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry, the ministers endorsed the priorities, which were put forward by Singapore as chair of ASEAN this year, and were also confident that these priorities would further enhance the flow of goods, services and investments in the region.

ASEAN refers to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Singapore ministry said the priorities seek to deepen regional connectivity to position ASEAN for increasingly seamless economic activity and growing opportunities through advancing the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025.

In particular, they are designed to promote innovation and e-commerce, improve trade facilitation, deepen services and investment integration, cultivate a conducive regulatory environment, and progress ASEAN's external relations, it added.

Lim Hng Kiang, Singapore's minister for trade and industry (trade) who chairs the retreat and related meetings, said at a press conference on Friday that the ministers showed strong interests in developing the potential of the digital economy in ASEAN, and clearly recognized that was the way of future and they had to better prepare for it.



The divergence of China's capital and market with American technology and innovation will be the focus of an entrepreneurial event in Silicon Valley in May.





"We aim to enable fruitful collaborations between US and Chinese companies and to facilitate engagement between investors and entrepreneurs from all over the world," Wang Hanguang, chairman of the 2018 Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Festival organizing committee, said on Wednesday at a press conference.





The three-day event will kick off on May 2 in Santa Clara, California.





Wang, who also is chairman of the Hanhai Holding Group, which operates in the US and specializes in investment and incubation, said that this year's festival is more ambition than previous years' and will cover hot topics such as block chain, artificial intelligence, IP litigation and application.





The event is expected to draw more than 2,000 participants from a wide range of businesses around the globe.





This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's opening up and reform, said Wang, adding that next year will be the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US.





"We need to make concrete efforts to propel the healthy development of the bilateral relationship." Wang said. "Let's use the festival as a platform through which we can connect the tremendous market and capital in China with leading tech and innovations in the US."





Organizers said confirmed speakers this year include Luo Linquan, Chinese consul general in San Francisco; Bay Area Council CEO Jim Wunderman; Xie Qing, founder of Fortinet and a member of the National Academy of Engineering; Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, and Atul Butten, distinguished professor at UC San Francisco.





"The world is getting smaller and smaller. This is a wonderful opportunity to share culture, to appreciate and to learn and grow," said Santa Clara Deputy Mayor Kathy Wanatabe.





Lu Rongrong, general manager of Hanhai Investment, said that in the past two years, the festival has brought together 200 researchers, investors and entrepreneurs to give 20 keynote speeches, and participate in 16 panel discussions and four startup competitions involving more than 1,000 projects. More than 100 companies such as AliCloud and GeJu Business School have created opportunities through various events.



Shanghai-based conglomerate Fosun International launched a new product on Friday that integrates its two major business sectors - health and tourism.





The six-day product will be first made available at Japan's well-known travel destination Hokkaido. Priced at 39,000 yuan ($6,140) per person, the trip includes accommodation, medical checkups, dining at designated restaurants, shuttle services for specified routes and entrance tickets for some tourist attractions. Prices will change subject to different holiday seasons.





Tourists will be put up at Club Med Sahoro for the first two nights where they can enjoy the local food and scenery. They will be staying at Sapporo for the rest of the days, during which they will receive a complete medical checkup at the local Otaru General Hospital.





The checkup includes all the regular ones such as blood tests and urine analysis, as well as the less common PET-CT examinations for tumor markers. Shuttle service is provided for the up and down trips to the hospital. An interpreter will escort the tourists during the checkup process.





The first trip is expected to start on March 22.





Guo Chao, general manager of Fosun's health insurance department, said Chinese consumers have shown strong purchasing interest in luxury cars, handbags and overseas trips. But they do not spend as much for highend medical services as Western consumers. Therefore, Fosun has come up with this product to tap the niche from the ongoing consumption upgrading in China.





Chen Qiyu, chairman of Fosun Pharmaceutical, said the travel sector has been developing rapidly in China as well as for Fosun. In this sense, health businesses have to catch up in terms of growth rate. In the future, the company will come up with more similar products both at home and abroad, stressing more on multiple choices and personalized itineraries.





Fosun said they will introduce more health travel products in Europe, North America and Japan this year to cater to the need of over 30 million Fosun family clients.





The capability of providing such travel products in the overseas market can be largely attributed to Fosun's overseas footprint. It acquired French resort group Club Med for 950 million euros ($1.2 billion) in 2015. Earlier this month, it became the majority shareholder of French fashion house Lanvin with an estimated 120 million euros takeover.





The group announced on Friday that it had taken full control of Austrian luxury lingerie and leg-wear specialist Wolford for 55 million euros.







Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Liu Jingsong on Friday met with representatives of an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Kabul, discussing ways to provide assistance to displaced families, particularly children.







On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy donated items for IDPs at Char Rah-e-Qambar Camp. The donations included chairs, tables, computer desks, aluminum alloy doors and windows and radios.





During the meeting with the IDPs representatives on Friday, Liu said China will continue to contribute in the rebuilding process and economic development of Afghanistan.





The representatives expressed gratitude to China.





"We really appreciate Chinese continued assistance for the Afghans. We receive materials provided by Chinese friends yesterday and the items will help our children to read and write and get better education," a local teacher of the camp, Juma Khan, said.





The IDPs camp in western Kabul is home to about 950 families mostly from southern Helmand province.





In 2017, more than 445,000 Afghans have been displaced by violent conflicts and prolonged insurgency, bringing the number of IDPs in the country to over 1 million.



Supply-side reform [China.org.cn]





Structural reforms will be the key point of observation in the coming annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), often called the "two sessions" in China.

The Chinese economy will face two primary challenges, which will be the key to understand the trajectory of China as a great power. It also marks the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening-up policy. Firstly, the domestic challenges are related to taming macroeconomic impulses, while formulating structural reform policies. The external challenges involve calculating the impact of foreign influence on domestic policies. China is trying to achieve a phase of rapid growth, commensurate with the plan of President Xi to be a moderately affluent nation by 2021.

Consider the foreign influences first. The market needs to play a determining role in the allocation of resources and private property. Last year, China pledged to open up and align itself with global rules of trade and to further invite investment. The development of the domestic market is also a huge factor serving as a guarantee against market collapse. A growing domestic market is of utmost importance as China will become the world's largest market, with a market size that is potentially three to four times that of the U.S. The Chinese market is a prime target for reciprocating trade deals with the EU and Britain by promoting cooperation.

Added to that are two factors which will be debated in the two sessions. First, the protectionist tendencies in the U.S. and Europe. As recently as last week, President Trump has again threatened to launch a trade war. While he has said that before, the chances of a disastrous mutually assured destructive trade war remains bleak, it is only prudent to prepare for the contingencies. Fortunately, the chances are still weak, as there's a rift between the EU and U.S. with regards to China, so a global trade war remains a farfetched idea.

More importantly, however, a tax cut by the Trump administration has led to concerns that investment flows will favor the United States. A weakening dollar would add to that. It would set a round of major tax cuts in other economies. Europeans are reticent about this new trade war, and they are the key in the upcoming financial scenarios.

Under these changing global circumstances China has no choice but to speed up reforms and commit to opening up. The key would be to advance supply side structural reforms. The structural mismatch needs to be tackled with a buildup of domestic demand. The housing sector, public infrastructure, and institutions need further adjustment. Liu He's speech at the world economic forum also highlighted three key battles which will need to be worked upon in the two sessions.

The three sectors mentioned were: 1) preventing and resolving major risks, 2) conducting targeted poverty reduction, and 3) controlling pollution.

As for pollution, a commitment to climate change is another plank. It is precisely important because if China needs to maintain and keep the EU on its side, it will need to be an ally of Europe in areas of climate change and take up a leadership position. Recently there were momentous steps taken to tackle climate change in world's second largest economy.

There were soldiers on tree planting duties, billions of renminbi spent on clean energy and a rapid move away from coal. The EU is taking this opportunity to push China to a leadership position with regards to climate. As President Macron said in a speech during Chinese New Year, "From the signing of the Paris Agreement to the confirmation of her involvement, it is a radically new and profoundly structuring choice that has been made by our Chinese ally on this subject."

The features which are the pathways to that goal is to minimize major financial risks, reduce poverty, avoid the middle-income trap in the cities. Designing key structural policies therefore remain imperative.

Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash

In the seashore village of Shanhouchujia in east China, thousands of residents prepared sacrifices and "fish lanterns," and danced their way to the pier to pray for fortune and safety for the lunar new year.





Fishermen around Yantai in Shandong Province celebrate the Fish Lantern Festival on the 13th and 14th days of the lunar new year. On these two days, villagers gather at piers, dance, and light the "fish lanterns" in celebration, as their ancestors have done for hundreds of years.





The Fish Lantern Festival is a variation of the traditional Lantern Festival, which falls on Friday. Chinese make lanterns and eat glutinous rice balls, which represent reunion, on this day, the first full moon of a new lunar year.





In Shanhouchujia, Chu Naiyu's family began celebrating early on Wednesday. In the afternoon, the sacrifices were loaded on vans. Chu held colorful flags, while other men in the family beat gongs and drums. The motley crew of villagers were accompanied by dragon dancers, as well as tourists. The loud sounds of firecrackers added to the festivity.





According to local traditions, men, wearing red and white makeup and colorful costumes, hold flags and beat gongs and drums, while women and children wear red strings and dance on the way to the pier.





"We hope it will be a fruitful new year," said Chu, 55.





Historical records show that Shanhouchujia is near a natural port, where fishing boats often converged to shelter from storms and strong winds in the past.





To pray for safety, locals collected money to build a temple paying tribute to the Dragon King, the Chinese god of water and weather. During festivals, they visit the temple.





The Fish Lantern Festival has more than 500 years of history. It spread through villages along the coast around Yantai and was recognized on a national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008.





The festival has become so important that locals usually purchase sacrifices one week in advance.





"At the festival, every family has guests to entertain, and we prepare the best food for our family," said local fisherman Zhao Xingsheng.





After the dancing ceremony, Chu carried the sacrifices to his boat and the family began lighting lanterns.





"The sacrifices need to be very special," Chu said. "There should be a pig head with shoe-shaped ingots made of gold or silver paper in its mouth, a giant mackerel fish with a piece of papers showing the Chinese character Fu (blessing) placed on its body, in addition to steamed bums, fireworks, incense, and dishes."





But the most important thing is the fish lanterns, according to Chu.





"The 'fish lanterns' are candles made of a white turnip and a green radish, which represent a 'gold lantern' and a 'silver lantern,'" he said.





The flesh of the turnip and the radish is hollowed out, and wax is poured inside. Cotton is used as the wick.





"The candles are usually placed on the boat's bow, meaning they will light the way and bless the boat and the fishermen on it," Chu said.





These days, electric "fish lanterns" are gradually replacing traditional ones to protect the environment and for safety, he said.





After placing the lanterns, Chu and his family knelt on the deck and bowed in prayer for the brand new year.





"We pray for safety, good weather, and a harvest next year," they prayed.



You are here: World

 Flash





China on Friday delivered emergency food assistance to Lebanon to help support Syrian refugees living there.

The agreement was signed between Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Pierre Bou Assi and Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon Wang Kejian in Beirut.

At the signing ceremony, Bou Assi expressed gratitude for Chinese government's long-term support to Lebanon, saying the emergency food aid will improve the living conditions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

The minister added that his ministry is distributing the food aid offered by China to Syrian refugees across the country.

For his part, Wang said the emergency food assistance is a promise that the Chinese government has fulfilled now. He stressed that the Chinese side will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees and push for political solution to end the Syrian crisis and allow the Syrian refugees in Lebanon to return home.



 Flash

Albanian authorities continued Friday talks over the delimitation of the maritime border with the neighboring Greece, an issue which has sparked strong reactions among Albanian politics and public opinion.

The President of Albania Ilir Meta met Friday a group of lawmakers from the majority and opposition parties, members of the parliamentary foreign committee, to discuss over the negotiations being held with Greece on the issue of the sea border delimitation, said a press release of president's cabinet.

This meeting was held a week after President Meta refused the government's request to authorize continuation of negotiations with Greece over the two countries' Ionian Sea maritime border.

Meta justified his decision by saying that he needed more transparency and information on what and how the Albanian government would negotiate in order to authorize Albanian Foreign Ministry to continue talks with Greek party.

Foreign Ministry reacted by saying that it would send the president a letter with all clarifications required while it also invited Meta to be part of this process.

In its press release issued after Friday's meeting, president's spokesman Tedi Blushi said that President Meta voiced support to every incentive for a new agreement with Greece and that he was ready to collaborate with the government and parliament in a constructive, responsible and transparent way.

"President Meta said all acts should be in full compliance with the ruling of the Constitutional Court to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the future," the spokesperson cited President Meta as saying during the meeting with MPs.

Meanwhile, after the meeting, representatives of the majority and the opposition said that they were happy with the president's engagement.

The chair of the Foreign Committee Mimi Kodheli said after the meeting that they had agreed on the absolute need there existed for the maritime deal with Greece not to fail, in particular due to the fact that Albania was in front of a historical moment which is the launch of accession talks with the European Union.

Kodheli also spoke about the importance of reaching an agreement with Greece and for continuing Albania's EU process.

Kodheli, also former minister of defense, stressed that the Constitutional Court that rejected the agreement of 2009 had made a very clear division of the roles of the president, the government and the parliament.

Albania signed an agreement with Greece in 2009 after two years of negotiations, but the Albanian Constitutional Court annulled it in 2010 after finding it in breach of the constitution and international norms.

The negotiating group didn't get the president's authorization for talks was the reason that the agreement was turned down by the Court.

Therefore, the current government sent a letter to President Meta asking for his authorization to continue the talks, which could lead to an agreement.

The delimitation of sea border is deemed by both sides as an unresolved issue. During the last year, the two countries have intensified their efforts to reach a deal.



 Flash

The African Union (AU) has strongly condemned attacks that took place in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso on Friday.

The attack, which reportedly targeted the French Embassy in Ouagadougou, and the headquarters of the army, were confirmed by the police department of Burkina Faso.

More than ten people were reportedly killed, including both assailants and members of security forces.

The Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has expressed the AU's solidarity with the people and government of Burkina Faso in these difficult circumstances, according to a statement from the pan-African bloc.

The chairperson has underlined that the attacks are a further illustration of the seriousness of the scourge of terrorism in the Sahel, as well as of the urgency of a more sustained international action in support of the efforts of the countries of the region, particularly through the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

The African Union will continue its advocacy efforts to sensitize the international community on the imperative of an international engagement that is commensurate with the threat confronting the countries of the region, said the chairperson.



You are here: World

 Flash

Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday dismissed the recent report by the UN secretary general on human rights situation in Iran as "invalid and worthless."

"As we have witnessed in the past, reports like this are replete with lots of fundamental problems both in nature and procedures," the spokesman Bahram Qasemi said in a statement.

Qasemi referred to the report prepared by Antonio Guterres for the ongoing meeting of the UN Human Rights Council meeting.

The UN chief's report on Iran's human rights situation suffers a lot of "flaws and problems," the statement said, adding that the report is based on "unreliable, false and completely invalid sources" and is politically-motivated.

Besides, the report is blind about "Iran's progress and determined efforts in this field," the statement said.



 Flash

Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Liu Jingsong on Friday met with representatives of an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Kabul, discussing ways to provide assistance to displaced families, particularly children.





On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy donated items for IDPs at Char Rah-e-Qambar Camp. The donations included chairs, tables, computer desks, aluminum alloy doors and windows and radios.





During the meeting with the IDPs representatives on Friday, Liu said China will continue to contribute in the rebuilding process and economic development of Afghanistan.





The representatives expressed gratitude to China.





"We really appreciate Chinese continued assistance for the Afghans. We receive materials provided by Chinese friends yesterday and the items will help our children to read and write and get better education," a local teacher of the camp, Juma Khan, said.





The IDPs camp in western Kabul is home to about 950 families mostly from southern Helmand province.





In 2017, more than 445,000 Afghans have been displaced by violent conflicts and prolonged insurgency, bringing the number of IDPs in the country to over 1 million.You are here: World

 Flash

A special event was held in Kathmandu on Friday evening to celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year.





The event, organized by Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council and the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, was inaugurated by Nepali Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun.





Over 100 people including former parliament speaker, former ministers, chief of army staff, political and business leaders, government officials and Chinese community living in Nepal attended the function.





Addressing the function, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong expressed belief that the festival will enhance the friendship between the two neighbors.





"Lantern Festival is an occasion for family gathering. Let's take this opportunity to pray for peace and prosperity of both nations," Yu said.

On the occasion, various cultural performances were showcased by students and cultural groups from both countries.





Guests were also provided with Tangyuan, a kind of round and sweet dumpling made of glutinous rice flour, the major delicacy of the Lantern Festival.



                  ...ASWAN, Egypt - The Sun Festival of Abu Simbel temple in southern Egypt this year has brought Chinese festivity to the ancient land of Nubians, as Chinese puppetry show has joined the international celebration event for the first time. The Sun Festival, which attracted thousands of visitors worldwide to participate in the event on Feb 22, this year also coincided with the Chinese Spring Festival celebration week.

Built by King Ramses II, the statues of the king and the sun god remain in darkness inside the Abu Simbel temple throughout the year except on Feb 22 and Oct 22, when the sunlight showers on the statues to commemorate the king's coronation and birthday.

This year, the Aswan art festival is joined by folklore performances from Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Algeria, China, India and Thailand besides Egyptian local troupes.Advertisement

Beijing issued a harsh rebuke of Western critics who accuse China of using soft power as a vehicle to infiltrate other countries, as it kicked off its biggest political event of the year on Friday.



The country's top advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, hit out against depictions of its campaign to build a positive global image as "sharp power", a term describing the way authoritarian states project influence abroad.



"It is not the first time that people have tried to smear China, and it will not be the last time," Wang Guoqing, CPPCC spokesman, said at a briefing in Beijing ahead of the opening of its annual session on Saturday.



"When other countries engage in cultural exchanges, they are showing soft or smart power, but when it comes to China, it's sharp power with motives.



"It is natural that we want to showcase our own image. Sadly, some Westerners may have physically entered the 21st century, but their mindset remains stuck in the cold war era."



It follows growing wariness over Chinese money and influence around the world, which US think tank the National Endowment for Democracy called an example of "sharp power". In Australia in particular, tensions have risen over suspicions that Beijing is wielding outsized influence in the country, with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying in December it would "stand up" against it.



Last month, FBI director Christopher Wray said US law enforcement was "watching warily" the activities of Confucius Institutes - Chinese government-funded educational and cultural centres in the United States and other countries.



Meanwhile, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ordered intelligence agencies to investigate claims of Beijing's political influence in the country.



Wang also took the opportunity to warn Japan against seeing China as its competitor in response to a question from a Japanese reporter - the sole foreign journalist to be called on during Friday's press conference. Despite improving relations between the two countries, they have historically been at odds over security issues such as territorial disputes in the East China Sea and Japan's close friendship with the US.



"A country who cannot face history and sees its neighbours as strategic adversaries will have no future," Wang said. "China noticed the positive signals released by Japan recently and hopes Sino-Japan relations will get back on track."

Advertisement

A Chinese overseas student was found dead at her home in London this week.



Yan Sihong, 35, who was studying for her doctorate at King's College London, had gone missing almost two weeks earlier.



As her family await the results of an autopsy, London police have said her death is not being treated as suspicious.



About 800,000 Chinese students studied overseas in 2015, according to Unesco estimates. Most return safely but some have not been found or met violent ends.



NEVER FOUND



Zhang Yingying, United States



The 26-year-old visiting scholar disappeared in June last year. She was last seen on surveillance footage stepping into a black car with a man on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus on June 9. Later that month, the FBI arrested her suspected abductor Brendt Christensen, 28, charging him with Zhang's kidnapping and killing. The authorities believe she is dead, but her body has not been found. Prosecutors have accused Christensen of torturing Zhang before killing her. His next trial date is in April 2019.



Tiemuzhen Chalaer, Australia



The 24-year-old Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School student was last seen walking into dense bush after a Sydney dance party in August 2016. His shoes, with the socks tucked inside, were found about 400 metres from his campsite. Despite extensive searches in the bushland, Chalaer has never been found. He has type 1 diabetes and did not have his insulin on him when he went missing.



FOUND DEAD



Zhang Yao, Italy



The 20-year-old student at Rome's Academy of the Fine Arts disappeared in December 2016. Her body was found five days later in a bush next to a railway line. Police said it appeared she had been hit by a moving train when trying to run after thieves who stole her bag. Her bag contained a residency permit she had just been issued.



MURDERED



Li Yangjie, Germany



Architecture student Li, then 25, was studying at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Dessau, Germany. She went missing on May 11, 2016, and her naked body was found two days later in a bush. Sebastian Flech, 22, and his girlfriend Xenia Lang, 21, lured Li to an empty flat where she was repeatedly raped and murdered. Flech was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, while Lang was jailed for 5 years for sexual assault.



Mengmei "Michelle" Leng, Australia



In April 2016, the 25-year-old University of Technology, Sydney graduate told friends she was heading off for an afternoon of shopping. Her naked body was found floating face down near the coastline three days later, but it was another three days before police were able to identify her body. Derek Barrett, the husband of Leng's aunt, was sentenced to 46 years in jail in December after he tortured his niece and stabbed her to death before dumping her body in a blowhole.



Shao Tong, United States



Shao went to the United States to study engineering at Iowa State University. The 20-year-old was reported missing by her roommate in September 2014 and police found her rotting body eight days later in the boot of a car. Her Chinese-born boyfriend Li Xiangnan, then 23, had been studying at University of Iowa but fled to China after her death. He turned himself in to Chinese authorities in 2015 and stood trial last year for her murder. During the trial in Wenzhou, in Zhejiang province, he claimed he was "deeply in love" with Shao although he said she had been having affairs with other men. He was sentenced to life in prison in June last year.



Lin Jun, Canada



The 33-year-old Concordia University student was reported missing in Montreal in May 2012, five days after he was last seen entering his lover Luka Magnotta's flat. A day before he was reported missing, a cleaner found the torso of a man in a suitcase. Packages containing severed feet and hands were mailed to two political parties and two schools in Vancouver. Lin's skull was found after an international manhunt, and Magnotta, a porn actor and white supremacist, was arrested. In 2014, the then 32-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for killing and dismembering Lin.



Li Jiayi, also known as Kiko, New Zealand



The 18-year-old's body was found in the boot of her car in Hamilton in June 2010, nearly two weeks after she went missing. Li had been doing a business course in Auckland. The teenager's friends Yu Honglin and Li Yongxin, who were aged 20 and 18 at the time, were found guilty of murder and were sentenced to life in prison. The pair stabbed her to death as she sat in her car, and tried to steal money from her bank account but did not know her PIN.



Zhang "Tina" Yu, Australia



The body of the 27-year-old University of Tasmania accounting student was found at a remote stretch of a river near Hobart in June 2009, days after her friends reported her missing after spending a night out. She had earlier accepted the offer of a lift from two men outside a pizza shop. In June 2010, local Stavros Papadopoulos was sentenced to life in prison for Yu's murder. He had bludgeoned Yu with a concrete brick before strangling and drowning her, the court heard. His friend Daniel Joseph Williams, who smoked cannabis as Yu was being killed, was found guilty of manslaughter.



Wan Biao, New Zealand



Nineteen-year-old Wan's partially decapitated body was found in a suitcase bobbing in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour in April 2006. Fellow Chinese students Li Zheng and Cui Xiangxin were found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Wan, and were sentenced to 18 years in prison. The pair and a third man, Wang Yuxi, demanded NZ$800,000 from Wan's parents who were in China, but by the time police were alerted Wan's body had been found by sailors. The men played cards together before Wan's death.



Wei "Amanda" Zhao, Canada



In October 2002, the 21-year-old student at Coquitlam College went missing while walking to the grocery store in Burnaby, near Vancouver. Her body was found two weeks later stuffed in a suitcase near a lake. Zhao's live-in boyfriend, Li Ang, then 18, a fellow Chinese student in Canada, was the main suspect and fled to China. Canadian authorities tried to extradite Li but Beijing put him on trial, finding him guilty and sentencing him to life imprisonment in 2012. In 2014, the court downgraded his conviction to manslaughter on appeal and cut the sentence to seven years.

Advertisement

The US Senate on Wednesday passed a bill criticised by China promoting closer US ties with Taiwan.



The Senate passed the Taiwan Travel Act by unanimous consent. It passed the House of Representatives in January, also without opposition. The legislation only needs President Donald Trump's signature to become law.



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The legislation says it should be US policy to allow officials at all levels to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States "under respectful conditions" and meet with US officials and encourage Taiwanese economic and cultural representatives to conduct business in the United States.



White House officials did not immediately respond when asked if Trump planned to sign the legislation. It would be unusual for a president to veto a measure that passed unanimously.



The Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported earlier this month that China was "strongly dissatisfied" with the legislation, saying that some of its clauses violated the one-China principle under which it considers Taiwan a breakaway Chinese province.



Beijing has taken an increasingly hostile stance toward Taiwan over the past two years since the election of Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party.

Advertisement

The Trump administration on Wednesday warned that it would vigorously defend US national interests against "hostile" powers such as China and Russia, vowing to use "all available tools" to combat unfair practices - a sign that the president may be preparing to erect new trade barriers.



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"Countries that refuse to give us reciprocal treatment or who engage in other unfair trading practices will find that we know how to defend our interests," said the annual report to Congress on the president's trade agenda.



The report, the first by US Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer, comes as US President Donald Trump was expected to act on Commerce Department recommendations to impose new limits on imported steel and aluminium.



Trump also is considering retaliating against China for forcing foreign companies to surrender their intellectual property and is seeking to renegotiate a pair of major trade deals.



"The tone is very different," said economist Christine McDaniel of George Mason University's Mercatus Centre. "I don't think we've ever seen this aggressive and protectionist a tone before in a trade agenda."



Philip Levy, senior White House trade economist for President George W. Bush, said the Trump administration "comes off as belligerent" in the document.



The 359-page report was made public as US officials were in Mexico City for the latest round of talks aimed at renegotiating the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump has repeatedly threatened to quit the accord unless Mexico and Canada agree to concessions that return lost manufacturing jobs to the US



The administration took credit for launching "a new era in American trade policy," reversing decades of multilateral trade policies that it said had damaged US workers and intensifying enforcement efforts. Over the past 13 months, the Commerce Department has initiated 102 anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations, nearly double the prior-year figure.



"We have to get more jobs back to America. We have to reduce the deficit and that will ultimately put pressure on wages and raise wages," Lighthizer said earlier this week on the Laura Ingraham show, calling it "nonsense" that the administration was preparing to start a trade war with China.



The nearly US$20 trillion economy gives the US leverage to extract better trade terms from other nations and "fairer treatment for American workers," the report said, echoing a point that Lighthizer has stressed.



The administration assailed China for "undermining true market competition" with state subsidies that encouraged excess production that depressed the price of key goods including steel.



But McDaniel criticised the administration's reliance upon tariffs as damaging to US economic growth and ineffective in compelling countries such as China to change its trading practices.



"Other countries are frustrated as well. The only way to rein in China is by working with like-minded countries," she said.



The president's desire for wholesale change in US trade policy also has met with increasing resistance from congressional Republicans as well as the business community, normally a reliable GOP ally. The report "doesn't resolve any of the conflicts they have," said Levy.



Despite the president's claims of progress, he has little to show for some of his central promises after more than a year in the White House. Though he promised to narrow the yawning US trade deficit, it reached US$566 billion last year, a 12.1 per cent increase over 2016 and the highest mark in nine years.



The US deficit with China last year hit a record US$375 billion, the Commerce Department said last month.



The report was critical of the World Trade Organisation, which it said is not functioning properly and thus "undermining our country's ability to act in its national interest."



Lighthizer has been a vocal advocate of WTO reform and the report detailed several desired changes, including overhauling its mechanism for resolving disputes between member countries



"It doesn't spell out exactly how the United States will pursue these goals, but it is quite a clear and ambitious agenda for reform of the WTO," said Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.



The administration reiterated the president's intention to pursue new trade deals in talks with individual nations rather than large groups. But no countries have yet agreed to enter negotiations, making the claim "empty," Levy said.



The report also underscored the mixed messages emanating from the administration on trade, particularly on a Pacific trade deal that Trump withdrew the US from on his first working day in the White House.



On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he had engaged in "high-level" discussions with foreign counterparts aimed at enabling the US to rejoin the treaty with Japan and 10 other nations. President Trump in January said for the first time that he might seek to re-enter the trade pact that he earlier had disparaged.



The USTR report, however, quoted Trump's campaign statements that there "is no way to 'fix' the TPP" and that "we do not need to enter into another massive international agreement that ties us up and binds us down."

On the March 1, 2018, Samiljeol Independence Movement Day, several associations of Korean churches acknowledged the Recovery of the National People's Congress in Seoul, Gwanghwamun and Seoul Station. They cried out for the protection and democracy of the Republic of Korea. From early in the morning, Korean churches in the U.S., largely in Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey and Atlanta, also prayed earnestly with the theme of strengthening the Republic of KoreaUnited States (ROK-US) alliance and protecting liberal democracy and unify with Christ. Many European Korean churches also gave a prayer on the same day with the same focus.

Each Korean church held special prayer meetings for the Republic of Korea at 5:30 am, 5:45 am, and 6 am, sharing prayer topics after the sermon, and praying for the freedom of Korea overall.

Pastor Huh Yeon-hang of The New York Promise Church hosted early morning prayer meetings specifically for the Republic of Korea both in New York and New Jersey locations, emphasizing the need for diasporic Korean churches and Korean churches to wake up and revitalize Korea.

"Nehemiah is a model of a leader among Diaspora immigrants," Rev. Huh Yeon-hang said in a sermon titled, "The Prayer of Nehemiah," on March 1.

He continued, "when Nehemiah heard the news of the collapse of the Jerusalem temple in his country, he grieved deeply, started building temple walls, and participated in the Reformation Movement. The current Korean Diaspora also felt like Nehemiah when hearing news from Korea. "

Rev. Huh Yeon-hang said, "North Korea has developed nuclear weapons and has held the Republic of Korea hostage, threatening the United States and the entire world. The United States is preparing for a pre-emptive strike while enforcing strong sanctions against North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. Our country is embracing a retrograding diplomatic policy while the international community is trying to stop North Koreas nuclear development, which also threatens the ROK-US alliance."

Rev. Huh also said, "Many people who love the country and want to pass on the right history to the next generation are grieved by seeing the revision of the Constitution and history textbooks. We have received the blessing of hosting the Olympics, but we are hearing the sad news."

"It is time for us to bow down and pray now more than ever. Upon hearing the situation of his homeland, Nehemiah could not do anything but pray earnestly. And when he prayed, he did not only pray for his own sins but confessed on behalf of his father's house too. We need to confess like Jonah who said, it is because of me that I met this storm."

Rev. Huh added, "As far as the Bible is concerned, the people of God were patriotic and did not forget their homeland. When Israel was in crisis, there was a diasporic Jew who prayed, and God saved them from their crisis through their prayer. Who are the diasporic Christians today? Millions of Korean American are overseas in Christian communities. It is time for us to pray, to take care of our home country, and to be united together in this crisis.

"As far as the Bible is concerned, the people of God were patriotic and did not forget their homeland. When Israel was in crisis, there was a diasporic Jew who prayed, and God saved them from their crisis through their prayer. Who are the diasporic Christians today? Millions of Korean American are overseas in Christian communities. It is time for us to pray, to take care of our home country, and to be united together in this crisis."

At the end of the sermon, Rev. Huh said, "There will be another time for churches and groups to gather together to pray on Sunday afternoon. I hope many people will go and gather their hearts together."

There will be a large-scale rally in Flushing, New York, on March 4 to strengthen the ROK-US alliance and protect the liberal democracy of the Republic of Korea. Churches and patriotic Korean organizations will be the main axis.

The Church of Promise held a lot of prayers for the Republic of Korea. After Rev. Huhs sermon, many congregants went to the altar and prayed together for an hour to overcome the crisis of Korea.

Rev. Lee Man-ho, chairman of Korean American church council in Greater New York, said that he would continue to encourage member churches to pray together for the situation of the Republic of Korea.

Rev. Lee said "I was very impressed that in the crisis of the Republic of Korea, many Korean church members came out, took the national flag and prayed for the country. It is time for the churches in Korea and the diasporic churches in America and overseas to pray for the ROK-US alliance, and for the freedom of democracy in the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.

On the first day of the worship service, The Full Gospel of Antioch Church, led by Rev. Lee Man-ho, gave a special cooperative prayer for the Republic of Korea. Rev. Lee led the prayer on that day and prayed for the strengthening of the ROK-US alliance as the first prayer topic.

"If we look at the current diplomatic trends in South Korea, there is a growing concern that the alliance between the ROK and the US, which has firmly supported Korea's security, is being dismantled," said Lee Man-ho. "The dismantling of the ROK-US alliance implies the withdrawal of the United States Forces Korea (USFK). The ROK-US alliance must be maintained, otherwise, it will bring a crucial crisis to the existence of the Republic of Korea.

Rev. Lee said, I see the discussion of revising the constitution confusing the Republic of Korea, but there can be no constitutional amendments that exclude freedom. He also warned, "the discussion of constitutional amendments must be done under the values of liberal democracy, and should never be the basis for North Korean unification tactics strategy.

Rev. Lee emphasized that the Korean people should learn from the Bolshevik Revolution, which communized Russia. "The Bolshevik Revolution, which was led by 0.7 percent at that time, brought about 70 years of communism in Russia," Rev. Lee said. "This history should never be repeated in Korea. We should pray for the people to wake up from the Samiljeol Independence Movement Day, Taegeuk flag rally.Rev. Billy Graham, who passed away on February 21, 2018, had a close relationship with South Korea. In 1973, over one million people gathered in Seoul for "Billy Graham's Evangelistic Event in Korea."

In particular, Graham had a meeting with Rev. Junghyun Oh, the senior pastor of Sarang Church, at the Billy Graham Library located in North Carolina, and they discussed the Korean reunification issue.

At the meeting, Graham said "I hope to see the Korean reunification for the rest of my life. The reunification comes from God. Pray to God. The reunification will be surely actualized if your prayer is suitable for God's will."

"I acknowledge that the power of Korean churches dispatching missionaries to countries around the globe. I am also encouraged by the devotion and amazing ministries of Korean churches."

"God works now as well. Rely on Him. Pray to God more earnestly. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit is the best way." he added.

Jinyoung Kim / Translated by Lydia KimWe're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to formThe prison administration is reportedly continuing to broaden the restrictions on the detainees and subject them to humiliating treatment.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The family of a detainee in Bahrains Jaw Prison, who wished to remain anonymous, reported on Saturday that prisoners of conscience at the facility are still being subjected to abuses.



The prison administration is reportedly continuing to broaden the restrictions on the detainees and subject them to humiliating treatment.



Political prisoners in Jaw are also routinely denied access to desperately needed medical care and are punished for complaining or speaking out against the cruel practices.



In September of last year, over 1,000 Bahraini prisoners launched a hunger strike in protest of the living conditions and abuses in detention.







/257We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.CLEVELAND, Ohio -

, one of the world's leading sustainability consultancy firms, has acquired BrownFlynn Ltd., a corporate sustainability and governance consulting firm based in downtown Cleveland.

With more than 4,500 employees, ERM is a global provider of environmental, health, safety, risk, social consulting services and of sustainability related services. The company has 160 offices in 40 countries and territories.

has 22 employees. Barb Brown and Margie Flynn, BrownFlynn's founders and principals, are now senior partners of ERM. Their three directors, Jennifer Klie, Cora Lee Mooney and Mike Wallace are now partners of ERM, according to a press release. All BrownFlynn employees will remain and continue working from their offices in Terminal Tower. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Both ERM and BrownFlynn believe that by combining the businesses it will enable us to dominate the corporate sustainability and governance consulting market," said Barbara Brown, principal and co-founder in a written statement. "It is an ideal time to come together as the market for our services is growing rapidly and the combined capabilities of ERM and BrownFlynn will be uniquely positioned to be the global leader in this space."

BrownFlynn advises Fortune 500 and privately held businesses on corporate sustainability advisory services including setting strategy, helping them navigate reporting frameworks and ratings.PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- Disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana; Interstate 271: A passing motorist reported seeing two people fighting on the side of the highway around 2:20 a.m. on Feb. 25, near the Chagrin Boulevard exit.

Both Beachwood and Pepper Pike police responded, with a Hudson man, 22, being arrested and taken to the Beachwood Jail.

Disorderly conduct, Pinetree Road: Officers were called to Heinen's grocery store around 2 p.m. Feb. 25 for a report of a man who appeared to be intoxicated. A Solon man, 68, was initially taken to a local hospital, then charged with disorderly conduct.

Possession of marijuana, Lander Road: A Shaker Heights man, 22, was stopped for speeding late on Feb. 25 and found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana, along with a metal grinder, for which he was issued a citation and released.

Disturbance, unwanted guest, Chagrin Boulevard: Officers responded to the Cleveland Racquet Club around 2:30 p.m. Feb. 24 for a report of a woman coming in and out of the business, disrupting guests and making incoherent statements.

The woman was asked to leave and was picked up by a taxi. The report noted that Garfield Memorial Church on Lander Circle had lodged a similar complaint.

Drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident (hit-skip), left of center, unlawful use of wireless communication device while driving; South Woodland Road: A Burton man, 35, was taken to Ahuja Medical Center on the morning of Feb. 23 after officers were dispatched to Ohio 87 near SOM Center Road on a report of a vehicle swerving and later striking a mailbox on Pinetree Road.

The car was stopped by Beachwood police on the Chagrin Boulevard/Interstate 271 overpass, where they detained him until he could be charged with OVI and taken to Ahuja Medical Center for treatment and a blood draw to determine level of intoxication. He was then taken to the Beachwood Jail to await posting of his bond.

Suspicion, Gates Mills Boulevard: A resident reported a suspicious vehicle pulling down her driveway at a high rate of speed around 12:30 p.m. Feb. 23, then turn around in her yard, pick up an individual and leave. An investigation was pending.



Auto towed, disabled motor vehicle; Interstate 271: An abandoned Ford Taurus partially blocking the bottom of the Chagrin Boulevard northbound exit ramp and creating a traffic hazard shortly before 3 p.m. Feb. 22 was towed from the scene. Efforts to contact the owner, a Cleveland woman, 20, were unsuccessful early on.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.CLEVELAND, Ohio - Our brunch and breakfast series continues as we check out Urban Farmer. Here's a look at what to expect:

Location + hours: Urban Farmer is a chain (Cleveland, Denver, Philadelphia, Portland), but prides itself on indigenous ingredients in its markets. It's at 1325 E. 6th St., at St. Clair Avenue in the Westin Cleveland Downtown. Brunch is served 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Menu or buffet? Menu.

What to expect: A modern steakhouse in a downtown hotel offering brunch. One of the servers estimated a recent busy Sunday morning was split 50-50 between hotel guests and locals. Traffic depends on concerts and games. We got in, but you might want to call to see if reservations are needed.

Decor: Great vibe, with ornamental grass behind a row of seats, open ceiling design, and rows and rows of jars with assorted foods and flavors on display. A private room in the back is elegantly set.

The eats: Weekend brunch menu includes quite an eclectic mix: A protein bowl (quinoa, avocado, sprouts, blueberries, beets, poached egg, lemongrass vinaigrette), seasonal smoked fish, butternut squash soup (hazelnut, pumpkin bread, Frangelico, spiced cream), granola waffle, and shrimp and grits, among others. Also, a menu-addition card touted a chocolate and pretzel doughnut, with toasted chocolate mousse and dulce de leche.

The drinks: Champagne (your choice of three sparklers) and Bloody Mary bars are set up.

Eggsellent: Eggs are a mainstay on the menu, with four "Benedicts" offered - avocado, roasted pork, and shaved ham or sirloin. The shaved ham was delicious, yolk oozing from a hearty portion.

Don't miss: Tea lovers will enjoy the ingenuiTea, a small loose-leaf decanter that you put atop your cup and drain.

Carbs: Brioche French Toast beckoned (anything with brioche will tempt), but we opted for buttermilk pancakes. The 'cakes were buttery and light, but what sold us on them was the blackberry compote with lemon marmalade mixed in. Syrup was on the side but not needed.

Nice touch: An optional line on the bill offers a chance to help restaurant-industry families via a donation to the non-profit group CORE.

Parking: Valet was a clusterpoop, with cars parked out front and no one checking on us as we waited for a few minutes. A neighboring garage was closed on the weekend. But street spaces are close, including those near the Galleria at Erieview.

Have a brunch spot you've wondered about and want us to visit? Email me.

Previous eats: Northeast Ohio breakfast-brunch spots we've tried:

Hofbrauhaus - Cleveland

111 Bistro - Medina

Akron Family Restaurant - Akron

Alley Cat - Cleveland

Beau's on the River - Cuyahoga Falls

Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern - Twinsburg

Blue Door Cafe - Cuyahoga Falls

Brim Kitchen + Brewery - Willoughby

The Eye Opener - Akron

First Watch - Fairlawn

Flying Fig - Cleveland

Fred's Diner - Akron

The Girves Brown Derby - Medina

Jennifer's - Strongsville

Michael's A.M. - Akron

Mustard Seed Market & Cafe - Fairlawn

Tartine Bistro - Rocky River

Valley Cafe - Akron

Wally Waffle - Akron

Yours Truly - MentorCLEVELAND, Ohio -- Police are searching for a 12-year-old girl who went missing Friday afternoon.

Sarai Gates is reported to have left her foster home on Nathaniel Road in the city's South-Collinwood neighborhood about 2 p.m., Cleveland police spokeswoman Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.

She is 5-foot-5 and weighs 125 pounds, police said.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man who was beaten unconscious by two men he shot at during an apparent botched robbery attempt in Bedford is jailed on an attempted murder charge, according to court and police records.

Leonidas Knox, 24, is held in the Cuyahoga County Jail on $750,000 bond while police continue to investigate the 2:30 a.m. Feb. 18 incident.

Investigators say that Knox fired two shots into a Dodge Challenger where two men sat in the parking lot of the Valleyfield East apartment complex on Rockside Road near Center Road.

No one was shot but, when police showed up after getting calls about gunfire, they came upon two men beating a third man on the ground, according to a police report.

The two men told police that the man on the ground robbed them, the report says.

The man on the ground got up and ran away and police gave chase before losing sight of him, the report says. Investigators also saw an SUV speed away from the scene and chased it into Bedford Heights before giving up on the chase.

The two men had injuries and were treated by Bedford paramedics, the report says.

Police searched the area and found the third man, who they identified as Knox, lying unconscious near a car port about 50 yards from the apartment complex, reports say. He was taken to MetroHealth for treatment.

Police recovered two guns and four bags of suspected drugs at the scene, according to the report.

Knox was charged with one count of attempted aggravated murder and pleaded not guilty at his Feb. 21 arraignment in Bedford Municipal Court.

He made his initial appearance in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, and his case was sent to a grand jury that will consider charges.

The other two men have not been charged.

To comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.B&R expands its Gilgenberg site

B&R is investing in its Gilgenberg site, located near its Austrian headquarters in Eggelsberg. The expansion will add new offices, training rooms and production space to the facility. A new logistics hall has also been opened at the site.

The aim is to establish Gilgenberg as a competence center for the development and production of electromechanical products. B&R motors are already assembled there. In the future, Gilgenberg will also host development and production of the ACOPOStrak intelligent transport system.

Contact Details and Archive...We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds..In a submarine, even flushing the toilet is a complicated task. You're hundreds of feet underwater, with literal tons of pressure coming from every direction. One wrong move, and you'd endanger your whole crew just by trying to hide some poo.

German Federal Archive You may remember this from the Academy-Award-winning film Das Poop.

And in 1945, that's exactly what happened to Nazi submarine captain Karl Adolf Schlitt. As captain, Schlitt had some special privileges, including the unofficial right to ignore every lesson that he'd ever been taught. After using the bathroom, Schlitt really didn't want to live with his shame, so he called in an engineer to help him flush. Together, they sank the U-1206.

Rising water from the improperly flushed toilet hit the batteries that powered the sub and began producing dangerous chlorine gas.There is no exaggeration in saying Theresa Mays future was on the line when she stood to make her speech yesterday.

Had it gone wrong, she  and Britains exit from the EU  would have risked being thrown into potentially terminal crisis.

Critics would have pounced and said she was incapable of delivering Brexit. The financial markets would have plummeted. MPs knives would have been sharpened.

This was against a background of what was a cynical plot earlier this week to sabotage Brexit and destroy Mrs Mays premiership.

There is no exaggeration in saying Theresa Mays future was on the line when she stood to make her speech yesterday

Of course, this starred John Major calling for a second referendum, another tedious pro-EU attack by an utterly discredited Tony Blair, a shabby U-turn by Jeremy Corbyn as he called for a post-Brexit customs union with Brussels and a supporting cast of the BBC, the CBI, Peter Mandelson and Nick Clegg.

Meanwhile, treacherously, Tory Remainers such as Anna Soubry, Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine were giving Corbyn succour in his blatant bid to try to topple the Government when MPs have to vote on the European Withdrawal Bill later this year.

This duplicity and division were the setting for Mrs May to deliver what I believe was her best speech since becoming PM 18 months ago. It wasnt brilliant. There were few flourishes.

Crucially, though, Mrs May did what was needed. She achieved this not through easy flattery, false optimism or hollow promises. Nor by using bombast and threats.

No, true to her character, Mrs Mays speech was very British in its pragmatism, as she, with considerable deftness, succeeded by outfoxing her critics.

The Remoaners had wanted her to throw in the towel and accept a soft Brexit. She didnt.

Hard-line Brexiteers hoped she would snarl defiance at Brussels. She didnt.

Monsieur Barnier & Co had wanted her to hoist the white flag. She didnt.

While standing firm on many areas, Mrs May also showed a willingness to make a number of concessions to Brussels if that is whats needed in order to strike a deal.

True to her character, Mrs Mays speech was very British in its pragmatism, as she, with considerable deftness, succeeded by outfoxing her critics

Her best line was: We will not be buffeted by the demands to talk tough or threaten a walk-out. Just as we will not accept the counsels of despair that this simply cannot be done.

What she meant, for example, was that she is prepared to allow foreign fishing fleets the right to operate in British waters if that becomes necessary to make negotiations easier.

Of course, this would be very regrettable and could cause grave political trouble. But its not the end of the world and she also has a bottom line. Britain will not be part of a Single Market. Neither will we be in the Customs Union.

And there will be no interference by Brussels with Britains territorial integrity  in the way EU negotiators disgracefully tried to do this week by meddling outrageously in this countrys internal security matters when they suggested that Northern Ireland could remain in the Single Market with the rest of the UK leaving.

This was dark politics: reopening Northern Irish divisions, by threatening the Good Friday Agreement that has kept peace in for 20 years, in order to damage the British negotiating position.

Playing with peoples lives in order to score political points is utterly contemptible and those in Brussels should be ashamed of themselves. For months now, shrill Remainers have been complaining that Mrs May had no vision for Brexit. Now we know what it is. It wont be hard Brexit, or a soft Brexit. It will be a sensible Brexit.

There have been numerous times in the last few months when many in the Conservative Party have questioned whether they were right to elect Mrs May leader when David Cameron resigned in a fit of pique after the EU referendum.

I believe that her performance yesterday proves they were right to choose her.

There have been numerous times when many in the Conservative Party have questioned whether they were right to elect Mrs May when David Cameron (pictured) resigned

The former governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, once said: You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.

As always with Mrs May, the prose was leaden. Her speech was full of information about arbitration mechanisms, arrangements, agencies and precedents. And lets face it. Shes a dull woman and a dull prime minister.

But this was exactly the kind of sober, mature, stateswoman-like oratory that she was elected prime minister to deliver.

One thing is certain. It was incomparably better than Jeremy Corbyns opportunistic and cynical speech at the start of the week when he betrayed his natural supporters by saying he wants to stay in a customs union and accept freedom of movement and zero controls on immigration.

And Mrs Mays speech will infuriate Remainers in both the Labour and Tory parties.

The strongest part of her speech was her reasoned rejection of Brussels proposition that Britain must enter a made-to-measure trading relationship with the EU  either the so-called Norway or Canadian options. Showing an exemplary mastery of detail, the prime minister demonstrated that every trade deal between the EU and individual nations is carefully tailored to the needs of that nation.

As she rightly said: Every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.

Why should it be any different for Britain? Clearly there is no reason, especially given an element of goodwill between the remaining 27 EU countries and Britain.

This is where Mrs May threw down the gauntlet to Brussels.

Judging from the tone of her speech, she is willing to strike a deal as soon as possible.

In my view, she would be well advised to try to do just that.

The truth is that she needs urgently to fortify her position.

There has been concern about her two key lieutenants: Philip Hammond was tin-eared and accident-prone and there were rumours that Boris Johnson (pictured) might quit the Cabinet

She knows only too well that her failure to win a Commons majority in last summers General Election cost her very dear.

There followed her shambolic speech at her party conference when she lost her voice.

Those closest to her worried about for her health and privately feared for her future.

Throughout this period there has been concern about her two key lieutenants: Chancellor Philip Hammond was both tin-eared and accident-prone and there were rumours that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson might quit the Cabinet.

But this weekend, Mrs May has consolidated her position. In some ways, the most important thing about her speech was not what she said.

It was the calm, sensible, measured way she said it.

Above all, there was no arrogance, no bullying, no malice in what was a businesslike speech.

Shes a woman whod like to strike a deal which suits both sides. Her tone of calm and pragmatism has thrown down a number of challenges.

Does the EU really want to make a negotiation with the UK impossible? Do Tory Remainers really prefer a Corbyn government if Mrs May doesnt offer them a deal which would renege on the promise to the 17 million Britons who voted Leave? Are Jacob Rees-Mogg and his fellow Tory ultras really ready to vote down their own government?

Goodness knows, Theresa May has been through the wars. But through them, shes emerged a stronger woman  and now she can lead a stronger Britain on the final lap of the journey to Brexit.

Cameron's undignified cashing-in

Basking in temperatures in the mid-70s in Abu Dhabi yesterday, David Cameron was on the latest leg of his obscenely lucrative  an estimated 250,000 a time  speaking tour of the world.

Vero Beach in Florida, Davos, Arab states . . . the former PM is gadding about and cashing in as one of the most prominent global influencers of the early 21st century.

Apart from being a ludicrously over-inflated description of him, its all very undignified.

Weve heard views this week about Brexit from fellow ex-PMs John Major and Tony Blair.

Its time Cameron, the man who gave us the chance to escape the EU, told the country how he thinks Britain will prosper post-Brexit.

Without charging a fat fee!

Kensington Palace has announced that Prince William is to make the first official visit by a member of our royal family to Israel since it won independence in 1948.

His itinerary for the summer tour has not been finalised but hes expected to pay tribute to the grave of Prince Philips mother, meet the Israeli PM and go to the West Bank Palestinian city of Ramallah.

I believe he ought also to visit the King David Hotel site in Jerusalem where, 70 years ago, 91 people (including 28 Britons) were killed by a bomb planted by Jewish terrorists led by future Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin.Was that barbed wire round her neck? Or a chain of enslavement? For her road-to-Brexit speech yesterday, Theresa May wore a strikingly chunky metal necklace.

What message did her jewellery choice send? Like the speechs contents, that possibly depends on your viewpoint.

A hands-off signal to the Eurocrats or a realistic acknowledgement of post-Brexit bonds with the EU zone? Our exporters may have to follow EU manufacturing standards (but they would have done anyway, if they wanted to sell goods there). Meanwhile, we will assert the right to set our own trade deals, run our own borders and stop paying billions in subs. Good.

The venue was Londons Mansion House. The Prime Minister originally intended to travel to a Tyneside factory to make this speech but the bad weather kyboshed that plan, so the Lord Mayor of London opened his gilded parlour.

After some opening words about the snow, Mrs May began by recalling her first speech as PM when she spoke up for the just about managings

Not that television viewers would have gathered that this was the grand-columned, high-ceilinged Egyptian Hall. Downing Streets roadies had erected the usual bland stage fittings, this time with a backdrop saying Our Future Partnership. This slogan was just over Mrs Mays left shoulder and seemed to suggest that our future partnership would be somewhere east of Turkey.

Mark Carney, governor of the nearby Bank of England, was in the front row for the 1.30pm speech, as were Business Secretary Greg Clark, Chancellor Philip Hammond and Brexit Secretary David Davis (the one true believer of that lot). Boris Johnson was marooned in Hungary.

After some opening words about the snow, Mrs May began by recalling her first speech as PM when she spoke up for the just about managings and promised to defend them against the powerful, mighty, wealthy and the fortunate few. In other words, George Osborne and Tony Blair!

That pledge, she said yesterday, is what guides me in our negotiations with the EU.

She hailed us as a nation of pioneers and explorers and innovators. We had tremendous intellects and we were proud of standing up for our values, etc. When prime ministers talk like this (Gordon Brown was always telling us, furiously, about our values) I find it exhausting. A pioneer? Moi? Explorer? Oh, Lord, do I have to be? I just want to sit down and have a sausage roll.

But such is the language of the political speech. When Mrs May mentioned our cities, they had to be our great cities. The union of Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland and England was the precious Union.

When Mrs May mentioned our cities, they had to be our great cities. The union of Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland and England was the precious Union

She spoke for almost an hour and chunks of it were little easier to understand than one of St Pauls epistles. Does any ordinary churchgoer ever cop what Paul is on about? One of the greatest miracles of Christianity is that it spread despite St Pauls inability to write accessible prose.

Theresa May speeches are not exactly Roy Chubby Brown comedy routines but you had to admit that she packed in plenty of detail, even if ones eyeballs were starting to smoke a bit when she got on to the Rogano Convention and the Safe Harbour Data Framework. Nurse, quick, bandages and splint, please: my brain just pulled a hamstring. Crafty old Boris to have found an excuse not to attend.

Which soundbite to believe? The one in which she said we will not be buffeted by the demands to talk tough or threaten a walk-out or the repetition of her old line no deal is better than a bad deal? Ive a nasty feeling the former is more her true position.

But there was a flicker of irritation (a raised fingernail) with the EU when she mentioned Northern Ireland. And after saying she equally dismissed the counsels of despair of the Remoaners, she gave a strong reply to a German reporter who invited her to disown Brexit. No, we wont think again on Brexit, she said. The British people voted for Brexit.

With that, and a certain air of relief, the assembled company voted for a late lunch.More than 50 years ago Jane Goodall, a secretary from Bournemouth whod never been to university, spent six months in the Tanzania jungle observing chimpanzees and made a discovery which changed the way scientists saw the natural world.

Since then much has been written and many films have been made about Jane, who at 83 remains a pioneering voice in the way humans and animals interact.

But there has never been a film quite like the poignant, beautiful, life-affirming documentary, titled simply Jane, which will be shown on National Geographic next week, after a successful cinema run which saw it pick up a slew of awards and a BAFTA nomination.

The film not only presents forgotten footage of a unique moment when a woman was accepted into a community of wild chimps, it is also a surprising story of passionate love and brutal war.

There is Janes romance with Baron Hugo van Lawick, the aristocratic Dutch cameraman who filmed much of Janes early encounters with the primates, their marriage, journey to parenthood and eventual break-up.

Scroll down for video

Jane Goodall (pictured in 1965) is known for her pioneering methods of researching wildlife

And there is the story of some of Janes chimp family; the matriarch Flo with her bulbous nose and ragged ears, her bossy eldest daughter Fifi and her adorable baby Flint. But death  due to their interaction with humans  and war among themselves break up their community.

I wasnt interested when I was first told about this film, admits Jane. There have already been so many documentaries. I didnt see how this film could possibly bring anything new to the screen.

'But there is something very immediate, real and unconstrained about it. Theres a lot in it that wasnt in the other documentaries. And its very moving, actually.

National Geographic approached filmmaker Brett Morgen with the idea of the new documentary when it discovered in its vaults more than 100 hours of unseen film footage of Jane shot by Hugo. Brett, who won acclaim for his documentaries on rock n roll subjects including The Rolling Stones, recalls, As soon as I saw the raw footage I knew I had to make this film.

The coming together of a woman and a group of wild animals in that context is something that had never been filmed before and is something that would never happen again. The rules have changed dramatically since Jane did her early work because now people arent allowed to touch chimps. This footage documents something that only happened once in the entire history of evolution  and it was shot so well.

And the more I learned about Jane the more I discovered she is the biggest rock star I have ever known. She is someone who has lived life on her own terms. She has completely defied societal norms and if thats not the heart of rock n roll, I dont know what is.

Jane was discouraged from attending university and instead took up work for scientist Louis Leakey

The film, which uses the footage Hugo shot alongside an up-to-date interview with Jane, starts with Jane talking about how she was inspired by books about Tarzan and always dreamed about living in Africa.

Most parents would have laughed at these dreams as childish but Janes novelist mother Vanne Morris-Goodall encouraged her to follow her heart. Vanne is the hidden key to this story; if there is a message in the film for kids it is about pursuing and following your dreams and not letting anything get in the way of that, says Brett. And if there is a message for parents it is about listening to their children.

It was the mid-1950s and Jane, a debutante, was discouraged from going to university so decided to make her own way to Africa by saving up money from secretarial work. She ended up getting a job with Kenyan scientist Louis Leakey, who was looking for someone to study chimpanzees in the hope they would further knowledge of early humans.

After giving Jane some basic lessons in chimp behaviour, in 1960 he sent her to Gombe Stream National Park, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, to live among the animals for six months and study them (he also sent Dian Fossey to study gorillas in Rwanda). Vanne went along for support as it was deemed too dangerous for a young white woman to live there on her own.

Jane (pictured with a curious chimp in 1972) opened a research centre with her husband Hugo in Gombe before giving birth to their son

I was excited because Id always dreamed of the African jungle since reading Tarzan but I was naive when I went there, admits Jane. Chimps are much stronger than me and I now know how aggressive they can be. They seemed to not want to hurt me; because otherwise they would have.

She later learned, when studying for a PhD at Cambridge, that when it came to research, she had done everything wrong. Instead of giving her chimps numbers, she gave them names. I wasnt meant to talk about personality, or mind or emotions because those were meant to be unique to humans, she recalls. But fortunately I hadnt been to university and didnt know that. Id already learned from my dog, as a child, that wasnt true.

It took around six months for the troupe to accept this strange blonde ape  the first time a human woman had been accepted as part of a chimp community  and allow her to become ever closer to them. And then she made the discovery that was to turn on its head centuries of scientific theory. It was thought humans were the only creatures to use tools, she says.

But then I saw the chimp I called David Greybeard making and using a tool. Jane watched as David and other chimps made a basic tool by stripping a twig and then using it to poke through holes in termite mounds. The sticks, once they had been in the mound for a few seconds, came out covered in lots of delicious, protein-filled termites for the chimps to eat. It was the crude beginning of tool-making, and it had never been seen before, she says.

Initially Jane (pictured in 2006) had rejected the idea of another documentary but has since described it as 'unconstrained' and 'moving'

National Geographic agreed to fund further research if they could send a cameraman to help record Janes findings and in 1962 Hugo arrived. His role wasnt just to study the chimps but the photogenic Jane too. There are stunning images of Jane with her chimps, tickling them and grooming them. The couple are captured falling in love  footage Jane had never seen before.

It was only when I showed Jane the film and the sequence where she and Hugo fall in love that I think she recognised this was not going to be a standard documentary, says Brett. She had not seen any of the footage before and I think it brought it all back to her and she really opened up.

In 1964  the year Jane married Hugo  a documentary was made using some of Hugos remarkable footage and the world fell in love with Jane and her apes. The couple opened a research centre in Gombe and began spending time in the Serengeti National Park, about 400 miles away, where Hugo needed to be for work. When she became a mother in 1967 to a boy they called Hugo she dedicated herself to motherhood, taking on lessons she had learned from chimp matriarch Flo and her son Flint.

But the chimps called her back to Gombe. She learned that they had polio, contracted from other chimpanzees who had been in touch with humans. Heartbreaking footage on the documentary shows the chimps, with withered limbs, devastated by the disease. After that humans were banned from touching the animals; there would be no more cuddles and tickles with her beloved chimps.

It was a tough time for Jane. Her marriage to Hugo  who died in 2002  broke up as both were driven by their separate projects. And in the aftermath of the polio outbreak the chimps began to war among themselves, which showed Jane that her gentle friends could be every bit as brutal as humans.

The documentary closes with Jane, who went on to have a second short marriage, deciding to dedicate herself to her work in conservation. Despite her age, she still travels the world spreading her message.

And she has seen her film  which was released in cinemas in October to acclaim  an incredible 40 times. It takes me back into those best days of my life in a way that no other documentary has, says Jane. It is literally like being back among old friends. It is so special.

Jane will air on Monday 12 March at 9pm on National Geographic.We all have those special items that we can't bear to part with, whether it's a memento from a loved one who has passed away or a trinket from childhood.

Now some of the moving stories behind people's special keepsakes have been revealed in a competition to find the UK's most heart warming treasured items.

Entries for the competition, which was commissioned by self-storage company Space Station, included a snippet of Queen Victoria's wedding dress found at Claremont, the home of the Duke of Newcastle.

The overall winner was Katy Galloway from Edinburgh who shared the story behind her grandmother's jewellery box, which comforts her as she battles dementia.

The winning entry if a competition to find the most moving story behind a memento came from Katy Galloway from Edinburgh who revealed how an old jewellery box comforts her grandmother who has dementia

The jewellery box

'My nan's jewellery box was passed down to me from my mother,' Katy from Edinburgh explained.

'It's an important keepsake to me as my nan now has dementia.

'However when she hears the music box tune, it reminds her of her childhood and she can talk about it for hours, although the rest of the time she isn't really herself anymore.'

The wooden doll

Natalie Russell, from Torquay, submitted a photograph of a tiny travel souvenir, which belonged to her grandmother.

'This wonderful wooden doll was given to me by my late Grandma and was a souvenir from her very first trip abroad to Austria with her best friend in 1948,' she said.

'They had saved so hard for their trip, and it was very unusual for two unmarried ladies of that era to travel alone.

'I cannot part with this little lady, who reminds me so much of my irreplaceable Grandma and her wonderful sense of adventure.'

This wooden doll reminds Natalie Russell, from Torquay of her grandmother's wonderful sense of adventure

A piece of Queen Victoria's wedding dress

One of the more unusual entries was a piece of Queen Victoria's dress, submitted by Katherine Conlon, from Bristol.

She said: 'This trimming is from Queen Victoria's gown, caught in the gate at Claremont in 1883.

'My great-great-grandmother found this snippet of Victoria's dress at Claremont mansion where Victoria used to visit frequently.

'After Albert's death in 1861, Victoria wore black for the rest of her life. My great-great-grandmother put it in this tiny round frame and it has been in the female side of my family ever since.'

One of the more unusual entries was a piece of Queen Victoria's dress, submitted by Katherine Conlon, from Bristol, which has been treasured by family since her grandmother found it in 1883

The mysterious family photos

Jess Howard-Armitage from London has been keeping hold of a set of photos in the hope she might one day be able to return them.

She explained: 'I found these photographs years ago near the bins of a communal flat in Hackney and I've taken them with me every time I've moved.

'My hope is one day I might be able to reunite them with their rightful owners. In the meantime, I think of them as my adopted family.'

Jess Howard-Armitage from London has been keeping these family photos safe in the hope she can one day reunite them with their owners

The mug with memories

A humble cup that's been turned into a toothbrush holder holds special significance for Louise Comb, 57, from Bridlington.

'It was given to my mum by a medical rep around 50 years ago,' she said.

'She used to run a medical centre and, as a child, I would sometimes help her there by stuffing letters into envelopes and similar easy tasks.

'The sticky out ears on the mug made me laugh, so she gave it to me. I lost both parents in 1997. The mug still makes me smile, and remember very happy times. I wouldn't part with it for anything.'

Louise Comb, 57, from Bridlington treasures a simple mug that was given to her mother around 50 years ago

The Austrian fireman's cap

Christine Monk, from Derby, treasures this memento of a trip to Austria more than 40 years ago.

'I was given it as a souvenir, although I'm not sure if the owner knew,' she recalled.

'I was in Trebesing after being invited to a village party to celebrate a new fire engine, and I remember an oompah band and Austrian dancing.'

Christine Monk, from Derby is still treasuring a pilfered fireman's cap from a trip to Austria more than 40 years ago

The nursing watch

Zoe Murray, from Glasgow said the nursing watch her grandmother received on her 18th birthday is one of her favourite possessions.

'You can see the date along with the inscription "To Betty from Daddy" on the back, which I just love, but unfortunately it doesn't tick anymore,' she said.

'I now work as a theatre nurse and have a few nurse's watches, but this one will always be my favourite.'

An engraved nurse's watch given to Zoe Murray's grandmother is one of her most treasured possessions

The recipe cards

Beverly Cousins, from Gwent, shared fond childhood memories of spending time in the kitchen with her family.

She said: 'As a child, I can remember many weekends staying with my grandmother while my mother and father were out entertaining on the club circuit.

'Every weekend, like clockwork, I would learn the art of cooking with my nan from her recipe book, costing sixpence, which led to my passion for homemade cooking.

To many people it looks old and tatty, but to me it's the memory of my childhood and no amount of money would get me to part with this fabulous book - it's part of my DNA.'

Beverly Cousins, from Gwent will never be parted from these old recipe cards that her grandmother used to teach her cooking

The soldier's cap badge

Anna Cheetham, from Buckingham shared the cap badge belonging to her great uncle Arthur.

'He was killed in the third battle of Ypres, the battle of Passchendaele, during WW1 on 1/08/1917. It has inspired me to find out more about him.'

Anna Cheetham, from Buckingham shared the cap badge belonging to her great uncle Arthur who was killed at Ypres

The teddy and toy pram

Toys passed down through two generations are especially precious to Hilda Wright from Derbyshire.

'This is Dad's teddy and Granny's toy pram,' Hilda said.

They weren't new when they had them as children and, over time, they have been battered with love.'Before she was royalty, Meghan Markle was just like us and now a cheap ring she wore once keeps selling out.

The 36-year-old posted the photo of herself on Instagram wearing the ring back when she had social media and the under $50 gold wraparound ring sold out in minutes.

Finally, BaubleBar rereleased the $42 ring after it was sold out for quite a long time but since being restocked this week, it is already selling out quickly with some sizes having to be pre-ordered.

Just like us: Before she was royalty, Meghan Markle (pictured) wore a cheap $42 ring once and it keeps selling out

Fave: The 36-year-old posted the photo of herself on Instagram wearing the ring back when she had social media and said it was her new favorite ring

New favorite: However, Meghan quickly got a new favorite ring when Prince Harry, 33, proposed to her with this stunning bling

Flawless: The actress's engagement ring (pictured) does not even compare to her cheap fake gold costume jewelry

The Peacemaker Ring is not only enticing because it's under $50 you also get free shipping and it's actually quite pretty and looks like an expensive piece of jewelry.

She posted the photo of herself awhile back wearing the 14K gold plated brass hypo-allergenic leaf ring with the caption, 'My sweet Olivia Palermo - thank you for all the baubles.

'Loving your collab with Bauble Bar, beauty! #newfavoritering #baublebar @_thetig'

Apparently, the ring was one of Meghan's favorites and we could see why as it is adjustable which makes it fit nicer and it is completely covered in crystals, wrapping around two fingers and drooping down the entire hand.

The multi-finger vine ring was inspired by nature and the bauble delicately wraps around the hand which Meghan showed off in her selfie.

Meghan's sultry selfie sees her wearing a black wide-brimmed hat while resting her fingers against her mouth, showing off the ring and smiling.

While fans of the ring who have been waiting months for its return were ecstatic to hear it was back in stock, it is quickly running out.

The size six/seven ring is already out of stock and only available for pre-order which if ordered today ships by March 26, 2018.

Sellout: Despite wearing this gold Peacemaker Ring from BaubleBar once a few months ago, it quickly sold out and fans waited forever for a restock until today but it's still selling out

No comparison: Meghan's fake crystal covered ivy ring (left) does not hold a candle to the engagement ring from Harry (right) although the cheap ring is still pretty

Priceless: The royal engagement ring that Prince Harry had created for Meghan features two stones on either side of the ring which came from Princess Diana's personal collection

Wow: Not only does the ring have two diamonds on either side it also has a giant diamond in the center from Botswana which holds a special place in the couple's heart

Although the bestselling ring is out in some sizes, the seven/eight is still in stock but not for long as the rings are flying off the shelves.

Meghan's cheap little bauble is a far cry from her royal engagement ring from Prince Harry, 33, which features two stones on either side of the ring which came from Princess Diana's personal collection, with a giant diamond in the center.

The large diamond in the center of the ring is from Botswana which holds a special place in the couple's heart.

While customers trying to get a hold of the $42 ring wait patiently for a restock, this isn't the first time the Meghan effect was in full swing.

Everything she wears pretty much sells out almost instantly and just recently her $545 Strathberry purse sold out in a mere 11 minutes and is still not restocked.The founder of posh instant porridge pot company MOMA who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in his early 30s has opened up about the struggles of running his business while suffering from the condition.

Tom Mercer, 38, who lives in Earlsfield, London, started selling on-the-go porridge pots for hungry commuters from a converted filing cabinet because he never had time for breakfast as a busy City worker.

After more than 10 years, he's turned his idea into the fastest growing porridge business in the UK that has sold 10 million worth of porridge in the last year alone, with MOMA pots stocked everywhere from Tesco to Whole Foods and even on easyJet planes.

But his success hasn't been easily won as just a few years after he started his business, he received the devastating news that he had MS.

Tom Mercer (pictured) founded MOMA porridge in 2006 and it's now a multi-million pound business

MOMA now has a range of oaty products including instant porridge pots and bircher muesli pots (pictured)

Tom, a farmer's son from Staffordshire, told FEMAIL: 'My first MS symptom was in 2010, when I temporarily lost part of my vision in one eye.

'MS is an auto-immune condition that damages the insulation around your nerves, which can cause all sorts of symptoms: from blurry vision and brain-fog to loss of mobility and needing to use a wheelchair.

'I am extremely fortunate that my MS has been very mild so far. However, its an unpredictable condition that can deteriorate quickly.'

Tom is now exploring new MS treatments, and even flew to Mexico last year for a pioneering new treatment called HSCT, which uses chemotherapy to wipe out an MS sufferer's immune system before re-booting it using stem cells.

Tom was diagnosed with MS in 2010 after suffering from a temporary loss of vision in part of his eye

MOMA has a range of instant porridge pots in many flavours, including some with no added sugar and some which are dairy-free

Dedicated: Tom says he has never once thought about giving up on his business

'One thing I experienced was brain fog, particularly in winter  this is a common MS symptom and is essentially not being able to think as clearly as you should.

'Its very hard to quantify as youre not sure how much of it is just tiredness, but it did impact me and this was probably the thing that concerned me most on a day-to-day level.

'I didnt want to just manage my condition, but wanted to give myself the best chance of stopping it and even reversing symptoms  this is why I decided to have treatment in Mexico [last summer].

'Since Ive been back I havent had those brain-fog moments.

'Whilst MS hasnt affected my mobility, I did have a flare up of activity which meant I temporarily lost sensation in my right arm. This coincided with a team night out bowling and a dismal score of 30 due to a numb bowling arm!'

Despite his condition, Tom says he has never once thought about giving up on his business.

'Ive been fortunate that MOMA is going well, even if its been a long journey,' Tom said.

Heroic: Tom managed to tackle a thief to the ground when his laptop was stolen on the day he was due to launch his business

Tom was working for management consultancy firm Bain in 2005 when he started to get the urge to set up his own business.

It's been an uphill battle to get it off the ground ever since. One of his biggest challenges was having his laptop containing all his MOMA recipes stolen on launch day.

However amazingly, Tom managed to tackle the thief to the ground and take his precious possession back.

Fed up at the lack of healthy on-the-go breakfast options and never having the time to make his own in the morning, Tom began blending his own oat smoothies and drinking them as he walked over Waterloo Bridge in London every morning to get to work.

You can also buy boxes of porridge sachets

He started joking with his flatmates about how he could start selling them from stalls in train stations on their commute to work - and then realised that he could in fact turn this idea into a business.

He started by filling old (but clean) water bottles with oats, yoghurt and fruit before 7am and then giving them away to commuters in return for their email addresses.

As soon as he got to work, slightly bleary-eyed, he asked the testers what they thought - but several didn't try them because they 'didn't trust the dodgy bloke'.

However they all said that they were after an on-the-go healthy breakfast so this time, he decided to get a stall at a railway station to sell his healthy porridge from.

After three months, he got a stall at Waterloo East station and resigned from his job, using 10,000 of capital including his own savings to set up the business.

Tom then converted an old filing cabinet into MOMA's first train station stall, and bought an old BT for a delivery vehicle as well as kitchen premises in a railway arch in Deptford.

MOMA's launch wasn't plain sailing though as on the day of launch, a thief stole Tom's laptop containing all his porridge recipes.

But heroically, Tom managed to stop him.

'I gave chase, and, though admittedly he didnt see me following, I managed to bear hug him on Deptford High St and rescue my laptop.

Rising star: In the last year MOMA has grown by 30 per cent and is on track to make 10 million of retail sales this year alone - making all those early starts worth it.

'The very next morning, on Feb 26 2006, and after an all-nighter making products, we sold our first breakfast to a hungry commuter in Waterloo.'

Early starts: Tom had to do a lot of 2.30am starts to get his business off the ground

The business grew and quickly they had nine stalls in London train stations, and also started to supply offices, airlines and supermarkets.

MOMA no longer has train station stalls - but it has become the fastest growing porridge brand in the UK.

However Tom admits MOMA has had its fair share of challenges in the last 12 years.

'In the early days of the business, we grew really quickly and scaling up the stalls was something we did too quickly. It meant that we were handling huge amounts of product daily, needed extra staff to manage this and, in turn, it wasnt a profitable model for us.

'For the entirety of the first year, the product was all made in-house which was logistically crazy and meant a lot of 2.30am starts.'

However in the last year MOMA has grown by 30 per cent and is on track to make 10 million of retail sales this year alone - making all those early starts worth it.The majority of older people are living in areas with illegal levels of air pollution, putting their health at risk, research has revealed.

More than seven million people aged 60 and over live in places which breached air quality limits in 2015.

The Chief Medical Officer yesterday warned that Brits were being put at risk by a daily cocktail of diesel fumes.

Dame Sally Davies said pollution was a major public health threat  fuelling heart attacks, cancer, lung disease and stress.

The Chief Medical Officer yesterday warned that Brits were being put at risk by a daily cocktail of diesel fumes

Air pollution, including diesel, claims around 40,000 lives in the UK each year, mainly through heart and lung conditions.

More than half of those aged 60 or over live in an area in England which breached air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide in 2015, the data revealed. The figures, from the House of Commons Library analysis by Labour, revealed those at risk included 3.7million aged 70 and over, 1.45million aged 80 and over and 257,000 aged 90 and over.

In London alone, 1.35million aged 60 and over lived in areas breaching pollution limits, including 691,000 aged 70 and over and 276,000 aged 80 and over.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, 79 per cent aged 60 and over lived in areas breaching air quality standards, followed by the North East (72 per cent), North West (67 per cent) and the West Midlands (62 per cent).

Previous research found that more than 38million across the UK in 2015 lived in areas where air quality breached legal limits, including over 8.3million under 18s.

Dame Sally Davies (pictured) said pollution was a major public health threat  fuelling heart attacks, cancer, lung disease and stress

The European Commission, which enforces rules on air quality limits, yesterday called for the UK to address this life-threatening problem with the urgency it deserves. Environment Secretary Michael Gove has promised to consult on a new body after Brexit. But last month, the High Court ruled that the plans to improve air pollution were unlawful and urged the Government to enforce compliance.

A Defra spokesman said: Its wrong to assume the entire population of a local authority is exposed to pollution above legal limits as nitrogen dioxide levels are only exceeded in certain hotspots, like being next to a particular road.

It added: We recognise there is more to do, which is why we have put in place a 3.5billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions.Pioneering treatment that reverses the symptoms of early menopause has raised hopes that women affected could go on to have children naturally.

Stem cells from bone marrow were injected into the ovaries of 33 women suffering premature ovarian failure (POF) who began to have periods again after six months.

As well as treating early menopause, which can lead to women becoming infertile in their forties or earlier, it could also offer an alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

The US researchers who conducted the study said their aim was to support improvement in quality of life and reverse infertility. Professor Prosper Igboeli, of the University of Augusta in Georgia, said: POF is a challenging condition due to loss of ovarian function in women younger than 40 years.

Pioneering treatment that reverses the symptoms of early menopause has raised hopes that women affected could go on to have children naturally

It is particularly traumatic when the diagnosis is made in early reproductive life, leaving them with post-menopausal symptoms and infertility.

When POF patients desire pregnancy, the only current option is to receive donor eggs. Many women, due to various religious, cultural or ethical considerations, would like to use their own eggs.

The oestrogen levels of the women in the study rose after they received the stem cell injections, and after six months their periods began again.

In a paper to be presented at the Society for Reproductive Investigation in San Diego, California, next week, the researchers said: The patients demonstrated diminished post-menopausal symptoms from episodes of hot flushes to vaginal dryness and insomnia. In addition, no complications or safety issues have been reported so far in our study. This is an active ongoing study and we plan to present additional patient data in March 2018.

Stem cells from bone marrow were injected into the ovaries of 33 women suffering premature ovarian failure (POF) who began to have periods again after six months (file photo)

They added a longer follow-up in a larger cohort will be needed to validate the utility of this novel approach.

All the women in the study are now trying to get pregnant.

Around one in 100 women suffer POF, also known as premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).

'Chance of a normal life is so exciting' Going through the menopause at 38 left Tanith Lee feeling she had passed her sell-by date. Mrs Lee, a nutritional therapist and mother of two, said: The psychological symptoms I experienced, including anxiety and loss of self-confidence, really took me by surprise. I felt I was less than a woman, and just really old. Mrs Lee, 45, who blogs at www.mrsmenopause.co.uk, said research that could help reverse early menopause is really positive. I meet teenagers and young women in their 20s going through the menopause, she said. If they can get the ovaries working again that will make women feel better, their hormones will balance out again and they can lead a normal life. Its really exciting. Advertisement

Dr Adam Balen, of the British Fertility Society, said: When a woman goes through an early menopause there are no eggs remaining in the ovaries that are able to be ovulated. However, there is some evidence that a few eggs may remain that dont have the mechanism to be released and fertilised.

This interesting research suggests it may be possible to resurrect activity within a dormant ovary. For how long and with what degree of fertility potential is still very uncertain and there is no doubt that much more research is required before this can be seen as a solution for women who experience POI.

Dr Kate Maclaran and Dr Marie Gerval, of the Daisy Network charity, said: This study offers hope for women with POI that in the future, they may be able to conceive naturally or have fertility treatment using their own eggs.

This technique has the potential to stimulate the resumption of ovarian function, not just allowing ovulation and pregnancy but also a return of normal hormone levels, which may reduce or avoid the need for hormone-replacement therapy. Many questions remain unanswered and cautious optimism must be the message at present. Although this treatment provides an exciting hope for the future, the efficacy and long-term safety of stem cell transplant for POI needs to be established in larger studies.

Dr Christos Coutifaris, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, who was not involved in the study, said: These preliminary findings are exciting.

The presented information suggests that injection of bone marrow-derived stem cells results in the prolongation of the lifespan of the ovary.

If these observations are validated under further experimental protocols, their implications for female fertility and reproductive hormonal function may prove extremely significant.NHS hospitals that refuse surgery to smokers and obese patients are draconian and discriminatory, doctors warned last night.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges criticised the policies, which were introduced in some clinical commissioning groups last October.

Professor Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said people in need of medical help will be left in pain as they are forced to wait for treatment.

NHS hospitals that refuse surgery to smokers and obese patients are draconian and discriminatory, doctors warned last night

Such policies are draconian and discriminatory, singling out specific groups of patients, he told the Daily Telegraph.

It is cruel to keep patients who are in severe pain or, as in some cases, immobile and unable to work, waiting unnecessarily for treatment.

The scheme was rolled out in October at the East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, a health trust in East Yorkshire serving 313,400 patients.

Managers are trying to save 11.5 million this year and claim patients will get more benefit from operations if they are in better health.

The Royal College of Surgeons has previously described these schemes as wrong and shocking, as all patients should have a right to treatment.

Professor Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said people in need of medical help will be left in pain as they are forced to wait for treatment (file photo)

Other health trusts have considered imposing similar policies in recent months but it is not clear how many of these are in place.

The Vale of York CCG confirmed that it introduced a clinical threshold policy as part of its Prevention and Better Health Strategy in February last year.

Anyone needing surgery who has a Body Mass Index of 35  which is very obese  or who smokes will be referred onto the programme for six months.

Obese patients will be sent to weight loss and exercise classes while smokers will be offered smoking cessation counselling and nicotine patches.

Obese patients will be sent to weight loss and exercise classes while smokers will be offered smoking cessation counselling and nicotine patches

If after six months they have failed to lose any weight or stop smoking, they will be put forward for the operation regardless.

Managers say it is important patients are encouraged to lead healthier lifestyles, irrespective of whether or not they succeed.

Approximately one in four adults are obese and another one in five smoke.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: Decisions about whether a patient has an operation or not should be clinical, made between doctor and patient.

Blanket restrictions on treatments are unacceptable and we expect NHS England to intervene if there is evidence of rationing care and the CCG is breaching its statutory responsibility to provide services that meet the needs of the local population.'For thousands of people who live with the killer genetic disease cystic fibrosis  half of sufferers do not live past 31  the latest medical breakthroughs come tantalisingly close to a cure.

New drugs and combination therapies that target the genetic root of the condition, which affects the lungs and other organs, will revolutionise the life expectancy of sufferers.

Tragically such developments, which are expected to happen in a matter of years, come too late for some  such as the sisters of Made In Chelsea star James Dunmore.

To thousands of fans of the Channel 4 reality show, model James, 27, was known for his glamorous, carefree lifestyle, rugged good looks and relationship with co-star Lucy Watson.

To thousands of fans of the Channel 4 reality show, model James, 27, was known for his glamorous, carefree lifestyle, rugged good looks and relationship with co-star Lucy Watson

But ten years ago, as a teenager, James lost his older sisters Jodi and Lucinda to cystic fibrosis (CF) in the space of just 20 months.

The disease causes lungs to clog with mucus and leads to breathing problems, infection and irreversible damage. More than 10,000 people in the UK have the condition.

Jodi was diagnosed at 18 months old and Lucinda at six months. James is free of the disease. He has not yet been tested to see if he carries the cystic fibrosis gene, which could be passed to his own children. When the time comes, Ill be tested, he says. I think everyone should be.

Growing up in rural Bedfordshire, the girls were strikingly beautiful and outgoing, keen on horse riding, dancing and spending time with friends  determined that their condition should not hold them back.

The family took precious holidays to Disney World, Barbados, Cuba and Dubai, knowing their time together would be short.

But ten years ago, as a teenager, James lost his older sisters Jodi and Lucinda (pictured together, above) to cystic fibrosis (CF) in the space of just 20 months

Every day the girls took a cocktail of 30 pills each, along with daily nebuliser treatments and physiotherapy. Twice a year, they would be admitted to hospital for intravenous antibiotics to fight infections.

It was all I knew, James says. They never moaned about their condition. They never held it against me that I didnt have it. We never discussed them dying.

It made their deaths all the more difficult to bear. Lucinda died suddenly in March 2007, two weeks after her 19th birthday, after falling ill with flu.

James says: It was a horrific time. Suddenly, for Jodi, everything became real. She lost the one person who understood.

The following year, Jodi was admitted to hospital after becoming breathless during a shopping trip. She hugged my mum in hospital and told her she was going to die. Mum knew she was right. Jodi had never got over Lucinda dying, and shed just given up. She died on November 19, 2008, aged 22. Both situations unravelled so fast and suddenly they were just gone, James says.

In their memory, he will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in October on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Trusts Resolutions campaign, which launched in January. He is also backing a petition signed by more than 113,000 calling for new drug Orkambi, which could dramatically increase life expectancy for thousands of CF sufferers, to be available on the NHS.

The petition was delivered to 10 Downing Street last week, with MPs set to debate the issue on March 19. His climb is a fitting tribute, James says, to the way the girls chose to live their lives, while money raised will go towards funding vital research into the causes and effects of CF.

I feel I owe it to them, James admits. I cant help my sisters, but if theres even a slight chance that raising money for vital research can help other families not have to go through what we did, then I want to try to make that happen.

Donate to James' fundraising campaign here.

l cysticfibrosistrust.org.uk/ resolutionsAnd the SINNER is... Gwynnies seat-squirming acceptance speech? Joan Crawfords jaw-dropping sabotage? Beatty and Dunaways envelope mix-up? As we await tonights show, Event nominates the winners, losers and most shameless schmoozers from 90 years of the Oscars...

The most desperate

Anyone who enjoyed the BBC2 drama Feud wont be surprised by this one. Step forward Joan Crawford, who in 1963 was outraged that Bette Davis, her co-star in What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, was hot favourite to win Best Actress, while she hadnt even been nominated. Not only did Crawford start a behind-the-scenes campaign to persuade Academy members to vote for anyone but Davis, she then volunteered to be a stand-in for any nominees who couldnt be there on the night. So when Anne Bancroft emerged as the Best Actress winner for The Miracle Worker, the audience watched as a gloating Crawford walked up to accept the award, leaving a stunned Davis in her seat.

Who wouldve guessed that exactly 40 years after this classic morning-after portrait Faye Dunaway would play a starring role in the biggest Oscars debacle ever - see below!

Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty at the 89th Academy Awards. In a hilarious blunder, the pair announced that the award had gone to La La Land when Moonlight was the actual winner

Most Ridiculous Political Stunt

Depending on your point of view, Marlon Brando was either one of the finest screen actors ever to have lived or the founding father of incomprehensible mumblecore acting. In 1973 he caused Academy outrage when he sent Californian Apache Sacheen Littlefeather to decline the Best Actor award hed just won for The Godfather. This, she politely explained, was Brandos protest against Hollywoods depiction of Native Americans. Her brief speech  she was limited to just 60 seconds  was met with a mix of boos and applause by the audience, while backstage afterwards she treated press to a 15-page speech Brando had prepared.

Worst loser

Part of the fun of Oscar night is the sight of the losers forcing a rictus smile as they watch the delighted winner make their way to the stage. So who cant love Ellen Burstyn, who, in 1974, had been nominated for The Exorcist and then had to watch as an absent Glenda Jackson won her second Best Actress Oscar in three years for A Touch Of Class. What a surprise... mouthed Burstyn sarcastically on camera. But she didnt have to sulk for too long  she won the same award a year later for Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore.

Leonardo DiCaprio with Oscar-winner Emma Stone last year

Right: Sacheen Littlefeather refuses the Academy Award for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando in 1973; Left: Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford and Maximilian Schell backstage in 1963

Right: Jennifer Lawrence takes a tumble in 2013; Left: Elizabeth Taylor in 1961

Sympathy Vote

If theres one thing that sentimental Academy voters like more than a film star, its a dead or dying film star, which probably explains Elizabeth Taylors surprise win in 1961 for Butterfield 8. In the run-up to the awards shed been in hospital with life-threatening pneumonia. However, she recovered enough to make a breathy acceptance speech, leaving fellow nominee Shirley MacLaine, whod been nominated for The Apartment, to joke that she had lost out to a tracheotomy.

The Close-Run Thing

Katharine Hepburn holds the record for winning four acting Oscars, but the reclusive star never turned up in person to collect any of them. In 1969 she became part of Oscar history again when she  for The Lion In Winter  and Barbra Streisand  for Funny Girl  tied for the Best Actress award.

The Best Trip

As intrepid archer Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games films, Jennifer Lawrence is fleet of foot and sure of shot. But distinctly less so when it comes to accepting awards. In 2013 she took a memorable tumble as she made her way up the stairs to accept her Best Actress award for Silver Linings Playbook, blaming her fall on her failure to master the kick, walk, kick, walk her stylist had recommended to master her frothy Dior gown. A year later, she tripped again as she reached the Oscars famous red carpet. The good news is, shes not nominated this year so should be safe.

Right: Cher caused a stir with this outfit in 1988; Left: Joan Fontaine in 1942

Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Elton John, at the 65th Annual Academy Awards in 1993

British film legend David Niven didnt bat an eyelid when a moustachioed streaker ran on stage while he was presenting the award for Best Picture at the 1974

Most Indiscreet Speech

In the Nineties, Tom Hanks won consecutive Best Actor Oscars, first for the Aids-era drama Philadelphia and then for Forrest Gump. But it was during this first acceptance speech that he caused a stir by outing his drama teacher, Rawley Farnsworth, who had previously kept his sexuality a secret. Four years later, Hankss slip would inspire the comedy In & Out.

Worst Family Feud

In 1942, feuding sisters Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine both found themselves nominated for Best Actress  de Havilland for Hold Back The Dawn and Fontaine for the Hitchcock thriller Suspicion. Fontaine duly won, which might explain why, five years later, after winning the Oscar herself, this time for To Each His Own, de Havilland gave her younger sister the cold shoulder when she came over to congratulate her.

Most Outrageous Outfit

Thirty years on, most of us can still remember the dress that Cher wore to the 1988 Oscars. Designed by Bob Mackie, the gown was little more than a bra-top and some modesty-preserving sequins held together by a tight tube of sheer, flesh-revealing, navel-exposing fabric. Such is the excitement it caused, it is often forgotten that Cher won Best Actress for Moonstruck that year.

Most Blatant Snub

In 1965, My Fair Lady won eight of the 12 categories in which it had been nominated. But while Rex Harrison walked away with Best Actor, there was nothing for co-star Audrey Hepburn, not even a nomination. Apparently, Academy voters couldnt forgive the fact that Hepburn had been cast in the role of Eliza Doolittle rather than Julie Andrews, who had created the role on Broadway, which they made quite clear when the practically perfect Andrews won Best Actress for Mary Poppins that year.

Keeping Cool Under Fire

British film legend David Niven didnt bat an eyelid when a moustachioed streaker ran on stage while he was presenting the award for Best Picture at the 1974 ceremony. Famous for his wit, the always immaculately turned-out Niven brought the house down with his improvised one-liner: The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings.

Marilyn Monroe in 1951. Though an enduring Hollywood icon, her career was untroubled by even a nomination

Halle Berry celebrates as she holds her Oscar for Best Actress in 2002

Left: Judi Dench in 1999. Right: Gwyneth Paltrows famous speech, 1999

Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis, both winners in 2013

Worst Oversight

Marilyn Monroe is one of Hollywoods most enduring icons but possibly not the greatest actress, which perhaps explains why her career was untroubled by even a nomination. But more illustrious acting careers have never been topped with the ultimate accolade  Glenn Close has been nominated six times but never won, while Richard Burton and Peter OToole were nominated seven and eight times respectively. At least the Academy gave OToole an honourary Oscar, ten years before he died. Even then he initially turned it down pleading for more time to win the lovely bugger outright.

Blink and Youll Miss It

Its hard to believe but some winning performances have been shorter than the acceptance speeches youll hear tonight. The distinguished stage actress Beatrice Straight, who played William Holdens put-upon wife in Network, was on screen for little more than five minutes but still won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1977. Dame Judi Dench had to work a little harder for the same award in 1999, putting in just over eight minutes, as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare In Love.

All Time Low(e)

Lady Gagas Sound Of Music tribute at the 2015 awards may have been dodgy, but Rob Lowes version of Proud Mary  in which he sang and danced with Snow White  for the 1989 Awards is considered the worst musical opening in Academy history. Particularly as Lowe had been involved with a sex-tape scandal involving a 16-year-old girl the year before.

The Party-Poopers

Despite being nominated 24 times as writer, director or actor, Woody Allen is a reliable no-show at the awards, although he did turn up in 2002 to pay tribute to his home city of New York after 9/11. Neither four-times winner Katharine Hepburn nor double winner Glenda Jackson were present the years they won, although they subsequently made their peace with the Academy by agreeing to present awards.

Most Embarrassing Speech

Even by the lachrymose standards of all Oscar nights, Gwyneth Paltrows unforgettable speech at the 1999 awards was exceptional. She began crying the moment her name was announced  she won for her undeniably lovely performance in Shakespeare In Love  and never really stopped, blubbing her way through a speech in which she thanked everyone from the grandfather to her agent. Mind you, for sheer toe-curling efforts, Sally Fields I guess this proves you like me, right now you really like me as she won Best Actress for Places In The Heart in 1985 takes a lot of beating.

Trying Too Hard...

Sigourney Weaver went home from the 1989 Oscars empty-handed, even though she had been nominated for Best Actress for Gorillas In The Mist and Best Supporting Actress for Working Girl. Oscar tradition dictated that she should have gone home with at least one gong, but many academy members were reportedly furious at the blatant campaigning for the star, which included mail-outs of posters, mugs and T-shirts. Director Rob Reiner joked: I have in my house more colour reproductions of Sigourney Weaver and a beautiful gorilla than I need.

Biggest blunder

One year on and its still difficult to believe that movie legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were responsible for this. Dunaway, Events cover star, seen in a photo taken by Terry ONeill (who went on to marry her) the morning after her Oscar win in 1977 for Network, could scarcely believe that 40 years later shed be handing out the Oscar for Best Picture to the wrong film. In chaotic scenes, a confused-looking Beatty gave the envelope to Dunaway, who announced that the award had gone to La La Land when Moonlight was the actual winner. The mistake was later blamed on vote-counters from PwC, who had got distracted by the glamorous goings-on backstage and handed Beatty the wrong envelope.Red Sparrow Cert: 15 2hrs 19mins

Rating:

Jennifer Lawrence was in London the other week and thoroughly out of sorts she seemed too, snapping needlessly at the saintly Joanna Lumley at the Baftas and barely cracking a smile all visit.

Who knows what might have disturbed her normally sunny disposition, but I have a theory. She might have just seen her latest film, Red Sparrow. Because, my goodness, its bad.

From the moment I realised that Lawrence and her largely British supporting cast (leaving aside, for the moment, Australian Joel Edgerton, whos playing an American spy) were going to do the whole thing in cod-Russian accents and that there was another buttock-numbing two hours 15 minutes-plus of this silliness still to come, I felt my spirits sink.

My goodness, Red Sparrow is bad. It's out of step with this #timesup age, buttock-numbingly long and Jennifer Lawrence (above) and the cast sport cod-Russian accents throughout

Lawrence has already been nominated for an Oscar four times and is reputedly the highest paid actress in the world, so what on earth induced her to do this sort of pap? And yes, I do realise the answer is probably contained in that last sentence somewhere.

This is a film that couldnt be more out of step with this feminist #timesup age. Its directed by a man  Francis Lawrence, who directed Lawrence (no relation) in the last three instalments of The Hunger Games  and is adapted by a man (Justin Haythe) from a novel written by another man, Jason Matthews.

And yet it is a young woman, Lawrence, still only 27, who gets to play Bolshoi-ballet-dancer-turned-seduction-specialist-spy Dominika Egorova, stripping down to her underwear, pulling on the cutaway swimsuits and being tortured while semi-naked in the unedifying process.

Lawrence plays Bolshoi-ballet-dancer Dominika Egorova who is trained in the dark art of seducing foreign agents by Matron (Charlotte Rampling, above with Lawrence)

Lawrences presence in such a titillating, glossy-looking, male-fantasy-fulfilling production will undoubtedly ensure the film finds a commercial audience, but no one should be proud of that.

Its the tone that is the main problem here, as injury brings Dominikas dancing career to a premature close, forcing her to look for other forms of employment so she can care for her invalid mother (Joely Richardson).

Thank goodness shes pretty and uncle Vanya (Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts) is high up in the Russian security services

Eventually Dominika is sent to uncover the mole who has been delivering secrets to a CIA agent (a miscast Joel Edgerton, above) but their screen chemistry is modest

Play what ensues with tongue in cheek and an empowered female protagonist and this can still work pretty well, as Charlize Theron showed in Atomic Blonde last year.

But play it straight, as the director clearly intends to here, and the result oscillates between the sleazy and the downright ridiculous.

Having witnessed a state-sponsored murder at truly offputting close quarters, Dominika is given a Nikita-style choice. Either be killed to guarantee her silence or its off to Seduction School, where she will become a sparrow trained in the dark art of seducing foreign agents for the good of the motherland.

From the outset, its clear this will be a game of bluff and counter-bluff, but you're soon past caring whether Dominika is working for the Russians, the Americans, or, indeed, anyone else

Velcome to State School Four, purrs Charlotte Rampling absurdly. You vill know me as Matron. Its difficult, nay impossible, not to get the giggles as this tasteless and tiresomely over-extended section gets under way, with the students being trained to deliver sexual pleasure on demand.

Eventually, a real mission looms, with old Uncle Vanya keen to discover the identity of the mole who has been delivering secrets to a CIA agent (Edgerton).

Lawrence is a fine actress but this is not her finest hour by a long way, as she struggles to maintain both dignity and Russian accent. And Edgerton seems miscast: his screen chemistry with Lawrence, 16 years his junior, is modest.

And I cant believe any of the British cast  Jeremy Irons, Douglas Hodge, Ciaran Hinds or Richardson  will look back on this with pride.

Almost from the outset, its clear this will be a game of bluff and counter-bluff, but there are only so many double-crosses a writer can pull and keep an audience on side.

Sadly, Haythe goes much too far, ensuring were long past caring whether Dominika is working for the Russians, the Americans or, indeed, anyone else.

Alas, this is one sparrow that just doesnt fly.

SECOND SCREEN

Game Night (15)

Rating:

Monster Family (PG)

Rating:

Remember Date Night, the 2010 comedy with Steve Carell and Tina Fey?

Well, Game Night is a lot like that, but with more board games, slightly fewer laughs and with Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams taking on the central roles.

They play Max and Annie, a good-looking couple initially brought together by their shared love of games but now hoping to start a family.

Only theres something amiss with Maxs sperm count  could it be caused by his highly competitive nature, or might his reduced fertility be something to do with his deep-seated envy of his more successful brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler)?

When Brooks gatecrashes one of their games nights, we get the chance to find out. Brooks, you see, wants to host the best games night ever at the luxury house hes rented, but when hes violently attacked and kidnapped, we have a hunch that this particular game of murder-mystery might have got out of hand.

Or has it? The three couples hot on his trail, Max and Annie among them, are not convinced  they think its just typical Brooks, always upping the ante. This is good, if slightly lightweight fun, albeit with Bateman and McAdams on sharp enough form to make you realise how long its been since a decent commercial comedy came along. Look out for Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan making one of her rare film appearances.

Monster Family is another of those overseasmade cartoons that dont translate for audiences here, despite the use of a top-notch British voice cast led by Emily Watson and Jason Isaacs

Monster Family is another of those overseasmade cartoons that dont translate for audiences here, despite the use of a top-notch British voice cast led by Emily Watson, Jason Isaacs and Jessica Brown Findlay.

Its the odd story of the Wishbone family, whose lives are transformed when Count Dracula falls in love with Mrs Wishbone and promptly sends a wicked witch to get her.

Who, equally promptly, turns all four Wishbones into a vampire, Frankenstein, a mummy and a small werewolf respectively. With editing, pacing and screenplay all misfiring, it gets odder and less enjoyable from there



Speaking at the event, Hoang Thai Lan, President of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Friendship Association of HCM city, recalled Bulgarias history of national liberation 140 years ago, and thanked the country for its assistance in training thousands of Vietnamese cadres, experts and skilled workers.

She highlighted the 68-year history of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Bulgaria, saying that they have laid a solid foundation for growing friendship and cooperation in the fields of politics, trade, investment and people-to-people diplomacy, which have been nurtured by the two countries leaders and people.

Oleg Marinov, a representative from the Bulgarian Embassy in Vietnam and head of the Commercial and Economic Office in HCM city, underlined similarities and effective cooperation between Bulgaria and Vietnam, which has been developed based on their mutual respect, trust and support.

He spoke highly of the activities conducted by the HCM city Union of Friendship Organisations to maintain the relationship with the Bulgarian people, saying that Vietnamese people who once studied and worked in Bulgaria will serve as firm bridges to contribute to the development of the traditional friendship and fruitful cooperation between the two nations./.The Ghost Stories Of M R James

Edited by Roger Luckhurst

The British Library 14.99

Rating:

Everyone saw Montague Rhodes James as a crusty old academic who liked to bury himself in books. He seemed to be in retreat from the modern world.

He was born in 1862, the son of a clergyman. He went from Eton College to Kings College, Cambridge, where he spent the next 36 years. A Bible scholar, his great mission in life was to catalogue the manuscripts held in every college library in Cambridge. I dont suppose anyone alive knows so much or so little worth knowing, remarked his friend, A C Benson. He hates and fears all problems, all speculation, all originality or novelty of view. His spirit is both timid and unadventurous.

However rationalist we may count ourselves, we all go to sleep every night, and find ourselves kidnapped by the most irrational forces

Montague James never married, or indulged in any sort of romance. The most adventurous move he ever made was to stop being Provost of Kings in order to become Provost of Eton, a post he held for 18 years.

Like a surprising number of academics, he was fiercely anti-intellectual. He pooh-poohed most of the great artists and thinkers of his day, like James Joyce, Maynard Keynes and Aldous Huxley. Once, when he spotted two of his colleagues arguing a point of philosophy, he interrupted them, saying: No thinking, gentlemen, please!

How strange, then, that this most sheltered of gents has become a byword for terror. On Christmas night in 1893, he surprised his donnish friends by reading them a ghost story he had written, called Canon Alberics Scrap Book. Heaven knows what they were expecting to hear: perhaps a learned disquisition on the history of some overlooked abbey or other. Instead, they got a tale filled with unaccountable horrors amidst sleepless nights, in which mens faces become wreathed in agony and tears rain down their cheeks.

A Cambridge archaeologist, not unlike James himself, has come to a small town in France and is happily shuffling around an old church. Before long he comes across an ancient manuscript containing a drawing of a biblical scene showing a dead soldier, his neck distorted, and his eyeballs starting from his head. Nearby are four other soldiers, looking at a strange figure crouching: The hands were of a dusky pallor, covered, like the body, with long, coarse hairs, and hideously taloned. The eyes, touched with a burning yellow, had intensely black pupils with a look of beast-like hate.

In this story, as in all his others, the long-dead and dusty are guaranteed to spring to life in the most alarming fashion. That evening, back in his hotel bedroom, the archaeologist suddenly sees something that he initially mistakes for a rat or a huge spider. But no  it is a hand just like the hand in the picture, nails rising from the ends of the fingers and curving sharply down and forward, grey, horny and wrinkled.

The archaeologist flies out of his chair with deadly, inconceivable terror clutching at his heart. The possessor of the nasty hand rises above him. Teeth showed behind the black lips; there was no nose; the eyes, of a fiery yellow, against which the pupils showed black and intense, and the exulting hate and thirst to destroy life which shone there, were the most horrifying feature in the whole vision. The archaeologist screams out with the voice of an animal in hideous pain, bringing two servants rushing into his room. They see nothing, but feel themselves thrust aside by something whooshing between them.

Welcome to the strange inner world of Montague Rhodes James, a world punctuated by despairing moans, mad cackles, howling wolves, disembodied arms, cobwebbed eyes, vengeful witches, children torn to pieces and men running in fear of their lives.

Scholar and author M R James, circa 1900

James continued to write these unexpected stories, on and off, for the next 30 years, though he regarded them as frivolities compared to his real work as a writer, making surveys of abbeys and compiling lengthy bibliographic catalogues. He never entertained high ambitions for his ghost stories. If any of them succeed in causing their readers to feel pleasantly uncomfortable when walking along a solitary road at nightfall, or sitting over a dying fire in the small hours, my purpose in writing them will have been attained, he once observed.

Yet long after his more serious work has been forgotten, the ghost stories of M R James live on, and his influence continues to spread. You can spot his touch in contemporary novelists such as Susan Hill and Stephen King and, on television, in the work of the creators of The League Of Gentlemen and Inside Number 9.

Now the British Library has brought out a slim hardback of a selection of his ghost stories, bound with a design consisting of strange flowers emerging through the eye-sockets of ancient skulls.

We live in a rationalist age, in which religion is on the run, and Professor Dawkins seems to rule the roost. In accordance with the spread of atheism, you would have thought that belief in an afterlife would have dwindled, leaving the old-fashioned ghost story high and dry. Yet this is far from the case: no box set is complete without the appearance of a dead child or a granny from beyond the grave, or without the protagonist waking up in blanket terror after a nightmare vision involving someone who refuses to stay buried.

However rationalist we may count ourselves, we all go to sleep every night, and find ourselves kidnapped by the most irrational forces. Fears and fantasies weave in and out of our brains; the past becomes the present, and the dead spring to life. Even Professor Dawkins will never break free from his own ghosts. This is why the ghost story will never die, and why, undead, it will continue to haunt us.

One of M R Jamess most famous stories, Oh, Whistle And Ill Come To You, My Lad features a professor called Parkins, who is, like his near-namesake Dawkins, proudly rationalist, refusing to believe in the supernatural.

I do NOT like careless talk about what you call ghosts, he tells a colleague, at the beginning of the tale. ... I hold that any semblance, any appearance of concession to the view that such things might exist is to me a renunciation of all that I hold most sacred.

Sure enough, Parkins gets his comeuppance, blowing on a rusty old whistle and coming face to face with the horrible demon it unleashes. The next moment he was halfway through the window backwards, uttering cry upon cry at the utmost pitch of his voice.

In the end, Parkins learns his lesson. The Professors views on certain points are less clear cut than they used to be. His nerves, too, have suffered and the spectacle of a scarecrow in a field late on a winter afternoon has cost him more than one sleepless night.

IT'S A FACT James toured Europe on a bicycle, and once taught himself Danish and Swedish so as to read Hans Christian Andersen and the Norse Sagas. Advertisement

It has been convincingly argued that M R Jamess own repressed demons were sexual in nature. Certainly, a lot of the horror in his stories seems to happen in the bedroom, with solitary academics being subjected to unimaginable terrors involving creepy figures appearing in an adjoining bed, or witch-like women rising from the grave. In one, an academic puts his hand into a nook under the pillow and finds that he touches a disembodied mouth, with teeth, and with hair about it.

Of course, James would have dismissed any Freudian interpretation of all this. He himself condemned the introduction of sex in a ghost story as a fatal mistake. Sex is tiresome enough in novels, he once said. As the backbone of a ghost story, I have no patience with it. But sometimes dark forces rise up and torment us, whether or not we choose to believe in them; and this, in the end, is what gives the ghost story its immortal power.Leesa Holman, pictured, used to use $800 worth of meth everyday - it tore apart her family and her kids were taken away

Leesa Holman used to use $800 worth of ice every day paying her drug debt by dealing on the street or by sleeping with her dealer.

The 40-year-old mum-of-three from Perth in Western Australia has been clean for four and a half years, managed to 'get the kids back' and is trying to leave the horrors of her drug-addled past behind.

But it isn't easy, one of her children was damaged by the ice she took in pregnancy, and she still has flashbacks of finding her best friend who took her own life to escape the drug.

Despite being part of the scene for so long, the former user and dealer is still left in shock by the havoc caused by the 'ice epidemic'  and cringes when she hears small country towns have been 'taken over by the drug'.

Once sleepy towns in every state are being torn apart by the ice scourge where the impacts of the drug are harder felt.

Some of the hardest hit towns include Wellington in NSW, St George in Queensland, Murray Bridge in South Australia, Smithton in Tasmania, Katherine in the Northern Territory, Albany in Western Australia and Sale in Victoria.

The mum-of-three is now almost unrecogniseable, four years after giving up her habit, and says her children 'finally have the mum they deserve

She is speaking out after country towns across Australia were identified as being 'ice hot-spots' and wants to help other families from the pain brought on by meth

Margaret Gordon from Ice Breakers in Albany, WA, helps people beat their addiction - and has been working 'on the frontline against ice' since her grandson became hooked

'Every time I drive back through some of those old streets and see primary-school aged dealers with bum bags on and gold chains around their necks I cringe.

'I can't understand why these kids are doing this with their lives,' Ms Holman told Daily Mail Australia,

Margaret Gordon from Ice Breakers in Albany should be retired  but she has been working on the frontline against meth addiction since her own grandson 'fell victim to the insidious drug'.

'It is readily available, which is a huge problem, every town in Australia has a problem with it  whether they can see it or not.'

Ms Holman was heavily addicted to ice and used a gram a day  looking back she is ashamed of how violent she would become after 'being awake for a week'.

'I would pull knives on people, break through doors, scream,' she said.

She is also ashamed of the violence witnessed by her kids.

'One day my friend charged into the kitchen with a machete in her hand and tried to cut my head off, my son walked in and saw his mum pinned against the wall, he shouldn't have had to see it.'

Ms Holman said she won't touch meth again  finally 'realises how much it means to have a happy home for her children'.

Ms Holman pictured at her 40th birthday - she says she feels better than she did when she was 30 and is happy with her life

She now puts her kids first - and is horrified by the things she exposed them to when she was high on ice

Pictured here, in the grips of her addiction, the mum remembers the moment her toddler saw a woman attack her with a machete - as if violence like that was normal

'It isn't easy to come off it took me a few years, my kids went into care for 18 months so that I could really concentrate on myself and get off it for good.'

Her best friend had been a 'role model' for Ms Holman.

The mum-of-three was left struggling to cope when she walked into her backyard after the school drop-off one morning to find her friend 'hanging in the backyard'.

ICE HOT-SPOTS IN AUSTRALIA Murray Bridge, South Australia: The crisis has reached boiling point in the farming town which is home to 17,000 people. An elderly woman has revealed how she was 'chased down the street by a man with a running chainsaw' after making hundreds of complaints about the dealing in her street. Mandy, 68, who declined to give her last name, claims there are eight meth dealers in her street - and said in the past ten years her town has been 'destroyed' by drugs. St George, Queensland: The farming community is currently in crisis mode as it has been revealed children as young as 10 are addicted to the drug. Teenagers are being force-fed meth so they can stay awake at school and drug dens forging the deadly substance are operating out of family homes. Arrests have surged in the past three years, going from 65 in 2014 to 235 in the past 12 months, nearly 10 per cent of the farming town's population. An 18-month sting by police resulted in the arrests, including eight locals for drug trafficking. Wellington, New South Wales: Wellington in western NSW has such a sordid history with crystal methamphetamine that it has come to be known as 'little Antarctica'. The television program 'Ice Wars' centered on the tiny town of 4,000. The mother of one addict revealed she kept her money safe by 'sleeping with her purse' to keep it away from her son. Katherine, Northern Territory: The meth crisis saw a youth worker and former corrections officer from Katherine in the Northern Territory fired last year - after he was caught driving with ice in his system. Katherine which is south of Darwin has been labelled the meth capital of the NT. Smithton, Tasmania: The huge drug problem in Smithton, Tasmania prompted the documentary Two Trains which features Jacqui Lambie talking about her son's addiction. Sale, Victoria: The Gippsland tourist town of Sale has been described as being 'riddled' with ice addicts - with young professionals, tradies and university students picking up the pipe. In 2015 police revealed the drug was so popular in the town people were 'making it in the back of cars' before selling it on the street. Advertisement

Chemicals and equipment found in a methamphetamine manufacturing lab

'She had been off it for almost two years, then she started to be pulled back into the scene, instead of going back to being dependent on it she killed herself.

'My partner who was also my dealer at the time couldn't handle it  he tried to hang himself and failed and then tried committing suicide again days later it was after we had been awake for ten days, it was a destructive time.'

When she was forced to deal to come up with the cash for her own habit she found 'everyone' was on it - some of her frequent customers included 'other mums, lawyers, school teachers and former heroin addicts'.

The mum pictured with her children during the height of her addiction - which went on for almost five years

This clandestine drug laboratory in Cowra, NSW was uncovered in 2015

Picture shows a drug lab dismantled by police in south-west Sydney

She refused to sell to children under 17 but knew children as young as 12 who would use daily.

Ice Breaker's Ms Gordon said ice is dangerous because it effects everyone  this means children can also access the drug and get addicted.

'There are young children who are experimenting with ice because they are in homes where it is readily available and their conditioned to the fact that using it is normal.

'The youngest person I know who uses it is 11 but I am aware of children starting younger,' she said.

Ice Breaker's Ms Gordon, pictured here with co-worker Craig, believes the idea of 'hot-spots' in naive

Mandy, 68, says she was chased down the street by someone holding a running chainsaw in Murray Bridge, where she lives on the same street as eight ice dealers

But Ms Gordon, who helps addicts throughout Western Australia believes the term 'hot-spots' is naive.

'I really don't believe that anywhere is worse than anywhere else it is just if there is a larger population there are more people but it is the same percentage.'

According to Cracks in the ice, an online Government-funded toolkit about the meth crisis, 1.3 million Australians have used the drug  with rural and regional towns hit hardest.Brave Ali Abbas, 27, pictured with little Yusuf after he travelled to Iraq

An orphan who lost both his arms from a missile strike in Baghdad which killed 16 members of his family during the 2003 Gulf War has fathered a baby boy.

The birth is of baby Yusuf is a miracle for Ali Abbas, 27, who was given little chance of survival while being treated for his injuries when aged 12 in an Iraqi hospital.

Ali's joy today is all the greater after the sadness of events 15 years ago when he suffered horrific first-degree burns after his home was hit by a US missile.

Although immigration laws are currently preventing his wife Zainab from joining him the UK, where he became a citizen in 2010, he is still over the moon with the new arrival.

'In my darkest moments I could never have imagined that I would become a father one day.' he told Mirror.co.uk from his home in London.

'Now Yusuf is my future, my family. Now his arms are my arms. From now for every day of his life I will enjoy watching him do all the things I haven't been able to do.'

'But I intend to be a role model for him. While I don't have my arms, I can still feed him, using my feet, and while I can't cuddle him, we often lay down together, side by side so I can kiss him.'

Ali has arranged for a baby sling to enable him to hold his son to his chest as an alternative to hugging him.

While Ali is unable to hug baby Yusuf, the doting father has arranged for a sling that will allow him to hold his son to his chest as an alternative to hugging

Ali Ismail Abbas was aged 12 when he was severely wounded during an airstrike on his home in Baghdad - doctors said at the time he would be unlikely to survive

'After all that has happened in my life, I almost have to pinch myself that he is here. He is the most wonderful, precious gift and I'm determined to be the best father I can possibly be for him.'

Yusuf was born in a central Baghdad hospital on January 23, weighing a healthy 8lb 8oz. He has quickly bonded with his mother Zainab who Ali married last February.

Ali became a British citizen in 2010 and now lives in London. But he visits Iraq on a regular basis, and it was there where he met his 21-year-old wife.

They have been conducting a long-distance relationship and as soon as he heard of his son's imminent arrival he got on a plane to witness the birth.

Yusuf was born in a central Baghdad hospital on January 23, weighing a healthy 8lb 8oz. He has quickly bonded with his mother Zainab who Ali married last February

'I got a call from Zainab's mum at 11pm on January 22 to say she had started having contractions so I booked the next flight out I could,' he said, 'although that meant I knew I'd miss the birth.

'I stayed up all night waiting for the next phone call which came at 3am along with the first picture of Yusuf. I cried and then prayed, thanking God for the news of his safe arrival.

'I wasn't due to visit Iraq for a few weeks but I couldn't wait any longer to meet my son, so hours later I was on a plane to meet him. I just couldn't believe it when I saw him for the first time.

'His fingers were so tiny, and such small toes. To have the joy of my own family after all that's happened was a profound and wonderful moment. I was in tears. I felt so happy, so proud.

'Zainab was lying on a bed resting when I first walked in and Yusuf was in a crib beside her.

'She was so shocked because my visit was a surprise.

'I asked Zainab's mum if she would lift Yusuf out and put him on my stomach so I could feel his heart beating. It was a very special moment, which I'll never forget. I gave him lots of kisses.

'He is such a good baby and everyone says he looks like me especially the nose. Zainab is breast-feeding Yusuf but we also agreed that so I can feed him too, that he can have some bottles which I hold using my feet.

'I also use my feet to rock him in his crib to sleep. Those moments are incredibly precious to share with my son and I'm determined to do all that I can.'

Ali came to epitomise the horrors of the Gulf War when the picture of him in his makeshift hospital bed was beamed around the world after the attack.

'I almost have to pinch myself that he is here', said Ali. He added that he will enjoy watching his son do all the things he has been unable to do

The dedicated father still manages to rock baby Yusuf to sleep using his feet - and even manages to bottle feed him

A campaign was launched to lobby Prime Minister Tony Blair to allow him to get specialist treatment.

Ali was eventually taken to Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, South East London, and fitted with artificial arms.

'While I was born in Iraq, London is now my home now,' he said as he proudly displayed a Manchester United Red Devils tattoo on his first prosthetic arm. But nowadays he rarely uses his prosthetics, using his feet instead for daily tasks.

But the blast still haunts Ali, who suffered 60% burns and contracted potentially deadly sepsis.

He can sometimes still hear the echoes of his family's screams as a ceiling and wall fell on them while fire engulfed their home, he said.

Ali was only rescued because a neighbour plucked him as he lay severely injured amid the burning rubble and rushed him off to hospital. His subsequent recovery astonished everyone in Iraq, where he still has stepsisters and an extended family.

Ali was brought to the UK where despite the loss of most of his family he has been able to start a new life

Ali divorced his first wife because of the strain of living in separate countries. However, he met Zainab through family friends on a trip to Baghdad in December 2016 and fell in love again.

'My extended family knows Zainab's family well and so we were introduced in that way,' he said. 'She is lovely and caring and I felt very relaxed with her from the start. Most importantly, we both wanted children, which is something that has always been my dream.

'I told her I wanted to try for a child immediately after we were married and she was happy with that. The couple married in a traditional two-day Iraqi ceremony witnessed by 200 family and friends and in May last year Zainab announced she was pregnant.

'Ali's joy was tempered only by concerns about coping with yet another long-distance relationship.

Ali did not in his wildest dreams believe that he would one day have a child of his own given the severity of his injuries. He is pictured left playing football with members of the Limbless Association in 2013 and right in 2003, when he was 13, with 14-year-old Ahmed Mohammed Hamza, who lost a leg and right hand in Iraq

'I have been a British citizen for many years but the Iraqi people are also my people and so it is like living between two worlds.

'I hope very much Zainab and my son will be able to join me in Britain eventually but that will ultimately be a matter for the Government to decide.'

But for now Ali must cope with being a long-distance husband and father who cannot wait until each new trip. He next plans to see his son in mid March.

He plans on bringing Zainab to be with him in the UK but has not began visa preparations for his wife, who wanted to give birth to Yusuf in his homeland.

Ali must cope with being a long-distance husband and father who cannot wait until each new trip. He next plans to see his son in mid March

During his last visit to meet Yusuf, he also celebrated his 27th birthday on February 9.

'Having Yusuf was the best birthday present ever.' he said. 'Zainab and I kept him very close to us and it was the first time I've slept with a smile on my face. I kept waking up in the night and each time I would get up and just gaze at him.

'It made me think back to being in a hospital bed during the war. I remember overhearing a doctor telling my auntie I was going to die so I never believed I would be here today let alone as a father to a child.'

Remembering his mother who was killed in the Baghdad blast, Ali said: 'I know she would be so proud of me, Zainab and Yusuf and would have loved to be a grandmother to him.

'She cannot be here but I am determined to keep her memory alive by telling Yusuf all about her.'

In the meantime, Ali is preoccupied with planning the next visit to his son, when he plans to take with him a special piece of equipment.

'A friend called and asked what gift I might like to celebrate the new baby. I told her I would like a baby carrier so that Yusuf can be strapped to my chest. That way, he can go everywhere with me, next to my heart.

'Later I will learn to pick him up with my feet but for now, this will keep him close.'Advertisement

Mamie Griffin sits tall in her chair, her posture almost perfect, her head leaned slightly to the side. Her right arm is crossed over her left hand, holding up a copy of the book The Wife of Monte Cristo, her confident gaze looks straight through the image from 1914. In color, she comes even more to life in her green dress with crochet lace detailing, her book more obvious in bright hues.

This photo of Mamie Griffin, an African American cook in Lincoln, Nebraska, is one of a series of images that have been colorized by members of the Facebook group 'Teach me to color', where members help each other with colorizing old black and white photos. The original images in this series are black and white glass negatives that focus on African Americans in Lincoln from 1910-1925, during what was known as the New Negro Movement.

That movement, which gave African Americans the chance to speak for themselves, was happening across the US despite segregation and Jim Crow laws. The New Negro Movement was often focused on large cities, with portraits being taken in professional studios, but in Lincoln, African American photographer John Johnson was taking his photographs on people's porches and inside their homes.

 Slide me  This colorized image of Mamie Griffin is one of a set of black and white glass negatives that have been colorized by members of the Facebook group 'Teach me to color'. The originals were part of a series of photographs of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1910-1925, during what was known as the New Negro Movement. Mamie Griffin was a cook and she and her husband Edward, a waiter at the Lincoln Hotel, lived at 915 U Street in Lincoln, a dirt street among railroad tracks. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Lori Zaza, a digital colorist from the Chicago area and a member of 'Teach me to color', saw Johnson's photographs and fell in love with them. She colored a number of the negatives, including the left side of this glass plate, on which Johnson exposed two images

Zaza says this is one of her favorite images that she colorized, particularly because of the antique vases and flowers on the porch with the unidentified young woman. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

After the Civil War ended in 1865, many African Americans moved out of the South and a small population came to Lincoln. By 1900, the Nebraska town had a population of 40,000, which included a small community of about 1,000 African Americans as well as a significant immigrant community, primarily made up of Russian-German immigrants.

Jim Crow laws and segregation were prevalent in the Midwestern state, despite being far from the South. Lincoln had a significant KKK presence, interracial marriage was illegal and African Americans were given limited housing and job opportunities. Despite those restrictions, Johnson took hundreds of photographs of everyday people from those communities, giving them dignity and respect at a time when they received little of either from the rest of society.

Doug Keister, 69, discovered a set of 280 of Johnson's glass negatives when he was 17. Today, with the help of Nebraska historians who have also discovered sets of Johnson's negatives and photographs, Keister is trying to identify the people in the pictures. Historians working on the project know of at least 500 photographs and negatives, though they expect there could be more.

Last year, after DailyMail.com published a selection of Johnson's black and white negatives, the colorization Facebook group 'Teach me to color' asked Keister if some of the group's members could colorize the images for practice and he said yes. The 1,100-member group is made up of people learning how to digitally restore and colorize old photos. Lori Zaza, a digital colorist from the Chicago area and a member of 'Teach me to color', saw Johnson's photographs and fell in love with them.

'I noticed that with them being glass negatives, they have somewhat of a higher tonal range and detail over other forms of photography,' she tells DailyMail.com. 'It's just quite different from the digital photography that's today, the depth.'

She adds: 'I have great admiration for what Doug is doing with the collection. He's not only trying to identify the people, the subjects in the photos, but also trying to locate descendants of people in the photos and researching the history and conditions of the small town in Nebraska around that time period. I think it's awesome what he's doing.'

 Slide me  Cora and Alonzo (Lon) Thomas operated a small grocery from the front room of this house at 715 C Street. Four of their five children are pictured here. Baby Lonnie, born in 1909, sits on Herschel's lap. Agnes stands at left, and eldest son Wendell stands at the center. The young man at right is probably Lucius Knight, their mother's half brother. Wendell worked a typical variety of jobs in Lincoln including as a waiter, clerk, porter, laborer, and janitor, before founding the Thomas Funeral Home in Omaha. The Thomas family and many other African American families lived in the South Bottoms, a neighborhood mainly of Germans from Russia, Lincoln's largest immigrant group. The little blonde girl is three-year-old Marie Busche, daughter of German immigrant Fred Busche. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

Manilla Jewett is pictured wearing a shirtdress. She was a Lincoln High graduate and worked as a theater usher. In 1921 she married a young AME pastor. They served in Duluth, Council Bluffs and Cedar Rapids, where she passed away. She was born in an Iowa coal mining town and raised in the uniquely integrated coal mining town of Buxton, Iowa. Her father, Alfred, died in 1905 and her mom a few years later. By 1917 she had arrived in Lincoln and was her school's participant in the state spelling bee. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

 Slide me  In this picture, Johnson captures a picnic from someone's backyard. Johnson was sure to pose the ten picnickers and the pitbull terrier so that everyone can be seen. The benches have been angled out and it is suspected that the couple standing at the head of the table are the hosts. Colorization by George Wellman

Walter R Colley (1871-1970) is pictured sitting right, with his wife Lula (1875-1958) sitting left. Walter's son-in-law Clyde Malone (1890-1951) is standing behind him. Between Walter and Lula is their daughter Izetta (1892-1966). Clyde was 20 and Izetta 18 when they married in 1910, around the time this photograph was taken. Their marriage lasted over 40 years until Clyde's death in 1951. Clyde was born in Lincoln to Frank and Pency Malone. His father was a plasterer. Lula and Walter moved their family from Lexington, Missouri, to Lincoln in 1905. Colorization by George Wellman

Zaza has been colorizing photos for over three years now. She has had a passion for family history and genealogy for the last ten years and stumbled upon colorization tutorials when she was doing research on photo restoration and preservation for some of her old family pictures. She was immediately interested in the colorizing process and began studying different procedures.

'After I got my own technique in coloring, I felt that it was breathing new life into old family photos,' she says. 'Often times, small details emerge that you wouldn't ordinarily have noticed in the black and white photos.'

The colorization process can take a long time, Zaza says, depending on the amount of research needed to get the colors right and the details in the images. Zaza says her goal is to make her colorizations are as natural and realistic as possible.

In order to do that, digital colorists research shades and hues that would have been used around the time the photograph was taken. Some subject matters, such as military uniforms, can require more thorough research that takes longer to ensure the accuracy of the colors.

'Some things you just have to guess based on the era,' Zaza says. 'Other times, I learn from the client as far as hair and eye color or perhaps they remembered what color dress the person was wearing, but when they don't know, based on the year that the photo was taken, I can research and find out what colors were popular at that time. I can look at old catalogs, things like that.'

When it comes to colorizing, that process also varies, depending on how detailed the photograph is. Zaza says the colors are added in layers to a copy of the original, which remains untouched. Each color has its own layer over the image. To color an entire photograph, which Zaza always does, it can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week to complete.

 Slide me  This unknown boy is pictured holding these two hounds on what appears to be their doghouse. Johnson often photographed children with dignity. Colorization by Karen Pearson

Florence Jones (left), Elenora 'Kit' Carriger (right) and a woman believed to be Kit's mother Alice (center) are pictured in front of a makeshift backdrop. Kit Carriger (1893-1981) married George Evans (1874-1945) around 1919. They were very active in Newman Methodist Episcopal Church. George was a charter member of Lincoln's black Masonic lodge and worked for many years as a chauffeur and houseman for CB Towle, a manufacturer. Widowed for 36 years, Kit cooked for a fraternity. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.com

 Slide me  Frances Hill (1904-1932) is pictured inside what is believed to be the home of John C and Mabel Galbreath, with whom Hill lived for most of the 1920s. Frances married Bert Taylor around 1929 or 1930 and moved to New York City, where she died in 1932. Photographing in homes posed special challenges in the days of bulky view cameras and flash powder. Johnson apparently took few interior photographs but accomplished some effective images. If the rings on both hands are an indication of marriage, this may be one of the very latest Johnson images. Colorization by Melanie Arrowood

As she goes through the process, Zaza says she often wonders about the people in the photographs.

'Sometimes when I'm working on a photo, I might wonder how things were in that time, what the person may have been thinking,' Zaza says. 'I especially like to color eyes, all the while wishing I could see just a glimpse of what they have seen.'

She adds: 'I also enjoy the end results of my colorization. You notice details that you wouldn't have ordinarily seen when it was black and white. Sometimes I zoom way in to a photo and I was like, oh, there's something in the background I hadn't seen when I just glanced at the photo. And like I said, I just think that it brings them back to life.'

Among the images in Doug's collection that Zaza colorized, her particular favorite was of a young woman sitting in a chair on a porch. The original glass negative had two portraits of the woman from different angles, showing that Johnson knew how to expose two images on one plate. Zaza colored one of the portraits, that has two antique vases with flowers on the porch as well. The young woman, wearing a headband and a long, beaded necklace, has not been identified.

'I just loved everything about it,' she says. 'But I love all the photos. I mean, unless I'm drawn to a picture, I really won't color it.'

 Slide me  Florence Jones (later Clark) is pictured right with an unidentified friend sitting on a hammock. Florence was a student at Park and McKinley Elementary Schools and Lincoln High School. She graduated in 1923. Colorization by Beth Crowe

 Slide me  Lincoln, Nebraska city workers are pictured in front of the city hall, with photographer John Johnson standing in the center, behind another worker. Johnson took hundreds of photographs of the African American and immigrant communities in Lincoln, documenting everyday life in those communities while dignifying the subjects. Colorization by Beth Crowe

 Slide me  A Volga German family is pictured. African Americans and immigrants lived together in an area of Lincoln, Nebraska known as Russian Bottoms, so named because of a large population of Volga Germans (Germans from Russia) who came there in the latter part of the 19th century. Colorization by Lori Zaza colorbylori@aol.comRob Porter's ex-wife Jennifer Willoughby is pushing back against White House chief of staff John Kelly's statement that he initially stood by his aide because he thought he was only accused of 'emotional abuse.'

'Emotional and psychological abuse is abuse! she said in a statement after Kelly spoke about the Porter scandal again.

Kelly spoke at length about the timeline of his involvement in the situation involving the former White House staff secretary who resigned after allegations of spousal abuse.

Kelly insisted Friday that he did not know the full scope of information about Porter on Feb. 6, when DailyMail.com briefed the White House on the story it was about to publish about it. He said he was under the impression it dealt only with 'emotional abuse.'

'I don't know what information. I don't know if there was anything in there about messy divorces or whatever, but we had received some information,' Kelly told reporters.

ABUSE IS ABUSE: Jennifer Willoughby is pushing back against White House chief of staff John Kelly after his statement that he stood by Rob Porter thinking he was only charged with 'emotional abuse'

Jennifer Willoughby, whose accusations were detailed in the original DailyMail story, shot back in a statement to CNN.

My only comment is the sadness I felt when Kelly defended his first statement of defense of Rob saying they thought it was only emotional abuse, Willoughby said.

'He changed the statement after realizing it was physical abuse. That is insulting to anyone suffering an abusive situation now. Emotional and psychological abuse is abuse! she wrote.

Kelly's statement is also at odds with the sequence of events that unfolded on Tuesday Feb. 6, when a DailyMail.com reporter told White House press staff in press secretary Sarah Sanders' office about Willoughby's detailed claims, including physical and emotional abuse  and a restraining order she had obtained against Porter.

Trump's Chief of Staff John Kelly acknowledged on Friday that the FBI had briefed the White House about accused domestic abuser Rob Porter, who served as Trump's staff secretary for more than a year  but denied knowing the specifics; sources tell DailyMail.com that he was briefed personally last November

Additionally, sources have told DailyMail.com that Kelly got an FBI briefing in November about information the FBI had collected in their background check investigation of Porter, telling him the aide's security clearance would be denied because his past spousal abuse made him a blackmail risk.

Kelly said in his account of the timeline: 'We put out a statement of support for him and an hour later now find out there's a second report -- still not in the press, still no pictures -- just an inquiry by someone probably in this room that said 'Hey, his first wife of 15 years ago says that there was physical abuse,' " Kelly said.

Porter, shown with now-former girlfriend and outgoing White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, was forced out of his sensitive job after DailyMail.com published his ex-wives damning accounts of physical abuse

Jennifer Willoughby, Porter's second ex-wife, said her then-husband yanked her, naked, from a shower  an accusation DailyMail.com relayed to the White House; Kelly said Friday that her claim only encompassed 'emotional' abuse and a 'messy divorce'

Colbie Holderness, Porter's first wife, (left) told DailyMail.com that he repeatedly punched and choked her; DailyMail.com told the White House about this photo on the morning of February 7, but Kelly claimed Friday that he knew about it a day earlier  and yet still allowed a glowing statement about Porter to be read to the press under his name

Overnight, the Intercept published a photo of Porter's first ex-wife, Colbie Holderness, featuring a black eye she says she got from Porter during a vacation in Italy.

Early in the morning of February 7, at 1.53 a.m., The Intercept tweeted photographs of Holderness, showing her with a black eye, taken during a vacation in Italy when the couple were married and said it planned to publish a story alleging domestic abuse later in the day.

Kelly's glowing statement defending Porter, issued at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday night, was still in effect the following afternoon when Press Secretary Sarah Sanders read it aloud from the briefing room podium before confirming Porter's resignation publicly.

'I have absolutely nothing to even consider resigning over,' Kelly said.A photo of a New South Wales ambulance's number plate uploaded to a popular internet forum is causing a bit of a stir online but can you decipher why?

Reddit user mubd1234 uploaded the photograph under 'Unfortunate ambulance number plate' on Friday which shows a New South Wales ambulance driving in front of him with the number plate DNR 25W.

In medical circles the acronym DNR is short for Do Not Resuscitate.

A photo of a New South Wales ambulance's number plate uploaded to a popular internet forum is causing a bit of a stir online but can you decipher why?

Comments on the post range from the bemused to the quizzical.

'Huh, never occurred to me before, but why don't emergency vehicles have a special or different plate?' StaryMate2000 wrote.

Reddit user Phenomenem pointed out that it was a timely number plate.

'Or extremely relevant,' he wrote.

The post comes in the wake of news that paramedics will now be able to refuse help patients after it was revealed three paramedics a week are attacked in NSW alone Yahoo 7 News reported.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he would support any ambulance crews if they deemed a situation was too unsafe to treat a patient.

The post comes in the wake of news that paramedics will now be able to refuse help patients and Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he would support any ambulance crews if they deemed a situation was too unsafe to treat a patient

'You must not put our paramedics at risk. If you do, you're putting yourself, and your family or your friends at risk,' he said in an official statement.

NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan also supported the announcement and said he trusted the judgement of his paramedics.

'If that means the paramedic needs to stand off until the situation is clarified, or the police are in attendance, then we will back our paramedics to do that,' he said.Students who cyberbully will soon be suspended under tough new laws introduced by the New South Wales Government.

Principals will have the power to suspend students if their cyber-bullying impacts the safety of other students or staff - even if that conduct happens outside of school hours.

The new Education Amendment (School Safety) Bill 2017 law passed parliament last year and will be introduced after consultation has occurred with Government and non-government schools.

Students who cyberbully could soon be suspended under tough new laws introduced by the NSW Government.

Mother-of-two Ellie Luff told the Daily Telegraph she was shocked when a police officer told parents each of their children would be followed by at least one groomer online.

She turns off the computer every night at 9.30pm to ensure her children are protected from cyber-bullies.

'The question to ask is would you let your children walk around at 9.30 at night and talk to strangers, of course not,' she told the publication.

'We do talk to our kids about it (cyber-safety) but our school, St Andrew's school, is very proactive and professional, bringing in police and other experts to talk about the issues.'

A Sydney teacher told Daily Mail Australia bullying is hard to detect both in and outside the classroom.

'Definitely I think Education is the key and the younger the better,' she said.

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes, on introducing the legislation into Parliament, said the changes would enable schools to 'discipline the student' and 'stop the misconduct'.

He said this would apply even if the behaviour happens outside of school hours and away from the school.

'These are important amendments that are necessary to protect students and staff from the risk of seriously violent conduct affecting the health and safety of a school,' he said.

NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes (pictured) introduced the new law into Parliament last year

In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, the Minister said there is growing evidence that new technology like smartphones are a cause of distraction and disciplinary difficulties in some schools.

'While smartphones offer an amazing connection to the world, that connectivity can also be used to cause pain for other students and disrupt teaching and learning in new ways not considered a decade ago,' he said.

Minister Stokes said is person view is that personal interaction should be valued above online interaction.'

'A reason why we introduced the Education Amendment (School Safety) Bill last year was to recognise the reach of technology now to hurt others in schools beyond the school gate.

'The Bill extended disciplinary powers to student conduct that seriously affected  or threatened to seriously affect  the health or safety of students or staff even if that conduct such as cyberbullying occurred outside school grounds or school hours.

'My view is that we should value personal interaction above online interaction.'Bill Shorten has been slammed for racking a bill of $1013 after leaving a Comcar driver waiting for him all day while he attended a party.

The hefty bill which is paid for by the taxpayers comes one month after the Labor leader shamed ministers who drive around in their Comcars.

Comcar service is part of the Department of Finance which provides Australian Government employees car-with driver and other ground transport services.

Bill Shorten has been slammed for racking a bill of $1013 while he partied at an exclusive Melbourne Cup party

Bill Shorten (left) and his wife Chloe (right), partied in an exclusive invite-only event last year

According to the latest parliament expenses update, Mr Shorten outspent all government ministers who also use the car service, The Australian reported.

The Labor leader had an AFP security detail when he attended the Melbourne Cup and his Comcar driver for the day was unable to leave while he and his wife Chloe, partied in an exclusive invite-only event.

In five months, Mr Shorten spent almost $40,000 on Comcar travel whereas Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spent just over $21,000 in the same period, The Australian reported.

A spokesperson for Mr Shorten told The Weekend Australian that all of the expenses acquired by the Labor leader are for official business and the travelling is conducted within the rules.

'Unlike Malcolm Turnbull, Bill makes a point of getting out of Canberra and into the regions to spend quality time listening to locals,' the spokesperson said.

'All work expenses are for official business and all travel is conducted in accordance with the rules.'

Comcar service provides Australian Government employees car-with driver and other ground transport services

Mr Shorten (pictured) outspent all government ministers who also use the car service

Comcars are billed at an hourly rate of $114 for all ministers, however Mr Shorten has some of the most high charges for the service.

There are eight charges claimed by Mr Shorten which are all above $700 between August and December last year.

The day that senator Sam Dastyari resigned from parliament, Mr Shorten used the service twice on the same day racking another $1000 bill.

While out supporting Kristina Keneally in the Bennelong by-election last year, Mr Shorten acquired another bill of $971.

Within the same period, Mr Turnbull's Comcar bill totaled to $21,072, with the highest charge being $771.

The Australian reports that Mr Shorten outspent every government minister, and outspent half of the ministers by up to four times.

On Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten's trip to Israel to commemorate the Battle of Beersheba, Mr Shorten spent almost double of that of Mr Turnbull.

Mr Turnbull spent $43,801 to travel to Israel and Sri Lanka, not including airfares, with his staff's travel bill worth $11,400.

The Shortens flew with two staff via a stop in Hong Kong for two more days and spent almost $92,000, and the staff bill being worth $44,143.Images of scantily clad women and saucy names used to promote craft beers are to be banned from bottles and pumps.

Names such as Dizzy Blonde have become popular in the marketing of independent beers, which are enjoying a sales boom. It is part of a wider recognition that craft beers are to be enjoyed by women just as much as men.

A first sign of change can be seen on pump clips used to market Elsie Mo, made by the Castle Rock Brewery in Nottingham. The original versions were inspired by historical images of US aircraft nose art and were in the pin-up style.

Names such as Dizzy Blonde have become popular in the marketing of independent beers, which are enjoying a sales boom

One showed a woman kicking her legs in the air to reveal suspenders and underwear. The new version features Elsie Mo as a heroic pilot figure.

The brewerys managing director Colin Wilde said it was time to acknowledge that the sexualised presentation of Elsie Mo is not accepted by a culture that strives for, and celebrates, equality.

Other beers that might be penalised include Robinsons Dizzy Blonde, whose label has a picture of a leggy woman in a mini-dress and high heels. Bude Brewerys Adult Wrestling is also in the firing line with their Strawberry Blonde Ale that portays a woman on top of a man in bed, while Grafton Brewerys Winters Dream pictures a naked woman from behind in the snow.

The label on the Belgian fruit beer Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, showing a naked woman sitting on a mans knee, has been criticised and in October an Irish brewery came under fire for its tagline Dublin Blonde goes down easy.

Elsie Mo beer was previously branded by a sexy pin-up but is now instead a pilot

In the wake of the #MeToo movement and the backlash against sexual harassment and abuse, the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) is drawing up a new code of practice to outlaw marketing which is considered sexist and offensive.

The campaign against these beer labels and promotions is being led by Jaega Wise, recently elected as the south east director for SIBA. Miss Wise said: The issue of sexist and discriminatory beer marketing has been raised at board level.

Members may wish to consider their current branding and make plans to change any which might be considered inappropriate by consumers.

The Campaign for Real Ales national executive said it abhorred sexism and would take action against members being disrespectful because of a persons gender.James Bulger's father (above) has slammed the decision to grant his son's killer legal aid for a string of court cases, calling it 'a disgrace'

James Bulger's father has slammed the decision to grant his son's killer legal aid for a string of court cases, calling it 'a disgrace'.

Jon Venables and Robert Thompson tortured and murdered the two-year-old in 1993 when they were ten years old after abducting him from a Liverpool shopping centre.

In 2010 Venables pleaded guilty to downloading and distributing child pornography and was jailed for two years.

He is currently serving 40 months in prison after pleading guilty to having more than 1,000 indecent images of children at a trial at the Old Bailey earlier this month.

Now James' father Ralph Bulger has spoken out after it transpired Venables had received 259,585 to pay for civil claims, judicial reviews and applications for new identities.

The figure does not include his original trial or most recent charge, so could be much higher.

The killer first received almost 180,000 in state cash to challenge his 15-year sentence for murder, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

Several new identities each cost 250,000 to set up and two judicial reviews cost more than 22,000.

Ralph said his own application for legal aid was blocked when he tried to fund an appeal against a decision that Venables and Thompson were eligible for parole.

The pair had served eight years for the toddler's murder.

Jamess father Ralph told the Daily Mirror: Its a disgrace to pay this to Venables from the public purse.

He is a sexual predator and child killer who got all this money and yet I have consistently been denied legal aid over the years trying to keep him locked up and away from the public.

I have always said that the killers have been treated better than us and this proves my point beyond any doubt. Its a real insult to Jamess memory to continue to protect his killer in this way.

Jon Venables (left) and Robert Thompson (right) were just 10 years old when they murdered two-year-old James

The toddler was abducted from a Liverpool shopping centre by the pair in 1993

Earlier this month James' mother Denise Fergus revealed she had only just learned the extent of her son's sexual injuries as the 25th anniversary of his death loomed.

She demanded an inquiry into what was known by authorities when her son's killers were released in 2001, claiming the parole board did not know all the facts before freeing the pair.

Ms Fergus' calls were twice rejected by the Government, despite a petition signed by more than 190,000 people.

'I have always said I didn't want to know the full details of about the sexual abuse on my son and only found out the true extent of what they did this week,' she said at the time.

'After I had learned this week, via social media, that the Government had turned down out request for a public inquiry I felt backed into a corner so I asked the relevant people to tell me everything because I need to know now, which was totally heart breaking.

'Releasing Venables was massive mistake. Both of them should have served time in an adult prison.'



Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh made the remark on the sidelines of the 24th ASEAN Economic Ministers Retreat (AEM Retreat 24), which took place in Singapore on March 1st-2nd.

According to him, Vietnam has actively collaborated with ASEAN countries in developing the Trade Facilitation Index (TFI) to measure the level in each member state. Based on it, ASEAN will give recommendations to each nation on measures to be improved to reach the goals of reducing 10 percent in trade costs by 2020 and doubling the intra-bloc trade value by 2025.

The country has also proactively implemented the initiative on the ASEAN Wide Self-Certification (AWSC), which aims to replace two other pilot mechanisms on self-certification.

The AWSC will help Vietnamese entrepreneurs self-certify their products to ship to nine other ASEAN nations rather than to several ones, which helps save them time, costs, and resources.

During the two-day retreat, ASEAN economic ministers reached agreements on priorities designed by the host to promote e-commerce, trade facilitation, services and integration, thus creating a favourable business climate via realising the targets of the AEC Blueprint 2025.

According to Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang, the priorities Singapore plans to pursue in 2018 will bring in visible benefits to ASEAN businesses and residents alike thanks to lower costs, more abundant materials and more favourable conditions for trade and investment.

ASEAN has achieved initial successes with the launching of the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) and ratification of the ASEAN Declaration on Cruise Tourism to develop sea tourism in the region, he said.

ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam./.Deputy Jacob Pickett (Pictured), 33, was pronounced dead at nearby Witham Hospital after suffering from a gun shot wound that left him in critical condition

An Indiana police officer who was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a fleeing suspect on Friday is the first cop to die in the line of duty for the Boone County Sheriff's office in more than 80 years.

Deeputy Jacob Pickett was pronounced dead at nearby Witham Hospital after suffering from a gun shot wound that left him in critical condition.

Pickett, 33, is the first officer to be killed while serving in blue for the Boone County Sheriff's office since 1935.

The incident unfolded after officers with the Lebanon Police Department attempted to serve an unidentified woman a warrant for her arrest.

After arriving to the residence, they spotted a second suspect with an outstanding arrest warrant later identified as 28-year-old John D. Baldwin Jr.

After spotting the police officers, Baldwin Jr. ignored orders to stop and instead fled the scene in a silver Ford Focus with two other people.

John D. Baldwin Jr., 28 (L), is accused of shooting and killing Deputy Jacob Pickett. He was arrested along with his father, John Baldwin Sr., 55 (M), and Anthony Baumgarht, 21 (R)

The Brownsburg Indiana native was the head K9 handler for the Boone County Sheriff's office and worked with his canine partner, Brick (Pictured)

They were later identified as his father, John Baldwin Sr., 55, and Anthony Baumgarht, 21, according to Fox News.

After a short car chase, the men exited the vehicle and attempted to escape on foot.

'While chasing one of the suspects the Boone County Deputy was shot,' police said in a statement, adding he 'was later apprehended by officers on I-65 after another pursuit.'

Baumgarht was also shot and wounded in the incident with his condition remaining unclear.

The Brownsburg Indiana native was the head K9 handler for the Boone County Sheriff's office and worked with his canine partner, Brick.

'Prior to his work with BCSO he served as a deputy for the Tipton County Sheriff's Department from November of 2013 until July of 2015. Deputy Pickett also served as a jailer at the Marion County Jail from 2010 until 2013,' the department said in a statement.A California man is in the hospital recovering from stab wounds after he was stabbed during a threesome.

An unidentified 32-year-old man said he invited two women, 18 and 22, back to his home after meeting them in Downtown Los Angeles. They took the Metro Gold Line to Pasadena to the man's residence.

'He said they had consensual sex,' Lt. Pete Hettema of the Pasadena Police Department told the Pasadena Star-News.

'At some point (he says) the women accused him of raping them. Both stabbed him repeatedly. He ran to a neighbor's house to call police.'

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An unidentified 32-year-old man invited two women, 18 and 22, back to his home (seen above) after meeting them in Downtown Los Angeles. The women later stabbed him during a threesome

Blood on the pavement outside the man's Pasadena home in California can be seen above

Police stated that the alleged victims could have used kitchen knives from the man's home - neither the women or the weapons used have been located.

Hettema added that there was blood in the apartment following the stabbing.

The women have both been described as Latina and have facial piercings.

The neighborhood where the incident occurred is described as quiet, and the stabbings were very out of the ordinary according to residents.

'It's definitely shocking - I've been here over 30 years and I don't see things like this around here,' a neighbor named John told KTLA.

Police are continuing to search for the women.Paul Drechsler (pictured), the corporate lobbying groups chairman, told executives to speak up and agitate to keep Britain in the EU customs union

The Confederation of British Industry sparked fury last night after urging bosses to turn the public against Brexit.

Paul Drechsler, the corporate lobbying groups chairman, told executives to speak up and agitate to keep Britain in the EU customs union.

At a black tie dinner in the City of London, he launched a tirade against the risk of an exodus of jobs after Brexit.

The CBI played a key role in Project Fear  the attempt to convince voters to back Remain in the referendum.

Speaking to several hundred company bosses on Thursday, Mr Drechsler said: Its time to speak up. The real risk is to say nothing and reap the blame later for our silence now.

He called on bosses to lay out the case for a Brexit transition period or risk jobs moving. He then urged them to make the case for a customs union and a deep relationship with the single market.

The 61-year-old continued: Speak up and perhaps, 40 years from now, on an evening like this, this room will be filled once again with those whom we once met. Those who heard our stories, and who remember what we said about business  who remember what business did, when they needed us to act.

Tory Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg said: This is the standard line from the EU-funded CBI which has consistently promoted close European integration. It supported the euro and strongly opposed Brexit. It merely represents vested interests and cares nothing for consumers.

Former Cabinet minister John Redwood added: Mr Drechsler should be really pleased so many extra jobs have been created since we voted to leave the EU, contrary to the gloom of the Remain campaign. Weve had enough of the gloom  lets look at whats going on on the ground.

Tory Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg (left) and former Cabinet minister John Redwood (right) both criticised the CBI's interventionA 27-year-old Minnesota man who admitted to abducting, raping, and strangling to death the five-year-old daughter of his friend was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Zachary Todd Anderson kidnapped Alayna Ertl in the early morning hours of August 20, 2016 from her home in Watkins, about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Alayna's body was found later that day.

Anderson was charged with murder, criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and motor vehicle theft.

During a court appearance in Walker on Friday, Anderson, a resident of Coon Rapids, admitted to killing Alayna.

Zachary Todd Anderson (left) kidnapped and murdered Alayna Ertl (right) in the early morning hours of August 20, 2016 from her home in Watkins, about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis

Anderson on Friday admitted to abducting, raping, and strangling Alayna (above) to death

Immediately after Anderson entered the guilty plea, he was sentenced to the mandatory penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of early release

An autopsy showed Alayna died from 'homicidal violence,' which included strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head

The child (seen above with her mother, Kayla) had also been sexually assaulted, according to the criminal complaint

Anderson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder involving first-degree criminal sexual conduct with sexual penetration, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.

Immediately after Anderson entered the guilty plea, he was sentenced to the mandatory penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of early release.

An autopsy showed Alayna died from 'homicidal violence,' which included strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head.

The child had also been sexually assaulted, according to the criminal complaint.

This photo shows a sign that reads 'a life gone too soon' near the cabin in rural Cass County, Minnesota where Alayna's body was found in late August 2016

Anderson was a friend of the family and had been spending Friday night at the Ertl family's house.

Alayna was last seen when she was put to bed around 2am on August 20.

She and Anderson were gone by morning along with the family's 2002 GMC Sierra truck.

He was found hours later at his family's cabin near Motley, about 80 miles to the north.

When Anderson's father found out about the abduction he called the sheriff's office and reported that he believed his son was involved.

He said Anderson had called earlier that day and asked for permission to go to their family cabin in Motley.

Investigators said they found the stolen 2002 GMC Sierra hidden in a wooded area near the cabin.

They also found a single-shot 20-gauge shotgun on the kitchen table with multiple rounds spilled about.

Alayna Ertl's parents, Kayla and Matt, hold hands with Alayna's older brother Carter as they leave the funeral home for the short procession to the church for Alayna's funeral on August 26

Officers told the station they also found an apparent suicide note with blood on it.

Anderson was arrested after being found in knee-deep water in a swampy area shortly after police began their search.

They said he had open cuts on his left wrist.

Police said he told them Alayna was hidden in the swamp under some debris. He then showed them the location.

Authorities came across the little girl's pink blanket sticking out from some brush in the water.

After scouting the area, they found the child's lifeless body submerged in the water and hidden under brush.

Alayna's body was discovered near Wilderness Park outside of Motley in rural Cass County.

Anderson was a co-worker of Ertl's father and had stayed at the home on previous occasions.

Days later, nearly 1,000 mourners gathered at the local church in Watkins for Alayna's funeral.NO CUSTOMS UNION

What she said: A customs union would mean the EU setting the UKs external tariffs. It would mean we had less control than we do now over our trade in the world. Neither Leave nor Remain voters would want that.

What she meant: Whatever your view of Brexit, this is a terrible idea. In a sop to Remainers, Jeremy Corbyn this week proposed a new UK-EU customs union. As with her red lines on ending free movement and leaving the single market, Mrs May sticks to her guns, while explaining why his proposal would make trade deals around the world all but impossible.

The EUs constant mantra has been that the UK cannot cherry pick the best parts of EU membership. Mrs Mays powerful retort is that all deals, including those the EU has signed with Ukraine and Canada involved exactly that

YES TO CHERRY PICKING

What she said: The fact is that every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.

What she meant: The EUs constant mantra has been that the UK cannot cherry pick the best parts of EU membership. Mrs Mays powerful retort is that all deals, including those the EU has signed with Ukraine and Canada involved exactly that.

TRADE OFFS

What she said: If the Parliament of the day decided not to achieve the same outcomes as EU law, it would be in the knowledge that there may be consequences for our market access.

What she meant: A clear acceptance that if Britain tries to undercut Brussels by changing regulations after we leave, the EU would have the right to hit back. On goods trading, Mrs May is accepting Britain will keep to similar rules to the EU in return for an open relationship, and will not subsidise industries. But she makes clear that after we leave, it will be up to Parliament to decide what to do next.

Infuriated by EU intransigence, Mrs May offers a detailed blueprint of our post-Brexit relationship, an optimistic vision of the future and urges EU leaders to meet her halfway

BACK OFF ON NORTHERN IRELAND

What she said: Just as it would be unacceptable to go back to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, it would also be unacceptable to break up the United Kingdoms own common market by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea.

What she meant: Your plan for Northern Ireland hasnt got a hope in hell. This week the EU attempted to use the province as a pawn in the negotiations, insisting it must remain in the customs union after Brexit while the rest of the UK leaves. Mrs May is ruling out this attack on the UKs constitutional integrity.

THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET

What she said: We have a shared interest in getting this right. Lets get on with it.

What she meant: Stop the foot dragging, political posturing and sabre-rattling and start negotiating in earnest. Infuriated by EU intransigence, Mrs May offers a detailed blueprint of our post-Brexit relationship, an optimistic vision of the future and urges EU leaders to meet her halfway. With the clock ticking, the question now is: how will they respond?The event on Wednesday was the first time the young royals, ludicrously dubbed the Fab Four, had taken to the stage together.

William and Kate and Harry and Meghan were there to promote their charity work  to make it, in Williams words, relevant to our generation and our ever-changing times.

It was all a bit self-conscious as they joked for the cameras, and what could be more noble in ambition than this generation of royals hoping to better the lives of the underprivileged?

'Using this platform to indulge in #MeToo feminist propaganda was not only unedifying, but also worrying,' writes Amanda Platell

Kate, looking heavily and happily pregnant, judged the mood perfectly, wearing a modest, sapphire-blue 99 maternity dress.

Meghan turned up in a sleeveless 1,415 silk wrap dress and was teetering on vertiginous stilettos that wouldnt be out of place in a nightclub.

But we can overlook that, given that she is new to her role.

What was impossible to ignore, however, is what she said.

Turning her back on Kate and William to get the most advantageous camera angle, she recited, in her best actressy dictum, lines that come straight out of the #MeToo sisterhood handbook.

There is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered, she began, tossing her glossy tresses.

Youll often hear people say: Well you are helping women find their voices  and I fundamentally disagree with that because women dont need to find a voice. They have a voice.

Harry's ex Cressida is acting with dignity Actress Cressida Bonas plays a dog in a fringe-theatre production of The Dog Beneath The Skin, and apologised in an interview about the role for refusing to talk about her two-year relationship with Prince Harry. I hope you understand, she told the interviewer politely. Id just rather not go into it. All credit to Cressida. She could have milked her royal connections and made a fortune, especially before the wedding  instead shes doggedly learning her trade, treading the boards of provincial theatre. Advertisement

'Actress Cressida Bonas plays a dog in a fringe-theatre production of The Dog Beneath The Skin, and apologised in an interview about the role for refusing to talk about her two-year relationship with Prince Harry'

Indeed, they do, Meghan. And Im afraid we heard too much of yours on Wednesday. Yes, shes still learning the ropes.

But using this platform to indulge in #MeToo feminist propaganda was not only unedifying, but also worrying.

The constitutional Monarchy will only survive if it keeps out of politics, and stands above fashion.

Movements like MeToo are, by their very nature, both political and controversial.

If the monarchy is to last, it cannot be used as a soapbox by a former soap star.

Meghan should understand that she need look no further than Harrys grandmother for a remarkable role model in female power.

Throughout 66 years of her reign, the Queen has kept her counsel. And yet shes always been seen as the equal of the countless  mostly male  national leaders she has met.

In so many ways, Meghan is a welcome breath of fresh air.

But the last thing Britain needs is an over-confident, virtue-signalling American actress using her position in the Royal Family to promote her right-on views.

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Meanwhile, oh-so inclusive Meghan and Harry have invited 2,640 ordinary members of the public to take part in their wedding day, allowing them into the grounds of Windsor Castle to, er, wave as they watch the happy couple and their guests arrive and leave the Chapel. In showbiz circles, such people are called extras.

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Dolly Parton, 72, Jane Fonda, 80, and Lily Tomlin, 78, are remaking the classic Eighties girl-power movie 9 To 5. In the film, the trio will set up their own business advising young women about how to get ahead in a mans world.

Given their age, Id suggest the films working title should be Noon To Five, with a post-prandial snooze written into the contracts.

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After a Facebook appeal by the Rev Martin Jackson for volunteers to clear the snow outside his church for a wedding, 40 strangers turned up.

They made short work of the steep road outside St Cuthberts Church in County Durham, and Rebecca McKenzie joyfully, if a little chilly, married her groom Daniel Hodgson.

The happy couple left the church to a guard of honour with dozens of strangers holding shovels above their heads. If thats not the winter spirit of the Good Samaritan, I dont know what is.

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Having hardly spoken to her for almost a decade, Elton John made much of his reconciliation with his mother Sheila months before she died.

Now Mum has had the last word.

In her will, rewritten three weeks before her death, Sheila divided her 534,000 estate between her loyal friends and left her son just two urns and some old family photos.

I guess her message was: dont go breaking Mums heart.

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Calling herself a terrible mother, Victoria Beckham posted pictures of her disgruntled-looking children before she packed them off to school in the snow.

It wasnt school they were upset at, Posh, but the awful snack you sent them with.

Chopped celery, peas and red peppers wont keep kids going in Arctic conditions!

'Calling herself a terrible mother, Victoria Beckham posted pictures of her disgruntled-looking children before she packed them off to school in the snow'

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Children's welfare charity Kidscape is in a lather over Primark selling 5 bikinis for 18-month-olds.

Others accuse the High Street chain of stripping the innocence from kids.

An 18-month-old baby can hardly speak, let alone choose her own swimwear.

Its not Primark who are sexualising our children, its their daft parents. All they have to do is not buy them.

Westminster wars In his treacherous pro-EU speech, John Major argued that only 37 per cent of the total electorate voted to leave while 63 per cent voted to remain or didnt vote  so Brexiteers have no democratic mandate and there should be another referendum. What a hypocrite! If the same maths were applied to his general election victory in 1992, hed never have won  only 33 per cent of the electorate voted for him while 67 per cent either voted against or didnt vote. Theresa May told an audience how she interrupted a mid-coital couple in a caravan while canvassing  which, I suppose, gives a new meaning to knocking up voters. Advertisement

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sixty-three-year- old Sally Challen, sentenced to 22 years for bludgeoning her husband to death with a hammer as he ate his breakfast at the kitchen table, has won the right to appeal  and her son says hes overjoyed.

David Challen says his father Richard fat-shamed his mother, had affairs, alienated friends and threw a dinner she had cooked into the bin, complete with crockery.

The husband sounds absolutely horrid.

But still, I somehow cant imagine that a man who had killed his wife like that with a hammer would be shown the same compassion.

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Why did U.S. actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead dump lover Ewan McGregor after he had walked out on Eve, his wife of 22 years, and four daughters, for her?

Friends say she didnt want to be known as a home-wrecker.

A bit late for that now, as Eve is said to be proceeding with their divorce.

'Why did U.S. actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead dump lover Ewan McGregor (pictured together) after he had walked out on Eve, his wife of 22 years, and four daughters, for her?'

Perhaps the real reason is that, with the sisterhood now in full cry, stealing husbands can be career-threatening.

Angelina Jolie, the James Dyson of husband-hoovering, hasnt had a hit movie since she ran off with Brad Pitt  unless we count her voiceover role in Kung Fu Panda 3.

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Judges have been told they shouldnt call those who deliver our mail postmen in court.

Evidently its considered offensive.

This week, when I tried addressing my own lovely postie  who is recovering from shoulder surgery  by the preferred term of postal operative, he cheerfully shouted back: Thanks love, the operation went well.

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Emma Thompson reveals the reason she was so compelling as the jilted wife in Love Actually is that she wasnt acting. She was reliving her past.

She and Kenneth Branagh divorced when she discovered his affair with Helena Bonham Carter.

Emma has since married actor Greg Wise, with whom she has daughter Gaia and adopted son Tindy, and is blissfully happy.

Meanwhile, Helena has split from her partner Tim Burton, who went off with a younger production assistant.

Emma says: Helena and I made our peace long ago, shes a wonderful woman.

Magnanimous? No, its revenge, actually.The #TimesUp movement will be acknowledged during the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night.

Directors Shonda Rhimes and Ava DuVernay, actresses Laura Dern and Tessa Thompson, producer Katie McGrath and attorney Nina Shaw revealed this on Thursday during a press conference according to the Los Angeles Times.

There is no plan however for any sort of dress code however like the Golden Globe Awards, when women were encouraged to wear black.

'We are not an awards show protest group,' said DuVernay, whose new film A Wrinkle in Time will be release later this month.

'So we stand down this time.'

The group also made a point of stressing they are not looking to comment on snubbing Ryan Seacreast during the red carpet in the wake of his sexual abuse allegations or Gary Oldman's past as he seems poised to grab the Best Actor trophy.

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Gathering storm: Leaders of the #TimesUp movement gathered for a press conference on Thursday to discuss what has been accomplished in the first 60 days (Two of the leaders present at that meeting, Shonda Rhimes and Ava DuVernay, above in October)

Keeping quiet: The group held back however when asked to comment on individuals like Ryan Seacrest, who some want to snub on the red carpet Sunday (Seacrest above at the 2014 Oscars)

'God, I'd hate for this whole thing to become a sound bite about Ryan Seacrest, I really would,' said DuVernay.

'It's up to the individuals that are going to be there to do what they're gonna do. There's not an official Time's Up act about this.'

She later circled back to that remark, stressing that each individual on the red carpet needs to make their own decision.

The #TimesUp movement has not publicly commented on any specific allegations against men in the industry, choosing instead to work on solutions.

'The very first meeting, people said, "Are we gonna make the list of the dudes?'" revealed McGrath.

'And we said, "That's not what we're here to do. We've just gotta work on solutions."'

She went on to explain that while the movement wants to pout an end to the 'horror stories' some women experience, it is not looking to play 'judge and jury.'

The leaders also said that the idea of a dress code was great fro visibility during the Golden Globes and BAFTAs, but they are moving on from that at this time.

'It's really important that you know that Time's Up is not about the red carpet,' said Rimes.

'And those women you saw on the red carpet representing Time's Up [during the Golden Globes] are now off the red carpet working their butts off being activists.'

DuVernay echoed this sentiment, and the fact that the movement is open to any individuals looking to join.

'I'll say this: As a student of grass-roots movements and a person who's been an activist since I was a 16-year-old in Compton, no one ever knocked on my door and said "If you care about this, come do it." You step up and you do it,' said DuVernay.

'It's not hard to find. It's on the website. Especially if you're in this industry. There's no invitation. I do hear that some people are like "You haven't invited me," but the spirit of activism and a grass-roots movement is not an invitation-based thing.'

Big night: It was also revealed there would me a #TimesUp moment at the Oscars, where accused wife beater Gary Oldman (above in February) is expected to snag the Best Actor trophy

Oldman will be seeing his ex Lesley Manville (left in 1989) on Sunday as both are nominated; his second wife Donya Fiorentino (right in 1997) claimed in 2001 he hit her with a phone while she held their son

It is unclear what #TimesUp will do with its moment, which will come on the same night that the Best Actor Oscar is expected to go to Gary Oldman, whose ex-wife accused him of beating her in front of their children during their divorce.

Oldman has denied the claims made by Donya Fiorentino, who was his third of five wives and the mother of his two sons, Gulliver and Charlie.

Fiorentino alleged that Oldman beat her with a phone while she held their son in court papers filed back in 2001, prompting the actor to call his ex a fantasist who was addicted to pills and alcohol.

Oldman also argued that the former model, now 50, was an unfit mother, and won primary custody of the couple's children.

He has admitted that his behavior during his first two marriages, to fellow Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville and Uma Thurman, was far from perfect and acknowledged his problem with alcohol.

Oldman is now sober, and has not commented on his relationship with Fiorentino in recent years.

Had Fiorentino found herself in this situation now, #TimesUp could have helped connect her with a lawyer, something they have done for 1,250 people in the first 60 days, while building a legal defense fund of $21 million and counting.

The focus of course remains on the mission, which Rhimes stated is 'to make lasting change to prevent harassment and abuses in our places of work' while speaking in one voice, despite the many different backgrounds of its members.Mercedes Schlapp - a first generation Cuban immigrant and NRA board member - is tipped to replace Hope Hicks as President Donald Trump's fifth communications director.

The 45 year old is currently the White House director of strategic communications, but she could be looking at a promotion since Hicks resigned on Wednesday.

If offered the position, she would be the Trump administration's fifth communications director, following Hicks, Anthony Scaramuchi, Mike Dubke and Sean Spicer.

Schlapp's husband told MSNBC on Thursday that his wife would be interested in the role after working for the White House since September 2017.

The Miami native is a first generation Cuban immigrant whose father was jailed for six years as a political prisoner during the Castro regime.

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Mercedes Schlapp (left) could replace Hope Hicks as President Trump's new communications director. She would be the fifth since the start of his presidency. Schlapp has worked for the White House since September 2017 as the director of strategic communications. She is pictured with Kellyanne Conway, above

Schlapp is married to Matt Schlapp. They have five children together and live in Virginia. The Miami Native is a first generation Cuban immigrant

White House chief of staff John Kelly is said to be looking at Schlapp as Hicks' replacement after she leaves in the coming weeks, according to Politico.

Hicks, 29, announced on Wednesday she would resign as communications director, just one day after she was interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee.

She reportedly admitted to telling 'white lies' for the president during the meeting.

After she met with the committee, President Trump allegedly 'berated' her about her interview and asked 'how could you be so stupid?'

Schlapp's father (pictured) was a freedom fighter during Fidel Castro's regime. He was in jail for six years as a political prisoner

Investigators for the special counsel organized by Robert Mueller asked Hicks about a comment she made to The New York Times two days after the 2016 election.

'We are not aware of any campaign representatives that were in touch with any foreign entities before yesterday, when Mr. Trump spoke with many world leaders,' Hicks said at the time.

A former Trump campaign official who was asked about Hicks' 2016 comment said it has come up with Mueller's team as well as with House and Senate Intelligence Committees, according to CNN.

Trump praised his loyal right-hand woman whom he often referred to as 'Hopester' in a statement released on Wednesday evening after she resigned.

'Hope is outstanding and has done great work for the last three years,' he said. 'She is as smart and thoughtful as they come, a truly great person. I will miss having her by my side but when she approached me about pursuing other opportunities, I totally understood. I am sure we will work together again in the future.'

This resignation comes after the former model was thrust into the spotlight when Dailymail.com revealed her then-boyfriend Rob Porter was accused by his two ex-wives of abusing them.

Hicks said in a statement on Wednesday: 'There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to President Trump.'

'I wish the president and his administration the very best as he continues to lead our country.'

Schlapp reportedly supports the NRA and was added to the organization's board of directors in 2015. It is unclear if she is still on the board. Pictured is her with her husband in February

White House chief of staff John Kelly will be deciding who becomes the next communications director. The staff at the White House reportedly love Schlapp and think she makes the administration run smoother

The White House has yet to release Hicks the date of last day, but it is expected to be in the next couple of weeks while they scramble to find a replacement.

Schlapp, who holds the job Hicks had before she was promoted, could be the next person to take the position.

She previously worked on political campaigns, including President George W. Bush's in 2000 and 2004, before being hired as the director of specialty media for the Bush administration.

The blighted history of the White House's Communications Directors under Donald Trump Sean Spicer January 20, 2017 to March 6, 2017 (45 days) Mike Dubke March 6, 2017 to June 2, 2017 (88 days) Sean Spicer (Acting) June 2, 2017 to July 21, 2017 (49 days) Anthony Scaramucci July 21, 2017 to July 31, 2017 (10 days) Hope Hicks August 16, 2017 to February 28, 2018 (196 days) Advertisement

While on the job, Schlapp met her husband, Matt Schlapp, who was working as the administration's political director.

She then moved on to other jobs including providing commentary for MSNBC, CNN, PBS and Spanish media outlets.

The senior adviser, whose husband chairs the American Conservative Union, is well known in DC working as a consultant for her public affairs firm Cove Strategies.

Schlapp left her job as a commentator for Fox News for the White House position but previously courted Trump's admiration by using her slot to defend him and his policies.

Speaking in 2016 at CPAC, a conference hosted by the ACU, Trump said: 'I want to thank Matt Schlapp and his very, very incredible wife and boss, Mercedes.

'When I watch them on television defending me, nobody has a chance.'

As well as defending the now-President, Schlapp has also been a vocal proponent of 'religious freedom' laws designed to allow businesses to refuse to carry out tasks that contradict their beliefs.

The laws were brought in several states after high-profile cases involving Christian bakers being forced to make cakes for same-sex weddings.

She also became a member of the NRA's Board of Directors in 2015. But it is unclear if she is still a member because her name is no longer listed on the organization's website.

Hope's hair floats: Hope Hicks was seen exiting her Washington DC apartment on Friday (above) wearing $695 suede knee-high boots and a $328 Joie dress despite the wet conditions

Hope Hicks, the ultimate Trump right-hand woman, was reportedly berated by the president after she admitted to telling 'white lies' for Donald Trump during her testimony to the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday. She resigned on Wednesday

Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller asked Hicks about a comment she made The New York Times two days after the 2016 election, according to CNN

Hope Hicks was thrust into the spotlight this year when DailyMail.com reported that the two ex-wives of her then-boyfriend Rob Porter (right), who was serving as Trump's staff secretary, had accused him of spousal abuse

Matt Schlapp told MSNBC on Wednesday that his wife 'loves her job' at the White House and does not know who might fill Hicks position.

'She's going to be very open to anything the president wants her to do,' Schlapp said to the news organization. 'Both she and I have been supporters of the president. We like his agenda, and we're proud of what he's doing.'

Schlapp has brought her leadership to the White House and is reportedly very popular among the staff.

'Mercedes has been a godsend,' said a White House official to CNN in February.

'Every time there is a void because there is some craziness going on, Mercy's always there to be the leader of the team.

'Otherwise, we'd all be chickens with our heads cut off, just running around rudderless.'

Hicks, the president's communications director, was among his longest-serving aides and seen as extraordinarily loyal

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also paid tribute to Hicks on Twitter

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, who's spoken glowingly about Hicks, also used Twitter to say goodbye. Conway was the president's final campaign manager while Hicks was serving as the campaign's press secretary

Schlapp's interest in politics and ability to lead were inspired by her father, Jose, who was a political prisoner during the Castro regime in Cuba.

He was imprisoned by the government for six years after he became vocal against Fidel Castro.

'He taught me since I was a little girl to always fight to protect America's freedom and democracy,' she said in 2016 in an interview with The Hill.

'I felt I was called to do something bigger, greater than myself, and that's what drew me to Washington.'

Her father was outspoken and critical of Castrol, which influenced him to become a freedom fighter and ultimately be thrown in jail.

Besides Schlapp, Kelly is also considering appointing the communications director position to someone outside the White House, according to Politico.When Frisbee the seal was released back into the ice-cold waters of the North Sea last week, it was the end of a very long journey.

Shed been rescued from Horsey Beach in Norfolk by the RSPCA five months earlier after being spotted with a plastic frisbee toy stuck around her neck.

It was slowly  and painfully  killing her, threatening to make the four-year-old grey seal yet another victim of the plague of plastic destroying our oceans, which the Mail has been campaigning against for ten years.

Thankfully, Frisbee is one of the lucky ones. After months of care at the RSPCAs East Winch Wildlife Centre, her life has been saved and she is now living back in her natural habitat. Heres her remarkable story.

1. Barely able to move, hours from death . . .

Lying alone on Horsey Beach near Great Yarmouth, away from the colony of hundreds of grey seals who also call it home, the seal had taken herself off to die.

It had been six months since volunteers of the Friends of Horsey Seals society spotted the animal with a yellow frisbee stuck around her neck and theyd been trying to capture her ever since. It had been an agonising wait.

Adult seals are usually too big and strong for us to catch, says East Winch Wildlife Centre manager Alison Charles. Their natural instinct is to run because theyre scared. If you chase them down the beach with a big net, they get into the water  and theyre faster than you.

Frisbee the seal had been rescued from Horsey Beach in Norfolk by the RSPCA five months earlier after being spotted with a plastic frisbee toy stuck around her neck

The only way to catch them is to wait for them to become weaker. Only when they feel awful can you catch them. Its horrible.

The RSPCA has been seeing netting injuries on seals  those caused by plastics like fishermans nets  since 2007.

Since then its just got worse and worse, says Alison, whos worked with seals for more than 20 years.

But with Frisbee it was so dramatic. We felt so helpless but were determined to get her.

Then, on September 15, Friends of Horsey Seals spotted her lying alone. Alison and her colleagues dashed to the beach and managed to catch her in a net before taking her to the wildlife centre.

I thought Id have a dead seal by the time I got her there, says Alison. She was so emaciated, so collapsed. Normally theyve got more spark about them, more life but she had none. I didnt think she had long left.

Pitifully thin, she hadnt eaten for weeks because the toy around her neck  probably discarded by a holidaymaker  prevented her from catching fish.

Meanwhile, an infection from the wound was rampaging through her body. She weighed just 10st 7lb, barely a third of a seals normal weight.

2. Trying to cut off the plastic frisbee

Alison was desperate to remove the plastic frisbee, but she knew she had to wait until a vet had checked over the patient.

Because it had been on for a long time, cutting it away it could cause toxins to be released around the body. So you use a combination of steroids, antibiotics and pain relief first, she explains.

Frisbee immediately received three injections  one of each. Minutes later, Alison started cutting the frisbee off with scissors, while the seal still was wrapped tight in the netting used to catch her so she couldnt thrash around.

The plastic had become brittle and hard to cut. I got one side off but I just couldnt get the other because it was so deeply embedded in her neck, recalls Alison.

Centre manager Alison Charles started cutting the frisbee off with scissors, while the seal still was wrapped tight in the netting used to catch her so she couldnt thrash around

Eventually she managed it.

The smell was absolutely foul because that thing had been on for so long, she was so badly infected.

When I took it off, I thought her head was going to fall off.

Because the frisbee had been on so tightly, it had concertinaed her neck up so when I took it off, her neck kept extending and extending and extending. My heart just sank. I thought: What have I done? Ive made a big mistake. I feared she wouldnt make it.

But, eventually, her neck stopped extending so we bathed it briefly  we thought shed already been through enough that day  then we went to leave her.

As I was going, she shook her head and I thought: No! Dont do that  your head will fall off! Keep it still. But she seemed to be saying: Wow  that feels good! 

3. Her injury led to a huge infection

The next day, Alison walked into the centres intensive care unit not knowing what she would find.

She was a completely different seal, she says today. She seemed to be saying: Yay, feed me! which was fabulous.

But Alison knew the youngster  seals can live to 20 in the wild  was far from out of the woods. Vets told her they didnt know if she would make it. The injury on the back of her neck was so deep where the frisbee had cut in, you could fit a fist into the gaping wound.

It was horrendous  Id never seen anything like it, says Alison.

It soon became clear that Frisbee wasnt happy so, a week into her stay, Alison decided to take her out to a small pool at the centre, a more natural habitat, in the hope that shed improve

It was like when you chop a tree down and cut a wedge in one side  it was about five inches deep.

We wondered if it would be kinder to put her to sleep, but the way she was behaving, we knew she wanted to live, so we had to give her a chance.

For a week, Frisbee stayed in a cage in the intensive care unit and was given daily injections of painkillers, two courses of antibiotics to kill the infection and steroids to help calm her wounds.

But it soon became clear that Frisbee wasnt happy so, a week into her stay, Alison decided to take her out to a small pool at the centre, a more natural habitat, in the hope that shed improve.

4. Scarred  but she kept fighting

Being in the water and out in the open air started to work. Frisbee started to do well. By now, she was eating a handful of mackerel  bursting with the high-fat nutrition seals need  a day and loving them.

Staff could not give her any more in case it made her ill. They knew she would have been able to eat little in the months the frisbee had been eating into her neck.

On that first day, she just had one single mackerel, says Alison.

She must have been ravenous but I didnt dare give her more you have to gently increase food.

Being in the water and out in the open air started to work. Frisbee started to do well. By now, she was eating a handful of mackerel a day and loving them

After a few days, the seal was moved to a bigger pool  the size of two garages and about 5ft deep. It was filled with 100kg of salt each day to help the healing process.

A public appeal to donate the huge amount of salt they needed, launched just hours after Frisbees rescue, had been successful so they had plenty to aid her recovery.

I think the postman was cross because we kept getting these huge 25kg salt bags in the post, laughs Alison.

People were so kind. It was really nice to have them keep turning up. And they worked  over the next few weeks the salt baths really helped the healing process.

It wasnt until more than a month after she was captured  on October 25  that Alison felt confident Frisbee would make it. Im not a pessimist but wed never had a wound that bad  but we kept going because she wasnt suffering. It was the first frisbee injury theyd seen, the wildlife centre is used to dealing with seals caught in plastic and netting, regularly seeing them with fishermens netting wrapped around their neck or their entire bodies. All nets and plastics dig deep into the flesh of the seal causing terrible infection.

Alison said: The big worry was that she wouldnt be able to extend her neck to be able to catch a fish in the wild because of that scar thats what I was concerned about and thats why we kept her in the centre for so long.

Once we moved her to a deeper pool, wed throw a fish in at the other end and make her swim for it so she had to extend her neck. If she couldnt do that, we wouldnt have been able to release her. By then, she was eating a massive 4kg (9lb) of mackerel a day. Costs were starting to mount. Frisbee was just one of 140 seals the RSPCA was caring for across the UK  more than ever before and many suffering preventable plastic injuries  and the charity now spends a massive 3,500 a week just on fish, which prompted the launch of an urgent appeal for funds.

Back in Norfolk, having addressed her physical problems, staff began to worry about Frisbees mental welfare. So she didnt get lonely, they put another rescued seal with her. But the pair started fighting and they had to be separated.

5. Uncertain looks  but free at last!

At the end of January, more than four months after she arrived, Alison realised Frisbee was ready to go back to the wild. The wound had healed, thanks to the antibiotics and salt baths, and shed fattened up, now weighing a staggering 28st 4lb (almost 18 stone more than when rescued).

But the release had to be planned like a military operation.

Six experienced staff were needed to shepherd her into the water.

Sending such a large mammal back into the wild is fraught with danger and they cant risk anyone getting injured.

Seals dont intend to hurt you, says Alison.

At the end of January, more than four months after she arrived, Alison realised Frisbee was ready to go back to the wild

But if youre between them and the sea theyll get upset and might run over you or take a chunk out of you. Theyre wild  you dont know how theyll behave.

When the day  Wednesday, February 21  dawned, things began promisingly.

It was very slick, Frisbee was very obliging and popped out of the pool when we drained it and into the livestock trailer, says Alison.

But she was less obliging when they arrived at Horsey Beach.

She didnt want to get out of the trailer. She just sat in it. She must have felt safe.

So I went in and I think I freaked her out  she immediately turned and raced onto the beach!

6. A sniff of the sea, and she charges in

Staff used special shepherding boards to guide Frisbee from the trailer, up a sandy hill and down to the sea. I think the moment she got to the top of the hill, she knew where she was, says Alison.

They can smell and hear the sea and know theyre back where theyre meant to be.

Her release had been posted on social media so the beach was full of excited onlookers and members of the Friends of Horsey Seals group whod saved her.

There was a sea of faces, all saying: Oh, shes beautiful, which was lovely to hear. We just let her take her time getting to the sea  she didnt need to be rushed.

Shes a nervous animal and we wanted it to be calm for her.

Plunging into the waves, Frisbee is quickly back in the North Sea where she belongs, with the beach full of excited onlookers as her release was posted on social media

It couldnt have gone better. She had a moments hesitation at the bottom when she got to the water, but then she was off!

Plunging into the waves, Frisbee is quickly back in the North Sea where she belongs.

She zoomed off and soon disappeared, swimming really strongly which was great to see, says Alison. She must have been so happy to be home. Its exhilarating for us, its what we live for.

I just hope we dont see her again. If we dont, well have done our job. But I hope to get reports of how shes doing and sightings. Id really love to hear that shes going to have a pup.

However, Alison says East Winch RSPCAs job is far from done.

There are four more seals with netting injuries still to save on Horsey Beach alone.

Its heartbreaking to think this could be prevented if people just took extra care with litter on the coastline, says Alison.

Take it home  dont leave it for animals to get entangled in it.A family horse, Biscuit, was 'ripped to pieces' by a pack of wild dogs forcing the horse's owners to put down their beloved animal.

Kelly Jeffree arrived at her property in Fortis Creek, New south Wales, to find her horse covered in deep lacerations and puncture wounds sustained by a viscous dog attack.

A horse belonging to another women, Jade Rodgers, was also attacked by the wild dogs The Daily Examiner reported.

A family horse, Biscuit, was 'ripped to pieces' by a pack of wild dogs forcing the horse's owners to put down their beloved animal.

Both horses had to be put down and Ms Jeffree posted graphic photos of the injuries the horses sustained onto her Facebook page to show the horrific damage that was one.

'Unfortunately my beautiful filly lost her battle today! She was put to sleep rest in peace beautiful baby girl,' she wrote.

'To all who live around Fortis Creek area please be careful as there is wild dogs around again yesterday on my property one of my friends ponies was attacked and unfortunately had to be put to sleep I also.'

Adding to the horror is the uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of four horses other horses that are missing on the 300-acre property.

Ms Jeffree has remained optimistic about the fate of the missing horses.

A horse belonging to another women, Jade Rodgers, was also attacked by the wild dogs The Daily Examiner reported.

'Biscuit was only 14 months old, we're just hoping the other horses are safe and well,' she said.

Ms Jeffree has had an ongoing battle with the threat of wild dogs since she moved onto the property.

'When I first moved here four years ago, my filly was ripped to pieces, but she's OK now,' she said.

Both horses had to be put down and Ms Jeffree posted graphic photos of the injuries the horses sustained onto her Facebook page to show the horrific damage that was one.

'She's recovered but it was a long recovery. They killed my (old horse) here last year, it was only 12 months ago that he went.

'To be honest, I blame myself. I wish I'd never moved here.'

Ms Jeffree received a call informing her that Jade Rodgers' pinto Mini Phoebe had been hurt and she rushed back to the property.

'I went up there to have a look at her, I was told by Kelly she'd been attacked and she had half her face and jugular ripped,' she said.

Stories are circulating in the area from other property owners who have been experiencing similar incidents.

Ms Jeffree has had an ongoing battle with the threat of wild dogs since she moved onto the property.

Ms Jeffree and Ms Rodgers have been out searching for the missing horses every day since they were last seen.

'A lot more needs to be done to control the wild dog situation,' she said.

'People's livelihood and livestock are being lost because of these wild dogs, it needs to be sorted.'

Wild dog baiting programs have been conducted in the area in the past and Ms Jeffree said she will work alongside neighbors and other concerned community members to have that program reinstated.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries states that 'it is important for land managers to approach wild dog problems as a group.'

Ms Jeffree also looked into hiring a local shooter to come in and shoot the wild dogs.

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries states that 'it is important for land managers to approach wild dog problems as a group.'

Approaches listed on the site include 1080 poisoning, ground baiting, emergency ground baiting, trapping, shooting and fencing.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A victim of an assault had to be sedated by 10 officers after he tried to attack police and paramedics in Sydney's West.

A brawl broke out at the Rose & Crown Hotel on Victoria Road in Parramatta at 11pm on Friday night.

A 28-year-old man was found unconscious on the ground by police after he was allegedly punched in the head by an attacker, still on the run.

A victim of an assault (pictured) had to be sedated by 10 officers in Sydney's West after a brawl broke out at a hotel

Police (pictured) had to pin him down after he allegedly tried to bite them and punch them

But the man woke up and allegedly tried to ''bite' the police and paramedics trying to sedate him, the Daily Telegraph reported.

NSW Ambulance officer Brian Parsell told Nine News police and paramedics were trying to 'calm him down' and bring him to hospital.

'Regrettably he did not listen to our advice and subsequently wanted to have a punch on with the police and paramedics that were there,' he said.

The man received injuries to the head and was treated by ambulance before being transported to Westmead Hospital.

The man was taken to Westmead hospital with serious head injuries after being treated by ambulance at the scene.

A spokesperson for the hospital told Daily Mail Australia he is now in a stable condition.

Police were told the man had been hit in the head by an unknown person.

They are continuing to investigate an urge anyone with information to come forward.

Police were told the man had been allegedly hit in the head by an unknown person who is still on the runFamilies face a wave of energy price hikes after Britains cold snap pushed up the cost of gas by almost 400 per cent.

Utility companies are believed to be preparing to raise household bills to cover the increased cost of the gas they buy on the wholesale market.

Last night industry experts predicted bills could rise by as much as 60 a year as Big Six providers try to ease the squeeze on their profits. With Britain in the grip of the Beast from the East, furious British Gas customers also face a wait of up to ten days for an engineer to visit to fix a broken boiler.

The delays mean homeowners, including the elderly, housebound and vulnerable, could go without central heating or hot water through the weekend as temperatures plummet. British Gas was receiving complaints at the rate of 100 every hour via social media yesterday as those with broken boilers became increasingly desperate.

Families face a wave of energy price hikes after Britains cold snap pushed up the cost of gas by almost 400 per cent

The gas price hikes started on Thursday  the coldest day of the year so far  when Eon scrapped a range of discounts worth up to 50. Now others are expected to follow suit. Mark Todd, director of Energyhelpline, said: History says that when one Big Six supplier hikes its prices the rest follow suit. A round of small price hikes of up to 5 per cent, which adds about 60 a year to bills, seems likely.

Britain is heavily reliant on imports of gas from abroad, including imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by tanker.

The wholesale price, however, depends on global supply and demand. When a cold snap hits Northern Europe the cost typically rockets as millions of homes and buildings crank up the heating.

On February 21, firms paid 59p for every kilowatt hour (kWh) of gas. But by Thursday the price had risen to 2.33  an increase of almost 400 per cent. Fears about supply have been made worse by outages at terminals in Scotland, Wales and Morecambe, Lancashire.

On top of this energy companies have seen their profits squeezed  and last week British Gas owner Centrica reported profits had fallen by 92 per cent to just 4million.

Eons price changes, which start on April 19, will affect more than two million customers on its standard tariff.

The firm has added 20 to bills where customers pay by cash or cheque. It has also ditched its 20 dual-fuel discount for taking both gas and electricity.

Henry de Zoete, of autoswitching service Look After My Bills, labelled the move sneaky, adding: Once again the Big Six plumbs new depths of disgracefulness. Everybody should batten down the hatches for more Big Six price rises. Peter Earl, of Comparethemarket.com, called it a stealth hike.

Last night industry experts predicted bills could rise by as much as 60 a year as Big Six providers try to ease the squeeze on their profits

Eon said it had reviewed its tariffs in light of rising costs along with other factors in the market.

As British Gas customers faced waits of up to ten days for boiler repairs, some said they had been forced to retreat to bed with hot water bottles. Many families are signed up to the firms HomeCare service, which can cost over 400 a year and should guarantee a swift response. Problems were made worse when two call centres in Scotland were effectively shut when staff were unable to get into work.

Vulnerable customers have found it impossible to get through on helplines. Many of those directed to its website were told the earliest available appointment is March 12. One customer wrote online: Lets hope there are no deaths on your hands. Karen North wrote: My 81-year-old fathers boiler has not been working since 8 this morning.

He is recovering from cancer. You are not answering your telephones.

British Gas said yesterday that engineers are working virtually round the clock to deal with the backlog. It said staff were going above and beyond to meet demand  including engineers walking to appointments. Engineers are expected to visit 170,000 homes.To be a card-carrying communist in Thatchers Britain was to occupy a lonely berth on an extremist fringe of politics.

Miles from power, in the dying days of a Cold War which had associated them with some of the most murderous dictatorships in history, the remaining true believers found themselves treated as a bizarre sideshow  eccentric oddballs who deserved to be laughed at, not feared.

One such man was Douglas Chalmers, head of Britains Young Communist League.

A lecturers strike for three days brought 57 of the nations universities to a halt this week

In 1984, he admitted to the New York Times that his once-vibrant organisation had only 600 members.

Being realistic, he said, people do not support us and we do not expect them to.

Four years later, he stood on a Communist ticket in a by-election in Glasgow.

It did not go well: he got 281 votes, 0.9 per cent of those cast.

Then, after the ailing Communist Party of Great Britain was wound up in 1991, he briefly ran its successor group Democratic Left, before finally conceding defeat in the battle to overthrow capitalism, and took a job at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Chalmers has been in the Department of Social Sciences ever since.

But deep down, hes never given up the political fight.

This week, he was manning barricades as one of the key figures behind a lecturers strike which, for three days, brought 57 of the nations universities to a halt.

The 60-year-old academic is vice-president of the national executive of the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU), a 110,000-member trade union engaged in a rancorous spat over proposed changes to their pension system.

Like all industrial disputes, the row, which has so far inconvenienced around a million students who pay up to 9,250 a year in fees  and is set to shut universities down for nine more days over the next fortnight  is becoming deeply divisive.

On one side are the striking lecturers, who argue (with some justification) that their once-comfortable profession is being hollowed out as a result of years of paltry pay awards, while overpaid vice-chancellors who run universities grow filthy rich.

On the other are the universities which say (again with some justification) that as people live longer, their generous pension  which on retirement paid all academics a guaranteed income based on their average career salary  is not sustainable.

Adding to the angry mood are recent suggestions that the UCU, which represents thousands of lecturers from across the political spectrum, has quietly been taken over by a cabal of radical hard-Left campaigners.

They are accused of seeking to exploit the legitimate grievances of members to score political points.

Last week, it was revealed that Matt Waddup, the unions full-time campaign chief who organised the walkout by around 42,000 staff, is a former rail union official famed for rabble-rousing speeches who has been planning disruptive strike action for seven years, according to The Times.

His deputy, Ed Bailey, is an anti-badger cull activist who has pledged to dance on Margaret Thatchers grave and is linked to pro-Soviet groups online, including one which seeks to establish a post-capitalist, communist society.

Such firebrands bring us back to Chalmers. The onetime communist is not the only senior power broker on the UCUs ruling committee who hails from this radical background.

There is his immediate superior, National Executive Committee (NEC) president Joanna de Groot, a senior lecturer in history at the University of York.

'Like all industrial disputes, the row, which has so far inconvenienced around a million students who pay up to 9,250 a year in fees  and is set to shut universities down for nine more days over the next fortnight  is becoming deeply divisive,' writes Guy Adams

For decades, she was a prominent activist within the Communist Party of Great Britain, at one point in the Seventies sitting on its executive committee.

According to a 2006 book called Marxism In Britain, public school-educated de Groot achieved prominence among a group of Communist women devoted to serving the Marxist cause in Britain.

Then there is Sean Vernell, who teaches English at City & Islington College and is a London representative on the lecturers union NEC.

In recent years hes belonged to the hard-Left Socialist Workers Party and spoke at the Marxism 2013 festival.

An academic text titled The Communist Party In Britain Since 1920 calls Vernell a British Communist who is motivated by a desire to rid the world of the poverty, war, and crisis endemic to capitalism.

To have one, or even two, people with communist pedigrees running a major membership organisation may seem out of step with the times.

But for the UCU to have three, at a time when it is staging massive strike action, begins to look like a trend. Little wonder, then, that behind the scenes (without the knowledge of most members), the lecturers trade union has in recent years been riven by an internal squabble between hard-Left factions.

'According to a 2006 book called Marxism In Britain, public school-educated Joanna de Groot achieved prominence among a group of Communist women devoted to serving the Marxist cause in Britain

'Then there is Sean Vernell, who teaches English at City & Islington College and is a London representative on the lecturers union NEC'

One of these groups calls itself UCU Left and says its supporters include members of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), the Labour Party, other Left groups.

It endorses candidates for the unions elections to its NEC, including Vernell. It also seeks to use union resources to campaign on fashionable Left-wing issues such as liberalising abortion law or opposing Brexit and campaigning for the rights of refugees and migrants.

The other is called UCU Independent Broad Left and claims the loyalty of members of the Communist Party. It backs candidates including Douglas Chalmers, and seeks to pursue a progressive trade union and equality agenda.

With two hard-Left outfits seeking to get loyalists elected into key positions and take control of the unions financial resources (its annual income from members is around 20 million), moderates have felt increasingly sidelined.

So it is that the UCUs ruling committee contains figures such as Rhiannon Lockley, a social sciences lecturer from Halesowen Col lege who describes herself on Twitter as an intersectional Marxist feminist, and Carlo Morelli, a business lecturer at Dundee University who stood for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in the 2015 election ( finishing last in Dundee East with 104 votes).

Theres Renee Prendergast, a lecturer in economics from Queens University Belfast, who stood as a Sinn Fein candidate during the Seventies  when suspicion of the partys involvement in armed terrorism was at its height.

The UCU's 153 employees earn more than 50,000 on average, with General Secretary Sally Hunt (above) on 138,682 a year

Her leaflets stated that Sinn Fein policy is based on the ownership and control of the wealth of Ireland by the working people of Ireland.

Perhaps inevitably, given this motley cast, in recent years the UCU has chosen to pursue achingly trendy but divisive campaigns that have little obvious relevance to the lives of its members.

It controversially offered support to an academic boycott of Israeli universities in protest at the countrys treatment of Palestinians.

The boycott is regarded as anti-Semitic by many in the Jewish community, since it singles out Israel for far harsher treatment than other nations that have equally (if not more) contentious governments.

Prominent Jewish academics have duly quit the union, and one (unsuccessfully) took it to court in 2013, accusing it of illegal racism.

In 2014, the UCU  whose 153 employees earn more than 50,000 on average, with General Secretary Sally Hunt on 138,682 a year  meanwhile decided to pay for a large delegation of staff to travel to Gaza (the self-governing Palestinian area) in order to, as one report put it, view the effects of the Israeli blockade on the territory.

Quite what purpose this jaunt served in improving working lives of British university lecturers is anyones guess.

Indeed, one of the few moderates left on the NEC, Northumbrias Emma-Jane Phillips, vigorously opposed the trip, saying: I dont know how we can justify spending thousands of pounds of members funds on this trip when we have so many major disputes and battles to fight [nearer home].

Fast forward to this week, and there are signs that the pensions strike is being used, at least by some in the organisation, to advance a wider political agenda.

Though the Government has not taken a side in the dispute, many of the union activists are clearly anti- Tory, with some organisers at a UCU rally in London filmed using loudhailers to encourage crowds to chant: Were out here in the snow, Theresa May has got to go.

'Jeremy Corbyn, whose top aide Andrew Murray spent 40 years in the Communist Party, sent his own message of solidarity'

The UCU asked shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who used his Whos Who entry to describe his hobby as fermenting [sic] the overthrow of capitalism, to headline a rally in Westminster.

And Jeremy Corbyn, whose top aide Andrew Murray spent 40 years in the Communist Party, sent his own message of solidarity.

Whether their contributions will help striking lecturers  who, let us again stress, hail from across the political spectrum  is open to speculation.

Should these messages, however, offend the public, it may turn out to be a disaster. Perhaps with this in mind, the UCU says the strike has support from members of all political persuasions, with 88 per cent voting in favour of action on a turnout of 58 per cent.

They are reluctant strikers, but determined and will not be distracted by attacks on UCU, says a spokesman.

The real hardliners are the university vice-chancellors refusing to listen to their staff and looking to slash their pensions.

Chalmers and de Groot, for their part, stress that they have not been members of the Communist or any other party for around 25 years, and represent everyone in the UCU  irrespective of their party affiliations or whether they have none.

Whatever agendas are at play, an objective analysis of the dispute might find many indications that the lecturers cause is just.

Like many middle-class professionals, lecturers have seen a decline in their circumstances, with annual pay increases averaging around one per cent for each of the past six years.

Increasing numbers entering the profession cannot secure full-time jobs, relying on parttime work or short-term contracts.

Against this backdrop, threats to their pensions have struck a raw nerve. With the pension fund nursing a 6 billion deficit, university vice-chancellors last year announced their wish to bring it into line with most private sector schemes by no longer offering a guaranteed income in retirement.

The UCU claims this will make lecturers 10,000 a year poorer when they finish work.

'Little wonder that around 100,000 have signed petitions asking for compensation from universities for classes that have been lost'

Vice-chancellors, who are represented by an organisation called Universities UK, counter that they already contribute 18 per cent of employee salaries to the fund (members put in nine per cent before tax) and cannot afford to spend more without seriously harming teaching and research.

That argument might attract sympathy were the same vice-chancellors not currently enjoying some of the most bloated salaries in the public sector.

Vice-chancellors at Russell Group Universities, which include many of those caught up in the strike, earn an average of 332,000 a year, a figure recently described as immoral by MPs.

They also enjoy extraordinary perks.

A Channel 4 Dispatches documentary aired this week revealed that many are filing expense claims for Michelin-starred restaurant meals, overseas trips, fresh flowers, first-class air fares and even home furnishings.

Profess or Steve West, who runs the University of the West of England, spent 43,000 on travel in 16 months, using executive cars to drive him to and from London at up to 400 a pop.

He also ploughed through more than 7,000 visiting Malaysia and Australia.

The University of Surrey spent 1,600 flying a Maltese terrier from Australia, as part of the 15,000 relocation package offered to its owner Max Lu when he left the University of Queensland to take up the vice-chancellorship.

And Sheffield Universitys vice-chancellor Keith Burnett spent 3,107 staying at Singapores Mandarin Oriental, one of Asias costliest hotels, for five nights.

Other vice-chancellors claimed expenses for Fortnum & Mason hampers, Laura Ashley mugs and even a cocktail called a pornstar Martini.

As the UCU quite rightly puts it: The lack of self-awareness while they feather their own nests yet hold down staff pay, use insecure contracts and try to slash pensions is quite staggering.

The only people who certainly arent to blame in this mess are the students. Paying 9,250 a year in fees, often for courses that offer only a few hours of contact time a week, many are now being harassed simply for trying to learn.

On campuses, hard-Left activists have been running campaigns telling them dont be a scab by, for example, visiting the library on strike days.

In Exeter, a maths student was spat at as he crossed a picket line to hand in coursework.

At Sussex University, protesters stormed a lecture theatre and demanded that students leave in solidarity.

Some students claim they are being fined for not returning library books when, thanks to the strike, their library is closed.

Little wonder that around 100,000 have signed petitions asking for compensation from universities for classes that have been lost.

They are the real victims of this spat  caught in the crossfire between greedy vice-chancellors and a hard-Left trade union.The young father in the dock at Bristol Crown Court was accused of the most shameful crime.

Cruelty on a person under the age of 16, it said on the indictment, which gave little indication of the circumstances surrounding his arrest.

All child cruelty cases are, by their very nature, disturbing, but few more so than the events that led to this trial.

The defendant, we heard, was a 29-year-old Somali-born taxi driver who cannot be named for legal reasons; the victim, the jury was told, was his six-year-old daughter.

FRIENDS: DCI Leanne Pook (left) and the trail's key witness Sami Ullah (right)

The police investigation was both complex and challenging. Detectives admitted there were still unanswered questions about what had actually happened.

They were certain of one thing, though. At some stage, the little girl was taken to an unknown address, possibly in the Montpelier district of Bristol, and subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM also has other names, such as female circumcision or cutting. The purpose, however, is always the same: to control and subjugate women.

In Africa, where FGM is prevalent, it is not uncommon for girls and young women to be held down, screaming, by relatives during the procedure, which, in its most extreme form, involves total or partial removal of the external genitalia to take away pleasurable sensation.

In cultures where FGM is practised, uncut women are regarded as unsuitable for marriage because their sexual purity is uncertain.

The Bristol girl, the court heard, was found to have a small lesion made, it was suspected, not with a blade, but with a hot, sharp object  something the size of a knitting needle  and classed as type 4 FGM. It is not one of the most severe forms, but still leaves a mark and carries a ten-year-jail sentence.

The defendant in the dock at Bristol Crown Court (pictured) was accused of the most shameful crime, performing genital mutilation on a six-year-old girl

The thought of such medieval savagery actually taking place in Britain  modern, multicultural Britain  is truly shocking. According to anti-FGM campaigners, thousands of girls, in mainly African and Asian communities, in towns and cities across the country, are at risk of FGM.

Yet one crucial statistic undermines the received wisdom about FGM: there has not been a single conviction in the UK since FGM was made illegal in 1985, more than three decades ago.

Which brings us back to Bristol.

The father of the six-year-old girl, who has lived under a cloud of suspicion for the past two years, walked free from court last week after the judge ordered the jury to acquit him: he had no case to answer, the judge said.

The entire prosecution, in fact, relied on medical evidence that was of no value clinically or forensically and the testimony of a key witness was unsatisfactory.

The witness in question, Sami Ullah, was a passenger in the defendants private hire car in 2016 when, during an extraordinary conversation, the driver apparently admitted, in broken English, that his daughter had undergone FGM.

DCI Leanne Pook (pictured) was also a trustee of Integrate UK and knew Mr Ullah personally, it emerged after the trial

Mr Ullah, now 21, was an honest witness, the judge said, but he was influenced by his role as an activist with the anti-FGM charity Integrate UK. Deeply troubling is how the judge described what he had heard in court before halting the trial.

And there was a further twist. The officer who led the investigation, DCI Leanne Pook, was also a trustee of Integrate UK and knew Mr Ullah personally, it emerged after the trial.

Her appointment was approved by Avon & Somerset Police, but DCI Pook, a committed and capable officer, has faced accusations from the local MP and the Somali community that her position with the charity and her friendship with Mr Ullah created a conflict of interest.

Police worked with Channel 4s Dispatches in anticipation of a possible guilty verdict making legal history. Cameras followed DCI Pook and her small team during the investigation. The documentary, The FGM Detectives, was finally broadcast a few days ago, but with a very different ending.

The controversy surrounding the failed prosecution was summed up by a respected former midwife and health visitor who has worked extensively with African communities both in London and abroad in Ethiopia and Somalia.

Desperation to secure a conviction enabled this case, based on a mixture of hearsay and inconclusive medical evidence, to be tried, she tweeted.

The criticism, shared by other professionals, is understandable.

Back in 2015, Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena, a London hospital doctor, became the first person to stand trial in relation to FGM.

The decision to charge him was announced in a blaze of publicity and came just days before Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, appeared before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee to explain why there had been no FGM prosecutions despite a hefty 35 million of government funding being spent in attempts to eradicate it.

In the end, the jury took 25 minutes to acquit Dr Dharmasena.

Then, as now, there were claims that the case was politically motivated  a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show trial following lobbying by campaigning charities and feminist groups which receive that government funding.

It would be naive to think FGM is not practised in Britain at all, and officers like DCI Pook should be commended for the work they do in raising awareness about FGM. Theirs is a task made infinitely harder because few in the community where girls might be at risk are willing to break rank and speak out.

But is FGM really happening on the scale suggested by the FGM lobby and some politicians?

As we speak, somewhere in London a young girl is being cut, and we in Parliament are unable to do anything to stop it happening, declared Labour MP Keith Vaz in 2015, when he was chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. He called FGM an ongoing national scandal.

Uber's feedback service was used to identify the driver before he was reported to police (file photo)

The statement, which is widely repeated in articles about FGM, does not stand up to scrutiny.

There were 5,391 newly recorded cases of FGM identified by GPs and NHS trusts in the year to March 2017. Newly recorded means women who have had their details noted for the first time.

Of those 5,391, only 57 procedures were performed in the UK, of which 50 were in the category of piercings, which are often undertaken by consenting women for cosmetic reasons or to enhance their sex lives.

So almost no hard medical data exists to support the view that FGM is endemic in Britain. It doesnt mean FGM is not prevalent, but there is no evidence that it is.

Critics like Brid Hehir  the former midwife and health visitor who tweeted about the shortcomings of the Bristol prosecution mentioned earlier  blame the culture of over-zealousness for some children needlessly being taken into care or placed on child protection plans.

Isnt there an element of hypocrisy and double standards about the current FGM orthodoxy?

Compare, for example, the way the liberal establishment embraced the concerns of FGM campaigners, while, at the same time, dismissing attempts to expose predatory Asian grooming gangs as racist, which stigmatised the Pakistani community.

Integrate UK says 2,000 girls in the Bristol area alone are at risk of FGM. The figure is understood to be based on girls in the city who come from FGM-practising countries, which include Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Egypt and Gambia.

But, in a recent article for the Guardian newspaper, Somali-British novelist Nadifa Mohamed argued that making such sweeping cultural assumptions was flawed.

We are now seeing the second and third-generation of British-Somali girls who only know of FGM from campaigns, rather than lived experience, she wrote. Nearly all UK families from countries where it [FGM] is prevalent know it is harmful and illegal, and away from the dominant societies and cultures where it is practised, they see no reason to continue the tradition.

Leaders of the Somali community in Bristol have now called for a public inquiry into the way the NHS collects and records FGM cases.

They accused the police and the CPS, under the leadership of Alison Saunders, of being very excited about the race to get the first [FGM] conviction at any cost, an allegation that was refuted by DCI Pook in the Channel 4 programme.

The man at the centre of the events in Bristol arrived in the UK from Somalia and began plying his trade as a private hire taxi driver, later joining Uber.

On March 9, 2016, he picked up Sami Ullah, an outreach worker with Integrate UK, from Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

Who could have predicted that a ten-minute journey to the charitys offices would lead to a costly and time-consuming criminal investigation, embroil the police and the CPS in controversy and become the subject of a TV documentary?

It all began, according to Mr Ullah, when the driver asked him about his plans and he told him he was going to Essex to deliver a safeguarding session on FGM. I asked him if he knew what FGM was, Mr Ullah said in court. He didnt.

I then used words from the Somali language. A word meaning to make permissible. He didnt understand that. I then used another word. He seemed to understand and made a cross with his index fingers, saying: You mean cutting.

I agreed with him that was what it was. He said it was very wrong, and I agreed with him. He said: I did the small one [the less severe form of FGM] to my daughter, but other people do the big one.

I questioned him by saying: Really? He told me hed got it done in an area of Bristol; Montpelier was the area he named.

Mr Ullah used Ubers feedback service to identify the Somalian, before reporting him to the police.

The taxi driver was arrested shortly afterwards. His statement was taken by DCI Pook, the senior investigating officer. He denied that any conversation about FGM had taken place.

There was no note or recording of his alleged admission, nor was he asked to confirm or repeat anything he said. English is not his first language. Neither does Mr Ullah, who was seated in the back of his car, speak Somali.

The shortcomings were obviously picked up by the jury. Shortly before the trial collapsed, a note was handed to the judge with a series of questions. One of them was: How reliable is the conversation between the defendant and Sami Ullah if English is a problem?

If, say, a reporter had obtained an explosive story in such questionable circumstances, it would never have seen the light of day.

Yet, in June last year, after medical evidence had been obtained, the driver was charged.

Integrate UK sent DCI Leanne Pook, a trustee of the charity, a large chocolate cake. She posted a photo on Twitter with the caption: From our gorgeous friends @IntegrateUK who want to say thanks to the cops.

If there was a hint of hubris in the exchange, it was premature.

Medical evidence proved to be as shaky as the admission in the taxi. The first medical examination had found a tiny mark on the little girl, but the second, by a different expert four months later, could not corroborate the initial finding.

DCI Pooks reaction to the news was captured on TV. Thats just a hammer blow to our case, she admitted. Im disappointed because I dont think we will get justice for this little girl. Her mood changed, however, when she received the full report from the second doctor, which revealed that it was possible nothing had been found because the alleged injury might have healed by the time she saw the youngster.

Even so, there were other issues with the medical evidence. Photographs of the girls alleged injury were taken on equipment that were 15 years old. All but four of the 25 pictures were blurred.

In court, consultant gynaecologist Nicholas Morris, called to give evidence for the defence, said he saw no trace of an FGM procedure in any of the photos.

Alison Saunders insists the CPS does not shy away from difficult cases. But surely this case should never have gone to trial at all.

Mr Morris, who set up an FGM clinic in 1997 to help African immigrants arriving in the UK, the majority from Somalia, is highly respected. In April, he was due to attend an FGM conference hosted by Integrate. His invitation has now been withdrawn.

I know absolutely nothing about this, said Dave McCallum, chairman of the charitys board of trustees and a former detective chief inspector with the Avon & Somerset force.

Mr Morris told us: I can only conclude that some in the charity think that, by appearing for the defence, I am in some way supportive of FGM.

But I spoke as I found, as I am legally and medically bound to do. The crux of the matter for me was there was no evidence of any offence having been committed as it was presented in court.

Founded in 2009 as Integrate Bristol, the charity became a nationwide organisation in 2016. Latest accounts show it received funding from Bristol City Council (4,490), Avon & Somerset Police (10,000) and the Home Office (24,830).

Since 2016, more than 100 organisations and community projects have received government funding to tackle FGM.

Yet health professionals working on the ground, like former midwife Brid Hehir, remain convinced that claims of an FGM epidemic have been grossly exaggerated.

The reality is that in the past four years, when [FGM] campaigners have been at their busiest, nothing has been identified, said Miss Hehir, who has investigated the issue for the Nursing Standard journal.

During the time I was working in London, none of my colleagues in healthcare, including community nurses, health visitors, child protection experts and paediatricians, ever saw a child who had undergone FGM, and neither did I.While life largely carries on as normal for the citizens of Damascus' government-controlled west, it is a far more brutal existence for those in the rebel-held east.

For while children still attend school, go to work in al-Quassaa on the Assad regime's side, weary citizens seek shelter in basements and await the next air strike in the Jobar district.

Heart-breaking satellite imagery has now laid bear a tale of two cities  the east flattened by shelling and barren; the west seemingly unscathed by drawn-out bloodshed.

Eastern Ghouta is a rebel stronghold on the edge of the capital Damascus which has been outside government control since 2012 and is thought to be home to some 400,000 civilians.

Heart-breaking satellite imagery has now laid bear a tale of two cities  the east flattened by shelling and barren; the west seemingly unscathed by drawn-out bloodshed

Since the near total collapse of the Islamic State group's once sprawling 'caliphate', Damascus has looked bent on completing its reconquest and Eastern Ghouta is a key target

It is held by a mish-mash of rebel and jihadist factions.

Since the near total collapse of the Islamic State group's once sprawling 'caliphate', Damascus has looked bent on completing its reconquest and Eastern Ghouta is a key target.

The regime intensified its air campaign there early this month with devastating results - the United Nations estimates three quarters of private housing has been damaged.

Much of the population has moved underground, with families pitching tents in basements and venturing out only to assess damage to their property and buy food, a trip that frequently turns deadly amid the falling shells and bombs.

Eastern Ghouta is a rebel stronghold on the edge of the capital Damascus which has been outside government control since 2012 and is thought to be home to some 400,000 civilians

Much of the population has moved underground, with families pitching tents in basements and venturing out only to assess damage to their property and buy food, a trip that frequently turns deadly amid the falling shells and bombs

Smoke rises after Assad Regime's airstrike hit residential areas in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus yesterday

On Sunday, a child died and 13 others suffered breathing difficulties and showed symptoms consistent with a chlorine attack after a regime air raid struck the town of Al-Shifuniyah, the Observatory and a medic said.

A boy was reportedly killed by Syrian regime rocket fire four hours into a 'humanitarian pause' ceasefire, agreed to by the government and ordered by its Russian ally.

Seven people were also injured during the shelling in the town of Jisreen in eastern Ghouta, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

The truce had been set up to allow civilians to leave eastern Ghouta, after a week-long government offensive killed more than 500 people, including more than 120 children, according to reports.

Syrians inspect the debris of buildings destroyed by Syrian forces' missile strikes in eastern Ghouta, where some 500 people have been killed in Russia-backed government attacks

Syrian children and adults receive treatment for a suspected chemical attack at a makeshift clinic on the rebel-held village of al-Shifuniyah in the Eastern Ghouta in recent weeks

'Pause': Children receive treatment after a gas attack in Eastern Ghouta on Sunday, where the government allegedly broke their agreement to a five-hour ceasefire on February 27

It began at 9am of February 27 and was meant to last for five hours, but the Syrian regime seemingly broke their own agreement.

The Russian defence ministry said the measures, decided in agreement with Syrian forces, were intended to help civilians leave and to evacuate the sick and wounded.

But the spokesman for Failaq al-Rahman, one of the main rebel groups in the eastern Ghouta, accused Russia of presenting people with the choice of forced displacement or being killed in bombardment and siege, and called this a 'Russian crime'.

A spokesperson for the international Red Cross said that in order for a humanitarian corridor to work, it needs to be well planned and implemented with the consent of all parties in the conflict.This statue of one of the three wise men created by world famous architect Antoni Gaudi looks exactly like billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson.

Shocked photographer Zach Culpin could not believe his eyes when he looked at a picture he had taken of Gaudi's famous Nativity scene at the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

Instead of just seeing the three wise men, the 34-year-old realised the final man in the trio looked just like Virgin Group boss Mr Branson.

This statue of one of the three wise men created by world famous architect Antoni Gaudi looks exactly like the billionaire businessman

Mr Culpin, of Weymouth, Dorset, was on holiday in Barcelona and decided to visit the Sagrada Familia, the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in the world.

The photographer said he was amazed by the incredible architecture, but could not believe his eyes when he noticed one of the statues looked like someone familiar.

Mr Culpin said: 'I was on holiday and wanted to visit the Sagrada Familia to see the incredible architecture and Antoni Gaudi's work in person.

'The church is absolutely breathtaking, it's incredible seeing so much history in one place.

The Sagrada Familia is the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in world and home to the Nativity scene

'When I got to the Nativity scene, that was made while Gaudi was in charge, I was taking some pictures and admiring the incredible sight.

'But when I looked at the pictures closely on my camera, I couldn't believe my eyes.

'As I got to my pictures of the three wise men, the man at the back of the group looked just like Richard Branson. It isn't just a slight resemblance either.

'If someone didn't know the history of the building and how long the statue had been there, they could be forgiven for thinking it was based on Branson.

This statue (circled) of one of the three wise men created by world famous architect Antoni Gaudi looks exactly like Sir Richard Branson

'I definitely did a double take when I saw it.'

Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882, under architect Francisco Paula de Villar, but he quit a year later handing over the role to Gaudi.

The Catalan modernist architect made the church his life's work, but when he died in 1926 - aged 73 - he was less than a quarter of the way through the project.

A spokesperson for Sagrada Familia said: 'Any resemblance of the king's carved statues with Richard Branson is mere coincidence.'A foreign exchange student from Spain who married her much older host in Miami has lashed out at a TV cameraman as she prepares to face charges for allegedly helping her husband abuse her underage sister before his suicide.

Marta San Jose, 21, faces felony counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a minor after rejecting a lenient plea deal for first offenders to complete counseling in exchange for dropped charges.

The Spaniard, who is free on bail, lashed out at a news cameraman on her way out of court in Miami on Friday, slapping his gear and snapping 'What the f**k' angrily as she pushed past him, the Miami Herald reported.

San Jose arrived in America in 2012, staying with Dale Leary and his wife Claudia. The couple secretly divorced and Leary married San Jose days after she turned 18, though all three continued to live together.

Marta San Jose (right) is seen leaving court in Miami on Friday shortly before snapping at a TV news cameraman and slapping his gear

San Jose arrived in America in 2012, staying with Dale Leary (together above). Leary secretly divorced his wife and married San Jose days after she turned 18

Leary (left) was found dead in a car in the backyard of his home in Cutler Bay on July 4. His death came after he was charged in the sexual abuse case of San Jose's younger sister

Video courtesy of WSVN

Prosecutors say that San Jose helped Leary lure her 14-year-old sister from Spain and molest her. She claims she was brainwashed by the much older man.

On July 4, shortly after they were both arrested in the case, the 50-year-old Leary was found dead of an apparent suicide in a car behind his home.

San Jose appeared stony faced in court on Friday as prosecutors announced their intent to file charges.

She apparently declined entrance into what is known as the 'Pretrial Intervention' program, which would entail completing therapy before the case is dismissed.

The formal arraignment is set for next Friday and a date will be set aside for the trial.

San Jose's attorney said he had filed a written plea of not guilty, and had waived her right to appear at the arraignment.

It remains to be seen whether the alleged victim, who is currently in Spain, agrees to testify for the prosecution against her sister.

Her testimony could be key to a successful prosecution against San Jose.

San Jose appeared stony faced on Friday as prosecutors announced their intent to file charges

Leary divorced his wife and married Marta San Jose, then 18, (above) in 2014. They met when she stayed at their home as a Spanish foreign exchange student in 2012

Police also found Leary's ex-wife Claudia Leary in the car with him when they responded to a 911 call. She was taken to hospital but he was pronounced dead at the scene

The startling case drew national attention to foreign exchange student programs, with many questioning how Leary was able to host teenage females despite a prior rape conviction.

San Jose's family was unaware of her marriage to Leary. Her parents had sent her 14-year-old sister to the US to accompany San Jose back home to Spain, according to police.

Police said San Jose manipulated her sister into believing that she may have been molested as a younger child.

'Marta persuaded her sister to allow Dale to conduct a vaginal examination, claiming that Dale would be able to determine if she had been sexually assaulted,' arrest records state.

'The victim agreed to the examination and Dale digitally penetrated her vagina.'

Leary also allegedly made both sisters perform oral sex on him multiple times.

The victim also told police Leary made her remove her clothes and wear high heels while he took photos of her.

San Jose is seen in a prior court appearance. She claims Leary brainwashed her

Leary had been granted bail following a court appearance on the sex assault charges, but was being held under strict house arrest before he killed himself

San Jose's lawyers have argued that the young woman was also a victim of Leary's, saying: 'She came at the age of 16, alone in this country, and was manipulated at such a young age by this man.

'A girl who never even had a boyfriend before. This man took advantage of her, brainwashed her and manipulated her. She should not be a defendant.'

Leary and San Jose were both arrested in June on charges including lewd and lascivious behavior on a child, sexual performance with a child and contributing to the delinquency of a child.

However Leary died on July 4 after apparently flooding his car with exhaust fumes.

His ex-wife Claudia was also found in the car, but was rushed to the hospital and survived.Sydney is on terror alert ahead of tonight's Mardi Gras festivities as record crowds flock to the 40th anniversary celebrations.

Police are preparing for a possible attack by increasing security, blockades, and intelligence monitoring ahead of Saturday night's event.

Oxford Street in Sydney and surrounds will be covered by more than 1,000 police.

Sydney's 40th anniversary Mardi Gra celebrations will take place on Oxford Street tonight

There is 'significant terrorism overlay' due to the record crows expected and the nation's probable terrorism threat, Assistant police commissioner Tony Crandell told Nine News.

'We think this will be a bumper crowd and probably the largest that we have ever policed,' he told reporters.

'It is on that basis that there is a significant terrorism overlay, we understand the terrorism threat throughout the nation is probable and on that basis we will make sure we take every extra step.'

Roads will be closed along the parade route by 5pm AEST. The parade route is flanked by a number of public transport options

Operation Langdale, a highly visible police operation, will be in force to ensure public safety according to police.

Police officers on duty will be assisted by the Public Order and Riot Squad, Operations Support Group, Mounted Unit, Dog Unit including drug detection dogs and traffic police.

Assistant commissioner Crandwell reminded the public police will 'target' anyone taking or dealing illicit drugs or engaging in alcohol-related crime or anti-social behaviour.

This year's Mardi Gras will be the first since gay marriage was legalised in Australia and a record 300,000 spectators and 12,000 participants are expected to attend

This year's Mardi Gras will be the first since gay marriage was legalised in Australia and a record 300,000 spectators and 12,000 participants are expected to attend the parade.

The event marks 40 years since the first march, which took place June 24, 1978.

Sydney's Mardi Gras parade will start at Hyde Park near the corner of Liverpool St. and Wentworth Av and will end at Moore Park

Roads will be closed along the parade route by 5pm AEST. The parade route is flanked by a number of public transport options, as it's near Town Hall Station, Museum Station, St. James Station, Martin Place Station, Kings Cross Station and Central Station depending on where along the route you'd like to be. Museum Station will close at 5pm AEST, however.

Buses will also be running on the day of the parade. In a statement about the event, Transport for New South Wales said: 'Trains run frequently to the CBD and additional buses will also run to help you get there. Extra late night services will run to help you get home after the celebrations as well.A man has been charged with the murder of 42-year-old mother of two Donna Louise Steele, who was found dead in bush land north of Cooktown on Sunday.

7 News is reporting that that the man was charged with her murder.

The 25-year-old man from the Cairns suburb of Mooroobool was arrested on Friday night at about 9.30pm, he was interviewed and then charged a short time later.

A 25-year-old Cairns man has been charged with the murder of 42-year-old mother of two Donna Louise Steele, who was found dead in bush land north of Cooktown on Sunday

He was charged with murder, interfering with a corpse, and enter dwelling with intent, and appeared in the Cairns Magistrate Court this morning.

The arrest comes just one week after a $250,000 reward was offered for information about her killer along with an indemnity if they were not directly involved with Ms Steele's death.

Ms Steele's body was found wrapped in blankets and dumped in a remote creek 20km from town, just days after she was last seen at the Cooktown IGA supermarket in Helen St last on August 2 2017.

The investigation included aerial and ground searches of homes, properties and waterways, with a man's shoe located in the Endeavour River area on October 31.

Queensland police investigating near the site where the body of Donna Louise Steele was found, in crocodile infested Isabella Creek near Cooktown

Her body was found wrapped in blankets.

Scientific analysis was conducted on more then 200 items, with trace DNA identified on some of them.

At the time her body was discovered The Cairns Post police were 'confident' that Ms Steele was killed by 'someone she knew'.

The disappearance and subsequent discovery of Ms Steel's body rocked the small community she was a part of Far North Detective Inspector Geoff Marsh said.

'[The town is in] absolute shock,' he said.

'It has devastated that small community.'

Ms Steele's body was found wrapped in blankets and dumped in a remote creek 20km from town, just days after she was last seen at the Cooktown IGA supermarket in Helen St last on August 2 2017.

At the time of her murder Det Insp Geoff Marsh said the lack of CCTV cameras in the area was a 'roadblock' for the investigation.

'Even at the store, [CCTV] was within the store, there's nothing in the streets,' he said.

Kath Pennell, a friend of Ms Steele, said the Cooktown community were left utterly shocked by her murder.

'I am so devastated that I can barely speak. I will say she was a beautiful mother and friend,' he said.

'She loved her children so much. I can't believe someone has done this to her.'

Ms Steele's two children arrived on on the afternoon of August 2 to discover their mother was not home and her partner, who works out of town, raised the alarm when he returned a day later.A thug who tried to kill his estranged wife and her friend in a 'horrendous and merciless' knife attack has been jailed for 19 years.

Lennie Smith, 39, was furious that Veronique Thomas-Smith had left him to babysit their three children at his home in Bluff Point, Western Australia.

Later that night in November 2016 he got three knives from the kitchen and told his young boy: 'I'm going to kill your mum'.

Victim: Veronique Thomas-Smith was stabbed by her estranged husband Lennie Smith who tried to kill her in a 'chilling' attack

Smith broke into his 36-year-old wife's home where she and her friend Kris Battilana, 33, were sleeping.

When Mr Battilana squared up to him, Smith slashed him in the face and neck before turning on his wife and stabbing her neck, body and legs.

He then heard Mr Battilana crying for help, walked over to him and nearly sliced one of his fingers off before cutting a major artery in his neck.

Ms Thomas-Smith managed to escape the house, but Smith followed a trail of her blood to a neighbour's porch where he sliced her breast and lay on top of her before police arrived.

Justice Janine Pritchard said the attack was 'calm and chilling'. She said Smith wanted to 'mutilate' his former partner in a 'desire for retribution.'

Kris Battilana (pictured) squared up to the intruder but was slashed in the face and neck

The pair had been together for 15 years before falling out. A restraining order had been placed on Smith just 26 days before the attack.

Defence lawyer Alana Woldon admitted the attack was 'prolonged' and 'utterly terrifying for his victims' but insisted Smith told his son he was going to 'hurt' not 'kill' his mother.

Smith was jailed for 19 years, 17 without parole, after pleading guilty to two charges of attempted murder and one charge of aggravated home burglary.

After the sentencing, Mr Battilana, who bears gruesome scars from the attack, said: 'The night it happened was absolutely horrific. I can't explain it. There was just blood everywhere.

'That's why it was so hard to deal with it for so long, because I couldn't black it out.

He added: 'If anything is worthwhile out of it, I mean the kids have a mother, but I wouldn't want to go through it again.'

Ms Thomas-Smith said her friend had saved her life by distracting Smith, giving her time to run away, reported Abc.Summer may be over but that doesn't mean the snake danger has passed with experts warning the public to be on the lookout for baby serpents as they begin hatching in droves.

Humid conditions at the start of autumn will see a baby snake boom across Australia, as hatching season for the deadly eastern brown snake reaches its peak.

Both Snake Catchers Adelaide and Sydney based Snake Catchers Australia have reported countless brown snake sightings in their respective cities in the final weeks of summer.

Scroll down for video

This baby brown snake was found taking a dip in Tennyson in Adelaide this week

Snake Catchers Adelaide were asked to identify this two-week-old brown snake, which sought refuge in a child's lunchbox in this week

With the recent warm temperatures, this brown snake in Adelaide was thirsty for a drink

Snake Catchers Australia reported more than 50 Eastern brown snake sightings in Sydney's west and south west in recent weeks on its Facebook page.

In South Australia where the weather is still warm, Snake Catchers Adelaide are even busier.

'We've been smashed this week,' snake catcher Rolly Burrell told Daily Mail Australia.

'For the last eight weeks, we've been getting a 60 calls a day with around 15-20 of them for Eastern browns. We've been working 12 hour days, seven days a week since last August. With the way things are going with the weather, it doesn't look like it's going to drop off anytime soon.'

Snake Catchers Adelaide has been inundated with brown snake sightings this week

Temperatures are expected to rise to the mid 30s in Adelaide by Wednesday.

Mr Burrell doesn't expect brown snake sightings to drop off until late autumn.

'October is breeding season for brown snakes, so late summer is when the babies start to hatch,' he said.

'Brown snake sightings usually don't drop off until May or June.'

He warned a baby brown snake is just as deadly as an adult.

'The message to people is to not interfere with it,' Mr Burrell said.

'If you have a healthy respect for the snake, it won't hurt you 99.9 per cent of the time.'

Sean Cade from Snake Catchers Australia said while both brown snake and red-bellied black snake young were leaving the nest, the two species had very different breeding methods.

'Red bellies - they call them live bearers [but] it's an embryonic sac, it looks like cling wrap,' Mr Cade recently told the Illawarra Mercury.

'They're fully developed ... then mum pops them out and they might hang around mum for a couple of days but as soon as they shed their skin they need to get away because mum will eat them. The difference between that and baby browns is the brown snake will lay 10 to 20 eggs and she'll leave them like a crocodile.'

Mr Cade said while older snakes tended to avoid homes, baby snakes were yet to learn to be cautious of humans.

The brown snake is considered the world's second-most venomous land snake and is responsible for around 60 per cent of snake bite deaths in Australia.

Envenomation can result in paralysis, uncontrollable bleeding and death if left untreated.In 2009, at age 22, Kristian Saucier (pictured) took six photographs inside the classified area of the U.S.S. Alexandria

A former U.S. Navy sailor's bid for a pardon following his release from jail after he was caught taking photos of classified areas inside a nuclear submarine is being considered by the Justice Department.

In 2009, at age 22, Kristian Saucier took six photographs inside the classified area of the U.S.S. Alexandria, a nuclear submarine and eventually pleaded guilty of unauthorized possession and retention of national defense information.

Saucier served a year in federal prison for the offense. Now at 31-year-old, the former sailor is trying to clear his name for good but has ran into obstacles along the way.

Last year, Saucier received a rejection letter from the Department of Justice's Pardon Attorney informing him that he had not met the criteria to qualify for the exemption, which includes waiting five years after sentencing.

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Alexandria (pictured) arrives pierside in its new homeport of San Diego

President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to the former sailor during the 2016 campaign, drawing attention to the handling of his case

'Upon careful review of the information you submitted, we have concluded that it would not be appropriate to grant a waiver of the waiting period in Mr. Saucier's case to permit him to apply for a pardon at this time.'

But late last month, the Justice Department sent a follow up letter stating that Saucier's pardon application is being processed in the system.

'We will now be processing the application for presidential pardon of your client, Kristian Saucier,' the Office of the Pardon Attorney wrote to Saucier's current attorney, Ronald Daigle.

Saucier's case was prompted when a cell phone belonging to the sailor was found in a dumpster in March 2012

The new letter, dated Feb. 20, from the DOJ says it needs a full accounting of Saucier's criminal, employment, and medical history along with information about his current civic engagement, according to The Washington Examiner.

'We are very excited about this because the DOJ had dashed our hopes of getting a pardon when our waiver and pardon were denied,' Daigle said.

We have renewed hopes that our president is going to get the opportunity to see our request and hopefully give my client his future back,' Daigle continued.

'The president has seen and identified this as an injustice. Nothing could ever give my client the year back he spent in prison back, but he has paid enough and deserves his future back which is what a full presidential pardon would do.'

President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to the former sailor during the 2016 campaign, drawing attention to the handling of his case and describing it as overzealous and politically motivated.

In one tweet, posted earlier this year, Trump stated: 'Crooked Hillary Clinton's top aid[e], Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols,' Trump wrote. 'She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents.'

Former sailor Kristian Saucier pictured with his wife Sadie (R) and baby daughter

'Remember sailors pictures on submarine?' Trump asked, referring to Saucier. 'Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others.'

Saucier's case was prompted when a cell phone belonging to the sailor was found in a dumpster in March 2012 by the supervisor of a town dump in Connecticut.

That individual found photos Saucier had taken aboard the Alexandria and alerted his friend, a retried Navy chief, who in turn took the images to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, who eventually contacted the FBI.

The images showed various control panels on the submarine, along with a panoramic image of the ship's reactor compartment, according to the Navy Times.

Saucier told Fox he took the photos to show his family the exciting environment he was working in.

'I made an innocent mistake,' the former sailor protested. 'Many people [who have served in the military] have said they also took pictures not for nefarious purposes.'

'The pictures were on my own personal device, not for distribution, which so many people do,' he maintained.

'Because the FBI and Department of Justice wanted to get someone at that time, they went after me and destroyed my life,' Saucier said.A 12-year-old boy tried to commit suicide twice after being bullied at school - but the culprits were only suspended for three days.

The unnamed schoolboy, from Gympie, Queensland, was rushed to Brisbane's Lady Cilento Hospital on Tuesday after trying to kill himself.

He was discharged that night but only days later tried to end his life again.

On Friday, his brother Murray Benton shared a stark picture of the youngster in hospital as part of a lengthy Facebook post slamming the bullies which has gone viral.

On Friday, the boy's brother Murray Benton (pictured together) shared a stark picture of the youngster in hospital as part of a lengthy Facebook post slamming the bullies which has gone viral

He wrote: 'For months now this little guy has been bullied at school, he has been pushed around, been called names, been involved in both group and one-on-one fights, been made the laughing stock in front of his peers and the list goes on.

'As a result my brother has been pushed to the point where he would rather turn to self harm as opposed to returning to school.'

Mr Benton said one of the bullies was only suspended from Gympie State High School for three days before being allowed back.

He wrote: 'I now find out that one bully was given a three day suspension but can then return to school, which he has done with full intention to repeat the same behaviour again.

'After speaking to other parents within our Gympie community and hearing how many kids are in the same boat with our schools I am fully aware that he is not the only one. This in itself is disgusting.'

Mr Benton added: 'The last couple of days have absolutely shattered me. It's time for something to change.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the school for comment.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis support on 13 11 14Advertisement

Thousands of people in Los Angeles, California, are living in battered Winnebagos and motor homes as residences to avoid living on the street.

These recreational vehicles serve as a cheaper options for those with lower incomes as the housing market continues to skyrocket year after year.

The 2017 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count recorded 4,545 campers and RVs in L.A. that could serve as makeshift homes, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The newspaper investigated these areas to discover the hidden homeless that are living inside these impoverished communities.

Thousands of Los Angeles, California, residents are living in battered Winnebagos and motor homes as the rent continues to rise across the city

The 2017 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count recorded 4,545 campers and RVs in L.A. that could serve as makeshift homes

In certain areas across the city, a line of motor homes will park along the road. These unconventional housing communities are cheaper options for people who are unable to afford rent

Luis Sinco, a Los Angeles Times reporter, visited several motor home encampments to better understand the people who live inside these unconventional homes.

The first couple he met was Sharon Manley and Kraig Goins who call each other the 'odd pair'.

While Manley is 77 years old and looks like a friendly grandmother, Goins is 58 years old and could've stepped straight out of a rock concert.

They live together in a camper parked outside a chocolate factor in Gradena, the south region of Los Angeles.

Manley told Sinco she came to L.A. in the late 1970s from Iowa with her two teenage sons after she got divorced from her then-husband.

Sharon Manley, 77, moved to Los Angeles from Iowa in the late 1970s with her two teenage sons. She has no source of income after working as a sales clerk and a maid

Kraig Goins, 58, lived in Torrance, California, before he moved to Los Angeles after he graduated from high school inn 1978. He has been romantically involved with Manley and living with her in different motor homes for the last 15 years

Her two sons have since died - one from a fatal confrontation with the police and the other fighting a covert war in Central America.

She worked as a sales clerk and maid while Goins was a skateboarder who graduated from high school in Torrance, California, in 1978.

Manley and Goins met and became involved romantically in the late 1990s. Since, they have lived in multiple motor homes over the last 15 years but have never been married.

Sinco reported that Manley has no income, health insurance, or money coming from Social Security. She said police have barred her from retrieving her driver's license and other identification.

Manley lights up a cigarette inside her recreational vehicle. Her last motor home with Goins was impounded because it had expired tags. She said the police are unsympathetic to the issues they face

The odd pair's last motor home was impounded because of expired tags.

Goins receives general relief assistance, which includes $200 in food stamps and $200 in cash per month. He used to work as a mechanic and uses those skills to repair and sell bikes from others living on the street.

'Sometimes I feel like we're worse than the homeless,' Goins said to the Los Angeles Times.

'This is not a recreational vehicle,' he said. 'This is our home. For this, we're not accepted by society. We are castaways.'

He explained that these days there are too many people living in these type of communities, which causes them to be typecast by society and the police.

Manley said she would like to have an apartment or a small home, but she is unable to achieve this with how fast rent prices continue to go up.

Cliff Allen, 67, from Nashville, Tennessee, moved to Los Angeles in 1985. He worked with a real estate agent to help fix up apartments and houses before that person died eight years ago

Allen lost his source of income once the agent died. But since, he was able to apply for Social Security benefit and receive an apartment with Section 8 housing

Another person living in these communities is Cliff Allen, 67, from Nashville, Tennessee.

He is blind in one eye from a childhood accident and moved to L.A. in 1985. Allen met a real estate agent in the 1990s who gave him a job fixing up housing units before they were sold.

Allen was then allowed to stay in vacant homes and apartments until they were sold. Or he would park his white camper on construction sites.

That was until the real estate agent died and Allen's ability to make money slowly disappeared.

Allen began parking his camper in Manchester Square where other homeless people were moving in.

The 67-year-old was able to sell his white camper for $1,000 after he moved into his one-bedroom apartment. His camper used to be parked in Manchester Square near the Los Angeles International Airport

He now collects $1,000 from Social Security benefits and was able to move into an apartment after securing Section 8 housing.

Allen sold his 22-foot camper to a friend after he was able to secure his one-bed room apartment that has a public park across the street.

'Jesus is always looking out for old Cliff,' he said.

Diamond Haynes, who is in her late 30s, moved from Inland Empire to South L.A.

She admitted to Sinco that she was faced with hardship after she became addicted to crystal meth, her apartment burned down, and she lost her seven children to the foster care system.

Diamond Haynes, who is in her 30s, lived in a shabby trailer before it was impounded and was forced to leave. She shared with a Los Angeles Times reporter that she lost all seven of her children to the foster care system

Haynes became addicted to crystal meth. Her whereabouts are currently unknown but some say she checked into drug rehab after her camper was impounded.

Haynes' trailer was impounded shortly after she talked with Sinco. She has since disappeared onto the streets of L.A., but some say she might be in drug rehab.

David Sweeny, 51, lives under the underpass on the way to Los Angeles International Airport.

He is a Marine Corps veteran who served during the Gulf War. The 51-year-old arrived in L.A. 17 years ago and found random jobs such as working as an electrician.

David Sweeny, 51, lives in a trailer underneath the underpass near Los Angeles International Airport. He served in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War

Sweeny had a home with his former girlfriend and another couple, but he was left to pay the rent on his own. He moved into a 28-foot motor home in 2015

Sweeny once lived in a home with his girlfriend and another couple. But he was eventually left on his own with the house and it became too expensive to pay the rent.

'The rent was outrageous,' he said. 'I became a slave to paying it.'

He bought a 28-foot motor home in 2015 and has been living in it since, moving to different locations before settling in Manchester Square.

Dee Timmons, 37, grew up in a relatively middle class family. That was until her divorced parents both lost their homes during the 2008 recession. She was left to survive on her own

Timmons lives in a camper with her two Pitt Bull puppies. She refuses to accept government assistance but will occassionally accept money from family members

The final person Sinco spoke with was Dee Timmons, 37, who was raised relatively middle class before her life was changed.

Both of her divorced parents lost their homes during the recession of 2008. She was left to fend for herself.

Timmons bought a 36-foot motor home two years ago and has been living in it since in areas of south L.A. She has three children, all of which live with different family members.

The 37-year-old currently does not have a job after working as a sales clerk, security guard and maid.

But she refuses to apply for government assistance and relies occasionally on relatives sending her money.

'Why do you think people who live like this are sad? This ain't sad. I do all right. I ain't hungry and I got a place to stay,' she said.A student who survived the Parkland high school massacre has accused one of his teachers of locking him and more than a dozen other students in the hallway as the gunman opened fire.

Josh Gallagher, a junior from Coral Springs, Florida, posted a scathing message on social media accusing his math teacher, Jim Gard of Pompano Beach, of being a coward during the February 14 massacre.

Gard defended himself, telling the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he was simply following the rules and that he didnt see any students in the hall.

Im a victim of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, Gallagher wrote in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

Before the shooting took place I was located in the 700 building which is right next to the freshmen building facing it in my Math class with my Teacher Jim Gard, he writes.

Josh Gallagher (seen above on the left with his father), a junior from Coral Springs, Florida, posted a scathing message on social media accusing his math teacher, Jim Gard of Pompano Beach, of being a coward

Mathematics teacher Jim Gard speaks with reporters at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 23

It was around the time of 2:20 when we had a fire alarm go off, everyone in my class was confused because we had one take place previously in the day.

As the class evacuated for the fire drill, gunshots were heard.

At this point we all ducked and shock kicked in for half a second of what is happening, he writes.

Thats when Gallagher says he and his classmates sprinted back to their room.

As we made it to the door we found out the door was locked, he writes.

Which then left me and 15 other students in the hallways ducking as the screams of classmates and gunshots took over the noise around me.

Gallagher writes that he and the others were ducking and in fear for our lives a full four minutes.

I called my dad [who is a high-ranking officer in the Coral Springs Police Department] up on the phone thinking this could be the last time I speak to him, he writes.

As I was on the phone with him as he tried to calm me down, a teacher I never seen before opened [sic] the door for me and 14 other classmates to flee danger.

When I got into the classroom I told my dad I loved him, he then said it back to me and he hung up because he was a first responder running into the freshmen building.

God bless the teacher who opened [sic] the door to save us from danger

Hours and days after the shooting I came to found out [sic] ... Jim Gard actually ran back into the classroom without turning around and locked his door.

He left 75 percent of his students out in the hallway to be slaughtered.

How can a man such as him be viewed as a hero in the media?

While the shooting was happening and students were locked in the hall he actually called a news station [to] inform them what was going on instead of attempting or even thinking to save kids he left in the hall!

Gallagher blasted Gard as an opportunist and nothing but a coward.

He has re-victimized the students he left out of his class by calling himself a hero, he writes.

Gard defended his actions, saying that he had to lock the door as mandated by the rules during a fire drill.

I looked back down the hall and no one was around  no one, said Gard.

You have to close the door. Thats protocol. We have no choice.

Gard said he and his students huddled in the dark near his desk. Thats when they heard a loud bang.

Gard defended his actions, saying that he had to lock the door as mandated by the rules during a fire drill

I told the kids we cant let anyone in, he said.

We had no idea if it was a drill or not. By the time I walked over to the door, the banging had stopped.

I didnt hear any yelling. If there were 13 kids outside the door screaming and banging I would have heard them.

Gard said when he heard helicopters overhead, he understood this was no ordinary fire drill.

We hear the choppers overhead, Gard said. We get online and see all the news reports.

Gard said he and the students inside the room began texting the others to make sure they were safe.

Fast forward to Sunday, when the parents came back for an open house, Gard said.

All of a sudden this kid comes over and starts screaming at me. Then his father started screaming at me. This is insane.

When the Sun-Sentinel asked Gallagher to respond, he wrote: Im not going to sensationalize this even like my teacher did.

I want change to happen when it comes to protocol and the way this situation is handled. No child can feel the way I did.

Gallagher's claims appeared to be corroborated by another student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Gallagher's claims appeared to be corroborated by another student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The student, Connor Dietrich, tweeted that he was among the kids left in the hallway during those harrowing four minutes

The student, Connor Dietrich, tweeted that he was among the kids left in the hallway during those harrowing four minutes.

'As one of the kids left in the hallway I want people to understand how terrifying and defenseless I personally felt,' he tweeted.

'The person I had to rely on left us to die and thats not okay.'

Dietrich has been quoted in other media articles about the massacre.

The reaction on social media to Gallagher's post was largely sympathetic to him and critical of Gard.

The reaction on social media to Gallagher's post was largely sympathetic to him and critical of Gard

One person tweeted: 'I say this as a teacher. If your claim is true, that man should be terminated immediately.'

Another tweeted: 'Thank you for sharing your experience. I will share your tweet as Im sure many others will and your story will not be overlooked. Im so proud of you for speaking your truth! What your math teacher did was inexcusable!'

Another Twitter user who identified herself as a teacher tweeted: 'This is disturbing.

'As a teacher, I dont know what I would do under such terrifying circumstances, but I do know that my students are precious to me.

'I have an ethical and moral obligation to protect, but I also have an emotional tie to them that pulls at my motherly instincts.'

Seventeen people  14 students and three faculty members  were killed in the massacre, which has ignited a fierce debate nationwide about gun policies.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been charged with the premeditated murder of 17 students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida on February 14.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, (pictured in court on February 19) has been charged with the premeditated murder of 17 studentsA 19-year-old is fighting for his life after a terrifying stabbing at a Melbourne shopping centre.

A fight broke out between the man, his friend and two other men at the Box Hill Central shopping Centre at 4.30pm on Saturday.

The victim is now in a critical condition with 'life-threatening' injuries in an induced coma at a Melbourne hospital.

Police are on the hunt for two men (pictured) alleged to be involved in the brawl at the Boxhill Shopping Centre in Victoria

Bloody clothes on the ground at the scene of the stabbing, which left a 19-year-old fighting for his life in hospital

Police are on the hunt for two unknown men alleged to be involved in the brawl where a weapon was allegedly used to hurt the victim.

A witness told Nine of the shocking bloody mess she saw at the scene on Friday.

'We just turned around and when we turned back he was sitting on the floor and he was completely covered in blood,' she said.

The alleged attackers left the scene with another man, walking along Main Street towards Market Place.

Detectives released CCTV footage of the two men on Saturday as they continue to investigate and appeal to the public for help.

Police media confirmed they are still searching for the two alleged attackers.

The shocking blood trail left outside the shopping centre where the teenager was stabbed

The scene of the stabbing at the Box Hill shopping centre in Melbourne, Victoria where two attackers allegedly stabbed a man then walked away

The first suspect is believed to be Caucasian with short, dark hair, medium build and about 175 cm tall.

He was wearing a dark windcheater and dark tracksuit pants.

Meanwhile, the second suspect was wearing sunglasses on his head, a blue-short-sleeved top and dark pants with a bag hanging over his shoulder.

He is also Caucasian, 175cm tall with short, fair hair and a thin build.

Police media confirmed to the Daily Mail they are still looking for the two men (pictured)



A teenage girl has been airlifted to hospital with pelvic fractures after she fell eight metres into a swimming quarry.

The Adamstown teen was swimming with friends at Diemars Quarry at Salamander Bay near Port Stephens in the New South Wales Hunter Valley when she fell.

The 17-year-old slipped onto rocks while attempting to jump into the water at around noon on Saturday.

The girl fell eight metres into the water at Diemars Quarry in Salamander Bay (pictured)

The Westpac Life Saver Rescue helicopter (pictured) was called to the quarry near Port Stephens

'The fall was four to six metres onto rocks and then a further two metres into the water,' a New South Wales Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

The girl was rescued by friends and emergency services were called.



She was treated at the scene by paramedics before the Westpac Life Saver Rescue helicopter airlifted the girl to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.

The teenager suffered pelvic fractures and is in now a stable condition.

Paramedics (pictured) treated the girl at the scene before she was airlifted to hospitalPresident Donald Trump was reportedly not amused on Friday by a remark from his chief of staff, John Kelly, who joked that he got the White House gig as punishment from God.

Speaking to employees at the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, the embattled Kelly told the crowd, 'I miss every one of you every day.'

'Truly, six months, the last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and God punished me, I guess,' Kelly said.

It was widely understood that the remark was made in jest, but the president took offense, according to CBS News.

Trump believes Kelly ought to be more appreciative of the powers and responsibilities that the president gave him when he hired him to be chief of staff, CBS News reported.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly appeared Thursday at an event for Department of Homeland Security secretaries. There he said God punished him, which is how he ended up at the White House instead

When John Kelly (right) was asked if he had any regrets from his time at the DHS, the current DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen (left) interjected and answered for him: 'to stay'

When Kelly was asked during the program if he had any regrets, the current occupant of the job, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen interjected with an answer: 'to stay.'

The comment got laughs from the crowd.

'I wish I had worked harder in the six months I had the job to ... not only protect the men and women that get beat up so badly every day but to really advertise in a much more effective way how good you are,' Kelly said. 'You take the face shots every single day from people who don't have a clue what they're talking about or have an agenda against you. I did the best I could.'

Speaking to CNN on the way in to the event  which was to mark the anniversary of the agency with the current and former secretaries  Kelly said things were 'pretty good' at the White House.

'Too much work, too hard,' he said. 'We're all doing the Lord's work, though,' an upbeat Kelly said.

Kelly's demeanor stood in contrast to the reported bad morale felt by his underlings, according to former Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who went on a TV blitz Thursday morning in order to get that message to President Trump.

'Does the president want to lose everyone because of General Jackass?' Scaramucci asked Bloomberg Politics, implying that Kelly's iron rule helped guide Communications Director Hope Hicks out the door.

The remark by Kelly did not sit well with President Donald Trump, who reportedly believes the chief of staff should be grateful for the responsibilities he was given

Scaramucci predicted there would be more to follow.

News of Hicks' forthcoming departure broke Wednesday.

The day before, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's spokesman, Josh Raffel, confirmed he was out, planning to head back to New York City in the next two months.

Then, Thursday afternoon, after the conclusion of the DHS event, NBC News reported that Kelly, along with Defense Secretary James Mattis, were forcing President Trump's second National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster out.

McMaster had replaced Trump's original pick for the job, Michael Flynn, who was only the job for 24 days. Flynn has since been indicted.

Kelly was also central to the drama over Kushner's security clearance, which was downgraded from 'top secret' to 'secret' since the president's son-in-law had never passed the FBI's background check.

Kushner had been looking at government secrets on an interim security clearance.

Trump made Kelly decide what to do about interim clearances in the aftermath of the Rob Porter scandal, in which the FBI had known about allegations of spousal abuse against the now ex-staff secretary, yet Porter could still see the nation's top secrets.

Beyond Kushner, Bloomberg reported Wednesday that about 30 White House staffers' clearances were affected.

Adding to all the other Kelly drama, CNN reported this week that the chief of staff had some negative things to say about the president's daughter Ivanka, one of Trump's top White House advisers.

She's 'playing government' he reportedly said privately, calling one of her issue areas, the child tax credit, a 'pet project.'James Eric Davis Jr, 19 (pictured) was caught Saturday morning after he allegedly shot and killed two people in a dorm at Central Michigan University Friday morning

A 19-year-old suspected of shooting dead his parents in a Central Michigan University dorm was caught by police after an day-long manhunt.

Shots rang out around 8.30am Friday on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, a co-ed dorm. No one else was injured.

The shooter then fled the scene on foot, heading north.

James Eric Davis Jr., 19, was arrested just after midnight on Friday. Police took him into custody after searching for him for more than 12 hours.

Local and state police had the help of the FBI and agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to locate the gunman.

He had spent Thursday night in the hospital after campus cops caught him in a 'drug-induced' state.

Central Michigan University confirmed on Twitter that the two victims were Davis' parents, 47-year-old Diva Davis and 48-year-old James Eric Davis Sr. Davis Sr who worked as a police officer in Bellwood, Illinois, just west of Chicago.

Scroll down for video

Police confirmed on twitter the two victims were the shooter's parents, Diva Davis, 47 (left), and James Eric Davis Sr., 48 (right)

The Central Michigan University Twitter page informed the campus when Davis was in custody

The school updated its website at 12.50am to inform students, parents and staff that the suspect in the shooting was arrested

The two victims were shot on the forth floor of Campbell Hall, a residence hall. The school says the victims weren't students

Above, a forensics team at the dorm after the Friday morning shooting

Sources told the Detroit Free Press that the victims were the shooter's parents. Above, law enforcement search for Davis on Friday

After the shooting, Davis ran north away from the apartment buildings. Police arrested him early Saturday morning

At an afternoon press conference, cops said they believed Davis was within the city limits. It is unclear where they arrested him

Davis was last seen wearing yellow jeans and a blue hoodie before he was arrested

Last night, Davis was hospitalized for an 'overdose or bad reaction' to drugs, cops said

There was a manhunt for Davis for most of the day until he was captured just after midnight

Davis' roommate shared this picture of the teen

Police have released few details about Davis and what may have prompted him to kill

At the afternoon press conference, law enforcement officials said that the suspect had been in contact with officers Thursday night for a 'drug-related incident'.

The officers believed the teen had an 'overdose or bad reaction' and was taken to the hospital where he was released to medical staff.

The search for the gunman moved into the city limits, to the north of campus. It is unclear where police found him, but he has been arrested and taken into custody.

Classes have been cancelled and students were ordered to shelter in place while police searched for the gunman. He has since been arrested

Friday was the last day of classes before spring break and many parents were headed to the school to pick up their kids for the break

Parents headed to campus ahead of spring break were told not to drive onto campus, and instead assemble at a nearby Comfort Inn until it was safe to do so

Ambulances were staged throughout campus, but there were no other reports of injuries

The school posted to their Facebook Friday morning around 9.30am, telling students to shelter in place and avoid the area around Campbell Hall. Classes were cancelled for the day.

An automated phone message from the school also was sent to students Friday morning.

Surrounding schools, hospitals and offices were placed on lockdown.

Friday is the last day of classes for Spring Break, so many parents were headed to the campus to pick students up.

Central Michigan University has about 23,000 students in Mount Pleasant, which is about 70 miles north of Lansing.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder tweeted that he is in 'constant contact' with the state police over the matter.A woman faces the amputation of her hands and toes after she contracted a deadly disease on her dream holiday in Cambodia.

Shelley Hill, 46, left Byron Bay in New South Wales last month to volunteer helping sick and abused elephants in Mondulkiri.

She checked with her doctor what vaccinations she needed and her friends claim she was told antimalarial medication wasn't necessary during the dry season.

But the vacation she had always dreamed of turned into a nightmare, after she contracted a strain of malaria with a 50 per cent mortality rate from a mosquito during the seven-day trip.

Shelley Hill (pictured), 46, contracted a strain of malaria with a 50 per cent mortality rate from a mosquito during her seven-day dream trip to Cambodia last month

She left Byron Bay in New South Wales last month to volunteer helping sick and abused elephants in Mondulkiri

Ms Hill (centre) began feeling ill soon after she returned home, before a blood test confirmed the deadly diagnosis on February 20

The 46-year-old (left), who works as a crisis support worker, fell into a coma and remained in a critical, unstable condition for five days

Ms Hill began feeling ill soon after she returned home, before a blood test confirmed the deadly diagnosis on February 20.

She was quickly taken to The Tweed Hospital but was soon in the fight of her life as her organs began shutting down.

The 46-year-old, who works as a crisis support worker, fell into a coma and remained in a critical, unstable condition for five days.

She has since made a 'small improvement' and is breathing partially on her own, but faces 12 months of rehabilitation and a lifetime of care - possibly without any hands.

The disease - which affects red blood cells - caused Ms Hill irreversible necrosis to her extremities as a result of poor blood circulation, and probable permanent kidney failure.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Saturday, Ms Hill's friend Mel Wilson said her best friend is facing a recovery that will 'last a lifetime'.

She has since made a 'small improvement' and is breathing partially on her own, but faces 12 months of rehabilitation and a lifetime of care - possibly without any hands

The disease caused Ms Hill irreversible necrosis to her extremities (pictured) as a result of poor blood circulation

Ms Hill's (left) friend Mel Wilson said her best friend is facing a recovery that will 'last a lifetime'

'We just found out the prognosis has got much worse - she's looking at the loss of all toes, plus both hands [and] probably permanent kidney failure requiring daily dialysis,' Ms Wilson said.

'They said her recovery will take a lifetime. She will never run again which is her greatest passion.'

She also explained how her friend of 25 years thought she had been asleep for a few hours when she woke up from almost a week-long coma.

'Initially she had no idea of the gravity of the situation but a doctor just sat down and gave it to her straight,' Ms Wilson said.

'The doctor told her she came as close to death as possible.'

Ms Wilson launched a GoFundMe with Ms Hill's other friends to help raise $50,000, which will go towards ongoing medical costs.

She explained how her friend of 25 years (right) thought she had been asleep for a few hours when she woke up from almost a week-long coma

Ms Wilson launched a GoFundMe with Ms Hill's (right) other friends to help raise $50,000, which will go towards ongoing medical costs

More than $36,000 had been raised by Saturday night, but Ms Wilson said more will need to be done to help her fitness fanatic friend in the trying months ahead.

'She's still being assisted with breathing and then she will have to have the amputations.

'Then she will have to go to a rehab facility to learn how to function in society with no hands or toes and get prosthetics.'

Ms Wilson said she has also engaged a solicitor to determine whether her friend can claim bad medical advice.

She added: 'She could lose a whole hand and that's why we are trying to raise the funds - how do you shower, drive a car or get dressed?'Attorney Benjamin Brafman, 69, (pictured) defended Harvey Weinstein in an interview

Harvey Weinstein's lawyer has defended his client's alleged sexual misconduct as a product of Hollywood culture, calling the 'casting couch' a distasteful tradition but not illegal.

'The casting couch in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey Weinstein,' high-flight attorney Benjamin Brafman, 69, said in a lengthy profile by the Times of London published on Saturday.

'If a woman decides that she needs to have sex with a Hollywood producer in order to advance her career and actually does it and finds the whole thing offensive, that's not rape,' Brafman continued.

'You made a conscious decision that you're willing to do something that is personally offensive in order to advance your career. Now, however offensive the whole saga may be on both of your parts, that's not a crime.

'That's bad in many ways, when you look at it. But that's been the reputation of that industry [since] before I was born.'

Harvey Weinstein is seen with Gwyneth Paltrow in 2002. She has said he summoned her to his hotel room to suggest a massage after casting her in Emma in 1996

More than 70 women have accused Weinstein of a range of sexual misconduct, including rape.

Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone, but apologized for 'the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past'.

Some of the allegations against him did recall the storied 'Hollywood casting couch', with young actresses claiming they were invited to a casting meeting with Weinstein and then subjected to sexual overtures.

'There was no explicit mention that to star in one of those films I had to sleep with him, but the subtext was there,' Heather Graham recalled of casting meetings with Weinstein in an op-ed for Variety.

Brafman, in the new interview, claimed Weinstein's behavior was par for the course in Hollywood, and blamed a mob mentality for the rush of accusers last fall.

'What you have now is there are people who have been emboldened by the climate to speak out who would never have gone public with their claims years before,' Brafman said.

'I have found that a lot of the people who are condemning him could never withstand the scrutiny in their personal lives that he has been exposed to. If they had that type of horrific investigation, they would come out with many flaws that you could then exploit in the tabloids,' he added.

Heather Graham (left) and Brit Marling (right) have both penned essays describing their encounters with Weinstein, saying he turned meetings into overtures for 'massage'

Brafman (pictured) is a high-profile attorney who has defended mobsters, pharma-bro Martin Shkreli and musicians such as P Diddy, Jay-Z and Michael Jackson

Weinstein himself has been accused of keeping a stable of tabloid journalists on his payroll or otherwise under his influence, using them to smear women who refused his advances or threatened to expose him.

In one case, after Italian actress Ambra Battilana Gutierrez filed a sexual assault complaint against him in 2015, she found herself the subject of tawdry reports that she'd attended Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconis infamous 'bunga bunga' parties.

'I'm not prepared to condemn him simply because he has lived during a period of time in a manner that may not be appropriate or may be embarrassing,' Brafman told the Times. 'But there's a big difference between that and criminal conduct.'

Criminal probes into Weinstein are ongoing in Los Angeles, New York and London, but so far, no criminal charges have been filed.

Brafman said he didn't expect any criminal prosecution against Weinstein to pan out: 'I see many of the allegations against him [that] would suggest criminal conduct, when you drill down and really look at the facts and complaints I don't believe many of them to be true.'

Weinstein is seen with Paltrow (center) and Liv Taylor in 2008. His lawyer has spoken out to defend the movie mogul and say his actions were a product of the times

Asia Argento (left) claimed Weinstein performed forced oral sex on her and Daryl Hannah (right) says she repeatedly rebuffed his advances. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone

Weinstein has kept a low profile since the flood of allegations was unleashed last fall, rarely denying specific allegations and surfacing in occasional public sightings in Arizona.

Brafman said his advice to Weinstein has been to maintain the low profile, at least for now.

'It's very hard to convince a high-profile person to keep getting punched in the face and not punch back,' he said.

'There are whole hosts of people in Harvey's life who I could take significant swings at right now and we're not doing it because I'm not looking to create more controversy and I'm not looking to be viewed as someone who is victimizing again people who believe they were previously victimized.

'It doesn't help Harvey, it doesn't help me and it doesn't help the case.'A boy has been killed while riding his bike after he was hit by a truck.

The 14-year-old died at the scene after the crash in Whyalla Norrie in South Australia on Friday evening.

Heartfelt tributes were paid to the tragic teenager with flowers left at the scene on Saturday.

A truck driver escaped injury after a crash involving a bicycle in South Australia on Friday evening

The boy, from neighbouring Whyalla Jenkins, was knocked off his bike in the small town nearly 400km north of Adelaide.

Police are now investigating and confirmed nobody is currently charged with any offences, a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

'No charges have been laid at this stage the matter is being investigated by Major Crash Officers,' they said.

Police are not expecting to release the name of the boy killed in the crash.

Detectives are investigating the crash in Whyalla Norrie but have so far placed no charges

The crash happened at around 5.30pm on an intersection with one road closed in both directions during early investigations.

The truck driver, a 49-year-old man from Whyalla Norrie, was not injured in the crash.

It is reported the youngster's friends may have seen the incident which led to their pal's death, according to The Advertiser.

Tributes to the boy described him as 'an angel' while another said: 'R.I.P. Played a big role in my life, although I never acknowledged you for it I thank you.'

The tragedy brings the death toll on South Australia's roads to 10 this year - compared to 11 at the same stage in 2017.

Flowers were left at the scene on Saturday in tribute to the boy, 14, who died there on Friday evening

A statement from South Australia Police said: 'Police are investigating a fatal crash at Whyalla Norrie yesterday.

'Sadly, the cyclist, a 14-year-old boy from Whyalla Jenkins, died at the scene.

'The truck driver, a 49-year-old man from Whyalla Norrie, was not injured

'Major Crash investigators attended the scene.'

Detectives are appealing for witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to come forward by contacting Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A baby girl has died while being taken to hospital after being mauled by a Rottweiler on Saturday.

The 12-month-old infant was set upon by the dog at her home in Inverell, in northern New South Wales.

Emergency services arrived at the home on Greaves Street about 2.20pm and found the child suffering critical injuries.

A baby has died while being taken to hospital after being mauled by a Rottweiler on Saturday (stock image)

The baby was treated at the scene and rushed to hospital but died on the way.

The Rottweiler, which belongs to the family, was found in the backyard of the home and seized by rangers from Inverell Shire Council.

Police from New England Police District are investigating and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.

The 12-month-old infant was set upon by the dog at her home in Inverell, in Western New South Wales (stock image)

More to comeTwo British tourists are recovering in hospital after being shot in an attempted robbery in Brazil.

The pair named as brothers, William, 20, and James, 26, with a preliminary surname given as Lesdhan, were heading back to their hotel on Friday (2 March) around 1am, along Taperapua Beach in Porto Seguro, a popular holiday resort in north-east Brazil, when they were approached by a couple of men on a motorbike.

The thugs tried to rob the backpack of one of the brothers. He apparently resisted, and shots were fired.

Scroll down for video

The brothers are recovering at the Luis Eduardo Magalhaes Hospital

Brazil is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, but foreign visitors are advised constantly to e on the look-out for muggers

Police do not advise tourists to fight back against muggers as this man did in January 2017

William was hit in the right hand and has a fractured finger, while James was shot twice in his left arm and suffered a fractured bone.

James reportedly told cops: They tried to snatch Williams backpack and he took it (back)."

The gunmen fled the scene empty handed.

Detectives said the pair are in a stable condition in Luis Eduardo Magalhaes Hospital.

The victims, who had been staying in the area for two days, planned to vacation in the city until Monday (5 March).

The brothers have been visited by relatives who live in Espirito Santo and plan to return to their family members house after they are discharged

The incident is being investigated by Porto Seguros Tourist Protection Office (Deltur).

Cops have not identified the armed assailants but said they have CCTV images of the motorbike which should help with their inquiry.An NHS paramedic was assaulted after a row over where an ambulance had been parked while tending to a patient in 'treacherous' sub-zero conditions.

The emergency responder had been tending to a 999 call in Sparkhill, Birmingham, when she and a co-worker were set upon while trying to help a woman in her 60s with chest pain.

Tasha Starkey revealed online that her fellow emergency responder was assaulted while she was threatened and verbally abused.

Police arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of common assault and a public order offence near to the scene at around 11.30am yesterday morning.

West Midlands Police revealed they were called to Stratford Road after receiving a call from the paramedics at around 11am, saying they needed backup after the unnamed NHS worker was hit on the arm.

Ms Starkey tweeted about the ordeal, saying: 'We haven't had a good morning unfortunately myself and my crewmate were threatened, verbally abused... my crewmate was assaulted.'

The unnamed paramedic was hurt and fellow emergency responder, Tasha Starkey (pictured), said she was threatened and verbally abused

Tasha Starkey tweeted about the incident last night

The NHS worker said they were attacked as 'because we had parked parallel to their car' although she added they were not blocking the road.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service tweeted that staff were battling through 'treacherous' conditions to help those in need.

Following Ms Starkey's tweets, people have been quick to praise her and other NHS workers for their efforts in treacherous weather conditions.

Carol Hones replied to her tweet: 'Some people so sorry you were both abused and disrespected when you are out saving lives/getting patients help. If only all Paramedics could film whilst on the call, then they would have evidence to give Police. I know from the TV programmes some areas do film?'

PCSO Michelle Owens tweeted: 'I hope you and your colleague are ok....this behaviour needs to stop, do people not realise that one day they may actually need your help....seriously what is wrong with some people - they need to give their heads a really good shake!!'

Stratford Road in Sparkbrook, Birmingham where an ambulance crew was threatened, vebually abused and attacked on Friday March 2

West Midlands Police confirmed that the man was released from the police station at 9pm last night with a caution

West Midlands Ambulance Service tweeted their staff were doing 'everything possible to get into work in treacherous conditions'

This morning, Ms Starkey tweeted that the person who abused her and her crewmate had been let off with a caution.

West Midlands Police confirmed that the man was released from the police station at 9pm last night with a caution.

She tweeted: 'Unfortunately received news last night that the patient that was physically& verbally aggressive and extremely threatening to us that hes just received a caution. Extremely upset, disappointed and let down by this outcome.'

Madie replied to her tweet, saying: 'That's a disgrace! I can see why you feel like you do.'

Tim Wyatt replied: 'Ridiculous , theyll just do the same thing again & again . No punishment at all . Feel for you & your crew mates . You dont deserve abuse & violence being thrown at you on a daily basis . Youre trying to help . Soon have to have police as 3rd crew member.'

It is not the first time that Ms Starkey has been abused while trying to carry out her job. She appeared on the This Morning channel in November last year to reveal that a threatening note had been left on the ambulance while they tended to a patient.

The note, which was broadcast on the programme, read: 'You may be saving lives, but don't park your van in a stupid place and block my drive.'Advertisement

The mother of a three-year-old boy who choked to death on a bouncy ball has revealed she painstakingly tried to resuscitate her child for 16 minutes until paramedics arrived.

Anna Davis said she was only three feet away from her son Alby when he began choking on the small toy he was gifted as an early fourth birthday present at his home in Wynyard, Tasmania.

She attempted to pull out the ball - which was only slightly larger than a 50 cent piece - and started performing CPR during an 'excruciating' wait for paramedics.

Her son could not be revived and he died before her eyes on Monday - just days before his fourth birthday.

The mother of Alby Davis (pictured) - who choked to death on a bouncy ball - has revealed she painstakingly tried to resuscitate her child for 16 minutes until paramedics arrived

Anna Davis (pictured) said she was only three feet away from her son Alby when he began choking on the small toy he was gifted as an early fourth birthday present at his home in Wynyard, Tasmania

Alby (pictured with Anna) could not be revived and he died before her eyes on Monday - just days before his fourth birthday

The devastated mother took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal the heartbreaking details and explain how 'incorrect assumptions' about the tragedy are hurting the grieving family further.

'The heartache we are already experiencing is indescribable,' she wrote.

'To very briefly clarify some of the most widely spread misconceptions - yes, I tried to save our beautiful boy (including, but not only, undertaking CPR for 16 excruciating minutes until paramedics arrived).

'I was three feet away from Alby when the incident occurred and was by his side within seconds.'

She explained how the ball - which features the smiling face of a character from animated children's program PJ Masks - was larger than the 50 cent piece recommendation for young children's toys.

Mrs Davis also said her son exceeded the ball's choking hazard warning by almost an entire year.

The devastated mother took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal the heartbreaking details and explain how 'incorrect assumptions' about the tragedy are hurting the grieving family further

She explained how the ball - which features the smiling face of a character from animated children's program PJ Masks - was larger than the 50 cent piece recommendation for young children's toys (pictured is the same type of ball)

A picture of the same type of ball was supplied by Mrs Davis to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, revealing how it fits inside the palm of her hand

The ball came in a six pack of assorted colours, which can be found at department store BIG W and various party supplies stores for less than AUD$15

A picture of the same type of ball was supplied by Mrs Davis to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, revealing how it fits inside the palm of her hand.

The ball came in a six pack of assorted colours, which can be found at department store BIG W and various party supplies stores for less than AUD$15.

The front of the packet features a choking hazard and warns the toy is a 'small ball not suited for children under three years'.

Alby died after choking on the ball just 40 minutes after telling his mother 'I can't wait to go to bed'.

Mrs Davis posted a picture on Instagram on Thursday night of Alby in bed with his new birthday bed linen and captioned it with her 'golden boy's' last words.

She wrote: '''I can't wait to go to bed tonight Mum!'' 'Our precious boy, with his brand new doona cover, 2.49pm on Monday afternoon... exactly 40 minutes before he took his final earthside breath in my arms.'

Alby (pictured) died after choking on the ball just 40 minutes before telling his mother 'I can't wait to go to bed'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Friday morning, she said the family were very grateful for the 'love and gratitude' they have received 'as we fathom the loss of our golden boy'.

Earlier, Mrs Davis, who runs a small children's toys business called The Small Folk, posted a tribute to her son on her company Instagram account which features dozens of photos of her family and their nature-based lifestyle.

She wrote: 'Yesterday afternoon, our beautiful, beautiful Alby, our darling baby boy, grew wings and flew from this earth.

'Minutes pass like hours and the gaping hole in our lives and hearts is completely incomprehensible. We adore you beyond belief, our sweet little fox. Forever three, forever free.'

Mrs Davis, who runs a small children's toys business called The Small Folk, posted a tribute to her son (pictured) on her company Instagram account which features dozens of photos of her family and their nature-based lifestyle

The tribute read: 'Yesterday afternoon, our beautiful, beautiful Alby, our darling baby boy, grew wings and flew from this earth'

The heartfelt post received more than 45,000 likes and 10,000 sympathetic comments.

A family friend has now set up a Gofundme page to raise money for Mrs Davis and her relief-teacher husband Simon to help them look after their daughter Sage and son Acre as they expect their fourth child.

It has already raised more than $244,000, eclipsing the $100,000 goal.

The page reads: 'On Monday afternoon, the unimaginable for any parent occurred.

'Darling Alby was playing with a bouncy ball that had arrived earlier that morning, in a package filled with party favours for his upcoming 4th birthday celebrations.

'The ball became stuck in his windpipe, preventing his ability to breathe, and in a matter of seconds, despite his mama's frantic attempts to save him, he passed away in her arms.

A neighbour said: 'There has been an outpouring of people, food and kindness. What has happened is unfathomable.' A friend added: 'They are a really beautiful and humble family, and people are sharing their grief.'

The tribute continued: 'Minutes pass like hours and the gaping hole in our lives and hearts is completely incomprehensible. We adore you beyond belief, our sweet little fox. Forever three, forever free.'

A family friend has now set up a Gofundme page to raise money for Mrs Davis and her relief teacher husband Simon to help them look after their daughter Sage and son Acre as they expect their fourth child

'This beautiful family need time to mourn and surround each other in love, without having the financial burdens of daily life and work commitments weighing on their minds.

'As Simon is a relief teacher, he is not entitled to any leave, and as so many of you know, Anna is self-employed with her much-loved business, The Small Folk.'

A neighbour told The Mercury: 'There has been an outpouring of people, food and kindness. What has happened is unfathomable.'

A friend added: 'They are a really beautiful and humble family, and people are sharing their grief.'Robert Halfon (pictured), head of the Commons education committee, said he is concerned about unregistered schools

Children are being indoctrinated by religious extremists and exposed to danger in underground schools that exploit home education laws to teach hate-filled ideas.

Books taken from illegal schools say that homosexuality is an abomination, punishing your wife is lawful, and blames rapes on the way women dress.

Education regulator Ofsted, said it has identified more than 350 illegal schools, and since 2014 has issued safeguarding alerts  concerns of abuse or neglect  regarding 50 of them.

However, despite the findings, the Department for Education has been unable to carry out prosecutions and Ofsted has spoken of its frustration over its limited powers.

Yet while these schools can be inspected by Ofsted, at least 80 smaller teaching groups that have been set up are outside its control, reported The Times.

Robert Halfon, head of the Commons education committee, said there should be no grey areas and is worried about the lack of regulation concerning unregistered schools.

The former education minister said: There shouldnt be room for grey areas. Even if they have less than five pupils and are open less than 18 hours they should be inspected and registered.

Five extremists books relating to Islam, such as Dos and Do Nots of Islam and The Islam Way of Life were obtained by the Times. The author of one of those books was the extremist Muslim preacher, who has been banned from Britain, Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips.

Five extremists books relating to Islam, such as Dos and Do Nots of Islam and The Islam Way of Life were obtained by the Times. The author of one of those books was the extremist Muslim preacher, who has been banned from Britain, Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips (pictured)

And in another case, an Islamic school in Birmingham was allowing children to read a book which claimed all gay people should be murdered.

Concerns were also expressed over Christian and Jewish illegal schools.

Last week a staff member at a Jewish school was filmed striking a pupil over the head in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

The BBC team filmed in a suspected unregistered ultra-orthodox Jewish school in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, where they caught on camera a teacher appearing to hit a pupils head.

Anne Longfield, the Childrens Commissioner for England, told the BBC investigation the footage showed huge safeguarding issues. The synagogue, on whose grounds the school is based, said it was not aware of any incidents, but asked for more information.

The government has previously proposed to tighten regulation regarding homeschooling but this was shelved after the Church of England opposed plans.

Now, Labour peer, Lord Soley is trying to introduce a private members bill to give local authority more powers.

The Department for Education said it and Ofsted agreed on cases to send to the Crown Prosecution Service: If the director of public prosecutions takes a decision to charge, the case comes to the secretary of state for his consent. So far no cases have reached that stage.Expectant mothers have accused Caffe Nero of implementing a 10p-a-cup 'pregnancy tax' on decaffeinated coffee.

They say that they have no option but to pay the surcharge on decaffeinated beverages because caffiene is linked to health issues and miscarriages.

Pregnant mothers are warned that surplus amounts of caffeine can lead to low birth weight as well as making babies vulnerable to health problems in later life.

Expectant mums have accused Caffe Nero of discriminating against them by charging more for decaffeinated coffees

Caffe Nero argues that it has to charge more for decaffeinated beverages because the process of taking the caffeine out is more expensive

Campaigners say that other high street chains, such as Starbucks, Costa and Pret A Manger charge the same amount for for ordinary coffees as they do for decaffeinated drinks.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of parenting website Channel Mum, told The Sun on Friday: 'Pregnant mums don't have a choice.

'They drink decaf to ensure their baby's safety, so charging a whopping 10p a cup more for it is indeed a 'pregnancy tax'.

'It seems like a sly way to make extra money at a time when mums-to-be need to be saving, not spending over the odds.'

Manufacturers point out that decaffeinated coffee is pricier because it costs more to remove the caffeine.

A Caffe Nero spokesman said: 'Our decaffeinated coffee costs us more to produce as we ship our beans to a specialist facility in Germany for careful decaffeination using no chemicals.

'For this we charge customers a modest 10 pence supplement.'Police arrested a senior anaesthetist over multiple deaths at his hospital after NHS chiefs raised the alarm about two of his patients.

Consultant Dr Andy Gregg, 48, is also being investigated by officers concerning five more different cases.

He has been suspended by Peterborough City Hospital, in Cambridgeshire, where he worked since 2003.

Police arrested a senior anaesthetist over multiple deaths at his hospital (pictured) after NHS chiefs raised the alarm about two of his patients

The allegations centre on whether he inappropriately hastened the death of patients in his care, court papers state.

A further 11 instances are being looked at by the General Medical Council, but it is unclear whether those relate to patient deaths, reported the Sun.

Dr Andy Gregg has been suspended by Peterborough City Hospital (pictured), in Cambridgeshire, where he worked since 2003

He has been fighting his superiors from stopping his pay in the High Court, where details of the case emerged.

In December 2016 he was questioned and then arrested in March last year. Two months later he was suspended and is on bail until June.

Dr Gregg strenuously denies the gross negligence manslaughter allegations against him and said: I am co-operating fully but will not be commenting further.Advertisement

Hundreds of thousands of revellers have flocked to Sydney's famous Oxford Street as the city transforms with colour and glitter for the 40th Mardi Gras parade.

Saturday's celebration is expected to attract a record crowd as organisers take the chance to look back on defining moments in the event's history.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy made an appearance the Dykes on Bikes and Boys on Bikes kicked off the evening's festivities.

Hundreds of thousands of revellers have flocked to Sydney's famous Oxford Street as the city transforms with colour and glitter for the 40th Mardi Gras parade

Saturday's celebration is expected to attract a record crowd as organisers take the chance to look back on defining moments in the event's history

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy made an appearance the Dykes on Bikes and Boys on Bikes kicked off the evening's festivities

Mr Turnbull described the parade as a 'wonderful part of Sydney'.

'It's 40 years old and 40 years ago Lucy and I had our first date so our love affair is a result of Mardi Gras,' Mr Turnbull said.

About 200 floats will make their way up the popular strip from 7pm, including a group of 250 people who were involved in the original 1978 demonstration and subsequent riot.

More than 12,000 people will take part in this year's parade including Maude Boate, who has travelled from Broken Hill in far west NSW and isn't new to the Mardi Gras scene.

About 200 floats will make their way up the popular strip from 7pm, including a group of 250 people who were involved in the original 1978 demonstration and subsequent riot

More than 12,000 people were expected to take part in the parade, which kicked off on Sydney's Oxford Street on Saturday night

The 2018 edition of the parade is the first since same-sex marriage in Australia was legalised following a plebiscite last year

Tens of thousands of people flocked to the parade dressed in an assortment of eye-catching outfits

Some parade goers arrived on Saturday night dressed in studded, thigh-high leather boots and fish net stockings

'It's about my 30th Mardi Gras,' she told AAP in Sydney on Saturday.

'It's a wonderful night and what a wonderful milestone it is for equality.'

For Kobie Howe and Katrina Stouppos, it's the first time they have been able to celebrate Mardi Gras as a legally married couple in Australia.

'This year we are marching with marriage equality, it's an important year given what's happened last year,' Ms Howe told AAP.

'It's a great time to celebrate everyone's individuality, differences and diversity.'

Others dressed in colourful garments as they watched the parade floats go by from the sidewalk, where hoards of people gathered

Samba dancers performed at the parade - which has become a custom at Mardi Gras parades across the globe

The flesh was on display for young and old - as many arrived at the parade dressed in little more than a pair of underwear and sneakers

The parade was a chance for some to dress up in colourful costumes involving pink lycra, wigs, platform heels and fluffy ears

Drag Queen Ms J took centre stage during the night in a bright yellow dress and an extravagant matching floral headpiece

The couple, who has been together for eight years, brought along their four-year-old daughter Mackie.

When asked what Mardi Gras meant to her, Mackie simply answered 'marriage equality'.

There's speculation pop superstar Cher - the headline act at the official party - could make a surprise appearance during the parade.

Mardi Gras creative director Greg Clarke stopped short of confirming the rumours but insisted people would not be disappointed.

A total of 195 floats took part in the parade which was witnessed by some wearing budgy smugglers with knee-high white socks

Some participants couldn't contain their excitement as they rolled past hundreds of thousands of people revelling in the party atmosphere

Mardi Gras creative director Greg Clarke insisted people would not be disappointed by what was in store at the parade

More than 1000 police officers kept a close eye on revellers as part of a huge security operation on the night

The security operation also involved strategically parked vehicles, an intelligence crew, mounted police, the riot squad and sniffer dogs

'She has come all this way and ... I'm sure she's going to want to be in that parade,' he told ABC news on Saturday.

'A big surprise.'

More than 1000 police officers will keep a close eye on revellers as part of a huge security operation that will also involve strategically parked vehicles, an intelligence crew, mounted police, the riot squad and sniffer dogs.

Assistant Commissioner Tony Crandell urged partygoers to look out for one another and plan their night ahead.

A number of roads were closed, while thousands used public transport to get to the parade on Saturday night

Groups of parade goers coordinated their outfits for the highly anticipated night of celebrations

Revellers were treated to comfortable Sydney weather on the night after the Bureau of Meteorology forecast mild temperatures and mostly clear skies

Some of the highlights of the night will include a giant champagne bottle to be popped at Taylor Square

A same-sex wedding ceremony was also scheduled to take place during the 40th anniversary of the parade in Sydney

A number of roads will be closed, while thousands will be using public transport before and after the parade.

'Police have been working with parade organisers and the LGBTIQ community to ensure a safe and fun night for all those taking part and supporting the event,' he said on Saturday.

Some of the highlights of the night will include a giant champagne bottle to be popped at Taylor Square and a same-sex wedding ceremony during the parade.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting mild temperatures and mostly clear skies.This is the moment a pedestrian just escapes being hit by a car in snowy conditions.

CCTV footage shows a 4x4 crash into the pole at the side of a zebra crossing yesterday evening in Brentwood in Essex, startling the person walking ahead.

The shocked pedestrian pauses, apparently in shock, before hurrying to the driver's side of the car.

CCTV footage shows the 4x4 crash into the pole at the side of a zebra crossing, startling the person walking ahead

A gaggle of people gathered around the vehicle, which appears to have bodywork damage to the front, after it collided with the pole.

Snow can be seen falling as the camera records the incident on Queens Road.

The car was left in the same place after the crash, and was collected by a recovery truck several hours later.

The video was captured on the CCTV outside the home of Martin Gillett.

The shocked pedestrian pauses, apparently in shock, before hurrying to the driver's side of the car

The Beast from the East and Storm Emma have caused the country to be pelted with wintry conditions

The UK has been pelted with wintry conditions over the past few days, with the Beast from the East and Storm Emma turning the country into a winter wonderland.

Snow has wreaked havoc on the nation's transport, closing airports and leaving motorists stranded on the motorway as conditions became too dangerous to move.

Many people still do not have power, with flood warnings now in place as the snow and ice begin to thaw.Two retired British businessmen in Cambodia have been charged with luring teenage boys to a swimming pool at their house before molesting them.

Leslie Peter Henman, 63, and David Malcolm Brock, 65, face lengthy jail sentences after they were arrested in the resort town of Siem Reap on February 21.

The pair are alleged to have lured local boys between 13-years-old and 15-years-old with money and school books.

The two retired businessmen were charged with molesting teenage boys in the resort town of Siem Reap, pictured at night

They invited them to swim in their pool before molesting them.

The men were remanded in custody and charged on February 23 at Siem Reap provincial court for 'indecent acts against minors under the age of 15'.

Police chief Chea Heng said as many as 12 Cambodian boys had made complaints against the two men, who had been living in the South East Asian country on retirement visas.

He said: 'David Malcolm Brock, 65 and Leslie Peter Henman, 63, are both British nationals.

'Twelve Cambodian boys aged under 15 said they had been molested inside a property where David and Leslie were living, in Kouk Chak district, Siem Reap City, Siem Reap province.'

Duong Thavary, an anti-trafficking officer, said the men were arrested on February 21, adding: 'The man had been living in Siem Reap province under retirement visas for about two years.

'They were later sent to the provincial court on February 23 and charged with indecent acts against minors under the age of 15.'

The pair will be held on remand until a trial which is expected to take place later this year.

If convicted, they face between one and three years in prison and a fine of between 362 and 1,086.

Leslie Peter Henman, originally from Surrey, was listed as director of S.J.S Publishing Services Ltd in 1991 and Fleet Paper Ltd in 1994 until the position was resigned in 1998.1. Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, 56, - The boss, also known as 'Putin's Chef'

According to the indictment released on Friday by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's office, Prigozhin led the effort.

The 56-year-old is said to have used his businesses, Concord Catering and Concord Management and Consulting, to fund the Internet Research Agency, known as the 'Kremlin Troll factory' which was the vehicle for the alleged interference.

Prigozhin paid the salaries of the other 12 defendants who worked for the research company, it is alleged, through this financial backing which prosecutors started in 2014.

The businessman is given the nickname 'Putin's Chef' because he owns restaurants favored by Putin as the venues for state dinners.

A 2016 profile of him by the Russian newsite Meduza described him as an ex-con who graduated from a boarding school only to join a gang and become convicted of attempted robbery and prostitution. He spent nine years in jail.

He gained access to St. Petersburg's elite in 1996 when he and a friend opened Staraya Tamozhnya, one of the city's finest restaurants. Until then, he had worked with his father more modesty in grocery stores and selling hot dogs.

He opened his New Island, his second restaurant, in 1997. Putin was first drawn to it in 2001 when he took the then French president Jacques Chirac there for a meal and Prigozhin served them.

He continued to cater to Putin's staff at the restaurant over the years and grew closer to them. Soon, he became the go-to caterer for official state events in Moscow.

In 2010, he launched what was billed as a good-cause initiative to feed hungry schoolchildren in St Petersburg.

Putin attended the launch of food factory to celebrate it and the initiative was funded generously by state-owned bank Vnesheconombank.

A year into the project, parents became angry when they realized the food being produced was full of additives.

He then started feeding other school children in Moscow with more success, having obtained private contracts from the city's mayor.

Prigozhin won similarly lucrative contracts with the military.

In 2012, he signed a $1.2billion contract which had him provide 90 percent of the meals the Russian army's soldiers consumed. The system of outsourcing the military's meals ended in 2013.

It gave him his biggest paycheck and associates said at the time he was known to pay for private jets with cash.

Throughout, Prigozhin was a dedicated patriot and was proud of his association to Putin's government.

This lucrative relationship with the state carried on until 2013 when the laws changed and outside caterers were no longer brought in to provide the military with meals.

By then, Prigozhin had earned more than $1billion from the state through the deal.

The 'troll factory' (Internet Research Agency) was founded that same year. Though Mikhail Bystrov was named as its owner and CEO, Russian journalists learned of Prigozhin's connection to it early on.

What specifically prompted him to do it or if anyone put him up to it remains unclear.

In its genesis, the factory's employees had one job - to post complimentary post on social media about Putin and the government and besmirch the names of their opponents.

When Prigozhin's association to the Internet Research Agency was revealed, he faced increased scrutiny from critics.

An article in 2015 highlighted how the factory worked and the conflict Prigozhin's relationship to Putin posed.

With the bad press about him growing, Prigozhin attempted in 2016 to have himself 'erased' from the internet. It coincided with the introduction of a new bill which gave an individual the right to be forgotten.

The law was pushed by Putin and states that websites must delete content such as news stories about an individual if it breaks the law, is false or is 'obsolete'.

To date, Prigozhin has filed 15 lawsuits against the Russian search engine Yandex which is uncensored.

2. Mikhail Bystrov, retired police colonel and the CEO frontman for the 'troll factory'

Bystrov was listed as the CEO of Internet Research Agency and his name has been linked to other companies which have been tied to the election interference.

Little is known of him other than that was an employee of the state who was born in 1958.

He, unlike Prigozhin, has not been pictured publicly with Putin and has kept himself out of the spotlight.

According to Mueller's investigation, he joined IRC in 2014 as its highest ranking employee.

'Bystrov was the general director. He subsequently served as the head of various other entities used by the organization to mask its activities, for example, Glavset LLC, where he was listed as that entity's general director,' it reads.

3. Mikhail Leonidovich Burchik, aka Mikhail Abramov, the second in command

Burchik was Bystrov's right-hand man at the organization, according to Mueller's complaint.

He used the name Mikhail Abramov too and was instrumental in orchestrating Project Lakhta, the generously funded project which officials say was the start of the interference.

At conception, it had a budget of the equivalent of $1.25million. Lakhta involved both US and Russian-targeted interference, it claimed.

He was in charge of meetings, structure and personnel, according to Mueller's indictment, had one-on-ones with Prigozhin.

4. Sergey Pavlovich Polozov, IT whiz who used US servers to hide 'troll factory's' real location in Russia

Polozov was in charge of the IT department and his biggest responsibility was hiding the location of the Internet Research's Agency HQ, now known to be 55 Savushkina Street in the Olgina neighborhood of St Petersburg.

Prosecutors allege that the posts its employees wrote were designed to look like they had been written by Americans who favored Trump.

This was possible, Mueller says, through the 'procurement of US servers' which at first glance made them look like they came from America if they were ever probed.

Mueller's indictment alleges: 'Polozov served as the manager of the IT department and oversaw the procurement of US servers and other company infrastructure that masked the organization's Russian location when conducting operations within the United States.

'To hide their Russian identities, [they], particular Polozov, purchased space on computer servers located inside the US in order to set up virtual private networks (VPNs). They connected from Russia to the US-based infrastructure by way of these VPNs and conducted activity in the US, including accessing online social media accounts, opening new accounts, and communicating with real US persons - while masking the Russian origin and control of the activity,' it reads.

5. Aleksandra Yurevna Krylova, female spy who 'came to US in 2013 to gather information and report it back'

Mueller's complaint gives little detail of the background lives of the lesser known employees and there is scarce information about them available.

It is suggested though that Krylova, one of four women named, was the company's spy.

'In 2014, Krylova traveled to the United States under false pretenses for the purpose of collecting intelligence to inform the organization's operations,' the indictment reads.

6. Anna Vladislavovna Bogacheva, data analyst for alleged US interference dubbed 'the translator project'

Bogacheva was tied to what the employees referred to as 'the translator project'. It was part of the larger Project Lakhta but focused only on US audiences, it is claimed.

She too is alleged to have traveled to the US under false pretenses to gather information.

Bogacheva only worked for the company for three months between April and July 2015 but she is listed as one of the defendants.

7. Maria Anatolyevna Bovda, project manager

Bovda is described in the indictment as the 'head' of the translator project, the designated branch of the wider pro-Putin effort which focused on US audiences.

She worked there between November 2013 and October 2014, according to the complaint.

8. Robert Sergeyevish Bovda, second in charge of project

It is not clear from the indictment whether he and Maria Bovda are related, but he acted beneath her as the second in charge of the 'translator' project and worked at the company over the same dates.

He too is accused of trying to enter the US under false pretenses to collect information but he did not obtain a visa and could not make the trip.

9. Dzheykhun Nasimi Ogly, took over before the election

Ogly, who also used the names Jayhoon Aslanov and Ajay Aslanov took over when Maria Bovda left the project in late 2014 and he was at its helm during the election, it is claimed.

He was also listed as a director for another company which has been tied to interference and is owned by Prigozhin.

10. Vadim Vladimirovich Podkopaev, data analyst

Podkopaev joined in June 2014 and drafted social media content to be blasted by the 'trolls'.

He also worked as a data analyst, targeting US audiences, according to the complaint.

11. Gleb Igorevich Vasilchenko, pre-election 'troll'

Vasilchenko is accused of posting under numerous social media accounts which the factory operated from 2014 until September 2016, two months before the election.

He went on to work for 'sub groups' which were also owned by Prigozhin and which also worked to interfere with the election, it is claimed.

As per the complaint, he 'was responsible for posting, monitoring and updating the social media content of many organization-controlled accounts while posing as US persons or US grassroots organizations.

12. Irina Viktorovna Kaverzina, 'posed as multiple US voters online'

The fourth woman charged, she is alleged to have used multiple social media accounts to pose as an American and make influential posts about politics and Donald Trump.

She joined in October 2014.

When US officials launched their investigation in 2017, Kaverzine allegedly let slip to a family member that they had been 'busted' and told how she had to spend time 'covering her tracks'.

'We had a slight crisis here at work: the FBI busted our activity (not a joke). So I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with colleagues. I created all these pictures and posts and the Americans believed it was written by their people,' she wrote.

13. Vladimir Venkov, pre-election troll

Venkov, one of three designated trolls, allegedly shared the responsibilities of Kaverzina and Vasilchenko to post content online while posing as an American.Joanna Kiln (pictured) died on March 1 after being treated in three hospitals in the port city of Santarem near the Amazon River

A British holidaymaker has died in hospital in Brazil after being airlifted from a cruise liner after she was 'abandoned by the line operator'.

Joanna Kiln, 66, died on March 1 after being treated in three hospitals in the port city of Santarem near the Amazon River.

Staff at a municipal hospital where she spent nearly a fortnight last month have made the explosive claim she was 'abandoned' by the cruise line.

Mrs Kiln was travelling with Cruise & Maritime Voyages on a 42-day night Amazon cruise on the 1250 capacity Magellan.

The cruise line said in a statement: 'Cruise & Maritime Voyages received the tragic news yesterday that passenger Mrs Joanna Kiln, who had to be medically evacuated from Magellan during a 42-night Amazon cruise, has passed away in hospital in Brazil.

'Cruise & Maritime Voyages has been assisting the family of passenger Joanna Kiln, 66, who had to be medically disembarked from the cruise ship Magellan in Brazil on the 27 January 2018 following health problems. Mrs Kiln was in hospital in Brazil receiving medical treatment. Mrs Kiln was travelling alone on the cruise.

'It would appear that one travel insurance policy declined Mrs Kiln's case due to an undisclosed pre-existing medical condition and a second travel insurance company only covered Mrs Kiln for travel within Europe not worldwide travel.

'CMV continues to endeavour to assist Mrs Kiln's family with practical support and has offered Mrs Kiln's daughter return flights to travel to Brazil.

Mrs Kiln, from Cardigan, Wales, is understood to have been travelling alone.

Elizabete Sousa, a doctor at Santarem Municipal Hospital, told a local TV station: 'She was brought ashore in a private tourist plane, alone and without speaking Portuguese and in a very serious condition.

'She was suffering from high blood pressure, pneumonia, diabetes and cardiac failure.'

Speaking while she was still in the hospital - between stays in a private hospital and a third hospital where she died - and insisting the only assistance Mrs Kiln received was from health professionals, she said: 'We passed on countless updates on her health but with no results in terms of getting her transferred elsewhere.'

She added: 'She's a lady who's abandoned in terms of the care she is receiving from the cruise line she was on holiday with, her insurance company, her government.'

Her comments are believed to have been made before Mrs Kiln's transfer on February 20 to another hospital in the city called Hospital Regional do Baixo Amazonas which has better intensive care facilities.

Mrs Kiln was travelling on the Megellan, which Cruise & Maritime Voyages uses for trips to the Amazon and West Indies

Before her 13-day stay in the municipal hospital where staff railed against the situation she was in, she was a patient at a private hospital but reportedly had to be moved after her health insurance ran out.

A spokesman for the hospital where she died confirmed the news in a press release, saying she had been admitted around midday on February 20 and died on Thursday at 7.30pm local time.

The British holidaymaker's plight came to light after a mystery Good Samaritan called Pollyana Gomes used social media to try to track down her family, prompting an email response from her daughter published in local media which showed she was aware of the situation and was trying to repatriate her.

Local government officials are also understood to have assisted.

Mrs Kiln was treated at Santarem Municipal Hospital (pictured) for a time before she died

Celso Alves, director of the municipal hospital Mrs Kiln was treated in, said while she was still at the hospital: 'We are doing everything we can here. She is being looked after well.

'The information we have is that the tourist didn't feel well on the ship she was travelling on and a medical facility was triggered.

'Our information is that she reached Santarem on January 27.

'As far as her current situation is concerned she is stable but she's 66 and diabetic and requires a great deal of care.

'Her family is aware of the situation and and we are awaiting a response from British diplomats, which has been more difficult as there have been Bank Holidays over the past few days.'

He added: 'Santarem City Hall chiefs, through the tourism department, began to help the patient when they were made aware of the case.

'We are doing everything we can together with municipal tourism chiefs to find a solution.

'There's also the diplomatic question which could enable the return home of this patient.'The Hodgman government has been returned with a majority following Saturday's Tasmanian state election.

The ABC election analyst Antony Green called the election just before 9.30pm, saying the Liberals had won the 13 seats it needed in the 25-seat parliament to govern in its own right for a second term.

The Hobart Mercury has the Liberals on 13 seats, Labor on ten and the Greens with two.

Opposition Leader Rebecca White (pictured), who only took on the job last year, conceded defeat at 9.40pm

The Hodgman government has been returned with a majority following Saturday's Tasmanian state election (pictured is Will Hodgman)

The former senator Jacqui Lambie (pictured), who did not stand, conceded defeat for her 12 candidates

The Liberal government went into this election with 15 seats and Labor seven. The Greens held three seats.

Opposition Leader Rebecca White, who only took on the job last year, conceded defeat at 9.40pm.

'We always knew that we were up against it, and we have very nearly pushed a first-term government to defeat,' she told cheering supporters at the tally room in Hobart.

'We have won seats, we have had a swing state-wide back to the Labor Party this election.'

She said Labor had run a positive campaign on issues people cared about including housing and the health system.

The former senator Jacqui Lambie, who did not stand, conceded defeat for her 12 candidates.

'We always knew that we were up against it, and we have very nearly pushed a first-term government to defeat,' Ms White (pictured) told cheering supporters

'We got done over by cash. We just didn't have it,' she said.

It's back-to-back wins for Premier Will Hodgman who in 2014 led the Liberal Party to a convincing victory with a 12 per cent swing, winning 15 of 25 seats.

Tasmania uses the Hare-Clark electoral system, with five MPs elected in each of the five electorates.

Roughly 330,000 Tasmanians had been expected to vote throughout the day before polls closed at 6pm (AEDT).

Around 50,000 people have already pre-polled, the Tasmanian Electoral Commission says.A teenage boy and girl were attacked in a shocking one-punch assault after a dispute about smoking in a park.

Horrifying footage of the attack in a park in Blakeview, in Adelaide's north, was posted on Facebook by 13-year-old Kyle White's mother.

Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident during which it is claimed another teenager, a girl also aged 13, was punched and thrown to the ground.

Scroll down for video

Police say they are investigating the alleged one-punch assault in a park in northern Adelaide

Kyle White, 13, claims he was punched up to seven times in the attack when he asked them to move away while smoking

The friends said they were sitting in the park with other mates when two people - an older boy and an adult - started smoking nearby.

But when Kyle asked them to move further away from them, he said they became angry and allegedly threw a single punch hitting him in his face.

He was then hit another seven times, he told Nine News.

'I was just shocked and a bit scared,' he said.

In another interview with Seven News, the boy said he wanted his attackers caught so it could not happen to someone else.

The video has received more than 25,000 views on Facebook with 361 shares after it was shared by Kyle's mother

The attack continued as Kyle's friend Jade Wickhams said she was attacked in the fracas when she jumped in to help him.

'He grabbed me by the collar threw me to the floor and hit me,' she told 7News.

She claims she was hit 'multiple times' while she was on the ground.

Kyle's mother, Donna White, has posted the footage on Facebook branding the man hitting her son as a 'scumbag'.

The video was posted on February 26 and has received more than 25,000 views on Facebook with 361 shares.

Anti-violence groups have raised concerns about the increasing regularity of one-punch attacks.

Brett Duncanson, from the Sammy D Foundation, warned it could lead to fatalities.

'A hit like that, it's a matter of millimetres, or the way the victim could have fallen (which) is the difference between life and death,' he warned on 9News.A town is demanding justice after a huge snow woman called Brenda was knocked over by vandals.

Signs demanding justice and an army of replacement snowmen have appeared on the street in Pelaw, Gateshead, where she was destroyed yesterday.

Thomas Walker, 21, went viral after tweeting photos of the cardboard signs that popped up near the fallen snow woman reading 'Justice for Brenda' and 'only a melt steals a snowmen'.

He wrote: 'Someone knocked the snowman down in me street and now theres these signs up and a little army of snowmen.'

According to Mr Walker, Brenda appeared two days ago but was viciously knocked down on Friday evening.

Locals in Pelaw, Gateshead, are demanding justice after a huge snow woman called Brenda was knocked over by vandals

A variety of cardboard signs have popped up at the bus stop on the street which say 'bring back Brenda' and 'only a melt steals a snowman!'

Thomas Walker tweeted a photo of the army of tiny snowmen that popped up in her place that quickly went viral

Then in the middle of the night a group of teenagers built the tiny snowmen who appeared in her place and added handwritten signs demanding justice.

Mr Walker told the MailOnline: 'Im not entirely sure why they did it. I think "Brenda" was first built to look like a woman had frozen to death because of the lack of buses.

'I didnt expect to get this reaction, but some have made me laugh saying "typical Britain".'

His tweet has struck a chord with social media users who rallied behind the cause.

One user tweeted: 'This is "Frostycide" This carnage has to stop. #JusticeforBrenda.'

Another said: 'This is why I love Britain!!'

The original tweet has racked up more than 2,000 retweets and nearly 8,000 likes.

A new Brenda has since popped up over night, complete with signs welcoming people to the 'Costa-del-Pelaw'Nurses and healthcare staff are urgently needed to help out at two Welsh hospitals because of the bad weather.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has appealed for any qualified nurses and healthcare staff who can help as other struggle to get to work in the snow.

Meanwhile a claim has been made that stranded nurses in Wales were charged up to 30 to stay overnight in hospital student accommodation during Storm Emma.

It comes as yellow weather warnings remain in place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, threatening to leave 'death trap' patches of ice on roads up and down the country.

Nurses at Nevill Hall hospital in in Abergavenny worked a 12-hour shift and then stayed overnight at the hospital - where they were not charged accommodation expenses - to look after victims of the big freeze

Critics say that it is completely wrong for nurses to be charged when they have worked so hard to help out during the big freeze

Shop fronts blocked by snow drifts in Brynmawr, South Wales, illustrated just how badly the big freeze affected Wales

Leighton Jenkins, head of policy for the Welsh Confederation of British Industry exposed the 'snow storm' charge on his Twitter account

The south of Wales was one of the worst hit snow storm areas of Britain with most roads impassable

The University Hospital Of Wales in Cardiff is one of the hospital affected by the shortage of nurses

Hospitals in Wales have been especially stretched by the recent spell of bad weather, which brought the south of the country to a standstill

A total of 53 flood alerts have been issued nationwide, with 14 out of 15 located in the south west of England as Devon and Cornwall prepare for excess rain, melting snow and high winds.

Around 2,000 families in Devon and Cornwall are without power, with hundreds of others suffering power cuts in mid Wales and East Yorkshire.

Now, health chiefs are investigating the allegations against an unnamed Welsh Health Board after they were revealed by an outraged business chief.

The NHS is devolved and run by the Welsh assembly government.

Welsh health boards on Saturday said the claims that nurses were charged to stay in student accommodation during Storm Emma were not true.

A total of four Welsh health boards - Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, Cardiff and Vale, Cwm Taf and Hywel Dda - have all responded to the allegations on social media, rejecting the claim, a Wales Online report said.

In a statement Cwm Taf University said: 'Overnight there have been some claims that some NHS staff are being charged for accommodation if they need to stay overnight because of severe weather.

'We are immensely grateful to all our staff for their dedication to patients in this weather and we would like to make it clear that we are NOT charging any of our staff for accommodation.

'If they have been asked for any payment this is totally unacceptable and they should contact their site manager immediately. In the event any staff have had to pay they will be reimbursed in full.'

Nurses and healthcare staff are urgently needed to help out at two Welsh hospitals because of the bad weather, reports say

The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board also posted a message online that read: 'Just to be clear, we are NOT charging any of our staff for accommodation.

'We are also providing meal vouchers for our staff who have needed to stay in work. If anyone has been asked to make any payment they are asked to contact their site manager immediately.

'We are grateful to all our dedicated staff who are going the extra mile to provide first class care.'

Tina Donnelly, head of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, said any storm charge was 'abhorrent' - after staff walked up to 10 miles to reach hospital.

The claim was made against an unnamed Welsh health board on social media.

Leighton Jenkins, head of policy for the Wales CBI (Conferation of British Industry), exposed the alleged charge on his Twitter account as thousands were stranded by heavy snow.

Mr Jenkins wrote: 'Some Welsh hospitals are charging those nurses who volunteer to not go home the cost of sleeping in on-site student accommodation (20-30 a night).

'This is despite the fact they are saving the NHS the cost of sending a 4x4 to collect and return them to their homes.'

Welsh Government Health Secretary Vaughan Gething pledged to investigate - and praised the battling NHS staff.

He said: 'NHS staff who have stayed overnight to try and make sure that their employer - the National Health Service - can continue to function the next day, I just don't think that should result in a charge to any of our staff who are doing that.

Critics say any storm accommodation charge would be 'abhorrent' - especially after staff walked up to 10 miles to reach hospital

'There is extraordinary public sympathy and support for our national health service as people have seen the extraordinary efforts being made to maintain a service for our most vulnerable citizens.'

The names of the hospital accused of charging nurses were not revealed but Mr Gethin said his staff were investigating.

'I'm expecting that situation to be resolved, and for every part of the service to understand very clearly my expectation and to act in accordance with it.' he said.

A statement made by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board in relation to the nurses shortage on Saturday morning said: 'We are appealing for nurses, in particular critical care nurses, to attend for duty at the University Hospital of Wales and University Hospital Llandough.

It is asking staff to undertake extra shifts at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and University Hospital Llandough in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Heavy snow has caused widespread disruption across parts of Wales, but people have been helping healthcare workers across the country get to work.

A snow plough is pictured desperately trying to clear grey sludge from the side of a road in Dublin, Ireland today

Stormy seas are pictured out of the River Tyne in the north east as a ferry sets off for the Netherlands this afternoon

That's a lot of snow! A man is pictured with a gigantic snow drift near Shepton Mallet in Somerset this afternoon

Huge snow drifts are still on the ground in Somerset as cold temperatures persist across parts of the south west today

There have been lots of examples of people using 4x4s to take dozens of NHS workers to and from hospitals and doctors and nurses have been staying overnight and hospitals to make sure they don't get stranded at home and are there for their shifts.

Speaking about the overnight accommodation charges, Vanessa Young, the director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents all the Welsh health boards, said the claims needed to be examined.

'We would want to ensure that if staff are coming in to help with the situation that we are facing at the moment, that they wouldn't be incurring additional cost,' she said.

'It may be to do with the fact that they need to pay in advance and then claim it back from their health board.

'But as I say, we need to look at the detail and deal with that.'

She praised the work of Welsh staff over the last few days, adding: 'They really have pulled out all the stops.'

The director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, Tina Donnelly, said she wanted to hear from anyone affected by the allegations.

'I would be keen to speak with them to address this issue - this is abhorrent,' she said.

Aftermath of Storm Emma sees thawing snow way to black ice and fog turning roads into 'death traps'

As rail workers fight to get tracks and tunnels in a fit state for travel, the Bishopton tunnel in Renfrewshire, Scotland is covered in impressive hanging icicles

With freezing temperatures in the Republic of Ireland, locals are forced to push a police car out of a snow drift in Dublin

Cold temperatures continue in Ireland today where snow is still falling and in thick layers on the ground. Pictured: A police 4x4 gets stuck on the streets of Dublin with locals desperately trying to push it out of trouble

Snow is still expected to fall in northern England and parts of Scotland, while in London conditions are set to improve after 11am, with highs of 5C are expected.

This weekend rail operators are desperately battling to repair trains damaged in severe weather after swathes of the UK were battered by snow and storms and hundreds of services were cancelled.

Train bosses are treading with extreme caution, with no Southeastern trains in or out of London after 10.26pm tonight.

Devon and Cornwall are bracing themselves for floods with winds of up to 50mph also expected in south west

A total of 53 flood alerts have been issued including one for the Thames between Putney and Teddington

Around 2,000 homes are without power in Devon and Cornwall, plus 400 in Wales and 500 in East Yorkshire

Trains to Scotland have finally resumed but will only run until 9pm, Southeastern trains are stopping at 10.30

An elderly couple, 70 and 71, had to be rescued from their snowed-in farmhouse by police in Edinburgh

Marines came together to help a lorry stuck in a mountain of snow at services on the M4 in South Wales

A 49-year-old man was arrested for a public order offence after assaulting paramedic treating patient in snow

Virgin has resumed their services north of Newcastle but passengers will only be able to get on trains to Scotland until 9pm, with carriages extremely busy.

The RAC has urged people not to drive unless absolutely necessary, after the M62 was closed for more than a day leaving thousands of motorists stranded in their cars.

After the coldest start to March on record - which left hundreds stranded on the roads and disruption across the UK's travel network - more cold temperatures, snow and ice is set to cause more issues.

Britain's big freeze claims 14 lives Extreme weather which battered Britain proved deadly as a seven-year-old girl became the latest to die during the severe weather. The child, believed to be a pedestrian, was fatally injured after a car hit a house on Bodrigan Road in Looe at about 2.30pm, Devon and Cornwall Police said. A 75-year-old woman was earlier found dead in a snow-covered street in Leeds, while Hampshire Police said a 46-year-old man died after a collision involving a lorry and van on the A34 southbound near Tot Hill services. And a 60-year-old man who died after being pulled from the water at Danson Park, near Welling, South East London, on Wednesday, was named by the Metropolitan Police as Stephen Cavanagh. At least 14 Britons have died since the 'Beast From The East' swept across the country, including one Good Samaritan who died after getting out of his car to help a fellow motorist stuck in deep snow. Advertisement

Snow is still falling thick and fast in parts of Dublin, Ireland today. Northern Ireland has a yellow weather warning for ice

Similar problems have ensued in Princetown, Devon where a delivery lorry got stuck today. The region faces floods today

Snow is still causing problems in Princetown, Devon where mountains of white still line the streets but could turn to water and flood later on today with warnings for most of the south west

Gigantic icicles have been pictured across north east England, with fire services called to York City Centre this afternoon to remove 'potentially dangerous' ones.

Over 2,000 homes across the UK are without power, with 400 in the dark in mid-Wales and 500 in Aldbrough, East Yorkshire.

The A640 in Denshaw is still closed as the result of severe weather along with the A46 in Lincolnshire and A66 in North Yorkshire. All other road closures have been lifted.

The rail network is still battling to recover from treacherous weather conditions this week, with many services suspended or cancelled this weekend.Motorsport tycoon Max Mosley said he would apologise for racist election leaflets published under his name 'if there was a West Indian immigrant' in a room with him - but said it seemed 'pointless' to say sorry to 'the world at large', he told the Guardian.

His remarks come after an investigation by The Daily Mail uncovered a pamphlet saying 'coloured immigrants' spread 'tuberculosis, VD and other terrible diseases like leprosy' which published by him.

The pamphlet, produced for his father Oswald Mosley's fascist Union Movement for a 1961 by-election, said immigrants should be sent 'home' because 'coloured immigration threatens your children's health'.

Max Mosley out at a Costa near his central London home yesterday

Walter Hesketh, unsuccessful British Union Movement candidate in the Moss Side Parliamentary by-election, pictured with Max Mosley, then his agent

The UM, at whose demonstrations Mr Mosley was twice arrested, is the inspiration for the banned British neo-Nazi group National Action, which borrowed the Mosley party's symbol.

Mosley said he became involved in the Union Movement in 1956 when he was 16-years-old and he claims was offered to work as the election agent for Walter Hesketh in Manchester Moss side by-election by his father as a 'holiday job'. He admitted in an interview with the Guardian's Dan Sabbagh that he was used to defend his father's views when he was a member of the Union Movement.

Despite questioning the legitimacy of the infamous 1961 by-election leaflet in an interview on Channel 4 this week, he admitted: 'I am quite convinced it is genuine' but that he 'certainly didn't' write the memo.

When asked about pamphlet at the News of the World trial in 2008, Mosley claimed it was 'absolute nonsense' that such a document ever existed.

This pamphlet was produced in support of one Walter Hesketh. In November 1961, Mr Hesketh was the Union Movement's parliamentary candidate for Moss Side. The pamphlet  an identical copy of which can also be found in the Working Class Movement Library in nearby Salford  makes for instructive reading.

Mr Mosley, who previously supported apartheid in South Africa, said this week that he supported repatriation as he claims it is 'perfectly legitimate to offer immigrants financial inducements to go home'.

In an apparent defence of some of the claims of the leaflet, Mr Mosley added: 'Just to be very clear, there was no medical check on immigrants. That might be true. It might be true that leprosy and other terrible diseases were on the increase.'

Instead of condemning the offensive statement that 'coloured immigrants' spread diseases, Mr Mosley said: 'Well, I wouldn't have said that. Because the chance of children mixing with a person with TB is obviously minimal.'

Mr Mosley also questioned what part of the pamphlet was abhorrent when pressed to give a formal apology, adding: 'The view that coloured immigration threatens your children's health; certainly, I find that offensive. The factual things, if they be facts, it's either true or it's false.'

The leaflet was produced in support of 'Union Movement' candidate Walter Hesketh in 1961

When pressed on whether he considers himself to be racist, Mosley, who left the Union Movement in 1963, said: 'I don't think I've ever been a racist. I know you can say that was a racist leaflet, but I've never had a problem about different races. When I got to be head of the FIA, race and gender were what mattered least  what matters is ability.'

This week, the Mail offered Mr Mosley an opportunity to explain his past beliefs and evidence at the trial. He refused to answer a series of detailed questions, claiming none of them were 'relevant today'.

Mosley's evidence at orgy trial QC: 'You were out on the streets putting out leaflets "urging the voters to send the blacks home"?' Mosley: 'I have no recollection of doing any such thing. If there was such a leaflet you would be able to produce it' QC: 'Were leaflets put out alleging that coloured immigrants brought leprosy, syphilis and TB?' Mosley: 'That is absolute nonsense.' Earlier he had told the court . . . 'I was very impressed how your people trawled through every paper and local papers all over the country. And equally impressed with myself that they have not been able to find one single thing which I regret saying even now 50 years later' Advertisement

Under oath at the High Court, Mr Mosley sued the News of the World for reporting his participation in what the newspaper alleged was a 'Nazi-themed' orgy. In a shocking admission to the Guardian today, he revealed he had been paying women to participate in sex parties for 45 years, but that his wife knew nothing about it.

He told the Guardian: 'At first, she thought it [the article] was a joke. It was the sort of thing I might do.'

The discovery of the Mosley pamphlet  arguably one of the most racist official leaflets ever published in a modern British parliamentary election  raises the question of whether Mr Mosley committed perjury, which carries a prison sentence of up to seven years, and whether the trial might have had a different outcome if the judge had known of its existence.

The Mail put 24 detailed questions to Mr Mosley on Sunday. In response, he said: 'This was all more than 50 years ago. None of these obviously slanted questions are relevant today. Like the Daily Mail, my political views have changed since the early 1960s.

'My record in motorsport demonstrates that I do not tolerate racism. It appears that this historical investigation is yet another misconceived attempt to intimidate and deter me and others from supporting the vital reforms needed to protect ordinary people against the bullying of newspapers like the Daily Mail.'The moment no-nonsense police officer 'Raptor 13' came face-to-face with an elderly motorcyclist before pushing him away has been caught on camera.

Raptor 13, whose real name is Senior Constable Andrew Murphy, was filmed in the middle of the tense roadside confrontation with a man wearing a Veterans Motorcycle Club vest.

The video was then uploaded to Facebook on Saturday - one day after he was seen back on the streets defecting two motorcycles with the help of a measuring tape.

Scroll down for videos

The moment no-nonsense police officer 'Raptor 13' came face-to-face with an elderly motorcyclist before pushing him away has been caught on camera

Raptor 13, whose real name is Senior Constable Andrew Murphy, was filmed in the middle of the tense roadside confrontation with a man wearing a Veterans Motorcycle Club vest

In the video, Raptor 13 can be heard telling the grey-bearded man to 'move it', before adding: 'I'm not asking, I'm telling ya. Move it.'

The motorcyclist - seemingly angered by Raptor 13's demands - leans in towards the top cop.

Raptor 13 reacts by shoving him away using both hands, as several other officers flank him.

'Hold on, I have not touched you,' the shocked motorcyclist can be heard saying as the officers close in around him, with Raptor 13 in the centre.

The man can also be heard telling Raptor 13 to not talk down to him.

The constable - who is part of an elite militarised police unit which tackles violent bikie gangs - says: 'I'm talking directly to your face, now move it.'

In the video, Raptor 13 can be heard telling the grey-bearded man to 'move it', before adding: 'I'm not asking, I'm telling ya. Move it'

The video was then uploaded to Facebook on Saturday - one day after he was seen back on the streets defecting two motorcycles with the help of a measuring tape (pictured)

He then tells the motorcyclist his name and gives him one last chance to comply with his orders.

The man eventually agrees to move his motorcycle around the corner and walks away from the officer.

A day earlier, Raptor 13 was seen pulling over two motorcyclists in Bankstown, in Sydney's west, and pointing out the non-compliant features of their modified bikes.

He was filmed just a week after he drew a Taser in the centre of a confrontation with a group of men on their way to slain former bikie boss Mick Hawi's funeral.

In the video uploaded to Facebook on Friday, Raptor 13 pulls out a measuring tape and starts sizing up the motorcycles' specifications

In the video, Raptor 13 asks one of the men: 'What licence have you got mate ... so you don't have a motorcycle licence?'

The man tells him he has 'nothing', before Raptor 13 pulls out a measuring tape and starts sizing up the motorcycles' specifications.

'This mirror here is also not compliant - it's 13 centimetres wide by the greatness of five ... That's way too small,' Raptor 13 tells him.

He also says the after-market seats on both bikes aren't secured, and that proper Harley-Davidson seats 'actually attach to the motorbike properly'.

He also tells the men in the video that the after-market seats on both bikes aren't secured

He was filmed just a week after he drew a Taser in the centre of a confrontation with a group of men on their way to slain former bikie boss Mick Hawi's funeral (pictured)

Raptor 13 (pictured outside Hawi's funeral) is part of an elite militarised police unit which tackles violent bikie gangs

The constable is also believed to have been responsible for defecting several cars inside a panel shop (pictured) in the same week

The constable is also believed to have been responsible for defecting several cars inside a panel shop in the same week.

Another video posted to Facebook on Friday morning shows the panel shop ravaged by defect notices, which a man claims were placed on the cars after Raptor 13 'rocked up with 25 officers'.

In the video, the man claims police arrived a day earlier to discuss an unrelated incident before defecting the vehicles.

'Police came here yesterday, they wanted information about a customer from two years ago,' the man can be heard saying.

Last month, Raptor 13 was seen drawing his taser and shouting 'You're going to get searched' as tensions flared outside Hawi's funeral

'And Murphy rocked up with 25 officers and they've put a defect notice on every single car.'

Last month, Raptor 13 was seen drawing his taser and shouting 'You're going to get searched' as tensions flared outside Hawi's funeral.

The men were driving to Rookwood Cemetery in western Sydney when their limousines were stopped by police on King Georges Road.

'Brother, there's 30 of us (and) there's two of you... show some respect' one of the men says as Raptor 13 pushes the surging group out of his face.

'I don't care, you're going to be searched, stand against the fence all of you... you're all being searched for firearms and drugs,' he responds.

The men were in limousines on their way from the funeral of Mick Hawi (pictured with wife Carolina) at Al Zahra mosque to the cemetery

The officer was seen outside the Al Zahra mosque in Arncliffe after searching attendees who were heading towards the service

Raptor 13 was joined by at least one other officer and issued warnings to some of the men before letting the group go.

Mr Murphy was part of a large contingent of police officers stationed in Sydney's south as hundreds gathered for the funeral of the ex Comanchero president.

Hawi was shot dead outside the Fitness First gym in Rockdale, in Sydney's south last month.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting any of the men searched committed any crime, or that 'Raptor 13' misused his position of power in any way during the conflict.

In 2015, Mr Murphy was filmed holding a metal pole to a driver's head during a routine traffic stop.

The officer was seen checking out the luxury cars a number of attendees to Hawi's funeral arrived in

Raptor 13 has built up a reputation online for his blunt approach to law enforcement

In another incident, the 39-year-old pulled over a motorcyclist who was wearing a defective skull-shaped helmet after he ran a red light.

'You want to get your camera out and do a YouTube hero, that's fine, I don't really give a continental mate, I'm used to it,' he told the man as he filmed him.

The cop has previously been filmed appearing to throw a motorcyclist's licence on the ground, pushing away a woman and refusing to show a driver his speed radar.Barnaby Joyce has revealed he can't be certain he is the father of his pregnant staffer's baby.

The former deputy prime minister said the child's paternity is 'a bit of a grey area', as he was on a trip to Europe at around the time she conceived.

Joyce, who recently quit as leader of the Nationals, claimed he was never asked by the media if Vikki Campion's baby was his when news of the scandal broke.

Mr Joyce said he cannot be sure he is the father, but he plans to raise the child as his own, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Barnaby Joyce (pictured, right, with Vikki Campion) has revealed he can't be certain he is the father of his pregnant staffer's baby

The former deputy prime minister claimed he was never asked by the media if Vikki Campion's baby was his when news of the scandal broke (pictured are Barnaby and Natalie Joyce)

News of the scandal broke earlier this year eventually leading to Mr Joyce being forced to resign (pictured are Mr Joyce and Ms Campion at a bar in Sydney)

'It's mine, on the record, there it is. And can I say, even if it wasn't, I wouldn't care, I'd still go through this, I'd still love him,' Mr Joyce (pictured) said

'It's mine, on the record, there it is. And can I say, even if it wasn't, I wouldn't care, I'd still go through this, I'd still love him,' Mr Joyce said.

But he did admit there was a close relationship developing on a 'sporadic basis' around the time with his former staffer.

In the interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Joyce called initial coverage of his affair 'outrageous', and said neither he nor Ms Campion were asked about paternity.

'How could they know? They never even asked if it was "Joyce's bundle",' Mr Joyce said, referring to a headline which read 'Bundle of Joyce'.

Vikki Campion, the former media advisor to Mr Joyce, is now pregnant with a son

Barnaby Joyce pictured in a bar in Sydney with Ms Campion in February 2017 just a few months before his former staffer fell pregnant

Mr Joyce, 50, said he does not plan to take a paternity test in the Saturday interview, during which Ms Campion, 33, was also present for some periods.

The backbencher said he was in Europe on an official visit with his wife Natalie for the ten days after June 23, 2017, while Ms Campion was in North Queensland.

The former deputy prime minister was forced to quit as the country's number two in the wake of the scandal on February 22.

Pressure was rising on Mr Joyce ahead of his resignation from the frontbench when allegations of sexual harassment surfaced - which has completely denied.

Mr Joyce, 50, said he does not plan to take a paternity test in the Saturday interview, during which Ms Campion, 33, was also present for some periods (pictured are Barnaby and Natalie Joyce)

The former deputy prime minister (pictured) said he was never asked if Vikki Campion's baby is his

When he announced the end of his term as deputy PM, Mr Joyce called for his decision to be 'a circuit breaker' for media coverage about his relationship and his unborn son.

'This has got to stop. It's not fair on them. It's just completely and utterly unwarranted, the sort of observation that's happened,' he said.

Ms Campion was Mr Joyce's former media advisor. She left his office in April 2017 and moved to another government department.

The pair were pictured in a Sydney bar in February 2017 months before news became public about their relationship.

Mr Joyce quit as deputy PM on February 22 and has now said the question of his paternity was a 'grey area'

Mr Joyce and Ms Campion worked together for 12 months between April 2016 and August 2017.

During this time, the pair racked up a total expenses bill of $43,446 - including more than $25,000 for six VIP trips funded by the taxpayer.

Daily Mail Australia is not claiming Mr Joyce used public funding inappropriately during this time.

The couple travelled together throughout the east coast for 2,000km on a holiday together in December and January.

Barnaby Joyce told parliament of his separation from his wife in a same sex marriage debate in December

They travelled from Grafton in northern New South Wales, to north Queensland with a stop in Townsville - after Mr Joyce told parliament he was separated from his wife, Natalie.

The road to the affair started back in May 2016, when Ms Campion, a former journalist, joined Mr Joyce's election campaign.

That August, she joined Mr Joyce's office as a staffer and had split with her fiancee three months before the pair were due to get married.

In April 2017, after a reported confrontation with Natalie Joyce, Ms Campion moved to Matt Canavan's office as an adviser.

Just a few months later, Malcolm Turnbull was reportedly told by Joyce that his relationship with Ms Campion was over.

Mr Joyce, an outspoken social conservative, separated from Natalie, the mother of his four daughters, after 24 years of marriage.A Missouri man who threatened to 'kill all white people' and was already charged with slaughtering three in the Kansas City area was indicted Friday in the murders of three other people.

Frederick Demond Scott, a 23-year-old black man, is now charged in the murders of five white men and one white woman in total, although investigators and prosecutors have not discussed a motive for the killings.

After the indictments, Scott faces a total of six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of armed criminal action in a string of killings that began in August 2016.

Scott was indicted Friday in the deaths of David Lenox, 67, Timothy Rice, 57, and Michael Darby, 61.

Scott (pictured in court in Sept) is now facing six counts of murder and six counts of armed criminal action after being indicted on three new murders Friday

Steven Gibbons, 57 (left), was shot in the head in broad daylight. DNA linked Scott to his murder and to that of first victim John Palmer, 54 (right), police said

Scott has been indicted in connection with the deaths of David Lenox, 67 (left); Mike Darby, 61 (center); and Timothy S Rice, 57 (right)

Scott (left) is also accused of killing a homeless female, Karen Harmeyer (right) whose body was found in her tent by her friends

Scott's mother previously told authorities and The Kansas City Star that her son is schizophrenic.

All five of the male victims were shot as they walked on or near the Indian Creek trails or, in one case, walked home after getting off a bus. The female victim was homeless and her decomposing body was found in a tent in woods in Grandview. She also was shot, police said.

Kansas City Police spokesman Lionel Colon said he has 'no information that suggests the investigation' into other potential victims.

Scott made his comment about wanting to kill people while he was a student in January 2014 at an alternative school near Kansas City, according to a municipal citation for harassment regarding the case.

His mother said she did odd jobs for white people and she wasn't aware he had any problems with them.

The first victim was John Palmer, 54, who was shot August 19, 2016. His body was dragged off the Indian Creek Trail and was found in nearby woods.

The last victim, Steven Gibbons, 57, died August 13, 2017, after he got off a bus in south Kansas City. The woman, 64-year-old Karen Harmeyer, was found in her tent by friends.

Lenox was killed February 27, 2017, as he was returning home from walking his two dogs. His daughter, Mindy Lenox of San Francisco, told The Star that she and her family appreciated the efforts of investigators and prosecutors to provide a charge in her father's death.

Scott (left) said he was angry about his brother's death in a robbery in 2015. The man convicted of that killing, Jimmie Verge (right), was sentenced to 45 years in prison

Many of the victims were found close to the Indian Creek Trail and its associated trail, leading to the deaths being dubbed the 'Indian Creek Murders'. The slain men were John Palmer (1), David Lenox (2), Timothy S Rice (3), Mike Darby (4) and Steven Gibbons (5)

'We're thankful that he is off the street and hopefully he'll be held accountable for what he has done,' Lenox said.

'I don't know for me personally that there is any closure. Nothing can bring my dad back and nothing can take that pain away, but at least knowing that the person responsible will be held accountable, it will certainly be helpful.'

Rice, of Excelsior Springs, was found dead from multiple gunshots on April 4, 2017, inside a shelter at a park where he was camping, his family said.

Darby's son, Brian Darby, said Friday he appreciated the work of police and prosecutors. 'I feel like we are one step closer to where we need to be,' he said.

Scott was arrested after Gibbons' killing, when surveillance video showed Scott following Gibbons, according to court records.

Detectives later linked Scott to the scene with DNA from an iced tea bottle and a cigarette butt. He was linked to the Palmer killing with DNA from a T-shirt left at that scene.

He has pleaded not guilty to the three initial charges of murder.

In an interview with The Star, Scott's mother that her son (pictured) refused to get treatment for paranoid schizophrenia but did not show any hatred toward white peopleTurkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-government fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raids on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

Turkish troops and Turkish-backed opposition fighters have been on the offensive in Afrin since January 20 against Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Meanwhile government forces intensified fighting in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, as tens of thousands of civilians in the besieged rebel enclave awaited urgently needed aid.

Turkish forces and army helicopters advance towards the village of Al-Maabatli in the Afrin region in the northwestern Aleppo province countryside on March 2, 2018

Smoke billows following Syrian government bombardments on the besieged rebel-held town of Hamouria, Eastern Ghouta, in the outskirts of Damascus

Government forces intensified fighting in Eastern Ghouta, one of the armed opposition's last strongholds in the country

Syrian bombardments are pictured in Hamouria as as tens of thousands of civilians in the besieged rebel enclave awaited urgently needed aid

A warcraft belonging to the Assad regime is pictured as it launches a missile over Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus in Syria

Syrian bombers have been active in the north of the country and over the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghoutta

Syrian activists and rescuers said at least six civilians were killed in the ongoing bombing near Damascus

Wounded Syrians are seen as they wait to receive treatment at a makeshift hospital following Syrian government bombardments on Hamouria

Ankara has also warned Damascus not to send fighters to the area, saying it would target them.

Turkey considers Syrian Kurdish fighters to be 'terrorists' linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside its own borders.

The airstrikes mark a major escalation between Turkey, the main backer of Syria's opposition fighters trying to remove President Bashar Assad from power, and Syrian pro-government forces, backed by Iran.

Airstrikes on Thursday in the village of Jamaa and killed 17 fighters of the force known as the Popular Forces.

Meanwhile Syrian activists and rescuers said at least six civilians were killed in the ongoing bombing near Damascus on Wednesday.

Syrian State TV said on Saturday that two children managed to escape from the region under gunfire from the rebels, who control eastern Ghouta.

A Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighter fires from a tank in Rajo, Syria. Turkey said the town in the Afrin area had been cleared of 'terrorists'

Smoke could be seen above Rajo throughout Saturday as Turkey continued its advance

A Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army fighters fires a projectile in Rajo on Saturday

Pro-Syrian government fighters deploy in support of Kurds battling Turkish-led rebels in the northwestern enclave of Afrin

A Turkish tank is seen at Burseya Mountain. Turkish forces have been on the offensive since January 20

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20 when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a 'terrorist' extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

On Saturday Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that the country's south-eastern border areas, including the town of Rajo in Afrin, had been cleared of "terrorists" - a reference to Kurdish separatists.

A member of the Syrian Civil Defense group carrying a boy who was wounded during airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, on Friday

The 400,000 residents of the rebel-held suburb of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus have lived under regime siege since 2013

The satellite images show Douma near Damascus on February 23, 2018, left, and the same area on March 2, 2018 with a destroyed building at the centre of the right image

New reports have recently emerged of suspected chlorine use in the battered rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta

The YPG has been a key component of a United States-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the 'utmost care' to avoid civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, near the capital, Damascus, a five-hour truce went into effect on Friday, the fourth this week, with no civilians leaving the city's rebel-held suburbs known as eastern Ghouta.

State-run TV said rebels shelled a crossing point to Ghouta in order to prevent people from leaving.

Syrian government forces for their part are reported to have advanced inside eastern Ghouta as fighting intensifies on the ground to retake the battered rebel enclave.

The Russia-ordered pause came after a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a nationwide 30-day cease-fire failed to take hold. While the relentless bombing has somewhat subsided in eastern Ghouta, home to around 400,000 civilians, the Syrian government's push to squeeze the insurgents out of the region has continued unabated.

The Observatory and the opposition's Syrian Civil Defence, also known as White Helmets, reported airstrikes earlier on Friday on the suburbs of Zamalka, Douma and Hazzeh, which killed one person.Former priest Stephen Dougherty, seen in his 2016 mugshot, was convicted Thursday and sentenced to 60 years behind bars

A former Roman Catholic priest will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Stephen Tarleton Dougherty, 61, was sentenced to 60 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault.

Dougherty, who was ordained in 2003, was convicted of raping a then 13 year-old at her family ranch near the South Texas town of Beeville in 2011.

The victim came forward after a counselor persuaded her to, according to USA Today. Dougherty was indicted in 2016.

In a statement after the conviction Thursday, the Diocese of Corpus Christie said in a statement that it 'is aware of the verdict in the Stephen Dougherty trial. In July 2015, the Diocese was contacted by Bee County law enforcement concerning Dougherty and has cooperated with that investigation. Stephen Dougherty has been on leave and out of ministry since December, 2011.'

The Diocese declined to comment further since it, along with Dougherty are involved in an ongoing civil suit brought by the victim, who claims they did not do enough to protect her.

The victim's accusation was the second sexual misconduct allegation reported about Dougherty. The diocese stripped him of his duties in 2011.

Until he was relieved of his duties in 2011, Dougherty served here at the Society of Our Lady of The Most Holy Trinity at Our lady of Corpus Christi (pictured)

This was the second trial for Dougherty, a May 2017 trial ended in a mistrial, when jurors found themselves deadlocked, unable to reach a unanimous decision after 9 hours of deliberating.

He cannot be prosecuted for the first allegation as it allegedly happened in the 1980s, before he was a priest, and the statute of limitations is up.The younger brother of school shooter Nikolas Cruz told Florida police that he has regrets about bullying his sibling and wishes he could have prevented the Parkland school massacre, which left 14 students and three staff members dead.

In a Palm Beach County Sheriff's report, obtained by CNN, Zachary Cruz told investigators from Palm Beach and Broward counties that he wishes he would have been nicer to his brother when they were younger.

Zachary, who recently turned 18, said he regrets bullying Nikolas with his friends, a sheriff wrote in the report.

Zachary Cruz (right) told police in Florida that he had regrets about bullying his brother, Nikolas Cruz (left)

Zachary (left) also told authorities that he felt guilty Nikolas (right) opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and wishes he could have prevented it

Zachary (left) and Nikolas (right) are pictured in a photo from last year holding their mother's ashes, who died in November from the flu

Nikolas used an AK-47 to shoot at teachers and students at the Florida school. The massacre is said to be the second-deadliest shooting at a public school in the US

The teen also said he felt guilty that his brother had opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 and wishes he could have stopped the attack.

Days after the shooting Zachary was involuntarily committed to a mental health hospital under Floridas Baker Act, which allows him to be held for involuntarily for up to 72 hours for a psychiatric exam.

The sheriff noted that Zachary said he resented his sibling because he thought Nikolas was the favored one between them.

Zachary and Nikolas, who are half-siblings, were adopted when they were younger by Lynda and Robert Cruz.

Robert died in 2004 from a heart attack, and Lynda died in November from the flu.

It seems Nikolas' life took a downward spiral following the death of his adoptive mother.

The Parkland school shooting happened three months after Nikolas' adoptive mom Lynda died. She's pictured above holding Nikolas as a baby

14 students and three staff members were killed in the February 14 attack

Nikolas is facing 17 premeditated murder charges after confessing to the shooting. He's being held in a Broward County jail

Family friend Roxanne Deschamps took in Nikolas and Zachary after Lynda died, but kicked Nikolas out of her home following a violent altercation in November. In a 911 call, Deschamps told police that Nikolas became angry when she took away his guns and hit her son in the face.

Nikolas fled the home and Deschamps told the dispatcher she was worried what would happen if Nikolas returned.

The 19-year-old also called 911 to report the incident apologizing to police saying that his mother had just died and he 'was dealing with a bunch of things right now'.

Zachary still lives at Deschamps' home.

It was also revealed that Lynda had called police 23 times over a 10-year period to report that Nikolas had been physical with Zachary and with her. The Sun Sentinel described Nikolas' relationship with his brother as tumultuous.

Nikolas is currently being held in the Broward County jail on 17 premeditated murder charges after confessing to shooting his former classmates and teachers.A boy whose parents want him to be given cannabis to treat a rare form of epilepsy has been rushed back to hospital for emergency treatment.

Alfie Dingley, aged six, was admitted after suffering from a cluster of seizures, and is being given intravenous steroids, to the distress of his family, who describe him as a 'beloved son'.

It is the second time he has been hospitalised since returning from Holland last month, where he was being treated with cannabis oil. His condition causes him to suffer up to 30 fits a day, and his parents have been pleading with the Government to let him use the medication, a banned substance in the UK, to help with his symptoms.

'Beloved' boy Alfie Dingley has been rushed back to hospital for emergency treatment

Following his hospitalisation, Alfie's mother Hannah Deacon appealed directly to the Home Office and Prime Minister Theresa May to 'act to help my beloved son survive and have the best life he can'.

On a Facebook page set up to highlight his plight, 'Alfie's Hope', she said: 'To see him in distress in hospital with his life in danger yet again is traumatic and heartbreaking. My son is suffering.

'We need your urgent compassion and action now. Please don't stand by and let my son suffer or die unnecessarily.'

Ms Deacon, 38, from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, added that the medical cannabis products were the 'only ones which have worked' to reduce Alfie's seizures in number, duration and severity.

'It's clear his life is being put at risk by this ridiculous mess that is happening at the moment. I can't bear to watch my son have seizures. It's heartbreaking,' she said in an emotional video.

The Home Office has revealed ministers are exploring 'every option' for treating him, including putting him on a medical cannabis trial (pictured with his mother)

Cannabis oil is currently illegal in the UK, despite being available for medical purposes throughout Europe, including in the Netherlands where Alfie and his family spent five months paying for treatment.

Alfie's seizures, which can number up to 20 or 30 a day, can gradually be controlled in UK hospitals, but over time it is likely he would be institutionalised with psychosis and die prematurely.

The Home Office has previously said it would consider a medical cannabis trial as an option for Alfie.

Alfie Dingley's mother, Hannah Deacon, has repeatedly urged the Government to grant the youngster a licence to use cannabis oil to soothe his symptoms

Ms Deacon has repeatedly urged the Government to grant the youngster a licence to use cannabis oil to soothe his symptoms.

It previously denied his mother's heart-rending plea, warning the banned substance 'cannot be prescribed, administered or supplied to the public'.

But the Home Office recently revealed that ministers are exploring 'every option' for treating him, including putting him on a medical cannabis trial.

If Ms Deacon were to give Alfie - the only boy in Britain to have PCDH19 - medical cannabis in the UK, she could be jailed for up to 14 years.

While Policing Minister Nick Hurd has met with the family to discuss possible treatments  it has been stressed that no decisions have yet been made.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The Government has a huge amount of sympathy for the rare and difficult situation that Alfie and his family are faced with.

'The Policing Minister wants to explore every option and has met with Alfie's family to discuss treatments that may be accessible for him.

'No decisions have been made and any proposal would need to be led by senior clinicians using sufficient and rigorous evidence.'

Mr Hurd previously told MPs that he 'sympathised deeply' on a personal level with the situation faced by the family.

It previously denied his mother's heart-rending plea, warning the banned substance 'cannot be prescribed, administered or supplied to the public'

Speaking in the Commons, he said: 'We are aware that the position is shifting in other countries, we monitor that closely.

'We are also aware that cannabis is an extremely complex substance and the WHO quite rightly are looking at it from every angle.'

It follows the landmark case of Billy Caldwell, an epileptic boy in Castlederg, Northern Ireland, who was prescribed cannabis oil on the NHS last April.

Although Alfie has been successfully treated in the Netherlands with cannabis oil, he cannot be given the drug in Britain because it is illegal.

His family who spent five months in Den Haag, said the medication, prescribed by a paediatric neurologist, reduced his seizures in number, duration and severity.

Members of the all-party parliamentary group on drug policy reform had called on the Home Office to assist with Alfie's plight.

They said it would reduce his seizures and hospital visits brought on by his condition. It is likely that over time he would be institutionalised with psychosis and die prematurely.

Although Alfie has been successfully treated in the Netherlands with cannabis oil, he cannot be given the drug in Britain because it is illegal

His family who spent five months in Den Haag, said the medication, prescribed by a paediatric neurologist, reduced his seizures in number, duration and severity

Since Alfie (pictured as a baby) and his mother returned to Britain in January after running out of money, he has been unable to continue the treatment

WHAT IS CBD OIL AND IS IT LEGAL IN THE UK? Government advisers made it legal to buy CBD supplements in 2016 CBD oil is a legal cannabinoid that can be sold in the UK. CBD contains less than 0.2 per cent of the psychoactive substance THC. Although the oil has been thought to have some medicinal properties, including relieving inflammation, pain and anxiety, there is no conclusive science. Suppliers in England and Wales have to obtain a licence to sell CBD as a medicine. Manufacturers are able to avoid the strict regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence. CBD products comes in many forms, the most popular being an oil - which users spray under their tongue - or gel tablets which melt slowly in the mouth. Government advisers at the MHRA found that CBD has a restoring, correcting or modifying effect on humans. Cannabis oil, which is different to CBD oil because it contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, made headlines last April when he became the first Briton to be prescribed it on the NHS. Cannabis oil, which reportedly has no side effects, influences the release and uptake of feel good chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Advertisement

Alfie's first attack happened when he was just eight months old. By the age of four he was having seizures every three weeks.

Doctors discovered he was just one of just five in the world boys in the world to have the form of epilepsy known as PCDH19, which is caused by a genetic mutation.

And in 2016 the frequency increased to almost every week, with multiple fits each time, Ms Deacon, a hairdresser, revealed in February.

Doctors treated him with intravenous steroids, but Ms Deacon was distressed to see the drugs left Alfie aggressive and at risk of psychosis.

In despair she sought out other treatments and learned about cannabis oil  which contains THC, the compound that causes a 'high'.

It is different to CBD oil which is legal because it doesn't contain THC.

Ms Deacon found a doctor in Holland willing to prescribe it, so moved there with Alfie last September.

The results were, she previously said, 'nothing short of a miracle', bringing his seizures down to about one a month. The Dutch doctor said the outcome was 'astounding'.

But since Alfie and his mother returned to Britain in January after running out of money, he has been unable to continue the treatment.

Baroness Meacher, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drugs Reform, previously said it was 'scandalous' that Alfie couldn't be given cannabis oil in Britain.

And Tory MP Crispin Blunt, who advocates for the legalisation of cannabis, added: 'This position must be reviewed in the UK urgently.'

But The Home Office said last month it would not issue a licence for the personal consumption of a 'Schedule 1 drug' such as cannabis.

THE LANDMARK CASE OF BILLY CALDWELL An 11-year-old on the brink of death from a severe form of epilepsy has made an 'incredible' recovery since taking medical marijuana. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, made headlines in April when he became the first Briton to be prescribed such a drug on the NHS. But his treatment actually began last November, when he was given cannabis oil by specialists in the US in hope it would control his vicious seizures. And now, 10 months since he was first given the liquid cannabis oil, he hasn't had any seizures. He used to suffer up to 100 a day. Born with intractable epilepsy and learning disabilities, Billy has since cheated death thousands of times, his mother said. Charlotte told Derry Now: 'Following extensive treatment with CBD oil, Billy is now more than 300 days seizure free.' The 49-year-old, who is her son's full-time carer, also told ITV News earlier this year the change has been 'incredible, because one seizure can kill him'. Advertisement

Alfie is the only boy in Britain, and one of just five in the world, to have the form of epilepsy known as PCDH19, which is caused by a genetic mutationIncredible footage shows an team of around 20 tough marines pushing a lorry through the snow.

They were pushing the heavy load as it had become stuck in the snow drifts at a service station on the M4, near Newport.

They heaved against the weight of the truck, managing to successfully roll it up the road where it was able to drive away.

The Royal Marines were pushing the heavy load as it had become stuck in the snow drifts at a service station on the M4 near Newport

The marines appeared to struggle at first to get the vehicle moving, as they found it difficult to get a grip on the slippery road.

However, they soon made it look easy and had the Owens Group truck moving in no time at all.

Group Operations Manager for Owens Group, Emyr Owen, said: 'The Beast from the East coupled with Storm Emma have definitely put us at Owens Group to the test!

They appeared to struggle at first to get the vehicle moving, as they found it difficult to get a grip on the slippery road, but soon had the lorry off the snowy patch

'Our drivers have encountered some drastic weather conditions over the last few days.

'They have remained extremely professional throughout but some did find themselves in some particularly "snowy" situations!

'This video is testament the massive respect our armed forces deserve. Its time like this people do come together and support each other as one.

'This video is testament the massive respect our armed forces deserve': Group Operations Manager for Owens Group, Emyr Owen, praised the Royal Marines for their help

'Without the Royal Marines at Magor Services yesterday, this driver would have faced many more hours stranded. They did an awesome job in getting us back moving!

'We would like to thank everyone involved in getting us back on wheels  allowing us to help keep the shelves stocked!'

The snowy conditions across the UK forced the military to take action - Hampshire Police had to enlist military help as drivers were trapped on the A31 due to the traffic build-up, while military 4x4s were used in Lancashire to urgent medical supplies.Advertisement

Seven people have died and homes along the East Coast have been destroyed by the deadly nor'easter 'bombogensis' which tore through the region on Friday leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Two million people are without power and 7,000 flights were either cancelled or delayed as the storm wreaked havoc with winds of up to 80mph and heavy snow and rain.

In Massachusetts, coastal flooding drowned the city of Boston and inundated its surrounding suburbs. While the storm has passed, officials say another round of floods is expected at high tide on Saturday.

States of emergency have been declared in Pennsylvania and Maryland where authorities have had to rescue people from homes and cars.

Falling trees have proven to be the most deadly component of the storm.

In Chester, Virginia, six-year-old Anthony Hamilton was killed after a tree crashed into his home while he was asleep in the top bunk.

A tree crushed a vehicle in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, on Friday. The driver was the only person in the car and they survived

An abandoned car in Quincy, Massachusetts, is swept away in flood water on Friday. More floods are expected throughout the day on Saturday as high tide approaches again

An 11-year-old boy in Putnam, New York, was killed when a tree fell onto a home and Shawn Gregory Walker died when a tree crashed into the car he was traveling in.

Another motorist was killed near Stamford, Connecticut after a tree fell on a car, state police said.

In Baltimore, officials confirmed the death of a woman, 77, who was struck by a large tree branch and pronounced dead at the scene.

In Newport, Rhode Island, 72-year old Robert Beaver was hit and killed by a tree at his home down the street from The Breakers, the Gilded Age mansion built for the Vanderbilt family.

In Maryland, a 100-year-old woman was rescued from her home after a downed tree crashed into it, trapping her in her bedroom.

More power outages can be expected throughout the day as the wind lingers, according to forecasters.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency warned on Saturday morning that a third round of major coastal flooding would be seen as the high tide approached.

Downed traffic lights in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The governor declared a state of emergency because of the wind

A large wave crashes over the seawall in Winthrop, Massachusetts, on Saturday at high tide

A car drives through rain water in Winthrop, Massachusetts, on Saturday as the aftermath of the storm became clear

A police car in Parkway, New Jersey, was wrecked on Friday. The police officer driving it lost control on an icy road while responding to a call of another overturned vehicle. The cop survived with minor injuries

A felled tree in New Jersey on Friday caused closures on the roads. Large swathes of the North East remain impassable because of the storm

It will cause another 3ft of water to cascade through streets, they said, and potentially into homes.

AmTrak suspended services on Friday as wind, snow and rain pounded the region. The service remained inoperational on Saturday morning because of downed power lines between New York City and Washington DC.

At Dulles Airport in Virginia, sustained winds of more than 50mph were recorded for more than 12 hours straight.

The highest winds Friday were recorded in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where a gust of 93mph was recorded.

On Nantucket, gusts reached 90mph, and 91mph winds were felt in Wellfleet. On Saturday, they are not expected to surpass 60mph.

The National Guard is on hand to assist with rescues in Massachusetts and state help is being given to Maryland and Pennsylvania as a result of the states of emergency which have been declared.

The storm has veered away from the coast but is still causing disruption with strong winds which will last throughout Saturday

A woman and child are rescued by boat in Quincy, Massachusetts, on Friday after getting stuck in flood waters

The Quincy, Massachusetts Marine Unit Dive Team is transported down flooded Sea Street by a front-end loader on Friday

A National Guard vehicle brings emergency workers to residents trapped by flood waters on Friday in Quincy, Massachusetts

A flooded shed and home due to a strong coastal storm are seen on Friday in Quincy, Massachusetts

The 42-foot fishing vessel Artemis rests on the breakwater near Provincetown Inn after breaking from its mooring on Friday in Provincetown, Massachusetts. A relentless nor'easter pounded the Atlantic coast with hurricane-force winds

Passengers wait for SEPTA regional rail trains, most of which were suspended, in Philadelphia's Jefferson Station on Friday

Air travelers stand at the check in counter during a winter nor'easter at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday

Walking past Independence Hall, a woman braves the snow and wind along Market Street in Philadelphia on Friday

Streets department workers in Marple Township, Pennsylvania clear a downed tree during a winter storm on Friday

Workmen in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, repair wires from a downed line that fell on a pick-up truck

A tree crashed through the metal fencing which surrounds Vice President Mike Pence's Washington DC residence

In Washington DC, rubble fell from a partially burned building. The strong wind rattled the already fragile house and sent bricks bearing down onto the street and a car outside

In Winchester, Virginia, a child rides their bike beneath a downed tree on Friday

Toppled power lines on the road in Watertown, Boston, on Friday. Police are advising residents not to go outdoors until the storm passes

A Boston resident kayaks through the streets on Friday past an abandoned car in the midst of Winter Storm Riley

WATCH: #Quincy residents including children rescued from flood waters by a front end loader. Vid from @kentucci pic.twitter.com/8HnlT0PYCg  WBZ | CBS Boston News (@wbz) March 2, 2018

In Essex, Massachusetts, there was rising flood water on Friday as a result of the storm

Rocky waters in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, shifted the dock on Friday afternoon

Tourists battle the wind in Times Square on Friday. New York City endured gusty winds, rain and snow

A truck trailer toppled over on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge between Staten Island and New York. No one was injured

In Scituate, a Massachusetts town near Boston, water rushes through the streets at high tide as Winter Storm Riley takes hold on Friday, March 2

Press tents outside the White House toppled in the wind on Friday. No one was hurt

Along Boston's Long Wharf, not far from the Fanueil Hall tourist area, large piles of sandbags were in place around a subway station and a Marriott hotel, a spot that flooded with icy seawater during an early January storm.

'People need to take this very seriously. If you live in an area that is told to evacuate, we strongly encourage you do so first thing Friday morning,' Baker said on Thursday.

The National Weather Service had coastal flood watches and warnings in place from southern Maine through coastal North Carolina, including New York's eastern suburbs, and also warned that a snowstorm heading east from the Ohio Valley could drop significant amounts of snow in northern New York State.

Ocean-facing homes could be destroyed by the storm surge and waves, while people who live in neighborhoods reached by low-lying roads could be cut off from services for hours or days, officials and government forecasters warned.

'This could be another storm with prolonged onshore flooding,' said Paul Walker, a senior meteorologist with private forecasting services Accuweather.

Voluntary evacuation orders are in place across coastal Massachusetts.

The tracks at Hoboken train station in New Jersey had flooded on Friday morning as a result of the sudden and torrential rainAlvin B. Keyser, 23, of Middlesex, Virginia has been charged with murder in the death of TerriLynn St. John who went missing for two days

A 23-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a Virginia mother he admitted he hit, strangled, then buried under a pile of leaves, cops say.

The disappearance of TerriLynn St. John, 23, caused panic in her Middlesex community. She was missing for two days after vanishing from her driveway with her two young children still inside her home on Tuesday.

Police have arrested her acquaintance Alvin B. Keyser, also from Middlesex, Virginia, who led detectives to her body.

St. John went missing at 7:30am from her driveway on Tuesday.

She was preparing to take her two children, ages one and three, to day-care, deputies said.

Keyser was an acquaintance of St. John, her children, and their father and drove to her home that morning to address comments that she had made about him, according to WTVR.

TerriLynn St. John, 23, of Middlesex, Virginia, vanished from her front driveway Tuesday with her two young children still inside

St. John (right pictured with boyfriend) and Keyser were acquaintances and he told police that he went to her driveway Tuesday morning to address comments that she had made about him

Her body was found covered in leaves in a nearby wood. She leaves behind two children - a one and three-year-old

Keyser told police that she got into his van willingly.

Inside the van the two began to argue and he claims St. John hit him and he struck her back and pushed her out of the van.

'Keyser stated to detectives he confronted St. John at her residence about statements that were made about Keyser. Keyser stated that St. John struck him, and he struck her back he then pushed her out of the van Keyser was driving,' Middlesex Sheriff's Major Michael Sampson said in a statement.

Once out of the van, Keyser said to investigators that he continued to hit her and strangle her until she could no longer breathe.

Then he claimed he put her body into the car and headed towards the woods where he hid the body.

'Keyser then stated he loaded her in the van and put her body in the woods down from her residence,' Sampson said.

Her family reported her missing when she did not turn up for work on a horse farm on Tuesday.

Relatives checked the home for her and found the children unharmed but alone, according to WTVR. The front door was also open.

Keyser (above) told police that the two got into an argument in his van. He claimed she struck him and he responded by hitting her and strangling her

Keyser is an acquaintance of St. John and knows her children and their father

Scene of the crime: This is the driveway in front of St. John's home where St. John is said to have entered Keyser's van

Her front driveway was taped off for police officers to investigate. Family say they found her belongings including pieces of jewelry on the ground and her phone in the bushes

Keyser led police to her body in a wooded area where it was found under a pile of leaves

Her body was discovered around 9am Thursday morning just a mile from her home

Her body was found covered in leaves Thursday morning around 9am a mile from her home on Mill Wharf Road in a wooded area.

The family says they found signs of struggle in the front yard of her home.

'They looked through the woods and you could definitely tell there has been a struggle beside my daughters car. Jewelry was all around, like it had been broken off, her cell phone was found in the bushes,' her father Terry St. John said.

Authorities were alerted about Keyser after someone posted on social media about one of his previous statements, Sampson said in a press conference.

Keyser is held without bond at the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center.

His first court appearance is set for Monday, March 5.

More charges are expected and more people will be interviewed as well, according to the Sheriff's office.

St. John was living with her boyfriend at the time of her disappearance and he was a person of interest at the beginning of the police search for her.

A GoFundMe page has been made to raise money for St. John's children.The controversial gold cape allegedly used by an elderly actor to grope women during battle performances in medieval re-enactments has been shown to a jury.

Trevor Pilling, 78, of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, demonstrated how he 'encircled' his Ladies in Waiting with a swish, as he would wrap the cape around women to keep them warm.

Pilling, a lead actor described as the driving force behind the Lion Rampant Medieval Display Society, denies 12 charges of indecent and sexual assault of eight women.

Prosecutors told the jury at Aylesbury Crown Court that he used the cloak to 'encircle' his victims and then molest them. Some of the alleged offences occurred during performances by society.

The controversial golden cape used by re-enactment society founder Trevor Pilling, 78

Giving evidence on his own behalf, the white-haired society founder said he always played the part of Sir William Marshal, the 1st Earl of Pembroke, in theatre productions and put his gold cape around the Ladies in Waiting wearing shoulder-baring costumes.

He said the encirclement was to keep them warm, and added that allegations he molested eight women were 'simply untrue.'

The retired chartered accountant had worked in London for over 25 years for a high-flying firm in Holborn before setting up his own company which specialised in accounts for TV and theatrical companies, which in Pilling's own words was 'very successful.'

The jury was told that in 1982, Pilling set up the Lion Rampant Medieval Display Society and had around 15-20 members at the time, before it reached its heyday in the late 1980s with about 40 members of all ages.

Pilling's character was always Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman who served Henry II and his sons.

The pensioner then described to the jury how the group would tour the country, putting on performances - mostly on bank holidays. The society performed as far away as Austria.

A member of the Buckinghamshire-based Lion Rampant Medieval Display Society, Trevor Pilling (pictured outside Aylesbury Crown Court), allegedly used his costume cloak to wrap himself around women and then grope them

When Pilling was asked by his defence barrister, Denis Barry, about the first charge put to him regarding an assault that took place on a holiday in Cumbria, Pilling said: 'I would not have done that. I was sat there reading my book and at that point in time she came and sat next to me, not at my suggestion.

'She rested her hand gently on my thigh and said we could go into one of the lounges and have sex. I was totally shocked and taken aback.'

When further counts were put to Pilling he simply replied: 'There was not' and 'No, not true.'

In response to another charge, Pilling is said to have inappropriately touched a woman at a pantomime show.

When Mr Barry asked for a response to another charge, that Pilling was said to have inappropriately touched a woman at a pantomime show, he replied: 'No, I went in and asked her to move as I was afraid a fire was going to start and I needed to get the background moved that was very close to the lights.

'I grabbed her around the waist and asked her to move. I put my hands on the side of her waist and lifted her. My hands were not near her breasts; nothing could have been construed as that.'

Pilling denied there was any form of sexual touching.

When quizzed on the next alleged incident, at Pilling's home and supposedly involving him putting his hands up the back of a woman's jumper and beneath her undergarments, he told the court, 'there was no truth to that at all.'

Pilling described how male members of the group would help keep females warm by using their cloaks to wrap around them. A number of cloaks were placed in the courtroom and the gold cloak belonging to Pilling was held up by Mr Barry.

'If a lady had bare shoulders you would put your cape around and hold it from the front otherwise it would just fall away,' the pensioner said.

Mr Barry asked: 'Did you use the cloak to disguise the fact you were putting your hands on her breasts?'

Pilling replied: 'No, I would have been holding the cloak out front.'

Pilling is accused of a dozen sexual assaults on eight women over a period of 25 years

Another complainant had earlier given evidence to the jury about how she was treated by Pilling, who used healing crystals and his mind to help people in pain.

Explaining his interest in healing, dating back to the 1960s, and that he saw 'clouds of pain' around people, Pilling told the jury that he bought crystals from all over the country, including from the Glastonbury area.

He said: 'It is instinctive, it comes from within me. I must have helped literally hundreds of people; it happened anywhere, anybody that wanted my help. There was nothing sexual, not at all.'

Under cross-examination, Pilling said it would have been 'extremely difficult' for him to have sexually assaulted one woman as he was suffering from extreme pain in his groin at the time.

The jury heard that the day after the alleged attack, his wife rushed him to hospital for a major operation after being diagnosed with a perforated colon.

'I physically couldn't do that,' he said from the witness box.

'I would have had extreme difficulty in getting down and up again.'

In relation to another occasion, he denied ever sexually assaulting a woman when he carried out a healing treatment using crystals, and instead suggested she said, 'don't be a stranger, come see us again', as he left her home.

The jury heard Pilling had a gift to see 'shadows' on bodies and had used his healing powers to help a considerable amount of people over the years.

However, Kim Preston, prosecuting, suggested it was 'part of his patter' in order to win their trust.

She also suggested his modus operandi to sexually assault women in public was because he enjoyed the idea that he might get caught.

A promotional picture of the Lion Rampant Medieval Display Society. (There is no suggestion that anyone pictured is involved in the Tilling case)

'Was it a thrill for you that you might get caught by somebody, that they might walk in if you were treating someone in their home?' she said.

'Was it a thrill for you the idea of someone's own husband walking up and down outside the bedroom?' The defendant denied there was any thrill at all.

The jury heard Pilling would then talk to the victims' partners or friends after the attacks to 'make it seem normal'.

Miss Preston said: 'One woman said she felt she was co-operating with you, with your cover up. That's what you would do, chat afterwards to make it all seem normal.'

She accused 'father figure' Pilling of using his respectable image as head of the re-enactment society to draw women to him.

'For 25 years we heard you would be sexually inappropriate to different degrees with a succession of different women, starting with 16-years-old and going up to a lady I think was in her 60s, taking advantage of them at their most vulnerable and when they came to you for help,' said Miss Preston.

'Was it the power? Was it the control?'

Pilling replied: 'No, I'm not that sort of person.'

The trial was adjourned until Monday.James Eric Davis Jr, 19 (pictured) was caught Saturday morning after he allegedly shot and killed two people in a dorm at Central Michigan University Friday morning

A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents in a Central Michigan University has been charged with two counts of murder, a university spokesperson said.

James Eric Davis Jr was arrested after midnight on Friday after allegedly shooting his parents in his dorm room at the Central Michigan University.

At a press conference, law enforcement officials said they were in contact with Davis Jr, who they believed had an 'overdose or bad reaction' and was taken to the hospital on Thursday night where he was released to medical staff.

He was discharged from the hospital on Friday morning, just before he allegedly shot his parents dead at about 8.30am on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, a co-ed dorm. No one else was injured.

The accused shooter was arrested just after midnight on Friday following a day-long manhunt after he fled the crime scene on foot.

Police took him into custody after searching for him for more than 12 hours.

Davis Jr. was charged with two counts of murder and using a weapon on Saturday, according to an official with the university.

Scroll down for video

Police confirmed on twitter the two victims were the shooter's parents, Diva Davis, 47 (left), and James Eric Davis Sr., 48 (right)

Officials say Davis was in contact with police on Thursday night for a 'drug-related incident'

Police believed the suspect had an 'overdose or bad reaction' and took him to McLaren Central Michigan hospital in Mount Pleasant (pictured)

Central Michigan University confirmed on Twitter that the two victims were Davis' parents, 47-year-old Diva Davis and 48-year-old James Eric Davis Sr Davis Sr who worked as a police officer in Bellwood, Illinois, just west of Chicago.

Davis Jr allegedly got the gun from his father when they returned home from the hospital, according to NBC News.

News of the shooting has shocked the college student's friends and neighbors, who have have told the Chicago Tribune Davis Jr was a quiet and polite kid from a good and loving family.

'Junior was a very respectful man, raised by upstanding parents, who would do anything to protect him and his siblings,' longtime family friend Jordan Murphy said.

'This is an incredibly tragic event, and I pray for Eric's other children. This is so incredibly out of character, something went wrong somewhere.'

He was released from the hospital on Friday morning, just before he allegedly shot his parents to death at about 8.30am on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, a co-ed dorm (pictured)

Friends and neighbors of the suspect have said they are shocked by the shooting and that Davis Jr was a good kid from a loving family

Murphy also said the slain couple, who had another son and a daughter, were 'ever-present parents who doted on their children.'

Friday's shooting paralyzed the small college town in Michigan.

The school posted to their Facebook on Friday morning around 9.30am, telling students to shelter in place and avoid the area around Campbell Hall. Classes were cancelled for the day.

An automated phone message from the school also was sent to students Friday morning.

Surrounding schools, hospitals and offices were placed on lockdown.

Friday was the last day of classes for Spring Break, so many parents were headed to the campus to pick students up.

Central Michigan University has about 23,000 students in Mount Pleasant, which is about 70 miles north of Lansing.

After the shooting, Davis ran north away from the apartment buildings. Police arrested him early Saturday morning after a 12-hour manhunt

Central Michigan University has about 23,000 students in Mount Pleasant, which is about 70 miles north of LansingA bridezilla who trolled her wedding photographer for a year because she was unhappy with her pictures has been ordered to pay the woman $90,000 for torpedoing her business.

Emily Liao was told by a judge in British Columbia, Canada, last month that her campaign of complaints against Kitty Chan was unfair.

Liao hired Chan through her now defunct company Amara Bridal to take the photographs at her 2015 wedding.

Before the big day, they had a disagreement over some pre-wedding proofs that were not up to Liao's standards.

She complained that another photographer took them and that they were not done by Chan herself.

Wedding planner and photographer Kitty Chan (seen right with her husband and dog) was awarded $90,000 by a judge who agreed it was unfair for bride Emily Liao to torpedo her business with negative online reviews

Liao refused to pay for the rest of Chan's services, then set about her campaign of negative reviews on English and Chinese social media sites, according to The Star in Canada.

Chan, who ran the business with her husband, said the effect was detrimental.

She and her husband relied on the Chinese community throughout Canada for jobs and she said the bad word-of-mouth she was getting put her out of business.

She took the matter to court and won her case.

Chan had to close Amara Wedding, her full-service wedding company, in January

The judge said Liao made it her 'mission to expose what she wrongly perceived as a corrupt business.'

She left reviews claiming that Chan was dishonest and promised to do work that she handed off to others afterwards.

She told people on Facebook and Chinese website Weibo that the wedding photographer and her husband were guilty of 'lying to customers', 'extortion' and 'fraud.

Liao said she believed that she had been deceived and that she was giving her opinion as fair comment.

The judge accepted that she may have believed her claims were true, but he said it was unjustified.

'There is no doubt that (Liao) was dissatisfied with what she perceived as poor quality wedding photographs.

'However, she has failed to prove that her displeasure was justified.

'(Liao) and others who think it is acceptable to use the internet as a vehicle to vent their frustrations, must be given the message that there will be consequences if their publications are defamatory,' he said.

Justice Gordon Weatherill told Liao to pay Chan $75,000 in general damages, $15,000 in aggravated damages and $25,000 in punitive damages.

When converted from Canadian dollars to USD, it comes out to around $90,000.This is the moment firefighters had to work their way through chest-deep icy water during the treacherous conditions of Storm Emma after two men got themselves stuck on a frozen duck pond.

Footage shows onlookers in East Grinstead, Sussex, watch the brave firefighters rescue the reckless young men who had ventured onto the icy waters, despite the adverse weather conditions.

After being called by local residents, the firefighters can be seen wading through the freezing duck pond to reach the petrified men.

The duo then step onto a raft before being pulled to safety as they drift on the icy waters.

The footage was taken by Amy Latter and a huge snow willy can be spotted outlined on the ground near where the boys were stranded, report the Sun.

Three firefighter vehicles were called to the scene after the boys trapped themselves on the pond.

It comes after Storm Emma wreaked havoc on the UK with fourteen deaths being reported nationwide.

Yellow weather warnings are still in place across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, threatening to leave 'death trap' patches of ice on roads up and down the country.

A total of 53 flood alerts have been issued nationwide, with 14 out of 15 located in the south west of England as Devon and Cornwall prepare for excess rain, melting snow and high winds.

And around 2,000 families in Devon and Cornwall are without power, with hundreds of others suffering power cuts in mid Wales and East Yorkshire.

This is the moment firefighters had to work their way through chest-deep icy water during the treacherous conditions of Storm Emma

Footage shows onlookers in East Grinstead, Sussex, watch the brave firefighters rescue the reckless young men who had ventured onto the icy waters

After being called by local residents, the firefighters can be seen wading through the freezing duck pond to reach the petrified men

The duo then step onto a raft before being pulled to safety as they drift on the icy watersThere is no cell service so his friend couldn't get help until he hiked out

Searchers have recovered the body of an Alaska snowboarder who was buried by an avalanche.

The body of Marvin Scott, 39, was recovered after a break in inclement weather finally allowed searchers to recover his body.

Scott was snowboarding around noon on Sunday on Dude Mountain with a friend when the avalanche was triggered.

Marvin Scott, 39 (pictured) was buried in an avalanche while snowboarding on Dude Mountain Sunday, searchers recovered his body Thursday after days of inclement weather hampered their efforts

Scott's friend tried to find him under the snow using his avalanche beacon, but was unable to, and without cell service he had to hike down for help- but it was too late (Scott pictured snowboarding)

The rescue squad on Dude Mountain (pictured) had to wait till the inclement weather had passed to dig Scott's body out of the snow after an avalanche on Sunday

His friend tried to dig him out of the snow using Scott's avalanche beacon as a guide, but he wasn't able to find him, according to Alaska Public.

There is no cell phone coverage on the mountain so his friend had to hike down before he could call for help.

By the time he was able to make contact with a search team on Sunday, it was too late to launch a recovery effort.

Teams tried again Monday, but bad weather forced them back down the mountain and kept them off until Thursday.

Jerry Kiffer, rescue squad principal officer, said: 'The situation obviously is a tragedy.

'A lot of our team members were friends and acquaintances with the victim. It hits everybody really hard.

'As our people are out working in the field to get the job done, we really appreciate the community's support with the operation.'Nearly 200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal go extinct each day. While this figure is shocking, it is not surprising.

The fact that one spoken language goes extinct every two weeks may be more so.

New statistics from the United Nations reveal the astonishing rate at which we are losing languages.

In 8,000BC humans spoke as many as 20,000 dialects.

Today, just 6,500 remain in use and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) lists more than 2,000 of them as vulnerable or endangered.

About 97 per cent of the world's population speaks four per cent of its languages.

Three per cent speaks the remaining 96 per cent of them.

This means that when small communities stop speaking their native tongue, it has a disproportionate effect of the diversity of language.

'Languages are humankind's principle tools for interacting and for expressing ideas, emotions, knowledge, memories and values,' says a UNESCO report.

'Languages are also primary vehicles of cultural expressions and intangible cultural heritage, essential to the identity of individuals and groups. Safeguarding endangered language is thus a crucial task in maintaining cultural diversity worldwide.'

But how does a language die? Sometimes it might be because the people that speak it have died. Natural disaster, disease or war are all contenders, told MNN.

New statistics from the United Nations reveal the astonishing rate at which we are losing languages

In other cases people may just decide to stop speaking indigenous language.

In 1932 speakers of the Lenca and Cacaopera languages in El Salvador abandoned them after a massacre in which Salvadorean troops killed tens of thousands of indigenous people.

Of late, many regional languages have been replaced by global languages like English, Spanish, French and Mandarin.

These are seven languages that are on the brink.

1. Jedek

Spoken by just 280 people in a small village on the Malay Peninsula, Jedek was discovered only last year. Before then it had never been documented.

'Jedek is not a language spoken by an unknown tribe in the jungle, as you would perhaps imagine, but in a village previously studied by anthropologists,' Niclas Burenhult, associate professor of general linguistics at Lund University, said in a statement.

The hunter-gatherer people do not language to describe violent acts, nor do they have the verbal tools to describe competition between children. Occupations and words like buy, sell and steal are all absent.

However, Jedek does include words to describe sharing and exchanging.

2. Aka

An Indian language, Aka is spoke only in Arunachal Pradesh, the nation's north-easternmost state.

The town in which it is spoke is reachable only by driving five-and-a-half hours into the jungle.

But the dialect is dying. The village's youngsters now choose to learn Hindi, India's dominant language, which they hear on TV, radio and in popular music.

Now, there are just a few thousand Aka speakers left.

3. Icelandic

Odd, you might think, that an entire nation's language is slowly seeping away.

But Iceland's ancient language is indeed doing just that. Icelandic has been around since the 13th century and is best known for its incredibly complex grammatical structure.

Sadly, it appears the internet and social media are sounding its death knell.

Younger Icelanders are speaking more English because much of the culture they consume through the web comes in English.

'It's called 'digital minoritization',' said University of Iceland Professor Eirikur Rognvaldsson told The Guardian.

'When a majority language in the real world becomes a minority language in the digital world.'

4. Marshallese

The largest population of Marshallese immigrants is in Springdale, Arkansas (above: three girls sing in the endangered language)

Environmental factors can also kill off a language.

On the Marshall Islands, people are leaving. On the coral atolls that lie between Australia and Hawaii life is becoming increasingly tough.

Climate change and rising sea levels have had a tangible effect on its inhabitants and many are moving.

Strangely, the largest population of Marshallese immigrants is in Springdale, Arkansas.

But when communities immigrate they tend to lose their language within a few generations.

5. Wintu

According to UNESCO there is only one fluent Wintu speaker left alive, and just a handful or semi-speakers (above: Wintu tribe sing together)

Before the arrival of Europeans in North America the Wintu tribe numbered about 14,000.

Now, ravaged by foreign disease and violent settlers this number has dropped to just 150.

According to UNESCO there is only one fluent Wintu speaker left alive, and just a handful or semi-speakers.

Wintu is very close to vanishing completely.

6. Tofa

UNESCO estimates that there are 40 Tofa speakers left. Thuis Siberian language is spoken only in Russia's extremely remote Irkutsk Oblast by the Tofalars.

Three villages in the Easter Sayan mountain range use the language, and reaching those village is extremely difficult.

This isolation has helped to preserve the language, which so far has remained commonly used among the townsfolk.

However, almost of the children of the town attend boarding school and therefore grow up speaking Russian, according to Cultural Survival Quarterly Magazine.

Given that almost none of the new generation is learning Tofa, this will likely be its end.

7. Elfdalian

Elfdalian (above) is the closest thing to Old Norse, the language of the Vikings, that exists today

Elfdalian is the closest thing to Old Norse, the language of the Vikings, that exists today.

It is only spoken by the people of Alvdalen in a remote part of Sweden.

The North Germanic language spoken by up to 3,000 people and was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and the nation's foreign territories.

Of late, many of its speakers have veered towards using Swedish and few youngsters are being taught the language.

However, a ray of hope came in March 2016 when the Alvdalen City Council decided that all kindergarten would be taught in Elfdalian, therefore passing on the language to all of the area's young. Maybe, it seems, the language will survive.Sweden will host a high-powered #MeToo-style meeting to tackle sexism and harassment in the restaurant industry.

More than 400 top female chefs, farmers, scientists and food activists from around the world will gather at the two-day Parabere Forum in Malmo on Sunday.

French journalist Maria Canabal launched the Parabere Forum in Bilbao in 2015 to help empower women in the culinary industry.

Now it has become a powerful catalyst to bring attention to unequal representations of female chefs in events and the media.

More than 400 top female chefs, farmers, scientists and food activists from around the world will gather at the two-day Parabere Forum in Malmo, Sweden, on Sunday (participants above in 2015 in Bilbao, Spain)

Some claim women aren't being recognised because they aren't running professional kitchens.

To counter this assertion, Canabal created an enormous database of more than 5,000 successful women from 32 countries who work in the restaurant industry.

She says food and wine should be inclusive an no one should be left behind.

'Women are talking openly about struggling with the boys' club mentality, with the harassment and with the military structure of kitchens,' she told the Guardian.

'The most important thing is that now people are ready to listen. They no longer want to accept what it is unacceptable.'

Though women make up about half of all culinary students and restaurants owned by females are steadily growing, gender bias is believed to be widespread.

French journalist Maria Canabal (above) launched the Parabere Forum in Bilbao in 2015 to help empower women in the culinary industry

A shocking 90% of women in the industry report being sexually harassed at work, according to a 2014 study by the US-based Restaurant Opportunities Center.

Meanwhile female chefs in the US earn 28.3% less than their male colleagues, a study by pay transparency website Glassdoor revealed.

And awards and media attention are disproportionately given to male chefs.

Just three restaurants with female head chefs featured on the 2017 World's 50 Best Restaurant list.

Furthermore, Mario Batali and John Besh - once celebrated chefs and restaurateurs - have been accused of sexual harassment of female staff.

But the Parabere Forum this year gives women a chance to speak out, with the focus on females with stories to tell rather than celebrity to flaunt.

Food urbanism will be explored by architect Carolyn Steel, while GrowUp founder Kate Hofman will tell the story of creating London's first commercial aquaponics farm.

A highlight of the event will be a conversation between writer Lisa Abend and Noma chef Rene Redzepi about the scandals in the restaurant industry.

Workshops will explore subjects such a female leadership, branding, media training and cookbook writing.A man named Alex Baldwin says he had to turn off his Twitter after President Donald Trump accidentally named him in a hostile tweet meant for his most famous impersonator, Alec Baldwin.

Trump lashed out at 'Alex' Baldwin on Friday, after Saturday Night Live contributor Alec Baldwin said portraying the president was 'agony' in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

His tweet read: 'Alex [sic] Baldwin whose dieing [sic] mediocre career was saved by his impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing DJT was agony. Alex [sic], it was agony for those who were forced to watch. You were terrible. Bring back Darrell Hammond, much funnier and a far greater talent!'

A man named Alex Baldwin says he was flooded with messages on Twitter after president Donald Trump accidentally named him in a tweet meant for actor Alec Baldwin

Alex said he woke up on Friday with several hundred Twitter notifications on his phone

Although the president corrected the spelling errors in a new tweet posted 25 minutes later, 28-year-old Alex says the damage had already been done.

'When you have to turn off Twitter because the president can't spell and Russian bots are spamming you 24/7. At least he fixed it,' the web designer tweeted on Friday.

The tweet has gathered more than 1,000 likes and 300 retweets.

Alex, from Los Angeles, told PEOPLE he woke up on Friday to several hundred notifications on his phone. While he's used to this happening whenever Baldwin is in the news, this time many of the messages seemed to be coming from bots.

'They don't make any sense and you can tell they've just been stuffed with keywords and are programmed to generate from whatever tweet is trending at the moment,' he told PEOPLE.

Trump lashed out at 'Alex' Baldwin on Friday, after Alec Baldwin Saturday Night Live contributor said portraying the president was 'agony'

Alec has asked Twitter to help verify his account after the 'hell of a day'

Alex replied to a tweet in which Alec said he would like to 'hang in there for the impeachments hearings, the resignation speech and the farewell helicopter ride to Mar-A-Lago'.

'Lets get a drink when this is all over,' Alex said.

He seems to have even changed his Twitter bio after the incident, which makes a reference to Trump's misspelling of the word 'dying' as he attacked the actor's career.

It reads: 'Dieing mediocre career. No relation to @ABFalecbaldwin'.

He has also asked Twitter to 'please help' him by verifying his account, tweeting: '@TwitterSupport it's been a hell of a day, can you verify me now that I'm trending?'Emma Hannigan, best-selling author of Letters To My Daughters has died aged 45 following a 11-year battle with cancer

Emma Hannigan, best-selling author of Letters To My Daughters and 12 other books has died aged 45 following a 11-year battle with cancer.

The mother-of-two recently revealed she had fought cancer 10 times.

The Irish author began raising money for Breast Cancer Ireland after sharing her terminal diagnosis with the world on her blog in January.

In just two weeks she raised 100,000 for Breast Cancer Ireland.

'It's never too late to dream big, keep dreaming,' she tweeted 'Thank you so much, please keep those donations coming in and don't stop until we reach the top.'

Dubray Books, her publisher, are donating all profits from her number one book 'Letters to My Daughter' to the Irish Cancer Society.

The writer, from Bray near Dublin, had a double mastectomy and both ovaries removed in 2006, in a move to reduce the risk from cancer.

Breast Cancer Ireland posted on Twitter: 'BCI wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of our dear friend Emma Hannigan who lost her battle with cancer earlier today. RIP'.

Mrs Hannigan was told in 2005 that she carried the faulty BRCA1 gene, which increases a woman's chance of getting breast cancer by 85 per cent, and ovarian cancer by 50 per cent.

She opted to have a double mastectomy and oophorectomy the following year, to reduce her risk.

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Emma with her family in 2014. From left-right, daughter Kim, husband Cian, Emma and son Sacha

Shortly before her death, Mrs Hannigan revealed she had raised 100,000 for Breast Cancer Ireland

It was the cancer diagnosis 13 years ago that also spurned a career in writing.

But despite the drastic surgery, she was diagnosed with breast cancer ten times.

The Breast Cancer Campaign estimates preventative mastectomy is thought to reduce breast cancer risk in carriers of the BRCA gene, by 90 per cent.

The odds reduce a woman's risk to lower than that of the average for women who do not carry the mutated gene.

Mrs Hannigan wrote 13 books, including those about her cancer. Her latest book, Letters to my Daughters, was number one at the time of her death

In 2007, the mother-of-two, from Bray near Dublin, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent treatment, including radiation, pictured, and within a few months doctors told her she was in remission

Since 2007, Mrs Hannigan, an author, has battled the disease nine times, including facing four bouts in one year

'I didn't look at it like I was losing my ovaries or breasts,' Mrs Hannigan said in a 2015 interview. 'I looked at it like I was gaining my life.

'It wasn't a difficult decision. It was a no-brainer - I wanted to live.'

In a blog post last month, the author discussed her terminal cancer.

She said: 'Faced with very little time can I tell you what screams out at me? Love.

'Nothing else has much meaning anymore. Just the love I feel for the people I hold dear. My two babies (ok they both tower over me, but I'm still allowed call them my babies) my husband, my parents, my family, my friends and readers.'

Mrs Hannigan was told in 2005 that she carried the faulty BRCA1 gene, which increases a woman's chance of getting breast cancer by 85 per cent, and ovarian cancer by 50 per cent

Emma Hannigan at a signing of her book, the Wedding Planner, she has written 13 novels in total

Mrs Hannigan poses with 'the Perfect Gift', one of the 13 novels she penned

In a 2015 interview, the writer revealed how she had a family history of breast cancer.

'My aunt Helen died of breast cancer when she was 42. My other aunts, Ruth and Cathy, survived breast cancer in their 30s and 40s. My great aunt, Anneliese, died from ovarian cancer' she told the MailOnline.

'When gene testing came in my family were invited to have tests. My mother, Cathy and Ruth were all diagnosed with the faulty gene.

'So I was tested and I was diagnosed too. Then I made the decision to reduce my risk of cancer and have surgery.

'It was not difficult. I had seen Helen die.

'I had two young children. I only had to look at them and know that I had made the right choice.'

She became known for her positive attitude despite fighting cancer several times. Writing for the Mail in 2014 she said: ' The question Im asked time and again is how Ive managed to remain the glass-half-full gal Ive always been. First, I had amazing support.

'My family and friends are always there in practical ways, such as helping with the children, and Ive never once felt I had nobody to turn to.

'Its crazy to say that we are all accustomed to my cancer by now, but thats the truth. Together weve learnt to put our trust in the wonderful medical people who look after me. I ask a lot of questions of my doctors and they are always incredibly frank and helpful with their answers.

In a 2015 interview, the writer revealed how she had a family history of breast cancer

What is the BRCA gene and how does it affect people's risk of cancer? Having a mutated BRCA gene - as famously carried by Angelina Jolie - dramatically increases the chance a woman will develop breast cancer in her lifetime, from 12 per cent to 90 per cent. Between one in 800 and one in 1,000 women carry a BRCA gene mutation, which increases the chances of breast and ovarian cancer. Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that produce proteins to suppress tumours. When these are mutated, DNA damage can be caused and cells are more likely to become cancerous. The mutations are usually inherited and increase the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer significantly. When a child has a parent who carries a mutation in one of these genes they have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the mutations. About 1.3 per cent of women in the general population will develop ovarian cancer, this increase to 44 percent of women who inherit a harmful BRCA1 mutation. Advertisement

'Knowledge is power and power helps disperse much of the fear. I compare it to someone having diabetes or epilepsy: you just learn to live with it.

'Secondly, while I was confined for days on end to either a hospital bed or the oncology unit, instead of going insane, I began writing  and discovered that this is what I was born to do. Its the missing link I was searching for when I trained as a chef, then studied to be a beauty therapist and finally ended up working in the family engineering firm. Now I can get lost in the world and the characters Im creating.'

She added: 'I am living proof that cancer doesnt always win. It has invaded my body but I will never allow it to invade my mind. I dont lie awake at night contemplating my death. Cancer doesnt define me.'

Tributes to the writer have poured in since her death was announced.

Fellow author Claudia Caroll wrote: 'Heartbroken to hear the sad news about our beautiful, brave Emma Hannigan. Tonight, there really is one more angel in Heaven.'

Breast Cancer Ireland also paid tribute to their ambassador saying: 'BCI wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of our dear friend Emma Hannigan who lost her battle with cancer earlier today. RIP'

Maia Dunphy, a broadcaster and her friend, tweeted: 'The news we never wanted to hear. Even in her last days, @MsEmmaHannigan was still blazing a trail. Her book reached number one and she raised over 100k for @BreastCancerIre. Just extraordinary. Love and thoughts with Cian, Sacha and Kim. We miss her light already.'

Star of Irish TV, Elaine Cowley wrote: 'Our lovely and beautiful friend Emma Hannigan has lost her battle to Cancer. She was such an inspiration to all of us and will be sadly missed. Our thoughts are with her family. She will always be in our hearts.'

Her latest novel Letters to my Daughters is currently at the top of the bookshops in Ireland

Since the news broke of Mrs Hannigan's death, tributes have poured in online for the Irish author

The author shared her fundraising efforts on Twitter, managing to raise 100,000 for Breast Cancer Ireland

Hachette Ireland, her publisher, said: 'So sad that our beloved author & friend Emma Hannigan passed away earlier today. She inspired us all with her immeasurable strength, her generosity & her love. She was a storyteller to her core & will be missed so much. Our thoughts are with her family now.'

Businesswoman Norah Casey wrote: 'Such sad news  a wonderful courageous woman just left our world  my heartfelt condolences to her wonderful family.'

Her novels include; the Pink Ladies Club, Keeping Mum, Perfect Wives Driving Home for Christmas, The Summer Guest, The Heart of Winter,Designer Genes, Miss Conceived, The Secrets We Share and Talk to the Headscarf.

Mrs Hannigan is survived by her husband Cian and two teenager children Sacha and Kim.Three men have been charged with manslaughter and arson over a supermarket explosion in Leicester, which left five people dead and a number of people injured, Leicestershire Police have said.

Aram Kurd, 33, of Leicester, Hawkar Hassan, 32, of Coventry and Arkan Ali, 37, of Oldham, have all been charged with five counts of manslaughter and with arson with intent to endanger life.

They will be held in custody during the weekend and will appear before Leicester Magistrates on Monday.

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Three men have been charged with manslaughter and arson over a supermarket explosion in Leicester. Five people were killed in the incident

The home of Aram Kurd (pictured left), the owner of the shop destroyed in a blast, was searched by police (pictured right). Kurd has now been charged

This is the devastating aftermath of the explosion. Aram Kurd, 33, of Leicester, Hawkar Hassan, 32, of Coventry and Arkan Ali, 37, of Oldham, have all been charged with five counts of manslaughter

Shop owner Mr Kurd, who describes himself on social media as a security worker and translator, was working in the shop at the time of the explosion, and later told how he was trapped in the rubble narrowly avoiding serious injury

Two other men, both from East Anglia and who were arrested yesterday, remain in police custody and continue to be questioned by detectives.

The Polish Zabka supermarket on Hinckley Road in Leicester exploded on Sunday February 25.

Five people died after a huge fireball tore through the supermarket and flats above, causing the entire building to collapse like a 'pancake'.

Care worker Mary Ragoobeer, 46, and her two sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17, who lived in the flat, are all feared dead.

Leah Beth Reek, 18, who is Shane's girlfriend and 22-year-old shop worker Viktorija Ljevleva are believed to have died.

Shop owner Mr Kurd, who describes himself on social media as a security worker and translator, was working in the shop at the time of the explosion, and later told how he was trapped in the rubble narrowly avoiding serious injury.

Mary Ragoobar (pictured), 46, and sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17, have not been seen since the devastating explosion and are feared dead

Missing feared dead: Mary Ragoobar and her sons Shane and Sean (pictured) are among the suspected victims of the Leicester explosion

Suspected victims: Leah Reek, 18, pictured left with boyfriend Shane and shop worker Viktorija Ljevleva right have not been found

Mrs Ragoobar moved into the two-bedroom property in Leicester four years ago along with her husband, Jose Ragoobar, 58, and the couple's youngest son, Scotty, 15.

Mr Ragoobar was at work at the time of the incident on Sunday night, while Scotty was pulled from the rubble by a passer-by and is being treated in hospital.

All five victims will officially remain 'missing' until formal identifications take place. But police say this process could take some time.



Scientists believe the root of a 'sonic attack' that led to the US State Department recalling 21 employees and reducing staff from its embassy in Cuba could've just been 'bad engineering.'

In September 2017, the State Department pulled 21 diplomats and their families out of Cuba and stopped issuing travel visas to the country after embassy workers reported hearing loss, dizziness, speech issues, cognitive problems and other medical symptoms that appeared to stem from a 'sonic attack' in their homes or hotel rooms.

Some Canadian embassy workers also reported feeling ill from a high-pitched noise.

Doctors, FBI investigators and US intelligence agencies all tried to identify the source of the 'sonic attack,' with some people postulating that a sonic weapon or even a poisoning was being deployed against the embassy workers.

Scientists believe that badly engineered eavesdropping devices might've been the root of the ultrasonic noise that sickened several diplomats attached to the US embassy in Cuba (pictured)

The effected workers  who had reported hearing agonizing, high-pitched noises in very specific areas of their rooms  were found to have had suffered mild traumatic brain injury, but doctors at the time were not able to determine what exactly had happened to the workers' brains.

By December, officials had stopped using the term 'sonic attack,' with sources implying to the AP that the noise that caused the workers to fall ill might actually have been a byproduct of something else, rather than what had been deemed a 'targeted attack.'

A new report from the University of Michigan now suggests the 'sonic attack' was actually the result of eavesdropping devices that were in too close proximity, which then accidentally set off an ultrasonic noise, the Daily Beast reports.

The new report was issued by Kevin Fu, a University of Michigan associate professor of computer science and engineering. He and his team were able to replicate the high-pitched sound an embassy worker recorded

If true, that would imply that the 'sonic attack' was actually an accident, not something aimed at deliberately harming American or Canadian embassy workers.

'Weve demonstrated a scenario in which the harm might have been unintentional, a byproduct of a poorly engineered ultrasonic transmitter that was meant to be covert,' Kevin Fu, a University of Michigan associate professor of computer science and engineering, told the Michigan Engineer News Center.

'A malfunctioning device that was supposed to inaudibly steal information or eavesdrop on conversation with ultrasonic transmission seems more plausible than a sonic weapon.'

Fu did note, however, that despite his team's findings, 'our results do not rule out other potential causes.'

Fu, who researches computer security and privacy, and the co-authors of the study were inspired to look into what might have caused the 'sonic attack' after the AP released an audio sample that an embassy worker had recorded of the painfully high-pitched noise in question.

When the embassy sound clip was released, Fu and his team were working on a project that involved testing the audibility of ultrasound.

'At the time, people were talking about ultrasound [being a theory as to what the sound was],' Fu told the Daily Beast. 'But it didnt make sense. Ultrasound is inaudible [to humans], and you wouldnt hear it.'

Most humans are said to be able to hear frequencies up to only 20kHz.

The incongruity led Fu and the paper's co-authors to analyze and 'reverse-engineer' the sound, eventually devising a way to replicate the noise by combining multiple tones.

They then measured the noise and found it to be a 7kHz sound  that is both ultrasonic but still audible to the human ear  that is equally as head-splitting as the one captured by the embassy working.

Fu and his team used this benchtop equipment in their lab while trying to replicate the head-splitting, 7kHz noise that an embassy worker in Cuba recorded

Next, Fu and the team tried to determine what device might've created the sound, eventually coming up with the theory that it might've been caused by competing eavesdropping devices whose ultrasonic transmission links got scrambled.

They then tested their idea by recording a conversation with an eavesdropping device and then sending it to a surveillance team through what is meant to be an ultrasonic link that is inaudible to human ears.

To create possible interference, they placed another supposedly ultrasonic device near the eavesdropping device, and managed to reproduce the 7kHz sound that they had reproduced in their lab and matched to the sound heard in the embassy worker's recording.

As a result, Fu said, it's possible that 'bad engineering,' rather than a sonic weapon, could have been the root of the illness experienced by the embassy workers and their families in Cuba.

Fu stressed, however, that his team's experiment 'doesnt prove that this is what happened in Cuba,' but did represent 'a reasonable probability that its an accident rather than someone causing harm [intentionally].'

When asked about why only some of the embassy workers were impacted by the ultrasonic noise, Fu said that it was likely the result of their ages and levels of hearing loss.

In 2005, a man in South Wales developed, and later brought to market, a machine dubbed 'The Mosquito,' which emitted a high-frequency noise that successfully deterred teens from hanging around outside a shop. A year later, 'The Mosquito' made headlines when it was discovered that teens had turned the noise it made into a ringtone which teachers could not hear.

Fu and his colleagues submitted the technical report to the Department of State, but said they have not yet had a response from the government.

While examining the embassy workers and their families who'd fallen ill, doctors discovered that the supposed 'sonic attacks' had actually resulted in perceptible changes to the workers' brains, according to the AP.

Testing revealed that changes had developed in the white matter tracts in the workers brains after their exposure. These tracts allow different parts of their brains to communicate, acting as an information highway between brain cells.

In addition to the mild traumatic brain injury, or concussions, symptoms experienced by the US workers who were exposed to the 'sonic attack' included permanent hearing loss, brain swelling, dizziness, nausea, severe headaches, balance problems, difficulty concentrating or remembering certain words and tinnitus.

Some Canadian embassy workers said that they experienced nosebleeds.

It was said that many of the workers who showed symptoms improved after they left Cuba. Others had only experienced minor or temporary symptoms.President Donald Trump took to Twitter to slam the press as 'crazy' as he shared a link to a sympathetic radio host's claims that his family has been scrutinized more than any other First Family in the country's history.

'Mainstream Media in U.S. is being mocked all over the world. They've gone CRAZY!' Trump said as he retweeted a link first shared by his son Donald Trump Jr.

During his Friday night radio show, conservative host Mark Levin gave an impassioned statement where he broke down what he says is the media's unfair treatment of the Trumps, who he says have faced 'far more personal attacks than the Obamas or Clintons'.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter to slam the press as 'crazy' as he shared a link to statements by radio host Mark Levin

'I have never seen anything like this in my entire life  these people have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment,' said Levin

'One article after another, from one news outlet after another, trashing one or another of Donald Trump's family members,' Levin said.

'I have never seen anything like this in my entire life these people have done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment.'

Levin gave examples of how the press allegedly goes after the Trumps, including the media's questions about First Lady Melania's immigration status and Ivanka and Jared's business deals.

'It's not a crime for Donald Trump to be president, it's not a crime for his daughter who he relies on, and his son-in-law who he relies on, to be in the White House,' Levin said.

'It's not a crime that he married an immigrant who's now a U.S. citizen, it's not a crime that they've done business in Russia - it's not like they got a huge pay-offs like the Clintons, after all.'

Levin said questions about Melania's immigration status and Jared and Ivanka's business deals are examples of the media's unfair treatment of the Trumps

Levin's March 2017 unfounded claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower served as the basis for Trump's claim of the same nature

The radio host also went after Robert Muller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections, calling the special council 'completely out of control, rogue and not-so-special'.

He accused Muller of only hiring Democrats and being 'clearly out to destroy the president.'

Levin is known for controversial statements and repeating false information that Trump himself has come come to spread.

His March 2017 unfounded claim that former president Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower served as the basis for Trump's claim, which he stands by, that the Obama administration ordered surveillance on him for political reasons.

In 2013, he said the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the U.S. government through Obama, who he called a sympathizer. He also said in 2015 that Obama was 'seeking to destroy Israel' and had an affinity for Islam far more than Christianity or Judaism.

Levin is also vocal denier of climate change, and has slammed the media as 'dishonest' for spreading the concept that humans have affected the climate.Terrifying video footage shows the moment strong winds and ice caused a semi-truck to slide across lanes during a winter storm in Canada.

The scary footage was shot by a couple headed to Lethbridge from Calgary on February 13.

'This is what we ran into on the way home from Calgary and a lot of vehicles in the ditch!' the caption read.

In the video, a man films as he drives slowly behind a semi-truck. The truck has its hazard lights on and is creeping down the icy highway.

A semi-truck was filmed sliding back and forth across an icy highway in Canada

The icy roadway and strong winds made it hard for the truck to stay in its one lane without swerving

One vehicle cautiously went around the semi-truck as another driver filmed the scary incident

'That's so scary,' the female passenger in the car says.

It's not clear if the truck driver ever pulled over or stopped. The video also shows a couple of cars trapped in ditches along the highway.

Last month, southern Alberta was hit with a major snow storm that left much of the area under a wind and blowing snow warning. Conditions were so bad that parts of Highway 3 and Highway 1 were shut down.

Police said in a news release that it closed Highway 3 between Fort Macleod and the British Columbia border because of 'extremely poor winter driving conditions', adding that they responded to multiple crashes.

The nasty winter weather has yet to release its grip on Calgary and the surrounding areas. According to the Calgary Herald, a snowfall warning was lifted Friday but weather experts are still cautioning drivers to be safe.

Last month, around the time the video was filmed, Calgary and surrounded areas were hit with a winter snow storm

Drivers are still being told to be cautions even though a snowfall advisory has been lifted. Above is the view of a snow-covered highway in Calgary last month

Eight vehicle collisions were reported Friday night as the city was hit with three to nine inches of snow.

Three of the crashes resulted in non-serious injuries, the outlet reported.

A Saturday morning crash left two people injured when three vehicles collided on the Calf Robe Bridge.

A car also rolled over on the QEII Highway near Blackfalds and Highway 597, just north Calgary. Its unclear what type of injuries the driver in that crash sustained.Prince Philip is famous  some would say infamous  for being the most gaffe-prone member of the Royal Family.

However one Australian man has reached out to the outspoken Duke of Edinburgh to reassure him that he is not considered racist, 16 years after he and other Indigenous performers were asked whether they threw spears at each other.

It was during a royal visit to Cairns, Queensland, with the Queen in 2002 that Prince Philip stunned those at a performance with his insensitive question: Do you still throw spears at each other?

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh watching a culture show at Tjapukai Culture Park, Cairns, in Queensland, Australia, back in 2002

The Duke of Edinburgh surprised the performers when he asked them 'Do you still throw spears at each other?'

The event was recalled as a 'special performance' and that those there had 'royal fever'

His clanger prompted many headlines, and joined his repertoire of equally insensitive gaffes that have endeared the royal to his fans, but have also won him much criticism over the years.

Warren Clements, one of those performing a show at Tjapukai Culture Park, a tourist attraction in the Far North, has defended Philip as being taken out of context, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) .

Reflecting upon the incident, he told the countrys national broadcaster that the royal couple had arrived by cable car, and we were putting on a special performance.

He recalled: We had royal fever so we said Let's go out the back and throw some boomerangs and spears and hopefully we'll get a glimpse of them as they come down." They waved and we were showing off. I think Prince Philip took that in, and thats why he said it. Hes been taken out of context.'

Mr Clement recalled feeling deep respect for the Duke of Edinburgh upon meeting him, and added that people should not judge someone unless they have met them and, most importantly, do research before they start creating media sensationalism.

Though known for often off-colour comments Philip has been by the queen's side throughout her 65 years on the throne and she has described him as 'my strength and stay'.

He announced his retirement in May last year, after completing more than 22,000 solo appearances, spanning seven decades, including in Australia. At an engagement on the day of the announcement, a guest told Philip he was sorry to hear he was standing down.

Not shy of expressing his uncensored and often politically incorrect opinions on a variety of subjects, few have been spared from his comments, including the Queen herself. In 1994 he shouted from the deck of Britannia in Belize 'Yak, yak, yak; come on get a move on' as she chatted to her hosts on the quayside.It started as a well-meaning and star-studded competition to crown Britains best mum ahead of Mothering Sunday next weekend.

But, inevitably perhaps in these politically-correct times, this apparently innocent picture of a host of celebrities, including former pop star Kimberley Walsh and BBC newsreader Kate Silverton, quickly created a furious row about  you guessed it  diversity.

High street chain Next and celebrity magazine Hello! were last night reeling under a furious social media backlash for only choosing slim, white and middle-class celebrities to judge their Star Mum contest.

High street chain Next last night were reeling under a furious social media backlash for only choosing slim, white and middle-class celebrities to judge their Star Mum contest

And the fashion and furniture giant  whose boss is Tory peer and leading Brexiteer Lord Wolfson  issued a grovelling apology after a storm of protest from hundreds of women, some of whom threatened to boycott the store.

The backlash over Britain's best mum that prompted this 'cringing' apology from sponsor Next We hold our hands up and admit we made a HUGE mistake when reviewing the suggested Star Mums judging panel from HELLO! They assure us that many ethnicities will be represented at the awards itself. We would hate for this misunderstanding to overshadow what is an extremely empowering means to celebrate all mums, from all races and backgrounds. We sincerely hope you can accept our apologies for failing here. Advertisement

Next, which sponsors the Hello! search, uploaded a picture of the five judges  who also include violinist Izzy Judd, reality TV star Binky Felstead and mummy blogger Anna Whitehouse  to its Instagram feed on Friday afternoon.

But the post attracted hundreds of posts from furious keyboard warriors who branded the competition as racist and ableist for not including ethnic minorities or disabled people on the judging panel.

One post said: Qualities of a star mum: white, able-bodied, middle-class. No one else need apply... whoever signed off on this needs a diversity refresher course. One angry mother asked: How exactly are you judging a star mum? We are all doing our best! I guess we have to fit into the white, middle-class, slim, able-bodied norm you have set by your panel?

But other Instagram users called the outrage equality gone crazy. One said: Get over it guys if they were all black or all Asian or all disabled no one would be moaning.

As the row reached fever pitch late on Friday, Next issued a grovelling apology on its Instagram page. It said: We hold our hands up and admit we made a huge mistake when reviewing the suggested Star Mums judging panel from Hello!

They assure us that many ethnicities will be represented at the awards itself. We would hate for this misunderstanding to overshadow what is an extremely empowering means to celebrate all mums, from all races and backgrounds. We sincerely hope you can accept our apologies for failing here.

And blogger Ms Whitehouse, who posts under the name Mother Pukka, has apologised for even being on the panel.

Hello! editor Rosie Nixon, pictured, said the award recognised women 'from all walks of life and backgrounds'

I am sorry to have not challenged the recent Next and Hello Mag panel shoot, instead just quashing gut feelings about a lack of diversity and smiling, dolled up, into the lens, she wrote on Instagram.

The competition, in its second year, requires Hello! magazine readers to nominate inspirational UK mothers to celebrate the unsung heroes of family life.

The nominations have been whittled down to a shortlist of five and the winner is due to be announced at a prize-giving lunch at Londons prestigious The Dorchester hotel on Thursday.

Last night, Rosie Nixon, editor-in-chief of Hello! magazine, said: The Hello! Star Mum Awards were created to celebrate diversity in motherhood. The awards will recognise women from all walks of life and backgrounds who have given so selflessly to their families.

Last night, a Next spokesman added: The key thing to remember here is this is about super mums telling their stories in the lead up to Mothering Sunday. These are amazing people and Next is giving a voice to these mums. That is why we got involved.

It is a regrettable oversight that Next did not raise with Hello! magazine earlier its concerns over the diversity of its choice of judging panel.

None of the celebrity judges responded to Mail on Sunday requests for comment last night.Ashlee and Doug Naffziger struggled to get pregnant, then Ashlee had a miscarriage.

When she got pregnant again, she suffered from preeclampsia which causes blood pressure to soar.

She finally gave birth to Hunter at 36 weeks, but she wasn't allowed to hold him right away. He had to have open heart surgery first.

In all, Hunter had 41 procedures before he died. He was just over six weeks old.

Now Ashlee and Doug have filed suit against Wolverine Worldwide and 3M alleging that waste from the Wolverine plant in Rockford, Michigan contaminated the drinking water in Ashlee's neighborhood which led to her problems conceiving and carrying a child, and ultimately to Hunter's death.

Little Hunter Naffziger was born premature with a heart defect. His parents believe that it was due to his mother's exposure to contaminated water

Doug (left) and Ashlee Naffziger spent all the time they could with Hunter in the hospital

Little Hunter, seen here, lived for six weeks and had 41 operations during his short life.

The Naffzigers are among 90 families suing the manufacturer - who's brands include Keds and Saucony - and 3M which makes Scotchgard.

The cases revolve around chemicals known as per-and polyflouralkyl substances  or PFAS  which Wolverine allegedly dumped in Kent County Michigan. The chemicals then seeped into wells and contaminated the drinking water, according to the lawsuits.

One, a class action suit filed in December, 'alleges that PFAS exposure has been associated with serious health problems, such as increased risk of cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, immunological abnormalities, and developmental and reproductive effects.'

The class action suit drew the attention of renowned environmental activist Erin Brokovich, who visited the area in December and urged families to get involved because there is 'strength in numbers'.

For their part, Wolverine posted An Open Letter to Erin Brokovich on their website, detailing the work the company has done since PFAs were first reported in 2016, including supplying bottled water to families and paying 'for the installation of more than 300 custom, whole house filters for individual residents.'

The company also offered to pay for anyone else who wanted whole house filters installed.

Ashlee Naffziger breaks down as she talks about Hunter's death. She wants to keep his memory alive

Ashlee and Doug Naffziger talk about the lawsuit they filed against Wolverine Worldwide

Erin Brockovich posted this picture on Facebook from her visit to rally people to 'speak up' about PFOs in their water

3M denies any responsibility, saying in a statement that '3M never manufactured or disposed of PFC-containing materials in Michigan. Under Michigan law, we believe 3M has no liability for any damages allegedly caused by Wolverine's manufacturing and waste disposal practices.'

Wolverine says that it is working with authorities and 'our goal continues to be providing the residents of our hometown the confidence they deserve in their water.'

The statement continues: '[Our] actions include providing water to residents as they wait for test results, paying for more than 1,500 groundwater tests, installing over 70 monitoring wells, and installing more than 500 whole-home filters  the vast majority of which are in homes with non-detects for PFOA/PFAS or with levels well below the Michigan criteria and federal advisories of 70 ppt for PFOA/PFOS.'

The Naffziger's home is full of pictures of Hunter, they keep mementos of his short life including hats and visitor passes

Ashlee and Doug Naffziger filed suit as they continue to fight for Hunter who died in 2015

Wolverine Worldwide says they are doing everything to help the people in their Michigan hometown

Meanwhile, the Naffzigers just want to make sure that their son Hunter isn't forgotten.

In a long interview with M Live about their decision to file the suit, Ashlee said: 'I want it known that we're not doing this for a settlement.

'It's about bringing awareness to what's going on. At the end of the day even if we don't win our case, we're still going to honor our son in any way possible.'

Hunter would be three years old next month. The Naffzigers have another son Grayson, who is 9 months old and healthy.Whisper it quietly, but a shocking new study has revealed that men gossip as much as women.

And far from behaving like gentlemen, they are more likely than their female counterparts to bitch about workmates.

Researchers quizzed more than 2,200 people about their gossiping habits and found that males and females are equally likely to share tittle-tattle in the office.

Researchers quizzed more than 2,200 people about their gossiping habits and found that males and females are equally likely to share tittle-tattle in the office

But while women tend to talk supportively about colleagues, men try to run rivals down. The researchers suggested that gossip gave women a way to compete in a non-physically threatening manner, while for men it helped build their self-confidence.

The study, carried out by Ariel University in Israel, asked participants to imagine describing a person they had just met to a friend and analysed the responses.

The results, said the reports joint author Batia Ben-Hador, not only undermined the common view that women were far bigger gossips than men, but also showed that they were nicer too.

The study, published in the Journal of Gender Studies, concluded: Our findings suggest women and men engage in the same amount of gossiping activity, undermining invidious common stereotypes.

The results indicated a statistically significant difference between genders, confirming that womens gossip is encoded with more positivity than that of men.Dayanna Volitich, 25, has a podcast called Unapologetic where she promotes her alt-right views and discusses how she treats them in the classroom

A Florida public school teacher has been unmasked as the voice of a white nationalist blog called 'Unapologetic' where she boasts about spreading her right wing views in the classroom.

Dayanna Volitich, 25, is a teacher at Crystal River Middle School in Florida but she also goes by Tiana Dalichov. Under Tiana, she ran a Twitter account and hosted a podcast which is available on iTunes.

In her most recent episode, she discussed her white nationalist views and how she was careful about spreading them among the children she was teaching.

On social media, she tweeted that institutional racism and white privilege were 'bull****' concepts.

She has supported tweets about white supremacists including David Duke, the KKK figure, and is gushing in her praise of authors who others have deemed anti-Semitic.

She was linked to the podcast this week by The Huffington Post which published her tweets and social media photographs on Saturday before she deleted her Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Though Tiana deleted all of her social media accounts, her podcast is still live on iTunes

Pictures which came from those accounts match her profile on the Crystal River Middle School Website.

Her last podcast was with Lana Lokteff, the host of Red Ice TV, an alt-right internet YouTube channel based in Sweden.

'I told the kids guys when they're in here I'm going to be different than I usually am. I don't want you to be shocked I just want you to play along.

'The first time it happened they were like "what the hell is happening now". I put on my nice voice.

'I'm getting a bit more underhanded. If kids ask a question, I had kids asking about the government shutdown a couple of weeks ago. I have kids that ask about North Korea.

'I have kids asking about ISIS and Saudi Arabia and all types of things. I told them at the beginning of the year that if you have questions, I will answer you.

On Twitter, she tweets as 'Tiana Dalichov, to spread her views including her belief that institutional racism is 'not real'

She also makes reference to the 'JQ' - an abbreviation for the anti-Semitic term, the Jewish Question

She has also argued with others who tried to separate Islam from terror

Tiana has praised author Kevin McDonald who has been widely criticized as anti-semitic

The woman has also shared support for the KKK figure David Duke

'I'm not going to give you a biased view of anything. I'll give you the facts and you can make up your own mind.

'One thing that annoys me about is the books that we have too. Even though they're pretty decent books, when it comes to explaining our side of the story you never get the other side.

'That's just something as a history person, always bothered me. We only get one side of the narrative and we grow up being completely ignorant.'

Volitch is shown above in a photograph from one of the Tiana social media accounts. She has not spoken out

They did not mention any war or conflict in particular but Lokteff, who proudly describes herself as 'Russian' and 'the wife of a Swedish Viking' on Twitter, says: 'Sometimes the good guys don't win. Sometimes the bad guys win and they write the history books.

'How could America ever be the villain, right? You grow up thinking that and now America is the bad guy in certain situations,' she said.

On social media, Tiana had referred to the 'JQ', a casual abbreviation for 'the Jewish Question' which refers to treatment of Jews in the 19th and 20th Century.

Tiana admitted during the podcast that one parent emailed the principal to express concern about her political views.

'She emailed the principal over my head and basically told her: "I'm worried that your teacher is injecting her political bias into her teaching."'

'She came to me and said, "I'm not worried, should I be worried?". I was like "no" and she believed me and she backed off.

'I get it. If it were the other way around with leftists, I would be paranoid.'

Lokteff suggested they should start a private network of right-wing schools where they could teach children about Slavic traditions and Pagan and Christian beliefs.

'That's a good idea! Hit me up!' Tiana replied.

They then discussed whether two children from Sweden and Nigeria would achieve the same IQ or grades.

Lokteff led that strand of conversation, saying: 'Grades are also tanking with our super diverse all inclusive society where the kid from Nigeria and the kid who came from Sweden are supposed to learn exactly the same and have exactly the same IQ because equality!

Crystal River Middle School in Florida, where the woman teaches, said it was reviewing the material

'There's no differences at all between the ethnicity or the races, right? They're all expected to get the same grades and do the same but that's not the reality.' The teacher replied: 'Oh it's not!'

On Saturday, after she the woman's alias was unveiled and she deleted her accounts, Lokteff defended her online.

She said she had been 'slandered' and that she was targeted by a 'leftist rag' which was 'never wanted diversity of thought/opinion.'

Crystal River School said it was investigating the tweets and the podcast on Saturday. They said the opinions expressed on the podcast and social media were not theirs.

Dayanna did not reply to DailyMail.com's request on Saturday.A university has ditched a degree course on rural Britain because it says black and ethnic minority students are less likely to visit the English countryside.

Academics feared their teaching normalised white experiences, while disadvantaged undergraduates from other backgrounds struggled to grasp concepts such as the rural idyll  so scored lower grades.

Undergraduates now study rural areas around the world, with an emphasis on Africa and Asia, so teenagers from ethnic minorities can more readily see themselves and their backgrounds represented.

Kingston University is the latest institution to try to boost diversity while decolonising their degrees amid criticism they are too white and Western.

A university has ditched a degree course on rural Britain because it says black and ethnic minority students are less likely to visit the English countryside

The Mail on Sunday last year revealed that activists at the School of Oriental and African Studies were calling for more African and Asian philosophers to be taught at the expense of white, European thinkers.

But critics said universities were pandering to political correctness and were stupid if they let down students by dumbing down degrees.

Chris McGovern, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: If these students dont know about their own countryside, then the university should be giving this a higher priority not a lower one.

By moving away from rural England to a world perspective, they are actually letting down the ethnic minority students.

Last week, Universities Minister Sam Gyimah also warned against decolonising degrees. Kingston University said non-white students had performed less well than their white classmates because they seemed less familiar with the types of places being discussed in terms of their physical, economic and social landscapes.

In tests for the new global rural geographies course that replaced the British countryside exams, black and ethnic minority students got better scores than their white counterparts.

The academics said: Unwittingly, the module had normalised white experiences contributing to outcomes that disadvantaged black and ethnic minority students.

A spokesman said the university was committed to creating an environment in which all students, irrespective of their background, can thrive.A teenager has been charged with forcing a young woman at knife point back into his van after ramming another car.

The 19-year-old man is accused of chasing his partner, 20, when she jumped out of his Mazda E-series van on the Gold Coast on Saturday night.

Police allege the woman escaped from the passenger side of his white van as it headed down Pappas Way at Nerang, west of Surfers Paradise shortly before 6pm.

A teenager has been charged with forcing a young woman at knife point back into his Mazda E-series van (police image)

She then flagged down a black van and sat in the passenger seat of this vehicle.

The accused then allegedly rammed the black van from behind several times, forcing it into the gutter.

He then allegedly stepped out of his Mazda van and forced the woman at knife point to get out of the black van and back into his vehicle before fleeing down Lawrence Drive.

His white E-series van was found at nearby Paddington Drive in Carrara shortly before midnight.

The teenager allegedly stepped out of his Mazda van and forced the woman at knife point to get out of the black van and back into his vehicle at Pappas Way, at Nerang (pictured)

Police then attended a home and took the 19-year-old man into cusody.

He has been charged with deprivation of liberty, one count of threatening domestic violence offence, two counts of making threats and one count of dangerous driving.

He is due to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on Monday 5 March.

The woman was not injured.Gabe Parker, 15, is accused of killing two classmates when he opened fire at his Kentucky high school in January

The 15-year-old boy accused of killing two classmates when he opened fire at his Kentucky high school confessed and led police to the gun he used, newly released court documents show.

Gabe Parker also wounded 14 other students during the January 23 shooting at Marshall County High School in Benton.

He was arrested shortly after and has plead not guilty to two counts of murder and 14 counts of assault, per court records.

Parker was recorded on video as he unleashed the massacre, according to an affidavit requesting a search warrant from Kentucky State Police detective David Dick cited by the Courier Journal.

Although the affidavit said Parker admitted to being the gunman and gave up the gun's location to police, it doesn't reveal where the gun was found.

Prosecutors will be looking to try the sophomore as an adult for the murders of 15-year-old Bailey Holt, who died at the scene of the shooting, and 15-year-old Preston Ryan Cope, who was declared dead at a hospital in Nashville.

No motive for the shooting has been given by investigators.

Parker is the son of Mary Garrison Minyard, the editor of the Marshall County Online.

But friends and others who knew Parker, a sophomore at Marshall County High School, told the Courier Journal he was a 'grandma's boy.'

The sophomore admitted to being the gunman and led police to the gun, an affidavit says

Bailey Holt (left) died at the scene, while Preston Ryan Cope (right) was declared dead at a hospital in Nashville

They said the red-head went fishing with his grandparents and that 'anything grandma needed, he would get'.

'His grandma was his best friend,' his neighbor Allyn Hornick told the paper.

He also said he spoke to Parker a few weeks ago, and that the boy seemed anxious and down.

Ashley Collie told the paper with her parent's permission that she was baffled when she saw the photo of Parker being taken into custody on Tuesday.

The 15-year-old, said she was in Parker's math class and described him as 'a really good kid'.

She said he was quiet, and that he kept to himself, according to the Journal.

Collie also said that after the shooting, some of Parker's friends said he'd been 'snappy' since returning from Christmas break.

Friends also told her he talked about violence and said he was interested in joining the Mafia, according to the Journal.

Gage Smock, from Gilbertsville, Kentucky, is one of the 14 who were injured in the shooting

Parker's friends said he'd been 'snappy' since returning to Marshall County High School (pictured) in Benton from Christmas break.First came a birthday card, then love letters each more amorous than the last.

But it was only when the BBCs celebrated foreign correspondent John Simpson received suggestive photographs of their author that he began to wonder whether it was all too good to be true.

It was 1983, the height of the Cold War, and in one photo discovered in an archive by The Mail on Sunday the beautiful young woman from then-communist Czechoslovakia is draped provocatively across a sofa, a copy of Playboy magazine close by.

In another, as Simpson would recall years later, she leans forward bosom first conveying the definite promise of more to come.

Pictured: Anna, the hotel receptionist from Czechslovakia posing alongside a copy of Playboy magazine, in one of the photographs received by BBC reporter John Simpson

And in a third she sits by a phone, her hand poised over the receiver as if beseeching him to call.

Some weeks earlier, when he had first met Anna in Prague, Simpson experienced what he termed a coup de foudre  or thunderbolt  and when he returned to London he responded to her letters with warm missives of his own.

His marriage was crumbling and he was approaching 40, an age, he noted, when men are more given to self-flattery than most.

But surveying the photos now spread before him, he realised he was in too deep.

And he was right. For the woman he called a madonna from a Slavic icon turned out to be Agent Anna of the StB  the Czech intelligence service  and she was attempting to ensnare him in a honeytrap.

Simpson was reminded of the episode when Jeremy Corbyns dalliance with a StB spy made headlines last month. As The Mail on Sunday reported last week, the BBCs World Affairs Editor, 73, delivered an abridged account of his encounter with Anna to listeners of Radio Fours Today programme. Sounding amused, presenter Sarah Montague declared it fascinating stuff.

Yet the complete story is more intriguing still  and, had they known of it, might have served as a salutary warning to Corbyn and other politicians targeted by the StB.

Intelligence experts in the Czech Republic have told The Mail on Sunday the operation against Simpson was extremely carefully planned.

Karel Pacner, who has written extensively on the StB, said: The goal was to blackmail him and then quite possibly use him to identify Labour MPs for possible cultivation and recruitment. As it was, he added, Simpson escaped Annas clutches just in time.

In his account last week, Simpson claimed that in 1983, when he was already a seasoned globe-trotting correspondent, he had never heard the expression honeytrap before.

But this rather contradicts his own account of the episode, written 16 years after it happened in his book Strange Places, Questionable People.

Then he recalled that while flying to Prague  just hours before first meeting Anna  he warned his BBC colleagues that honeytraps were commonly used by the StB. Lecturing his team on the possible dangers awaiting them, he added that we should all be careful of the women we come across.

John Simpson, pictured with his wife Dee, said he was reminded of the episode when Jeremy Corbyns dalliance with a StB spy made headlines last month

He recalled warning colleagues that the StB was highly efficient and had been entrusted by the Russians with spying on Britain. There were all sorts of ways in which this could be done, but the most common was the good old-fashioned honeytrap, wrote Simpson in the book.

Arriving at their concrete-slab hotel near Pragues centre, he was greeted by Anna.

He wrote: As we checked in my eyes met the violet eyes of the receptionist: a madonna from a Slavic icon. There was more than a touch of animal magnetism.

Over the next ten days, they barely spoke more than a few sentences to each other. But she had registered the look, observed Simpson.

Unlike the Prague of today  a popular, vibrant tourist destination  the city he encountered was closed and foreboding, in the grip of a brutal totalitarian regime. It would be another six years before the collapse of communism brought freedom.

Because of its proximity to a building that housed companies permitted to trade with foreign firms, the BBCs hotel was frequently used by visiting businessmen. Staff traced by The Mail on Sunday who worked there at the same time as Anna in the 1980s recall it was well known that some receptionists were StB informants and possibly even agents working undercover.

One former kitchen worker said: They were chosen because they were front of house and had direct dealings with the foreigners. We avoided them because we didnt want to become involved with the secret police.

Some of the rooms were fitted with hidden microphones and monitored 24 hours a day.

Anyone considered of interest might be given one of these rooms, said Mr Pacner.

Whether Anna directed Simpson to one is not known. Certainly the StB kept a close watch on him during his stay.

Ostensibly he was covering a conference organised by the World Peace Council, at the time considered by the Americans to be a KGB front organisation.

But as Simpson suspected, the event was little more than a Nato bashing exercise, and instead he took the opportunity to report on human rights abuses, interviewing members of Charter 77, a leading dissident group, among them playwright Vaclav Havel, the future first president of the Czech Republic. Simpson recalled that each evening his team had to slip out of the heavily guarded hotel to get into our little hired car and lose the tail which the StB put on us; usually by overtaking a bus and then turning suddenly into a side street and switching our lights off.

The veteran broadcaster, 73, said he welcomed the amorous approach from a woman called Anna at a vulnerable time in his life. Pictured: Simpson with his current wife Dee

To the StBs chagrin, he reported on the first demonstration against communism since the period before the Soviet invasion of 1968, as well as a meeting between Charter 77 and CND delegates in a park on the outskirts of Prague.

Several secret policemen, he recalled, hid in trees and themselves filmed what unfolded.

Eventually the Czechs had enough and ordered him to leave the country. He said goodbye to Anna and headed home.

Some weeks later, going through his post at BBC TV Centre, he came across an envelope with a Prague postmark. It was a birthday card from Anna and carefully worded to mean everything or nothing. She must have known his birthday, he mused, because he handed her his passport when he checked in at her Prague hotel.

He responded in similar style and soon the reply came, a little warmer. I replied at a similar temperature and at some point Anna suggested meeting in Hungary.

Owing to his marriage breakdown, he was vulnerable and only too keen to persuade himself that Anna liked him for himself, rather than for some devious purpose of her own. Simpson said of one letter from Anna: I was, it seemed, the only man who could understand her private thoughts.

Simpson recalled that he then received a heavily accented phone call from a London-based man called Mr Blanco, later unmasked as a Czech agent.

There was a definite nudge in the voice, a sort of you-naughty-dog-you note, wrote Simpson.

The mysterious Mr Blanco said he had a special envelope for Simpson. He gave me his phone number and told me that he worked in import-export; and when I laughed he hung up, a touch offended, wrote Simpson.

But Simpson had given him his address, and later the pictures were delivered. They unnerved the BBC man  and examining one picture through a magnifier, a friend saw the reflection of someone else in a glass lampshade.

It disproved Annas claim that she had taken them herself, and Simpson knew what had to be done.

He alerted MI5 and was soon visited by a man in a shiny suit who claimed to be from the Ministry of Defence.

Simpson said that after looking at a picture of Anna the man said: I say, shes a bit of a stunner.

The suit, Simpson said, explained that he was being set up  and outlined a likely scenario. He revealed that someone from the BBCs language services had also been invited by a Czech girl to meet her in Hungary. The couple were in bed when her husband, or someone claiming to be her husband, burst in and then fell and hit his head.

John Simpson, the BBCs World Affairs Editor, has revealed how he almost fell for a honeytrap set by a glamorous Czech spy at a time when his marriage was in trouble. Pictured: Simpson with his then-wife Diane and their two children in 1973

Simpson said he was told that a security officer then arrived saying they would have to charge the BBC man with attempted murder unless he obtained the addresses of families of people who had escaped from countries behind the Iron Curtain to work for the BBC in London. He agreed.

It was more than a year before he broke down and admitted all this to one of his colleagues.

A few weeks later, with the love letters having dried up, Simpson received an update from MI5. He recalled they sent a rather attractive young woman to see him and over a BBC lunch she explained that they hadnt previously known about Mr Blanco. She said he had now been expelled from the UK.

To his credit, Simpson  who married his second wife Dee in 1996  has always been open about his brush with both the StB and MI5, and many years ago recounted the story in a literary magazine before repeating it in his book. Neither the StB nor MI5 ever got in contact with me again, he said. But it did occur to me to wonder why, exactly, MI5 had chosen to send an attractive young woman round to see me.

When he returned to Prague in 1989 to cover the fall of communism he found Anna still working at the same hotel.

At first she didnt recognise him, then she coloured pink and turned and headed away from the desk fast. He waited a while but she didnt reappear.

Today the hotel is in many ways little changed from the 1980s, save the absence of StB agents.

Anna, of course, has long gone and Simpson said last week that he never knew her full name.

But a former restaurant manager, who worked there for 42 years, said that he recognised her. Sometime after the 1989 revolution, though, she disappeared  just like the secret police.

Are you Anna, or do you know of her and her whereabouts? Contact our reporter at ian.gallagher@mailonsunday.co.uk.For dog lovers, it is the undoubted highlight of the year. Owners from across the land preen their pets in the hope of winning the coveted best in show prize at Crufts.

But now for the first time, the competition is being opened to foreign breeds that have not yet been established in the UK.

And the relaxation of Kennel Club rules could be enough to drive leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg and his cohorts barking mad.

Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko said: It does give these dogs the right to show off in the ring.

Here are ten of the foreign breeds appearing at Crufts this year...

For the first time, Crufts is being opened to foreign breeds that have not yet been established in the UK. Above, a Bergamasco Shepherd (from Italy)

The event opens at the NEC Birmingham on Wednesday, and this year 98 migrant dogs from 15 foreign breeds will be paraded around the ring in the hope of catching the judges eye. Pictured, a Korthals Griffon (Holland)

Left, a Bavarian Mountain Dog (Germany), and a Hungarian Kuvasz

Left, a Hungarian Pumi, and a Basset Bleu de Gascogne (France)

Previously, British owners of new foreign dogs were only allowed to show off their pets in the imported breed classes at the show. Above, a Griffon Fauve de Bretagne (France)

Left, a Berger Picard (France), and a Blue Auvergne Hunting Dog (France)

An Entlebucher Mountain Dog (Switzerland). Until now, only foreign dog breeds that have become established pedigrees in Britain were allowed to join the elite parade

We felt that if someone has gone to the expense and trouble of bringing a breed into the country, it seemed unfair to slam the door on them for the Crufts top prize.

The event opens at the NEC Birmingham on Wednesday, and this year 98 migrant dogs from 15 foreign breeds will be paraded around the ring in the hope of catching the judges eye.

Previously, British owners of new foreign dogs were only allowed to show off their pets in the imported breed classes at the show. But this week, winners of these classes can go on to compete in group rounds where champions are eligible to be selected for the canine crown.

Until now, only foreign dog breeds that have become established pedigrees in Britain were allowed to join the elite parade.

Among the newcomers on show will be the Hungarian Pumi, an adorable breed with a slightly comical look. It is nicknamed the Clown in its native country.

Bergamasco Shepherd dogs, from the Italian Alps, have distinctive dreadlock-like matted hair, while the Mexican Xoloitzcuintle  or Xolos for short  is hairless, considered sacred by the Aztecs and Mayans, and is now Mexicos national dog.

Meanwhile, the Griffon Fauve De Bretagne was originally used for boar-hunting in France and needs lots of exercise.

Almost 21,000 dogs will compete at Crufts this year. The competition runs until next Sunday.High streets across Britain are becoming ghost towns as shops shut down for good amid competition from online retailers.

Retailers are warning the rapid rise of online shopping - along with soaring business rates and rent hikes - is wiping out hundreds of town centres.

Pubs, police stations and bank branches have also fallen victim to the changing times.

Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent, has the worst-hit high street in the country with nearly a third of all shops empty.

Retailers are warning the rapid rise of online shopping - along with soaring business rates and hikes in rent - is wiping out hundreds of town centres. Pictured: Burslem, in Stoke on Trent

Pubs, police stations, bank branches have all also fallen victim to the changing times. Pictured: Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent

Richard Hyman, an independent retail analyst, said 2018 could be a devastating year for the retail industry. Pictured: Stoke-on-Trent

The new warning comes after 5,500 jobs were put at risk following the collapse of Toys R Us and Maplin last week.

And restaurant chain Prezzo, which employs around 4,500 staff, announced the closure of around a third of its outlets in a rescue bid.

Richard Hyman, an independent retail analyst, said 2018 could be a devastating year for the industry.

Mr Hyman believes further closures could be announced as chains struggle to meet rent and rate demands.

'It's only weeks before Quarter Day, when most retailers pay rent, and a lot of finance directors will be increasingly anxious. More closures are inevitable,' he told The Mirror.

Mr Hyman believes further closures could be announced as chains struggle to meet rent and rate demands. Pictured: Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent

The devastating impact on shops is nowhere more prevalent than in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent (pictured), which was named the country's worst performing town

Many retailers are also 'in denial' over changing shopping trends, he added.

'They take customers for granted. Around 15 years ago retail spending online was pretty much zero. Now it's well over 50 billion a year.

'Most of that has been cannibalised from shops.'

The devastating impact on shops is nowhere more prevalent than in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, which was named the country's worst performing town.

Almost a third of shops in the town are empty.

'It's only weeks before Quarter Day, when most retailers pay rent, and a lot of finance directors will be increasingly anxious. More closures are inevitable,' said Mr Hyman

Almost a third of shops in the town are empty. Pictured: A street in Stoke-on-Trent

Burslem's branch of Lloyds has also announced its closure, which follows the recent departures of NatWest and Boots. Pictured: Closed shops in Stoke-on-Trent

Once bustling with family-run shops, the old Potteries town was the home of Josiah Wedgwood's first factory in the 18th century.

But its decline was accelerated following the closure of big ceramics companies such as Royal Doulton in the 1990s.

Now, many of the stores are boarded-up and plastered with 'to let' signs.

Burslem's branch of Lloyds has also announced its closure, which follows the recent departures of NatWest and Boots.

Those independent businesses which still stand - who are only open on certain days - blame a lack of free parking.

The rising cost of living, a weak economy and frozen wages, as well as the rise of the internet, shopping centres and retail parks, has worsened the situation, says Mr Hyman

But Stoke city council argues retailers could be encouraged back to the town thanks to spending 10 million on developing brownfield sites for 1,100 new homes, which the authority believes will increase footfall.

Stoke-on-Trent is followed by Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, with a 29.1 per cent closure rate and Newport, Wales, at 27.2 per cent.

The rising cost of living, a weak economy and frozen wages, as well as the rise of the internet, shopping centres and retail parks, has worsened the situation, says Mr Hyman.

He accused councils of using high streets as 'cash cows' by enforcing exorbitant parking charges and business rates.The NHS has admitted that some doctors are wrongly including newborn babies in the FGM figures if their mothers have undergone the banned practice

Controversial statistics on the number of British victims of female genital mutilation are being falsely inflated, it can be revealed today.

The NHS has admitted that some doctors are wrongly including newborn babies in the figures if their mothers have undergone the banned practice.

A footnote to the statistics admits: We are aware that babies have been recorded in the dataset in error, and are working with the affected organisations to delete these records.

NHS Digital, the health statistics body, admitted it did not know how many babies had been wrongly added to the figures. A spokesman said: We are unable to verify which incidents have been recorded in error.

'We have included the caveat as a warning that there may be some data quality issues with the published figures and that the numbers should be treated with caution.

Last night former health visitor Brid Hehir, who has written about the evangelism of anti-FGM campaigners, said: After all the training and awareness-raising and data collection, there is nothing to suggest that we have an FGM problem in this country, let alone an epidemic.

Troubling: Our report last week on the collapse of an FGM trial

The latest news comes after The Mail on Sunday disclosed that almost all FGM cases performed in this country were actually legal piercings carried out on adults.

Between April 2015 and September 2017, a total of 14,250 individual patients were recorded with FGM. But detailed analysis shows that just 57 victims had the practice performed in the UK. And of those, 84 per cent were legal genital piercings.

Fresh doubts were raised over the prevalence of FGM in Britain after the collapse of a second prosecution. A Bristol cab driver was put on trial for child cruelty last month after a passenger claimed he had admitted his daughter had been cut.

But a judge halted the deeply troubling case after saying witness Sami Ullahs evidence was inconsistent and there was no medical proof.

The MoS then revealed investigating officer DCI Leanne Pook is a trustee of the anti-FGM charity where Mr Ullah worked and was friends with him.

Police say no complaints have been made about the officer and the CPS said it was not reviewing its handling of the case.

NHS Digital said that although it did not know exactly how many babies had been wrongly added to the figures, it must be less than 1 per cent of the total figure.

This is because analysis shows that of the 15,390 individuals recorded as having FGM, only 170 were under 10 years old at the time they were seen by doctors.There could soon be real-life cyborgs walking among us.

A Japanese robotics firm recently received approval from the FDA to bring its futuristic HAL Robot Suit to the U.S.

Cyberdyne has been developing the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) for nearly a decade, but only now has the firm been able to bring the technology stateside.

Scroll down for video

Cyberdyne's Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robotic suit can help people with spinal injuries learn to walk again. The device has been development by the Japanese company since about 2009

Now, the Brooks Cybernetic Treatment Center in Jacksonville, Florida is testing out the robotic suit that is worn as an exoskeleton and can be used to help people with disabilities learn to walk again.

The robot suit fits around the wearer's midsection and legs to provide support for people who are otherwise unable to walk on their own, such as people who are suffering from a spinal cord injury.

What's amazing, however, is that the wearer controls the HAL suit using their mind.

The machine is able to pick up bio-electric signals, or an electric current given off by tissues, organs or cell systems.

The most common example of this is an EEG machine, or equipment that's able to read brainwaves.

HAL has sensors that attach to the wearer's legs, which then detect bio-electric signals transmitted from the brain to the muscles.

This then triggers the robotic exoskeleton to begin walking.

The 'Robot Suit' assists the wearer to walk, stand up and sit down by himself or herself, Cyberdyne's website explains.

HAL also has a built-in remote with a simple interface that lets the wearer start and stop the machine, adjust its settings and more.

The goal with HAL is to give the wearer the 'vivid feeling' that they're moving their legs by themselves.

HAL operates using a mix of voluntary control and autonomous control via bio-electric signals.

'What's really nice about [HAL is it] basically operates off what your intentions is,' Dr Geneva Tonuzi, medical director of the Brooks Cybernic Treatment Center, told Engadget.

'Maybe you're only able to give one or two percent, and then the robot gives the remainder of the motion.'

HAL operates using a mix of voluntary control and autonomous control via bio-electric signals. It's strapped to a patients' lower torso and legs and is able to pick up brain signals to walk

Cyberdyne noted that HAL isn't supposed to be a temporary exoskeleton, but rather a temporary pair of legs to help patients in rehabilitation.

'But, with time, because of that sort of recovery, you're about to get three percent, four percent, and so on, and the robot gives you less and less of that support,' she added.

Cyberdyne noted that HAL isn't supposed to be a temporary exoskeleton, but rather a temporary pair of legs to help patients in rehabilitation.

'The goal is actually to get rid of the robot,' Tonuzi noted.

'This is your intervention and after a certain period of time, you just move on back to regular therapy,' she said.

WHAT ARE THE HAL 'CYBORG LEGS'? Japanese robotics firm has been developing the HAL cyborg legs since 2009. The Hybrid Assistive Limb robot suit is worn as an exoskeleton and can be used to help people with disabilities learn to walk again. The robot suit fits around the wearer's midsection and legs to provide support for people who are otherwise unable to walk on their own. HAL is commonly used by people who are suffering from a spinal cord injury. HAL can be adjusted based on the person's leg lengths, hip widths and foot sizes. The Hybrid Assistive Limb robot suit has sensors that attach to the wearer's legs, which then detect bio-electric signals transmitted from the brain to the muscles. It comes in one color -- pearl white -- but can be made in small, medium and large sizes. Here are the specs: Small - between 145 and 165 centimeters

Medium - between 150 and 170 centimeters

Large - between 165 and 185 centimeters

Users have to weigh less than 175 lbs

A custom lithium battery lasts up to 90 minutes on a single charge

HAL comes with a belt for fastening, hip supporter, custom shoe and other accessories Advertisement

Cyberdyne began testing the HAL suit in hospital trials throughout Japan.

By 2012, HAL suits were being used by 130 medical institutions across the country.

Cyberdyne says the HAL suit is the 'world's first robotic medical device.'

In addition to the HAL Lower Limb Type, which controls leg movement, Cyberdyne also has a HAL 5, which is a full-body exoskeleton for the arms, legs and torso.

HAL 5 can help the wearer to lift and carry about five times as much weight as he or she could lift and carry unaided before.They said a place in Greece called Tolon was the answer. They said that, perched on a sandy fringe of the North-Eastern Peloponnese, wed find our turquoise sea and sunshine  and ancient ruins and restaurants and rolling hills, too.

They said that Tolon had something to please each and every member of the Allen family. It didnt seem likely.

But what do you do with three young children  all screamers  a rapidly ageing explorer and, if Im honest, a slightly desperate wife? It ticks all the boxes, I reassured Lenka.

The bay at Nafplio close to Tolon, a sandy fringe of the North-Eastern Peloponnese of Greece

And soon enough we making the two-hour drive at night from Athens to our villa, waking up the next morning to find a Sunvil hamper and a Grecian balcony  bright white, and with a exploding bougainvillea. We put on our flip-flops and pottered off through the morning sunshine to buy fresh bread.

So far so good, I said, tucking into local yogurt as a hummingbird hawk-moth descended to a blossom and swallows cut through the blue sky. Somewhere an old lady was sweeping up a leaf.

Its almost too good to be true, said Lenka, suspiciously. I bet they have scorpions here. And hornets. But as there was no sign of those yet, we headed off to the beach.

There we found the Aegean lapping the shore and an assortment of cafes and restaurants. The sea was shallow and the sand fine. Pedal-boats sat ready; the tiny island of Daskalio beckoned. Much taken by the pretty scene, toddler Beatrice grabbed a shell and presented it to her mother.

A shriek rang out, disturbing the friendly waters of the bay. Aggghhhh! Its alive!

Actually, all around us shells were trundling about. Freddie picked up as many as possible, pitching the hermit crabs into the outstretched skirt of Natalya, who ferried her captives off to a watery prison in the sand.

Explorers: Benedict with son Freddie at the helm of boat during a snorkelling trip in Tolon

Thus proceeded a glorious bucket-and-spade day of innocence augmented by a session in the villas pool.

That evening we ate first-class grilled mackerel and took in the first-rate coastal view  and I suggested that tomorrow we get up early and walk over the headland to Assini, where once, Homer tells us, a fleet was launched against Troy. Or what about the amphitheatre at Epidaurus? Failing that, the oracle at Delphi?

In the event we spent another lazy day with a lilo. And the next day, too. It was only the following morning that we sped off in our hired car.

Fountain of youth: Young Beatrice makes a splash in Neme

And this is one of the best things about Tolon: the beaches may be special but this mellow hideaway is so well positioned. You splash, you dine, you go forth.

You might head off to the Bronze Age palace of Mycenae, where Agamemnon was murdered horribly in the bath by his treacherous wife Clytemnestra. Excellent! exclaimed Natalya, for she is only nine. Or you might plump for the Corinth Canal, a neat slice through rock that was first attempted by the Roman Emperor Nero.

What, more broken stones? Freddie moaned when I insisted on yet another little diversion, this time to an archaic sanctuary among the vineyards of Nemea.

A further concession of ice creams quashed that rebellion  and I explained that here Hercules defeated a monstrous lion that had claws like swords, and a mane that rendered it impervious to attack by mortals. Besides, in this very stadium were once held games that rivalled those of Olympia.

We also went out for a day on a little boat run by the Vangelis family, snorkelling through turquoise waters while a barbecue was prepared for us in a hidden cove.

My archaeological excursions had to be judiciously interspersed with recovery time on the beach, or shopping in the lovely port of Nafplio.

But we seemed to achieve a balance and we left with a collection of shells and treasured memories of Ionic columns but, above all, a feeling of gratitude  that wed discovered somewhere special.The classic way to arrive at the Lakeside Hotel is by the passenger ferry from Bowness.

After 40 minutes of taking in Windermeres most serene landscape, the hotel comes into view  a Victorian mansion with a wraparound conservatory and a lawn stretching down to the water.

Inside, the sense of occasion continues with oak panelling and antique furniture. Neville Talbot, who has owned it since 1983, is a Lakeland legend who believed in locally sourced food long before most other hoteliers. He is still committed to employing and training local youngsters.

Serene spot: The Lakeside Hotel in Barrow, which has stunning views of the lake from its windows

Some of the staff have been there for 20 years, and a good proportion of the guests seem to have the same loyalty.

As it happens, I last visited 14 years ago, and I was worried the hotel might have changed. I neednt have.

While the 74 bedrooms are updated regularly, it still plays to its strengths  a refusal to bow to fads and fashions. So its big on comfy sofas, log fires, afternoon tea and friendly staff. And theres still delicious shortbread waiting for you in your room.

With guests bicycles stacked by the entrance, it does feel a little heartier than my last stay. Some people even come to go wild swimming from the jetty (when theres a perfectly nice indoor pool!) but the hotel looks on indulgently on such things.

With ducks to feed and rowing boats to hire (10 for two hours), a steam railway next to the car park and the Aquarium Of The Lakes, this is a great hotel for families. However, the Lakeside is, successfully, all things to all people.

At lunchtime, even midweek in February, the conservatory is packed. Food is a highlight; the deal of a soup and a sandwich is enough to power you up Gummers How opposite. If youre feeling a bit lazier, theres also the only Aveda spa in the Lakes to slip into.

The hotel's conservatory dining room. Food is a highlight; the deal of a soup and a sandwich is enough to power you up Gummers How

At night, things get a bit dressier and the food glitzier (although portions are still big) with pressed Herdwick lamb shoulder and damson cheesecake.

The Lakeside imparts a feeling of peace and tranquillity. Timeless even, I decide, as I sit in the conservatory with a coffee, only to look up and see an RAF Tornado power overhead, the pilot practising low-level flying.

The place: Cosy for all the right reasons. Somewhere to drink in scenery. Theres a giant Peter Rabbit in reception to entertain children. Comfortable armchairs and fires.

The accommodation: Try your best to secure a room with a lake view. The hotel is in the most beautiful part of Windermere.

The food: Two restaurants and a bar. The evening set menu is a bargain for 39 for three courses plus coffee and petits fours.Advertisement

Car hire firms are charging customers more than double the going rate for repairs, with one customer overcharged by almost 1,000, an investigation has found.

Consumer group Which? collected photographic evidence of damage from hire car customers across Europe who believed they had been charged more than they should have.

The images were then shown to three trusted trader garages, who were asked how much they would have charged for the repairs.

Consumer group Which? collected photographic evidence of damage from hire car customers across Europe who believed they had been charged more than they should have (file picture)

And the Which? investigation found that in eight out of the 12 cases, all three garages quoted less than the amount levied by the car hire companies.

And in four of these cases, the car hire company charged more than double the average cost suggested by the Which? Trusted Trader mechanics.

Of the 36 quotes received from the garages, only eight were equal to or higher than the rental firms charge.

In one case, Europcar billed a customer renting a car in France 1,154 for a small windscreen chip that could have been fixed for as little as 35.

A separate survey of more than 150 Which? readers who'd been charged for car hire damage pointed to unfairness around car hire repairs and widespread sharp practices (file picture)

At best, Europcar applied a markup of more than 300 per cent, and at worst the bill equated to more than 30 times the actual cost of repair.

HOW TO AVOID ANY CAR HIRE EXTRA CHARGES Which? says there are a number of ways you can try to avoid being hit with extra charges when hiring a car. They include: Buying excess reimbursement insurance from another company before you travel; On picking the car, always complete a thorough check inspection of the inside and outside of the vehicle with the car hire company. Here you should always report any scratches, scuffs or stains, no matter how small. If the inspection takes place at night, check the vehicle again early the next day and immediately report any concerns; Try not to return your hire car during out of hours when nobody from your car hire firm is available to check the vehicle with you. When you carry out the final inspection, get a receipt and take a picture of the signed damage report. Never feel forced to sign for anything you don't believe you caused; Always check your bank statement when you return home to see if the car hire company has taken additional charges. Firms are meant to show how the charges have been calculated before taking additional money from a customer. If there has been charges, demand evidence repairs have been carried out; If you do end up being charged for disputed damage, you can complain to the car hire company within two weeks. If it isn't resolved, you can claim against your excess insurance on your credit card. Advertisement

Another driver was charged 854 for a minor door dent and bumper scratch after hiring a car from Green Motion at Stansted Airport.

But one of the experts Which? spoke to said the damage could have been fixed for 186.

A separate survey of more than 150 Which? readers who'd been charged for car hire damage pointed to unfairness around consumer perception of overcharging.

More than four in 10 told Which? researchers that they had been hit with an excessive charge and almost two in five said they had been charged for damage they knew nothing about.

Nearly three in five customers who had been charged for damage said they had never received any evidence of how the charge was calculated from their car hire company.

Some drivers said they suspected car hire firms may have been charging multiple customers for the same minor damage to a vehicle.

Major car hire firms - including Avis, Budget and Hertz - all have different practices when it comes to dealing with repairs.

But some say they may delay repairs until a later date, allowing them to fix several problems at once, or simply leave the damage - taking a hit on the vehicles resale value.

They say that the bill a customer receives may be purely theoretical. Its based on what is known as a damage matrix of charges  essentially an estimate.

Industry insiders have told Which? that a drastic drop in profit margins has led some car hire companies to look for new ways to make money from their customers.

There are also allegations of upselling overpriced insurance, excessive repair bills and topping up takings with an additional admin fee when repairs are needed (as much as 129 in these case studies) and a loss-of-use charge (up to 42 per day).

Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor, said: 'It's outrageous that car hire customers are being made to pay extortionate amounts for repairs that never take place.

'If repairs are required, customers should be sent clear evidence of how costs were calculated.

'Car hire firms now need to clean up their act and be upfront about the real cost of renting a car instead of offering too-good-to-be-true prices, then clawing back profits via ridiculous repair bills.'Maybe its because the first two months of every year are miserable; maybe its because theres now so much soap on our screens that quality is suffering; or maybe its because loads of it is so darned silly that were unable to suspend disbelief any more. Whatever the reason, the audience is moaning more about serial drama than ever before.

I hear it on a daily basis, not only through reactions to this column but also on social media. Some of the criticism is justified, much of it not. Given the volume of work involved in producing a five- or six-episode-a-week drama, its a wonder that anything makes it to the screen in one piece  actors exhausted bodies included.

However, I still have my bugbears  Billys constant grunting in Corrie (at least he disappeared yesterday), along with Craigs loud counting; Karens racism and unfunny mispronunciation of Mr Papadopoulos in EastEnders; and everyone getting accidentally pregnant in Emmerdale.

Lets hope that our winter of soap discontent is now over.

Pat attempts to move two bodies after he hears the lake is being drained in Coronation Street

CORONATION STREET: MAN OF SOLID CHARACTER

I just want people to see ow lovely you are, said Eileen last night, to her psycho husband. Traumatised upon hearing the lake is being drained, Pat has to move fast to shift two bodies  not easy when theres wet concrete around.

Meanwhile, Eileen innocently waits at home, phoning Pat at an inopportune moment and playing hostess at a Get to Know the Real Pat party. Is she about to discover the kind of man she married  literally a hardened criminal if that concrete has its way?

Mass relationship delusion appeared to have set in last week, with Leanne assuring Zeedan, Youre a catch, and Sally insisting, Youre such a catch, Sophie.

Both are as good a catch as a fairground goldfish, and the latter is about to have her heart broken when Kate dumps her. At least now we may be saved more of Ranas geyser of tears. I was thinking of fitting my TV with windscreen wipers.

Tim shows his protectiveness towards Sally again when he hears Carla and Michelle talking about their wind-up after Sally gives them a tour of the house. But when Carla decides she really is interested in buying it, Sally gives her short shrift. Tell her that Weatherfields run out of red wine; thatll be punishment enough.

EASTENDERS: LAST (MARCHING) ORDERS?

Linda and Mick make plans to leave their pub after pressure from Aidan increases in this week's EastEnders

For a man intent on being the Don Corleone of Walford, Aidan is being incredibly thick in his pursuit of The Money. Why is he still putting pressure on Mick to get him the goods, a man who can barely say his own name let alone write it? Billy offers to support Mick in standing up to Aidan, an offer thats about as useful as an eyebath in a monsoon.

Sure enough, Billy soon gets punched. Finally reaching breaking point, Mick decides a hitman is called for, but when things take an even more sinister turn, Linda decides their only option is to leave.

Lets hope it happens this time (bring that bunting back down from the attic  we can but hope), although after Linda and Mick have said goodbye to their beloved pub again and head away, Mick claims hes forgotten his wallet and returns to the Vic. Back at the pub, he waits for Aidan; as a showdown looms, which man will emerge the victor? Dont get too excited; Miami Vice it aint.

Rebecca is arrested for lashing out at Joe when she visits Home Farm in Emmerdale

What will Phil, back from visiting Ben, bring to the proceedings? Furious that Sharon has reopened the club, installing Mel as manager, he turns his attention to Jay, demanding to know where The Money is. When Phil tries to reason with Aidan, he backs down when the Irishman tells him they are like brothers. Really? Shouldve gone to Specsavers.

At least theres some light relief when Masood mistakenly thinks hes forgotten Mariams birthday. But then, water torture counts as light relief at the moment.

EMMERDALE: THE WALKING DEAD (ISH)

Post-traumatic amnesia need not be a bad thing in this village. If they could bottle it, thered probably be a queue all the way to Leeds as locals attempted to forget their daily lives.

Rebecca hasnt been right since waking from her coma (though was she ever?), and, believing she still lives at Home Farm, lets herself in. Encountering Joe, she panics and lashes out, only to get herself arrested.

To me, the biggest mystery is why, even in her confused state, she didnt head for Home Farms cellar. That Champagne collection is the only thing worth remembering there. Well, that and the dead body count.She's never been afraid to play around with fashion.

And Olga Kurylenko ensured she'd turn heads at the 43rd annual Cesar Film Awards in Paris on Friday as she went braless beneath a sheer gown.

Flaunting her phenomenal figure, the Ukrainian actress, 38, dazzled in a floor length scarlet gown with a sheer bodice that she dared to go braless beneath.

Dazzling: d Olga Kurylenko ensured she'd turn heads at the 43rd annual Cesar Film Awards in Paris on Friday as she went braless beneath a sheer gown

She kept her modesty protected, however, with the addition of a large club shaped emblem that complemented the black strips of lace woven into her dress.

With the dress's skirt also sheer in design, Olga flashed her lingerie whilst beneath the hemline peeked out a pair of patent black court heels.

The Bond babe - who starred in Quantum of Solace - finished off the look by styling her glossy chestnut locks in a chic chignon bun that framed her pretty features.

Racy in red: Flaunting her phenomenal figure, the Ukrainian actress, 38, dazzled in a floor length scarlet gown with a sheer bodice that she dared to go braless beneath

Under wraps: She kept her modesty protected, however, with the addition of a large club shaped emblem that complmented the black strips of lace woven into her dress

Olga has been riding high after the critical success towards her most recent film The Death of Stalin, which also starred Jason Isaacs and Andrea Riseborough.

The French actress has gone from strength-to-strength after she was discovered in Moscow at the age of 13.

She moved to the French capital at the age of 16 to kick-start her modelling career, before giving acting a go in 2005 - finding success in the role of Nika Boronina in the movie adaptation of the video game Hitman (2007).

She starred in Momentum (2015), To the Wonder (2012), and Oblivion (2013) alongside Tom Cruise, and acted opposite Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner (2014).

Natural beauty: The Bond babe - who starred in Quantum of Solace - finished off the look by styling her glossy chesnut locks in a chic chignon bun that framed her pretty features

The former model recently revealed she refuses to deny herself any food - something she puts down to growing up poor.

'I do not do any exercises, I eat everything. And I eat a lot. Some people ask me: "How is it possible for a woman to eat that much.

'(Growing up) There were days when we would not eat for the entire day because we had no money for it.'She's not afraid to flaunt her envy-inducing physique in daring ensemble.

And Devon Windsor looked sensational as she stepped out in a chic off-white suit for a party held by Vogue magazine in the French capital on Friday.

The Victoria's Secret model, 23, went braless under her striking garment, which featured a plunging blazer and sleek bootcut trousers.

Wow-factor: Devon Windsor looked sensational as she stepped out in a chic off-white suit for a party held by Vogue magazine in the French capital on Friday

The statuesque star looked every inch the fashionista in her tailored two-piece, which accentuated her slender frame with its tight fit.

Strutting her way to the event in true model mode, the Brawl in Cell Block 99 actress added to her height in a pair of barely-there heels.

Devon upped the ante with a dainty bodychain and silver hooped earrings.

The leggy star wore her platinum tresses poker straight and complemented her look with heavily eyeliner.

Racy: The Victoria's Secret model, 23, went braless under her striking garment, which featured a plunging blazer and sleek bootcut trousers

Chic: The statuesque star looked every inch the fashionista in her tailored two-piece, which accentuated her slender frame with its tight fit

The blonde beauty stars in E!'s latest docuseries Model Squad, which is set for release later this year.

The show will follow the models-of-the-moment who are ruling the fashion industry.

As well as Devon, the line-up also features Daniela Braga, Olivia Culpo, Hannah Ferguson, Ping Hue, Nadine Leopold, Caroline Lowe, Ashley Moore and Shanina Shaik.

Also in attendance at the Vogue event were supermodel siblings Gigi and Bella Hadid, who were spotted heading to the glitzy event earlier that night.

Gigi, 22, looked phenomenal in a navy satin co-ord with a plunging neckline that showed off her cleavage.

Younger sister Bella, 21, took her daring style to new heights as she donned a chic plunging blazer and thigh-grazing skirt in the freezing weather conditions.

Sister act: Also in attendance were supermodel siblings Gigi and Bella Hadid, who were spotted heading to the glitzy event earlier that night

Bold: Gigi, 22, looked phenomenal in a navy satin co-ord with a plunging neckline that showed off her cleavageAncient Greeces best-known sculptor, Praxiteles, needs to watch his step. He has been accused of rape by Left-wing telly don Mary Beard.

In the BBCs new Civilisations series, Beard notes that Praxiteles was the first sculptor to show the female form naked. As if that wasnt sexist enough, his work stirred yearnings among 4th-century BC Athenian men.

Standing next to one of his statues of Aphrodite, Beard pulls a disapproving grimace at the goddesss bare  and actually rather lovely  bottom. She concludes disapprovingly: It shows how art can act as an alibi for rape. Dont forget. Aphrodite never consented.

Work of art? New presenters David Olusoga, Mary Beard and Simon Schama host the new BBC remake Civilisations

It was probably inevitable we would get this sort of politically correct nonsense when the BBC announced it was going to remake Kenneth Clarks brilliant 1969 TV series Civilisation.

This time they are calling it Civilisations, to show, in that modern BBC way, that they are being multi-cultural and including art by people other than dead, white, European men.

Clarks series may unashamedly have focused on western civilisation but it was by no means chauvinist. Yes, the 1969 programmes were delivered in a raspingly posh accent  Clark, then 66, also wore a tie and tweedy suits  but they radiated confident expertise and wry humour. Far from being snobbish, they treated viewers as grown-ups. You could say that these programmes were, in themselves, a work of art.

But the remake, co-presented by Beard and TV historians Simon Schama and David Olusoga, is the worst sort of copy.

It has been chiselled by numerous hands and diminished by intellectual compromise. Lacking originality, it seems to have been assembled simply for reasons of clumsy cultural and political revisionism. Clarks series may unashamedly have focused on western civilisation but it was by no means chauvinist

Kenneth Clarks series may unashamedly have focused on western civilisation but it was by no means chauvinist. Pictured: Clark in the Sixties classic

Its political aims were conceded on Radio 4 this week by a Left-wing commentator, Afua Hirsch, who crowed that it should be seen as part of the culture wars debate and take on the view that European civilisation was somehow superior.

From the Beard and Schama episodes I have seen, Civilisations is a cliche-ridden bore, presented at gluey pace with pointless travelogue sequences and dramatic re-creations.

The series opens with some purple prose in which the achingly right-on Schama, a fashion-conscious 73, claims he has always felt at home in the past.

To the noise of melodramatic chords  the remake is blighted by background mood music  Schama asks what is the present but an endless chain of memories? Please, Schama, spare us the sixth-form philosophising and just show us some inspiring art.

We are duly instructed to admire some tiny stencil patterns from Chile made 3,700 years ago.

They are little more than scratched doodles. Yet Schama gushes about these paleolithic people being geniuses for daubing their cave walls with basic images and for waving bits of bone around their head to make a whirring noise. Beat that, Beethoven.

Something similar happens when Beard stomps off to the Mexican jungle to marvel at a squat, monumental statue made by the Olmec civilisation 3,000 years ago.

Its giant, rounded head may be superior to any Tracey Emin art installations but it is not a patch on the Praxiteles nude.

The remake has been chiselled by numerous hands and diminished by intellectual compromise. Lacking originality, it seems to have been assembled simply for reasons of clumsy cultural and political revisionism

Beards approach is anthropological  i.e. examining humanitys Darwinian emergence  rather than aesthetic. And the tone is so patronising. As she stands there in her spangled pumps she seems to be saying what clever little South American savages! To make sure we receive the message that cavemen from millennia ago were as good as us, a 21st-century Mayan descendant is interviewed and says he wants the world to appreciate his peoples customs and traditions and to transmit them to future generations. Long live Mayan sacrificial decapitations, huh?

The mans pride in his ethnicity is perfectly understandable and rather admirable. Why shouldnt he want to celebrate his culture? For that matter, why shouldnt we? But todays BBC politburo does not approve of British self-esteem.

When this new series was first announced last year, the BBCs director of strategy, James Purnell, boasted that it would be the opposite of the Kenneth Clark series and that it would not speak to viewers from a position of authority because that would be elitist and elitism was bad.

What tosh. Viewers want authority. They want their TV presenters to know what they are talking about. They couldnt give a stuff about the sort of culture wars which obsess pushy metropolitan ear-achers such as Afua Hirsch.

Kenneth Clark, a top-rank museum curator, was indubitably an authority on art. Simon Schama, however, is a popular historian, Mary Beard is a classicist and Henry Olusoga specialises in the slave trade. All three of them may be Twitter-busy liberals with approved views on Brexit, Trump et al, but are they entirely on top of art history?

Mr Purnell, for his part, is a former New Labour Cabinet minister. His involvement in Civilisations betrays the egalitarian social-engineering at work here.

Behind the forbidding accent, Kenneth Clark was an optimist.

Civilisations is a cliche-ridden bore, presented at gluey pace with pointless travelogue sequences and dramatic re-creations. Pictured: Co-presenter David Olusoga

Born to an industrialist family of Scots descent (hence his rolled Rs), he became director of the National Gallery at the age of 30. He saw nothing wrong with wealth and himself lived in a castle in Kent.

But he was dismissive of the idle rich. In a typically memorable phrase, he said that the British aristocracy of the inter-war years of the 20th century were as ignorant as swans. He also argued that the flower-power generation of the Sixties were a lot brighter than their parents.

Clarks scripts were full of brisk put-downs, delivered with a shrug through his snaggled teeth. He hated the cruelty and greed of the Industrial Revolutions mill owners and he celebrated the humanity and spirituality of art. He was a proud Christian. You dont find many of these at the modern BBC.

The 1969 series was directed by Michael Gill (whose acerbically brilliant son, the late newspaper columnist AA Gill, would become an antidote to so many of todays anodyne arts critics).

After a burst of high-octane commentary from Clark, director Gill would let his lens linger over pieces of art so that the viewer could see, in silence, the point that had just been made.

When speaking pieces to camera, Clark kept pretty still, his hands motionless by his side or jammed into the pockets of a herringbone coat. With those terrible teeth, he was not physically vain but he was certainly a man sure of his own scholarship.

The new Civilisations manages to be more fidgety, less cerebral, more leaden and immensely self-satisfied. The lighting is gloomy, seeking dramatic effect rather than clarity.

We are offered much shorter views of the artworks and these glimpses are polluted by manipulative music.

Far more time is spent swooping down on foreign location views and showing pensive silhouettes of the presenters in places such as the Nile Valley, the Greek island of Naxos, Mexicos Tabasco province, the Netherlands, Honduras, Petra in Jordan and Chinas Shaaxi province. How many millions of pounds did they blow on the travel budget?

Schama (pictured) is a ceaseless hand-waver. In a Renaissance villa on the Veneto, Schama gestures so much its a surprise they didnt give him ping-pong bats and put him on the Tarmac at the local airport

Schama and Beard are ceaseless hand-wavers. In a Renaissance villa on the Veneto, Schama gestures so much, its a surprise they didnt give him ping-pong bats and put him on the Tarmac at the local airport.

Beards busy wrists seem certain to knock over some priceless vases she is discussing (and disapproving of because they were deeply gendered, showing women at domestic chores while the men are drunkenly balancing wine cups on their naked whatnots).

Good grief, must she bring sexual politics into everything?

Modern television directors encourage this sort of gesticulation because they do not trust the audience to be clever enough to cope without it. Clark treated his audience as equals but the new Civilisations treats us like fools.

It is not all bad.

Schama has a few excellent moments, his commentary on Dutch landscape artists being historically informative and well illustrated. There is also an interesting segment when the programme shows how long it would have taken a prehistoric southern African to have carved a small statue from a elephant tusk.

But Schama overdoes the whispery awe, the head wobbling and the mateyness.

Instead of trusting us to appreciate the artistry of a Mycenean representation battle scene from 1450 BC, he splutters: Its 3D, folks, its comin at yer! And instead of calmly noting how this Mycenean art substantially pre-dated the battle poems of Homer, he goes all golly-gosh, gasping: But, people, Homer is 700 years later!

When Beard mentions a visit the Roman emperor Hadrian paid to Thebes, she yacks that hed come for a look-see. The slovenly demotic jars. She describes Thebes as the greatest five-star tourist attraction of the whole of the ancient world.

That sort of factually inaccurate application of modernity to the past is called an anachronism.

Beard obviously uses it to enliven her script but the flabby anachronism is symbolic of her tendency to apply modern political judgments to ancient art.

The new Civilisations is joylessly right-on in its politics and strays over the line to the point where it infects artistic judgments

This is the same trait, common on the Left, that has brought us the absurdity of the Blair governments historical apology for the Irish potato famine and modern politicians demanding retrospective pardons for the Suffragettes.

It is a sort of historical colonialism of attitudes.

The new Civilisations is joylessly right-on in its politics and strays over the line to the point where it infects artistic judgments.

This may all be considered fair game to culture warriors like Afua Hirsch (whose response to an adverse literary review of her latest book was to attack the critic for being white). But is it really the proper function of a BBC arts show?

Beard enthuses about a bland-figured 6th century BC funeral statue, the Phrasikleia Kore, but is oddly critical of a vastly more expressive and exciting 1st century BC male bronze known as the Boxer at Rest.

She appears to like the Phrasikleia because it is more rudimentary, because it is female and because it is not guilty of any of those body value judgments which she calls the awkward underbelly of Greek culture.

Whereas Clarks approach was to revere artistic progress (even when it went against his personal political views) and to say this is how human abilities improved, the new Civilisations is driven by depressing post-colonial guilt.

Beard even takes a direct swipe at Clark, alleging that he was seduced into a narrow and distorting and divisive view which regarded western art as somehow superior. Im not sure he really did. But it seems churlish, in a remake, to attack your much more entertaining predecessor.

Although Clark cheerfully described himself as a stick-in-the-mud, his views were far from authoritarian. At the end of his series, in what TV professionals call the upsum (when presenters sum up their thoughts), he said: I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable than ideology. Above all I believe in the God-given genius of certain individuals. Lack of confidence kills a civilisation. We can kill ourselves by cynicism and disillusion just as effectively as by bombs.

The pitiful self-loathing displayed in Civilisations wont necessarily kill us, because I doubt many people will sit through the whole series.

If I were you, Id watch the Clark originals (which are available on iPlayer). Why bother with reproductions when you can still see the masterpiece?Ariana Grande has completed her new album - her first new music since the Manchester bombing.

The 24-year-old played the music to record bosses on Friday, sharing a black and white picture of the moment to her Instagram stories.

A source close to Ariana told DailyMail.com: Ariana just played her new album for the Republic Records team and her management and everyone loved it.

New music: Ariana Grande plays finished album for record bosses after finishing her first music since Manchester bombing; she shared this scene on social media

'The album is produced half by Pharrell and half by Max Martin. Its very personal, she was heavily involved in the writing of every song. '

The release date isn't yet finalized, but Ariana has finished with the tracks. The source explained: 'We have no idea when the album is coming, but it's done and she's working on visuals. The buzz amongst her team is that it's her best work yet.'

Last month illness forced Ariana to pull out of the Brit Awards.

She was booked to perform a tribute piece in memory of the 22 people who died when a suicide bomber unleashed an explosion after her gig at the Manchester Arena last May.

'Her best work yet': The album is Ariana's first since the Manchester bombing

Ariana was left devastated last year when the attack took place claiming the lives of concertgoers - many of whom were children - just minutes after she concluded her Dangerous Woman tour gig.

Her manager Scooter Braun said recently: 'When she found out that fans of hers had died she was so sad. She cried for days, she felt everything - every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that's who she is.'

The One Last Time hitmaker flew straight back to the US to come to terms with the incident with the help of her loved ones, but days later she was back in Manchester visiting her injured fans at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, which was the 'hardest two hours' of her life.

Less than a month after the attack, Ariana returned to the British city to put on the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which raised money for the families affected by the tragedy.She once claimed to be related to legendary animator Walt Disney.

And in honour of her 38th birthday Rebel Wilson took a trip to Disneyland, taking photos with many of the characters and even secretly marrying a devilishly handsome young man.

The Pitch Perfect star posed alongside Scrooge McDuck on a podium wearing a white rain poncho and pair of Hunter gumboots, announcing to her Instagram fans 'I am now married.'

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Just married? Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson celebrates her 38th birthday at Disneyland and gets hitched in a poncho and gumboots

The sweet pic was a tease to fans, who thought she might actually have tied the knot, but made sense given the amount of selfies she'd taken with the other characters.

She even posted a video from the top of a roller coaster, suggesting she was having an incredible celebration.

'Wouldn't be a birthday morning without a birthday ride,' she said enthusiastically, before reaching the drop on the theme park attraction.

Having a blast! The sweet pic was a tease to fans, who thought she might actually have tied the knot, but made sense given the amount of selfies she'd taken with the other characters

Thanks Minnie! Rebel celebrated her mother's birthday at the California destination late last year, proving she really is a Disney super fan

Rebel celebrated her mother's birthday at the California destination late last year, proving she really is a Disney super fan.

In a defamation case she won against Bauer Media in 2015 the comedian spoke openly about her 'relation to Walt Disney', a claimed fact she said her grandmother told her at just five years of age.

Lawyers repeatedly told the 38-year-old there was no basis for the alleged relationship, but Rebel maintained 'her Nanna had a family tree done'.

The past:In a defamation case she won against Bauer Media in 2015 the comedian spoke openly about her 'relation to Walt Disney', a claimed fact she said her grandmother told her at just five years of age

In addition Rebel's birth name, Melanie Elizabeth Bownds, is also similar to the surname of Walt's wife, Lillian Bounds.

The Disney husband and wife team died a decade before Rebel was born.

She reprised her role as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect 3 last year, which is the second highest grossing musical comedy of all time.She bares it all in her latest film.

But networks seemed to be concerned that previews for Jennifer Lawrence's new film Red Sparrow were just a little too racy for US audiences, according to IGN Germany.

Various scenes from her latest spy-thriller film where she stars alongside Joel Edgerton appeared to be altered in efforts to cover some of her skin.

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Skin: Networks seemed to be concerned that previews for Jennifer Lawrence's new film Red Sparrow were just a little too racy for US audiences, according to IGN Germany

Lawrence appears to walk poolside wearing a cleavage-baring swimsuit with panel cutouts below her chest.

Her black bathing suit wraps around her neck as Jennifer tied a bright blue towel along her hips.

In altered images, her swimsuit appears to be a bit more modest and covers peeks of her ample assets.

Covered up: Various scenes from her latest spy-thriller film where she stars alongside Joel Edgerton appeared to be altered in efforts to cover some of her skin; (left: altered swimsuit; right: original image)

The movie is a spy-thriller about a ballerina called Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence), whose career is jeopardized by an injury.

With limited options, she turns to Sparrow School, an organization which provides secret intelligence training that aims to teach pupils to use their minds and bodies to get what they want from targets.

It's based on a book by Jason Matthews, which was released in 2013. The author is a former operative in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Intense: The movie is a spy-thriller about a ballerina called Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence), whose career is jeopardized by an injury

Dark: She turns to Sparrow School, an organization which provides secret intelligence training that aims to teach pupils to use their minds and bodies to get what they want from targets

Red Sparrow is the first film in which Jennifer Lawrence has had to appear nude.

She opened up about the liberating experience on Friday during an appearance of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

'I loved the character and I just didn't want to miss out on it because of like, my weird insecurities so I did it and it was really lovely.'Throwing out the desk Newsnight presenters used to sit behind was supposed to make the BBCs flagship current affairs programme more dynamic and relevant.

However, Emily Maitlis says putting her legs on display has left her at the mercy of cameramen taking shots that risk revealing her underwear.

In comments that could provoke a new sexism row at the BBC, Maitlis compares the cameramens work to that of peeping Toms trying to take seedy upskirt photographs.

BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis says putting her legs on display has left her at the mercy of cameramen taking shots that risk revealing her underwear

The hardest thing is sitting on a Newsnight chair because the camera, before you know it, has gone on the floor and its creeping, creeping up, says Cambridge graduate Maitlis, 47.

Its like those pap shots in the back of a cab where you never know if theyre going to get your knickers.

Maitlis, who was outspoken in her criticism of the BBCs treatment of women during the gender pay gap row, has resorted to using sheets of notepaper to protect her modesty.

And so you have to say: Please . . . high . . . the camera.

Or else you start doing things with A4 paper where you spread it over your knees and you wrap A4 paper around your thighs, which is obviously what all newsreaders do.

The hardest thing is sitting on a Newsnight chair because the camera, before you know it, has gone on the floor and its creeping, creeping up, says Cambridge graduate Maitlis, 47

You have to cover all the . . . you know . . . because you never know where the angle is coming from.

Cameramens angles are not Maitliss only complaint about presenting Newsnight. Speaking to her BBC colleagues Fi Glover and Jane Garvey on their podcast Fortunately . . . she says the shows dark set leaves her feeling like a werewolf.

I know its radical in the BBC, but I want something beautiful and brightly lit, says Maitlis. I spent a lot of time in the U.S. and everyone feels so telly and alive, and you dont feel like a werewolf.

Temperley splits from long-term love

Fashion designer Alice Temperley is adored by the Duchess of Cambridge and other young Royals for her bohemian floral dresses and exquisitely embellished evening gowns, but shes struggling to find happiness in her love life.

Her boyfriend, photographer Greg Williams, tells me they have split up after four years.

Fashion designer Alice Temperley has split up with her boyfriend of four years, photographer Greg Williams (pictured together)

We loved each other, but realised that we werent compatible, he says. Its sad, but were still on friendly terms.

Williams, 45, met divorcee Temperley, 42, in Los Angeles and later moved into her six-bedroom townhouse in Londons Notting Hill.

Model genes: Baby joy for Gladstone scion

A descendant of former prime minister William Gladstone, model Olivia Inge can now introduce the latest addition to her illustrious line.

She has just given birth to her first child, Jemima, and plans to give her the middle name Mary in tribute to the politicians daughter, trusted advisor and private secretary.

A descendant of former prime minister William Gladstone, model Olivia Inge (pictured left) has introduced the latest addition to her illustrious line, baby Jemima (right)

Hopefully shell be another formidable woman who will change the world for the better, Olivia tells me.

Married to financier Peter Davies, 39, Olivia, 37, now a trained acupuncturist, has an exhibitionist streak and once tickled fans by posting a cheeky snap of her derriere online. And shes determined to breastfeed in public.

Ill get my boobs out just to make a point, she declares. This is the most natural and wonderful thing in the world. Its painful, but worth it.

Love her or loathe her, Strictlys head judge Shirley Ballas is clearly here to stay.

I hear the 57-year-old former ballroom dancing champion has been signed up by leading showbusiness manager Jonathan Shalit after succeeding Len Goodman.

To have her as the first new client of my new company, InterTalent, is very exciting, Shalit tells me at the Global Awards.

No doubt former Strictly pro Brendan Cole would have his own opinion. The Kiwi, 41, was axed after a bitter bust-up with Ballas.

The Queens right-hand man, Sir Christopher Geidt, was said to feel very bruised at being ousted after ten years of loyal service.

Now, Her Majesty is doing her best to ensure there are no hurt feelings. I hear she is throwing a farewell party for Sir Christopher on Tuesday, which will be attended by the great and the good.

This is the Queens way of making amends, a royal source tells me.

Former Army intelligence officer Geidt, 56, is thought to have fallen out of favour amid chaotic power struggles as Prince Charles and the younger Royals take on more of the Queens duties under Operation Handover. Sir Christopher denied he was forced out.She was presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to recipient Penelope Cruz at the 43rd Annual Cesar Film Awards in Paris on Friday evening.

And a beaming Marion Cotillard looked delighted to have the honour as she sauntered out onto the stage at what is known as the French version of the Oscars.

The French film star, 42, looked radiant in a shimmering silver and black dress, which slipped gracefully off one of her shoulders, showing off her porcelain skin beneath.

Jovial: Marion Cotillard shimmered in a leggy silver and black gown with a dramatic train... and beamed as she presented a gong at the 43rd Annual Cesar Film Awards in Paris on Friday

The 3/4 length sleeves on the outfit fell in puffs along her lithe arms and she showed off her leggy pins as the dress came to an abrupt halt at the high-hemmed front.

The back of the outfit featured a long train, which trailed behind the Allied star as she walked onto the stage.

Marion kept her make-up fresh, with a dash of rouge on her lips and cheeks and swept her dark blonde locks behind her hear.

She complimented the look with drop-earrings and black killer heels.

Thank you: Penelope Cruz was gifted the award by director Pedro Almodovar and Marion

Stunning in silver: The French actress stepped out on stage looking sleek

Sleek: The 3/4 length sleeves on the outfit fell in puffs along her lithe arms and she showed off her leggy pins as the dress came to an abrupt halt at the high-hemmed front

She was joining director Pedro Almodovar in awarding Spanish actress Penelope with her gong.

Penelope was being honored with an honorary prize from Frances Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema at the prestigious event and looked equally radiant in a silk gown in a regal shade of lilac.

Alain Terzian, the president of the Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema, said earlier this year: 'Penelope Cruz has the talent to shine in international productions as much as in [smaller] films, whether [shes working] for Ridley Scott, Rob Marshall, Kenneth Branagh, Sergio Castellitto, Fernando Trueba or Asghar Farhadi, with whom she has just wrapped Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben), which will come out in May.'

Slick: The Allied star showed off her lithe pins in the silver and black ensemble

Beaming: Marion seemed delighted to be awarding the gong at the prestigious event

The honour has been previously awarded to the likes of George Clooney, Michael Douglas, Meryl Streep and Sean Penn in past years.

Both ladies sported white ribbons on their gowns in a continued show of support to the #MeToo movement.

Joining fellow actresses across the Atlantic and the English Channel in a protest of sexual misconduct, the Cesar Award's version of the show of support featured a white ribbon instead of wearing all black like at the BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

Whoosh! The actress strutted her stuff along the red carpet after the ceremony

A helping hand: Marion was assisted as she arrived at the ceremony

In support: About 100 actresses and other figures launched the hashtag Maintenant On Agit (Now We Act) campaign this week ahead of the awards

About 100 actresses and other figures launched the hashtag Maintenant On Agit (Now We Act) campaign this week ahead of the awards.

A call on the website of the Foundation of Women, collaborating with the white-ribbon movement, simply said: 'We submitted, We endured, We kept silent.'

More than 100 personalities, including stars Agnes Jaoui, Julie Gayet and Sandrine Bonnaire, asked for donations via the foundation. The funds are destined for associations helping women pursue cases before justice, 'so that no woman ever again has to say #MeToo.'

An honour: Penelope was being honored with an honorary prize from Frances Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema at the prestigious event and looked equally radiant in a silk gown in a regal shade of lilacShe's preparing to take on the epic Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

But before she does, Mandy Moore has touched down in Sydney, Australia, on one of her rare days off alongside musician fiance Taylor Goldsmith.

The 33-year-old took to Instagram to document their 15-hour flight together, which saw Mandy's red-painted pout stay perfectly coloured in throughout the entire journey.

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'It's been seven years since I've been here': Mandy Moore touches down at Sydney Airport with her fiance Taylor Goldsmith before hitting the gym to train for Mount Kilimanjaro

'Had to pack for summer and winter,' she captioned the videos, suggesting she was going to be heading somewhere much colder after Oz.

After they disembarked the plane the couple headed towards a car and asked their followers what there was to do in the city.

'So we're in Sydney and I'm asking you guys what we should do... where should we eat, where should we get coffee, tell us everything!' She said excitedly.

she's prepping! But before they could explore Mandy decided to hit the treadmill in training for her mountain walk

'It's been like seven years since I've been here,' she added for good measure.

But before they could explore Mandy decided to hit the treadmill in training for her mountain walk.

It's not clear exactly why the mega star is Down Under

The actress, who has had a career renaissance via the reliably soppy NBC drama This Is Us, recently spoke about the experience of crying onscreen to Ellen.

Back on our TVs! The actress, who has had a career renaissance via the reliably soppy NBC drama This Is Us, recently spoke about the experience of crying onscreen to Ellen

Although 'I can't sit here and cry, right now, just off-the-cuff,' she theorized that her co-star Sterling K. Brown would be capable of doing so.

She said that 'I feel like he's just, literally, is like: "Which eye? Which eye do you want the tear to come from?" and that 'he can do just a single, like cinematic tear.'

Said Mandy: 'I cannot do that, so I have to sort of mentally, like, wake up that morning and mentally prepare myself that I'm gonna have to cry, and my trick is I will pick a song at random that's sort of sad, that like evokes some sort of emotion in me, and I will listen to it incessantly.'She recently announced her plans to move from Perth to Sydney so that she can settle down with her husband Dean Wells.

And MAFS star Tracey Jewel doesn't seem set to change her mind any time soon, if her latest social media snap is anything to go by.

The statuesque socialite, who has been enjoying a romantic jaunt with Dean in his hometown this week, took to her Instagram page on Saturday to gush about the experience, writing in part: 'Sydneys growing on me. '#sydneyweekend #weekendswithhubby #brunch.'

'Sydneys growing on me': Tracey Jewel gushed about her romantic weekend with Dean Wells on Instagram this Saturday, while taking a sneaky jab at him for claiming he 'doesn't do monogamy'

In the accompanying photo, Tracey is seen posing for a pouty selfie with Sydney's iconic Harbour Bridge in the background.

The post's adorable sentiment was somewhat marred, however, thanks to the inclusion of the hashtag 'It's A Sydney Thing'- a quote referring to a scene on MAFS where Dean described monogamy as something that wasn't popular in Sydney.

During the famed scene, Dean attempted to justify why had cheated on Tracey with fellow cast-mate Davina Rankin, saying: 'I don't do monogamy. You're not from Sydney. You wouldn't understand. It's a Sydney thing.'

Burn! The post's adorable sentiment was somewhat marred, however, thanks to the inclusion of the hashtag 'It's A Sydney Thing'- a quote referring to a scene on MAFS where Dean described monogamy as something that wasn't popular in Sydney

'He is definitely dad material!' Last week, Tracey announced her exciting baby plans, claiming that she's ready to start a family with husband Dean Wells

'I want kids for sure,' Dean told OK! magazine this week when quizzed on whether fatherhood is on the cards.

'I love them. I've met Tracey's daughter Grace now, too, and that went really well,' he added.

Tracy also revealed she is ready to transition into family life, telling the publication: 'Dean is definitely dad material. He has a lot of strengths that make for a good parent.'

Tracy also revealed she is ready to transition into family life, telling the publication: 'Dean is definitely dad material. He has a lot of strengths that make for a good parent'

The statuesque socialite also told the magazine that she plans to relocate from Perth to Dean's native Sydney hometown with her eight-year-old daughter.

Dean and Tracey's relationship has taken centre stage throughout this season of MAFS thanks to Dean's extra-marital dalliance with bikini model Davina Rankin.

On Tuesday's episode, fans watched as a red-faced Dean confronted Tracey's parents about the affair.

Controversial: Dean and Tracey's relationship has taken centre stage throughout this season of MAFS thanks to Dean's extra-marital dalliance with bikini model Davina Rankin (L)

'There were a few incidents one of the other girls from the experiment wasn't happy in her relationship as well and she reached out to me and I think she kinda liked me,' he told them.

'And there was maybe a bit of a connection there between her and I decided I didn't want to be with that other girl and I wanted to stay with Tracey,' he confessed.

Miraculously Dean escaped from the the interaction unscathed, with Tracey's parents dismissing the situation as nothing more than a common mistake.They confirmed their romance earlier this week when the latest cover image for British GQ was unveiled to the world.

And now that the world has seen Naomi Campbell and rapper Skepta getting steamy in their topless cover shoot, further images from the feature have been released.

This time, the supermodel, 47, is seen getting very intense with her man, 35, as they stand together against a city-scape backdrop looking tender and serious.

Getting serious? Naomi Campbell and Skepta get VERY intense in new photos from their GQ shoot... as they pose topless in matching boxer shorts

In the shot, Naomi rests her head agaisnt Skepta's cheek and places a tender hand on his chest as he looks lovingly at her.

She turns to the camera in the shot, looking knowingly down the lens.

Skepta wears slate grey jeans in the shot, with his MAINS boxer shorts - which are from his own range - visible at the top.

And Naomi wears the same underwear - and nothing else.

Cover girl: In a second image, Naomi is seen solo on a sofa in the same boxers. This time she lies with her mane covering her chest, her arms resting above her head

He trademark raven tresses fall deadly straight along her back as she leans against her man.

Both stars sport bling for the steamy shot, while Skepta's tattoos are also on display.

In a second image, Naomi is seen solo on a sofa in the same boxers.

This time she lies with her mane covering her chest, her arms resting above her head.

It's on! Naomi has made it clear just how steamy her relationship with rapper Skepta is by posing for a sizzling GQ cover shoot with her new beau

The veteran supermodel sent fans wild with a teaser of the cover image on Wednesday night before the full cover of British GQ's latest edition was officially unveiled.

The shot sees Skepta nuzzling into Naomi, cupping her face in his hands in the photo by snapper An Le.

The cover line simply reads: 'Race, Sex, Love & Power. When Naomi met Skepta.'

Naomi teased the shot on her Instagram page just hours before, zooming in on the pair's naked torsos pressed up against one another.

Fans went wild for the shot, posting: 'Naomi and skepta is everything weve ever needed'; 'why did you delete your last post with that sexy man lol'

Cosy: Naomi sent fans wild as she teased the shot on her Instagram page on Wednesday night

Excited: Fans went wild for the shot that appeared to confirm their romance

'Is this a joke because Im crying'; 'Love this! Love can come in all shapes, sizes and colors! #acceptance'; 'Ok Im here for this'; 'SKEPTA X NAOMI'.

Earlier in the night, Naomi shared then swiftly deleted another snap of the pair where they could be seen properly.

SBefore she deleted the snaps, Naomi's fans on wild, posting: 'Sizzler alert! YaYaYa! My screen just combusted. It's official'; 'I'm SHOOK! Naomi & Skepta'.

MailOnline has contacted Naomi and Skepta's representatives for comment.

Loved-up? Speculation has been rife the pair are dating - but the couple have yet to speak out about claims. The supermodel and rapper were seen getting cosy at two PFW parties

Speculation has been rife the pair are dating - but the couple have yet to speak out about claims.

The stunning supermodel and rapper were seen getting cosy at not one, but two Paris Fashion Week parties.

A source close to the fashionista revealed to The Sun: 'Naomi and Skepta have been meeting up for a string of secret dates. They are both very creative which is why they have hit it off with each other.

New man: The model and Mercury Prize winner reportedly first caught each others eye when they were introduced by mutual friends

The model and Mercury Prize winner reportedly first caught each others eye when they were introduced by mutual friends, and while things are reportedly going well, they are taking their relationship 'very slowly'.

Skepta - real name Joseph Junior Adenuga - hasn't been shy of showing his affection for the much-lauded model, posting a picture of the pair on his Twitter page in October, adorned with a heart emoji.

He also sang her praises to The Sun in June, saying that fashion icon was his 'favourite cover girl' and 'she broke down boundaries by doing those early Vogue covers'.She recently returned from holidaying with boyfriend Ryan Thomas in Dubai.

So Lucy Mecklenburgh was no doubt feeling the cold as she enjoyed a night out in London on Friday with a male friend.

The 26-year-old reality starlet didn't let the weather ruin her style however, as she looked effortlessly chic in an oversized blazer.

Chilly: She recently returned from holidaying with boyfriend Ryan Thomas in Dubai. So Lucy Mecklenburgh was no doubt feeling the cold as she enjoyed a night out in London on Friday

Lucy teamed the grey jacket with a plain black top and skinny jeans, whilst she layered up against the cold with a brown coat that she slung over her shoulders.

Adding to the glamour, the former TOWIE babe donned a pair of leopard print heels which also aided in boosting her petite frame.

Despite the cold weather, Lucy seemed in great spirits on the night as she laughed away with her friend before jumping into a taxi home.

Two's company: The 26-year-old reality starlet didn't let the weather ruin her style however, as she looked effortlessly chic in an oversized blazer on the outing with a friend

Check her out! Lucy teamed the grey jacket with a plain black top and skinny jeans, whilst she layered up against the cold with a brown coat that she slung over her shoulders

Wild thing! Adding to the glamour, the former TOWIE babe donned a pair of leopard print heels which also aided in boosting her petite frame

Lucy recently returned from Dubai as she spent time with her beau Ryan since he moved to Australia for his new role on Neighbours.

Ryan and Lucy first met on Bear Grylls' Celebrity Island, where they were in the midst of water shortages, extreme hunger and tropical storms.

After developing a strong bond on the survival show, the pair continued their romance on home turf.

Brunette beauty: Lucy styled her cropped brunette locks to frame her pretty features

Splashing the cash: It seems Lucy couldn't resist hitting the shops as she carried a large bag

Out and about: Despite the cold weather, Lucy seemed in great spirits on the night as she laughed away with her friend before jumping into a taxi home

They first set tongues wagging when they were seen sharing holiday photographs from the same location on Instagram, despite denying claims they were dating.

They were later pictured kissing at London City Airport, and marked their first public outing as a couple at the Wimbledon men's semi-finals earlier in July.

Lucy was even seen spending New Year's Eve with Ryan and his family, and was introduced to his eight-year-old daughter Scarlet, whom he shares with former flame Tina O'Brien, earlier this year.

Ryan made his long-awaited Neighbours debut in an hour-long late-night special episode as English tourist Rafael Humphreys, a loner with dark secrets and a score to settle.Newlywed Emily Ratajkowski sported sunglasses while braving the gloomy winter rain to grab a solo lunch in Beverly Hills on Friday.

The 26-year-old DNA Model - who relies on stylist Emma Morrison - skipped the umbrella, but covered up in a maroon leather trench top, grey jeans, b&w gingham booties, and a cross-body chain bag.

The Vanity Fair Spain cover girl - who boasts 23.6M social media followers - couldn't resist posting several heart-filtered Insta-stories from inside the car.

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Skipped the umbrella: Newlywed Emily Ratajkowski sported sunglasses while braving the gloomy winter rain to grab a solo lunch in Beverly Hills on Friday

Emily is currently in Los Angeles to attend Vanity Fair's annual Academy Awards party this Sunday where she'll be rooting for Luca Guadagnino's gay coming-of-age drama Call Me By Your Name.

'I thought that was great and hope it wins a lot,' Ratajkowski told W Magazine on Thursday.

To get in the mood, the London-born, Encinitas-raised stunner shared a #FlashbackFriday snap of herself attending the 2016 Oscar bash in a sexy strapless Stephen Khalil gown.

The UCLA drop-out didn't seem to have much of a honeymoon with her husband of a week - Good Time producer Sebastian Bear-McClard - following their surprise nuptials at New York City Hall.

Relies on stylist Emma Morrison: The 26-year-old DNA Model covered up in a maroon leather trench top, grey jeans, b&w gingham booties, and a cross-body chain bag

Selfie enthusiast: The Vanity Fair Spain cover girl - who boasts 23.6M social media followers - couldn't resist posting several heart-filtered Insta-stories from inside the car

'I thought that was great and hope it wins a lot': Emily is in town to attend Vanity Fair's annual Academy Awards party this Sunday where she'll be rooting for Call Me By Your Name

'Here we go...#oscarweekend': To get in the mood, the London-born, Encinitas-raised stunner shared a #FlashbackFriday snap of herself at the 2016 Oscar bash in a Stephen Khalil gown

Emily had been shopping in a Zara uptown when she noticed the Spanish brand's $129 long blazer with belt and matching $69 flared trousers.

'I thought, "This will do,"' Ratajkowski recalled to W.

'I knew that I really wanted to wear a suit. I was thinking about a red suit, and I actually love mustard yellow, it's one of my favorite colors. For my swim line [Inamorataswim] I made a really good mustard yellow, and it is just a color that I love to wear. It felt a little bit personal to me, and also I just loved the cut of the suit.'

According to Us Weekly, the self-described feminist and the Film Independent John Cassavetes Award nominee - who were first pictured together December 16 - have shared the same 'friend group for years.'

'I thought, "This [mustard Zara pantsuit] will do"': The UCLA drop-out didn't seem to have much of a honeymoon with her husband of a week - Good Time producer Sebastian Bear-McClard (R) - following their surprise nuptials at New York City Hall

Rebound? Ratajkowski and the Film Independent John Cassavetes Award nominee - who were first pictured together December 16 - have shared the same 'friend group for years'

Dumped: Before romancing the son of Force of Circumstance filmmaker Liza Bear and artist Michael McClard, the self-described feminist dated balding Brown University alum Jeff Magid (R) for three years

Before romancing the son of Force of Circumstance filmmaker Liza Bear and artist Michael McClard, the Blurred Lines video vixen dated balding Brown University alum Jeff Magid for three years.

Emily currently stars in DKNY's SS/18 digital campaign where she lip-syncs to Lipps Inc's 1980 disco song Funkytown.

Acting-wise, Ratajkowski next plays a woman 'dealing with low self-esteem' in fellow newlywed Amy Schumer's concussion comedy I Feel Pretty, which hits US theaters April 27 and UK theaters May 4.

Michelle Williams, Naomi Campbell, Aidy Bryant, and Rory Scovel also star in the forthcoming flick helmed by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn.

Another music video: The Blurred Lines video vixen currently stars in DKNY's SS/18 digital campaign where she lip-syncs to Lipps Inc's 1980 disco song FunkytownThey're gearing up to welcome their first child together.

And Diversity star Jordan Banjo, 29, and girlfriend Naomi Courts looked besotted with one another as they attended The Baby Show in London on Friday.

Cuddled up as they made their way around the exhibition, the duo made for a very handsome couple.

Cosy couple: Diversity star Jordan Banjo, 29, and girlfriend Naomi Courts looked besotted with one another as they attended The Baby Show in London on Friday

Sheathing her baby bump, Naomi donned a figure-hugging black jumper that she teamed with skinny jeans and heeled ankle boots.

The yummy mummy-to-be looked radiant as she beamed broadly whilst her brunette locks were styled in a half up hairdo.

Ashley also looked stylish as he teamed a taupe suede jacket with skinny jeans and a plain black T-shirt.

Baby love: Cuddled up as they made their way around the exhibition, the duo made for a very handsome couple

Bumping along nicely: Sheathing her baby bump, Naomi donned a figure-hugging black jumper that she teamed with skinny jeans and heeled ankle boots

The couple's outing came after they admitted that the pregnancy came as a shock to both of them but were nonetheless 'over the moon'

Recalling the moment she found out she was expecting, Naomi - who has been dating the dancer for three years - said she took a whopping nine pregnancy tests out of shock.

She told OK! magazine: 'I wanted to be sure so I went out and bought eight more tests. I sat with them laid out in front of me on the bathroom floor, staring at them in disbelief.

'We always said we wanted kids together, we just didn't think it would happen this soon. We're over the moon, though!'

Dazzling: The yummy mummy-to-be looked radiant as she beamed broadly whilst her brunette locks were styled in a half up hairdo

Proud parents-to-be: Naomi proudly cradled her blossoming baby bump on the outing

The couple have already been told they are expecting a little boy, despite Naomi originally being convinced her first child would be a girl.

She divulged: 'I started crying when they said it was a boy because I was completely convinced we were having a girl. I was delighted it was a boy but I felt very overwhelmed, as I'd mentally prepared myself for it to be a daughter.'

But while Naomi was instantly elated, Jordan admitted it took him a while to come to terms with his pending fatherhood.

He confessed: 'It took a bit of time for me to get excited about becoming a dad because it's going to be a huge lifestyle change. Right now my greatest responsibility is making sure my phone is charged!'

Low-key look: Ashley also looked stylish as he teamed a taupe suede jacket with skinny jeans and a plain black T-shirt

The look of love: Jordan and Naomi looked besotted as they cosied up together at the show

Naomi - who met the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star while working as a hostess at Essex nightclub Sugar Hut - also revealed she suffered severe morning sickness.

'I was signed off of work for ten weeks with hyperemesis gravidarum,' she recounted. 'It felt like I was spending every minute of the day throwing up - I couldn't even keep a glass of water down.

'The doctor gave me loads of different anti-sickness tablets but they didn't make a difference. It's only in the past few weeks that I've started to feel more normal.'She split with her former finance and Home and Away star James Stewart in 2015.

But Jessica Marais, 33, appears to have put her heartache behind her after she was recently spotted looking cheerful beach with her rumoured boyfriend Jake Holly.

The couple appeared inseparable during their visit to Sydney's Gordon's Bay.

Love on the rocks: Jessica Marais, 33, shows off her enviable figure in a bikini as she enjoys a day out at the beach with rumoured boyfriend Jake Holly

Love Child actress Jessica showed off her enviable figure in a psychedelic-design inspired bikini, showing off her taut stomach.

The mother-of-one showed off her flawless complexion by keeping her blonde locks off her face in a messy bun.

Rugged Jake also wore his long blond locks back from his face in a bun.

Helping hand: Jessica, 33, showed off her enviable figure in a psychedelic-design inspired bikini, showing off her taut stomach

His choice of polka-dot board shorts also appeared to compliment Jessica's fashion forward swimsuit.

Ever the gentleman, Jake remained by Jessica's side she climbed over rocks by the shoreline.

He could later be seen reaching out his hand to help pull Jessica up onto a rock which she was having difficultly mounting.

Carefree: The mother-of-one showed off her flawless complexion by keeping her blonde locks off her face in a messy bun

At one point Jake even appears to admire Jessica's pert cleavage as the pair stood together atop a large rock.

When the pair retreated to their towel they appeared to engage in a deep conversation before sharing a joke.

Last month Jessica and Jake were seen walking hand-in-hand amid reports he had introduced the actress to Hillsong Church.

According to Woman's Day the pair were spotted looking 'very much in love' after leaving a service at the church's Alexandria centre.Her pregnancy was the focus of the season.

So it comes as no surprise that Pumpkin's water broke as she sat down to film during Friday's season finale of Mama June: From Not to Hot on WEtv.

The 17-year-old first-time-mother rushed to the hospital to deliver her baby girl as Mama June trekked through a nearly seven-hour drive to be by her daughter's side.

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Oh no! So it comes as no surprise that Pumpkin's water broke as she sat down to film during Friday's season finale of Mama June: From Not to Hot on WEtv

'What does it feel like when your water breaks?' Pumpkin -real name Lauryn - asked as she sat down on a red couch to film.

While makeup artists were attending to the teen, a production manager was curious why the reality television star was asking.

'Either my water just broke or I peed on myself,' Pumpkin told a crew member before filming began.

Quick! The 17-year-old first-time-mother rushed to the hospital to deliver her baby girl as Mama June trekked through a nearly seven-hour drive to be by her daughter's side

'Either my water just broke or I peed on myself,' Pumpkin told a crew member before filming began in the home

Soon, the entire crew was rushing around the house to get the mother-to-be to the hospital, with Pumpkin telling her boyfriend Josh, 'I think my water just broke!'

Josh was quick to respond, 'But you're not due for another week!'

The episode was quick to go in reverse, showing the prior two-weeks when the entire family packed into the car to head to North Carolina for an important eye surgery for Mama June - real name June Shannon.

'My doctor called and we have to be here for five weeks,' Mama June told her family before going into surgery.

'My doctor called and we have to be here for five weeks,' Mama June told her family before going into surgery

After a seemingly successful surgery to correct her vision in one eye, Mama June relied on the help of her family to recover.

Alana - who goes by the moniker Honey Boo Boo - helped her mother set up a chair for her recovery, but couldn't get past the idea that her mom wouldn't be healthy enough to compete in her first pageant.

'How do you think mama's gonna practice for the pageant if she has to sit like this?' Alana questioned.

Healing: After a seemingly successful surgery to correct her vision in one eye, Mama June relied on the help of her family to recover

Questions: Alana helped her mother set up a chair for her recovery, but couldn't get past the idea that her mom wouldn't be healthy enough to compete in her first pageant

As Pumpkin grew closer to her due date, she realized she had to head home to be closer to her doctor for the delivery.

'I'm missing everything,' June said. 'I've been going through so much s*** my own self, that I haven't had time to sit down and talk to her to see what she's going through.'

One week after Pumpkin and Josh returned home, the soon-to-be-parents were heading to the hospital to deliver their baby girl, with Pumpkin hoping her mother could make the drive from North Carolina to be there.

'Me and the girls are really close and I cannot imagine not being there for one of the most important things in Pumpkin's life,' June said. 'If something goes wrong, I mean who is going to look after her? Josh? He's a freaking idiot.'

Due date! One week after Pumpkin and Josh returned home, the soon-to-be-parents were heading to the hospital to deliver their baby girl, with Pumpkin hoping her mother could make the drive from North Carolina to be there

June, Alana and Geno - June's boyfriend- make it to the hospital at the last minute for the birth of the little girl.

'I guess the feeling of becoming a new parent and having Pumpkin in so much pain and not being able to help ... it's rough,' Josh said through tears. 'It's a feeling like no other. It hits you real hard.'

Cameras peer into the room after 5:01 a.m. when the little girl was born.

'Everyone, meet Ella Grace,' Pumpkin said. 'She's seven pounds and 14 ounces ... and she is perfect.'

'It's one of the greatest days of my life and I'm so glad I was able to make it,' June said. 'Even if it did mess up one of my eyes it was all worth it to be able to be there for Pumpkin.'

'Everyone, meet Ella Grace,' Pumpkin said. 'She's seven pounds and 14 ounces ... and she is perfect'Despite being one of the busiest women in Sydney, she's constantly spending time with her young children Pixie, six, and Hunter, three.

So it was no surprise to see Roxy Jacenko in her native Bondi clambering into a children's sized motorised car on Saturday - her two kids equally enjoying the toy.

Wearing an understated white T-shirt and red shorts for the sunshine-filled outing, the 37-year-old donned sneakers to race the car up and down the street.

That's not a McLaren! Roxy Jacenko enjoyed a welcome day off with her children Pixie and Hunter on Saturday

While it's certainly a change from some of the more expensive cars Roxy has had the pleasure of driving, it nonetheless brought a smile to all of their faces.

It's not clear whether the car was gifted to the privileged kids or if Roxy and husband Oliver Curtis had purchased the toy.

Recently, Roxy sat down with the website Rescu for a lengthy interview ahead of International Women's Day on March 8.

Excited! While it's certainly a change from some of the more expensive cars Roxy has had the pleasure of driving, it nonetheless brought a smile to all of their faces

Get in we're going shopping! Wearing an understated white t-shirt and red shorts for the sunshine-filled outing, the 37-year-old donned sneakers to race the car up and down the street

Set to be released in full next week, the interview promises to reveal 'the real Roxy', illuminating 'the real woman behind the social media veil'.

Teasing the forthcoming chat, Roxy appears in a short video, saying she's 'super excited' to speak with the website for their 'women of influence' series.

Appearing dressed down for the chat, the blonde has her hair tied back into a tight bun and wears minimal make-up.

Casual chic: Roxy opted for understated attire for the occasion

Cute: Hunter and Pixie were having the time of their lives in the little vehicle

Conducting the interview is Roxy's pal Bahar Etminan, editor and founder of the Rescu website.

Having known the PR maven for more than a decade, Bahar told Daily Mail Australia that even she was 'shocked and surprised' to learn more about her close friend.

The self-made success story went from working at McDonald's to becoming a multi-millionaire after starting her PR agency Sweaty Betty at the tender age of 24.

Troubled past: Roxy's personal life is just as action-packed, having hit media headlines when her husband Oliver Curtis was jailed for twelve months for insider trading

Beep beep! Doting mum and high-powered businesswoman Roxy lent a helping hand

The tycoon now boasts three businesses, and is herself the ambassador of several high-powered brands.

Her personal life is just as action-packed, having hit media headlines when her husband Oliver Curtis was jailed for 12 months for insider trading.

The family is now reunited, with Roxy sharing adorable photos of her clan with her 213,000 Instagram followers.She made a name for herself in Baby Driver last year.

And Eiza Gonzalez proved to be the star of the show again as she dazzled in an polka dot Rasario gown in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The The 27-year-old actress put on a sophisticated display at the star-studded Women In Film Pre-Oscar Party.

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Glamour girl: Eiza Gonzalez, 27, dazzled in an polka dot Rasario gown in LA on Wednesday

Daring to impress, the Mexican-born beauty showcased her enviable figure in the strapless number that had a sweetheart cutout.

The white gown with black polka dots wrapped around her lithe waist as the hem cut just above her ankles.

Her flawless skin tone was on full display as she flaunted her smooth complexion with minimal makeup.

She kept her brunette tresses long and swept to one side as they cascade over her petite shoulders.

Impressive: Daring to impress, the Mexican-born beauty showcased her enviable figure in the strapless number that had a sweetheart cutout

Polka dots: The white gown with black polka dots wrapped around her lithe waist as the hem cut just above her ankles

Meanwhile, the actress is rumored to be dating the Transformers actor Josh Duhamel.

The pair reportedly met in in early February after Jennifer Lopez's pre-Super Bowl concert, according to US Weekly.

'They drank and partied together until very late,' an insider said. 'After, Josh reached out to a mutual friend and asked for Eiza's number.'

The new couple have apparently been secretly dating ever since and tried to keep it 'on the down-low.'

Duhamel and ex Fergie announced their intentions to part ways from their eight-year marriage in September 2017, but they continue to co-parent their four-year-old son Axl.She's a longtime devotee of yoga.

And Michelle Williams looked supremely calm and collected as she headed to a local studio in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday.

The Manchester by the Sea star, 37, kept warm wearing comfortable grey sweatpants paired with a bright red sweatshirt while on her way to an afternoon of stretching.

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Zen in the city: Michelle Williams visited a local yoga studio in Brooklyn on Friday

A bright red tartan scarf was wrapped around her neck as The Greatest Showman starlet hurried to class.

She hid her makeup-free face with a pair of dark round sunglasses and carried a gorgeous Louis Vuitton monogrammed bucket bag across her shoulder.

Sturdy white velcro sneakers were strapped to her feet as Michelle showed off her platinum blonde pixie cut.

Casual chic: Williams wore a pair of grey sweatpants and a red sweater with a tartan scarf

Oscar snub: The four-time Academy Award nominated actress was snubbed for her role in All the Money in the World

She credited meditation for helping her cope with the death of former partner Heath Ledger, while yoga helped her become 'a better person.'

'Yoga gave me relief like nothing else; it made me a better person and a better mother. I could come back to my daughter anew,' she told Marie Claire in 2011.

Williams, who has been nominated for four Academy Awards throughout her illustrious career, was recently snubbed by the Academy for her role in All The Money in the World.

Controversy: Williams co-starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Christopher Plummer

Take the lead: The mom-of-one took a lead role in the drama, her first since 2013

In her first leading role since 2013, the blonde beauty acted alongside Christopher Plummer and Mark Wahlberg in the drama about the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty's grandson John Paul Getty III in 1973.

Michelle previously received Oscar nominations for her work in Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn and Manchester By the Sea.

She has yet to win the coveted statuette although she has been honored with a Golden Globe Award in 2012 for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe.

The Academy did recognize Plummer's work in the film and he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award, making him the oldest nominee at the age of 88.Jay-Z took an aggressive lyrical shot at Trayvon Martin's killer George Zimmerman in his latest track, Top Off.

The 48-year-old rapper's harsh words came after Zimmerman, in December - claiming the rapper had a camera crew illegally trespassing on his property - vowed he would leave the rapper for dead if he continued with the intrusions.

On Friday, the Brooklyn-based artist answered back in the new song, which DJ Khaled produced.

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Pulling no punches: Jay-Z, 48, (L) takes an aggressive shot at Trayvon Martin's killer George Zimmerman, 34, (R) in his latest track, Top Off.

He rapped of Zimmerman, 'Georgie Porgie sinnin' and sendin' me threats/ Save your breath, you couldn't beat a flight of steps/ Try that s*** with a grown man/ I'll kill that f***boy with my own hand.'

Zimmerman, 34, told the Orlando Sentinel December of the hip-hop icon: 'I would beat him as if I was Solange and he would find himself coming out of the south side of a gator if he comes to Florida and bothers my family.'

The Florida man's reference to Solange was in regards to the fight she was in with the rapper in a New York City elevator after the 2014 Met Gala.

Zimmerman told The Blast that late last year, Jay-Z dispatched a camera team led by executive producer Michael Gasparro to homes owned by his parents and uncle in ambush fashion and 'harassed' them.

Zimmerman told the outlet, 'I know how to handle people who f*** with me, I have since February 2012' - presumably referring to his fatal shooting of Martin, 17, that month.

Making a statement: In his new song, Jay-Z rapped that he'd 'kill that f***boy with [his] own hand'

Rebuttal: The song came in response to Zimmerman's threat last year to leave Jay-Z for dead if they ever crossed paths

His bold statement toward Jay-Z late last year prompted a response from Jay-Z's rap peer Snoop Dogg, who vowed via social media that 'if one hair on Jays hair is touched thats when the revolution will b televised. ... Trayvon Martin Gone but not forgotten.'

Zimmerman, who claimed self-defense in his slaying of the unarmed teenager, was subsequently acquitted of second-degree murder in July of 2013.

The camera team was presumably on hand to film the six-part documentary titled Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story, which will be made by Paramount Network.

Master of many trades: Jay-Z was seen performing at the 2014 Grammys

On a related note, the documentary was initially slated to be a collaboration between Jay-Z and producer Harvey Weinstein, but the producer was removed from the project amid the dozens of accusations - ranging from sexual harassment and abuse to rape - he's faced the past six months. (Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.)

The series was linked to another controversy in recent months, as it's based off the book Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice by lawyer Lisa Bloom.

Bloom admitted on The View last November that Weinstein's decision to adapt her book into a miniseries last spring had clouded her judgment in her initial decision to represent the disgraced mogul amid his harassment case.

She resigned in October days after the initial stories broke, as dozens of other women emerged with horrific tales detailing their experiences with the producer.

'Im mortified I was connected to him in any way,' Bloom said of Weinstein.Rather than fur or leather, Kate Beckinsale opted to show some skin in a black feathered peplum top at the Women in Film cocktail party in Beverly Hills on Friday night.

The 44-year-old SAG Award nominee paired her pretty Ester Abner plumage with black cigarette pants and sheer Louboutin pumps selected by stylist Taylor Jacobson Wolf.

As usual, the Only Living Boy in New York actress - who relies on trainer Gunnar Peterson - kept her make-up minimal and sported her signature updo for the bash.

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Ruffled: Rather than fur or leather, Kate Beckinsale opted to show some skin in a black feathered peplum top at the Women in Film cocktail party in Beverly Hills on Friday night

While at the posh seafood restaurant Crustacean, Kate (born Kathrin) hung out with 1984 thespian Olivia Wilde looking sophisticated in a blue Bella Freud pantsuit.

The wisecracking brunettes were also joined at the 11th annual celebration of the 2018 female Oscar nominees by A Bad Moms Christmas' Kathryn Hahn and Pitch Perfect 3's Elizabeth Banks.

Missing from British-born Beckinsale's side Friday was her 22-year-old toyboy, TRL host Matt Rife, who shared a glam shot captured by lensman Ian Jay and styled by Khai St. Lawrence.

Chic: The 44-year-old SAG Award nominee paired her pretty Ester Abner plumage with black cigarette pants and sheer Louboutin pumps selected by stylist Taylor Jacobson Wolf

Birds of a feather: While at the posh seafood restaurant Crustacean, Kate (born Kathrin) hung out with 1984 thespian Olivia Wilde looking sophisticated in a blue Bella Freud pantsuit

Ballsy babes: The wisecracking brunettes were also joined at the 11th annual celebration of the 2018 female Oscar nominees by Kathryn Hahn (L) and Elizabeth Banks (R)

Meanwhile, the Underworld: Blood Wars stunner's 19-year-old daughter Lily Mo (with ex-partner Michael Sheen) posted a snap with pals Xander Klein and Ayanna Frey in her NYU dorm in Manhattan.

On February 17, Kate gave her 2.3M social media followers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at her bubble-bath on the set of Amazon and ITV's upcoming eight-episode thriller The Widow.

According to Deadline, the Love & Friendship actress portrays Georgia Wells, a woman who returns to the African Congo and her old life when she sees her 'late' husband on the news.

'You make me a better man all around': Missing from British-born Beckinsale's side Friday was her 22-year-old toyboy, TRL host Matt Rife, who shared a glam shot

'My dream podcast': Meanwhile, the Underworld: Blood Wars stunner's 19-year-old daughter Lily Mo (with ex-partner Michael Sheen) posted a snap with pals Xander Klein (M) and Ayanna Frey (R) in her NYU dorm in ManhattanIt's Sydney's biggest party of the year.

And celebrities are gearing up to celebrate the 40th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in style.

Ahead of the festivities on Saturday night, stars such as Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) and Imogen Anthony were sitting putting the final sparkling touches on their eye-catching outfits.

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Ready to party! Jesinta Franklin (nee Campbell) led the celebrities preparing to celebrate loudly and proudly at the 40th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney on Saturday night

Taking to Instagram Stories, former David Jones ambassador Jesinta documented her afternoon getting ready.

Showing some skin, Jesinta opted for a white leotard with sparking silver thigh-high boots.

Slicking her blonde hair back, she added a bold red lip to complete her party look.

Looking good! Taking to Instagram Stories, former David Jones ambassador Jesinta documented her afternoon getting ready

'Queer': Fiona Falkiner (right) and her girlfriend Lara Kreber were ready to party

Meanwhile, former Biggest Loser host Fiona Falkiner looked ready to party with her personal trainer girlfriend Lara Kreber.

In a snap shared on Instagram Stories, the stunner sparkled in a sequined black dress as her ladylove wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

The couple went public with their relationship late last year and appeared to be ready for a night of celebrations.

Swipe right for this group! Christian Wilkins (front) posed with boyfriend Andrew Kelly, publicist Montarna McDonald and another male pal

Not one to skip a big party, 'Prince' Christian Wilkins was gearing up to party at an event held by dating app, Tinder.

The socialite posed with his boyfriend Andrew Kelly and stunning publicist Montarna McDonald as they cruised down Oxford Street with another male pal.

The group certain made sure to capture attention with their Tinder tank-tops and rainbow body paint.

Pride parade! Showing off his sense of humour, Christian also shared this racy picture to Instagram

One star who will be attending the pride parade is Footy Show star Beau Ryan, who was seen honing his muscular frame on an exercise bike hours ahead of the big bash.

The macho star is set to appear as a drag queen on Saturday night, with the father-of-two telling Daily Mail Australia on Friday he's already had some practice, sometimes wearing his wife's pregnancy shorts.He is one of NRL's favourite larrikins who is willing to put himself out there for the laughs.

And Beau Ryan has taken it to the next level - dressing up in drag for the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Over the span of a few hours and plenty of makeup and glitter, the 32-year-old went from buff and brawny to gregarious glamazon.

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From king of the field to queen of the night! Beau Ryan has been transformed into stunning drag for the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Glamazon drag queen! The 32-year-old put on a gun show, flexing his bulging biceps before heading out onto the streets to chat with revelers for streaming company Stan

The 32-year-old put on a gun show, flexing his bulging biceps before heading out onto the streets to chat with revellers for streaming company Stan.

But before Beau was able to even step out of the room and on to Oxford Street, he had to undergo a lengthy beautification.

He got cosy for a long day in the makeup chair as the makeup artist ready to undertake the process.

Makeover! But before Beau was able to even step out of the room and on to Oxford Street, he had to undergo a lengthy beautification

Mirror, mirror: Beau got cosy for a long day in the makeup chair with the makeup artist ready to undertake the process

Following basic moisturising and priming, the makeup artist started by using a Q-tip to glue up his unruly eyebrow hairs to stand in one direction, before covering them with a light shade of concealer.

The artist continued to use the porcelain concealer down the bridge of his nose and under his eyes to create a highlight to the look.

After completing his foundation, she went on to draw thin and elongated brows on top of the makeup.

Look at him glow: Looking on with pride was his stunning wife Kara, who clearly could not help but be entranced with the his transformation thus far

All lashed up: Beau's next challenge was to get false top and bottom lashes to add some sassy flare, which the artist intensified with lashings of mascara

Capturing the moment: A friend watching the transformation captures parts of the process for the NRL Footy Show star

The professional followed that by creating a unique smokey eye shadow look using plenty of shimmer for a touch of sparkle.

Looking on with pride was the TV personality's stunning wife Kara, who clearly could not help but be entranced with the his transformation thus far.

Beau's face was then layered with highlighter along with very defined contours on his cheeks and along his nose for a fierce look.

Getting his pout on: To complete his full face of glam, the artist added thick, overdrawn lips

Perfect pink: Beau sat patiently as the artist cleaned up his makeup

Juicy lips: His pout was outlined with a vibrant purple liner and plumped with a pink lipstick

Peachy blush was added to the apples of his cheeks for a flushed-after-flirting look.

Beau's next challenge was to get false top and bottom lashes to add some sassy flare, which the artist intensified with lashings of mascara.

To complete Beau's full face of glam, the artist added thick overdrawn lips outlined with a vibrant purple liner and plumped with a juicy pink lipstick.

Glamming up: Taking inspiration from RuPaul's Drag Race, the former West Tigers winger donned an electric blue dress featuring layers upon layers of sparkling fringe

Breath in: The brawny former NRL player had to take a deep breath in to fit into his figure hugging dress

But the entire ensemble would not be complete without a slaying outfit and wig.

Taking inspiration from RuPaul's Drag Race, the former West Tigers winger donned an electric blue dress featuring layers upon layers of sparkling fringe.

His transformation was complete after his long blonde tresses were added.

Wigging out: His transformation was complete after his long blonde tresses were added

Blonde bombshell: The now-blonde turned heads putting on an 'eleganza extravaganza' in his saucy little number

The now-blonde turned heads putting on an 'eleganza extravaganza' in his saucy little number.

Sitting on the lap of a person dressed in a gimp-like outfit, he showed off his plump pout, smooth legs and white boots for the camera.

Check out those pins: Sitting on the lap of a person dressed in a gimp-like outfit, he showed off his plump pout, smooth legs and white boots for the camera

Making adjustments: Beau was forced to retire to a chair to adjust his crotch before strutting his stuff on Oxford Street

He was forced to retire to a chair to adjust his crotch before strutting his stuff on Oxford Street.

As Beau stepped out on to the avenue, he caught plenty of onlookers' eyes.

He caught the attention of one particular gent, who was bravely dressed in very revealing bondage-wear.

What's going on here? He caught the attention of a barely-dressed reveller who noticed something eye-catching in Beau's groin region

Cheeks on show: While it's not known what in particular caught the reveller's attention, the former Footy Show host seemed impressed by the leather-clad parader's exposed posterior

Making friends: The very tanned and bravely dressed Mardi Gras attendee shook hands with Beau

The barely-dressed reveller noticed something eye-catching in Beau's groin region.

He grabbed the former Footy Show host by the hips and squatted in front of him.

While it's not known what in particular caught the reveller's attention, the former Footy Show host seemed impressed by the leather-clad parader's exposed posterior.

With their cheeky interlude done, Beau continued to sashay his way around the Mardi Gras festival.

RuPaul Drag Race S10 comes out on March 23, streaming exclusively on Stan

Sass queen: With their cheeky interlude done, Beau continued to sashay his way around the Mardi Gras festivalHe leads British hopes to win an Oscar for his outstanding performance in Darkest Hour on the biggest showbiz night of the year.

And Gary Oldman, 59, was supported by his wife Gisele Schmidt at the Great British Film Reception, in Los Angeles, California on Friday.

The Oscar nominated actor and his glamorous wife were the picture of a newly wed couple when they cuddled up to each other on the red carpet.

Waiting for his finest hour! Dapper Gary Oldman cosied up to his wife Gisele Schmidt at star-studded Great British Film Reception on Friday ahead of glitzy Oscars

BAFTA winner Gary added a pop of colour to his ensemble when he accessorised with a red polka dot bow tie to complement his spotty shirt.

Meanwhile, Gisele looked stylish when she donned a semi-sheer blouse, sleek trousers and sky-scraper heels to the event.

Gary was every inch the leading man on the red carpet, which was no surprise as he has been nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for Darkest Hour.

Darkest Hour charts the British Prime Minister's torment when he is faced with the decision to either negotiate with Hitler or to wage war against all odds during the early days of World War II.

Kristin Scott Thomas plays opposite Gary as his on-screen wife Clemmie Churchill in the critically-acclaimed film.

Dapper man: BAFTA winner Gary added a pop of colour to his ensemble when he accessorised with a red polka dot bow tie to complement his spotty shirt

Oscar nominated Gary and his wife mingled with Hollywood's elite at the gala, which was held in honour of the British nominees for the 90th Academy Awards.

The Great British Film Reception bash was hosted by HM Consul General Mike Howells and BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman Kieran Breen.

No doubt the sexual harassment scandal that has caused a stir in Hollywood will dominate the star-studded ceremony.

Gary will rub shoulders with his first wife Lesley Manville at the Oscars as she has been nominated as best supporting actress.

Their 12-year-old son Alfie is said to be delighted that both of his parents have been nominated for the glitzy awards.

Lesley told The Daily Mail: The announcement came out at 5.30am in LA  lunchtime here. My son woke up Gary and said, Hey, Dad, youve got a nomination and  guess what?  so has Mum!

Alfie thought it was hilarious. Its a win-win for the family really. Its pretty big for him. A happy family story, then, but one tinged with a legacy of bitterness for the woman Oldman walked out on shortly after Alfie was born.'

As well as bagging a few awards for his performance, Gary revealed that he was in character as Winston Churchill when he proposed to his now-wife.

He joked with Jimmy Kimmel: 'We were down in the war rooms, and I took her into the back room. And as Winston Churchill, I said "Will you marry me?"'

The couple have gone from strength to strength since they exchanged vows in a romantic ceremony in California in August 2017.She was catapulted to international stardom with her sexy role in the Bond classic, The World Is Not Enough.

And Sophie Marceau still managed to ensure all focus on herself as she attended the 43rd Cesar Awards Ceremony in Paris -widely considered to be the French equivalent of the Oscars - on Friday evening.

The French actress, 51, showcased her slender figure in a plunging monochrome blouse and chic black trousers - a look which certainly caught the attention of actor Pierre Richard

Eternal: Sophie Marceau, 51, ensured all focus on herself as she attended the 43rd Cesar Awards Ceremony in Paris on Friday evening

Oh my! The French actress showcased her slender figure in a plunging monochrome blouse and chic black trousers - a look which certainly caught the attention of actor Pierre Richard

Marceau looked stunning in the wrap-around cream blouse which boasted a dangerously low-cut neckline - exposing a snippet of her black lace bra and ample assets.

She teamed the chic, yet sexy, look with a pair of black high-waisted trousers, which cinched in her tiny midriff with a satin bow-tie belt.

The Parisian stunner boosted her height in a pair of towering black heels and accessorised with a pair of dangling silver earrings.

Every inch the vision, Sophie sported short glossy brunette locks while her age-defying features were enhanced with a simple slick of make-up.

Beauty: Marceau looked stunning in the wrap-around cream blouse which boasted a dangerously low-cut neckline - exposing a snippet of her black lace bra and ample assets

Incredible: She teamed the chic, yet sexy, look with a pair of black high-waisted trousers, which cinched in her tiny midriff with a satin bow-tie belt

Standing tall: The Parisian stunner boosted her height in a pair of towering black heels and accessorised with a pair of dangling silver earrings

The on-screen talent looked in high spirits as she posed alongside her Madame Mills, une voisine si parfaite co-star

Best known in Britain for her role as troubled heiress Elektra King in James Bond film, The World is Not Enough, Sophie has been somewhat of a sex symbol since.

Packed with revealing outfits and enough steaminess to fill a train, like most Bond Girls, Sophie succumbed to the charms of Pierce Brosnan's Bond character.

Although her Bond girl days may be over, Sophie looked as though she hadn't aged in a bit in the the 18 years since the film was released.

Every inch the vision: Sophie sported short glossy brunette locks while her age-defying features were enhanced with a simple slick of make-up

Co-stars: The on-screen talent looked in high spirits as she posed alongside her Madame Mills, une voisine si parfaite co-sta

Iconic role: Best known in Britain for her role as troubled heiress Elektra King in James Bond film, The World is Not Enough, Sophie has been somewhat of a sex symbol since

Despite being an international sex symbol for many, Sophie previously admitted that she doesn't consider herself to be.

She told The Guardian: 'I've never really been beautiful. I'm photogenic, which is very important, and now I'm getting older I'm aware I have to take care.

I'm transformable, and you can do all sorts of different styles with me.

'I can be sexy or I can be not sexy at all. I don't want to be stuck in one thing, because I'm not myself one thing.'She is the former Biggest Loser contestant who proudly revealed her loving relationship with partner Lara Creber.

And Fiona Falkiner, 35, has dressed up and taken her pride to streets alongside other revellers at the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras.

The stunning workout enthusiast took to Instagram to share a snap of herself in her active-wear inspired costume glammed up with drag queens for the parade's Tinder float.

'Let the celebrations begin!' Fiona Falkiner, 35, has dressed up and taken her pride to streets alongside other revellers at the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras

She donned a fluro pink singlet top with a matching bright wig, as well as wrist sweat band and posed holding a peace sign up in the air.

Fiona captioned the post: 'Let the celebrations begin!!! Make sure you dont miss the @Tinder float tonight!! Happy 40th Mardi Gras!!!'

Alongside her was a blonde bombshell in a purple dress teamed with extravagant winged ears.

'Can't wait to see the Tinder Float - Rainbows, glitter and flags are prepped and ready to go - bring it on!' Earlier the 35-year-old revealed she is 'excited' dating app Tinder has partnered with the iconic festival

Loved up and proud: she also took to her Instagram story to share a snap of herself with her girlfriend Lara Creber bursting with gay pride ahead of the parade

One stunner dressed in a shoulder-less yellow jumpsuit with a matching wig, as another drag goddess - looking gorgeous in head-to-toe green - posed with a peace sign.

Another beauty opted for a ravishing red dress with a deep plunging neckline and a bold red wig, while the other two members of the photo donned rainbows on their outfits.

This comes after she took to her Instagram story to share a snap of herself with her girlfriend Lara Creber bursting with gay pride ahead of the parade.

'Ready to sparkle!' Fiona Falkiner said she 'can't wait' for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras after debuting relationship with girlfriend, Lara Creber last year

The TV presenter and her ladylove posed together in the mirror selfie, along with the caption: 'Happy Mardi Gras Sydney!!!', as well as a rainbow 'queer' sign.

She also took to Instagram to share a beaming photo of herself, enveloped in a kaleidoscope of colourful sparkles.

Fiona has shared a number of Instagram posts over the past fortnight expressing her excitement about the 2018 pride celebration.

'The countdown is on': Fiona said she was bursting with gay pride in anticipation of the 40th annual Gay and Lesbian Sydney Mardi Gras

The Aussie activewear designer revealed she was 'excited' dating app Tinder has partnered with the iconic festival for their 40th anniversary.

'Only 3 more sleeps until the 40th Mardi Gras celebrations, cant wait to see the Tinder Float - Rainbows, glitter and flags are prepped and ready to go - bring it on!!' she wrote alongside the multicoloured boomerang video.

The plus-size model confirmed her romance with personal trainer Lara in October 2017, after the couple met while travelling in South America.She announced she was retiring from swimwear modelling earlier this year.

But Imogen Thomas couldn't resist showing off her killer curves as she headed to a yoga session during her idyllic Fuerteventura getaway on Friday.

The former glamour model, 35, flaunted her ample assets in a sexy peach swimsuit as she practiced a number of poses on the beach.

Sizzling display: Imogen Thomas couldn't resist showing off her killer curves as she headed to a yoga session during her idyllic Fuerteventura getaway on Friday

The one-piece clung to Imogen's hourglass physique while its low scooping neckline teased a peek of her enviable cleavage.

The former Big Brother star went on to showcase her lithe limbs as she stretched and performed moves such as Namaste.

She styled her long brunette tresses back in a sleek plait and shielded her eyes from the suns rays with a pair of brown sunglasses.

Namaste: The former glamour model, 35, flaunted her ample assets in a sexy peach swimsuit as she practiced a number of poses on the beach

Relaxing: Following the sweaty yoga session, the brunette beauty looked effortlessly glamorous as she showed off her incredible physique while posing in front of a palm tree

Busty: The one-piece clung to Imogen's hourglass physique while its low scooping neckline teased a peek of her enviable cleavage

Natural beauty: She styled her long brunette tresses back in a sleek plait and shielded her eyes from the suns rays with a pair of brown sunglasses

Following the sweaty yoga session, the brunette beauty looked effortlessly glamorous as she showed off her incredible physique while posing in front of a palm tree and crystal blue pool.

Despite wowing in the peach one-piece, Imogen recently announced via Instagram that she was retiring from modelling her swimwear line.

Fans were shocked by the revelation, saying that the star has 'still got it'.

Imogen rose to fame on Big Brother back in 2006, but has since turned her hand to designing and released her own swimwear collection Chasing Summer.

In recent months, the model went under the knife to reduce her E-cup chest as she believed her bust to be 'saggy'.

Peachy: The one-piece showed off her toned back and perky derriere as she stretched on her yoga mat

Giving up the day job: Despite wowing in the peach one-piece, Imogen recently announced via Instagram that she was retiring from modelling her swimwear line

Following the surgery, the reality star has confidently showed off the results by modelling garments from her own fashionable range.

Imogen has previously discussed feeling uncomfortable with her large breasts in a candid interview with the MailOnline.

Before the operation, she explained: 'It's so hard because I'm naturally a curvy woman, but after having kids and getting older it's hard to maintain your figure. I hate my hips. I hate my boobs, they're too big.'

She and boyfriend Adam Horsley have been dating since 2011 and have two daughters together, Ariana, four, and Siera, two.

In one pose, the television personality lay on her back like a starfish

Calm: Imogen appeared thoroughly relaxed as she warmed up her muscles and worked on her flexibilityShe is a revered and iconic figure in the gay community who recently touched down in Sydney.

And Cher has made her debut appearance for the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

The age-defying 71-year-old made her way through the crowds of drag queens and revellers, with the help of her security entourage.

That's a fiery start! Cher has made her debut appearance for the 40th anniversary of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, her way through the crowds of drag queens and revellers, with the help of her security entourage

She turned heads in a vibrant voluminous burnt orange wig styled in loose waves with a blunt fringe stopping just above her bold brows.

Never one to shy away from showing off her assets, she put on a busty display flaunting her cleavage in black bondage style lingerie.

The pop goddess drew more attention to her chest area with her intricately sequined blazer that featured a plunging neckline.

For makeup, the Believe songstress opted for an eye-popping silver shimmer on her lids and lashings of mascara.

Party look! For makeup, the Believe songstress opted for an eye-popping silver shimmer on her lids and lashings of mascara

Friendly: She graciously spoke to the adoring Australian media at the parade, answering many of the pressing questions

To play up her party look she contrasted her lips by choosing a simple glossy pink lips.

She graciously spoke to the adoring Australian media at the parade, answering many of the pressing questions.

The Californian-born beauty then made her way to the Qantas float for the parade, as her classic hit songs If I Could Turn Back Time and Strong Enough played from the loud speakers.

The Californian-born beauty then made her way to the Qantas float for the parade, as her classic hit songs If I Could Turn Back Time and Strong Enough played from the loud speakers

Cher recently revealed that she was quite happy to be an icon for the gay community: 'Especially gay men, they either love you or dont even know youre on the planet!'

She added that from a young age she was been surrounded by people of diverse sexual orientations.

'I've known gay people since I was young, my mum had tons of gay friends, women and men. I just always took it in my stride,' she added.They watched their co-star Mettisse Campbell split the 40,000 prize fund with Sam Dewhurst, Jenny West and Mariam Musa.

And Georgia Cole headed out onto the showbiz circuit, in London with Georgie Clarke to celebrate the final of the show that made them famous on Friday.

The glamorous Survival Of The Fittest co-stars showed they had formed a close friendship on the show as they held hands on their night out.

Celebrating in style: Survival Of The Fittest star Georgia Cole flaunted her toned tummy in a cutaway jumpsuit as she celebrated the finale with busty Georgie Clarke in London on Friday

Fresh from South Africa, Cole showed off as much skin as possible in the cutaway of her striped Bardot jumpsuit to give onlookers a good look at her bronze tan.

The garment accentuated her sensational cleavage thanks to the cut of the one-piece and the decorative bow sewn onto the neckline.

Finishing off her glamorous looks, the blonde bombshell styled her locks in a poker straight fashion and she wore heavy touches of make-up.

Sensational stripes: Fresh from South Africa, Cole showed off as much skin as possible in the cutaway of her striped Bardot jumpsuit to give onlookers a good look at her bronze tan

Fabulous figure: The garment accentuated her sensational cleavage thanks to the cut of the one-piece and the decorative bow sewn onto the neckline

Meanwhile, Clarke shunned the cleavage or legs rule when she headed out in a plunging mini dress which grazed her thighs.

The reality star showed off her eye-popping cleavage in the very daring neckline of her patterned ensemble.

Glamorous Clarke put her enviable legs on parade in her glittering golden heels which she accessorised with a matching metallic bag.

Leggy lady: Clarke shunned the cleavage or legs rule when she headed out in a plunging mini dress which grazed her thighs

Beautiful brunette: The reality star showed off her eye-popping cleavage in the very daring neckline of her patterned ensemble

It is no surprise that the lovely ladies were joined by their handsome men for their night out in the British capital.

Despite being caught up in a love triangle on the show also involving James Middleton, Clarke finally set her heart on Ryan Clearly.

Meanwhile, Joel Bennett stayed true to his word when he said he'd like to date Cole when she was eventually booted out of the show.

Friends first: The glamorous Survival Of The Fittest co-stars showed they had formed a close friendship on the show as they held hands on their night out

Not ladies night! It is no surprise that the lovely ladies were joined by their handsome men for their night out in the British capital

In recent days, Cole made some very telling revelations about her hunky co-star James Middleton in an interview with The Sun.

The reality star claimed it was obvious to see that The Survival Of The Fittest hunk was still in love with his ex girlfriend Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo.

She told the publication: 'He's still in love with her. He said that they were together for a while and she finished things with him.

Could it be love? Joel Bennett stayed true to his word when he said he'd like to date Cole when she was eventually booted out of the show

Winning her heart! Despite being caught up in a love triangle on the show also involving James Middleton, Clarke finally set her heart on Ryan Clearly

'She wanted to focus on her career, going into the jungle. I do think he still quite likes her and I think he'd still be with her now if it wasn't for her breaking up with him.'

So it's no surprise that Clarke ended up with smitten Ryan who made it very clear he would like to pursue a romance with her.

The contestant revealed that he cleared the air with James over an awkward love triangle between the two of them and he was now free to see the beauty again.

Explained: The contestant revealed that he cleared the air with James over an awkward love triangle between the two of them and he was now free to see the beauty again

Ryan admitted that despite some early tensions, he and James buried the hatchet over their joint fancy for Georgie, but the pair were still outvoted when the Boys team chose to send her home.

He said: 'James obviously had the same interest but he was more discrete about that interest. But we spoke about it, we aired it out and were good now. Were like brothers.

'At the time we were both into Georgie and when she went it was rubbish. I did take a liking to her. When she was in the bottom three, the majority of the Boys had clearly said they didnt want her there.

It's love! Clarke linked arms with her handsome man when she headed through the rainy streets of the British capital on their night out

'Me and James did state our reasons why we wanted her to stay and how we felt about the decision, but we had decided as a team that we go with the majority decision, we dont argue about it, we stick together to make us go further in the competition.

'It was hard though. Im up for meeting Georgie, I think she is a beautiful girl. We had a lot in common and Id love to see her outside of The Lodge.'

Survival Of The Fittest crowned Mettisse Campbell the winner of the show, which was revealed when the finale aired on Friday evening.

She decided to split the 40,000 between her gal pals instead of her boyfriend Tristan Jones, who told her he loved her just 24 hours after meeting her.

Having a ball! The group of four celebrated the final of the show that made them famous

Revealed: Survival Of The Fittest crowned Mettisse Campbell the winner of the show, which was revealed when the finale aired on Friday evening



Her surgically-altered nose was revealed last week following a mystery procedure at a private Essex hospital.

And Danniella Westbrook proved she had healed just fine as she was seen braving the snowy climes in Essex on Friday night.

The former EastEnders star, 41, looked happy and healthy as she stepped out in high heeled boots and a chic all-black ensemble.

Casual outing: Danniella Westbrook, 41, proved she had healed just fine from a mystery nose procedure last week as she was seen braving the snowy climes in Essex on Friday night.

The former soap-star couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she made the stylish outing in a pair of black leggings, which boasted white lining down the side.

She teamed the look with a simple black top underneath a black jacket for extra warmth.

Danniella, who is expecting to start her own DJ tour next year, sported a sensational blow-dry while her features were enhanced with a glamorous coat of make-up.

Her sighting comes after she unveiled her newly-enhanced nose last week, during an impromptu visit to British brand Burberrys flagship store in the English capital.

Looking good: The former EastEnders star looked happy and healthy as she braved stepped out in high heels and a chic all-black ensemble

Her outing came several days after was seen leaving a private hospital in Essex, where she wore a large bandage across her nose, 17 years after cocaine abuse resulted in her septum collapsing.

The television personality underwent a face lift, as well as a breast augmentation in a bid to rejuvenate her appearance last year.

And while it was unclear what procedure she underwent, it seemed as though the Faith, Hope And Clarity author was keen on continuing her quest for perfection.

The mother-of-two recently released her own revenge porn photos to defeat a stalker she claims stole the photos and threatened to kill her and her children.

Danniella was driven to release the personal photos after claiming the stalker had made threats against her life and that of her two children Kai, 21 and Jodie, 16, and to take control back reports The Sun.

She nose what's up! Last week Danniella debuted her surgically-altered nose (pictured 2014)

Cosmetic surgery enthusiast: The television personality underwent a face lift, as well as a breast augmentation in a bid to recapture her youth last year

She claimed the stalker's two-year campaign of harassment worsened after they threatened to release the intimate photos stolen from her iCloud account - sent during a sexting session with a 21-year-old personal trainer she met on a dating app.

The star said she was 'petrified' by the messages, is unable to sleep at night and has become ill due to the stress of the harrowing messages.

'Rather than let someone hold me over a barrel... I thought it's just easier to put these pictures out [myself] - and say 'This is what I'm up against.'

'I've been f****** petrified of this woman. It started in 2016. It's been constant, for two years... week in week out.'

MailOnline has contacted Danniella Westbrook's representative for comment.She is famed for her sensational curves thanks to her modelling career.

And Ashley Graham, 30, put on a very busty display once again when she left the pre-Oscar WME party on the arm of Justin Ervin, in Los Angeles on Friday.

Shortly behind her husband, the plus size model displayed her envy-inducing hourglass in her LBD which clung to every inch of her fabulous figure.

Love is in the air! Ashley Graham showed off her envy-inducing curves in a LBD as she left the pre-Oscar WME party with her dapper husband Justin Ervin in Los Angeles on Friday

The raven-haired beauty showcased her shapely legs in the thigh-skimming garment which she teamed with a pair of pointed stilettos.

Meanwhile, her husband looked sharp in his navy tuxedo worn with shiny shoes for the ultimate style.

Chivalrous Justin was every inch the gentleman when he opened the door to their taxi home and helped his wife get inside the vehicle.

Adorable couple: The married lovebirds were the picture of newly weds as they looked closer than ever on their night out at the party ahead of the awards ceremony

Leggy lady: The raven-haired beauty showcased her shapely legs in the thigh-skimming garment which she teamed with a pair of pointed stilettos

As one of the leading American Plus-size models, of course Ashley was invited to the hottest pre-Academy Awards party ahead of the ceremony on Sunday.

The star-studded WME Oscar house party, ahead of the award's ceremony on Sunday, boasted of a V.I.P guest list including Robert Pattinson and newly married Emily Ratajkowski.

The Ashley and Justin love story out as a whirlwind romance as sparks flew when the lovebirds set their sights on each other at church 2009.

Who said romance was dead? Chivalrous Justin was every inch the gentleman when he opened the door to their taxi home and helped his wife get inside the vehicle

Despite their picture-perfect appearance, Ashley confessed it hasn't been plain sailing for the pair when she brought her African American beau to her Nebraska home to meet her family for the first time.

The plus size model admitted her initial fears in memoir A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty, and Power Really Look Like, as published in Glamour in the spring of 2017.

'I naively hoped everyone would be colorblind,' she wrote. 'I brought Justin home to Nebraska.

Pucker up! Ashley blew a kiss to waiting cameras and people as she headed home from the glitzy showbiz bash

'Now, I should probably mention that Justin is black, and that I didnt grow up around many black people. This was more than my mom knew; she didnt even see a black person in real life until she was 18 years old.

'When my grandparents met Justin, my grandmother was cordial but cold. She greeted him and immediately walked away. When it came time for them to leave, my grandparents didnt even acknowledge him.

'Instead my grandmother looked me in the eye, with Justin standing behind me, and said, 'Tell that guy I said goodbye.'"

Posing up a storm: The couple looked very smitten as they climbed into the cab following their fabulous night out with a whole host of stars

Going strong: The star-studded WME Oscar house party, ahead of the award's ceremony on Sunday, boasted of a V.I.P guest list including Robert Pattinson and Emily RatajkowskiRapper 50 Cent has used a shocking Rocky IV image to take a bitter shot at his long-time rival Rick Ross, who is fighting for his life in hospital.

While stars Missy Elliott and Sean 'Diddy' Combs lead a chorus of support and urged people to 'pray' for Ross, 50 Cent showed no mercy.

On Saturday, 50 shared a cruel note to Instagram that seems to refer to his enemy Ross' health as family members reportedly rushed to his bedside.

50 Cent posted a image of a scene from Rocky IV in which Ivan Drago stands over Apollo Creed as Creed is dying and says "If he dies, he dies".

The rappers have been at each other for years, with their animosity reaching fever-pitch when 50 posted a sex tape of one of Ross' former partners.

According to reports from multiple US outlets including TMZ and People, Ross was found to be 'unresponsive' after emergency services were called to his Miami home Thursday morning.

The 42-year-old musician and entrepreneur has received the support of his famous friends on Twitter, including many in the hip-hop world.

Industry support: Rick Ross was reportedly hospitalized Thursday after being discovered 'unresponsive' at his MIami home, prompting messages of encouragement from colleagues

TMZ reported that his condition was so dire, his family rushed to the hospital in a 'panic'.

Rapper Elliott wrote, alongside a praying hands emoji: 'I BELIEVE in the Power of Prayer. Sending Prayers up for Rick Ross.'

Combs said: 'Lets all pray for Rick Ross.'

Snoop Dogg said he was praying for 'my guy Rick Ross' and added: 'Hope you pull thru my brotha.'

'Everyone pray for my buddy @RickRoss to get well soon!' rapper Gucci Mane commented.

'Let's all pray for Rick Ross': MIssy Elliott (left) and Sean 'Diddy' Combs (right) are among stars who urged people to 'pray' for Ross

Actor and comedian Martin Lawrence tweeted: 'Prayers up for Rick Ross and his family.'

Usher wrote on the social media platform: 'Prayers up for @RickRoss,' adding an emoji of praying hands.

'Pray for Rozay!' exclaimed Trey Songz on Twitter, whilst LL Cool J wrote: 'Sending love and prayers up for Rick Ross and his family. Stay encouraged stay strong'.

TMZ has said that Rosss family have denied reports that the musician is on life support.

'Sending Prayers up for Rick Ross': Rapper Elliott wrote, alongside a praying hands emoji: 'I BELIEVE in the Power of Prayer'

Sending his love: 'Everyone pray for my buddy @RickRoss to get well soon!' rapper Gucci Mane commented

Star-studded tributes: Snoop Dogg (left) and Martin Lawrence (right), pictured together last Sunday, also both tweeted their support for Ross

Rapper Fat Trel, who is signed to Rosss record label MMG, has said that Ross is 'good' and is not on life support.

He posted on Instagram: 'JUS TALKED 2 MY BIG HOMIE HE GOOD HE IN DA HOSPITAL BUT HE IS NOT ON "LIFE SUPPORT"  HE GOOD.'

Ross, whose Christian name is William Leonard Roberts II, suffered two seizures within the space of six hours in 2011.

A representative for Ross has been contacted by the Press Association.





Giving his best: Usher wrote on the social media platform: 'Prayers up for @RickRoss,' adding an emoji of praying hands

Emoji quintet: 'Pray for Rozay!' exclaimed Trey Songz on TwitterShe split from her billionaire SpaceX founder beau for the second time in February, just two months after rekindling the flames of their fiery romance.

And Amber Heard risked running into her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk, 46, when they attended the same star-studded pre-Oscar WME party, in Los Angeles on Friday.

Johnny Depp's ex-wife, 31, looked exquisite when she left the bash in her pearl embellished gown which caught the glimmers of the spotlight.

Not ex-pecting to see you here! Amber Heard shimmered in her pearl embellished dress as she risked bumping into Elon Musk at SAME pre-Oscar WME party, in Los Angeles on Friday

Amber was a vision in her beaded dress, which featured tassels on the hemline which drew eyes to her enviable pins in her nude stilettos.

For further sparkle, the Friday Night Lights star accessorised with a dazzling sequinned handbag which was perfect for the occasion.

The actress added a splash of colour with her red lipstick and she wore her golden tresses in a loosely tousled style around her face.

Also outside the swanky venue at the same party was Elon, who was every inch the people pleaser when he waved to the Hollywood elite.

Ex-pecting it to be awkward? She split from her billionaire SpaceX founder beau for the second time in February, just two months after rekindling the flames of their fiery romance

The billionaire was impossible to miss in his lavish tuxedo and smart shirt as he commanded attention at the bash.

It is not known whether Amber and Elon bumped into each other at the glitzy showbiz party ahead of the Oscars on Sunday.

The star-studded WME Oscar house party boasted of a V.I.P guest list including Robert Pattinson and newly married Emily Ratajkowski.

MailOnline has reached out to the representatives of Amber Heard and Elon Musk for further comment.

The Amber and Elon love story hit headlines again in February after the exes called it quits a second time on their romance.

Pin-credible beauty! Johnny Depp's ex-wife, 31, looked exquisite when she left the bash in her pearl embellished gown which caught the glimmers of the spotlight

They rekindled the flames of their love for two months before they parted ways for good again. A source confirmed to TMZ, 'The relationship just kind of fizzled out.'

The blonde bombshell proudly showed off her new cover edition of Australia's GQ magazine of which she was bestowed the much-coveted title of Woman Of The Year.

Elon examined the glossy pages with great interest as the Aquaman star cosied up to her former flame over breakfast in Los Angeles.

Despite their cosy encounter, sources revealed the exes are 'definitely not back together' after the pictures emerged.

Beyond beautiful: Amber was a vision in her beaded dress, which featured tassels on the hemline which drew eyes to her enviable pins in her nude stilettos

'They sat next to each other, but were not affectionate,' an insider told People. 'They seemed to have a somber conversation. 'Theyre definitely not back together but have seen each other a couple times as friends.'

Amber initially went public with their romance in April 2017 when she shared a couples picture of the pair at dinner with the caption 'cheeky'.

The blonde bombshell marked her territory with a scarlet lipstick print on Elon's cheek as they enjoyed a cosy candle lit dinner. Amber and Elon were blissfully happy for a year before they broke up in August 2017.

Feeling hot? The actress peeled off her chocolate coloured coat when she headed home from the star-studded bash

The hunk discussed his break up with Amber for the first time in an emotional interview for the cover edition of The Rolling Stones.

The businessman told how he was left 'hurting badly' and torn apart by their split as he revealed she had broken up with him.

'I just broke up with my girlfriend. I was really in love and it hurt bad. Well, she broke up with me more than I broke up with her, I think,' he admitted.

'If I'm not in love, if I'm not with a long-term companion, I cannot be happy. I will never be happy without having someone. Going to sleep alone kills me.'

Pins on parade: Johnny Depp's ex gave onlookers a good glimpse at her tremendous legs when she got into the waiting car on her way home

Amber's romance with Elon followed her very public split with fellow actor Johnny Depp, 53, whom she married in 2015.

She filed for divorce from Johnny in May last year amid allegations the Oscar-nominated actor abused her, claims which he denied.

Their separation was finalised in January, with Johnny agreeing to hand over $9.3 million to his wife of 14 months.

Cosy! The blonde bombshell displayed her hourglass figure in the form-fitting dress which caressed every inch of her petite physique

Meanwhile, Elon was granted a second divorce from actress Talulah Riley in November 2016. They were married for two years before they divorced for the first time in 2012.

The couple decided to give their love one more try when they remarried in 2013 but they were only together a year before Elon filed for a second divorce.

They raise six children together: Damian, Xavier, Kai, Griffin, Saxon and Nevada.She's been juggling motherhood and a busy career launching brand new endeavour Mummy Tribe.

And Binky Felstead has found a way to combine the two as she led a Q&A session on Balancing Motherhood & Wellbeing at the Baby Show 2018 at the ExCel London on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Made in Chelsea star looked ever the doting mum as she toted nine-month-old daughter India in her arms as she checked out the latest baby trends and spoke about her new business - which promotes wellness for new mums and their babies.

Doting mum: Ex-Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead rocked a simply chic black ensemble as she carried adorable daughter India around the Baby Show in London on Saturday

Binky - real name Alexandra - looked effortlessly chic in a simple black roll neck jumper and cropped denim jeans, perfectly showing off her post-baby slim physique.

Strolling around the exhibition centre in comfortable white trainers, Binky tried out some of the new gadgets around the show, before heading on stage for the Q&A session.

Binky's signature brunette tresses fell by her shoulders in a natural wave, while nude make-up accentuated her facial features.

Fashion forward: Binky - real name Alexandra - looked effortlessly chic in a simple black roll neck jumper and cropped denim jeans, perfectly showing off her post-baby slim physique

Mini-me: While toting her little one, the reality starlet carried a chic cross-body bag with a sophisticated gold strap that complemented her delicate dragonfly necklace

The reality starlet carried a chic cross-body bag with a sophisticated gold strap that complemented her delicate dragonfly necklace.

Mini-me India clearly followed in her mum's fashionable footsteps as she wore an adorable nautical stripe dress with cute blue leggings.

Matching her manicure to her dark ensemble, Binky looked right at home as she broached the mum-and-baby subjects in front of a full crowd.

Binky and her boyfriend Josh Patterson, 28, shocked fans when they revealed they were expecting a baby together in early 2017, admitting they weren't in a relationship when India was conceived.

So cute! The 27-year-old Made in Chelsea star looked ever the doting mum as she toted nine-month-old daughter India in her arms as she checked out the latest baby trends

Talking to MailOnline in February, Binky revealed she and Josh are in no rush to tie the knot, but the reality star did admit she is keen to have 'a couple more' children in the future.

'I would like a couple more one day,' Binky said. 'I want to give my children what I had growing up, which was the best childhood ever. I have such fond memories, so would love the same for India; a big house in the country with lots of animals.

Binky admitted she has always been a maternal figure and 'loves' being a mummy to India, but joked she was somewhat peeved that her little girl's first word was 'dada'.

New trends: Strolling around the exhibition centre in comfortable white trainers, Binky tried out some of the new gadgets around the show, before heading on stage for the Q&A session

'I love being a mummy. I've always been quite maternal,' she told MailOnline. 'She's got a lovely little character, she's quite cheeky.

'She's saying Dada now, which is irritating. Just Dada, so we had to have words about that the other day. I've been told its much easier to say than Mama.

'Until she's one, she doesn't understand so we're just going with that. But Josh is convinced she knows what she's saying.'

Meet and greet: Matching her manicure to her dark ensemble, Binky looked right at home as she broached the mum-and-baby subjects in front of a full crowd

Yummy mummy: Binky led a discussion called Balancing Motherhood & Wellbeing at the Baby Show

Although India's arrival came as a surprise to Binky and Josh, the fashion designer insisted being a mother hasn't changed her daily life too much, and she's 'much happier' since giving up her party lifestyle and leaving Made In Chelsea.

Binky told MailOnline: 'I feel like it hasn't completely changed. I can take India to meetings and jobs, I've got a creche in my gym so try and go as much as I can in a week.

'She's a very easy baby so she doesn't scream the house down. Please God may it continue.

'I feel like I've found a really lovely routine going so that's quite important. I love getting up and knowing what I'm doing, it was all a bit hectic with filming but now I'm much happier.'

Learning more: Binky appeared impressed with one of the products on the convention floor

Happy family: The reality star is a doting mother to adorable baby daughter, India, eight months, with boyfriend Josh Patterson

Yummy Mummy! Amy Childs looked sophisticated in a cream trench coat and skinny jeans as she paraded her latest pram designs whilst also at the Baby Show

Two's company: McFly's Danny Jones and his wife Georgia Horsley also attended the show two months after welcoming their first child together, a sonShe has been at the forefront in campaigning for the ongoing culture change in Hollywood, after speaking about the grim details of Harvey Weinstein's alleged assault in a new memoir.

And Rose McGowan ensured she stood out from the crowd as she attended the Vivienne Westwood show during Paris Fashion Week on Saturday.

The American actress, 44, cut a chic figure in a silky black trench coat and matching trousers.

Standing out from the crowd: Rose McGowan looked every inch the leading lady as she attended the Vivienne Westwood show during Paris Fashion Week on Saturday

She teamed the look with a pink and quilted khaki jumper and toughened up the feminine outfit with chunky black boots.

Rose added a touch of wax to her cropped brunette tresses and complemented her sophisticated ensemble with an understated sweep of mascara, blush-swept cheeks and a slick of bright red lipstick.

The Brave author sat front row alongside stylist Luka Sabbat for the outdoor presentation.

Sartorially savvy: The American actress, 44, cut a chic figure in a silky black trench coat and matching trousers

Model looks: Ahead of the show she donned a pair of black aviators as she posed up a storm the cameras

Working the cameras: The Charmed star oozed confidence as she showed off her stylish outfit ahead of the show

Bold: Rose added a touch of wax to her cropped brunette tresses and complemented her sophisticated ensemble with an understated sweep of mascara and red lip

Earlier this week, The New York Times published excerpts from her memoir Brave, in which she recounted the alleged assault she suffered at the hands of the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.

In the book she claims she had an appointment with Weinstein on the day of the incident but arrived to learn her breakfast meeting had been moved to his hotel suite.

Once she got to the suite, she claims that Weinstein tore off her clothing, made her sit on the edge of the Jacuzzi in his suite and proceeded to perform oral sex on the actress while masturbating himself to completion.

Stylish: The American actress she sat front row alongside stylist Luka Sabbat for the outdoor presentation

Hard-hitting: The New York Times published excerpts from her memoir Brave, in which she recounted the alleged assault she suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein

Soon after this alleged assault, McGowan received a $100,000 settlement from the disgraced mogul.

Through his lawyers, Weinstein denied the incident.

It's been an emotional time for McGowan, who recently spoke out following the death of her former manager Jill Messick, who took her own life last month.

Rose said, 'For Jill: May your family find some measure of solace during this pain.'

Daring to be different: The catwalk was awash with an array of eccentric ensembles which featured ruffles and sweeping fabrics

In the name of fashion: Another model rocked a chiffon brown feather print dress and an elaborate head piece

Eye-catching: The designer certainly wasn't afraid to be different with an array of bridal inspired outfits

Clashing patterns: One model strutted down the runway in dappled blue leggings and a chic floral blouse

Turning heads: Vivienne Westwood took to the catwalk in a brightly coloured knitted jumper and floral dressShe has swapped the snow-covered streets of London for the fashionable catwalks of Paris.

And Lottie Moss, 20, looked positively radiant when she arrived at Gare du Nord in Paris, France during Paris Fashion Week on Saturday.

Well recognised on the showbiz circuit and at her Chelsea haunts with the MIC crowd wearing lots of make-up, the model looked worlds away from her glamour.

Moss be good genes! Make-up free Lottie looked fresh faced as she displayed her natural beauty on arrival in Paris, France during PFW on Saturday

Alex Mytton's ex-girlfriend proved her supermodel half-sister Kate Moss' good looks ran in the family as she displayed her face without the enhancement of make-up.

However, the style maven suffered a wardrobe malfunction when her white bra was visible through her grey sweater.

Of course she's on trend with the hottest catwalk looks, so Lottie headed out into the streets of Paris in PVC trousers which clung to her curves.

Good looking: Well recognised on the showbiz circuit and at her Chelsea haunts with the MIC crowd wearing lots of make-up, the model looked worlds away from her glamour (R)

She's a natural! Alex Mytton's ex-girlfriend proved her supermodel half-sister Kate Moss' good looks ran in the family as she displayed her face without the enhancement of make-up

The rising starlet couldn't contain her excitement on social media for her brief trip to the city of Love, as indicated by her small carry-on pink suitcase.

'Can't wait to get away from this cold,' she penned via her Instagram stories during her travels. 'Trains are boring,' she later updated her followers on social media.

Lottie first secured the attention of model scouts at the tender age of 13 for her youthful beauty at her older half-sister's wedding to rocker ex-husband Jamie Hince.

Model looks: Of course she's on trend with the hottest catwalk looks, so Lottie headed out into the streets of Paris in PVC trousers which clung to her curves

The supermodel's little sister was well and truly in the mood for Paris Fashion Week as she recently launched her own clothing line Moss x PacSun collection.

It is a capsule range inspired by Brigitte Bardot comprising festival pieces such as sun dresses, play suits, vests and skimpy hot pants.

Lottie is following in the star-studded footsteps of her supermodel half-sister Kate as she worked on her own eponymous range for Topshop since 2007.He has been nicknamed Buster by his dad David since the day he was born.

And Brooklyn Beckham sported the sweet moniker on the back of his personalised jacket as he stepped out in NYC on Saturday.

The photography student, who will celebrate his 19th birthday on Sunday, appeared in high spirits as he went for breakfast with his mum Victoria.

Childhood nickname: Brooklyn Beckham sported the sweet moniker 'Buster' on the back of his jacket as he stepped out in NYC on Saturday

The black jacket was in-keeping for his pre-birthday celebrations, as it featured the '1999' - the year he was born- below his nickname.

Brooklyn also paid tribute to Victoria with a heart emblazoned with the word 'Mum' above his chest while the other side of the jacket sported the U.K flag in a nod to his home roots.

He paired the look with a simple white t-shirt, black chinos and preppy plimsolls.

Trendy:The black jacket was in-keeping for his pre-birthday celebrations as it featured the year '1999' - which was when he was born- below his nickname

Sweet: Brooklyn also paid tribute to Victoria with a heart emblazoned with the word 'Mum' above his chest while the other side of the jacket sported the U.K flag

Meanwhile Victoria looked sartorially savvy in a cosy red knit, a mid-length tartan skirt and brown boots.

She styled her brunette tresses back in a neat ponytail and paired the look with an oversized pair of sunglasses.

The jacket is a nod to David's 'Buster' tattoo on his neck, written in a curly cursive font above a little black love heart.

The father-of-four shared the inking on Instagram and wrote: 'I've always called Brooklyn (Buster) since the day he was born.... Love you Bust @brooklynbeckham'

Stylish: Meanwhile Victoria looked sartorially savvy in a cosy red knit, a mid-length tartan skirt and brown boots

Quirky: He paired the look with a simple white t-shirt, black chinos and preppy plimsolls

Close bond: The mother-son outing comes after Victoria, 43, jokingly branded herself a 'terrible mother' on Instagram as she packed her other children off to school in the snowy weather

And Brooklyn followed in his father's footsteps three years later, as he unveiled the same sweet moniker in an inking just above his bellybutton.

The mother-son outing comes after Victoria, 43, jokingly branded herself a 'terrible mother' on Instagram as she packed sons Romeo, 15, Cruz, 13, and daughter Harper, six, off to school in the inclement weather.

Sharing a snap of her boys wearing sad expressions on their faces, she wrote: 'When Mum makes u go to school in the snow (And your friends don't go!) #terriblemother.'It's four years since they both starred in The Wolf Of Wall Street.

And Leonardo DiCaprio was obviously delighted to see Margot Robbie at talent agency CAA's pre-Oscars party at the La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood on Friday evening ahead of Sunday's awards ceremony.

The 43-year-old gave Margot, 27, a big hug after chatting as they waited for their cars to be returned by the valets.

Cuddling up: Leonardo DiCaprio gave his Wolf Of Wall Street co-star Margot Robbie a big hug as they waited for their cars at CAA's pre-Oscars party on Friday evening

Screen romance: Margot played Leo's love interest in 2013's The Wolf Of Wall Street

Both were warmly dressed on a cold and rainy night in Los Angeles.

The beautiful blonde wore a red and black plaid pants suit with perilously high-heeled stilleto pumps.

Leo, who donned a black cap, turned the collar of his bomber jacket up which he teamed with black pants and white sneakers.

Margot had plenty to celebrate as she is Oscar nominated in the best actress category for I, Tonya, the biopic about ice skater Tonya Harding.

Crowd of celebs: The 43-year-old gently placed his hand on the 27-year-old's back outside the La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood

Enjoying a chat: The couple are next due to reunite in director Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, set for release on August 9, 2019

The couple along With Brad Pitt are due to star in director Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, set for release on August 9, 2019.

Leo isn't Oscar nominated this year, but he won for best actor in 2016 for his role in The Revenant.

Meanwhile, Margot wasn't the only actress that caught Leo's eye that night.

Another beauty: Leo also bumped into British Harry Potter star Emma Watson, 27, on his way out of the bash and gave her an enthusiastic hug

He also bumped into British Harry Potter star Emma Watson, 27, on his way out of the bash and gave her an enthusiastic hug.

Meanwhile, Leo has three other films lined up in the coming months.

They are Mafia drama The Black Hand and murder tale Killers Of The Flower Moon, both in pre-production, plus director Martin Scorsese's recently announced biopic Roosevelt in which he plays President Theodore Roosevelt.Kylie Jenner has shared a first look at Stormi's face.

The 20-year-old reality TV siren took to Snapchat on Saturday to post a short clip of the little girl she welcomed on February 1 with beau Travis Scott.

In the clip, the child is sucking on a purple pacifier as she looks at the camera while wearing white mittens. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star captioned the image, 'My pretty girl.'

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Here she is! Kylie Jenner has shared a first look at Stormi's face. The 20-year-old reality TV siren took to Snapchat to post a short clip of the little girl she welcomed in February with beau Travis Scott

Already a good head of hair: Little Stormi Webster had plenty of locks and long eyelashes

The first look: Here she is seen holding Stormi earlier this week, but the face could not be seen

Kylie added a filter that looked cute for the little newborn, Kylie's first child. The images were of little fires around her head.

This comes after she shared a photo where she was holding Stormi outside her Hidden Hills, California mansion but her face could not really be seen well, only the side of her head.

Kylie was criticized for having long nails in the photo.

'She absolutely gets her hands dirty changing diapers on the regular and makes sure Stormi is eating and sleeping enough,' they told PEOPLE.

Mom duty: Fans and haters are going berserk trying to figure out how Jenner is taking care of baby Stormi with long fingernails

A source came to the new mom's rescue when they told PEOPLE that 'she absolutely gets her hands dirty changing diapers on the regular and makes sure Stormi is eating and sleeping enough'

Another look at the child: She also shared this photo last month, but Stormi's face could not be seen too well

Fans were floored that the Life of Kylie star even has time to put on makeup on with the responsibility of taking care of an infant.

Many saw her lengthy nails as reason to call her a bad mother.

'Don't want to be a b****, but the length go Kylie Jenner's nails tell me all I need to know about her parenting or lack there of,' said one Twitter user.

And others just aren't convinced that it is possible to change a dirty diaper with claws like that.

'I want to know how she changes her babes diaper with two inch nails and I struggle with not getting poo under my millimeter nails,' said one bewildered mother in a tweet.

Already slender again: The makeup mogul posted this photo in her undies to Instagram

No fat from the baby: And the daughter of Kris Jenner also shared this profile image with the caption, '1 monthhhhhh'

While Jenner has enlisted the help of several nannies and assistants, the source told PEOPLE that 'she's a really great mom,' and that 'she's incredibly hands-on.'

A source who recently talked with E! News gave the media outlet an update on Kylie's first few weeks post birth.

'It's been a big adjustment for Kylie, but she's loving be a mom and watching all of the little things that Stormi is doing each day. She's exhausted and emotional, but she's also completely in love.'

Kylie recently admitted she couldn't stop staring at her baby and has noticed a resemblance to herself in her little one.

When asked by a fan on Twitter how Stormi is doing, Kylie replied: 'She's good, still staring at her all day.'

Kylie's partner Scott, 25, seems to be just as in love with his little girl.

He displayed his parental pride on social media, when he took to Snapchat to share a shot of Stormi sporting a pink sweater bearing the word 'Daddy' inside a heart.

Captioning the image, he wrote: 'My lil mama 1 month today... her favorite unit of course.'

So sweet: Travis Scott shared an image of Stormi sporting a pink sweater that said 'Daddy' inside a heart as she turned one monthAdvertisement

The blue carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards kicked off in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday afternoon.

Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan and Allison Janney all stood out in unusual colors or prints as they posed up a storm for the annual awards show, which comes one day before the Oscars.

Also at the event were Salma Hayek, Emily Ratajkowski, Amanda Seyfried, Greta Gerwig and Sarah Silverman.

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Unusual looks: The blue carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards kicked off in Santa Monica, California , on Saturday afternoon. Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan and Allison Janney all stood out in unusual colors or prints as they posed up a storm

Stunner Margot looked toned as she flashed her legs in a leopard print dress with black chunky shoes.

Actress Ronan chose a green and gold mini dress, adding sweet looking gold heels with a bow on top.

And Hollywood vet Janney revved up the sex appeal in a lovely pink dress that had matching shoes.

Lovely: Newlywed Emily Ratajkowski wore a brown satin dress with clever black velvet straps that tied on top of her shoulders

Newlywed Emily, best known for her lingerie shoots, wore a brown satin dress with clever black velvet straps that tied on top of her shoulders.

Mama Mia actress Seyfried made the most of her svelte post-baby body with a white lace dress that had cut-away on the waist.

Hayek, 51, of Frida fame was a vision in a tight black dress as she cuddled up to her fashion executive husband Francois-Henri Pinault who she wed in 2009 and has one child with.

Greta Gerwig, who directed Lady Bird, wore a blue dress with white lace trim and black heels.

Her big day: Greta Gerwig, who directed Lady Bird, wore a blue dress with white lace trim and black heels

Go girl: Mama Mia actress Seyfried made the most of her svelte post-baby body with a white lace dress that had cut-away on the waist

Zoey Deutch was one of the first to arrive for the daytime event as she shined in a black off-the-shoulder dress that had double-breasted buttons and came below the knee. The redhead had her hair up and wore pretty light pink makeup.

The 23-year-old Why Him? actress added pointy black slingback heels that added five inches to her 5ft4in frame.

Comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney are hosting the event which takes place just yards from the Pacific Ocean.

Bringing the sizzle: Salma Hayek, 51, of Frida fame was a vision in a tight black dress

Lasting love: She cuddled up to her fashion executive husband Francois-Henri Pinault who she wed in 2009 and has one child with, daughter Valentina

Lovely look: The blue carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards kicked off in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday afternoon with actress Zoey Deutch

Glam slam ma'am: Deutch was one of the first to arrive for the daytime event as she shined in a black off-the-shoulder dress that had double-breasted buttons and came below the knee

Classy kicks: The 23-year-old Why Him? actress added pointy black slingback heels that added five inches to her 5ft4in frame

Allison Janney of the Tonya Harding film I, Tonya stood out in a hot pink dress that left a bare shoulder.

The Moms actress also had on sexy, strappy heels in satin that showed off a cute pedicure.

The West Wing vet, who stars in the ice skating drama with Margot Robbie, wore her hair back and had on dangling green earrings.

The 58-year-old seemed to be in great spirits but did not seen to be with her beau Philip Joncas, but she did have a nice big green stone on her wedding finger though that could have been a promise ring.

All suited up: Robert Pattinson and Sarah Silverman both wore blazers and slacks, with Sarah finishing off her look with a pair of Sam Edelman shoes

Ready to go green: Allison Williams looked ravishing in an emerald velvet gown

Looking haute: Allison Janney of the Tonya Harding film I, Tonya stood out in a hot pink dress that left a bare shoulder

Good kicks: The Moms actress also had on sexy, strappy heels in satin that showed off a cute pedicure

Pretty lady: The West Wing vet, who stars in the ice skating drama with Margot Robbie, wore her hair back and had on dangling green earrings

Bling it on: The 58-year-old seemed to be in great spirits but did not seen to be with her beau Philip Joncas, but she did have a nice big green stone on her wedding finger though that could have been a promise ring

Also at the event was Kunail Nanjani and his wife Emily V Gordon who wore a T-shirt dress in blue and white.

Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is best known for being a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley.

Dree Hemingway from The Disaster Artist wore a polka-dot gown that button up and came down to the floor. At one point she pulled out the skirt portion of her dress to show how material there was.

Coupled up: Also at the event was Kunail Nanjani and his wife Emily V Gordon who wore a T-shirt dress in blue and white

Details: Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is best known for being a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley

Colorful: From left to right, Ana Asensio in a blue cocktail dress, Natasha Romanova in a giraffe, zebra and leopard print dress and Yolanda Ross in a brown and white number

They sure stand out: Georgie Greville wore a purple dress while Geremy Jasper lit up the carpet in a red suit

The 30-year-old star, who used to be blonde, wore her brunette locks down.

Nnamdi Asomugha, who is nominated for Best Supporting Male, was the image of chic in a burgundy suit he teamed with wine-colored shoes, a white dress shirt and a walnut brown tie.

Elizabeth Olsen of Wind River showed off her sculpted legs in a see-through lacy scarlet dress, which was hemmed around mid-calf and swirled with floral embroidery.

Hello, gorgeous: Nnamdi Asomugha, who is nominated for Best Supporting Male, was the image of chic in a burgundy suit he teamed with wine-colored shoes, a white dress shirt and a walnut brown tie

She looks fabulous: Elizabeth Olsen of Wind River showed off her sculpted legs in a see-through lacy scarlet dress, which was hemmed around mid-calf and swirled with floral embroidery

Elegance: Janelle Monae was glamour personified in an elaborately frilly Martha Medeiros look that featured a floor-length black skirt, which she teamed with an intricately patterned short-sleeved top and a wide-brimmed black hat

Janelle Monae was glamour personified in an elaborately frilly Martha Medeiros look that featured a floor-length black skirt, which she teamed with an intricately patterned short-sleeved top and a wide-brimmed black hat. She then accessorized with Sylva & Cie rings.

John Mulaney, one of the comperes of the evening's festivities, clashed a pinstriped blue suit elegantly against a print grey pocket square and maroon tie, posing on the arm of his wife Annamarie Tendler.

He also got himself photographed alongside his hunky co-host Nick Kroll, who smoldered in a checked blue suit.

Cute couple: John Mulaney, one of the comperes of the evening's festivities, clashed a pinstriped blue suit elegantly against a print grey pocket square and maroon tie, posing on the arm of his wife Annamarie Tendler

Swells: He also got himself photographed alongside his hunky co-host Nick Kroll, who smoldered in a checked blue suit

Cute couple: Sam Rockwell, who has a nod for Best Supporting Male by way of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, had on a sleek brown three-piece suit and a print green shirt and posed with his partner Leslie Bibb

Sam Rockwell, who has a nod for Best Supporting Male by way of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, had on a sleek brown three-piece suit and a print green shirt, as well as a Time's Up pin.

He left a couple of buttons open over his chest and posed alongside his actress partner Leslie Bibb, who stunned in a glistening green sleeveless jumpsuit with a plunging neckline.

Ethan Hawke complemented his grizzled beard with a fossil grey suit, going with no tie over his white dress shirt and popping on a pair of sheeny black dress shoes.

Bringing the look together: Ethan Hawke complemented his grizzled beard with a fossil grey suit, going with no tie over his white dress shirt and popping on a pair of sheeny black dress shoes

Striking: Timothee Chalamet, whose work in Call Me By Your Name has earned him a nod for Best Male Lead, wore an outfit that prompted the award show's hosts to joke that he looked like he worked at a gas station

Flattering his figure: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's perfectly fitted suit was a charcoal shade that went elegantly with his greyish-purple tie, and he clove to a classic look with a pristine white dress shirt

Timothee Chalamet, whose work in Call Me By Your Name has earned him a nod for Best Male Lead, wore an outfit that prompted the award show's hosts to joke that he looked like he worked at a gas station.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's perfectly fitted suit was a charcoal shade that went elegantly with his greyish-purple tie, and he clove to a classic look with a pristine white dress shirt.

Jordan Peele, who has a Best Director nod for Get Out, wore a scarlet blazer with a pair of black trousers and posed with his jumpsuit-clad wife, fellow comedian Chelsea Peretti.

A couple that laughs together: Jordan Peele, who has a Best Director nod for Get Out, wore a scarlet blazer with a pair of black trousers and posed with his jumpsuit-clad wife, fellow comedian Chelsea Peretti

So stylish: Daniel Kaluuya, the nominated leading man of Get Out, wore a striped charcoal suit with a lighter print pocket square, a maroon dress shirt and a shining royal purple tie

Classic: Molly Shannon exuded old-school glamour in a floor-length midnight blue gown with a hem long enough to turn into a bit of a train behind her

Daniel Kaluuya, the nominated leading man of Get Out, wore a striped charcoal suit with a lighter print pocket square, a maroon dress shirt and a shining royal purple tie.

Molly Shannon exuded old-school glamour in a floor-length midnight blue gown with a hem long enough to turn into a bit of a train behind her.

Luca Guadagninos Call Me by Your Name leads the nominations with six, including best director, best actor for Timothee Chalamet, and best supporting actor for Armie Hammer.

Jordan Peeles Get Out follows with five nods, including best feature, best director, and best screenplay.

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Salma Hayek (Beatriz at Dinner), and Robert Pattinson (Good Time) are among the other acting nominees.

Dapper in dark colors: Jason Clarke smiled as he showed off his blue suit and brown suede shoes

Standing out in red and white: Dree Hemingway from The Disaster Artist wore a polka-dot gown that button up and came down to the floor

Looking good in a suit and tie: Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense fame looked nicely groomed

The nominations were announced in November by Lily Collins, Tessa Thompson, and Film Independent chief Josh Welsh at the Jeremy Hotel in West Hollywood.

Best feature nominations went to Call Me by Your Name, The Florida Project, Get Out, Lady Bird and The Rider.

Period drama Mudbound was awarded the Robert Altman Award, created in 2008 to honor ensemble casts, and was ineligible in the acting categories.The picturesque Australian coastal town is already home to Hollywood A-listers like Thor actor Chris Hemsworth and The Mentalist's Simon Baker.

Now Byron Bay, New South Wales may be set to welcome another celebrity into the fold: Matt Damon.

Sydney's Sunday Telegraph reported the Bourne Identity star has purchased a property near Chris and his wife Elsa Pataky's luxury retreat.

Scroll down for video

Is Matt Damon moving to Australia? The Sunday Telegraph reported that the Bourne Identity star has purchased a property near Chris and his wife Elsa Pataky's luxury Byron Bay retreat

According to the publication, Chris and Elsa paid $7million for their Broken Head clifftop retreat back in 2014.

Last April, Matt and his family visited the Hemsworths in Byron, and later returned for a New Year's party also attended by Chris' brother Liam and his fiancee Miley Cyrus.

According to a local agent, Matt and his family so enjoyed spending time with the Hemsworths that the Good Will Hunting star decided to buy the property next door.

The realtor, who asked not to be identified, said that despite there being no listings for a neighbouring property, it is likely the deal was done on the quiet.

Byron Bay Property Buyers' agent Chris Blann added that while it' is 'well known that Matt comes here with Chris', he couldn't confirm any property purchase.

'We buy with anonymity for our clients,' he said.

Bromance! Chris and Matt have been friends for years, and the Good Will Hunting star is known to enjoy visiting the Hemsworths at their home in Australia

Locals: The Thor star, 34, and his wife Elsa Pataky (pictured) paid $7million for their Broken Head clifftop retreat back in 2014

Frequent guest! Last April, Matt and his family visited the Hemsworths in Byron, later returning for a New Year's party also attended by Chris' brother Liam and his fiancee Miley Cyrus

Daily Mail Australia contacted Chris Blann but he declined to comment.

According to the company's website, the only Broken Head property recently sold appears to be a sprawling abode that boasts an outdoor pool and stunning views.

The sold price is not listed.

Is this Matt's home? According to a local agent, Matt and his family so enjoyed spending time with the Hemsworths that the Good Will Hunting star decided to buy the property next door

Stunning: The realtor, who asked not to be identified, said that despite there being no listings for a neighbouring property, it is likely the deal was done on the quiet

Unconfirmed: Byron Bay Property Buyers' agent Chris Blann added that while it's 'well known that Matt comes here with Chris', he couldn't confirm any property purchase

The Hemsworths are currently renting a home nearby while their own property undergoes an $8million rebuild.

In its former state, the house - which was spread over 4.2 hectares - had eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

The couple had moved back to Australia from the US less than a year after snapping up a Malibu mansion for US$4.8 million.

Nature lovers: The Hemsworths are currently renting a home nearby while their property undergoes an $8million dollar rebuild

Hinterland estate: In its former state, Chris and Elsa's house - which was spread over 4.2 hectares - had eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms

Oasis: Chris and Elsa live in their East Coast residence with their three children - daughter, India Rose and twin sons, Tristan and Sasha

Chris and his spouse made a handsome profit on the Los Angeles estate, having listed it for US$6.5 million in February 2016.

The Parisian-inspired residence sold for US$665,000 more than its asking price just two months after hitting the market.

But it seems Chris is still keen to hold onto the Hollywood lifestyle after he and Elsa spent US$3.45 million on another LA pad in April the same year.

However, for now, the couple are happy to raise their three children - Tristan, Sasha and India - in Australia, where Chris himself spent his younger years.Advertisement

She is nominated for Best Female Lead at Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California.

And Salma Hayek looked a radiant beauty when she hit the red carpet, sizzling in a black short-sleeved dress with streaks of scarlet running down each side.

The 51-year-old bombshell, who had her husband Francois-Henri Pinault on her arm, earned her first Independent Spirit nod this year for the dramedy Beatriz At Dinner.

Scroll down for nominations

Glowing: Salma Hayek looked a radiant beauty when she hit the Santa Monica red carpet for Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards, sizzling in a black short-sleeved dress with streaks of scarlet running down each side

Salma's hem was cut off around mid-calf at the front, but fell nearly to ankle-length at the back, allowing a full view of her gleaming black ankle-strap platform stilettos.

She let her wavy hair tumble freely over her shoulders, and accentuated her movie star features with a flattering makeup job including a subtle shade of nude lipstick.

Meanwhile, her husband of nine years - who is the CEO of Kering - teamed a midnight blue suit with a stylish dress shirt that featured navy embroidery on a sky blue field.

Showing off the kicks: Salma's hem was cut off around mid-calf at the front, but fell nearly to ankle-length at the back, allowing a full view of her gleaming black ankle-strap platform stilettos

Isn't it romantic?: The 51-year-old bombshell, who had her husband Francois-Henri Pinault on her arm at the fete, earned her first Independent Spirit nod this year for Beatriz At Dinner

Playing up her assets: She let her wavy hair tumble freely over her shoulders, and accentuated her movie star features with a flattering makeup job including a subtle shade of nude lipstick

The 55-year-old tucked the shirt in but left a couple of top buttons undone, going without a tie for the formal affair and rounding off the look with a pair of glinting black dress shoes.

Coatzacoalcos-born Salma and her Rennes-born husband have welcomed one child into the world together - a 10-year-old daughter called Valentina.

Directed by Miguel Arteta, Beatriz At Dinner stars Salma as the titular character amid a star-studded cast including John Lithgow, Chloe Sevigny, Connie Britton, Jay Duplass and Amy Landecker.

Top brass: Meanwhile, her husband of nine years - who is the CEO of Kering - teamed a midnight blue suit with a stylish dress shirt that featured navy embroidery on a sky blue field

History: Coatzacoalcos-born Salma and her Rennes-born husband have welcomed one child into the world together, a 10-year-old daughter called Valentina

Fine company: Directed by Miguel Arteta, Beatriz At Dinner stars Salma as the titular character amid a star-studded cast including John Lithgow, Chloe Sevigny, Connie Britton, Jay Duplass and Amy Landecker

Its screenplay, which was written by Mike White, is also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Margot Robbie also hit the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon to support her film I, Tonya.

The Australian actress looked like she had all the right animal instincts as she modeled a short leopard print dress that showed off her toned legs.

The 27-year-old blonde beauty also wore strappy black heels that looked inspired by the Nineties.

Roar: Australian actress Robbie looked like she had all the right animal instincts as she modeled a short leopard print dress that showed off her toned legs

Cute lady: The 27-year-old blonde beauty wore her hair down and added sweet hoop earrings

Robbie is an Australian actress and film producer. In 2017, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes featured her in their 30 Under 30 list.

Her co-star Allison Janney looked ravishing.

The beauty stood out in a hot pink dress that left a bare shoulder. The Moms actress also had on sexy, strappy heels in satin that showed off a cute pedicure.

The West Wing vet wore her hair back and had on dangling green earrings.

On her way up: Robbie is an Australian actress and film producer. In 2017, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes featured her in their 30 Under 30 list

Looking haute: Allison Janney of the Tonya Harding film I, Tonya stood out in a hot pink dress that left a bare shoulder at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on Saturday

Good kicks: The Moms actress also had on sexy, strappy heels in satin that showed off a cute pedicure

The 58-year-old seemed to be in great spirits but did not seen to be with her beau Philip Joncas.

But she did have a nice big green stone on her wedding finger though that could have been a promise ring.

Comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney are hosting the event which takes place just yards from the Pacific Ocean.

Pretty lady: The West Wing vet, who stars in the ice skating drama with Margot Robbie, wore her hair back and had on dangling green earrings

Bling it on: The 58-year-old seemed to be in great spirits but did not seen to be with her beau Philip Joncas, but she did have a nice big green stone on her wedding finger though that could have been a promise ring

Zoey Deutch was one of the first to arrive for the daytime event.

The pinup shined in a black off-the-shoulder dress that had double-breasted buttons and came below the knee.

The redhead had her hair up and wore pretty light pink makeup.

The 23-year-old Why Him? actress added pointy black slingback heels that added five inches to her 5ft4in frame.

Two cute for words: Actors Saoirse Ronan (L) and Beanie Feldstein hugged each other on the carpet

Lovely look: The blue carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards kicked off in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday afternoon with actress Zoey Deutch

Glam slam ma'am: Deutch was one of the first to arrive for the daytime event as she shined in a black off-the-shoulder dress that had double-breasted buttons and came below the knee

Classy kicks: The 23-year-old Why Him? actress added pointy black slingback heels that added five inches to her 5ft4in frame

Also at the event was Kunail Nanjani and his wife Emily V Gordon who wore a T-shirt dress in blue and white.

Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is best known for being a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley.

Serious ladies: Aubrey Plaza borrowed a Wednesday Adams look while Allison Williams wore emerald green.

Dree Hemingway from The Disaster Artist wore a polka-dot gown that button up and came down to the floor. At one point she pulled out the skirt portion of her dress to show how material there was.

Serious ladies: Aubrey Plaza borrowed a Wednesday Adams look, left, while Allison Williams wore emerald green

Coupled up: Also at the event was Kunail Nanjani and his wife Emily V Gordon who wore a T-shirt dress in blue and white

Details: Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is best known for being a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley

The 30-year-old star, who used to be blonde, wore her brunette locks down.

Luca Guadagninos Call Me by Your Name leads the nominations with six, including best director, best actor for Timothee Chalamet, and best supporting actor for Armie Hammer.

Jordan Peeles Get Out follows with five nods, including best feature, best director, and best screenplay.

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Salma Hayek (Beatriz at Dinner), and Robert Pattinson (Good Time) are among the other acting nominees.

Colorful: From left to right, Ana Asensio in a blue cocktail dress, Natasha Romanova in a giraffe, zebra and leopard print dress and Yolanda Ross in a brown and white number

They sure stand out: Georgie Greville wore a purple dress while Geremy Jasper lit up the carpet in a red suit

Dapper in dark colors: Jason Clarke smiled as he showed off his blue suit and brown suede shoes

Standing out in red and white: Dree Hemingway from The Disaster Artist wore a polka-dot gown that button up and came down to the floor

Looking good in a suit and tie: Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense fame looked nicely groomed

The nominations were announced in November by Lily Collins, Tessa Thompson, and Film Independent chief Josh Welsh at the Jeremy Hotel in West Hollywood.

Best feature nominations went to Call Me by Your Name, The Florida Project, Get Out, Lady Bird and The Rider.

Period drama Mudbound was awarded the Robert Altman Award, created in 2008 to honor ensemble casts, and was ineligible in the acting categories.Sarah Silverman sure knows how to make a room laugh.

But the stand up comedienne also knows how to get a red carpet going.

On Saturday the funny girl impressed as she hit the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, wearing only a black bra under her double-breasted velvet green suit.

Scroll down for video and nominations

That's the spirit: Sarah Silverman sure knows how to make a room laugh. But the stand up comedienne also knows how to get a red carpet going

The ex of Jimmy Kimmel looked slender in the flattering outfit.

And she worked the carpet like no one else with her hands on her hips.

The one-line master also wore heels and her hair down in lovely barrel curls.

Cool: On Saturday the funny girl impressed as she hit the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California , wearing a low-cut top under her suit

Margot Robbie looked like she had all the right animal instincts as she modeled a short leopard print dress that showed off her toned legs.

The 27-year-old blonde beauty also wore strappy black heels that looked inspired by the Nineties.

Roar: Australian actress Robbie looked like she had all the right animal instincts as she modeled a short leopard print dress that showed off her toned legs

Cute lady: The 27-year-old blonde beauty wore her hair down and added sweet hoop earrings

Robbie is an Australian actress and film producer. In 2017, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes featured her in their 30 Under 30 list.

Her co-star Allison Janney looked ravishing.

The beauty stood out in a hot pink dress that left a bare shoulder. The Moms actress also had on sexy, strappy heels in satin that showed off a cute pedicure.

The West Wing vet wore her hair back and had on dangling green earrings.

On her way up: Robbie is an Australian actress and film producer. In 2017, Time magazine named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and Forbes featured her in their 30 Under 30 list

Looking haute: Allison Janney of the Tonya Harding film I, Tonya stood out in a hot pink dress that left a bare shoulder at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California on Saturday

Good kicks: The Moms actress also had on sexy, strappy heels in satin that showed off a cute pedicure

The 58-year-old seemed to be in great spirits but did not seen to be with her beau Philip Joncas.

But she did have a nice big green stone on her wedding finger though that could have been a promise ring.

Comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney are hosting the event which takes place just yards from the Pacific Ocean.

Pretty lady: The West Wing vet, who stars in the ice skating drama with Margot Robbie, wore her hair back and had on dangling green earrings

Bling it on: The 58-year-old seemed to be in great spirits but did not seen to be with her beau Philip Joncas, but she did have a nice big green stone on her wedding finger though that could have been a promise ring

Zoey Deutch was one of the first to arrive for the daytime event.

The pinup shined in a black off-the-shoulder dress that had double-breasted buttons and came below the knee.

The redhead had her hair up and wore pretty light pink makeup.

The 23-year-old Why Him? actress added pointy black slingback heels that added five inches to her 5ft4in frame.

Two cute for words: Actors Saoirse Ronan (L) and Beanie Feldstein hugged each other on the carpet

Lovely look: The blue carpet for the Independent Spirit Awards kicked off in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday afternoon with actress Zoey Deutch

Glam slam ma'am: Deutch was one of the first to arrive for the daytime event as she shined in a black off-the-shoulder dress that had double-breasted buttons and came below the knee

Classy kicks: The 23-year-old Why Him? actress added pointy black slingback heels that added five inches to her 5ft4in frame

Also at the event was Kunail Nanjani and his wife Emily V Gordon who wore a T-shirt dress in blue and white.

Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is best known for being a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley.

Serious ladies: Aubrey Plaza borrowed a Wednesday Adams look while Allison Williams wore emerald green.

Dree Hemingway from The Disaster Artist wore a polka-dot gown that button up and came down to the floor. At one point she pulled out the skirt portion of her dress to show how material there was.

Serious ladies: Aubrey Plaza borrowed a Wednesday Adams look, left, while Allison Williams wore emerald green

Coupled up: Also at the event was Kunail Nanjani and his wife Emily V Gordon who wore a T-shirt dress in blue and white

Details: Nanjiani is a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcast host. He is best known for being a main cast member on HBO's Emmy Award-nominated series Silicon Valley

The 30-year-old star, who used to be blonde, wore her brunette locks down.

Luca Guadagninos Call Me by Your Name leads the nominations with six, including best director, best actor for Timothee Chalamet, and best supporting actor for Armie Hammer.

Jordan Peeles Get Out follows with five nods, including best feature, best director, and best screenplay.

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Salma Hayek (Beatriz at Dinner), and Robert Pattinson (Good Time) are among the other acting nominees.

Colorful: From left to right, Ana Asensio in a blue cocktail dress, Natasha Romanova in a giraffe, zebra and leopard print dress and Yolanda Ross in a brown and white number

They sure stand out: Georgie Greville wore a purple dress while Geremy Jasper lit up the carpet in a red suit

Dapper in dark colors: Jason Clarke smiled as he showed off his blue suit and brown suede shoes

Standing out in red and white: Dree Hemingway from The Disaster Artist wore a polka-dot gown that button up and came down to the floor

Looking good in a suit and tie: Haley Joel Osment of The Sixth Sense fame looked nicely groomed

The nominations were announced in November by Lily Collins, Tessa Thompson, and Film Independent chief Josh Welsh at the Jeremy Hotel in West Hollywood.

Best feature nominations went to Call Me by Your Name, The Florida Project, Get Out, Lady Bird and The Rider.

Period drama Mudbound was awarded the Robert Altman Award, created in 2008 to honor ensemble casts, and was ineligible in the acting categories.They recently sold their NSW Central Coast renovation for a cool $1.59million, doubling the value of its $710,000 purchase price.

And The Block's Kyal and Kara Demmrich are now searching for a new property project, while also preparing for the arrival of their second child.

But it won't be an easy feat, with Kara telling The Sunday Telegraph: 'When we did the Long Jetty house last year, I had Ziya strapped to me for the first few months of that renovation and then it got a bit hard because he wanted to run around.'

Soon to be four! The Block's Kyal and Kara search for a new property to renovate after selling their beachside bungalow for $1.59million, as they prepare to welcome baby number two

The parents of 18-month-old Ziya are expecting their second child in May and are also set to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary later this year.

Speaking of juggling baby No. 2 and a new renovation, Kara continued: 'We'll see how we go because it's going to be hard having the two of them strapped to us!'

Since rising to fame on The Block four years ago, the couple have continued their renovating streak, despite at first thinking they would return to their normal lives after the show finished.

Since rising to fame on The Block four years ago, the couple have continued their renovating streak - despite at first thinking they would return to their normal lives after the show finished

Kyal said: 'We thought we'd just go back to our normal jobs after the show finished, me as a carpenter and Kara as a physiotherapist, but opportunities kept popping up and to be sitting getting them four years later is amazing.'

Taking to Instagram on Friday, the savvy renovators posted a before-and-after photo of their recently-auctioned Long Jetty house, ahead of tackling a new Central Coast project.

The soon-to-be second time parents captioned the picture: 'Almost time to say goodbye  moving on to the next adventure.'

Wow! Taking to Instagram on Friday, the savvy renovators posted a before-and-after photo of their recently-auctioned Long Jetty house, ahead of tackling a new Central Coast project

The added: 'For those who missed it, the full auction episode is up on our website. Huge thank you to all our suppliers  we can't wait to work with you all again.'

Fans were quick to comment on the impressive property transformation, with one asking: 'Is this even the same house?'

Another wrote: 'Amazing project! The transformation is unbelievable and you've created such a unique coastal look. Very well done.'She recently returned to Saturday Night Takeaway for a second series as a recurring host, alongside presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

But Scarlett Moffatt received mixed reviews as she presented a segment during the show's 100th episode anniversary.

Fans flocked to Twitter as some viewers referred to her voice as 'screechy', while others crediting the Gogglebox star, 27, for providing 'such geniune fun'.

'A bit screechy!': Scarlett Moffatt received mixed reviews as she presented a segment during Saturday Night Takeaway's 100th episode anniversary

During the scavenger hunt-style task, contestants were required to find tickets for a dream holiday in a gooey pool.

Although the excited couple managed to find the tickets, a legion of fans focused their attention on the presenter's high-pitched voice instead.

One wrote: 'Scarlett Moffatt - a bit screechy! #SaturdayNightTakeaway'.

Mixed: Fans flocked to Twitter as some viewers referred to her voice as 'screechy', while others crediting the Gogglebox star, 27, for providing 'such geniune fun'

Another penned: 'I really can't take anymore of Scarlett Moffat and her screeching voice. Why is she still on #SaturdayNightTakeaway? She's killing this series and not in a good way.'

'Anyone else think that Scarlett Moffatt is a bit too cringey?'

However, others considered her lively energy as a positive addition to the show.

Negative response: Although the excited couple managed to find the tickets, a legion of fans focused their attention on the presenter's high-pitched voice

One viewer tweeted: 'Absolutely adore @itvtakeaway ! Just such good geniune fun! @Team_AntandDec @StephenMulhern @ScarlettMoffatt #100shows #SaturdayNightTakeaway'

'#SaturdayNight Takeaway I wish Scarlett played a bigger part in the show, especially in the studio.'

'Just watched @antanddec in #SaturdayNightTakeaway #100thshow and it was so great! @ScarlettMoffatt is always so happy tho, never fails to make me smile...and @StephenMulhern is GOLD! Loved it overall!'

MailOnline has contacted Scarlett's representatives for comment.

'Such genuine fun': However, others considered her lively energy as a positive addition to the show

The memorable show proved to attract a slew of viewers as they celebrated the landmark achievement.

Fans were treated to throwback clips from all 15 series, as well as a surprising appearance from Cuba Gooding Jr. as a guest announcer.

Appearing on Comedy Central UK's The Chris Ramsey Show, the Geordie lass recently gushed about her co-hosts as she opened up about the close friendship they've formed over the past year.

Achievement: Saturday Night Takeaway celebrated their 100th episode this week

Full of surprises! Viewers were treated to throwback clips from all 15 series, as well as a surprising appearance from Cuba Gooding Jr. as a guest announcer

Comedian and South Shields native Chris asked: 'What was the moment where you realised this [your life] has gone mega now?'

To which Scarlett admitted: 'like when I go for Sunday dinner with Ant & Dec! We just go for Sunday dinner casually, and they text me!'.

Scarlett has made no secret of her admiration for the presenting duo, having previously declared they're 'amazing' mentors to her as she began her broadcasting career.He recently denied being gay after his skincare routine and frosty relationship with wife Gabrielle Bartlett on Married At First Sight raised eyebrows.

And on Saturday night, Nasser Sultan shared a photo of himself celebrating Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with a group of scantily-clad male friends - only to mysteriously delete it the following morning.

In the Instagram snap, the over-50s fitness trainer smiles while sitting on a red couch with his arm around one of his handsome companions.

Good times! On Saturday, Nasser Sultan shared a photo of himself celebrating Mardi Gras with a group of scantily-clad male friends - only to mysteriously delete it the following morning

While his friends flashed plenty of flesh, Nasser appeared to forget the dress code for the night and instead opted for a green lime shirt and a pair of ripped jeans.

In the caption, the 50-year-old wished friends a joyous Mardi Gras, and even added a cheeky hashtag which referenced his wife Gabrielle's famous put-down, 'Bad luck, Donald Duck!'

'Happy Mardi Gras everyone!' he wrote, adding the hashtags 'MAFS', 'love', 'peace', 'Donald Duck, 'Cher', 'Backstage' and 'VIP'.

Not available! After posting the perfectly innocent photo, Nasser apparently had second thoughts and deleted it early on Sunday morning

Don't listen to them, Nasser! It is possible the reality TV star deleted the photo after attracting some negative or suggestive comments from MAFS fans. Picture: Nasser and co-star Justin

But after posting the perfectly innocent photo, Nasser apparently had second thoughts and deleted it early on Sunday morning.

It is possible the reality TV star deleted the photo after attracting some negative or suggestive comments from MAFS fans.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Nasser for comment.

'I am 110 per cent not gay': It comes after Nasser flatly denied being gay during an interview on KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie Show alongside his on-screen wife Gabrielle

It comes after Nasser flatly denied being gay during an interview on KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie Show alongside his on-screen wife Gabrielle.

Kyle asked the Surry Hills resident: 'A lot of my gay friends are saying, "He's gay, that Nasser, you're gay"... They want you to be gay!'

Nasser was flattered by his popularity among gay MAFS viewers, but ultimately clarified: 'I am 110 per cent not gay.'She announced she got married to Sebastian Bear-McClard in a secret wedding ceremony last week.

And Emily Ratajkowski and her new husband appeared in high spirits as they attended the 33rd Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday.

The 26-year-old model turned actress showed off her sensational curves in a copper silk floral dress that cinched at her small waist.

Scroll down for video

Showing it off! Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard appeared in high spirits as they attended the 33rd Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday

The We Are Your Friends actress stepped out in black opened-toed heels that strapped at the ankles.

Emily made sure to show off her accessories, including her tiny gold ring wedding band and a pair of silver hoop earrings.

The Easy actress wore her silky brown locks in loose curls down by her shoulders, while keeping her makeup look natural.

On the carpet! The 26-year-old model turned actress showed off her sensational curves in a copper silk floral dress that cinched at her small waist

Strike a pose! The We Are Your Friends actress stepped out in black opened-toed heels that strapped at the ankles

Pretty as a petal: Emily made sure to show off her accessories, including her tiny gold ring wedding band and a pair of silver hoop earrings

Newly weds! The Easy actress wore her silky brown locks in loose curls down by her shoulders, while keeping her makeup look natural

Sebastian joined Emily on the red carpet while stepping out in a charcoal gray suit and a button-up white shirt.

The 2017 nominee of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award accessorized his event ensemble with beige-framed sunglasses and two gold rings.

The newly weds were all smiles as they sipped on their Fiji water and cuddled up next to each other.

Keeping hydrated: Sebastian joined Emily on the red carpet while stepping out in a charcoal gray suit and a button-up white shirt

Busty! The 2017 nominee of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award accessorized his event ensemble with beige-framed sunglasses and two gold rings

Her good side! The newly weds were all smiles as they sipped on their Fiji water and cuddled up next to each other

Star-studded event! Emily also posed with good-friend Joseph Gordon-Levitt for a photoWhen The Office star Jenna Fischer went on holiday to Japan, there is one sight she likely was not expecting to see.

But as she showed her Instagram following on Saturday, Jenna, 43, caught sight of Kim and Kourtney Kardashian strolling through a hotel lobby.

'We found the Kardashians. At our hotel. I think they were checking out as we were checking in. So crazy. #kyoto,' read Jenna's breathless caption.

'So crazy': The Office actress Jenna Fischer caught sight of Kim and Kourtney Kardashian strolling through a hotel lobby in Kyoto, as she shared to Instagram on Friday

Kim emphasized her ample derriere in a tight pair of navy sweats, matching her bottoms to a bulky hooded jacket.

The 37-year-old reality star's hair had been partially died pink, and the whole do had been swept back into a high bun.

Meanwhile, Kourtney, who is a year older than Kim, let her wavy hair fall free and wore a loose fitting set of red, black and pewter grey sweats.

Naturally, both sisters were checking their phones.

The spotter: 'I think they were checking out as we were checking in,' theorized Jenna (pictured this January) in her Saturday Instagram caption

Kim and Kourtney, who have been joined on their holiday by their pregnant 33-year-old sister Khloe Kardashian, have been documenting the trip on Instagram.

Kourtney posted a photo Saturday of herself dressed in a silk floral outfit as she lounged on a cushion and tipped back a cup of tea.

A sleek and attractively laid out tea tray sat on the pristine hardwood floor in front of her, and she set her feet wide apart at either side of her.

The mother of three captioned: 'matcha addict'.

'matcha addict': Kourtney posted a photo Saturday of herself dressed in a silk floral outfit as she lounged on a cushion and tipped back a cup of tea

On Friday, Kim posted a snapshot of herself standing in front of a massive sign reading: 'CHICAGO' - which happens to be the name of her youngest daughter.

Kim and her third husband Kanye West, who already share four-year-old daughter North and two-year-old son Saint, welcomed Chicago via surrogate in January.

'CHICAGO IN JAPAN,' Kim captioned her vacation snapshot.

Khloe and Kim were glimpsed Saturday at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo.She is up for Best Female Lead on the night.

And Saoirse Ronan looked set to give her luck a boost with a gorgeous charm-decorated ensemble at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday.

The 23-year-old Irish beauty flashed her pins in a dazzling short green dress, embossed with delicate gold leaf detailing.

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Lucky charms: Saoirse Ronan looked set to give her luck a boost with a gorgeous charm-decorated ensemble at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday

Pinning her signature blonde locks back, she showed off a pair of dangling bejeweled earrings that matched her charm-encrusted sleeveless frock.

The actress finished the look in open-toed ankle-strap gold heels.

Saoirse is nominated for her turn in the critically acclaimed Lady Bird.

Gorgeous: The 23-year-old Irish beauty flashed her pins in a dazzling short green dress, embossed with delicate gold leaf detailing

Stylish: The actress finished the look in open-toed ankle-strap gold heels

Nice touch: Pinning her signature blonde locks back, she showed off a pair of dangling bejeweled earrings that matched her charm-encrusted sleeveless frock

She is up against Salma Hayek for Beatriz at Dinner; Shinobu Terajima for Oh Lucy!; and Regina Williams for Life and nothing more; as well as her Oscar rivals in the same category Frances McDormand for Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri and Margot Robbie for I, Tonya.

Lady Bird is also up for Best Feature, and Best Screenplay for Greta Gerwig, while Laurie Metcalf scored a Best Supporting Female nom.

The Independent Spirit Awards stand out among Hollywood's gong-giving season, as it is the only ceremony that honors films produced outside the major studios.

Smile: She posed with Beanie Feldstein on the red/blue carpet

Luca Guadagninos Call Me by Your Name leads the nominations with six, including best director, best actor for Timothee Chalamet, and best supporting actor for Armie Hammer.

Jordan Peeles Get Out follows with five nods, including best feature, best director, and best screenplay.

Comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney host the 33rd ceremony on Saturday, held as always in Santa Monica.NSW firefighters have reignited their push for new laws to force drivers to slow down when passing emergency vehicles with flashing lights.

The NSW Rural Fire Service Association on Saturday said the state can't afford to wait and risk further tragedy.

It follows the introduction of laws to protect emergency workers in Western Australia, which came into effect on Friday.

Drivers in WA who don't slow down to 40km/h when passing incident response vehicles with flashing lights face a $300 fine and the loss of three demerit points.

"The message from the WA Government is clear and correct: we must look after those who look after us," the association's president Ken Middleton said in a statement.

The association has long been campaigning for a new 40km/h speed limit, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian setting up a working group to consider legislation.

But Mr Middleton said he was "extremely disappointed" that a planned meeting of that group on Friday was postponed.

"This should be an extremely straightforward process - these laws protect emergency services, make our roads safer and are already in force across half of the country," he said.

"Governments in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria have acted quickly to protect the protectors and I'm urging the premier to recognise the clear need to do the same here in NSW."

In February, a police officer lost his foot and another was injured when an driver crashed into them as they set up a random breath test site in Sydney's south west.Two metal drums left outside a Melbourne restaurant have shut down parts of the Docklands waterfront as authorities investigate whether they contain hazardous chemicals.

Several fire trucks and 35 firefighters responded to a request by police on Saturday morning to inspect two mid-sized metal drums left in a trolley at the Docklands end of Bourke Street.

Firefighters in safety equipment are inspecting the drums, and the area will remain closed until the Melbourne Fire Brigade removes them and declares the area safe for the public.Taronga Zoo has launched legal action against the operators of a zoo planned for Sydney's west over its name.

The not-for-profit organisation has lodged an application in the Federal Court against Sydney Zoo Pty Ltd, alleging misleading or deceptive conduct.

It reportedly wants to stop the owners of the proposed multi-million project in Bungarribee Park, near Eastern Creek, from calling itself "Sydney Zoo".

It believes the public could be misled into thinking the western Sydney attraction is located in central Sydney, where Taronga is situated, according to Fairfax Media.

It is also challenging a decision by IP Australia, the federal agency that administers intellectual property rights, to reject its opposition to the registration of Sydney Zoo's trademark.

Taronga Zoo argued that a "significant portion" of the public think of Taronga Zoo when they see the term "Sydney zoo".

It partly based its claim on the results of a customer survey and analyses of Instagram tags and Google search algorithms.

But a delegate of the registrar of trademarks in January ruled Taronga "failed to establish any of the grounds of opposition it nominated".

A spokeswoman said Taronga Conservation Society is "working towards a resolution".

"As there are legal proceedings underway it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time," she told AAP on Saturday.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.Police were forced to use pepper spray on a woman who bit into an officer's arm on the NSW central coast.

The 32-year-old allegedly locked her jaws on the officer while he was trying to arrest her on Friday night in Hamlyn Terrace, having fled after hitting a nearby parked car.

So tight was her grip that pepper spray "had to be deployed to detach the woman from his arm", police said.

The injured officer was taken to Wyong Hospital for a tetanus shot, antibiotic treatment and tests as a precaution.

The woman was charged with assaulting police occasioning actual bodily harm, resist police, assault police and not providing particulars to another driver.

She was granted conditional bail to appear at Wyong Local Court on Wednesday.Brisbane skipper Darius Boyd has declared Matt Lodge is a NSW player-in-waiting as the controversial prop prepares to get his life and NRL career back on track.

Debate has once again flared about whether the 22-year-old should be allowed back in the NRL after CCTV footage of his New York City rampage emerged on Friday.

The NRL has stuck by their decision to green light Lodge's comeback after he spent last year in Queensland Cup and has made a number of changes in his life including swearing off alcohol.

Boyd was wary of putting pressure on the former Wests Tigers forward as he get set to play his first game in 984 days when he runs out for the Broncos' season opener against St George Illawarra on Thursday.

However he said Lodge, despite having just 12 games experience, had the capacity to break into the State of Origin arena.

"I definitely believe, without putting too much pressure on him, he's got the attributes and capabilities to play Origin," Boyd told AAP.

"At the end of the day, it comes down to your on-field performances.

"We're not expecting massive things from him early, he's only played a handful of games and hasn't played in the NRL for a while. I'm looking forward to playing behind him."

The victims of Lodge's October 2015 attack, Joseph Cartright and Ruth Fowler, argue he has yet to express remorse or attempt to pay the $1.6 million ordered by a US civil court.

News Corp on Saturday published a letter penned by Lodge to his victims which was meant to be delivered via a New York district attorney.

Boyd has endured a public battle with off-field issues including depression during his career and he argued Lodge similarly deserved a second chance to evolve and better himself.

"I've known him for about a year, but all I've known of him is that he's very humble, he speaks well, he cares, he's a team player, and he's fit in really well," Boyd said.

"We all makes mistakes and he's got a second chance and it's his opportunity to take it now.

"From what I've seen, he's done everything asked of him and more."A man who was stabbed during a fight at a Melbourne shopping centre remains in a coma as police search for two men who fled the scene.

The victim, a 20-year-old man from Balwyn, was stabbed after a fight broke out at a Box Hill shopping centre on Friday afternoon.

Police on Saturday said he remains in an induced coma after he was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries.

Detectives are urging anyone who saw the fight or two men believed to be responsible for the attack to come forward.

The victim was at the shopping centre with a friend when he became involved in a fight with two unknown males and a weapon was produced.

The two men and a third man left the shopping centre soon after the stabbing.

One suspect is described as Caucasian, about 175cm tall with dark hair and medium build and wearing a dark windcheater and dark tracksuit pants.

The second suspect is believed to be Caucasian, about 175cm tall with short. fair hair and a thin build.

He was also wearing sunglasses on his head, a blue short-sleeved T-shirt, dark pants, and carrying a small bag over his shoulder.Lee Smith is the red hot favourite to win an Oscar for his editing of the World War II epic Dunkirk, but the Sydneysider isn't planning on writing an acceptance speech.

"I'll wing it," Smith told AAP in Los Angeles on Friday.

"Under pressure I talk."

Smith is considered Australia's best chance of a win on Sunday at the 90th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Queenslander Margot Robbie is a long shot to win best actress for I, Tonya, with Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) the expected winner.

Smith's biggest threat could be fellow Australian editor Paul Machliss, nominated for his editing on Baby Driver.

Australian duo Derin Seale and Josh Lawson are also outsiders for their live action short film The Eleven O'Clock.

All of the Australian nominees were honoured on Friday with a pre-Oscar party hosted by Australian Consul-General for Los Angeles Chelsey Martin.

"It's surreal," Seale said of the lead up to the Oscars.

"Every day that we are here gets more exciting and it's something we never thought would happen."

Seale, who directed the $A15,000 short film, and Lawson, who starred and co-produced it, are up against other films with $A100,000-plus budgets.

The comedy is about a psychiatrist dealing with a delusional patient who believes he is a psychiatrist.TIMELINE FOR DONNA STEELE MURDER INVESTIGATION:

2017

* August 2 - Donna Louise Steele is last seen at the Cooktown IGA around midday.

* August 3-5 - Her husband reports her missing; emergency authorities conduct aerial and ground searches of the Steele's family property and surrounding areas.

* August 6 - Ms Steele's body is found in the Endeavour River.

* August 9 - Ms Steele's brother Jason makes a public appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

* August 11-25 - Further searches carried out in the Leggett's Crossing and Endeavour River area; trace DNA evidence is found on some of the 200 items that were scientifically examined.

* October 31 - A man's shoe is found in the Endeavour River area.

2018

* February 23 - Police Minister Mark Ryan announces a $250,000 reward for information leading to the identification and conviction those responsible for Ms Steele's murder.

* March 2 - Police confirm they have received new information and believe Ms Steele's killer is from Cairns; police attend a Cairns address and arrest a 25-year-old man.

* March 3 - The man faces the Cairns Magistrates Court charged with murder, interference with a corpse and enter dwelling with intent.Election night for the Tasmanian Liberal Party faithful has begun on a sombre note following the death of former attorney-general Vanessa Goodwin.

Dr Goodwin, 48, died on Saturday after a battle with brain cancer.

She was diagnosed with the disease in March last year and withdrew from parliament and public life shortly afterwards.

"We are devastated to lose such a loved and cherished member of our family," her family said in a statement.

Liberal Premier Will Hodgman visited his childhood friend and former cabinet colleague in hospital on polling day.

"So sad we have lost our Vanessa, after such a brave fight. I'm glad I was able to say my goodbyes this morning to a close friend and one of my greatest supports," he posted to Twitter.

Mr Hodgman is aiming to win a second term in government.

The Liberals need to win 13 of 25 lower house seats to form a majority.

They currently hold 15 seats and are tipped to lose two, giving them a slender victory.

Mr Hodgman cast his vote at a Sandy Bay primary school on Saturday morning, alongside wife Vicky and their children.

Sitting on a school bench to pat a mate's dog named Daisy, he described the mood as "a little like a wedding day".

"There's always a few butterflies on a day like today, but you know that's part and parcel," he said.

"There's a lot riding on it, not just for me and the team, but for our state."Labor luminary Michael Aird is hopeful his party could do the improbable and reclaim power in the state election after four years in opposition.

The former state treasurer, with more than 30 years in politics behind him, joined Labor true believers at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart on Saturday night as results started trickling in.

An indication of early primary votes across the state (with less than one per cent counted) had Labor at 38 per cent, compared to the 27 per cent it collected at the 2014 election.

"So it's a 10 per cent swing to Labor statewide - how that's extrapolated across the seats is yet to be seen," Mr Aird told AAP outside the tally room.

"It's much better than last time, and if it was going south I wouldn't be talking to you, I'd be straight to the bar."

Labor only holds seven of 25 seats in the Tasmanian lower house so must double its numbers to win majority government.

The Tasmanian Liberal government can afford to shed two seats and still hold onto majority government.

Mr Aird is predicting an uneven split of votes in the north and south.

"For Labor to have any traction and achieve majority we have to win three seats in Lyons, Denison and Franklin," he said.

Mr Aird thinks Labor looks the goods in Franklin and will hold two seats in Denison, and believes opposition leader Rebecca White could carry two candidates over the line with her surplus votes.

He believes a carve up of preferences could see Labor snare extra seats required in Braddon or Bass, but things may not go their way.

"If you talk to people in the north, they feel as though Labor let them down in the agreement with the Greens," Mr Aird said.

"While they have recovered a bit from that they have still got doubts about Labor and we need to work harder."Today's birthday, March 4: Julian Knight , Australian mass murderer called the Hoddle Street Killer (1968 - ).

At just 19 years old Julian Knight took three guns to a quiet Melbourne street and mowed down as many innocent people as he could, killing seven and injuring 19 more in a crime that would change the city forever.

Now serving multiple life sentences for the massacre Knight remains a disturbing figure in Australia's criminal history.

Born on March 4, 1968, Knight was adopted by parents Ralph and Pamela Knight when he was still a baby.

Ralph was a soldier in the Australian Army and the family, including two other younger children, was posted throughout Asia and Australia over the years.

Knight reportedly idolised his father but his parents separated when he was 12, his father remarrying and moving to Townsville, far from the family's Melbourne home.

A young Knight joined the Army cadets while at high school and would later go on to enlist in the Army Reserves.

In 1987 he enlisted in the Royal Military College of Duntroon where he reportedly performed poorly and was bullied. Knight later blamed the army for his deadly actions, "they trained me to kill and I killed," he later told a journalist.

He was asked to leave Duntroon that same year for stabbing a superior officer.

Just weeks later, on August 9, after downing 10 beers at his local pub he took two rifles and a shotgun to Hoddle Street in Clifton Hill and embarked on his killing spree, only surrendering when he was out of ammunition.

It was his mother's birthday.

He later claimed to have lost a last bullet he had been saving for himself.

Since being imprisoned for his crimes Knight has been declared a vexatious litigant after it was estimated a series of legal challenges he launched about his treatment in prison had cost the Justice Department $250,000.

Since then he has launched more than 30 unsuccessful applications for leave to commence proceedings in court.

Knight was given a parole period of just 27 years and was eligible for release in 2014, until the Victorian government passed a law to keep him behind bars until he was on his deathbed, or too frail to harm others.South Africa's injured opener Dean Elgar is expected to bat in Durban, where his side face an intimidating run-chase against Australia.

Steve Smith's team will resume at 9-213 on day four of the four-Test series opener, holding a 402-run lead.

Elgar trudged off the field at Kingsmead on day three, having dislocated his right pinky finger while holding the catch that dismissed Mitchell Starc.

Elgar received treatment in the rooms, but the dodgy digit is now back in place and the hosts are confident he will be be fit enough to face Starc's chin music.

The Proteas have recently endured a rotten run on the injury front.

Faf du Plessis, AB de VIlliers and Quinton de Kock all recovered from setbacks to take their place in the XI for the first Test.

Veteran paceman Dale Steyn (heel) and Temba Bavuma (finger) remain on the sidelines, although the latter could return for the second Test in Port Elizabeth that starts on Friday.

Elgar enjoyed a productive day with the ball on Saturday, dismissing Steve Smith with his part-time spin.Heavy rain over Queensland's parched interior is expected to continue on Sunday, with falls of 300mm forecast for some areas.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for large areas of the state's northwest, as the slow-moving system that caused flooding in Townsville pushes south from Mt Isa.

Winton, Mt Isa, Cloncurry and Julia Creek are expected to receive a drenching on Sunday, with possible storms and destructive winds also predicted.

Flood warnings have been issued for the region, with river levels expected to continue rising for a number of days.

The low-pressure zone that's dumping the rain is the same one that left the Townsville region mopping up after falls of about 500mm in some places late last week.

It is expected to bring rain to the state's south eastern corner from Sunday, with showers easing next week.The alleged killer of Cooktown mum Donna Steele remains in custody after facing court for her murder.

Matthew Ross White, 25, was arrested at his Cairns home on Friday night and charged with murder, interfering with a corpse and entering a dwelling with intent.

He appeared in the Cairns Magistrates Court on Saturday morning and was remanded until May 2.

Queensland police said the pair were known to each other, and that evidence would prove White was in Cooktown on August 2, when Ms Steele was last seen at the local IGA.

Her body was found in the Endeavour River four days later, sparking a massive seven-month investigation that involved aerial and ground searches of homes, properties and waterways.

Detective Inspector Geoff Marsh told reporters in Cairns that police believe White was alone when he killed Ms Steele, but would not comment on his motive.

He dismissed suggestions a $250,000 reward offered led to the breakthrough, saying all information had been "supplied freely".

Det Marsh said Ms Steele's family, including her husband Tony Brown and their two sons, were relieved by news of the arrest.The federal government is set to release details of its "city deal" for western Sydney, with new train links tipped to be in the mix.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian are scheduled to unveil the plans on Sunday.

There is speculation it will include a proposal for a rail line to Sydney's second airport at Badgerys Creek.

Mr Turnbull and then-premier Mike Baird signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2016 to work together on the "landmark" deal.

Western Sydney's population is expected to grow by more than one million people over the next 20 years.Liberal Premier Will Hodgman has thanked Tasmanians for returning him to a second term and paid a heartfelt tribute to former attorney-general Vanessa Goodwin.

The Hodgman government was on Saturday night re-elected with a majority of at least 13 of 25 seats in the state's lower house.

But the win had a sombre undertone after the death of Mr Hodgman's one-time cabinet colleague.

Dr Goodwin, 48, died on Saturday after a battle with brain cancer.

"I thank you, Vanessa, for what you have done to help me and our party be the very best it can be," an emotional Mr Hodgman said of his childhood friend, who he visited in hospital on polling day.

"With the loss of someone so dear to us, it gives us a true perspective on life.

"But I can assure you that never before have I had a stronger resolve to lead a government that will forever do what is in our state's best interests."

Mr Hodgman has become just the second Liberal leader in Tasmania's history to be re-elected with a majority.

The Liberals lost two seats from a 2014 haul of 15.

Mr Hodgman trumpeted strong economic management and job creation throughout a relentless five-week campaign.

"Tasmania is a very different place now to what it was four years ago," he said during his victory speech.

"Our state is more confident, it is prouder, it is stronger. And I believe our best days are ahead of us."Gold Coast police are concerned for a woman who was seen being forced into a vehicle on a Nerang road.

The woman is said to have jumped from the passenger side of a white van and flagged down a black van on Pappas Way. However, as she got into the black van, the white van rammed the vehicle a number of times and forced it into the gutter.

The driver of the white van produced a knife and forced the woman out of the black van and into his vehicle. He then drove off. The van was last seen on Lawrence Drive in Nerang.

Police believe the incident may have been filmed and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The man is described as being Caucasian in appearance, in his late 20s or early 30s, with a thin build, and blonde curly/frizzy hair.

The woman is described as Caucasian, in her 30s with a thin build and brown hair in a bob cut.Australia's trade minister has spoken with his US counterpart to seek an exemption to Trump administration tariffs on steel and aluminium exports.

"Unfortunately, at this stage, it is not clear to me or to Australia whether or not we will be captured by the president's announcement," Steve Ciobo told Sky News on Sunday, after speaking with US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross on Saturday.

Mr Ciobo was confident Australia's anti-dumping laws would prevent cheap foreign steel that would usually go to the US from flooding the local market.An alliance of 33 national and state environmental groups has released a scorecard on the major parties ahead of the March 17 South Australian election, giving The Greens top marks.

The group includes the Australian Conservation Foundation, Conservation Council SA and the Wilderness Society and plans to distribute the scorecard across key electorates in the lead-up to the poll.

It gives The Greens five stars, Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST group three stars followed by Labor on two and the Liberals on one and a half.

Each party was ranked according to a range of issues including its response to climate change, the development of clean energy, protection for the oceans and waterways and its attitude to plans for a low-level nuclear waste dump in SA.

Labor scored points for its 75 per cent renewable energy target but lost out for not joining the other parties in banning fracking for gas.

The Liberals were criticised for their support for the federal government's National Energy Guarantee and for not doing enough to protect the River Murray.

But they scored well for promising more funds for volunteer groups protecting the environment.

The Greens earned points across the board but SA-BEST was also praised for its strong stance on a number of issues including additional resources for nature conservation.In Iraq's second city Mosul, hundreds of people have not dared to leave their homes since the Islamic State group was pushed out last July -- although they never joined up, they fear arrest because share the same names as wanted jihadists

Since jihadists were pushed out of Mosul, Mohammed has not left his home. Although he never joined the Islamic State (IS) group, he shares a name with one of its fighters and fears arrest.

Like hundreds of others, the 24-year-old Iraqi father of two has not dared to approach security forces for fear of being detained because of his name.

"I can't get out of Mosul or even move freely around the city," the young man told AFP, adding that security forces "with a list of names on their computers" could arrest him.

Sami al-Faisal, who runs a human rights group, said he had recorded "about 2,500 people suffering from similar names" in Mosul and its surrounding province.

Personal ID cards in Iraq, like most Arab countries, carry a person's first name, father's name and grandfather's name. But to determine a person's surname and tribe, it's often necessary to look into the area's personal status records.

- Common names -

Civil archives are the only way to distinguish between the thousands of Mohammeds, Alis, Khaleds, Khalils and Ibrahims -- some of the most popular names in the country.

The Iraqi interior ministry has begun issuing new ID cards equipped with a code that enables security forces to retrieve a person's full name on a computerised system.

But in Mosul, where authorities are still struggling to restore public services after more than three years of jihadist occupation, these new digital IDs do not exist.

Iraqi security personnel have computerised lists of wanted jihadists but in Mosul they carry just the first three names of a person's name, leaving huge scope for mistaken identity

Although judicial sources and lawyers have told Mohammed he could clear his name in court, the young man flatly refused.

"Asking a judge to investigate means I'll be detained for months at a police station. To conduct an investigation and verify my innocence with various security services... this process takes a long time," he explained.

This puzzle of similar names and the fear of detention is the talk of the town in Mosul.

Sitting at a cafe, Wahid, 30, agreed to talk to AFP on the condition of anonymity about the name he has come to "hate".

He discovered that his surname was on a list of wanted people during a recent trip to his university to collect his diploma.

"This document is only issued after an investigation by the intelligence services, so I gave up asking for it for fear of arrest," he said.

"The scary thing is that I'd be subject to beatings and insults in detention for a long time before I could prove my innocence."

Wahid said one of his friends was mistakenly arrested three months ago for carrying the same name as an IS jihadist. Another was arrested shortly after the extremists were pushed out of Mosul in July.

- 97 people with same name -

Ahmed Awwad al-Juburi, spokesman of the provincial bar association, is well acquainted with these cases, which can often only be unravelled by determining the names of mothers and wives, and dates of birth.

"Currently, we have identified 97 Mohammed Jassem Mohammeds," he told AFP. All of them can be arrested, although only one is wanted for terrorism offences.

Mohammed Ibrahim al-Bayati, who is in charge of security in the provincial council, said arrests made on the basis of three names should be halted immediately.

Bayati said it is necessary to identify people by their five consecutive names and to make computerised identity documents available to the people of Mosul as quickly as possible.

In Mosul after IS, nobody is spared. Some within the security forces or provincial authorities have already paid for it. Bayati said he too is a victim.

"My name and those of my father and grandfather are held by several other people. I am one of the victims," he told AFP.India has had a military cooperation agreement with the Seychelles since 2003

A plan for India to build a military base on an outlying Seychelles island has won favour among the archipelago nation's politicians, but some hostility from its people.

The base on Assumption Island is to be funded by India and shared by the two countries' militaries.

The deal was struck in principle in 2015 during a visit to the Seychelles by India's prime minister Narendra Modi, but progress since has been slow.

The government of the Seychelles, based in Victoria on Mahe Island 1,135 kilometres (705 miles) northeast of Assumption, says the base will help coastguards to patrol its 1.3 million square kilometre (500,000 square mile) exclusive economic zone for illegal fishing, drug trafficking and piracy.

Currently, the remote coral island has a tin shack post office, an air strip and almost no people, it is less than seven kilometres long, has a high point just 30 metres (100 feet) above sea level and is covered in bird excrement.

But its location lends it strategic importance for monitoring shipping in the Mozambique Channel.

- Small island, big investment -

India plans to invest $550 million dollars (446 million euros) in building the base to help it ensure the safety of its vessels in the southern Indian Ocean. It also says the base will be a resource for other shipping nations.

"Assumption is very close to the Mozambique Channel where much of the international trade is transiting, and not just for India but for other countries as well, and our interest is that our trading vessels are safe," said India's ambassador in Victoria, Ausaf Sayeed.

India has had a military cooperation agreement with the Seychelles since 2003 and the deal would give it use of the Assumption base for up to 30 years. Indian soldiers would be deployed on the island and help train Seychelles' troops.

But ratification of the 2015 agreement has been slow with a new, amended pact only signed between the two countries on January 27.

"What we did in relation to the first agreement is to clarify some points that could give rise to litigation," said Frank Ally, the Seychelles' attorney general.

He said these included a prohibition on any nuclear uses of the island or weapons storage. India is also not allowed to use Assumption in war.

Seeking to allay fears the government has made available to the public some details of the classified defence agreement.

- Weekly protests -

Nevertheless, the project remains controversial with small weekly demonstrations in the capital.

Indian presence in the Seychelles is a sensitive matter. Some fear an influx of Indian workers who, they say, might come to dominate the economy, while others consider a foreign power building a military base an affront to sovereignty and national pride.

"The Seychelles can make its own military base, I am against any foreign military presence!" said Guilmert Corgat, a businessman in Victoria who attended a town hall meeting on the plan in late February.

"If this deal is so good for the Seychelles, why don't we hold a referendum?" asked Alexia Amesbury, a lawyer.

During the discussions foreign minister Barry Faure was forced to insist the government was not giving the island away, "because Assumption belongs to the Seychelles".

Environmentalists fear giant tortoises could be affected by the military base

Opponents of the plan also cite Assumption's relative proximity to Aldabra atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises.

Environmentalists worry about the possible impact of a large military presence so close to an ecosystem that has survived precisely because of the absence of people.

Despite the dissenting voices, Sayeed remains positive that parliament will ratify the new agreement when it reopens this month.

With the opposition, like the government, broadly in favour of the base, though against too many concessions to India, the diplomat's optimism may be well-founded.

"I think politicians and people who see the positive side of this cooperation will be in favour, and I am convinced that it will pass," he said.Iranian acid attack victims are presenting their work at Tehran's Ashianeh gallery, determined to be known not as victims but as artists

Massoumeh Attaie does not want to be defined only by the evil that drove her father-in-law to blind her with acid in her face. She wants to be known as an artist.

The 35-year-old Iranian never got justice for the brutal attack eight years ago that left her permanently disfigured.

Her father-in-law threw acid in her face because she had sought a divorce, but under Iran's Islamic law, her two eyes were worth only one of his.

And in the end, the family threatened that the same punishment would befall her son if she pressed charges.

"I chose my son over justice," she said -- a terrible choice she says she has put behind her and refuses to let crush her spirit.

This week she joined a group of other victims of acid attacks presenting their work at the Ashianeh gallery in Tehran to raise awareness and money.

"I don't want to be known as a victim, I want to be known as an artist," she said.

Attaie makes pottery, sculpted bowls and statuettes.

She now lives in Tehran with her 12-year-old son, having fled her family in Iran's third city of Isfahan, gives art classes to other blind people and proudly says she is "totally independent".

"I hope this exhibition is encouraging for others like us to give them a bit of morale to come out from hiding away in their house and come back to society," she said.

There have been repeated outbreaks of acid attacks in Iran.

A spate of attacks in 2014 triggered protests and claims the culprits were targeting women wearing "immodest" clothing.

The most infamous case came in 2011 when a young woman, Ameneh Bahrami, was blinded by a man after rejecting his offer of marriage.

Public pressure meant the courts granted her full retribution, ordering him to be blinded in both eyes, though she spared him at the last moment.

- 'Hear our cry' -

Not all of the attacks have targeted women.

Also presenting his work at the Tehran gallery was Mohsen Mortazavi, who was disfigured by a jealous colleague.

His artwork is a highly intricate type of portrait known as moaragh, made from wood offcuts.

Iranian acid attack victim Mohsen Mortazavi displays a self-portrait, half showing his disfigurement by a jealous colleague and half how he once looked

Half of his self-portrait is how he once looked, the other half is obliterated by a dark blotch.

"I wanted to show the moment it happened," he said.

"We wanted the public to hear our voice, our cry, the cry of those who have been burned like us. The best way we could find was with art," he said.

"It's great to see how this show has brought people back to the world," said Zahra Safari, a visitor at the exhibition this week.

"The fact that they can use their hands to express their feelings and the fact they express their interior strength and that their face becomes less significant - that they are enjoying themselves."

Money raised by the show went to Iran's Association of Support of Acid Attack Victims.Activists allege as many as 12,000 people have been killed in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war

More than 100 drug suspects have been killed since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to rejoin his "war on drugs", an official said Saturday.

Duterte was elected in 2016 on a promise to eradicate drugs, and launched an unprecedented campaign in which -- rights activists allege -- as many as 12,000 people have been killed.

Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao confirmed that 102 drug suspects were killed by police between December 5 -- when Duterte ordered the force to rejoin the drug war -- and March 1.

In October last year, the president had announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would replace the police in counter-narcotics operations following mounting public opposition, including rare street protests.

But Duterte, 72, also repeatedly said the anti-drug agency, with only around 2,000 officers, would not be able to effectively conduct the crackdown.

He eventually ordered the police back into the anti-drug campaign without any major reform of the force.

Bulalacao could not give comparative figures for the death toll before December 5, but according to figures released separately by the government, 4,021 "drug personalities" were killed between June 2016 -- when Duterte took office -- and February 8 this year.

Activists allege that around 12,000 people have been killed in the drug war, many of them by shadowy vigilantes, and warn that the fiery president may be carrying out a crime against humanity.

In early February, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said she had opened a "preliminary examination" into the alleged abuses.

In recent weeks, the Philippine government has said it is willing to let a UN Special Rapporteur into the country to look into the accusations.

But the foreign secretary has called for fairness in the investigation, and Duterte has told police and the military to not cooperate with the rapporteur.

"If they ask you about wrongdoing, do not answer. And if they ask you why, tell them: we have a commander in chief," Duterte told police and soldiers on Thursday.

Asked about this remark, Bulalacao said that if international investigators approach the police, "we shall refer this matter to the higher authorities."Since last January, when he plunged to 80th in the world, South African Kevin Anderson has made five finals comprising Washington D.C., the US Open, Pune, New York and now Acapulco

South Africa's Kevin Anderson moved one step closer to capturing his second consecutive title with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory over American qualifier Jared Donaldson at the ATP Mexican Open.

Anderson, of Johannesburg, won the New York Open crown two weeks ago.

The world No. 8 Anderson has plenty of confidence heading into Saturday's final where he will face Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro.

"It just feels great to win tonight's match," Anderson said. "When you're out there, you're not really thinking about finals and what happened before. In the heat of the battle, I thought it was a really tough match."

Since last January, when he plunged to 80th in the world, Anderson has made five finals comprising Washington D.C., the US Open, Pune, New York and now Acapulco. He was runner-up at the 2017 US Open.

Anderson saw his ranking fall of as a result of a variety of injuries and health issues.

In the other semi-final, Del Potro blasted six aces and broke Alexander Zverev's serve three times en route to a 6-4, 6-2 win on Friday night.

Del Potro, who is seeded sixth, won 78 percent of his first-serve points and 55 percent of his second serves in the one hour, 31 minute match.

Zverev, of Germany, hammered 10 aces but had two double faults.

On the women's side of the draw, defending champion Lesia Tsurenko earned a ninth straight victory at this event as she held off a late charge from Daria Gavrilova to return to the WTA final with a 6-2, 6-4 win.

Tsurenko will have the opportunity to play for her fourth career WTA title against Swiss Stefanie Voegele who cruised past Swedish qualifier Rebecca Peterson 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).

"I just really like it here. I think all the conditions for the tournament are just great and I know that all the players enjoy to play here," the Ukrainian Tsurenko said.A couple takes a selfie in front of graffiti by street artist Lushsux depicting US President Donald Trump kissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the wall between Bethlehem and Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a brief respite next week from the deluge of legal woes he faces when he heads to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.

Even as he prepared for his trip, Netanyahu was again questioned by police in Jerusalem on Friday in connection with alleged corruption as concerns mount over whether he will eventually be forced from office.

Monday's visit to a White House that has shown enthusiastic support for Israel and Netanyahu may help bolster the long-serving prime minister, who has called Trump a "true friend" of his country.

Both men have used populist appeals in the face of investigations, with Netanyahu borrowing Trump's "fake news" moniker to denounce reports of his alleged corruption.

Israeli police recommended last month that Netanyahu be indicted in two corruption cases and investigations are continuing in others.

"I think they are partners in ideology, and the ideology is a populist, conservative ideology which says that the old liberal elites are against us," said Gayil Talshir, political scientist at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

"I think from that perspective it is a boost" for Netanyahu.

But Trump has given Netanyahu far more than moral support.

The United States is set to upturn decades of international consensus when it moves its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem in May.

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, eastern Switzerland, on January 25, 2018

Trump has also frozen tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to the negotiating table.

Both moves have left the Palestinian leadership outraged, accusing Trump's administration of blatant bias and declaring it can no longer serve as mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That, along with Trump son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner losing his top-level security clearance, has raised questions over whether Trump's pledge to reach the "ultimate" peace deal will get off the ground any time soon.

Kushner has been among those heading up the White House's efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

- 'Prestige problem' -

Netanyahu may not be troubled by any such delay.

He appears more interested in speaking with Trump about other issues, such as Israel's arch-enemy Iran and its influence in neighbouring Syria.

He will likely seek to further push his case that the Iran nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers should be changed, said Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington.

"Israel, I think, is hoping that there will be a more active American role in trying to block, trying to stem, the Iranian advances in Syria," Shoval said.

Beyond his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu will address a conference organised by powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC during his trip after having done so by satellite link the last two years.

The speech, expected on Tuesday, comes as Netanyahu faces what some in Israel see as an important concern: a growing divide between Republicans and Democrats over support for his country, according to at least one recent poll.

The United States remains by far Israel's most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid and key diplomatic backing.

But poll results released in January by the US-based Pew Research Centre showed 79 percent of Republicans sympathise more with Israel than the Palestinians, while 27 percent of Democrats said the same.

Although Netanyahu may want to avoid talk about the Palestinians during his trip, the decades-long conflict is certain to be on the agenda.

Trump has spoken of wanting to reach the elusive Israeli-Palestinian deal that repeated US presidents have been unable to achieve.

At the same time, many analysts have trouble seeing how progress can be made with the Palestinians angered and a pressured Netanyahu playing to his right-wing base -- not to mention Kushner no longer able to access America's most closely guarded secrets.

Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator now with the Wilson Centre think-tank, said Kushner faces a "prestige problem", but that may make little difference.

"The Arab-Israeli peace process right now is so fraught, so challenged, so burdened with complexity and problems that Jared Kushner could have access to every piece of classified information in the world," he said.

"It would not help him significantly broker a deal."Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who is setting off on his first foreign tour as heir to the throne

Saudi Arabia's crown prince lands in Egypt Sunday on the first leg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne, a diplomatic charm offensive that follows his stunning rise to power.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman's two-day visit to Cairo comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and the United States from March 19-22.

The trips are aimed partly at courting investors and come after a tumultuous period that saw a major military shake-up and a royal purge, part of the prince's sweeping power play that has shaken business confidence.

The son of Saudi King Salman is already seen as the country's de facto ruler controlling the major levers of government.

His visit to Cairo, a key regional ally, comes before Egypt's presidential polls in late March, with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to win a second four-year term.

"Prince Mohammed's visit will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support for Sisi to remain as the president of Egypt in the coming term," Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.

Egypt is part of a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Huthi rebels, a conflict that the United Nations says has engendered the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also part of a bloc of nations that has boycotted Qatar since June over alleged ties to Islamic extremists and Iran. Qatar denies the accusations.

A Saudi government source said Prince Mohammed's choice of Egypt for his maiden overseas trip as crown prince "reaffirms Saudi-Egyptian cooperation at the highest level".

Talks would cover regional rival Iran, the conflict in Yemen, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said.

The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks.

- 'Uncertainty and turbulence' -

The diplomatic offensive comes as Prince Mohammed, a self-styled moderniser who has sought to project a liberal image of Saudi Arabia to investors, consolidates power to a level unseen by previous rulers.

A dramatic shake-up announced on Monday saw military top brass, including the chief of staff and heads of the ground forces and air defence, replaced.

Prince Mohammed's reshuffle came after he sidelined political rivals to become heir to the throne last June and orchestrated a royal anti-corruption purge in November that saw princes, ministers and tycoons locked up in Riyadh's luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel for nearly three months.

"His first trip as crown prince is symbolically a moment for the young Saudi ruler to try to put Riyadh's best foot forward on the world stage," Andrew Bowen, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told AFP.

"It comes at a time of uncertainty and turbulence at home and he has an upward task of both selling to the business community that Saudi is a stable and safe place to do business and that he has a steady hand on foreign policy despite Qatar and Yemen. This certainly won't be an easy sell."

The British government said Prince Mohammed's visit will help enhance cooperation in tackling challenges such as "terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen".

But some protests are expected during his visit over the West supplying Saudi Arabia with arms despite the kingdom's role in the crisis gripping Yemen, said Mohamed Abdelmeguid, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

- 'Competitive rivalry -

The crown prince's visit to the United States in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administration's efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh is expected to announce this year who will build the first two of up to 16 reactors, and negotiations are under way with the United States for its agreement to export technology needed for their construction.

Besides the US company Westinghouse, Russian, French, Chinese and South Korean firms have all been seeking the Saudi contracts.

Another key focus could be the Aramco initial public offering.

The kingdom is preparing to sell under five percent of its state-owned oil giant, the crown jewel of the Saudi economy, in what is expected to be the world's largest ever IPO.

"Prince Mohammed may seek to foster a competitive rivalry between a UK government desperate to attract Saudi investment to offset the Brexit chaos and his US hosts, particularly over the Aramco IPO," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in the United States.

US President Donald Trump hosted Prince Mohammed in March 2017, just weeks after taking office, and he chose Saudi Arabia for his first official overseas visit as president.

Saudi Arabia has grown close to its longtime ally Washington under Trump, whose harder line on Iran and softer stance on arms sales are a welcome shift in policy for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia viewed Trump's predecessor president Barack Obama as too accommodating towards Iran -- particularly on negotiating a 2015 nuclear deal.

burs-ac/hc/drNo caption

Rainbow colours beamed from faces and floats parading through Sydney Saturday as hundreds of thousands of partygoers celebrated 40 years of the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Organisers predicted close to half a million people would witness the glittery spectacle as some 200 floats and 12,500 participants -- including police, politicians, indigenous groups and celebrities -- made their way down Oxford Street, Sydney's gay hub.

The flamboyant displays included an over-the-top dinner party, featuring Mardi Gras costumes from the past four decades, and a giant champagne bottle that erupted, spraying confetti over onlookers.

The event grew out of a brutal and bloody police crackdown of gay and lesbian activists in 1978 and is now one of the biggest street parties in the world.

"This year we look back on the Mardi Gras' 40 years and we acknowledge that we are built on the backs of so many that have come before us," said Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chief executive Terese Casu.

"Those incredible activists, the protestors, our artists, our creators, our volunteers -- all those people that have bought us to Mardi Gras."

Last year, after more than a decade of political wrangling and months of heated debate, Australia legalised gay marriage.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy marched through the parade route before it kicked off, and he told reporters this edition carried extra gravity in the wake of the same-sex marriage vote.

"This is a huge affirmation of respect and love. It is so worth it. The vote gave same-sex couples a huge hug," he said.

Casu said it had been a difficult year for the LGBTQI -- lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex -- community, "but it showed our strength, our courage and indeed our grace."

"For many, equality has been a long, hard journey and this year we celebrate. We look back, we dance with our partners, in fact our new wives, our husbands and we celebrate 40 years of Mardi Gras," she said.

- 'Freedom to express myself' -

Among the floats was one featuring dozens of giant red, glittering "remembrance butterflies" in tribute to those lost to AIDS-related illnesses, while another showcasing hundreds of sparkling silver and pink hearts was dedicated to volunteers.

A special Sydney Opera House float had giant replicas of the building's famous sails.

Lebanese-Australian Carlos Lopez, 28, was on a float highlighting diversity in the gay community.

"I feel like this is a really important platform for me to show myself as a Middle Eastern Australian and show a different side of myself, for the people that don't have my freedom," he said, referring to more conservative places in the world.

Asked what 40 years of Mardi Gras meant to him, he replied: "The freedom to be who I want to be. The freedom to express myself."

The growing popularity of the event attracted newcomers including Ronya Touk, who was at the Mardi Gras for the first time.

"It's amazing, overwhelming," said Touk.

"I'm 43 and I've never been and I've heard so much hype about it. I've got a few friends that have come out this year (as gay), so I thought it's a good opportunity to see what it's all about."

American pop superstar and LGBTQI icon Cher was the headline act at the after-parade party.Iran launches a medium-range Qadr ballistic missile in the Alborz mountains on March 9, 2016.

Iran's armed forces spokesman said on Saturday that there can be no talks on the country's missile programme without the West's destruction of its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

"What Americans say out of desperation with regards to limiting the Islamic republic of Iran's missile capability is an unattainable dream," Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri told the official IRNA news agency.

"The condition for negotiations on Iran's missiles is the destruction of America's and Europe's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles."

Jazayeri said US criticism of Iran's missile programme was driven by "their failures and defeats in the region."

US President Donald Trump has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers unless more is done to curb Iran's missile programme.

European governments have been scrambling to appease Trump and keep the deal intact, and have voiced increasing concern over Iran's missile programme.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is due to visit Iran on Monday, said last month that its missile programme and involvement in regional conflicts needed to be addressed if Iran "wants to return to the family of nations".

Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, criticised Le Drian's position on Saturday, just two days before they are expected to meet.

"Iran's defence programme is not the concern of other countries such as France, that they should come and tell us what missiles we can have. Do we tell France how it should defend itself?" he told the semi-official ISNA news agency.

"If Le Drian's visit is aimed at reinforcing our relations, he would do well to avoid negative positions," Velayati added.Dozens of Hollywood women are among those who have accused mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and rape

Harvey Weinstein's lawyer said Saturday a woman having sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career is "not rape", in a British newspaper interview on the eve of the Oscars.

Ben Brafman is one of the US' top criminal defence attorneys, hired by the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose career is in tatters following accusations of sexual harassment, assault and rape.

More than 100 women have accused Weinstein of impropriety going back 40 years, but Brafman argued there was no criminal behaviour.

"If a woman decides that she needs to have sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career and actually does it and finds the whole thing offensive, that's not rape," he told The Times.

"You made a conscious decision that you're willing to do something that is personally offensive in order to advance your career," he added.

Weinstein, a twice-married father of five, is being investigated by British and US police, but has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex and is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction.

Dozens of Hollywood women, including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek, are among Weinstein's accusers.

The bombshell exposes last year have led the film industry to declare war on sexual misconduct, with the campaign dominating the 2018 awards circuit.

Brafman told The Times his client's behaviour was reflective of the broader culture in the industry: "The casting couch in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey Weinstein."

While Weinstein will not be welcome at Sunday's Oscars ceremony, his infamous casting couch has been created by artists to mark the occasion.

Plastic Jesus and Joshua Monroe created a gold sculpture of Weinstein on the couch, wearing a dressing gown and clutching an Academy Award.A new hunt for flight MH370 is expected to end by mid-June, Malaysian authorities said Saturday, as families marked four years since the disappearance of the plane amid renewed hope

A new hunt for flight MH370 is expected to end by mid-June, Malaysian authorities said Saturday, as families marked four years since the disappearance of the plane amid renewed hope.

The Malaysia Airlines jet disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people -- mostly from China -- on board, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

No sign of the plane was found in a 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) sea search zone and the Australian-led hunt, the largest in aviation history, was suspended in January last year.

But the Malaysian government struck a "no find, no fee" deal with exploration firm Ocean Infinity to resume the search in an area north of the original zone, that scientists now believe is the likeliest crash site.

The hunt restarted in January, with a research vessel deploying eight high-tech drones to scour the seabed.

Officials had said the search would last a maximum of 90 days.

Speaking as families marked four years since the plane disappeared in the Malaysian capital, the country's civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that this would be spread over several months as the ship needed to stop sometimes to refuel.

The hunt is expected to end by mid-June, he said.

"Hopefully, we will be able to identify the location of MH370," he said at the anniversary event at a Kuala Lumpur shopping mall.

By the end of February, research vessel Seabed Constructor had surveyed 8,200 square kilometres of the 25,000 square kilometre search area, according to Ocean Infinity's most recent update.

At Saturday's event, relatives of the missing passengers spoke of their continuing sense of pain and loss.

But the new search meant there was also a glimmer of hope.

Jacquita Gonzales, whose husband Patrick Gomes was a steward on the flight, told the event she was "grateful" to the Malaysian government they had restarted the search.

"They have not given up hope, and neither have we."

K. S. Narendran, whose wife Chandrika Sharma was on the flight, was more cautious.

"Am I hopeful? It's hard to say -- there are a number of 'ifs'," he told AFP.

"If the data is right, if the analysis is right, if they are searching in the right area."Australians vulnerable to listeriosis have been advised to discard any rockmelon purchased before 1 March

Three Australians have died after consuming melon contaminated with listeria amid an outbreak that has prompted health authorities to warn those at risk to throw out pre-cut melons.

Listeria is a commonly found bacteria and for most people who consume foods that contain it does not cause illness.

But for elderly people, pregnant women or those with serious conditions like diabetes or cancer, it poses a serious threat.

At least 15 cases of listeriosis have been reported since authorities were first alerted to the outbreak last month.

"All 15 cases are elderly people, and most of them have significant underlying health conditions," director of communicable diseases at New South Wales Health doctor Vicky Sheppeard said in a statement Friday.

"People vulnerable to listeriosis should discard any rock melon purchased before 1 March."

Health authorities in New South Wales state confirmed the death of two people from the outbreak this week, with authorities in Victoria confirming the third.

The source has been linked to a farm in New South Wales state, with authorities investigating the supply chain after issuing a warning on February 23.

Listeriosis begins with flu-like symptoms including chills, fever and muscle aches. It can take up to six weeks after consuming contaminated foods for the symptoms to occur.Turkish forces and army helicopters advance towards the village of Al-Maabatli in the Afrin region in the northwestern Aleppo province countryside on March 2, 2018

Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll.

The two-storey building where the fighters were located was completely eviscerated, an AFP correspondent reported, with several burnt out vehicles visible among the rubble.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours.

They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said.

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20, when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

The YPG has been a key component of a United States-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to the town of Afrin or to nearby government-controlled areas.Renault's Cyril Abiteboul hopes the FIA will diligently seek to prevent rival manufacturers from exploiting loopholes in F1's oil-as-fuel restrictions.

Last year, the governing body outlawed the concept by which oil is injected into an engine's fuel mix to generate an extra boost of power at a specific moment, like in qualifying for example.

However, Red Bull's Christian Horner recently suggested that loopholes still exist within the current regulations covering the oil-as-fuel scheme, mainly with regard to how the rules apply during qualifying. And Renault agrees with its customer.

"Much has been done in relation to these loopholes, but we continue to collaborate with the FIA to ensure they have the tools to monitor them properly," Cyril Abiteboul told Ekstra Bladet.

"So it's not just about good rules but also how to monitor them.

"I'm sure the rules are clear, but I'm not sure yet about the FIA's capacity to monitor them."

However, Renault itself was apparently the subject of a separate complaint over the winter, apparently from a customer team which suspected it was not being treated fairly regarding engine supply.

"It's a concern for customer teams and for good reason. They should be treated equally and we've always done that in our 40 years as an engine supplier," Abiteboul insisted.

"But we must also accept that there will always be small differences. For example Red Bull has another partner so they use different fuel and oil.

"But we didn't force them to and so they could have used our partner," he added.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and TwitterPrime Minister Narendra Modi (C) hailed the results in the northeast as 'epoch-making' and promised to transform the remote region

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party on Saturday recorded a spectacular victory in Tripura state and a strong showing elsewhere in the country's northeast region ahead of the national election in 2019.

The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and its local allies swept the polls, winning 43 seats in the 59 member house in remote Tripura, ending nearly 25 years of communist rule in the state that borders Bangladesh.

Elections in the three northeastern states -- Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya -- were held in February with results announced Saturday.

Modi, who campaigned vigorously in the region ahead of the vote, said the party charted "the path of success from (being) no one to the one" in the region, which for decades was considered a bastion of main opposition parties Congress and the Left Front.

"The northeast has today come forward to lead India on the path to development," Modi told a jubilant crowd of supporters at the victory speech in New Delhi party headquarters.

He termed the results as "epoch-making" and promised to "transform" the remote region.

The BJP itself bagged 35 out of 59 seats in Tripura, while its regional alliance partner Indigenous People's Front Of Tripura won eight seats.

That left the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front with just 16.

Communists had won five consecutive elections in the state since 1993 -- three under the outgoing chief minister Manik Sarkar -- after wresting power from Congress.

Modi's Hindu nationalist party finished third in Christian-dominated Nagaland state, but was set to form the government in alliance with a local partner, party leaders said.

It won 11 seats on its own and was in talks with two other regional parties to form a coalition government.

BJP was a partner in the ruling alliance in Nagaland but had pulled out of the government ahead of the polls.

The BJP's succes has further consolidated the party's grip on national politics ahead of the crucial 2019 general elections, when Modi will be running for re-election.

Since winning the 2014 elections under Modi, the BJP has expanded its rule from seven states to 21, out of 29 Indian states.

It controls Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh states in the northeast region, which critically lacks infrastructure despite being of strategic importance due to its borders with China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.

However, the party could not garner support in Meghalaya, winning just two seats as the state heads for a hung mandate, with Congress winning the largest share with 21 seats in the 59 member house.

Congress has ruled the state since 2010, but it was unclear whether the Rahul Gandhi-led party will form a local alliance with other parties.

Elections are due in five more states later this year, with the BJP eyeing a victory in Congress-ruled southern Karnataka state that could reduce India's oldest political party's rule to just two states.Russia-backed regime forces have since February 18 killed more than 640 civilians -- including over 150 children -- in a ferocious bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, one of the armed opposition's last strongholds in the country

Government forces seized territory inside Syria's rebel enclave Eastern Ghouta Saturday, intensifying fighting as tens of thousands of civilians in the besieged enclave near Damascus awaited urgently needed aid.

On another front in Syria's seven-year civil war, Turkish air strikes killed 36 pro-regime fighters in a Kurdish enclave near Turkey's border.

Syria's war has killed more than 340,000 people and spiralled into a complex conflict involving world powers since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Russia-backed regime forces have since February 18 killed more than 640 civilians -- including over 150 children -- in a ferocious bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, one of the armed opposition's last strongholds in the country.

Thousands of civilians in Eastern Ghouta are surviving on meagre stocks, and medical staff struggle to treat casualties with inadequate medical supplies

Following a deadly wave of air strikes and shelling, fighting on the ground has intensified in recent days, and the regime now "controls 10 percent of the besieged Eastern Ghouta region", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said late Saturday.

Regime forces have advanced steadily since Thursday, the Britain-based monitor said earlier, recapturing four areas in the east and southeast of the enclave as well as two air bases.

"Regime forces and their allies have intensified their attacks on rebel positions in the past 48 hours," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The progress has been rapid through mainly agricultural land, he added.

"The terrorists will soon taste defeat in Ghouta," said Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan.

Eastern Ghouta's 400,000 residents have lived under siege since 2013, facing severe food and medicine shortages even before the latest offensive.

- 'Scorched earth policy' -

The fighting on the ground comes after Russia on Tuesday started a daily five-hour "humanitarian pause" in the enclave -- a move that falls far short of the 30-day ceasefire demanded by the UN Security Council.

Eastern Ghouta's 400,000 residents have lived under regime siege since 2013, facing severe food and medicine shortages even before the latest offensive

The ferocity of the bombardment initially lessened but it has continued to claim lives, and trucks loaded with desperately needed aid remain unable to enter the enclave.

Thousands of civilians are surviving on meagre stocks, and medical staff are struggling to treat casualties with inadequate medical supplies.

A Syrian air force Su-17 fighter plane seen over the besieged rebel-held town of Hamouria in the eastern Ghouta region on March 3, 2018

French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "grave concern" about the humanitarian situation in the area in a telephone conversation late Saturday, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.

"The UN convoys must immediately deliver medical assistance and food aid to the besieged population," the French Presidency said.

The UN Human Rights Council postponed voting Friday on a British resolution condemning the crisis in Eastern Ghouta, after member states failed to agree on a final text.

The ferocity of the bombardment initially lessened but it has continued to claim lives since Russia's daily "pause" was announced

Moscow has offered safe passage to non-combatants wishing to leave the enclave during the pause, but no Syrian civilians have left since Tuesday, the Observatory says.

The Russian military said in a statement that no civilians exited via the established corridor on Saturday.

Government fighters are trying to advance inside Eastern Ghouta to cut off the main town of Douma and its surroundings in the north of the enclave, as well as isolate the southeastern area of Al-Marj, Abdel Rahman said.

Jaish al-Islam, a main opposition group in the region, accused regime forces of carrying out a "scorched earth policy" as they progressed into the enclave.

- Deadly Turkish strikes -

In the northwest of the country, there was more bloodshed in the roughly six-week offensive by Turkey and allied fighters against Kurdish militia now backed up by pro-government Syrian forces.

Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters battling alongside the Kurds in the enclave of Afrin on Saturday, the Observatory said.

In the northwest of the country, there was more bloodshed in the roughly six-week offensive by Turkey and allied fighters against Kurdish militia now backed up by pro-government Syrian forces

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll.

The two-storey building where the fighters were located was completely eviscerated, an AFP correspondent reported, with several burnt-out vehicles visible among the rubble.

The Observatory said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours.

They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said.

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters on January 20 launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Pro-regime fighters joined the Kurdish militia inside Afrin a month later, after the Kurds appealed to Damascus for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

Turkish forces and army helicopters advance towards the village of Al-Maabatli in the Afrin region in the northwestern Aleppo province countryside as part of the ongoing offensive on March 2, 2018

The YPG has been a key component of the US-backed SDF, a Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to Afrin or to nearby regime-controlled areas.Best-selling science fiction writer Zafar Iqbal was stabbed during a seminar in Sylhet

One of Bangladesh's top writers was stabbed in the back of the head during a seminar in the northern city of Sylhet on Saturday, police said, the latest in a series of attacks on authors and bloggers.

Police said Zafar Iqbal, a celebrated secular activist and bestselling science fiction writer, was rushed to hospital in Sylhet after the attack.

"He was hit on the back of his head and he was bleeding," a police constable posted at the hospital told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Abdul Wahab, a spokesman for the Sylhet city police, confirmed the incident, saying police suspect he was attacked with a knife.

"He was in a seminar when he was stabbed on the back of his head. His gunman caught an attacker," he told AFP, referring to Iqbal's police guard.

Bangladesh's government has provided security for the country's top secular writers and activists since suspected Islamist extremists named them in a several lists of targets.

Police do not know how many people were involved in the attack nor whether they belonged to any Islamist extremist groups, he said.

"He has been taken to the operating theatre," he said, adding he would be flown to a military hospital in Dhaka for better treatment.

Iqbal, who teaches at a state-run university in Sylhet, is a longstanding a champion of free speech and secularism in Bangladesh.

He is also a top selling author and celebrity speaker who regularly appears at university campuses nationwide.

The attack was swiftly condemned by protesters in Dhaka and Sylhet.

In Dhaka's Shahbagh Square, which became famous for massive 2013 protests against Islamist war criminals, hundreds of people carried torches to protest against the attack and demand swift justice.

"It is an ominous sign. He is a guardian of progressive movement in Bangladesh. His attack is an attack against progressive Bangladesh," said Imran Sarker, head of one of the top secular groups.

"He was in the hit-list by militant and other groups in the past. The government can't avoid its responsibility," he told AFP.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strongly condemned the attack and ordered security forces to track down the culprits, her press secretary Ihsanul Karim said.

Suspected Islamist extremists have carried out a series of attacks on secular and atheist writers and bloggers in the last four years, killing around a dozen of them including an American atheist blogger of Bangladeshi origin.

Police have blamed homegrown Islamist extremist group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), also known as Ansar al Islam, which is linked with Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent for most of the attacks.

Bangladesh has been waging a war against homegrown extremism in the wake of numerous attacks by radical groups in recent years.

In July 2016 militants stormed a Dhaka cafe and massacred 22 hostages, including 18 foreigners, in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

Security forces have shot dead more than 70 alleged militants in a severe crackdown since the cafe carnage.

Late last year police arrested an alleged militant from ABT over the 2015 murder of the American blogger in Dhaka.President Jimmy Morales wants to move Guatemala's embassy in Israel from its current location in Herzlia, near Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem

Guatemala's Constitutional Court has rejected a local lawyer's attempt to prevent the government from moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as the US plans to do, a court spokesman said Saturday.

Spokesman Santiago Palomo told AFP that the high court's five magistrates turned down a request from lawyer Marco Vinicio Mejia, who argued in a petition filed in January that the embassy move was contrary to international law.

The decision in December by President Donald Trump to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem has drawn widespread condemnation, with critics saying it damages hopes for a negotiated Middle East peace.

Only seven small countries -- including Guatemala and Honduras -- sided with the United States and Israel on a nonbinding December 21 UN General Assembly resolution rejecting Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales however soon followed Trump's move, making Guatemala the first country to do so.

Morales, who made the announcement on Facebook, said that Guatemala was a nation of "Christian thought," adding that "Israel is our ally and we must support it."

In his brief, Mejia argued among other things that an order issued over social media like Facebook carried no legal standing.

The court said in its ruling that "the circumstances" did not make it "advisable" to grant an injunction, though it suggested that the matter was not definitively resolved.

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday thanked Morales for his support on the Jerusalem question.

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel said she has received calls from the Palestinian Authority asking for Guatemala to reconsider its stance.

But the country's position, she said, was irreversible.Iraq's budget is based on projected oil exports of 3.9 million barrels per day, including 250,000 bpd produced in the Kurdistan autonomous region of northern Iraq, at a price of $46 per barrel

Iraq's parliament on Saturday adopted an $88.5 billion budget for 2018, with Kurdish lawmakers boycotting the vote to protest against a cut in the amount allocated to their autonomous region.

The reduction comes after a controversial independence reference by the Kurds last year sparked a furious dispute with the central government.

The budget is based on projected oil exports of 3.9 million barrels per day, including 250,000 bpd produced in the Kurdistan autonomous region of northern Iraq, at a price of $46 per barrel.

It also projects $77.5 billion (63 billion euros) in revenues and a deficit of $10.6 billion, and allocates $20.8 billion for investments.

Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the vote because it reduced Kurdistan's part of the national budget from 17 percent to 12.6 percent.

Article 9 of the Iraqi constitution stipulates that Kurdistan's share of the budget must reflect the size of the population of the autonomous region.

But the text of the budget approved by parliament on Saturday states that the autonomous Kurdish government must export 250,000 bpd and hand over the money it earns from the sales to the federal authorities.

"If Kurdistan does not hand over (the money), the finance ministry will take it from its part of the budget," it said.

Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of the northern province of Kirkuk, home to key oilfields, in June 2014 after federal forces withdrew in the face of an offensive by the Islamic State group.

Late last year, following the failed Kurdish referendum on independence rejected by Baghdad, federal forces recaptured the oilfields, severing a key lifeline for the Kurds whose economy largely depended on oil revenues.

Iraqi parliament speaker Salim Jubburi on Saturday said the 2018 budget had also "resolved" the issue of "salaries for Kurdish civil servants and the peshmerga".

The federal government will resume paying those salaries which had been frozen for the past six month amid demands by Baghdad for an audit to determine the number of civil servants in Kurdistan, he said.

The budget also contained some belt-tightening measures as Iraq looks to rebuild after the brutal fight against the Islamic State group.

It limits the number of cars that can be used for official convoys, including those escorting the president and the prime minister.

Dozens of cars used to escort government officials in Iraq, but under the new guidelines the president and the prime minister will be alloted just five vehicles each.

Government ministers will be allowed three-car convoys and vice presidents two.

Iraq will sell at auction all the other cars that made up official convoys and put the money earned back into the budget.

Iraq ranks as one of the world's most corrupt countries, coming 169th out of 180 in Transparency International's corruption perception index for 2017.

Its economy has suffered from low oil prices and the country is also reeling from a three-year war against jihadists.

The adoption of the new budget comes weeks after donors pledged $30 billion in loans and investment for Iraq's reconstruction.

Iraq has said its 10-year reconstruction plan would cost $88.2 billion, of which $22 billion was required immediately.MADRID (AP) - The Spanish government dismissed Friday the latest efforts by Catalan separatists to advance their independence bid, saying a planned Catalan government in exile would have no legal authority.

The government also said Jordi Sanchez, a prominent secessionist proposed as Catalonia's new president, can't take office because he's in jail in Madrid awaiting possible trial on charges of sedition and rebellion for his part in recent Catalan attempts to break away from Spain.

Government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said Friday of Sanchez possibly taking power that authorities "won't allow it."

Ben Emmerson, lawyer of Catalonia's former leader Carles Puigdemont, holds a news conference in Brussels, Belgium on Friday, March 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)

Justice Minister Rafael Catala was more circumspect, however. He noted a president would have to take power in person, though he added it would be up to a judge whether to let Sanchez go to the Catalan parliament.

Catalonia's fugitive ex-leader Carles Puigdemont said late Thursday in a video message from Belgium, where he fled to escape arrest in Spain, that he supported Sanchez for president.

He also said separatists plan to create a kind of Catalan shadow government in exile, called the Council of the Republic, in Belgium.

Mendez de Vigo said such a body would have no power because it has no constitutional basis.

In another twist in the ongoing battle between Madrid's central authorities and separatist parties and civic groups in Barcelona, the wealthy northeastern Catalonia region's capital, Puigdemont is taking his fight to the international stage.

His lawyer in Belgium, Ben Emmerson, said Friday legal action has been launched at the United Nations, claiming Spain has violated human, civil and political rights in its crackdown in Catalonia and subsequent legal pursuit of regional leaders.

Emmerson told reporters in Brussels that the Spanish state is trying to "squeeze the life out of the Catalan independence movement."

He said Puigdemont's legal team plans to take new legal action each month until Spain agrees to talks on Catalan independence. He didn't say what that action might be.

____

Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

A Yellow ribbon in support of Catalonian politicians who have been jailed on charges of sedition is displayed before a parliamentary session in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 1, 2018. Separatist parties in Catalonia's regional parliament are continuing to defy the Spanish government, insisting that fugitive Catalan ex-president Carles Puigdemont is their legitimate leader despite a ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court that he can't take office. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Roger Torrent, speaker of Catalan Parliament, center, attends during a parliamentary session at the Parliament of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 1, 2018. Separatist parties in Catalonia's regional parliament are continuing to defy the Spanish government, insisting that fugitive Catalan ex-president Carles Puigdemont is their legitimate leader despite a ruling by Spain's Constitutional Court that he can't take office. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Ben Emmerson, lawyer of Catalonia's former leader Carles Puigdemont, holds a news conference in Brussels, Belgium on Friday, March 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Sylvain Plazy)BRUSSELS (AP) - NATO says Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to target its members are unacceptable and that the military alliance will continue using its armed forces to deter aggression.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said Friday that "Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counterproductive."

Putin said Thursday that Moscow has tested an array of new strategic nuclear weapons that can't be intercepted, telling the West: "You have failed to contain Russia."

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, the Avangard hypersonic vehicle blasts off during a test launch at an undisclosed location in Russia. President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that Russia has developed a range of new nuclear weapons, claiming they can't be intercepted by enemy. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

Lungescu said NATO's missile defense system is built to respond to attacks from outside Europe and North America and not directed against Russia.

Noting Russia's "aggressive actions" in Ukraine and military buildup around Europe, she said: "NATO is pursuing a twin-track approach to Russia: strong deterrence and defense, combined with meaningful dialogue."

Journalists watch as Russian President Vladimir Putin gives his annual state of the nation address in Manezh in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 1, 2018. Putin set a slew of ambitious economic goals, vowing to boost living standards, improve health care and education and build modern infrastructure in a state-of-the-nation address. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a Russian military truck with a laser weapon mounted on it is shown at an undisclosed location in Russia. President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that Russia has developed a range of new nuclear weapons, claiming they can't be intercepted by enemy. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man already charged with killing three people in the Kansas City area was indicted Friday in the deaths of three more men, all of whom were shot in apparently unprovoked attacks along or near hiking trails, Jackson County prosecutors said.

The suspect, Frederick Demond Scott, a 23-year-old black man, once threatened to "kill all white people." All the victims were white, but investigators and prosecutors have not discussed a motive for the killings.

After the indictments, Scott faces six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of armed criminal action in a string of killings that began in August 2016. The last killing currently linked to Scott occurred Aug. 13, 2017. He has pleaded not guilty in the previous three cases.

Scott's mother previously told authorities and The Kansas City Star that her son is schizophrenic.

All five of the male victims were shot as they walked on or near the trails or, in one case, walked home after getting off a bus. The female victim was homeless and her decomposing body was found in a tent in woods in Grandview. She also was shot, police said.

Kansas City Police spokesman Lionel Colon said he has "no information that suggests the investigation" into other potential victims is ongoing.

Scott made his comment about wanting to kill people while he was a student in January 2014 at an alternative school near Kansas City, according to a municipal citation for harassment regarding the case. His mother said she did odd jobs for white people and she wasn't aware he had any problems with them.

Scott was indicted Friday in the deaths of David Lenox, 67, Timothy Rice, 57, and Michael Darby, 61.

The first victim was John Palmer, 54, who was shot Aug. 19, 2016. His body was dragged off the Indian Creek Trail and was found in nearby woods. The last victim, Steven Gibbons, 57, died Aug. 13, 2017, after he got off a bus in south Kansas City. The woman, 64-year-old Karen Harmeyer, was found in her tent by friends.

Lenox was killed Feb. 27, 2017, as he was returning home from walking his two dogs. His daughter, Mindy Lenox of San Francisco, told The Star that she and her family appreciated the efforts of investigators and prosecutors to provide a charge in her father's death.

"We're thankful that he is off the street and hopefully he'll be held accountable for what he has done," Lenox said. "I don't know for me personally that there is any closure. Nothing can bring my dad back and nothing can take that pain away, but at least knowing that the person responsible will be held accountable, it will certainly be helpful."

Rice, of Excelsior Springs, was found dead from multiple gunshots on April 4, 2017, inside a shelter at a park where he was camping, his family said.

Darby's son, Brian Darby, said Friday he appreciated the work of police and prosecutors. "I feel like we are one step closer to where we need to be," he said.

Scott was arrested after Gibbons' killing, when surveillance video showed Scott following Gibbons, according to court records. Detectives later linked Scott to the scene with DNA from an iced tea bottle and a cigarette butt. He was linked to the Palmer killing with DNA from a T-shirt left at that scene.

___

This story has been updated to correct the suspect's name to Frederick Demond Scott, not Smith.

___

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.comIMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Local governments sued a U.S. agency Friday to demand a fix to a decades-old problem of sewage flowing downhill from Mexico and spilling onto U.S. wetlands and beaches.

The cities of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego said the International Boundary and Water Commission's U.S. section has failed to meet obligations under the federal Clean Water Act to treat the runoff from Tijuana, allowing toxins and bacteria to spread in the Tijuana River Valley and out to the Pacific Ocean.

Polluted waters caused beaches in parts of Imperial Beach, a city of about 30,000 people, to close more than 200 days in 2015 and more than 160 days in 2016 and last year, according to the lawsuit in federal court in San Diego.

A surfer rides a wave in Imperial Beach in San Diego, Calif., Friday, March, 2, 2018. Local governments in the San Diego area have sued a U.S. agency to stop sewage from spilling into the country from Mexico. The cities of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach and the Port of San Diego say the International Boundary and Water Commission's U.S. section has failed to meet obligations to prevent Tijuana sewage from flowing across the border through the Tijuana River Valley to the Pacific Ocean. U.S. beaches are often closed as a result. The lawsuit says polluted waters caused parts of Imperial Beach to close more than 200 days in 2015 and more than 160 days in 2016 and last year. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)

Cross-border sewage has long been a sore topic in San Diego but a spill last year led to mounting pressure on U.S. and Mexican officials to do more. Imperial Beach residents complain about the stench, especially during winter rains.

"You ask what brings a community to a tipping point. I don't know, but we're there," said San Diego Port Commissioner Dan Malcolm. "It's death by a thousand cuts."

The International Boundary and Water Commission's U.S. section, which works with Mexican counterparts to enforce bilateral agreements, referred a request for comment to the U.S. Justice Department, which did not immediately respond.

The long-expected lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Diego, also names Veolia Water North America, part of the French company Veolia Environnement, which operates a border water treatment in San Diego for the commission. The lawsuit says the treatment plant has failed to catch hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater since 2015.

Veolia said it has fully complied with its contract and that some waste never reaches its collection system.

"The plant and related infrastructure are simply not designed to prevent or treat all wastewater discharges originating in Mexico that flow into San Diego County," the company said.

The commission notified California officials this week that it is not legally required to treat sewage and collect trash that spills from Mexico and that it cannot commit any money to treatment unless the U.S. State Department secures money from Congress.TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) - Honduran authorities arrested an executive with a dam development company Friday in the 2016 killing of indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, calling him an intellectual author of a crime that sparked an international outcry.

Roberto David Castillo Mejia, who at the time of the slaying was executive president of the company Desarrollos Energeticos SA, or DESA, was detained at an airport in San Pedro Sula as he was about to fly to Houston, Texas, said Jorge Galindo, a spokesman for the prosecutors' office.

It was the ninth arrest in the killing of Caceres, a Goldman Environmental Prize winner who was shot to death two years ago after attackers barged into her home in La Esperanza. Castillo is charged with being an "intellectual author" in the crime, which generally applies to someone alleged to have been involved in a crime but not at the scene.

A woman holds a placard showing an image of slain environmental activist and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Berta Caceres, during a protest outside the Prosector's Office demanding justice for her murder, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. The authorities' failure to identify those who ordered the brutal murder of Caceres and bring them to justice puts hundreds of human rights defenders at grave risk, said Amnesty International on the second anniversary of her killing. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)

Two others have been arrested for allegedly impeding the investigation.

The Public Ministry alleges Castillo was "the person in charge of providing logistics and other resources to one of the material authors already being prosecuted for the crime."

In a statement, DESA defended Castillo and its employees as innocent, saying they were "totally unconnected" to the crime and calling the "unjust detention" the result of "international pressure and campaigns by diverse NGOs to discredit the company."

DESA questioned the coincidence that the arrest came on the second anniversary of Caceres' killing as her supporters held a protest in Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa.

Caceres' relatives said they were certain of Castillo's guilt.

"There is no doubt that he was one of the material authors of Berta's death," said her ex-husband, Salvador Zuniga.

"The owners of DESA killed my mother," said Caceres' daughter Olivia Zuniga Caceres, who is now a lawmaker with the Liberty and Refoundation Party.

She said she was promoting a parliamentary initiative to cancel the construction of the Agua Zarca dam.

Caceres and her organization known as Copinh opposed DESA's Agua Zarca hydroelectric project, which is on her Lenca indigenous people's lands. She was recognized with the prestigious Goldman award for her activism in 2015.

Last October, an international team of lawyers issued a report saying her killing was the product of a coordinated plot four months in the making involving company employees, state and private security forces, and officials.

Based on an outside review conducted at the request of Copinh and Caceres' family, the report suggested that dam company leadership ordered her assassination and concluded it was "not an isolated incident."

Mexican activist Gustavo Castro Soto was also wounded in the 2016 attack.

Honduras is the deadliest country on the planet per capita for land defenders, according to the London-based watchdog Global Witness.

The group said in a report last July that 14 were killed there in 2016, including two other members of Copinh.

Roberto David Castillo, center, is taken into custody by the police as he is walked to the Technical Investigation Agency in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. A Public Ministry statement identifies Castillo in the 2016 killing of indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, calling him an intellectual author of a crime that sparked an international outcry. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)

Family, friends and activists gather to demand justice for the murder of environmental activist and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Berta Caceres, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. The authorities' failure to identify those who ordered the brutal murder of Caceres and bring them to justice puts hundreds of human rights defenders at grave risk, said Amnesty International on the second anniversary of her killing. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)

Roberto David Castillo is taken into custody by the police as he is walked to the Technical Investigation Agency in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. A Public Ministry statement identifies Castillo in the 2016 killing of indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, calling him an intellectual author of a crime that sparked an international outcry. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)

Family, friends and activists gather to demand justice for the murder of environmental activist and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Berta Caceres, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. The authorities' failure to identify those who ordered the brutal murder of Caceres and bring them to justice puts hundreds of human rights defenders at grave risk, said Amnesty International on the second anniversary of her killing. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)

A man, flanked by police, holds a placard showing an image of slain environmental activist and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Berta Caceres, as part of a protest demanding justice for her murder, outside the Prosector's Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday, March 2, 2018. The authorities' failure to identify those who ordered the brutal murder of Caceres and bring them to justice puts hundreds of human rights defenders at grave risk, said Amnesty International on the second anniversary of her killing. (AP Photo/Fernando Antonio)BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for deeper military-civilian integration in the new era.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while presiding over a plenary session of the central commission for integrated military and civilian development, which he heads.

Xi said that the 19th CPC National Congress had called for firm resolve in implementing the strategy for military-civilian integration, achieving greater integration and building integrated national strategic system and capabilities.

The meeting deliberated and adopted a guideline on military-civilian integration, a working plan of the central commission for integrated military and civilian development in 2018 and a plan for building innovation demonstration zones of national military-civilian integration with a list of the zones.

"Upgraded as a national strategy at the 18th CPC National Congress, integrated military and civilian development has achieved great development," according to a statement released after the meeting.

The statement stressed the importance of following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and Xi thought on strengthening the military in order to carry out the military-civilian integration strategy.

It also called for focus on key areas such as infrastructure, sharing resources, national defense-related sci-tech industry, weaponry, scientific innovation for civilian and military purposes, nurturing talent, the coordinated development of social service and military logistics, and the modernized mobilization for national defense and integration in other emerging areas.

The meeting urged "prioritizing key areas, having the perseverance to hammer away until a task is done, and making full efforts to complete all tasks in 2018."

It also called for making breakthroughs in key reforms, including in science, technology and industry for defense, equipment procurement, military product pricing, tax revenue and breaking barriers between the military and civilians.

The meeting called for improvement in the rule of law and promoting comprehensive legislation and legislative process in key areas, as well as deeper integration in military and civilian development.

The innovation demonstration zones of national military-civilian integration should focus on institutional innovation, the meeting stressed, urging the solving of systematic obstacles, structural contradictions and policy issues that affect and hinder military-civilian integration.

The meeting also reiterated the combining of top-level plans with local research to make achievements in mechanism, policy, and development mode innovation.

Other senior leaders Li Keqiang, Zhang Gaoli and Wang Huning were also present at the meeting.

[ Editor: zyq ]LOS ANGELES (AP) - A police lieutenant and department spokesman used his job to get around California's strict gun laws in order to resell dozens of guns without a license, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Pasadena Police Lt. Vasken Gourdikian was arrested Friday morning and charged with illegally selling more than 100 firearms between March 2014 and February 2017.

Gourdikian, 48, of Sierra Madre, was released on a $100,000 bond after pleading not guilty Friday in federal court in Los Angeles. His attorney, Mark Geragos, said the charges were "misguided and truly an abuse of the supposed discretion of the government."

Gourdikian used his status as a police officer to buy guns that weren't available to the general public and then re-sold the guns, prosecutors said.

As a police officer, he was able to purchase so-called "off-roster" handguns, which aren't available to the public and aren't listed in a catalog of certified handguns maintained by the state, authorities said.

Gourdikian posted on online gun message boards that he had weapons that were brand new and in the box, court documents said.

The investigation against Gourdikian began during a routine analysis of sales and trace reports by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Bill McMullan, the special agent in charge of the ATF field office in Los Angeles.

"As alleged in the indictment, Mr. Gourdikian used his position as a law enforcement officer to buy firearms from gun dealers that the general public could not. He then repeatedly sold those firearms at a profit," McMullan said.

Vowing to vigorously fight the charges, Geragos said statements made by federal officials about his client were "better suited for a political rally." Gourdikian had a long, unblemished law enforcement career, the defense attorney said.

ATF agents raided Gourdikian's home last year and seized 62 firearms, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle, officials said.

He was also charged with possessing an unregistered gun and falsely claiming on federal firearms forms that he was buying a gun for himself, even though he had already agreed to sell the weapon to someone else, prosecutors said.

Gourdikian, who had been on paid leave for about a year, will no longer be paid by the police department, officials said Friday. The department is also conducting an internal review but that is now "on hold pending the outcome of the criminal investigation," police said in a statement.

Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell said Gourdikian's arrest was "damaging" to the city and the police department.

"Trust in our law enforcement is critical to effective policing and our officers must be beyond reproach," he said.

___

Follow Michael Balsamo on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MikeBalsamo1 .NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City police officer has been charged with public lewdness after authorities say he exposed himself to five female officers while he was on duty.

The Brooklyn district attorney's office says Officer Anthony Avosso exposed himself on three occasions to one of the female officers between September and last month while they were alone in an office at their station house.

The female officer filed a complaint with her union, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

Prosecutors say an internal affairs investigation found that the 31-year-old Avosso had exposed himself to four other female officers.

The New York Times reports that Avosso pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment Friday.

His lawyer, Richard Murray, says Avosso is married and has three children.

___

Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.comThe parents of a British tourist who died after the Grand Canyon sightseeing helicopter he was in crashed filed the first wrongful death lawsuit Friday related to last month's crash.

The complaint filed in Clark County District Court in Nevada accused helicopter owner Papillon Airways and manufacturer Airbus of negligence in failing to equip the helicopter with a crash-resistant fuel system.

The systems have fuel tanks that expand, rather than rupture, on impact and self-sealing components to keep fuel from spreading. They are meant to prevent aircraft from catching fire and lessen the chance that people on board get burned.

Newlywed Jonathan Udall, of Southampton, was burned on more than 95 percent of his body in the crash and died February 22 in a Las Vegas trauma center - 10 days after the helicopter crashed at the bottom of the canyon on the Hualapai reservation outside the national park.

Scroll down for video

Jonathan Udall and his wife Ellie Milward Udall (pictured left on their wedding day) died in the crash that also killed their friends Becky Dobson and Stuart Hill (right)

Jonathan Udall's parents, Philip and Marlene Udall (pictured), claimed in the lawsuit that their son could have survived if not for the post-crash fire and want to prevent others from suffering deadly burns, their attorney, Gary C. Robb, said

A survivor, lower right, walks away from the scene of a deadly tour helicopter crash along the jagged rocks of the Grand Canyon

His parents, Philip and Marlene Udall, claimed in the lawsuit that their son could have survived if not for the post-crash fire and want to prevent others from suffering deadly burns, their attorney, Gary C. Robb, told The Associated Press.

The lawsuit seeks more than $195,000, other unspecified damages, attorneys' fees and a jury trial.

Three of the passengers - veterinary receptionist Becky Dobson, 27; her boyfriend and car salesman Stuart Hill, 30; and Hill's brother, 32-year-old lawyer Jason Hill - died at the crash site.

Udall's wife of three months, Ellie Milward Udall, later died at a hospital. All of them were British and on the trip to celebrate Stuart Hill's birthday.

Robb said Jonathan Udall suffered third- and fourth-degree burns, and his wife had burns over 35 percent of her body.

Couple Stuart Hill and Becky Dobson (pictured) both died instantly in the crash, alongside Stuart's brother Jason

'There is no possible excuse for any helicopter not to have this simple but utterly effective technology, no excuse. None,' Robb said.

'If any helicopter executive spent five minutes with any of these burn victims, I guarantee every helicopter in their fleet would have it.'

Representatives of Papillon and Airbus did immediately return email and phone messages seeking comment late Friday.

In this Saturday, February 10 file photo, emergency personnel arrive at the scene of a deadly tour helicopter crash along the jagged rocks of the Grand Canyon

Ellie and Jon Udall (pictured together) were on their honeymoon when the aircraft crashed

The National Transportation Safety Board repeatedly has urged the Federal Aviation Administration to require that all helicopters have the systems.

The FAA is considering it but right now they are required only for helicopter models that are newly certified after 1994, a requirement that aviation experts have called a major loophole. The Airbus EC130 B4 that crashed in the Grand Canyon was manufactured in 2010 but it is a version of helicopter that was designed before 1994.

Airbus spokesman Bob Cox said earlier this week that all single-engine helicopters the company has sold in the U.S. since 2016 include the systems.

Papillon announced Monday that it would retrofit 40 of its Airbus EC130 B4 and AS350 B3 helicopters with the new fuel systems starting in April - a move Robb said came too late.

Udall's parents are seen above in a Facebook photo. A preliminary report released last month said the helicopter made at least two 360-degree turns before crashing with Udall, his five friends and the pilot aboard. Aviation experts said that indicates the tail rotor wasn't operating properly

Udall is pictured above with his mom. A sixth passenger, 39-year-old Jennifer Barham, and the 42-year-old pilot, Scott Booth, remained in critical condition Friday

Robb has represented others who were burned after helicopter hard landings and crashes, including a flight nurse who recently settled a lawsuit against Airbus and Air Methods Corp. for $100 million.

In that case, the nurse spent 13 months in the hospital for burns over 90 percent of his body, kidney failure and internal bleeding after the medical helicopter he was in crashed shortly after takeoff in Frisco, Colorado, and erupted into flames.

The helicopter pilot was killed in the 2015 incident and another flight nurse was injured. The NTSB found that the pilot turned off a switch that cut hydraulic pressure to the tail rotor.

The NTSB report on the Grand Canyon crash won't be out for more than a year.

A preliminary report released last month said the helicopter made at least two 360-degree turns before crashing with Udall, his five friends and the pilot aboard. Aviation experts said that indicates the tail rotor wasn't operating properly.

A sixth passenger, 39-year-old Jennifer Barham, and the 42-year-old pilot, Scott Booth, remained in critical condition Friday.A 19-year-old student suspected of fatally shooting his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory had been acting so strangely the day before the killings that campus police talked to his mother and then took him to a hospital for suspected drug abuse, authorities said Saturday.

University police Chief Bill Yeagley told reporters that James Eric Davis Jr.'s parents had just picked him up from that hospital and brought him to his dorm to pack up for spring break when Friday's shooting happened. He said the gun used in the shooting belonged to Davis' father, James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.

Yeagley would not say whether the father had brought the gun to the university's campus in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, when picking up his son, but he noted that Davis Jr. can be seen on video in the dorm's parking lot with the gun before he entered the residence hall where his parents were shot around 8:30 a.m.

This undated photo provided by Central Michigan University shows James Eric Davis Jr., who police identified as the shooting suspect at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, March 2, 2018. Investigators said neither victim was a student and described the shooting as a "family-type domestic situation." (Courtesy of Central Michigan University via AP)

"We can make a lot of assumptions, but I'm not going to make those assumptions. But I can tell you for sure that the gun came from outside, in the parking lot, with (Davis Jr.) through the building," Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. has been charged with two counts of murder and a weapons charge in the shootings, university spokeswoman Heather Smith said Saturday.

He remained under guard Saturday at a hospital where he was taken following his arrest, but will be moved to the Isabella County jail when he's discharged, Yeagley said.

Yeagley declined to say whether drugs were found in Davis Jr.'s system. He also would not say what type of gun was used or whether it was Davis Sr.'s service revolver. But he did say that it would have been a violation of campus policy for Davis Sr. to bring a gun on campus because only law enforcement on active duty or those with special permission can do so.

Davis Jr. was arrested without incident shortly after midnight following an intensive daylong search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said. Authorities found him after someone aboard a train spotted a person along railroad tracks in Mount Pleasant, and called police, Yeagley said.

Yeagley said Davis Jr. was under guard at a hospital Saturday and would be moved to the Isabella County jail when he's discharged.

Mount Pleasant is about a 285-mile (460-kilometer) drive from the family's hometown of Plainfield, Illinois. The shooting occurred on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students at the university for the beginning of a weeklong spring break.

Yeagley said witness statements and video indicate that at the time they were shot, Davis Jr.'s parents were in his fourth-floor dorm at the campus' Campbell Hall "simply packing up for spring break."

He said police had first come into contact with Davis Jr. on Thursday morning when he came running into a community police officer's office in his dorm "very frightened" and "not making a lot of sense."

"He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him, and the officer calmed him down and tried to gain more information about what was going on. ... Mr. Davis was very vague and he kept talking about someone having a gun," Yeagley said, adding that Davis Jr. said he had not actually seen the person with a gun.

"We said, 'How do you know he was going to hurt you if you didn't see a gun?' He was saying things like, 'It's just a feeling. I know it,'" the chief said.

Davis Jr. eventually talked about riding in a dorm elevator with the person, and police went to talk to the individual Davis Jr. had identified. Yeagley said that when officers determined that the person posed no threat - and reviewed video from the elevator that showed Davis Jr. and that person laughing - Davis Jr. said he was fine and was leaving campus Friday for spring break.

Hours later, officers spotted Davis Jr. in a dorm hallway with his suitcases, Yeagley said. When officers tried to talk to him, he again wasn't making sense, Yeagley said, adding that the student was acting "in a fashion that isn't reasonable or logical." They asked Davis Jr. to call his parents, which he did. An officer then spoke to Davis' mother, Diva Davis, told them about her son's behavior, their concerns about possible drug use and asked her whether he had a history of drug use, Yeagley said.

"The mother said she too was concerned this could be drugs," he said.

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis Jr. and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldn't be confronted.

Yeagley said Davis Jr. had not been previously identified by campus officials as someone that others on campus were concerned about.

"Mr. Davis was not ever reported, and we had no interaction that we're aware of with him in any negative fashion - with anybody - prior to this incident," he said.

University President George E. Ross said the shooting had left the campus and surrounding community traumatized. "There were thousands of people who were sheltering in place yesterday and they will be dealing with this for the rest of their lives," he said.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that Davis was found along train tracks, not aboard a train.

Central Michigan University Police Department Chief Bill Yeagley speaks during a news conference at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich., on Saturday, March 3, 2018. James Eric Davis Jr, a 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at the university dormitory had just been picked up from a hospital where campus police had brought him because of suspected drug abuse, authorities said Saturday. Yeagley told reporters that the gun used in the killing was registered to the suspect's father. (Casey Sykes/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Central Michigan University President George Ross speaks during a news conference at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich., on Saturday, March 3, 2018. James Eric Davis Jr, a 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at the university dormitory had just been picked up from a hospital where campus police had brought him because of suspected drug abuse, authorities said Saturday. Central Michigan University police Chief Bill Yeagley also told reporters that the gun used in the killing was registered to the suspect's father. (Casey Sykes/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)

Police search neighborhoods near Central Michigan University for a 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a dormitory and then running from campus, Friday, March 2, 2018 in Mount Pleasant, Mich. (Jacob Hamilton/The Bay City Times via AP)

A law enforcement officer searches a wooded area for a suspect involved in a shooting at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, March 2, 2018 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Two people who weren't students were fatally shot as campus police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said in a statement. No other injuries were immediately reported. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Law enforcement officers search a wooded area for a suspect involved in a shooting at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, March 2, 2018 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Two people who weren't students were fatally shot as campus police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said in a statement. No other injuries were immediately reported. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Law enforcement officers search a wooded area for a suspect involved in a shooting at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, March 2, 2018 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Two people who weren't students were fatally shot as campus police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said in a statement. No other injuries were immediately reported. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Law enforcement officers search a wooded area for a suspect involved in a shooting at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, March 2, 2018 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Two people who weren't students were fatally shot as campus police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said in a statement. No other injuries were immediately reported. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)

Law enforcement officers search a wooded area for a suspect involved in a shooting at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, March 2, 2018 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Two people who weren't students were fatally shot as campus police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said in a statement. No other injuries were immediately reported. (Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal via AP)BEIJING (AP) - A top Chinese official called Saturday for continued efforts to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize President Xi Jinping's "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation.

The comments from Yu Zhengsheng come amid heightened Western scrutiny of the Communist Party's attempts to exert control and influence abroad, including over the Chinese diaspora in countries like Australia and the United States.

In a speech at the opening of a largely ceremonial political advisory conference, Yu said the advisory body has "meticulously" worked to enhance patriotism among young people in Hong Kong and Macau as well as those farther abroad with invitations to visit China and outbound delegations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is seen on a large screen at the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

He said he was seeking to "mobilize all the sons and daughters of (ethnic Chinese) to work together for the greater national interests and the realization of the Chinese Dream," referring to Xi's nationalist vision of China as the pre-eminent global power.

China's Communist Party has long claimed sovereignty over the self-governing island of Taiwan - and a degree of authority over all ethnic Chinese, regardless of nationality - but its attitude toward the Chinese diaspora has been a source of growing friction with foreign governments over the past year.

In Australia and the United States, law enforcement officials have warned about Chinese government attempts to influence national politics and public opinion, as well as monitor the activities and speech of Chinese students studying abroad.

In another instance, European officials were deeply alarmed after Chinese police detained and denied consular visits to a naturalized Swedish bookseller in a diplomatic standoff, with Chinese state media editorial deriding his Swedish passport as effectively meaningless.

The annual Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, headed by Yu since 2013, is mostly ceremonial but designed to present an image of a diverse, big-tent advisory body that includes non-Communist Party members, minority ethnic groups, business leaders, religious groups, artists, and representatives from Hong Kong and Macau all taking part in China's governance. In opening speeches in past years, the chairman has often repudiated Western democratic concepts, such as the separation of powers, and issued warnings against formal independence for Taiwan.

Yu struck a less hawkish tone on Saturday, as he called for more overseas exchanges to "deepen solidarity and friendship with our compatriots in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese," and efforts to build international goodwill around the Belt and Road transcontinental infrastructure project - Xi's signature foreign policy initiative.

The advisory body will continue working domestically to "create a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation," including among religious minorities and the country's poorest citizens, he said.

The annual CPPCC meeting runs concurrently with the two-week session of the National People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament.

Economic issues typically dominate the conferences, but the sessions this year could be overshadowed by a controversial proposal to amend the constitution to remove term limits and allow Xi to remain in office indefinitely.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), walks past Chinese President Xi Jinping to deliver a speech at the opening session of the CPPCC in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Yu urged the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivers a speech at the opening session of the CPPCC in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Yu urged the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds during the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Delegates leave after the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Police dogs and their handlers walk past the Great Hall of the People during the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Security officials march in formation as they leave after the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Former NBA basketball player Yao Ming, center, a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), leaves after the opening session of the CPPCC held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Hospitality staff members pose for a group photo during the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Hospitality staff members pose for a selfie near the portrait of Chinese leader Mao Zedong during the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Attendees stand outside of the Great Hall of the People before the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, Saturday, March 3, 2018. A top Chinese leader is urging the ruling Communist Party to rally non-mainland ethnic Chinese, including those overseas, around the country's national interests and help realize the "Chinese Dream" of national rejuvenation. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)NEW DELHI (AP) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist party ended 25 years of uninterrupted communist party rule in a northeastern state and consolidated its position in two other states in key provincial elections.

Saturday's impressive win is expected to boost the prospects of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party when it seeks a second term in national elections next year. The BJP has been riding a wave of rising Hindu nationalism in the country.

As his supporters beat drums and danced with joy, Modi tweeted that the people of India were reposing their faith in the positive and development-oriented agenda of his party.

FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2018, file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during an election campaign rally in Bangalore, India. Modi's Hindu nationalist party appears likely to end the 25-year uninterrupted rule of a communist party in a northeast Indian state and consolidate its position in two other states in provincial elections. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi, FIle)

"People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind," he said.

With results announced for all 59 seats in Tripura's state legislature, the BJP had won a big majority to form a government on its own in the state, replacing the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M). It also looked like it could win a majority with support from other groups in Meghalaya and Nagaland states.

The BJP won 35 seats in Tripura's state legislature against the CPI (M)'s 16 seats, according to India's Election Commission. The remaining eight seats went to a regional group, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura.

The voting was a test for Rahul Gandhi, the 47-year-old heir to India's Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, who took over as the main opposition Congress party's president from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, in December.

Modi's BJP is currently governing 19 of India's 29 states, compared with five by the Congress party. A coalition of communist parties and some other groups are ruling southern Kerala state, while small regional groups are heading the other states.

The CPI (M) was facing decimation for a second time in recent years, with dissension in its ranks and no young leadership emerging. It was ousted from power from its main bastion, West Bengal state, in 2011 by a regional group that ended 34 years of its continuous rule there.

"Both states have one fact in common: the left (communist) rule for decades that had made the cadres apathetic and almost bourgeois in their approach to government and politics," said Seema Mustafa, a political analyst who runs the Centre for Policy Analysis think-tank in New Delhi.

Neeraja Choudhury, a political analyst, said that despite ruling Tripura state for 25 years, the CPI (M) failed to create jobs for young people and build more hospitals and other infrastructure.

"The BJP's vote share in the state has shot up to 40 percent from a mere 2.1 percent in 2013," she said.WASHINGTON (AP) - Under the best of circumstances, a Mideast peace deal is the Holy Grail of diplomacy, a goal that has eluded American presidents for generations.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to visit Washington this coming week, the mix of politics, personalities and historical grievances that has stood in the way of Israeli-Palestinian peace is even more combustible than normal.

President Donald Trump's point man for mediation, Jared Kushner, is in the middle of a political firestorm, his plan remains a mystery and the Palestinians aren't even speaking to the White House. If that weren't enough, Netanyahu and Trump are both distracted by mushrooming legal investigations at home.

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2018 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on as President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In the foreground from left are White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Under the best of circumstances, brokering a Mideast peace deal is the holy grail of diplomacy. But as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu comes to Washington, the circumstances today are far from ideal. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

It's all contributing to an intensified pessimism in the U.S., Israel and the West Bank about prospects for a Trump-brokered initiative to succeed.

Kushner and a small team have spent the past year preparing a much-awaited blueprint for peace, but no details have emerged. Many in the region wonder whether the vaunted plan will ever come.

On the surface, Israel's relationship with the White House has never been better, buoyed by the Jewish state's thunderous support for Trump's decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and recognize the disputed city as Israel's capital. The announcements only reinforced Palestinians impressions of Trump as biased against them.

"A mediator will have to mediate between two semi-equal parties. Otherwise it's not a mediation process," said Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Washington, in a recent Associated Press interview. "You have to level the field and level your relationship between the two sides in order to be an honest mediator."

The world may soon be able to judge for itself.

The Trump administration's peace proposal is near completion, according to U.S. officials, but faces an uncertain future as Kushner, the Trump son-in-law leading the effort, recently lost his top-secret security clearance. Former negotiators say Kushner's downgraded status probably will severely impair his ability to do the job.

Beneath the veneer of U.S.-Israeli unity, there is lingering disagreement and suspicion.

Israel is increasingly worried that Trump is backsliding on a pledge to "fix" or dismantle the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Israel also is concerned that behind Trump's tough public stance toward Tehran is an acquiescence to Iran's growing presence in Syria and influence in Lebanon - two Israeli neighbors.

"The Israelis now are undoubtedly sounding the alarm," said Jonathan Schanzer, who researches Iran's regional influence at the hawkish Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. "The assets the Israelis see on the other side of the border to its north - they are not happy."

Nevertheless, it's in Netanyahu's interest to keep such disputes out of the public eye, said David Makovsky, a former State Department official who worked on Mideast peace negotiations. The Israeli leader faces multiple investigations related to allegations of bribery and corruption.

"It's important for him not to run afoul of Trump," said Makovsky, now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "It's necessary for him to show he's not so engulfed by his own legal problems that he's not functioning as a leader."

Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday, in the middle of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference, which brings thousands of pro-Israel officials, lawmakers, activists and academics to Washington.

Vice President Mike Pence, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Trump's envoy to Israel, David Friedman, will give speeches, and each is likely to hammer away at Iran.

Israel views Iran as an existential threat and Netanyahu has repeatedly implored Trump to "fix it or nix it" when it comes to the nuclear deal. That agreement, negotiated by the Obama administration and other world powers, rewarded Iran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief for curbing its nuclear program.

Critics, including Netanyahu and Trump, say Tehran got too much for too little. Among the remedies they're advocating: removal of several of the deal's clauses that allow Iran to gradually resume advanced nuclear work starting in 2024.

Trump has said he won't renew U.S. waivers for sanctions when they next expire on May 12 unless European countries agree to a new deal that would force them to punish Tehran if the Iranians resume advanced nuclear work. He wants tougher inspections and penalties for Iranian missile testing. He also wants Europe to punish Iran's support for the anti-Israeli militant group Hezbollah, Yemen's Houthi rebels and Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.

Israeli officials are most immediately concerned about Iran's missile work. They want U.S. and European commitments to punish Iran for work on medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel and Iran's Arab rivals. The Europeans have balked, citing U.N. restrictions that focus only on longer-range projectiles. U.S. officials negotiating with Britain, France and Germany appear to agree with the Europeans, prompting the Israeli concern.

Trump's Mideast peace aspirations aren't any more certain. After winning praise in Israel for his Jerusalem proclamation, he made clear the Israelis would have to make concessions, too. He hasn't said what those might be.

"You won one point, and you'll give up some points later in the negotiation, if there's ever a negotiation," Trump said in January.

___

Reach Matthew Lee on Twitter at http://twitter.com/APDiploWriter and Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

FILE - In this Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Israel's First lady Sara Netanyahu arrive for the Likud party primary elections at the in Jerusalem. Israeli police questioned Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife as part of an investigation into a corruption case involving the country's telecom giant, Israeli media reported Friday, March 2, 2018 casting a shadow on the prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Palestinian protesters throw stones toward Israeli Border Policemen in a guard tower behind a section of the Israeli separation barrier, during a protest in the West Bank village of Bil'in, west of Ramallah, Friday, March 2, 2018. Palestinian protesters and foreign activists marched to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the ongoing weekly protests against the Israeli separation barrier and settlements in Bil'in. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Feb. 23, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Trump has sidestepped numerous norms, including the tradition that presidential candidates release their tax returns. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Donald Trump on upcoming Monday March 5, 2018, and the two elected leaders have some things in common as they are both are at loggerheads with their countries' establishments. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, FILE)BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - The Latest on the Slovak investigative reporter Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova, who were found shot in the head on Feb. 25 (all times local):

4:05 p.m.

The tensions in Slovakia's coalition government are increasing after the interior minister refused to resign following the slaying of an investigative journalist and his partner.

The cross over the grave before the funeral of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in Stiavnik, Slovakia, on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Kuciak an investigative journalist shot dead in Slovakia last week was working on a story about the activities of Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. (AP Photo/Bundas Engler)

A junior party in Slovakia's coalition government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico has called for the resignation of Interior Minister Robert Kalinak. The Most-Hid party of mostly ethnic Hungarians also wanted foreign investigators to join the team probing the journalists' slaying.

After Kalinak, a close ally of Fico on their leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, said on Saturday he had no plans to resign, Most-Hid announced its leadership will meet March 15 to discuss the future of the coalition.

The ultranationalist Slovak National Party is the third member of the coalition.

Kalinak's resignation is also demanded by the opposition. The minister was linked to corruption scandals in the past.

___

2:50 p.m.

Slovakia's prime minister has denied being asked by the head of Reporters Without Borders to apologize for his insults of journalists.

Prime Minister Robert Fico is known for numerous attacks on the media.

Reporters Without Borders chief Christophe Deloire met with Fico in Bratislava on Friday, days after Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova were shot dead. Afterward, Deloire said he told Fico "you should express regret and apologize for having insulted journalists on several occasions."

Fico on Friday denied that any such request was made.

Deloire told The Associated Press "I'm really surprised, because I said it twice during the meeting without any ambiguity. He perfectly understood. The second time he answered 'I will consider this.'"

Deloire said other media watchdogs at the meeting can confirm the comments.

___

12:05 p.m.

Police in Slovakia have released seven Italians who were detained as suspects in the slayings of an investigative journalist and his girlfriend.

The seven men were taken into custody Thursday when police raided houses allegedly linked to members of an Italian crime syndicate.

Police confirmed their release Saturday but gave no details. The men range in age from 26 to 62. State prosecutors declined to comment.

Journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner, Martina Kusnirova, were found shot in their house Sunday. Kuciak was working on a story about the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Kuciak's funeral is scheduled for later Saturday.

The FBI, Britain's Scotland Yard and Europol are helping with Slovak police with the investigation.

People gather to commemorate murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, and call for a proper investigation of the case, in Kosice, Slovakia, Friday evening March 2, 2018. Seven men were detained Thursday as suspects during police raids in the eastern Slovak towns of Michalovce and Trebisov, said national police chief Tibor Gaspar. (Milan Kapusta/TASR via AP)

People gather to commemorate murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, and call for an investigation of the case, in Bratislava, Slovakia, Friday evening March 2, 2018. Seven men were detained Thursday as suspects during police raids in the eastern Slovak towns of Michalovce and Trebisov, said national police chief Tibor Gaspar. (Dano Veselsky/TASR via AP)

The cross over the grave before the funeral of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in Stiavnik, Slovakia on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Kuciak an investigative journalist shot dead in Slovakia last week was working on a story about the activities of Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. (AP Photo/Bundas Engler)MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore has issued a plea for money to pay legal bills, saying his "resources have been depleted."

In a Thursday post on his campaign's Facebook page, Moore asked for contributions to his legal defense fund. Moore has sent regular fundraising emails for the fund since losing the 2017 election to Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat. However, the link to the donation site indicated that Moore had raised just $32,000 of a $250,000 goal.

"My resources have been depleted and I have struggled to make ends meet, but I have not lost my faith in our God, who is our true source of strength and will never leave or forsake us," Moore wrote.

Moore lost the election amid accusations that he pursued romantic and sexual relationships with teens as a man in his 30s. Moore denied accusations of sexual misconduct, and said he never dated "underage" girls.

Leigh Corfman, who accused Moore of sexually touching her when she was 14 and he was in his 30s, has an ongoing civil lawsuit against Moore. She claims Moore and his campaign defamed her as he denied the allegations.

In the fundraising post, Moore disparaged the "liberal media" and said "gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear."

Moore is former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. A state board in December approved a $135,000 annual retirement for him because of his years on the state bench.BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) - Slovaks paid a final farewell Saturday to Jan Kuciak, an investigative journalist who was shot dead with his fiancee, with the archbishop declaring that everyone in the nation now wanted to know about Italian mafia influence, thanks to Kuciak's reporting.

A funeral Mass for Kuciak was held at the church of St. Francis of Assisi in the town of Stiavnik in western Slovakia, with his parents, friends and fellow journalists packing the aisles.

The bodies of 27-year-old Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were found Sunday in their house in the town of Velka Maca, east of the capital, Bratislava. They had planned to get married in May.

The cross over the grave before the funeral of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in Stiavnik, Slovakia on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Kuciak an investigative journalist shot dead in Slovakia last week was working on a story about the activities of Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. (AP Photo/Bundas Engler)

Kuciak was reporting about the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Two of Fico's associates have already resigned this week due to the reports.

"If the murderer wanted to silence Jan, he managed quite the opposite," said Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky, who led the funeral Mass. "There's not a single person who wouldn't know what happened."

The archbishop also said he can understand why many feel angry about the slayings.

"But believe that evil won't win - even if it might seem so" now, he said.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched Friday in dozens of Slovak cities to honor Kuciak, with some demanding the resignation of Fico's government.

The FBI, Britain's Scotland Yard, Europol and police forces from Italy and the Czech republic are helping Slovak police with the investigation.

Earlier Saturday, Police in Slovakia released seven Italians who were detained as suspects in the slayings. The seven men were taken into custody Thursday when police raided houses allegedly linked to members of the Italian 'ndrangheta crime syndicate.

Police confirmed their release but gave no details. State prosecutors also declined to comment.

Tensions in Slovakia's governing coalition are increasing over the slayings.

A junior party in Fico's coalition government - the Most-Hid party of mostly ethnic Hungarians - has called for the resignation of Minister Robert Kalinak.

After Kalinak, a close ally of Fico in their leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, said Saturday he had no plans to resign, Most-Hid announced that its leadership will meet March 15 to discuss the future of the coalition.

The ultranationalist Slovak National Party is the third member of the coalition.

The opposition has also demanded Kalinak's resignation, for he has been linked to corruption scandals in the past.

The cross over the grave before the funeral of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in Stiavnik, Slovakia, on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Kuciak an investigative journalist shot dead in Slovakia last week was working on a story about the activities of Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. (AP Photo/Bundas Engler)

Members of funeral staff prepare the grave before the funeral of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in Stiavnik, Slovakia, Saturday, March 3, 2018. Kuciak an investigative journalist was shot dead in Slovakia last week while working on a story about the activities of Italian mafia in his country and their links to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico. (AP Photo/Bundas Engler)

People gather to commemorate murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, and call for a proper investigation of the case, in Kosice, Slovakia, Friday evening March 2, 2018. Seven men were detained Thursday as suspects during police raids in the eastern Slovak towns of Michalovce and Trebisov, said national police chief Tibor Gaspar. (Milan Kapusta/TASR via AP)Medical members receive training from a medical team of China's People's Liberation Army(PLA), to fight against Ebola disease at a hospital in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone, Dec. 10, 2014. With China geared up for the annual meetings of its top legislative and political advisory bodies, the global spotlight is on Beijing searching for clues on how the world heavyweight will play on the international stage after the significant "Two Sessions." In a world beset with grave challenges in development, governance and security, leaders and observers worldwide say that guided by Chinese President Xi Jinping's thought on diplomacy, China will continue to serve as an anchor of certainty and a spring of inspiration. (Xinhua/Dai Xin)

by Xinhua writers He Fei, Deng Yushan

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- With China geared up for the annual meetings of its top legislative and political advisory bodies, the global spotlight is on Beijing searching for clues on how the world heavyweight will play on the international stage after the significant "Two Sessions."

In a world beset with grave challenges in development, governance and security, leaders and observers worldwide say that guided by Chinese President Xi Jinping's thought on diplomacy, China will continue to serve as an anchor of certainty and a spring of inspiration.

VISION OF SHARED FUTURE

Five years ago, in a packed auditorium at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Xi presented an insightful analysis of the international situation and, for the first time at an international occasion, laid out his signature global vision: building a community with a shared future for mankind.

As the flagship concept of what is known as Xiplomacy, the vision is backed up by a set of principles, policies and practices, and forms an integral part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

In January 2017, he expounded the vision in a landmark address at the UN Office at Geneva (UNOG), saying that the idea is aimed at passing on the torch of peace from generation to generation, sustaining development and making civilization flourish.

In the same vein, Xi announced in his momentous report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October that China is committed to building "an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity."

Xi's proposal, said William Jones, Washington Bureau chief of the U.S. publication Executive Intelligence Review, is an "attempt ... to overcome and replace the traditional notion of 'geopolitics,' in which there are always 'winners' and 'losers,' and in which the principle of 'might makes right' tends to predominate."

"In this new concept, everyone plays a role and the benefits achieved by any one nation can be shared by all," Jones added.

Carrying the common aspiration of the international community, the vision is gaining consensus around the world. It was incorporated into a UN resolution in February last year, and has also been adopted by the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council and the First Committee of the UN General Assembly.

Xi's concept is impressive and "extremely welcome," particularly in today's world that is fragmented, confrontational and difficult, commented Michael Moller, director-general of the UNOG, in an interview with Xinhua in January.

"It is very important for the international community to have this kind of much more collaborative approach to help solve the problems today but also the problems of tomorrow," he said.

PATH TO COMMON PROSPERITY

To translate the vision into reality, China has rolled out a set of principles guiding its international relations and a host of programs dedicated to promoting win-win cooperation and achieving common prosperity.

"China is playing an important role in achieving common prosperity and lasting peace across the world," Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, said in January at a forum on China-Latin America cooperation.

In his report to the CPC National Congress, Xi summarized China's foreign policy, which has seen the Asian country actively develop global partnerships and expand the convergence of interests with other countries.

With other major countries, China will promote coordination and cooperation and work to build a framework for major country relations featuring overall stability and balanced development. With neighboring and other developing countries, China will deepen friendship and partnership and strengthen solidarity and cooperation.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua earlier this week, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said the most important part of Xi's vision is "shared future," which means different nations should coexist peacefully, deepen ties, foster mutual understanding, and make sure that they stay together and no one is left behind.

A concrete embodiment of the vision -- and also a viable path leading to it -- is the Belt and Road Initiative, which was put forward by Xi in 2013 and has flourished since as the flagship of China's international cooperation efforts.

Comprising the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, it is aimed at achieving policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes, and thus building a new platform for international cooperation to create new drivers of growth.

The initiative, former Slovenian President Danilo Turk told Xinhua last month, will play a positive role in bridging the divide in Europe, where development remains unbalanced despite years of economic integration.

Citing the Greek port of Piraeus as an example, Turk said the project has become a vital point in the European system of infrastructure, adding that the potential does not stop there.

WORLD DREAM OF ALL

Thanks to its strong inspirational power and great suitability for the needs of world development, Xiplomacy has kept bearing more and more fruit while gaining broader international consensus.

For example, the Belt and Road Initiative has won support from over 100 countries and international organizations. Till May last year, Chinese businesses had invested over 50 billion U.S. dollars and created nearly 200,000 local jobs in foreign countries involved. In the five years starting 2017, relevant Chinese investment is expected to reach 150 billion dollars.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, another China-initiated key platform to support regional development, has funded projects that benefit tens of millions of people. In one instance, about 12.5 million rural Bangladeshis are expected to enjoy electricity coverage as the bank has decided to offer 165 million dollars for a local power distribution system upgrade and expansion project.

In an interview with Xinhua on Wednesday, Wee Ka Siong, a minister in the Prime Minister's Department of Malaysia, said he believes the wider world will benefit as China commits to realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

"President Xi Jinping has articulated his ideas on the Chinese dream, the dream for the Asia-Pacific and the dream of the world," Wee said. "I believe this dream of the world is the dream that everyone is anticipating, and a dream in which everyone could be the winner."

In the eyes of former Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Mihail Mikov, Xi's vision represents a future without wars, international conflicts, or interference by any power, as it "takes into account the ability of every country, culture, civilization and economy, to take an equal place in the future world."

"We are seeing more and more renewed international solidary," said Moller, the UNOG director-general. "We need great countries like China to help us make our common goals happen."

(Xinhua reporters Jin Jing, Gu Zhenqiu in London, Peter Kenny and Nie Xiaoyang in Geneva, Nurjan Kasmalieva in Bishkek, Naim-Ul-Karim in Dhaka, Liu Chen and Zhu Dongyang in Washington, Dang Qi in Santiago, Lin Hao in Kuala Lumpur, Marian Draganov in Sofia, Li Jizhi and Zhang Xuan in Helsinki also contributed to the report.)

11

1

[ Editor: zyq ]CAIRO (AP) - A top Egyptian court has dismissed all previous court rulings regarding the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia under a 2016 agreement between Cairo and Riyadh.

Saturday's verdict by the Supreme Constitutional Court dismisses previous opposing court rulings, whether in favor of the agreement or against it.

The court, according to state-run MENA news agency's report, said only the legislative authority can approve the agreement.

Egypt's parliament, packed with government supporters, passed the agreement in 2017 and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ratified it shortly afterward.

The deal, signed in 2016, sparked rare protests in Egypt, which has all but banned demonstrations since late 2013.

Saturday's verdict comes ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's three-day visit to Cairo; he arrives on Sunday.BERLIN (AP) - Hamburger SV inched another step closer to its first demotion from the Bundesliga after being held to a 0-0 draw by relegation-rival Mainz on Saturday.

Hamburg, which had a host of chances including a penalty from Filip Kostic, remains seven points from safety with nine games remaining after its 12th successive match without a win.

Hamburg, the only founding member never relegated since the Bundesliga started in 1963, is having its worst season with just four wins in 26 games. Last-place Cologne could move above the side with a win over visiting Stuttgart on Sunday.

Mainz' Gerrit Holtmann, left, Hamburg's Filip Kostic, second left, Mainz' Giulio Donati, center, Hamburg's Bakery Jatta, second right, and Mainz' goalie Florian Mueller, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hamburger SV and FSV Mainz 05, in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP)

Mainz remains in the relegation playoff place, level on points with Wolfsburg, beaten 2-1 at home by Bayer Leverkusen.

Hamburg made the better start and almost took the lead through Kostic in the 22nd minute, when Mainz goakeeper Florian Mueller's fingertips pushed the ball onto the crossbar.

Kostic thought he'd scored minutes later, but the celebrations were cut short when video analysis showed he was offside.

The home side kept pushing and Rick van Drongelen struck the crossbar again after the break, before Kostic had his chance from the penalty spot, only to be thwarted by Mueller.

Leon Balogun, who conceded the spot kick for bundling over Luca Waldschmidt, was sent off with his second yellow card for the challenge, giving Hamburg a one-man advantage for the final half-hour.

But Hamburg still couldn't find a breakthrough despite 18 efforts at goal overall compared to the visitors' five.

Schalke moved second with a 1-0 win at home over Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt jumped to third with a 1-0 win over Hannover, and Hoffenheim won 2-0 at Augsburg to move seventh.

Leipzig was hosting Borussia Dortmund later Saturday.

Mainz' Gerrit Holtmann, left, Hamburg's Bakery Jatta, second left, Hamburg's Gotoku Sakaisecond right and Hamburg's Sven Schipplock challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hamburger SV and FSV Mainz 05, in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP)PARIS (AP) - The buttoned-up styles of the Victorian era have met their nemesis in the unbridled sexuality of British punk in contrasting shows at Paris Fashion Week.

Here are some of the fall-winter highlights from the shows Saturday, which included Vivienne Westwood, Elie Saab and Hermes:

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD GETS SAUCY

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

The raw sexuality of British punk was on full display at Austrian designer Andreas Kronthaler's show for Vivienne Westwood.

Big red-white-and-blue carpets - in the colors of the Union Jack - led guests' eyes up to the show's decor of dismembered, upside-down mannequin legs. Three scantily-clad Goth ravers climbed up onto podiums around the runway as the show began and started to gyrate provocatively.

The clothes channeled the punk styles that made Westwood's name in the '70s - but it was also a celebration of violent color and couture.

A diaphanous marbled pastel froufrou gown looked initially like a watercolor painting - until, on further inspection, the belt that consisted of adult toys came into focus.

The model's thick eyebrows evoked famed Italian porn star-turned-politician, La Cicciolina. She also had barbed wire covering her lips and wore kinky red lace-up boots.

The collection stayed true to Westwood's encyclopedia style by including Arab-style headdresses that were given an urban reworking, as well as styles inspired by the 18th century.

The best look? A giant flame red baroque tulle hat with a period fastening under the chin.

Actress Rose McGowan, members of South African hip hop group Die Antwoord and rappers Ninja and Yolandi Visser applauded from the front row.

___

DEAR VIVIENNE: A LOVE LETTER TO WESTWOOD

Instead of the program notes, Andreas Kronthaler left guests a photocopy of a touching love letter he'd written to his wife and design partner Vivienne Westwood, 76.

The 65-year-old Austrian designer had handwritten the missive on blue Eurostar notepaper on Feb. 28 while traveling between London and Paris on the cross-Channel train.

"Dear Vivienne. Heart. God how long have we known each other?" it began, before listing all the fashion influences Westwood had exerted on him over the years.

"When in doubt: dress up! ... These mantras of yours and so much more became part of my life and work. I still thank you to this day," it read.

Kronthaler first met Westwood in 1988 and they wed in 1993. He had for a long time taken the role as a silent creative partner but took over officially as designer in recent years.

Kronthaler ended it: "Love you forever. Andreas."

___

ELIE SAAB'S VICTORIAN FASHION

Elie Saab went to the "dark romance" of the Victorian era for inspiration for his brooding fall-winter offerings.

The house produced a predominantly black collection of high necklines, statement bell and Juliette sleeves, defined shoulders and lots and lots and lots of ruffles.

There was a delicacy to some of the fabrics and detailing such as in large velvet bows draped from collars inspired by the 19th-century paintings of France's Auguste Renoir.

Saab fused that covered-up era's styles with an exploration of all things floral - and served it on his bread-and-butter design choice, cinched-waisted gowns.

The collection, entitled "Winter Bouquets," had blooms as prints, embroideries and appliques in white, blush, powder blue and burgundy.

___

HERMES SHOWS OFF ITS COLORS

With an exotic set and a glowing red runway, Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski emanated quiet power in a collection that showed off her skills as a colorist and signaled that the Hermes designer is growing in confidence.

Starting in black, slim silhouettes in graphic styles gradually changed color and moved into powerful hues of midnight blue, vermilion, tan brown, mustard yellow and lime green.

With subtlety, the '80s was referenced in soft belted leather coats, shimmering leather pants and knee-high boots in contrasting colors.

Detailing such as embroideries across a shoulder had a Latin American feel and demonstrated the famed craftsmanship of Hermes, a fashion house that in France has become a byword for luxury.

Vanhee-Cybulski's penchant for checks produced a beautiful square brown dress.

But the real finesse was to be found in the collection's color combinations, such as when a belted jumpsuit in maroon was set off stylishly by a soft vermillion coat.

___

JUNYA WATANABE GOES TOP HEAVY

In a collection that took its vibe from the street, Junya Watanabe's edgy collection went stylishly off-kilter.

Oversize double-breasted suit jackets towered above floral leggings in an intentional effect that made the legs look like sticks. It was given greater resonance with large block-like sneakers and preppy socks.

Elements of deconstruction - such as billowing sleeves that looked like pieces of fabric snipped away, or trench coats partially hidden in fur - demonstrated the skill that showed why the Japanese fashion designer was originally the protege of Comme des Garcons designer Rei Kawakubo.

Bright reds and blues were then injected into the color palette - such as in one statement trapeze-shaped raincoat and in one mushroom-shaped bubble jacket - giving the 41-piece show an on-trend '80s vibe.

___

Thomas Adamson can be followed at Twitter.com/ThomasAdamson_K

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Models wear creations for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A model wears a creation for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A model wears a creation for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A model wears a creation for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A model wears a creation for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Models wear creations for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Models wear creations for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A model wears a creation for the Comme des Garcons ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Models wear creations for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Models wear creations for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Lebanese designer Elie Saab acknowledges applauses after the presentation of his ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Models wear creations for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Elie Saab's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion week runway show in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Models wear creations for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Models wear creations for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

Models wear creations for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)

A model wears a creation for Hermes's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Saturday, March 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)NEW YORK (AP) - They crowded around the White House conference table this past week, lawmakers from California, Connecticut, Texas and Florida, eager to share their state's painful experience with gun violence.

One key state was not represented. No one from Nevada, home to the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history just five months ago, attended the televised discussion with the president.

But in the politics of gun control, even those who say the least have considerable sway. Despite a clamor for action in the wake of the Florida school shooting, a powerful group of vulnerable lawmakers - both Republicans and Democrats - have pointedly avoided the national conversation about guns.

FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2018 file photo, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., asks a question of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. The silent majority may stop Congress from doing anything to address gun violence. They include most Republicans and some vulnerable Democrats who would rather avoid the gun debate altogether than risk drawing unwanted attention from the NRA on the right or the growing movement of gun control advocates on the left. The elected officials ran from the gun debate in recent days, and when forced to talk about the issue, offered only murky answers that left unclear their positions on key proposals. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

They often choose strategic silence rather than get crosswise with the National Rifle Association's die-hard supporters on the right or the growing movement of passionate gun control advocates on the left.

The office of Nevada's senior senator, Republican Dean Heller, would not say why did he did not attend the White House meeting. Heller, who is facing a tough re-election fight, has avoided the spotlight in the subsequent days as well, declining to address specifics about his positions on gun legislation.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment about whether Heller was invited to the event. The state's Democratic senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, and its three Democratic representatives also did not attend.

Heller spokeswoman Megan Taylor declined to say whether the senator supported universal background checks, raising the age for gun purchases to 21, or provisions to ban high-capacity magazines and assault rifles, all ideas tossed out by lawmakers or President Donald Trump in recent days.

"He looks forward to continuing discussions with his colleagues as Congress explores ways to enhance compliance with existing law and keep our communities safe," Taylor said.

Heller has signed on to legislation known as "Fix NICS," a modest measure supported by the NRA and intended to encourage better participation in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It was one of the few gun bills to find bipartisan support and appeared poised to move ahead, only to be sidelined.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who has said little about the gun debate in recent days, said Thursday that no gun-related legislation would be heard in the coming week.

Without this silent majority's support, there is little chance for significant gun control legislation to become federal law, no matter how loud the outcry from high school students and others who are pushing for action.

The stalemate infuriates Ryan Works, a 40-year-old father of two, who hid under a table at an October concert in Las Vegas as a gunman shot and killed 58 and wounded more than 800. A Republican, Works offered an emotional message to Heller and elected officials in both parties who are reluctant to take on gun violence.

"Step up and do something," he said in an interview, almost shouting as he described shopping for bullet-proof backpacks for his 5- and 8-year-old children. "Show us that you care and you're going to protect us."

Heller's muted response at an extraordinary moment highlights the weight of his political predicament.

Running for re-election in a state Trump lost, he must win over a significant number of independents and moderate Democrats in November's general election to earn a second term. But first, he must survive a primary challenge from a conservative firebrand in a state where GOP primary voters value gun rights above almost all else.

The challenge is easy to see in recent polls. Two out of three adults in the United States want stricter gun laws, CBS found in a poll conducted a week after the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida. But among Republicans, 54 percent want gun laws left alone or made less strict.

That's likely why the most politically vulnerable elected officials have kept their heads down, leaving the heavy lifting to elected officials facing less political risk this fall.

On the Senate floor this week, blue-state senators such as Vermont's Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts' Ed Markey and New Jersey's Cory Booker offered fiery speeches about gun violence. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a swing-state Republican whose current term ends in 2022, re-emerged as the face of the push to expand background checks. Arizona Sen. Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who is retiring at the end of this year, was partnering with California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein on legislation to move the age to buy long guns to 21.

Those Democrats running in Republican-leaning states this fall were far less conspicuous.

North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, both Democrats running for re-election in states Trump won handily, have said nothing about gun violence from the Senate floor in recent days, but made statements honoring constituents who had recently passed away.

Heitkamp supports the "Fix NICS" plan and co-sponsored a bill that would prevent those on the terrorist watch list from buying guns, her spokeswoman said. The senator has previously opposed so-called bump stocks, which the Las Vegas shooter used to increase the firing speed of his semi-automatic rifle. But the spokeswoman did not clarify whether she would support universal background checks, higher age limits, or provisions to ban high-capacity magazines and assault rifles.

In a statement, Heitkamp decried "horrific mass shootings" and called for "a bipartisan conversation in Congress about long-term solutions to gun violence."

Similarly, Donnelly, who previously voted for universal background checks and backs "Fix NICS," said little more about the issue when pressed for specifics.

"I believe that Congress should take steps to reduce gun violence, while protecting the rights of law-abiding citizens," he said in a statement.

At the White House meeting, the Democratic Party's most vulnerable 2018 class was represented only by Sen. Joe Manchin, a former West Virginia governor, who encouraged the president to help promote the so-called Toomey-Manchin plan to expand background checks.

Trump seemed to embrace the proposal during the Wednesday meeting, but he hasn't mentioned it since a Thursday night meeting with the NRA, which opposes the plan.

Don't expect Heller to mention it either.

Should he win his primary, he will likely face Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen, who isn't shy about her support for virtually every gun control measure on the table. She was quick to note Heller's low profile in the debate.

"His silence speaks volumes," Rosen said. "How can you have tragedy in your own state, like the massive one we had here, and not have it forever change you, and not speak out, and not respond to these families?"

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.CINCINNATI (AP) - An Ohio man has been convicted for at least the sixth time for publicly exposing himself.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports a Hamilton County jury deliberated several hours Friday before convicting 50-year-old Gerald Fornshell of felony public indecency.

Prosecutors say the Lebanon man exposed himself last July to a 21-year-old woman at a Cincinnati Half Price Books store after spotting him earlier that day at a bookstore in Mason. The woman says she pities Fornshell but thinks there should be stricter laws for repeat offenders.

Fornshell's attorney says he has bipolar disorder. Fornshell told investigators he doesn't remember exposing himself.

The newspaper reports Fornshell has served more than two years in prison and five years on probation for his previous convictions.

He's scheduled to be sentenced March 28.DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - An unidentified young man stabbed a prominent teacher, writer and promoter of secular values at a university in a northeastern city in Bangladesh on Saturday, police said.

Local police official Shafiqul Islam said the attacker stood behind Zafar Iqbal and started stabbing him in the head during a seminar at a public university campus in Sylhet where he teaches electronic and electrical engineering.

Iqbal was flown to a military hospital in Dhaka. He will survive despite massive bleeding, according to doctors.

The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear.

The attacker, a bearded man who appears to be in his mid-20s, was caught by Iqbal's colleagues, students and police at the scene. He was also injured when some in the crowd began to beat him. Police said they were trying to determine his identity.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the attack. Activists in Dhaka and other cities and towns carried out processions to protest it.

Iqbal, considered a top-selling author and celebrity speaker, has been threatened by radical Islamists in the past. He is popular among young people for his public speeches and books that promote logic and secular values.

Bangladesh, a South Asian Muslim-majority nation of 160 million, is ruled by mostly secular laws based on British common law.

Iqbal is a champion of free speech and secularism in Bangladesh, which has experienced a rise in Islamic militancy in recent years.

Saturday's attack came after months of calm, though it was not clear if the assault was related to any radical groups.

Suspected Islamist extremists have carried out a series of attacks on secular and atheist writers, bloggers, foreigners and members of minority groups in the last four years, killing dozens.

Authorities blamed some domestic groups despite claims by the Islamic State group that they carried out some attacks. But the government rejected the claims by the Islamic State and said the group had no existence in the country. It says domestic groups such as Ansarullah Bangla Team, also known as Ansar al Islam, and Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh were responsible for the attacks.

The government said the groups were weakened because of a crackdown in which about 60 suspects, including some commanders, were killed in raids across the country.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a Florida sheriff's deputy forced a female colleague to expose her breasts by threatening her with a baton.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that Leon County Sheriff's Dep. Jarrett Broughton was fired Saturday and charged with aggravated assault.

Broughton turned himself in. His attorney Scott Maddox advised him not to answer any questions.

The sheriff's office says the woman came forward Thursday.

She told investigators she initially wanted to forget about the incident and worried making a report would jeopardize future job prospects with the sheriff's office.

According to court records, the woman said Broughton drove to Apalachicola National Forest during a ride-along, grabbed his baton and asked her to expose her breasts. She said she feared he would hit her, so she complied.Meghan Markle will bring a touch of American sassiness to the look of the royal family, according to the former longtime editor of British Vogue.

But Alexandra Shulman said the Queen remained the most stylish person, after receiving a CBE for services to fashion journalism at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

Shulman, 60, told the Press Association: Meghans got a great style, is very confident in her style, and she will bring a bit of American sassiness to the look of the royal family.

And Im looking forward to seeing what she wears to the wedding.

Alexandra Shulman is made a CBE by the Duke of Cambridge (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Following the Queens appearance at London fashion week in February, Shulman paid tribute to her outfit choices over the decades.

She said: The Queen is the most stylish person because she never changes.

Style is about having a look and sticking to it and she does it so well.

I think everybody just thinks shes amazing.

And Buckingham Palace is unbeatable. You just come in and you really know youre in somewhere truly unique.

Shulman, who held the reins of the fashion publication for more than 25 years until she departed last June, was presented with the honour by the Duke of Cambridge.

The style supremo also touched on celebrities wearing black at award ceremonies in honour of the Me Too and Times Up movements against sexual harassment.

She said: I gather at the Oscars theyre not going to wear black and I think thats quite a good idea.

It is absolutely right to launch the movements and support them using powerful platforms like the Golden Globes.

But there comes a point where ceremonies are about rewarding people for their creativity and you dont want the message to sort of submerge what actually people are being rewarded for.

I will be pleased to see it move on while finding a way of keeping the Me Too campaign alive.Nato has said Russian president Vladimir Putins threat to target its members are unacceptable and that the military alliance will continue using its armed forces to deter aggression.

Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said: Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counterproductive.

Mr Putin said on Thursday that Moscow has tested an array of new strategic nuclear weapons that cannot be intercepted, and told the West: You have failed to contain Russia.

A computer simulation shows a Russian nuclear-powered underwater drone being released by a submarine (AP)

Ms Lungescu said Natos missile defence system is built to respond to attacks from outside Europe and North America and not directed against Russia.

Noting Russias aggressive actions in Ukraine and military build-up around Europe, she said: Nato is pursuing a twin-track approach to Russia: strong deterrence and defence, combined with meaningful dialogue.An evil hotel worker has admitted battering a primary school teacher to death with a hammer after becoming obsessed with her.

Lucian Stinci, 34, took cocaine and a Viagra-like drug as he watched extreme pornography for six hours before carrying out the attack on Florina Pastina, 36, at the home they shared in Croydon, south London.

He then used the same hammer to attack her niece and nephew, twins Nicholas Hellen and Claudia Pastina, both 25, on July 19 last year.

Police said Stinci became obsessed with Ms Pastina, who worked in a school in Thornton Heath, but she showed no interest in him.

He was hooked on sadomasochistic porn and had previously filmed his victim in the shower using a spy camera.

36-year-old Florina Pastina died after she was attacked with a hammer at a residential address in Croydon (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Police found seven videos of his victim on a computer hard drive, while on the night before the killing Stinci had trawled the web for videos showing women being tortured, raped, restrained and killed.

After the murder, police found Valentines and birthday cards from him in the victims room.

One read: For the most beautiful creature in the universe.

Stinci, who was working as a supervisor for Mayday Hotels in Croydon, having come to the UK from Romania about 10 years ago, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday sporting a light beard and glasses.

He spoke to confirm his identity before pleading guilty to murdering Ms Pastina, who was also from Romania.

Stinci also admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful wounding and possession of the Class A drug cocaine.

The Common Sergeant of London, Judge Richard Marks QC, adjourned sentencing until later on Friday or a later date.

Scotland Yards Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh said: Through this investigation weve got to know two people, Lucian Stinci an evil, wicked man.

He was obsessed with Florina, but she had no interest in him. Having taken drugs and watched a significant amount of sado-masochistic videos and then subjected defenceless Florina to a sustained, savage attack. His actions have taken away a shining star within the community.

Florina will always be remembered by those who knew her as a truly amazing young woman, who had such a promising future. She was described as such a talented teacher, who positively shaped the futures of her pupils.

A statement from children and colleagues from the victims school said: We were all extremely saddened to lose Florina in such a sudden and violent way last summer. At a time when we were all, including Florina, looking forward to the holidays, instead we received news of her death.

This has had a significant impact on the children, families and staff at the school. I hope that now we can begin to remember her for the kind, caring teacher and person that she was.

Her brother added: Florina had the ability to make everyone she met, feel special and you would remember her amazing smile.

Florina sparkled as a brilliant teacher and had such a promising future and everything to live for; now she has been so cruelly taken from us, we know that she is the Florian Star shining bright looking after us. We love you.Indian people take part in a celebration for the Holi Festival, in Mumbai, India, on March 2, 2018. Holi Festival, also known as Spring Festival of Colors, is celebrated all over India. (Xinhua/Stringer)

9

1

[ Editor: zyq ]An Islamic State-inspired terrorist arrested hours before he intended to commit mass murder in a vehicle attack has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 11 years.

Lloyd Gunton, 17, armed himself with a hammer and knife and wrote a so-called martyrdom letter as part of his plan to attack and kill non-believers on the streets of Cardiff.

The teenager, who suffers from an autism spectrum disorder, was convicted of preparing for terrorist acts after a nine-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court last November.

Teenager guilty of plotting terror attack https://t.co/jI5dNNcOND. Targets included @justinbieber concert and #Cardiff Castle. Images: bomb belt, Cardiff Castle with jeep and knife from his Instagram account. Knife and hammer found in rucksack #JustinBieber pic.twitter.com/dBiMF4eEuD  CPS (@CPSUK) November 27, 2017

Gunton, who had conducted virtual surveillance of targets, including a Justin Bieber concert at the Principality Stadium, was detained at his home in the Llantrisant area of south Wales on June 30 last year.

Ordering Gunton to be detained at Her Majestys pleasure, Judge Mark Wall QC told the former A-level student: The police found a rucksack in your room which contained a knife, a hammer and what has been referred to as a suicide note or a martyrdom letter.

In the martyrdom letter you referred to yourself as a Soldier of Isis.

The letter was written in such terms that it was obviously to be found and read after you had carried out a terrorist attack.

The judge described the items found in the rucksack as a terrorists kit and said it was clear from Instagram posts in English and Arabic that Gunton had planned to launch an attack on June 30.

The judge told the teenager: I sentence you on the basis that at the time of your arrest you were within hours of committing an act of atrocity on the streets of Cardiff.

It is clear that Cardiff was your target. In particular you had made a number of online searches in connection with a concert that was being given by Justin Bieber at the stadium in Cardiff on 30th June.

Whether you would have targeted people attending that concert or others going about their lawful business in Cardiff that night is not certain.

It is not possible to estimate how many people would have been murdered or seriously injured by your actions, as the attack was foiled before you could undertake it.

I am sure that you planned not just the killing of one person but rather mass murder.

In my judgment I must pass an indeterminate sentence. Your actions show a total disregard for human life.

I cannot foresee a time when I can be confident that your danger will have ended or decreased sufficiently to enable me to pass a determinate or extended sentence.

The teenager was also convicted of two counts of encouraging terrorism by posting extremist material on Instagram, and two charges of possessing Isis propaganda magazines.

At the start of Guntons trial it emerged that he had written a note apparently for distribution after his death reading: I am a soldier of the Islamic State and I have attacked Cardiff today because your government keep on bombing targets in Syria and Iraq.

There will be more attacks in the future.

Cardiffs Castle quarter was among the areas researched by the boy using Google maps, while other searches sought details of a shopping centre, the citys Central Library and the New Theatre.

Judge Wall lifted reporting restrictions banning the media from naming Gunton after an application to the court by the Press Association.

The Crown opposed the application to lift the restrictions, but the judge ruled that it was in the public interest to identify Gunton, who is 18 in April.European Union officials were poring over the details of Theresa Mays latest Brexit offer ahead of a fresh round of negotiations next week.

The Prime Minister used a high-profile speech to call for pragmatic common sense to deliver a Brexit deal that will be good for Britain and Europe, as she sent a message to Brussels: Lets get on with it.

But initial indications suggest the UK still has more to do, particularly on the Irish border, ahead of the March 22-23 European Council summit of EU leaders at which Mrs May is hoping to sew up a deal on a post-Brexit transition period.

The PM has rejected unacceptable European Commission proposals to retain customs union arrangements in Northern Ireland, but accepted the UKs responsibility to help maintain a soft border with the Republic, spelling out in detail how she believed this could be achieved by technological means or through a broader trade agreement.

But Irish premier Leo Varadkar called for more detailed and realistic proposals, although he was criticised by leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said the EUs absurd proposition heightened the risk of no deal.

EU and UK officials will be expected to discuss Mrs Mays proposals on the border when they meet for technical talks from Monday to Wednesday in Brussels, which will also look at citizens rights, the financial settlement and the terms of the transition.

The speech avoided major rows within the Conservative Party at home despite Mrs Mays apparent warning to hardline Brexiteers to temper their expectations, acknowledging that neither side would get exactly what we want in talks on the future UK/EU relationship.

But she also sent a blunt message to Brussels that the EU must face hard facts and resolve tensions in its own stance if it is to help deliver the best outcome for both sides.

Countdown to Brexit: key events. (PA Graphics)

She dismissed the commissions insistence that it would not allow cherry-picking of rights and obligations, insisting that this was a part of any trade negotiation.

And she rejected chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barniers argument that her red lines on quitting the single market, customs union and European Court of Justice have left only the option of a Canada-style free trade agreement, insisting that Brussels needs to look beyond the precedents, and find a new balance.

Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech at the Mansion House in London on the UKs economic partnership with the EU after Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA)

After increasingly impatient appeals from EU leaders for more detail about Britains aims, Mrs May used her keenly awaited address at the Mansion House to put more flesh on the bones of her vision for the broadest and deepest possible partnership after Brexit.

Mr Barnier welcomed the speech for offering clarity on the UKs aims and a recognition that there would be trade-offs.

But German MEP Manfred Weber  an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and leader of the centre-right EPP grouping in the European Parliament  said: I dont see how we could reach an agreement on Brexit if the UK Government continues to bury its head in the sand like this.

After what I have heard today I am even more concerned. I don't see how we could reach an agreement on #Brexit if the UK government continues to bury its head in the sand like this. #TheresaMaySpeech @EPPGroup  Manfred Weber (@ManfredWeber) March 2, 2018

Mrs May said that any deal must pass the five tests of respecting the 2016 referendum result; delivering an enduring solution; protecting security and prosperity; leaving Britain an open, outward-looking, tolerant, European democracy; and strengthening the union of the UK.

And she said the agreement should rest on five foundations, including binding commitments to ensure fair and open competition and prevent a race to the bottom on standards, as well an independent arbitration mechanism to resolve disputes.

In a message agreed with her Brexit war cabinet at Chequers last week, she said Britain was also ready to give up passporting arrangements in return for a new system allowing financial services in the UK and EU to access each others markets by maintaining the same regulatory outcomes over time.

Theresa Mays speech: key words and phrases. (PA Graphics)

UK courts will also be allowed to look at ECJ judgments, particularly where Britain and the EU have identical laws.

And Britain will make appropriate financial contributions for associate membership of Europe-wide medicines, chemical and aerospace agencies;

Mrs May also outlined plans for a labour mobility framework to allow businesses and self-employed professionals to work across the UK and EU.

And she called for mutual recognition in areas like regulation of goods, broadcasting licences and professional qualifications.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Mrs May of failing to bring real clarity, stressed he was worried about her admittance that access to European markets would be reduced, and said she failed to provide solutions in particular on the Irish border.Striking pictures of how the icy blast has gripped the UK lead some of the papers this weekend, while Brexit negotiations also remain a hot topic.

A picture of a girl peering at icicles formed on the window of a home in Dunblane features prominently on the front of the Daily Express, next to a report on Theresa May urging Brussels to get on with talks for a post-Brexit trade deal.

The Daily Telegraph reports on Mrs Mays most pragmatic Brexit speech to date, saying the PM has told all sides of the debate that they must be prepared to compromise to achieve a deal.

What the papers say - March 3

The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: 'Meet us half way on Brexit, May urges EU' #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/6txg6lVp1z  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 2, 2018

The FT Weekend reports on the same story, with the headline: May tells Eurosceptics to face facts.

The paper says her speech received a frosty response in Brussels.

Just published: front page of FT Weekend, London edition, Saturday 3 Marchhttps://t.co/R6KrBn3hwu pic.twitter.com/FhTls1Sg14  Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) March 2, 2018

The Daily Mirror reports that Jon Venebles has received 260,000 in legal aid since the murder of toddler James Bulger.

It also says Brrritain was in lockdown as the snow and ice brought chaos to the roads and rail, while praising everyday heroes who helped out thousands stranded by the weather.

Away from the weather, the Daily Mail reports on a one-stop service to revoluntionise treatment for prostate cancer. It says the NHS programme will cut the time it takes for a diagnosis from six weeks to just days.

The Times says documents seen by the paper show religious extremists are exploiting home education laws to expose youngsters to hate-filled material, while it also reports on Mrs Mays speech to EU leaders under the headline: We can work it out.

The i reports on the court case of Umar Haque, a self-styled teacher who trained an army of children for terrorist attacks on 30 targets across London.

The paper says children were shown brutal Isis videos during lessons.

And the Guardian leads on energy price rises for one million households after it said E.ON, one of the Big Six, quietly slipped out increases on the coldest spring day on record.Gary Oldman shared any pre-Oscars nerves with fellow Academy Award-nominated Britons at a party in Los Angeles to celebrate their success.

The star, nominated for best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill, was joined on Friday by Darkest Hour colleagues who are also competing for honours on Sunday.

Other nominees to attend the party hosted by Britains consul general in LA, Mike Howells, were former Hollyoaks actors Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton, who are up for best live action short film.

The Winston Churchill actor speaks to the media (Ian West/PA)

Darkest Hour producer Lisa Bruce said nerves were running high despite Oldman being the favourite to beat competition from fellow Brits Daniel Day-Lewis and Daniel Kaluuya.

Every single actor, really honestly, is great but Gary is so transformed it would be a bummer if he didnt win the big one, she said.

Former Bond actress Jane Seymour said Oldman was a shoo-in, adding he was absolutely incredible in the role.

The Oscar-nominated make-up artists Lucy Sibbick and David Malinowski praised Oldman for his patience as they transformed him into the war-time prime minister.

Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton ahead of the 90th Oscars (Ian West/PA)

Sibbick, who spent in excess of 15 hours a day with Oldman, said: Hes such good fun and really patient and just a lovely generous character.

Oldman attended with his wife Gisele Schmidt and spoke briefly to some members of the press before dashing inside, avoiding the uncharacteristic rain that poured down for the Britons visits.

The Silent Childs Overton and Shenton said the nerves had only just kicked in ahead of the Hollywood ceremony.

Its all a bit crazy, Shenton said. We sort of got nervous today actually.The Shape Of Waters co-producer has defended the film against a copyright suit ahead of the Oscars.

The son of Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel has claimed the film nominated for 13 Academy Awards is in many ways identical to 1969s Let Me Hear You Whisper.

But J Miles Dale on Friday said the lawsuit is baseless and that its timing was opportunistic to coincide with Oscar voting.

Sally Hawkins is nominated for an Oscar with the film (Ian West/PA)

Its really baseless, if you look even a little bit into it, look at the two, the similarities are not that great, he told the Press Association in Los Angeles.

Were pretty confident that its just going to go away and its pretty baseless. Were not worried about it.

It doesnt worry us as much as its disappointing that the timing would be so opportunistic with Oscar voting beginning the next day.

Lawyers for David Zindel filed the complaint in California against director Guillermo Del Toro and Fox Searchlight last month, claiming they had brazenly copied the story.

Lawyer Marc Toberoff said there are at least 61 similarities, including that they are both 1960s Cold War stories regarding an unmarried janitor and her relationship with an aquatic creature in a secret laboratory.

Fans have also drawn similarities on social media.

Del Toro's "The Shape of The Water" is basically Paul Zindel's play "Let Me Hear You Whisper" with The Creature From The Black Lagoon/Abe Sapien subbed in for the dolphin, and sex.  Andrew Paul Wood (@AndrewPaulWood) January 27, 2018

The new del toro movie reminds me of Paul Zindel's "Let Me Hear You Whisper" a one act play about a janitor and an experimental dolphin   jonathan  (@_neitheror) July 20, 2017

Del Toro and Fox Searchlight denied the allegations about the Golden Globe-winning movie starring British actress Sally Hawkins.

The director told industry website Deadline: Id never heard of this play before making The Shape Of Water, and none of my collaborators ever mentioned the play.

Fox Searchlight said it would vigorously defend the ground-breaking and original film.

The Shape Of Water is up for best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday, while Hawkins is up for best actress for her performance.Police searching for a teenager who went missing in sub-zero temperatures have found a body.

Charlie Pope, 19, from West Didsbury, was last seen in Manchester city centre early on Thursday more than two hours after leaving a club.

He had left the Zombie Shack in New Wakefield Street at about 2.30am and was later spotted in Whitworth Street at 4.50am.

Charlie Pope (Greater Manchester Police/PA)

Body found during search for missing teenager Charlie Pope: pic.twitter.com/2OVAMFfNCG  Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) March 3, 2018

On Friday, an underwater search team was deployed at the canal just off Whitworth Street West and shortly after 3.40pm a body was discovered.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: Although formal ID is yet to take place, it is believed to be Charlie Pope.

His family have been informed and are being provided with support from specially trained officers at this tragic time.

There are believed to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a file will be passed to the coroner.Eoin Morgan was thankful to Englands Mr Reliable Chris Woakes and one moment of telling fortune which helped his team close out a thrilling four-run victory over New Zealand in Wellington.

England, previously unsuccessful in all four one-day international visits to the Westpac Stadium, got the job done this time to go 2-1 up with two to play after Woakes defied home centurion Kane Williamson by defending 15 in the final over.

Williamson (112no) and Mitchell Santner put the Kiwis back in the see-saw contest after spinners Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid had taken five wickets for 23 runs to reduce them to 103 for six in pursuit of 235 on an awkward surface.

Chris Woakes held his nerve for England (John Walton/PA)

The hosts benefited from a very marginal call when Santner squeezed Rashid to midwicket, where Jason Roy stooped to claim the low catch which would have made it 112 for seven, only for the third umpire to uphold the on-field soft signal of not-out because there was no clear evidence the ball had carried.

England got their own critical break, however, when Santner was dismissed  for the first time in the series  in the unluckiest fashion of all, run-out at the non-strikers end after Woakes attempt to catch a straight drive from Williamson was deflected on to the stumps.

The Kiwis still needed another 36 when Santner went in the 46th over  and although Williamson completed his hundred from 133 balls, he could not quite scramble the victory his near lone hand perhaps deserved.

Players on both sides today were excellent ...Williamson was masterful ...England batting worked so hard to 'work it out ' ...Eng spinners produced again ...T Curran excelled in last 2 overs, C Woakes delivered ...and E Morgan showed how good a Captain he is  David 'Bumble' Lloyd (@BumbleCricket) March 3, 2018

Williamsons opposite number Morgan was full of praise for Woakes, who kept his cool after Williamson pulled a six off the third ball of the last over.

Woakes is Mr Reliable, Morgan told Sky Sports. Hes a bit of an unsung hero for us with bat and ball.

In his post-match press conference, the England captain reflected too on the contrasting moments which first saw Santner reprieved and then later dismissed.

You earn a little bit of luck along the way, he said. But Woakesy was trying to catch the ball, and its a really unlucky way to get out.

He sensed Roy had earlier taken a clean catch, but acknowledges the officials reached the only reasonable decision.

On the TV, its not going to look out, Morgan said. He said he had his fingers under it, and I believe him.

(But) theres no other solution to it. If the umpire is uncertain he has every right to check, and (then) TV just doesnt look out.

Morgan agreed that Williamson and Santner appeared to be taking a fluctuating contest away from England again.

They did  they played really well, he said. It was an outstanding knock from Kane, supported by Santner.

Englands victory was all the more satisfying for Morgan, because it came on a pitch which did not play to the strengths of his free-scoring team.

Were not known as a side that wins games in [those conditions], he said.

We fought our way to a competitive total, (and it) was probably quite fortunate that Ben (Stokes) and I had the partnership the other day and were in a good head-space to compare wickets and make a call that it wasnt a 270 wicket.

With seven needed from the last three balls, Williamson thought he may just get his team home.

Woakesy bowled a really nice over  he bowls very good death, he said.

(But) if wed taken smarter options (earlier), it shouldnt perhaps have got to that point. Its very frustrating.

It was just a shame we werent at our best, in the middle with our partnerships  (and then) we fell at the last hurdle.Theresa May and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have agreed to work to break a deadlock between Westminster and Holyrood over crucial Brexit legislation, Downing Street said.

After her high-profile speech on Friday, the Prime Minister telephoned Ms Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones to discuss her Brexit vision.

The Scottish and Welsh governments have proposed their own legislation as an alternative to the UK Governments European Union (Withdrawal) Bill amid a row on devolved powers returning from Brussels.

Prime Minister Theresa May meeting with Nicola Sturgeon (Andrew Milligan/PA)

They argue that clause 11 of the Governments flagship Withdrawal Bill amounts to a Westminster power grab and have consistently refused to recommend granting legislative consent for it as it stands.

Following Mrs Mays phone call with Ms Sturgeon, a Number 10 spokeswoman said: The Prime Minister and First Minister discussed recent progress on Clause 11 of the EU Withdrawal Bill and agreed both governments should continue to work to reach an agreement.

They finished the call by saying that they both looked forward to furthering discussions during the Plenary meeting of the JMC (Joint Ministerial Committee) on March 14.Burkina Fasos prime minister has condemned the Islamic extremist attacks that killed at least eight people in the capital, and said the government and people must remain vigilant against such violence.

Paul Kaba Thieba met with the army chief at the army headquarters, where the assault killed at least six soldiers, including a senior officer. Two gendarmes died at the French embassy.

I express my emotion and feeling of revolt after what Ive seen  horrible scenes, said Mr Thieba.

We cannot explain why individuals reach such level of extremism. But nothing will affect the determination of the government and our people to overcome this adversity.

Security forces outside the General Staff of the Armed Forces building in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Ludivine Laniepce/AP)

Burkina Fasos security forces killed eight militant attackers, and several arrests were made after Fridays simultaneous attacks on the French Embassy and army HQ.

Trading resumed at the main market in Burkina Fasos capital city near the headquarters, and residents returned to the streets.

Trees were burned down by the explosions, and the smell of smoke lingered over the city.

A deep hole in the ground and adjacent wall at the army headquarters mark where extremists dressed in uniforms set off a car bomb, apparently targeting a room where senior officers were to have met, but had relocated, said security minister Clement Sawadogo.

The room was completely destroyed and the cars parts scattered inside the headquarters. Mr Sawadogo said if the meeting had taken place in that room, our army would have been beheaded.

This is the third attack by Islamic militants on the city since January 2016, prompting criticism of the military but no group has yet claimed responsibility for Fridays attacks.

Islamic extremists carried out two other large-scale attacks on Ouagadougou in recent years, killing 30 people at a popular cafe in 2016 and 18 more at a Turkish restaurant in August 2017.

Forces guard the General Staff of the Armed Forces building after the Islamist extremist attack (Ludivine Laniepce/AP)

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, however, is not the kind of leader that wants to make morally repugnant deals with terrorists.

More importantly, Burkina Faso contributes more troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali than other West African nations, he said.

Several extremist groups have vowed to step up the bloodshed in response to the recent deployment of the multinational G5 Sahel force. The 5,000-strong force combines troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania to battle extremism in the region.

People on Saturday flocked around the headquarters and the French embassy to view the damage. A burned-out car remained in front of the embassy, which is riddled with bullet holes.

The embassy was attacked around 10:15am on Friday, with witnesses at the nearby state TV offices saying the attackers arrived in a pick-up truck, shouted, Allahu akbar! and began shooting.

French special forces helped to kill the assailants at the French embassy, security minister Sawadogo said.

The attack at the army headquarters started soon after the embassy assault and both were under control by 3pm, he said.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation in West Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. It shares a northern border with Mali, which has long battled Islamic extremists. Attacks have spread into Burkina Faso, and a local extremist group has also gained momentum, attacking troops and civilians.The Leading Party Members' Group of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee holds a meeting to study and implement the important speech by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at the third plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and the spirit of the plenum in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2018. Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, presided over the meeting. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Leading Party Members' Group of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee held a meeting Friday to study the spirit of the third plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

The meeting, presided over by Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, stressed that it is necessary to fully study and implement the spirit and the important speech by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, at the plenum, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The meeting stressed the significance of the plenum in comprehensively strengthening the Party's leadership over all the work and upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The meeting praised that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has been "staying true to our founding mission" and achieved new progress in all areas of the Party and the state since the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.

The meeting also underscored the importance of deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, a key decision adopted during the plenum, calling it a major political decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core and a significant reform initiative that meets the development need of "socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era."

The meeting stressed the importance of preparing for the first session of the 13th NPC to make sure that through legal procedures, the Party's proposals could become the will of the state.

The plenum examinaed and adopted a list of proposed candidates for state leadership, which is to be recommended to the first session of the 13th NPC, and a proposed candidate list for the leadership of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is to be recommended to the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee.

The annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC National Committee are scheduled to open on March 5 and March 3, respectively.

The Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee also held a meeting Friday to study the spirit of the plenum and Xi's important speech. Guo Shengkun, head of the commission, presided over the meeting and called on the political and legal forces to ensure the security of the upcoming two sessions.

The 19th CPC Central Committee 3rd plenum was held from Feb. 26 to 28 in Beijing.

[ Editor: zyq ]A man has shot himself outside the White House, the Secret Service said.

President Donald Trump is not at the White House  he is in Florida but is set to return later on Saturday.

The agency said in a Twitter post that there are no other reported injuries related to the incident.

Law enforcement officers gather in front of the White House (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

The Secret Service tweeted about noon on Saturday that personnel are responding and a person allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of the White House.

BREAKING: Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse.  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) March 3, 2018

A White House spokesman said we are aware of the situation, the president has been briefed.

The District of Columbia police said its homicide/natural death unit responded to the incident.Less than one in 10 Britons feel more optimistic about Brexit than a year ago, a poll suggests.

Just 8% of voters felt the outlook for Britains withdrawal from the EU had got better nearly a year after Theresa May triggered Article 50, while more than a third (37%) felt less optimistic about it, and 47% did not change their view, the ComRes/Sunday Mirror poll showed.

And it appears many voters were turned off by high-profile interventions this week from the Prime Minister, Jeremy Corbyn, Tony Blair and Sir John Major.

The big-hitters all made major speeches on Britains withdrawal from the EU this week, and while they did not change most voters opinion, more were turned off than enthused.

Less than one in 10 (9%) had a better opinion of Mrs May after she set out her Brexit vision, while more than a quarter (27%) said their impression of her had got worse.

Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech at the Mansion House in London on the UKs economic partnership with the EU after Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA)

But most voters backed her strategy of continuing to negotiate with the EU (33%) to get the best exit deal for Britain, while less than a quarter (22%) said she should walk away from talks.

Less than one in five (19%) called for another general election so voters can choose between the Labour and Tory positions on Brexit.

Her Mansion House address was preceded by Mr Corbyns speech setting out Labours backing of a customs union with the EU.

But it left more than a quarter (29%) of voters with a worse opinion of the Labour leader, while 13% said their view of him had improved.

In a damning assessment of his strategy, more people thought he should have ruled out a customs union (19%) than backed his approach (18%).

But illustrating the difficult balancing act he faces uniting Labour Leave and Remain voters, 15% said he should have gone further and backed single market membership while 16% thought he should have said nothing and let the Tories fight it out among themselves.

Overall, more voters think Britains negotiating priority should be securing a free trade deal (30%) than controlling borders to curb EU migration (21%), while 22% called on the Government to ensure the country has the freedom to strike free trade deals around the world.

One in five (20%) said the priority should be the freedom to make our own laws without Brussels interference (20%), while only 7% thought an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland was key.

 ComRes interviewed 1,096 adults in Britain online on March 2.Three men have been charged in connection with a blast which killed five people in Leicester.

Arkan Ali, 37, Hawkar Hassan, 32, and Aram Kurd, 33, have been charged with manslaughter and arson with intent to endanger life over the explosion on Sunday evening.

Four of the people killed in the blast have been named as Shane, 18, and Sean Rajoobeer, 17, Leah Beth Reek, 18, who was Shanes girlfriend, and Viktorija Ljevleva, 22, with the fifth victim believed to be Shane and Seans 46-year-old mother Mary.

Brothers Sean and Shane Rajoobeer were killed and their mother Mary is also believed to have died in the blast (Leicestershire Police/PA)

Ali, of Drake Close, Oldham, Hassan, of Eld Road, Coventry, and Kurd, of Hillary Place, Leicester, are due to appear in custody at Leicester Magistrates Court on Monday.

Two other men, both from East Anglia, have been arrested over the blast and continue to be questioned by police.

The force said they were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion and for offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The incident on Hinckley Road, which demolished a supermarket and the two-storey flat above, follows an explosion in Boston, Lincolnshire, in 2011 which killed five Lithuanian men and was caused by an illegal vodka factory.

Emergency services at the scene on Hinckley Road in Leicester (Aaron Chown/PA)

Leicestershire Police refused to comment on media reports which said the Hinckley Road explosion may have been caused by an illegal alcohol distillery.

Human remains were recovered from the ruins of the building after the blast which was followed by a large fire.

Specialist officers continued to sift through the wreckage in search of clues, with the scene expected to remain cordoned off for several days at least.Kell Brook breathed fresh life into his career as he began life in the light-middleweight division with a stunning second-round knockout of Sergey Rabchenko.

Brooks career had stalled after a fruitless jump to middleweight to challenge Gennady Golovkin in September 2016, while a drop back down to welterweight last May saw him lose his world title to Errol Spence Jr.

But he drew an emphatic line under those twin defeats as he needed less than five minutes to end the challenge of Rabchenko and get back in the win column in front of his home fans at the Sheffield Arena.

Kell Brook did not need long to knock out Sergey Rabchenko (Richard Sellers/PA)

The bones around both of Brooks eyes have been reinforced by titanium plates after he first fractured his right eye socket in his defeat to Golovkin and then sustained a near identical injury to the other side of his face against Spence Jr.

Brook (now 37-2, 26KO wins) had spoken of how the defeat to Spence Jr, in particular, had left him at a low ebb but he says he refused to take an easy route on his comeback, choosing to face a fighter with whom he had had some tough sparring sessions in the past and who had only previously lost twice in 31 professional fights.

One of Rabchenkos victims was Brooks former gym stablemate Ryan Rhodes while the Belarusian had won all seven of his previous contests in Britain.

But he was never able to get going against Brook, who will now have his sights set on challenging for world honours once more, or arranging a bout against long-term rival Amir Khan.

The 31-year-old Brook, backed by a buoyant crowd in his home city, wasted little time settling into his stride behind a crisp jab while his superior footwork allowed him to avoid most of Rabchenkos lunges.

The Briton stepped up his attack in the second round as he followed up a bruising left uppercut with a straight right that put Rabchenko on the floor.

The 32-year-old was unsteady as he rose to his feet and was counted out by referee Steve Gray one minute and 27 seconds into the round, to the delight of the home crowd.The All Ceylon Private Bus Association (ACPBA) said yesterday they would request the government to use kerosene as fuel for buses instead of diesel.

ACPBA Secretary Anjana Priyanjith told Daily Mirror that about 30 per cent of private buses in the country were now using kerosene.

Using kerosene as a fuel for buses has now become a trend among private bus operators. Bus engines have been designed to use diesel, but the diesel engine mechanism could also modified to be operated with kerosene, he said.

We fill the tank with kerosene and add two litres of DS-40 oil into it. Kerosene can be used efficiently after adjusting the pressure of the diesel pump and results in the owner's income being increased by about 50 per cent. This method does not need any increase to the bus fare," Mr. Priyanjith said.

A litre of Lanka auto diesel is sold at Rs.95, while a litre of Lanka kerosene is sold at Rs.44.

However, the Inter Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) President Sarath Vijitha Kumara denied this claim.

Bus engines are not designed to use kerosene and it is not safe, and these unscrupulous methods are resorted to by bankrupt bus owners, he said.

Mr. Kumara said Mr. Priyanjith should discuss these changes with other bus owners organisations before making such statements.

Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA) Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne said using kerosene in buses was illegal as it was sold in Sri Lanka to low income families.

Kerosene can be used with higher profits in view but when it causes mechanical faults, repairs will be costly, he said. Even engines would have to be replaced if this method is used and is dangerous as it is more inflammable than diesel with very high emissions. Insurance cannot be claimed. We should switch the bus service to an eco-friendly system and it is time to convert to electric buses.

Recently, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) banned the distribution of Lanka Kerosene Oil (Red) to vehicles, factories and other wholesale outlets after discovering that many dealers have been distributing Lanka Kerosene instead of Industrial Kerosene.

Lanka Kerosene is red in colour while industrial kerosene is colourless. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)By D.B.S.Jeyaraj

Let me begin on a very personal note. The first major emotional upheaval I underwent as a result of losing a very loved one, was when I lost my maternal grandfather in December 1968. I was 14 years old at that time. I was inordinately fond of him and he of me, his eldest grandchild.



My grandfather had been ailing for some time and his impending demise was expected. Both his children, their spouses and all his grandchildren were around his bed when my grandfather breathed his last.



We were living in Kollupitiya at that time and my grandfather passed away peacefully at our residence. The doctor came and certified his death there.



The undertakers took the body away, embalmed it and brought it back in a coffin for people to pay their respects. The funeral service was at our home. The burial was at Kanatte. A memorial service was held two months later in a Methodist Church in Colombo. A memorial monument was duly erected at Kanatte.



Why I relate all these details is to emphasise that I was witness to each and every aspect of my grandfathers final farewell to this world - from his deathbed to tombstone. I knew fully well that my grandfather had died and that he was not among the living yet I refused to accept that he was dead. Being quite young and having been so fond of him I could not cope with his loss. We were living at the bottom of the lane (Aloe Avenue) by the seaside then.

All such illusions were shattered when war came to Sri Lanka. War is nothing but nasty, brutal destruction. There is nothing laudable in it except perhaps the individual bravery of those courting death for what they thought was a just cause.



I was learning Tennysons break, break, break in my GCE (OL) English Literature class. The poem written by Tennyson over the loss of his friend Arthur Hallam resonated very much with me then. I would sit on the rocks along the Colpetty beach just as Tennyson did at the foot of thy crags Osea and think of my Appa as I called my grandfather. (I called my father Papa & grandfather Appa).The lines But O for the touch of a vanishd hand, And the sound of a voice that is still! would strike responsive melancholy chords in my heart.



Still, the loss was too much to bear then. I just could not accept the fact that my grandfather was dead and gone. I started imagining that he was really alive and that he never died. Whenever I saw an elderly male who bore a resemblance to my grandfather, I would go up to him and stare intently at the point of embarrassment. Sometimes while travelling alone by bus, I would see someone who looked like him on the pavement, get down at the next halt and run back only to be disappointed. Far worse was the thought that like Jesus Christ, my grandfather too had risen from the dead. I would go to Borella, look at his grave and then wander around Kanatte hoping to catch a glimpse of him.



Burden Of Sorrowful Affection

Finally, I was liberated from this burden of sorrowful affection. Due to certain reasons, my family relocated from Colombo to Jaffna in December 1969 just one year after my grandfathers death. While my parents and siblings lived at Chavakachcheri, I was boarded at Jaffna College, Vaddukkoddai. The change of environment and the different experience of living in the North as opposed to that of living in Colombo brought about a change in me. I stopped imagining that my grandfather was alive and began adjusting to life after his death. With the passage of time the sorrow and grief lessened but never ever went away. And then, of course, there were other losses and deaths. (I lost my parents, sister and close relatives and friends over the years).



Then there was the escalation of the ethnic conflict and its consequences. I began losing track of the people whom I knew who died or disappeared or went missing or were injured or got displaced as a result of the ethnic conflict.



Why I recount my experience of almost half a century ago is to show how the loss of a loved one could have a traumatic effect on people. In my case, I had seen the death, funeral, burial and memorial service of my grandfather and even knew the grave in which he lay. There was full closure.

Yet I could not for many long months accept his death or come to terms with the fact that he was no more. This experience makes me ultra-sensitive to the agony and pain suffered by those who have undergone loss without proper closure particularly those who do not know what has happened to their loved ones.

Still, the loss was too much to bear then. I just could not accept the fact that my grandfather was dead and gone. I started imagining that he was really alive and that he never died



When a loved one disappears or is made to disappear and you have no news at all about the missing person how does one cope with that loss? How can memory be consoled when there is no knowledge of what had happened to a loved one? How can a troubled heart be pacified by the mind if no one knows the fate of what befell a loved one?



For many decades I have been writing on politics of Sri Lanka. The islands politics has for long been overshadowed and even overwhelmed by an armed conflict. War has its own consequences and its distinct fall-out. Very often the original causes of war are forgotten and even replaced by new problems and grievances. When I was young and read about the war in newspapers and saw battle scenes on screen, I had a romanticised outlook on war. I regarded war as a noble adventure and fighting as heroic.



All such illusions were shattered when war came to Sri Lanka. War is nothing but nasty, brutal destruction. There is nothing laudable in it except perhaps the individual bravery of those courting death for what they thought was a just cause.



The war in Sri Lanka was a dirty war. It was not fought by soldiers carrying the UN Human Rights Charter in one hand and love in their hearts as former President Mahinda Rajapaksa once stated. The Tigers and other militant fighters were no saints either.



An inevitable consequence of the war was the phenomenon known as Enforced Disappearances. A very large number of people in Sri Lanka disappeared or were made to disappear or went missing as a result of the conflict regarded at one time as South Asias longest war.



The well-known Human Rights Organization, Human Rights Watch(HRW) observed thus in a statement: Tens of thousands of people were forcibly disappeared in Sri Lanka since the 1980s, including during the last months of the war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009...... The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances ranks Sri Lanka as the country with the second highest number of disappearances in the history of its tenure.



Most of those reported disappeared during the three-decade long conflict between government forces and the LTTE were ethnic Tamils. A short-lived but violent insurgency with a majority Sinhala militant group in the countrys South in the late 1980s also led to many enforced disappearances and other abuses by both sides. Various Commissions of Inquiry established by successive Sri Lankan Governments in response to pressure from victims groups and others have produced reports that have largely remained unpublished and have not resulted in criminal prosecutions of those responsible.

For people whose loved ones pass away tragically in an accident or are killed through violence the struggle to cope is more painful. The worst, however, is for those whose loved ones are made to disappear or have gone missing.



Enforced Disappearances Phenomenon

The HRW statement focuses on enforced disappearances during the war and its aftermath and also highlights the fact that most victims were Tamils. But disappearances did not occur only during the ethnic conflict and neither was the enforced disappearances phenomenon a Tamil monopoly.

People of all ethnicities were victimised but the bulk of war victims were certainly Tamils. A large number of Sinhala youths were made to disappear when the State ruthlessly suppressed the bloody insurgencies led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in 1971 and 1988/89.



As a journalist writing about politics and war in Sri Lanka, I had to write about missing persons too. There were some disappearances like those of Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown the Allaippiddy Parish Priest and Eastern University Vice-Chancellor Prof.S. Raveendranath about which I wrote extensively.



There were other disappearances about which I did not write in very great detail. Time, media space and scanty information being the reasons. Very few Sri Lankan journalists wrote about disappearances and irked the powers that be then. There were many disappearances about which nothing was written. They have become part of official and unofficial statistics.



Yet every single case of a missing person has a heart-rending story behind it. A missing person may be treated by officialdom as a mere statistic but he or she has a family and many loved ones who yearn for some reliable information about what has happened to him or her.



The disappearance of loved ones is not something restricted to one community or one ethnicity alone. It is correct that the Tamil people have suffered more than other ethnicities proportionately. Yet, the Sinhala people to have suffered immensely during the JVP insurgency of 1988-89. The State ruthlessly suppressed the JVP revolt then. Thousands were killed and thousands simply disappeared.

Many years ago before Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power, Dr Manoranee Saravanamuttu the mother of Richard de Zoysa was in Canada for an event organized by the University of Toronto.

Apart from meeting her at seminars and dinners, I also had a one to one conversation with Aunty Manoranee for about ten hours at the universitys Massey College where she was staying. During that very long conversation, she told me so many harrowing tales about the deaths and disappearances in the south during 1988-90.



She told me that the bulk of the victims were from socio-culturally underprivileged caste groups and that there was no strong voice raised, on their behalf. She told me about the activities of the Mothers Front and how the common experience of loss, deprivation, suffering and sorrow brought the Tamil speaking and Sinhala speaking mothers, daughters, wives and sisters together and how the state resented it. I have never and will never forget that conversation.



As I mentioned earlier I had found it very difficult to cope with the death of my grandfather who died peacefully of natural causes. I could not accept it for long although there was full closure.



For people whose loved ones pass away tragically in an accident or are killed through violence the struggle to cope is more painful. The worst, however, is for those whose loved ones are made to disappear or have gone missing.



For them, the lack of knowledge and uncertainty is sheer agony. There is no closure after death for them because they are not sure whether their loved ones are among the dead or the living. All that they need or want is some official pronouncement of what had really happened. Reason tells them that persons gone missing for so long cannot be among the living but their hearts full of love for the lost loved ones refuse to accept the loss as permanent. The heart has reasons which reason itself may not understand. Humans are not systems of intellect alone. They are bundles of emotion too. They mourn and they yearn. They grieve and they hope.



Audacity Of Hope Sustains Loved Ones

It is this audacity of hope (To borrow from Barack Obama) that sustains these loved ones of the missing persons to pursue with their quest of seeking the truth about their loved ones. It is this audacity of hope which compels someone like Sandya Priyangani Ekneligoda to prolong her search for the truth about what really happened to her husband Prageeth, the well-known cartoonist and journalist.



It is this audacious hope, which makes the mothers, spouses, sisters and daughters of the disappeared in the North and East to persist with their search for the truth about their loved ones. They demonstrate with placards, go on protest fasts, walk-in processions, sign numerous petitions and above all observe regular religious rites seeking the truth about their loved ones. In the process, they are very often exploited by crafty politicians, misguided priests, mercenary NGO operatives, so-called civil society activists and publicity seekers.



Regardless, they go on motivated only by their love and devotion to their loved ones.



I once asked an old mother why she continued in her quest to find out about her son who went missing over a decade ago. She answered me thus in Tamil Money (son) Nee Kaanaamap Ponaa, undai Komma (Mother) unnai ippadi Theda Maattavey? (If you go missing wont your mother search for you like this?).



She went on to say Avanukku Enna Nadanthathendu Theriyealleiye.Unmai theriya Vaenum Avan irukkiraanaa? illaiyaa?endu. Illaiyendu thelivaaichchonnal enakku kavalai endaalum nimmathi  (I dont know what has happened to him. I must know the truth about him, whether he is alive or dead? If I am told clearly that he is no more then I will be sad but would be at peace). And then she said wistfully Aetho enakkoru nambikkai. Avan Engeyo Irukkiraan. Avanaik Kandupidichidalaam Endu( Somehow, I have a belief that he is there somewhere. I feel he can be found). This then is the audacity of hope.



Alexander Pope wrote Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Cicero stated, Dum Spiri Spero(While I breathe, I hope).



As a journalist, it has been my duty to interact with a cross-section of people from all walks of life. This has resulted in my keeping in touch with those in power and authority as well as being accessible to the powerless, ordinary people. It goes with the territory. The challenge is to know the truth through interacting with the common people and then speak that truth to power. There are many, many sad moments for journalists who feel and empathise. As a safety mechanism, you construct a cocoon around yourself because if you are what is termed as a bleeding heart liberal you may very well bleed to death.

There are mothers and sisters of soldiers who still shed tears urging us to at least find a bone fragment of their sons and brothers who went missing during the years of conflict if they are to come to terms with what they have been told  that these soldiers are no more



For me, some of the most poignant moments in my journalistic vocation have been when those dear and near to the missing persons seek my aid to help seek information about their loved ones. They approach me directly or someone approaches me on their behalf and seeks my help to find out about their missing loved ones. It is very painful and emotionally debilitating to reply that I wont be able to help because I am helpless in this. There is no one to ask or seek answers from in this regard. I have tried several times in the past to find out about people taken away without a trace or made to disappear but always came up against a stonewall of silence from those in power. As journalists we are supposed to seek the truth but what does one do in situations like this? What is the definite reply one can give to these families about their missing loved ones? More importantly what is the response of the State or those in power to these questions?



Minister Mangala Samaraweera

Mangala Samaraweera in his previous avatar as Minister of Foreign Affairs aptly described the predicament of the people in this situation and the dilemma faced by those in authority in a statement tabled in Parliament on August 11, 2016.

Mangala in his statement said -



As you know, there is no corner of this blessed and beloved country of ours, that has not been drenched by the tears of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children who have wept and continue to weep, not knowing where their loved ones are, or what happened to them. They only know that they are missing. They dont know whether they are dead or alive.



Tears and pain have no ethnicity, no religion, no race, no caste: All their tears are the same. The grief they feel, their anguish, their pain is personal, but the same. Their suffering cannot be explained in words. Every day, there are people in this country who go to sleep at night, praying that their loved ones will return. There are mothers who are paralyzed with grief; they are lost in time; unable to continue with their day-to-day lives, worrying whether their sons, wherever they may be, have enough food to eat, or whether they are being treated alright; wondering how much they may have grown, or how much they may have changed since they last saw them. These people are torn between hope and despair, and are unable to live meaningful lives.

The war in Sri Lanka was a dirty war. It was not fought by soldiers carrying the UN Human Rights Charter in one hand and love in their hearts as former President Mahinda Rajapaksa once stated. The Tigers and other militant fighters were no saints either.



When one sees a dead body, no matter how unbearable the pain of loss may be, there is closure, because there is a knowledge that ones loved one is no more. But how can one find closure, and how can one be expected to find closure when there is no knowledge of what has happened to someone?

There is probably no district, and certainly no province in this country which has been untouched by the phenomena of someone going missing  either in the 1970s, the 80s, the 90s, or later. In my electorate in Matara, there are mothers who still go from astrologer to astrologer trying to find out what happened to their children who went missing in the 80s and 90s, and some even as far back as the 70s. They still live in hope.



There are mothers and sisters of soldiers who still shed tears urging us to at least find a bone fragment of their sons and brothers who went missing during the years of conflict if they are to come to terms with what they have been told  that these soldiers are no more. Without that, they say they cannot come to terms with the fact that their loved ones are no more. They have only heard, they say, that a camp was overrun but received no further details. They have received no evidence that their loved ones are dead. So they wait and they wait forever, without carrying out the last rites; without giving alms to confer merit on the departed. Is this what the families of our soldiers deserve?



As a responsible State, can we continue to ignore their tears and their pleas? Can we just say to them that we dont know what happened to their loved ones, and ask them to accept that they are dead? Can we expect them to take whatever few thousand rupees that is given to them as compensation and lead normal lives?



Can we, as a responsible State, just tell them that all the people who are missing  and this includes soldiers, policemen, and other security forces personnel  have all probably gone overseas and are now leading new lives under new identities, and so, they are best forgotten? Can we, as a responsible State, say that no country in Asia or no country in NATO has established an Office to ascertain the fate of those who have gone missing and that therefore, we should also not make any attempt to find out what happened to the Missing in our country, to provide answers to families or loved ones?

Those Who Went Missing Are Our Citizens

These are our citizens: those who went missing are our citizens; those who grieve are also our citizens. Dont we, as a responsible State, have a duty to try to alleviate their agony? Try to at least help them find an answer; or try to help them find closure?



If this is not the compassion that Gautama Buddha has taught us, then, what is? It certainly cannot be the symbolic chanting of Gathas, or offering of flowers, or building new statues and temples. We have to be able to reach out to our fellow citizens who are suffering; who have been suffering for years and years, and alleviate their pain.



If the loved ones they seek are no more, we have to be able to help them find the truth. We have to help them to come to terms with the truth. We must assist them in their process of healing. We must help them to continue with their lives in a meaningful way, and be productive citizens of our country. How can we say that we are guardians of the noble teachings of the Buddha if we dont practise his Teachings? Can we, as the compassionate nation we claim to be, shut out the grief of a large number of our mothers, our fathers, our brothers, our sisters, and our children, and be deaf and blind to their pain, their wailing, their silent agony, their psychological trauma and their tears?



For some, this emotive and heart-wrenching issue is a mere numbers game. They try to justify the numbers by saying such and such a number is overseas and accuse countries for not sharing information. This is not the way to approach this issue. It is not a matter of numbers. It is a matter of individuals. It is a matter of human beings. It is a matter concerning our citizens, and it is a matter of creating mechanisms that are credible which enable people to share information, even entities in countries in which some who are reported as missing may be leading new lives under new identities. I am sure there is duplication and errors in the various records maintained by various different entities. With the setting up of this Office, by an Act of Parliament, we will finally have a credible mechanism that will be in a position to centralize data at national level, integrating all information with regard to missing persons currently being maintained by different agencies, as recommended by the LLRC, way back in 2011.



The regime change in Sri Lanka on January 8, 2015, saw a glimmer of light emerge at the end of the dark tunnel. The newly installed Sirisena - Wickremesinghe Govt. adopted a series of progressive measures. Among these was the attempt to institutionally tackle the missing persons issue.



On August 11, 2016, the Island nations Parliament passed legislation to set up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) in the country. The then Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera hailed the passage of the OMP bill as historic. Addressing a news briefing soon after the Bill had been ratified, he said the new law would give relief to the loved ones of thousands from the North and South of the country who had disappeared.



This is the first step towards rectifying the mistakes during the past 68 years, said the Minister who had a long history of championing the cause of persons made to go missing through enforced disappearances.



Four Main Functions Of OMP

In a public statement issued earlier in August, the Foreign Minister explained basic details about the envisaged Office of Missing Persons Bill. In that statement he said: The Bill outlines four main functions for the OMP -- (i) Searching and tracing of missing persons; (ii) Clarifying the circumstances in which such persons went missing and their fate; (iii) Making recommendations to relevant authorities to reduce such incidents of missing and disappeared persons and (iv) Identifying proper avenues of redress. As such, it is not a law-enforcement or judicial agency but a truth-seeking investigative agency.



Mangala Samaraweera went on to say: The Office on Missing Persons is a truth-seeking investigative agency. It does not make judgements on disputes. In fact, the legislation states that the findings of the OMP shall not give rise to any criminal or civil liability. Its primary function is to establish whether a missing person is dead or alive and, if he or she is dead, discover when, how and where they died.



Despite the aura of hope and optimism exuded by ex-Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera progress on the OMP front was very slow. The process was extremely slow but then this has been the tragedy of this blessed island since independence - Whatever that is bad is done very quickly while whatever that is good is done at a painstakingly slow pace. So the OMP process moved forward not by leaps and bounds but in fits and starts. Though the legislation was passed in August 2016 to set up the office of missing persons, it began assuming operational form only a year later.



President Maithripala Sirisena signed the gazette notification operationalising the OMP in September 2017. The Acting Secretary General of the Constitutional Council called for applications to appoint members to the OMP in October 2017. Applications were called from persons with previous experience in; fact-finding or investigation, human rights law, international humanitarian law, humanitarian response, or possessing other qualifications relevant to the carrying out the functions of the OMP.



There were over 300 applications and the selections were made through an open and competitive process conducted by the Constitutional Council. After intensive perusal and much deliberation, the Constitutional Council which includes political leaders with diverse viewpoints such as Ranil Wickremesinghe (UNP), Rajavarothayam Sampanthan (ITAK), John Seneviratne (SLFP), Champika Ranawaka (JHU) and Vijitha Herath (JVP) arrived at the unanimous decision.



UN Human Rights Council Sessions

Meanwhile, Mangala Samaraweera in his new avatar as Finance minister allocated 1.3 Billion rupees towards the office of missing persons in the 2018 budget presented in November 2017. The names of the OMP nominees were submitted to the President by December 2017.If the President did not approve or wanted changes he was required to send the nominee list back to the Constitutional Council(CC) within two weeks. Since he did not do so, it was obvious that the President was in agreement with the CC.



However, presumably because of the local Govt. poll on February 10, 2018, President Sirisena made no forward movement on the matter and virtually sat on the list. Finally, President Sirisena moved and on the last day of February formally appointed the chairman and other council members of the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) with effect from March 1st, 2018. Again, it may not be entirely a coincidence that the UN Human Rights Council sessions begin in Geneva during March.



The Chairman of the OMP is the reputed Human Rights and Constitutional Lawyer, Presidents Counsel Saliya Peiris.



The other members are academic- lawyer and well-known human rights activist - Dr Sriyani Nimalka Fernando, Retd Major - General Mohanti Antoinette Peiris, Womens Rights activist and lawyer - Ms Jayatheepa Punniyamoorthy, Lawyer cum Researcher -Mirak Rahim, Lawyer cum researcher T. Somasiri Liyanage and Human Rights worker Kanapathipillai Venthan.



They will serve initially for a term of three years. The OMP work will be coordinated by the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms (DCRM) headed by Mano Tittawella of which former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is in overall charge as head of the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation.



A certain amount of gender and ethnic balance has been achieved in the composition of the OMP body. Sufficient attention has also been given to real life experience as opposed to academic qualifications alone.



Ms Jayatheepa Punniyamoorthy is someone whose husband went missing while they were living in Mullaitheevu. She is now in Batticaloa and actively involved with an organization called Women in Need focusing on womens issues.



Lawyer Somasiri Liyanage is someone who worked comprehensively in compiling the report on the prison riots.



Mirak Raheem has been associated for many years with the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) as a researcher on human rights, reconciliation and minority rights issues.



Kanapathipillai Venthan is a human rights activist who has rendered yeoman service to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in helping to trace missing persons.



Nimalka Fernandos track record as a human rights activist is impeccable. She has courageously withstood charges of traitorous acts and death threats by regularly going to Geneva for the UNHRC sessions.



The inclusion of Maj-Gen (retd) Mohanti Peiris in the OMP is very interesting and most welcome.An old girl of Uduvil girls high school in Jaffna, Mohanti passed out as a lawyer and joined the Armys Legal Affairs Division and went right up the promotional ladder to end up and retire as Major - General.

Mohanti herself hails from a family of distinguished lawyers in Jaffna. Her father Selvaratnam, as well as his brothers Thambiratnam and Sabaratnam, were a well-known trio of lawyer brothers.She is married to Brigadier (retd) Basil Peiris.



Given the current context where the armed forces are being blamed for many cases of disappearances and missing on the one hand while families of defence personnel reported missing in action blame the military top brass with disbelief on the other, Maj-Gen Mohanti Peiris will face an uphill task in discharging her duties in the OMP. Those who know her well opine that she will complete her mission successfully.

Transitional Justice Mechanisms

According to the Presidential Media Unit, the OMPs main mission will be to determine the status of all missing persons in Sri Lanka and will be the first pillar of the transitional justice mechanism through which the government hopes to bring about reconciliation and lasting peace. The OMP is the first pillar of Sri Lankas four transitional justice mechanisms under design and implementation. The others are Office to handle reparations, a truth and reconciliation commission and a judicial mechanism to address allegations of wartime abuses. The Presidential Media Unit also said that the OMP would be an independent body reporting to Parliament and was expected to bring a degree of closure to surviving family members of Sri Lankas internal conflicts. It would also set the stage for sustainable reparations for victims and their families.



So the long-awaited Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has become operational at last. It is too early to speculate on how the Office of Missing Persons would function in the future and how it would tackle the prickly issue of missing persons and disappearances. There are also perplexing doubts about the future when Mahinda Rajapaksa and his political minions orchestrate a pseudo-patriotic backlash against the OMP.



How will the Sirisena -Wickremesinghe Govt. that is united by name and divided in practice respond? Will the predictably unpredictable President brandish his sword against those opposing the OMP or will he twirl his kaduwa inwards to cause self-inflicted injuries? Will the functions of the OMP be restrained and be used merely as a showcase to appease international opinion?



These are all valid questions and no answers can be forthcoming at this point in time. Nevertheless, the setting up of an office of missing persons is by itself an accomplishment. More importantly, it signifies that the Sri Lankan nation has shed its customary denial mode and realistically acknowledged the existence of the missing persons problem. May the setting up of the Office on Missing Persons symbolically determine that no Sri Lankan will ever go missing again and that no Sri Lankan family will languish in the future about their missing loved ones.



Magic of This Moment

For a nation long denied positive gains on the human rights front the setting up of the OMP and commencing operations is a significant milepost. These events are like silver linings in dark clouds. We need such happenings to feel good and to retain our sanity. This then is our day and let us seize that day. Whatever the future may be, this is our magical moment. Let us then capture the magic of this moment.

D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.comDumping unsegregated garbage at Kerawalapitiya garbage dumping site has been banned from February 28, Megapolis and Western Development Minister Champika Ranawaka said yesterday.

Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC) had conveyed this decision to all local government bodies.

The minister said though the SLLRDC Chairman had conveyed this decision the relevant authorities in writing, some LG bodies are continuing to dump unsegregated garbage at Kerawalapitiya.

He said the entire administration of the Kerawalapitiya garbage dump had been handed over to SLLRDC from February 28 and under no circumstances would unsegregated garbage be accepted as of this date.

However, the minister said they would accept any amount of segregated and degradable garbage at this site.

He said President Maithripala Sirisena and the Cabinet had been informed of this decision. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)Two Sri Lanka Navy Ships, Samudura and Suranimila, left for India on Friday from the Port of Trincomalee to attend a congregation of littoral navies known as MILAN which is being conducted by Indian Navy.

The two ships set sail from the home port having performed formalities in accordance with naval traditions.

The Government Information Department said a host of senior naval officers including Deputy Area Commander Eastern Naval Area, Commodore Merril Sudarshana was also present on this occasion.

Deputy Area Commander extended best wishes to the Commanding Officers and crew members of the two ships on tour. The touring ships are scheduled to arrive at Visakhapatnam port, India on March 6.

The ships crew is comprised of 284 naval personnel including 27 officers and six Midshipmen.

MILAN 2018 is being held at Port Blair from March 6 to 13. With the underlying theme of 'Friendship across the Seas', MILAN 2018 will witness a diverse mix of professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures.

The interactions during MILAN encompass sharing of views and ideas on maritime good - order and enhancing regional cooperation for combating unlawful activities at sea.

The two SLN ships are expected to return home on completion of tour events on March 14.Wang Yang presides over the first meeting of the presidium of the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yang presided over a presidium meeting of the upcoming annual session of China's top political advisory body Friday.

A preparatory meeting for the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), held earlier Friday, approved the presidium of the annual session, which is set to open on Saturday afternoon.

The preparatory meeting, which was presided over by top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng, also adopted the session's agenda and a namelist of the session's proposals examination committee.

During the presidium's first meeting Friday, executive chairpersons of the presidium, including Zhang Qingli, Liu Qibao, Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai, Tung Chee-hwa, Wan Gang, Ho Hau Wah, Lu Zhangong, Wang Zhengwei, Ma Biao, Chen Xiaoguang, Leung Chun-ying, were also present.

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[ Editor: zyq ]Only enterprises of strategic importance should remain state-owned, according to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

"Only strategically important enterprises should be preserved in state property," Poroshenko said at a meeting of the National Reform Council in Kyiv on Friday.

The president stressed that there are still thousands of state-owned enterprises, and the state has no resources to set all of them in order.

According to him, small-scale privatization objects will be sold through an open online auction, which will expand the group of potential buyers and increase the transparency of processes.

"The objects of large-scale privatization will be implemented only with the involvement of advisers. During the receipt of applications, it is planned to carry out a thorough examination of the documents, including the origin of the funds. We will not allow any schemes of fraud, money laundering through Ukrainian privatization. It will make it impossible to accept people associated with the country-aggressor to the auction. I emphasize that Russian money will not take part in privatization in Ukraine," Poroshenko said.

Also, according to the president, the law allows non-resident buyers to pay for acquired privatization objects not only in Ukrainian hryvnia, but also in freely convertible currency. In addition, the new owner gets immunity for some time from the attempts of old debtors to obtain assets of the company through the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings.

"We must protect the investor. And for the additional guarantee, foreign investors are given the opportunity to appeal to the laws of England and Wales until 2021 - until the completion of judicial reform and the creation of new courts at all levels," Poroshenko added.

"The law envisages fair, transparent, and competitive privatization. We didn't have it except for literally several cases, for example privatization of Kryvorizhstal," he stressed.

The president also emphasized that the law on privatization was an important element of anticorruption policy. "Previously, what was the way to conduct privatization? So-called special conditions, qualification requirements. It seemed like Ukraine has built a wall, defending itself from investments. Why was this done? For bribery. And today, it is the exact opposite," the president said, adding that he state is an inefficient owner and it usually receives only losses, and profits traditionally flowed into private hands through corruption schemes.

The president stressed that significant progress had been achieved recently in combating corruption at state enterprises. "There are new conditions for the competition, there are independent supervisory boards. But this is a transitional stage. I want to emphasize that the state must get rid of its nonspecific functions. We must eliminate this source of corruption," he said.

The president expects the government to take all necessary measures aimed at completing the processes of privatization of large objects designated by the State Property Fund in 2018. "The Cabinet of Ministers should find effective owners that will ensure economic growth, competitive production, investment attraction, export growth and currency revenues to Ukraine's balance of payments," the president said.

As reported, Poroshenko during the meeting of the National Council of Reforms signed the law "On privatization of state and municipal property."Naftogaz Ukrainy will send to Russia's Gazprom an offer to begin negotiations on revision of the tariff on the transit of natural gas in the near future, Yuriy Vitrenko, chief commercial officer of Naftogaz, said on ZIK television.

In his arguments in the Stockholm arbitration regarding the need to revise the tariffs, Naftogaz used the new rules of pricing of gas transportation services in the country adopted by the national regulator (the National Commission for Energy, Housing and Utilities Service Regulation). Naftogaz also referred to the negotiations earlier offered to Gazprom on the need to revise the transit tariff from 2010 in accordance with the European rules.

The arbitration declined the Naftogaz claims on the first argument as the introduction and use in Ukraine of new energy legislation adopted in the country lie outside its terms of reference and it should be done by the Ukrainian regulator.

In the second argument, the arbitration found the letter on negotiations on revising the transit tariff sent to Gazprom to fall short of the formal requirements.

"The tribunal also declined those claims, saying: look, the letter that you sent in 2010, which, as you say, was a demand for a revision of the tariff, does not meet any formal requirements, and therefore we cannot revise such tariff. But you know what Naftogaz is now working on? On a new letter, which will meet all formalities," he said.

"We will now make sure that the letter on tariff revision will meet all requirements and it will be sent to Gazprom in the near future," Vitrenko said.

In accordance with the procedure, that should be followed by negotiations, he said. If the parties cannot reach agreements, Naftogaz can file a lawsuit with the Stockholm arbitration.Poland's Mirbud experts to sign EUR 50 mln in contracts within two years to build roads in Ukraine

Poland's construction firm, which entered the Ukrainian market in January 2018, plans to sign contracts worth about EUR 50 million within the next two years to build roads in Ukraine.

"At the initial stage, Mirbud will concentrate on engineering and road construction in Ukraine... In addition, specialized technical staff allows us to consider the possibility of expanding activities in Ukraine to other segments of construction, for example, investment in the construction of municipally owned buildings," Director of Mirbud S.A. for development in eastern markets Marek Gola told Interfax-Ukraine.

Road builders in Ukraine will have enough work "for at least the next decade," he said, as about 90% of roads in Ukraine need to be repaired.

Gola also says that the plans of the State Road Agency of Ukraine, or Ukravtodor, to tighten the procedure for selecting general contractors, including the requirement to build under FIDIC conditions, can play into the hands of the Polish company with 30 years' experience in the construction of highways.

"The selection procedure mentioned by Ukravtodor will become a huge problem for many Ukrainian road building firms. However, Poland's main customer, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways, has already sets such requirements for its contractors for many years," Gola said.

His company will participate in tenders in the coming months, he added.

In the near future, Mirbud is interested in implementing projects in western and central Ukraine. Now the company is checking compliance with Ukrainian requirements, reviewing tender procedures and Ukrainian legislation on public procurements.

"The projects we'll win will be implemented by ourselves with the participation of local subcontractors. Everything will depend on the location of a project," the Polish company explained.

Mirbud LLC was established on January 24, 2018. Its core business is construction of buildings.

The company's head office is located in Kyiv's IQ Business Center at 13-15 Bolsunovska Street. Its only participant is JSC Mirbud (Skierniewice, Poland). Its head is Marek Gola.

Its charter capital is UAH 370,000.Cypriot court to consider appeal against asset freezing order against SCM on March 30

An appeal against a provisional order dated December 27, 2017, by a Cypriot court in Nicosia on a freezing of the SCM Group's assets in a $820-million claim in a dispute with Cyprus-based Raga Establishment Limited will be considered on March 30, SCM's press service has told Interfax-Ukraine.

The court was supposed to hear the case on February 28, but the judge who ruled on the provisional freezing withdrew.

In December, a Cypriot court issued a provisional worldwide asset freezing order against Rinat Akhmetov and various SCM companies - part of a legal dispute with Cyprus-based firm Raga, which says SCM has not paid it in full for the 2013 sale of telecoms group Ukrtelecom.This item is available in full to subscribers.

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Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) is studying the lawfulness of actions by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) as part of a criminal investigation in the refinancing of PrivatBank and plans to use materials of an audit of the bank by Kroll.

"On February 28, I signed a letter to the director of NABU [the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine] about the status of the investigation in this case. All the materials are being investigated, including those to check how it happened that PrivatBank had needed a significant amount of refinancing and where the amount has disappeared. There is also a probe into whether officials of the National Bank acted in keeping with law," SAPO chief Nazar Kholodnytsky told Interfax-Ukraine in an interview.

That is, according to him, this criminal proceeding is being investigated in two directions.

According to Kholodnytsky, SAPO plans to use the conclusions drawn by Kroll as part of the audit of PrivatBank.

"As part of the investigation, we sent international legal assignments to Cyprus and a number of European countries. An audit needs to be conducted. We are now trying to get Kroll's conclusions. We also want to include them into our evidence base," he said.

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) earlier claimed that prior to its nationalization in December 2016, PrivatBank was involved in large-scale and coordinated frauds, which caused at least $5.5 billion in damage. The NBU hired Kroll to audit PrivatBank.

After the nationalization, the bank became 100% owned by the state and UAH 116.8 billion (over $4.4 billion at the current rate) in additional capital was injected into it through the issue of government bonds and an exchange of them for the bank's shares.

Late in June 2017, the Cabinet decided to inject another UAH 38.5 billion (almost $1.5 billion) into the bank on the basis of NBU proposals and conclusions by EY, which audited PrivatBank. The first tranche worth UAH 22.5 billion was allocated in July 2017 and another UAH 16 billion in December 2017.Mumbai: Shah Rukh Khan is the most loved superstar all across. This fact just cannot be denied even if his haters want it to not be true.

The actor is achieving more with each passing day. He recently played a major role in Indian-Canadian collaboration with Justin Trudeau.

Now the superstar has got another credit added to his list. He beat names like Angelina Jolie and Tom Cruise to become the most searched celeb on Wikipedia from 2007 to 2017.

The actor however could not beat Kim Kardashian in this aspect, because, well, shes Kim and her popularity in India alone is proof of why she topped the most searched bar.

Shah Rukh Khans fan club SRK Universe shared the information, along with the tweet, Shah Rukh Khan's Wikipedia page becomes the 2nd most viewed wiki page for actors worldwide from Dec 2007 - Dec 2017. Global icon for a reason! Here it is:

Shah Rukh Khan's Wikipedia page becomes the 2nd most viewed wiki page for actors worldwide from Dec 2007 - Dec 2017.

Global icon for a reason! pic.twitter.com/bj9Eqqg1Nq  SRK Universe (@SRKUniverse) March 2, 2018

In India, Shah Rukh Khan will be seen in Aanand L. Rais Christmas release Zero, in which the actor plays a dwarf.Cyprus Barlenco Ltd, affiliated with the largest Ukrainian mining and metals group Metinvest, has announced plans to use the squeeze-out right to buy shares from minority shareholders in the group of the following private joint-stock companies (PrJSCs): Inhulets Ore Mining and Processing Plant, Pivnichny (Northern) Ore Mining and Processing Plant, Central Ore Mining and Processing Plant (all three are located in Kryvy Rih in Dnipropetrovsk region), Azovstal Iron & Steel Works and Mariupol's Illich steel mill (both in Mariupol, Donetsk region).

"In accordance with the procedure provided for by the Final and Transitional Provisions of Law No. 1983-VIII of March 23, 2017 (on raising the level of corporate governance in JSCs), the company must approve the price of the mandatory sale of shares no later than 25 working days from the date of receipt of this notification...," the mentioned PrJSCs said on their websites on Saturday, March 3

On March 2, the PrJSCs received Barlenco's letters with the notification, which was sent on March 1.

It says that Metinvest owns 4,067,118,163 shares, or 94.74401% of Azovstal, 12,287,452,297 shares, or 99.322555% of Illich steel mill, 1,183,585,257 shares, or 99.75098% of Central ore plant, 2,753,197,52 shares, or 99.767067% of Inhulets plant, and 2,235,791,021 shares, or 96.41901% of Pivnichny plant.

Documents featuring the structure of ownership of Barlenco Ltd and affiliated entities, which were sent with the letter, were not posted in the information disclosure system and on the websites of the PrJSCs.

Currently, shares of Azovstal on the Ukrainian Exchange are quoted at the following rate: UAH 1.005 UAH (purchase) and UAH 1.19 (sale). The rate of the latest deal is UAH 1.12.After she has been the pick of all the filmmakers in Telugu, Mehreen Kaur now seems to be the hot property for Tamil filmmakers too. Apparently, the actress has been handpicked by director Anand Shankar for his forthcoming bilingual film (Telugu and Tamil).

Apparently, Mehreens natural performance in her earlier films, coupled with her fame has been instrumental in her coming on board. Although Mehreens earlier film Nenjil Thunivirundhal (c/o Surya in Telugu) did not do well, the actress has been lauded for her portrayal.

Moreover, since her fame in Telugu has been on the rise, the films director Anand Shankar believes that her onscreen presence with Vijay will do wonders for the film.

A source says, Anand was keen to have an actress who has not paired with Vijay thus far, just to make the lead pair look fresh. He roped in Mehreen after seeing her earlier performances.

While theres not much known about the genre of the film, we have learnt that it would be action drama. The film is expected to go on floors soon.Shiju Basheer doesn't plan it but somehow his photographs will arrange themselves into a theme. He takes his camera out for work but then comes across an image looking beautiful in its natural setting. Like the old-people series he had taken a little while ago and exhibited at Fort Kochi. Now, he recalls another series he had taken in his days travelling in Ethiopia  of women breastfeeding their babies, of mothers and children. At a time a magazine cover of a model posing by breastfeeding another's baby is discussed for its rights and wrongs, Shiju remembers these women who were the most innocent he had ever seen.

"They don't even know what country they live in," says Shiju who hails from Kayamkulam. It was at the Omo Valley, at the Kenyan border where Shiju had gone to for an ad shooting. "I met the people there, stayed at their houses, spent a couple of months, as one of them. The women knew me well and were comfortable with the photos I was taking," he says. "They don't think much. They don't know the shame of nakedness that people in the outside world are so conscious about. When they see their babies are hungry, they feed them, wherever they are -the most natural thing to do. We don't know about such lives, such people living in one part of the world. It is these lives that I wanted to bring attention to through these photographs," Shiju adds.

A documentary photographer specialising in social and humanitarian issues, Shiju too had a take on the magazine controversy. 'Modelling alla mulayootal  Breastfeeding is not modelling' he wrote on his Facebook. He now works as a freelance photojournalist based in Dubai. Shiju is a self-trained photographer, starting his career on an online news portal. He has travelled through several parts of India and other countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Nepal. He has also spent time in Europe and Africa.Some military veterans experience PTSD symptoms for 40 or 50 years, and therapeutic horseback riding is a viable complimentary therapy. (Photo: Pixabay)

Therapeutic horseback riding may ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans, a new study finds.

After three weekly riding sessions, 32 participating veterans lowered their scores for symptoms of the disorder, known as PTSD, researchers report in Military Medical Research.

Moreover, after six weeks, participants experienced a clinically significant reduction in their symptom scores. In other words, they were capable of doing things - such as going to a supermarket - that they might have been unable to do when they started the program.

It was delightful to find out our intervention helped the way we hoped it would, said lead author Rebecca A. Johnson, a professor of nursing and veterinary medicine at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

As many as one in five recent combat veterans develops PTSD, an overactive fear memory that triggers disturbing thoughts, feelings and dreams, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Some veterans suffering from PTSD are so fearful that they rarely leave their homes, Johnson said in a phone interview.

Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder have high anxiety, and to have (them) focus on learning a skill is diverting. Theyre very focused, she said. Riders are mastering horsemanship skills. Its not a pony ride.

During the therapeutic horseback riding sessions in Missouri, veterans learned and practiced grooming, interacting with the animals and riding them with a leader and two side walkers. Most of the participants were men, and they ranged in age from 29 to 73.

Many were veterans of the Vietnam War who had been experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms for decades, Johnson said.

Johnson estimated a similar program would cost $300 to $400 per person in Missouri, though it could cost substantially more in other parts of the country, and in some cases, riding centers might provide scholarships or reduced rates for veterans, she said.

Some of these military veterans had been experiencing PTSD symptoms for 40 or 50 years, she said. It may be important for healthcare systems to support therapeutic horseback riding as a viable complimentary therapy.

Dr. Gary Wynn, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, said hewould be reticent for a broad recommendation, especially if it involves mobilizing resources from healthcare organizations.

Wynn, who was not involved with the study, said he would want to see evidence that the improvements last long after the treatment is done.

A prior recent study of yoga in people suffering from PTSD showed that one of the key determinants of long-term benefits was continued yoga practice, he said.

The benefit of some complementary and alternative-medicine treatments has been likened to the vacation effect, he said by email. One receives the majority of the benefit while on vacation, and that quickly dissipates after the vacation is over.

Previous studies have shown that alternative treatments  from yoga to fly-fishing, to acupuncture and meditation  have been shown to be of some benefit to veterans with PTSD while they are getting treatment, Wynn said.

Though he knows little about the cost of therapeutic horseback riding, Wynn said the cost could be significant and difficult to scale.

I could see this as a part of a specialty program, a referral program for those that have failed other treatment modalities, like the 30-day or 60-day programs out in some idyllic nature setting where there were a series of therapeutic modalities combined to address treatment-resistant PTSD, he said. Therapeutic riding for everyone probably isnt an option.One manufacturer has gone on to claim that meat grown in a laboratory could be on restaurant menus by the end of the year. (Photo: Pixabay)

According to experts, cultured tissue, harvested without harming and killing any animals could allow scientists to grow meals in labs with just a handful of starter cells.

In fact, one manufacturer has gone on to claim that meat grown in a laboratory could be on restaurant menus by the end of the year.

In vitro animal products, sometimes referred to as clean meat, are made from stem cells harvested via biopsy from living livestock, which are then grown in a lab over a number of weeks.

Some environmentalists believe the process could be the key to reducing global warming, with one study predicting it could lower harmful greenhouse emissions by 96 per cent.

According to Josh Tetrick, CEO of clean meat manufacturer JUST, the first products could be available for human consumption within months.

Speaking to CNN, he said that chicken nuggets, sausage and foie gras created using the technique could be served in restaurants in the US and Asia "before the end of 2018.

However, a reluctance to diverge from traditional farmed meat still represent considerable hurdles for the clean meat industry.

The worry is shared by Mosa Meat, whose lab based at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, was responsible for creating the worlds first cultured hamburger.

Professor Mark Post, the companys chief scientific officer said the regulatory approval process could delay samples being distributed to suppliers by years.

He gave a time frame of three years before the company could sell its first product to the mass market.

But one recent study revealed one third of Americans would be willing to eat clean meat regularly or as a replacement for farmed meat.

However, to reach that point, companies will have to bring down the cost of mass production.

Animal rights charity PETA has been investing in in vitro meat research for the past six years and had in 2014, offered a $1 million (725,000) reward to the first scientist to produce and bring to market in vitro chicken meat.CHENNAI: Everyday morning coffee is like a ritual for some and habit for many, but it can lead to insomnia over a long term and cause fatigue, nausea and headaches. Caffeine drinkers may find it harder to fall asleep than people who don't drink caffeine. Once they drift off, their sleep is shorter and lighter, says a report published in the Harvard health newsletter.

Caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine, a neurotransmitter thought to promote sleep and even a single cup of coffee can lead to a sleepless night. Adenosine works on the nerve activity to slow it down and makes an individual sleepy.

However, caffeine acts on adenosine and stops an individual from becoming tired, Dr N. Dinesh, consultant neurologist.

However, the effects are dependent on the sensitivity of the drinker. The effects of caffeine are such for some people that a single cup of coffee can lead to a sleepless night, while others can sleep even after coffee in the evening.

If an individual finds it difficult to sleep mostly after consuming more coffee during the day, the person tends to be more caffeine sensitive. Insomniacs should avoid coffee to prevent ruining the sleep due to prolonged effects.

Moreover, caffeine also increases the need to urinate frequently that can disturb sleep often. To have undisturbed sleep, caffeine sensitive people stop the intake of caffeine, especially after 2 pm, says senior neurologist Dr Satish Kumar.

Lack of sleep can not only lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disorders, high blood pressure, depression and obesity, he adds.

However, withdrawing caffeine intake can have short-term health issues such as a headache, irritability, fatigue and other disorders. Therefore, medicos suggest that reducing the intake over a time-period or replacing coffee with tea can be of help and will reduce its impact on sleep.THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The new head of forest force, P.K. Keshavan, has taken charge at a time when cruelty towards elephants is at an all time high. In February alone, six captive elephants have died, a death rate never seen before.

Thrissur witnessed three deaths in February; Kunnamkulam Sivan (17), Chelipparambil Vinayakan (45), and Vayalasseri Kesavan (50). There was one death each in Thiruvananthpauram, Kollam and Idukki districts.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Neyyattinkara Kannan, a 22-year-old elephant suffering for over three years in the backyard of a temple in the outskirts of the capital, finally succumbed to its injuries. In Kollam district, Puthankulam Chandrasekharan alia Koduman Deepu (52) died. In Munnar, a female Elephant named Chandrika (32), allegedly used for tourism purposes, died inside a tourism resort named "Persian Paradise".

The state's foremost elephant activist V.K. Venkitachalam said that all the killings were the result of the illegal activities of what he called the 'elephant mafia". "All these six elephants were kept by persons having no statutory ownership certificate and, who had failed to provide statutory shelter sheds for these elephants," Mr Venkitachalam said. According to him, the elephants died mainly due to mismanagement and lack of veterinary care. He said most of the problems suffered by captive elephants in the state were related to overwork and torture by unscrupulous mahouts. "No other state in the country has witnessed such intentional torture and killing of elephants in captivity," Mr Venkitachalam said.

Elephanticide seems to be the state's favourite pastime. During 2016, 26 captive elephants were killed. The very next year, 20 had died. Mahouts were also killed these years. In the two months this year, three mahouts were victims of elephant rage. Mr Venkitachalam further alleged that all elephant deaths in 2018 occurred in the premises of elephant contractors who supply them to temples and for tourism purposes after taking these beasts on rent from people who do not possess an ownership certificate.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Declaration of Wildlife Stock Rules, 2003, prohibit anyone from taking custody of an elephant without possessing an ownership certificate. Mr Venkitachalam said that there are 518 elephants in the state without an ownership certificate, most of them smuggled from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, U.P, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.Chennai: Police on Thursday arrested a 28-year-old impostor who posed as a policeman and collected bribe from several vendors across the city. M Ashok, a native of NGO colony in Coimbatore, is a class 10 drop out and had dreams of joining the police department. Since, his dreams couldnt fructify, he took the matters in his own hands.

Police sources said that he had managed to loiter around with a sub-inspector uniform for little over one month until he was caught on Thursday. Ashok had reached Chennai on January 15 this year and checked into a lodge on Mayor Chittibabu street in Triplicane.

He then got himself two sets of police sub-inspector uniform stitched from a shop in Periamet and was roaming around in a two-wheeler with police sticker on the vehicle. He introduced himself as SI Ashok Pandian to hawkers and shopkeepers in Zam bazaar area near Triplicane. The public too didnt find him fishy as he was built like a cop. Intelligence sources who eventually got wind of it alerted Zam Bazaar police who intercepted the impostor on Thursday.

He was detained and during investigations, it was found that he has been doing this for a month now. Police sources said that he managed to collect `65,000 as bribe from gullible vendors in the past one-month. Apart from Triplicane, he had also roamed around in other parts of the city too with the uniform, police said. Zam Bazaar police arrested him.Chennai: City police on Saturday arrested a security guard on charges of attempt to rape and theft at Adyar. At around 8 pm on Friday, the 23-year-old victim was alone at her house in Kasturbai Nagar when the security guard dressed in his uniform rang the bell and barged into the house with a knife and latched the door, before she could realise what was happening.

The accused identified as S. Nirbhav Kumar Yadav (27) then slit her throat and tried to sexually assault her, police said.

The girls mother who had gone to a nearby shop turned suspicious on her return after she received no response from the house despite several knocks. She then peeped through the window to find a man inside and alerted the neighbours who helped her break the door and rescue the unconscious girl, lying on the bedroom floor.

The neighbours pinned him down till the Kotturpuram police came and arrested him. The victim was then rushed to a private hospital where she is currently undergoing treatment.

Police sources say the security guard who works in a private company in Taramani and in an apartment complex in Adyar, was in an inebriated condition during the attack. They also suspect him to have followed the girl for quite some time before attempting the burglary. The victims mother is a homemaker and her father works as a manager at a private bank. Further investigations are on.New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday thanked the people of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura where BJP has won in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BJP remains committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of people of Northeast. In his twitter, Modi said, "People of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have spoken! I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and Act East Policy of BJP and our valued allies. We remain committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of the people."

The Prime Minister said, "Time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA. People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind."

Read Also: NE poll results: BJP dethrones Manik 'Sarkar' in Tripura, gains in Nagaland

BJP has won the Tripura election with a thumping maority. BJP has bagged 43 seats out of 60 seats in Tripura while Left has managed to win mere 16 seats.

The Prime Minister said his party will not leave any stone unturned in transforming Tripura. Modi said, "2018 Tripura election will be remembered as an epoch-making one! What my sisters and brothers of Tripura have done is extraordinary. No words will be enough to thank them for the phenomenal support towards @BJP4Tripura. We will leave no stone unturned in transforming Tripura."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BJP's win in Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. He said, "This journey from Shunya (zero) to Shikhar (top) has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta (workers) for working assiduously on the ground for years."

The Prime Minister further said that the historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one. Modi said, "It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence has prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves."

The Prime Minister also expressed his gratitude to the people of Meghalaya for supporting the BJP. He said, "The welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for us. I appreciate the BJP Karyakartas (workers) for their continued efforts in the state to serve the people."

Narendra Modi also thanked the voters of Nagaland for their supporting BJP and its "valued ally" Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). Modi said, "I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit."Agartala: In the first direct face-off between the Left Front and the BJP in Indias electoral politics, the Left has lost.

The BJP and ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) ended the Lefts 25-year rule in Tripura with a massive victory, 43 of the 59 seats counted on Saturday. The combine was up all 43 seats this time as it had not even opened its tally in 2013. BJP alone got 34.

Manik Sarkar, the countrys poorest chief minister, managed to get 16 seats in the state, down 33 from 2013s 49. Sarkar has ruled the state for 20 of the 25 years his party has been in power.

The Congress drew a blank, down all 10 from 2013.

Polling was cancelled in one constituency in the 60-seat Assembly after the death of a CPI(M) candidate a week before the February 18 election.

Here are a few facts that show the magnitude of the BJPs victory in Tripura.

In 2013, the party had got less than two per cent of the vote share. Fifty nine of its 60 candidates had lost their deposits and the party hardly had any organisation or leadership in the state. The Lefts main rival was the Congress.

So, what brought about this tremendous BJP victory? That would be Prime Minister Narendra Modis burgeoning image and popularity since 2014, the partys syncretic and inclusive political strategy with tribals, appropriating leaders from other parties and, not to mention, a no-holds-barred campaign.

Of Tripuras 60 Assembly seats, 20 belong to the tribals. The Left had won 19 in 2013. In its inclusive strategy this time, the BJP created its own tribal cadre base by appointing two tribal vice-presidents, four tribals in the 12-member core committee, and also several others in tertiary organisations.

It also focussed on the local royal hero, the last king of the Manikya dynasty (1280  1947) Bir Bikram Kishore Deb Burman and observed his 110th birth anniversary on a grand scale. PM Modi had also tweeted how his rich contribution towards the development of Tripura can never be forgotten. There was also talk of giving him a Bharat Ratna and naming a road in Delhi after him.

On the other hand, the Left Front has always portrayed royals as crafty and exploitative. That didn't go down well this time at the face of renewed focus, by none other than the Centre, on the Manikyas' place in the state's history.

Then the BJP allied with the key tribal outfit (IPFT) headed by Narendra Deb Burman. Two Narendras emerged as a combination that could deliver tribal angst into substantive nurturing.

Also Read: NE poll results: BJP set to take Tripura; Cong-BJP tug-of-war in Meghalaya

The BJP also chipped away at Manik Sarkars major strength -- the Bengali community. Targetting the many Bengalis in government employment, the BJP promised to implement the Seventh Pay Commission that would substantially hike their pay. Tripura government employees are still on the Fourth Pay Commission.

While the party itself lacked a strong leading face  former gym instructor Biplab Dev being the only familiar face  it imported leaders from other parties. Several Congress-turned-Trinamool leaders joined the party, and grassroots-level organisation got a boost.

Also, the party sent 42,000 workers, one each for 60 voters, to swing electorate sentiment.

Next came the blitzy campaign with the Prime Minister, party chief Amit Shah and senior leaders Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani etc holding rallies across the state. Modi had repeatedly campaigned for HIRA (which means diamond as opposed to manik which means gem) -- H for highway, I for Internet way, R for roadways and A for airways instead of Manik (the Left CMs first name).

The sorriest figure in Tripura today though one with the most distinguished career is Manik Sarkar. He became an MLA for the first time in 1980 at 31. He was appointed chief whip of the CPI(M) around the same time. He won again in 1983 and in 1993, when the Left Front came to power, Sarkar was appointed state secretary of the CPI(M). He became chief minister in 1998 at age 49. He was in power ever since.

What didn't work in his favour? Charges of corruption, lack of development and an aspirational yet disgruntled youth.

Tripura is awash with saffron today. BJP leader Ram Madhav said the result was a historic verdict. He said: People have voted for poriborton (change), they have accepted our slogan of 'Chalo Paltai (let's change)."The Ukrainian police has cleared up the tent city in Kyiv near the Verkhovna Rada from protesters, detaining fifty people.

"Fifty people have been taken to police stations," Andriy Kryschenko, the head of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv, said on 112. Ukraine TV channel.

Six protesters sought medical assistance and four police officers were hurt, he said.

According to Kryschenko, the investigative actions in the tent city are being conducted in connection with the investigation into the February 27 events, when 15 police officers were hurt.

The police are currently on the territory of the tent city, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

"An inspection [of the tent city] is now taking place. Several objects that visually look like grenades, 'cocktails,' bottles, [...] sticks - everything to inflict bodily injuries with - have been seized," he said.

A criminal case was opened based on Article 345 of the Criminal Code following the February 27 events, he said.

"Law enforcement officers are conducting searches based on a court ruling, searches have already been conducted. But the utilities workers will be working, too," Kryschenko said.

Yehor Sobolev, a member of the Samopomich faction and a coordinator of the event, has confirmed to Interfax-Ukraine that there are no protesters left in the tent city near the Verkhovna Rada and that the National Guard troops are folding the tents following operative and investigative actions.

"The storming began around 7:00 a.m. The entire territory is now encircled by the National Guard, and National Guard troops are being made to disassemble the tents after the investigative and operative works finish their work there, which are looking for something or are planting something," Sobolev told Interfax-Ukraine.

No one is allowed on the adjacent streets and several quarters are blocked.

The parliamentarian said 40-50 protesters have been detained. "Several people are hospitalized, two with head injuries, as the doctors who took them said," Sobolev said.

Protesters who demanded the adoption of a law on anti-corruption court and police officers clashed near the Verkhovna Rada in the morning of February 27. The protesters threw smoke-puff charges and other objects in the direction of the police and tried to set car tires on fire.

The Kyiv police said on its website that two police officers had been hurt and nine people had been detained. The Ukrainian interior minister's adviser Zorian Shkiriak, for his part, said ten police officers had been hurt, and Yaroslav Trakalo, a spokesman for the Ukrainian National Police, said 11 police officers had been hurt.

Representatives of various political forces and public organizations came to the Verkhovna Rada building in Kyiv on October 17, 2017 to demand the abolition of parliamentary immunity, the creation of an anti-corruption court and the introduction of a proportionate electoral system using open lists. The protesters said the rally was a timeless one and put tents.

On November 19, most public organizations said they intended to continue the protest using "different methods" and left the tent city. At the same time, Mikheil Saakashvili's New Forces Movement party decided to continue the protest near the Verkhovna Rada, and supporters of Samopomich deputies Yehor Sobolev and Semen Semenchenko also decided to stay in the tents.NPP president Conrad Sangma said that his party would be able to form the next government with the help of other like-minded parties. (Photo: ANI)

Guwahati: The Congress, which ruled the frontier state of Meghalaya for the last 10 years failed to cross over the magic figure of 31 to form the government but managed to become the single largest party by winning 21 seats followed by its arch rival National People's Party (NPP) getting 19 seats.

However, the NPP exuded confidence that they would form the next government while asserting that the mandate of the people is for a change.

As the results for the elections indicated a hung house for the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly, NPP president Conrad Sangma said that his party would be able to form the next government with the help of other like-minded parties.

"We are hopeful that we will be able to form the government. People are fed up with the corrupt Congress government and looking for a change," said Sangma, who was on his way to Shillong where all the elected representatives of all the political parties are arriving to start the process of forming a new government.

Sangma, son of veteran leader late PA Sangma, said results were still coming but the NPP will be in a position to form the government with the help of other parties.

According to available results for Meghalaya the Congress has emerged the single largest party with 21 seats followed by NPP winning 19 seats. The BJP candidates were elected on two seats.

The trump card is with regional political parties  United Democratic Party (UDP) winning on six seats, People's Democratic Front (PDF) getting four seats, Hill State Peoples Democratic Party (HSPDP) two seats and, Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement and NCP getting one each. Three independent candidates are also the most sought after.

Facing a Manipur like situation, the BJP has asked Assam minister Himanta

Biswa Sarma to rush to Meghalaya for holding talks with smaller parties and independents.

The AICC has also rushed senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government there.

The Congress has been in power in Meghalaya since 2003 while the incumbent Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has been in the helm of affairs since 2010.

If insiders are to be believed, Meghalaya may have its first woman chief minister with NPP contemplating to float the name of former union minister Agatha Sangma, daughter veteran late leader PA Sangma.

However, NPP president refused to make any comment, sources in the party said that Sangma intend to continue as parliamentarian by giving reign of power to his sister in the state.When the prayers stopped, Prime Minister Narendra Modi resumed his speech after chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', which was echoed by scores of BJP workers gathered at the party's headquarters. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was at BJP's new headquarters in Delhi, to address the gathering after the victory in elections in Northeast, on Saturday paused his speech for Azaan (prayers) from a mosque near the headquarters.

The sound of Azaan rang out in the middle of Modi's speech on the BJP's triumph in Tripura and the Prime Minister stayed silent for around two minutes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started his speech after BJP president Amit Shah addressed the cheering crowd and soon after Modi started his speech by chanting "Bhart Mata ki Jai", the prayers from the mosque the vicinity began.

When the prayers stopped, Modi resumed his speech after chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" in a thunderous tone, which was echoed by scores of BJP workers gathered at the party's headquarters.

Azaan is the Muslim call to worship and it is called out by clerics at mosques five times a day. Though it is usually held in the morning, the Maghrib Azaan is performed in the evening.

Saturday was not the first time when the Prime Minister had stopped his speech for Azaan.

During his campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections in November 2017, the Prime Minister paused his speech for Azaan.

Also in 2016, while addressing a rally in West Bengal, Narendra Modi had stopped his address and resumed after Azaan was over saying, "I do not want to interrupt anyone's prayers. So I decided to take a brief rest."

Later in his speech on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a moment's silence for BJP workers he said had been killed in Tripura, Kerala and other states. "Many workers of the BJP have sacrificed their lives. For their political ideologies, many innocent volunteers have been killed. Fear and misconceptions - these weapons have been used by Left parties with Maoist views," said the Prime Minister.Sridevi, 54, passed away on February 24 in her Dubai hotel room due to accidental drowning following loss of consciousness. (Photo: File)

Mumbai: Film trade analyst Komal Nahta has claimed that Bollywood diva Sridevi's filmmaker husband Boney Kapoor has opened up to him about his final meeting with his wife, a surprise that turned into a tragedy.

Sridevi, 54, passed away on February 24 in her Dubai hotel room due to accidental drowning following loss of consciousness.

Nahta in his blog said Boney Kapoor wanted to surprise Sridevi who had decided to spend a couple of days in Dubai to shop for daughter Janhvi after the wedding of nephew, actor Mohit Marwah, in Ras Al-Khaimah on February 20.

He said the 62-year-old producer had a meeting to attend in Lucknow on February 22, which he did. On the same day Sridevi, spent time with her friend, chatting and relaxing in her hotel room.

"On 24th morning, I spoke to her," Nahta quoted Boney as telling him. The producer said Sridevi had told him, "Papa (that's how Sridevi addressed Boney), I'm missing you."

Boney, however, didnt tell her that he would be joining her in Dubai in the evening. "Boney recounted that there had been only two occasions in the last 24 years when they had not travelled together abroad  when Sridevi had travelled alone on two brief foreign trips  one to New Jersey and the other to Vancouver  for two appearances...," Nahta wrote.

The filmmaker took a 3:30 pm flight to Dubai and reached the Dubai hotel around 6.20 pm (Dubai time).

Nahta said, "Boney opened the door of Sridevi's room with his duplicate key. 'But she told me, she had a hunch that I would come to Dubai to fetch her,' Boney recalled. The couple hugged, kissed and chatted for almost half an hour."

According to Nahta, Boney suggested, the two go for a romantic dinner and requested Sridevi to postpone the shopping to the following day. The actor, 54, then decided to go for a bath and get ready for the dinner.

"I went to the living room while Sridevi went to the master bathroom to bathe and get ready," Nahta quoted Boney as telling him. The trade analyst said Boney watched TV for around 15-20 minutes but started getting restless "because he was aware that being a Saturday, there would be a rush in the restaurants. It was around 8 pm then."

"He made shout out to Sridevi from the living room but when he did not get any response he knocked at the bathroom door and even called out to her. The unsuspecting husband, hearing the tap inside on, then called out 'Jaan, Jaan' still louder but got no reply, which was unusual. He panicked and opened the door which had not been bolted from inside, nervous but yet not at all prepared for what he was going to see. The tub was full of water and Sridevi was immersed completely, from head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he reached out to her but watching her motionless, he feared the worst," Nahta added.

"... The mystery will remain unsolved. But that was not of much relevance to her near and dear ones. What mattered the most was this: Sridevi, the vivacious, beautiful and talented heartthrob of millions, had become late Sridevi," he concluded.BJP chief Amit Shah said BJPs victories in the Left's citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

New Delhi: Celebrating BJP's win in the Northeast, BJP president Amit Shah took a swipe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who flew to Italy to be with his grandmother on the Holi weekend. "Italy mein chunao bhi toh hai (Italy is holding elections too)," he mocked at Rahul at the press conference.

As the gathering of reporters burst into laughter, the BJP chief chuckled, "I got a WhatsApp message that there are elections in Italy. I don't know..."

Rahul Gandhi, who took the baton of Congress party from his mother Sonia in December 2017, declared on Twitter on Thursday that he was off to Italy to visit his 93-year-old grandmother. The announcement meant that the party chief would not be in the country for the results of the elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland - the second big day of counting since his elevation.

Rahul became the Congress president just two days ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections in December last year.

"My Nani is 93. She's the kindest soul ever. This Holi weekend I'm going to surprise her! I can't wait to give her a hug....," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet before setting off for Italy.

BJP chief Amit Shah said that the Congress has been rejected in all the three Northeastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland. He said it is the BJP that is doing the celebrating today, after demolishing the Manik Sarkar-led CPM government in Tripura and pulling ahead in Nagaland with its new ally. It is also in with a chance in Meghalaya.

Amit Shah further said BJPs victories in the Left's citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast.

A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

"It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways....It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast," he told a press conference.

Amit Shah ruled out the possibility of the BJP, whose NDA partner National People's Party has won 19 seats, engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. The two NDA allies had, however, contested the elections separately. BJP has won two seats in the state where the Congress has won 19 seats so far and was ahead in two.

"Where is the question of 'tod-phod' (horse-trading). The Congress does not have a majority there," he said.Kolkata: Discounting BJP's massive success in the Assembly Elections in Tripura West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of winning the neighbouring state with the help of outsiders, money power and the central para-military forces.

Hitting out at BJP President Amit Shah for his next targets of winning three more states  West Bengal, Odhisa and Karnataka the Trinamool Congress supremo wondered if the BJP would be able to continue at the Centre after the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Mamata Banerjee, who recently said she would be happy if the CPI(M) would win the Assembly Elections in Tripura, revealed that she gave an offer to Congress President Rahul Gandhi of an alliance and seat-sharing which was rejected.

Blaming the Congress and the CPI(M) she observed that it was not the BJP's victory in Tripura. The CPI(M)'s arrogance and the Congress' failure were the results of the assembly polls, she noted adding that had the Congress not turned down her proposal for an alliance, the results may have been otherwise. Hinting at foul play she alleged that something unnatural has happened in the Tripura polls which has made its results a mystery.

I do not see any reason for the BJP to be emphatic over its victory in the Assembly polls in Tripura. The CPI(M) bagged 45 per cent of the total votes. It is no less. And the BJP got 50 per cent votes. What you are not saying is that in the North Eastern states power is grabbed with the help of source and force whoever stays in power at the Centre. I have only one objection which I spoke about in the Assembly recently, she said at state secretariat Nabanna on Saturday evening.

Mamata Banerjee alleged, They (BJP) spent huge amount of money. Many incidents took place over EVMs. They brought outsiders to Tripura apart from misusing the central forces there. But I need to know why the CPI(M) did not protest. The CPI(M) totally surrendered itself to the BJP. Had they not surrendered, the results would not have been bad. There was a difference of only five cent votes. While the Congress suffered failures, the CPI(M) surrendered.

The Trinamool chief claimed, If you ask about the Congress' failures, I would say that I bought a change in 1987 in Tripura. It is not that change did not take place ever there. It is wrong which is being circulated in the social network. After the change in 1987 in Tripura the atmosphere was set for another change in 1992 when Prime Minister Narsimha Rao imposed the President's Rule at the behest of the CPI(M). Had it not been so, the Congress would have come to power then again.

She added, So there are instances in the history. Incumbency creeped in as the Left Front has been in the politics for a long time. Had the Congress given a tough fight, the difference bagging of four-five votes would not have been a big matter. In that case the BJP would have got only ten seats. Today I disclose that I made a request to the Congress. I personally told Rahul Gandhi: Look we are new in Tripura and we are yet to do anything there. I urged him to take part in the fight jointly Congress and Trinamul alongwith the hill-based parties.

The West Bengal chief minister reasoned, But they did not do it. I even suggested them for a seat adjustment which covered 14 seats to be contested by us and 16 others to be contested by the hill-based parties while the Congress would contest in 30 seats. This would have led to the creation of a platform. Had the platform been created, the difference in vote percentage would not have happened. But the Congress did nothing. I do not know why the Congress supplied oxygen to the BJP.

She mentioned, I am saying all these now because I gave it a thought and I pursued it also. I do not know at whose advice they did not accept my proposal. As a result the Congress vote percentage now stands at around two per cent. It is shame for them because they were the opposition party there.Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has directed the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to file affidavits explaining the steps being taken to establish child friendly courts in all the districts.

The High Court has suo motto taken up two separate PIL for the states of AP and Telangana following the request of the Supreme Court to take effective steps in the implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (the JJ Act).

While directing the State Governments for implementation of both Acts, the Supreme Court in the case of Sampurna Behura versus Union of India requested the Chief Justice of High Courts in the country to seriously consider establishing child friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts in each district.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice K. Vijaya Lakshmi while dealing with the PILs directed the State Governments to file the affidavits explaining the steps being taken to fill up all vacancies in the Child Rights Commissions, Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) and Child Welfare Commissions (CWCs) and the setting up of Special Juvenile Police Units and Child Welfare Police Officers in terms of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The Apex Court in Sampurna Behura case felt that inquiries under the JJ Act and trials under other Acts such as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, trials for sexual offences under the Indian Penal Code and other similar laws require to be conducted with a high degree of sensitivity, care and empathy for the victim.

The Supreme Court pointed out It is often said that the experience in our courts of a juvenile accused of an offence or the victim of a sexual offence is traumatic. Advantage of such child friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts is that they can be used for trials in which adult women are victims of sexual offences since they too are often traumatised by the not so friendly setting and environment in our courts.

The High Court directed both the governments to file their affidavits by March 20.Chennai: The DMK on Saturday said all the MPs from Tamil Nadu should resign if Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to meet an all-party delegation from the state seeking his intervention for setting up the Cauvery Water Management Board as ordered by the Supreme Court.

The resignation idea was mooted by DMK working president M. K. Stalin, who is also the leader of Opposition, when he met Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami at the secretariat here. DMK senior Duraimurugan had accompanied Stalin to the meeting called by the CM in his chamber with all his cabinet colleagues attending. The CM had agreed for the meeting suggested by Stalin and other opposition leaders to discuss the Cauvery issue in view of the intransigent stand taken by Karnataka government on the issue of Cauvery release.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with the CM, Stalin said Palaniswami had told him that PM Modi declined to meet the TN delegation. This claim was later denied by senior minister D. Jayakumar, who told the media that neither the Prime Ministers office nor Modi have declined to meet the Tamil Nadu delegation.

The CM had told Stalin that the Centre had informed the State that the TN delegation could first meet the concerned Central Minister (Nitin Gadkari) and thereafter the PM if need be, Jayakumar clarified.

Stalin told the media that during his meeting with the CM, he had suggested that the Assembly be convened for passing a resolution bringing pressure upon the Centre to set up the Cauvery board as per the Supreme Court directive (to set it up in six weeks).

He had also mooted the idea that all the TN MPs should resign if the PM failed to meet the TN delegation or immediately intervene in the Cauvery issue. They (government) said that this issue could be discussed when the Assembly convenes, Stalin said.

An all-party meeting convened by the state government here on February 22 to discuss the Cauvery issue had decided that the Chief Minister would lead a delegation of leaders of all parties, farmers and MPs from the state to meet the PM in Delhi.

Stalin also said the CM told him they could wait till March 5 and if there was no communication from the PMO, he assured that the House will be convened on March 8. Prime Minister declining to meet the delegation is an insult to Tamil Nadu, he charged.

Jayakumar said a proposal for convening the Assembly and adopting a resolution to put pressure the Centre on the Cauvery issue was discussed at the meeting. The Chief Minister said the matter will be considered and steps will be taken for convening the Assembly, he added. On the proposed meeting with the PM, he said the government was taking continuous action on the issue and expected a communique from PMO on March 5. We are confident about it, if there is no information (from PMO), the Assembly will be convened and follow up action taken, he said.

Stalin was invited for the consultation with the CM to discuss the Cauvery issue even Karnataka has called for an all-party meeting on March 7. The Supreme Court had on February 16 raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced TNs share while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin. It was passing orders on appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunals final order of 2007 apportioning quantum of water from the river among its riparian states.Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday made sensational comments on national politics.

The CM disclosed that he had already initiated talks with like-minded parties and hoped that the new Front may take shape before 2019 polls and contest the elections, if all goes as planned. Congress and the BJP are both sides of the same coin. Together, they ruled the country for almost 65 years out of 70 years of Indian democracy. They failed miserably as not even basic facility like drinking water could be provided for all households. Both failed to address irrigation, agriculture and farmers issues due to which there is crisis in the farm sector, Mr Rao said.

When asked whether TD chief and AP CM N. Chandrababu Naidu will also be part of the new Front, Mr Rao replied, Why not? All tho-se who are opposing the BJP and the Congress and willing to work with us are welcome.

Asked about the status of new Front, the CM said, We have already belled the cat. It is going on. During my recent Delhi trip, I discussed the issue with CPM leader Sitaram Yechury. I cannot disclose more than this. Everything will come out at an appropriate time.

When queried whether time will be sufficient time for a Third Fr-ont to form and contest 2019 elections, which is just a year away, Mr Rao said, Janata Party was formed just months ahead of the 1977 polls. It swept the polls and for-med the government. NTR formed TD just months before 1983 polls and emerged victorious. This shows everything is possible in Indian politics.

Reiterating that he has nothing personal against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Rao said the slow progress of the country is what upsets me.

He was expected to bring sweeping changes after voting to power. But it did not happen, the CM said.

Even if Congress wins 2019 elections, can we hope for any change? Except for changing the names of existing schemes, nothing more will change. The people in this country are fed up with this kind of monotonous rule. They want qualitative change, which our new Front will offer, Mr Rao said.Nellore: As decided by the party chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, YSR Congress leaders have been gearing up to launch protests in New Delhi on March 5 and move a no-confidence motion in Parliament on March 21.

As the last resort, the MPs of the party are all set to put down their pa-pers on April 6, if Special Category Status is not accorded to Andhra Pradesh by April 5, 2018.

The party will also stay away from the ensuing AP Assembly Sessions until action is taken against the turncoats.

Addressing the party leaders after formally flagging off YSRC MPs bound for Delhi to participate in the partys protest for Special Cate-gory Status for AP at Sh-ivarampuram in Darsi segment of Prakasam district on Saturday, Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy called upon the leaders to intensify the protest and not to rest until SCS was granted to the state.

He reminded them that the proposal to move the no-confidence motion against the Modi government and the planned resignation of YSRC MPs was aimed to intensify the demand for SCS.

The YSRC chief also announced that Vemir-eddy Prabhakar Reddy will be the partys nominee for the Rajya Sabha and added that he will file the nomination pap-ers for Rajya Sabha on March 7.

Meanwhile, Nellore MP and YSRC Parliam-entary Party leader Me-kapati Rajamohan Red-dy has reiterated the de-cisions of Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy in Prakas-am district on Saturday.

Reaffirming that the YSRC would step up the agitation for Special Ca-tegory Status (SCS) by taking the fight to the national capital, Mr Rajamohan Reddy war-ned that any misadventure by the ruling TD in the ensuing Rajya Sabha election would misfire badly.

According to the senior YSRC leader, party leaders would hold a dharna along with distressed Andhraites from 7 am at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi demanding SCS to draw the national attention on March 5, the day Parliament resumes with the Budget Session.

This would be followed up by various programmes and YSRC MPs would raise the issue in Parliament and question the NDA coalition about the SCS and the protests would continue till the goal is achieved.

We are also prepared to move the no-trust vote on March 21 to show to the nation as to who stands where on the SCS issue and how the promises made during the division of the state were simply traded for personal gains by Mr Chandrababu Naidu, he added.

The YSRC would keep away from Assembly Sessions until action was taken by disqualifying the turncoats as it would be a mockery of democracy to see those elected on one partys ticket sitting in the other cluster and some of them getting Cabinet berths and preparing themselves to answer questions.

We will demand that the 22 legislators and 3 MPs who crossed over should resign to upkeep the value system of the democracy", he said.The Bharatiya Janata Party is displaying the proverbial fire in the belly, keen to fight every battle and win them too. The appetite for victory seems to have paid off, with the party posting a handsome victory in Tripura, dethroning the 20-year-old CPI(M) government headed by Manik Sarkar. In Nagaland, the BJP is heading towards a coalition government with the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Peoples Party (NDPP). In Meghalaya, the BJP has become a power to reckon with due to its impressive showing along with the local allies, though the Congress remains the single largest party. It is natural that the BJP leaders crow about their performance in the gains made in the three states, and those away from the ground in these places are likely to read the victories of the BJP as the triumph of Hindutva and saffronisation. But it would be a blunder to describe the BJPs success in these states as the spread of the saffron footprint in Indias Northeast. The truth is that it is not Hindutva  read Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the rest of the ideological family  but the BJP, the political outfit that happens to be in power at the Centre, which has made these inroads in the region.

The BJP has two faces. Hindutva is one and the other is that of a party in power at the Centre, which is nationalist but not Hindu nationalist. The party has refrained from using the Hindutva card openly in Tripura, but it may use it to entrench itself in the state. The RSS had been working there for years, and it is to be remembered that the Congress had flirted with the RSS while opposing the Communists. The BJP has no option to present a different face in Nagaland and Meghalaya, where the majority is Christian. The only way to win over the people in these two states is to play the pluralist India card, where these two Christian-majority states can remain safe and distinct. The inveterate critics and ideological opponents of the BJP will have to read the fine print, as it were, in the election results in Nagaland and Meghalaya. There is also not much of a contradiction in the BJPs position. It can propound the majoritarian and intolerant Hindutva in the Hindi heartland, and even in places like Assam and Tripura in the Northeast, but it will have to acknowledge the non-Hindu and strictly tribal composition of the population in the other two states. The general unstated doctrine of the party would be that as long as large parts of India remain Hindu politically and culturally, the presence of Christian-majority states in the Northeast do not pose any threat to the idea of Hindu India, which goes by the unconvincing label of cultural nationalism.

It would be foolish to expect the BJP to become a broadbased national party which accepts religious and cultural diversity like the Congress does, though it should be noted that the Congress pluralism is partly cynical and opportunist and partly ideological. So the cries of despair which are likely to rise from the metropolitan centres of the country saying that India is now totally saffron should be swiftly discounted. There is also the need to deconstruct the myth of the BJP as a juggernaut which has been riding triumphant across the country. All the victories in the state Assembly elections after 2014, with the party being run as a duopoly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, is really a case of anti-incumbency. In Maharashtra, it was a Congress that was in power for three terms that was defeated. In Assam, as well as in Haryana, the Congress was in power for a decade. People look for alternatives in a democracy. The BJP was able to offer a stable alternative, and people took it. It should not come as a surprise then that the 20-year-old CPI(M) government in Tripura had to go because the BJP offered an alternative. It can well be asked why the Congress could not grab the same opportunity. The Congress played the soft Hindutva card over the years in Tripura, and it could not succeed. The victory of the

BJP in Tripura is partly an ideological victory for Hindutva. The defeat of the CPI(M) in Tripura should not be interpreted as the death of the Left in the state. But the climb back is not going to be very easy. It was bad for the party, and it is so for any political organisation, that it was in power for such a long time. Power isolates political parties. It seems that honesty and absence of corruption will not satisfy the people. People want development, and that seemed to have been absent. There could be many reasons for this, and it is not the failing of the CPI(M) alone. The fact that parties in power at the Centre have always discriminated against state governments under other parties has been a major factor as well.

It can safely be said that the defeat of Manik Sarkars government is not a sign of failure as much as the people of Tripura saying with due respect that they want change. Can the Left stage a political comeback if it has lost two of its traditional bases  West Bengal and Tripura? As a matter of fact, this should force the Communists to expand their base rather than be complacent with their strongholds in these two states. The BJP, on the other hand, is reaching its limits of expansion. It cannot hope to maintain its winning streak for too long and it cannot hope to keep what it has won without being challenged. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh under the BJP and West Bengal under the Left Front till 2010 are aberrations. Change is the natural dynamic of democracy.The police seized nine RGD-5 grenades, 'Molotov cocktails,' and five smoke bombs during investigative actions in the tent city near the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian National Police said in a report posted on its website on Saturday.

"All physical evidence was taken and sent for a forensic evaluation," the report said.

The Ukrainian interior minister's adviser Zorian Shkiriak said on Facebook that 101 people had been detained or summoned for questionings.

More than 100 people, who resisted police, have now been taken to police stations.

A criminal case has been opened based on Article 345 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (threat or violence against an authority).Absolute monarchs wield legislative and executive power. Democracies do not and cannot. It is amazing that the framers of Indias Constitution blindly endowed the governments at the Centre and in states with the power to legislate, albeit in emergent circumstances for a limited period and subject to ratification by the legislature. The conditions were soon overlooked. Ordinance raj came to stay. The excuse was that a huge country needed this power in case of emergency. But Britains Parliament gave no such legislative power to the Canadian government when it enacted the British North America Act, 1867, nor did the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, 1900. Why was India singled out? The clue lies in Indias constitutional history. Under the Government of India Act, 1858, enacted after the 1857 uprising, legislative and executive power was vested in the governor-general assisted by an executive council. A grain of popular element was introduced by the Indian Councils Act, 1861. A legislative council presided over by the governor-general made laws. It was a unitary system. The Government of India Act, 1919, retained the unitary system but allowed the governor-general to make ordinances in cases of emergency for six months. They would have the same force as an act of the central legislature. The condition was in case of emergency.

This was different from the governor-generals power to certify a bill, which the legislature refuses to pass, as one essential in the interests of the country. It had to be approved by the British Crown. In the case of an emergency, the governor-general passes the ordinance immediately subject to Londons power to disallow it rather than wait till the central legislative Assembly expresses its refusal  a cumbrous situation. Governors-general used this power to promulgate ordinances even while the Assembly was in session. The Government of India Act, 1935, conferred responsible government in the provinces; but the federal part never came into force. It split the ordinance where the governor-general had to act on the advice of ministers  this part never came into force  and when he acts without the advice of ministers. Additionally, he had the power to enact a governor-generals act. Governors in the provinces also got the power to promulgate ordinances. The framers of the Constitution adopted the ordinance mindlessly with its colonial baggage. It was a tool forged in London to help override whatever limited powers the central Assembly chose to exercise, if it affected British interests. The ordinance mechanism was devised in 1919 because the central Assembly was set up.

The ordinance continues to this day. Article 123 of the Constitution empowering the President to promulgate ordinances, stipulates: If at any time, except when both Houses of Parliament are in session, the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action he may promulgate such ordinances as the circumstances appear to him to require. Recess of Parliament is one condition. The other is the honest belief on the governments part that circumstances had arisen after Parliament went into recess, which render it necessary for him to take immediate action. In 1969, Justice J.C. Shah noted in the Supreme Court that exercise of the power is strictly conditional and pointedly remarked: Determination by the President of the existence of circumstances and the necessity to take immediate action on which the satisfaction depends, is not declared final. In 1980, the court said, That power was to be used to meet extraordinary situations and not perverted to serve political ends.

The only abuse the Supreme Court nullified was re-promulgation. Ordinances are open to judicial review. The Supreme Court ruled that the test is whether the satisfaction is based on some relevant material. The court... will not determine the sufficiency or adequacy of the material. This is wrong. The court ought to have ruled that circumstances which could not possibly justify the conclusion that immediate action was necessary render the ordinance unconstitutional. It did not. Seventy years after Independence, India remains chained to the doctrine of subjective satisfaction which Britain, where it originated, discarded long ago. The ordinance is, both, a blot in and a blot on the Constitution. No court can erase it. But the Supreme Court can insist on proof of the existence of circumstances which render immediate action necessary; not merely desirable or convenient.

By arrangement with DawnThe results of the recent Assembly elections in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, as they began to be available on Saturday, dramatically underlined the speed with which the BJP has spread itself politically across the Northeast. Equally striking was the defeat of the CPI(M), which had been in power in Tripura for a quarter century riding principally on the spotlessly clean image of chief minister Manik Sarkar, and the fate of the Congress, which drew a blank in Nagaland and Tripura. In Meghalaya, it appeared likely that the Congress may not return to government if the regional parties can join hands with the BJP  whose own tally is low in this state  to push ahead of it.

Except in Tripura, where the saffron party tore its way into the erstwhile red bastion on its own strength, the BJP hasnt individually won too many seats in Nagaland and Meghalaya, but will be in government in Nagaland, thanks to local alliances, and may make it to power in Meghalaya too. After coming to power at the Centre, the BJP has pushed hard to form governments across the Northeast and succeeded in doing so even in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh through considerable skulduggery, including the misuse of the governors office. This highlighted a central feature of the politics in the Northeast  that other than Assam and Tripura, the rest tend to throw in their lot with the party in power at the Centre in the hope of getting resources that are often diverted from budgetary purposes by politicians.

Assam, of course, is not a state with a small Assembly, unlike the other six, and is not subject to the pulls and pressures that often bedevil such states. In Tripura, the ideological component had come to dominate over the years as the state, with an overwhelmingly Bengali-speaking population, tended to follow the broad West Bengal model. Thus, in Tripura, for the first time in the country, two cadre-based parties, the CPI(M) on the Left and the BJP-RSS on the Right, came into direct clash and the latter won overwhelmingly. The saffron party filled the space once occupied by the Congress, which had long stopped playing the role of an Opposition party, and was roundly rejected by voters. The CPI(M) also suffered due to a long period of incumbency.

Its noteworthy, however, that the Left voting percentage was practically the same as the BJPs, underlining the peculiarities of the first-past-the-post system electoral system that we have copied from the British model. Given Indias diversities and electoral complexities, the Northeast results tend not to colour the political mood elsewhere in the country. But the reverse is also the case. Even so, the Congress poor political management was shown up in these polls, specially in Tripura and Nagaland, and earlier in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.The BJP has won an ideological war in Tripura against the ruling CPI(M), while Nagaland it has swept in like a tide; and in Meghalaya it has transformed itself from a party of the mainland into a party with grassroots. The makeover is nowhere more significant, of course, than in Tripura. Incumbency  20 years of uninterrupted rule by Manik Sarkar  summarised the defeat of the olde worlde charm of the peoples struggle by a combination of aspirations and possibilities that the BJP marketed. Tripura was a lonely bastion, in a terrain that has significantly changed colour in the past 10 years, shifting away from the Congress to the BJP-Sangh Parivar. The Northeast is not entirely Congress-mukt (liberated from the Congress stranglehold) because Meghalaya has not succumbed, as yet, to the saffron appeal. But Nagaland is an extraordinary exemplar; its politics is pragmatic and illustrates just how flexibile, if somewhat puzzling, the BJPs strategy for winning can get. It hedged its bets by getting into an alliance with one and having a partnership with the other, that is, it ran with the challenger and the incumbent in Nagaland as a partner of the outgoing Nagaland Peoples Front and as ally of the incoming National Democratic Peoples Party.

The BJP has been working on its Northeast strategy for several years. To establish itself as a truly national party, it had to win where the Congress had been entrenched for so long or had been the party that had called the shots as it grappled with militancy, insurgency and terrorism. It needed to use its biggest advantage, that of starting things off with regional actors on a clean slate. The signing of the framework agreement with the warring factions in Nagaland in 2015 was one signal and this made it imperative that the BJP wins in the state in 2018. After Assam and Manipur, the saffron capture of the Northeast was a war that the BJP has fought with all that it had. The defence by the incumbent parties  CPI(M), Congress and regional parties  was poor, as either they did not get the BJPs game or they did not have the resources to wage the war. The BJP outmanoeuvred the rest and emerged as first challenger, and now victor.

The plan, it would appear, is to mainstream the Northeast and bring it into Bharat Matas embrace. In that, the BJP has succeeded. It has used every weapon in its arsenal to sell itself as an attractive proposition, banking on the fact that most of the leadership in the Northeast states were old, worn and needed to retire. It also leveraged its winner cachet, that had an appeal for the new generation of voters. It spent effort and resources on countering the impact of the Hindu nationalism  Beef Ban aspect of its politics, by specifying that the Northeast was different. It was a clever strategy designed to appeal to the pride of people with distinctions. In Tripura too, the BJP correctly identified the CPI(M) as an isolated sitting duck. The overwhelming majority of the states population has nothing in common with the rest of the Northeast and its tribal politics is very different as well. The CPI(M), after 20 years of uninterrupted power, had converted itself into what it thought was an invincible fortress, by successfully marginalising the Congress as the Opposition and becoming the only relevant party in the state. It had dealt firmly with tribal militancy and therefore thought it was unassailable.

Tripura was an open invitation to the BJP to offer an alternative as the CPI(M) had become a complacent and arrogant occupant.

Even though it was fully conscious that it should not underestimate the BJP, it did not know what it should do. To have imagined that the impeccable Manik Sarkar was all that was needed to steer the party to yet another win after four terms in office, despite the hard and unambiguous message from voters in West Bengal, where the CPI(M) had been similarly entrenched that abuses of power could exceed the limits of peoples patience, was sheer stupidity. The choice to make a change was a powerful driver; it sent the BJPs voteshare zooming to over 40 per cent from an insignificant 1.5 per cent in 2013. It was not the alleged tampering with voting machines or flooding the state with cash that turned the BJP into a winner; it figured out what the new generation of voters, a tragically large number of whom commit suicide in Tripura, the deeply disgruntled employees of the state government and the hapless daily wage-earners wanted to hear. Combined with its strategy to team up with the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura, the challenge to the CPI(M) was too great for Mr Sarkar to hold off.

The verdict is not only against Mr Sarkar and the local leadership of the CPI(M) in Tripura. It is also a verdict against the idea of the CPI(M). Even though a member of the partys politburo, the select few within the CPI(M) who steer the course of the partys political engagement, Mr Sarkar was not only out of his depth, but it was out of bounds for him as a disciplined soldier of a party to usurp the authority of the collective leadership, which is deeply divided and has lost focus and direction on what it should do and how it should do it. Perhaps the burden of the CPI(M)s expectations, of holding the BJP-Sangh Parivar ideological assault on the secular, democratic ideals of India at bay, was more than the voters of Tripura wanted to bear. Tripura, as the BJPs Sunil Deodhar, the man who camped in the state for two years and built up the organisation from scratch, was an ideological war. The CPI(M) failed to gauge that the election in Tripura was a confrontation between the Sangh Parivars plans for Hindu Rashtra, that is India, and the CPI(M)s idea of a secular, plural, democratic polity. It miscalculated its response. Its central leadership made guest appearances on the Tripura screen which hardly cut ice, against the blitz of propaganda by a team of leaders headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and six of his seniormost ministers, with Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath bringing up the rear.

The next battleground in the ideological war between the BJP and the CPI(M) is Kerala. Unlike West Bengal or Tripura, where the CPI(M) had no serious challengers till the BJP in 2018 and Mamata Banerjee in 2011, the Congress and the CPI(M) have alternatively held power in Kerala. The idea that the BJP now seems to be working with is that it is the party in waiting in Kerala, rather than the Congress. In order for the public sphere to operate within the rules of a game that the BJP can fully control, the decimation of the CPI(M) seems to be a political necessity. What this means in very ordinary terms is that while the BJP can send the Congress scurrying to temples as proof of faith, it cannot do so to the CPI(M). Until it can uproot the CPI(M), the BJP will not be comfortable, perhaps as an anti-BJP political alternative would welcome the CPI(M), as it would give credibility to its plans or simply because it is an ideological enemy.A 1992-batch IPS officer, Dawa Sherpa, has stirred a major controversy in Uttar Pradesh following his appointment as additional director-general of police (ADGP) of Gorakhpur, chief minister Yogi Adityanaths home base. The state government has been accused of appointing the cop because of his past affiliation with the ruling party. Sources say that Mr Sherpa had sought voluntary retirement (VRS) in 2008 and reportedly joined the BJP to contest from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. However, his plea for the VRS was turned down by the Union home ministry as he had not completed mandatory 20 years of service. Reportedly, Mr Sherpa was missing for four years and rejoined the UP police in 2012 as superintendent of police. He was promoted as DIG and again as IG in 2013 itself and was finally made ADG in January 2016.

It is certainly an odd case, of perhaps being the only officer in the IPS who was absent for four years, engaged in active politics and then returned to the fold. The UP home department, however, says that nothing amiss has been found in Mr Sherpas service records. But many serving and retired IPS officers claim that the government is being soft towards the officer who is liable for dismissal from service for being associated with a political party.

PMO intervenes in Jharkhand

Jharkhand chief secretary Rajbala Verma, who has had a controversial career, has now courted fresh trouble just ahead of her retirement. She has now been accused of shielding an officer who allegedly indulged in misconduct in coal block allocation. Sources say that the PMO had now written to the principal secretary of Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das, asking for a probe against Ms Verma and senior IPS officer A.P. Singh and take necessary action.

Ms Verma, a 1983-batch Bihar cadre IAS officer, came under a cloud in the allocation of 200 acres of land to a coal mining company. Earlier, she faced attack from Opposition parties for allegedly writing to a private bank to pressure it to fund her sons company. Besides, she was also accused of laxity in the probe concerning the fodder scam. Though Ms Verma managed to avoid responding to several notices from the CBI, with the PMO entering the picture, sources say, the chief minister may not have any options left.We have never seen as much interest in an election concerning Indias Northeast as we did this week. I usually wake up early, around 5, and was surprised to see that on Saturday before 7 am the news channels were all ready with their panellists, awaiting the results in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. This is a good sign for us as a nation. I remember a few years ago, the magazine India Today running an editorial which complained about how India was ignoring the Northeast. In that same issue, which was covering some eight or so state Assembly elections, the magazines cover featured only five larger states from North India, ignoring the Northeast ones also going to the polls. This attitude seems to be changing and that, as I said, is good for us. The results were fascinating, especially the one in Tripura. India is one of the last remaining major democracies to have active Communist parties and they add great colour and value to our politics even if they have become a much reduced force. However, Id like to focus on the Congress today.

After winning some byelections in Rajasthan in February, Congressman Sachin Pilot said: To win states, you have to win municipal elections, ward elections, etc. Those are elections that form the bedrock of an organisation. We have to win states. No party can think of conquering New Delhi nationally unless they have a good number of states under their belt. Why are states important to win for national parties? What is the significance of local power? That was what we should have a look at because the Congress has been squeezed out of power in more states today than it has ever been in history. Perhaps that will change later this year when some states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh go to the polls. Why is it vital for Congress president Rahul Gandhi that his party perform well in the months leading up to 2019?

The first advantage is the most obvious one. Being in power is what politics is about. The party can execute the specifics of its ideology and therefore set the agenda. For example, the BJP could make beef and cattle slaughter a national issue for months by banning it in Haryana and Maharashtra. The second advantage is that power at the level of corporation and state Assembly gives politicians the agency to serve their constituents. Most politicians begin and end their day with people pestering them for all sorts of things from electricity connections to admissions for their children. It is the party in power that can deliver this and not the Opposition. The third aspect is funding. This works in two ways. The reality is that leaders make and take money for their party, even when they may not be personally corrupt. There is an excellent anecdote about this by late journalist Dhiren Bhagat in his book Contemporary Conservative, about V.P. Singh. Official funding from corporates also will flow towards the party in power for obvious reasons.

The fourth and related aspect is that of spending by candidates. Individuals who are contesting for parties, which are usually in the Opposition, will not spend as much of their money on their campaign. This results in their not being as competitive. The fifth aspect is that the party in power can control messaging. For example, through government spending on advertising. The largest advertiser in India is the Union government. Last year it spent Rs 1,280 crores on advertising the Prime Minister and his schemes. To put the number in perspective, Hindustan Unilever, which sells everything from Axe deodorant to Lux soap to Taj Mahal tea, spent `900 crores. Indias telecom companies all put together spend less than the Union government. All state governments have publicity budgets that are used primarily for self-promotion. Arvind Kejriwals Delhi government spent Rs 526 crores on publicity in 2015.

The sixth aspect is that these large sums keep the media on the side of the ruling party. This is especially true for regional newspapers that have high dependence on government advertising. To give one example, Rajasthan Patrika, Indias seventh largest newspaper with a readership of over 1.5 crore, went to the Supreme Court because Vasundhara Rajes government stopped giving it advertisements (presumably because of unfavourable coverage). The seventh and last reason is the use of the machinery of the state. The Election Commission keeps watch over this to some extent, but that is only in the phase after elections are announced. For the rest of the five years, the party in power can use the police force, give positions to supporters and generally use and misuse the infrastructure of government. These are the things which, especially in our part of the world, nourish and sustain political parties. Without consistently and regularly gaining strength and sustenance through local power, it will be difficult for Mr Gandhi to automatically become a contender nationally in 2019.Arianespace has drawn up an action plan following the incident that includes a fix for the problem experienced during the Ariane 5 launch.

Planned satellite launches using Europes heavy lifter Ariane 5 rocket can go ahead this month thanks to steps being taken following a problem with a launch earlier this year, the European Space Agency said on Friday.

On January 26, an Ariane 5 rocket carrying two telecommunications satellites flew off course and deposited them in the wrong orbit, just as European satellite launch company Arianespace gears up for a record number of launches in 2018.

An independent investigation found that the cause of the error was that the rocket was fed with incorrect data, Arianespace has said.

Arianespace has drawn up an action plan following the incident that includes a fix for the problem experienced during the Ariane 5 launch. It will also improve other processes related to launches, the European Space Agency said on Friday, without providing details.

Arianespace is facing increased competition for the launch of commercial satellites with the emergence of rivals like tech billionaire Elon Musks SpaceX and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin, putting it under pressure to provide reliable launches.

It is due to send four broadband satellites into orbit aboard a Soyuz rocket on March 6 and a Japanese communications satellite on an Ariane 5 on March 21.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.Digital currencies are not tied to any bank or government and, like cash, allow users to spend and receive money anonymously, or mostly so. (Representative Image)

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney on Friday launched a withering attack on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and urged regulators around the world to monitor them in the same way as other financial assets.

In a speech to the Scottish Economics conference in Edinburgh, Carney said a global speculative mania has encouraged a proliferation of new cryptocurrencies and said they should be held to the same standards as the rest of the financial system.

Being part of the financial system brings enormous privileges, but with them great responsibilities, Carney said.

Bitcoin, whose birth nearly a decade ago is clouded in mystery, is the worlds most popular virtual currency. Like others, it can be converted to cash when deposited into accounts at prices set in online trading.

It also has been hugely volatile, posting some dizzying intra-day rises and falls over the past year or so. The price of a single bitcoin rocketed to nearly $20,000 late last year and then plunged early this year. On Friday, after Carneys comments, it was trading just below the $11,000 mark.

Digital currencies are not tied to any bank or government and, like cash, allow users to spend and receive money anonymously, or mostly so. Supporters say they can be more trustworthy than traditional money, which can be vulnerable to the whims of those in power.

Cryptocurrencies are popular in countries with weak institutions and unstable currencies, such as in Venezuela where a national digital currency called the petro that is similar to bitcoin is being launched.

Financial market participants are becoming increasingly vexed by virtual currencies and their potential to promote illicit activities and introduce uncertainty. Some even think the volatility around bitcoin contributed to the financial market turmoil in February.

For Carney, cryptocurrencies are failing, not least because they are proving to be poor stores of value.

The prices of many cryptocurrencies have exhibited the classic hallmarks of bubbles, including new paradigm justifications, broadening retail enthusiasm and extrapolative price expectations, reliant in part on finding the greater fool, Carney said. Carney listed a series of concerns linked to cryptocurrencies, including money laundering, terrorism financing and tax evasion.

The Bank of Englands Financial Policy Committee, which monitors risks in financial markets, is currently carrying out a study into the risks posed to U.K. financial stability by cryptocurrencies.

On the international front, the Financial Stability Board will be reporting to the Group of 20 leading industrial and developing nations in Argentina this month on the financial stability implications of crypto-assets.

For now, Carney said in his view crypto-assets do not appear to pose material risks to financial stability.

Carneys comments follow a warning this week from Agustin Carstens, the general manager of the Bank for International Settlements  an international organization for central banks  that bitcoin has become a combination of a bubble, a Ponzi scheme and an environmental disaster.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.The European Union raised the possibility of taking countermeasures, France said the duties would be unacceptable and China urged Trump to show restraint. (Photo: File)

Washington: US President Donald Trump struck a defiant tone on Friday, saying trade wars were good and easy to win, after his plan to put tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium triggered global criticism and a slide in stock markets.

The European Union raised the possibility of taking countermeasures, France said the duties would be unacceptable and China urged Trump to show restraint. Canada, the biggest supplier of steel and aluminium to the United States, said it would retaliate if hit by US tariffs.

US stock indexes recouped some losses on Friday, but were on track to end the week in the red as investors fretted over a possible global trade war. World equity markets slid further and the US dollar dropped to its lowest point in more than two years against the yen.

Trump said on Thursday that a plan for tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminium products would be formally announced next week.

"When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win," Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

In a later social media post, Trump said his aim was to protect US jobs in the face of cheaper foreign products.

"We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON'T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON'T HAVE A COUNTRY!" he wrote.

Many economists say that instead of increasing employment, price increases for consumers of steel and aluminium such as the auto and oil industries will destroy more US jobs than they create.

Retaliation Likely

Major US trade partners are likely to retaliate against any new duties imposed by Washington.

Europe has drawn up a list of US products on which to apply tariffs if Trump follows through on his plan.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levis," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German television.

Officials have not said whether the tariffs would include imports from Canada and Mexico, Washington's partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is being reworked.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said any U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium imports would be "absolutely unacceptable" and vowed to continue to engage with US officials on the issue.

The International Monetary Fund also expressed concern about the proposed tariffs and said they likely would damage the US economy as well as the economies of other nations.

Trump's announcement came after what one person with direct knowledge of the discussions described as a night of "chaos" in the White House due to frequent switching of positions in the administration.

While Trump often lays out stark policy positions which he later rolls back as part of a negotiating tactic, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the levels of the planned tariffs were not expected to change.

Capital Alpha Partners, a policy research group in Washington, said a quick reversal by Trump was highly unlikely.

"We also don't see a chance for fine tuning, exceptions, carve outs, or a country-by-country policy" in the short term, the group said in a research note. "We would be hopeful that the policy could be modified in time."

The United States is the world's biggest steel importer, buying 35.6 million tonnes, in 2017 and Canada is the leading supplier.

Peter Navarro, a White House adviser with largely protectionist views on trade, brushed off the drop in U.S. stock prices and the negative effects of tariffs on US industry.

"I think the smart money right now is buying this market," he told Fox News.

He said a 10 percent tariff on aluminium would add one cent to the cost of a can of beer, USD 45 to a car and USD 20,000 to a Boeing 727 Dreamliner. "Big price effects? Negligible price effects," he said.

But home appliance maker Electrolux said it was delaying a USD 250 million expansion of its plant in Tennessee as it was worried US steel prices would rise and make manufacturing there less competitive.

The EU, which sees itself as a global counterweight to a protectionist-leaning Trump, made no mention of retaliation but spoke of countermeasures that conform with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

Safeguard measures, last deployed by Europe in 2002 after then-US President George W Bush imposed steel import duties, would be designed to guard against steel and aluminium being diverted to Europe from elsewhere if US tariffs come in.

But to conform with WTO rules such measures would have to apply to imports from all countries and could also hit producers including China, India, Russia, South Korea and Turkey.

Steel has become an important focus for Trump, who said he would restore the US industry and punish what he sees as unfair trade practices, particularly by China.

Republican US Senator Ben Sasse, who has been critical of Trump, said there were only losers in trade wars.

"Kooky 18th century protectionism will jack up prices on American families - and will prompt retaliation," he said in a tweet. "Make no mistake, if the president goes through with this it will kill American jobs."

Although China accounts for only 2 percent of US steel imports, its massive industry expansion has helped produce a global steel glut that has driven down prices.

"China urges the United States to show restraint in using protective trade measures, respect multilateral trade rules, and make a positive contribution to international trade order," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.James Eric Davis is accused of killing his parents, in what police says is a 'family-type domestic issue'. (Photo: AP)

Chicago: A university student fatally shot his parents on his school campus Friday in the US state of Michigan, police said, before fleeing and setting off an hours-long manhunt.

The early morning incident put the campus into lockdown -- trapping students in classrooms and dormitories until mid-afternoon -- while police conducted an expansive search for the 19-year-old suspected gunman.

James Eric Davis, described as a university student, remained at large. He was accused of killing his father, a police officer, and mother in a shooting inside a dormitory building in what university police spokesman described as a "family-type domestic issue."

There were no other casualties.

The college campus in the city of Mount Pleasant in central Michigan was on lockdown hours after the 8:30 am (1330 GMT) shooting, as federal, state and local law enforcement searched for Davis using helicopters and police dogs.

Heavily armed officers fanned out throughout the city, and residents and students were asked to stay inside and lock their doors.

University officials announced at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) that students were finally being escorted out of buildings by police.

"Uniformed officers are beginning to assist individuals in leaving campus buildings. Officers will be going building to building," the university said in a statement.

Suspect Known To Police

Davis, who was a resident of nearby Illinois state but attending college in Michigan, was known to law enforcement.

Police took him to a hospital the night before for what was believed to be a "drug-related type of incident -- an overdose or a bad reaction to drugs," campus police spokesman Larry Klaus told a news conference.

He was then released to hospital staff, Klaus said.

An Illinois state legislator identified Davis's victims as his parents, who lived in a Chicago suburb.

"The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home," tweeted the state representative, Emanuel Welch.

"My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr and his wife who were shot and killed."

It was unclear what kind of weapon Davis used or how he acquired it.

The state of Michigan allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun with a permit, but Central Michigan University does not allow guns on campus.

The reaction to the shooting was swift Friday morning, with multiple alerts going out on social media and mobile phones within minutes of the incident.

With one day left before residence halls were scheduled to close for spring break, parents seeking out their children were told to go to a staging area at a nearby hotel.

Florida Shooting

The shooting came amid a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence and law enforcement's role in stopping potential shooters, which was sparked when a teenage gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida high school two weeks ago.

Accused gunman Nikolas Cruz had a history of run-ins with law enforcement, which have faced scrutiny over their failure to intervene despite multiple warnings.

Cruz used a semi-automatic assault rifle in his attack, leading students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to make public appeals for change to permissive US gun laws.

President Donald Trump has called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks and a potential increase to the minimum age for rifle purchases.

But the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby said that Trump was opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.The French capital has seen a number of high-profile jewel robberies in the past few years, most recently an audacious heist at the Ritz hotel in January. (Photo: AFP | File)

Paris: Robbers have made off with gems worth 300,000 euros (USD 370,000) snatched from two Indian diamond traders as they were entering a Paris metro station, a source close to the investigation said Friday.

"The two traders were coming back from a business meeting and were attacked Monday afternoon by two men," the source said, confirming a report by French magazine Le Point.

"A bag containing several precious stones -- but no diamonds -- was stolen," the source added. "Early indications are that it could have been a premeditated attack."

The robbery took place in the central Ninth Arrondissement of Paris, which is home to a number of diamond trading businesses.

The French capital has seen a number of high-profile jewel robberies in the past few years, most recently an audacious heist at the Ritz hotel in January.

A gang armed with hatchets and handguns burst into the five-star hotel and smashed the windows of jewellery shops on the ground floor, but became trapped by locked doors as they tried to flee.

Three men have been charged over the robbery.

In October 2016, US reality TV star Kim Kardashian was tied up and robbed at gunpoint while staying in a luxury residence for Paris Fashion Week.

The thieves made off with jewellery worth at least nine million euros, including a ring worth four million dollars alone.Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin assures that the national minorities in Ukraine have no reason to be concerned about the cancellation of the so-called "language" law of Kivalov-Kolesnichenko.

"Neither our Hungarians nor Hungary should have concerns about the cancellation of the Kivalov-Kolesnichenko law. And one should not put it in sequence, as they do - first the law on education, then the repeal of the law [Kivalov-Kolesnichenko]. It is not a definite sequence. But this is a consistent desire to make so that Hungarians will have all the chances to realize themselves in Ukraine," he said in Lviv during a Skype conference with local media.

The minister considers correct the abolition of the language law.

"What we should do is a national discussion on how we should resolve this issue within the country. I believe that many authorities should be implemented by joint territorial communities, in simple matters, where they do not concern the Ukrainian language as a state one and national issues of the law," Klimkin said.

Earlier, the media reported that Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto linked the adoption of the law on education with the language article, unacceptable for Hungary, and the abolition of the language law of Kivalov-Kolesnichenko, calling it a "brutal attack" on national minorities.

As reported, on February 28, the party of Svoboda All-Ukrainian Union said that the Constitutional Court of Ukraine had recognized the law "On the foundations of the state language policy" No. 5029-6 (the so-called Kivalov-Kolesnichenko law) as unconstitutional.London: A man who used his role as an unqualified teacher to try and recruit an "army" of children to commit terror attacks was convicted in a British court on Friday.

Umar Ahmed Haque, 25, tried to radicalise scores of children to commit "a multi-faceted attack on businesses and communities in London", according to a Metropolitan Police statement.

Haque, from east London, showed pupils at an after-school madrasa videos of "extreme terrorist violence" and made them "roleplay terrorists" stabbing police officers.

His two accomplices, Abuthaher Mamun, 29, and Muhammad Abid, 27, were also convicted at London's Old Bailey court.

"Haque was a dangerous man who was inspired by attacks in Europe and Westminster. He wanted to orchestrate numerous attacks at once, using guns, knives, bombs and large cars to kill innocent people," said Dean Haydon, head of the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command.

"We recovered a number of exercise books from his home and it was evident from his notes that his plan was a long-term one.

"He intended to execute his plan years later, by which time he anticipated he would have trained and acquired an army of soldiers, including children."

In a phone message heard in court, Haque told Abid that he was using his role as an administrator at after-school madrasa "Lantern of Knowledge" in east London to radicalise 16 children.

Schools watchdog Ofsted is under pressure to explain how the school received an "outstanding" rating following an inspection conducted while Haque was working there.

Further investigation revealed that Haque had also attempted to radicalise 55 children aged 11 to 14 while working at the Ripple Road Mosque.

"When specially trained officers interviewed the children, they described being shown by Haque horrific videos of extreme terrorist violence including executions," said Haydon.

They told police how Haque made them roleplay terrorists and police officers, with the children acting as terrorists being made to stab the 'police officers' to death.

"The children were paralysed by fear of Haque, who they understood to have connections to terrorists and who essentially told them that a violent fate would befall them if they told anyone what he was doing. They were too afraid to confide in anyone," he added.

Haque was convicted by a jury of offences including plotting terrorist attacks, having previously admitted to four charges of collecting information useful for terrorism and one count of disseminating a terrorist document.Beijing: China on Saturday formally beg-an its well-choreographed annual Parliament season during which a constitutional amendment removing the two-term limit for President Xi Jinping is expected to be ratified, paving the way for his continuation in power, possibly for life.

The annual Parliament season, during which ab-out 5,000 delegates of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the legislature the National Peoples Congress (NPC) would hold full sessions to deliberate on a vast agenda for the year prepared by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

This years sessions assumed significance and attracted considerable attention as days ago, the CPC has proposed constitutional amendment to remove the two-term limit for the president and vice president, setting aside decades old principle of collective leadership.

The proposal sparked off concern and speculation at home and abroad that Xi, heading the CPC and military besides the presidency, who recently began his second five-year term would continue for an unprecedented third term and beyond, wielding unq-uestionable power exercised by the party founder, Mao Zedong in the heydays of Chinas revolution.

The Parliament season formally commenced with the opening of the CPPCC at the Great Hall of People. It was attended by Xi, now a designated core leader by the party. The opening of the session was telecast live all over the country.

The BJP and its ally surged ahead of the Left Front in Tripura establishing a lead in 37 seats, while the Congress was ahead in Meghalaya, according to Election Commission sources.



In Nagaland, the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) was ahead in 15 constituencies. The BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) were also leading in 15 seats.



Election in 59 seats for Tripura's 60-member Assembly was held on February 18. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to death of a CPI(M) candidate.



The BJP was leading in 29 seats while its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) was ahead in 8 seats.



The ruling CPI(M), which is power for the last 25 years, was ahead in 17 seats, according to the trends available.



BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb and party MLA Sudip Roy Burman were leading in their respective seats of Banamlipur and Agartala. According to trends of 58 constituencies available in Meghalaya, the ruling Congress won two seats and was leading in 19 followed by the National People's Party (NPP) in 14.



Chief Minister Mukul Sangma registered wins from both Songsak and Ampati constituencies. While the United Democratic Party (UDP) was leading in five, the People's Democratic Front (PDF) was leading in four.



The BJP was leading in 5 constituencies. The Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) was leading in 2 seats while Independents were ahead in 6 seats. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) was leading in one seat. Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27.



In Nagaland, the BJP is ahead in five and the NDPP in 10 seats. Trends were available for 33 seats till 11 am. The National People's Party was ahead in two seats and the JD(U) in one. Commenting on the trends in the three states, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said that it indicated to a new political direction and would have an effect on national politics as well.



"We are confident of forming government in all three states", he said. BJP leader Ram Madhav said, "Seeing the early trends, I feel that in Tripura BJP is going to do very well. In Nagaland too, our alliance is doing very well and Congress is trailing in Meghalaya". "The results of North East are going to be very good for the BJP," he said.Around 73 per cent voter turnout was reported in the re-polling at 13 polling stations across nine constituencies in Nagaland on Friday, an election department official said.



"Altogether 5728 voters out of the 7841 exercised their franchise in the 13 polling stations. That means 73.05 per cent votes were polled," said CEO Nagaland Abhijit Sinha.

The voting passed off peacefully, he said.

Polling for 59 of the 60 Assembly seats was held in the north-eastern state on February 27. Former chief minister and NDDP president Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected uncontested from Northern Angami II seat.

The nine constituencies where re-polling were held were Tamlu, Peren, Kohima Town, Chizami, Phek, Meluri, Tizit, Pungro-Kiphire and Llongkhim-Chare.

Sinha said polling could not be held in one booth in Tamlu constituency on February 27 due to the alleged intervention of the Assam Police with claims that the booth falls under Disturbed Area Belt between Assam and Nagaland.

It was held today at an alternative temporary structure following the direction of the Election Commission, the CEO said.

Re-polling was ordered in the other booths following reports of snatching of EVMs, misuse of electoral photo identity cards and miscreants not allowing voters to exercise their franchise.

Counting will be held tomorrow for all the 59 constituencies. PTI NBS NN



U.S. President Donald Trump struck a defiant tone on Friday, saying trade wars were good and easy to win after his plan to put tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium triggered global criticism and a slide in stock markets.

The European Union raised the possibility of taking countermeasures, France said the duties would be unacceptable and China urged Trump to show restraint. Canada, the biggest supplier of steel and aluminum to the United States, said it would retaliate if hit by U.S. tariffs.

U.S. stock indexes recouped some losses on Friday, but were on track to end the week in the red as investors fretted over a possible global trade war. World equity markets slid further and the U.S. dollar dropped to its lowest point in more than two years against the yen.

Trump said on Thursday that a plan for tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum products would be formally announced next week.

"When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win," Trump said on Twitter on Friday.

In a later social media post, Trump said his aim was to protect U.S. jobs in the face of cheaper foreign products.

"We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DON'T HAVE STEEL, YOU DON'T HAVE A COUNTRY!" he wrote.

Many economists say that instead of increasing employment, price increases for consumers of steel and aluminum such as the auto and oil industries will destroy more U.S. jobs than they create.

Major U.S. trade partners are likely to retaliate against any new duties imposed by Washington.

Europe has drawn up a list of U.S. products on which to apply tariffs if Trump follows through on his plan.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levis," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German television.

Officials have not said whether the tariffs would include imports from Canada and Mexico, Washington's partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is being reworked.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said any U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would be "absolutely unacceptable" and vowed to continue to engage with U.S. officials on the issue.

The International Monetary Fund also expressed concern about the proposed tariffs and said they likely would damage the U.S. economy as well as the economies of other nations.

Trump's announcement came after what one person with direct knowledge of the discussions described as a night of "chaos" in the White House due to frequent switching of positions in the administration.

While Trump often lays out stark policy positions which he later rolls back as part of a negotiating tactic, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the levels of the planned tariffs were not expected to change.

Capital Alpha Partners, a policy research group in Washington, said a quick reversal by Trump was highly unlikely.

"We also don't see a chance for fine tuning, exceptions, carve outs, or a country-by-country policy" in the short term, the group said in a research note. "We would be hopeful that the policy could be modified in time."

The United States is the world's biggest steel importer, buying 35.6 million tonnes, in 2017 and Canada is the leading supplier.

Peter Navarro, a White House adviser with largely protectionist views on trade, brushed off the drop in U.S. stock prices and the negative effects of tariffs on U.S. industry.

"I think the smart money right now is buying this market," he told Fox News.

He said a 10 percent tariff on aluminum would add one cent to the cost of a can of beer, $45 to a car and $20,000 to a Boeing 727 Dreamliner. "Big price effects? Negligible price effects," he said.

But home appliance maker Electrolux said it was delaying a $250 million expansion of its plant in Tennessee as it was worried U.S. steel prices would rise and make manufacturing there less competitive.

The EU, which sees itself as a global counterweight to a protectionist-leaning Trump, made no mention of retaliation but spoke of countermeasures that conform with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Safeguard measures, last deployed by Europe in 2002 after then-U.S. President George W. Bush imposed steel import duties, would be designed to guard against steel and aluminum being diverted to Europe from elsewhere if U.S. tariffs come in.

But to conform with WTO rules such measures would have to apply to imports from all countries and could also hit producers including China, India, Russia, South Korea and Turkey.

Steel has become an important focus for Trump, who said he would restore the U.S. industry and punish what he sees as unfair trade practices, particularly by China.

Republican U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, who has been critical of Trump, said there were only losers in trade wars.

"Kooky 18th century protectionism will jack up prices on American families - and will prompt retaliation," he said in a tweet. "Make no mistake, if the president goes through with this it will kill American jobs."

Although China accounts for only 2 percent of U.S. steel imports, its massive industry expansion has helped produce a global steel glut that has driven down prices.

"China urges the United States to show restraint in using protective trade measures, respect multilateral trade rules, and make a positive contribution to international trade order," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.Meghalaya Chief Minister and Congress candidate Mukul Sangma wins from both Ampati and Songsak constituencies, EC sources said.



Sangma, who is the chief minister since 2010, retained Ampati seat defeating his nearest BJP rival Bakul Ch Hajong by over 6,000 votes.

He also won from Songsak constituency defeating his nearest National People's Party rival Nihim D Shira by over 1,300 votes. The BJP was in the third position.

The chief minister's wife Dikkanchi D Shira also won from Mahendraganj seat defeating her nearest BJP rival Premananda Koch by over 6,000 votes, the sources said.

Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly was held on February 27.The upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka are not a fight between parties but is a contest between "Goonda culture" and good governance, said BJP state in-charge Prakash Javadekar.

"A goonda government is in power in Karnataka. While police protect law-abiding citizens elsehwere, police themselves have no protection in Karnataka," Javadekar said. He was speaking in Karwar after launching "Mangaluru Chalo" Janasurkasha Yatre on Saturday. Javadekar, who is also a Union minister, said that the "inclusive development" was the hallmark of the BJP while Congress followed divid-and-rule policy.

Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde said that the state had witnessed unprecedented murders, rape and assaults in the last four years. He claimed that law and order had completely collapsed in Karnataka.It is planned to stipulate the focus on accession to NATO and the EU in the draft law on the national security of Ukraine, but neither the European Union nor the alliance has confirmed the readiness to accept Ukraine into its ranks, Leader of the Osnova Party, MP Serhiy Taruta, has stated.

According to the press service of the politician, Taruta noted that such documents can be submitted to parliament only after receiving confirmation of the attainability of the goals set there.

"It is planned to stipulate the focus on joining NATO and the EU. I will begin with the fact that this is populism. We need to get consent from the European Union and NATO before submitting the document with such formulations. As early as December 2016, the Council of the European Union stated that the Association Agreement for Ukraine does not mean the prospects of joining the EU. As for NATO, the situation is even more complicated. Over ten years ago, we were refused to provide a roadmap for joining NATO. Since then Ukraine has never asked this roadmap again," the MP stressed.

Taruta noted that the Constitution states about the non-bloc status of Ukraine, that is, the bill requires amendments to the basic law, which will not have 300 required votes of people's deputies.Sending out a message to China, India and Vietnam on Saturday vowed to work together to build an open, transparent, inclusive and rule-based regional architecture in Indo-Pacific.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnam's President Tran Dai Quang on Saturday witnessed exchange of three pacts, including a Memorandum of Understanding for expanding technical cooperation in nuclear energy. They also agreed to step up cooperation in defence production and maritime security.

"We are fully committed to expanding our maritime cooperation as well as working together to build an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture," the prime minister said as he and the Vietnam President addressed media after meeting at the Hyderabad House. "We will work together for a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where sovereignty of the nations and adherence to international rules will be respected and where disputes will be settled through talks," said Modi.

Quang, who is on a visit to New Delhi, said that Vietnam reaffirmed its support to India to "further its relations and multi-faceted connectivity with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) attaching high importance to the maintenance of security, maritime safety and freedom of navigation and over-flight, settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS".

China has often been accused by the US, Japan, ASEAN nations and others of undermining the "rules-based order" in the region. The communist country's territorial disputes with some of the ASEAN nations and its other maritime neighbours in East and South China Sea as well as its reluctance to resolve the disputes in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS) often prompted the other nations to not only criticise Beijing for not adhering to international laws, but also call for "rules-based order" in the region.

The South China Sea has been at the centre of China's escalating territorial dispute with Vietnam, as well as its other maritime neighbours - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan. India on Thursday joined Vietnam to tacitly ask China to adhere to the UNCLOS as well as the relevant standards and recommended practices by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation.

Modi and Quang on Saturday also discussed ways to step up bilateral defence cooperation.

"We will explore possibilities of transfer of technology and co-production in defence sector," said Modi.

They reviewed implementation of India's credit lines to Vietnam for defence sector. Hanoi already moved ahead for implementing the $100 million Line of Credit India offered to Vietnam and awarded the contract to L&T for manufacturing offshore patrol vessels, which would be used by Vietnam Coast Guard and Vietnam People's Navy. The two leaders also agreed that the other $500 million Line of Credit for defence procurement would also be implemented expeditiously.

New Delhi and Hanoi have also been discussing a deal for India to supply BrahMos missiles to Vietnam, which has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents to China's expansionist aspiration in Indo-Pacific.

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles are produced by a joint venture of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia. Moscow has already given its nod to New Delhi to proceed with talks with Hanoi on the proposed deal.Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Saturday that the outcome of the polls in the northeastern states would not have any effect on election results in Karnataka.



"The BJP is claiming that Karnataka will be free from Congress. But, the state will be free from BJP," Siddaramaiah told reporters on his arrival at the Hubballi airport.

Replying to a question, the chief minister said AICC president Rahul Gandhi, who visited Hubballi recently, did not know that farmers fighting for Kalasa-Banduri project were waiting for him. So, he did not meet them, Siddaramaiah said.

He said that the government would recommend to the Centre to grant separate religion tag for Lingayat faith after going through the report submitted by the Nagmohandas committee.

"We are of the opinion that elections should be held through ballot papers," he said.

It is not the question of faith or no faith in electronic voting machines (EVMs). Many countries that used EVMs have now returned to ballot papers and that should be done here also, he said.

The chief minister said conducting all elections simultaneously would not be possible till the Representation of People Act was amended.

Rahul would visit districts in Mysuru division on March 20, 21, 24 and 25, and he would be in coastal districts on March 20 and 21, Siddaramaiah said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar and MP Pralhad Joshi said the election results in North Eastern States show that people have accepted the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and this trend would continue in Karnataka also.

"Karnataka is the last state being ruled by the Congress and the BJP would win the Assembly elections here also," they told reporters.

Shettar charged that the Congress was afraid of defeat, and therefore, it was opposing EVMs.Lucknow, dhns: The massive victory for the BJP in Tripura Assembly polls would add to the rising stature of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath within the saffron party.

Adityanath, who is also the 'mahant' (chief) of the famous Gorakshnath Peeth at Gorakhpur, about 300 km from here, had campaigned extensively in the north-eastern state.

He had addressed as many as seven election meetings in Tripura besides holding two road shows to seek votes for his party.

As there is sizable number of people, who are followers of the 'Nath' monastic group of which the Gorakhnath Temple is the headquarters, Adityanath had campaigned in the areas dominated by them.

According to sources, Adityanath had campaigned in 20 of the 59 assembly constituencies in Tripura, where polling was held. "Of them, the BJP has emerged victorious in 17," said a senior BJP leader here on Saturday.

The leader said the results of Tripura showed that the UP chief minister was able to win the support of the followers of the 'Nath' monastic group.

Adityanath, who was in Gorakhpur, hailed the victory and termed it "historical". "It's a historic day for the party...we were able to oust a government that had been in power for 25 years," he said.

Adityanath had also campaigned extensively for the saffron party in last year's assembly polls in Gujarat.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ousted the Left from its 25-year-old bastion of Tripura as a result of a finely-crafted strategy which cashed on a fatigue against the Marxists among the voters who were seeking a change.



BJP managers struck a successful alliance with a tribal outfit and ensured a forceful campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders in key areas.

What paid off the most for the party was its strategy to organise its cadres - over a period of time - into a network of booth-level workers who worked hard to bring targeted votes in tune with the main campaign goal.

The result was that the BJP increased its vote share from about 1% in the last election to a little over 42.5% - only marginally below that of the CPM at 43.2%.

"In fact, it was soon after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an eye on Tripura," BJP leaders said.

His word was that the opportunity to displace the Left from its most entrenched citadel in the Northeast should not be wasted as that would leave only Kerala under its sway.

BJP chief Amit Shah got his aides and strategy managers - Assam minister Hemanta Biswas Sarma, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav and Tripura in-charge Sunil Deodhar - who spent three years to make detailed management on the ground.

They had one mission: the 2018 polls should be a direct fight between the BJP and the CPM.

This meant that the BJP would contest a lion share of 50 seats and leave nine seats for its new ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

It also entailed absorbing into its fold a majority of erstwhile opposition leaders and workers, who once belonged to the Congress, later shifted to the Trinamool Congress under Mamata Banerjee but were still looking for a more powerful political entity to take on the Left.

A venerated chief minister like Manik Sarkar was projected as the gentleman of politics but the party he has led for more than two decades was "intolerant of any opposition," a BJP functionary said.

There was a climate of fear and political reprisals."The BJP sought to end the fear among the people as many of its workers fell victim to the Marxist violence. We showed that we alone could usher in a new level of development that met the people's aspirations," said Sarma.

Madhav said the BJP's success was sought to be thwarted by the Congress by trying to divide the anti-Left vote. "But our cadres worked with voters at every booth level for this grand success."

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh with its previous record of long work in the state also chipped in wherever required.In 'QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018' which were announced recently, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, one of the leading private universities in the country has done better with Kasturba Medical College, Manipal going up 50 places. While KMC has moved up into the 401-450 range from the 450-500 band, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS) retained its rank in the 251-300 range in the Pharmacy and Pharmacology subject. Last year MAHE was the only private university from India that was featured in the QS world-ranking list.



The 'QS World University Rankings by Subject', ranks the world's top universities in individual subject areas, covering 48 subjects. In the 2018 edition, 1,100 universities featured. These annual rankings compare academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations and impact. Each of the subject rankings is compiled using four sources.

Dr H Vinod Bhat, vice chancellor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education said reacting to the news, "I am delighted to learn that Kasturba Medical College has improved considerably and also that MCOPS has retained its rank. It is a noteworthy achievement as both, KMC and MCOPS are among the best in the country as well."Imperfection is the mother of invention," Sabriye Tenberken tells me. We are at kanthari, the institute she, a German national, founded with her partner Paul Kronenberg in 2005. Here, a seven-month leadership programme helps participants from different parts of the world turn around personal adversities to trigger the larger social change. Sabriye, 47, is blind.



She's critical of the politically correct, mollified terminologies we've come to attach to physical impediments; so, 'visually challenged' is likely to have her squirm in protest. "Aren't we all challenged in some way? You are, because you have to see. I'm not, because I don't have to," she says.

It's a powerful point of reversal. Convention, evidently, is not quite the thing at kanthari where change from within is no mere punchline but an essential that shapes the change-maker's vision.

Sabriye says the institute, named after an extra-spicy chilli variant, spurs people to challenge the status quo. Here, the kantharis - as the graduates are called - are groomed as leaders who breach barriers of victimhood to emerge as visionaries.

Shared space

When we meet on the institute's 2.8-acre campus in Vellayani, in Thiruvananthapuram, the participants and programme catalysts have just completed kanthari TALKS, the annual event which marks the culmination of the residential programme. It's a platform where the participants share their stories with an audience; they relive their struggles, talk about inspirations and state how they intend to draw from personal experiences to empower communities they engage with.

In a gazebo on the backyard of the kanthari campus that has Laurie Baker-inspired buildings facing the serene Vellayani Lake, Sabriye and Paul tell me some of these stories lived by the kantharis over the years. Stories of strife and abuse, of discrimination and despair, some bleak, some devastating, but all inspiring.

They have a fairly exceptional story of their own to tell. Sabriye was 12 when she became fully blind, about three years after she was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal disease. What followed was a phase of denial, marked by fears of social isolation and low self-esteem. She was bullied and discriminated against - "I became a total introvert" - but her parents, she points out, were critical thinkers who wanted her to confront her impairment with a sense of pragmatism.

The 'black is beautiful' slogan, raised by American political activist and writer Angela Davis, also led Sabriye to look inward, afresh. She could see that blind was beautiful too. "I became a much better communicator; my power to imagine was greater, and the world was more colourful. I could take responsibility for my life; I also became a problem-solver, which I feel is one of the most exciting parts of being blind," she says.

Sabriye developed a Tibetan Braille script for her Central Asian Sciences course at Bonn University - "After my first visit to Tibet, I decided to leave university behind to start my project," she says. She met Paul, an engineer from the Netherlands, in Tibet. It was 1997; a year later, they were running a learning centre for blind children in Lhasa. The centre in Tibet formed the core of a larger project they set in motion four years later - Braille Without Borders, an organisation that designs programmes to facilitate literacy and education for the blind, to help them integrate with the society of the sighted.

For Sabriye and Paul, India is home now, warm and welcoming. Some of its people, with their compulsions to conform, also form an interesting counter-point to the kanthari philosophy of dissent as change. "We don't offer solutions. What do we know about these communities, these places we've never been to? We are only supplementing the participants' intentions to create change by helping them with tools, with research to identify and understand their target groups," says Paul.

Sabriye and Paul call themselves dreamers and the change they pitch for is real, tangible. "This is not a place for healing. We can only select participants who have overcome their trauma and/or adversity. Yet, if they still carry constructive anger within themselves, it helps," says Sabriye.

After the fall

At kanthari (www.kanthari.org), participants are primed through an intensive, five-phased programme that dissects the idea of social change also through its practical rigours. The goal is ethical social change, achieved through leaders from margins of the society; leaders who've had their 'pinching points', setbacks they've managed to overcome.

"I had mine as a teenager. It was this medical condition that used to leave my skin peeled off my back," says Paul. He struggled with the condition between ages 11 and 17. "I used to wake up to see my skin ripped and stuck on the sheet I slept on. At that age, all this was devastating. My confidence levels were really low," he says.

The kanthari participants are selected after a multiple-level interview process. The pinching point becomes crucial here; the candidate could be anyone who has survived a significant adversity but also wants to address it on a larger scale or even the concerned "outsider" who wants to get involved, and contribute. The selected participants receive a donor-funded scholarship that covers their training fee, accommodation and food. On completion of the programme, kanthari provides the participants a stipend and mentorship support for five months, in the run-up to their proposed social projects.

Rahel Zegeye Zewudu, an Ethiopian national working in Lebanon, is a kanthari from the 2017 batch. She wants to improve the working conditions of migrant workers who hardly have any rights in Lebanon and are often abused. Lingala Naresh, her batchmate and son of a Telangana farmer, is concerned about the many farmer suicides, and is designing a digital literacy project for farmers.

Teh Francis, a Cameroon-based kanthari from the 2016 batch, runs an all-women table banking project that helps rural women find hassle-free loans and, in turn, financial independence. Parthasarathy Kandasamy, also from the 2016 batch, runs Aravans, an organisation that works on rights of the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning and Intersex) community, in Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu.

The conversation veers to India and its idea of reservation for the disabled. Sabriye feels it makes sense to have reservation as an interim arrangement but maintains that the purpose gets lost in the organised, at times confrontational, methods to secure it. "Why do the blind need seats behind the bus driver? The idea should be to fight for equal opportunities, to have society see their abilities," she says.

Across 41 countries, the kantharis run over 125 social projects now, all anchored on their stories - of abuse, disability, war, environmental concerns and diverse forms of discrimination. As I walk out, I hear participants prepping for a musical performance as part of the certification ceremony. It's Bob Dylan, it's 'Blowin' in the Wind'.After a round of calling each other names, the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP on Saturday traded barbs over 'photoshop politics'.



The Congress has accused the BJP of "peddling lies" after it was found that the saffron party used photographs of Nepal and Mizoram and tried to pass them off as images of Bengaluru's uncleared garbage and potholes. These images were printed in a booklet the BJP brought out recently to highlight "misrule" in Bengaluru by the Congress government.



BJP released a booklet yesterday about Bengaluru's Infrastructure and it had photos of Mizoram and Kathmandu.@BJP4Karnataka is full of incompetent liars.#BariOluBJP pic.twitter.com/ECxK8V6gyX  Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) March 3, 2018





One image was that of uncleared garbage in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. This 2015 image is credited to journalist Donatella Lorch. Another image showing potholes is apparently of a road in Mizoram.

"The BJP has done this in the past as well. They seem to have decided to lie their way into this election. But we're not keeping quiet. We will place before the people the bunglings of the BJP," KPCC president G Parameshwara told reporters.

The BJP countered the Congress by releasing two images - one from Turkey and another from the United States - that the state government used in its advertisements.

For example, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted an image announcing the inauguration of the Pavagada solar park. The image, however, is of the Konya solar power plant in Turkey. Similarly, the state government used the image of a verdant landscape to claim that it has recovered 15,000 acres of encroached government land, of which, it had allotted 1,600 acres worth Rs 30,000 crore for a tree park. In reality, the image was of the Ross Tree Park in Pennsylvania, US.



"Is this photoshop your model of governance, Siddaramaiah?" Karnataka BJP's social media cell convenor Balaji Srinivas tweeted.Forum for Democracy will organise a conclave of intellectuals with former CM H D Kumaraswamy at Hotel Taj Gateway in Mangaluru on March 6 at 9.30 am.



Briefing reporters here on Saturday, JD(S) district president Mohammed Kunhi said that doctors, intellectuals and litterateurs, will take part in the conclave. It is an apolitical conclave. After the conclave, a JD(S) party workers convention will be held at the Town Hall in Mangaluru. Congress and BJP leaders will join the JD(S) on the occasion.

He said that the JD(S) will field its candidates in all the eight constituencies in Dakshina Kannada. One constituency each will be given for CPI and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). At the national level meeting, BSP chief Mayawati has asked for 20 seats to contest in Karnataka. Mayawati has asked for Sullia and Karkala constituencies for BSP to contest. The final decision on the same will be taken by the party high command, he said.

In a press release, Forum for Democracy advisor B M Farookh said that to create and build a healthy nation all cross sections of the society should play a creative role. Of late, the very fabric of our pluralistic society is in danger which will harm the roots of democracy. The policy of governance is mostly decided by the bureaucrats, politicians and technocrats. "We at Forum for Democracy believe that as responsible citizens, we have to assume leadership roles in our day-to-day lives. Strong commitment to principled action is the responsibility of every person especially, intellectuals, leaders of community, professionals and literary laureates. The people of Coastal Karnataka with their creative, hardworking nature have contributed a lot to the development of the country. It is time now to address the issues and become a part of the policy-making body by involving ourselves," he said.Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, on Saturday, hinted at more members of his family contesting on a JD(S) ticket.



He said anybody could aspire to be a JD(S) candidate, so there was nothing wrong in his nephew Prajwal Revanna seeking a party ticket.

Speaking to mediapersons here, he said the candidate for Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency in Bengaluru was not yet finalised.

"So, he might be seeking a ticket. A decision in this regard will be taken after discussing it at a party platform," Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy, also state president of the JD(S) and his father JD(S) president H D Deve Gowda, have been asserting that only Kumaraswamy himself and H D Revanna would contest the Assembly polls. Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha is also an aspirant to contest from Channapatna constituency of Ramanagaram district.Several farmer organisations from Gujarat have announced a five-day protest in Gandhinagar to press for their demands for debt waiver, payment of crop insurance, Narmada water allocation and a host of other issues.



"Not only the government of Gujarat is not paying attention, (it) even does not allow us to speak or demonstrate! To obtain permission for any sort of programme is very difficult. In such circumstances, 30-35 leaders of various farmers' organisations met at office of Khedut Samaj a Gujarat and decided to stage a protest from March 12 to March 16," Sagar Rabari, general secretary, Khedut Samaj, said in a statement.

He said that despite repeated written presentations to the government of Gujarat on various issues concerning farmers in the state, including account of Narmada water or of work done on Kalpsar, debt waiver or payments of crop insurance, minimum support price (MSP), different rates of electricity to agriculture connection or free electricity for agriculture use like in other states and cancellation of anti-farmers act/policies of the GOG, it has not taken any action yet.

Among the organisations that are expected to be part of this five-day protest include the Khedut Samaj-Gujarat, Gujarat Kisan Sangathan and the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha.

Various organisations in the state have been seeking farm debt waiver of farmers in the state, that is estimated at Rs 70,000 crore.

The Congress had made farm debt waiver as its electoral issue in the Assembly polls last year, while the ruling BJP was quiet on the issue.

Though it did help the Congress fare better in rural areas, particularly the Saurashtra region, with the BJP coming to power in the state, the farmers are now trying to revive their demand.

The BJP on its part, too, is trying to woo farmers.

In its recent budgetary announcement, the BJP government announced a provision of Rs 500 crore for interest-free farm loans, Rs 1,100 crore for crop insurance, Rs 235 crore for MSP and Rs 2,800 crore for providing drinking water in tribal areas.

Among the other demands include providing for electricity connections for agriculture as well as different electricity rates for agriculture in different regions of the state.

As per the recent information provided by the state government, over 1,07,000 requests for electricity connections to agriculture are pending before the state.

Moreover, the electricity requirement is different in north Gujarat than in south Gujarat.

With the water table deeper in north, more electricity is required by farmers to draw water. The farmers now want cheaper electricity rates for north Gujarat region.Movement of New Forces leader and ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who is not in Ukraine now, has proposed holding a peaceful rally on March 18 across Ukraine to demand Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's resignation and snap elections.

"I propose holding an all-Ukrainian peaceful march demanding the resignation of Poroshenko, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko and snap elections," Saakashvili said Facebook on Saturday, March 3.

As earlier reported, the police on March 3 reportedly seized nine RGD-5 hand grenades, Molotov cocktails, and five smoke bombs during investigative actions in the tent city set outside the building of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.

Ukraine's National Police say more than 100 people were detained for resisting police. Criminal proceedings pursuant to Article 345 (threatening or assault of law-enforcement officers) of Ukraine's Criminal Code have been launched.

"Police investigators are working on criminal cases, which involve attempts to seize the International Center of Culture and Arts (the so-called Zovtnevy Palace), as well as events that transpired on February 27, 2017 near the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine," a police statement said.

Police and protesters on February 27, 2018, tussled near parliament. Protesters threw stun grenades and other objects at the police, and smoke from the melee entered the Rada.

Saakashvili said none of his followers took part in the incident.

As earlier reported, Poroshenko in 2015 signed a decree granting Saakashvili Ukrainian citizenship. In July 2017, Poroshenko issued another decree stripping Saakashvili of Ukrainian citizenship. In September 2017, Saakashvili crossed the Polish border into Ukraine surrounded by his supporters.

On February 12, 2018, Saakashvili was arrested in Kyiv and returned to Poland under the readmission procedure.The BJP sees itself as the fulcrum of the next governments to be formed in Nagaland as well as Meghalaya.



In Nagaland, the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance is set to have comfortable numbers. But sections of the rival Naga Peoples Party (NPP) too are willing to join hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party though not directly with the NDPP. The Congress was unable to win a single seat.

So the power game in Nagaland is essentially between two Naga leaders who led the battle. Both the leaders are allies of the BJP as well as members of the NDA alliance in the North-east.

Neiphiu Rio, who vacated the chief ministerial chair to become a Lok Sabha MP, is the chief ministerial face for the newly-formed NDPP. His successor T R Zeliang, who got himself reinstated in the chief minister's chair, was NPF's face.

It was the bitter rivalry between Zeliang and Rio that led to a split in the NPF, leading to the formation of NDPP. The BJP chose to go with Rio as he was rated as a better leader who could oversee the Naga peace process, which is the most important thing for the state.

If and when a final deal is worked out, the once insurgent Nationalist Social Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is expected to join mainstream politics. This may necessitate fresh elections in the state.

Meghalaya scene

In Meghalaya, the Congress has emerged as the single-largest party after being in power for a decade - but with lesser numbers to form a government on its own. Smaller and independents, numbering 17 in the 60-member House, hold the key. But they may be more inclined to the combine that is at striking distance to power.

The BJP is not mincing words in asserting that the Congress did not get the mandate in Meghalaya. Hence, the party will work for a non-Congress government in Shillong.

A party or an alliance of parties that wants to form government in Meghalaya requires a minimum of 30 seats.

The Congress had no pre-poll arrangement with any party. Neither did the BJP. But the National Peoples Party(NPP) is an NDA ally and a member of the BJP-led alliance in the North-east. NPP chief Conrad Sangma said: "We are hopeful that we will be able to form the government. People are fed up of the corrupt Congress government and are looking for a change."

Both the BJP and the Congress are likely to approach the United Democratic Party (UDP) that has won six seats followed by the People's Democratic Front (PDF) with four and the Hill State People's Democratic Party with two. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement and the Nationalist Congress Party won one seat each. Independent candidates won three seats.For over 40 years, V-Guard has been the other name for electrical stabilisers in India. The company recently unveiled a new brand identity. Evolving with the times, Kerala-based V-Guard Industries has departed on a smart digital journey. However, the Rs 2,150-crore company a while geared with an IoT-driven connected roadmap in hand a wants to make technology relevant and meaningful for consumers.



Mithun Chittilappilly, Managing Director of V-Guard Industries, shares the various changes seen at the company along with its latest strategy and approaches with Hrithik Kiran Bagade of DH in this interaction. Edited excerpts:

How has been your journey over the last 40 years?

When I joined the business in 2006, we were at Rs 200 crore in revenues, of which 50% came from stabilisers. Since then, the broad journey has been two-pronged: One was to develop and grow existing categories. We had a small water heater business a today it's at Rs 300 crore, we had a small pump business a also at Rs 300 crore today. So, one was product diversification. Then we thought, if we could do this in the South, what stops us from doing this in other parts of the country. Today, over 38% of our revenues come from new markets; this year, it will touch almost Rs 900 crore. We have undergone a lot of changes wherever possible. I hired a lot of talent in the last few years. One thing is to grow, and the other is to manage that growth. We've brought functional expertise. It's an ongoing journey.

Internally, what changes have you seen as a company?

Internally, we have significantly changed. The way we do products, our functioning, the way we have consumer insight, and so on. When you become large, you need to put in a lot of processes. We do follow some disciplines for consumer insight and product development. I want to make sure that we have a product road map for each category, and a strategy to win in the marketplace.

You are transitioning into an area where technology is going to drive your products. Being a hardware company, how capable are you on the product software front?

A unique advantage is that we began with the stabiliser. We have a massive electronics research team that keeps developing inverters and stabilisers, which involves microcontrollers, programming, and embedded software. But what more we could do, we thought. The idea came to put some electronics into all of them. We hired a lot of guys from tech companies in India, mostly IoT specialists, and created a new team called 'Smart Products', to work on putting IoT into every category if possible.

As far as embedded software goes, we have people there already. Whenever required, we've even worked with outsiders.

Does this mean you're capable of rolling out product updates and upgrades faster?

Definitely! When we started with water heaters, there were many issues and challenges. But when we started developing the second and third versions, a lot of simplification was achieved. A lot of work is possible, but we don't want to apply technology for the sake of it, but rather make some meaningful impact on the product and the customer. Otherwise, people are going to view it as a gimmick.

How are you finding the right talent in the tech-driven manufacturing sector of today?

As far as talent is concerned in India, there is a trend that even after graduating, certain people aren't immediately employable in few areas. They are very raw. In every facet, when freshers are hired, the company must retrain them. This isn't an issue with only manufacturing. We have a manufacturing excellence team that goes to every plant and imbibes established best practices among the workforce.

Stabilisers and inverters contribute only 30% of your revenues today. It may further dip depending on future technologies coming in. Where do stabilisers stand today, which was your bread and butter for over four decades?

In 2006, stabilisers were 50%, at Rs 100 crore of revenues. Today, we are at Rs 2,000 crore in revenues, with stabilisers at Rs 400 crore, or 20% of revenues. It's not that stabilisers have de-grown, but quadrupled in the last 12 years. But, the company has grown 10-11 times. However, new categories like switch-gears and kitchen appliances will grow at a much faster pace than the company average of 15%.

Every year, little by little, it'll (stabiliser business) automatically come down. We are not dependent on a single category. We've five large categories a fans, water heaters, inverters, stabilisers, wires and pumps a which will be joined by more categories in the next five years.

There are a lot of players already in the smart tech space. How do you see competition?

If you don't have competition, you become complacent. Competition helps us develop and push boundaries. The best thing is that it benefits the consumer, who'll get the best products, the best range and the best prices. Meanwhile, I am not worried about others trying to enter our categories, as we play the long game. We've invested in some categories for over 20 years to mark a serious presence.

What new verticals and product areas do you wish to enter?

In kitchen appliances, we've gotten into three new categories. There is a basket of about 15 new products that we still need to get into. In switch-gears, we are entering modular switches. We will keep getting into allied categories, where we already have equity and channel strength. It's a rolling plan for five years. However, the key is to identify what technology we can bring to the table.Congress President Rahul Gandhi's visit to Italy to "surprise" his nonagenarian grandmother on Saturday became a butt of jokes as the party was wiped out in Tripura and Nagaland and was struggling to form the government in Meghalaya.



Rahul announced his decision on Thursday to visit his "93-year-old nani" over the Holi weekend.

BJP President Amit Shah took a dig at Rahul. "I got a WhatsApp message saying there is an election in Italy," he quipped when asked about the Congress president's visit to meet his grandmother.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh dubbed Rahul a "non-serious leader". "No leader can leave his party workers in difficult times. He is not a natural leader, but a product of circumstances," Singh said.

Congress hits back

"Is it a crime for someone to visit his own grandmother? It has become a profession for him to make unnecessary comments," senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel shot back when asked about Singh's comments.

The Congress, which had won 10 seats and bagged 35% votes in Tripura in 2013 Assembly elections, failed to open its account in the February 18 elections. In terms of percentage, the Congress could barely win 2% votes.

In Nagaland, the party could not find enough candidates to field in the Assembly elections and central leaders too gave it the cold shoulder.

Rahul Gandhi addressed a token rally in Tripura on the last day of campaign on February 16, while he did not bother to visit Nagaland.Buoyed by the stunning victories in the north-east, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took on the Congress, saying his government's action against corrupt was not "vendetta" but "mandate" given by the people.



Modi's veiled comments on the arrest of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti, who cried "political vendetta", were the first from the Prime Minister on the issue.

Addressing party workers at BJP headquarters after an impressive victory in Tripura and Nagaland, he said without referring to Karti's comments, "This is not vendetta. This is mandate of the country (to act against the corrupt)."

Modi, who stopped his speech midway after hearing 'aazaan' from a nearby mosque, did not spare the Congress, saying the Grand Old Party had not been reduced to such ignominy so far. He warned political parties, including the BJP, to ensure that "Congress culture should not seep into" their parties.

"Congress was never as diminished as it is now...There are leaders whose designation rises while their stature shrinks," he said in apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi's elevation as party chief.

Modi was happy with BJP's performance and acknowledged its growth saying, "When sun sets, it is red and when it rises, it is saffron," alluding to the decimation of CPI(M) in Tripura.

The focus of the Prime Minister's speech, as well as that of BJP chief Amit Shah, was also on the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections and the party usurping power in Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha. He repeatedly referred to violence against party workers in these states.

"Opponents cannot counter us because they cannot take us on democratically. That is why they fatally target our workers. Their sacrifices will not go waste," he said.

Left not right

Shah summarised the results from the three north-east states as a booster for its cadres in Karnataka. However, he was quick to add that he would call it a "golden period" for BJP only after its victories in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala. "We will definetely win Karnataka," he added.

Shah, who like Modi arrived in BJP headquarters to sloganeering by jubilant crowds, said his party's performance in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland was an endorsement of the policies formulated by the Modi regime for the region. "Tripura victory is historic. It shows Left is not right in anyway and they have been discarded by people, first in Bengal and now in Tripura," he added.Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is keen to host Chinese President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang in India this year to bring troubled ties back on track.



New Delhi and Beijing are in touch to schedule a visit by any of the two leaders to India. They have already lined up several mid-level engagements in the coming months but the Modi dispensation is keen on a high-level visit from China to put the proverbial cherry on the cake, sources told DH.

It is precisely because India is expecting several mid- and high-level visits from China in the coming months that the government recently issued an advisory asking the senior leaders and officials in the states and at the Centre to stay away from Dalai Lama's events a ostensibly to avoid hurting the sensitivity of the communist country.

Li visited New Delhi in May 2013 and Xi in September 2014.

New Delhi conveyed to Beijing that a high-level visit from China to India would add impetus to the efforts to mend fences and ease strains in bilateral relations.

The face-off between the Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army in Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan from June 18 to August 28 brought bilateral relations to a new low in 2017.

Modi visited China thrice since taking over office in May 2014. He is likely to go on his fourth in June, in order to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's summit at Qingdao on the east coast of China. This will give him another opportunity for a bilateral meeting with the Chinese President. The two leaders will also have opportunities to meet on the sidelines of other multilateral events, which would be held in the third countries, like the G-20 summit in Argentina and the BRICS summit in South Africa, in the coming months.

Govt advisory

The government recently issued an advisory asking senior leaders and officials to avoid participating in a "Thank You India" event being held by the Tibetan Government in Exile this month-end and early next month to mark the 60th anniversary of Dalai Lama's escape to India in the wake of Chinese People's Liberation Army occupying Tibet in 1959.

China calls Dalai Lama a "splittist" and has been very sensitive about his stay in India and his visits in the country and abroad. Beijing had in November 2011 postponed a visit of the then State Councillor of China, Dai Bingguo, to New Delhi, as Dalai Lama had also been attending a Global Buddhist Convention in the capital city around the same time.

Beijing has also been complaining about Dalai Lama's visits to Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, which lie close to disputed China-India boundary.The leader of Opposition in Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa has expressed his displeasure over the announcement of candidates for some constituencies by state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa.



Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, he said Yeddyurappa's announcement of candidates for some segments is not valid as the survey is still in progress. Even BJP president Amit Shah has made it clear during a press meet held in Kalaburagi on February 26.

The party high command will release the list of 224 candidates. He also made it clear that the party has not finalised the candidate for Shivamogga urban constituency. "But Yeddyurappa continues to announce candidates. Mediapersons should ask him the reason." He said the party is organising convention of backward classes on March 10 at Kudalasangama, Bagalkot, and at Kaginele in Haveri on March 25.Following directions from the state government, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday registered a case against retired Director General of Police H N Sathyanarayana Rao in connection with bribery charge made against him when he was the DGP (Prisons).



The decision follows the recommendations by retired IAS officer Vinay Kumar, who inquired into irregularities in the Prison department, that further inquiry needs to be conducted into charges of corruption in Bengaluru Central Prisons at Parappana Agrahara over providing special treatment to the jailed AIADMK leader V K Sasikala.

The government on March 1 accepted Kumar's recommendations and ordered further inquiry by the ACB.

Following this, the ACB on Saturday registered a complaint against Rao under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, said a release issued by the ACB. The then DIGP (Prisons) D Roopa had in her report to the state government expressed suspicion that Rs 2 crore was paid by Sasikala to get VVIP treatment at the jail.Farmak JSC jointly with the All-Ukrainian Youth Movement Lets do it, Ukraine has launched a long-term environmental project ECO-SCHOOL, within the framework of which there will be a mini-grants ecological contest. The best projects aimed at tackling environmental problems of a particular school will be implemented with resources support of Farmak JSC.

A pilot project starts in 2018 in the town of Shostka and will run for 8 months. 11 town schools will take part in the pilot project. School ECOteams will attend unique trainings where they will learn the fundamentals of environmental thinking and way of life, how to preserve the planet and natural resources, how to prepare an eco-project for their school and thus contribute to keeping the Earth balance.

Olena Zubareva, Head of PR Department, Farmak: It is hard to improve peoples quality of life without efficient use of natural resources, environmental culture and awareness, and we regard the quality as a matter of our priority. We decided to implement the pilot project ECO-SCHOOL in Shostka where Farmaks API production facilities are located, to raise eco-awareness of schoolchildren and involve them in the process of conservation of environmental resources, to demonstrate how basic rules can change the ecosystem of a school, town and country. The schoolchildren will become ambassadors of new environmental culture in Ukraine and transfer such culture into their life and the life of their families. We believe that such projects implemented by the business with the aid of government and public organizations will bring our country to a new level of development. We build Europe in our country, for our people, and it starts with ourselves, with our children.

The project speakers  the countrys leading youth leaders: Julia Markhel, the Cabinet of Ministers Prize Winner for Special Achievements of the Youth in Development of Ukraine, ambassador of the international organization Lets Do It! World, coordinator of the annual campaign Lets Make Ukraine Clean Together!; Lyudmyla Osypchuk, President of the All-Ukrainian Youth Movement Lets do it, Ukraine, coordinator of the All-Ukrainian Environmental Festival CHYSTOFEST; Artur Malinovskyi, the World Cleanup Day action coordinator in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Leadership Academy graduate.

Julia Markhel, ambassador of the international movement Lets Do It! World: Every year we together with the Ukrainians form the national standard of cleanliness, proper waste handling and environmental friendliness. Millions of people all over the world cooperate and encourage the global population by own example to conserve the natural resources. Lets Do It! is a social and ecological movement uniting and covering all the spheres of the planet eco-responsible life. The ECO-SCHOOL project feature is that theoretical course is only 10%, and 90% are dedicated to practice. Well change the ecological future of our country together.

ECO-SCHOOL project includes 3 stages:

1st stage - training. Activists from 12 schools (8-11 grade pupils) will undergo training within three months. During this time the teenagers will improve their ecological knowledge, learn how to conserve the Earth resources and attend plants that operate with observation of ecological standards and regulations to ensure environmentally friendly production.

2nd stage - practice. Schoolchildren will present projects on resource conservation for their schools. The best of them will be awarded mini-grants from Farmak and maximum organizational support from all co-organizers.

3rd stage - implementation. Winning projects will be implemented before the beginning of the school year. On completion of this stage, the organizers will study and evaluate the result and promote further sharing of positive experience at other schools.Having unsuccessfully tried to persuade the Congress to support its candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls from the state, the JD(S) has now resorted to arm-twisting tactics.



The JD(S) on Saturday threatened to withdraw its support to the Congress in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Council if the ruling party fails to drop its plan to field a third candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections.

The Congress is planning to win three of the four Rajya Sabha seats from the state, for which elections are scheduled to be held on March 23.

With the last date for filing nominations nearing (March 12), the JD(S), which is keen on fielding a candidate, is getting quite desperate.

JD(S) spokesperson and MLC T A Sharavana told DH that his party was merely exercising its "right" in placing such a demand.

"When the Congress demanded that we extend support to it in the BBMP, the JD(S) conceded. Now, we are demanding that the Congress does not field its third candidate," added Sharavana.

The JD(S), with its 14 corporators has extended support to the Congress for three years in the BBMP. The BBMP Council has two more years left.

The JD(S) is planning to field businessman B M Farooq, who has already had the misfortune of facing an embarrassing defeat in the 2016 Rajya Sabha polls.

Sharavana said that the JD(S) would wait for the Congress to respond to its demand till March 10. The JD(S) leadership has entrusted its Rajya Sabha MP Kupendra Reddy to hold negotiations with the Congress. "I will be going to New Delhi after March 5 for Parliament session. I will try and meet the AICC general secretaries, including K C Venugopal. The JD(S) is hopeful of a positive outcome," Reddy told DH.

In the 225-member Assembly, the Congress has 122 MLAs on its side, while the BJP has 43. Though the JD(S) has 37 MLAs, 7 of its rebel MLAs have pledged support to the Congress. A candidate requires approximately 45 votes to win the election, and the Congress is hoping to win the third seat with the help of the seven JD(S) rebels and some Independent legislators.The government has lied in the process to protect and reinstate a dismissed government official on charges of graft.



The government reinstated Archaeological Conservation Engineer, S M Poojari who was acquitted in a disproportionate assets case by the High Court. The government order, dated January 27, 2018, stated the Lokayukta police have decided not to file a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, challenging the HC order. In fact, the government had refused the proposal to file SLP.

The Lokayukta court in Mysuru had sentenced Poojari to RI to three years and slapped a fine of Rs 65.88 lakh in the disproportionate assets case. The Lokayukta police case was that Poojari, who was then an assistant conservation officer at the directorate of archaeology and museums in Mysuru, possessed DA estimated at 190%.

On his criminal appeal, High Court judge Justice Anand Byrareddy set aside the order in March 2017. The Special Public Prosecutor for Lokayukta police submitted a report recommending an appeal challenging the high court order. A letter was dispatched to the government on June 1, 2017, to accord permission for an appeal.

After four months, the government replied not prefering an appeal.

"We are not aware if the government in its order reinstating the officer has stated as Lokayukta police has not preferred an appeal. Apart from the DA case, the officer faced charges of irregularities in the restoration work of Shivappa Nayaka Palace in Shivamogga and Sooralu Palace in Udupi district,'' an official said.

Upalokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi had recommended the state government to relieve Poojari and four other officials on compulsory retirement.

An official said that the order of the Upalokayukta was challenged before Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) and it was stayed.Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh made the remarks while addressing a Lunar New Year meeting held by the US-Asia Institute (USAI) in Washington, DC on March 2.

The diplomat welcomed the important contributions that the USAI has made and hoped that the institute would strengthen its coordination with Asian and ASEAN embassies in the US to promote the Asia-US partnership.

The USAI was established in 1979 with a view to fostering the USs rapport with the Asian-Pacific region at governmental, parliamentary, and people-to-people levels.

Earlier the same day, Ambassador Vinh hosted a reception for Kelly McKeague, Director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) under the US Department of Defense, whose mission is to recover missing personnel listed as Prisoners of War (POW), or Missing in Action (MIA).

The two sides spoke highly of the development momentum between Vietnam and the US, including their cooperation in humanitarian aid and addressing war consequences, such as disarming unexploded bombs and mines left over from war, Agent Orange/Dioxin remediation, and the search for the remains of US servicemen missing in action during the war in Vietnam.

McKeague thanked the Vietnamese government and people for supporting their humanitarian assistance activities and said he is scheduled to visit Vietnam this month in order to promote their mutual trust and bilateral collaboration in the field.With the message Go More Green, the campaign seeks to encourage businesses and society as a whole to take part in activities that save energy, protect the environment and respond to climate change.

Lights are expected to go off in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and other cities for one hour from 8h30-9h30pm on March 24.

Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, an MOIT official, said that everyone can join the Earth Hour by switching off their unnecessary lighting and other electrical devices during the 60 minutes.

She added that the campaign is not only about the amount of energy saved during the hour but is also significant in raising the awareness of each citizen and the whole of society about environmental protection and climate change issues.

Vietnam has participated in Earth Hour, a movement organised by the World Wildlife Fund, since 2009. Last year, Earth Hour saved Vietnam 471,000 kilowatt hours.Wang Yang (right), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee who will preside over the first session of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, shakes hands in Beijing on Friday with Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee. [Photo/China Daily by Zou Hong]

Double standards and Cold War-era thinking are behind the recent voices alleging that China is boosting its publicity worldwide in order to impose "sharp power" on others, a spokesman for China's top political advisory body said.

Western countries that do likewise have been described as showcasing soft power or smart power, but China has been accused of having an ulterior motive or showing "sharp power", said Wang Guoqing, spokesman for the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He made the remarks at a news conference on Friday in Beijing when asked about the accusations.

Such allegations are full of prejudice, discrimination and hostility, and they are the latest version of views hyping China's threat, the spokesman added.

"It is not the first time, and I think it will not be the last time, that a new term is created to tarnish China's image," Wang said.

Wang Guoqing, spokesman for China's top political advisory body, addresses a news conference ahead of the CPPCC annual session in Beijing on Friday. [Photo/China Daily by Zou Hong]

As China's overall strength is on the rise, it has stepped up its publicity overseas in order to present its image and help the international community get to know China in a timely and accurate way, Wang said.

When asked about recent comments made by US officials about Washington's regret on allowing China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, Wang said that "a major country should honor its commitments".

The spokesman said that after entering the WTO, China has seriously fulfilled its commitments regarding tariff and market opening, opposing protectionism and promoting fair competition.

Wang also said many members of the WTO have been worried by the unilateralist words and actions of the US, and both China and the US should defend the authority of the WTO rules.

Speaking on China-Japan ties, Wang said Beijing and Tokyo should accumulate positive factors, put the bilateral ties back on a track of normal development at an early date, and create a proper atmosphere for high-level exchanges.

Recently, Japan has sent some positive signs regarding its relationship with China, and China-Japan ties have showcased some promising signals, he said.

The root cause behind the ties' repeated ups and downs is the fact that the Japanese government has repeatedly betrayed commitments it made regarding issues of history and the fact that some Japanese politicians consider China to be Japan's strategic rival, Wang said.

Agenda

Saturday

3 pm: The first plenary session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, the top political advisory body, opens. Chairman Yu Zhengsheng will deliver a work report.Villagers perform dragon lantern dance at the Lantern Festival in Ruokeng Village of Pan'an County, east China's Zhejiang Province, March 2, 2018. The performance of the about 100-meter-long dragon lantern, which is connected by bench-like board, is a traditional way for local people to celebrate the Lantern Festival. (Xinhua/Kong Debin)Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5)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...To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.

By New Yorker , M arch 02, 2018





Last month, the former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met privately with Irans foreign minister, Javad Zarif, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a global gathering of foreign-policy glitterati. The diplomatic odd couple once met openly and oftenmore with each other than with any other foreign leadersduring two years of feisty negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal. No longer. The meeting in Munich, attended by others involved in the accord, might have produced backlash in both Washington and Tehran. Kerry quietly urged the Iranians not to abandon the deal or violate its termswhatever the Trump Administration does.

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Xi's new book popular at press center for China's two sessions

BEIJING, March 2 -- The second volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has been popular at a press center for China's two sessions.

"The books have been taken away from the table very quickly," said an official with the press center, adding that a total of 600 copies were prepared, including 400 in Chinese and 200 in English.

Clifford Coonan, China Bureau Chief of the Irish Times, said he is very interested in the book.

"The world is looking for information and insight into what Xi Jinping thinks and how he sees China going forward," said Coonan.

"I've read sections of the first book trying to gain insight into what direction China is taking," he said.

The second volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" contains 99 of Xi's speeches, conversations, instructions and letters, as well as 29 photos of the Chinese leader from Aug. 18, 2014 to Sept. 29, 2017.

Chinese and English versions of the book hit the market on Nov. 7, 2017.

The first book was published in September 2014, and about 6.6 million copies have been printed worldwide in 24 languages.

Last year, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) wrote Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the Party Constitution.

The annual sessions of the national legislature and top political advisory body this year are expected to discuss the implementation of Xi Jinping's thought and the spirit of the Party Congress.

More than 3,000 reporters have registered to cover the events, including more than 1,000 from overseas, according to a statement from the press center.BEIJING, March 2 -- The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) declared Friday that it would start to make preparations for a new flagship X-ray space observatory for the research of black holes, neutron stars and quark stars.

The enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) satellite, a successor to the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) launched in mid June last year, is expected to bring China to a leading level in the world's X-ray astronomy between 2025 to 2035, said Zhang Shuangnan, principal investigator of eXTP from the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP).

HXMT, China's first X-ray space telescope with a broad energy band from 1 to 250 keV, can help scientists better understand the evolution of black holes, and the strong magnetic fields and the interiors of pulsars.

"Since we have developed excellent technology and talent in X-ray astronomy, it's highly possible that we can take a leading role in this field if we keep pursuing it with more advanced detection instruments," Zhang said.

According to the astrophysicist, the new X-ray space observatory, designed to consist of a large-area spectroscopic focusing array, a large-area collimator array, a sensitive polarimetry focusing array and a wide field monitor, is expected to have a much better comprehensive performance than previous X-ray astronomic satellites.

"It will have obvious strengths in studying various high-energy celestial bodies, and detecting gamma-ray bursts and electromagnetic signals corresponding to the gravitational waves," Zhang said.

"Its observation will help test general relativity under extreme gravity, quantum electrodynamics under extreme magnetic fields as well as quantum chromodynamics under extreme density," he said.

"The research will eventually contribute to the solving of major scientific questions such as what happens around black holes? What do quantum fluctuations in vacuum state generate? And, what is the state of matter inside neutron stars?" he added.

The IHEP first put forward the concept of an X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (XTP) satellite in 2007. It was later evolved to the eXTP after combining the Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT) project proposed to the European Space Agency.

Open for cooperation, the eXTP has attracted more than 100 research institutions from over 20 countries and regions, including Italy, Germany, Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

"It is hoped to be the largest international astronomical satellite project initiated and led by China," Zhang said.

"The eXTP is expected to be a flagship mission for astronomy in the decades to come," said Andrea Santangelo, international coordinator of the eXTP mission from Germany. "It will unveil the interactions of matter in the ultra dense conditions expected in the core of the neutron stars, or will let us understand the properties of space time in the strong gravity regions around black holes. It will possibly tell us if Einstein's theory is still correct in extreme conditions of gravity."Here are the winners! Here are the winners!

Thousands of people entered our big summer competition from 1 July to 31 August this year. Were you one of the winners? Find out below! Thousands of people entered our big...Egypt condemned in the strongest terms twin attacks that targeted Friday the French embassy and army headquarters in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, killing at least 35 people.

In an official statement Saturday, Egypts foreign ministry expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims, hoping also for the speedy recovery to the injured, who are estimated to be 90 people.

The statement affirmed Egypts support for the peoples and governments of both Burkina Faso and France in combating the terrorism phenomena.

Egypt supports the efforts of France and Sahel states in facing this phenomena that attacks security and stability worldwide, the statement added.

On Friday, a number of attackers executed a coordinated attack on the army headquarters and French embassy, which Frances foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said was likely carried out by terrorist groups.

Friday's attack was the third major assault in Ouagadougou in just over two years.

There was no immediate claim by any group; however West Africas Sahel region has been witnessing a spike in violence by militant groups, some with ties to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State groups.

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Now that Khloe Kardashian is eight months pregnant, there's only a few weeks left until she will give birth.

The Good American designer has continued to keep her fans abreast with all of the happenings in her pregnancy, but she has managed to keep one major detail a secret: the gender of her baby.

But the wait will soon be finally over.

On the upcoming episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the gender of Khloe's first child will be finally revealed. Though fans are anxiously awaiting the big news, the pivotal moment has just become more special as BuzzFeed confirmed that her little sister, Kylie Jenner, would be the one to unveil the gender to Khloe, not her doctor.

In the last episode, titled "Trimester Trouble," Khloe visits her doctor and tells her that Kylie asked if she could be the first phone call when the doctor finds out the gender of her baby.

"I want to know why she wants to know so badly," Khloe said in the episode.

The doctor then tells Khloe that if given permission to call Kylie first, she will. Well, it seems that Khloe did.

In the teaser for the upcoming episode on Sunday, the 33-year-old asks her sisters Kim and Kourtney Kardashian if they want to know what she's having.

Kourtney then immediately responds, "I'm shocked."

Khloe's Pregnancy Reveal

As previously reported, after rumors surfaced in September 2017 that she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, Khloe waited until December 2017 to confirm the news.

In an interview with Lorraine, the first time-mom explained that she believed it wasn't safe to say anything at first.

"Honestly, at first it's not safe to say anything and the doctor was like, 'I would just want to wait, for you.' So I was listening to doctor's orders," Khloe stated.

After getting the green light from her doctor, the reality star took to Instagram to share the news with her followers. Khloe posted a black and white photo of her and Thompson's hands around her growing belly.

"My greatest dream realized! We are having a baby! I had been waiting and wondering but God had a plan all along," Khloe wrote.

Khloe's Baby Bump

After her pregnancy announcement, Khloe has continued to share photos of her baby bump.

On Friday, March 2, she shared a collage of photos on her Instagram. In the photos, the reality star could be seen wearing a blue midi dress with a cheetah coat and blue sneakers.

Is this official hint that she's having a boy?

Fans will just have to watch as Kylie reveals the news on Sunday's new episode.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians will air on Sunday, March 4, at 9 p.m.Rapper Rick Ross was reportedly taken to the hospital after being found unresponsive in his Miami home in the wee hours on Thursday.

Emergency response teams rushed to the house of the 42-year-old after a 911 caller revealed the man to be "unresponsive," breathing heavily, and "slobbing out the mouth." Ross had long been known to have seizure attacks, and the caller immediately told the line about this.

Once the team got to the house to respond to the emergency, Ross allegedly became "combative," prompting the attending staff to call for the police.

Pneumonia?

Ross is reportedly getting treatment for pneumonia, while another one close to him said the recent emergency was connected with a heart issue. An insider said the rapper was requested for a gig on Thursday night but that his agent said he was in the hospital. Contrary to this, Ross's kin denied that he was taken to a hospital.

Meanwhile, sources told TMZ that machines had been helping Ross's heart and lungs. After being checked in the cardiac unit of a nearby hospital, the rapper was presumed to have suffered a cardiac arrest.

Moreover, a machine called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was used for the rapper, and the University of California San Francisco explained that the machine basically does the job of the patient's lungs and heart. With this said, Ross might be in a serious condition.

Seizure History

Meanwhile, the public already got a wind of the previous seizure attacks of Ross. In 2011, he suffered seizures in a flight, which, he said, was because of lack of sleep. The scary event had prompted him to have a lifestyle change.

As a result of the drastic adjustments, he trimmed down from 350 pounds, with Da Boss looking slimmer than ever. In an interview with Men's Health magazine, Ross detailed the changes he made to start saving his health, including working out and cutting on food.

"I'm happy. I'm still losing weight, and now I'm starting to build hard muscle in places," Ross said.

He seemed to have strengthen his commitment to living a healthy lifestyle, with Ross saying to People last year that he enjoyed doing the things that had led to his better self.

"I've just really been eating a lot better, working out, staying RossFit, and still enjoying myself," he said.

Meanwhile, friends and colleagues of Ross took to social media to extend their prayers for the rapper. Public persona Karen Civil shared a photo of him via Twitter and wished he would recover soon. Chad Johnson, meanwhile, offered prayers for him.Soon-to-be royal Meghan Markle books her biggest appearance with Queen Elizabeth yet, with her attendance at the Commonwealth Service in Westminster Abbey on March 12.

Markle will be part of the royal congregation at the special church service, the palace announced on Friday, March 2.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle, The Duke of York, The Princess Royal, The Countess of Wessex, The Duchess of Gloucester & Princess Alexandra are all due to attend alongside Her Majesty.  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 2, 2018

Commonwealth Day Festivities

The Commonwealth Day celebration is the bride-to-be's first official event alongside the Queen. Among the other royal families attendees are her future father-in-law Prince Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.

The Duke of Edinburgh is not planning to attend the service, having retired from public duties in 2017.

According to People, Markle will join Harry, William, and Kate in the square at the rear of the Abbey to meet and spend some time with the school children. After, the foursome will attend the event's reception together.

The event will also feature a performance by Liam Payne, former One Direction member as well as a reflection by renowned eye surgeon Dr. Andrew Bastawrous who created a way to use the smartphone as an examination device that can help prevent blindness in developing communities.

The Queen is recognized as the head of the Commonwealth, which includes 53 countries and over 2 billion citizens. The service held at the Westminster Abbey is known as the biggest inter-faith gathering held annually in the United Kingdom.

With the wedding day on May 19 getting closer and closer, the bride-to-be is being seamlessly integrated into the family. Many believe that Prince Harry and Markle will play a big role in a Commonwealth organization after the actress highlighted their commitment in several interviews and events following their engagement.

The Public Gets A Royal Invitation

It's arguably the most coveted wedding invitation of the year and while the VIPs will be arriving in hordes, the prince and his bride are also welcoming a larger audience to their big day.

The Kensington Palace released a statement saying the couple is inviting members of the public to their nuptials. A report from ABC noted that on top of the 800 private guests who will be inside St. George's Chapel for the ceremony, 2,640 people from all walks of life will be watching from the grounds of Windsor Castle.

"Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle have said they want their wedding day to be shaped so as to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too," the Kensington Palace says in an official statement on Twitter.

Among the public delegation are 1,200 nominees by regional Lord Lieutenant offices, 200 charity representatives, 100 local students, 610 Windsor Castle community members and residents, and 530 members of the royal households.Brad Pitt has been shying away from the public eye since his divorce with Angelina Jolie. This was until he attends the star-studded Gersh Oscar Party on Thursday.

Pitt has been hiding from public appearances but on Thursday night, the 54-year-old surprised everyone when he went to the pre-Oscars event at Chateau Marmont with his manager, Cynthia Pett-Dante. The World War Z actor was noticeably in a lighter mood at the event attended by A-listers and Hollywood's who's who.

An insider present at the event observed Pitt remained "low-key, but in a good way." Surfacing photographs showed the Fight Club star gamely smiling for the camera, at least for 30 minutes he was there.

"He was in a happy mood. He did not stay long, but while inside he spent time speaking with friends," the source narrated.

Pitt, who was sporting a salt and pepper beard, and clad with a black jacket, scarf, and hat, instantly became the topic of celebrity attendees. Another source revealed that he was socializing, casually engaging in talks. Some of the celebrities present at the event were Angela Bassett, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Olsen, Joe Keery, and Richard Jenkins.

But an E! source explained Pitt was there to extend his congratulations to Jenkins and Sam Rockwell for their nominations for best supporting role. The 70-year-old actor and Pitt worked together in the films Killing Them Softly and Burn After Reading. The Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri actor also got to work with Pitt in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

Rekindling Romance?

This was Pitt's first appearance since news broke out that his ex, Jennifer Aniston, and husband Justin Theroux called it quits after two years of being married. Fans of the former couple were quick to again ship the two as now they're both free of commitment.

But a source denounced this, saying albeit the two had kept their communication open, they have just stayed friends. The insider added that Pitt and Aniston had been in touch since 2005.

Additionally, Pitt's public appearance came just as it was announced he and Leonardo DiCaprio, known Hollywood stalwarts, were tapped for Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, slated for an Aug. 9, 2019 premiere.

Meanwhile, for those living under the rock, Pitt's appearance is a shocker primarily because he had been avoiding the spotlight since his split with Jolie in September 2016. The power couple met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, released in 2005, where they were paired opposite each other.

Jolie and Pitt share six children, Maddox, 16; Pax, 14; Zahara, 12; Shiloh, 11; and Knox and Vivienne, 9.Armie Hammer's wife, Elizabeth Chambers, is suing someone who allegedly used her name to score an invite to the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

The Vanity Fair gala is considered the biggest and most star-studded bash of the Academy Awards.

Chambers Lawsuit

TMZ obtained the documents that revealed the 35-year-old actress is claiming that Diana Roque Ellis reached out to Vanity Fair in an email with her name in an attempt to secure an invitation.

Ellis allegedly pretended that the sender was Chambers herself, asking the party planners if it would be possible for them to provide another invitation for the Hammer couple. When asked for the name of their additional guest, the sender responded with Ellis's name.

To make the request appear more authentic, Chambers said that Ellis used her family's home address.

Apparently, the Vanity Fair team became suspicious after they were informed in the email that Ellis will be arriving to the party separately. The sender also asked for the invite to be sent to her directly.

Chambers is asking for damages over misappropriation of her name as well as an injunction that prevents Ellis from using her name again.

Chambers On The Oscars

While the lawsuit may be new to Chambers, the occasional actress is used to the awards show chaos. She may spend a lot of time running her Texas-based Bird Bakery business, but every year, she's beside Hammer for the Vanity Fair party, and the couple went to the awards show when he first broke into the scene for The Social Network.

This year, Hammer stars alongside Timothee Chalamet in Best Picture nominee Call Me by Your Name. For her part, Chambers reveals she's just ready to be her husband's arm-candy during the weekend.

"There are so many festivities all week and weekend," Chambers says about the Oscars in an interview with W Magazine. "It's so much fun seeing friends out, and everyone has this festive spirit. It's truly a weekend of celebration. I love films. I've seen all of the contenders."

Directed by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name took the industry by storm and is killing the awards circuit. Not only has the movie snagged a nomination for Best Picture, but 22-year-old Chalamet also gets to mark his first Oscar outing with a nomination for Best Actor. Call Me by Your Name is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Song.Kevin McKidd has two big reasons to celebrate  he is now a happily married man after tying the knot with his girlfriend Arielle Goldrath. He is also expecting a baby.

Big Announcement

McKidd shared the "Very Happy, Very Big News" on his website on Friday. He confirmed that he has married Goldrath and revealed the addition to the family.

"Arielle and I are so happy to announce our marriage and new baby, who is soon to join our growing family," McKidd wrote.

The Grey's Anatomy star also talked about his children's joy at the big news. McKidd shares 15-year-old daughter Iona and 17-year-old son Joseph with ex-wife Jane Parker.

"My kids are happy for us too and are looking forward to the arrival of their newest sibling!" he added.

McKidd married Goldrath in an intimate wedding ceremony attended by close friends and family. The actor's Grey's Anatomy family were at the nuptials too. McKidd said the ceremony was a low-key gathering that ended in a Scottish Ceilidh dance.

The actor honored his native Scotland by wearing a traditional green kilt from designer boutique 21st Century Kilts to the wedding. Meanwhile, Goldrath wore a long-sleeved, floor-length lace bridal grown. A photo from the ceremony shared on the actor's website shows the newlyweds hand in hand as they happily walk down the aisle amid the cheers from the guests.

The 44-year-old Scottish television and film actor married Goldrath, a private chef, earlier this year. The wedding took place at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. Rabbi Emma Lutz officiated the ceremony.

Married Life

McKidd was previously married to Parker for 17 years. They divorced in December 2016. The exes share joint legal custody of their two kids.

McKidd shares a similar story with his on-screen character from Grey's Anatomy, where he plays trauma surgeon Dr. Owen Hunt. The Trainspotting actor joined the series in its fifth season as a love interest for Sandra Oh's character named Christina Yang. The characters married but eventually divorced before Oh left the series. Hunt later remarried after he found his second love in Amelia Shephard, played by Caterina Scorsone.

McKidd has yet to reveal the gender of his baby with his new wife, Goldrath. Regardless, the actor is genuinely happy and looking forward to what the year will bring to his family.

"There's much to be grateful for and we're thrilled for the adventures 2018 will bring us all!" McKidd concluded his announcement.Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster are replacing Casey Affleck to present the Best Actress award at the 90th Oscars in Dolby Theater, Los Angeles, California.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been notified that Affleck, who won the Best Actor award in 2017 for Manchester by the Sea, is not attending the red carpet event.

Missing In Action

Affleck's absence in the Academy Awards is in effect of the scandal surrounding his recognition by the guild following sexual misconduct cases. Two women, who worked with the actor in the film I'm Still Here, filed separate sexual harassment lawsuits in 2010.

The 42-year-old The Kennedys of Massachusetts star has since maintained his innocence, and the cases were eventually settled out of court.

Meanwhile, Jane Fonda (Monster in Law, 2005) and Helen Mirren (The Queen, 2006) will also present the Best Actress Award instead of Emma Stone.

Lawrence won the Best Actress award in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook, while Jodie Foster has won a back-to-back Best Actress recognition for The Accused in 1988 and The Silence of the Lambs in 1991.

Disgusting Culture

Timothy Affleck, father of brothers Ben and Casey, associated the culture in Hollywood to his sons' personal troubles.

In a magazine interview, the 74-year-old head of the family called Hollywood a "disgusting place," which has contributed to Ben's drinking problems.

"It has taken a toll on both of my sons. Hollywood is a disgusting place. I think that's been a major factor in Ben's drinking," Timothy said.

The Scotland-born father also said that Ben's celebrity status has cost his son his marriage. The award-winning actor divorced his ex-wife Jennifer Garner in 2015. When asked about the family's sexual harassment scandal, Timothy dismissed the allegations against his sons.

"It doesn't interest me. They know what they're doing. They're both kind and good men. They treat women well, I can guarantee that. After 40 odd years, you know your kids," Timothy said.

Aside from Casey, Ben was accused of sexual misconduct, which he later said he does not recall happening. Hilarie Burton claimed that Ben groped her while doing a hosting stint for MTV's TRL in 2003.

The Nominees

Nominees for the Best Actress category are Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), and Meryl Streep (The Post).

The Best Actor recognition may be awarded to any one of the following candidates: Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), and Denzel Washington (Roman J. Israel, Esq.)

The Oscars 2018 will air on Sunday, March 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern or 5 p.m. Pacific on ABC. The awards night will be hosted by actor-comedian Jimmy Kimmel.Sudan will send its ambassador back to neighbouring Egypt on Monday, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said, two months after withdrawing him amid heightened tensions.

Khartoum has not explained why it recalled Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim early in January.

But disputes over the ownership of the Halayeb Triangle border area and Egyptian suspicion of a Sudan-Turkey naval agreement have strained ties.

"Relations between our people and our countries are historic and maintaining them is a responsibility. Setting them on the right path is a duty," Ghandour told Reuters on Saturday.

A committee including the foreign ministers and heads of intelligence from both countries met in Cairo last month in an attempt to cool tensions.

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The US and Indias long-term plan seems to be unrestrained control over the Indian Ocean.

Looking at the ongoing political crisis in the Maldives, now almost a month old, one would have to be utterly politically naive to believe that India and the United States (US) are concerned about the democratic rights of the Maldivian people. It just happens that this Indian Ocean archipelago happens to be close to the shipping lanes through which a large part of the oil destined for the Indian, Japanese, Chinese and other East and South-eastern Asian economies passes, as also much of the manufactured goods exports of these economies make their way via these sea lanes to West Asia, Africa, and Europe. Moreover, contrary to what New Delhi and Washington wantedand India considers Maldives as part of its backyardMale decided to participate in Chinas One Belt, One Road infrastructure project, and has also entered into a free trade agreement with China.

On 5 February, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency suspending democratic rights in the archipelago and also arrested two Supreme Court judges who had on 1 February ordered the release of opposition members of Parliament, including former President Mohamed Nasheed and other prominent opposition figures. The very next day, Nasheed, in exile in Sri Lanka, issued a provocative statement calling upon India to militarily intervene, and asking India and the US to remove Yameen from office. The Supreme Courts order must have come as a shock to Yameen, for it came all of a sudden when Yameen seemed to have been assured of the Courts backing. But, of course, there must have been intense pressure on the judges what with India, the US, and the European Union backing the political opposition. With the defectors from his party exonerated by the Court, Yameens government would have fallen for failure to obtain a majority, and Nasheed would have been back as one of the main candidates in the presidential election later this year. So Yameen cracked down with the state of emergency and got the remaining Supreme Court judges to reverse the earlier order.We continue to delude ourselves that we will survive the water crisis.

Day Zero, a day without water, is imminent. This is not some distant dystopian scenario. According to recent surveys, such a day is an eventuality in Cape Town, South Africa and a very real possibility facing at least one major city in IndiaBengaluru. Cape Town has succeeded in postponing Day Zero from April to July this year by strict water conservation such as limiting per person water consumption to 50 litres per day. If the rains expected in May are insufficient, residents of Cape Town might have to line up at public standposts to collect water. No such constraints have been placed on the residents of Bengaluru yet or on other Indian cities facing a similar prospect. There lies the crucial difference between a realistic approach to the water crisis and our own self-deluding attitude towards a vital resource that is fast depleting due to a variety of factors, including profligate and unsustainable consumption.

The Cape Town crisis should be a wake-up call to India about the existing and future water emergency that many parts of the country do and will face. It should also remind us that the way a public resource is consumed exposes the essential inequity in our societies. As in Cape Town, only the poor in Indian cities are faced with a constant Day Zero as they spend hours every day waiting for water, paying for water, and finding ways to stretch the minimal quantity that they somehow get. For the rich, water flows out of taps, is pumped up to overhead tanks, and is available to use and waste. The price they pay is not an adequate deterrent to save. And the sense of entitlement that an inherently unequal society gives them ensures that their consciences are inured to any sense of guilt that they are over-consuming a precious resource.The Gruver Fire Department visited the Emmet County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to request Local Option Sales & Services Tax (LOSST) funds from the county

The department purchased a new truck in 2017, and requested $10,645 in new equipment for the field truck.

The Gruver Fire District covers Ellsworth, Lincoln and Center township splus most of Swan Lake and part of Jack Creek, and the cities of Gruver and Dolliver.

The supervisors granted the request.

In other business, the supervisors discussed the joint drainage district with the supervisors of Dickinson and Clay counties, and continued the discussion to the March 13 meeting.

The supervisors also approved the reappointment of Larry Kelly to the Emmet County Zoning Board of Adjustment for a five year term ending March 15, 2023, and heard the annual report from John Torbert of the Iowa Drainage District Association.

The next meeting of the Emmet County Board of Supervisors will be Tuesday, March 6 at 9 a.m. in the board room of the Emmet County Courthouse.Judy Hoffman of Estherville recently was honored with The Artillery Order of Molly Pitcher. The certificate states:

Be it remembered: That the hereinafter mentioned individual has distinguished herself through faithful and devoted service to the Field Artillery Community and

Be it known: By all ye Field Artillerymen who may be honored for her presents that Mrs. Judi Hoffman has been faithful to the Artillery. Offering courage and patience and help in the best traditions of the military services, she has been found worthy to be numbered as a deserving member of this traditional sisterhood and has been duly initiated into the fold.

Be it further understood: That we hereby confer up her the shield of Molly Pitcher emblazoned above and enjoin all Field Artillerymen henceforth to show her due honor and respect whenever she enters this midst.

Hoffman received the honor in January signed by Eric C. Wieland, LTC, FA, Iowa Army National Guard.

The Story of Molly Pitcher

An Artillery wife, Mary Hays McCauly (better known as Molly Pitcher) shared the rigors of Valley Forge with her husband, William Hays. Her actions during the battle of Monmouth (28 June 1778) became legendary. That day at Monmouth was as hot as Valley Forge was cold. Someone had to cool the hot guns and bathe parched throats with water.

Across that bullet-swept ground, a striped skirt fluttered. Mary Hays McCauly was earning her nickname Molly Pitcher by bringing pitcher after pitcher of cool spring water to the exhausted and thirsty men. She also tended to the wounded and once, heaving a crippled continental soldier up on her strong young back, carried him out of reach of hard-charging Britishers. On her next trip with water she found her artilleryman husband back with the guns again, replacing a casualty. While she watched, Hays fell wounded. The piece, its crew too depleted to serve it, was about to be withdrawn. Without hesitation, Molly stepped forward and took the rammer staff from her fallen husbands hands. For the second time on an American battlefield, a woman manned a gun. (The first was Margaret Corbin during the defense of Fort Washington in 1776.) Resolutely, she stayed at her post in the face of heavy enemy fire, ably acting as a matross (gunner).

For her heroic role, General Washington himself issued her a warrant as a noncommissioned officer. Thereafter, she was widely hailed as Sergeant Molly. A flagstaff and cannon stand at her gravesite at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A sculpture on the battle monument commemorates her courageous deed.Vikulja55 said: Hi everyone, what do you think about immigration lawyers services ? Does anyone have positive experience while working with them? Can somebody share experience? Click to expand...

I am currently doing with immigration consultant for Canada. However, they are based in UAE only. They are great in the whole process. Their payment scheme wasn't bad either. There's one option which is to pay all fees at once so it would come to about USD$2,000. I chose stage wise payment so it ia higher with total of $3000.Personally, I wouldn't recommend going through agency because the process is simple and there are tons forums to answer your questions. I did go through agency because i needed someone to push me and follow me up as I tend to get busy with work (frequently fly). They helped me immensely with IELTS preparation.Hi All,This is my first post in Canada group and I am looking forward to get into EE pool in next 2-3 months time. In the meantime I wanted to obtain my employee reference letter from my current organisation given that it has already been over 9.5 years within the same company and under the same vertical of job profile. My current manager has sort of agreed to sign-off my R&Rs provided JRSS or designation mentioned in ref letter matches as per company's records and policies (Internal designation / jrss as opposed to external designation). Since i have started my professional career in 2008, I have been into same vertical and moved from Associate to Manager level roles in "Software Testing / QA" job function. The work experience has been mix of Automation, tooling, test accelerators, performance and non functional testing, manual & technical testing where I have worked from analyst to management (current role) level roles. Before I proceed with obtaining a reference letter I have few associated questions to the forum and wondered if any one can help here.1. Is it ok If I list various designations/ roles I had and provide combined list of duties and responsibilities in the same letter? Or should there be separate letter for each of these even if all of my experience is in the same organisation?2. What is correct NOC code to apply with? 2173, 0213, 2283 or 2171? my duties seem matching extensively in 2173, 0213 & 2283, though I guess, one can only apply with one NOC code? However I have briefly checked and it appears 2173 and 0213 are in higher demands as opposed to 2283, though again it might be just my superficial knowledge.3. I have read somewhere that ref letter is only required at a later stage (after receiving ITA), however I am still looking to obtain one from my company given that my current manager has sort of agreed to do so for me and it may not be the case in future. So wanted to check how long these ref letters are valid for? Can i use the one obtained in month of Mar'18 for ITA submission in let's say Aug'18?4. I have tried hard to find instructions related to employment reference letter on CIC official website, but could never find one. I wanted to check what are the key things to be mentioned in ref letter as per CIC guidelines. If someone knows, can you please share the right link with me?5. Where can I find good samples? If someone has similar profile like me, could you please email me some samples for reference purposehi,

I am an express entry applicant. I have been called for interview. the reason probably is the company was a small one and didn't have website and couldn't find it on internet.. I have worked there for two years and have experience letter. How come I satisfy them in interview?Hi All,

I moved to Canada in 2012 after living in the US for 12 years. Prior to that I spent my life in my home country in asia. At this point, I'm still not sure whether I'll be:

a. living in canada permanently

b. moving to another country in a near future

c. moving back to my home country (not part of commonwealth country)



I would like to hear from those who has similar situation about their retirement investment approach. Do you contribute to RRSP? If so, if we living overseas, we still have to maintain bank account in Canada and keep transferring it to our local bank account (this also applicable to CPP)? There will be tax implication as well, so, we should be filing tax return every year?



We also will be losing our OAS, CRA will only be paying it out for the first 6 months unless if we live in certain countries (commonwealth countries included).



That said, I wonder what is your approach related to how you manage your retirement fund. TIA!The head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism will start a two-day visit to Cairo, where he will discuss the evolving threat of terrorism with Egyptian officials, a UN Information Centre press release read Saturday.

Undersecretary General Vladimir Voronkov will meet with Egypt's Minister of Interior Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, as well as Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Ihab Fawzi, and Assistant Defence Minister for International Cooperation Mohamed El-Kishky.

He is also set to meet with Egypts Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Hossam Zaki, as well as a number of representatives of the diplomatic community and the UN country team.

According to the statement, Voronkov will discuss with his counterparts the evolving threat of terrorism and ways to enhance international cooperation in accordance with international law and the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy as well as relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006, provides a comprehensive blueprint to guide member states efforts to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism conducive to terrorism.

The Global Strategy is reviewed every two years to ensure it is aligned with member states needs in response to this rapidly evolving threat.

The next review will take place in June 2018.

The UN's Office of Counter-Terrorism was established in June 2017 to provide leadership on the implementation of General Assembly counter-terrorism mandates, to enhance coordination and coherence, and to strengthen the delivery of UN counter-terrorism capacity building assistance to member states.

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The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.Egypt's Minister of Interior Affairs Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar met on Saturday with Vladimir Ivanovich, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office, where they discussed cooperation between the two sides as well as the ministry's strategy and efforts in combating terrorism, according to a statement by the ministry.

Ivanovich is in Egypt on an official visit to meet a number of Egyptian officials.

The two officials discussed cooperation in counterterrorism in light of political developments in the Middle East, where Ivanovich expressed his appreciation for the vital role Egypt plays in preserving stability in the region, as well as the efforts by the ministry in combating terrorism.

Ivanovich also expressed his aspiration to boost security cooperation and information exchange between his office and the ministry, especially given the recent attempts by terrorists to relocate to new areas in the region to carry out plans targeting Arab and Western countries.

Abdel-Ghaffar also discussed his ministrys efforts and strategy in dismantling terrorist cells, and added that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East contribute to the expansion of terrorism and extremist ideologies.

The minister said that the pressure being exerted on terrorist groups in conflict areas has led to terrorists escaping to other countries, which increases the security threat and imposes a need to expand information exchange to eliminate possible threats.

The two officials also praised the cooperation between the two sides and stressed the need for continued consultation, coordination and information exchange.

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Rick Ross has been hospitalised after being found unresponsive at his Florida home.

Rick Ross

The 42-year-old rapper was rushed to a hospital in the Miami area on Thursday (01.03.18) after a 911 call was placed from his home in the early hours of the morning, which claimed the rapper was unresponsive and "slobbing out the mouth".

According to TMZ, Rick is being treated in the hospital's cardiac unit, and it is suspected the star suffered a heart attack which manifested itself in respiratory issues.

The publication also reports the 'Aston Martin Music' rapper has been "hooked up to a machine that's taking over the function of his heart and lungs" whilst he continues to undergo treatment at the hospital.

Sources tell TMZ Rick has been placed on ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which is a technique used to oxygenate his blood outside of his body, before it's pumped back into his body.

At the time of writing, not much else is known about Rick's condition, and no representative for the star has acknowledged the news.

Despite the lack of details on his condition, stars have already taken to Twitter to sent their well wishes to the star.

Fergie wrote: "Hang in there boss. Working with u was one of the highlights of my career. The world has so much love for you. #prayersup for @RickRoss (sic)"

Whilst fellow rapper Fat Joe tweeted: "God bless my brother Rick Ross I'm praying to the highest level love you bro (sic)"

It isn't the first time the music mogul has found himself facing a health scare. In 2011, he suffered two seizures on two separate flights, and whilst he blamed them on lack of sleep at the time, he changed his lifestyle following the scares and eventually dropped 100lbs.Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-CategoryNEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2018 / Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL) will be discussing their earnings results in their Q4 Earnings Call to be held on March 2, 2018 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time.

To listen to the event live or access a replay of the call - visit: https://www.investornetwork.com/company/1586

To receive updates for this company you can register by emailing info@investornetwork.com or by clicking get investment info from the company's profile.

About Investor Network

Investor Network (IN) is a financial content community, serving millions of unique investors market information, earnings, commentary and news on the what's trending. Dedicated to both the professional and the average traders, IN offers timely, trusted and relevant financial information for virtually every investor. IN is an Issuer Direct brand, to learn more or for the latest financial news and market information, visit www.investornetwork.com. Follow us on Twitter @investornetwork.

SOURCE: Investor NetworkEgypt's prosecutor-general Nabil Sadek ordered on Saturday the opening of a judicial investigation into an attack in the UK on 18-year-old Egyptian student Mariam Abdel-Salam, who fell into a coma after being assaulted on 20 February.

Abdel-Salam, who lives with her family in Nottingham and is a Central College engineering student in Beeston, was punched repeatedly and verbally assaulted by a group of women in a crowded area near the intu Victoria Centre mall in London, according to a report by local newspaper Nottingham Post.

Sadek has tasked the international cooperation department with preparing a request to be sent to British authorities for a report on the investigation by UK police, medical reports, and any other procedures that have been taken regarding the incident.

On Friday, Egyptian ministry of Foreign affairs said in a statement that it is closely following up on the incident, through both The Egyptian consulate and embassy in London.

City police said that Abdel-Salam has recovered from the coma but is still in intensive care at Queen's medical centre, according to the Nottingham Post.

The Nottingham Post said on Friday that a 17-year-old female suspect was arrested in connection with the attack.

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Participating alongside leading names in blockchain, fintech and the finance world, this conference will be where many advances for blockchain will occur in 2018

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 2, 2018) - GLOBAL BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES CORP. (CSE: BLOC) (FSE: BWSP) (OTC Pink: BLKCF) ("BLOC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be a media partner for the Fintech and Funding Conference of 2018.

The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA) and partners are proud to present FFCON18: VELOCITY (2018 Fintech and Funding Conference) on Monday, March 5th and Tuesday, March 6th. Currently in its fourth year, this conference offers a full scope of insights, knowledge and commentary from leaders and innovators in the blockchain industry; as well as regulators, lawyers and several notable names in the world of tech. BLOC is proud to announce that it will be a media partner for this event, giving it presence at what will be a defining conference for the trajectory of the blockchain in Canada for 2018 and beyond.

"We are honoured to have BLOC on board as a media partner", says Craig Asano - Founder and CEO of NCFA. "Their accomplishments to date in blockchain-related ventures have helped to put Canada on the map as a leading market in this sphere. We're thrilled to have BLOC participate at FFCON, because we know the amount of influence that they carry in this field - which is very much of interest to our attendees, exhibitors and speakers."

At the conference, there will be five different streams of content, several learning and networking events, VIP one-on-one meetings, 12 pitching companies, and over 50 speakers - including the President of BLOC, Mr. Shidan Gouran.

"I'm really happy that we're getting to be part of this conference", says Mr. Gouran. "As blockchain jumps past the initial hurdles of adoption, everyone is trying to understand all of the different angles of it - taking somewhat of a holistic approach. The team behind FFCON has done a great job to bring in experts from nearly every relevant area, and this is going to be an event that you don't want to miss if you want to be part of Canada's climb to the top of the blockchain world."

In light of substantial changes to and developments in cryptocurrencies and the blockchain over the past year, this will be the most impactful FFCON event so far. With even greater changes and developments coming on an even larger scale, the insights that come from this event will be essential both for active blockchain participants and for entities who are just getting introduced to it.

For more information, please contact info@globalblockchain.io

On behalf of the Company:

Shidan Gouran, President

(416) 854-3017

About Global Blockchain Technologies Corp.

The Company provides investors access to a basket of direct and indirect holdings within the blockchain space, managed by a team of industry pioneers and early adopters of all major cryptocurrencies.

BLOC is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") and its common shares trade under the ticker symbol "BLOC". Additional information relating to BLOC is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, the CSE at www.theCSE.com, as well as on the Company's website at www.globalblockchain.io.

About FFCON18: VELOCITY

FFCON (Fintech and Funding Conference) is an annual conference hosted by NCFA Canada in its fourth year, with an educational objective that brings together professionals and innovators in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and alternative investing. It is being held on Monday, March 5th and Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 in downtown Toronto. The VELOCITY theme is all about speed, efficiency, and reducing friction; all of which are commonly shared objectives among participants in the blockchain ecosystem. Additional information about the conference can be found at www.fintechandfunding.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be" taken, "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Company's goal of streamlining the current arduous, lengthy and complicated process that interested investors need to undergo in order to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency space with a view to becoming the first vertically integrated originator and manager of top-tier blockchains and digital currencies. The Company has no assets and its business plan is purely conceptual in nature and there is no assurance that it will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to: statements and expectations regarding the ability of the Company to (i) successfully engage senior management with appropriate industry experience and expertise, (ii) gain access to and acquire a basket of cryptocurrency assets and pre-ICO and ICO financings on favourable terms or at all, (iii) successfully create its own tokens and ICO's, and (iv) execute on future M&A opportunities in the cryptocurrency space; receipt of required regulatory approvals; the availability of necessary financing; permitting and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: risks related to changes in cryptocurrency prices; the estimation of personnel and operating costs; general global markets and economic conditions; risks associated with uninsurable risks; risks associated with currency fluctuations; competition faced in securing experienced personnel with appropriate industry experience and expertise; risks associated with changes in the financial auditing and corporate governance standards applicable to cryptocurrencies and ICO's; risks related to potential conflicts of interest; the reliance on key personnel; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks including the risk that the financing necessary to fund continued development of the Company's business plan may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all; the risk of potential dilution through the issuance of additional common shares of the Company; the risk of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information set out in this presentation, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking 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. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Enterprise Value of $53.025 Million in Synergistic Transaction

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2018 / Trans World Corporation ("TWC" or "Trans World" or the "Company") (OTCQB: TWOC), a premier owner and operator of casinos and hotels in Europe, today announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement providing for Trans World to become an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Far East Consortium International Limited ("FEC"). Under the terms of the merger agreement (the "Agreement"), FEC Investment (US) Limited ("FEC US"), a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of FEC Overseas Investment (UK) Limited ("FEC OIL"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of FEC, will purchase (and merge with and into) Trans World, which will become a wholly owned subsidiary of FEC OIL. FEC is engaged in property development and investment, hotel operations and management, as well as car park and facilities management, in the Asia Pacific region and Europe.

Under the Agreement, FEC OIL will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Trans World Corporation in a transaction valued at approximately $53.025 million, including the assumption of net debt, up to $11.025 million. The Company currently estimates that the net amount paid to holders of its common stock will be between approximately $38.815 million and $42.000 million, or $3.97 and $4.10 per share of the Company's common stock, based on adjustments as set forth in the Agreement relating to the amount of the Company's net debt at closing. The transaction is not subject to any financing conditions. The Agreement was approved by the Board of Directors of Trans World Corporation, and the transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2018.

On March 2, 2018, following the execution of the Agreement, the holders of securities, whose ownership on such date represented approximately 87.9% of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock, delivered written consents approving the Agreement. No further approval of the shareholders of the Company is required to approve the Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger.

Michael Brodsky, Chairman of the Board of Trans World Corporation, said, "We are pleased to announce the planned merger of Trans World with FEC, reflecting an enterprise value of approximately $53 million. Trans World will be an excellent addition to the FEC portfolio of companies, as our business models and strategy are closely aligned. The Board and I believe this is the right move for the Company at an attractive valuation for our shareholders."

Mr. Chris Hoong, Managing Director of FEC, added, "We are very excited about this transaction, as it strengthens our business in Europe. Trans World has the best-in-class casino assets in the region, with a solid growth track record and improving operating efficiency. The recent regulatory changes in the Czech Republic have provided us with many development opportunities, and our merger with Trans World will produce synergistic benefits as well as bring excellent hotel properties and casinos to our portfolio. This acquisition will allow us to establish a gaming platform and additional stream of steady recurring cash flow to the company."

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT

In connection with the proposed merger, the Company will prepare an information statement for the shareholders of the Company to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), and will mail the information statement to its shareholders and may file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC as well. The Company urges investors and shareholders to read the information statement when it becomes available, as well as other documents filed with the SEC, because they will contain important information concerning the Company and the merger agreement. Investors and shareholders will be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the information statement and other documents at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov, or by contacting the Company's investor relations' consultant, Chris Witty, at 646-438-9385 or cwitty@darrowir.com.

Advisors

Union Gaming Securities is acting as financial advisor and Kane Kessler, PC is acting as legal advisor to Trans World Corporation.

About Trans World Corporation

Trans World Corporation, founded in 1993, is a publicly-traded, Nevada corporation, headquartered in the U.S., with all of its gaming and hotel operations in Europe. Additional information about TWC can be found on the Company's website at www.transwc.com.

About Far East Consortium International Limited

Far East Consortium International Limited has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1972 (HKEx stock code: 35.HK). The Group is mainly engaged in property development and investment, hotel operation, and management, as well as a car park and facilities management. The Group adopts a diversified regional strategy and the "Chinese Wallet" strategy with business covering Hong Kong, mainland China, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Europe and New Zealand.

The press release herein contains certain forward-looking statements and data regarding forecasts, operating trends and future results of operations. For this purpose, any statements and data contained herein that are not historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking data. Without limiting the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe," "anticipates," "estimates," or "continue" or comparable terminology or the negative thereof are intended to identify certain forward-looking statements. These statements, by their nature, involve substantial risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include but are not limited to, our dependence on our current management, the regulatory environment in which our operations reside, uncertainties over the development and success of our current and future gaming and hotel operations, general global macroeconomic and local economic conditions, extreme weather, and changes in tax or gaming laws or regulations. Additional information concerning potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results, including other risks and uncertainties, is disclosed in our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. The Company undertakes no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or data whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

Chris Witty, Investor Relations

646-438-9385

cwitty@darrowir.com

SOURCE: Trans World CorporationSANTA MONICA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 2, 2018 /

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REPEATS AS THE BEST

The epicenter for retail development and progress is once again southern California. Based on size, the tourism industry, and population growth, the market conditions are ideal. The potential to exceed market expectations on a national level can be found in robust sales as reported by major retail companies. That does not mean to imply that businesses have no obstacles to overcome. The stringent processes for approval, and higher than average costs to rent retail space are concerns for every company. But the consensus is the pros outweigh the cons. The proof is in the profits. Simply put, there is no better place than Southern California for retail growth, according to Neil Shekhter, founder, and CEO of Santa Monica-based NMS Properties.

Businesses enjoy a sense of stability, and the outlook remains bright for the future. For property owners, space is in high demand, and rental costs have increased. In addition, conditions are good for the greater Los Angeles area with newly added space and more in the developmental stage. Investors, retail businesses, and developers are all enjoying the benefits of America's most profitable market.

EMPLOYMENT LEVELS

While unemployment in LA is higher than statewide and national averages, the rate of unemployed in Los Angeles County has greatly decreased since last year (50 basis points). Nearly 37, 000 non-farm jobs were created between fall 2016 to 2017. These jobs included the construction industry, finance, education, health services, professional, and business service providers. On the other hand, government, jobs decreased. CBRE Econometric Advisors (CBRE EA) predict in particular that office-using jobs will experience stable, gradual growth. By comparison, Ventura County lost jobs in financial services, professional and business services. The employment rate for the county was 3.8%, down from 5.6% a year ago, Neil Shekhter points out.

LEASE RATE ANALYSIS

In the best news for property owners, the average price for renting retail space increased by 9.3% during the past year. Today, the cost per square foot is $ 2.71, an increase of $ 0.07. This is the highest asking price to date. The areas in which the rental costs were highest were found in West Los Angeles and Midtown Wilshire. As expected, the cities of Venice, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills were also near the top of the list. Until 2019, the forecast is for rental costs to increase throughout southern California, Neil Shekhter notes.

VACANCY AND NET ABSORPTION

The vacancy rate for greater Los Angeles remained at 5.2%. The prediction is for that rate to remain near 5.0%. Developments due to be completed and already preleased have renters watchful. In an effort to slow rental costs, tenants have decreased their rate of expansion. As activity decreases, businesses look for rates to stabilize. For now, and the foreseeable future, control is in the hands of property owners. Throughout the region, health and fitness, grocery and discount occupants accounted for most tenants renting larger space.

Of all the submarkets in the greater Los Angeles area, the highest vacancy rate could be found in the Downtown submarket (11.1%). Next is Antelope Valley at 8.3%. Both areas enjoyed reliable tenants and no significant loss of renters. The vacancy rate was more influenced by smaller properties that became unoccupied. Vacancy decreases were most common for Mid-Cities and West Los Angeles. Overall, the vacancy rate for the greater Los Angeles continued unchanged, with more tenants demanding retail space. The lone exceptions were Ventura, primarily caused by midsized vacancies in Simi Valley, Camarillo, and Oxnard. On a positive note, a number of lucrative transactions stimulating growth in the region included large-scale space in Canoga Park (136, 325 sq. ft.), Huntington Park (100, 135 sq. ft.) and West Covina (34, 000 sq. ft.).

Launching NMS Properties in 1988, Neil Shekhter assumed the role of CEO in January 1995. The real estate management company focuses on multi-family and mixed-use properties in the Greater Los Angeles area and in Santa Monica. At present, NMS properties manage more than 70 properties.

Over the course of 2017, NMS deployed 40 furnished units in Los Angeles, and Neil Shekhter plans to triple that number in 2018. The company currently manages some of its properties while testing a pilot with MY SUITE.

Neil Shekhter - Founder and CEO of NMS Properties

Apartments For Rent In Los Angeles NMS Residential: http://www.nmsresidential.com

NMS Properties - Real Estate Management Firm: http://www.nmsproperties.com

Contact Information: info@NeilShekhter.com

SOURCE: NMS Properties, Inc.NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 3, 2018 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo & Company ("Wells Fargo" or the "Company") (NYSE: WFC) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 18-cv-01318, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Wells Fargo securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants' violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you are a shareholder who purchased Wells Fargo securities between January 13, 2017, and July 27, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until April 16, 2018, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, leasing, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Company operates through physical stores, the internet, and other distribution channels worldwide.

On September 8, 2016, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a Consent Order with a Stipulation to its entry signed by Mary Mack, Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo Bank, detailing fraudulent practices at the Company, which were centered on a corporate culture intent on growing its cross-selling opportunities and unlawfully and without its customers' consent opening millions of unauthorized deposit and credit card accounts, and imposing a fine of more than $185 million.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Wells Fargo had charged more than 800,000 customers for unneeded auto insurance, the expense of which pushed approximately 274,000 Wells Fargo customers into delinquency and resulted in almost 25,000 vehicle repossessions; (ii) the foregoing conduct, when it came to light, would foreseeably subject Wells Fargo to heightened regulatory scrutiny and/or enforcement actions; and (iii) as a result, Wells Fargo's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On July 27, 2017, post-market, The New York Times published an article entitled "Wells Fargo Forced Unwanted Auto Insurance on Borrowers." Citing an internal report prepared for Wells Fargo's executives, the article reported that "[m]ore than 800,000 people who took out car loans from Wells Fargo were charged for auto insurance they did not need," that "[t]he expense of the unneeded insurance . . . pushed roughly 274,000 Wells Fargo customers into delinquency and resulted in almost 25,000 wrongful vehicle repossessions," and "that the bank owed $73 million to wronged customers."

Following the publication of this article, Wells Fargo's share price fell $1.41, or 2.58%, to close at $53.30 on July 28, 2017.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

SOURCE: Pomerantz LLPThe Mahindra Roxor is expected to be available with accessories including heavy duty winches, light bars, and off-road wheels.

Mahindra has unveiled the Mahindra Roxor off-road only SUV in United States. The off-road vehicle is based on the iconic Mahindra Thar but the company has changed the design to make it unique in terms of appearance. It will be sold under the Mahindra North America or 'MANA' in the United States and is expected to be priced around $15,000 in the country.

According to a report on Carandbike, the new off-road SUV, Mahindra Roxor which will be manufactured at Mahindra's Auburn manufacturing plant in Detroit, Michigan, features a 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo diesel engine. The SUV churns out 62 bhp and will come with standard left hand drive, manual gearbox and a traditional manual four-wheel-drive shifter.

The SUV is not street-legal in USA because of its barebones approach to true 4x4 off roading.

The Roxor comes without doors and a windscreen, a spartan interior with a steel dashboard , no hard top roof, simple seats up front and a heavy duty grab handle for the passenger side mounted on the dashboard. According to the report, the company has also brought a new front end to avoid conflict of interest with the Jeep brand's design language in the United States.

The Mahindra Roxor is expected to be available with accessories including heavy duty winches, light bars, and off-road wheels. It will also come with a cup holders on the central console while the gauge cluster will be mounted in the middle. The Roxor is a CKD product in the United States and the kit is actually supplied from India.The Crime Branch of the police on Saturday brought 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts accused Abdul Subhan Qureshi to Ahmedabad from Delhi, a top official said.

Ahmedabad: The Crime Branch of the police on Saturday brought 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts accused Abdul Subhan Qureshi to Ahmedabad from Delhi, over a month after the Delhi police's special cell arrested him, a top official said.

He was produced in the special court set up for conducting the trial of the blasts case, which remanded him in police custody till 23 March.

Serial blasts killed 56 people and injured 240 others in Ahmedabad on 26 July, 2008.

"Qureshi is one of the key conspirators of the 2008 blasts. He had been in touch with the absconding accused, such as founder leader of the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen Riyaz Bhatkal, and had worked with some of the arrested accused," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) JK Bhatt said.

So far, the police has arrested 81 persons in the blasts case, while thirteen are absconding.

"Qureshi stayed in Vatva locality in Ahmedabad where he trained and mentored other accused...and was in touch with IM mastermind Bhatkal. We have learnt he also attended a terrorist camp in Halol and another camp in Kerala," Bhatt said.

"We will take him to Vatva, Vadodara, Halol and another place where he had stayed before the blasts. We would like to find out how he was associated with the SIMI and IM, and who helped him," the senior police official said.

Qureshi, who holds a diploma in electronic engineering, is technology savvy, and played an important role in making the explosive devices used in the blasts by getting information from the internet, Bhatt said.

He could be involved in other blasts in the country too, the official added.

"We have learnt that after the blasts in Ahmedabad, he fled to Nepal where he lived for six years and taught English. He also went to Saudi Arabia. We will try to find out what he did in Saudi Arabia and who helped him in Nepal," Bhatt said.

"We are coordinating with the Delhi Police's Special Cell. They are forming an interrogation squad so that we know more about his Nepal stay," he said.

Qureshi was arrested from Ghazipur in east Delhi in January this year.

Delhi police alleged that Qureshi was indoctrinating unemployed youth to fill the void left by the fall of top IM operatives, and planned to revive IM's terror network in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

He was wanted by the National Investigation Agency in the December 2007 Wagamon SIMI arms training camp case, and by Maharashtra Police in July 2011 Mumbai blasts case.The Delhi Government Employee Welfare Association has asserted that all officials are 'united to fight for the dignity and safety' of chief secretary Anshu Prakash.

New Delhi: Amid its seniormost office bearer's meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Government Employee Welfare Association has asserted that all officials are "united to fight for the dignity and safety" of chief secretary Anshu Prakash and other employees.

The association has issued a statement terming "baseless" reports that it has changed stance on the issue of the alleged assault on Prakash by some AAP MLAs during an official meeting at Kejriwal's residence on the night of 19 February.

The statement came after the association's president Dayanand Singh and a few other officials met Kejriwal at his residence on Holi on Friday.

A joint forum of Delhi government employees, including IAS and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar & Islands Civil Services (DANICS) officers, have been boycotting meetings with AAP ministers since the alleged assault on Prakash, demanding a written public apology from Kejriwal for the incident.

"We have not changed our stand on the assault of the chief secretary, and that we all are united to fight for the dignity and safety of the chief secretary and all other government employees.

"Our movement will continue and intensify until the chief minister apologies for the misconduct of the MLAs who assaulted and misbehaved with the chief secretary," the association's general secretary Deepak Bharadwaj said.

In a statement, Singh said he met Kejriwal at the chief minister's residence after receiving information that "his mother is serious and admitted to hospital. Arvind Kejriwal is also suffering from fever...This was absolutely my personal visit..." Singh added.

The IAS and DANICS officers have maintained only written communication with Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues in protest against the alleged attack on Prakash.

Earlier this week, nearly 500 Delhi government employees carried out a candlelight march in support of Prakash.The bodies of eight Maoists, who were among the 10 killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, were flown to a Telangana hospital

Hyderabad: The bodies of eight Maoists, who were among the 10 killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, were flown to a Telangana hospital and their identification was likely to be completed on Saturday, an official said.

The Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal force, had on Friday swooped on the camp of Maoists near Pujari Kanker in Bijapur district, as a part of a joint operation with the Chhattisgarh Police.

Ten Maoists, including six women, were killed in the early morning operation in which a personnel of the elite force also lost his life.

"Bodies of two Naxals and the junior commando of Greyhounds were airlifted on Friday. Due to the inaccessibility of the location, the rest of the bodies were flown in a chopper this morning to the hospital," Superintendent of Police of Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district Ambar Kishor Jha told PTI.

"We have received all the ten bodies from the encounter site. Postmortem will be conducted on Saturday. We will follow all the Supreme Court directions related to encounter cases," he said.

According to the SP, the postmortem examination will be conducted at the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital.

The identification process is also underway. "By afternoon we hope to complete the process and get a clear picture," the SP said.

Security forces from Telangana and Chhattisgarh had launched the counter-insurgency operation in the forest on the inter-state border based on inputs about a gathering of a large group of ultras, officials had said.

"Susheel Kumar, a junior commando of the Greyhounds, lost his life," officials had said.

Six women were among the ultras killed in the operation which took place around 6:30 am, the SP said.

The Chhattisgarh Police had identified two of the dead Naxals as Sanjeev, a "deputy commander", and a woman named Pedda Budri.

Both were part of the protection team of Hari Bhushan, secretary of the Maoists' Telangana state committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Bastar range, Sundarraj P had said.

An AK-47 among others was been recovered from the encounter site indicating the presence of of a top leader of the outfit at the site where encounter took place, a senior police official had said.The Congress on Saturday dubbed the SSC paper leak scandal as another Vyapam scam and demanded a thorough probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday dubbed the SSC paper leak scandal as another Vyapam scam and demanded a thorough probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the government should immediately agree to all the demands of the agitating students and order a CBI probe into the paper leak.

In a statement, he said students from across the country were protesting on the streets of Delhi for days to highlight the corruption in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruitment exam.

Surjewala also asked whether the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was selling jobs, instead of providing job opportunities to the youth.

The protesters have alleged that the SSC question papers were leaked and that the incident played with the careers of the nine lakh students who took the exam.

Surjewala also questioned the silence of the BJP government over the incident and asked whether the charges levelled by the students that a big recruitment racket was operating in the country were true.

Voicing support to the demands of the protesting students, the Congress leader said the issue was very important as the SSC conducted the employee selection examinations for various ministries of the Government of India and over 10 million students appeared in the recruitment examinations for around 12,000-40,000 government posts.

He alleged that the question papers were leaked in an orchestrated manner and that the price of the aspirants' future was being fixed at Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

The students want this paper leak scam to be probed by the CBI. We demand that the BJP government accept all of their demands immediately, Surjewala said.

He added that this was not the first time such a scam had come to light as complaints about irregularities in the SSC recruitment exams had surfaced earlier too.

The Congress leader claimed that the charges of mass cheating, question paper leak and bogus candidates appearing in the examination showed the same modus operandi that was used in the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, which was going on since 2006.A 37-year-old man was taken into custody in connection with the murder of Kannada tabloid editor Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru nearly six months ago, police said

A 37-year-old man was taken into custody in connection with the murder of Kannada tabloid editor Gauri Lankesh in the city nearly six months ago, police said on Friday. KT Naveen Kumar, held for illegal possession of bullets, is reportedly connected to radical Hindutva outfit called the Hindu Yuva Sena.

"KT Naveen Kumar was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police for questioning," SIT Investigating Officer MN Anucheth told IANS in Bengaluru. Kumar hails from Birur town in Chikkamagaluru district, about 250 kilometre west from Bengaluru, Anucheth said.

Kumar is also, according to this report in The Indian Express, linked to members of the Sanatan Sanstha outfit and its affiliate the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. He has been found in possession of more than 15 rounds of the cartridges of the .32 calibre, which are the same as the 7.65 mm cartridges.

Lankesh, 55, the editor of "Lankesh Patrike", was shot dead outside her residence in the city's southwestern suburb by unidentified assailants on 5 September last year.

The state government had set up the SIT to probe the journalist-activist's killing.After much Russian procrastination, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401 last week calling for a 30-day truce in Syria, including in Eastern Ghouta, in a bid to halt the massacres that have been taking place.

The fighting will cease while humanitarian relief is delivered and medical cases are evacuated.

There are also hopes that the massacres that began in Eastern Ghouta in February will now stop, the regime led by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad having earlier carried out more than 300 air raids in one week on the area, dropping more than 1,000 missiles and killing at least 500 civilians and injuring 2,000, mostly women and children.

Eastern Ghouta is a small area east of Damascus with a population of 420,000 living under particularly harsh conditions.

Russia and the Syrian regime decided to escalate the military attacks on Eastern Ghouta, which is under the control of the armed opposition, after Russia supplied the regime with advanced weapons.

Regime fighter jets and artillery targeted residential areas and medical facilities in a clear breach of the Russian-sponsored de-escalation agreement between the opposition and the regime and of international law.

Russia and the regime have used all the means at their disposal to expel local residents, offering safe passage out of the area to northern or southern Syria. This is a systematic operation of displacement by the regime and Russia to take control of certain areas, as was earlier seen in Aleppo.

Such offers were turned down by Eastern Ghouta residents and opposition fighters.

The Syrian opposition is pessimistic about the UN Resolutions chances of success in ending the massacres taking place in Eastern Ghouta because it does not include clear dates and does not penalise the regime.

Any credible resolution must include punitive measures for those who do not comply, said Riyad Naasan Agha, a member of the opposition. Syrian-Palestinian commentator Majed Kiali said that it seems likely that this resolution will be no more effective than its predecessors, such as the Geneva I Resolution and UN Resolutions 2118 and 2254.

The opposition can only hope the new resolution will alleviate the sufferings of Eastern Ghouta residents. All it can do is beg the countries involved in Syria to help it to fight against the regime and its powerful allies.

Hospitals, schools and infrastructure have been destroyed in Eastern Ghouta over recent weeks in an area that has been under siege for five years, as the deaths and denial continue.

The atrocities committed in Eastern Ghouta are examples of the barbarities committed by the Al-Assad regime across the country as part of plans to physically and psychologically annihilate an entire society.

Eastern Ghouta residents have already been deprived of food and medicine for five years. The regime has intermittently allowed businessmen close to Al-Assad to sell food and other commodities to areas under siege, even if at grotesquely inflated prices.

Despite such ongoing suffering, the residents have not surrendered and instead have planted crops and dug tunnels to nearby Damascus suburbs in a bid to bring in goods.

The humanitarian disaster was compounded when the regime refused to evacuate more than 500 wounded civilians who needed urgent medical care, mostly children, women and the elderly, despite appeals by international humanitarian and human rights organisations.

In summer 2017, Eastern Ghouta was named one of the de-escalation zones agreed on at the conference on Syria held in the Kazakh capital Astana, but this did not deliver aid to residents, contrary to what had been promised as part of the deal.

The regime and its Russian backers have used the pretext of fighting terrorism to commit atrocities in Eastern Ghouta and to keep it under siege and more recently to destroy the town itself.

However, the regimes primary goal is to expel the people from the area, change the demography, and replace locals with regime loyalists, especially in militarily and economically strategic areas.

The common denominator between the massacres that took place in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo in 2016 and now in Eastern Ghouta in 2018 is Russias full support of the regimes scorched-earth policies.

Siege and starvation tactics have been used, these being associated particularly with Iran and its militias, which have used them to force conciliation deals that are more like absolute surrender.

The ferocious tactics give the regime a sense of power that has been translated into military action against civilians without any humanitarian considerations. The regime and its allies claim to be fighting terrorism, which does not exist in the residential areas being pummeled and destroyed but is used as a way of justifying policies of ethnic cleansing to the wider Syrian population.

It is for such reasons that the Syrian opposition believes UN Resolution 2401 will not be as effective as hoped, and only three hours after its passage the regime carried out six air strikes targeting Eastern Ghouta and heavily bombarding the area, even though the armed opposition had welcomed the UN Resolution and committed itself to it.

The Kremlin is still providing political cover to the regime in Damascus and supporting it in its military strikes. Russia is taking revenge on Syria and on the masses embracing the opposition by using ferocious means carried out by the regime, Saeed Moqbel, a member of the opposition, told the Weekly.

Russia has been dealt several blows on Syria in recent weeks. The Sochi Conference failed though Russias president was personally invested in it, and the opposition shot down and killed a Russian fighter pilot. The US bombed Russian and Iranian locations, killing (according to Russian media) 214 Russian fighters. This has turned public opinion in Russia against President Vladimir Putin who is preparing for elections next month.

The latest incident shows that Russia is using mercenaries from the Wagner Group [a security company] in Syria, which is an international scandal. Moscow is responding to these setbacks by taking revenge on the Syrian people in Eastern Ghouta, Moqbel said.

For the majority of Syrians, Russia has become an occupying power and one that does not respect international law and kills at will. Most Syrians, except for regime loyalists, laugh at the idea that Russia can be part of a political solution in Syria, since it has shown itself to be an eager partner in regime massacres.

Russian wrangling during discussions of the new UN Resolution came close to exhausting the Security Council, with Moscow trying to argue that the resolution was designed to impede a Russian victory.

It said that illegal combatants were using civilians as human shields in Eastern Ghouta, though this did not convince the Security Council, which went on to adopt Resolution 2401 unanimously.

Russia and the Syrian regime are not the only ones responsible for the massacres in Eastern Ghouta, however. The major powers are also responsible, among them the US with its long history of indifference and procrastination in Syria that has led to its ignoring the one million people that have been killed and the double that number that have been injured during the conflict.

The US has stopped the delivery of advanced weapons to the opposition by any of the oppositions allies, and it has refused to confront Russian actions or seriously press for an end to the conflict.

The Syrian people may have to wait a long time until US consciences finally awaken and there is an end to the tragedy that will see its seventh anniversary next month.

*This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

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The Madras High Court, on Friday, issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu Governor's Secretary on a petition opposing any move to appoint K Srinivasan as the state assembly secretary or special secretary.

Chennai: The Madras High Court, on Friday, issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu Governor's Secretary on a petition opposing any move to appoint K Srinivasan as the state Assembly secretary or special secretary. Justice T Raja ordered the notice on a petition filed by the Assembly's Additional Secretary L S Vasanthimalar and Joint Secretary B Subramaniyam, who contended that Vasanthimalar was the senior most candidate and not Srinivasan. The judge has posted the matter for further hearing to March 6.

Senior Counsel P Wilson, who is appearing for the the Assembly's Additional Secretary, contended that any attempt to deny the promotional post of secretary to Vasanthimalar cannot be permitted as it was bad on law. He then insisted on a notice to the Secretary to the Governor, saying that the governor was the appointing authority. Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted that to date, appointment order for the post, which fell vacant on 28 February, had not been issued. The post of assembly secretary is important. Even if an appointment was made either today or tomorrow, this court can still pass any order exercising its powers.

He also opposed the plea for an order of status quo. The petitioners submitted that the state government vide its December 14, 2017, order appointed Srinivasan, who was in the post of private secretary to the Speaker, as special secretary to a newly-created post. The petitioners stated that only officials holding the post of additional secretary in the general administrative wing can be appointed as special secretary or secretary. Vasanthimalar was lawfully entitled to be appointed to the post after the retirement of incumbent K Boopathy as per the settled service seniority and rules, the petitioners said. They sought an interim injunction restraining the secretary of the Assembly and the secretary to the governor from in any way appointing, promoting or permitting Srinivasan to take charge or function as special secretary of the Assembly pending disposal of their petition.The armed forces are 'proportionately' retaliating to Pakistani actions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and effectively containing cross border infiltration, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

New Delhi: The armed forces are "proportionately" retaliating to Pakistani actions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and effectively containing cross border infiltration, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. She also said there was "no rethinking as of now" on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir and several insurgency-hit states in the North East.

The Act gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations in disturbed areas. There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East to withdraw it. Asked about the situation in Maldives, Sitharaman said "we are watching it". On the situation along the LoC, she said, "We are able to contain infiltration to a large extent. We are also able to retaliate proportionately (to Pakistani actions)."

She said security forces are "eliminating" the infiltrators at the LoC before they could sneak into the Indian side but added that it would be not right to say that no one manages to infiltrate.

The LoC has remained volatile since last year. According to official figures, 860 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were reported in 2017 as against 221 the year before.

Six army personnel and a civilian were killed in an attack on the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on February 10. The attack on the camp had come days after four army men were killed in Pakistani firing in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

After the Sunjuwan attack, Sitharaman had said that Pakistan would pay for the misadventure. Following the spate of attacks, the army had given "full freedom" to locals commanders of the army along the LoC to effectively retaliate any act of violence by Pakistani troops, army sources had said. They said the Indian Army has been inflicting heavy casualties to Pakistani troops while replying to Pakistani shelling along the LoC in the last few weeks.

Asked about demands to withdraw the AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir and certain states of North East, Sitharaman said "there is no rethinking on it as of now." In January, army chief Bipin Rawat had also said that time has not come to rethink on AFSPA. "We have never been strong in applying the force the way it could be applied (under AFSPA). We are very concerned about human rights. We are absolutely concerned about collateral damage," he had said.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been admitted to Apollo Hospital here, said a spokesman on Saturday.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been admitted to Apollo Hospital, said a spokesman on Saturday.

In a statement, Apollo Hospital said Vijayan was admitted on March 2, at 11.55 p.m. for a routine annual medical check-up.

The 73-year-old Vijayan was admitted to the hospital at Greams Road here at 11.55 pm yesterday for "routine annual medical check-up", a hospital bulletin said.

According to the statement, Vijayan will be discharged on Sunday. The same was confirmed by the Chief Minister's Office in Thiruvananthapuram as well.

Earlier an official of the hospital told IANS that Vijayan was admitted under an urologist.

With inputs from agenciesThe counting of votes for the Nagaland Assembly Elections 2018 will begin at 8 am on Saturday and the results are expected to be declared by the afternoon.

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"Altogether 5,728 voters out of the 7,841 exercised their franchise in the 13 polling stations. That means 73.05 percent votes were polled," said CEO Nagaland Abhijit Sinha in Kohima on Friday.

Around 73 percent voter turnout was reported in the re-polling at 13 polling stations across nine constituencies in Nagaland on Friday, an election department official said.

Polling for 59 of the 60 Assembly seats was held in the northeastern state on 27 February. Former chief minister and NDDP president Neiphiu Rio has been declared elected uncontested from Northern Angami II seat.

First round of polling was held on 27 February

To follow coverage from specific states, click on the links below:

According to the C-Voter exit poll for 2018, of the 60 seats in Nagaland, the BJP-NDPP alliance is likely to clinch 25 to 31 seats. The ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) is likely to get 19 to 25 seat share, the exit poll predicts. Congress and Others will see 0 to 4 and 6 to 10 seats respectively.

A total of 11,91,513 electorate, including 5,89,806 women and 26,900 new voters, decided the fate of 195 candidates, including five women and many independents. Counting of votes will take place on 3 March.

Vote share in the last two elections

This time around, the Congress tally may come down to 0-4 seats, according to C-Voter survey.

The C-Voter survey has predicted a victory for the BJP-NDPP with the combine likely to get 25-31 seats with 38.4 percent vote share. It predicted that the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) will bag 19-25 seats with a vote share of 27.1 percent. NPF had won 38 seats and 47.65 vote share in 2013 elections.

In Nagaland, the BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with the newly-floated Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the two are contesting 20 and 40 seats respectively.

However, poor infrastructure and a fragile peace continue to be problem areas as the state  formed on 1 December, 1963  undergoes polling on 27 February, 2018.

After a decade of precarious peace, Nagaland, India's once troubled North Eastern state, now rivals and even outperforms India's richest states on a number of development outcomes, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of ten states on 20 socio-economic and health indicators.

Nagaland outranks rich states in health and gender parity, but poor infrastructure and jobs remain a concern

Nagaland Assembly polls this time around are not only a test of power for the political parties but also for the Church. This time around the Church appealed the people to not vote for BJP. On the other hand Neiphiu Rio, the Chief Ministerial candidate of NDPP-BJP alliance has appealed that this alliance would bring about good days for Nagaland. Whom will the people listen to? The counting of votes today would answer this question.

Elections a test of power for the Church too

It should be noted that Nagaland is a Christian state. The term Christian state does not only refer to the fact that the population of the state is mostly Christian, but also the reality that the Church has tremendous influence over the Government, society and politics in the state. The results will bear impact on the future of Naga politics.

Since then Nagaland has witnessed ten Assembly elections, but the state is yet to see a woman representative in the state Assembly. Until 2013, a total of 16 women had contested. The first and only time Nagaland saw a woman legislator was when United Democratic Party member Rano M Shaiza was elected to Lok Sabha in 1977. When Rano fought state elections in 1982, even she ended up forfeiting her deposit.

Nagaland participated in its first election in 1964, two years after attaining statehood. In 1969, for the first time, the state saw two women  Ravole U and RL Kinghen  contesting the Assembly polls. However, both of them lost the election after getting 32.6 percent and 37 percent respectively of the votes polled in their respective constituencies.

Traditions in Nagaland keep women out of politics even as 2018 polls see five female contestants, highest in state's history

The main contest in Nagaland polls would be between the ruling Naga People's Front and the National Democratic Progressive Party-BJP alliance. The NPF has completed three terms in office. Odds are stacked against it as anti-incumbency and public resentment over its lack of performance is high. But socio-political and economic issues took a backseat this time around in elections as religion became a talking point after the Church appealed to the people not to vote for BJP.

Lotha, a retired IAS officer, has movable assets worth Rs 22,81,960 and immovable assets at Rs 38,69,40,000 taking his total wealth to Rs 38.92 crore, the ADR analysis said. The JD(U) nominee is contesting the elections from Sanis seat in Wokha district.

Fifty nine percent of the candidates for the 27 February Assembly elections are crorepatis with JD(U) nominee Ramongo Lotha being the richest with a total wealth of Rs 38.92 crore, an analysis of the affidavits said. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analysed the affidavits of 193 aspirants out of a total of 196 candidates, found out that 114 candidates are crorepatis.

Over half of all candidates crorepatis, JD(U)'s Ramongo Lotha richest with Rs 38.92 crore, finds report

Neiphiu Rio's decision to join NDPP in January this year didn't come as a surprise. His difficult relationship with NPF began ever since he left the chief minister's chair in 2014 to take his place in the Lok Sabha. His role in the subsequent tug-of-war between NPF chief Shurhozelie Liezietsu and current Chief Minister TR Zeliang has been a source of anxiety in Nagaland. Liezietsu and Zeliang have now made peace with each other  bad news for Rio, whose position in NPF has been challenged by both at different times.

The Naga People's Front (NPF) has taken an unassailable lead in the Nagaland Assembly Elections 2018, reports News18 . The party has been heading the Nagaland government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of Nagaland since 2003 but in the run up to the current polls, the BJP jumped ship and shook hands with the NDPP. Incumbent TR Zeliang will continue as the chief minister of the state if the trends stay the same.

The BJP seems to be closing in on forming a government in Nagaland and emerging as the single largest Opposition in Tripura. Though the result might be interpreted as a disappointment for BJP given the attention it had given to Tripura to wrest power, in realistic terms it is an astonishing improvement to leap from zero to more than 20 seats. It points to an inescapable fact that the BJP is now truly a pan-India party. The north eastern success posits BJP as a serious player even in areas where there is no Hindi-speaking population. Its performance in Nagaland is stupendous, given its position as a party that advocates prohibition of cow slaughter. To sum, even in they fall short at the final hurdle in Tripura, this is a breakout election for BJP in North East that holds promise for the future.

Break out election for the BJP in the North East

The Government of India signed a ceasefire agreement with National Socialist Council of Nagaland  Isac-Muivah [NSCN(IM)], the biggest insurgent outfit in the state in the year 1997 and has now begun peace talks with six other such groups. These efforts, though heartening, have hardly changed anything on the ground as these gun-holding groups are still capable of doing whatever they want.

Long before India became an independent country, the Naga cessationist groups began the struggle for a sovereign Naga nation. In the year 1975, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) was born demanding sovereignty and integration of 'Naga territories' in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh as well as in Myanmar.

Kiren Rijiju says the trends in all three states point to a new political direction

Kevisekho Kruse of the NDPP leads in Western Angami by 76 votes.

NPF has garnered 40.5 percent of the vote in Nagaland till now. NDPP is second with 25.4 percent.

About the BJP emerging strong in these states, it is not a new phenomenon that Northeastern states have voted for the party in power at the Centre. Small states often do that, so it isn't a big deal. But after their recent losses in bypolls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, BJP winning a few seats in the North East would not be of significance.

We knew we would perform poorly in Tripura and Nagaland. In Tripura, the BJP took away most of our strong candidates and in Nagaland, we weren't as active in our campaigning as we should have been. We will score a zero in both states. We lacked in organisational skills, and one can't achieve much at the last moment. The trends are not surprising.

Former Assam CM and Congress veteran Tarun Gogoi on trends so far

Kiren Rijiju says NDPP-BJP's chief-ministerial candidate is Neiphiu Rio. But depending on the results, decisions will be taken in the future, reported India Today.

Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang says the alliance with BJP continues and he hopes the saffron party will join his government after the elections, reported NDTV. He said he has had discussions with Himanta Biswa Sarma and Kiren Rijiju about the coalition.

TR Zeliang says NPF is willing to govern in coalition with BJP

In Tizit constituency in Nagaland where violence was reported on the polling day (a crude bomb made of gelatin was thrown to disrupt the polling process), independent candidate Wangto Konyak is giving a tough fight to the BJP candidate Paiwang Konyak. Wango is trailing by a mere 70 votes.

30-year-old Angule says she wants the ruling party NPF back in Nagaland. She wants an improvement on roads and employment. Input by Armstrong Chanambam/101Reporters

Many would prefer to have NPF back in Nagaland

Awan Konyak is leading in Aboi Assembly constituency with 1320 votes against standing MLA Eshak Konyak (NPF). Awans father, Nyeiwang Konyak, four-time MLA and former education minister, had lost the 2013 polls by 693 votes. He passed away on 31 January this year. Inputs from Pranav Prakash/ 101 Reporters

Will Nagaland get its first woman MLA?

Chief minister and NPF candidate TR Zeliang wins from Peren seat against NDPP's Iherie Ndang, EC sources say.

Alemtemshi Jamir, former Nagaland chief secretary and working president of newly-formed NDPP, fought in two seats this election. Hes lost both Mongoya and Angetyongpang Assembly constituencies by 348 and 950 votes respectively. - Pranav Prakash/ 101 reporters

Thanking the north east states, Modi says, "I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and Act East Policy of BJP and our valued allies. We remain committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams & aspirations of the people."

This is the third time BJP's Rhakila, 66, is fighting the Assembly poll from Tuensang Sadar-II constituency. She fought on an NCP ticket in 2008 and lost by 353 votes. She fought under the banner of BJP in 2013 and lost by 1075 votes. 81-year-old Kejong Chang from NPF, three-time MLA, is leading here with 1,799 votes this time. Rhakila is a distant third. - Inputs from Pranav Prakash, 101 Reporters

I believe this is victory of PM Narendra Modi's Act East policies: Amit Shah

Earlier, BJP was known as Hindi region's party but now we are spread across India: Amit Shah

We will march towards Karnataka, with this massive victory with us: Amit Shah

The left isn't right for any state, this has been proven, says Amit Shah

Meanwhile, ruling party NPF retains Tenning seat while standing MLA Namri Nchang loses on NDPP ticket by 32 votes.- Inputs from Pranav Prakash, 101 Reporters

Even if we don't count Meghalaya, BJP and NDA has governance in 21 states: Amit Shah

Amit Shah says, "Victory after victory is a positive sign.This has boosted our confidence even more for 2019." The BJP president, however, says that the golden period for BJP will not begin until they come to power in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala.

Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma hits out at party's in-charge for the 3 North Eastern states, CP Joshi, for the defeat. Alok Sharma questioned why Congress MLAs, workers and leaders left the party in Nagaland.- News 18

The ruling Nagaland People's Front (NPF) is ready to form a new government in the state with the BJP if it comes forward for a post-poll alliance, Chief Minister TR Zeliang said on Saturday. However, Zeliang virtually ruled out any alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) that fought the state Assembly election with the BJP. Read more here.

The BJP will form the next government in Nagaland with the help of other parties, Union minister and BJP in-charge for the state Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday, indicating that the party's erstwhile ally NPF may align with it. Rijiju, who extensively campaigned for the BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland, said the Congress was nowhere to be seen as the party has not won a single state in the 60-member Assembly.- PTI ( Read more here )

BJP to form govt in Nagaland, may ally with NPF: Kiren Rijiju

Most of the prominent NPF leaders are holed up inside Hotel Zaphu in Kohima. They are tight-lipped about their post-poll strategy and are refusing to speak to the press. NPF has won 20 seats till now and is leading in five. They had won 38 seats in 2013 assembly polls. Inputs from Armstrong Chanambam/101Reporters

There's a lot of activity near the gate of Hotel Zaphu. Many vehicles are moving in. NPF volunteers and police officials can be seen around. Armstrong Chanambam/101Reporters

A neck and neck fight is on in Nagaland where the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) has bagged 21 seats so far and the NDPP-BJP alliance captured 19 constituencies. Results of 42 seats of the 60-member House have been declared so far. The NFP, which has been in power in the state since 2003 except for a three-month-long break during the President's Rule in 2008, is ahead in four seats.- PTI

JD(U) which has won one seat is formally supporting the BJP-NDPP alliance "in the formation of a stable government in Nagaland". NJP-NDPP has won 25 seats and is leading in 2. Armstrong Chanambam/101Reporters

Independent candidate Tongpang Ozukum, who defeated NDPP's Alemteshir Jamir, is supporting the NDPP-BJP alliance formally. Here Ozukum is seen with Nephiu Rio. Image courtesy: Sources from NDPP.

This decision is taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the just-declared results of the conducted general election to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly & also to safeguard the interest of the National Democratic Alliance in Delhi, says JD(U) Nagaland.

JD(U) says decision of alliance taken after 'serious consideration'

A neck and neck fight is on in Nagaland where the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) has bagged 21 seats so far and the NDPP-BJP alliance captured 19 constituencies. Results of 42 seats of the 60-member House have been declared so far. The NFP, which has been in power in the state since 2003 except for a three-month-long break during the President's Rule in 2008, is ahead in four seats.- PTI

We're extremely happy. We contested on 20 seats and have won 11 seats. CPI used goondaism & got rejected by people, we have only used democratic methods to contest this election. Congress is not relevant in Tripura & Nagaland: Ram Madhav, BJP on North East election results. pic.twitter.com/mc5A7tYY0c

JD(U) which has won one seat is formally supporting the BJP-NDPP alliance "in the formation of a stable government in Nagaland". NJP-NDPP has won 25 seats and is leading in 2. Armstrong Chanambam/101Reporters

Independent candidate Tongpang Ozukum, who defeated NDPP's Alemteshir Jamir, is supporting the NDPP-BJP alliance formally. Here Ozukum is seen with Nephiu Rio. Image courtesy: Sources from NDPP.

Neiphiu Rio met BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav in Dimapur, Nagaland. He was elected unopposed in the Nagaland Assembly election after his rival from the Naga People's Front withdrew his nomination. #NagalandElections2018 pic.twitter.com/6QUZpE6m5P

Congratulations to veteran tall Naga leader Neiphiu Rio ji on the victory. Beginning of a new era of development for Nagaland. Great team efforts of NDPP-BJP Alliance. @rammadhavbjp @abumetha https://t.co/YOX8czi3mb

This is a result of Modi Ji's 'sabka saath sabka vikas'. A new govt will soon be formed here. The BJP-NDPP alliance was done with the motive to bring a stable govt. We have the numbers and we can form a focused govt: Priyank Pandey, BJP #NagalandElection2018 pic.twitter.com/wqdOW6EiyH

This decision is taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the just-declared results of the conducted general election to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly & also to safeguard the interest of the National Democratic Alliance in Delhi, says JD(U) Nagaland.

JD(U) says decision of alliance taken after 'serious consideration'

Shri @nitin_gadkari and Shri @jualoram will go as Observers to Tripura, Shri @ArunSinghbjp and I will go to Nagaland & Shri @KirenRijiju and Shri @alphonstourism will go to Meghalaya to elect the CM: Shri @JPNadda

Counting of votes latest updates

In Nagaland, the BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with the newly-floated Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the two are contesting 20 and 40 seats respectively. BJP leaders Arun Singh, JP Nadda to head to Nagaland to choose he chief minister.

The main contest in Nagaland polls would be between the ruling Naga People's Front and the National Democratic Progressive Party-BJP alliance. The NPF has completed three terms in office. Odds are stacked against it as anti-incumbency and public resentment over its lack of performance is high. But socio-political and economic issues took a backseat this time around in elections as religion became a talking point after the Church appealed to the people not to vote for BJP.

Neikiesalie Nicky Kire of NDPP leads in Kohima town by 399 votes.

The C-Voter survey has predicted a victory for the BJP-NDPP with the combine likely to get 25-31 seats with 38.4 percent vote share. It predicted that the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) will bag 19-25 seats with a vote share of 27.1 percent. NPF had won 38 seats and 47.65 vote share in 2013 elections.

This time around, the Congress tally may come down to 0-4 seats, according to C-Voter survey.

A total of 11,91,513 electorate, including 5,89,806 women and 26,900 new voters, decided the fate of 195 candidates, including five women and many independents. Counting of votes will take place on 3 March.

The counting of votes for the Nagaland Assembly Elections 2018 will begin at 8 am on Saturday and the results are expected to be declared by the afternoon.

Amid sporadic violence which led to the death of a person in Akuluto constituency, Nagaland had recorded around 75 percent voter turnout in the Assembly election on Tuesday.

Polling was held in 59 out of the total 60 constituencies as Neiphiu Rio, the three-time former chief minister and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party candidate, was elected unopposed in Northern Angami-II seat.

The violence at Akuluto constituency, which witnessed a straight contest between parliamentary secretary and NPF candidate K Khekaho Assumi and BJP candidate Kazheto Kinimi, had claimed one life and left two injured.

The clash was reportedly between supporters of the ruling Naga Peoples' Front and the NDPP.

In a separate incident, a village council member received minor injury in a leg in a blast at a room adjacent to a polling station in Tizit village under Tizit constituency in Mon district.

Polling in the booth was, however, unaffected, he said, adding some arrests were made in both cases of violence.

Repolling in 13 booths spread across nine Assembly constituencies were held on Friday.

The fresh polling was ordered by the Election Commission following reports of snatching of EVMs, misuse of electoral photo identity cards and miscreants not allowing voters to exercise their franchise.

As many as 11,76,432 voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in 2,156 polling stations in the state. In 2013 state Assembly polls, voter turnout was 90.19 percent.A special court in Mumbai issued a non-bailable warrant against Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi on Saturday, the key accused in the PNB fraud case.

A special court in Mumbai issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi on Saturday, the key accused in the over Rs 11,400-crore PNB fraud case, PTI reported.

On Monday, the court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, had allowed the central agency's plea seeking issuance of Letters Rogatory (LRs) to six countries for obtaining information about the overseas businesses and assets of the diamantaire.

Special PMLA Court Judge MS Azmi had heard the arguments of the ED's special counsel Hiten Venegoankar on the agency's plea seeking issuance of the NBW against Nirav and Choksi on 27 February.

Venegoankar told the court that the ED registered a case against Nirav on 15 February and from that time issued three summonses to him to appear before the agency.

He said the summonses were issued on 15 February, 17 February and 22 February, asking him to appear before the ED.

The ED lawyer said Nirav did not appear before the agency for questioning and hence had sought issuance of an NBW against him.

Venegoankar said the first summons was issued to the billionaire jeweller on his last known address and his employees received it. The other two were issued via e-mail.

He said the agency received replies from Nirav for two summonses.

In response to the second summons, Nirav said he cannot appear before the agency owing to his business commitments. In reply to the third summons, the businessman raised the issue of his security, the ED counsel said.

"He has violated all the three summonses," Venegoankar had told the court and had requested the court to issue an open-ended NBW against Nirav Modi.

However, Nirav's advocate Agarwal told the court he should be heard before any decision is taken on issuing the NBW as it involved fundamental rights of his client.

Meanwhile, the agency filed an application seeking LRs to seven more countries - Malaysia, Armenia, France, China, Japan, Russia and Belgium - in connection with the case.

On 31 January, the CBI had registered an FIR against Nirav, his companies, and diamond jeweller Choksi in connection with the PNB fraud.

With inputs from PTI.The Information and Broadcasting Ministry on Friday said that funds were being withheld from Prasar Bharati because the public broadcaster was not abiding by the rules, rejecting reports which suggested that the Centre was withholding funds to Prasar Bharati for the latter's alleged defiance to some of the ministry directives

New Delhi: Responding to media reports that the Centre is withholding funds to Prasar Bharati since December last year for the latter's alleged defiance to some of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry directives, the government on Friday said that the funds were being withheld as the public broadcaster was not abiding by the rules.

On Friday, news website The Wire reported that over Prasar Bharati's refusal to pay nearly Rs three crore as fees to a private company, I&B minister Smriti Irani has ordered withholding of funds meant to pay the salaries of Prasar Bharati's employees.

The Prasar Bharati is an autonomous body that functions under the aegis of Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

The ministry termed the report as "sinister, motivated campaign" and said that the "misinformation" was based on "half-baked facts".

"Fiscal prudence and accountability is the very fulcrum of the functioning of any government organisation. Prasar Bharati is as much bound by the General Financial Rules (GFR) of the government of India as any ministry or organisation receiving grants-in-aid from the government," the ministry said.

"As per the provision of GFR, any autonomous organisation receiving grant-in-aid must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ministry, clearly bringing out the physical and financial targets with timelines for activities to be done by utilising the said grant during that financial year.

"For the record, irrespective of repeated reminders from the ministry, no MoU has been signed by Prasar Bharati," it said.

The ministry further added that it remained "committed to protect the interest of all Prasar Bharati employees".Political parties in Tripura are keeping their fingers crossed on the outcome Tripura Assembly Election result as counting begins in the left-ruled northeastern state.

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Will the BJP be able to overthrow the 25-year-old Manik Sarkar-led Left Front government in Tripura or will the CPM-led government stage a comeback for the sixth time in a row?

Counting of votes will begin at 8 am. The first votes will be postal ballots following which the EVMs will be opened for counting.

Amid three-tire tight security arrangement, counting in Tripura will take place at 20 centres. Paramilitary troops were deployed on Friday night at sensitive areas.

Of the 60 seats in the Tripura Assembly, the C-Voter exit poll for 2018 predicts that the party with the highest vote share in the state will be CPM, which is forecasted to clinch 44.3 percent of the seats.

According to exit poll predictions, the CPM is likely to retain power in its bastion Tripura in the Assembly elections despite the BJP challenging them tooth and nail to end over two decades of Left Front rule in the state.

For CPM, C-Voter exit poll predicts a seat share of around 26 to 34, while forecasts 24 to 32 seats for BJP. Congress and others are both likely to clinch 0 to 2 seats.

The C-Voter predicted BJP will be a close second with 42.8 percent of the vote share. According to the C-Voter poll, Congress may get 7.2 percent of the seats, while the other candidates will muster 5.7 percent vote share.

In the country's 65-year-long electoral history, the country's dominant Left party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), has never been in direct confrontation with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). However, political developments in Tripura in 2016 and 2017 had set the stage for their first face-to-face battle as the saffron outfit emerged as the key opposition party in this Communist-ruled northeastern state.

If the BJP becomes the choice of the people in Tripura on 18 February  when the state votes for a new Assembly  the one man whom the party must thank profusely is Sunil Deodhar. Looking after the affairs of the BJP in Tripura as its in-charge, Deodhar has a good record as a campaign manager. The 52-year-old, who hails from Maharashtra, was the campaign manager for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi during the Lok Sabha election in 2014.

"Congress and Left parties like in Kerala and West Bengal have a secret deal for the Tripura polls. To change the future of Tripura, reject the two parties and vote for BJP," Modi said while addressing two election rallies, reported IANS.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Congress and Left parties of having a "secret understanding" for the 18 February Tripura Assembly polls.

In his first political rally in Tripura since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked the current CPM government by calling the chief minister 'purana manik' (referring to him as an old gem) and asked them to adopt 'HIRA' (diamond) Bharatiya Janata Party. 

Counting to begin in 10 minutes across Tripura amid tight security. Paramilitary forces have been deployed at the counting centre in Udaipur town.

Polling was conducted only for 59 seats after the death of CPM candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma from the Charilam constituency. The bypoll for the seat will be conducted on 12 March. CPM has declared that its youth front leader Palash Debbarma will contest from the seat, reported agencies.

According to Financial Express, the Bharatiya Janata Party has opened its account in Tripura, as it is leading on two seats as per the initial trends.

It seems to be a neck and neck fight between the CPM and the BJP in Tripura.

As of 8.50 am, the Left Front is ahead in 19 seats, while the BJP is leading in 14 seats. Congress is yet to open its account.

Early trends show that Manik Sarkar's CPM leading in 22 seats, BJP is ahead in 19 seats. The Congress, on the other hand, is leading in one seat.

According to Hindustan Times, Sudip Roy Burman, who won the Agartala seat in the 2013 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket, is leading from the same seat as a BJP candidate.

Early results in Tripura show that the BJP and CPM are set to for a photo finish. Regardless of the final result, it is apparent that this is a huge turn in BJP's fortunes which was nearly non-existent in Tripura in line with its outlier status in Northeastern states. In Tripura, specifically, BJP seems to have emerged as the umbrella party leading an anti-Left alliance. The new generation of voters who have been witness to nothing else but Manik Sarkar reign clearly is clamouring for a change.

Both the ruling CPM-led Left Front and the opposition BJP sounded optimistic about forming the next government in Tripura as officials prepared for Saturday's counting of votes cast in the 18 February assembly elections.

The CPM-led Left Front has crossed the half way mark, leading in 33 seats. The BJP is ahead in 22 seats. However, these are just trends and the EVM votes are yet to be counted.

"Out of the 20 seats where we are leading, we will win 15 to 17 seats. These are tribal seats. The CPM began its political journey with the tribals but the Left later cheated them. They all will vote for us. I am confident," Sunil Deodhar, BJP Tripura in-charge told News18.

Two hours into counting, here's how the trajectory of leads and wins looks so far

According to latest figures, BJP has touched the magic figure of 31, the minimum number of seats required to form the government. However, these are just trends.

Pranajit Singha Roy, BJP candidate from Radhakishorepur, is currently in lead. He had won the same seat on a Congress ticket in 2013.

"Nobody thought that any party would give a tough fight to the CPM. But we have given that shock to the Leftists. I am sure this is a vote for change," said Union minister Kiren Rijiju.

According to Financial Express, Tripura Fisheries and Cooperation minister, Khagendra Jamatia, who passed away on Friday is leading from the Krishnapur constituency. However, if he wins, bypolls will be held in the constituency.

BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb is leading from Banmalipur. On the other hand, Parimal Debbarma of BJP is leading from Ambassa.

Bhagban Das of BJP leading is in Pabiachhara, while pushing the Incumbent CPM MLA Samiran Malakar to the second position.

Speaking to News18, Assam minister and NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed confidence that the BJP will form the next government in Tripura. "The vote is the reflection of the failure of the CPM. Under CPM, Tripura is at least 20 years behind other states. The urban and tribal voters, who were disenchanted with the Left, have voted for the BJP."

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the man behind the BJPs performance in Tripura, told CNN-News18 that alliance with IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura) was the gamechanger. Alliance with IPFT could have been suicidal or give us huge advantage but Amit Shah was sure it will get good results. Many people did not want merger but the BJP president was in favour and that has helped. If Amit Shah is a student of post graduation, Rahul Gandhi is in nursery in terms of politics, said Sarma, party's key strategist in the North East.

"We are happy with the trends that we are seeing in Tripura. This is due to the blessing of Mata Tripura Sundari. The trends are such which will encourage BJP to form the next government, We are awaiting the final results. We will win over 40 seats and form the government. The revolutionary results is due to the hard work of the prime minister, who came four times to address gathering. Amit Shah also spent a lot of time here," says Ram Madhav, National General Secretary of the BJP.

We will win more than 40 seats and form the next government, says Ram Madhav

BJP leader Sabita Nag says she is 200 percent sure her party will come to power in Tripura as people of the state have entrusted them with change

The impact of Tripura result, where the BJP contested 50 seats in 2013 and lost its deposit in 49, cannot be overstated. It points to a tectonic shift in national politics where BJP has emerged as the true national party.

Tripura BJP chief Biplab Deb is likely to be the next Tripura chief minister, according to News18. He is currently leading from Banmalipur constituency.

Another BJP supporter says celebrations have started since the party is leading on 36 seats, but they will peacefully wait for final results to be out.

The Congress party has only garnered 1.9 percent in the ongoing Assenbly election. However, in 2013, the party garnered nearly 45 percent of the popular vote. The Grand Old Party has also failed to gain a lead in any of the seats.

While IPFT's Sindhu Chandra Jamatia is leading on Ampinagar constituency, its alliance partner BJP's Subal Bhowmik is trailing behind CPM candidate Shyamal Chakraborty in Sonamura. Interestingly, Bhowmik had expressed his disenchantment with the allotment, before finally accepting the party's direction to contest from this assembly seat.

Jharna Das of CPM trailing behind BJP's Dilip Sarkar in Badharghat by about 4,000 votes. Das is currently a Rajya Sabha MP from Tripura.

The BJP Parliamentary Board will meet on Saturday evening to decide on the future Chief Minister of Tripura, where the party is likely to form a government, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said. "Our Parliamentary Board (the party's highest decision making body) will meet in the evening and take a call," he said at a press meeting.

CPM's Tapan Chandra Das and BJP's Subhas Chandra Das are in a neck and neck fight in Nalchar constituency. CPM ahead by 143 votes as of 1.34 pm

"Manik Sarkar has just three options before him. He can go to West Bengal, where the CPM still has some presence. He can go to Kerala, where the party is in power and will rule for three more years or he can go to neighbouring Bangladesh," Sarma told reporters here when asked about his comments on Sarkar during an election rally.

 Outgoing Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar can take shelter in West Bengal, Kerala or neighbouring Bangladesh as the BJP is going to form the next government in the state, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.

"I would say, if Amit Shah is a student of post graduate in politics, Rahul Gandhi is still in nursery class," he told reporters here when asked to compare Shah and Gandhi's style of functioning.

If BJP chief Amit Shah is a student of post graduation then Congress president Rahul Gandhi is still in nursery class, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today while comparing the two leaders' capability in politics.

"I will abide by party's orders. It's a team victory. We followed Amit Shah. He worked a lot in Tripura. We get confidence with the way the party president works. Whatever responsibility I will be given, I will take it. The Parliamentary board will decide if I would be chief minister. Tripura is not foolish, public support gives us strength," Tripura BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb was quoted as saying by News18.

Tripura agriculture minister Aghore Debbarma (CPM) was defeated by a margin of 6,988 votes by his nearest rival Mevar Kumar Jamatiya of IPFT in Asharambari ST constituency, Election Commission sources said. Aghore Debbarma secured 12,200 votes, while Jamatiya secured 19,188 votes. - PTI

"The BJP has, apart from other factors, utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections. The BJP was able to consolidate all the anti-Left votes, virtually appropriating the erstwhile main Opposition party, the Congress," the Left said.

After defeat in the Tripura Assembly elections, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that they will analyse the reasons for their loss and take steps to rectify them.

Amit Shah said that despite getting a majority in Tripura, the party will include other members of the alliance in the Cabinet.

Shah said that in the last Assembly election, only one BJP candidate had not lost its deposit. Today, he said, BJP has a clear majority. "This is a victory of our governments Act East policy as well as all the work done by our cadres in the state," he added.

''The Tripura result will also have a significant impact on politics in West Bengal,'' he added. - PTI

Hailing the trends of the three state elections on Saturday, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the biggest takeaway from the result in Tripura is the growing political irrelevance of the Left parties.

"It is the people who have brought about the change in Tripura. They will bring about the change in Bengal too. We are trying to build our party organisation here as per their hopes and aspirations. We have full support from our national leadership. I think there will be a sea change in Bengal within six months," state Bharatiya Janata Party president Dilip Ghosh said. - IANS

Following the BJP's historic win in the Tripura Assembly elections, the party's West Bengal unit said this will surely impact state politics and predicted a "sea change" in Bengal's political scenario in six months.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Tripura election as an "epoch-making one". "What my sisters and brothers of Tripura have done is extraordinary. No words will be enough to thank them for the phenomenal support towards the BJP in Tripura. We will leave no stone unturned in transforming Tripura," Modi said.

The prime minister also said that the elected team in Tripura is the youngest team ever and some of them were even scared of getting rejected on the grounds of their age.

Modi said that the victory in Tripura was achieved with very little resources. There were no celebrities used in the elections, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the Tripura election as an "epoch-making one". "What my sisters and brothers of Tripura have done is extraordinary. No words will be enough to thank them for the phenomenal support towards the BJP in Tripura. We will leave no stone unturned in transforming Tripura," Modi said.

We will continue to oppose BJP and its divisive agenda not only in Tripura but all over India. (2/n)

The prime minister also said that the elected team in Tripura is the youngest team ever and some of them were even scared of getting rejected on the grounds of their age.

Modi said that the victory in Tripura was achieved with very little resources. There were no celebrities used in the elections, he added.

He said the party would analyse the poll results and then decide its next course of action. The party statement said: "The Politburo thanks 45 per cent of the voters who extended support to the CPM and the Left Front. The party will carefully examine the reasons for this setback and take necessary remedial measures."  IANS

Yechury warned the people of Tripura that there would be unfavourable ramifications due to misuse of money in elections. "The BJP brought together all kinds of forces using money power and without attaching any morality to it. There will be results, against which the people need to be alert," he added.

The CPM, in a press statement, said the "BJP has, apart from other factors, utilized massive deployment of money and other recourses to influence the elections". "This has happened because the Bharatiya Janata Party has unscrupulously utilised huge amounts of money and muscle power and managed to successfully bring together all anti-Left elements and parties, including the erstwhile opposition parties, into one anti-Left platform. They succeeded as a result," Yechury said.

Accepting the Tripura mandate, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Saturday charged the BJP with using money and muscle power to win the state assembly elections.

The polit bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued a press statement about the Tripura Assembly election results. It acknowledged that after 25 years in government, the Left Front has been voted out of office. Here are some of the biggest losers of CPM in the polls: Deputy Speaker of state Assembly Pabitra Kar, Power Minister Manik Dey, Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma and Forests Minister Naresh Jamatia.

BJP's polling agent didn't sign on controlling unit, didn't follow procedure & are now demanding re-polling. Met Chief Election Commissioner & he's assured he'll intervene & take action: Sitaram Yechury on counting of votes stopped in Manik Sarkar's constituency Dhanpur, #Tripura pic.twitter.com/9PNXmWhWtz

"BJP's polling agent didn't sign on controlling unit, didn't follow procedure and are now demanding re-polling," Sitaram Yechury said to ANI about the counting of votes being stopped in Manik Sarkar's constituency Dhanpur. He added that he met the chief election commissioner and he was assured that he will intervene and take action.

The BJP's strong showing came as a surprise for many as the party did not even have a councillor in Tripura. It had secured less than two per cent votes in the 2013 Assembly election in the state.  PTI

The saffron party inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Left Front which had never faced such a situation even when it had lost power in 1988 to the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity combine.

The party captured 23 seats on its own while its alliance partner the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) bagged 7 seats, giving the combine a majority in the House, according to Election Commision (EC) sources.

The BJP-IPFT combine scripted history on Saturday by winning the Tripura Assembly polls, ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front in the state.

Counting of votes latest updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the party's win in the Tripura Assembly election and said that the election has been won with limited resources. He said that the elected team of Tripura is the youngest team ever and some of them were even afraid of getting rejected on the basis of their age.

BJP chief Amit Shah, in aa press conference, thanked the people of the three North East states (Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya) for supporting the BJP and accepting Modi's vision of development.

He called the BJP's win in Tripura 'historic' and said that despite getting a majority, the party will work with all its alliance members.

Meanwhile, after its loss in the Tripura Assembly election, Left issued a statement saying that the BJP has, apart from other factors, utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections.

The BJP parliamentary board will meet to choose the next chief minister of Tripura. If media reports are to be believed, Biplab Kumar Deb, the current state BJP president, is likely to be given the position.

Responding to reports, Biplab Deb said that he will abide by party's orders and the BJP Parliamentary board will decide if he should become the chief minister.

The BJP-IPFT alliance is inching towards a two-thirds majority in the Tripura Assembly. While the BJP and IPFT are leading in 41 seats, the CPM-led Left Front is now squeezed to just 18 seats. Meanwhile, Deb has won from Banamalipur by a margin of over 5,000 votes.

Speaking to the press, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said, "We are happy with the trends that we are seeing in Tripura. This is due to the blessing of Mata Tripura Sundari. The trends are such which will encourage BJP to form the next government, We are awaiting the final results. We will win over 40 seats and form the government."

Speaking to News18, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that urban and tribal voters have backed the BJP to overthrow the CPM. He alleged that under the Left Front, the state was lagging behind other states in India. He also termed BJP's tie-up with the IPFT as a gamechanger. Meanwhile, the gap between the BJP and the Left Front has widened.

Sunil Deodhar, BJP in-charge of Tripura has expressed confidence of winning the election. He said BJP will sweep the tribal constituencies in Tripura, "Out of the 20 seats where we are leading, we will win 15 to 17 seats. These are tribal seats. The CPM began its political journey with the tribals but the Left later cheated them. They all will vote for us. I am confident."

Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar is leading from Dhanpur by over 1,600 votes. Counting of votes has begun for Assembly elections in Tripura amid tight security. According to reports, paramilitary forces were deployed in sensitive areas of the state. There are 20 centres in the state and a three-tire security system has been put in place by the state government to ensure free and fair polling.

The BJP has, in fact, emerged as a strong contender in all three states and exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states.

Political parties in Tripura are keeping their fingers crossed on the outcome Tripura Assembly Election result as counting begins in the left-ruled northeastern state. The counting will begin at 8 am and results are expected by the afternoon.

As trends will begin to emerge shortly, it is important to note that exit polls have failed to present a clear picture and both BJP and ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) appeared confident of a win.

TV channel NewsX has predicted victory for the BJP alliance in Tripura elections, ending the 25-year run of the Left Front in the state. The TV channel gave the BJP alliance 35-45 seats and said the Left Front will bag 14-23 seats while one seat will be won by others.

On the other hand, Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research (CVoter), a Delhi-based agency, hinted at a close fight and predicted the CPM and Left parties to win in 26-34 seats with 44.3 percent vote share. It predicted the BJP alliance to win in 24-32 seats with a vote share of 42.8 percent and said the Congress might win in two seats with 7.2 percent vote share.

The results are expected to have far reaching consequences not only nationally but also within the ruling CPM, which has been in power in the state for the past 25 years, a leader of the Left party said.

"If the Left Front wins in Tripura then there might not be any chance of altering the political draft that has been adopted. But, if the BJP wins then the question of adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP will again come up," a Left leader said.

A senior CPM central committee member, who did not wish to be named, echoed the view and said there is always the chance of change in the draft resolution before it is finally adopted by the party congress.

The central committee member said the West Bengal party unit has a clear understanding about the menace of the BJP, but the Kerala unit is yet to understand the magnitude of the "threat" the saffron brigade poses.

"Our Tripura unit, too, has a taste of BJP's divisive politics," the central committee member said. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury along with a large section of leaders from Bengal have been vocal about the adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP.

But his political line has been vehemently opposed by the party's Kerala unit along with politburo member Prakash Karat, known as a hardliner in the CPM. The CPM central committee had on 21 January voted against the draft political resolution pitched by Yechury proposing alliance with the Congress.

It adopted a draft resolution, which will be placed before the party congress, ruling out any form of electoral alliance or adjustment with the Congress. Election for 59 seats in Tripura's 60-member house were held on 18 February and the results will be declared on Saturday.

Polling in one seat was postponed to 12 March following the death of a CPM candidate.After the United Nations described the bombardments taking place in Eastern Ghouta outside the Syrian capital Damascus as producing a hell on Earth last week, commentators have argued that the suburb is now Syrias Srebrenica in the former Yugoslavia where the worst crimes committed on European soil since the Second World War took place in 1995.

Crimes familiar from the Srebrenica massacres have been repeated in Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo, Homs and other Syrian cities, where prevarication has provided a pretext to sacrifice the lives of thousands of people and the media has spread confusion about the extent of the suffering.

The situation is catastrophic for the 400,000 civilians who still live in Eastern Ghouta. Prices of basic foodstuffs have skyrocketed, and medical supplies are mostly lacking because of the siege of the area enforced by the Syrian regime. Treating the injured is especially difficult because of the repeated bombing of hospitals and clinics by regime forces.

Eastern Ghouta is the last holdout of the armed Syrian opposition near Damascus, and this densely populated area has been under siege since April 2013. It has become synonymous with civilian suffering either because of starvation and the lack of access to medical supplies or because of intense aerial bombardments.

An estimated 700 civilians have been killed in the area in the last three months alone, not including those killed over the last week of escalation. The first aid convoy to the area in months arrived a week ago, but it did not do much to alleviate the suffering.

Throughout last week, Syrian regime forces kept up their bombardment of Eastern Ghouta. The medical aid agency Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) said hospitals and clinics it supported in the Damascus suburb had reported more than 550 deaths and more than 2,500 wounded in just the previous five days.

On 24 February, the UN Security Council demanded a 30-day truce across Syria as rescuers in Eastern Ghouta said the bombing had not let up long enough for them to count the bodies during one of the bloodiest air assaults of the seven-year war.

Shortly after the unanimous vote by the 15-member Council approving UN Security Council Resolution 2401 calling for a truce in Syria, warplanes struck Eastern Ghouta, a monitoring group said. Warplanes have pounded the area for seven straight days while residents stay holed up in basements.

Iran, an ally of the Syrian regime, said attacks would continue on rebel-held areas near Damascus, where clashes have been reported between insurgents and government forces despite the truce called for across the country by the UN Resolution.

Several previous ceasefires have unravelled over the course of the seven-year war in Syria, where Syrian President Bashar Al-Assads military has gained the upper hand with the help of Iran and Russia, its key allies.

The US has raised the prospect of Western strikes on Syria if it is proved that the regime has carried out fresh chemical weapons attacks.

As was the case in Srebrenica in the 1990s, food supplies, aid and medical assistance have been cut off. In 1993, the UN designated Srebrenica a safe area, while just last year the Russians declared Eastern Ghouta a de-escalation zone as part of Moscows abortive Astana Peace Process.

In addition to the killings, more than 20,000 civilians have been expelled from the area, a process known as ethnic cleansing, which the Syrian regime has been carrying out in settlements in areas it does not control, including in Homs, Madaya and Aleppo.

No one attempted to protect the civilian population of Eastern Ghouta when the Syrian regime began its airstrikes in December after negotiations failed. The airstrikes and bombardments are being carried out with impunity by Syrian forces supported by their Russian and Iranian allies.

The agony of Eastern Ghouta, already infamous as the scene of a 2013 chemical weapons attack using Sarin gas, could be one of the worst incidents in the Syrian conflict and worse even than the siege of Aleppo, when the Syrian regime again targeted and killed civilians.

Srebrenica played an outsize role in bringing about an end to the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, the atrocities there being on such a massive scale that the victims are still being disinterred from mass graves in the area and identified.

Each year on the anniversary of the killings, the Bosnian government releases bodies that were recently discovered, in whole or in part, in the hills and fields that surround the town. The friends and relatives of the victims attend a mass funeral each year, and such events can be expected in the Syrian conflict.

Will the killings in Eastern Ghouta be the breaking point of the Syrian conflict, or will they simply be yet another grim chapter in the atrocities that have already taken place?

*This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

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BJD leaders on Saturday ridiculed BJP president Amit Shah's statement and claimed that the saffron party's 'dream' of forming the government Odisha

Bhubaneswar: BJD leaders on Saturday ridiculed BJP president Amit Shah's statement and claimed that the saffron party's "dream" of forming the government Odisha will never be fulfilled even though it has won in Tripura and other north eastern states.

Patro was reacting to Shah's statement in Delhi that BJP's golden period will start when it forms government in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala.

Shah's statement has not gone down well with the BJD leaders and ministers who are celebrating defeat of BJP in the recently concluded by-poll in Bijepur Assembly seat.

Amit Shah had confidently told that his party will win the Bijepur by-elections, but it did not happen.

Therefore, there is no chance of BJP coming to power in 2019 assembly elections in Odisha," BJD Vice-president and minister SN Patro said.

Shah had in September last year set an ambitious 'Mission 120' of winning at least 120 of the 147 assembly seats in Odisha after BJP registered unexpected success in the rural polls.

"Only Naveen Patnaik is popular in Odisha. Nobody knows Shah in Odisha. The BJP is passing through a silver period but it will not reach its golden era. His (Shah) desire of BJP forming government in Odisha will never be fulfilled," Odisha's Panchayati Raj Minister Pradeep Maharathy told reporters.

Maharathy, a veteran BJD leader in coastal Puri district, had announced before the results of the Bijepur by-polls were announced that he would resign from the ministry if BJP won the seat. BJD candidate Rita Sahu won the Bijepur seat over a margin of 41,932 votes.MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold early general elections - othewise to be held in 2019

Hyderabad: MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold early general elections - othewise to be held in 2019 - and said people were "ready to teach him and his BJP a lesson".

"His four-year rule has not given anything except disappointment. The people are also keenly waiting for the elections to teach him and his party a lesson," Owaisi told a meeting held to mark the 60th anniversary of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM).

The Hyderabad MP asked his party to be ready for early Lok Sabha elections and challenged Modi to dissolve Parliament and "face the people".

Referring to the humongous bank fraud involving Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, he asked the prime minister to explain what happened to his promise of 'Na khaunga, na khane doonga' (neither will I take bribe, nor will I allow others to do it).

The MIM chief also demanded that Narendra Modi explain the threats from Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and right-wing outfits to send Indian Muslims to Pakistan if they raised voice against the killings and lynchings.

"I ask - why did they not send people who committed fraud on the country and looted the public money from banks?"

Greeting the Hindu community on Holi festival, Owaisi said all attempts to brand his party as anti-Hindu had failed and that every community stood with the MIM due to its hard work and honesty.

"The sangh parivar should know that saffron alone is not the colour of India. The beauty of India is that it emerges from the merger of all colours - be it saffron, green, white or black. All colours belong to India," he said.

After hoisting the MIM flag at the party headquarters Darussalam, Owaisi said both the BJP and the Congress would be routed in the next elections in Telanagana.

"I challenge the two parties to pick up the strongest candidates - not jokers - to fight from Hyderabad. Let the prime minister address 10 meetings in the city. Still the Hindus, Muslims, Dalits and Christians will ensure MIM's victory by more than two lakh votes," he said.

Defending the MIM's decision to contest elections in other states, he said contesting elections and participating in the democratic process was the right given under the Constitution and it was the only way in which the Muslims could strive to secure their fundamental rights in the country.

He said the party had an influential role in Telangana, and members in Maharashtra Assembly and civic bodies, apart from presence in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.

Tracing the 60-year journey of the MIM, which was revived as a political outfit by his grandfather Abdul Wahed Owaisi on 2 March, 1958, amid turbulent times after the police action in Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi said the biggest contribution of his party was to strengthen public confidence in democracy and the Constitution of India.

Rejecting the charge that the MIM was derived from the Razakar militia, Owaisi said: "MIM is a party of nationalists and patriots who embody the spirit of secularism, pluralism and knows how to fulfil its reponsibility. (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah was asked to go to Pakistan. Razakars went to Pakistan but all nationalist Muslims stayed back," he said.

He lashed out at the Congress, calling it "janeudhari party" (driven by class compulsions) and asked why its Muslim members of Parliament remained silent when the Sharia "came under attack in Parliament".

"They also remained silent when the Babri Masjid was demolished," Owaisi charged.The BJP launched a yatra in communally-sensitive coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka, aiming to create awareness about the Congress' 'anti-Hindu' policies.

Bengaluru: The BJP on Saturday launched a four-day yatra in communally-sensitive coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka, aiming to create awareness about the "anti-Hindu" policies of the Congress government in the state.

The 'Jana Suraksha Yatre' (protection of people march) with a call "Mangaluru Chalo" was kicked off simultaneously from Kushalnagar and Ankola.

It would reach Mangaluru on 6 March, where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to address a rally, the BJP said.

The party on Friday launched its 14-day "protect Bengaluru" march, with a call to save the city from the Congress's "misrule."

Earlier, it had organised a state-wide 85-day "Parivarthana Yatre" (march for change) that concluded on 4 February.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off the "Jana Suraksha Yatre", which will be led by Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde and MP Shobha Karandlaje from Ankola.

In Kushalnagar, union minister Sadananda Gowda kicked off the yatra, led by MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha.

"We have lost 23 karyakarthas in last four-and-a half years of Tughlaqi Congress rule in the state. To create an awareness about the chief minister's anti Hindu policies, we will embark on a 4-day Jana Suraksha Yatre, starting from Ankola and Kushalnagara from today," the state BJP said in a tweet.

Speaking in Ankola, Hegde hit out at chief minister Siddaramaiah and his government, holding them responsible for "criminal activities" and the alleged killings of BJP activists.

He said "I would like to say to Siddaramaiah that in one or two months there will be elections, you are not fit to sit in the chair even for one month, step down immediately...get down."

Meanwhile, BJP state president Yeddyurappa and Union minister Ananth Kumar, among others, participated in 'Bengaluru Rakshisi Padayatre' that will will criss-cross the city till 15 March.

The 85-day "Parivarthana Yatre" had criss-crossed all 224 assembly constituencies in the state and virtually sounded the bugle for the assembly polls expected to held in April/May.

The BJP, which had ruled Karnataka from 2008-13, has been eyeing to return to power in the coming polls and has declared Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate.

Yeddyurappa was credited with leading the BJP to form its first ever government in the south in 2008.The BJP's exemplary performance in Tripura reflects the mood of the people for the 2019 general elections, Ashish Shelar, the party's city unit chief, said on Saturday.

Mumbai: The BJP's exemplary performance in Tripura reflects the mood of the people for the 2019 general elections, Ashish Shelar, the party's city unit chief, said on Saturday.

Shelar credited the victory to the party's national president Amit Shah.

"This is a victory of the strategy of our national president Amit Shah," he told reporters.

The state BJP's south Mumbai headquarters wore a festive look with workers bursting crackers and distributing sweets.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was expected to join the celebrations but could not as he was caught up in work, a BJP leader said.

"The victory in the North Eastern states will be celebrated with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday morning. The chief minister will also address a press conference at the state BJP office," the BJP leader said.

In an apparent reference to Shiv Sena, Shelar said that the BJP's victory had given pain to some people.

"There are some people who are not happy with the results. On the contrary, they must have felt sad and their pain can be felt by us," Shelar said.

Continuing its winning streak, the BJP on Saturday wrested Tripura from the Left Front and received an invitation to be part of the government in Nagaland, while Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly.Its expanding presence in the North East makes BJP a true pan-India party.

As the dust settles on Assembly elections in three northeastern states, the nature of the mandate is slowly becoming clear. BJP is set to end CPMs 25-year rule in Tripura and rise to power with an overwhelming mandate. At the time of writing, the saffron unit and its allies won 44 seats, and CPM is down to 14 seats in the 59-seat Assembly.

The picture is less clear in other two states: Though the larger trend shows BJP might be forming a government in Nagaland with BJP and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) nearing the 30-seat mark in 60-seat Assembly with Naga Peoples Front (NPF) in close pursuit. Even if NPF inches past the BJP combine, the saffron unit has kept open the possibility of joining hands with the winners. In both these states, the Congress' tally is a big zero.

In Meghalaya, incumbent Congress looks set to emerge as the single largest party but with 21 seats it has fallen short of the 30-seat halfway mark. In a hung Assembly, anything is possible. So the larger picture is this: BJP may assume power in two of the three northeastern states, while the jury is still out on the third.

That this is a momentous shift in national politics is an understatement. Consider just two statistics: Before Narendra Modi and Amit Shah had moved centre stage of national politics, the Congress was in power in five of seven northeastern states. The BJP was nonexistent. Right now, the BJP and its allies are in power in five states (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim) and the Congress has just two left in kitty: Mizoram and Meghalaya, with the fate of the latter still up in air.

Consider also that in 2013, BJP candidates in Tripura lost their deposits in 49 of 50 seats. Five years later, BJP is set to form the government with a 43 percent vote share. Statistics, it is said, conceal more than they reveal but in this case they capture accurately the extent of political realignment that has taken place. This realignment says volumes about BJPs elasticity.

New BJP: A party mutated and redefined

Its expanding presence in the North East makes BJP a true pan-India party. The pan-national character of BJPs rise under the Modi-Shah is reinforced by the fact that in order to make an impact in the North East, the BJP has had to mutate into a different beast, far removed from its Hindutva moorings. For BJP, this is more complicated than it appears. This mutation is easier for a party such as the Congress which can be different things to different social groups and communities but considerably tougher for a party such as the BJP which operates within an ideological straitjacket.

The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming Govt in all three: Kiren Rijiju,MoS Home #Tripura #Meghalaya #Nagaland pic.twitter.com/QYnbZWGVOq  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

So the first battle that BJP had to win to get a foothold in the North East was against itself. It had to abandon its larger social projects that appeal to the Hindutva vote bank and adopt a posture that could be antithetical to its presence in the Hindi heartland.

The BJP was able to do that because Modi and Shah correctly recognised that BJPs national footprint could only be expanded if it is ready to make compromises with its ideological moorings because India is not only a very large country, but also an incredible amalgamation of diverse groups, faiths and communities.

That five of the seven northeastern states are in BJPs kitty is testament to the success of Modis strategy which started with the superannuation of BJPs margdarshak ideologues.

Among the three northeastern states, the results are the most dramatic in Tripura. A deep dive into the nature of the mandate shows that BJPs vote share has increased from 1.5 percent in 2013 to 43 percent in 2018. Though Modi sarkar upstaged 25-year-old Manik Sarkar in this border state, CPM still managed to retain 43 percent vote share. If that is the case, from where did BJP gain its share? The answer is Congress. The Grand Old Party suffered spectacular erosion in its fortunes with its vote share eroding from 36 percent in 2013 to less than two percent in 2018.

Ideally, Congress, with an already established voter base and party structure in Tripura, should have been the beneficiary of anti-incumbency sentiment. Instead, we saw BJP  which had zero presence in the state in terms of voter base or organisational strength  sweeping the anti-incumbency votes and tapping into the fatigue among new generation of voters who wanted someone new instead of the two-and-half-decade old Manik Sarkar government.

This miraculous rise was possible because of a two-pronged approach from BJP. On the one hand strategists Ram Madhav, Sunil Deodhar and Amit Shah spent years to develop grassroots structure and organisational strength aided by considerable help from RSS, and on the other hand the partys top leadership led by Modi formulated policies such as Act East and National Bamboo Mission to offer opportunities that were denied to the youth.

If Congress had no strategy or leadership to offer, Left remained caught in a time warp. Whereas BJP moved with nimble-footed alacrity and unity of purpose, a laden-footed Left was busy fighting with itself between Karat line and Yechuri line and left everything at Sarkars door. As long as the Congress was its chief adversary, CPM could easily mask governance failure in Tripura with organisational strength. This became difficult when BJP replaced Congress because it could match CPM cadre for cadre and strength for strength in grassroots mobility.

To sum, the spectacular rise of BJP in North East is the result of long-term planning and minute attention to detail: Attributes that make it a formidable force in Indian politics.The Congress in Karnataka said the election results in three northeastern states will not have any bearing on the upcoming state assembly polls

Bengaluru: The Congress in Karnataka on Saturday said the election results in three northeastern states will not have any bearing on the upcoming state assembly polls.

"At some places, Congress has won while in other places it has lost. The BJP leaders are unnecessarily projecting it has a big victory," Karnataka Congress president G Parameshwara said in a press release.

Elections are due in Karnataka in a couple of months.

State BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa said the people of North East in general and Tripura, in particular, have rejected the "corrupt and divisive" politics, practised by the Congress and the CPM.

"It is now clear that the people of Karnataka will also reject the Congress for its corruption, the collapse of law and order and divisive politics being unleashed by Siddaramaiah," he said in a release.

"The writing on the wall is crystal clear  the countdown of the Congress has begun," he added.

Union Minister Ananthkumar said the Congress has lost its base substantially across India and is limited to Karnataka, Punjab and Puducherry.

"It is the writing on the wall (for the Congress)," he told PTI.

According to Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Congress is losing its relevance in national politics and the same may broadly apply to Karnataka as well.

"People in Karnataka are fed up with rampant corruption...the Congress and CPM are in a race to lose their relevance and at present CPM is leading," he said.

The BJP wrested Tripura from the CPM, securing a majority on its own, while in Nagaland it has received an invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister TR Zeliang to join the new government.

In Meghalaya, BJP could manage just two seats while its North-East Democratic alliance partner National People's Party won 19.

The Congress, which was in power in Meghalaya since May 2009, failed to win a majority but emerged the single largest party with 21 seats.Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday asserted there can be no comparison between the scam-hit Bofors gun deal and the procurement of the Rafale fighter aircraft.

New Delhi: Dismissing allegations of corruption in the contract for 36 Rafale jets, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday asserted there can be no comparison between the scam-hit Bofors gun deal and the procurement of the fighter aircraft.

"Do not even compare it (Rafale deal) with Bofors. There is no scam here," Sitharaman told reporters when asked whether Rafale deal will go the Bofors way.

Sitharaman said she would welcome if the Congress raises the issue of procurement of Rafale jets when the budget session of the Parliament reconvenes from Monday.

"I will welcome it (if Congress raises it)," she said.

The Congress has been ramping up attack on the government over the Rafale issue, claiming that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper then the contract signed by the Modi government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore.

Official sources claimed the original deal to procure 126 fighter jet could not go through during the UPA rule despite reaching the final stage due to an intervention by the then defence minister AK Antony as he felt something wrong in the process.

They said the government selected Rafale for procurement of the 36 fighter jets not because of the price arrived at during the UPA tenure but due to the "overarching" assessment of the jet.

There were allegations that pay-offs were made in procurement of the artillery guns from Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors in late 1980s during the then Congress government. The allegations and its subsequent political ramifications had severely crippled the Indian Army's procurement of artillery guns.

Alleging corruption, the Congress has been asking the government whether the per aircraft price of Rafale, according to international bids opened on 12 December, 2012, comes to USD 80.95 million (Rs 526.1 crore) as against the Modi government's per aircraft negotiated price of USD 241.66 Million (Rs 1,570.8 crore) as per current exchange rates.

The UPA government floated a tender in 2007 for purchase of 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for the Air Force and, post negotiations, two of them--Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon -- remained in the reckoning.

However, the deal could not be finalised by the UPA regime.

The Congress had also claimed that Qatar had purchased 12 Rafale fighter jets in November 2017 for USD 108.33 million per aircraft (Rs 694.80 crore), noting that the per aircraft rate at which the Gulf nation is buying the jet is much lower than the rate at which India will procure them.

The government has refused to give details of the price break up of each rafale aircraft, citing confidentiality provisions of a 2008 Indo-France pact.

In a detailed statement, the defence ministry last month had termed as "unfounded" allegations made by the Congress about the Rafale deal, asserting that the demand to disclose details such as its value was "unrealistic" as doing so might compromise India's national security.

It had said giving an item-wise cost and other information would reveal details about weapons systems and customisation of the jet.

The ministry had said that in 2012, the then defence minister exercised an unprecedented personal veto on the laid down institutional process then underway for the procurement of the 126 jets.In Kerala's famed Attukal Bhagavathy temple, 983 boys aged between 5 and 12 years went through the rigorous 'Kuthiyottam' ritual, completely unaware of the controversy raging outside the temple's walls

In Thiruvananthapuram's famed Attukal Bhagavathy temple, 983 boys aged between 5 and 12 years went through the rigorous 'Kuthiyottam' ritual on 2 and 3 March, completely unaware of the controversy raging outside the temple's walls.

The boys' ordeal began on 26 February and ended on Saturday morning, after the procession carrying the deity to the nearby Sastha temple at midnight returned in the morning. The children had accompanied the procession called 'Purathu Ezhunallathu', their bodies pierced by silver hooks.

Neither the temple authorities nor the state government have taken note of the pain these innocent children were made to endure for perpetuating an archaic custom that is questioned by child rights activists and even the courts. On the contrary, the two are trying to hound R Sreelekha, chief of Kerala's prisons department, who has highlighted the painful cruelty the children endure.

While temple authorities accused Sreelekha of spoiling the temple's growing popularity, the government has threatened to discipline the officer.

In a blog prior to the event, Sreelekha had described the insertion of metal threads after piercing the sides of children's bodies with sharp hooks, keeping them away from their parents for five days, and the arduous tasks assigned to them as part of the age-old practice as a criminal offence punishable under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Juvenile Act and Child Right Protection Act.

The Left Front government has viewed her blog post as a violation of the principle of impartiality that government servants are expected to maintain during their service period. Chief Secretary Paul Antony has issued a show cause notice to her seeking her explanation for the violation, according to Malayala Manorama, the largest circulated daily in the state.

Stating that the controversy triggered by her blog had affected the image of the state government, the chief secretary has asked Sreelekha to explain why action cannot be taken against her for the violation. She has been given 15 days to explain her stand.

Political analysts view the notice in tune with the soft Hindutva line being followed by the Left Front government to counter BJP's moves to monopolise Hindu votes. They pointed out that Temple Affairs Minister Kadkampally Surendran had defended temple authorities and extended all help to them to conduct the ritual without any hindrance.

Surendran, who belongs to the CPM, that professes atheism, maintained that the government had no role to play in the issue, as it had not received any complaint about cruelty to children. He backed the ritual saying it was a matter of faith.

Popular writer Zachariah wondered who will protect the rights of children if the government was taking such a stand. He told Firstpost that the stand taken by the minister and the notice issued to the police officer, who had raised her voice against cruelty to the children, showed that the government was more interested in vote bank than the children. "I salute Sreelekha for bringing out the cruelty of this so-called religious practice. The government and its agencies and the mainstream media do not dare to stand up for the rights of the children because it involves a powerful temple," he alleged.

The notice against Sreelekha came in the wake of the strong stand temple authorities and various Hindu bodies supporting them have taken against her. Temple authorities alleged that Sreelekha had raked up the issue just before the festival in order to paint the temple in a bad light. Temple trust secretary K Sisupalan said that her blog had created unnecessary confusion in the minds of the devotees.

Taking a cue from them, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged her move was part of a conspiracy. Party national executive committee member V Muralidharan cited the suo motu case registered by Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights in the matter to support his allegation.

"Kuthiyottam is being performed since centuries in connection with the Attukal Pongala festival. None of the children taking part in the event or their families have raised any complaints, nor have there been differences of opinion against the ritual. The present controversy is aimed at destroying Hindu organisations," he said.

The BJP leader said that the child rights panel's move was against judicial ethics. If the commission considers the Hindu ritual harassment, it should also take a similar view on similar rituals in other religions too. Unfortunately, the commission is silent on them. This shows that those behind the controversy are acting with vested interests," the BJP leader said.

Hindu Aikyavedi general secretary RV Babu pointed out that the circumcision ritual being practiced by the Muslim community and the piercing made on the ears of girls for earrings also constituted cruelty. The Aikyavedi will support the plea for an end to the Kuthiyottam ritual if authorities were ready to treat circumcision and ear piercings as cruelty.

Noted writer Lakshmy Rajeev, who wrote a book on the Attukal deity, said the temple authorities' defence of Kuthiyottam was unjustifiable since they had changed the identity of the deity from Bhadrakali to Kannaki after Nairs took over the temple from the lower castes some 60 years ago and appointed Brahmins as priests.

"Kuthiyottam is performed only in temples dedicated to Bhadrakali, daughter of Shiva. The conduct of the ritual at Attukal even after devotees started worshipping the deity as Kannagi was enough proof that the original deity at the Attukal temple was Bhadrakali," the writer said.

Lakshmi, who has done a five-year research into the history of the deity for her book titled Attukal Amma: Goddess of Millions, told Firstpost that Brahmin priests changed the nature of the temple and its rituals to cater to their own customs. There is evidence that animal sacrifice and killing of hens used to be performed at Attukal till 60 years ago.

"I am certain that Bhadrakali has reigned at Attukal from antiquity, right from the times when the human race began to propitiate the divine. With the support of historical records, we can unambiguously assert that the Attukal temple was a mudippura, where the lowest castes offered prayers, and it was taken over by the upper caste community to further their agenda," the writer said.

Lekshmy said there was no justification for the conduct of Kuthiyottam at Attukal if temple authorities are not ready to recognise the deity as Bhadrakali. "Unfortunately, authorities are least concerned about the purity of the deity. They are guided more by commercial interests. Let them do it, but at least they should stop abusing devotees, particularly the children," she said.

The writer said Kuthiyottam was fast turning into a mockery, with the rich hiring boys from poor families to perform the ritual in place of their sons. She said a friend of hers hired such a boy after giving him money in the just-concluded festival. Lekshmy refused to divulge the details of the family.

Lekshmy said this practice was going on in most temples where the ritual is performed. She hoped that the children's commission, which has registered a suo motu case in connection with the Kuthiyottam at Attukal, will look into these "unholy" practices and bring an end to the mockery.Congress has exuded confidence of retaining power while the BJP and regional parties are equally gung-ho about unseating the ruling party in Meghalaya

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According to the exit poll, Congress will clinch 36.5 percent of the vote, followed by NPP with 29.4 percent. Despite its heavy campaigning, BJP only managed 16.6 percent vote share, while the UDP- HSPDP coalition had an 8.8 percent share and Others clinched 8.7 percent of the vote share.

Meanwhile, NPP is leading in 2 seats while BJP is leading in only 1 seat. It looks like Congress has got an early lead in the state.

Mukul Sangma (INC) is currently leading in Songsak. Other prominent candidates who are currently in the lead are Agatha Sangma (NPP), James Sangma (NPP), Limison Sangma (INC) and Clement Marak (INC). Input by Saidul Khan/101Reporters

Congress leading in 13 seats now, UDP+ in 7, BJP still leading only in 1

NPP chief and Tura MP Conrad Sangma said the early trends look good. "I think we will have an edge over the Congress by the time the leads are clearer. The issue of a post-poll alliance with BJP will come up later; we will soon find out what options we can resort to," Sangma said.

Meghalaya BJP chief Shibun Lyngdoh: We expect a total of 7 to 10 seats for the BJP in Meghalaya, the early trends are satisfactory. The Congress seems ahead right now but that will change soon. As for a post-poll alliance with the NPP, it is definitely a possibility.

NPP is leading in 8 seats. It seems the independent candidates will play a crucial role in the Meghalaya polls. The independent candidates have won 10 seats so far.

Two hours into counting, here's how the trajectory of leads and wins looks so far

"We will succeed in forming a non-Congress government in Meghalaya," said Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju. "In the North East alliance, BJP, UDP and NPP are together."

NPP makes big gains in North Tura and Raksamgre constituencies, with its candidates Thomas Sangma and Benedic Marak leading against Noverfield Marak and Limison Sangma respectively.

Once bitten, twice shy Congress clearly doesn't want a repeat of Goa when it was apparently found sleeping at the wheels despite being in the driver's seat, allowing BJP to snatch a coalition right under its nose. Rahul Gandhi's alertness though won't be able to save the larger picture for Congress where it seems to have been replaced by BJP as the pan-India national party in once-bastion North East.

Congress has rushed senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath and Mukul Wasnik to Meghalaya in order to reinforce the possibility of forming a government in the state. The Congress is ahead in 23 seats, NPP in 14, BJP in five, while other candidates are ahead in 17 seats.

There's a tight competition in Nartiang constituency of Meghalaya, where Jopthiaw Lyngdoh of the Congress is trailing but only by 100 votes. Sniawbhalang Dhar of the NPP currently leads with 11608 votes.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma of the Congress has secured his victory from Songsak constituency, while Cherak Momin of Congress has won from Kharkutta.

"Meghalaya is heading towards a divided house. We will try to form a government there without Congress," said BJP's Ram Madhav.

Prestone Tynsong photographed with his wife Anjella Kharsyntiew. After the declaration of results, he said he will first visit his constituency to thank the voters. Then he will return to Shillong and sit down with all newly-elected NPP MLAs, and Conrad Sangma, to decide on the party's strategy. "We will know by tomorrow," he said. He declined to comment on whether his name will be put forth for the chief minister's position.

Alexander L Hek has been continually elected as a BJP MLA from Pynthorumkhrah constituency since 1998, the only abberation being in 2013 when he won as a Congress candidate.

"I am the only MLA in the state who represents the Cantonment area which has a lot of unutilised land. I will take this up with Centre and get them to allocate these lands from civilians use so we can construct toilets, playground, community halls," BJP's Sanbor Shullai said.

Second and only other BJP MLA from Meghalaya, Sanbor Shullai speaks after his win from South Shillong

8181: UDP's Kyrmen Shella won in Khiehrait constituency where BJP workers resigned enmass when Violet Lyngdoh was denied a seat. She went on to contest as NPP candidate and finished third, behind Justine Dkhar (BJP).

Some of the highest and lowest margins seen so far in the elections

He said Congress was in touch all the regional parties in Meghayala in its efforts to form the government.

"Well, we will make a claim to the governor on Saturday night and ask him to call us to form the government," Nath, who has been despatched in Meghalaya along with senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Mukul Wasnik to try and form the government in Meghalaya which has returned a hung verdict.

The Congress will stake its claim to form the next government in Meghalaya later in the day, senior party leader Kamal Nath said, expressing confidence it would succeed in its mission.

"I am the only MLA in the state who represents the Cantonment area which has a lot of unutilised land. I will take this up with Centre and get them to allocate these lands from civilians use so we can construct toilets, playground, community halls," BJP's Sanbor Shullai said.

Second and only other BJP MLA from Meghalaya, Sanbor Shullai speaks after his win from South Shillong

We have a clear majority in Meghalaya. We have a setback in Tripura in Nagaland, we will have to work on that.: Ahmed Patel, Congress pic.twitter.com/RxxxB92TUZ

Even if we don't count Meghalaya, BJP & NDA has governance in 21 states across the nation today. Mandate after mandate has been in the favor of Narendra Modi Ji & his govt: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/0xew3y77xY

#JUSTIN | We are confident of forming govt in Meghalaya. We are not going to involve in horse-trading ... but I cant say anything about @bjp4india : @ahmedpatel , Congress | #ElectionsWithNews18 pic.twitter.com/jRtv8aIiRX

8181: UDP's Kyrmen Shella won in Khiehrait constituency where BJP workers resigned enmass when Violet Lyngdoh was denied a seat. She went on to contest as NPP candidate and finished third, behind Justine Dkhar (BJP).

Some of the highest and lowest margins seen so far in the elections

The encouraging performance of BJP in Meghalaya is a reflection of peoples commitment to uproot the politics of appeasement and a leap towards PM @narendramodi 's politics of development. I congratulate entire @bjp4meghalaya unit for this remarkable performance.

He said Congress was in touch all the regional parties in Meghayala in its efforts to form the government.

"Well, we will make a claim to the governor on Saturday night and ask him to call us to form the government," Nath, who has been despatched in Meghalaya along with senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Mukul Wasnik to try and form the government in Meghalaya which has returned a hung verdict.

The Congress will stake its claim to form the next government in Meghalaya later in the day, senior party leader Kamal Nath said, expressing confidence it would succeed in its mission.

Counting of votes latest updates: With the results declared in Meghalaya, the Election Commission has said that the state has elected for a hung Assembly as Congress has emerged as the largest party with 21 votes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi "expressed gratitude" over BJP's performance in Meghalaya, and said that the state's welfare is of utmost importance to the party.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal wished BJP chief Amit Shah and the party workers for a "splendid performance" in the three northeastern states.

Congress has won five seats so far in Meghalaya. Incumbent chief minister Mukul Sangma of the Congress has clinched victory from both Songsak and Ampati seats. BJP's Ram Madhav said that the party will still strive to form a government without Congress in the state. However, NPP's chief ministerial aspirant Agatha Sangma is trailing against Billykid Sangma of the BJP.

It seems the independent candidates will also play a crucial role in these elections as they are leading in 9 seats so far.

In Meghalaya, the Congress has exuded confidence of retaining power while the BJP and regional parties are equally gung-ho about unseating the ruling party.

The Congress  which has been in power for a decade  had fielded candidates in all 60 seats, of which 59 went to polls. Seven of its legislators had quit and jumped on to the bandwagon of the Bharatiya Janata Party, National People's Party (NPP) and the newly floated People's Democratic Front (PDF).

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, the chief architect of the Congress win on 29 seats in the 2013 elections, said he was confident of increasing the number of its MLAs in the new house. "We (Congress) are confident of coming to power again for the third consecutive time," Sangma, Meghalaya's longest serving chief minister, said to IANS.

"I don't see any anti-incumbency. Instead, there is so much of pro-incumbency. People of the state have faith and confidence in the Congress," he added. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who visited Meghalaya twice during campaigning in Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills regions, had said, "We have the people's support and I am confident we will retain power in Meghalaya."

The BJP, which contested in the polls alone by fielding 47 candidates, was also confident of winning a good number of seats and forming a non-Congress government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Tourism Minister KJ Alphons were among a host of top BJP leaders, apart from Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who campaigned in the state. "Meghalaya is also getting ready for change. People have grown wary of the misdeeds and misrule of the Congress and pinning their hopes on change," BJP's election strategist and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The NPP, an ally of the BJP with two MLAs, is hopeful of increasing the numbers as five former Congress legislators are contesting on NPP symbol this time. "People's voice is for change. We are hopeful to emerge as the single largest party in the Assembly and form the government," NPP president Conrad K Sangma said.

The combined regional alliance comprising United Democratic Party, Hill State People's Democratic Party and Garo National Council are also gung-ho about electoral victory. The HSPDP and the UDP had forged a pre-poll alliance in 36 seats in Khasi and Jaintia Hills, while the UDP had tied up with the Garo National Council for 24 seats in the Garo Hills.

"I hope people will reject the Congress, which even its own people have rejected by not contesting," UDP leader Bindo Mathew Lanong said. He said he is hopeful of the regional alliance leading in the new government.

Meghalaya recorded 84.86 percent polling in the Assembly election, state Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor said.

With inputs from agenciesThe trip from Libya to the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa is a treacherous one across the Mediterranean Sea, but it does not deter some African people desperate to seek asylum or a better life in Europe.

The rickety vessels used are not seaworthy, and it is a miracle that many of them manage to make it across the Mediterranean. More than a million such migrants, including scores of Egyptians, have crossed into Europe using this route since 2015.

The backlash over the influx of refugees has left some Italian politicians and political parties vulnerable, however, and today the Italian political establishment is in disarray. It is also not only Africans who are fleeing war-torn regions to find safety in Europe. Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants have also featured prominently.

Europe itself is often the cause of the problem. Migration is fuelled by a structural demand for cheap labour in informal sectors, Hein de Haas, director of the International Migration Institute at Oxford University in the UK, has noted.

Libya is the major departure point for Africans, while Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans often prefer the land route across Turkey to Europe. Last year alone, some 10,000 Syrians went to the UK, preferring it as a destination because most have some knowledge of English.

The overland journey via Turkey, Bulgaria and Albania is equally treacherous and can be just as dangerous as crossing the Mediterranean.

The rugged terrain of the countries concerned, coupled with the constant menace of having to bribe clan chieftains, border guards and human traffickers, is a constant threat to migrants, most of whom, contrary to conventional assumptions, are not from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Another misconception is that most migrants just want to reach Europe, since in fact they are more likely to have certain countries in mind. Pre-eminent is Britain, and, for asylum applications, Germany.

While the media has tended to focus on drownings at sea and rescue operations, conditions elsewhere can be equally grim.

The so-called Calais Jungle outside the French Channel port of Calais has become synonymous with human misery and degradation, and thousands of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia have been stranded there waiting to get to Britain.

Humanitarian conditions are often dire, especially in winter when the weather is icy cold.

Meanwhile, migrants of all nationalities face especially tough conditions in Eastern Europe, where Hungary has had the highest number of migrants in proportion to its population.

The recent surge of racism and xenophobia in Eastern Europe and the rise of extreme right-wing political parties have accentuated the plight of refugees and migrants in Eastern Europe.

Hungary, for instance, has closed its borders with Croatia, hoping to shut out asylum-seekers and migrants from the Balkans.

Polands anti-immigration policy is also very severe. Of 5,000 applicants last year coming to Poland, only 520 were granted asylum.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has estimated that immigration from Africa to Europe is relatively insignificant in comparison with overall migration internationally.

According to the International Organisation for Migration (IMO), around 4.6 million African migrants now live in Europe. European migration policies regarding such people vary from one country to another, and the European Union has been unable to agree a common immigration policy.

In Libya, African migrants, including a large number of women and children, are often stuck in deplorable conditions. Many are systematically detained and have no access to food. Malnourished children can die of hunger.

The camp guards in Libya can also be cruel, and the current political instability in the country makes matters worse. Access to healthcare is almost non-existent, and the processing of migrant applications is a slow process.

Many Sub-Saharan African inmates in Libyan prisons have been subjected to psychological pressures. Most cannot leave Libya without paying a bribe that in many instances can be as high as $500.

Such problems have been compounded by the fact that the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi championed African causes. It is almost as if some Libyans are now seeking revenge on Africans in the post-Gaddafi era as a way of repudiating the late dictator.

Another complicating factor is that two of the worlds most active refugee advocates, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the IMO, are under tremendous pressure to reduce their operations worldwide.

There is a widespread assumption that all the African migrants are from West Africa, though this is not entirely true. A majority may hail from West Africa, but there is a growing number of migrants from East Africa, and in particular from the Horn of Africa.

Human rights groups are concerned that in some cases Egypt and Sudan may have repatriated African migrants back to their countries of origin. Even though both Egypt and Sudan accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, most East African refugees consider the two North African nations to be conduits as they head for Europe.

Many Somalis cross the Red Sea to neighbouring Yemen. Most settle in the port city of Aden or in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other cities such as Taiz. Yet, Yemen is in the grip of a civil war, and many Yemenis are fleeing the war-torn South Arabian nation.

Some Somalis head for the oil-rich Arabian Gulf nations, but due to the fall in international oil prices, countries such as Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, once magnets for migrants, may now be reluctant to admit more.

The majority of African migrants do not perceive Yemen as their final destination, and many would rather leave for Israel.

Israel itself has in recent years deported thousands of Africans, mainly Eritreans, Ethiopians and South Sudanese. The Israeli government has in some cases offered to give African migrants $3,500 if they leave the country within the next 90 days.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emerged as an ardent advocate of deporting migrants, even though ironically Israel was a nation that included many Jewish refugees from Europe.

The African migrants will be given the option of either going to their home countries or third countries. If the African migrants refuse to leave, the Israeli authorities have threatened that they will start jailing them in April 2019.

*This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

Short link:

Meghalaya threw up a hung Assembly on Saturday with the ruling Congress emerging as the single largest party after winning 21 seats out the 59 that went to polls in February.

Shillong: Meghalaya threw up a hung Assembly on Saturday with the ruling Congress emerging as the single largest party after winning 21 seats out the 59 that went to polls in February.

The National People's Party (NPP) was at the second position with 19 seats, according the results.

The BJP, which contested 47 seats, could win only two.

Polling for 59 Assembly seats, out of a total of 60, was held on 27 February. A Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in an IED blast, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat.

To form government in Meghalaya at the present juncture, a party or coalition requires a minimum of 30 seats.

The Congress had no pre-poll arrangement with any party.

The BJP, which made a serious bid to dethrone the 10-year-old Mukul Sangma government, also had no seat-sharing arrangement with any party.

However, the NPP is an ally of the saffron party at the Centre and in Manipur.

NPP chief Conrad Sangma said, "We are hopeful that we will be able to form the government. People are fed up with the corrupt Congress government and are looking for a change."

All eyes are now on the regional parties and Independent candidates.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) has won six seats followed by the People's Democratic Front (PDF) with four and the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP)with two. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement and the Nationalist Congress Party won one seat each.

The UDF and the HSPDP have a pre-poll alliance. Independent candidates won three seats.

The Congress has rushed two senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to the state to explore the possibility of forming the government.

The Congress' move comes in the wake of criticism in the past that the party was caught 'napping' in Goa and Manipur, where despite emerging as the single largest party it failed to form governments.

After the 2017 Assembly elections threw hung verdicts in Manipur and Goa, the BJP formed governments there with the help of smaller parties and independent candidates.

Patel said there would no repetition of Manipur and Goa.

Nath said, "It is clear that we will form the government. The will of the people of Meghalaya will be reflected in our Congress government."

"We are in touch with everybody. Everybody is in touch with us," he said, adding that "we will stake claim on Saturday night". Nath alleged the BJP is trying to use "money power to cause as much disturbance as possible".

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who won from the two seats he contested, said the results were not on expected lines and he would keep his cards close to his chest with regard to the Congress forming the government.

For the first time, Sangma contested in two seats.

"We are in touch with like-minded regional parties and Independents to form the government," state Congress working president Vincent H Pala said.

Meghalaya is one of the five states where the Congress has been ruling. The other states where the party is in power, are Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Puducherry.Even as counting of votes continues for the Nagaland Assembly election on Saturday, former chief minister Neiphiu Rio has won from unopposed from one seat.

Even as the counting of votes continues for the Nagaland Assembly election on Saturday, former chief minister Neiphiu Rio has won unopposed from the Northern Angami-II Assembly seat in Kohima district.

He was declared the winner after his rival withdrew his nomination. Following this, Rio resigned from his Lok Sabha seat.

"Rio, an elected member of Lok Sabha from Nagaland parliamentary constituency, has resigned his seat in Lok Sabha and his resignation has been accepted by the Speaker with effect from 22 February, 2018," an official notification said.

Rio quit the Naga People's Front, the party he had formed after leaving the Congress in 2002, and joined a new party  Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) to contest the Assembly polls.

Rio said that he joined NDPP after its leaders declared that the party was committed to supporting the peace process and contributed towards realisation of early solution to the vexed Naga insurgency problem.

The NDPP has tied up with the BJP and is contesting in 40 seats in the 60-member Assembly, while the BJP is fighting in the remaining 20 seats. Talking to NDTV, he said that the fight appears to be a close one but, he hopes that his alliance will get all the required votes.

The 67-year-old, who is often described as the 'tallest leader in Nagaland' had led the state for 11 years. He became the chief minister of Nagaland in 2003 upon winning the Northern Angami-II Assembly. He also won in 2008 and 2013. He, however, resigned in May 2014 along with his council of ministers.

"In 2014, Rio declared that to move the Naga cause ahead, he needed to be a Member of Parliament. He won the lone Lok Sabha seat of the state and left for Delhi, handing over his position of chief minister to colleague TR Zeliang," Mutsikhoyo Yhobu, a leader of Naga Ho Ho, a civil society organisation in Nagaland, was quoted as saying in this Firstpost article.

From August 2014 to February 2018, he was a member of the Committee on Public Accounts. He was also a member of the Standing Committee on Coal and Steel from September 2014 to August 2016.

From September 2015 to February 2018, he was also a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture. Rio has also received The Mother Teresa Millennium Award, 2007 as a renowned social worker and politician.

With inputs from agenciesBoth Tripura and Nagaland reflect the same trend  of the Congress losing everything and landing on a snakes tail. And the BJP racing away to victory.

Every election appears to be a game of snakes and ladders for the Congress with the same result. After every throw of the dice, the party gets bitten by a snake and falls to zero or somewhere close to it. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, takes the ladder to go from nothing to victory.

Both Tripura and Nagaland reflect the same trend  of the Congress losing everything and landing on a snake's tail. And the BJP racing away to victory.

The problem with the narrative is this: After the Congress' performance in Gujarat, the party was supposed to take the ladder, not grab the snake's behind. It was expected to stick to the narrative of a resurgent Congress under a repackaged and rebranded Rahul Gandhi. But the dice continues to roll the same way.

Analysing a Congress defeat is no longer rocket science. The only thing that can be said about it is this: When you do the same thing the same way, the outcome will not change, even if you keep trying till kingdom come. The Congress has perfected the art of losing, and in every election, it displays its expertise like a circus monkey repeating the same trick.

What does the Congress do to lose with the consistency of a shooter hitting bullseye with every shot? The answer is, plenty.

One, it allows grassroots leaders to become redundant till they see no other option but to defect to the BJP. This happens because the high command, aka Rahul Gandhi, has very little time for understanding the realities on the ground and investing in those who can make an impact on the field.

The clearest evidence of his lack of foresight and insight being Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is now busy burying the Congress across the North East. And the same thing happened in Tripura again, where it allowed its heavyweights and sitting legislators to be poached by the BJP.

Two, it can't revive a dying cadre. The party seems to be doing nothing to have a presence on the ground. It lacks Amit Shah's patience and planning to go right down to the root of democracy. In the absence of support on the ground, it collapses like a castle in the wind.

Even in Gujarat, the Congress failed to win because it just couldn't convert support into votes. Whatever little it gained was because of the supporters of Hardik Patel and Alpesh Thakore.

Three, it fails to create an alternate narrative. The Congress keeps responding to the BJP's agenda, falling in the trap of playing catch-up. Presenting Rahul in a new package won't do it for the party. It needs to present the whole party in a new package, especially for young and urban voters. And for that, Rahul will have to do better than playing with Pidi and tweeting about his vacations. He will have to understand India, find out what it wants, and sell that to the voters.

That said, Rahul has one chance left to get his act together. Elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh will be one last opportunity to retrieve lost ground and challenge the BJP. In these states, the Congress has the best chance to perform better, or even win.

But even after this last throw of the dice, if the Congress finds itself kissed by the snake, it can kiss 2019 goodbye.

Follow all the latest updates from the North East states hereThe BJP has made the national synonymous with itself, but its political story in the North East marks the provincialisation of elections in India.

The stunning political story of the North East is out for all to witness. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), hitherto regarded as a mere novice and a hesitant entrant to the complicated politics of the region, has overturned its predicted destiny, making not inroads but overarching conquest. It is a political fact much reiterated, but perhaps it cannot be reiterated enough  that from a vote-share described, at best, as marginal and ultimately irrelevant, the BJP has grasped as much as 43 percent of the electoral pie in Tripura. The state was a celebrated bastion of the Left whose fate, despite chief minister Manik Sarkars decades of unbroken rule, hangs in precarious balance.

In Tripura, the BJP and its unlikely allies, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), have conquered as many as forty-three seats in the fifty-nine seat assembly, leaving the Communist Party of India (Marxist) to skive the crumbs of this veritable feast. In Nagaland, where the contest was triangular, even quadrilateral, the BJP appears certain of forming the government in alliance with either Neiphiu Rios Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) or the incumbent Naga Peoples Front (NPF). In allying with the victor, to phrase it differently, the BJP will proclaim its own victory. Meghalaya, where the Indian National Congress (INC) can still claim dignity in wider regional defeat, cuts a picture of ambiguous desolation, insoluble until Conrad Sangmas National Peoples Party (NPP), the United Democratic Party (UDP), and the rather incongruently dense mass of electoral units such as the Hill State Peoples Democratic Party choose which way to turn.

What has emerged most clearly in these configurations is the vigour of the BJPs determined juggernaut, treating defeat as fatal political sin and victory, even if comes at the precious cost of snatching it from defeat, with a missionary zeal unseen and unprecedented in contemporary politics. But how, as a commentator impassionedly asked on a shouting match on national television, does the BJP do it?

In his long road to coronation as the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi realised early that religion will have to be couched with a veneer that appeals to a larger mass of his electorate and is truly national. He accomplished this, as is well-known, by transfiguring into the vikas-purush who would, if elected, liberate India from the endless tyranny of the Congress party. Since his election, it is a veneer that Modi has clung to, even as he has had to loosen his control over elements of the so-called fringe and in many cases, even encourage them.

The rhetoric of this veneer has enabled his party to derive electoral triumph from wherever they could find, or create, a sentiment of anti-incumbency, toppling Congress-ruled regimes state after state, election after election in what can only be described as an electoral march unto death and democracy. This has been done through a brutal election machine pioneered by Amit Shah. This machine is an engineered beast for which no issue is inalterable, no memory inerasable, and no election insignificant. In the North East, the beast has had to be reined carefully. Here the party has been aided by Himanta Biswa Sarma, whose loss the Congress should acknowledge to have been suicidal. With the exception of Manik Sarkars government in Tripura, the BJP has found it simple, even effortless to devastate the political map of the region, driving its watchful narrative as a knife through comatose governments and their avowed claims of re-election.

Yet, this is a fable that assumes the North East to be too easily explainable, for it is a narrative too national to be sensitive to regional dynamics and contingencies. The rise of the BJP in north eastern India is a very national story, but its formidable way has run through regional actors and elements, as well as local sentiments of belonging, identity, and sub-nationalism. The BJP has made the national synonymous with itself, but its political story in the North East  narrated exclusively as one of inroads developed with alacrity, rapidity, and unceasing strength  marks the provincialisation of elections in India, a feature we had believed to have lost after 2014. In this scenario, no leader, not even Modi, is formidable enough to escape extensive negotiations with local political entities. In fact, one may suggest that the BJPs rise in the North East is not the displacement of a national actor  the Congress  by another national hegemon. Rather, it suggests an arithmetic of discontentment with the national whose sentimental wellspring the BJP tapped into and deftly appropriated, forging critical alliances with regional elements representing this impasse in the process. Such a proposition will be music only to the ears of purveyors of the national in the national media. In the grammar of politics in north eastern India, this is the statement of political life.

In verbalising the lament of the North East  its history of neglect, suppression, and suchlike at the hands of national governments and paradigms  Modi exhibited an astute understanding of the regions tumultuous politics. Indeed, as the North East begins to assert itself as a region that can be a power if recognised as one, the BJP realised, well in time, that the victor in the North East will have to be local in orientation even if national in visage. While the Congress tried to galvanise support against the nationalisation of Hindutva and its corrosive championing by the national government, the BJPs electoral machine reached every nook and cranny, populating banners with posters of national icons but singing to local and regional grievance, such as the hostility to illegal mining in Meghalaya despite its economic allure. A key political flank in the BJPs rallies in the region was the issue of Bangladeshi migrants and their multifarious dangers. In fact, in his self-congratulatory speech today, Himanta Biswa Sarma asked Manik Sarkar to go to West Bengal, Kerala, or Bangladesh.

In Tripura, the BJP extended a hand of alliance to the IPFT, a front whose political sinew is the demand for a separate state for the Tripuri tribe, representing tribal grievance against perceived and actual Bengali supremacy in the state. The IPFT saw great virtue in joining hands with the ruling party in the central government.

In Nagaland, the BJP, unlike the Congress which seems to have accepted the eventuality of its withering disappearance, gauged the political vacuum that the localised rift between the NPF and the NDPP had created and endeavoured to occupy it. Whichever faction claims governance in Nagaland will now have to bear the weight of the BJP and in turn, have a steady national hand hold its regional aspiration. Meghalaya may appear insoluble, but here, too, the shadow of the BJP is inescapable; it is quite possible that Biswa Sarma will carve a carefully negotiated local alliance in service of the national party, giving the BJP its third and most triumphant victory of the day.

Allying with regional figures and formations against the overarching national may have given the BJP the prized opportunity to declare their triumphs as its own, but it will do well to remember that if the national will be affronted, as appears likely, the BJP will also have to bear this assault of sub-nationalism. The valuable peace that the North East has painstakingly hankered for after decades of insurgency is a lost memory, but its return, if it were to be executed, will damage the BJP beyond this ephemeral joy of transient electoral success. The resurrection of a lost memory is a flirtation with sub-nationalism.The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in three states in the North East  Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura  will be held on Saturday amid tight security.

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Counting to begin in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura at 8 am Welcome to live updates from Counting Day for the first three of the year's eight Assembly elections. The states of Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram are set to go to the polls later this year. To follow coverage from specific states, click on the links below: Nagaland Election Results Tripura Election Results Meghalaya Election Results

Buoyed by the formation of governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making a bid to expand its footprints in the region. Read the full preview here

While the Congress has been ruling Meghalaya for 10 years, the Naga People's Front (NFP) has been in power in Nagaland since 2003, except for a three-month period of President's rule in 2008.

The story so far The BJP has emerged as a strong contender in all the three states and two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states.

The latest from Tripura Counting in Tripura will take place at 20 centres across the state, which will have three-tire security arrangement. Paramilitary troops were deployed on Friday night at sensitive areas Input: SS Ali/101Reporters

The exit poll predicts 17 to 23 seats for NPP, 13 to 19 seats for Congress, 8 to 12 for UDP- HSPDP alliance, 4 to 8 seats for BJP and 5 to 9 seats for Others respectively. Read the full analysis here

According to the exit poll, Congress will clinch 36.5 percent of the vote, followed by NPP with 29.4 percent. Despite its heavy campaigning, BJP only managed 16.6 percent vote share, while the UDP- HSPDP coalition had an 8.8 percent share and Others clinched 8.7 percent of the vote share.

C-Voter predicts that the BJP-NDPP alliance will end up with 38.4 percent of the vote share, followed by NPF with 27.1 percent, Congress with 19.7 percent and Others with 14.8 percent.

According to the C-Voter exit poll for 2018, of the 60 seats in Nagaland, the BJP-NDPP alliance is likely to clinch 25 to 31 seats. The ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) is likely to get 19 to 25 seat share, the exit poll predicts. Congress and Others will see 0 to 4 and 6 to 10 seats respectively.

For CPM, C-Voter exit poll predicts a seat share of around 26 to 34, while forecasts 24 to 32 seats for BJP. Congress and others are both likely to clinch 0 to 2 seats. Read the full analysis here

Of the 60 seats in the Tripura Assembly, the C-Voter exit poll for 2018 predicts that the party with the highest vote share in the state will be CPM, which is forecasted to clinch 44.3 percent of the seats. BJP will be a close second with 42.8 percent of the vote share. According to the C-Voter poll, Congress may get 7.2 percent of the seats, while the other candidates will muster 5.7 percent vote share.

For CPM, C-Voter exit poll predicts a seat share of around 26 to 34, while forecasts 24 to 32 seats for BJP. Congress and others are both likely to clinch 0 to 2 seats. Read the full analysis here

Of the 60 seats in the Tripura Assembly, the C-Voter exit poll for 2018 predicts that the party with the highest vote share in the state will be CPM, which is forecasted to clinch 44.3 percent of the seats. BJP will be a close second with 42.8 percent of the vote share. According to the C-Voter poll, Congress may get 7.2 percent of the seats, while the other candidates will muster 5.7 percent vote share.

'Congress losing grip on North East': Himanta Biswa Sarma According to Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, "The tribal population in the state, irrespective of religious affiliation, is gradually siding with the BJP. The Congress party has no leaders left in the region. All the important leaders have left the party and have joined the BJP. Hence, I think that the Congress is no longer a viable political force in the region." Read the full interview here

Counting for as many as 15 constituencies will be taken up at JN Sports Complex, Poo, Shillong. Polling agents from different parties in queue to enter inside the counting hall. Input: Kyrmenlang Uriah/101Reporters

The Nagaland Assembly polls this time around are not only a test of power for political parties, but also for the Church. This time around, the Church appealed to people not to vote for the BJP. On the other hand, Neiphiu Rio, the chief ministerial candidate of the NDPP-BJP alliance has appealed to voters that this alliance will usher in good days for Nagaland. Whom will the people listen to? Today's counting of votes will answer this question. It must be noted that Nagaland is a Christian state. The term 'Christian state' does not only refer to the fact that the population of the state is mostly Christian, but also the reality that the Church has tremendous influence over the government, society and politics in the state. The results will have an impact on the future of Naga politics.

Polling was conducted only for 59 seats after the death of CPM candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma from the Charilam constituency. The bypoll for the seat will be conducted on 12 March. CPM has declared that its youth front leader Palash Debbarma will contest from the seat, reported agencies.

The prime minister said people wear 'manik' (gemstone) for changing their fate, but this Manik (Sarkar) failed to bring prosperity to people. "Throw away Manik (Sarkar government) and go for 'hira' for prosperity and development in the state in the upcoming election," he urged the gathering.

"For something as basic as a ration card, people here have to approach the party office. Even when somebody gets murdered, police does not register a case unless they get the approval from the CPI(M)," he told an election rally. The communists here force common people to depend on them for everything, he said, adding "this is the new face of slavery". He claimed Tripura has hardly witnessed any development under the Left rule.

Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and his party, Modi had said that the people in Tripura feel intimidated by the communists.

Tripura biggest challenge for Modi and BJP: In his campaign rallies, PM attacked Left govt over complacency

The BJP has emerged the main challenger for the Left, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah leading its campaign. The state is crucial for the Left, which is its last bastion in the country, with Manik Sarkars 20-year rule facing a sort of referendum this election.

Congress candidates Zenith Sangma (contesting from Rangsakona assembly constituency) and his wife Sadhiarani Sangma (Gambegre assembly constituency) arrive at the counting centre in Tura.

Barricades have been put up around Ramesh School counting centre in Udaipur sub-division

At 8:45 am, the Congress is ahead in three seats in Meghalaya, while the BJP is leading in one. The National People's Party (NPP) is also ahead in three seats, while candidates of other parties are also leading in four seats in the state.

Therefore, it would need to bolster its numbers in quest of 272 in 2019 (or earlier) and Northeastern states may play a crucial role in propping up its fortunes.

If by-election results in various states are anything to go by, BJP's seats in the core Hindi heartland are set to take a downward revision. Gujarat is a battle, Rajasthan is looking precarious, Madhya Pradesh isn't too promising either. In most of these states where BJP was the dominant force in 2014 and swept everything that came its way, it appears to have saturated.

Securing the North East is more important for BJP than it would appear at present in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

With its fortunes dipping in Hindi heartland, BJP needs the North East election win

Looking ahead to 2019 and the impact these elections could have on the voting in the General Election, it's worth recalling that Tripura has two Lok Sabha seats, Meghalaya has two Lok Sabha seats and Nagaland has the solitary seat in the Lok Sabha.

Congress supporters buoyant in Meghalaya As per leads and with the Congress taking the fight to the BJP and its allies in the state, supporters at the counting centre in Shillong are enthusiastic about their party's prospects.

UDP and PDF currently have the lead in the number of votes counted (58 percent). UDP is in an alliance with other regional parties like HSPDP and GNC and has vowed to form a government in Meghalaya without the need for national parties.

Mukul Sangma (INC) currently leading in Songsak. Other prominent candidates who are currently in the lead are Agatha Sangma (NPP), James Sangma (NPP), Limison Sangma (INC) and Clement Marak (INC).

According to early trends, Manik Sarkar government in Tripura is ahead in 26 seats, while BJP is close second with 23 seats.

Without speculating or mentioning anything about early trends which put the BJP behind the Left Front government in Tripura, national general secretary Ram Madhav took to Twitter to say that, "Results being shown now are mostly from postal ballot count. EVMs are yet to be opened."

Ram Madhav says EVMs are yet to be opened

Meghalaya: Congress leads in 15 seats; NPP is ahead in 7 seats and BJP is leading in just one seat

The national general secretary earlier took to Twitter to say that EVMs weren't opened yet in any of the North East state, hinting that the BJP can't be ruled out yet.

ANI quotes Ram Madhav who said, "Seeing the earlier trends:, I feel that in Tripura BJP is going to do very well In Nagaland too, our alliance is doing very well and Congress is trailing in Meghalaya. The three results of North East are going to be very good for BJP."

In Meghalaya, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, Agatha Sangma and James Sangma are leading from their constituencies. BJP's Donkupar Roy is ahead in Shella and Alexander Laloo Hek, a former member of the Congress who then shifted to BJP, is leading in Pynthorumkhrah.

Sarma, who is BJP's key strategist in the North East, said that the cadre had done hard work in the North East and the results would not be disappointing.

Several BJP leaders, including Himanta Biswa Sarma and Suni Deodhar, told TV channels referred to the early trends and said "wait till 12 pm" for the real numbers to emerge.

The north eastern success posits BJP as a serious player even in areas where there is no Hindi-speaking population. Its performance in Nagaland is stupendous, given its position as a party that advocates prohibition of cow slaughter. To sum, even in they fall short at the final hurdle in Tripura, this is a breakout election for BJP in North East that holds promise for the future.

The BJP seems to be closing in in forming a government in Nagaland and emerging as the single largest opposition in Tripura. Though the result might be interpreted as a disappointment for BJP given the attention it had given to Tripura to wrest power, in realistic terms it is an astonishing improvement to leap from zero to more than 20 seats. It points to an inescapable fact that the BJP is now truly a pan-India party.

Breakthrough for BJP in Nagaland: With or without Tripura, party in North East holds promise

Meghalaya: Congress ahead in 25 seats; NPP leads in 14, while BJP is ahead in 5 seats

BJP leader and minister of state (home affairs) Kiren Rijiju said that the BJP, UDP and NPP will together form the government in Meghalaya.

Tight competition in Nartiang constituency where Jopthiaw Lyngdoh of Indian National Congress is trailing by 100 votes, close behind Sniawbhalang Dhar (NPP) who has 11,608 votes. Counting in progress.

In Meghalaya, Congress has taken a strong lead with chief minister Mukul Sangma leading in Ampati constituency. Party leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel are headed to Shillong amid fears of horse-trading.

Once bitten, twice shy Congress clearly doesn't want a repeat of Goa when it was apparently found sleeping at the wheels despite being on driver's seat, allowing Amit Shah to snatch a coalition right under its nose. Rahul Gandhi's alertness though won't be able to save the larger picture for Congress where it seems to have been replaced by BJP as the pan-India national party in once-bastion North East.

Congress has rushed senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath and Mukul Wasnik to Meghalaya in order to reinforce the possibility of forming a government in the state. The Congress is ahead in 23 seats; NPP+ is leading in 14, BJP in 5 and others are ahead in 17 seats.

Congress tries to stop repeat of Goa, rushes senior leaders Kamal Nath, Mukul Wasnik to Meghalaya to form govt

Just in from Meghalaya  Mukul Sangma (INC) wins in Songsak, Cherak Momin (INC) wins Kharkutta.

Former Meghalayan cabinet minister Ampareen Lyngdoh (INC) retains her constituency of East Shillong by a huge margin. There were widespread reports of EVM and VVPAT malfunctions in her constituency on Tuesday. Se told 101Reporters, "I don't know how well the party is doing yet. But I know that we should not allow any communal differences to rock the state; we should move forward, not backwards." Input: Kyrmenlang Uriah/101Reporters

Alliance with IPFT could have been suicidal or have give us a huge advantage, but Amit Shah was sure it would get good results. Many people did not want the merger, but the BJP president was in favour and that has helped. If Shah is a student of postgraduation, Rahul Gandhi is in nursery in terms of politics, said Sarma.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the man behind the BJPs performance in Tripura, said the alliance with IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura) was the game changer.

"In Tripura, at least until now, it looks like the BJP will be forming the next government. We are pleased with this, but will wait for the final tally. That said, we expect to pick up over 40 seats in the state... It is a historic win and the prime minister put a lot into this effort," says BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav

It is easy to overlook, at this hour, the pivotal role played by Amit Shah who had spent the better part of three years in plotting Sarkar's downfall and RSS foot soldiers who have ensured booth-level mobility. In absence of these strategies, defeating a formidable opponent in terms of grassroots connect and ideological rival wouldn't have been possible. Rest assured, Tripura result will have repercussions far beyond the geographical boundaries of the state.

This result will be analysed threadbare but the impact of Tripura result, where the BJP contested 50 seats in 2013 and lost its deposit in 49, cannot be overstated. It points to a tectonic shift in national politics where BJP has emerged as the true national party.

I t is now clear that the BJP will form a government, ending the Manik Sarkar era in Tripura. At 11.30am, the saffron unit is leading in 2/3rd of seats in the state which translates to a figure above 40. It right now looks too insurmountable a lead for CPM to catch as it leads in just 17 in the the 59-seat Assembly.

In Nagaland , BJP+ is leading with 28 seats while NPF is ahead in 25 seats.

In Meghalaya , Congress leads in 18 seats, NPP is ahead in 9 seats and BJP in 7.

In Tripura, BJP surged ahead of the Left Front government and is leading in 41 seats. CPM is ahead in 16 seats. The sudden twist in the numbers for Tripura has come as a major boost for the saffron party.

He adds, "About the BJP emerging strong in these states, it is not a new phenomenon that North Eastern states have voted for the party in power at the Centre. Small states often do that, so it isn't a big deal. But after their recent losses in bypolls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, BJP winning a few seats in the North East would not be of significance."

"We knew we would perform poorly in Tripura and Nagaland. In Tripura, the BJP took away most of our strong candidates and in Nagaland, we weren't as active in our campaigning as we should have been. We will score a zero in both states. We lacked in organisational skills, and one can't achieve much at the last moment. The trends are not surprising.However, we were hopeful about Meghalaya, and the trends so far indicate we have a chance at forming the government, although I can't be 100 percent sure," says Gogoi

Former Assam CM and Congress veteran Tarun Gogoi comments on trends so far:

BJP is leading in 26 seats and won 15 seats in Tripura, clearly overthrowing the Manik Sarkar-led CPM government. Even though the final results are not out yet, the mandate is seen as a huge blow to Manik Sarkar's 25 years of uninterrupted rule.

Speaking to the media, Biplab Kumar Deb says, "I expected a win of this margin." A confident Deb, who is also being touted as the probable new chief minister, thanked the party cadre.

The BJP was leading in 32 seats with its ally IPFT ahead in 8 seats. The majority mark in the Assembly is 31. BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb was leading from Banamlipur seat. The ruling CPI(M), which has been in power for the last 25 years, was ahead in 19 seats.

The BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) combine was leading in 40 seats and was set to end the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Front in Tripura. Election in 59 seats for the 60-member Assembly was held on February 18. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to the death of a CPI(M) candidate.

But his political line has been vehemently opposed by the party's Kerala unit along with politburo member Prakash Karat, known as a hardliner in the CPM. The CPM central committee had on 21 January voted against the draft political resolution pitched by Yechury proposing alliance with the Congress.

More importantly, if the BJP wins then the much contended question of adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP will again come up. Yechury along with a large section of leaders from Bengal have been vocal about the adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP.

Brinda Karat, expected to succeed Sitaram Yechury as the general secretary of the Communist party of India Marxist, was responsible for driving the campaigning and eletion strategy in Tripura. The BJP's lead in the state will not spell good news for the leader.

BJP win in Tripura may have far reaching effects within Left-wing CPM

Senior Congress leader and party's North East incharge Kamal Nath said that the Congress party expect to win around 25 seats and is the single largest party. "We are already in talks with our associates who have reassured us of their support in the last one hour. The BJP has just 2-3 seats and they are just trying to create mischief with those few seats, that's all," he said.

Congress already in talks with associates in Meghalaya, positive to form govt: Kamal Nath

Five women were in fray this election despite the resistance of from hohos, or tribal bodies against woman representation in local body elections.

Since Nagaland was formed in 1963, only 19 women, including this years candidates, have stood for assembly elections. None has ever won.

Awan Konyak is leading in Aboi assembly constituency with 1320 votes against standing MLA Eshak Konyak (NPF). Awans father, Nyeiwang Konyak, four-time MLA and former education minister, had lost the 2013 polls by 693 votes. He passed away on 31 January this year. The state has historically had a poor show in terms of being gender representative in politics.

About the BJP emerging strong in these states, it is not a new phenomenon that Northeastern states have voted for the party in power at the Centre. Small states often do that, so it isn't a big deal. But after their recent losses in bypolls in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, BJP winning a few seats in the North East would not be of significance.

However, we were hopeful about Meghalaya, and the trends so far indicate we have a chance at forming the government, although I can't be a 100 percent sure.

We knew we would perform poorly in Tripura and Nagaland. In Tripura, the BJP took away most of our strong candidates and in Nagaland, we weren't as active in our campaigning as we should have been. We will score a zero in both states. We lacked in organisational skills, and one can't achieve much at the last moment. The trends are not surprising.

"Time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA. People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind," the prime minister tweeted.

He also said that the people have stamped their approval on the policies of Narendra Modi. He said that the results of all three states is a precursor to the Assembly elections in other states and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"Congress could not even score a single seat in Nagaland and Tripura and their security will be confiscated in a lot of seats. In Meghalaya too, where they already had a government, we have a hung Assembly now," Shah said. He said that the Congress party has ignored tribals and the people of North East far years and this is the reason for their loss.

Left not right for any part of India: Amit Shah

"Even if we don't count Meghalaya, BJP and NDA has governance in 21 states across the nation today. Mandate after mandate has been in the favor of Narendra Modi Ji and his government North East needs development and peace," Amit Shah said.

Mandate after mandate has been in the favor of Narendra Modi: Amit Shah

Amit Shah said that he would also like to remember the candidates who were killed in the political violence in North East. He said that the cadres' sacrifice has finally paid off.

"Victory after victory is a positive sign. This has boosted our confidence even more for 2019. We will march towards Karnataka, with this massive victory with us," Shah said.

Tally in all three North States as of 4.52 pm

"It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways....It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast," he told a press conference.

BJP chief Amit Shah said today his party's victories in the Left's citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast. A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

"This journey from Shunya to Shikhar (zero to top) has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years," Modi said in a series of tweets. Here is a graph mapping the performance of the saffron party over the past few elections.

The prime minister termed his party's show in the northeastern states a victory from "shoonya to shikar (zilch to summit)" and not wrongly so.

BJP and NPP had contested the elections separately. BJP has won two seats in the state where the Congress has won 19 seats so far and was ahead in two.

While Amit Shah ruled out the possibility of the BJP, whose NDA partner National People's Party has won 19 seats, engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya, he did not say anything specific on the issue. "We will have to wait for the full results to come out before coming to a decision," Shah said indicating that the party has not yet given up attempts to forge alliances to keep Congress out of power.

The party could manage a clear majority in Tripura along with ally IPFT.

The NPF has already passed a resolution on alliance with the BJP". The BJP has won eight seats in Nagaland and was set to grab three others, while the NDPP won six and was set to win 11 more.

Asked whether the BJP and NDPP will be in a position to form the next government without the help of party's erstwhile ally Naga Peoples Front (NPF), which won in 17 seats and was likely to win eight others, Rijiju said."

The BJP will form the next government in Nagaland with the help of other parties, Union minister and BJP in-charge for the state Kiren Rijiju said today, indicating that the party's erstwhile ally NPF may align with it. The BJP was part of the NPF-led government in Nagaland till the Assembly elections but parted ways to join hands with the newly-formed NDPP.

"The prime minister began his speech by thanking BJP chief Amit Shah and party workers, but stopped for a good three minutes when he heard the first strains of the evening call to prayer from a mosque nearby. During the ensuing period, barring a few exultant slogans, the assembled BJP cadre waited in silence for the muezzin to finish. The optics of the gesture are in keeping with Modi's recent measures of outreach; his visits to Oman, UAE and Palestine, his meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan, and most significantly, the noticeable lack of communally divisive rhetoric."

Narendra Modi pauses for azaan at the start of speech as mark of respect

"Fear and confusion are the weapons used by the Left parties. I would take this occasion to remember our BJP workers who were killed due to political violence," Modi said as he urgedworkers to observe two minutes of silence.

"Wins and defeat are the beauty of democracy. Change is the nature of democracy. But today I was shocked to see the statement of Left leaders. Defeat should be taken in sportsman spirit but even the Congress could not take defeat sportingly," Modi said.

"I have heard that the northeastern corner is the most auspicious side of a home according to vastu. If we fix the north east the entire building will be improved. And now I am happy that north east is part of the vikas yatra," Modi said.

This victory has been achieved with limited resources. We have charted the path of success "from (being) no-one to won" without using any celebrities, the prime minister said.

"Be it Kerala, Bengal or Karnataka, the way two dozen workers were murdered there, when they can't fight to the face they stooped down to this. Still we maintained silence. When we take action they cry 'vendetta'. This isn't vendetta but a step for the betterment of nation. This is Mandata." Modi said.

"There are some parties in India where steadily people rose in the ranks of hierarchy but their stature was diminished. Congress was never so diminished in size and state as it is today," Modi said.

Some people rose in hierarchy but their stature diminished: Narendra Modi's swipe at Congress

"Leftist statement on today's verdict is shocking. Defeat should be taken in sportsman spirit," Modi said. The prime minister was apparently referring to the Left party's comments alleging election malpractices.

"We're extremely happy. We contested on 20 seats and have won 11 seats. CPM used goondaism & got rejected by people, we have only used democratic methods to contest this election. Congress is not relevant in Tripura and Nagaland," Madhav told.

BJP leader Ram Madhav, speaking to India Today, said that by voting for BJP Tripura has joined the national centre stage. The BJP leader was reacting to a question on the so-called ideological swing in the Left bastion.

In its 25 years of rule in Tripura, the Left front has ensured harmony among all sections of people and given them good governance, and there are no allegations against it, Raja said.

He said the way the BJP has entered into an alliance with certain forces like the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) is highly questionable and exposes the BJP's hypocrisy.

The results in the northeast, including Tripura, show that the BJP has used all powers, including money, to manipulate politics and the people's mandate, CPI national secretary D Raja said today.

Numerically, the Congress stands a better chance, simply because BJP has limited seats and thereby will have to strike the crucial balance between the ministerial ambitions of a larger number of allies. On the other hand, Sarma's expertise in the northeastern politics will favour BJP; while. Nath and Patel are veteran politicians, lack roots in the state.

From the BJP side, Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of the most polished hand in the northeast politics, was rushed to feel around for alliance possibilities so as to keep Congress out of power.

With election the Congress emerging as the single-largest party in Meghalaya, the party today rushed two senior leaders to the northeastern state to explore possibilities of forming a government. Senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government there even as Nath claimed that the party was in touch with "associates."

According to Election Commission website, the party is leading in one seat.

JD(U) Nagaland said it will support BJP in forming a government, ANI reported. "This decision is taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the just declared results of the conducted general election to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly & also to safeguard the interest of the National Democratic Alliance in Delh," the party said.

While the party has scored majority in Tripura, in Nagaland it is banking on the support of NPF. In Meghalaya the math is going to be tougher as Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats while BJP on its own could manage only 2 seats. It is looking to form an alliance to keep Congress out of power.

Hours after results projected a clear picture in three northeastern states, Union minister JP Nadda said that his party was confident of forming a government in Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.

BJP confident of forming govt in Nagaland, Meghalaya, says JP Nadda; announces names of observers for three states

Election Commission data showed that if you don't factor in the alliance partners, BJP and CPM's vote share was very comparable: The BJP bagged 43 percent vote share while CPM had 42.7 percent votes and it was leading in the last remaining seat. The collective vote share of BJP + IPFT was 50.5 percent while CPI + CPM got 43.5 percent votes.

However, while the party's performance was nothing less than spectacular, it would be wrong to say the state had an ideological turn-around within a span of five years.

The BJP is jubilant after drubbing Left in its own bastion. "The party did not have even a single corporator in the state and all but one of our Assembly candidates could not even save their security deposits in last polls. From there to winning a clear majority is a huge achievement," Ravi Shankar Prasad told one of the TV channels. Likewise, Modi also said that Left isn't right for any part of India and the people were disenchanted with them.

Congress, which was the principle Opposition party in the outgoing Assembly, failed to open its account and was restricted to a meagre 1.8 percent of vote share. The party had managed to win 36.53percent votes in 2013 Assembly elections.

But an analysis of the breakup of the vote share shows the sheen of the spectacular win was earned at the cost of Congress rather than the Left. The BJP managed to swallow up the entire Opposition space rather than making any drastic inroads into the traditional Left vote base.

The TV debates today were centred on how BJP managed to script history in Tripura Assembly Polls through its active North East policy, sheer hard work and strategic booth-level management. Ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front in the state was no small feat.

"We're extremely happy. We contested on 20 seats and have won 11 seats. CPM used goondaism & got rejected by people, we have only used democratic methods to contest this election. Congress is not relevant in Tripura and Nagaland," Madhav told.

BJP leader Ram Madhav, speaking to India Today, said that by voting for BJP Tripura has joined the national centre stage. The BJP leader was reacting to a question on the so-called ideological swing in the Left bastion.

In its 25 years of rule in Tripura, the Left front has ensured harmony among all sections of people and given them good governance, and there are no allegations against it, Raja said.

He said the way the BJP has entered into an alliance with certain forces like the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) is highly questionable and exposes the BJP's hypocrisy.

The results in the northeast, including Tripura, show that the BJP has used all powers, including money, to manipulate politics and the people's mandate, CPI national secretary D Raja said today.

Here's what the tally of all three states look like at 8.00 pm

Numerically, the Congress stands a better chance, simply because BJP has limited seats and thereby will have to strike the crucial balance between the ministerial ambitions of a larger number of allies. On the other hand, Sarma's expertise in the northeastern politics will favour BJP; while. Nath and Patel are veteran politicians, lack roots in the state.

From the BJP side, Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of the most polished hand in the northeast politics, was rushed to feel around for alliance possibilities so as to keep Congress out of power.

With election the Congress emerging as the single-largest party in Meghalaya, the party today rushed two senior leaders to the northeastern state to explore possibilities of forming a government. Senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government there even as Nath claimed that the party was in touch with "associates."

Janata Dal (United) Nagaland has decided to support the BJP in formation of a stable govt in Nagaland: JD(U) Nagaland #NagalandElection2018 pic.twitter.com/n0V2xdQE5N

According to Election Commission website, the party is leading in one seat.

JD(U) Nagaland said it will support BJP in forming a government, ANI reported. "This decision is taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the just declared results of the conducted general election to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly & also to safeguard the interest of the National Democratic Alliance in Delh," the party said.

Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram will go as Observers to Tripura, Arun Singh and I will got to Nagaland & Kiren Rijiju and KJ Alphons will go to Meghalaya to elect the CM: JP Nadda pic.twitter.com/g4OGA7TYlQ

While the party has scored majority in Tripura, in Nagaland it is banking on the support of NPF. In Meghalaya the math is going to be tougher as Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats while BJP on its own could manage only 2 seats. It is looking to form an alliance to keep Congress out of power.

Hours after results projected a clear picture in three northeastern states, Union minister JP Nadda said that his party was confident of forming a government in Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya.

BJP confident of forming govt in Nagaland, Meghalaya, says JP Nadda; announces names of observers for three states

Election Commission data showed that if you don't factor in the alliance partners, BJP and CPM's vote share was very comparable: The BJP bagged 43 percent vote share while CPM had 42.7 percent votes and it was leading in the last remaining seat. The collective vote share of BJP + IPFT was 50.5 percent while CPI + CPM got 43.5 percent votes.

However, while the party's performance was nothing less than spectacular, it would be wrong to say the state had an ideological turn-around within a span of five years.

The BJP is jubilant after drubbing Left in its own bastion. "The party did not have even a single corporator in the state and all but one of our Assembly candidates could not even save their security deposits in last polls. From there to winning a clear majority is a huge achievement," Ravi Shankar Prasad told one of the TV channels. Likewise, Modi also said that Left isn't right for any part of India and the people were disenchanted with them.

Sitaram Yechury of CPM is a good friend of mine. I met him in Delhi recently. People want change in India for 2019 polls. There is a need of qualitative changes in National Politics. I am talking to like minded people. If required I will lead the movement: KC Rao (file pic) pic.twitter.com/PU8oPkps1U

Congress, which was the principle Opposition party in the outgoing Assembly, failed to open its account and was restricted to a meagre 1.8 percent of vote share. The party had managed to win 36.53percent votes in 2013 Assembly elections.

But an analysis of the breakup of the vote share shows the sheen of the spectacular win was earned at the cost of Congress rather than the Left. The BJP managed to swallow up the entire Opposition space rather than making any drastic inroads into the traditional Left vote base.

The TV debates today were centred on how BJP managed to script history in Tripura Assembly Polls through its active North East policy, sheer hard work and strategic booth-level management. Ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front in the state was no small feat.

LIVE Counting updates: The BJP and its ally IPFT were set to end the Left Front's 25-year-rule in Tripura with a strong showing in the Assembly polls, while Meghalaya seemed to be headed for a hung House. In Nagaland, a close finish was on the cards, according to available trends.

The Manik Sarkar government seems to be on its way out in Tripura with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking a giant lead over the CPI (M). In Meghalaya, the Congress is leading, but the BJP is confident of forming the government along with UDP and NPP. Congress has already rushed senior leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel to Shillong to check horse-trading and hold alliance talks.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, the man behind the BJPs performance in Tripura, said the alliance with IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura) was the game changer. Mukul Sangma (INC) wins in Songsak, Cherak Momin (INC) wins Kharkutta.

In Nagaland, the NPF+ seems set to retain power, marching past the BJP-NDPP alliance, whose CM face Neiphiu Rio has already won unopposed from Northern Angami-II.

Securing the North East is more important for BJP than it would appear at present in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. If by-election results in various states are anything to go by, BJP's seats in the core Hindi heartland are set to take a downward revision. Gujarat is a battle, Rajasthan is looking precarious, Madhya Pradesh isn't too promising either. In most of these states where BJP was the dominant force in 2014 and swept everything that came its way, it appears to have saturated.

Counting of votes cast in the Assembly elections in three states in the North East  Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland  began. Heavy security was deployed in Tripura and Meghalaya.

The counting will begin at 8 am and results are expected by the afternoon. Tripura went to the polls on 18 February while elections in Meghalaya and Nagaland were held on 27 February.

In Tripura, two exit polls have suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may dethrone the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM)-led government that has had an uninterrupted run since 1993.

Ahead of Saturday's counting, both the CPM and the BJP claimed that they will form the next government in the state.

CPM Tripura State Secretary Bijan Dhar said the Left parties were "more than confident" of forming the next government. BJP state President Biplab Kumar Deb said that people of Tripura wanted change and "strongly wished for a BJP government" in the state.

The party had contested 50 seats in the last assembly polls in 2013 and its candidates forfeited their deposits on 49 seats. With 1.87 percent of votes, it failed to win any seat. The CPM had won 49 of the 55 seats it contested while the Congress managed to win 10 out of 48 seats it contested.

Despite large-scale snags in EVMs and VVPATs (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail), over 92 percent (excluding 50,770 postal ballots) of Tripura's 2,536,589 voters cast their votes in a peaceful election.

Balloting in Charilam has been deferred to 12 March after the death of a CPM candidate.

JanKiBaat-NewsX Exit poll had predicted that the BJP-IPFT alliance in Tripura would win 35-45 seats with a vote share of 51 percent while that by AxisMyIndia had predicted that the alliance will get 44 to 50 seats with a vote share of 49 percent.

A total of 292 candidates, including 23 women and many independents, are in the fray in the state.

The ruling CPM has fielded 56 candidates, leaving one seat each to its Left Front partners  the Communist Party of India, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting in 50 seats and left nine seats for its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The Congress fielded candidates for all 59 constituencies but one of its candidates withdrew his nomination and joined the BJP. The Trinamool Congress has fielded 24 candidates.

In Meghalaya, which saw around 84 percent voting, the contest involves the ruling Congress, BJP, National People's Party (NPP) and the newly floated People's Democratic Front.

Polling in Williamnagar constituency of the state was countermanded following the death of Nationalist Congress Party candidate in an IED blast.

The CVoter exit poll has predicted the ruling Congress suffering some setback with its tally coming down to 13-19 from 29 while the BJP is set to win 4-8 seats and around 16.5 per cent of vote share. It said the local National People's Party (NPP) may get 17-23 seats.

In 2013, the BJP had badly lost all 13 seats it contested with a vote share of 6.2 percent. The NPP had won only two seats out of 32 it contested.

In Nagaland, the BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with the newly-floated Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the two are contesting 20 and 40 seats respectively.

The CVoter survey has predicted a victory for the BJP-NDPP with the combine likely to get 25-31 seats with 38.4 percent vote share.

It predicted that the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) will bag 19-25 seats with a vote share of 27.1 percent. NPF had won 38 seats and 47.65 vote share in 2013 elections.

This time around, the Congress tally may come down to 0-4 seats, according to Cvoter survey.

The voting in the state was held in 59 of the total 60 constituencies as three-time Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDDP) has been declared elected unopposed from Northern Angami-II constituency.

Follow all the LIVE updates from Nagaland here

Follow all the LIVE updates from Tripura here

Follow all the LIVE updates from Meghalaya here

With inputs from IANSPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paused his speech for Azaan during his visit to the new BJP central office after party's stunning victory in Tripura

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paused his speech for Azaan during his visit to the new BJP central office after party's stunning victory in Tripura.

Soon after he began his speech, Modi told the gathering of enthusiastic party workers that he was pausing for 'azaan', the Muslim call to the faithful for prayer, audible from a mosque. He resumed his speech later with slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai."

Modi also asked the assembled gathering to observe silence in memory of party workers who had lost their lives in political violence in Tripura and other Left-ruled states.

"Many workers have laid down their lives. Only due to their ideology, our innocent workers have been killed. But the poorest of poor and illeterate have given answer to that with their vote," Modi said.

While the BJP scored an emphatic victory in Tripura, it improved its performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya.The BJP can now safely counter its rivals and critics' accusations of it being a north Indian Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan party

It couldnt be sweeter than this for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team: BJP has now become a powerful brother of seven sisters in the North East. Tripura, the country's last remaining fortress of red which until recently was considered impregnable, has crumbled and turned saffron. To the utter dismay of the Left Front and lot of secular-liberal forces, BJP is new manik (ruby) in Tripura crown.

In Christian-majority Nagaland, BJP is on way to form a government either with its pre-poll ally Nationalist Democratic People's Party (NDPP) or with its old ally Naga People's Front (NDF). In Meghalaya, another Christian-dominated state, the situation is fluid. No party or alliance has emerged as a clear winner and if the current trend holds, BJP may have an opportunity to stage a Manipur-like political coup and snatch other yet another state from the Congress.

If one considers the Meghalaya mandate closely, one would realise that this is a vote against Congress, which had been ruling the state for past 10 years. National People's Party (NPP), which leads in almost equal numbers of the seats as Congress, is a BJP ally at the Centre  though they contested elections separately in the state  and lots of others will be willing to go along with the BJP-NPP combine to form a government. What is significant is that BJP performed despite the Church openly campaigning against it with all its might. The people, Christian or otherwise, obviously didnt adhere to Churchs diktat.

The BJP can now safely counter its rivals and critics' accusations of it being a north Indian Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan party, which would talk of only vegetarianism and with contempt for beef-eating population. The party wouldnt be wrong in claiming that it is a pan-India party: Ruling 15 states on its own and 20 states with NDA allies.

BJPs Tripura victory is astounding. In 2013 Assembly election, BJP only won 1.5 percent of the popular votes and almost all its candidates lost their deposits. From virtually no presence in Tripura, to a situation where it captured a two-third majority and over 50 percent of votes along with its new ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT): BJPs performance in this border state could serve as a case study for students of politics. BJPs rivals could also take a lesson from the kind of mobilisation and management the party undertakes: From state-level to booth-level.

The magnitude of BJPs victory and scale of Communist Part of India (Marxist)'s defeat has shocked the Left Front to the extent that it has almost gone into hiding and is not making any statement. The Left Front, despite having small numbers, always thrived on its supposed intellectual prowess but the Tripura verdict shattered even that intellectual facade.

The Left ruled Tripura since 1977, with brief interregnum (1988-93) with Congress in power. Manik Sarkar has been chief minister of the state since 1998. Despite ruling for 35 years, all CPM tried to sell was poverty of Manik Sarkar, A rising India does not like to make virtue out of poverty. If Left had ruled the state for three-and-half decades with one chief minister for past 20 years, it should have showcased Tripura as a model state for development. The CPM proved that it was not in sync either with the popular aspirations, nor did it have the will to improve living conditions of people, in terms of business and infrastructure.

The victory instantaneously energised BJP rank and file. The celebrations at the BJP headquarters in Delhi and elsewhere underlined their belief in their leadership (Narendra Modi-Amit Shah) and their new found capability to rise from zero and trounce an otherwise aggressive cadre in their best-guarded fortress.

BJP leaders and workers will now take on Congress with renewed energy in Karnataka and later in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Though result of one state election does not really impact outcome of another, what makes the difference is vigor and belief of the leaders and workers that they can do it again and make winning a habit, from municipal election to Parliament.

A resounding performance in the North East should also be seen through the lens of the upcoming 2019 general election. The BJPs new found strength and alliances means that if the party suffers some losses in north India (where it currently has 100 percent to 90 percent of seats) in next parliamentary elections, it can be compensated by gains from North East.

In contrast to BJPs 24x7 electoral war machine and Modi-Shah making appearance at BJP newly-built headquarters in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi is Italy. The Congress president announced on Twitter that he was going to surprise his 93-year-old grandmother on Holi weekend. Back home, Congress has been wiped out in Tripura and rendered redundant in Nagaland.

The dampness in Congress mood was evident from early morning. But soon as the early trends started trickling in, some party leaders invented theories to defend their poor performance: As early as 9 am, a Congress spokesperson, speaking live Rajya Sabha TV from Congresss 24 Akbar Road, speaking with a certain smugness, declared the emerging verdict in the North East as defeat of democracy. He then proceeded to accuse the BJP of tampering with electronic voting machines. Unfortunately for him, his theory had no takers.

Lotus has made North East its new home. Saffron is now region's favoured colour.

Follow our live updates of the North East polls hereMK Stalin upped the ante on the Cauvery water issue, suggesting that Tamil Nadu MPs should resign if Narendra Modi does not meet the all-party delegation.

Chennai: DMK leader MK Stalin on Saturday upped the ante on the Cauvery water issue, suggesting to Chief Minister K Palaniswami that the parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu should resign if Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not meet the all-party delegation from the state.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Palaniswami at the state secretariat on the Cauvery water issue, Stalin said there was also a suggestion to convene the Assembly and pass a resolution to meet the prime minister.

Stalin said the refusal of Modi to meet the all-party delegation from the state is an insult to Tamil Nadu as a whole.

On 22 February, at a meeting of leaders of all political parties and representatives of farmer associations, it was decided Palaniswami would lead a delegation to meet Modi and urge him to set up Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee  as the Supreme Court had mandated.

The PMK had announced a major protest if the apex court order was not followed. On Saturday Palaniswami met Stalin to discuss the Cauvery issue.

According to Stalin, Palaniswami told him that Modi had suggested the all-party delegation from Tamil Nadu to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources first.

Stalin said when Modi can meet deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam or Palaniswami for other reasons it is an insult to Tamil Nadu that the prime minister is not willing to meet the all-party delegation from the state.

Stalin said he has told Palaniswami to wait till Monday for a communication from the Prime Minister's Office. If there is no message from the PMO then the Assembly should be convened on 8 March and pass a resolution to meet Modi.

Responding to Stalin's charge, Tamil Nadu fisheries minister D Jayakumar said Modi has not refused to meet the all-party delegation from Tamil Nadu but had suggested meeting the Union Minister for Water Resource first.

On Stalin's suggestion to convene the assembly, Jayakumar said the chief minister had said a decision would be taken after deliberating on that.

The Supreme Court had on 16 February, while ordering the central government to set up the CMB and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee within six weeks, had also reduced Tamil Nadu's share in the waters to 177.25 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), down from 192 TMC allocated by a tribunal in 2007.Organised efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura paid off as it stormed to victory in the tiny state, ending the 25-year-tenure of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

The efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura paid off as it stormed to victory in the tiny state, ending the 25-year rule of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Of the 59 Assembly seats, the BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) bagged 43. The BJP won 35 seats and the IPFT won eight. The CPM could get only 16 seats and the Congress drew a blank. This marks the end of Manik Sarkar's two decades as Tripura chief minister.

The BJP consolidated all the anti-Left votes, and with IPFT, succeeded in trouncing the Congress. The BJP-IPFT alliance reduced the CPM tally of 16 seats to one-third of what it was in 2013.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed his party's resounding win in the state as an ideological victory. He scored some brownie points during his victory speech when he paused as the loudspeaker of a mosque near the BJP's new office in New Delhi called for azaan (prayers). Modi dedicated the victory to the party workers, some of whom lost their lives in violent clashes in Tripura last year.

Today, peace and non-violence has prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves, he tweeted in the evening.

Left out

For the ruling CPM, the results came as a shocker. The party had been hoping that moves such as revoking the much-derided Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the BJPs alliance with the secessionist IPFT would tip the electorate in their favour.

Some of the big losers of the CPM are the outgoing deputy speaker of state Assembly Pabitra Kar, Power Minister Manik Dey, Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma and Forests Minister Naresh Jamatia.

The CPM members shied away from speaking with the media, but issued a statement conceding defeat and contending that the BJP, apart from other factors, utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections.

BJP's dig at Manik Sarkar

Taking a dig at Sarkar, BJPs North East in-charge Himanta Biswa Sarma suggested the outgoing chief minister leave the state altogether. Manik Sarkar has just three options before him. He can go to West Bengal, where the CPM still has some presence. He can go to Kerala, where the party is in power and will rule for three more years. Or he can go to neighbouring Bangladesh, Sarma told reporters.

Tripura BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb is likely to become chief minister. I will abide by the partys orders. Its a team victory. We followed Amit Shah. He worked a lot in Tripura. We get confidence with the way the party president works. Whatever responsibility I will be given, I will take it, he told media.

Tripura has been among the Left Front's longstanding bastions, which is why its drubbing at the hands of the BJP-IPFT alliance marks the beginning of a new chapter in the state's polity. In the state Assembly elections since 1983, the BJP had never polled more than 2 percent votes, except in 1998 when it polled 5.87 percent votes.

The Congress, which had won 10 seats and 36.53 percent votes in the last Assembly polls, got a mere 1.8 percent of votes and could not win a single seat.

BJPs expanding footprint

Commenting on the results, political expert Sandeep Shastri said, From the BJP's perspective, the results today will be important for two reasons: One, their footprint in the North East is clearly established and it legitimises their claim as a pan-India party. Secondly, the BJP was keen on doing well in the North East, given the uniqueness of the politics with identity and ethnic issues in the region, so that their larger national agenda can be injected to the politics of that region.

To a certain extent, what we see in the North East is also a polarisation, which was created on the basis of larger plans they [BJP] put forward.

He, however, said the North East verdict will not have larger implications on the elections that are to follow this year, except that it could possibly boost the morale of the BJP cadre, who will see this victory as a harbinger of things to come.

For Tripura, maybe it's different, with a strong anti-incumbency factor after so many years working to the advantage of the BJP, Shastri said.

Celebrations in Tripura started early for the BJP on Saturday, with the party showing clear majority. Party workers took to streets, dancing and raising slogans.

We were not sure if the BJP could make it as I have seen elections won by the CPM year after year. People in Tripura were suffering a lot. People have punished the CPM for its misdeeds. Now, the BJP has to work well to respect the historic mandate it has received, said Debasish Majumder, a government employee and a resident of Agartala.

The authors are members of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters. With inputs from SS Ali, a Tripura-based journalistThe Syrian opposition was not surprised when the Kurds in the northern Syrian city of Afrin asked the regime to assist them, since it accuses the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which oversees the Kurdish militias, of being part of the regime.

Documents have revealed that the PYD has been collaborating with the regime led by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad for the past seven years.

The opposition is dismayed that the PYD has fought the armed opposition, struck an alliance with Iran, refused to cooperate with the political opposition, taken exclusive control of northern Syria, excluded Kurdish parties allied with the opposition, made an enemy of Turkey, and launched a war against it in northern Syria. It thus came as no surprise when the PYD realigned itself with the regime.

Meanwhile, supporters of the regime know that PYD leaders have been historically linked to the regime which for years has hosted the activities of the Turkish Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in Syria, providing it with training camps and political and financial support.

Key Syrian officials have admitted providing the party with weapons to take control of northern Syria, and it came as no surprise when the PYD welcomed the Syrian army with open arms in Afrin.

The Syrian army thus strolled through northern Syria and regained control of Afrin, which Turkey had been pummeling via its armed Syrian opposition allies to prevent the total Kurdish control of northern and central Syria.

The Turkish attacks, which began over one month ago, caused the PYD to quickly return to the regime fold. The Kurdish militias were close to defeat due to strong Turkish air cover and well-armed opposition forces on the ground. This made it easier for the opposition to move towards Afrin, causing the Kurds to call on their regime ally to protect them.

Turkey could be amenable to the Syrian army entering Afrin because it means that many weapons will now be surrendered by the Kurds and security will be enforced inside the city.

This would curb Kurdish power on the border with Turkey in favour of the Al-Assad regime, which complies with Turkish interests. Ankara views the Kurdish groups as terrorists and a threat to its national security.

Although the Kurdish troops have not left Afrin, they have lost control and will now have at most a civilian and a limited military role, especially in running local affairs. The citys residents are now mostly Kurds since the Kurdish militias earlier chased out Arab Syrians using force or threats.

This Kurdish presence will be toothless and guaranteed by the regime and Iran. For the Turks, this is a better situation than an independent Kurdish entity in Afrin, which the Turkish intervention was designed to avoid.

The political and armed opposition feel bitter at the situation, however, since they fought alongside Turkey in Afrin, only to see the regime later take control of the area. They had relied on Turkey, causing a fracture with the Kurds.

The international Friends of Syria group also no longer see the Syrian scene through the eyes of the opposition, but rather through the prism of their own national priorities.

For the regime, the occupation of Afrin has been portrayed as a great victory since it was portrayed as a saviour sought out for protection. The regime army arrived with great pomp, chanting we are coming for you Erdogan and we will fight the Ottomans  an expression of the true feelings of the Iran-backed militias regarding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

However, it would be a mistake to think the situation in Afrin is stable, when in fact the city is teetering on the edge. The Kurds rely on US support, without which they would not control any part of northern Syria, and allowing regime forces to enter Afrin will impact Kurdish relations with Washington.

Moreover, Russian-US understandings about the regimes presence in the area are incomplete, and Ankara wants clear guarantees that the Kurds will be cleared from the area.

Ankaras confidence in Tehran is also fragile, and it wants stronger guarantees than a gentlemens agreement with these players, especially since Iran (connected to the Kurds) wants to take advantage of the current warmth between the Kurds and the regime to move forward into areas controlled by the Turkish-backed opposition.

It wants to force the Turks to withdraw and return the control of these areas to the regime. If this were to happen, it would mean that after the elimination of the jihadist threat Iran could take steps to eliminate its regional competitors in Syria, most notably Turkey.

Despite the celebrations, regime forces have not yet entered Afrin itself and are still waiting 10 km outside the city. Turkey has fired warning shots at regime positions near Afrin, and their troops then returned to Aleppo to wait for instructions.

Those who entered Afrin are individuals sent by the regime for propaganda purposes.

The picture remains uncertain, but the discovery of the alliance between the Kurds and the Syrian regime will reshuffle the deck in this northern area of the country. It was formerly a battleground for just two sides  Turkey against the Kurds (with US backing)  but now many more players are involved, including the Syrian regime, Iran, Russia, Turkey and the Kurds (backed by the US).

The Kremlin is said not to be happy about negotiations between the Kurds and the regime, and it does not want regime forces to enter Afrin because this would spoil Russian-Turkish understandings in northwest Syria.

The arrival of regime troops would put these in confrontation with Turkish soldiers, something neither Ankara nor Moscow wants to see.

Iran may be sponsoring the process by playing on such contradictions and taking advantage of the mayhem.

However, others believe that it is the outcome of a US-Turkey-Russia agreement to undermine the Kurds in Afrin and expel the Kurdish militias in return for the regime taking control. This would be acceptable to Turkey if it were guaranteed by Russia and the US, which explains why the Kurds made their move.

While regime troops have not entered Afrin, they have long been the joker in the pack in the hands of one or more parties to play at the right time. The regime has benefited from its propaganda, and the Russians have hoped that this could be the start of better relations between Ankara and Damascus.

Commenting on the situation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Turkeys security concerns can be met through direct dialogue between Turkey and Syria, which is something Russia has pressed on the Turkish leadership for years.

Regime forces in Afrin with Russian-US-Turkish approval could thus make everyone a winner. The regime will win a propaganda victory, Turkey will push the Kurdish militias away from its borders and could even claim to have defeated the terrorists, the Kurds can claim they have defeated the Turkish assault and saved the Kurdish people, the Russians will have closer bonds with Turkey, and the US will not sacrifice its Kurdish allies.

Nonetheless, the presence of regime troops in the Kurdish city could become more complicated. Those entering Afrin are likely to be a mix of a regime soldiers, mercenaries, and Iran-backed militias such as the Shiite Iraqi Al-Baqir Brigade, Fatimid Brigade, Zeinab Iraqi-Afghani Brigade and Lebanons Hizbullah.

The regime will also likely use non-Syrian Kurdish militias from the Qandil Mountains, which would be a threat to Turkey, the US and the opposition. No one can predict the battles that could erupt over even a small military skirmish between these sides.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Kalin, a political adviser to Turkeys president, has said that Turkeys Operation Olive Branch against the Kurds in Afrin will continue until it achieves its goals.

It is difficult to predict Afrins fate or the fate of any party fighting in northwest Syria, especially since so many sides are now embroiled. Each of these has its own agenda, interests and strategies that rival those of the others.

The sole losers are the Syrian people, both the Arabs and the Kurds, whose hostility to each other has become such that it could take generations to reverse.

*This story was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

Short link:

The BJP was able to win Tripura due to a well-crafted election campaign, an effective strategy against the Left, and the charisma of its national leadership.

In Indias democratic history, the election in Tripura is unprecedented in every sense of the term. It was the first direct contest between the ideological Left and Right in India.

The BJPs win is momentous in its own right. It had a vote percentage of just 1.5 percent, in the previous elections, with most of its candidates losing their deposits then. To rise from there, to a vote share of around 50 percent, along with its coalition partner IPFT, is something which is perhaps totally unprecedented.

The BJP was able to do this due to a well-crafted election campaign and an effective strategy against the Left, in addition to the charisma of its national leadership.

The primary challenge for the BJP was to present itself to the electorate as a viable alternative to the Left. The fact is that there was no opposition to the Left Government for the past 24 years. The Congress central leadership perhaps was comfortable in sacrificing Tripura, in return of support of Communists in the UPA I and otherwise in the academia. A lot of BJP cadres told me in person that they had in fact defected from the Congress in 2013 to the BJP, when the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with the then Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, had cancelled their rallies in the state in the 2013 election campaign. The Congress entire state unit was practically abandoned by the central leadership.

Therefore, it is unfair to say that the communists were enjoying the support of the people for the last two decades or so, and hence were in power. The electorate voted the communists to power because it had no other choice. This was the window of opportunity which the BJP, with its election winning machinery, could effectively exploit.

As is the norm in setting up a political organisation in a new territory, it starts with effective booth level work. The strategy of booth level mobilisation and development of subsequent hierarchical organisational structure seems to have worked quite well for the BJP. The BJP built upon the organisational edifice of the RSS, which had been working in the region for the past few decades. It must be borne in mind that the RSS doesnt work politically but socially. The social capital hence cultivated by the RSS was used by the BJP for its political advantage, especially in terms of organisational backing.

The BJP also deployed its most successful general secretary, Ram Madhav, to handle not just Tripura but the whole of the North East. He is known to be an out-of-the-box thinker and could broker alliances and agreements with politically relevant entities which were traditionally, and sometimes even ideologically beyond BJPs reach.

The alliance of the BJP with Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) was a masterstroke. It seems that a large number of indigenous people of Tripura shifted their loyalties with the party because of this. At the time of writing, the IPFT was leading on 4 seats and had won 4 seats out of the total 9 seats it contested on. In other seats too this alliance therefore must have played a role in favour of the BJP.

The Left on the other hand, had shown its desperation even during the campaign. Eleven of the BJPs party workers were murdered during the past few months of the campaign in the state. This is one of the primary strategies of the Left parties, whereby they aim to scare the voters of their political opponents from even turning up on election day.

It is important to stress that the Left motivated by the Communist thought, in its original form, doesnt even believe in the democratic political system. Hence, the use of such methods, for political aims, is not entirely a surprise. Moreover, in the week preceding the voting day, several BJP candidates were attacked in an organised manner across the state and on the same day, conveying a clear message, that even the candidates are not safe. The motive was obviously to scare the party workers and the electorate.

With its decisive defeat in these elections, it can safely be concluded that the Left is rapidly losing its significance in the Indian society and polity, in line with the global trend. It needs to make suitable changes in its thought to make it workable with democracy or face an imminent extinction.

Raghav Pandey is a Senior Research Fellow with the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Bombay, Mumbai. He can be reached at raghav10089@gmail.com, Twitter: @raghavwrong

Follow live updates on the Tripura election results here.The landslide victory that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got in the northeastern state of Tripura has rattled Communist-ruled Kerala the most.

The landslide victory that the Bharatiya Janata Party got in the northeastern state of Tripura has rattled Kerala the most. The saffron party's first ever victory over the Communists has not only shaken the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) but also the Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in the southern state.

The two fronts, which have been ruling the state alternately for the last three decades, were contenting themselves that the secular-minded people of Kerala will not allow BJP to sell its Hindutva agenda in the state.

Thiruvananthapuram-based political analyst Jacob George said the BJP had exploded this myth in the Assembly elections by ending the quarter-century communist rule in Tripura and taking the party close to power in the two minority-dominated states of Nagaland and Meghalaya.

He pointed out that the saffron party had achieved this without playing the communal cards that it used effectively to conquer the Hindi belt. Jacob attributed BJP's success to its master campaign tactics and willingness to join hands with anybody, including divisive forces.

"BJP wiped out Congress in Tripura by 'buying' its top leaders and then made inroads into the Communist bastions by highlighting the raw deal the people received from the 25 years of Communist rule. If the party adopts the same tactics in the state, it will be able to capture power in Kerala," Jacob told Firstpost.

Dhanraj, another political analyst, pointed out that the saffron party was able to make inroads into all regions of Tripura, including the Bengali belt, by projecting an alternate development agenda that would bring jobs to youths and better living conditions to the common man.

"BJP in Kerala has been focusing its attention on political issues so far. The party will be able to sway the youths and the middle class if it presents a credible development agenda before the people, who have been voting for either front in the absence of a third alternative," he added.

BJP national president Amit Shah, who is considered as the architect of the party's victories in at least a dozen states, has signalled that his next target is Kerala. Dhanraj feels Shah may adopt the same strategy he has experimented successfully in Tripura in Kerala too.

"This will be catastrophic for both the fronts since they have not been able to break the development jinx in the state. Both have been resting on the laurels of the past achievements on the social front. With these achievements showing signs of crumbling in the absence of corresponding growth in the productive sectors, disenchantment against the two is mounting among the people," he added.

The BJP has not been able to cash in on this as it did not have a leader with a wider appeal. The party's national leadership is trying to solve this problem by cultivating leaders like Alphonse Kannanthanam, who belongs to the minority community, which accounts for 46 percent of the population in the state. Political observers believe that he was promoted as a union minister with this objective in mind.

The two dominant fronts have been going easy thinking that the BJP will affect the other. The optimism of the Congress was based on the calculation that BJP's alliance with Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a new outfit of the lower caste Ezhavas will affect the CPM the most.

The party believed that the alliance would take away the CPM votes since Ezhavas constituted the major chunk of the Communist cadre. But the local body elections in November 2015 and the Assembly polls in May 2016 proved its calculations wrong. The Congress was relegated to the third position in most places where the BJP made advances.

This is one reason why the state unit of the CPM is opposing any understanding with the Congress tooth and nail. Jacob said that if the party does not recognise the danger posed by the BJP, Pinarayi Vijayan will be last Communist chief minister in Kerala as predicted by Shah.

The state leadership of CPM has been following a strategy of weakening the UDF by wooing its constituents. While the party has already brought the Janata Dal (U) out from the UDF, it is trying to bring the Kerala Congress (M) which quit the Opposition coalition in the wake of the Assembly election into the LDF fold before the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

The state leadership of the CPM believe that they will be able to continue in power as their counterparts in West Bengal and Tripura did earlier if the Congress is crushed. However, a large section of the cadres believes it will pave the way for the BJP to capture power in the state.

Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who advocated electoral adjustments with the Congress and other secular parties to defeat the BJP and its communal agenda, had viewed this as the result of parochial thinking on the part of the state unit.

Terming it as suicidal at the state conference of the party last month, Yechury had warned the state leaders not to consider the party as Communist Party of Kerala Marxist. Defending his line, Yechury told the comrades that CPM was not what they perceive in Kerala and added that the party could not take a political line for the entire country based on one state or one group.

Jacob believes that the huge setback the CPM has suffered in Tripura may force the state unit to have a rethinking on the stand they had taken on the political line at the central committee meeting at Kolkata in February. If they fail, it will be described as another historic blunder at the coming party congress at Hyderabad in April, he added.

Jacob said that there was strong resentment among a large section of the cadres about the adamant stand the state unit had taken on the political line. Many of them believe that it is part of the widening power equations in the party than based on the ground realities.

Jacob feels that the resentment will grow following the ignominious defeat the party has suffered in Tripura, forcing the state leadership to change their stand. Indications in this regard came when CPM Ernakulam district secretary P Rajeev conceded that the party may have to think of strategies to check the BJP without affecting its support base in the state.

Jacob thinks that the CPM, as well as Congress, will face extinction in the state if they were not ready to take a united stand to counter the BJP surge.Even though BJP did not announce any chief ministerial candidate in Tripura, former RSS volunteer Biplab Kumar Deb is considered a strong contender for the post

With early trends pointing a clear majority for Bharatiya Janata Party and ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) in Tripura, former RSS volunteer Biplab Kumar Deb has emerged as the top contender for the post of chief minister in the state.

Remaining true to the tradition of refraining from announcing a chief ministerial candidate in advance, BJP hadn't announced any chief ministerial candidate in the state. However, despite keeping it under wraps, Deb and BJP in-charge in Tripura Sunil Deodhar had emerged as the likely chief minister of Tripura.

However, Deodhar had denied himself being in the race. "I can say one thing for sure, its not me," he had told The Wire.

This leaves Deb, who was elected as the president of the BJP unit in Tripura in 2016, as the most likely candidate for the post, an assertion which The Pioneer also seems to agree upon in this article.

Seen as a no-nonsense man in BJP, Deb, 48, is considered to be very popular in Tripura, in fact, a pre-poll survey showed the BJP leader to be more popular than incumbent chief minister Manik Sarkar.

He was sent to Tripura from New Delhi in 2014 after Prime minister Narendra Modi formed government at the Centre, and is considered to be a key figure in helping the part improve its reach in the Northeastern state.

Under Deb's leadership, BJP turned its focus to the youngsters in the state, who, the party has claimed always wanted "change" from the CPM-led-government, which is apparently facing anti-incumbency. Deb is considered one of the main reasons for BJP's remarkable performance so far in Tripura  BJP and its ally IPFT had won seven seats (and were leading in 34), in the 60-seat Tripura Assembly (at the time of publishing this article).

Knowing that the party had garnered just two percent votes in the 2013 Assembly polls in Tripura, its latest performance in Tripura is likely to work in the favour of the Tripura BJP president.

An RSS-trained party worker, Deb was born in Udaipur subdivision of south Tripura. He completed his educated in Delhi and spent the better part of his life in RSS headquarter at Nagpur.

He worked closely with BJP and RSS to end the CPMs hegemony in Tripura. He is an organisational man, trained in RSS, and has a no-nonsense image in BJP, a BJP office-bearer was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.The BJP-IPFT combine was leading in 40 seats and was set to end the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front in Tripura.

Agartala: The BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) combine was leading in 40 seats and was set to end the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the CPM-led Left Front in Tripura.

Election in 59 seats for the 60-member Assembly was held on 18 February. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to the death of a CPM candidate.

The BJP was leading in 32 seats with its ally IPFT ahead in 8 seats. The majority mark in the Assembly is 31. BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb was leading from Banamlipur seat.

The ruling CPM, which has been in power for the last 25 years, was ahead in 19 seats.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was leading over his nearest BJP rival Pratima Bhoumik by over 2,000 votes in Dhanpur constituency.

The Congress could not establish a lead in any of the constituencies.

The BJP strong showing came as a surprise for many as the party did not even have a councillor in Tripura. It had secured less than two percent votes in the 2013 Assembly election in the state.

According to an Election Commission source, the BJP contested in 51 seats in Tripura and secured over 42 per cent votes.

Its ally IPFT, which fielded candidates in 9 seats, got nearly 8 percent votes.

On the other hand, the CPM-led Left Front, which had captured 50 of the 60 seats in the 2013 Assembly poll, managed to secure nearly 44 percent this time, the EC source said.

The Left Front had tasted defeat in 1988 Assembly polls at the hands of the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity combine.

BJP leader Ram Madhav said the party would come to power in Tripura, winning over 40 seats.

"We are satisfied with the trends available so far. We will wait for the final outcome. The people in the state have voted for a change. They have supported our slogan for change," he said, adding that the CPM gave a "spirited fight".India Science Wire

A team of astronomers including an Indian graduate student Nivedita Mahesh from Arizona State University have discovered for the first time signals from cosmic dawn  the moment when the universe's earliest stars emerged, making a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the evolution of cosmos.

The discovery, if confirmed, physicists say, could upturn our knowledge of the nature of still elusive dark matter.

When the universe was formed in the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago there was no sun, no stars, no light, it was a dark place. 3,70,000 years after the Big Bang first atoms, primordial hydrogen was formed. Only when the universes cooled sufficiently for attractive force of gravity to overcome the repulsive thermal force the first stars emerged. When did the first stars shine?

The findings by a team led by Judd Bowman, an astronomer at Arizona State University in Tempe, published in journal Nature on 28 February, tell us that the first stars were born around 13.62 billion years ago in what astronomers call as cosmic dawn when the whole universe was awash with ultraviolet rays, and first stellar death explosions in supernovae, formation of stellar black holes, took place around 13.55 billion years ago. For comparison, Sun and Earth formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

The first signs of the signal were seen when I had just joined the group as a graduate student in August 2016. We wanted to carry out a lot of confirmation tests. I knew right from my first semester that I would be involved in something really big. I am super excited, Nivedita recalled while speaking to India Science Wire.

Cosmologist came up with an ingenious idea to find when the early stars emerged. First stars rich in hydrogen were massive, tens and thousands time massive than our Sun. Massive stars live fast and burn out fast. The intense ultraviolet light from them would ionise the gas enveloping the stars. The ionised hydrogen gas would absorb the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation, the afterglow of the Big Bang at a characteristic wavelength.

This intense ultraviolet light from the first stars could then interact with the hydrogen gas in the Universe, lowering its temperature below that of the ambient CMB radiation. This lets us see this hydrogen gas as a shadow against the brighter CMB in a particular frequency range. This causes dips in the brightness of CMB radiation in characteristic wavelength explained Saurabh Singh, Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru.

As stars aged and ultimately died in violent explosions resulting in exotic neutron stars or black holes they emitted intense X rays which further ionised primordial hydrogen atoms. Highly ionised gas cloud would have fully muted the wavelengths. By looking for the dip in the brightness astronomers could infer when the first light dawned in the universe and by identifying when the characteristic wavelength was muted they can pinpoint when the first stars began to die.

In what is described as searching needle-in-a-haystack operation, researchers intensely scanned the sky to detect even minuscule variation in the strength of the CMB radiation. The dips were seen to occur at wavelengths between 65 megahertz (MHz) and 95 MHz. Further booming signals emanating from natural sources in Milky Way galaxy were drowning out the measurement. The noise from other sources was about thousand to 10,000 times brighter than the signal. It is like being in the middle of a hurricane and trying to hear the flap of a hummingbird's wing," as Peter Kurczynski, the NSF program director, put it.

The researchers used a table top-sized radio telescope called Experiment to Detect the Global Epoch of Reionization Signature (EDGES), based at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in the middle of Western Australian desert. Located far from cell phone towers, television and FM radio signals, this is one of the best radio quiet places in the world. EDGES could capture faint signals from the outer reaches of the universe. After the strenuous search, researchers found, the dip, just 0.1% drop in the radiation at roughly the frequency they expected.

Before the first stars, the universe had just hydrogen and some helium atoms. Heavier elements like carbon, oxygen and so on were cooked inside the stellar crucible subsequent to comic dawn. Life as we know is carbon-based and understanding the cosmic dawn is crucial to understand our cosmic evolutionary ladder.

The signal that we have observed from the first stars is at a frequency we expect but the strength of the signal happens to be twice as big as the standard models predict. This means that the neutral gas was colder than what was expected and predicted says Nivedita. If the universe was colder than the estimates, then it means that the elusive dark matter cannot be weakly interacting massive particles which is current fad of physicists. These results suggest a new form of interaction between ordinary matter and dark matter. This dip they find is more than twice as much as predicted. This is a puzzle for theorists to understand and solve in the years to come, says Prof. Somnath Bharadwaj of IIT Kharagpur.

This is two kills with one stone, says Nivedita. The study not only establishes the time scale of Cosmic Dawn phase of the evolution of the cosmos but also gives us clues as to the mysterious dark matter, about which we are literally groping in the dark, says Nivedita.

Astronomers are excited but cautious. They are looking for a second opinion. Although Bowman and his team detected the signals in 2016 itself, they waited for two years to make sure that the signals were not instrumental error or noise. They even built a second antenna and scanned different patches of the sky to test.

The reduction in brightness that they measure is as small as 1 part in 4000. The researchers have done extensive tests to rule out any errors and mistakes in their equipment. Hence astronomers around the world are now racing back to their labs to try and confirm and duplicate this result, including in India, says Shiv Sethi of Raman Research Institute in Bengaluru. Extraordinary claims in science also require extraordinary evidence. RRI has built a sensitive instrument with which in a few months we will be able to refute or confirm this claim says Prof. N. Udaya Shankar, Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, astronomers around the world are proposing to train the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array, an international radio-telescope project based in South Africas Karoo desert, and the LOFAR (Low-Frequency Array), a large system of radio antennas spread over five European countries to get an independent verification. The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope near Pune operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA-TIFR) is well suited to detect these variations, says says Prof. Tirthankar Roy Choudhury of NCRA-TIFR.

Besides Bowman and Nivedita Mahesh from Arizona State Universitys School of Earth and Space Exploration the research team included Alan Rogers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Haystack Observatory, Raul Monsalve of the University of Colorado, and Thomas Mozdzen of ASU.

By Dr T V VenkateswaranReuters

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on 2 February dismissed a suggestion that Russian hackers were behind a cyber attack in Germany, saying that Russia was now being blamed for any such attack and without any proof.

Germany said on 28 February hackers had breached its government computer network with an isolated attack and German media reported that the attack was launched by Russian hacker group APT28.

We note with regret that any hacking attacks in the world are associated with Russian hackers but that each time they (the allegations) are made without any tangible proof, Peskov told a conference call with reporters.Reuters

Toyota Motor Corp said a new venture would be investing more than $2.8 billion to develop automated-driving software  the latest salvo in an increasingly frenetic battle to be ahead in a sector hit by a slew of disruptive technologies.

The Tokyo-based venture, which will bring together some 1,000 employees including new hires, will be 90 percent held by Toyota with group suppliers Denso Corp and Aisin Seiki Co each taking 5 percent.

This companys mission is to accelerate software development in a more effective and disruptive way, by augmenting the Toyota Groups capability through the hiring of world-class software engineers, James Kuffner, who will lead the venture, said in a statement.

The establishment of the new venture, Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development, comes as firms such as Alphabet Incs Waymo and Tesla Inc give traditional automakers a run for their money in building self-driving and electric cars.

English is set to be the main business language of the new venture, the statement said.

Toyota is also investing $1 billion in artificial intelligence and other technologies through its US-based Toyota Research Institute, and has struck up technology partnerships with Microsoft Corp and Uber Technologies.

Last month, Toyota Research Institutes venture capital unit said it was co-leading an $11.5-million seed investment in May Mobility, an Ann Arbor-based startup that is developing self-driving shuttles for college campuses, central business districts and similar low-speed applications.Sheldon Pinto

With bitcoin currency picking up value over the years and reaching a record high last year, it's clear that everyone wants a piece of the cryptocurrency pie. Of course the value is highly volatile, the the drops being as precipitous as the rise in its value. The problem with the mining of cryptocurrency like bitcoin is the amount of energy that goes into obtaining it.

What is cryptocurrency and why is it so hard to mine?

There are basically two ways to make money off bitcoin. A simpler method is to simply head to virtual bitcoin exchange and buy them. The second and far more complex method is to mine your own cryptocurrency. The third method of obtaining cryptocurrency, applies to every other form of currency as well, and it's called stealing.

Mining bitcoin needs high-powered computer systems. These consume massive amounts of electricity to solve complex calculations, with the need for advanced and high-end graphic cards to help chomp down all of those calculations. Around the globe, there are massive warehouses that use powerful machines (servers) to crunch through numbers faster and mine more. The craving for cryptocurrency is so high that it has even created a surge in the price tags of computer graphic cards and according to some sources that hike in prices will remain till the end of the year. Why graphics cards? Well that's thanks to the massive parallel processing prowess you can eke out of them.

A recent report by Reuters also pointed out how dirty cryptocurrency mining really is. Turns out that consumption of electricity is so high, that "virtual currency can have a very real impact by adding pollutants in the air and contributing to global warming".

The same report pointed out to studies hinting that total annual energy output for hundreds of thousands of dedicated mining machines worldwide was estimated at 35 terawatt which is pretty much the energy consumption of Denmark according to Digiconomist.

"Each transaction consumes roughly 100 kWh  the equivalent of running a lightbulb for three months. By contrast, a credit card transaction uses about 0.2 kWh." which makes it clear that mining cryptocurrency is not exactly fastest way to get rich.

With growing popularity, it is obvious that cryptocurrencies like monero and bitcoin are the next big target for attackers online.

Bitcoin is a computer-generated currency. Often referred to as virtual gold, the value of the currency rises and drops and with the prices skyrocketing in the past year, bitcoin exchanges have become targets of large scale attacks.

Just in 2017, the value of cryptocurrencies went from under $1000 to a hefty $19,500.

Why mine it yourself when others can mine it for you?

After the three methods of obtaining cryptocurrency, there is unofficially now a fourth way to do it and it's called 'cryptojacking'.

Simply explained, hackers (or attackers) use malware to mine cryptocurrency off host devices letting websites bear the processing load instead of the hacker's own crypto mining systems.

Cryptocurrencies use the system of a distributed ledger which uses computers to verify and add to that ledger. Adding to that ledger creates more currency, so the more processing power you have, the more cryptocurrency you can mine.

So instead of filling a warehouse with servers to run their own cryptocurrency mining operation, hackers use website servers and hijack the systems visiting those websites, to conduct mining operations remotely.

Think of it as distributed computing, something similar to what the SETI@home project which employed the BIONC software platform created by Berkeley SETI Research Center (running on volunteer systems) to analyze radio signals for searching extraterrestrial intelligence. Just that in this case the consent of the user is not taken.

How does cryptojacking work?

Cryptojacking works off a user's browser or can be plugged into popular websites, that will then use resources from a visitor's PC using their browser.

Hackers insert low-risk malware by targeting individual computers, or take the simpler and more popular route of embedding such malware on large online portals.

Using the latter makes more sense as such portals see massive traffic. These could range from unprotected government websites to news websites and even those belonging to companies providing services online, which see lots of traffic on a daily basis with plenty of users logged in to get things done. Modern manufacturing plants too can be a target with so many computers being online and always running at the same time.

So when a government portal is found to have malware running crypto mining operations, all of the users accessing the same can expect their systems to be infected as well.

Once the malware has been embedded on such websites, it reaches out to individual users accessing those websites for services and then hijacks their web browsers, slowing down their systems tremendously because of the mining process being conducted on each of their systems.

In the case smartphones the effects are similar.

According to security firm Wandera, almost all of the users exposed to cryptojacking are unaware that the script is running on their device. The reason cited for the same, is the use case for a smartphone, that often works with one app on display at a given time, meaning that tabs or apps left open in the background are almost never closed or forgotten by the user. With this in mind, malware can remain in the background for long without being detected.

The research conducted by the firm has also revealed that scripts running in the background do cause rapid battery drain. A fully charged iPhone 7 with an single browser tab open using a Coinhive-based system can be drained completely in two hours. The report also points out how device temperatures also rose by more than 20 degrees when running these scripts.

There could be a positive side to this

Indeed, it's not a good thing to conduct mining operations without informing site visitors about the same. This is more so, because the mining operation will reduce the performance of the host system, which in turn reduces their productivity.

However, it has been an online debate about whether cyrptojacking could actually be a good idea.

Publishers for example could inform users about leasing their systems for crypto mining operations, in return for an ad-free reading experience, making its a win win for both the visitor and the host website.

Unfortunately, in most cryptojacking cases that have surfaced online, neither the portal nor its users were aware that they were both victims.

What it does it do to hijacked systems

In fact, it's even possible to hijack a smartphone for crypto mining operations (provided you are mining the right currency) with the user noticing reduced performance or increased battery consumption.

A simple example was the case of a Starbucks Wi-Fi service in a store in Buenos Aires that let hackers offload their mining code on to user's computers to run mining operations. Users logging on to the store's Wi-Fi network found the processing speed of their devices drop drastically.

Another example was an incident reported by The Register where more than 4,200 websites were found to be infected with a malicious version of a popular tool called Browsealound.

The software was built by British software maker Texthelp, and basically reads out webpages for users with vision problems.

A tainted version of the software inserted software for mining the popular cryptocurrency called Monero and hijacked systems of thousands of users, helping mine more currency for the hackers.

With the demand for cryptocurrencies rising by the day, it is no surprise that a country with a population as large as India could be an easy target.

While most reported instances of cryptojacking so far have been involved in just crypto mining, there could be wider complications to this like siphoning off personal data that could have a bigger impact than just performance drops.China on Saturday formally began its well-choreographed annual Parliament season during which a constitutional amendment removing the two-term limit for President Xi Jinping is expected to be ratified, paving the way for his continuation in power, possibly for life.

Beijing: China on Saturday formally began its well-choreographed annual Parliament season during which a constitutional amendment removing the two-term limit for President Xi Jinping is expected to be ratified, paving the way for his continuation in power, possibly for life.

The annual Parliament season, during which about 5000 delegates of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the legislature the National Peoples Congress (NPC) would hold full sessions to deliberate on a vast agenda for the year prepared by the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

This years sessions assumed significance and attracted considerable attention as days ago, the CPC has proposed constitutional amendment to remove the two-term limit for the president and vice president, setting aside decades old principle of collective leadership.

The proposal sparked off concern and speculation at home and abroad that Xi, heading the CPC and military besides the presidency, who recently began his second five-year term would continue for an unprecedented third term and beyond, wielding unquestionable power exercised by the party founder, Mao Zedong in the heydays of China's revolution.

The Parliament season formally commenced with the opening of the CPPCC at the Great Hall of People. It was attended by Xi, now a designated core leader by the party. The opening of the session was telecast live all over the country.

Also, other party leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang, members of the Standing Committee of the CPC, who virtually rule the country attended the session.

This Parliament season this year is also significant as top officials on almost all posts except the ones held by Xi and perhaps by Li might change. It includes a new State Councillor replacing the incumbent Yang Jiechi who for the past five years was the Special Representative of India-China Border talks. Yang has been elevated to CPCs politburo.

The present foreign minister, Wang Yi, might take over as the State Councillor, which also means that China will have a new foreign minister.

The new names approved by the CPC's Central Committee would be announced after the formal ratification by the NPC, which is often regarded as rubber stamp Parliament for its routine approval of the partys proposals.

As he set to cement his power removing two term limit, Xi plans to appoint four vice premiers to work on popular programmes like poverty relief, environmental protection and improving economy which would enhance his image at home. The proposal sparked off speculation that Xi is working on populist agenda which would contribute to his public image.

Tomorrow, the NPC spokesperson would address the press during which China would announce the defence budget, which last year stood at over $150 billion. The NPC, which has 2,980 deputies would begin its session on 5 March with a work report from Li. Its delegates included 269 deputies from the military.

As China's main legislative body, it was expected to formally ratify the amendment to remove the term limit as well as appointment of new officials. The CPPCC is made up of appointees from difference walks of life, including film actors like Jackie Chan. CPPCC Chairman Yu Zhengsheng commenced the session and spoke about deepening reforms.

On Friday, CPPCC spokesman Wang Guoqing addressed a nationally televised conference in which he took selected questions, mostly from the Chinese official media, on issues like poverty alleviation, US' plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium among others.

Conspicuous by their absence was any questions on removal of the two-term limit for president and vice-president which made headlines at home and abroad.

Hong Kong-based the 'South China Morning Post' has reported that that Xi has identified four CPC officials  Hu Chunhua, Han Zheng, Liu He and He Lifeng, for the post of vice premiers who are likely to be put in charge of the Chinese President's top three priorities of poverty relief, environmental protection, the control of economic risks.Turkish warplanes struck pro-Syrian government forces in the northwestern Afrin region of Syria on Saturday, killing at least 36 of them, as Turkey's assault in the Kurdish region gathered pace, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The pro-Syrian government forces entered Afrin last week in support of the Kurdish YPG militia, the stated target of the operation launched by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel fighters in January.

The Observatory said the air strike, which hit a camp in Kafr Jina, marked the third time in 48 hours that Turkish warplanes had struck pro-government forces in Afrin.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-led militia alliance, said in a statement that Turkish air strikes had targeted positions held by the Syrian army's "popular forces" from 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) until 10 a.m. (0800 GMT).

It did not say where or give a death toll.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his country's forces had captured the town of Rajo from militants. The Observatory said the Turkish army was in control of about 70 percent of the town, about 25 km (16 miles) northwest of Afrin city.

The SDF statement said a group of Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions had infiltrated Rajo, where it said clashes were continuing between SDF forces and the attackers.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey and is deemed a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. The YPG has been an important ally for the United States in the fight against Islamic State.

Short link:

A plan for India to build a military base on an outlying Seychelles island has won favour among the archipelago nation's politicians, but some hostility from its people

Victoria, Seychelles: A plan for India to build a military base on an outlying Seychelles island has won favour among the archipelago nation's politicians, but some hostility from its people.

The base on Assumption Island is to be funded by India and shared by the two countries' militaries.

The deal was struck in principle in 2015 during a visit to Seychelles by India's prime minister Narendra Modi, but progress since has been slow.

The government of Seychelles, based in Victoria on Mahe Island 1,135 kilometres (705 miles) northeast of Assumption, says the base will help coastguards to patrol its 1.3 million square kilometres (5,00,000 square mile) exclusive economic zone for illegal fishing, drug trafficking and piracy.

Currently, the remote coral island has a tin shack post office, an airstrip and almost no people, it is less than seven kilometres long, has a high point just 30 metres (100 feet) above sea level and is covered in bird excrement.

But its location lends it strategic importance for monitoring shipping in the Mozambique Channel.

Small island, big investment

India plans to invest $550 million dollars (446 million euros) in building the base to help it ensure the safety of its vessels in the southern Indian Ocean. It also says the base will be a resource for other shipping nations.

"Assumption is very close to the Mozambique Channel where much of the international trade is transiting, and not just for India but for other countries as well, and our interest is that our trading vessels are safe," said India's ambassador in Victoria, Ausaf Sayeed.

India has had a military cooperation agreement with the Seychelles since 2003 and the deal would give it use of the Assumption base for up to 30 years. Indian soldiers would be deployed on the island and help train Seychelles' troops.

But ratification of the 2015 agreement has been slow with a new, amended pact only signed between the two countries on 27 January.

"What we did in relation to the first agreement is to clarify some points that could give rise to litigation," said Frank Ally, Seychelles' attorney general.

He said these included a prohibition on any nuclear uses of the island or weapons storage. India is also not allowed to use Assumption in war.

Seeking to allay fears the government has made available to the public some details of the classified defence agreement.

Weekly protests

Nevertheless, the project remains controversial with small weekly demonstrations in the capital.

Indian presence in Seychelles is a sensitive matter. Some fear an influx of Indian workers who, they say, might come to dominate the economy, while others consider a foreign power building a military base an affront to sovereignty and national pride.

"The Seychelles can make its own military base, I am against any foreign military presence!" said Guilmert Corgat, a businessman in Victoria who attended a town hall meeting on the plan in late February.

"If this deal is so good for the Seychelles, why don't we hold a referendum?" asked Alexia Amesbury, a lawyer.

During the discussions, foreign minister Barry Faure was forced to insist the government was not giving the island away, "because Assumption belongs to the Seychelles".

Opponents of the plan also cite Assumption's relative proximity to Aldabra atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises.

Environmentalists worry about the possible impact of a large military presence so close to an ecosystem that has survived precisely because of the absence of people.

Despite the dissenting voices, Sayeed remains positive that parliament will ratify the new agreement when it reopens this month.

With the opposition, like the government, broadly in favour of the base, though against too many concessions to India, the diplomat's optimism may be well-founded.

"I think politicians and people who see the positive side of this cooperation will be in favour, and I am convinced that it will pass," he said.Russians are showering the defense ministry with proposed names for the country's new nuclear weapons, relishing the online contest announced by President Vladimir Putin in his state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.

Moscow: In just one day, the suggestions have been pouring in: "Kraken" for a new underwater drone capable of blasting coastlines with a powerful nuclear explosion, "Balalaika" for a futuristic nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of circling the globe. Russians are showering the defense ministry with proposed names for the country's new nuclear weapons, relishing the online contest announced by President Vladimir Putin in his state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.

Many of the entries on Friday reflected the wry dark humor Russians are known for. Someone suggested calling the missile "Sanction," an apparent reference to Western economic sanctions against Russia for its support of separatists in Ukraine. Another proposed calling it "Thaw," adding in a note of sarcasm that it would finally help warm the ties between Russia and the U.S.

The kraken  a fictional gigantic Arctic sea monster that was made popular by the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series  seemed to reflect the nature of the nuclear-powered drone intended to sneak close to the shore unnoticed and slam a heavy nuclear warhead into the coast. And naming the stealth atomic-powered cruise missile after a Russian folk musical instrument tapped into a long Russian tradition of giving innocuous names to some of the deadliest weapons.

There were quite a few four-letter entries as well. Many others were driven by patriotic feelings, suggesting that the weapons be named after legendary Russian warriors or Putin himself.

The regional leader of the province of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, proposed calling the nuclear-powered cruise missile "Palmyra," after the historic heritage site in Syria that was taken back from the Islamic State group under the Russian air cover. The site suffered extensive damage in the fighting. "The missile's name should honor our guys who died in Syria," Kadyrov said. "The Russian victory in Palmyra marked a turning point in the fight against the IS."

Russian diplomats have sought to spread the contest beyond Russia's borders, with the Russian Embassy in Washington tweeting a link to the defense ministry's web site.

Speaking on Friday at a public forum in Kaliningrad, Putin again boasted about the new weapons, saying that the still-anonymous underwater drone, the nuclear-powered cruise missile and the intercontinental hypersonic strike vehicle called Avangard border on science fiction. He said the underwater drone "goes faster than any surface ship that exists today, I wouldn't even tell you the speed, it's incredible." The hypersonic vehicle "flies at a speed 20 times the speed of sound ... and it can maneuver thousands of kilometers up and down and right to left," Putin said, gesticulating energetically. "It's like science fiction."

He said the Avangard's development had become possible thanks to the creation of new materials. "We have been working on them for quite a long time," he said. "Other countries also have tried, but apparently, so far have failed to make them, and we succeeded thanks to new materials."

As the weapon name contest went on, Russian officials and lawmakers insisted that Putin's speech wasn't an announcement of a new arms race but a warning to Washington to treat Russia as an equal partner.

"Russia has no intention of entering an arms race," Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday, adding that the weapons presented by the Russian leader aimed to maintain a "strategic parity, which is essential for maintaining peace and stability."

The Pentagon, on Thursday, dismissed Putin's boasts about developing a new array of nuclear weapons, saying America's missile defense is ready to protect the nation but is not directed at Russia.Pakistan's political parties are set to elect the members of the Senate  the Upper House of Parliament  on Saturday, amid allegations that money was being used to buy votes

Islamabad: Pakistan's political parties are set to elect the members of the Senate  the Upper House of Parliament  on Saturday, amid allegations that money was being used to buy votes.

The Senate has 104 members elected for six years, but half of them retire every three years at completion of term and new senators are elected indirectly by provincial and national assemblies through proportional representation.

According to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), polling will be held at the four provincial and the national assembly buildings. It will start at 9 am and will continue till 4 pm.

The 52 senators retiring this month were elected in 2012. The other 52 were elected in 2015 and will serve until 2021. The ECP has taken several decisions to ensure vote privacy during the elections. It said officers will ensure that no voter exposes his vote's privacy and neither be allowed to take issued ballot paper outside the polling station.

In case of non-compliance, the controlling officer will cancel the ballot paper of such persons. It was also decided that all controlling officers will have powers of full magistrate and they can suspend the electoral process by bringing such elements to ECP's notice in case of irregularity.

The officials said that 46 senators will be elected by the four provincial assemblies, two by the National Assembly and four by the lawmakers from tribal areas.

A total of 135 candidates are contesting, including 20 from Pakistan People's Party (PPP), 14 from Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), 13 from Pakistan Tehrke-e-Insaf (PTI) and four from Pak Sarzameen Party. There are 65 Independent candidates, while 23 from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N). But they cannot use the PML-N name and platform due to a recent Supreme Court order which declared former prime minister Nawaz Sharif ineligible to head his own party and announced that all decisions taken by him as party president stood null and void.

However, the party candidates are supported by PML-N and will formally join it after the elections. PML-N is likely to emerge the majority party in Senate after the elections. It will help it control legislation, as the PPP was previously in majority in Senate and the ruling party needed its support for lawmaking.

Reports and allegations of massive use of money to buy votes have been doing rounds ahead of the elections. Senators are elected by provincial and federal lawmakers and due to proportional representation, even a single vote can make a huge difference.

In Balochistan, a candidate needs just nine votes to become senator, while in the biggest province of Punjab, 47 votes are needed to elect a senator.

The trickiest situation is in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where 10 members of the National Assembly would elect four senators. A candidates having support of just three lawmakers can land in the Upper House of Parliament.

Almost all political parties have expressed dismay at the elections laws of Senate and promised to improve them.

"There is broad consensus that system of election for Senate is flawed and we need to improve it," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said ahead of polls.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said his party would work to introduce direct elections for senators to root out corruption and use of money.A university student fatally shot his parents on his school campus Friday in the US state of Michigan before fleeing and setting off an hours-long manhunt

Chicago: A university student fatally shot his parents on his school campus Friday in the US state of Michigan before fleeing and setting off an hours-long manhunt, officials said.

The early morning incident put the campus into lockdown - trapping students in classrooms and dormitories until mid-afternoon - while police conducted an expansive search for the 19-year-old suspected gunman.

James Eric Davis, described as a university student, remained at large. He was accused of killing his father, a police officer, and mother in a shooting inside a dormitory building in what a university police spokesman described as a "family-type domestic issue."

There were no other casualties.

The college campus in the city of Mount Pleasant in central Michigan was on lockdown hours after the 8:30 am (1330 GMT) shooting, as federal, state and local law enforcement searched for Davis using helicopters and police dogs.

Heavily armed officers fanned out throughout the city, and residents and students were asked to stay inside and lock their doors.

University officials announced at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) that students were finally being escorted out of buildings by police.

"Uniformed officers are beginning to assist individuals in leaving campus buildings. Officers will be going building to building," the university said in a statement.

Suspect known to police

Davis, who was a resident of nearby Illinois state but attending college in Michigan, was known to law enforcement.

Police took him to a hospital the night before for what was believed to be a "drug-related type of incident - an overdose or a bad reaction to drugs," campus police spokesman Larry Klaus told a news conference.

He was then released to hospital staff, Klaus said.

An Illinois state legislator identified Davis's victims as his parents, who lived in a Chicago suburb.

"The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home," tweeted the state representative, Emanuel Welch.

"My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr and his wife who were shot and killed."

It was unclear what kind of weapon Davis used or how he acquired it.

The state of Michigan allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun with a permit, but Central Michigan University does not allow guns on campus.

The reaction to the shooting was swift Friday morning, with multiple alerts going out on social media and mobile phones within minutes of the incident.

With one day left before residence halls were scheduled to close for spring break, parents seeking out their children were told to go to a staging area at a nearby hotel.

Florida shooting

The shooting came amid a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence and law enforcement's role in stopping potential shooters, which was sparked when a teenage gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida high school two weeks ago.

Accused gunman Nikolas Cruz had a history of run-ins with law enforcement, which have faced scrutiny over their failure to intervene despite multiple warnings.

Cruz used a semi-automatic assault rifle in his attack, leading students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to make public appeals for change to permissive US gun laws.

President Donald Trump has called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks and a potential increase to the minimum age for rifle purchases.

But the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby said that Trump was opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.SLOT4D, DAFTAR SLOT 4D, LOGIN SLOT4D, LINK ALTERNATIF SLOT 4D Selamat datang di slot4d yang merupakan daftar situs judi slot deposit pulsa tanpa potongan resmi slot4d dan slot 4d Indonesia terpercaya. Selain itu slot4d juga merupakan agen judi slot deposit pulsa tanpa potongan terbaik serta terlengkap no 1 di Indonesia yang telah menjadi bandar judi slot4d terbesar di Indonesia. Slot4d juga adalah situs judi slot 4d online terbaik 2021 dengan nama nama situs judi slot online resmi deposit pulsa xl dan telkomsel tanpa potongan. Slot4d menyediakan banyak permainan judi online seperti taruhan bola online, casino, slot, togel, poker, balak play, idn poker, arcade game, sabung ayam, tembak ikan, dan masih banyak permainan menarik lainnya. Hanya dengan 1 user id anda sudah bisa bermain semua permainan. Slot4d akan memberikan banyak jackpot progresif dari mesin slot yang kami tawarkan kepada anda. Sebagai salah satu nya game slot ternama dan sangat terkenal di seluruh dunia sebagai tempat perjudian judi casino online yang terpercaya dan terbaik di indonesia saat ini. Seperti yang kita ketahui kalau permainan slot sudah menjadi permainan terpopuler di Indonesia, Dimana para pecinta judi slot online deposit pulsa tanpa potongan mudah sekali mendapatkan kemenangan lewat situs judi slot yang sering memberikan kemenangan untuk mereka. Tetapi anda tidak boleh salah dalam memilih provider slot dan situs slot, Karena tidak semua agen judi slot sering memberi slot gacor pragmatic play dan pg soft. Untuk anda yang ingin sering mendapatkan kemenangan besar dan jackpot besar hanya disini tempatnya yaitu slot4d situs slot4d terpercaya. Slot4d yakin kalau provider slot 4d yang kami sediakan mudah menang serta gampang menang dan bahkan akan memberikan jackpot terbesar untuk semua member baru dan member lama yang bermain di slot4d.

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The budget of 104 trillion Iraqi dinars ($88 billion) is based on projected oil exports of 3.8 million barrels per day (bpd) at a price of $46, lawmakers told Reuters.

It envisions government revenues of 91.64 trillion dinars ($77.6 billion) with a deficit of 12.5 trillion dinars ($10.58 billion), according to lawmakers.

Parliament was meant to pass the budget before the start of the 2018 financial year in January but all three main blocs, Shia Arabs, Sunni Arabs, and Kurds, had serious issues with the government's proposal.

"We boycotted the vote and there are proposals for Kurdistan to withdraw from the entire political process in Iraq over the unfair treatment we have received," said Kurdish MP Ashwaq Jaff.

The budget cut the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) share to 12.67 percent, down from the 17 percent the region has traditionally received since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The Kurds overwhelmingly voted to secede in an independence referendum in September, which was opposed by Baghdad.

In October, Iraqi forces retook disputed territories, including the oil city of Kirkuk, that had came under Kurdish control in 2014, and Baghdad imposed sanctions on the KRG, such as suspending international flights from Kurdish airports.

Baghdad and the KRG had been engaged in talks for months about the sanctions and Kurdistan's share of the budget.

The government said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with the Kurds to resume Kirkuk oil exports through Turkey's Ceyhan port but gave no precise timeline.

The projected 3.8 million bpd exports in the budget include a 250,000 bpd contribution from the Kurdistan region, lawmakers said on Saturday. It was not immediately clear what effect the Kurdish boycott of the vote would have on that.

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Shia lawmakers wanted more spending allocated to the southern oil-producing, predominantly Shia, provinces as well as greater salaries and benefits for the Iran-backed Shia militias known as Popular Mobilisation Forces, who helped Iraq's security forces defeat IS.

Sunni lawmakers wanted more allocated towards reconstructing areas retaken from the militants, which were predominantly Sunni. The areas include Iraq's second city Mosul, which was retaken after nine months of urban warfare.

On Thursday the "three presidencies" of Iraq, its Shia prime minister, Sunni parliament speaker, and Kurdish president, met to discuss how to push the budget through.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Iraqis over the passing of the budget on Saturday and said it was the result of cooperation between the executive and legislative branches.

Speaker Salim al-Jabouri said the budget addressed Kurdish concerns and that the federal government would pay the salaries of Kurdish civil servants and Peshmerga fighters, as well as welfare entitlements.

Baghdad had stopped paying salaries or making budget transfers to the Kurdish regional capital Erbil in 2014 when the Kurds started independently selling oil.

Oil exports, Iraq's main source of revenue, have risen above 3.4 million barrels per day this year but a global slump in prices for crude, compounded by the costs of rebuilding an infrastructure damaged by the war against IS, have battered the country's finances.

Last month, Iraq received pledges of $30 billion, mostly in credit facilities and investment, from allies at a reconstruction conference in Kuwait, but this fell short of the $88 billion Baghdad says it needs.

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Related Former Trump campaign aide Gates set to plead guilty in Russia probe

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Washington to send him hard evidence that his citizens meddled in U.S. elections, mocking accusations to date as "yelling and hollering in the United States Congress".

The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three firms last month with interfering in the 2016 presidential vote as part of what it called a conspiracy to support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton.

"I have to see first what they've done. Give us materials, give us information," Putin said in an interview with NBC TV aired late on Friday, according to an English voice-over of his words.

"We cannot respond to that if they do not violate Russian laws," Putin told NBC's Megyn Kelly, when asked whether Moscow would take action against the named individuals.

Kelly listed some of the accusations of Russian interference made by Mueller's office and other U.S. officials, including the spreading of false information online.

"With all due respect for you personally, with all due respect for Congress, you must have people with legal degrees, 100 percent you do," Putin said smiling.

He said U.S. authorities should send Russia's general prosecutor an official request.

"This has to go through official channels, not through the press or yelling and hollering in the United States Congress," Putin said.

The broadcast came a day after Putin announced an array of new nuclear weapons, in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

Putin is standing in March 18 elections that polls indicate he should win easily.

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This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.PBS, the public television network long accused of having a liberal bias, plans to launch a weekly conservative-oriented talk show April 13.

In Principle will feature hosts Michael Gerson and Amy Holmes, who plan to interview two guests each Friday on topics including race, gun control and whether conservatism is the right message for the working class.

I find when I go around the country that there is actually a hunger for serious, civil dialogue as an alternative to the bitterness of our civic discourse," said Gerson, a columnist who has been a frequent guest on PBS NewsHour.

"We need a place where we can have thoughtful, reasonable, in-depth conversations about politics, policy, culture  you name it  where we're really talking to each other instead of shouting at each other," said Holmes, who has appeared on Fox News Channel and worked for Glenn Becks The Blaze.

While Gerson has often found himself at odds with President Donald Trump, he said Holmes more often takes the president's side, or acts as the "anti-anti-Trump."

"I think the Trump era has been a very difficult time for traditional conservative discourse," he said. "I think a lot of institutions and places have been co-opted in this era. I view conservatism not only as a belief but a state of mind, a respect for tradition but also a respect for facts."

"I view conservatism not only as a belief but a state of mind, a respect for tradition but also a respect for facts."  Michael Gerson, co-host of "In Principle," on PBS

In Principle arrives just weeks after the White House unveiled a 2019 federal budget proposal that would eliminate all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes allocations to PBS and NPR.

The Trump administration contends that the broadcasters non-federal funding sources make public subsidies unnecessary, Fox News reported.

In Principle will originate from PBSs WETA-TV studio outside Washington. The chief programming executive at WETA, Dalton Delan, will be executive producer.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.Move over, milkman. This 24-year-old mom of two has made more than $6,000 from selling her breast milk to men.

When Rafaela Lamprou, a hotel worker, gave birth to her son Anjelo in August, she was producing excess milk and ran out of room to store it.

So I asked a couple of mums who were having trouble breast-feeding if they wanted it, Lamprou, whos based in Cyprus, told Caters News Agency. I started giving it away.

SEVERELY ABUSED TWIN GIRLS ADOPTED BY NURSE WHO TREATED THEM

But soon enough, Lamprou started getting requests from men who wanted to drink it.

It started with men who were interested in bodybuilding, said Lamprou, who also has a 4-year-old daughter, Hailey. They say it is good for building muscle mass. But then I started to get enquiries from men with fetishes. Now I breast-feed on demand.

WOMAN ENJOYS 'NEW LIFE' AFTER LEG AMPUTATION

Lamprou started a Facebook group for people who want to request her breast milk, and has given more than 132 gallons of milk to strangers. She regularly ships them to the UK and within her home country.

My husband is so supportive of me, she said. I am not sure how much longer I will carry on for.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWSTroubles continue to mount for a Texas Democrat who was recently convicted on 11 federal counts of money laundering and wires and securities fraud. On Friday the wife of state Sen. Carlos Uresti filed for divorce.

Margaret Lleanna Uresti submitted legal papers in Bexar County District Court, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The couple have been married for six years.

Uresti, 54, served as her lawyer during her 2008 divorce from her previous husband, the newspaper reported. Margaret Uresti is 12 years the senators junior, the report said.

The Urestis marital trouble comes as the San Antonio lawmaker faces pressure to resign from his seat in the Texas Senate, and as his license to practice law is in jeopardy.

In addition, he could face as much as 20 years in prison, plus restitution, when he is sentenced in June.

During Urestis corruption trial, prosecutors said he and a co-defendant lied to investors to make money for a fracking sand company that went bankrupt in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Daily Beast recently reported that Uresti faces a separate bribery trial in May, and also faces accusations of sexual harassment from several women.

Those women include a reporter who claimed Uresti groped her and put his tongue down my throat, and a data director at the state Democratic Party who said he ogled her.

We were being introduced and when we shook hands, he spun me around and said something like, Damn, girl -- youre trouble, Jenn Cervella told the Daily Beast.

Another woman claimed that Uresti asked her in the middle of a staircase at the state Capitol whether she was wearing a polka-dot thong. Uresti had denied a number of allegations to the Daily Beast when some women came forward in December, but did not respond to the outlet for comment on the latest claims against him.

Uresti could not be reached Friday for comment about his wifes divorce petition, the Express-News reported.

Fox News' Adam Shaw and the Associated Press contributed to this story.A Colorado state Democratic lawmaker was expelled Friday amid allegations by female colleagues about sexual harassment or abuse -- but not before switching political parties.

Rep. Steve Lebsock was expelled by a 52-9 vote after five female state House members took their turns at the podium to come forward as victims of sexual harassment or abuse.

Democrat Rep. Faith Winter and four other women accused Lebsock of harassment and intimidation inside the Capitol and at area bars and restaurants.

Lebsock bitterly contested the claims, saying his accusers were lying and accusing an independent investigator of bias in concluding that the claims were credible.

He becomes the second U.S. state lawmaker to be expelled since the #metoo movement emerged last fall. Last month, Arizona state Republican Rep. Don Shooter was expelled over misconduct claims; a California state senator resigned before colleagues tried to formally expel him amid sexual-misconduct allegations.

Lebsocks change of party will not end Colorado Democrats House majority. State Republicans can name his replacement, but they are purportedly considering passing on that privilege, which gives the task to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Their decision not to name a replacement is said to be related to Lebsock being a Democrat when allegedly committing such abuses.

Some Colorado GOP lawmakers suggested they vote no on Lebsocks expulsion, considering they received a redacted investigator's report on the matter only a few days earlier.

Others wanted to just censure him or called for a formal legislative panel with subpoena powers to investigate the case. However, many ultimately voted yes, citing family experiences of sexual misconduct or having been swayed by the experiences related by colleagues.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle stood out of respect whenever there was testimony about harassment and abuse.

Two successive male representatives told fellow members of the House that they were so worried about tensions stemming from the case against Lebsock that they had taken to wearing bulletproof vests beneath their jackets and ties.

While many Republicans were concerned about what the standard of proof should be for proving sexual-misconduct allegations, some were swayed by a document Lebsock sent to lawmakers intended to defend himself that also included sexual details about his accusers.

They said that amounted to retaliation against those who filed harassment complaints against him, a clear violation of the House's sexual harassment policy and beyond the realm of he-said, she-said.

"At the end of the day it's everything but I think the retaliation piece was a huge part of this because it was a clear violation and it was really egregious and it was something we could touch and see and interpret on our own," Republican Rep. Lang Seas said.

The debate over sexual harassment has engulfed both chambers of Colorado's Legislature. Three Republicans in the GOP-led Senate were accused of misconduct. One has stepped down as chair of a committee, while denying wrongdoing.

Senate President Kevin Grantham held a news conference Thursday to decry Colorado's investigative process, which calls for a confidential, third-party investigation. He called for Denver's district attorney to investigate whether Lebsock had committed any crimes.

However, District Attorney Beth McCann said a complaint must be filed with police before her office could investigate.

Its been the honor of my life to serve the people of Colorado, and I was willing to fight this year for the people of Colorado, he then said. Members, please remember that we should always strive to do the right thing, said Lebsock, according to The Denver Post.

Colorado Democratic Party spokesman Eric Walker told the newspaper that: Republicans can have him.  Either way, were confident the district will be represented by a Democrat by the time the next session begins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.President Trump was crystal clear on federal firearms policy this week: Seize weapons from people under certain circumstances without due process and rename a gun bill now before Congress.

The president declared the government should confiscate firearms from some people who may struggle with mental illness.

I like taking the guns early, Trump said. Take the guns first. Go through due process second.

The president also confidently instructed lawmakers to revise the heading on legislation designed to bolster the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, known as the Fix NICS measure.

Maybe you change the title, he told them at Wednesdays White House firearms confab. The U.S. Background Check Bill, or whatever.

And with that, Trump presented Congress with concrete directions on how to solve the nations scourge of gun violence.

Its now been two-and-a-half weeks since the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida. Yet any action on guns is at least another few weeks away -- if ever.

The Senate leadership cant forge an agreement to consider any gun bill next week, planning instead to wrestle with a handful of nominations and a banking-reform package.

Saying that Congress is close to debating firearms is like saying the curling competition is about to wrap up at the Winter Olympics.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, blocked the Senate this week from launching debate on the background checks bill. Many Democrats and some Republicans want to address more than just better background checks. But nobody is sure the chamber can ever reach an accord just to start debate on any firearms legislation.

Congress has faced this crossroads before -- Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Newtown, Charleston, San Bernardino, Orlando, Las Vegas  .

Lawmakers of both parties have professed that things were different after each of those episodes.

Still 

Were at a tipping point, observed Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., at the White House meeting. Esty represents Newtown.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., wasnt at the meeting and disagreed with Estys assessment.

Im not sure this will be a tipping point, he said. But its my sense that the ground has moved. Maybe ever so slightly. But at least enough that politicians cant run and hide on this.

So just how seismic was the attack at Parkland? Did the tectonic political plates really shift to compel legislative movement? How seismic were any of the other mass shootings? They certainly seemed to be seismic.

But none evoked a c ongressional response. In other words, the other mass shootings were just fissures. Despite astonishing events, perhaps the big one really hasnt hit yet on guns. A gun attack so violent that it will tear apart the San Andreas Fault on this issue and force action.

A number of Senate Republicans tell Fox their conference is divided on what to do, if anything at all. Fox is told there is one wing of Republicans that just wants to do something. Members of that wing fear voters will torch them if they dont move. At the White House meeting, Trump admonished congressional Republicans for being petrified of the NRA.

I think you underestimate the power of the gun lobby, shot back Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

And thats the problem for the GOP. Democrats like Murphy have long experienced the NRA. But Republicans arent used to incurring the NRAs wrath.

What looms is how Trump led another summit earlier this winter on immigration and DACA  then reversed course.

Is this the Tuesday Trump or the Thursday Trump? asked Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., of the gun convocation. Its a Wednesday, so we dont know.

If the president has another one of these sessions and he doesnt follow through, its going to hurt him, predicted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Its going to hurt the Republican Party.

But what if some Republicans run afoul of Second Amendment advocates? Senate GOP primaries are coming up. Some Republicans could vote for a gun plan which, heretofore, flies in the face of conventional GOP orthodoxy on firearms, and then face a beat-down in their primary.

Look at how GOP Senate hopeful Danny Tarkanian could deploy such approach against Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, or Republican Senate candidate Chris McDaniel against incumbent GOp Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker.

Some Republicans are privately apoplectic about what the president said about guns at the White House meeting.

It did more harm than good, said one Republican congressional source. If (former President Barack) Obama would have said what (President) Trump said about guns, there would be riots in the streets.

Right-wing activists warned for years that Obama, Hillary Clinton, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and a host of other Democrats were coming to get peoples guns. The scare tactics inflated the price of firearms and ammo. And then on Wednesday, Trump -- of all people -- said he would seize some guns.

That freaked out congressional Republicans.

Were in a really bad place on this, said one GOP senator who asked to not be identified. We cant do anything.

Theres risk in the gun debate for Democrats, too.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., earlier this week introduced a three-point plan on firearms. Schumers scheme includes a debate on assault weapons. But this is a perilous path. A number of vulnerable Senate Democrats face competitive races this year in swing states or territory in which Trump is popular. Taking a tough gun vote could put those Democrats in a jam.

When asked about Schumers gambit, one Democratic senator with a challenging race this fall pulled no punches on the minority leader: Hes stupid, the senator said.

And dont forget that Trump says he wants a bunch of proposals shoehorned into a solitary, gargantuan, comprehensive bill.

That rarely works in Washington.

Enter the Goldilocks factor: crafting a bill thats not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

Legislation is all about sweeteners and poison pills. You could coax just enough lawmakers to vote yes on a bill if you add precisely the right sweeteners. Mix in the wrong ingredient, and you have a poison pill that drains support from the legislation.

Theres talk the House and Senate could just move an enhanced background checks measure and nothing else. Well, the House attached the enhanced background checks provision as a sweetener to a gun plan last year.

The base bill granted reciprocity for concealed carry permits across state lines -- a priority of the NRA. The House approved the legislation and sent it to the Senate.

Concealed carry reciprocity across state lines wont command 60 yeas in the Senate to break a filibuster. So, the natural inclination is to strip out the reciprocity provision. Does the bill then automatically score 60 ayes? Unclear. Democrats may demand the Senate do more on guns than just background checks.

Lets say the Senate does approve a lean background checks measure, sans concealed carry reciprocity.

The Senate then sends the measure back to the House to sync up. The House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives would likely oppose the package because leaders extracted concealed carry reciprocity.

Under conventional circumstances, Democrats could make up the difference created by Republican defectors and vote yes for background checks.

However, theres a problem. House Democrats might now oppose the legislation because they would demand extras on assault weapons and other gun limitations. The House could struggle to pass the retooled bill.

So, nobody is clear where this is headed -- if its headed anywhere at all.

Votes are hard to get in Congress, Trump said at the Wednesday session.

Votes are hard on health care, tax reform and even foreign policy. But votes on gun legislation are the hardest of all.

Otherwise, Congress would have dealt with this a long time ago.The Indiana Legislature has passed a bill to largely ban the practice of sclera tattoos, also know as eyeball tattooing.

The measure comes after news reports last fall about a Canadian model, Catt Gallinger, who had major complications from getting her eyes tattooed a purple hue.

Under the Indiana proposal, according to The Associated Press, tattooists would be barred from coloring the whites of anyone's eyes. An exception would be made for procedures done by licensed health care professionals.

The bill calls for imposition of a fine of up to $10,000 per violation.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Sen. John Ruckelshaus of Indianapolis.

He says he's not aware of any problems in Indiana.

Oklahoma is the only other state with a similar law, according to The AP.

The legislation was sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk for his approval on Thursday following an 82-11 vote in the State House.

It has already been OK'd by the State Senate.

Last year, Gallinger, then 24, sought out a sclera tattoo, which, according to Time magazine, is a relatively new trend in which people get ink injected into their eyeball to turn the sclera, or the white part of the eyeball, a different color.

Her procedure left purple ink oozing out of her eye, which quickly became swollen, infected and painful. She almost lost the eye, Time said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.President Trump on Saturday threatened the European Union with a tax on cars made in Europe, responding to E.U. pushback against his proposed steel and aluminum tariffs -- the latest fiery rhetoric in a brewing trade war.

"If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S.," Trump said on Twitter.

Trump's battle cry came after his announcement Thursday of a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent of aluminum imports roiled global markets and angered world leaders.

Among them was European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said Friday that the E.U. could impose tariffs on Harley Davidsons, Levi jeans and bourbon.

"I don't like using the word trade war, but I can't see how this isn't part of warlike behavior," Juncker told German media.

E.U. officials had earlier said that a series of "countermeasures" had been readied to "rebalance" European markets should Trump sign the tariffs next week. Such measures are due to be discussed by officials next week.

TRUMP DECLARES 'TRADE WARS ARE GOOD,' DIGS IN AMID TARIFF TURMOIL

But Trump, who on Friday declared that "trade wars are good and easy to win," seemed nonplussed by the reaction, also tweeting on Saturday that leaders "laugh at what fools our leaders have been."

"No more!" he tweeted.

The E.U.'s pushback was just one of a series of negative reactions from global leaders to his tariff proposal -- one that he had teased throughout his campaign.

China, one of Trumps main targets when he talked about an unfair trade balance, expressed concern but made no immediate threat of countermeasures.

The basis for the global recovery is still unstable, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Friday, according to The Washington Post. All countries should make concerted efforts to cooperate to resolve the relevant issues, instead of taking trade-restrictive measures unilaterally.

Even close U.S. allies, while not immediately promising countermeasures, reacted negatively to Trumps announcement.

The United States has a two billion surplus on steel with us so we regard the imposition of any new tariffs or any tariffs on steel or aluminum between our two countries as absolutely unacceptable, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Friday.

The United Kingdom, meanwhile, gave a tempered, but chilly reception to the announcement on Thursday.

We are engaging with the U.S. on what this announcement means in practice, a spokesman for 10 Downing Street said. We have been clear that we are particularly concerned by any measures that would impact the UK steel and aluminum industries.

The U.K. may be hoping for an exemption, particularly as it is engaged in its own standoff with the E.U. over the implementation over its 2016 decision to leave the union.

But a White House official told The Wall Street Journal that such exemptions were unlikely.

The president made clear these would be across-the-board tariffs with no exclusions, the official said. One problem with exclusions is that its a slippery slope. Where do you stop?

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire supported the E.U.s reaction and said all options are on the table in terms of a response.

The United States needs to know that if it goes ahead with these measures, they will meet with a strong, coordinated and united response from the European Union, Le Maire said according to Reuters.

Fox News' Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.As treasures from the funerary collection of the ancient Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun prepared to set off on a touring exhibition of the United States this month, starting at the California Science Centre in Los Angeles, a campaign has been launched against the tour, raising fears that Tutankhamuns curse may have spread to archaeology.

The Egyptian Antiquities Task Force, a Facebook group, this week launched a petition addressed to President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi asking for the exhibition to be halted on the grounds that it could constitute a threat to the artefacts involved. It was a breach of the antiquities law and was not worth the effort since the exhibition would have a low income, the group said.

Monica Hanna, a professor at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Cairo who is leading the protest campaign, said that although she was not against exhibitions abroad, the Ministry of Antiquities needed to follow all the articles of the antiquities law before the approval of any touring exhibition.

Hanna described the King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibition as a threat to the 166 objects scheduled to travel to Los Angeles, the first stop on its seven-year tour.

The exhibition breaks the antiquities law because it has been organised with a private company and not an international museum or scientific institution as the law stipulates, Hanna said. She said that the company concerned could also be considered a potential threat to the artefacts because it had organised the Quest for Immortality touring exhibition in the early 2000s when a dice from a senet game, an ancient Egyptian board game, had been lost, leading to a law suit.

The objects scheduled to travel consisted of unique items from Tutankhamuns collection such as his gold sarcophagus, she said. This was another contravention of the law, since it stipulates that travelling objects should be duplicates and not unique ones, she said.

From the economic point of view, Hanna said the exhibition was also a poor deal since it would bring in little revenue over seven years. It is only $50 million, which means that the income would be $166 per day, she said. Is this enough, given the importance of the ancient Egyptian civilisation and antiquities, she asked, adding that similar objects loaned from the Louvre Museum in Paris to the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi had been charged at 45 million.

How can the Ministry of Antiquities allow 166 pieces from Tutankhamuns collection to travel when the Grand Egyptian Museum [GEM] is about to open at the end of this year and in which the Tutankhamun collection will be a major part, Hanna wondered.

In response, former minister of antiquities Zahi Hawass said that all these are unfounded claims in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly. He said that the exhibition did not break the antiquities law as the objects were not unique examples, as had been claimed. They were all duplicates, he said.

The gold sarcophagus is not among the objects. The one that will travel is a gilded 40cm symbolic sarcophagus of the sort that has many duplicates in the Tutankhamun collection, Hawass said. He added that the exhibitions revenue would exceed $10 million in each country it visited.

The Quest for Immortality exhibition had been organised by a different company, he said.

Hawass described the exhibition as an important promotional campaign for Egypt and for Ancient Egyptian civilisation. It would feature in the international headlines and on street and other advertising, he said, helping to drive home the message that Egypt was safe for foreign visitors.

Supervisor-General of the GEM Tarek Tawfik told the Weekly that the exhibition would not affect the GEM display, as the objects concerned were all duplicates. The Tutankhamun collection contains 400 ushabti figurines of the same shape and size as those in the exhibition. If a dozen such figures travelled, this would not affect the GEM exhibition, he said, especially as the Tutankhamun collection contains some 5,200 pieces.

Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany told the Weekly that the exhibition did not contain any unique objects from the collection. It did not include Tutankhamuns gold sarcophagus, mask, throne, shrine or Anubis statue, as had been claimed.

One iconic item in the exhibition is a Ka statue, a wooden guardian statue with gilded head dress and skirt, of which the collection has two, while the other items are ushabti figurines, head-rests, boxes and jewellery, he said.

We will never be negligent about our heritage, El-Enany said, adding that half of the original list of requested items had been rejected by the ministrys Foreign Exhibitions Committee, the official negotiator for travelling exhibitions under the antiquities law, for various reasons.

The ministry had followed all appropriate legal procedures, he said, and the objects had been approved by the committee, the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and the cabinet. The US Embassy had provided appropriate financial guarantees, and the collection had been insured for $800 million. It would be accompanied by an officer from the Tourist and Antiquities Police, a restorer and a curator, he said.

El-Enany said that the revenue from the exhibition was estimated at $50 million for each country involved, and there would also be a percentage paid on the number of tickets and souvenirs sold. The ministry would benefit from 10 per cent of the value of the items sold, as well as $1 for each visitor above 400,000, reaching $4 per visitor at 700,000 visitors.

According to the California Science Centre in Los Angeles Website, tickets for the Tutankhamun exhibition are selling out. The revenues are from only one leg of the exhibition and the same policy will be applied for every stop, El-Enany told the Weekly.

The other legs include the Museum of Science and Industry at the Parc de la Villette in Paris, the Saatchi Museum in London, the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, the Sydney Museum in Australia, the National Museum in South Korea, the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the Field Museum in Chicago, the Muri Art Centre in Tokyo and the Osaka Museum of Art.

Two other exhibitions abroad are also scheduled to open in March. The first is in Canada and concerns the Fatimid period in Egypt, organised with the Aga Khan Foundation, and the second is in St Louis in the US and concerns Egypts sunken treasures.

Elham Salah, head of the Museums Sector at the ministry, told the Weekly that in collaboration with the ministries of higher education and communication and information technology, the Ministry of Antiquities would provide a print-out of every object in the Tutankhamun exhibition.

The King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh exhibition will be inaugurated on 24 March and will run until January 2019.

California Science Centre President Jeff Rudolph said the exhibition would use multimedia displays to stimulate interest in the sciences related to archaeology. Visitors will also learn how the scientific analysis of the Pharaohs 3,000-year-old mummy had revealed new information about his health and lineage, as well as how cutting-edge archaeological tools were assisting in discovering tombs and analysing existing ones in ways never before imagined.

The exhibition will feature nine distinct experiential galleries and an array of 3D visuals, digital content, 360-degree theatrical manifestations, and custom soundscapes in an engaging audio-guided tour, Rudolph commented.

This article was originally published in Al-Ahram Weekly

Short link:

A California couple was charged on Friday with child abuse after authorities discovered that they, along with their three children, had been living in a makeshift shelter with no electricity or running water, in an isolated part of the desert, for four years.

Mona Kirk, 51 and Daniel Panico, 73, were charged with three felony counts of child abuse by the San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office after deputies found the children  ages 11, 13 and 14 -- were living in an unsuitable and unsafe environment.

The couple pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Friday afternoon and were defended by family and friends who asserted that the pair was being punished for being homeless, KTLA reported.

The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department was conducting an area check in Joshua Tree on Wednesday when deputies spotted an abandoned trailer and a large rectangular shelter made of plywood.

Authorities observed mounds of trash and human feces throughout the property and approximately 30-40 cats both inside and outside the trailer, according to a press release.

The makeshift shelter was roughly 20 feet long, 10 feet wide and four feet high.

Deputies determined that the children were living on the property for about four years, and that they were found to have an inadequate amount of food and were living in an unsuitable and unsafe environment.

Children and Family Services took custody of the children.

Fox News Nicole Darrah contributed to this report.A pastor from a church in Waco, Texas, that actively fought human trafficking has been arrested on a prostitution charge.

Edward Ignacio Espinosa, 41, resigned from Antioch Community Church in December, following a confession that he had paid for sex at a massage parlor in October, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported, citing an arrest affidavit.

A senior pastor said Espinosa was placed on administrative leave, once he confessed his sin, and the church conducted an internal investigation.

Espinosa later resigned. He had been with the church for eight years.

Eds conduct was not only inappropriate but directly against our values and policy as a church and as the people of God," the senior pastor said. "We continue to be committed to helping heal whatever is broken, whether on behalf of the victim or the victimizer, we believe restoration is still possible through Jesus Christ.

Espinosa was arrested on a misdemeanor charge Thursday that stemmed from a police investigation that targeted two massage parlors in Waco between September and November. Video footage of hundreds of men paying for sex acts during massages prompted authorities to raid the business in December.

The alleged business operator, Chun Yang Zhang, 47, was charged with human trafficking and accused of forcing women  who were all Asian and didnt speak English  to engage in prostitution.

Espinosa was held at McLennan County jail Thursday afternoon on a $1,000 bond. By Thursday night he was released, authorities said.A fierce noreaster that lashed the Atlantic coast Friday claimed at least nine lives and left millions without power as it moved offshore.

The deaths were reported in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia. The victims included a 6-year-old boy in Virginia and an 11-year-old boy in New York.

In New Jersey, a 41-year-old Andover man was killed Friday night when he came in contact with live power lines, NJ.com reported.

The storms powerful winds knocked out power to more than 2.1 million homes and businesses from North Carolina to Maine.

Forecasters said rain and snow was expected to slowly come to an end Saturday, hanging on across southern New England the longest. Winds were expected to remain breezy from Washington to Boston, a day after they toppled tractor trailers and exceeded 50 mph, with gusts of 80 to 90 mph on Cape Cod.

Ohio and upstate New York got a foot or more of snow, while Boston and Rhode Island expected to get 2 inches to 5 inches.

Jim Hayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center in Maryland, said coastal flooding was expected to continue to cause problems in eastern Massachusetts and Boston, which could experience "a significant coastal flood event."

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam both declared states of emergencies. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help victims. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf was sending 90 guard members, primarily to assist communities in the Poconos Mountains where the deepest snow totals were recorded.

Floodwaters in Quincy, Massachusetts, submerged cars, and police rescued people trapped in their vehicles. High waves battered nearby Scituate, making roads impassable and turning parking lots into small ponds. More than 1,800 people alerted Scituate officials they had evacuated, The Boston Globe reported.

Airlines canceled some 4,000 domestic flights. Amtrak announced Saturday it has suspended service between Washington, D.C. and New York City due to power outages.

Passengers had a rough ride aboard a flight that landed at Dulles Airport outside Washington.

"Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up," a pilot wrote in a report to the National Weather Service.

President Donald Trump, who traveled to North Carolina for the funeral for the Rev. Billy Graham, was forced to fly out of Dulles instead of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is housed, because of high winds.

On the West Coast, a storm moving in from the Pacific was expected to bring heavy rain and snow in the mountains especially among the Sierras and the Great Basin, Dean reported. Flooding was a concern, especially across the burn areas in Southern California.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.The seven adult siblings left shackled and abused by their parents in the California house of horrors case that shocked the nation have been adapting to everyday life including enjoying famous films such as Star Wars and eating lasagna and lentil soup, their attorney said.

Jack Osborn, whose law firm is representing the seven adult children of David and Louise Anna Turpin, said they are looking forward to being independent and coming up with a game plan for their life.

"They want to finish school, they want to have careers. They look forward to going out to movies and shopping and everything else people their age are doing, Osborn told USA Today.

The seven siblings have been treated at Corona Regional Medical Center for the past few weeks and have shown significant improvement, Osborn said. It was not immediately clear when the siblings will be discharged.

Osborn did not comment on the development of the six younger siblings, who are minors.

CALIFORNIA HOUSE OF HORRORS PARENTS FACE LIFE IN PRISON ON TORTURE, ABUSE CHARGES

The 13 siblings parents were arrested in January after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the familys home in Perris, Calif., and called 911. Authorities said the home stunk of human waste and evidence of starvation was obvious, with the oldest sibling weighing only 82 pounds. The children range in age from 2 to 29.

Authorities said the abuse was so long-running that the children's growth was stunted. They said the couple shackled the children to furniture as punishment and had them live a nocturnal lifestyle.

David and Louise Turpin are being held in prison on $12 million bail. They face up to life in prison after being charged with torture and child abuse.

Osborn said the seven siblings are enjoying their time in the hospital by eating lentil soup, fish and lasagna. However, the siblings are not fans of burritos.

"Its been more like being on a cruise ship than at this hospital," Osborn said.

The attorney also said the siblings are allowed to use iPads, go outside, read, listen to music, and watch popular films such as Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises.

HOUSE OF HORRORS PARENTS PLEAD NOT GUILTY TO NEW CHARGES

"They immediately identify with characters, and our female clients love female characters in movies. They've really embraced those kinds of things," Osborn said. "My impression is a lot of the stuff is new to them."

The lawyer said the siblings have asked him to give the public updates on their conditions.

The case sparked national attention as details of the abuse came to light.

Prosecutors allege the children were subjected to frequent beatings and even strangulation, and werent allowed to be unshackled to go to the bathroom. They also allegedly were allowed to take only one shower a year.

The siblings also lacked common knowledge such as knowing what medication was or who a police officer is.

Fox News Greg Norman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.A lawsuit has been filed by the parents of one of the victims in last month's tragic crash of a Grand Canyon sightseeing helicopter.

The lawsuit, the first filed since the Feb. 10 crash, accuses the helicopters operator and manufacturer of negligence in the death of Jonathan Utall, 31, of England. It was filed Friday in Las Vegas.

The crash also killed Udalls wife Ellie Milward and three British friends. Udall and Milward were on their honeymoon. The pilot and a sixth passenger, another British friend, were critically injured.

Philip and Marlene Udall, of England, claim in the lawsuit that their son would not have sustained severe and catastrophic burns if the Airbus EC130 B4 had been fitted with a crash-resistant fuel system, Sky News reported.

They are seeking $195,000 in damages, as well as punitive damages.

BRIDE DIES FROM INJURIES IN GRAND CANYON CHOPPER CRASH DAYS AFTER IT KILLED HER HUSBAND

Mr. and Mrs. Udall deeply grieve for the loss of their son but their primary motivation now is to prevent anyone else from having to suffer the deadly burn injuries as their son did, their lawyer Gary Robb said, according to Sky News.

"If this helicopter had been properly equipped with a crash-resistant fuel system, it would have allowed this young man to walk away injury-free," he said.

Representatives of the helicopters operator, Papillon Airways, and the manufacturer, Airbus, did not immediately return email and phone messages seeking comment late Friday, The Associated Press reported.

SURVIVORS WHO ESCAPED FLAMING HELICOPTER REMAIN HOSPITALIZED AS THREE KILLED ARE IDENTIFIED

The lawsuit comes after Papillon announced it would fit 40 of the crash-resistant tanks to its fleet in the wake of the crash, Sky News reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a preliminary report that the helicopter made at least two 360-degree turns before crashing at the bottom of the canyon on tribal land.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Blustery winds that lashed the East Coast on Friday -- as part of a powerful noreaster that flooded streets, grounded flights and knocked out power to more than 1.8 million customers -- were expected to let up Saturday as the storm moved offshore, forecasters said.



At the storms height, winds exceeded 50 mph and forced airlines to cancel more than 2,800 flights. Planes at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were nearly all grounded.

Unfortunately for passengers aboard a flight that landed at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, the high winds were an inconvenience than many couldn't stomach.

"Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up," a pilot wrote in a report to the National Weather Service.

Even the pilots said they were on the verge of throwing up amid what they described as a very bumpy descent.

While most flights in and out of Washington-area airports were canceled, some planes were seen taking off and landing, Fox 5 DC reported.

A video shot at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport showed the winds tilt a plane sideways during takeoff.

Another plane at Reagan aborted its landing due to the gusts.

Aboard a Southwest Airlines flight to Washington, the captain warned passengers that if they couldnt land theyd have to fly to Pittsburgh, Fox 5 DC said.

"I was holding on to my seat in front of me. People were throwing up all over the place," John Kirk, a passenger, told the station. "It was pretty crazy actually. The worst flight I have ever been on."

A second passenger told the station it was an emotional ride and, once they had safely landed, flight attendants told the travelers to love each other and not to sweat the small stuff.

Conditions were predicted to improve in Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states as the storm shifted away from the coastline Friday night, the National Weather Service said. Rain and snow were expected to taper off early Saturday.

The noreaster has been blamed for the deaths of at least five people as it delivered massive flooding, wind damage and power outages up and down the East Coast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A California police officer and spokesman used his job to bypass the states strict gun laws in order to resell dozens of weapons without a license, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Pasadena police Lt. Vasken Gourdikian was arrested Friday morning and charged with illegally selling more than 100 firearms between 2014 and 2017.

The weapons included some that are outlawed in California, the Pasadena Star-News reported.

Gourdikian, 48, was released on a $100,000 bond after pleading not guilty Friday in federal court in Los Angeles. His attorney, Mark Geragos, said the charges were "misguided and truly an abuse of the supposed discretion of the government."

He has been placed on unpaid leave, the Star-News reported.

As a police officer, Gourdikian was able to purchase so-called "off-roster" handguns, which aren't available to the public and aren't listed in a catalog of certified handguns maintained by the state, authorities said.

Pasadena's Police Department issued seven waivers to the officer, allowing him to bypass 10-day waiting periods on purchases of six pistols and an assault rifle at gun shops in Los Angeles and Orange counties, the Star-News reported.

Gourdikian posted on online gun message boards that he had weapons that were brand new and still in the box, court documents said. The indictment alleges Gourdikian sometimes sold weapons in bulk across Southern California and advertised on the website Calguns.net, the Star-News reported.

The investigation against Gourdikian began during a routine analysis of sales and trace reports by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Bill McMullan, special agent in charge of the ATF field office in Los Angeles.

ATF agents raided Gourdikian's home last year and seized 62 firearms, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle, officials said.

He was also charged with possessing an unregistered gun and falsely claiming on federal firearms forms that he was buying a gun for himself, even though he had already agreed to sell the weapon to someone else, prosecutors said.

Gourdikian, who had been on paid leave for about a year, will no longer be paid by the police department, officials said. An internal review is now "on hold pending the outcome of the criminal investigation," police said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Colorado authorities have locked up the mother of a man who they say was killed over the family ranch worth millions of dollars.

Deborah Rudibaugh, 68, who lived on the Gunnison County ranch, was arrested Friday and charged with murder in the death of her 29-year-old son Jacob Millison in 2015.

Her arrest is the second in the case. On Wednesday, her 33-year-old daughter Stephanie Jackson, 33, was charged with murder. Jackson is also Millisons sister.

Rudibaughs role in the murder was unclear, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported.

According to the paper, Gunnison County Undersheriff Mark Mykol said she is a suspect but declined to elaborate.

Mykol said in a press release that Rudibaugh was arrested without incident in another county and transported to the same county jail where her daughter is being held.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF KILLING BROTHER OVER HUGE COLORADO RANCH WORTH MILLIONS

Rudibaugh was being held without bail. Jackson was being held in lieu of $500,000 bond.

Rudibaugh has also been charged with abuse of a corpse, concealing a death, tampering with a deceased report and filing a false report, Mykol said.

The motive for Millisons murder was his familys sprawling 700-acre ranch property that reportedly worth millions of dollars.

Mykol said after Jacksons arrest that the murder was definitely ranch-related.

The ranch was where authorities found Millisons body last year after receiving a tip.

After the body was found CBS4 Denver reported trying to interview Rudibaugh. She told the station that she wouldnt comment because of the active investigation.

The station reported at the time that Rudibaugh reported her son missing in August 2015.

The station reported that friends of Millison said he had not been seen or heard from for months before then.

They had reported him missing in May 2015.

Investigators said they know how Millison was killed but aren't releasing that information.A Northern California winter storm killed a snowboarder Thursday, while an avalanche Friday caught five people at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe.

Snowboarder Wenyu Zhang, 42, vanished Thursday in the Sierra Nevada. Hours later, a blizzard brought wind gusts of nearly 150 mph over the ridge tops of Sierra Madre, dumping 3 feet of snow in the mountains.

On Friday, another snowboarder, Heather Turping, 39, heard someone scream Avalanche! as she saw a cloud of snow coming down.

The massive avalanche passed only a foot in front of her, and injured two people, one seriously. Three others were able to escape without getting hurt.

The storm that steamrollered through the Sierra Nevada still threatened rain and snow through Saturday afternoon in Southern California, a few hundred miles away.

The National Weather Service said mountains in Ventura and Los Angeles counties could see up to a foot of new snow at higher elevations.

Also Friday, four French skiers -- two men and two women -- were killed in an avalanche in the French Alps, the Guardian reported. Another woman, part of the same group, was injured and hospitalized. It was the winter's deadliest avalanche so far, the report said.

A total of 20 people have now died since November when Frances ski season began, while 12 have been injured, according to the report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany and Sharqiya Governor Khaled Saeed inaugurated Saturday Tel Basta Museum in Sharqiya governorate after the completion of its restoration.

The inauguration of the museum comes within the framework of efforts by the Ministry of Antiquities to increase the archaeological and heritage awareness of Sharqiya inhabitants as well as creating more tourist attractions across Egypt.

During the ceremony, El-Enany announced that visits to the museum would be free this week to celebrate the museums long-awaited opening.

Waadalla Abu El-Ela, head of the Projects Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Ahram Online that the ministry started construction work on the museum in 2006. In 2010, construction was completed but the project put on hold, resuming at the end of 2017.

Elham Salah, head of the Museums Sector at the Ministry of Antquities, explained that the second phase of the project, concerning the interior design of the museum, aimed to showcase the history of Sharqiya and the excavation work that has been carried out within its boundaries. New lighting and security systems were installed and new showcases fabricated to host the artifacts along with descriptive panels on the history of Sharqiya.

The objects on display are the result of archaeological excavations in Sharqiya, Salah told Ahram Online. She added that the collection includes canopic jars, terracotta statuettes, clay pots of different shapes and sizes, domestic instruments, coins, statuette deities, tombstones, offering tables, and jewellery.

One of the showcases is devoted to Sharqiya's main ancient Egyptian deity, the cat shaped goddess Bastet.

French Egyptologist Pierre Montei discovered the Temple of Amun in Tanis in 1939 as well as a group of royal tombs from the Late Period, such as those for the kings Psusennes I and Shosinenq II.

In 2009, the joint French-Egyptian mission discovered the location of the sacred lake of the goddess Muts temple, the second sacred lake to be revealed on the site.

In 2013, in Tel-El-Yahudia area, a mission from the antiquities ministry uncovered a huge fortification of mud brick inside the Hyksos fortress, as well as a residential city on its northeastern corner. A collection of oil lamps and faience tiles once used to decorate the palace of the kings Meneptah and his father Ramses II was also unearthed.

In Tel-El-Pharaeen, British Egyptologist Flinders Petrie discovered the ruins of the ancient city, including residential areas and the ruins of the citys temple devoted to the goddess Wadjet.

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A British teacher was convicted Friday of trying to recruit students to carry out Islamic State-inspired attacks across London.

Umar Haque, 25, was accused of radicalizing children at two schools and a mosque, making them re-enact deadly attacks on London and role-play attacks on police officers; he even exposed the children to gruesome videos of beheadings, Reuters reported.

Prosecutors said that Haque was fascinated by the warped and extreme ideology of ISIS.

Metropolitan Police Counterterrorism Cmdr. Dean Haydon said he planned to created an army of children that would help carry out attacks at multiple sites using multiple weapons.

He tried and he did, we believe, radicalize vulnerable children from the ages of 11 to 14, Haydon said.

Haque lacked qualifications for the academic positions, however police say he became employed under the guise of teaching Islamic studies, Reuters reported.

Despite saying he supported ISIS, Haque said he was never planning any attacks.

He and two other men convicted of helping him will be sentenced at a later date.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.Bahrain says it has arrested 116 people in a sweep targeting alleged Shiite militants in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

The arrests announced Saturday come amid a yearslong crackdown on all dissent on the island off the coast of Saudi Arabia. That's fueled sporadic, small-scale attacks by local Shiite militant groups on security forces.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the alleged militants planned to "target Bahraini officials, members of the security authorities and vital oil installations with the objective of disturbing public security and harming the national economy."

The Interior Ministry says police seized explosives and weapons in their raids. It did not offer a timeframe for the arrests.

Bahrain regularly announces similar sweeps, blaming Iran for instigating and training the alleged militants.Italians go to the polls Sunday in an election where mass migration is a top issue, and where populists and the right wing could sweep out the sitting left-wing government -- or there could be a stalemate.

The election takes place amid a tumultuous political backdrop. A lagging economy, high youth unemployment, concerns about the European Union and widespread concerns about mass migration are the main issues at the heart of the election -- all which have led to a surge in popularity for right-wing and populist parties.

The voting on Sunday will likely be only the first step, with polls indicating a hung parliament is the most likely outcome, with no party or coalition having the votes needed for a majority government.

A Five-Star Election?

In the lead, according to the polls, is the populist 5-Star Movement -- a party founded by Italian comedian Beppe Grillo that eschews traditional left/right labels, rejects traditional Italian parties. It has dropped its calls for a referendum on Euro membership and also kept its distance from some of the hardline immigration rhetoric pulsing through the country.

Yet, polling at about 30 percent, its numbers show it far below the support necessary to form government and it has ruled out forming a coalition with other parties -- in line with its selling point that it wants to overturn traditional Italian politics, not join in with it.

Yet that could change. Current prime ministerial candidate, 31-year-old Luigi Di Maio, has hinted at a possible openness to a coalition, possibly even with the left-wing Democratic Party (PD). Experts say that there is a possibility that they move from being a rejectionist party to a party that governs -- with Di Maio as the skillful politician who may be able to drag his party into that mode.

Last legislature they won almost one-third of the vote but they remained on the sidelines. They cant afford another legislature on the sidelines after another strong performance, Franco Pavoncello, professor of political science at Romes John Cabot University, told Fox News.

Pavoncello says that Di Maios possibilistic wing has given signals they are open to deal-making. But then the question would be, which party they would deal with? Whether it would deal with the existing left-wing Democratic Party or the right-wing League, or someone else, is not clear.

Should 5-Star not form a coalition, this could lead to a situation that once seemed utterly impossible -- the return of billionaire and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Berlusconi, back

Berlusconis decades-long political career was downed by a series of scandals including allegations of sexual misconduct and a 2012 conviction for tax fraud, but he has proven to have a Teflon-like reputation. While he is barred from holding office until 2019, he has formed a powerful coalition under his leadership that looks the most likely to be able to gain power on Sunday and where he will play kingmaker.

That coalition consists of Berlusconis center-right Forza Italia party, uniting with more radical and populist right-wing parties, namely the Brothers of Italy and the League -- headed up by Matteo Salvini. Put together, this coalition is polling at between 35 percent and 37 percent.

Salvini is one of Italys outspoken political leaders, even by Italian standards, and on migration in particular he is on the far right

"You can't any longer speak about immigration but about an invasion organised, funded and planned by Brussels with the complicity of Rome, he said last year, according to Italian news wire ANSA.

The nations migration concerns were exacerbated by the gruesome discovery of the body of 18-year-old Pamela Mastropietro in two suitcases in the central Italian town of Macerata.

The discovery epitomized concerns about migration (a Nigerian was arrested in connection with her death) and also sparked a backlash when an Italian neo-fascist went on a shooting rampage in Macerata, shooting six African migrants in retaliation. The gunman was found to have connections to the League.

But both Salvini and Berlusconi have refused to tame their rhetoric. Both have called for the mass deportations of hundreds of thousands of migrants in the country illegally and Berlusconi has dubbed mass migration a social bomb ready to explode.

ITALY'S BERLUSCONI ADOPTS TRUMP'S RHETORIC AS ELECTION NEARS, CALLS MIGRANTS A 'SOCIAL BOMB'

The coalition leaders have said whichever party gets the most votes will get to choose the prime minister. Berlusconi has said he would appoint longtime ally and European Parliament President Antonio Tajani. Should the League get more votes, that would open the door to Salvini being prime minister.

However, that is unlikely if the polls are accurate, and there are indications that Salvini and Berlusconi are more likely to hash out a deal where Salvini gets a migration-focused position at the Interior Department.

"Give me the interior ministry for three months and you'll see what order and cleanliness I bring back from north to south all over Italy, Salvini said in May. "I won't wait for Strasbourg, nor Brussels or [German Chancellor Angela] Merkel".

A victory for the right would likely provide a significant shot in the arm for a Western populist movement that, after its victories in Britain and the U.S. in 2016, had appeared to sag somewhat in 2017. Former Breitbart News Executive Chairman and White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was in Rome this week, a sign of how important the election is to the international populist movement

With recent victories in the Czech Republic and Austria, and migration still a central political issue in Europe as a whole, a right-wing Italian prime minister could put populism back in the driver's seat in Europe.

Could the left wing cling on?

The left-wing Democratic Party (PD), led by former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and polling in second place by itself, seems unlikely to get close to a majority due to a lack of coalition possibilities and have rejected entering into coalition with populist parties, but it isnt the only way that current Democratic Party Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni could remain in power -- at least for the time being.

Pavoncello believes the most likely situation is one in which the Forza Italia coalition gets close to a majority, but not quite. This could lead Italian President Sergio Mattarella to ask for a pause while there are further negotiations and there is more of a sense of what kind of coalition is possible -- and whom he can ask to try and form a government.

Should it get to that point, all bets could be off.

The only one who has a chance [for an absolute majority] is Berlusconi the immortal and his coalition, Pavoncello said. If you dont get that you must start talking to the other groups and see if you can put together some strange bedfellows in a rather strange bed.next Image 1 of 2

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The Latest on the conflict in Syria (all times local):

4:20 p.m.

Turkey's prime minister says Turkish troops have captured a strategic village in the Kurdish-held enclave in northwestern Syria, tightening the grip on the area in the sixth week of its offensive on the area.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Turkish soldiers cleared Rajo in Afrin district of "terrorists." He says the Kurdish fighters have been pushed back from the border with Turkey and are now surrounded in Afrin.

Yildirim was speaking at a rally in the central Konya province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fierce clashes were still being reported in Rajo.

If confirmed, Rajo would be the largest center in Afrin to be captured since the Turkish offensive began on Jan.20.

Turkey says it wants to oust the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin. It considers the group an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within its own borders.

___

3:15 p.m.

Syrian activists and rescuers say at least six civilians have been killed in the ongoing bombing of eastern Ghouta near the capital Damascus, despite a Russia-ordered brief daily humanitarian pause.

Syrian State TV meanwhile said Saturday that two children managed to escape from the region under gunfire from the rebels, who control eastern Ghouta.

Syrian government and Russian officials accuse the rebels of firing at a corridor set up for evacuation, preventing civilians from leaving.

The corridor, manned by Russia military police and Syrian troops, has since Tuesday been set to open for five hours daily. An elderly Pakistani couple has managed to leave after negotiations.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Civil Defense said six civilians were killed Saturday in government bombings in eastern Ghouta.Lebanon's prime minister has met with Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince during his first trip to the kingdom since relations strained following Saad Hariri's brief resignation late last year.

Hariri posted a selfie with Mohammed bin Salman and the kingdom's ambassador to the United States following their meeting in Riyadh late Friday at the end of a three-day visit. The three appeared in informal clothes and flashed wide smiles, apparently signaling relations have been normalized following last year bizarre sequence of events around Hariri's resignation.

Hariri's resignation, announced while he was in Riyadh, was widely seen as orchestrated by his Saudi backers who complain that the Lebanese government is controlled by the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Hariri reversed his resignation upon return to Lebanon following international mediation.A last-ditch search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is expected to end in June, the Southeast Asian nation said on Saturday, as grieving families marked the fourth anniversary of one of biggest aviation mysteries of all time.

Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, disappeared on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Investigators called off the underwater search last year after no trace of the wreckage was found in a 46,000 square mile area in the Indian Ocean.

In their latest effort, Malaysia agreed to pay Ocean Infinity of Houston up to $70 million if it finds the plane within 90 days. The countdown doesnt include refueling stops or days lost to bad weather.

Malaysia's civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said the firm's search is going smoothly and is expected to end by mid-June.

"The whole world, including the next of kin, have (new) hope to find the plane for closure," he told reporters at a remembrance event at a shopping mall near Kuala Lumpur. "For the aviation world, we want to know what exactly happened to the plane."

Officials have said there was an 85 percent chance of finding the debris in a new 9,650-square-mile search area  roughly the size of Vermont  identified by experts.

The plane was on a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board when it disappeared.

The official search was extremely difficult because no transmissions were received from the aircraft after its first 38 minutes of flight. Systems designed to automatically transmit the flight's position failed to work after this point, according to a final report issued in January 2017 by the Australian Transport Safety Board.

Family members lit candles on a stage Saturday and observed a moment of silence during the three-hour event. Most are split over whether the search will be fruitful.

"It doesn't renew (any hope) because I also have to be realistic. It has been four years," said Intan Maizura Othman, whose husband was a flight attendant on the plane. She was pregnant when the plane disappeared and attended the event with her now 4-year-old son.

Jiang Hui, of China, whose mother was on board the plane, said that he was grateful for Ocean Infinity's courage to mount the search, but that he hopes it will not be the end if the mission fails. He proposed for a public fund to be set up to continue the search.

"Without a search, there will be no truth," Jiang said.

Investigators disagree on whether the aircraft suffered a mechanical failure or whether it was deliberately diverted over the southern Indian Ocean, Reuters reported Saturday.

Debris has been collected from Indian Ocean islands and Africas east coast and at least three pieces have been confirmed as coming from the missing plane, according to the news agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.A North Korea official has threatened the U.S. yet again, promising its own mode of counteraction if the U.S. takes part in joint military exercises with South Korea in the coming months.

A spokesperson for North Koreas foreign ministry said Saturday that the drills between the U.S. and the South would harm reconciliation efforts on the peninsula, and that the North would be forced to counter the U.S., Reuters reported.

The U.S. is expected to take part in joint military exercises with the South starting in April.

If the U.S. finally holds joint military exercises while keeping sanctions on the DPRK, the DPRK will counter the U.S. by its own mode of counteraction and the U.S. will be made to own all responsibilities for the ensuing consequences, the spokesperson said.

Tensions have remained high since the latest sanctions were put into place.

President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 23 that the heaviest sanctions ever were being placed on North Korea, targeting its shipping and trading companies.

We imposed today the heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before," Trump said. "Hopefully, something positive can happen."

The sanctions look to cut off revenue and fuel that help to boost the Norths nuclear missile program.

The North Korean spokesperson also said that while North Korea was open to talking with the U.S., it would neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the U.S.

Trump has made it clear that the only resolution for the matter would be for North Korea, led by dictator Kim Jong Un, to completely end its nuclear missile program, but Pyongyang has said it will not negotiate by that standard.

In decadeslong history of the DPRK-U.S. talks, there had been no case at all where we sat with the U.S. on any precondition, and this will be the case in future, too," the spokesperson said.

The U.S. attitude shown after we clarified our intention for DPRK-U.S. dialogue compels us to only think that the U.S. is not interested in resuming the DPRK-U.S. dialogue.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.next Image 1 of 2

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Police in Slovakia have released seven Italians who were detained as suspects in the slayings of an investigative journalist and his girlfriend.

The seven men were taken into custody Thursday when police raided houses allegedly linked to members of an Italian crime syndicate.

Police confirmed their release Saturday but gave no details. The men range in age from 26 to 62. State prosecutors declined to comment.

Journalist Jan Kuciak and his partner, Martina Kusnirova, were found shot in their house Sunday. Kuciak was working on a story about the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Kuciak's funeral is scheduled for later Saturday.

The FBI, Britain's Scotland Yard and Europol are helping with Slovak police with the investigation.Cairo is preparing for the first official visit to Egypt by Saudi Arabias Mohammed bin Salman since he became Crown Prince last June.

Bin Salman is set to visit Egypt for three days, where he will meet with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday, according to a Friday statement by Presidency spokesman Bassam Rady.

Bin Salman will then head to the UK on 7 March and to the US on 19 March.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be an honoured guest in his second country, Egypt, Rady said in the statement, which did not provide details about the course of the visit or topic to be discussed.

Saudi media outlets have not mentioned specific issues to be discussed, mainly focusing instead on the impact of the overall foreign trip as a first time crown prince.

Egyptian state-owned news agency MENA described the visit as a natural extension of human, historical, and political relations, adding that the trip aims to boost bilateral ties between the two countries as well as "brotherly and friendly relations, as well as coordinate positions and stances on regional and international issues.

According to the agency, El-Sisi and Bin Salman will discuss the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as well as ways to prevent Iran from interfering with the security and domestic affairs of Arab states, the dispute with Qatar, and combating terrorism and unifying efforts to fully eliminate it.

Sundays visit comes as both countries seek enhanced political and economic ties, more than a year after a tug-of-war in 2016 over misunderstandings on positions on regional issues, UN Security Council resolutions on Syria, as well as a maritime border demarcation agreement that caused uproar within Egypts opposition.

The agreement, inked during a historic visit by Saudi Arabias King Salman in 2016, hands two Red Sea islands, Tiran and Sanafir, to Saudi Arabia.

It was ratified by El-Sisi 24 June 2017, following parliamentary approval in the same month.

The agreement has faced a number of legal challenges and has led to disputes over which courts have jurisdiction to hear such cases.

However, on Saturday, Egypts Supreme Constitutional Court issued a verdict that disregards all legal challenges that were outstanding and opposing the deal, one day before Bin Salman's visit.

In the last year, relations between Egypt and Saudi Arabia improved, with the latter reaffirming its pledge to be a key backer to Egypt, providing billions of dollars in aid, grants, oil products and cash deposits to help the Egyptian economy following the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

In March 2017, Saudi oil company Aramco resumed providing Egypt with oil products as per agreements after a halt in October 2016 that took place following conflict over UN Security Council resolution voting on Syria.

Egyptian officials affirmed at the time that the suspension was not of a political nature, despite the Saudi ambassador to Egypt leaving Cairo for a short time.

Gulf security indivisible to Egypt

Egypts El-Sisi has repeatedly said, during a number of visits to the Gulf region, as well as in press interviews, that Gulf security is indivisible from Egypts own national security.

Were always together. Its clear. Stability in the Kingdom means stability for Egypt, and vice versa. This also applies to the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, he told pan Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat in an exclusive interview in November 2017.

He said that he and his "brothers" in the Gulf and other Arab states can fight terrorism if they are united, adding that those "evil powers" who seek to target Egypt are the same powers that seek to target the whole region.

In June 2017, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and UAE severed diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Islamist militants and Iran, charges Qatar says are baseless.

The four Arab states affirmed "working together with partners" around the world towards finding solutions to countering terrorist organisations and extremist groups, expressing unity in their ongoing commitment to combat terrorism, drying up its funding, countering extremist ideology and the ways of its promotion, according to the statement.

Since then, the four countries have issued lists designating entities and individuals as involved in terrorist activities and linked to Qatar.

Egypt has also told Saudi Arabia it rejects attempts by Iran to shake the stability of Arab states. In November 2017, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry asserted to Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman, during a visit to Riyadh, Egypt's full rejection of foreign interference in the region, specifically from Iran.

Shoukry said that Egypt supports security and stability in the Gulf, as it is integral to Arab and Egyptian national security.

Both Shoukry and the Saudi prince affirmed that the stability of both Egypt and Saudi Arabia was a "valve of security" for the Arab region, adding that any damage to one of the two countries would damage the other.

Saudi Arabia has been also informed of updates regarding the controversial Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations, which reached deadlock in recent months, between involved countries Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Egypts has also strongly denounced a series of rocket attacks against Riyadh by the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, the latest in December 2017.

Economic ties remain firm

According to MENA, Saudi investments top those of Arab countries in Egypt, coming second in terms of volume of all foreign direct investment.

In statements last February during the Egyptian-Saudi Business Council held in Cairo, Egyptian Minister of Trade Tarek Kabil said Saudi investments in Egypt hit $6.1 billion, representing around 11 percent of the total foreign investment in Egypt, and around 27 percent of total Arab investment, which reached $20 billion.

The head of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Ahmed El-Wakil has said Saudi Arabia ranks first among the Arab investors in Egypt, with total investments worth $27 billion in 2,900 projects in a number of fields.

Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr has also been meeting a number of Saudi businessmen to present investment opportunties.

In August 2017, Egypts investment ministry said Saudi Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal is set to invest in a number of new touristic and construction projects in Egypt valued at $800 million, in an agreement reached with Talaat Mustafa Group (TMG) and Minister Nasr.

Its unclear if the Saudi Princes plans for investment are still in effect, after he was released from detention in January, more than two months after being taken into custody in a sweeping Saudi crackdown on corruption.

Nasr also presented investment opportunities in light of Egypts investment friendly law, ratified in June 2017, at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh in October 2017.

During the conference held in Riyadh, Crown Prince Bin Salman announced the listing of NEOM, a 26,500-square kilometre (10,230-square mile) zone that will extend into Jordan and Egypt, the latest and most extraordinary in a slate of privatisation programmes led by the floating of Aramco.

Adjacent to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba and near maritime trade routes that use the Suez Canal, the zone will serve as a gateway to the proposed King Salman Bridge, which will link Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

This month, both countries are set to issue tenders for a project to link the electricity grids of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, according to Saudi newspaper Al-Madina, which quoted Egyptian Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker.

The project, which would cost round $1.6 billion, and to which Egypt would contribute about $600 million. would have a capacity of 3 GWs with a completion date of 2020.

According to Saudi officials, the 1,300-kilometre, 500 kV DC transmission line will start at Badr in Egypt, and pass through the northwest Saudi town of Tabuk and end in Saudis Al-Madina.

Egypts El-Sisi has praised the steps of Bin Salman's anti-corruption campaign that saw toppled a number of businessmen and Saudi officials in November 2017.

I place on record my appreciation and respect for the kingdoms steps on various levels, which will have a positive impact, domestically and internationally, El-Sisi said during the Al-Sharq Al Aswat interview, describing the steps as "bold and well thought out".

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From Croatia and Poland to Malaysia and the UK, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are frequently used by various law enforcement groups around the world. The company is a top supplier of authorized and government vehicles for official applications.

During the 10th GPEC International Trade Fair & Conference for Internal Security in Frankfurt, Germany, the automaker (via Daimler  its parent company) provided a preview of its latest offerings for police groups.

Read on to learn about the next line of police vehicles from Daimler's Mercedes-Benz.

For High-speed Pursuits

All of the vehicles can be customized and equipped with police equipment, depending on the needs of the task force or project. For hauling and heavy-duty work, Daimler is offering a unit from the X-Class. The pickup truck is comparable to the Nissan Navara, in terms of size and off-roading capabilities. Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled a version for consumers, with a six-cylinder engine and permanent, all-wheel drive features.

"Daimler's portfolio includes vehicles such as the new X-Class. The pickup truck, based on the same platform as the Nissan Navara, features a wide track, spring/damper tuning, coil springs and ventilated disc brakes at both ends," said Cristian Gnaticov from Car Scoops.

The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter (more on this later) and the Vito Tourer were also featured during the police expo. For sustainable transportation solutions, the carmaker is offering the GLC 350e 4Matic  a plug-in hybrid unit. Designed for high-speed pursuits, the vehicle has been customized to go from zero to 60 mph in under 6.2 seconds.

Police EV Options?

Germany's transition in favoring electrified transportation options over gas-powered vehicles can be seen in Daimler's proposed police car line up. Under its Smart brand, the company revealed its 4th generation variants during the conference.

Interestingly, all of the vehicles are electrified, which are simply EVs versions of the ForTwo, ForTwo Cabrio and ForFour. All three units are capable of traveling roughly 99 miles per charge.

"We know that three out of four deaths on country roads happen in cars that are older than 10 years and that a new car will stay on our roads for about 20 years," explained Doug Fryer, Road Policing Command Assistant at Victoria Police.

To clarify, the compact EV fleet is mostly for European-based police groups. In the US, BMW was awarded a government contract for the LAPD's EV fleet. The auto company provided 100 i3 EVs to the task force.

On the other side of the country, the NYPD is fond of using Mercedes-Benz E-series vans in the field, which are slowly being replaced with Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter units. During the automotive event, Daimler confirmed that an electric version of the iconic Mercedes-Benz Sprinter will be available by 2019.

Ford is a top 3' supplier of law enforcement vehicles in the US. Like Mercedes-Benz, it too has been working around-the-clock on new designs for its fleets.

Currently, the Vito (Metris) is being offered with an alternative EV version. The car is designed for daily patrolling around cities, while the Sprinter van is for group projects or team excursions.REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP)  Some 600 computers used to "mine" bitcoin and other virtual currencies have been stolen from data centers in Iceland in what police say is the biggest series of thefts ever in the North Atlantic island nation.

Some 11 people were arrested, including a security guard, in what Icelandic media have dubbed the "Big Bitcoin Heist." A judge at the Reykjanes District Court on Friday ordered two people to remain in custody.

The powerful computers, which have not yet been found, are worth almost $2 million. But if the stolen equipment is used for its original purpose  to create new bitcoins  the thieves could turn a massive profit in an untraceable currency without ever selling the items.

"This is a grand theft on a scale unseen before," said Olafur Helgi Kjartansson, the police commissioner on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula, where two of the burglaries took place. "Everything points to this being a highly organized crime."

Three of four burglaries took place in December and a fourth took place in January, but authorities did not make the news public earlier in hopes of tracking down the thieves.

Bitcoin is a kind of digital money that isn't tied to a bank or a government. It has been hugely volatile, posting some dizzying intra-day rises and falls over the past year or so. The price of a single bitcoin rocketed to nearly $20,000 late last year and then plunged early this year. On Friday, it was trading just below the $11,000 mark.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies rely on the blockchain, the name given to the public, distributed ledgers which track the coins' ownership. The Bitcoin ledger is powered by "miners," so-called because they throw computational power into the system, occasionally receiving  or "mining"  new bitcoins in return. Drumming up that computational power usually means lots of computers  and thus lots of electricity.

That desire for energy has created a gold rush for bitcoin in Iceland. Traders searching for cheap, renewable energy have been flooding into the island in recent months to take advantage of its geothermal and hydroelectric power plants.

Police tracking the stolen computers are monitoring electric consumption across the country in hopes the thieves will show their hand, according to an industry source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media.

Unusually high energy usage might reveal the whereabouts of the illegal bitcoin mine.

Authorities this week called on local internet providers, electricians and storage space units to report any unusual requests for power.

In Edinburgh on Friday, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney launched a withering attack on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and urged regulators around the world to monitor them in the same way as other financial assets.

In a speech to the Scottish Economics conference, Carney said a "global speculative mania" has "encouraged a proliferation of new cryptocurrencies" and said they should be held to the "same standards" as the rest of the financial system.

"Being part of the financial system brings enormous privileges, but with them great responsibilities," Carney said.Kathleen explained how she urged council members to use this opportunity to educate parents to make a different choice. Maybe its not about asking parents to quit smoking, she suggested, but once they know that doing so in the car with children is really harmful, then they have the information to say, OK, maybe I wont quit, but I wont smoke in the car. Most of us, when we know better, we do better.

And its not just secondhand smoke that Kathleen is worried about. Thirdhand smoke is also dangerous, especially for babies and toddlers. What is thirdhand smoke? It originates from the particles of a burning cigarette that are left on surfaces, for example, the chemicals and nicotine that stay behind on doors, windows, and everywhere else in a vehicle when someone smokes inside it. This means that even when children arent in a car at the time someone is smoking, they can still ingest all those chemicals later on as they touch different parts of the vehicle.

Kathleen revealed that when children are chronically exposed to nicotine and smoke, their chances of becoming a smoker greatly increase. By passing the ordinance, the girls and city council members are helping prevent 2,200 kids in Colorado from becoming daily smokers, she further explained.

To every young girl who wants to make a change in the world but isnt sure shes capable of doing so, Kathleen says, There is power in numbers, and an organization like Girl Scouts can really boost [girls] confidence in their ability to make change, get things done, and stay motivated through the obstacles. I have a four-year-old daughter, and I cant wait for her to start as a Girl Scout Daisy. I was so proud to show her that I was working with Girl Scouts and what they were able to do.

There is power in numbers, and an organization like Girl Scouts can really boost [girls] confidence in their ability to make change, get things done, and stay motivated through the obstacles."

Even with all of the support the girls were able to garner, they also encountered some negativity and opposition. After their first meeting with the city council, a few not-so-nice comments cropped up on social media and in the form of other complaints. Because of this, Kristen and her co-leader, Michele Malchow, were concerned about having the girls attend the final council meeting in which a final vote for or against the ordinance would be made.

We had been trying to keep the experience positive for the girls, Kristen said. But when we talked to them about it, they said, This is part of life, and we have to deal with it. Kristen was impressed with the girls maturity and courage and decided to let them attend the meeting; they would leave only if things got too heated.

What I have learned throughout this process is that everyone has an opinion on everything and not everyone will agree with what youre trying to achieve, but thats OK, Makenna said.

I have seen [the girls] blossom so much throughout this entire process, Kristen praised. Here are these young women who are changing the world and doing big things for the community. Theyve asked such good and insightful questions. Theyve embraced the project wholeheartedly, remained focused, and theyve been willing to listen to feedback and be flexible. Theyve also just been so gracious and grateful with all of the adults and mentors who have helped them along the way. I am so proud of the young women they are becoming.

Through this process, both the girls and their troop leaders discovered just how much girls can accomplish when they put their minds to it. This is what Girl Scouts is all about, beamed Kristen. The idea of being girl-led, promoting the G.I.R.L. Agenda, and embodying all of the different facets of being a G.I.R.L. I dont think my girls had truly realized their power until they were able to get this ordinance passed and make history.

This is what Girl Scouts is all about. The idea of being girl-led, promoting the G.I.R.L. Agenda, and embodying all of the different facets of being a G.I.R.L."

Can you imagine what Troop 60789 will be able to accomplish in the years to come? Congratulations, girls, on a job extraordinarily done!

Are you a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader) who wants to change the world? Learn more about what Girl Scouts do every day.bohlah at 2-03-2018 08:35 PM (3 years ago) (m)

Attackers in Burkina Faso's capital killed seven people and wounded some fifty others in a coordinated assault on the army headquarters and French embassy that a French ambassador said was a terrorist attack.

Attackers in Burkina Faso's capital killed seven people and wounded some fifty others in a coordinated assault on the army headquarters and French embassy that a French ambassador said was a terrorist attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which is the third major assault on Ouagadougou in just over two years.



Previous attacks were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso's participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.





Speaking on state television, government spokesman Remi Dandjinou said the unidentified gunmen killed five Burkinabe soldiers and wounded around 50 others at the military headquarters. Two members of Burkina Faso's paramilitary gendarmes were killed defending the embassy, he said.



A government statement said four gunmen were "neutralised" at the French embassy, while the defence minister said three assailants were killed at the army headquarters. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which is the third major assault on Ouagadougou in just over two years.Previous attacks were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso's participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.Speaking on state television, government spokesman Remi Dandjinou said the unidentified gunmen killed five Burkinabe soldiers and wounded around 50 others at the military headquarters. Two members of Burkina Faso's paramilitary gendarmes were killed defending the embassy, he said.A government statement said four gunmen were "neutralised" at the French embassy, while the defence minister said three assailants were killed at the army headquarters.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 2-03-2018 08:35 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted Heroxspraise at 3-03-2018 09:26 AM (3 years ago) (m)

Officials of the Lagos State Government have raided a baby factory in Lekki area of the state run by a Togolese woman.

Officials of the Lagos State Government have raided a baby factory in Lekki area of the state run by a Togolese woman.

The officials rescued three children and arrested the Togolese woman along with a pregnant woman and seven others, who were brought to the Ministry of Youth and Social Development on Friday evening.



The raid at Baboon Village, Ajele area of Ajah, was conducted with the backing of 20 policemen from the Ajah Police Station and Area J Police Command.



Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Agboola Dabiri, said the ministry received a report of a woman who allegedly harboured pregnant ladies, kept them until they delivered and sold the babies under the guise of being a traditional birth attendant.





Surveillance was carried out on the location, a shanty area off Mobil Road, Ajah area of Lekki. The assistance of the Area J Police Command and the Ajah Police Station was sought and they deployed 20 police officers to assist with the mission.



Adults (including the suspected perpetrator) were apprehended along with three babies, two of whom were extremely sick, he said.



Dabiri said the government had recently issued two weeks ultimatum to people running illegal homes to close them or have them registered or face the wrath of the law, adding that the raid on the illegal home was after the expiration of the ultimatum.



The prime suspect, Mrs. Regina Bankole, who said she was from Togo but married to a Nigerian, denied that she ran a baby factory, but admitted that she was a traditional birth attendant, a job she had been doing for the about 30 years.



She said she did not sell babies and that she was well known in the area as a traditional birth attendant who handled delivery for pregnant women in the traditional way.



Bankole also said she registered with the Eti-Osa Local Government Area as a traditional birth attendant and that she was preparing to take a course in traditional birth process.



She said one of the three babies recovered from her place was her child and that the other two belonged to someone else kept in her custody.



The officials rescued three children and arrested the Togolese woman along with a pregnant woman and seven others, who were brought to the Ministry of Youth and Social Development on Friday evening.The raid at Baboon Village, Ajele area of Ajah, was conducted with the backing of 20 policemen from the Ajah Police Station and Area J Police Command.Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Agboola Dabiri, said the ministry received a report of a woman who allegedly harboured pregnant ladies, kept them until they delivered and sold the babies under the guise of being a traditional birth attendant.Surveillance was carried out on the location, a shanty area off Mobil Road, Ajah area of Lekki. The assistance of the Area J Police Command and the Ajah Police Station was sought and they deployed 20 police officers to assist with the mission.Adults (including the suspected perpetrator) were apprehended along with three babies, two of whom were extremely sick, he said.Dabiri said the government had recently issued two weeks ultimatum to people running illegal homes to close them or have them registered or face the wrath of the law, adding that the raid on the illegal home was after the expiration of the ultimatum.The prime suspect, Mrs. Regina Bankole, who said she was from Togo but married to a Nigerian, denied that she ran a baby factory, but admitted that she was a traditional birth attendant, a job she had been doing for the about 30 years.She said she did not sell babies and that she was well known in the area as a traditional birth attendant who handled delivery for pregnant women in the traditional way.Bankole also said she registered with the Eti-Osa Local Government Area as a traditional birth attendant and that she was preparing to take a course in traditional birth process.She said one of the three babies recovered from her place was her child and that the other two belonged to someone else kept in her custody.

Post Reply I am Victor, I write reportage on sport news and latest metro happenings in Nigeria. Posted: at 3-03-2018 09:26 AM (3 years ago) | Herobohlah at 3-03-2018 02:33 PM (3 years ago) (m)

A 16 year old girl has been reported dead, after she was allegedly raped and impregnated by her family doctor at the Federal Medical Center, Bida, Niger State.

A 16 year old girl has been reported dead, after she was allegedly raped and impregnated by her family doctor at the Federal Medical Center, Bida, Niger State.

The teenager identified as Fatima Yusuf was said to have lost her life after she gave birth to her baby.



Prior to her death, she was raped repeatedly and impregnated by the doctor, Dr. Seyi, who treated her mother ,while she was admitted at the hospital for diabetes .



A family source quoted Fatima as telling the family that it all began on a day the doctor invited her to his room while her mother was asleep disclosing that the appalling act continued until Fatimas mother was discharged from the hospital.



The case became very serious attracting the intervention of the Emir of Bida, Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya.





During the course of interrogation at the Emirs palace,the accused doctor was said to have admitted that he only hugged Fatima and rubbed his body against hers, but did not have any sexual intercourse with her.



Unfortunately, while awaiting the result of a paternity test, Fatima died on Monday, some time after she was delivered of a baby boy at the family house in Bida.



Due to the recent development, the Niger State Child Rights Agency was said to have taken over the case.



The DG of the agency, Barrister Mariam Kolo, said if Dr. Seyi is found guilty, he will not escape the wrath of the law.



Fatima, according to Kolo, died from intense depression because of the horrendous act the doctor committed against her.



When contacted, the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, confirmed that a case of alleged sexual harassment was filed against one of its doctors. The teenager identified as Fatima Yusuf was said to have lost her life after she gave birth to her baby.Prior to her death, she was raped repeatedly and impregnated by the doctor, Dr. Seyi, who treated her mother ,while she was admitted at the hospital for diabetes .A family source quoted Fatima as telling the family that it all began on a day the doctor invited her to his room while her mother was asleep disclosing that the appalling act continued until Fatimas mother was discharged from the hospital.The case became very serious attracting the intervention of the Emir of Bida, Alhaji Abubakar Yahaya.During the course of interrogation at the Emirs palace,the accused doctor was said to have admitted that he only hugged Fatima and rubbed his body against hers, but did not have any sexual intercourse with her.Unfortunately, while awaiting the result of a paternity test, Fatima died on Monday, some time after she was delivered of a baby boy at the family house in Bida.Due to the recent development, the Niger State Child Rights Agency was said to have taken over the case.The DG of the agency, Barrister Mariam Kolo, said if Dr. Seyi is found guilty, he will not escape the wrath of the law.Fatima, according to Kolo, died from intense depression because of the horrendous act the doctor committed against her.When contacted, the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Bida, confirmed that a case of alleged sexual harassment was filed against one of its doctors.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 3-03-2018 02:33 PM (3 years ago) | Addicted HeroThe marine environment is critical to Grenadas economy and closely linked to the islands income generating tourism sector. Grenadas tri-island ocean state is not just a hub of maritime activity, but also home to unique marine biodiversityCheyenne, Wyo.

Grand Rapids, Mich.

Philadelphia

Louisville, Ky.

In attempting to help the local homeless population, outreach workers in Austin, Texas, often struggle to catalogue, access and share information about individuals they interact with  something that is key to their efforts.Simply put, the 40-plus nonprofits and 20-some government agencies in Austin lack a central mechanism for accurate data sharing about the homeless individuals they serve, and, to complicate things further, it is often challenging  if not outright impossible  for homeless individuals to hold onto personal documentation such as medical records or even social security cards.This becomes a problem for medical personnel or caseworkers when they need to know individuals specific afflictions so as to avoid offering help and treatment that is redundant or unnecessary. Doing their own data integration from scratch, however, would be a massive feat, one that would take homelessness outreach workers years.This situation is a common one for cities throughout the country , ashas previously reported. Austin, however, is working on a pilot program that uses blockchain to make it easier for homeless individuals to provide information about themselves. City officials say this is likely a first-of-its-kind use case for blockchain, one with the potential to be scaled to other cities throughout the nation.As a direct result, Austin was one of the 35 cities named as a champion in the Bloomberg Mayors Challenge 2018, which had an initial pool of 320 applicant jurisdictions. Austin, and the other 34 cities, will now start a six-month testing phase for their idea.In Texas capital, this will mean testing the viability of using blockchain to empower the homeless with the ability to give outreach workers access to the populations personal info, said Kerry OConnor, the citys CIO. Just like the other champion cities, Austin will have up to $100,000 of support from Bloomberg to help make it a reality.The money granted by Bloomberg Philanthropies is to test, learn and prototype exactly what will happen, OConnor said. Our assumption is that well be able to use some type of biometrics to help [homeless individuals] give permission to another service provider to use their data. What we want to do is use this testing period to test that assumption.This article is the first in a series that will look at the innovative ideas of 35 cities that, like Austin, are preparing to test with support from Bloomberg that could potentially be scaled to other cities. Ultimately, these pilots have the potential to change wide swaths of the gov tech market. In October, four of these cities will receive an additional $1 million in support, while one grand prize winner will receive $5 million in support of its idea.In Cheyenne, Wyo., as well as many other cities throughout the U.S., recent economic decline has resulted in an increase in blighted buildings . The program that Cheyenne will soon pilot with support from Bloomberg seeks to speed up revitalization of these empty properties by matching their owners with local entrepreneurs in need of work space.City officials in Cheyenne have so far identified 17 vacant commercial buildings and 10 partially full buildings as candidates for the work, which involves creating a new website that would connect the owners and entrepreneurs and also potentially facilitate crowdfunding for their projects. The goal for Cheyenne is to have a pilot version of the site up by July, with a full-version to follow by early 2019.In addition, the citys Bloomberg proposal calls for an entrepreneurial challenge in September to pit business ideas against one another with redeveloped space and seed funding as prizes.The winning pilot program in Grand Rapids, Mich. , calls for looking at existing city data to identify gaps in equality in the community, with an ultimate goal of working to facilitate change, said Becky Jo Glover, Grand Rapids 311 customer service center manager, who is currently leading projects aimed at overhauling the citys Web presence.Their project is, in part, a citywide census of community data that has an ultimate goal of creating a mechanism for stakeholders in the city to apply for more grant moneys.Ours is so much larger than just getting all the consolidation of data, she said. Its to really work with the different segments of our community that are affected by poverty. We believe that out of this will come some great applications for our businesses to fill out one type of application for all of the funds that are available from nonprofits.In Philadelphia , the winning pilot program seeks to find child-centered solutions for youth offenders that focus more on service-oriented solutions than on sending them to regular police precincts for booking.To do this, Philadelphia wants to create a Hub for Juvenile Justice Services , one that would serve as a national model for how children are treated within the criminal justice system. This hub would be a 24/7 integrated service center that is trauma-informed and technology driven, officials said in a press release Staff at the hub would be trained in how to respond to youth and families, as well as on how to make referrals to prevention or other social service programs when appropriate. It would be a preventative, non-police facility to provide juveniles with both immediate and long-term access to social services and diversion programs. Louisville, Ky. , has a pilot program that would build on a recently installed gunshot detection system to quickly dispatch aerial drones to potential shootings.This program, which has already made headlines , would likely be the first of its kind in the country, and it was developed as a collaboration between the citys Office for Civic Innovation, its police department, and several community partners.In a press release, city officials said that through this program aerial drones could help officers investigate incidents by capturing critical evidence at crime scenes before investigators arrive. The mobile nature of the drones would also allay privacy concerns that arise from static cameras.(TNS)  Everyone knows about child rearing, but the big career of the future may be computer rearing.Machines with artificial intelligence cannot teach themselves, even with the advent of neural networks and machine learning. They will still need tutors to steer them to accomplish a given task efficiently.The growing human-machine symbiosis  think smartphones  will change every aspect of our lives and how our children make their living. The time to prepare is now.Two-thirds of business and information technology executives plan to invest in artificial intelligence, or AI, this year, according to a global survey of 6,300 senior managers by consulting firm Accenture. About 75 percent of Houston executives said they would invest in AI next year, and they expect machines to operate alongside humans at their organization as a co-worker, collaborator or trusted adviser.We want to augment folks so that they are focusing on the highest-value task, that they are taking the optimum route, and they have the most information and insight that is possible, Brian Richards, head of Accentures Innovation Hub in Houston, told me.As a business, your ability to consume AI, and train your workforce to consume it and deploy it and use it to improve your competitive position isnt something thats going to last only the next few years. Its going to go on for decades.Every day a new machine hits the market that can replace a human employee, spreading anxiety across the workforce. And those concerns are valid. The McKinsey Global Institute, the consulting firm's think tank, found that up to 800 million people, including a third of Americans, could lose their jobs to machines by 2030.While many of those jobs are blue-collar, such as truck driver, white-collar professionals such as lawyers and bankers will see the rote aspects of their jobs performed by machines that can better analyze data and generate recommendations.Artificial intelligence is already in our lives. Machines decide the best way to navigate a city during rush hour using the latest traffic data. Digital assistants on kitchen countertops allow consumers to order exotic items from every corner of the world with a voice command.In the workplace, AI is intended to augment human employees. It will allow a company to sell more products and services, employ fewer workers or do both.AI, though, will need to be trained and managed, like any other employee, creating new jobs and new opportunities, said Mike Redding, managing director of Accenture Ventures, the consulting firms investing arm.We have to make sure it is making good decisions, appropriate decisions. Were suggesting that you should think of it as a child, and to have it play an appropriate role, the organization has to be the parent, Redding said.There is good parenting and bad parenting. You really need to think about the concept of raising it to know between right and wrong, what to do when it encounters structured situations, and what to do the first time it encounters something its never seen before.Computers can teach themselves to identify patterns, such as learning to read traffic signs, and then act accordingly. But context is important. Redding described an AI that analyzed millions of photos and ultimately concluded that every person who stands next to a stove is a woman because thats the pattern it discovered.Companies need to teach and test their machines to make sure they dont draw the wrong conclusions.Now you have to have a learning division for your bots. Its a new job: bot trainer, Redding said.AI could also help displaced workers transition to new careers. A worker wearing a headset with an earphone and an augmented reality display will be able to access expert knowledge instantly.The net result is that we can take someone who has done one thing their whole life, and we can pivot it and take those core capabilities and reapply them, Redding said. Through augmentation, we can make people more adaptable.Companies will also need more cybersecurity personnel because hackers will not only steal data but replace it with harmful data. More than 80 percent of Houston executives agree that business organizations are not prepared for AI using bad data and behaving badly.The real question is whether our schools and culture will produce a workforce prepared to leverage AI and capture the potential boost in productivity and economic activity. The key to a bright future is to learn how to work with machines, not against them.The tests have officially concluded and the countdown to race one begins, set to take place in two weeks' time at the Losail test, the scene of these latest winter tests. A final day that was all about Yamaha, with Zarco dominating and Rossi and Vinales making a surprise appearance in the final hours. The three M1s are all in the top five.

Johann was the quickest throughout the day, the only man on track to duck under 155 on 7 occasions and also for 3 consecutive laps. The French Tech3 rider set a best of 154029, which means he lapped around a tenth from the best lap set by Lorenzo at Losail in 2008, when riders still used qualifying tyres (1'53"927).

While Zarco created sparks, the two factory riders were running mid-pack, even placing behind rookie Syharin at one stage. Towards the end of the session, Valentino (who had crashed earlier in the day) seemed to get to the heart of the matter. First with a convincing long run (9 laps, all in the low 155s) and then with a time of 154276 that placed him second. The fact that it is a satellite M1 up ahead of him is not a great sign, but the situation has at least stabilised.

Vinales also slowly climbed the timesheets, as far as 5th place in the final stages, 0442 behind the Frenchman. Ahead of the Spaniard are Dovizioso (0302 from Zarco) and Crutchlow (a 0428), while he is followed by Marquez, Rins, Petrucci, Lorenzo and Miller, who rounds out the top ten.

So far we've only talked about the flying lap (Iannone closes 6th thanks to yesterday's time, having not ridden today due a stomach problem). As for pace, things look very different and Ducati, with Dovizioso and Petrucci, sees its stock rise.

Let's start with Danilo, who carried out the longest run of all with 21 laps completed. The Pramac rider was in the 1'55"s for 18 of these, showing real consistency. Andrea limited his long run to 9 laps, 7 of which in 155. The impression is that Dovi has it all under control and was waiting for race conditions before revealing some of his cards, but not all.

In this sense, Zarco was not at the level of the two Italians, Johann completed a 17-lap simulation in the final stages but never got below 156. The opposite of Crutchlow, the best of the Honda bunch with a 12-lap run, one of which in 154 and 10 in 155. Marquez wasn't able to do any better than the Brit, with 10 laps of which 7 in 155.

Looking at the long runs of Lorenzo and Vinales, there is not the same consistency as their rivals are demonstrating. Rins on the other hand looks solid with the Suzuki, completing a 14-lap run, 12 of which in 155.

Back to the standings and Pedrosa closes outside the top ten while Franco Morbidelli is growing in 11th place. Behind Franco is Smith who places 13th with the KTM ahead of Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia. A surprising 15th for Syaharin (who also crashed), 1244 from his team-mate and ahead of more experienced riders such as Abraham, Bautista, Rabat and Pol Espargaro, back on the bike after sitting out yesterday's session.

A disappointing 20th place for Redding ahead of Nakagami, Simeon and Luthi.

THE TIMESHIV/AIDs And Hepatitis B Leading Causes Of Death in Yei River State

Health officials in Yei River State are concerned about the increasing death rates associated to HIV/AIDs and Hepatitis B in South Sudans Yei River State over the last two months.

By Daniel Friday Martin



YEI, 02 March 2018 [Gurtong] - Doctor John Wani, Medical Director for Yei State Hospital said according to its monthly data record, HIV/AIDs, Hepatitis B and tuberculosis were discovered as the major cause of deaths among the local population in the area.



 What I want to say here is that the major causes of deaths recorded in the hospital are HIV, Hepatitis B, and TB this is so because many people report to the health facility for treatment at late stages where prescribed drugs could no longer withstand treatment he added.



The health official is calling on the masses in the State to pay a visit to the hospital for voluntary blood examinations to know their health status and live a healthier life.



Our health messages to the public are that come for free health counseling and testing so that you know your status. Once you have been tested positive with Hepatitis B or HIV/AIDs, you can be enrolled for treatment. The services we provide at the hospital are free of charge Mr. Wani said.



The health official attributed the cause of the diseases to lack of awareness, inaccessibility to deliver or access health services due to the insecurity in major towns of the State and above all lack of funding for HIV/AIDs and Hepatitis programs in the State.



On his part, Yei River State minister of Health, Kogo Manase Levi is calling on the health partners operating in the State to offer support to the vulnerable population.



Much as partners scale up efforts on Polio and Malaria prevention, HIV/AIDs and Hepatitis B are now a major life threat to the local population here. My appeal is that lets all join hands to help in curbing down the rate of these worst killer diseases affecting the poor people within the State.



Mary Tabita a local resident in Yei town accesses both the government and the health partners for not sensitizing the population on these killer diseases.



You can imagine, I have two of my family members infected with Hepatitis B and we dont know the signs and preventive measures on this disease. We want the government and the health NGOs to begin informing the people in the churches, schools, markets, funeral places and the radio stations about the causes, dangers and prevention of these diseases because what we only heard was that Hepatitis can kill very fast unlike HIV/AIDs said Tabitha.









The Kiirs Biography, Which Perished At Concept

"The whole idea perished with the outbreak of the conflict in 2013 and the subsequent vicious war, which has not yet ended."

By Jacob J Akol*

I once seriously considered coming up with a proposal to write a biography titled: Salvatore Kiir Mayar: The Joshua of South Sudan. It would include a visit to his village where he was born, photograph of the house or ground where he was born. I would interview available close relatives, siblings, childhood friends who lived and played with him in the village.

Then on to his schools and college days: I would seek out any living school friends from elementary to intermediate school and military college he attended. Find out if any of his former teachers and lecturers were still alive and interviewed them. Also any available school and college mates who remembered and wanted to talk about him. I would search for documents referring to him.

Then of course to his days in the Anya-nya and SPLA/SPLM liberation movements, interviewing his former colleagues-in-arms, his superior officers still alive and those he led as their commanding officer. Battles he led, won or lost. Looked for available documents.

His role in the negotiations that led to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. His positive and or negative roles in the near-disaster attempt to oust John Garang at the very moment he was about to deliver the CPA.

The death of John Garang (the Moses) and his stepping into his big shoes to lead the nation through hurdles erected in his way by Khartoum all the way to Referendum and then to Independence and his then expected retirement from politics by 2015 at the latest. End of the story.

I shared these thoughts with a number of ministers who encouraged me to come up with a proposal.

I was, however, hesitant to share the idea with Kiir himself, as we approached independence day; and particularly when he did not mention stepping down by 2015; for fear of being committed prematurely.

The whole idea perished with the outbreak of the conflict in 2013 and the subsequent vicious war, which has not yet ended.

In my last interview with Dr. Marial Bejamin, just before he was dismissed from his long-held ministerial position of foreign affairs, he reminded me of the idea I shared with him many years back. My answer was clear:

It will not work. We are now too divided to come up with an honest and useful biography of Salva Kiir. Can you imagine, at this period in time, an honest biography title: Salvatore Kiir Mayar, The Joshua of South Sudan? I cant recall exactly what he said but I believe he agreed with me.

End of story.

*Jacob J Akol is Director/Editor of Gurtong Trust Media.Public Schools Warned Against Charging Students School Fees

The Minister of General Education and Instruction on Wednesday issued a warning to heads of schools charging students school fees despite the government policy of free primary and secondary education to all public schools.

By Charles Kay



JUBA, 03 March 2018 [Gurtong]-Deng Deng Hoc Yai said that schools that are still demanding for school fees are violating the law and will be charged accordingly.



This school fee or registration fee collected by a public school is illegal, it is a violation of the law and any head teacher or any teacher collecting these fees will have to refrain immediately, if not we will take administrative measures, said the Education Minister.



Minister Deng warned that failure to comply with the order will lead to lose of jobs.

Any individuals making it impossible for the citizens to exercise their right to education will have to be penalized and those head teachers that are found to be guilty will lose their jobs.



George Moga, Chair of the Technical Committee for the Capitation Grants, which is one of the strategies through which government supports the public schools to implement the free education policy, said there are two forms of grants given to public schools in order to run the schools activities.



If you have Primary or secondary public school, it is given twenty thousand as base payment, the rest is considered as capitation grant, he said.



According to Moga, the capitation grant is the calculation of each students enrolled in school times 120 SSP which he said is given in two phases, in the beginning of the academic year and the other at the end of the academic year.



Meanwhile, the Education minister noted various challenges facing the ministry in attempt to put in place measures and implement government policies.



Deng Hoc mentioned that the country has more than 1.8 million children out of school, which he believes is a crucial issue that needs to be addressed immediately.



He mentioned lack of quality education as one of the challenges facing the country. We have quality education but it is not good enough. The minister stressed.



Honorable Deng Deng Hoc Yai also appreciated the UK government for bridging the gender gap in the country by promoting girls enrollment and, retention in school through the Girls Education South Sudan, GESS program.

HTDC AWARDS MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN GRANTS TO LOCAL COMPANIES

News Release from Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, March 1, 2018

(Comments added in parenthesis to enhance accuracy.)

HONOLULUThe Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) awarded 15 Hawaii-based companies $1,417,050 from its Hawaii SBIR grant programs. The companies will use the funding to (pretend to) further the development of new products to meet a range of needs in the state, from healthcare solutions to agriculture.

Hawaiis Small Business Innovation Research (HSBIR) grant programs provide matching grants, up to 50 percent, to help companies advance their technology products from research into the market. Hawaiis grant winners are creating some of the best technology solutions in the nation.

Hawaiis SBIR program (likes to claim it) brings in about 20 federal dollars for every $1 invested by the state, helping to create high-paying jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields and establishes a profitable, self-sustaining technology industry in Hawaii.

The (illusory) projects receiving funding include: an underwater robot to install cables autonomously; commercialized supercooling technology for subzero nonfreezing preservation of fresh foods; a therapy management system for model-based behavioral interventions; aircraft structural analysis and anomaly detection, among others.

These projects are (purportedly) designed to help organizations like the U.S. Navy, USDA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and more.

The following companies received awards:

HSBIR Phase I Matching Grant Awardees:

Premier Solutions

Navatek

Math Nimbus/Algorithm Hub

Nalu Scientific

Forever Oceans

Hawaii Fish

Oceanit Laboratories

HNU Photonics

Tridentis AMV

HSBIR Phase II & III Matching Grant Awardees:

Referentia Systems

Kampachi Farms

Jun Innovations

Experiad

Makai Ocean Engineering

In 1988, HTDC began providing matching grant funds to Hawaii companies who received Federal Small Business Innovation Research Grants. These companies are recognized for advancing technology to solve critical challenges for the nation. The Hawaii SBIR matching grant program is the longest state funded SBIR matching program in the United States.

# # #

About HTDC (Hawaii Technology Development Corporation)

HTDC is a state agency, attached to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT). HTDCs mission is to facilitate the development and growth of Hawaiis high technology industry. HTDC is providing capital, building infrastructure and developing talent to foster innovation and diversify Hawaiis economy. HTDCs 80/80 Initiative is to create 80,000 new tech and innovation jobs that will provide high paying jobs for Hawaii residents.Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.The board of the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum made a sizable donation to the suffrage centennial committee recently. The group is trying to raise $300,000 for a statue and celebratory events. Anthony's annual birthday cake in suffrage colors of yellow, purple and white. Her bicentennial is in two years. Mossa Dance of Rochester, N.Y., performs Memorial Hall at the Adams Free Library on Feb. 18. 'Anthony,' in white, dances for the vote. PreviousNext

Adams Suffrage Centennial Committee Drumming Up Donations

ADAMS, Mass.  A group hoping to mark the 200th birthday of Susan B. Anthony and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment needs to raise money -- a lot of it.

The Adams Suffrage Centennial Celebration Committee, also known as the ASCCC, has been planning for over a year for the townwide celebration in 2020 to commemorate the contributions of suffrage activist Anthony, who was born on East Road in 1820.

"Susan B. Anthony is not only the most famous daughter of Adams, but is also considered by many to be the most influential female figure in American history," Chairwoman Pam St. John said at last week's meeting. "2020 is Adams' opportunity to celebrate this legacy by showcasing her impact and accomplishments."

But the group has some lofty goals, with plans to hire an artist to design and install a statue of a younger and older Anthony on the town common. The unveiling of this statue will coincide with a large parade, fireworks, a women's conference, and educational and entertaining events.

In order to accomplish all of this, the committee has set a $300,000 funding goal.

"Our fundraising goals are ambitious," acknowledged St. John at the annual Anthony birthday party hosted by the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum on Feb. 18. "We estimate we will need $300,000 to meet our goals including 150k for the stature. We have written letters to our state legislators and to the top 100 women-owned businesses in the commonwealth."

To date, the committee has raised nearly $23,000 with significant donations made by the Town of Adams and the Susan B. Anthony Birthplace Museum, which presented the group with a $10,000 check at the annual Anthony birthday celebration to great applause.

Anthony's 198th birthday celebration also included a performance by Mossa Dance of Rochester, N.Y. The ballet, "Diamonds," vignettes of courageous women, in this case Mother Teresa, Malala Yousafzai, Anne Frank, Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller, and, of course, Anthony.

Adams Community Bank has also pledged to match $25,000 and when the ASCCC hits $100,000, the bank will donate another $25,000.

"Adams Community Bank is a pillar of the local community and we are very grateful for their generous offer to match local contributions," Treasurer Erin Mucci said last week.

The town of Adams has been providing support funding and staff assistance and will be asked to provide future financial help. The commission was created and appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

The committee also recently sent out a mailer to all residents and businesses to solicit donations.

"If every family in Adams pledged $10 a year, we would have a minimum of $120,000 toward our goals, which would almost pay for the statue," St. John explained at the Anthony event.

Mucci added that "this is a great way for residents and businesses from around the region to really leverage their local giving towards something will have an everlasting impact on both Adams and the Berkshires."

About a dozen sculpture proposals have already been put before the commission and it hopes to announce a chosen sculptor soon after the proposal review.Imperial Valley News Center

FTC recaps consumer complaint data for 2017: Whos on the list?

Washington, DC - Once bitten, twice shy. That fundamental principle of human behavior is why reputable businesses that work hard to earn consumers confidence should support the FTCs ongoing efforts to fight fraud. According to the FTCs 2017 Consumer Sentinel Data Book, consumers reported losing a total of $905 million to fraud last year. Thats close to a billion bucks people wont be able to spend on legitimate products and services from credible companies.

That figure is up $63 million from last year, although the total number of reports received from consumers is down from 2.98 million in 2016 to 2.68 million in 2017.

Topping the list that no industry wants to be on is debt collection, making up 23% of the total number of complaints. But there are two caveats: 1) that number is down from 2016; and 2) the high number of debt collection reports was due in part to reports submitted by a data contributor who collects complaints via a mobile app.

Second on the list is identity theft at 14%. The injury to consumers came in two equally unpalatable flavors. Credit card fraud was the most common manifestation. Tax fraud was next, but the glimmer of hope there is that the total number of tax-related identity theft complaints fell by 46%.

Winners of the dubious bronze medal were imposter scams, with consumers reporting financial losses of a whopping $328 million. Imposters wear many masks: Im with [big-name tech company] and your computer is riddled with viruses, Help, Grampa! Ive been arrested and need bail money, and Were from [government agency] and well arrest you if you dont pay us today. Nearly one in five consumers who reported an imposter scam said they lost money to the fraud.

For the first time, the Consumer Sentinel Data Book breaks out fraud losses by reported age groups and heres a result that may surprise you: Consumers in their 20s reported losing money to fraud more often than those over 70. Among 20-somethings who reported fraud, 40% said they lost money. Compare that with the over-70 crowd, only 18% of whom reported a financial loss. But theres a troubling aspect to that surprising factoid. When older adults did report losing money to a scammer, the loss was much greater. For example, people 80 and older reported median losses of $1,092 compared to $400 for those in their 20s.

Wire transfers continue to be scammers preferred payment method and in 70% of the complaints we received, the fraudster contacted the consumer by phone.

The top states for reporting fraud were Florida, Georgia and Nevada, while Michigan, Florida and California had the most reports about identity theft, per capita. Stats cats tell us that they find our state-by-state data dive helpful, so weve created a new webpage to make it easier to evaluate the information.

The bottom line for business people:

Educate. Use your status in the community to spread the word to employees, industry colleagues, and friends about the latest forms of fraud. One way to stay in the know: Sign up for scam alerts from the FTC.

Cooperate. If people you know suspect that their identity has been compromised, send them to identitytheft.gov to create a personal recovery plan. (And remember that your company may have a legal obligation to provide identity theft victims and law enforcers with transaction records related to ID theft.)

Report. When you spot a scam, report it to the FTC. Were talking about fraud directed to consumers and questionable promotions targeting small businesses. Your reports have helped the FTC and other law enforcement agencies put together cases against the con artists behind bogus business directories, office supply flimflams, and other forms of B2B fraud.

Consumer Sentinel is an online database available to civil and criminal law enforcement agencies across the country and around the world. Although non-government groups may contribute data, only law enforcement agencies can access the information.Imperial Valley News Center

Former Captain Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Assault on a Detainee

New Orleans, Louisiana - The Justice Department yesterday announced that Mark Frederick, a former Captain of the Iberia Parish Sheriffs Office (IPSO), pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an assault on a pre-trial detainee at the Iberia Parish Jail.

According to the charges and other information presented in Court, Mark Frederick was a Captain at IPSO and served as the Assistant Warden at the IPJ. On September 27, 2011, E.M., a pre-trial detainee, resisted deputies at the IPJ. E.M. was restrained and removed from the scene. Frederick and other senior IPSO staff agreed to retaliate against E.M. by taking him to the chapel, a place that was not covered by the jails video surveillance system, and assaulting him.

Frederick, along with the other senior IPSO staff, went to the chapel with the unlawful intent to beat E.M. in retaliation for E.M.s previous altercation with jail deputies. Inside the chapel, officers assaulted E.M. while he was handcuffed, compliant, and not posing a threat to anyone. One officer took a baton, placed it between E.M.s legs and in a sharp motion, raised the baton into E.M.s testicles hard enough to knock E.M. off of his feet and to inflict pain. Frederick recognized that he had a duty to intervene and stop the unjustified use of force on inmate E.M. Nevertheless, Frederick willfully chose not to intervene to stop the beating, despite having the opportunity to do so.

"Individuals incarcerated in jails have the right to be free from unjustified assaults by corrections officers," said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. We will continue to vigorously prosecute officers who abuse their authority and violate their oath of office and federal law by assaulting inmates in their custody.

Mark Frederick, 47, of St. Martinville, Louisiana, will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Donald Walter at a later date.

This case was investigated by the Lafayette Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Tona Boyd of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant United States Attorney Mary Mudrick of the Western District of Louisiana.End of Ordered Departure at U.S. Embassy Havana

Washington, DC - The U.S. Embassy in Havana has operated under ordered departure status since September 29, 2017, due to health attacks affecting U.S. Embassy Havana employees. It will reach the maximum allowable days in departure status on March 4.

On Monday, March 5, a new permanent staffing plan will take effect. The embassy will continue to operate with the minimum personnel necessary to perform core diplomatic and consular functions, similar to the level of emergency staffing maintained during ordered departure. The embassy will operate as an unaccompanied post, defined as a post at which no family members are permitted to reside.

We still do not have definitive answers on the source or cause of the attacks, and an investigation into the attacks is ongoing. The health, safety, and well-being of U.S. government personnel and family members are of the greatest concern for Secretary Tillerson and were a key factor in the decision to reduce the number of personnel assigned to Havana.President Donald J. Trump Announces Bipartisan Group of Nominees to the United States Sentencing Commission

Washington, DC - Thursday, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to the United States Sentencing Commission:

If confirmed, Judge William H. Pryor Jr. of Alabama will serve as the Chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission. Judge Bill Pryor serves as a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and as Acting Chairman of the United States Sentencing Commission. Judge Pryor was appointed to the Eleventh Circuit in 2004 by President George W. Bush, and was later appointed as a Commissioner of the Sentencing Commission in 2013 by President Barack Obama. Prior to his appointment to the Eleventh Circuit, Judge Pryor served for seven years as the Attorney General of Alabama, where he successfully led a bipartisan effort to create the Alabama Sentencing Commission.

If confirmed, Judge Luis Felipe Restrepo of Pennsylvania will serve as a Commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission. Judge Phil Restrepo serves as a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Restrepo was appointed to the Third Circuit in 2016 by President Barack Obama. Prior to his elevation to the Third Circuit, Judge Restrepo served for two and a half years as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, a post to which he was also nominated by President Obama. Prior to his service on the United States District Court, Judge Restrepo served for seven years as a United States Magistrate Judge, practiced privately, and served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

If confirmed, Judge Henry E. Hudson of Virginia will serve as a Commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission. Judge Henry Hudson serves as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. Judge Hudson was appointed to the United States District Court bench in 2002 by President George W. Bush. Before his appointment to the Federal bench, Judge Hudson served as a Virginia circuit judge for Fairfax County, Director of the United States Marshals Service, as the Senate-confirmed United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and as the elected Commonwealths Attorney for Arlington County, Virginia.

If confirmed, William Graham Otis of Virginia will serve as a Commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission. Bill Otis serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Before joining the faculty at Georgetown, Mr. Otis served in the Federal Government for 29 years. Over this period, Mr. Otis served as Counselor to the Administrator of Drug Enforcement Administration during the George W. Bush presidency, as an Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Appellate Division of the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (under both Democrat and Republican Administrations), and as Special Counsel to President George H.W. Bush.Notice of the Presidents Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe

Washington, DC - On March 6, 2003, by Executive Order 13288, the President declared a national emergency and blocked the property of certain persons, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706), to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwes democratic processes or institutions. These actions and policies had contributed to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and intimidation in that country, and to political and economic instability in the southern African region.

On November 22, 2005, the President issued Executive Order 13391 to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 by ordering the blocking of the property of additional persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe.

On July 25, 2008, the President issued Executive Order 13469, which expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 and authorized the blocking of the property of additional persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe.

The actions and policies of these persons continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2003, and the measures adopted on that date, on November 22, 2005, and on July 25, 2008, to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2018. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

DONALD J. TRUMPCape Town is in the grip of a drought widely regarded as the worst in recorded history  one that could see it become the first city in the world to run out of water.

The city is edging closer to a day  known locally as Day Zero  when supplies are so low authorities will have to cut off water to three quarters of the population.

Far from being a hypothetical scenario, Day Zero has a set date. It is currently expected on 9 July.

The perfect storm of conditions that led to this drought, specifically three consecutive years of extremely low rainfall, would generally be expected no more than once in a millennium.

Predicting such freak events is tricky for scientists, but one thing is clear: climate change appears to have played a significant role in the Capes current misfortune, and it is set to make such events far more likely in the years to come.

People are queueing to collect water from a natural spring outlet in the South African Breweries in Cape Town, while tourists are being asked to flush the toilet as little as possible (AP)

Scientists have long suspected climate change has a hand in natural disasters such as droughts, flooding and hurricanes.

However, until relatively recently they have lacked sufficient data to support these suspicions.

While the link between a warming world and increased incidence of droughts may seem obvious, even here the complexity of the natural systems involved mean it can be difficult to draw direct links.

But in the Cape, where a cycle of wet and dry years is the natural course of things, there is evidence that global warming has caused the usual dry spell to intensify significantly.

Recommended Natural disasters increasingly linked to climate change

The effects of global warming are now interwoven with this natural variability, says Professor Mark New, a climate researcher at the University of Cape Town.

Climate change contributes to drought both by changing rain levels and temperature.

Droughts are a natural phenomenon in the Western Cape and the effect of climate changes is that it magnifies all weather events  both drought and flooding  and makes them less easy to predict, says Dr Piotr Wolski, a hydrologist in the climate system analysis group at the University of Cape Town.

While it is difficult to draw firm conclusions while the disaster is still ongoing, tentative preliminary analysis by Professor New suggests that the once-in-a-millennium dry spell Cape Town is currently experiencing was made five times more likely by global warming.

What this means is that the 1C rise in average temperature over the past century in the region has increased the likelihood of such an event fivefold, compared to a scenario in which this warming had not taken place.

The Theewaterskloof dam is currently so low that it could force Cape Town to turn off most of its taps (AP)

Across southern Africa more broadly, a 2016 analysis found that a slight shift towards lower rainfall in the region resulting from climate change is likely.

And while Cape Town may be the first city to run out of water due to climate change, experts predict it will not be the last.

Major hubs, including Mexico City, Sao Paulo and even London, could all be at risk of running out of water if rainfall is too low and sufficient preparatory measures are not taken.

According to the UN, climate change, population growth and consumption will likely result in two-thirds of the entire global population facing a lack of sufficient water resources by 2025.

As the Western Cape is expected to warm by around 0.25C over the next decade, the likelihood of drought there is expected to increase sevenfold.

Global warming will inevitably lead to extreme conditions becoming the new normal, and the scientists stress the importance of adaptation to this new reality.

One positive outcome of the drought is that the general population has a better understanding of the linkages between climate and day-to-day life as well as an improved saving mentality and awareness of the value of water, says Dr Wolski.

As the water crisis has increased in severity over the past two years, Cape Town has introduced ever more restrictive measures to bring down water use. Demand has been reduced from 1,200 million litres a day in 2015 to less than 600 million litres today.

Current restrictions in Cape Town require residents to use less than 50 litres of water each per day  compared to more than 300 litres used every day by the average American.

The Cape Town drought is affecting South Africas biggest city for tourism (AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, work now must begin on long-term measures such as desalination plants that can keep the city adequately supplied with water during future droughts.

On the supply side, the drought has accelerated research and investment into alternative water sources that will assist in making the system more resilient in the medium to long term, says Dr Wolski.

Though the predictions made by climate change attribution scientists seem bleak, they do serve to transform the conversation about natural disasters.

Soenke Kreft, leader of Munich Climate Insurance Initiative at the United Nations University, has described attribution science as an important area of research with potential to transform public narratives into more specific prevention measures of risks.

While mitigation strategies can work as a sticking plaster for problems like droughts, they do not address the root of the problem  namely greenhouse gas emissions.

The worst predictions made about future droughts, in which the Mediterranean, south-west US and southern Africa begin to dry up by the end of the century, are all based on scenarios where carbon dioxide emissions do not fall.

By making the mental link between emissions and real-world outcomes such as droughts, scientists hope that both the public and policymakers can be convinced to take action.With its history rooted in ancient Greece, the humble pie has come a long way since the fifth century BC... With varieties ranging from ice cream to seitan, and one of the best smoked-sausage pies in the business, we round up the pastry prowess ahead of British Pie Week, which begins today.

Old Bank of England, London

Likely one of the most authentic names on this list, the Old Bank of England dont just boast interiors that hark back to the golden age of pubs  its award-winning chefs have a London pie menu to die for. With tempting offers like Hampshire game pie with Mrs Owtons smoked bacon and juniper gravy and chicken madras pie with sultanas, it keeps the spirit of British pies alive while still retaining a unique edge.

The Windmill, London

As a three-time winner of the British Pie Awards, London is expecting big things from Mayfairs The Windmill. The handmade pies are paired with specific beers, boasting everything from a vegetarian filo pie with Fourpure American Pale to a market fish pie with Sambrooks Pumphouse and shepherds pie with Trumans Roller IPA.

The Cambridge Brew House, Cambridge

Not only is this one of the only brew pubs in Cambridge, theyre churning out pies like nobodys business. Choose from an unpretentious steak and ale offering, a fishy little number with smoked haddock and salmon, a vegetarian option stuffed with squash, spinach and ricotta and more. You can knock back one of these pies with a drink for just 10.

Pieminister Cardiff

Keeping things both delicious and discounted this British Pie Week, Pieministers Cardiff branch is offering its Social Club members an unmissable deal of two award-winning pies with oh-so buttery mash for just a fiver. We repeat, a fiver. Also happen to find your way to Brixton Market? You could get your hands on the brands Pork Pie-Scream, a crazed (or possibly genius) blend of pork pie and ice cream.

The Milestone Hotel, London

A five star hotel with a Kensington postcode, you should expect slinky things from the British Pie Week menu at The Milestone Hotel. Three-course makes up the bones of this specially created selection of dishes, including everything from wild mushroom pies to a downright delicious spiced apple pie, all available in Chenestons Restaurant,the Stables Bar and The Conservatory.

With the restaurants Mayfair Game Pie nabbing the best dish gong at the Tatler Awards 2016, the team at Corrigans knew their sophisticated form of dining would need another sophisticated pie to match. Bringing you just that, this years pheasant and smoked sausage pie sees Corrigans upping its pie game yet again.

Young Vegans, London

No Pie Week editorial would be complete without a mention of the most notorious vegan pies in London. The Young Vegans have their very own spot in the bustling Camden Lock, churning out pies with meat-free fillings such as seitan and ale, curry with chana chickpeas, and fan favourite: peanut butter and chocolate mud pies.

For more info on the best restaurants in London and across the UK, visit DesignMyNight and follow on Instagram and Twitter @DesignMyNightThe bloodbath in foreign-owned, large-scale food manufacturing in Canada continues. In recent weeks, weve learned that two plants employing almost 600 highly paid workers are closing: Dr Oetker in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, and Campbells in Toronto.

Estimates suggest that Canada has lost more than 30,000 similar positions in food manufacturing in a decade. This is not new.

Both cases have common denominators: both plants were ancient, outdated and in dire need of a retrofit. However, the foreign-owned companies opted instead to consolidate assets and have products manufactured at more modern facilities. In other words, they never intended to modernise the existing Canadian plants.

The use of better automation and robotics could have helped, but instead the facilities were left to rot and die a natural death.

Ontario and other provinces have countless ageing plants, owned by foreign companies and in need of a significant influx of capital to remain in compliance with modern-day standards of food safety and product advancement.

So, dont be surprised to see more of these types of closures since were now paying for years of foreign control in this sector.

Brands are now worth more than the human capital working in their facilities across the country. Its not personal; its business.

Endangered species

Big food brands, often seen as symbols of out-of-touch food corporations, are becoming an endangered species. Every week stores mark down those brands  think household names like Chef Boyardee, Chips Ahoy, Wheaties, etc  to attract customers to their private-label products.

Would you really still buy this? Neither would most millennials (Shutterstock)

Not only are store-owned labels cheaper, but customers, especially millennials, are moving away from major brands. Theyre increasingly looking for organic, multicultural foods  hardly concepts mega-enterprises have been associated with, at least until recently.

The pace of this demographic shift is spectacular. Were seeing more consolidation in food processing around the globe because consumers in the Western world are looking for something different, organic and local. Many of the brands we all know dont appeal to people looking for what are known as value-based brands.

This pressure is leading to seismic shifts in the sector.

Overseas, Keurig Green Mountain, the maker of coffee pod machines, is planning to purchase the Dr Pepper Snapple Group in a massive $18.7bn (13.6bn) transaction.

The portfolio of the new company will include products varying from coffee to soft drinks. But the deal is really about competitiveness at the retail level, and allowing major brands to remain competitive.

The appeal of big brands has ruled grocery aisles for decades, but its slowly becoming an afterthought. Margins must be better managed and merchandising strategies will need to be reinvented. Consequently, becoming bigger and more resourceful is key.

Overly reliant on foreign brands

Most Canadians may be unaware that the food-processing sector is the second largest manufacturing industry in Canada in terms of value of production, with shipments worth $112.4bn last year and employing over 250,000 people. Its a big sector thats flown under the proverbial radar for decades.

This is why the sector just created an industry association, Food Beverage Canada  so processors have a voice. Without a vibrant manufacturing sector, Canadas agri-food sector cannot prosper.

Growing grains and raising livestock is helpful for rural economies and small- to medium-sized businesses. As Canadians, its what we know best. But given how our world is changing, its no longer enough.

Food manufacturing has a multiplying effect on growth, which cannot be emphasised enough. For years, we have been reliant on foreign brands to offer job opportunities in small communities.

Most of these brands, however, are American. The Canadian brand has never been fully exploited in the food value-added sector, a missed opportunity indeed. But the needle is slowly moving in our country, recognising that food processing needs to find its homegrown mojo.

The Agri-Food Innovation Centre at the University of Saskatchewan opened this year to support the sectors will to diversify and launch new businesses. Many incubator and accelerator programmes in Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and elsewhere have been launched to create ag-tech companies, which focus on providing more value-added products to the market, both domestically and abroad.

Quebec now has a new market access programme to support companies looking for new markets. Its no longer just about spreading money to different sectors across the agri-food continuum. Growing the sector and generating significant economic activity throughout the country are becoming priorities for most stakeholders in both government and industry.

Becoming a world-class agri-food giant involves building an ample food-processing sector. We also need to provide the sector with ways to mitigate against higher wages, restrictive trade rules and fluctuating currencies. Looks like someone is finally getting the message.

Sylvain Charlebois is a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)Chef Tunde Wey is serving up authentic Nigerian food alongside a healthy serving of reality at the Roux Carre market in New Orleans - where he has been carrying out a social experiment.

For diners looking for a quick lunchtime meal at Saartj, set up in an outdoor food hall, lunch comes only after they acknowledge the racial wealth disparity in New Orleans - where the median income among African American households in New Orleans is just $25,806, compared to $64,377 for white households.

Wey informs his customers of the facts in a speech that takes several minutes - then he tells them the price of their lunch.

For customers of colour, Wey tells them their meal will cost $12, but they can also collect $18 if they want it. But for white customers, Wey tells them they can either pay $12 - or they can pay $30, a price that reflects the wealth disparity in New Orleans.

For the profits from the $30 meals, Wey redistributes the money to people of colour - regardless of income.

After making their decisions, Wey then asks his customers a series of survey questions designed with the help of a Tulane University student, to gauge the responses. But some white customers have simply walked away.

However Wey told Civil Eats he has also seen positive social pressure with his white diners - with 78 per cent paying the $30 to right the wrong of the wealth gap.

Refusing to pay more comes off as anti-social and people dont want to be judged for that, Wey said. People look on the other side of the till and see me standing there and theyre thinking that Im judging them.

And if they couldnt pay the higher price, or chose not to, Wey says they usually gave him a number of reasons why.

However, with his customers of colour, Wey found that many refused to take the $18 offered, telling Wey: I dont need that money, give it to someone else who needs it, - some even tried to pay the $30.

Overall, Wey has been using the experiment to educate people about the racial gap and see how they respond when they are confronted by the reality of it.

And while the pop-up social experiment ends March 4, Wey hopes it will have impacted the diners who have stopped by - and provoked further thinking.

The pop-up is named after Saartjie Baartman, a Black South African woman who was renamed Venus Hottentot and displayed for the perceived abnormality of black female bodies, according to Saartjs website.

According to the website, Wey wants his diners to confront exploitative systems operating heartily, if sometimes covertly.

The Independent has reached out to Chef Wey for comment.Eggs are synonymous with Easter and symbolic for their association with fertility and springtime. Chocolate Easter eggs started to appear in the late 19th century, pioneered by Cadbury in 1875. Making your own eggs gives your Easter gifts a personal touch and theyre fun to put together.

To get a really shiny finish, it is necessary to temper the chocolate. This is the process of gently heating and cooling in order to align the sugar crystals. You will need a thermometer to do this; however, if you would prefer to not temper the chocolate you will still end up with a perfectly edible egg  youll just need to be a little more creative with the decoration as the chocolate will have a mottled effect. It is also important to use the best quality chocolate you can buy; 70% cocoa or above.

1. Begin by tempering the chocolate. Break the chocolate up into small pieces and place  in a large glass or metal bowl over a pan of very gently simmering water. Let the chocolate melt gradually and heat until it reaches 55C

2. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate, bringing the temperature down to 28C

3. Return the bowl to the heat and bring the chocolate up to a temperature of 32C

4. Use a pastry brush to brush a thick layer of chocolate evenly over the mould

5. Transfer to the fridge to set for 5 minutes before adding another layer of chocolate. Wipe around the edges of the mould. Repeat with the other chocolate shell and transfer to the fridge to set for 1 hour

6. Once the chocolate has completely set, carefully remove from the moulds by gently pushing down on the shell

7. Heat a baking tray and push the edges of the shells onto it

8. Stick the two halves together and hold for a couple of seconds to seal. Your egg is now ready to decorate

Tips:

For extra shine, polish the egg moulds with cotton wool before using.

Wipe around the edges of the mould before the chocolate sets to get a perfect set.

Work quickly with the chocolate  if it gets too cool it will need to be re-tempered.

Add an element of surprise by hiding chocolate truffles inside the egg.

Once you've made your own egg take a look at our tips on how to decorate an Easter egg.

Guide courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more Easter recipesIts widely reported that theres a shortage of female chefs, but that doesnt mean there arent women in the industry who really are at the top of their game.

And theres no better time to celebrate them than the one the day of the year dedicated to celebrating women.

Heres a round up of some of the women we think are really worth shouting about at the moment.

Asma Khan donates a per centage of her restaurants proceeds to helping Indias persecuted second daughters (Darjeeling Express) (Darjeeling Express, Carnaby London)

Asma Khan  owner and chef at Darjeeling Express

Since opening in mid-2017, Asma Khans kitchen at Darjeeling Express has been talked about almost non-stop. And thats because its made up of an all-female team who were housewives from South Asia, none of whom have professional cooking training, nor Khan herself. The restaurant serves up high-quality authentic dishes based on north Indian traditional food from her Bengali heritage and designed to be shared.

The menu is heavily based on family recipes passed down through the generations, and in 2012 she started her own food business, which has found its permanent home in Carnaby Streets food court, Kingly Court. The restaurant runs a meat-free Monday menu, which started last month. A percentage of all proceeds from the restaurant supports a charity called Second Daughters, which is close to Khans heart. It helps support the girls overlooked by their families in favour of their brothers, largely traditional in India, especially the second daughter, and helps provide them with opportunities.

Nargisse Benkabbou is dedicated to giving Moroccan food its own identity in the UK (Octopus books)

Nargisse Benkabbou  author of Casablanca: My Moroccan Food

Growing up in Belgium, Nargisse Benkabbou moved to the UK seven years ago and could not believe the difference in the way the Moroccan food she knew was represented. Her debut cookbook, Casablanca: My Moroccan Food (published in May by Octopus), differentiates from what people often confuse it with: Middle Eastern food. She remembers at university people would tell her they loved hummus and asked for her recipe, not knowing it wasnt Moroccan.

International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Show all 17 1 /17 International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Radical political activist Angela Davis speaks at a protest in Raleigh Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Poor pay, 14 hour days and dangerous working conditions led to a strike by around 1400 women and girls at a match factory in Bow, London, 1888. The action was later coined The Matchgirls Strike International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Christabel Pankhurst, one of the founders of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) and a leading member of the suffragette movement, addresses a crowd in Trafalgar Square in a speech in which she invites the crowd to rush the House of Commons, 11 October 1908. Christabel Pankhurst and her mother Emmeline, alongside Flora Drummond, were arrested two days later charged with conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace. The rush on parliament went ahead without them however, with over 60,000 suffragettes attempting to break through the 5000 strong police cordon protecting parliament. Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Suffragette Emily Davison is hit and killed by King George V's horse Anmer during the 1913 Epsom Derby. She fell underneath the galloping horse after leaping from the crowd and trying to grab hold of the reins Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Striking women machinists from the Ford plant at Dagenham protest outside negotiations over their wages, 1968. The women went on strike over their lack of pay in relation to their male colleagues. The action helped to trigger the Equal Pay Act 1970 Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history The women's liberation movement march in Washington, August 1970 Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Protestors disrupt the 1970 Miss World competition. Original caption: The Miss World contest causes a feminist storm as demonstrators invade the Royal Albert Hall where the contest was held. Protestors fired ink at spectators and let off stink bombs in scenes resembling a school assembly. The unruly ladies were eventually expelled from the hall by security guards and policemen Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Somalians demonstrating in Mogadishu for the release of Angela Davis, March 1972, a Black Panther activist imprisoned in the USA after being charged with first degree murder. Davis was later acquitted Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Jayaben Desai, one of the mostly British-Asian women out on strike at the Grunwick factory in 1977, pictured on the picket line Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Women protest against nuclear weapons outside of RAF base Greenham Common, 1982 Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Indian protestors hold candles during a rally in New Delhi in December 2012, after the death of a student who was gang raped on a bus in the Indian capital Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history A feminist group Sisters Uncut protesting against cuts to domestic violence refuges occupy the red carpet during a protest at the Suffragette premiere, 7 October 2015 Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history People gather for the Womens March in Washington, January 2017 Reuters International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Protesters walk during the Womens March on Washington, with the US Capitol in the background, in January, 2017. Donald Trump was sworn in as president the previous day Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Women march as part of the gender equality protest in London, March 2017 AFP/Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Demonstrators march through during the March4Women event, 4 March 2018, London Getty International Womens Day: groundbreaking figures from history Placards are displayed during the March4Women, 4 March 2018, London Getty

She quit the corporate job she moved to London for in 2013, did a course at Leiths and began her food blog, My Moroccan Food, two years later. After consulting with her mother and aunts, her book is a personal journey and is all about traditional Moroccan food based on the food she knows from her family, who moved from Fez in the Seventies. With a modern twist, her recipes give a breath of fresh air to Moroccan food.

Thomasina Miers  co-founder of Wahaca and campaigner

Rising to fame after winning MasterChef in 2005, Miers co-founded arguably the high-streets best chain, Wahaca, three years later, which helped revolutionise Mexican food in this country. But aside from fresh, tasty and affordable food, the company is the first carbon-neutral restaurant group in the UK and dedicated to sustainability. Theyve banned plastic straws, dont serve food in plastic, are working on reducing plastic in the back of house and offset their carbon footprint by sponsoring a charity in Mexico that makes heaters for people living outside of the big cities.

But Wahaca is not her only calling: Miers is also setting up a charity, Chefs in Schools, to help get food education back into schools as she believes learning the basics early on makes it easier for people to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Shes dedicated to encouraging and helping people to eat healthily, focusing on affordable whole ingredients, rather than processed food.

A career change for Chantelle Nicholson now sees her championing a plant-based tasting menu at Tredwells, Seven Dials

Chantelle Nicholson  chef-patron at Tredwells

Another career changer, Kiwi chef Nicholson walked away from the corporate world of law and has been the chef-patron of Tredwells in central London since 2016.

After cooking from a young age, and even mastering the art of making creme fraiche from scratch when she was nine, she was encouraged to follow an academic route. And it was while at university that she first worked in kitchens.

Now, shes championing a plant-based tasting menu at Tredwells and is bringing out her debut cookbook, Planted, showcasing the best of seasonal produce and how to turn it into delicious vegan dishes, which will be published in April.

Clare Smyths debut restaurant, Core, in Notting Hill, emphasises natural and sustainable British produce (Getty)

Clare Smyth  chef and restaurant owner of Core

Irish chef Clare Smyth was the first female chef in the UK to be awarded three Michelin stars. She became head chef for Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in Chelsea in 2008, aged just 29, and she was also the first female chef to be awarded a perfect 10 by the Good Food Guide.

She opened her own restaurant, Core, last summer in Notting Hill. She is passionate about using natural and sustainable food and champions cooking with seasonal food that comes from UK farmers.

Smyth moved to England aged 16 to enrol in catering college in Portsmouth the day after leaving school, showing real independence and determination from a very early age.

Championing Ghanaian cuisine was the only way Zoe Adjonyoh could connect with her heritage (Oliver Ajkovic)

Zoe Adjonyoh  chef and author of Zoes Ghana Kitchen

After releasing her debut cookbook in 2017, and completing a successful residency at Pop Brixton, Adjonyoh now has a permanent site in London Fields, back where it all began when she was dishing up her homecooked food at Hackney WickED festival.

For her, cooking Ghanaian food was the only way to connect to her heritage after leaving her home county and moving to London as a young child. Although shes been talking about West African food for years, until the release of her cookbook, it was largely one of the last unexplored cuisines in the mainstream food world.

Shed been building a following by doing supper clubs before opening her pop-up in Brixton and managed to dispel the myth portrayed by stereotypes of the Eighties that Africa and its food was considered to be an other.

Elena Arzak is the fourth generation to work in her familys restaurant in San Sebastian (Alamy) (Alamy Stock Photo)

Elena Arzak  best female chef in the world

At number 30 in the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants 2017 list, Elena Arzak is the highest ranked women in the entire list, with the only other female in the list being Italivi Reboreda at Cosme, New York, at number 40. And that, technically, makes her the best female chef in the world, which she was named back in 2012. But winning the 40th place in the list just proves the imbalance woman face in the professional kitchen.

The restaurant has been in the family for generations and Arzak began working in it from the age of 11, the fourth generation to do so. Arzaks food is modern Basque and described as elegant Spanish cuisine thats still traditional and simple.

Anne-Sophie Pic also keeps it in the family, becoming the third to achieve three Michelin stars (AFP) (AFP/Getty Images)

Anne-Sophie Pic  three Michelin star chef

As the only French female chef to have three Michelin stars in the past 50 years, shes part of a whole family who have managed to reach the high standard across three generations. But whats really interesting is shes had no classical training.

She holds the three stars at her restaurant named after herself in Valence, in south-east France, two at her restaurant Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel in Lausanne, Switzerland, and one more at her first UK restaurant, La Dame de Pic, at the Four Seasons Hotel, which opened last year, and awarded at the start in the 2018 Michelin guide.We are a nation of cake-lovers, theres no doubt about it.

From Victoria sponges to lemon drizzles, Brits sure do know how to show their appreciation for cake.

However, when it comes to the classic Jaffa Cake, it appears that the country is torn over the best way to consume the popular treat.

McVities has conducted research to discover how people in the UK prefer to eat Jaffa Cakes, with 92 per cent of the nation describing themselves as Jaffa Cake fans.

Their results concluded that 35 per cent of people are half mooners, opting to enjoy a Jaffa Cake in two bites by first biting it in half to resemble a half moon and then finishing off the rest.

28 per cent are all rounders, choosing to first nibble their Jaffa Cakes around the edge.

A fifth of people are scoffers, who eat an entire Jaffa Cake in one go, while six per cent are jelly lovers, who enjoy going straight for the orange jelly inside.

McVities has enlisted the help of food science expert Dr Stuart Farrimond to determine the ideal way to eat a Jaffa Cake once and for all.

According to Dr Farrimond, the best way to make the most of a Jaffa Cake is to ensure that you eat a balanced combination of zesty orange, chocolate and sponge.

So, he recommends utilising the all rounder method, first nibbling the Jaffa Cake around the edge, in order to then leave yourself with a perfect ratio of those three layers.

We ran a panel of experiments to discover the best ratio of chocolate, orange jam and sponge, Dr Farrimond explained.

Whilst the most common way to eat a Jaffa Cake is the half mooner technique, our research concluded that the all rounder with the middle of portion of the Jaffa Cake eaten as one, gives the optimum sweetness, taste and flavour, and this can only be fully appreciated by nibbling the edge off first and then eating the middle portion alone.

McVities has published these findings in the McVities Zest Report, which assessed the four most popular methods for eating Jaffa Cakes.

The scientific investigation also discovered that people from Birmingham love Jaffa Cakes the most in the UK, closely followed by residents from London and Wales.Roasted balsamic beetroot and shallot tarts

Beetroot and balsamic are a match made in heaven, and with my flaky puff pastry theyre incredible. Add some of my Cream Cheese for an extra delight.

Serves 4 generously

5 beetroots, peeled and sliced into 1-cm discs

6 shallots, peeled and halved lengthways

4 sprigs fresh thyme

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil pinch sea salt and pepper

400g rough puff pastry (see page below), or shop bought vegan puff pastry

40g walnuts

3 tbsp "cream cheese *

fresh rocket, to serve

For the pastry glaze

2 tsp agave nectar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp almond milk **

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. Place the beetroot slices, shallots and thyme on one of the baking trays. Drizzle over the vinegar and olive oil, then season. Mix it all together so that everything is coated, then bake in the oven for 3035 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, prepare your pastry. Its up to you what size your tart will be but I like to make two big ones. Roll the pastry into a large rectangle around 3mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut the pastry into two neat rectangles around 15 x 20cm (6 x 8 inches). Transfer the pastry onto the baking tray and lightly score a rough border with a sharp knife, approximately 2cm (3/4 inch) from the edge, all the way round. Prick over the middle with a fork, leaving the border untouched.

Midway through cooking the beetroot, place the pastry sheet/s into the oven on the shelf below, to lightly cook for 810 minutes. The border should puff up nicely. Once the pastry and vegetables are cooked, use a palette knife to neatly place the beetroot and shallots in the middle of the pastry, then sprinkle over the walnuts and cheese.

Mix the ingredients for the pastry glaze together in a small bowl and brush over the pastry around the border. Transfer the tarts back into the oven to cook for a further 10 minutes, until beautiful and golden. Serve with a little rocket sprinkled on top.

Rough puff pastry

Its actually uncommon to see a non-vegan chef making their own homemade puff pastry these days but it was one of the first things I learned to make when I became a chef at 15. This rough vegan version is much simpler to make  you will wow your friends when you tell them you have made this delightful flaky pastry.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter in small chunks and lightly rub the butter in. You want to still see the butter pieces so dont over-rub. Make a well in the centre and pour in enough water to form into a dough. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge to rest for around 15 minutes. Lightly flour your clean work surface, then knead the pastry into a rectangle shape. Roll the dough in one direction until its approximately three times longer than the original rectangle  around 20 x 50cm (8 x 20 inches) will do  keeping the edges nice and square.

Fold the top end into the centre, then the other end over the top. Turn the pastry 90 degrees, then repeat the process. I do this three times, turning 90 degrees between each roll and fold. Chill the pastry for 20 minutes before rolling out and cooking. (Or you can store in the fridge for two days or freeze for up to 2 months until you want to use it.)

*Cream cheese

Theres nothing I love more than this cream cheese spread on a warm bagel with a few cherry tomatoes or avocado on top. Perfect. Its so simple to make and will keep in the fridge for 23 days but its so tasty and indulgent, half the time Ive eaten the majority of it before its even got to the fridge!

Makes about 250g

115g raw cashew nuts

120ml cashew milk

2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

1 tbsp lemon juice

pinch sea salt and white pepper

 tsp dried onion granules

First up, quick soak the nuts: simply pop them in a heatproof container and pour over boiling water. Leave for around 20 minutes to soften while you measure out the other ingredients. Drain the water from the nuts and tip them into a high-speed blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend for 15 seconds. You will probably need to scrape down the sides and give everything a little stir, then blend again until smooth.

The smoother this cheese is the better, so add a little more milk if you think it needs it. Once smooth, spoon the mixture into a lidded container and keep refrigerated.

** Milk

Not only is homemade milk much tastier than shop-bought, non-dairy milk, making your own is healthier, more cost-effective and super-easy. I like to know exactly whats in the food Im eating so I make a couple batches of milk each week; I generally use blanched almonds or cashew nuts.

Makes 1 litre

125g blanched almonds or cashews OR 100g rolled oats

1 litre ice-cold filtered water

4 Medjool dates, pitted (an optional sweetener, or a little agave nectar or maple syrup to taste)

pinch sea salt

pinch ground cinnamon or grated nutmeg (optional)

Soak the nuts in cold water for at least 8 hours or overnight. I usually soak the nuts before going to bed ready to make the milk in the morning. If you are using oats you do not need to soak them  oat milk is ideal if you need milk quickly!

The next morning, drain away the soaking water, then tip the nuts into a high-speed blender with the cold filtered water and sweetener (if using). Make sure your water is super-cold as the blender will generate some heat which will spoil some of the nutrients if the milk mixture gets warm when blending. Blend until smooth.

Next grab a large jug or container and a milk bag or cheese cloth (or, if you dont have either, a clean tea towel will work perfectly). Secure your cloth over the container and pour the milk mixture through. Squeeze all the excess liquid out of the mixture, until youve gotten every last speck of liquid out. Then youre done  you should be left with a beautiful fresh batch of the finest milk. Stir in the sea salt, and the cinnamon or nutmeg if using. Keep the milk in the fridge in a clean covered container for up to 3 days.

Dont just stop at nut and oats. I often make milk with shelled hemp seeds: use the same measurements, dont soak the hemp seeds beforehand, and swap the filtered water for coconut water.

Kentucky fried chickn

These seitan chickn pieces are tender as hell! I coat them in a wonderful spicy batter that will rival any. They become super-crispy if fried but you can also bake them. If you are short of time you can also use the same batter technique with cauliflower florets.

Serves 4

For the chickn  wet:

170g firm tofu

120ml soy milk

1 tsp miso paste

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried sage

 tsp onion powder

 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

For the chickn  dry:

115g seitan (vital wheat gluten)

25g chickpea flour

For the broth

1 litre vegetable stock

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 onion, quartered

pinch sea salt and pepper

For the Kentucky coating

120g plain (all-purpose) flour

60g panko breadcrumbs

2 tbsp unrefined caster sugar

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp dried sage

1 tsp ground allspice

For the batter

100g chickpea flour

240ml water

1 litre vegetable

oil, for frying

First up, you will need to make the chickn pieces. Combine all the wet ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Put the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the wet mix to the bowl and stir until the mixture forms a dough. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface lightly floured with chickpea flour.

Knead the dough for at least 8 minutes. This is the most important part of the recipe. If you dont knead it properly, you will be left with horrible, spongy seitan. (I have gone as far as pounding the seitan dough with my fists!) Once kneaded, the dough will be quite firm and elastic. Form it into a rectangle around 1cm (3/8 inch) thick and cut it into 4. Set aside to rest for 10 minutes whilst you prepare the cooking broth. Add all the broth ingredients to a large, lidded saucepan and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so that the broth is just lightly simmering.

Add the seitan pieces to the broth and pop the lid on. Simmer the seitan pieces for 35 minutes in the simmering broth (do not let it boil). Flip the seitan pieces over halfway through cooking. After the 35 minutes, remove the seitan pieces from the broth and set aside to cool. They should have almost doubled in size and feel quite meaty. Once cool, tear or cut them into smaller pieces ready to be covered in the Kentucky coating. I like to tear the pieces as this creates rough edges for the coating to cling on to.

For the Kentucky coating, stir all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. For the batter, mix the chickpea flour and water together in a separate bowl. Now its time to individually dip the seitan pieces  first into the chickpea batter then into the coating. I double dip them to make sure they have a nice thick coating. Once youve coated all of the pieces, put them on a plate in the fridge while you heat the oil. If youre using a deep-fat fryer, set it to 180C (350F). Alternatively, pour the oil into a large saucepan but dont fill it more than half full.

To test if the oil is hot enough in the saucepan, drop a cube of bread into the oil  if it floats to the top straight away, the oil is ready. Carefully fry the chickn pieces for 34 minutes, or until golden and crisp. If youd prefer to bake the chickn pieces, bake for 25 minutes in an oven set at 180C (350F). Once cooked, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil. Serve immediately.

Salted caramel pretzel, almonds and cacao bars

Makes 1214

For the almond biscuit layer:

70g macadamia nuts

40g coconut flakes

3 tbsp agave nectar

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp peanut and almond butter ***

pinch Himalayan salt

170g ground almonds

For the salted date caramel layer

340g pitted medjool dates

2 tbsp coconut oil

240ml almond

Milk (see page 12)

120ml filtered water

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

 tsp Himalayan salt

For the chocolate coating

5 tbsp coconut oil, melted

4 tbsp organic cacao powder

2 tbsp agave nectar

For the topping

gluten-free pretzels, or flaked

almonds (for 100 per cent raw)

Rich and indulgent. These salted-caramel bars are 100 per cent raw (without the pretzels) and only contain natural sugars, but they are definitely still a treat. Dates are a great energy food and are high in fibre, calcium and iron, plus so much more. Line a square, loose-bottom 20-cm (8-inch) baking tray with greaseproof paper.

First make the almond biscuit layer: blitz all of the ingredients, except the ground almonds, in the blender until the nuts and coconut are finely chopped. Add the ground almonds then pulse until fully incorporated. The mixture should be sticky. Press the almond mixture into the base of the baking tray, making sure its an even layer all over. Pop the tray into the freezer and get on with the caramel layer.

Rinse out the blender. Blitz all the ingredients in the blender until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Remove the tray from the freezer and spread the caramel layer over the top evenly. Pop the tray back into the freezer to set for around 2 hours.

After the 2 hours, remove the tray from the freezer, carefully remove the bar from the tin, then cut it into 1214 bars. Run your knife under hot water between each cut to make it easier.

Place the bars onto a baking tray and back into the freezer while you make the coating. Mix the chocolate coating ingredients together in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Remove the bars from the freezer and drizzle the coating over the top of each bar. Top each bar with a couple of pretzels or a sprinkling of flaked almonds. Serve straight away or store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Serve straight from the freezer.

*** Peanut and almond butter

Once you make this you will never buy shop-bought nut butters again! It is so simple to make and with just a few ingredients you can achieve that creamy, nutty spread. I like my nut butter to have a roasted flavour but if you prefer to keep it raw, skip the roasting step.

Makes a 227g jar

125g (1 cup) raw shelledand skinned peanuts

125g (1 cup) blanched almonds

1 tbsp peanut oil (or a flavourless oil of your choice)

pinch sea salt

1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup (optional)

Line a baking tray with baking parchment and preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Spread the peanuts almonds out on the tray and roast in the oven for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Tip the nuts into a high-speed blender and have a spatula to hand. Blend the nuts into a fine crumb-like consistency. This will take a couple minutes of stoppingand starting when you will have to scrape the nuts from the side of the blender.

Once you have fine crumbs they will start to clump together and all you need to do is add the oil, salt and agave or maple syrup (if using). Give it one final mix and you should be left with creamy peanut and almond butter. Easy as that! Try adding 1 tbsp cacao powder and 1 tsp vanilla for a sweet twist.

Vegan 100 by Gaz Oakley (Quadrille, 20) Photography  Simon SmithThe Light Phone 2 is a gorgeous, minimalist "dumb phone" that can do only a handful of things.

The phone doesn't have any apps. Instead, it can make calls, send texts, handle simple directions, and set alarms.

Light, the company behind the phone, wants to make a device that is used as little as possible to get people off their smartphones.

This is an installment of Business Insider's "Your Brain on Apps" series that investigates how addictive apps can influence behavior.

The Brooklyn-based startup Light has set an impossible goal of getting people to put down their smartphones.

Light launched in 2014 and a year later debuted its first product, the Light Phone. It could only make calls and tell the time, and the company described it as a "quite a smart 'dumb' phone."

Light intended for it to be something of a companion to your smartphone and a way to get people to leave their phones at home and go enjoy life.

Now, Light is back with its second product, the Light Phone 2, an upgraded version of its phone that might just replace your smartphone for good.

The second-generation device couldn't be coming at a better time. There's increased scrutiny on how too much screen time affects our brains, and a movement among even the most tech-savvy parents to limit their kids' access to smartphones.

Meanwhile, apps that discourage too much smartphone use are gaining steam, and people are becoming wise to the tactics their favorite apps use to lure them in and keep them hooked.

This is why Light's new device is intentionally limited. The Light Phone 2 is designed to manage some of the tasks that keep us connected  calling, messaging, and getting directions  while eliminating time-wasters like social media and games.

Here's how it works.

Light was founded by Joe Hollier and Kai Tang.

Hollier's background is in art, design, and filmmaking, and he used to run a studio and skateboarding company called Five on That.

Tang worked in product design and development and spent 10 years traveling the world.

Hollier and Tang met in 2014 when they were asked to design smartphone apps at a Google incubator. But they agreed that the world had enough addicting apps and decided to create a phone intended to be used as little as possible.

Even back in 2014, Hollier and Tang were onto something.

Recent data from the analytics company Flurry found that people in the US use their mobile devices for five hours a day, while a study from the tech-support firm Asurion found that Americans check their phones 80 times a day on average.

Much of that time is spent in apps. Several of the most popular smartphone apps  like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat  have been designed to use psychological tricks to grab your attention.

At this point, even Silicon Valley parents  some of the same ones responsible for building these addictive apps and devices  are raising their kids to be tech-free.

Light launched its first product on Kickstarter in 2015. Called the Light Phone, it was capable of only making and receiving phone calls.

The Light Phone couldn't text, connect to Twitter, take photos, or send emails.

Hollier and Tang designed the phone as something of a security blanket for smartphone users  you could leave your phone at home and "go light" using only the Light Phone. People could still reach you, but you'd be forced to look up from your phone and experience the world around you.

The Light Phone wasn't just technical  it had a philosophical message. Hollier and Tang wanted to encourage people to consider the importance of disconnecting from the digital world.

"We are becoming scared of boredom, scared of solitude," they wrote in a blog post about how the company got its start.

Light's message must have clicked with like-minded customers  the company says it sold more than 10,000 Light Phones in more than 50 countries.

Now, Light is back with its second-generation phone: the Light Phone 2.

The Light Phone 2 is a more powerful version of the original device.

Light says it falls somewhere between the first-generation device and a smartphone; it isn't as basic, but it still doesn't have apps.

"Light Phone 2 encourages you to spend more quality time doing the things you love most, free of distractions," Light said in an announcement about the new product.

"Enjoy a morning jog, a drink with an old friend, a night on the town or day at the park with your kids, waking up with a coffee and a good book, a trip to the beach, or simply some time away from your Instagram."

The new Light Phone's most important new feature is the ability to text.

The original Light Phone could only tell the time and make calls. But the Light Phone 2 can send and receive text messages  something likely to entice more people who are afraid to give up their smartphones completely.

The Light Phone 2 also has an alarm clock, a larger speaker, a microphone and physical buttons.

Light says the Light Phone 2 is easier to use than the original device and could even be your only phone.

The original device was intended to be a companion to your smartphone. You could set up call forwarding through Light's computer app, then leave your smartphone at home for short periods.

But since the Light Phone 2 has more features, it could theoretically handle long-term, daily use. Light is hoping to target smartphone users frustrated by the complexity of iPhone and Android devices.

Unlike the original phone, you'll be able to add contacts to the Light Phone 2, program it to call you a taxi, or use it to get simple directions.

The Light Phone 2 has 4G LTE connectivity and a USB-C charging port.

Plus, the phone has a headphone jack.

The Light Phone 2 has an E-Ink display and comes in black or white.

It's only 6.5 millimeters thick and about the same length and width as a credit card.

The Light Phone 2 will be able to slip into a shirt or pants pocket with no problem. Because of its size and slimness, it even fits into some wallets.

You can preorder the Light Phone 2 for $250 starting Thursday.

The phone will eventually cost $400 but is available for the discounted price for the next 25 days of Light's Indiegogo campaign.

Light says the phone will start shipping early next year.

Read more:

 This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed

 How Uber became the world's most valuable startup

 These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.Facebook has reversed a controversial change to its news feed, amid fears it was upsetting and misleading the site's users.

The company had trialled a new design that split the feed into two. It was intended as a different way for people to consume news in the six countries it was tested  but ended up primarily encouraging them to read false stories.

The test broke the news feed into different sets of posts. In doing so, it broke apart the traditional, personal posts that are found on Facebook, such as pictures from friends, making that distinct from the posts from media outlets or other brands that users had followed.

It was part of a broad attempt by Facebook to focus on what normal people and friends are sharing, and not companies. That approach is thought to be a result of Facebook's fears of "context collapse", where people stop talking about themselves, the personal element of the site is ruined, and the company fails to collect the data it requires to serve ads.

How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Show all 9 1 /9 How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Lock your profile down If you havent done this already, do it now. In Settings, hit the Privacy tab. From here, you can control who gets to see your future posts and friends list. Choose from Public, Friends, Only Me and Custom in the dropdown menu. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Limit old posts Annoyingly, changing this has no effect on whos able to see your past Facebook posts. Instead, on the Privacy page, you have to click on Limit Past Posts, then select Limit Old Posts and finally hit Confirm on the pop-up. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Make yourself harder to find You can stop completely random people from adding you by selecting Friends of Friends from the dropdown menu in the Who can send you friend requests? section of the Privacy page. Its also worth limiting who can find your Facebook profile with your number and email address. At the bottom of the page is the option to prevent search engines outside of Facebook from linking to your profile. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Control access to your Timeline You can limit who gets to post things on your Timeline and who gets to see posts on your Timeline too. In Settings, go to Timeline and Tagging and edit the sections you want to lock down. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Block people When you block someone, they wont be able to see things you post on your Timeline, tag you, invite you to events or groups, start conversations with you or add you as a friend. To do it, go to Settings and Blocking. Annoyingly, you have to block people on Messenger separately. You can also add friends to your Restricted list here, which means theyll still be friends with you but will only be able to see your public posts and things you share on a mutual friend's Timeline. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Review tags One of Facebooks handiest privacy features is the ability to review posts youre tagged in before they appear on your Timeline. Theyll still be visible on the News Feed while theyre fresh, but wont be tied to your profile forever. In Timeline and Tagging, enable Timeline review controls. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Clean up your apps You can view a list of all of the apps youve connected to your Facebook account by going to Settings and Apps. The list might be longer than you expected it to be. Its worth tidying this up to ensure things you no longer use lose access to your personal information. If you dont want to log into websites and apps with your facebook account, scroll down and turn Platform off. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Change your ad preferences You can view a list of everything Facebook thinks youre into and tinker with your ad preferences by going to Settings and Adverts. A lot more information is displayed on the desktop site than the app, so wed recommend doing this on a computer. How to stop Facebook from revealing everything about you Download your data Facebook lets you download all of the data it has on you, including the posts youve shared, your messages and photos, ads youve clicked on and even the IP addresses that are logged when you log in or out of the site. Its a hell of a lot of information, which you should download to ensure you never over-share on the social network again.

The social media network decided to end the test and maintain one feed because people told the company in surveys they did not like the change, Adam Mosseri, head of the News Feed at Facebook, said in a statement.

"People told us they were less satisfied with the posts they were seeing, and having two separate feeds didn't actually help them connect more with friends and family," Mosseri said.

The test began in October and took place in Bolivia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Serbia, Slovakia and Sri Lanka. It quickly affected website traffic for smaller media outlets.

Mosseri said the company had also "received feedback that we made it harder for people in the test countries to access important information, and that we didn't communicate the test clearly."

He said Facebook would, in response, revise how it tests product changes although he did not say how. A Facebook representative did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

"I hope Facebook will have more interest in what is happening inside its test countries," Slovakian journalist Filip StruhArik, who had earlier criticized the test, said on Twitter on Thursday.

StruhArik said news media websites are stronger now by not relying on Facebook for traffic, and he expects traffic from Facebook to fall further in the long term because of other changes to the News Feed that deemphasize media overall.

In Cambodia, media outlets welcomed the news that Facebook had ended the test.

Facebook has become an ever more important platform for political news in Cambodia after some media outlets critical of long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen were forced to shut.

"Facebook users in Cambodia will be able to receive information again after traditional and independent media were forced to shut down," said Nop Vy, editor in chief at the Voice of Democracy radio station, which suffered a huge, 30 to 40 percent, decline in viewers during the News Feed test.

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 33 years, has forced the closure of media outlets and jailed government critics amid a crackdown ahead of a general election set for July 29.

Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled other changes to the Facebook News Feed in the past two months to fight sensationalism and prioritize posts from friends and family.

The world's largest social network and its competitors are under pressure from users and government authorities to make their services less addictive and to stem the spread of false news stories and hoaxes.

Additional reporting by agenciesThe UK faces an unprecedented food crisis if it leaves the EU without a trade deal, the boss of the countrys second-largest supermarket has warned.

The impact of closing the borders for a few days to the free movement of food would result in a food crisis the likes of which we havent seen, Sainsburys chief executive Mike Coupe told Bloomberg.

Its inconceivable to me that there wont be a solution found.

Sainsburys, which trails only Tesco among UK supermarkets in terms of sales, would have to increase prices if any barriers to imports were introduced after Brexit, Mr Coupe said.

At the moment we put tomatoes on lorries in southern Spain, they drive for 24 hours and arrive directly in our distribution centres unencumbered, Mr Coupe said.

Anything that puts a barrier in that flow will increase the cost and reduce the freshness.

Business groups have warned that even short delays at ports and borders risk causing huge problems in supply chains which sprawl all across the Continent.

Mr Coupes warning comes as the likelihood of no deal being agreed between the EU and the UK appeared to increase this week.

Theresa May told the House of Commons on Wednesday that no prime minister could agree to the draft withdrawal agreement drawn up by the European Commission.

The Prime Minister said that the text  which proposes a common regulatory area between the EU and Northern Ireland  would threaten the constitutional integrity of the UK.

Food is among the most crucial of all sectors that could potentially be damaged by Brexit. Members of a House of Lords committee heard last month that Britains departure from the EU risks increasing food prices, lowering safety and welfare standards, causing food shortages and worsening a public health crisis in the UK.

The country already has a catastrophic 22.5bn trade deficit in food, Professor Tim Lang of the Centre for Food Policy at City University told the Lords EU energy and environment sub-committee.

A long-term decline in Britains self-sufficiency has left the food system in a fragile state, he said, adding that it was extraordinary that the prospect of Brexit had not sparked a debate about food security.Nine people have been arrested after a digger smashed into a Lidl supermarket in Dublin.

The heavy-duty industrial vehicle was used to pull down the supermarkets wall amid the citys worst snowstorm in decades, video on social media and state broadcaster RTE appeared to show.

Another video, posted online by the Irish Independent newspaper, purported to show people walking away from the back of the store carrying merchandise.

Gardai confirmed they attended a number of incidents in the Tallaght district of Dublin and that nine people have been arrested. A Centra store in Jobstown was also damaged.

It is understood that the Defence Forces assisted gardai getting to the scene.

Three fire engines from Dublin Fire Brigade responded to reports of a fire at a supermarket on Friday night but no blaze was found.

Dublin Fire Brigade tweeted: Weve left the scene of a supermarket in #Fortunestown #Citywest, no fire found. Gardai are attending the incident.

Local Labour Party councillor Martina Genockey condemned the behaviour of those involved and said it did not represent the people of Tallaght.

The local councillor claimed three stores were looted in the area.

This type of behaviour has put a needless amount of pressure on our emergency services who have been trying to keep our community safe throughout Storm Emma, Ms Genockey said.

Dublin South-West TD Colm Brophy said: I utterly condemn this mindless criminal behaviour.

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

Fianna Fail TD John Lahart said he was lost for words by what he described as the appalling events in his constituency.

Lives could have been put at risk through this mindless vandalism and criminality, Mr Lahart said.

In a statement, Lidl said: We are aware of the very serious incident at our Fortunestown Lane store this evening.

As the store was closed when this incident occurred we can confirm no member of our team has been injured.

Given that the incident is now the subject of a criminal investigation we are not in a position to comment further at this time.

Agencies contributed to this reportA woman who spoke out to The Independent about Yarls Wood immigration detention centre just days ago has narrowly avoided deportation following an intervention by MPs.

Opelo Kgari, who came to the UK from Botswana when she was 13 years old, exposed poor conditions faced by detainees in Yarls Wood Immigration Centre in The Independent this week.

Despite having lived in Britain for more than half of her life, Opelo and her mother Florence were taken to Heathrow Airport on Saturday and told they were going to be deported on a flight at 8.15pm.

With just moments to spare, their lawyer and several MPs succeeded in halting the deportation. It is understood that immigration minister Caroline Nokess personal intervention was behind the U-turn, after she was contacted by the mother and daughters MP Ruth Smeeth.

Opelo, who was educated in a British secondary school before throwing herself into volunteering and charity work and is now a freelance photographer, was said to be very distressed.

Friends had planned to visit the terminal to support the 27-year-old. And MPs, including those from the pairs home city Stoke-on-Trent, had spent hours pressuring the Government to stop them being flown back to Botswana on Saturday.

Speaking from the back of a van on the way to the airport, mother Florence called the sudden decision to put them on a plane cruel and inhumane.

The 55-year-old told The Independent they were not given any time to collect their belongings and that they had been travelling for hours in a van surrounded by enforcement officers. Opelo was said to be crying about the decision. It is very depressing. She has no life at all there, Florence said.

Opelo, who was admitted to Yarls Wood with her mother five weeks ago, is one of 120 detainees who have been on a hunger strike in protest against poor conditions at the immigration centre.

She also spoke of the strange reality she found herself in when she was initially detained after living the life of a British woman. The first time, last May, she had been on her way back from a short weekend in Belfast with friends when she was placed in a holding cell for two days  a memory that brings tears to her eyes  before being driven to the centre.

The second time, she had been reporting to the Home Office as she is required to do every two weeks. Again, she was locked in a holding cell for more than 12 hours and then taken straight to detention with only what she had on her back.

This time round, I wasnt even wearing a bra, Opelo said. I was going to yoga with a friend after reporting to the Home Office, so I just threw a coat on. I never got to the class. They put me and my mum in a holding cell for over 12 hours, with three officers outside. I didnt have a bra for five days once I got here, or a change of underwear.

A friend, Natalie Clarkson, told The Independent she knew of another hunger striker being told this week that she was being deported to Delhi.

It is understood that Opelo and her mother were only informed this morning that they were being deported, and they had had limited access to phones  making it difficult to reach out for support.

The pair have been fighting for their right to stay in Britain since 2010. Their asylum claim has been rejected a number of times, and they are now in the process of arguing that, after living in the UK for 14 years, throughout Opelos formative years, they have a human right to remain.

Ruth Smeeth, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, the mother and daughters constituency, told The Independent: Im grateful that the immigration minister has intervened directly to halt the deportation, and thank her for her efforts.

The case will continue and we will do everything we can to support Opelo in the coming days.

Of the circumstances of the aborted deportation, she added: To do this late on a Saturday afternoon when its almost impossible to get hold of anyone is an absolute disgrace.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of anyones case, to treat people like this is completely inhumane.

Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, had also called for the deportation to be suspended.

After news of the reprieve came through, Ms Phillips told The Independent: Im pleased that the right thing has happened, and now we must use todays experience to make sure that all the women in Yarls Wood are being assessed fairly and with the care it deserves.

The system needs attention, as too many vulnerable women are currently being failed.

Ms Clarkson said Opelo had been able to resist another deportation attempt in May last year. She was bailed from Yarls Wood a couple of weeks later and was released back into the community.

But there has been nothing like that this time. It has been very sudden, Ms Clarkson said. It feels like it came quite out of the blue.

UK news in pictures Show all 49 1 /49 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA

Despite achieving good A-levels and developing aspirations to work in the UKs charity sector, Opelo has been detained at Yarls Wood twice in the past year.

For Opelo it has been completely unfathomable to go back to a country that she hasnt been to for 14 years, Ms Clarkson said.

She added: She hasnt got a life there. She doesnt even speak the language. She doesnt speak the mother tongue. It is completely unfathomable to be sent somewhere she doesnt know.

I am angry and frustrated but I think, beyond anything, I just dont understand.

A Home Office spokesperson said: Detention and removal of those with no lawful basis to stay in the UK are essential parts of effective immigration controls. We do not detain individuals indefinitely  when people are detained, it is for the minimum time possible and detention is reviewed on a regular basis.

Any decision to maintain detention is made on a case by case basis, but the detainees welfare remains of the utmost importance throughout.

The provision of 24-hour, seven-days-a-week healthcare in all immigration removal centres ensures that individuals held there have ready access to medical professionals and levels of primary care in line with individuals in the community.Weather warnings remain in place across large parts of the UK, but extreme conditions seen in the past week are now slowly beginning to ease.

The slight break in the weather comes after days of severe disruption by heavy snowfall, which has caused several deaths including that of a seven-year-old girl.

After the coldest start to March on record, which left hundreds stranded on the roads and disruption across the UK's travel network, some places are likely to see an easing of the extreme conditions this weekend.

Met Office forecasters said temperatures could climb to as high as 7C for parts of Wales and the South West on Saturday, with rain replacing the snow that has blighted Britain for much of the past week.

The M62 in Greater Manchester finally reopened in the early hours of Saturday morning after being closed for more than a day.

Hundreds of motorists had spent Thursday night trapped in their cars when heavy snowfall and high winds left the road impassable.

Collisions have occupied emergency services across the country, while the army was drafted in as part of a major rescue operation to reach motorists trapped on roads by heavy snow and icy blasts.

Between five and 10 vehicles collided at around 3.45pm on Friday on the A38 westbound in Devon, Highways England said, while a further 30 vehicles became stuck in a lane due to the weather conditions after the accident between the A380 and B3344.

Southeastern rail services were also severely disrupted after frustrated passengers jumped from a train near Lewisham station, south London, on Friday evening and began walking down tracks.

In Scotland, Scotrail said staff are working "night and day" to reopen lines, but in some areas the work of snow ploughs is being undone by more snow drifts after they pass.

The Met Office said Thursday saw the temperature slump to its lowest daily maximum on record for March, -5.2C in Tredegar, southeast Wales.

Half a metre of snow was measured in two areas - Drumalbin, Lanarkshire, and St Athan in Glamorgan, while strengthening winds caused blizzards and drifting snow in some parts of the country.

Yellow weather warnings remain in place across southern England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Saturday as snow begins to turn to ice, while more snow could be on the way in Scotland.

A gritter lorry passes an abandoned van on the A672 near the M62 motorway in Manchester (Getty)

By Sunday, only eastern areas of Scotland are likely to see any more snow.

Southern areas will see a gradual improvement in weather conditions over the weekend as temperatures become milder.

Met Office chief meteorologist, Paul Gundersen, said; "As we head into next week there is likely to be more of a north-south split in weather conditions.

There will continue to be a risk of rain, sleet and snow at times.

The less cold air means there will be a gradual thaw, but this will freeze again overnight so ice is likely be an additional overnight hazard together with low cloud and fog.

Colder conditions will continue in the north, with snow showers, although less heavy and less frequent than of late."

Police in Manchester fear the freezing weather may have claimed the life of 19-year-old Charlie Pope, after officers investigating his disappearance found a body.

The teenager, from West Didsbury, was last seen early on Thursday more than two hours after leaving the Zombie Shack club in the city centre.

Greater Manchester Police said in a statement a body had been discovered in a nearby canal during a search operation on Friday afternoon.

"Although formal ID is yet to take place, it is believe to be Charlie Pope," a spokesperson for the force added.

"His family have bee informed and are being provided with support from specially trained officers at this tragic time."

Flood warnings have also been issued in several coastal regions by the Environment Agency, which published 15 warnings and 36 alerts, predominantly for south west and north east England.

Large parts of the Irish Republic remain on red alert until 9am on Saturday, after being hit by the worst snow in 35 years.

Snow drifts in the village of Burton, Lincolnshire (Lincolnshirelive)

Meanwhile, the RAC said frozen rain , which occurs when snow, ice, sleet or hail passes through a layer of warm air before freezing again as it lands, could pose a deadly road risk.

Traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: "Freezing rain perhaps represents one of the greatest challenges any driver could face.

"Droplets of rain which come into contact with the ground and other surfaces freeze instantly.

"This creates a huge hazard as roads may look clear and safe, despite actually being potentially icy death traps.

"Where freezing rain is forecast, put simply drivers should avoid using their vehicles in affected areas."

Additional reporting by Press AssociationDirect rule in Northern Ireland or a hard border after Brexit could lead to serious trouble and a return to the violence of the 1970s and 1980s, one of the key brokers of the Good Friday Agreement has warned.

George Mitchell, who as United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland chaired the talks that led to the historic agreement, said a hardening of the border could mean stereotyping resumes, demonisation resumes and people turn inward.

He also warned that failure to restore power-sharing at the Stormont assembly could lead regressive forces to reignite their campaign of violence.

The British and Irish governments and the EU have all ruled out a hard border in Northern Ireland after Brexit, but European leaders have said the only way to guarantee this is through some form of customs union  something the UK has repeatedly ruled out.

Amid fears that border checks could be reintroduced, Theresa May used a major speech in London on Friday to outline how the Government believes an open border could be maintained.

Mr Mitchell said doing so is critical to maintaining peace in Northern Ireland.

The real danger of a hard border is not the immediate resurgence of violence  although that certainly is a problem  it is the change in attitude, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

When there was a hard border, there was very little commerce, very little travel, very little interaction between the people of Northern Ireland and the people of the Republic.

That led to stereotyping, to the demonisation of others, to attitudes that were based upon acts from the distant past.

He added: The open border has meant people travelling back and forth, a degree of social intercourse, of commerce, of people working together. Stereotypes have not gone completely but they have been dramatically reduced.

The real danger is if you reinstate a hard border, you go back to the days where stereotyping resumes, demonisation resumes and people turn inward as opposed to outwards and they lose the benefits that come from open borders, open societies and trade.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty

Mr Mitchell also warned about the dangers of direct rule from Westminster being reintroduced in place of devolution in Northern Ireland.

The region has been without a functioning executive since power-sharing at the Stormont assembly collapsed in January 2017.

With months of talks between the parties having failed to reach an agreement, there have been calls for the UK Government to restore direct rule in order to pass a budget and take key decisions.

 Theresa May: As Prime Minister of the whole of the United Kingdom, I won't let Brexit affect Northern Ireland progress

Mr Mitchell said militants could exploit the tensions to spark further violence.

There could be serious trouble ahead, he said. No society is immune from the regressive forces that are part of every problem.

While the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland dont want to return to the violence of The Troubles, there remain very small but dangerous groups who dont feel that there should have been any compromise at all, who are still willing to use violence to try to resolve their political differences.

When violence gets going it tends to drive people back into their tribal positions, and so I dont think anyone can say with absolute confidence that there will never be a return to violence. We have to keep that in mind at all times.

Mr Mitchell will be travelling from the US to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next month but said the celebrations felt hollow given the current state of politics in Northern Ireland.

He said that, while the problems now are not comparable to The Troubles, the current situation is very serious and it could become worse.

Northern Irish leaders should recognise this as a dangerous signal  and act before there is a regression, he added.Britain's "utterly failing" drug laws must be overhauled to help curb the number of inmates in overcrowded prisons, the Green Party will say, as party activists battled through harsh weather conditions to attend its spring conference in Bournemouth.

Caroline Lucas, the party's co-leader, is leading calls for a review of the ban on illegal drug use in an effort to reduce the numbers of prisoners thrown into jail for minor thefts to fund their drug habits.

Drug-related offences account for about 15 per cent of prisoners, official figures show, while many offenders can be drawn into using more serious substances while behind bars.

Britain has the highest incarceration rate in Western Europe - with around 84,000 people in prison - while overcrowding heaps pressure on jails grappling with a toxic cocktail of drugs, violence and self-harm among inmates.

Official figures from the Ministry of Justice recently revealed that 28,165 assaults were recorded in the year up to September 2017, which is the highest level since record began in 1978.

Ahead of the conference, Ms Lucas told The Independent: All the evidence shows that the current drug law regime is utterly failing.

"For many years now we have treated a public health crisis by criminalizing users, whilst allowing the criminal underworld to make vast amounts of money from the supply of drugs - its time for that to change.

"An impact assessment of the Misuse of Drugs Act would allow future drugs policy to prioritise reducing drug related harms, including the immediate and long term effects of locking up people who need treatment.

"It would also lay the groundwork for moving away from the free for all that is prohibition and towards the safety of regulation instead."

The Brighton and Hove MP also called for non-violent offenders to have greater opportunities for rehabilitation in the community, as 71 per cent of inmates are behind bars for non-violent crime.

As Storm Emma and a freezing Siberian weather system combined to wreck havoc on Britain's roads, some early conference events were cancelled and others postponed. Ms Lucas thanked party staff caught up in travel difficulties for "persevering".

If all goes ahead as planned, co-leader Jonathan Bartley was due to give a speech on Saturday where he will say: The Green Party is prepared to say what most people know is common sense  that we should change our drug laws so they are based on the evidence not on moralising, and radically reduce the prison population in the process.

"We should be very clear about this - our aim as a society should be to have fewer people locked up, not more.

Campaigners welcomed the move but said drug reform was only one of a number of vital measures needed to reduce the number of people behind bars.

Andrew Neilson, director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, told The Independent: "The broad understanding is that criminalising drugs isn't working.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA

"We are in the practice of sending people to prisons, which are often full of drugs, and people can enter prison without any drug issues or as users of less harmful drugs and become addicted in prison.

"How dramatically it would reduce prison numbers remains to be seen...but broadly, we would welcome the commitment to reduce prison numbers and this is the sort of policy we have to look at to help bring numbers down."

Martin Powell, Head of Campaigns and Communications at drugs charity Transform, said: "Criminalisation creates crime, criminals and a vast illegal market, whereas legalising and regulating drugs would take the market out of criminal hands, and put it under the control of doctors, pharmacists and licensed outlets.

"The Misuse of Drugs Act has caused vast harms for nearly fifty years. It is high time to put in place drug policy that improves health and safety, especially for some of the UK's most vulnerable people."

The recently-appointed Justice Secretary David Gauke has vowed to get a grip on the challenges facing jails, and is expected to deliver a major speech on the future of prisons.Labour activists campaigning against antisemitism in the party have hit out at officials for failing to deal with allegations.

Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS) said the partys compliance unit, which handles claims of wrongdoing by members, was in total disarray.

The group claimed antisemitism is becoming institutionalised in Labour and called for immediate and decisive action to address the issue.

Labour has been blighted by allegations of antisemitism in recent months, despite the party insisting it takes a no-tolerance approach to all forms of racism.

In some cases disciplinary hearings have been delayed for more than a year, while Jewish activists have also voiced concern that in others people have been let off lightly or allowed back into the party.

LAAS said the problem has got worse since the resignation of Iain McNicol as Labours general secretary earlier this month, despite the fact he is continuing in the role until a successor is chosen.

The group says it has reported thousands of cases of alleged antisemtism and bullying in the last year, the vast majority of which took place on social media.

But it claimed the response from the partys compliance unit was often disjointed, confused and chaotic.

The unit reportedly responded to one allegation of online bullying by a Labour member by saying they had been unable to identify the person in question. LAAS said the user, who had already been suspended from the party, was clearly identifiable from their Twitter account.

The unnamed LAAS activist who reported the incident said: I couldnt believe what they were saying to us. The guy we had reported is a prominent Brighton-based activist and his suspension is very well-known, having involved several other Labour members. And compliance were saying theyd never even heard of him.

There is something wrong in Labours compliance unit if they are making these sorts of mistakes. They just arent sorting things out at all.

Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said Show all 14 1 /14 Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Israel and Palestine The simple fact in all of this is that Naz made these comments at a time when there was another brutal Israeli attack on the Palestinians; and theres one stark fact that virtually no one in the British media ever reports, in almost all these conflicts the death toll is usually between 60 and 100 Palestinians killed for every Israeli. Now, any other country doing that would be accused of war crimes but its like we have a double standard about the policies of the Israeli government Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Antisemitism in the Labour Party As Ive said, Ive never heard anybody say anything antisemitism-Semitic, but theres been a very well-orchestrated campaign by the Israel lobby to smear anybody who criticises Israeli policy as antisemitic. I had to put up with 35 years of this Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Naz Shah Its completely over-the-top and rude, but who am I to denounce anyone with all of that. It was wrong. I dont think she is antisemitic, it was incredibly rude but I dont believe she is an antisemite. When the NEC investigation is finished they'll say it was rude and over the top but they wont find any evidence that she actually hates Jews. Weve got to investigate all these charges and the context in which they are made. If she is antisemitic like the other three or four members weve found who are antisemitic, shell be expelled Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On other alleged antisemites in Labour That is part of the classic antisemitic thing about an international Jewish conspiracy  that is the reason we need to have an investigation. Ive got an open mind. Ive seen nothing to suggest to me that she is antisemitic. I wouldnt have supported her if I [thought] she was antisemitic Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On whether what Hitler did was legal, as stated by Naz Shah Thats a statement of fact  Hitler, Im sure, passed all those laws that allowed him to do that  its history  literally, Hitler was completely mad, he killed six million Jews. Shes not saying its legal to kill six million Jews: what they were doing in that country allowed them not just to kill six million Jews, kill all the communists, kill all the leftists like me, my father almost died when a Nazi sub sank his boat. I have no sympathy with Hitler Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On another alleged antisemite in Labour No, that is, and thats why shes been suspended or expelled. What Ive said is that in 47 years of the party in all the meetings Ive been in Ive never heard anyone say anything antisemitic. There are bound to be in a party of half a million people youll have a handful of antisemites, youll have a handful of racists. Youve managed to dig out virtually every antisemitic comment that Labour members have made out of half a million people. Ive never met any of these people. Theres not a problem. Youre talking about a handful of people in a party of half a million people. Jeremy Corbyn has moved rapidly to deal with them Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On Jeremy Corbyns response to the allegations He met with Naz and she agreed she would stand down while the investigation is going on. He called her in to see her. Theres been a huge investigation of virtually everything that anybody put on the internet  many of these people are quite new and recent members of the party that joined in the big influx. 300,000 new people came in Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On his meeting a man accused of antisemitism in London This is the man who called for Muslims around the world to donate blood after the attacks of 9/11 when he came to London I went with him to the Regents Park mosque where he said no man should hit a woman and you should not discriminate against homosexuals. So I cant equate what I heard him say he made no antisemitic statement while he was here in London. I dont investigate people. Ive simply said what I believe to be true which is that Naz was not antisemitic. She was completely over the top, very rude, but that does not make her an antisemite Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On John Manns comments He went completely over the top. I was actually doing a radio interview at the time that he was bellowing that Im a racist antisemite in my ear. Ive had that with John Mann before a few weeks ago screaming that I was a bigot down the phone. Im not an apologist for anyone who makes antisemitic statements. What Im saying is dont confuse antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government policy Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On calling a Jewish journalist a concentration camp guard whilst Mayor of London I cant tell if a journalist is Jewish or Catholic or anything. If a journalist is chasing you down the street at nine of clock at night you might be rude to them. Some people might have hit him! He said he was just doing his job. We went all the way to the High Court and the judge opened his judgement by saying I hope no one here is going to suggest that Mr Livingstone is antisemitic. We won the case Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On claims about Hitler and Zionism I cant tell if a journalist is Jewish or Catholic or anything. If a journalist is chasing you down the street at nine of clock at night you might be rude to them. Some people might have hit him! He said he was just doing his job. We went all the way to the High Court and the judge opened his judgement by saying I hope no one here is going to suggest that Mr Livingstone is antisemitic. We won the case Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On John Mann Id simply say to John Mann go back and check. Is what I say true, or is it not? The BBC, youve got a huge team of researchers, it will take just an hour or two to go back and confirm. I was asked a question, I answered it. I have never in 45 years since I won my first election, I have never lied. I have always answered the question Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On raising the issue if Hitler It lays you open to people smearing and lying about you. Ive always answered the questions put to me and that simple fact is weve had a handful of people saying antisemitic things in the Labour Party, theyve been suspended, some of them are on their way to being expelled, some of them have been expelled already Labour antisemitism row: What Livingstone said On people calling for him to be suspended All my usual critics  but the simple fact is I agree with them; there is no place for antisemitism in the Labour party. For them to suggest I am antisemitic is a bit bizarre considering we worked with Jewish groups and put on exhibitions about the scale of the holocaust, we worked with Jewish groups to tackling the scale of antisemitism back in the 1970s. Ive always opposed every form of racism whether its against black people or Jews. Im going to stay in the Labour party and continue to fight against all forms of racism and discrimination as I have my entire life

LAAS said other activists had received similar emails from party officials, including one which reportedly said the compliance unit had been unable to identify a person, despite them being a sitting Labour councillor.

Euan Philipps, a spokesperson for LAAS, said: Our organisation puts a lot of effort into identifying and reporting antisemitism and abuse by Labour members, and we have engaged with the compliance unit previously to ensure our reporting procedures are aligned with their disciplinary processes.

When mistakes like this happens, it does not engender confidence  in fact, it seems like the system is in total disarray.

It is vital that the next general secretary, whoever he or she is, gets a grip on this as a priority. Antisemitism is becoming institutionalised within the party structures and without immediate and decisive action the problem will continue to worsen.

 Jeremy Corbyn's campaign team tackle accusations of antisemitism

Labour MP Ruth Smeeth, who has been the subject of antisemitic abuse, told The Independent: Staff in the compliance unit are working as hard as they can with the resources they have.

I dont blame them for this. This is about political will. The Labour Party needs to allocate more resources to the compliance unit to make sure cases are being dealt with quickly and effectively.

These people have no place in our party so we need to be dealing with allegations swiftly so that they can be thrown out.

A Labour spokesperson said: This is completely untrue. The Labour Party takes all complaints of anti-Semitism extremely seriously and is committed to challenging it in all its forms.

"Any complaints of anti-Semitism are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures and action taken, including all complaints made by Labour Against Antisemitism.

Labour sources said more than half the complaints sent by LAAS related to people who were not Labour members. LAAS said this suggestion was completely untrue and that it is careful to always provide supporting evidence.

The latest claims come days after LAAS suggested Unite official Jennie Formby, one of the frontrunners to succeed Mr McNicol, may have acted with antisemitic intent. It pointed to allegations she had objected to a 2016 inquiry into antisemitism being carried out by Baroness Royall on the grounds that the Labour peer was a member of the Labour Friends of Israel group.

In response, Unite released a strongly worded statement calling the accusation a malicious smear. Ms Formby is currently the unions south-east regional secretary and was previously its political director.

The statement said: Jennie Formby voted for Ms Jan Royalls appointment, and argued for her inquiry to be properly resourced by the party.

Ms Formby is a lifelong opponent of antisemitism and all forms of racism. LAASs smears have no place in Labours democracy or political culture.Theresa May avoided giving a yes or no answer when she was asked whether Brexit was worth it.

In a question-and-answer session after her major speech setting out her Brexit priorities for Brussels, a European journalist asked the Prime Minister whether it was worth the effort - meaning the divisions, arguments and worry it is giving her and her Government.

The Prime Minister first grimaced as though unsure how to reply, then gave a slightly nervous laugh, before saying: If that's an attempt to ask whether we will think again on Brexit, the answer is no, we won't think again on Brexit.

It was incumbent on politicians to deliver on the decision of the British people to leave the EU, she added.

In her speech at Mansion House in London, Mrs May warned EU chiefs that refusing to include financial services in a trade deal after Brexit would hurt its own economies.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty UK news in pictures 28 July 2021 Canoers on Llyn Padarn lake in Snowdonia, Gwynedd. It was announced that the north-west Wales slate landscape has been granted UNESCO World Heritage Status PA

She insisted that many countries with trade deals with the EU have some degree of access to the EU single market and that it was not cherry-picking for the UK to seek the same. If this is cherry-picking, then so is every negotiation, she said.

Mrs May also revealed Britain would be willing to pay to remain part of a series of European agencies relating to medicines, chemicals and aviation after the UKs exit from the EUA tweet from the US Department of Defense of an US Air Force gunship has been met with criticism on social media.

The tweet included a video of AC-130 gunship aircraft nicknamed the Angel of Death.

It has been shared more than 4,000 times and shows the plane, a converted Hercules cargo aircraft, unleashing anti-missile flares which are intended to confuse heat-seeking projectiles.

They burn at more than 500C and the pattern that emerges resembles a pair of wings.

Her-cu-les, Her-cu-les! You dont want to be on the receiving end of this gunship, aka the Angel of Death, the US Department of Defence tweeted, a line from the 1996 movie The Nutty Professor.

The US Air Force has been using the gunship for 50 years to provide armed reconnaissance and close support to ground troops.

Critics on social media said it was called the Angel of Death because it murders people.

Twitter user Zach Carter added: The Angel of Death was used to flatten most of Indochina, killing millions of people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The blood lust of the US military is disgusting.

No other marvel of engineering could have mowed down as many doctors, another user said. A third added: Good thing were bankrupting America on stuff like this.BlackRock, the worlds largest money manager, will offer its clients the ability to opt out of investing in gun manufacturers in the wake of the deadly Florida high school shooting.

The firm, which manages close to $6 trillion (4.3 trillion) in assets, said on Friday the attack had driven home the terrible toll from gun violence in America.

"We believe that this event requires response and action from a wide range of entities across both the public and private sectors, it added in a statement.

It has put a spotlight on the role of companies that manufacture and distribute civilian firearms.

The fund manager has posed a series of safety-related questions to firearms producers and threatened to vote against directors at firms it holds a major stake in to enforce change if needed.

BlackRock said its clients will also be offered the opportunity to avoid investing in gun makers.

Our responsibility to engage and vote is more important than ever, said chief executive Larry Fink in a letter to companies in which BlackRock invests.

To prosper over time, companies must benefit all of their stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers and the communities in which they operate.

The US financial sector has been under pressure to examine its dealings with the firearms industry after the Valentines Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which left 17 people dead.

The suspected gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, has been charged with carrying out the attack  one of the deadliest in US history.

Florida shooting  in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Florida shooting  in pictures Florida shooting  in pictures Police arrest a suspect in connection with the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida Reuters Florida shooting  in pictures Parents wait for news after reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida AP Florida shooting  in pictures Anxious family members wait for news of students AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee Florida shooting  in pictures Students being evacuated from the school AP Florida shooting  in pictures Students being evacuated from the school Getty Florida shooting  in pictures People gather waiting for word from students AP Florida shooting  in pictures Parents waiting for news on their children AP Florida shooting  in pictures People gather at a hotel where students were taken after the shooting Getty Florida shooting  in pictures Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks to the media as he visits Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the shooting AFP/Getty Florida shooting  in pictures Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, Medical Director Trauma, left, and Dr. Evan Boyer, Medical Director, Emergency Services, speak about treating victims and the suspect at a press conference outside Broward Health North hospital AP

Despite BlackRocks overtures, it has stopped short of saying it will commit to an outright ban on investment in gun manufacturers.

It is the largest shareholder in publicly traded firearms companies American Outdoor Brands and Sturm Ruger, and holds a sizeable stake in a third, Vista Outdoor.

However, it says this investment represents just 0.01 per cent of its total assets.

BlackRock's move came days after US retailer Dicks Sporting Goods, of which it is the largest single investor, announced it would stop selling assault rifles and end gun sales to people under the age of 21.Two British tourists have been shot in a Brazilian city as muggers riding a motorcycle tried to snatch their belongings.

Police said the two men, who are brothers aged 20 and 26, were attacked while walking back to their hotel in the northeastern city of Porto Seguro on Friday.

The victims told investigators two people riding a motorcycle approached them and tried to take their backpack.

Recommended 14 people shot dead after gunmen storm party in Brazil

When one of the brothers refused to hand over his bag, the assailants opened fire on them.

One received a fractured finger after being shot in the hand, while the other was hit twice in the arm, causing a broken bone.

The victims, who are yet to be named, were taken by paramedics to the Luis Eduardo Magalhaes Hospital, where they are said to be in a stable condition.

Police have not identified the perpetrators of the shooting.

Brazilian television network Globo said the incident was being investigated by Porto Seguros Tourist Protection Office.

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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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. 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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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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The city is located in the south of the state of Bahia, around 500 miles from Rio de Janeiro.

Bahia has one of the highest violent crime rates in Brazil, although Porto Seguro has begun to establish itself in recent years as a tourist destination.The committee tasked with picking winners of the Nobel Peace Prize says two nominations it received for Donald Trump to be handed the honour were both forged.

Olav Njolstad, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told the NTB news agency someone using a stolen identity had put the US President forward for the award two years in a row.

Mr Njolstad said it appeared the same person had been responsible for forging both nominations and added Norwegian police had been informed.

"Every year, we get lots of invalid nominations, but these are nominations that are not valid because those who nominate are not qualified to do so", he told NTB.

"As far as I know, this is the first example of someone nominating someone by stealing another person's identity."

Norwegian police have made contact with the FBI for assistance with the investigation, Rune Skjold of Oslo police forces economic crimes unit told German press agency DPA.

He added that forging documents was punishable with prison time in Norway.

Each year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee invites anyone from a qualifying field, including members of government, university professors and former recipients to submit nominations for the prize.

The committee keeps the names of those shortlisted secret for 50 years, although nominees can go public with their candidates name if they wish.

Three US Presidents have received the Nobel Peace Prize, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Jimmy Carter in 2002 and Barack Obama in 2009 less than a year after he had taken office.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Last years award was given to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

In January, Henrik Urdal, manager of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, told the Associated Press Mr Trump had received one legitimate nomination for the 2018 prize.

Mr Urdal said the selection had come from "an American player with the right to nominate a candidate.

However, he declined to name the nominee and said the recommendation to award Mr Trump the honour "still lacks a strong academic justification.

Additional reporting by APDonald Trumps plan to impose taxes of up to 25 per cent on imports of steel and aluminium would damage the US economy as well as America's trading partners around the world, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

The financial organisation said the import restrictions could lead to other countries imposing similar tariffs for reasons of national security.

The import restrictions announced by the US President are likely to cause damage not only outside the US, but also to the US economy itself, including to its manufacturing and construction sectors, which are major users of aluminium and steel, said IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice.

We are concerned that the measures proposed by the US will, de facto, expand the circumstances where countries use the national-security rationale to justify broad-based import restrictions.

We encourage the US and its trading partners to work constructively together to reduce trade barriers and to resolve trade disagreements without resort to such emergency measures.

Canada and the EU have already vowed to introduce their own countermeasures and Mexico, China and Brazil said they were also considering retaliation.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told German television that the EU will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, bourbon and blue jeans.

The Swedish company Electrolux has already delayed a $250m investment in the US state of Tennessee because of the tariffs.

China's Commerce Ministry said Trump's plan would "seriously damage multilateral trade mechanisms represented by the World Trade Organisation and will surely have huge impact on normal international trade order."

But the US President defended the proposals to impose duties of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium as early as next week by tweeting that trade wars are good, and easy to win.

He said: We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DONT HAVE STEEL, YOU DONT HAVE A COUNTRY.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) describes itself as an organisation of 189 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.Bomb-sniffing dogs were mistreated by the US Army after returning from duty in Afghanistan, according to an official report.

The canines which saved countless lives between 2010 and 2014 were not given proper care and attention, left in kennels for nearly a year and possibly even put down.

Several dogs had to be rescued by the soldiers they served with during Operation Enduring Freedom.

There was also no screening of people who offered to adopt the animals, according to a report from the US Department of Defenses Inspector General.

The Army allowed one dog described as having canine PTSD and another which may have received bite training to go to families with children.

Staff members described the adoption process as "organised chaos" and that some people interested in adoption were not capable of handling these types of dogs.

Thirteen animals were left at a kennel in Virginia by a private company for over a year before the US War Dogs Association and Mission K9 Rescue charities intervened to reunite them with former handlers.

The Tactical Explosive Detection Dog (TEDD) program was set up in 2010 to train and field dogs to detect Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

When the contract ended in February 2014 the Army should have evaluated the dogs and "disposed" of them according to regulations.

An investigation was launched after soldiers complained about the fate of their dogs.

The report by the Inspector General found that of the 232 dogs discharged by the Army, 27 were transferred to Law Enforcement Agencies, five to Federal agencies, three to military units, 13 to a private company and seven to civilians.

We found that Department of Defence policy did not prioritise applications for transfer or adoption of TEDDs, said the Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

The Secretary of the Air Force, as the Executive Agent for the military working dog (MWD) program, did not provide sufficient management and oversight of the Armys plan and process to dispose of its TEDDs.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The Department of the Army did not allot sufficient time to dispose of TEDDs when the program ended. As a result, the Armys Office of the Provost Marshal General did not ensure accuracy in the tracking of some TEDDs through final disposition.

The OIG recommended that the Secretary of the Army ensure unit commanders enforce the army regulations for military working dogs.The bomb cyclone storm lashing the north-east United States left at least six people dead and cut power to more than 1.8 million homes and business as it slowly moved offshore.

Trees brought down on houses by winds of up to 90mph killed two boys aged six and 11 in separate incidents in Putnam Valley, New York, and Chester, Virginia.

The younger of the two boys was identified locally as Anthony Hamilton, and described as having the biggest heart of any six-year-old youll ever meet, after he was fatally injured while sleeping in the top bunk at his familys mobile home.

Two motorists were crushed in their vehicles by falling trees on Route 15 near Stamford in Connecticut and Newport, Rhode Island.

A 77 year-old woman was also killed by a large tree branch felled by strong winds as she checked her mail in Kingsville, Maryland.

The National Weather Service in Boston reported wind gusts as high as 93mph, rainfall of up 5.76 inches and snowfall of up to 12 inches in different parts of Massachusetts.

The winds are predicted to ease up over the weekend, and the rain and snow are expected to come to an end later this morning  but major flooding is still expected with the midday high tide.

Jim Hayes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Centre, said Eastern Massachusetts and Boston could still experience a significant coastal flood event.

Cars were submerged by waters in Quincy, Massachusetts, on Friday and police had to rescue people trapped in their vehicles.

More than 2,800 flights were cancelled and LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill.

President Donald Trump, who travelled to North Carolina for the funeral of the preacher Rev Billy Graham, was forced to fly out of Dulles instead of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is housed, because of high winds.

Amtrak suspended service along the Northeast Corridor, from Washington to Boston.

The governors of Maryland and Virginia declared states of emergency due to the conditions.

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

This is one of the more extreme storms in recent memory in terms of coastal flooding and damaging wind potential along the coast, but also includes heavy wet snow and heavy rain as important factors, said the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

The storm is considered a noreaster  which occurs when the atmospheric pressure of the storm drops below 24 millibars in 24 hours. It is the second such major storm to hit the east coast this year.Instability risks being the real winner of Sunday's general election in Italy. An explosive mix of political turmoil, voter indecision and procedural complications is likely to leave the eurozones third-largest economy weakened by the time the dust has settled and the result announced.

Most polls opened at 7am local time (6am GMT) and Italians have started registering their votes, although there were some administrative hiccups. Some polling stations remained closed in Palermo hours into election day because the wrong ballots were delivered and 200,000 new ones had to be reprinted overnight.

Booths will close at 11pm, with exit polls expected on the hour and then projected results some time after that. But the latest opinion polls before Sunday's vote suggested there is no guarantee that the long day will produce an overwhelming victory for any party.

Three main groupings outside the political mainstream are competing for a grip on power: extreme-right Eurosceptic populist parties such as Matteo Salvinis Northern League and Giorgia Melonis Italian Brothers; the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by 31-year-old Luigi Di Maio; and the revival of openly fascist parties such as Forza Nuova and CasaPound. Paradoxically, the result of this split could be the return to political life of the old TV tycoon and EU-friendly moderate Silvio Berlusconi.

And to make matters more confusing, the new electoral system is partly first-past-the post and partly proportional, and doesnt provide any majority bonus prize to the biggest party. It leaves a fragmented outcome almost inevitable.

Opinion polls may not predict a final overwhelming winner, but they all agree the most likely loser to be the left wing. Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister of the incumbent caretaker government, is the frontrunner of a centre-left coalition together with Matteo Renzi, leader of the Democratic Party, who himself served as Prime Minister before a disastrous attempt at constitutional reform failed in a referendum and led to his resignation.

Despite Italys slow economic recovery and DPs stunning victory at the European elections in 2014, Renzis pro-EU party is beset by division and decline, with a new left-wing party Leu (Liberi e Uguali, Free and Equal) opting to split away. Surveys suggest that DPs electoral support has decreased to the point that the centre left is rated to be the least popular coalition, with about 24-26 per cent of the vote.

So who is going to win? No one ever trusts polls to be prophetic, and neither do I, said Ilvo Diamanti, a leading Italian polling expert and professor of political science at the University of Urbino.

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 key factor is voters indecision. A few hours before the vote, a large number of eligible voters  about 15 per cent  still dont know if they will express their disillusion by abstaining or through a protest vote. If they choose to protest, then the anti-establishment Five Star Movement will take advantage of dissatisfaction. The Eurosceptic, anti-immigrant 5SM is rated to be the single biggest party, with about 28 per cent. This doesnt give it a majority for governing, but it also isnt good news for Brussels: EU officials would likely prefer to see victory for a moderate centre-left/centre-right grosse coalition.

And thats where Silvio comes in: despite being banned from office over a corruption conviction, Berlusconi turns out to be a crucial player again. His centre-right coalition is likely to win the most votes, the latest polls suggest. That means his Forza Italia, despite polling at around 16 per cent, could effectively lead the country with the Cavaliere of Italian politics as party president and his pick  European Parliament President Antonio Tajani - as prime minister.

Something entirely different will happen if the extreme right gets more votes. With Salvinis Northern League polling at 13 per cent and the eastern European-leaning Italian Brothers on 5 per cent, an anti-immigrant sentiment and a harsh Eurosceptic attitude could end up playing an effective role.

But theres a good chance that no one will gain an absolute majority. On Monday, there will be a final result; but the scenario could be clarified only weeks later. It will then fall to President Sergio Mattarella to pick a figure for exploratory talks. Tricky negotiations will inevitably follow.Police in Slovakia have released seven people detained in connection with the killing of a journalist, who was investigating the mafia, and his fiancee.

Their release came on the day mourners gathered to remember Jan Kuciak at his funeral and vowed to keep the spirit of his work alive.

The men were arrested on Thursday when police raided homes allegedly linked to members of an Italian crime syndicate.

The journalist and his partner Martina Kusnirova were found shot dead at home last Sunday. Mr Kuciak was working on a story revealing the influence of the Italian mafia in Slovakia and its alleged ties to people close to the Prime Minister, Robert Fico.

His article was published posthumously on the website he worked for, Aktuality.sk.

A police statement said the seven suspects, ranging in age from 26 to 62, were released because no evidence had emerged during the 48 hours they can be legally detained.

A funeral mass for Mr Kuciak was held at the church of St Francis of Assisi in the town of Stiavnik in western Slovakia. His parents, friends and fellow journalists packed the aisles.

Archbishop of Bratislava Stanislav Zvolensky, who led the funeral mass, said: If the murderer wanted to silence Jan, he managed quite the opposite. Theres not a single person who wouldnt know what happened.

The archbishop added: Evil wont win, even if it might seem so now.

Slovakia says farewell to Jan Kuciak at his funeral today (Getty)

On Friday, thousands of protesters braved icy weather to stage vigils across the country and abroad, including in London, Paris and Brussels.

In the Slovak capital Bratislava, among the 20,000 protesters, some carried photographs of Mr Kuciak and Ms Kusnirova, along with a banner reading: An attack on journalists is an attack on all of us.

The Slovak President, Andrej Kiska, joined the event where a minutes silence was held.

An Italian former anti-mafia prosecutor has said Italian prosecutors warned Slovak authorities of dangerous infiltration into the country by a powerful Italian organised crime syndicate, the Ndrangheta.

Franco Roberti told Italian radio: We warned authorities in Bratislava, but unfortunately they didnt heed us.

Mr Roberti said the Ndrangheta, based in southern Italy, might have killed the journalist and his fiancee because there was no other way to silence him.

Mr Fico has put up a million-euro (900,000) reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer.

The FBI, Scotland Yard and Europol are helping Slovak police with the investigation.Turkish forces have hit pro-Syrian government troops in the countrys north-western Afrin region, killing at least 36 people.

The strike targeted a camp in Kafr Jina on Saturday, the third time in 48 hours Turkish warplanes launched attacks on pro-government forces in Afrin, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Pro-Syrian government forces entered Afrin last week in support of the Kurdish YPG militia, who are the target of a campaign, launched by Turkey and allied Syrian rebel fighters in January, codenamed Operation Olive Branch.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a YPG-led militia alliance, said in a statement that Turkish airstrikes had targeted positions held by the Syrian armys popular forces in a five-hour barrage.

The SDF did not say where, or give a death toll, but the Observatory said at least 36 people had been killed.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said his countrys forces had captured the town of Rajo from militants.

The Observatory said the Turkish army was in control of about 70 per cent of the town, roughly 16 miles northwest of Afrin city.

It estimates more than 300 fighters on all sides of the conflict have been killed since the Turkish operation launched in Afrin at the beginning of the year.

In a statement, the SDF said a group of Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions had infiltrated Rajo, where it said clashes were continuing between SDF forces and the rebels.

Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution Show all 10 1 /10 Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution The reconstructed Khaled Bin al-Waleed Mosque is framed by a damaged building, in the old city of Homs AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution Sumaya Bairuty, 38, an English-language teacher who works in the capital Damascus, speaks with The Associated Press while as she walks to her parents house in the war-damaged Bab Dreib neighborhood of Homs AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution Bairuty walks to her parents house AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution A family that returned to live in their apartment inside a heavily damaged building hang their carpets in the sun AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution A car drives through a devastated part of the old city AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution A pigeon keeper watches his pigeons fly from the roof of his home AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution Two people carry goods on a bicycle in the war-damaged neighborhood AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution Children play football in the street AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution It has been almost four years since the last rebels and civilians withdrew from the remaining strongholds in the ancient heart of Homs in Syria AP Inside Syria's obliterated capital of the revolution A man rides his bicycle past a banner showing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad AP

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a three-decade insurgency in Turkey.

It is judged to be a terrorist group by the Turkish government, the United States and the European Union.

However, the YPG has also served as an important ally for the United States in the fight against Islamic State.

Additional reporting by ReutersTravellers to, from and within the UK face a fifth day of severe disruption due to extreme wintry weather.

After close to 1,000 flights were cancelled on Friday, several hundred more have been grounded on Saturday. Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow are experiencing significant cancellations. After easyJet cancelled around 300 UK flights on Friday, another 66 are grounded today  about half of them to or from Bristol. Many ski flights to Geneva are among the cancellations.

Flybe has grounded all flights to and from Cardiff, and cancelled dozens more.

Almost all flights serving London City were cancelled, though some inbound flights were diverted to nearby Southend.

The UKs busiest airport, Heathrow, is getting back to normal after severe disruption on Friday. Despite the airport ordering the cancellation of around 300 flights in a bid to minimise delays on surviving services, planes were departing well after midnight.

One Saturday, only a few dozen flights have been cancelled, including three British Airways round-trips to New York JFK, and both Philadelphia flights; the north-east US has been suffering from atrocious weather.

The Heathrow Express rail link is operating a reduced service, and the cheaper, slower Heathrow Connect service is not running.

Just after 6am, the first flight to arrive at Dublin for nearly two days touched down. The Qatar Airways flight from Doha was followed by several Aer Lingus transatlantic flights, but dozens of departures between the Irish capital and the UK are cancelled for the day. Almost all services to and from Cork airport were cancelled, though some arrivals were diverted to Shannon.

Gibraltar airport is closed following a rockfall which damaged equipment at the airport. Flights are being diverted to Malaga.

With planes and crews out of position, many flights are being heavily delayed. British Airways passengers in Faro spent the night in Portugal; their flight to Gatwick is 13 hours late. A TUI flight from Barbados to Birmingham was diverted to Manchester in the early hours of the morning. And TUI passengers in Goa in India are enjoying an extended holiday after the overnight flight from Manchester was delayed by 19 hours.

An estimated 75,000 British travellers are stranded at airports from Shannon to Shanghai after their flights were cancelled. While rescue flights are being laid on for package holidaymakers whose homeward charters were cancelled, other passengers must try to get seats on other flights.

As a result, it could take a week for everyone to get where they need to be. The typical Ryanair or easyJet flight has only eight empty seats; with so many flights being cancelled, there is little slack in the system.

If an airline cannot provide passengers whose flights have been cancelled a seat within a reasonable time  typically two days  European passengers rights rules stipulate that it must look for seats on a different airline.

Because the root of the problem is adverse weather, passengers whose flights are cancelled or heavily delayed by bad weather are not entitled to cash compensation. But the cancelling airline has a duty of care to provide meals and, if necessary, overnight accommodation to stranded travellers.

After four days of no Anglo-Scottish trains, a passenger service successfully crossed the border. Despite what Virgin Trains East Coast called significant snow drifts and high winds, a train left Edinburgh Waverley station at 1.09pm. It called at Dunbar on schedule, but once in England it was forced to slow down. It eventually arrived in Newcastle about 50 minutes late.

Bad weather is also affecting the west coast link from Glasgow to Carlisle. Network Rail snowploughs have encountered snow drifts 10 feet deep.

ScotRail aims to operate on most other main routes. However, icicles on the overhead wires between Glasgow and Wemyss Bay have interrupted services. The Borders Railway and the far north line from Inverness will remain suspended until we are able to clear the drifting snow and check that the routes are safe for passenger trains.

In northern England, most lines across the Pennines are closed. The train operator Northern is telling passengers: Only travel if absolutely necessary and check your journey beforehand. Some Virgin Trains East Coast and CrossCountry services south from Newcastle and Leeds are cancelled. On the west coast main line, Virgin Trains has lifted all ticket restrictions for the day.

On East Midlands Trains, there is a reduced service from London to Sheffield, and no trains to Skegness for a fifth day.

On Greater Anglia, branch lines in Norfolk and Suffolk remain closed, while the main lines from London to Southend and to Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich are closed because of pre-planned engineering work.

In Wales, Arriva Trains is telling passengers in the southern half of the country: Only consider travel if absolutely essential. Be aware that Do not travel notices may be issued at very short notice.

The Oxford to Worcester route across the Cotswolds is cancelled, and disruption is widespread in the south of England.

The Great Western line from London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance was temporarily blocked south-west of Exeter because of flooding at Dawlish. The line was closed in 2014 for two months after storm damage.

On South Western Railway, nothing is running from London Waterloo further south-west than Bournemouth or Salisbury, and the line to Portsmouth is interrupted at Petersfield in Hampshire by planned engineering work.

Eurostar has cancelled two round-trips from London St Pancras to Paris on Saturday, and one return journey on Sunday.

Irish Sea ferries are delayed or cancelled, with only three of the five Holyhead-Dublin ferries running, with delays of five or six hours.

Stena Line has a similar story, and has cancelled one Fishguard-Rosslare round trip.Is it too much to ask for a little professionalism from the White House? I actually caught myself marvelling the other day at some natty name cards that had been set down before steel manufacturing executives as they sat around a table watching Donald Trump announce job-saving import tariffs. There is someone in the West Wing who knows how to work the printer!

Recall that when these warriors of heavy industry arrived in town, no one had a clue how their day would end. Trump wanted to use the occasion to unveil tariffs on foreign competitors in the steel market, but just hours earlier even officials in the White House couldnt say whether hed actually do it. With planning like that, spelling a few names right was a minor miracle.

We know what happened. Trump insisted trade wars are good and easy to win. But its how the asylum is being run that concerns me. How does a president announce protectionist trade measures without being able to say what they actually are? Nothing was down on paper when he sent markets plunging. Maybe next week hell reverse course. You know he might.

When the boss behaves with such fecklessness, hed better have grown-ups nearby. As Chief of Staff, John Kelly was meant to bring some military discipline to bear, but then along came Rob Porter, the Staff Secretary whom Kelly defended even after two ex-wives accused him of abuse. He did finally fire Porter, who was dating Hope Hicks. She had the Presidents ear like no one else but had zero governing experience. Shes leaving too now.

But for conduct unprofessional, nothing beats the continuing presence at 1,600 Pennsylvania Avenue of Javanka. It was clear always that there should be no place there for either Ivanka Trump, the Presidents daughter, or for her husband, Jared Kushner. Congress passed an anti-nepotism law in government back in the late Sixties for good reason. Nepotism never ends well.

 Jared Kushner: Trump is still yet to make decision on recognising Jerusalem as Israel capital

Maybe the end is nigh for these two though, and none too soon. So deafening is the criticism of both of them now that even Trump is said to have privately conceded in recent days he might be better off without them. There are two train seats to New York with their names on them.

First there was Ivanka travelling to South Korea to represent him at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics and, while there, to share his latest plans for tough sanctions on North Korea with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Really? Few riddles are more urgent than the nuclear threat from Pyongyang, but was she really the right person to help untangle it?

Then came the embarrassment of an interview with NBC News when the correspondent asked her to comment on the #MeToo movement and the allegations of sexual impropriety hovering over her father. I dont think thats a question you would ask many other daughters, she replied. Im his daughter. There it was, right there. Ivanka had seemingly forgotten that by accepting a desk in the West Wing she had agreed to be precisely more than that, to be a public servant. She was trying to hide behind what is precisely the problem with her being there.

Kushners star dims by the hour. Last week, he suffered a downgrading of his security clearance. It was a humiliating blow that called into question his continuing usefulness. Among his portfolios is ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. That always seemed a stretch but all the more so now that he is denied access even to the Presidents daily intelligence briefings.

The problem with Kushner is the intersection of his current job and his familys sprawling property development business. He is meant to have severed his relationship with the latter, but there are growing doubts about that. And it is an area which, according to several reports, is drawing intense scrutiny from Robert Mueller, whose investigation into possible collusion of the Trump campaign with Russia is clearly getting wider in scope.

The day he was downgraded also saw reports from various media outlets  and this, we learn, was especially unnerving to his father-in-law  that representatives from at least three foreign countries, including Israel, had openly discussed how they might exploit Kushners conflicting loyalties to business and the country to try to seek some diplomatic advantage over the United States. They saw him, in fact, as a potentially useful weak link inside the West Wing.

Whether any nation actually acted on this instinct we do not yet know. But evidence of double-dealing by Kushner himself may be mounting. That includes reports that executives from two entities, Citigroup and private equity firm Apollo, had visited Kushner in the White House before making large loans to his familys business. On Friday, meanwhile, the Intercept reported attempts made by his father to access financing from the rulers of Qatar, that ended in failure. Weeks later, the White House sided with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in their blockade of Qatar. NBC News reports that Qatar believes the two things were hardly unconnected. We will have to see. But you see why they might think so.

 Ivanka Trump asked if she believes her father's sexual misconduct accusers: 'I think it's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter'

On the one hand, Three-Wheels-On-My-Wagon Trump must find a way to stabilise his inner circle. The West Wing exodus is starting to get embarrassing. But before he can hope to restore credibility to his fumbling administration he has to give marching orders to two more people, however personally awkward that may be for him. You know who they are.It was billed as the moment when Theresa May finally stopped stopped pretending that the Government could have its Brexit cake and eat it. True, her 53-minute speech at Londons Mansion House included a welcome if belated recognition that some painful compromises lie ahead.

A Prime Minister noted for obfuscation promised to be straight with people: the UK cannot enjoy the benefits of EU membership after Brexit without the obligations. There were hard facts and choices to be faced, and no one will get everything they want. That message applied to both sides in the Conservative Partys civil war on Europe, as well as to the UK and EU.

Hardline Brexiteers will be more worried about the speech than the partys pro-Europeans. Significantly, May said she would not be buffeted by demands to threaten a walkout  a rejection of the approach favoured by Eurosceptics who prefer no deal and all the economic risks that would involve. Answering questions after her speech, she said she still believed no deal is better than a bad deal but merely paid lip service to the idea. This was a prime minister who wants an agreement, and is finally prepared for ups and downs in the coming months to get one.

Although May demanded less cake than previously, she still wants some. Her conciliatory tone will be welcomed in Brussels, but what detail she provided will not be. The Prime Minister denied the EUs charge of cherry-picking, insisting the label applied to any free trade agreement. She went on to pick several cherries, even though a sector-by-sector approach to market access has long been ruled out by the EU. So much for her telling the EU that we understand your principles.

Similarly, Brussels will not welcome her bottom line: that Parliament will have the right to diverge from EU rules in future, a demand made by Brexiteers as part of the Cabinets fragile truce.

 Theresa May scoffs at question of whether Brexit is worth all this trouble

There were examples of a close economic partnership after Brexit, but on the UKs terms  mutual recognition of standards, no race to the bottom on regulation and sticking to EU rules on state aid to industry and competition. May wants associate membership of EU agencies covering chemicals, medicines, aerospace and aviation, but did not concede that the UK would have to accept the European Court of Justices rulings in these areas. She will probably have to do so in the talks, diluting one of her red lines, even though hardline Brexiteers will not like it. She is getting there in baby steps, while insisting that ECJ jurisdiction will end.

The Prime Ministers five tests for an EU deal offered little insight. If you say the opposite  for example, we will NOT protect peoples jobs and security  you can see the tests are motherhood and apple pie.

The welcome outbreak of realism was in part a recognition of the parliamentary arithmetic  symbolised by Jeremy Corbyns decision this week to support a customs union with the EU, which creates a Commons majority for one. However, May talked about a customs agreement and arrangement, which is unlikely to satisfy pro-EU Tories, and so the Government still faces a humiliating Commons defeat on the issue.

Despite this weeks bitter dispute with Brussels over Northern Ireland, May offered no new solutions to avoiding a hard border with Ireland, merely reiterating those already dismissed as magical thinking by Brussels. UK ministers hope to delay discussion until the last lap of the negotiations, in the hope that something turns up in the trade talks. But the EU may be less willing to rely on Mr Micawber.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty UK news in pictures 5 August 2021 A protester places flowers on a photograph of an executed man during a demonstration organised by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) to protest against the inauguration of Iran's new president Ebrahim Raisi in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 4 August 2021 England's Joe Root looks on as India's KL Rahul doesn't make it to a catch during day one of Cinch First Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham PA UK news in pictures 3 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny and Jason Kenny with their silver medals for the Women's Team Pursuit and Mens Team Sprint during the Track Cycling at the Izu Velodrome on the eleventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2021 Great Britains Charlotte Worthington competes during the Womens BMX Freestyle Final at the Tokyo Olympics PA UK news in pictures 1 August 2021 EPA UK news in pictures 31 July 2021 James Guy, Adam Peaty and Kathleen Dawson celebrate winning the gold medal in the mixed 4x100m medley relay final at the Tokyo Olympics AP UK news in pictures 30 July 2021 Great Britain's Bethany Shriever and Kye Whyte celebrate their Gold and Silver medals respectively for the Cycling BMX Racing at the Ariake Urban Sports Park on the seventh day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2021 Team GB's Mallory Franklin during the Womens Canoe Slalom Final on day six of the Tokyo Olympic Games. She went on to win the silver medal Getty

For all her hints of flexibility, Mays limited room for manoeuvre was shown when the Cabinet discussed the speech on Thursday. Her proposal to promise to make a binding commitment to at least match EU regulation was watered down to a strong commitment after objections from Brexiteer ministers including Boris Johnson, David Davis, Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom and Gavin Williamson (who voted Remain in the referendum).

For me, the most striking sentence in Mays speech was: We must bring our country back together again, taking into account the views of everyone who cares about this issue, from both sides of the debate.

This was a tacit admission that the UK is still deeply divided over Brexit. May has only herself to blame. Her allies express frustration that Remainers and Leavers are still fighting the 2016 referendum. But they have filled the vacuum in her first 20 months as Prime Minister left by her lack of leadership and her desire to float above the faction-fighting in her Cabinet and party.

She neglected the 48 per cent as she offered the Eurosceptics a hard Brexit to reassure them she was no longer a Remainer. Her speech is a sign that her hard Brexit will now have softer edges. But she has no right to expect those who want a soft Brexit or no Brexit to down their tools and placards in order to come together.What she said: There have been many different voices and views in the debate on what our new relationship with the EU should look like. I have listened carefully to them all.

What she really meant: My Government is completely divided. Neither side thinks Im listening to them. They are quite right. Ill decide what I can get away with at the last moment.

What she said: These are the five tests for the deal that we negotiate.

What she meant: Im nothing like Gordon Brown  paranoid, indecisive and obsessed with detail  but he did have this brilliant device for dealing with difficult problems: invent five tests.

What she said: First, the agreement we reach with the EU must respect the referendum.

What she meant: The first test is: will this speech keep me in my job for another week?

What she said: Second, the new agreement we reach with the EU must endure.

What she meant: The second test is: will it keep me in my job for months and months?

What she said: Third, it must protect peoples jobs and security.

What she meant: Third, the speech must be vague enough for me to deny that it means what anyone who doesnt like it says it means.

What she said: Fourth, it must be consistent with the kind of country we want to be as we leave: a modern, open, outward-looking, tolerant, European democracy.

What she meant: The fourth test is keeping Boris Johnson on board. Liberal Brexit, liberal with the platitudes.

What she said: And fifth, in doing all of these things, it must strengthen our union of nations and our union of people.

What she meant: If I can hold enough of the Conservative Party together in this divisive period, I might hang on to my job for longer still.

What she said: We are now approaching a crucial moment.

What she meant: Pay attention because there will be a test later. If you dont like what Im about to negotiate, Boris, Michael, David, Liam, Chris, Penny and Natalie, you wont be able to complain about it.

What she said: It is not good enough to say, We wont introduce a hard border; if the EU forces Ireland to do it, thats down to them. We chose to leave; we have a responsibility to help find a solution.

What she meant: Consider yourselves ticked off, silly-billy faction of Brexiteers.

What she said: I want to be straight with people  because the reality is that we all need to face up to some hard facts.

 Theresa May: As Prime Minister of the whole of the United Kingdom, I won't let Brexit affect Northern Ireland progress

What she meant: The last thing I want to do is be straight with people at this stage. Ill need to disappoint them later so why rush?

What she said: How could the EUs structure of rights and obligations be sustained, if the UK  or any country  were allowed to enjoy all the benefits without all of the obligations?

What she meant: I am not daft, Angela and Emmanuel. I know we have to pay a price for leaving the EU, but help me sell it to my people.

What she said: If we want good access to each others markets  we may choose to commit some areas of our regulations like state aid and competition to remaining in step with the EUs.

What she meant: Get that, Jeremy Corbyn? Remember why you want to leave the EU: to subsidise and nationalise companies that wouldnt be allowed under EU law. Dont let Keir Starmer talk you into a super-soft Brexit: I need to keep Labour divided.

What she said: The fact is that every Free Trade Agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.

What she meant: Stick those cherries in your pie, Monsieur Barnier.

What she said: If the parliament of the day decided not to achieve the same outcomes as EU law, it would be in the knowledge that there may be consequences for our market access.

What she meant: I am not naive. I realise that Britain would be in a similar position to Switzerland, which is forced to keep EU deals it doesnt like for fear of losing access to markets. So, good EU colleagues, dont worry that well diverge greatly in future.

What she said: We will also want to explore with the EU the terms on which the UK could remain part of EU agencies  We would, of course, accept that this would mean abiding by the rules of those agencies and making an appropriate financial contribution.

What she meant: You are about to lose our 10bn a year net contribution to EU funds, Mr Juncker.

What she said: Recognising the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland, and our shared commitments to avoiding a hard border, we should consider further specific measures.

What she meant: Im going into boring detail so you wont notice Im not saying anything new. Our plan for the border is to ignore small businesses and say technology.

What she said: The UK has responsibility for the financial stability of the worlds most significant financial centre.

What she meant: Thats the City of London. Where I am. In London. After next March it wont be in the EU.

What she said: With UK located banks underwriting around half of the debt and equity issued by EU companies  this is a clear example of where only looking at precedent would hurt both the UK and EU economies.

What she meant: Who is going to underwrite your single market if you continentals try to kill off the City of London?

What she said: Yes, there will be ups and downs in the months ahead. As in any negotiation, no one will get everything they want.

What she meant: I am prepared to do a deal, my EU friends, but you will have to give some ground or youll end up talking to Boris Bad Cop Johnson. So play nice.

What she said: So my message to our friends in Europe is clear. We know what we want. We understand your principles. We have a shared interest in getting this right. So lets get on with it.

What she meant: My message is: we have no idea what you will let us have; we are baffled by your ridiculous attachment to the theology of the European ideal; but our peoples just want us to get on with it  its what they say in all my focus groups  so lets not irritate them any further.The North Kingston School Committee showed support for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee and board member Jen Lima amid debate regarding a proposal to recall Lima at their regularly-scheduled meeting Tuesday night. Debate regarding the DEI sub-committee dominated the majority of citizens comments during the meeting as some citizens expressed concern for the work the subcommittee is doing and the agenda proposed by its mission statement. The school committee voiced support for the subcommittees work and for Lima, who has become the focus of those opposing it. Lima is far from the only local or state politician facing backlash from constituents who have called for, or initiated, a recall less than a year after the 2020 election. Also Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom easily defeated a recall effort that cost taxpayers an estimated $300 million or more. Do you believe it should be more difficult for citizens to recall an elected official after an election? Why or why not? Let us know below and cast your vote in this week's poll.

You voted:Foster children in Indiana  and across the country  likely wont graduate from high school, and very few of them will go on to college. But foster children are rarely included in state-level discussions about how Indiana is educating its kids.

The Indiana Department of Education has very little data on how the 30,000 children in foster care perform in school, a group close to the size of the states largest school district. Indiana saw the second steepest climb in the nation of foster children between 2012 and 2016, with an increase of 60 percent.

To identify the issues that are holding foster students back, lawmakers and advocates are proposing a bill that that would require the education department and the Department of Child Services to share data on foster students in Indiana. So far, House Bill 1314 has seen broad bipartisan support.

Youth in foster care really have no one speaking for them, said Brent Kent, CEO of Indiana Connected By 25, a foster child advocacy group. The state is their parent  we will see for the first time, foster youth side-by-side with other peer groups and how they are performing.

The bill, authored by Granger Republican Rep. Dale DeVon, would set up data sharing between the states education and child services departments. It would also require that the Indiana State Board of Education release an annual report about foster youth education.

About half the foster children in the country will graduate from high school by age 19, and only about 3 percent go on to complete college, according to a report from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. In Indiana, the numbers of children in foster care have swelled in part because of the opioid crisis.

Kent said collecting data is a huge leap forward for Indiana. It doesnt sound innovative, but few states do it. Indiana already reports student data separated by race, ethnicity, income level, gender and age, among other factors  if the bill becomes law, foster care status would be included.

No one ever maliciously leaves out foster youth, Kent said. We just never thoughtfully include them.

The foster care data wouldnt factor into state letter grades as some other subgroup data does. The department of education testified in favor of the bill.

Demetrees Hutchins, a researcher from Indiana University and a former foster child, said its deplorable how few foster children make it to college. She said this bill can help state agencies coordinate their work so these students arent being ignored.

Implementing this bill makes those in the child welfare systems job that much easier. It makes those in the education worlds job that much easier, Hutchins said. Because we would know where the problems are  and use that data to inform policy and decision-making.

Kent said hes realistic  he doesnt think this bill will solve every problem foster children face. But its a start. The bill passed the House unanimously and is up for consideration in the Senate in the coming weeks.

Our goal was just to bring some attention to it, Kent said. The work is not done closing the achievement gap for subgroups, but  until we know these things, we cant address them.The Department of Homeland Security issued a court filing Feb. 28, stating it would not issue changes to the H-4 work authorization program until June 2018. DHS, which was expected to issue the text of a rule proposing to terminate H-4 EADs in February, said in its filing that it needed more time to review the economic impact of terminating the program. We are very hopeful. We want to believe that DHS is re-looking at this because of our efforts, Jansi Kumar, co-founder of the group Save H-4 EADs, told India-West. (Save H-4 EADs photo via Facebook)People stage a demonstration in protest of the murder of journalist-turned-activist Gauri Lankesh at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi Sept. 7, 2017. Lankesh, who was editor of the weekly Kannada magazine, Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead at her residence Sept. 5, 2017. A Karnataka Police Special Investigation Team is questioning a man in connection with her death. (IANS photo)The Children of Syria  So We Never Forget

By Peter Koenig

(First published March 2016 with an update on 10 February 2017. See http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/46420.htm)

March 02, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Now that the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, are over, warmongering, threats and bombings are retaking world stage. Syria is again in the crosshairs of the blood-drenched empires handlers, NATO and its western puppets. The US are setting up a series of permanent illegal, uninvited bases in northern Syria, deploying some 30,000 mostly mercenary type soldiers, commanding the US trained and armed 50,000 strong Kurdish so-called Peoples Protection Unit, or YPG, as well as newly trained, funded and armed ISIS fighters  all aiming at taking over one third of the Syrian territory  the beginning of a balkanization of Syria, and with the ultimate goal of regime change  the goal that has never changed  removing Bashar al Assad, the legitimate democratically elected President of Syria.

Then there is East-Ghouta  a suburban area of Damascus, already largely under control  again  by US mandated IS or associated terrorists, shelling Damascus with an average of 70 rockets per day. In addition of having hit the Russian Embassy, they are causing innumerable casualties, including children, more suffering, homes, hospitals and schools destroyed, more orphans, to whom they apply the UN-sanitized term refugees  children without names without faces, without parents, without education, children as slaves and objects of sexual and labor exploitation  children without a future.

This will go on no doubt. Russia will interfere, hoping to stop the onslaught, while the US bases in the north will grow and not let go  one of the principles of the PNAC (Plan for a New American Century) is make no concessions, pursue your target no matter what Russia be better aware of this unbendable doctrine. The no matter what could mean: If we go down, the world goes down.

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Then there are the seven countries that have to fall, of which the 2007 Democracy Now broadcast by Wesley Clark testifies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw . Syria is one of them. Lebanon is under simultaneous threat. Fortunately, Russia has just signed a military defense agreement with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The confrontation between Israel and Lebanese defense forces may intensify  more children at risk. And what is a distinct possibility for which the prostitute MSM has already launched an indoctrinating lie-propaganda  a false-flag act  another East-Ghouta sarin gas attack, this time specifically targeting children  executed by US / NATO directed terrorists and blaming the Assad government. The White Helmets would be there for the filming, possibly directed by George Clooney. That would have major impact on the world population.

Remember the August 2013 chlorine and sarin gas attack which killed up to 1,700 people, about a third of them children, in eastern Ghouta, and where a first investigation mission by the UN, led by former Swiss Attorney General, Carla Del Ponte, concluded that most likely the gas attack was perpetrated by the opposition, i.e. by the terrorists. "I was a little bit stupefied by the first indication of the use of nerve gas by the opposition", she said on Swiss TV. Stupefied were certainly also Washington and its puppet European allies, France, Germany, UK, to hear a UN expert saying that their people did it, not Mr. Assad.  What Ms. Del Ponte clearly implied is that the West, by supporting the terrorists, most probably directing them to carry out the false flag  is highly complicit in war crimes.

Madame del Ponte later had to retract her statement, probably under threat  the tyrannical empires ultimate weapon, threating those who digress from the given doctrine. Since then all you can find in the presstitute MSM are accusations of the Syrian Government gazing her own people. That is not Mr. Assads style; but is sure is characteristic for the west, just look at the hundreds of False Flags  and school shootings  since and including 9/11.

Of course, nothing has changed since 2013. The west on a daily basis is responsible for uncountable war crimes, for the killing of millions of people since 9/11, the Mother of False Flags, at least a third of the victims are children  and those children who survived are made to live in abject misery, as orphans, refugees and slaves  undignified lives.

Innocent children are being sacrificed for the benefit of a power and greed driven elite  to finally gain control over this most strategically placed oil and mineral rich Middle Eastern country, whose President Assad declared in 2009 the Five Sea Vision, linking Syria with the M editerranean, Caspian, Black Sea, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. That would make Syria an economic power house of the Middle East.

Two years later, in 2011, Washington initiated via CIA and NATO trained terrorists a so-called civil war in Syria that has in the seven years to now cost the lives of at least a half a million people and almost half of Syrias 18 million population has been displaced, of whom more than 4 million refugees abroad. If the sinister PNAC were to prevail, Syria would be kept in chaos for savage exploitation for decades to come. And generations of children are gone. Remaining Syrians, one of the best educated people of the Middle East, would descend into destitute slavehood.

Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research; ICH; RT; Sputnik; PressTV; The 21st Century; TeleSUR; The Vineyard of The Saker Blog; and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion  An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed  fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution! - Essays from the Resistance .

Join the DiscussionPutin Denies New Cold War But Says New Nukes Are On Combat Duty By Alex Johnson March 02, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - The new weapons announced by Russia are so advanced that the money U.S. taxpayers have spent on missile defenses "has been thrown out into the wind," President Vladimir Putin told NBC News on Thursday. The remarks came after Putin said in his annual state of the nation address that Russia had developed new nuclear-capable weapons , including a nuclear-powered intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, that renders defense systems "useless." Exclusive: Putin blames U.S. for arms race, denies 'new Cold War' 1:33 Skeptics objected that because Moscow presented no video of a successful test of the new missile, Putin's claim that Russia has deployed a working nuclear-powered ICBM can't be verified. And in an interview in Moscow with Megyn Kelly, host of NBC's " Megyn Kelly Today ," Putin refused to answer directly when pressed about whether the ICBM had, in fact, flown a successful test. "Every single weapons system that I have discussed today easily surpasses and avoids a missile defense system," Putin said. But "some of them still have to be fine-tuned and worked on. Others are already available to the troops and battle-ready." NBC News' Megyn Kelly interviews Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. NBC News Asked again whether Russia had specifically conducted a successful test flight of a nuclear-powered ICBM, Putin responded: "All of those tests were successful. It's just each of these weapons systems are at a different stage of readiness. One of them is already on combat duty. It's available to the troops." U.S. officials told NBC News that development of the weapons wasn't a surprise and that Putin's rhetoric was intended for domestic consumption , aimed at national elections later this month. Jeremy Bash, who was chief of staff of the U.S. Defense Department and the CIA during the Obama administration, said Putin's comments reflected new confidence "in an era where an American president refuses to check Russia's aggression." "You're going to see Russia rise, and that could spark a new Cold War," he said. But Putin said: "My point of view is that the individuals that have said that a new Cold War has started are not analysts. They do propaganda." He said the new weapons were Moscow's response to the United States' withdrawal in 2002 from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which prohibited nationwide missile defenses. President George W. Bush said when he announced the U.S. withdrawal that the treaty was outmoded and promised to deploy U.S. missile defenses to protect against "growing missile threats." Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter "If we are to speak of an arms race, then an arms race started precisely at that point," Putin said. Putin said he had offered to cooperate on joint development of missile defenses with the United States but had been rebuffed, so he had to act in Russia's best interests. Paul Cheung / NBC News "Instead of creating threats to one another, great powers should pool their efforts in protecting against terrorists," he said. Russia's deployment of the RS-28 Sarmat thermonuclear-armed ICBM has been in the works for years. It was announced in 2014, and details were declassified in 2016 . The missile is intended to replace the R-36 Voevoda, which NATO has dubbed "Satan," leading the United States to call the new version "Satan 2." Russian media said in 2016 that the RS-28 Sarmat would be able to carry a payload capable of wiping out a landmass "the size of Texas or France." This article was originally published by " NBC " - Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. This website encourages readers to use the "Report" link found at the base of each comment. When a predetermined number of ICH readers click on the "Report" link, the comment will be automatically sent to "moderation". This would appear to be the most logical way to allow open comments, where you the reader/supporter, can determine what is acceptable speech. Please don't use the report feature simply because you disagree with the author point of view. Treat others with respect, remembering that "A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."- Benjamin Franklin. Please read our Comment Policy before posting -Islam and the West: What Went Wrong and Why

By Amir Nour

The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born, now is the time of monsters

(Antonio Gramsci)

March 02, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Alvin Toffler, one of the worlds leading futurists, is often quoted, and with good reason, as saying that the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

In the same vein, in an interview given in 2014, Noam Chomsky was invited to comment on his book Masters of Mankind a collection of essays and lectures written between 1969 and 2013. Pointing out that the world has changed a great deal during that period, his interviewer asked him whether his understanding of the world had changed over time, and if so, what have been the most catalytic events in altering his perspective about politics. Chomskywho was voted the worlds top public intellectual in 2005offered the following answer My understanding of the world has changed over time and Ive learned a lot more about the past, and ongoing events regularly add new critical materials. I cant really identify single events or people. Its cumulative, a constant process of rethinking in the light of new information and more consideration of what I didnt properly understand. However, hierarchical and arbitrary power remains at the core of politics in our world and the source of all evils.

Such an answer underlines the relevance in the truthful, cold and hard words once famously uttered by Winston Churchill Truth is the first casualty of war (and) history is written by the victors. Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code , didnt think otherwise when he wrote History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history booksbooks which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. And as Napoleon once said, What is history, but a fable agreed upon?

This is also what Malek Bennabi arguably one of the greatest Muslim thinkers of the 20th centuryalluded to when he stated The real history of the modern world has yet to be written, because only its apparent history has been reported (and) it takes a certain sense of esotericism to actually penetrate the secrets and arcane of history () and to leave to the generation that comes sound and reliable information about the heredity of its own world.

Surely, one of the illustrations of this state of affairs is the history of Islama religion, a civilization today, more than ever before, finger-pointed by some as the source of many evils. For them, Islam has mutated into Islamofascism, a new sworn foe that a coalition of the willing from the civilized world is determined to confront by all available means in a looming World War IV.

But what is, in fact, the truth of this matter through the ages? And what are the significance and the impact of the momentous events of 9/11 on that history? And, most importantly, what can one reasonably forecast with regard to the future of Islam and the Islamic world, particularly in view of what appears to be the twilight of the empire age and the dawn of a digital era, in the midst of a global moral vacuum and spiritual influx?

A brief history of a long struggle

What a large proportion of Muslims believe is a prophesied Global war against Islam is found in a popular hadith (a saying of Prophet Muhammad) dating back to over fourteen hundred years, according to which the Messenger of Allah said: The nations are about to flock against you [the Muslims] from every horizon, just as hungry people flock to a kettle. We said: O Messenger of Allah, will we be few on that day? He said: No, you will be many in number, but you will be scum, like the scum of a flash-flood, without any weight, since fear will be removed from the hearts of your enemies, and weakness (Wahn in Arabic) will be placed in your hearts. We said: O Messenger of Allah, what does the word wahn mean? He said: Love of this world and fear of death.

Whether or not authentic, this hadith all but rings true with both the present chaotic situation prevailing in the entire Muslim world, and with the ongoing ominous antagonism between the West and Islam. As a result, the much-feared clash of civilizations seems closer at hand than ever. Indeed, as exemplified by the testimony of Graham E. Fuller Islam seems to lie behind a broad range of international disorders: suicide attacks, car bombings, military occupations, resistance struggles, riots, fatwas, jihads, guerrilla warfare, threatening videos, and 9/11 itself () Islam seems to offer an instant and uncomplicated analytical touchstone, enabling us to make sense of todays convulsive world.

Precisely, in order to make sense of this awful apparent reality and put it into an appropriate historical and geopolitical perspective, it certainly helps to recall some of the forgotten or misremembered history that prepared for it, from its remote origins to its different contemporary manifestations dramatically brought into focus by 9/11.

To this end, any retrospective overview of the relations between the West and Islam would likely be incomplete if it did not refer to Arnold J. Toynbees monumental study of history, which has been acknowledged as one of the greatest achievements of modern scholarship. It is worth noting that Toynbee published an interesting book on the interactions between the West and Oriental civilizations, and that he worked for the British Foreign Office (within the Political Intelligence Department) during World War I.

Thus, addressing the issue of Islams place in History and its relations with the West, he wrote in 1948 In the past, Islam and our Western society have acted and reacted upon one another several times in succession, in different situations and alternating roles. The first encounter between them occurred when the Western society was at its infancy and when Islam was the distinctive religion of the Arabs in their heroic age () Thereafter, when the Western civilization has surmounted the premature extinction and had entered upon a vigorous growth, while the would-be Islamic state was declining towards its fall, the tables were turned. The British historian further noted that in that life-and-death struggle, Islam, like Christendom before it, had triumphantly survived.

Yet this was not the last act in the play, for the attempt made by the medieval West to exterminate Islam failed as signally as the Arab empire-builders attempt to capture the cradle of a nascent Western civilization has failed before; once more, a counter-attack was provoked by the unsuccessful offensive. This time, Islam was represented by the Ottoman descendants of the converted Central Asian nomads. After the final failure of the Crusades, Western Christendom stood on the defensive against this Ottoman attack during the late medieval and early modern ages of Western history. The Westerners managed to bring the Ottoman offensive to a halt in the wake of the battle of Vienna that lasted from 1683 until 1699 when a peace treaty between the Sublime Porte and the Holy League was signed at Karlowitz. Thereafter, having encircled the Islamic world and cast their net about it, they proceeded to attack their old adversary in its native lair.

The concentric attack of the modern West upon the Islamic world, according to Toynbee, has inaugurated the present encounter between the two civilizations, which he saw as part of a still larger and more ambitious movement, in which the Western civilization is aiming at nothing less than the incorporation of all mankind in a single great society, and the control of everything in the earth, air and sea which mankind can turn to account by means of modern Western technique. Thus, the contemporary encounter between Islam and the West is not only more active and intimate than any phase of their contact in the past, it is also distinctive in being an incident in the attempt by the Western man to westernize the worldan enterprise which will possibly rank as the most momentous, and almost certainly as the most interesting feature in history, even for a generation that has lived through two world wars.

Toynbee drew the conclusion that Islam is once more facing the West its back to the wall; but this time the odds are more heavily against it than they were even at the most critical moments of the Crusades, for the modern West is superior to it not only in arms, but also in technique of economic life, on which military science ultimately depends, and above all in spiritual culturethe inward force which alone creates and sustains the outward manifestations of what is called civilization.

From Deus to Prometheus

Has this perception evolved over time in the West? And who, better that Bernard Lewis, a leading Orientalist and Professor Emeritus at Princeton, could address that story? In the academic world, he is considered as the most distinguished living expert on the Middle East, and he is indeed amongst the very few historians who have ended up as historical actors in their own right. In his memoir , he recounts his wartime service in London and Cairo as an intelligence officer for MI6, and how after World War II he was granted the privilege to be the first Western scholar to enter the Ottoman archives. He further explains how he coined the phrase clash of civilizations in the 1950swhich is historically untrue since this notion was first recorded in a book written by Basil Mathews in 1926and how September 11 catapulted him onto the world stage as a prominent mentor for a whole generation of American Neoconservatives. He can therefore hardly be viewed as a steadfast sympathizer of Islam.

And so, in another book precisely titled Islam and the West published in 1993, Lewis recalls that in the great medieval French epic of the wars between Christians and Saracens (i.e. Arabs), the Chanson de Roland, the Christian poet endeavors to give his readers or, rather, listeners some idea of the Saracen religion. According to this vision, the Saracens worshiped a trinity consisting of three persons: Muhammad, the founder of their religion, and two others, both of them devils, Apollin and Tervagant. He adds that to us this seems comic, and we are amused by medieval man unable to conceive of religion or indeed of anything else except in his own image. Since Christendom worshiped its founder in association with two other entities, the Saracens also had to worship their founder, and he too had to be one of a trinity, with two demons co-opted to make up the number. Lewis then rightfully draws a parallel saying that just as medieval Christian man could conceive of religion only in terms of a trinity, so his modern descendant can conceive of politics only in terms of a theology, or, as we say nowadays, ideology, of left-wing and right-wing forces and factions.

Bernard Lewis also pointed out to the recurring unwillingness on the part of many Westerners to recognize the nature of Islam, or even the fact that Islam, as an independent, different, and autonomous religion persists and recurs from medieval to modern times. One can see it, he explains, in the nomenclature adopted to designate the Muslims since it was a long time before Christendom was even willing to give them a name with a religious meaning. Indeed, for many centuries, both Eastern and Western Christendom called the followers of the Prophet Saracens, a world of uncertain etymology but clearly of ethnic and not religious connotation () in the Iberian Peninsula, where the Muslims whom they met came from Morocco, they called them the Moors; in most of Europe, Muslims were called Turks, or, farther east, Tatars, another ethnic name loosely applied to the Islamized steppe peoples who for a while dominated Russia. And until recently, Lewis further clarifies even when Europe began to recognize that Islam was a religious and not an ethnic community, it expressed this realization in a sequence of false analogies, beginning with the names given to the religion of its followers, Muhammedanism and Muhammedans.

The deeper history, as asserted by James Carroll , shows that this supposedly inherent conflict between Islam and the West has its origins more in the West than in the House of Islam. The image of Muslims as prone to violence by virtue of their religion was mainly constructed across centuries by Europeans seeking to bolster their own purposes.

If truth be told, how else might we justify, for instance, the astonishing statement made by William Ewart Gladstone, four-time Prime Minister of Great Britain , in the House of Commons in the 19th century? Holding up a Quran, he cried out As long as a copy of this accursed book survives there can be no justice in the world. And how else might we interpret the following opinions later expressed by Basil Mathews and Bernard Lewis, both of them agents of MI6 and true believers in the Clash of Civilizationswell before Samuel Huntingtons essay and later book which generated a global debate?

Mathews writes in his book that the Quran is a fixed system of theocracy, conceived in a tribal desert chaos. In the modern world it defies every tendency of modern, democratic, responsible, secular government. This is why Turkey has thrown over the Koran as a rule of the state. And if it does not rule the state, it rules nothing; for the religious attitude and social regulations of Islam are two sides of the one coin. They cannot be separated and remain Islam. Mohammedan Islam is the negation of progress erected into a divinely ordained system. We are tied by Islam to a reverence for Mohammed himself. Our minds, however, are appalled at the murders, the unnatural marriages, the cruelty, the brigandage and the sensuality. As a seventh century Arab the Prophet was wonderful; as a twentieth century hero and leadernot to say sainthe is impossible.

Lewiss opinion on Islam is no different. Thus, in an attempt to explain why so many Muslims deeply resent the West, and why their bitterness will not easily be mollified he says in a supercilious Atlantic Monthly article of September 1990, It should by now be clear that we are facing a mood and a movement far transcending the level of issues and policies and the governments that pursue them. This is no less than a clash of civilizationsthe perhaps irrational but surely historic reaction of an ancient rival against our Judeo-Christian heritage, our secular present, and the worldwide expansion of both. It is crucially important that we on our side should not be provoked into an equally historic but also equally irrational reaction against that rival.

Aladdin, the travel ban and the hate factory

It is a fact that Americans are among the most educated people in the world. Yet, it is also a fact that they are among the least educated about the world in general and the Arab and Muslim world in particular. They themselves admit the truthfulness of this flaw and many among them would wish to see it corrected.

This knowledge gap about the region was the subject of a wide-ranging poll of the American public entitled The Arab Image in the US, conducted by Arab News/YouGov between 17-21 March 2017.

Respondents answered 24 close-ended questions mainly pertaining to news-related behaviors, knowledge and interest in visiting the Arab and Muslim world, the rise of Islamophobia, opinions on Arabs who have migrated to the United States, and the perceived role of media portraying the real image of this part of the world.

Among other results of this survey, 81% of respondents couldnt identify the Arab region on a map; over three-quarters said they would not consider travelling there because it is too dangerous; 65% admitted to knowing little about the region, with 30% having no interest in understanding it further. But, the most stagggering finding was that more than a fifth of those surveyed said the Sultanate of Agrabahthe fictional city from Disneys motion Aladdinis a real part of the Arab world. An even higher proportion (38%) said they would be happy with a Travel ban on citizens of Agrabah should they be proven a threat. A previous poll conducted by Public Policy Polling during the 2016 American presidential campaign found that 30% of Republican voters supported bombing Agrabah, though, thankfully, 57% of them said they were not sure!

David Pollock of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP)a polling expert who has studied attitudes in the region and US-Arab relations for a long timeagrees that it is a negative and grim picture and believes it is due to a combination of factors. For some people in the US it is a general sense of isolationism and a trend where people are like this with all foreign countries and not only the Arabs, he said. Others are prejudiced but most importantly, there is a kind of tendency to associate the whole region with terrorism, refugees and civil war. The region does not have a positive image and a lot of it is based on ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

The shocking findings of this poll wouldve probably gone unnoticed had they not been the reflection of the true measure of the lack of knowledge, if not ignorance, driving both the American longstanding and often unwise policies of the successive administrations and peoples perceptions toward this tormented region. It is a feature that is all the more incomprehensible today as this region has become the main, if not the sole graveyard for thousands of young American and other Western soldiers sent into the fray to foreign lands under the guise of a foolish war on terror turned into a war for terror.

Prior to these and other numerous similar surveys and studies, American Professor of Mass Communications and award-winning film authority, Jack G. Shaheen, had dissected this topic. He did so in a ground-breaking book published in January 2001, and later in a film produced by Media Education Foundation, both with the same title Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.

In this meticulously researched study of one thousand filmsdating from cinemas earliest days in 1896 to contemporary Hollywood blockbusters featuring machine-gun wielding and bomb-blowing evil ArabsShaheen documented the tendency to portray Arabs and Muslims as Public Enemy number 1, who are brutal, heartless, uncivilized Others bent on terrorizing civilized Westerners. He found that out of those 1000 movies that have Arab and Muslim characters, 12 were positive depictions, 52 were neutral portrayals, and 936 were negative.

He was thus able to spotlight anti-Muslim and Arab stereotypes and to probe the intersections of popular culture and foreign policy. To this effect, he recounted how, historically, the strategic stereotyping of populations has been used to garner popular support for governmental policies, citing the career of Leni Riefenstahl and speeches by Lenin and Goebbels to illustrate films long history as a propaganda vehicle.

Shaheen explained that what he tried to do was to make visible what too many of us seem not to see: a dangerously consistent pattern of hateful Arab stereotypes, stereotypes that rob an entire people of their humanity () All aspects of our culture project the Arab as villain. That is a given. There is no deviation. We have taken a few structured images and repeated them over and over again () We inherited the Arab image primarily from Europeans. In the early days, maybe 150 years, 200 years ago, the British and the French who travelled to the Middle East, and those who didnt travel to the Middle East, conjured up these images of the Arab as the Oriental other . These fabricated images have then been taken by Americans. The Arab image in the U.S. began to deteriorate further immediately after World War II according to Shaheen. Three major events have impacted the change: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in which the United States has unequivocally supported Israel; the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, which angered Americans when gas prices went through the ceiling; and the Iranian Revolution, which increased Arab-American tensions when Iranian students took American diplomats hostage for more than a year. These three pivotal events brought the Middle East into the living rooms of Americans and together helped shape the way movies stereotyped Arabs and the Arab world.

Of all the Department of Defense films, Shaheen pointed out, the one that will stand the test of time as being the most racist is Rules of Engagement, which was written by former Secretary of the Navy James Webb. And if you go and you see the new film called The Kingdom, Arab children again are portrayed as terrorists. So whats happening now is the trend has taken us to a point where we look at all those people, namely Arabs and Muslims, as the enemy other, even children.

Commenting on the film in an interview given to Democracy Now!, Jack Shaheen said that the humanity is not there. And if we cannot see the Arab humanity, whats left? If we feel nothing, if we feel that Arabs are not like us or not like anyone else, then lets kill them all. Then they deserve to die, right? Islamophobia now is a part of our psyche. Words such as Arab and Muslim are perceived as threatening words. And if the words are threatening, what about the images that we see in the cinema and on our television screens? He concluded by affirming that Politics and Hollywoods images are linked. They reinforce one another: policy enforces mythical images; mythical images help enforce policy. Indeed, as Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America has said Washington and Hollywood spring from the same DNA.

The priests of war and the Islamic terrorism

In his 1946 essay Politics and the English Language, George Orwell said that the political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. This essay, as well as his other famous classic 1984, published in 1949, are so profound as to be as much relevant today as they were in the aftermath of WWII.

Thus, in January 2017, the dystopian novel 1984 sold out on Amazon in the U.S. after it rose up to the top of the sites bestsellers list. This ascent to the top began when Donald Trumps adviser, Kellyanne Conway, coined the phrase alternative facts, after she was asked to explain the reason of Press Secretary Sean Spicer making a statement which was filled with inaccuracies. Journalists soon started to label Conways comment as Orwellian. One of them even concluded that truth is being redefined as whatever the U.S. government, NATO and their Western interests say is true, and disagreement with the Wests group thinks, no matter how fact-based the dissent is, becomes fake news.

So is the case concerning the story of Islamic terrorism , which led to an unprecedented level of Islamophobia in the Western world nowadays. Long before the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the American media has broadcast fears of terrorism with the clear message that Arabs and Muslims are, if not terrorists, at least extremists prone to violence and terrorism. And as the record shows, according to American political writer Michael Collins Piper unsurprisingly labelled as a conspiracy theorist by Jewish groups such as the Anti-Defamation League, Bnai Brith, The Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Middle East Media Research Institutewhen the media outlets turn to experts for information about terrorism, more often than not they rely on sources with close ties to Israel and its American lobby.

Piper recalled that in 1989, Pantheon Books published a little-noticed volume that provides a stark and revealing look at the development and growth of the terrorism industry. In this book, co-authors Professor Edward Herman and Gerry OSullivan of the University of Pennsylvania, provided a comprehensive overview of the way that powerful private special interest (both domestic and foreign) have worked together with government agencies in the United States and internationally to influence the way that the world looks upon the phenomenon of modern-day terrorism.

The public, therefore, learns of terrorist activity from the government and from overwhelmingly right-wing experts who confirm and reinforce state policy discourse, and the mass media, thus missing a balanced perspective, usually serves as gullible conduits for promoting stereotypes and biased information, if not outright propaganda. One has to recall what historian Harry Elmer Barnes once wrote about the methods used by the enemies of truth to suppress those historians who dare to lift the veil on reasons for world events () I charge that the articulate publicists of our country, by their semi-hysterical words in print and speech in which they champion extremes of diplomatic and military policy, are driving us rapidly into a war of unlimited and unattainable objectives which will bring on a gigantic catastrophe of ruin and revolution at home and abroad () By articulate publicists I mean those speakers and writers ranging from editors, novelists, magazine writers, columnists, dramatists, radio writers, lecturers, college professors, and educators, to senators and other elected officials, cabinet members, political leaders and presidents. When what they write and talk about becomes a united theme of agreement, action follows as certainly as butter follows the churning of sour cream .

Numerous reports and investigations have indeed shed a light on the Islamophobia network of so-called experts, academics, media outlets, and donors who manufacture, produce, distribute, and mainstream fear, bigotry, hate and lies against Muslims and Islam in the United States such as: Sharia is a threat to America; mosques are Trojan horses; radical Islam has infiltrated America, the government and mainstream Muslim organizations; there is no such thing as moderate Islam; practicing Muslims cannot be loyal Americans, and so on and so forth. Two such reports were released in 2011 and 2015, which revealed that close to 200 million dollars have been spent to support anti-Muslim activities.

One of the beneficiaries of these funds is Robert Spencers website Jihad watch, which received more than $500,000 in donations between 2001 and 2009. The ideas propagated by Spencerlong known for endeavoring to cast Islam as a diabolical threat that must be eradicated have inescapably resonated in America and elsewhere. A case in point is the story of Anders Breivik, the far-right terrorist who, on 22 July 2011, committed the worst mass killing his native peaceful Scandinavian country, Norway, has seen since WWII. In his 1,500-page manifesto entitled 2083  A European Declaration of Independence , Breivik referred to Spencer and his website 162 times. In the own words of the Washington Post the monster who admitted slaughtering at least 76 innocent victims in Norway was animated by the same blend of paranoia, xenophobia and alienation that fuels anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States. Yes, it could happen here.

Moreover, this powerful Islamophobia industry seems to have succeeded in gaining the upper hand over those trying to speak out to counter its politics of fear. Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian recounts this epic struggle in an article , which she concluded by stating that Ideologues are seeking to marginalize Muslims by making their speech and their activism relating to their religion come at a very high price. They believe that Muslims are malevolent, duplicitous, and dangerous, and these Islamophobes will bend the truth to fit their claims. In the process, they are denying Islam the same functional rights that Christianity enjoys and silencing the very people best poised to reconcile Islam with modern American life. Which may be the very point.

The war against terrorism has thus become part and parcel of the neoconservative long-range view and political agenda, in which Professor Bernard Lewis played a prominent role thanks also to the media which has consistently promoted his lectures and books.

Explaining Bernard Lewiss scholar and political role in an excellent article written in December 2002, Lamis Andoni says that Lewiss work, especially his inflammatory book What Went Wrong: Western impact and Middle Eastern Responsesreleased in January 2002 shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks but written shortly beforehas been an essential source of what was practically a manifesto for advocates of U.S. military intervention towards establishing democracy in the Middle East. This appreciation was indeed confirmed by Paul Wolfowitz in March 2002. Speaking via video phone at a special ceremony held in Tel Aviv to honour the leading Orientalist, he said Bernard Lewis brilliantly placed the relationships and the issues of the Middle East into their larger context with truly objective, original and always independent thought. Bernard has taught [us] how to understand the complex and important history of the Middle East and use it to guide us where we will go next to build a better world for generations. It was also confirmed on 5 April 2003, by the New York Times which described the book as having been a major influence on Bush administration thinking.

By declaring that the peoples of the Middle Eastmeaning Arabs and Muslimshave failed to catch up with modernity and have fallen into a downward spiral of hatred and rage, Lewis has not only exonerated American imperial policies and provided a moral and historical justification for Washingtons war on terror, but has also emerged as chief ideologue for the re-colonization of the Arab world. Andoni drew the latter reflection from the conclusion of the book in which Lewis says If the peoples of the Middle East continue on their present path, the suicide bomber may become a metaphor for the whole region, and there will be no escape from a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self-pity, poverty and oppression, culminating sooner or later in yet another alien domination.

All of the above has been aptly summed up in James Carrolls aforementioned article which he concluded by stating that this inherited European habit of politicized paranoia is masterfully continued by freaked-out leaders of post 9/11 America. They too, he adds, like prelates, crusaders, conquistadores, and colonizers have turned fear of Islam into a source of power, and this history teaches that such self-serving projection can indeed result in the creation of an enemy ready and willing to make the nightmare real

It is against that essential backdrop that we will set the events of 9/11 and their impact on the contemporary relations between the West and Islam, in a forthcoming analysis.

* * *

This article was originally published by " The Saker " -

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Join the DiscussionIn Syria, the Real Siege Is by Western Criminal Powers

Editorial

March 02, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - In more than seven years of war in Syria, we have seen many times how Western governments and news media shamelessly invert reality.

The same was seen this week over the grim fighting around Eastern Ghouta, the suburb near the capital, Damascus, where 400,000 people are said to be trapped.

But who is trapping who?

US and European media breathlessly claim that Eastern Ghouta is under siege from Syrian regime forces allied with Russia. This description is posing things upside down.

The district was taken over nearly six years ago by foreign-backed extremists, like Jaysh al Islam, Ahrar al Sham, and Al Nusra Front. The latter is an internationally outlawed terror group, but they all share the same murderous ideology, as well as the same Western covert sponsors in the American CIA, British MI6, French DGSE, and lavish Gulf Arab funding. It is these illegally armed insurgents who are holding the civilian population under siege in a reign of terror.

The same situation, and Western inversion of reality, has been seen before, most notably regarding Syrias second city of Aleppo. The Syrian and Russian forces liberated that city at the end of 2016, and since then life for the residents there has fortunately returned to the normal peaceful, pluralist coexistence which prevailed before the foreign-backed terror goons took over.

Yet, Western media and officials continually fabulate about rebels and civilians being besieged by Syrian state forces. This inversion of reality is of course necessary in order to push the Western false narrative that has underpinned the covert Western war for regime change in Syria, including the clandestine support for terror groups as proxies.

Further twisting the situation in Eastern Ghouta this week, the Western media blamed the Syrian regime and Russia for not implementing a ceasefire plan to enable evacuation of civilians.

Russia proposed a daily five-hour truce, and the Syrian government established humanitarian corridors exiting from the conflict zone. The proposal from Moscow was a reasonable counter to what the US, Britain and France had wanted, which involved a 30-day cessation of all military operations.

The Western powers had tried the same proposal during the liberation of Aleppo. Syria and its legally mandated Russian ally are within their sovereign right to take back remaining territory that has been illegally occupied by foreign-backed militants.

What the Western powers would like to impose is a No-Fly Zone over parts of Syria to enable their residual proxies time and space to regroup. Why should the Syrian government forfeit its sovereign rights by accommodating foreign enemies?

The reason why the Russian humanitarian relief plan proposed this week for Eastern Ghouta did not gain traction was simply because the militants continually shelled the designated corridors for escaping civilians. Video footage clearly showed buses and aid workers organized by the Syrian government waiting to receive the civilians. But none were permitted from the area because of sniper and mortar fire from the militants.

Evidently, the militants are holding the civilian population as hostages and human shields. The same criminal tactics were deployed in Aleppo and other towns and cities where the terrorist gangs ruled with their death-cult barbarity.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, rightly pointed out that the humanitarian relief plan for Eastern Ghouta can only be made to work if the militants commit to upholding a ceasefire. But these foreign-backed mercenaries have done nothing of the sort. They have not only cut off evacuation corridors under fire; they continue to launch rockets and mortars at nearby government-controlled Damascus inflicting dozens of civilian deaths in recent weeks.

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Reliable figures cited by the Syrian Free Press network, indicate that some 85 per cent of the Syrian population live in areas under the control of President Bashar Assads state forces. Only a small minority  15 per cent  live in areas controlled by insurgents. And many of those people are being held in these dwindling areas against their will in a state of fear imposed by the so-called jihadists.

The brazen Western media propaganda war  misnamed as news  reports totally from the minority areas, which are exalted as rebel bastions.

In all the so-called reporting by France 24, BBC, CNN, and others, the information is either sourced from the CIA-sponsored and terrorist-affiliated White Helmets media operation; or anonymous residents and activists; or it is sourced from a UK-based monitor who is an exiled Syrian furniture salesman who has not been in Syria for 15 years.

This pathetic Western mainstream media journalism has been going on for the past seven years in relation to Syria.

Significantly, when do you ever hear a Syrian government official or diplomat being aired directly and at length in these media? Or Russian officials? Never. Its all a one-way street of lies and fabrication.

The preposterous inversion of reality that the Western governments and media have perpetrated over Syria can only be sustained through systematic distortion.

Russias humanitarian relief plan for Eastern Ghouta has so far been sabotaged by terror groups firing on civilians. But Western officials and media have the brass neck to claim that the long-suffering population is under siege from the very forces who are trying to liberate them from terror.

When Eastern Ghouta is eventually liberated one thing is sure. The Western media will never follow-up to ask residents what their lives were really like. Just as these same vile propaganda outlets did not follow-up on liberated Aleppo.

As if the distortion couldnt get any worse, this week the New York Times and other Western media reported claims that North Korea had secretly supplied materials for chemical weapons to Syria. The reported claims seemed unconvincing, as usual, and the Syrian government denied the latest allegations.

Alongside that the British government asserted this week that it would order air strikes on the Syrian regime if it found proof that chemical weapons were used.

Adding up the Western distortion it is obvious what the objective is: to find a pretext for overt military aggression on Syria. The covert proxy war using terrorist mercenaries has failed. Now the Western terror sponsors need to take the distortion to an even more demonic level.

In truth, there is indeed a siege in Syria. The entire Syrian nation is under siege  by criminal Western regimes and their equally criminal propaganda media, justifying war and aggression.

This article was originally published by " Strategic Culture Foundation " -

Join the DiscussionMy First Day as CIA Director



Former CIA analyst and founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity Ray McGovern, in this tongue-in-cheek article, outlines steps he would take on Day One as CIA Director to get to the bottom of Russiagate.



By Ray McGovern

Now that I have been nominated again  this time by author Paul Craig Roberts  to be CIA director, I am preparing to hit the ground running.

Last time my name was offered in nomination for the position  by The Nation publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel  I did not hold my breath waiting for a call from the White House. Her nomination came in the afterglow of my fortuitous, four-minute debate with then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, when I confronted him on his lies about the attack on Iraq , on May 4, 2006 on national TV. Since it was abundantly clear that Rumsfeld and I would not get along, I felt confident I had royally disqualified myself.

This time around, on the off-chance I do get the nod, I have taken the time to prepare the agenda for my first few days as CIA director. Heres how Day One looks so far:

Get former National Security Agency Technical Director William Binney back to CIA to join me and the handpicked CIA analysts who, with other handpicked analysts (as described by former National Intelligence Director James Clapper on May 8, 2017) from the FBI and NSA, prepared the so-called Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) of Jan. 6, 2017. That evidence-impoverished assessment argued the case that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his minions to help President-elect Trumps election chances when possible by discrediting Secretary Clinton.

When my predecessor, CIA Director Mike Pompeo invited Binney to his office on Oct. 24, 2017 to discuss cyber-attacks, he told Pompeo that he had been fed a pack of lies on Russian hacking and that he could prove it. Why Pompeo left that hanging is puzzling, but I believe this is the kind of low-hanging fruit we should pick pronto.

The low-calorie Jan. 6 ICA was clumsily cobbled together:

We assess with high confidence that Russian military intelligence  used the Guccifer 2.0 persona and DCLeaks.com to release US victim data obtained in cyber operations publicly and in exclusives to media outlets and relayed material to WikiLeaks.

Binney and other highly experienced NSA alumni, as well as other members of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), drawing on their intimate familiarity with how the technical systems and hacking work, have been saying for a year and a half that this CIA/FBI/NSA conclusion is a red herring , so to speak. Last summer, the results of forensic investigation enabled VIPS to apply the principles of physics and the known capacity of the internet to confirm that conclusion.

Oddly, the FBI chose not to do forensics on the so-called Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee computers and, by all appearances, neither did the drafters of the ICA.

Again, Binney says that the main conclusions he and his VIPS colleagues reached are based largely on principles of physics  simple ones like fluid dynamics. I want to hear what thats all about, how that applies to the Russian hack, and hear what my own CIA analysts have to say about that.

I will have Binneys clearances updated to remove any unnecessary barriers to a no-holds-barred discussion at a highly classified level. After which I shall have a transcript prepared, sanitized to protect sources and methods, and promptly released to the media.

Like Sisyphus Up the Media Mountain

At that point things are bound to get very interesting. Far too few people realize that they get a very warped view on such issues from the New York Times. And, no doubt, it would take some time, for the Times and other outlets to get used to some candor from the CIA, instead of the far more common tendentious leaks. In any event, we will try to speak truth to the media  as well as to power.

I happen to share the view of the handful of my predecessor directors who believed we have an important secondary obligation to do what we possibly can to inform/educate the public as well as the rest of the government  especially on such volatile and contentious issues like Russian hacking.

What troubles me greatly is that the NYT and other mainstream print and TV media seem to be bloated with the thin gruel-cum-Kool Aid they have been slurping at our CIA trough for a year and a half; and then treating the meager fare consumed as some sort of holy sacrament. That goes in spades for media handling of the celebrated ICA of Jan. 6, 2017 cobbled together by those handpicked analysts from CIA, FBI, and NSA. It is, in all candor, an embarrassment to the profession of intelligence analysis and yet, for political reasons, it has attained the status of Holy Writ.

The Paper of (Dubious) Record

I recall the banner headline spanning the top of the entire front page of the NYT on Jan. 7, 2017: Putin Led Scheme to Aid Trump, Report Says; and the electronic version headed Putin Led a Complex Cyberattack Scheme to Aid Trump, Report Finds. I said to myself sarcastically, Well there you go! Thats exactly what Mrs. Clinton  not to mention the NY Times, the Washington Post and The Establishment  have been saying for many months.

Buried in that same edition of the Times was a short paragraph by Scott Shane: What is missing from the public report is what many Americans most eagerly anticipated: hard evidence to back up the agencies claims that the Russian government engineered the election attack. That is a significant omission.

mission? No hard evidence? No problem. The publication of the Jan. 6, 2017 assessment got the ball rolling. And Democrats like Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, were kicking the ball hard down the streets of Washington. On Jan. 25, 2017, I had a chance to confront Schiff personally about the lack of evidence  something that even Obama had acknowledged just before slipping out the door. I think our two-minute conversation speaks volumes.

Now I absolutely look forward to dealing with Adam Schiff from my new position as CIA director. I will ask him to show me the evidence of Russian hacking that he said he could not show me on Jan. 25, 2017  on the chance his evidence includes more than reports from the New York Times.

Sources

Intelligence analysts put great weight, of course, on sources. The authors of the lede, banner-headlined NYT article of Jan. 7, 2017 were Michael D. Shear and David E. Sanger; Sanger has had a particularly checkered career, while always landing on his feet. Despite his record of parroting CIA handouts (or perhaps partly because of it), Sanger is now the NYTs chief Washington correspondent.

Those whose memories go back more than 15 years may recall his promoting weapons of mass destruction in Iraq as flat fact. In a July 29, 2002 article co-written with Them Shanker, for example, Iraqs (non-existent) weapons of mass destruction appear no fewer than seven times as flat fact.

More instructive still, in May 2005, when first-hand documentary evidence from the now-famous Downing Street Memorandum showed that President George W. Bush had decided by early summer 2002 to attack Iraq, the NYT ignored it for six weeks until David Sanger rose to the occasion with a tortured report claiming just the opposite. The title given his article of June 13 2005 was Prewar British Memo Says War Decision Wasnt Made.

Against this peculiar reporting record, I was not inclined to take at face value the Jan. 7, 2017 report he co-authored with Michael D. Shear  Putin Led a Complex Cyberattack Scheme to Aid Trump, Report Finds.

Nor am I inclined to take seriously former National Intelligence Director James Clappers stated views on the proclivity of Russians to be, well, just really bad people  like its in their genes. I plan to avail myself of the opportunity to discover whether intelligence analysts who labored under his aegis were infected by his quaint view of the Russians.

I shall ask any of the handpicked analysts who specialize in analysis of Russia (and, hopefully, there are at least a few): Do you share Clappers view, as he explained it to NBCs Meet the Press on May 30, 2017, that Russians are typically, almost genetically driven to co-opt, penetrate, gain favor, whatever? I truly do not know what to expect by way of reply.

End of Day One

In sum, my priority for Day One is to hear both sides of the story regarding Russian hacking with all cards on the table. All cards. That means no questions are out of order, including what, if any, role the Steele dossier may have played in the preparation of the Jan. 6, 2017 assessment.

I may decide to seek some independent, disinterested technical input, as well. But it should not take me very long to figure out which of the two interpretations of alleged Russian hacking is more straight-up fact-based and unbiased. That done, in the following days I shall brief both the Chair, Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and ranking member Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee, as well as the Chair and ranking member of its counterpart in the Senate. I will then personally brief the NYTs David Sanger and follow closely what he and his masters decide to do with the facts I present.

On the chance that the Times and other media might decide to play it straight, and that the straight diverges from the prevailing, Clapperesque narrative of Russian perfidy, the various mainstream outlets will face a formidable problem of their own making. Mark Twain put it this way: It is easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.

And that will probably be enough for Day One.

Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Savior in inner-city Washington. He served 30 years as an U.S. Army Intelligence and CIA analyst, and in retirement co-founded Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).

Join the DiscussionMissile-gate: U.S. Intel Misses Russias Big Advances in Nuclear Parity



Russian President Vladimir Putins announcement on Thursday of major technological advances in nuclear weapons delivery systems appears to have caught the U.S. intelligence community unawares, reports Gilbert Doctorow.



By Gilbert Doctorow



March 02, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - President Vladimi r Putins two-hour long address yesterday to the Federal Assembly, a joint session of both houses of Russias bicameral legislature  plus large numbers of Russias cultural, business and other elites  constituted his platform for the upcoming presidential election on March 18. This, in lieu of participation in the televised debates on all federal television channels in which other seven candidates are busy these days.

But as is the case with many of Vladimir Putins major presentations, the speech yesterday was addressed to a far broader audience than the Russian electorate. Many of the estimated 700 journalists invited to attend were foreign correspondents. Indeed, one might reasonably argue that the speech was directed abroad, precisely to the United States.

The final third of the address, devoted to defense and presenting for the first time several major new and technically unparalleled offensive nuclear weapons systems, established Russias claim to full nuclear parity with the United States, overturning the countrys withdrawal from superpower status dating from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992. Some Russian commentators, in a burst of national pride, claimed that the power of the Soviet Union had now been restored and the wrongs of the 1990s were finally undone.

In its own way, this speech was as important, perhaps more important than Putins talk to the Munich Security Conference in February 2007 at which he set out in length Russias grievances with U.S. global hegemony installed in the 1990s and the utter disregard for or denial of Russias national interests. That speech was a turning point in U.S.-Russian relations which headed us to the deep confrontation of today. Yesterdays speech suggested not the onset of a new arms race, but its conclusion, with outright Russian victory and U.S. defeat.

Putins address was a shock and awe event. I leave to others, more competent than I in military technology to comment on the specific capabilities of the various systems rolled out yesterday. Whether short range or unlimited range, whether ground launched or air launched, whether ballistic missiles or cruise missiles, whether flying through the atmosphere or navigating silently and at high speed the very depths of the oceans, these various systems are said to be invincible to any known or prospective air defense such as the United States has invested in heavily since it unilaterally left the ABM Treaty and set out on a course that would upend strategic parity.

Since 2002, U.S. policy has aimed at enabling a first strike knocking out Russian ICBMs and then rendering useless Russias residual nuclear forces which could be shot out of the air. Russias new highly maneuverable and ultra-high speed (Mach 10 and Mach 20) missiles and underwater nuclear drone render illusory any scenario based on non-devastating response to the US homeland following a US strike on Russia. In passing, the new systems also render useless and turn into sitting duck targets the entire US navy, with its aircraft carrier formations.

U.S. and Western media response to Putins address was varied. The Financial Times tried its best at neutral reporting, and midway through its feature article gave a paragraph each to two of Russias most authoritative politicians with special expertise in relations with the West: Konstantin Kosachev and Alexei Pushkov, both former chairmen of the Dumas Committee on Foreign Affairs.

However, their reporters and editorial supervisors were out of their depth, unable to reach a consistent view on what the Kremlin is doing. On the one hand Putins statements about Russias unstoppable nuclear weapons are reduced to claims, suggesting a certain skepticism; on the other hand, the consequence is to fuel concern about a new arms race with the U.S. They cannot fathom that the race is over.

The Washington Post was fairly quick to post a lengthy article in its online edition yesterday. An unusually large part consisted of quotes from Putins speech. The editorial line tells it all in the title assigned: Putin claims Russia is developing nuclear arms capable of avoiding missile defenses. I would put the accent on claims and is developing. The reporter and newspaper management seem not to have gotten the point: that one of these systems is already deployed in the Russias Southern Military District and that others are going into serial production. These systems are not a wish list, they are hard facts.

The New York Times was characteristically slow in posting articles on a development which caught its staff and management totally unprepared. In the space of a couple of hours, it put up two articles in succession dealing with the defense section of Vladimir Putins address. In both, but more particularly in the article co-authored by reporters Neil MacFarquhar and David E. Sanger, the stress is on bluff.

It is blithely assumed that Putin was just delivering a campaign speech to rouse the patriotic passions of Russians and so consolidate his forthcoming electoral victory. The writers take solace in the notion that deception lies at the heart of current Russian military doctrine, so that questions arose about whether these weapons existed.

These speculations, especially in the New York Times tell us one thing: that our media willfully ignore the plain facts about Vladimir Putin. First, that he has always done what he has said. Second, that he is by nature very cautious and methodical. The word carefully (?????????) is a constant element in his speech vocabulary. In this context, the notion of bluff in a matter that would put Russian national security at risk and possibly cost tens of millions of Russian lives if the bluff were called  such a notion is utter nonsense.

I would like to believe that the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington will not be so giddy or superficial in judging what they heard yesterday from Mr. Putin. If that is so, they will be urgently recommending to their President to enter into very broad negotiations with the Russians over arms control. And they will be going back to their staffs to completely revise their recommendations with respect to the military hardware and installations which the United States is financing in 2019 and beyond. Our present budget, including the trillion or so being appropriated for upgrading nuclear warheads and producing more low-yield weapons is a waste of taxpayer money.

However, still more importantly, the implications of Vladimir Putins address yesterday are that U.S. intelligence has been asleep at the wheel for the past 14 years if not longer. It is a national scandal for the country to lose an arms race it was not even aware was occurring. Heads should roll, and the process should begin with proper hearings on Capitol Hill. For reasons that will be clear from what follows, among the first witnesses called upon to testify should be former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

In the past such a revelation of a vast security gap with the countrys main geopolitical and military competitor would lead to political recriminations and finger pointing. What came up yesterday is far bigger than the missile gap of the late 1950s that brought Jack Kennedy to the White House in a campaign to restore vigor to American political culture and wake it from the somnolent Eisenhower years with their complacency about security matters and much else.

Moreover, the roll-out yesterday of new Russian weaponry that changes the world power balance was just one in a chain of remarkable Russian achievements over the past four years that caught US leadership entirely by surprise. The explanation has till now been the alleged unpredictability of Vladimir Putin, even if absolutely nothing he did could not have been foreseen by someone paying close attention.

One prime example was the Russian capture of Crimea in February-March 2014 without a shot being fired or a single fatality in circumstances where the 20,000 Russian troops based in their leased Sevastopol enclave confronted 20,000 Ukrainian forces on the peninsula. Western media spoke of a Russian invasion which amounted to nothing more than the Russian troops leaving their barracks. The Russians had used nothing more exotic than psychological warfare, old-fashioned psy-ops as it is called in the States executed to perfection by pros, all dating from the time of Von Clausewitz.

Then the Pentagon was caught with its pants down in September 2015 when Putin at the United Nations General Assembly announced the dispatch of Russian warplanes to Syria for a campaign against ISIS and to support Assad that would begin the next day. Why did we suspect nothing? Was it because Russia was known to be too poor to execute such a challenging mission abroad to precise objectives and timelines?

In the same war theater, the Russians again surprised Americans by setting up a joint military intelligence center in Baghdad with Iraq and Iran. And it further surprised NATO by flying bombing missions to the Syrian theater over Iran and Iraqi airspace after being denied flight rights in the Balkans. With thousands of military and diplomatic staff based in Iraq, how is it that the United States knew nothing about the Russian agreements with Iraqi leadership in advance?

My point is that the confusion over how to interpret Putins announcement of Russias new defense capability is a systemic failure of U.S. intelligence. The next obvious question is why? Where is the CIA? Where are the intel bosses when they are not investigating Trump?

The answer is not to be found in just one or two elements, for sure. Nor is it a failure that developed recently. There is a good measure of blinding complacency about Russia as a failed state that has cut across the whole US political establishment since the 1990s when the Russia was flat on its back. One simply could not imagine the Kremlin rising to the challenge of its missions in Crimea, in Syria, in development of the worlds most sophisticated high-tech armaments.

And it is not only blindness to things Russian. It is a fundamental failure to grasp that state power anywhere is not dependent only on GDP and demographic trends but also on grit, patriotic determination and the intelligence of thousands of researchers, engineers and production personnel.

This conceptual poverty infects some our most brilliant Realpolitik political scientists in the academic community who in principle should be open to understanding the world as it is, not the world as we wish it to be. Somehow we seem to have forgotten the lesson of David and Goliath. Somehow we have forgotten the Israeli numbers of 4 or 5 million standing up militarily to 100 million Arabs. It was unimaginable to us that Russia would be the David to our Goliath.

But there are more objective reasons for the utter failure of US intelligence to grasp the scale and seriousness of the Russian challenge to US global hegemony. Specifically, we must consider the gutting of our Russian intelligence capabilities in the days, months, years following 9/11.

There are those who will say, with reason, that the decline of US intelligence capabilities on Russia began already in the second administration of Ronald Reagan, when the Cold War came to an end and the expertise of Cold Warriors seemed no longer relevant. Surely numbers of Russia experts were allowed to decline by attrition.

And yet, when 9/11 struck, many of those in higher positions in the CIA had come to the Agency as Russia experts. It was the CIAs lack of skills in the languages and area knowledge of the Middle East that was glaring in the aftermath of the Al-Qaeda attack on the Twin Towers that guided the reshaping of priorities for intelligence. Clearly this deficiency and the necessary re-profiling of expertise could not augur well for the continued employment of holdovers from the Soviet desk.

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But a still greater factor in the sharp decline in Russian expertise within US intelligence agencies was the shift from dependence on civil service employees to use of outside service providers, i.e., outsourcing of intelligence work. This was totally in line with the preferences of the U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, who introduced outsourcing in a generalized way to deal with the new challenges of the War On Terror.

The same phenomenon affected the U.S. military, especially beginning in 2003 following the invasion of Iraq. Operational security tasks of the U.S. military were outsourced to companies providing mercenaries like Blackwater. And normal procurement arrangements for materiel were short-circuited by the Vice President for the sake of quick satisfaction of urgent field requirements: hence the procurement of non-traditional but much needed fleets of armored troop transport and the like.

Several articles in Consortium News and elsewhere in recent months have called attention to the phenomenon of intel outsourcing. However, what was happening, why and to what effect was already clearly known a decade ago and promised nothing good.

In a sense, the commonality of all these changes in supply of intelligence, equipment and military force has been a quick-fix mentality and direct political intervention into processes that had been insulated in the civil service with its bureaucratic procedures. Political intervention means ultimately politicizing methods and outcomes. Outsourced intelligence is more likely to meet the demands of the paymaster than to have some intellectual integrity and broad perspective of its own.

To better understand the phenomenon, I refer the reader to an outstanding and well documented article dating from March 2007 that was published by the European Strategic Intelligence Security Center (ESISC) entitled Outsourcing Intelligence: The Example of the United States.

The author, ESISC Research Associate Raphael Ramos, tells us that at the time 70% of the budget of the American intelligence community was spent via contracts with private companies. At the time he wrote, outsourcing was said to be greatest among the agencies reporting to the Defense Department. The CIA was then said to have one-third of its staff coming from private companies.

Besides the changing priorities for foreign intelligence resulting from the end of the Cold War and the onset of the War on Terror, another factor in the changing structure of US intelligence was technologically driven. This relates to the modern communications technologies, with many start-ups appearing in the specialized fields of Signals Intelligence and Imagery Intelligence. The NSA availed itself of these new service providers to become a pioneer in outsourcing intelligence.

Other Pentagon agencies which followed the same course were the National Reconnaissance Office, responsible for space based systems of intelligence and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, charged with producing geographic intelligence from satellites. Add to that the changing intel practices coming from the development of the internet, which prioritized open source intelligence. OSINT could flourish in the private sector because it does not require special security clearances. This soon accounted for between 35% and 90% of intelligence procurement.

As noted above, outsourcing enabled the intelligence community to modernize, gain skills quickly and try to meet urgent new needs. However, judging by the results of intelligence with respect to Putins Russia it seems that the outsourcing model has not delivered the goods. The country has been flying blind while taking outlandish and unsupportable positions to bully the world as if we enjoyed full spectrum dominance and Russia did not exist.

Gilbert Doctorow, an independent political analyst based in Brussels, is serving as an international observer to the March 18 presidential election in Russia. His latest book, Does the United States Have a Future? was published in October 2017. Both paperback and e-book versions are available for purchase on www.amazon.com and all affiliated Amazon websites worldwide.

Join the DiscussionWhen it comes to discussing issue bothering on gender, one has to tow the line of caution, so as not to step on the wrong foot. Looks like that is exactly what heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshu failed to recognise. So, why is AJ currently the object of discussion? Well, here is why

The Interview

The bashing comes after a year-old interview resurfaced online where the world heavyweight champion said he is not strict with his son because of his gender.

In March 2017, Joshua was asked about whether he is a strict father to his son, Joseph in a GQ interview, the 28-year-old said that he wants his son to spread his wings but that he is stricter with his niece.

What he said

I dont think Im that strict with Joseph, I dont know why, he said.But with my niece Im strict. I think it is because she is older, but also hes a boy  hes going to be a mans man, hell want to spread his wings, be a Jack-the-lad, build his character. He added: But I am sure there are things I will be strict about. But with my niece, there is none of that Jack-the-lad nonsense for her! My view is you have to be a good woman, respectful, one day you will be someones wife, you have to learn family morals what it is to be a good woman. His comments did not go down well with fans on Twitter who slammed the boxer for his viewpoint.

What the fans are saying

Reading up on the Anthony Joshua statement saddens me but its not an AJ problem guys, we are the products of our society and we are all guilty  Toke Makinwa (@tokstarr) March 3, 2018

Anthony Joshua letting us know his son is allowed to build character whilst his niece must prepare to be a wife Forget all the potential imbedded in her, forget her hopes and dreams because thats all she must prepare for in life apparently  TheFishTankUK (@TheFishTankUK) March 2, 2018

I think Anthony Joshua doesn't want his niece to end up being a bitter and frustrated woman hiding behind feminism. Simple.  Oyintare Kantu (@oyintarenk) March 3, 2018

All the skets mad at anthony joshua coz he dont want his niece to grow up and a be a hor like them lol. They mad as hell  JAVON. 'Gym carey' (@JavonReal) March 2, 2018

Anthony Joshua thats a successful black manobviously has met a lot of women throwing themselves at hima lot of women he never wants his niece to be like but Tweminists are out here being triggeredagain Sigh  BREZZIDENT! (@OlaTheOG) March 2, 2018





Anthony Joshua is a British Nigerian professional boxer. He is currently a unified world heavyweight champion, having held the IBF title since 2016, and the WBA and IBO titles since 2017 and he is 28years old.American Hip-Hop star and husband of multiple award winning Beyonce, Shawn Carter aka Jay Z, has been crowned Forbes richest hip-hop act of 2018.

The rapper is making the number one position on the competitive Forbes list for the first time having overthrown his colleague Sean Combs aka P. Diddy.

It is, in fact, the first time in the lists seven-year existence that Diddy hasnt been No. 1.

Forbes says Jay-Z, Diddy and Dre are not only the wealthiest hip-hop acts on the planet, but the richest American musicians of any genre.

Jay Z raked in $900 million in the past year, a huge bump from the $810 million he made the year prior that earned him the No. 2 spot on Forbes 2017 list.

Jay Zs net worth increase is due to his many business endeavours including his label Roc Nation, streaming service Tidal, ventures with spirits brands Armand de Brignac and DUsse, among others.

In arriving at its list, Forbes says it valued major assets, examined financial documents, and spoke with analysts, attorneys, managers, other industry players and, in some cases, the moguls themselves.

closely in second place is the usual ruler of the list, P. Diddy, $825 million to his name. Diddy garnered his near billionaire status from his multiple business ventures including his Ciroc Vodka deal, Revolt TV, and the growth of his DeLeon Tequila brand.

Last year, Forbes named Diddy as the highest paid musician of 2017 with $130 million in earnings.

Dr Dre, Drake and Eminen also join the two moguls on the Forbes Five: Hip-Hops Wealthiest Artists 2018 list.

Dr. Dre lands as number three with $770 million while Drake and Eminem tie at $100 million

This is Eminems first time on the list, replacing Birdman, the Cash Money boss, who fell below the $100 million mark due to some liquidity issues.

Leave a CommentRecently we saw various young celebrities posting in Police Uniforms with infact ranks on there shirts. Well, this is been sponsored by the Nigeria Police Force to promote peace within the Nigeria ecosystem as we see daily a bitter hatred of Nigerian Youths to the Police Force. Weeks bank, we saw a very large movement of #ENDSARS across social media as lots of Nigeria express themselves of been wrongly accused by SARS Officers. In order to continue to bring peace and harmony with the shores of Nigeria and Lagos especially. The IG, commissioner Police and more would be creating programmes that wil continue to educate the Youth on how to address themselves when in engagement with police personnel. This programs will also enlighten the Police to treat Youth with respect and maximum courtesy.

THe photos below shows some celebrities with the Lagos state Police PPRO Dolapo Badmus. Mavin Records Artiste Dr sid, Korede Bello and Small Doctor are all cool in the Uniform, dont forget Korede Bello is an Ambassador of the Nigerian Police Force

Source: Vidi360.ngDaily Times

In an effort to makea passionate call for an end to the mindless killing and the rescue of the Dapchi school girls, the archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN), Most Rev. Musa Panti Filibus,PhD described the abduction of the school girls as a collective shame to all Nigerians.

Vanguard

Mr Rasak Fadipe, the Director, Lagos State Fire Service on Saturday said that the state recorded 1, 273 fire calls in 2017.

Punch

The Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr Garba Umar, has asked those in possession of illegal firearms in the state to surrender them to the police within 21 days or be arrested.

Thisday

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday described the attack and killing of humanitarian workers in Rann, the headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno State on Thursday night by Boko Haram as Godless, brutish, an act that would only hasten the groups destructive end.

The Sun

Wole Balogun, Ado-EkitiTeachers in Ekiti State, under the aegis of Positive Minds Club (PMC) for Ekiti teachers, have hailed the House of Representatives for passing a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, over his refusal to attend the House sectoral debate on the steel sector to find solutions to the troubled Ajaokuta Steel Plant.

Guardian

The Police Command in Taraba has confirmed that five people were killed and several others injured in fresh attacks on Fulani communities by suspected Mambilla militia in Sardauna local government area of the state

Tribune

Ahead of Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections this year and the 2019 general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) is proposing a budget of N14.82 billion for the current year (2018).

LeadershipLately, A Nigerian man who was impersonating Emir of Kano, Sanusi II with a fake verified Instagram page was arrested after months of manhunt.

The gentleman who is quite active on social media, pretended to be the Emir Sanusi of Kano on Instagram with 262,000 followers  its reported that he uses the verified Instagram page to deceive members of the public.

Paul has now reacted to his arrest, and revealed he once had a chat with the alleged Emir who asked him to send N5 million naira to someone with his account.

Paul shared the conversation with the verified Instagram account and wrote;

Guy man wan guy Guy man. Fake Sanusi asked me to help send N5m to someone from my account as he was having issues with his online banking. His voice first gave him away when he spoke. Abeg how former CBN Oga at the top go ask ordinary me for money? Now Dey don gbege am. Lol Naija I hail o. I even answeram with sir!!!! Thunder firefire you dere

Source: NaijaloadedMarch 2, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Technical analyst Clive Maund outlines four resource stocks that he believes are at a great entry point right now.

Here is a heads up on some strong mining stocks that I will be writing up in more detail as soon as possible. These stocks are at great entry points, which may be improved by the continuing plunge in the broad stock market. In any case these stocks appear to be impervious to declines in the broad market.

Enviroleach Technologies Inc. (ETI:CSE; EVLLF"OTC) C$1.90, $1.46, and Mineworx Technologies Ltd. (MWX:TSX.V; MWXRF:OTCQB) C$0.27, $0.25, that we looked at again a few weeks back are still at great entry points, and appear to be impervious to the woes now afflicting the broad stock market. Both are believed to be at the tail end of corrections within strong bull markets and the news is that Enviroleach is one of the shortlist of four for the industry #DisruptMining Innovation Expo prize with the winner due to be announced this Sunday. If it wins both stocks will likely gap up on Monday; if it doesn't its not a problem, because the fortunes of these companies do not depend on winning a prize.

Lion One Metals Limited (LIO:TSX.V; LOMLF:OTC) C$0.55, $0.448, is still at a great entry point here after it announced a couple of days ago that a surface sample from the Jomaki prospect returned 502 gram/ton gold over 0.70 meters, which is very rich mineralization. The stock broke sharply higher on this news but gave back 5% yesterday, and is still very near to base support thanks to the sector being battered again in recent days. PM sector newsletter writer Brien Lundin really likes Lion One here. The long-term chart shows that Lion One is at an excellent entry point after a long corrective downtrend back to the support at the upper boundary of a large Head-and-Shoulders top. IMMEDIATE STRONG BUY.

Silver Bull Resources Inc. (SVB:TSX; SVBL:NYSE.MKT), C$0.185, $0.15, is now at an excellent entry point. Coeur Mines finished selling its holdings in the stock a while back and the stock has been kept in check by some selling of warrants. However, the company announced a significant discovery last month, and management is about to change out of their scruffy old jeans and T-shirts, put on sharp suits and head for PDAC where the big miners will be present with their checkbooks looking for better juniors to invest in or buy, like this one. Technically Silver Bull is at a great entry point as it is in a strong overall uptrend and at support, and you may recall that we have been buying it on dips in recent weeks.

Clive Maund has been president of www.clivemaund.com, a successful resource sector website, since its inception in 2003. He has 30 years' experience in technical analysis and has worked for banks, commodity brokers and stockbrokers in the City of London. He holds a Diploma in Technical Analysis from the UK Society of Technical Analysts.

Read what other experts are saying about:

Disclosure:

1) Clive Maund: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own shares of the following companies mentioned in this article: None. I personally am, or members of my immediate household or family are, paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. My company has a financial relationship with the following companies mentioned in this article: None. CliveMaund.com disclosures below. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.

2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Lion One and Silver Bull Resources. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. As of the date of this article, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports has a consulting relationship with Enviroleach, Mineworx, Lion One and Silver Bull Resources.

3) Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The author is wholly responsible for the validity of the statements. The author was not paid by Streetwise Reports for this article. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy.

4) This article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports.

5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article, until one week after the publication of the interview or article. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Enviroleach, Mineworx and Silver Bull Resources, companies mentioned in this article.

Charts provided by the author.

CliveMaund.com Disclosure:

The above represents the opinion and analysis of Mr Maund, based on data available to him, at the time of writing. Mr. Maund's opinions are his own, and are not a recommendation or an offer to buy or sell securities. Mr. Maund is an independent analyst who receives no compensation of any kind from any groups, individuals or corporations mentioned in his reports. As trading and investing in any financial markets may involve serious risk of loss, Mr. Maund recommends that you consult with a qualified investment advisor, one licensed by appropriate regulatory agencies in your legal jurisdiction and do your own due diligence and research when making any kind of a transaction with financial ramifications. Although a qualified and experienced stock market analyst, Clive Maund is not a Registered Securities Advisor. Therefore Mr. Maund's opinions on the market and stocks can only be construed as a solicitation to buy and sell securities when they are subject to the prior approval and endorsement of a Registered Securities Advisor operating in accordance with the appropriate regulations in your area of jurisdiction. Mr. Maund does not own securities of Lion One.

More Info:

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Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has revealed that he plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum. The President is interested in taking this move so as to protect local companies in the US. He will be signing the order next week and has promised that it will remain in effect for a long time.

While this move from the President will affect the auto and aerospace industry the most, it will also have an impact on the final prices of Apple products. The move has not gone down well with members of the Republican Party, with many companies also criticising it.

Trump has not provided much details about his plans. It is unclear if he will be levying the tariff only on imported raw materials or on the finished goods. If its the former, then the price impact on Apple products would be minuscule as per analyst Gene Munster. This is because Apple assembles almost all of its products in China and then imports them in the United States. The company only manufacturers the Mac Pro in Austin, Texas, but even that is produced in limited numbers. But if Trumps administration imposes the tariff on the finished goods, then analyst Gene Munster believes it could lead to prices of Apple products increasing by 0.2 percent. The tax will be levied on the amount of aluminum or steel used by Apple in their products and not on the total price of the device it sells.

Given that the price increase we are talking about here is very small, it is possible that Apple might just end up absorbing the impact of the taxes. If not, we should see a very marginal increase in prices of Apple products in the United States.

[Via Bloomberg"We've seen what are called these winter warming events before. But what we know is they're becoming more common, and they're lasting longer, and they're becoming more intense as well," NASA climatologist Alek Petty told VOA.

In the past 30 days, temperatures in Svalbard have soared 10 degrees Celsius above average, and weather station data suggests it's even gone above freezing at the North Pole.

The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard sits high above the Arctic Circle. It is still late winter, and the sun won't rise above the horizon for another three weeks, and yet the ice is melting. Waves lap the shoreline of fjords that just a few years ago would have been frozen solid. Snowmobiles lie trapped in muddy meltwater.

Temperatures in the Arctic in recent days have surged above the freezing point, raising fears that climate change is affecting the planet's atmospheric system far faster than predicted.

 Warm Arctic, Cold Europe

Warm, cyclonic low-pressure systems are being drawn into the Arctic. At the same time, winter sea ice cover is at its lowest since records began. Scientists say the arctic region is warming twice as fast as the global average.

"The ocean stores huge amounts of heat, and as soon as you remove that sea ice then this heat can essentially be transferred into the atmosphere, and so we think these lows are now gaining some additional heat," professor G.W.K. Moore of the University of Toronto said.

The warm arctic weather coincides with an unusually severe cold snap across Europe. Temperatures in Germany have dipped to minus 27 degrees Celsius, while in Ukraine the severe weather has caused blackouts. Snow has covered Romes Colosseum and the palm-fringed shores of the Bay of Naples.

A theory known as "warm Arctic, cold continents" suggests that the winds that circulate around the Arctic and normally keep it cold, known as the polar vortex, become unstable. Warm air is taken in and cold air expelled into lower latitudes.

"Is this loss of sea ice and this rapid warming we're seeing in the Arctic making the likelihood of these cold snaps in Europe, say, more common? And that's the more contentious issue here. Unfortunately, we just don't have many years of data here," NASA's Petty said.

 Jet Stream Perturbed

Thirty kilometers up, there has also been what's called stratospheric sudden warming, which is having a big influence on the weather, Moore said. "Essentially, it perturbs the jet stream, which is this core of high winds that go around the Earth. And that perturbed jet stream is now leading to Europe being under the influence on easterly winds from Siberia," he said.

Short term, the plunging temperatures have caused travel chaos in Europe, with several airports closed, and rail lines and roads blocked. Longer term, the impact -- though not yet fully understood -- could be far more profound for the whole planet.19,325 new COVID cases in Kerala after 1.21L tests on Saturday

With this, the number of active COVID cases in the state fell to 1,80,842. Of the new cases, 18,114 contracted the virus through contact while 96 came from outside the state.Cody Cottier covers town and state government. He grew up with a view of the Olympic Mountains, and after graduating Washington State University he traded it for a view of the Tetons. Odds are the mountains are where youll find him when not on deadline.Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.Mark Huffman edits copy and occasionally writes some, too. He's been a journalist since newspapers had typewriters and darkrooms.Emily Mieure covers criminal justice and emergency news. She also leads the News&Guides investigative efforts. She has reported for WDRB TV in Louisville, Ky., WFIE TV in Evansville, Ind., and WEIU TV in Charleston, Ill.Mexicos Lower House of Congress [official website, in Spanish] approved [vote record, in Spanish] a bill [text, PDF, in Spanish] Thursday that would place regulations on crowdfunding and cryptocurrency firms.

The bill previously passed [Reuters report] the senate and still needs to be signed by the President.

The bill is meant to promote financial stability and prevent money laundering. The law is currently in general form, with the expectation that regulators will begin drafting secondary laws which will provide more details to the industries. The law will permit sharing of user information by financial institutions through public application programming interfaces.

The bill would allow [Bitcoin report] the Bank of Mexico to give consent to Financial Technology Institutions in order to operate with cyrptocurrencies. This would give the Bank of Mexico the authority to decide which cryptocurrencies will be allowed to be listed in exchanges. The exchanges will have one year to comply.

Regulation of cryptocurrencies have gained more attention in recent years. Singapores central bank announced [Reuters report] on Thursday that it is exploring the need to regulate cryptocurrencies. Japans cyrptocurrency exchanges have also set up a self-regulatory body in February.Kathmandu, February 28

It has been more than 20 days since a Cabinet meeting chaired by then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba endorsed a report on the modality of domestic investment for the construction of ambitious Budhigandaki Hydropower Project. However, the file has not been sent to the concerned ministry yet.

Sources say Chief Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi has put the report on hold deliberately as he wants to please the new government led by CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli.

The left leader, who had warned of revoking the decision when the Deuba-led government cancelled the agreement signed with Chinas Gezhouba Group and decided to build it on its own, has recently told a Chinese newspaper that he will revive the project. Olis statement has been interpreted as his desire to remove Deubas decision and give the 1,200-megawatt back to China.

Therefore, Regmi does not want to move forward the report on the modality of domestic investment developed by a panel led by then-National Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Swarnim Wagle, according to a source at the Office of the Prime Minister. The source says Regmi has not put his signature on the decision till the date.

Energy Ministry secretary Dinesh Ghimire also confirms that the Ministry has not received the proposal after it was endorsed by the Cabinet.

In general, we will receive Cabinet decisions within three to four days, he says, No decision has taken more than one week to arrive here so far.FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2018 photo a man passes by a sign asking to vote in the "No Billag" initiative in Fribourg, Switzerland. Swiss voters can decide in a referendum on March 4, 2018 on a proposal to stop the mandatory licence fee for services of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)Pearl Wenjack attends the opening of the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Peterborough Ont., Friday, March 2, 2018. The opening of the Indigenous School of Studies honours Chanie Wenjack, a young Anishinaabe boy who died in his attempt to escape residential school in 1966. Pearl is one of Chanie's sisters. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred ThornhillDamage caused at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre in Vernon, B.C. by northern flickers, a medium-sized brown-spotted woodpecker common across North America is seen in this undated handout photo. They have been pecking holes in the side of the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre in the North Okanagan city of Vernon in an effort to break through the siding and stucco to reach the insulation beneath, which they rip out to create a comfortable burrow-like nest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Regional District of North Okanagan *MANDATORY CREDIT*Secretary of 'Partito Democratico' (Democratic Party) and former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, speaks during the closing rally of the electoral campaign, in Florence, Italy, Friday, March 2, 2018. Italians will vote in general elections Sunday. (Maurizio Degl'Innocenti/ANSA via AP)In this photo taken on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, an exterior view of he offices of the Vatican bank IOR in Vatican City. Vatican prosecutors have indicted the former president of the Vatican bank and his lawyer on embezzlement charges, holding them responsible for losses of more than 50 million euros ($62 million) from real estate sales. The trial of Angelo Caloia and his lawyer is due to begin March 15. They deny wrongdoing. A third suspect died while under investigation. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)FILE--In this April 14, 2016, file photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a Border Patrol agent shows the path of a tunnel that crosses the U.S.-Mexico border near Calexico, Calif. The federal government has started work on a border wall in California to replace a decades-old decaying barrier. SWF Constructors, a tiny Nebraska startup, was awarded the first border wall construction project under President Donald Trump. It is the offshoot of a construction firm that was accused in a government audit of shady billing practices. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP, file)WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNN) -- The White House hosted an opioids summit this week to discuss what the administration is doing to fight the deadly epidemic.

Several senior officials, as well as First Lady Melania Trump, underscored the importance of this effort. This update follows the president's directive last October to find a broad solution to the crisis.

The areas the White House is focusing on include education and prevention, law enforcement, and treatment. Experts said more than 2 million Americans are dependent on prescription or street drugs.

In 2016, alone more than 42,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses and 236 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed in 2016.EUGENE, Ore. -- Thousands of schools and libraries across the nation are celebrating Read Across America Day.

The goal is to spread the word that reading is an important factor in a student's achievement.

KEZI 9 News visited O'Hara Catholic School, where second graders were listening to Dr. Seuss books.

"I think it's kinda fun because, well, we just get to read Dr. Seuss books. I love Dr. Seuss books because they are funny and sometimes he makes up words," said Fletcher, student.

Read Across America Day falls on Dr. Suess' birthday so students also made art that featured Dr. Suess.

Research shows children who are motivated to spend more time reading do better in school.MASON CITY, Iowa  A man is facing a felony OWI charge after being found driving a vehicle without the owners consent.

Robert Knutson, 53, of Clear Lake, is facing charges for felony OWI (3rd offense), driving while barred, fifth-degree theft and operating without owners consent after an incident Thursday at 8:09 p.m. in the 400 block of 3rd St. NW.

Authorities say a motorist reported that a red Ford-150 almost struck them, but the truck was empty when located. While officers waited to see if anyone would come back to the truck, they learned the vehicle was entered as stolen.

Police say Knutson returned to the truck and drove away before being stopped a short time later.

He is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on $7,000 bond.EAGLE GROVE, Iowa (AP)  A 55-year-old woman has been identified as the person killed in a north-central Iowa house fire.

The Messenger reports that Eagle Grove police have confirmed the body found by firefighters Monday night was that of Laurie McPherson.

Two other occupants escaped the blaze but required medical help.

Fire Chief Tom Peterson says an electrical fire in the kitchen spread through the rear of the structure.UPDATE; The Mason City Police Department says Cassidy Askildon was located safe and sound Saturday morning at a Mason City residence. Police say they would like to thank the public for all the help in finding Cassidy so quickly.

Previous story below

MASON CITY, Iowa  The Mason City Police Department is asking for the publics help to locate a missing 16-year-old girl.

Cassidy Asklidson was last seen at school Feb. 28.

Police say this isnt the first time she has run away and that they are concerned about possible medical and safety issues.

We are also warning anyone that may be aiding her that they be subject to prosecution for harboring a runaway, police said.

Asklidson is described as 5-foot-6 with short blonde hair and blue eyes.MASON CITY, Iowa - A North Iowa public health department has been awarded by the Public Health Accreditation Board for its efforts in the community.

The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health is one of 8 health departments nationwide earning an accreditation this week.

To be accredited, each department has to meet over 100 standards such as how services are provided and public communication, as well as leadership and work environment within the department.

Alyse DeVries, Public Health Strategist for Cerro Gordo County, says that she and the entire staff were elated when they received the news.

"I'm very honored that they chose us as an accredited site and glad that we could meet all of their high standards," DeVries says.

The process has taken over two years, something that DeVries says that the hard part is over.

"I feel extremely happy and relieved that it's over for the most part," DeVries adds.

The convenience of having an organization that educates and informs the communities they care about is something that Suzie Q Diner owner Troy Levenhagen is very grateful for.

"We need to have it. There are some people here that are first timers and don't know the rules and regulations. You have to your meat at a proper temperature, you have to use your sanitaries, you have to wash your hands. And for first timers, they need to know that stuff," Levenhagen says.

He also says that public health departments are vital for communities to thrive.

"If we didn't have this, we'd have a lot more illness and sickness than we do. We have a little bit now, and that's why they're out there - to keep this regulated," Levenhagen adds.

The Cerro Gordo Co. Department of Public Health is now one of two departments in Iowa to receive accreditation, the other being in Linn County, and is now one of over 200 nationwide to be accredited.MANKATO, Minn.  A drug investigation sparked by three overdoses has led to an arrest in Blue Earth County.

The Cannon River Drug Task Force says the overdoses happened in Northfield between February 24 and 25 and all the victims survived after being given Narcan. Law enforcement says the overdoses were caused by blue pills that were discovered to be a mix of cocaine and carfentanil, a drug which officials say is 10,000 times stronger than morphine.

Information from those overdoses resulted in the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force searching a home on Cottage Path in Mankato on Thursday. Officers arrested 20-year-old Joshua Ryan Chlan and say they found numerous blue pills that were imprinted with either A215 or M30, which law enforcement says would usually identify them as Oxycodone.

It is not known yet if the blue pills found in Mankato contain carfentanil but they are being tested. The Minnesota River Drug Task Force says the dangerous blue pills recovered in Northfield look exactly like Oxycodone.

Law enforcement says no overdoses have been reported in the Mankato area but is warning people that taking any medication other than what theyve been prescribed and gotten from a pharmacy is extremely dangerous.

Joshua Chlan has been charged with 3rd degree drug sales and 5th degree drug possession.

The Mankato Department of Public Safety, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the U.S. Postal Service assisted with this investigation, which is continuing.CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - Six people from Dubuque have been sentenced for participation in a phone call scam that victimized more than 250 elderly victims across the country.

The six were sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. All six pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Prosecutors say the scheme consisted of phone calls to elderly people across the country, telling victims that relatives were jailed and that money should be wired to free them. The six handled the wire transfers.

Prosecutors say 33-year-old Tobey Hines was given 33 months; 33-year-old Tiffany Reynolds was given 19 months; Joshua Willis was given 23 months; 23-year-old Payton McCarville was given eight months; 21-year-old Morgan Cornell was given 14 months; and 34-year-old Paul Chase was given 15 months.

They also were ordered to pay restitution.AUSTIN, Minn.  The man authorities say was responsible for a school lockdown in Mower County is pleading guilty.

57-year-old Grady Lee Gabbard of Adams was arrested on December 11, 2017 and charged with two counts of terroristic threats and one count of misdemeanor domestic assault. The Mower County Sheriffs Office say Gabbard called a rape crisis hotline in Texas and talked about a mass casualty event. That led to a soft lockdown at the Southland and Le Roy-Ostrander school districts.

Gabbard was arrested after law enforcement surrounded his home.

He is now pleading guilty to one count of terroristic threats and is due to be sentenced on May 18.NORA SPRINGS, Iowa  A man arrested for domestic assault is also accused of threatening and attacking law enforcement.

33-year-old Andreas Deshawn Frazier of Nora Springs is charged with domestic abuse assault  2nd offense, 1st degree harassment, assault on persons in certain occupations, and child endangerment.

Frazier was arrested on February 17 after authorities were called to his home on a report of domestic abuse. According to the criminal complaint, his wife said Frazier hit her in the face and on her shoulder. As he was being driven to the Floyd County Jail, Frazier is accused of threatening his wife and children and Nora Springs Police Chief Jessie Dugan. In addition, Frazier is accused of assaulting Floyd County Sheriffs Deputy Dan Sargent.ST. PAUL, Minn.  Fillmore County is getting over $1.2 million in state funding for three road projects.

Ostrander will receive $314,000 for reconstruction and utility work along County State Aid Highways 1 and 3. Carrolton Township is being given $475,000 for reconstruction and paving along Goodview Drive and $545,200 for reconstruction and paving along Heron Road.

Those are three of the 36 infrastructure projects sharing in approximately $25.3 million from the Minnesota Department of Transportations Local Road Improvement Program.

This program promotes local, regional and state economic development, and improves safety on township, city and county roads, says MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle.

The state says more than 200 applications asking for more than $584 million were submitted. Selection was based on geographical distribution, safety, regional significance, local agency support, construction readiness, impact and availability of other funding sources.MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP)  A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory used a gun that was registered to his father, authorities said Saturday.

James Eric Davis Jr. was arrested without incident shortly after midnight following an intensive daylong search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said.

Fridays shooting at Campbell Hall happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a weeklong spring break.

The university identified the two dead as Davis mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood. The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Lansing.

Central Michigan University police Chief Bill Yeagley told reporters that the gun used in the shooting belonged Davis Sr. He would not say whether the father had brought the gun to campus when picking up his son, but noted that Davis Jr. was seen on video in the dorms parking lot with the gun before going into the building where his parents were shot.

Two people who werent students were fatally shot at a Central Michigan University residence hall on Friday, prompting officials to put the campus on lockdown as police searched for a 19-year-old suspect described as armed and dangerous. (March 2)

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldnt be confronted. Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a slow, methodical removal of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings, Lt. Larry Klaus said, adding that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

The search focused on Mount Pleasant neighborhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.

The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Davis Jr. graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.

Bellwood Police Chief Jiminez Allen released a statement Friday night praising Davis Sr.s work.

Davis contributions to our community positively impacted everyone he served and served with, Allen said.

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a weeklong break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.

Student Tyler Whipple was driving through campus when his route was blocked by police cars at the scene of the killings. He had to catch a flight to Florida.

These roads are kind of spooky right now, Whipple said.

The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message was sent to students.

Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from the dorm. She had planned to run errands before traveling home to southeastern Michigan.

Its scary thinking about how easy a shooter can come into a college campus anywhere  a classroom, a library. Theres so much easy access, Byron said.AUSTIN, MInn.  Dealing heroin near a school lands a Mower County man over three years in prison.

46-year-old Dion Edward Wadley of Austin was charged with multiple drug crimes for selling heroin to a police informant. Authorities say the sales happened at Wadleys home, which is near the Neveln Elementary School.

Wadley pleaded guilty in December 2017 to two counts of 3rd degree drug sales. He was sentenced Friday to four years and three months in prison, with credit for 346 days already served.CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A second man has been arrested in an attack involving a space heater.

28-year-old Dontrale Gaston of Charles City was picked up Thursday in the 900 block of North Grand Avenue on warrants for 1st degree burglary, 4th degree theft and 5th degree theft. Charles City police say Gaston joined Isaac Brown and another man in a February 17 fight at a home in the 400 block of Richings Street. Officers say the victim was left cut and bloodied after being hit with a space heater and a beer bottle.

Gaston is also accused of stealing a cell phone on January 28 and shoplifting a pack of cigarettes on January 30.

For a previous story about this case, click here.CRESCO, Iowa  Court documents shed light on a frightening situation where authorities say Brian Fullhart, 34, shot and killed his wife, Zoanne, before threatening police early Thursday morning.

According to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Fullhart is facing charges of first-degree murder and going armed with intent and is being held in the Winneshiek County Jail on $1 million bond.

Police were called to 700 S. Elm St. at 1:22 a.m. Thursday after a report of shots fired. Law enforcement responded and spoke with a witness who said Brian Fullhart had possession of a handgun and they heard an altercation between him and his wife.

According to court documents, Fullhart told police that he would shoot their heads off and proceeded to barricade himself inside the residence.

He was taken into custody at 6:45 a.m.

During interviews with witnesses who were inside the residence at Lot 32 on the evening of Feb. 28, they said Fullhart was in the back room with Zoanne when they heard a gunshot, turned around and saw Zoanne had been shot with Fullhart holding the gun.

During the standoff, authorities say that on two occasions, Brian Fullhart did fire upon law enforcement with a compound bow. At least one of those times, striking a police squad car.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 12 at 1 p.m.ROCKFORD, Iowa- Like many rural towns in North Iowa and Southern Minnesota, the town of Rockford has a volunteer department that responds when called upon. But those who respond when we need them say they are worried about a new Iowa Senate Tax Reform bill that would eliminate a $100 tax credit that volunteers can write off on their taxes each year.

Randy Schweizer with the Rockford and Marble Rock Department say this is one of the only incentives volunteer departments use to recruit new volunteers.

Its a long long commitment to be a fire fighter and it also involves family, he said. I mean, family members are also involved because it does affect them and that's why the 100's is like a little bonus to help you through the year. Maybe you can buy mom, or the kids, a little gift for putting up with all of the time you're away from home.

Schweizer is also the Police Chief for Rockford and says the bill would take funding away from sending recruits to the police academy. He says smaller departments already have a hard time with funding and this will make it even more difficult for them to train new officers.Bagan Temple, Myanmar. Photo by Tom Coyner



By Tom Coyner



Virtually every digital camera, and even many smartphone photography apps, come with white balance controls. Often these settings are labeled simply as "WB," and by default the WB setting is on "auto." But if one explores, one can find alternative settings -- such as shadow, cloudy, sunny, iridescent, tungsten, flash and even custom.



But why bother with all of this? First, we need to recognize that all light is colored. Even "white light" has a color. Daylight, for example, has a decidedly blue tint that is very strong just before and after sunrise, lessens in intensity at midday and returns to heavy blue light just before and after sunset during the so-called "blue hour."



In sharp contrast is the light that is commonly found indoors, mostly emitted from neon (tungsten) lights and iridescent light bulbs. The light from these sources has an orange or yellow ("warm") tint often requiring a blue offset by setting the WB to tungsten or iridescent, most commonly represented by a neon light or light bulb icons.





Bagan Temple, Myanmar. Photo by Tom Coyner



When shooting in the shade or under cloudy skies, the images can come out decidedly too bluish on "auto," in which case one may wish to experiment with the cloudy, shade or even (illogically) the sunny icon. Looking at the results on the LCD panel, one can see what setting looks best.



However, you need not be restricted to what is 100 percent natural as one views the scene at the time of capture. Photographers often add a soft warm or orange kick to their sunrise and sunset photos. At other times, giving an extra blue punch by shooting with the normally indoor settings of tungsten or iridescent can achieve a pleasing effect.





Bagan Temple, Myanmar. Photo by Tom Coyner



Over the course of two early morning visits to the famous temples of Bagan, Myanmar, I shot these photos with a variety of WB settings. In such dramatic and potentially romantic settings, I'm constantly shooting and reshooting with various WB settings. Looking at the images, see if you can detect which were shot on the "auto" or normal WB setting, and which were photographed with cloudy or shadow settings versus tungsten or iridescent settings.



In any case, the important point is to realize that through experimentation and mindful control one can have much creative as well as corrective control the images' color tint.





Bagan Temple, Myanmar. Photo by Tom Coyner







Kang Ah-Hyeong models hanbok from the Golden Needle hanbok design shop, as the wind catches it to billow it up at just the right moment. Photo by Michael Hurt



By Michael Hurt



As a photographer and visual sociologist, I have always found hanbok the traditional clothing worn by Korean people deeply interesting. And I don't mean "interesting" in the sense that I want to wear it, but rather in the sense that as a symbol of Koreanness itself, and as an object worn on the body, it is the object that is most charged with a corporealized Koreanness. And in that sense, it is quite "raced" as an object strongly associated with the markers of that self-same Koreanness.



Put more simply, hanbok is associated with "Korean" faces, Korean bodies and is a marker of many other things Korean. It is the thing, based on the bodies generally seen to inhabit it or seen as OK to inhabit it that help define what and who the proper Korean body even is in the bigger picture.



This photography/fashion project is part of an attempt to question/interrupt both a) who gets to embody hanbok, and b) what hanbok even is. Put even more simply, it's a visual/aesthetic remix of hanbok and all it denotes.





Canadian model Sarah Shusan, of Libyan descent, wears hanbok from the Golden Needle. Photo by Michael Hurt



Of course, this isn't the first time a non-Korean has worn hanbok. And since hanbok has become a staple of tourism in a Korea awash with travelers brought by the Korean wave, it has become a staple of tourist selfie pics and has even risen to the level of near-cosplay at toured sights/sites in Korea.





Hanbokking at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Michael Hurt





Tourists from Hong Kong in hanbok. Photo by Michael Hurt





Hanbokked Malaysian tourists at Seoul Fashion Week, April 2017. Photo by Michael Hurt



For this project, however, it occurred to me to go as many skin tones and racial markers away from the Korean center as I could. In truth, this opportunity and idea fell into my lap.



In early February this year, I was contacted by a modeling agent who was looking for Seoul-based foreign photographers who could work with models and knew the fashion scene here. Although I generally have more than enough on my plate, I recognized the opportunity to connect up model Sarah with Kim Young Mi of the Golden Needle Hanbok , a hanbok designer I had just started working with and who designed the hanbok for and worked with Han Hyeon-min, a Korean of African descent who has gained quite a bit of fame of late.



So, my initial idea was to introduce the designer to a female version of him, since to "flip" the idea of hanbok's meaning one has to do it with a female model, as the very idea of hanbok-as-cultural-symbol is itself so heavily gendered in the first place. Hanbok as a cultural symbol is a female hanbok, and has been for a long time, across both Koreas. Flipping that with a differently raced body of African descent seemed like the starkest way to do this, and the tall, modelesque body of an actual non-Korean fashion model standing at 175 cm far above the average height of most Korean women seemed an apropos way to start.





The picture speaks for itself: The model's skin tone picks up the gold and dark red in ways quite different from the milky, pale skin generally draped in hanbok. Photo by Michael Hurt



This is just the beginning of the project. I'm experimenting with models of different skin tones and looks, with an emphasis on pro or experienced models. I am also working a lot with modern hanbok, as they are themselves retakes on the accepted, older hanbok of tradition. Putting all this together different races, faces and places, modern and traditional has yielded some promising and pleasing results.





Swedish model Miranda Alvenkrona in a modern hanbok style by Heo Sarang Hanbok in an old kind of place, a dabang. Photo by Michael Hurt





Miranda, a face of a different race in an unusual place, in a Heo Sarang Hanbok hanbok. Photo by Michael Hurt





Miranda changes the 1970s with the help of a beauty dish mounted on the flash and the "Pop" Snapchat filter. Photo by Michael Hurt





Model Keena Wilson brings a Heo Sarang Hanbok hanbok into the stratosphere with a high fashion feel. Photo by Michael Hurt



How does it look so far? What looks work? What would you like to see? Male looks are coming soon, along with a couple more female models I think would make things even more interesting.





Senagalese model Fama Ndiaye in a designer hanbok from the Jaraq Select shop in Itaewon. Photo by Michael Hurt



And finally, a last word about traditionally proper hanbok versus the tourist hanboks that have evolved randomly non-hanbokky features such as strange fabrics that look like living room drapes, large hoops to give the hanbok ballroom gown-style volume they were never supposed to have, or bows in the back of the dress.





Jihye models a rental hanbok gone wrong, with a bow in the back. Photo by Michael Hurt





The hoops inside give the dress a ridiculous, constant volume. Photo by Michael Hurt





Ah-hyeong wears a Golden Needle hanbok that drapes properly while also naturally billowing out with the wind. Photo by Michael Hurt





Ah-hyeong demonstrates how a hanbok should move when walking. Photo by Michael Hurt





Ah-hyeong in the '70s. Photo by Michael Hurt





There's a slightly different drape on Keena, a Western model with a modern hanbok/dress and possessed of a different skin color and attitude as part of her aesthetic, and who stands nearly a foot taller with a modeling style rooted in Western-style runway and print editorial modeling. Photo by Michael Hurt





A totally different feel, but still hanbok. Photo by Michael Hurt



Credits

EDITORIAL MODELS (in order of appearance):

Kang Ah-Hyeong - Instagram @bro0206

Sarah Shusan - Instagram @queenoffuckingeverything

Miranda Alvenkrona - Instagram @mieandaaa

Keena Wilson - Instagram @keenapilar

Fama Ndiaye - Instagram @Famaworldmusic

Jeong Jihye - Instagram @geejiiii



HANBOK DESIGNERS (in order of appearance):

(formal, traditional hanboks on Ah-hyeong and Sarah)

(modern hanboks on Miranda and Keena)

(haute couture hanbok on Fama)



ASSISTANCE AND FIXING

Jeong Soo-ah



EDITORIAL MODELS (in order of appearance):Kang Ah-Hyeong - Instagram @bro0206Sarah Shusan - Instagram @queenoffuckingeverythingMiranda Alvenkrona - Instagram @mieandaaaKeena Wilson - Instagram @keenapilarFama Ndiaye - Instagram @FamaworldmusicJeong Jihye - Instagram @geejiiii(in order of appearance): Golden Needle () Hanbok (formal, traditional hanboks on Ah-hyeong and Sarah) Heo Sarang ( ) Hanbok (modern hanboks on Miranda and Keena) Jaraq Select ( ) Shop (haute couture hanbok on Fama)Jeong Soo-ahThank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here.

SubmitOne person was injured and at least two are facing charges after a vehicle collision just outside Mr. Pleasant, Iowa.

According to officials, it all happened on March 1 at the intersection of Iowa Ave. and E. Harvest Dr.

22-year-old Angelica Pagan entered the intersection without seeing a truck also pulling in. The two vehicles ended up colliding.

The truck was driven by 61-year-old Ronald Fuller. There were also two passengers inside Pagan's vehicle, but, out of the four people involved, only Pagan was treated for injuries.

While on-scene, police arrested 18-year-old Dustin Beckman. He's charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A juvenile was also charged with possession of marijuana, but was released to their guardian.

Charges are also pending for Pagan, who was listed as at fault for the accident. Those charges are pending lab results.Rome, March 2 - European Parliament President Antonio Tajani on Friday went to Forza Italia (FI) leader Silvio Berlusconi's Rome residence at Palazzo Grazioli to have lunch with the ex-premier, sources said. Tajani left after about five hours in the palazzo, without making any statements. The encounter comes after Berlusconi confirmed on Thursday that Tajani is FI's candidate to be premier if the centre right wins Sunday's general election. Tajani said later that if his homeland needed him he would be ready to be FI's premier candidate for Sunday's general election. "I've alway done everything for the love of my homeland, I'm Italian and proud of it. If my homeland were to need me I am available," said Tajani. He stressed "then the decision is up to the citizens and the head of State". Tajani added: "If it isn't so, I will continue to to be president of the European Parliament." Three-time premier Berlusconi, 81, is currently ineligible to stand for public office due to a ban he is appealing against linked to a tax-fraud conviction. Berlusconi said Thursday that Tajani will be premier if the centre right wins and FI is the biggest party in the coalition. League leader and premier Matteo Salvini, Berlusconi's coalition ally, has said he is confident his right-wing, anti-migrant, Euroskeptic party will outdo FI on Sunday. If that is so, Salvini will be the centre-right premier candidate. The two leaders have agreed that the party that comes first "will express the premier candidate".Rome, March 2 - Democratic Party (PD) leader and ex-premier Matteo Renzi told an Facebook-ANSA Live Forum on Friday that Sunday's general election was a choice between those offering growth and those who risk causing economic turmoil. "I say to those who are undecided that this election is much more important that they want to make out, this election is a big divide between those betting on growth and an extremist message," Renzi said. "It's a clear crossroads between those who took the country out of the crisis and those who would like to go back to the times of the (soaring bond) spread. "My appeal to the undecided is to think carefully. We ask the Italian people to think carefully". Italy risks a Greek-style economic meltdown in 2011 when its borrowing costs soared in the eurozone debt crisis.Hello! This week in books, things are a bit quiet, and in print, we gave a page to our colleagues in film for our Academy Awards coverage. Im Carolyn Kellogg, books editor, and this weeks newsletter will be a quick one.

THE BIG REVIEW

Walter Mosley is widely known for his Easy Rawlins series, with noirs such as Devil in a Blue Dress set in south L.A. in the 1940s. But his repertoire is much wider, as he shows in his latest mystery, Down the River Unto the Sea. Set in contemporary New York and following a disgraced former cop turned private investigator, its a compulsively readable tale that deals with racism, false imprisonment and the temptations of corruption, writes Steph Cha in our review.

Novelist Walter Mosley. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

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THE OTHER BIG REVIEW

Last year at the L.A. Times Book Prizes, we awarded Thomas McGuane the Kirsch Award for Lifetime Achievement, but it hasnt stopped him from writing. His new book, Cloudbursts, is a mammoth collection of short stories, nearly 600 pages in all, that stretches from the beginning of his career in the 1960s to eight new stories. It is a wonderful, essential new collection, writes reviewer Gabe Habash: These 45 career-spanning stories contain more artistry, humor, eyebrow-raising plot turns and surprising diction than seems possible in one book. Read all about it.

Writer Thomas McGuane. (Courtesy Thomas McGuane )

BESTSELLERS

For the first time in seven weeks, the nonfiction list is not topped by Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House. Apparently book buyers are a bit tired of politics and everything else serious: Our new No. 1 L.A. Times bestseller in nonfiction is Mark Mansons wry self-help guide, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

And a longtime favorite of Southland readers  for 23 weeks now  is Celeste Ngs Little Fires Everywhere, a riveting novel of two families whose lives intertwine in an affluent Cleveland suburb. The book returns to the top spot on our fiction list this week, making it our No. 1 fiction bestseller again.

See all the books on our bestseller lists here.

Celeste Ngs latest is Little Fires Everywhere. (Kevin Day / The Penguin Press )

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MORE IN BOOKS

Michelle Obamas memoir, titled Becoming, will be published Nov. 13.

Transparent creator Jill Soloway will launch a publishing imprint with Amazon.

Weve recently looked at a couple of books published 50 years ago; this week, on the anniversary of East L.A. school walkout, The Times takes a deep dive into the news of 1968. It was a very tough year.

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Novelist Jennifer Egan (A Visit from the Goon Squad, Manhattan Beach) was named president of PEN America, which has now completed its unification with west coast PEN to make one big national nonprofit fighting for writers rights.

According to Twitter, Susan Orlean has turned in a draft of her latest book (about the L.A. public library!) and critic Michelle Dean has gotten two very cute kittens.

And Harper Lees will is finally public, thanks to the New York Times. But the will, signed eight days before Lee died in 2016, doesnt answer many questions about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Thanks for reading!

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Harper Lee in 2007. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images )

carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com

@paperhausIn an attempt to move driverless car software more quickly into its cars and trucks, Toyota is creating a separate company and hopes to fill it with some of the worlds best autonomous-vehicle coders.

Called Toyota Research Institute-Advanced Development, the new Tokyo-based company will draw on work turned out by Toyotas research labs and transform it into commercial-ready products.

The joint venture comprises Toyota and two of its major parts suppliers  Denso and Aisin Seiki. The partners will invest $2.8 billion, Toyota said, but didnt indicate a time frame.

The company will be headed by James Kuffner, now chief technical officer of the Toyota Research Institute in Silicon Valley.

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Kuffner, a Stanford grad and still a Carnegie Mellon University professor, was a researcher at Google from 2009 to 2016. Hes well known in the coding community as co-inventor of the randomly exploring random tree algorithm, a benchmark in robot motion planning.

Toyota is hoping such tech chops will help attract world class programmers to create a smooth software pipeline from research to commercialization, according to a company news release.

With 300 employees now, the new company will eventually employ 1,000, Toyota said.

Kuffner told The Times that hell move with his family from Silicon Valley to Tokyo, where the company conducts much of its internal business in English.

Tech talent is scarce in general, but especially so in driverless car development. Toyota currently has driverless research centers in Los Altos, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Cambridge, Mass. The Tokyo center will help extend the net, he said.

We have always adopted the approach to take talent wherever we can get it. Based on the recent politics [that seek to reduce immigration] its harder for some of the talent to come to the U.S., Kuffner said.

Also, a small, new growth company could attract more desirable workers with equity or stock options, he said.

Like all automobile manufacturers, Toyota is looking for ways to break down bureaucracy so it doesnt get left behind as the industry moves rapidly toward robot cars powered by electric drive.

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Its difficult to be good at everything  its just hard to focus a team that has to have a daily competitive focus to do other things as well, said Mark Wakefield of consulting firm AlixPartners. But, of course, a separate company isnt necessarily a panacea either. As always, the proof will be the execution.

Toyota has been reshuffling top management and diversifying its board of directors to face what Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda sees as existential threats to the traditional automotive business.

Over the next 100 years, there is no guarantee that automobile manufacturers will continue to play leading roles in mobility, he said at a company event in November. A crucial battle has begun  not one about winning or losing, but one about surviving or dying.

russ.mitchell@latimes.com

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Twitter: @russ1mitchellCanadians reacted with a mixture of anger, confusion and resignation this week to President Trumps promise to hit U.S. imports of steel and aluminum with hefty tariffs, upending decades of economic cooperation and integration.

Were pretty consistently flabbergasted that Canada is at the top of the hit parade of trade villains in Trumps eyes, said Douglas Porter, chief economist at the Bank of Montreal.

Under the Trump policies announced Thursday, steel imported into the United States would be slapped with a 25% tariff and aluminum with a 10% tariff. The announcement sent shudders through world markets and prompted a global outcry, with European allies and others threatening retaliation.

Trump often has accused China of forcing U.S. steel and aluminum companies to fold by inundating the market with cheaper materials. But Canada is the largest exporter of steel and aluminum to the United States, supplying $7.2 billion of aluminum and $4.3 billion of steel to the United States last year.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the tariff proposal absolutely unacceptable, using the same phrase as Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who also threatened retaliatory measures if Canada isnt exempted from the trade actions.

Trudeau, speaking at an event in Barrie, Ontario, said he had raised the issue of tariffs in the past but didnt indicate whether he had talked to Trump since the announcement.

We will continue to engage with all levels of the American administration in the coming days so that they understand that this proposal is unacceptable, he said.

It was unclear from Trumps announcement what countries would be subject to the tariffs. More details on the policy were expected to be released next week.

Were hoping that reasonable voices are going to prevail and that Canada will be exempted, said Keanin Loomis, president of the Chamber of Commerce in Hamilton, Ontario, the heart of the Canadian steel industry. Canadian steel is fair trade. We adhere to tight labor regulations and tight environmental regulations.

But Lawrence Herman, a Toronto trade lawyer, said he doubts Trump is interested in exempting Canada from the tariffs. Trump remarked this week in a meeting with U.S. governors that Canada was very smooth in its trade relations.

We lose a lot with Canada. People dont know it, Trump said. They have you believe that its wonderful, and it is  for them. Not wonderful for us. Its wonderful for them.

Herman said he is convinced that if the tariffs remain, Canada will retaliate.

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I dont think theres any doubt about that. Canada has to respond. I would target U.S. wine for starters, he said. Canadian consumers are not going to be prejudiced because there are many alternative sources of wine in the world. Other U.S. products could follow, he predicted.

Jean Simard, president of the Aluminum Assn. of Canada, said that his industry has been integrated into the U.S. economy for more than 50 years and that the Pentagon considers Canadian aluminum production a strategic military supply.

Theres no rationale, Simard said. It doesnt make sense. Its just protectionism.

Were by far the largest supplier to the U.S., he said, with annual output of 3.2 million metric tons of aluminum coming from 10 Canadian smelters and 90% of that output heading south of the border. Canada supplies about half of U.S. aluminum requirements, according to the Aluminum Assn.

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Simard said that 9 of 15 U.S. aluminum smelters have closed in the past four years, but he blames their demise on a surge in Chinese production and the fact that they face high power costs and never have been modernized.

In 2000, Canada accounted for 10% of global aluminum output and now accounts for 5%. Chinas share rose from 11% to 55% in the same period, according to the association.

Not accustomed to being cast as the villain, Canadians are now finding themselves being considered a rival by the U.S. president, pollster Nik Nanos said.

I dont think Canadians feel they are being singled out, he said, noting Trumps diatribes against Mexico, China and Germany. For Canadians, its more resignation with the environment we live in.Anoosheh Oskouian, 54, is chief executive of Ship & Shore Environmental Inc., a multimillion-dollar Signal Hill company that makes pollution-reducing equipment. The firm also helps cut energy costs and develop energy alternatives for U.S. and foreign industrial companies.

We are one of the only companies nationwide that do all of the engineering, consulting, manufacturing and maintenance, Oskouian said. We do a total turnkey approach.

Coming to America

Oskouian, a native of Iran, arrived alone in the U.S. at age 14 to study. Young Anoosheh Mostafaei was eager to become an engineer, and her parents wanted to shield her from the growing violence of the Islamic Revolution that swept the U.S.-backed monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, from power in January 1979. I had asked my dad if he could find some way for me to be able to go to school at a younger age, she said. So he changed my birth certificate to make it appear as though I was 16, and not 14. Her mothers advice was succinct: Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do it just because you're a girl.

Adventurous spirit

She settled in Colorado because she had family there, but she never expected to be there for very long. In oil-rich Iran, chemical engineers would always be in demand. I was always fascinated by chemistry, Oskouian said. I thought the revolution would end someday and I could go back and work in oil and gas or refining. While her peers were interested in boys and recreational chemicals, Oskouian had little interest, eventually moving into her own apartment while still a teenager. I told my father, You know what? If I stay around these kids Im never going to be able to accomplish what I want.

Getting noticed

Oskouian is fond of the saying, When the student is ready, the teacher will appear, and that mentoring was something she enjoyed throughout her teenage years and early adulthood. She still remembers her mentors.

Carl Lang was a guidance counselor at my high school who made sure I was enrolled in advanced courses and in the National Honor Society, she said. I have always been lucky in finding like-minded people in my life.

Course corrections

Iran was firmly in the hands of Islamists. Colorado was just too darned cold, so after earning a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado, she relocated to California. Oskouian worked for three companies in succession, including one called Professional Design Resources and Fluor Daniel, a subsidiary of Fluor Corp. But that career ran into a roadblock when the economy dived in 1994 and 1995.

Fluor had a major office in Texas, but I didnt want to go there, Oskouian said. So, I took time off. Friends would say, Oh, we should open a coffee shop, but I wanted to stay within my field.

Finding her niche

Oskouian found a second chance at a professional career when she joined a company called Ship & Shore Sheet Metal in 1996. It was a time when she was appalled by the environmental conditions in the cargo and shipping industry. But as she was helping the company develop its environmental business, yet another roadblock appeared.

As 2000 approached, the companys owner announced a sudden and shocking decision: He was declaring bankruptcy and firing everybody, Oskouian recalled. He told employees that anyone who wanted to take over the business had until tonight to decide.

Leap of faith

It was nerve-racking, Oskouian said. In the end her husband, Alan, pointed out this would probably be the only time she would get such an opportunity. I took everything I had out of my 401(k) from Fluor Daniel. It was about $80,000.

More success stories from How I Made It 

It's really just jumping in with both feet and just trying to see where you go and giving it your all. Anoosheh Oskouian

Believe in yourself

Oskouian made a slight name change for the company, making it Ship & Shore Environmental when she launched it in 2000. She quickly set about building the kind of company she wanted. It's really just jumping in with both feet and just trying to see where you go and giving it your all, she said.

Business mantra

Although a big proponent of industry, Oskouian said companies need to take care to also protect the environment. If you do it properly, you don't pollute your water and your air; you don't just send your chemicals down your wastewater lines.

One-stop solutions

Oskouian attributes her companys success to the fact that she has turned it into a one-stop shopping solution without the need for subcontractors. She has also built a reputation for customized solutions that are cost-effective.

One example was when her firm was hired by a yacht manufacturer that needed pollution abatement equipment. The yacht maker had heard the equipment would be way too expensive, so Oskouians company designed a much smaller, more affordable version. The cost, because we did all of the work ourselves, was probably a fifth of what they ever thought they were going to spend, she said.

Commanding respect

Weeks can pass without seeing another female executive in the industry.

In one meeting with several peer companies, no one wore name tags and the other executives assumed Oskouian was support staff and directed her to make coffee.

I didn't say anything at first, she said. After a few minutes I told them, I think it will be appropriate for all of us to introduce ourselves, so you know whos going to talk about what part of the project. By the way, I'm the CEO and the president of the company. The look on their faces, to this day, is still worth millions to me.

Leadership style

I try, as much as possible, to give people a lot of responsibility and authority at the same time. When we get a project, we're all hands-on.

Personal

Oskouian lives in Newport Beach and has been married for 20 years. The couple have a 13-year-old son, Rod. She enjoys preparing family dinners, organizing and attending charity events, reading poetry and going to the symphony.

Shes also committed to several causes. She helped develop the Iranian Cultural Center of Orange County and has served on various boards including the Western Plastics Assn.

I just dislike it when people sit back and complain and dont do anything, she said. If you really want to improve lives, you need to get involved on every level you can.

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ronald.white@latimes.comHow hard would it be for the city of Los Angeles to create its own bank? Very.

Thats the upshot of a report released this week by the citys chief legislative analyst, which identified a bevy of potential roadblocks, including the need for changes to state and city law and potentially exorbitant start-up costs.

Formation of [a public bank] under existing law and regulation would be a very difficult process, would be very costly, and would result in an institution that would not likely qualify to receive city business, the report found.

Los Angeles city leaders have been studying the creation of a bank since July, when Council President Herb Wesson unexpectedly included the idea in a speech laying out his priorities for his final term.

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The idea of public banks  financial institutions owned by cities or states  has long been supported by economic-justice groups and other advocacy organizations that see them as an alternative to the profit-motivated, investor-owned institutions. More recently, the idea has gained support among cannabis-business owners, who believe public banks may be able to serve them since most private banks are not willing to do so.

Wesson, in his speech, envisioned the bank would make small business loans and help finance affordable housing, as well as provide services to cannabis businesses.

Do you know, weve got people that are going to go home tonight and sleep on a mattress thats worth $2 million? Wesson asked, alluding to cannabis business owners who stash cash at home instead of at a bank. We have to figure out a way to make this industry work. We in government are supposed to push the envelope, not protect the status quo.

Other cities, including Oakland and San Francisco, as well as state officials are analyzing the idea. In January, California Treasurer John Chiang announced that his office and the state attorney generals office would study the creation of a state bank that could serve the cannabis industry.

Despite the flurry of interest, creating a public bank at the state or city level would be a challenge. And its not clear if such an institution could provide key bank functions  such as processing payments and accepting insured deposits  if it openly worked with cannabis businesses.

Leaving aside the potential legal and regulatory hurdles tied to cannabis, the Los Angeles legislative analyst report lays out numerous other challenges such an institution would have to overcome. Cost is among the biggest.

The U.S. is home to just one public bank: the Bank of North Dakota, founded in 1919. It used the proceeds of state bonds to provide its initial capital  the monetary cushion that is at the heart of a banks balance sheet and protects the institution from insolvency. But John Wickham of the city legislative analysts office told a council committee on Wednesday that bonds can only be used for brick-and-mortar projects and could not be the source of start-up capital.

We cant see how using bonds would work in any way, shape or form, Wickham said. That leaves using general fund money or finding philanthropists willing to bankroll, literally, a municipal bank.

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Its not clear precisely how much capital an L.A. bank would need, but the report cited a 2011 study from Massachusetts that suggested a statewide public bank there would need $3.6 billion to open its doors.

Thats a very scary number to come throw at us, Council member Bob Blumenfield said during Wednesdays meeting. Thats going to be one of our bigger challenges.

L.A.s population of about 4 million is greater than half that of Massachusetts, suggesting the capital needed to start a bank here could still run into the billions.

If the city can find the money, it would also need to get voters on board with the public bank idea.

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L.A.s city charter prohibits the city from entering into a purely commercial venture  a bank probably qualifies  without voter approval, according to the report.

Whats more, the charter gives the city treasurer the authority to choose the financial institutions that hold city deposits, and also requires a competitive bidding process for banking services and other big contracts. Without changes to the city charter, which would also have to be approved by voters, that means a city-owned bank would not by default be chosen to hold the citys deposits.

The city treasurer, the report found, must invest and deposit city money in ways that ensure it is safe and earns a return. If city money were deposited in a public bank, that bank would have to try to earn some return for depositors.

Banks make a return by lending money. Depending on the types of loans it might make, that could put the city-owned bank  and the city  into awkward and politically fraught situations.

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What if, Wickham said, the city made a mortgage loan and the borrower stopped paying?

It would be difficult for a city-owned bank to be foreclosing on property owners in the city of Los Angeles, he said. The city probably doesnt want to be in the position of foreclosing on properties. Thats a very bad place for us to be in.

At Wednesdays meeting, Wesson suggested that the report, while detailed, painted too dour a picture of the public banks prospects and asked Wickham to return with a report laying out precise steps the city should take to create a public bank.

When you come back to us, say, This is what you need to do. Let us determine how difficult that is, he said. If it was going to be easy to create some kind of municipal bank, it would have already been done.

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Follow me: @jrkorenThe White House scrambled Friday to deal with a flood of questions and criticisms from around the globe after President Trumps surprise announcement a day earlier that he would impose tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on aluminum from China and other countries.

In a hastily called briefing for reporters, one senior administration official said the new tariffs would apply to those metals imported from all nations, seemingly clarifying whether Trump might exempt certain allies like Canada.

But the official left open the door to possible changes as he described the blanket, double-digit duties as a preliminary decision and said that the presidents tariff proclamation in principle would be finalized next week after a legal scrubbing.

The official provided no other details of the measure, which Trump indicated he would sign sometime next week. Trump also told steel executives called to the White House on Thursday that the tariffs would last a long time.

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Trumps announcement surprised some of his own top officials, who on Friday appeared to be continuing an internecine battle in the White House over Trumps protectionist leanings.

At the same time, officials also sought to contain a fallout from Trumps off-the-cuff rollout of the tariff news, which shocked U.S. lawmakers and business groups, and elicited a sharp response from Canada, the biggest exporter of steel to the U.S., as well as other trading partners.

European Union officials said they would potentially target American products, such as bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorbikes, for tariffs if Trump carried out his plan to levy global tariffs on the metals. And one European firm, Swedish-based Electrolux, said that it is putting on hold its $250 million commitment to invest in a Tennessee plant because of concerns about the impact of potential tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

Major stock indexes in Europe and Asia sank on Friday on fears of a trade war. Stocks in the U.S. ended moderately down Friday after plunging the previous day after Trumps announcement.

Trump on Friday morning brushed off concerns about the downside risks of his planned tariffs, tweeting that trade wars are good, and easy to win.

Trumps authority to impose the tariffs is based on a U.S. law that grants the president wide discretion to apply trade sanctions on the grounds of national security.

In a series of tweets Friday, Trump reiterated the need to protect our country and our workers, and seemed to single out China without naming it: When a certain country gets cute, he wrote, dont trade anymore-we win big. Its easy!

China, however, was only the 11th-largest exporter of steel to the United States last year. About 40% of American steel imports come from countries in which the United States has collective defense alliances such as Canada, Germany and South Korea, said Andy Rothman, an investment strategist at Matthews Asia in San Francisco.

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Few economists would agree with the president about the efficacy of trade wars. In March 2002, President George W. Bush imposed global tariffs of up to 30% on various types of imported steel, although some countries were excluded and it was not done in the name of national security.

Still, Bush lifted the tariffs after 20 months as the World Trade Organization ruled the action illegal and Europe threatened to retaliate with tariffs of its own  on citrus from Florida, Harleys made in Wisconsin and other U.S. goods. The tariffs lifted steel prices, and Bush claimed they allowed the domestic industry to get back on its feet. But by some estimates, the steel duties cost some 200,000 domestic jobs in 2002, about one-fourth of them in metal-making, machinery and transportation equipment and parts sectors.

For that and related political reasons, many Republicans also oppose Trumps trade stance.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said in a biting statement, Trade wars are never won. Trade wars are lost by both sides. Kooky 18th century protectionism will jack up prices on American families  and will prompt retaliation from other countries. Make no mistake: If the President goes through with this, it will kill American jobs  thats what every trade war ultimately does. So much losing.

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don.lee@latimes.com

Follow me at @dleelatimes

Staff writer Christi Parsons contributed to this report.A look at the Oscars. A play about Jacqueline Kennedy. And an artists hallucinatory installation. Im Carolina A. Miranda, staff writer with the Los Angeles times, with the weeks top culture stories and ancient art GIFs:

IMAGE

From here on out, Ill be kicking off the newsletter each week with a compelling image. Seen here: an early photograph of a Dakota woman by pioneer photographer J.E. Whitney  on view in Paper Promises: Early American Photography at the Getty Museum through May 27.

Detail of Portrait of a Dakota Sitter, about 1862-64, by J.E. Whitney at the Getty Museum. (J. Paul Getty Museum )

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OSCAR OSCAR OSCAR

The Academy Awards are on Sunday and weve got stories!

Times theater critic Charles McNulty has a look at two of years big Oscar contenders: Luca Guadagninos Call Me by Your Name and playwright Martin McDonaghs Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri  and he is not convinced. In both cases, I found myself quarreling with the writing, he states. I couldnt understand how friends and fellow critics could overlook the implausibilities of language, character, culture and plot. Los Angeles Times

Three Billboards writer-director Martin McDonagh with star Frances McDormand. (Merrick Morton / Associated Press )

Times contributor Tim Greiving has an analysis of the life and work of composer John Williams  who is nominated for his work on Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The composer received his first Oscar nod 50 years ago for adapting Andre Previns songs in the score for Valley of the Dolls. Los Angeles Times

Greiving also has a sonic roundup of the most iconic movie music that never won an Oscar. It sounds like a hall of fame to me. Los Angeles Times

Composer John Williams at the 2106 AFI Life Achievement Award Gala. (Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press )

The Oscar Concert at Walt Disney Hall featured three of this years five Oscar-nominated composers leading the L.A. Phil in excerpts of their scores. Rick Schultz reviews. Los Angeles Times

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Times culture writer Jeffrey Fleishman isnt buying the idea that the Oscars are all that. Los Angeles Times

But just in case you have to bone up for the office pool: Oscar mastermind Glenn Whipp offers predictions on 24 Oscar categories. Los Angeles Times

This year, Ill be attending the Academy Awards (!!!). To prepare for this grand event, I took a TMZ tour. Los Angeles Times

PLAYING JACKIE KENNEDY

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At the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Saffron Burrows, best known for her role as Cynthia on Amazons Mozart in the Jungle, takes on the grief of Jacqueline Kennedy in Tom Dugans Jackie Unveiled. She was so intelligent and yet she was endlessly patronized, says Burrows of the former first lady. Los Angeles Times

Times theater critic Charles McNulty, however, says the play doesnt offer Burrows much to work with: This isnt a private Jackie but a contrived public version for the commercial stage. Los Angeles Times

Saffron Burrows is starring in Jackie Unveiled at the Wallis in Beverly Hills (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

IN THE THEATERS

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Los Angeles has been having a Quiara Alegria Hudes moment  with three plays in the Pulitzer Prize-winners Elliot cycle in production at venues around town over the last month. Charles McNulty sat in on The Happiest Song Plays Last at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. The play, he writes, has an impressive scope, but the production, by the Latino Theater Company, feels unsettled. Los Angeles Times

Peter Pasco plays Elliot in The Happiest Song Plays Last. (Gio Solis / Bracero.la )

At the Actors Gang, a new work of performance, The New Colossus, created in collaboration with the companys artistic director, Tim Robbins, explores personal tales of immigration. The characters call themselves refugees, and whatever the legal definition, you believe them, writes McNulty. Their worn overcoats, scarves and gloves seem inadequate protection for their vulnerable humanity. Los Angeles Times

McNulty also took in a performance of Michael Michettis revitalizing projection of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center  and found its a staging that shakes out the cobwebs of a Tennessee Williams classic that hasnt felt fresh in a long time. Los Angeles Times

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ELSEWHERE ON STAGE

The Times Daryl H. Miller checks out George Takeis musical, Allegiance, about the Japanese American interment experience, at the Aratani Theatre. The show bears the heavy burden of educating and entertaining, he notes  putting it in a small club of musicals, such as Zoot Suit, that examine periods of American brutality. Los Angeles Times

Miller notes that after a six-year absence from the theater, Los Angeles playwright Justin Tanner is back with humorous family dysfunction in El Nino at the Met Theatre in East Hollywood. Los Angeles Times

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And Times contributing reviewer Margaret Gray sits in on an enchanting production of The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk at the Wallis in Beverly Hills  inspired by the art of 20th century painter Marc Chagall. Los Angeles Times

THE ART OF WHOA

I love any story that begins, Just in time for the arrival of recreational marijuana.  This one happens to be by Times art critic Christopher Knight, who reports that Icelandic Danish artist Olafur Eliassons Reality Projector installation at the Marciano Art Foundation is a smashing immersive environment guaranteed to elicit an immediate Oh, wow from visitors  pot or no pot. Los Angeles Times

Which is a great time to resuscitate the Southern Mothers 2008 Olafur Eliasson rap (which contains arty swearing). YouTube

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Olafur Eliassons Reality projector at the Marciano Art Foundation. (Joshua White / Marciano Art Foundation )

IN THE GALLERIES

Knight also paid a visit to Diane Rosenstein Gallery, where artist Gisela Colon showcases recent sculpture that channels light and space. Los Angeles Times

And he writes about Charlemagne Palestines vast installations crafted from plush toys at 356 Mission. The installation is all really just too much, he notes, which, in these cruel and emotionally crushing days, means its almost just enough. Los Angeles Times

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Charlemagne Palestine, Ccornuuoorphanossccopiaee Aanorphansshhornoffplentyyy, 2018, at 356 Mission. (Christopher Knight / Los Angeles Times )

WRIGHTS L.A.

For a new documentary set to air on KCET, Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne digs into architect Frank Lloyd Wrights Los Angeles years  which came after the brutal murder of his lover in Wisconsin. Was there some link between the violence in Wrights personal life that sent him careening to California? asks Hawthorne. And what was it about pre-Columbian ruins that made them so attractive to Wright in the 1920s as the basis for an experimental, concrete-block L.A. architecture? That Far Corner, as the doc is titled, will explore those ideas. Los Angeles Times

Plus, James Brasuell looks at the conservation work that goes into maintaining Wrights L.A. structures. KCET Artbound

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Frank Lloyd Wrights enigmatic Millard House, built in 1923. (Travis LaBella / KCET )

WORK IT

Melanie Griffith is starring as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate at the Laguna Playhouse. Times contributor Catherine Womack sits down for a Q&A. Where does she think her character Tess McGill from Working Girl would be today? Running Google, Griffith says. Los Angeles Times

Melanie Griffith during a break from rehearsing for The Graduate. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

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IN OTHER NEWS 

 Darkness has brought to light other things. Samuel Granados and Kevin Schaul have created a terrific animated piece about a troupe of performers in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. A must-watch. Washington Post

 A censored sculpture of Leonard Peltier takes up residence at the Main Museum. Los Angeles magazine

 Santa Monicas letterpress emporium Church of Type is no longer. KCET Artbound

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 A version of Arthur Millers The Crucible is set in a West Bank settlement. Tablet

 The Geffen Playhouse has announced its 2018-19 lineup, the first under new artistic director Matt Shakman. Los Angeles Times

Dule Hill will star in Lights Out: Nat King Cole as part of the new season at the Geffen Playhouse. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

 Plus, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogels Indecent will be part of the 2018-19 lineup at the Ahmanson Theatre. Los Angeles Times

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 Its a cool, powerful feeling to direct the energy of the room. A profile of stage and film actress Laurie Metcalf considers her range. New York Times

 How an American Ballet Theatre dancer became a body double for Jennifer Lawrence in Red Sparrow. WWD ...

  and the films choreography team created Lawrences ballet sequences. New York Times

 KCRWs Frances Anderton and Avishay Artsy have devoted an entire show to the ways in which artists are engaging the Los Angeles River and the bridges that span it. Design and Architecture

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 Making cities more child-friendly. Guardian

 One hundred and one movies about cities. Curbed

 Facebook censors the 30,000-year-old Venus of Willendorf sculpture as pornographic. Art Newspaper

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

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This ones for Venus: Its time for goddess GIFS. Nina Paley

Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

carolina.miranda@latimes.com

@cmonstahFollowing in the footsteps of Oscar darlings Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron, a new generation of Mexican filmmakers is making its mark. Last year, Mexico churned out a record 175 films, which won more than 100 awards internationally. Here are a few important filmmakers south of the border that you should know.

Amat Escalante

Filmmaker Amat Escalante, pictured in Mexico City, lived in Lakewood in his youth. Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

The son of a Mexican painter and an American researcher, Amat Escalante was 12 when he moved from Guanajuato, Mexico, to Lakewood, Calif. School there felt unbearable. All he cared about was movies. So at 15 he dropped out  in part because he heard that his idol Werner Herzog had done the same thing.

Escalante spent the ensuing years working low-wage jobs and giving himself a film education, watching the work of auteurs like Stanley Kubrick on repeat and shooting his own short films with a 16-millimeter camera and using neighbors as actors. He returned to Mexico to be a part of the countrys burgeoning film scene, and because he knew it was a good place to tell stories.

There is drama where justice is not present, he says. Mexico is full of that.

His poetic films, which deal unflinchingly with brutal themes such as the drug war and domestic violence, have won praise from critics but have also triggered controversies.

When his drama Heli debuted in competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, its graphic portrayal of torture provoked protests. But in the end, the film, about a family torn apart by a brush with drug traffickers, won Escalante the festivals award for best director.

And for his most recent film, The Untamed (La Region Salvaje), Escalante won the Silver Lion award for directing at the Venice Film Festival.

Tatiana Huezo

Tatiana Huezo's films explore Mexico and her native El Salvador. Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Before she ever picks up the camera, documentary filmmaker Tatiana Huezo spends weeks or even months with her subjects, living alongside them. Its a waiting game that helps her gain intimacy, and that makes her films stand out.

You have to persevere until a door opens, Huezo says. If it doesnt, you dont have a movie.

Born in El Salvador to a Mexican mother, Huezo moved to Mexico at age 4 in part to escape civil war. She later explored that conflict with her first feature-length documentary The Tiniest Place, which featured oral histories about the Salvadoran conflict.

The vision of Mexico in the outside world is cliche.... When I watch Hollywood films about Mexico, I dont identify with anything. Tatiana Huezo, filmmaker

Her next documentary, 2016s hypnotic Tempestad, centers on two womens stories of human trafficking in Mexico. Its a film about violence, yet instead of showing conflict, the camera pans for soulful shots of the Mexican countryside and closeups of the faces of everyday Mexicans. The end result is an eerie sense that in Mexico, violence could be inflicted on anyone at anytime. The film was Mexicos entry for this years foreign language film Oscar.

Now at work on a feature-length fiction film about children growing up in one of Mexicos most violent states, Huezo says she strives for a more nuanced and complex vision of Mexico than what Hollywood films typically offer.

The vision of Mexico in the outside world is cliche; its limited, she said. When I watch Hollywood films about Mexico, I dont identify with anything.

Alonso Ruizpalacios

Director and writer Alonso Ruizpalacios, left, with co-writer Manuel Alcala after they won the Silver Bear for screenwriting for "Museum" at the Berlin Film Festival. Philipp Guelland / EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock

Born in Mexico City and trained at Londons Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Alonso Ruizpalacios wrote his 2015 debut feature, Gueros while the country was reeling from the drug war launched by former President Felipe Calderon.

Shot in black-and-white, the film is a sweet tale about two brothers searching Mexico City for an aging folk musician named Epigmenio Cruz. While it touches on social divisions that exist in Mexican society, the film at its heart is a love letter to the city, its people and the way they relate and speak.

I wanted to make a film about something else, he says. It was kind of a celebration of the city.

Museum, his second feature, premiered last month at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won Ruizpalacios and co-writer Manuel Alcala the prize for best screenwriting. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, its a road-trip movie based on the real-life theft of pre-Hispanic artifacts from Mexico Citys National Museum of Anthropology.Ruizpalacios has dabbled in Hollywood, shooting episodes for the Netflix hit Narcos and the first episode of the upcoming Starz show Vida. No matter what hes working on, he says hes guided by a simple mantra: Lets just try and make a film that we would like to see.

Support our journalism Please consider subscribing today to support stories like this one. Get full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks. Already a subscriber? Your support makes our work possible. Thank you.

kate.linthicum@latimes.com

Twitter: @katelinthicum

ALSO

Guillermo del Toro's highly personal monster film 'The Shape of Water' speaks to 'what I feel as an immigrant'

Review: Amat Escalantes remarkable erotic horror of Mexicos 'The Untamed' is unnerving

Guillermo del Toro's 'The Shape of Water' is the true wonder of awards seasonFrench police detective Jules Maigret (commissioner is his title, but not in the American Commissioner Gordon sense) is back on television in the surprising but ultimately persuasive person of Rowan Atkinson, better known to the world as Mr. Bean.

The two-episode first season  Maigret Sets a Trap and Maigrets Dead Man, each in the 90-minute TV movie form now favored for British mysteries  arrived here last week via the BBC and ITV-owned streaming service, Britbox. (A second season has also already aired in the U.K.)

I have been waiting for these adaptations since Atkinson mentioned he was making them in the course of an interview three years ago. (Mr. Bean was having a 25th anniversary.) The creation of super-prolific French novelist Georges Simenon, Maigret may be my favorite fictional sleuth, after Jim Rockford and Elliott Goulds Philip Marlowe. That he is based in Paris and that my French is just good enough to manage reading them in the original without running to a dictionary every five seconds may have something to do with this preference; but I like the chief inspectors reflective ordinariness, his curiosity about people, his lack of melodrama; he is a soft-boiled detective.

There have been many Maigrets, in several languages, since the character first stepped onto the page in 1931, and each has found his own way into the character. French Maigrets include the great Jean Gabin, who played him on the big screen in the late 1950s and early 60s, Jean Richard (1967-1990) and Bruno Cremer (1991-2005).

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Michael Gambon was the last English-language Maigret, in 1992 and 1993, between his work in The Singing Detective and becoming Dumbledore. (Richard Harris, who preceded him in that Harry Potter part, also played Maigret in a 1988 TV movie  as a sort of Irish Columbo, from what I can make out  a performance that created no fond memories among fans of the inspector.) Britbox is also showing both seasons of the Gambon series, which includes its own adaptation of Maigret Sets a Trap for instructive comparison.

The new adaptations are by Stewart Harcourt, who wrote some of the later David Suchet Poirot movies, Miss Marple episodes for both Julia McKenzie and Geraldine McEwen and half of Ashley Jensens Agatha Raisin series. Both episodes put the chief inspector into the heart of the story: In Maigret Sets a Trap he has been unable to stop a serial killer; Maigrets Dead Man finds him on a personal quest to discover the identity of a corpse, at one point (departing from the text) posing with Madame Maigret (Lucy Cohu) as proprietors of a quayside cafe to discover his killer. (This makes no sense, given that all Paris seems to know him, but cest la tele.)

They are essentially true to the novels, if necessarily streamlined. At the same time, some scenes that happen offstage in the book are brought onstage for the series.

As in the Gambon series  the first period adaptation  Budapest, dressed with tricolor flags, cafe tables and French signs and sandwich boards stands in reasonably well for midcentury Paris. Close viewers will note posters for Max Ophuls film Lola Montes, released in 1955, the very year Maigret Sets a Trap was published; a few may recognize the re-creation of Janine Niepces 1952 photograph of her father reading Tintin to her son in a park. Izis Bidermanas contemporary picture of a man walking a cat also seems to have been in the production designers scrapbook.

Atkinsons Maigret likewise is largely in the spirit of Gambons -- quiet and gentle, though not as playful; more cerebral, but not unfeeling. He has the pipe, of course  all Maigrets must  but not his habit of ordering or accepting a drink at every bar he enters.

Unlike Gambon, Atkinson is most famous as a funny man, his rubbery face amusing even in repose. Casting him in this straight role is akin to casting Harpo Marx as Sam Spade (a thing I would watch, admittedly), and one waits almost nervously for the stars first curled lip or popped consonant.

They do not come. As an apparent countermeasure, Atkinson turns in an especially contained performance, almost as if he were balancing the character on his head, careful not to let it fall and shatter -- and get a laugh in the process. Most opportunities for humor Atkinson lets go by; its a feature of his performance, not a bug, and it works, producing a new, sadder, but no less able Maigret, conscious of the fragility of things. (Shaun Dingwall provides sturdy, earthy contrasting support as Inspector Janvier.) Well, death is sad, and thats the business hes in.

Maigret

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Where: BritBox (www.britbox.com)

When: Anytime

Rating: TV-14 (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14)

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

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Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloydHow many parties did Tiffany Haddish plan to attend before the Oscars? A lot, she said as she arrived at Cadillacs celebration of the 90th Academy Awards in West Hollywood. Earlier on Thursday, she had been honored at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon in Beverly Hills, and the Girls Trip actress said she intended to keep partying.

I had my 5-Hour Energy drink, Haddish said. So lets go.

For so many Hollywood insiders, there was no shortage of shindigs this pre-Oscar weekend. The Cadillac bash was one of two parties at the Chateau Marmont alone. Security was so tight that celebrities had to have their wrists stamped before entering the hotel.

Tiffany Haddish at Cadillacs Oscar Week party at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood on Thursday. (Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Cadillac )

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Oscar nominee Allison Janney (Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Cadillac )

Angela Bassett (Jason Merritt / Getty Images for Cadillac )

Inside the tented patio at the storied hotel, Sarah Silverman hugged Haddish. Having recently appeared in Battle of the Sexes, the two-time Emmy-winning comedian said she likes to dip her toe into acting, but added, I prefer to do what I do.

A parade of celebrities streaming from the covered hotel entry into the party included Allison Janney of I, Tonya, Kathryn Hahn of Bad Moms, Angela Bassett of Black Panther, Will Arnett of Arrested Development, Barrett Foa of NCIS: Los Angeles, Joel McHale of A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Dan Stevens of Legion, Jeff Ross of Roast Battle, Mamie Gummer of An Actor Prepares, Leonardo Nam of Westworld, Francesca Eastwood of Mrs. Eastwood & Co., Chante Adams of Roxanne, Roxanne and Bevy Smith of Date.Love.Repeat.

Guests packed the bar and took over all of the seating areas and passageways on the hotels patio level. A squad of servers passed assorted canapes, sliders and pigs in a blanket, while in a far corner, a photo booth was set up for all of those wanting a souvenir from the party.

A look at Cadillacs Oscar Week celebration at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood on Thursday. (Stefanie Keenan / Getty Images for Cadillac )

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For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter.Discovered by Andy Warhol in 1977, prolific photographer Matthew Rolston is known for creating images that visually informed a generation of portrait photographers in the 1980s. The early work of Rolston, who collaborated with Prince, Jodie Foster, Drew Barrymore and others, is currently on full display in a new exhibition, Hollywood Royale: Out of the School of Los Angeles, which is open now through April 21 at the Fahey/Klein Gallery on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles.

This week, The Times caught up with the Beverly Hills-based lensman and his longtime friend and frequent subject, supermodel and entrepreneur Cindy Crawford, who was the co-host of the retrospectives opening night event on Thursday.

The duo discussed Rolstons new exhibit, how Los Angeles became a fashion photography mecca, in what way Kim Kardashian West has changed celebrity portraiture, and how the fashion business has shifted now that Crawfords 16-year-old daughter, Kaia Gerber, is a budding model herself.

How does it feel to be unveiling Hollywood Royale: Out of the School of Los Angeles?

Matthew Rolston: Its really one of those full-circle moments. Im going to be able to relive some moments from the first decade of my career and see a lot of old friends  which, of course, includes Cindy. [Well] celebrate that cultural moment, the rebirth of glamour that happened in the late 70s and throughout the 80s, which I got to be part of.

Cindy Crawford: What Matthew said is really true. It really is full circle in so many ways being at David Faheys gallery. Besides Matthew, who I started working with probably, like, 30 years ago  which is insane  there are going to be so many other old friends from that time there. Im super excited to go to support Matthew and the work because its such a great recognition of L.A. as a real school of photography. I was fortunate because it happened right when I was emerging as a model. So I was lucky. Before my generation, magazines didnt fly models to L.A. to work with photographers. They would, maybe, fly the whole team to L.A. to work, but they didnt really see that L.A. photographers were fashion photographers and, especially, the kind of celebrity photography that Matthew and Herb Ritts and some of the others started doing at around that same time. It was exciting for me to be able to work both in L.A. and New York, and eventually I settled in L.A. So it was convenient that L.A. became a photography fashion capital at that time.

Brigitte Nielsen, "Without Makeup II," Los Angeles, 1986. Matthew Rolston

What did it mean to you to be a part of that movement and transition?

Rolston: It was revolutionary. Cindy said it so well. They didnt believe any photography or any crews had any validity in Los Angeles. Los Angeles was very much looked down on by the New York school, by New York publishing, until the generation Im part of. I think Herb Ritts and I began working first for Interview magazine with Andy Warhol and later for Rolling Stone. Then I branched off and started to work for Harpers Bazaar, and Herb started to work for Vogue. We both did a lot of covers. This was completely unprecedented. This had not happened before. I think one of the funny comments that I remember is what Woody Allen said in the script of Annie Hall about Los Angeles. This is in the same period. He said, I dont want to move to a city where the only cultural advantage is that you can make a right turn on a red light. Its very funny. So Cindy is right in saying that this was a moment where the rise of L.A. began culturally for fashion and celebrity and publishing, and were living with that today. L.A. has gone through enormous change. Weve seen it happen. And Cindy and I have been right there.

What does Matthew bring to the table as a photographer?

Crawford: As a model, I think the most important thing is lighting, and Matthew is a master of lighting. [Photographer George] Hurrell had that beautiful, ultra-idealizing-of-the-subject kind of lighting. I feel like Matthew had a modern take on that. [Hurrell] had beautiful lighting  and [it is] also the thing that I appreciate about working with Matthew. Other photographers who also had this  they know. They have a clear vision. Its not like it just happens on the set. The styling, everything is thought out before, and the work of the day is getting it to come together the way that Matthew sees it in his mind. Sometimes theres happy accidents, and its even better or something wacky happens. But for the most part, I felt like Matthew had a clear vision of what he wanted, to be able to communicate that to your team and know how to get it. And also, its storytelling. Fashion photography is storytelling. When everyone is telling the same story, when we all get the vision, it makes for a much more fluid day.

Christy Turlington, Manta Ray, "The Surreal Thing," series, New York, 1987. Matthew Rolston

What does Cindy bring to the table as a subject?

Rolston: A lot. Besides, Cindys obvious physical gifts, strength, talent, beauty, a tremendous amount of intelligence and thoughtfulness, the ability to transcend the moment, and to communicate visually through a photograph. Her persona is something that you cant really define, but its there. And you know it when you see it, and clearly, Cindy has always possessed that, and she still does richly.

A portrait of Cindy is featured in the exhibit. Its titled Paparazzi Portrait. What makes this image particularly special to you?

Rolston: That picture  What Cindy was saying about preparation and having a concept and telling a story, that story is a comment on Cindys fame, on that time. In 1989, when that picture was made, Cindy was at a high point in her career. I think that was the year when she started doing House of Style [on MTV]. Is that right?

Crawford: It might not have been the year it started, but it was, like, when people started watching it.

Rolston: There was a peak of interest. Cindys had many peaks of interest in her career, but that was one  a very big one. Cindy was probably the most famous model in the world, and I wanted to make a commentary on that visually. My photographs from that time always drew from some element of the past. It was always a visual quotation. And the visual quotation there, which most people wouldnt get, but, of course, I could tell Cindy  and she understood it perfectly  was a series of pictures done in the 60s by Richard Avedon for American Vogue of Mike Nichols and Suzy Parker [that mimicked] the style of tabloid paparazzi photography. In Avedons time, he was making a comment about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burtons relationship. I wasnt telling a story of scandal, but I was trying to tell a story about beauty, glamour and fame, which were very much attached to Cindys persona  and still are. So thats why that picture looks like it does. Even though I often employ elaborate lighting schemes, thats literally a flash on camera. It predates a lot of fashion photography that weve seen in the last 10 or 15 years of paparazzi-style, flash-on-camera lighting.

Cindy Crawford in "Paparazzi Portrait," 1989. Matthew Rolston

What do you remember about shooting on-set that day? Is there a moment that stands out for either of you?

Rolston: Ladies first!

Crawford: Thank you, but hopefully your memory is better than mine, Matthew, because for me, like so many shoots, unless something unusual happened  I was shooting with Matthew a lot at that time because we would do Revlon together, and we were doing Bazaar. We were together a lot. But for me, what I remember is the actual picture and being in the moment of taking it and understanding what the moment was that I was trying to re-create.

Rolston: Although most people wouldnt notice these details, but that wasnt a random choice of location. That was shot in front of the awning of Chasens restaurant, which used to be on Beverly [Boulevard]. It was the only one left of the grand Hollywood, glamour restaurants. Its gone now. Thats where Bristol Farms market is now. So we trekked on down so that I could have that totem of Chasens, that green and white awning  it was just so iconic as an emblem of celebrity and fame and Hollywood  in the picture. Another detail about that is that Im almost 100% positive Peter Savic was the hairdresser that day.

Crawford: Im sure it was.

Rolston: As always, were looking to entertain our audience by shocking. Not shock and awe, but shock and amuse. I think the shock was that Cindy has often been portrayed and is well known for her copious mane of gorgeous brown hair flowing. So this short haircut with short bangs is actually a wig, but it was going to be a surprise for the audience to see Cindy in some way that is different. And, of course, the hairdresser  the minute he sees gorgeous hair  all he can think about is, Lets chop it off. Let me make my mark. So we let him make his mark; not on her actual hair  but with a hairpiece.

Drew Barrymore, "Portrait as a Boy," 1991. Matthew Rolston

What do you remember about the first time you met?

Crawford: I dont remember the first time, Matthew. Do you?

Rolston: I dont. I really dont.

Crawford: [Weve worked together] dozens and dozens of times. One of the most memorable experiences that I had  one of the shoots that I loved  was the one thats also in his book [which is also titled Hollywood Royale and is currently available]. With the polo pony. We shot in Florida, right?

Rolston: Yes. We went to Florida to shoot a story based on the glamour of Palm Beach. I think it might have been called The Palm Beach Story. It was a ... fashion story for Bazaar.

Crawford: Matthews studio lighting is amazing, which is why he did so much cosmetic work for Revlon and different companies, but, to me, that story, that glamorous, idealized version of life is a very Matthew story to me. And to actually be on location, that always helps tell the story. We were totally into the character of it. It was very easy to be the woman  I think I was wearing Armani or something suit-like  walking the polo pony. You become that person the more youre in the environment. But like I said, Matthew carefully would choose the location. He knew the story, so it was easy for all of us to slip right into it.

Rolston: A funny detail I remember about that shoot, Cindy, is that the crew was Freddie Leiba. He was the editor. The hairdresser was Sally Hershberger. And the makeup artist was Kevyn Aucoin. We were all staying at the ultra-conservative hotel the Breakers. The Breakers was this super stuffy, old school Palm Beach institution. So were traipsing through the lobby. Freddy Leiba was an out, gay, black man. Sally Hershberger was an out and gay woman. Kevyn Aucoin was wearing black lipstick and cutoff jeans.

Crawford: He didnt fit in. You noticed him.

Rolston: Yeah. Because he was 6-foot-4 or something. With his handycam  which predates iPhone. He was shooting everybody and their reactions as we walked through the lobby. An entourage led by the glorious Cindy Crawford. Trailing were a group of people that would really not fit into the stodgy, all-white profile of Palm Beach back then.

Crawford: They made you and I look like wallflowers. [laughs]

Rolston: I think so. And I forgot to add Jewish. So, Jewish, black and gay. Thats our group. It was fantastic.

Tom Waits, "Bird," Los Angeles, 1986. Matthew Rolston

Lets backtrack slightly. Matthew, you were discovered by Andy Warhol during your days at Interview. How much do you credit Andy Warhol for where you are today and what did you learn from him during your time working with Interview?

Rolston: It was the first chance for me to be published. My very first published photograph of any significance was a portrait of Steven Spielberg in 1977 that was an Interview magazine while I was still a student at at the [ArtCenter College of Design] in Pasadena. I was actually working when I was a student, which is a long story that I wont bore you with. But that lit the fire. That led to another assignment, then another and many covers, and then other people recognized me like Jann Wenner [from Rolling Stone] and Harpers Bazaar and advertising and on and on. That was really a turning point. And what did I learn from Andy? Warhol, at that period, was actually very successful. This is not the Warhol of the Edie Sedgwick, aluminum foil walls, Factory years. His life was surrounded by the most famous, glorious people in the world, and the magazine was the celebration of that. What I learned from Andy was just by watching him. ... When anybody met him or spoke to him, he would compliment you. He would say, Gee, I love your work in a very quiet voice. And you believed him because you understood that he knew what you did. And then he said very little. He was really an observer. He was a person who absorbed everything around him and then turned it into art. So I think I had instruction on the art of just being quiet and observing from watching him.

Of the many images featured in the exhibit, which is your favorite and why?

Crawford: Oh, gosh. I dont think I could answer that. Probably when I go to [the opening] and I see everything [Ill be reminded]. Its very different looking in a book, which is beautiful, but its a different pace that you look at a book. Im excited about seeing everything hung on the walls because theres always one or two that grab you. And its usually not the ones of myself.

Rolston: I would say its the cover image of the book, which is Prince. Many people ask me why I chose that image. I think that image is so emblematic of the cultural movement of that time. Its a very simple image. Its a head on a background, a couple lights. Its very dramatic. Whats interesting about it is that it questions gender presentation and it questions race. Youre not sure if thats a black person or a white person because the skin is white and the eyes are blue due to the color manipulation. Youre not sure if its a man or a woman. And that is so emblematic of the freedom we were experiencing in the 80s, before AIDS and the plague took over, and that thread has been picked up today in many ways. So now we have a young generation that feels very comfortable with gender fluidity. In fashion, Gucci is a great example. Boys are wearing the girls clothes. Girls are wearing boy clothes. Black and white is mixed together. Younger girls are dressed like old ladies. Old ladies dress like young girls. Just that whole freedom of expression is so caught up in that picture. When you look at Princes lyrics during that time, I dont know if Im black or white, boy or girl, those are all questions in his art. That picture encapsulates that whole era. And I do want to say, just as an aside, that theres a famous song by Prince called Cindy C. from The Black Album. Its a very sexy song. Thats why I say its full circle. All these things are intertwined  Cindy and Prince and my career in the 80s and Andy Warhol and fashion and Harpers Bazaar and Vogue and the rise of Los Angeles. Theyre all intertwined.

Anitta, "Flower Gown," The Surreal Thing, series, New York, 1987 Matthew Rolston

In both of your experiences, how have the modeling and photography industries changed over the years? Whats your take on the industry today?

Crawford: Modeling is not any different. To me, the modeling happens when you get in front of a camera.  Yes, now its a digital camera or theyre shooting more behind-the-scenes, but the actual experience of being a model and modeling is the same. But the business is very different and a lot of that is because of social media. Theres a lot more pressure to feed that machine as well as just do your job as a model. I see it through, you know, I have a 16-year-old daughter who is emerging into the scene as a young model, and shes doing shows right now in Paris. Its the same. Its literally exactly the same. With the addition of social media, which, in some ways, I think it ramps up. Its like you go from 0 to 60 much faster. Because theres daily exposure to you, to your fans; where back in the day if I had fans and I was on the cover of Vogue one month, they had to wait another month to see, Oh, is she going to be in Vogue or is she going to be in Bazaar? Where is she? But now its daily exposure, which, in some ways, is a good thing because if youre on a trajectory of a rising star, it happens very fast, but I think it also makes it possibly [difficult]  . Well see if the shelf life is shorter because of that. Because everyones always [looking for whats] new, more, whats next, and I feel like the use-up rate is faster now, possibly. That would be my comment. Matthew, what do you want to say?

Rolston: I dont really come from the fashion world, to be honest. I come from the celebrity world. Even the fashion series that I did for Harpers Bazaar [and other] magazines, always involved either an extremely famous model like Cindy, who was a personality in her own right or an actual celebrity modeling clothing. That was the beginning of the celebrity takeover of magazine covers, and I was a part of that movement. You rarely, since that time, have seen models unless theyre very, very well known models on the cover of any magazine. So Ill comment more from the standpoint of celebrity photography, which has undergone a tremendous change. I would say that photographers of my generation or my type interpreting celebrity through our photography is possibly over. Really, it feels very outdated to me. When Kim Kardashian is in the third printing of her book at Rizzoli called [Selfish,] we have to recognize that thats a significant development. Twenty-five or 30 years ago, there might have been a third printing of a book of portraits by a great photographer like Richard Avedon, but now theyre in the third printing of [Selfish] by Kim Kardashian. I think that the interpretation of celebrity has fallen to the celebrities themselves. They have taken it over and they control their image. They make the images of themselves. It hasnt quite happened in fashion yet. We havent yet had a model do a selfie story. Although it must have happened, but it hasnt taken over fashion. But in celebrity, to feed that machine that Cindy is talking about, which isnt really even daily, its minute by minute or hourly, these people are employing some of the same photographic techniques. There is not a single picture of Kim Kardashian or most celebrities that goes out that isnt retouched immediately before it gets tweeted out or put on Instagram. So the idealization of glamour goes on. Its just in other peoples hands than the photographer.

Crawford: I would say that I also think, because of social media, that what the audiences are looking for is [different]. They want to see the more not-perfect retouched [look]. Even though, as Matthew said, a lot of people do retouch their own selfies or whatever, but people want to feel like theyre getting the real person, not these idealized images.

Rolston: Thats so true. The making of is more important than the of.

Crawford: I always say the photo shoots now are an excuse for a behind-the-scene. [laughs]

Rolston: Thats very true.

Crawford: But I prefer and still like the finished images. Im old school.

Matthew Rolston and Cindy Crawford at the opening event for the new Rolston exhibition, "Hollywood Royale: Out of the School of Los Angeles," at the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles. David Crotty / Patrick McMullan

Matthew, who would you love to shoot that you havent yet?

Rolston: There are so many [people]. People always say, Youve shot everybody. Hardly. I mean, Tilda Swinton comes to mind. Ive never worked with her, and Im a huge fan. Thats my idea of modern glamour.

Crawford: Helmut Newton used to say he either had to love his subjects or hate his subject. He couldnt be ambivalent. He would be into shooting someone if he really didnt like them but he had to have some kind of strong emotion  good or bad  which I thought I was interesting. I was, like, Well, I hope you love me. I think he did based on the way he shot me.

Rolston: Im glad you brought up Helmut Newtons name because he is really an important part of the story of the glamour revival. Im not responsible for the glamour revival. Im a result of it. The people who are really, in my mind, responsible for reviving glamour and putting it back in play are two people  Helmut Newton and Andy Warhol. And both of them gravitated to George Hurrell, who was the original greatest Hollywood photographer who was still alive in the late 70s, and it was those interactions that I saw that influenced me, Herb Ritts, and many others.

Cybill Shepherd, "Floral Wall," Los Angeles, 1986. Matthew Rolston

Matthew, you also have a second exhibit on display through March at the Ralph Pucci showroom. Its titled "Art People: The Pageant Portraits." What can you tell me about that?

Rolston: As it relates to this, to Hollywood Royale, its an interesting position. It happened accidentally, but Hollywood Royale is the first 10 years of my career and it includes my very first important published photograph in 1977. So thats as O.G. as it can get for me. The show at Ralph Pucci called Art People is a fine-art project. It is so recent that I was still printing and framing them the week before this show went up. So Im in the unique position in my hometown, at the same time, of having two shows up  very different ones. My earliest work and my literally most recent work. At the same time, on opposite sides of Hollywood. Thats a personal best for me to [have it] happen accidentally.

Beyond these exhibits, what are you working on next? What do you like to shoot these days?

Rolston: I am not that active in magazine work anymore. I do advertising from time to time. And as far as photography, Im creating fine art and Im onto my fourth project right now. Thats the one Im working on now. The third one is the one for Ralph Pucci. Professionally, Im working as a creative director in the hospitality area. My clients right now are in hospitality  meaning hoteliers and restaurant owners and big hotel corporations. Im about to have my sixth hotel project open at the end of this year in San Francisco, which I did for Richard Branson for Virgin Hotels.

Steven Spielberg, "Close Encounters," Los Angeles, 1977. Matthew Rolston

Cindy, what are you working on that youre personally passionate about?

Crawford: Ive had a skin-care line called Meaningful Beauty that I launched over 10 years ago. Probably 50% of my work energy goes toward that. And then Im still [with] Omega watches [which Ive done] for 25 years, which is probably the longest contract in the history of celebrity relationships and ambassadorships. And I have a furniture line that I do. I like being busy. And then the new stuff is really helping my kids navigate this world. Because of that, Ive re-entered into fashion in a way. In September, I went to fashion week to accompany my kids. Its back to that full circle thing. Its reconnecting with [people] like seeing Karl Lagerfeld at the Chanel show and then sitting in the front row watching my daughter. Its kind of surreal, but its been fun to reconnect with a lot of people. Because when I moved to L.A. and we moved to Malibu  so were really kind of isolated  I wasnt fully [immersed] in the fashion scene. Once I had kids and we moved out here, Id go to Met Ball once in a while or something, but in the last year, Ive been in it a lot more through my children. Because of that, Ive ended up doing some things that I probably [wouldnt have otherwise]. I just shot for POP magazine and have been doing some fun things just because I think Im back in peoples minds again a little bit because Ive been out there a little bit more. I still have fun. Modeling is really a skill. Just because youre [older]  you know, Im 52 now  doesnt mean that Im still not good at it. I certainly look differently than I used to, but I still love  especially when you have a great rapport with the photographer  getting in front of that camera and creating these [images]. To me, its about storytelling, so its, like, How do we tell this story and what is my role? The one thing I do like about digital is that usually now theres a monitor, so I can look at the monitor whereas before we had to wait for Polaroids or whatever. So I can look at that and go, Oh wait. How can I help this picture? You get feedback more quickly. When the right project comes up, Im still happy to [do it]. I like working with young photographers. And Matthew and I did a project together last year for Umami Burger because they do a charity [project] where a celebrity designs a burger and the money goes to charity, and that was the last time Matthew and I got to work together. Im still open to things that sound interesting and fun, but my core is my skincare and Omega and my furniture line. And my family, of course.

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For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter.At the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon in Beverly Hills, Danai Gurira, the afternoon affairs first honoree, began her acceptance on a high note. Before launching into her passionate speech, she instead surprised Lupita Nyongo, her presenter and Black Panther costar, with a birthday song. A cheering audience immediately joined her.

Throughout the affair, there were tears, standing ovations and more cheering, which, for those not present, will be shown on TV when the luncheon airs Saturday on OWN.

Sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey perform onstage during the Essence Black Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars luncheon on Thursday. Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images for Essence

The event

The Thursday gathering at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel paid tribute to Gurira as well as actress Tiffany Haddish of Girls Trip, actress Tessa Thompson of Thor: Ragnarok and actress and screenwriter Lena Waithe of Master of None. The afternoon affair, which was presented by Ford Motor Co., also included a performance of the song Warrior by Chloe X Halle.

Essence editor in chief Vanessa K. De Luca, from left, honoree Tessa Thompson, Janelle Monae and Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc., attend the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon. Randy Shropshire / Getty Images for Essence

The crowd

Hosted by Yvonne Orji of Insecure, the luncheon also featured as speakers Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures), Angela Bassett (Black Panther), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), director Ava DuVernay (A Wrinkle in Time), Essence editor in chief Vanessa K. De Luca and Essence Communications President Michelle Ebanks. Among others spotted in the by-invitation audience were Daniel Kaluuya and Betty Gabriel (Get Out), Jussie Smollett and Gabourey Sidibe (Empire), Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Amandla Stenberg (Everything, Everything), Loretta Devine (The Carmichael Show), Vicky Jeudy (Orange Is the New Black) and Chante Adams (Roxanne, Roxanne).

Honorees Tessa Thompson, from left, Lena Waithe, Tiffany Haddish and Danai Gurira onstage during the Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon at Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Leon Bennett / Getty Images for Essence

The honorees

Sisters are the vibranium, Gurira said, comparing black women to the treasured strong metal featured in the blockbuster film Black Panther. This wasnt before she recounted when, as a 9-year-old living in Africa, she participated in a fashion show for some visiting Americans.

Back then, she said, A stunning brown-skinned woman took my face in her hands  looked me deep in the eye, and she told me that I was beautiful.  So now I had to consider the idea that it might just be true. The woman, Susan L. Taylor, she said, had been a longtime editor in chief of Essence.

She then spoke of the need to encourage in youth, self-acceptance and self-love and help them see their greatness, ending with a mandate to take that little girls face in your hands and tell her shes beautiful.

Next up, an effervescent Haddish had the audience erupting with laughter as she spoke, with considerable humor, of her life as a foster youth and her earlier struggles. Im glad I had those experiences because now when I perform I come from a place of reality, she said.

Honoree Tiffany Haddish and presenter Lil Rel Howery onstage during the Essence Black Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars luncheon. Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images for Essence

She said by living with other families and through her travels, she has learned a lesson. Everybody is the same, she said. We all have problems. We all want to be loved. We all want to be happy. She then wished that every single person in here is full of happiness. ... I hope your happiness is contagious. Then she concluded by saying, If you ever feel like bringing some negativity, just sit your ass down somewhere else.

During her turn at the podium, Thompson said, What a time to be black  and I say that with a heart bursting with gratitude for every single person that came before us because we would not be here otherwise. She acknowledged the inequities that still exist and said, We live in the time of black girl magic that the whole world is reeling from.  We together collectively speak to the majesty of black women, to the breadth of our complexity and nuance, to the differences between us and to the sameness that we share.

Honoree Lena Waithe at Essence's annual affair. Randy Shropshire / Getty Images for Essence

Waithes concern was for the little lesbians in training. She said, Who would have believed that in 2018, I would still be considered a revolutionary? She then spoke of her favorite childhood movie, The Wizard of Oz, particularly the part in which Dorothys presence interrupts the peace in Oz, which forces all the Munchkins to go run and hide.

Waithe added, I ask those of you who are still hiding, Come out, come out, wherever you are. Please dont be afraid, and I want you to know that Im here to hold your hand.

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For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter.If you have a Kitchen Porn board on Pinterest, and your idea of a perfect Saturday afternoon is drooling over showpiece ranges and luxe dishwashing drawers, then welcome to your new favorite place to go.

And, best of all, it wont cost you a thing.

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The sleek, contemporary lobby of the new Fisher & Paykel showroom. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

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Located next door to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 6,500-square-foot experiential showroom is designed to introduce builders, designers and consumers to the Fisher & Paykel brand through an immersive, sensorial experience by exploring the appliances in modern kitchen vignettes, attending cooking demonstrations and product training, and tasting New Zealand-inspired food, or kai, prepared by the centers full-time chef, Rob Wilson, formerly the executive chef at Montage Laguna Beach.

At the heart of the both the showroom and the company philosophy is the Social Kitchen, an open space with a large communal table and well-designed culinary work spaces that encourage relaxed, informal gathering and socialization.

The experiential showroom is designed to introduce builders, designers and consumers to the Fisher & Paykel brand. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

Most people in North America know us for our refrigeration and for our DishDrawers, said showroom manager Gina Lathrum, referencing the refrigeration solutions and dishwashing drawers that have earned the company accolades, what they dont know is the depth of cooking products we have available, and the different sizes and configurations.

With an ambitious eye toward competing in the crowded premium market space alongside brands like Wolf, Sub-Zero, Thermador and Viking, the Center will showcase 108 appliances from Fisher & Paykel and the companys outdoor kitchen collection, DCS. Products not physically available on site can be viewed virtually via life-size, interactive digital screens.

Solutions for small-space living. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

There are so many decisions to make when you are designing a kitchen, said Mark Elmore, general manager for design integration, it can be overwhelming. We want to help simplify and streamline that process.

One thing you cant do at the Experience Center is make a purchase.

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The Center will showcase 108 appliances. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

We dont sell directly out of the showroom, said Lathrum, we wanted a very non-pressured space. We want people to experience the products and then we can refer them to our retail network throughout Southern California.

The Costa Mesa Experience Center

Where: 695 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

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Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and by appointment

Info: fisherpaykel.com, (855) 372-1934

Bonnie McCarthy contributes to the Los Angeles Times as a home and lifestyle design writer. She enjoys scouting for directional trends and reporting on whats new and next. Follow her on Twitter @ThsAmericanHome

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Now youre going to want one: Soaking tubs are the new luxe trendWhen Beatrice Fischel-Bock moved into a 1930s West Hollywood Spanish-style bungalow with friend and fellow entrepreneur Lizzie Grover they commingled their collections of hot pink and white home decor and got straight to the business of fundraising for their first start-up.

The two were co-founders of Hutch, a digital design app that helps take some of the guess work (and potential for buyers remorse) out of decorating your home. Users upload a picture of the room theyd like to make over, and 3-D technology removes all the furnishings, but retains the rooms dimensions and appearance.

Then, the fun begins.

Users can click to add thousands of furnishings and accessories from the likes of Anthropologie, All Modern and Kate Spade New York  which can be purchased through the app, of course, for an online shopping experience enhanced with a high-tech injection of augmented reality. (Hutch makes money by partnering with vendors on the site, and a cut of sales.)

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And yes, its as addictive as you might imagine.

Two years later, Hutch has acquired foundation capital from venture capitalists like Tinder co-founder Sean Rad, and attracted additional co-founders even as Hutchs functionality continues to evolve.

What hadnt changed was the hot pink and white decor in the home that Fischel-Bock, 26, and Grover, 27, still share.

It was time to adult-ify the bungalow.

It was also the perfect opportunity for the bicoastal entrepreneur who was recently named to Forbes list of 30 Under 30 retail and e-commerce professionals to put her app to the test.

The transformation from girly and glam to grown-up and cleverly curated took the tech maven just over a week, which is not surprising considering this high-octane personality made her first million before college graduation. I travel a lot, said Fischel-Bock, who racks up frequent-flyer miles for work and also to see her husband, who is completing a medical residency on the East Coast, so when the opportunity to spend an uninterrupted week in West Hollywood presented itself, she got to work.

Here, she tells us how she took the formerly Barbie-inspired bungalow from hot pink and dated to contemporary California cool with an earthy palette and eclectic styling that is sophisticated without being stuffy.

Going neutral doesnt mean boring, Fischel-Bock said, referring to a common misconception that equates serious style with an absence of color or whimsy. A lot of people think, OK, we have to go neutral, so they just buy all beige and everything matches.

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Mixing old and new atop the fireplace. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

I think this is neutral, said Fischel-Bock of the updated living room space awash in an organic-inspired palette of white, cream and sand with accents of ebony, rose and natural greenery. Its neutral with a lot of interesting elements, she said referencing the vintage fireplace tile, coved ceilings, tactile fabrics and textured accessories, so it feels adult in the fact that yes, its not hot pink anymore, but it doesnt mean just going bland.

The finished space is a mix of old and new, high-end and low.

A vintage painting shares the mantle in soulful harmony with a new framed print by Society 6. Because were mixing it, said Fischel-Bock, it doesnt feel like its off the internet.

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A nook pops with color. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

The hammered metal coffee table is from World Market. I was playing with a similar piece on the app, said the designer, and I realized, oh, I have that outside so I brought it in and cleaned it up.

Dressing up a space

Now you can try before you buy. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

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Dressing up a space

Something that hasnt changed is their genius use of annexing an odd space off the living room to create the kind of walk-in closet most of us only dream about.

Instead of allowing the unincorporated square footage to become just another clutter catcher, or the resting place of dusty gym equipment, they painted the space white and added garment racks, floating shelves, a dresser, large mirror, draperies and an ottoman. Its a glamorous little piece of unexpected heaven. My mom thinks its like a dream girl home because we live so well together and we have the clothes and jewelry and makeup all mixed together.

Appetite for design

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The dining room design was inspired by a trip Fischel-Bock took to Tulum, Mexico, last year. I was wowed that every little place was well done. Even if youre just at a shack on the side of the road, it was well designed and aesthetically pleasing so thats kind of the look I was going for here.

The dining area. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

She chose a round table, rattan pendant light from World Market, organic elements, colorful art and a slim console table from CB2 to appoint what she called awkward space.

Sweet dreams

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In her tiny bedroom, Fischel-Bock knew she wanted to create a gallery wall above her headboard using a creative, curated assortment of artistically arranged framed prints by Society 6, vintage paintings, drawings and sculptural 3-D elements.

Maximizing bedroom space. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

The effect adds color, texture, warmth and personality. I think you over-fill for a small space, because it makes it feel bigger.

Something of interest, everywhere you look. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

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Shopping via Hutch, she achieved a soft, feminine look choosing West Elm drapes, and Parachute bedding and swiped right on a new headboard, mirror and nightstand. I love light pink, said Fischel-Bock of her barely blush colored bedding, I didnt want it in the rest of the house, so I kept it in here but I made it a little more adult.

It looks like the bungalows home decor has finally caught up with the sophisticated style of the grown-up on the fast track.

Have a plan. Dont make any purchases without thinking it all the way through, Fischel-Bock said. (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times )

Hutch co-founders 4 tips for designing your space

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1.) Stay neutral on the big pieces, so you can change up the rest of the decor, Fischel-Bock said. If you have neutrals you can refresh by season or trend switch things out and try a new color palette or rug.

2.) Shop around. You might be surprised by what you can afford. Furniture and decor has become a lot more affordable. Were seeing the Zaras and the H&Ms of the world coming out with decor pieces, she said.

3.) Have a plan. Dont make any purchases without thinking it all the way through.

4.) Set a budget and know your priorities. A lot of people think, Well, I need a new couch so all my money is going for a huge sectional, which they dont actually need in the space, it may look more lively without that. Figure out what your objective is, not just what you think you need.

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More apps to try

If you like Hutch, here are a few of the many apps out there that take decorating one step further using augmented reality. Snap a photo, then play around with furnishings, paint colors and decor for the space. Does that chair go with your sofa? These apps aim to help answer that way before it gets delivered to your door.

Ikea Place

Eerily life-like. This app scans your floor to create a scalable floor plan, then allows users to drop in Ikea furnishings and accessories and tap the screen to position in place. Shoppers will need iOS 11 or higher to play, er, use.

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Houzz View in My Room 3D

Houzz has added augmented reality to its shopping section for selected items. When you see a product listed with a green 3-D tag, select the product and the phone app guides you through the process of seeing the item in your space. Want to see how that pillow would look on your couch? Just take a snap. Mind. Blown.

Wayfair

At Wayfair.com, go to the More Ways to Shop Section and select View in Room 3D. It will take you to the products that are available for viewing in your space, including window treatments, door knobs, drawer pulls and even a farmhouse sink. If you like the 3-D image you create, you can save it and send it to friends for thumbs up, or down. Users will need iOS 11 or higher.

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1st Dibs

Online luxury retailer 1st Dibs specializing in antiques, design, fine art and collectibles offers the View in Room feature on selected items on its website and mobile platform. Want to see how that $34,000 Kazuko Inoue painting looks over your bed? Load the 1st Dibs app onto your phone and tap away. It might be the closest it gets to gracing that wall.

Home@latimes.com

Bonnie McCarthy contributes to the Los Angeles Times as a home and lifestyle design writer. She enjoys scouting for directional trends and reporting on whats new and next. Follow her on Twitter @ThsAmericanHome

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How online art galleries are serving up talent  and sales  without the tudePoliticians who have for too long shamefully shirked their responsibility to address the festering problems must now exercise real leadership; they must stop pandering to the vocal minority of residents who object to housing for homeless and low-income people in their neighborhoods. Years of infighting, mixed messages and failures of political will must come to an end.

All the regions politicians must step up, but especially Mayor Eric Garcetti  whose legacy and political future will rise or fall on how he handles this colossal urban crisis  and the members of the Los Angeles City Council, who have too often allowed political expediency and timidity to guide their actions. Homelessness in the city of Los Angeles has risen every year since Garcetti took office in 2013. Over the course of his tenure, it is up 49%.

Part 2: "The homeless in L.A. are not who you think they are":

Many people think of homelessness as a problem of substance abusers and mentally ill people, of chronic skid row street-dwellers pushing shopping carts. But increasingly, the crisis in Los Angeles today is about a less visible (but more numerous) group of economically homeless people. These are people who have been driven onto the streets or into shelters by hard times, bad luck and Californias irresponsible failure to address its own housing needs. Consider Nadia, whose story has become typical. When she decided she had to end her abusive marriage, she knew it would be hard to find an affordable place to live with her three young children. With her husband, she had paid $2,000 a month for a three-bedroom condo in the San Fernando Valley, but prices were rising rapidly, and now two-bedroom apartments in the area were going for $2,400  an impossible rent for a single parent who worked part time at Magic Mountain. For months she hunted while staying with family and friends. She qualified for a unit in a low-income housing project, but the waiting list was two years long. She obtained a federal Section 8 voucher to subsidize the rent in a market-rate apartment, but landlord after landlord refused to accept Section 8, or charged a rent that was too high to meet the federal governments unrealistically low fair-market rent limit. Nadia and her rambunctious young kids eventually wore out their welcome at the houses where they were staying. They found themselves left with little choice, with neither a place of their own nor a friend to fall back on. Last summer, they took refuge at San Fernando Valley Rescue Missions shelter for homeless families.

Part 3: "Don't let NIMBYs  or weak-kneed politicians  stand in the way of homeless housing":The sliding door is open, palms swaying on a cool winter afternoon in Westwood, just a few days out from the 90th Academy Awards show. Eva Marie Saint will be an Oscar presenter, but at the moment shes telling me about the 27th edition, back in 1955.

She was nine months pregnant, and her husband, Jeffrey Hayden, was worried about her standing up too fast if she won the supporting actress Oscar for her role in On the Waterfront.

Frank Sinatra took the envelope and delivered the news.

The winner is Eva Marie Saint.

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In the black-and-white video of that career-defining moment, the dark-haired Hayden applauds and beams as his wife makes her way to the stage with an angelic smile.

I may have the baby right here, Saint said when she accepted the Oscar.

Time moves as quickly as a thief. Saint is now 93, and in the filtered light of her living room, theres still a golden radiance about her after a decorated career in film, TV and theater. Her leading men were Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, Richard Burton and other legends.

But only one man had her heart, and together they beat the Hollywood breakup odds, committed to each other through 65 years of marriage.

It comes in waves, Saint says of the bittersweet memories that break over her unexpectedly, ever since her husband died, at the age of 90, a little more than a year ago.

Actress Eva Marie Saint and her husband, Jeffrey Hayden, walk in Los Angeles in 1957. The couple met in 1949 in the subway corridors under Rockefeller Center. (Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images )

I never knew them well, but Saint and Hayden read the paper every morning and sent emails now and then. Saint once interviewed me at an author event, Hayden and my wife were both University of North Carolina alums, and I wrote about the couple performing the play Love Letters to raise money for epilepsy research when a family member was diagnosed with the disease.

Neither Saint nor Hayden ever looked their age, and they kept on working, if only at a slower pace  Hayden was a director of film, television and stage. It was hard for either of them to accept that death could be on the next page, even after Hayden was diagnosed with cancer and spent a year in treatment.

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Thats not uncommon, of course. Rich or poor, famous or unknown, were united by the inevitability of our own demise, and by the struggle to handle loss. Saint says she didnt know thats what I wanted to talk to her about, and she seems to brighten at the thought.

You have to see this, she says, rising from the couch to retrieve something.

Its her pocket-size datebook from 1949, the year Hayden first spotted her in the subway corridors under Rockefeller Center. She was wearing her purple corduroy coat  I loved that coat  and Hayden fell under her spell, struck by the cascading blond hair and the way she carried herself. He knew her name even before he approached, because it was on the cover of the modeling book she carried.

Hayden asked her to coffee. Saint told him she didnt drink the stuff.

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But she gave in when he asked her to lunch, where she encouraged him to leave radio and get into television, if thats what he really wanted. He urged her to stop wasting time as an understudy and bravely go after a career as an actress, if that was her dream.

They understood each other, she says, from the beginning.

And now she opens the datebook.

Heres Feb. 20, 1949, Saint says, showing me what she wrote in her datebook on that day.

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Fun with Jeff.

On another day, the handwriting was his.

Fun (sometimes hectic, but fun).

Handwriting is so personal, Saint says, as opposed to words composed on a computer. When she looks at his scrawls, hes present.

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Heres my favorite, Saint says, turning to June 29.

The handwriting is Haydens again.

Jeffs here to stay, he wrote.

And boy did he, says Saint.

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They clashed occasionally in the early going, but their friends  actors Eli Wallach and his wife, Anne Jackson  seemed to have known they were right for each other. They would invite Saint to dinner, and shed arrive to find that theyd invited Hayden, too.

He was the most interesting young man Id ever met, Saint says of her beau, who was well-versed in music, theater and art.

They dated for three years, then married. She gave birth to the son she was pregnant with when she won the Oscar, then came a daughter, and years later, four grandchildren joined the family.

The years go faster as you age. Its one of lifes cruel tricks. As you slow down, time accelerates.

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Actress Eva Marie Saint and director Jeffrey Hayden attend the 2014 Princess Grace Awards Gala in 2014 in Beverly Hills. When it happens to you, youre the only person whos ever lost anyone, Saint says of the grief she felt over Haydens death. (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images )

One day, when they both knew what was coming, Saint and Hayden sat together on a bench in the foyer of their home. They had not talked about death, but Hayden alluded to it that day.

Days later, on a Monday, he told Saint:

Im going to die on Saturday.

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Sure enough, she says, he died on Saturday.

In the last days, family members took turns being with him. Saint says she struggled to know what to say, and her daughter Laurette, a therapist, offered a thought.

Tell him youre going to be OK, she said.

And she is.

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A hospice therapist helped. Books on grief helped. Being around family always helps. And knowing she had all that anyone can hope for  an enduring love  helps, too.

But grief takes its time, and there are days when nothing fills the void or explains the mystery of existence.

The hardest thing is eating alone, says Saint with a nod to the table where she and her husband shared their meals. Ive lost 11 pounds and Im trying to put some back.

She holds up Joan Didions Year of Magical Thinking, about the death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and their daughter. Saint and Hayden knew the family, and the book has helped.

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When it happens to you, youre the only person whos ever lost anyone, Saint says. You feel such a state of sorrow and sadness and loss. I didnt have to know [Didion] to be moved by this. Its really concrete about what people go through...This is a beautiful book about how she survived.

Saint calls me to the window and points out a flower that has bloomed, from a wild seed, in the soil of a potted palm. Its an impatiens, Jeffs favorite flower.

Shes always been fascinated by cloud formations, she says, and how they can resemble people. She sits near the window some days and waits to see her husbands image float by.

Shes walking in the park again, with a friend who holds her hand because the footing is uneven, and shes socializing a bit.

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I could get back into living, she says, and maybe even work again.

Saint tells me shes sworn to secrecy about which category is hers at the Academy Awards. But shes looking forward to giving away an Oscar, she says, 63 years after she and her husband took one home.

Get more of Steve Lopezs work and follow him on Twitter @LATstevelopezCalifornia steel manufacturers are concerned that tariffs proposed Thursday by President Trump will drive up the price of their products, threatening their ability to compete with foreign and eastern U.S. steel makers and forcing them to cut local jobs.

On Thursday, Trump surprised many industry leaders  and members of his own administration  by announcing plans to impose 25% tariffs on steel imports and 10% duties on aluminum. He said he will sign the order next week.

In California, industry leaders and analysts argue that the tariffs would provide no benefits to steel manufacturers on the West Coast  companies that import steel in the form of slabs and coils, rather than making it from iron ore. They use that to create finished products for a vast array of businesses across the United States. Those companies also worry that the tariffs would drive up the price of domestic steel.

On Friday, a senior administration official said the new tariffs would apply to metal imported from all nations. Some experts wondered if the administration would go easier on allies such as Canada.

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The worst-case scenario is we continue to spiral into a trade war, said Jonathan Aronson, a USC professor of communications and international relations. My guess is that people will get the president to mitigate or delay acting, but hes unpredictable.

On the West Coast, steel manufacturers largely depend on imported steel from Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia. It is cheaper to ship steel over the ocean than by road or rail from eastern U.S. foundries.

Last year, California imported almost $2 billion in iron and steel, a 6% increase from the previous year. The state imported $2 billion worth of aluminum, a 25% increase from the previous year. About 38% of imported aluminum came from China, according to an analysis by Jock OConnell, the international trade advisor at Beacon Economics.

Fontana-based California Steel Industries, the largest steel mill in the western United States, depends almost solely on imported semifinished steel slabs, usually from Mexico, Brazil and Japan. These slabs are usually about 35 feet long, almost 10 inches thick and weigh 20 to 30 tons.

Only a handful of U.S. companies make semifinished steel slabs. And those companies make those slabs mostly for their own use, said Brett Guge, an executive vice president at California Steel Industries.

The cost of bringing those slabs from the eastern United States to the West Coast is five times more expensive than bringing them from other countries.

The Trump administrations hope is that steel and aluminum makers will increase their production, meeting the nations demand. OConnell said that is a dubious proposition.

Even if domestic producers do make more metal, it wont offset the negative effect of the tariffs to the overall economy, he maintained. Just the cost to the industries that use iron and steel and aluminum will long outweigh the benefits of any increase in U.S. employment rate or U.S. share of the domestic market, OConnell said.

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Hannibal Steel has seen costs rise 20% already as foreign suppliers stopped steel shipments. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times )

Marcelo Botelho Rodrigues, president and chief executive of California Steel Industries  whose Fontana plant dates to the giant Kaiser Steel works, which closed in the early 1980s  said the tariff could force West Coast steel manufacturers to cut jobs because of rising costs. At the same time, it would benefit companies east of the Mississippi River, which might be able to hire more people.

We are fighting to not be put out of the market, Botelho said. We truly believe the intention of the Trump administration is to protect American jobs, but in our specific case, were being pushed out of the market, rather than being helped to generate more jobs.

OConnell at Beacon Economics said the tariffs will not only drive up the cost of imported steel and aluminum but also provide a reason for domestic steel producers to increase their prices, which would then drive up the cost of construction projects across California. The tariffs probably would have a largely negative effect on the overall economy, he said.

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Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce started its national security investigation on steel imports, soliciting letters from the industry. That had companies such as Vernon-based Hannibal Industries  the largest manufacturer in the western United States of steel pallet racks, used often for warehouse storage  nervously anticipating how Trump might act.

Steve Rogers, executive vice president of Hannibal Industries, said about two months ago, overseas steel suppliers stopped shipping Hannibal steel over fear of the potential tariffs. The employee-owned company has already seen a 20% cost increase.

Hannibal has had to move to more costly steel supplies from Mississippi and Alabama. But Rogers doesnt think thats a long-term solution.

Its our belief that domestic steel supply cant support domestic consumption, Rogers said. There is not enough capacity to support domestic consumption strictly through domestic supplies, and obviously that leads to price increases.

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Times staff writer Don Lee contributed to this report.

jaclyn.cosgrove@latimes.com

@jaclyncosgroveIt started as a rather straightforward Social Security fraud investigation  a man receiving disability benefits pretending to live in the United States when in fact he lived in Tijuana.

What authorities uncovered was a 37-year identity theft scheme by a repeat felon who violated immigration laws and bilked federal, state and local governments out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits, according to a plea agreement entered in San Diego federal court this week.

The man  identified as Andres Avelino Anduaga, if thats even his real name  admitted to assuming the identity of a U.S. citizen in 1980. After obtaining a fake birth certificate, he developed a seemingly legitimate persona by applying for a California drivers license, Social Security number and U.S. passport.

The official documents identified him as Abraham Riojos, born in Alpine, Texas, in 1958.

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The documents allowed him to move freely between Mexico and the U.S., and also to receive nearly $361,000 in government benefits over the years.

On Thursday, Anduaga, 66, pleaded guilty to theft of public property and being a previously removed from the U.S. for crossing the border illegally.

He has agreed to pay back to several government agencies what he stole but could face additional fines as well as up to 12 years in prison when sentenced.

The investigation started in 2014 with a mailbox, and then unfolded clue by clue, according to the complaint. The Social Security Administration office in Chula Vista alerted its inspector generals office that private mailboxes near the U.S.-Mexico border may be linked to residency fraud.

Only U.S. citizens or valid visa holders can receive Social Security disability benefits, and they must reside in the United States.

In April 2015, during a standard review to determine whether he was still eligible for benefits, the man who called himself Riojos gave an address on San Ysidro Boulevard that was found to be a mailbox rental facility. When he was summoned to the Chula Vista office for an interview, he presented a state ID card identifying himself as Riojos and claimed to be renting a room from a man on I Street in Chula Vista.

During the interview, an investigator with the California Department of Health Care Services called the second man, who confirmed the living arrangement.

But when investigators visited the home in January 2016, the man admitted Riojos never lived there, but instead lived in Mexico, the complaint states.

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Investigators turned to the border crossing records, finding frequent travels indicating Riojos had likely been living in Mexico since at least 2014.

They then learned that another person had tried to sign up for disability benefits in Oceanside under the same Riojos name, using a fake birth certificate with the same date and place of birth, according to the complaint.

The investigators went to the criminal records, finding the initial man claiming to be Riojos had a rap sheet that included 21 different names and six dates of birth, dating back to 1974. They included a firearms violation, forgery, cocaine possession and multiple DUIs, according to prosecutors.

Immigration records rounded out the picture. Hed been deported twice, once in 1994 and again in 2000. During the last deportation, he had given authorities his real name: Jose Reyes. Or so they thought.

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Investigators tracked down the real Abraham Riojos to Immokalee, Fla., a rural town south of Fort Myers. He told the special agents who visited him that he had no idea his identity had been used all these years.

He went by a different name now himself, Abram Riojas, a switch he said he made in the 1980s after his father started going by that name. He had a legal Social Security number separate from the fraudulent one Anduaga had applied for and received, which is probably why he hadnt yet run into cross-identity problems, authorities said. The real Riojos also hadnt applied for any Social Security benefits yet, another reason he might not have known something was awry.

An analysis of Anduagas benefits showed he first applied for Supplemental Security Income benefits in 1989 and was awarded payments retroactive to 1988. He received monthly payments  $244,441 total  until Aug. 1, 2016, according to his plea agreement.

He also applied for Medi-Cal benefits  for which he was not qualified because of his immigration status  and received $112,981 total. Plus, he illegally received more than $3,486 in food stamps under a county program.

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Records show he crossed through the pedestrian lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry several times a week. He was arrested Nov. 28 during one of those crossings. His arrest warrant bore the name Jose Reyes, and besides Riojos and Riojas the complaint included another a.k.a of Jose Gonzalez-Cardoza. It wasnt until later, when pressed, that he said his real name was Andres Avelino Anduaga, prosecutors said.

But even that appears to have been a process. In a motion filed by his defense attorney in January, it refers to the defendant as Omar Anduaga.

He claims he was born Nov. 10, 1951, in Temoris in the state of Chihuahua. Authorities remain skeptical.

He has remained in custody since his arrest and prosecutors have noted that he suffers from a variety of health problems.

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It is not clear how Anduaga got ahold of Riojos identity, although authorities have suggested the two didnt know each other. As far as how he was able to apply for a Social Security number using a fake birth certificate and someone elses identity, blame it on the times. Prosecutors say in 1980, an analogue era without computers, identity theft was harder to detect and easier for forgers to pull off.

Sentencing has been set for May 29.

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.A hearing was set for June in the murder case against Samuel Woodward, the Newport Beach man accused in the stabbing death of 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move to trial.

Woodward, 20, appeared in an orange jail jumpsuit in a Harbor Justice Center courtroom Friday and spoke briefly with his attorney before agreeing to set his preliminary hearing for June 14.

The hearing is expected to last half a day, attorneys told Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones.

Woodward pleaded not guilty last month to a murder charge and denied a sentencing enhancement allegation of personally using a deadly weapon, according to court records. Because Bernstein was gay and Jewish, authorities are investigating the possibility of also charging Woodward with a hate crime.

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Woodwards attorney, Edward Munoz, said his client is depressed in jail and feels remorse for his family.

Munoz said Woodward has been reading the Bible and faring relatively well under the circumstances. He spoke after Fridays hearing.

Bernstein went missing in January while visiting his family in Orange County while on winter break from the University of Pennsylvania. Authorities say they found his body buried at a park where he went with Woodward the night he disappeared.

Woodward, a former classmate of Bernsteins at Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, is being held in Orange County Jail with bail set at $5 million. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Fry writes for Times Community News. The Associated Press contributed to this report.A San Diego County resident is among 40 people nationwide to become infected with salmonella bacteria linked to kratom, the controversial tropical herb that many have begun using to treat opioid addiction despite an import ban from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

According to the county Health and Human Services Agency, a 44-year-old, whose gender and city of residence were not released, became ill in January.

Testing performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that symptoms were caused by the same subspecies of the salmonella bacteria that has now produced cases in 27 states.

Dr. Eric McDonald, chief of the countys Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch, said Friday that the resident has recovered.

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This person was not hospitalized and has had no long-term complications, McDonald said.

That has not always been the case since the outbreak started in October.

The CDCs latest report, issued Friday, added 12 cases to the outbreak total, reaching 40 cases since its last update on Feb. 20. So far, 14 people have been sick enough to require hospital stays, but no one has died. Ages of the salmonella patients range from 6 to 67.

State public health departments have interviewed 24 people who have been infected, and 17 have reported consuming kratom in pills, powder or tea.

Also called thang, kakuam, thom, ketom and biak, kratoms Latin name is mitragyna speciosa. In the coffee family, the evergreen is native to southeast Asia.

Though its legal in most states, the CDC is recommending that no one consume kratom because the salmonella contamination has not been narrowed to a specific source.

Used as medicine in countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia since the 19th century, kratom has recently become quite controversial in the United States. The FDA instituted an import ban on the plant in 2014, and there has been talk of classifying it as a schedule 1 controlled substance.

The city of San Diego banned possession and distribution of any substance containing mitragynine, the herbs active ingredient, in 2016.

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In 2017, the CDC said it is aware of 36 deaths among kratom-using Americans, and the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office has determined that 10 local deaths since 2014 have been associated with mitragynine.

But the public has pushed back hard, noting that most of the deaths involved people with other drugs in their systems, or other significant medical conditions, that could have contributed to their deaths. Kratom, many say, has helped them kick opioid habits or push back chronic pain.

Dr. Charles White, department head and professor of pharmacy at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, recently published a research paper that assesses kratoms pharmacological properties in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

He said that its clear that the plant works like an opioid, but its not the same as the drugs fueling Americas opioid epidemic.

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Its not derived from opium, White said. It has a very different chemical structure, but it does stimulate opioid receptors in the brain.

In animal models, White said, kratoms value as a stimulant appears to be pretty modest overall in comparison to a pure opioid and could function in similar ways to methodone or soboxone, two drugs commonly used to help treat opioid addiction. There is also evidence, again in animal models, that kratom has anti-inflammatory properties often sought by those suffering from chronic pain.

But none of that, he cautioned, has yet been definitively proved in humans. Researchers know that many results found in animals look much different in people.

And, White added, its unclear exactly how kratom interacts with other opioids in a persons system.

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We know it is a potent blocker of other drugs, White said. The issue is that, if you take other drugs at the same time, you might not be able to get them out of your system because kratom is blocking your liver enzymes.

On the other hand, the researcher said he considers the tropical plant to be a very interesting chemical compound. Significant restrictions, he said, could slow the pace of scientific discovery for this plant. Adding marijuana to the most-restrictive tier of the nations drug schedule, he said, significantly slowed understanding of how some of the compounds in cannabis could be used for legitimate medical purposes, such as treatment of severe seizures in children.

Making this a schedule 1 drug comes with the risk of setting yourself up to never finding out what the pharmacological benefits are that this substance has to give, White said. The things were learning today about marijuana are things we should have learned 50 years ago.

Sisson writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.A woman whose body was found Wednesday in brush at Talbert Regional Park in Costa Mesa was identified as Ashley Boulay, 29, police said Friday.

Daniel Correa, 24, who was arrested in connection with her death, was charged with murder Thursday.

Boulay and Correa were both described as transients. Authorities said Boulay previously lived in Massachusetts, Correa in Santa Ana.

The Orange County district attorneys office alleges that Correa killed Boulay with a tree branch at the nature preserve on Victoria Street.

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Police said Boulays body had signs of blunt force trauma, but they did not detail her injuries.

Costa Mesa detectives began investigating Boulays death as a homicide after receiving a call at 7:10 a.m. Wednesday from a man, later identified as Correa, who said he had found a womans body in the park, police said. It isnt clear how authorities came to suspect Correa in the crime.

Correa, who is listed in jail records as a warehouse worker, was booked into Orange County Jail on Wednesday. His bail is set at $1 million. He is expected to be arraigned March 16.

Correa also is facing a possible sentencing enhancement on allegations of using a deadly weapon, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in prison.Bud Luckey, an Oscar-nominated animator who crafted hand-drawn, two-dimensional characters for more than three decades before using new digital tools to create Woody, the pull-string star of Pixars Toy Story, has died.

Luckey died Feb. 24 at a hospice center in Newtown, Conn. He was 83 and had suffered a stroke in 2013, said his son, Andy Luckey.

He began his career as a protege of Art Babbitt, the Walt Disney animator who developed the long-eared character Goofy and the wicked queen of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Working out of San Francisco, he animated the original Alvin and the Chipmunks television series, collaborated with Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz on advertisements for Dolly Madison snack cakes, and devised entire segments for Sesame Street, in which his hillbilly-fiddler character Donnie Budd introduced young viewers to the numbers 2 through 6.

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By the early 1990s, Luckeys curiosity was piqued by plans for a computer-generated film at Pixar, the Bay Area studio that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had helped establish in 1986. He was soon hired as the studios fifth animator and worked variously as a character designer, storyboard artist or voice performer for Toy Story (1995) and nearly every Pixar movie that followed.

Luckey was one of the true unsung heroes of animation, John Lasseter, who directed Toy Story and went on to become the studios chief creative officer, said in a 2004 Pixar documentary on the animator.

Known to some colleagues as Bud Low-Key, Luckey helped shape the whimsical worlds and characters of movies such as A Bugs Life (1998), Toy Story 2" (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Cars (2006) and Ratatouille (2007).

He also performed voice work, lending his native Montana baritone to characters including government agent Rick Dicker in The Incredibles (2004), the despondent clown Chuckles in Toy Story 3" (2010) and Eeyore in the 2011 adaptation of Winnie the Pooh.

Bud Luckey, right, and Pixar producer Osnat Shurer during an interview about Luckeys Oscar nominiation for Boundin. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times )

Although animation is almost always a collaborative process, Luckey was granted near-total control of Boundin, " a 2003 Pixar short that was shown in theaters before The Incredibles and received an Academy Award nomination for best animated short film.

Inspired by Luckeys western upbringing, the five-minute movie featured a tap-dancing sheep who is shorn of his wool and his confidence but is encouraged to keep bounding by a friendly jackalope. Both characters were voiced by Luckey, who also directed and wrote the short and composed its banjo-driven score.

Still, he remained best known for his work on Toy Story, which set a benchmark for computer-generated animation and made more than $370 million worldwide.

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The movies characters  toys that come to life whenever they are separated from their owner, who shared the same name as Luckeys son, Andy  included an astronaut named Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) and, initially, a decidedly creepy-looking ventriloquists dummy.

Luckey suggested a change: Turn Woody (Tom Hanks) into a cowboy. As soon as he said that, I knew it was just perfect, Lasseter recalled in Karen Paiks book To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios. The whole idea of a buddy picture is to pair up two characters who are as opposite as possible, and you cant get more opposite than a spaceman and a cowboy.

Luckey said he did 200 Woodies, sketching different possibilities with a pencil and pen, before Lasseter selected the rosy-cheeked version that appeared in the movie. Luckey and his Pixar colleagues  many of them half his age  then set to work turning the sketch into a computer-generated character.

When I started working with a computer, Luckey later told CBS, to me it was kind of like animating with a backhoe. But when you see the results, it just blows your mind.

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William Everett Luckey was born in Billings, Mont., on July 28, 1934. According to family lore, he was known since childhood as Bud because an older sibling called him budder, mispronouncing brother. His mother was a schoolteacher, his father a commercial printer.

When I was 4 years old I used to draw on the sidewalk with broken brick, he told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2004. Before World War II, I would draw Hitler and Mussolini and Tojo. And all the kids would gather round to spit and stamp on them. . . . Thats when I learned how to win friends and influence people.

Luckey served as an artist and illustrator in the Air Force  he said he once accidentally spilled coffee on Gen. Curtis LeMay, who politely blew it off  and studied animation at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, now part of the California Institute of the Arts.

His marriage ended in divorce. In addition to his son, who produced the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, survivors include two brothers.

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Luckey was art director at the San Francisco-based ad agency Guild, Bascom & Bonfigli before working as a freelance animator for Sesame Street in the early 1970s. By the time he arrived at Pixar in 1992, he was surrounded by colleagues who had grown up watching Luckeys segments on the show, including a memorable cartoon called Thats About the Size that zoomed out to show the relative size of an ant and a planet.

I like to think these days that 30 years ago we used the animation to teach kids their numbers, Luckey said in the 2004 documentary, and now these kids are teaching me how to animate with numbers. So it was a good deal.A 19-year-old student suspected of fatally shooting his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory had been acting so strangely the day before the killings that campus police talked to his mother and then took him to a hospital for suspected drug abuse, authorities said Saturday.

University Police Chief Bill Yeagley told reporters that James Eric Davis Jr.s parents, Diva Davis and James Davis Sr., had just picked him up from that hospital and brought him to his dorm to pack up for spring break when Fridays shooting happened. He said the gun used in the shooting belonged to Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood, Ill.

Yeagley would not say whether the father had brought the gun to the universitys campus in Mount Pleasant, Mich., when picking up his son, but he noted that Davis Jr. can be seen on video in the dorms parking lot with the gun before he entered the residence hall where his parents were shot about 8:30 a.m.

We can make a lot of assumptions, but Im not going to make those assumptions. But I can tell you for sure that the gun came from outside, in the parking lot, with [Davis Jr.] through the building, Yeagley said.

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Davis Jr. has been charged with two counts of murder and a weapons charge in the shootings, university spokeswoman Heather Smith said Saturday.

He remained under guard Saturday at a hospital where he was taken after his arrest, and he will be moved to the Isabella County jail when hes discharged, Yeagley said.

Yeagley declined to say whether drugs were found in Davis Jr.s system. He also would not say what type of gun was used or whether it was Davis Sr.s service revolver. But he did say that it would have been a violation of campus policy for Davis Sr. to bring a gun on campus because only law enforcement officers on active duty or those with special permission can do so.

Davis Jr. was arrested without incident shortly after midnight following an intensive daylong search Friday that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said. Officers found him after someone aboard a train spotted a person along railroad tracks and called police, Yeagley said.

Mount Pleasant is about a 285-mile drive from the familys hometown of Plainfield, Ill. The shooting occurred on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students at the university for the beginning of a weeklong spring break.

Yeagley said witness statements and video indicate that at the time they were shot, Davis Jr.s parents were in their sons fourth-floor dorm at the campus Campbell Hall simply packing up for spring break.

He said police had first come into contact with Davis Jr. on Thursday morning when he came running into a community police officers office in his dorm very frightened and not making a lot of sense.

He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him, and the officer calmed him down and tried to gain more information about what was going on. ... Mr. Davis was very vague, and he kept talking about someone having a gun, Yeagley said, adding that Davis Jr. said he had not actually seen the person with a gun.

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We said, How do you know he was going to hurt you if you didnt see a gun? He was saying things like, Its just a feeling. I know it, the chief said.

Davis Jr. eventually talked about riding in a dorm elevator with the person, and police went to talk to the individual Davis Jr. had identified. Yeagley said that when officers determined that the person posed no threat  and reviewed video from the elevator that showed Davis Jr. and that person laughing  Davis Jr. said he was fine and was leaving campus Friday for spring break.

Hours later, officers spotted Davis Jr. in a dorm hallway with his suitcases, Yeagley said. When officers tried to talk to him, he again wasnt making sense, Yeagley said, adding that the student was acting in a fashion that isnt reasonable or logical. They asked Davis Jr. to call his parents, which he did. An officer then spoke to Davis mother and told her about her sons behavior, their concerns about possible drug use and asked her whether he had a history of drug use, Yeagley said.

The mother said she too was concerned this could be drugs, he said.

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Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis Jr. and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldnt be confronted.

Yeagley said Davis Jr. had not been previously identified by campus officials as someone that others on campus were concerned about.

Mr. Davis was not ever reported, and we had no interaction that were aware of with him in any negative fashion  with anybody  prior to this incident, he said.

University President George E. Ross said the shooting had left the campus and surrounding community traumatized. There were thousands of people who were sheltering in place yesterday, and they will be dealing with this for the rest of their lives, he said Saturday.

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UPDATES:

4:00 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details that include James Eric Davis Jr. being charged Saturday with the shooting death of his parents.

This article was originally published at 9:20 a.m.A powerful winter storm that pummeled the Northeast, killing at least nine and leaving 2 million homes and businesses without power, unleashed heavy rain and snow but inflicted its deadliest damage with fierce winds.

The death toll had stood at eight until Saturday night, when police in Andover, N.J., reported that a man was killed after coming in contact with downed power lines.

Four people died when winds toppled trees onto vehicles; those killed were a 57-year-old man in Upper Merion Township, Pa.; a 25-year-old man in Stamford, Conn.; a 37-year-old man in Plympton, Mass.; and an 11-year-old boy in Putnam Valley, N.Y.

In Chester, Va., a 6-year-old boy died when a tree crushed him while he slept in his bed.

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This storm was a high-end wind event for the East Coast. There were power outages from the wind alone, said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New Jersey.

In Sussex County, N.J., some people wont be getting power until March 7, maybe as late as the 9th, Drag said.

Its the most wind damage seen on the East Coast since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, he said.

In Massachusetts, the main concern was flooding.

On Friday, wind gusts whipped through Massachusetts and Rhode Island as fast as 93 mph, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Lenore Correia in Boston. Streets in Boston and the nearby suburb of Quincy looked like rivers. Authorities rescued hundreds of people who either ignored or delayed in heeding evacuation notices.

Some flocked to hotels, like the Comfort Inn in Quincy, where general manager Homer Borromeo said they have been at full capacity since Friday.

Were always equipped for busy times. We were preparing for the storm last week, he said.

The hotel did have a power outage early Saturday, but electricity was restored within two hours, Borromeo said.

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Five units of the Massachusetts National Guard helped rescue people in the city, and video showed rescuers walking through waist-high water.

Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch released periodic statements on YouTube, updating the city of about 93,000 residents on damage and rescue efforts. Its been a rough several days, I know, for a lot of folks, he said in one video update. We still have 5,700 people out of power.

The city has 8 miles of sea walls, and they will have to be inspected carefully, along with water mains and sewer lines, he said. Were pretty concerned about some roads that have taken a beating, he said.

Koch also described a visit to an evacuation shelter Friday night and shared how one family described the storm. They were just in the house and a wave of water just actually knocked a wall right out of the house, and they lost everything.

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Hundreds of miles south in Maryland, the majority of the incidents in Prince Georges County were wind-related, said Mark Brady, the county fire departments spokesman.

Everything worked in our favor except for the high volume of calls, Brady said. Fire departments in the county usually experience 400 calls for service a day. On Friday the county saw more than 1,000 calls.

A National Guard vehicle takes emergency workers to residents trapped in Quincy, Mass., by floodwaters from the powerful storm that hit the East Coast on Friday. (Scott Eisen / Getty Images )

Drag said that another storm is anticipated for next week, but that its too early to determine its direction or whether it will develop into another massive storm.

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced states of emergencies Friday.

We are continuing to see a number of serious accidents on bridges and roadways, and power outages throughout the state, Hogan said in a statement.

The storm hit Friday and weakened Saturday as it headed out to sea. In Boston winds died down significantly to 15 mph, with the rain having stopped between midnight and 2 a.m.

More than 600 flights within the U.S. had been canceled by late afternoon Saturday, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. Boston Logan International, Philadelphia International and John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York saw the most cancellations.

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Amtrak canceled service to and from Boston, the District of Columbia and New York on Friday for what the company on Twitter called hazardous conditions. Trains resumed service Saturday with modified schedules.

Thousands of messages flooded the Twitter handles of Amtrak, Delta Airlines and other transportation companies with complaints, questions and demands for refunds and clarity.

Quincy firefighters rescue a mother and child by boat after their residence was flooded along Post Island Road in the Houghs Neck section of Quincy, Mass. (John Tlumacki / Associated Press )

LaGuardia Airport reported more than 600 cancellations Friday afternoon. A viral video on Twitter showed winds blowing hard enough to lift a portion of a hangars roof.

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In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered emergency operations centers to open from Long Island to Buffalo. Snowfall in New York ranged from 10 to 20 inches, and more than 300,000 people were without power.

The noreasters reach extended from Maine to North Carolina, where the states Outer Banks received storm and flood warnings. In the beach town of Nags Head, authorities warned of moderate to severe flooding but that didnt seem to deter some residents.

Peyton Gwinn, a hostess at the seafood restaurant Tortugas Lie in Nags Head, said, Weve been busy for the past couple of days  nothings stopped us or our customers, yet.

michael.livingston@latimes.com

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Twitter: @mikelive06

UPDATES:

7:50 p.m.: This article was updated to report a ninth death connected to the storm.

7:15 p.m.: This article was updated with information about Maryland, North Carolina and Quincy, Mass.

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4:50 p.m.: This article was updated to report eight storm-related deaths and to include comments from Walter Drag and Lenore Correia.

This article was originally published at 10:20 a.m.It may be hard to remember, but there was a time when the National Rifle Assn. was a bipartisan organization.

During the 1992 election cycle, the NRA contributed 37% of its congressional campaign donations to Democrats. Republicans got the lions share  63% of the $1.8 million the group gave that year  but it was not as if the NRA was a pseudo-wing of the party.

By 2016, that had all changed.

According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group that tracks money in political campaigns, nearly 99% of the $1 million in NRA contributions to congressional candidates in 2016 went to Republicans. The few Democrats who did get money  Reps. Sanford D. Bishop Jr. of Georgia, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota and Tim Walz of Minnesota  all have A ratings from the group.

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What changed? Two things, according to many of those who have followed the group.

First, in the fall of 1994, the Democratic-controlled Congress  with staunch opposition from the NRA  narrowly passed a 10-year federal ban on assault weapons. In the two-year period leading up to the vote on the issue, the NRA increased its contributions to Republicans by about $675,000 while reducing contributions to Democrats by nearly $200,000. It was the groups largest single-cycle  or two-year  dip in donations to Democrats.

Second, many who study the issue say, both the NRA and the Republican Party became more implacably opposed to gun regulations, while Democrats mostly favored them.

It is all about playing to the arch-conservative base, said Robert Spitzer, chairman of the political science department at the State University of New York at Cortland, who has written extensively on politics and gun control. He said that since the 1994 assault weapons vote, the NRA locked itself into a pattern of ever more apocalyptic, extremist, uncompromising rhetoric. The progression, he said, coincided with the Republican Partys own shift to the right.

Spitzer said Democrats have mostly remained consistent in their positions on gun control, but there are fewer of those so-called Blue Dog Democrats around who supported less gun control. Indeed, in the early to mid-2000s, moderate Democrats from conservative-leaning states such as Arkansas and Louisiana received NRA support, although not at the levels seen in the early 1990s, according to figures from the Center for Responsive Politics.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment about its political spending.

One question now is whether the NRAs shift in contribution patterns poses a long-term threat to the groups power. A change in power in Congress, or defections by Republicans, could leave the group on the outside.

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The chief executive of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, seemed to be worried about the former scenario when he spoke last month at the Conservative Political Action Conference. If they seize power  our American freedoms could be lost and our country will be changed forever, he said. The first to go will be the 2nd Amendment.

LaPierre didnt explicitly identify they, but the message was clear.

In the weeks since a gunman killed 17 people at a South Florida high school, some Republicans  including, at least briefly, President Trump  have broken ranks with the gun rights group to support modest gun control legislation, such as raising the age limit for buying assault weapons and banning so-called bump stocks, which turn semiautomatic weapons into something close to machine guns.

But despite a surge in mass shootings  seven of the deadliest in modern U.S. history have happened since 2007  the NRA has remained mostly steadfast in its opposition to any gun control legislation.

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In 2012, after mass shootings at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., various proposals  such as requiring more thorough background checks  lost traction in Congress because of a lack of Republican support.

But soon after, several blue or purple states, including Colorado, California, Connecticut and Maryland, passed some of the strictest gun laws in the country. In Colorado, the then-Democratic-controlled Legislature passed bills requiring universal background checks to buy guns, and limits on ammunition magazines. Not a single Republican supported the legislation.

After Tom Sullivan lost a son, Alex, who was killed on his 27th birthday in the Aurora theater shooting, he gained a singular focus: The country needed stricter gun laws and the NRA was in the way.

The NRA is about fear and stifling progress, Sullivan said. Republicans are so concerned that the NRA will put up money to primary them that the thought of supporting gun control legislation is almost unheard of.

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If that has changed in recent days, it mirrors a shift in the views of voters.

In a CNN/SSRS poll released days after the Florida shooting, 70% of people questioned supported stricter gun laws  the largest share since 1993. That included 49% of Republicans, up from 30% in October, after the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas.

Since the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., a slew of corporations have rushed to cut ties with the NRA. At the same time, some Republicans have pushed back against the powerful special interest group in ways that, a month ago, seemed unimaginable.

Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican who lost his legs while serving in Afghanistan, recently called for a ban on assault weapons. And Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who has an A rating from the NRA, said he supports raising the minimum age for purchasing semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21. In an extraordinary televised meeting with Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday, Trump indicated support for such legislation and even suggested he would support taking guns away from citizens, and worry about the legality of such a move later.

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I like taking guns away early, Trump said. Take the guns first, go through due process second.

Rick Tyler, a longtime Republican political strategist and NRA supporter who has worked on several state-level campaigns, said Trumps comments were concerning.

He demonstrated that he is going to sell out every member of the NRA and every law-abiding gun owner in America, Tyler said, adding that the group shouldnt worry about the handful of Republicans rebuking them.

Despite declines in gun ownership nationwide, the NRA will not lose influence, said Tyler. If anything they will gain it because their members contribute and they vote.

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On Friday, following a meeting with NRA officials, the White House emphasized that Trump was committed to defending the 2nd Amendment.

Trump takes six positions on gun control: Why that matters 

Still, Nathan Gonzales, editor of Inside Elections, a nonpartisan group that analyzes congressional and gubernatorial races nationwide, said that its really unheard of to witness Republicans so vocal in supporting legislation that the NRA opposes.

Is this a breaking point?  Time will tell, but Republicans and the NRA have gone hand in hand for a long time, Gonzales said.

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In past years, Republicans have rebuffed the NRA and have faced challenges.

In election cycles between 2010 and 2018, the NRA spent nearly $36.4 million in support of Republicans, while also spending about $256,000 to oppose members of the GOP in primaries, general elections and the special Senate election in Alabama last year.

Former Indiana Sen. Richard G. Lugar was among the NRAs primary targets. In 2012, the group spent $169,000 in opposition to his reelection. Lugar, a Republican who had served more than three decades in the Senate, often held moderate views on gun legislation, voting in support of the assault weapons ban in 1994. He had an F rating usually reserved for liberal Democrats  from the NRA. Lugar lost in a primary to a candidate supported by the NRA.

Earlier in the week, during the meeting about school safety and gun control, Trump highlighted the fear that some Republicans  not himself, he said  have when dealing with the NRA.

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During the meeting, Trump, who got nearly $10.6 million in support from the group in 2016, asked Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) if the bipartisan background-check bill he helped author in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting included a provision to raise the age to buy rifles from 18 to 21. (The gunman in the elementary school shooting was 20.)

Toomey said it did not. You know why? Trump prodded. Because youre afraid of the NRA.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

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maloy.moore@latimes.com

Twitter:@maloym

ALSO

Trumps vow to go big and bipartisan on guns carries echoes of immigration failures

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After their teacher fires a gun at school, Georgia students use opportunity to challenge Trumps proposal

When it comes to guns, the Parkland shooting survivors arent here to play niceOn July 27, 2017, near the end of the one of the most compelling hearings yet on the Trump-Russia affair, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) offered an extraordinary insight. It shot through the proceedings like a comet.

Corrupt kleptocrats and international criminals make themselves rich in criminality and corruption, he said. Then at some point they need the legitimate world in order to protect and account for their stolen proceeds.

What? Whitehouse sketched a new bipolar world order, in which the so-called legitimate world, which includes the United States, is not at war with, but rather deeply enmeshed in, the corrupt one, where governments are built on bribery, kleptocracy, electoral fraud, slush funds, legal plunder and nepotism.

Whitehouse then addressed William F. Browder, the hedge funder turned global finance reformer, who was giving testimony on foreign-agent registry violations. How good a job is the legitimate world doing about fencing off the corrupt world rather than facilitating it? 

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Browder didnt mince words. The legitimate world, and America in particular, are failing in an absolute way, he said. The corrupt steal the money, commit their crimes and kill the people, and then come here in the legitimate world with the rule of law, with the property rights, and with all the protections and keep their money.

Crooks seeking legitimacy are not fenced out in America. The U.S. is teeming with enablers champing at the bit to serve rich thugs: lawyers, lobbyists, bankers, security firms, consultants and PR people.

If its the coverup and not the crime that will ultimately bring down the Trump syndicate, Ivanka may turn out to be the point person for its demise.

The enabler sector now boasts several household names. Among them are the lobbyist and onetime Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who has been indicted for financial crimes; and Trumps favorite child, Ivanka, who holds an indeterminate public-facing position in the White House  or in real estate, or maybe fashion.

Oh, Ivanka. Her livelihood is as opaque as her full-coverage foundation, but she plays a critical role in her fathers administration  and in the broader danse macabre of corruption and legitimacy.

The so-called first daughter proves that laundering applies to more than money. She washes and gilds just about everything she touches. Consider her warehouses upon warehouses of petroleum-based separates, many of them sewn for poverty pay in sweatshops. When you call this schmatte smorgasboard the Ivanka Trump Collection it does brisk business  if not on Rodeo Drive, then in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

She has the same magic touch with the multitudes of flesh-and-blood rogues who flock to her for redemption. Its Ivanka who first brought Gen. Michael Lied to the FBI Flynn into the administration, according to the New Yorker; she praised him for his amazing loyalty and offered him his choice of positions at a transition-team meeting. One person present said, It was like Princess Ivanka had laid the sword on Flynns shoulders and said, Rise and go forth.

The laying on of that princess sword seems to be Ivankas favorite pastime. In 2006, when she was 25, she toured Moscow with Felix Sater, who in 1998 pleaded guilty to a $40-million stock fraud scheme run by the Russian mafia. She also collaborated with the Soviet-born businessman Tamir Sapir, whose top aide in 2004 pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy with the Gambino crime family.

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Its impossible to keep track of all the gangsters Ivanka has palled around with. But whats truly damning are the shady real-estate projects she has made rise and go forth.

In 2006, she oversaw the development of the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower in Panama City. The project was connected to a Brazilian money launderer later arrested for fraud and forgery as well as a Russian investor whod previously been jailed in Israel for kidnapping. On Wednesday, a dispute between Trumps company and the buildings owner turned violent. The journalist Marcy Wheeler has suggested the fight concerns records that may show Ivanka knew the property was laundering money. Police in riot gear stormed the hotel that Ivanka once hyped as exemplary of the grandeur in which we like to enter a market.

Ivanka was also a ranking official on the Trump SoHo, which has since shed the name Trump. In 2010, as ProPublica and WNYC have reported, the Manhattan District Attorneys office began building a criminal case against Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. for using inflated sales figures to defraud prospective buyers. After receiving a visit from Trump family lawyer and campaign donor Marc Kasowitz, then-DA Cyrus Vance Jr. backed off.

Just Thursday, CNN reported that FBI counterintelligence officials are investigating another Trump real-estate deal, the 63-story Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, which opened after Trump became president.

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Ivanka has been described as point person on the development, which features an Ivanka Trump-branded spa. No one yet knows why it caught the FBIs eye, but Ivankas long-awaited top-secret security clearance may turn on what the agents find out.

When an organization exists not to build buildings but to brand them, its business is optics. And Ivanka has long window-dressed the Trump Organizations deals. She was born to make the shoddy look cute, to legitimize corruption.

And if its the coverup and not the crime that will ultimately bring down the Trump syndicate, Ivanka may turn out to be the point person for its demise.

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Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or FacebookAllies balk at Trump administration bid to block Chinese firm from cutting-edge telecom markets By David S. Cloud Britain and Germany are balking at the Trump administrations call for a ban on equipment from Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, threatening a global U.S. campaign to thwart Chinas involvement in future mobile networks. Both countries are expected to limit Huawei and other Chinese companies from providing core components including routers. But other types of Chinese equipment for next-generation, high-speed communications could still be installed on British and German networks, officials and analysts say. The U.S. push to ban Huawei has provoked a global dispute in recent weeks, with senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, publicly urging NATO allies in Europe to exclude the company and warning that the United States might limit its military presence in countries that did not do so. Read More Facebook

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Confucius Institutes: Do they improve U.S.-China ties or harbor spies? By Don Lee Hanging red lanterns welcome visitors to the University of Marylands Confucius Institute, the oldest of about 100 Chinese language and cultural centers that have popped up over the last 15 years on American campuses, subsidized by millions of dollars from Chinas central government. But last fall, when four U.S. Senate investigators walked into the Confucius offices in Maryland and spent hours questioning staff, they werent looking for an educational exchange. The committee has been seeking detailed information from the university about the program, including contracts, email exchanges and financial arrangements that school administrators have kept under wraps since it started in 2004. American colleges once viewed these jointly funded institutes as an economical way to expand their language offerings  one that could also bring warmer ties with China and, importantly, an influx of Chinese international students paying full tuition. Read More Facebook

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U.S. policy toward China shifts from engagement to confrontation By David S. Cloud For decades, China had no closer American friend than Dianne Feinstein. As San Francisco mayor in the 1970s, she forged a sister-city relationship with Shanghai, the first between American and Chinese communities. As U.S. senator, she dined with Chinese leaders at Mao Tse-tungs old Beijing residence. And in the 1990s, she championed a trade policy change that opened a floodgate of Western investment into China. Today the Democratic senator sees China as a growing threat, joining a broad array of Trump administration officials, national security strategists and business executives who once favored engagement with Beijing and now advocate a confrontational approach instead. Read More Facebook

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Mnuchins attempt to calm markets backfires as Trump takes another shot at the Federal Reserve By Jim Puzzanghera An attempt by Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin to calm plunging financial markets backfired Monday, further rattling investors with new fears about whether major U.S. banks have enough cash on top of worries about interest rates, political instability in Washington and a slowing global economy. Adding to the volatile mix was a fresh attack on the Federal Reserve by President Trump, who declared that the central bank was the U.S. economys only problem and that it didnt have a feel for the market. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who cant score because he has no touch -- he cant putt! Trump said on Twitter. Read More Facebook

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He speaks to Democratic hearts. But is Beto ORourke a serious White House contender? By Mark Z. Barabak Hes a failed U.S. Senate candidate with an undistinguished congressional record who, for the moment, is a blazing-hot 2020 presidential prospect  despite the fact that he may not run and faces long odds if he does. Beto ORourke suggests the will-he-or-wont-he speculation is something he himself cant quite fathom. I think thats a great question, he responded in a Dallas Morning News interview when asked whether his unsuccessful November Senate bid merited a promotion to the White House. I ask that question myself. Read More Facebook

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Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate By Craig Timberg, Tony Romm, Elizabeth Dwoskin Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Associated Press) Months after President Trump took office, Russias disinformation teams trained their sites on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram  which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal  claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with radical Islamic groups. Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday. Read more Timberg, Romm and Dwoskin report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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President Trump announces Mick Mulvaney as acting White House chief of staff By Associated Press President Trump says budget director Mick Mulvaney will serve as acting chief of staff, replacing John F. Kelly in the new year. I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018 Facebook

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It aint over when its over: In Michigan, Wisconsin and elsewhere, losers seek to undermine election results By Mark Z. Barabak Democrat Gavin Newsom has yet to become California governor, but already a candidate for state Republican Party chairman is promoting a recall effort. In Michigan and Wisconsin, GOP lawmakers have rushed through legislation to thwart their incoming Democratic governors and hamper others in the opposing party from doing the jobs voters chose them to do. In Congress, GOP leaders have echoed President Trump and sought to undermine the legitimacy of Democrats strong midterm performance, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud and political malfeasance. Read More Facebook

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New CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger says she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera On her first full day leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Kathy Kraninger said she wont be a puppet of Mick Mulvaney, the controversial acting director whom she replaced in the powerful regulatory position. To underscore that point, the former White House aide said she would even reconsider a Mulvaney action that critics saw as a gratuitous jab at Democrats who championed the agencys creation: changing its name to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Kraningers declaration during a meeting with reporters Tuesday addressed one of the main criticisms of her selection. She is considered a protege of Mulvaney, her boss at the White House Office of Management and Budget who has executed a dramatic, industry-friendly shift at the watchdog agency. Read More Facebook

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Trumps pick for chief of staff, Nick Ayers, out of running By Associated Press Nick Ayers, right, with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, at the funeral service for George H.W. Bush on Dec. 3. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Associated Press) President Trumps top pick to replace John F. Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role. Thats according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Ayers is Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff. The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment. The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration. Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year. Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause.  #Georgia  Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018 Facebook

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U.S. hiring slows to 155,000 jobs, unemployment rate holds at 3.7% By Jim Puzzanghera Job growth slowed significantly in November but still was solid, indicating the economy remains in good shape but not expanding so quickly that it will lead to sharply higher interest rates. U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month, well below analyst expectations and a steep decline from Octobers strong 237,000 figure, the Labor Department reported Friday. Still, monthly job gains are averaging 206,000 this year, the best since 2015. Even the slower pace of 170,000 over the last three months is close to last years average of 182,000 and well above the amount needed to keep up with population growth. Read More Facebook

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Trump is expected to pick State Department spokeswoman for U.N. ambassador By Associated Press Heather Nauert at a briefing at the State Department on Aug. 9, 2017. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump is expected to nominate State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Two administration officials confirmed Trumps plans. A Republican congressional aide said the president was expected to announce his decision by tweet on Friday morning. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly before Trumps announcement. Trump has previously said Nauert was under serious consideration to replace Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year. Trump has been known to change course on staffing decisions in the past. Nauert was a reporter for Fox News Channel before she became State Department spokeswoman under former Secretary Rex Tillerson. Facebook

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Senate confirms new consumer financial protection chief: Kathy Kraninger, protege of industry-friendly Mick Mulvaney By Jim Puzzanghera The Senate, in a party-line vote Thursday, confirmed White House aide Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and experts predicted a continuation of the industry-friendly shift it has taken since President Trump installed an acting director last year. Kraninger is a protege of acting director and White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney, an outspoken critic of the agency that was created in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to prevent predatory lending and other abuses that led to it. Democrats and consumer advocates have denounced him for sharply departing from the aggressive watchdog role the bureau had pursued under its first director, Obama-appointee Richard Cordray, including scaling back enforcement and moving to reassess tough new rules on payday loans and narrow the definition of abusive practices by banks and other firms. Read More Facebook

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Shutdown postponed by two weeks under plan approved by Congress By Erik Wasson Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), shown at the Capitol on Tuesday, says President Trumps border wall is a waste of money. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Congress passed a two-week stopgap spending bill that will delay the chance of a partial government shutdown until Dec. 22 as lawmakers and President Donald Trump negotiate over his demands to pay for a wall on the southern border. The House and Senate passed the measure Thursday without dissent, and Trump has indicated hell sign the bill before the current shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. Negotiations were delayed by memorial services this week for former President George H.W. Bush. The temporary measure gives Democrats and Republicans more time to find a resolution to their biggest hurdle: funding a wall on the U.S. Mexico border wall. Trump says he wants $5 billion for parts of a concrete wall on the southern border and is willing to shut down the government if he doesnt get it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has said Democrats will provide no more than $1.6 billion for border security, because the wall is a waste of money. The presidents demands for wall funding from Congress come after he said during the campaign that Mexico would pay for it. This week he said on Twitter that a $25 billion border wall would pay for itself in two months, without providing evidence. Most of the U.S. governments $1.2 trillion discretionary budget has been appropriated already by Congress for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Departments at a risk of a partial shutdown late this month include the departments of State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Treasury and Homeland Security. Talks to resolve the differences have been on hold since a meeting among Trump, Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California originally slated for Dec. 4 was postponed due to Bush memorial events. The three are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby of Alabama told reporters the rest of the seven-bill spending package being negotiated is basically done. Shelby in recent weeks had tried to broker a compromise in which Trumps $5 billion request would be split over two years, but Schumer has rejected that. Some Democrats have been willing to trade border wall funding for deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants. Pelosi ruled out such a deal in remarks to reporters Thursday. The stopgap government funding measure also would extend the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides subsidized coverage for homes in flood-prone areas, to Dec. 21. Facebook

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Bipartisan Senate group wants to formally blame Saudi crown prince for journalists killing By Karoun Demirjian Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. (Associated Press) A bipartisan group of senators filed a resolution Wednesday condemning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, directly challenging President Trump to do the same. This resolution -- without equivocation -- definitively states that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia was complicit in the murder of Mr. [Jamal] Khashoggi and has been a wrecking ball to the region jeopardizing our national security interests on multiple fronts, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement accompanying the release of the resolution. It will be up to Saudi Arabia as to how to deal with this matter. But it is up to the United States to firmly stand for who we are and what we believe. The resolution put forward by Graham and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who are expected to lead the Judiciary Committee together next year, comes just one day after CIA Director Gina Haspel briefed leading senators about the details of the agencys assessment that Mohammed ordered and monitored the killing and dismemberment of Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Senators emerged from that closed-door briefing furious not only with Saudi Arabia, but Trump as well for dismissing the heft of the CIAs findings. You have to be willfully blind not to come to the conclusion that this was orchestrated and organized by people under the command of MBS and that he was intricately involved in the demise of Mr. Khashoggi, Graham said following the briefing, referring to Mohammed by his initials. He added that Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, who briefed senators last week, were at best being good soldiers and at worst were in the pocket of Saudi Arabia for presenting the evidence of Mohammeds involvement as inconclusive. The release of the resolution condemning Mohammed also comes as the Senate is preparing to move ahead with debate on a resolution to curtail U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. Though the Yemen resolution does not directly address Khashoggis murder, its popularity is a sign of how strained the United States patience with Saudi Arabia is on multiple fronts, including its role in worsening the civilian cost of the war in Yemen, cited by the United Nations as the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Last week, the Senate voted 63 to 37 to advance the Yemen resolution past an opening procedural hurdle. But Graham and Feinsteins resolution on the crown prince has the potential of drawing broader support, especially from Republicans, who are deeply divided about how fiercely to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggis killing. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has been an outspoken advocate for human rights and is seen as one of the more influential foreign policy voices in the GOP, did not vote for the Yemen resolution last week or sign on to a bipartisan measure last month to sanction Saudi officials and cease weapons transfers to the kingdom. But he is an original co-sponsor of the resolution condemning Mohammed over Khashoggis death. So is Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who represents the other end of the GOP spectrum in terms of recent Saudi-related votes and endorsements. Young was an initial co-sponsor of the bill Graham wrote with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to sanction Saudi officials deemed responsible for Khashoggis killing and stop the sale of anything but exclusively defensive weapons to the kingdom until it ceased hostilities in Yemen. Young also voted to advance the Yemen resolution  something Graham did as well, though Graham has signaled he will not be lending any similar support to the measure, fearing it may establish a precedent of invoking the War Powers Act too broadly. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) are listed as original co-sponsors of the resolution condemning Mohammed, which also urges Saudi Arabia to negotiate with Houthi rebels to end the Yemen war, work out a political solution to its standoff with Qatar and release political prisoners. But how much sway the resolution has probably comes down to how forcefully the administration decides to heed it -- and thus far, Trump has not shown any interest in condemning the crown prince the way the senators hope he will. Demirjian reports for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Los Angeles County offices and U.S. Postal Service closed Wednesday in honor of George H.W. Bush By Brian Park The Honor Guard carries the casket of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush following his funeral on Dec. 5 in Washington, DC. (Doug Mills - Pool/Getty Images) The U.S. Postal Service will suspend regular mail delivery Wednesday, which President Trump has declared a national day of mourning in honor of former President George H.W. Bush. All retail postal outlets will be closed, and package delivery will be limited. In Los Angeles, all nonessential county departments, offices and libraries will be closed for the day, L.A. County officials said. The Los Angeles County Library said no overdue fines will be assessed for books, and due dates will be moved forward one week. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health offices also are closed Wednesday. The Sheriffs Department, Fire Department, clinics and hospitals will continue to operate, the county said. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinics are being operated with reduced staffing, and the department asked patients to confirm or reschedule any appointments. All county courts and the disaster recovery centers for the Woolsey fire in Malibu and Agoura Hills will remain open. Larger federal government operations will be closed Wednesday. To honor the life and legacy of President Bush, the Postal Service will observe the National Day of Mourning. Learn how Postal operations will be affected. https://t.co/Mffch7bPCh pic.twitter.com/vG46BsIOpm  U.S. Postal Service (@USPS) December 4, 2018 L.A. County offices and libraries will be closed tomorrow (Dec 5) in observance of the #NationalDayOfMourning for President George H. W. Bush.



The Countys Disaster Recovery Centers in Malibu & Agoura Hills will remain open from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. pic.twitter.com/Sv1J7GoJ7T  Los Angeles County (@CountyofLA) December 4, 2018 @LAPublicHealth offices will be closed tomorrow December 5 in observance of the national Day of Mourning for President George H. W. Bush. Essential Services including clinics and other services will remain open: https://t.co/tZGoGGHRlg pic.twitter.com/ypXsV6vlYY  LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) December 4, 2018 Facebook

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Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to skip 2020 White House race, sources say By Associated Press Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks during an interview in Boston on Dec. 15, 2014. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will soon announce he wont launch a 2020 presidential campaign, according to three sources familiar with his plans. They did not say why the Democrat decided against a run. A formal announcement was delayed as the country observed a day of mourning for President George H.W. Bush, one source said. News of Patricks plans was first reported by Politico. Patrick, 62, served two terms as governor, from 2007 to 2015, was assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and since leaving the governors office has been a managing director for Bain Capital. Patrick traveled the country in support of Democratic candidates in the recent midterm election. Earlier this year, some of Patricks supporters and close advisors started the Reason to Believe political action committee, a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing a positive, progressive vision for our nation in 2018 and 2020. Reason to Believe PAC had been holding meetups across the country, including in early presidential primary states. While Patrick is opting against a 2020 run, dozens of Democrats are considering jumping in, including nearly a half-dozen members of the Senate, several House members, and other Massachusetts politicians. On Tuesday, Michael Avenatti, the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels and a vocal critic of President Trump, said in a statement that he would run. Patrick had previously expressed some concerns about breaking through if he sought the nomination, telling David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Obama, that he wasnt sure he could stand out in such a large field. Its hard to see how you even get noticed in such a big, broad field without being shrill, sensational or a celebrity, and Im none of those things and Im never going to be any of those things, Patrick said in a September interview with Axelrod. Facebook

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Former Trump adviser Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment right and wont testify before Senate Judiciary Committee By Associated Press Roger Stone in 2017. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Roger Stone, an associate of President Trump, says he wont provide testimony or documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee. An attorney for Stone said in a letter to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committees top Democrat, that Stone was invoking his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to produce documents or appear for an interview. Stone has been entangled in investigations by Congress and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about whether Trump aides had advance knowledge of Democratic emails published by WikiLeaks during the 2016 election. Stone has not been charged and has said he had no knowledge of the timing or specifics of WikiLeaks plans. In the letter to Feinstein, Stone said the committees requests were far too overbroad, far too overreaching and far too wide-ranging. Facebook

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Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook

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Rebuilding crumbling infrastructure has bipartisan support. But who gets to pay for it? By Jim Puzzanghera The grades for major U.S. infrastructure would give any parent indigestion if they were on a childs report card. Roads: D; bridges: C+; dams: D; ports: C+: railways: B; airports: D; schools: D+; public transit: D-. The nations overall grade: D+, which translates to being in fair to poor condition and mostly below standards with significant deterioration and a strong risk of failure, according to an evaluation last year by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Read More Facebook

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Trump calls former lawyer Michael Cohen a weak person who is lying By Associated Press President Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is lying to get a reduced sentence. The president is reacting to Cohens guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia. During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen in his guilty plea said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trumps political message. Cohens lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates. Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Mark Z. Barabak When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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As California Republicans confront a congressional wipeout, GOP leader Kevin McCarthy faces a reckoning By Sarah D. Wire When the House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Kevin McCarthy trooped with other Republican lawmakers to a splashy Rose Garden celebration, smiling alongside President Trump as they celebrated the moment. As majority leader, McCarthy had helped round up the votes to narrowly pass the hard-fought legislation, convincing 13 other California Republicans to go along, even though several faced tough reelection fights. Fewer than half will be returning in January. Read More Facebook

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Michael Cohen, President Trumps ex-lawyer, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump real estate project in Russia By Associated Press Michael Cohen, President Trumps former personal lawyer, pursued a Russian real estate project on candidate Trumps behalf well into the 2016 campaign, he said Thursday while pleading guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen had previously said that the project was abandoned in January 2016, but he now admits he continued to pursue a deal and says he updated Trump and members of his family about the negotiations, according to a new court document. Read More Facebook

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James Comey says acting Atty. Gen. Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer By John Wagner Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 14. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press) Former FBI Director James B. Comey apparently isnt too impressed with the mental prowess of President Trumps acting attorney general. Matthew Whitaker may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, Comey said during a radio interview on Monday night in which he sized up the man Trump installed this month to replace ousted Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions. Comey was asked by WGBH News in Boston if he thinks Whitaker could derail the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker has spoken critically of the probe, and Trump  as recently as Tuesday  continues to call it a witch hunt. I think its a worry, but to my mind not a serious worry, Comey said. The institution is too strong, and [Whitaker], frankly, is not strong enough to have that kind of impact. He may not be the sharpest knife in our drawer, but he can see his future and knows that if he acted in an extralegal way, he would go down in history for the wrong reasons, and Im sure he doesnt want that, added Comey, who was fired by Trump last year and later wrote a book that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar. Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney in Iowa, was Sessions chief of staff before being picked by Trump to lead the Justice Department. Trump has called Whitaker a very smart man. Earlier this year, Trump called Comey an untruthful slime ball. Wagner writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Interior Department watchdog clears Zinke in investigation of Utah national monument By Juliet Eilperin Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, third from the left, and Gov. Jerry Brown tour fire damage in Paradise, Calif., on Nov. 14. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) The Interior Departments Office of Inspector General has cleared Secretary Ryan Zinke in a probe of whether he redrew boundaries of a national monument in Utah to aid the financial interests of a Republican state lawmaker and stalwart supporter of President Trump. In a Nov. 21 letter to Zinkes deputy, David Bernhardt, Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall wrote that her office found no evidence that the secretary or his aides changed the boundaries of Utahs Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in an effort to help former Utah state representative Mike Noel, who serves as executive director of the Kane County Water Conservancy District. Last December, Trump shrank the monument, first established by President Clinton in 1996, by 46% based on Zinkes recommendation. Noel owns 40 acres that had been surrounded by the monument, but now lies outside its boundaries. The new boundaries also would make it easier to construct the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline, which would deliver water to sites in Kane County that include Noels property. Earlier this year, the Interior Department had proposed selling off 120 acres of federal land from the former monument that lay adjacent to some of Noels land holdings, but later reversed the plan. We found no evidence that Noel influenced the DOIs proposed revisions to the [monuments] boundaries, that Zinke or other DOI staff involved in the project were aware of Noels financial interest in the revised boundaries, or that they gave Noel any preferential treatment in the resulting proposed boundaries, Kendall wrote. Neither the Interior Department nor the inspector generals office would release the actual investigative report. In the letter, Kendall writes that her office will provide the report to Congress no sooner than 31 days from Nov. 21, when it is provided it to Zinkes office. The Associated Press first reported the inspector generals conclusions Monday night, but did not provide details from the report itself. Noel emailed Zinke about the effort to alter Grand Staircase-Escalante, according to emails released by Interior under the Freedom of Informational Act. But those emails do not make references to Noels land holdings. Noel also pushed to rename a Utah highway in honor of Trump, but abandoned that effort in March after some of his fellow Republicans objected to the idea. Noel did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. The inspector generals office still has at least two ongoing probes of the secretary, including one focused on his real estate dealings in Whitefish, Mont., and another regarding his decision to deny a permit to two Connecticut tribes who were hoping to jointly run a casino after MGM Resorts International lobbied against it. Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift welcomed the watchdogs conclusions. The report shows exactly what the secretarys office has known all along  that the monument boundaries were adjusted in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws, she said in an email. This report is also the latest example of opponents and special interest groups ginning up fake and misleading stories, only to be proven false after expensive and time consuming inquiries by the IGs office. But Kendalls spokeswoman, Nancy DiPaolo, defended the inquiry, even though she said the report has not been publicly released and we will not be speaking specifically about the matter at this time. The OIG opens investigations based on credible allegations and reports our findings objectively and independently, DiPaolo added. Any time or resources spent investigating conduct or activity that may be a violation of law, regulation or policy is a service to the public, Congress and the Department. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that he still intended to investigate the way Zinke and his colleague redrew the boundaries for Grand Staircase-Escalante and another Utah national monument, Bears Ears, next year. I have great respect for the inspector general, and I accept these findings, but Secretary Zinke should have known the people he listened to while destroying our national monuments had disqualifying conflicts of interest, he said. Should I chair the Natural Resources Committee in the next Congress, the process he and President Trump used to destroy Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante will be front and center in our oversight and investigations efforts. We need to know why they ignored overwhelming public expressions of support for both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, why they ignored Native American tribes throughout their decision-making, and why they removed protections on parcels of land with known mineral deposits. Eilperin and Rein report for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump advisor Larry Kudlow says China must do more to end trade war By Jim Puzzanghera Larry Kudlow, President Trumps top economic advisor, said Tuesday that Chinas response to U.S. efforts to rework the two economic superpowers trade relationship has been extremely disappointing but the planned meeting this weekend between the nations leaders is an opportunity for a breakthrough. They have to do more. They must do more, Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, told reporters ahead of a Saturday dinner between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina. I think the president is exactly right  to show strong backbone when prior administrations did not, to break through these Chinese walls, Kudlow said. Theyre so resistant to change. We have to protect the country. We have to protect our technology, our inventiveness, our innovation. Read More Facebook

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Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook

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Democrat TJ Cox grabs lead over Republican David Valadao in nations last remaining undecided House race By Maya Sweedler Democrat TJ Cox slipped past Republican incumbent David Valadao on Monday to take the lead in the countrys sole remaining undecided congressional race, positioning Democrats to pick up their seventh House seat in California and 40th nationwide. Cox, who trailed by nearly 4,400 votes on election night, has steadily gained as ballot counting continues nearly three weeks after the Nov. 6 election, a pattern consistent with the states recent voting history. On Monday, he pulled ahead by 438 votes after Kern County updated its results. Read More Facebook

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Former CIA director Michael Hayden hospitalized after suffering a stroke By Deanna Paul Then-CIA Director Michael Hayden testifies before a Senate committee in 2008. (Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Former CIA Director and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his family said Friday. He is receiving expert medical care for which the family is grateful, according to a statement issued by his namesake organization. The General and his family greatly appreciate the warm wishes and prayers of his friends, colleagues, and supporters. Hayden, 73, served as director of the CIA and National Security Agency during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. He retired from the CIA in 2009. Hayden has been a vocal critic of Donald Trumps campaign and presidency. Earlier this year, after Trump decided to revoke the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan, Hayden was one of several former intelligence leaders who signed a statement in opposition. Criticizing the president for crossing a line, he quickly became one of the individuals whose security clearance Trump threatened to review. Deanna Paul writes for the Washington Post. Facebook

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Trump tells troops hes thankful for what hes done for the U.S. and rails against courts and migrants By Associated Press President Trump talks with troops via teleconference from his estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Thanksgiving. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump used his Thanksgiving Day call to troops deployed overseas to pat himself on the back and air grievances about the courts, trade and migrants heading to the U.S.-Mexico border. Trumps call, made from his opulent private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., struck an unusually political tone as he spoke with members of all five branches of the military to wish them happy holidays. Its a disgrace, Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul U.S. immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas. Trump later threatened to close the U.S. border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost control on its side. The call was a uniquely Trump blend of boasting, peppered questions and off-the-cuff observations as his comments veered from venting about slights to praising troops  You really are our heroes, he said  as club waiters worked to set Thanksgiving dinner tables on the outdoor terrace behind him. It was yet another show of how Trump has dramatically transformed the presidency, erasing the traditional divisions between domestic policy and military matters and efforts to keep the troops clear of politics. You probably see over the news whats happening on our southern border, Trump told one Air Force brigadier general stationed at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, adding: I dont have to even ask you. I know what you want to do, you want to make sure that you know who were letting in. Later, Trump asked a U.S. Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was a very big subject for him personally. Weve been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals, Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied, Mr. President, from our perspective on the water  we dont see any issues in terms of trade right now. And throughout, Trump congratulated himself, telling the officers that the country is doing exceptionally well on his watch. I hope that youll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well, he said. The nations doing well economically, better than anybody in the world. He later told reporters, Nobodys done more for the military than me. Indeed, asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Trump cited his great family as well as himself. I made a tremendous difference in this country, he said. Facebook

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Trump contradicts CIA assessment that Saudi crown prince ordered Jamal Khashoggi killing By Josh Dawsey | Washington Post (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) President Trump on Thursday contradicted the CIAs assessment that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the agency had feelings but did not firmly place blame for the death. Trump, in defiant remarks to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, defended his continued support for Mohammed in the face of a CIA assessment that the crown prince had ordered the killing. He denies it vehemently, Trump said. He said his own conclusion was that maybe he did, maybe he didnt. I hate the crime .... I hate the cover-up. I will tell you this: The crown prince hates it more than I do, Trump said. Asked who should be held accountable for the death of Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, Trump refused to place blame. Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place, the president said. He also seemed to suggest that all U.S. allies were guilty of the same behavior, declaring that if the others were held to the standard that critics have held Saudi Arabia to in recent days, we wouldnt be able to have anyone for an ally. Trumps remarks came after he held a conference call with U.S. military officers overseas, during which he repeatedly praised his administration and sought to draw the officers into discussions of domestic policy. Facebook

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Former FBI Director James Comey gets subpoena from House Republicans By Bloomberg Former FBI Director James B. Comey said he has received a subpoena from House Republicans, according to a Twitter post on Thursday. Bloomberg News reported last week that Comey would be receiving a subpoena alongside former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch as part of continuing probes into their handling of investigations into Hillary Clinton and Russian election meddling, according to a top House Democrat. Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. Im still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a closed door thing because Ive seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Lets have a hearing and invite everyone to see.  James Comey (@Comey) November 22, 2018 Read More Facebook

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Republican David Valadaos lead slips to 447 votes over Democrat TJ Cox in still-undecided Central Valley House race By Mark Z. Barabak Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), right, finds himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox. (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) On election night, it looked like Rep. David Valadao had survived a close shave and was destined to return to Washington for his fourth term. But on Wednesday, when Fresno County announced its latest vote totals, the Hanford Republican found himself in an increasingly harrowing cliffhanger against Democrat TJ Cox, with his lead in the Central Valley district shrunken to 447 votes. Thousands remain to be counted. Valadao, a repeated Democratic target, finished election night with a lead of nearly 4,440 votes. Cox, an engineer and a business owner who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2006, has steadily gained ground in the 21st Congressional District ever since. The trend is consistent with historic patterns showing Republicans in California tend to vote early and Democrats later, meaning their mail ballots continue to stream in past election day. Under California law, ballots postmarked up to midnight on Nov. 6 will be counted. Democrats have already picked up six House seats in California. They ousted Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Jeff Denham and won the seats of retiring Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. All six represented districts that backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016. Valadao was the seventh California Republican in a district Clinton won, though his previous successes  he last won reelection by a 14-point margin  suggested his ouster was a longer shot for Democrats. If Cox prevails, it would give Democrats a 40-seat gain nationwide, far more than the 23 seats needed to take control when Congress reconvenes in January. Facebook

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Trump says no new punishments against Saudi Arabia in Jamal Khashoggi murder By Eli Stokols In this Oct. 25 photo, candles are lit in front of a photo of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Lefteris Pitarakis) President Trump made it clear on Tuesday that he does not intend to punish Saudi Arabia or Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an American resident killed by Saudi officials in Turkey in October. In a remarkable statement replete with exclamation points, Trump cast doubt on the CIAs reported conclusions that it has a high degree of confidence that the crown prince ordered Khashoggis murder and sent his closest allies to Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul to carry it out. Read MoreThis article has been updated with staff. Facebook

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Sixteen House Democrats vow to oppose Nancy Pelosi as next speaker By Mike DeBonis | Washington Post House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Sixteen House Democrats said Monday that they will vote to deny Rep. Nancy Pelosi another stint as House speaker, a show of defiance that puts her opponents on the cusp of forcing a seismic leadership shake-up as their party prepares to take the majority. Their pledge to oppose Pelosi (D-San Francisco), both in an internal caucus election and a Jan. 3 floor vote, delivered in a letter sent to Democratic colleagues, comes as Pelosi has marshaled a legion of supporters on and off Capitol Hill to make her case. But her opponents said Monday they are convinced it is time to select a new leader. We are thankful to Leader Pelosi for her years of service to our Country and to our Caucus, they wrote. However, we also recognize that in this recent election, Democrats ran on and won on a message of change. Pelosi has expressed complete confidence that she will retake the speakers gavel in January  eight years after she lost it following massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms and 16 years after she was first elevated to the top Democratic leadership post in the House. Come on in, the waters fine, she said Friday about a potential leadership challenge. The signers might not be able to force Pelosi out themselves. The size of the Democratic majority remains in flux, but Democrats have already won 232 seats, according to the Associated Press, with five races still undecided. All those races have Republican incumbents, but the Democratic challenger is ahead in only one of them. If the leads hold in the uncalled races, Democrats would have won 233 seats, a 16-seat majority. That means Pelosi could lose as many as 15 Democratic votes when she stands for election as speaker on Jan. 3. Read More Facebook

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Democratic senators sue over Whitakers appointment as acting attorney general By Associated Press Acting U.S. Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitaker (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Three Senate Democrats filed a lawsuit Monday arguing that Acting Atty. Gen. Matthew Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and asking a federal judge to remove him. The suit, filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, argues that Whitakers appointment violates the Constitution because he has not been confirmed by the Senate. Whitaker was chief of staff to Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions and was elevated to the top job after Sessions was ousted by President Trump on Nov. 7. The Constitutions Appointments Clause requires that the Senate confirm all principal officials before they can serve in their office. The Justice Department released a legal opinion last week that said Whitakers appointment would not violate the clause because he is serving in an acting capacity. The opinion concluded that Whitaker, even without Senate confirmation, may serve in an acting capacity because he has been at the department for more than a year at a sufficiently senior pay level. President Trump is denying senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nations top law enforcement official, Blumenthal said in a statement. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called constitutional nobody and thwarting every senators constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts. The lawsuit comes days after a Washington lawyer challenged Whitakers appointment in a pending Supreme Court case dealing with gun rights. The attorney, Thomas Goldstein, asked the high court to find that Whitakers appointment is unconstitutional and replace him with Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein, the second-ranking Justice Department official, has been confirmed by the Senate and had been overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker is now overseeing the investigation. The Justice Department issued a statement Monday defending Whitakers appointment as lawful and said it comports with the Appointments Clause, the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and legal precedent. There are over 160 instances in American history in which non-Senate confirmed persons performed, on a temporary basis, the duties of a Senate-confirmed position, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said. To suggest otherwise is to ignore centuries of practice and precedent. Facebook

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Gov. Rick Scott says Sen. Bill Nelson concedes Florida Senate race By Associated Press Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott speaks with his wife, Ann, by his side at an election watch party in Naples, Fla., on Nov. 7. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas Republican Gov. Rick Scott says incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called him to concede defeat in their extremely tight race. Scott issued a statement Sunday saying Nelson graciously conceded their Senate race shortly after the states recount ended. The final results show Scott defeated Nelson by just over 10,000 votes out of 8 million cast. Nelson is scheduled to release a videotaped statement later Sunday. The defeat ends Nelsons lengthy political career. The three-term incumbent was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. Before that he served six terms in the U.S. House and as state treasurer and insurance commissioner for six years. Scott spent more than $60 million of his own money on ads that portrayed Nelson as out-of-touch and ineffective. Nelson responded by questioning Scotts ethics and saying he would be under the sway of President Trump. Facebook

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Orange County goes blue, as Democrats complete historic sweep of its seven congressional seats By Michael Finnegan Gil Cisneros defeated Republican Young Kim on Saturday in the last of Orange Countys undecided House races, giving Democrats a clean sweep of the states six most fiercely fought congressional contests and marking an epochal shift in a region long synonymous with political conservatism. With Cisneros victory, Democrats will constitute the entirety of Orange Countys seven-member congressional delegation, the first time since the 1930s that the birthplace of Richard Nixon, home of John Wayne and spiritual center of the Republican Party will have no GOP representative in the House. Sitting back in the 1960s, I would never have believed this would happen, said Stuart K. Spencer, a party strategist who spent more than half a century ushering Republicans, including President Reagan, into office. Read More Facebook

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Going, going ... with midterm wipeout, California Republican Party drifts closer to irrelevance By Michael Finnegan For a party in freefall the last two decades, California Republicans learned that its possible to plunge even further. The GOP not only lost every statewide office in the midterm election  again, in blowout fashion  but Democrats reestablished their supermajority in Sacramento, allowing them to legislate however they see fit After major defeats in Orange County and the Central Valley, two longtime strongholds, Republicans will have a significantly smaller footprint on Capitol Hill. (Democrats hold both Senate seats.) When the vote-counting is finished, the GOP may not even have enough lawmakers in Californias 53-member House delegation to field a nine-person softball team. Read More Facebook

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Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter says she will support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for speaker By Maya Sweedler Democratic Rep.-elect Katie Porter is congratulated by volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Irvine. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Congresswoman-elect Katie Porter said she plans to support Rep. Nancy Pelosis bid for speaker of the House and will make campaign finance reform her top priority when she enters the chamber in January. Im going to continue to have conversations, but so far I feel like Leader Pelosi is definitely making the things that were a priority to the families that elected me her priorities, including announcing her support for campaign finance reform and anti-corruption as HR1, Porter said in her first public appearance since being declared the winner in Californias 45th Congressional District on Thursday evening. It means a lot to me that she is a Californian. She understands our state, Porter added. When we talk about environmental protections, this is a person who understands as a Californian how fragile our environment is and whats at risk in things like drilling off our coasts. Porter, a law professor at UC Irvine, defeated two-term Republican Rep. Mimi Walters. The 45th District, covering inland Orange County, has never been represented by a Democrat. Porter became the third Democrat to claim a Republican-held seat in Orange County, following the victories of Harley Rouda in the 48th District and Mike Levin in the 49th. A fourth, Gil Cisneros, is running slightly ahead of his Republican opponent in the race for the open seat in the 39th District, which extends into Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Porter attributed the massive political shift in the county, for decades a conservative stronghold, to increased levels of political engagement. Folks here care about education, they care about the environment, they believe climate change is real, they want healthcare that protects preexisting conditions, they want a tax system that doesnt punish California, they want our schools and places of worship to be safe from gun violence, she said. Those are the issues we campaigned on, and to the extent that Donald Trump and Mimi Walters were on the wrong side of those issues, the voters have made clear what direction they want us to go. Porter was flying back from the East Coast when her race was called, she said. She turned on her phone to find 167 text messages from friends and supporters. Among them was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who was one of Porters teachers in law school and with whom she has remained close. The pair spoke via FaceTime this morning, she said. Facebook

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Bitter battle for Senate seat in Florida goes to hand recount By Associated Press Employees look through damaged ballots during a recount Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press) Floridas acrimonious battle for the U.S. Senate headed Thursday to a legally required hand recount after an initial review by ballot-counting machines showed Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson separated by less than 13,000 votes. But the highly watched contest for governor between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum appeared to be over, with a machine recount showing DeSantis with a large enough advantage over Gillum to avoid a hand recount in that race. Gillum, who conceded the contest on election night only to retract his concession later, said in a statement that it is not over until every legally casted vote is counted. The recount so far has been fraught with problems. One large Democratic stronghold in South Florida was unable to finish its machine recount by the Thursday deadline due to machines breaking down. A federal judge rejected a request to extend the recount deadline. We gave a heroic effort, said Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. If the county had three or four more hours, it would have made the deadline to recount ballots in the Senate race, she said. Meanwhile, election officials in another urban county in the Tampa Bay area decided against turning in the results of their machine recount, which came up with 846 fewer votes than originally counted. Media in South Florida reported that Broward County finished its machine recount but missed the deadline by a few minutes. Counties were ordered last weekend to do a machine recount of three statewide races because the margins were so tight. The next stage is a manual review of ballots that were not counted by machines to see whether there is a way to figure out voter intent. Scott called on Nelson to end the recount battle. Its time for Nelson to respect the will of the voters and graciously bring this process to an end rather than proceed with yet another count of the votes  which will yield the same result and bring more embarrassment to the state that we both love and have served, the governor said in a statement. The recount has triggered multiple lawsuits, many of them filed by Nelson and Democrats. The legal battles drew the ire of U.S. District Judge Mark E. Walker, who slammed the state for repeatedly failing to anticipate election problems. He also said the state law on recounts appears to violate the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that decided the presidency in 2000. We have been the laughingstock of the world, election after election, and we chose not to fix this, Walker said during a morning hearing. Walker vented his anger at state lawmakers and Palm Beach County officials, saying they should have made sure they had enough equipment in place to handle this kind of a recount. But he said he could not extend the recount deadline because he did not know when Palm Beach County would finish its work. This court must be able to craft a remedy with knowledge that it will not prove futile, Walker wrote in his ruling turning down the request from Democrats. It cannot do so on this record. This court does not and will not fashion a remedy in the dark. The overarching problem was created by the Florida Legislature, which Walker said passed a recount law that appears to run afoul of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore decision by locking in procedures that do not allow for potential problems. A total of six election-related lawsuits are pending in federal court in Tallahassee as well at least one lawsuit filed in state court. Walker also ordered that voters be given until 5 p.m. Saturday to show a valid identification and fix their ballots if they have not been counted due to mismatched signatures. Republicans appealed the ruling, but an appeals court turned down the request. State officials testified that nearly 4,000 mailed-in ballots were set aside because local officials decided the signatures on the envelopes did not match the signatures on file. If those voters can prove their identity, their votes will be counted and included in final official returns due from each county by noon Sunday. Walker was asked by Democrats to require local officials to provide a list of people whose ballots were rejected. But the judge appointed by President Obama refused the request, calling it inappropriate. Under state law, a hand review is required with races that have a margin of 0.25 percentage points or less. A state website put the unofficial results showing Scott ahead of Nelson by 0.15 percentage points. The margin between DeSantis and Gillum was at 0.41 points. The margin between Scott and Nelson had not changed much in the last few days, conceded Marc Elias, an attorney working for Nelsons campaign. But he said that he expected the vote tally to shrink due to the hand recount and the ruling on signatures. The developments fueled frustrations among Democrats and Republicans alike. Democrats want state officials to do whatever it takes to make sure every eligible vote is counted. Republicans, including President Trump, have argued without evidence that voter fraud threatens to steal races from the GOP. Facebook

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Democrat Gil Cisneros pulls ahead of Republican Young Kim as more votes are tallied in Orange and San Bernardino counties By Michael Finnegan Congressional candidate Gil Cisneros (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Democrat Gil Cisneros pulled ahead of Republican Young Kim in one of Californias undecided congressional races Thursday, an ominous sign for a GOP already reeling from its loss of four House seats in the state. In updated vote counts released by the registrars for Orange and San Bernardino counties, Kim fell 941 votes behind Cisneros in the contest to succeed Republican Rep. Ed Royce in Californias 39th Congressional District. The 39th straddles Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Orange counties. In another unresolved House race, Democrat Katie Porter pulled further ahead of Republican incumbent Mimi Walters in the 45th District, which includes Mission Viejo, Tustin, Irvine, Rancho Santa Margarita and Laguna Hills. Porter, a consumer attorney and UC Irvine law professor, is now 6,203 votes ahead. The Nov. 6 midterm election has been devastating to Republicans in California. If Cisneros and Porter win, the party will have lost six of its 14 House seats in the state, essentially a wipeout in every contest that both parties spent heavily to win. The three Republicans already bounced from Congress are Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Jeff Denham of Turlock in the San Joaquin Valley. Democrat Mike Levin won the seat of retiring GOP Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista in the fourth district flipped so far. Facebook

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Florida Senate race likely headed to second recount By Associated Press A Palm Beach County Sheriffs deputy walks past boxes of ballots before a recount on Nov. 15 in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee) Unofficial Florida election results show that the governors race seems to be settled after a machine recount but the U.S. Senate race is likely headed to a hand recount. Republican Ron DeSantis is virtually assured of winning the nationally watched governors race over Democrat Andrew Gillum. Florida finished a machine recount Thursday that showed Gillum without enough votes to force a manual recount. Unofficial results posted on a state website show the margin between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott is still thin enough to trigger a second review. State law requires a hand recount of races with a margin of 0.25 percentage point or less. Counties have until Sunday to inspect the ballots that did not record a vote when put through the machines. Those ballots are re-examined to see whether the voter skipped the race or marked the ballot in a way that the machines cannot read but can be deciphered. The election will be certified Tuesday. Read More Facebook

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Pelosi says she has the votes to become the next House speaker By John Wagner Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference in Washington on Nov. 14. (Susan Walsh) House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi insisted Thursday that she has the votes to become the chambers speaker despite solid opposition from more than a dozen Democrats who want fresh leadership when the party takes control next year. I have overwhelming support in my caucus to be speaker of the House, the San Francisco lawmaker told reporters. I happen to think at this point, Im the best person for that. A vote within the Democratic caucus is scheduled for Nov. 28. The full House votes on Jan. 3 to elect a new speaker. During her remarks, Pelosi touted the size of the Democratic victory in the midterms, which she called almost a tsunami. With a few races still to be decided, Democrats are poised to pick up close to 40 seats in the chamber. Pelosi called that the biggest victory for the Democrats since 1974, when the Watergate babies came in. Pelosis comments come as she faces solid opposition from at least 17 Democrats, setting the stage for a battle over who will ascend to one of the most powerful positions in Washington. After a campaign in which some Democrats prevailed in competitive districts by promising to oppose her, a coalition of incumbents and newly elected members has denied her a smooth path to the speakership. The defections, if they stand, would leave Pelosi, who has led the Democrats for more than 15 years, several votes short of the 218 she would need when the full House votes for speaker Jan. 3. However, no Democrat has stepped forward to run against her for a job she held from 2007 through 2010. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that shes being encouraged to stand for speaker if Pelosi doesnt have the votes. In an interview with the Washington Post on Thursday, she said she has been overwhelmed by the support from many of her colleagues for her possible entry into the race for House speaker. Over the last 12 hours, Ive been overwhelmed by the amount of support Ive received, Fudge said, adding that there are probably closer to 30" Democrats who have privately signaled that they are willing to oppose Pelosi. Things could change rapidly, Fudge said. Fudge, 66, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she is building a diverse coalition as she mulls a speaker run, talking with allies in the caucus, moderate Democrats and newly elected members. To this point, Pelosi has enjoyed the strong backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), one of its members, wrote a letter to colleagues praising her insight, fortitude and strategic thinking and urging support for her speakership bid. Former Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr., an African American who is contemplating a 2020 presidential bid, also voiced support for Pelosi, praising her in a tweet as an architect of the recent midterm success. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a leader of the resistance to Pelosi, said during an interview on CNN on Thursday that Fudge is the kind of new leader that we need in this party. Shes in touch with middle America. She understands what the American people want. Shes a next-generation leader that people will look to and say, Thats the future of our party, thats the future of our country, and thats exactly the kind of leader that I want to see as our next speaker. Wagner reports for the Washington Post. The Posts Robert Costa, Erica Werner, Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane and Elise Viebeck contributed to this report. Facebook

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GOP Rep. Jeff Denham concedes to Democrat Josh Harder in Central Valley race By Maya Sweedler Rep. Jeff Denham (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) Republican Rep. Jeff Denham has conceded to Democrat Josh Harder in the race to represent Californias 10th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley. It has been an absolute honor to serve our community and represent the Central Valley in Congress over the past eight years, the 51-year-old congressman said. The enormity of the responsibility was never lost on me. My wife Sonia and I look forward to starting the next chapter of our lives. Harder said he had spoken with Denham and the two were committed to a productive transition. Denham, an Air Force veteran, previously represented the region in the state Senate for eight years and founded a company specializing in plastic packaging used in agriculture. While a member of Congress, he sat on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture committees. First-time candidate Harder was born and raised in the district. After graduating from Stanford University, he served as vice president of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Since moving back, he has been teaching at Modesto Junior College. Denhams House seat is one of four in California that Republicans lost in the Nov. 6 election, with two contests in Orange County still undecided as of Thursday morning. Jeff Denham called me this morning and we had a very productive conversation. I'm honored that I've been chosen to serve our community in Congress, and we're both looking forward to a productive transition that best serves the people of District 10.  Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) November 14, 2018 Facebook

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Democrat Katie Porter now nearly 3,800 votes ahead of GOP Rep. Mimi Walters By Maya Sweedler Rep. Mimi Walters thanks all of her supporters as she watches election results in Irvine on Nov. 7, 2018. (Alex Gallardo / Associated Press) Democrat Katie Porter opened a 3,797-vote lead Wednesday over Republican Rep. Mimi Walters in Orange Countys 45th Congressional District. In the neighboring 39th, Democrat Gil Cisneros has nearly tied the race against Republican Young Kim. Cisneros now trails Kim by a razor-thin margin of 122 votes. The 39th District straddles Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties; Wednesdays updated ballot counts came from the latter two. There are more than 202,000 ballots left to count in Orange County, which includes parts of seven congressional districts. The 45th is entirely in inland Orange County. In California, the ballots counted first tend to lean Republican and those tallied later skew Democratic. In the Central Valleys 21st Congressional District, Democratic challenger TJ Cox has pulled within 2 percentage points of Rep. David Valadao, who is serving his third term. The Associated Press had projected a win for Valadao on election night, but his 4,839-vote advantage has shrunk to 2,090. Back in CA-21, Valadao (R) wins a batch of ballots from his stronghold in Kings Co., but by a considerably smaller margin (14 points) than his previous ~30-point margin in the county. We're moving to Lean R from Likely R; today a bit scary for Valadao.https://t.co/WqJVUVkqGW  Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 15, 2018 A spokesman for Valadao told the Fresno Bee that the changes were expected and that [s]tatistically, David Valadao has won this race. Democrats in California have already flipped four House seats, defeating three Republican incumbents and claiming an open seat previously held by the GOP. Reps. Steve Knight of Palmdale, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Jeff Denham of Turlock have already lost their races, and retiring Rep. Darrell Issas San Diego County seat was claimed by Democrat Mike Levin. Facebook

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Trump aide departs West Wing after rebuke from Melania Trump By Associated Press First Lady Melania Trump. (Alain Jocard / AFP-Getty Images) Deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel is leaving the White House, one day after First Lady Melania Trumps office issued an extraordinary statement calling for her dismissal. No replacement was named. Aides said Ricardel clashed with the first ladys staff over her visit to Africa last month. Yet it is highly unusual for a first lady or her office to weigh in on personnel matters, especially the presidents national security staff. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Ricardel would have a new role in the administration. On Tuesday, Stephanie Grisham, the first ladys spokeswoman, released a statement saying, It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House. President Trumps White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under Trump. An ally of national security advisor John Bolton, Ricardel began her service in the Trump administration as associate director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, then moved to the Commerce Department last year. Bolton brought her into the West Wing shortly after taking the job in April. He is traveling in Asia this week alongside Vice President Mike Pence. Facebook

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Race for House Minority Leader is Kevin McCarthys to lose By Associated Press (Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is running to take over next years shrunken caucus in closed-door elections that will set the tone for the new Congress. The race for minority leader is McCarthys to lose Wednesday. But the California Republican, who is an ally of President Trump, must fend off a challenge from conservative Jim Jordan of Ohio. Jordan is a leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The two encountered questions and finger-pointing during a private meeting with lawmakers Tuesday night as the GOP sorted through the midterm defeat that put Democrats in the majority next year. Elections Wednesday will also determine party leadership in the Senate. Voting for the biggest race, Nancy Pelosis bid to return as the Democrats nominee for speaker, is later this month. Read More Facebook

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Melania Trump calls for the firing of deputy national security advisor By Justin Sink First Lady Melania Trump arrives at the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris on Nov. 11. (Alain Jocard / AFP/Getty Images ) First Lady Melania Trumps office said she wants Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, ousted from the White House. It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House, Trumps spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement in response to a question about reports the first lady had sought Ricardels removal. Ricardel is the top deputy to national security advisor John Bolton. She drew the first ladys wrath after threatening to withhold National Security Council resources during Melania Trumps trip to Africa last month unless Ricardel was included in her entourage, one person familiar with the matter said. Grishams statement comes as several media outlets have reported that President Trump is considering a broader shakeup of his administration, including ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sink and Jacobs report for Bloomberg. Read More Facebook

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CNN sues Trump over the suspension of Jim Acostas White House press credentials By Jim Puzzanghera CNN said Tuesday that it is suing President Trump and other administration officials over the decision to suspend the White House press credentials of correspondent Jim Acosta after a conflict at a news conference last week. The suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, escalates an ongoing battle between Trump and the cable news outlet that he frequently accuses of disseminating fake news for its aggressive coverage of him and his administration. The wrongful revocation of these credentials violates CNN and Acostas 1st Amendment rights of freedom of the press, and their 5th Amendment rights to due process, CNN said in a written statement. If left unchallenged, the actions of the White House would create a dangerous chilling effect for any journalist who covers our elected officials. Read More Facebook

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Maxine Waters to take aim at Wells Fargo and Deutsche Bank as new head of House Financial Services Committee By Jim Puzzanghera Rep. Maxine Waters plans to zero in on two big banks  Wells Fargo & Co. and Deutsche Bank  when she becomes head of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. The Los Angeles congresswoman, now the committees top Democrat, is widely expected to gain the gavel after her party won control of the House in last weeks elections. While Waters has outlined a wide-ranging agenda, she said her focus on bank oversight will target two large institutions she has been tangling with for a while  including one, Deutsche Bank, that spills into her bitter feud with President Trump. With Trump in the White House, I know that our fight for Americas consumers and investors will continue to be challenging. But I am more than up to that fight, Waters wrote in a letter last week to her Democratic colleagues on the committee that was obtained by The Times. Read More Facebook

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Heres how a controversial voting system will decide a congressional race in Maine By Kurtis Lee For the first time in U.S. history, a controversial voting system known as ranked choice is being used to decide a federal election. Its happening in Maine, which adopted the system in 2016. Rather than marking a single candidate, each voter ranks them all, assigning a first-place vote, a second-place vote and so on down the ballot. Read More Facebook

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ACLU files suit to stop Trumps new asylum limits By Associated Press A group of Central American migrants march to the office of the U.N.'s humans rights body in Mexico City on Nov. 8. (Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a legal challenge to President Trumps order denying asylum to migrants if they cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. The lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco and argues the new rules are against the law. Attorney Lee Gelernt said the regulations will put families in danger. The suit seeks to declare the regulations invalid and wants a judge to stop the rules from going into effect while the litigation is pending. The new rules were spurred in part by caravans of Central American migrants slowly moving north on foot, but officials say they will apply to anyone caught crossing illegally. Officials say about 70,000 people who enter the country illegally claim asylum. The order invoked the same national security powers Trump used to push through his travel ban. Read More Facebook

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Trump on new acting AG: I dont know Matt Whitaker By Associated Press President Trump talks with reporters before departing for France on the South Lawn of the White House on Nov. 9. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) President Trump is moving to distance himself from Matthew Whitaker as he faces criticism over his choice for acting attorney general. Trump told reporters Friday that I dont know Matt Whitaker and said he didnt speak with Whitaker about special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Whitaker has made public comments critical of Muellers investigation, and critics have called on Whitaker to recuse himself from oversight of the inquiry. Under former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the investigation was overseen by Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein. Of the scrutiny Whitaker is facing, Trump said: Its a shame that no matter who I put in they go after. He also called Whitaker a very highly respected man. Whitaker was Sessions chief of staff before Trump made him Sessions interim replacement. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg out of hospital after fall By Associated Press The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is home after being released from the hospital. She had been admitted for treatment and observation after fracturing three ribs in a fall. The court said Ginsburg was released Friday. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says she is doing well and working from home. The court had previously said the justice fell in her office at the court on Wednesday evening and went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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Gun-control activist Lucy McBath defeats GOP Rep. Karen Handel in Georgia By Associated Press Lucy McBath speaks during a rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Nov. 2 at Morehouse College in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer / Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Democratic gun-control activist Lucy McBath has defeated Republican Rep. Karen Handel of Georgia in a suburban congressional district long considered safe for the GOP. Handel had to seek reelection after winning her seat last year in a close special election race against Democrat Jon Ossoff. McBath became an advocate for stricter gun laws after her son, Jordan Davis, was fatally shot at a Florida gas station in 2012 by a man angry over loud music the teenager and his friends were playing in a car. McBaths margin of victory was narrow enough for Handel to have requested a recount. The Associated Press declared McBath the winner Thursday after Handel conceded. Handel conceded in a statement Thursday morning, stating that after reviewing all of the election data, its clear she came up a bit short in Tuesdays vote. Handel congratulated McBath, offering good thoughts and much prayer for the journey that lies ahead for her. McBath, who is African American, declared victory Wednesday. Facebook

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after fracturing 3 ribs in fall By Associated Press Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) The Supreme Court says 85-year-old Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs in a fall in her office at the court and is in the hospital. The court says the justice went to George Washington University Hospital in Washington early Thursday after experiencing discomfort overnight. The court says the fall occurred Wednesday evening. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital for treatment and observation after tests showed she fractured three ribs. Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Facebook

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White House suspends press pass of CNNs Jim Acosta after heated exchange with Trump By Associated Press The White House on Wednesday suspended the press pass of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta after he and President Trump had a heated confrontation during a news conference. They began sparring after Acosta asked Trump about the caravan of migrants heading from Latin America to the southern U.S. border. When Acosta tried to follow up with another question, Trump said, Thats enough! and a female White House aide unsuccessfully tried to grab the microphone from Acosta. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement accusing Acosta of placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern, calling it absolutely unacceptable. The interaction between Acosta and the intern was brief, and Acosta appeared to brush her arm as she reached for the microphone and he tried to hold onto it. Pardon me, maam, he told her. Acosta tweeted that Sanders statement that he put his hands on the aide was a lie. CNN said in a statement that the White House revoked Acostas press pass in retaliation for his challenging questions Wednesday, and the network accused Sanders of lying about Acostas actions. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporters colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Contrary to CNNs assertions there is no greater demonstration of the Presidents support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not supporting a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters...  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 As a result of todays incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice.  Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 8, 2018 Sanders provided fraudulent accusations and cited an incident that never happened. This unprecedented decision is a threat to our democracy and the country deserves better, CNN said. Jim Acosta has our full support. Journalists assigned to cover the White House apply for passes that allow them daily access to press areas in the West Wing. White House staffers decide whether journalists are eligible, though the Secret Service determines whether their applications are approved. Facebook

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Trump spars with reporters at post-election news briefing, ordering several to sit down By Associated Press  President Trump assails CNNs Jim Acosta at a White House news conference. President Trump sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another hes a rude, terrible person. He told another reporter hes not a fan of yours, either. The presidents mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an invasion. Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the mans actions to the caravan. Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. Facebook

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Im living one hour at a time at this point By Christine Mai-Duc Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and gubernatorial candidate John Cox campaign in Rowland Heights. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Republican congressional candidate Young Kim greeted gubernatorial candidate John Coxs giant campaign bus, the words HELP IS ON THE WAY emblazoned across it, as it rolled into the parking lot outside her Rowland Heights field office. Standing beside Cox on Saturday, Kim predicted that a string of GOP victories Tuesday would start with voters repealing the gas tax hike. Can you imagine Gavin Newsom being our governor? Can you imagine Gil Cisneros being your representative? Kim asked the crowd, to loud boos and cries of Nooo! The former state assemblywoman who worked for retiring Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) is vying for his seat with Democrat Gil Cisneros. She led the crowd in chants of Enough is enough! and, though short-lived, Drain the swamp! Ive served you in Sacramento and Ive seen dysfunction personally, Kim continued. We cannot continue that route. She urged her supporters to stay and help make phone calls or walk neighborhoods. Lets get out there  the 72 hours is really critical. Its all going to come down to a few votes, it could be your vote, she said pointing to her left, then pivoting right, it could be your vote. So dont sit back and do nothing. Every night I go to sleep thinking, OK, how many more votes can I get or how many more people can I call tomorrow? Kim said. It can be physically exhausting but Im mentally, emotionally very energized. She listed off her events so far that day  and the next one she was heading to. Thats just what I can remember, she said. Im living one hour at a time at this point. Kims campaign invited press to two of her events on Saturday. After she was whisked away to her next event  a high tea fundraiser in Walnut, a couple dozen volunteers remained. John Freeman, a statewide field manager for the state Republican Party, tried to pump them up. This is the Super Bowl. Were not in an NFL stadium, were not getting paid millions of dollars, but you know what? Freeman said. Were walking on the field right now. This is that high-stakes-level game. Facebook

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Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children  the older ones are 5 and 2  about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals  her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican  she the race felt mA John Burroughs High School student hopes to wow judges with his emotional performance of a monologue from an August Wilson play.

Senior K.J. Powell will be performing a piece from the famed playwrights play Seven Guitars at the August Wilson Monologue Competitions Southern California regional finals on Monday at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

Powell is one of 12 high school students selected from Los Angeles and Orange counties to perform at the regional finals. The students have been working with members of the Center Theatre Group, the host of the competition, for the last two months to refine their performances for the big night.

The John Burroughs students monologue is spoken by the character Canewell from Seven Guitars, a play about a group of friends reminiscing about a recently deceased friends last week alive.

The main story, which is told in flashbacks, is about a musician named Floyd Barton, who was trying to win back his girlfriend, Vera, after being released from jail but would be later killed.

Canewell, one of Bartons friends and a bandmate, was also in love with Floyds girlfriend in the past but had to come to terms with the fact that she loved Barton more than him.

Powell said he chose to portray Canewell for his monologue because he felt a connection and believed he understood what the character was going through.

The high school senior said he had recently gone through a breakup and the emotions Canewell expresses are similar to what the actor had experienced. That helped give his monologue a soul, Powell said.

He was trying to play it off, but he really just wants to cry and go off on Vera, but he holds down that emotion, he said.

Powell said he was hesitant to choose that section in Seven Guitars to be his monologue, saying he felt embarrassed about using his emotions from his recent breakup.

I was nervous about how awkward and weird it would feel, but once I started performing, I felt confident and comfortable with what I was doing, he said.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpioWith the Orange County Museum of Art having found a new buyer for its Newport Center site, the city of Newport Beach is settling lawsuits involving the museum and local activists who opposed OCMAs attempted land sale to make way for a high-rise condominium project.

The city confirmed the settlements Friday.



For the record: The original version of this article stated incorrectly that the Orange County Museum of Art will pay Newport Beach about $40,000. Nexus Development Corp. will pay that as reimbursement for the citys legal costs.

The city was a defendant in two suits filed early last year related to the ill-fated Museum House condo proposal. One, filed by OCMA, challenged the validity of a petition that activists circulated seeking to force a public vote on the development. The other was filed by Museum House opponent Susan Skinner, who alleged the city didnt properly implement its Greenlight Initiative  a growth-control measure passed by local voters in 2000  when it approved Museum House in 2016.

The City Council revoked development approval for the 100-unit, 25-story Museum House tower in February 2017 when faced with enough petition signatures to force the referendum.

OCMA has agreed to pay $205,000 in attorney and other litigation costs to Line in the Sand, a residents group that accused the museum of threatening its free speech when the museums suit alleged its petition was deficient.

Skinner agreed to drop her suit, which she has said was merely an insurance policy against the unexpected event of a successful challenge of the referendum petition.

OCMA sued the city and individual Line in the Sand members in January 2017, before Orange County verified the signatures on the referendum petition. The museum challenged the documents small font size and alleged it didnt contain the full text of general plan amendments and that signature gatherers provided objectively false information to voters about things such as Museum Houses location, size and height and permitted uses for OCMAs property. The petition weighed roughly 10 pounds and was about 1,000 pages long.

Line in the Sand called the suit an attempt to stifle the groups free speech, although an Orange County Superior Court judge did not agree.

Line in the Sand appealed the judges ruling. An appellate court had not set a hearing date at the time of the settlement, and the group will withdraw its appeal.

OCMA had planned to sell its property to would-be Museum House developer Related California and use the proceeds to help it move to a new location at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

In the settlement agreement, OCMA said it now plans to sell the museum property at 850 San Clemente Drive, and an adjoining parcel, to Nexus Development Corp. It did not state the tentative sale price or what might be built there. An attorney for OCMA did not return messages seeking comment Friday.

In a side agreement, Nexus will pay Newport Beach about $40,000 as reimbursement for the citys legal costs.

Nexus is a real estate developer with offices in Santa Ana and Phoenix. Its portfolio includes office, retail, industrial, hotel, residential and senior living facilities, according to its website.

The settlement is contingent on the sale to Nexus being completed by June 30.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHDSamuel Woodward, the Newport Beach man charged with murder in the stabbing death of 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein, is expected to appear in court for a hearing in June to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move to trial.

Woodward, 20, appeared in an orange jail jumpsuit in a Harbor Justice Center courtroom Friday and spoke briefly with his attorney before agreeing to set his preliminary hearing for June 14.

The hearing is expected to last a half-day, attorneys told Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones.

Woodward pleaded not guilty last month to a murder charge and denied a sentencing enhancement allegation of personally using a deadly weapon, according to court records.

If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison.

Woodward, a former classmate of Bernsteins at Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, is being held in Orange County Jail with bail set at $5 million.

Prosecutors allege Woodward killed Bernstein in early January and buried him in a shallow grave at Borrego Park in Foothill Ranch. Bernsteins body was found Jan. 9 with more than 20 stab wounds.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCNAlmost 100 Glendale residents got a crash course in how the city of Glendale is coping with the impact of three state laws at the local level during a community meeting on Thursday, all while trying to maintain the character and autonomy of the Jewel City.

The state mandates deal with accessory-dwelling units, or granny flats, recreational marijuana and congregate-living laws.

We, in the city, take pride in the fact that we can run a very good local municipality, and we do it on behalf of those people that we represent and it comes down to ... quality of life, city spokesman Tom Lorenz said during the meeting.

Unfortunately the state  has imposed things upon us that we have to now find a way to meet in the middle and make it work, he added.

The construction of granny flats was made less restrictive by the state in 2016 with passage of AB 2299, which was passed with the hopes that secondary-dwelling units will increase the number of affordable-housing units as rent costs rise.

The City Council enacted a temporary ordinance last year to address concerns expressed by residents that granny flats would irreversibly change the character of their neighborhoods.

In February, officials made the ordinance permanent with a few amendments, the most important of them being a limit on the maximum size of a granny flat, set at 600 square feet, and a person leasing the property is prohibited from subleasing either the flat or main residential dwelling.

Still, some residents at the meeting said they are worried about parking shortages and wondered how violations of the ordinance will be enforced because granny flat construction bypasses the traditional design-review process.

We would, like any other illegal work, enforce that the same way, said Phil Lanzafame, the citys community development director. We would go back, cite them and give them notice that they have to bring [their granny flat] up to code.

The city currently has eight code-enforcement officers with authority to issue citations, according to Lanzafame.

Regarding recreational marijuana, the citys prohibition on cultivation has been altered slightly, following the approval of Proposition 64 in 2016. Residents can now grow up to six marijuana plants per household for personal use indoors. Possession of up to 28.5 grams of cannabis or 8 grams of marijuana concentrate is also allowed.

City Council members voted last year to keep a citywide ban on the commercial sale of cannabis, but will return this year after they can better assess the new laws impact.

I came from the day when  wed go inside a house and see a cultivation of marijuana  that would be an exciting day for us. We would have to take down that operation, said Glendale Police Capt. Tim Feeley, who addressed questions at the meeting.

Residents asked about how police identify a person driving under the influence of marijuana and recourse for the effects of a neighbors second-hand smoke. Feeley said officers rely on identifying symptoms of intoxication in suspected drivers, and residents are still subject to Glendales Clean Air Act.

As for congregate-living laws, California currently prohibits cities from regulating single-family residences operating as a residential congregate-living facility that have fewer than six beds. The facilities generally operate as a residential home that provides in-patient care for the elderly or those with disabilities.

A license from the state is required for limited congregate living, but no associated permit at the local level is needed.

According to guidelines set by the League of California Cities, Some licensed homes cannot be closer than 300 feet to each other, while other licensed homes have no separation requirements. All licensed facilities serving six or fewer persons must be treated like single-family homes for zoning purposes.

Some attendees said they are worried that limited-care facilities will limit parking because they are not required to provide additional spaces. They also expressed concerns that the facilities would transform residential zones into business districts as well as create care-facility rows in neighborhoods.

Erik Krause, deputy director of community development, tried to quell some of the concerns.

City Council has asked us to start speaking with our state Assembly to try and see if there is something that we can do in terms of getting help [limiting residential congregate-living facilities in neighborhoods], he said.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLandaUSC Verdugo Hills Hospital is gearing up to open its new neonatal intensive-care unit later this month so moms who give birth at the hospital wont have to have their premature newborns transported to another hospital.

The 3,100-square-foot facility is part of a larger $2.5-million renovation of what was previously the hospitals eighth-floor critical care unit, which has been consolidated into another part of the hospital.

The new unit has six private rooms.

Verdugo Hills is one of three hospitals in L.A. County that has private rooms, said Melissa Stehlin, director of women and families services at the hospital, on Wednesday during a tour of the new facility.

Most often, its all in one big area ... Thats a luxury for us, she said.

Private rooms let parents participate in their newborns care, she added.

In addition, each room also has a sleeping area. When a newborn is ready to be discharged, parents can come in and spend the night with their child.

The staff is available for the night, but the parents are basically on their own to care for their newborn.

So, they can feel more comfortable when they go home and take care of their baby, Stehlin said.

The new unit is a level 2 facility, which means it can care for newborns who are more than 32 weeks of gestational age and weigh over 1,500 grams.

If a baby is in the unit, but doctors determine it needs an additional level of care, the hospital has transfer agreements with other area hospitals, including Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Stehlin said.

There is also a video system so that if a mom goes home before her newborn, she and family members all around the world can see the baby on a video feed using an individual code.

Stehlin said sometimes mothers who are away from their newborns can have problems producing enough breast milk. The video system can help address that issue.

It helps them produce more, she said.

Dr. Robert Gall, a neonatologist with the hospital, explained the units primary purpose.

We bring the baby here. We stabilize, using all of the equipment that you see, and that means being able to establish the ABCs of life. Airway, breathing, circulation, he said.

There are three goals that babies need to reach to be discharged, Gall said. They need to maintain their temperature in an open crib; they have to be able to take in nutrition whether its formula or mothers milk; and they have to have control of their breathing.

The new unit was expected to open last year, but it was delayed.

There are a lot of hospitals doing construction on a lot of different things, and so they have a finite amount of resources to be able to allocate and come out to check on progress, give updates on things that they would like changed, and so forth, so I think thats more just the nature of the business, said Keith Hobbs, the hospitals chief executive, whose three children were all born at Verdugo Hills Hospital.

But its not just Verdugo Hills that has been dealing with delays. Hobbs said he recently attended a meeting of hospital officials, and one of the topics discussed was construction issues.

I think the only condolence is the fact that other hospitals are having the same problem, Hobbs said.

Stehlin said officials from the California Department of Public Health are scheduled to come to Verdugo Hills Hospital this month to do an evaluation as the new unit moves toward being licensed.

Theyll just verify were within the standard of care across the board, Stehlin said.

mark.kellam@latimes.com

Twitter: @lamarkkellamLehigh University's Board of Trustees has again declined to act on a request that it revoke the honorary degree awarded to President Donald Trump almost 30 years ago.

Nearly two-thirds of the Lehigh faculty supported a motion calling on the board to rescind the degree earlier this week.

The board met on Friday and then released a statement indicating it was reaffirming its prior decision to take no action on another request to revoke the degree, awarded to Trump in 1988 when he spoke at Lehigh's commencement.

"The members of the board are committed to doing what is in the best interests of the university as a whole, including most especially demonstrating openness to and respect for the broad views and perspectives of our many university constituencies," trustees said in a statement. "We reaffirm our core mission of educating students from around the globe to be future leaders of society."

Lehigh's trustees announced last October they would take no action on a change.org petition -- that drew more than 31,000 signatures -- urging them to rescind the degree.

Students, professors and alumni had challenged the honorary degree last August, after the president blamed "both sides" for a deadly clash between white supremacists and counter-demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia.

A preface to the faculty motion released last month states: "Exactly one month ago, on Jan. 12, a group of faculty began a conversation about how we might respond as a faculty to recent statements made by Donald Trump, only the latest on a long list of documented utterances that are racist, sexist, Islamophobic or offensive in other ways. The decision was quickly made that we should formulate a motion to bring to the floor of the university faculty."

The faculty voting tally was 296 (82.9 percent) yes votes in favor of the motion and 50 (14.01 percent) votes opposed. Another 11 (3.08 percent) registered "present but not voting," Doug Mahony, associate professor of management at Lehigh's College of Business and Economics and chairman of the Faculty Governance and Engagement Committee, reported.

Trump's late older brother, Frederick C. Trump Jr., was a 1960 alumnus of Lehigh. He died in 1981.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.TURKEYS

The jury didn't buy it. Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski's defense during his six-week corruption trial was that he was unaware of pay-for-play schemes being run others in City Hall, including his most trusted campaign adviser, Michael Fleck. Pawlowski was convicted of 47 of 54 counts of selling his office, trading city contracts for campaign contributions that would allow him to compete on larger stages -- runs for governor and U.S. senator. Pawlowski's downfall is a personal tragedy for someone who addressed the city's huge debt and helped revitalize the city's downtown core and waterfront areas. It's a public tragedy, however, when a leader bankrolls his own ambitions by selling the taxpayers out. Pawlowski, who's facing a substantial prison term, should resign now, rather than wait until sentencing. It's time for the city to move on.

Strange wedding. The First Amendment rights of expression and religious practice bonded with the Second Amendment right to bear arms at Pennsylvania church where worshippers cradled AR-15 rifles, drank holy wine, donned crowns of bullets and renewed their marriage vows. The ceremony near Lake Wallenpaupack was considered threatening enough that a nearby school canceled classes, even with state police watching the church and attendees being screened to ensure their semiautomatic rifles were unloaded. The World Peace and Unification Sanctuary holds that the AR-15 -- the weapon used in the Parkland, Fla., school massacre and other mass shootings -- symbolizes the "rod of iron" in the biblical book of Revelation.

The Hackettstown School District suspended a student who referred to a police officer as a "pig" in a discussion in English class. According to a lawsuit filed by the girl's mother, the student, identified as "K.C.," was wrongly accused of harassment, intimidation and bullying. The suit also alleges that school officials used racial and homophobic epithets in a conversation with the girl -- who is biracial and identifies as gay -- as they tried to explain why she was being suspended. The class was discussing a play they were assigned to read, "Blood Brothers," in which a corrupt police officer treats suspects differently based on their economic status. School district officials declined to comment on the suit.

TROPHIES

Local police have credited employees of two jewelry stores with cracking a case of identity theft. Last month a clerk at the Kay Jewelers outlet near the Sands Casino became suspicious after a man came into the store, opened a credit account and bought a $7,000 Rolex watch. Thinking that the print on the ID looked questionable, the clerk later looked up the name on the ID on Facebook and found it matched a white man with brown hair from Collegeville, Pa. The suspect, William Shaw Stallworth, whose photo appeared on the ID, is black. Bethlehem police began an investigation and alerted stores of the fraud. A Whitehall Township store manager reported that Stallworth had purchased two necklaces there using a line of credit. When Stallworth returned to the Whitehall store, an employee called township police, who arrested him on charges of identity theft.Leisure Global Business Travel Market 2017-2021 - New Market Research Report



03.03.2018 21:20:46 - New Media research report from TechNavio is now available from Fast Market Research



(live-PR.com) - Business travel refers to domestic or international trips made by an employee for several business-related purposes, including the organization of trade shows, marketing of the company, product launches, and internal meetings. Tourism is one of the major sources of revenue for a number of countries and has a positive impact on the economy of both the source and host countries. - Business travel refers to domestic or international trips made by an employee for several business-related purposes, including the organization of trade shows, marketing of the company, product launches, and internal meetings. Tourism is one of the major sources of revenue for a number of countries and has a positive impact on the economy of both the source and host countries. The tourism industry has experienced a high growth in the last six decades, especially in regions like Europe that host a large number of international travelers on short breaks. Tourists usually have high budgets and a preference for good food and luxury accommodations. However, these preferences may differ from one tourist to another. For instance, some tourists prefer simple beach vacations, while others want family-oriented holidays at quieter resorts, uncommercialized places, or niche market-targeted destination hotels.



Full Report Details at

- fastmr.com/products/1310827-global-business-travel-2017?afid=702



Technavio's analysts forecast the global business travel market to grow at a CAGR of 5.11% during the period 2017-2021.



Covered in this report

The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global business travel market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the business travel market by purpose, expenditure, and age.



The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:



* Americas

* APAC

* EMEA



Technavio's report, Global Business Travel 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 vendors



* American Express Global Business Travel

* BCD Travel

* Carlson Wagonlit Travel

* Expedia

* Hogg Robinson Group

* Travel Leaders Group



Other prominent vendors



* Adelman Travel

* ADTRAV Travel Management

* ATG

* Frosch International Travel

* JTB Americas

* Omega World Travel

* Ovation Travel Group

* Priceline Group

* UNIGLOBE Travel International



Market driver



* Growing technological advances

* For a full, detailed list, view our report



Market challenge



* Rising terrorist activities

* For a full, detailed list, view our report



Market trend



* Personalization of guest data

* For a full, detailed list, view our report



Key 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?



You can request one free hour of our analyst's time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report.



Companies Mentioned in this Report: American Express Global Business Travel, BCD Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Expedia, Hogg Robinson Group, Travel Leaders Group, Adelman Travel, ADTRAV Travel Management, ATG, Frosch International Travel, JTB Americas, Omega World Travel, Ovation Travel Group, Priceline Group, UNIGLOBE Travel International



About Fast Market Research



Fast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget.



For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at

The tourism industry has experienced a high growth in the last six decades, especially in regions like Europe that host a large number of international travelers on short breaks. Tourists usually have high budgets and a preference for good food and luxury accommodations. However, these preferences may differ from one tourist to another. For instance, some tourists prefer simple beach vacations, while others want family-oriented holidays at quieter resorts, uncommercialized places, or niche market-targeted destination hotels.Full Report Details atTechnavio's analysts forecast the global business travel market to grow at a CAGR of 5.11% during the period 2017-2021.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global business travel market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the business travel market by purpose, expenditure, and age.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:* Americas* APAC* EMEATechnavio's report, Global Business Travel 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 vendors* American Express Global Business Travel* BCD Travel* Carlson Wagonlit Travel* Expedia* Hogg Robinson Group* Travel Leaders GroupOther prominent vendors* Adelman Travel* ADTRAV Travel Management* ATG* Frosch International Travel* JTB Americas* Omega World Travel* Ovation Travel Group* Priceline Group* UNIGLOBE Travel InternationalMarket driver* Growing technological advances* For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge* Rising terrorist activities* For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend* Personalization of guest data* 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?You can request one free hour of our analyst's time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report.Companies Mentioned in this Report: American Express Global Business Travel, BCD Travel, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Expedia, Hogg Robinson Group, Travel Leaders Group, Adelman Travel, ADTRAV Travel Management, ATG, Frosch International Travel, JTB Americas, Omega World Travel, Ovation Travel Group, Priceline Group, UNIGLOBE Travel InternationalAbout Fast Market ResearchFast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget.For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156 (1.413.485.7001 Int'l) Author:

Bill Thompson

e-mail

Web: http://www.fastmr.com

Phone: 1.518.300.1215 03.03.2018 21:20:46 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.Business New Market Research Report: IoT Engineering Services Market - Global Forecast to 2022



03.03.2018 18:09:25 - New Information Technology market report from Markets and Markets: "IoT Engineering Services Market - Global Forecast to 2022"



(live-PR.com) - IoT Engineering Services Market by Service Type (Product Engineering, Cloud & Platform Engineering, UI/UX Design, Analytics, Security, Maintenance Services), End User, Vertical (Industrial Manufacturing & Automotive), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022



The IoT engineering services market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 24.5% during the forecast period



The IoT engineering services market size is expected to grow - IoT Engineering Services Market by Service Type (Product Engineering, Cloud & Platform Engineering, UI/UX Design, Analytics, Security, Maintenance Services), End User, Vertical (Industrial Manufacturing & Automotive), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022The IoT engineering services market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 24.5% during the forecast periodThe IoT engineering services market size is expected to grow from USD 9.87 billion in 2017 to USD 29.53 billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 24.5% during the forecast period. The market is said to be driven by the growing need for reduced system troubleshooting and enhanced operational efficiency, the increasing requirement of risk mitigation to minimize the data loss, the increasing adoption of micro services, and the accelerating Social, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud (SMAC)technologies. However, enterprises face various obstacles while adopting IoT engineering services, due to varying IoT standards and protocols for interconnectivity and interoperability.



Full Report Details at

- fastmr.com/products/1310023-iot-engineering-services?afid=702



The Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) end user segment is expected to have the fastest growth rate during the forecast period



SMEs have realized that immediate response, quick business decisions, and customer satisfaction are the key features to expand the business, generate more revenues, and ensure the desired outcome. Therefore, SMEs are coming up with tailored needs to manage heterogeneous devices and online transaction processing, using reliable device management solutions. It is also believed that the SMEs are facing tough challenges to monitor and manage their heterogeneous devices and systems. As a result, they are adopting reliable IoT engineering services to monitor and manage the business operations and functions.



Industrial manufacturing vertical is expected to have the largest market share during the forecast period



The industrial manufacturing vertical includes network management, data management, security solutions, and remote monitoring. Industrial manufacturing is a complex process, and the IoT engineering services play a key role in eliminating the complexity associated with the technology. The IoT engineering service providers offer comprehensive services by deploying the latest techniques and tools, skills, knowledge, and strategies, to address an organization's technological needs. Using experience engineering, the service providers are also keen on sketching intelligent designs of machines and production to improve the manufacturing processes and applications for attaining the higher economy of scale.



Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to have the fastest growth rate during the forecast period



APAC is estimated to have the fastest growth rate and expected to dominate the IoT engineering services market during the forecast period, owing to the increasing adoption of advanced technologies, steady economic growth, and ongoing smart city initiatives. The competition in this region is fragmented and the IoT service providers are looking at expanding the base of their services to most of the countries in the region, because of the improving infrastructure and other business strategic moves. Organizations in the region lag behind their counterparts, North America and Europe, in terms of information, security awareness, and technical expertise. The adoption of IoT engineering and testing services is said to be gaining traction in the region to transform the business operations. This region covers some of the potential countries, namely, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.



The break-up profiles of primary participants are given below:



* By company: Tier 1: 53%, Tier 2: 33%, and Tier 3: 14%

* By designation: C-level: 60%, Manager level: 30%, and Director Level: 10%

* By region: North America: 35%, Europe: 30%, APAC: 25%, and RoW: 10%



The following are the key IoT engineering service providers discussed in the report:



1. Aricent (US)



2. Wipro (India)



3. Capgemini (France)



4. IBM (US)



5. TCS (India)



6. Happiest Minds (India)



7. Infosys (India)



8. Cognizant (US)



9. eInfochips (US)



About Fast Market Research



Fast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget.



For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at

from USD 9.87 billion in 2017 to USD 29.53 billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 24.5% during the forecast period. The market is said to be driven by the growing need for reduced system troubleshooting and enhanced operational efficiency, the increasing requirement of risk mitigation to minimize the data loss, the increasing adoption of micro services, and the accelerating Social, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud (SMAC)technologies. However, enterprises face various obstacles while adopting IoT engineering services, due to varying IoT standards and protocols for interconnectivity and interoperability.Full Report Details atThe Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) end user segment is expected to have the fastest growth rate during the forecast periodSMEs have realized that immediate response, quick business decisions, and customer satisfaction are the key features to expand the business, generate more revenues, and ensure the desired outcome. Therefore, SMEs are coming up with tailored needs to manage heterogeneous devices and online transaction processing, using reliable device management solutions. It is also believed that the SMEs are facing tough challenges to monitor and manage their heterogeneous devices and systems. As a result, they are adopting reliable IoT engineering services to monitor and manage the business operations and functions.Industrial manufacturing vertical is expected to have the largest market share during the forecast periodThe industrial manufacturing vertical includes network management, data management, security solutions, and remote monitoring. Industrial manufacturing is a complex process, and the IoT engineering services play a key role in eliminating the complexity associated with the technology. The IoT engineering service providers offer comprehensive services by deploying the latest techniques and tools, skills, knowledge, and strategies, to address an organization's technological needs. Using experience engineering, the service providers are also keen on sketching intelligent designs of machines and production to improve the manufacturing processes and applications for attaining the higher economy of scale.Asia Pacific (APAC) is expected to have the fastest growth rate during the forecast periodAPAC is estimated to have the fastest growth rate and expected to dominate the IoT engineering services market during the forecast period, owing to the increasing adoption of advanced technologies, steady economic growth, and ongoing smart city initiatives. The competition in this region is fragmented and the IoT service providers are looking at expanding the base of their services to most of the countries in the region, because of the improving infrastructure and other business strategic moves. Organizations in the region lag behind their counterparts, North America and Europe, in terms of information, security awareness, and technical expertise. The adoption of IoT engineering and testing services is said to be gaining traction in the region to transform the business operations. This region covers some of the potential countries, namely, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.The break-up profiles of primary participants are given below:* By company: Tier 1: 53%, Tier 2: 33%, and Tier 3: 14%* By designation: C-level: 60%, Manager level: 30%, and Director Level: 10%* By region: North America: 35%, Europe: 30%, APAC: 25%, and RoW: 10%The following are the key IoT engineering service providers discussed in the report:1. Aricent (US)2. Wipro (India)3. Capgemini (France)4. IBM (US)5. TCS (India)6. Happiest Minds (India)7. Infosys (India)8. Cognizant (US)9. eInfochips (US)About Fast Market ResearchFast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget.For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156 (1.413.485.7001 Int'l) Author:

Bill Thompson

e-mail

Web: http://www.fastmr.com

Phone: 1.518.300.1215 03.03.2018 18:09:25 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.Korean-American staff members of U.S. Congress hold first public meeting with Korean Amb. Dozens of Korean-American staff members of U.S. Congress came together this week for the first public event hosted by the South Korean embassy in Washington. The event, held at ...

#Moon Jae-in Moon to visit U.S. for U.N. session, alliance event President Moon Jae-in plans to leave for the United States on Sunday to attend the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly, according to his office. He is joining the annual m...Marijuana Policy: NORML and its national network of advocacy chapters have released a memo to state lawmakers, regulators, prosecutors, and other interested parties providing guidance for how they can take emergency actions to better promote the health and welfare of cannabis consumers and the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In states where marijuana is illegal, the memo calls for immediately deprioritizing marijuana law enforcement, the dropping of charges for pending nonviolent marijuana offenses, and the release of people in jail or prison solely for nonviolent marijuana offenses. In states where it is legal,

NORML is calling for marijuana shops and their suppliers to be designated essential services, allowing for the home delivery and curbside pickup of marijuana products, and expanding the ability of doctors to advise patients via Telemedicine

President Trump 2Xs Military Assets in Caribbean in Bid to Bolster Drug Fight after Maduro Indictment.

The Trump Administration in the daily White House coronavirus pandemic briefing Wednesday announced that it was deploying more US Navy warships and aircraft to the Caribbean in a bid to prevent drug cartels and corrupt actors like Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro from using the pandemic to increase drug smuggling.

The move follows the indictment of President Maduro and 12 current or former Venezuelan officials on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, drug trafficking and corruption.

We must not let the drug cartels exploit the pandemic to threaten American lives, President Trump said.

The Venezuelan government rejected the move, saying it was just an effort to district from The Trump Administrations incompetent handling of pandemic.

Have a healthy weekend, stay home!The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

View ResultsBengaluru: Six months after the sensational murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, a special investigation team probing the case has detained a Hindu Yuva Sena man in connection with the case.

KT Naveen Kumar, a 37-year-old was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on Friday for the illegal possession of bullets. During the probe, the CCB found his links with some right wing groups and his involvement in facilitating the murder of Gauri.

On September 5 last year, 55-year-old Gauri Lankesh was shot down with a 7.65 mm country made pistol outside her residence in Bengaluru. According to the police sources, Kumar was also carrying a similar weapon that was used to kill the journalist.Positivity, usually a word that exudes from my spirit as though it were limitless. I have been through trauma before, through times that are more d...

6 years agoWORCESTER - The "Ounce of Prevention" conference, the state Department of Public Health's annual event designed to promote healthier communities through professional development, will be held March 27 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the DCU Center, 50 Foster St.

Its theme is "Working Together for Healthier and More Equitable Communities" with a focus on social, cultural and economic factors that create disparities in terms of health outcomes among different populations.

Larry Cohen, executive director of the Prevention Institute, will deliver the keynote address.

Dr. Monica Bharel, the state's public health commissioner whose background is in health care for the homeless, will also make remarks at the conference.

Afternoon workshops include ones on "Engaging Men in Sexual Violence Prevention"; "Prevention of Problem Gambling is Not a Whole New Game," which will deal with how the expansion of casinos in the commonwealth might disproportionately effect those with certain behavioral health issues; and "Working to Combat the Opioid Epidemic with Hard to Reach Populations."

This workshop will look at the impact of the opioid drug abuse crisis on New England's fishing communities.

The workshop, "Meaningful Community Engagement for Healthy Food Access," will showcase a food access plan developed for Hampshire County and presenters scheduled for it include Dillon Sussman, a senior planner with Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

"Clearing the Air: Healthy Early Education Centers and Schools" will look at how asthma contributes to school absentee rates, particularly among certain populations.

Another of the 18 workshops, "Mass Incarceration as a Social Determinant of Health: How Can Public Health Play a Role," will be lead by Kim Gilhuly of California-based Human Impact Partners, and Mallory Hanora of Families for Justice as Healing: Building up People, Not Prisons.

There is a fee of $55 fee per person, $25 for students. This rate includes registration, materials, continuing education units, a light breakfast and lunch.

Registration for the event, which closes March 9, can be done on the conference website.The man accused of stabbing a 22-year-old woman to death in the Winchester Public Library was sent to a state maximum security psychiatric hospital after Middlesex County Jail personnel determined he was too mentally ill for the county facility, the Boston Globe reported.

Jeffrey Yao, 23, was arrested Saturday after he allegedly stabbed 22-year-old Deane Kenny Stryker 20 times as she sat in the library. Yao was subdued by bystanders.

He was arraigned on a single charge of murder Monday in Woburn District Court and ordered held in the Middlesex County Jail.

A jail psychiatrist told the court that Yao is responding to internal voices that he can not resist, the Globe reported.TAUNTON -- An 18-year-old Taunton High School student is being held without the right to bail after a dangerousness hearing Thursday, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

Authorities said Kane Jefferson has a history of threatening behavior and had been suspended from school five times. On Monday he allegedly made the threats as two police resource officers confronted him at the door of the school. Officers described his behavior as someone "on a mission" as he approached the school. He yelled obscenities at the officers when confronted and began to fight with police.

Jefferson had threatened to shoot up the school with an AR-15 rifle and to kill two resource officers at the school.

He was charged with threatening to use a deadly weapon, disturbing a school assembly and disorderly conduct.

His defense attorney said Jefferson did not have access to firearms. The lawyer told the court the defendant had been committed to an institution for post-traumatic stress disorder as a child and suffered from behavioral and psychological issues. He said Jefferson also suffers from attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Jefferson was ordered held after his arraignment in Taunton District Court Monday, and that ordered was continued to 120 days after the dangerousness hearing Thursday. Judge Michael Brennan said he found "clear, convincing evidence" that Jefferson posed a threat.The Hampden County Bar Association is once again offering the Col. Archer B. Battista Veterans Scholarship to any veteran who is attending law school.

The scholarship, which will be granted for at least $1,000, was named for Battista, who served in the Air Force for 33 years in active duty and as an Air Force Reservist. He was a pilot and participated in over two hundred missions in the Vietnam War, for which he was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and twenty Air Medals, and served in multiple missions to Saudi Arabia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Battista graduated from Western New England University School of Law and practiced law from 1977 until 2013. He also served as president of the Hampden County Bar Association, a member of its board of directors and an ex officio director.

Battista, who died of cancer in 2016 at the age of 70, was an active part of a team of former Westover Air Force Reserve members who successfully spent four years fighting for benefits for military crews who fall ill after being exposed to Agent Orange while flying C-123 Provider planes that had been previously used to spray the chemical in Vietnam.

After retiring, Battista was instrumental in establishing a Veterans Treatment Court in Western Massachusetts. The court addresses the unique situation of military veterans facing criminal charges, offering specialized supervision and care. Battista also served as a mentor to veterans going through the court process and received the Adams Pro Bono Publico from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts for his work.

The scholarship application can be found on the Hampden County Bar Association website at www.hcbar.org/news/scholarships. Applications must be submitted by May 15.Update: Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. has identified the victims.

--------

A family member has told The Boston Globe that the people found dead inside a West Brookfield home this week were Sara Bermudez and her three children.

That family member, Rachaul Bermudez, told The Globe that her brother, Moses Bermudez, was in California on Thursday and could not reach his wife at home.

He was worried about 38-year-old Sara and the children -- Madison, 8, James, 6, and Michael, 2 -- Rachaul Bermudez told the newspaper.

Rachaul Bermudez on Friday did not immediately return a call and message from MassLive.

The mother and her three children were discovered dead in a bedroom of 10 Old Warren Road on Thursday after a well-being check.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. has not named the victims. He has said that those found dead were a mother and three children, ages 7, 5 and 2.

Two of the children attended West Brookfield Elementary School.

Autopsies are being performed on the victims, Early said Friday.

West Brookfield town records list the homeowners of 10 Old Warren Road as Sara and Moses Bernmudez. They bought the house in 2014.

State Sen. Anne Gobi, whose district includes West Brookfield, said Friday that she did not know the victims personally, but that she knew they owned a party supply rental business. Gobi said the family was generous in donating supplies for local events.

Someone who picked up the phone Friday at the number listed for the party rental business said that the business was owned by Sara and Moses Bermudez but that the business was now closed. The person did not elaborate further and hung up.

On Saturday morning, crime scene tape stretched from trees to utility poles. The scene was much quieter than Friday, when the street was filled with investigators.

No arrests have been made and Early has declined to say if police are searching for a suspect.

Authorities ask that anyone who saw something near Old Warren Road on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday call State Police at 508-820-2121.Gov. Charlie Baker on Saturday declared a state of emergency to help clean up after a Nor'easter caused damage on the coast and through other parts of the state.

Declaring a state of emergency allows federal and interstate resources to provide assistance with the storm cleanup.

Strong winds and potential threats of coastal flooding continued Saturday. The brunt of the storm came Friday night.

"The declaration will permit the Commonwealth to request and receive mutual aid assistance from other states through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact if deemed necessary and also facilitate the immediate procurement and deployment of goods and services needed to ensure prompt and effective response and recovery from this storm," the governor's office wrote in a news release.

As of Saturday morning, more than 380,000 people remained without power.

The state of emergency will remain in effect until further notice.

To help local authorities respond during the storm, the National Guard mobilized 53 vehicles to locations across Eastern Massachusetts.

Residents are encouraged to check MEMA for critical updates and direct general questions to the 24-hour citizen information telephone line by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting www.Mass211.org.The number of Massachusetts customers without power jumped by almost 100,000 as Gov. Charlie Baker offered an update on the Nor'easter storm battering the state.

By the time he had wrapped up his Friday night press conference, the number stood at over 400,000 customers around 8 p.m.

High winds and two more high tides are expected as communities are already dealing with coastal flooding, toppled trees and downed utility poles. Many of the customers without power are on the South Shore and elsewhere in Eastern Massachusetts.

"We still have a very long way to go with this storm," Baker said during a press conference from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) bunker in Framingham.

Baker urged residents to stay away from flooded areas. "Please do not drive through flooded areas in the dark," the governor said.

"Tonight is not the night to check out the storm," he added, pointing to the dangers of downed power lines, damaged seawalls, and fast-rising waters.

At least 30 coastal communities were dealing with moderate to major flooding, according to Kurt Schwartz, the MEMA director.

Schwartz said it's too early to evaluate the damage to homes and businesses.

As he and the governor spoke, the number of power outages kept rising.

Schwartz said residents in coastal communities should be prepared for a "prolonged" power outage and restoration work may be unable to start until Sunday morning.Secret Service agents have responded to a man who reportedly shot himself near the White House Saturday, according to officials.

Agents received reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound along the north fence line of the White House, the Secret Service announced on Twitter just after noon.

BREAKING: Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse.  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) March 3, 2018

Medical personnel responded to a male victim, officials said. No other injuries were reported in relation to the incident.

Pedestrian and vehicular traffic around the White House, however, has been impacted, the Secret Service noted.

President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time of the reported incident, but in Florida.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters gathered outside Mar-a-Lago that officials are aware of the incident and "the president has been briefed" on it.

He referred further questions to the Secret Service, according to pool reports.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated if more information becomes available.SPRINGFIELD -- When my editor suggested I take the the Springfield Citizens Police Academy course last year I was pretty skeptical.

My immediate thoughts were, What if they make me run a mile or do a push-up or some other physical activity? What if I have to memorize the Miranda rights?

After looking into it a bit and speaking with Lt. Norman Charest, who runs the course, I decided to give it a try. After all, if I managed to spend 17 days entrenched at The Big E then I could commit one night a week for 10 weeks to learn about the Springfield Police Department.

The department is now enrolling students for its 45th Citizens Police Academy. The course is free to any Springfield resident and begins March 14. It will be held every Wednesday from 6-10 p.m. through May. The academy will be held at the the Paul J. Fenton Public Safety Annex on East Street.

Recently I sat down with Charest and fellow police officer and instructor Kevin Ashworth to reminisce about the time I almost became a hostage in a mock domestic violence scenario, and the time I got to tour the police station and meet the 911 dispatchers who answer residents' distress calls every day. I also got to meet K-9 officers, civilian personnel who work at the department and more.

"The idea is to give citizens some exposure into what police officers do every day and the different types of jobs within the department," said Charest, who has been a Springfield police officer for 35 years.

One of the goals of the academy is to give citizens an opportunity to interact with police officers outside of an emergency situation, he said.

"They can talk to us as the normal human beings that we are," he said. "We are not investigating anything, we are not looking at an accident scene or trying to patrol a crowd. We can sit down and have a coffee with you and just talk, and I find that's a good way to get a better perspective of the police in a casual atmosphere."

The academy is taught mostly in a series of interactive lectures with police officers like Edward Van Zandt, Jaime Bruno, Edwin Vasquez and Michael Dumas covering everything from popular narcotics on the street to defensive tactics to community policing.

"We try to bring in as many officers as we can to talk about the work that they do and give students an insight into a world they don't know much about," Charest said.

During the 10-week course, students get a chance to meet police officers from various departments and ask them questions.

"Every new class is a little bit different. We coordinate with the officers to see what their schedules are like and who can come in, but we try to cover the basics every year," Charest said.

My class was made up of a dozen people from all walks of life, from teenagers interested in studying criminal justice in college to several people who were interested in a career in law enforcement.

Kency Gilet, an East Springfield resident and psychotherapist, was interested in learning how the police department works.

"It was definitely a learning experience," said Gilet, who was running for a Springfield City Council seat at the time. "I think it's important for the community to have positive interactions with police officers and to have a better understanding of what they do."

Patisha Moore was one of several deaf students who took the course. For Moore and her friends, it was about interacting with the police department and getting to know its officers better.

"Sometimes the deaf community is not connected to police," she said. "It was interesting to see how they do things and also to talk to them about how difficult it can be for us if we get stopped by an officer and can't communicate with them."

As the course comes to a close, students prepare for the applied patrol procedures portion, a series of mock police scenarios. For our class the scenarios were set up at Mary O. Pottenger School after hours. There were was a police cruiser in the parking lot with a mock traffic stop scenario and several rooms set up with volunteers playing roles from a suicidal young man to an arguing couple.

Milta Vargas, a domestic violence services and sexual assault coordinator with the department, and citizen volunteer Brian Kingsley set up a tense scene where a couple gets into an argument and calls the cops. Students answer the call and put into use all of the techniques they learned.

"Its always gratifying to see how different students approach a scenario," said Kingsley, who has played everything from an abused spouse to an accident victim over the years.

My partner and I answered several calls, including the call of a sister claiming her brother was suicidal. The young man, played by a police officer, was armed and very upset.

I attempted to talk him out of committing suicide while my partner calmed his sister down. I managed to talk him out of it, but in the process I exposed myself and my partner to being shot in the chest. So, not my best work.

"There are a lot of split decisions you have to make, and we hope our officers will rely on the training they received and do the right thing," Ashworth said.

Charest said a lot of students are apprehensive about doing the scenarios on week one, but by week 10 they have the tools necessary to handle the situations.

"It's a simple way of showing them just how volatile an average call can get. You can start out thinking you are answering a basic domestic disturbance and you arrive there to discover there has been a serious assault or even murder," he said. "We want people to understand how much of a risk officers take every time they answer a call."

I went into the course with certain preconceived notions about police officers. My only interactions with them have been getting a ticket for speeding or interviewing them about crimes. Relations between police and communities of color are often volatile and there is a serious lack of trust and understanding on both sides.

I can't say that the academy made me suddenly believe those problems don't exist or don't need to be addressed. But I will say that I left with a better understanding of what it is to wake up every morning, kiss your family goodbye for the day and not know if this is the day you get shot or killed.

No matter what your idea of police is, this course will give you some perspective. It's an opportunity to have real conversations with officers, share with them your concerns and ask tough questions. I found the officers to be open and willing to talk about the issues facing the city. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that many of them love this city just as much as I do and really want to see it be a safe, diverse and thriving community.

Those interested in participating the Citizens Police Academy can fill out an application online. For more information, call 413-735-1566 or email kashworth@springfieldpolice.net.SPRINGFIELD - A judge has thrown out evidence seized by Springfield narcotics detectives last year during an outdoor strip search of a suspected crack cocaine dealer, effectively ending the case.

In a ruling this week, Springfield District Court Judge Mark Pasquariello found that an officer violated the rights of Asante Kamau, 35, of Springfield, by pulling a rock of crack cocaine from his underwear on April 13, 2017.

Police had a right to stop Kamau on Andrew Street and conduct a general search, but should have taken him to a more secluded area before reaching into his pants and removing the cocaine in his underwear, the judge wrote.

While the search was conducted between two buildings "to partially screen the defendant from public view," it took place in daylight "in an urban residential area, with light pedestrian traffic ... where any number of persons could have observed the encounter," the judge wrote.

In addition, several detectives, including a woman officer, were watching as an officer reached into Kamau's pants and "retrieved the small sandwich bag ... clenched between the cheeks of the defendant's buttocks," the judge wrote.

Since police had no reason to believe Kamau had a weapon or posed an immediate threat, Kamau could have been taken to police headquarters and searched in a private room, the judge said.

"A serious intrusion of the defendant's privacy occurred," the judge wrote, even with no "exposure of the defendant's buttocks nor the actual removal of the last layer of the defendant's clothing."

"Therefore, the court find that the location of the search was inappropriate and constitutionally unreasonable," Pasquariello wrote.

Following the search, Kamau was charged with one count of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $460 bail.

The ruling came five weeks after defense lawyer Matthew Hutchinson filed a motion to bar prosecutors from using the drug evidence at trial.

Hutchinson, a former prosecutor, said police violated his client's rights by conducting an "inspection of such a highly personal nature" during daylight hours in public.

In 2012, the state Supreme Judicial Court upheld a lower court's decision to throw out drug evidence seized during a public strip search in Lowell, explaining the search "was not conducted in a private room or in a private location and no exigency existed."

In his motion, Hutchinson quoted from the ruling. "Strip or visual body cavity searches are by their very nature, humiliating, demeaning and terrifying experiences that, without question, constitute a substantial intrusion into one's personal privacy rights," he wrote.

During a pretrial hearing Feb. 1, the lawyer called as witnesses two neighbors who claimed they saw police pull down Kamau's pants and search him while he stood on the sidewalk.

In his ruling, Pasquariello noted the witnesses were acquaintances of Kamau and concluded that their testimony lacked credibility.

As grounds for his decision, the judge also cited a 2016 ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that strip searches are not limited to cases in which suspects are fully disrobed. By a 4-3 vote, the court threw out evidence seized by Brockton police when they pulled a man's shorts and underwear away from his body and shined a flashlight down his pants.WORCESTER -- A morning crash involving a tractor trailer has slowed traffic on a Massachusetts Turnpike ramp near Worcester, state police reported Saturday.

One lane was open to westbound traffic on the Interstate 90 ramp at Exit 10 just after 9 a.m., Massachusetts State Police announced on Twitter.

Motorists traveling in the area should expect delays, police said.

No injuries were reported in conjunction with the crash, which left a tractor trailer truck on its side.

#MAtraffic TT Crash, I-90 WB ramp at x.10, no injuries. One lane open, expect delays. pic.twitter.com/x6bQiHgFMK  Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) March 3, 2018

State police did not release further details regarding the cause of the crash.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated when more information becomes available.SPRINGFIELD -- Dozens of walkers took the city's downtown Saturday to bring attention to the issue of domestic violence and to honor the life of Jessica Rojas, who was killed by her boyfriend in 2012.

The annual walk, which came on the six year anniversary of Rojas' death, began with a brief speaking program at Springfield City Hall and ended with a balloon release at Northgate Plaza.

Nearly 100 people, including friends and family of Rojas, local law enforcement officials, victim advocates and others, braved the windy and cold temperatures to take part in the event.

Suehaley Arce, a Springfield Police domestic abuse counselor and friend of Rojas who helped organize the walk, said it aims to raise awareness about the signs of domestic violence, the impacts it can have on a community and the resources available to victims.

"I just want people to be aware of domestic violence that we have, not only in our city, but everywhere," she said in an interview. "These things can be very difficult, so we want to make sure that everyone knows we're here to support and that no one's alone in that type of situation -- if you speak out and you reach out enough, resources are available."

Arce added that she'd encourage anyone who is a victim of domestic violence to reach out when they're ready.

"It's important to speak out and ask, and seek out resources, if possible," she said, noting that the Springfield Police Department has advocates available to assist victims during the week and on weekends.

Milta Vargas, who works as the domestic violence coordinator for the Springfield Police Department, also urged victims to reach out for help, as well as called on community members to be on the lookout for signs of domestic violence.

"Domestic violence doesn't end, it's always ongoing," she said. "We've saved a lot of lives, there's a lot of victims that have escaped ... Let's make a difference. Let's call, let's give them a ride, let's tell them where they can go -- give them referral numbers. Don't have that mentality that says, 'This isn't my business, I'm going to mind my business.'"

Police Commissioner John Barbieri, in brief remarks before the event, praised Arce and Vargas' work in helping victims of domestic violence and joined them in encouraging all residents to look out for signs of such abuse.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said that despite the somberness of the occasion, he's encouraged by the number of people who showed up to bring attention to domestic violence and honor Rojas.

"She had quite the career and life ahead of her, and then it was taken away like that," he said. "That's why it's so important -- so important -- that we bond and stand together as one to get the word out on stopping domestic violence."

Sarno, who noted that Rojas worked for his Law Department, stressed that the annual walk is proof that "her legacy lives on."

"She's in heaven, she's smiling down upon us and appreciates what each and every one of you do," he said.

Springfield YWCA Executive Director Elizabeth Dineen, who also addressed walk participants, said while she never met Rojas, "obviously she must have been an amazing young woman for this event to go on year after year."

Dineen encouraged other victims of domestic violence to take advantage of the resources available through the YWCA.

Rojas, a 25-year-old mother of four, died after being stabbed by her boyfriend Jose Santiago at her Washburn Street apartment on March 3, 2012.

Santiago was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in March 2014 after a jury found him guilty of first degree murder.Joe Deburro / The Republican [file]

Massachusetts House and Senate lawmakers cast ballots on measures ranging from protecting access to confidential health care to providing all public employees with the same safeguards as private workers as they met for various legislative sessions this week.

Here's how members from the Western part of the state voted on those proposals:

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HOUSE:

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David Goldman

Protect access to confidential health care

The House, on a 139 to 14 vote, approved a bill that would require health insurance companies to issue Explanation of Benefits" summaries only directly to the patient, even if the patient is not the primary subscriber. Currently, most insurers send the forms to the primary subscriber, regardless of who the patient is.

(The) act will give health plan members confidence in knowing that they can receive the medical treatment they need, while ensuring that their medical information remains private and will be delivered in a way that best meets their particular needs, said Lora Pellegrini, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

Current law does not ensure that vulnerable women can get  birth control without an explanation of benefits being sent to, for example, an abusive partner, said Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts. This could lead to some women choosing not to use birth control because of a lack of confidentiality. In order for Bay Staters to have true access to contraception, they must be guaranteed the right to receive that care confidentially."

"I voted to protect parental rights," said Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, who voted against the measure. "As a father, I believe that parents have a right to know what medical procedures their children are receiving. They need our guidance and support."

The Senate has approved a different version of the bill. The House version now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Voting "Yes," or for the bill were: Reps. Brian Ashe, John Barrett, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Michael Finn, Solomon Goldstein-Rose, Carlos Gonzalez, Stephen Kulik, Paul Mark, Thomas Petrolati, William Pignatelli, Angelo Puppolo, John Scibak, Todd Smola, Jose Tosado, Aaron Vega, John Velis, Joseph Wagner, Susannah Whipps and Bud Williams.

Voting "No, or against it were: Reps. Donald Berthiaume and Nicholas Boldyga.

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SENATE:

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Gary Landers

Protect state and local public employees

The Senate, on a 36 to 0 vote, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker a bill that provides all state and municipal workers with the same protections provided to private workers under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Supporters said that in the Bay State in 2017 at least six municipal workers died from workplace injuries and noted that an average of 28 municipal workers per week suffer injuries serious enough to be out of work for five days or more. They argued this protection would cover some 450,000 state and local public workers who perform jobs that are sometimes just as dangerous as private sector ones.

Worker safety must be a top priority, said Sen. Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, the bills sponsor. Providing safe and healthy work conditions for all of Massachusetts workers, across all sectors, should be the least we do. Extending these protections to public employees helps them return home to their families, and we must make sure they continue to do so.

Voting Yes, or for the bill were: Sens. Anne Gobi, Adam Hinds, Donald Humason, Eric Lesser, Stanley Rosenberg and James Welch.

No one voted "No," or against the bill.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Staff-Shot

Made in Mass.

The Senate, on a 36 to 0 vote, approved and sent to the House a bill establishing the MassMade Program to identify, connect and support businesses that produce consumer goods in Massachusetts.

The program would provide information about qualified Massachusetts businesses and their products in a format readily available at no cost to consumers. The program would also be charged with identifying obstacles to conducting business in the Bay State and act as a resource for consumers seeking goods made here.

MassMade will boost our economy by empowering companies and consumers alike, said Sen. Eileen Donoghue, D-Lowell, the bills sponsor. "No longer will the commonwealths manufacturers buy widgets from overseas because they did not realize that the same widget is being made 15 miles down the road. No longer will Massachusetts residents say they want to buy gifts or a specialty food locally, but not knowing where to shop, give up and go online. MassMade supports the commonwealths world-class businesses and provides a key resource for those wishing to buy made-in-Massachusetts goods.

Voting Yes, or for the bill were: Sens. Anne Gobi, Adam Hinds, Donald Humason, Eric Lesser, Stanley Rosenberg and James Welch.

No one voted "No," or against the bill.One tool shows how a site stacks up against the competition on mobile. The other aims to drive home the impact mobile speed can have on the bottom line.

Ginny Marvin

https://searchengineland.com/google-releases-mobile-scorecard-impact-calculator-tools-illustrate-importance-mobile-page-speed-293021Living in rural America comes with challenges and benefits. Many see rural areas as offering a more relaxed pace of life, or as the center of the countrys agricultural economy. But rural America can also be a place for entrepreneurial pioneers to test out ideas, and it can provide fertile ground for fast-growing startups.

Brent Comstock, Rural Impact HubYouTube TYRANTS now attacking your ability to think, speak or question the state are we living under Communist China?

YouTube tyranny is in full swing as the dominant video site has turned over video flagging responsibilities to radical left-wing slander groups like the SPLC, famous for flagging just about every Christian and Catholic group across America as some sort of hate group.

The Southern Poverty Law Center is assisting YouTube in policing content on their platform, reports The Daily Caller. The left-wing nonprofit  which has more recently come under fire for labeling legitimate conservative organizations as hate groups  is one of the more than 100 nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and government agencies in YouTubes Trusted Flaggers program, a source with knowledge of the arrangement told TheDC.

Under the control of radicalized left-wing censorship, YouTube has unleashed a censorship rampage over the last week, targeting nearly every prominent conservative, independent media leader and even book authors for termination. (This is what happens when Leftists control things. Its one more reason to vote against Democrats at every election)

YouTube bans people for talking to other people who have been banned

This censorship rampage is all being done by design, of course, and it only targets those who disagree with official narratives on topics of political importance. As part of its purge efforts, just yesterday YouTube issued a strike against my own account for an interview I conducted in 2012 with the author of a book that was banned by Amazon.com.

Today, Natural News has learned that YouTube is hunting down and terminating all users and videos that mention Jim Fetzer, the author of that controversial book about the Sandy Hook shooting which claims that the entire thing was staged as a gun control stunt. Several content creators who post videos to YouTube have told me today that all their videos mentioning Jim Fetzer are being deleted, and strikes are being issued against their YouTube accounts.

In effect, anyone who dares interview an author who was banned ends up getting banned themselves. Its like a play book right out of Red China or the former Soviet Union. Now abandoning anything resembling due process or the individual liberty to utter unpopular opinions, tyrannical tech giants like YouTube declare certain individuals to be so toxic that anyone who dares speak with them is also banned.

We have now entered the Twilight Zone, and the tyrants in charge are left-wing lunatics who are, without exception, totalitarians who despise dissenting views. As they are demonstrating by the hour, they are more than willing to exploit their positions of power to silence their political opposition and destroy the subscriber audiences of alternative authors or journalists. Make no mistake that this is all a prelude to a massive false flag event that I have described as The Mother of all False Flags.

Read more via this article from Breitbart.com:

The Purge: YouTube Mass-Censors Conservatives, New Right, Classical Liberals

YouTube is purging right-wing and independent commentators in the wake of the Parkland High shooting while admitting that it is mistakenly banning conservatives.

Independent journalist Mike Cernovich reported earlier today that a video he uploaded of left-wing Antifa activists chanting death threats had been taken down by YouTube. The video shows Antifa shouting violent threats at attendees of Cernovichs Night for Freedom event in Washington DC, which took place on Saturday. Cernovich commented to Breitbart News on YouTubes removal, saying, YouTube is censoring honest, unedited reporting about ANTIFAs actions. This can mean only one thing  they endorse far left wing violence.

YouTube Censors video of ANTIFA protestors making death threats https://t.co/riAvKL0arA  Mike Cernovich  (@Cernovich) March 1, 2018

Google, which owns YouTube, has also banned political YouTube star and classical liberal Carl Benjamin, better known by his online pseudonym Sargon of Akkad.

Although his videos are still available to view, he has been locked out of his Google account, including YouTube, and is unable to upload new videos. Benjamin was also permanently banned from Twitter last year  Facebook is now the only major social media platform that he can use to get his message out.

In a comment to Breitbart News, Benjamin said the ban, which mirrored that of Canadian academic Jordan Peterson last August, was the beginning of a platform-wide purge.

As James Damores lawsuit against Google has shown, the entire company is riddled with a far-left ideological orthodoxy that has taken hold to a radical degree, said Benjamin.

Googles active suppression of individualist ideas within its own ranks has caused classical liberal and conservative commentators to be considered as far-right as Nazis, and are being treated with the same kind of prejudice and ruthlessness.

Earlier this week, we reported on the censorship of Ashton Whitty, a conservative vlogger and Berkeley student. After Whitty uploaded a video criticizing CNN over their coverage of the Parkland shootings, YouTube took down her video and issued her channel with a strike. If a channel receives three strikes within three months, it can be permanently banned from the platform. Although the initial video was restored and the strike removed, the same thing happened to another of Whittys videos within a few hours.

The YouTube purge has also hit InfoWars, a popular alternative media channel run by radio host Alex Jones, who interviewed Donald Trump while he was still a candidate. InfoWars YouTube channel, which has more than 2 million subscribers, has now been blocked for two weeks over accusations that it posted conspiracy theories about Parkland. If it receives one more strike within three months, the channel will be permanently banned.

Gentle reminder. For the last 2 weeks, the legacy media has been openly lobbying for the restriction of the 1st and 2nd Amendments, the very bedrock of what made America the greatest country in the world. And they wonder why they are hated.  Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) March 1, 2018

In a comment to Breitbart News, InfoWars Editor-at-Large and YouTube star Paul Joseph Watson said Googles unchecked power and influence over civil discourse required regulation.

Google is a monopoly, and its anti-free speech policies are beginning to erode the sanctity of civil discourse, said Watson. We need some kind of constitutional amendment or mass movement, such as the one against SOPA, in order to re-assert the supremacy of free expression.

YouTube admitting they made a mistake in terminating some accounts and content does offer a glimmer of hope that there are some rational actors within the company.

However, this speaks to the wider phenomenon of how society has become so coddled and infantilized, that stridently challenging the views of public figures is now being treated as bullying and harassment.

Watson warned that the fury caused by mass censorship on social media platforms would only increase the same hyper-partisan tensions that the big tech companies claim to oppose.

A YouTube spokeswoman recently admitted that some videos were being removed in error, attributing it to teething problems caused by their recent hiring of 10,000 new human moderators.

Newer members may misapply some of our policies resulting in mistaken removals admitted the spokeswoman. Well reinstate any videos that were removed in error.

At a Senate hearing last month, Sen. Ted Cruz called out YouTubes alleged ideological bias, highlighting Prager Universitys lawsuit against the company over censorship of conservatives. Cruz told a YouTube representative that if the platform did not remain politically neutral, they could lose legal immunity for user content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Without this protection, social media companies would be legally liable for all content posted on their platforms  an existential threat to their business model.

Update  InfoWars contributor Jerome Corsi reports that his YouTube account has been terminated.

Source: Breitbart.comA new healthcare scheme 'Arogya Karnataka' was unveiled by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The healthcare scheme aimed at benefiting about 1.43 crore households in the state.



"Through the scheme, all below-poverty-line (BPL) households will get free treatment at government hospitals while for above-poverty-line (APL) households, the state will bear about 30 per cent of the treatment cost."

The 'Arogya Karnataka' healthcare scheme aims to provide quality primary, secondary and tertiary treatment to both below-poverty-line (BPL) and above-poverty-line (APL) families in Karnataka.

In line with the 'Modicare' of the central government, Siddaramaiah had announced during the Budget presentation last month that Karnataka, too, would soon provide healthcare for all.



The state Budget, however, did not mention the funds for the scheme's implementation.



As mentioned in the Budget, the scheme is expected to be implemented in the entire state by December.



Source: IANS

Advertisement

Nearly 1.05 crore households can get access to healthcare entirely free of cost through the "Universal Health Card" to be linked to Aadhaar card, he said.ANN ARBOR, MI - Many of the teenagers gathered at a rally against gun violence on Saturday, March 3, are not yet old enough to vote, but they're determined to find other ways to make their voices heard and push for gun control.

For about 6 minutes on Saturday - roughly how long the Feb. 14 school shooting in Florida lasted - "bodies" filled Liberty Plaza in downtown Ann Arbor as the approximately 200 attendees lay down or sat around the perimeter of the plaza.

During the #NeverAgain "die-in," students read the names of the 17 victims of the Florida shooting and 33 other children and teens who have died by gun violence in the U.S. since the Florida shooting.

"(The die-in) shows people that we care and the next generation is going to come out and is going to try to change what has been going on and actually enact policies that are going to stop these horrific acts," said Grace Stephan, 17, a junior at Pioneer High School, who attended Saturday's die-in. "It's to make a statement of support and solidarity for all the victims of gun violence, and especially the Parkland shooting."

In addition to the die-in portion of the rally, Skyline student Liam Keating and Pioneer students Sarah Lewis, Clara Nunez-Regueiro and Marquaun Kane called for further action to ensure student safety in schools and limit access to guns for those who want to harm themselves and others.

Dr. Sonya Lewis, who is Sarah's mother and a member of the event sponsor Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence, outlined several policy changes the physicians group would like to see, including giving the Centers for Disease Control the ability to research gun violence.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Swift and Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor also spoke and thanked the students for taking a stand on the issue of gun control.

"I'm sorry, students, that we as adults have not been able to solve this, and I apologize to you for that. But I promise you we will not rest until this issue is behind us and our schools are safe and sacred places of learning," Swift said in her remarks. "This is a teachable moment for our country. We have failed, but you will succeed and we will lift you up all the way through this fight."

Some attendees held signs with phrases like "Our live are more important than your guns" and "Lawmakers work for us, not the NRA." Volunteers with the Women's League of Voters helped people register to vote, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Washtenaw Youth Initiative and Michigan Coalition for the Prevention of Gun Violence set up informational tables at Saturday's rally.

Students repeatedly called for their peers to vote when they're old enough and to contact elected officials in the meantime to encourage their representatives to support policies that promote gun control. They shared information on how to sign petitions for gun control and urged people to boycott businesses that support the National Rifle Association.

"I'm not here to advocate for repealing the Second Amendment, nor do I want the government to come and forcibly take anybody's guns," said Keating, adding that he believes a majority of Americans would support a ban on assault rifles. "... (The Second Amendment) doesn't read that we have the right to bear every type of arm, at all times, without limitation."

Pioneer seniors Jon Flynn and Henry Taylor, both 17, were pleased with the size and diversity of the turnout for the die-in, which they said shows gun control is important to many people.

"There's been a lot of different student-led initiatives to help influence our world, and this particular one seems different," Taylor said. "There's a widespread calling for everyone to take part in this incredibly important cause. Everyone's doing their part, and as a result there will be meaningful solution to end this systemic problem."

Washtenaw County high school students also are organizing a school walkout and rally on March 14 to correspond with the national school walkout to protest gun violence in schools. Students from Ann Arbor's five high schools participated in a walkout against gun violence on Feb. 21, and a local March For Our Lives is planned for March 24 as part of a national event.ANN ARBOR, MI - The Washtenaw County Road Commission is warning motorists that pothole-filled roads will only worsen after the latest batch of snow dumped on southeastern Michigan.

Emily Kizer, spokesperson for the WCRC, said sunshine and warm temperatures melted away most of the snow and slush left behind after Thursday's winter storm, but work crews are expected to still clock some overtime this weekend to address a rising number of potholes.

"They've had a lot of very busy weekends this year," Kizer said.

Road crews were out on Washtenaw County roads starting at 4 a.m. Friday, Kizer said, and laid out sand and grit on some roads to provide tractions for area motorists.

We've had reports of icy conditions and downed trees across the county. Our crews have been out since 4 a.m. working on these issues. Drive safe!  Washtenaw Roads (@washtenawroads) March 2, 2018

Some of them are returning Saturday to start on pothole patching, she added.

Last week, Kizer said the road commission used more than 250,000 pounds of cold patch across three days to fill in some of the more danger-posing potholes.

"Our latest batch of snow is only going to make the potholes worse," Kizer said. "We are aware of them and trying to get to them as quickly as possible. We're putting down a ton of material, literally."

She advised motorists to drive with caution and leave space in between vehicles in case of sudden stops.

Extreme pothole conditions forced the road commission to shut down Platt Road, between Willis and Bemis roads, in York Township on Thursday because of "pavement failure."ANN ARBOR, MI - The Parkland, Florida, school shooting mobilized teenagers across the country to join the national conversation around gun control and school safety.

But some of these middle and high school student activists are wondering whether they will be penalized for joining demonstrations during school, prompting educators to revisit their schools' policies on student protests.

Students at Ann Arbor's five high schools held a brief walkout on Feb. 21 - one week after the school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead - to protest gun violence. Ann Arbor high school students also have organized a "die-in" set for Saturday, March 3, to highlight the same issue.

High school and middle school students across Washtenaw County are expected to participate in a national school walkout on March 14, and Eastern Michigan University freshman Kennedy Dixon has taken the lead in organizing a local event to correspond with the national March For Our Lives on March 24.

"Schools do have the power to regulate students during school hours and on school property," said Vera Eidelman, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, during a presentation on Thursday related to student rights. "So what that means for you with regard to speech is that you can speak out in school as long as you're not disrupting the functioning of the school. The key word there is disrupting, and that's a pretty hard word."

Basically, schools cannot discipline or censor students' non-disruptive speech or non-disruptive clothing that aligns with the school's dress code or otherwise punish students for their ideas, rather than their actions, according to the ACLU.

Eidelman added the caveat that this guidance applies to public schools, and private schools may have different rules.

Students may face consequences for participating in walkouts during the school day, because students are required by law to attend school.

Ann Arbor Public Schools plans to accommodate students to spend about 45 minutes out of class to participate in the national school walkout on March 14.

However, if students want to join their peers from other Washtenaw County schools at a larger rally outside Ypsilanti Community High School following the walkout, Ann Arbor students will need to have their parents sign them out of school, and they will be marked absent for the rest of the school day.

"We understand the desire of many of our students, right now in particular, to raise their voices and express their thoughts regarding school safety concerns across our nation," said AAPS Superintendent Jeanice Swift during a board of education meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 28. "While we fully support our students in sharing these thoughts, we know the expression must be done in a way that does not cause disruption or interfere with the orderly conduct of learning or school activities, per district policy."

Attending the rally will count as instructional time for Ypsilanti Community Schools students. Students who want to participate in the walkout and the rally on March 14 will not be marked absent, said Superintendent Benjamin Edmondson.

The issue of students' First Amendment rights in school was defined in a 1969 Supreme Court decision in the case of Mary Beth Tinker vs. Des Moines. The Court upheld the rights of 13-year-old Mary Beth Tinker and other students to wear armbands to school as a show of protest against the Vietnam War.

"I'd like to remind everybody - students and adults - that if during the Civil Rights movement or during the Vietnam protests, if permission to protest was required, there would not be change," said Jeff Gaynor, secretary of the Ann Arbor school board. "Students have an obligation, as do adults, to be thoughtful in their actions, to realize that there may be consequences in their actions and to weigh the moral choices that they're making."

During Wednesday's school board meeting, Linda Carter, president of the Ann Arbor Education Association, also shared legal guidance from the National Education Association on teachers' right to protest.

Teachers may participate in political activities outside of work hours, Carter summarized from the NEA guidance, but they do not have the legal right to participate in school walkouts - unless the event is authorized by the district.

The March 14 walkout is student-led and not officially organized by any Washtenaw County schools.

Carter recognized teachers may feel conflicted in wanting to supervise groups of students who participate in a school walkout, but also recognizing they do not have the legal right to participate in a student-led demonstration during school.

The NEA recommends each school establish protocols in advance for how teachers are expected to respond to a student walkout, Carter said. Swift said that work is ongoing.

Lincoln High School senior Max McNally, who is involved in planning the school walkout in Washtenaw County, said some students are still waiting to find out how their schools will respond to the demonstration.

"We haven't had a definitive answer on that," McNally said. "I don't think we should face any suspensions, expulsions or disciplinary issues because of this. Students are walking out because they're marching for their lives."

He would like to see school administrators assist students in working out the logistics for their events.

"This is about a movement, and the staff and administrators have a huge role in making sure that movement succeeds," McNally said. "We need them now more than ever to reflect the student voice and reflect the pain students are feeling across the country."

This post was updated to include a comment from the Ypsilanti Community School superintendent.Sen. Bert Johnson, Jr. entered a not-guilty plea after being indicted on federal charges.

State Sen. Bert Johnson, who pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in Detroit's federal court Friday, March 2, has resigned, according to Amber McCann, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive.

"The majority leader is deeply disappointed that a senator would use his office to commit a crime," McCann said.

Johnson submitted his resignation to the Senate on Friday following his court appearance, stating: "It's with profound regret that I tender my resignation, effective March 2, 2018," according, to McCann.

Johnson, who has been a state lawmaker since 2007 and a senator since 2011, admitted to arranging for a "ghost employee" to be paid more than $23,000 beginning in March 2014.

Johnson, a Democrat from Highland Park, accepted a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit's federal court Friday, March 2.

The agreement required Johnson to plead guilty to a count of felony conspiracy to commit theft from a federally funded program. A second related count of conspiracy to commit fraud will be dismissed.

Johnson agreed to repay the state $23,133.89 and serve a recommended prison sentence between six months and a year.

Upon completion of his prison sentence, Johnson could be under court supervision for up to three years. He also faces possible fines up to $250,000 and will no longer be allowed to run for public office as a convicted felon.

Johnson was accused of creating a fake position for Glynis Thornton to repay a $14,000 personal loan.

Between March 2014 and Jan. 2, 2015, Johnson admits that he approved fraudulent billing to the state on Thornton's behalf for a salary based on 30 hours per week of work that Thornton never performed.

The senator, who appeared in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman Friday wearing a navy suit, declined comment as he walked toward the elevator following the hearing Friday.

His appointed attorney, John A. Shea, also said he wouldn't comment.

Johnson previously denied the accusations and rejected a similar plea deal offered by the U.S. Attorney's Office earlier this week.

"Senator Johnson made a conscious decision to violate the trust and confidence of the constituents that he was elected to represent," said IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Manny J. Muriel.

Johnson is one of several Detroit-area lawmakers to resign amid scandals in recent years.

Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, resigned in December 2017 in the wake of allegations of sexual harrassment.

Former state Rep. Brian Banks, D-Harper Woods, resigned in February 2017 after pleading guilty to a count of misdemeanor filing false financial statements.

Former state Sen. Virgil Smith, D-Detroit, resigned in April 2016 while in jail after being sentenced to 10 months behind bars for an incident of gunfire involving his ex-wife.Tracey Nelson. (Courtesy | State of Michigan)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - In the halls of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, Administrator Tracey Nelson knows nearly every warrior now in her care.

Now in her third month at the home, Nelson will admit she is still learning some of the names of the 279 residents. The home is larger than most private nursing homes, where Nelson has spent much of her career. She came to Grand Rapids from MediLodge of Capital Area in Lansing.

Serving veterans drew her to the job in Grand Rapids - and she said the scathing audits from 2013 to 2015 that showed problems with staffing and treatment of veterans didn't scare her away.

"What I see today doesn't match what I read then," Nelson said.

Nelson said she was in a similar situation in 2005, when she worked for Fairlane Senior Care in Detroit that was under scrutiny by the state.

"So I've been here before," Nelson said. "There were specific challenges and I just enjoy being part of that team that brings it up to the next level."

Nelson is now at the helm of one of two veterans homes in Michigan. In the next decade, that will change drastically as the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency looks to build 10 across the state. Grand Rapids is in line for a brand-new facility that could be open as soon as 2020, though the federal Veterans Administration funding that will pay for 65 percent of the project has yet to be allocated.

The new building's design will dramatically change how care is delivered to veterans, but Nelson doesn't want to wait for the new building to improve care.

"The goal this year is to get the veterans involved in the direction that we take," Nelson said.

Making changes

Nelson has started committees made of veterans, their families and staff to weigh in on what changes need to be made at the building.

The first committee has been tasked with evaluating how to improve the continuity of care of residents at the home.

Certified nurses and nurse assistants at the home are staffed by two companies, MAXIM and CareerStaff Unlimited, that cover each other's gaps. Nelson said the committee is coming up with ways to create a stronger sense of community between the residents and the staff.

"We've had great numbers of staff - but just because you have a body here doesn't mean that they're doing what they should be," Nelson said. "Now we're focusing on some continuity, so the same staff are on the same units with the same members so they're building their own community on their own unit."

A new committee launched in March: food.

Residents surveyed said they were the least satisfied with the food at the home, Nelson said. The veterans home has one kitchen that serves two buildings with multiple floors. The committee will come up with ways to improve the meal rotations and alternative options, and ultimately residents will be signing off on menus, Nelson said.

Moving to a new facility

On the southern edge of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans' 90-acre property, the woods at Monroe Avenue and Three Mile Road will soon be a construction site for the new $49 million facility.

Zoning changes to accommodate the new veterans home are still being processed with the city of Grand Rapids.

Should the funding be approved, veterans could be moving into the new building in 2020.

Along with the new facility comes an important designation: the veterans home in Grand Rapids would be certified by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the first time.

About 25 percent of veterans homes across the country aren't certified by CMS, said Suzanne Thelen, strategic communications manager for the MVAA. The Grand Rapids home was built to house veterans barracks-style, and cinder block walls would have to be removed from the building in order for CMS to certify it, Thelen said.

The new Grand Rapids home will have fewer beds - from 305 to 128 - but will give each resident their own private room and bathroom instead of the dormitory-style arrangement the home offers now. The rooms will be arranged in four houses, each with its own kitchen. The entirety of the new campus will be on one level.

Administrators including Nelson will be carefully watching the population at the veterans home to manage the transition to the new facility.

The MVAA does not yet have plans for the existing Grand Rapids home, so there may be a period of time that residents are housed in the new and old buildings, Nelson said. Thelen said the main building holds possibilities for future state use.

No veteran will be displaced by the move, Nelson said.

The MVAA is also planning to build a veterans home in southeast Michigan to absorb some of the beds lost from the Grand Rapids transition. The state has made an offer on property, Thelen said.MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- Emily Doucette awoke at about 10:15 a.m. Friday at her boyfriend's Central Michigan University dormitory to scores of texts and phone messages asking if she was OK.

She quickly realized the Campbell Hall residence hall was on lockdown because of a double-fatal shooting that happened about 9 a.m. just two floors above her.

Doucette, a freshman CMU student from Grand Rapids, grabbed her phone and took refuge under a bed inside of the room.

"I was shaking and I was trying to respond to everyone," said Doucette. "They didn't know if I was OK until then."

She stayed in the locked bedroom -- inside of a four-bedroom unit at Campbell Hall -- until she eventually heard someone else showering and came out into the main living area.

Doucette said the ordeal provided for some anxious moments until she learned the alleged shooter -- James Eric Davis Jr., 19 -- was believed to have left the building through stairwell to the outside. She said police reviewed surveillance camera footage that showed his movement.

Davis Jr. is believed to have shot and killed his parents, James Davis Sr. and his wife Diva of Illinois, on the fourth floor of Cambell Hall after they came to pick him up Friday. The father is a part-time police officer for the Bellwood Police Department.

Police said the student had had a drug-related hospital stay the night prior.

Police were still searching for Davis Jr. late Friday, March 2. A large police presence was in the Mount Pleasant area into the night a police helicopter hovered overhead.

At 6 p.m., university officials said more than 100 officers from multiple agencies were searching or investigating the deaths.

Doucette said her boyfriend was in the Campbell Hall lobby about 9 a.m. just after the shots were fired.

He also unsuccessfully tried to reach Doucette for a period until she eventually was able to contact him.

Doucette said her father was in a meeting and heard about the shooting at Campbell Hall just moments after it happened. He immediately jumped in his vehicle and headed for Mount Pleasant.

"All he knew was that two people were dead," she said.

Doucette said she was locked down in the dorm room until about 2:30 p.m., when she was able to take a bus with her boyfriend to a nearby hotel. That's where parents were picking up students.

"I ran and gave him a hug," she said about greeting her father.GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Kent County prosecutors could face challenges convicting Quinn James at trial of sexually assaulting East Kentwood High student Mujey Dumbuya - who was killed months later - without the victim's testimony.

But it is no insurmountable task.

"Obviously, the primary issue that the prosecution must confront is whether the (victim's) previous statements, description of the crime or the perpetrator are admissible at trial, when that witness is no longer available to testify at trial," attorney Gary Springstead said Friday, March 2.

"The rationale for excluding such evidence is that the statements are not sufficiently trustworthy if they are not made under oath and the witness is not subject to the crucible of cross-examination," he said.

There is critical exception: when a defendant causes the victim's death to prevent the victim's testimony.

"You can't murder somebody and then complain, 'Oh, I can't cross-examine her now," said Curt Benson, a Western Michigan University Cooley Law School professor and attorney for Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho, P.L.C.

Dumbuya's body was found Jan. 28 in a wooded area off North Prairie Avenue in Kalamazoo. Three days later, she was positively identified as the victim.

The next day, Kent County prosecutors charged James for an alleged 2014 sexual assault. He has been jailed since then.

He had been free on $100,000 bond after he was charged with four counts of sexual assault of Dumbuya last summer.

Mujey Dumbuya

Kalamazoo police, working with Grand Rapids police and others, have not named James, 42, as a suspect in the 16-year-old girl's killing.

But Grand Rapids police this week arrested Quinn's fiancee, Tiara Burnett, for allegedly committing perjury about "statements made by Quinn James and/or other information or knowledge she possessed regarding Quinn James with the circumstances involving or leading up to the homicide of Mujey Dumbuya."

James was originally set for trial for sexual assault on April 9. The trial was moved up two weeks, then pushed back to June 18. A lot can happen by then.

One of his relatives, who dated Dumbuya, has been placed on house arrest, on electronic tether, as a material witness against James in the sexual assault case, records showed.

Attorney Ed Lis, a former assistant Kent County prosecutor, did not know details about the case but said obviously it would be tougher to convict without the victim's testimony.

Early on, James waived his right to a preliminary examination in Kentwood District Court, where Dumbuya presumably would have testified, and had her testimony, subjected to cross-examination, preserved for use at trial.

Lis said that police reports are typically considered hearsay, but said prosecutors could have other evidence, including witnesses' statements, forensic evidence and cellphone records.

Then, there is the doctrine of forfeiture by wrongdoing. If prosecutors convince a judge that James probably killed Dumbuya, they will be able to introduce her statements. If Dumbuya had died, for instance, in an accident, her statements would not be admissible.

Benson, the attorney and Cooley professor, said the prosecution could introduce the victim's statements by convincing a judge by a preponderance of evidence - a lesser standard than needed for conviction - that James killed Dumbuya to prevent her from testifying.

"It has to be specifically to keep her from talking," Benson said.

He said that killing of victims or witnesses happens far more often on the big screen than in real life.

"You don't really see this exception (to hearsay rules) used that often. You see it on TV and the movies. The idea of killing to prevent testimony doesn't really happen that often. It's not unheard of, but it's pretty rare."

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker would not disclose plans for trial but said he is "fully confident we can take the case to trial as it stands now."

Defense attorney Jonathan Schildgen says his client can account for his whereabouts around the time the victim went missing and was killed.

He contended that prosecutors brought the 2014 case only to hold his client after they declined to file charges at the time of the complaint.

James and his fiancee both worked at Kentwood Public Schools. He worked in maintenance and grounds while his fiancee, now on administrative leave, is a night custodian.JACKSON, MI - As did other Jackson County officials, Sheriff Steven Rand received a raise, of about 22 percent, effective January 2017.

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners bumped his annual salary from $87,734 to $107,193 after an independent wage study found many employees were making well below the market average.

Board members cannot, however, decrease an official's salary during a term for which the county officer has been elected or appointed, according to Michigan law.

Rand also drives a 2017 Ford Explorer, a take-home vehicle purchased by the county in 2017 for $30,359, plus $1,952 in "trim level or options," according to information provided by Jackson County Undersheriff Chris Kuhl.

Questions about the sheriff's pay, perks and pension have surfaced since sheriff's Lt. Tommy Schuette filed a lawsuit against Rand, alleging he created a hostile work environment, and Schuette's lawyer released recordings of the sheriff making offensive comments, especially toward women.

Appointed at 42 in 2011 and elected in 2012 and 2016, Rand is eligible to retire in August, 25 years after his hire date, Jackson County Administrator Mike Overton confirmed.

His pension is determined by a formula that considers his three highest paid years of service and a pension benefit multiplier - in his case 2.5 percent, according to information collected through Freedom of Information Act requests and posted on the Jackson County Employees' Retirement System web page.

The more years he works, especially considering his 2017 raise, the higher his estimated retirement salary.

If Rand wanted to retire now, he could purchase the balance of his time for a price that would be determined by an actuarial study, said James "Steve" Shotwell Jr., chairman of the county board and a member of the county retirement board.

With 25 years of service, Rand, in retirement, would earn about $61,000 per year, according to information contained in his file and using a "retirement benefits estimate" tool on the county website.

In the last month, some, including the county Board of Commissioners and the Jackson City Council, have called for his resignation.

Rand has said he intends to remain sheriff and his decision to do so does not have to do with his pension or benefits.

Shotwell last week sent a letter to Gov. Rick Snyder asking him to initiate proceedings to remove Rand from office. The City Council has resolved to do the same.

Rand is heard on the published recordings calling a female judge a "scatter-brained c---" and discussing the creation of a violent pornographic film with a court employee. He does not deny his voice is on the tapes, but said he cannot recall the statements. He has repeatedly apologized for his words and vowed to undergo training and rebuild trust.

Michigan State Police are investigating a separate, unspecified criminal matter. They have declined to release any details on the nature of the investigation. A Freedom of Information Act request for the report has been denied as the inquiry is ongoing.

If Rand were to be convicted of a felony, he could lose his pension.

A "member or retirant" convicted of a felony arising of his or her service as a public employee is considered to have breached the public trust, Michigan law states. As a result, the employee "may have his or her rights to an otherwise vested retirement benefit and all accumulated contributions standing to that person's credit in the retirement system forfeited."

The sheriff has said he is confident he did not commit any crime and the state police will not find criminal activity within his department.

County-provided, take-home vehicle

County board members in February 2017 approved purchasing seven sheriff's vehicles. An agenda item or motion notes one of them would have a "street appearence" and replace a 2008 Chevy Impala investigative vehicle that had an engine fail in early 2016.

The document does not specify any intent to provide the sheriff with a new Explorer, but Kuhl said he always is available for questions when such proposals are under consideration, and Shotwell said he knew of the sheriff's new vehicle.

Costs of Rand's SUV were taken from the general fund, capital improvement budget designated for sheriff's vehicles, according to Kuhl, who provided documentation and copies of checks signed by Overton and county Treasurer Karen Coffman.

"This was a planned/budgeted vehicle in the replacement cycle," Kuhl wrote in an email when asked why the acquisition was necessary and why the sheriff received a new, versus used, vehicle. Kuhl said the last two purchased, unmarked vehicles, a 2013 and 2015, were assigned to detectives.

Rand, Kuhl, Capt. Wayne Bisard, and other deputies for various reasons, have department vehicles they drive to and from and while at work. The commanders are on call 24 hours, every day to respond to major incidents or emergencies, to monitor and provide information to media, Kuhl wrote in an email. They also supervise facilities a distance from the sheriff's headquarters on W. Wesley Street, including the Chanter Road jail and the 911 dispatch center on Lansing Avenue.

"We are all unhappy with them having take-home vehicles until something really bad happens and they are there and dealing with it," Shotwell said.

Rand's personnel file

A review of Rand's personnel file, provided upon request by Jackson County's human resources department, reveals nothing shocking.

The county hired him as a deputy after he earned a degree in criminal justice from Grand Valley State University and while his father, Michael Rand Sr., was a county commissioner. A Lumen Christi High School graduate, he had worked as a parts inspector and in maintenance at an apartment complex, according to his employment application.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2003, lieutenant in 2004 and captain in 2010. The file contains a pile of certificates of achievement and training and positive reviews.

"Steve continues to be a sound leader for this department. He does an excellent job of juggling his multiple duties of 911, emergency management and other special assignments," former Sheriff Dan Heyns wrote in 2007.

As an area of improvement, Heyns listed: "Continue efforts in the area of tact and diplomacy."

The next year, Heyns wrote: "Steve is regularly required to deal with diverse groups that lack sophistication. Dealing with them with tact and diplomacy is always a challenge."

Under "strengths," Heyns said Rand's "personal initiative and natural abilities" make him vital to the organization.

In 2009, he was told to prioritize public speaking and speech writing.

While working for the sheriff's office, and taking advantage of a tuition reimbursement program, Rand earned a master's degree in public administration from Western Michigan University.

In his final role, before he was selected to replace Heyns, Rand was charged with overseeing road patrol, the records department, emergency management and 911 dispatch.

Until recently, there has been little public controversy regarding Rand's department or leadership.

Since he has been sheriff, the office began, with school partners, a jail education program, and the county opened a new dispatch center.

When announcing his run for re-election in 2016, Rand said his office had made a point of strengthening the cooperatives between local agencies. He highlighted new services, including a citizen's police academy, and talked of being "responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars," of efficient provision of essential services.

Schuette began recording conversations during staff meetings or other at-work encounters because he said people would not otherwise believe or comprehend the "bizarre behavior."

He alleges Rand - called a "multifaceted bigot" in the lawsuit - continually harassed him for his hearing loss, likely related to occupational noise exposure, and the county retaliated against him for reporting an opposing Rand's conduct. The county has denied wrongdoing.PORTER TOWNSHIP, MI -- A woman driving a vehicle struck her boyfriend in the road, critically injuring him, the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office reports.

About 12:44 p.m. Friday, March 2, deputies were dispatched to M-40 just south of 72nd Avenue, south of the Village Of Lawton, for multiple 911 calls reporting a motor vehicle and pedestrian crash.

Deputies determined that a 2011 Chevy Cruze operated by 31-year-old Sarah Romeo of Kalamazoo was northbound on M-40 when her boyfriend, Harley Streeter, walked into the road and was struck by the vehicle.

A preliminary investigation determined that Romeo and Streeter were in a dating relationship, police said. Streeter had just left work for a lunch break, police said.

Streeter, 39, of Lawton, was transported to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo with critical injuries, police said.

The investigation is still in the early stages, police said, and deputies were assisted by Lawton Police, Lawton Fire, Michigan State Police.

The investigation will be turned over to the Van Buren County Prosecutor's Office once completed, police said.MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- The police department at Central Michigan University has identified the victims of a double-fatal shooting that occurred the morning of Friday, March 2, on the fourth floor of the Campbell Hall building.

Police said that James Eric Davis Sr., and Diva Jeneen Davis, both 47, were the shooting victims and parents of James Eric Davis Jr.

Davis Jr remains at large as more than 100 officers from several agencies search for him, according to Heather L. Smith, director of communications for the university.

The senior Davis was a police officer with the Bellwood Police Department, a village near Chicago.

Earlier reports stated that the parents were picking the junior Davis up after he had a drug-related hospital stay the night prior.UPDATE:

CMU President: 'Together, we will begin to heal'

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- The night before James Eric Davis Jr. allegedly shot his parents dead in a Central Michigan University dorm room, he was in fear for his life. Someone had a gun and was trying to kill him, he told campus authorities.

"James ran into the office of our community policing officer very frightened," said Bill Yeagley, chief of university police. "He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him."

But there was no gun, and no one with a "murder warrant" out to kill him, as the 19-year-old sophomore had suggested, the chief said.

Officers asked Davis what they could do to make him feel safe. He eventually told them he was fine and that he was leaving, like much of the campus, for spring break tomorrow anyway.

Three hours later, around 1 a.m. Friday, March 2, officers saw Davis in the dorm hallway with a number of luggage items. Given he previously told officers he was leaving in the morning, they asked him what he was doing.

"He again acts in a fashion that isn't reasonable or logical," Yeagley said. "He was not able to make a lot of sense."

Officers suspected he was having a bad reaction to drugs, so they took him to an area hospital for an overnight stay.

In the morning, he was released to his parents, James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47.

The family then travelled to Davis' dorm in Campbell Hall and began packing up for the return trip to their Chicago suburb home.

Around 9 a.m., Davis went to the family vehicle, took his father's pistol and carried it into the residence hall, Yeagley said. Davis returned to his fourth floor dorm room where his parents were and allegedly shot them dead.

Davis Sr., is a police officer in Bellwood, Ill. near Chicago. Yeagley said he wasn't sure if the pistol was his service weapon.

Because Davis Sr. was not on active duty as an officer, he was in violation of university rules for having a pistol on campus, Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. fled the dorm, running north along railroad tracks. The weapon was left at the scene of the homicide, Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. was found at aout 12:10 a.m. Saturday just a half mile away near the rail tracks on West Bellows Street. He was spotted by a train employee.

"He clearly was cold and life was not making sense to him that moment," Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. remains in custody at McLaren Central Michigan, where he is receiving treatment for hypothermia, the chief said. Police have not yet interviewed him.

CMU Shooting: Suspect in Custody - Police Press Conference University, police officials hold final press conference after suspect CMU shooter taken into custody Posted by MLive.com on Saturday, March 3, 2018

The manhunt lasted 15 hours and involved numerous local, state and federal agencies. Police dogs, helicopters and roughly 100 officers on the ground took part in the search.

Yeagley said officers previously combed the area where Davis Jr. was found. He said investigators aren't sure where Davis Jr. was during the whole 15 hours.

Nothing indicates someone helped him elude police, the chief said.

A traumatic day

CMU President George E. Ross said the university community will begin the process of healing now that the danger is over.

"I want to say that with those deaths yesterday this campus, this community is traumatized," Ross said. "We are a safe community we are a safe campus, but yesterday we demonstrated the ability to deal with the inconceivable, a shooting on our campus."

Russell Matthew Davis, Davis Jr.'s brother, took to Facebook on Saturday morning to thank everyone who has reached out and prayed for him and his family.

"It's so surreal," he said. "I'm in shock and even in denial."

He cautioned the media and others to not make a villain of his brother, who he said he still loves.

Never thought Id have to post this type of post... but unfortunately the news is true. My mom and dad both rest from... Posted by Russell Matthew Davis on Saturday, March 3, 2018

Students, faculty and staff in campus buildings and dorms were placed in lockdown for nearly six hours Friday as Davis Jr., considered armed and dangerous, remained at large.

"I was shaking and I was trying to respond to everyone," said Emily Doucette, a freshman who stayed at Campbell Hall with her boyfriend Thursday night.

Around 3 p.m., officers began escorting people out building by building.

'People are going to talk about this for a long time'

Zachary Thomas, 25, talks about the shooting that occurred on the Central Michigan University campus while smoking in front of The Bird Bar and Grill in downtown Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Saturday, March 3, 2018.

Zachary Thomas, who was seated with his girlfriend outside the Bird Bar and Grill in downtown Mount Pleasant on Saturday, said though Davis Jr.'s capture brought relief, the shock from the double homicide remains.

"I think since the guy was caught, it's going to go back to normal," he said. "But everyone is still going to feel -- it's really tragic."

Thomas has lived in Mount Pleasant all 25 years of his life.

"It's a pretty horrific and surprising thing to happen in a small town like this," Thomas said. "People are going to talk about this for a long time."

Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday offered support for the students of CMU and said the state will offer whatever is needed to "deal with this traumatic event."

He also referenced how the CMU event relates to other shootings on school campuses across the country.

"We were already active in seeing what we can do on our campuses and in our schools to protect our students better," he said. "This is will be an ongoing dialogue. We won't have all the answers today, but there's a commitment to do it right."

The press conference Saturday morning concluded shortly after a reporter asked Ross how it was possible Davis Jr. openly carried a pistol into the dorm. Ross said the bustle of spring break move-out could've played into it. He said the university will examine the issue.

Once Davis Jr. is cleared from medical personnel he will be lodged in the Isabella County Jail.[March 02, 2018] Intelsat Announces Tender Offer for Certain Notes of Intelsat (Luxembourg) S.A. Intelsat (News - Alert) S.A. (NYSE: I), operator of the world's first Globalized Network and leader in integrated satellite solutions, today announced that its indirect subsidiary, Intelsat Connect Finance S.A. ("ICF"), is commencing a cash tender offer (the "Offer") to purchase any and all of the outstanding 6 3/ 4 % Senior Notes due 2018 (CUSIP No. 458204 AN4; ISIN No. US458204AN49) issued by Intelsat (Luxembourg) S.A., a subsidiary of Intelsat S.A. and ICF's direct parent company, that are not already held by ICF (the "Notes"). ICF's obligation to accept and pay for the Notes in the Offer is subject to satisfaction or waiver, in ICF's sole discretion, of certain conditions of the Offer prior to the expiration date. The Offer is not conditioned upon any minimum amount of Notes being tendered or ICF obtaining any specific financing. The Offer is scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on March 30, 2018 (the "Expiration Time"), unless extended or earlier terminated by ICF. The Offer is being made pursuant to an Offer to Purchase dated March 2, 2018 (the "Offer to Purchase"), which sets forth a more detailed description of the Offer. Holders of the Notes are urged to carefully read the Offer to Purchase before making any decision with respect to the Offer. As of the date of the Offer to Purchase, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Notes is $96,650,000, $90,173,000 of which is held by parties other than ICF. The following table sets forth certain terms of the Offer:



Title of Security CUSIP/ISIN Number Principal

Amount

Outstanding Tender Offer Consideration(1) Early Tender Payment(1) Total Consideration(1)(2) 6 3/ 4 % Senior Notes due 2018 CUSIP No. 458204 AN4 ISIN No. US458204AN49 $96,650,000 $995.00 $5.00 $1,000.00 ______________________________ (1) Per $1,000 principal amount of Notes and excluding accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the applicable Settlement Date, which will be paid in addition to the Total Consideration or Tender Offer Consideration, as applicable. (2) Includes the Early Tender Payment. The total consideration (the "Total Consideration") payable for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Thursday, March 15, 2018 (such date and time, as it may be extended in ICF's sole discretion, the "Early Tender Time") and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offer will be the total consideration set forth in the table above. The Total Consideration includes the early tender payment also set forth in the table above (the "Early Tender Payment"). Holders must validly tender and not subsequently validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to the Early Tender Time in order to be eligible to receive the Total Consideration for such Notes purchased in the Offer. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Offer, each Holder who validly tenders and does not subsequently validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to the Early Tender Time will be entitled to receive the Total Consideration, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the applicable Settlement Date (as defined below) if and when such Notes are accepted for payment. Holders who validly tender their Notes after the Early Tender Time but at or prior to the Expiration Time will be entitled to receive only the tender offer consideration equal to the Total Consideration less the Early Tender Payment (the "Tender Offer Consideration"), plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the applicable Settlement Date, if and when such Notes are accepted for payment. ICF reserves the right but is under no obligation, at any point following the Early Tender Time and before the Expiration Date, to accept for purchase any Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Time (the date of such purchase, the "Early Settlement Date"). The Early Settlement Date will be determined at ICF's option and is currently expected to occur on the first business day following the Early Tender Time, subject to all conditions to the Offer having been satisfied or waived by ICF. The expected Early Settlement Date is Friday, March 16, 2018, unless extended by ICF, assuming all conditions to the Offer have been satisfied or waived by ICF. Irrespective of whether ICF exercises its option to have an Early Settlement Date, ICF will purchase any remaining Notes that have been validly tendered by the Expiration Date and that it chooses to accept for purchase, subject to all conditions to the Offer having been satisfied or waived by ICF, on a date immediately following the Expiration Time (the "Final Settlement Date" and each of the Early Settlement Date and Final Settlement Date, a "Settlement Date"). The Final Settlement Date is expected to occur on Monday, April 2, 2018, which is the first business day following the Expiration Date, subject to all conditions to the Offer having been satisfied or waived by ICF. To receive either the Total Consideration or the Tender Offer Consideration, Holders of the Notes must validly tender and not validly withdraw their Notes at or prior to the Early Tender Time or the Expiration Time, respectively. Notes tendered may be withdrawn from the Offer at or prior to, but not after, 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Thursday, March 15, 2018, unless extended by ICF, by following the procedures described in the Offer to Purchase. Subject to the terms and conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, ICF intends to accept for payment all Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Expiration Date. The obligation of ICF to accept for purchase and to pay either the Total Consideration or Tender Offer Consideration and the accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes pursuant to the Offer is not subject to any minimum tender condition or financing condition, but is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain other general conditions described in the Offer to Purchase. Global Bondholder Services Corporation has been retained to serve as the Information Agent and Depositary for the Offer. Questions regarding the Offer and requests for additional copies of documentation, including copies of the Offer to Purchase, may be directed to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at 65 Broadway - Suite 404, New York, New York 10006, Attn: Corporate Actions, (212) 430-3774 (for banks and brokers) or (866) 794-2200 (for all others). ICF is making the Offer only by, and pursuant to, the terms of the Offer to Purchase. None of ICF, Intelsat (Luxembourg) S.A., Intelsat S.A. (ICF's indirect parent company), the Depositary, the Information Agent or the trustee for the Notes or any of their respective affiliates, boards of directors, shareholders or members makes any recommendation as to whether Holders should tender or refrain from tendering their Notes. Holders must make their own decision as to whether to tender Notes and, if so, the principal amount of the Notes to tender. The Offer is not being made to holders of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities or blue sky laws require the Offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Offer will be deemed to be made on behalf of ICF by one or more registered brokers or dealers that are licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. This announcement does not contain the full terms and conditions of the Offer. The complete terms and conditions are set forth in the Offer to Purchase. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase securities or a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any new securities, nor does it constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. Capitalized terms used in this press release but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Offer to Purchase. About Intelsat Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world's first Globalized Network, delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services anywhere in the world. Intelsat's Globalized Network combines the world's largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity, multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications and seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries and transform the ways in which we live. Intelsat Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this news release, including statements regarding the Offer, constitute "forward-looking statements" that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. When used in this release, the words "may," "will," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "project," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "intend," "potential," "outlook," and "continue," and the negative of these terms, and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements reflect Intelsat's intentions, plans, expectations, anticipations, projections, estimations, predictions, outlook, assumptions and beliefs about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of Intelsat's control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements include known and unknown risks. Known risks include, among others, the risks described in Intelsat's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017, and its other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and risks and uncertainties related to our ability to consummate the Offer. Because actual results could differ materially from Intelsat's intentions, plans, expectations, anticipations, projections, estimations, predictions, assumptions and beliefs about the future, you are urged to view all forward-looking statements with caution. Intelsat does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180302005597/en/

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\broadband-stimulus's Homepage ]March 03, 2018

Syria Sitrep - Afrin, Idlib and East-Ghouta

After a slow start the Turkish and Jihadi attack on the Afrin canton in north-west Syria is making some progress. Despite intimate knowledge of the terrain and years of preparation the local Kurdish forces of the YPK have little chance to withstand.



Map by syriancivilwarmap.com - bigger

Turkish air and artillery support for the attacking force opponents is overwhelming the Kurds. The ground troops Turkey is using are mostly Islamist Free Syrian Army fighters directed by Turkish officers. A few Turkish special forces are acting as forward observers to call in artillery and airstrikes. Only yesterday the Turkish air force flew more than 30 bombing missions on a rather small front. Today some 36 fighters were killed by Turkish air strikes.

Last week the local Kurdish forces were reinforced by other Kurdish forces and Syrian government paramilitaries. Some of the Kurdish groups had split off from the U.S. supported SDF in east Syria, crossed through Syrian government held land and reached Afrin. Kurdish groups in Aleppo city gave control of two of the three districts they held to the Syrian government to join their brethren in Afrin. A contingent of 500 Syrian paramilitary fighters from two Shiite towns near Afrin also joined the fight. The Turkish army tried to interdict the convoys reinforcing Afrin but most of the fighters reached the front lines. The Syrian Red Cross sent a convoy with humanitarian goods for the about one million inhabitants of the canton.

The Kurdish YPG forces in control of Afrin have a choice. The Russian and the Syrian government have offered their full support if the Kurds submit to Syrian government control just like any citizen of Syria is supposed to do. If they agree, the Turkish planes will immediately vanish from the skies over Afrin. But the Kurds insist on keeping their own military and police forces as well as their unelected local administration. If they keep doing so the Turkish forces will role them up and all will be lost. It is a simple and obvious choice to make.

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Idleb governorate and Idleb city are held by various groups aligned with Turkey. The biggest of these groups are al-Qaeda (aka Nusra Front aka HTS), Ahrar al Sham and Zinki. All of these are Islamist extremists but only al-Qaeda/Nusra is designated as an international terrorist group. A Russian-Turkish agreement marks Idleb as a deescalation zone which will no longer be attacked by the Syrian government forces if Turkey can get the groups there under control and if it eliminates the al-Qaeda/HTS terrorists. Regular Turkish troops set up a few observer posts in the area.

But Turkey had supported al-Qaeda/HTS all along and the group, if attacked by regular Turkish forces, is likely to hit back within Turkey itself. After much prodding by Russia Turkey finally pressed the other groups it controls to evict al-Qaeda/HTS from the various towns it held.

The operation started a week ago. Ahrar al Sham and Zinki united with some smaller groups under the common label JTS. They attacked HTS positions and were able to immediately capture a number of them. HTS simply retreated. For three days it looked as if the Turkish ordered operation would be successful. Some 30 towns and villages fell to JTS. Then came the counterattack. Ahrar al-Sham's main weapon depot, with several tanks and artillery guns, fell to HTS. JTS was attacked from the rear and town after town fell back to HTS. Just a week after the whole operation against HTS started it is in better position than ever before.



Map by Tomasz Rolbiecki - bigger

HTS has kept control of the city of Idleb. It is now in complete control of the border with Turkey. All Turkish observer posts in Idleb governorate are now surrounded by HTS forces. The Turkish soldiers have become hostages. Will Erdogan have to call on the Syrian government to bail them out?

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The large Syrian government operation against the east-Ghouta enclave east of the capital Damascus is progressing well. The area is held by various Salafist and Wahabbi groups including an al-Qaeda contingent of several hundred fighters. The defense line of Jaish al-Islam on the eastern border of the 10 square kilometer area have been breached. Wide ditches dug to prevent any Syrian army attack were crossed with the help of military bridges. The area is rural and flat and can be easily captured by a mechanized force. One third of east-Ghouta is already back in government hands. The western side of the enclave is upbuild city terrain and will be much more difficult to take.



Map by Peto Lucem - bigger

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In east-Syria north of the Euphrates and along the Syrian-Iraqi border there is still a significant ISIS enclave with several thousand ISIS fighters which the U.S. supported SDF seems uninterested in. The Syrian and Russian governments believe that the U.S. is protecting these terrorists and will eventually use them against the Syrian government. The Russian defense ministry claims that the U.S. has build some 20 garrisons in north-east Syria for several thousands of its troops. Another U.S. contingent holds the Syrian-Iraqi border station al-Tanf in south-east Syria. It has recently been reinforced with additional U.S. soldiers. Nearby is a large refugee camp controlled by ISIS aligned fighters. This again seems to be an area where the U.S. is coddling ISIS to later reuse it as a "rebel" force against the Syrian government.

Posted by b on March 3, 2018 at 18:46 UTC | Permalink

CommentsMaintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.In her latest book, Diane Shoos examines portrayals of abusive relationships on the Silver Screen that reinforce who and what we believe about domestic violence.

In late 2014, released security footage from an Atlantic City casino showed a professional athlete striking his then-fiance in the face, rendering her unconscious. The woman in the videowho had since married the athletewas criticized for remaining in an abusive relationship. As part of the discussion, the hashtag #WhyIStayed trended nationally on Twitter.

But within a matter of weeks, people had moved on.

Public discussion of domestic violence has been very sporadic, says Diane Shoos, an associate professor of visual studies at Michigan Technological University. Whenever theres a media event or a new film that broaches the topic, we talk about it, but the conversation usually quiets down pretty quickly. I wanted to take a deeper look.

To get that deeper look, Shoos studied a body of Hollywood films that focus on male partner violence against women, rather than use it as a backstory or subplot. One of the reasons I chose Hollywood films is because of their accessibility and their ubiquitythey have a large audience that spans the world. I was interested in the way these films might shape our viewpoints on domestic violence as a social problem.

Shoos found that even though these films intend to condemn abuse and empower women, they ignore the complexities and consequences of violent relationships.

What We Witness

Shoos professional expertise is in gender and film. She also served for 18 years as a board member, and for several years as board chair, for Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home, a refuge for domestic violence victims and their children.

I saw again and again that representation in film and television was far from what was really happening to abused women, Shoos says, and I wanted to talk about the reasons for and consequences of that gap.

In Domestic Violence in Hollywood Film: Gaslighting, Shoos argues that what we see onscreen has a significant impact on what we believe about domestic violence, mainly because domestic violence typically happens behind closed doors.

There is a certain level of denial about it, and there's a way in which we as a society turn to abused women to explain domestic violencewhat did they do to cause it or why didnt they leave, Shoos says. I thought it was really important to look at these films because all cultural representation will have an influence on us, but especially so if it's an issue we don't experience or experience secondhandmaybe we know somebody or have someone in our family whos been abused. But it isn't something that happens publicly or is talked about openly. It is still an uncomfortable topic.

Shoos examines six filmsGaslight (1944), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), Whats Love Got To Do With It (1993), Dolores Claiborne (1995), Enough (2002) and Safe Haven (2013). While she thinks each contains positive elements, there are certain characterizations and narrative patterns in these films that have become so established and ingrained that we seem to be stuck with them, inside and outside the theater.

Narrative and Genre

When Shoos refers to "Hollywood films," she specifically means popular U.S. cinemamovies that are intended to bring in large audiences and make a profit.

There are proven formulas, she says, that work to draw audiences in. Two examples are the suspense-thriller genre and the action genre. Of course, there are positives to those genres because they do bring people to the theater. Someone who may never go see a film about domestic violence might go to an action film starring Jennifer Lopez.

In the 2002 film Enough, Lopez stars as Slim, a waitress who falls in love with, marries and has a child with wealthy Mitch. Over time, the marriage deterioratesMitch strikes Slim during an argument. When the abuse continues to escalate, Slim takes her daughter and runs away. Mitch tracks her down, and Slim is unable to get help from outside sources like the police and lawyers. When Mitch threatens to get legal custody of their daughter, Slim is forced to take matters into her own hands, training relentlessly in martial arts until the final scene, where she confronts Mitch, engages him in a physical fight and ultimately kills him.

Even though the film takes the side of the abused woman, Shoos points out that it portrays an unrealistic and dangerous form of victim empowerment that involves running away and changing one's identity before ultimately standing up to the abuser.

"Its a hyperbolic notion of feminine agency that is very predictable at this point, and the narrative closure is usually the death of the abuser by the abused woman. Not only do women do away with their abusers in these films, they get away with it, which is totally misrepresentative and gives no accounting of what really happens to abused women who kill." Diane Shoos

Shoos comments that parts of this storyline erode the cornerstones of the campaign against domestic violence: abuse is not your fault, you dont have to deal with it alone and resources are available to help you leave dangerous situations.

Most of these films acknowledge that there are shelters, hotlines and personal protection orders, Shoos says, but then make a point of showing that these resources are not only inadequate, they are total failures. This throws everything back onto the womans shoulders. She is completely isolated, and then the narrative drives toward a confrontation between her and her abuser.

The problem with that is abused women rarely seek out these confrontations, she continues. They are trying to understand and cope with the man's behavior and maintain the love relationship, and mostly they're trying to make the violence stop. Sometimes they have to get away to do that. But anyone who's worked in domestic violence knows that revenge is not a primary motivation for abused womenthey want to have a safe life and they want to have a love relationship that's not violent and threatening to them and their children.

Gaps in the Plot Line

Shoos notes that the majority of Hollywood films about domestic violence center on middle- and upper-middle-class white women with the resources to escape. This reinforces the idea that its relatively easy for a woman to leave an abusive relationshipshe just has to decide to do so.

"One of the big absences is the lack of any attention to abuse suffered by poor women and women of color, says Shoos. We don't take into account enough how race, class, education and other factors intersect when it comes to domestic violence. For example, the way in which an abuser might act outhis strategiesare very different depending on his social identity and situation.

One exception is Whats Love Got to Do with It, the biopic that tells the story of Tina Turners rise to fame and her relationship with her abusive husband Ike Turner. Yet while the movie shows the abuse experienced by a woman of color, Shoos notes that it centers on a celebrity. She comments that while its untrue and unfair to imply that abuse happens only to others, its just as damaging to ignore the experiences of non-white and working-class women.

A 2014 tweet from Beverly Gooden, the creator of #WhyIStayed.

Shoos also sees problems with the depiction of perpetrators. Abusers are portrayed in these movies as absolute monsters, even if they look normal in the beginning. This reinforces the idea that abusive behavior is identifiable and obviousit lets us stand outside the relationship and say its so easy to see whats happening and what the woman should do. But just because someone appears to be a likeable person, a wonderful father, a professional, someone who is respected in the community, does not mean they are not abusing their partner. We need to learn this lesson, as well as the lesson that psychological and emotional abuse rather than physical abuse are the main forms of domestic violence.

Even though it is the oldest film on her list, Shoos says Gaslight does the best job of portraying psychological abusestrategies the husband uses on his wife to discredit her and make her question her own reality. We should absolutely be concerned about physical violence, but that isn't the primary form of abuse, Shoos says. Often, long after physical abuse may have stopped, the control that abusers exert over women may still be present.

Opening Closed Doors

Shoos sees some positive aspects of each Hollywood film she analyzes. For instance, in Sleeping with the Enemythe 1991 blockbuster that depicted an abused Julia Roberts ultimately killing her deranged, abusive husbandviewers witness the husbands micro-regulation of his wifes behavior, right down to how the hand towels are aligned, and understand how she feels trapped in her own home. Scenes in Enough and Whats Love help the viewer understand how motherhood can be used to manipulate an abused woman.

"There are ways in which genre formulas have brought this issue to the screen, and that's important, but at the end of the day, visibility for domestic violence is not enough. The question is what kind of visibility it has." Diane Shoos

"If popular versions of domestic violence narratives keep on following these very predictable and very fantastical formulas that are farther and farther away from lived experiences and the actual repercussions of domestic violence, what are they really accomplishing?" Shoos asks. "Their ability to empower or even inspire abused women or to motivate us to be advocates for them is minimal.

Shoos says the point of her analysis was not to find or promote an ideal film about domestic violence, but to demonstrate the need for more representations of domestic violence that show the complexity of these relationships.

The more different kinds of stories that are out there, especially stories that show the agency of abused women even within their abusive relationships, the better. Women cope, they understand, they know the limits, they know the risks much better than anybody outside their relationship can, Shoos says. I think we still tend to think of abused women as somehow not as smart or strong, when in fact anyone can end up in an abusive relationship, and anybody does. To not take seriously the perspectives of people who have been in those situations, to not look at them as the experts about what they should or shouldn't be doing at any particular time is a huge mistake.

Shoos finds encouragement in the growth of independent cinema and new media outlets that are fostering and giving space to narratives that tell unexpected stories of men and women whom we may not immediately recognize as perpetrators and victim/survivors of abuse.

She specifically mentions Big Little Lies, an HBO miniseries that was released just a few months before her book went to print. While Big Little Lies follows some of the typical narrativesit focuses on white women in the wealthy California community of MontereyShoos says the stories themselves go against preconceived ideas about abusers and abused women, demonstrate the effects of abuse on children and show various forms of psychological abuse.

Since its release, Big Little Lies has won the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series and a Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Television Film. In her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, miniseries executive producer and star Reese Witherspoon, wearing black in support of the #metoo and #timesup social media campaigns that call for an end to sexual abuse in all forms, said the show is about how the life we present to the world could be very different than the life we live behind closed doors. She expressed the hope that more shows like Big Little Lies will be made that tell the stories of people who have been silenced by harassment, discrimination, and abuse.

Media Literacy

Shoos ends her book with a similar plea for more representations and also for critical viewing.

Media literacy is not just watching a bunch of stuff. We're not all media literate because we binge watch, Shoos says. Media literacy is taking a look at whats happening on screen and analyzing it on multiple levels. Let's understand how narrative and cinematic techniques are being used, which characters are given a voice and which characters are not, where there are mixed messages and contradictions. And how does this overlap with other discussions we're having in the world? To say representation matters is not an new observation. But it matters especially in the case of domestic violence.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. Our campus in Michigans Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.In Focus with Allison Walker is a 30-minute public affairs program, featuring a roundtable of newsmakers representing a range of perspectives, including local officials and expert analysts as they tackle topical issues of importance to Floridians.

In Focus airs Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., right after Political Connections.The Florida Senate held a rare Saturday floor session to work out details of a gun violence prevention package that had opposition from both sides of the political aisle.

The Senate was only supposed to be in session for a few hours, but debate stretched into the evening.

Legislators adjourned just before 7 p.m. with a package that many Democrats and even some Republicans said they couldn't vote for, raising some concern that it won't pass next week.

"I think it's window dressing, and I, for one, won't be going home trying to pretend that I did something to solve the problem," Sen. Tom Lee (R-Brandon), said.



The biggest point of contention: House Speaker Richard Corcoran's so-called "marshal program" to allow highly-qualified teachers carry guns on campus. Critics say it could lead to more gun violence in Florida's schools.

Also, the entire legislative Black Caucus has pledged to vote against the bill if the "marshal program" program stays in  and those "no" votes would very likely doom the gun package.

There were motions on the left and right to remove it, which were all rejected.



"I stand firm in my support of that particular provision and would ask you all to not support this amendment," Sen. Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton) said.

Senate leaders know the program is a top priority for Corcoran, and the bill would have to pass the House to become law.

Meanwhile, Democrats introduced several amendments aimed at banning assault-style weapons, such as the AR-15 used in the Parkland shooting on Valentine's Day. Those amendments failed.

"Death hangs over us, both as a motivating factor in doing something about it, and now, the bullet is in this chamber," said Florida Sen. Darryl Rouson (D-St. Petersburg).

The chamber at one point did approve a two-year moratorium on the sale of those guns  but that vote wound up being reversed after Republicans called for a do-over.

"Adolf Hitler confiscated all the weapons, took all the weapons, had a registry of everybody," said Sen. David Simmons (R-Altamonte Springs).

Some pro-gun Republicans think the package goes too far by raising the minimum age to buy an assault-style weapon from 18 to 21 and requiring a three-day waiting period for all gun purchases in Florida.



"I don't know how the pro-NRA legislator thinks, but I would assume that they're not going to get the credit they think they're going to get by voting for it," said Sen. Minority Leader Oscar Braynon (D-Miami).



The bill is on track to pass the Senate on Monday. From there, attention turns to the House, home to some of the most pro-gun Republicans. The National Rifle Association has called on its members to oppose the package.



There are six days left in Florida's regular legislative session. If lawmakers can't reach a compromise on the gun bill by Friday, some think a special session may have to be called.

What have the Liberals got to hide?- Joan Bryden - CPConservative MPs wanted Daniel Jean to explain a media briefing last week that suggested factions within the Indian government tried to undermine Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus heavily criticized trip to India.OTTAWALiberal MPs have thwarted a bid by Conservatives to force Justin Trudeaus national security adviser to explain his assertion that rogue elements in the Indian government sabotaged the prime ministers trip to India last week.The Liberals used their majority on the Commons National Security Committee Thursday to block a Conservative motion asking that Daniel Jean be summoned to testify about his theory that factions in India were behind the furor over Jaspal Atwal, a convicted attempted assassin and one-time Sikh separatist extremist who wound up on the guest list for two events with Trudeau during the India tour.Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, who was at the committee to discuss his departments spending estimates, also declined to discuss Jeans theory, telling Conservative MPs they were veering into classified territory that hes not at liberty to discuss.However, that would guarantee Jeans explanation would never see the light of day. Members of that committee must obtain security clearance and swear an oath that they will maintain for the rest of their lives the confidentiality of the information they receive.Following his committee appearance Thursday, Goodale was pressed to explain why Jean was able to brief reporters last week but cant do the same for MPs.The rest here:Hardly a surprise.I guess Liberals who get caught doing stupid thing have to blame someone. Why not blame India? The Indians must have invited Atwal.By Aakanksha Tangri Mar 2, 2018The controversies around Justin Trudeaus much-publicized trip to India refuse to die down.On Thursday, the Conservatives introduced a motion to have Trudeaus national security adviser Daniel Jean testify in front of House of Commons national security committee over his allegations against the Indian government. The motion, however, was blocked by the Liberals.Last week, Jean told reporters in a background briefing that factions in the Indian government facilitated the invitation for Jaspal Atwal, a convicted Sikh extremist, to official Canadian events in India. He went on to suggest Atwal was invited to prevent Indian prime minister Narendra Modi from getting too close to Canadas Liberal government, which some Indian officials believe is sympathetic to supporters of a Sikh nationalist movement.Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of an Indian cabinet minister in 1986 and was a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a terrorist group banned in Canada and India. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Canadian judge.'COLOSSAL MISTAKE'Atwal was also charged with attacking Ujjal Dosanjh, a vocal critic of Sikh extremism, who went on to become premiere of British Columbia. Atwal was later acquitted and has reportedly denied his role in the 1985 attack against Dosanjh.The rest here:BumpBy Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting terming as motivated misinformation the allegations that it had withheld funds meant for Prasar Bharati over the latters refusal to pay a private firm for the coverage of the International Film Festival of India, the standoff between them escalated on Friday.

READ HERE | Prasar Bharati rejects NDFC's demand to pay private firm for International Film Festival of India coverage

Reacting to the media reports, the ministry said the funds were withheld only because Prasar Bharati hadnt signed a memorandum of understanding with it despite repeated reminders. As per the provision of general financial rules, any autonomous organisation receiving grant-in-aid must sign an MoU with the ministry, clearly bringing out the physical and financial targets with timelines for activities to be done by utilising the said grant during that financial year. For the record, irrespective of repeated reminders from the ministry, no MoU has been signed by Prasar Bharti, it said in a statement on Friday.

ALSO READ | Prasar Bharti nixes government order to hire senior journalists

However, Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash was quoted as saying by a news portal that the public broadcaster has had to pay staff salaries for January and February out of a contingency fund. The broadcaster may run out of money by next month if the standoff continues, he reportedly warned.

The rift between the ministry and the public broadcaster hit the headlines after the latter said it wouldnt pay Rs 2.92 crore to Mumbai-based SOL Productions for covering the film festival, as it found no reason to pay a thrid party for doing a job it could have done with in-house crew and equipment. Earlier, Prasar Bharti had turned down the ministrys proposal to hire two senior journalists---Siddharth Zarabi andAbhijit Majumder--for editorial positions, saying they were too exorbitant for it.

READ | Government slams as 'defamatory' report of I&B ministry withholding funds for DD, AIR

While rejecting charges, the Smriti Irani-led ministry said the government was committed to protecting the interests of all Prasar Bharti employees. The ministry release also sought to illustrate its efforts to curb wasteful expenditure at the public broadcaster.

By bringing in human resource information system (HRIS) in Prasar Bharti, the ministry claimed, the boradcaster has been able to save nearly Rs 30 crore per month on salary.

We may run out funds if standoff continues

Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash was quoted as saying by a news portal that the public broadcaster has had to pay January and February salaries out of a contingency fund. The broadcaster may run out of money by next month, he reportedly warnedPrasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: After the dismal performance of Congress in the three Assembly elections in the North East, Nagaland and Tripura Congress, on Saturday, blamed the party high command for the result in their respective states.

READ LIVE UPDATES OF THE NORTH-EAST ELECTIONS HERE

A livid Nagaland Congress chief K Therie told the New Indian Express, We were virtually abandoned by the AICC. Our general secretary in-charge C P Joshi has a negative mindset.

He has not been able to understand the feelings and sentiments of the people. Neither he nor any of our star campaigners came to the state for campaigning, Therie added.

The partys strength in the state had weakened so much that it could field only 18 candidates in the 60-member House  two less than BJP which, in the run-up to the polls, was termed as a Hindu party.

However, there was a time when the grand old party ruled the entire region. The party ruled Nagaland for the most part since it attained statehood in 1963.

For the Congress, the slide began in 2003 when the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) emerged as a powerhouse after winning the elections. Defeats at the hand of the regional party in the two subsequent elections in 2008 and 2013 saw the Congress getting further decimated.

In Tripura, the Congress performance over the years paints a grimmer picture.

The party ruled the state for two terms in the 1980s and was the states principal opposition until two years ago. However, the anti-Left space, which was with the Congress, has now completely shifted to the BJP.

The lack of optimism about the elections from the central leadership was evident from party stalwarts, including Rahul Gandhi, avoiding the poll campaign.

Nonetheless, the Congress still fielded candidates in 59 of the 60 seats, the highest for the party since 1977. The idea, basically, was to split the anti-Left votes, thereby not allowing the BJP to gain.

The central leadership's absence hasn't gone unnoticed and senior state Congress leader Sriram Debbarma, in a conversation with the New Indian Express, blamed the AICC for such a result.

Debbarma said, We lacked coordination. Our central leaders remained aloof from party affairs. So, it resulted in the decimation of the party in the elections.Newport rallies around Aspen Peck, who is now cancer free

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(Newser)  Doctors at a hospital in Kenya were two hours into brain surgery to remove a patient's blood clot when they discovered to their shock there was no clot, the Daily Nation reports. They had the wrong patient. According to the BBC, the patient they were operating on simply needed non-invasive treatment for swelling. Both patients were brought into the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi unconscious last Sunday. Reports blame the patients' identification tags being switched around for the mix-up. Hospital CEO Lily Koros says the hospital "deeply regrets this event and has done all it can to ensure the safety and well-being of the patient in question."

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Koros announced the suspension of a neurosurgeon, ward nurse, theater receiving nurse, and anaesthetist in response to the mix-up. But the doctors' union says blaming "overwhelmed" staff isn't the right response, Reuters reports. Doctors are overwhelmed," union head Ouma Oluga says. "You find one doctor could be doing 10 to 19 operations [in a day]." The Kenyan health minister later announced Koros had also been suspended. There was public outrage over the incident at the hospital, which was already under scrutiny after new mothers claimed they were sexually assaulted there. Regulators are planning a hearing. The patient who underwent brain surgery is recovering. In a twist, the patient who actually has a blood clot may not get surgery after all because their condition has improved. (Read more brain surgery stories.)(Newser)  "Bears Ears isn't really about oil and gas," Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke said at a news conference in May 2017. Evidence from over 25,000 pages of department emails obtained by the New York Times shows that wasn't necessarily true. Last year President Trump called for a review of the country's national monuments to determine the future of the federally protected lands, and in December he announced a plan to shrink Utah's Bears Ears National Monument by 85%. During the process to review Bears Ears and other national monuments, Zinke said the agency didn't have certain outcomes in mind. But months earlier, a senior Interior Department official received an email from an aide to Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch.

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The March 2017 email asked the Interior official to consider shrinking Bears Ears to allow access to natural gas and oil, the profits from which could be used to fund public schools in Utah. The email, which was sent about a month before Zinke publicly announced the Interior Department was reviewing national monuments, even included a map showing the proposed boundary change. Trump ended up announcing far more drastic changes than what was in the map, but the boundary changes proposed by Hatch's aide ended up being incorporated almost exactly. Click here to read the full story, which includes an Interior Department memo that emphasized to staff the need to look closely at the "annual production of coal, oil, gas, and renewables" on the protected lands. (Read more Bears Ears National Monument stories.)(Newser)  A Virginia woman found dead last week was apparently murdered by an acquaintance during a vicious argument, the Washington Post reports. Middlesex County investigators say Terri Lynn St. John, 23, whose disappearance last week sparked an investigation, was killed by Alvin Keyser outside her home. "Keyser stated to detectives he confronted St. John at her residence about statements that were made about Keyser," per a sheriff's statement quoted by CBS News. The statement says St. John willingly got in Keyser's van, where she hit him and he struck back, then pushed her out and strangled her to death. Keyser, also 23, apparently confessed to killing St. John and leaving her body in a wooded area.

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Prompted by a social media post, detectives say they contacted Keyser on Wednesday and he reached out the next morning. He then took them to St. John's body, which was covered in leaves about a mile away. His relationship with St. John is unknown but he apparently knew her two children, ages 1 and 3, and their father, who lives nearby, WHNT reports. St. John was also living with a boyfriend when she died. Investigators have talked to at least four persons of interest in St. John's murder and all have submitted DNA samples. Keyser has been charged with first-degree murder and concealing a dead body but authorities say more charges are coming and more people will be interviewed. (Read more murder stories.)(Newser)  President Trump is suddenly opposing what is widely seen as one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country, at least in part, because he's mad at Sen. Chuck Schumer, sources tell the New York Times. The Gateway project is a $30 billion plan to build a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River. A failure of the current rail tubes, which are over 100 years old and in desperate need of upgrades, could be catastrophic for the national economy, one Republican senator tells the Washington Post. But despite the Trump transition team listing the Gateway project as the country's top infrastructure priority, the president is reportedly now urging Republican lawmakers to deny all federal funding for it.

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Sources say Trump believes the project is important to Schumer and the president doesn't see why he should give the Democratic leader something he wants when Schumer continues to block his agenda. Rep. Paul Ryan was reportedly shocked when Trump brought up the issue with him this week. Under an Obama administration agreement, funding for the Gateway project was to be split between New York, New Jersey, and the federal government. A top Federal Transit Administration official now says that funding agreement is "non-existent." Trump's opposition to the project could make it harder for Congress to pass a government spending bill later this month. Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart says the project is one of the top priorities to get funding in the bill. (Read more infrastructure stories.)(Newser)  Honduran authorities arrested an executive with a dam development company Friday in the 2016 killing of indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, calling him an intellectual author of a crime that sparked an international outcry, the AP reports. Roberto David Castillo Mejia, who at the time of the slaying was executive president of the company Desarrollos Energeticos SA, or DESA, was detained at an airport in San Pedro Sula as he was about to fly to Houston, Texas, says a spokesman for the prosecutors' office. It was the ninth arrest in the killing of Caceres, a Goldman Environmental Prize winner who was shot to death two years ago after attackers barged into her home in La Esperanza.

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Castillo is charged with being an "intellectual author" in the crime, which generally applies to someone alleged to have been involved in a crime but not at the scene. Two others have been arrested for allegedly impeding the investigation. The Public Ministry alleges Castillo was "the person in charge of providing logistics and other resources to one of the material authors already being prosecuted for the crime." In a statement, DESA defended Castillo and its employees as innocent, saying they were "totally unconnected" to the crime and calling the "unjust detention" the result of "international pressure and campaigns by diverse NGOs to discredit the company." Caceres and her organization known as Copinh opposed DESA's Agua Zarca hydroelectric project, which is on her Lenca indigenous people's lands.

(Read more Honduras stories.)(Newser)  A full-blown trade war is looking ever more likely with President Trump threatening US allies upset with the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports he announced just days earlier, USA Today reports. "If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!" Trump tweeted Saturday from Mar-a-Lago. The president announced a 25% tariff on imported steel and 10% tariff on imported aluminum on Thursday. Both Canada and the EU called the tariffs "unacceptable," and the EU threatened to retaliate in the form of tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Kentucky bourbon, and jeans. Canada also threatened retaliation of its own.

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The US was the largest market for cars exported from the EU in 2016, importing over 1 million, CNBC reports. According to the Washington Post, Trump's newest tariff threat mostly targets Germany, which exported $23 billion in cars to the US in 2016. Germany's BMW and Volkswagen employ thousands of workers in factories in the US, and critics say a tariff on their cars would only hurt US consumers. Trump said during his presidential campaign that he wanted to fix trade imbalances with China and Mexico. But his announced tariffs on aluminum and steel would mostly affect Canada, the UK, Germany, South Korea, Turkey, and Japanall allies of the US. None of this is reasonable, but reason is a sentiment that is very unevenly distributed in this world, the president of the EU says. Trump on Friday called trade wars "good and easy to win."

(Read more Donald Trump tweets stories.)Sorry!

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Reacting to BJP's impressive show in the North East Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday thanked people of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland for supporting NDA agenda of good governance.

People of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have spoken! I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and Act East Policy of @BJP4India & our valued allies, Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

The BJP is set to win big in the North East with the saffron party surging ahead of the Manik Sarkar-led Left Front in Tripura and crosses majority mark with its ally NDPP in Nagaland.

The BJP was leading on 39 seats in Tripura, while the Left front which was ruling the state for the last 25 years was ahead in 19 seats. In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally NDPP were leading in 33 seats, while the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF) was a distant second and leading in 22 seats.

"The victory of BJP in Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. This journey from Shunya to Shikhar has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation," the Prime Minister said.

The victory of @BJP4Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. This journey from Shunya to Shikhar has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 3, 2018

North East Assembly Election results LIVE: BJP breaches 'Red Fort' in Tripura, Congress surges ahead in Meghalaya

Prime Minister Modi also thanked people of Nagaland and Meghalaya and congratulated party workers for the historic show in the two North Eastern states.New Delhi:

The BJP and its ally IPFT on Saturday ended the Left Front's 25-year-rule in Tripura with a strong showing in the Assembly polls, while Meghalaya threw a hung House.

The BJP secured a majority on its own by winning 35 seats while its ally IPFT won 8 assembly constituencies. The CPI (M), who has been ruling the state for the last 25 years reduced to 16 seats.

In Nagaland, the BJP and its electoral ally NDPP bagged 27 seats in the 60-member Assembly with the saffron party exuding confidence of forming the government in the state.

The ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) also secured 27 seats, running neck and neck with the BJP-NDPP combine.

According to EC sources, the BJP secured 11 seats while its alliance partner the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) got 16 seats.

Expressing confidence about forming the government in the state with poll ally NDPP and some smaller parties, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said "We have 29 seats and need only two more. There are letters of support coming from smaller parties."

Meghalaya, however, thrown a fractured mandate with ruling Congres emerging the single largest party after winning 21 seats.

Assembly Election 2018: Congress single largest party in Meghalaya, to stake claim to form govt



The Assembly Elections were conducted on February 18 in Tripura, while Meghalaya and Nagaland underwent the polls on February 27. Polling for 59 out of 60 seats was conducted in all the three North-Eastern states.

In Tripura, a CPI(M) candidate died, while in Meghalaya, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member was killed, and in Nagaland, the chief of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), Neiphiu Rio, was declared elected unopposed, resulting in countermanding one seat of the constituency in Tripura and Meghalaya to 59 from 60, while keeping the seats to 60 in Nagaland.

The BJP, which has already formed its government in Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh, is eyeing a big time to expand its footprints on these three states too.

Here are the top highlights of North East Assembly Election 2018 results:

# 08:40 PM: Neiphiu Rio met BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav in Dimapur, Nagaland. He was elected unopposed in the Nagaland Assembly election after his rival from the Naga People's Front withdrew his nomination.

Neiphiu Rio met BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav in Dimapur, Nagaland. He was elected unopposed in the Nagaland Assembly election after his rival from the Naga People's Front withdrew his nomination. #NagalandElections2018 pic.twitter.com/6QUZpE6m5P  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 08: 30 PM: Tripura Election 2018: BJP wins 35, CPI (M) 16, IPFT 8 seats in Tripura Assembly Elections.

# 08:10 PM: Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram will go as Observers to Tripura, Arun Singh and I will got to Nagaland & Kiren Rijiju and KJ Alphons will go to Meghalaya to elect the CM: JP Nadda

# 08:05 PM: Victory in Tripura has been a significant victory. BJP & allies share more than 50% of popular votes. This is a victory of democracy, and against violence for which CPM is well known: JP Nadda

# 07:55 PM: This decision is taken after a serious consideration of the current verdict of the just-declared results of the conducted general election to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly & also to safeguard the interest of the National Democratic Alliance in Delhi: JD(U) Nagaland

# 07:45 PM: Janata Dal (United) Nagaland has decided to support the BJP in formation of a stable govt in Nagaland: JD(U) Nagaland

# 07:40 PM: Independent candidate Tongpang Ozukum submits his letter of support to BJP in Kohima

Independent candidate Tongpang Ozukum submits his letter of support to BJP in Kohima #NagalandElection2018 pic.twitter.com/FjUliF2dA7  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 07:30 PM: No I don't think he has failed. Give him time, he has just become President. It will take time for him to grow. It's not his defeat. Elections come & elections go. Any party has chance of revival if it works for people: Farooq Abdullah on Congress President Rahul Gandhi

# 06:40 PM: I do not have the figures but I think the elected team in Tripura is the youngest ever team. Some of them were even scared that would be rejected on the grounds of their age. Such young candidates successfully won people's confidence: PM Modi

# 06:35 PM: The North East has today come forward to lead India on the path to development: PM Narendra Modi

# 06:30 PM: Election analysts in India will have to understand the journey from No one to One, shunya se shikhar tak. When the sun sets it is red in colour and when it rises it is saffron: PM Modi

# 06:20 PM: WATCH: PM Narendra Modi addresses BJP workers at Party Headquarters in Delhi

#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi addresses BJP workers at Party Headquarters in Delhi https://t.co/kgu8x6eKdu  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 05:50 PM: Meghalaya Election 2018: Congress wins 21, NPP 19, UDP 6, BJP 2 and Others 11 seats in Meghalaya Assembly Elections.

# 5:40 PM: Congress leader Mukul Wasnik carrying paper with seat tallies and what appears to be the numbers for Government formation in Meghalaya.

Caught on camera: Congress leader Mukul Wasnik carrying paper with seat tallies and what appears to be numbers for Government formation in Meghalaya. #MeghalayaElection2018 pic.twitter.com/0LPfGGYZwu  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 05:30 PM: BJP President Amit Shah Ji was camping in Tripura&worked on all possible micro, macro strategies to make this victory possible. This symbolises revolt of the proletariats against these communists.Tribals suffered at hands of Manik Sarkar: BJP strategist Rajat Sethi

# 04:30 PM: Madhya Pradesh: BJP workers celebrate in Bhopal as BJP is set to win in Tripura

Madhya Pradesh: BJP workers celebrate in Bhopal as BJP is set to win in Tripura. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/WHMgwHWH3K  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 04:20 PM: BJP might have a clear majority in Tripura but we will also include other members of our alliance in the cabinet: BJP President Amit Shah

# 04:15 PM: In 2014 Narendra Modi Ji had said western side of the nation has developed a lot but the same has not reached the eastern side yet. He immediately started his 'Act East Policy'. I believe this is the victory of his policies, stamped by the 3 states of the north-east: Amit Shah

# 3:50 PM: The victory of @BJP4Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. This journey from Shunya to Shikhar has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years.

The victory of @BJP4Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. This journey from Shunya to Shikhar has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 3, 2018

# 03:20 PM: Although the Congress is leading in Meghalaya, it has sent its senior leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel to Shillong for alliance talks fearing a repeat of Goa and Manipur where the party could not form a government despite emerging as a single largest party in the Assembly polls.

# 02:44 PM: Amit Shah thanked all the voters for making the party victorious

I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to BJP. This is the victory of PM @narendramodis politics of development and his commitment to the welfare of North-Eastern region of India.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 3, 2018

Congratulations to Shri @rammadhavbjp ji, Shri @Sunil_Deodhar ji, Shri @himantabiswa ji, Shri @BjpBiplab ji and I also applaud the hard work & dedication of our karyakartas of @BJP4Tripura unit which has made this historic win a reality.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 3, 2018

# 02:31 PM: Amit Shah reaches party headquarters in Delhi, welcomed grandly

#Delhi: BJP President Amit Shah arrives at the party headquarters amid celebrations. #TripuraElections2018 pic.twitter.com/bNXEnPJSNU  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 02:26 PM: BJP workers celebrate outside party office in Trivandrum in Kerala as BJP is set to win in Tripura

Kerala: BJP workers celebrate outside party office in Trivandrum as BJP is set to win in Tripura. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/e3Iygh35Cd  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 01:56 PM: BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and State President Biplab Kumar Deb amidst celebrations by party workers in Agartala, BJP is poised to win in the Tripura

BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and State President Biplab Kumar Deb amidst celebrations by party workers in Agartala, BJP is poised to win in the state #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/9Ew1muPApT  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 01:49 PM: Workers of BJP celebrate in Agartala as the party is poised to win in the state

#WATCH: Workers of BJP celebrate in Agartala as the party is poised to win in the state #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/CmM2uMgqSw  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 01:44 PM: Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma wins both from Ampati and Songsak constituencies

# 01:07 PM: Ravi Shankar Prasad calls Congress 'Vaampanth', says BJP winning entire North-East makes it 'Vaampanth Mukt Bharat'

In a way the entire north east is now with the BJP. Initially we used to say "Congress mukt Bharat' now I think we can say 'Vaampanth Mukt Bharat" also.: Union Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad pic.twitter.com/YBfCW4EiBw  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 12:53 PM: SK Sunn, Independent candidate who won from Mawphlang constituency in Meghalaya, says he is ready to form alliance with any party which aims at working for the welfare of the people

I will be supporting any party that works for the welfare of the people of state: SK Sunn, Independent candidate who won from Mawphlang constituency in Meghalaya #MeghalayaElection2018 pic.twitter.com/nl7DwFsBps  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 12:52 PM: Vijay Goel also extends his wishes

Left has been "left out" in #Tripura, public has taken the "Right" decision for Vikas under visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi! #TripuraElection2018  Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) March 3, 2018

# 12:51 PM: Shivraj Singh Chouhan extends his wishes to PM Modi and Amit Shah

My heartiest congratulations to PM Shri @narendramodi, Shri @AmitShah & @BJP4Tripura party colleagues for the fabulous victory in #TripuraElection2018. It is a vote for development agenda of @BJP4India. The security & sovereignty of North East is of utmost importance to us.  ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) March 3, 2018

# 12:48 PM: Sushil Kumar Modi congratulates PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah for winning Tripura

Left is left with Kerala only.Congrats to @AmitShah & @narendramodi_in for historic win in Tripura  Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) March 3, 2018

# 12:38 PM: Biplab Kumar Deb likely to be the new Chief Minister of Tripura: Media Reports

# 12:34 PM: In Meghalaya, Congress is leading but could fall short of a majority if BJP ties up with the regional parties and forms a government

# 12:15 PM: Meghalaya- Congress gets 28 per cent votes, NPP gets 20 per cent vote share

# 12:14 PM: Nagaland- BJP gets 40 per cent votes, NPF gets 41 per cent votes

# 12:13 PM: Tripura- BJP gets 50 per cent votes, Left gets 46 per cent share of votes

# 12:08 PM: Nalin Kohli,BJP Meghalaya incharge, said, "In Meghalaya, the vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance."

In #Meghalaya, the vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance: Nalin Kohli,BJP Meghalaya incharge pic.twitter.com/zLjPIfGdyx  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 12:02 PM: BJP inches towards record-breaking victory in Tripura and Nagaland, Congress eyes Meghalaya

# 11:41 AM: BJP's Ram Madhav addresses the media in Agatala

This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata and people of the state and the hard work of PM Modi and party workers: Ram Madhav,BJP #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/nr5SqMmrXp  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

In Meghalaya a divided result is a possibility, we will see that a non-Congress Govt is formed there. Himanta Biswa Sarma ji is leaving for Meghalaya shortly: Ram Madhav,BJP pic.twitter.com/3f3KrBURWb  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 11:36 AM: Jitendra Singh, Union Minister, says, "Huge vindication for consistent development that has been seen in North East in last 4 yrs which did not happen in last 7 decades. People have reasons to believe that this is the dispensation that they can look forward to trust for future growth

Huge vindication for consistent development that has been seen in North East in last 4 yrs which did not happen in last 7 decades. People have reasons to believe that this is the dispensation that they can look forward to trust for future growth: Jitendra Singh, Union Minister pic.twitter.com/7kkfhDAdvr  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 11:18 AM: Important day in Indian politics: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

BJP is all set for a historic win in #Tripura, I would like to congratulate PM Modi, Amit Shah ji and our party workers. Even our performance in #Nagaland and #Meghalaya is historic. Important day in Indian politics: UP CM Yogi Adityanath pic.twitter.com/ixEajcVZ61  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 11:03 AM: BJP workers celebrate in Agartala as trends show the party leading in Tripura

#BJP workers celebrate in Agartala as trends show the party leading in #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/l0km1COCNF  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 11:01 AM: BJP shakes the Left after 25 years in Tripura, leads with 36 seats

# 11:00 AM: BJP eyes triumph in Tripura, Nagaland; Congress eyes victory in Meghalaya

# 10:58 AM: BJP leading in Tripura, BJP neck to neck with NPF in Nagaland, Congress leading in Meghalaya

# 10:46 AM: CM Manik Sarkar leading from Dhanpur constituency by 1682 votes in Tripura

# 10:44 AM: BJP on a close victory in Tripura and Nagaland, Congress closes win in Meghalaya

# 10:35 AM: BJP workers celebrate as trends show the party leading in Tripura

# 10:32 AM: Voting on 59 out of 59 seats in Tripura, 57 out of 60 seats in Nagaland, and 55 out of 59 seats in Meghalaya complete

# 10:30 AM: Early trends show BJP taking lead in Tripura, while NPF takes lead in Nagaland, and a neck-to-neck fight ensues between NCP and NDPP in Meghalaya

# 10:27 AM: Kiren Rijiju speaks on counting results in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland

The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming Govt in all three: Kiren Rijiju,MoS Home #Tripura #Meghalaya #Nagaland pic.twitter.com/QYnbZWGVOq  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 10:23 AM: BJP takes lead in Tripura, NCP continues in Meghalaya, BJP takes front in Nagaland

# 10:10 AM: Himanta Biswa Sarma of BJP says, "Trends are encouraging, I am hopeful and confident that BJP will form the Govt in Tripura."

Trends are encouraging, I am hopeful and confident that BJP will form the Govt in Tripura: Himanta Biswa Sarma,BJP #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/NQFaGsNwZ2  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 10:05 AM: Brinda Karat of CPI(M) says "We are very confident, let more rounds of counting complete, our leads are going to get much bigger."

We are very confident, let more rounds of counting complete, our leads are going to get much bigger: Brinda Karat,CPI on #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/kacKtClpnx  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 09:54 AM: Voting for 51 out of 60 seats in Nagaland, 57 out of 59 seats in Tripura, and 45 out of 59 seats in Meghalaya complete

# 09:50 AM: Early trends show CPI(M) towards victory in Tripura

# 09:46 AM: Counting for 57 out of 59 seats in Tripura, 43 out of 59 seats in Meghalaya, and 42 out of 60 seats in Nagaland complete

# 09:43 AM: Early trends show BJP and NPF in an intense neck-to-neck fight in Nagaland

# 09:40 AM: BJP's Ram Madhav believes that the party will do well in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland

Seeing the earlier trends:, I feel that in Tripura BJP is going to do very well In Nagaland too, our alliance is doing very well and Congress is trailing in Meghalaya. The three results of North East are going to be very good for BJP: Ram Madhav, BJP pic.twitter.com/66V7BPCXDn  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 09:33 AM: EVMs brought to a counting centre in Agartala

EVMs brought to a counting centre in Agartala. (Earlier Visuals) #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/wJIDcSS23Z  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 08:55 AM: Counting for 13 seats in Nagaland, 23 seats in Meghalaya, and 34 seats in Tripura complete

# 08:52 AM: Early trends show BJP leading in Nagaland with 10 seats

# 08:51 AM: Early trends show Other party gains 8 seats in Meghalaya

# 08:50 AM: Early trends show BJP leading in Tripura with 18 seats, followed by CPI(M) with 14 seats

# 08:47 AM: In Tripura, BJP and Left in a neck-to-neck competition, with CPI(M) gaining 13 seats, while BJP gaining 11 seats

# 08:44 AM: Early trends show BJP leading in Nagaland, Left and BJP competing equally in Tripura, while Other Parties leading in Meghalaya

# 08: 38 AM: Huge crowd has gathered at Shillong Polo ground

Huge crowd has gathered at Shillong Polo ground where people can see counting trends through a projector #MeghalayaElection2018 pic.twitter.com/bKMcsQYEBK  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 08:02 AM: Counting of votes begins for Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland assembly elections

# 08:00 AM: Visuals from inside a counting centre in Agartala

Visuals from inside a counting centre in Agartala #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/bl6vg5nErc  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 07:37 AM: D Marak, SP of Shillong says adequate security measures have been taken in Meghalaya

There is adequate security at counting centres and we hope there will be no untoward incident and counting will pass off smoothly: D Marak,SP Shillong #MeghalayaElection2018 pic.twitter.com/QFoajdJi3U  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 07:19 AM: Congress candidate from Mawsynram, HM Shangpliang, says People want change in the city

We will wait for the verdict of the people. People want change in Mawsynram: HM Shangpliang, Congress candidate from Mawsynram constituency. #MeghalayaElection2018 pic.twitter.com/llPfFuQ5Ex  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

# 07:14 AM: Counting centre in Shillong

# 7:09 AM: Counting centre in Agartala

#Tripura: Visuals from outside the counting centre in Agartala. pic.twitter.com/tbU1xPlJL8  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

Mohammad Harris Nalapad, the Youth Congress leader of Karnataka and son of Karnataka Congress MLA NA Harris, who surrendered after 36 hours of beating up a man in Bengaluru, was denied his bail plea by a city civil and sessions court in the alleged assault case.

Nalapad, along with six others, filed his bail plea, which was rejected by the 63rd City Civil and Sessions Court on Friday, stating that the gravity of offences does not weigh personal liberty of the petitioner.

Justice Parameshwar Prasanna, who denied the bail plea of the accused, said, In case of grant of bail to the petitioner, the chances of them posing a threat to the prosecution witnesses and of his abscondence and chances of him committing similar offences cannot be ruled out. Considering the gravity and seriousness of the offences, reasonable apprehension of witnesses being tampered, this court is of the considered view that the petitioner is not entitled for bail.

Two bail petitions were filed before the court, one by Nalapads representative judges, Advocate Tom Sebastian and Advocate Usman P, and the other by Advocate S Balan, who represented the six others accused in the case.

The court said, Prima facie, it appears that the counter-complaint was filed (by co-accused Arun Babu) against Vidvat only to hamper the proben. In the larger interest of the public and state, the accused are not entitled for bail at least till the completion of investigation.

The six accused, identified as Arun Babu, Manjunath, Mohammad Afras Ashraf, Balakrishna, Abhishek, and Nafi Mohammed Nasir, were arrested on February 17.

The advocates of Nalapad and the six others have decided to move the case to the High Court, seeking interim bail. Advocate Balan said that the whole case was being hyped, and that the case was just a simple drunken brawl blown out of proportion by the prosecution and the police.

Balan said, There is no provision for Section 307 of IPC in this case. Moreover, the timing and the admission of the victim to the private hospital and the evidence provided have been doctored. The prosecution and the investigating agencies have fabricated and manipulated the case, which amounts to perjury.

The civil and sessions court had sent all the seven accused in the case to judicial custody till March 7.

Special Public Prosecutor MS Shyamsundar said that he was happy with the courts judgement of rejecting the bail plea, terming the whole situation as a triumph of justice. Earlier on Friday, he took to Twitter to express his concern over the judgement and feared that the accused might be free. He tweeted, A lot of politics is involved from the beginning of the case.

A lawyer said, This order will definitely impact other case proceedings. If the court grants or rejects bail, this order will be considered for citing in other bail pleas, too.

Also Read: Karnataka Youth Congress leader Mohammad Harris Nalapad surrenders after 36 hours

Senior BJP leader Lehar Singh Siroya on Friday alleged that the intense supply of drugs in Bengaluru has made the city into another Udta Punjab. He referred the citys condition to the Bollywood movie which deals with drug abuse in Punjab.

He added that no one would have beaten a man like Vidwath was beaten, and it seemed that the attackers were under the influence of drugs. He alleged that eight high-class area around UB City, where Vidwath was beaten by Nalapad, supplied drugs to youths.

Harris Nalapad apparently was having dinner at a restaurant in the high scaled UB City mall where an injured man, named Vidwath, had placed his bandaged foot on the table of the restaurant. Nalapad asked him to remove his foot from the table and sit properly. Vidwath refused to do so which led to an argument between the two of them, and after that Nalapad and his friends started beating Vidwath, eyewitnesses said.

Vidwath was immediately rushed to the Mallya Hospital where Nalapad and his friends threatened him against filing an FIR or complaint.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

India and Vietnam on Saturday vowed to join hands for an open and thriving Indo-Pacific besides ensuring an efficient and rules-based regional security architecture, seen as a thinly veiled message to China over its increasing military posturing in the region.

After wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, the two strategic partners inked three pacts providing for cooperation in nuclear energy, trade and agriculture. They decided to explore co-development projects in defence sector and boost ties in oil and gas exploration, including trilateral cooperation.

Modi said both sides expressed commitment to an open, efficient and rules-based regional architecture and to expand bilateral maritime cooperation further.

We will jointly work for an open, independent and prosperous Indo Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and where differences are resolved through talks, Modi said in a media statement in the presence of the Vietnamese President.

In an apparent reference to the South China Sea dispute, the Vietnamese president said it supports Indias multi-faceted connectivity with ASEAN and asserted that there must be freedom of navigation and over flight in the region. He said that disputes must be resolved through peaceful means.

Vietnam and several other ASEAN member countries have territorial disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea.

While India, the US and several other world powers have been pressing for resolution of the dispute on the basis of international law, China has been favouring a bilateral framework with respective countries.

Modi said India and Vietnam will also look for trilateral partnership in oil and gas sector.

Earlier on Friday, Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang had reached New Delhi along with wife Nguyen Thi Hien on a three-day visit to India. They arrived in the country at the invitation of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.

On Saturday morning, Quang has issued a press statement along with PM Narendra Modi and exchanged agreements between both the countries.

"Vietnam has an important place in India's framework of Act East policy and India's relations with ASEAN," said PM Modi during his speech at the joint press statement.

"We have decided that we will enhance cooperation in defence production and explore opportunities in the transfer of technology. We will jointly work for an open, independent & prosperous Indo Pacific area where sovereignty and international law is respected."

"We agreed to strengthen our relations in different sectors like renewable energy, agriculture, textiles & Oil & gas. In Oil & gas sector, not only we will strengthen our long-standing bilateral relations but also work along with other nations on trilateral possibilities," Modi added.

"Warm welcome to the Vietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang and his wife Nguyen Thi Hien on a state visit to India!," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted earlier.

"Vietnam is an important pillar in India's #Act East Policy and the two countries share civilisational relationship spanning over 2000 years," Mr Kumar said.

Earlier in the day, the Vietnam Prez inspected the guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday. Quang was also accorded a ceremonial welcome in the presence of president Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Delhi: Exchange of agreements between India and Vietnam. pic.twitter.com/7Gt2C0Ihrb  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

Delhi : Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang inspects guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. pic.twitter.com/vx8O0N01I4  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome @RashtrapatiBhvn in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/QKpc9pHELd  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 3, 2018

EAM Sushma Swaraj has met Tran Dai Quang and discussed several ways to strengthen India's comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors.

Delhi: Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. pic.twitter.com/trq8Oa13c7  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

Post that, Quang has reached Raj Ghat along with wife Nguyen Thi Hien and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Delhi: President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang pays tribute at Raj Ghat. pic.twitter.com/uQ9uzqeq4S  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

PM Modi, who welcomed Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad held bilateral talks over 'Act East Policy.'

PM @narendramodi welcomes Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. India and Vietnam enjoy warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history. #ActEastPolicy pic.twitter.com/2ASuB1m6uk  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 3, 2018

Also Read: Prez Kovind, PM Modi extend greetings to all citizens on occasion of Holi

President Quang visited Bodh Gaya in Bihar, a Buddhist pilgrimage site, before reaching New Delhi on Friday.

Vietnam is an important partner in Southeast Asia and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

Warm welcome to the Vietnamese President, Tran Dai Quang and his wife Nguyen Thi Hien on a State visit to India! Vietnam is an important pillar in India's #ActEastPolicy and the two countries share civilizational relationship spanning over 2000 years. pic.twitter.com/XqS3wg9QKD  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 2, 2018

Also Read: PM Modi in Puducherry | Pays tribute to Sri Aurobindo, releases postage to commemorate him

Apart from ASEAN, India and Vietnam closely cooperate in other regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides the UN and WTO.

India-Vietnam trade stood at $6.24 billion in fiscal 2016-17 and the two sides have agreed to raise this to $15 billion by 2020.

Defence has emerged as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.

Also Read: PM Modi, Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau discuss terrorism, trade ties

India is also an important development aid partner for Vietnam and has extended several lines of credit for capacity building in the southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam is also among the larger recipients of scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.New Delhi:

The Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) on Saturday removed its tag of being a party of Indias Hindi belt as it was poised to a massive landslide victory in the Tripura assembly election.

The saffron party with it ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) was also heading towards majority mark in another North Eastern state of Nagaland.

However, it was a close in call in Meghalaya where Congress and NPP were fighting a neck to neck battle with other parties gaining enough seats to be the King Maker.

North East Assembly Election results LIVE: BJP breaches 'Red Fort' in Tripura, Congress single largest party in Meghalaya

Here is how the politicians reacted on BJPs impressive show in North East Assembly polls:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi: People of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have spoken! I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and Act East Policy of @BJP4India & our valued allies.

BJP President Amit Shah: In 2014 Narendra Modi Ji had said western side of the nation has developed a lot but the same has not reached the eastern side yet. He immediately started his 'Act East Policy'. I believe this is the victory of his policies, stamped by the 3 states of the north-east.

Ahmed Patel (Congress): We have a clear majority in Meghalaya. We have a setback in Tripura in Nagaland, we will have to work on that.

CPI(M): BJP has, apart from other factors, utilised massive deployment of money & other resources to influence the elections. BJP was able to consolidate all the anti-Left votes virtually appropriating the erstwhile main opposition, Congress.

Ravi Shankar Prasad: In a way, the entire North East is now with the BJP. Initially, we used to say "Congress Mukt Bharat' now I think we can say 'Vaampanth Mukt Bharat" also.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.The family of Big Brother Naija Double Wahala housemate Bambam has dismissed suggestions on social media claiming her parents want he...

This is due to the recent social media frenzy surrounding her escapade in the toilet with fellow housemate Teddy A.Video images of what looked like the two housemates copulating have been circulating on the Internet over the past week.The actions of these two housemates have caused a resurgence of a wide debate among Nigerians that focused on the immorality of the show.BBNaija followers have emphasised on Bambams claim to be a religious and dedicated member of her church at the beginning of the show.An alleged member of her church Stephanie Amaty took to social media to express her disappointment in Bambam, who she claimed is a chorister in her parish.She said I am personally disappointed in Bamike Bambam she is a choir member in my parish.Followers of the show on social media have claimed the parents of the BBNaija housemate have requested to have their daughter withdrawn from the show as a consequence for her wrongdoings in the BBNaija house.Contrary to those reports, the family of Bambam has released an official statement through Bambams Instagram page appreciating her fans and reinforcing their support for their daughter.The statement reads theres been a false news circulating on social media about BamBams parents requesting for her to leave the big brother house to return home.This news is very false as the supposed person is not family, friend or even supporter of BamBam, I repeat it is completely false and as such should be disregarded.The family completely disregarded the source of information of the alleged claims and appealed to viewers to continue showing support toward Bambam.We do not know the said user from anywhere and have no affiliations with her. Its the work of unscrupulous elements and it is what it is. Thank you for those who stuck out for us and brought it to our notice.We crave your indulgence to please spread this news and continue to show your support as we stand together to ensure victory is ours by Gods grace.Bambams initial game strategic partner Teddy A, had earlier proclaimed in the show to respect Bambamss religious background by abstaining from any form of sexual intercourse with her.NANGovernor Samuel Ortom of Benue and major stakeholders of the state have urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris and those kicking against the recently enacted Open Grazing Prohibition of the state to seek redress in court to canvass their position on the law.It will be recalled that the IGP had at a forum last Wednesday, faulted the decision of state governments to outlaw open grazing in their respective states without developing ranch facilities.They spoke Thursday in Makurdi, when members of the board of trustees and advisory council of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation led by the former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu paid a condolence visit on the government and people of the state over the new year day killings by suspected herdsmen that claimed over 73 lives in Logo and Guma local government areas of the state.According to Chief Abu Shuluwa, a second class Chief and Tor Sankera, the recent day activities of Fulanis herdsmen negated the ideals which the late Sardauna of Sokoto and the first Premier of the Northern Nigeria region stood for.Benue cannot remain with the north if the north continues to kill us. We are surprised that nobody is talking in the north about the killings in Benue. But let me say this, the Tivs have never been conquered by Fulanis and they will never be conquered.On his part, the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN in the state, Rev. Akpen Leva, wondered why the IGP whose responsibilities included the enforcement of laws supposedly took sides with the Miyetti Allah who had consistently wrecked havoc in the state.With what we see happening currently, it is obvious that the federal government is acting the script of Miyetti Allah. We are disappointed with the federal government because of its posture. These happenings are a grand plan to Islamise the country, because the attacks are targeted at Christian dominated areas.The development is dangerous to the development of this country as it affects its unity. There is a hidden agenda in what is happening, unless they want this country to cease to exist because once you do away with Benue that is the end of Nigeria.Also speaking, Governor Ortom maintained that the law had come to stay, stressing that if the Inspector General of Police has any personal grouse with the law which met every constitutional requirement before it was signed into law, he has the option of seeking legal action.Several others who spoke at the meeting, lampooned the federal government for its nonchalance over the killings in the state.Earlier, while condoling the government and people of the state over the killings, former Governor Aliyu said the foundation would always stand for the principles of justice and equity that once kept the northern region as one.Former Governor Gabriel Suswam who is also a member of the organisation sympathised with the people, assuring that everything would be done to paint the true picture of the situation in Benue state to the relevant authorities.Retired Justice Mamman Nasir, who is the chairman of the advisory council of the foundation condoled with the people and called for peace in all parts of the country.VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GLOBAL BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES CORP. (CSE:BLOC) (CSE:BLOC.CN) (CSE:BLOC.CNX) (FSE:BWSP) (OTC:BLKCF) ("BLOC" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will be a media partner for the Fintech and Funding Conference of 2018.



The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association of Canada (NCFA) and partners are proud to present FFCON18: VELOCITY (2018 Fintech and Funding Conference) on Monday, March 5th and Tuesday, March 6th. Currently in its fourth year, this conference offers a full scope of insights, knowledge and commentary from leaders and innovators in the blockchain industry; as well as regulators, lawyers and several notable names in the world of tech. BLOC is proud to announce that it will be a media partner for this event, giving it presence at what will be a defining conference for the trajectory of the blockchain in Canada for 2018 and beyond.

We are honoured to have BLOC on board as a media partner, says Craig Asano - Founder and CEO of NCFA. Their accomplishments to date in blockchain-related ventures have helped to put Canada on the map as a leading market in this sphere. Were thrilled to have BLOC participate at FFCON, because we know the amount of influence that they carry in this field - which is very much of interest to our attendees, exhibitors and speakers.

At the conference, there will be five different streams of content, several learning and networking events, VIP one-on-one meetings, 12 pitching companies, and over 50 speakers - including the President of BLOC, Mr. Shidan Gouran.

Im really happy that were getting to be part of this conference, says Mr. Gouran. As blockchain jumps past the initial hurdles of adoption, everyone is trying to understand all of the different angles of it - taking somewhat of a holistic approach. The team behind FFCON has done a great job to bring in experts from nearly every relevant area, and this is going to be an event that you dont want to miss if you want to be part of Canadas climb to the top of the blockchain world.

In light of substantial changes to and developments in cryptocurrencies and the blockchain over the past year, this will be the most impactful FFCON event so far. With even greater changes and developments coming on an even larger scale, the insights that come from this event will be essential both for active blockchain participants and for entities who are just getting introduced to it.

For more information, please contact info@globalblockchain.io

On behalf of the Company:

Shidan Gouran, President

(416) 854-3017

About Global Blockchain Technologies Corp.



The Company provides investors access to a basket of direct and indirect holdings within the blockchain space, managed by a team of industry pioneers and early adopters of all major cryptocurrencies.

BLOC is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) and its common shares trade under the ticker symbol "BLOC". Additional information relating to BLOC is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, the CSE at www.theCSE.com , as well as on the Company's website at www.globalblockchain.io.

About FFCON18: VELOCITY

FFCON (Fintech and Funding Conference) is an annual conference hosted by NCFA Canada in its fourth year, with an educational objective that brings together professionals and innovators in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and alternative investing. It is being held on Monday, March 5th and Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 in downtown Toronto. The VELOCITY theme is all about speed, efficiency, and reducing friction; all of which are commonly shared objectives among participants in the blockchain ecosystem. Additional information about the conference can be found at www.fintechandfunding.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Generally, any statements that are not historical facts may contain forward-looking information, and forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or indicates that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to the Companys goal of streamlining the current arduous, lengthy and complicated process that interested investors need to undergo in order to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency space with a view to becoming the first vertically integrated originator and manager of top-tier blockchains and digital currencies. The Company has no assets and its business plan is purely conceptual in nature and there is no assurance that it will be implemented as set out herein, or at all. Forward-looking information is based on certain factors and assumptions the Company believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to: statements and expectations regarding the ability of the Company to (i) successfully engage senior management with appropriate industry experience and expertise, (ii) gain access to and acquire a basket of cryptocurrency assets and pre-ICO and ICO financings on favourable terms or at all, (iii) successfully create its own tokens and ICOs, and (iv) execute on future M&A opportunities in the cryptocurrency space; receipt of required regulatory approvals; the availability of necessary financing; permitting and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: risks related to changes in cryptocurrency prices; the estimation of personnel and operating costs; general global markets and economic conditions; risks associated with uninsurable risks; risks associated with currency fluctuations; competition faced in securing experienced personnel with appropriate industry experience and expertise; risks associated with changes in the financial auditing and corporate governance standards applicable to cryptocurrencies and ICOs; risks related to potential conflicts of interest; the reliance on key personnel; financing, capitalization and liquidity risks including the risk that the financing necessary to fund continued development of the Companys business plan may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all; the risk of potential dilution through the issuance of additional common shares of the Company; the risk of litigation. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information set out in this presentation, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking 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. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Following increased calls for climate funding, Mr Ahmad Salihijo, a technical assistant to the Minister of Environment, said the ministry planned to issue N150 billion green bonds to the public.Salihijo revealed this in a panel discussion on Making Climate Finance Work for Women and Non-State Actors organized by Climate Wednesday in the just concluded social media week in Lagos.Green bonds, also known as climate bonds, are fixed income securities issued to finance projects that have positive impact on the environment and provide solution to change.Nigerias debut issuance of Green bonds was part of many efforts directed towards its Paris based NDC commitments.He said following the success of debut issuance of N10.69 billion bonds issued in 2017, the ministry was now targeting the issuance of N150 billion green bonds in 2018.Everybody is excited about the idea of climate funding, everybody wants to be a part of it. Highly reputable organizations within and internationally are supporting us.We will use the success of our first issuance to see how we can issue more. Where we are now, seeing the success of the first issue, our target this year is N150 billion. Already we are getting more proposals and support, he said.The technical adviser revealed that proceeds from the green bonds are channeled towards three major projects.We came up with guidelines for the green bonds, where we categorize the use of proceeds. We were able to advice other MDAs on how to place these bonds.As at today, green bonds have issued N10.6 billion over three projects.The first project is the Energizing Education Project registered with the Federal Ministry of Power under the Rural Electrification Agency, the second project is the Rural Electrification Municipal Project also under the Federal Ministry of Power and the third project is the Afforestation Project which is registered under the Federal Ministry Of Environment, he said.Salihijo said the success of the green bonds in Nigeria resulted in a positive assessment by the international Climate Bond Initiatives, where the country is rated as the only country in Africa with such certification. We were able to get an assessment by the Climate Bond Initiatives. This is a very rare achievement for the country, we are the only ones in Africa that has that certification from the Climate Bond Initiatives.To get the certification we had to go through a rigorous processes where all our projects were studied carefully, he said.The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Saturday berated the Peoples Democratic Party for boycotting the Edo State local government election.The PDP had vowed not to participate in the election, claiming that it did not have confidence in the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission and urged voters to used shun the exercise.It had also challenged the alleged unlawful amendment of the notice of election from 90 to 45 days by the House of Assembly before a state High Court.But Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke to journalists shortly after casting his vote in Ward 2, Unit 2, Oredo Local Government Area of the state, described the opposition partys withdrawal as silly.He stated that the PDP had only done itself more harm as the election would have provided an opportunity for the opposition party to mobilise its supporters.The national chairmans spokesman said, It is silly because however much you rate your chances as low, it is still an opportunity to mobilise and energise your followers. The injury is to the boycotting party.From our history in this country, that has always been the case; you do not boycott elections. If you do so, you are paying a heavy price for it and we wish it luck. But I pray that they will boycott the others also.Odigie-Oyegun blamed the low turnout of voters on the nature of the election, which he said was less emotive.He explained, Well, it is a local government election; it is not usually as emotive as when you are electing a governor or a president. So, one expects the turnout not to be as much.But all that is important is that our candidates get the majority and that they get down to work; that is why we are here.He added, There is always apathy with local elections. You do not have the kind of star quality that comes with a governorship or presidential election. So, voting in local elections are much more lower.Odigie-Oyegun also disagreed that council polls in Nigeria were lopsided because the ruling political party always held sway.The national chairman, It was not the case in Edo State; the opposition did win a few local governments (in previous elections). But that is to be expected.We are talking about local people. So if you do not mobilise at that level, then God help you.A Hamilton police officer was seriously injured by a drunk driver while he was diverting traffic during the nor'easter Friday night, his department said.

Officer Leo Rudolph was in a marked patrol car with its emergency lights on, directing traffic from Route 322 onto Route 50 in Mays Landing due to downed wires, when a driver crashed into Rudolph's car, Hamilton (Atlantic County) police said.

Isaiah Rasul Muhammad Smith of Whitsett, North Carolina, was driving his 2002 Volkswagen west on Route 322 and ignored Rudolph's emergency lights and directions, police said.

Both cars were severely damaged in the crash, and Rudolph was treated for his injuries at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, according to police.

Smith, who was uninjured, is charged with driving while intoxicated, careless driving, reckless driving and four other related charges. Police said further charges were pending.

Smith could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Rudolph, who joined the police force in 2002, shot and killed an unarmed bank robbery suspect in April of 2007, The Press of Atlantic City reported.

A grand jury later found Rudolph was justified in shooting Hay Nhat Duong, 25, when Duong approached Rudolph and made a motion like he was reaching for a gun after Rudolph told him several times to drop to the ground.

Rudolph was honored in January of 2008 for his handling of the incident.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsWhen a Camden police officer was wounded during a struggle in November, police laid the blame on the suspect, but body camera footage shows the suspect immediately hollered at officers on scene, "He shot himself, bro."

The video footage is too dark to see how the shot was fired, but the Camden County Police Department said there is no truth to the suspect's tale.

The criminal complaint charging Delronn Mahan, 20, of Lindenwold with attempted murder and six other charges says Mahan confessed on video to shooting Officer Patrick O'Hanlon.

In court a week later, public defender Meg Butler said Mahan was fleeing and trying to toss his 9-mm handgun when O'Hanlon caught him. Mahan said O'Hanlon grabbed the gun and it fired accidentally at some point after the officer had control.

Mahan, who has several pending criminal cases, is being held after a judge determined he was too dangerous to be released. Meanwhile, O'Hanlon, lauded as a hero, is recovering from his injury and expected to return to work soon, according to police spokesman Dan Keashen.

Delronn Mahan, 20, left, is charged with shooting Camden County Police Officer Patrick O'Hanlon, at right.(Camden County Police)

"Police Officer Patrick O'Hanlon is a guardian of the community that didn't think twice about heroically disarming a Crips gang member with a gun and getting him off the street," Keashen said Thursday after NJ Advance Media obtained the video through a public records request.

"Under challenging conditions, including being shot by the suspect at point blank-range, O'Hanlon was able to detain the suspect and remove him from the Centerville neighborhood," Keashan said.

According to statements from Police Chief J. Scott Thomson and the criminal complaint, O'Hanlon, 21, a rookie cop, decided to detain three "suspicious males" in the area of South 9th Street and Chelton Avenue at 10:12 p.m. Nov. 1, 2017.

The video shows him telling the young men to sit on the curb, but Mahan takes off running. O'Hanlon gave chase, telling him to stop and at one point saying "I'll f---ing shoot you motherf-----," according to the video.

Keashen said he could not comment on the record about whether O'Hanlon ever had his gun drawn.

O'Hanlon caught Mahan and they struggled for 37 seconds, with O'Hanlon ordering him to put his hands behind his back, before the gunshot rang out and O'Hanlon screamed. The video reveals that O'Hanlon continued to wrestle with Mahan for about 50 seconds and subdued him just as backup arrived.

Mahan can be heard repeatedly saying, "He shot himself" as the responding officers realize O'Hanlon is injured and call for an ambulance. They tied a tourniquet on his leg and rushed him to Cooper University Hospital in a cruiser, Thomson said at a press conference in November.

Thomson also said that Mahan tried to shoot the officer in the face but the gun jammed, possibly from the previous point blank shot. The criminal complaint said an inspection of the 9 mm that Mahan admitted belonged to him found there was a spent shell casing in the chamber.

Butler said in court that O'Hanlon pistol-whipped her client. Police records show he was taken to the hospital for a wound after his arrest. O'Hanlon checked the box on his use of force form indicating he struck Mahan with baton or other object, in addition to using his fists and feet to subdue Mahan.

Thomson described Mahan in November as a "bad guy" and said he had been arrested 10 times in the year and a half. Court records show Mahan is currently on probation after being convicted of charges including drug possession, burglary and receiving stolen property -- all since he turned 18 years old.

Mahan was actually arrested six days before the shooting, but the assistant prosecutor handling the case did not ask the judge to hold him in jail.

Alexandra McVeigh, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor, said Mahan had no violent history and was deemed unlikely to commit a violent crime, so the assistant prosecutor asked that he report weekly to PreTrial services instead.

Keashen said the department gave O'Hanlon a heroism award and his colleagues meritorious service awards for their work responding to the call.

"Officer O'Hanlon is a shining example of valor and strength when it comes to protecting the residents of Camden and we look forward to the day he returns to work," Keashen said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsThis post will be updated periodically throughout the day. LepreCon 2018 begins at 10 a.m.

HOBOKEN -- 3:30 p.m.: The Mile Square City's Leprecon 2018 bar crawl is in full swing.



Hundreds of green-clad people are celebrating at the city's numerous pubs and bars for the annual St. Patrick's Day pub crawl.



There is a big police and fire presence patrolling the area. Hoboken police officers have been joined by officers from the Union City, North Bergen and Secaucus police departments, according to Hoboken Chief Ken Ferrante.



"... If you get into a fight or destroy property, you will be arrested," he said in tweet. "Please respect yourself and those around you."



If attending any festivities at any of @CityofHoboken bars & restaurants today, there will be close to 250 officers working in town,if you get into a fight or destroy property, you will be arrested. Please respect yourself and those around you.  Chief Ken Ferrante (@KenFerrante) March 3, 2018

If coming to @CityofHoboken today, please don't drink and drive. Please have a designated driver or use public transportation, car services or ride services. Please respect our city's residents and businesses. Do not drink in public or urinate in public as you will be summonsed.  Chief Ken Ferrante (@KenFerrante) March 3, 2018

As of 3:30 p.m., police reportedly issued just two summons for drinking in public and shut down a house party on Washington Street, according to Ferrante via Twitter.

"So far so good, but still another 5-6 hours before we hit peak hours on this day," he said.

**

10:55 a.m.: City residents seem to have mixed feelings about the LepreCon bar crawl. Some say it brings in business, while others say it's just a nuisance.

"It's never a good event," said Veronica Miskulin, 59, who was born and raised in Hoboken. "Regular people, we can't go out because they take over the city -- they're obscene. Us Hoboken people know to stay indoors."

Another long-time resident says he doesn't mind it and added that it brings in business to the city.

"I don't have a problem with it," said a resident who has lived in the city for 24 years and only identified himself as Franco. "It brings business in, I don't know why you'd want to stop that. For me, it's OK."

"It's out of our age-range now; we did it when we were younger," said two 27-year-old residents who only gave their age and declined to be named.

Matt Isaacs, a 36-year-old resident who has moved "in and out" of Hoboken since 2000, but has been living here consistently since 2013, said he wasn't "too crazy about it."

"It gets really out of hand, you kind of can't leave your house," he said. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's almost that bad."

9:28 a.m.: Two popular Hoboken bars will voluntarily shut their doors today during LepreCon 2018.

Ownership of the Tally Ho Saloon and the Black Bear Bar & Grill, popular Washington Street bars, announced on Twitter last night that they will be closed for the day.

"As a 30 year #HobokenResident and #businessowner, I have made the decision to close Black Bear Bar & Grill and Tally Ho Saloon Saturday 3/3 #LepreCon. Not an easy one, my family and staff came to the conclusion that it is the #bestchoice," the bar owner said in a tweet.

Calls to both bars were not immediately returned.

Both establishments are directly adjacent to 1Republik, which was forced to close its doors for good.

A 30-day suspension of the Washington Street bar's liquor license is set to begin May 21 but the bar will then be forced to close permanently, pending the sale or transfer of its liquor license, officials said.

Court Street Restaurant & Bar also announced earlier this week in a tweet they would not be participating.

Out of respect to our loyal clientele, Court Street DOES NOT PARTICIPATE in Hobokens Leprecon. Any leprechauns will be asked to find their lucky charms elsewhere. We are open for dinner from 4:30-11pm and will be featuring Corned Beef & Cabbage. pic.twitter.com/6V0WlV2b6L  Court Street (@CourtStHoboken) February 28, 2018

**

9:05 a.m.: The streets of the Mile Square City will run green today during the infamous LepreCon Bar crawl.

Not all are looking forward to the event, however.

Police Chief Ken Ferrante estimates close to 250 police officers  including the entire Hoboken force  will be patrolling the Mile Square City on Saturday to help mitigate any rowdiness.

Thousands people are expected to come out, dressed in green, and booze it up.

The event started in 2012 in response to the city banning its annual St. Patrick's Day parade because of unruly crowds.

It also follows a hectic and "violent" Santacon bar crawl in December that drew heat from residents and elected officials.

Many popular bars won't be participating after getting hit with liquor violations and suspensions last week.

Hoboken announced it suspended liquor licenses at 1Republik, Hoboken Bar and Grill, Green Rock Tap and Grill, Mill's Tavern, and The Shannon. All of these bars are required to remain closed during this today's pub crawl.

If you're planning on participating in the crawl, there are a few things you should know:

- Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante is encouraging anyone attending the event to use public transportation, a ride share service, or designate a driver. Anyone who sees anything suspicious is asked to call the police department immediately at 201-420-2100 to have officers respond.

- If you're drinking or urinating in public, police will issue a summons. Any kind of fights or property damage will result in arrests, Ferrante said.

- He also asks for anyone visiting the city to be mindful and respectful of residents and businesses in Hoboken who are not participating in the alcohol-filled day.

Ferrante will be tweeting updates during the event. He plans on posting updates every hour to keep residents informed.JERSEY CITY  A city man was shot twice on Tonnelle Avenue last night, according to officials.

On Friday night, police officers responded to a call of a walk-in victim at Jersey City Medical Center who had sustained non-life threatening gun shot wounds to his back and wrist, said city spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione.

The victim told police he had been shot by two men on Tonnelle Avenue during a transaction, Wallace-Scalcione said.

The investigation is ongoing, officials said.

Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.A Roxbury Township man on Friday admitted in Newark federal court that he conspired with a former Middlesex Borough fire inspector to commit extortion using threats of force, violence and fear.

Joseph P. Martinelli, 64, conspired to extort cash payments from the owner of a real estate development company from December 2016 through June 2017, the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Martinelli, of the Kenvil section of the township, conspired with Billy A. Donnerstag, 49, of Hackettstown, who was then a fire inspector for Middlesex Borough and other municipalities and has alleged mob ties.

The pair extorted the owner and operator of a real estate development and construction company, prosecutors said. They said the extortion scheme started after they falsely told the company owner he didn't pay enough for a property he bought from Martinelli in 2007.

In total, authorities said Martinelli and Donnerstag extorted $15,000 in cash from the company owner. The money had been provided by the FBI, prosecutors said.

Through a number of phone calls and in-person conversations, Martinelli and Donnerstag allegedly demanded money from the owner by suggesting that Donnerstag would physically harm him if he refused.

Martinelli pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.

He is scheduled to be sentenced June 12, when prosecutors said he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from his crime.

Donnerstag remains charged by indictment.

Taylor Tiamoyo Harris may be reached at tharris@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ladytiamoyo. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsA New Jersey county prosecutor's office must pay two news organizations more than $100,000 in attorneys' fees in a dispute over the recording of a 911 call involving a fatal police-involved shooting, an appeals court ruled Friday.

The 911 call was made in January 2015 before police shot and killed a knife-wielding man in his Old Bridge residence. The news organizations sought the 911 tape under the state's Open Public Records Act.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office sought to block the release of the call on the grounds that it revealed personal information. The office eventually released an edited version after a judge denied its request to keep the tape private.

The Home News-Tribune and NJ Advance Media had argued the entire call was a matter of public interest because it involved a person who was killed by police. They also argued that the identity of the caller was public information, therefore pre-empting any argument based on privacy concerns.

Friday's ruling by a three-judge appellate panel upheld a judge's 2015 decision that awarded about $71,000 in costs and attorneys' fees to the Home News-Tribune and about $39,000 to NJ Advance Media.

"There is ample support in the record for the judge's determination that the newspapers were prevailing parties under OPRA and, thus, entitled to recover legal fees and costs," the judges wrote.

An attorney representing the prosecutor's office didn't return a message seeking comment Friday.

According to an investigation by the prosecutor's office, officers responded to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance and found 75-year-old Talbot Schroeder armed with a knife.

Schroeder repeatedly ignored police commands to drop it, and threatened the officer with the knife, according to the report. He had already exhibited a willingness to use it by slitting his wrists and stabbing himself.

The officer, who wasn't named, shot Schroeder after the officer was forced into a position against a wall in which he could not retreat, the report concluded. The report found the officer was justified in using force.By Marisa Iati and Olivia Rizzo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The worst of the storm may have ended late Friday night, but the impact remained Saturday as thousands of people remained without power, trees rested in the middle of roads and in people's front yards, and residents sought heat at public warming centers.

Friday's nor'easter, which swept across the Mid-Atlantic, brought strong winds, heavy rain and snow. The highest wind gust, at 74 mph, was recorded at the Brandywine Shoal lighthouse off Delaware Bay near Cape May.

Sussex County, meanwhile, saw the most snow. With 16.5 inches, Branchville got the highest snowfall total in the state.

As the recovery continued Saturday, residents recorded how the storm continued to impact their towns.

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(Photo courtesy of Justin Dolan: Instagram @justindolan)

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Fallen trees and power lines caused the most widespread danger and destruction across the state, and many remained down Saturday. Wind gusts during the nor'easter clocked in at more than 70 mph in some parts of the state  speeds more often seen in tropical storms.

Drone footage captured in Bloomfield this morning shows a massive, uprooted tree lying across Harrison Street and the front end of a car.

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(Photo courtesy of Justin Dolan: Instagram @justindolan)

A few people also recovered from being injured when fallen trees struck their cars. In East Brunswick, a tree that fell on the front of a police car sent the officer to the hospital.

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#BREAKING a police officer rushed to the hospital after THIS happened. More coming up at 5PM @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/9vZH1jzReX  Alex Lombardo (@AlexPLombardo) March 2, 2018

Ptl. Patrick Lem was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries after the tree fell on his patrol car Friday night, according to Lt. Sean Goggins, a department spokesman.

Lem was released from the hospital and feeling good Saturday morning, Goggins said.

Two people were also injured in Westfield when trees struck their cars, police Chief David Wayman said. One person was expected to be released today, and the condition of another was unknown, Wayman said.

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Many people across New Jersey arrived home last night or woke up this morning to find trees down in their yards and had to begin the process of finding a company to remove them. Some trees fell onto homes, and others forced roads to stay closed Saturday.

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Came home from work to find a downed tree in my front yard leaning against my house tangled in wires. Will call a tree company tomorrow. Isnt homeownership wonderful? At least we still have power. Hope it didnt damage the roof. pic.twitter.com/1oBmBhvDU4  C. Ellen in NJ (@C_EllenInNJ) March 3, 2018

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The light of day. This sucker took out three of our neighbors cars. No one was harmed. Thank goodness. Still without powers trees down all over Maplewood. What a storm. @AliBaumanTV @GarySzatkowski pic.twitter.com/om1JH6kyJF  mihow (@mihow) March 3, 2018

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In Hunterdon County, where 28,000 JCP&L customers remained without power Saturday afternoon, officials set up warming stations, power centers and water distribution spots. They asked residents to report road closures as public safety employees worked to clear the streets.

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Staff reporter Noah Cohen contributed to this report.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tipsHere is yet another sentence you never thought you'd read about a U.S. President: The son-in-law of our chief executive invited investors to the White House, discussed giving one a job, borrowed $509 million from them to bail out his company's troubled properties, and then hoped nobody was paying attention.

In an administration filled with grifters, Jared Kushner is in a class by himself, and if there's any justice, time is running out on his Washington adventure as top presidential advisor and Keeper of the Family Pelf.

These revelations from the New York Times about loans from Devils owner Joshua Harris and Citigroup came one day after a Washington Post report that Kushner's security status was downgraded, in part, because four countries are trying to use his financial problems to manipulate him. This is not how foreign relations usually work.

Indeed, Kushner's foreign policy legacy was captured Friday by The Intercept, which examined his pursuit of an investment from Qatar officials in his Manhattan white elephant known as 666 Fifth Avenue.

Weeks after he failed to get a loan last April from our Middle East ally, Kushner allegedly gave Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain his support for a diplomatic assault that resulted in a blockade of Qatar in June - even as Rex Tillerson tried negotiate a settlement.

So instead of brokering peace, President Trump allows his son-in-law to conduct a shadow foreign policy that punishes countries which don't lend him money. Allegedly.

All this reportedly has the attention of Robert Mueller, because Kushner has come to epitomize an administration that uses the office to enrich its businesses, lets offspring run amok, and aspires to autocracy.

As the saying goes: If this were Botswana, we'd have a term for it. But this is the Trump presidency, where the corruption is so ingrained yet so pedestrian that we can no longer keep up - yet another sign we are sliding into banana republicanism. It's true that you can't choose your relatives. But you can choose when to fire them, and he should be skilled in the practice by now.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.English Icelandic

Candidates for the Board of Directors

The following are the candidates for the Board of Directors of Icelandair Group hf. at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on Thursday 08 March 2018 at 4:00 pm at the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica Hotel.

Asthildur Margret Otharsdottir, id.no: 300368-3799 Gumundur Hafsteinsson, id.no: 290875-3319 Heirun Jonsdottir, id.no: 090769-4649 Helga Viarsdottir, id.no: 160174-4049 Katrin Olga Johannesdottir, id.no: 010862-7369 Omar Benediktsson, id.no: 221059- 4689 Ulfar Steindorsson, id.no: 030756-2829

The AGM shall elect five Board Members in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Company.

The Board will be elected by means of a multiplication election in accordance with article 63, paragraph 6, item b of Act no. 2/1995 on Public Limited Liability Companies.The two former Christie administration officials convicted in the Bridgegate scandal are hoping to delay their prison terms.

Bill Baroni, who served as deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, former Gov. Chris Christie deputy chief of staff, were convicted in connection with a scheme of political retribution involving the shutdown of local access lanes to the toll plaza of the George Washington Bridge.

Baroni was given 24 months while Kelly received 18 months.

Kelly is a single mother of four.

Both are seeking to delay the start of their prison terms because appeals are still pending. Their surrender date has already been extended once because of the ongoing appeal.

Many thought the punishment was over the top and didn't fit the crime.

In their case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, the defendants asked that their convictions be overturned, saying the actions did not amount to criminal conduct under the law.

The U.S. Attorney's office, in its own filings, asked the court to uphold the verdicts, saying the two conspired to shut down bridge lanes "for the purpose of pursuing a purely personal vendetta."

The architect of the plot, political strategist and Port Authority patronage appointee David Wildstein, pleaded guilty and testified against Baroni and Kelly. He was spared prison.

What do you think, should Kelly and Baroni serve jail time?

Vote in our informal, unscientific poll and tell us how you voted in the comments.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.The planned follow ups to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop's State of the City speech began on Tuesday in Ward F where residents gathered for a Q & A in the Mary McLeod Bethune Life Center on Martin Luther King Dr. to learn, among other things, that community policing will begin in May.

Police Chief Michael Kelly, a nearly 30-year veteran of the blue force, said members of the department were already in training for this new community approach. The reveal was made in response to a question about enforcing city noise laws.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

It wasn't exactly spelled out how it will be done but little imagination is needed when Kelly said the police want to know who the elderly, the shut-ins and most vulnerable are and that they were going to seek them out as part of an effort to get close to the community.

Patrols would begin on Martin Luther King Drive and Ocean Avenue, hot spots would be identified and "staffed 24/7." Kelly said the training component would have officers to serve "the way you want them to perform and the way we want them to perform, basically The Golden Rule. We hope the crime reduction will continue to be significant ... I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you see."

Let's not go to crime reduction and local perception. Hey, didn't former mayoral candidate Bill Matsikoudis talk about community policing all the time? Or is it just so basic an idea to even mention?

The city is also expected to have an app available for residents that can be used to anonymously inform police about problems with the use of text and even photos.

Fulop also reiterated a familiar theme of how "in 2013 the city police least reflected the community it served." Since 2014, 70 percent of the 295 new police hires were minorities, he said.

Residential concern about enforcement of laws went beyond street criminal activity. There were complaints about construction of one- and two-family homes that were actually several units more than what was called for by the construction permits issued. Then there were the eternal parking complaints.

One homeowner who has lived on Stegman Street for 11 years said that almost every day of each year she has had to tell people not to block her driveway.

"They insist on doing this," she said. "The other night I came home and there was this guy parked in my driveway and who literally told me I shouldn't be out this time of night ..."

Fulop said the city is looking to hire more construction officials and inspectors. He also said there is an April deadline to hire additional parking enforcement officers because of the need to expand parking operations.

"The objective is to have 24-hour parking enforcement - it's in the budget right now," the mayor said to applause. He added that like every issue, everyone is not in universal agreement. "I say 24-hour enforcement and half the room cheers and the other half groans," Fulop said.

There was also inquiry on why there's no recreation center for the southern part of the city. "If kids don't have something to do, they're going to find something to do and odds are it's not going to be good," said one resident.

The city does not have an artist rendering for a community recreation center.

"I can't stand here today and say the city is going to build a rec center because I don't think the city has the resources to make that commitment," the mayor said. "We can look into it; we can work with the community. We are trying to find locations. I'm amenable to that."

TAXMAN COMETH

It wasn't long before revaluation popped up. Some considered the rebalancing of the city taxes as some form of reparations for property owners in the poorer sections of the city who say that they have carried the local financial burden for newer, tonier neighborhoods.

"It's about correcting something that should have been done a long time ago," Fulop explained. "You can say 'why was it not dome done for 30 years?' I'll tell you why ... because the nature of a reval is not an increase it taxes but redistribution.

"If not done on a regular timeline, then it becomes increasingly difficult to do it ... it should be done every four or five years - so if you miss one window, it becomes harder to do that second one or the third one becomes more and more difficult because the property values become more skewed one way or the other ... you're forced with the following decision ... that every mayor has come in front of, whether your Mayor Cunningham, or Mayor Smith, or Mayor Healy, or myself, or Mayor Schundler.

"... I can balance the taxes but I know that some long-term residents will be thrown out of their homes. That's option A ...

"Option B is I could not do the reval. People can continue paying what they're paying now, which is not balanced but no one gets thrown out of their home. You can see from the choice that there's no good outcome. Both situations are very, very difficult.

"In the case of Jersey City, the governor took that choice away from us ... Gov. Christie said, no, you're going to move forward and do it.

"And so we said OK we're going to do it but we're going to do it carefully, responsibly as possible and that's where we are right now. Now your (Ward F) taxes are likely to go down There are areas of the city ... that are going to the council people and saying they are going to lose their homes and that's a balance that we're trying to figure out right now. So this is not about reparations ... but the goal is to correct it going forward."

You got the feeling in the community center that there were not too many people concerned with other parts of the city. I also doubt there is big support for the mayor's plan for reducing the impact by having a second reval in a year.

At one point there was some "comedy relief" when a removable wall in the meeting room nearly collapsed. OK, I have a strange funny bone.

Other topics touched include the following:

-- The issue of tax abatements was mulled and the mayor argued that the practice provided increased revenues for the city and that "no one gets a free ride." He points out that one of the apartment buildings in the Presidential Complex in the Newport section o the city, The James Madison, is about to come off its abatement and it will pay $1 million less than its annual payments in lieu of taxes. I kind of think there's a ripple effect that was not mentioned.

-- Officials blamed the problem of heavy traffic conditions on various state infrastructure projects including those on the state turnpike and the Pulaski Skyway. Isn't that why Leonia is handing out traffic tickets to those motorists taking shortcuts through their municipality? Who would think a Hudson County community would pass up such a moneymaker. Fulop said that once the projects are completed, the city will get a better idea of how to improve traffic.

-- A resident or two wondered what was happening with the Croson Study that concluded that Jersey City has avoided "doing business with black people" and whether there is a plan or just lip service.

Fulop admits that it has not been a "smooth ride" after taking the study out of a drawer but several steps are being taken, including work on an ordinance for strict minority set asides for future city business. There is also a small business loan program for entrepreneur's looking for capital and that some members of the community have already taken advantage of it. You'll have to take their word for it.

-- One person suggested that there's a need for beautification in neighborhoods and that the administration should be looking for an assist from the Democratic Party's new governor, Phil Murphy. Fulop said they should get an idea of how much help the city should get on March 13 when there is a glimpse of the governor's state budget. It also gave the mayor a chance to say the administration has been in discussions with the governor about reinstating the Urban Enterprise Zone, a program that allowed half the sales taxes collected in Special Improvement Districts to be reinvested in the community that is often used for beautification.

-- Fulop was asked if he was in favor of legalizing drugs. The mayor corrected the questioner by saying he favored legalization of marijuana but that he works for the community. Fulop did say that there will be an ordinance in the future that will regulate where marijuana can be distributed and other restrictions. Should Trenton legalize it, the city can get ahead of the issue rather than have others dictate guidelines.

There are future Q & A meetings scheduled for the other wards. The Downtown session, where reval seems to be the number one issue, promises to be the most interesting.

INSIDER NOTE

-- We'll get back to hard politics next week when we see what's happening with the x-rated Bayonne campaigning for the upcoming city election. In the meantime, I have to get some DVDs from my public library to watch during the Oscar broadcast where thank yous have strayed a bit.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Agustin C. Torres' columns appear on the nj.com opinion website on Saturdays and occasionally in the print edition of The Jersey Journal. Submit letters to the editor and guest columns at jjletters@jjournal.com.By

Star-Ledger Editorial Board

America is ceasing to be a democracy, and as it morphs into some reality-show orgy of venality, David Frum wonders why people he respects continue to answer the casting call.

The author and former presidential speechwriter remains a pillar of the right, a seminal political thinker who has taken the Prufrockian phase of his life and used it to reassess his Republican Party, which has spawned a president who "has ripped the conscience out of half of the political spectrum and left a moral void where American conservatism used to be," as he writes in his latest polemic, "Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic."

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Whatever side you take in the outlier-or-symptom debate about Donald Trump, you recognize that his creation  this Trumpocracy  isn't so much a man as it is a system of power, and Frum explains how that power mushroomed after enablers flocked to a candidate whose main policy plank was to keep rape-crazed ethnics out of our backyards.

We spoke with Frum the day after the Parkland tragedy, and the day before Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians with attempting to rig Trump's election.

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Q. You say you wrote this book out of karmic obligation. What did you mean?

A. I served in one Republican administration, I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to ever serve in another. That administration, there's some things to admire, but on the whole, it didn't end successfully. And I didn't want that to be my last word on public service.

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Q. Your famous assessment of the Bush administration is that it opened with Pearl Harbor and ended with the Great Depression.

A. And it had Vietnam in between.

Q. In what ways did the Bush years beget Donald Trump?

A. The American economy recovered very slowly from the recession in 2001. Fortunately that recession was a mild one; we didn't really notice that people were taking a long time to be put to work. But there was warning there: The American economy was changing in ways that were going to be very tough on most workers. And through the Bush years, while there was economic growth, that growth was not broadly shared. And Americans paid for higher living standards by borrowing  on credit cards, against their houses. So that was the background to the terrible crisis of 2008. And that crisis radicalized the Republican Party. Out of that crisis came the Tea Party, which rejected the attempt to find a more compassionate conservatism. My view was the Tea Party was basically an assertion of the generational interests of the baby boom. It's message was save Medicare at the expense of everything else. And it's completely understandable by baby boomers heading for retirement, having suffered the losses that people suffered in 2008, would think that way. But it made the party very radical and unable to govern effectively.

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Q. And that message was misread by the GOP mainstream. Romney-Ryan even ran on rolling back Medicare.

A. Right, Romney ran on rolling back his own greatest achievement  Romneycare in Massachusetts. And into the gap between the way congressional Republicans talked  huge tax cuts, huge spending cuts  and what rank and file Republicans wanted  which was protect Medicare and reduce immigration  into that gap walked Donald Trump. And he had a message that was more relevant to Republican primary voters than anything else they were hearing from the Republican party.

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David Frum, Canadian-American political commentator, speechwriter for President George W. Bush, author of "Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic." (Michael Bennett Kress)

PART 2: David Frum on Trump-Russia probe; the Parkland massacre and the NRA

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Q. You could also argue that Trump is far more than a gap-filler or anomaly  that he exemplifies how the GOP was evolving  economically, socially, politically, strategically.

A. I tend to put Trump in a global context. We see people like Trump across the developed world. There's a Trumpist party that's the second biggest party in the Netherlands. The National Front in France doubled its vote between 2002 and 2017. A Trump-like party is now the third-largest in Germany (the AfD), the first time an extremist party has been in the Bundestag since World War II. You have Britain leaving the European Union. There are Trump-like parties in power in Poland and Hungary and throughout smaller countries in southeastern Europe. When you've got a phenomenon that's bigger than the United States, you need an explanation bigger than the United States. And what we're seeing is a global rise of populist authoritarianism.

Republican politics in the past, whether you like them or not, they had populist authoritarian tendencies, sure, but they were within a party that mostly center-right: business interests, people who worked for salaries rather than wages, investors rather than savers. They were a coalition. But now, this is a party that has populist authoritarianism as its main theme, and that kind of government does a real enduring harm to American institutions. As it does with any democratic country.

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Q. In Trumpocracy, you seem less convinced by the argument that it was the white working class that put Trump in the white house  what are we missing?

A. The best description I've ever heard of a Trump voter was "a successful person in an unsuccessful place." So the people taking it on the neck, they don't believe in politics at all. They don't participate in primaries. And it's hard enough to get them to vote in the general election.

The kind of people who voted for Trump still believe that politics can make a difference. So think of the vice-principal of a high school in a troubled mining town: That guy has some sense that what he does makes a difference, and he'll put his faith in things  like Donald Trump. I don't have a lot of patience in the argument over whether it was economic or cultural issues that made the difference; I don't think people organize their lives or their minds that way.

I think for most people, those two things come together. The fact that their town is not as successful as it used to be and that more people in that town don't speak English, they don't see two problems, they see one.

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Q. Should we be surprised by the conciliation of Republicans in Congress? It would seem Ryan gets what they want in this Faustian bargain.

A. I think there's a pact, and they're each getting something out of it, but they're each paying a price. Yeah, Paul Ryan is getting signatures on bills. He's also getting a chaotic White House. He's also getting responsibility for the biggest ethics breaches and the biggest national security breaches at the highest levels in American history.

And Donald Trump gets protection from Paul Ryan, but he's also being pulled toward Paul Ryan's disastrously unpopular approach to politics. If Trump were to say, 'I don't care about the deficit, I'm going to do more spending, I'm not going to do this big tax cut, I'm going to protect Medicare,' he'd be more popular.

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Q. But they must realize that their protection of the Trumpocracy has an expiration date. The lengths they're going to  I'm thinking of Devin Nunes here, and Tea Partiers like Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz  can't they see what's coming?

A. Some people become believers. Some people say, 'You know what, this guy has better connection to voters than Ryan does. He's shown us a way.' Some people are true believers  they generally like what Trump is doing, and they like his bullying style. But a lot of Republicans are now kind of trapped.

They understand that Trump is in a lot of legal trouble. And they correctly fear that if he goes down, he does not go down by himself. And every day that passes, they become more implicated, so it becomes more important to defend him. And if they take losses in November, Trump becomes more important to the party than ever  and they have to protect him more than ever.

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While out-of-touch elite economists were wasting time on data and math, President Trumps top trade adviser made a documentary representing China as a dagger spilling blood from an American flag https://t.co/IvfFNHHMDa Qualifications are for losers pic.twitter.com/0JM36Ph6B1  David Frum (@davidfrum) March 2, 2018

Q. Throughout the book, you also point out that we're all going down with him, and that we may be irretrievably damaged by this administration - politically, geopolitically, economically, socially, ethically. Is one wound going to be harder to repair than the others?

A. Some of the wounds come earlier, and some come later. The very first wound we suffer is for American geopolitical status. I mean, what must our friends in South Korea think? The president very casually talks about making a war - fire and fury and nuclear war. To protect us  if North Korea obtains working ballistic missile technology  at the expense of how many of them? And once a month he tweets that China can protect South Korea against the nuclear threat of the North. If the president of the United States is telling you that Chinese can offer protection and we can't  and South Korea is a democratic country, with a lot of historical tensions with China  you're not going to forget that.

And our friends in Poland and Estonia and Eastern Europe are not going to forget that Donald Trump talked about not honoring the NATO treaty. The biggest journey in math is the journey from zero to one  from not existing to existing. And a lot of doubts that nobody ever had about the United States, they have now.

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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

Other harms being done to law enforcement and the FBI have come a little bit later, and they're not yet finished being inflicted. So it's premature to say how permanent it will be. Here's a way to think about this: Twice in the modern history of the FBI  since the 1920s  has a director been fired. The first time was when Bill Clinton fired his first director (William Sessions) improper use of expenses. There was a process, Congress was consulted, there were hearings, and the process took months  at the end of which, everyone pretty much agreed there was cause for firing. In other words, if you want to fire the FBI director, the president can't do it by himself.

That was the old rule. The new rule is the president can fire the director of the FBI for any reason, including that he doesn't like the FBI investigating his friends. If this succeeds, Trump will have changed the power of the president over the power to initiate criminal prosecutions. It didn't used to be true that the president could protect his friends from criminal prosecution.

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Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is trying to block federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project even though the House has already allocated $900 million for it, according to a published report.

The Washington Post said Trump has pushed House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to keep the funding for the plan for a new rail tunnel connecting New Jersey and Manhattan out of the spending bill now being written to fund the government through Sept. 30.

The report said Trump delivered the message to Ryan during a meeting on Wednesday. It cited as sources three people familiar with the conversation.

Trump has been at odds with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on such issues as health care, taxes, budget cuts, immigration and guns. Schumer delayed the Senate confirmation of Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory to pressure the administration to fund Gateway.

His much-touted infrastructure plan calls for increased state and local government spending on public works, even as he crippled their ability to raise revenue to pay for projects by signing legislation shrinking the federal deduction for state and local taxes.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11th Dist., who inserted the $900 million into the House spending bill, is one of the negotiators.

Gov. Phil Murphy said in Washington Thursday that the retiring lawmaker, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, is working hard to ensure the money remains in the final spending bill.

Frelinghuysen spokesman Steve Wilson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The federal government initially agreed to pay the half the cost of building a new railroad tunnel under the Hudson River so that the existing tunnels could be closed to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

But the Trump administration has appeared to renege on that promise. In a letter sent Thursday to Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Federal Transit Administration Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams said there is "no evidence of a binding agreement."

House Republican leaders last July allowed a vote on an amendment to strip the Gateway funding from their spending bill, even as they supported legislation to help other states recover from hurricanes in their regions. The effort was turned back on the strength of House Democratic votes.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.A 26-year-old woman is in critical condition after she was severely burned early Saturday in a fire that hit a four-family home in Linden, police said.

First responders pulled residents out of the home on the 700 block of Brunswick Avenue around 3 a.m., including two victims who were removed through the roof, according to Linden police.

Flames emanated from the windows of a second-floor apartment when firefighters arrived, and the two-alarm fire was brought under control with help from nearby departments, police said.

The 26-year-old woman was treated for her injuries at the scene and brought to the Burn Center at St. Barnabas Hospital. No other injuries were reported, according to police.

One apartment was heavily damaged and will be uninhabitable until repairs are made, police said.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.By Noah Cohen | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A powerful nor'easter storm battered New Jersey Friday, leaving thousands without power, snarling mass transit and causing widespread damage across the state.

Damage reports began to emerge Friday night as strong wind gusts, heavy rain and some snow continued to cause havoc around the region.

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#BREAKING a police officer rushed to the hospital after THIS happened. More coming up at 5PM @News12NJ pic.twitter.com/9vZH1jzReX  Alex Lombardo (@AlexPLombardo) March 2, 2018

Crews responded to scores of downed trees, utility poles and wires through Friday night in towns including Mountain Lakes, Cranford, Montclair and Bound Brook.

A top wind gust of 71 mph was reported in Cape May, according to forecasters.

In East Brunswick, a tree fell on a police cruiser. The officer released from an area hospital after being treated for his injuries, according to Lt. Sean Goggins, a department spokesman.

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Wild video of a roof being blown off by wind gusts as high as 71 mph earlier today in Cape May, NJ.



: Kate Mckernan/Facebook pic.twitter.com/ANztIGDOZO  WeatherOptics (@weatheroptics) March 3, 2018

Video captured by Kate Mckernan shows a roof being blown off a building in Cape May.

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Photo: Bound Brook Police Department

A large tree came down on Watchung Avenue in Bound Brook Friday, according to police.

Reports came in by the dozens from across the state of trees down on houses and on power lines. More than 227,000 customers remained without power in the state late Friday.

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****Advisory: Storm Update**** There are several trees down and power outages throughout the Township causing traffic... Posted by East Brunswick Police Department on Friday, March 2, 2018

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More than a dozen trees and poles came down in South Brunswick, according to the townships Office of Emergency Management, which reported isolated power outages.

Numerous trees have fallen on roads, wires, vehicles, and houses throughout the township, officials said in an update Friday afternoon. No injuries have been reported but several roads remain closed.

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Photo: Sharon Nicole

A tree fell on a house in Irvington Friday, an area resident said.

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Photo: Haddonfield Police Department

In Camden County, Haddonfield police also reported a tree down in the borough.

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This is the current view on Broadway Road in South Brunswick, NJ where downed wires have ignited the road. Police are on the scene. Stay away from fallen trees and wires! #NJwx @NWS_MountHolly pic.twitter.com/EYOatPuRvX  the Weatherboy (@theWeatherboy) March 2, 2018

Wires and tree across the roadway on Broadway Rd. Police are on scene at this time. Estimated road closure is 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/iZQTI9ayF0  So Brunswick PD (@SoBrunswickPD) March 2, 2018

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The storm uprooted trees in Livingston, where photos shared on Twitter showed the tree leaning on overhead wires.

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Photo: Stephen Stirling | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In Maplewood, a large tree toppled across a front yard on Collinwood Road, causing damage to the residence. There were no injuries.

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Photo by Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Rt. 130 was closed in both directions in Mansfield Township in the area of Mershon Concrete and Liberty II Diner after trees came down on power lines.

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Photo: Besta Bindus

High winds topped the canopy over pumps at a gas station on Route 22 in Lebanon. There was no immediate reports of anyone injured from that incident.

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Train service in and out of Penn Station New York is subject to up to 120 minute delays due to Amtrak overhead wire problems near Secaucus.  NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) March 3, 2018

Commuters faced delays of more than 90 minutes in and out of New York Penn Station, according to NJ Transit.

Amtrak canceled all service on its Northeast Coordinator until Saturday after the transit agency said it was too dangerous for crews to continue working to clear downed trees and make repairs from the storm.

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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Don't EditWhen the late Aaron "Butta Beezy" Anderson's voice came over the speakers at his Oct. 7 show, "the whole House of Blues just went crazy," said his colleague, Corey Coleman. It was the budding rapper's first show with an independent record label, and the show made something clear to Coleman, the record label's founder.

"Once he opened his mouth on the microphone, he got your attention," Coleman said. Anderson and other artists with Phreedom Records opened up for Mannie Fresh and the Big Tymers that October night, Coleman said, and "his voice was just so catchy and his performance ... It was like he was made for it."

Anderson's songs, including "All on you," and "All my life," were emotional, Coleman said. Anderson, 33, wasn't afraid to express himself off stage or out of the studio, either, said Coleman, 48. "I called him my sentimental gangster," Coleman said in a phone interview Friday (March 2).

Before hanging up the phone, Anderson would tell Coleman, "Alright, bra, I love you," Coleman said. And when Coleman failed to return the love because he was in a hurry, Anderson would call him out. "Man, I said I love you, you don't love me?" Coleman recalled his friend telling him.

A text sent to Coleman before 5 a.m. two weeks ago, he said, "was the worst text I never received." Anderson's girlfriend texted Coleman that Anderson was dead. Thinking initially it was some kind of mistake, he called her. She told him how she learned the news, Coleman said. "It just broke my heart."

About a week-and-a-half after Anderson was shot in the Lower 9th Ward, the Orleans Parish Coroner's office identified him as the victim of a Feb. 11 shooting, saying he died the same day he was shot, about 9:40 p.m. An obituary in NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune lists Anderson's date of death as Feb. 12.

Police said on Feb. 23, the same day as Anderson's funeral, that Brad Smothers, 23, was wanted on a charge of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Anderson.

The shooting occurred about 2:30 a.m. on the Sunday before Mardi Gras in the 2300 block of Caffin Avenue. NOPD said in a preliminary report that the victim, now identified as Anderson, and a man they believe was Smothers were inside a vehicle together. When Anderson exited the vehicle, police said, he was shot by the other person inside the vehicle.

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The obituary for Anderson, which lists his nickname as "BUTTA B.," says he is survived by two children, three brothers and a sister and is the son of the late Aaron Batiste and of Rosalind Allen.

Anderson's girlfriend knew something was wrong, Coleman said she told him, when he failed to show up at the hospital where her daughter was having a planned surgery. The last time the couple talked, Coleman said, was when Anderson asked which hospital floor he should go to and told her was on his way.

Eventually the girlfriend and Anderson's family started making calls - to jails, hospitals, anywhere - to locate him, Coleman said. There was a "John Doe" at one of the hospitals, Coleman said, and Anderson's family went there had their fear confirmed. It was him.

"Butta was just a lovable guy. It's just so sad that these senseless killings happen. I still don't know why," Coleman said.

Coleman, who started out his own music career as the road manager for Cash Money Records in the label's early days, said he was "amazed" by Anderson's talent. Anderson and other Phreedom Records artists had planned to go later this month to Austin, Texas' South by Southwest festival. "We were on our way to bigger and better things," Coleman said.

Instead, the Phreedom Records artists and Anderson's family gathered at his memorial service at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Central City, not far from where Coleman said Anderson grew up near the Milan neighborhood. If you asked around at the barber shop where Anderson went, Coleman said, "they'd tell you the same thing - Butta was just a lovable guy." The amount of people who attended his funeral proved the impact he had on so many, Coleman said.

"He wasn't a gangster. He was a lovable guy that loved to make people laugh," Coleman said, later adding, "It's a shame that his life was shortened by ignorance and senselessness."Five New Orleans men have been indicted on charges related to the 2011 fatal shooting of 1-year-old Keira Holmes, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro announced Friday (March 2).

Demetrich "Meechie" Robinson, 34, Darrius "Smooth" Knox, 26, Kendall "Yeezy" Livingston, 31, Christopher J. Collins, 33, and Larry "Larry Love" Scott, 26, were members of the 3NG gang, the DA's office said.

The 3NG gang is named for its epicenter between Third and Galvez streets.

Each was handed a three-count indictment Friday. The first charges the men with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder of rival gang members from the former Calliope housing development. The second charges the men of the first-degree murder of Keira Holmes. The third charges them with the attempted first-degree murder of Emmett Allen. All counts charge the men with furthering the goals of 3NG, the DA's office reported.

The double-shooting in question occurred Dec. 18, 2011 around 4:45 pm. in the Calliope housing development in Central City. Two vehicles stalked Allen as he walked through the complex. Ultimately, gunmen opened fired in the 3300 block of Erato Street. The spate of bullets critically wounded Allen. A stray bullet fatally struck Keira Holmes as she played with other children in the nearby courtyard. She was days shy of her second birthday.

The special grand jury unsealed the indictment Friday afternoon, after authorities in the Houston area arrested Scott. The four other men are already serving prison terms for other convictions in Louisiana, the DA's office said.

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The Criminal District Judge Paul Bonin set bond at $1 million for all defendants on the first and third counts. No bond was set for the second count involving the death of Holmes.

The indictment also names Charles "Buck" Anderson as a co-conspirator in the case. Anderson was shot six times by two different guns and killed inside a St. Claude home less than a day after Holmes' death. Washington "Big Wash" McCaskill, an enforcer for the 3NG, admitted that he and the newly indicted Livingston killed Anderson "over concerns that he was the weak link of people involved in Holmes' murder, and the most likely to cooperate with authorities in hopes of a lenient sentence," according to press release from the DA's office.

The New Orleans police department originally arrested Narkee Hunter in 2011 in connection with the shooting of the toddler, but charges were later dropped after video surfaced confirming Hunter's alibi at a bar during the murder. Months later, NOPD charged and indicted Tyrone "T-Bone" Knockum and Terrious "T-Red" Owney, but again an investigation proved they were not involved in the murder.

Following Holmes' death, more than a hundred mourners gathered in honor of the toddler. As the mood shifted from grief to anger, one woman shouted from the masses.

"Somebody knows who did this."New Orleans police are investigating the death of a person whose body was found outside the Shops at Canal Place mall Friday afternoon (March 2) around 2:47 p.m.

Department spokesman Aaron Looney said officials are investigating the death as a suicide.

The One Canal Place garage has been the scene of suicides in the past. In September 2016, a teen jumped from the 10th floor. Just over a month later, a woman's body was similarly found outside the garage.

A blue sheet, taped to white cabs on either side, shielded the body from view. Police officers also supported a sheet blocking the window of the nearby Lululemon.

As of 3:20 p.m., Iberville Street was blocked off with yellow police tape and closed for traffic.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers a toll-free, 24/7 hotline service at 1-800-273-8255.MOUNT PLEASANT, MI -- The night before James Eric Davis Jr. allegedly shot his parents dead in a Central Michigan University dorm room, he was in fear for his life. Someone had a gun and was trying to kill him, he told campus authorities.

"James ran into the office of our community policing officer very frightened," said Bill Yeagley, chief of university police. "He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him."

But there was no gun, and no one with a "murder warrant" out to kill him, as the 19-year-old sophomore had suggested, the chief said.

Officers asked Davis what they could do to make him feel safe. He eventually told them he was fine and that he was leaving, like much of the campus, for spring break tomorrow anyway.

Three hours later, around 1 a.m. Friday, March 2, officers saw Davis in the dorm hallway with a number of luggage items. Given he previously told officers he was leaving in the morning, they asked him what he was doing.

"He again acts in a fashion that isn't reasonable or logical," Yeagley said. "He was not able to make a lot of sense."

Officers suspected he was having a bad reaction to drugs, so they took him to an area hospital for an overnight stay.

In the morning, he was released to his parents, James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47.

The family then travelled to Davis' dorm in Campbell Hall and began packing up for the return trip to their Chicago suburb home.

Around 9 a.m., Davis went to the family vehicle, took his father's pistol and carried it into the residence hall, Yeagley said. Davis returned to his fourth floor dorm room where his parents were and allegedly shot them dead.

Davis Sr., is a police officer in Bellwood, Ill. near Chicago. Yeagley said he wasn't sure if the pistol was his service weapon.

Because Davis Sr. was not on active duty as an officer, he was in violation of university rules for having a pistol on campus, Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. fled the dorm, running north along railroad tracks. The weapon was left at the scene of the homicide, Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. was found at aout 12:10 a.m. Saturday just a half mile away near the rail tracks on West Bellows Street. He was spotted by a train employee.

"He clearly was cold and life was not making sense to him that moment," Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. remains in custody at McLaren Central Michigan, where he is receiving treatment for hypothermia, the chief said. Police have not yet interviewed him.

The manhunt lasted 15 hours and involved numerous local, state and federal agencies. Police dogs, helicopters and roughly 100 officers on the ground took part in the search.

Yeagley said officers previously combed the area where Davis Jr. was found. He said investigators aren't sure where Davis Jr. was during the whole 15 hours.

Nothing indicates someone helped him elude police, the chief said.

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A traumatic day

CMU President George E. Ross said the university community will begin the process of healing now that the danger is over.

"I want to say that with those deaths yesterday this campus, this community is traumatized," Ross said. "We are a safe community we are a safe campus, but yesterday we demonstrated the ability to deal with the inconceivable, a shooting on our campus."

Russell Matthew Davis, Davis Jr.'s brother, took to Facebook on Saturday morning to thank everyone who has reached out and prayed for him and his family.

"It's so surreal," he said. "I'm in shock and even in denial."

He cautioned the media and others to not make a villain of his brother, who he said he still loves.

Students, faculty and staff in campus buildings and dorms were placed in lockdown for nearly six hours Friday as Davis Jr., considered armed and dangerous, remained at large.

"I was shaking and I was trying to respond to everyone," said Emily Doucette, a freshman who stayed at Campbell Hall with her boyfriend Thursday night.

Around 3 p.m., officers began escorting people out building by building.

'People are going to talk about this for a long time'

Zachary Thomas, who was seated with his girlfriend outside the Bird Bar and Grill in downtown Mount Pleasant on Saturday, said though Davis Jr.'s capture brought relief, the shock from the double homicide remains.

"I think since the guy was caught, it's going to go back to normal," he said. "But everyone is still going to feel -- it's really tragic."

Thomas has lived in Mount Pleasant all 25 years of his life.

"It's a pretty horrific and surprising thing to happen in a small town like this," Thomas said. "People are going to talk about this for a long time."

Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday offered support for the students of CMU and said the state will offer whatever is needed to "deal with this traumatic event."

He also referenced how the CMU event relates to other shootings on school campuses across the country.

"We were already active in seeing what we can do on our campuses and in our schools to protect our students better," he said. "This is will be an ongoing dialogue. We won't have all the answers today, but there's a commitment to do it right."

The press conference Saturday morning concluded shortly after a reporter asked Ross how it was possible Davis Jr. openly carried a pistol into the dorm. Ross said the bustle of spring break move-out could've played into it. He said the university will examine the issue.

Once Davis Jr. is cleared from medical personnel he will be lodged in the Isabella County Jail.

The nature of the conflict in Syria is changing shape again, with two important developments taking place over the past week. First, Turkey proposed cooperation with the United States in Afrin and Manbij, both of which are held by Syrian Kurds, whom the Turks consider hostile forces. Though no formal agreement has been reached, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said the U.S. would work with Turkey to coordinate their actions in Syria. Second, the Syrian Kurds appear to be willing to work with the Syrian regime against the Turkish assault on Afrin. Pro-regime forces reportedly entered Afrin on Feb. 20, a move that would require coordination with the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, which controls the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has downplayed Turkeys involvement in Afrin, pitching the invasion as both a necessary and low-cost military operation. But the involvement of pro-regime forces changes what will be required of Turkey to take control of the region. So far, Turkey has used a minimal number of its own forces in Afrin and mostly relied on the Free Syrian Army and other anti-Assad groups. But with pro-Assad forces now taking part in the conflict, Turkey will need to do more if it wants a successful outcome.



(click to enlarge) Turkeys Breaking Point Turkey will have to consider how much blood the Turkish people are willing to shed to take Afrin and the northern corridor in Syria that extends from the border to the Euphrates. Its hard to know what the breaking point is for the Turks, but we can look to Turkeys last major military intervention for clues. In its invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Turkey incurred roughly 570 combat deaths. With a total force of 60,000, that is a 1 percent fatality rate for a monthlong operation that secured Turkeys control of a substantial portion of the island.

Turkey recently said approximately 30 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the monthlong operation in Syria, though this number may be understated. In late January, Haberturk, a Turkish news agency, said 6,400 Turkish soldiers would take part in Operation Olive Branch. Other sources, however, report that Turkey has upward of 15,000-20,000 troops deployed at the Afrin border. (There are also 25,000-30,000 Free Syrian Army militants acting as Turkeys proxies in Syria.) If the official fatality numbers are to be believed, the Turkish army has incurred a death rate of 0.15 percent to 0.47 percent, well under the death rate in the Cyprus operation, which did not face widespread public backlash. The difference between Cyprus and Afrin, however, is that after a month in Afrin, Turkey doesnt seem close to securing its military objective.

Syria, the Kurds and a Possible Settlement Bashar Assads goal in Syria now is to regain control of as much territory as possible. With Turkey joining the fray in Afrin and inching closer to Aleppo, a critical city over which Syrian forces have already fought a bloody battle, Assad has a choice: either escalate his military conflict with Turkey and its proxies, or come to a settlement. To win a military victory in the region, Assad would need to move his forces along the southern edge of Afrin until they reach the Turkish border in the west and then turn farther south until pro-Turkish forces in Afrin and Idlib  a region largely controlled by another Turkish proxy, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham  are surrounded. Assad will try to encircle Turkish proxies in Idlib and cut off their supply routes to Turkey.

From the regimes perspective, therefore, working with the Kurds makes sense. It can use the 8,000-10,000 YPG fighters in Afrin to repel the Turkish invasion and avoid expending its own resources. It also makes sense for the Kurds, who are facing a Turkish assault with few allies, since the U.S. has said it will not support the YPG in Afrin.

But Turkey also has plans to surround the YPG and cut off access to its allies. On Feb. 20, Erdogan announced that the Turkish military will in the next several days attempt to envelop Afrin, blocking the YPG from receiving support from pro-Assad forces. Turkey and Assad are therefore applying the same strategy to different regions, while trying to avoid a confrontation that could draw in more outside powers and escalate the conflict.

This situation could give rise to a tactical settlement in Afrin. Faced with the risk of a far bloodier battle than it anticipated, Turkey may be willing to halt its advance if the Syrian regime  and by extension, Iran and Russia  agrees to move the Kurds out of Afrin and Manbij to an area east of the Euphrates, and if it could also guarantee to control the Kurds actions thereafter. The Syrian government could then take control of areas that have been held by semi-autonomous Kurdish entities for several years. The Syrian Kurds might also agree to this arrangement  it would allow them to avoid even more bloodshed, and they could negotiate a role for themselves in the Syrian government. Iran, an Assad ally, might also accept an agreement because it would reverse Turkeys advance east. Such a settlement wouldnt end the Syrian war, but it would help temper the conflict in Afrin.

The success of this type of settlement depends on whether Turkey would be satisfied with an agreement to relocate the Kurds. If Turkeys ultimate goal in Operation Olive Branch is to secure greater strategic depth  and we believe it is  rather than to simply clear the YPG presence in Afrin as Ankara claims, then such a settlement will be a harder pill to swallow. But the Turkish public may not tolerate a sustained, costly military operation in Syria. If Turkey does agree to a settlement, it is safe to conclude that Turkeys rise as a regional power will be accompanied by some setbacks.

Russia and Iran Compete for Control For its part, Russia wants a settlement that would leave Assad strong and willing to follow Russias  not Irans  lead. This might involve Assad regaining control of Afrin. Russian President Vladimir Putin would get to declare victory and get Russian forces out before too many more get killed. Russia has already made one proposal that involved the handover of Afrin to Damascus, although it was rejected by the Kurds.

But Russia has also signaled that it is willing to allow a Turkish presence in Afrin. Putin was willing to work with Turkey during Operation Olive Branch, allowing it access to Afrins airspace. Erdogan also said he spoke to Putin on Feb. 19 and convinced him to prevent the Syrian army from deploying to the region. (So far, only pro-regime militants have reportedly been deployed.) It appears for now that Putin will let the regime fight back against Turkey  but within limits. After all, if a large portion of the Syrian army were to be redeployed, Russia would have to contribute more resources to the offensive in Idlib.

Russia can accept the Turkish presence in Afrin because Russia stands to benefit from the heightening competition between two regional powers that are on opposite sides of the Syrian war : Turkey and Iran. Russia has been tactically cooperating with both, but ultimately it wants neither to emerge from the war in an overwhelmingly powerful position. Right now, Iran has the strongest position in the Middle East, able to wield power in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Russia and Iran both support Assad, but Moscow doesnt want Tehran to be able to challenge Russian interests either in the Middle East or in the Caucasus .

Luckily for Russia, it can wait longer than Iran can. Every move Turkey makes eastward brings it closer to a confrontation with Iran in Iraq. So long as Turkey and Iran are fighting each other (or each others proxies) and stay south of the Greater Caucasus mountain range , Russia can afford to be minimally involved.

Russia and Iran are effectively playing a game of chicken. Russia knows that Iran cannot afford to have Turkey seriously challenge Assad by taking Afrin and thereby surrounding Aleppo. This will force Iran to spend more blood and treasure on halting the advance in Syria, placing further pressure on Irans already strained resources. Russia, meanwhile, can continue to provide minimal air support in Syria. Short of a settlement on Afrin between Syria, the YPG and Turkey, Iran will be forced to commit an ever-increasing number of troops and resources to Syria as Turkey conquers new territory.

Testing U.S.-Turkish Relations The deployment of pro-regime forces to Afrin complicates Turkeys proposal to work with the U.S. in Afrin and Manbij. Irans rising power has brought U.S. and Turkish interests closer together, despite the United States longstanding support for the Kurds. The U.S. now has to decide whats more important: containing Iran, or supporting the Kurds. While this dynamic plays out, the Islamic State remains a threat, leaving the U.S. looking for allies on the ground willing to fight IS.

Underlying all this is a bigger question: What would Russia do if the U.S. were to engage Assad in a large, more protracted fight? With the Syrian government intervening in Afrin, U.S. cooperation with Turkey could bring Washington into direct conflict with Assad. The U.S. is loath to become bogged down in another war in the Middle East and will encourage Turkey to come to an agreement with Assad that lets the U.S. maintain a minimal force there to fight IS. If Turkey wants to press its advantage, rather than suffer what it may perceive as a setback, it will be yet another test of U.S.-Turkish relations.A New Orleans man was sentenced Wednesday (Feb. 28) to 10 years in prison for his role in a scheme to distribute methamphetamine throughout the city, according to federal court documents. The conspiracy involved at least 10 people based in three states.

Clark McAlpin, 37, pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of a mixture of methamphetamine during 2016.

"Numerous witnesses have stated that (McAlpin) was a user and seller of quantities of methamphetamine," according to a "factual basis" document filed in federal court and signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon S. Long as well as McAlpin and his attorney, Michael Kennedy.

McAlpin worked with Steven Lyons, described in court documents as "a major methamphetamine distributor in the New Orleans area," to deal the drugs, which were shipped to Lyons via common mail carriers, such as the U.S. Postal Service and Greyhound Package Express, court records show.

Lyons, 40, pleaded guilty in March to trafficking between 15 and 45 kilograms of meth as part of the conspiracy. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 1.

According to court records, the scheme involved having five of the codefendants--Garret Templeton of Louisiana, Trung Pham of Los Angeles and Eric Willis, Carlos Mario Cantu-Cox and Christopher Cantu-Cox, all of Texas--ship the drugs to Lyons.

Lyons then distributed the drug to McAlpin, Tommy Wells Jr., Dwayne Clause and Dawn Conravey, who then sold the drug locally, according to court documents.

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Sometimes McAlpin's supply came from Wells, who got the drugs from Lyons.

In November, U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle sentenced Wells to five years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release and Pham to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, according to the local U.S. Attorney's Office.

Wells had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, federal prosecutors said. Pham had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine.

In December 2017, Clause was sentenced to 25 months in prison, with five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine.

Anna Thompson is scheduled for a change of plea hearing March 28 before Lemelle.

Willis, Thompson, Carlos Mario Cantu-Cox, Christopher Cantu-Cox and Conravey were set for a March trial, but a trial for everyone but Conravey was rescheduled for July 16. It is not clear when or whether Conravey is set for trial.

Along with the prison sentence, Lemelle sentenced McAlpin to five years of supervised release.A 22-year-old man suspected in a mid-February murder in Treme was captured Thursday (March 1) at a Houston hotel, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Carlsel Alexander, accused of second-degree murder in the Feb. 18 killing on North Broad Street, was arrested at hotel in the 11000 block of Telephone Road, police said.

Authorities found Alexander after investigators "received information" on his whereabouts, the NOPD said.

The fatal shooting took place early on a Sunday, after a fight broke out among a large group of people in the 700 block of North Broad Street, according to the NOPD.

Responding officers found the victim, 21-year-old Troy Wilson, with gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was treated on the scene but later pronounced dead, police said.

Within a few days of the shooting, investigators publicly identified Alexander as a suspect in the killing. Alexander's arrest by the NOPD's Violent Offenders Warrant Squad and U.S. Marshals Service occurred just more than a week afterward.

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At the time of the shooting, Alexander was on probation for a second-degree battery conviction in West Baton Rouge Parish, according to District Attorney Richard Ward's office. He pleaded guilty Jan. 10 to the charge and was given a suspended, five-year sentence and three years of probation by 18th Judicial District Criminal Court Judge Edward Gaidry.

When Alexander pleaded guilty, the DA's office dismissed other charges he had been facing -- second-degree rape and robbery -- said Lana Ramagos, the felony secretary for the DA's office.

The Advocate reported in 2015 that Alexander, who the newspaper said was from Port Allen, was accused in December 2015 of abducting and raping his ex-girlfriend the same night he assaulted and robbed her new boyfriend.

Alexander was wanted by NOPD Homicide Detective Robert Barrerre. Police ask anyone with additional information about the shooting to call NOPD homicide detectives at 504-658-5300 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune's Emily Lane and Marie Simoneaux contributed to this report.The head of the state School Boards Association is asking the Legislature for $70 million for increased security measures, WWL reports.

Scott Richard, the group's executive director, said the additional money would allow the school districts to make their schools safer, the story reported. School safety has again become a hot topic in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida on Feb. 14.

"Whether it be cameras or hiring resource officers, working on mental health with students that are at risk, if the state increases funding then it allows the local districts to redirect some of their local funding," Richard said, according to the story.

Across the metro area in recent days, school districts have grappled with students making threats. A number of students have been arrested.

Even if the Legislature doesn't approve the extra money, Richard told WWL now is a good time for school districts to revisit their security policies and safety plans.A team of international scientists, including two from Louisiana State University, have discovered that 1.5 million Adelie penguins have been hidden in plain sight on the nine ice-covered and rocky outcrops that make up the Danger Islands on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.

And the researchers believe the island-based birds seem to be more protected from the climate change-driven effects from reduced ice and reduced foodstocks that have been linked to major reductions of Adelie penguins in colonies on the western side of the peninsula, said Michael Polito, an assistant professor in LSU's Oceanography and Coastal Sciences department, during a Friday interview about the study.

The team conducted the first ever comprehensive census of the flightless birds using aerial drones, satellite photos, ship-borne photo surveillance and on-the-ground nest counting during a survey trip aboard the M/V Hans Hansson from Dec. 9-18, 2015. Results from that survey, which found 751,527 pairs of nesting Adelie penguins on the islands, were published Friday as an open-access article in the scientific journal Nature Scientific Reports.

"In 2006, I had the chance to visit one of the Danger Islands and was amazed by the sheer number of Adelie penguins I saw," Polito said in a news release describing the study. "The water around the island boiled with penguins. But with only two hours on land it was impossible to estimate the size of the population before sea ice conditions forced us to leave."

Study co-author Heather Lynch, an associate professor of ecology and evolution at Stony Brook University, found evidence of huge populations of the birds in satellite imagery in 2014 -- tell-tale stains over large parts of the islands from guano or bird droppings.

"I thought, holy cow, there are not only colonies, but huge colonies of some sort of penguin. How did we miss this really obvious thing?" Lynch said in the news release. In 2015, researchers from LSU, Oxford University, Stony Brook, Northeastern University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution traveled to the island chain to count the birds.

The Danger Islands are on the eastern side of the northernmost point of the peninsula, and while that means the area might be subject to warmer temperatures, Polito said that the warming trend seems to be buffered by their location on the edge of the Weddell Sea.

"It's a gyre, a spinning caultron of ice, and because its so icy, the eastern side of the peninsula is very icy," he said. "More sea ice means more food for krill and more protection for krill, especially small krill," a key food source for the penguins.

Poilito believes the year-round icy conditions is a key reason that the penguins were overlooked. Only a ship a year, at most, visits the area. Less sea ice on the western side of the peninsula has meant more research on those penguin colonies, which has resulted in clear evidence of their declining numbers, he said.

The research team's December 2015 visit coincided with what is mid-summer in Antarctica, and at the islands, the average temperature hovered around 32 degrees, just at freezing, he said. It's also the middle of the breeding season for penguins, which helped in counting them.

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Using a Quadcopter drone, the researchers flew a grid pattern across the islands, taking multiple photos of the birds and their nests. Piecing the photos together later, they were able to clearly count the black back of penguins atop nests in comparison to the light-colored land below them.

They then used a computer program to speed the counting process, and then were able to compare the area covered by the penguins and their nests with earlier satellite photos of the guano-stained islands, some dating back to the 1950s.

The results, Polito said, indicate that the size of the nests have been stable during that period. And it's unlikely that birds from the nests on the western side of the peninsula have added to that stability by migrating to the safer environment, he said. That's because of breeding site "philopatry" or fidelity -- individual Adelie penguins return to the location where they were born when they are mature, and then return to the same nest site in that area from then on.

Polito said earlier studies have indicated that less than 1 percent find other locations to build nests.

But it's still unclear exactly why the island colonies are so stable.

"We want to understand why. Is it linked to the extended sea ice condition over there? Food availability? That's something we don't know," said Stephanie Jenouvrier, a seabird ecologist at Woods Hole and a co-author of the study, in the news release.

In the research paper, the scientists recommend that the islands be classified as a "penguin hotspot of significant conservation value," and that the area be given refuge status. Polito said the publication of their study comes at just the right time to assist in that effort, as an international body that oversees Antarctica's wildlife resources is expected to review new refuge proposals in October.

Polito said he and his graduate students are conducting similar studies of the relationship between wildlife and their surroundings, including food sources and human-caused changes in their availability, in studying species along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Half of his research is based in the Gulf and half at other locations, including his 16 years of work in Antarctica.

"We use the same techniques to estimate how much energy blue crabs get from salt marsh grasses versus phytoplankton," he said, including recent research attempting to address the effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on crabs and other species.Patients and health workers can now book rides on a new platform called Uber Health that launched nationally this week.

The platform allows healthcare professionals to order rides for their patients going to and from their appointments. Caregivers can schedule rides on behalf of their patients and staff as much as 30 days in advance if necessary. Multiple rides for follow-up appointments can also be scheduled in advance.

Every year, 3.6 million Americans miss doctor appointments due to a lack of reliable transportation, according to Community Transportation Association of America, a national nonprofit that represents public and private transportation providers.

To request a ride, the health care professional would enter the rider's name, phone number, pickup and drop-off locations, and desired vehicle type. Uber said in a press release that patients don't have to have a smartphone to access the service and can access the service via text. If the rider has a landline they will receive a call when the driver arrives at their pickup location.

Additionally, in New Orleans, Uber has a platform called Uber ASSIST for individuals with mobility issues. Drivers are trained to assist riders into vehicles, and can accommodate folding wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters. These vehicles, however, do not have accessible ramps or lifts.

Last fall, three New Orleans residents filed a lawsuit against the company for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The suit said the company did not offer a way for riders with disabilities to load electric wheelchairs into cars.

New Orleans still does not have access to wheelchair-accessible Ubers through the company's platform UberWAV, which is available in larger cities such as San Francisco and Washington D.C. The service did not provide information on when UberWAV will be made available locally.

The rideshare service added in a statement that Uber Health will adhere to patient privacy rules under HIPAA (Health Insurance Portablity and Accountability Act) and is working with a compliance company called Clearwater Compliance to assure the service follows those rules.

The company said in a press release they partnered with more than 100 healthcare organizations in the U.S. including hospitals, clinics and rehab centers.

Ride share competitor Lyft launched a similar service on Feb. 20 for non-emergency medical trips. The company partnered with Hitch Health to offer rides to health appointments focusing on uninsured, low-income and vulnerable patients that have difficulty getting to the doctor.

Similar to Uber Health, patients don't need a smartphone and can schedule rides with drivers via text message.

According to the Harvard Business Review, no-show rates for doctor's visits can run as high as 30 percent and cost the healthcare system more than $150 billion a year.

Uber has been testing Uber Health since July 2017 and has partnered with more than 100 health organizations including hospitals, senior care facilities, and rehab centers.

Maria Clark covers healthcare and immigration for NOLA.com | The Times Picayune and NOLA Mundo. Reach her at mclark@nola.com or 504.258.5306. .Wendy Vitter's nomination for a federal judgeship in New Orleans came under new scrutiny Friday (March 2) after a liberal judicial advocacy group found "glaring omissions" on her initial questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her backers called the lapses inadvertent, however, and both Louisiana senators expressed support for her.

The Alliance for Justice listed seven public statements that Vitter failed to include on her Judiciary Committee disclosure form. Among them:

Her 2013 role,

Vitter's politics are somewhat familiar, nothing withstanding what she left off her questionnaire. Since 2012, she has been general counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. She is married to former U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

But Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron said the omissions are troubling. "Whether this was done accidentally or intentionally, it raises serious questions about integrity, professionalism and thoroughness that should not arise with regard to a potential federal judge," Aron said.

The group also highlighted Wendy Vitter's work as a front-line prosecutor and chief of trials in the late 1980s and early 1990s for Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick Sr., whose office has since gained notoriety for repeatedly withholding evidence from criminal defendants, resulting in their convictions being overturned.

The national organization says it "works to ensure that the federal judiciary advances core constitutional values, preserves human rights and unfettered access to the courts and adheres to the even-handed administration of justice for all Americans." Its findings on Vitter were repeated Thursday in a story first reported by Vice News.

President Donald Trump nominated Vitter on Jan. 23 for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the 13-parish Eastern District of Louisiana. Like all judicial nominees, she had to complete a lengthy background questionnaire for the Judiciary Committee, which scrutinizes nominees before sending them to the Senate for confirmation or rejection. Among other things, the questionnaires ask nominees about their political activities and for a list of public writings and statements.

Whether her omissions affect her prospects will become clearer when the committee schedules a hearing on her nomination. "I expect that senators may question her about that, and it may depend on her explanation," said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond and student of judicial nominations. "If she provides persuasive reasons, it may not be a major issue."

But Tobias also pointed out that undisclosed writings of another Trump pick for judge, Brett Talley of Alabama, helped derail his nomination. In that case, Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa advised the White House to reconsider Talley after he failed to disclose that his wife works for Trump's chief of staff and that he had posted a defense of "the first KKK" in an online comment in 2011.

"It is difficult for senators to perform their 'advice and consent' role without full information," Tobias said. "Sen. [John] Kennedy's views on this issue and the nominee will be important."

On that, Vitter retains an important ally: a home-state member of the Judiciary Committee and pro-life Republican politician who in January said she "has done very important work as a prosecutor and as legal counsel for the Archdiocese of New Orleans." Kennedy reiterated his approval Friday when asked about omissions on her questionnaire: "No, it doesn't change my support."

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also came to Vitter's defense, with a spokesman calling Vice News' story a "bogus attack." Said communications director Matt Wolking: "Mrs. Vitter's 55-page submission to the committee made it very clear her summary of non-personal remarks over the last few decades was compiled from online searches and available calendar entries to be as comprehensive as possible." said.

The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, did not respond to a request for comment.

The committee has not yet published Vitter's questionnaire, but Vice News posted what it said is the document. Vitter's backers said that overlooking a few speeches or writings here and there is understandable for an attorney with a rich public life spanning three decades. They expect her to amend her questionnaire with more material.

A Trump administration official, too, spoke up for her. "Wendy Vitter is an eminently qualified nominee for the federal courts and will be an excellent judge for the people of Louisiana," said the official, who refused to be named while discussing a pending nomination. "It is not uncommon for judicial nominees to update or supplement the materials they submit to the Senate, and we look forward to the committee's consideration and Wendy Vitter's swift confirmation in the Senate."

. . . . . . .

Drew Broach covers Jefferson Parish politics and Louisiana interests in Congress, plus other odds and ends, for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Email: dbroach@nola.com. Facebook: Drew Broach TP. Twitter: drewbroach1. Google+: Drew Broach.Two more St. Tammany Parish school students have been arrested on terrorizing charges after posting threats on social media or texts, the Sheriff's Office said Friday (March 2).

A 13-year-old student at Boyet Junior High School in Slidell was arrested Thursday after fellow students saw a photo she posted on SnapChat that referred to herself as a school shooter, the agency said in a news release.

In an unrelated incident, a 14-year-old student at Lee Road Junior High School near Covington was arrested the same day after he sent "alarming" text messages to a family member, referring to himself as a school shooter, the release said.

Both were booked at the Florida Parishes Detention Center.

Neither of the threats was deemed credible, authorities said.

However, the Sheriff's Office and public school system will continue to take all threats at schools seriously, officials said.

"We have zero tolerance when it comes to making threats. We take every potential threat seriously and must contact law enforcement every time one is made to ensure our students and staff are not in danger," schools Superintendent Trey Folse said. "Any threatening comments made verbally or posted on social media, even as a joke or made with no intention of actually carrying out a threat, will result in disciplinary action."

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Sheriff Randy Smith asked parents to talk to their children.

"Parents, please speak with your children about how, in light of recent events, comments like the ones made by these two students and the others earlier this week, even if made in a joking manner, are nothing to joke about and could lead to criminal charges."

A series of threats have been made toward schools in the New Orleans area -- and across the country -- since the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

In St. Tammany, an 18-year-old Pope John Paul II Catholic High School student in Slidell was arrested Wednesday after authorities say he wrapped duct tape around a plastic bottle as a "prank," turning a lockdown drill into a real lockdown.

Earlier on Wednesday, a 13-year-old student at Slidell Junior High School was arrested after he posted a picture of himself and a friend on SnapChat with numerous guns and knives, authorities said. The student also had made what other students perceived to be threats, according to the Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday, two students were arrested on terrorizing charges related to threats made to Boyet Junior High and Clearwood Junior High, both schools in the Slidell area, authorities said. A third student was issued a summons accusing him of simple assault.The Bureau of Governmental Research is backing a St. Tammany Parish sales tax renewal for the operation and maintenance of the parish jail but is against a similar tax renewal for the parish courthouse.

BGR, a non-profit watchdog group, issued its recommendations Friday (March 2) after studying the March 24 ballot items as part of its regular series of reports on local propositions.

The loss of the jail tax would result in new budget cuts that would reduce parish services in other areas and potentially undermine jail operations and the quality of law enforcement, the government watchdog organization said.

Regarding the courthouse tax, BGR said the parish government has not clearly demonstrated to voters how much money is required for future operation and capital needs. It said parish leaders should offer voters a new tax proposal on the November or December ballot.

Parish President Pat Brister called the report on the courthouse tax "inaccurate."

"I find it ironic that a New Orleans based organization is telling St. Tammany voters not to support our criminal justice system, a system that has been so effective in keeping our citizens safe and secure," she said in a statement. "I cannot imagine what agenda would allow this decision.

"At the end of the day this is about public safety for the citizens of our parish. I will always put the public safety of the families who live here above all else."

Voters March 24th will consider separate 10-year, 1/5th cent sales tax renewals that would generate about $9 million each to fund operations and maintenance of the jail and courthouse, both in Covington.

Those taxes were originally approved by voters in 1998 at the higher rate of 1/4 of a cent and for 20 years, and were used to build the $64 million courthouse and to pay for a $20 million expansion of the jail. The existing taxes, each generating about $11 million annually, are set to expire at the end of March.

In the spring of 2016, voters overwhelmingly rejected 20-year renewals of the taxes.

In response, the parish trimmed each of the renewal propositions to 1/5th of a cent and cut the duration to 10 years. They also dedicated at least 10 percent of the courthouse tax revenue to fund the various specialty courts, including drug court and behavioral health court.

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The scaled-back propositions went on the ballot in April 2017, but voters rejected the renewals again, though by tiny margins.

Many citizens have argued that the sales taxes should not be renewed at such levels because they were put in place to build the courthouse and jail expansion and the construction bonds are about to be paid off.

Brister and the Parish Council decided to go back to the voters a third time, saying they would do a better job of educating the public on the importance of the taxes. Brister has said the taxes are vital to the quality of life in the parish and maintaining the current level of services at the courthouse and in the justice system.

BGR's position on the courthouse tax mirrors that of the group Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany, which has complained that the parish government has not shown exactly how much money is needed to operate the courthouse. The citizens group recently suggested that parish government come back to voters with more modest proposals.

"Because the Parish has not provided voters with a clear spending plan, it is difficult to determine with certainty whether the renewal is scaled appropriately to projected needs," BGR wrote.

Brister maintained the parish supplied the group all of the data.

Regarding the jail tax, BRG said renewing the tax at the proposed rate would leave some jail costs unfunded. Based on the Sheriff's Office projections, the jail will need additional funding to offset future deficits and make necessary capital investments.

To better inform the public on the jail's financial condition, the parish or the sheriff should post online the jail accountability reports, BGR said.

For each tax renewed, a household spending $20,000 a year would pay $40 instead of $50 a year, according to the group's report. For each tax that expires, the household would pay $50 less in annual sales tax.

Early voting on the propositions begins March 10.Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Gonzalo Raffo de Lavalle

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

Helenio Herrera

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

Karl Marx

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

Sun Tzu









We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.



Paulo CoelhoDo you ever get the feeling that maybe Donald Trump doesn't know what he's doing? He's been at this president's thing for more than a year now, and he seems to be struggling a bit to get the hang of the job. Granted, it's a tough job. There may be none tougher. But it's a job he volunteered to do. "Nobody knows the system better than me," Trump boasted as he accepted the Republican nomination for president, "which is why I alone can fix it."

But since he's been in office, a U.S. senator -- of the president's same party, no less -- has described the White House as "an adult day care center," occupied by a president who requires around-the-clock supervision. Even without Sen. Bob Corker's description, though, the American people have been able to sense -- just from the president's Twitter habits -- that he can really foul things up when he's left by himself. He sits in front of Fox & Friends and instead of talking back to the screen like the average American does, he tweets things that, because of his status, could have a ripple effect across the world.

Maybe he's looking so lost because his administration has been under investigation his entire tenure. In the investigation into Russia's influence in the 2016 presidential election, special prosecutor Robert Mueller has charged 22 people, including Trump's former campaign manager and that manager's business partner, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign and Trump's national security adviser.

There's an even longer list of people who have resigned, been fired or have announced they're leaving the administration. White House communications director Hope Hicks has just announced her resignation. She follows a staff secretary and a speechwriter who resigned after allegations they abused their ex-wives. On Trump's watch, an FBI director has been fired, the number two person at the FBI left, an acting attorney general has been removed, an ethics director has resigned, a press secretary and assistant press secretary have resigned, and a chief of staff was ousted.

Communications director Anthony Scaramucci was let go before he officially started, chief strategist Steve Bannon was given the boot after the deadly white-supremacist attack in Charlottesville. Omarosa Manigault Newman, the White House's official black person, was reportedly dragged out of the White House kicking and cussing, but not before her bridal party -- all 39 of them -- took pictures on the grounds. According to a New York Times story, Trump has assured his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner that he wants them to continue working at the White House, even as he has been leaning on his chief of staff John Kelly to show them out.

Kelly, a Marine general who was tasked with bringing order to the White House, said Thursday, "The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of homeland security, but I did something wrong and God punished me, I guess."

Kelly was joking.

We think.

The New York Times says Trump has long used chaos as "an organizing principle and even a management tool." Previous reports have suggested that as a business executive Trump would deliberately create teams whose members hated one another so the only loyalty would be to him. Who can say if the White House chaos is by design? It should be clear, though, that such chaos isn't helpful to the country.

Believing the deliberate theory would be easier if the chaos were limited to organization and management. But the things Trump says are all over the place, and what could be the purpose of that? On Tuesday, Jan. 9, he promised lawmakers he'd sign any immigration bill they came up with. On Thursday, Jan. 11, a bipartisan group of six senators announced a deal, and Trump rejected it.

On Wednesday, he said he favored taking guns out of the possession of mentally ill people -- due process be damned. He said people ought to be 21 to purchase rifles, and he mocked Republican opponents of that idea as "petrified of the NRA." But then the NRA's chief lobbyist visited the White House, and his tweet suggests that NRA has properly reprogrammed the president. Who knows what Trump's position position on guns will be by the time you're reading this?

Can you be a good president if people don't know your position on the issues or -- worse yet -- you don't even know your positions?

In the last week in February, Gallup found that 56 percent of adults disapproved of Trump's job performance. That same month I got an email from somebody who continues to approve.

Surprisingly, he stated as a fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin's interfered in our last presidential election. But he doesn't think Trump should be criticized for not responding. "He wants Putin to think he has gotten away with his treachery and relax so he won't see what's coming ... brilliant."

Sometimes a cornered boxer is employing the rope-a-dope. But sometimes, he's just covering his head and reconsidering his occupation.

Jarvis DeBerry is deputy opinions editor for NOLA.COM | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at jdeberry@nola.com or at twitter.com/jarvisdeberry.The people of Louisiana should know that when the Zombie apocalypse comes, Baton Rouge offers the best chance of survival in this state, according to an analysis of a report by the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.St. Charles Parish officials have closed Bonnet Carre Spillway Road between Norco and Montz due to "water moving across the road," parish government spokesman Tristan Babin said Saturday (March 3). They typically close the road when Mississippi River leaks through the spillway gate's needles.

The river is experiencing a large volume of water, swelling to more than 12 feet above sea level in New Orleans. There's been concern that the spillway might need to be opened, diverting pat of the Mississippi to Lake Pontchartrain, if the river's flow reaches 1.25 million cubic feet per second. That rate, which would fill the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a second, is the standard for the Army Corps of Engineers to open the spillway.

The river is expected to crest at 17 feet on March 21. Floodwalls protect New Orleans to 20 feet.

The spillway was last opened in 2016, only the 11th time since construction was completed in 1931.Today

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening followed by increasing clouds with showers developing after midnight. Low near 75F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tomorrow

Rain and thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.A section of legislators have said that President Musevenis loss of touch with the reality in the country is why he thinks capturing the palm-prints and the DNA of everybody can help eliminate criminality in Uganda.

The MPs said that the presidents opinions on the installation of cameras, capturing the palm-prints and DNA of everybody to curb criminality is farfetched on the basis that Museveni has been talking about the same each time a prominent person is murdered.

Police CCTV monitor room at Naguru. Museveni last year ordered for installation of CCTV cameras following the murder of police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi

Museveni, in a statement following the murder of 28-year-old Susan Magara this week, suggested capturing of palm-prints and DNA of every citizen arguing that it would help curb such criminality.

Magara was kidnapped on February 7 and was found dead 21 days later. Her captors reportedly demanded for $1m (about Shs 3.5 billion) in ransom money. It is alleged that they used up to 17 Sim-cards to communicate with Magaras family during the three-week ordeal.

DNA records of everybody are good to compare with blood samples, sweat, sperm etc found at the scene of the crime. Palm-prints are better than thumbprints because the criminal may leave the palm-print and not a thumbprint, Museveni said in his statement.

Some MPs including Jonathan Odur (Erute South), Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga) and Fred Baseke (Ntenjeru South) argue Uganda, a poor country struggling with a lot of other challenges cannot afford DNA and palm print capturing in addition to failure to address challenges within the heads of security among others. Last year, government ordered for a switch off of all unregistered Sim-cards following the murder of former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi.

His statement on the gruesome murder of Magara had value only in as far as conveying his condolence to the bereaved family. The absence of CCTV, DNA and palm prints does not automatically prevent criminality; after all, it is the same police and other security organs personnel who shall have control over such systems, Odur said.

Odur added: is the absence of CCTVs, DNA and finger prints responsible for fights between his generals, unemployment, marginalization, low remuneration of civil servants, corruption and lack of political will on the side of NRM? If his best previous performance was security, which is now deteriorating, then no doubt his best is past getting behind him.

The legislators say that Musevenis advisors are failing him on certain issues and that he does not realize the capacity of his government in handling them, the fact that people feel the country is increasingly becoming insecure.

How can the president try to tell Ugandans that in all centers, he will make sure that there are tracing points so that when you are captured your DNA and finger/palm prints can be stored in the data bank, where is the data bank, where is the backbone to that data bank?, Ssekikubo said.

Baseke said that while he agrees with the president, Uganda as a country is still struggling with meager resource envelope. Its a good idea but how are we going to achieve it in the short? How much money are we going to put in? Baseke said.

According to Ssekikubo, the president should be honest to Ugandans because he proposed sometime back in his state of nation address of 2016 that cameras were to be installed in several parts of the city and towns but up to now, nothing has been done as said.

He repeated the same in 2017, in March after the murder of Kaweesi, he repeated the same, then the murders of all those prominent persons [state prosecutor Joan] Kagezi among others and now this time round the president is not telling Ugandans that criminals have mustered the art, Ssekikubo said.

They know that government has no way it can track them down, thats why they can do their criminality with impunity. The president should know that country is getting impatient, the country is getting tired. We need less words, we need action, he added.

At the funeral of Kaweesi, the president directed that because of repeated murders in the city and other towns, immediate installation of cameras in all major towns of Uganda and along the highways was to be worked on.

namuloki16@gmail.comThe Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) has commended Makerere Universitys retirement benefits scheme (MURBS) for its good corporate governance practice.

Acting URBRA chief executive officer Martin Anthony Nsubuga says it is impressive that MURBS is committed to maintaining audited accounts.

I am pleased that as a result of your good administration, your asset base has risen from Shs 105bn as at June 2017 to Shs 117bn as of last week, Nsubuga said at Makerere University as MURBS launched its client service charter and 34 membership ambassadors, nine years into its operations.

According to the secretary to MURBS board of trustees, Dr John Kitayimbwa, the client service charter was intended to improve operations.

We intend to humanize MURBS services so that we are easily approachable, he said. We are also looking to offer a faster service; for instance, members should not wait for more than five minutes before they are served.

The ambassadors, who are drawn from Makerere University staff, are expected offer a voluntary service, where they link with MURBS management in propagating the schemes best practices.

It is not prudent for a 60-year-old retiree to consider building rentals, soon after obtaining their money; so, we intend to use the ambassadors to help teach the staff how to invest smarter at that age, Dr Kitayimbwa added.

In his keynote speech, Stephen Kaboyo of Alpha Capital Partners Ltd, advised MURBS to educate employees on how they can retire smarter and understand the dynamics of retirement benefits schemes.

The appointment of 34 ambassadors is a great idea. It can only allow the scheme to grow further, he said. I urge the members to closely follow the work of the ambassadors as this will improve transparency and better corporate governance. Engage more with the members as a soon as possible, as this will improve administration.

The event also marked Nsubugas first outing as acting chief executive officer, having been appointed on Monday to replace David Nyakundi Bonyi, a Kenyan national whose three-year contract ended last week.

Nsubuga, a financial economist, is operating in acting capacity until a salary rationalization exercise by government is completed later this year. This is after Nsubugas predecessor run into head winds after a report by the IGG raised queries about the appointment of Bonyi, a Kenyan national, for a position in a state entity, whereas there were qualified locals.

Bonyis appointment also raised queries in parliament after it emerged that he was earning Shs 91m per month. Interestingly, the URBRA board had recommended Bonyi for a second term, owing to his good performance, but government insisted that a Ugandan national be appointed to the position.

Prior to joining URBRA in 2012, Nsubuga worked in the Finance ministry, leading several reforms in the non-banking sector. These included policies in insurance, pension, as well as public debt management. He then joined URBRA as director for supervision and compliance.The media fraternity is mourning the passing of veteran journalist, Teddy Seezi Cheeye, whose controversial career ended in a hit and run motorcycle (boda-boda) accident at Nakawa on Thursday.



Recalling his journey in the newsroom, senior journalists say that Cheeye has left a mark in the journalism industry despite the tragedy that befell him long after he left the newsroom, finding himself in prison, for the same crime that he had fought through the use of the pen.

RIP: Teddy Seezi Cheeye Barnard Tabaire, the director of programmes and a co-founder of African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) hails the late Teddy Seezi Cheeye for introducing crusading journalism in Uganda in the early 90's. Tabaire says Cheeye through Uganda Confidential, led a crusade against corruption and abuse of government.



He says that it is ironical that corruption later ended up engineering him years later after he had stopped publishing Uganda Confidential. Tabaire says much as Cheeye did not get everything accurate, he tried as much as he could to make the conduct of public affairs in Uganda more transparent.



A number of other journalists have lamented the fact that Cheeye succumbed to corruption when he took up a job as the director for Economic Monitoring in the Internal Security Organization (ISO) and when he formed Uganda Centre for Accountability (UCA) whose activities landed him in trouble.



He was convicted by the Anti-Corruption court in April 2009 for embezzling Shs 120 million of the Global Fund and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He, however, served six of the ten years and was released a year ago for good conduct. He was also ordered to refund Shs 110 million of the money he embezzled.



But despite the conviction and the jail sentence, many still believe that the late Cheeye exhibited courage required of a journalist to check excesses of those in authority. Samuel Gummah, the executive director of Uganda Radio Network says The Uganda Confidential, above everything else, helped to shape journalists in the country. Barnard Tabaire, the director of programmes and a co-founder of African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) hails the late Teddy Seezi Cheeye for introducing crusading journalism in Uganda in the early 90's. Tabaire says Cheeye through Uganda Confidential, led a crusade against corruption and abuse of government.He says that it is ironical that corruption later ended up engineering him years later after he had stopped publishing Uganda Confidential. Tabaire says much as Cheeye did not get everything accurate, he tried as much as he could to make the conduct of public affairs in Uganda more transparent.A number of other journalists have lamented the fact that Cheeye succumbed to corruption when he took up a job as the director for Economic Monitoring in the Internal Security Organization (ISO) and when he formed Uganda Centre for Accountability (UCA) whose activities landed him in trouble.He was convicted by the Anti-Corruption court in April 2009 for embezzling Shs 120 million of the Global Fund and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He, however, served six of the ten years and was released a year ago for good conduct. He was also ordered to refund Shs 110 million of the money he embezzled.But despite the conviction and the jail sentence, many still believe that the late Cheeye exhibited courage required of a journalist to check excesses of those in authority. Samuel Gummah, the executive director of Uganda Radio Network says The Uganda Confidential, above everything else, helped to shape journalists in the country.

He said Cheeye personally pushed beyond the limits with his crusade journalism and exhibited courage that the untouchables in government could be touched through investigative journalism.



He adds that in the public, the late Cheeye became more of a commentator and campaigner and therefore failing to balance his stories. Gummah says even with that shortfall, Cheeye could still be credited because his stories generated public debate and discussion.



James Tumusiime, a former editor and contemporary of Cheeye in a book "What Makes Africans laugh? Reflections of an Entrepreneur in Humour Media" says the fallen journalist stood out with his aggressive style of commentary, which bordered on libel and defamation, threatening a backlash from the public.



Tumusiime wrote that because of his style, Cheeye positioned himself as the crusader against corruption on the one hand, and defender of the NRM ideological line on the other.



The Uganda Confidential, in the early 90's had a popular column; 'Feet of Clay' which targeted political figures and leaders. Some of its controversial commentaries then were about former minister of Energy Richard Kaijuka and the then secretary to the treasury, now Bank of Uganda governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile among others.



The Uganda Confidential reported that the then minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Richard Kaijuka, has received a bribe of $240,000 from Virginia-based AES Corporation, a private power company that had planned to build and operate a 200-megawatt dam at Bujagali rapids.

The controversy later led to the resignation of Kaijuka who has been appointed as an alternate executive director at the World Bank. An alternative executive director is somebody who stands in for an executive director when he/she is not present.



It is this nature of journalism that would lead him to numerous charges of defamation and libel in courts. The courts awarded his victims hefty damages which Cheeye most times failed to pay.



Media consultant and trainer, Adolf Mbaine wrote in his thesis for the award of a degree of Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies that Cheeye's style was rather unconventional and his paper began making all types of allegations against all manner of people; ministers and other government officials, traders, soldiers, academics, judges, private people.

After just two years of Uganda Confidential's existence, civil suits in the High court began to flow. Mbaine concluded that Uganda's defamation legal history would perhaps never have changed much, but for entry into the Ugandan press, in December 1990, of a newsletter called The Uganda Confidential, edited by Teddy Seezi Cheeye.



Cheeye personally complained that some figures in government had tried to use various means to discredit him and his stories, about government corruption. He battled several sedition charges too.



In 1996, Cheeye went through an embarrassing trial for allegedly kidnaping one Zainabu Puwata and attempting to rape her. He was acquitted when the magistrate ruled that the charge was a " frame-up engineered by powerful and corrupt people who Cheeye had been long been criticizing in his journalistic work.



During several interviews upon his release from Luzira, Cheeye acknowledged the fact that he stepped on the toes of several people including a convicted prisoner who told him that he at one organized to have him killed.



Cheeye was one of the founding members of the Daily Monitor newspaper alongside Charles Onyango Obbo, and Wafula Oguttu among others.A defense lawyer this week blasted the Clackamas County District Attorney's Office for an alleged pattern of failing to turn over information in criminal cases that may favor defendants, bucking a fundamental constitutional obligation.

The attorney, John Henry Hingson, represents a man charged in a drug crime and says the Sheriff's Office won't turn over personnel information for the deputy who investigated the case.

In an unusual series of motions, Hingson accuses the prosecutor's office of a history of ignoring state and federal discovery statutes, a basic concept in criminal law.

Hingson blamed the Sheriff's Office for keeping information about the misconduct of police officials from prosecutors, yet said the district attorney ultimately is responsible for making sure relevant information gets to the defendant.

He called the issue a "constitutional crisis" and asked the court to intervene by taking the extraordinary step of placing the sheriff and district attorney under oath and ordering them to agree to a series of instructions regarding the disclosure of information in criminal cases.

Tung Yin, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, called Hingson's motions "an attack upon the integrity of the DA."

"It's not saying the system didn't work in this one case," he said. "It's saying the system doesn't work at all. And the reason is the DA has either given up or doesn't care or is afraid to push back against the sheriff's refusal to let the DA's office make the call on these discovery issues."

District Attorney John Foote issued a statement Friday saying his office has a "proven public track record" of acting independently and meeting its legal obligations to defendants.

"Mr. Hingson's accusations are just that: accusations without any facts to support them," said Foote, adding that the claims are an attack on the integrity of the lawyers who work for him. "He will get his opportunity to provide whatever facts he claims to have in a public courtroom to a judge. So far he has provided none."

In the felony drug case, Hingson said the prosecutor "intentionally refused to disclose" information about the deputy's background because the office didn't have access to Sheriff's Office personnel records.

The Sheriff's Office, Hingson said, also refused to disclose the information, arguing that the deputy's personnel file is confidential and not relevant to the case. A lawyer for Clackamas County reviewed the deputy's file and concluded nothing in it was relevant to the case.

Hingson argues that not releasing the information violates so-called the Brady law named for the 55-year-old landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brady v. Maryland, which requires such disclosures.

Foote and Sheriff Craig Roberts have tangled publicly over the issue of misconduct by deputies or supervisors.

Foote has publicly criticized Roberts for failing to alert him when sheriff's officials are under an investigation that could lead to criminal charges, as is the practice in the Portland Police Bureau.

Roberts, meanwhile, has said his office has notified prosecutors of multiple instances of investigations involving police officials. Roberts and a lawyer for the county didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

-- Noelle Crombie

ncrombie@oregonian.com

503-276-7184

@noellecrombieWhile investigating a series of thefts in Forest Grove, an officer made a startling discovery on the alleged suspect's front porch.

It was his flower pot, which happened to have recently gone missing, Forest Grove police say.

Officers also found other flower pots, lawn ornaments, a wicker bench, throw pillows and a ladder at Melinda Lucero's home. None belonged to her, police said.

Lucero, 45, turned herself in Friday to the Forest Grove Police Department. She was cited on suspicion of second- and third-degree theft.

Police said they started getting calls from vexed neighbors on Feb. 23 about missing items.

Lucero agreed to meet with officers and return the stolen property, police said.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBaileyA former Oregon City School District teaching aide was sentenced to more than 18 years in state prison Friday after he admitted to sexually abusing three students with mental disabilities while working as their swim instructor.

James McGlothlin pleaded guilty in Clackamas County Circuit Court to first-degree sexual abuse stemming from incidents that occurred between September 2013 and March 2014 at the Oregon City Swimming Pool. He was also charged in federal court on child pornography-related charges and investigated, but not charged, in Multnomah County for other alleged misconduct involving children.

McGlothlin pleaded guilty in the federal case in January to production of child pornography by recording himself abusing other children. As part of a plea agreement with the Clackamas and Multnomah County district attorney offices, and Oregon's U.S. Attorney's Office, he is expected to be sentenced April 16 in U.S. District Court in Portland to 28 years in federal prison. That sentence will run concurrently with the Clackamas County conviction and he will then be transferred to federal prison.

He is required to register as a sex offender. Additional state charges of first-degree official misconduct were dropped as part of the plea deal.

McGlothlin, 40, was an instructional assistant for adapted physical education since April 2005, according to the Oregon City School District. He worked with kids who have mental and physical disabilities and has held other jobs that put him in direct contact with children in Clackamas and Multnomah counties since the early 1990s.

McGlothlin was placed on unpaid leave with the Oregon City School District after being arrested in February 2016. He was fired by the school district that March.

The victims in the Clackamas County case were 8, 10 and 12, said Scott Healy, a senior county deputy district attorney.

According to a criminal complaint in the federal case, homeland security investigators traced an IP address from an online child porn forum to McGlothlin's home in Portland in fall 2015. Federal and local authorities served a search warrant at his house five months later and found several videos and pictures on his computer of children being abused.

One video showed McGlothlin changing a baby girl's diaper then molesting her, the complaint said. Another video shows Mcglothlin rubbing his penis against the same baby as the child is fully clothed and sitting on a large exercise ball.

A third video shows a man, suspected to be McGlothlin, ejaculating into a container of pudding, resealing the container and later feeding the contaminated snack to a 6-year-old girl, the complaint said. It was later determined that McGlothlin knew both children.

Authorities found essays on his laptop that described drugging and sexually abusing children. Investigators also found children's allergy medicine, nearly a dozen of pairs of children's underwear, photos of underage girls who were relatives or family friends and other items in McGlothin's garage, the documents said.

McGlothlin later confessed to two family friends that he fondled one of their toddlers and had sexual interest in the other's 8-year-old granddaughter, documents said.

He kept an electronic journal on his computer and wrote about the three girls he abused in the Clackamas County case, said Healy, the prosecutor.

In the journal entries, he described in detail abusing the girls during swimming sessions at the Oregon City Swimming Pool as other people were around. The entries included one where he writes that the mental state of one of the victims allowed him to grope her without the "hassle" of her forcing him off her, Healy said.

Healy after the sentencing described McGlothlin as a "stone cold sex offender," and said it's important the community is aware of people who commit similar acts under their noses.

"They meticulously plan and manipulate not just the victims, but adults in the victims' lives, to put themselves in position to sexually abuse children in cases just like this," Healy said. "Watch your kids, hold them closely and don't let anyone have access to your kids, even if you think they are trustworthy. It's dangerous out there."

Defense attorney Noah Horst declined comment Friday.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBaileyA Milwaukie man was arrested this week in connection with alleged threats of a mass shooting at a southern California community college.

Tarence Thomas, 24, was arrested Wednesday in Oregon City and remains held Friday in the Clackamas County Jail on a fugitive hold. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department in California said Thomas is expected to be extradited to the state, where he is accused of conspiracy to commit murder.

Authorities previously arrested Jacob McBain on Feb. 19 after linking him to Facebook posts threatening to shooting people at Norco College, the Riverside County department said. The school is based in Norco, California -- about 30 miles east of Anaheim.

Investigators arrested McBain, 27, at his home in Norco, served a search warrant and seized a loaded AR-15 rifle, two loaded handguns and a large amount of ammunition from his bedroom, the sheriff's department said.

McBain remains held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, California on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, making terrorist threats, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an assault weapon.

Investigators determined Thomas' involvement after McBain's arrest, the sheriff's department said. Police haven't released details on Thomas' role in the alleged shooting plot.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBaileyBEND  A snowboarder and skier died on Mt. Bachelor in separate incidents on the same day after each fell into holes at the base of trees and were covered by snow, Central Oregon authorities said.

The Deschutes County sheriff's office identified the victims on Friday as snowboarder Alfonso Braun, 24, of Bend, and skier Nicole Panet-Raymond, 19, of Eugene.

"Our entire mountain community is shocked and saddened," John McLeod, Mt. Bachelor's president and general manager, said in a statement. "We are heartbroken, and our deepest condolences go out to the affected families and friends."

Authorities told KTVZ-TV in Bend that skiers and snowboarders found Braun buried in snow at about noon and dug him out. Life-saving efforts failed, and he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Officials say a few hours after that they received a report of a missing skier, and that evening found Panet-Raymond, a 2016 graduate of St. Mary's Academy, dead in a tree well. Sheriff's Lt. Bryan Husband said authorities used cellphone location technology to find her.

Braun was found in terrain reserved for experts and Panet-Raymond in intermediate terrain.

Detectives said the accidents are being investigated and Panet-Raymond's prior movements are also being analyzed.

Late-season snowstorms in recent days have drawn thousands to Mt. Bachelor, a popular ski destination with 11 lifts and access to all levels of terrain. The company warned on its website for "current conditions" of the dangers of falling into the concave areas called tree wells often found at the base of trees.

"With all this new low density snow comes a reminder about tree well and snow immersion hazards," the company wrote. "A good time to get caught up on good safety practices and always ski or ride with a buddy in eyesight if you're headed off-trail."

--The Associated PressPortland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly wants nearly every immigrant who faces deportation in the city to have a lawyer  and will request $750,000 in public funds to help launch a program to provide them.

Eudaly unveiled her plan in a letter to the Welcoming / Inclusive / Sanctuary Task Force, which on Thursday delivered a report to the City Council on how to best combat the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.

The top recommendation by the task force, which formed last year, was the creation of a legal defense fund for non-citizens with modest means.

Such immigrant defense funds, aided in part with taxpayer dollars, already exist cities like Seattle and Los Angeles.

"The hostile environment created by our federal administration has required us to give more of ourselves in order to stand united against attacks on our immigrant communities," Eudaly wrote in the letter, which was first reported by Willamette Week.

The proposal would require $1.5 million in funding from the city of Portland and Multnomah County in the first year. The money would go to hiring at least five attorneys and provide other legal services.

Last year, the Portland council provided a $50,000 grant to Metropolitan Public Defenders to help with immigration cases.

"Why on earth would any public entity aid and abet people here illegally?" said Jim Ludwick, a spokesman for Oregonians for Immigration Reform, which supports stricter limits on immigration.

The moves come as some cities and local governments throughout the country continue to look for ways to shield non-citizens from ramped-up federal enforcement of immigration laws.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents in the Pacific Northwest arrested nearly 3,400 people in 2017, a 25 percent increase from a year earlier, figures compiled by the Pew Research Center show.

There were 814 Multnomah County residents with pending deportation cases in December 2017 and at least another 940 residents from Washington County, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearninghouse at Syracuse University, which analyzes U.S. immigration court records.

Living in the country illegally is not a criminal violation, and immigration-court cases are civil proceedings. Unlike in criminal cases, people facing immigration charges aren't guaranteed a public defender.

Lawyers and other immigrant rights advocates say an attorney can often make the difference between an individual being forced from the country and being allowed to stay.

Roughly 35 percent of those appearing in immigration courts in Multnomah County lack legal representation, according to an analysis of Department of Justice data by Metropolitan Public Defenders.

In 2016, immigration judges in Portland moved to deport more than 80 percent of defendants who had no lawyer, the analysis found. Meanwhile, 44 percent of those who had legal representation won relief and were allowed to stay in the U.S.

"Clearly, Oregonians who have a lawful right to be here are being deported when they don't have an attorney," said Leland Baxter-Neal, an attorney with Immigrant Defense Oregon at Metropolitan Public Defenders. "And it's ripping families apart."

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 || @shanedkavanaughIt's been five years since retired Air Force Lt. Col. Linda Campbell buried the ashes of her wife, Nancy Lynchild, at Willamette National Cemetery just southeast of Portland.

It was just after the military dropped the "don't ask, don't tell" policy" that prohibited its gay, lesbian and bisexual members from serving openly but before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage is a Constitutional right.

And it was the first time a U.S. veteran had secured a burial plot for her same-sex spouse at a military cemetery.

Soon, Linda will join Lynchild in the plot she lobbied the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to grant her partner of 22 years. The Air Force veteran has died at 71, according to a Campbell family release.

Linda Campbell was born in Fargo, North Dakota in 1946 to Joyce and Gordon Campbell and grew up in Portland, where she attended Kellogg Grade School and, later, Marshall High School.

It was during high school that Linda knew she was gay, she told historian Pat Young in a 2013 interview. Linda felt it was something she couldn't share with her best friend, a female Marshall classmate named Loen she'd known since first grade.

"I couldn't talk to her. I couldn't tell her who I was. I couldn't share," Linda told Young.

The two set off for the University of Oregon upon graduating from their Portland high school in 1964. Linda said she never caught sight of Loen during her undergraduate years. But the two caught up when, at the age of 60, Linda called up her old best friend to catch up.

Linda Campbell (left) and Nancy Lynchild in 1995.

It was then, more than four decades after their high school graduation, that Linda came out to Loen. The two bonded over their shared isolation. Loen was Japanese-American, so boys wouldn't ask her out, she said. Linda was gay and held it close to the chest.

"She was excluded. And I was excluded. And here we are walking to school together, neither one of us telling the other things that really mattered," Linda said, recalling their school days in Portland together.

That sense of exclusion lasted through Linda's years at the University of Oregon, where she graduated in 1968 with a degree in sociology. She immediately enlisted in the Air Force on the advice of a "really good recruiter," she told Young.

"I'd never seen a woman in uniform and I thought that would be very interesting," she said.

Linda enlisted in the military, in part, to "get over it."

"I wanted to get a master's degree. I thought that would help me find good work. I thought, okay, I'd get the GI Bill," she said. "And I wanted to, you know, at this point in life it's kind of . . . you want to be straight. It's really hard to be straight. If a boy asks you out it's really hard to say yes, you know, when you could be with your friends. So, I thought, I'm never going to go out with a boy if I'm around my friends, so I need to force myself to be away from them."

She never got over it.

In 1972, Linda visited her parents to tell them she was dating a woman. Her father verbally disowned her. Her mother, Linda told The Oregonian's Mike Francis, said, "I just wish you hadn't told us."

It was around then, after four years with the Air Force, that Linda returned to Portland and joined the Oregon Air National Guard, from which she would retire as a lieutenant colonel in 1994. She met Col. Fred Rosenbaum, one of the first people to whom she'd come out. The two would become close friends.

He was the chairman of the Housing Authority of Portland, then the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, both agencies where Linda would also work.

It was during her time at HUD that Linda met Nancy Jean Lynchild, who was the director of housing programs for the Lane County Housing Authority. Linda travelled to Eugene for audits and the two would get together during those visits.

Both were partnered at the time. Linda had a 12-year-old son named Brady.

One day over lunch, Lynchild told Linda she and her partner had separated. Soon after, Linda told The Oregonian in 2013, "I ran away from home." She lived alone for some time before feeling "just compelled to be with Nancy."

Linda Campbell and Nancy Lynchild were domestically partnered twice in Oregon before they were legally wed in Vancouver, B.C. in 2010. But the women had considered themselves married since 1995, when they packed up the car and moved to Washington, D.C. so Linda could work at HUD headquarters.

Together Forever from Michael Kurz on Vimeo.

"We had the kind of marriage that people dream of  young people, old people, gay people and straight people," Linda had told her family. "We shared hopes and dreams and health care struggles  until death did us part."

In 2000, Linda and Lynchild returned to Oregon to be closer to her parents. By then, Gordon and Joyce Campbell had accepted their daughter and embraced her sexual orientation, even professing their own love for Lynchild and Linda's previous partner.

Joyce Campbell's death in 2004 shook the family. Linda described her father as devastated when she and Gordon Campbell visited a funeral home to discuss cremation.

"The light was gone from his eyes," she said.

But it was then that the Campbells learned Linda's mother was eligible to have her ashes buried in Willamette National Cemetery. "It changed Dad so much," Linda told The Oregonian.

Gordon Campbell's ashes would join his wife's when he died in 2009. And although her parents were now resting together, Linda was pained in knowing she and Lynchild couldn't have the same honor.

On Dec. 22, 2012, Nancy Lynchild died of breast cancer.

In the years leading up to her wife's death, Linda worked with Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian and Sen. Jeff Merkley to ensure Lynchild's ashes would be buried in the Campbell family plot.

"Linda was a subtle yet giant force that moved our world forward," Avakian said in a release. "But more, I have never known a person with greater capacity to love others, and be loved in return. Among all the gems we collect in life, our friends and experience, she was a diamond."

They wrote letters to the VA, arguing the agency should follow the spirit of the Department of Defense's recent dismissal of its "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The response was tepid at the time, the three would tell The Oregonian.

But things changed soon after Lynchild passed away. First came the waiver for the burial plot. Then, the VA afforded Campbell's relationship further recognition: The headstone she and her partner will now share included the word "spouse" to describe Lynchild.

"Our nation will know and everyone who passes by here will know, that we lovingly, proudly and legally were wed, and that we have earned the right to be here in this hallowed space," Linda had said of the headstone.

Linda Campbell and Nancy Lynchild will rest two markers away from Gordon and Joyce Campbell at Willamette National Cemetery.

Linda is survived by two brothers, Bob and Jim Campbell; sisters-in-law Monte and Carolyn Campbell; and Brady Evan Campbell and Oliver Mena-Rengel, "family raised as sons."

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.comThe students putting together Portland's March For Our Lives, a gun safety protest organized in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting, have booked Portugal. The Man to play at Pioneer Courthouse Square on March 24.

The announcement came through the event's Facebook page via Sue Castner, one of the adult organizers who describes herself as "just trying to stay out of the students' way."

The event, which includes a march through downtown Portland, begins with a rally at the North Park Blocks at 10 a.m.

At 10:30 a.m., participants will march to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where organizers anticipate the crowd will arrive by noon. That's where Portugal. The Man will perform.

"Portugal. The Man will be supporting these students as they demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools. They shouldn't be afraid that their next day in a classroom might be their last," Castner wrote on the Portland March For Our Lives Facebook page.

The band won a 2018 Grammy for best pop duo/group performance for "Feel It Still." The group also play a pair of shows at Edgefield in late summer. Organizers say Portugal. The Man reached out to the students organizing the march after hearing about the local effort.

The Portland March For Our Lives is one of three major protest events organized by students following the Parkland shooting. The first, a 17-minute class walkout, is scheduled for March 14. Another walkout  this one slated to last the whole school day  is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.

Student organizers set up a GoFundMe to raise money for the event. Money raised will go toward the cost of permits, insurance, sound systems and more.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.comJames Eric Davis Jr.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan -- A Central Michigan University student believed to have shot and killed his parents in a dormitory is in custody after someone on a train spotted him about midnight Friday.

The arrest ended a manhunt involving more than 100 officers that began about 15 hours earlier.

CMU officials announced the capture of the suspect in an update to a blog post early Saturday, Marchh 3.

Police had been looking for James Eric Davis Jr, 19, since about 9 a.m. after James Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47, were found shot to death on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall.

According to the blog:

"The suspect was seen and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight. Law enforcement personnel responded and arrested the suspect without incident."

CMU President George E. Ross thanked both police and community members for doing everything possible during the day to keep students safe.The 90th Oscars ceremony is right around the corner, and with no clear frontrunner for Best Picture, the 2018 Academy Awards should bring some surprises. But as any awards show fan knows, the most unpredictable moments often happen on the red carpet.

This year's Oscar red carpet coverage should be especially interesting, considering the ongoing awareness of sexual harassment and allegations of inappropriate behavior from powerful men in Hollywood.

The controversy is hitting home for Ryan Seacrest, the man of a thousand jobs, who is slated to once again talk to arriving stars during the E! channel Oscars red carpet coverage. In November, Seacrest made the accusations against him public, by stating that E! was investigating sexual misconduct allegations made against him by "someone that worked as a wardrobe stylist for me nearly a decade ago at E! News."

Seacrest characterized the accusations as "reckless allegations," and said he was cooperating with the investigation of the claims.

On Feb. 1, Variety reported that the investigation was complete, and that a spokesperson for the E! channel said, "The investigation, conducted by outside counsel, found insufficient evidence to support the claims against Seacrest and therefore could not be substantiated. E! is committed to providing a safe working environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity."

That seemed to be that. But then Variety ran another story, in which Seacrest's accuser identified herself as Suzie Hardy. The Feb. 26 story included specifics of Hardy's allegations against Seacrest, which included him rubbing up against her, groping her, and engaging in a pattern of sexual misconduct.

With Seacrest still denying the charges, and Hardy and her lawyer saying the investigation was inadequate, that leaves a couture-dressed elephant in the room. Will actresses speak to Seacrest on the E! red carpet as they arrive for the 2018 Oscars? Or shun him? Will Seacrest be directly challenged on live television?

As these timely questions loom, there may be more suspense during the red carpet coverage than in the Oscars show.

Here's where and when Oscars 2018 red carpet coverage will be happening on Sunday, March 4.

"Countdown to the Oscars, Live! Part 1": A three-hour special hosted by Paula Faris and Chris Connelly revisits moments from past Oscar ceremonies and passes the time until the official ABC red carpet coverage starts. (10 a.m. ABC/2)

"E! Countdown to the Red Carpet: The 2018 Academy Awards": The endless E! channel pre-Oscars coverage begins, with lots of yammering about what the stars might wear, and so on. (10 a.m. E!)

"On the Red Carpet at the Oscars": More coverage to pass the time until the stars really start showing up. (2 p.m ABC/2)

"E! Live From the Red Carpet": Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic talk to the stars. How's that going to work this year? (2 p.m E!)

"Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live From the Red Carpet": The official ABC red carpet coverage includes Michael Strahan, Wendi McLendon Covey, Sara Haines and others interviewing nominees, presenters and performers. (3:30 p.m. ABC/2)

"Red Carpet Rundown: Oscars 2018": A look at fashion from the 2018 Oscars red carpet. (4 p.m. E!)

Streaming: "The Oscars: All Access," featuring red carpet highlights, backstage footage and moments from the Oscars telecast, will stream live on The Academy's Facebook page on Facebook Watch; on the ABC Television network Facebook page; Oscar.com and ABCNews.com beginning at 3:30 p.m.

The 90th Academy Awards: Jimmy Kimmel hosts the Oscars show. (5 p.m. ABC/2)

-- Kristi TurnquistSign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

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The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will soon be in your inbox.The film industry has a long history of whitewashing ethnic roles, from Elizabeth Taylor quite literally play an African Queen (Cleopatra) to Scarlett Johansson's turn as an East Asian woman in Ghost in the Shell. Within that history exists a subcategory that is rarely addressed amongst Hollywood elites  assigning roles to people who may not be white, but still aren't the right fit for the part. Moments like casting a Japanese person in a Chinese role  as happened in Memoirs of A Geisha, is offensive and sends a message that under the Western lens, all Asians look alike and can be equally interchanged and swapped out.

At the forefront of addressing this fight is Amandla Stenberg. The actress, well-known for her past activism for black women in film and her vocalness on topics like cultural appropriation, revealed that she recently backed out of Black Panther's casting process for a slightly different but very similar reason. Stenberg told CBC Arts, "These are all dark skin actors playing Africans, and I feel like it would have just been off to see me as a biracial American with a Nigerian accent just pretending that I'm the same color as everyone else in the movie."

Stenberg says she has no regrets for sticking with her gut and not pursuing the $720 million-grossing film. "That was really challenging, to make that decision, but I have no regrets. I recognize 100 percent that there are spaces that I should not take up and when I do take up a space, it's because I've thought really, really critically about it and I've consulted people I really trust and it feels right," she said.

Stenberg is a perfect example of how celebrity activism should transcend online spheres and enter real world realms in which roles and parts are turned down when they are known to have an adverse effect on marginalized groups. The question is, will future Hollywood actors will follow suit?

Photo via GettyThis service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions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.Three armed robbers are in the grips of the Osu police in the Greater Accra region after residents there effected a citizen's arrest Thursday evening.



The armed robbers allegedly snatched a bag belonging to a foreigner which contained an unspecified amount of money.



A taxi driver was alerted by an alarm raised by eyewitnesses while the suspects made their escape on a motorbike. The driver rammed his vehicle into a motorbike which disoriented the suspects briefly. They took to their heels and residents took them on in a hot chase.



One of the suspects carried a cutlass but was cut down by the angry residents who arrested him and handed him over to the police.



Two others were later apprehended.



The arrests end a working week of rife robbery stories. Daring in their attempts, armed robbers stole an undisclosed amount of cash in a daylight operation Tuesday morning at the North Industrial Area.



Only 24 hours later, a Lebanese cashier was shot dead in his car as an armed gang trailed him after he had withdrawn 200,000 cedis to pay salaries.



A mother was fatally stabbed later in the evening at Obuasi in the Ashanti region.



The crimes have put the police under pressure to demonstrate to the public they are up to the task.







Source: JFM/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoSecurity analysts seem divided over the impact of a shake-up in the Police hierarchy on Thursday as the country battles a surge in robberies and other crimes.



Two security analysts, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso and Adam Bona, seem to see the reshuffle as strategic in the urgent need to quell the insecurity creeping into the country, however, another notable analyst, Dr Kwesi Aning believes the contrary.



Adam Bona believes the reshuffle is a confidence booster  one that will assure citizens that they are safe.



I think it is strategic because it is consistent with international best practices[The shake-up] is timely. Better late than never, he said on current affairs programme, PM Express, on the Joy News channel on MultiTV.



Dr Antwi-Danso says every situation calls for a specific strategy, acknowledging that although the actual strategic implications of the reshuffle may be hidden from the public, it is a good move.



It may be a strategic movemaybe somebodys specialisation is needed for a certain period, and so reshuffles in security apparatus is always very important. It is only the security tops who would understand why they are doing the reshuffle, Dr Antwi-Danso also said on the same programme.



These positions contrast that of Dr Kwesi Aning, who says the shake-up will do little to dissuade armed groups from carrying out their activities.



Dr Aning, who is Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), said Thursday: Changing the men does not help when you don't have enough and when our ability to resolve crime is just 6 percent.



Poised for action



The disagreements notwithstanding, security agencies are poised to redeem their image as the sometimes fatal robberies raise questions about their capability to deliver on their mandate.



Armed police and military men will be heading to communities across the capital Friday.



The move is the outcome of a high-level national security meeting on Thursday in response to the armed attacks and robberies.



Parliaments Defence and Interior Committee will also later Friday meet with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, to get a full briefing on the steps being taken to address the insecurity situation.



The shake-up



The IGP on Thursday announced 11 major changes in the security hierarchyfollowing an escalation in crime across the country in recent times.



The IGP has reassigned his Director of Operations COP George Dampare to head the research department. COP Christian Tetteh Yohunu who was head of the Special Duties is now leading the police intelligence unit.

Source: myjoyonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured VideoBOSTON -- A nor'easter pounded the Atlantic coast with hurricane-force winds and sideways rain and snow Friday, flooding streets, grounding flights, stopping trains and leaving 1.6 million customers without power from North Carolina to Maine. At least five people were killed by falling trees or branches.

The storm submerged cars and toppled tractor-trailers, sent waves higher than a two-story house crashing into the Massachusetts coast, forced schools and businesses to close early and caused a rough ride for passengers aboard a flight that landed at Dulles Airport outside Washington.

"Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up," a pilot wrote in a report to the National Weather Service.

The Eastern Seaboard was hammered by gusts exceeding 50 mph, with winds of 80 to 90 mph on Cape Cod. Ohio and upstate New York got a foot or more of snow. Boston and Rhode Island were expected to get 2 to 5 inches.

The storm killed at least five people, including a 77-year-old woman struck by a branch outside her home near Baltimore. Fallen trees also killed a man and a 6-year-old boy in different parts of Virginia, an 11-year-old boy in New York state and a man in Newport, Rhode Island.

READ MORE: Cumberland County homes damaged by downed trees

Floodwaters in Quincy, Massachusetts, submerged cars, and police rescued people trapped in their vehicles. High waves battered nearby Scituate, making roads impassable and turning parking lots into small ponds. More than 1,800 people alerted Scituate officials they had evacuated, The Boston Globe reported.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help victims.

Airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights, mostly in the Northeast. LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill.

President Donald Trump, who traveled to North Carolina for the funeral for the Rev. Billy Graham, was forced to fly out of Dulles instead of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is housed, because of high winds.

Amtrak suspended service along the Northeast Corridor, from Washington to Boston. In New Jersey, a tree hit overhead wires, forcing the suspension of some New Jersey Transit commuter service.

Winds toppled a truck on Rhode Island's Newport Pell Bridge and prompted officials to close several bridges in the state to commercial vehicles. A tractor-trailer also tipped over on New York's Tappan Zee Bridge, snarling traffic for hours.

The federal government closed all offices in the Washington area for the day. Smithsonian museums also shut their doors.

In the western New York town of Hornell, 30-year-old Anna Stewart was milking the 130 cows of her dairy farm in a barn powered by a generator hooked up to a tractor. Stewart lost power Thursday night. Hornell got more than 14 inches of snow.

"The snow is pretty wet and heavy. It's taken down a lot of lines," Stewart said.

"There's more snow than I've seen in quite a few years."

On the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown resident Andy Towle took video of a 50-foot fishing boat breaking free from its mooring and drifting dangerously toward the rocks.

"I've never seen anything like that," the 50-year-old resident said. "The harbormaster was down there with police, and they didn't know what to do."

Per the Weather Underground website:

Riley's winds on Friday were gusting in excess of 50 mph over a huge swath of the coast, from Maine to Virginia, and these winds piled up a large storm surge that caused widespread coastal flooding during the late morning/early afternoon high tide cycle. The flooding was exacerbated by the highest tides of the month, due to the effect of the full moon. A storm surge of three feet along with a high astronomical tide more than a foot above average combined to bring a water level in Boston that peaked at 4.4' above Mean Higher High Water (MHHW) at 11:12 am EST Friday, during the morning high tide cycle. This was the third highest water level ever recorded in Boston, and was close to a 1-in-100-year event. According to NOAA, a 1-in-100-year storm tide with a 1% chance of occurring in a given year in Boston is a water level of 4.59' above Mean Higher High Water. Since records began in 1928, the only higher storm tides in Boston were 4.88' above MHHW on January 4, 2018 in Winter Storm Grayson, and 4.82' above MHHW on February 7, 1978, during the infamous Blizzard of '78. The water level was falling on Friday afternoon thanks to the tide going out, but the surge appears to be slowly increasing, and two more near-record storm tides are expected in Boston--late Friday night, and near midday on Saturday.

Associated Press writer Sarah Betancourt wrote the story. Michael Hill in Albany, New York, Michelle Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, Anisha Frizzell in Baltimore, and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.Cumberland Valley School District is growing so fast the district feels compelled to secure land for future projects before a current batch of school construction projects have been completed.

That sounds like good planning, in a district that serves the two fastest-growing municipalities in one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania.

But is it still good planning when the site the board has selected is a farm that was supposed to be preserved as open space in perpetuity? Or has the district just redefined "forever" as somewhere north of 35 years?

The questions arise from the board's 7-0 Jan. 22 vote to launch eminent domain proceedings for the 116-acre McCormick farm property off Route 11 about a mile west of the Route 114 interchange.

In such cases, the government - as long as it can show a strong public need for the land - usually wins, and the only fighting is over how much it pays.

But this might be different.

For one, the conservation easements are held by the Delaware County-based Natural Lands Trust, a group that is very serious about its mission of preserving open space in the face of development pressures.

It would be a party in any condemnation proceedings, in that it would have to be compensated for the easements that it holds.

Peter Williamson, vice president for conservation services at Natural Lands, said Thursday that his group has often worked with agencies like PennDOT and pipeline companies to grant rights-of-way for small portions of ground.

It has never been forced to negotiate the loss of an entire property, he said, so this could be more contentious.

"We hold a conservation easement on that property, the purpose of which is to keep it open and whole, and we intend to do everything we can to keep it that way," Williamson told PennLive this week.

It's not clear exactly what that could entail.

District officials have noted the deed for the farm has specific language stating that "once the property, or a portion thereof, is taken by condemnation, the conservation easement terminates automatically by operation of law."

Cumberland Valley hadn't filed a formal declaration of taking through Friday. But it is known that appraisals are being taken of the site, which is actually owned at present by the family of Ui Ung Lee.

The Lee family has been trying to sell the land for years. Efforts to reach them for this story were not successful.

Speaking for the district, school board President Michael Gossert argued that this is prudent planning in an area of the district that is seeing explosive growth.

"It's quite simple," Gossert said. "We're exploding and we need property, and this property is for sale.

"We can't shut the doors at 1,000 kids. We have to educate every kid who comes into our district... It makes it a lot easier if we have land sitting there ready for us to use."

It's also fairly close to Cumberland Valley's existing education park, home to the high school, district offices and Eagle View Middle School.

What's more, this particular ground, because it is encumbered by the easements, may come less expensively than other land in the Silver Spring / Hampden township development vortex.

And that's being a good fiduciary for the district's taxpayers, Gossert said.

The numbers back Gossert up.

According to the Cumberland County Planning Department, Silver Spring (2,185) and Hampden (1,874) townships ranked one-two among all county municipalities from 2006 through 2016 in new residential building permits issued.

Development pressure is only ramping up as new subdivision submissions county-wide surged last year to levels not seen since before the 2007-08 recession.

Here's the impact on Cumberland Valley schools, according to district spokeswoman Tracy Panzer.

Current student enrollment is 9,142 students, an increase of more than 1,700 since 2010. The district's three-year average growth rate is 2.22 percent or 200 students per year, a trend expected to continue for at least the next three to five years, Panzer said.

The three-year average growth rate of students living in Silver Spring Township is 3.61 percent per year.

There are no official plans for the farm yet, though Gossert said district officials like the flexibility that the ground would give them as they approach a time period where renovations might be needed to Eagle View.

As one hypothetical, the district could decide to find a new use for that building and put a new middle campus on the McCormick tract.

The problem is that all this good planning and sound financial practice is running smack-dab into local history, preservation politics and more than a little sentimentality.

The farm in question belonged to the McCormick family, who, 100 years ago, probably would have outranked Milton S. Hershey in the pantheon of midstate power players.

Vance McCormick was a one-time Harrisburg mayor, a bigtime Democratic Party power broker and close associate of President Woodrow Wilson's who helped to represent the U.S. in negotiations on the Treaty of Versailles.

Known as the "Home Farm," the family's Silver Spring tract was saved before preservation was cool by then-family trustees Charles and Brooks McCormick, who donated it to Natural Lands in 1983. The conservancy sold it to Lee a few years later with the conservation easements in place.

In the 35 years since, a string of car dealerships have sprouted along U.S. Route 11 to the west, and a large shopping plaza anchored by a Giant Foods store and a Sheetz lies to the east, at the corner of Routes 11 and 114.

Adjacent to the farm itself sits the village of Hogestown, one of the original beating hearts of Silver Spring, and an area that local residents are in the midst of their own efforts to revive.

Some worry that effort could be overwhelmed by a future school campus.

"We already have a traffic problem (in the village)," said Scott Mehring, of the Hogestown Heritage Committee.

"This would just magnify that probably ten-fold," he said, taking a crystal ball peek into the future. "People would move out, their houses would be sold, and pretty soon there's be nothing left of Hogestown."

That's especially so, some critics note, if a large residential development to the north of the McCormick ground, Gray Hawk Landing, would be permitted to gain access to Route 11 through the farm.

Local environmentalists, meanwhile, point to the virtues the open space provides for the Conodoguinet Creek coursing along the properties northern boundary.

And local historian Christine Musser said she's simply ticked off by the district's willingness to override history.

"What is this teaching kids about appreciating their culture?" she asked rhetorically in a recent interview. "This is what you do, because you have the power and the money to do it?"

In short, there's a lot to unpack here.

Cumberland Valley may have the legal high ground at the start.

According to Jeff Franklin, a Berks County attorney with expertise in property law, as long as the district has a reasonable basis for the condemnation, it can move on the land and extinguish any easements on it.

Aggrieved parties - in this case Natural Lands - would typically be fighting for dollars. Disagreements could eventually work their way into county court.

The question for CV is, whether the price will stay reasonable enough - including payments to the land owners and Natural Lands - to override concerns about breaking the open space promise.

Or will there be so much backlash to this taking that the board finds the prudent thing is to move on to other sites?

It's known that the tract has had other potential buyers looking at the site for uses in compliance with the easements, but those talks have apparently been put on hold pending the district's interest.

Panzer said the board is scheduled to discuss land acquisition issues in executive session during its regularly scheduled meeting Monday night.

It may hear from some critics of the farm deal, as well, in what could become on the midstate's more interesting land use battles of 2018.WILLIAMSPORT - When Joel R. Snider in 2013 filed his federal lawsuit over his murder prosecution and treatment in three jails he listed 68 defendants including former Gov. Tom Corbett, former Attorney General Kathleen Kane and two county judges.

As the result of a Thursday order by U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann the number of defendants has shrunk to nine corrections officers at the Clinton County Correctional Facility.

The prison and Kyrie Andrus and Tiffany Rupert, both licensed practical nurses there, were removed by Brann granting their summary judgment motions.

He found Andrus and Rupert were not deliberately indifferent to the Snider's medical needs and ruled the statute of limitations had expired on the convicted murderer's claim that the prison failed to provide reasonable accommodations for those with mental disabilities.

Snider filed his initial complaint without a lawyer. He is now represented by the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project that in 2015 filed an amended complaint that dropped the state officials.

All that remains in the case are allegations against guards at the Clinton County prison stemming from a fall on Feb. 28, 2013, and and a cell extraction on April 5, 2013, while Snider was there as a pre-trial detainee.

READ MORE: Federal lawsuit of man who killed yoga master appears headed for trial

The fall occurred as he was being taken in handcuffs and shackles to another part of the prison while his cell was being searched.

He had to be forcibly extracted from his cell after he refused to submit to being handcuffed. Guards used pepper spray on him.

Andrus and Rupert were present for the extraction and later examined him, but found no serious injuries, Brann wrote in his opinion.

Snider, 41, who suffers from depression and chronic paranoid schizophrenia, in 2014 pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder.

He said he shot a yoga master in Union County known as Sudharman because he heard voices and delusions he was evil. Snider is serving a state prison sentence of 30 to 60 years.

The plea was entered after the state attorney general's office dropped plans to seek the death penalty.

The arrest affidavit called the shooting an assassination and part of a methodical plan by the former St. Louis man to kill Sudharman.

Sudharman, born as J. Joseph Fenton, was shot multiple times in his New Berlin center in July 2010. His body was found on living room floor wrapped in two sheets and a comforter.

Sudharman had tried to recruit Snyder to teach at his center, police said at the time of the murder.

Attempts to settle the suit have failed.By Alexis Elder

Suppose you want to get in touch with a friend.

Alexis Elder (The Conversation, photo)

Once, your options for doing so might have been sparse: pick up the phone or write a letter. But these days, you have to decide: Should you call or text, use Snapchat, or reach out on Twitter, Messenger or Skype?

Other considerations, whether it's an old friend or new acquaintance, or whether you're asking a favor or checking in, as well as your own conversational tendencies and preferences, could also factor in.

As an ethicist specializing in social technologies, such questions interest me. These choices play a significant role in our lives. As anthropologist Stefana Broadbent observes:

This fact was reflected in popular media (as when Chris Rock cursed out a woman's ex for breaking up via Facebook), but it's also a feature of our daily lives.

From asking a partner to pick up dinner on the way home to checking in on a neighbor with health problems, many of us frequently face the question: How should I communicate?

Here's how to think about the question

I use a theoretical framework known as virtue ethics to tackle such issues. Thinking about how communication channels both affect and express our character can help us make appropriate decisions in each circumstance.

Aristotle. Line engraving by P. Fidanza after Raphael Sanzio. ]Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom., CC BY

The core idea behind virtue ethics is that most of us want to cultivate traits (or virtues) that will help us live well. These virtues can be cultivated through repeated practice, but they can also be destroyed in the same way.

Aristotelian virtue ethics emphasize that people should try to aim at the right amount of a trait: Too much fear can make it hard to function, but too little will get them injured. What counts as the right amount can vary based on context - warfare and child care may call for very different sorts of reactions. Nevertheless, some general guidelines can help us think about what kind of people we want to be, and how to get there.

We want to be generous, not selfish or servile. We want to be brave, not cowardly or rash. We want to be thoughtful, neither too impulsive nor overanalytical. We want to be empathetic, not callous, but not self-sacrificing. We want to be engaged rather than disengaged, but also not enmeshed with our loved ones. In each case, we aim for the virtuous middle by practicing to develop traits we want for ourselves.

Reflect on the message and messenger

Different communication channels can nudge us toward or away from different extremes. Communication channels like Snapchat and phone calls encourage spontaneity because, once delivered, the message disappears. Forms of communication that leave permanent records, like email encourage deliberateness and thoughtfulness.

A phone call could encourage spontaneity. uncoolbob, CC BY-NC

In general, public channels like Facebook posts tend to invite others to share the news and pay attention to us, while private messages can foster more individualized empathetic responses. Some formats, like email, allow one to compose a message at leisure, to revise and polish, encouraging many of us to slow down and reflect. Others, like phone and video chat that require real-time response, could help us be more spontaneous.

Use of images like memes, selfies and emojis can help us convey and engage emotionally, while textual communication can help emotions. Researcher Sherry Turkle interviewed a family who argued via text message to help keep emotions from overwhelming their ability to give others a fair hearing, and express themselves clearly.

Several ethicists have raised concerns that technology, by making things easier, can lead to de-skilling. We could lose certain skills by failing to exercise them. For example, I might lose the ability to listen patiently and empathetically if I always communicate by text, drifting in and out of the conversation as it interests or suits me. But I could also use communication technologies like training wheels: to practice the skills I want to exemplify in my life and repeatedly exercising them until they become second nature and are thus integrated into my character.

What helps us be better people

So, our choice of communication channel, then, should be guided by thinking about how it can help bring together our aspirations about the person we want to be, keeping in mind our character as it currently is.

If I know I tend to lose my temper in emotional conversations, arguing via text or email may help me slow down, reflect and reconsider what the other person is saying. Conversely, if I know I tend to coldly distance myself from others, I might opt to correct that by making a point of calling or video chatting.

If I tend to give in to pressure too easily, I might switch to a format like email that lets me consider a request before getting back to someone - not just to get around this tendency, but to practice saying "no."

It's tempting to try to pin all the blame on a technology. It can also be appealing to think that it will automatically improve our lives. But many technologies have both good and bad effects on us, and wise use will help maximize the good effects and avoid the bad.

Researchers who looked at the impact of cellphones on interpersonal relationships, for example, found that cellphone use among close friends and family had real positive and negative results. Cellphone use was implicated in users' tendency to depend on each other. On one hand, this dependency was associated with increased satisfaction with the relationship.

But, on the other hand, cellphone use was also associated with reports of overdependence. The researchers reported some users feeling a sense of "entrapment," and a sense of "guilt and pressure" to respond, which led to dissatisfaction in relationships.

It's true that it is hard to choose the right communication channel because the issue is quite context dependent. But we can use some of these guidelines to think through our options. And in many cases, we can use technology to help us become the people we want to be.

The Conversation

Editor's note: This piece is part of our series on ethical questions arising from everyday life. We would welcome your suggestions. Please email us at ethical.questions@theconversation.com.

Alexis Elder is an assistant professor of philosophy at hte University of Minnesota, Duluth. She wrote this piece for The Conversation, where it first appeared.By Deborah Gordon Klehr and Maureen Cronin

Pennsylvania's 270,000 children with disabilities deserve better. Their future depends on critical decisions being made in Harrisburg right now.

This winter and spring, they should be a focus of conversation as our state elected officials move to craft and adopt a new budget for 2018-19 - one that hopefully will build momentum for expanded investments supporting these children.

Children with disabilities are among the most educationally at risk. They are more likely to repeat a grade and less likely to graduate than their non-disabled peers. We have long recognized that children with disabilities require and are legally entitled to additional supports and services in order to learn.

These include specially designed instruction and additional aids and services to provide a "free appropriate public education," enabling these students to achieve their full potential.

Students with disabilities may require accommodations, including access to specialized personnel, such as certified school psychologists, therapists, nurses, mental health professionals, and specially trained teachers.

All students benefit from the presence of these staff in schools. Importantly, students with disabilities must be educated in the most inclusive settings among their non-disabled peers in regular classes for most of the day.

Hence, all school staff need training to effectively serve students with disabilities in compliance with each student's "Individualized Education Program" - the written plan for addressing that child's unique needs.

Tragically, school districts across Pennsylvania do not receive the state resources they need to effectively address these student needs. The cost of delivering special education services, including Early Intervention for very young children, is rising faster than state funding to support our students with disabilities.

For years - from 2008 to 2014 - state aid for special education in Pennsylvania was frozen while costs for educating students were rising, placing school districts in a big hole. The modest increases in state aid since then have not been enough to narrow this gap.

State funding for special education totals $1.1 billion, which sounds like a lot. But it covers less than one-third of the total tab. Local school districts are left to cover the majority of special education costs; some fall short and fail to identify children or fail to deliver the services they need.

Inadequate funding translates directly into an insufficient number of teachers and other trained staff to support students. It also means deep cuts to the critical resources and services these students need to make educational progress: children don't receive the reading specialists or speech therapy sessions they need. For our children, it means an inferior education and a more limited future.

We're counting on our governor and legislature to reverse this damaging trend of the state not adequately funding special education.

The past few budgets have provided modest increases in the special education line item, and Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed a $20 million boost this year - just under 2 percent. While any increase is a step in the right direction, ultimately, a significantly larger state investment will be needed to get us back on the right path.

Simultaneously, our elected officials cannot continue to overlook the adequacy gap in state funds for basic education. Their failure to deliver adequate funding is now under challenge in our courts.

While the inadequacy and inequity of our school funding system is being examined by the courts, we look to our governor and Legislature to do the right thing for all of Pennsylvania students. When districts and schools are hit with overall budget shortfalls, this too directly impacts students with disabilities.

They depend on the same general programs and services provided to all students. Major new investments are needed on an annual basis to help close what is estimated to be a $3 billion basic education funding adequacy gap, which plagues our schools and children. By using the bipartisan basic education funding formula to distribute the increased investment, these dollars will be allocated based on actual district and student need.

It is time for action in Harrisburg.

Our children with disabilities desperately need new special education dollars to ensure they receive the high-quality, inclusive education they need and to which they are legally entitled.

Let's not let them down - again.

Deborah Gordon Klehr is executive director of the Education Law Center of Pennsylvania. Maureen Cronin is executive director of The Arc of Pennsylvania.Allegations of sexual assault and abusive behavior leveled against a Republican state representative from Delaware County are being investigated by the Dauphin County District Attorney's office.

Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo confirmed to PennLive the existence of a criminal investigation into the claims made by two women against five-term incumbent Rep. Nick Miccarelli published in a joint report by the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Caucus on Wednesday.

Miccarelli, 35, an Iraqi war veteran, has vehemently declared his innocence in several statements he or spokespeople released to media outlets and on Facebook.

Attempts to contact Miccarelli on Friday through his legislative office and cell phone for comment were unsuccessful. Miccarelli, who is on the House Appropriations Committee, has been absent from the committee's budget hearings over the past two weeks.

Chardo told PennLive ordinarily his office doesn't confirm the existence of a criminal investigation. "The only reason why I'm doing it now is because it's already in the public domain," he said.

The women's Harrisburg-based attorney, Terry Mutchler, confirmed that her clients are "cooperating with law enforcement on several levels."

The investigation arises out of a complaint made on Feb. 8 to the House of Representatives by two women - one of whom is a state official and the other, a political consultant - who alleged the lawmaker had violated the chamber's workplace harassment policy for actions and behavior over the past six years. PennLive does not identify sex crime victims without authorization.

"I know there has been a lot of question related to why now," Mutchler said. "I can confirm that the #MeToo movement certainly played a role in this in emboldening them to come forward but also there were specific comments the representative made related to #MeToo and I think it's fair to say that that really spurred our clients in bringing this to the attention of the House."

#TBT to the time Nick Miccarelli pledged to stand by women bravely coming forward to face sexual assault. Posted by United for Ridley Park on Thursday, March 1, 2018

In the three-page complaint that the women filed with the House which has not been shared publicly, the women, who were involved in dating relationships with Miccarelli between 2012 and 2014, accused him of sexual and physical assault, stalking, intimidating, and other misconduct, according to the newspapers' report.

Among the allegations, one woman said he forced her to have sex with him after their relationship had ended. The other said he threatened her with a gun while driving at speeds in excess of 100 mph.

Chardo said his office has consulted with the Attorney General's office about the investigation and if at some point, a decision is made to prosecute that it would be done after further consultation with the attorney general's office.

"Right now, we're still in the investigative phase," Chardo said.

In a statement, Attorney General Josh Shapiro called the allegations against Miccarelli "deeply disturbing. I hear the voices of the women who have bravely come forward to tell their stories, and they and the public are owed a thorough investigation."

And while his office has concurrent jurisdiction, "Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo, in whom I have great confidence, is investigating the matter at this time."

While calls have been made from Gov. Tom Wolf, House Republican leaders and others for him to resign, Miccarelli's spokesman Frank Keel told the Delaware County Times on Thursday he was not inclined to do so.

"Rep. Nick Miccarelli is an honorable man and a patriot who has served his district and our nation with honor and distinction," Keel said in a statement to the newspaper."He vehemently denies the allegations leveled against him by two unnamed, former girlfriends with whom he had consensual sexual relations before he was married" on Feb. 17.

Meanwhile, the House had hoped to complete its inquiry into the matter by the end of the week but House Republican spokesman Steve Miskin said late Friday afternoon that it might not be concluded until Monday or Tuesday.

"We are just doing our due diligence," he said when asked more time was needed.

Miccarelli's attorney Joseph Podraza of Philadelphia told the Delaware County Times on Thursday that his client had not yet seen the complaint and was being asked to come in on Friday afternoon to be interviewed by House investigators.

Attempts to confirm whether that interview took place were unsuccessful.

Reaction to the allegations against Miccarelli have varied with some of his constituents defending the representative as someone they respect for his service to his country and constituents. Delaware County Republican Chairman Andy Reilly said people he has spoken with remain in complete surprise over the allegations.

Aside from the bi-partisan calls for Miccarelli to resign, some legislators are upset that once again they are having to distance themselves from a colleague accused of law-breaking behavior while out gathering signatures on nominating petitions for their own re-election.

Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland County, while respective of her colleague's due process rights, meanwhile, is deeply disheartened by a statement she read attributed to a spokesman for Miccarelli that suggested that the women came forward with their allegations to be part of the #MeToo movement.

"I take great issue with anyone categorizing a victim as wanting to just be part of a movement so they put their entire lives in turmoil to come out against an individual who is a very public figure knowing they are going to be put in the spotlight," said Delozier, who has 25 years' experience as a rape crisis and domestic violence advocate.

She wasn't calling for Miccarelli's resignation although she said personally, she would find it difficult for anyone serving as a representative of 63,000-plus people to carry out their responsibilities with those allegations hanging over their head.

Miccarelli, who is up for re-election this year, has indicated that he still intends to seek re-election, according to Thursday's Delaware County Times article. Reilly said it will be up to Miccarelli and the committee members in his legislative district to determine whether "they want to run a campaign while simultaneously attempting to clear his name."

Reilly said he hoped the allegations aren't true "but if they are, Nick or anyone who conducts themselves in that manner is unfit to serve as a public official. But like all of us, Nick is entitled to due process, a concept that he served two terms in Iraq to defend."

The chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Committee said resigning is the right thing for Miccarelli to do.

"People of the district deserve better than what's going on right now," he said.

His party endorsed Dave Delloso, head of a local Teamsters union in Delaware County, to challenge Miccarelli in the 162nd state House district where Republicans have a modest registration edge over Democrats. .

"This was going to be a hot race to begin with and we were ready for it," Landau said. "Then the story broke and we saw this as an outstanding opportunity for a pick up regardless if Miccarelli runs or not."

Pennlive staff writer Christine Vendel contributed to this post.

*This post has been updated to include a statement from Terry Mutchler about the timing of the complaint being filed and an update on the expected completion of the House investigation.FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, file photo, Riley Starks of Lummi Island Wild shows three of the farm-raised Atlantic salmon that were caught alongside four healthy Kings in Point Williams, Wash. The Washington Legislature on Friday, March 2, 2018, voted to phase out marine Atlantic salmon aquaculture, an industry that has operated for decades in the state but has come under fire after tens of thousands of nonnative fish escaped into local waters last summer. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP, File)Trent Wotherspoon, left, shakes hands with Ryan Meili, center, after the results of the Saskatchewan New Democrats leadership convention are announced at the Delta Hotel in Regina, Saskatchewan on Saturday March 3, 2018. Meili won the leadership race with 5,973 votes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael BellPeople sign a book of condolence for former NDP Premier Dave Barrett is remembered and celebrated during a state memorial service in the Farquhar Auditorium at the University of Victoria in Victoria, B.C., on Saturday, March 3, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad HipolitoAFN Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day welcomed an apology Friday from a northern Ontario newspaper for an "inappropriate" headline on a story about a police investigation into incidents where eggs were thrown from passing vehicles at men believed to be Indigenous. However, Day said the Chronicle-Journal rejected a request to discuss future coverage on Indigenous issues in an editorial board meeting. Chief Day waits to appear at the Commons Aboriginal affairs committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, April 14, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian WyldFILE - In this Feb. 4, 2018, file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during an election campaign rally in Bangalore, India. Modi's Hindu nationalist party appears likely to end the 25-year uninterrupted rule of a communist party in a northeast Indian state and consolidate its position in two other states in provincial elections. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi, FIle)Jacquita Gomes, right, wife of Patrick Gomes, the in-flight supervisor on the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 puts candle on stage during the Day of Remembrance for MH370 event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, March 3, 2018. The remembrance event marked the fourth anniversary of the jet's March 8, 2014, disappearance. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)Perryville football coach Brent Roth is already trying to erase the game from his memory. It is probably for a good reason, too.Perryville struggled to do anything well as Park Hills Central handed 

The Pirates finally put together what Perryville softball coach Lilly Pecaut called a complete game.Everything came together as Perryville got the offense and pitching to come away with 

The Perryville boys soccer team was able to show its resiliency in multiple ways as it got back into the win column. The Pirates bounced back from a lopsided loss to Notre Dame the week before, to 

St. Vincent makes Valle Catholic play in loss St. Vincent football coach Tim Schumer didnt want his team to look at the scoreboard following the game. The score may have said that the Valle Catholic Warriors won in a lopsided game, but 

Indians take advantage of miscues to claim first victory St. Vincent found itself down two scores midway through the third quarter, and despite the deficit, coach Tim Schumer was calm.The game was not over at that point, you have to play four 

Rushing attack leads Pirates to win over Owls The Perryville football team is quickly turning into a M.A.S.H. unit. With several players already nursing injuries from the previous week, they also threw in other players who were in quarantine. 

Click Here For Our Local Sports PageOpinion



Nick Cunningham: Oil market fears:

War, default and nuclear weapons









Venezuela's oil production has steadily eroded over the past decade and a half since the Venezuelan state sacked experienced professionals at PDVSA and used revenues for other purposes while failing to invest in existing oil assets.





The U.S. is one of the few areas of the world in which there is an energy investment boom underway, a development that could smooth out the uncertainties of geopolitical events around the world. At the same time, outside of the U.S., there is a deterioration of stability in many oil-producing regions, aggravating risks for both oil companies and the oil market, according to a new report.



Financial risk firm Verisk Maplecroft explores these two trends as they play out simultaneously. The U.S. shale sector has emerged from years of low oil prices, damaged but still intact. Importantly, the shale industry "can ride out price dips and respond quickly to upticks, weakening OPEC in the process," James Lockhart-Smith, director of financial sector risk at Verisk Maplecroft, wrote in the report . Combined with deregulation at the federal level, the oil industry is in the midst of an investment boom in the U.S.



Meanwhile, things are not so rosy elsewhere. Verisk Maplecroft surveyed a long list of countries, and produced its Government Stability Index (GSI), which uses some predictive data and analysts forecasts to take stock of geopolitical risk in various countries over the next few years.



The results are not encouraging. The number of countries expected to see a deterioration of stability "significantly outnumber those we see becoming more stable," the firm said. The reasons are multiple, including low oil prices, but also the erosion of democratic institutions.



"We don't see increasing instability necessarily ending in coups or significant political upheaval, but a less predictable above-ground-risk environment is likely to emerge," Verisk Maplecroft's Lockhart-Smith said. "Arbitrary decision making, possible measures to buy off key stakeholders or an inability to pass regulatory reforms will be the main risks to projects in these countries, as their governments seek to stabilize and maintain their influence."



Not all of the countries expected to suffer from a decline in stability are that important for the oil market, such as Romania or Kenya. Also, some countries might be on an improving path, but at the same time present a downside risk that, while unlikely, could be huge.



In this case, Iraq stands out. Verisk Maplecroft says that Iraq "has a business-friendly upstream environment" and the forecast is for stability to improve . However, even if it seems somewhat reasonable that things could trend in the right direction, the downside risk is massive. And there are is no shortage of potential catalysts: The report points to elections in May, plus the "deep ethno-sectarian divisions and weak institutions."



Venezuela is another obvious flashpoint. The deterioration of the country's economy and oil sector have been profound. But Venezuela also illustrates a different problem  that disruption need not come from a coup, a civil war or some other obvious geopolitical development. Verisk Maplecroft points to the purge of state-owned PDVSA following the unsuccessful coup in 2002 as a poignant example. The country's oil production has steadily eroded over the past decade and a half since the Venezuelan state sacked experienced professionals at PDVSA and used revenues for other purposes while failing to invest in existing oil assets.



Verisk Maplecroft argues that Egypt is a potential contemporary example of that phenomenon. The increasingly authoritarian government in Cairo could roll back the policies that attracted investment from oil and gas companies in the first place over fears of a popular uprising.



Finally, one of the more intriguing cases is that of Russia, the largest oil producer in the world. Verisk Maplecroft sees little risk of political upheaval as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks another six-year term in March, but a battle could ensue in the upcoming years over his succession when his term is up in 2024, and "factional struggles between liberals and statist former security officials are already ramping up in anticipation of his exit," the report says.



Verisk Maplecroft puts the odds of a general deterioration of political stability in Russia through 2021 at 90 percent, and the "oil sector will be a strategic prize in this battle, not least because Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin is a central protagonist."



In the near-term, there are two huge geopolitical threats to the oil market, but neither seem all that likely. Verisk Maplecroft says a potential war on the Korean Peninsula or a war between Iran and Saudi Arabia are the largest threats to the oil market, but both situations, while tense, will probably stop short of outright military conflict. Still, the mere threat of conflict, could add to the risk premium for crude oil prices.



By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com



Nick Cunningham is a freelance writer on oil and gas, renewable energy, climate change, energy policy and geopolitics. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views. Editor's Note: This commentary was originally published by Oilprice.com , 02/28/2018. Petroleumworld reprint this article in association with OilPrice.com.



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ISSUES....

Inside, confidential and off the record Guyana, oil and reality



One factor that stands out is that oil is not going to be the major force it is today. The world is pursuing

alternative energy sources. One view is that in another ten years oil will not be so sought after.

The critics of the oil contract and reality



Guyana is changing and this is because of the news of the oil discovery. The change has been subtle, but Friday's Mashramani float parade exposed the impact the find has had on the country. There were many overseas-based Guyanese who came home, many more than on previous occasions.



There was a time when people were not coming. They were mortally afraid of the level of criminal activity. That began to change when the criminals who were causing the mayhem got removed from the face of the earth. If one expected the people to return in their numbers, that changed with the divisive politics that prevailed.



Then came the 2015 elections, the massive cleanup of the city and the fiftieth anniversary of the country's independence. The pressure was on the currency, but so many people came home that the system was flooded with foreign currency.



The reports on the oil find since 2015 has had an impact. There have been criticisms of the contract, but many of the criticisms seem to be above the head of the people, because they only see economic improvement.



Last week I had a chat with an official about the contract; what caused Guyana to give away so much to the oil company to the point that the critics believe that the country will not enjoy a change in fortune. The official said that Guyana's flirtation with oil dates back to some forty years ago. A company named Home Oil actually made an onshore discovery. That well petered out after a short while and Home Oil simply packed up and left.



Guyana then began an active pursuit of oil companies. Many showed brief interest but declined to undertake exploration. At the same time, there were those working in Venezuela who had to live with threat that if they left to explore in Guyana they would not be allowed to continue in Venezuela. Exxon was one of them in Venezuela.



The official said that those who came began to explore on the continental shelf and came up dry. The result to encourage others to keep coming and exploring was to make the contract even more inviting. Exxon came and went into really deep water off the continental shelf. The others were reluctant to operate in that location.



The 2012 contract came into play, although there was no sign of oil. Meanwhile, money was being spent. The break came in 2016 when the 2012 contract was in force. The official said that Guyana moved to renegotiate the contract, but ExxonMobil told Guyana that it was happy with the 2012 contract, and was not prepared to renegotiate.



Had there been no move by either party, ExxonMobil would have been operating with a contract that offered Guyana a one per cent royalty and smaller taxes until June 2018. There was the consideration that ExxonMobil with its immense resources, could have mobilized and stepped up its exploration and drilling.



In fact, ExxonMobil had said that it was prepared to bring up oil in 2017. By now thousands of barrels of oil would have been extracted and Guyana would have had precious little to show for its oil. In the end there was some renegotiation that increased some factors, including the royalty.



One factor that cannot be overlooked is the tremendous luck that ExxonMobil had. It is unusual for anyone to hit so many holes in one block. ExxonMobil did, and this is what has the critics accusing the government of selling out.



The bottom line is that Guyana will take whatever is on offer at this time. There are now others in the hunt and the government is certain that the contracts will be different.



One factor that stands out is that oil is not going to be the major force it is today. The world is pursuing alternative energy sources. One view is that in another ten years oil will not be so sought after. At the same time, the world market price is not likely to reach the heady heights of US$100 per barrel. That was the price that sparked the frenzy to find oil.



For ten years, Guyana is going to get something for its oil, and with other companies coming into the mix, that take will be more.



I have had conflicts with people who say that the best thing for Guyana would be to have ExxonMobil pick up its boots. They are not thinking about force majeure, which could be extremely costly to Guyana. More than that, there is the impact of the rest of the world on Guyana for breaching a contract. Things in the country would be so much worse.



Minister Joseph Harmon announced last week that the government is not reviewing the contract.



One thing that I have found out is that there are many countries that keep their contracts hidden. Trinidad and Tobago has been in oil for more than a century, but its contract is still secret. However, Guyana has pledged itself to transparency, so it will release the contracts.

There is some money coming. Local investors are already capitalizing, and should anyone talk with the locals, they would say that they are happy with the situation.



I noticed that former President Donald Ramotar feels that the contract for the use of helicopters should have come to Guyana. He certainly did not do his homework. He would have known that Guyana does not have the capability.



For starters, we do not have helicopters that can transport a dozen people. We do not have the search and rescue capability of the contracted chopper company, Bristow Helicopters.

Bristow Group is the leading provider of industrial aviation services, offering helicopter transportation, search and rescue (SAR) and aircraft support services to government and civil organizations worldwide. With headquarters in Houston, Texas, Bristow has major operations in the North Sea, Nigeria, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.



Some feel that we have lived all these years with little or nothing. Those who feel that way have not lived in extreme poverty as some 30 per cent of the population. Those are the people who hope for anything. My Column / Kaieteur News / February 25, 2018



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A ShopRite store is coming to a notable food desert in Northeast Philadelphia.

Ammons Supermarkets LLC will operate the store, which will have its grand opening in the Wissinoming section on Sunday. The Ammons family also owns ShopRite of Aramingo Avenue and a ShopRite store in Mullica Hill.

Located at 5597 Tulip St. at Harbison Avenue, ShopRite of Bridge and Harbison will anchor the new $29 million Shoppes at Wissinoming and employ 300 full and parttime people. It will give residents access to fresh produce, seafood, and groceries in a low-income area that the government says has lacked healthy and affordable foods within a half-mile.

Peter Ammons, who works with his father, brother, and sister in the family's supermarkets, said the project happened in spite of the January 2017 sweetened beverage tax, which has been blamed for depressing soda sales and cutting into merchants' profits. "Despite the challenging business climate in the city since the beverage tax was implemented, our family made a decision to move forward with this new store and keep our commitment to the community," he said in a statement.

Supermarkets throughout the nation are facing enhanced competition. New entrants including the German firms Lidl and Aldi and Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods have spurred stores to add services, such as home delivery of groceries.

This ShopRite will have no grocery competitors within a half-mile, and will not do home delivery. It will include a large selection of produce, bakery and floral shops, seafood and meat departments, and lots of organic and store brands such as ShopRite's Wholesome Pantry line. An nutritionist will offer free one-on-one consultations, store tours, and meal planning.

An AT&T Store last week joined an already open Blink Fitness at the center, while a new Wawa is coming nearby.

The ShopRite project began five years ago and received state and city tax credits along with support from the federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative, the first coordinated federal government effort to eliminate food deserts around the country.

The area was identified as one that lacked a full-service food grocery store, said Candace Young, associate director of research and evaluation at the Food Trust, which has worked to end food deserts.

"We think every community should have a full-service grocery retailer," Young said. "We still have some gaps to fill" in the area.

Young emphasized the importance of affordable fresh food, since access only goes so far if residents can't afford the merchandise.

"In my conversations with workers in the area, they say 'This area really needed it,'" Young said.

This store is also the subject of a study by researchers at the University of Delaware, who will evaluate the store's effectiveness and impact on the area, Young said.The Cherry Hill School Board meets February 27 after two days of protests by hundreds of Cherry Hill High School East students sparked by the suspension of popular history teacher Tim Locke, who made comments regarding security issues at the school following the Parkland, Florida high school massacre. Read more

The meaning of "conversation" in America has migrated from the personal to the political, from signifying a private exchange between individuals to describing a public discourse among groups.

But as controversy over one teacher's remarks about what he described as lax security continues to rock Cherry Hill East, the township school district seems to have redefined "conversation" again to mean a one-way channel enabling officials to listen to but answer few (if any) questions. And to say nearly nothing.

It's as if the district were guarding some awful secret, rather than, say, overreacting  or perhaps overzealously guarding its image.

On Friday, Cherry Hill did announce a welcome expansion of the police presence inside and outside all 19 of the district's schools, as well as ID requirements for students, parents, and others seeking to enter school buildings. The new rules go into effect Monday.

The district's announcement and a township statement supporting the enhanced procedures followed Superintendent Joseph Meloche's two-hour meeting with Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn and township Police Chief William P. Monaghan on Friday morning. The meeting was arranged after the Valentine's Day massacre at a Parkland, Fla., high school but before the uproar at East.

Township officials said "fully equipped" (meaning armed) officers will increase their visits to and patrols of all district schools.

But the new procedures do not in themselves provide for arming the police officers already employed by the district, such as the two each at Cherry Hill East and West.

Monaghan has recommended that the school board allow for arming the four officers, a move Cahn also supports.

"Why not do that?" the mayor said Friday.

Meloche is not giving interviews. But the district's closed-mouth strategy has hardly prevented  and, in my view, has probably helped foment  waves of unflattering headlines about walkouts and protests by hundreds of students.

And the absence of an actual two-way conversation between the district, the students, and the general public leaves plenty of space open for unhelpful rumors.

The abrupt suspension of Cherry Hill East history teacher Timothy Locke roiled teens who were already uneasy, like their peers elsewhere, due to the events in Florida  as well as subsequent, less serious, but still concerning, threats and arrests at other high schools in New Jersey.

Neither of Friday's announcements mentioned the suspension of the popular teacher, whose storytelling flair and caring persona have endeared him to students for 17 years. Locke was made to leave work after making remarks about East campus security to two dozen students in his World History class last month.

While the content, nuances, and implications of what the teacher said are in dispute, by all accounts Locke's words were dramatic  perhaps self-dramatizing  and in keeping with his propensity to use personal information and anecdotes as teaching tools.

Students have cited his previous references to growing up in York, Pa., serving in the military, coping with PTSD, and recovering from substance abuse as disclosures that inspired lively classroom discussion.

Last Thursday, the website NJPen.com quoted, but withheld the name of, a student who described Locke as indicating he possessed a firearm and writing "I have the gun" on the classroom whiteboard on Feb. 22.

But two students who also were present  Jake Ober and Timothy Welsch, both 18-year-old seniors  told me they neither heard nor witnessed such statements and actions by a teacher whom both deeply admire.

"This has really been blown out of proportion," Ober said.

"I just want to make it known that suspending Mr. Locke is a complete mistake," said Welsch, adding that a classmate upset by the frank talk that morning was escorted by a fellow student to the school nurse's office.

The teacher was sent home, spoke briefly to my colleague Jason Nark, and later refused to make any further comment. The district's apparent vow of silence had begun.

But Friday's announcement did say that public comment will be taken at a special board meeting set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cherry Hill West.

So let's hope district and school board officials don't airily dismiss questions as mere "conjecture," as was done at last week's regular school board meeting.

A similarly dismissive atmosphere prevailed last Monday at an informal session involving Meloche, parents, and students that was scheduled prior to the Locke controversy.

The superintendent at first seemed "diplomatic" but became "defensive," said East parent Eric Ascalon, who was in attendance.

"It was a form of stonewalling, of giving the appearance of providing information when in fact they're providing nothing," Ascalon said.

"It was like, 'Don't worry, we've got this. We've got the situation under control.' "

Meanwhile, opaque (I'm being charitable) official dispatches separately posted early last week by Meloche and East principal Dennis Perry seem so over-lawyered (our tax dollars at work!) they lack not only information, but meaning.

As one East teacher, who requested anonymity, observed: "The school district teaches freedom of thought. But their own people are not allowed to speak."

That doesn't make for much of a conversation. By any definition.The 76ers' billionaire owner, investor Josh Harris, is back in the news. This time it's because his firm, Apollo Global Management, lent $184 million to the family real estate company of Jared Kushner, President Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, to finance a Chicago real estate investment. It's one of the larger office-building loans Apollo made last fall, as the New York Times noted Thursday; though Apollo has also made much larger investments.

The loan followed Harris' repeated visits to the White House over the previous several months to help the Trump administration concoct plans for upgrading American highways and other infrastructure. Those plans turned out to rely much more on private financing (from firms like Apollo) to be paid through higher tolls (from you and me) than traditional highway spending financed by fuel taxes  or income taxes, which under Trump are going down.

Citigroup financed a larger Kushner project in New York. A unit of Japan's Softbank financed another Kushner project, at Journal Square in Jersey City, N.J., company records show.

It's an unusual fact of the Trump presidency that the First Family's business interests routinely seek funding from companies as powerful and influential as Citi, Softbank, and Apollo. A lot of politicians have been slammed for much smaller potential conflicts of interest.

But that doesn't prove these people sold public policy for ready cash. Kushner's representatives say he doesn't make business decisions while he works at the White House. Harris wasn't the one who approved the loan, Apollo says.

Still, it's not just the Chicago loan or the prospect of infrastructure deals that ties Trump's policies and Harris' interests. As reader Johnny Zito (of media and design shop South Fellini) reminded me, I wrote last year that Apollo purchased a Kennett Square firm, Phoenix Services Inc., that buys scrap metal and slag from U.S. steelmakers and makes it available for melting and resale. (Phoenix also has infrastructure clients, though it was temporarily banned from selling road materials to PennDot in 2014 after state inspectors found steel slag mixed into its cement base.)

On Thursday, Trump said he plans to slap a fat 25 percent tariff on imported steel. He has said tariffs will punish China for illegal trade practices, while restoring U.S. steel jobs that vanished in the 1970s and '80s.

That sounds like good news for U.S. companies like Phoenix and its clients, which will gain some protection from foreign competition. Though, despite what Trump has said, a steel tariff doesn't punish China directly: the U.S. imports most of its foreign steel not from China, but from Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Japan, and other allied or at least neutral nations, several of whose currencies slid lower on the tariff news.

That's not all that fell. There are a lot more U.S. steel consumers than U.S. steel producers. Steel users, from canners to car makers, will have to pay more for steel once tariffs go through  whether or not Europe and other places retaliate by boosting tariffs on U.S. goods, as they have threatened to do.

So while U.S. Steel, Nucor, and other steel stocks gained a little, the rest of the U.S. stock market dropped after Trump announced his tariff plans.

And yet: You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to start believing that Harris' firm is onto something profitable. Maybe Apollo has been prospering since long before Trump and Kushner moved to Washington precisely because its dealmakers are good at sniffing the wind and investing in sectors most likely to benefit from the government in power, and other arcane factors.

Should we all try to invest like Josh Harris? Apollo's other holdings at the moment include, for example, Bumble Bee Foods (tuna), Erickson (helicopters), Teladoc (the remote-doctoring service favored by the newsroom union health plan at the Inquirer), and UniTek Global Services, a Comcast cable outsourcing contractor based in King of Prussia. Plus, companies in the oil and gas business, among other firms in government-regulated industries.

You or I might lose a lot of money on any of those investments; Apollo is big enough to spread the risk. In fact, Pennsylvania public investment managers have been betting for years that Harris' firm can see through walls: The state workers' (SERS), state teachers' (PSERS) and Philadelphia city pension systems have invested more than $500 million into Apollo funds since the mid-1990s.

How's that going? Actually, it's not clear that taxpayers are enjoying any insider-quality advantage, at least in recent years:

PSERS paid Apollo $8 million in fees last year, but has not yet recorded net profits for its 2006 investment in an Apollo real estate finance portfolio or its 2013 investment in an Apollo fund specializing in troubled companies. Philadelphia has posted returns showing the city lost money most years, after investing $100 million with Apollo in 2013; the city has since withdrawn most of its investment. SERS made tens of millions from Apollo investments in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but has collected only modest annual returns from $39 million invested in a 2006 fund.

The SEC ordered Apollo to return $53 million to investors in 2016, including at least $30,000 to SERS, for extracting unreported payments before passing the remaining profits to shareholders.

And yet the SERS board of Pennsylvania politicians and retiree reps still voted to send Apollo $100 million to invest last summer.

Of course, some Harris investments do better than others. Forbes estimates the 76ers have quadrupled in value since a group headed by Harris bought the team in 2011 (and it started winning games and filling the Wells Fargo Center).

But Harris' share of that gain is all his, not his clients': It's a personal investment, made with fees and profits the billionaire investor has collected from Pennsylvania and other Apollo investors.Officer Danielle Colon, left, and Sgt. Raphael Thornton, right, prepare Woodrow Wilson High School junior Stanley King, 17, to try a use-of-force simulator at the Camden County Police Academy in Blackwood, N.J., on Friday, March 2, 2018. Camden County police and Woodrow Wilson students are participating in a youth-police engagement program facilitated by the New York University School of Laws Policing Project. Read more

High school senior Vaughn Williams has plenty of law enforcement officers in his family, but the Camden teen had never thought about following in their footsteps  until now.

After spending several hours Friday with the Camden County Police Department and getting a behind-the-scenes look at how officers are trained to patrol Camden's streets  once deemed the most dangerous in America  Williams, 18, said he might consider a career in law enforcement after all.

He was among about a dozen Woodrow Wilson High School students who took a field trip to the Camden County Police Academy in Blackwood. They participated in modified exercises designed for recruits to show the students real-life scenarios that officers face daily.

"It's getting them to understand that officers protect and serve in many different ways," said Sgt. Raphael Thornton, the lead instructor at the academy and a member of the department.

The program, sponsored by the Policing Project at New York University School of Law, was launched in 2016 at high schools in Camden and Tampa, Fla., to engage youth around policing issues in their communities. It is the latest effort by the county department, which took over from the former Camden City police force in 2013, to help break down barriers and gain public trust.

"A big part of our program is to have them experience life from the other side," said Katie Kinsey, program manager for the nonprofit. The students usually meet weekly at the high school during lunch, where they have frank conversations with six officers assigned to the project. The program runs for 20 weeks.

It also gives police a chance to have a "positive impact on kids who may not have the most fond views of the police," said Lt. Kevin Lutz, deputy director of the academy, which trains about 150 officers annually for departments across the region.

"They get to see us as human beings and people first," Lutz said.

After classroom lectures Friday morning taught by academy instructors on how to de-escalate a crisis, the students were given a chance to apply what they learned in simulation rooms. The officers served as actors who played out the scenarios.

In one scenario, Williams, accompanied by a classmate, Jose Irene, 17, confronted an emotionally disturbed woman threatening to jump from a bridge. Williams maintained his composure as he confronted the woman, played by Sgt. Vilmary Otero. Irene acted as the backup officer, occasionally chiming in.

"What are you doing up there?" Williams asked.

"I'm taking a walk," Otero responded, standing on top of a desk in the classroom. "You don't know what I'm going through."

Williams kept Otero talking, building trust and reminding her to think about her family. He promised to help but then recalled his training instructions not to make any promises that he cannot fulfill, so said, " I will do everything I can."

"You did really good. I'm really proud of you," Otero told Williams, giving him a big hug.

The exercise was an eye-opener, Williams said.

"Coming in here, I never thought about being a cop," he said. "Doing this kind of stuff makes me think I might be good at it."

In a darkened room known as the MILO range, the students took turns practicing their skills handling mock scenarios where they were confronted by situations that required quick thinking: a burglary in progress, a gunman inside a school cafeteria, and a call for a husband holding a gun to his wife's head.

Standing in front of a simulation screen on a large wall where the scene unfolded quickly, the students had to decide whether to seek cover, fire a fake Glock 22, call out commands, or request assistance. Some stood frozen, while others emptied rounds from the weapon. They debriefed with the instructors after each simulation.

"You just shot an unarmed man and killed him," said Officer Danielle Colon, a four-year veteran of the force, during a debrief. "Guess who's going to jail for life? You."

Thornton, a 22-year veteran who grew up in Camden, told the students, "Don't stereotype police officers." He encouraged them to consider giving back to their community as law enforcement officers.

As the program ended, Williams raised his hand with a question:

"How do I become a cop?"

"Take the civil service exam," Thornton responded with a smile.Larry Jones, CEO of Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, speaks in support of charter schools to city council members and pro-charter school advocates in January. Charter school administrators, parents, students, and council members convened to discuss the need for equal representation on the board of the Philadelphia School District, as well as public support from elected officials. Read more

The Philadelphia School Board is transitioning back to local control and the nomination of school board members marks a major turning point. So does Mayor Kenney's audacious plan, released last week, to raise taxes to fund the schools. But the simple fact is that the school district will continue to suffer from the outdated, terribly flawed charter school law. Until that law is drastically revised, it will be difficult for the School Board to control its costs.

The 20-year-old Pennsylvania charter school law has outlived its purpose and the mistakes made in crafting the law are being worsened by the dramatic rise in charter school enrollment. Funds are distributed not according to need but on the basis of formulas that bear little resemblance to actual costs.

Getting a handle on the way charter schools spend their money is almost impossible. There is little detailed data published and charter school fiscal transparency is nonexistent.

While charters must provide some information publicly, it is sparse and affords limited ability to compare charter spending with public school outlays. Want to know the teacher salary structure or the amount the managers or owners of the charter schools make? Good luck. That contrasts with public schools, which provide specific details.

Thankfully, in 2014, the Philadelphia Controller's Office did a detailed analysis of the way Philadelphia charter school funds are distributed and used. That report, "The Impact of Charter Schools on the Finances of the School District of Philadelphia," is worth reading.

Here are some of the findings.

Charter school funding may be based on the cost structure of traditional public schools, but charters spend differently. As the report noted: "Charters spend, on average, 38 percent less on instruction and support than the traditional public schools, on a per student basis."

So, what's the problem with that? Simple. The tuition stipend paid charters is heavily dependent on what school districts pay their instructional and support staff. That creates a conundrum for public schools. Any pay raise they negotiate turns into higher charter school tuition stipends  even if the charters don't spend the money in the classroom.

Instead of putting their money into salaries, "Charters spend more than twice as much on administrative services than the traditional public schools, on a per student basis." That raises a simple question: Are charters really more efficient? Doesn't look that way.

But where things really go off the rails is when it comes to special education.

The report found that "In 2013, traditional public schools spent an average of $11,954 to educate each special-education student; the charter sector spent $7,891. Yet, the charter sector received a special-education supplement of $11,564 per student. In other words, the charter sector received about $3,600 more per special education student than it spent on special education instruction."

This gap was created because the law requires the use of average cost, not actual cost for special-education reimbursement.

Few charter schools are equipped to meet the massive needs of the most challenged students, whose costs can exceed $100,000 for a single student. Not surprisingly, most of those students enroll in the traditional public school system. In contrast, charter school special-education enrollments tend toward the low-need/lower-cost segment.

What results is a special-education stipend that is over 40 percent higher than the base tuition stipend. That has effectively, if not inadvertently, made special-education students "cash-cows" for charter schools.

The special-education reimbursement formula costs the Philadelphia School District tens of millions of dollars each year. If the charter law were reformed, the city would not have to dig so deep to raise taxes.

Reduced spending on instruction and support, significantly higher spending on administrative services, the ability to run a profit on special education and the massive draining of funds from the Philadelphia School District's coffers all might be excused if charter schools improved educational outcomes. Alas, that does not appear to be the case.

It has yet to be shown that charter schools in Philadelphia outperform traditional schools. A recent study by Public Citizens for Children and Youth indicated that statewide, traditional public schools have actually outperformed charter schools.

There are many truly wonderful charter schools. Unfortunately, the charter school legislation was not written to allow for funding fairness, financial transparency, or a way to determine what works best either educationally or financially.

The state legislature need to totally revamp the Pennsylvania Charter School Law. Jeff Hornstein, project manager on the Controller's study and now the executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, said it best: "Many who have studied Pennsylvania's system know we need a strong and transparent system for overseeing and evaluating charters. Pa.'s current charter law is far from a 'best practices' standard."Gov. Wolf's administration moved Friday to have dismissed a Republican challenge to the new Pennsylvania congressional map, saying federal courts have no authority over the state Supreme Court on the issue.

"This court should recognize this lawsuit for what it is: a transparent attempt to relitigate a state-law issue that has already been settled," lawyers for the executive branch wrote in their filing for the federal district court in Harrisburg.

It was an expected move by the Wolf administration, which has sought to protect the new map and keep it in place for the 2018 elections, beginning with the May 15 primaries.

The group of Democratic voters who brought the initial gerrymandering lawsuit that overturned the map also asked the judges Friday to dismiss the case. In their motion, the voters similarly argue that the lawsuit overlaps with other challenges, calling it "antithetical to how the American judicial system is supposed to work" and "merely an attempt to get a fourth bite at the apple."

The lawsuit was brought by eight of the state's Republican congressmen and two ranking Republican state senators last week after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court imposed a new congressional district map to replace one it had thrown out as an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander. The Republicans say the state high court, by giving the legislature an abbreviated schedule to draw a new map and then imposing its own lines, took power that the U.S. Constitution gives to state legislatures.

The group of Republican lawmakers are asking the judges to block the Pennsylvania Supreme Court orders. That would stop the new map from use in the 2018 elections, which would revert to the map the state high court threw out as unconstitutionally drawn to benefit the GOP.

A panel of federal judges considering the challenge declined last week to immediately block the map, but scheduled oral arguments for next Friday in Harrisburg, with the judges indicating they would first hear arguments on motions to dismiss.

On Friday, Wolf's team added Neal Katyal, a former acting U.S. solicitor general who has argued multiple cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Katyal is a partner in Hogan Lovells, which was hired pro bono by Wolf's outside law firm, Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin, & Schiller.

Part of the administration's argument for dismissing the lawsuit is that it is essentially the same as a separate challenge brought by state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and House Speaker Mike Turzai (R., Allegheny), who are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block the map from implementation. Both challenges use the same legal argument.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has asked the participants in the case to file their responses to that request by Monday afternoon.Amidst rainy weather, the Philadelphia Flower Show opens to the public this Saturday, March 3 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Read more

After undergoing one of the wettest Februaries on record, it feels fitting that this year's Philadelphia Flower Show takes on the theme Wonders of Water. It also appears somewhat dismally appropriate given the show's saturated history of wet-weathered obstacles.

Dating back to 1993, the annual show has suffered through a cumbersome amount of inclement weather, and this year is shaping up to be no different.

>> READ MORE: Philadelphia weather: Evening commute in question as nor'easter roils region with winds, rain and snow

Tonight, the Philadelphia Flower Show will welcome some of its first visitors inside with a massive, 25-foot-tall waterfall  filtering 2,300 gallons of water  at its entrance. As guests dressed in evening wear enter the doors for the show's annual kickoff gala, outside a roaring nor'easter is expected to be at its peak.

The storm is predicted to taper off overnight, but ensuing coastal flood warnings are in effect and the kind of winds capable of creating power outages are forecasted to continue into Saturday, the show's official opening day.

"The show has encountered weather like this before, but it always keeps its doors open and positions itself as a place to escape," says Kevin Feeley, communications manager for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. "This time around, guests will get to escape to the rain forest."

This year's weather may actually rank along the tamer-side of conditions compared to past years, when winter made itself well-known that it wasn't officially over. In 1993, a blizzard caused the flower show to close its doors early, and as recently as last year, a snow and ice fall totaling around seven inches hit just days after the show opened. (Another 2017 dose of bad luck, SEPTA's Regional Rail service experienced a systemwide power failure on last year's opening day, canceling many trains into town.)

Meanwhile, in 2001, Philadelphia meteorologist John Bolaris mistakenly predicted the "storm of the century" during the week of the Flower Show. While the storm dropped a mere two-inches of snow outside of the city  missing Philadelphia altogether  attendance at the show suffered. This scenario repeated itself in 2013, when again, local TV stations hyped up a snowy forecast that never materialized, but did contribute to a 17-percent decrease in Flower Show attendance compared to the previous year.

"We're not expecting any real drop in attendance this year, but final numbers will be tallied at the end of the show," says Feeley, noting that the show averages 250,000 visitors annually.

Regardless of this weekend's weather, and looking beyond Philadelphia, 2017 as a whole was a strikingly waterlogged year. In fact, last year was labeled the costliest year on record for natural disasters in the U.S., many of which are attributed to H2O-related consequences. The cumulative damage of the disasters  including two flooding events, eight severe storm events, and three tropical cyclone events  amounted to just over $306 billion.

It's a startling amount that seeps its way into discussion at this year's flower show. In a special exhibition entitled hereafter, the world's changing ecosystem is examined in the context of its effect on the living environment. Focusing on the positives of events like wildfires and hurricanes, the exhibition looks at the unexpected beauty that can grow out of environmental crises.

"I approached the idea from a fine art perspective, thinking of this as more of a living art installation, which is a new idea at the flower show," says Christian Kanienberg of WISH Painting + Sculpture, creator of the exhibition in collaboration with florist Mark Harding. "I wanted to create something that would give show-goers a little more pause. They're asked to enter a disaster scene and stop to reflect."

At the center of the exhibition are three large vessels  a sailboat, a fishing style boat, and a smaller power boat  on which exotic plants, like Kangaroo Paw Ferns and Lipstick Vine, are seen growing up from the "salvage". Guests are invited to ponder the interplay between damage and beauty that water can create.

The Flower Show officially opens to the public tomorrow, March 3 at 11 a.m. and runs through March 11. Fortunately, next week's weather forecast is looking a little brighter with temps falling in the 40s and 50s.A pedestrian uses an umbrella to brace against the inclement weather at 15th and JFK Blvd., in Center City Philadelphia, Friday, March 2, 2018. Read more

More than 250,000 homes and businesses lost power; ocean-inciting winds gusted past 70 mph, and a surprise near-horizontal snowfall did a decent impersonation of confetti in a food processor.

The litany of mayhem Friday was unrivaled by any other storm this season: Downed trees; canceled SEPTA and Amtrak trains; over 540 flights canceled; westbound lanes of the Schuylkill Expressway shut down; Valley Forge National Historical Park roads closed by falling trees; numerous accidents.

>>CLEANING UP: Why it takes Peco so long to restore your power after a storm

>>MORE TO COME: Second nor'easter en route as region still recovers from last week's storm

With sustained winds up to 35 mph, and gusts past 60, the snow reduced visibility to blizzard-like levels and slicked some area roads with slush, all the result of a meteorological "bomb" whose fallout was felt by tens of millions of East Coast residents.

From 2 to 4 inches  in some places up to 9 inches  of heavy, wet snow in the region helped drive the prodigious power-outage numbers, which were expected to continue to climb through the night and perhaps into tomorrow.

"We see widespread extensive damage throughout the area," said Peco spokeswoman Liz Williamson.

And in the evening, Gov. Wolf activated the National Guard to support local authorities' response to the storm.

Yet for all that, nature also bestowed a measure of luck on Friday.

The New Jersey Shore caught somewhat of a break, and the snow had one positive impact, said Joe Miketta, the acting meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly. The changeover all but shut off the inland flood threat. By late afternoon, winter weather advisories had replaced flood watches.

In effect, the storm's very strength compromised the flood threat. It intensified so rapidly off the Atlantic coast that it qualified as a meteorological "bomb," said Jim Hayes, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center, outside Washington, and a veteran of the Mount Holly office. "It was like a shock wave."

The powerful north winds, part of the counter-clockwise circulation around the storm center, imported cold air that arrived more rapidly and robustly than forecast.

The recent mild spell in the East notwithstanding  last month was one of the warmest Februaries on record  the atmosphere remembered it was winter. The changeover to snow occurred in the Philadelphia region with abandon around mid-morning  to the surprise of computer models and the humans who rely on them. The snow got all the way to the Shore.

>> READ MORE: Philadelphia weather: Evening commute in question as nor'easter roils region with winds, rain and snow

"Our mesoscale models can indicate where it might happen," said Hayes. "I don't think that we have the ability to nail it down."

"With all these nor'easters, it's hard to pinpoint what's precisely going to happen," Miketta said. "It's a nor'easter. You're going to get some nasty stuff."

At the Shore, it was indeed nasty, but again some good fortune blew its way. The winds howled from the north rather than the northeast, and although moderate flooding still was possible Saturday morning, onshore winds would have been far more damaging to the beaches.

The weather might not have been as bad as some expected, but it nonetheless made conditions more difficult for firefighters in Ventnor, called to climb onto the roof of a burning home at Atlantic and Roxborough Avenues. One firefighter reportedly was hospitalized.

The north winds blew the snow horizontally, rattled stop signs, and whipped the water frothy, but most at the Shore were thankful it stopped there. Shore Road, just off Route 30, was closed in front of Brenda Ruppert's Absecon home, perched on a hill. Water had flooded the street, forcing police to block it. A large pickup truck churned through nearby, almost getting stuck as the water reached the running boards.

"This is nothing," said Ruppert, smiling. "This is a baby." Well, maybe not a baby; a wind gust of 71 mph was reported in Cape May County.

Overall, the Shore largely escaped the destruction of past storms. The National Weather Service was advising that minor flooding would occur, escalating to moderate flooding with high tide Saturday morning. "We're still looking for tomorrow's high tide to be the most problematic," Miketta said Friday.

Throughout the region, persistent high winds on Saturday could complicate the cleanup, which might become a moving target.

"A lot of trees are down everywhere," said Brad Rudolph, a spokesman for PennDot. "I expect that to continue through the day tomorrow."

The travel headaches for motorists on Friday had more to do with the dangerously low visibilities and downed trees and branches than the road conditions, Rudolph said.

After trees fell across the roadway, including one that landed on the roof of a SEPTA bus around 1:10 p.m., the Schuylkill Expressway westbound lanes were closed for more than three hours in the vicinity of Lower Merion Township. SEPTA said 15 passengers were on the Route 125 bus. Four minor injuries were reported.

SEPTA temporarily suspended service on all Regional Rail lines, and the delays left hordes of stranded commuters at the city's major transit hubs. Amtrak suspended service along the Northeast Corridor until Saturday. And for those who wanted to get away from it all, Philadelphia International Airport was not the place to be. More than 540 departing or incoming flights had been canceled by midday, according to airport officials.

The atmospheric trouble-maker had been well forecast, with meteorologists warning early in the week of the potential for a potent coastal storm and even hinting at the possibility of wet snow mixing in.

But the computer models whiffed on the arrival of the cold air, a dramatic development given that temperatures in Philadelphia on Thursday approached 60. Hayes said the models did better with the snow forecasts in the mountains  up to 35 inches fell in the Catskills.

Around here? "What's happened from the Lehigh Valley to northern Delaware wasn't modeled all that well," he said. "I think we all know that these kind of things can happen."

In the end, however, things could have been worse, as the region was spared major flooding.

In terms of that luck, said Miketta, "We'll take whatever we can get."Passengers wait for SEPTA Regional Rail trains, most of which were suspended, in Jefferson Station in Philadelphia, during Fridays noreaster. Read more

SEPTA had prepared for Friday's storm but not for how fast it intensified, consequently resulting in thousands of commuters being stranded for hours in their attempts to get home, an apologetic general manager Jeff Knueppel said Saturday.

"We prepared for yesterday's weather but the storm intensified earlier than expected," Knueppel said at a morning news briefing. "It is very upsetting that many of our customers were stranded. It all happened very quickly."

>>CLEANING UP: Why it takes Peco so long to restore your power after a storm

>>MORE TO COME: Second nor'easter en route as region still recovers from last week's storm

The biggest impact was on the Regional Rail lines, which were reduced to little or no service by late afternoon Friday due to winds that brought down dozens of trees across tracks. Even as some service was restored, delays continued Saturday.

The nor'easter that dumped as much as 9 inches of heavy wet snow on parts of the region also disrupted SEPTA's bus routes. Twenty-five were either detoured or limited because of downed trees.

Two buses  including one on the Schuylkill Expressway  were hit by falling trees, Knueppel said. There were no serious injuries.

"Traffic was already slow but we were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Knueppel said about the Schuylkill incident.

Complicating service restoration were trees that continued to fall throughout the night. SEPTA employees were assisted by tree-removal companies to clear tracks, Knueppel said. SEPTA is coordinating rail line repairs with Amtrak along affected routes, including to the airport, he said.

As of 10 a.m. on Saturday, the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines were the "best bet" to use for getting to the Flower Show, said Knueppel. City trolleys were running on a normal schedule; CCT Paratransit was running with delays, he said.

On SEPTA's train lines, service to the airport is currently suspended. Shuttle buses are running every 20 minutes from the AT&T Station on the Broad Street Line. Full service on the rail line is expected Sunday.

Service along the Media/Elwyn line remained suspended Saturday but was expected to be restored by Sunday.

The Wilmington/Newark Line is currently suspended. Amtrak expects service on that line to be restored sometime on Saturday.

The West Trenton line had multiple trees down on the tracks. Service is expected to return by Monday morning.

Chestnut Hill West Line is suspended and expected to be up and running on Monday. Service to Chestnut Hill East is expected to return on Sunday.

Service on the Paoli-Thorndale line was restored by mid-morning Saturday.

Regional Rail lines running with delays are: Warminster, Lansdale/Doylestown, Manayunk/Norristown and Fox Chase. Service to Doylestown was expected to be restored by Saturday noon.

Norristown High Speed Line also continues to experience delays.

As for trolleys, Routes 101/102 along the Media and Sharon Hill lines  heavily impacted by fallen trees  were busing passengers. Some service between 69th Street and Drexel Hill Junction was expected to be restored on Sunday with the entire line expected to be fully operational by Monday.The husband of one of two women killed in a double homicide Friday night in Holmesburg was shot by Philadelphia police about two hours later after he allegedly pulled a gun on officers who had chased him into Montgomery County, police said Saturday.

The 44-year-old man, whose identity has not been revealed, has been arrested in connection with the killing of his wife and mother-in-law, police said. He is in stable condition at Abington Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to the right arm, according to a police statement that did not include the charges he faces or the identities of his alleged victims.

The vehicle chase started in Northeast Philadelphia and ended with the shooting of the suspect in Lower Moreland Township, Montgomery County.

According to police, officers responding to a call in the 3400 block of Chippendale Street around 7:30 p.m. Friday found a 42-year-old woman and her 71-year-old mother, each shot in the head. The younger woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother was transported to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 8:07.

Police said they learned that the younger woman's husband had shot both women and had fled in a silver Nissan Rogue.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m., two highway patrol officers saw a vehicle matching that description at Verree and Red Lion Roads and initiated a pursuit, joined by two more officers, police said.

Once in Lower Moreland, the Rogue stopped in the parking lot of SEPTA's Bethayres train station in the 500 block of Station Avenue. The driver got out pointing a handgun at the officers, who all fired their weapons, striking him in the arm, according to the police statement.

The man got back into the Rogue and was arrested, police said. A Bersa 9mm gun, loaded with two rounds, was found in the vehicle, police said.A man died after a tree fell atop a car in Montgomery County, according to police. Read more

A 57-year-old Montgomery County man sustained fatal injuries after a large tree fell on his car Friday evening as the region battled a powerful nor'easter that brought damaging winds and harsh weather.

The Upper Merion Township Police Department responded to the incident along South Gulph Road between Arden and Upper Gulph Roads around 7 p.m., where they found that a 45-foot portion of a tree had fallen onto the front windshield, dashboard and front seat of a car traveling northbound.

The occupant, of Upper Merion, died at the scene, according to police. An investigation is ongoing. The man's name is being withheld as officials notify his family.

Friday's storm has claimed at least six other lives on the East Coast after gusty winds brought trees down on roads and homes, according to the Washington Post. Nearly 300,000 Peco customers were still without power Saturday morning, with about 99,000 of those affected living in Montgomery County.

Staff reporter Mari Schaefer contributed reporting.WASHINGTON  President Trump is pushing congressional Republicans not to fund a crucial infrastructure project  a long-delayed plan to build a new rail tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey  setting up a confrontation that could complicate passage of a massive government spending bill this month.

Trump personally appealed to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) this week to target federal funding for the $30 billion Gateway project, which would construct a tunnel into New York's Penn Station to supplement two aging tubes that are at risk of failing in the coming years.

The project is widely considered to be among the most pressing and most expensive infrastructure needs in the country, and state and local leaders have long sought federal funding to jump-start work on it. But the Trump administration threw the project into doubt late last year by casting aside an agreement reached during the Obama administration that would have the federal government pick up half the project's cost.

And now, according to four officials familiar with the discussions, Trump has taken a personal interest in making sure no federal dollars flow to a project that is considered critical to his hometown's long-term economic prosperity.

Trump delivered his message to Ryan on Wednesday during a meeting at the Capitol, three people familiar with the conversation said. Trump was on the Hill for a ceremony for the late Rev. Billy Graham, who lay in honor in the Rotunda. Ryan seemed surprised that Trump brought up the project in their conversation, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

A spokesman for Ryan declined to comment. A White House representative did not respond to a request for comment.

The motivations behind Trump's opposition are not entirely clear. It is a direct challenge to a key political rival, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.), who has been among the most powerful and vocal backers of federal funding for the project. Until recently, Schumer had held up several Trump nominees, including his pick to head the Federal Railroad Administration, to protest the administration's failure to support the project.

But the Gateway project also has had powerful Republican backers, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R., N.J.), who represents thousands of suburban constituents who rely on the Hudson River rail tunnels for their daily commutes to and from Manhattan.

Congressional appropriators, with Frelinghuysen's backing, are looking to spend at least $950 million in federal funds on the Gateway project in the coming omnibus spending bill. Lawmakers are expected to pass the legislation ahead of a March 23 government shutdown deadline.

A spokeswoman for Frelinghuysen declined to comment.

In an interview this week, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R., Fla.), who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee on transportation, said the project was among the top priorities to be funded in the new bill. He cited the project's impact on the nation's largest metropolitan area and the risk to the national economy if the existing rail tunnels were to fail.

But Trump and his aides have come to take a different view of the project, seeing it as a potential boondoggle that should be funded by New York and New Jersey taxpayers.

The administration's opposition became clear in December, when just before the New Year's weekend, a top Federal Transit Administration official told the governors of the two states that the 50-50 deal negotiated under the Obama administration was "non-existent."

The project was not always seen that way by Trump advisers: A document issued by Trump's transition team listed the Gateway project as the No. 1 national infrastructure priority.

Some on Capitol Hill think that Trump is using his opposition to funding the project as a bargaining chip to get Schumer and other congressional Democrats on board with a much larger infrastructure bill that would move through Congress this year. But the bigger obstacle to an infrastructure bill is not Democrats  it is conservative Republicans who are wary of pursuing hundreds of billions of dollars in additional federal spending.

Trump has been lured to support the project by New York and New Jersey politicians, including Christie, Schumer and Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Christie led a delegation to the Oval Office this year with Schumer, a sometimes friend and sometimes foe of the president. They engaged in chitchat with the president about New York infrastructure, with the president criticizing the airports, reminiscing about his days as a developer and even asking somewhat technical questions about building tunnels.

After their last Oval Office meeting, officials left saying that Trump was on board with the project.

But opposition to the project has lingered elsewhere in the administration. And according to a Democratic congressional aide, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has told lawmakers that funding the Gateway project means less money will be available to fund smaller projects in their districts.

The House included $900 million in potential funding for Gateway in a spending bill that it passed in September. But an amendment backed by 155 Republicans and four Democrats attempted to strip the funding from the bill. The legislation has not been taken up in the Senate.

"North Carolina and the other 48 states should not have to foot the bill for this hall of fame earmark," said Rep. Ted Budd (R., N.C.), who offered the amendment.New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal (right) is joined by Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson (left) at press conference Feb. 14 announcing arrests in an interstate gun trafficking ring that brought weapons, including AK-47s into Camden. Read more

Soon after Parthiv Patel earned a law degree at Drexel and passed demanding bar exams in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, doors slammed shut. A so-called Dreamer who was illegally brought to the United States from India at age 5, Patel was denied a law license because he is not a citizen.

His story grabbed the attention of Gurbir S. Grewal, New Jersey's newly appointed attorney general, weeks after Patel won the right to become a lawyer through a yearlong legal battle. Bucking tradition  and the Trump administration's plans to rescind the rights of Dreamers  the first Sikh attorney general in the nation decided he would personally congratulate and swear in Patel as an attorney at a ceremony in the statehouse.

"The American Dream is in fact alive and well in New Jersey for all, including Dreamers like Parthiv," Grewal said before announcing plans to join litigation challenging Trump's proposal to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which affords hundreds of thousands of Dreamers temporary protection from deportation and allows them to work.

The ceremony, attended by Gov. Murphy, a Democrat, and other dignitaries, was one of Grewal's first public events  and it was deeply personal and symbolic. Typically, lawyers and judges administer the oath of office for newly minted attorneys, but Grewal said he wanted to do the honors and "send a positive message about the value of Dreamers in this country."

In his first six weeks as New Jersey's chief law enforcement officer, Grewal has undertaken a host of progressive actions and has made it clear that he wants to have a significant impact on social justice and civil rights issues. Immigration enforcement, police-community relations, transgender rights, the release of dash-camera videos to the public, and the opioid epidemic are among the topics he has already begun to tackle.

"We're all informed by our life experiences in everything we do," he said in an interview last week. "My experience growing up as a Sikh in this country, and having dealt with bias, hate, and bullying has sensitized me to the effects that this conduct can have on others and motivates me a great deal."

Grewal, 44, grew up in Essex County with his parents, an engineer and a bookkeeper who became naturalized citizens. His parents came from small villages in India and immigrated to the U.S. "with a hope to make a better life for themselves and their family," he said. They taught him to be humble, grateful, and proud of his heritage. There is "no incompatibility between honoring their religion and being an American" they told him.

In January, when two Indonesian Christians were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers while dropping their children off at school in Middlesex County, Grewal fired off a letter to the U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, asking for a review of the case and saying he believed the action violated federal policy.

"My job is to stand up for New Jerseyans," he said, adding that that includes seeking to reverse federal actions that trample on people's civil liberties.

At Grewal's initiative, New Jersey has joined more than a dozen multistate lawsuits that were filed against some of President Trump's more controversial policies in the last six months, including the ban on transgender people serving in the military. All the while, he is continuing traditional law enforcement activities and stepping up investigations.

One of his proudest moments was when he announced that his office had broken up a gun-trafficking ring in Camden. "One of our biggest concerns is kids playing outside when the weather warms up and being hit by a stray bullet.  That's the prosecutor side of me," he said.

At an early age, Grewal was certain he wanted to be an attorney and he never wavered.

"I've always been a fan of history, and when you look at history, American history, lawyers have played a critical role in the civil rights movement and in making sure there's equal protection under the law," he said. Asked whether he ever had any other, perhaps more glamorous, dream job in mind growing up, he chuckled and said no.

After earning a degree from William and Mary Law School, he built a career as a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney's Offices in New York and New Jersey and tackled terrorism and Russian hacking cases. In New Jersey, he rose to become chief of the Economic Crimes Unit.

In 2016, Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, appointed Grewal, a Democrat, to serve as the Bergen County prosecutor.

Lawmakers balked at approving the nomination, and Grewal initially held the title of acting prosecutor.

"One of the strikes against him was he was an outsider. No one knew much about him and he wore a turban and it was strange  you don't normally see people walking around with a turban," said Sen. Gerald Cardinale, a Republican from Bergen County and the only lawmaker to vote in favor of Grewal back then.

Grewal quickly "won people over by being fair, honest, and an extremely competent guy" and he earned the title of prosecutor, Cardinale said. "He's an independent thinker and a gem."

In January, Grewal was unanimously confirmed when Murphy tapped him to be attorney general. Murphy touted Grewal's stellar background and said he wanted diversity in his cabinet.

The new attorney general has found supporters in improbable quarters. Amol Sinha, the executive director of the New Jersey chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, says Grewal has signaled he is willing to collaborate on social-justice issues. "He's set the tone and let us know he is available and will try to remedy injustices," Sinha said.

The ACLU had represented Patel after he was denied admission to the bar associations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The challenge was successful and he became the first Dreamer to obtain a law license in each of the two states. The night before Patel was sworn in, Grewal messaged Sinha to find out whether Patel would swear or affirm the oath of office and which holy book, if any, he would want to use during the ceremony.

"Imagine that. The attorney general is calling the ACLU to find out what holy book the first DACA recipient in New Jersey would like to use at his swearing in," Sinha said. "I was so moved."

Patel said he was glad his experience as a Dreamer allowed Grewal "to give an extra push" to his announcement that New Jersey would join 15 other states in litigation to prevent DACA recipients from being deported. Grewal's "extraordinary sensitivity" and attention to detail about the holy book also impressed Patel. "He could have sworn me in without any book. All that's required is I raise my right hand," he said.

Grewal also took the time to welcome and deliver a personal message to a roomful of immigrants from 18 countries at a naturalization ceremony in Trenton last month. He acknowledged the political climate and anti-immigrant backlash in the country, but told them to hold on to hope.

"If there's any doubt whether or not the American Dream is alive and well, I think I'm also proof of it," he said. "So I want to encourage each of you to continue to pursue that American dream and I hope that together we never awaken from it."LightSail 2 spent the majority of 2017 in storage, waiting for the Falcon Heavy to complete its inaugural flight. After that happened on February 6, preparations for STP-2 began moving more quickly. The Air Force Research Laboratory in Albuquerque requested we deliver LightSail 2 there in mid-March so that it can be integrated with its carrier spacecraft, Prox-1. Prox-1 and LightSail 2 are scheduled to ship to Florida around the end of April.

As for LightSail 2, it's still buttoned up for flight. Shortly before it's due in Albuquerque, the team will integrate the spacecraft into its P-POD, the spring-loaded carrier system used to deploy CubeSats into space.Sergeant Kathleen Russell of the NYPD Patrol Services Bureau demonstrates how to use a microchip scanner on adoptable dog, Orson, during an all-day Animal Cruelty Investigations Seminar at the NYPD Police Academy on Saturday, February 10, 2018. (Photo: ASPCA)

The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) announced today that it is working with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to provide pet microchip scanners to every precinct in the city  86 in all  including Housing Police Service Areas (PSAs). The effort is part of the ASPCA-NYPD Partnership, which is now entering its fifth year.

Microchips are subcutaneous identification implants, roughly the size of a grain of rice, used most commonly in cats and dogs. Each implant contains a unique serial number which can be read by a scanner and matched to a database containing the owners contact information.

The scanners can help NYPD officers responding to suspected animal cruelty cases quickly obtain crucial animal ownership information, facilitating their investigations. For example, in the 2016 case of a dog in a suitcase found in a dumpster, information from a microchip pointed the NYPD Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad in the direction of those responsible, leading to a successful outcome in the case.

Effectively fighting animal cruelty means equipping law enforcement officers with practical tools as well as comprehensive training, and these scanners will certainly accelerate the process of finding owners and clearing cases, said Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. As we enter the fifth year of our partnership with the NYPD, Im inspired by their enthusiasm to use every means available to stop cruelty, rescue victimized animals, and bring animal abusers to justice.

On Saturday, February 10, more than 250 officers attended a microchip scanner demonstration during a seminar held at the Police Academy in College Point, Queens. The seminars, held periodically throughout the year and conducted by ASPCA and NYPD experts, provide instruction on a variety of topics including NYPD animal cruelty investigation procedures, animal cruelty laws, blood sports, forensic investigations, and the ASPCA Community Engagement program. Since the beginning of the ASPCA/NYPD partnership in 2014, more than 2,500 officers have completed an animal cruelty investigations seminar.

In collaboration with Captain Mark Gaudioso from the NYPD Patrol Services Bureau, it became apparent that we could assist the animal cruelty victims with the tool of pet microchip scanners at every Precinct and Police Service Area in New York City, said Deputy Chief Luongo, Commanding Officer of the Special Investigation Division, NYPD. With the animal cruelty training and widespread use of these devices we will be able to accelerate the process of finding owners to assist in our investigations.

The citywide ASPCA/NYPD partnership originally launched in January 2014, and since then has treated more than 2,500 animals. Through this collaboration, the NYPD takes the lead role in responding to all animal cruelty complaints in the five boroughs, and the ASPCA provides direct care for the victims, as well as training, veterinary forensic, and legal support for the NYPD.

To report animal cruelty in any of the five boroughs, the public is encouraged to call 311 or submit an online complaint. For crimes in progress, individuals should call 911.In response to increased demand for law enforcement compliance with accreditation standards, legal requirements, state mandates, and public records requests, and to enhance community trust and transparency, PowerDMSa law enforcements leader in policy and training management technology announces the launch of Public-Facing Documents.

This add-on feature for the softwares Policy module gives designated users the ability to publish policies and other critical content to their agencys website for members of the community to view and download.

In 2015, the state of Maryland passed legislation requiring all law enforcement agencies to post official policies on their agencys website for the community to view, says Lieutenant Robert Quick with the Baltimore Police Department. With Public-Facing Documents and PowerDMS, in two clicks we can meet this requirement and ensure our citizens have access to the most current policies and proceduresthe same ones our officers are referencing daily.

Uploading critical documents to an agencys website is not a new conceptlaw enforcement agencies have been doing this for years. However, the process is often tedious, involves an IT department, and leaves room for misrepresentation and mistakes.

When our customers told us how they share required documents with their communities, we knew they needed a simpler, more trustworthy solution, said Heath Hensley, chief technology officer at PowerDMS. With Public-Facing Documents, when a user updates something in PowerDMS, those updates are automatically reflected in the published version on the public-facing site. This eliminates any possible discrepancy between the policy used internally and the one the public sees.

Public-Facing Documents is available, at an additional annual fee, to PowerDMS customers using the softwares Policy module.In creating the world of Wakanda, the fictional African country thats home to TChalla, Shuri and the other characters in Marvel Studios new "Black Panther" movie, much care was given to special effects, landscapes and spaceships. Even the seemingly small details of the armament worn by the Dora Milaje, the kings guards led by Danai Guriras character Okoye, and the accessories worn by Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and other members of the royal court required the big-budget production to turn to someone innovative.

This is where Douriean Fletcher, the jewelry designer for "Black Panther," was able to thrive. Fletcher had been making jewelry for less than 10 years when she met longtime Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter at a jewelry show in New Orleans. Weeks later the two crossed paths again while Carter was working on the 2016 adaptation of "Roots" and Fletcher was an extra getting a costume fitting.

"At first, I didnt even recognize her," Carter said recently. "But when I did, I told her to take off her costume and get to work creating pieces on my show."

When Carter was later hired to work on "Black Panther," she didnt hesitate in bringing Fletcher aboard.

"I liked how committed she was towards her craft," Carter said. "I thought her style  this sort of handmade, seminal style  fit into the African diaspora and ultimately what I considered to be the artistic direction of the costumes. But mostly, I liked her personality. We laughed a lot."

For Fletcher, personality played a part in her on-set work. Although she was shown images of what the production wanted her to create, it took her a while to filter those ideas through her own aesthetic and to choose which materials and metals to use for the designs. She wasnt hired to create only jewelry, she also made integral sections of some of the futuristic, African-inspired costumes and armament the characters wear.

"Ruth showed me what kinds of things Wakanda reflected to her, what it meant to her," Fletcher said recently. "So I was able to go off and do some things and bring them back to her. It was just a good match."

One of the major costuming feats Fletcher assisted with was in helping to create the look of the Dora Milaje. The colorful costuming of the women warriors practically jumps off the screen, and although there were specifications in terms of the armored adornments she was asked to make, Fletcher was still able to bring her own flair to it.

"I feel like (with) my style  theres been this type of Afro-chic or Afro-couture (labeling)," Fletcher said. "Or maybe even a primal chic or primal couture. In the (Black Panther) poster of Okoye you can see  I dont know if youll notice because the average person wont look  but you can see the hammer marks on her armor. I like it to look imperfect, to look homemade, like someone took their hands and made it. You use gold or silver so that it has that fine-art aesthetic, but it still looks like someone made it from their heart and is based off of some kind of ancestral DNA. I just call it art."

Many of the main characters in "Black Panther" are royalty  not just Bassetts Queen Ramonda and Chadwick Bosemans TChalla, but the inventive Princess Shuri (Letitia Wright)  so what they wear in the film could be considered haute couture in Wakanda. Kings, princesses and queens communicate status with what they wear, and Fletcher was also keenly aware of this.

"To me, couture for Wakanda would be anything that Shuri or Ramonda would wear," Fletcher said. "Shuri has a very upscale, contemporary look to her style. Shed be more couture avant-garde. Geometrical.  Kind of like Lady Gaga a few years ago.

"Ramonda, like the (look) thats on the poster, is very couture and regal  a gold piece that is adorned by a lot of crystals," Fletcher continued. "I tried to make it look like (vibranium, the fictional metal that powers Wakanda). The intention was to show something raw  mixing jewelry with fine art."

Working on "Black Panther" was the culmination of a dream, one Fletcher said she had unknowingly prepared for when she began creating jewelry.

"In 2008, I studied in Durban, South Africa, for a semester before I got into jewelry," she said. "The thing that got me into jewelry was seeing the Zulu people. I stayed in Durban, and its predominantly Zulu, so I was really intrigued by the functionality of the jewelry. Everything they put on means something.

"It made me realize, Oh, these things arent just noncommunicative tools, " Fletcher said. "You can tell someone who you are without having to speak."

Fletcher was given the license to produce "Black Panther" lines of jewelry, and she said she feels a responsibility to create pieces that will be universally loved and will probably have more meaning to some fans, including African Americans. The line is available on Fletchers website, www.douriean.com, with more to be released later.

"I really want to do something for the Black Panther fans. After the first trailer came out (last year), I got obsessed with watching reactions and YouTube clips," Fletcher said. "I didnt realize how many men of color, specifically African American men, had been waiting for something like this to happen. I got really emotional watching them. I saw a lot of black men crying."

Mixing jewelry with comic-book culture might not appear to be a profitable undertaking despite the clamoring for a different type of action film and the glowing reviews "Black Panther" has garnered. However, Fletchers study of jewelry, YouTube videos and Black Panthers comic-book roots has helped her shape what she believes consumers want.

"I did want to also create things for people who arent avid fans but can still appreciate the idea and the culture of Wakanda," Fletcher said. "Theres a crossover between my aesthetics and Wakandan aesthetics."

Two years before "Black Panther," Fletcher posted on her Facebook page a promise that came true: "One day you will be wearing my earrings," she wrote under a photo of Bassett.

On set with Bassett, Fletcher said, "I put some jewelry on her during a fitting for the movie and I had to step out because I started crying." Bassett even wore some of Fletchers jewelry to the "Black Panther" premiere in Los Angeles last month.

Going forward, Fletcher has plans for other "Black Panther" jewelry inspired by the Dora Milaje and the films villain Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan. Fletcher has also secured the jewelry rights to the upcoming Marvel films "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp."This brief Associated Press article is a classic of the genre, on an increasingly important subject:

A new study highlighting wide gaps in school discipline between Minnesotas white and minority students is raising concerns among state human rights leaders.

Some would say that it should be raising concerns among leaders of minority groups whose students are behaving badly, so as to incur discipline.

The report released Friday found students of color were twice as likely to be suspended or expelled as their white peers, despite making up a smaller share of students.

The phrase students of color is telling. I will try to track down the report, but are all students of color equal when it comes to discipline? For example, are Indian-American students suspended or expelled at the same rate as African-American or Native American students? I doubt it. But: if not, why not?

Native American students were ten times as likely to be disciplined as white students.

This is obviously a bad thing, but unless we know why students are being disciplined, it is impossible to tell where our concerns should lie.

Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey says the department plans to work with schools to ensure equal treatment of students.

But what reason is there to think that students are not already being treated equally? Does Minnesotas Human Rights Commissioner seriously believe that school administrators are needlessly suspending or expelling well-behaved students of color out of some misguided animus? If so, I would gently suggest that he is out of touch with reality.

The department did not include discipline from fights, possession of weapons or drugs in its study.

This laconic final sentence is intriguing, to say the least. Why on Earth would the most serious offensesfighting or possessing weapons or drugsbe excluded from the study? I suppose because the rates of suspension or expulsion of students of color are at least as high, or more likely higher, for these obviously suspendible offenses. In other words, the study was rigged to avoid coming to the obvious conclusion.

As I said, school discipline quotas represent an increasingly important issue. Why? Because they are making school ineffective and even dangerous for a great many normal students. For example, see this eloquent letter by a mother of a student in the Madison, Wisconsin public school system. It concludes:

I can tell you, Principal Boranthat [a] majority of West students DO FEEL that West is not a safe place to go to schoolthey are all too horribly aware of the stark reality that a CONCERTED UNWILLINGNESS TO CRACK DOWN ON UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIORS  essentially a NON-DISCIPLINE POLICY  is what creates an environment that any concerned parent would find untenable, unacceptable, and frankly, would see as a broken system. The vast majority are therefore at the mercy of the tyranny of the few who DO engage in repeated unacceptable aggressive behaviors  and at the mercy of the school policy that coddles the offenders and brings fear to the hearts of the students who behave properly and just want to learn and make it home each day without incident. I can tell you there are great numbers of TEACHERS as well who feel the same way but who are all but silenced and made to submit to the groupthink that engenders such insanity  for fear of rocking the boat.Riyadh, Feb 27 : The Saudi King has sacked the country's Army Chief and other top generals and named new ministers and governors across the kingdom in a major shake-up in the government and military leadership amid a three-year-war with Shia Muslim rebels in Yemen.

A series of royal decrees approved by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on Monday night announced the changes as part of a wider shake-up in royal advisory positions and provincial governorships in the government, especially in the Defence Ministry.

The surprising changes came ahead of a visit to the UK, the US and France by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also the Defence Minister, amid global protests against Saudi Arabia's conduct of the war in Yemen.

According to the decrees, Saudi Armed Forces Chief General Abdulrahman al-Banyan and Air Force Commander Mohammed al-Qatibi were asked to retire and six generals were promoted to be appointed for senior commander posts.

General Abdulrahman al-Banyan, previously Chief of the Joint Staff of Saudi Arabia's armed forces, was appointed to be an adviser to the royal court, Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya reported.

He was set to be replaced by Lieutenant General Fahd bin Turki, formerly in charge of the country's ground forces.

No reason for the sackings was given. But the changes come as the Saudi Army is fighting a three-year old unpopular war in Yemen that has attracted widespread international reprisal following civilian killings in the impoverished neighbouring country.

The war has left thousands of combatants and non-combatants dead since 2015.

Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Britain, France and the US next week will be the most exhaustive foreign tour since he took up in July last year.

In Britain, the Crown Prince, popularly known by his MBS initials, is expected to meet Prime Minister Theresa May. Britain has a close military tie-up with Saudi Arabia and provides training and advice for the Saudi Air Force. Britain also sells arms to Saudi Arabia and services its fleet of BAE Tornado jets.

According to the British media reports, protests were being organised against the UK's military support to Saudi armed forces amid the Yemen war.

The sacking of top generals and sweeping changes in the government are seen as another bid by the 32-year-old Crown Prince to consolidate power after he ordered the arrests of many princes and ministers in a corruption purge in November last year.

Most of them have been released after settling claims with the government.

The Saudi intervention in the Yemen conflict was Mohammed bin Salman's initiative -- one of the first indications of just how dramatically he was going to break away from the country's traditional caution.

His father King Salman, now 82, ascended to the throne in 2015. MBS was elevated to become deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister. He then replaced his cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as the Crown Prince last year.

The cost for Yemen itself has been a humanitarian disaster, while it has also drained Saudi coffers in a time of austerity.

A series of political appointments were also announced on Monday night, including the rare appointment of a female Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Development, Tamadar bint Yousef al-Ramah.

Prince Turki bin Talal was appointed new Deputy Governor of the southwest Asir province. He is the brother of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who was detained in the anti-corruption drive and released two months later.

This is another sweeping overhaul of Saudi institutions that has become the hallmark of the reign of King Salman, although the driving force is once again his son and heir, Crown Prince.

(Sarwar Kashani is in Riyadh to cover the International Humanitarian Forum at the invitation of the Saudi government. He can be contacted at sarwar.k@ians.in)Washington, March 1 : US President Donald Trump stunned Republicans on live television by embracing gun control and urging a group of lawmakers at the White House to resurrect gun safety legislation that has been opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In a meeting on Wednesday, the President called for comprehensive gun control legislation that would expand background checks to weapons purchased at gun shows and on the internet; keep guns from mentally ill people; secure schools and restrict gun sales for some young adults, reports The New York Times.

Trump also suggested that law enforcement authorities should have the power to seize guns from mentally ill people or others who could present a danger without first going to court.

"I like taking the guns early," he said, adding, "Take the guns first, go through due process second."

The declarations prompted a frantic series of calls from NRA lobbyists to their allies on Capitol Hill and a statement from the group calling the ideas that Trump expressed "bad policy".

However, Republican lawmakers suggested that they remained opposed to gun control measures, The New York Times reported.

"We're not ditching any constitutional protections simply because the last person the president talked to today doesn't like them," Republican Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, Republican, said in a statement.

Democrats also said they were sceptical that Trump would follow through.

"The White House can now launch a lobbying campaign to get universal background checks passed, as the president promised in this meeting, or they can sit and do nothing," said Democrat Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy.San Francisco, March 1 : A woman software engineer has sued Google alleging that it has a "bro-culture" that allowed her to be sexually harassed daily while the tech giant did nothing to intervene, media reports said.

Loretta Lee, who began working for Google in 2008 and was fired in 2016 for poor performance, filed the suit in February against Google for sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and wrongful termination in a California court, Gizmodo reported late on Wednesday.

According to the lawsuit, Lee was routinely sexually harassed, throughout her time at Google and targeted by lewd comments and ogled.

She said that her male co-workers spiked her drinks with alcohol with one asking her for a "horizontal hug" and another slapping her while intoxicated.

While working late one night in January 2016, she said she found a male colleague hiding under her desk.

He refused to say what he was doing. The next day, he grabbed her name badge on a lanyard around her neck and asked her name, while his hand grazed her breasts, Lee claimed.

Lee initially did not report the incident, frightened that a complaint would only generate retaliation from her co-workers.

When finally she filed the complaint at the urging of her supervisor and the company's Human Resources Department, her claims were found to be "unsubstantiated".

After the complaint, her co-workers also refused to approve the code she wrote, and stalled her projects, leading to her being labelled a "poor performer", according to the lawsuit.

"Google's failure to take appropriate remedial action is consistent with its pattern and practice of ignoring sexual harassment in the workplace, making no significant efforts to take corrective action, and punishing the victim," the lawsuit states.

Reacting to the suit, Google in a statement said: "We have strong policies against harassment in the workplace and review every complaint we receive."

"We take action when we find violations including termination of employment."

Earlier in February Tim Chevalier, a former Google engineer, sued the company for discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination after he was fired in November 2017 following several internal posts he made against racism and sexism.

"Chevalier, who is a transgender, queer and disabled, alleges that Google failed to protect its female, minority, and LGBTQ employees from harassment on internal forums... but was quick to crack down on those employees when they spoke out about their experiences with racism, sexism, and homophobia at work," Gizmodo reported earlier.New Delhi, March 2 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into an alleged scam in an examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) for government jobs.

"Thousands of aspirants are demanding a CBI inquiry into the SSC exam scam. This issue is related to their future. The central government should immediately accept the aspirants' demand and order a CBI inquiry," the Chief Minister tweeted.Hyderabad, March 2 : In a major setback to the banned Communist Party of India- Maoist, 10 guerrillas were killed in a gunfight with police in Telangana's Jayashankar Bhupalapally district early Friday. The police initially put the number at 12.

The slain Maoists include six women. A police Constable also lost life while three personnel of the elite anti-Maoist force Greyhounds were injured.

Some top leaders of the CPI-Maoist, including the banned outfit's Telangana Secretary Haribhushan alias Jagan and another key leader Chukka Rao, were suspected to be among the slain Maoists. Haribhushan's wife Samakka was also killed.

It was the first major incident since the formation of Telangana state in 2014.

The exchange of fire between the Maoists and a joint police team of the two states ensued in the forest near Venkatapuram village in Tadapalagutta-Pujarikanker area on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border as security forces launched combing operations after a tip-off.

As per a statement from the Telangana Director General of Police office, the Maoists opened fire, to which police retaliated in self-defence.

One AK-47 rifle, five Insas rifles, one self-loading rifle, two single-bore rifles, one .303 rifle, one pistol, one Sony radio, Rs 41,000, three claymore mines, six rocket bombs, two solar plates, besides empty cartridges, and live ammunition of different calibre were seized from the scene.

The killed police official was identified as Greyhounds Constable Sushil Kumar. Three injured police personnel were airlifted to Bhadrachalam town. The bodies of the Maoists were also shifted to the town for autopsy.

Additional forces were rushed to the area to launch combing operations as some Maoists escaped into forest.

Senior police officers, including Jayashankar Bhupalapally District Superintendent of Police R. Bhaskaran, also rushed there.

The CPI-Maoist was trying to revive its activities in its former stronghold of north Telangana.

During the last few weeks, there were reports about the presence of Maoists in the old Warangal and Khammam districts. Police said many had crossed over from neighbouring Chhattisgarh and were indulging in extortion and other illegal activities.

In December last, eight Maoists of Chandrapulla Reddy Poru Bata, a splinter group of People's War, were gunned down by police in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

The Maoist movement had considerably weakened in the undivided Andhra Pradesh since 2005 when the police launched massive operations and eliminated several top leaders following the collapse of the ceasefire and first-ever talks between then state government and the Maoists.Washington, March 3 : The US State Department said on Friday that the US embassy in Havana is to operate with the minimum personnel permanently.

The embassy in the Cuban capital has been operating under ordered departure status since September 29, 2017, due to the reported health attacks affecting its employees, reports Xinhua.

The State Department said in a statement that on March 5, a new permanent staffing plan will take effect.

"The embassy will continue to operate with the minimum personnel necessary to perform core diplomatic and consular functions, similar to the level of emergency staffing maintained during ordered departure," it said.

The State Department added that the embassy would operate as an unaccompanied post, defined as a post at which no family members are permitted to reside.

However, the State Department admitted that it still did "not have definitive answers on the source or cause of the attacks, and an investigation into the attacks is ongoing."

It said that the health and safety of US government personnel and family members "were a key factor in the decision to reduce the number of personnel assigned to Havana."

The US has not formally accused Cuba of carrying out the attacks, yet it highlighted the unexplained physical afflictions suffered by 24 US embassy personnel in Cuba, leading to the partial closure of the embassy and suspension of granting visas to the Cubans.

For its part, Cuba denied the accusations, saying the investigation to resolve the matter was still in progress and that "effective cooperation" of the US authorities was essential.Washington, March 3 : The number of US citizens who want more gun control is growing, an NPR/Ipsos poll issued on Friday said.

Three-quarters of Americans said gun laws should be stricter than they are today, up from 68 per cent in a October 2017 survey following the Las Vegas shooting, Xinhua cited the latest poll as saying.

The poll also found widespread bipartisan support for gun-control policies, including expanding background check for all gun buyers (94 per cent), adding people with mental illnesses to the federal gun background check system (92 per cent), raising the legal age to purchase guns from 18 to 21 (82 per cent), banning bump stocks (81 per cent), banning high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds (73 per cent) and banning assault-style weapons (72 per cent).

However, there was a clear-cut partisan gulf since 68 per cent of Republicans favoured US President Donald Trump's proposal of training teachers to carry guns in schools, compared to just 18 per cent of Democrats.

Overall, 59 per cent of the polled said they opposed to Trump's idea, which was previously proposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In a televised White House meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Trump suggested he was open to expanding background checks and possibly raising the age to purchase an AR-15, questioning Republicans' relationship with the NRA.

"They have great power over you people. They have less power over me," Trump told Republican lawmakers at the meeting, "Some of you people are petrified of the NRA. You can't be petrified."

"We see in this study, a majority of Republicans saying that they are supportive of a variety of different gun-control measures, many of which Trump mentioned explicitly in his [White House] briefing," Chris Jackson at Ipsos was quoted as saying

"President Trump is actually closer to where the Republican base is on the issue of guns than a lot of Republican elected officials," Jackson said.

So far the Republican-controlled Senate has no plans to vote on gun legislation in the near future, though 78 per cent of Americans said Congress needs to do more to curb gun violence according to the NPR/Ipsos poll.

Roughly two-thirds, or 63 per cent, said guns will be an important factor in their vote in November Midterm elections, the poll showed.

"This data indicates there's actually an increasing energy on the side of gun control," Jackson said, "Given that guns have become very partisan, that may have really significant results in the midterms."Geneva, March 3 : Police in the Swiss capital city of Bern said on Friday that some suspicious items were found inside the Church of the Holy Spirit, which is located just outside the train station's main entrance.

The train station area in the town has been closed for about five hours as a result of "a bomb threat", Xinhua quoted the police as saying.

"We are currently on the mission to close the area due to a bomb threat. We have arrested a person and are clarifying the situation," police said on Twitter.

The latest information from the police indicated that the arrested man was a 21-year-old Afghan man who threatened to detonate "a bomb" on Friday afternoon.

According to a police statement, two unknown components linked by cable have been neutralised and have been taken for further analysis, which police said would take more time.

So far, it is unknown whether the objects found presented a real danger.New Delhi : It is a startling statistic which beggars belief, but the truth is there are more tigers living in captivity in the US than survive in the wild in their natural habitat in Asia -- several sub-species are already extinct, and those that remain cling on in their last bastions. They have some prominent champions -- including the Russian President and the governments of Cambodia and Kazakhstan -- and there are some positive signs with India reporting an increase in numbers.

There is no room for complacency. Far from it. The tiger's closest and most famous cousin, the African lion, is the subject of sad news, setting alarm bells ringing. Lion numbers are reported to have fallen by 40 per cent in just two decades, with the lion now only occupying 17 per cent of its historic range -- and the "King of the Beasts" faces the prospect of being dethroned. And even if some tiger populations are recovering, they are a long way from the levels seen at the start of the 20th century -- before uncontrolled hunting took its toll.

Hunting may well be banned and international trade regulated to the point of prohibition, but this does not mean that poaching does not occur. Tiger skins and other body parts command phenomenal prices on the black market, and even the modest share of the booty offered to those at the sharp end presents a temptation too great to resist for people scraping a living in harsh, unforgiving environments providing limited options for making a livelihood. Reduced tiger populations in Asia is also bad news for lions, as its body parts are seen as a possible substitute.

The problems afflicting the lion and the tiger also affect their smaller cousins, such as the snow leopard and the Asiatic cheetah, both of which are suffering from reduced habitat and depletion of their prey species. The snow leopard, known locally as the "Ghost of the Mountains", occupies a vast and inhospitable terrain at high altitudes in the mountains of Central Asia and probably numbers fewer than 10,000. The terrain makes survey work difficult, and so the figures are the best estimate experts can give.

Even in the mountains, the snow leopards are not safe from their main enemy -- people -- and the effects of climate change and growing human demand for space are making encounters -- and conflict -- more common. Warming temperatures are opening more and more areas to pastoralism; so as well as being hunted for the pelts and body parts for traditional medicine, snow leopards are even more exposed to persecution by farmers seeking to protect their livestock.

Wildlife tourism is not a viable option in Central Asia -- the area is inaccessible and lacks the infrastructure which all but the hardiest of travellers want. There is also no guarantee that visitors will even catch a glimpse of the elusive creatures.

It is not only agriculture that is encroaching on unspoilt leopard territory; there are also plans to develop ski resorts in the mountains, with the implicit threat of bringing more people and more disturbance. Any such developments need to be planned sensitively to ensure minimal impact and maximum sustainability.

There are two contrasting elements essential for the success of conservation efforts undertaken on behalf of the snow leopard. The first is recognition of the fact that because they cross national borders, the Range States that host them have to cooperate. Fortunately, governments are fully aware of this and the President of Kyrgyzstan has initiated high-level meetings which have resulted in the establishment of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP).

The second element is bringing local communities and livestock owners on board. As tourism is unlikely to make much significant impact in terms of new employment opportunities, conservation programmes must include measures to reduce the negative impact of the cats' presence; examples of this being the provision of predator-proof corrals for livestock and setting up insurance schemes to compensate farmers for any animals lost to the leopards.

Despite their apparent sparseness and harsh terrain, the mountains support a surprisingly large range of plants and animal species, and the snow leopard serves as an indicator of the ecosystem's health; so if they are thriving, chances are that the wider environment too is in good shape.

The UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) is lending its support to World Wildlife Day and I commend our colleagues at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), who take the lead in organising the campaign each year. Focussing on big cats this year helps raise awareness of their precarious conservation status and complements the efforts of Range State governments such as Kyrgyzstan by emphasising the need for international cooperation to address the threats and ensure that lions, tigers, snow Leopards and the rest can survive in the wild.

(Dr Bradnee Chambers is the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The views expressed are those of CMS. He can be reached at cms.secretariat@cms.in)Washington, March 3 : Scientists have discovered a major hotspot hosting more than 1.5 million Adelie penguins near the Antarctic Peninsula.

Based on direct ground counts and computer-automated counts of aerial images from drones, the researchers found a total of 751,527 pairs of Adelie penguins on the Danger Islands in the Weddell Sea on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula, reports Xinhua news agendy.

The amount of Adelie penguins discovered here is more than the rest of the Antarctic Peninsula region combined, noted the researchers in a study published on Friday in the journal Scientific Reports.

Moreover, it represents the first complete census of Adelie penguins in the Danger Islands, they added.

"Until recently, the Danger Islands weren't known to be an important penguin habitat," said Heather Lynch, an ecologist from Stony Brook University who led the study, in a press release.

These super colonies have gone undetected for decades, Lynch noted, partly because of the remoteness of the islands themselves and partly the treacherous waters that surround them.

The Danger Islands appear to have avoided recent declines in penguin population documented on other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Another study published earlier this week suggested that more than 70 per cent of king penguins may disappear by the end of the century as a result of global warming and overfishing.

As the Danger Islands were likely to remain an important hotspot for avian abundance under projected climate change, scientists believe it deserve special consideration in the negotiation and design of Marine Protected Areas in the region.

The idea of building the Marine Protected Areas, which covers 1.8 million sq.km of the Weddell Sea and around the Antarctic Peninsula, was first put forward by the European Union and supported by nongovernmental organization Greenpeace.

In January, a global campaign has been launched in the vast fishing-free zone to better protect wildlife amid worsening climate change.New Delhi : Title: Padmini: The Spirited Queen of Chittor; Author: Mridula Behari; Publisher: Penguin Books; Pages: 233; Price: Rs 299 The legendary Rajput queen of Chittor, Padmini, may have been a great beauty. But in this work of fiction, she is a lot more, with an unbreakable tenacity of spirit, and a sense of righteousness and responsibility in equal measure -- a feminist at a time when the term was not even coined. In Mridula Behari's "Padmini: The Spirited Queen of Chittor" one can find a number of instances where the queen has been portrayed in shades of bravery and valour.

The queen, in the novel, even wonders whether Sage Manu ever felt the need to understand a woman's mind.

"The emancipation of women is reined in by men. Sage Manu had ordained that a woman had to be under a man's control from the time she was born till she breathed her last.

"The authors of religious texts do not treat women with dignity... Women are the fountainhead of purity. They are the bearers of culture. But the ancient philosophers and thinkers seem to have exhausted their intellectual energy in giving vent to the feelings of men alone," she said.

Narrated from Padmini's perspective, " Padmini - The Spirited Queen of Chittor" is a moving retelling of the famed legend in which she tries to make sense of what it means to be a woman in man's world.

Padmini, in the novel, says to herself, when her stepson says she has to sacrifice her honour for the greater good of Chittor: "Is a woman next to nothing? Doesn't he realise that a woman carries with her an entire culture? She is the very source of ethos and progeny. She is the preserver of long-cherished morals, customs and values. The evildoers perish, but culture flows eternally."

"Am I worthless? Is a woman merely a showpiece, a commodity, an object for sensual enjoyment, a luxurious accessory, someone's private property?... Does she have no self-esteem of her own without a man by her side?" Padmini questions in the novel.

"Women have been reduced to an instrument to satisfy a man's lust...This is the reason why so many abductions take place; just to forcibly seize that prized possession."

"It is male chauvinism that has dealt a severe blow to the hearts and minds of women... A man is selfish by nature. He evaluates everything from his own point of view. It is his own value system by which he judges others," Padmini laments.

So, what happens when push comes to shove? The ambitious Sultan Alauddin Khilji becomes infatuated with Padmini's famed beauty, arrives at her doorstep in Chittor and lays siege to the fort. Padmini convinces her husband, Maharawal Ratan Singh, and his warriors to abandon any thought of surrender. Despite putting up a brave fight, when defeat seems imminent, Padmini chooses death by "Jauhar" over dishonour.

That, at least, is the legend of Padmini that is well known in the country. Traditional bards have been singing about her for years and now, especially after the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film "Padmaavat", her name is everywhere. The book, released soon after the film, has a cover with a sketch of Padmini looking like Deepika Padukone -- the lead of the film.

"I don't know how and when the idea of the story of Padmini took seed in my mind... I have portrayed her as I saw her through my mind's eye," Behari says in the Preface, adding: "This novel is based on 'Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai' by Hem Ratan, a little-known 16th-century work."

(Nivedita Singh can be contacted at nivedita.singh@ians.in)Chiayi, March 3 : Adding exuberance to the Chinese New Year celebrations, Chiayi announced the opening of the 29th edition of Taiwan Lantern Festival on Friday here with the lighting of the lantern in the Chiayi County area.

According to the officials, the exhibition scale for this year's festival reaches 50 hectares, making it the biggest lantern festival ever held in Taiwan.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen turned on the lights on Friday evening to mark the opening of the 2018 Taiwan Lantern Festival, which will run until March 11.

At a press conference here, Chou, Yung-Hui, Director General, Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications here, said the festival combines technology and art.

"It will be on for 10 days and there will be water fountain show and light show. Also, the lantern area features a tree of life inspired by Indian tapestry art, an art work made of bamboo, and a dog shaped lantern which features our culture," he said.

He hopes visitors get a sense of local culture of Taiwan through the Lantern Festival.

"The lantern festival attracts international visitors and we are looking forward to international visitors in Chiayi too. We want to promote regional tourism," he added.

The exhibition features the main lantern (Nature-born Loyalty), which depicts an indigenous child with Taiwanese dog portraying the theme of loyal auspiciousness.

It depicts not only the zodiac animal of the year but also includes a Taiwan indigenous child waving so that spectators can feel if the child is greeting them and sending them good wishes with a smile.

The designs incorporate folk culture and are aimed at giving people a new sensory experience.

According to Chang, Hwa-Kuan, Magistrate of Chiayi County, the lanterns that are showcased are reused, with some going to exhibitions.

(Nivedita is in Taiwan on the invitation of Taiwan Tourism Bureau. She can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)Los Angeles, March 3 : Actress Jessica Alba will be returning to the small screen as Gabrielle Union's partner in a "Bad Boys" spinoff.

Alba will also executive produce the show, reports variety.com.

Union will star in the untitled drama as Syd Burnett, her character from "Bad Boys 2".

In the show, she has left the DEA and now has a fresh start in her new job as an LAPD detective.

Alba will play Nancy McKenna, Burnett's partner. McKenna joined the Army out of high school and spent most of the 2000s in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women weren't allowed in combat, so she joined the military police to get closer to the action. McKenna is now a detective raising two preteen stepkids with her husband.

Alba is a film and television star who broke out in the action TV series "Dark Angel". She followed that up with roles in films like "Sin City", "Fantastic Four" and the sequel "Rise of the Silver Surfer", and "Into the Blue".

Most recently, she appeared in the films "El Camino Christmas" and "Mechanic: Resurrection".Beijing, March 3 : China's top political advisory body started its annual session on Saturday here, vowing to take on a new mission for the nation's goal toward a "great modern socialist country".

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivered a work report to 2,149 political advisors who gathered to discuss major political, economic and social issues in the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We will focus our advice and efforts on the main issues in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China," Yu said.

President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

Summarising the work and experience over the past five years, Yu said the CPPCC should remain committed to its nature as "an important platform for all Chinese political parties, social organizations, and people from all ethnic groups and all sectors of society to work together and participate in the deliberation of state affairs in a democratic manner."

He stressed that the top political advisory body shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In regards to its future work, the CPPCC would give top priority to studying and applying "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era", and earnestly study the new thinking on and requirements for the patriotic united front and the CPPCC, Yu said.

In a report on proposals, Wan Gang, vice chairperson of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, said over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 per cent of them had been handled up to February.New Delhi, March 3 : Union Minister and BJP leader Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday that if his party's pre-poll alliance with the NDPP in failed reach the half-way mark in the Nagaland assembly, it would have an "understanding" with the ruling NPF to form a new government of the three parties in the state.

"Our chief ministerial candidate is Neiphiu Rio (NDPP leader). But if we do not cross the magic mark, then we will have to have some kind of understanding that the party's leadership will decide," Rijiju told India Today news channel.

Interestingly, the BJP has two ministers in the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) government but had stitched a pre-poll alliance with the National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

Rijiju said the BJP did not dump the NPF neither has it quit the NPF-led government.

He said a seat sharing agreement could not be reached between the BJP and the NPF but such a pact was finalised with the NDPP headed by Neiphiu Rio, one of the founding members of the NPF.

The NPF has passed a resolution saying it would continue its alliance with the BJP.

"As of now, in the present government, the BJP is in alliance. We have two ministers in the T.R. Zeliang government. So we are already there.

"Since our alliance is with the NDPP, we would like to have comfortable majority with the NDPP. In the event of a hung assembly, there is no problem because there are major three parties - the BJP, NPF and NDPP.

"The NPF has already sent (us) the resolution...and with the resolution, there is no issues left," Rijiju said.

He said the election in Nagaland was a very special case because it was being held in the backdrop of the crucial Naga peace talks, which were progressing smoothly.

"A favourable government, where the BJP is a very strong pillar, is important for the Naga people, for the peace talks," he said.Damascus, March 3 : Unidentified warplanes on Saturday bombed several parts of Eastern Ghouta, the main stronghold of the opposition on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, causing an unknown number of casualties shortly before the start of the fifth consecutive day of a humanitarian truce.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the warplanes carried out 40 attacks between Friday night and Saturday morning, targeting Douma, Harasta and Al-Shifuniya, killing and wounding an unknown number of people.

The UK-based war monitor raised the number of people killed in Douma in the last 24 hours to 19, including two children and three women, Efe news reported.

A new humanitarian truce came into effect on Saturday in the region at 9 am and was scheduled to last until 2 pm Russia proposed a plan of five-hour long pauses in fighting in Eastern Ghouta after the approval in last weekend of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a month-long humanitarian ceasefire across Syria.

Since February 18, the region had been targeted by Syrian and Russian planes as well as government artillery, which claimed the lives of at least 636 people, including 151 children and 93 women, according to the SOHR.New Delhi, March 3 : BJP President Amit Shah on Saturday said the party's victory in the Tripura assembly elections is a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's politics of development.

"I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to the BJP. This is the victory for Modi's politics of development and his commitment to the welfare of northeastern region of India," Shah said in a tweet.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is headed to form the government in Tripura for the first time after toppling the Left Front led by Communist Party of India-Marxist which had been ruling the state since 1993.

The elections to 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly were held on February 18. Polling was deferred to March 12 in Charilam (Reserved-Tribal) seat due to the death of sitting MLA and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma.Shillong, March 3 : The Congress will stake its claim to form the next government in Meghalaya later in the day, senior party leader Kamal Nath said on Saturday expressing confidence it would succeed in its mission.

"Well, we will make a claim to the Governor tonight and ask him to call us to form the government," Nath, who has been despatched here along with senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Mukul Wasnik to try and form the government in Meghalaya which has returned a hung verdict.

He said Congress was in touch all the regional parties in Meghayala in its efforts to form the government.

He accused the BJP of using money power to cause as much disturbance as possible and to keep the Congress out of power.

In Tripura, where the BJP has ousted the Left Front from power, Nath said the Congress was not a player in the state. "But the people of Tripura will soon understand and they are in for a big shock," he said.New Delhi, March 3 : Vietnam-based low-cost airline Vietjet Air on Saturday said it will commence direct flight service between Ho Chi Minh city and New Delhi four days a week to cater to the fast-growing air traffic between the two cities.

The company declined to divulged the commencement date of the flight, however, a company official said that services will be started "very soon".

At present, there are no direct flights between the two countries.

The announcement was made at the India-Vietnam Business Forum organised here to mark the visit of Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang.

Currently, the airline has a fleet of 55 aircraft and operates 385 flights daily on its 82 routes spanning Vietnam and across to international destinations.Chandigarh, March 3 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will address the 67th Convocation of Panjab University (PU) here on Sunday, a university spokesperson said on Saturday.

"Panjab University, Chandigarh is all set to host the 67th Annual Convocation scheduled for March 4. Chancellor and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will confer Honoris Causa degrees and awards on eminent icons," the spokesperson said.

Those being awarded the degrees include Prof. M.M. Sharma (D.Sc.), Prof. Tejinder Singh Virdee (D.Sc.) and former Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar (LLD).

PU will also confer the Khel Rattan Award to legendary athlete Milkha Singh, Gian Rattan Award to eminent art historian, Prof. B.N. Goswamy and Udyog Rattan Award to leading industrialist, Sunil Kant Munjal.

Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh V.P. Singh Badnore and Governor of Haryana Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki will also be present on the occasion.

Full dress rehearsal of the convocation was carried out on Saturday in the university Gymnasium Hall.

There are total 809 number of students to be bestowed with degrees, the majority of them being girls.

Students from three countries, Afghanistan, Iran and Thailand, and 16 different states in the country will get degrees and awards at the convocation, the spokesperson added.Beirut, March 3 : Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri went on an official visit to Saudi Arabia and held a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in order to boost ties, officials said on Saturday.

"During the meeting, the leaders discussed the developments in the region and the bilateral relations between the two countries" the statement said.

Hariri met Saudi King Salman on Wednesday in his first visit to Saudi Arabia since his "bizarre" resignation announcement in the kingdom last year which sparked a crisis between Beirut and Riyadh, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hariri had posted a selfie on Friday on his Twitter page with the Crown Prince and the Saudi Ambassador to the US Khaled bin Salman.

On November 4, Hariri announced that he was stepping down in a televised address from Riyadh, only to rescind it the following month after France intervened.

The shock resignation stirred tensions between Riyadh and Beirut amid suspicions Hariri had been placed under house arrest.

His visit came after a meeting in Beirut with Saudi envoy Nizar al-Alula during which Hariri said he received and accepted an invitation to travel to Riyadh.

Alula also met President Michel Aoun, who told him of Lebanon's desire to "maintain the best relations" with the oil-rich Gulf state.Mumbai, March 3 : A PMLA court here on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against absconder diamantaires Nirav Modi and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi in the Rs 12,600-crore (almost $2 billion) Punjab National Bank fraud.

The NBWs, issued by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act court Judge M.S. Azmi, will facilitate the extradition of Modi and Choksi once their whereabouts are traced, said Special Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar.

The development comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 27 moved the PMLA court for issuing the NBWs after the duo failed to honour three summonses and appear before the agency for questioning on February 15, 17, and 23.

Simultaneously, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had sent a communication to Nirav Modi, asking him to return to India for the ongoing probe, but the latter spurned the agency by repling in the negative on the ground that he was tied up in his businesses abroad.

The Indian government has already suspended Modi's and Choksi's passports, among others, and asked Interpol to issue lookout notices for them as their current whereabouts are a matter of speculation.

Nirav Modi Group's flagship company Firestar Diamonds, with branches in several countries, has already filed for bankruptcy in a New York court, which has granted an interim stay to prohibit creditors from collecting debts.New Delhi, March 3 : Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday met Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang, who is on a three-day visit to India.

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Anand Sharma also accompanied Gandhi, a former Congress chief, and Singh.

Quang was on Saturday accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here in the presence of his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India and Vietnam on Saturday agreed to work for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as the two sides signed three agreements, including one on enhancing bilateral economy and trade.New Delhi, March 3 : BJP chief Amit Shah said on Saturday that the party's victory in Tripura and its improved performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya was a victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and indicated towards the popular verdict in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Terming the party's victory in Tripura as "historic", Shah said the people of northeast have put their seal of approval on the policies of the Prime Minister. He said the Congress had been "rejected" in all three states that went to polls in February and has not won even a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland.

"This shows that the people under the leadeship of Modi ji are going with the BJP. As far as the Left parties are concerned, it has been proved that the Left is not right for any part of the country. Nobody likes it. Their defeat in West Bengal earlier -- and now in Tripura -- is a sign of the rise of Bharatiya Janata Party," Shah said.

He also referred to the Assembly polls in Karantaka in about two months. "I feel the results in the three states are signs of the results in coming polls in Karanataka and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. We are going with big preparations in the contest for Karnataka," Shah said.

Shah said the BJP's victory run will continue under Modi.

"For five generations, the victory that the BJP workers were probably looking for, we have got today. And this trend of victory will continue under Modi ji," he said.

Shah said the central government has also worked to bring peace in the northeast and the verdict was a stamp on those efforts.

"The people of the northeast want peace and security. The results show that BJP and its allies will have governments in 21 states, which cover a vast geographical area and population," he said.

"The money sent by the Centre started getting translated into development under the successful policies pursued by Modi ji. This is a victory of his policies," he added.

Referring to Tripura, he said the BJP had secured only 1.3 per cent vote and no seat in the 2013 elections.

"The BJP has got majority on its own and the NDA has got 43 seats with over 50 per cent votes. This is the third successive election after Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh where the BJP and its allies have got nearly 50 per cent vote. This is a big achievement," he said.

He said the party's ally -- Indigenous People's Front Of Tripura -- will be part of the NDA government in the state.

The BJP chief said the alliance had won all tribal seats in the state and it is a good omen for the party and the northeast region.

He said the BJP was at one point considered a party of the Hindi heartland but now has governments across the country.

"The BJP is an all-India party with its MPs in Ladakh, Kerala, and it rules in Kutch to Kohima. The real all-India character of BJP has come out before the people."

Answering a query, he said the party's golden period is yet to come.

"Till the (party) governments are formed in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala, till the time we win Karanataka, the golden period is yet to come. We will form governments in Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala and surely win Karanataka," he said.New Delhi, March 3 : BJP chief Amit Shah on Saturday said the results of Meghalaya Assembly elections appeared to be for a change and the Congress has not got the public's mandate.

He said the National Democratic Alliance partners have got "big success" in the state.

"It appears to be a verdict for change. Our allies have done well. We have done well. The Congress has not got majority," Shah told reporters here.

Answering a query, he said the people had returned a hung assembly. "The government will be formed by the party that gets the support of (majority of) MLAs," he said.

He questioned the Congress for sending two of its senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to the northeastern state. "Why have they gone there," he asked.

The Congress has ruled the state for a decade.

Of the 59 of the 60 seats for which elections were held, the Congress bagged 21, the National People's Party 19 and the BJP 2. The remaining seats have gone to Independents and other parties.New Delhi, March 3 : The Bharatiya Janata Party appears to have consolidated its position as the principal pole of Indian politics due to its stunning victory in Tripura and its improved performance in Meghalaya and Nagaland with the results also showing that Congress continues to face multiple challenges to check its slide in the states.

The results are expected to help the BJP keep up its electoral momentum for the crucial electoral battle in Karnataka in about two months and expand its footprint to new areas for the crucial electoral battle in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The results are also expected to boost the morale of BJP workers in the difficult challenges the party faces to retain Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh at the end of the year.

The BJP's concerted push in Tripura, based on solid work at the grassroots, has given a jolt to the Left parties who have ruled the northeastern state for 25 years, and virtually decimated the Congress, which was the principal opposition party, with 36 percent vote share in 2013 polls.

With victory in Tripura, where the BJP had lost its deposit on 49 of 50 seats it contested in 2013 polls, the party has now set its eyes on winning Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha - three other states where it has traditionally been on a weak wicket.

BJP's victory in Tripura has come on the back of its victory in Assam and was its first direct contest with the Left parties.

With the National Democratic Alliance winning both Tripura and Nagaland and a hung house in Meghalaya, Mizoram is now the only state northeastern state out of ambit of NDA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving a special thrust to the development of northeast since he came to power in 2014 and has been sending central ministers on regular tours to the region, which has severe development challenges and has faced challenge of militancy.

The government has also worked towards sustaining peace in the northeast and improving its connect with the neighbouring countries for enhanced business opportunities.

For a party seen to be inextricably linked to Hindutva, the outcome in Tripura coupled with improved performance in Christian-majority Nagaland and Meghalaya has come as a morale-booster. The northeast region has 25 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress tally came down in Meghalaya, where it was in power, and it failed to open its account Tripura and Nagaland. The northeast has been a Congress bastion in the past but in both Tripura and Nagaland it was barely in contest.

The party was short of resources and some of its internal differences came out in the open. Five of its 23 candidates in Nagaland withdrew from the contest due to severe shortage of funds.

The party's Nagaland unit president, Kewe Khape Therie, complained that its candidates were on an "abandoned ship" and sought resignation of AICC general secretary-in-charge C.P. Joshi for the failures of the party in the northeast.

Saturday's poll outcome seems to have interrupted the momentum that the Congress was building against the Modi government following its improved performance in Gujarat and the bypoll victories in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

The party would have to make more concerted efforts to pin down the Modi government on the issue of corruption over the huge frauds in public sector banks and the flight of the main accused from the country.

If the Congress is not able to cobble together a majority in Meghalaya, it will be left in power in only in Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and the union territory of Puducherry.

The party has the onerous task of defending Karnataka, with the BJP now likely to focus all its energies to wrest the southern state.

If the Congress loses Karnataka, it will be left with Punjab as the only major state in its kitty, making the task of its revival ahead of 2019 polls that much more difficult.

The Congress continues to face organisational challenges with the likely revamp by its new president Rahul Gandhi nowhere in sight.

The Congress faces a formidable opponents in Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah who work in synergy to deliver electoral results. The BJP also appears to have developed an expertise in booth-level management and has considerably expanded its footprint since its victory in 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress is holding its plenary later this month and has to work out a strategy to arrest its downward slide while getting back to its winning ways.

(Prashant Sood can be contacted at prashant.s@ians.in)Manama, March 3 : Security authorities in Bahrain arrested 116 suspected terrorist with Iranian links in an operation to combat terrorism and external interference in the country's internal affairs, according to a government statement on Saturday.

The individuals were arrested for wide range of terror crimes, including planning and executing terror attacks as well as manufacturing, storing and transporting explosive devices.

"Comprehensive investigations revealed that the suspected terrorists were members of a network formed and supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)," said the statement posted on the state-run Bahrain News Agency.

"The network was planning to target Bahraini officials, members of the security authorities and vital oil installations, with the objective of disturbing public security and harming the national economy.

The statement said the IRGC and its affiliates including the Asaib Ahl al-Haq (League of Righteous People) in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon "were directly responsible for the intensification of terrorist activity in Bahrain by providing material, recruitment and training support to terrorists."

"The investigations revealed that terror cells within the network were operating under the supervision of IRGC-affiliated groups and fugitive terrorist leaders in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon," it added.

The investigation also revealed that 48 of the 116 suspected terrorists arrested had received training at IRGC facilities in Iran and their affiliated locations in Iraq and Lebanon.

Security agencies as part of the counter terrorism operations discovered a number of sites used to manufacture and store explosives intended to be used for terrorist attacks.

Items seized during raids include high grad explosives, chemicals used to manufacture bombs, kalashnikovs, pistols, ammunition and detonators.Agartala/Shillong/Kohima, March 3 : The stunning saffron surge in the northeast on Saturday decimated the Left in Tripura -- one of its last two citadels -- with the BJP ousting the CPI-M from power after 25 long years and looking to form a coalition government in Nagaland while eyeing power in Meghalaya with the help from anti-Congress parties.

The BJP Parliamentary Board met in the evening and expressed confidence that the party would form governments in Nagaland and Meghalaya also, claiming it has got absolute majority with allies in the two states that have thrown up fractured verdicts.

Riding on Saturday's electoral victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party President Amit Shah told BJP workers that their goal now should be to capture power in Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha.

Pulling of a historic victory, the BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal-dominated party, together won 43 out of 59 Tripura constituencies. The BJP on its own won 35 seats, four more than the half-way mark, while its ally IPFT won eight seats. In a remarkable performance, the alliance swept all the 20 seats reserved for tribals.

The BJP, which had no MLAs in the outgoing Assembly and polled just 1.5 per cent votes in the 2013 elections, losing deposits in 49 of the 50 constituencies it contested, secured over 42 per cent of votes in the February 18 Tripura elections.

Tripura Pradesh BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb, who won from Banamalipur, is tipped to be the Chief Ministerial choice.

The CPI-M which headed the ruling Left Front was reduced to just 15 seats -- down from 50 in the last elections. None of its partners, including the CPI, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, could open their account.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who has been heading the Left Front government for the last 20 years, was leading from Dhanpur but counting was stalled after a complaint by the BJP.

The Congress, which had 10 members in the outgoing assembly, drew a blank this time.

Polling in Charilam (Reserved-Tribal) was deferred to March 12 after CPI-M candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma died a week before the February 18 polls. Votes for this will be counted on March 15.

In Nagaland, the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) won 27 of the 60 assembly seats while the BJP got 11.

Interestingly, the BJP has two ministers in the NPF government but had stitched a pre-poll alliance with the National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) that won 16 seats.

The NPF headed by Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang has already passed a resolution, expressing its desire to continue its alliance with the BJP. BJP leaders have also given enough indications of going with the NPF, possibly dumping ally NDPP.

The voting was held in 59 of the total 60 constituencies as three-time Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of the NDPP was declared elected unopposed from Northern Angami-II constituency.

Meghalaya, once a Congress bastion, appeared headed for a non-Congress government. Emerging as the single largest party, the ruling Congress won 21 seats -- down from 29 seats it had won in 2013 -- in the 60-member Assembly.

The National People's Party (NPP), a possible BJP ally, won 19 seats. The BJP got two.

With power at the Centre, the BJP can cobble a post-poll coalition to form a government by roping in smaller parties with the NPP at the head. The smaller winning parties include PDF (4), UDP (6) and HSPDP (2). The KHNAM and NCP have won one seat each and independents three.

Addressing party workers in Delhi, Modi and Shah hailed the verdict in the northeast as historic and said the goal for the party workers should be to capture power in Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal.

Briefing reporters after the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram will go to Agartala to oversee the election of legislature party leader in the state.

The party also decided to depute Nadda and General Secretary Arun Singh to Kohima and Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and K.J. Alphons to Shillong to hold talks with regional parties and try and form governments in the two states.New Delhi, March 3 : The BJP said on Saturday it and its allies have got full majority in Meghalaya, where results have thrown up a hung Assembly, and appointed Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons as observers in the state.

The BJP also appointed Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram as observers in Tripura, where it scored a stunning victory.

In Nagaland, where NDA has scored a victory, Union Minister J.P. Nadda and General Secretary Arun Singh have been appointed as observers.

The names of observors were announced by Nadda after a meeting of BJP Parliamentary Board.

The party observers will meet the newly-elected MLAs to ascertain their views on government formation.

In Tripura, the party has to decide the name of the next Chief Minister.

In a statement, the Parliamentary Board party thanked the voters of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya for reposing overwhelming support for the BJP, its allies and friendly parties.

It said the result of Tripura Assembly has been most significant.

"One of the few surviving Left enclaves has been demolished. The politics of violence has been defeated by the power of democracy in Tripura. The BJP, its allies and friendly parties have secured an absolute majority in the assembly of Nagaland and Meghalaya. The party is confident of formation of the government with its allies," the statement said.

It said the National Democratic Alliance government has worked relentlessly for the development of the northeastern states.

"This is a mandate for peace, stability and development," the party said.New Delhi, March 3 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paused his speech for Azaan during his visit to the new BJP central office after party's stunning victory in Tripura.

Soon after he began his speech, Modi told the gathering of enthusiastic party workers that he was pausing for 'azaan', the Muslim call to the faithful for prayer, audible from a mosque. He resumed his speech later with slogans of "Bharat Mata ki Jai."

Modi also asked the assembled gathering to observe silence in memory of party workers who had lost their lives in political violence in Tripura and other Left-ruled states.

"Many workers have laid down their lives. Only due to their ideology, our innocent workers have been killed. But the poorest of poor and illeterate have given answer to that with their vote," Modi said.

While the BJP scored an emphatic victory in Tripura, it improved its performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya.Hyderabad, March 3 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said an alternative to both BJP and Congress would emerge soon to bring qualitative change in the Indian politics.

He told reporters that the talks in this regard had already started and it would soon take some shape.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President claimed that people want change as the present political system had miserably failed and said he was ready to play an active role in bringing that change.

"I am 64. If I can help bring the change and serve the country for few years, I will definitely do it," he said.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, believes that the once the process for change begins, it will spread like wildfire.

"Change should come in the people. The tools for this change could be coalition, front, or anything," he said.

KCR also did not rule out joining hands with Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a partner in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. TDP, the ruling party in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, has threatened to walk out of the alliance over the BJP not fulfilling the commitments made to the state.

Stating that there is no difference between BJP and Congress, he said these two parties were in power for almost the entire period since independence but even after 70 years there is no qualitative change.

"No qualitative change could be seen by people even after 70 years of democratic exercise. This is unfortunate. People are vexed now," he said.

The TRS chief did not attach any significance to Saturday's results in three northeastern states, where BJP has done well. "You will have different results in different states," he said.New Delhi, March 3 : Describing the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) job scam as similar to Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress on Saturday demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The party said incidents of mass cheating, question paper leak and proxy students is the modus operandi used in the Vyapam scam as well.

"We demand that this scam, which is at the same scale as Vyapam, perhaps even bigger that it, should be probed by the CBI," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala in a statement while extending complete support to the agitating students.

Slamming the Modi government for what he said was silence on the issue, Surjewala said that students from across the country have been protesting on the streets of Delhi for several days to highlight the "corruption" in the SSC recruitment exam.

Surjewala said that the issue is very important as the SSC conducts recruitment examinations for various Ministries and more than 10 million students appear for around 12,000 to 40,000 government posts.

"Question papers are leaked in an orchestrated manner and price of their future is being quoted from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh. These allegations need a thorough probe," said the Congress leader.Hyderabad, March 3 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said an alternative to both BJP and Congress would emerge soon to bring qualitative change in the Indian politics.

He told reporters that the talks in this regard had already started and it would soon take some shape.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) President claimed that people want change as the present political system had miserably failed and said he was ready to play an active role in bringing that change.

"I am 64. If I can help bring the change and serve the country for few years, I will definitely do it," he said.

KCR, as Rao is popularly known, believes that the once the process for change begins, it will spread like wildfire.

"The country has to move in new direction. People should think about it otherwise we will remain the same. How long we will hear stories of the progress in the US and China," he asked.

"Change should come in the people. The tools for this change could be coalition, front, or anything," he said.

Stating that there is no difference between the BJP and Congress, he said these two parties were in power for almost the entire period since independence but even after 70 years there is no qualitative change.

"No qualitative change could be seen by people even after 70 years of democratic exercise. This is unfortunate. People are vexed now," he said.

The TRS chief did not attach any significance to Saturday's results in three northeastern states, where BJP has done well. "You will have different results in different states," he said.

He said BJP could bring no changes. He criticized it for not doing anything for farmers.

"If tomorrow Congress comes to power, nothing will change. Only the names of the schemes will change," he said.

"Qualitative change is not taking place in both the regimes. What has happened so far is unsatisfactory. Why there are naxalites in this country. Why there is so much unrest. Why there are social fights everywhere. Why Dalits and tribals are fighting," he asked.

KCR also did not rule out joining hands with Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a partner in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. TDP, the ruling party in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, has threatened to walk out of the alliance over the BJP not fulfilling the commitments made to the state.

Recalling that he was the first Chief Minister to support demonetisation, KCR said he thought it will yield dividends and curb black money. Similarly, he supported Goods and Services Tax (GST) as he thought the move would improve taxation.

KCR said he had nothing personally against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described him as his best friend.

"I have nothing against Modi or BJP. I am against the slow progress of the country. The slow pace of progress is not digestible," he said.

The Chief Minister denied making comment in his recent speech in Karimnagar to insult Modi, saying he had respect for him.

KCR, however, found fault with the BJP leaders who are targeting him for criticizing Modi. "This is democracy. When there is a situation, we can criticize the prime minister," he said.

The TRS president said that he doesn't recognize BJP as a political party in Telangana. He termed as joke the statements of some BJP leaders that BJP will come to power in the state in the next elections.Retire-IT, a software company that automates IT asset disposition, has named Bill Martin Executive Vice President of Sales and Channels.

Martin brings over 30 years of experience in information security and technology solution sales to his role at Retire-IT. He has a proven track record of building highly successful sales teams and delivering results from startups to public companies. Recently Martin served as President of Resource One Solutions for fifteen years. Prior to Resource One, Martin served eight years as Regional President for SARCOM (now part of PCM). He received his Bachelors degree from Kent State University, majoring in Computer Science and his MBA from The Ohio State University. Martin will report to Retire-IT CEO Kyle Marks.

Companies constantly replace outdated computers but struggle to explain what happens to them, creating enormous security and compliance risk. On October 9th 2017 Compliance Standards revealed that 22% of retired assets remain missing.

Manual administrative efforts not only waste time, they result in millions of missing assets. Retire-IT is the only software that automates asset disposition and eliminates missing assets. Companies get to eliminate unexplained assets, not to mention days and weeks of manual labor without changing their disposal vendor, said Martin. I am honored to join such a high-caliber team as we grow our sales and account staff worldwide.

"Bill bring decades of experience and a significant record of achievement in business development and channel sales," said Kyle Marks, CEO of Retire-IT. "With his deep industry understanding and experience, Bill will be instrumental as we expand our customer base worldwide."

Martin joins Retire-IT as it plans to roll-out a separate software offering.

Many mistake Retire-IT as a recycler. It may surprise some to learn that Retire-IT has always been a software company. The Retire-IT services team manages ITAD programs for hundreds of companies, but the secret sauce has been purpose-built software and unique technology-enabled process that drives down customer costs, reduces their risk, and creates scalability and transparency.

I was excited to learn of the success our clients realize with the software, and Im equally excited about the opportunity in front of Retire-IT as we engage the market with an unequalled solution that changes the way companies view the retirement of data bearing assets, continued Martin.

Media: Photo of Bill Martin is available upon request.

About Retire-IT

Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Retire-IT is the only software that automates IT asset disposition for companies to reduce costs, reduce risk and ensure compliance in an era of increasing privacy concerns. Rules-based reconciliation and automatic updates keep systems up-to-date, so IT asset managers are free to focus on more important tasks."We love our clients! We view so many of our long-term customers as extended family. Their support on social media affirms our long-term commitment to serving them." said Jim Mount, President of Phoenix Cleaning Solutions.

Raleigh carpet cleaning company Phoenix Cleaning Solutions announces the receipt of customer satisfaction and industry recognition awards from Angies List, Yelp, and HomeAdvisor. For the fifth year in a row, this Raleigh carpet cleaners received Angies List Super Service Award. Phoenix Cleaning Solutions is also the 2017 Recipient of the People Love Us On Yelp Award. HomeAdvisor, the parent company of Angies List, cited Phoenix as a Trusted & Approved service provider.

Phoenix Cleaning Solutions has a firm commitment to providing the best quality service. As a leader in the Triangle area market for hot water extraction cleaning, they have sustained steady growth over the last 15 years. Their skill and expertise has enabled them to consistently deliver customer satisfaction. Their 800+ online reviews demonstrate that they are accomplishing their goal. This family-owned business strives to treat every home as if it were their own.

Phoenix Cleaning Solutions provides residential and commercial carpet cleaning services in Raleigh, North Carolina and greater Wake County. Our services include carpet cleaning, tile & grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning, air duct cleaning, area rug cleaning, and Oriental carpet cleaning. We are a family-owned business with multiple industry awards, industry certified technicians, glowing five-star reviews, and a BBB A+ rating.

# # #

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Jim Mount at 919-362-1054 or email at press(at)phoenixcleaningsolutions(dot)com.One Aviatrix at a time Being at the controls of a plane is a metaphor for taking control of your life,

MayCay Beeler, Adventurer-Aviatrix, Promotes Women Aviation

It was 53 years ago that the first woman, an American, flew solo around the world. Her name was Geraldine Mock. Not too much in women in aviation has changed since then.

MayCay Beeler wants to change thatone aviatrix at a time. Its her way this pilot/ TV personality has of honoring and promoting Woman of Aviation Worldwide Week.

There are too few women in aviation, said Ms. Beeler who is also the author of a fascinating true crime book Buccaneer, The Provocative Odyssey of Jack Reed.

She convinced her flying service at Greensboro, N.C. to hold a contest and two women were selected for free flights to promote women in aviation during the special week, Mar. 5-11.

Ms. Beeler, who will take the two on their maiden flight, has as her mission to promote women in aviation with what she calls her Diva Flight Experience.

It is her signature program for helping women feel more confident whether it is in business or their everyday relationships.

To randomly meet a woman pilot you would have to introduce yourself to 5,000 women, said Ms. Beeler. This figure has changed little over the years. It needs to change.

Traditionally, being a pilot was considered a boys club. MayCay wasnt buying that either for herself or other women.

Being at the controls of a plane is a metaphor for taking control of your life, said MayCay who is an FAA qualified flight instructor. The empowerment is contagious.

MayCay knows how to handle herself whether in a broadcast or print interview and has been a television personality in North Carolina.



Shes happy to answer any questions regarding The Diva Flight Experience, her own interesting career in aviation, TV.



What preparation does one need to take the Diva Flight Experience?

Does it cost an arm and a leg or is it reasonable?

How long does it take to become a pilot?

And just why are there not more female pilots?

MayCay is happy to take any and all of your questions.

Secure your interview with MayCay Beeler by contacting Olga Willard at olga.willard(at)allenmediastrategies(dot)com or calling (407) 927-7719.

Women Of Aviation Worldwide Week | Powered by iWOAW | 8th ...

http://www.womenofaviationweek.org

8th global aviation awareness week for girls of all ages aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Join us March 5-11, 2018.Welcome Guest! You Are Here:Special counsel Robert Mueller's office is investigating whether presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner used his position at the White House to benefit his family's real estate business, NBC News reported Friday.

Mueller's team has reportedly been asking witnesses about Kushner's various interactions with people from Russia, China, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emitrates both during and after the presidential transition.

The probe is part of Mueller's larger investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election and possible coordination between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russian officials.

Concerns about Kushner's business dealings while working in the White House have intensified in recent days.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that officials in China, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Mexico pinpointed Kushner's senior ranking in the Trump administration, his troubled financial dealings, and his lack of government experience as an opening for political influence.

The next day, The New York Times reported that the Kushner family business, Kushner Companies, received more than $500 million in loans last year from Apollo Global Management and Citigroup after Kushner met with top executives from those companies at the White House.

Then on Friday, The Intercept reported that Kushner's father, Charles, made a direct pitch to Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sharif Al Emadi last April to secure an investment for his company's property located at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The deal eventually fell through, the Intercept wrote. A month later, the Trump administration sided with Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against Qatar in a diplomatic row that rocked the region, singling out Qatar for its support of terrorists.

It's unclear whether the failed business deal between Charles Kushner and the Qatari finance minister had any influence on US foreign policy.

In a statement to The Times, a spokesman for Kushner's attorney said Kushner "has taken no part of any business, loans or projects with or for" Kushner Companies. The spokesman did acknowledge that Kushner had indeed met with "hundreds of business people" in the course of his official work.

NBC News also reported that Mueller's team has reached out to Turkish nationals in an effort to learn more about Kushner's business dealings.

Upon entering the White House, Kushner sold his stake in his family's 666 5th Ave. property and divested other properties into a family trust to avoid potential conflicts of interest. But that hasn't enough to quell suspicion that he may be using his proximity to the president as financial leverage to benefit his family's company.

Trump, meanwhile, is furious over the negative attention brought on by Kushner's legal entanglements, according to a New York Times report published Thursday.

In the past, Trump has said that Mueller would be crossing "a red line" if he ventured into the Trump family's finances, which includes those of Kushner.

When asked whether he would fire Mueller such an investigation, Trump was noncommittal.Primetime Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson used a segment during his show Friday night to focus on a recent report that rated California last in terms of quality of life among the 50 US states.

"How do you take a place that was as world famous as Eden and in 50 years, make it the worst place in America?" Carlson asked his guest, radio talk show host Ethan Bearman.

When Bearman suggested that overpopulation might be one of the reasons for California's poor quality of life, Carlson interjected.

"Hold on, where do the majority in the past 30 years  where do the majority of those people come from?" he asked. "Do they come from the Midwest? No, they came from a third world country. Do you think that might have something to do with it?"

Carlson continued: "The overwhelming majority [of immigrants] have come from Latin America. And a lot of them are awesome people, and smart, and add a lot, and even the super poor ones, I think a lot of them are really great people. But the truth is, if you import millions of really poor people with no education, it doesn't mean they are bad people, but maybe your state gets a lot more like the countries they left."

As the conversation proceeded, news chyrons flashed at the bottom of the broadcast.

"California Chaos: Drug Needles in the Streets," one read.

"Is California Turning Third World?" read another.

In response to Carlson's segment, California Rep. Devin Nunes, the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee, took to Twitter to blame California's troubles on high taxes.

"My daughter sees @TuckerCarlson report on TV saying California is becoming 3rd world and asks me why," Nunes said in a tweet. "I tell her CA has highest taxes in USA that make it hard for people to afford to live here. She responds 'Dont you get paid to fix it?'"

Since the release of the state rankings report by US News & World Report earlier this week, some conservatives latched onto it as proof of what they believe to be the state's failed left-leaning leadership.

"Isn't liberalism grand?" Newsmax TV host Wayne Allyn Root said in a tweet. "California has become a cross between Cuba and Northern Mexico. Third world commie foreign state."

The rankings considered two sets of metrics for each state, including the natural environment (comprising drinking-water quality, air quality, and pollution and industrial toxins) and the social environment (comprising community engagement, social support, and voter participation).

In other metrics, California didn't fare nearly as poorly. US News & World Report deemed its economy the fourth best in the nation, and its business environment claimed the No. 1 spot. The state also ranked 11th in healthcare.

But California does have its problems, including a rising homelessness population.

Over the last year, the homeless population has increased by 14%, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. More than 130,000 people in the state are homeless, which makes up about a quarter of the entire homeless population in the US.

In 2016, California lawmakers proposed spending $2 billion to build shelters for the state's homeless and to provide facilities for mentally ill people on the streets.The solution, designed to address the respective needs of schools, teaching and non-teaching staff and even suppliers who conduct various businesses with the educational institutions, will range from asset financing, project financing to personal loans.

READ ALSO: TUTAG threatens to embark on strike

Speaking at the launch, the Director of Education  Pre Tertiary Institutions, Mrs. Catherine Appiah-Penkra said, the education of the citizenry remains a critical agenda of Government.

One of the deepest concern is the collaboration of the private sector to support this agenda. I will commend afb Ghana for this move and encourage other players within the financial services landscape to join the course to enhance the quality of education in Ghana.

It is my hope, that with the provision of this support, owners and management of schools and other players within the value chain will take advantage it, as well as meet their obligations in a timely manner to make this solution sustainable.

Mr. Arnold Parker, Managing Director of afb Ghana said: this year, we are committed to supporting the education sector with a 10-million-dollar fund to finance school projects, assets acquisition and personal loans for all parties within Ghanas educational system.

He also added, I am confident that this solution will help to improve Ghanaian lives as it ensures access to good quality education which is a key agenda for the government of Ghana.

Mr. James Abuyeh, Head of Financial Inclusion at afb, also added that the move to launch this solution has come as a result of the insufficient financial support to players within the education ecosystem.Family, friends and love ones are expected to converge in Church for her burial service.

Born Francisca Maame Yaa Teboa Nkansah, Franky died in the accident that claimed the life of Afro-Dancehall musician Ebony Reigns on Thursday, February 8.

Before her shocking death, Franky resided in Clarksville Tennessee in the US.

A US-based reporter, Valentine, who went to the house of Franky said her father, Elder Nkansah, and other family members are preparing to come to Ghana for the funeral.

Franky, as she was affectionately called, died in a gruesome road accident on Thursday night February 8, 2018, with her musician friend, Ebony, at Nyame Bekyere near Mankranso in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region after their vehicle collided with a VIP bus.

Franky had accompanied Ebony to visit her mother in Sunyani and were returning to Accra when the incident occurred.

Valentine said when he went to the house of the deceased, her father, surrounded by mourners, sat quietly, in a pensive mood.

The distraught family members of Franky, according to Valentine, say they cant come to terms with the shocking death of their beloved daughter.

The funeral will be held at Achimota Mile 7 in Accra per the familys schedule.Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!The mammal broke into the SMK Telupid school in the north-eastern Malaysian state of Sabah while the pupils and staff dived under tables as the huge elephant roamed the halls.

It is unclear if the hungry elephant, filmed in the canteen, had something to eat before leaving.

Police chief V. Shivananthan confirmed the incident, according to the Daily Mail, and said the day before around ten pachyderms got into the grounds of his police station in the neighbouring district of Beluran.

Nobody was injured in either incident.

According to the Wildlife Rescue Unit vet Diana Ramirez, a small herd of elephants have been misbehaving around human settlements.

He said that four of the most aggressive elephants have been caught and that they will be relocated.But as adults, changing an aspect of our physical selves often symbolizes something bigger about the women we are...and are on our way to becoming.

In our January/February 2018 issue, we asked six writers to explain how these moments transformed them in ways that go far beyond lipstick tubes and hair dyes. Here's one woman's story:

I was 25 years old and had been living in New York City for less than a month but was already wondering if being there was a bad idea. I had moved from San Francisco for a job where my new boss routinely called me before 6 a.m. so I could take notes on his stream-of-consciousness thoughts about how to improve the small, failing magazine he'd founded.

My boyfriend of seven years had moved with me but was in a depressed funk. He worked from home and seemed to go days without leaving our block in Brooklyn.

This exfoliant will make your skin feel as refreshed as if you'd just left the beach, available at the Women's Health Boutique.

I was overworked, confused, lonely, and routinely lost navigating the subway. One day my boss yelled at me because he didn't like how I was organizing files, and I lost it. I cried right there in the middle of the office for everyone to see.

This wasn't just tearing up, but a major cry, an I'm-so-overwhelmed- I-can't-hide-it-anymore cry.

Luckily, my coworker Nicole took pity on me. She was the same age as me but more slick and polished and had lived here since she was 22.

She took me by the elbow and whispered that we were leaving the office for the rest of the day. We got in a cab and headed uptown. "We're going to J. Sisters for Brazilians," she said. I had never even had a bikini wax before.

The seven Padilha sisters from Brazil, whose first names all start with J, began offering their signature wax in the mid-'90s. The Brazilian was suited for teeny-tiny bikini bottoms and left little to no hair.

In Manhattan, it was a kind of high-maintenance point of pride and had a cult following with a plotline on Sex and the City. In the lobby of the townhouse their salon occupied was a headshot of Gwyneth Paltrow signed "You changed my life!!"

Learn about some of the crazy beauty treatments women have used throughout history:

The pain of the wax, Nicole told me, would take my mind off my emotional pain. When my name was called, a very efficient woman dressed in white asked me if I wanted anything leftshe meant hair. I asked her what she recommended. "Remove all of it." I nodded. She got to work.

The wax was warm and almost soothing, followed by a tug that made me wonder if my labia was going to be ripped off. It wasn't, but the pain was burning and persistent, something the late writer Christopher Hitchenshe wrote a profile of a wax job from the very same salonsaid "was like being tortured for information that you do not possess." And it repeated: moment of warmth, rip, warmth, rip, for a very long 20 minutes, until I was bald.

But when I put my underwear back on, then my dress, and walked over to the front counter, I felt slinky, like I had a secret, like I had matured in that 20 minutes. For that privilege I paid $75, and I booked my next appointment on the spot.

Fifteen years later, I've kept up with the ritualit still brings me the same rush of confidence. I moved on from the J. Sisters years ago and now have a standing monthly appointment at Spruce & Bond. Tell Tara I sent you.Its what Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon are aiming to create for their workers  health care that improves satisfaction and reduces costs, according to a news release out Tuesday.

The initial focus of the new company will be on technology solutions that will provide U.S. employees and their families with simplified, high-quality and transparent health care at a reasonable cost, the announcement says.

Altogether, the three behemoths employ almost a million people in the U.S., according to NPR. JPMorgan Chase is a global financial services firm and one of the largest banking institutions in the United States; Berkshire Hathaway is an American multinational conglomerate that owns businesses that range from insurance and utilities to underwear and ice cream; Amazon specializes in e-commerce and more.

Theyre still in the early planning phase, and where the company will be headquartered and its key operational details are yet to come. In the announcement, Bezos nods to the fact that its going to be a formidable endeavor.

The health care system is complex, and we enter into this challenge open-eyed about the degree of difficulty," he says. Hard as it might be, reducing healthcares burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees and their families would be worth the effort. Success is going to require talented experts, a beginners mind, and a long-term orientation.

What it'll mean for the average guy still isn't clear, but one expert says hes hopeful.

The healthcare industry is really ready and ripe for a change, Sam Hanna, professor and program director of Health Informatics and the Analytic Masters Program at the George Washington Universitys Milken Institute School of Public Health, told Mens Health. This will enable the average man to have better access to better services at a much more reasonable price. It could be small things, like better access to preventive healthcare and understanding more about your overall healthcare use through the use of technology."

Hanna predicts that the three powerhouses will be able to merge their strengths in technology, innovation, analytics, underwriting and insurance, and mergers and acquisitions and build something new."

One other perk stemming from the partnership is that it might act as a shot in the arm of other healthcare companies, encouraging them to start innovating faster, too. Insurance companies have been talking about these things for some time but have been very slow to innovate, Hanna says.Parallels were immediately drawn to the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014, which captured world attention and contributed to the ouster of Goodluck Jonathan.

The man who defeated him in elections in 2015, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, campaigned hard on security, lambasting Jonathan's record and vowing to defeat the rebels.

Certainly Boko Haram is not as strong as it was in 2014, when it held swathes of territory across the northeast.

But there is a growing sense the government's handling of the insurgency could once again feature prominently in the run-up to next year's vote.

Security consultant Don Okereke said the Dapchi abduction, which Buhari has called "a national disaster", was a "political game-changer".

"The Chibok schoolgirls' abduction undermined Goodluck Jonathan's re-election bid. I think Buhari is in tow if he eventually makes up his mind to run," he told AFP.

"My deduction is that propaganda could help win an election but it takes much more than spin to govern a nation."

Loss of confidence

Even before Dapchi, there were doubts about whether the government and military's claims in the counter-insurgency matched the reality on the ground.

Buhari's declaration in December 2015 that Boko Haram, which just a year earlier held swathes of territory in the northeast, was "technically defeated" has become a familiar refrain.

Yet every pronouncement has been followed by a new suicide bombing and raid. Data suggests there has been little change in extent of the violence in the last two years.

On Friday, eight soldiers and three aid workers were killed in an attack in Rann, near the border with Cameroon.

The UN said Boko Haram had "superior firepower" and were armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and gun trucks.

Freedom C. Unuoha, a political scientist at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, said confidence in the government's ability to provide security was being "deflated by repeated attacks".

"The questions Nigerians are asking is how come a group that has been defeated... would be able to carry out such an audacious attack to abduct more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, in a region under the control of the military."

Lessons not learned

Buhari, 75, has yet to declare his intention to seek a second term. Should he do so, it is more than likely Boko Haram's supposed defeat will feature prominently in the campaign.

But Dapchi casts a shadow over any gains and already, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sensed an opening it can exploit.

Its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration were responsible for the kidnapping and had given an incomplete picture.

"The Buhari presidency has put Nigerians at risk by deceiving the people and issuing false performance indices suggesting that insurgents have been completely routed," he said.

Matthew Page, an associate fellow with the Africa Programme at the Chatham House think-tank in London, said Dapchi demonstrated that little had been learned from Chibok.

"The Nigerian security establishment still has not fully mobilised to tackle insecurity in the northeast nor do they have a sustainable vision for safeguarding communities they've liberated," he added.

"The result is a never-ending game of cat-and-mouse where a stubborn insurgency refuses to give up because it is able to evade and exploit a weak, corrupt, and ineffective security apparatus."

Good news needed

Dapchi can not only be seen as part of a series of setbacks in the northeast but in a wider context of security challenges across the country that are stretching the military, analysts say.

In recent months, Buhari has been blamed for failing to curb a resurgence of violence in central and southern states between nomadic herdsmen and farmers.

Equally, separatist sentiment from pro-Biafran supporters remains high in the southeast while the oil-rich south is still fragile after a wave of militant attacks on pipelines.

Buhari's fanatical northern support base is unlikely to be swayed by such issues but could influence voters he needs to win in key southern constituencies, said analyst Chris Ngwodo.

Nigeria's economy is limping back to growth after recession while there is little apparent progress in Buhari's much-vaunted anti-corruption drive.Matthew Ball, a first soloist who recently made his debut in the role, would take his place.

Judging by the loud groan, it was a huge disappointment for the audience, many of whom had probably never seen Hallberg perform with Osipova, a principal with the Royal Ballet since 2013.

And how must he have felt? Hallberg returned to the stage just 14 months ago, after a 2 1/2-year injury-filled break and a painful, painstaking fight back to physical prowess. (Dancing with Osipova again, he has said, was one of his strongest motivations.)

Until the announcement, there was little indication of a problem. Albrecht, the nobleman who disguises himself as a peasant to court the lovely village girl Giselle, doesnt have a great deal of dancing in Act 1. If Hallberg seemed slightly muted in those passages, with legs and jumps kept low, it was in keeping with the effortless air of nobility that he brought to the role from the moment he arrived on stage.

His Albrecht is genuinely infatuated with Giselle, rather than a cad with a seduction plan. By the end of the act, Hallberg seemed aware of the depth of his feelings, appalled by the vast error and consequences of his actions.

That he could convey all this while negotiating a just-suffered injury is a tribute to his artistry and to that of Osipova, who offered a rivetingly original account of the role.

Most ballerinas play Giselle as a shy, charming, innocent village girl who readily falls for the mysterious (and perhaps calculating) stranger she has just met.

Osipovas Giselle may be naive, but she rushes at life with gusto and sensuality. The moment when Osipova and Hallberg first lock eyes has a Romeo and Juliet electricity: You can almost see the shock of physical sensation and recognition, and feel the inexperienced Giselles confusion and momentary fear at these unfamiliar emotions.

But her passion overwhelms that fear; for once, the characters love of dancing  an idea stated repeatedly in the first act  is perfectly aligned with her take-no-prisoners personality.

There is a wildness, sometimes even an ungainliness in Osipovas dancing here that suggests how her Giselle is animated by raw emotion.

When she dances for the courtiers who have turned up during a hunt, a sustained balance in arabesque becomes an expression of sheer joy, her final circle of chaines  quick whirling turns done in a circle  a thrilling expression of an uncontainable inner vitality.

This all goes a long way in explaining Albrechts growing enthrallment.

But Giselle has a weak heart, something Osipova points up more acutely than most interpreters, with small private moments of pain. When she discovers Albrechts betrayal, the shock is greater than she can withstand. She goes heartbreakingly, unprettily mad, then dies. (I cried.)

In Act 2, Giselle has been transformed into a Wili, one of the vengeful ghosts of jilted women who haunt the forest at night. Osipovas extraordinary high, weightless jumps and almost uncannily floating arms were thrillingly beautiful. In her tender passion for Albrecht, and her fearless confrontation with the Wilis as she protected him, you could recognize the impetuous, passionate girl of Act 1.

Ball, who had performed Albrecht only once before, did heroic duty in stepping into Hallbergs shoes. Although he and Osipova have rarely danced together, there was no visible strain or discordance in their pas de deux, and he offered a convincing account of Albrechts back-from-the-brink despair as Giselle finally vanished forever.

Afterward, as the curtain rose on the cast, Osipova pushed Ball forward and applauded. The day was saved. Now lets hope that Hallberg will be back for his next scheduled Giselle here, on March 9.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.More often, there is an aggressive response to accusations, leaving colleagues and business partners in a state of doubt  or denial.

Last month, Paul Marciano, a founder of Guess, said he was temporarily relinquishing his day-to-day responsibilities at his company after Kate Upton accused him of groping, harassment, intimidation and firing her from jobs. He called her accusations preposterous.

Patrick Demarchelier, who is one of the most famous photographers working; Karl Templer, a top stylist; and Greg Kadel, a photographer known for his work with Victorias Secret, were all named in a recent Boston Globe report about sexual harassment in the fashion business.

After three models said that Templer had touched them carelessly, he issued an open letter that said he was sorry if he had ever inadvertently treated a model disrespectfully or without due care. Kadel, accused of assault, had a representative say that he had never sexually coerced or assaulted anyone in his life. But Demarchelier, accused of aggressive and unwanted advances? People lie and they tell stories, he told The Globe.

When The New York Times published accusations from more than a dozen male models and photography assistants that the photographer Mario Testino had sexually harassed or assaulted them in the course of work, he was also not apologetic. Through his lawyers, Testino said that some of his accusers were mentally ill or were disgruntled employees.

Giovanni Testino, Marios brother, is a founder of Art Partner, an influential agency that represents photographers, creative directors and stylists, including the photographer Terry Richardson.

In January, Giovanni sent a letter to his clients, obtained by The Times, criticizing reporting on sexual harassment. It read, in part: Im sure you all have read the allegations against my brother Mario in the papers this weekend. I am shocked by the news and am deeply saddened and disturbed by this phenomenon where media has take upon itself to be both judge and jury; where one is guilty until proven innocent based only on accusations.

Last week, Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior, provided a statement on the allegations about Templer, who had styled the houses shows since she joined the brand, and with whom she had worked at Valentino. I really hope that the truth will come out very soon, she wrote. I think in this difficult period it is wise to give Karl Templer the time to officially clarify the situation so that we can continue our collaboration in the very near future.

The fashion companies who moved quickly to distance themselves from Testino  and from the photographer Bruce Weber, who was also accused in The Times article by models of sexualized abuse of his authority  also had caveats.

Conde Nast declared it would not work with Testino and Weber for the foreseeable future, which New York magazine recently characterized as not exactly Times Up  more like Lets Give It Time.

At a Bottega Veneta show in New York City last month, Stephen Gan, the editor of V, asked a reporter if the whole thing with Weber would blow over  though he later said that he had no additional shoots scheduled with Testino.

All of this makes it seem possible that many of the men accused of misconduct will be welcomed back into the industry in the future. This could lead to even greater confusion about what is acceptable professional behavior, instead of real change.

Out of concern that fashion may revert to the status quo, since the publication of The Times article nearly two months ago, more male models and assistants have come forward to say they were harassed, often in situations linked to promises of work, by Testino between 1995 and 2015. Some said that they wanted to speak out now because of what they saw as attempts to undermine the previous accusers. Each of these men described making it clear to Testino that they were not going to have sex with him. For some, when they did, Testinos professional interest in them ended abruptly.

I continue to deny any wrongdoing, Testino said in a statement provided by his lawyers last week, when presented with new accusations from five men, bringing the total number of accusers to 18. However, in the current environment, accusations like the ones leveled against me have proved to be just as damning and devastating as actual proof of wrongdoing, which they are not. It has become nearly impossible  and certainly unpopular  for anyone to try and defend himself against these types of allegations. It is important to hear both sides of every story, with no preconceived ideas, before jumping to judgment.

Oliver Bjerrehuus, a Danish model who has appeared in advertising campaigns for Prada, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Nautica and Dolce & Gabbana, met Testino in the mid-'90s in Paris for a casting. Bjerrehuus assented to being photographed naked. But then, he said, Testino reached to grope his genitals and I grabbed his throat, he said. An assistant rushed in, and I said to Mario: Get that camera and shoot the picture. You at least owe me that. I told him that because I knew that if you did a shoot with Mario Testino or Bruce Weber, people would mention it and it would do something good for your career. But the pictures were never published, and he never worked for Testino again.

In 2010, Cory Bond, a model who has appeared in campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Guess, met Testino. In a recent Instagram post, Bond described an incident that began when Testino came for drinks with me, my wife and his friend, and talked of these amazing shoots that we could shoot together. When the two wound up alone together, Bond wrote: He got very close to me and just shoved his hand down my pants and I retreated backward. He told me, Everyone does this. I have couples that I love to shoot that do everything (whatever that meant). I said, Well, Im not everyone. He then immediately left. He never contacted me again.

That was around the time Shaun Hartas, then a 27-year-old aspiring photographer, began assisting Testino. There was nothing quite like getting to work for Testino, who that year photographed 10 Vogue covers.

Testino was smart and charismatic, the life of every party, Hartas said. But it came with a downside. I worked for him for 15 months, and for 15 months I was harassed. It never stopped, he said. Most mornings, he would pick Testino up at his apartment building on Bond Street and drive him to the set in a Range Rover.

Every day he would sit in the front and try to grab my genitals, Hartas said. He would ask, Are you straight or are you gay? Id say, Straight, and hed say, No, you have to be nothing. If youre nothing, you can be everything. The second you label yourself, you limit yourself. He would say, Maybe you can come to London and Paris?' Hartas recalled, It was like there was this lifestyle hed welcome you into if you gave him what he wants.

One morning that spring, Hartas and Testino were on their way to photograph Sarah Jessica Parker for the August cover of Vogue. According to Hartas, Testino was being particularly aggressive. Hartas asked him to stop fondling him. He said he was told by Testino to wait in the car during the shoot, and was never booked to work with Testino again. Two longtime fashion industry professionals corroborated that Hartas began telling them he was being harassed months before he stopped working for Testino.

In 2013, the photographer Edward Mulvihill started freelancing for Testino. Id been warned, he said. Id heard the stories going into this. The rumors were all true.

One of Mulvihills first tasks was traveling with Testino to Los Angeles, where they were shooting the fall 2013 campaign for Michael Kors and a new cover of Brazilian Vogue featuring Pamela Anderson. It was kind of a joke among the crew that being the new guy traveling to Los Angeles, you had to stay in Marios house the first night, and that youd better watch out, Mulvihill said.

After dinner, he returned to Testinos home in the Hollywood Hills. It was Mario trying to get me drunk, Mario trying to kiss me, and Mario trying to jump on me, he said. Later, we were riding in an elevator somewhere and he just shoved his hands down my pants and tried to finger me. Mulvihill was offered full-time work, which he declined. (Like Hartas, Mulvihill referred The Times to people who said that they had been told of this back then, years before allegations against Testino became public.)

Mulvihill and Hartas said that they were coming forward about Testino out of solidarity with the initial group of accusers. I dont want to see those brave men get discredited, Hartas said.

In 2015, Testino was back in Los Angeles, and was introduced by an agent to a model named Kenny Sale at a bar.

Much like Hartas, Sale said he was also asked repeatedly that evening if was straight or gay. He kept saying, So, are you into guys? and I would say, I have a girlfriend. He just brushed that off and said: Maybe you should try something new. Maybe youd like it.

Later, Sale ended up in a bathroom with Testino. He just pushes me up against the wall and sticks his tongue down my throat, Sale said. Id never experienced anything like that. He pressed me up against the wall again, and that time his hand went down my pants, first in the front and then around the back. He used his hand to give me a prostate exam.'

Sale said he was asked to drive Testino home and didnt know quite how to get out of it. As I was driving, he unbuttoned my pants and grabbed my penis, he said. I guess I could have pulled over, but I had a white-hot feeling going down my spine and I was so embarrassed I didnt know what to do.

He still questions himself and said he was also coming forward now out of solidarity with the men who came before him, though he hadnt met any of them. I dont want it to happen again, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.At age 26, Picardi, the head of Teen Vogue, is a rising star at this glossiest of magazine publishers, whose titles also include Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Architectural Digest.

Anna Wintour, the empress of fashion and Conde Nasts artistic director, has signaled her approval of Picardi in ways big and small, and in a phone interview she described him to me as marvelous.

He has worked at Conde Nast more or less since he was a freshman at New York University  I heard the Olsen twins went there  and distinguished himself with his performance as the digital editorial director of Teen Vogue.

Under his guidance, the magazines website reached a new audience when it published, soon after Election Day, an online opinion piece by Lauren Duca headlined Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America. The #resistance crowd favorited it, the president-elects fans denounced it, and social media users in the habit of sharing New Republic think pieces were unexpectedly tweeting about a publication known for fashion tips and relationship advice.

Teen Vogue gained further momentum when Dan Rather wrote about it on his Facebook page and Tucker Carlson sparred with Duca on Fox News. After that, Trevor Noah welcomed Picardi and the Teen Vogue editor, Elaine Welteroth, to The Daily Show, and the publication they oversaw was no longer just another magazine for adolescent girls.

Since then, Teen Vogue has shut down its print edition, but Picardi has collected new responsibilities. After Welteroth left Conde Nast in January, Conde Nast named him the chief content officer of Teen Vogue. He has also started a new digital project at the company, an LGBT community platform called Them, which has drawn support from advertisers including Burberry, Google, Lyft and GLAAD.

To Wintour, Picardi is someone who fits the cultural moment  hes the ideal promoter of a millennial-flavored brand of anti-Trump activism and identity politics that is gaining strength in a stormy political atmosphere.

He understands how young people are thinking today, Wintour said. Hes very activist, hes very engaged. He wants to make waves, which I think is important. He wants to cause a conversation, not in an angry way but in a helpful way.

At the Odeon, Picardi wore an outfit he referred to as his pajamas  midnight blue velvet pants and a matching shirt from the Sies Marjan label. Despite his swift rise at a company known for its Versailles-style office politics, Picardi said he was not the calculating sort. Im never making an effort to behave any differently or modify my behavior, he said over poached eggs and avocado.

It is not difficult to see why Picardi  who goes by Phill, with two Ls, thank you very much  has impressed his boss, particularly at a time when Conde Nast is looking for its next generation of (younger, cheaper) leaders. Even at his age, he is polished, with a repertoire of life-affirming stories. One of his go-tos: I got in trouble for bringing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera CDs to second-grade class because I was in Catholic school and they freaked out and said it was too sexual and I was like, Thats the point.'

During our interview, Picardi noted that Teen Vogues monthly traffic under his team had gone from 2 million unique visitors to 12 million. Not to toot my own horn, that is very hard, he said. Traffic has since fallen, but his success has resonated inside One World Trade.

People in the building are always referring to things that were instituted at Teen Vogue and now at Them, said Amy Astley, the editor of Architectural Digest and a former editor of Teen Vogue, who hired Picardi as an intern. I honestly think that people in the company wish him well and are not jealous of him and are learning from him.

Picardi grew up in North Andover, Massachusetts. His father, a devout Catholic, owned a technology company. His mother was a homemaker and an executive assistant. He had four siblings, including a sister who used to paint his nails pink and a brother named John Paul, after the pope. Family dinners sometimes included Picardis grandmother, who moved to America from a mountain village in Italy.

My dad used to pick the sausages out of the sauce and eat them with his fingers, and my mom would cry, Picardi said.

It made for a sometimes challenging environment for the young Picardi. I was gay, he said. G.A.Y., with an exclamation mark and a little asterisk.

He came out to his parents in the summer before ninth grade. It was 2 in the morning, and Picardi, who had just finished watching Queer as Folk, burst into their bedroom and said: Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you. His mother sobbed as he had his say. Ten minutes later, his father rolled over and asked what was going on. He had slept through it.

His parents sent him to a Catholic therapist and instructed him not to tell his neighbors, his friends or his younger brother. But with his identity solidified, he began shaping his future. Before coming out, he had wanted to be a lawyer. Now, he decided, he should work in fashion.

I watched Will & Grace, and thats what it felt like they were doing, more or less, he said.

At a bookstore, he picked up copies of Out and Details. Then he saw it: Vogue.

I picked up a copy of Vogue just because I was, like, I need to know about womens fashion now, because Im gay, he said. Jack and Will make fun of everything Grace wears on Will & Grace, so I need to be like that.

He helped start a charity fashion show at his high school, Central Catholic High School, called Catwalk4Cancer, which has since raised more than $250,000.

He had the ability to make people do what he wanted them to do, said Carmen Lonero, a teacher who served as his adviser on the project. I always knew he was going to do something that was special.

What set Picardi on a path toward working in magazines was a Vanity Fair cover story he read on Jennifer Aniston and the celebrity love triangle that involved Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

During his first week at NYU, Picardi attended New York Fashion Week, covering an Alexandre Herchcovitch show for the shopping and style website Racked. Some months later, he had the internship at teenvogue.com. He became a beauty intern after writing a blog post, BrowBeat: Confessions of an Over-Tweezed Teen, about his eyebrows, after a painful experience with online bullying. He graduated a year early and became head of Teen Vogues website at 23.

His duties have been expanded as Conde Nast is facing the financial challenges brought about by dwindling print circulations and listless ad sales. No longer a workplace of editors with endless expense accounts, the company is surrendering to the economic realities and staccato rhythms of digital journalism.

Radhika Jones, a former books editor at The New York Times, replaced Graydon Carter as the editor of Vanity Fair, which has laid off a number of senior staff members who had worked under him. Samantha Barry, a former executive producer at CNN, has taken over Glamour from another veteran editor, Cynthia Leive. In addition to closing Teen Vogues print edition, Conde Nast has reduced the print frequency of titles including GQ, Architectural Digest, W and Allure.

In this more parsimonious age, Picardi has emerged as the face of what Conde Nast calls its Next Gen network, which includes online titles like The Hive and Healthyish.

Until recently, another rising star at the company was Welteroth, who was named editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue in April. Not long after the announcement, Wintour asked Picardi to lunch. Over salmon, in a conference room in the building, she asked him what he wanted to do long term.

I had a very pretty clear idea in my mind how he was going to answer, but I wanted it, obviously, to come from him, Wintour said.

Picardi was not surprised by the question. I was ready for something new, he said. And I think she just sensed it.

He pitched her the idea for what would become Them.

Wintour was interested. As the magazine business contracts, Conde Nast has been betting on less expensive, digital projects, and Them could serve as a template.

It was a no-brainer, Wintour said. It just seemed like, yeah, this is right. This is what Conde Nast should be doing.

For anyone at the company or in the fashion world who had missed it, the bond between the Conde Nast artistic director and her new protege became all too clear in June at the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America awards dinner. Seated at Wintours table in the Hammerstein Ballroom, along with Nicole Kidman, Tory Burch and Huma Abedin, and wearing a Bally summer-weight suit the color of rose, was Picardi.

In November, Wintour stood at Picardis side at a Conde Nast party held in honor of Them at Mission Chinese Food, a hip restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Among the guests were Chelsea Manning and Rose McGowan.

The LGBT-centric platform is so new that it is hard to tell how it will fare. In its first three months, it attracted fewer than 1.5 million total unique visitors, according to internal data. Teen Vogue, though still enjoying its run as an online voice for progressive politics, has been unable to sustain its momentum. In the last three months of 2017, it drew on average fewer than 6 million monthly unique visitors.

Picardi said he was unfazed. I think uniques are less and less a standard-bearer of success, he said. His plans for Teen Vogue include a restructuring that would have one team devoted to the latest news and another focused on features. He also said he would like to turn last years outrage into action.

But if Picardis rise owes something to identity politics, the same line of thinking can be used against him. A recent Daily Beast article, for instance, questioned if he was the right person to run Teen Vogue.

By quietly installing a white man at its helm, Teen Vogue, a platform seeking to empower young intersectional feminists, has arguably taken a step backwards, the author argued. (I think whoever wrote that is not looking at the person, Wintour said.)

Picardis flair for riding a cultural wave continues to win him key fans in the building. I think theres no end to his potential, Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., Conde Nasts chief executive, said. Hes innovative, he knows the marketplace, he knows young people, he knows all ages, hes not afraid, hes courageous, hes a brand-builder, hes a culture-driver. And its just in his bones  its not like you trained him. Its just there.

When I asked Wintour if she thought Picardi could one day run Conde Nast, she did not swat away the question. For Phill, anything is possible, she said. Its his road to take.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Youre afraid of the NRA, right? he challenged one senator.

The next evening, Trump invited the leaders of the NRA to the White House. Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA! he wrote afterward. By Friday morning, his aides seemed to soften the presidents support for gun control measures opposed by the association, then denied that they were doing so.

If Trump and his team have yet to reach perfect coherence in their public messaging, it may stem from the presidents own tendency to veer sharply across the policy landscape. One moment he sounds ready to take on the gun lobby or unfair trading partners, and the next he is shifting gears and heading the opposite direction.

For all of the attention to the process chaos in the White House, recent days have made clear that there is also a policy chaos at work. While Trump has governed from the hard right for most of his presidency, he has at times confused some of his aides with seemingly ad hoc, gut-driven proposals that conflict with Republican orthodoxy. Where other politicians strain for at least the appearance of consistency, Trump shows no reluctance to think out loud and change his mind.

The week of wild policymaking has left lawmakers on Capitol Hill, investors on Wall Street and leaders around the world trying to make sense of it all. Republicans in Congress are wondering if Trump really intends to defy one of the partys most valued and powerful constituencies to push for gun restrictions that they say will never go anywhere in Congress. Corporate executives and foreign governments were guessing whether Trump would really follow through on his unscripted vow to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum and, if so, what that might mean.

Many people voted for Trump in order to throw a hand grenade into national politics, said former Rep. Timothy J. Roemer, D-Ind. It seems he has done the same thing to Capitol Hill, and no one knows from a tweet to an exchange in an Oval Office meeting whats next.

Struggling to explain his evolving positions, Trumps aides chose to emphasize his flexibility. At least this president is holding forth for everyone to see in a listening session, Kellyanne Conway, his counselor, said on Fox Business Network after conservatives expressed uncertainty about his publicly televised session on gun control. This is what leaders do so everyone can see how the conversation is unfolding.

Trump has always been something of an ideological shape-shifter, who once backed abortion rights, an assault rifle ban and universal health care but ran for president promising to put pro-life justices on the court, defend Second Amendment rights and repeal President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act.

Since taking office, Trump has mostly hewed to conservative policies like repealing environmental regulations, cutting taxes and increasing military spending. Indeed, the Heritage Foundation, the venerable conservative research institution in Washington, concluded that Trump has carried out 64 percent of its recommendations. Even President Ronald Reagan, revered at Heritage, had completed only 49 percent of its policy proposals by this stage of his administration.

But as this week demonstrated, Trump has also tacked against his partys traditional support for free trade and its genetic suspicion of all things Russian.

On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced the development of an invincible nuclear missile and even showed animation of a potential strike on Florida, where Trump spends many weekends, including this one. But the president had no response to the implicit threat, just as he has resisted condemning Moscow for its interference in the 2016 elections.

Trump has been consistently vocal on trade, pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and threatening to scrap NAFTA if it is not renegotiated to his liking. But he has been on a different page from some of his top aides, like Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Gary D. Cohn, the national economics adviser, both formerly at Goldman Sachs.

In January, Mnuchin sought to play down the possibility of a major rupture with trading partners even as he said the president would guard U.S. interests. Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, where international corporate chieftains and investors had gathered, Mnuchin reassured the world that were not looking to get into trade wars.

Five weeks later, after announcing the stiff new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, Trump sounded like someone eagerly looking to do exactly that. Trade wars are good, he wrote on Twitter on Friday, and easy to win.

The tariff announcement came before his staff had even come up with a written policy and only then in answer to a reporters question. Republicans, including Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, were exasperated and even distraught. The editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, owned by Rupert Murdoch, a friend of Trumps, called it the biggest policy blunder of his presidency.

Daniel Price, a former international economics adviser to President George W. Bush, said Trump was quixotically picking fights with allies. The presidents positions on trade and global engagement place him at right angles with core Republican views, U.S. business and agricultural interests and indeed the traditional Western alliance, Price said.

Republican leaders are more upset about the presidents apostasy on trade than gun control because he has the authority to impose tariffs on his own, and they assume Congress will never impose significant limits on gun rights.

But the party leaders on Capitol Hill assumed that Trumps vow to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum was not really his final position and that he could still be steered off his current course before actually signing an order next week. Even White House officials imagined that could happen.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, seemed to acknowledge the possibility when asked by reporters Friday about the presidents commitment to following through. Never say never, but I think hes pretty committed to moving this forward, she said. Asked specifically about the rates Trump threw out, she said, I wouldnt expect those to change, but some of the other details need to be finalized.

Likewise, Trumps support for gun control measures, like raising the minimum age for purchases of semi-automatic rifles, seemed fluid. During his session with lawmakers from both parties, the president seemed intent on defying the NRA and fashioning a bipartisan bill with Democrats. Since then, however, he and his staff have been more equivocal, much like he was after a similar televised meeting with lawmakers on immigration that seemed to open the door to a compromise only to lead to more partisan crossfire.

Conceptually, he still supports raising the age to 21, Sanders said. But he also knows theres not a lot of broad support for that. But thats something he would support.

And even as she downgraded his support to conceptual, she seemed ready to pass off responsibility for enacting it outside Washington. I think he thinks it would probably have more potential in the states than it would at the federal level, she said.

The New York TimesGlad to hear that #journalist Yusuf Ruzimuradov was released from #Uzbekistan prison, the Eurasia division of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an advocacy group, said on its Twitter account. The group said he had been held longer than anybody else in the world  after being convicted on politicized charges in a quick sham trial.

Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement: Today, I got a Skype message I will treasure: the government of Uzbekistan has finally released journalist Yusuf Ruzimuradov after 19 long years in jail.

The Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan, known as Ezgulik, said Ruzimuradov had been freed from a penal colony in the town of Chirchik, near Tashkent, the capital, on Feb. 22. The reason for the delay in announcing his freedom was not immediately clear.

Agence France-Presse quoted an Ezgulik official, Abdurakhmon Tashanov, as saying in an emailed message that Ruzimuradov feels well.

The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has long been known as one of the most cloistered and authoritarian states to have emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, although the severity of repression has eased slightly in the past few years.

Ruzimuradov was incarcerated during the rule of President Islam Karimov, a ruthless autocrat who tolerated no dissent and silenced the news media during his nearly three decades in power. Karimov died in 2016 at age 78.

Under his successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who had been Karimovs prime minister, at least 20 political prisoners, including journalists and human rights activists, have been released. They included an editor and co-defendant of Ruzimuradovs, Muhammad Bekjanov, who was freed last year.

Both men had been in exile in Ukraine when they were seized and taken back to Uzbekistan in 1999 in what human rights groups called a state-sponsored abduction by Uzbekistans feared secret police.

They were convicted of publishing an outlawed newspaper, Erk, or Freedom, which was regarded as part of a plot to overthrow the government.

While human rights groups welcomed the news of Ruzimuradovs release, they said many anti-government critics remained incarcerated, including some scheduled for trial next week.

Swerdlow said thousands of Uzbeks also remained jailed for practicing Islam outside the confines demanded by the government.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.Presenting the forms, Yusuff, representing Alimosho Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly, said that health and quality education were the most important needs of citizens.

The lawmaker, who is Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts (Locals), said his passion for quality education and healthcare services remained constant.

After prividng a very good healthcare services for our children, the next thing is to equip our children with sound education to develop their minds for growth and development of the nation.

Education is just like insurance for the parents in the old age. Education is the pathfinder to life targets.

Education is highly important because it is an instrument for development. If one has education, such will have the world in his pocket.

 Thats why I am so passionate about health and education. I am doing these two because God has given me health and given my parents that opportunity to educate me.

If not, I would have been a nuisance to my society; as representative of the people, I must save money to aid the childrens education, Yusuff said.

According to him, politicians should be concerned about the needs of the poeple whose mandate they are using rather than being greedy and selfish.

I live with the people and I know their problems, I know some parents cannot afford to buy UTME forms. This is not the first, we have been doing it.

I do not only buy the forms, I organise tutorial classes for them and give them stipends to settle down when they are offered admission.

I will urge beneficiaries of this edition to study hard and I will not rest on my oars until I help them fulfill their dreams, especially the best among them.

I am touching your lives today so that you will be able to touch lives of others in the future, the lawmaker added.

The lawmaker assured that some of the candidates would enjoy scholarship up to university level if they worked hard.

He said that in addition to his annual free drugs donations to state Ministry of Health, he also bankrolled free surgeries for over 400 constituents in 2017.

In his remarks, Chief Edward Obisesan, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alimosho Local Government Area, commended the lawmakers generosity and impact in health and education, saying education is the bedrock of development.

Mr Shakiru Yisuf, Chairman, Ipaja Ayobo Local Council Development Area said: This is a mark of good leadership that affect the lives of the youth, our future generation.

This gesture is selfless in that it cuts across all council and not limited to the constituency the honourable is representing. He is representing us well.

He urged the candidates to encourage their benefactor by studying hard to excel in the examination.

Miss Olubusola Omotayo and Kayode Ojedele, two of the beneficiaries, commended the lawmaker and urged him to continue the gesture which had brought relief to many parents.

Another beneficiary, Deborah Sofuye, said :I was hoping to wait till next year before sitting for UTME because of money but our lawmaker has given me the opportunity to write this exam.

We promise to make you proud and our parents are glad.ALSO READ: Couple share deep kiss on live television

Slim took to his Instagram to gush over his girlfriend, calling her "his everything."

Awwww!

See his sweet message below:

Sharing a second post in the form of a photo in which he gazes lovingly into Ibrahim's eyes, Slim wrote: "Happy Birthday, my Queen. Pack a LIGHT bag, bring your passport, and meet me at the airport."

How sweet is this? We cannot wait to get the details from this surprise beacation.

Happy birthday wishes from us here at Pulse to Juliet Ibrahim.

Juliet Ibrahim and Iceberg Slim: The journey so far

The relationship between Juliet Ibrahim and Iceberg Slim has been on the lips of everyone, especially since they have become so public about their affairs.

Juliet posted a picture of her with boyfriend Iceberg on her Instagram page on Monday, September 18, 2017. The celebs couple who are in South Africa both wore matching T-shirts with the inscription "LOVE".

To put ice on the cake, the couple both got matching tattoos. Iceberg got a tattoo that reads "LO" and Juliet got a "VE" tattoo. They have the tattoos on similar places (their arms) and when put together it spells love.

In June 2016, Juliet was with Iceberg at the burial of his mum in Osun state. The rapper lost his mum in April 2017.

The pair also turned up together for Banky W and Adesua Etomi's wedding last year.After 260 thrilling episodes of love triangles, friendship, curses, deaths and funerals, the fans and cast of the telenovela said goodbye to the people of Aji with an hour-long episode.

About Jemeji

Senami is a 28-year-old Doctor, who returns to Nigeria for her NYSC despite the discouragement from her father.

She returns to her hometown Ajim and is determined to get to the root of a family mystery.

"Jemeji" starred Agharese Emokpae, Ayoola, Buchi Franklin, Tina Mba, Mercy Johnson, Tope Tedela, Akin Lewis, Tony Akposheri, Ademola Adedoyin, Omuwunmi Dada among others.

"Jemeji" was one of the best shows on TV

Africa Magic's "Jemeji"was stylishly satisfying and shocking. It unraveled at a hypnotic pace which drew viewers into the lives of the citizens of Aji.

A hybrid of well written and directed jaw-dropping and ethereal moments, what made "Jemeji" more compelling was the cast, whose dedication and enthusiasm for their characters and the show in general, clearly comes off the screen.

Reactions to "Jemeji" finaleIn a bid to make a loud statement in the Nigerian music industry, Cloud Nine Records is pulling all stops to ensure Yommy, fondly called Tipsy the Fireman solidifies his spot as a force to be reckoned with as he releases Lele Papa, which will appeal to the streets and get music lovers dancing uncontrollably.The Punch reports that a pregnant woman and seven others who were brought to the Ministry of Youth and Social Development on Friday evening, February 2, were arrested.

The suspects were reportedly arrested at Baboon Village, Ajele, Ajah.

The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Agboola Dabiri stated that it received a report of a woman who alleged to be harbouring pregnant ladies, keeping them until they delivered and selling the babies while pretending to be a traditional birth attendant.

Adults (including the suspected perpetrator) were apprehended along with three babies, two of who were extremely sick, he said.

The suspect, Mrs Regina Bankole, who disclosed that she is from Togo but married to a Nigeria, denied that she runs a baby factory, but admitted that she has been a traditional birth attendant for over 30 years.

She also denied selling babies, claiming that she is well known in the area as a traditional birth attendant who delivers pregnant women traditionally.

She also disclosed that she is registered with the Eti-Osa LG as a traditional birth attendant and is about taking a course in traditional birth attendance.

According to her, one of the three babies recovered from her place is her child and the other two belonged to someone under her custody.

The rise of baby factories in Nigeria

The Nigerian police has been doing its best to curb the baby factory menace that has been sweeping the country of late.

There have been reports upon reports of child trafficking rings being exposed for running baby factories in different areas of the country.

Recall that the Abia State Police Command arrested a man of God, Pastor Christopher Tochukwu for allegedly raping pregnant teenage girls and operating a baby factory from where he sells the babies.

Punch reports that Pastor Tochukwu operated a church and a medical center which was converted into a baby factory at number 252 Faulks Road, Aba.

While parading the suspect at the Command headquarters in Umuahia, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Leye Oyebade, said that the pastor has been constantly and repeatedly raping the pregnant girls at his medical center.

Oyebade said that when one of the rescued girls was interrogated, she claimed that Pastor Tochukwu has been raping them and in one of his attempt to rape one of the girls, he was stabbed in the neck by the victim with a glass object she laid her hands on.Magu was appointed EFCC Chairman in November of 2015.

Twice, the presidency has sent Magu to the senate for confirmation, twice the senate has refused to make Magu the substantive Chairman of the EFCC.

Heres how that battle has gone so far.

December 2016

Senate refuses to confirm Magu as EFCC Chairman, citing a damning report from the DSS.

The report alleges that Magu wines and dines with the corrupt, resides in a plush apartment rented at N40M (an amount well above his pay grade) and flies business class.

"This is in spite of Mr. President's directive to all public servants to fly economy class", the report stated in parts.

The Senate wish to inform the public that based on available security report, the Senate cannot proceed with confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Senate spokesperson Sabi Abdullahi announced.

"The nomination of Ibrahim Magu is hereby rejected and has been returned to the President for further action, Abdullahi added.

March 2017

Magu heads to the senate again for confirmation as EFCC Chairman.

Surely, lawmakers have to confirm him this time, he thinks.

The embattled acting EFCC Chairman arrives the national assembly well ahead of schedule, flashes a pained smile this way and that and readies himself for his confirmation hearing.

He didn't have to wait for too long.

Minutes later, the lawmakers had rejected him again.

The most vocal rejection voices came from flamboyant Senator Dino Melaye and his truculent colleague, Biodun Olujimi.

"Why prosecute people on the pages of newspapers?", Olujimi flared.

Melaye said the Senate had received yet another security report on Magu from the DSS and that the president's nominee had failed "the integrity test".

April 2017

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo tells select online journalists at the Villathat the executive didnt need to send Magu to the senate for confirmation and that Magu will remain EFCC Chairman.

He added that Magu's name will continue to be submitted to the senate for as long as the presidency wants.

"I am fully in support of Magu as EFCC Chairman and so is the President. If our candidate is rejected, the law says we can re-present him", Osinbajo said.

He added that; "Even a pocket book lawyer knows that the constitution overrides the EFCC Act. The EFCC Act says the presidency has to send the name of the EFCC nominee to the senate for confirmation. The constitution states otherwise.

"There was no need, in the first place, to have sent Magu to the senate for confirmation", Osinbajo declared, hinting that the executive will rely on the prerogative powers of the president in matters like this, to keep Magu in his seat in perpetuity.

July 2017

Senate asks Osinbajo to withdraw statement saying that senate lacks powers to confirm Magu, threatens to suspend confirmation of nominees from the presidency if the statement isnt withdrawn.

Senator Yerima of Zamfara says: I want to draw the attention of the Senate to a statement credited to the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo that the Senate does not have the power to confirm.

I was surprised to see the Senate President read a letter from the same Acting President, who said the Senate does not have the power to confirm a nominee from the executive.

I am raising this point of order to draw the attention of the senate to this issue and urge that we suspend any further action on confirmation of any nominee until the issue is resolved.

Senator Sekibo (Rivers East), says: All the various laws made to establish agencies of the federal government state that we will confirm nominations into such bodies. When an Acting President says that the Senate has no powers to confirm, I wonder if he is familiar with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Senator Dino Melaye says: We invited the Acting EFCC chairman. We invited him for a job interview and he failed. We rejected him.

As I speak, Magu is still parading himself as EFCC chairman. Now, the same executive is sending a name for us to confirm. We confirmed Resident Electoral Commissioners before we went on break. They have sworn in some people and have refused to do same for others. This Senate leadership must act and take a position.

It is time for the Senate to apply force. I am moving a motion that it becomes abominable for the Senate President to read another confirmation letter until the integrity of this Senate is respected by the executive.

March 2017

Defiant Magu vows to continue as EFCC Chairman whether he is confirmed or not.

My priority is to fight corruption. My confirmation has not changed anything. We have always been on duty. I will work until the last day whether confirmation or no confirmation.

So, we must wake up, wherever you find yourself, fight corruption. Anytime you discover that I am corrupt, expose me, he said.

March 2018

Osinbajo continues to throw his weight behind Magu.

Magu is going nowhere. Seriously, what offence has this man committed? Osinbajo asks.

I have known him personally right from the time of the very first chairman of the commission till now, he is a very dedicated, trustworthy gentleman. Dont forget he is also the most senior official of the EFCC.

March 2018

Magu takes up from where Osinbajo stops, says senators don't like his face because hes after them.

I dont think it (non-confirmation) has given the public a cause for concern. I think it is a lot of encouragement. The fact that I am not confirmed shows I am working. Really, Magu said.

In the anti-corruption environment, if they rush to confirm you, it means you are not doing your work properly.

A number of the people we are .

I am not completely distracted. It is not an issue. Rather, it gives me courage. You wake up in the morning and see some terrible publications about you. Despite all these, we are determined to go ahead.According to Leadership newspaper, the head of operations of the EFCC Gombe zonal office, Johnson Babalola, confirmed the arrest.

Yayari was said to have been arrested on Friday, March 2, as part of a probe into alleged misuse of the 2015 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign funds.

"Yes, we invited Yayari among others to our office. We are still investigating the matter," Babalola was quoted as saying.

He said the governor's chief of staff was invited to ascertain his alleged involvement in the disbursement and diversion of the campaign funds.

It was gathered that Gombe residents were in jubilation when they heard about the arrest of Yayari.

The people had accused the PDP of impoverishing the state.

ALSO READ: EFCC recovers N102m for Bank of Agriculture

A level 10 civil servant who pleaded anonymity told the paper that the arrest of the chief of staff by the EFCC is a welcome development as it will serve as a deterrent to others.

He said, "The arrest of the chief of staff by the EFCC is long overdue. Many of us in Gombe, especially in the civil service are very happy with the development.

"We are the ones in charge of pushing files and we know what transpired during the elections and what is transpiring."The IDPs abandoned their homes and took refuge at various IDPs camps in the state following continued attacks by Fulani herdsmen in their communities.

Ortom said two of the deceased were crushed by a truck while crossing the busy highway around the location of the Abegana camp.

The governor disclosed this when the National Commission For Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMI) visited the state to distribute relief items for displaced people.

Speaking earlier during the visit to two of the IDPs camps near Makurdi, the Federal Commissioner of NCRMI, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said the intervention is meant to ameliorate the sufferings of some Persons Of Concerns (POCs) to the commission.

"Let me state that the items provided for our POCs does not reflect the totality of our interventions, rather a demonstration of our continued support to the Benue State Government in its efforts to provide succor and other necessary social services for our POCs and communities in the state," she said.

The commissioner, who was represented by Mr. Charles Anaelo, noted that the NCFRMI is aware of the influx of over 10, 000 Cameroonian migrants presently in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue state.

She added that the commission in collaboration with the United Nation High Commission for the Refugees (UNHCR) is currently conducting data registration of all the victims for further necessary action.

ALSO READ: 5 of the deadliest massacres in Nigerian history

Farouq further assured that the commission is committed to ensuring that the lives of the IDPs are improved, rehabilitated and fully restored.

Over 100 people have been killed by Fulani herdsmen in the state in series of attacks which started on December 31, 2017.

On January 11, 2018, the state government conducted a mass burialfor 71 victims of the herdsmen crisis.

The killer herdsmen are said to be protesting the implementation of anti-open grazing law in the state.On Thursday, March 1, 2018, the terrorists attacked the village leaving security and aid workers dead and others injured.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Activities (UN-OCHA) had earlier disclosed that four of its personnel were killed while a female nurse still working with ICRC was abducted by the sect.

The Nigerian government has, however, been silent about details of the attack and the casualty situation - even though President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the incident in a statement issued on Friday, March 2.

A statement released by the UN, also on Friday, quoted Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as confirming the withdrawal of aid workers from the community.

She said, "The Secretary-General condemns the killing of three aid workers last night in Rann town in Borno state, Nigeria, following an attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. At least one other aid worker remains critically injured and another three are still missing. Eight members of the Nigerian national security forces were also killed.

"At the time of the attack, over 40 humanitarian workers were in Rann. All humanitarian personnel have been evacuated from Rann, and all humanitarian deliveries in the area have been temporarily suspended.

"The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the affected aid workers, their families and to the Government and people of Nigeria. He wishes those injured a swift recovery. "The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. Those responsible for these and other atrocities in Nigeria must be apprehended and prosecuted.

"The Secretary-General calls on all the parties to ensure at all times the protection of all civilians in Nigeria."

Suspension of humanitarian activities

In the same vein, the Doctors Without Borders, otherwise known as Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) also announced on Friday that it has officially suspended humanitarian activities in the Borno community.

According to the MSF's Field Communication officer in Abuja, Maro Verli, the humanitarian organisation had to suspend all operations in the Borno village.

"Following the violent attack in Rann, Borno state, on Thursday 1 March, Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) decided to suspend its medical activities in the town.

"MSF team has been providing medical care to the 40,000 people in Rann, since January 2017. Mobile teams delivered assistance on a regular basis, and a permanent medical team has been based in Rann since September 2017," Verli said.

ALSO READ: Mama Boko Haram, Aisha Wakil says kidnapped Dapchi Girls are safe

As at Saturday, March 3, the Nigerian military and the police have not issued any statement regarding the attack, as sources said many soldiers lost their lives in the attack.

This is not the first time Rann would record heavy casualties as a result of Boko Haram activities.

In January 2017, 200 persons were killed in Rann when a Nigerian military plane mistakenly dropped bombs on the IDP camp in the community.

The military jet was aiming at the terrorists in the area but hit civilians instead.While there is no explicit mention of gay marriage in the treaty, many Slovaks view its wording as a threat to the traditional family structure.

"The convention talks about stereotypes and gender equality in the sense of eliminating the so-called traditional roles of men and women in the family. It raises doubts," Fico told reporters.

"Unless there is full compliance of the provisions of the convention with the definition of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, I will never agree to ratify."

Slovakia's parliament amended its Constitution in 2014 to define marriage as a union between man and woman, which stirred protest among rights groups at the time.

Though against ratifying the convention, Fico said he was committed to incorporate some of its elements into Slovakia's domestic law.

"We will adopt all the necessary legal regulations to ensure that our legislation is at the European level when it comes to the protection of women against violence," he said.Six months after the city rezoned the area surrounding Grand Central Terminal to allow for ever taller skyscrapers and the transfer of air rights from existing buildings, huge real estate deals are underway across the 78-block district called Midtown East.

The deals promise to elevate and reshape the already dense skyline of what has been the citys premier office district, but is now being challenged by a future forest of soaring glass towers in the rapidly emerging Hudson Yards development on the Far West Side.

The deals will allow the sellers of those air rights  a peculiarly New York institution in which value is assigned to the space between a roof and the tallest permissible building height  to reap a fortune in a city where real estate is king. The city, which gets a portion of the proceeds from air rights sales, will also benefit.

JP Morgan announced on Feb. 21 that it would demolish its headquarters on Park Avenue, between 47th and 48th streets, to build a 1,200-foot-tall skyscraper that, experts say, could cost as much as $4 billion.

To build the new headquarters, which will rise nearly 500 feet higher than its current 700-foot, 52-story building, Chase is buying about 680,000 square feet of air rights from Grand Centrals owners, the executives said.

Developers have their eye on at least four other well-known buildings in the district that they could demolish and then employ air rights to make way for new skyscrapers, according to real estate developers and city officials.

Those buildings are the Grand Hyatt New York hotel, next to Grand Central on 42nd Street; the Roosevelt Hotel on 45th Street between Madison and Vanderbilt avenues; the Pfizer World Headquarters on 42nd Street near Second Avenue; and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority headquarters on Madison Avenue.

Through the east midtown rezoning, Chases new headquarters has re-established midtown as a competitor to Hudson Yards for corporate tenants, said M. Myers Mermel, chief executive of TenantWise, a real estate advisory firm. This marks the beginning a new wave of redevelopment in this area. Its kind of a surprise it actually worked.

The $3.1 billion One Vanderbilt project, a 1,401-foot skyscraper next to Grand Central, is already under construction thanks to a related rezoning and 525,000 square feet of air rights.

To add four floors atop their modest 16-story building at 405 Park Ave., the owners  Deutsche Bank Asset Management and MRP Realty  have turned to St. Patricks Cathedral to buy 30,000 square feet of air rights in a deal that could top $11.5 million, according to records filed with the citys planning department and local officials.

The Chase deals will generate more than $42 million for the city to improve the districts streets, sidewalks and pedestrian plazas. St. Patricks, St. Barts and other landmarks will also reap millions of dollars to maintain and preserve their buildings.

More than six years ago, powerful real estate forces in New York pushed for the rezoning of what is now called Midtown East. They argued that the existing zoning often prevented property owners from replacing an aging set of office buildings with the kind of tall towers that companies were now seeking.

They also feared that a corporate migration to new oversized towers on the Far West Side would undermine the value of their properties.

In 2012, the administration of Michael Bloomberg began the process of upzoning the area around Grand Central to encourage development of the kind of towers now found in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

But local community boards complained that new towers would overwhelm an already crowded district, while the owners of Grand Central, as well as landmarks like St. Patricks, successfully sought the right to transfer air rights across a broader swath of midtown.

Air rights, also called transferable development rights, represent the difference between an existing building and the largest structure permitted under local zoning. Los Angeles and other cities also use air rights in their zoning code, but nowhere in the world are they used as extensively as in New York.

Grand Central, for instance, has more than 1.3 million square feet of air rights, while St. Patricks has about 1.2 million. The increasing use of air rights in development in recent years has produced a generation of super towers, like the residential towers along Billionaires Row, a stretch of 57th Street known for a $100 million penthouse.

To build taller under the Midtown East zoning plan, developers have to buy air rights within the district. Anyone selling air rights for projects there have to pay a minimum of $61.49 a square foot, or 20 percent of the sale price of air rights, whichever is greater, to fund either transit or streetside improvements.

Real estate executives complained that the requirement would hobble new construction. But no one expected Chase to suddenly move to tear down its 57-year-old headquarters, even though the bank was clearly looking for a new home.

To build a tower that would accommodate most of its employees, who are currently spread across multiple buildings on the East Side, the bank eventually went to the owners of Grand Central, TF Cornerstone, a real estate company run by K. Thomas and Fred Elghanayan, and MSD Capital, an investment firm controlled by Michael Dell of Dell Technologies.

The value of the air rights they control has been hotly debated. Andrew Penson, an investor who has a small stake in the property, has argued in the past that the rights were worth $880 per square foot. But developers and the city said that number was too high for office development. The Real Estate Board of New York argued that air rights were worth between $200 and $325 per square foot.

The bank, however, has since worked out a deal to buy about 680,000 square feet, for more than $350 per square foot, according to real estate and banking executives. St. Patricks is asking $385 a square foot for its air rights.

Dell was well known to Chase, which was the lead bank in his $67 billion acquisition of the tech giant EMC. Jamie Dimon, JP Morgans chief executive, personally assured EMC that Dell would have the money for the deal.

Dell and his partners stand to make more than $100 million. They must, however, set aside 5 percent of the proceeds to maintain Grand Central.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.The political class here is more live-and-let-live, Farage believes, than in England, where he has been pelted with eggs, received death threats and had his children bullied after his effective advocacy of Brexit.

You go into a bar like this at night and theyre out drinking, meeting people, said Farage, 53, who confirmed a separation from his wife last year. In Britain theyd be going, Oh my God, well be on the front page of the Sunday papers!"

It wasnt nighttime, but 4:30 in the afternoon  well into happy hour by English standards. Drinking at the next table were Arron Banks, the businessman who was a major financier of the Brexit campaign, and Andy Wigmore, a spokesman for the movement to leave the European Union, as well as Farages press agent and his radio producer.

The self-proclaimed Bad Boys of Brexit were in town for the Conservative Political Action Conference, where Farage was to be a keynote speaker the next day, just a few hours after President Donald Trump spoke. Since touching down at Dulles airport 24 hours earlier, he had had dinners, speeches, very little sleep, some Fox & Friends banter in the morning and lots of afternoon CPAC selfies with hordes of young conservatives who idolize him.

This was Farages third time attending the conference. This year, he said, theres a lot of energy. More energy and optimism on the whole than there would have been three weeks ago. I think Trumps had a relatively good two or three weeks.

Even with high-school students staging protests against gun laws in front of the White House?

OK, look, there is an enormous cultural divide between England and America on guns, Farage admitted. I think, you know, the concept of bump stocks, just bizarre. Just bizarre that that should be allowed. And Im a little surprised its taken so long since Vegas for some of these things to get said. And should there be scrutiny on people that go in the shops and want to buy high-velocity rifles? Of course there should.

He wondered if all schools in America will soon become like Heathrow Airport, with metal detectors and armed security.

But characteristically, he praised Trump. At least that conversation is happening. I think thats what hes doing.

Farage is perhaps the presidents closest ally in England. When he was in town this time last year, he dined with the president, first lady Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Rick Scott, the governor of Florida, at Trump Hotel. Curiously, this special relationship has not endeared him to the British establishment in D.C.; when the embassy had a party for Trumps inauguration, Farage was not among the hundreds who received an invitation, despite the fact that he is in town half a dozen times a year, by his own assessment.

And the same month Trump won the election, he tweeted that Farage should be named ambassador to the United States, sending the British government into an uproar.

Im persona non grata, Farage said, with some pride. The embassy here basically regrets Brexit and Trump. They wont say so, but they do. Its obvious. So the idea that the British embassy would not talk to me given my relationship with the president and with the people around him is, I do not necessarily think, in our national interest. But others can make their own minds up about that.

He agreed that foreign relations between the White House and 10 Downing St., the headquarters of British government, have only grown frostier in recent months. But not because of Trump, he insisted.

He has reached out, hes offered the hand of friendship, and frankly weve spurned him, Farage said. In November Trump was criticized by the British prime minister, Theresa May, after sharing violent anti-Muslim videos from a fringe British ultranationalist group on Twitter. He reacted defensively.

Farage dismissed this episode as a hysterical load of rubbish, pointing out that Trump was simply sharing something he discovered through the conservative commentator Ann Coulter, one of only 45 people Trump follows on Twitter.

The anti-Trump sentiment is not representative of the entire U.K., Farage said. Its certainly widespread, though: During Trumps first month in office, a petition to block him from making his first official state visit to England was signed more than 1 million times, at one point by more than a thousand people per minute.

If it were up to Farage, he would circumvent the British government entirely, rent out Wembley Stadium, invite Trump to speak, charge 20 pounds a ticket and donate the proceeds to charity.

Knockout, he said gleefully. Are people going to protest against raising money for charity? They can if they want to!

Back home, the political party Farage headed for years and used to orchestrate Brexit, UKIP, voted last week to oust its leader, Henry Bolton, after it was revealed that his girlfriend had made racist remarks about Meghan Markle, Prince Harrys bride-to-be.

I dont get it, Farage said, shaking his head angrily. I think Meghan Markle adds glamour and sparkle to the royal family. He thinks the royal wedding, and the fact that Markle is American, will be good for the country. Harry is regarded as Mr. Cool, and it further strengthens the Anglo-American relationship, so it gets ticks from me all the way around.

Farages staunchest supporters have called for him to again lead UKIP, once referred to by David Cameron, the former British prime minister, as the party of fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists. (Farage considers this his very own basket of deplorables moment.)

Would he consider running the party again? No, he said, flatly, claiming he has aged out of party politics.

Still, Farage retained enough vim to travel in September to Alabama to join an old friend, Steve Bannon, and campaign for Roy Moore in the special Senate election. The accompanying Breitbart headline read: Brexit Hero Farage in Alabama: Judge Roy Moore Not Going to Be Sucked Into the Swamp.'

After Bannon was quoted accusing Donald Trump Jr. of treason in the book Fire and Fury, he was defenestrated from the tallest tower of castle Breitbart and denounced on the The Wall Street Journals editorial page by the right-wing megadonor Rebekah Mercer, whose father, Robert, reportedly has ties to Farage. (He refuses to elaborate on this relationship.)

Farage still speaks positively about Bannon but says he has not talked to him since his ouster from Trumpworld. Things have gone rather wrong in the last few months, he said.

Still, Farage says he doesnt regret throwing his support behind Moore and grows testy when pressed on this. All my staff know Ive got what I call the seven out of 10 rule. As long as Im right seven times out of 10 in politics, it will be OK. You cant get everything right.

Farage may soon have another reason to stick around the United States, particularly California. There has been talk of Brexit: The Movie and Farage says he has taken several Hollywood meetings.

It is quite a good little story, he said. Its a real David versus Goliath story, isnt it? And dont forget how long this took. I used to joke that I was the Billy Graham of Euroskeptic politics, just touring the country speaking. He looks up and notes: And I see hes died in the last 24 hours. What an amazing man. I love him. Just fantastic.

Kevin Spacey was among the actors mentioned as a possibility to play Farage. That may well have changed, he said with a devilish grin. Besides, the only person who could possibly do it is me.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.In certain ways, our access to each others markets will be less than it is now, May told an invited audience in London, accepting that the European Union would never agree to a deal that allowed Britain to enjoy all the benefits without all of the obligations.

The reality is that we all need to face up to some hard facts, she added.

However, May said she hoped to gain some favorable treatment on trade by offering binding commitments to stick to some European rules and regulations, while staying under the remit of European agencies that supervise sectors like pharmaceuticals  proposals that the hard Brexit faction might find difficult to swallow.

But there was little comfort for pro-Europeans either, no sign of May buckling to pressure and rethinking her rejection of membership in a customs union with the European Union.

The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, took that step this week, supporting membership in an as-yet-undefined customs union. By removing the need for frontier checks on trade, that would solve one of the greatest post-Brexit headaches, ensuring the flow of commerce across the border between Ireland in the European Union, and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.

In rejecting a customs union, May said membership would mean we had less control than we do now over our trade in the world. But she offered no answers to the Irish border question, beyond previous vague assertions that technological solutions can be found.

Having lost her parliamentary majority in disastrous elections last year, May has been reduced to mediating clashes between the warring factions in her Cabinet, which is split between those who favor a clean break with Europe and those who want something softer to protect trade.

Her compromise is to divide the economy into three sectors: those like the auto industry, where European Union and British rules would remain the same; those that would remain broadly aligned; and those where the rules would diverge.

European Union officials have dismissed this as an unworkable, if more sophisticated, variant of the idea once advanced by the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, that Britain could have its cake and eat it, too.

Nevertheless, the European Unions chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, welcomed Mays clarity in confirming that she wanted to leave Europes economic structures and accepting that there were trade-offs. Her speech helped preparations for a free-trade agreement, he added in a Twitter post that implied the outcome would be a much less ambitious deal than the one May wants.

Other reaction from continental Europe was less polite, including from Manfred Weber, a German member of the European Parliament and leader of its center-right grouping.

Theresa May needed to move beyond vague aspirations. We can only hope that serious proposals have been put in the post, said Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator and a former prime minister of Belgium.

While I welcome the call for a deep and special partnership, this cannot be achieved by putting a few extra cherries on the Brexit cake.

British negotiators remain optimistic about eventually cinching a deal because continental Europe, as a net exporter of goods to Britain, has an interest in keeping trade lines open.

The problem, as European leaders have stressed all along, is that granting too favorable a deal to Britain could weaken the single market, and might induce other wealthy nations that also pay a lot into the European Unions coffers to follow London out the door.

In tone, at least, May struck a pragmatic note, conceding that there is no escaping the complexity of the task ahead of us, though Pascal Lamy, a former head of the World Trade Organization, recently used a more striking phrase. Extracting Britain from European economic structures after more than four decades of integration was about as difficult as removing an egg from an omelet, he told a British parliamentary committee.

The Brexit endgame, when May is likely to have to decide which faction in her divided party to disappoint, could still be some months away, and will carry political perils.

But things could go awry sooner. This month European Union leaders hope to agree on a deal on a standstill transition deal to protect business from the economic shock of a cliff edge Brexit and sudden change of rules. That, in turn, might demand hard answers to the Irish border problem.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.The governor has come out strongly since the swearing in of National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga in what analyst believe is a strategy to rise to the top and replace Odinga when he hangs his boots.

He has led a series of scathing attacks on NASA principals Musalia Mudavadi, Moses Wetangula and Kalonzo Musyoka after the trio skipped the 30 January 2018 event.

Political analyst Maimuna Mwidau opined that his abrasive nature of politics is his brand and it has earned him supporters and enemies.

His recent run-ins with state agencie and altercations with President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have also elevated his status and earned him support across the nation.

Joho was at one point barred by armed police officers from accessing President Kenyattas events in March and May 2017when he commissioned the Mtongwe Ferry launch and the launch of the Standard Gauge Railway.

In 2016, state agencies closed Autoports and Portside companies linked to Joho family in what he termed as attempts by state agencies to frustrate him.

The wave of altercations saw State agencies claim that the governor never went to school.

However, this was rebutted with photos emerging of the governor in school and his former classmates coming to his defense, leaving state agencies with an egg in the face.

All the while, he cured a niche among opposition supporters as a rebel with a course, drawing admiration from across the nation.

His performance in KCSE and his degree was also a subject of discussion and ended up in court with the governor achieving major victory.Opinion

Ryan Bridge: The Govt's COVID-19 messaging is all over the shop - do lockdowns stop when enough Kiwis are vaccinated?Property details:

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Search Real EstateAs a well-connected member of the firearm industry, Duane Liptak has a pretty good idea whats happening in the legislative battle erupting over firearms. Hes also running for the National Rifle Associations Board of Directors in the 2018 election. He shared this synopsis of the current state of affairs after watching President Trump televised meeting with Congressional leaders this week and speaking with some of the people that are at the front lines in the fight for our Second Amendment rights. -Rob Curtis

By Duane Liptak

Ive seen a lot of speculation, a lot of fears, and some outright misinterpretations of the current situation and stances on issues concerning the gun debate floating around lately, and although Im not claiming to have a crystal ball, or, certainly to be the most informed person on the entire issue, I do have some folks working for us and some relationships that have afforded me some insight into the situation.

I put together this synopsis of where we stand using the resources I have. I can only attest to the accuracy of it as it has been conveyed to me, and Ive tried to indicate where its my interpretation. This is a snapshot, the situation is constantly evolving, and its moving fastso dont take any of this as a concrete status. Without further delay, after discussions with the K Street folks, some of the National Rifle Association leadership, and others, here's where I believe we are:

Yes, Trump was being exceptionally histrionic. His tone in the meeting on Sunday was much different, apparently. My biggest takeaway after watching that meeting three or four times is that he has absolutely no idea what the heck is actually going on with some of the prior proposals. The few talking points about things he actually wants done were about purchasing age and background checks (fix NICSmaybe more, unfortunately) plus school security, but he had no idea what was in the Toomey Manchin bill or that they introduced that bill in defiance of the NRA. He had no idea what Feinstein's bill was at all, and he has no idea that he has no power to unilaterally ban bump fire stocks through regulation without changing the statutory definition of machine gun (Adam Kraut, et. al. are apparently standing ready to challenge and enjoinder anything like that), and he's throwing his typical chaos all over the place to shake things up.



School security was the major talking point of the NRA meeting, along with resisting any of the other ineffective measures that hurt our rights. I currently believe Trumps position will end up being short of a hardware ban of any kind, except for bump fire stocks, unless someone can explain to him what they actually do and how dumb it is to bother banning themand especially the second and third order effects potential on quality triggers, etc

I also believe that the take the guns and due process later comment was an emotional outburst, probably due to frustration with the failures of the Florida situation, and that if he has any cooler heads at all around him, he will be talked off that ledge quickly.

Yes, it's not ideal commentary from a sitting president that made some very strong pro-gun statements on the campaign trail. No, Trump was not my first choice, but we'd probably have been dealing with this a year ago if his opponent won, and we'd be selling out the country for the benefit of the Clinton Foundation. Don't be mad at the NRA for backing him, because that was done when it became obvious that if we all didn't back him, we'd have Clinton in the White House and if Trump did squeak by without the NRA endorsement, we wouldn't have a seat at the table. Bottom line, wed be in a worse position legislatively, and wed also have a 5/4 court against us, rather than a 5/4 court in our favor. That alone may save the nation yet. Politics sucks. That's a fact.



If anything gets signed through a presidential executive order, the aforementioned legal efforts will likely invalidate it in short order as long as the courts aren't slow.

Ryan, of all people, still seems solid on absolutely no hardware bans and being resistant to anything else except school security. He seems to understand that none of the bans make our kids safer. The house will likely be in favor of increased school security measures. If he can hold the House together, we should be okay and the House has the most to lose in Republican districts going into 2018 if they pass gun control.

So, I'm still cautiously optimistic that we will end up with school security and no hardware bans at all. I am concerned about age requirements and fix NICS. They know that November will be a bloodbath and they will likely lose the House to Democrat control if they cave; and then Katy bar the door, we're screwed.

We just have to make sure that if Fix NICS slips through, it still only includes the mandatory reporting parts which don't essentially change anything. It just adds penalties for people that don't do what they were supposed to be doing anyway. And, it's at least still tied to reciprocity, or doesn't go at all, and we have to fight to keep the long gun purchasing age at 18 to avoid stripping gun rights from millions of young Americans who are old enough to vote, die for their country, enter legal contracts, and get married.

We could ensure reciprocity remains relevant by tying it to teachers rights to carry, but we need to fight to avoid any changes to NICS that could have any potential for abuse. I hate to see any changes at all, but the buffoonery and lack of reporting by the Air Force in the Texas shooting has this one being a hot issue with bipartisan support, so while I opposeI'm just saying where I think it stands.

Senate is less certain, as the Republican majority is razor thin and Rubio et.al. are already flaking, plus enough others are milquetoasts that it's a risk. They also have fewer seats up, and some of those guys are in purple states or have purple bases where they are trying to play the line. I haven't had confirmation on where McConnell's head is at. He was solid after Vegas. Not sure now.

I didn't speak with Wayne LaPierre or Chris Cox, who met with the President, but I did speak to Pete Brownell and other leadership at the NRA. My understanding is this: They oppose the bump fire stock ban, they oppose the age limit, they VEHEMENTLY oppose the whole skipping due process nonsense, they VEHEMENTLY oppose ANY hardware restrictions, and are supporting only school security enhancements, mental health and law enforcement responsibilities that also protect due process, and another point that I thought was a nice touchwhich is civil liability for school administrations that neglect basic physical security or have policies to avoid referring dangerous youths to law enforcement or mental health for evaluation and awareness.

Gun Owners of America doesn't seem to have a seat at the table from what I've seen, but they need to keep getting the grassroots of their membership active and contacting congress critters, too. They also need to stop trying to demonize the NRA, that's not helping and it's not valid.

Yes, Id like to see changes, and thats why Im running for the board, but the NRA is the only group thats even getting a voice here, so weve got to make it OUR voice. Some help from GOA on the legal fight if an executive order goes through would be good, and stand by for challenges to anything that violates due process.

Bigger threats on the state level The Flordia bill has some REALLY dangerous language about bump fire stocks and triggers, mental health etc., and is 66 pages of intentionally vague BS. If you're in FloridaYou need to be writing and calling non-stop for school security, culpability for school administrators, etc., and to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens. Kill that bill. It's dangerous because the title and supposed topics are portrayed as common sense controls, but it's nefarious.

The Illinois bill is absolutely draconian. Same there. Anyone there needs to be in the 2-minute drillthat bill is bad, bad, bad. I fear that one has steam and includes all the hardware bogeymen.

Colorado has a Senate majority that is holding strong, but if the Republicans lose the Senate this fall and don't take the governor's mansion, expect California style gun control in the spring.

Utahsomeone from the Church of Latter Day Saints needs to slap your governor.

Minnesota is as draconian as it gets too, although Im not fully briefed on that situation. I'm looking at where we can help in those states.

Of course, all of this is a snapshot and may change tomorrow. The biggest thing is that if you haven't written your Congress critters at the state and federal level and your Governors, do it. If you have, write them again. Call, too. Have your spouse write them. Make sure your extended family is writing them. The minute anything specific hits the floor, write and call again. Use facts, not anger and threats, but a polite reminder that November is around the corner doesnt hurt. NRA-ILA has contact forms, and their narrative can help write your body copy, but a personalized note potentially has more impact than a form letter. The benefit to a form letter is that they can quickly tally up who is for and who is against an issue when the letters come in. Maybe both is the answer.

And don't shop at Dick's.

Reduce the government stake in public sector banks to 33 per cent, recommends A K Bhattacharya



IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

The department of financial services, a wing of the Union finance ministry, has a headcount of about 1,600 employees.

On paper, this number may look impressive. But the overall staff strength of any department at the Centre, however, does not truly reflect its management or supervision capacity.

What matters more is the composition and quality of the staff. The department of financial services is no exception.

A large portion of the 1,600 employees on the department's roll consists of junior-level officers, clerks, and support staff.

The top team, if you count officials with the rank of joint secretary and above, has only eight persons -- six joint secretaries, one additional secretary, and a secretary in charge of the department.

If you assume that officials below the rank of joint secretary also contribute to the top management strength, then the list could get longer with one deputy director general, two economic advisors, seven directors, six deputy secretaries, two joint directors, 17 under secretaries, two deputy directors, and 20 section officers.

In all, the top team at the department of financial services including those above section officers would not be more than 65.

Now, consider the workload of these employees.

Apart from the administration of a host of financial sector laws pertaining to the banking and insurance sectors, these officials are entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing all matters pertaining to public sector as well as private sector banks, the Reserve Bank of India, cooperative banking, financial institutions, and the Export-Import Bank of India.

In addition, they are also expected to oversee policy relating to life insurance, general insurance, administration of the Insurance Act, and the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act.

It is doubtful if, after taking care of all these responsibilities, the top team at the department has much time left specifically for overseeing the operations of about 21 public sector banks and seven insurance companies, in which the government has a majority shareholding.

Nor does it appear that the team has the capacity or skillset to protect and promote the interests of the government as a majority shareholder in these 28 State-owned financial sector entities.

What hope can then the Union finance ministry have of its department of financial services ensuring that its nationalised banks and insurance companies follow prudent business practices and governance norms?

Not just in terms of the quality of manpower, but even in terms of the headcount of persons responsible for overseeing these State-owned financial sector entities, the department of financial services is simply unable to adequately look after the interests of the government as the majority shareholder in these entities.

What has happened to the Punjab National Bank is a case of how its managers have flouted basic norms of doing business.

Of course, regulation has to get better and the RBI must be more vigilant. But if the department of financial services had effectively monitored the business practices of the bank through its directors on its board, the problem could have surfaced much earlier and the damage could have been less.

Neither was there adequate supervision at the level of the bank nor did the department of financial services ensure that the bank managers were subjected to rigorous compliance norms.

What can the government do in the current situation?

The department of financial supervision is inadequately staffed or trained to monitor the functioning of the public sector banks.

At the same time, the nationalised banks, after having a good run during the 1990s, have gradually lost out to private sector banks in the last several years.

Their share in credit has declined from around 72 per cent about five years ago to just about 66 per cent now.

Nor have the public sector banks been able to attract talent from the private sector and recent efforts to appoint private sector managers to head them have made slow progress.

One area of strength for the public sector banks was the popular support they used to enjoy. Their customers were usually happy with their performance.

Recent customer feedback surveys monitored by the government and the regulator show that the popular support they used to enjoy in the past is on the wane.

Given the capacity constraints in the department of financial services to oversee the state-owned financial sector entities and the inability of public sector banks to attract talent from the private sector, the government has no option other than planning a time table for gradual divestment of its stake in these banks.

The ultimate goal to be achieved over the next few years should be to bring down government equity in these banks below 49 per cent and allow a strategic investor with a majority to run them.

An idea that Yashwant Sinha had mooted as finance minister in 2000 is worth revisiting: Reduce the government stake in public sector banks to 33 per cent.'Having a home of your own is a poverty-reduction tool as well as a wealth-building tool.'

'It is at the heart of building an enduring middle-income society.'

'When you build affordable homes, you create a multiplier effect.'

International Finance Corporation, the investment arm of World Bank, is betting big on affordable housing in India.

It has invested in a dozen companies that are either building affordable homes or lending to home buyers in this segment.

In an email interview with Ranju Sarkar, the firm's South Asia director Mengistu Alemayehu, below, explains why IFC is bullish on this segment.

Why is IFC bullish on affordable homes?

We are quite bullish on affordable housing for a variety of reasons.

First, there is a significant unmet demand, both for new homes as well as for improving old homes, across India.

We are convinced that, to meet that demand, we have to play a leading role on the supply side, by working through property developers, as well as on the demand side, by working with housing finance companies.

Secondly, we look at affordable housing, given the income levels of a large number of Indians, as an important component of building a strong middle-class society.

Having a home of your own is a poverty-reduction tool as well as a wealth-building tool. That lesson is clear from our experience in many countries.

Thirdly, when you build affordable homes, you create a multiplier effect.

For every house built, three to five jobs are created in construction, cement, infrastructure, and elsewhere.

It creates a virtuous cycle that goes beyond the building of houses.

Fourthly, over time, housing helps deepen the financial system by creating more mortgage service businesses, more liquidity into the capital markets, and so on.

What kind of outcomes or returns do you expect?

In everything we do, we look at double bottom lines.

It has to show acceptable financial returns -- we have shown this in many countries in sectors such as micro-finance, agri-business, health, etc.

Given our mandate and history, we are committed to showing that you can make good returns.

In addition, we create a positive impact on society, which is long-lasting.

Owning a home is at the heart of building an enduring middle-income society.

And this has to be done not only in the big cities but also in the tier-II, tier-III, and tier-IV cities.

For that, we are willing to take the risk.

You have invested in firms that lend to home buyers and developers as well as formed platforms for affordable housing. What's the idea behind having multiple vehicles?

Given the magnitude of the problem, there is no single solution to establish affordable housing as a distinct asset class.

Therefore, we are working on multiple options, so that we can get a decent level of capital in the sector quickly.

So, we approach it from all sides: development, finance, and platforms to fund construction as well as purchase of affordable houses.

Combined, this approach can create a systemic impact and a new asset class within a short period of time.

How do you expect the market for affordable housing to evolve in India?

As it happens in the creation of any new asset class, evolution and development will happen until we get to critical mass, until products get defined, until risk management develops, and until enough data gets generated.

The level of demand is such that after all the learning, this will become a major pillar of financial services space to help Indias transition to a strong middle-class society.

That has been our experience in other countries in a number of sectors.

Given the demand, the lessons learned from other countries, the Indian governments support, and the quality of our partners and their commitment, this will become a viable and sustainable asset class in the end.

I am aware that, in spite of all the benchmarking, risk management, and best practices, there will still be pain.

The challenge, again, is to reach critical mass. That will take time. This is a long-term business.

But we and our partners are in it for the long haul.

IFCs investment in affordable housing so far Pool with HDFC Ltd: $800 million (IFCs contribution $200 million)

PNB Housing Finance Ltd: $100 million (earlier deal, separate from the latest)

DHFL: $70 million

Tata Housing Finance: $61.5 million

Repco: $40 million

Shapoorji Pallonji: $34 million

Aadhar Housing Finance: $15 million

Aptus: $14.8 million

Aspire: $14.8 million

Aavas Housing: $20 m

Micro Housing Finance Corp: $8 million

IMGC: $5.26 million Proposed (immediate term): Pool with PNB Housing Finance: $800 million (IFCs own money $150 million as anchor investor in a $400 million Masala Bonds issue)

L&T Housing Finance: $75 million

Altico Capital India: $50 million

Photograph (top): Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters.According to ED sources Sunil Mehta said the fraud took place due to systemic failure and procedural lapses, owing to lack of interface or proper links between the core banking software and the SWIFT interbank messaging system.

Forward Blocs youth wing members protest in front of the Punjab National Bank zonal office in Kolkata. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo.

Punjab National Banks managing director and chief executive, Sunil Mehta, admitted the collusion of employees in the letters of undertaking scam while being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday, according to sources.

Mehtas statement was recorded by the probe agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in connection with the case registered against Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the Rs 127-billion fraud at the government-owned lender.

Mehta was in the ED office at Ballard Pier here for nearly six hours. He was summoned soon after being questioned in the same matter by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

According to ED sources, he said the fraud took place due to systemic failure and procedural lapses, owing to lack of interface or proper links between the core banking software and the SWIFT interbank messaging system.

ED officers questioned Mehta on procedural aspects of the banking system and whether he was aware about the malicious use of the SWIFT infrastructure and also to explain the inefficiency of the system in not generating alerts despite LoUs getting encashed at regular intervals.

The ED underlined its present focus was on operational issues at the bank, not the criminal aspect. "Top bankers were called to gather information about the rationale of the issues. We would decide further action depending on the outcomes," said an ED official.

Messages sent to PNB officials remained unanswered.

The ED is also said to have cited Reserve Bank of India cautionary notes and alerts on SWIFT misuse, issued to banks since August 2016. Their sleuths asked PNB why it did not act on those or if the alerts did not come under its lens.

Mehta, who took charge in 2017, reiterated he had no clue about the external and internal factors which had contributed to the fraud.

He reportedly said he came to know about the mega fraud only on January 3. Two employees did unauthorised transactions, the bank began an internal inquiry and registered a complaint with the CBI on January 29.

So far the biggest fraud in Indian banking in size, two junior employees at its Mumbai branch are accused of colluding with Modi and Choksi to issue unauthorised LoUs which were eventually used by the Modi and Choksi companies to get credit from foreign branches, mostly of Indian banks.

PNB itself has stated the fraud was on since 2011 and remained undetected as the employees did not enter the transactions into its Core Banking System, after sending instructions to banks abroad by using SWIFT.

The ED has asked Mehta to corroborate the details in his statement with supporting documents, said the source. Their officers indicated he could be asked to come again, if they required more information. "It seems (PNB) had not fully implemented all the measures required to prevent potential misuse of SWIFT, said the ED official cited above.

The sources also said the ED was waiting to question PNBs retired deputy manager, Gokulnath Shetty, among the prime accused and now in custody. The agency believes Shettys statement would be crucial in the matter. Other top executives could be called after the CBI questioning, which is on.

Apart from Mehta, the central agency had last week questioned ICICI Bank executive director N S Kannan and former PNB chief executive Usha Ananthasubramanian, currently heading Allahabad Bank.

On Thursday, the CBI had arrested a retired chief auditor of PNB, responsible for concurrent audit between 2011 and 2015 at its Brady House, Mumbai, branch, where the LoUs were issued. CBI sought his custody from court, as he was apparently responsible for auditing the procedures and practices followed during the period.

Complete coverage: The great PNB fraud'Manik Sarkar may have been able to hang on if he hadn't been a follower of the CPI-M's all-time hardliner Prakash Karat,' argues Amulya Ganguli.



IMAGE: Manik Sarkar flanked by Prakash Karat, to his left, and Sitaram Yechury at the CPI-M's 21st national congress in Visakhapatnam, April 2015. Also seen: Brinda Karat. Photograph: PTI Photo

Arguably, there was no way the CPI-M could have held on to Tripura.

A quarter of a century in power is an eternity in politics.

No matter how good is a government, the people tend to get tired of seeing the same faces, hearing the same voices, listening to the same rhetoric year after year.

Irrespective of how 'clean' and indigent -- the 'poorest' chief minister in the country -- Manik Sarkar was, he must have sensed that his time was up.

Even then, he might have been able to hang on if he hadn't been a follower of the former CPI-M general secretary and all-time hardliner, Prakash Karat.

If Sarkar had listened instead to what the present general secretary and acknowledged moderate, Sitaram Yechury, had been saying, he might have saved the last red bastion in eastern India by forging an alliance with the Congress.

Had he done so, the CPI-M's own 40-plus per cent vote share would have combined with whatever little which the Congress could mop up -- even three or four cent -- to enable the red-tricolour combine offer an effective resistance to the BJP.

But Sarkar, in his hubris, didn't because he believes in Karat's damaging assessment of the Congress as a bourgeois-landlord party.

It was out of the question, therefore, for the party of international proletarianism to join hands with the class enemy.

It was better to go down while holding the red flag aloft.

Yechury's thinking, however, is different. He believes in picking one's adversaries one by one.

True, the Congress is an opponent in the purely Marxist world of the proletariat on one side and the bourgeoisie on the other.

But the Congress is a lesser danger in ideological terms because it is not fascistic.

It is possible, therefore, to team up with it to defeat the more dangerous enemy, the BJP.

This is the accommodative line which Yechury wants the CPI-M to follow while opposing the BJP in the next general election.

He asked his comrades at a recent conference in Kerala to remember, therefore, that the CPI-M is not the Communist party of Kerala, where the Congress is their main enemy and not the BJP.

Yechury has the backing of the Bengal comrades for this pro-Congress approach.

But Karat, who is from Kerala, will have none of it.

This is not the first time that the Bengalis and the Malayalis have squared off in their divergent interpretations of a tactical line.

The other well-known occasion was when the 'Bongs' under Jyoti Basu and Promode Dasgupta had opposed the decision of the 'Mallus' under E M S Namboodiripad to facilitate the toppling of the Morarji Desai government in 1979 to enable Charan Singh to become prime minister with the help of the Congress led by the pro-Soviet Indira Gandhi.

Dasgupta had called the manoeuvre the handiwork of the Soviet lobby in Delhi.

Another occasion when the Bengalis and the Malayalis did not see eye to eye was when Jyoti Basu's name was proposed as the prime minister in 1996.

Karat had led the opposition within the CPI-M to the initiative in a move which Basu had subsequently described as a 'historic blunder'.

It is too early to say whether Sarkar has committed a similar blunder under Karat's tutelage. But he has certainly given away his tiny state to the BJP.

One doesn't know how long the BJP will be able to hold on to Tripura since its partner in the state government, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a party of tribals, wants a separate state.

The Bengalis of Tripura, who have voted for the BJP in large numbers, will also be wary of the IPFT's intentions. There have been violent clashes between the two communities in the past.

It is also not known whether the BJP will be able to 'digest' the Congress which it has assimilated in the party.

It will take time for the tremors caused by these marriages of convenience to become apparent.

For the present, however, the main fallout of the election is the CPI-M's humiliation as a result of its adherence to Karat's version of Malayali Marxism.

Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs.'Why are states important to win for national parties?'

'What is the significance of local power?'

'That was what we should have a look at because the Congress has been squeezed out of power in more states today than it has ever been in history,' says Aakar Patel.



IMAGE: Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI

We have never seen as much interest in an election concerning India's north east as we did this week.

I usually wake up early, around 5, and was surprised to see that on Saturday before 7 am the news channels were all ready with their panellists, awaiting the results in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

This is a good sign for us as a nation. I remember a few years ago, the magazine India Today running an editorial which complained about how India was ignoring the north east.

In that same issue, which was covering some eight or so state assembly elections, the magazine's cover featured only five larger states from north India, ignoring the north east ones also going to the polls.

This attitude seems to be changing and that as I said is good for us.

The results were fascinating, especially the one in Tripura. India is one of the last remaining major democracies to have active Communist parties and they add great colour and value to our politics even if they have become a much reduced force.

However, I'd like to focus on the Congress today.

After winning some by-elections in Rajasthan in February, Congressman Sachin Pilot said this: 'To win states, you have to win municipal elections, ward elections etc. Those are elections that form the bedrock of an organisation. We have to win states. No party can think of conquering New Delhi nationally unless they have a good number of states under their belt.'

Why are states important to win for national parties?

What is the significance of local power?

That was what we should have a look at because the Congress has been squeezed out of power in more states today than it has ever been in history.

Perhaps that will change later this year when some states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh go to the polls. Why is it vital for Congress President Rahul Gandhi that his party perform well in the months leading up to 2019?

The first advantage is the most obvious one. Being in power is what politics is about.

The party can execute the specifics of its ideology and therefore set the agenda. For example, the BJP could make beef and cattle slaughter a national issue for months by banning it in Haryana and Maharashtra.

The second advantage is that power at the level of corporation and state assembly gives politicians the agency to serve their constituents.

Most politicians begin and end their day with people pestering them for all sorts of things from electricity connections to admissions for their children.

It is the party in power that can deliver this and not the Opposition.

The third aspect is funding. This works in two ways. The reality is that leaders make and take money for their party, even when they may not be personally corrupt.

There is an excellent anecdote about this by the late journalist Dhiren Bhagat in his book Contemporary Conservative about V P Singh.

Official funding from corporates also will flow towards the party in power for obvious reasons.

The fourth and related aspect is that of spending by candidates. Individuals who are contesting for parties which are usually in the Opposition will not spend as much of their money on their campaign. This results in their not being as competitive.

The fifth aspect is that the party in power can control messaging.

For example, through government spending on advertising. The largest advertiser in India is the Union government. Last year it spent Rs 1,280 crore (Rs 12.80 billion) on advertising the prime minister and his schemes.

To put the number in perspective, Hindustan Unilever, which sells everything from Axe deodorant to Lux soap to Taj Mahal tea spent Rs 900 crore (Rs 9 billion).

India's telecom companies all put together spend less than the Union government. All state governments have publicity budgets that are used primarily for self-promotion.

Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi government spent Rs 526 crore (Rs 5.26 billion) on publicity in 2015.

The sixth aspect is that these large sums keep the media on the side of the ruling party. This is especially true for regional newspapers that have high dependence on government advertising.

To give one example, Rajasthan Patrika, India's seventh largest newspaper with a readership of over 1.5 crore (15 million), went to the Supreme Court because Vasundhara Raje's government stopped giving it advertisements (presumably because of unfavourable coverage).

The seventh and last reason is the use of the machinery of the state.

The Election Commission keeps watch over this to some extent, but that is only in the phase after elections are announced.

For the rest of the 5 years, the party in power can use the police force, give positions to supporters and generally use and misuse the infrastructure of government.

These are the things which, especially in our part of the world, nourish and sustain political parties.

Without consistently and regularly gaining strength and sustenance through local power, it will be difficult for Rahul Gandhi to automatically become a contender nationally in 2019.

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.'None other but the invincible chariot led by Modi and Shah could have taken up the challenge and won,' says Tarun Vijay.



IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit A Shah at a rally in Tripura, May 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo

"We are relaxed. Thanks to Modiji and Amitbhai, the curse of the Communists and Congress has gone forever from Tripura," a fellow RSS worker from Agartala told me after the results were announced on Saturday.

The Tripura victory goes beyond mere electoral success. It is a victory of Thought.

A grand success of the ideology that represents the supremacy of the Tricolour and knows to sacrifice one's life for India.

It conveyed the message of development, prosperity and a secure future to the youth and common person of Tripura who were reeling under the CPM's corrupt and violent governance.

The youth of Tripura -- like youth elsewhere in the country -- have a dream for a prosperous, new, India. Prime Minister Modi's promise of HIRA -- highways, i-ways, roadways and airways -- helped the people of Tripura make up their mind. They voted for a better future.

The Communists, dustbinned by every single state in the country except Kerala and Tripura, drew disproportional space in the media. They were included in prime time discussions only to abuse the RSS/BJP and use the platform to sermonise the nation as the representative voice of the people.

They turned, wherever they were influential, every newsdesk into a Gulag and stifled, twisted, every news that carried the RSS/BJP message.

In Kolkata. In Agartala. In New Delhi. In Thiruvananthpuram.

But they couldn't Stalinise the people's verdict. And now with Tripura gone, they must wait for an appropriate burial for their ideological outfit in Kerala.

None other but the invincible chariot led by Modi and Shah could have taken up the challenge and won.

It is an indisputable fact that the untiring energy-packed BJP leadership invested so much of power and confidence to win that nothing could stop the party from coming to power.

In Tripura, the Communists' 25-year-old rule confronted the first-ever real challenge for the Thought Warriors, trained in the discipline of the RSS and groomed in politics with the ideals of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

It is unbelievable how the Left-influenced media and secular polity mocked these ideological warriors, made fun of their leaders, never attended the birth or death anniversaries of their late leaders, attributed their every victory to inexplicable reasons -- and not support by the people to their work and ideology.

Still, they were able to turn every difficulty into an opportunity to surge ahead.

Prime Minister Modi very aptly described Tripura as an ideological victory. We have trounced the evil empire of de-Indianised ideological satraps with their roots in extra-territorial lands and thoughts.

They never believed in India and never supported the Indian vision for Indians.

Tripura has more than 31% tribal population, but under CPM rule, the tribals were so famished and marginalised that there were incidents of tribal children being sold for a sack of rice.

So much for their revolutionary thoughts.

Whenever I saw Manik Sarkar give interviews, I saw a portrait of Lenin behind him. The Communists could not find an Indian to adore and draw inspiration from.

While other states have been implementing the 7th Pay Commission's recommendations, Tripura was still stuck with the 4th Pay Commission.

Unemployment rose unbelievably and political violence was unleashed under State protection. Seven BJP workers were killed in the past seven months. A look at media reports will show the barbarity of the CPM goons.

But for the RSS' ideological warriors this was not a new phenomenon.

In 1999, I remember RSS veteran H V Seshadri sitting on a dharna before Tripura House in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, with thousands of swayamsewaks demanding the early release of four abducted RSS pracharaks in Tripura. The pracharaks were later killed under the nose of the CPM government. The CPM government did nothing to save them.

The ideologically committed RSS did not abandon its activities in Tripura. Its work was redoubled -- with reinforced energy and vigor.

From Tripura to Kerala, RSS/BJP workers are being killed for believing in the ideology of the Tricolor.

Those who became spies for the British and wanted to topple the freedom movement from within are the new agents of violence against them.

Who else would have such courage and a willingness to sacrifice their lives for ideology except those who believe in the ultimate victory of Mother India?

In Tripura, they proved change can be brought about only through the ballot and not through bullets.

In Kerala too, they will prove it soon, giving a decent and appropriate burial to the final remnants of Communism.'The BJP capitalised on the Left Front's failure and inaction and the Congress' deliberate retreat in Tripura.'



IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi at an election rally in Sonamura, Tripura. Photograph: PTI Photo

Dr R K Satapathy is an astute observer of politics in India's north east.

Dr Satapathy -- who has taught politics for 33 years in Mizoram and NEHU, Shillong -- has been involved in several electoral studies in the north eastern states. He led research scholars conducting the People's Pulse pre-poll survey in the Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura organised by the Hyderabad-based research organisation.

"It was as if the Congress was not very keen in fighting these battles," he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih in a telephone interview.

You led a team that conducted an pre-poll survey. What is your post poll assessment?

In the survey for People's Pulse and Lokniti, we said Meghalaya would have a hung assembly because no political party will get a clear majority.

Tripura surprised us with the margin. We revealed that the BJP would form the government, but didn't know it would cross 40 seats.

In Tripura, age also plays a role. Most CPI-M leaders in Tripura are above 70.

The youth look to inspiring young leaders who can provide dynamic leadership.

There was Left complacency. After serving for so many years they perhaps took voters for granted.

In Nagaland things are still very fluid. You don't know what will be the consequence in the post election scenario.

Who will be the partners and who will form the government is difficult to predict in Nagaland.

Could the BJP form a government in Meghalaya despite the Congress having more numbers -- the way it did in Goa and Manipur last year?

The Congress-NPP (National People's Party) are neck and neck in Meghalaya.

In the post-poll situation, many regional parties may not go with the Congress because of its long rule in the state.

The only inhibition against the BJP is religion because it is perceived as a Hindu right wing party. It also depends on the BJP strategy in Meghalaya.

The BJP concentrated on campaigning in the Garo Hills more than any other region. The NPP is strong in the Garo Hills. The CM (Mukul Sangma) is also from the Garo Hills. Their (the BJP's) focus is more on the Garo Hills.

There, the NPP won more seats than the Congress, but in Khasi and the Jaitia Hills, the BJP does not have much presence.

In a few pockets in Khasi and Jaitia Hills, the NPP is trying to makes its presence felt.

If you club all this together, it gives strength to the NPP.

Again, the post-poll election (in Meghalaya) is fluid, but most likely the BJP will try to cobble together all the non Congress parties and attempt to form the government.

In Manipur and Goa, the BJP formed the government because of its aggressive, pro-active, strategy.

So its perceived Hindu image will not be a hindrance in forming a government in these Christian-dominated states?

That was the pre-election image. Post election, we don't know.

What reasons do you see for the BJP Spring in the north east and the Congress' decline? The Congress did not win a single seat in Nagaland and Tripura.

This is the structural problem of the Congress party.

Hardly any prominent Congress leaders campaigned in Tripura except Rahul Gandhi on the last day of the campaign.

In Meghalaya, Shashi Tharoor and a few other leadres had come, but it was a haphazard campaign.

It was as if the Congress was not very keen in fighting these battles.

The BJP gave special attention to this region though it knew that Nagaland and Meghalaya are Christian-dominated states. Still, it tried its best.

If not on its own, it tried with its partners to get a foothold here.

It was amazing the way BJP campaigned in Tripura. All their top leaders were here.

The BJP's aggressive campaign, the Congress's half-hearted campaign, and the CPI-M's anti- incumbency (are responsible for the outcome in Tripura).

The Congress vote share in Meghalaya and Tripura have gone down. The Congress is virtually a non entity in Nagaland.

In Nagaland, the NPF (Naga People's Front) and the NDPP (the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) are breakaway organisations.

Both regional parties are uncomfortable enemies. Post election, we will have to see how they deal with each other.

What are the main reasons for the BJP victory in Tripura?

Hemanta Biswa Sarma's long stay in Tripura.

The first time, a direct contest between the Left and Right in Tripura.

The ideological battle between Left and Right. A big symbolic battle.

Tripura was the last Left bastion. To unseat a cadre-based party with such a long presence of nerly 30 years is not an easy job.

People lost faith in them (the Marxists).

I have visited the length and breadth of Tripura -- the pitiable condition of the roads; people don't have drinking water, electricity. This created some sort of anger.

People want employment, a good life. The Left failed them on these counts.

The BJP capitalised on the Left Front's failure and inaction and the Congress' deliberate retreat in Tripura.

These two factors helped the BJP emerge as the victor.

What made people vote for the BJP?

I visited all the party offices. In Tripura all the Left members were sitting with sunken faces.

When we interviewed their senior leaders they did not seem very confident. They were on the backfoot.

The Congress did not seem to have any strategy in place. They said the Left and BJP are our enemies, but I feel the Congress leaders must internally be happy that the Left has lost because in 25 years they could not unseat the CPI-M.

They (the BJP and Congress) may be enemies at the national level, but the Congress' state leaders must be happy.

The Left cadres are also in confusion. They are told (by the CPI-M's central leadership) to go soft on the Congress in Tripura. The Congress was the main Opposition for the CPI-M in Tripura.

There was a lot of discontent among Congress leaders. All these worked in the BJP's favour.

The BJP has won Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Tripura and hopes to form governments in Nagaland and Meghalaya. What does this mean for the north east?

It is a morale booster for the BJP. These are small states. The BJP is going to face tough challenges in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha, but these wins in smaller states will boost morale.

What outcome will these results have on national politics?

These small states will get better attention from national policy makers. The north east will be better understood by central leaders.

Thanks to the BJP's initiative, it has brought this marginalised region centre stage.

Other political parties were forced to respond to the BJP's aggressive campaign in these smallers states.

As a result, the whole region got better focus at the national level.The Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front, which had first assumed power in Tripura in 1978, winning 56 of the 60 seats in the state assembly, never fared so badly in elections in the north-eastern state as it did in this year's polls, the results of which were declared on Saturday.

Nripen Chakrabarty had headed the first LF government in the state in 1978. The Congress had drawn a blank and the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity, a tribal outfit, had managed to bag four seats in 1978.

In the 1983 assembly election, the LF had bagged 39 seats, while the Congress-TUJS alliance captured 20 and the Amra Bangali, a regional party, won the remaining seat. Of the 39 seats won by the LF, the CPI-M alone had bagged 37 while the other two seats fell into the kitty of its ally, the Revolutionary Socialist Party.

The Congress had won 14 and the TUJS six seats in 1983.

The LF was defeated by the Congress-TUJS combine by a slender margin in the 1988 assembly election.

Polling was held in 59 seats in 1988, while it was countermanded in one seat due to the death of the CPI-M candidate.

The Congress had captured 23 and the TUJS seven seats in 1988, while the CPI-M won 29. Subsequently, the Congress-TUJS alliance's tally went up to 31 after the tribal outfit won another seat in a by-election.

In 1993, the LF had wrested power from the Congress-TUJS combine, winning 49 seats. The Congress had managed to win 10 seats and the TUJS only one.

The LF had retained power in the 1998 assembly election, capturing 41 seats. The Congress-TUJS combine had won 19 seats with the former bagging 15 and the latter four.

Manik Sarkar was elected chief minister after the 1998 polls.

In the 2003 assembly polls, the LF had retained power by winning 41 seats. While the Congress had bagged 13 seats, its new ally, the Indigenous People's Party of Tripura, won six seats.

The LF had pulled up an impressive victory in the 2008 assembly election, getting 49 seats, while its opponents -- the Congress and the INPT -- won 10 and one seats respectively.

The LF's tally went up to 50 in the 2013 polls, while the Congress won the remaining 10 seats.

Six Congress MLAs had quit the party and joined the Trinamool Congress in 2016. Subsequently, they had switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Another Congress MLA, Ratan Lal Nath, had also joined the saffron party two months before the 2018 assembly election and was disqualified by the assembly speaker under the anti-defection law.Bharatiya Janata Party leaders were enthused after they ousted the Left government in Tripura and scored positively in Nagaland too.

Here are reactions from the party leaders.

IMAGE: BJP president Amit Shah flashes the victory sign after his party won in Tripura.

Photograph: PTI Photo

Amit Shah

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah said Saturdays victories in the Lefts citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast.

A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

"It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways... It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast," he said.

He added, As far as the question of Left is concerned, this has been proved that the Left is not right for any part of the country," Shah said

Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who had campaigned in Tripura, on Saturday gave the credit for BJP's performance in assembly elections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies, besides the electoral strategy of party president Amit Shah.

The party is achieving historical success in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I want to congratulate all party workers, PM Modi and party president Amit Shah," he told reporters here before leaving for the state capital.

It is the victory of the Modi government's achievements at the centre and the strategies and election management of party president Amit Shah and hard work of party workers, the chief minister said.

"In Tripura, the party is moving towards a historic success by defeating the 25-year-old Left government. It shows the faith of the people of the Northeast in the Union Government," he said.

"It is important because it is the first time that any prime minister has prepared a policy keeping in mind the people of the Northeast and has asked the Union ministers to go to the Northeast and get acquainted with the real issues and problems of the area.

"It is a victory of Prime Minister Modi's thinking that development should not belong to a few people but all. It is the victory of the faith of common people in Prime Minister Modi, he added.

Himanta Biswa Sarma

If BJP chief Amit Shah is a student of post graduation then Congress president Rahul Gandhi is still in nursery class, Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said while comparing the two leaders capability in politics.

Sarma was in the Congress for nearly two decades and a minister in the then Tarun Gogoi-led Congress governments for nearly 15 years before joining the BJP in 2015.

"I

After the Assam assembly elections in 2016, he became education and health minister in Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's BJP-led government in the state.

Raman Singh

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh hailed the BJPs performance in the Tripura assembly elections, describing it as a "victory of nationalist forces led by BJP over anachronistic and moribund Left ideology".

He also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the partys national president Amit Shah for the BJP's good showing in the polls in the three northeast states.

Calling BJP's victory in Tripura a historic one, Singh said that people from all religions and sections of society had voted for the party and had taught a lesson to those practising divisive politics.

"The last fort of the Left government in Tripura, where it was in rule for 22 years, has crumbled. As expected by the people, we will march ahead on the path of development there. People have also voted for the BJP to form an alliance government in Nagaland," he said.

Singh claimed that the Congress was fast disappearing from the country and would soon be history.

Manohar Parrikar

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah for the party's good performance in the assembly polls in three north eastern states.

"Congratulations to PM @narendramodi ji, Shri @AmitShah ji, BJP Karyakartas, and the people of North East for the splendid performance of BJP in assembly polls and for the historic victory in Tripura," Parrikar tweeted on Saturday.

Raghubar Das

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said the BJP's poll result in the North East has sent out the message that it has become the party of the people.

The people have stood with Prime Minister Narendra Modis politics of development and the people of the north east have given the stamp of approval for four years of Modi government at the Centre, an official release said quoting him.

Congratulating BJP president Amit Shah, he said the BJP is continuously winning under his leadership.

Das also congratulated the people of Tripura for choosing development and throwing out the 25 year-old communist government.

In Jamshedpur he described BJPs victory in Tripura as historic and expressed confidence that the party would form the government in Nagaland and Meghalaya with its allies.

He congratulated the BJP workers for their hard labour in the NE states, particularly Tripura for the poll result.

The people have reposed full faith in the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his call of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', he said.

The politics of development of Modji has been accepted by the people across the country, he said adding that the number of states ruled by the National Democratic Alliance would go upto 22-23 in the near future.Last updated on: March 03, 2018 22:27 IST

Bharatiya Janata Party members on Saturday celebrate saffron Holi after the poll results showed a historic win for the party in Tripura and Nagaland.

Here are glimpses of the triumph.

BJP President and master-strategist Amit Shah flashes victory sign as he is accorded welcome by party workers in New Delhi. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI Photo

BJP workers play saffron Holi a day after the Holi festival. Photograph: Jayanta Dey/Reuters

BJP supporters wave party flag to celebrate its win, which brought down 25 years of Communist Party of India-Marxist government rule, in Tripura. Photograph: PTI Photo

BJP supporters smear saffron color on each other to celebrate party's win in Tripura. Photograph: PTI Photo

BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and Tripura BJP chief Biplab Kumar Deb greet the elated supporters after party's victory. Photograph: PTI Photo

Bihar BJP state President Nityanand Rai beats a 'dhol' while Union minister Giriraj Singh looks on during their celebration of BJP's win in Tripura. Photograph: PTI PhotoIndia and Vietnam on Saturday resolved to work jointly for an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific along with an efficient and rules-based regional security architecture, seen as a message to China over its growing military expansion in the region.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Vietnam Tran Dai Quang during their joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

After wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, the two strategic partners inked three pacts providing for cooperation in nuclear energy, trade and agriculture, besides deciding to boost ties in oil and gas exploration.

Modi said both sides expressed commitment for an open, efficient and rules-based regional architecture and to expand bilateral maritime cooperation further.

"We will jointly work for an open, independent and prosperous Indo Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and where differences are resolved through talks," Modi said in a media statement in the presence of the Vietnamese President.

In an apparent reference to the South China Sea dispute, the Vietnamese president said it supports India's multi-faceted "connectivity" with ASEAN and asserted that there must be freedom of navigation and over flight in the region. He said that disputes must be resolved through peaceful means.

IMAGE: PM Modi welcomes with the Vietnam president at Hyderabad House. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo

Vietnam and several other ASEAN member countries have territorial disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea.

While India, the US and several other world powers have been pressing for resolution of the dispute on the basis of international law, China has been favouring a bilateral framework with respective countries.

"We reaffirm our close collaboration to support India to further its relations and multi-faceted connectivity with ASEAN attaching high importance to the maintenance of security, maritime safety and freedom of navigation and over flight, settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law including ULCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)," Quang said.

The Vietnamese president said it was important to respect the diplomatic and legal process in resolution of the dispute.

He said both sides also agreed to work closely to address regional security challenges including in the domain of maritime and cyber security.

IMAGE: Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang and his wife Lady Nguyen Thi Hien lay wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI Photo

On defence cooperation, which is on an upswing, the prime minister said both sides decided to cooperate in defence production and explore opportunities in transfer of technology.

During the talks, Modi said India and Vietnam have also "agreed" to deepen trade and investment ties in sectors like oil and gas exploration, renewable energy, agriculture and textiles.

He said the two sides will also look for trilateral partnership in oil and gas sector.

The three pacts signed after the talks between the two leaders will provide for cooperation in areas of nuclear energy, trade and agriculture.

IMAGE: President Ram Nath Kovind hosts Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang and his wife at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Photograph: PTI Photo

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Vietnamese president.

Their discussions focused on steps to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Quang was also given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.The BJP's strong showing came as a surprise for many as the party did not even have a councillor in Tripura.

MEGHALAYA, TRIPURA, NAGALAND: THE FINAL RESULTS

The BJP-IPFT combine scripted history on Saturday by winning the Tripura assembly polls, ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front in the state.

The party captured 35 seats on its own while its alliance partner the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura bagged eight seats, giving the combine a majority in the House.

The elections in 59 seats in the 60-member assembly were held on February 18.

Polling was countermanded in one seat due to the death of a CPI-M candidate.

The saffron party inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Left Front which had never faced such a situation even when it had lost power in 1988 to the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity combine.

The BJP's strong showing came as a surprise for many as the party did not even have a councillor in Tripura.

It had secured less than two per cent votes in the 2013 assembly election in the state.

According to an EC source, the BJP, which contested in 51 seats in Tripura, has secured over 42 per cent of the votes.

Among the winning candidates in the BJP were Biplab Deb, its state unit president.

Its ally IPFT, which fielded candidates in nine seats, got nearly 8 per cent votes.

On the other hand, the CPIM-led Left Front, which had captured 50 of the 60 seats in the 2013 assembly polls, is expected to secure nearly 44 per cent this time, the EC source said.

The Left Front had lost in 1988 assembly polls to the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samity combine by just one seat.

The Congress is not expected win a single seat. Its vote share is likely to dip to slightly over two per cent, the EC source said.

BJP leader Ram Madhav said that the people in the state have voted for a change.

"They have supported our slogan for change," he said, adding that the CPI-M gave a "spirited fight".

BJP in-charge in Tripura and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "People were fed up with the Manik Sarkar government which has been ruling the state for more than two decades and wanted to get rid of the CPI-M rule."

He also said the BJP's alliance with the tribal dominated IPFT has also helped the saffron party.

"Tribal votes in Tripura are around 35 per cent and they voted for the BJP lock, stock and barrel," he said.

Sarma also dismissed the suggestion that the minorities, particularly the Christians in the northeast, were against the BJP, saying the community "wholeheartedly" supported the party.

On the poll outcome, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "Tripura voters have given their mandate for a BJP-IPFT government in the state. We thank the people of Tripura for giving us the opportunity to serve them for the past 25 years."

He said that CPI-M would continue to oppose the BJP and its "divisive agenda" not only in Tripura but throughout the country.

He alleged that the BJP has used both "money and muscle power in Tripura".

IMAGE: A BJP supporters wear a mask of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate party's victory in Tripura assembly elections in Agartala. Photograph: PTI PhotoCongress had a reason to smile as it was able to emerge as the single largest party in Meghalaya, but failed to secure a majority.

IMAGE: BJP supporters smear colors on each other to celebrate party's win after Tripura assembly election results were announced in Agartala on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo

Riding the crest of a Modi wave, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday demolished the communist citadel of Tripura, winning a two-third majority with ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura and ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front.

The saffron party, which did not have even a single councillor in all of Tripura, had secured less than two per cent votes in the 2013 polls.

In Nagaland, though the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party alliance failed to secure a majority with the state throwing up a hung assembly, the party's participation in the future government looks certain.

IMAGE: BJP supporters wave party flag in Agartala. Photograph: PTI Photo

The ruling Naga People's Front, which emerged as the single largest party, extended invitation to the BJP join the new dispensation, though the BJP-NDPP combine may be able to form a government with help from smaller parties like NPP, Janata Dal-United and an independent.

Meghalaya too gave a fractured verdict with the ruling Congress as the single largest party with 21 seats, nine short of a simple majority.

All three states have 60-member assemblies but polling was held for 59 seats each due to various reasons.

IMAGE: BJP supporters celebrate party's victory in Dharmanagar. The party credited the favourable results to PM Narendra Modi and people' desire for change. Photograph: PTI Photo

It is a journey from no one to number won, from 'shoonya to shikhar' (zero to top)," a jubilant Prime Minister Narendra Modi said addressing BJP workers at the newly constructed party headquarters in the national capital referring to the giant leap of the party in the Northeast.

The BJP is already in power in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

In a series of tweets on the outcome of assembly polls, Modi said the victory of the BJP in Tripura was not ordinary.

"This journey from Shunya to Shikhar (zero to the top) has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years," the prime minister said.

Modi also said that people are reposing faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the National Democratic Alliance.

"People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind," he said.

IMAGE: BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav and Tripura BJP chief Biplab Kumar Deb greet supporters in Agartala. Photograph: PTI Photo

About the resounding victory in Tripura, he said, "It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves."

Though the BJP secured a majority on its own in Tripura, winning 35 seats, Amit Shah told a press conference in the national capital that it will form government with ally IPFT, which won eight seats. The CPI-M-led Left Front could manage just 16 seats.

While the unprecedented consolidation of Bengali and tribal votes was seen as the reason behind the BJP alliance's triumph, the CPI-M accused it of using "money and muscle power" to win the elections.

"The BJP used money and muscle power and managed to bring together all anti-Left forces," CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

Though the ruling Congress emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya, it failed to secure a majority, winning 21 seats. The party could not open its account in Tripura and Nagaland.

IMAGE: With Tripura and Nagaland, the BJP has expanded its footprint in the northeast. Photograph: Jayanta Dey/Reuters

The BJP could win just two seats in Christian-dominated Meghalaya, but its North-East Democratic alliance partner National People's Party clinched 19. Together they equal the Congress's tally.

Smaller parties that won 13 seats and three independents would play a decisive role in government formation.

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who was despatched to Shillong to explore ways of forming a Congress-led government, said the party had the support of MLAs necessary to prove majority on the floor of the assembly.

"Congress being the single largest party should be invited by the governor to form its government. We will prove our majority any time the governor asks," he told TV channels in Shillong.

Nagaland also gave a fractured verdict with no party or pre-poll alliance having a majority. The BJP got an informal invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister T R Zeliang to join the new government. The NPF, is the single largest party in the House with 27 seats.

The BJP-NDPP combine has also won 27 seats and are leading in one each.

IMAGE: It was a saffron Holi for Bharatiya Janata Party supporters. Photograph: Jayanta Dey/Reuters

The NPP of Conrad Sangma, a North-East Democratic alliance partner of the BJP, has won two seats, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD-U one. If the BJP-NDPP alliance wins the two seats where their candidates are leading, its tally would go up to 32, two more than the magic figure of 30.

The BJP had parted ways with the NPF just ahead of the polls and joined hands with the newly launched NDPP of three-time former chief minister Neiphiu Rio, also an old Naga People's Front hand.

Zeliang, the NPF leader, said his party continued to be a part of the North-East Democratic alliance led by the BJP and hoped the saffron party will form the new government with it.

"We have not parted with the alliance. I hope BJP will join our government. I will welcome it if they join us. The BJP has two ministers in my cabinet," he told NDTV.

Though there was no official word from the BJP on whether it would be a part of the NPF-led government, Shah had told a press conference in New Delhi that the number of states under the saffron party's belt has gone up to 21 from 19.A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.Slovak authorities released all seven people who were detained in connection with the murder of a young journalist, reports said Saturday.

Jan Kuciak, a journalist and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, were shot dead at their home near the capital, Bratislava, last Sunday.

Kuciak, 27, had been preparing a story exposing alleged links between Italian mafia and top politicians in Slovakia. He was murdered before completing the article, but it was published posthumously.

Thousands of people marched in protest across the country braving bitter cold temperature on Friday.

The police said seven Italians detained on Thursday were released as no evidence had emerged within the statutory time limit for detention of 48 hours.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political NewsWe all respect that rules are here to keep our sport out of anarchy. But, while @runblogrun respects the need for proper officiating, we are concerned about the literal interpretation of our rules this weekend. Obstruction or advantage has always been part of the spirit of the rules. This weekend, while the officials are right on one level, the DQs and protest are putting a bitter taste in the mouths of some athletes, managers and keen observers.

Protests (in total 16 dqs during Friday from different reasons)

Men 400 m: A protest was presented by the Grenada team after Heat 3 of the 400m Round 1 Men, against the disqualification of their athlete Bralon Taplin for running on the line in the curve. The Grenada team claim the athlete was already on a straight line and therefore didn't create an advantage. The Jury of Appeal reviewed the video of the incident and observed that the athlete stepped on the line in the curved part of the track and rejected the appeal.

Men 400 m: A protest was presented by the Costa Rica team after Heat 5 of the 400m Round 1 Men, against the disqualification of their athlete Nery Brenes claiming he was stepping on the line. The Costa Rica team claim their athlete didn't interfere with any other athlete. The Jury of Appeal reviewed the video of the incident and observed that the athlete stepped on the line in the curved part of the track and rejected the appeal.

Men 3000 m: A protest was presented by the German team after Heat 2 of the 3000m Round 1 Men, against the disqualification of their athlete Richard Ringer. The Jury reviewed the video of the incident and in their opinion the German athlete attempted to accelerate and pass the Djibouti athlete on the inside where there was insufficient space. The German athlete consequently pushed the Djibouti athlete in a manner which makes him subject to disqualification according to rule 163.2b. The Jury rejected the appeal.

Women 400 m: Protests were presented by the Swiss and Greek teams after the Semi-Finals of the Women's 400m Semi-Finals, in Heat 1 and 3 respectively. Swiss athlete Lea Sprunger and Greek athlete Maria Belibasaki had both been disqualified under Rule 163.3. The Swiss team claimed Sprunger had only stepped outside her lane in the back straight, and had therefore gained no material advantage. The Greek team did not accept that their athlete had stepped on the line. The Jury of Appeal examined the video evidence and rejected both appeals.Re: This is an angry piece

What I know is that in a round about way, we should be bringing the two ends together and some of that is being civil amongst many things.

Now any criminal that cuts too deep should be dealt with accordingly because we as a nation have a right to justice.

It could be much worse for criminals but people that are trusted to do the work in the court system end up letting them slip out.

Let not the way the Australian judicial system is guide you but trust in what you know and that is for every injustice.

Let nothing get in the way of a good country and let not Australia and the useless information that people blur to the ear and tell those in charge who use it as a horse be why you stop criminals let it be for the wrong they have done.

Chris van der SchoorZepyur Harutyunyan has been living on the fourth floor of the former Hrazdan Technical School (Kotayk Regional State College) dormitory for 25 years.

Its inhabitants get fewer year by year. Zepyur says 13 families, who have no other home, live there. There are also families who have rooms in the dormitory but dont reside there.

The long corridor of the dormitory is cold and dark. Zepyur borrows her neighbors iron ladder to climb onto the roof.

The woman says that although shes 47 years old, she must climb onto the roof every day to try to stop the rain from leaking down. However, covering the roof with materials at hand doesnt seem to work anymore. The rain constantly drips from the ceiling. When the heater is on, the damp smell becomes intolerable.

Zepyur invites us to their room. Her daughter quickly collects the laundry next to the heater. In one room, theyve tried to create a space to live, but, according to Zepyur, its not habitable: its just a bit better than living on the street.

The building is registered as unsafe. They keep on writing complaint letters, but with no luck. The building is falling apart day by day, and its dangerous to live there.

"Last year, a 63-year-old woman fell into the water in the basement and drowned. She probably went to toilet there, Im not sure. She was found a week later," Zepyur recalls.

There is only one toilet on each floor of the dormitory. The building doesnt have a bathroom. Zepyur says people have to use rooms for those needs, too.

We walk around. The toilet on the second floor has no sewage pipes. Theres just a hole straight to the first floor. It stinks around.

All residents collect water from the faucet on the first floor. The water flows continuously, so that the pipesdont freeze, and there are thick layers of ice around the washbasin.

Standing in the yard of the dormitory for a few minutes, we notice people carrying cardboard. They collect boxes from nearby stores and streets to burn for heat.

The back of the building is being demolished. Its full of garbage and dirt.

Residents say the government remembers them only before elections, when they are given plenty of promises, but nothing is done in practice.

Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant (TPP) Dormitory: Mikroshrjan District, Building 71

The second dormitory in Hrazdan, which is almost in the same situation, is in the Mikroshrjan district.

Disabled Samvel Tadevosyan is a former soldier. He has been living here with his wife for 18 years. He used to work as an electrician in the Hrazdan TTP before the war.

Samvel says there were windows and doors in the dormitory, and they even had a guard, so others could not enter the building. Its now full of dogs.

Residents say around 25 families live here.

Samvel says its not possible to live like this any longer. He says he has renovated his room, but it does not help. The dampness is pervasive.

Aram Sirekanyan, who has lived here since 1995, takes us to the basement to see the drinking water pipes. He says the building has started to decompose. He brought some blankets to cover the pipes in the winter so that they do not freeze, but it doesnt help, since the blankets get wet. Aram's father worked  the TTP, when he got a room here.

Residents say most of the rooms were allocated while they worked at the TPP. They are afraid of being expelled at any moment.

Hrazdan Municipality Official: "We have nothing to do with dormitories"

Shota Khachatryan, the head of the Hrazdan Municipalitys Housing and Utilities Department, says that out of the two dormitories in Hrazdan, the college one is under the control of the governments State Property Management Department.

"We have nothing to do with those two dormitories. We simply support with whatever possible - financial support, roofing materials, etc. Naturally, there are people with social issues living in those buildings. We are waiting for the government to act, since a complete renovation is required there, says Khachatryan.

He says the technical college dormitory has 19 registered families (50 residents), while the TTP one has 45 families (75 residents). Refugees used to resideat the TTP dorm.

The State Property Management Departments Reply

Hetq sent a query to the State Property Management Department about the Hrazdan College Dormitory. They replied that the building was handed over to their administration in 2005, for privatization of the rooms occupied by refugees living there and donating the remaining rooms to the Hrazdan city community. Since they found no refugee families residing in the building, it should have been fully allocated to the Hrazdan city community.

In order to carry out the allocation process, the administration has repeatedly applied to the community for state registration of property rights and transferal works, but the community has said that according to the conclusion provided by the relevant organization, the building is a fourth-degree collapse risk and is subject to demolition.

Thus, the community simply doesnt want the buildingdue to its condition.

The replies of the Hrazdan Municipality and The State Property Management Department have done nothing to resolve the issues of the buildings and their residents.

P.S. Hetq also sent a written query to Hrazdan TTP about the status and fate of the TTP dormitory. Once we get their reply, well publish it.

Photos: Saro BaghdasaryanTwenty-nine families in Savaii received food products and emergency kits thanks to Adventist Development and Relief Agency (A.D.R.A) Samoa and Rotary Club of Apia.

The two organisations are working together to help families that were affected by the Tropical Cyclone Gita last month.

We covered the whole of Savaii starting with Faasaleleaga, Gagemauga, Itu o Tane, Itu o Asau, Salega, Palauli Sisifo and Salelologa. Families in those areas were badly affected by Cyclone Gita, said programme Project Manager, Tuioti Autagavaia Sakaria.

We have covered 29 families in Savaii, where we distributed containers of food from A.D.R.A. and emergency kits from the Rotary Samoa.

A.D.R.A. Samoa Administration Manager for Habitat, Valelia Ausage said most affected families in Savaii had their houses damaged and thats what the emergency kits were for.

For some families their plantations were ruined, but most families it was their houses.

And this is a lesson to them as well because these families werent well prepared for the natural disasters.

So may this be a lesson for them to be well prepared during times like these.

Operations Manager for Habitat, Unasa Pulou Matafeo, said families were appreciative of the assistance.

What we are planning is to partner with Rotary during this time, we have seen Rotary trying their very best to help vulnerable families, which is a good thing for A.D.R.A. Samoa as well, said Unasa.

So for the future, because surely there will be natural disasters in the future, at least the families are well prepared for these types of disasters.

Tuioti said they had covered more than 60 families in both islands.

For A.D.R.A. Samoa, we have spent more than $40,000 to cover these families in terms of food supplies, he said.

We are not really sure about the Rotary.

However one thing we do want to make clear is that when disasters such as this occur, the work we are doing in the aftermath is not for us to give out food to all the families.

What we are doing is to provide help for the vulnerable families, which means these are the people who live in houses that are not well built, leaving them prone to natural disasters.

During our distribution, we have also found that some families they live in small houses which caters for about 20 family members living in these houses.

So this means they are at high risks when disasters hit them.

So we are trying to cater for these people, for some families its true they have been affected, but their livelihood is still okay.

They have their plantation to turn to and their houses are well prepared for these types of disasters, so they are not vulnerable.

But the people who are vulnerable are the people who we have catered to with the listing from the Disaster Management Office.

So that is the purpose of this distribution, to help those families who are vulnerable and are in dire need of help.On the front page of yesterdays Samoa Observer the headline screamed: Social Media Policy tells public servants to defend Govt. reputation.

Now the questions are: What government reputation that needs to be defended are we talking about here?

Indeed, if the government has such a reputation, why is it entrusting the job of defending it to only public servants?

In other words, is it fair to say the government does not trust those citizens of Samoa who are not public servants, with the task of defending its reputation?

In any case, the policy we are talking about here is distributed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

A 15-page document, it is titled The Governments Social Media Policy for 2017, and on its front page are the words:

If it is online - it can be found.

If you delete it - it can still be found.

Even if you secure it, it can still be accessed.

Tim Scully.

So what is Tim Scully telling us now?

Well, the simple answer to that question, is: Hes saying that with online word technology today, every word thats inserted in the web is capable of being found, no matter what?

So who is Tim Scully*?

Well there are many Tim Scullys. We dont know at this stage, which Tim Scully the Governments policy is referring to.

But a quick search on the internet leads us to the website The Verge. It reveals that Tim Scully is the underground chemist, who planned to save the world using the drug LSD, and he was jailed as a result.

Indeed, he managed to get acid behind the Iron Curtain.

And yet today, here in Samoa, it appears that this mans ideas are being used by the Samoan government to defend, or is it to punish - public officials under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologys Social Media Policy, for the year 2017?

The guidelines for personal government officials say: When you are using social media for personal use, public servants should also consider the following - could what you are doing harm the reputation of your organisation and the Government of Samoa?

Are you disclosing organisation material that you are not specifically authorised to disclose.

Have you made it clear to others when your contribution is as a private individual and not as a representative of your organisation?

Are you willing to defend what you post to your manager?

Are you using Government owned infrastructure and if so, do you have permission to use it in this way?

Are you behaving with integrity, respect and accountability?

Government employees must use a private email address rather than their Government e-mail addresses when theyre engaging in social media activities for personal use.

Personal use of social media must never interfere with work duties.

Now the question that would just not go away, is: But then why are these polices being introduced all of a sudden?

Employees may not engage in online communications activities which could bring the Government into disrepute.

Personal details of yourself, if or other Government employees, should be given out, only the official details (office telephone, email or fax) for reference purposes.

Down below the policy warns: Employees may not engage in online communications activities which could bring the Government into disrepute.

Now the question are: What are some examples of such online communications activities? How could they get the government into disrepute?

It would be good to know.

Now heres another wonderful idea; it says: This policy supports the idea of achieving an improved quality of life for all as envisioned in the Strategy for the Development of Samoa.

It also says that while there can be challenges, there are also undeniable benefits of using social media for government outreach and citizen engagement.

Wonderful!

Now in case youve forgotten, lets take a quick look at our Constitution and remind ourselves of our basic freedoms, that are enshrined in there.

Article 13 reminds that all citizens of Samoa shall have the right:

. To freedom of speech and expression;

. To assemble peaceably and without arms;

. To form associations or unions; and

. To move freely throughout Samoa and to reside in any part thereof.

And now theres the Fourth Estate.

When you're referring to fourth estate, you are referring to journalists as a whole. The fourth estate encompasses all of those who report the news.

The first use of the term was by Edmund Burke in 1787 during a debate in parliament.

It is used to accentuate the freedom of the press, not to be confused with the term "fourth branch" which proposes that they are not free from the government.

The press is called the fourth estate in the United States usually because they observe the political process.

They do this to make sure the participants do not exploit the democratic system. They play a crucial role in the outcome of political issues and candidates.

This is where the media is often called the fourth branch of the government instead of the fourth estate. I

The term fourth estate is often attributed to the British politician, Edmund Burke.

Burke said there were three Estates in Parliament, but in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate more important than them all.

In the United States, the term fourth estate is sometimes used to place the press alongside, the three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial.

The fourth estate refers to the watchdog role of the press, one that is important to a functioning democracy.

And finally, theres the law of Criminal Libel that is continuing to be banged about by the mighty and the powerful today, and yet it is still refusing to go away.

So let us remind that any law thats aimed at gagging freedom of expression in Samoa is bound to fail.

Indeed, lets think of Sir John Acton who coined the words: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely in such manner, that great men are almost always bad men.

Now isnt that sad!

Indeed, it would be a terrible shame if Sir Johns words would continue to be ignored by those great men who are running the Samoan government today. It surely would.

Have a peaceful Sunday Samoa God bless.

*Editorial has been altered from the printed version to reflect the fact there are many Tim Scullys and that we dont know which Tim Scully the Government policy is referring to.



Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi is a man brimming with confidence.

As his critics over the Governments plan for customary lands grow to include the former Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, Prime Minister Tuilaepa remains unfazed.

He is steadfast that there is nothing for Samoa to be concerned about in as far as the Land Titles Registration Act (L.T.R.A.) 2008 is concerned.

Speaking to the Sunday Samoan, Tuilaepa said someone had warned him he was playing with fire when Cabinet considered the L.T.R.A. some time ago.

Someone told me that I was playing with fire, Tuilaepa said.

I laughed and I said Im the type of person that when I see smoke, Id actually like to place my finger on it to see if there is fire and whether I will get burnt. And you know I have never been burnt.

The Prime Minister said the Governments critics over L.T.R.A. are all smoke.

Asked about concerns expressed by the former Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua in relation to L.T.R.A, Tuilaepa was dismissive.

Who is the stinking pig (puaa elo) who would force the Head of State to sign any bill?

According to Tuilaepa, a Land Committee was selected which was spearheaded by the late Reverend Elder Oka Fauolo to hold consultations with villages about the issue.

Tuilaepa added that the late Rev. Faulolo was an intelligent, honest and straightforward person.

He never shied away from speaking his mind to me, said Tuilaepa.

The consultation, he added, lasted for two years before a Commission made their recommendation to Cabinet to go through with L.T.R.A.

After the bill was tabled, it was in Parliament for six months, Tuilaepa said. Even the Opposition party at the time endorsed it.

This was before the Head of State at the time signed it.

Our Head of State is our leader. He holds the highest rank in all of Samoa. All of Cabinet papers go through to him and he has the chance to make recommendations, seek an explanation and we would sit down and review it over coffee.

Tuilaepa said reports quoting the former Head of State saying he was under pressure are wrong.

Who is the stinking pig that will dare question the Head of State?

Tuilaepa said His Highness Tui Atua is more than welcomed to contact him directly if he has any concerns about the L.T.R.A. 2008.

The Prime Minister added that the Executive Director of the Samoa Law Reform Commission (S.L.R.C.), Telei'ai Dr. Lalotoa Mulitalo Seumanutafa, has already addressed the issues raised about the L.T.R.A.

She holds a Doctrine degree in laws and is a Samoan Chief who is well versed with our laws.

He added that Telei'ai works with Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, who is also a matai Samoa. Under their watch are more than 50 lawyers.

There are 50 brains who are working with the A.G, some lawyers have two degrees, he said. They are highly intelligent people working to serve our country."

They have all graduated from scholarships so the government, Cabinet, Associate Ministers and lawmakers are educated people."

We no longer have those people who agree to things yet do not even know what is going on. In Samoa today, we have our chiefs drafting our laws and our chiefs passing our laws."

That is the difference between New Zealand and Australia. When you talk about New Zealands communal land, you are talking about Maori lands. The question is who is running their Government? Its not Maoris; rather its being dominated by people from here and there."

There are Tongans, Chinese, and Samoans and yet the Maoris have no say about their lands.

Tuilaepa said the same thing is happening in Australia where the Aborigines who own have no say.

The Prime Minister reiterated that the alienation of Samoas communal land would never happen.

These critics say the same predicament will occur with our lands, he said.

These people should go back to New Zealand to have their marches there not here because these issues are occurring overseas, not in Samoa."

Why? Because we have our chiefs writing our laws, our chiefs passing our laws and we also have chiefs who are sitting as Judges of the Land and Titles Court.

Tuilaepa said most of the criticisms come from Samoans overseas who know little about Samoa.

He said there are people overseas who look like Samoans and they only come here to receive their chiefly titles.

After that, they go back to their home countries and they have never sat in a Village Council meeting. They know nothing about our customs, traditions. They dont even know the traditional salutations (faalupega) of the titles they hold and the villages they come from."

Yet they come here and march on our lands and say they are here to protect our lands.

Tuilaepa added that most of them cant speak Samoan and even when they speak English, the grammar is shocking.

Tuilaepa reminded that Parliament is made up of high chiefs from all over Samoa.

We too are chiefs of Samoa, he said. We will not pass a bill that will jeopardize the security of our communal land we live on."

We are gate keepers of Samoas treasures which is our lands and titles."A lawyers fight for better treatment of his clients  including notorious criminal Tagaloasa Filipaina  has reached the Supreme Court.

This time, lawyer Pau Tafaogalupe Mulitalo, has filed a memorandum with the Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu.

The two prisoners are accused of masterminding the failed mass prison break last month while Samoa was trying to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Gita.

A copy of the memorandum, obtained by the Sunday Samoan, shows that Pau is filing it against the Ministry of Police and the Ministry of Prisons and Correction Services.

As an urgent request, Pau is asking the Chief Justice to consider hearing the matter of Tagaloasa and Ovaleni immediately.

The lawyer claims that his clients have been kept in police custody for over three weeks now without criminal charges laid against them. Whats more, he claims they are being denied legal representation.

He is asking the Court for the matter to be called tomorrow, Monday 5 March 2018, so he could make a proper application for the release of his clients.

Pau is concerned about the way the Police and the Correction Services have approached and handled Tagaloasa and Ovaleni.

It is obvious from the way things have turned out that there is a likelihood of the Constitutional rights of the applicants being infringed.

The lawyer tells the Chief Justice he visited his clients on Thursday but was told that a decision to allow counsel to visit the applicants can only be made by the Police Commissioner who was away to a meeting and Counsel will be advised by telephone later on the same day about the visit.

It is now Friday 2 March, 2018 and Counsel is yet to hear from the Police Commissioner about the visit and the need for Counsel to obtain further instructions from the applicants.

Pau argues that the Police Commissioner should protect human rights  including that of his clients.

However if that is a lawful duty to be undertaken by the Police Commissioner then denying the right of the applicants to have access to legal representation is a breach of section 16 (d) and the rights of the applicants under the Constitution of Samoa.

Pau noted the last time he met with Police Officials including Commissioner, Fuiavailiili Egon Keil the explanation given by the Commissioner to Counsel was the only reason why the applicants are kept in police custody for the time being is for their safety and the transfer of the applicants back to Tafaigata prison will happen until investigation at Tafaigata prison is completed.

The investigation remains unknown when it will be finished and it is absolutely unjust and unfair for the applicants to be kept in police custody with uncertainty and continuous denial to their rights to access what they are entitled to while at Tafaigata prison.

There are other issues that the applicants want to address before your Honor and can only be done so fairly at mentions if the opportunity is so desired by your Honor to be given as part of the rights of the applicants to a fair trial under article 9 of the Constitution.

Attempts to get a comment from the Commissioner of Police have not been successful. Emails have not been responded to at press time.The Raising Awareness for Diabetes campaign held yesterday was a success.

Despite the soggy weather in the wee hours of the morning, many turned out in numbers to help raise awareness on diabetes and to promote healthy living.

The campaign included a one hour walk from the Samoa Tourism Authority fale to the Seafood Gourmet Bar & Grill, followed by a 20 minutes exercise and healthy refreshments.

It is the first event of its kind to be held in Samoa and was organized by the One Touch Ministry and Nobesity Samoa.

One Touch Ministry Director, Pastor Lenny Solomona said they never expected the turnout, but it was great to know that people wanted to fight diabetes and also care for their health.

We had people from different areas, some people from church backgrounds and some people from our boot camp, some people from the general community, and other representatives from the organisations we had invited, so it was a success for me.

We ran two programs, so we had the One Touch and the Nobesity programme for the children, so that is why you can see many children here, but the message is the same and that is about leadership in the family and were teaching that to the children now.

After yesterdays success, Pastor Lenny said this would be an annual event and plans are to have it at the start of every year to help people keep fit after the festive season and also to have a refreshing message before they start the new year.

We dont know whether we will have another program in November, but this will surely be an annual event and were looking at around the same time next year.

He explained: One Touch cannot fight diabetes alone, we need to work together to help fight diabetes and we need to start working on a collective preventative idea, so that we dont only depend on this event, the event encourages people but most important is the process.

Its not getting people to this event that will help bring diabetes down, it is what we do after this that matters, so the message from here is lets work together because were better together.

The global diabetes walk was initiated in 2004 by the World Diabetes Foundation and is held on November 14 every year.The National Rifle Association is, like AAA or AARP, a bundle of bargains, a smorgasbord of savings on insurance policies, motel rooms, bottles of wine and prescription drugs. But unlike the nations other interest groups that boast millions of members, the NRA also unabashedly embraces controversy, lunging into battle with fiery rhetoric and no-holds-barred political attacks.

The NRA touts itself with the slogan, Saving Freedom, Delivering Value, promising its 5 million faithful that It pays to be a member! But that piece of the NRA bundle has shrunk in recent days, as a slew of major companies have responded to a groundswell of anti-gun activism by canceling their discounts and other affinity deals with the gun lobby.

The businesses that have cut ties with the NRA include big brand names such as car rental giant Enterprise, Delta Air Lines, MetLife insurance and the bank behind an NRA Visa credit card.

Despite that unprecedented pressure from corporate America, the NRA is unlikely either to lose a significant number of members or to see its influence diminished, according to those who have studied the organization. Supporters and critics alike say the NRA is cushioned against this kind of pushback because its members sign up not for financial gain but for a chance to be part of a cultural vanguard.

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Nobodys joining NRA to get a discount at Hertz, said Richard Feldman, a former NRA lobbyist who is president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association. Joining NRA is like making a religious commitment; its a statement about where you stand not just on guns, but on one view of what it means to be an American. Its a powerful symbolic move.

In some ways, the success of the NRA, as with its peers among the nations largest interest groups, depends on finding and winning over a steady stream of like-minded members.

The whole package is not that different from AARP or the Sierra Club, said Thomas Holyoke, a political scientist at Fresno State University who studies interest groups. But as the NRA has adopted more absolutist positions against gun regulations and has embraced more radical political language, the NRA is really becoming the opposite of AAA, which no one joins for their political positions.

All large membership groups are valuable to big business, which craves the organizations membership lists as reliable sources of potential customers and marketing targets. That creates a symbiotic relationship in which both sides tend to eschew controversy, trying to keep their ties clean and neutral.

Other interest groups have occasionally hit a speed bump of controversy. For example, AARP, the retired peoples lobby, suffered through a spate of membership card burnings in 2003, after the organization endorsed a Medicaid bill that some senior citizens argued would do more to help drug companies than provide security for the elderly.

But the NRA has embraced conflict as few other huge membership groups have dared to. And the organizations approach has grown ever more caustic, from NRA leader Wayne LaPierre s 1995 warning that jackbooted government thugs were amassing power to strip gun owners of their constitutional rights, to the late Charlton Hestons scalding address to NRA members in 2000, telling Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore that his firearm would be taken only from my cold dead hands.

The wave of corporate moves to separate from the NRA following the massacre of high school students in Parkland, Fla., last month is unique in its size, but it is far from the first time businesses have felt compelled to distance themselves from the group.

The pattern goes like this: A horrific event happens, a corporate player takes a stand and theyre praised by the general public and squished like a bug by the NRA and their core following, said Josh Sugarmann, author of a history of the NRA and executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a pro-gun control group. It remains to be seen if this time is any different. All these companies arent making these decisions out of any ideological commitment; theyre reading the situation and seeing the power of social media.

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In the 1980s, some companies decided not to make deals with the NRA for membership benefits because executives or boards didnt want their brands associated with a divisive issue such as the role of firearms in the country. Only after several other banks declined an affiliation with the NRA, the First National Bank of Omaha agreed to sell NRA-branded credit cards, which give NRA members 5 percent back on gas and sporting goods purchases. Now, that bank has pulled out of the deal.

But such decisions dont necessarily damage the NRAs appeal, Sugarmann said: Theyre kind of a two-headed monster. They play to their hardcore base and dont care about appealing to the general public, so they dont see a backlash like this as damaging. They view being attacked by the mainstream media as a positive benefit, and their base may look at big business in the same way. On the other hand, they dont want to be a corporate pariah. So they have pressures in both directions.

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment. The group issued a statement saying that the loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world.

As a culture warrior that has mastered the art of advancing its interests through brutal rhetoric and intense tribalism, the NRA, like President Trump, has become a master of gaining and maintaining power with the fervent support of an engaged minority.

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But the NRA faces existential pressure as well - a steady decline in the percentage of U.S. households that own firearms and a reversal of fortunes of some major gun manufacturers. In addition, the decisions by Dicks Sporting Goods, Walmart, and Kroger stores not to sell guns to anyone under 21 represent a big blow to an industry that puts a premium on winning over young people as gun owners.

Those challenges mean that one of the NRAs most valuable assets, its membership roll, becomes an ever more important part of its business model. The moneys not too bad, either; in one credit card affiliation deal, the NRA got 0.5 percent of all purchases made on the card.

Many of the businesses now distancing themselves from the group likely will return eventually, because that list of 5 million members is just that valuable, Feldman said.

When I was working on the Hill for NRA, Id ask congressmen, would you rather have the maximum contribution we can make or a mailing to your district? And it was never a question, the former lobbyist said. It was one of the greatest lists in the country, and they wanted that access.

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For the NRA, the future of firearms in the United States will be determined by how well-organized and vocal gun rights supporters are, not by winning over new members with goodies. The organization is far more devoted to developing cultural affinities - making marketing connections with country music stars, for example - than it is to adding to its menu of discounts.

Former NRA executive vice president Warren Cassidy liked to explain that his organization was different from other interest groups: Youd get a far better understanding of the NRA, he once told The Washington Post, if you just approach us as if we are one of the worlds great religions.

For years, the group posted a slogan at the convention booths where it sold insurance policies: Share the Belief.Two out of of 11 San Diego-area lawmakers answered questions about the Western grid proposal, a proposal supported by Gov. Jerry Brown that has resurfaced in draft legislation this year.

Sen. Toni Atkins, who will become Senate Pro Tem later this month and is the key vote determining whether the plan moves forward, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Sen. Ben Hueso, chairman of the utilities committee, said in a statement that the plan is important and he would act in ratepayers interests.

One of Gov. Jerry Browns ongoing priorities of the past several years has been expanding the state power grid to as many as 14 Western states, a sweeping plan that would mark the biggest change in California energy policy since the failed deregulation effort two decades ago.

The Brown administration and key lawmakers are circulating their latest draft legislation to rewrite the rules governing the transmission network. Proponents see opportunity to expand Californias successes on regulating climate change to other states, while opponents say it could cede Californias energy destiny to a regional board that may not embrace solar, wind or other renewable sources of energy.

Most local lawmakers declined to discuss their position or respond to questions about the expansion plan.

The San Diego Union-Tribune polled 11 state lawmakers representing portions of San Diego County about the proposed Western grid. Six legislators responded to the request, although only two answered the questions that were posed. Five of the elected officials representing a portion of San Diego County did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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Most notable among the lawmakers who declined to respond was Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, who later this month will become the Senate Pro Tem, the second-most powerful position in California state government.

The other legislators who did not respond to the Union-Tribune requests were Sen. Joel Anderson, R-El Cajon; Assemblyman Randy Voepel, R-Santee; Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, R-Escondido; and Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego.

Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, who chairs the Energy, Utilities and Communications committee, was among the six legislators to respond. His office issued a statement saying he was looking closely at the proposal.

Senator Hueso does acknowledge that legislation on this issue is very important and could have profound impacts on the state, the statement said. As a California State Senator, he will act in the best interests of California ratepayers.

Hueso, who as utilities committee chairman will play a key role in whether the proposal passes through the statehouse, did not answer questions about how a multi-state power grid could affect ratepayers or state energy policy.

As previously discussed, at this point in time, there have not been any bills on this issue referred to the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, nor have any hearings been scheduled, his spokeswoman wrote. If the legislation is referred to the Senators committee, he will take the appropriate steps to review the bill and schedule a hearing.

Two members of the San Diego delegation answered questions about the grid-expansion: Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, R-Oceanside, and Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego.

In a telephone interview, Chavez said he supports the idea of creating a multi-state grid because it would allow California to sell excess solar power to other states and import wind energy from the Midwest.

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I see the value of it because right now were giving energy away through curtailment, he said, referring to managing an oversupply of power by temporarily stopping production. Regionalization gives you a larger portfolio from different sources.

But Chavez said he is concerned about California losing its governing authority under a regional operator.

Theres a cost to that system, he said.

In written replies to the questions sent to the San Diego area legislators, Gloria said he is concerned about the possibility of moving from a governing board appointed by the California governor to one that is controlled by the Trump administration and likely to include appointees from coal-heavy states.

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Im not willing to sacrifice Californias leadership or commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, wrote Gloria, who co-authored a bill to require 100 percent renewable energy in California by 2045. The prospect of importing electricity from non-renewable sources is a major concern.

Gloria said if California moves to join a Western power grid, lawmakers should include legislative protections that prevent federal regulators from assuming de facto control of state energy policy.

Whoever we regionalize with must share our commitment to clean, renewable energy, he said.

The other San Diego area lawmakers who responded to questions each issued brief statements that largely avoided taking a position on the grid-expansion plan.

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The draft legislation that you are inquiring about is not currently in circulation and therefore I would like to reserve full comment until there is language that has been published for review, read a statement from Assemblyman Brian Maienschein, R-San Diego. However, I do support legislation that will save Californians money each month on their energy bill.

Sen. Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, whose district reaches into north San Diego County, also issued a statement saying it was too early to discuss the concept.

Its premature to comment on the proposed legislation as its a work in progress that is still in draft form, she wrote. My primary concerns are protecting Californias ratepayers and ensuring that we have reliable energy.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher agreed.

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It is too early in the legislative process to comment on a proposal that will likely be amended substantially in its policy committees, her statement said. However, to support any change I would have to be adequately satisfied that ratepayers are protected and that we dont import dirty energy.

Gov. Brown has sought to regionalize the state power grid since 2015, when the proposal was included in a renewable-energy bill.

The effort was tabled in 2016 after labor unions, consumer groups and others raised questions about how it would work. The proposal returned in the final days of the 2017 legislative session, but that push also was derailed after publicity and criticism.

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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonaldAnthonys Fish Grotto building, a landmark restaurant on the downtown waterfront for five decades, is gone and its replacement Portside Pier is on its way.

R.E. Staite Engineering completed demolition on Wednesday of the 24,855-square-foot building at 1360 N. Harbor Drive, just south of the San Diego Maritime Museums Star of India.

Owner Ray Carpenter said the removal of 66 pilings will begin in about 10 days. A vibratory hammer or high-pressure water hose will be used to loosen the prestressed concrete structures that are up to 50 feet tall and extend as much as 30 feet below the bay floor. Then choker and steel wire slings will be attached to the columns and a crane will lift them up. Theyll be hauled away.

These techniques for pile driving originated with the Romans, Carpenter said. There has not been a lot of changes, other than the vibratory hammer.

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The hammer is actually a diesel-powered, hydraulically driven gripper that loosens the piling from the bay soil  much like a shoe stuck in the mud that has to be shaken free before its lifted out.

After April 1, Brigantine Restaurants will install 57 new pilings and pour a concrete platform over the next four months before starting construction on its four-restaurant Portside Pier building about Sept. 1, said Mike Morton Jr., Brigantine president and CEO.

Morton said hes awaiting city approval of building permits for the $17 million, 34,000-square-foot project that will include a new dock-and-dine facility and a second-floor viewing deck open to the public.

The restaurants, expected to open in the third quarter of next year, will include:

Brigantine on the Bay: A surf and turf menu plus oyster bar and lounge with an exhibition cooking area.

A surf and turf menu plus oyster bar and lounge with an exhibition cooking area. Miguels Cocina: A Mexican-themed restaurant.

A Mexican-themed restaurant. Ketch Grill & Taps: A casual dining area with pub fare and area craft beers.

A casual dining area with pub fare and area craft beers. Portside Gelato & Coffee: Cafe Moto roaster coffees and Italian-style ice cream at an outside food station.

The former deck for Anthonys Fish Grotto will be removed along with 66 pilings in March.

The San Diego Unified Port District signed a $1.64 million demolition contract with Staite and a 40-year lease with Brigantine that is expected to produce at least $1.5 million in annual rent to the port.

Anthonys, which first opened farther south on Harbor Drive in 1946, moved to its last location in 1966 but the port did not renew its lease in 2016. It continues to operate in La Mesa.

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roger.showley@sduniontribune.com; (619) 293-1286; Twitter: @rogershowleySan Marcos City Council members have called for a pause on planning for the citys Creek District development, saying the project as it stands now has strayed too far from the original vision.

I think we really need to have a reset on the Creek Plan, Councilman Chris Orlando said. For that plan and some areas of town, what is on the books doesnt match reality and doesnt match what residents want.

The project was originally intended to create a new mixed-use downtown for the North County community, but changing consumer habits led planners to reconfigure it as high-density housing subdivision.

As a result, council members worry, it would add many more housing units without the jobs or services to support them. Several of them say they would like to stop planning on the project until bridges and road improvements are done, and the city can re-evaluate where the Creek District stands.

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As a big picture, we (wanted to create) a place with housing and jobs, and places for people to congregate with family and friends, and just a real downtown atmosphere that we dont currently have, Councilwoman Rebecca Jones said. So, unfortunately, that no longer is economically feasible.

Building along the creek has been a long-standing dream for the city since the 1980s, when officials first considered channelizing the creek to create neighborhoods and shopping centers. Those efforts were delayed as city officials negotiated with regulatory agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers, over the environmental impacts of the plan.

In 2012, the city finally received permits from the Army Corps for a plan that would improve flood control in the area, restore the ecologically degraded creek, and lay the foundation for a pedestrian-friendly, live-work community along its banks.

The final plan for the $1.5 billion project consisted of a 217-acre, mixed-use district, including housing, shops and offices, along with a linear park and 73-acre preserve along San Marcos Creek.

That same year, however, the state dismantled redevelopment agencies, the funding engines by which cities, including San Marcos, paid for much of their infrastructure. Without a redevelopment agency to fuel construction of infrastructure such as road improvements and flood-control measures, the price of construction goes up, Jones said.

At the same time, consumer habits changed, as people switched to shopping online instead of in local stores. Meanwhile, San Diegos housing crunch intensified

City officials decided to revisit the plan in light of those changes, and in 2016 hired consultants to study the area. They recommended eliminating the office space, slashing retail to about a fraction of what was intended, and adding more housing. Jones said the retail and commercial would be cut from 1.2 million square feet to just 20,000 square feet, while the plan would include 2,300 housing units  which some council members think is too dense for the area.

As a result, council members grew concerned that what is now proposed was not what they originally had in mind.

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It was never the vision to have blocks and blocks of residential buildings, without shops and stores to go with it, Orlando said. The idea was to have a vibrant community where you would work and live and shop all in the same area. To me, having a completely residential section there, we had envisioned it as the Gaslamp of North County, and it ended up being more like Mission Valley.

Mayor Jim Desmond said he has not decided whether he favors a pause in planning for the project, but would like to hear what the Creek task force recommends before calling for a reset.

Several council members said they want to continue to improve infrastructure in the area, including shoring up the creek, extending Discovery Road and building two bridges on Via Vera Cruz and Bent Avenue.

Until we have the bridges and roads cleaned up in that creek area, Im in favor of doing nothing, said Councilwoman Kristal Jabara. Just have it naturally develop and see what our needs and our desires are at that a point.

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deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennanRaffi Doudaklian, Executive Director of the Tufenkian Foundation, was attacked by two unknown assailants in the Bourj Hammoud neighborhood of Beirut on February 26.

Dudaklian, originally from Lebanon, had travelled to Beirut with the director of the Tufenkian Foundations Artsakh branch. (The Tufenkian Foundation started its work in Armenia in 1998)

After we finished our work, on Tuesday evening, we went to get the car parked in Bourj Hammoud. Thats when two guys attacked me; one from behind, one from the front. They hit my head and face, Doudaklian told Hetq, adding that it all happened so fast he didnt have time to clearly see their faces.

Doudaklian, who writes articles in Western Armenia that have appeared in the Armenian press, including Hetq, says the attack might be linked to his writings and the views expressed therein.

I dont know. I broach many issues in my articles. I really cant say if theyve irritated some. But I suspect the attack is connected to my writings, said Doudaklian.

Doudaklian never contacted the Beirut police since he was scheduled to return to Yerevan a few hours later.

Hes being treated for headaches and an eyesight problem.This month, Marine Capt. John Watkins is training for the race of his life.

On April 7, the 32-year-old Oceanside resident will lead a team of friends and family in the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside race. Its not the goal of finishing his first half-Ironman that makes the stakes so high for Watkins. Its the reason why hes racing in the first place.

Watkins will be competing in his infant daughters memory to raise money for the Childrens Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. Last June, 11-month-old Amelia Millie Watkins died in an Arizona hospital just eight days after she was diagnosed with the disease.

Watkins wife, Jayshree, said their daughters death came so suddenly and unexpectedly that they needed to find some meaning in their loss.

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When we were saying goodbye to her in the hospital, I told her we have to do big things in your name. Thats how the idea for the Ironman was born, said Jayshree, 30.

Since launching the Millie Mae Strong fundraising account last month on Crowdrise (crowdrise.com, search JohnWatkins7), nearly $6,000 has been raised.

The money will go toward research on the deadly and rare disease that primarily affects children under the age of 5. According to the foundation, of the 13,000 or so new cases of childhood cancer in the U.S. each year, fewer than 700 are neuroblastoma. Because these patients are too young to describe their symptoms, most, like Millie, are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Less than 40 percent of these advanced-stage patients live five years.

A photo taken of Amelia Millie Watkins not long before she died last year at 11 months from neuroblastoma cancer. (Courtesy )

They call it the great masquerader because the symptoms mimic other childhood illnesses, especially with babies because they cant talk. A lot of pediatricians arent looking for cancer in a baby so they dismiss it, said Pat Tallungan, the foundations founder and president.

She started the Illinois-based organization in 2000 after her 10-year-old son, Nick, died following a four-year battle with neuroblastoma. She got to know the Watkins last June after the couple asked friends and family to donate money to the foundation in lieu of memorial flowers.

After she died, we didnt want to have a memorial service for Millie because she was never sad. It wasnt who she was. Instead we had a Millie-bration, and thats how we met Pat and began working with her to raise money, Jayshree said.

Millie was the youngest of the Watkinses two children. Their oldest is 5-year-old Kaden, who carries around a pair of teddy bears, one with angel wings, that he calls Millie Bears.

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John Watkins grew up in an Air Force family in Chandler, Ariz. He studied mechanical engineering before enlisting in the Marines in 2009. The year before he joined the service he met Jayshree, an Indiana native who moved to Arizona to attend college.

In 2010, they moved to his first duty station at Twentynine Palms, where she worked as a case manager in behavioral and mental health for grade-schoolers. Not long after Kaden was born, they moved to Watkins next post in Quantico, Va., where Millie was born on July 11, 2016.

The Watkinses describe Millie as a happy, plump baby who loved to laugh, loved to eat and never let her mom out of her sight. They now suspect the abdominal tumor that would eventually take her life may have been growing inside from the day she was born.

When the family got orders to Camp Pendleton last May they loaded up the family truck with their bags and pet bulldog for a cross-country road trip.

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Jayshree Watkins, her husband Marine Capt. John Watkins and their 5-year-old son, Kaden, talk about losing 11-month-old Amelia at their Oceanside home. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Before they left, Millie had a persistent ear infection that antibiotics had failed to kick. She was cranky, sleepy and had little appetite. But her pediatrician hadnt found anything wrong besides the ear infection, so the family felt safe hitting the road.

When her condition hadnt improved by the time they reached Fort Worth, Texas, they visited an urgent care clinic where a doctor diagnosed Millie with a double ear infection and prescribed even stronger antibiotics.

From there they drove to Albuquerque, N.M., where another doctor found her dehydrated and possibly suffering pneumonia. Worried that shed need more extended care, the family drove seven hours to Phoenix where Watkins had family who could care for Kaden and the dog.

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Over the next few days, they took Millie to a series of hospitals and specialists who found she had cloudy lungs, oral thrush, a distended stomach, anemia and a black eye. On May 27, she was admitted to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, where she was diagnosed three days later with an advanced stage 4 case of neuroblastoma.

She had a large tumor in her abdomen and the disease had spread to her kidneys, bone marrow and eye sockets. The Watkinses wanted to fly her to Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego for treatment but her health was so fragile that her heart stopped beating during an MRI. Instead, on June 1, they started her on a 7-day course of chemotherapy.

Tallungan said neuroblastoma grows so aggressively that the treatment is extreme. Children who survive the mix of chemo, radiation and immune therapy  Millie was looking at a two-year regimen  often end up with hearing loss, pulmonary and kidney damage and severely damaged teeth.

But Millie never had the chance to fight. On the day she finished her first chemotherapy session, June 6, her kidneys failed and her other organs started shutting down. The Watkinses brought Kaden to the hospital to say goodbye. She died that day at 4:15 p.m.

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Jayshree said they couldnt imagine being without Millie, so they had her body cremated. Her ashes now rest in a tiny urn painted with poppies, which were Millies favorite flower.

Jayshree said shes learning to to forgive herself for not recognizing her daughters illness, but the loss still weighs heavily on her heart.

I felt guilty, she said, fighting back tears. How did I miss this? Why didnt I see this? As a parent its your job to take care of your kids. How do you tell a kid (like Kaden) that nothing is going to happen to them when something like this did?

With the support of friends and the Marine Corps the family took time to grieve with family and then moved to Oceanside last June.

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Before everything happened last year, Watkins had been wanting to train for a triathlon. Now, with the desire to raise money for the foundation, they saw an opportunity.

Tallungan agreed to sponsor the team fees for the Ironman 70.3 and the Watkinses started their campaign. Jayshree is in charge of organizing, fundraising and cheerleading. John is concentrating on getting himself in shape with his team, which includes his sister Brittany McCright from Texas and three fellow Camp Pendleton Marines: Capt. William Brown, Major William Soucie and 1st Lt. Ken Vingua.

Besides raising money through Ironman, Jayshree said she hopes to continue spreading awareness about the diseases hidden symptoms. Her fondest dream is to appear on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show to serve as an example of how families can survive a devastating loss.

We went through this horrible situation but we still get up every morning and we are living a life. If we can get through this, then so can others, she said. Our daughter was always happy and she wouldnt have wanted us to be sad. Yes, Im mad that my kids not here. I cant change that. But I can change how I move forward in this life.

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pam.kragen@sduniontribune.comThe opening of the Intrepid Spirit brain injury treatment center at Camp Pendleton is among the topics to be discussed at the veteran-focused meeting Monday at the Veterans Association of North County center in Oceanside.

The 25,000-square-foot brain injury treatment facility is slated to open this year next to the Pacific Views Event Center, near the bases main gate.

The center will offer the latest medical technology and will be staffed by personnel from the nearby Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. Clint Pearman, a brain injury specialist at Camp Pendleton, will give an update on the estimated $12.5 million center, which is the seventh of nine such facilities at military bases across the country funded by the New York-based nonprofit Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

The centers design is based on the original National Intrepid Center of Excellence, which opened in 2010 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., which is operated by the Department of Defense.

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Other speakers at Mondays meeting of the Interfaith Community Services/Veterans Association of North County Veterans Advisory Committee will include Matt Foster, North County Stand Down executive director. Foster will give an updated report on the nonprofits second Stand Down in January in Vista. Hundreds of volunteers rallied to help more than 100 veterans.

Michael Walsh, Veterans Association of North County vice president, will provide more details about the planned Vietnam War Commemoration event to honor Vietnam veterans set for March 30.

The meeting is from noon to 1 p.m. at the VANC center in the conference room, 1617 Mission Ave.

Pizza lunch will be provided; pizza contributions are encouraged. If you want to give a 10-minute update regarding support of veterans, military service members and their families, contact John Stryker Meyer at idahoonezero@sbcglobal.net.Though the sun was shining Friday morning, officials from the Pechanga Resort & Casino had to move a press conference about todays grand opening of the resorts $300 million expansion indoors.

Recent rains had left the grounds of the Temecula casinos new 4 acre pool complex over-saturated, preventing the installation of fresh sod.

Over-saturated could also describe the fiercely competitive and dizzyingly dynamic San Diego-area casino industry, where the regions 10 Indian gaming properties are locked in a $1 billion expansion battle for customers. This one-upping of pricey luxury amenities  from plush hotels and spas to swanky pools  appears to be putting a financial squeeze on several casinos.

On Tuesday, the developers and operators of Hollywood Casino in Jamul, Penn National Gaming, declared in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it was pulling out of a management contract with the Jamul Indian Village tribe, citing a loss of $77.9 million on a $94 million loan.

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Control of San Diegos newest casino, which cost $460 million and opened in October of 2016 despite years of local opposition, will revert fully to the Jamul tribe on May 28 and be rebranded as Jamul Casino.

Also on Tuesday, Pala Casino Spa & Resort confirmed an unspecified number of layoffs, citing facility closures prompted by a $170 million expansion and remodeling as well as economic pressures from an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market.

Including Pechanga and Pala, a total of six local casinos have been undergoing expansions, with Barona Resort & Casino, Sycuan Casino, Valley View Casino & Hotel and Viejas Casino & Resort adding hotels, restaurants, spas, casino space and hundreds of thousands of square footage to their properties.

Longtime Las Vegas-based Indian gaming expert Dave Palermo said hes not surprised that San Diegos current casino building-boom bubble could be bursting for some.

Its extremely crowded there, Palermo said. Its extremely competitive.

Those expansion projects are more indicative of the increasing competition among the casinos themselves rather than the economy. Theyre trying to keep pace with the rest of the operators rather than expand their market share.

Over the past decade, he said, the number of casinos in the state has remained flat  at around 60  and annual tribal gaming revenue growth has held steady at about 5 percent.

Gambling in California, many people get the impression that it has been an increasingly growing market, and it has, Palermo said, but the numbers speak for themselves  not a lot of new properties are opening.

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According to the National Indian Gaming Commissions most recent data, tribal casinos generated $8.4 billion in revenue in California and Northern Nevada (which doesnt include Las Vegas) in 2016, a 6.3 percent increase over the previous year. The national total in 2016 was $31.2 billion.

While most new casinos need about a year to really start clicking, Palermo said, Jamul was a very problematic project in a lot of ways and got off to a pretty rocky start.

Intense community opposition and lawsuits against the casino were coupled with a limited, 4-acre footprint that prevented the building of a hotel or other amenities  even that most signature of casino offerings, a buffet.

Its a bad bet, it always has been and it always will be, said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who has been one of the most vociferous challengers of the Jamul casino, which, like Barona, Sycuan, Viejas and Golden Acorn, is located in her district.

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That $460 million was a loss, said Jacob, who on Friday continued to cite increased traffic on State Route 94 as a main source of her opposition. Penn National has a lot of expertise in operating casinos, and Jamul was a bad bet for them. How in the world do the Jamul Indian Village folks think that they can do any better than Penn National in turning around this casino and making money off it? Theyre dreaming.

The Wyomissing, Penn.-based regional gaming powerhouse operates nearly 30 casinos around the country, including the Tropicana in Las Vegas.

In a statement released by the Jamul tribe late Thursday, chairwoman Erica Pinto called the severed ties with Penn National a natural next step toward economic self-sufficiency.

Our announcement today represents an important step toward our long-held goal to manage our own casino, Pinto said.

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Tribal representatives and Penn National officials both declined to answer specific questions about revenue losses and the fractured deal, with a spokeswoman referring to comments in the the press release.

In the statement, Pinto said layoffs were not anticipated as a result of the management transition.

About 1,000 full- and part-time jobs were generated by the Jamul casino. Regionally, nearly 3,000 positions were expected to be created by the $1 billion expansion development projects, not including construction jobs.

Casino layoffs have been rare in the post-Great Recession era, though the sovereign status of the tribes exempts them from many government reporting requirements.

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Officials at Pala declined several interview requests and wouldnt detail the number of layoffs at the North County resort. A spokesman said the casino still intended to hire 200 people as a result of its expansion, which will add a 349-room hotel tower by May 2019.

Pala Casino Spa & Resort is in the midst of a major remodeling effort, the casino said in a statement. Given the reduction of space while this work is being completed, coupled with an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market, we are adjusting our staffing so that it meets the needs of our current resort and loyal patrons. As our new amenities open to the public, we expect to add to our workforce as business dictates.

Officials from Pechanga held a press conference Friday in the new atrium of the recently expanded resort. Said tribal chairman, Mark Macarro: For us, this expansion is about cementing Pechanga as a complete and refined destination experience for the entire region. (Courtesy photo )

Pala competes directly with Pechanga  which now has the biggest casino hotel in California  Valley View and Harrahs Resort Southern California for customers from San Diego, Riverside County, Orange County and beyond.

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Alan Meister, an Irvine-based economist and author of the annual Indian Gaming Industry Report, said casinos emphasis on adding non-gambling amenities is key to elbowing their way through a crowded field.

While I think the market is not saturated, there is very strong competition given the number of tribal casinos operating in the region, Meister said. I think there is still room for growth, but its about trying to expand the market and grow the market.  These new amenities give them access to new segments in the customer market. They can draw from further distances, get them to stay longer and spend more.

While praising the the non-gaming aspects of the development projects at Barona, Sycuan and Viejas, Jacob is not advocating that the Jamul tribune add amenities to its casino.

My hope is they stop operating the casino and work with the community to see what other kind of economic venture they could have, Jacob said.

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The structures there so maybe theres something else that would be agreeable like affordable housing, memory care facilities, or senior housing. There are other ways to make money.

Pechangas new pool complex, The Cove, brings the number of pools and spa at the resort to 15. Pechangas grand opening weekend includes a concert by Steven Tyler, firework displays and VIP parties. Its $300 expansion makes it the largest casino resort on the west coast. (Courtesy photo )XLNC1, San Diegos only remaining classical-music analog radio station, has been leased to a new operator and will cease to broadcast on 104.9 FM within the next few days.

Its on-air format will change to talk-radio and pop-music in both Spanish and English, according to XLNC1 Executive Director Jessica Diaz, but the stations classical programming will continue online.

Had all gone according to plan, XLNC1 would have switched to its new format on Thursday. However, as of late Friday afternoon, the station was still airing classical music.

We are continuing to play our classical programming on XLNC1 until the company that is taking over the frequency is ready to transmit their programming, Diaz said. This transition should happen in a few days. We are grateful for the few extra days we have to transmit to the Tijuana/San Diego region.

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The decision to lease the station, which announced composers and music titles in Spanish and English, was prompted by a lack of donations to continue operating XLNC1 on 104.9 FM, said Diaz, who is the daughter of XLNC1s owner Martha Barba de Diaz.

While on the air, there were four full-time employees operating the station (not including voice talent, who were freelance), Jessica Diaz said.

We had slowly been minimizing staff to bring down the cost of operation over the years, she said. With dwindling donations, it was the only thing we could do to continue on air. Once the new company takes over the frequency, we will be an online-only (station) at xlnc1.org, as well as our app on Android and iPhone, with a staff of three part-time employees.

For now, though, the stations online operations are not running.

Our current online system is down due to the recent rains in Tijuana, which damaged our electricity, Jessica Diaz said. We are currently working to have the system back up and running.

She said she did not have permission yet to disclose the name of the company that is leasing XLNC1s on-air operations. She did confirm that the company is based in Mexico and that XLNCs online-only operations would continue from the Chula Vista studio it now occupies, just (from) a smaller section of the office.

XLNC1 was launched in 1998 as an online-only operation by Victor Diaz, whose Tijuana-based Radio Latina and Fiesta Mexicano stations were popular among Spanish-speaking listeners on both sides of the border. He also owned XHTZ-FM (Hits 90.3), which later morphed into Jammin Z90. He later sold all his stations to Clear Channel, but not XLNC1.

In 2000, XLNC1 expanded from online to 90.7 FM, until moving up the broadcast dial to 104.9 FM in 2008. Financial difficulties nearly led to the closure of the commercial-free station in 2004, the same year Victor Diaz died at the age of 62, but it continued to air under the guidance of his wife, Martha, who also served as the stations program director. She continues to own the station, whose slogan is The top 400 hits of the last 400 years.

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george.varga@sduniontribune.com

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Twitter @georgevargaIts a new Oscars record!

Not one, but two, San Diego-bred music stars will perform during Sundays Academy Awards telecast  and both have confirmed San Diego concerts later this year.

So lets have a big round of hometown applause, please, for neo-R&B singer Andra Day and mandolin wizard and singer Chris Thile.

Day, 33, is a 2003 graduate of the San Diego School for Creative and Performing Arts. She will perform Sunday with hip-hop star Common on Stand Up For Something, which they recorded for the soundtrack of Marshall, the biopic about Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court justice. Stand Up is nominated in the Best Original Song Oscar category. It was co-written by Common and Diane Warren.

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Thile, 37, will join Sufjan Stevens and St. Vincent to perform Mystery of Love, Stevens Best Original Song Oscar-nominated ballad from Call Me By Your Name, which is vying in several other categories Sunday, including Best Picture.

Also performing during the Oscars telecast, which airs Sunday at 5 p.m. on ABC Channel 10, will be Mary J. Blige  who, in an historic first, is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Mudbound. She will sing Best Original Song contender Mighty River, which she co-wrote with Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson for Mudbound.

San Diego-bred singer Andra Day (right) is shown with Diane Warren (left) and Common (center) on Friday in West Hollywood. Day and Common will perform during Sundays Oscars telecast. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for Think Common Music Inc. )

Tony Award-nominee Keala Settle will sing the chart-topping This is Me from The Greatest Showman. Nominated for Best Original Song, it was co-written by Tony and Oscar-winning composers Justin Paul and Benj Pasek. Paul and Pasek shared a 2017 Oscar Best Original Song victory for City of Stars from La La Land.

And actor Gael Garcia Bernal will team up with Natalia LaFourcade and Miguel to perform what is considered the likely Best Original Song favorite to win, Remember Me (Ernesto de la Cruz) from Coco.

It was co-written by the husband-and-wife musical team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. The couple won the 2013 Best Original Song Oscar for Let It Go from Frozen.

Thile, who is a multiple Grammy Award winner, will perform Aug. 25 at Observatory North Park with his band, Punch Brothers.

His most recent San Diego concert was in November, when he reunited with Nickel Creek at the Civic Theatre for a live national broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion, which he hosts. (The series has since been renamed Live From Here, following sexual harassment charges against its creator and founder, Garrison Keillor, the shows previous host.)

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Day, who is a multiple Grammy nominee and sang on the 2016 Grammys telecast, will perform in San Diego Sept. 22, when she headlines the Old Globe Theatres annual gala.

Her most recent San Diego performance was in September 2016, when she kicked off a national tour here at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. Day is now completing work on her second album.

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george.varga@sduniontribune.com

Twitter @georgevargaThe daughter of a sailor serving aboard the littoral combat ship Coronado has been named a 2018 military child of the year.

Representing Navy military kids, Isabelle Richards was lauded for her selfless service to wounded troops nationwide.

The 14-year-old is a student at San Diegos High Tech Middle School.

Isabelle Richards, the daughter of a sailor serving aboard the littoral combat ship Coronado, has been named a 2018 military child of the year.

One of seven kids chosen by the national nonprofit Operation Homefront, the 14-year-old student at San Diegos High Tech Middle School will receive a $10,000 check, a laptop computer and other prizes at an April gala in Washington, D.C.

I think this is an amazing award because so many military kids do amazing things, Richards said by telephone. A lot of us do it without needing recognition, but this is one way to support each military child from each branch even more.

San Diego-based Operation Homefront aids military families during trying financial times by feeding the hungry, funding home and auto repairs and helping out with moving costs and rent.

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The nonprofits child-of-the-year program is designed to highlight exemplary achievements of military kids who grow up in each branch of the armed forces. Theres also a seventh award for a young person between the ages of 13 and 18, but all of prizes honor children for their scholarship, leadership and willingness to volunteer in their communities.

As the Navys representative, Richards was lauded specifically for serving as a peer counselor at school and supporting the San Diego USO. She also founded her own charity  Cards and Cupcakes  to post pastries and hand-written notes to wounded service members nationwide.

Shes the daughter of Senior Chief Gas Turbine Systems Technician James Richards and Lorraine Richards, who serves as a civilian ombudsman for the Coronados Blue Crew, a post shes held at other commands dating back 10 years.

In the Navy, an ombudsman is an official representative of a commanding officer, tasked with maintaining communications between the skipper and the families of the crew.

Rattling off the 10 vessels hes served on during a Navy career spent often at sea, Senior Chief Richards credited his wife for keeping the family together and raising kids like Isabelle.

I call her Wonder Woman, he said.

Four of the Richards six children have served in the armed forces. One of them, Nathan, was named the 2012 Navy military child of the year for his role in fighting bullying at schools.

I think that they just have a need to serve other military families and the community, Lorraine Richards said.

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Isabelle has been dancing competitively for six years and recently started participating in pageants and hopes to incorporate the art in a future career as a psychotherapist helping military veterans and their families.

And owning a bakery also isnt out of the question, she said, as long as she can continue to donate cookies to the troops.

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Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

cprine@sduniontribune.comMayor Eric Garcetti and leaders of the Los Angeles City Council ignored a report urging them to eliminate, or drastically amend, a controversial program that pays veteran cops and firefighters their salaries and pensions simultaneously for up to five years.

The Deferred Retirement Option Plan, or DROP, was approved by voters in 2001 with a promise that it would keep veteran officers on the job a few years longer with no additional cost to the city.

Last month, a Times investigation found more than 1,200 DROP participants had entered the program and then taken injury leaves at twice their usual pay  some of them staying out for years with bad backs and sore knees. Last week, the newspaper reviewed a 2-year-old, confidential city document warning of serious problems with the program.

At a closed-door meeting of top elected officials in February 2016, then City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana presented a report warning the program is not and has never been cost neutral, as originally promised to voters.

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Further, the original reason for creating the program, a feared exodus of senior Los Angeles Police Department officers to retirement or other departments after the Rampart scandal  which exposed widespread corruption within the department  was no longer a threat, the report showed.

And there had never been a reason to include firefighters in the program because the city has no problem retaining them, Santana added.

On the rare occasions when there are job openings for firefighters, the department gets far more applicants than it can possibly hire. Firefighters typically work 10 24-hour shifts a month and full-time employees of the department averaged $174,000 in total compensation in 2017, according to a Times analysis of city payroll data.

Santanas finding that the program was not cost neutral could have spurred elected officials to eliminate the program or renegotiate its terms with leaders of the politically powerful police and firefighters unions, according to the citys administrative code. Instead, they did nothing.

Following the publication of the Times investigation, Garcetti joined members of the citys Executive Employee Relations Committee  who saw Santanas 2016 report  in calling for a fresh study of the DROP program.

DROP is not an entitlement, Garcetti said in an interview Thursday. This is something well keep if it works for our city and our public safety system, not simply because it has been there in the past.

The mayor said one reform under consideration is the suspension of pension payments to participants in the program while they are on injury leaves, an idea borrowed from San Franciscos now-defunct DROP policy. Thats one easy quick fix that I certainly would support, Garcetti said.

Garcetti said he did not demand the unions come to the bargaining table after receiving the 2016 report because he feared the underlying data might have been unreliable. It included years following the recession during which employees did not get regular raises, he argued.

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When employees enter DROP, they agree to accept the pension they qualify for on that date. In theory, the program benefits the city because raises those employees receive over the next five years do not increase the size of their pension payment.

The overall assessment of whether DROP is a good deal for taxpayers depends on many other factors, however, including how long the employees live in retirement and whether they actually show up for work while receiving their salary and early pension payments simultaneously.

City Council members on the EERC also questioned Santanas findings.

Councilman Mitchell Englander said that the methodology of the report and its conclusions were questionable.

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Councilman Paul Koretz called Santanas presentation half-baked and not that compelling. Koretz said that he often ignored suggestions from Santana, who, he said, wasnt a particularly pro-labor CAO.

Santana, who left the CAO position to run the Los Angeles County Fair Assn. last year, stood by his report, saying,  it speaks for itself. He declined to comment further.

Since its inception in 2002, DROP has paid out more than $1.6 billion in extra pension checks, the Times investigation found. Nearly half of the participants, who must be at least 50 to qualify, have entered the program and then taken extended injury leaves for common ailments that afflict aging bodies regardless of profession, including bad backs, sore knees and high blood pressure.

Police and firefighters in the program from July 2008 to July 2017 were nearly twice as likely as those not in DROP to miss work for injuries, illness or paid leave, The Times found. The average absence was 10 months but at least 370 missed more than a year.

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A married LAPD captain and detective who collected just shy of $2 million while in DROP each filed claims for carpal tunnel syndrome and other cumulative ailments after entering the program. Both missed about two years and spent some of the time off starting a family business and vacationing at their condo in Cabo San Lucas, The Times found.

Another LAPD captain, who collected $1.5 million over five years in the program, missed nearly three of those years because of pain from a bad knee, carpal tunnel and multiple injuries he claimed he suffered after falling out of an office chair.

Every elected official who received the confidential 2016 report has received significant financial support from the Los Angeles police and firefighters unions in recent elections, a Times review of city campaign finance records shows.

Koretz received more than $98,000 for his successful March 2017 reelection, including expenses the unions incurred for mailers and telephone calls on his behalf.

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Contributions dont influence my actions, Koretz said.

The unions also spent roughly $65,000 supporting the March 2015 reelection campaigns of Englander and fellow EERC members Herb Wesson and Paul Krekorian, records show.

Wesson and Englander each said that only a small fraction of his direct campaign contributions came from police and fire interests. I reject that any person or entity had influence over my position, Englander said.

The bulk of the spending came from the firefighters union, which is known for richly supporting city officials, and whose members standing in DROP was most directly challenged by Santanas report.

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Garcetti had failed to win their endorsement for his election campaign in 2013. But in August 2016, the union voted to contribute to his reelection campaign, spending $44,700 on donations and print and billboard ads in his support.

Garcetti said that political contributions were categorically not a factor in his decision-making. I supported firefighters when their union didnt endorse me, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, Garcetti said.

A representative for the firefighters union said that the organization did not target EERC members but instead has supported the campaigns of just about every member of the L.A. City Council.

Corina Lee, a director of the LAPD union who testified at the 2016 EERC meeting, denied that preserving DROP was a motive for her organizations political contributions. Lee said the police union was not even aware that DROP was imperiled, and never learned of or saw a copy of Santanas report.

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Nobody asked any questions. We made our brief statements and we left, Lee said of her testimony at the meeting.

In an internal union magazine a few months after the meeting, in April 2016, Lee wrote that following a lengthy discussion, EERC agreed that DROP will continue as status quo until further notice.

City leaders had an earlier opportunity to eliminate DROP in 2008, when it was originally scheduled to expire.

There were reports at the time of officers joining the program and then going out on extended injury leaves. One council member had warned of the abuse, but the city officials had not investigated the scope and scale of the problem.

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In a bid to head-off debate on altering the lucrative program, Lee and a representative from the firefighters union proposed a rule requiring everyone to be on active duty the day they entered DROP.

The one day rule did nothing to prevent many officers from taking long injury leaves before they entered the program, returning to work for a couple of shifts to qualify for the double-payments, and then going out again on long injury leaves, The Times found.

Times staff writer Maloy Moore contributed to this report.

jack.dolan@latimes.com

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ryan.menezes@latimes.com

gus.garcia-roberts@latimes.comIt started as a rather straightforward Social Security fraud investigation  a man receiving disability benefits pretending to live in the United States when in fact he lived in Tijuana.

What authorities uncovered was a 37-year identity theft scheme by an unauthorized immigrant and repeat felon who bilked federal, state and local governments out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in benefits, according to a plea agreement entered in San Diego federal court this week.

Andres Avelino Anduaga  if thats even his real name  admitted to assuming the identity of a U.S. citizen in 1980. Armed with a fake birth certificate, he developed a seemingly legitimate persona by applying for a California drivers license, Social Security number and U.S. passport.

The official documents identified him as Abraham Riojos, born in Alpine, Texas, in 1958.

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The documents allowed him to move freely between Mexico and the U.S., and also to receive nearly $361,000 in government benefits over the years.

On Thursday, Anduaga, 66, pleaded guilty to theft of public property and being a previously removed unauthorized immigrant in the U.S.

He has agreed to pay back to several government agencies what he stole but could face additional fines as well as up to 12 years in prison when sentenced.

The investigation started in 2014 with a mailbox, and then unfolded clue by clue, according to the complaint. The Social Security office in Chula Vista alerted its Office of the Inspector General that private mailboxes near the U.S.-Mexico border may be linked to residency fraud.

Only U.S. citizens or valid visa holders can receive Social Security disability benefits, and they must reside in the United States.

In April 2015, during a standard review to determine whether he was still eligible for benefits, the man who called himself Riojos gave an address on San Ysidro Boulevard  to a mailbox rental facility. When he was summoned to the Chula Vista office for an interview, he presented a state ID card identifying himself as Riojos and claimed to be renting a room from a man on I Street in Chula Vista.

During the interview, an investigator with the California Department of Health Care Services called the man, who confirmed the living arrangement.

But when investigators visited the home in January 2016, the man admitted Riojos never lived there, but instead lived in Mexico, the complaint states.

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Investigators turned to the border crossing records, finding frequent travels indicating Riojos had likely been living in Mexico since at least 2014.

They then learned that another person had tried to sign up for disability benefits in Oceanside under the same Riojos name, using a fake birth certificate with the same date and place of birth, according to the complaint.

The investigators went to the criminal records, finding the initial man claiming to be Riojos had a rap sheet that included 21 different names and six dates of birth, dating back to 1974. They included a firearms violation, forgery, cocaine possession and multiple DUIs, according to prosecutors.

Immigration records rounded out the picture. Hed been deported twice, once in 1994 and again in 2000. During the last deportation, he had given authorities his real name: Jose Reyes. Or so they thought.

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Investigators tracked down the real Abraham Riojos to Immokalee, Fla., a rural town south of Fort Myers. He told the special agents who visited him that he had no idea his identity had been used all these years.

He went by a different name now himself, Abram Riojas, a switch he said he made in the 1980s after his father started going by that name. He had a legal Social Security number separate from the fraudulent one Anduaga had applied for and received, which is probably why he hadnt yet run into cross-identity problems, authorities said. The real Riojos also hadnt applied for any Social Security benefits yet, another reason he might not have known something was awry.

An analysis of Anduagas benefits showed he first applied for Supplemental Security Income benefits in 1989 and was awarded payments retroactive to 1988. He received monthly payments  $244,441 total  until Aug. 1, 2016, according to his plea agreement.

He also qualified for Medi-Cal benefits and payments  which he shouldnt have as a unauthorized immigrant  and received $112,981 total. Plus, he illegally received more than $3,486 in food stamps under a county program.

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Records show he crossed through the pedestrian lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry several times a week. He was arrested Nov. 28 during one of those crossings. His arrest warrant bore the name Jose Reyes, and besides Riojos and Riojas the complaint included another aka of Jose Gonzalez-Cardoza. It wasnt until later, when pressed, that he said his real name was Andres Avelino Anduaga, prosecutors said.

But even that appears to have been a process. In a motion filed by his defense attorney in January, it refers to the defendant as Omar Anduaga.

He claims he was born Nov. 10, 1951, in Temoris in the state of Chihuahua. Authorities remain skeptical.

He has remained in custody since his arrest and prosecutors have noted that he suffers from a variety of health problems.

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It is not clear how Anduaga got ahold of Riojos identity, although authorities have suggested the two didnt know each other. As far as how he was able to apply for a Social Security number using a fake birth certificate and someone elses identity, blame it on the times. Prosecutors say in 1980, an analogue era without computers, identity theft was harder to detect and easier for forgers to pull off.

Sentencing has been set for May 29.

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kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavisA 25-year-old Marine corporal found dead on the floor of his barracks at Camp Pendleton last year  headphones still on from playing on the computer  died of a fentanyl overdose, and federal prosecutors are now seeking to hold responsible the man they say sold him the drugs.

Kyle Anthony Shephard, 25, of San Marcos, is charged with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, according to a complaint that was unsealed in San Diego federal court Friday.

It is the third such federal prosecution here in recent months targeting dealers in overdoses, part of a new push to help stem the tide of deaths from the nations opioid crisis.

Phone records show Shephard and the Marine, who is not named in court records, were first introduced in November 2016 and spent the next three months arranging several drug sales, the complaint says. The dangers surrounding fentanyl  an extremely potent synthetic heroin  were discussed in their conversations, with Shephard acknowledging the drug could result in overdose, authorities said.

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About a day before the Marines death, Shephard sold him four fentanyl pills for $100, text messages show, according to the complaint. In many cases, fentanyl is secretly laced into other illicit drugs, notably counterfeit oxycodone pills. Users have no idea what they are taking.

The messages show in this instance that the victim knew he was buying fentanyl, the court records say.

Do u have the fentanyl ones or the other ones, the Marine texted.

I have both, Shephard allegedly responded.

The Marines last computer activity happened at 1:44 a.m. on Jan. 28, 2017, and he was found dead the following day as if hed fallen out of his computer chair, according to prosecutors.

Investigators found a blue pill on the headboard next to a powdery substance and a rolled up dollar bill. The pill tested positive for fentanyl, according to military lab results.

Shephard had been arrested the month before along with a woman and charged by the District Attorneys Office with drug distribution  about 2,000 pills laced with fentanyl, according to authorities. The status of that case was not available late Friday.

What a senseless tragedy that another young life has been lost because of fentanyl, said Interim U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman in a statement. This Marine was serving his country and had his whole life ahead of him. We are going to hold dealers accountable for the deaths that result from their reckless disregard for human life.

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If convicted, Shephard faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

The case is similar to another being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office. Maxwell Gaffney is accused of selling heroin to a friend in Ramona in February 2017, resulting in his death. The victim, Kyle Rodriguez, had struggled with drugs but had been clean for a year when he overdosed. Gaffney was arrested in January.

And days ago, another alleged dealer, Joel Rodriguez, admitted in a guilty plea to being the source of fentanyl that caused five people to overdose in Alpine. They survived.

The District Attorneys Office has also brought an overdose case on a murder charge. Alfredo Lemus is accused of selling Richard Summerfruit what was disguised as a Percocet but ended up being fentanyl. Prosecutors say Lemus knew what he was selling.

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The Medical Examiners Office has not yet released fentanyl overdose data for 2017, but preliminary numbers show the deaths have doubled over the year before, according to prosecutors. At least 33 people died of fentanyl overdoses in 2016.

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kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavisCounties throughout the state are holding onto millions of dollars intended for mental health services, a recently released state audit has found.

The audit is forgiving of San Diego County, which was found to allocate funds appropriately and monitor projects effectively, although it also was sitting on about $185 million at the time of the study.

The money comes from Proposition 63, a 2004 initiative known as the Mental Health Services Act, which placed a 1 percent income tax on state residents who earned $1 million or more annually.

The audit released last week from state Auditor Elaine Howle found mental health agencies around California had accumulated $231 million in unspent money from the Mental Health Services Act by the end of fiscal year 2015-16.

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About $1.5 billion was generated by the act that fiscal year, and the state allocated $1.4 billion to 59 county and local mental health agencies.

Alfredo Aguirre, San Diego Countys Behavioral Health Services director, said the audit shows his department was being responsible with its funds, which he said will be spent down to a required, prudent reserve of $42 million by fiscal year 2020-21.

Alfredo Aguirre, San Diego Countys Behavioral Health Services director (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune )

The department already has spent down its reserve to $60 million since fiscal year 2015-16, the time frame studied in the audit, he said.

Counties are required to spend money from the Mental Health Services Act or return it to the state within three years of receiving it, but the audit found the state Department of Health Care Services had not developed a process to recover the unspent funds, although it has had the responsibility since 2012.

As a result, local mental health agencies had little incentive to spend the money in a timely manner, the audit found.

The requirement to pay back the money was pushed back further last year when the state Legislature enacted a one-time change that allowed local agencies to keep funds until 2020 that would have been due last July.

Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego, said he is working on a bill that would shorten to two years the time counties have to use the money, among other changes.

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This audit puts more meat on the bones of the bill, he said. The audit illustrates that local jurisdictions could do more to get these programs funded.

Gloria said he met with Supervisor Greg Cox and others at the county to discuss the $185 million in reserves for mental health and came away satisfied that the local agency was not hoarding money.

Still, he said, even San Diego County could move faster in funding programs, and the bill would light a fire under it and other counties.

I have constituents calling me who have people who are mentally ill sleeping in canyons behind their houses, he said. They want something done today.

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Gloria said reducing the deadline to two years would give agencies a reasonable amount of time to implement programs, although it still may seem like a frustratingly long wait for communities.

We have a mental health crisis in this state, he said. And because of the stigma, its not discussed as much as it should be. Whether its a mass shooting event, the explosion of homeless (population) on the street and everything in between, the need to spend these dollars is unquestionable.

Aguirre, however, isnt keen on the idea of reducing the deadline.

Thats pretty tight, he said about a two-year requirement. Im not sure what value that would bring.

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Aguirre does see room for improvement in the states process for retrieving unspent funds. Money that sits unused should be retrieved and given to other counties that would put it to use, he said.

As for how San Diego County is spending its share, Aguirre said new programs include serving 100 more people coming out of psychiatric hospital care and serving 100 more people coming out of long-term mental health care.

The county also is on track to provide treatment and housing for more than 1,200 homeless people with mental health problems over three years and has established a program through the Public Defenders Office to provide mental health case managers to people leaving jail.

Besides calling for counties to give back money after two years instead of three, Gloria said the bill could address other issues raised in the audit.

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For instance, there isnt clarity about whether interest earned from the money should be returned to the stateif not spent, he said.

Gloria and Aguirre agree that the state should do a better job of retrieving unspent money, and there should be consistency in the required reserve at each county.

Aguirre said he is comfortable with San Diego Countys required $42 million reserve for the fund, which he thinks is lower than other counties, but he added that he would like all counties to follow the same requirement.

He expects the county to receive $144 million in fiscal year 2018-19 and in the three following years.

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The annual allocation dipped to about $82 million in 2011-12 and had reached $160 million in 2017-18.

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gary.warth@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @GaryWarthUT

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760-529-4939A San Diego County resident is among 40 people nationwide to become infected with salmonella bacteria linked to kratom, the controversial tropical herb that many have begun using to treat opioid addiction despite an import ban from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

According to the county Health and Human Services Agency, a 44-year-old, whose gender and specific city of residence were not released, became ill in January.

Testing performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that symptoms were caused by the same subspecies of the salmonella bacteria that has now produced cases in 27 states.

Dr. Eric McDonald, chief of the countys Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch, said Friday that the local resident has recovered.

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This person was not hospitalized and has had no long-term complications, McDonald said.

That has not always been the case since the outbreak started in October.

The CDCs latest report, issued Friday, added 12 cases to the outbreak total, reaching 40 cases since its last update released on Feb. 20. So far, 14 people have been sick enough to require hospital stays, but none have died. Ages of the salmonella patients range from 6 to 67.

State public health departments have interviewed 24 people who have been infected, and 17 have reported consuming kratom in pills, powder or tea.

Also called thang, kakuam, thom, ketom and biak, kratoms Latin name is mitragyna speciosa. In the coffee family, the evergreen is native to southeast Asia.

Though its legal in most states, the CDC is recommending that no one consume kratom because the source of salmonella contamination has not been narrowed to a specific source.

Used as medicine in countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia since the 19th century, kratom has recently become quite controversial in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration instituted an import ban on the plant in 2014 and there has been talk of classifying it as a schedule 1 controlled substance.

The city of San Diego banned possession and distribution of any substance containing mitragynine, the herbs active ingredient, in 2016.

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In 2017, the CDC said it is aware of 36 deaths among kratom-using Americans and the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office has determined that 10 local deaths since 2014 have been associated with mitragynine.

But the public has pushed back hard, noting that most of the deaths involved people with other drugs in their systems, or other significant medical conditions, that could have played significant roles in their deaths. Kratom, many say, has helped them kick opioid habits or push back chronic pain.

Dr. Charles White, department head and professor of pharmacy at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, recently published a research paper that assesses kratoms pharmacological properties in the American Journal of Health System Pharmacy.

He said that its clear that the plant works like an opioid, but its not the same as the drugs fueling Americas opioid epidemic.

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Its not derived from opium, White said. It has a very different chemical structure, but it does stimulate opioid receptors in the brain.

In animal models, White said, kratoms value as a stimulant appears to be pretty modest overall in comparison to a pure opioid and could function in similar ways to methadone or suboxone, two drugs commonly used to help treat opioid addiction. There is also evidence, again in animal models, that kratom has anti-inflamatory properties often sought by those suffering from chronic pain.

But none of that, he cautioned, has yet been definitively proven in humans. Researchers know that many results found in animals look much different in people.

And, White added, its unclear exactly how kratom interacts with other opioids in a persons system.

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We know it is a potent blocker of other drugs, White said. The issue is that, if you take other drugs at the same time, you might not be able to get them out of your system because kratom is blocking your liver enzymes.

On the other hand, the researcher said he considers the tropical plant to be a very interesting chemical compound. Significant restrictions, he said, could slow the pace of scientific discovery for this plant. Adding marijuana to the most-restrictive tier of the nations drug schedule, he said, significantly slowed understanding of how some of the compounds in cannabis could be used for legitimate medical purposes such as treatment of severe seizures in children.

Making this a schedule 1 drug comes with the risk of setting yourself up to never finding out what the pharmacological benefits are that this substance has to give, White said. The things were learning today about marijuana are things we should have learned 50 years ago.

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paul.sisson@sduniontribune.com

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(619) 293-1850

Twitter: @paulsissonI have journeyed to the heart of this forest with the cannabis that will unite me with the Divine one  who is the light and truth of who we really are.  from the first of The Nine Epiphanies

Talk about your high church rituals.

At the Sacred Source Sanctuary in San Diegos Midway district, believers select a sacrament  in the form of a tincture or loose buds and rolling papers  then enter the sanctum to commune with the divine. Or, as skeptics see it, get stoned.

We do consider cannabis to be our sacrament, said Manny Montana, a Sanctuary volunteer. If you respect the world, the earth will love and respect you back.

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Some earthlings arent feeling the love. On Feb. 1, police raided the church, seizing seven pounds of pot, worth an estimated $30,000, $1,200 in cash and a .45-caliber handgun. While sales of recreational marijuana have been legal in California since Jan. 1, those sales must be from dispensaries with a city license  something Sanctuary lacks.

There, San Diego police cited five people for illegally selling marijuana.

Thats a gross misrepresentation of Sanctuary, said Marla James, the groups spokeswoman. The sacrament was never sold, she noted, but given to believers who made a donation. Moreover, she argued, her faith is burdened with requirements not asked of other religions.

When you are Catholic, she said, you can give sacramental wine to people under 21 and you dont need an ABC license.

This standoff appears headed for the courts, as the city presses charges and the church threatens a $1.1 million lawsuit.

Sound familiar? Religions have long used mind-altering substances as a key to enlightenment, and civil authorities have long challenged these practices in court.

Yet the legal record is mixed and often turns on basic questions:

Is this a true religion?

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Or just a stoners scam?

I guess the whole thing turns on the definition of religion, said Karma Lekshe Tsomo, a professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego. And people have different ways of defining religion.

Himself immortal in my dream, Yang Xi revealed that cannabis nurtured the Shangqing scriptures and is essential to the shujia knowledge of the future.  from the second of The Nine Epiphanies.

The Sanctuary belongs to the Association of Sacramental Ministries, a group formed last fall by Anaheims Brent David Fraser. This is a confederation of eight Southern California churches  seven more are in the planning stage  that profess the sacredness of the nature and the healing qualities of one particular natural substance.

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This is about body, mind, spirit, said Fraser. Its not organized as such but we have a code of ethics. The primary goal is to help people.

This young religion already has a scripture. Written by Matthew Pappas, a lawyer who has defended several Southern California marijuana dispensaries, The Nine Epiphanies draws on Eastern mystical traditions. The text recounts a series of dreams in which the subject overcomes illness, anger, suffering and fear by relying on ancient wisdom. And cannabis.

The two are linked, Fraser said, noting that Shintoism, Hinduism and several other religions are associated with cannabis. Some Rastafarians quote the New Testaments Book of Revelations  the herb is the healing of the nations  as a sacred shout-out to ganja. Scholars say Taoisms Shangqing school taught that cannabis could impart preternatural powers.

This is nothing we invented, said David James, Marla James husband and a volunteer at the Sanctuary. Its been used for thousands of years.

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In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a New Mexico church whose congregation used a Peruvian tea, huasca, to attain trancelike states. The justices unanimously agreed that the UDV  the Uniao do Vegetal, or Union of the Plants  had a First Amendment religious right to incorporate this psychoactive substance into its services.

That case drew on a 1964 precedent. In People vs. Woody, the high court ruled that Navajo members of the Native American Church had the right to use peyote in their religious ceremonies.

Thats even true in prisons, said Tsomo. The sacramental use of peyote has been very meaningful for the rehabilitation of many people, to be able to practice their faith while incarcerated.

Yet the record is unclear whether theres a blanket right to freedom of doped religion. In 1994, Brother Greg Peck was arrested at a Temecula checkpoint when 43 pounds of marijuana were found in his car. Peck, part a Rastafarian-linked church in Wisconsin, argued that he had a constitutional right to bring weed home to his congregation.

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The federal court in San Diego disagreed. Its judgment was affirmed on appeal in 1996.

People from organized religions were persecuting me for my belief in cannabis as sacrament. Demanding their secular members invade temples where believers obtain sacrament and learn the ways of peace, these persecutors relentlessly attacked with words of hatred and violence.  from the sixth of The Nine Epiphanies.

Closed since Feb. 1s raid, the Sanctuary these days looks empty. Occupying what had been a weight loss clinic, the church has no pulpits, altars, pews, stained glass or other furnishings common to houses of worship. Instead, the rooms held tables and chairs and bookshelves. The Sanctum, where believers partake of sacramental cannabis, resembles an undergraduates living room, with low tables, a long couch, throw pillows, outlets to dock an iPad or smart phone.

For your music, Montana said.

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Members are asked to fill out an application, initialing various clauses including an acknowledgment that the cannabis is a gift specifically for sacramental rituals, healing or as an entheogen that allows me to become closer to my higher power.

The Sanctuary was open only one full month before the raid. In that brief period, Montana said, 1,000 people joined. They came, Marla James said, because they were troubled in body and spirit, seeking peace and healing.

We believe that cannabis is a healthy herb in every way, she said. And its also spiritual  it kind of goes together. Its part of your whole healing.

Although there were no regularly scheduled services, volunteer ministers sometimes joined believers in prayer or meditation. Others administered acupuncture or led yoga sessions.

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The goal is to reunite with nature. Nature is the oldest religion in the world, the Sanctuarys web site says, even before any other religion itself.

In Frasers view, the non-churchy look and open-ended theology are part of the Sanctuarys appeal.

The younger people who come to us, they were fleeing the religions that were inflicted on them, he said. They find that this, making a god of your own conception, and the sacrament, is a freeing, wonderful release for them because they had this horrible idea of religion.

Some religious norms are observed. Sanctuary literature touts its support of worthy causes, giving to anti-human-trafficking groups and sending food, water and clothing to victims of the earthquake that devastated Mexico last September.

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And they cite another faith tradition. We are a lot like Quakers, Marla James said. We are not going to fight you, we are not going to argue with you.

There are, it seems, exceptions to this rule.

On Feb. 21, the church filed a claim with the City of San Diego, demanding $1.1 million in damages stemming from the Feb. 1 raid. The city had six months to respond.

If they deny the claim?

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Then, James said, well file a federal lawsuit.The California Republican Party on Saturday put its endorsement behind Rep. Duncan D. Hunter in his re-election to Congress, giving a boost to his embattled campaign.

The vote came while the state partys executive board met in Sacramento.

The California Republican Party accepted the recommendations of both San Diego and Riverside Counties to endorse Congressman Duncan Hunter, confirmed the groups spokesman, Matt Fleming.

Hunter was very appreciative of the endorsement, his spokesman Mike Harrison said Saturday. Its a reflection of the hard work the congressman is doing not only for the district but also country, Harrison said.

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While the county-level GOP had already endorsed Hunter, and it is common for the state GOP to follow those recommendations, controversy swirling around the Alpine congressman raised some question as to whether he would secure enough votes for the state backing.

A federal investigation into reports that Hunter used campaign funds for personal spending is ongoing, and a recent Politico article alleged former staffers and lawmakers have raised issues with drinking and relationships with women. Hunter responded to the Politico story as tabloid trash.

Hunter has represented the 50th congressional district, one of the most conservative in the state, which encompasses eastern San Diego County and Temecula, since 2008. His father, Duncan Hunter, held the seat for 28 years prior.

The ballot will be a crowded one. Businessman Shamus Sayed, El Cajon Mayor William Wells and sheriffs Deputy Andrew Zelt are running as Republicans. Former Department of Labor official Ammar Campa-Najjar of Jamul received the Democratic endorsement and is facing off against fellow party member Josh Butner, a member of the Jamul-Dulzura Union School Board and a retired Navy SEAL.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

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Twitter: @kristinadavisSheriffs homicide investigators and the county Medical Examiners Office are conducting separate investigations into the death Wednesday of a suspect at the Vista Detention Center.

The Sheriffs Department acknowledged the death hours after The San Diego Union-Tribune learned of the case and requested details.

The incident is the latest in a string of jail deaths in San Diego County, which has paid millions of dollars in legal settlements and judgments over wrongful-death lawsuits in recent years.

Two separate investigations have been opened into the death this week of a man who died in custody after being pepper-sprayed by deputies from the San Diego Sheriffs Department.

One of the investigations is being conducted by sheriffs homicide investigators. The San Diego County Medical Examiners Office is conducting a separate review of circumstances leading to the death of the man.

He was identified Saturday by the Medical Examiners Office as Oscar Leal, 37, of Vista.

The Sheriffs Department acknowledged the death Friday afternoon, after The San Diego Union-Tribune learned about the incident and requested details.

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According to the department, deputies received multiple 911 calls from a home in Vista on Wednesday around 8 a.m. and arrested a man at the home after he had difficulty performing the standard field-sobriety test.

On the way to jail, the suspect began slamming his head on the interior of the patrol car and kicking around the back seat. He was warned to stop before a deputy used pepper spray in order to prevent the man from injuring himself, the statement said.

The man repeatedly yelled NO!, sir and let me go! and Dont take me to jail! said the statement, released by Lt. Karen Stubkjaer. The man continued to thrash and injure himself in the back of the patrol car upon arrival at the detention facility.

Once at the jail, the suspect again was uncooperative and another dose of pepper spray was administered, sheriffs officials said.

Deputies attempted to control him once outside of the vehicle and he kicked them, the statement said. They attempted to restrain him with their hands to place him on a medical gurney and he stopped breathing.

The statement said life-saving measures were taken and deputies summoned paramedics. The suspect was transported to Tri-City Medical Center and declared dead at the hospital.

At this time, we have reason to believe the subjects death was possibly caused by an overdose of illegal drugs, the statement said. Therefore, in addition to an investigation originated by our Homicide Division, we are investigating this case with our new Overdose Response Protocol.

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A spokeswoman at the county Medical Examiners Office said Friday that it too was reviewing the death, but no details would be released until the investigation was completed.

In-custody deaths have been a longstanding problem within the San Diego Sheriffs Department. Dozens of detainees and jail inmates have been killed or committed suicide in recent years, according to the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board.

The backlog of death investigations grew so large  59 at one point  that late last year the review board voted to summarily dismiss 22 cases, including one dating to 2011. In January, the latest month for which data are available, the review board had 34 outstanding death cases.

San Diego County paid out more than $6 million in legal settlements and jury awards over the same period and is currently litigating at least four other wrongful-deaths lawsuits.

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The Sheriffs Department said on Friday that it did not announce the death previously because it would have compromised an investigation into where the man got drugs.

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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonaldQualcomms acquisition by Broadcom at any price would damage American security and endanger the creative team of San Diegans who have made this company a technology jewel for the U.S.

During World War II, it would have been unthinkable to allow foreign acquisition of Americas steel industry. In todays precarious security environment, where adversaries like China are actively stealing technology and intellectual property, the high-speed communications industry is equally as important.

If Broadcom acquires Qualcomm, the hostile takeover would make Broadcom the third-largest chipmaker in the world, giving it control over a major portion of the supply chain, which is critical to the vital communications components such as Wi-Fi and cellular modem chips. Such a company, if subjected to national or terrorist interests adverse to America, could install lockout features to block our security agencies from monitoring mobile data. The possibilities for damaging U.S. security are limitless.

RELATED

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Rep. Scott Peters: Why Qualcomm takeover could have grave consequences

Rep. Juan Vargas: Why Qualcomms acquisition by Broadcom requires critical review

CEOs of Biocom and San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation: What Qualcomm means to San Diego

Broadcom, a Singapore-based company, has increasing ties with China. This should concern us as a nation. These ties were most recently reflected in the agreements Broadcom signed with HBC, Inspur and StarTimes. China has a finely honed capability to access the technology of companies such as Broadcom, along with that of their subsidiaries and acquisitions.

The takeover would also endanger the thousands of San Diego residents who comprise Qualcomms local employee base. In the past, Broadcom has demonstrated a tendency toward initiating layoffs during mergers. If these jobs are sent offshore, our nation not only loses a critical intellectual asset, but San Diegos job market will take a direct and significant hit. According to Tyler Lowery, formerly with Fortune 500 company Micron Technology, the loss of these thousands of jobs at Qualcomm puts thousands more at risk due to the significant business partnerships and collaborations that have made Qualcomm so successful.

Bringing jobs back to the U.S. is a high priority for President Donald Trump. I agree and support him on this effort. This action, however, does the opposite of this important goal. A takeover of Qualcomm by Broadcom would very likely cost jobs in San Diego, not create or protect them.

For these reasons, I wrote President Trump last week asking him to block the sale and takeover pending a national security review. He has the authority to do this under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as modified by the Exon-Florio provisions of 1988. The advisory board that reviews foreign takeovers of American companies is the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), chaired by Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is a key member as well.

The test for the deals approval is simple. Does this action damage U.S. security? As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, my view is a resounding yes. Not only would it damage U.S. security, it would do so severely. Since my initial letter to President Trump, news services have reported that the administration has initiated a review of the deal on national security grounds. Additionally, this week U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, has joined in seeking a review.

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I am well aware that Broadcom has announced that it intends to move its headquarters to the U.S. This does not change a thing. Press releases of intentions is not the same as physical action. No move has taken place, prudence dictates that a full national security review occur immediately. I have seen San Diego defense companies suffer massive theft of intellectual property by agents of Chinas government and the defense industrial complex with which it is inextricably entwined. The fact remains that if Broadcom consumes Qualcomm, theft of its intellectual property by China becomes easier.

I will make every effort to stop this takeover. I believe President Trump and Secretary Mattis should actively oppose this action through CFIUS and any other resource at their disposal. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Qualcomm stockholders are well advised to look beyond the economics of the sale and to the American flag at Fort Rosecrans past which many soldiers, sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen sailed to protect our security.

Now is the time for economic patriotism. Our future, both in America and here in San Diego, depends on it.

Hunter, R-Alpine, represents Californias 50th Congressional District.Largely due to its recent marketing campaign, Qualcomm is recognized by San Diegans as the company that puts the smart in our smartphones. But behind the billboards, there is a deeper story about how this homegrown San Diego company became the worlds largest smartphone chipmaker while redefining corporate citizenship and putting our region on the map as a tech and life sciences powerhouse.

Qualcomm is the quintessential San Diego story, but to understand its true impact you need to understand its origin: In 1966, Irwin Jacobs came to San Diego to take a job at UC San Diego. Two years later, he founded Linkabit  a telecom company specializing in government contracts  that served as a precursor to Qualcomm. In 1985, Qualcomm was officially founded by five individuals in Jacobs La Jolla home.

Fast forward more than 32 years, and Qualcomm is San Diegos largest publicly traded company, employing nearly 13,000 locally. As a global company, it has offices on nearly every continent, yet its headquarters has remained in San Diego.

A recent economic impact analysis conducted by San Diego Regional EDC found that Qualcomm added $4.9 billion in economic activity to the San Diego region in 2017 alone  the equivalent of hosting 35 San Diego Comic-Cons. Additionally, every job at Qualcomm supports an additional 1.8 jobs in the San Diego region.

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Qualcomm has led by example, with its founder, leaders, employees and alumni creating new companies, teaching at our schools, hiring our local population, advocating for positive public policy steps, and accelerating the growth of San Diegos innovation economy.

While Qualcomm is a wireless company, its focus on connected devices and the internet of things has impacted nearly every high tech industry, from healthcare to smart cities. Qualcomm/Linkabit alumni have gone on to start or sell their inventions to major companies including Viasat, Leap Wireless, Kyocera, Motorola, Ericsson and more. Qualcomm Ventures has proved a vital backer of San Diego startups including Edico Genome and Brain Corp., and is a key player in the rise of telemedicine. Today, San Diego stands as the third most patent-intense region in the U.S., not only due to the intellectual property the chipmaker has developed and the innovation it has catalyzed throughout the region but also due to its relentless advocacy for intellectual property rights for all industries.

Its work in the San Diego community starts long before one steps foot on Qualcomms campus. Spend one day at its Thinkabit Lab  a part art studio, part engineering lab that is introducing middle school students to careers in technology  and learn how it has transformed the way students from all backgrounds think about the world of work. The successful program has been expanded to schools in Chula Vista, San Diego and Vista.

Everyone has a story about how Qualcomm has affected our community. In fact, we kicked off the #QualCOMMUNITY campaign with the support of Mayor Kevin Faulconer, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders so San Diegans can share their story about the companys impact. From the Old Globe to the San Diego Symphony to the new Central Library to our world-class universities, Qualcomms impact can be seen and felt across our region.

Qualcomm has given San Diego an opportunity to reinvent itself. It has been an anchor as we have transformed from a military town to an innovation hub and one of the top biotech clusters in the world. Qualcommers go to bat for San Diego. As employees, they define the next frontier of invention. As residents, they spend money at our businesses and enliven our neighborhoods; and as philanthropists, they donate millions to our universities and causes.

While the specifics around the deal are in flux, most everyone is aware that the homegrown wireless giant has been in conversations with Broadcom, a competing telecommunications company, about a potential merger.

Shareholders and regulators will decide what happens next, but outside the boardroom, this culture of innovation, collaboration, and community will always remain core to the San Diego story.

Its a story that many companies and people, in San Diego and beyond, can learn a lot from.

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Cafferty is president & CEO of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. Panetta is president & CEO of Biocom.San Diegans celebrate our partnership in the national defense. Were a home port for Navy vessels and a center of Marine Corps recruiting and training. Were an officially designated Coast Guard City. Were home to shipyards for construction and repair, companies that specialize in unmanned vehicle technology, and a center of cybersecurity excellence.

We all know Qualcomm as the inventor of early wireless technology, the company that put the smart in smartphone. We know Qualcomm provides high-quality jobs for the region, with an annual economic impact of over $4 billion. The company and its founders, the Jacobs and Viterbi families, are cornerstones of our civic and philanthropic community.

Less known is Qualcomms role in our national defense; its research into next generation wireless technology  5G  is critical to national security. Whether its NASA communicating with space satellites, Navy ships communicating with submarines miles undersea, Marine commanders communicating with troops across the battlefield, or energy purveyors communicating with a grid, the integrity of those communications depends on the innovation and brainpower at Qualcomm. Its continued development of 5G wireless, artificial intelligence and other technologies that will underpin nearly every internet-connected device in the country, also makes Qualcomm a target for foreign intelligence agencies.

RELATED

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Rep. Duncan Hunter: Broadcoms takeover of Qualcomm is disaster for national security, San Diego

Rep. Juan Vargas: Why Qualcomms acquisition by Broadcom requires critical review

CEOs of Biocom and San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation: What Qualcomm means to San Diego

5G research in the United States is centered at Qualcomm and we have an interest in nurturing and protecting this technology by keeping it onshore. The Department of Defense, for example, insists on keeping shipbuilding onshore; we never want to rely on potential adversaries to build or repair our naval force. The same is true for American wireless technology. There is a real and imminent danger in turning it over to a Chinese company when we know China has endeavored to steal intellectual property secrets from American companies, is likely trying to steal our military intelligence, and is aggressively closing the technology gap.

Qualcomm is the global leader in development of 5G networks. Whats not being done by Qualcomm is being done in Korea and China. 5G will allow for revolutionary inter-connectedness of devices in nearly every economic sector, tying our education system, vehicles, homes and personal devices to the internet. Allowing the Chinese to leapfrog the United States in 5G development through Broadcoms acquisition of Qualcomm would have serious national security implications.

Thats why I wrote to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin requesting a classified report to Congress via the Senate and House intelligence committees. I also asked for an immediate review of any potential transaction by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, within the Department of Treasury.

CFIUS is the federal agency tasked with reviewing mergers and acquisitions of U.S. companies by foreign-controlled entities under the authority of the Defense Production Act of 1950. The act requires CIFIUS review transactions for potential effects on critical infrastructure and critical technologies. It authorizes the executive branch to block transactions for national security reasons. Given that Qualcomms 5G meets these requirements, I believe strongly that a CFIUS review is warranted.

A 2012 House intelligence committee report noted the threat Chinese telecommunications companies pose to our national security. It declared that the United States should view with suspicion the continued penetration of the U.S. telecommunications market by Chinese telecommunications companies because of their potential ties to the Chinese government or military. The concern was that Chinese companies could activate cameras and microphones in smartphones and televisions without user knowledge and the possibility that information gathered could be shared with the Chinese government.

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Penetration of Qualcomms board of directors by the Chinese poses a similar threat and should be subject to review regardless of whether Broadcoms takeover bid is successful. And with a board of directors election scheduled for Tuesday, time is of the essence.

Ive contacted congressional intelligence committees and Californias two senators to enlist their help. And Im heartened by support from both Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

I understand Qualcomms directors have an obligation to their shareholders. As a San Diegan, I hope shareholders will see the financial wisdom of keeping Qualcomm a long-term innovation company, rather than seeking short-term profits from short-sighted corporate raider tactics. As a member of Congress, I also have a duty to make sure a private hostile takeover does not erode our nations ability to maintain our defenses in an environment thats more dependent on technology than ever. Ceding Americas leadership in telecommunications technology to China could have grave consequences for the entire nation.

Peters, D-San Diego, represents the 52nd Congressional District.San Diegos profound homeless problem is being addressed on more fronts than ever, both by government and by helpful nonprofits and business groups. One example is the new Wheels of Change work program, which pays homeless people $11.50 an hour in cash for their help with clean-up efforts. The program was funded with a $70,000 donation from UC San Diego School of Medicine emergency room physician Carolyn Barber. Workers were hired through the Alpha Project, which runs a shelter at 16th Street and Newton Avenue. About a dozen reportedly cleaned up 12 blocks during their first four-hour shift last week. Shelter case workers encourage those in the program to use their earnings to take care of basic, important needs.

The nature of punditry sometimes requires worrying that what can go wrong will go wrong  a workers compensation claim or two could turn this upbeat, uplifting story in a different direction. But theres no need to go there for now. A program that encourages the homeless to work and reminds them they are up to the challenge is deeply worthwhile. Good for Barber and the Alpha Project  and good for San Diego.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & OpinionWhy witch hunt cries from Trump ring hollow

Re Trump dismisses Democratic memo as a BUST, takes another swipe at Russia probe (Feb. 24): So Donald Trumps so called witch hunt by the Justice Department has now produced 19 indictments, four guilty pleas and evidence that seven states had their 2016 election systems penetrated by the Russians.

And yet he continues to deny the incontrovertible evidence. As each new revelation manifests itself, what is his answer? Of course, it was Barack Obamas fault, even though Trumps only action during the last year has been to deny that it ever happened.

After one year, half his top advisers have quit or been fired and the rest dont even have the proper security clearances.

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This fire-and-fury Rambo-man, who would run into a school massacre with or without a gun blazing, couldnt even run a local sheriffs department, let alone a country. Worse than sad.

Phil Kirk

Encinitas

Similar arguments, different dispositions

During the eight-year Barack Obama reign, the extreme right shouted to all that would listen: Obama was not qualified to be president; was an idiot; not Christian enough (maybe Muslim?); covered up scandals; hated whites; constantly embarrassed America in the eyes of the world; and they tried to delegitimize his presidency (birthers).

Fast forward to today and now its the extreme lefts turn to shout: Trump is not qualified to be president; is an idiot; too Christian; covers up scandals; hates blacks/minorities; constantly embarrasses America in the eyes of the world; and they try to delegitimize his presidency (Russians).

Other than that, the same arguments. The big difference is Obama tried to overcome those accusations whereas Trump wallows in them and actually delights in promoting them. Therein lies the difference.

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Joe Secola

Carlsbad

Can you think of a 20th century world leader who, driven by his massive insecurity demanded absolute loyalty to himself rather than the state? Who destabilized his country, was an autocrat, a narcissist, a racist and convinced of his own brilliance above all others? Who as his government crumbled around him ordered the destruction of his country because there was no one else, other than himself, to blame but the undeserving people themselves.

Can you think of a twenty-first century world leader who is emulating his 20th century counterpart?

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Tim Huntley

Vista

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.The Poway Unified School District will be discussing school safety at a community forum from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Mt. Carmel High School Performing Arts Center, 9550 Carmel Mountain Road.

Due to the large number of attendees, with over 400 people signed up by Friday, the forum will not have a question-and-answer session. Instead, attendees are being asked to submit their questions in advance so answers can be provided at the meeting. Questions can be submitted at bit.ly/PUSDSafety.

Attendance of the forum is not required to submit a question.

Email: news@pomeradonews.com

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.Press Release

March 2, 2018 Legarda: Boracay's Problem Is Non-Compliance With Env't Laws Senator Loren Legarda today said that the main problem in Boracay Island is the weak enforcement of and non-compliance in the country's environmental laws. Legarda made the statement during the Senate hearing conducted in Boracay Island to look into the environmental issues concerning the famous tourist destination. "If we simply comply with environmental laws, especially the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Law, we would not have to be here. This is not just an issue to point to the local government and other government agencies. We are all in this together. The problem in Boracay is also the problem of many eco-tourism areas and other communities in the country, which is why the government must strictly enforce environmental laws, while residents and business establishments should also comply with our laws," said Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment. The Senator said the island must have sewerage and septage systems as she cited figures from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that around 17.5 million liters of wastewater is generated in Boracay island every day and only about half of which is treated properly, while the other half is discharged untreated. About 30 to 40 percent of the untreated wastewater comes from private homes, and the rest from business establishments. She added that the implementation of the ESWM law will address solid waste disposal issues in the island, citing successful practices of communities that are faithfully complying with the law, such as San Fernando City in Pampanga, where waste diversion rate is at 78%, which means that instead of being brought to landfills, this much of waste is either recycled or composted; and Barangay Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, which diverts 80% of its waste simply by building a materials recovery facility (MRF) and hiring waste collectors to visit every household, check their garbage, separate organic waste and bring it to the facility. Other communities that have been successful in implementing the ESWM law are Barangays Neogan in Tagaytay and Potrero in Malabon, which even won the Metro Manila Development Authority's Best Solid Waste Management Program Award in 2015. Meanwhile, Legarda supported DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu's recommendation for the creation of an entity in DENR to ensure the strict implementation of environmental laws. In line with this, she asked the DENR to submit proposals for inclusion in the 2019 National Expenditure Program (NEP)--what they need to ensure the strict implementation and enforcement of environmental laws--and also urged the Department to activate a unit to exercise oversight functions, monitoring, supervision, and enforcement of laws. Legarda also suggested that the DENR, the Department of Tourism (DOT), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) enter into a joint undertaking with the Office of the Ombudsman for the filing of cases against local government units that fail to implement the country's environmental laws. "Our government agencies and LGUs must step up in enforcing our laws. At the same time, all the residents and tourists in Boracay should be accountable for the preservation of the island. We should not use our islands, seas, bays and rivers as sewerage or garbage bins. We should not build on protected areas or encroach critical biodiversity areas; instead, we must preserve our wetlands and forestlands, which ensures the balance of our ecosystem. We must do this not only in Boracay but also in other parts of the country, especially our eco-tourism areas," Legarda concluded.Press Release

March 2, 2018 Villanueva hits DENR, local officials over Boracay environmental woes Senator Joel Villanueva on Friday pinpointed the lapses in the guidelines of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) in the processing and issuance of environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) to establishments in Boracay. The EMB is the bureau under the DENR that is tasked with ensuring establishments' compliance with environmental laws in environmentally-critical areas. In an inquiry led by the Committee on Environment held in Boracay, the senator suggested that this may be the high time for the DENR to declare Boracay as an environmentally critical area so that the applications for the construction of establishments in the island would require the issuance of ECCs. Under the DENR Administrative Order, an environmentally critical area is defined as an "area delineated as environmentally sensitive such that significant environmental impacts are expected if certain types of proposed projects or programs are located, developed or implemented." "I believe that it's time to declare Boracay an environmentally critical area, based solely on the said definition. At present, it appears that the categorization of environmentally critical areas should not just be based on the activity undertaken in those areas, such as mining or other more precarious economic activities. I think it's the nature of the ecosystem that should determine whether the DENR or the EMB can recommend that an area be considered an environmentally critical area," Villanueva explained. The senator further shared that there are hotels built in Boracay which, prior to their construction, did not even secure an ECC from the bureau. He then noted that securing an ECC is not even included in the requirements that business establishments must comply as clearly shown in the website of the Municipality of Malay. Boracay closure's possible effect on jobs Meanwhile, Villanueva also emphasized the possible loss of jobs of thousands of Boracay workers should a commercial shutdown be implemented in the island. The Department of Interior and Local Government recently proposed to declare Boracay under the state of calamity for six months and implement a commercial shutdown for two months. Villanueva said that, given the circumstances, this could be a risky move. According to the Boracay Foundation, Inc., the threatened closure would result in the loss of jobs of an estimated 90,000 workers. However, the senator cautioned the business owners not to make the notion of the possible loss of jobs as an excuse for not complying with environmental regulations. "If they are really concerned for their workers, then these business owners must take it upon themselves to comply with environmental laws and regulations so they would not face closure. Boracay's problem on its worsening sewerage system is not just an environmental and labor concern but also a public health issue," Villanueva explained. The senator then asked if the national government or local and regional offices would have a contingency plan for those who might be displaced by the proposed closure should the said commercial shutdown be enforced. He further specified that the contingency plan should include provision of additional technical and vocational education training or livelihood programs, and/or availment of partial economic subsidies for the period of the closure. "As the Chairman of the Committee on Labor, I will always go back to the issue of employment and job generation. Nakataya sa pagsasaayos ng kalikasan ng Boracay ang buhay ng isla, at ito ay ang mga Pilipinong nagtatrabaho at nagbibigay-sigla sa ekonomiya nito. Kailangan malinaw ang pagkilos ng ating gobyerno at kooperasyon ng mga business owners para masolusyonan ang malawakang problema ng polusyon sa Boracay," the senator said. "Kahit anong ganda po ng pakikitungo natin sa mga turista, kung pangit naman ang pakikitungo natin sa dagat at kalikasan, balewala din po lahat. There should be a balance between economic and environmental sustainability because there's only one Boracay, our pride as Filipinos."Press Release

March 3, 2018 Dispatch from Crame No. 252:

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on the acknowledgement of her Senate colleagues that she can likely participate in the impeachment proceedings of Chief Justice Sereno 3/3/18 I thank the Senate President for acknowledging that, as a sitting Senator, I can participate in the trial of Chief Justice Sereno, if and when she is impeached by the other Chamber. Certainly, as a sitting Senator, I am mandated under the Constitution to take part in such proceedings of grave importance. My lawyers will, in due time, file the appropriate motion with the courts. At a time when the ruling party is this powerful, with a President with an authoritarian bent at its helm, it behooves the Senate - as it behooves the whole nation - that everything be done to secure and promote the legitimacy and impartiality of the impeachment proceedings. After all, if those who seek the ouster of the Chief Justice succeed in their endeavor, it will effectively open the door to the further consolidation of power in the President's and in his party's favor. Thus, I am certain that the Senate President, as a leading member of the ruling party, is quite aware that it is absolutely critical that members of the minority, such as myself, are allowed to genuinely and effectively participate in such a sensitive and potentially game-changing event in our nation's history. I, therefore, hope for and anticipate the Senate President's and the rest of my colleagues' support for my participation therein, if and when the time comes. Para sa Bayan...Press Release

March 3, 2018 Legarda Calls for Greater Action to Protect Wildlife, Biodiversity On World Wildlife Day (March 3), Senator Loren Legarda enjoined everyone to engage in biodiversity conservation efforts, particularly in protecting endangered wildlife. Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, said that threats to survival of wildlife species likewise endanger the delicate ecological balance. "We need to take greater action to protect the delicate ecological balance among man, animal and nature. It is incumbent upon us humans, who are the stewards of the Earth, to be more responsible as most of our actions are the very threats to our ecology," Legarda stressed. She explained that, "Biodiversity loss is caused mainly by habitat destruction and wildlife trade. To address this, the full force of the law must be applied on all wildlife smugglers, while treading the sustainable development path would help preserve species and natural habitats." The Senator said that the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 (Republic Act No. 9147), which she principally authored and sponsored, aims to maintain ecological balance and enhance biological diversity through the conservation and protection of wildlife species and their habitats. It regulates the collection and trade of wildlife, especially protecting threatened or exotic species under domestic law pursuant to international conventions. Legarda also stressed that the conservation of the country's protected areas is crucial in protecting wildlife species. During the Senate hearing on the environmental issues surrounding the island of Boracay, the Senator lamented the encroachment of establishments on wetlands in the island. Wetlands are protected under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act and any activity that disrupts or destroys the habitat is prohibited. However, 5 of the 9 wetland areas in Boracay Island now have structures or establishments. In line with this, Legarda asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to submit a report on the scope of the wetlands, what structures have been built, as well as who were the local environment officers in the last 10 years, under whose term the construction of such establishments were done. Moreover, Legarda said she hopes to further strengthen the conservation of the country's protected areas through her proposed amendments to the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act of 1992. The proposed Expanded NIPAS aims to establish a legal basis for local communities and other stakeholders to participate in the management and protection of the areas. "This will also help conserve and protect representative samples of unique, rare and threatened species of plants and animals and habitat including cultural diversity, by declaring as national parks the remaining parcels of land under the NIPAS, thus, ensuring the sustainable use of our natural resources," she added. Legarda also said that addressing climate change is very important in preserving wildlife species, noting that 30% of species would be at risk of extinction due to the warming climate. "The Philippines is a mega diverse country, but it is also one of the world's top biodiversity hotspots, with a large number of species either endangered or threatened of extinction. There needs to be stronger convergence among government agencies and local government units and collaboration with the private sector, civil society and all our citizens, to protect our wildlife species and conserve our biodiversity," Legarda concluded.Press Release

March 3, 2018 Legarda Calls for Better Health Measures Against Deafness and Hearing Loss Senator Loren Legarda today enjoined doctors, scientists, leaders, and experts from the health sector to further develop and promote preventive measures and effective solutions against deafness and hearing loss, as well as communicate the importance of hearing care, especially among the youth. In her keynote address at the World Hearing Day Symposium and the 10th International Academic Conference in Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology (ORLIAC), Legarda echoed the call to prevent the increase of deafness and hearing loss cases in the world and ensure that people suffering from this condition are provided with the necessary rehabilitation services and communication tools to aid them in their daily lives. "As we recognize the unfortunate reality that a great number of Filipinos and many more worldwide live with deafness or hearing loss, we also attest to the need to strengthen our preventive measures and bolster medical care in addressing this condition," Legarda said. Citing figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), Legarda stated that 360 million people or 5.3% of the world's population have disabling hearing loss. She also said that an estimated 1.1 billion young people, ages 12 to 35 years, are at risk of hearing loss because of unsafe listening practices. In the Philippines, hearing impairment was reported to be 17% or 97,957 per 577,345 population based on the National Registry of the Department of Health (DOH) in 1997. Moreover, the nationwide survey on hearing disability and ear disorders conducted by Better Hearing Philippines in 2005 estimates the prevalence of hearing disability at 8.8%, while the prevalence of hearing impairment, including mild forms of hearing loss, was at 28%. Legarda also mentioned the study of Dr. Charlotte Chiong, Director of the Philippine National Ear Institute, which reported that, "at least eight profoundly hearing deaf babies are born everyday in the Philippines or one deaf baby born every three hours." "Early detection and prevention will be crucial in bringing down the statistics. Hearing intervention is critical before the age of six months. Without such, hearing impaired children will experience some form of language delay. They may also do poorly in school, and may suffer psychosocially due to feelings of isolation and low self-esteem," Legarda said. Legarda authored three laws that help address this health issue, namely: Republic Act 9245, which created the Philippine Ear Research Institute; Republic Act 9288 or the "Newborn Screening Act of 2004," which seeks to ensure that every baby born in the Philippines is offered the opportunity to undergo newborn screening; and Republic Act 9709 or the "Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 2009," which established the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program to institutionalize measures for the prevention and early diagnosis of congenital hearing loss among newborns. Meanwhile, there are related measures currently pending in the 17th Congress, such as Senate Bill 1257 or the "Act to Protect Filipino Pregnant and Lactating Mothers, Infants, and Young Children During the First 1000 Days of Life," filed by Legarda; and Senate Bill 900, filed by Sen. JV Ejercito, which provides telecommunications systems accessibility to the hearing-impaired and speech-impaired. Legarda also said that, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, she had ensured funding of the Universal Healthcare Program under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), so that all Filipinos, including those not yet enrolled in PhilHealth, can access healthcare services in all government hospitals. In closing, the Senator emphasized the need to sustain and forge new partnerships with health leaders and experts, especially in the areas of research, policy, technology, and communications. "It is indeed the government's responsibility to protect and promote the rights of every Filipino to life and survival and to provide them with equal opportunity to thrive as productive members of our society. But we certainly need your help in nurturing the kind of life we want for our children and fellow Filipinos. Together, we can certainly do more to prevent and reconnect the people who feel isolated from this same world that we share and live in," Legarda concluded.POE: STOP 'BUKAS BAGAHE', LUGGAGE THEFT IN AIRPORTS

Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, said she was poised to open a legislative investigation on incidents of luggage theft inside the country's airports that put a spotlight on the safety and security of travelers.

Poe filed Senate Resolution No. 644 as several reports from passengers alleging their luggage were opened at the airports resurfaced.

The senator expressed concern that pilferage at airports, if left unabated, is a "huge security threat" and may lead to loss of confidence of potential tourists and investors.

"The government needs to protect its people, especially OFWs, who work so hard to earn a living," said Poe in filing the resolution.

No less than the President ordered last month the termination of contract of aviation service provider Miascor following the luggage theft at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga last Jan. 18. Six employees of Miascor firm assigned at the Clark International Airport were terminated and are facing administrative charges due to the incident.

But the President's directive that he does not want baggage theft to happen at airports did not deter thieves at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as a new case of alleged baggage pilferage surfaced on Feb. 9. An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) named Ramon Segarra complained about the damaged lock and zipper of his luggage and the missing items inside it.

"While administrative and criminal charges have been filed against the perpetrators who happened to be employees of a ground handling firm, this failed to serve as deterrent for similar incidents to occur," Poe said.

Airport theft and "bukas bagahe" have been left unreported and travelers instead post their harrowing experiences on social media.The North east. For long, it has not garnered the attention it deserves.

But not in 2018. Not in this election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were always keen on making a headway there. And how they have succeeded!

Historic sweeping win for BJP in Tripura

Modi and BJP's aim to end the Left government's 25-year run in Tripura has succeeded. They have toppled Manik Sarkar's CPM government that has ruled the state for 25 years.

Staggering victory of @BJP4India in #TripuraElection2018 where the party quite literally didn't exist in the last election. Squeezed out the Congress entirely, broke 25 year old Left stranglehold with old fashioned political groundwork led by @rammadhavbjp. congratulations!  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) March 3, 2018

From having no presence, they have risen to power.

As noted historian and political commentator Ramachandra Guha observed in a tweet today: "...The BJP's rise in Tripura is astonishing. Regional parties (TDP,TRS,DMK) have quickly gone from zeroes to heroes jn their own state. But for a national party to so suddenly become so prominent in a state where they had no presence seems unprecedented."

Noted journalist Shekhar Gupta termed it a "miracle".

BJPs rise in Tripura is a tribute to brilliant, committed & diligent political groundwork over 5 yrs. RSS & @rammadhavbjp have conjured up a miracle where BJP never existed & where the usual polarisation isnt avbl  Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) March 3, 2018

Sarkar ka CM ho toh aisa ho!

A little on the soon-to-be-ex-CM Manik Sarkar, who despite serving four terms as the state's Chief Minister, is India's poorest current CM.

According to the 2018 affidavit he has filed for the Dhanpur Assembly seat from where he is contesting, the value of his total movable and immovable assets stood at a tad over Rs 43 lakh.

Most of the assets are the in the name of his wife Panchali Bhattacharya, a retired Central Government officer.

Their biggest asset at Rs 21-lakh odd - a 888.35 square feet house in Agartala, which is where he will now retire in all probability.

Sarkar hasn't filed a single IT return yet for the simple reason that he doesn't have the assets needed for a mandatory filing. Till date, he hands over his salary as CM to the CPI (M) party and only takes the allowance he is given.

His movable assets as declared in his 2018 election affidavit:



A rarity indeed!

Ram Madhav from the BJP had earlier expressed confidence in his party doing well after seeing the first trends. "I feel that in Tripura BJP is going to do very well In Nagaland too, our alliance is doing very well and Congress is trailing in Meghalaya. The three results of North East are going to be very good for BJP," he said.

In Meghalaya, the ruling Congress party emerged as the single largest party, followed by National People's Party (NPP) in the 60-member Assembly. The Congress party has been able to retain its hold on Meghalaya by winning 21 seats and the National People's Party (NPP) close behind with 19 seats, which could mean that even though Congress won it still may not form the government. At least 30 seats are required by a political party or an alliance to form the government.

In Nagaland, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance and the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) battled it out. The final result?

Initial reports suggested that the BJP-led NDPP was set to form government in Nagaland as it was backed by JD(U) and an independent, thus having an overall tally of 31.

Later reports revealed that the result in Tenning constituency, which had gone to NPF over NDPP with margin of 32 votes, would possibly be reversed due to 'tabulation error'. This gave NDPP 18, and with BJP, JDU and one independent, brought the vote count to 32.

The counting of votes for all the states began at 8 am on Saturday. The latest results are up above:

3:59 pm -

Time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA. People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 3, 2018

3:08 pm -

Under NAC-run Sonia, post-2004 , Congress had moved from the Centre to being B-team of the Left. Its drowning along with its chosen ideological mentors.  Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) March 3, 2018

1:53 pm -

#BJP now rules 20 out of 29 states in #India . Saffron surge is reality. Left completely demolished, Congress struggling to stay afloat. We say BJP led govt fooled people in 4 yrs but have they really been. #Modi going to stay ?  Shujaat Bukhari (@bukharishujaat) March 3, 2018

12:46 PM:

Tripura State @BJP4India President Biplab Kumar Deb being welcomed by Party supporters after leading against the CPI (M) in Agartala, Tripura. Pic - Ritu Raj Konwar @the_hindu pic.twitter.com/wIpZcOVNkF  Nistula Hebbar (@nistula) March 3, 2018

12:10 AM:

While CPI(M) should be concerned about losing one of its last citadels, its Congress that should be most worried about #Tripura. Down to zero seats, 1.9% vote share. With a healthy 36% voteshare earlier, it was best poised to capture anti-CPM mood. It did not even put up a fight  Ruhi Tewari (@RuhiTewari) March 3, 2018

11:45 AM:

This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata and people of the state and the hard work of PM Modi and party workers: Ram Madhav,BJP #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/nr5SqMmrXp  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

11:20 AM:

All set and done; full credit to @AmitShah for the #TripuraElection2018 results. Here is one Party President who has spent quality and quantity time meeting the polling booth level party worker on the ground for last three year. Tripura did not happen in one single day. Contrast?  Yashwant Deshmukh (@YRDeshmukh) March 3, 2018

11:09 AM:

As a Bengali, I am extremely happy BJP has recovered its strong Bengali inheritance with its performance in Tripura. Ebar Bangla  Swapan Dasgupta (@swapan55) March 3, 2018

11:01 AM:

#BJP workers celebrate in Agartala as trends show the party leading in #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/l0km1COCNF  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

10:44 AM:

CM Manik Sarkar leading from Dhanpur constituency by 1682 votes #TripuraElection2018 (file pic) pic.twitter.com/4X6WlB60di  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

Whether or not CPI(M) comes back in Tripura, a visitor to the Chief Ministers office on December 6, 2017, would have noticed a hole in the kurta pocket of Manik Sarkar. After four terms as CM, that is an admirable badge of honour. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/CQHdjCJ3qS  churumuri (@churumuri) March 3, 2018

10:25 AM:

The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming Govt in all three: Kiren Rijiju,MoS Home #Tripura #Meghalaya #Nagaland pic.twitter.com/QYnbZWGVOq  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

10:04 AM: Trends are encouraging, I am hopeful and confident that BJP will form the Govt in Tripura, says Himanta Biswa Sarma of the BJP.

9:38 AM:

One of the good things about BJP making inroads in the northeast  the media coverage the states are getting. #TripuraElection2018 #Elections2018  Karnika Kohli (@KarnikaKohli) March 3, 2018

8:30 AM:Hugely respected, Manik Sarkar, despite serving four terms as the state's Chief Minister, is India's poorest CM.

After four terms as CM, Manik Sarkar will have to leave office after the BJP's sweeping 'miracle' win in Tripura .

The 69-year-old in his 2018 election affidavit for the Dhanpur Assembly seat listed the value of his total movable and immovable assets at a tad over Rs 43 lakh.

Most of the assets are the in the name of his wife Panchali Bhattacharya, a retired Central Government officer.

Their biggest asset at Rs 21-lakh odd - a 888.35 square feet house in Agartala, which is where he will now retire in all probability.

Sarkar hasn't filed a single IT return yet for the simple reason that he doesn't have the assets needed for a mandatory filing.

Till date, he hands over his salary as CM to the CPI (M) party and only takes the allowance he is given.

His movable assets as declared in his 2018 election affidavit:



A rarity indeed!

Former Outlook Editor Krishna Prasad was among those praising the Tripura CM's austerity.

Whether or not CPI(M) comes back in Tripura, a visitor to the Chief Ministers office on December 6, 2017, would have noticed a hole in the kurta pocket of Manik Sarkar. After four terms as CM, that is an admirable badge of honour. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/CQHdjCJ3qS  churumuri (@churumuri) March 3, 2018

But his Sarkar, ironically, failed to stem corruption.

As journalist Ruhi Tewari noted on twitter ahead of the election: "No jobs, slow development, corruption, 25 years in power make voters yearn for poribartan (change) and veer towards Modis BJP in large numbers."

The unemployment rate was the highest in the country at was 19.7% and "top to bottom corruption" was institutionalised because CPM had five terms in power, she wrote in a report for The Print.

CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali conceded to Ruhi that there could have been "more development and better job creation" but stressed that "despite this states financial constraints, so much has been done." It clearly did not prove enough as the results have shown.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The New York City Police Department is seeking information about an unidentified male sought in connection with an alleged forcible touching incident that occured in Grasmere in January.

The unidentified man in this survllience photo is sought in connection with an alledged forcible touching incident that occured in Grasmere in January. (Courtesy of NYPD)

A 35-year-old woman was waiting for the bus on Jan. 23, 2018 at 2:35 a.m. on the northeast corner of Hylan Boulevard and Clove Road when an unidentified male approached her and allegedly grabbed her chest, according to police.

The victim fled into a nearby Chase Bank, and the unidentified male followed her, police said.

The victim fled the bank to a bodega in the vicinity of the incident location, and the unidentified male fled in an unknown direction, police said.

The victim was not injured, and no words were exchanged, police said.

The unidentified male is described as a white-Hispanic, about 40 years old, 5-feet 6-inches tall and 220 pounds.

Police provided the above surveillance photo of the unidentified male suspect.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.

FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and TWITTERSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) and Sen. John J. Flanagan (R-Suffolk County), New York State Senate temporary president and majority Leader, spoke to business leaders on Thursday at an event hosted by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

Lanza and Flanagan met with local business leaders to discuss the issues and opportunities facing small businesses throughout the borough.

"It's getting harder and harder for businesses to operate in the current environment," said Linda Baran, president ans CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. "Keeping up with regulations, new policies, and the many issues small businesses contend with every day takes an enormous amount of time away from running a business."

The main topic of discussion was "the overburdensome regulatory environment and its effect on small businesses," said Lanza.

"I am grateful to Majority Leader Flanagan for visiting Staten Island to hear firsthand the difficulties small businesses on Staten Island experience every day. I appreciate all of the efforts of the Chamber for being the constant champion of small business," said Lanza.

The Senate Republican Majority has advanced the "Jobs and Opportunity Agenda," part of the Blueprint for Stronger New York, in an effort to create jobs and improve the local business climate.

"Senate Republicans are focused like a laser on cutting taxes, reducing red tape and eliminating the burdensome regulations that make it difficult for businesses to grow and thrive. Our upcoming budget must encourage opportunity and the creation of new jobs so our citizens can live out their dreams on Staten Island and across this great state," said Flanagan.

The plan would reduce regulatory restrictions, invest in workforce and economic development programs and save small business $1.1 billion in taxes, said Lanza.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - An unfounded report of a gun at Susan Wagner High School caused chaos at the school on Wednesday, and everybody with a child in the city public school system should be concerned.

It all started with a phone call to 911 at around 12:27 p.m. The caller said that one student had overheard another student say that there was a gun in the boys' locker room.

You can imagine the alarm this caused, coming so soon after 17 people were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

So Wagner went into a "hard lockdown." According to the "General Response Protocol" issued by the city Department of Education, that means that imminent danger is known and that all within are to shelter in place until first responders arrive.

Students are to remain silent and stay out of sight. Teachers are to check the hallway outside their classroom for students, turn off the lights, lock the door and remain out of sight. There are also instructions for the evacuation of students.

What the protocol doesn't contain is anything about notifying parents that their child's school in is lockdown. And we saw the weakness of that omission on Wednesday, when parents flooded the streets around Wagner after hearing of the situation from their kids via texts.

The DOE told the Advance that during an emergency situation parents should refrain from showing up at a school site.

"In the event of an emergency, we work with families to ensure a safe and orderly dismissal," said DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness. "Despite the inclination to run to the school, parents are advised not to pick up their children during an emergency, as it can detract from the school's response procedures."

According to the DOE, each school has a method of communicating with families that meet the needs of its community. The DOE said it also encourages parents to register for Notify NYC to ensure they receive the latest notifications.

To be fair, nobody wants to start a panic. And what parent wouldn't panic if they got a text or a phone call that their child's school was in lockdown? Notifying parents is only going to draw those parents to the school, which could make a dangerous situation even more perilous and put more lives at risk. At the very least, parents could get in the way as police go about handling the situation.

But we all know that parents are going to hear about a school lockdown one way or the other. Somebody's going to make a phone call. Or post something to social media. Or send a text. The news is going to get out.

So schools and the DOE have to be prepared. What happened at Wagner this week can't be repeated. Parents showed up, and initially there was nobody there to give them information. That only amps up the panic another couple of notches, particularly with the memory of a recent school massacre still fresh in people's minds.

So parents came to Wagner, with some of them saying that they wouldn't have known anything was going on at all had the Advance not been doing a Facebook Live broadcast from the school. They had questions, but no answers. They'd heard from their kids, but then heard from them no more. As the world now knows, Wagner apparently doesn't have great cell service. Another thing that the DOE might want to look at.

But you can understand a parent's fear: Am I not hearing from my child because of lousy cell reception, or because something terrible has happened to them?

Thankfully, City Councilman Steve Matteo (R-Mid-Island), who has a son in the school, arrived on the scene and was able to act as an envoy between officials and increasingly agitated parents. Matteo was able to go into the school and return with information. He kept panic from escalating. It was great public service he did.

But what if Matteo hadn't been there? Whatever notification system Wagner had in place clearly had some holes in it. Somehow communications have to be improved when a lockdown or similar situation takes place.

And is it really best for each school to have their own notification protocol? Maybe we need to have something uniform so everybody knows what to expect.

It's something that needs to be addressed. Sadly, it's likely not the last time we'll be confronted with an emergency situation at a school.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A registered sex offender from Eltingville was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for luring a teenage girl into his car in New Jersey three years ago and forcing her to touch him.

In December, a Union County, N.J., jury needed only 25 minutes to convict Vincent O'Leary, 48, of the inappropriate actions with the girl, who was 14 when the incident occurred on Oct. 1, 2014, according to the Union County prosecutor's office.

Prosecutors said O'Leary came across the child when she was walking through a restaurant parking lot in Elizabeth, N.J., and offered her a ride. The girl accepted because she was running late for an after-school program, said officials.

After the girl got into O'Leary's vehicle, he posed a series of sexually charged questions to her and asked the teen to engage in a sexual activity with him, prosecutors said. When she refused, the defendant grabbed her arm and forced her to touch him inappropriately, said prosecutors.

3-WEEK INVESTIGATION

O'Leary then dropped off the girl without further incident. He was later arrested after a three-week investigation, said prosecutors.

The jury convicted him of second-degree luring, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.

He was sentenced to eight years in New Jersey state prison on the luring charge, along with three-year and one-year sentences on the lesser two charges, said prosecutors.

The sentences will run concurrently.

O'Leary must also register with state authorities as a sex offender and is subject to parole supervision for life.

O'Leary had a prior conviction for a similar incident in New York in 2002, prosecutors said.

Advance records show that in September 2002, O'Leary lured a 14-year-old girl into his car in front of Port Richmond High School. Officials said he gave her rum and drove her to a Mariners Harbor street corner.

Authorities said O'Leary then removed the girl's pants and sodomized her in his car, which was parked near the corner of Roxbury and Grandview avenues.

Two weeks later, after the girl contacted police, O'Leary was arrested when he arrived at a predetermined meeting spot with the girl, police said then.China's foreign minister slams Trump tariffs: report



Beijing, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2018



China's foreign minister tore into the new steel and aluminium tariffs announced by US President Trump, calling them "groundless" in remarks to state media Saturday.

"The American action to put sanctions on other countries' reasonable steel and aluminium exports in the name of harming national security is groundless," minister Wang Yi said.

Wang Yi made the comments in an interview with China Business Journal on the sidelines of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a top advisory body opening its annual national session in Beijing over the weekend.

"It's not only China that believes this to be unreasonable, many European countries and Canada have all said they cannot accept this."

Trump announced Thursday his decision to impose hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, inciting a worldwide uproar and stoking fears of a global trade war.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday the EU was drawing up retaliatory measures including tariffs on imports of American goods like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, bourbon and blue jeans, if the Trump administration moves forward with its plan.

China has previously warned it was ready with counter-measures should the Trump administration deploy tariffs, but the country has yet to make any specific moves after the latest trade volley.

Steel and aluminium each account for less than one percent of China's total exports to the United States.PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Jorien Wuite, encourages all young individual artists, performers, creative industry entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the creative industries to submit their work for consideration for the 2018 Culture Prize. The 2018 Culture Prize acknowledges contributions towards St. Maartens culture and creative industries and encourages young artists and entrepreneurs on the island to nominate themselves. Nominees must be between the ages of 15 and 24 and reside on St. Maarten.

Submissions can be put forward from March 3rd to March 12th, 2018. Submitted works may include but are not limited to performance arts, fashion design, photography, videography, music, visual arts, artworks of different disciplines, make-up artistry, literary arts. Submissions must be accompanied by a motivation statement (150-300 words) on the artwork/project and how the work promotes St. Maartens culture. This may be sent digitally via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or a hardcopy or USB-stick can be dropped off at the front desk of the Government Administration Building in a closed envelope addressed to the attention of the 2018 Culture Prize Committee, Department of Culture.

Minister Wuite has established a committee tasked to review the submitted works and propose a recipient for the award. Committee members include representatives from the Department of Culture, the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the St. Maarten Youth Parliament, an established local artist whose works have been formally recognized and a member of the Cabinet of the Minister. The committee will judge the nominees display of their talent, creativity, originality and innovative style of their artwork.

The recipient will be announced and the prize awarded on March 21st, as a part of the Creative Industries Interactive Exchange Forum being organized by the Ministers Cabinet and the Department of Culture. At the forum, in addition to the awarding of the Culture Prize, the role of creativity and culture on St. Maarten will be analyzed, the relationship between the economy and culture will be highlighted and the promotion of the creative industries through already existing policies and organizations within the society of St. Maarten will be explored. One of the main goals of the forum workshops will be the explorations for the establishment of an artist guild and the awarding of future culture prizes.

Persons with questions on the submission process can contact Ms. Beverly Mae Nisbeth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 721-520-4563.NASA finds a large amount of water in an exoplanet's atmosphere







Baltimore MD (SPX) Mar 02, 2018





Much like detectives study fingerprints to identify the culprit, scientists used NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes to identify the "fingerprints" of water in the atmosphere of a hot, bloated, Saturn-mass exoplanet some 700 light-years away. And, they found a lot of water. In fact, the planet, known as WASP-39b, has three times as much water as Saturn does. Though no planet like this resides in our solar system, WASP-39b can provide new insights into how and where planets form around a sta ... read moreTurkey arrests two Greek soldiers 'on espionage charges'



Ankara, March 2 (AFP) Mar 02, 2018



A Turkish court on Friday placed two Greek soldiers under arrest on espionage charges after they illegally crossed into Turkey, state media reported, in a move that risks a new flaring of tensions between Ankara and Athens.

The court in the western province of Edirne ordered the pair be charged with "attempted military espionage" and "entering forbidden military territory", state news agency Anadolu said.

The Greek army said the two soldiers lost their way in poor weather while patrolling the area around the Evros river that separates the two countries.

The soldiers also said they got lost because of the weather conditions.

Vassilis Beletsiotis, spokesman for the Greek general staff, told AFP they were not accused of spying.

"The image we have is that the two soldiers are accused of entering the forbidden military zone but are not accused of attempted espionage," he said.

According to Anadolu, Turkish police seized the men's rifles and the two men said in statements to the prosecutor that they took images on their mobile phones to send to senior Greek military officials.

"There was no fighting and (the soldiers) are currently in Edirne," said Greek army spokesman Nikolaos Fanios, adding the pair were in good health.

Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos earlier said that the case was one of "illegal entry" and said Athens expected the "imminent return" of the two Greek officers.



- Uneasy allies -



The two soldiers were remanded in custody which means they are to stay in prison ahead of trial, a date for which has yet to be set.

Turkey and Greece are historic foes whose peoples have for centuries battled for supremacy in the Aegean region, and over the last decades have come to the brink of war on several occasions.

But they have also been allies in NATO since 1952 and Athens has over the last years been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of Ankara's bid to join the European Union.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in December made the first visit by a Turkish head of state to Greece in 65 years in a symbol of more cordial ties.

However the visit was overshadowed by a broadside by Erdogan in front of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos as he called for the revision of the post World War I treaty that set Greece and Turkey's modern borders.

Meanwhile, Turkish and Greek vessels have in the last weeks twice collided off Aegean islets that have been a historic flashpoint in a long-running demarcation dispute.

Another festering sore is Cyprus, where the northern portion of the island is still occupied by Turkish troops following the 1974 invasion in response to an Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.

Tensions over Cyprus are high as Turkey vows to block any moves by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government to exploit oil reserves off the Mediterranean island.

But of most immediate concern to Ankara is the presence in Greece of suspects wanted by Turkey on charges linked to the 2016 failed coup.

The Athens authorities have notably failed to hand over eight Turkish troops who escaped by helicopter on the night of the putsch, saying they would not have a fair trial at home.At the UN, a diplomatic dance decides the fate of nations



United Nations, United States, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2018



The issues that come before the UN Security Council are the gravest to face any decision-making body -- questions of war and peace, life and death.

But when world diplomats are building towards a weighty decision, almost any diplomatic tactic seems fair game, even sleight of hand.

All the envoys in endless daily meetings in the vast glass-walled tower on Turtle Bay, New York, would say they are seeking consensus.

But how, then, to ensure that the Council's decision reflects their own national interest?

"It plays out on a personal level. Without trust, we'd get nowhere," a diplomat told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity to explain the process.

Within the past week, for example, the world body united to back an unlikely ceasefire in Syria's endless war, but failed to agree on censuring Iran.

The United States wanted to single out Tehran for its alleged interference in the Yemen conflict, but Russia stepped in and headed off the initiative.

In each case, the battle lines were almost the same, with America and its allies opposing Russian and Iranian interventions in two regional wars.

So why was the diplomatic outcome different?

"In any negotiation, the key is personal relationships," the diplomat explained.

Whatever the stark differences between the public positions of the rival member states, in the UN building diplomats work together every day.

Cautious friendships and friendly rivalries develop -- along with occasional feuds -- and personal power plays can decide matters of state.

"In private, relationships are less tragic than they seem in public," another diplomat admits.

Washington's ambassador, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, is the only politician in a council staffed by veteran career diplomats.

Last year, she pulled off an impressive diplomatic coup when she brought China and Russia on board multiple times to secure unanimous support for North Korea sanctions.

But on Monday, Haley delegated the US seat to a colleague and was in Honduras when Russia moved in to halt efforts to condemn Iran.

Sometimes, a consensus is found through a savvy manipulation of procedure.

Last year, China balked at a resolution to condemn its neighbor Myanmar, but allowed the chairman of the Security Council to issue a declaration or PRST.

In theory a PRST ought to be no easier to agree upon than a resolution, since any one of 15 council members can object to elements of the text.

But diplomats had suggested the resolution first before falling back on the PRST, allowing China to appear to have won a concession.

As a diplomat recalled, it's important to allow an opponent and option to "save face."

In long negotiations on fraught subjects, like the slaughter in Syria, the winning side is often the one that keeps its cool longest.



- Constant dialogue -



"You need to respect the other side when it reveals the red lines it will not cross," one negotiator told AFP, while another said: "It's hard on the nerves."

However the talks go before a vote, most ambassadors check with their national capitals before assenting, abstaining or imposing a veto.

Haley has the most personal freedom to maneuver, being a member of President Donald Trump's administration with cabinet rank.

But she is also one of the more inexperienced envoys in a building that hosts constant dialogue, in corridors, conference rooms and text messages.

Murmured conversations continue in the carpeted lobbies outside the Security Council chamber and even in the "Quiet Room" waiting area.

One conference room is set aside for the veto-wielding Permanent Five: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Another hosts the ten non-permanent members.

When a new issue comes up for discussion, national experts meet to size up the diplomatic terrain.

Then it is either the job of the "coordinators" from each mission to draw up the terms of the debate; otherwise, the ambassadors or their deputies take the reins.

Specific roles are handed out. One country on a rolling basis is president of the council, but each issue also has an influential "penholder."

All members will eventually vote on each resolution, but the draft is drawn up by the penholder.

So for the war in Syria, Kuwait and Sweden have taken the lead. For texts dealing with Yemen or Myanmar, Britain has an outsized role.



- Pivotal role -



Sometimes, if consensus proves elusive, a country can switch or augment its role.

In recent discussions about Syria, for example, France has become a "facilitator" and China has been invited to small group meetings.

Haley, who had been on a trip to Chicago, did not take part in the discussions until the last minute, diplomats say.

Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, meanwhile, told AFP he had thanked France's Francois Delattre by text message for taking a pivotal role in the ceasefire.

Finally, theatrical gestures sometimes pay off.

On February 22, all 10 ambassadors from non-permanent members appeared together in front of the press to exhibit their joint concern at Russia's stalling.

Two days later, the world was wondering whether Russia would agree to the Syrian truce.

UN television cameras suddenly jumped to Haley and Delattre arriving together, apparently complicit, in the Security Council chamber.

"We were within inches of failure," a diplomat said, adding it was a "rare gesture" to tempt fate and put pressure on Russia to vote.

It worked. The other members assembled and voted.Greece not planning soldier exchange with Turkey



Athens, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2018



Greece is not planning to exchange two soldiers held by Turkey after illegally entering the country with eight Turkish soldiers who seek asylum in Greece, the Greek junior foreign minister said Saturday.

"This is pure fantasy. We are not at war with Turkey to conduct an exchange of prisoners," junior minister Yiorgos Katrougalos told reporters on Saturday, adding that such "spy stories" originated in Turkish media reports.

"This is not an unusual episode. Such incidents occur on the border," he said, according to state agency ANA.

Two Greek soldiers were arrested by a Turkish border patrol inside Turkish territory on Thursday.

The Greek army said the pair, a lieutenant and a sergeant, lost their way in poor weather while patrolling the area around the Evros river that separates the two countries.

ANA said the soldiers, who are held at Edirne, will be put on trial on Monday.

Athens insists that they will be tried for illegal entry in a restricted area, but Turkish state agency Anadolu has reported that attempted military espionage is among the charges.

Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos on Friday said that the case was one of "illegal entry" and said Athens expected the "imminent return" of the two Greek officers.

The incident risks exacerbating tensions between Ankara and Athens, who have come to the brink of war on several occasions in past decades, despite being NATO allies since 1952.

Turkish and Greek vessels have in the last weeks twice collided off Aegean islets that have been a historic flashpoint in a long-running demarcation dispute.

Another festering sore is Cyprus, where the northern portion of the island is still occupied by Turkish troops following the 1974 invasion in response to an Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting it with Greece.

Tensions over Cyprus are high as Turkey vows to block any moves by the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government to exploit oil reserves off the Mediterranean island.

But of most immediate concern to Ankara is the presence in Greece of suspects wanted by Turkey on charges linked to the 2016 failed army coup.

The Athens authorities have failed to hand over eight Turkish troops who escaped to Greece by helicopter on the night of the putsch, saying they would not have a fair trial at home.

burs-jph/eclTurkish air strikes kill 36 pro-regime fighters in Syria's Afrin: monitor



Beirut, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2018



Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democractic Forces alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours.

They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said.

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20 when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

The YPG has been a key component of a United States-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to the town of Afrin or to nearby government-controlled areas.Police tear gas anti-nuclear protesters in France



Mandres-en-Barrois, France, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2018



Police used tear gas during clashes with anti-nuclear protesters at a waste site in northeastern France on Saturday.

Demonstrators threw missiles at officers who have been blocking access to woodland at the Bure plant, halfway between Paris and Strasbourg, since a protest camp was dismantled 10 days ago.

Lejuc wood was selected by France's radioactive waste agency (ANDRA) for exploratory drilling ahead of an application to create a nuclear waste storage site.

Police evacuated the forest of about 15 protesters during a major operation on February 22 during.

Saturday's rally began calmly with a march of about 300 people, according to police, as demonstrators held meetings and debates.

But during the afternoon a group of protesters, many wearing masks, headed for Lejuc wood, where scuffles broke out with police.

Bure was chosen in 1998 to house a laboratory, 500 meters underground, in preparation for the burial of the most radioactive or long-lasting nuclear waste in France. As yet, no radioactive waste is on the site.The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy StatementAlgiers, March 3, 2018 (SPS) -The prospects for the resumption of talks on the settlement of the Western Sahara conflict have brightened since the appointment of German Horst Kohler as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, who is holding a series of meetings with the parties to the conflict (Morocco and the Polisario Front) as well as the two observer countries, Algeria and Mauritania.

The approach of Kohler, who held working sessions with his interlocutors, with the exception of Morocco, which has not yet met the UN envoy but is obliged to do so, is in line with the various resolutions of the UN Security Council calling for the resumption of negotiations to achieve a lasting solution to a 42-year-old conflict under the relevant decisions "of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which has become the African Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN).

Although all resolutions call for negotiations without preconditions, negotiations have not progressed as Morocco hinders the process and imposes a plan of "autonomy" as the only one basis of negotiation, while the Polisario Front is always willing to discuss all proposals, and remained open to negotiating all issues under a self-determination referendum through which all options are possible (independence, autonomy and integration).

However, Morocco refuses to discuss the independence option, and this precondition hampers discussions and negotiations.

The latest Security Council resolution on the conflict dates back to April 2017. It unanimously extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), and called Morocco and the Polisario Front to maintain "political will and work in an atmosphere conducive to dialogue in order to resume negotiations and ensure their success."

Meanwhile, many members of the Security Council welcomed the efforts of Guterres and his Personal Envoy to revive the negotiations process under a new dynamics leading to the resumption of the political process to reach a solution based on the self-determination of the Sahrawi people.

The Security Councils actions are a step in the process of settlement effectively launched on 20 June 1991 with the signing, at the initiative of the former OAU (currently AU) and the UN, a cease-fire agreement between the Moroccan occupier and the Polisario Front, unique and legitimate representative of the Saharawi people. The ceasefire agreement includes a peace plan that provides for the organization of a self-determination referendum in 1992 (resolution 690).

Moroccos stubbornness, denial of international legality

Since 1992, the aforementioned referendum has been postponed because of Morocco's failure to respect its commitments to the international community while the Security Councils action has pursued its action through the adoption of twenty resolutions.

In addition to the recurring extension of MINURSOs mandate, the parties to the conflict are urged to "continue to demonstrate political will, work in an atmosphere conducive to dialogue, and engage in negotiations leading to the implementation of these resolutions under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General.

But the last time the Polisario Front and Morocco met around the same negotiating table was in March 2012 in Manhasset (US).

Since then, the peace process launched by the UN is at standstill because of the obstacles put by Morocco to prevent the settlement of the conflict on the basis of the principles of international legitimacy that guarantee the Saharawi peoples right to self-determination. (SPS)

062/SPS/APSWashington (United States), March 3, 2018 (SPS) - US Western Sahara Foundation welcomed Friday the European Court of Justice's ruling on the European Union's fishing agreement with Morocco, stating that it does not apply to Western Sahara and reaffirming Saharawi people's inalienable right to self-determination.

"US Western Sahara Foundation welcomes European Court of Justice's recent ruling on the EU-Morocco's fishing agreement," the foundation's chairwoman Suzanne Scholte said, adding that "Once again, we see courts reaffirming the October 16, 1975 ruling by the International Court of Justice which denies Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara."

Scholte said the United States does not recognize Morocco's alleged sovereignty over Western Sahara, noting that the occupied Saharawi territories are excluded from US-Moroccan free trade agreement signed in 2004.

"According to the international law, the African Union recognizes Western Sahara as a sovereign country and the ECJ reaffirmed on February 27 that Western Sahara is not part of Morocco," the human rights activist stressed.

She added that the ECJ "has ruled illegal any agreement with Morocco on Western Sahara's resources and reaffirmed Saharawi people's right to self-determination."

Scholte said "it is time for the international community to defend the application of the international law" and put an end to Morocco's defiance of the whole world.

"We regret that the French government, who is supposed to defend liberty, equality and fraternity, continues to be the main country responsible for Morocco's illegal behavior, the occupation and brutal treatment of Saharawi people in their home country, Western, Sahara." (SPS)

062/SPS/APS



English03/03/2018

SRNA News Roundup /II/ - March 3, 2018





REPUBLIKA SRPSKA



BANJALUKA - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik stated today that Srpska did not benefit from the diplomatic-consular network /DKP/ of BiH, but there are hostile structures in significant part of it.



BANJALUKA - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik has stated that he is satisfied with the lobbying effects in the United States, and that lobbyists contribution is very important in stopping the rigid behavior of high representatives in BiH.



BANJALUKA - Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Petar Djokic, has stated that the China National Aero-technology International Engineering Corporation /AVIC/ has shown a strong interest in being a partner of Republika Srpska in the construction of the /HE/ Buk Bijela hydroelectric power plant.



BELGRADE - Presidents of the Union of Police and All Security Services of the Russian Federation, Alexei Lobarev, and the Union of Interior Workers of Republika Srpska, Anica Jondic, signed today in Belgrade a charter on cooperation of two unions.

BROD - Today Brod has marked 26 years since the Croatian Army's aggression against this municipality.



BANJALUKA - SNSD Leader Milorad Dodik has said the party will have its candidate to run for the president of Republika Srpska in the upcoming elections, thus the compliance with the coalition partners is necessary.



PRIJEDOR - DNS Leader Marko Pavic has announced that he will start negotiating in March with coalition partners on the candidate for president of Republika Srpska in the upcoming elections.



BELGRADE - Political analyst Aleksandar Pavic told SRNA that the news of plans for the destabilisation of Republika Srpska authorities, which includes an assassination, is very realistic, because it is obvious that the forces backed up by NATO, primarily the United States and the United Kingdom, are in a hurry to complete the placement of former Yugoslavia territory under its control.



BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA



BANJALUKA - BiH Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak has said that he doubts that BiH Ambassador to Russia Mustafa Mujezinovic will be dismissed, although his photography in Moscow with a group of students and a war flag of the so-called Republic of BiH is damaging to BiHs reputation and directed against Republika Srpska.



SARAJEVO - Deputy Chairperson of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, Barisa Colak, stated today in Sarajevo that the finalization of a new strategy for war crimes prosecution in BiH is in the final stage.



FEDERATION OF BiH



TUZLA - Eight persons have been detained during the unblocking Sicki Brod interchange near Tuzla and legal measures will be taken against them, the Tuzla Canton Interior Ministry announced today.



TUZLA - One of the war veterans who blocked Sicki Brod interchange near Tuzla, Sakib Kopic, has said that special police officers were beating them this morning with batons, and demanded the resignation of the director of the Federal Police Administration, Dragan Lukac, over inhumane attitude of his units members. /end/vosBlog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (135) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (348) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (442) Jan 2014 (547) Feb 2014 (476) Mar 2014 (526) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (469) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (443) Oct 2014 (472) Nov 2014 (497) Dec 2014 (536) Jan 2015 (539) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (582) Apr 2015 (658) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (924) Nov 2015 (802) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (866) May 2016 (947) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (967) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (880) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (809) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (935) Jul 2019 (950) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (849) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (789) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (812) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (473)Jagtar Singh, Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust chairman, Jeremy Hunt MP, and Simon Gilby trust chief executive. (Submitted photo)

THE organisation that provides mental health services in Warwickshire has earned praise from Jeremy Hunt, the government's Health and Social Care Secretary, just three months after the care watchdog rated it as requiring improvement.

Mr Hunt spoke highly of the initiatives being put in place by the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust to improve patient safety and improve access to early help for mental health problems.

He visited the trusts Caludon Centre in Coventry on Thursday when staff also go to ask Mr Hunt questions, which he answered candidly and openly, acknowledging the challenges the NHS faces.

Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust is blazing a trail across the NHS to reduce this by finding innovative ways to target the most at risk groups and working with other agencies locally, he said.

Every suicide is a tragedy and there are still too many patients taking their own lives, and the trust's work is a vital step towards achieving my ambition of zero suicides in inpatient mental health services.

Jagtar Singh, chairman at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: We very much appreciated the positive reflections the Secretary of State for Health made regarding the great work our staff are doing.

We were particularly encouraged by his emphasis on prevention and encouraging people to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.

Simon Gilby, trust chief executive, added: We were very pleased to welcome Mr Hunt and for the opportunity to engage in dialogue with him about our shared ambition to provide safe and high quality services to all the people of Coventry and Warwickshire.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published an inspection report from the trust in November, in which it was rated as requiring improvement in four of the five areas scrutinised.

Among the sites inspected was St Michael's Hospital in Warwick.Destructive and unsustainable practice of bottom trawling resurfacing in Sri Lanka? By Ashani Basnayake View(s): View(s):

In July 2017, Sri Lanka became the first country in Asia to completely ban bottom trawling and the use of destructive trawl nets. Six months later, the Department of Fisheries proposed to weaken this ban by allowing less destructive trawling in designated trawling zones. A majority of fishermen in the Northern Province are outraged by this announcement and have protested the non-enforcement of the ban. Eleven representatives from Jaffna and Puttalam-based fishermans cooperative societies travelled to Colombo on January 17 to meet the Minister of Fisheries and petition him to enforce the ban in full. The Minister has since promised to fully implement the legislation after the local government elections. This article recalls the context in which Sri Lankas ban on bottom trawling and trawl nets was instituted and presents three reasons for immediately enforcing the ban.

Trawling: easy profit but destructive and unsustainable

Mechanised bottom trawling inflicts severe environmental damage. It destroys critical coral reefs and sea grass bed habitats due to the fact that it involves dragging nets across the seafloor.

Meanwhile, mechanised trawl nets are indiscriminate and result in high levels of by-catch in which marine mammals, sea turtles, birds and a wide variety of commercially less valuable juvenile species are trapped in these nets, and often perish. By-catch due to trawling has been recorded as high as 92 per cent in Sri Lanka.

In this overarching context, the influx of thousands of Indian mechanised bottom trawlers to the Northern coast of Sri Lanka presented an enormous environmental and economic challenge. The combined efforts of Northern fishermen, key political actors including TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, and research-based advocacy groups, resulted in the landmark ban on mechanised bottom trawling and trawl nets in July 2017. Since the passage of the legislation, fewer Indian trawlers have been seen operating in Sri Lankan waters. Yet many Sri Lankan vessels are taking up the destructive and unsustainable practice due to non-enforcement of the ban

Need to enforce the ban

There are at least three reasons as to why the Government of Sri Lanka including the Ministry of Fisheries should enforce the total ban on mechanised bottom trawling and trawling nets without delay.

1.Developing a sustainable fishing industry

Globally, fishing stocks have declined dramatically. A FAO study in 2016 placed 31.4 per cent of fish stocks globally as overfished, 58.1 per cent fully fished and only 10.5 per cent categorised as under fished. Sri Lanka is surrounded by rich fishing resources and stands to benefit greatly from high quality, sustainably harvested marine products that fetch a higher price on the global market. This is because global markets often require seafood products to be produced through sustainable fishing practices. For example, many supermarkets in Europe have a policy of selling only eco-labelled fishery products. In Germany, approximately 50 per cent of supermarkets shelves are stocked with eco-labelled fishery products.

Moreover, Sri Lankas biggest exports markets are Europe and the US which already demand adherence to strict health and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities (IUU) requirements. In 2012 and 2013, Sri Lankan seafood export earnings grew at approximately 20 per cent. However, earnings contracted sharply in 2015 (-32.9 per cent) following the one and a half-year ban on Sri Lankan seafood to the EU for IUU infringements. Export earnings are now recovering following reform of the fisheries sector. However, this incident should serve as a reminder of the economic cost of not adhering to IUU requirements.

Hence, both overfishing of global fish stocks and an increasing demand for sustainably harvested fish products place Sri Lanka in a position to both sustainably increase its relatively low catch rates and supply a growing niche market.

The continued use of illegal trawl nets and environmentally unsustainable methods may reduce opportunities to access higher value overseas markets for seafood products from Sri Lanka, as well as develop a domestic market for higher quality, sustainably harvested, seafood.

2. Meeting domestic and international obligations

Enforcement of the ban will help Sri Lanka meet domestic and international obligations. Based on reports of local fishermen, trawl net fishing continues within an international Ramsar Wetland protected area adjacent to Wilpattu National Park, and the Palk Bay, which is another ecologically sensitive site. Moreover, in Sri Lanka, the by-catch of trawling often includes dugongs and sea turtles (mainly the Olive Ridley), both of which are declared vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

Due to their unsustainable and indiscriminate nature, trawlers violate the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, which protects certain species of wildlife, such as sea turtles and dugongs, and restricts activities within protected areas. Trawlers also arguably violate at least three international conventions, including the Ramsar Wetlands Convention, the Convention on Migratory Species, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for these same reasons.

3.Preventing new incursions of Indian trawlers

The enforcement of the ban remains crucial to preventing new incursions by Tamil Nadu trawlers. Tamil Nadu trawlers were compelled to withdraw from disputed traditional waters following the ban. It was on environmental grounds that the dispute was concluded. In fact, the ban has prompted India to taking measures to reform its own fishing industry by considering a ban on bottom trawling in the Palk Bay. Yet, by failing to enforce the ban on Sri Lankan vessels that operate trawl nets, Sri Lanka now risks losing its hard-fought moral position, and destabilising diplomatic ties with India.

Another emerging argument that lends support to the full enforcement of the law is fuelled by reports of bullying by boat owners engaged in illegal trawl net fishing who are allegedly cutting nets of traditional fisherman. Whether these events are substantiated does not take away the fact that the presence of boats engaged in trawling under any guise, is illegal. Implementation of the ban under the Act serves to quell such emerging issues and focus on supporting positive reform to the fishing industry supported by this government.

The Government of Sri Lanka is positioned to transition Sri Lankas fishing industry into a global supplier of sustainable seafood products. It can also promote Sri Lanka as a global champion on environmental protection and marine conservation. In the face of the clear reasons outlined in this article, the Minister of Fisheries must keep his promise to fully enforce the ban on mechanised bottom trawling and destructive trawl nets.

(The writer is a Research Analyst specialising in Environment and Climate Change at Verite Research, a private interdisciplinary think tank that provides strategic analysis for Asia. For comments and inquiries, contact publications@veriteresearch.org)E-bikes at major Colombo trade show in August By Quintus Perera View(s): View(s):

CEMS Global USA, a large exhibition organiser especially in the garment and textile machinery, plans to organise an exhibition in Sri Lanka of motorcycles and e-bikes in August this year.

In the meantime, CEMS is holding three international exhibitions for the textile and garment sector of Sri Lanka from March 8 to 10 at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC) in Colombo.

S.S. Sarwar, Group CEO, Conference and Exhibition Management Services Ltd (CEMS) Global, New York making comments to the Business Times (BT) on the sidelines of the launch of the above exhibitions in Colombo this week spoke of the confidence of the international business community on the lasting peace now enjoyed in Sri Lanka and also indicated that they are planning to have a Bike Show on motorcycles and e-bikes in August this year.

CEMS has been organising trade shows ever since the war ended in 2009 and has launched very important international trade exhibitions for the trade and industry in Sri Lanka.

The Bike Show is expected to be a popular one, especially on electric bikes (e-bikes). Once the concept and the usefulness is understood by the people consequent to the envisaged Bike Show it would become a mode of transport like the motorcycle. The e-bike is also identified as powerbike or booster bike and is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor to power instead of peddling or which assists the riders peddling.

According to the capacity of the motor and the laws pertaining to e-bikes in different countries the speed could vary going up to 45 km/h or about 28 miles per hour. It could go as an automated bicycle rather than a motorcycle.

On the economy, stability and peace, Mr. Sarwar said that exports in Sri Lanka has gone up to US$ 5.4 billion from $4 billion around three years ago.

Speaking of the event, he said that this is the 9th edition with the first show being held in 2010. It is a big event now with more than 170 international companies from six different countries.

With GSP + now in place, things are moving in a positive direction and the international manufacturers want to do business with Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers and textile manufacturers.

He said that CEMS Global USA and CEMS Lanka have put in great efforts and held meetings and trade shows for the textile and apparel industry, logistics and shipping and power and energy and also partnered with business associations to create important business and business platforms in the form of trade shows for the benefit of Sri Lanka.Economic implications of corruption View(s):

Do you know how those businesses have been doing so well? The question was raised by someone in the group recently referring to some businesses and business locations.

We, a group of friends meeting after sometime, were chatting about corrupt practices by politicians and bureaucrats. Some of us were curious to know the answer to that question from the same friend, who had lots of inside information over these open secrets.

Dont think it is because they import and sell cheap Chinese stuff, he continued. It is because politicians and officials are on their regular payrolls!

Many stayed silently looking at him as they wanted more details about it. He began to explain: Well, for instance, suppose you have to pay Rs. 10 million tax to the government. If you have a choice to cut it down to two million, who wouldnt spend another one million to get it done? Or if you have the choice of getting your multi-million deal done in two weeks without hanging around for two years, who wouldnt do that by throwing few million bucks?

He continued further: You know that sometimes, actually you have no choice. If you dont get in there, they can make your life harder. This is the whole problem from top to bottom.

Timely issue

It is timely that we pick up corruption and bribery today to talk about its economic implications. By definition, corruption and bribery is the use of political and public office or powers for private gain. In fact, by definition, commission is a modern respectable term for bribery. However in whichever the form and term, it is a cancerous disease that would lead any nation to perish. We are in a regime of so-called good governance so it implies that we are committed to fight against this disease.

According to latest reports, our country has been placed under surveillance for its loopholes for international money-laundering too. That is the money earned from corruption and crime related activities globally, and is awaiting to find entry points to the legal transactions and investment process. One might wonder why Sri Lanka is among top rank countries that would provide such entry points for international dealers to take that money to the laundry.

What is true for global money-laundering is obviously true for internal dealings too. There are loopholes for corruption and bribery. From top level business dealings to the lowest ranks of public work such as garbage collection by local governments, corruption has crept into the economy, sending the nation sliding down the path to disaster.

Sri Lanka needs to improve

The latest report of the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2017 published by the Transparency International was just released a few days ago. CPI shows how corrupt the public sector is in individual countries in the world, calculating the corruption score and rank for each country.

Sri Lanka that was ranked at the 95th position out of 176 countries in 2016 has improved to the position of 91st out of 180 countries. Ten years ago in 2007, Sri Lankas rank was 94th out of 179 countries. In fact, since the time Sri Lanka was added to the CPI estimates, the country continued to remain a low-scoring list of corrupt countries. This shows that there is much to be done to improve the CPI score of Sri Lanka.

Among the least corrupt countries in Asia youll find one South Asian country  Bhutan. Among other least corrupt countries in 2017, there is Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan, while Singapore is among the top-10 least-corrupt countries as well. India and China are less corrupt than Sri Lanka. Surprisingly there are some Latin American and African countries which are not as corrupt as Sri Lanka.

Substitute for reforms

Unfortunately I have noticed economic arguments that are put forward in justifying corruption and bribery; let me elaborate a few of them.

Highly regulated regimes tend to encourage corruption. Doing business is not easy when there are lengthy bureaucratic procedures, regulatory barriers and complicated mechanisms in place. Corruption then overcomes all these barriers and makes the work more efficient and effective. Therefore, corruption is a substitute for reforms.

Politicians, who are reluctant to undertake reforms for whichever the reason may be, are happy to allow corruption instead. They feel that it makes their life easier.

When corruption becomes way of life, the public sector as well opposes reforms. Therefore, the vested interests of both politicians and bureaucrats find an easy connection of harmony which makes both parties happy and safe, foregoing reforms.

Another justification is the notion that corruption is by and large everywhere in both developed and developing countries; the difference is the level of corruption per given amount of work carried out by the government.

Furthermore, there is also an idea of a positive correlation between corruption and work. In countries where work is done both efficiently and effectively, you wont find corruption.

All these arguments point to one thing, anyway: These are justifications for lethargic and non-performing reforms more than that for tolerating corruption.

Economics of corruption

Let us have a look at the economic implications of corruption, and see if we can justify it. If some of the businesses are based on corrupt practices as was explained in the example I quoted at the beginning; apparently they have a cost advantage over genuine business practices. The cost advantage is reflected in the market price as well so that corruption would apparently promote corrupt businesses and would destroy genuine business practices.

Taking the same payroll example as I mentioned earlier, it is also the amount of tax money that the government would have otherwise received. It is well reported and discussed that Sri Lanka is among the top-ranked countries in terms of lowest tax to GDP ratios: on average 12 per cent. The loss from taxes through corruption and bribery must have contributed to it too.

Fiscal implications of local money laundering Sri Lanka is also a country that has space for money-laundering, not just internationally but also internally. That is why, even being a middle-income country, Sri Lankas tax structure shows one important under-developed feature; lower direct (income) tax ratio of just 18 per cent of the total tax revenue as of 2017. This means, about 82 per cent of the government taxes come from indirect taxes (on goods and services). In more developed and efficient tax systems, this direct-indirect tax composition should be around 50:50 per cent.

The direct tax collection needs a centralized fiscal data system for all the people which record the income and wealth information. For some reason, Sri Lanka was reluctant to progress towards a system as such so that there is space for internal money laundering. No wonder Sri Lanka is under surveillance for international money laundering, when our governments have so far failed to feed just 21 million people into a data based system.

The other side of the coin is that, when direct tax revenue is in disarray producing a smaller tax share, the easy way out of the narrow budget is to rely more on indirect taxes and borrowings. Therefore, the government has to look for more indirect tax sources resulting in higher number of taxes and higher rates of taxes, as we do have in Sri Lanka. When that is also not sufficient, the last resort is borrowings, and we have done it even better.

Deeper economic outcomes

In corruption-free countries, economic progress is better and economic prosperity is higher, as confirmed by many research studies and data reports in the world.

Their economic activities are more efficient and clean, and things move fast. In most corrupt countries, people and, especially the directors and managers of business firms, have to spend more time with politicians and bureaucrats and visit them more frequently.

Corruption and bribery influence the choice of private parties for government contracts and approvals, resulting in market risks and uncertainty. Thus, when the issue becomes well-known nationally and internationally, genuine investors keep away from such corrupt countries unless they have a special incentive to enter there. Could it be one reason why foreign investors keep avoiding Sri Lanka?

Corruption and bribery can also change the outcome of regulatory and legal procedures. If it happens, then it would be difficult for that regime to fight corruption which would begin to spread rapidly throughout every corner of the society.

Perish or prosper

The incidence of corruption varies significantly across different countries.

If it is a rare incidence, then it is quite possible that such incidences can be detected easily, and legal actions would follow immediately. However, if corruption and bribery is systematic and widespread, then detection and legal proceedings become weaker. Moreover, in such situations corruption and bribery will intensify and become a normal way of life.

My last point is that many would blame the open economy for intensified corruption and bribery in Sri Lanka. My short answer is that most of the countries with open economic systems are classified as least-corrupt countries; all rich countries in Asia are open economies and they are among the top corruption-free countries, according to the CPI score.

(The writer is Professor of Economics at Colombo University)Extension of private sector retirement age gets go-ahead from the government By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

After dilly dallying due to some concerns of employers, the government is mulling to extend the retirement age of private sector employees up to 60 years providing the same opportunity given to public sector workers, a senior cabinet minister said.

Labour Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne recently told the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) meeting that the government is ready to discuss and settle any issues and grievances of employers in implementing this decision as the private sector employees should be given the option to work beyond the present retirement age of 55 years.

The NLAC has reached an agreement to conduct a comprehensive study on the national retirement age of employees with the help of the International Labour Council (ILO) and arrive at a decision after considering the ILO recommendations and suggestions.

However representatives of the Employers Federation was of the view that the unemployment in the country could be increased fuelling youth frustration by extending the private sector workers retirement age to 60 years, a trade union representative who attended the meeting told the Business Times.

One of the major concerns of employers was that non-productive employees will be legally allowed to continue their services with its consequent benefits, he disclosed.

This will also hinder the opportunity of junior executive grade officers to get promotions to high posts in many private sector firms, a representative of the Employers Federation informed the NLAC meeting.

He reiterated that the private sector is paying more attention on efficiency of employees and therefore extending the retirement age to 60 years will affect the productivity of private firms.

Representatives of trade unions have brought to the notice of the council that many employees are urging their company management to provide an opportunity for them to continue their work beyond 55 years due to economic difficulties.

But the management of private firms was in the practice of employing some of those workers on contract basis after 55 years of age and employers can terminate their services at any time in accordance to their wishes, they said.

The employees retirement life could be longer than their working life as average life expectancy in Sri Lanka now exceeds 75 years and the governments responsibility is to secure their future, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne told the Business Times.

He said that the retirement age of public and private sector employees should be increased to 65 years as the country is going to face an aging problem in the near future.

Sri Lanka has an aging population and the time has now come to make the legal retirement age 65 years so that all employees are treated equally before the law, he emphasised adding that it is essential to consult stakeholders and review the present retirement age limit of private sector employees fixed at 55 years which is very low for a country with life expectancy of 75 years.

The government sector employs about 1.3 million workers while the private sector employs over six million workers.

According to the Department of Census and Statistics data, the percentage of employees over 56 was 7.6 per cent , while percentages corresponding to age groups of 18  29 years and 30 -55 years are 15 per cent and 77.4 per cent, respectively.

This data indicate that at least over 70 per cent of workers will reach the retirement age within the next 25 years.Govt. to release glyphosate to tea plantations By Sunimalee Dias View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankas tea industry that continuously campaigned to lift the ban on glyphosate said the governments decision to do so would definitely increase yields and enable lower production costs thereby easing the conditions on the plantations.

Planters Association Chairman Sunil Poholiyadde told the Business Times on Friday that yields could go up by as much as 10 per cent this year on the tea estates.

The National Economic Council (NEC) headed by President Maithripala Sirisena last week decided to relax the ban on glyphosate to some extent although no official confirmation has been communicated in this regard to the relevant ministries as yet.

Plantations Minister Navin Dissanayake had been present at the meeting where the policy decision to ban glyphosate was looked at in the context of its relaxation for the use of the weedicide on the plantations, Plantations Ministry Secretary J.A. Ranjith told the Business Times on Friday.

Mr. Poholiyadde explained that it would definitely help the estates since the weeding could be undertaken at the appropriate time and thereby allow for the application of fertilizer accordingly.

Since the ban was imposed in March 2015 the industry had been requesting the relevant authorities to lift the ban or provide them with a substitute weedicide which hadnt materialised.

Therefore the lifting of the ban is most welcome which would help the industry immensely and get the best returns, he said.

With no substitute for glyphosate provided by the government it was believed that most plantations were resorting to the use of weedicides of their choice and this had caused problems with the Japanese authorities who complained that the Ceylon Tea exported there had high residue levels.

The only alternative to chemical weeding is manual weeding, which is about six times more expensive, Mr. Poholiyadde said adding that it also contributes to soil erosion with the top soil being disturbed and getting washed away.

Although uncertain why this decision (lifting the ban) had come about at this juncture the industry believed it was a good decision but pointed out that it would take about three months to return to normal as most estates were now overgrown with weeds.

Tea Traders Association President Anslem Perera said that the profits could increase depending on the market prices and with the plantations currently at a peak levels this decision would definitely do good to the trade.

He pointed out, The state did not allow us to reach the targets because of the ban, adding that these kind of decisions should be taken by experts in the field and ensure that it would not impact on industries like the tea sector that was a US$1.5 billion industry.

Policy makers must listen to the trade, Mr. Perera noted adding that the tea industry being a 150-year old sector would not ask for anything unreasonable.Lowest commission rates through UPay app By Raj Moorthy View(s): View(s):

While digital payments are leading the way forward globally, UPay a Sri Lankan mobile app introduced by a start-up, Payment Services (Pvt) Ltd provides the lowest commission rates for merchants during transactions.

The Central Bank (CB) approved mobile app is the first in Sri Lanka to use the JUSTPAY payment gateway platform a brainchild of Lanka Clear to ease transactions digitally without cash, debit or credit card, Payment Services (Pvt) Ltd CEO, Asela Wickremesooriya told the Business Times.

He said, Merchants will be charged a commission of less than 2 per cent during transactions whereas other payment platforms charge 2-3 per cent.

Mr. Wickremesooriya also noted that the CB continuously supports cashless transactions. Less than 50 per cent of the population has bank accounts in Sri Lanka today and the Central Bank wants to increase this, he added.

UPay mobile app was introduced in January this year by Payment Services (Pvt) Ltd, launched in 2016 by co-founders Talwatte Malaka, Chairman of Saffron Capital and Vishal Bakshani, CEO of 12th Door. In the second round of investments, Kimin Power; MAS Holdings CEO Nathan Sivagananathan; Dunamis Caplital PLC; Catamar Capital, a Silicon Valley-based impact funding company and Orion City Director Jeevan Gnanam came in as seed investors.

Over 50 merchants have signed up with UPay so far with the company target being 500 merchants by April this year and 1200 merchants by the end of the year.

Today (March 04) UPay will host Sri Lankas first cashless sales at the Royal College MAS Arena. Over 75 merchants will accept cashless or cardless transactions with no commission to be paid.

Mr. Wickremesooriya noted, We are not chasing behind big brands; we want to support entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises where e-commerce is growing in the rural community than in the urban cities. People have access to Internet and they buy things online. The digital penetration in Sri Lanka is picking up by 4-5 per cent on a yearly basis.

UPay app is available on both iOS and android mobile phones and can be downloaded and transactions can be done at merchants that use the UPay payment gateway platform. He said the CB has reduced the maximum transaction rate through mobile phones to Rs. 10,000 to minimise the risk factor.Messing with education View(s):

It was raining cats and dogs, just like the popular expression, for a few days this week. However, what intrigued me most was that the rain was accompanied by strong, angry winds, once again taking away a few roofs with it (as it did some months back) as friends told me later. Machan, the Gods must surely be angry with Sri Lanka, one friend, obsessed with bad Karma, said over the phone.

Watching the heavy drops of rain accompanied by gusts of wind, Kussi Amma Sera said: Mahattaya, apey gam-wala hari puras-na wathura nethi hinda. Ling walath wathura nehe. (We have serious problems in the village due to the lack of water. The wells have also run dry).

I recalled her 18-year-old son, visiting from the village in August last year, expressing similar sentiments when it was raining, again cats and dogs, at that time in Colombo.

Visiting a small school of 200 children with classrooms badly in need of repair at Mahawilachchiya in the Anuradhapura district, some weeks back, I was amazed to find the children dressed in neatly-pressed white uniforms even though the village hasnt seen rain for at least three years. The wells have run dry and cows were grazing on the parched tank which fed water to the paddy fields. Several harvests had been lost, farmers were desperate without incomes and forced to seek kuli weda (daily labour work).

Assembling together to receive a donation of musical instruments, the principal says the thirst for education is very strong, a reflection of the disciplined way the children dress. And that is further enhanced in the happy shouts of the children when they are asked what they would like to be. I want to be a doctor, I want to be a teacher, they say in the background of a school that doesnt have most of the facilities an urban school would have. Even some school material  books and other needs  have to be obtained from an education office in a far-out town. So the principals of three or four schools, all small, in the vicinity jointly hire a van and go to the city to collect these.

Those thoughts came to my mind when three stories in local newspapers this week drew my attention  teaching English by US Peace Corps volunteers, the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and helping small businesses to flourish by providing collateral-free loans.

All these developments can be linked to this village school: They lack proper teaching in the English language; there are no facilities for science or computer labs and when village youth with an innovative business idea try to be entrepreneurs they dont have collateral to a get bank loan (state banks in particular, on the other hand, have powerful defaulting businessmen on their books with loans invariably written off). The last point is a case of banks (more commercially motivated, than socially-minded at least in some part of their lending which they can do at the risk  if ever  of reducing a small share of huge profits) not seeing the wood for the trees, causing frustration, resentment and eventually militancy in the rural economy which represents the voting population of the country. This weeks protests by farmers in Thambuttegama, also in the Anuradhapura district, against a water project partly to provide drinking water to villages, and which was quelled rather violently by the police, are a reflection of that anger and no water for farming.

English, science and technology (in whichever order) is the way forward for young people to enter the world of work and global interaction. Unfortunately, for schools like the one in Mahawilachchiya this is beyond their reach, with children here dreaming of vocations like teaching, though a noble profession, doesnt have the same financial benefits like any other job. Todays society respects jobs with big bucks, nothing else.

The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in a recent study titled Education to 2030 found that with increasing use of technology, jobs of the future will demand a different mix of skills.

STEM will feature prominently in that mix and the economies that perform best are those that, annually, graduate the most students with STEM degrees as a percentage of the overall labour force. By 2030, Russia, Australia, Israel and Turkey will see new STEM graduates equivalent to one per cent or more of the entire existing labour market, the report has said.

Lack of proper science and technology facilities in rural schools is just a symptom of the problem. In an article titled Towards a knowledge -based economy, researchers at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) explain how the lack of proper teaching in schools that even have mathematics and sciences restrict children from pursuing their passion for science.

The researchers said that there is an urgent need to improve pre-service teacher training, currently offered at the National Colleges of Education and at universities, to match the demand for STEM teachers in schools.

Generating a high share of university graduates, especially in STEM subjects, is a policy priority for Sri Lanka, given the countrys goal of becoming a knowledge-based economy, driving competition through innovation, the article said, also referring to the 2018 Budget speech which identified the need for improving the ratio of STEM to non-STEM graduates in the country.

Having said that, it remains to be seen how quickly budget proposals are implemented or reversed given the large-scale tinkering of proposals in the post-budget process, a recent example being the suspension of tablets (small, hand-held computers) to school children.

While that decision has been welcomed in some quarters saying there are other bigger needs in schools, particularly rural ones, than tablets, decision-making (budgets or otherwise) which has been approved by Parliament shouldnt be reversed. Doing so sets a bad precedent and allows all decision-making to be subject to the perceived notion of review, recall or cancellation.

While Sri Lanka struggles to keep pace with global developments, its lopsided decision-making, often based on emotion than fact, will reverse the clock of progress.

Another case in point is the decision of the newly-set up National Economic Council (NEC) to lift the ban on glyphosate, a herbicide used in agriculture. It was President Maithripala Sirisena, just a few months in office, who in May 2015 ordered the ban saying it was responsible for a growing number of chronic kidney disease patients. The ban heavily impacted on all crops including tea and paddy, resulting in huge losses. Largely affected were small tea producers in the south who were believed to have, angrily, voted against governing parties.

Unsurprisingly, the NEC, initiated by the President to counter the economic influence of the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) at a February 23 meeting decides to lift the ban on the grounds that research has shown it is not harmful to human health! This is what, for nearly three years, the tea industry and others have been saying pointing to research but it apparently took a negative election result to reverse the decision. If saner counsel had prevailed and the problem approached in a holistic way it wouldnt have caused so much of despair and losses in tea and agriculture. And, may have minimised anti-government anger, too!

In another development, the Central Bank Governor was quoted as urging CEOs of commercial banks to provide collateral-free loans to young entrepreneurs with vocational training to rejuvenate the rural economy which hasnt seen the kind of development similar to towns closer to Colombo. Another reason for growing youth frustration in the village.

Last but not least is the offer from the US Peace Corps to teach English with the first batch of Peace Corps Volunteers arriving in late 2019 under this programme, supplementing state efforts to improve English language teaching in rural schools.

Sri Lankas development and an advancing marketplace will be dictated by the number of graduates who have skills in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, English and IT and able to walk into a job in any part of the world. Thus, school education policies with these objectives shouldnt be messed around by politicians, whoever in power.

You dont need Harvard economists, Cambridge scholars or foreign minds to show Sri Lanka the way, we have plenty of those skills in-house. Last week, a Tamil colleague called to say that just like Kussi Amma Seras kitchen economics, there is a Tamil proverb, Yaanai pidipavanin paakkiyam, paannai pidipavalain kaippakuvom which implies that a mans wealth is owing to the housewife who controls the pot or its the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Eka nung hari mahattaya (Thats right, Sir), interjects Kussi Amma Sera, listening to a phone conversation to clarify the proverb, and as usual having the last say on the subject of worldly economics.Norway central bank invests in top SL stocks By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s):

Norways Central Bank, Norges Banks pension fund (Norges Bank Investment Management or NBIM) has shown interest in local high valued shares during the past quarter, results released by firms to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) showed.

This US$960 billion sovereign wealth fund has shown keen interest in CSE shares for the past three years, analysts say.

The fund increased Access Engineerings stake to 29.1 million shares as at December with T Rowe Price and Tundra Frontier also increasing their holdings in 3Q18, data showed.

The fund entered the top 20 shareholders at Lion Brewery during 3Q18 as the eighth largest shareholder with 1.1 million shares. It entered Nestle Lankas top 20 shareholders with 0.82 per cent during 4Q2017, and was the second largest shareholder as at the last quarter. The fund sold 8 million Peoples Leasing & Finance PLC shares during 3Q18, but still remains the fifth largest shareholder as at last December.

Its also the fifth largest shareholder with 3 per cent at Teejay Lanka PLC and the 14th largest shareholder at Sampath Bank with 1.2 per cent. It also owns shares at Melstacorp, Piramal Glass, Dialog etc.

In 2015, the fund invested $31 million in Sri Lanka. NBIM has more than doubled its investment in Sri Lanka to $ 65 million by end of 2016.Top officials dream of BMW or Benz comes true By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s):

Senior public officials including Ministry Secretaries are in lucks way: They will be getting new car permits with high duty cuts and unlimited values, in some cases at almost zero duty.

The Government has completely overhauled the senior public sector officials duty slashed car permit scheme by removing the upper ceiling of the vehicle value while offering unprecedented tax relief for permit holders. Some economists said the costly move appeared to be aimed at wooing the public sector after a sizable segment voted against governing parties at the recent local government poll.

The cash-strapped Treasury stands to lose at least Rs. 65 billion in tax revenue per year due to this duty reduction offered for duty- slashed vehicle permits of senior public provincial and judicial sector officials as well as senior public executive officers, provisional budgetary estimates showed.

Around 6000 officials are eligible to apply for duty slashed vehicle permits as the senior public sector executives serving in those posts for six years and over will also get this luck by chance under the new scheme.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Management has issued a circular last week offering these tax concessions to higher grade public sector officials in the rank of Secretaries, Additional Secretaries and Director Generals in public, provincial and judicial services.

According to the new circular, these vehicle permits have not stipulated the maximum Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of the vehicle and therefore the senior public official could import any vehicle of their choice, official sources said.

A maximum CIF value of the vehicle in dollar terms was indicated in all previous vehicle permits issued to senior public officials.

A tax reduction of Rs. 22 million, Rs. 16 million and Rs. 12 million will be given under the new duty slashed vehicle permit scheme of senior public provincial and judicial sector officials including retired officers in those grades, the Public Administration Ministry circular revealed.

With these concessions, top public officials could be able to import super luxury vehicles like Benz CLA, Honda CRV, Honda Civic, Toyota CHR Turbo, Toyota Premio, and Toyota Allion through local motor traders, Managing Director/CEO of Sathosa Motors, Tilak Gunasekera told the Business Times.

He noted that under the new scheme these officials could import super luxury vehicles at almost zero duty as the motor vehicle duty is no longer calculated on CIF values, but on the cubic capacity (cc) of the engine in accordance with the 2018 budget proposal.

However he pointed out that in reality senior government servants cannot afford such vehicles due to high prices and normally they go for standard Japanese Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Subaru and Isuzu cars.

Meanwhile the Finance Ministry has also issued a separate circular to release vehicle permits for senior public officers and executive officers attached to ministries, state corporations and other statutory boards, doctors and legal officers attached to the Government service, university vice chancellors, university lecturers and executive grade officers attached to university non-academic staff.

According to the circular, these senior public officials will get a Rs. 5 million deduction from payable duty when importing vehicles using the duty slashed permits.

The 2018 budget proposal to provide duty slashed vehicle permits to import a vehicle valued at a maximum of US$45,000, $40,000 and S$35,000 respectively for public, provincial and judicial officers with tax concessions of Rs.9 million, Rs.7.5 million and Rs.6 million will not be implemented under the present set-up, a senior Treasury official said.A desolate tale of impunity in two episodes View(s):

Even as farmers protesting the Rajanganaya Drinking Water Project in Thambuttegama were beaten mercilessly by the police and later arrested en masse this week, law enforcement agencies remained inactive in regard to instigators of communal violence in Ampara, happening uncannily enough in the same approximate time span.

What occasions this difference?

This is the tale of impunity in two episodes in modern day Sri Lanka, as reflected in the happenings of one week. Anuradhapuras unbearably congested remand prisons became even more crowded as angrily protesting farmers were thrust unceremoniously into their depths while, a few hundred kilometres away, the police threw up their hands in Ampara saying merely that investigations were ongoing. The Ampara violence resulted in a mosque, several shops and vehicles of Muslim individuals being set on fire.

What occasions this difference? Why in one, does the State assess it as a fit case to react in a particular manner while in the other, it withdraws discreetly into abstinence amidst a mass of unconvincing explanations?

The answers to these questions is an indication as to what has gone wrong in Sri Lanka and why it was so unwise as to greet regime change in 2015 as if getting rid of the Rajapaksas would suffice to set the country back on the Rule of Law track. This was an illusion advanced by those who personally benefited from the regime change at the time. Its danger has now become clear as political stability in Sri Lanka teeters perilously on a knife edge of chaos.

Absence of an effective water policy

So let us see the context of these two incidents for good measure. In the first instance, the Rajangana demonstrations concerned a plan to use water from the Rajanganaya reservoir for a water purification and supply project conceived of reportedly many years ago during the Rajapaksa period which the farmers alleged, deprived the local communities of adequate water for their agricultural needs.

On all accounts, these protests were not sudden. Affected communities had been agitating for months,saying that they were not against the purification project but that their priority was ensuring adequate water for farming. Farmers had not been reassured by promises held out by responsible Ministers that their grievances would be listened to. Post Rajangana violence, the public was treated to the preposterous spectacle of Sri Lanka Freedom Party Ministers explaining that this was a project that had not even commenced but that it had been temporarily suspended. The inherent if not ludicrous contradiction in that very explanation is blindingly obvious.

Regardless, the patronizing manner in which these ministerial worthies spoke to their constituents had to be seen to be believed. This is the arrogance of power, pure and simple, exercised by greedy, grasping men who think that their constituents are cattle, to be quieted into subservience. The fact that the violence resulted in several police officers being injured is undoubtedly unfortunate. But whether Rajapaksa provocateurs were behind the protests, as Ministers alleged on national television with condescension and bluster, is anybodys guess. Rajapaksa-blaming has become an easy excuse for sheer incompetence on the part of both factions of this coalition Government. Consequently such excuses need to be treated with some reservations.

The re-igniting of a communal canard

But where the communal violence in the East was concerned, it had been spawned nonsensically enough, through a brawl arising in an eatery regarding long persisting allegations that Muslim traders were selling products to make Sinhalese women barren. The idiocy in this canard deserves to be summarily dismissed with justifiable contempt except for the fact that I remember, these same rumors circulating during the Rajapaksa period, as repeated solemnly by people educated enough to know better. As our history has shown, these are inflammatory and unabashed communalistic allegations that can incite terrible violence. As to why this Government does not use the existing law to teach these trouble makers, the most salutary of lessons is therefore reason for considerable angst.For the States response to the Rajangana protests stands oddly in contrast to its inaction in regard to the Ampara violence. In one, grievances appeared to be legitimate, rendered problematic however by violence by the police and counter-violence by the protestors.

Indeed it as by a whisker that a Rathupaswela-Weliweriya like fracas was preventedin Rajangana. Rathupaswela-Weliweriyawas where villagers who protested against alleged contamination of the ground water by a commercial enterprise with links to the Rajapaksa regime were tear gassed and beaten by the army with three deaths ensuing as a result.In the other, a communal canard led to violence in a worrying pattern. Though the undoubted rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the East cannot be brushed away, these incidents illustrate how this country always balances precariously on the abyss every day.

Variable state reactions to public agitation

But it is the way in which state reaction to public agitation is mediated by variable factors that have very little to do with the Rule of Law that should concern us with good reason. It was so with the Rajapaksas, subject to the rider that the toxic flames of communalism and rape of the land were used actively by the regimes agitators to subdue the people.

With regard to the coalition Government, that same allegation certainly does not hold sway. However it has failed (or as the cynics would say, it never really wished) to dismantle the state structures of impunity meticulously assembled by the Rajapaksas under the hand of then Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and former President MahindaRajapaksas brother who is now projecting himself as the peoples choice of the future. Since 2015, it was a papering over of always seething communal and racial discontent rather than a rooting out of its main causes. Now as the Government implodes from within, aggravated by the results of Februarys local government elections, these incidents are a grave portend of impending chaos. To regard them as isolated occurrences far away from the capital is to commit a mistake. This is a harbinger of what awaits this troubled land in the future if corrective action is not taken swiftly.

Abandoning tone-deaf political arrogance

The Rathupaswela-Weliweriya agitations and now the Rajangana protests signify expanding frontiers of mass public agitation.In the North meanwhile, public ferment is ongoing among war affected communities who are not allowed to return to their lands. State policy regarding land and water must be decided and managed sensibly with transparent and accountable decision making. Ad hoc decisions do not serve the purpose. And at least occasionally, the Government may do well to listen to the people. Necessarily this will mean abandoning its tone-deaf political arrogance that has already incurred a high electoral cost.When the brief but sombre private swearing-in ceremony ended last Sunday, President Maithripala Sirisena made sure those from his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) proceeded to an upper floor at the Presidential Secretariat. There, a worried looking Sirisena said he bestowed the much-talked-of Law and Order portfolio on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Premier, he said, would hold the position only for a short period.

This is whilst military strongman and Minister Sarath Fonseka, who was away in Indonesia, was widely touted to hold the position. Upon his return, he anxiously began looking for staff for the new ministry. When he met Wickremesinghe on Tuesday, the Premier, who was backing his appointment, explained that top level Police officers were opposed to his appointment. An angry Fonseka was to accuse some of them, DIGs, as smugglers and drug peddlers who should be in jail.

The next day (Wednesday), Fonseka met the President to discuss his appointment. Sirisena made clear it was not possible to appoint him. Once again, Fonseka was angry. Outside the Presidents residence at Paget Road, he told those present that he was seeking the post not for himself but to do a service to the country. He had wanted to clean up the Police Department and deal with those who were corrupt.

The Fonseka saga is not over. Wickremesinghe has so far written five letters to Sirisena. He is to now tell the President that his United National Party (UNP) and the public at large want Fonseka in that job. This is whilst politicians of different hues and organisations are speaking out in Fonsekas support. During meetings with Sirisena after the reshuffle, accompanied by UNP General Secretary Minister Kabir Hashim, the Premier raised issue again. Kalpana karala balamu or let us think about it, was Sirisenas reply. The meeting was to discuss how to move forward with the Government now that they have chosen to go it together. However, it is extremely unlikely that Sirisena would agree. He has made up his mind not to have Fonseka as the Law and Order Minister, a high ranking official source said. Yet, a change of mind, as demonstrated many a time during recent political events, leaves some serious doubt. He may relent under pressure, said a distraught SLFP Minister who did not wish to be named.

Sirisena gave no explanation to the bemused SLFP audience last Sunday why the much awaited major Cabinet reshuffle ended in just a minor shake-up. It was like the proverbial mountain labouring to bring forth a mouse. In this instance a tiny one. Ironically, there were rewards to those whom Sirisena warned he would deal with. The public who had expected Sirisena to carry out his assertions for change made in different rallies for the local polls were disappointed.

Yet, Sirisenas about-turn and the remarks he made to SLFP Ministers, Deputy Ministers and MPs bared his uneasy predicament. His local polls campaign centred on fighting corruption. Days before the event, he vowed he would not work with those corrupt. Even to the most dim-witted, it was clear the reference was to frontliners of the United National Party (UNP). What made him change from fighting them to joining hands with rewards to work together again? The once confident Sirisena, who wanted to exercise powers of the executive presidency, and use a sword in the execution of his promise, has morphed into a weaker position and projected an even weaker image. The exact reasons for the sudden shift may not be known, not even to political analysts. However, the backdrop in which events unfolded gives a glimpse into his actions and food for thought.

Envoys of two countries, each powerful in its own way, called on Sirisena separately before the Cabinet re-shuffle. These were countries which did not favour the Rajapaksa administration and helped ensconce Sirisena in power in 2015. After his election, they assisted the new dispensation in many ways. Their projects took root and more were in the pipeline. The envoys were explicit that they did not in any way want to tell Sirisena what to do. Yet, they sounded a note of strong caution. They made clear their serious concerns about the collapse of a Government which had won the peoples mandate for five years. They also made clear their respective Governments would find it difficult to co-operate with a new regime if the current disposition they had backed was not in place.

Added to it was a meeting Sirisena held earlier with Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The TNA leader reminded Sirisena of the pledges made by him to make Constitutional changes to address Tamil issues. He had also referred to the ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva and the consequences that could flow to the country if there was a change in Government. The United States backed resolution (co-sponsored by Sri Lanka) is due to come up for discussion.

In the light of this, the Government has been making hurried preparations. A seven member Office of Missing Persons (OMP) has been appointed with attorney-at-law Saliya Peiris as chairman. The choice was made by Sirisena. Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana ordered the cancellation of a transfer order sent by a top Foreign Ministry official asking Sri Lankas Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ravinatha Aryasinha to return to Colombo. This was on a directive from an angry President Sirisena who was told that the recall was when the UNHRC sessions were to take place. Minister Marapana also spoke on the telephone to Aryasinha in Geneva to ask him to ignore the recall order and stay behind.

Heart burns in reshuffle

Despite the reshuffle, changes are still to be made in some of portfolios assigned last Sunday highlighting how indecisive the leaders of the Government have become. This is besides a shake-up of SLFP ministers due anytime now. In fact, they had come ready to take their oaths last Sunday. At least one Minister, who found himself in what he thought was a less important ministry protested strongly. He argued that he was to be penalised for no fault of his. Sirisena thought it could be handled within two weeks, after he finishes assigning subjects to the new (UNP) Ministers sworn-in.

If last Sundays episode and the events that followed were the close of a chapter barring some changes due, there was another opening. Pro-Sirisena SLFP members continued their on-off dialogue with a group of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) members on forming a new Government under President Sirisena. At issue were a number conditions from the SLPP. Most of these centred on economic policy where the SLPP sought a shift from the UNP Governments liberalisation programmes. One such issue was what the SLPP called the sale of public assets. As the dialogue went on, President Sirisena himself had been keen this week to seek the help of Basil Rajapaksa, the principal strategist for SLPP to hurriedly expedite matters.

Attempts to contact Basil

Telephone calls from both Sirisena and his brother Dudley to Basil Rajapaksa went unanswered. Rajapaksa told a leading Buddhist prelate that he was all in favour of forming a Government. However, he said, he had not wanted to answer the phone calls since the Government formation would have to be handled by the Joint Opposition and the SLFP. The SLPP technically has no representation in Parliament. This was by no means a discourtesy (towards the President and other SLFPers), he told the prelate. Rajapaksa is also now being wooed by Colombos diplomatic community. This week, he had a two hour long meeting with the new Chinese Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan.

Sirisenas volte face has painted himself to a corner. Earlier efforts, both formally and informally, to re-unite with the rival factions in the SLFP have not borne fruit. To make it worse, his Minister Susil Premjayantha, who was the front runner to form an SLFP Government found there were not enough numbers of MPs for the overthrow of the UNP-dominated Government. He claimed he was able to muster only 102 names though his colleagues flatly disputed the figure. While some UNP MPs are possible cross-over candidates, the UNP seemed certain it will not be one-way traffic. And now, contrary to his previous boastful stance, Premjayantha continues eating humble pie as Minister of Science, Technology and Research. Pay and perks are too good for any minister to just dump his or her position though contradictory public statements have become a hallmark of such politicians. The diplomatic caution that was delivered and the other added developments seem to have taken a toll. So Sirisena, with no choice, not only relented but seems to have taken a step backwards. He now waits until his arch enemies before February 10 decide whether or not to help him. Help would mean another move to oust Premier Wickremesinghe whilst no help would amount to further isolation and working with the UNP.

It is significant that Sirisena had a one-on-one meeting with Rajapaksa where the current political situation formed the subject of discussion. Rajapaksa told the Sunday Times we met two weeks ago at a non public place. He, however declined to divulge details.Secrecy shrouds Sirisena move.

In the past three weeks, the political goings-on have been shrouded in mystery. Sirisena, who pledged transparency during his election campaign, neither summoned his customary news conference nor address the nation. He continued the practice of a blanket secrecy by asking his staff not to allow the media to cover live the swearing-in either. The media coverage of the 35-minute ceremony together with a ten-minute speech by Sirisena, was limited to official television footage and still photographs that were only released after the event. Periodic news releases containing the names of one or two ministers then sworn-in were the sop for media coverage of such a public event. Being a Sunday, a larger number of Sri Lankans who wanted to see it live on television were disappointed.

The news blackout is understandable from the Presidents stand-point though not commendable. He had, after all, asked Premier Wickremesinghe to step down from his post, but instead swore him in as Law and Order Minister, while remaining Prime Minister. He was compelled to acknowledge his Premier deserved another subject, though temporary. That was in marked contrast to blaming him for the loss at local polls. To say the least, it was an embarrassing moment for him. This was after removing Sagala Ratnayake, a close confidant of Wickremesinghe and Chief of Staff at Temple Trees. Ratnayake who was in charge of the Police (as Minister of Law and Order) was accused of leaking information to the Rajapaksas about the investigations against them, an accusation he vehemently denied. The switch came in for severe criticism in political circles since, in the past, the actions of the duo closely complemented each other. They feared it would continue even now, as Chief of Staff, Ratnayake works closely with the Premier. The former Law and Order Minister was, however, assigned the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Southern Development. Piyasena Gamage, who had brushes with the Police when he was Deputy Minister of Law and Order was made Ratnayakes deputy. His appointment raised eyebrows in view of his age, 69 years, on the grounds that a younger person should have been named for youth affairs.

Other than the switch in the portfolios of Lakshman Kiriella (now Public Enterprises and Kandy Development) and Kabir Hashim (Minister of Higher Education and Highways), there was no noteworthy change. That again is if it could be considered noteworthy. A new comer Ravindra Samaraweera, a Badulla District UNP parliamentarian, was sworn in as Wild Life and Sustainable Development Minister, leaving only Buddha Sasana for Gamini Jayawickrema Perera. If Sirisena had sought a shift in Kiriellas portfolio since last year when Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Ravi Karunanayake exchanged Ministries, there seems a paradoxical situation. A Gazette notification to be issued any time now will bring under Kiriellas purview the multi-million dollar Central Expressway Section 3 project from Potuhera to Galagedera via Rambukkana. This is the biggest ever highway project in the country. If Sirisena intended to take away highway projects from Kiriella, which was his stated public complaint, he has rewarded him now. That makes the reshuffle a farce. Details of latest developments related to the new project appear in the later paragraphs.

Thalatha not happy

Re-assigning the portfolio of Foreign Employment, held earlier by Talatha Athukorale (also Minister of Justice) was to spark a controversy. She did not attend the swearing-in ceremony. She had objected to the Foreign Employment Bureau being taken away and appealed to President Sirisena first. He had declared that the matter would have to be sorted out with her own party. She had then made representations to Premier Wickremesinghe. He had asked that Athukorale speak to Malik Samarawickrema, UNP Chairman who was involved in choosing ministers. He had declined her request to retain the ministry. Earlier, Wickremesinghe had asked her which of the two subjects she wished to have  Road Development Authority or Foreign Employment Bureau.

She had said she would take any one of those but her original request, she complained, had been ignored. The Ministry of Foreign Employment was placed under Harin Fernando who is Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure as well. He had said prior to the local council elections that he was certain of defeat in his district because he was unable to give employment to anyone in the three years they were in office. Athukorale is to receive another portfolio in addition to Justice though it has not been decided what it would be.

Here again, it reflects the thirst for politicians wanting portfolios where jobs can be given and the Governments indecisiveness.

There was a similar situation when two UNPers were sworn-in as State Ministers. This was after it was found that they could not hold positions as non-Cabinet rank ministers in accordance with the Constitution. They had earlier been told they would hold such ranks. Harsha de Silva, who once sought the replacement of his leader, was appointed State Minister for National Policies and Economic Affairs. Ajith P. Perera was sworn in as State Minister for Prison Reforms and Rehabilitation.

Even before the swearing-in ceremony ended, Perera complained to some of those present that he had been demoted. Later, he insisted that he should also continue to have his previous position in addition  Deputy Minister of Power and Renewable Energy. Asked for his response, Perera told the Sunday Times, There are several changes taking place both within the party and regarding cabinet subjects. I do not want to, therefore, make a comment at this point. Also appointed as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs was J.C. Alawathuwala, Kurunegala District UNP parliamentarian.

Crisis over CCEM

In the midst of a Cabinet reshuffle, Sirisena had some bad news for Wickremesinghe at Tuesdays weekly ministerial meeting. He said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Management (CCEM) should be wound up. The CCEM set up on September 23, 2015, meets every Wednesday at Temple Trees and is chaired by the Premier. All matters related to economic development including foreign investment are discussed and decided upon by it. Thereafter, only the minutes of the CCEM decisions, which are sketchy and brief, are forwarded to the Cabinet for endorsement. They often contained only the decisions taken and did not give fuller details. This prompted SLFP Ministers to dub the CCEM as a parallel cabinet. More often than not, ministers approved the CCEM decisions without knowing fuller details or by glossing over material before them.

One such case took place on July 5 last year when the decisions taken at the 74th meeting of the CCEM were submitted by Premier Wickremesinghe for endorsement by the ministers. A document titled Updates to the National Physical Plan June 2017 was among those tabled. This contained the National Physical Planning Policy. Dealing with major infrastructure projects, particularly road networks, the document included a map of Chinas One Belt One Road project but carried no comment. It is not clear from the document whether the intention was to link Chinas OBOR to Sri Lankas road network. OBOR is development strategy proposed by the Chinese Government and it focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries.

At the ministerial meeting Sirisena embarrassed Wickremesinghe by producing a catalogue of decisions taken by the CCEM which were non-productive. One case in point he stressed at length was the setting up of a so-called Volkswagen factory in Kuliyapitiya. He said it turned out there was no involvement by Volkswagen though CCEM had granted approval. Even he had been misled into taking part in the opening ceremony. Wickremesinghe explained that Volkswagen was experiencing financial difficulties and hence delayed the project. However, the German car manufacturer not only denied formally that it had no plans for a project in Sri Lanka but also withdrew its agency from a businessman who was associated with this so called project. This was to give rise to jokes that the investment was for a hoax-wagon project. As reported last week, Sirisena earlier told a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) that all decisions of the CCEM should be channelled through the Council.

The call by Sirisena to disband the CCEM did hurt the UNP leadership. A four member delegation led by Premier Wickremesinghe and including Ministers Malik Samarawickrema, Mangala Samaraweera and Kabir Hashim met the President on Thursday. They appealed to him to permit the CCEM to continue to function. In fact, its meeting on Wednesday took place with Wickremesinghe in the chair. Sirisena declared that he would consider their representations and would make his decision known.

UNP Minister Rajitha Senaratne also told the ministerial meeting that there were inordinate delays when matters went before the CCEM. He later told Wednesdays news briefing There was a major discussion (at the Cabinet meeting) regarding CCEM. This was because it takes time for a decision to be taken. We decided that all our development projects should be completed in the next one and a half years as in the last six months nothing is going to happen. If we were to complete them in one half years, how do we do it? We will need to select the projects that immediately concern the people.

The next was how we reduce the time taken to make decisions. There were two suggestions: One was to scrap the CCEM and send all memoranda to the Cabinet and thereafter if necessary appoint a Cabinet Sub Committee. By this, delays could be avoided. The other proposal was to take all national level major projects to that Committee and bring the smaller decisions directly to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister too agreed to this. What happens now is that all projects go to that Committee and only thereafter come to the cabinet. It takes time. There was agreement on this. However, a decision will be taken in future as to what the major projects are.

As Minister Senaratne points out, in the past many decades, the Cabinet of Ministers only forwarded memoranda for discussion at the weekly meeting. On issues which were considered complex, ministers decided on a Sub Committee comprising some of them. Such a body studied the issues involved and reported back to the Cabinet for final approval. A departure came under the yahapalanaya (good governance) Government when a Cabinet Committee on Economic Matters (CCEM) was established, of course with the approval of the ministers. Sirisena now wants it disbanded. Either he has realised three years into his office that it has become a parallel Government by itself or he wants to clip Wickremesinghes wings.

One of the two key players involved in the CCEM exercise is R. Paskaralingam, a former bureaucrat who was invited back from London to take the job. The octogenarian was a right hand man of late President Ranasinghe Premadasa and was his Finance Ministry Secretary. The other is Charitha Ratwatte, a close associate of Wickremesinghe who functions as Economic Advisor, also a former Treasury Secretary (2001-2004). Some of the procedures followed by the CCEM also came in for criticism. In one such instance, it was the CCEM that invited former Chinese Ambassador Xi Xianliang and urged him to ask companies in his country to bid for the Hambantota Port. The result has been a new deal with China. The previous one was under the Rajapaksa administration when loans were obtained from China for the project  a move that forced the Government to incur vast amounts as huge loan repayments. Though the new project has led to the generation of foreign exchange, the process that denied bidders from other countries has remained an issue.

Range-Bandara episode

It is in this backdrop that there is uneasiness for Wickremesinghe too in his own United National Party (UNP). Palitha Range Bandara (UNP  Puttalam District) declared that he would move a vote of no-confidence against Wickremesinghe as the leader of the UNP. The move appears to be a futile ill-informed exercise. Firstly, there is no provision in the UNP Constitution (2010) to remove the leader. There is, however, provision, to deal with any member or officer who acts in contravention of the party constitution. In such an instance, it is the partys Working Committee which is required to appoint a committee not exceeding ten members for the purpose of attending to all disciplinary matters. The Working Committee is appointed by the party leader, in this instance Wickremesinghe, and has a majority of his staunch backers. With those statements Range Bandara has opened himself for disciplinary action from his party. He was avoiding the media yesterday. His grouse appears to be non-elevation to the rank of a minister. He told television channels that the Districts of Puttalam, Polonnaruwa and the Chilaw electorate had no UNP minister represented in the Cabinet. Yet, moves by a section of the SLFP to win over a group of UNPers are causing much concern at the highest levels of the UNP. There are fears of an unidentified number veering away.

Despite the political pressures on him, Premier Wickremesinghe has, contrary to the report on this page last week, won conditional approval for awarding the contract for the construction of Central Expressway Section 3 (CEP III) from Potuhera to Galagedera via Rambukkana. The move coincides with a visit to Japan by President Sirisena next week. According to the minutes for the ministerial meeting on February 20, the Cabinet noted that the construction of the Central Expressway is an acutely felt need. The approval is subject to adherence to stipulations laid down by the Ministry of Highways. Among other matters the ministers examined further clarifications by the Prime Minister and Minister of Highways and Higher Education at this meeting and views expressed by the Minister of Megapolis and Western Development and several other members of the Cabinet. In terms of the minutes the contract will be awarded to Taisei Corporation of Japan pending the signing of the loan negotiated. It also decided to commence necessary preparatory works for the immediate implementation.

It must be borne in mind that the cost of the road project is 100 billion Japanese Yen or more than US 936 million. The cost of the entire Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport was US$ 270 million. This makes clear three such airports could be built with the money involved. In stating this, the idea is not to down grade road development in congested Kandy area but to demonstrate the enormous costs involved and to point out that it would add to the countrys debt burden. The other, which was raised at the ministerial meeting, was how the project was placed in terms of national priorities and whether it was an ad hoc move. The same argument was brought forth by members of the ruling party over the Hambantota Port Development project.

With a reshuffle of SLFP ministers due and a few changes to those made last Sunday, the woes do not seem to be over for either President Sirisena or Premier Wickremesinghe. Sirisena has to now take a final decision on whether the CCEM would continue and on what basis it will be allowed to do so. Wickremesinghe who has resisted moves so far to oust him as Prime Minister will continue with his pleas to have Sarath Fonseka installed as the Law and Order Minister. That he (Fonseka) is an archenemy of the Rajapaksas, who jailed him, is not lost on Fonseka. If appointed, unlike Minister Sagala Ratnayake, he would put military-style pressure on the Police over pending investigations. And that would further distance Sirisena whose party members are still talking to Rajapaksa loyalists about forming a new Government. It would further isolate the President who remains cornered. Thus, the ding-dong battles between the two coalition partners will continue as they claim to rule as a yahapalanaya Unity Government. The more Cabinet reshuffles are made, the more they remain the same.Political compulsions and economic imperatives: Regaining popularity with right economic policies View(s):

The post local government election period of political confusion, uncertainty and partial reshuffling of the cabinet last Sunday has demonstrated that the countrys leadership has no firm resolve to address the countrys critical economic issues. Consequently, the economy could be heading for an economic crisis.

The government must act quickly to implement economic policies that address fundamental economic issues and regain its popularity. It should not compromise on the needed economic policies owing to its paramount need to regain its popularity.

Cabinet reshuffle

The expectation that a new cabinet would demonstrate a strong resolve to be more effective has been dashed to the ground. The first phase of the cabinet reshuffle last Sunday, after over two weeks of political confusion, was like a reseating of one half of a school classroom after a recess. Political commentators have used far stronger critical comments on this shuffling of the pack. Not much is expected from the second instalment of the cabinet reshuffle in a few weeks.

No significant change

The response to the results of the local government elections has not led to either a reformation or a renaissance in the government. There is no indication of a firm resolve for effective governance. This is indeed bad news for the economy that has been plagued by political confusion and economic uncertainty. The unfolding political developments do not augur well for the economy, as political opportunism, political instability and uncertainty in economic policies are likely to continue and setback investment, especially foreign direct investment.

This years economic performance would depend heavily on political stability and the governments capacity to pursue economic policies without political opportunism. Lack of consensus on economic policies in the government, political considerations being foremost rather than needed economic policies and irrational and unscientific decision making are likely to continue to the detriment of the economy. The political leadership of the country is unable to put the country before party and personal self-interest. A stable and more cohesive government with an agreed economic program effectively implemented is of utmost importance.

Obstruction

Emboldened by the better showing at the local government elections, the Joint Opposition (JO) is likely to step up its opposition and obstruct economic policy implementation. This could be a formidable drawback to economic progress in 2018 and 2019. Unlike in the past three years, firm action by the government to contain unjustified strikes and demonstrations is imperative.

Ineffective cabinet

One of the obstacles to economic performance is the inordinately large cabinet and the irrational allocation and combination of ministry functions. Many economic activities are bifurcated into several ministries. For example, agriculture, a key economic activity is in the hands of several ministers, deputies and state ministers.

The dysfunctional nature of this distribution of agriculture was vividly expressed by the former Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka at the Annual Congress of the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA) of the University of Peradeniya last November. He said China was committed to give a wide range of assistance for agriculture to Sri Lanka, but he did not know which minister he should contact. He said You have so many ministers dealing with agriculture.

The rationalisation of ministries would result in more effective formulation and implementation of economic policies.

Finance and Central Bank

The reform of the cabinet failed to address reassigning the Central Bank and banking to the Ministry of Finance. Nowhere in the world is the central bank of the country in any other ministry than finance. The anomalous nature of this is seen in that according to the Monetary Law Act, the Secretary to the Treasury is an ex-officio member of the Monetary Board. The current Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Secretary to the Treasury is on the Monetary Board, but the Central Bank is not in his ministry. This change should have been made much before the reshuffle.

Macroeconomic fundamentals

There is every prospect of an undermining of macroeconomic fundamentals as political considerations are likely to guide policies to regain popularity. Foremost among the macroeconomic fundamentals that must be strengthened is fiscal consolidation. Policies that improve the external finances are also of utmost importance as the country has a huge debt repayment in 2019 and beyond. However some of the prudential monetary and fiscal policies are not likely to be adopted owing to their unpopularity.

Fiscal slippage likely

It is imperative that the fiscal deficit target of 3.5 percent is achieved in 2020 as fiscal consolidation is a prerequisite to achieve economic stability and growth. A deterioration in the governments resolve and inability to achieve the fiscal target would jeopardise the countrys economic future. The implementation of revenue proposals in Budget 2018 and a more effective tax administration are essential to achieve a low fiscal deficit.

The political setback to the government at the local government elections is likely to weaken the governments resolve to achieve a lower fiscal deficit. Imprudent spending to garner political support and popularity before the next elections could erode public finances. Fiscal slippages would hurt the economy. It is likely that public spending would expand in agriculture subsidies, rural welfare measures, salary increases and increased employment in the public services. If these were to happen and there were to be large increases in public expenditure, the fiscal deficit would expand and the stability of the economy will be undermined.

Economic imperatives

The strengthening of macroeconomic conditions are imperative for economic growth without which political popularity would be hard to achieve. These are likely to be threatened by short term and ill-advised public spending on handouts. This would also affect the external finances and reserves and aggravate the foreign debt servicing capacity.

Way forward

Political compulsions to increase expenditure, should be undertaken in tandem with countervailing measures to cut other expenditure and increase revenue.

Recent political developments make it politically expedient for the government to pursue policies that enhance its popularity. Economic policies that enhance the governments popularity and are right economic policies that should be pursued. For instance, development of rural infrastructure, strengthening of agricultural research and extension and rational subsides for agricultural inputs would generate economic growth, decrease rural poverty and gain popularity. Higher expenditure on these and effective implementation of policies are economically and politically judicious. On the other hand, giving permits to import cars with reduced duties decreases revenue, increases imports and strains the balance of payments. Such policies may enhance popularity among a few, but undermines economic fundamentals and aggravates economic difficulties.

The government should have economic policies that enhance its popularity without compromising macroeconomic conditions. Cutting unnecessary expenditure is vital in the current fiscal and economic context to enable expenditure on economic and social needs that are politically and economically essential. There are several changes needed to enhance economic efficiency of the government. However it is unrealistic to expect these changes when political considerations are foremost, where party interests rather than national interests guide decision making and self-interest of leaders dominate.

Good economics is good politics in the long run. But then political leaders and political parties are not interested in the long run.Uniting the North and the South View(s):

Last Sundays Cabinet reshuffle was a damp squib; and now, the DIGs are shivering in their boots more than anyone else fearing that the one-time Army Commander turned politician might be their Minister; and the President continues to hold back on his part of the reshuffle deal.

With the hullabaloo domestically, and the National Government in a state of shock and paralysis following the February 10 local council polls, the happenings at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva have gone off the radar, somewhat.

The UNHRC chief has labored to make the usual refrain calling for transitional justice in Sri Lanka and an international war crimes tribunal. He refuses to move on from a three-decade-long insurgency that took its toll not only on the people of the North, but the rest of the country as well. So does the Northern Provincial Council refuse to move on.

The NPC resolution passed recently to coincide with the UNHRC sessions betrays the mind-set of the Northern politicians. They continue to refer to the contiguous North and East being the traditional homeland of the Tamil people who are a nation. In every sense, this was the rhetoric of the LTTE and the cry for Eelam. The TNA leader may say in Parliament in Kotte that his party stands for a United Sri Lanka. So then, is this to be a case of a Nation within a Nation?

Who is calling the shots up in the North? Is it the Diaspora? We can see nationalism is also not dead in the South. The recent election results prove the point.

It is, however, correct that the Government is far too slow in doing the things it has to do in the name of reconciliation. The eventual naming of the Office of Missing Persons came only to comply with UNHRC Resolution 30/1. Why is the Government not implementing what the home-grown LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) report recommended? The North has fresh issues  micro-financing issues, drugs, crime and unemployment. The people want to live in the present  not in the past.

Maldives now a geopolitical hotspot

When Sri Lanka was in the midst of recovering from the race riots of July 1983, the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi famously said that when ones neighbours house is in flames, one cannot remain without intervening. What she did not say was that it was her spy agency that lit the fire.

Notwithstanding Sri Lankas bitter experience by that intervention in that era of not-so-long-ago, theres some sense in the late Ms. Gandhis words, provided, however, the intervention is bona-fide.

The Maldives, whose closest neighbour is Sri Lanka (though not vice-versa) is in political turmoil. The incumbent President has gone almost the whole journey towards dictatorship. His supporters say he is fighting against the old feudal system and the new political upstarts.

A state of emergency exists in the archipelago. A Supreme Court order was reversed by the sacking of the Chief Justice. The apex court is under a political directive. National Security, the common phrase to overrule the Rule of Law, something not unfamiliar to Sri Lanka as well, was the excuse for the Male Government to justify suspending the democratic political process in the Maldives.

Sri Lanka has taken what seems to be a soft, noncommittal stand on whats happening, seemingly a conscious decision to give some space for the Maldives to return to some normalcy. The Colombo Government issued a relatively inconsequential statement saying it was observing the evolving situation and urging all parties to find a peaceful solution.

It was Sri Lankas Parliament Speaker who wrote to his counterpart in the Maldivian Majlis, in his capacity as the Chair of the SAARC Speakers and MPs, to express concern over the evolving situation in the Maldives, where democratic norms and parliamentary practice appear to be in peril.

The volatile situation less than 1,000 km from Sri Lanka would normally be something that would only otherwise worry the top-end tourists who flock to its famed resorts, if not for the interest this part of the world has generated in recent times among global players in world power capitals.

The United States and Britain had the area covered for most part of the last century; the Maldives being a British colony during World War II and with nearby Diego Garcia, a US naval base. India had its matriarchal protective rights in more recent years. New Delhi firmly believed that this was its patch. After all, this was the Indian Ocean.

However, theres now a new predator on the scene. With an expanding blue water navy and a global outreach policy, China has set its eyes on these sea lanes that run past the Maldives islands, and its presence and influence have turned the Maldives into a geopolitical hot-spot  an extension of what has become of Sri Lanka.

Such was the importance of the recent political developments in the Maldives that the Western powers raised the matter at the United Nations Security Council. Fears that China was making headway with the anti-democratic regime, bathed in allegations of corruption, were clearly bothering the West.

The result has been the appointment of a UN mediator to play the role of honest broker in negotiating an amicable settlement between the President and Opposition forces and to restore broken down democratic institutions. The fact that this UN mediator is a legal counsel to one pro-West faction of the Opposition groups comes as no surprise.

Thus, the West has got a foot in the door in the internal affairs of the Maldives. This was exactly what they were after in Sri Lanka right through the Northern separatist insurgency. They light the fire and want to come in as the fire fighters.

This is where SAARC, the South Asian regional grouping and even the Commonwealth have shown their ineffectiveness to be bodies that carry any weight. If any external good offices were required, SAARC and the Commonwealth of which the Maldives is a member-state would have been the natural first and second option. But these two groupings seem to limit themselves to summit meetings of Heads of Government, and little else.

Politics has transformed the Maldives from an idyllic top-of- the-range sun, sea, sailing, surfing and snorkeling paradise to a geopolitical honey-pot coveted by all super powers of the modern era. Their geographical location on the world map has been its fortune and now, its fate.As they sowed so shall they reap View(s):

Students, their parents and staff of Munamalgaswewa Junior School, Puttalam, this week returned to harvest paddy sown 3 months back, on land adjoining the school.

The Principal of the School, Lakmal Abeygoda said that a 1-acre plot of land that was cultivated, was irrigated with the rainwater collected in a pond.However, after one-and-a-half months, due to the drought, they had to pump water from an agricultural well, 300 metres away. The participants are seen heading for the harvesting ceremony. Pix by Karuwalagaswewa Jayaratna Wickremaarachchi.The Music Project at Kala Pola By Oshani Alwis View(s): View(s):

The childrens orchestra of The Music Project showcased their skills at the 25th Kala Pola held last Sunday. The well-rehearsed group consisted of students coming from three schools in Kurunegala, Lakdasa De Mel College, Pothubowa Maha Vidyalaya and Yatiwala Sri Gunananda Vidyalaya.

The children playing popular classics and local fusion added colour to the Kala Pola, receiving a lot of attention from art lovers who flocked to the fair. Shalini Wickramasuriya, a trustee of The Music Project, explained the motive behind the project. It was post war era, in 2011 that the project was initiated with six schools in Kurunegala and Mullaitivu. It is an attempt to introduce music for social cohesion, Shalini says. To her, music is a link language which connects children coming from different backgrounds.

Music is a happy, joyful and non-competitive activity that children could engage in freely. The children played musical instruments ranging from violin, cello, viola, flute, clarinet, trumpet, percussion any many more.

Rashmi Senanayake and Dilmini Kaveesha from Lakdasa De Mel College are an enthusiastic duo who play the violin in the orchestra. Both being in Grade 10, they received their first music lessons seven years ago under the guidance of The Music Project.

It is a good opportunity for us to be a part of the orchestra and we meet students from the schools of Mullaitivu and learned to work with them in cooperation, says Rashmi, smiling.

As she says the whole orchestra gets together on the last Saturday of every month and practice together. Some of the teachers who taught these children the ABCs of music, were proud to see them performing at Kala Pola. Students are extremely committed and eager to practice and their families support immensely, said the violin teacher Kasun Jayasinghe.Emerging winners at HackaTrips By Joshua Surendraraj Computer Science graduate, Nandana Mihindukulasooriya leads a young team to design the best app at Fitur in Spain View(s): View(s):

Nandana Mihindukulasooriya recently led a team and emerged victorious for developing the best app, at HackaTrips, a competition which was held at Fitur 2018 an International Tourism Fair in Spain. This week we were able to catch up with Nandana, who gave us a glimpse of the competition and his exciting journey so far.

After graduating from the University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka) with a first class degree in Computer Science & Engineering, Nandana worked as a software engineer for two years. However his life was soon to change.

In 2009 he was offered a fully-paid prestigious scholarship by the European Union, to read for a double degree masters in Software Engineering. Under this scholarship, Nandana had to select two European universities as his host institutions, where he decided on Blekinge Tekniska Hogskola, Sweden and thereafter Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain in 2010.

Currently Nandana is finishing his PhD in Artificial Intelligence at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain. His research is focused on Semantic Web and how to represent knowledge in a way that machines can easily understand, whilst using such knowledge to take decisions, or to assist humans.

Our conversation moves on to HackTrips. Nandana explains the competition features several teams of programmers, designers, and tourism domain experts competing for 24 hours to build applications (apps).Their goal is to improve the tourist experience and to find the best innovative solutions to current challenges in the industry using emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The apps have to be developed, based on the criteria provided. It has to be novel and built from scratch, during the competition. Furthermore it had to use APIs provided by the Hackathon sponsors.

Its the organizers of HackTrips, who create the teams based on their profiles to make sure that it was multidisciplinary,while their expertise was compatible and complementary. Nandanas team, included members from different nationalities, who had met for the first time at the competition.

We had two from Spain, one Venezuelan, and one Sri Lankan.We were all fluent in Spanish, so there was no language barrier, he tells us.

Now that the team was set, the biggest challenge, before them was the 24 hour stipulation. Their next hurdle was the lack of a tourism expert in the team. The competition did have a few participants who were tourism experts and only a few groups were lucky enough to have them and a front-end developer, Nandana recalls. But since all four members of the team were vivid travelers, they used that experience to rectify the situation. .

Ricardo Crespo and I contributed as the back end developers, Pablo Cano Huero contributed as the front-end developer, and Mario Verdu Gambin as the designer. I also played the role of team leader, Nandana explains. .

Grupa, app was a result of their hard work. It essentially uses the historical data from bank transactions and creates profiles for users automatically by analyzing their expense patterns on leisure activities and using those profiles to suggest groups with similar interests

Further, based on aggregated transactions of each geographical location, they modeled the least expensive and less crowded places to visit and matched the tourist attractions in these places with the groups.

For instance, places such as Madrid or Barcelona are full of tourists to the level that the life of residents in some areas of the city are negatively affected by tourism.

On the other hand, businesses in smaller towns and villages just outside these big cities get closed due to lack of visitors.

Their plan was to form better groups with similar likes, interests and similar budgets. They also looked to achieve this without having to bother the users with a tedious questionnaire. Aside from this,the team also wanted to introduce local guides to the app, so they could show their towns, villages, cities and save tourists from having to pay overly expensive prices.

All of this was done using the data provided by APIs from Minube, BBVA API Market, and Hotels Combined.

Despite meeting for the first time at Fitur, Nandana and his team have come a long way. Whilst winning the award, was their first goal, Nandana and his team, also plan to make Grupa available to the public soon. We are also analyzing what would be the most suitable business model for Grupa. All four of us are working full time on our day jobs, so this is something we are doing during our free time.Top three filmmakers interpret post-war realities Her, Him. The Other View(s): View(s):

Her, Him. The Other  Thundenek directed by three internationally awarded directors Prasanna Vithanage, Asoka Handagama and Vimukthi Jayasundara will be released soon.

Three filmmakers have joined hands to make a film for the first time in Sri Lanka film history, Her, Him. The Other unravels the post war realities in Sri Lanka.

He (an ex-militant videographer for the LTTE) travels from the North in search of HER (a young widow of a government army soldier) in the South to find relief from the pain that disturbed his conscience. Having been raised in a religion that has faith in reincarnation, he (a Sinhala language teacher) tries to deceive his own conscience by refusing to believe the re-birth of a Tamil militant into a Sinhala family witnessed by HIM with his own eyes. Ones hero is the others villain. But a mother will lose a son in a war. How many wars 

Music is directed by K Krishna Kumar and Kapila Poogalaarachchi, cinematographers are Channa Deshapriya, M.D. Mahindapala and Eeshit Narain.

Editing of the film is done by Saman Elvitigala, Ravindra Guruge and A. Sreekar Prasad.

Late filmmaker and editor Titus Totawatte was the one who first experimented with a tri-segmented anthology film named Thewatha in Sri Lankan cinema. However it was an effort by an individual filmmaker.UPay unveils mobile payment platform in Sri Lanka By Raj Moorthy View(s): View(s):

One of the much awaited and debated payment platforms is here for the first time in Sri Lanka. Cashless and card-less payment system, the only mobile payment platform for transactions is introduced by Payment Services (Pvt) Ltd, a startup company invested by industry experts in 2016. The company recently launched the brand new app UPay in January this year. Asela Wickremesooriya, CEO of Payment Services (Pvt) Ltd spoke with the Mirror Magazine about the app.

UPay is available on both android and iOS.

The product has a basic registration process to identify the consumer, that includes the name, NIC number, email address and mobile number. You add a passcode to enhance the security to recover the password or your account at a later stage. Then once you log into the account you add the bank accounts and credit card details.

Its a matter of tokenizing, which means you enter the details once and reuse it all the time. There is no limitation for the number of cards or bank accounts you can add on the app, he added.

He emphasized that the beauty of UPay is that the merchant doesnt need big infrastructure to adapt to cashless transactions. Merchants have to convert their smartphones into a card terminal. They have to download the Merchant mPOS (mobile point of sale) app, sign up, log in and generate a static QR code for any specific amount.

That QR code will be scanned by the consumers on the UPay app, mention the amount of the bill and the transaction is done in real time from the consumers account to the merchants account.

The merchants that UPay signs up with have multiple ways of transactions that could be done. Easiest is the static QR code. There is also a dynamic QR code which generates a unique bill that would capture the payment amount and the merchant details.

NFC (near field communication) is another tap and pay mechanism which allows consumers that have NFC to tap the merchants phone to make the transaction.

There is no scanning allowed in this method. The merchants mobile phone will be recognized as the receiving party. The consumer will enter the amount, tap and make the payment.

Also there is an SMS pay. The merchant identifies the customer ID or mobile number and push the payment across to you. Then the consumer authorizes it and makes the payment, noted Mr. Wickremesooriya.

UPay is organizing Sri Lankas first cashless warehouse sale at the Royal MAS Arena in Colombo today. Over 75 merchants will be accepting cashless transactions for the goods they will be selling. It will be commission free for the merchants for three months.

The merchant will benefit from this service and eventually the countrys economy as well.

There are over 50 merchants that have signed up with UPay. We are targeting for at least 1200 merchants by the end of this year and 500 merchants by April. Apart from that we have access to all utility providers such as electricity and water boards, insurance providers and charity organisations have also signed up. There are a lot of restaurants that have signed up with us. We are also moving into the apparel industry. We have picked up with merchant acquisition. Right now we have 50 plus merchants, Mr. Wickremesooriya elaborated adding that UPay has been selected to support local government payments as well. Municipal council payments to over 340 urban and rural councils.

Very few merchants have IT knowledge and services. Converting a smartphone into a payment device would be easier since everyone carries a smartphone even though they leave their wallet behind. In futurre UPay accepting boards will be placed at the merchants venue for consumers to identify.

educed the ticket size (maximum value that could be transacted using the JUSPAY network) to Rs. 10,000 per transaction. The reason for this is to reduce the risk factor and to lower the impact it will have. As the product grows the Central Bank with Lanka Clear will increase this ticket size. This will happen as the market starts accepting the payment method as we strengthen it some more and it keeps gaining up, stressed Mr. Wickremesooriya.

UPay works with Cargills bank so it holds all merchant accounts that UPay signs up with. The fund will be remitted in real time to those accounts when a transaction is made by a consumer.

There are over 50 merchants that have signed up with UPay. We are targeting for at least 1200 merchants by the end of this year and 500 merchants by April. Apart from that we have access to all utility providers such as electricity and water boards, insurance providers and charity organisations have also signed up. There are a lot of restaurants that have signed up with us. We are also moving into the apparel industry. We have picked up with merchant acquisition. Right now we have 50 plus merchants, Mr. Wickremesooriya elaborated.

UPay is organizing Sri Lankas first cashless warehouse sale at the Royal MAS Arena in Colombo. Over 75 merchants will be accepting cashless tr ansactions for the goods they will be selling. It will be commission free for the merchants for three months. The merchant will benefit from this service and eventually the countrys economy as well. There will be raffle draws and gift vouchers for merchants and consumers at the event. The merchant has to register with Rs. 2,500 for a stall.

Very few merchants have IT knowledge and services. Converting a smartphone into a payment device would be easier since everyone carries a smartphone even though they leave their wallet behind. UPay accepting boards will be placed at the merchants venue for consumers to identify.

In the app there is a My Payee list that maintains the account of what you have to pay for during a month. You just have to enter the details once and it will be saved in the app and you dont have to enter the account numbers all the time you want to make a payment. There is also another feature called scheduled payments. You can settle payments before the due date via the app.

The enablement of government payments can be done via UPay. UPay has been selected to support local government payments. Municipal council payments to over 340 urban and rural councils.

Also Mr. Wickremesooriya pointed out that less than 50 per cent of Sri Lankans have bank accounts. One of the vision of UPay is to enable banking.

A bank charges three per cent commission through the VISA or Master card from the merchant. Our rates are two per cent or less. Its nearly 30-50 per cent less than what a bank would offer, noted Mr. Wickremesooriya.How the RTI Commission got the report

A certified copy of the Report of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the death of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress founder and former Leader M.H.M. Ashraff, was released by the Right to Information Commission on Tuesday to former Minister Basheer SeguDawood following an appeal lodged by him. The COI report had been commissioned by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 2001 following the sudden death of Mr Ashraff and others in the helicopter crash. The report was finally located in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following the Presidential Secretariat writing to the CID on the direction of the RTI Commission. This came after an inquiry was initiated under the RTI Act. The Commission consists of Mahinda Gammanpila (Chair), attorneys Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, SG Punchihewa, Dr Selvy Thiruchandran and Justice Rohini Walgama. Mr SeguDawoods RTI request to the Presidential Secretariat last year had not been successful as the Secretariat had responded that the COI Report was not to be found in the relevant files sent by it to the National Archives during 2007. On his filing an appeal to the RTI Commission, it was discovered during the appeal hearing that the files only contained three pages of the COI Report (page 69, 70 and 71) relating to the payment of compensation. Noting that the inability to ascertain the whereabouts of the COI Report was a matter of grave public concern, the RTI Commission then embarked on an inquiry. The National Archives was directed to inquire from the Secretary to the Ashraff Commission while the Presidential Secretariat was directed to ascertain the whereabouts of the report from the named public authorities to whom a copy of the report had been sent at the time, including the CID and the Government Printer.

The Ashraff Commission Secretary had affirmed that the report with other documents had been handed over to the National Archives on 24.01.2002 and also to the Presidential Secretariat. The Director General of the National Archives maintained in response that the accession list of the documents by the Archives upon the handing over of the said documents did not contain a reference to the said report. However, as detailed in its Order (http://www.rticommission.lk/web/images/pdf/01032018/RTI-Commn-Basheer-Segudawood-Jan-16th-Order-27-Feb-2018-01032018.pdf) the CID had responded to the Presidential Secretariat by forwarding a copy of the COI Report certified as a true copy on 26.03.2003 by the then Senior Assistant Secretary to the President, W.J.S. Karunarathne. Earlier, the Commission had also released the Gazette Notification dated 22.08.2001 on the appointment of the one man Commission of Inquiry Justice L.K.G. Weerasekera on Mr SeguDawoods complaint that he could not locate the gazette relating to the appointment in the Parliament Library. In other updates relating to appeals on the Commission website this week, it had also ordered the RTI release of the draft law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This was in the wake of the Ministry of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage declining to provide a copy on an RTI request filed by Dr Mario Gomez, Executive Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) on the basis that the draft had not been finalised as yet. The Ministry had stated that it would be made available once gazetted. On the matter coming up before it on appeal, the Commission pointed out that the definition of information in Section 43 of the RTI Act specifically includes draft legislation within its ambit. (http://www.rticommission.lk/web/images/pdf/01032018/Mario-Gomez-v-Ministry-of-Social-Empowerment-01032018.pdf). Ordering that the draft be provided to the appellant, it was further observed that draft laws are required to be presented before the public in advance and before a Bill is gazetted in many neighbouring countries as well as globally in order to obtain feedback on its contents. The Order notes that this is a beneficial process leading to public consensus around the framing of legislation.Japan to roll out the red carpet for President Abe looks to support Sirisena as a counterweight to Beijing View(s): View(s):

Japan is expected to reaffirm its commitment to bolstering bilateral ties with Sri Lanka during an official visit by the Indian Ocean nations leader this month in an effort to forestall Chinese encroachment in the region, Japan-based Nikkei Asian Review has reported. President Maithripala Sirisena will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his March 12-15 trip. His itinerary also includes meeting with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

When meeting with Mr. Sirisena, the news magazine said, Abe would likely confirm closer collaboration in such areas as the economy and stress the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Occupying a strategic spot in a sea lane connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans, Sri Lanka is an important piece of the puzzle in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, a grand project to create a sweeping economic zone encompassing Asia and Europe. China has for this reason launched a diplomatic offensive targeting Sri Lanka and the Maldives, another strategic country in the Indian Ocean, the Nikkei Asian Review said.

Japan is expected to try to keep Sri Lanka from leaning back toward Beijing by improving cooperation with Mr. Sirisena and supporting his administrations diplomatic strategy, the news magazine said. It added: Mr. Sirisena advocates a balanced diplomacy including Japan, India, Europe and the U.S. But he is facing a challenge from former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a pro-Beijing political figure vying to return to power. His party won a landslide victory in local elections last month.Local traders protest against Chinese retail shops; President intervenes By S. Rubatheesan View(s): View(s):

President Maithripala Sirisena has stopped a proposed protest organised by local industrialists and retail shop owners who are up in arms against foreign-owned retail shops and joint ventures, particularly Chinese ones, flooding the local market at their expense. The groups had made representation to the President that they were affected by the existing government policy regarding investments by foreigners without proper regulations and the absence of checks and balances.

Anuruddha Wijeratne, a department storesmanaging director, who took part in the meeting with the President said the President had assured them he would take effective action to resolve these issues through a healthy discussion soon.There are retail shops coming in two ways; organised and individual retail shops. They are posing a threat to Small and Medium Business (SME) outlets. They come with massive purchasing power and with small market like ours, it would be difficult for us to compete with them in the long run, he said.

Mr Wijeratne said the Government had given the green light for this kind of foreign investment as it was desperately looking for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) without considering the implications to the national economy.

President Sirisena on Tuesday raised the issue at the Cabinet meeting saying that a group of local industrialists and retail shop owners had brought to his attention the recent sudden increase of Chinese run retail shops in Colombo and Kandy and they had warned they were posing a threat to the local market. The local businessmen were to meet at the Sugathadasa Stadium next week to protest against the setting up of Chinese-run retail shops.

The President that he had requested the local businessmen not to go ahead with the meeting while inviting them for a discussion to resolve their grievances.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe intervened to inform the Cabinet that earlier the minimum investment for foreigners was one million US dollars and it has been increased up to five million dollars to safeguard the interests of local market.

Currently for projects approved under Section 16 of the BOI Law, the minimum investment requirement to qualify for the section 16 was US$ 250,000. This can be either 100% foreign investment or a joint venture investment with local collaboration.

Foreigner have to remit a minimum of US$ 1 million if they are to undertake trading activity. The proposed foreign investment should be effected from funds remitted through a Securities Investment Account (SIA) as indicated in the Gazette Extraordinary No.1232/14 of 19th April 2002 published by the Controller of Exchange, the Board of Investment (BOI) website notes in its guide on setting up businesses in Sri Lanka.

Kulatunga Rajapakse, Managing Director of a leading shoe manufacturing company, said the retail market should be in the hands of Sri Lankans as it was not something related to hi-tech manufacturing. There are no legitimate reasons to allow foreigners to engage in the retail market

Mr Rajapakse said he believed that though the Government claimed it had increased the minimum requirement to five million US dollars for foreign investors, the move was not effective. Local retail traders said that most of these foreign-owned or joint ventures were set up bypassing government regulations with minimum capital investment. Once such retail shops were set up, they brought items from China directly posing a threat to local importers and retail shop owners.No money for District Secretariats, private millers grab bargains By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s):

Private millers have been moving in and purchasing the paddy harvest while the state agency the Paddy Marketing Board and District Secretaries are still waiting for money from the government.

This is the complaint heard across the districts from farmers who are gathering their rice harvest.

The PMB chief admits that money for paddy purchases has not yet been made available by the government. The Cabinet says funds have been approved.

District Secretaries have not got money from the government either.

In the meantime, rice imports by the private sector will be reviewed at the end of March, although farmer organisations say it may be too late.

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Mahinda Amaraweera, who is a member of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Cost of Living, told the Sunday Times that private rice imports will be allowed until the end of March, while halting government imports.

He believes that there is more than 100,000 metric tonnes of rice in the state-run Co-operative Wholesale Establishment and that there was no need for more state imports.

Mr Amaraweera said that Cabinet approval had been given to release funds from the Treasury to the Paddy Marketing Board for paddy purchases.

Meanwhile, farmers in areas where the rice crop is being harvested, complained that they are not able to sell at the stipulated price. The PMB has not started purchases, yet. Instead private buyers are moving in.

The government is offering Rs 38 per kilo of Nadu and Rs 41 for a kilo of Samba.

Most farmers say they have no choice but to sell their produce to the millers because they have to settle loans and pay for the agri machines and labor.

Some farmers do not have storage space, so selling quickly is the best option.

The All Island Farmers Federation, national organiser, Namal Karunaratne said paddy prices are between Rs 24 and Rs 25 a kilo.

He said that the government has yet to provide the funds to District Secretaries for paddy purchases.

They claim that the paddy stores are open and there is ample space but still they are unable to purchase the paddy, he said.

As a result, the large-scale millers and middlemen are buying up paddy at low prices.

Mr Karunaratne also said the PMB cannot purchase the entire harvest.

He accused large-scale millers of creating an artificial shortage of rice, thus creating an opening for rice imports. They buy up the harvest and release a small quantity of milled rice to the market.

Although the paddy purchase prices are very low, several large-scale millers are controlling the supply of rice, keeping prices at between Rs 95 and Rs 110, he explained.

Meanwhile, farmers and small-scale millers said middlemen and large-scale millers are buying up the harvest at cheap rates.

Indika Paranawithana, president of Kantale Govi Viyapara Ekamuthuwa, said that in Trincomalee, the PMB has not yet begun purchases, despite claiming readiness to do so.

The District Secretary has not yet started purchases because funds from the government are delayed, he said.

Farmer, Wasantha Piyasiri, who is also convenor of the Ampara Farmers Association said large-scale millers are offering Rs 28 for a kilo of Nadu and Rs 30 for a kilo of Samba.

W D K Mudith Perera, a small-scale rice miller, who is also secretary to the All Ceylon Rice Producers Association, said paddy prices have fallen in Ampara, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi and in the north.

He estimates that since paddy prices have fallen, a kilo of Nadu could be sold at Rs 74.

The large-scale rice millers are fixing rice prices based on the average cost of their large stocks, but small-scale millers can only sell at cost, he said.

He also claimed that state banks, too, provide more financial support to large-scale millers since they can repay, but the small-scale millers who are in need of financial support, are neglected.

He said that the government should maintain mills to support millers facing difficulties.

Meanwhile at the Cost of Living Committee held on Wednesday P.M.B. chairman M.B Dissanayake said that the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) will provide them the money they requested from them. He explained that Minister Rishad Bathuiudeen has promised to provide the requested Rs. 900 Million.

We are ready to purchase, our stores are open. The only issue is money. The District Secretaries have not received money. If they receive money they can purchase paddy even tomorrow, he said.

He said that the harvest had been collected in the districts of Trincomalee, Ampara, and the northern regions.

He explained that the harvest in the Polonnaruwa District had not been collected, but in Batticaloa and Kilinochchi, the harvest had been bigger than usual.

There is a price reduction in some districts. The farmers sell paddy at prices ranging from Rs 29, but we buy fresh paddy for Rs 32, while Rs 38 is paid for a kilo of dry Nadu, Dissanayake said.

Duminda Priyadarshana, the head of Marketing and Food Policy of the Agrarian Business Division of Hector Kobbakaduwa Agrarian Research Training Institute, said that there was rice to last seven months.

He said that according to the Agriculture Departments report a harvest from 814,311 hectares had been expected, but the final harvest came from 601,302 hectares.

Mr Priyadarshana said 27 metric tonnes of paddy would be harvested. This will yield 7.5 MT of rice, which would be enough until August. The harvest had been about 75 percent of last years.

He expects the Yala harvest to be be enough four months.

I believe that there is ample paddy in the country. With this seasons harvest and the next season, the locals can be fed for 10 months, he said.Sri Lankas China envoy condemns Western imperialists, gloats over belt and road From Kapila Bandara in Hong Kong View(s): View(s):

Sri Lankas envoy to China has denounced Western imperialists for exploiting countries they occupied and drawn a sharp contrast with Beijings honourable behaviour as a great world benefactor. In an exclusive interview with Communist Chinas state news agency, Xinhua, Dr Karunasena Kodituwakku, said this week, Chinas belt and road initiative for shared prosperity is worthy of admiration by Sri Lankans.

We admire it, we must support it, and we must cooperate with it, he told Xinhua on Tuesday. If you look at the history of the past two to three centuries the imperial powers of the West exploited occupied countries, whatever they could gain from those countries were used only to improve the living conditions of their own people, Xinhua cited him as saying. But the contrast in Chinas Belt and Road Initiative is that it is a shared future. China is interested not only in the Chinese economy and its people but also the other economies and peoples of those countries.

Xinhua said that the remarkable vision of building a community with shared future for mankind proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping means sharing the prosperity among countries and peoples. This message gives a new hope to many developing countries, said Sri Lankan Ambassador to China, Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku.

Xinhua said Kodituwakku spoke highly of the belt and road initiative which helps translate Xis broad vision into practice by providing opportunities in investment, technology transfer and access to global market (sic). No other global power was prepared to come forward to provide such opportunities in this magnitude. Under the belt and road Initiative, President Xi Jinping has come forward to do that, he stressed, Xinhua reports.

Regardless of Kodituwakkus glowing praise, the worlds leading economies, the United States, Canada, Japan and India have not joined the Chinese initiative.

Distrust of the plan has been rising. Australia, a strong US ally, is wary. There are doubts about transparency and the commercial viability of projects and there are suspicions about phony deals.

Many nations are also suspicious that Beijing is merely advancing its geopolitical interests and growing its economic leverage through the belt and road  in effect, a smokescreen for pushing its self-interest. India has criticised Beijngs projects for overriding sovereignty of other countries. There are suspicions that the idea is a ruse to export Chinas polluting industries and overcapacity in some sectors. Referring to creditor Chinas influence in Sri Lanka, Kodituwakku tells Xinhua:

Now China has become the most important development partner for us in investment, foreign trade, and tourism and even in the field of technology transfer.

Xinhua says that according to him, China has been creating two important development hubs in Sri Lanka under the Belt and Road Initiative, one in Colombo, the other in Hambantota.

Xinhua also says: The project under construction in Colombo will elevate the port city into an international service hub not only for Sri Lanka, but also for South Asia, mainly focusing as an international financial city such as Hong Kong and Dubai. Xinhua adds: With Chinas participation in building the industrial hub at Hambantota Port, Sri Lanka will become an important logistic platform for South Asia, Southeast Asia and even to serve East Africa and the Middle East.

The ambassador also mentioned the free-trade agreement currently under negotiation between Sri Lanka and China, Xinhua reports.

By signing a free-trade agreement, we hope that we will be able to have continuously sustainable trade between the two countries, he said.

In addition, the ambassador is very happy to see Sri Lanka growing increasingly popular among Chinese tourists, Xinhua says. He promised that Sri Lanka could provide good beaches, wildlife, cultural tourism, shopping and leisure, meditation and spas for overseas tourists.

Xinhua says the ambassador conveyed his best wishes for the annual sessions of the National Peoples Congress on Monday, and looked forward to seeing how China plans to further share prosperity and create a better world for all of us.The Sunday Times gets invited for COL Cabinet sub-committee meeting; chairman says invitation was an accident By Kasun Warakapitiya View(s): View(s):

A Cabinet sub-committee on the Cost of Living this week was told by officials and SLFP Minister Mahinda Amaraweera that the country would be importing more rice than was required if it went ahead with estimates previously provided by officials to the sub-committee.

Rice imports were not revised with the anticipated rice harvest, the sub-committee chaired by UNP Minister Malik Samarawickrama was told. The revelation was made at the sub-committee following a front page exposure in the Sunday Times last week that the Industry and Commerce Ministry was continuing to issue permits to private sector rice importers despite the Agriculture Ministry claiming an anticipated bumper paddy harvest this year.

Agriculture Ministry officials were, however, not present at the high-level meeting attended by Ministers Malik Samarawickrama, Mangala Samaraweera, Mahinda Amaraweera and Rishard Bathiudeen and senior Government officials to discuss rising prices.

The Sunday Times was invited by the Industries and Commerce Ministry to attend the meeting where the newspaper report was discussed. The report said a glut of rice, the result of a bumper harvest, had not prevented the Ministry of Industry and Commerce from going ahead with more imports.

It said the move had caused concerns for the Agriculture Department, which had made recommendations to the Agriculture Ministry on the situation and sought its intervention.

As the news item report was raised, officials and members of the Cabinet sub-committee expressed their views on the current status of rice imports and the anticipated harvest of paddy.

Minister Amarawera disclosed that initially there were plans to import 500,000 metric tonnes of rice. If we brought that amount of rice we would not have been able to sell those stocks, he added.

The Minister pointed out that the rice imports were reduced, only after it was shown that the rice imports were too high. Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research Training Institute official Duminda Priyadharshanasaidstatistics indicated there would be rice stocks available for five months consumption, but the figure had now gone up to seven months of stocks.

The Sunday Times last week reported that according to projections based on the Agriculture Department a harvest of 2,316 million metric tonnes of paddy was expected and the stocks should be sufficient for seven months.

Finance Ministry Secretary R.H.S. Samaratunga questioned officials on the veracity of the statistics they were quoting, but Mr. Priyadharshana pointed out that the figures had already been published by Agriculture Department.

Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) officials pointed out that private sector imports were due to continue until the end of the month. They said that permission has been granted for 87,000 metric tonnes to be imported.

Following the comments made by officials, Minister Samarawickrema said the presence of the Sunday Times journalists was not required and described the invitation to the journalists as an accidentTop-post dispute may dampen Epidemiology Units disease combat task By Kumudini Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s):

As controversy has erupted over the topmost post of the Epidemiology Unit with shouts of protests in health circles, there are also strong fears that Sri Lankas much-commended public health system is set to crash with the next outbreak of disease.

This follows the appointment of a non-technical, non-specialist medical administrator to the post of Chief Epidemiologist of the Health Ministry for the first time in the nearly-60-year history of the Epidemiology Unit, the Sunday Times understands.

Giving the sequence of events which had come to a head recently, sources told the Sunday Times that the Chief Epidemiologist, Dr. Paba Palihawadana, sought and obtained no-pay leave from the Health Ministry to join the UN service for one year, in 2017. While she was on no-pay leave, another senior public health specialist of the Epidemiology Unit acted for the Chief Epidemiologist.

However, when Dr. Palihawadana reported back for duty as Chief Epidemiologist on January 1, this year (2018), she found that someone else was seated in her chair, sources said. Blaming the Health Ministry for meddling in a crucial public health programme which would adversely impact the men, women and children of Sri Lanka, other sources alleged that the person who has been appointed for this technical position of Chief Epidemiologist had not even served as a Medical Officer of Health (MOH), neither was he qualified as a specialist.

After securing his MBBS, he has only acquired an M.Sc in Medical Administration, the sources said, asking whether this would be adequate to manage and guide the massive workload of both technical and non-technical officers spread across the country, coming under the Epidemiology Unit. Has not the Health Ministry learnt a bitter lesson through the experience at the Dengue Control Programme, another asked, citing the example of how the non-technical head allegedly just abandoned his post during the height of the dengue epidemic last year.

The planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of public health preventive activities of communicable diseases such as influenza, dengue and leptospirosis (rat fever) to a name few, are handled across the country under the guidance of the Chief Epidemiologist, the Sunday Times understands.

This is a challenging task as the epidemiological scenario changes constantly, said another source.

When contacted by the Sunday Times, a Health Ministry official assured us that the ministry has not violated or flouted the Medical Services Minute. However, many health sources are seriously concerned that if there is a major outbreak of a communicable disease, the Epidemiology Unit, with a non-technical head without a background in epidemiology, will not be able to handle the crisis.

According to the interpretation and identification of the post of Chief Epidemiologist by the Health Ministry circular No. 02-132/2000 dated September 26, 2000, the Chief Epidemiologist should be a Board (Postgraduate Institute of Medicine) certified Consultant in Community Medicine with work experience in epidemiology, sources pointed out. These criteria are also included in the Medical Services Minute of 2014, while Cabinet paper No. 10/1138 dated May 24, 2010 also states that the post of Chief Epidemiologist has been approved on special criterion, they added.

This appointment of a non-technical, non-specialist medical administrator as the Chief Epidemiologist has raised a hornets nest with a flurry of protest letters being sent by the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), current Epidemiologists, former Chief Epidemiologists and senior academics not only to President Maithripala Sirisena but also to Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and other Health Ministry officials.

According to the job description of the Chief Epidemiologist, he/she is responsible for the administration of the technical and non-technical staff of the Epidemiology Unit; National Focal Point for disease surveillance excluding tuberculosis, animal rabies, filariasis, malaria, malignancies and leprosy; Manager of the National Expanded Programme on Immunization; National Focal Point (health) for avian influenza and influenza pandemic preparedness; Secretary of the Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases; and Chairman of the Polio Expert Committee.A boom from the past By Randima Attygalle Lieutenant Commander (Retd.) Somasiri Devendra talks about the recently discovered British period cannon in Trincomalee View(s): View(s):

If only Fort Ostenberg in Trincomalee could talk, it would brag of its lost glory: the wars waged to claim the prized naval base it watched over and the cannon which were fired over it. The Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, suspicious of the entire world, would not compromise the coastal defence of their tiny colony which was too good to lose. Forts were erected, men were stationed and cannon installed

Two cannon believed to be of British origin, were unearthed recently at the construction site for an accident ward of the Trincomalee Hospital. The Assistant Director Archaeology (Trincomalee), W. H.A. Sumanadasa told the Sunday Times that the recent finding of a second cannon was made a few days after the first cannon was unearthed, a few weeks before. The most recent cannon, unearthed which is about eight tons in weight and about 11 feet in length, was deposited at the Maritime and Naval History Museum in Trincomalee with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Navy. We are now awaiting a team of experts from the Archaeology Departments Chemical Conservation Division to do the necessary cleaning and conservation.

The word cannon derives its name from a mix of Latin and Italian, for tube, cane or reed. The word, according to historical sources, was used in Latin for a gun in 1326 in Italy and in 1418 in England. First appearing in Europe in the 14th century, the cannon had assumed its classic form at the beginning of the 17th century, which had persisted upto the mid-19th century. What followed towards the end of the 19th century, as Lieutenant Commander (Retd.) Somasiri Devendra, tells the Sunday Times, is the rifled muzzle-loading cannon (RMLs). The recently unearthed cannon from the Trincomalee Hospital site is of this type, he says.

RML cannon, as the senior naval officer, points out, have been found in many places in Trincomalee, including at the Kachcheri in Fort Frederick. An authority on maritime archaeology, Mr. Devendra made his own finding of a RML in the late 80s on Ostenberg Ridge in Trincomalee. RMLs, he further explains, are also classed as Armstrong Guns, after Sir William Armstrong, the man who invented the process.

Although the year of manufacturing of the recently unearthed cannon is yet to be confirmed after chemical conservation, they are of British origin, believes Mr. Devendra. RMLs were manufactured in Britain after 1860 and they were replaced after 1900. As Trincomalee was in British hands only British guns were installed, he says. Throwing light upon the ammunition used on RMLs, he adds that studded shells were fired. Unlike older, smooth-bored cannon, RML had muzzles that had spiralling grooves cut in them. The elongated and pointed projectiles of the barrel, usually made out of cast iron, had copper studs. These studs, as Mr. Devendra explains, enabled the shells to spin as they left the barrel. The muzzle of the gun and the ends of the rifling grooves, were flared to make it easier to engage the studs in the rifling when loading. The mechanism of rifling made the shells spin as they travelled through the barrel and enabled the shell to travel further with greater accuracy.

A cannon broadly consists of a barrel, which is the tube within the muzzle that ends in a chamber. The cannon ball is inserted into the barrel and it goes through to the chamber at the end. Inside the chamber is a packing of gun cotton and gun powder. When the packing is ignited, the explosion propels the ball through barrel and out. The oldest cannon found here at home dates back to the Portuguese era. The Colombo National Museum is home to one of them. Interestingly, Sinhalese cannon too had been cast. There is one, made in Jaffna by the Dutch, in a British museum.It is ornamented with stylized foliage, speaking for the dexterity of the ancient Lankan craftsman. Most of the locally cast cannon are believed to have been commissioned by the Dutch East India Company.

All cannon dating back to the colonial times, are engraved with the royal cypher of the respective era. The RMLs as Mr. Devendra points out, carry the Victorian royal cypher. All these cannon manufactured in Great Britain were brought here on ships. They were made of iron and steel unlike the bronze and iron fusion apparent in the pre-British cannon, adds the scholar sharing a photograph of a British ship unloading its cannon in the Trincomalee harbour. Besides cannon installed on forts and for coastal defence, there had also been those installed in ships, says Mr. Devendra.

With the advent of breech loading in the early 1900s, the RMLs became obsolete and were discarded. Very often they were used for mooring vessels near the shoreline. Others were discarded and, with the passage of time, they were buried under soil, he explains. The long-gone British RMLs rekindled the interest of the Royal Armouries who maintain a record of the barrels surviving worldwide. As communicated by the then Keeper of Firearms of the Royal Armouries in July, 1988 on the discovery of a RML in Trincomalee by Mr. Devendra, his finding is one of a very small number of 10 inch 18 ton guns known today. According to the communication, most of these are found in Gibraltar and only two are believed to be within the British Isles. The original carriage which survived in the cannon found by Mr. Devendra is another feat, as the Royal Armouries note, given their tendency to be destroyed easily during the scrapping programme of the RMLs in the early 1900s. The carriages, are even more uncommon than the barrels notes the Royal Armouries.

Cannon are largely used for ceremonial purposes today. Those installed at the Colombo Lighthouse are often associated with the Independence Day celebrations when salutations permeate the air. These, as Mr. Devendra notes, date back to the late 19th century (British era). When conserving for exhibiting purposes, care should be taken at all times to retain their originality as much as possible, he adds. Painting over them can do more harm to them as the engraved crest which speaks volumes of its history can be lost forever.Ajai gets chance to talk Lankan fashion with Duchess of Cambridge By Shakya Wickramanayake View(s): View(s):

When recently reappointed Commonwealth Fashion Council member, Ajai Vir Singh landed in London late last month, he already had reasons to be excited. Along with his reappointment to the Council, Ajai was invited to attend a reception hosted by the Duchess of Cambridge and the Countess of Wessex at Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange project.

So imagine his surprise when he and the other members of the Council were informed when they arrived in London, that the Duchess and Countess had requested to meet and speak to them personally before the start of the reception at Buckingham Palace. I was already excited but this was the cherry on top, says Ajai about the invitation for a private audience.

The Commonwealth Fashion Council (CFC) is a Commonwealth-accredited organisation that seeks to uplift and develop the fashion industries within its 53 member states. The council headed by Daniel Hatton, consists of eight council members, each of whom hold a significant post in their domestic fashion industry or have greatly contributed to its development. Ajai, who is the President of Colombo Fashion Week and a champion for sustainable fashion in the island, is one of four Asian representatives on the Council.

The private audience which took place in the White drawing room of the Buckingham Palace was in fact a small and intimate gathering, with only the council members, members of the Royal Family, the editor of Vogue USA, Dame Anna Wintour and founder and creative director of Eco-Age, Livia Firth, in attendance.

In addition, Princess Beatrice accompanied the Duchess of Cambridge and the Countess of Wessex.

The meeting gave Ajai an opportunity to promote the Sri Lankan fashion industry and its initiatives, directly to the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. She was so graceful and attentive. When you speak she really listens to you, Ajai says. Ajai spoke to the Duchess who is known to back sustainability in fashion and has put her weight behind such movements, of the development in the Sri Lankan fashion industry over the last 15 years, specifically in the area of sustainable fashion. He also spoke to Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, who had recently visited the island, about the movement to merge and incorporate the artisan crafts with the fashion industry. It was an honour to have this opportunity, which he hopes will result in further exposure for Sri Lankan fashion and designers, he says.

The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange reception took place on February 19, and showcased designs from designers and artisans from the Commonwealth, including Stella McCartney, Bibi Russell and Karen Walker. The reception also saw the likes of Naomi Campbell, Anna Wintour and British Vogue editor Edward Enninful in attendance. The event hosted by the Duchess of Cambridge and the Countess of Wessex, was part of a new initiative to develop greater partnership ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London this April.

As part of its work to advocate and support sustainable development and empowerment in the fashion industries in the Commonwealth, the CFC organised its 100% made in the Commonwealth exhibition to be held in London during the same period. Under the project, a designer from the Commonwealth is picked by the Council, and is connected with a manufacturer in another Commonwealth country, who will then manufacture the product. The objective of the project is to promote commerce and trade among the Commonwealth fashion industries.

This year saw Colombo Fashion Weeks emerging designer and graduate of the University of Moratuwa Vathsala Gunasekara as the chosen designer. Vathsalas sleek backpack bag design was then made a reality by manufacturers in Chennai, India. The bag which was made using cork material and natural dyes is completely sustainable, and was unveiled for the first time during the London exhibition. In response to the favourable reception the designer bag received plans are afoot to produce and promote the bag in the international market. I wanted to take a chance with someone who had potential, says Ajai as he explains why Vathsala was given the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka. He goes on to explain that the depth of her design knowledge and her passion to follow through is why he put his confidence in her.Artists and art lovers; they were all there By Oshani Alwis View(s): View(s):

It wass indeed a free space to enjoy art! Green Path was crowded with hundreds of locals and foreigners last Sunday strolling leisurely among the roadside stalls full of colourful paintings and creative sculptures. Kala Pola, the annual open air art fair organized by the George Keyt Foundation and John Keells Holdings, was celebrating its Silver Jubilee and it was clear from the presence of well known artists as well as young aspiring artists and art lovers that it is more than fulfilling its objective.

Tharindu Fernando is a young artist who specialises in pyrography (wood burning art) and cookery. A chef by profession Tharindu has been a regular at the Kala Pola since 2013 and his wood burning art which is difficult and costly had an interested audience.

Among the first-timers at Kala Pola this year was Dineesha Dasanthi who wants to become an art teacher and participate regularly at Kala Pola in the future. Her forte is landscapes and Buddhist scenes which she renders in oils and acrylics.

Surrounded by beautiful paintings of ancient temples, landscapes and design, Ven. Madirigiriye Pangnaseeha Thera has had a passion for drawing from a very young age. After six months training at the Aesthetic Teachers Training College, Giragama, he is at Kala Pola for the first time this year. Appreciating the concept of the open air art fair, he admits, Meka chithra rasa widinna puluwn nidahas thanak (This is a free space to admire art).

Live portraits were a popular segment at the Kala Pola this time and many were seen patiently posing for the artists to sketch their likeness.

A life size black metal horse standing on the sidewalk was an unmistakable attraction. Chandana Gunathilakas open stall was full of his creations of assembled art. Coming from Kottawa, he employs machine spare parts, metal, nuts, bolts and iron rods to create animal figures. Having graduated from the University of Visual and Performing Arts, eight years ago, Chandana explored the arena of assembled art as a step ahead from what he was taught for sculpture at university. This is actually a modern form of sculpture and has a good market in Sri Lanka, he says.

Retired art teacher, Chandrani Sudumenike, has been coming here since 2002. As she says Kala Pola is a good opportunity for the artists as they get together and share the same passion in art and sculpture. Api aluth dewal dakinawa. Kala Jeewithe aluth wenwa (We see new things. Art life is refreshed). To her Kala Pola is a platform to generate new ideas and explore new forms of art.

Children who passed her stall were all excited about the tiny stones with pictures painted on them. Featuring a unique collection of painted rocks and stones with miniature drawings, Sumudu Jayamaha is another first timer at the Kala Pola. Sumdu loves to explore new forms of art and started rock painting by first trying to draw on egg shells. Chithra gannama one ne. Lassanai kiwwat athi (People dont have to buy my paintings. Just admiring is enough for me), says Sumudu. To her Kala Pola is an opportunity for women who have a passion and talent in art to come out of their households and show their skills to the world.

It was his 8th consecutive year at Kala Pola for Sudath Pushpakumara, who is also a regular at Green Path roadside on weekends. With the palette knife and acrylic paint, he creates abstract paintings which are equally admired by both locals and foreigners. To him Kala Pola is an ideal platform for young aspiring artists to showcase their talents.

First timer at Kala Pola R. Rajkumar who had come all the way from Urumpirai, Jaffna uses natural roots from trees, placed in different postures, to make creative pieces of art.

With such a variety of art on display, visitors  even those who did not buy any works, found much to admire and engage with.Exhibition of Classens work back in Colombo View(s):

An exhibition of original paintings/ drawings and prints of George Claessen will be held at the Paradise Road Galleries from March 9 -April 12.

It is 18 years since the death of George Claessen, aged 89, in London and 69 years since he left the shores of this island for the last time, in 1949. Yet the fascination of Sri Lankans with this artist, sculptor and poet is undiminished. The interest, enthusiasm and demand for Claessens work seem to grow with the passing of time. This fourth exhibition of his work in Colombo since 1993 and second retrospective has been greatly anticipated.

Today there are no survivors of the 43 Group. Keeping the memory of the collective of nine artists who heralded modern art in Sri Lanka is more important than ever, now that Neville Weereratne, who has done so much to record its history, is no more, although no one would dispute that the impact of the Group was such that it has left an indelible mark in the history of art in this island and beyond.

George Claessen, the enigmatic, quiet and unassuming artist produced work that ranged from naturalistic, impressionistic to abstract, and apart from his animal paintings and few figurative works, they are largely western in style and content, considering he started his life as an artist, sketching ancient ruins of Anuradhapura. His passion was for abstract paintings and abstract expressionism in particular. To quote him, in my life as an artist I accepted the fact that the way that I was developing would inevitably lead me into pure abstract painting. He believed that this was his contribution to art.

I was fortunate and privileged to get to know him during the last five years of his life,working on the monograph on him. It was to be a tribute to him on his 90th birthday. It was the cause of much sadness that he did not live to see the record of his work.

Claessens work have been shown in many collective and individual exhibitions during his lifetime and after, in Colombo, Melbourne, Paris, Venice, Sao Paulo, Ibiza and London. It is a rare privilege to see such a large collection of his work in one place. Shanth Fernando and his team, Esmeralda Claessen and Wolf Sulhan are to be congratulated for putting this show together.

-Shamil Wanigaratne Author of George Claessen Artist, sculptor and Poet, 1909-99. Paradise Isle Publications,

London (2000)Right to eat animal flesh  right to painless slaughter In Buddhism, based on compassion, it is wrong to kill or harm any living being. Hinduism advocates ahimsa- the Bhagwatha Purana states that one should consider all animals like ones own children. Islam is a religion of mercy where in Prophet Mohammeds words an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human. In Christianity, Jesus love for animals is vividly demonstrated by His frequent association with animals. View(s): View(s):

Ones right to consume what one desires is ones choice, unless restricted for some reason or the other. The choices are many, as are the reasons. Some relish animal flesh, vegetarians abstain from eating flesh and vegans avoid all animal products. The reasons too are varied  health, religious or compassion to animals. But, animals have no choice as to how they should be slaughtered for mans consumption.

Centuries ago humans ate humans. Cannibalism is no more, though there is evidence of its rare occurrence for cultic purposes. There have also been isolated instances like when an Uruguayan Air Force Flight crashed in 1972 forcing some survivors to eat the dead passengers. Serial killers Jeffrey Dahmer and Albert Fish were obsessed with eating humans. Dahmer condemned to death, died on the electric chair. Fish sentenced to 16 terms of life imprisonment, was bludgeoned to death by a fellow prisoner.

Laws cannot prohibit the consumption of animal flesh. But laws can regulate animal slaughter by providing for humane methods, though some argue that slaughter can never be humane.

In Sri Lanka, animal slaughter is at its cruellest. Cattle, goats, pigs, poultry and other livestock suffer agonizing deaths not only in abattoirs, but also in roadside meat boutiques where carcasses are on public display and in some home backyards.

There is unceasing agitation to introduce humane slaughter methods. In 2010, 14 Buddhist and animal welfare organizations, through a case filed in the Court of Appeal called upon the government to introduce humane slaughter laws. In 2013, a Cabinet Memorandum for this purpose lay on the table of then Local Government Minister A.L.M. Athaullah for many months without signature. His successor Minister Karu Jayasuriya, was willing to take up the matter, but before he could proceed he was appointed Speaker. Since then this is pending before the current Local Government Minister Faiszer Mustapha.

Opposition to humane slaughter comes from a majority of the Muslim community who view it as a threat to their religious practice of Halal slaughter.

However, the nuanced animal rights campaigner does not fight against any race or religion, but pleads for the animals welfare during slaughter, with no intention to offend Muslim sensitivity. Humane slaughter does not necessarily contradict Halal slaughter. Continuous efforts by members of the court acknowledged Steering Committee on Animal Welfare to meet Minister Mustapha to explain that humane slaughter is possible without infringing Islamic religious rights have so far failed  the Ministers busy schedule being cited as the reason, the most recent being his duties concerning the Local Government elections, now come and gone.

Conditions laid down by the Department of Halal Certification Europe require the slaughter method to be that which is least painful to the animal, the slaughtering instrument should not be sharpened in front of the animal, no animal should be slaughtered in front of another and the animal must be slaughtered in one stroke using a sharp knife. But does this happen in actual practice?

This columnist recalls a desperately anxious Muslim politician, whose little grandson lay on a hospital bed with a rising fever, commenting that the fever may have been caused by the anguish suffered by the child witnessing an animal being slaughtered in his home for Hajj.

Mohammed Agus Yusoff and Athambawa Sarjoon in Anti-Halal and Anti-Animal Slaughtering Campaigns and their Impact in Post-War Sri Lanka acknowledge the intention of Islamic law to ensure a more humane slaughtering process that reduces the animals suffering which in a sense, is common ground for decent people, both believers and non-believers of Islam.

Several countries have laws for humane slaughter requiring animals to be rendered insensible to pain prior to slaughter.

This columnist recollects a visit to Africa where tourists admired wildlife in safari parks and later devoured the flesh of those animals, a la carte or from the buffet table. Then, there are Buddhist vegetarians who have become meat-eaters because the wife finds a vegetarian husband un-masculine or because they do not want to throw away leftovers or have no courage to resist a challenge.

In Buddhism, based on compassion, it is wrong to kill or harm any living being. Hinduism advocates ahimsa- the Bhagwatha Purana states that one should consider all animals like ones own children. Islam is a religion of mercy where in Prophet Mohammeds words an act of cruelty to an animal is as bad as an act of cruelty to a human. In Christianity, Jesus love for animals is vividly demonstrated by His frequent association with animals.

Humans are considered the most intelligent species on this planet. But very few are capable of enlightened thinking. Noble religions are misinterpreted to suit personal fancies and agendas.

Let all animal flesh be unpalatable to humans so they will refrain from eating it, is a born vegetarians daily prayer.

Humans have a right to eat what they desire  the choice is theirs. Animals have a right to a painless death  but they have no choice.Touching lives, the Chitra Lane way By Yomal Senerath-Yapa View(s): View(s):

The Chitra Lane School for the Special Child was founded in 1967 by Delysia Gunewardene. The institution grew and its mission helped an overlooked section of children immensely over the next 50 years. So it was fitting that the school would choose to celebrate half a century of altruistic service with The Chitra Lane Way: A Definitive Approach to Empowering Children with Special Needs in Sri Lanka.

A practical guide, the book charts the progressive approach of an organisation that learnt, through trial and error, laughter and tears, its own way of reaching out to children with special needs; empowering them with necessary skills to maximise their potential.

In sharing years of experience and methodology, this collective work seeks to provide useful insights to the importance of early detection and early intervention of disabilities; understanding children with Autism, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and other special needs; managing attention deficit and challenging behaviours; developing specific educational and life skills including speech and language, number, creative arts, self-help skills, vocational skills and much more.

The book is a compilation of articles by different writers. Among them Nishalie Fernandopulle, consultant psychologist at the Chitra Lane Childrens Resource Centre, who hopes that by sharing what we have learned with others, we will be able to empower many more children with special needs from across Sri Lanka.

The uniqueness of the book is summed up by Nishalie when she adds sometimes what we learn from books from abroad may not work for Sri Lanka. In this book we have given what has worked for us, the Chitra Lane School, over the years.

Delysia Gunewardene reiterates that the book is important to us because there are far more children in Sri Lanka who may benefit from our methods than we can reach via our organization alone.

The school has made great strides so far in benefiting the lives of special needs children. Delysia quotes especially the success of their unique programme to overcome Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Yet ,every day we learn, as new methods arise, and the children teach us to expand the boundaries of what is possible.

Delysia inscribes the book to the special children who helped us find their way. To all who passed through our doors and continue to do so, this book is dedicated to you.

An R. Parker publication, The Chitra Lane Way is available at the Chitra Lane Childrens Resource Centre, 45/3 Chitra Lane, Colombo 5.Chinas big-data big brother By Mark Leonard, Exclusive to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka View(s): View(s):

LAHORE  The Communist Party of Chinas (CPC) decision this week to eliminate presidential term limits seems to open the door for President Xi Jinping to be not just Chairman of Everything, but also Chairman Forever. The move has been met with dismay around the world, but it has also intensified an ongoing debate among China experts over whether the biggest threat to China is too much executive power, or too little.

Where one stands on that question seems to depend largely on whether one is a political scientist, an economist, or a technologist. Many political scientists and legal scholars, for example, argue against the change, because they consider the model of collective leadership that the CPC established after 1979 to be one of its biggest successes. That models term limits and system of peer review for high-level decision-making has provided the checks necessary to prevent a repeat of Mao-era catastrophes such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

In fact, the post-1979 dispensation has often allowed for a genuine battle of ideas, particularly between the statist Young Communist League and coastal elites who favour more economic liberalisation. China may remain a closed society in many ways, but its top policymakers have shown an open-minded willingness to experiment and learn through trial and error.

Many economists, meanwhile, are less worried about excessive executive power, because they think it is even more dangerous to have a government that is too weak to overhaul the countrys economic model when needed. Among the governments current economic challenges are slower growth, spiralling debt  particularly among state-owned enterprises  and vested interests standing in the way of structural reforms.

Most economists would concede that the collective leadership model has prevented disasters. But they would argue that it has also impeded reform, and allowed the CPC to become a syndicate of corruption and cronyism, ideologically bereft and devoid of purpose.

At the end of Hu Jintaos two-term presidency in 2013 many feared that the collective leadership model was inadequate for confronting vested economic interests, tackling inequality, and delivering basic public goods. Indeed, as early as 2007, Hus own premier, Wen Jiabao, had concluded that Chinas economic trajectory was unstable, unbalanced, uncoordinated, and unsustainable.

By contrast, argue the economists, Xi has begun to turn things around by fighting for a cleaner party. His massive anti-corruption campaign has jailed thousands of party officials at all levels, and re-established the CPCs grassroots credentials. The economists would concede that Xis campaign has also conveniently removed many of his potential rivals. But they would argue that his strengthened position now allows him to replace a growth model based on credit-financed debt with something more sustainable.

Of course, whether they are right about that remains to be seen. Despite Xis success in consolidating his power and extending his hold on it indefinitely, there is reason to doubt that he would be willing to risk a new economic model if sustainability proves to be incompatible with maintaining rapid growth.

This is where the technologists come in, by offering new ways to correct or avoid potential mistakes. In addition to supplanting the collective leadership model with one centred on the personality of a supreme leader, Xi has also significantly expanded the surveillance state. The government is increasingly using CCTV, big data, and artificial intelligence to study Chinese citizens behaviours, hopes, fears, and faces, so that it can forestall dissidence and challenges to its authority.

Moreover, under Xi, the government has established online social credit databases, which suggests that it could eventually roll out a single score for all Chinese citizens, comprising credit ratings, online behaviour, health records, expressions of party loyalty, and other information.

The beauty of a big-data dictatorship is that it could sustain itself less through direct threats and punishment as a public spectacle, and more through nudges to manipulate peoples perspectives and behaviour. And the more time Chinese citizens spend online, the more the government will be able to control what they see and do there.

Digital technologies will also allow the government to respond more quickly to public discontent, or to head it off altogether if it can discern or predict changes in public opinion. Given that many dictatorships collapse as a result of poor information, digital technologies could become an even more powerful prophylactic against bad decision-making than term limits.

If there is one thing that political scientists, economists, and technologists can all agree on, it is that Xi is building the most powerful and intrusive surveillance regime in history. It remains to be seen if his approach to making China great again will strengthen his hand or turn out to be a fatal weakness. But with China playing an ever-larger role in the global economy through its investments and infrastructure projects, the reverberations from what happens there will be felt everywhere, and for years to come. In a sense, Xi might just end up being a chairman of everything forever after all.

(The writer is Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations.)

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018. www.project-syndicate.orgOn the heels of a successful event last month, the Blockchain Event seeks speakers to discuss the industrys emerging opportunities and beyond.

Trumbull, CT  March 1, 2018  TMC today announced The Blockchain Event is accepting speaking proposals though March 8th for the event that will be held on May 16-17, 2018 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Blockchain Event is directed at entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, enthusiasts, executives, product managers and developers of both established enterprises and innovative startups who are interested in learning how the Blockchain, one of the most important information technology inventions of our time, can lead to a mass transformation in industry, both its opportunities and threats.

With IBM, the ICO Architect of Ethereum and many others speaking, we had a standing room only audience at the Fort Lauderdale Blockchain Event just last month. As a result of the overwhelming success and positive feedback from that conference, weve decided to bring The Blockchain Event to the west coast, said Rich Tehrani, TMC CEO and conference chairman. We look forward to receiving presentation proposals and connecting the industrys leaders with hundreds of attendees eager for blockchain education.

Although all submission topics will be considered for The Blockchain Event, conference organizers will be most interested in proposals featuring a special focus on the following topics:

Blockchain Training

Internet of Value

Web 3.0, Decentralization & Cryptography

Emerging Opportunities

Regulations & Policy for a Decentralized World

Speculating on the Future

To submit a proposal, interested speakers should complete the online form by March 8, 2018 here: http://www.theblockchainevent.com/west/call-for-speakers.aspx#form . Speakers must adhere 100% to TMCs no commercialism policy. If speakers cannot avoid commercialism, please do not submit a proposal.

Questions regarding speaking opportunities at The Blockcahin Event should be sent to Dave Rodriguez at 203-852-6800 x146 or Erik Linask at 203-852-6800 x284.

Registration for the Blockchain Event is now open. For more information, contact events@tmcnet.com . For media registration, contact Jessica Seabrook. Companies interested in exhibiting, sponsorship or advertising packages should contact Dave Rodriguez at 203-852-6800 x146.

For the latest Blockchain Event news, updates and information, follow the event on Twitter at @BlockchainEvent.

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Edited by Mandi NowitzDEWITT, N.Y. -- A DeWitt man who used Snapchat to lure a girl to send him nude photos and meet for sexual acts has also been charged with rape, according to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office.

Derek Indivero, 25, of Lewis Avenue in DeWitt, was arrested and charged with enticement a minor and attempted enticement of a minor on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York said. On Friday, he was charged with two counts of rape and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, according to the sheriff's office.

Indivero is accused of having sexual contact with two children younger than 17 years old, the sheriff's office said.

He was arraigned on Friday in Centralized Arraignment Court, denied bail and is currently being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center, according to the sheriff's office.

The FBI and New York State Police investigated Indivero after the 25-year-old offered to pay a 12-year-old girl for oral sex and nude photos, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. Indivero also touched the 12-year-old's right breast and butt after he set up a meeting with the girl in the parking lot of her middle school, court records said.

The sheriff's office and FBI are still investigating and ask anyone with information to call the Abused Persons Unit at 315-435-3092 or the FBI Syracuse Resident Agency at 315-424-2400.CORTLAND, N.Y. -- A teenager used Snapchat to make threats against the Central New York high school he graduated from, deputies said.

Jensen P. Schack was arrested Saturday by the Cortland County Sheriff's Office. The 19-year-old Plymouth man has been charged with threatening Cortland Junior Senior High School, his alma mater.

Schack posted threatening photos and videos on Snapchat, said Lt. Todd Caufield. The teen made the threats against the high school he graduated from in 2016, he said.

Deputies started investigating the threats on Friday afternoon. The investigation led them to Schack's home in Chenango County, Caufield said.

After getting a search warrant, deputies searched Schack's County Road 16 home early Saturday morning. Deputies seized an AR-style semiautomatic rifle and ammunition, Caufield said.

Schack was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony. He is being held in the Cortland County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 bail.

The Chenango County Sheriff's Office and the tactical response team of the Madison County Sheriff's Office helped deputies with the search.SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police are investigating a stabbing on the 500 block of South Salina Street, police said.

On Saturday at 12:29 p.m., officers responded to a call and met with a 17-year-old male who had been stabbed in his shoulder, according to the Syracuse Police Department.

He was transported to Upstate University Hospital for treatment of injuries that do not appear to be life threatening, police said.

The victim told police he got into an argument with a man and a woman on the 400 block of South Salina Street and that the woman stabbed him.

Anyone with information about the stabbing an contact the Syracuse Police Department Criminal Investigations Division at 315-442-5222. Anonymous tips can also be submitted using the "SPD Tips" app.NEW YORK CITY -- The jury in the New York corruption case will continue deliberating next week.

Deliberations began Thursday in the six-week trial.

Former top governor's aide Joseph Percoco is charged with taking bribes for influence in state government from Syracuse-based Cor Development executives Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi.

The jury has already passed a handful of notes to the judge as they work through the case.

Most of the jury notes have been about scheduling.

Jurors also asked whether Percoco needed to be officially employed by the state to be found guilty of extortion. He spent several months working as Gov. Andrew Cuomo's re-election campaign manager in 2014.

Percoco doesn't have to be employed by the state the entire time of his alleged crimes to be found guilty. The judge answered by reading a summary of the law.

Syracuse.com is covering the trial from New York City. Check back next week for updates.

Read our continuing coverage of the trial

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan -- A Central Michigan University student believed to have shot and killed his parents in a dormitory is in custody after someone on a train spotted him about midnight Friday.

The arrest ended a manhunt involving more than 100 officers that began about 15 hours earlier.

CMU officials announced the capture of the suspect in an update to a blog post early Saturday, Marchh 3.

Police had been looking for James Eric Davis Jr, 19, since about 9 a.m. after James Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47, were found shot to death on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall.

According to the blog:

"The suspect was seen and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight. Law enforcement personnel responded and arrested the suspect without incident."

CMU President George E. Ross thanked both police and community members for doing everything possible during the day to keep students safe.BEIJING - China reacted with cautious criticism Friday to President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, urging the United States to abide by multilateral trade rules and do nothing to damage the fragile global economic recovery.

In Europe, however, Thursday's announcement triggered a sharp backlash, including threats of retaliation.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levi's," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, according to the Reuters news service. "We cannot simply put our head in the sand."

China is the world's dominant steel producer, but experts said the tariff plan would not greatly affect it, because the country accounts for only 2 percent of U.S. imports. Beijing is not about to start a trade war over the decision, they added, framing it as self-defeating.

"What an extremely stupid move," said Li Xinchuang, vice secretary general of the China Iron and Steel Association. "A desperate attempt by Trump to pander to his voters, which I think in fact runs counter to his 'America First' pledge."

Li, who is also director of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, said the tariffs would only make U.S. industries fall further behind globally at a time when "China is in its prime."

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference Friday that world trade would be harmed if other countries follow the U.S. example.

"The basis for the global recovery is still unstable," she said. "All countries should make concerted efforts to cooperate to resolve the relevant issues, instead of taking trade-restrictive measures unilaterally."

It is not clear whether the tariffs would affect only certain countries or apply globally.

European officials have not minced their words in recent months about a U.S. president they often see as an obstacle rather than an ally. But the tariff proposal met with unusually blunt criticism, particularly in Germany, where Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called it "unfathomable."

"With this, the declaration of war has arrived," said Bernd Lange, a German Social Democrat and head of the European Parliament's trade committee, speaking on German public radio. "They have a mercantile trade model in their heads that dates back 200 years."

Although Germany exports more steel to the United States than any other European country, last year it accounted for just 3 percent of U.S. steel imports, through September. Far more originated in Canada, South Korea and Mexico, countries that also have raised major concerns about the policy.

But many European officials see the tariffs as part of broader fears they have about Trump's "America First" agenda and what it means for the bloc, given its long-standing reliance on U.S. partnership. Lange and others also worry that the tariffs could be expanded to other fields, such as computers.

"It's a bottomless pit," he said.

France also condemned the move. In a strong statement Friday, Bruno Le Maire, France's economy minister, said that if a trade war ensues between the United States and the European Union, there will be "only losers."

Top British government officials had no immediate public comment, but a senior representative of Britain's steel industry warned that the tariffs could have a "significant impact."

"Measures such as these smack of short-termism, protectionism, and would be rife with unintended consequences for global trade and for the users of steel in the U.S.," said Richard Warren, head of policy at U.K. Steel.

The possibility of global trade frictions unsettled markets Friday, with Asian and European stocks following their U.S. counterparts lower. "Tariffs on steel and aluminum are not the end of the world," said Richard Jerram, chief economist at the Bank of Singapore. "The risk is escalation. How aggressively China reacts and America's response to that will worry the markets."

Later Friday, Reuters reported that the European Union is considering imposing duties on U.S. imports worth about $3.5 billion if the White House pursues its plan. An E.U. official confirmed the report, saying, "This is broadly the figure we are looking at." The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump's move also is expected to trigger legal challenges at the World Trade Organization by China, the European Union, Brazil and perhaps others. Wei Jianguo, a former Chinese vice minister of commerce, said the U.S. decision runs counter to WTO rules and hurts Sino-U.S. relations.

"China does not want to see a trade war with the United States. But if Trump insists, China is not afraid of it," Wei said, noting that China imports a huge amount of U.S. goods, including Boeing planes as well as agricultural and IT products.

But most analysts said the move is more of an irritant to China than anything serious at this stage.

Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank in Shanghai, said China already had been working to cut overcapacity in its steel industry. Anti-dumping duties imposed on China by the Obama administration two years ago also had helped cut U.S. imports, experts said. Last year, China's steel exports fell 30 percent, and Lu said Trump's move came too late to make much of a difference.

Still, Beijing is not insensitive to the symbolism of the decision, aware that Trump's rhetoric has targeted it and wary of further measures to restrict trade and investment, experts said.

"China has to respond and fight for every inch of its own interests," Lu said. "However, the result we are expecting is negotiation between both sides."

The Trump administration is investigating China over intellectual property rights and technology-transfer policies and is expected to unveil more tariffs or penalties in coming months. Congress is also likely to strengthen and broaden controls on Chinese investment in the United States.

Andrew Polk, a founder of the Trivium consultancy in Beijing, said China's response to the tariffs probably would be more rhetorical than real. He predicted a similar reaction to the one that followed Trump's decision to slap tariffs on solar panels: "We don't like this, but we're going to downplay it and not really do anything."

Trump's announcement came as President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser, Liu He, was in Washington trying to ease trade tensions. Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said the envoy had held "constructive consultations" with U.S. officials Thursday and shared a candid exchange of views.

Rob Carnell, head of Asia-Pacific research at ING in Singapore, said China might join or hide behind other nations and trading blocs - such as Canada, the European Union, Japan and South Korea - in retaliating against the U.S. move. Taiwan and Brazil are also among those affected by the measure.

Working through the WTO could take a long time, he said, making "tit-for-tat retaliation" more likely. That would not be good news for the global economy, Carnell said.

But ironically, it might not be bad news for China. Many will now wonder whether the United States is not a greater threat to the world trading system, said Arthur Kroeber, managing director of the Beijing-based research firm Gavekal Dragonomics.

"China can afford to play it pretty cool and measured, as they have been doing ever since Trump took office," Kroeber said. "They take a small, really negligible, hit to their steel and aluminum exports, but strategically they come out way ahead by just letting Trump be Trump."CAYUGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Cayuga County has lifted its travel ban, but the sheriff's office still advises caution because roads still may be slippery or snow covered.

A snow storm that has hit New York State had forced the county to close roads for all non-essential travel. Roads were limited to travel to and from work necessary for health and safety.

Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Patrick Mahunik had closed all non-essential county services and ordere all non-essential county employees not to report to work.Air and rail passengers hoping to travel on Saturday are encountering yet another day of cancellations and delays as the nor'ester that snarled travel Friday is being followed by residual problems in transportation hubs all across the Northeast.

Airline officials say flight operations are slowly returning to normal, as they deal with the backlog of passengers from thousands of canceled and delayed flights Friday. There were more than 3,000 flights canceled and another 4,800 delayed, according to FlightAware.com, most with destinations or departures in the Northeast Corridor, where the nor'easter landed blows from Virginia to Maine.

The storm also disrupted service on the heavily used Amtrak rail service along the corridor. High winds fell trees along the electric-powered rail line between Washington and Boston on Friday, causing service disruptions and cancellations. Amtrak continued to work at getting full service back up, saying service between Washington and New York would be suspended until at least 9 a.m., with no further updates since.

While winds in the Washington area have calmed down enough to allow for the airports to return to normal operations, hundreds of flights were canceled Saturday morning, with most disruptions at hubs in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. On Saturday, airport officials in Washington urged travelers to check with airlines before heading to the airport.

The airlines still are working to accommodate passengers from canceled or delayed flights from Friday. In New York, the East Coast's primary transportation hub, thousands of travelers were left stranded, with more than 1,000 flights canceled at Newark, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports, and more than 300 flights in Washington were canceled on Friday.

"Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up. Pilots were on the verge of throwing up," a pilot said in an urgent report from a regional jetliner from Charlottesville, Virginia. The United Fight 3833 was descending into Washington's Dulles around 7:38 a.m., and experienced moderate to severe turbulence at or around 4,000 feet, airport officials said.

Many airlines waived change fees for flights for those affected. Travelers should check with their respective airlines. American, Delta, United and Southwest airlines - the four biggest carriers in the country - have flexible change policies for travel to the Northeast because of the storm.

"One thing we can't control is the weather," American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said.

American canceled more than 1,600 flights in the Northeast on Friday. About 24 percent of the carrier's global operations are being affected by the storm, Feinstein said. About 270 flights had been canceled Saturday, he said.

"We anticipate some residual delays" and cancellations on Saturday, he said.

United Airlines said it canceled more than 100 flights in the Northeast on Friday and was operating on a reduced schedule through the afternoon. Delta said it canceled 750 flights to and from the Northeast on Friday and more disruptions were possible.

The storm downed trees and power lines all along the region, closing highways and bridges and snarling traffic. In Maryland, officials more than 500 workers were deployed Saturday on cleanup and signal restoration efforts, but it would take at least a week to get all 400 roads affected back to normal.

"The wind advisories have dropped off, we are still expecting a gusty day impacting operations and clean up efforts are focused on getting roads opened first, then clear shoulders, all with priority routes first," the Maryland State Highway Administration said via Twitter.STC musical to be featured at Iowa Thespian Festival

Into the woods, its time, and so I must begin my journey. Into The Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. And so, the STC Music ...New research shows that people who have a strong aversion to body odors are more likely to be in favor of authoritarianism. The same study also found that those who have the same aversion to body odors also supported Donald Trump when he was on the campaign trail.

Hating body odor can shape politics apparently.

Inner Authoritarian

A team from the Stockholm University found that to a limited degree people's disgust towards body odor. The team started with the theory that feeling a specific type of disgust explains why people lean towards a right-wing way of thinking.

"We thought body odor disgust might be related to authoritarian ideological attitudes because inter-group contact and social change are minimized in authoritarian societies, which might make disgust-sensitive individuals feel that those societies are more 'safe' from contamination," Jonas Olofsson, lead author of the study told Gizmodo. "Across three studies, we found that body-odor disgust was indeed associated with the degree to which persons reported authoritarian attitudes."

Researchers on the study believe that people are adverse to smells because that's how they determine someone who may be carrying disease. Fearing body odor can explain why people are more likely to lean to the right.

People in the study were also disgusted by their own body odor.

The team conducted three surveys to gauge someone's tendency to lean towards authoritarianism after stating their disgust for body odor. In two of the surveys, researchers found that hating body odor accounted for 10 percent of people to prefer rigid social order, defined gender roles, designated roles for ethnic groups, and harsh punishment.

In the third survey, the researchers found a relationship between those who were likely to vote for Donald Trump and those that were disgusted by body odor. They surveyed 300 people in September 2016 before the presidential election. Those that preferred Trump and didn't care for body odor were only about 2 percent.

Conservatives Are More Easily Disgusted

While this study didn't exactly provide the outcome that conservatives are more disgusted than liberals. Another study showed that people that are more easily disgusted tended to be more conservative.

In the study, it was found that people who were more likely to be disgusted were also the same people who were opposed to gay marriage and abortion.

"People have pointed out for a long time that a lot of our moral values seem driven by emotion, and in particular, disgust appears to be one of those emotions that seem to be recruited for moral judgments," said David Pizarro one of the lead authors of the study.

Pizarro notes that human disgust was born out of avoiding diseases, not for judging a person's moral compass. He warned that even if disgust has evolved to mean something different that people should be wary of using it to determine its influence across the board.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Fresh from 2018 Mobile World Congress is the official launch of Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, however, reports about the Galaxy Note 9 benchmark results are starting to come up.

Most industry insiders previously suggested that the South Korean electronics company had already started working on its next phablet. Shortly after the Galaxy Note 8 was released, rumors circulated the net that the hardware for the succeeding model was already planned out.

Now, the newly leaked benchmark results apparently revealed some details on the upcoming smartphone's display and operating system version.

Model Number Listed

Based on the information listed on the benchmark test results, the model number of the device tested is SM-960U. The Galaxy Note 8 was assigned the model number SM-950, supporting the speculation that it is, in fact, the next model. Sources claim that the "U" indicates the device is manufactured for markets within the United States.

Moreover, the latest products from its S lineup were already launched. Therefore, it is understandable that the company is now busy with a follow-up to its Note series this time around.

Display Technology And Android Version

The benchmark test results also revealed some interesting information on the Galaxy Note 9. Its screen ratio is marked as 18.5:9, which suggests that the new smartphone will sport Samsung's second-generation Infinity Display technology.

Just like the ones used by the Galaxy S9 and S9+, it showcases thinner bezels than the previous version. It comes with better brightness and lesser reflections alongside a Gorilla Glass 5 panel that is apparently 20 percent thicker than its predecessor.

Another detail reflected on the benchmark tests is the Android operating system version used for the prototype unit. Since the new handset is speculated to launch in the second half of 2018, It appears that the phone will run on Android 8.1 Oreo.

Speculated Details

While other details are currently unavailable, several sources believe that key features found on the Galaxy S9 and S9+ might be included in the Galaxy Note 9. If this is anything to go by, it will be equipped with upgraded hardware expected from a flagship model. Samsung might install the Exynos 9810 for certain markets while the rest could have Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 on board.

Unconfirmed Specifications

Last year, rumors had it that the Galaxy Note 8 might use Synaptics Clear ID technology for its fingerprint sensor. This would have allowed the smartphone to integrate the biometric reader under its display for a next-generation appeal. Yet, it was unable to do so along with the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

Vivo is the first smartphone company to flaunt the new feature on the X20 Plus UD and recently, with its prototype Apex model.

The development for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is still in its early stages, so consumers might see its fingerprint sensor embedded under its Infinity Display.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.During a Reddit AMA, Bill Gates let his true feelings about cryptocurrencies be known. He cites the shady nature of cryptocurrencies to be used for illegal activity as the reason why he believes that cryptocurrencies have caused deaths.

Bill Gates doesn't hold back about cryptocurrencies.

'Fairly Direct'

Bill Gates' AMA took a surprising turn when the he seemed to make an about-face on the nature of cryptocurrency. Gates had previously praised Bitcoin technology as a way to help the poor. He's frank in the AMA, saying that the biggest risk associated with cryptocurrency is the anonymity.

"The main feature of crypto currencies is their anonymity. I don't think this is a good thing. The Governments (sic) ability to find money laundering and tax evasion and terrorist funding is a good thing," said Gates when asked his thoughts about cryptocurrency. "Right now crypto currencies (sic) are used for buying fentanyl and other drugs so it is a rare technology that has caused deaths in a fairly direct way."

Gates also mentioned that the rampant nature that causes investment and divestment in various cryptocurrencies is dangerous. He thinks that the volatility can make it very risky.

"I think the speculative wave around ICOs and crypto currencies is super risky for those who go long," said Gates about cryptocurrency.

There was a backlash against Gates for speaking out against cryptocurrencies. Some suggested that the billionaire was trying to influence the market with his statements.

Another user challenged him, saying that the U.S. dollar can be used to purchase Fentanyl as well. Gates shot back with a response of his own.

"Yes  anonymous cash is used for these kinds of things but you have to be physically present to transfer it which makes things like kidnapping payments more difficult," said Gates to the user who challenged his statement.

Twitter Backlash

To say that people were upset with Bill Gates' comments was an understatement. People took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with his comments.

Many were pointing out that people used fiat currencies such as the U.S. dollar to buy drugs.

Bill Gates just said cryptocurrencies have caused many deaths in a fairly direct way. Then he spewed the normal nonsense about funding terrorism & money laundering. Im starting to think the criteria for being old and rich is hating crypto theyll all learn eventually  Pomp (@APompliano) February 27, 2018

Bill Gates says cryptocurrencies are causing deaths because people buy drugs with cryptos. Actually, 95%+ of drugs are bought with fiat. So the US dollar is causing drug-related deaths. Blaming the drug problem on crypto to illogically criticize cryptocurrency market. pic.twitter.com/JR9NSzfaUk  Joseph Young (@iamjosephyoung) February 28, 2018

So @BillGates literally sounds just like my grandma. He's clueless about #crypto . Refer to my pinned tweet regarding "experts." He has no ill intent (IMO), he's just ignorant. Yes, I just said that. He and @WarrenBuffett should get together & talk about their railroad stocks. pic.twitter.com/01LMdEmrnS  Chris Koerner | No BS Crypto | Altcoin Expert (@noBScrypto) February 28, 2018

@BillGates says cryptocurrencies are causing deaths because people buy drugs with cryptos." Actually, 95%+ of drugs are bought with fiat. So the US dollar is causing drug-related deaths. Blaming the drug problem on crypto to illogically criticize cryptocurrency market. #BTC  Crypto Currency (@Lochm1807) February 28, 2018

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.A teacher in Ghana went viral after pictures of him were taken showing his class how to use Microsoft Word on a blackboard. In the pictures, students can be seen taking notes about how to use the word processor.

The school where he teaches has no computers, making his task of teaching Microsoft Word much more difficult.

No Computer, No Problem

Photos of Richard Appiah Akoto went viral showing how he was able to teach his students to use Microsoft Word without using a computer. Though it is not by choice. Akoto is an information and communication (ICT) teacher at Betenase M/A Junior High School in Sekyedomase, Ghana.

Students in Ghana are expected to use Word to pass a national exam that serves as a benchmark for them to move on to high school. If they don't pass the test, they cannot go to high school.

Akoto posted the photos to Facebook himself under the name "OWura Kwadwo Hottish." The pictures were meant to show life in Africa and how a teacher can be creative in finding a way to be able to teach children a computer program without having a computer available.

Students have to pass a written exam for which they must know the parts of a computer, how to connect it, and how to boot the computer. Students have to remember the official curriculum to pass the test.

This puts the students at a real disadvantage since they don't have a computer to reference. In the previous school year, just one of his students got an A on the test.

Akoto has been teaching at the junior high school for six years.

Microsoft Help

Akoto's post became viral after a popular Ghanaian comedian shared his original post on Facebook. Eventually, it reached the eyes of tech entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong. She reached out to Microsoft via Twitter to see if they could provide Akoto with any help.

Microsoft Africa responded to Enonchong's tweet, and said that it would provide Akoto with the resources to be able to teach his class Microsoft Word.

Supporting teachers to enable digital transformation in education is at the core of what we do. We will equip Owura Kwadwo with a device from one of our partners, and access to our MCE program & free professional development resources on https://t.co/dJ6loRUOdg  Microsoft Africa (@MicrosoftAfrica) February 27, 2018

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Authorities arrested a couple from Joshua Tree, California, after finding out that they had been living with three children in a plywood box for years.

Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at the Morongo Basin Station were driving through a remote Joshua Tree area on Wednesday, Feb. 28, when they came across an abandoned trailer and a large plywood box.

Upon further inspection, the deputies found that there was no running water or electricity on the property, and there were some trash piles and large holes with feces. Roughly 30 or 40 cats were roaming on the premises and living in the abandoned trailer. The property is located on Sun Fair Road, 7000 block, in Joshua Tree.

Kids Found Living In Makeshift Plywood Shelter Three teens aged 14, 13, and 11, were living on the property, in the plywood box that served as an improvised shelter. Authorities stressed that the kids were not in the box against their will, it's where they lived, along with their parents. The plywood box measured roughly 20 feet in length, four feet in height, and 10 feet in width, and the kids lived there for about four years. "The victims were found to have an inadequate amount of food and were living in an unsuitable and unsafe environment due to the conditions located on the property," reveals the press release. "Children and Family Service responded to the location and took custody of the three victims." Willful Cruelty To Child Two adults were on the property and the deputies determined that they were the kids' parents. Authorities arrested 51-year-old Mona Kirk and 73-year-old Daniel Panico for willful cruelty to a child, according to the Penal Code 273 (A). The bail is set at $100,000. While authorities reported at first that the kids lived in a box, Captain Trevis Newport of the Morongo Basin Station later highlighted that they were not in a confined space against their will, they were basically homeless, and their parents sheltered them in that plywood box. "It's a shelter, the shape of a box ... nowhere near what it sounded like when it came out," said Newport. They Chose Not To Ask For Help The makeshift shelter, however, cannot offer suitable living conditions for children. Moreover, the nights get really cold this time of year. Although authorities said the kids did not have enough food, they added that they don't think they were malnourished. Cindy Bachman, a Sherriff's Department spokeswoman, added that the situation is tragic considering that the people could have received help from special services dealing with such situations, yet they chose not to seek any assistance. The children were not enrolled in any public school, and it's unknown whether the parents home-schooled them.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.After being made available to only select regions on the second half of of 2017, the Blackberry KEYone Black Edition is finally available in the United States as well.

When the original version of the KEYone came out, the model sported silver-colored metal accents on its chassis. Some users might easily confuse the special version with the Space Black version of the smartphone, but the Black Edition is a limited-release handset that came with upgraded hardware.

Overall, the company confirmed during the 2018 Mobile World Congress that the regular version was well-received by consumers. This led the company to decide to make the limited version available through online retailers like Amazon for its U.S. customers.

Key Differences From The Regular Model

The regular KEYone was previously being offered by several wireless carriers and was available at several retailers. On the other hand, the Space Black version was apparently an exclusive offering from AT&T. Both of these versions of the handset are equipped with a 3 GB RAM.

The default storage size for the two versions is 32 GB. At first glance, the Space Black model looks exactly like the Black Edition. A slightly upgraded hardware gives the Black Edition however as it comes with a 64-GB flash memory.

Furthermore, the Black Edition also has a RAM bumped up to 4 GB. What presumably made it desirable other than its higher specs was the absence of bloatware and carrier branding, which is common among devices that are exclusively sold by network providers.

Availability And Detailed Features

For those interested to grab the Blackberry KEYone Black Edition, it is currently available for purchase from Best Buy and Amazon for $569.99. The company abandoned its Blackberry OS in favor of Android after financial reports consistently showed a decline in profits. The first Blackberry model that ran on Google's platform was the Priv. Unfortunately, the phone's expensive price discouraged consumers and led to poor sales.

The KEYone struck a better balance with its premium build quality and familiar form factor. The physical keyboard apparently functions as an optional touch-sensitive pad. Longtime Blackberry users reportedly felt at home with its keyboard layout, while Android users quickly adapted to its innovative interface.

Key Hardware Information

A 4.5-inch IPS LCD touchscreen with a 1620 x 1080 display resolution immediately sits on top of the physical keyboard/touchpad hybrid of the Blackberry KEYone Black Edition. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC with a 4 GB RAM handles its processing requirements.

Its rear-facing camera is a 12-megapixel unit with a Sony IMX378 sensor, while the front-mounted imaging sensor is an 8-megapixel module. Its generous 64 GB internal memory is expandable via a microSD card that can accommodate up to 256 GB variants.

The 3,505mAh rechargeable battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology is built-in and the device runs on Android 7.1 Nougat by default.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.YouTube appears to be trying to make green screen obsolete. If Google's artificial intelligence-powered video segmentation capabilities prove sufficiently convincing enough to erase the need for green screens, then this is good news for amateur content producers and creators.

That's not to say green screen will go out of fashion anytime soon, though. They're still crucially integral to filmmaking, especially big-budget VFX blockbusters, and likely won't be phased out anytime soon unless a newer, more innovating technology is introduced. Google's new green screen-ish tech doesn't seem like it's breaking any ground, but it does look pretty impressive.

Google Replaces Green Screen With Artificial Intelligence

The company is relying on AI and machine learning to replace the background in videos without the need for a green screen, and the interface looks as easy as slapping on a Snapchat or Instagram filter onto a video. In a blog post, Google goes into detail about how the technology works, an enthralling read if you're either a machine learning or VFK geek. Overall, though, it looks convincing enough. It won't win any VFX awards, yes, but it looks like it could be the next great fad after Snapchat's augmented reality filters, one of which can turn one's face into a dog.

It isn't perfect, that's for certain. In some cases, weird halos appear around certain edges, and anomalies near the area of the hair takes one out of the illusion. But to achieve something convincing, especially one that occurs on a mobile device, is truly remarkable. Questions loom, though. Is the process battery intensive? Will it require a special, depth-sensing camera?

YouTube Stories

For now, the tech is still in limited beta and available only for select YouTube creators. Also, the feature is still exclusive to "stories," apparently YouTube's new social video service platform. Furthermore, it's still not certain what the requirements look like for this tech to work. Will it only be available for Google Pixel 2 devices, provided they come with a special Pixel Visual Core chip that applies intelligent processing for images? Details are thin, but Google does have a few plans in store:

"Our immediate goal is to use the limited rollout in YouTube stories to test our technology on this first set of effects," the company said. "As we improve and expand our segmentation technology to more labels, we plan to integrate it into Google's broader Augmented Reality services."

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.Amazon and Google have been at odds and as the feud is escalating, Amazon will stop selling Nest products on its website.

As a reminder, Google acquired Nest back in 2014 and is now merging its own hardware team with Nest's for deeper integration. As Amazon and Google race to dominate the smart home space, competition is heating up and the two are waging war against each other.

No Nest Products On Amazon

Amazon currently sells a number of Nest products on its e-commerce website, but that will change soon. According to a new report from Business Insider, the retail team at Amazon recently informed Nest that it will no longer be listing newer Nest products such as the Nest Secure home security system released in late 2017, or the new Nest thermostats.

Amazon's retail team reportedly did not specify who gave the order to skip newer Nest products, but did mention that it "came from the top" and had nothing to do with the quality of the Nest products sold on Amazon. This could mean that the decision came from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself, or from someone else high up in the management chain, and it's most likely related to Nest's new owner.

All Or Nothing

In response, now Google-owned Nest reportedly decided to leave Amazon altogether. This means that even the few Nest products listed on Amazon will not be available in the future.

Business Insider notes that it was an awkward conversation with Amazon's retail team, but Nest was expecting it. Consequently, once Amazon's current inventory of Nest products sells out, that will be it. Nest wanted to offer its entire portfolio on the e-commerce platform, so it seems like it was all or nothing. If it can't sell its latest product on Amazon, it's pulling all of its portfolio.

It remains unclear at this point whether this decision also means that third-party retailers can't sell Nest products on the Amazon marketplace either. Engadget reached out to Amazon to inquire about this, but a company representative said they don't have an official statement on this matter yet.

Amazon - Google War

For those unfamiliar with the whole situation, Amazon first opened fire against Google when it removed Chromecast from its website because it did not support Amazon Prime Video. Google retaliated by preventing Amazon Fire TV and Echo Show devices from accessing YouTube, citing a "lack of reciprocity." Google explained at that point that it tried to reason with Amazon so they'd both give consumers access to each other's products and services.

Not being able to access YouTube videos likely dealt a heavy blow to the Fire TV and Echo Show's appeal, so Amazon eventually reconsidered. Back in December 2017, Amazon announced that it will start selling Chromecast devices again, indicating that the two companies might finally patch things up. If Business Insider's new report turns out to be accurate, however, the dispute is escalating rather than dying down.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.GONZALES  An Ascension Parish man found intoxicated in his car one fall morning in 2016 was sentenced to 10 years in state prison after his fifth conviction for driving while intoxicated, prosecutors said Friday.

Richard Miller, 63, who had four prior DWI convictions and a January 1994 conviction in East Baton Rouge Parish for vehicular homicide, was sentenced this week by District Court Judge Thomas Kliebert Jr., prosecutors saud in a news release.

Ascension Parish sheriff's deputies had found Miller sleeping behind the wheel of a 2008 Chrysler Sebring with the engine running about 6 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2016, parked in the middle of West 9th Street in Donaldsonville, prosecutors said.

Miller refused to perform a field sobriety test or take a chemical breath test, prosecutors said.

Darrow man faces 30 years in prison after fifth DWI conviction GONZALES  An Ascension Parish man convicted of his fifth driving while intoxicated charge faces up to 30 years in state prison when he is exp

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Miller later told a deputy he had to urinate and, despite being told to wait, did so near the patrol deputy's vehicle, a plea agreement says.

Miller later fell asleep during an interview with deputies and was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Gonzales for evaluation. Deputies were never able to obtain a blood-alcohol level for Miller. However, after he was medically cleared, he was booked with DWI fourth or subsequent offense, obscenity and other counts, prosecutors said.

Miller, 5267 Galaxy Blvd., Darrow, pleaded guilty to the DWI fourth or subsequent offense court Oct. 24 in a plea agreement with Assistant District Attorney Phil Maples.

Kliebert made two years of Miller's 10 years in prison without the benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. Miller must also serve five years of probation after his release from prison.The Rev. Billy Graham, an internationally revered Christian evangelist who died last week, was buried in a casket crafted by inmates at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Earlier this week Franklin Graham shared an inside look at how that came to be, including interviews with the late Richard Liggett, nicknamed "Grasshopper," a convicted murderer who helped crafted the casket.

Can't see the video below? Click here.

After having seen the coffins built by and for inmates on a visit to the state's only maximum-security prison in the early 2000s, Graham's son Franklin Graham requested the same coffins for his parents, former Angola Warden Burl Cain said.

"It's incredible," Cain said recently. "That's what Billy Graham's going to be buried in, one of those coffins from Angola."

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Cain said the coffins were plain, but that's what drew Franklin Graham to them. The coffins were made of wood and lined with comforters from Walmart, Cain said.

+3 Evangelist Billy Graham to be buried in casket made by Angola inmates The Rev. Billy Graham, the internationally revered Christian evangelist who died early Wednesday, is expected to be buried in a coffin built y

Billy Graham's wife, Ruth Graham, was buried in a coffin from Angola, said Ken Pastorick, Louisiana Department of Corrections spokesman.

Cain said the Grahams requested that the names of the inmates who worked on their construction be wood-burned onto the coffins.

Liggett, who died in 2007, Clarence Wilkerson, who died earlier this month, and David Bacon, who was released in December 2016 after Gov. John Bel Edwards commuted his sentence, worked on the coffins for the Grahams, Pastorick said.Three deputies with the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office have been suspended without pay following an internal investigation into a two-vehicle crash on Mardi Gras night caused by a 25-year-old man suspected of driving under the influence who was never tested by police.

In a news release Friday, spokesman Capt. Steve Juge also identified the driver in that Feb. 13 crash as Aaron Barlow of Maringouin. Juge said Barlow was booked Tuesday on counts of careless operation, first offense DWI, negligent injuring and driving with a suspended license.

Pointe Coupee sheriff says he's investigating botched crash investigation involving DWI suspect An internal investigation has been launched into a rookie Pointe Coupee deputys failure to administer a blood-alcohol test to a driver who cr

Sheriff Bud Torres identified the deputies as Sgt. Scott Grezaffi and Sgt. Donald Higginbotham, who were each suspended three days and rookie deputy Michael Thomas, who received a 1-day suspension.

The two sergeants were present on the scene and were supposed to be making sure everything got handled, the sheriff said Friday.

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The crash occurred around 7 p.m. Feb. 13 when a couple traveling eastbound along U.S. 190 was trying to make a left turn onto La. 978 in Torbert. Barlow plowed into the back of the couple's vehicle as they were waiting to make the turn. according to sheriff's office reports of the incident..

All the individuals in the crash were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital, but both vehicles involved were a total loss.

Torres previously said one of his rookie deputies failed to administer a blood-alcohol test to Barlow. He said then there might have been a miscommunication between his deputy, who has only been on the force a year, and a State Police trooper who was called in to assist in the crash investigation.

"Yes, we made a mistake. We dropped the ball," Torres said previously. "But we're going to try and salvage what we have and correct the problem."

According to the news release Friday, the Sheriff's Office used a warrant to obtain the sample of blood that was drawn from Barlow while he was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries from the crash.The Trump administration's plan to levy tariffs on steel and aluminum imports is "troubling in a number of ways" and almost certainly would send ripples through Louisiana's economy, the head of Union Pacific Railroad said at a World Trade Center reception in New Orleans.

President and CEO Lance Fritz was speaking before a crowd at the Port of New Orleans Thursday evening, just hours after President Donald Trump's tariffs announcement.

Fritz credited Trump for working to "hold our trading partners accountable to live in the context of free and fair trade" but also expressed deep reservations about protectionist trade policies in general.

"I don't know that the tariffs that are being contemplated are the right remedy," he said.

Fritz cautioned against rising public sentiment that global trade deals  rather than gains in worker productivity  are to blame for the disappearance of thousands of American manufacturing jobs in recent decades, particularly in the upper Midwest.

"In today's environment, there's a number of our U.S. citizens  who think that they've lost their job as a result of international trade," he said. "And to some degree, they're right  there is a portion of logic there, but it's grossly misrepresented" and "not the big story."

Fritz cited research by Ball State University that concluded nearly 88 percent of job losses in manufacturing were tied to gains in productivity.

"If you read the papers, you'd think that manufacturing is dying  we're just doing it with less people, and that's mostly about productivity," he said.

From an "America First" train of thought, Trump has repeatedly said the long-standing North American Free Trade Agreement should be renegotiated because it has been "a catastrophe."

"NAFTA has turned into a dirty word," Fritz said in disagreement. "NAFTA's really been a boon for us," said Fritz, whose company connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the U.S. by rail and plays a major role in the global supply chain.

Renegotiating NAFTA, the 1994 agreement with Mexico and Canada, would certainly be felt in Louisiana. Overall, trade among the three countries has climbed from $293 billion in 1993 to almost $800 billion in 2016. Mexico is one of Louisianas top trade partners.

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Additionally, some fiscal experts warn that Trumps plan to levy tariffs on steel and aluminum imports could negatively impact Louisiana by driving up costs for manufacturers, which would likely be passed along to consumers, as well as opening up the possibility of retaliation from other countries. However, the obvious winners would include the state's steel makers, who contend that cheap foreign steel has unfairly flooded the market.

Any changes in global trade policy could have an outsized impact for Union Pacific, where roughly 40 percent of the railroad's business is international, including moving 70 percent of U.S. freight-rail shipments to and from Mexico.

Highlighting that point, Caitlin Cain, CEO of the World Trade Center of New Orleans, noted in opening remarks that at least 35 percent of rail revenue is directly associated with international trade.

"The strength of the global supply chain is incredibly important to the work of Union Pacific, and incredibly important to the work that we do, and the World Trade Center of New Orleans," she said.

Although distancing himself from Trump's protectionist trade policy, Fritz credited Trump for other pro-business moves. "The administration has done a great job on deregulation," he said. "I feel that, as all business and all my customers feel it."

But Fritz sought to reassure the crowd that he's working to stem the protectionist tide, saying that he's met with various federal officials to "spread the gospel of what we all know here, which is closing our border won't create jobs."

Rather, he added, "it'll destroy jobs and it'll destroy the jobs that the president believes he was elected to grow."

In a statement released Friday, Brandy Christian, president and chief executive officer of the Port of New Orleans, said the facility is particularly sensitive to tariffs on imported steel and aluminum because those metals are important revenue sources. The port imported nearly 2.5 million tons of steel in 2017, accounting for 30 percent of its total general cargo tonnage.

The New Orleans ports and other ports along the lower Mississippi are vulnerable to any sort of retaliatory trade action because so much is exported from them. Nearly 60 percent of the grain exported from the Midwest goes through south Louisiana ports.

Port NOLA supports the enforcement of all trade agreements, but an across the board action fails to recognize those countries playing by the rules, Christian said.Corey Nauck Jr. is only 5 years old, but hes now had two younger half-brothers die.

The death this week of 7-month-old Carter Joseph Nauck, who police say was beaten to death by his father Corey Nauck Sr., followed the death of Tanner Nauck, who was ruled to have died of natural causes at the age of 4 months from a heart defect in August 2015.

For those who live in the Naucks' small Folsom neighborhood, the news of the latest death came as a shock.

When Barbara Brewster saw Corey Nauck Sr. relaxing outside his house along with his wife, his baby and the babys grandmother last weekend, she never would have imagined that would be the last time she saw them together.

I was just dumbfounded, Brewster said. Every time Ive seen him with his little boy hes been a wonderful dad.

Can't see video below? Click here.

She didnt see them too often, but that wasnt concerning to Brewster. Most people in the neighborhood along Pearl Street keep to themselves, she said, though they still care for each other.

Thats why, when little Carter was born seven months ago, she and other neighbors were overjoyed.

We were absolutely delighted when they had another baby, Brewster said.

She was especially happy for the family because she knew of Tanners death from congenital heart disease in 2015.

St. Tammany Parish Coroner Charles Preston will now take another look at that case and will likely reclassify the death's cause as undetermined, according to a spokesman.

Carter Naucks death was the first homicide Preston's office has had to deal with in 2018 after handling 20 in 2017  a record high for St. Tammany.

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That first homicide became official on Wednesday when Carter Nauck died  two days after his father brought him to a local hospital with unexplained injuries. He was then transferred to a hospital on the south shore, where he died.

Detectives located Corey Nauck Sr. at a family members home in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he was arrested. Nauck later admitted that he hit his son because he was annoyed by his crying, authorities said.

Neighbors said thats not the story they heard at first, with varying accounts about how the child was injured, followed by rumors that he had died.

One of the neighbors hearing those rumors was Rodney London, who first heard the baby had died from his 9-year-old son. When I first heard it from him, I didnt quite believe it at first, he said.

Brewster said its going to be tough not seeing the baby in the neighborhood anymore, even though she only got to see him up close one time  about two weeks ago, when she went to say hello to the grandmother holding him on the porch of the Naucks' house on Pearl Street.

He was a big, healthy-looking baby. Just smiling, smiling, smiling, she said.

Bella Friedrichs, the mother of Corey Nauck Jr., said she did not want to make any comment.

Friedrichs was not the mother of Corey Nauck Sr.s other two children, both now dead. Their mother was Missy Nauck, according to Corey Nauck Sr.s Facebook post after Carters birth.

Through her attorney, Missy Nauck said she had no comment.

Brewster said that if she had known Corey Nauck Sr. was having a problem, she would have been there to help.

It breaks my heart that this was a boy in this community who snapped and nobody saw it coming, and I have to ask, Why?  she said. This is heaven. Its a great community. You dont have to lock your doors.

Corey Nauck Sr. now faces a count of first-degree murder, which carries the possibility of the death penalty in Louisiana.

Staff writer Sara Pagones contributed to this report.Embattled New Orleans jazzman Irvin Mayfield and his sidekick Ronald Markham are asking a federal judge to change the conditions of their bail so they can play at a festival in South Africa.

In a motion filed Friday, Mayfield and Markham asked U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey to let them travel to South Africa for 10 days to perform at the Soweto International Jazz Festival in June. Both have been barred from leaving the country since their indictment on fraud and money laundering charges in December.

Prosecutors allege that Mayfield, a trumpeter, and Markham, a pianist, stole almost $1.4 million from the New Orleans Public Library Foundation, where they sat as board members between 2011 and 2013.

+3 Irvin Mayfield pleads not guilty in federal court; case 'tainted' by leaks, attorney says Jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and his business partner Ronald Markham walked into federal court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to a raft of f

A magistrate judge set a Tuesday hearing to consider the motion, which is opposed by prosecutors. A federal probation service agent has voiced no objection to the international travel.

Mayfield would receive a $7,500 fee, round-trip airfare for four people, a hotel and a $50 per diem as part of his contract with the festival. Its unclear whether that money would be split with Markham.

The joint motion claims the jaunt abroad will bolster both the mens finances and the citys international image.

Although the compensation for their performance will not be vast, it will certainly help Mr. Mayfield to continue to provide for his three minor children and Mr. Markham for his family, the mens lawyers said. In addition, the commercial benefit, like all of the defendants previous work around the country, results in immeasurable commercial benefit to the city of New Orleans.

Mayfield has claimed to have an income of about $800 a month. He is being represented by a federal public defender.

Zainey pushed the trial date for the men's case back to Oct. 22.Hydeia Broadbent began speaking publicly about her diagnosis at the age of 6, and it was far from her biggest challenge. Born with HIV, she was abandoned at a Las Vegas hospital and adopted at 6 weeks old. She was diagnosed at age 3 and was not expected to live past 5.

Broadbent not only survived but thrived.

By 12, she had appeared on several national television programs including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America and been featured in publications such as The New York Times and People.

Now 33, she spends her time traveling across the county promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention and fighting HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

In honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10, amfAR spoke to Broadbent about disclosing publicly at such a young age, HIV disparities among women, and the hardest part about living with the virus today.

What made you decide to share your story so publicly at such a young age, especially when there was so much ignorance and stigma surrounding the disease?

I wanted my friends who were HIV positive to be able to share their story and not feel any shame. A lot of my friends were not public with their status. I also had a very supportive family. I was allowed to be open because my mom wanted me to know that HIV was something that happened to me but did not define who I was as a person. I never felt any shame because it was made very normal for me. I was in the room with my mom when she would talk to my doctors. I went with her to HIV/AIDS conferences. So I have always known about HIV and have never been scared of it.

Related: Watch Hydeia Broadbent, HIV Advocate Since Childhood, Put #HIVStigmaOnBlast

When you were diagnosed, HIV was a death sentence. I understand you saw more kids die from complications of the virus than survive it. How did you maintain a positive outlook on life?

I think it was how I was raised. My mom taught me never to blame anybody. I didn't get to feel sorry for myself. I never saw her stress about going to the doctor or get upset if I had to stay in the hospital. So I think that helped with my attitude a great deal.

What do you think is the biggest misconception about HIV?

I feel like people are not aware. I know a few who still think that it's a gay disease. Then for women, what I've found is they don't look at their dating pattern as putting them at risk for contracting HIV. We use condoms in the beginning, and then we get comfortable and stop without ever finding out the person's HIV status. That relationship may come to an end, and then we start dating again, and we start the same pattern. That's not healthy. Just because we might not be having one-night stands doesn't mean we're not putting ourselves at risk for HIV.

Biologically, women are more susceptible to HIV infection through heterosexual sex than men. Most women are contracting the virus this way. How do we empower women and girls to protect themselves?

I think it's really about advocating for self-love and self-awareness and understanding that we really do have the power to say no or to demand condom negotiations during sex. I think a lot of women don't feel they have power in that situation.According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the hominin footprints discovered in South Africa and published last week were discovered by some dedicated avocational paleontologists: Ancient human footprints discovered by B.C. family on vacation in South Africa.

A B.C. family's hobby of hunting for fossils has led to the discovery of a rare set of ancient human footprints on the south coast of South Africa.

The existence of the tracks, estimated to be approximately 90,000 years old, was revealed in an article published in the open-access journal Scientific Reports, maintained by the editors of the UK publication Nature.

The lead author of the report is Charles Helm, a former family physician in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., who is originally from South Africa.

This is such a great story, a case study in how discoveries are made. Some new scientific discoveries come from exploring where nobody else has been before. But most discoveries emerge from someone looking in a well-trodden area with new eyes. They may see something that no one else has noticed before.

These footprints are actually embedded within the walls and ceiling of a cave. What is today a cave actually formed within a dune sand breccia. The erosion naturally happened along ancient natural surfaces, leaving the impressions preserved within layers that had originally filled in the footprints, stratigraphically above them.

Imagine, studying footprints on the ceiling of a cave!

Footprints illustrated in figure 4a of Helm et al. (2018)

The research paper is in Scientific Reports, which is open access: A New Pleistocene Hominin Tracksite from the Cape South Coast, South Africa. The paper makes it clear that this was no chance discovery. These hominin footprints were just the most interesting results of a systematic survey of coastal sites for trackway evidence.

The hominin tracks reported here were discovered as part of a ground survey by the senior author along a 275 km stretch of coastline from Witsand in the west to Robberg in the east, undertaken between 2007 and 2016 (Fig. 1). Over 100 Late Pleistocene vertebrate tracksites were identified in coastal aeolianites, and in 2016 natural cast tracks on the ceiling of a ten-metre long cave (Fig. 2) were identified as human in origin. In 2017 further hominin tracks were identified in this cave on a lower layer. The focus of this paper is to describe these tracks and to briefly place them in their sedimentary and palaeoecological context.

The larger footprints are 23 cm long, and there are shorter ones that are around 17 cm long. The paper suggests that all these footprints likely belong to modern humans. That is by no means impossible, but I note that all these footprints are within the size range that I would expect for Homo naledi as well.

It may take some time for archaeologists to change their outdated assumption that the entire African Pleistocene record documents a linear succession of modern human ancestors. With every discovery, we need to be critical about documenting context and associations.Despite the Trump administrations efforts, the half trillion dollar Exxon oil deal with Russia has finally succumbed to sanctions.

There is evidence to suggest that the fossil fuel venture may have been the financial impetus behind Russian interference in the US election in 2016. It is an incontrovertible fact that the Russian government used their resources to support the candidacy of Donald Trump. There are good reasons to believe that this deal may have played a role in this extraordinary breach of US sovereignty that some have called an act of war on a par with Pearl Harbor.



Vladimir Putin

There are mutiple dimensions to the highly questionable relationship between the Trump administration and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. These issues are currently being scrutinized by special investigator Robert Mueller.

In addition to medling in foreign elections, and war in both Syria and the Ukraine, the Russian strongman is well known by environmentalists for his ambition to extracxt resources in the fragile Arctic. Putin has had his sights set on extracting Arctic oil for some time. He started lining up investors more than five years ago. Since at least 2012 Putin has been preparing to benefit from global warming as the ice melts and valuable Arctic resources become accssible. To back up his Arctic ambitions he has moved significantly more state and military assets into the region than any other nation.

The deal

The partnership between Russias state-owned Rosneft and Exxon Mobil Corp. was signed in Moscow in August 2012. The $500 billion deal between the two oil giants included three fields in the Arctic. In 2014 Exxon began drilling in Russias Arctic despite Western sanctions on Rosneft over the Ukraine crisis (Russia annexed Crimea and engaged in a proxy war with the Ukraine). These oil drilling operations were subsequently halted as the sanctions noose tightened.

As revealed in a recently published Exxon report, several joint ventures with Rosneft PJSC have been abandoned. This is a serious blow for Exxon which has drilling rights to 11.4 million acres (46,134 square kilometers or 17812 square miles) of Russian territory.

There is evidence to suggest that Russian support for Trump may have been, at least in part, about gaining access to billions of dollars of oil in Russia. Exxons technology is required to extract the oil, particularly in the Russian Arctic. Trump may have been seen as a way to get around sanctions.

Tillerson failed to deliver

Rex Tillerson, is the former CEO of Exxon and the man who brokered the deal with Rosneft. Tillerson has longstanding oil ties with Putin and this may be the reason he was tapped to be Secretary of State. Tillerson was awarded the Russian governments Order of Friendship after he signed an agreement to drill for Arctic oil in the Kara Sea. It should also be noted that Tillerson was the only American official to join Trump at the G20 meeting in Germany.

Was Tillerson nominated to be Secretary of State to remove the sanctions and enable Exxon to drill in Russia? Tillersons efforts both before and after being nominated are consistent with this hypothesis. His opposition to sanctions against Russia has not wavered even in the face of Russian meddling in the election of 2016. The Trump administration also refused to impose further sanctions on Russia despite an overwhelmingly popular bipartisan resolution that passed in both chambers of Congress. Tillerson did all that he could to allow the Exxon-Rosneft deal to move forward but he failed. After having invested so much energy into Russia, as both CEO of Exxon and now Secretary of State, Tillersons dream of Russian oil appears to have died.

Tillersons questionable conduct extends beyond his role as Secretary of State. He was at the helm of Exxon as the company hid climate data. During confirmation hearings Tillerson equivocated about climate change and refused to answer a question about Exxons efforts to obscure science. It is now clear that Tillerson was guilty of climate obfuscation while at the helm of Exxon.



Exxons malfeasance

Like Tillerson, Exxon has done all it can to get around the sanctions. As reported by the Hill last April, Exxon requested a waiver from the Trump administration to exempt them from sanctions. In July the Times reported that Exxon was fined for violating sanctions against Russia.

Exxons crimes against humanity go way beyond its dealings in Russia. In fairness so do the crimes of the whole fossil fuel industry. Exxon is a key contributor to climate change by some estimates it is responsible for 5 percent of the worlds anthropogenic carbon load. The court mandated release of Exxons own documents revealed that the company has known about its carbon impacts for many years.

The oil companys malfeasance does not end there. New Yorks attorney general accused the oil giant of cooking the books while Tillerson was CEO. Exxon is accused of having one set of carbon pricing for shareholders and another that was used internally. This sham accounting contributed to the false and misleading statements that were made to shareholders.

On May 31, just ahead of Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate agreement, Exxon stockholders overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding that the company be more transparent about climate risks.

One of Exxons corporate responsibility advisors resigned over what he called targeted attacks on NGOs and Exxon was fined for releasing ten million pounds of air pollution in Texas.

Exxon has also been beset by a number of problems not the least of which is the decline in oil prices. Although they have recovered somewhat, the low oil prices forced Exxon to abandon plans to develop significant amounts of its tar sands assets.Martin Margiela, the "Greta Garbo of fashion", is lurking somewhere out of sight at the Palais Galliera in Paris where a huge retrospective of his work opens Friday.

The reclusive genius -- of whom no photograph exists after 1996 -- walked away from his label nine years ago when he was the most talked-about designer in the world, and has not been seen in public since.

Two new Paris exhibitions lift a little of the mystery that surrounds Margiela, arguably the most influential designer of the last 30 years.

Forever the control freak, he has quietly guided both from behind the scenes, taking top billing as "artistic director" from curator Alexandre Samson for the Galliera show.

It is a small sacrifice given the impact the enigmatic creator, still only 60, made before disappearing into thin air.

The Belgian blew away the sexed-up, money-obsessed extravagance of 1980s fashion by scandalously recutting secondhand clothes for the catwalk.

He turned a butcher's apron into an evening gown, black leather gloves into a breathtaking corset dress and made a now iconic blouse from several pairs of white socks in his first Paris shows.

Margiela now prefers to paint. But when AFP posed the question that everyone in fashion wants to know -- if he might one day return -- Samson replied, "You should ask him yourself, he's here."

"He's just waiting for you to leave..."

Rebels have no need of niceties. And both exhibitions -- which open this month in the French capital -- argue that Margiela was a true revolutionary who "challenged the system" by questioning if clothes should ever go out of fashion.

They simply could be deconstructed and rethought again and again, he maintained.

'I started to cry'

While the big luxury brands were outdoing each other in the decadence of their shows, Margiela staged his in an abandoned metro station, a Salvation Army hall, and most notoriously in 1989 on a piece of waste ground in one of Paris' roughest neighbourhoods.

Laughing local children pushed in beside critics in the front row and ran after his models down the bumpy "runway", with some being lifted onto their shoulders.

Raf Simons, the former Dior designer now leading Ralph Lauren, said that Margiela changed fashion forever that night in 17 joyous and shambolic minutes.

The "bleak fairyland" Margiela had created was "so angelic and alien", Simons said, that "I started to cry".

"I thought, 'How stupid to be crying at a fashion show.' Then I looked around, and half the audience was crying."

This was a full-on rebellion against the "star system of the time which he really disliked", said Samson.

The 1980s body beautiful aesthetic also went out of the window. Instead, Margiela cast his friends -- the more odd and original the better -- in his shows.

In the age of the supermodel, he covered his models' faces to better see the clothes, and designed with an eye also for "women of a certain age".

"He turned his back on the ways things were supposed to be done," Samson told AFP.

And in the case of the clothes Margiela made from coat and dress linings, he literally turned fashion inside out.

But his biggest transgression was thumbing his nose at designer labels.

His own was simply a numbered square of white cotton.

Inventor of oversized

Margiela began his rise as an assistant to the extrovert French creator Jean Paul Gaultier. He told the documentary, "The Artist is Absent", that Margiela was the best he ever had. "I was not his teacher," he said, "because he didn't need one".

As far back as 2000, when the trend was for skin-tight, Margiela had invented oversized, which nearly two decades later is still one of fashion's most dominant looks.

His duvet coats, long striped blue shirts, Japanese-style Tabi shoes and thigh-high stiletto stocking boots have all been "referenced" by fashion's wunderkind of the moment Demna Gvasalia, whose collections for Vetements and Balenciaga often seem like Margiela tribute shows.

Samson said he "loved playing with scale", blowing Barbie and Ken doll clothes up to human size.

Margiela's then PR Patrick Scanlon argued that "his incredible apprenticeship" with Gaultier taught him to see "anonymity as an advantage".

"There was no need to feed the (media) beast, it was a double-edged sword."

While the second Margiela show at the Museum of Decorative Arts, which opens on March 22, will concentrate on his five years at the luxury brand Hermes, the Galliera exhibition uses over 1,000 objects from his archives to illustrate his 20-year career.

Neither show, however, solves the mystery of why Margiela left the stage so suddenly in 2009 when he was at the height of his powers, wowing his fans with a coat made of wigs in his startling final show.

Simons believes he "had said what he wanted to say. Basta! I find that admirable. That's what more people should do," he added.When dining out to celebrate a special day or to reward ourselves after an achievement, a good steak is always a good option. Jakartan diners are now spoiled for choice when it comes to steakhouses, each offering different styles, and a plethora of cuts to choose from. Some lesser known beef cuts are also on offer, combined with the now-trending ageing method.

Read also: Kaum Jakarta named capital's restaurant of the year

The Jakarta Post tried three different lesser known beef cuts, aged as follow:

Picanha

Being a Brazilian cut, it can be found in churrascarias or certain specialty steakhouses. Picanha is a rather small cut of meat on top of the sirloin, usually called rump cover or rump cap by Americans. It has layers of fat, and as it is not a muscle that moves much, it remains tender. The Post tried the picanha at AB Steak by Akira Back Jakarta, where it was of 9+ grade marbling and dry-aged for 21 days.

According to Joel Lim, executive sous chef of AB Steak, the picanha can be aged for up to 100 days. The more it is aged, the better the taste. Chilled to a temperature between 2-5 degrees Celsius during the dry age process, the grilled picanha is already flavorful with only a little bit of salt and pepper.

Freshly grilled picanha at AB Steak by Akira Back Jakarta. (TJP/Muthi)

Rib-eye

The tenderloin may be the most tender cut, but the rib-eye is juicier, more flavorful, with just the right amount of fat. Joel said that it was the most balanced beef meat, when he presented a 60-day dry-aged rib-eye for The Post. The meat was still attached to the bone, which helps prevent the meat from shrinking during the dry ageing process.

The rib-eye's tenderness comes from the fact the cut's muscles dont get much exercise. The best muscle the cut has is the spinalis dorsi, aka the rib cap, from the curved top of the meat. It lies just above the main muscle of the rib-eye called the longissimus dorsi. Although the main muscle is the part where the intramuscular fat (marbling) tends to deposit, beef connoisseurs consider the spinalis dorsi to be the better one.

Executive sous chef Joel Lim grills a rib eye for 'The Post'. (TJP/Muthi)

Tri-tip

There are only two of these cuts in a cow, so consider yourself lucky when finding one. Mark Bittman wrote in The New York Times that this ultra-thick, nicely marbled, strongly flavored steak was perfect for roasting, broiling, or a combination of stove-top and oven cooking.

Often going by many (often incorrect) names such as the California cut, Newport steak, top sirloin and more, Mark prefers the term tri-tip, because the steak is triangular and is the tip of the sirloin.

The tri-tip served to The Post at AB Steak had gone through a wet-ageing process, in which the beef was vacuum-packed in plastic and aged in a refrigerator. The meat was then packed in its own juices, with its natural enzymes breaking down the connective tissues so that it became tender, resulting in a melt-in-the-mouth texture after grilling.

All lesser known beef cuts served to The Post that evening came with a unique dining experience. They were grilled and carved by the chefs on our table. The meat could be eaten straight after it was grilled, with no unnecessary resting as occurs when its transported from the grill in the kitchen to the table.

A tri-tip steak ready to be grilled at AB Steak by Akira Back Jakarta. (TJP/Muthi)Indonesian handicrafts produced by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were featured at the 22nd Salon International du Tourisme in Rennes, France, on Feb 16-18.

Tourism promotion at the Indonesian pavilion involved tour operators from France, such as Garuda Indonesia Holiday France, Spot My Dive, Mon Prochain Voyage, and Raja Ampat Dive Lodge/Grand Komodo, which sold tour packages to Indonesia during the exhibition, according to Antara on Saturday.

Information on tourist destinations in Indonesia was available to visitors through videos, brochures and flyers.

The exhibition was attended by 438 representatives of various tourist subsectors, including tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, villas, car rentals, historical tours, airlines and shipping.

Several countries, such as Canada, Vietnam, India, Iran, Tanzania, and the Dominican Republic, as well as players of the French tourist industry also attended the exhibition. Based on data, the exhibition was attended by 38,924 visitors.

Read also: Four not-to-miss events in East Nusa Tenggara in 2018

During the event, a presentation on Indonesian tourist destinations was also organized.

In addition, Indonesian students showcased the peacock dance from West Java and traditional Indonesian songs.

A general knowledge quiz on Indonesia was organized. Visitors answering the questions were handed out Indonesian handicrafts, such as masks, scarves and batik.

The Indonesian Embassy also conducted Indonesian community development activities at during the event.

The Indonesian ambassador to France also held a meeting with the Indonesian community in Rennes on Feb. 17.

On the occasion, the ambassador highlighted government programs that aimed to improve people's welfare.

The ambassador also urged Indonesian students to have a clear vision and mission regarding their education. (asw)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 3, 2018 10:17 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c829385 1 Business rice-subsidy,Bulog,disbursement,march Free

The National Logistics Agency (Bulog) will distribute 400,000 tons of subsidized rice in an attempt to stabilize the price in March.

Of the 400,000 tons, 250,000 tons was taken from the March allocation, while the remaining allocations were in January and February, said Bulog president director Djarot Kusumayakti after meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday.

Meanwhile, a further 150,000 tons of rice from the April allocation would be pushed forward to March he said, adding: "The President has allowed us to distribute Aprils allocation in March.

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Thursday, the price of all qualities of rice had increased in February compared to January.

The price of premium rice increased by 0.31 percent, while the prices of medium and low quality rice increased by 0.37 percent and 1.99 percent respectively.

BPS chairman Suhariyanto said that the price of low quality rice reached Rp 9,987 per kilogram, higher than the governments price ceiling target.

Economic Coordinating Minister Darmin Nasution said Bulog currently had around 660,000 tons of rice in stock. (bbn)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 3, 2018 11:45 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c82cfdc 1 Business EFTA-European-Free-Trade-Association,CEPA,talks Free

The Indonesian government has been advised to accelerate its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which consists of four countries  Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland  in order to boost investment and trade.

The 13th round of Indonesia-EFTA CEPA negotiations was held in November, 2017, while the 14th round is scheduled for this year.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) economic department chairman Yose Rizal Damuri said the deal with the EFTA was expected to ease trade barriers for Indonesian products, not only those going to EFTA members, but also to countries on the European continent.

The deal will also improve our relationship with the European Union because the EFTA and the EU have parallel standards and technical regulations. It will help Indonesia penetrate the European market, Yose said at the Indonesia-EFTA CEPA discussion organized by the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java on Thursday.

Meanwhile, National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) trade, investment, and international economic cooperation director Yahya Rachman Hidayat said the government expected the completion of the Indonesia-EFTA CEPA to increase investment from EFTA member countries.

He explained that in 2014, investment from EFTA member countries only accounted for 0.5 percent of the total foreign investment in Indonesia, but in 2017 the figure increased to 4 percent. I expect that the EFTAs investment in Indonesia can be increased to double digits, Yahya said. (ami)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States  Sat, March 3, 2018 15:09 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c837c32 2 World flood,US Free

At least five people were killed after a major winter storm pounded the US East Coast on Friday, with strong winds, heavy rain and snow disrupting thousands of flights and forcing the closure of federal government offices in Washington.

Coastal flooding alerts were issued from New Jersey to Massachusetts with winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and high wind warnings in effect from the Northeast to the Mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said.

Winter Storm Riley dropped more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) of snow in the western and northern parts of New York state, as heavy rain lashed coastal areas. The storm is expected to taper off overnight or by early Saturday.

Police in James City County, southern Virginia, confirmed a 44-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on the truck he was traveling in -- while in Chesterfield County, south of Richmond, authorities said a six-year-old boy was killed when a fallen tree struck him as he slept in his home.

Outside Baltimore, an elderly woman, 77, was also killed when she was hit by a large tree branch in Kingsville, Baltimore County Police & Fire Department said in a statement.

Meanwhile, local media said fallen trees also killed an 11-year-old boy in Putnam Valley, New York, and a man in his 70s in Newport, Rhode Island.

More than 3,000 domestic and international flights were cancelled on Friday and more than 2,400 others were delayed, according to the website FlightAware.

More than half the flights scheduled to arrive and depart from New York's LaGuardia Airport were cancelled, with sweeping disruptions at Boston Logan International and New York's two other area airports, Newark and John F. Kennedy International.

Amtrak, the US public railway service, announced that "for safety" all services along the northeast corridor were temporarily suspended.

Trains already en route between the US capital, New York, and Boston would continue to their destinations and hold, it said.

New York, the most populous US city and home to 8.5 million people, was expected to avoid heavy snow but was forecast to receive two to three inches (six centimeters) of rain and wet snow, with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour).

New York state governor Andrew Cuomo warned that Long Island and New York City would see winds of 40 mph, with gusts as high as 70 mph possible in eastern Long Island. Wind at that speed has the potential to uproot trees and cause power outages.

In the federal capital Washington and surrounding suburbs, public schools were closed because of the storm, which some dubbed online as "Windmaggedon".

A plane coming in to land at the Ronald Reagan airport was forced to abort its first attempt amid intense wind before touching down 10 minutes later, according to ABC news, which broadcast footage of the incident.

A pilot landing at the capital's Dulles International Airport meanwhile reported to authorities that the descent of his United Airlines flight from Charlottesville, Virginia, was so turbulent that "pretty much everyone on the plane threw up."

Dulles also briefly evacuated its control tower due to high winds.

In Massachusetts, authorities reported more than 100,000 power outages by mid-afternoon, warning that additional power cuts were likely and ordered some coastal communities to evacuate, warning that they expected homes to sustain significant damage.

State police announced the closure of roads and businesses in coastal areas as the National Weather Service warned that shoreline neighborhoods would stay inundated and cutoff, with water unable to drain until the storm passes.

Weather forecasters urged people to avoid driving through flood waters or heading to the coast to watch the flooding, flagging reports of stranded motorists.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 3, 2018 13:03 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c836609 1 National Hong-Kong,domestic-abuse Free

A 79-year-old woman identified as Wong Tai Sin was arrested by Hong Kong police after allegedly assaulting an Indonesian domestic worker.

A video allegedly showing her scolding and hitting the maid went viral on Facebook, sparking public outrage.

Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, the Foreign Ministry's director for the protection of citizens abroad, said the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong had coordinated with the Hong Kong police as soon the former received a report on the matter.

"Last night, the perpetrator, a 79-year-old woman, was arrested for alleged assault and making death threats," Iqbal said on Friday.

The consulate, he further said, would continue to monitor the case and provide assistance to the alleged victim.

The video, which was reportedly recorded by the Indonesian domestic worker, allegedly shows the suspect physically and verbally abusing the reported victim during an argument.

"I was hit, I was hit, I cannot take this," said the Indonesian worker to the camera.

The alleged perpetrator reportedly goes on to grab the alleged victim by the neck and beats her repeatedly.

The suspect is reportedly heard saying: "I really want to kill you. I'll die with you."TheJakartaPost

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 3, 2018 10:00 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c82884f 1 City kampung-melayu,bombing,trial Free

Five police officers have testified in the South Jakarta District Court on Friday on the 2017 Kampung Melayu twin suicide bombings in East Jakarta, allegedly masterminded by terrorist convict Aman Abdurrahman.

Imprisoned radical cleric Aman, who is also a supporter of the Islamic State (IS), is also facing another trial on the 2016 suicide bombing on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

The South Jakarta courts presiding judge, Akhmad Jaini, asked the five officers, M. Ersyad Alfart, M. Novriansyah, Purwoko, M. Rizki and Kandinan Malin, about the state of the Kampung Melayu bus terminal moments before the blast occurred on May 24, 2017. Three of their colleagues, who were escorting a traditional parade to welcome the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan, were killed in the blast.

Ersyad explained that he and several police officers were waiting for the parade, which had been scheduled to pass the terminal in the evening. Nothing peculiar had happened at that time, but at around 8:50 p.m., the police officers heard two explosions from a nearby Transjakarta bus stop.

After the explosions, I saw the bodies of my friends, Taufan, Gilang and Ridho, lying on the street, Ersyad recalled, adding that shortly after, another explosion occurred.

Witness Purwoko said the three victims were at a parking area near the bus stop, when the blast took place.

Around 25 minutes before the incident happened, I talked with Taufan, while I was repositioning my motorcycle, Purwoko said as reported by kompas.com.

The cleric has been serving his sentence in Nusakambangan maximum security prison in Central Java since 2010 for raising funds for a militant training camp in Aceh province. (vny)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Bogor  Sat, March 3 2018

The Bogor Polices traffic division in West Java will close and divert traffic for the Cap Go Meh lantern festival, the climax of Chinese New Year celebrations, on Friday, from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m.



Police traffic division chief Comr. Bramastyo Priaji said the plan would be carried out according to traffic conditions.



Traffic from Jl. Siliwangi to Jl. Suryakencana and Aut Alley, the route of the parade of Chinese deities, will be diverted if the flow to Jl. Otista is gridlocked. Vehicles from Tugu Kujang will be directed to Internusa.



Vehicles traveling to the Cap Go Meh folk festival may pass through the Baranangsiang route to Ekalokasari, and to the Lawang Gintung-Pahlawan-Empang route, and BTM. Bogor residents looking to avoid traffic are advised not to use the routes.



Thousands of people are expected to crowd the celebration to mark the 15th day after Chi...Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, March 3, 2018 13:10 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c83682b 1 City cap-go-meh,#festival,glodok,police,jakarta Free

Hundreds of police and military personnel, as well as officials from the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and transportation agency, will be deployed to guard the Cap Go Meh Festival in Glodok on Sunday.

We will deploy 700 joint personnel, Taman Sari Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Erick Frendriz said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

The annual festival, the pinnacle of Chinese New Year celebrations, or the 15th after Chinese New Year, will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. along Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk and will be centered in the LTC Glodok area, West Jakarta.

We will close roads along Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The transportation agency is also prepared to reroute traffic beginning Saturday night, he said.(iwa)Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Bekasi  Sat, March 3, 2018 15:59 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c8392e1 1 City gunfire,air-riffles,Bekasi,police Free

A soto ayam (chicken soup) seller was arrested in East Bekasi on Friday for allegedly shooting a woman.

The incident in question occurred when the soto ayam seller, identified as A, was reportedly testing out an air rifle he had recently procured, opening fire on a utility pole across his kiosk. A woman, identified as DF , however, was reportedly shot instead. The victim is currently being treated at a hospital.

Even though it was an accident, the alleged perpetrator violated the law by opening fire on a public road instead of a shooting range, Bekasi Police crimes division chief, Adj. Sr. Comr. Deny Supriadi, said Saturday as quoted by kompas.com.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin Nova Safo (Agence France-Presse) Michigan  Sat, March 3, 2018 08:20 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c826afc 2 World Michigan,US,shooting Free

A university student fatally shot his parents on his school campus Friday in the US state of Michigan before fleeing and setting off an hours-long manhunt, officials said.

The early morning incident put the campus into lockdown -- trapping students in classrooms and dormitories until mid-afternoon -- while police conducted an expansive search for the 19-year-old suspected gunman.

James Eric Davis, described as a university student, remained at large. He was accused of killing his father, a police officer, and mother in a shooting inside a dormitory building in what a university police spokesman described as a "family-type domestic issue."

There were no other casualties.

The college campus in the city of Mount Pleasant in central Michigan was on lockdown hours after the 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) shooting, as federal, state and local law enforcement searched for Davis using helicopters and police dogs.

Heavily armed officers fanned out throughout the city, and residents and students were asked to stay inside and lock their doors.

University officials announced at 3:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) that students were finally being escorted out of buildings by police.

"Uniformed officers are beginning to assist individuals in leaving campus buildings. Officers will be going building to building," the university said in a statement.

- Suspect known to police -

Davis, who was a resident of nearby Illinois state but attending college in Michigan, was known to law enforcement.

Police took him to a hospital the night before for what was believed to be a "drug-related type of incident -- an overdose or a bad reaction to drugs," campus police spokesman Larry Klaus told a news conference.

He was then released to hospital staff, Klaus said.

An Illinois state legislator identified Davis's victims as his parents, who lived in a Chicago suburb.

"The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home," tweeted the state representative, Emanuel Welch.

"My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr and his wife who were shot and killed."

It was unclear what kind of weapon Davis used or how he acquired it.

The state of Michigan allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun with a permit, but Central Michigan University does not allow guns on campus.

The reaction to the shooting was swift Friday morning, with multiple alerts going out on social media and mobile phones within minutes of the incident.

With one day left before residence halls were scheduled to close for spring break, parents seeking out their children were told to go to a staging area at a nearby hotel.

- Florida shooting -

The shooting came amid a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence and law enforcement's role in stopping potential shooters, which was sparked when a teenage gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida high school two weeks ago.

Accused gunman Nikolas Cruz had a history of run-ins with law enforcement, which have faced scrutiny over their failure to intervene despite multiple warnings.

Cruz used a semi-automatic assault rifle in his attack, leading students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to make public appeals for change to permissive US gun laws.

President Donald Trump has called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks and a potential increase to the minimum age for rifle purchases.

But the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby said that Trump was opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.Share this article Whatsapp

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Manila  Sat, March 3, 2018 14:25 1295 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c8371e0 2 SE Asia Duterte-style,drug-war Free

More than 100 drug suspects have been killed since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to rejoin his "war on drugs", an official said Saturday.

Duterte was elected in 2016 on a promise to eradicate drugs, and launched an unprecedented campaign in which -- rights activists allege -- as many as 12,000 people have been killed.

Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao confirmed that 102 drug suspects were killed by police between December 5 -- when Duterte ordered the force to rejoin the drug war -- and March 1.

In October last year, the president had announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would replace the police in counter-narcotics operations following mounting public opposition, including rare street protests.

But Duterte, 72, also repeatedly said the anti-drug agency, with only around 2,000 officers, would not be able to effectively conduct the crackdown.

He eventually ordered the police back into the anti-drug campaign without any major reform of the force.

Bulalacao could not give comparative figures for the death toll before December 5, but according to figures released separately by the government, 4,021 "drug personalities" were killed between June 2016 -- when Duterte took office -- and February 8 this year.

Activists allege that around 12,000 people have been killed in the drug war, many of them by shadowy vigilantes, and warn that the fiery president may be carrying out a crime against humanity.

In early February, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said she had opened a "preliminary examination" into the alleged abuses.

In recent weeks, the Philippine government has said it is willing to let a UN Special Rapporteur into the country to look into the accusations.

But the foreign secretary has called for fairness in the investigation, and Duterte has told police and the military to not cooperate with the rapporteur.

"If they ask you about wrongdoing, do not answer. And if they ask you why, tell them: we have a commander in chief," Duterte told police and soldiers on Thursday.

Asked about this remark, Bulalacao said that if international investigators approach the police, "we shall refer this matter to the higher authorities."Chinese tourists have been recorded as the largest group of foreign tourists to visit Indonesia in 2017. From January to November of last year, 1.97 million flocked to the country.

The number grew 42.22 percent from the previous year. There is even a surplus of 98,405 from the targeted number, said the Tourism Ministrys division 1 deputy of marketing development I Gde Pitana.

He added that 2,055,351 tourists from China visited Indonesia in 2017, followed by Australia and Indian with 1,188,499 and 485,314 travelers, respectively.

Most Chinese tourists are fond of beaches and they celebrated the Chinese New Year a week ago by also having family dinners and going shopping.

Tempo has made a list of places Chinese tourists love to visit in Indonesia:

1. Bintan Island, Riau

Data from the Tourism Ministry stated that 5,000 Chinese tourists visited Bintan in February.

There were 800 tourists in the first wave alone. They came from Hang Zhou and Ningbo, said Vinsensius Jemadu, the deputy director for Greater China at the Tourism Ministry.

During the Chinese New Year holiday, tourists flocked to Bintan on Feb. 13 and 14, helped by 38 charter flights from Sriwijaya and Citilink.

Vinsen said Chinese tourists would continue coming to Bintan up to March this year. He added that visitors from other areas, such as Qongqing, Changsa, Kunning, Nanning, Wenzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai and Chengdu, would follow suit. "The potential numbers are massive, up to 5,000 tourists.

Vinsen estimated that the increase of Chinese tourists coming to Bintan would have an impact on Indonesias foreign exchange income. Every tourist on average spends about US$1,000. Along with their family, they mostly shop for herbs and edible birds nests, he said.

Read also: Chinese tourists are taking over the Earth, one selfie at a time

2. Bali

Another destination the Chinese tourists flocked to during the Chinese New Year holiday was Bali. This means that Bali is a special place to celebrate the new year. It also means that a travel warning from the Chinese government is no longer relevant, said Pitana.

The Harris Hotel on Sunset Road, Bali, was packed with Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year holiday. Around 15,000 tourists were expected during the holiday.

3. Manado

Hotel occupancy rates in Manado, South Sulawesi, are considered relatively stable at 70 to 80 percent thanks to the increasing number of Chinese tourists.

It is usually low season in December. But due to the thousands of Chinese tourists who visited last December, the occupancy rate in Manado reached 76 percent, said Moh. Edy Mahmud, the head of Statistics Indonesia North Sulawesi province, last Tuesday.

The number of Chinese tourists who visited North Sulawesi in December 2017 reached 7,208, which amounted to 83.94 percent of all foreign tourists coming through Manados Sam Ratulangi Airport.

Foreign visitors on average stayed for 3.98 days at hotels in December 2017.

Yushi Quan, the general manager of Best Western The Lagoon Hotel Manado, said Chinese tourists have helped the hotel business significantly.

To indulge tourists, the hotel holds several attractions, ranging from religious events to national holiday activities. It also offers culinary programs every weekend.

Apart from China, other foreign tourists visiting North Sulawesi come from Singapore (473 people, 5.51 percent), Malaysia (126 people, 1.47 percent), United States (120 people, 1.40 percent), Germany (61 people, 0.71 percent) and Japan (51 people, 0.59 percent).

Read also: Eight destinations to explore in Indonesia in 2018

4. Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) government along with Chinas General Consulate in Bali held an art exhibition in Kupang on Sunday.

This is the fourth Chinese art performance in the NTT, in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration, the NTTs head of the Welfare Bureau, Bartolomeus Badar, told reporters last week.

He stated that 30 dancers came directly from China for at least 13 performances held at El Tari hall, Kupang.

Head of China-Indonesia NTT social community Hengki Liyanto said if 10 percent of tourists, who came to Bali, extended their visit to the NTT, the area would have at least 200,000 tourists every year.

For that reason, art and cultural events such as this are needed so that foreign tourists will come here and enjoy the NTTs rich tourism potential, he added. (wen)Tomang, one of the busiest sub-districts in the capital, located within both Central and West Jakarta, is home to various interesting places.

If you happen to be in the area, here are some places you should check out.

How to get there

Expect to face traffic jams in this area, especially during rush hours.

If you want to visit food establishments, offices or hotels along the main street, Jl. Tomang Raya, it is recommended to use Transjakarta buses by getting off at Tomang Mandala bus stop. But if you are seeking to explore the area behind Jl. Tomang Raya, you can use the blue bajaj (three-wheeled taxi) as the streets there are narrower.

What to wear

Casual outfits. Shorts and t-shirts are advised.

Where to eat

For many, no visit to Tomang is complete without tasting the super spicy noodle abang-adek sold at Warmindo Abang-Adek. The restaurant has two outlets on Jl. Mandala Utara, both located not too far from each other.

Two dishes at Warmindo Abang-Adek in Tomang: boiled chicken curry noodle with egg (right) and fried noodle with beef cornet. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

Note that the food sold at this eatery is famous for its extreme spiciness. A noddle dish with a sedang (medium) level of spiciness, for instance, means it will be cooked using 10 chilies, while the mampus version will have 100 chilies in it. However, the restaurant also provides non-spicy options for those who can't handle the heat.

With prices starting from Rp 15,000 (US$1), the noodle dishes are available in various flavors, from kari ayam (chicken curry) to ayam special (special chicken). Patrons can also add various toppings to their noodles, such as egg, beef cornet and cheese.

The interior of Guten Morgen - Coffee Lab & Shop in Tomang. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

Those who want to enjoy a fancy lunch or coffee break can go to Guten Morgen - Coffee Lab and Shop, not too far from Abang-Adek. Decorated with dried and fresh flowers, it offers unique beverages like Kaffee Cubes, which is filled with fresh cut flowers, and the Salted Caramel Latte with prices start from Rp 48,000. As for food, a top choice is the Chashu Donburi, which consists of pork belly slices with nori (dried seaweed), sunny side up egg and Guten Morgen Salad.

This Instagrammable cafe also contains a florist called Mimsy Botanical Flower, which is located at the back of the cafe.

Read also: Jakpost guide to Jl. Tanjung Duren Barat

Jl. Tomang Raya is also home to a Chinese restaurant named Central  Restaurant and Function Hall, which offers Chinese cuisine and spaces for special occasions like weddings and family lunches.

Where to shop

Those who want to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables and snacks should consider visiting the two-story Rumah Buah in Tomang Raya.

Fruit sold at Rumah Buah in Tomang, West Jakarta. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

The area hosts catering services as well, such as Chez Ingrid and Ny. Hendrawan.

Chez Ingrid often participates in wedding exhibitions in Jakarta. Established in 1989, it also has a bakery at its outlet on Jl. Mandala Utara that offers various types of breads and cakes.

What to do

Visitors looking to take a refreshing break can stop by the park Taman Cattleya, which can be reached from Jl. Letjen S. Parman. Those who travel by Transjakarta bus can simply walk to the park after getting off at RS Harapan Kita bus stop.

The front gate of Taman Cattleya. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

Open until 10 p.m., the well-maintained park is usually packed during weekends as it has a jogging track, fitness facility and a small lake where people fish.

The city-owned Tarakan Hospital (RSUD Tarakan) is located not too far from the bridge on Jl. Tomang Raya. (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

TipsBlack Lung Disease Comes Storming Back in Coal Country read the headline in the Feb. 22 New York Times. Theyre talking about a debilitating and deadly disease that had been pushed way back by a powerful battle waged by miners, retirees and family members in the coalfields in the late 1960s and 70s. This fueled a revolution won in blood by the United Mine Workers of America. In their drive for profits, coal bosses have pushed back gains union miners made in workers control over safety and conditions as the union weakened. Black lung, also known as coal workers pneumoconiosis, is irreversible, and often fatal.

Two miners were killed in West Virginia mines this month. James Whitlock was killed doing electrical work on machinery at the Pocahontas Coal Company Devils Fork 2 highwall mine in Raleigh County the same day as the Times report. Leonard Griffith was killed Feb. 6 at the Wolf Run Minings Sentinel mine in Barbour County working on a continuous mining machine when a block of coal came loose from the wall.

A study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at three clinics in southwestern Virginia reports that more than 400 miners were diagnosed with progressive massive fibrosis there over the past four years. This is the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported, National Public Radio reported Feb. 6. In a follow-up study of additional clinics NPR reported nearly 2,000 cases over a similar period.

Nearly a quarter of the miners affected are younger and had been on the job fewer than 20 years. The disease theyve got is a particularly virulent form.

Were seeing things we didnt see in the 1990s, Ron Carson, black lung director at Stone Mountain Health Services in southwestern Virginia, told the Militant Feb. 26. Miners are getting sicker, disabled and their lung volume is decreasing.

Miners are saying that the easy coal is gone, that weve got to drill through so much rock and silica now to get to good coal, Carson said. Machinery chops the rock and dust so fine the respirators dont capture the real fine dust. Companies are trying to extract more coal with fewer miners working longer hours.

In the late 1960s and 70s, coal miners organized a revolution in their union  the United Mine Workers  to fight against mounting cases of black lung, for safety on the job and to retake control of their union. They faced not just coal bosses who put profits over miners lives, and a government that stood with the bosses, but also a corrupt, thug misleadership on top of the United Mine Workers. They set up the Black Lung Association and Miners for Democracy and fought.

Revolution in the union

Many of the fighters were so-called discards of the industry  the disabled, the widows, victims of black lung. At the time, a number of the miners in southern West Virginia were Black, including Robert Payne, president of the Disabled Miners and Widows.

They fought with determination and discipline. We were after something and we got it, Raymond Wright, a miner and one of the rank-and-file leaders, told the UMW Journal in 2001. Everyone was sober, everybody was serious. We were so orderly and respectable, we came out on top.

Miners came behind Jock Yablonski, who ran for president of the union in 1969 in an effort to oust the corrupt Tony Boyle machine. Boyle hired thugs who shot and killed Yablonski, his wife and daughter.

Miners redoubled their fight, forced passage of black lung health care laws, got Boyle jailed and took back their union.

Miners set up union safety committees with the power to shut production  power they used  to enforce safety. Incidents of black lung declined more than 90 percent from the 1970s to the mid-1990s.

Bosses counterrevolution

But the bosses pushed back through layoffs and the closure of many union mines. Twenty years ago the union had 240,000 members. In 2015 there were about 10,000 working UMWA members  21 percent of U.S. coal miners.

Instances of black lung began to rise dramatically. In 2014, a year before his death, Donald Rasmussen, a well-known doctor from southern West Virginia who spent decades helping miners and their union fight black lung, told the Militant, Were seeing a very distinct increase in advanced cases that we hadnt seen in quite a long time. Mining machines have become more powerful. They can cut through rock and this creates silica dust, which is more toxic than coal dust.

For many diagnosed with black lung, companies put all kinds of roadblocks in the way of miners getting benefits. Lawyers fight and they fight, companies fight and they fight, they fight so long they hope someone dies, Steve White, black lung counselor at the Tug River Health Association in Gary, West Virginia, and a former UMWA miner, told the Militant Feb. 26. I dont know how many coal miners died before receiving benefits. My dad fought for 15 years and never got it. His check came three days after he was buried.

I got breathing problems that doctors say is not caused by black lung, Randy Hall, a retired miner who worked 21 years at the Jim Walter no. 5 Mine in Brookwood, Alabama, told the Militant. But they dont know whats causing it.

I would never work in a nonunion mine because of just safety alone. In union mines, you get backing, strong backing, he said. When I was in the mine if I said it was unsafe, I would make it safe, or figure I didnt have to do it.The diversity of faces on screen is something were seeing Hollywood slowly and painfully move towards  though they have a long way to go. Casting diverse actors alone doesnt come close to addressing the issues of diverse stories. The people behind the camera  the directors, the writers, the producers  all have a far bigger impact on the stories being told, and how theyre told.

Image courtesy of Vanity Fair

Here are 10 diverse directors that are absolutely killing it right now. Some of them received nominations at the Oscars this year, but most of them didnt. Lets hope in coming years the opportunities given to diverse creators grow more and more due to the huge success of these amazing directors!

1. Jordan Peele

If you havent seen last years most groundbreaking film Get Out (2017), one: youre probably white, and two: you must have been living under a rock somewhere. Jordan Peele has been a household name for a long time alongside his comedy co-creator Keegan Michael Key, together bringing us joy through the genius of Key & Peele. Melding his love of horror film with his experiences as a black man in America, Peele has given us a film that is uniquely unsettling and validating, depending on the background and experiences of its audience. His voice in the industry is just as unique, and its a wonderful surprise that this radical genre film has been honoured at the highest level with Oscar nominations for Peele for both Director and Original Screenplay.

2. Guillermo Del Toro

From Pans Labyrinth to Pacific Rim, Del Toros fascination with monsters is a running theme in his work. The Shape of Water (2017) takes that fascination to new heights, and deservedly received a whopping 13 nominations at the Oscars this year. The subversion of what a monster is truly drives this film, and Del Toro has said the creature represents his own experiences as an immigrant in America. That really cuts to the core of why diverse filmmakers are so important: they bring their unique and diverse experiences to their work, allowing audiences to find themselves on screen in a mute woman, a black woman, a gay man, and a monster too.

3. Greta Gerwig

Lady Bird (2017) has received unanimous rave reviews, and it is groundbreaking in itself for a teenage girls coming of age drama to be recognised at the Oscars. The story hits many familiar beats from popular culture and from life - boyfriends, best friends, applying for college, your first time - but never have they been portrayed on screen with such reverence. Gerwigs screenplay taps into the profoundness of what might otherwise be considered a perfectly ordinary life. The difference it makes having a woman penning the script and directing is evident in this quote from Gerwig in an interview with Bust Magazine: "I like writing about women in relation to other women  mothers and daughters, friends, sisters, mentors  because men dont know what women do when they arent there.

4. Patty Jenkins

Wonder Woman (2017) changed the superhero game last year, not only by centring a female superhero, but by centring a female perspective. The Amazon society on Themyscira showed women as rulers and politicians and (practically dressed!) warriors and mothers and sisters and even implied lovers. Though Diana (Gal Gadot)s transition into the real world leads the film into much more male dominated waters, Jenkins film never loses sight of the female perspective that prioritises saving people over fighting bad guys. The time taken to develop the mutual respect and genuine care between Diana and Steve (Chris Pine) is a uniquely refreshing deviation from any preceding superhero romance subplots too! Its a shame that the Academy couldnt find space to nominate Wonder Woman at all.

5. Dee Rees

Mudbound (2017) is one of the most under appreciated films this year, though it has received four nominations, including for Adapted Screenplay. Rees co-wrote and directed this absolute masterpiece which deals with a black and a white soldier returning home from World War II to work on a farm in Mississippi. Rees has been open about using her own family stories to expand upon the novel by Hillary Jordan that the film is based on. This deep personal connection, as well as her perspective as an African American woman shapes this film so pointedly with regards to both gender and race. This story in anyone elses hands could not come close to achieving what it does in hers. Rees deserved the title of first woman of colour to be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars for this film, and its a travesty that she was overlooked.

6. Taika Waititi

Back to superhero films once more, Maori director Taika Waititi made his break into the mainstream with Thor: Ragnarok (2017), breaking all stereotypes about what a superhero film is. Though the diversification on screen involved casting Tessa Thompson in the role of Valkyrie, its Waititis influence behind the camera that made this film so revolutionary. Quite aside from his quirky humour and distinctive narrative voice, engagement with colonial theory made up the very spine of this film. To have a mainstream blockbuster deal with the effects of colonialism and the refugee crisis without losing its sense of fun is a feat not to be diminished. Waititis fantastic earlier work, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) and Boy (2010), are steeped in Maori and New Zealand culture, and its brilliant that non-American and non-white voices like Waititis are finally being given the platform they deserve on a world stage.

7. Park Chan-wook

Parks BAFTA winning The Handmaiden (2017) is a Korean adaptation of the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. He re-situated this British novel to explore the cultural differences between South Korea and Japan  a refreshing subversion of the all too common whitewashing of East Asian roles that happens in Hollywood. The exploration of gender and sexuality is so different from anything seen through a Western lens, and Park is so respectful of the female characters he presents. A razor-sharp deconstruction of toxic masculinity and cultural elitism, the film is an absolute triumph for women, and for Korean film being acknowledged for its radical statements.



8. Shubhashish Bhutiani

Born and raised in India, Bhutianis New York film education and help from La Biennale in Venice resulted in his first feature film, Mukthi Bhavan (Hotel Salvation) (2016) having a hugely successful festival run last year. The film is a beautifully empathetic exploration of mortality, family, and faith. Far from a Bollywood blockbuster, but not Western in its attitudes either, Bhutiani takes the best from both cultures and creates a film as unique as his voice in the industry. Indian attitudes and traditions meet with his European and American collaborators behind the camera to create a film that overcomes cultural boundaries in all directions. His is an exciting career trajectory that deserves to be followed closely.

9. Ava DuVernay

The next Disney blockbuster to hit our screens is A Wrinkle in Time (2018) from Selma (2014) director DuVernay. Always vocal about centring black stories, DuVernay cast young black actress Storm Reid as the lead of the film: a girl called Meg who is assumed to be white in the book. Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw make up just some of the rest of the hugely diverse cast. Diversifying and therefore universalising beloved stories, opening them up for every child to find themselves in, is such a profound thing to be doing, and DuVernay is no doubt the perfect figure to be spearheading such a movement.

10. Ryan Coogler

No one can have missed the movie-ment of Black Panther (2018) this past month, and the man behind the magic is 31 year old director Coogler. Both his previous feature films have received huge critical praise: Fruitvale Station (2013) winning Un Certain Regard and Cannes, and Creed (2015) being acknowledged at the Oscars. From the story of Oscar Grant, a young black man being unjustly shot by police in Oakland, to continuing the Rocky franchise, Coogler has always brought a reality and intimacy to black stories. Black Panther takes that to a whole new level, exploring the cultural conversation between Africans and African Americans, while elevating and celebrating both cultures in a way never seen before in popular culture.

The Oscars take place on March 4th.Earlier this week, Legally Black activist group launched a photo campaign in the capital to forefront the lack of black representation in film and media. A total of seven posters were erected in Brixton bus stops in the early hours of Wednesday morning (28th Feb), depicting recreated images of films such as Harry Potter, Titanic, as well as popular television series The Inbetweeners and Skins  all of which had the original cast swapped for black actors.

and finally, with love: #BLACKKIDSCANBEWIZARDSTOO A post shared by LegallyBlack (@legallyblackuk) on Mar 1, 2018 at 3:58am PST

Four young people (Liv Francis-Cornibert, Shiden Tekle, Bel Matos da Costa, and Kofi Asante) are behind the artwork, working alongside Legally Black and subversive advertising company Special Patrol Group to combat the way black people are portrayed in the media. The decision to transform iconic posters consequently challenges peoples perceptions and assumptions, striking up conversation about diversity in the industry.

The reflection provoking work undoubtedly seems timely with the 90th Academy Awards being held this weekend; especially after 2016s #OscarsSoWhite social campaign forcing Hollywood to recognise diversity issues on screen. Alongside this, the recent release of Marvels Black Panther rather celebrated the step in the right direction from major companies.

Black Panther has been widely recognised for its positive contribution to equal representation in the media, arguably making it more of a movement than solely a movie. More significantly, seeing the underrepresented in archetypal roles is largely important for any person of the minority, assisting in giving rise to social awareness. However, the issue of lack of representation of African-Americans, amongst others, has been one long before Black Panther and Legally Blacks campaign. Research by the British Film Institute (BFI) shows that black actors performed in only 218 lead roles in the 1,172 British films release between 2006-2016  an incredibly low statistic.

Despite this, Daniel Kaluuyas performance in sardonic horror Get Out earned him an Oscar nomination, whilst also receiving Rising Star Award at this years BAFTAs. Whilst his British nationality is widely known, he is largely portrayed as African American in his obtained roles, also appearing as a Wakanda native in Black Panther.

With these young individuals shining a light on the debate in Brixton - an aptly chosen location considering it as a predominantly black area of the capital consistently facing influence by gentrification - the project is an innovative statement to recreate a dialogue around not only underrepresentation but also misrepresentation. Whilst the posters are somewhat satirical, the influence of a black cast can come as a surprise when the mediums are stripped of their original depiction  raising the argument that if youre surprised it means you dont see enough black people in major roles.

In its short period, the posters have initiated discussion on social media. However, by Friday 2nd March, most of the posters had been removed and replaced with advertisements for global companies such as McDonalds, ultimately making the debate of underrepresentation ever more pertinent.Geography major Lisa S. Palmer has been living rent-free since 2016 in a Hunter College dorm and has refused to leave despite dropping out two years ago after enrolling in 2010. Hunter College, a constituent college of the City University of New York, has taken legal action against the 32-year-old, citing that she owes more than $94,000 in unpaid rent since dropping out in 2016.The lawsuit claims that Palmer was sent several notices informing her that she would be charged $150 a day if she decided to stay. She was issued with a 30-day eviction notice in September last year but ignored all eviction reminders. According to the lawsuit, Palmer "racked up a staggering $94,000 in unpaid residence hall charges on account of her continued occupancy, all the while ignoring Hunter College's service of additional vacate notices." An attorney representing Hunter College failed to secure an eviction in 2016 despite sending her a notice of termination. In an interview with The Post , Palmer revealed that the college refused to let her register for Fall classes. "I plan on fighting the lawsuit and while I fight it, I'm going to stay," she said.The writer will reunite with his artist pals for these new books

Source: Brian Michael Bendis Unveils 2 New Series (Including an 'Alias' Reunion)

After leaving Marvel, Brian Michael Bendis promised to transfer over his creator-owned Jinxworld titles digitally to DC as well as create new titles for that line. Today at Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), Bendis announced two of those new titles in the Jinxworld line -- Pearl and Cover -- as well as the familiar artistic collaborators he will be working with on those titles.

Bendis' collaborator on Pearl will be Michael Gaydos, with whom the pair created Alias and Jessica Jones. This new title is about a tattoo artist for the Yakuza in San Francisco who falls in love with someone from a rival faction. According to Bendis, the main character in Pearl will not be a run-of-the-mill tattoo artist:

"We have a tattoo artist with a very special skin condition that will make the tattoos on her body very unique  and you'll see in the very first issue what's unique about her and the way she makes her tattoos and what her tattoos on her look and feel like. But it also tells the story of two people who are born in this situation that have grown up and find out they may be very different than the situation they were born in."

The writer also wants to make clear that this is not another Jessica Jones:

"It's a very different story, but it came from the same inspiration. Jessica herself is from the real world and real-world inspirations. I said if we do something together, it has to come from the same kind of inspiration, because people will know the difference. As soon as this fell into our laps, we were like "Yeah that's it, we're doing it." We didn't want to do "Here's Jessica Jones at DC" or "a Jessica Jones we own." We wanted to do something completely unique and different, with completely different visual touches."

Pearl promotional art

On Cover, Bendis will be working with his friend David Mack (who also did some work on Jessica Jones and also Powers). Cover is inspired by a true story about a comic book artist that was recruited to act as a spy for the intelligence community. Bendis feels their own experience will help tell the tale:

"David and I have had a lot of travels over the last few years and we are going to have a lot of fun examining the world of espionage through the world of Comic-Con."

Was it Mack who was recruited?

"We were working on a book we were going to do next year, but he came over and told me a story that happened to him, and I'm like "well that's our book.""



Cover promotional art

You can find Pearl in August, and uncover Cover in the Fall.

It was also confirmed that 150 Jinxworld titles are now available digitally via readdc.com, the Vertigo app for iOS, ComiXology, and Kindle. Several first issues of the available titles will be free until March 7.Keanu Reeves is in talks to star as the vigilante superhero.

Source: Deadline

Not to be confused with the 1991 neo-noir thriller of the same name starring Rutger Hauer and Paul Giamatti, Netflix has purchased Past Midnight from Ratchet & Clank writer TJ Fixman. The network is in talks with Keanu Reeves to star in the vigilante superhero movie. The Russo Brothers will produce, while Rick Famuyiwa, once attached to The Flash, will direct.

Reeves is no stranger to vigilante roles as he starred in two John Wick movies with the third to release next year. Famuyiwa's next project will be to write and direct an adaption of Charles Burn's graphic novel Black Hole.Did You Know Our Quarterback Used to be a Golfer?

sportsCanada's steel sector could be wounded by US tariffs even if the country is exempt from the 25 percent duty promised by President Donald Trump, as cheap steel previously sold south of the border floods into Canada, industry leaders said on Friday. Canadian officials are trying to secure an exemption from potential US tariffs on steel and have threatened retaliation if the plan goes ahead. But even a deal that protects exports from Canada, the biggest steel supplier to the United States, would not solve all of the industry's problems.

"It would significantly harm Canadian producers in our home market, just swamping the marketplace with that imported steel," said Canadian Steel Producers Association President Joseph Galimberti on the proposed tariff. A letter from nine Canadian steel executives sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government ministers on Thursday warned that the tariff could displace 13 million tonnes of steel currently sold in the United States.The letter, seen by Reuters, called for targeted trade cases and also raised the possibility of new legislation to defend the industry.

Galimberti said the Canada Border Services Agency would need more resources to quickly investigate and enforce trade rules, including rules against dumping.Canada's steel industry has staged a tentative recovery in recent years, with some new jobs and investment. Stelco Holdings Inc emerged from bankruptcy protection last year and went public in November.

"We are feeling blindsided, truly," said Keanin Loomis, president of the Chamber of Commerce in Hamilton, the heart of Canada's steel industry. "We're a resilient town. We are on the

rebound, but this will obviously have huge impact."He said Canada needs not just an exemption from the tariff, but a strategy to deal with new imports. Imports rose in 2002 when the United States last brought in broad steel tariffs, exempting Canada.Steel and iron products represented 2 percent of Canadian exports last year, with 84 percent sent to the United States.

Arcelor Mittal is the largest steel manufacturer in Canada, employing about 10,300 people with seven units in the country, according to the Canadian Steel Producers Association.

In all, the industry accounts for 22,000 direct jobs and supports 100,000 jobs indirectly, said the association.Implementing the Paris climate agreement by investing trillions of dollars to slow greenhouse gas emissions would be far cheaper than paying the costs of people sickened by polluted air, scientists said on Friday. Governments worldwide could save $54 trillion in health care by investing less than half that amount in green projects by mid-century, researchers said in a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, an online academic journal.

Such an investment would result in 30 million fewer premature deaths related to air pollution, said the study's co-author Jon Sampedro, a researcher at Spain's Basque Centre for Climate Change. The Paris agreement reached in 2015 by nearly 200 countries committed to curbing greenhouse emissions enough to keep the global hike in temperatures "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times while "pursuing efforts" for a far tougher 1.5 C ceiling. A United Nations draft report earlier this year projected that unless governments take unprecedented measures, the global temperature rise is on track to exceed the accord's tougher target.

Authors of the study said their calculations of steep savings could convince policy-makers to adopt more aggressive policies to curb human emissions of greenhouse gasses that include carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels."We hope (that) ... might help policymakers move towards adopting more ambitious climate policies and measures to reduce air pollution," said Anil Markandya, a professor at the Basque Centre, in a statement.

The team of researchers from Spain, the United States and Italy ran computer models that combined future estimates of emissions, air pollution-related deaths and healthcare benefits for the entire world.

Achieving the highest levels of savings would require China and India making the largest joint investment, some $9 trillion, to tackle climate change, the study said.The two countries would then save most by having healthier populations, it said.

Together China and India account for about a third of global emissions, according to the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based think tank. The Paris agreement allowed nations to set their own targets to slow climate change, with no sanctions for non-compliance.

President Donald Trump announced last year he was pulling the United States, the world's second biggest emitter of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, out of the deal. China is the

biggest such emitter. His decision isolates the United States as the only country opposed to the pact.With overseas branches of public sector banks playing a major role in the PNB scam, the government is now cracking the whip on international operations of these banks. The finance ministry has asked public sector banks to consolidate 35 overseas operations without affecting international presence of government banks in these countries.

The rationalisation of overseas branches is aimed towards cost efficiencies and synergies in overseas markets, Department of Financial Services Secretary Rajiv Kumar wrote on Twitter.

Banks have been asked to close non-viable operations for cost efficiencies. Also, the finance ministry is pushing for consolidation of operations in the same market. Banks have also been asked to consolidate equity holdings in joint ventures where more than one state-run bank is a stakeholder.

Further, all existing 216 operations of state-run banks in other countries will be examined to check for possible consolidation.

Sixty-nine operations have already been identified for possible consolidation. This includes bank branches, joint ventures, subsidiaries, remittance centres and representative offices.

SBI has already undertaken a major restructuring exercise of its operations in the UK. SBI's UK operations will transform into a subsidiary named State Bank of India UK Limited from April 1, in compliance with wider ring-fencing of capital requirements by the Bank of England.

The move will mean that all retail branches of SBI in the UK will fall under a new UK-incorporated banking entity instead of their previous status as overseas branches of the Indian entity.

This came after UK banking regulator Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) directing foreign banks a few years ago to move from their retail status as overseas branches to independent entities in order to protect depositors in the UK from fluctuations in foreign markets.

In the PNB fraud case, overseas branches of PSU banks were involved in lending against the LOUs issued by PNB to Nirav Modi's firms. Foreign branches of PSU banks involved have apparently been asked to submit a report to their respective headquarters to assess if there were any lapses.

International branches have been under the watch of the finance ministry for some time now, especially after the Gupta scam in South Africa broke. A few days ago, Bank of Baroda announced that it was shutting down its operation in South Africa. The South African Reserve Bank had imposed a fine of Rand 11 million for lapses in compliance.

The exit from South Africa has been linked to BoB being the banker to the Gupta family, which reportedly took undue advantage of their connections with South African President Jacob Zuma. South African authorities have alleged that large sum of money was transferred to the Zuma family which is now under investigation.Actor Janhvi Kapoor has penned an emotional note to her mother Sridevi, after the latter's recent passing. "You were a blessing in our lives, and we were blessed to have had you for as long as we did. But you weren't meant for this world. You were too good, too pure. too full of love. That is why he took you back. But at least we had you," she wrote in a note that was posted on Instagram.

Her post on social media: "On my birthday, the only thing I ask of all of you is that you love your parents. Cherish them and devote yourself to making them feel that love. They have made you. And I ask that you remember my mother fondly, pray for her soul to rest in peace. Let the love and adulation youll showered on her continue and please know that the biggest part of my mother was the love she shared with papa. And their love is immortal because there was nothing like it in the whole world. Nothing as joyful and pure and no two people as devoted to one another as they were. Please respect that because it hurts to think anyone would ever try to tarnish it. Preserving the sanctity of what they had would mean the world not only to my mother but also to a man whos entire being revolved around her, and her two children who are all that remains of their love. Me and Khushi have lost our mother but papa has lost his Jaan. She was so much more than just an actor or a mother or a wife. She was the ultimate and the best in all these roles. It mattered a great deal to her to give love and to get love. For people to be good and gracious and kind. She didnt understand frustration or malice or jealousy. So lets be that. Lets be full of only good and give only love. That would make her happy, to know that even in death, she gave you all something. The courage and inspiration to fill yourselves with nothing but love and rid yourselves of bitterness in any way and form. Thats what she stood for. Dignity, strength and innocence. Thank you for the love and support everyone has shown us in the past couple of days. Its given us hope and strength and we cant thank you all enough."

Sridevi passed away on Saturday night in Dubai, reportedly due to cardiac arrest. The actor was in UAE along with her husband Boney Kapoor and her younger daughter Khushi to attend a family wedding.The adventures of Asterix have been a must-have for comic book aficionados for over 50 years now.

The stories of the puny protagonist and his merry band of companions who valiantly defend their village in Gaul from the mighty Roman Empire have become popular throughout the world.

In Kerala, since the 2016 Assembly elections, analogies to the comic series have been seen in social media as the ruling CPI(M) has attempted to portray itself as a bulwark against a hegemonic BJP, which has steadily grown in influence. Controversies such as beef consumption and even celebration of Onam, which saw political sparks fly, often led to social media users circulate memes portraying Kerala as a beacon of resistance against the BJP.

However, the CPI(M)'s loss in Tripura, where it ruled for 25 years, may have just resulted in these analogies moving from the realm of memes to reality: Kerala is the only state where the CPI(M) remains in power. With the party in steady decline in West Bengal, a state it ruled for three decades, the future of the Communist movement itself is now in grave doubt.

Whenever social media wars broke out over issues involving Kerala and BJP-linked groups, the CPI(M) used to tout a unique formula of the state's literacy levels, welfare mechanisms and communal tolerance to buttress public support... just like Asterix and his friends down a magic concoction that bestows superhuman strength to beat Roman armies.

The CPI(M)'s last chance of revival, arguably, lies in Kerala, but it will need more than a magic potion that wins social media battles.Facing a wipe out in the northeast, where it held sway till not so long ago, the Congress is looking to salvage Meghalaya, where it is set to emerge as the single largest party. The party rushed its senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamalnath to Shillong even before the final results of the Assembly elections were out to ensure that the party cobbled together the numbers required to form government.

The urgency shown by the Congress in sending its senior leaders to the northeastern state reveals that it is keen to ensure that there is no repeat of Goa or Manipur in Meghalaya. The party had emerged as the single largest party in Goa and Manipur in the Assembly elections held last year, but it was late off the blocks in the race to put together the necessary numbers, and was pipped to the post by the BJP.

The Congress in Meghalaya, led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, has managed to beat anti-incumbency of ten years, not allowing the BJP to make inroads in the state. However, regional entity National People's Party, which is led by Conrad Sangma, is set to emerge as the second largest party in these elections, and the BJP would be looking to woo the party, which is an NDA ally and is in alliance with the BJP in neighbouring Manipur.



Former Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has emerged as the BJP's key strategist for the northeast, is in Shillong to lead the party's efforts to form a non-Congress government. So a keen contest of political wit and strategem is set to play out between the Congress' central leaders and Sarma.



If Congrad Sangma chooses to join forces with the Congress, the government in Manipur where the NPP and the BJP share power, could be in trouble.



Mizoram is the only other northeastern state where the Congress is in power.

As predicted, the verdict of the Meghalaya election is a fractured one. While the Congress and the National Peoples Party (NPP) are on equal footing with the contest being a very close one, the BJP has not been able to win many seats.

Conrad Sangma, who headed the election campaign for the NPP, was not a very happy man on Saturday as he had expected a better performance, given the incumbency of the Congress party, which has ruled the state for 10 long years.

With development being the plank of the NPP, the party leaders feel that they could have done better. However, Conrad's sister, Agatha, is all smiles today as the 37-year-old daughter of late P.A. Sangma, who had formed the party after breaking away from the Congress first and then the NCP, could create history in the state.

Agatha, a union minister during the UPA rule, could become the first woman chief minister of Meghalaya.

The Congress which has 22 seats in its kitty, according to trends and leads at 4.30pm, has emerged as the largest party, but has not crossed the magic figure of 30 required to form the government. But this time, the Congress has been very quick with its strategy. Senior Congress leaders, including Kamal Nath, Ahmed Patel and C.P. Joshi, have reached Shillong.

It is likely that the party will meet the governor this evening to stake claim to form the government. With no party crossing the half-way mark of 30 required to form the next government, horse-trading will be the next thing.

Things could get murkier as the BJP's election strategist, Himanta Biswa Sharma, is rushing to Shillong from Tripura to help the NPP, which is part of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a BJP formation. The saffron party has secured only 2 seats, despite having put up candidates in 47 constituencies.

With voters in the state having a history of voting for individual candidates and not the party they belong to, the poor performance of the BJP is not surprising.

The party, which has created history in Tripura and Assam, has nothing to cheer about in Meghalaya.

The poor performance of the saffron party could be due to appeals by churches across the state not to vote for a Hindu party, which might lead to problems in leading their traditional way of life.

With the Congress having serious problems like legislators deserting the party to join hands with the NPP and others, apart from charges of corruption and underdevelopment during its long tenure, the party has not done too badly.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, has won both the Ampati and Songpat constituencies and ministers with corruption charges levelled against them like Ampareen Lyngdoh, who was the education minister in the outgoing cabinet, have registered impressive wins.

Talking to reporters right after her win from Laitumukhurh constituency, in Shillong, Ampareen said, BJP has done nothing but spread hatred in my constituency. But we are above them and we are trying to mitigate all that by spreading love among the people, she said.

The personal charisma of Mukul came into focus this election. In fact, the Congress which has been losing ground in every election since the last three years, was hoping that Mukul would play a saviour and help the grand old party retain its hold.

During a high-voltage campaign, the Congress brought some of its top leaders and campaigned across the state like never before to save its bastion from the BJPs onslaught of a 'Congress-mukt Bharat'.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi was involved in this high-pitched campaign and travelled to different parts of the state to woo voters. He mingled with the youth and was seen attending rock concerts, wearing designer jackets in the run-up to the polls.

Although it has become clear that the BJP is not a force to reckon with in Meghalaya, national politics dictated that Congress focus its energy on the BJP rather than NPP.

The fight, in fact, was between NPP and Congress. In Garo Hills, especially, NPP and Congress were trying to get maximum number of seats out of the 24 in the region.

According to the NPP, the issues before Meghalayas 3 million voters are not religious but revolve around corruption blocking development and basic needs of the people like roads and education.

In 2013, the BJP had lost all the seats it had contested and secured a vote share of 6.2 per cent. The NPP had won only two seats out of the 32 seats it had contested while the Congress had 29 seats.

So far, no party in Meghalaya has managed to get a clear mandate of 31 seats and the smaller regional parties always play kingmakers.

Except for the first Assembly of 1972, in which the All Party Hill Leaders Conference swept the polls after Meghalaya attained statehood, there have been only three instances of a government completing a full term.

Chief minister Mukul Sangmas government of 2013 was one such government that had completed a full term apart from Captain Williamson Sangmas 1972 APHLC government and S.C. Maraks Congress government of 1993.

Political analysts say that the Congress was largely successful in Meghalaya as it played the counter polarisation card. The Congress instilled fear of the saffron party in the minds of the traditional Khasi people. Fear of the BJP worked for the Congress, said Noni Gopal Mahanta, professor of political science at Gauhati University.

Declaring 25 December as good governance day or the beef ban politics apart from vandalising of churches in other parts of the country was something the voters were worried about with respect to the BJP coming to power in a state with 90 per cent Christians.Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was admitted to the Apollo hospital in Chennai late Friday night.

Though the chief minister's office said that Vijayan visited the hospital for a scheduled medical check up, reports claimed he was admitted due to fluctuation in blood cell counts.

On Saturday, the hospital issued a statement saying the chief minister was admitted for routine annual medical check-up and that he will be discharged on Sunday.While the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been touted as the main reason for the BJP's rise in the northeast in the last four years, a former Congressman deserves credit for the groundwork behind it.

Himanta Biswa Sarma was a key minister in the Congress government of Tarun Gogoi in Assam, helping it win re-election in 2010. After falling out with Gogoi due to the the former chief minister promoting his son, he joined the BJP in 2015 and is a minister in the Sarbananda Sonowal government.

Since then, Sarma has played a major role behind the scenes in expanding the BJP's presence in the northeast, starting with Arunachal Pradesh in 2015 and then Assam, where the party won a majority in 2016.

Sarma is coordinator of the Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), which was founded by the BJP in 2016 and has built networks with smaller parties in the region. These connections helped the BJP form the government in Manipur in 2017 despite the Congress securing more seats.

Sarma's networking could well prove decisive in Meghalaya and Nagaland, which look like giving fractured verdicts and where the party is contesting only a limited number of seats.

The BJP took potshots at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's decision to fly to Italy on March 1 to visit his grandmother. With the BJP surging ahead in counting on Saturday, Sarma declared that the Congress leader was in 'nursery' in terms of his political understanding, while BJP chief Amit Shah was a 'post-graduate'.

Sarma has a history with Gandhi. One of the main complaints Sarma made when leaving the Congress was that the Grand Old Party was not paying attention to critics of Gogoi. Sarma claimed that when he went to discuss political issues in Assam with Gandhi, the latter was more interested in playing with his dog!Congress President Rahul Gandhi was today a target of criticism and ridicule by political rivals as it turned out he was away in Italy to meet his maternal grandmother at a time when the results of the Assembly elections in the Northeast were declared, the outcome of the polls giving his party little to cheer.

Rahul had on March 1 tweeted about his plans to go to Italy over the Holi weekend. He wrote in his tweet: My Nani is 93. She's is the kindest soul ever. This Holi weekend, I'm going to surprise her! I can't wait to give her a hug...

The BJP did not let go of the opportunity to attack Rahul. BJP President Amit Shah, in his press conference following the results of the Assembly elections in the Northeast, ridiculed Rahul's decision to visit Italy at this juncture. In response to a question on Rahul, he said, I got a WhatsApp message today that elections are being held in Italy.

Earlier, senior BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh said, referring to the Congress President, that there is such a leader who knows exactly when to run away from the country.

BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi had commented yesterday that the arrest of Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram, in connection with the INX Media case, had made Rahul remember his nani. Very nice gesture, Karti's arrest ne nani yaad dila di, she tweeted, playing on a popular Hindi proverb, which means making a person realise the enormity of the problems that he or she is faced with.

Rahul has faced criticism in the past for not being in India when his party has needed him the most. Not just political rivals, leaders in the Congress have found his visits to foreign shores ill-timed. He had left his party leaders stunned a couple of years back, when they came to know that Rahul had gone on a 'sabbatical', that lasted around two months, just when it was getting ready to take on the Narendra Modi government on farmers' issues.

However, Rahul aides say that he took the small break to go to Italy at this juncture as this was the only window that was available as the Budget session of Parliament resumes on March 5, and he would also now have to prepare for the AICC Session to be held from March 16 to 18. After that, he will be pre-occupied with preparations for the Assembly elections in Karnataka.The alliance of the BJP and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) looks set to form the largest bloc in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, if not secure a simple majority.

By noon on Saturday, more than four hours after counting started, the BJP-NDPP was leading in 32 seats against the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF), which was leading in 24 seats.

The BJP, which contested in 20 seats, was leading in 10 seats, with the NDPP bagging the rest.

A win for the BJP alliance would be a monumental achievement, given that Nagaland is a Christian majority state, where some Christian churches had issued a diktat to people to vote against the BJP given its perceived hardline Hindutva agenda.Tripura was the first direct contest between the two parties known to be at the extreme ends of the ideological divide in Indialeft versus right. The victory for the BJP in Tripura tastes sweeter for the saffron party precisely for the same reasons. Now, Kerala is the only state with a Communist government.

The BJP victory in Tripura is a copybook example of the strategy it has been using in other statesbuild up a grassroots organisation, capture people's imagination with promises of better governance, bring leaders from other parties and finally bombard the election state with campaigning by heavyweight politicians.

The 'poorest' chief minister of the country, Manik Sarkar, could not save his citadel from the superior war machinery deployed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.

By afternoon, the trends indicated that the BJP had received over 40 per cent more votes than the 2013 elections when it could only gather 1.5 per cent. The CPI(M) with 48 per cent votes in the 2013 Assembly polls saw its share drop by five per cent, which is not really a massive drop.

The Tripura victory saw the complete decimation the Congress. Look at the vote share: during the 2013 elections, the Congress was the main opposition party with 10 seats and 36.5 percent vote share. This time, it could only gather 1.6 per cent, which means the entire anti-government vote had transferred en masse to the new challenger in the ring.

The four key strategists for the BJP victory in Tripura were party chief Amit Shah, general secretary Ram Madhav, Assam deputy CM Hemanta Biswa Sarma and finally the main 'operational' man on the ground, Sunil Deodhar.

Deodhar was instrumental in raising an army of workers in the state. The BJP had made 42,000 panna pramukhs (page in-charges)one each for the all the pages in the state voter list. Each page has around 60 names. So in the past two months, these pramukhs along with a team of activists had visited each voter several times, talking about the achievements of the Modi government and the promises of what the BJP would do when it came to power.

The BJP focussed on getting the support of the state's employees by promises to give them salaries according to the Seventh Pay Commission, as the state was still following the recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission.

Starting with Modi, all senior leaders of the BJP had campaigned in the state. In fact, Union ministers visited the state every month on official tours in the past two years. This bombardment of leaders was aimed at creating a huge population of aspirational young voters who wanted change.

The BJP also entered into a partnership with the IPFT, a tribal party, which helped it garner tribal votes in each of the constituencies, which in the end made all the difference.

The CPI(M) has been dislodged from the state, but its vote share may be the only consolation. Madhav acknowledged the spirited fight put up by Sarkar and his party.

While the result is clear in Tripura, the BJP despatched Sarma and Madhav to neighbouring Meghalaya and Nagaland to explore the possibilities of creating BJP governments there at all costs.If anything happens to me, please tell my story. This was...A student at Central Michigan University suspected of shooting to death his parents inside a campus dormitory during a domestic dispute was arrested on Saturday, the school said, after a daylong manhunt.

The suspect was seen by a bystander on a train passing through the north end of campus in Mount Pleasant, about 125 miles (200 km) northwest of Detroit, shortly after midnight and taken into custody without incident, said Heather Smith, a university spokeswoman, in a statement.

The suspect was identified as James Eric Davis Jr., 19, after the two victims were found inside a residence hall at the university, police said.

It was an isolated incident, but we had two people that were killed in a residence facility. Thats traumatic, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said at a news conference hours after the Friday morning shooting.

The shooting led authorities to order a lockdown of the campus, which has more than 20,000 students, and police also warned Mount Pleasant residents to be on guard.

Police in helicopters and patrol cars spent Friday scouring the locked down campus and the area for the suspect, local media reported. Police escorted people leaving the campus, as university events were cancelled and Saturday classes were called off, university officials said in a statement.

Davis had been taken to a local hospital on Thursday night after an apparent overdose or bad reaction to drugs, Klaus told reporters.

The two victims were James Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47, university officials said on Twitter.

James Davis Sr. was a police officer in Bellwood, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, Emanuel Chris Welch, an Illinois state lawmaker, said in a post on Twitter.

The incident came just over two weeks after 17 students and educators were killed by a 19-year-old gunman with an assault-style rifle at a Florida high school.A British supporter of Islamic State was found guilty on Friday of trying to recruit children he was teaching into an army of jihadists to help carry out a wave of attacks across London.

Umar Haque, 25, showed the children beheading videos and other violent militant propaganda, forced them to re-enact deadly attacks on the British capital and made them role-play attacking police officers.

His plan was to create an army of children to assist with multiple terrorist attacks throughout London, said Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Polices Counter Terrorism Command. He tried and he did, we believe, radicalise vulnerable children from the ages of 11 to 14.

Despite having no qualifications and being employed as an administrator, police say Haque used the guise of teaching Islamic studies to groom 110 children into becoming militants at the Lantern of Knowledge, a small private Islamic school, and at a madrassa connected to the Ripple Road Mosque in east London.

Of those children, 35 are now undergoing long-term safeguarding measures involving social services and other authorities. Six of the group gave evidence at Haques trial, detailing how he taught them fighting was good and had given them training such as doing push-ups to build their strength.

His intention was to use them to attack London targets such as the Big Ben tower, soldiers from the Queens Guards, a large shopping centre, banks, and media stations, prosecutors said.

Believed to have been self-radicalised online, Haque was inspired by an attack in March last year when Khalid Masood ploughed a rented car into pedestrians on Londons Westminster Bridge, killing four, before stabbing to death a police officer in the grounds of parliament.

He had discussed with Abuthaher Mamuna 19-year-old who also taught at the mosquecarrying out a similar attack using guns and a hire car packed with explosives. He had made the children re-enact Masoods assault and told another co-defendant the public deserved to be annihilated.

Role-playing

He tried to prepare the children for martyrdom by making them role-play terrorist attacks. Part of that role-playing was re-enacting attacking police officers, Haydon said.

He had shown them graphic terrorist videosbeheading videos and frightening terrorist activities overseas. He described himself as a loyal follower to IS.

Haydon said the children had been paralysed by fear into not telling their parents or teachers, with Haque saying he was part of IS and threatening that they would suffer the same fate as those in the militant videos he showed them.

However, Haques ambitious, long-term plans were in an early stage, he said. No issues had been raised at the schoolrated outstanding by government inspectorsprior to Haques arrest and when it came to light what was going on, police initially met a wall of silence from the children.

He shouldnt have been teaching, so thats a concern, Haydon said. We have had challenges with both the local community and some of these institutions.

Haque was found guilty at Londons Old Bailey Court of a number of offences including preparing terrorist acts, having previously pleaded guilty to four charges.

Mamun, who police said was involved in fundraising and attack planning, and Muhammad Abid, 27, were also convicted of helping him. They will all be sentenced at a later date.

-ReutersJamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed has described the United States as biggest terrorist in the world while addressing a Friday Sermon at the Markaz Al Qadsiya here



He also criticised the politicians of Pakistan, blaming them for obeying the orders of America and other Western countries.

"Pakistan is facilitating the US, who is the biggest terrorist of the world and involved in killing lakhs of people every year. Now demanding arrest of facilitators of terrorists," said Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who has been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations and has a $10 million bounty on him since 2012.

He added, "Pakistan is facilitating the US to launch drones attacks from Pakistan to kill people in Afghanistan. Rulers of Pakistan are silent assuming that America is pleased. The US is putting the blame of its defeat in Afghanistan on Pakistan and allegedly grabbing $33 billion. Neither the Afghan Taliban and nor the Afghan Mujahideen are responsible for the defeat of US. In Qatar, they (US) opened an office and asked the Taliban to settle their issues".

Mumbai terror attack mastermind Saeed, also alleged that the U.S. has plotted against his charities and that is why Islamabad has been acting against them.

Saeed said, "Now issued an order to seize assets of JuD i.e. to take control of Masjid (mosques), Madrasas (religious schools) and educational institutes as well as ambulances of JuD. America wishes not to see JuD's name in Pakistan."

Days before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris, Pakistan had amended the anti-terror legislation through a presidential ordinance to include all UN-listed individuals and groups in the national listings of proscribed outfits and persons.

Saeed said, "Those who went Paris to attend the FATF's meeting stated that they have seized all assets of JuD and requested FATF not to enter name of Pakistan into their grey list. They admitted of obeying instructions of their bosses (the West) and pleaded them to release aid for Pakistan."

Showing his discontent over Islamabad's stand at FATF meeting Saeed also blamed India for pressuring Pakistan to act against his organisation.

He said, "We must have openly conveyed in FATF meeting that JuD is not a terrorist organisation and it has been working for freedom of Kashmiris who are being subjected to torture and innocent children are being made blind. JuD is raising voice for rights of Kashmiris."

He even asked Pakistan to keep distance from Turkey and China. "Urged Pakistani rulers to stop slavery of infidels as well as stop seeking help from Turkey and China. No one will help you and only Allah will help you. Now they are deciding about future of JuD. All the enemies of Allah are enemies of Pakistan. Jews, Christians, Americans and Hindus are our enemies".

Pakistan claims to have banned the offices and charities of Jamaat-ud-Dawah, but they were found working openly under the patronage of security forces.

Terrorists like Hafiz Saeed, who openly holds rallies and meetings across Pakistan, enjoys the full support of the army and intelligence agencies, including ISI and military intelligence.De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Je, 16 Fev 2018 16:16

Sujet : I think of relocating to another country to get into investment



Hello My Dear

How are you today ? i will like to be kind and honest with you, i am a woman that have seen life, i have been in the social circle for many years, although it does not matter one's age, color or achievement, what matters in our life is your kindness to humanity.

Dear, i believe that is the most important thing in life, I had been hardworking all my life, i must think of something better, to enjoy my life and probably have a family ,maybe relocate and start investing in other things. Anyway i would like to tell you more about me. My name is Miss Emily Isabel, emilyisabel51@gmail.com , i am from France, i was born in France, and i left France at age of 12 years to Senegal, which to the glory of God, i am working as an Senior Audit/banker in Societe Generale Bank of Senegal, is very painful i lost my only son at age of 4 years, i was married but myex-husband got married to another woman, which caused our divorce, but is ok that is life for you, since he accused me of been so busy due to my bank work activities as accounting/auditing, that i was not having time for him and our kids before she passed away, but he refused to understand that i was pursing a goal, i told him that soon i will resign and we will have enough time for each other but he was impatient, although is over between us, I am happy alone because I have everything i need, this is why I think of relocating to another country to get into investment and maybe own a small company which i can be able to manage on my own. Please would you tell me more about yourself too ? I would like to know more about you for me to know if we can achieve this goal together, your marital status and your country of origin. I would be glad to hear from you soon

Yours faithfully Emily





De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Ve, 23 Fev 2018 12:22

Sujet : The fund will be shared 50% for me, 44% for you. .



My dear, I must thank you once again for your humble reply to my mail. I really appreciate it so much and i am very happy to read from you, well from your respond i'm convinced that the future has a special place for us, if only we could trust each other and also be honest and faithful to each other as well. Like i told you earlier, i was looking forward to accomplish a particular mission, which my ex-husband was unlucky to achieve with me, I think with the little you have told me about you, it would be very wise to disclose this secret to you and also tell you my aim and plan. Because it would be of mutual benefit to us and maybe you could be the right person to utilize the opportunity with me, because i believe our knowing each other is the way God have destiny it.

Remember, i told you i am an auditor of my bank and also the Chief of the International Relation Foreign Remittance Unit. Prior to my position here at my bank, i have the opportunity to loot out some amount of money of a deceased customer, whose autopsy result showed that he died as a result of gun shorts by unknown gunmen. As i was her personal accountant officer, before he died and from the account opening records, he did not indicate anybody as his beneficiary next of kin. Since 2008 to date, nobody has come forward as his beneficiary next of kin to administer the fund. The amount in question is the total sum of $11.700,000. (eleven millions seven hundred thousand ). I can provide all the required legal papers from the Federal High Court to present you as the legal beneficiary to these funds if you would accept to partner with me in this deal. A lot of abandoned money lay around in this bank as a result of abandoned bank accounts, stock holdings, unclaimed life insurance pay-outs and forgotten pension benefits. I will definitely give you comprehensive details on how we would achieve this legally, without going against the laws of the country. Once you reply to me indicating your interest to work with me. I have worked with the bank for several years and have taken time to study the African inheritance claims procedures. I would appreciate it if you would treat this issue with every bit of confidentiality and maturity, putting my integrity foremost, because i wouldn't need any mistakes or regrets. I assure you that you will never regret it if you would take the bold step to partner with me in this deal. It would be wise if we make every effort not to loose this golden opportunity. This happens in every bank around the world, even in your own country, but people outside the banking industry do not know this. The fund will be shared at the ratio of 50% for me, 44% for you and 6% will be set aside to cover any expenses and tax in your bank, We will use the fund there in your country to build companies and for investment which both of us would manage, Please this is an honest request for you and i. i only plead for you to make this transaction a top secret because we do not have to trust anybody unless you and i alone. Please treat this business proposal with utmost confidentiality and send me the following informations for further application for this transfer if you are interested. .

1. Name, 2. Address 2. Id. copy 3.Nationality

Thanks and best regards Yours faithfully, Emily

De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Ma, 27 Fev 2018 11:48

Sujet : The fund will be shared at the ratio of 50% for me, 44% for you. .

My dear, I must thank youonce again for your humble reply to my mail. I really appreciate it so much and i am very happy to read from you, well from your respond i'm convinced that the future has a special place for us, if only we could trust each other and also be honest and faithful to each other as well.

Like i told you earlier, i was looking forward to accomplish a particular mission, which my ex-husband was unlucky to achieve with me, I think with the little you have told me about you, it would be very wise to disclose this secret to you and also tell you my aim and plan. Because it would be of mutual benefit to us and maybe you could be the right person to utilize the opportunity with me, because i believe our knowing each other is the way God have destiny it. Remember i told you i am an Auditor of my bank and also the Chief of the International Relation Foreign Remittance Unit. Prior to my position here at my bank, i have the opportunity to loot out some amount of money of a deceased customer, whose autopsy result showed that he died as a result of gun shots by unknown gunmen. As i was her personal accountant officer, before he died and from the account opening records, he did not indicate anybody as his beneficiary next of kin. Since 2008 to date, nobody has come forward as his beneficiary next of kin to administer the fund. The amount in question is the total sum of $11.700,000 (Eleven Millions Seven Hundred Thousand USD).

I can provide all the required legal papers from the Federal High Court to present you as the legal beneficiary to these funds if you would accept to partner with me in this deal. A lot of abandoned money lay around in this bank as a result of abandoned bank accounts, stock holdings, unclaimed life insurance pay-outs and forgotten pension benefits. I will definitely give you comprehensive details on how we would achieve this legally, without going against the laws of the country. Once you reply to me indicating your interest to work with me. I have worked with the bank for several years and have taken time to study the African inheritance claims procedures. I would appreciate it if you would treat this issue with every bit of confidentiality and maturity, putting my integrity foremost, because i wouldn't need any mistakes or regrets. I assure you that you will never regret it if you would take the bold step to partner with me in this deal. It would be wise if we make every effort not to loose this golden opportunity. This happens in every bank around the world, even in your own country, but people outside the banking industry do not know this. The fund will be shared at the ratio of 50% for me, 44% for you and 6% will be set aside to cover any expenses and tax in your bank. We will use the fund there in your country to build companies and for investment which both of us would manage, Please this is an honest request for you and i. i only plead for you to make this transaction a top secret because we do not have to trust anybody unless you and i alone. Please treat this business proposal with utmost confidentiality and send me the following informations for further application for this transfer if you are interested. .

1. Name, 2. Address 2. Id.copy 3. Nationality

Thanks and best regards Yours faithful









Emily De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Ma, 27 Fev 2018 13:19

Sujet : My dear, contact the bank now



Hello Dear

How are you doing together with your family ? I hope all is well,here is my phone number +221.708424959

Do not call me, you can SMS me only, because bank set security to monitor every member of the bank due our banking rule and regulation.



Kindly make sure that this information will be between you and me until we actualized the success of this transaction, What i want you to do now is to apply for the release of the fund into your account, Make sure you keep a top secret of this transaction because i don't want any staff of the bank to know that i am responsible for this transaction This is where i lay the future survival hope of our future, and its was the reason I tried to explain for your best understanding. You should not change your name and nationality in this transaction because you are going to apply as the business partner to the deceased customer. Note, if you send this letter to the bank, the bank will not delay to contact you, but you should not respond back to the bank until i direct you on what to do. This is to avoid mistake from your part , See the official letter below, send it through to the bank through the bank email address of the bank as follows. .

Societe Generale Bank Societe Generale Bank P.O. box 2443 Rue 994 Medina Dakar Senegal, West Africa +221.764900412 societegeneralebank@aol.com

societegeneraleban@yah oo.co.uk <societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk>

Immediately this fund is transferred into your account, then i will obtain visa to your country for the disbursement of the fund according to my proposal ratio. Immediately you apply update me that you have sent the letter to the bank.



My best regard to you and your family,

Yours faithfully

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

COPY AND SEND THIS BELOW MASSAGE TO BANK

societegeneralebank@aol.com

societegeneraleban@yah oo.co.uk <societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk>

To The Manager Societe Generale Bank of Senegal

Managing Director, Dr.Ranson kenly

Societe Generale Bank Societe Generale Bank P.O.BOX 2443 Rue 994 Medina Dakar Senegal West Africa +221.772810887 societegeneralebank@aol.com

societegeneraleban@yah oo.co.uk <societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk>

APPLICATION FOR REQUEST OF CLAIM



Sir / Madam,



I am . . . . . . the business partner to late Mr Mahmoud Adama, who was assassinated on January 13, 2008 when Gun men shot him while still inside the capital Libya, Tripoli.



After his funeral celebration, i discovered that he have an unclaimed and balance account Eleven millions Seven Hundred Thousand US dollars. ($11 .700,000.00 ) deposited in your bank when he was alive. I hereby wish to bring to your notice that i am eager to apply for the funds claim as his business partner to enable your bank release and transfer his balance account of $ 11. 700,000.00 into my nominated bank account,Upon your urgent response to this effect, I will send you my bank account information for the transfer of the above mentioned sum. So i expect that your bank management will pay an urgent attention to my request and communicate to me further with the related forms and documents necessary to claim this above mentioned sum without delay.



I apologize for late application for this claim as i have been arranging other things left since his sudden death occurred.



Yours sincerely, . . . . . . . . . .



De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Me, 28 Fev 2018 14:54

Sujet : MY DEAR, CONTACT THE BANK NOW :



COPY AND SEND THIS BELOW MESSAGE TO THE BANK



To the Manager Societe Generale Bank

Managing Director, Dr. Ranson Kenly

Societe Generale Bank Societe Generale Bank P.O. BOX 2443 Rue 994 Medina Dakar Senegal West Africa

+221.772810887 societegeneralebank@aol.com societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk

APPLICATION FOR REQUEST OF CLAIM



Sir / Madam,

I am . . . . . . the business partner to late Mahmoud Adama who was assassinated on January 13, 2008 when gun men shot him while still inside the capital of Libya, Tripoli. After his funeral celebration, i discovered that he have an unclaimed and balance account $11 .700,000.00 (eleven millions seven hundred thousand USdollars) deposited in your bank when he was alive. I hereby wish to bring to your notice that i am eager to apply for the funds claim as his business partner to enable your bank release and transfer his balance account of $11. 700,000.00 into my nominated bank account. Upon your urgent response to this effect, I will send you my bank account information for the transfer of the above mentioned sum. So i expect that your bank management will pay an urgent attention to my request and communicate to me further with the related forms and documents necessary to claim this above mentioned sum without delay.



I apologize for late application for this claim as i have been arranging other things left since his sudden death occurred.



Yours sincerely









De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Ve, 2 Mar 2018 12:06

Sujet : CONTACT THE BANK NOW



My dear good morning to you, Please how far have you gone with the bank ? please my dear i urge you to kindly hurry up because as case may be now our urgent action is highly needed. Yours in love Emily



De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Je, 8 Mar 2018 23:31

Sujet : contact the bank immediately



My dear you don't need to keep waiting. So kindly contactthe bank immediately as i directed you. societegeneralebank@aol.com , societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk Yours Emily

COPY AND SEND THIS BELOW MASSAGE TO BANK



To The Manager Societe Generale Bank of Senegal

Managing Director, Dr. Ranson kenly

Societe Generale Bank Societe Generale Bank P.O.BOX 2443 Rue 994 Medina Dakar Senegal + 221.772810887

APPLICATION FOR REQUEST OF CLAIM



Sir / Madam,



I am . . . . . . the business partner to late Mr Mahmoud Adama, who was assassinated on January 13, 2008 when gun men shot him while still inside the capital Libya, Tripoli. After his funeral celebration, i discovered that he have an unclaimed and balance account Eleven Millions Seven Hundred Thousand US dollars. $11 .700,000 deposited in your bank when he was alive. I hereby wish to bring to your notice that i am eager to apply for the funds claim as his business partner to enable your bank to release and transfer his balance account of $ 11. 700,000 into my nominated bank account.Upon your urgent response to this effect, I will send you my bank account information for the transfer of the above mentioned sum. So i expect that your bank management will pay an urgent attention to my request and communicate to me further with the related forms and documents necessary to claim this above mentioned sum without delay.

I apologize for late application for this claim as i have been arranging other things left since his sudden death occurred.



Yours sincerely . . . . . . . . .



De : peace hassan emilyisabel51@gmail.com

Envoye le : Ve, 17 Mar 2018 21:21

Sujet : MY DEAR, CONTACT THE BANK NOW



My darling, I am waiting to hear from you about the response regarding the bank Yours Emily

COPY AND SEND THIS BELOW MASSAGE TO BANK



To The Manager Societe Generale Bank of Senegal

Managing Director, Dr.Ranson kenly

Societe Generale Bank societegeneralebank@aol.com societegeneraleban <societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk>@yahoo.co.uk Societe Generale Bank P.O.BOX 2443 Rue 994 Medina Dakar Senegal West Africa

Phone 221.772810887 societegeneralebank@aol.com , societegeneraleban@yahoo.co.uk

APPLICATION FOR REQUEST OF CLAIM



Sir / Madam,



I am . . . . . . the business partner to Late Mr Mahmoud Adama, who was assassinated on January 13, 2008 when Gun men shot him while still inside the capital Libya, Tripoli



After his funeral celebration, i discovered that he have an unclaimed and balance account Eleven Million Seven Hundred Thousand United State Dollars. $11 .700,000.00 deposited in your bank when he was alive. I hereby wish to bring to your notice that i am eager to apply for the funds claim as his business partner to enable your bank release and transfer his balance account of ($ 11. 700,000.00 Million) into my nominated bank account,Upon your urgent response to this effect, I will send you my bank account information for the transfer of the above mentioned sum



So i expect that your bank management will pay an urgent attention to my request and communicate to me further with the related forms and documents necessary to claim this above mentioned sum without delay.



I apologize for late application for this claim as i have been arranging other things left since his sudden death occurred.



Yours sincerely







If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more....Call me old fashioned, but I lament when learning that another one of our countrys building societies is to give up the ghost.

Less choice for savers and borrowers, another nail in the coffin for community focused businesses.

This time it is Holmesdale that has decided it can no longer carry on as an independent concern. Bar a hiccup or a customer uprising it will be consumed into the bowels of Skipton  its much larger rival  before the year is out.

Bar any hiccups another small building society Holmesdale will disappear - as it gets taken over by Skipton

Based in leafy Reigate, Surrey, Holmesdale has been around since 1855. But despite making 1.53 million profits (for the year to the end of March 2017), it believes soldiering on is pointless. It just cannot compete against the financial monoliths and does not possess sufficient capital to invest in its business.

When it finally disappears from view, it will take the number of building societies down to 43.

A far cry from the halcyon days of 1940 when 952 societies were scattered across this fine country of ours  and a significant reduction on pre-financial crisis numbers when there were 60. (Skipton has been pre-eminent in hoovering up the casualties).

Like bank branches, small community-based building societies are slowly withering on the vine  and as with both axed branches and closed ATMs, we should mourn their loss.

After all, they are businesses that often operate in towns and villages the big banks have long given up on (not an argument it must be said that can be used in the case of Holmesdale and Reigate).

They are also often prepared to be far more flexible over whom to lend to as a result of intimate knowledge of their local housing markets  and a willingness to assess home loan applications on an individual rather than tick-box basis.

Staffordshire-based Leek United and North West-centric Cumberland are brilliant examples of building societies making a difference in their communities.

Leek United has been foursquare behind the totally Leek campaign aimed at ensuring the town remains a vibrant place to live, work and shop. Empty town centre shop units have fallen in number as a result of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Cumberland will soon be the last bank or society standing in nine of the 34 communities it has branches in. Its modus operandi is all about offering a raft of financial services to local people  everything from current, apprentice and business accounts through to financial advice and commercial lending. Services that are provided face to face or via the phone or internet.

So, if you care about community, a vibrant high street (soon to lose its Maplin stores and, in some towns, its Prezzo restaurants) and financial diversity, you should lament the passing of Holmesdale  while supporting those financial businesses that operate in your neck of the woods.

Help keep your local commerce ticking over  or the cold and brutal wind of change will destroy it forever.

Time to leave our pensions alone

We are approaching the pensions silly season  when in the run-up to the Chancellor of the Exchequers Spring Statement, rumours surface about threatened reductions to the tax relief boost we receive every time we put money inside a pension.

So far, the rumour mill has been somewhat muted. But recent news that pension contribution tax relief cost the Chancellor a rather eye-watering 38.6 billion in the year to April 2017 may get Treasury tongues wagging between now and Tuesday week.

To put this number into perspective, it is more than the amount the Government spent on defence in the same financial year (37 billion).

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond

Given the predilection of past Chancellors to attack our pensions  Gordon Brown and George Osborne were masters of this dark art  I would not be surprised if Philip Hammond comes up with another wheeze designed to keep a lid on tax relief costs. A cut here, a reduction there.

But I hope I am wrong. When it comes to pensions I stand in the Steve Webb camp.

Last week, the former Pensions Minister, who now works for financial services giant Royal London, said: Successive Chancellors have viewed pension tax relief as a honey pot, convenient to dip into whenever they are short of money.

Six cuts in the last seven years simply undermine confidence in the system. It is time the Chancellor committed to no more changes to tax relief for the rest of this Parliament. Spot on. Leave our pensions alone.Betfair was founded in 1999, when online betting was virtually unknown. Today Paddy Power Betfair is a FTSE 100 company, valued at 7 billion.

The group has had some boardroom issues recently but, in the early days, Betfair helped to revolutionise the betting industry.

Tim Levene joined Betfair in 2001 and was instrumental in its success. But he left in 2010 to set up a new venture, Augmentum because he believed that the financial services sector would, over time, be transformed by the internet, in much the same way as the betting industry has been.

Augmentum has expanded significantly over the past eight years by investing in fast-growing financial technology companies, including Zopa, the worlds first peer-to-peer lending platform and Seedrs, the successful crowdfunding venture.

Taste of success: Whisky Invest Direct is part of Augmentum Fintechs portfolio

Now the group is planning to list on the stock market via a 100 million flotation. Shares in Augmentum Fintech will be 100p each, applications can be submitted through a wide range of intermediaries and the deadline is this Thursday.

Levene has powerful backers, including RIT Capital, chaired by Jacob Rothschild. Lord Rothschild is a member of the illustrious banking family,

RIT has a track record of success and is investing 10 million in the flotation. There is a strong management team too and advisers include Betfair founder Edward Wray.

Zopa and Seedrs apart, Augmentum has four further investments, including Interactive Investor, the UKs second largest online stockbroker after Hargreaves Lansdown, as well as BullionVault and Whisky Invest Direct.

BullionVault allows individual investors to buy and sell gold and silver online and is the largest operation of its kind in the world.

Whisky Invest Direct opens up the arcane world of whisky as an investment asset. Scottish distilleries typically rely on professional finance while their whisky matures.

Through Whisky Invest Direct, individual investors will be able to gain access to this market, which has historically grown by an average of 8 per cent a year.

Zopas loan book has expanded from less than 50 million to around 1 billion since Augmentum invested in the business in 2012. Interactive Investor assets have grown from 1.5 billion to almost 20 billion since Augmentum became involved in 2015.

Backer: Banking scion Lord Rothschild, chairman of RIT Capital

Levene and his team have been looking for other investments ahead of the flotation and intend to invest shareholders money over the next 12 months, buying 10 to 15 new companies.

The group is actively involved in its portfolio and intends to generate value for shareholders by helping businesses to grow, selling out at a profit and returning cash to shareholders as disposals are made.

Midas verdict: Banks, insurers and asset managers are often criticised for charging too much and delivering too little.

Technology has already begun to chip away at the edges of these industries but far greater transformation is expected. Augmentum Fintech provides investors with a way of accessing this transformation and the shares could go far. Investors with a sense of adventure should buy.

To be listed on: Main Market

Ticker: AUGM Contact: augmentumfintech.comDigital currencies such as bitcoin face a crackdown after Bank of England boss Mark Carney launched a scathing attack.

In a speech at the Scottish Economics Conference in Edinburgh, he branded cryptocurrencies a failure  a lottery that exhibits the classic hallmarks of bubbles that attract 'fools'.

Carney added: 'Crypto-assets raise a host of issues around consumer and investor protection, market integrity, money laundering, terrorism financing, tax evasion, and the circumvention of capital controls and international sanctions.'

On the attack: Digital currencies such as bitcoin face a crackdown after Bank of England boss Mark Carney launched a scathing attack

His attack came as bitcoin's value continues to gyrate wildly, having hit nearly $20,000 late last year.

It was $10,890 yesterday.

Regulators in countries such as China and India have expressed concern about bitcoin, and Germany's Bundesbank wants global regulation.

Carney said: '[It's time] to hold the crypto-asset ecosystem to the same standards as the rest of the financial system.'

A Bank committee is studying the risks posed to UK financial stability by cryptocurrencies.Revolution Bars is overhauling its food menu as a growing appetite for healthier options put a dent in its sales.

The bar operator, which is popular for its cocktails such as pornstar martinis and strawberry daquiris, said it was overhauling its food offering to meet the same standard as its drinks.

Deep fried foods are being cut from the menu in favour of superfood salads and mezze boards, and more low-sugar and alcohol-free cocktails are also being introduced.

Raising the bar: Revolution wants to bring its food up to the same standard as its drinks

Revolution Bars chairman Keith Edelman, said: Our cocktail menu is outstanding but our food is average to good.

In order to succeed we need to be outstanding so weve brought in a new food director and we will build our food business to be as innovative and attractive to the consumer as our drinks.

Sales were broadly flat in the 26 weeks to December 30 rising by just 0.4 per cent, with its food business affected.

Revolution Bars suffered a 3.7million loss compared to profits of 5.1million a year earlier, after it was hit by costs associated to two failed takeovers, leasing agreements for some of its loss-making stores, and hiring a new chief executive.

Former Mitchells & Butler director Rob Pitcher will join as chief executive in the coming months.Profits at the London Stock Exchange soared 19 per cent to 915million after a torrid year in which its chief executive stepped down.

The exchange operator has seen off a German merger, lost its chief executive and fought off a battle with a rebel investor in the past 12 months.

It saw revenues jump 17 per cent to 1.8billion, helped by 17 per cent growth at its LCH clearing to 432million.

Profits rising: The London Stock Exchange has seen off a German merger, lost its chief executive and fought off a battle with a rebel investor in the past 12 months

The firm will pay a final dividend of 37.2p per share, amounting to a 19 per cent increase in the full-year dividend to 51.6p.

Respected boss Xavier Rolet, 58, suddenly stepped down in November following a major spat between the board and activist investor TCI.

Christopher Hohn's investors accused chairman Donald Brydon of forcing Rolet out, but Brydon survived a shareholder vote on his position while Rolet stepped down sooner than expected after Bank of England governor Mark Carney waded into the row.

Rolet held the LSE's top job for more than eight years, during which time the LSE's stock market value soared from 800million to nearly 14billion.

Interim boss David Warren, 62, who is also the firm's finance chief, said the board was making good progress on recruiting a new chief executive.

Asked if he was interested in the role himself, he said: 'I remain firmly committed to remaining chief finance officer and nothing has changed in terms of that.'

London is among cities vying to host Saudi-oil giant Aramco's public listing, the largest ever. Warren said: 'It's very much in our interests to do this.

There is a lot about London that's very attractive, a leading global financial centre, it has certainly been a focus and continues to be.'Promotion: Aldi's UK boss Matthew Barnes

NEW ROLE The boss of the British and Irish arm of German discounter Aldi, Matthew Barnes, has been promoted to the coordination board of parent Aldi South.

APP AID Taxi firm Uber is entering the patient transport market with a service letting doctors and hospitals book trips on an app.

HEADING OFF Online retailer Asoss chief financial officer Helen Ashton has resigned and steps down on April 30.

LITHIUM HIT Losses at lithium mining hopeful Bacanora Minerals narrowed to 2.7million during the six months to the end of December.

DIRECTOR OFF Michael Smerdon, 47, has stepped down as a director of Bristol Water.

PROFIT UP Engineering firm IMI, which designs and makes fluid control systems, has announced a 2 per cent boost in profit to 193million.

BIG LOSS Chinas second-largest online retailer JD.com failed to meet expectations in the final three months of 2017 despite soaring sales. It made a 104million loss.

BOARD DEPARTURE Co-founder and former boss of Just Eat, David Buttress, 41, previously left his role as chief executive due to 'urgent family matters' and then on Friday left the company's board.

CHICKEN TONIGHT Fast food chain KFC has allowed its franchises to buy goods from wholesaler Booker as it struggles with shortages of chicken and gravy, that saw it shut many restaurants last week.

DEAL SIGNED Engineer Rolls-Royce has signed a contract with EDF Energy to provide heat exchangers for the Hinkley Point C power station.

DELIVERY BACKING Japanese software giant Softbank is backing a rival to Ubers food delivery service, after it led a 388million fundraising round for DoorDash.Its safe to say Donald Trump wont be welcome in the Rio Tinto boardroom any time soon.

The US presidents shock decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports wiped more than 1.9billion off its value.

Analysts are saying Trumps decision could prompt a trade war with Europe and China.

As the biggest supplier of aluminium to the US from its smelters in Canada, Rio was hit hard.

In a hole: US president Donald Trumps shock decision to slap tariffs on steel and aluminium imports wiped more than 1.9bn off Rio Tinto's value

The FTSE 100 miner said: We will continue to engage with US officials to underscore the benefits of the integrated North American aluminium supply chain, including the jobs it supports on each side of the border.

Aluminium from Canada has long been a reliable and secure input for US manufacturers, including the defence sector.

Just when things looked like they couldnt get any worse, Australias corporate watchdog said it planned to take Rio and two former executives to court for allegedly misleading investors.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission claims Rio deceived investors about the coal reserves in Mozambique in 2012. Its shares slid 3.8 per cent, or 142p, to 3638.5p.

STOCK WATCH - BIG SOFA TECHNOLOGIES Shares in the video analytics company Big Sofa hit the roof following a 3million investment by the market research giant Ipsos. Aim-listed Big Sofa gives firms insights into how people use and view their products, by filming them. Ipsoss investment will be used to boost Big Sofas sales and marketing divisions, particularly in the US. The money will also help its video analytics technology. The stock soared 19.6 per cent, or 2.5p, to 15.25p.

Rios rivals also suffered big losses. BHP Billiton, Glencore and Anglo American all ended more than 3 per cent down for the day.

Trumps tariffs and Theresa Mays admission that the EU and UK would have less access to each others markets post-Brexit made for a tough day for the FTSE 100. It fell a painful 1.47 per cent, or 105.74 points, to 7069.90.

A mixed-bag trading update from Gear4music struck a wrong chord with investors.

The Aim-listed musical instrument seller reported a 43 per cent increase in sales for the 12 months ending February 28.

However, it also warned earnings would be flat because of big investments in its infrastructure, systems and marketing. Investors heard a bum note, and shares bombed 3.1 per cent, or 20p, to 631p.

Plus500 shares plunged a whopping 8.5 per cent, or 99p, to 1070p a day after the founders pocketed 80million in a share sale, making it the Aims worst performer.

The five founders of the online trading platform said they sold the 7.3m shares for personal reasons.

The company lets investors trade controversial and risky contracts for difference, which the are subject of a potential clampdown by the City watchdog.

Powerhouse Energy Group wowed investors by proving it can generate electricity from waste plastic and old tyres, boosting shares by 0.6 per cent, or 0.02p to 0.58p.

The process involves burning the waste until it turns into a gas, which is then transformed into hydrogen or electricity. While other firms may be able to do this, Powerhouse claims its method is better for the environment.

Elsewhere, the I-just-signed-a-new-deal klaxon barely stopped sounding. React Group signed a fresh 18-month deal, worth 206,000 initially, with an unnamed London hospital. It will provide deep cleaning services. Shares leapt 5.6 per cent, or 0.02p, to 0.48p.

And Alfa Financial Software signed an agreement with an unnamed global equipment manufacturer and finance firm to provide sales and contract management software. At closing, its shares had ticked up 0.7 per cent, or 3p, to 457.5p.

Strix Group, which makes safety controls for kettles, announced a major new partnership between its water filter subsidiary and Boots the chemist.

Boots will stock five of Aqua Optimas water filter products in 1,000 stores. Strix shares nudged up 1.1 per cent, or 1.4p, to 133p.School and university leavers or those looking to retrain may want to consider a role in one of the industries that have seen huge growth in vacancies in the last three years.

Data from job website Indeed has revealed the top ten 'hottest' jobs currently growing in Britain's booming jobs market.

Its league table - which looks at jobs that typically pay more than 40,000 a year - ranks roles according to how in demand they are.

Hot roles: Analytic data from Indeed has revealed the ten most in-demand job roles

It analysed hundreds of thousands of vacancies advertised in the last three years to identify the hottest jobs.

It is dominated by roles in computing, HR and business strategy. All of the roles pay well over the average UK salary of 27,600.

Official data shows a third of a million new jobs were created in Britain last year.

The role that has seen the biggest vacancy boom is 'full stack developer'.

The number of roles have grown 607 per cent in the last three years and it pays an average annual salary of 46,542 (we explain what it is below).

There has been a surge of HR roles such as people analytics managers and senior talent acquisition managers, with demand up 483 per cent and 194 per cent respectively.

Not all the roles have such modern job titles.

Demand for family solicitors, for example, has more than doubled since 2014.

The best-paid role in the list is director of customer success, which offers an average salary of 71,680 and saw a 132 per cent rise in job listings.

Bill Richards, UK managing director at Indeed, said: 'Computing professionals have been in demand for decades and many employers are always on the look-out for those with good coding skills.

'Our data reveals just how many opportunities there are for specialists like full stack developers and machine learning engineers - and how much employers are willing to pay to attract them.

'While many of the jobs in this list may not even have existed ten years ago, it's reassuring to see there is still strong demand for time honoured roles like family solicitors and HR professionals.'

TEN HOTTEST JOBS IN LAST THREE YEARS ACCORDING TO INDEED Rank Job Title Average Salary Growth in vacancies 1 Full Stack Developer 46,542 607% 2 People Analytics Manager 58,988 483% 3 Machine Learning Engineer 54,929 306% 4 Data Scientist 56,176 229% 5 Senior Talent Acquisition Manager 54,482 194% 6 Partnerships & Innovation Manager 40,263 173% 7 Computer Vision Engineer 48,754 171% 8 Development Operations Engineer 56,259 162% 9 Director of Customer Success 71,680 132% 10 Family Solicitor 40,273 128%

What exactly are the roles?

So what is a full stack developer or data scientist?

A full stack developer, number one on the list, is described as a specialist software design job and comes as the shift towards online and mobile has ballooned in the last decade.

One worker told This is Money he switched jobs as an architect five years ago to become a full stack developer.

He taught himself in six months with a mix of online courses and books, before building a portfolio of examples and a website.

He then eased his way into a job role and is continuously learning. He says the role is essentially dealing with the back end and front end of website design.

Back end deals with many aspects such as security and sign-up/log-in. Meanwhile, front end takes the data and presents it in an attractive graphical website or app.

These developers aren't experts at everything - they have a functional knowledge and ability to take a concept and turn it into a finished product.

The top three companies hiring now in this field, according to Indeed, are JPMorgan Chase, TransferWise and Viagogo.

Food for thought: These ten roles could be worth considering for as a career for school or university leavers - or those looking to retrain

A people analytics manager uses data to identify trends and insights from large datasets about a company's workforce.

They tend to report these trends to senior leaders in the company and the human resources team to help them make decisions about the direction the company takes.

Indeed says ideally candidates will have a degree in mathematics, statistics, business or an HR related subject.

The top three companies hiring now are Deloitte, PWC and Aviva.

A machine learning engineer is someone with background and skills in data science, applied research and heavy-duty coding.

They run the operations of a machine learning project and are responsible for managing the infrastructure and data pipelines needed to bring code to production.

Indeed say: 'We are witnessing the emergence of an industry that is changing rapidly.

'Demand for AI-related skills will only continue to grow as the technology matures and becomes a central part of business operations.

'And the jobs created will continue to broaden - including the growth of machine learning engineer creating new opportunities for highly-skilled jobseekers.'

The top three companies hiring now are ARM, Apple and the BBC.

A data scientist is a person employed to analyse and interpret complex digital data, such as the usage statistics of a website, especially in order to assist a business in its decision making.

The top three companies hiring now are JPMorgan Chase and PwC, ASOS according to Indeed.

Meanwhile, a director of customer success is likely to manage a team of people with the aim of building recurring revenue, via marketing, sales, training and support.Silvio Berlusconi is back and the right wing 5 Star movement is up in the polls as Italians prepare to hit voting booths on Sunday, but how important will the national election be for the stock market?

Most expect the eventual result will return a hung parliament in a nation divided between the democratic centre right groups and the more extreme 5 Star movement.

Combined, the centre-right parties command 38 per cent of the vote and have already struck a pre-election coalition.

Mike Buhl-Nielsen, manager of the Jupiter Europa fund, has labelled the election one of the most 'unpredictable, controversial and important votes of the year' in Europe, and one that could move markets for the better or worse.

The competition between political parties has been fraught with ideological factions on both sides protesting at demonstrations in the run up to Sunday's vote

The risk of the 5 Star movement gaining a sole majority remains unlikely, as is the chance of any other single party getting enough support to rule alone.

A result where one party could rule alone would be enough to shock markets according to Rathbones' investment chief, Julian Chillingworth.

In a measured analysis of the election and its impact, Chillingworth has come to the conclusion that no matter what, business should continue as usual.

'Anybody winning a majority would be a shock for markets,' he says.

'I think they will be reasonably relaxed if we have a coalition government, and that seems the most likely result. The market will then be much more interested in what is deliverable from the election promises.'

He added: 'There's a lot of noise around the election but I think it is likely to be business as usual.'

Similarly, Fabrizio Quirighetti, the co head of multi-asset investments at SYZ Asset Management, believes markets could react negatively to a hung parliament at first but that any impact would be 'marginal and short lived'.

81-year-old Silvio Berlusconi (pictured) remains a huge force in Italian politics but is barred from becoming Prime Minister until 2019 due to a charge for tax fraud

'We would most likely see a slight negative reaction from markets in the first instance, but not a sense of panic, since on the one hand Paolo Gentiloni would remain at the helm and, ultimately, if the centre-right and centre-left parties join forces, that would certainly be the best possible scenario,' he said.

The centre-right parties, Forza Italia, Lega Nord, the Brothers of Italy and Us with Italy have forged a pre-election coalition ahead of Sunday's vote, the biggest single bloc in Italy with an expected 38 per cent share of the vote.

While the centre-left coalition is set to receive around 26 per cent of the vote, the 5 Star movement has refused to be a part of the right-wing team.

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (pictured centre) has taken part in anti-fascist marches organised by the Italian left-wing parties in the run up to the election. Centre right and right-wing parties are expected to dominate at the polls on Sunday

The most widely expected result is a coalition of centre-right movements with Berlusconi's party, Forza Italia, at the centre.

Scandal-struck Berlusconi may be banned from becoming Prime Minister until 2019 due to a court order for tax fraud, but he has been unofficially backing European Parliament President Antonio Tajani as his favourite to take it in his place.

Want to invest in Italy? These funds will do it for you... Miton European Opportunities Fund Managed by Carlos Moreno and Thomas Brown, a chunky 15 per cent of this 199.6m fund is dedicated to Italian stocks. Launched in December 2015, it has 69.3 per cent to date. Allianz European Equity Dividend The Allianz fund has a smaller 4.6 per cent allocation to Italian companies and has returned 57 per cent in five years. Artemis European Growth Fund The 218.3million Artemis fund has a solid 10 per cent allocation to Italy and has returned just over 100% to investors over the past five year period. Aviva Investors European Equity Fund The Aviva European fund is 7.4 per cent invested in Italian stocks. It is more than 200million in assets and returned 87.5 per cent over the last five years. AXA Rosenberg European Fund The smaller AXA European fund has 21.2m in assets and has a 6.6 per cent exposure to Italy. It has returned around 62 per cent to investors over the last five years.

The 81-year-old billionaire remains a power force in Italian politics, having held office three times as one of Europe's most recognisable leaders.

Charles Stanley's chief global strategist John Redwood said the process of creating a new government would shake markets, but then uncertainty could quickly recede.

'The short term election results and uncertainty over government building may trouble markets a bit. A reflationary lower tax policy if followed might then rally spirits about shares, and would be in line with policy in the US,' he said.

Market commentators will await the election results intently, questioning whether the complacency which greeted a swathe of European elections in 2017 has fully given way after volatility returned with a bang during the global stock sell off in January.

For investors, Italy is 'worth considering' according to Lloyds Private Bank chief investment officer, Markus Stadlmann.

He favours Italian stocks and says they could be worth considering as an investment for those with a high appetite for risk and a long-term view.

'While the results of the elections are hard to predict, we can assume that the new government will strive to increase fiscal stimulus to boost the solid cyclical upturn the Italian economy is currently enjoying,' he said.

'This upturn is being led by exports and flowing through to domestic production and business investment. Consumer price pressures also remain fairly subdued, given the level of unemployment.'MBABANE  A conveyancer has observed that the Crown land was legally stolen from the Swazi nation.



Crown land is said to be owned by the King by virtue of vesting of land in Kings which was Order 45/1973.

The expert, who requested that his identity be protected, pointed out that the disputed land between KaZenzile Community and the Khaya Trust was once under Crown land.

However, it was legally transferred from being Crown land to a farm through the Concession Partition Act of 1907 used in taking the land from Swazis.



He further noted the urgent need to revisit this Act as this was how many farms were deprived from the Swazi nation.

Documents in our possession indicate that the land was sold by the High Commissioner for South Africa under the Swaziland Crown Lands Disposal Proclamation of 1911.

The Commissioner sold two pieces of land to Rowland Winn (Farm 184) and Vernon Own King in 1907 (185). These farms were adjacent to each other.



In 1909, Winn sold the property to Abraham Johannes Roberts who later disposed it to Willen Hendrik Scheepers on May 5, 1934 for 370 sterling pounds (E6290).

On July 3, 1934, Scheepers instructed his lawyer Alexander Carson Cross to transfer the property to administrators of the estate of the late James Clarence Henwood in terms of his will.



He also transferred certain pieces of land from Farm 185 and 186 for a sum of 930 Sterling Pounds, which is equivalent to E15 810, by yesterdays exchange rate.

From there, the farm was inherited by descendants of the late James Clarence Henwood until it was purchased by Thabo Ndlela on behalf of the Khaya Trust.MBABANE  One would generally expect the Swaziland Electricity Company to welcome governments proposed 15 per cent VAT on electricity, but that is not the case.



While this proposal, which was announced by Finance Minister Martin Gobizandla Dlamini when he tabled the Appropriation Bill 2018 (2018/2019 Budget Speech) in Parliament on Thursday, will bring down SECs operational costs, the company is, however, considerate of the negative impact this move will have on its customers.



The Times SUNDAY understands that it is on this basis, therefore, that the Category A public enterprise has informed government of its opposition to the proposal.

SEC is reported to have indicated to the Ministry of Finances Taxation Division that they were against the proposed standard tax rate (15 per cent) and suggested that it supported a zero tax rate because it promotes economic development of the country.



Highly-placed sources within the industry revealed that representatives from the Taxation Division simply dismissed the suggestion of zero-rating. Instead, they proposed the 15 per cent standard rating and a discounted rate VAT refund claim for SEC, the sources said.



standard rate bad for customers

SEC Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager Sifiso Dhlamini could only confirm that the standard rate would kill their customers as it would be more expensive to buy electricity.

Disposable income for the customer has not increased but is still the same, so there will be an erosion of their purchasing power if VAT will be added on electricity. For instance, electricity units will now cost 14 per cent more (based on the current VAT rate of 14 per cent). Customers will be worse off than before. If you buy electricity for E100, it means E14 of the E100 will go to the Swaziland Revenue Authority and you will get units for E86 only but because you do not offer taxable services, you will not be allowed to claim back the VAT from SRA and it all goes to government, Dhlamini explained.



He also stated: Even though SEC will be able to benefit by claiming back VAT, it has to think of its image and its customers. We have to care about our customers because they are key to us. Dhlamini drew further attention to the fact that the VAT on electricity was being proposed at a time when SEC had also announced a 15 per cent tariff hike beginning April 1, 2018, something that would make electricity even more expensive if the two were to be implemented at the same time.

The industry sources sought to explain further that had SEC not cared about its customers, it would have cared less about the proposed VAT on electricity.[March 02, 2018] Caseology Delivers The Top Choice Cases For Samsung Galaxy S9 & S9+

CERRITOS, Calif., March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Caseology, a popular mobile accessory brand known for its stylish, yet functional portfolio of protective cases for all major smartphone models, is announcing a new edition of Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ cases. This latest series features four revitalized flagship designs of Caseology's classic Parallax, Legion, Vault, and Skyfall models  featuring finely crafted textures, colors, and product engineering to suit any function or style. At the perfect intersection of premium quality, attractive design and excellent protection, Caseology's cases reinvents the perfect blend of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, polycarbonate, and rich texturing for enhanced ergonomics, military-grade protection, and fashion forward aesthetics. Focusing on slim designs to fit easily into pockets and purses, a secure grip preventing accidental drops, corner cushion protection, precision cutouts for accessible ports, raised camera/screen bezels and responsive button covers expertly designed for natural functionality, the new and enhanced Caseology, Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ case lineup ensures there is a perfect case for everyone. Following is the full series: Legion Series for Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ Caseology's Legion Series is living proof that you can have it all. Surviving a 16.5-foot drop test at this year's Consumer Electronic Show (CES) event, Legion proves to be the popular option in heavy duty protection without sacrificing an ounce of style. Even without a tempered glass to help ease the impact, Caseology's Legion series provides top shelf protection for everyday drops. The Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ case features a dual-layer blend of TPU and polycarbonate along with shock-absorbent corners and a matte finish for better grip. Rest-assured, your Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ case will be in good company with the Legion Series. Caseology's Legion Series for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ is available to buy in a choice of four colors: Black, Burgundy, Violet, and Midnight Blue. Parallax Series for Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+



The Parallax Series proves to continuously be one of the company's best-selling lines with its award-winning design and geometric textured back that adds a modern and sleek look to the proceedings. Looking beyond its pattern, the Parallax Series offers a true sense of originality while achieving a greater level of protection and reliability. Finely detailed engineering has built the Parallax Series for Galaxy S9 and S9+ into a slimming dual-layer case, combining robust TPU sleeve and a new and improved reinforced PC frame and shock-absorbing corners. Caseology's Parallax Series for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ is currently available in a choice of colors including Black, Black and Deep Blue, Burgundy, Black and Burgundy  with Navy Blue/Silver, and Pink options set to become available soon.

Skyfall Series for Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ The Skyfall Series exemplifies the sheer strength of what Caseology offers in crystal clear protective cases for Galaxy S9 and S9+. It's extremely popular with buyers due to its lightweight build, transparent acrylic hard cover, and precision-matched color frames, perfectly pairing Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphone with the most modern and minimalist trend. With complementary aesthetics, the Skyfall series for Galaxy S9 and S9+ also features functional design as a scratch-resistant slim case that won't give into cracks or discoloration over time. Caseology's near-invisible Skyfall Series for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ is now available in four color options: Black, Blue Coral, Silver, and Violet. Vault Series for Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ The Vault Series showcases an ultra-slim shock deflecting case made from the highest material quality to provide protection from everyday drops. With a one piece, multi-textured design made of Caseology's specially-engineered TPU material, the Vault Series for Galaxy S9 and S9+ allows for a confident grip with a beautiful and slim look. All things considered, this protective case will provide the perfect blend of style, durability, and weight. The Caseology Vault Series for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus is available in a choice of two colors, Black and Burgundy. Tempered Glass Screen Protectors for Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ Caseology's tempered glass screen protectors for Galaxy S9 & S9+ revitalizes what premium protection means. Offering full coverage from edge to edge, this curved screen protector is specially-designed for precision fit to ensure the Super AMOLED display is protected with the rest of the phone. In addition, this glass provides an effective solution for high impact drops and scratches while ensuring absolute clarity for the Galaxy's rich and colorful display with its four protective layers. The Caseology Screen Protector made for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus is available in a one-pack that also comes with an alignment tool for easy installation. About Caseology

Founded in 2014, Caseology is a fashion accessory brand designing stylish, best-selling cell phone cases for consumers' busy lifestyles. With more than 350 products in its portfolio, Caseology continues to push the envelope on innovating 'tech-cessories' for iPhone and Android devices, including the recently-released iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and Galaxy Note 8. Focused on innovation and spreading goodness, the company is keenly aware of changing tastes and needs, and translates that into quality, inspired products that combine high-grade materials for protection with unmatched attention to detail. Currently, Caseology is one of Amazon's Top 50 Sellers Worldwide, with products that continuously rank in the top 20 Best Selling Cell Phone Cases on Amazon. For more information, visit www.caseologycases.com or follow Caseology on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Visit Caseology to see the entire collection of Galaxy S9 & Galaxy S9+ cases available now for purchase. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/caseology-delivers-the-top-choice-cases-for-samsung-galaxy-s9--s9-300607676.html SOURCE Caseology

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Commences Investigation on Behalf of Kraton Corporation Investors

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces an investigation on behalf of Kraton Corporation ("Kraton" or the "Company") (NYSE: KRA) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws. To obtain information or aid in the investigation, please visit the Kraton investigation page on our website at https://www.glancylaw.com/case/kraton-corporation.







On February 20, 2018, Kraton announced its Q4 and year end results for 2017, stating "certain customers notified" the company during the fourth quarter that "they were experiencing issues processing" the company's Cariflex material.

On this news Kraton securities fell sharply during intraday trading on February 21, 2018, causing shareholders harm.

If you purchased Kraton securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley F. Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180302005781/en/[March 02, 2018] RH INVESTIGATION INITIATED by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of RH - (RH)

Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into RH (NYSE: RH). In 2015, RH launched new product lines, notably, "RH Modern" repeatedly emphasizing its preparedness for the launch pertaining to necessary inventory investments and proper inventory levels, as well as its subsequent performance. On February 24, 2016, RH disclosed negative Q4 2015 results caused in part by "shipping delays as certain vendors are struggling to ramp up production" and that "poor in-stocks also suppressed orders." Then, on June 8, 2016, RH revealed that it had issued $18 million in customer accommodations "largely as a result of RH Modern production delays" contributing to negative Q1 2016 results. Thereafter, RH and certain of its executives were sued in a securities class action lawsuit, charging them with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. Recently, the court presiding over that case denied RH's motion to dismiss, noting in part that "osy representations concealed that RH Modern was suffering from a severe lack [of] inventory" and citing an internal RH memo stating that customers were "on fire" and that RH had "let customers die."



KSF's investigation is focusing on whether RH's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to RH's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws. If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of RH shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-rh/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180302005631/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][March 03, 2018] Huntkey Releases a Portable USB Power Station Capable of Smart and Fast Charging

SHENZHEN, China, March 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a global leading provider of power solutions, has released a new USB power station with cubic and portable size called the SmartC. Equipped with 4 USB-A and 1 USB-C ports, it is able to intelligently and fast charge 5 devices at the same time. In order to keep abreast with the latest USB-C charging trend and pace, Huntkey has come up with yet another USB-C product intended for global use. It is specially designed with a pocket size for easy carry, measuring 63.7 mm long, 63.7 mm wide and 54.6 mm high, which is even smaller than the Rubik's cube. It is ideal for those who love to travel as light as possible since it can be carried in one hand. The SmartC also boasts of intelligent and fast charging technologies. It uses a reversible USB-C connector to deliver a much faster charging speed compared to older USB types. To support a wide range of devices charging, it can automatically output different currents according to the devices' needs. To ensure product safety, it has been strictly tested to meet stringent protection requirements, including OCP (Over Current Protection), OHP (Over Heat Protection) and SCP (Short Circuit Protection). Worldwide availability has begun but different standards of plugs are available in different countries. For more product information please contact local Huntkey retail stores, or visit https://en.huntkey.com/. Huntkey SmartC Power Station:

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Smart-C.jpg

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/smartc-power-station.jpg

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/usb-charging-station.jpg







Specifications Model SmartC USB-A Port 4 USB-C Port 1 Input 100~240V, 50Hz/60Hz 1.2A Output USB-A Port 5V 4A In Total / Each Max 2.4A USB-C Port 5V 3A Safety Standard CE, ETL, FCC, GS, CB Dimensions (L*W*H) 63.7*63.7*54.6 (mm)

About Huntkey Huntkey Group, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Shenzhen, is a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and a member of The China Power Supply Society (CPSS). With branch companies in the USA, Japan and other areas, and cooperating factories in Brazil, Argentina, India and other countries, Huntkey has specialized in the development, design, and manufacturing of PC power supplies, industrial power supplies, surge protectors, adapters and chargers for many years. With its own technologies and manufacturing strength, Huntkey has served Lenovo, Huawei, Haier, DELL, ZTE, Bestbuy and many other large enterprises for years, and has received unanimous recognition and trust from many customers. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huntkey-releases-a-portable-usb-power-station-capable-of-smart-and-fast-charging-300607748.html SOURCE Huntkey

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ][March 03, 2018] DoraHacks Successfully Launched "2018 Global Hackathon Programme"

BEIJING, March 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DoraHacks is the largest hackathon organizer and hacker community in China, expanding to 10 countries in 2018. Over three years, DoraHacks has organized more than 100 hackathons globally, operating in 7 cities, 5000+ core hackers and 200k+ developers in community. DoraHacks has produced more than 1000 applications in its hackathons and incubated more than 20 successful startups (including blockchains) in China. In February, DoraHacks (www.dorahacks.com) launched its global hackathon programme, planning to host hackathons in more than 10 countries, including South Korea, Japan, UK, India and Switzerland,etc. DoraHacks has organized more than a hundred successful hackathons around China, each of which attracted between 100 and 200 participants. In January 2018, DoraHacks successfully hosted its first US hackathon in San Francisco. What's DoraHacks? DoraHacks is an international hacker community founded in 2014, with support from Open Wisdom Lab at Tsinghua University. As the biggest hacker organization in China, DoraHacks' mission is to connect the most talented hackers around the world to solve the greatest problems we face in different industries and to overcome practial issues from our diversiform society.







DoraHacks has formed a unique and irreplaceable "Hacker Brain" for the society. Thanks for DoraHacks' standardized and professional event organization teams stationed in 10 countries among the world, hundreds of hackathons have been successfully hosted over the past two years. DoraHacks' Hackathons bring together the world's top universities' outstanding researchers and technology firms' practitioners to create a Technology Utopia, where cooperation and teamwork between hackers are more efficient and innovative ideas may be generated. Hackers have successfully solved 1000+ problems in DoraHacks' 100+ hackathons. With such high frequency of activities, DoraHacks has now successfully become the most professional and the front-running hacker organization in China .



In DoraHacks' Hackathons, hackers will need to solve practical or industry-specific problems within 24 hours using their solid expertise, knowledge and creativity. About half of the problems will be real problems that the sponsors are facing, while the rest will be problems that are raised by hackers and worth solving. Hackers will be divided in teams of 3 to 6, in which members are experts in different aspects, varying from AI technology, UI design to front-end development, etc. Interaction with fellow hackers is a key reason why hackers love DoraHacks. As preeminent hackers are gathered together by DoraHacks, most of them got out of a hackathon feeling they have learned new skills and made some great new friends. The problem-oriented hackathons DoraHacks hosts have generated many ready-to-use solutions for DoraHacks' sponsors and partners. Therefore it has attracted a number of front-running AI, Fintech and blockchain companies as its sponsors. DoraHacks also initiated a DoraHacker Support Program where more technology firms are welcomed to join the program, providing job opportunities and mentoring directly to DoraHacks' hackers. DoraHacks is also frequently featured on major Chinese media platforms such as Sohu and iFeng. DoraHacks (www.dorahacks.com), with a mission to connect the most talented hackers around the world, will continue to host outstanding hackathons for hackers, so that every hacker can grow better through interaction and collaboration, and be able to creatively solve real-world problems our industries and society face today. Media Contact: hi@dorahacks.com

Wechat ID: naodongmao View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dorahacks-successfully-launched--2018-global-hackathon-programme-300607751.html SOURCE DoraHacks

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17112 to the Insider fast ring, but if you have a Windows Mixed Reality headset, you should opt out. The company warned that this release has an issue that causes crashing and poor frame rates, which could cause discomfort.

Microsofts Windows 10 Insider Program offers users a chance to test out the latest Windows features before the general public. Microsoft offers two channels for the Insider Program: You can hop on the Slow ring, which gives you access to builds that are nearly ready for prime time. Or you can hop on the Fast ring, which puts you at the forefront of public testing. The Windows 10 Insider Program is in effect Microsofts beta program, and as such, each time you install a new insider build you run the risk of encountering problems.

In this case, the company deemed Build 17112 stable enough for desktop use, but Windows MR users should steer clear.

Microsoft said that it is aware of an issue with Windows Mixed Reality in the newest Fast ring release that causes the platform to operate at an abysmal frame rate that could trigger severe motion sickness. The company said that the Windows MR environment renders at 8 to 10 fps on this buildif it runs at all. Microsoft also said that you could encounter one or more crashes that cause Windows MR to stop functioning.

If youre enrolled in the Windows 10 Insider Fast ring, and you have a Windows MR headset that you wish to continue to use, you can opt out temporarily to skip this release. To stop receiving preview builds, go to Settings, Update & Security, and then Windows Insider Program. Here youll find a button called Stop Insider Preview Builds, which has an option to Pause updates for a bit.

Oh, And It Might Break The Microsoft Store, Too

The list of known issues in Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17112 makes us wonder why Microsoft even rolled this build out in the first place. The build addresses several bugs, but it comes with more severe bugs in tow. In addition to Build 17112 breaking the Windows Mixed Reality platform, the new build also comes with a chance that it could break the Microsoft Store. Microsoft said that the Microsoft Store could disappear altogether upon installing the latest Fast ring release. Microsoft has a workaround to bring the store back.

Even more alarming is the fact that Microsoft received reports that a small number of devices fail to load the OS after receiving the update and going through a manual reboot. The company said that these systems go into a boot loop sequence that could require a bootable ISO or USB stick to recover. You can try disabling fast boot, but if that fails, you must repair your OS install.

You Wont Be Missing Much

If youre a member of the Insider Fast ring and opt out of the latest preview build, you wont be missing much. The new release includes several bug fixes, but they dont appear to be for critical problems, and it doesnt include any new features to which you wouldnt already have access.

Microsofts release notes indicate that the company corrected a bug that launched the Xbox app after taking an in-game screenshot. It also corrected several issues involving hard drives, such as the EFI and Recovery partitions showing up in Defrag & Optimize Drives, optimization of hard drives, and a bug in File Explorer that would list more free space than is actually available.

Microsoft also addressed a handful of stability issues, such as a bug that would cause Edge windows to go black when you separate a tab from the rest of the browser and move it around in a specific way. The bug fix list also indicates that ShellExperienceHost should no longer trigger hibernating devices to awaken when you have active live tiles pinned to start.Is The Guv Going To Give Sen. McCaskill the boost she needs to beat AG Hawley???

Democrats are using the Missouri Governor scandal to attack GOP Senate candidate Josh Hawley Greitens last week was indicted on a felony invasion of privacy charge stemming from an extramarital affair that occured in 2015. Greitens, whose governorship is at risk as he faces both an indictment by a St.

We can argue due process and Soros conspiracy theories all day . . . The reality is thatafter deets of his adulterous revenge pr0n scandal have been made public . . . Only the most cynical partisan hack would argue otherwise . . . And so the bigger question becomes . . .Importantly, and something that Democratic Party cheerleaders overlook, the top-ranking GOP contender is already breaking ties with the disgraced politico andin order to distance himself from the drama.Read more . . .Representative Massie Proposes Repeal

of Gun-Free School Zone Act

Dean Weingarten. March 1st, 2018

Original Source

Congressman Thomas Massie has proposed repealing the controversial federal ban on guns within a thousand feet of a school. From cnsnews.com:

Massie said the solution to school shootings is putting more than one-armed guard at school or allowing teachers to be armed, adding that "98 percent of mass public shootings happen in a gun free zone." "And we've labeled all of our schools as gun free zones. We need to take those labels off, and put our kids in that two percent category of being safe, instead of being in that 98 percent vulnerable category," he said. Massie said his bill, the Safe Students Act (H.R. 34), has the support of Columbine survivor Evan Todd.

Congressman Massie (R-KY) is right about an important fact. School shootings increased after federal gun bans were passed.

The 1990 Gun Free School Zone Act (GFSZA) was a ban on guns within a thousand feet of school. It effectively banned the carry of guns in most cities and towns.

The 1996 GFSZA act included a minor change that exempted people with concealed carry permits. The 1994 Gun Free School act gave incentives for schools to ban guns inside the schools.

What caused the increase in mass murder in schools? There are two likely possibilities . . .

The gun bans make the schools inviting targets. Potential mass murderers know that they can kill more people without armed opposition. The number they kill is important, because they want fame.

The second factor is the copycat effect. Fame gives societal misfits a pseudo-immortality in celebrity. Celebrity is valued about all other things in our popular culture.

Potential mass murderers who are unhinged, poorly integrated into society, and considering suicide, see an option to leave the life they hate while achieving celebrity status.

The media loved the restrictions. The establishment media use school shootings to push for more gun bans, restrictions on gun ownership and use. The media give coverage to school shootings all out of proportion to the number of people killed. The coverage gives future mass murderers incentive to kill large numbers of people and "break the record".

Congressman Massie is working to bring to the debate a factor ignored by the elite media for decades. School shootings shot up after the federal gun bans were passed, not before they took effect.

2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch

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Media Not Very Curious About Man Who Shot Woman On Plaza - The Sentinel A year ago, when a deranged drunken white man shot and killed an Indian man in Olathe thinking he was Iranian, the media were as curious as they could be. They swarmed Olathe and wrote literally hundreds, if not thousands, of articles about the shooting. This past week, in fact, they were running anniversary articles.

Jack Cashill draws ananalogy to the hate crime shooter in Olathe and the recent nasty charges facing a suspect who has an FB page which Conservatives claim "strongly suggests he is a Muslim" in order to claim media bias . . . And that may or may not be the real argument here given that nobody ever mentioned the faith of the JoCo shooter . . . Either way, we think it's an interesting juxtaposition and documentation of increasing local violence that most KCMO leaders are ignoring during budget discussions . . . You decie:"A 23-year-old man already charged in three south Kansas City homicides has been charged with three more murders. A grand jury indictment filed Friday accuses Frederick Scott of murdering David Lenox, Timothy Rice and Michael Darby. Scott was charged last summer with killing Karen Harmeyer, Steven Gibbons and John Palmer. Collectively the murders have been dubbed the Indian Creek killings."

Follow-up Friday homicide coverage on a sordid murder story that keeps getting worse.Here's the latest . . .More to the point . . .The nasty underside of this drama is that the homicides occurred in a park that's notorious for anonymous hookups and all of the victims so far have been single . . .Developing . . .2 women killed in Bajhang mud mound collapse

Two women were buried to death and two others sustained critical injuries when a mud mound caved-in at Khaptad Channa Rural Municipality in Bajhang district on Saturday.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 3

Two jail inmates assaulted one of their fellows here yesterday. They suspected that the victim had informed the jail authorities about a mobile phone they had been using. A case has been registered against the accused, identified as Sukhjinder Singh, alias Billa, of Rajasansi and Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, of Ekroop Avenue, Majitha road.

Assistant Jail Superintendent Balwinder Singh stated that the two attacked Rajinder Singh, alias Pehlwan, leaving him injured on the jail premises. They suspected that he had informed the jail authorities about a mobile being used by them. The mobile phone has also been confiscated, he said.

A case under Section 323 of the IPC and 42 and 52-A of the Prisoners Act has been registered against them.

Meanwhile, two cell phones were recovered from two undertrials, identified Money Partap Singh, alias Chandan Partap, alias Rohit, of Prem Nagar and Vijay Kumar, alias Vicky, of Guru Nanak Pura.

They have been booked under Sections 42 and 52-A of the Prisoners Act by the Gate Hakima police. The police said investigation was under progress to ascertain how they managed to bring mobile phones inside the high security jail.singhking99@yahoo.com

Tarn Taran: The BSF nabbed a Pakistani intruder from Kalas village on Friday. The accused has been identified as Mubarak of Bajirpur (Kasur). The Khemkaran police have registered a case against him. Inspector Telu Ram of the BSF 14 Battalion told the police told the accused had entered the Indian side illegally with no document. OC

Mobile seized from jail inmate

A mobile was seized from an inmate lodged in sub-jail, Patti, 25 km from here, on Friday. The Patti police have registered a case under Section 52-A of the Prisoners Act against Gurjant Singh of Van Tara Singh village. OC

Ludhiana man ends life

Amritsar: A resident of Ludhiana committed suicide by hanging himself at a sarai (guest house) near Gurudwara Shaheed Baba Deep Singh here today. He has been identified as Tejinder Singh, a resident of Shimlapuri in Ludhiana. She had come to the city on February 27. When he did not come out of his room, the staff knocked at the door. Getting no response, they called police officials who broke open the door. He was found hanging. According to the police, his father-in-law said Tejinder was depressed as he had been under heavy debt. The police found no suicide note from the room. A case under Section 174 of the CrPC has been registered, the police said. TNS

BJP celebrates Tripura win

The local BJP leaders and workers celebrated the victory of the party in Tripura and encouraging results in Nagaland by distributing sweets at Hall Gate on Saturday. Rajesh Honey, BJP district chief, said the poll results had silenced the opponents. The BJP will form governments in Karnatka and Rajasthan after the Assembly elections this year, he said. Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna, Laxmi Kanta Chawla, Bakshi Ram Arora and Reena Jaitley among others were present. tns

Tech fest organised

The Post Graduate Department of Computer Science, Khalsa College, organised Tech-Fest 2018 recently to apprise students of the latest technological and software related innovations. Dr Hardeep Singh, head of the Computer Science Department, GNDU, stressed that there were tremendous job and placement opportunities for the students having special computer skills as the IT sector was still growing world over. TNS

Cancer camp on March 6

A mobile cancer detection camp will be held at Ranjit Avenue, Dussehra Ground, on March 6 in collaboration with World Cancer Care Charitable Trust headed by Kulwant Singh Dhaliwal. Tests will be conducted free of cost. A number of local NGOs will provide infrastructure and logistics support to the camp. tnsAnil Giri is a reporter covering diplomacy, international relations and national politics for The Kathmandu Post. Giri has been working as a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, contributing to numerous national and international media outlets.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 3

Holi was celebrated with fervour here yesterday. Streets wore a vibrant look as a number of people celebrated the festival with enthusiasm using gulal and colours.

People enjoyed the festival with men, women and children in groups were seen moving from one colony to another throwing colours on one another. Many groups organized their private rain dance and Holi parties at many places in the city. Children enjoyed the day most as they sprayed coloured water using water guns and hurled water-filled balloons on people from their rooftops.

Screams of "Holi hai" rent the air as groups of revellers zoomed past the streets on motorbikes while youngsters danced to popular numbers.

People visited friends and relatives, gifted 'gujia', besides smearing 'gulal' (colour powder) on each other's faces.

Finance Minister and MLA from Bathinda Urban Manpreet Singh Badal was in city throughout and he also celebrated the festival with party leaders and workers in the city.

Bathinda SSP Navin Singla had organised a Holi party at his residence. The party was attended by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, IGP Mukhwinder Singh Chinna, Deputy Commissioner Diprava Lakra and others.

A large number of policemen were deployed to combat anti-social elements and prevent drunken brawls. The police had made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe Holi and they stopped miscreants from creating a ruckus. SSP Naveen Singla played Holi with police personnel at the Fire Brigade chowk.

Despite a heavy deployment of police personnel at various police nakas, groups of youngsters on motorbikes creating obnoxious noise were seen on almost all roads and streets.

Manpreet Singh Badal congratulated the city residents on the occasion of holi. He said the festival of colours symbolised harmony, a spirit of brotherhood and fraternity in society. The festival depicted diverse shades of rich culture and brought about zeal and happiness in the lives of people.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 3

The Mohali police arrested a man in a Rs 2.25 crore land fraud case, here.

Giving details, inspector Ravinder Pal Singh, Station House Officer of Mullanpur police station, said they had arrested Hardeep Singh on the complaint of Gurcharan Singh of Milkh village, here.

The SHO said they had registered a case under Sections 420 and 406 of the IPC in this regard last year.

According to the SHO, Hardeep Singh had sold around five acres of land at Saini Majra village to Gurcharan Singh, who had given him Rs 2.25 crore as advance money. Later, Gurcharan found that the accused had taken bank loan against the land, which was yet to be repaid, the SHO said.monicakchauhan@gmail.com

London, March 3

An Indian-origin terror suspect, who allegedly agreed to help another man acquire a gun for an attack in London, was found not guilty of the charge at the end of a trial on Friday.

Nadeem Ilyas Patel, 26, from east London was charged with the possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence in May last year.

He was remanded in custody along with Umar Ahmed Haque, 25, Muhammed Abid, 27, and Abuthater Mamun, 19, who were all on trial at the Old Bailey court in London.

The jury found Patel not guilty of conspiring with Haque to get hold of a gun for a terror plot. He had admitted before the trial to the illegal possession of a blank-firing gun.

The other three were convicted of terror charges, with Haque dragged from the dock at the end of the trial shouting support for the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group.

The jury was told that Haque had taken limited steps towards fulfilling a plan to attack a target in London and sought to radicalise children in a small mosque in the city.

Police believe that he came into contact with more than 100 children, some of whom have since received de-radicalisation support.

Haque was arrested two weeks before the London Bridge and Borough Market terror attack in London in June 2017.

Mamun, accused of helping Haque research and finance the plans, and Muhammad Abid, who failed to alert the police of Haque's plans, were found guilty of the charges. They will be sentenced at the end of the month.

Haque, a schoolteacher, may have radicalised about 110 children, 35 of whom are receiving long-term safeguarding support, said Commander Dean Haydon, head of counter-terrorism at Scotland Yard.

"Haque paralysed those children through fear  showing them really distressing videos. We faced a wall of silence as a result. It was very challenging to fully understand what was going on in those classrooms," he said.

The key evidence in the case came from six children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, but agreed to tell the police what had happened.

In hours of secret recordings from March 2017, played to the trial, Haque eulogised Khalid Masood, the man who had just carried out the first of 2017's terrorism attacks on the UK Parliament.

He told his two accomplices that he was training schoolchildren to be a "death squad" and he aspired to attack Big Ben, Heathrow Airport and other locations in London.

Haque became a priority for the UK's security services after he was stopped from leaving the UK in April 2016 because of suspicions he was heading to Syria.

They continued to monitor him, including recording his conversations, and Metropolitan Police arrested him as his plans became clear.

Police searches of Haque's home found a notebook detailing his beliefs in martyrdom and an attack to-do list including to purchase weapons. PTImonicakchauhan@gmail.com

New Delhi, March 3

Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Randeep S Sarai asserted that he is not a 'scapegoat', and claimed that he 'did not invite' Pro-Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's reception dinner in New Delhi.

In an exclusive interview to Surrey Now-Leader, when asked if he is, figuratively, falling on a sword, Sarai said, "Look, I took full responsibility as soon as I found out that this had happened and I, you know, the name came from my office, I should have vetted them before I forwarded them, I should have looked a bit more diligently at it, I am a new, young Member of Parliament, a rookie you can say so obviously I am learning from my mistakes".

He claimed that he has seen Atwal at public events, but does not have any other relation with him.

I didn't invite the person (Jaspal Atwal). He's a media personality; he's associated with Media Waves, the radio, and he's there for, around everywhere. We did go on his radio pre-election, kind of during the writ period time, afterwards I've been on it a couple of times, he's been around socially in the community here in Surrey for years now," said Sarai.

"I've seen him around but I don't have anything beyond socially when we see him at media events or at public events. I don't have any other relationship with him," the MP added.

Randeep Sarai also stated that he has no intention of stepping down from his job. He, however, took full responsibility of the fiasco.

"I'm the oldest in my staff, everyone else in there is in their early twenties. We should have vetted better, we should have been more diligent but none of us, instead of doing that we were pretty preoccupied in organizing myself, for myself to go to the visit and I just forwarded the names that I received. I take full responsibility, I've as you know stated that and I should have done better, I should have searched the names up and done my due diligence better," he said.

For the unversed, Atwal was invited to dine with Prime Minister Trudeau, during his visit to India in February, at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel.

The invite was later rescinded.

Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1986. ANIeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Panipat, March 3

Eight persons were killed in separate road mishaps in the state yesterday.

Four persons, including a police constable, were killed in road accidents in various parts of Panipat district. Deepak (32) of Rajpura village was going to meet his friend at Khaleela village when an unknown vehicle hit his car on Khaleel-Diwana road. He later died at hospital. Inspector Suresh Kumar said Deepak was posted as constable at the Chandni Bagh police station. The body was handed over to the victims kin today after postmortem examination. A case has been registered.

In another accident, Sudhakar (26) of Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh was killed in an accident on NH-1 near Samalkha. The deceased was a cook at a college in Samalkha. The victim was reportedly crossing the NH when he was hit by an unidentified vehicle. He died on spot. Later, a case was registered.

In the third incident, a brick kiln worker riding pillion on a bike was killed after it slipped. The victim, Jodha of Patna in Bihar, died on spot.

A 42-year-old unidentified person was killed after being hit by a vehicle near Samalkha flyover. A case has been filed. The bodies have been handed over to the victims kin after postmortem examination.

Kaithal: Four persons lost their lives in mishaps. A motorcycle-borne youth of Pega village lost balance while negotiating a pothole near Matour village. The victim, Monu (26), was taken to hospital where he died.

A 48-year-old man met with an accident after his motorcycle hit a cow. The victim, Labh Singh of Rasulpur village, was taken to the Civil Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

In another incident, Om parkash (62) of Kalayat was hit by a motorcyclist. He was taken to hospital where he died.

Krishan Kumar (55) of Peedal village was reportedly hit by a truck near Kangthli yesterday morning. He was riding a bicycle when the mishap occurred. The truck driver fled the spot. A case has been registered on the basis of a complaint by the deceaseds son Shish Pal.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 3

The state government has decided to enhance the powers of Municipal Commissioner and give responsibility of District Urban Affairs Officer. A proposal to this effect has been approved by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain said here today that there had been irrationality between development works and administrative coordination in urban areas for a long time.

She said Municipal Commissioner had been given, in the form of District Urban Affairs Officer, the same responsibility of coordination and control in the department as the District Development and Panchayat Officer.

She said according to the Haryana Municipality Services Act, 2010, the Deputy Commissioner had been ensuring compliance of all necessary directions regarding municipal areas through the local fund branch in office.

She said due to non-availability of liaison officer in the office of Deputy Commissioner to deal with matters related to municipalities, people had been facing difficulty for a long time.

The minister said the decision would do away with technical issues in solving matters between municipal corporations and municipal councils and help in having direct communication with headquarters.editorial@tribune.com

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, March 3

With the state government all set to hand over 65 acres in the district to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to shift the Kherki Daula toll plaza, hundreds of villagers have approached the President, seeking his intervention to save forest land.

In a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, villagers of Manesar, Kukrola and Sehrawan highlighted how 65 acres of panchayat land in the Aravalli forests was being diverted for commercial interests.

According to the letter, 65 acres comprising forests and 5 kanals of check dams and two groundwater recharge bodies were proposed to be handed over to the NHAI to build a new toll plaza to solve traffic woes at the existing Kherki Daula toll plaza.

It is not just a toll plaza. Even a commercial complex has been proposed. For this, hundreds of trees will be cut. We will lose our pastures, water bodies and storm water drains. There are many animals in the area. Clearing the land will mean killing the forest patch preserved for decades, read the letter.

The proposal also earned the ire of many environmentalists. They claimed that the state government was set to destroy an entire eco-system to provide short-sighted relief to traffic commotion at the Kherki Daula toll plaza.

The planners and the civil authorities have a very myopic and short-term approach to get out of a tricky situation of poor management of the Kherki Daula toll plaza. To cover up for their incompetence, they are ready to sacrifice 20,000-odd trees in the Aravallis and a wide range of fauna dependent on these. There are check dams and water bodies which recharge groundwater for Gurugram. Destroying these will increase water woes in the area. The villagers understand the threat, but efficient policymakers do not, said Vaishali Rana Chandra, an environmentalist supporting the cause.

She highlighted how this proposal was a national security threat as well. Keeping in mind the recent attacks on an Army camp at Sunjwan in Jammu and Kashmir, this plan is a major threat. If this plan materialises, there will not be any buffer zone for the Armys security installations and weapons in Manesar, jeopardising the set-up. It will be in very close proximity to the National Security Guard in Manesar and all this just to set up a toll plaza having hotels, motels and food courts, added Chandra.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Mandi, March 3

Eight pilgrims from Amritsar were killed when the vehicle they were travelling in skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near Swarghat in Bilaspur district on Thursday night.

The victims, who were travelling in an Innova (PB30H-9103), were returning to Amritsar from Manikaran.

The police said there were nine persons travelling in the car. While seven died on the spot, one of them succumbed to injuries in Nalagarh hospital. Brake failure is stated to be the reason behind the accident.

The lone survivor Sukhdeep Singh of Boparaikalan said due to brake failure, the driver could not control the vehicle while negotiating a curve and after breaking the parapet, it fell into the gorge.

The deceased have been identified as Mandeep Singh (28) of Boparaikalan village, Jasbir Singh (28), Gurwinder Singh (33), Baljeet Singh (22), Devender Singh (32) of Kele Ghanupur, Pradeep Singh (21) of sugar mill, Kawaljeet Singh (19) of Kale Baba Farid and Kawaljeet Singh (27) of Rajasavi.

Naina Devi DSP Anil Sharma said the victims were on their way back to Amritsar from Manikaran when the accident took place.

He said a case had been registered and investigations were on.editorial@tribune.com

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, March 3

Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister, today stated that his government was not in haste to amend the provisions of Section 118 of the HP Land Revenue Act, allowing non-Himachalis to buy land.

Talking to The Tribune here, the Chief Minister said no final decision had been taken. The government had only received proposals from various business houses to allow these to buy land which was under consideration.

He said the government had banned outsiders to buy land since 1972. The government had asked the public as well as political parties to send their views.

In reply to a question, Thakur said it was a very sensitive issue, therefore, without public opinion, the government could not go ahead. He specifically said if residents were opposed to the amendments, the government would respect their sentiments. He said the top priority of the BJP government was protecting the interests of residents.

He said if the provisions of Section 118 were relaxed, the state could expect more investments in the hotel industry. He had been apprised by officers that several new projects had been hanging fire because of stringent provisions of Section 118.editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 3

Governor NN Vohra, Chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, reviewed the arrangements for the advance registration for the 60-day Amarnath yatra which is scheduled to commence on June 28 and conclude on August 26.

Umang Narula, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), shrine board, said the advance registration commenced on March 1, 2018, for both the Baltal and Chandanwari routes. The registration is being done through 440 designated branches of Punjab National Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank and YES Bank, located across the country.

The Governor was informed that 1,457 pilgrims were registered on the first day and the special registration facility was also being provided for ex-India pilgrims through Punjab National Bank. The group registration facility (minimum 5 persons to maximum 50) is available directly from the shrine board office.

Narula said all necessary information relating to the registration had been uploaded on the boards website, www.shriamarnathjishrine.com. This includes the step-by-step procedure which the pilgrims need to follow to register for the yatra, application form, state-wise list of bank branches with addresses, format of compulsory health certificate, state-wise list of designated doctors and health institutions, health advisory, dos and donts and all other yatra-related information.

For the yatra this year, only those health certificates which have been issued after February 15 shall be valid. Further children under the age of 13 years or persons above the age of 75 years and women who are more than six weeks pregnant will not be registered.

As a continuing practice, the yatra permits will have different colour coding for each day of the week/and route. This is to facilitate the police personnel deployed at the access control gates at Domel (Baltal) and Chandanwari (Pahalgam) to regulate the yatra for the relevant date and route.

The CEO said he had attended a meeting chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which discussed measures to be taken for creating awareness among pilgrims via screening of documentaries, public interest messages, dos and donts, audio and video spots, scrolls, etc. at AIR and Doordarshan (national and regional channels), from March 1 to August 26.

The CEO further said the yatris who propose to travel by helicopter do not require advance registration as their helicopter tickets shall suffice for it. However, they shall not be allowed to travel by helicopter unless they produce their health certificate.

In order to create general awareness on the advance registration across the country, the shrine board has started a mass information campaign by using the services of 92.7 BIG FM Radio in 10 major cities.

The Governor directed the CEO to ensure day-to-day updating of all yatra-related information on the website. He also directed that queries raised by the pilgrims must be answered on priority, preferably the same day, so that they do not face any inconvenience in securing advance registration for the yatra.

Samiti delegation meets Governor

Jammu: A delegation of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti met Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan on Friday. The delegation, comprising Brig (Retd) Suchet Singh, Pawan Kohli, Leela Karan Sharma and Ramesh Sabarwal, apprised the Governor about the delay in the implementation of various components of the agreement reached between the government and the samiti in August 2008 which resulted in ending the shrine land row agitation. They sought the Governors intervention in the withdrawal of criminal cases registered against those involved in the agitation, urgent payment of ex gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased, creation of a corpus of Rs 1 crore for job opportunities in the private sector for one member each of the bereaved families and for those who had been crippled during the stir. The Governor assured the delegation about taking up the issues with the Chief Minister. TNSCentre deal threatens Madhesi pact

With the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal preparing to join the KP Sharma Oli-led government, its relations with Madhes ally Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal seem to be troubled.editorial@tribune.com

Jammu, March 3

Former minister Sham Lal Sharma called on Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan here today. Sharma expressed his views about development and restoration of peace and normalcy in the state, particularly the need to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.

The Governor urged Sharma to focus on promoting communal harmony in the Jammu region.

Former minister Ajay Sadhotra, who also called on the Governor, took up difficulties being faced by a large population living in villages along the Line of Control due to the recurring ceasefire violations by Pakistan. He demanded allotment of 5-marla plots, increase in ex gratia for loss of lives, repair of houses damaged by shelling from across the border, conduct of special recruitment drives in the border areas and compensation for farmers for the loss of their crops due to the cross-border firing. The Governor agreed to take up the demands with the CM. The Governor urged Sadhotra to continue his endeavours for the growth and advancement of the state, on all fronts.

During his meeting with the Governor, former minister RS Chib briefed him about the issues relating to the implementation of developmental programmes in the RS Pura area, problems faced by the farmers living near the LoC, issues relating to agricultural activities in the border areas and delay in the implementation of various border tourism projects.

Former minister Abdul Gani Vakil and Kulgam MLA MY Tarigami also met the Governor.  TNSeditorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 3

The Crime Investigation Wing (CIA) 1 of Ludhiana Commissionerate claimed to have busted a gang of thieves and recovered stolen valuables worth lakhs from them. Those arrested have been identified as Mangal Singh and Harpreet Singh, both residents of Jassian village, and Pawan Kumar, a native of UP and at present living at Gill chowk.

The police have recovered 40 mobile phones, 4 LCD sets, an iron rod, which the thieves used to pry open shutters, and one commercial vehicle.

The CIA chief, Prem Singh, said the gang had committed dozens of burglaries in Ludhiana district, Ropar, Khanna and the Phillaur area where they mainly targeted the showrooms of mobiles and electronics at night.

Man held with illegal weapon

The Focal Point police have nabbed a man with an illegal weapon. He has been identified as Deepak Kumar, a native of Nepal. Depak at present lives at Dhandari Kalan in the city. A police patrol party searched a pedestrian on suspicion near Dhandari Gate and found a countrymade .315-bore pistol on him.rajivbhatia82@gmail.com

Nonika Singh

From the pretty well-meaning ghost of Phillauri to ghastly and ghostly Pari, Anuskha Sharma once again takes a leap. It may not exactly be a leap of faith but certainly bares her nerve (both as an actor and producer) to wade into different waters.

As genres go this one is hardcore horror and despite an emotional twist and peppering of psychological inflections, it makes little pretense to be anything else. Set in rain-soaked West Bengal, the setting is just right for a spine-chilling encounter with the other worldly realm. Almost from the word go the director is out to scare the daylights out of you.

A car hits a woman she dies. The sympathetic hero Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee, calm and effective) is led to a desolate place where he finds the dead womans daughter Rukhsana (Anushkha) bound to chains. The supernatural elements begin to acquire an ominous shape. Rajat Kapoor as professor Qasim in a fine cameo is built as the villain of the piece doing monstrous things to newborn children. Till the interval the story does a fine tightrope act is Rukshana (Anuskha mirrors different moods oh so remarkably) the victim/ woman possessed or someone far more sinister? Her ghoulish twin avatars come and go leaving you in a tizzy, gasping for breath. And if you can survive the film till the interval, the rest is easy. Equally simple, almost simplistic, is decoding the supposed suspense that unveils in the second half. Once the supernatural thesis is out of the bag, its a matter of time before things reach a logical conclusion.

Of course, that doesn't diminish the horror quotient. All scenes are mounted to heighten the mood of fear. Be it Rukhsana cutting her nails incessantly or dipping her head in bucket full of water or uttering the words, I love you too to her image in the mirror and even worse staring blankly. Actually, her blank look is truly a scare, far more than the horrifying images that are thrust every few minutes.

Like most horror films, the film does fuel the notion of supernatural world of jinns and shaitan; superstition some would say. Pakistan has already taken offence and banned the film on grounds of promoting non-Islamic values, anti-Muslim sentiments.

Finally to some extent it debunks the theory on which the film stands and gives you some mumbo jumbo on the power of love. Besides, you do get your share of catharsis too. But by that time the damage on horror count is done. If you have a weak heart you are just hoping for the film to end that turns a trifle more than bizarre.

However, if horror offers you gleeful adrenaline rush, be Paris ghost, oops guest. Only remember this Pari is no fairy from the skies. Instead its peri... and what peri is and how shaitan uses them to carry forward his devilish lineage...well for that you have to watch the film. Should you? Yes, if you have the stomach for it and dont care much about logic and reasoning.amansharma@tribunemail.com

Ahmedabad, March 3

The Crime Branch of city police on Saturday brought 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts accused Abdul Subhan Qureshi here from Delhi, over a month after the Delhi police's special cell arrested him, a top official said.

He was produced in the special court set up for conducting the trial of the blasts case, which remanded him in police custody till March 23.

Serial blasts killed 56 people and injured 240 others in Ahmedabad on July 26, 2008.

"Qureshi is one of the key conspirators of the 2008 blasts. He had been in touch with the absconding accused, such as founder leader of the banned outfit Indian Mujahideen Riyaz Bhatkal, and had worked with some of the arrested accused," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) J K Bhatt said here.

So far, police have arrested 81 persons in the blasts case, while 13 are absconding.

"Qureshi stayed in Vatva locality in Ahmedabad where he trained and mentored other accused...and was in touch with IM mastermind Bhatkal. We have learnt he also attended a terrorist camp in Halol and another camp in Kerala," Bhatt said.

"We will take him to Vatva, Vadodara, Halol and another place where he had stayed before the blasts. We would like to find out how he was associated with the SIMI and IM, and who helped him," the senior police official said.

Qureshi, who holds a diploma in electronic engineering, is technology savvy, and played important role in making the explosive devices used in the blasts by getting information from the internet, Bhatt said.

He could be involved in other blasts in the country too, the official added.

"We have learnt that after the blasts in Ahmedabad, he fled to Nepal where he lived for six years and taught English.

He also went to Saudi Arabia. We will try to find out what he did in Saudi Arabia and who helped him in Nepal," Bhatt said.

"We are coordinating with the Delhi Police's Special Cell. They are forming an interrogation squad so that we know more about his Nepal stay," he said.

Qureshi was arrested from Ghazipur in east Delhi in January this year.

Delhi police alleged that Qureshi was indoctrinating unemployed youth to fill the void left by the fall of top IM operatives, and planned to revive IM's terror network in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

He was wanted by the National Investigation Agency in the December 2007 Wagamon SIMI arms training camp case, and by Maharashtra Police in July 2011 Mumbai blasts case. - PTImonicakchauhan@gmail.com

Agartala, February 3

The BJP Parliamentary Board will meet this evening to decide on the future Chief Minister of Tripura, where the party is likely to form a government, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said on Saturday.

"Our Parliamentary Board (the party's highest decision making body) will meet in the evening and take a call," he said at a press conference when asked who will be the BJP chief minister in Tripura.

The BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) had surged ahead and established a lead in 39 constituencies, according to Election Commission sources here.

The majority mark in the 60 member Assembly was 31. The BJP Parliamentary Board comprises Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari besides a few others. PTIpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Bengaluru, March 3

The Congress on Saturday termed the BJPs 20-page pictorial booklet expose, charging the ruling party of ruining Bengaluru, a lie. The party said the pictures were from Mizoram and Nepal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party caught lying again! While Congress is working towards providing the best amenities for Bengalurus citizens, BJP is busy defaming and lying about the city, tweeted Congress state units working president Dinesh Gundu Rao.

While a picture claiming to display the garbage menace in the capital city Bengaluru was taken in Kathmandu by the American website npr.org, another picture showing potholes was reportedly shot in Mizoram.

Reacting to the Congress allegations that his party was lying, BJP state spokesman Vamanacharya said the ruling party has lost its face after the booklet was released and was hence finding loopholes.

Sometimes different pictures might look alike, but the content of the booklet is entirely true. Congress has lost its face after the chargesheet was released by us and is now only looking for loopholes, Vamanacharya told IANS here.

BJP state unit in-charge and Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday had released the booklet listing the omissions and commissions of the ruling Congress government that allegedly ruined the city.

Since the Congress came to power in 2013, Bengaluru has turned into a garbage city, a crime city and a rape city from what it was known for greenery, salubrious climate and IT prowess, Javadekar had said.

The Congress has made the city a hell to live in, he had remarked.

The BJP was demanding an answer from the ruling Congress for its mal-administration that led to the citys infrastructure being ruined, he asserted.  IANSpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Hyderabad, March 3

The bodies of eight Maoists, who were among the 10 ultras killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, were flown to a Telangana hospital and their identification was likely to be completed today, an official said.

The Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal force, had on Friday swooped on the camp of Maoists near Pujari Kanker in Bijapur district, as part of a joint operation with the Chhattisgarh Police. Ten Maoists, including six women, were killed in the early morning operation in which a personnel of the elite force also lost his life.

Bodies of two Naxals and the junior commando of Greyhounds were airlifted on Friday. Due to the inaccessibility of the location, the rest of the bodies were flown in a chopper this morning to the hospital, Superintendent of Police of Telanganas Bhadradri Kothagudem district Ambar Kishor Jha told PTI.

We have received all the ten bodies from the encounter site. Post-mortem will be conducted today. We will follow all the Supreme Court directions related to encounter cases, he said.

According to the SP, the post-mortem will be conducted at the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital.

The identification process is also under way. By (this) afternoon we hope to complete the process and get a clear picture, the SP said.

Security forces from Telangana and Chhattisgarh had launched the counter-insurgency operation in the forest on the inter-state border based on inputs about a gathering of a large group of ultras, officials had said.

Susheel Kumar, a junior commando of the Greyhounds, lost his life, officials had said.

Six women were among the ultras killed in the operation which took place around 6.30 am, the SP said.

The Chhattisgarh Police had identified two of the dead Naxals as Sanjeev, a deputy commander, and a woman named Pedda Budri.

Both were part of the protection team of Hari Bhushan, secretary of the Maoists Telangana state committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Bastar range, Sundarraj P had said.

An AK-47 among others was recovered from the encounter site indicating the presence of a top leader of the outfit at the site where encounter took place, a senior police official had said. PTIuttara@tribuneindia.com

Mumbai, March 3

A special court issued on Saturday non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the alleged Rs 12,700 crore Punjab National Bank scam.

The court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), issued the NBWs on applications filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies probing the bank fraud cases registered last month.

The ED had earlier issued summonses to Modi and Choksi, both key accused in the scam cases, asking them to appear before the central agency.

However, the two diamond traders, who are said to have left the country before criminal cases were registered, had failed to appear before the ED, promoting the agency to move the PMLA court for issuance of NBWs against them.

On February 27, the ED had moved the court seeking an NBW against Modi.

The agency had told the court that it had issued three summonses to Modi to appear before it.

"We issued three summons to Choksi. He neither responded to those summonses nor appeared before the agency," special ED prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar had told the special court presided over by Judge MS Azmi here on March 1. PTIamansharma@tribunemail.com

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3

With the Parliament set to re-assemble after recess on Monday, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said "don't compare Rafale with Bofors, there is no scam in here".

Talking to reporters about the ministry's work, Sitharaman on being asked if she fears that the Rafale fighter jet deal could go the Bofors way, said, "Rafale has no scam in here. Don't compare with Bofors."

The Bofors was an artillery gun project for purchase for 410 guns ordered for Rs 1,500 crore during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister (1984-1989). The Rafale fighter jet deal is for an outright purchase of 36 fighter jets at Rs 58,000 crore from Dassault aviation of France, announced in April 2015.

On being asked what happens if the Congress raises the Rafale issue in Parliament, she said, "I welcome it. Let them raise the issue."

Sitharaman said the ministry has asked public sector giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to speed up production of the Tejas fighter jets. "They have been asked to look at outsourcing of work to speed up matters. The government remains committed on the Tejas," she said, adding that the Mark-II version of the plane is being made. It will be a big leap forward, she said.

Sources said the first flight is expected next year.

The IAF had ordered 40 Tejas of Mark-1 variety, and another 83 planes of the Mark-1A (an upgraded version) are to be ordered anytime now. The IAF has asked the HAL to send in its quote. The MoD wants the HAL to make up to 18 planes per annum from its existing capacity of just eight planes per annum.

Talking about the events on the Line of Control (LoC), the Defence Minister said, "We are not allowing them (terrorists) to come in. We are eliminating them at the border. Infiltration is controlled to a large extent."amansharma@tribunemail.com

Ravi S. Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3

The electoral defeat of the Left parties in its stronghold state of Tripura at the hand of the BJP will further reduce their clout in national politics in the Opposition spectrum, especially with regard the next General Elections.

The defeat in a 60-member Assembly, has sent ripples in the Left camp which is bound to make them introspect their overall political strategy.

Questions will pop up thick and fast on CPI(M)'s move not to ally with the Congress on account of pressure by a dominant group of hardliners opposed to incumbent chief Sitaram Yechury, who was in favour of the idea in order to check-mate the saffron camp.

Hence, the upcoming CPI(M)'s Party Congress -- the highest policy making body -- which is scheduled to be held next month assumes significance as it will take a call on the issue of electoral alliance. The party's Central Committee, in its meeting in January, voted down the proposal of alliance by majority votes toeing the line of the group headed by party's former chief Prakash Karat.

The Kerala unit was also opposed to the proposal for an alliance with the Congress, but supported by the West-Bengal unit.

The Left bastion in the north-eastern state, where it was entrenched in power for past 25 years, has crumbled after its citadel of West Bengal was stormed by the TMC led by Mamata Banerjee in 2011.

The Left has not been able to retrieve its ground from TMC since then, including the subsequent Assembly elections, in spite of understanding with the Congress.

The defeat in the Tripura at the hands of the BJP has stunned the political circles, especially the Left, as the saffron party had been an insignificant player in the state. In the 2014 General Elections, it could not lead in a single assembly segment in spite of the BJP juggernaut led by Narendra Modi.

Just five years ago in the Assembly elections, its candidates lost deposits in 49 of the 50 seats the party contested, and mustered only 1.5 per cent of popular vote.

The Left camp is smarting as it has lost the first direct electoral battle with the ideologically opposite right wing BJP. The latter stitched up an alliance, in which it was a major partner, with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), which had been agitating for autonomy of the state.

The drubbing has sent jitters in CPI(M) as the RSS and BJP have set their targets on LDF government (led by it) in the southern state of Kerala. Reports suggests of BJP expanding its footprints resulting in increased instances of political killings and clashes between RSS-BJP and CPI(M) cadres in the past about two years.City sickness

Few things are quite as unwholesome as getting sick in a foreign country. For one, you are far from the comfortable trappings of home and loved ones who will care for you and dote on you.uttara@tribuneindia.com

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, March 3

The Maharashtra government wants the first phase of the construction for the gigantic statue of Shivaji Maharaj off Mumbai to be completed before the assembly elections due in October 2019.



Awarding the contract for the construction of the statue to Larsen and Turbo Ltd, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government wanted to reclaim land for completing the statue for elections.



The government has obtained all clearances and we have formed a committee to ensure that there are no bottlenecks to slow down the project, Fadnavis told reporters here.



According to state government officials, the decision to award the contract to L&T was given after the company agreed to lower its quote for the project after negotiations. The company had quoted Rs 3,826 crore for the project when bids were invited two years ago. After negotiations the price was brought down to Rs 2,500 crore, plus GST.



Of the other two bidders, Reliance Infrastructure lost on technical grounds while Afcons had quoted Rs 4,779 crore, according to sources.



The Maharashtra Government has earmarked 6.8 hectares of land in the Arabian Sea off Malabar Hill. The monument will be 210 metres in height, which will make it the highest in the world.



While casting and installation of the statue along with other works like a museum and library associated with the memorial is years away, the state government hopes that reclamation of land for the statue would help it win brownie points with the Maratha community.rchopra@tribunemail.com

Jammu, March 3

Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and as many Indians were injured, including two army men, in border hostilities in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 48 hours.

Informed sources said the four Pakistani soldiers were killed in retaliation on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch and Rajouri districts since Thursday.

The Pakistani Army has been using 120mm and 82mm mortars to target defence and civilians facilities.

Two of our soldiers and two civilians were injured during this period in Pakistan shelling and firing, sources said.

At least half a dozen residential structures have been damaged completely or partially in the shelling.

Authorities have ordered all schools in the proximity of the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri to be closed till March 5.

People remained indoors most of the time in these areas avoiding any movement in fields and other places, the authorities said. IANSmonicakchauhan@gmail.com

Ottawa, March 3

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced persistent criticism over a convicted Sikh extremist's attendance at a Canadian event in Mumbai, nearly a week after the premier's return from a trip to India.

Opposition parties and editorialists heaped scorn on the prime minister and his Liberal government over the "fiasco" that dogged Trudeau during his first official visit to India to drum up trade and investment.

Also read: Atwal Controversy: Canadian MP Sarai a scapegoat?

Canadian-Indian businessman Jaspal Atwal was sentenced in Canada to 20 years in prison for a 1986 assassination attempt on an Indian politician, as part of a violent campaign to establish an independent Sikh state of Khalistan.

Yet, he managed to get himself invited to the Mumbai mixer as well as one to a dinner with Trudeau, which was rescinded at the last minute when Canadian media pointed out Atwal's criminal past.

Trudeau dodged questions about the scandal, saying that a senior member of his caucus had mistakenly extended the invitation.

Later, he defended his national security advisor who floated a theory that rogue political factions in India orchestrated the embarrassing invitation in order to make Canada appear sympathetic to Sikh extremism.

Trudeau has said he does not support Sikh extremists, despite appearing in several photographs with Atwal published by Canadian media -- while New Delhi has rejected the conspiracy theory put forward by Trudeau's top intelligence official.

In Montreal on Friday, Trudeau repeated lines that he had rehearsed in parliament the day before: that he has "full confidence in Canada's national security agencies" and "when security officials say something to Canadians, it's because they know it to be true."

Canadian Sikhs number nearly 500,000 and account for roughly 1.4 per cent of Canada's population, according to a 2016 census.

A handful of Canadian supporters of the Sikh nationalist movement were accused in the 1985 Air India bombings that killed 331 people, but only one person was ever convicted in the attack.

The movement was crushed in the 1990s. Ujjal Dosanjh, a prominent moderate Sikh and a former Canadian Liberal minister, told AFP last week: "The movement was all but dead, but it has resurfaced in Canada in the last few years partly because Canadian politicians have been careless in associating with these people." AFPvinaymishra188@gmail.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3

India and Vietnam today signed three agreements, including in trade, agriculture and towards cooperation for peaceful use of civil nuclear energy.

President Tran Dai Quang, who started his state visit to India with a tour of the holy Buddhist site of Bodh Gaya, was accorded a ceremonial welcome today at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Later, maritime security, including in South China Sea where Vietnam has disputes with an aggressive Beijing, defence, oil and energy were key areas of focus at formal delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)



We have decided that we will enhance cooperation in defence production and explore opportunities in transfer of technology. We will jointly work for an open, independent and prosperous Indo-Pacific area where sovereignty and dialogue mechanism to resolve disputes is respected, said Modi, advocating an international rules-based order.

The Vietnam President welcomed opening of direct air services between Ho Chi Minh and New Delhi as well as Indian firms exploring oil and gas blocks on its continental shelves. Modi informed India was also looking at trilateral arrangements with other countries towards exploration drives. While bilateral trade has increased from six to 10 billion USD in last five years, Vietnams target is USD 15 billion by 2020.

The Vietnamese President will deliver a policy address on bilateral ties at the Nehru Museum in Delhi on Sunday and interact with members of the community before departure for home.vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed the electoral results from North-East an endorsement of positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA and strength of the organisation.

The results have turned the BJP into a truly pan-India party, pointed BJP chief Amit Shah at a press conference. A beaming Shah also termed the victories in Left-citadel Tripura and Nagaland an endorsement of Prime Minister Modis leadership by the people of the Northeast.

However Shah, who along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the BJP into election-winning machinery, said the partys golden time will come when they oust Opposition parties to form governments in Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha.

Addressing party workers later in the day, Modi said Congress was never as diminished as it is now; there are leaders whose designation rises while their stature shrinks.

Todays results come as a boost for the saffron party pulled down by recent losses in Lok Sabha and Assembly byelections in Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

Though the number of Lok Sabha seats they hold are not big (Tripura has just two Lok Sabha seats), but the results have given the BJP a reason to cheer, of making gains at new places.

Todays electoral results are important for the saffron party in more than one ways.

The first direct contest between the Left and the BJP has helped the saffron party discard its distinctively Hindu hues. Alongside they also raised the hopes of making electoral gains from hitherto uncharted territories, especially the only Left stronghold in the country (Kerala), in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Facing flak over job loss and farmers unrest, ground-reports from parts of Hindi heartland are not so encouraging for the BJP. However with these results the party, which has managed to excel the art of customised politics with the help of a well-crafted poll campaign and charisma of national leadership, has managed to send positive perceptions in places beyond North-East.

Left not right for any part of India: Shah

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday said the Left was not right for any part of India. He said this while addressing a press conference here after the BJPs impressive show in Tripura. As far as the question of Left is concerned, this has been proved that the Left is not right for any part of the country, he said. agencies.

Quotes

The victory of the BJP is important in many ways... It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the North-East

Amit Shah, BJP President

The BJP brought together all kinds of forces using money power, without attaching any morality to it. There will be consequences for which people must be alert.

Sitaram Yechury, CPM Gen Secy

Once again people have expressed their faith in development agenda & leadership of @narendramodi @AmitShah @BJP4India @BJP4Goa @BSouthGoa

Manohar Parrikar, Goa CM

The PMs dream roadmap for the North-East has won the hearts of the people. A new political landscape is firmly established in the region now. Good for the North-East, good for India.

K Rijiju, Union Minister

It is clear that we will form the government. The will of the people of Meghalaya will be reflected in the Congress government. We are in touch with everybody. Everybody is in touch with us.

Kamal Nath, Congress Leaderrchopra@tribunemail.com

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, March 3

A 28-year-old Dalit man was beaten to death by a group of people who also set his hut on fire over an old enmity at Badore-Santaka-Nangla in Bharatpur district on Friday night.

Jaswant Jatavs body was sent for post-mortem to Bharatpurs government hospital, Kumher SHO Sitaram Meena said on Saturday.

Villagers, who were enjoying the DJ music on Holi, later took the injured Jaswant to Bharatpur where he was declared brought dead.

So far no one had been detained as the assailants, probably of the same community, fled under the cover of darkness after leaving the bleeding victim, the SHO said.uttara@tribuneindia.com

New Delhi, February 3

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah said on Saturday that his party's victories in the Left's citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast.

A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

"Its a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways. Its an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast," he told a press conference.

The BJP and its ally IPFT were close to securing a majority in Tripura having together won 28 seats in the 60-member House. They were leading in 15 more. Elections were held in the state for 59 seats due to the death of a CPI-M candidate.

In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally NDPP have won 13 seats and are leading in 14. The ruling Naga People's Front, with which the BJP parted ways just before the elections, has won 13 seats and was leading in 12 others in the 60-member Assembly. In Nagaland too, elections were held for only 59 seats as NDPP leaders Neiphiu Rio was declared elected unopposed.

Meghalaya appears to be headed toward a hung Assembly.

Shah ruled out the possibility of the BJP, whose NDA partner National People's Party has won 19 seats, engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. The two NDA allies had, however, contested the elections separately. BJP has won two seats in the state where the Congress has won 19 seats so far and was ahead in two.

"Where is the question of 'tod-phod' (horse-trading)? The Congress does not have a majority there," he said. PTI

Read

Hung Assembly in Meghalaya, Cong single largest party

Cong rushes top leaders to Meghalaya to explore govt formation possibilities

BJP parliamentary board to meet today for deciding Tripura CM: Madhav

Tripura, Nagaland victories endorsement of Modi's leadership: Amit Shah

BJP to form govt in Nagaland, may ally with NPF: Rijiju

Electoral defeat in Tripura will reduce Left's clout



monicakchauhan@gmail.com

New Delhi, March 3

Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang, who is on a three-day visit to India, was on Saturday accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

President Quang landed in Bodh Gaya in Bihar, a Buddhist pilgrimage site, earlier on Friday before reaching New Delhi in the evening.

Modi and Quang would hold a bilateral meeting later in the day following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.

The visiting dignitary will also attend a Vietnam-India Business Forum and the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Days in India 2018.

Vietnam is an important partner in southeast Asia and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

Apart from Asean, India and Vietnam closely cooperate in other regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides the UN and WTO.

India-Vietnam trade stood at $6.24 billion in fiscal 2016-17 and the two sides have agreed to raise this to $15 billion by 2020.

Defence has emerged as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.

India is also an important development aid partner for Vietnam and has extended several lines of credit for capacity building in the southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam is also among the larger recipients of scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

IANSvinaymishra188@gmail.com

Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who had campaigned in Tripura, gave the credit for BJPs performance in the Assembly elections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies and the electoral strategy of party president Amit Shah. The party has achieved historical success in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I want to congratulate all party workers, PM Modi and party president Amit Shah, he told the media. PTIeditorial@tribune.com

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 3

A pall of gloom descended on the Kale Ghanupur area here late last evening after the news of the death of six local youths in a road mishap in Himachal Pradesh reached here. The victims were on their way back from Manikaran Sahib.

A total of eight persons lost their lives in the accident. They have been identified as Gurwinder Singh (35), Jasbir Singh (28), Davinder Singh (30), Baljit Singh (19), Lovepreet Singh (20) and Kanwalpreet Singh (18), all residents of Kale Ghanupur, and Mandeep Singh (25) of Boparai village and Kanwaljit Singh (25) of Rajasansi. One Sukhdeep Singh of Kale Ghanupur survived the mishap. He was shifted to a private hospital for treatment.

They were travelling to Manikaran Sahib when their Toyota Innova vehicle (PB30H-9103) skidded off the road due to a break failure and fell into a gorge, 8 km from Swarghat on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway.

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed when the bodies of the six local youths reached here late last evening. Their bodies were directly taken to the cremation ground.

Kanwaljit Singh was cremated at his native village in Rajasansi today.

Kanwalpreet Singh was the only bread winner of his family. His father had died around three months ago. He is survived by his mother Paramjit Kaur and sister Mandeep Kaur. They were inconsolable. Kanwalpreet had left his studies to support his family.

Sukhdeep Singh, who is under treatment at a private hospital here, said the Innova vehicle skidded off the road due to a break failure. He said when the vehicle hit the ground after falling into a gorge, he fell unconscious.

Local MLA Raj Kumar Verka today visited the residences of the victims and expressed grief over the tragedy. He said while the Punjab Government had announced Rs 2 lakh for the victims' families, he gave Rs 20,000 as an immediate help.Co-operative Congress to mull roadmap

National Co-operative Federation (NCF) in association with the Ministry of Co-operatives is organising the 2nd National Co-operative Congress in April to discuss challenges faced by the sector and chalk out a roadmap to strengthen the cooperatives in the new economic framework of federalism.editorial@tribune.com

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 3

The powerful liquor lobby in Punjab seems to have worked its way to ensure that the plan to set up a state-owned liquor corporation is shelved for another year. But to break their cartel, the government will be having 10 times higher licencing units from April 1.

The government is also planning to reduce the total liquor quota of both Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country made liquor (CML) in the new excise policy, which is expected to be announced this Wednesday.

Sources say the quota of the IMFL could be cut by 15 per cent and that of CML by almost 10 per cent. The policy, will, however, have a provision to allow more quota, in case retailers exhaust their quotas. Even during this fiscal, the government had reduced quota of CML by 14 per cent and of IMFL by 20 percent.

Top officials told The Tribune that the plan to set up a liquor corporation, on the lines of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, has been put on hold for the second time now. The move follows meetings between liquor contractors and top government officials, as part of discussions on the new policy. The official reason given for liquor corporation being put off is that the government has no warehousing facilities or trained staff to buy liquor from distillers and sell it to retailers.

Considering that the government has been studying the proposal to set up the liquor corporation for two years, no infrastructure is put in place so far. The proposal was mooted to break the nexus of the distillers, which have also entered the retail business in the state. As a result, they not only command the prices, but also the brands that are to be sold across the state. It is believed that if the government itself enters the liquor business, the monopoly of distillers and retailers would be broken and sales (which would lead to higher revenue) would have maximised.

Sources, however, say even if the liquor corporation is put off for some time, they have devised a strategy to increase the number of licencing units (called groups in trade parlance) from around 80 this fiscal, to almost 800 in 2018-19.

Last year, the Congress government had just assumed power and large groups were auctioned, varying between Rs 40 crore and Rs 750 crore, with Ludhiana going en bloc to one consortium of contractors. This time, we will have smaller groups, having an average size of Rs 5 crore and Rs 7 crore per licencing unit. Because of such large groups in 2017-18, we faced problems in many places. In Fazilka, the contractor could not deposit his licence fee and before the second quarter ended, he surrendered, forcing the government to bring in another contractor. Thus, we want to have smaller groups for auction this year, said a excise senior officer.

Unlikely to achieve targets

In its excise policy for 2017-18, the state government had targeted an excise collection of Rs 5,442 crore. Till February, the total excise collection was Rs 4,800 crore. This is the second year in a row that liquor trade in Punjab has failed to yield the targeted licence fee, although Excise and Taxation officials are hopeful to bring down the gap in March.amansharma@tribunemail.com

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Goa (Cavelossim), March 3

It is easy to differentiate between an ordinary malware from 'state-sponsored' ones by identifying the patters on the victims, said researchers at the 9th annual edition of the Nullcon, the international security conference, that kicked off in Goa on Friday.

Leading security researcher Eva Galperin, Director of cyber security, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), who has published research on malware in Syria, Vietnam and Kazakhstan, said if a malware is targeting only activist Ahmed Mansoor in UAE, it is not necessarily a state-sponsored malware.

"However, along with Mansoor, if it is also targeting an activist of Human Rights Watch and somebody in the New York Times who cover the Middle east, then we can draw the conclusion that it is probably a nation-sponsored malware," said Eva, adding that if a particular malware is targeting more activists in a particular region, a conclusion can also be drawn as to which state is sponsoring the malware.

She also spoke on her world-acclaimed research to track down Dark Caracal, a leading espionage programme, which was allegedly found to have been routed from a building in Beirut belonging to the Lebanese General Security Directorate.

Analysis made by EFF showed that devices of military personnel, businesses, journalists, lawyers, educators, and medical professionals were compromised.

In yet another exciting hacking workshop, security researcher Adam Laurie, better known by his hacker name 'Major Malfunction' showed how easy it is to hack credit cards, office keys and even the passports having electronic chip fitted inside them.

He even demonstrated the hacking of his son's British passport and how he changed the facial recognition configuration embedded inside the electronic chip to replace his own picture on it. Laurie claimed that he has informed the British authorities about the cracked software around six years ago but they did not paid heed to it and are using the same technology till date.

This was despite the fact that over 3,000 blank passports having an electronic chip embedded inside were stolen from a van few years ago, Laurie said calling it a grave security concern for UK facing terrorist attacks from the last many years.

In another panel discussion moderated by Saikat Datta, an award-winning journalist whose research papers were published by the Centre for Land warfare studies (CLAWS), centre for Airpower studies (CAPS) and the National Security Guards (NSG), the complexity of regulation and cyber security issues were discussed.

Also, technology entrepreneur Abhinav Srivastava, an MSc graduate from IIT Kharagpur, and also the prime accused in the online Aadhaar data theft in 2017 spoke as to how he astonished the investigators by explaining the shortcuts he used to hack the government website to get Aadhaar data.

The Tribunes report 'Rs 500, 10 minutes and you can have access to a billion Aadhaar details' on Aadhaar data breach published on January 4 this year was also discussed in the session.

The researchers also spoke about how they hacked Google and a workshop on bug hunter methodology was also held.

According to Antriksh Shah, co-founder of Nullcon, more than 1,400 people, including security experts and researchers, are participating in the two-day event.

The idea of Nullcon came from null, an open security community having presence in over 13 national and international chapters. With everyone leading a digital life everyday, cyber research and security has become a global concern nowadays and to address this concern, the conference is being held every year from the last nine years, said Shah.

In addition to speeches, exhibitions, workshops, hacking competitions and job fairs are also being held at the venue.Harish Khare

Harish Khare

For the next 48 hours, we shall be talking excitedly about the North-East and, then, we all will go back to our mainstream preoccupations and obsessions. These period engagements apart, the North-East remains too distant for the Delhi sultanate.

From the times of the Roman empire, managing the periphery has been a difficult task for the central power. The farther away a province is from the central seat of authority and control, the greater is the dilution in bonds of attention, affection and obedience. For New Delhi, irrespective of the colour of the political party in charge of things at the Centre, managing the North-East has been a frustrating chore. It remains a work in progress. At the end of the day, it is an imperial task, whichever way you slice it.

Anyone who has travelled to any part of the North-East is struck by the natural beauty of the place just as he becomes acutely aware of the tentativeness of links between the heartland and this periphery. Whether it is the dhotiwalas (of the Congress era) or the gaurakshaks of today who happen to be in command of the power-levers in

New Delhi, the cultural and emotional divide with the North-East remains unmistakably stark.

After the 1962 conflict with China, we, in our wisdom, thought that these links would get strengthened only if we could introduce democracy and elections. That, in practical terms, meant identity politics. That, in turn, meant accentuation of tribal and ethnic divisions. And, divisions produced conflict between tribes; and conflict invited the attention of the security establishment. The whole region has experienced, in various shades, violence and repression. Insurgency and militancy are terms of normal life. Our intelligence agencies became a permanent presence.

In our desire to introduce democracy to the region, we ended up importing all the abnormalities of electoral politics in an area that takes pride in its ethnic isolation and separateness. The RSS and others thought the church was playing mischief and something ought to be done about it. Then, the political parties arrived with their bags of dirty tricks. Our agencies intervened on behalf of the central government of the day. Imagine, during the NDA days in 2001, the then Defence Minister George Fernandes pocket party, Samta Party, ended up forming a government in Manipur  of course, with the help of defectors, aided and abetted by central funds and agencies.

We have done worse. We have corrupted the entire political elite. The political landscape is crisscrossed with agencies, central funds. Almost every single leader/minister/MLA has flirted with kleptocracy, bought benami property in Mumbai and Delhi, and indulged in illegal gun-running.

The Assembly results do not mean much; a few things remain unchanged.

*****************************************

How did the BJP end up winning 73 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2014 ,and, then pocketing more than two-third of the seats in the Assembly elections of 2017? The answer, in parts, to this question is available a new book, Everyday Communalism  Riots in Contemporary Uttar Pradesh, written by Professor Sudha Pai and Sajjan Kumar. I had the honour of being invited to release the book early this week at the India International Centre in Delhi. There was a very animated discussion, and my fellow panelists included Professor Salil Mishra, Siddharth Varadarajan and Seema Chishti. And, we had Professor Niraja Gopal Jayal moderating the evening.

With remarkable scholarly detachment, Professor Pai dissects how the whole business of organising riots had changed in the 21st century. Rather than organise violence on a grand scale, as the case in the 1970s and 1980s, the new riots-managers have rewritten the book on what Sudha Pai calls, simply, everyday communalism. Her research focussed on eastern and western Uttar Pradesh, two regions which had mostly remained lukewarm to the BJPs electoral sales pitch.

According to her, the idea is simple: keep the pot of communal disharmony simmering by hatefulness on a daily basis, making the Muslims look like the perfect other who can be easily demonised as enemy. The strategic advantage of this everyday communalism is that except the masterminds, nobody notices it; as long as there is no violence, it is deemed to be business as usual, especially for the middle classes. There is a comforting boast that no riots have taken place in our time.

The portrait Professor Pai has drawn is frightening. Everyday communalism involves sustained synergy between the BJP, the RSS, the VHP and other assorted outfits, like the Hindu Yuva Vahini, an armed militia set up by Yogi Adityanath. As Sudha Pai tells it, considerable planning was involved in choosing eastern UP and the western UP as laboratories for practising new communalism; both regions had suffered economic pain on account of globalisation and agrarian distress. Once the ground is made sufficiently fertile, all that is required is someone like Narendra Modi to come and ignite the communal fire by using code words like kabristan and shamshan.

All the panelists praised Sudha Pais meticulous research, and ended up noting with dismay that the script can easily be applied in other parts of the country. And, then, there was this elephant-in-the-room question: why was it not possible for the secular forces, parties and leaders to discern what the communal side was doing and, then, to do something about it?

*****************************************

It has been a week since Justin Trudeau returned home after his fitful India sojourn, but it seems that this visit would remain a matter of controversy for some more time, thanks mostly to a gentleman named Jaspal Atwal.

Of course, it suited the political convenience of some of our own leaders to make a hoo-ha about the presence of Khalistanis in the Canadian Prime Ministers cabinet and entourage. Beyond a point, it serves little purpose for the Punjab leaders to harp on Khalistanis who are a miniscule minority even among the Canadian Sikhs.

Of course, we Indians do have a capacity for botching up things. What is not so easy to understand is the Canadian behaviour. After all, Canada is not new to international diplomacy and protocol; and, it is, therefore, totally mystifying that Justin Trudeau and his very charming family should have arrived in India without a firmly worked out itinerary of engagements with the Indian government.

Even this business of this or that undesirable fellow being on the list of invitees at various Trudeaus receptions smacks of third-world sloppiness. But what takes the cake is the official Canadian formulation that it were some rogue elements in India who had cleverly ensured an invitation for Jaspal Atwal  just to make the Canadian government appear partisan to the Khalistani corner. Extraordinary invention! Totally unworthy of an advanced nation.

*****************************************

Authoritarian rulers do not like anyone mocking them. They know humour can be most subversive. Xi Jinping is emerging as the new emperor in China. And, the censors are working overtime, excising all satirical references and allusions in the cyberspace that may be meant as criticism of President Xi. According to a report in The Financial Times, the Chinese authorities have even banished Winnie the Pooh. The new emperor-in-the-making resembles somewhat the cuddly teddy bear. The authorities swung into action after an Internet user posted a picture of Winnie hugging a pot of honey and saying: Find the thing you love and stick with it.

And that is not funny.

Seriously.

Time for reflection and coffee.

Join me.

kaffeeklatsch@tribuneindia.comlaxmi@tribune.com

Dehradun, March 3

The Medical Council of India (MCI) has rejected the proposal for starting new PG courses in three Uttarakhand medical colleges on the ground that these colleges do not possess adequate teaching faculty.

According to the Department of Medical Education, the authorities at Srinagar Medical College had proposed 14 new courses, including PG course for physicians and surgeons, in order to fill the vacancies for specialists. However, the MCI rejected the proposals. Similarly, the proposal of the Haldwani college for two new courses too was rejected on the same grounds.

Besides, two government colleges and a private medical college Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (Dehradun) had also submitted a demand for starting four new courses in academic year 2018-2019. These too have been rejected.  TNSROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Beijing, March 3

The prospect of Xi Jinping remaining in power even after his second term, which ends in 2023, has further alarmed Chinese intellectuals who are already concerned about the massive propaganda campaign building a personality cult around the Chinese President, a media report said today.

Ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) recently has proposed to remove the two-term limit for President and Vice-President, ending the decades old era of collective leadership.

The proposal is expected to be ratified by the National Peoples Congress (NPC). The NPC begins its annual session on Monday.

The 64-year-old Xi, who is also head of the CPC and military, began his second five-year term in October last year after a key CPC Congress ratified his second term. His second term as President begins later this month.

As speculation about the continuation of Xi, regarded as the most powerful Chinese leader in recent decades, is rife, Wang Xiangwei, former journalist of the state-run China Daily and ex-Chief Editor of the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, said if everything goes well chances were that Xi could continue till 2032 until he attains the age of 82.

As China is in the painful process of transforming its economy, there are plenty of chances for things to go terribly wrong, he said. Inevitably, Sundays announcement has further alarmed the countrys intellectuals who are already worried about the massive propaganda campaign that has been building a personality cult around Xi over the past few years, he wrote in an article in the Morning Post today.  PTIpardeepdhull@gmail.com

Ouagadougou, March 3

Dozens of people were killed in twin attacks on the French embassy in Burkina Faso and the countrys military headquarters, an assault that coincided with a meeting of regional anti-jihadist forces.

The apparently coordinated attacks on Friday underlined the struggle the fragile West African nation faces in containing a bloody and growing jihadist insurgency.

The government said the attack on the military was a suicide car bombing and that a planned meeting of the G5 Sahel regional anti-terrorism force may have been the target.

Officials from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger were at the meeting, representing the G5 Sahel nations who have launched a joint military force to combat jihadists on the southern rim of the Sahara.

Eight members of the armed forces were killed by the blast and the parallel attack on the French embassy, while 80 were wounded, said Security Minister Clement Sawadogo. The minister said eight attackers had been shot dead.

The vehicle was packed with explosives and caused huge damage, Sawadogo said, adding that it was a suicide attack.

Three security sources, two in France and one in West Africa, told AFP that at least 28 people were killed in the attack on the military HQ alone.

French government sources said there were no French casualties and described the situation in Ouagadougou as under control.

Our country was once again the target of dark forces, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said in a statement.

The violence began mid-morning when heavy gunfire broke out in the centre of the Burkinabe capital.

Witnesses said five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the French embassy.

At the same time, the bomb went off near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural centre, about a km from the site of the first attack, other witnesses said.

Sawadogo said the G5 meeting was supposed to have been held at the headquarters but had been moved to another room.

Perhaps it was the target. We do not know at the moment. In any case the room was literally destroyed by the explosion, the minister said.

The G5 Sahels completed force will be composed of 5,000 troops and aims to be fully operational by the end of the month.

It has already carried out operations against jihadist fighters with help from the French army.

Mahamadou Issoufou, Nigers president and the current chair of the group, said Fridays attacks will only strengthen the resolve of the G5-Sahel and its allies in the fight against terrorism.

French President Emmanuel Macron telephoned his Burkinabe counterpart Kabore to express solidarity and send his condolences to the families of the slain security force members, his office said.

Macron, who made a high-profile visit to Burkina Faso in November, said the attacks illustrate once more the threat weighing on the entire Sahel region.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said damage to the embassy was minor, and the mission would be able to resume normal operations in two or three days.

Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is on a visit to neighbouring Mali, strongly condemned the attack while UN chief Antonio Guterres called for an urgent and concerted effort to improve stability in the Sahel.

An interim UN report seen by AFP warned of a growing threat to the Sahel from two groups: the Islamic State in the Great Sahara (ISGS) and Ansar al-Islam.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Burkina Information Minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said the attack has strong overtones of terrorism.

Burkina Faso has a history of military-backed coups as well as jihadist attacks.

The insurgency in the region has caused thousands of deaths, prompted tens of thousands to flee their homes and dealt crippling blows to economies that are already among the poorest in the world.

On August 13 last year, two assailants opened fire on a restaurant on Ouagadougous main avenue, killing 19 people and wounding 21. No one has so far claimed responsibility for that attack.

On January 15 2016, 30 peopleincluding six Canadians and five Europeanswere killed in a jihadist attack on a hotel and restaurant in the city centre.

That attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Murabitoun group, which was led by the one-eyed Algerian jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

A group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) also said some of its militants were involved.

France, the former colonial power in the Sahel region, has deployed 4,000 troops to support the G5 joint force.

On February 21, two members of the French counter-terrorism force were killed by a landmine near Malis border with Niger and Burkina Faso. Twelve French soldiers have died since the campaigncalled Operation Barkhanewas launched in August 2014.

The United Nations also has a 12,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali called MINUSMA, which has taken heavy casualties. Four UN peacekeepers were killed by a mine blast on Wednesday in the centre of the country. AFPrchopra@tribunemail.com

Islamabad, March 3

A journalist was shot dead by unidentified assailants in a high-security zone in Pakistans Rawalpindi, according to a media report.

Anjum Muneer Raja, 40, was returning home on a motorcycle late on Thursday night when the bike-borne attackers waylaid him and opened fire, the police said.

The incident had occurred on Bank Road, minutes away from the Pakistani militarys national headquarters, the Dawn News reported.

Raja was shot six times on the head, neck and torso, killing him instantly, the report said, adding the attackers then fled. Raja was father to a five-year-old boy and used to teach at a school in the mornings and worked as a sub-editor for an Islamabad-based Urdu newspaper in the evenings, his uncle Tariq Mehmood said.

Mehmood said his nephew did not have a personal enmity with anyone and expressed shock over the killing in such a highly-secured area, according to the report.

The journalist community condemned Rajas murder and demanded immediate arrest of the attackers. The scribes have also demanded protection for all journalists and threatened protest if Rajas killers are not held soon, the report said.

Last year, prominent reporter Ahmed Noorani was also savagely beaten and stabbed in the head after being dragged out of his car in Islamabad by armed assailants.

Pakistan is among the most dangerous countries in the world for journalism, France-based watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual press freedom report last May.

According to the 2017 World Press Freedom Index compiled by RSF, Pakistan ranks 139 out of 180 countries.

At least 117 journalists have been killed in the past 15 years in Pakistan, and of these, only three cases were taken up in the judicial courts. PTImonicakchauhan@gmail.com

London, March 3

A British man has been convicted of attempted murder for running over a Muslim woman in a hate crime he saw as revenge for Islamic extremist attacks.

A jury found Paul Moore guilty of the September 20 attack, which left 47-year-old Zaynab Hussein with life-changing injuries.

Prosecutors say 21-year-old Moore drove his Volkswagen into Hussein in the central England city of Leicester, then ran her over as she lay on the ground. Hussein suffered fractures to her pelvis, her spine and leg.

Minutes later, Moore tried to drive into a 12-year-old schoolgirl, who wasn't hurt. After the verdict, Hussein's husband said Moore "wasn't attacking terrorists. He was joining their ranks by doing what they do and attacking an innocent woman." Moore will be sentenced at a later date. APROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 3

With a decision to greylist Pakistan at the recent FATF (Financial Action Task Force) meeting, all eyes are now on the next plenary in June when it comes into action.

Despite dissent by China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia and GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries at the ICRG (International Cooperation Review Group) round, the APG (Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering) plenary obtained consensus to put Pakistan under the monitoring and reporting programme for its failure to counter terror financing.

With lack of consensus at initial ICRG round in Paris, Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif tweeted prematurely that Pakistan had averted the listing process.

However, in the APG round, tables turned as China needed support for its FATF Vice-Presidency. Sources privy to discussions told The Tribune that Americans wanted to support Japan for the Vice-Presidency.

China had concerns as it faces procedural country evaluation along with Pakistan in 2019-20 by the global watchdog for its internal processes to counter terror financing when the Presidency would be with the US. But Indian officials negotiated with the Chinese assuring them of support in return for Beijings vote on the motion co-sponsored by the US, the UK, Germany and France against all-weather friend Pakistan. Eventually, Chinas membership bid sailed through with a yes from all 37 members.

Meanwhile, the motion to greylist Pakistan was opposed only by Turkey. Russia, which was not in favour of premature punishment for Pakistan, went with the consensus. However, Pakistan was not named in the Chairmans summary note prepared by the Argentinian President that could be a cause for concern till next steps in June. The Tribune has learnt that initially the note named Pakistan. But following early media reports that created a buzz online on February 23 announcing Pakistans greylisting before the outcome document was released, the name was struck off. FATF proceedings are expected to be confidential.

Within a fortnight of the plenary conclusion, the FATF secretariat has to convey the formal decision to the affected country. Sources in Pakistan said Islamabad authorities are yet to receive the communication. Pakistan was on the greylist earlier from 2012 to 2015. For now, it maintains that it was already clamping down on UN-proscribed organisations and individuals like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jamaat-ud-Dawah, Falah-e-Insaniyat and Hafiz Saeed against whom presentations were made in Paris. Pakistan faces general election this year and is likely to have a caretaker government in place by June.

We remain hopeful that China would uphold and support the objectives and standards of FATF in a balanced, objective, impartial and holistic way. Raveesh Kumar, MEA SpokespersonDahal says union before 3rd week of March

CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has said the unification between CPN (UML) and his party would be announced before March third week.Dr KC warns of protest if demands not met

Senior orthopedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC has warned of staging another protest if his demand of removing Chief Justice Govinda Parajuli through impeachment was not met.| By Mary T. Phelan

A young woman was trafficked into the United States from Mexico, tricked into crossing the border under the cover of night. The lure? The quintessential promise of the American dream  a job, a better life, the ability to support her young child. The job that awaited her? Forced prostitution. The woman was thrust into a life of fear, trauma, and cruelty. She was trafficked up and down the East Coast, from New York to the Carolinas. Eventually, she escaped her human traffickers and found her way to help at the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom and Empowerment (SAFE) Center for Human Trafficking Survivors.

The harrowing tale was told by Ambassador Susan G. Esserman, JD, founder and executive director of the SAFE Center, during a luncheon presentation titled Raising the Curtain on Human Trafficking in the United States at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) on Feb. 27. (See video below.)

Ambassador Susan G. Esserman, JD, founder and executive director of the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE) Center.

Sadly, this is not a rare occurrence in the United States, Esserman said to UMB employees, students, and guests at the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. Exploitation like this takes place around us, in communities across the United States.

The luncheon, hosted by the UMB Roundtable on Empowerment in Leadership and Leveraging Aspirations, also known as the UMBrella Group, began with remarks by UMBrella Group chair Jennifer B. Litchman, MA, senior vice president for external relations and special assistant to the president.

Human trafficking is one of the greatest human rights violations of our time, Litchman said This brutal crime has local, regional, national, and international implications with serious implications for our state and our community. Im proud that the University of Maryland, Baltimore has undertaken the challenge of human trafficking on such an important and profound level and Im glad youre all here to learn more about it and hopefully find ways that we can all work together to stop it.

In May 2016, the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) announced the opening of the SAFE Center near College Park. The SAFE Center is an interdisciplinary service, research, and advocacy initiative of UMCP and UMB through its formal collaborative program for innovation, the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State.

"Its an absolute lifeline to survivors here in Maryland, where, sad to say, human trafficking is a profitable and desperately brutal trade," said UMB President Jay A. Perman, MD.

In introducing Esserman to the more than 100 attendees, Perman praised her efforts in combating human trafficking.

I cannot imagine anyone more passionate about ending human trafficking, more knowledgeable about how to do it, or more persuasive in getting advocates to sign on to a collective vision and to invest the resources we need to bring help and hope to survivors, he said.

Esserman is a visiting professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. She served in four senior positions in the Clinton administration, including deputy U.S. trade representative with the rank of ambassador.

The number of human trafficking victims in the U.S. is hard to quantify because it is a crime hidden from view and victims are fearful of coming forward, Esserman said. The International Labor Organization estimates 25 million people are trapped in human trafficking. The 2016 Global Slavery Index reports human trafficking occurs in more than 165 countries.

Twenty-five million is a staggering number, she continued. Human trafficking takes place on this scale because its an immensely profitable criminal enterprise.

According to the Department of Justice, human trafficking is the worlds fastest-growing criminal enterprise and the second-most profitable, earning traffickers roughly $150 billion a year in illegal profits, Esserman said. In the U.S., the State Department reports between 14,500 and 17,500 new victims are trafficked into the country each year, and experts estimate that the number of victims trafficked within the U.S. reaches into the hundreds of thousands, she said.

The Baltimore-D.C. metro area has a particularly high rate of human trafficking because of its location along the Interstate 95 corridor and its access to airports and other transportation hubs, Esserman said.

We founded the center with the goal of restoring dignity and human rights to sex and labor trafficking survivors, Esserman explained. We saw that survivors faced fractured services that were often so difficult to access and that their needs are manifold. Survivors long battle memories of trauma and struggle to regain their footing. They often have no means to support themselves or their family.

So, in response, the SAFE Center provides and coordinates comprehensive services to human trafficking survivors, recognizing that a multidimensional, trauma-informed, and victim-centered approach is essential if survivors are to have a chance of reclaiming a life of dignity and hope. Esserman credited SAFE Center Deputy Director Laura Ardito, JD, for being instrumental in building a strong foundation for the center since its first day of operations.

The center draws on the combined resources and the wide range of disciplines of UMCP and UMB to address human trafficking. Through in-house services and collaborative partnerships, the center provides direct services to U.S. and foreign-born adult and child survivors of sex and labor trafficking.

Since the SAFE Center opened, more than 50 survivors of sex and labor trafficking have been served.

I have to say, we were shocked by this number, Esserman said, noting she expected a much smaller number of victims because they are often fearful to come forward. We were quite overwhelmed by the need that we saw.

The centers clients are adults and minors, U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, women and men. The center provides bilingual legal services, social services, mental health and medical care, job search assistance, and English as a Second Language programming.

Next month, services will be expanded to provide after-hours and weekend crisis intervention services, Esserman said

The SAFE Center is an initiative of MPower, a strategic partnership between the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the University of Maryland, College Park. MPower is truly the ideal platform for our center because it has enabled us to draw widely on the expertise, the clinical experience, and research of multiple schools and programs from within both universities, Esserman said, adding the center has collaborated with several schools from both universities, including the University of Maryland School of Social Work, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, the University of Maryland School of Nursing, all at UMB; and the School of Public Policy, the School of Business Center for Social Value Creation, the College of Education, the School of Public Health, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and the College of Arts and Humanities, all at UMCP. The center also has hosted 40 student interns and graduate assistants since it began operations, including undergraduate, masters, and PhD students.

We have been energized and so impressed by the ideas, passion, and commitment of these students, and, at the same time, were very proud to be training a new generation of anti-trafficking professionals, Esserman said.

In the year ahead, Esserman said there would be a major focus on building an economic empowerment program as part of the business schools strategic plan.

Because enhanced education and meaningful job opportunities are vital to restoring human trafficking survivors independence, this program is absolutely vital to our vision, she said.

While progress in combating human trafficking is underway, there still is much work to be done, Esserman said.

A century and a half ago, shortly before this country abolished slavery by approving the 13th Amendment, Frederick Douglass warned that our battle against this sort of injustice would not end with ratification of the amendment. Slavery has been fruitful in giving itself names, he said. And it will call itself by yet another name, and you and I and all of us had better wait and see what form this old monster will assume, in what new skin this old snake will come forth. Today, tens of thousands of human trafficking victims live in fear and despair in this great nation. The monster wears a different skin, but make no mistake, this is slavery. And together it is our work to end it, Esserman said.Working in the midst of conflict always feels like an uphill battle. But it also presents opportunities for doing development differently. Thats the spirit of the new Strategic Plan, says UNDP Country Director Janthomas Hiemstra.

The violence in eastern Ukraine has caused total disruption, killing 10,000 people and displacing a further 1.6 million. But it has also struck the heart of the Ukrainian economy, eliminating one million jobs by the Spring of 2016, and reducing bridges, factories and clinics to rubble, with recovery costs at that time estimated at US$1.5 billion.

The deepest scars are societal. I have met hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who speak of isolation and sorrow, many of them far from their relatives across the contact line, which separates areas controlled by the government from those that arent. For the Ukrainian populations that have welcomed IDPs with exemplary hospitality, this has also meant sharing schools or clinics, and co-existing with strangers.

Doing development in such circumstances presents unique difficulties. The violence can flare up at any point, businesses have to start anew after months of hard work, while the availability of basic supplies  like water or bread  is unpredictable particularly close to the contact line on both sides. Situations like these require different types of actions that build resilience, while addressing urgent needs through a mix of short- and long-term activities.

Still, while the conflict was a severe shock for Ukraine, we quickly understood that many of the problems in eastern part of the country werent entirely new. Long before the fighting, heavy mining and steel industries had begun a long-standing decline, resulting in lower productivity and unemployment. Further, local governments werent equipped, or at times too corrupt, to provide adequate services even in times of peace.

A new way of doing business

For us at UNDP, the question wasnt just how to carry on in the midst of a crisis. It was how to use the situation as a springboard for change. We would attempt to rethink the way partners work with each other, try out new ways of involving citizens, and help the government to modernize, all the way down to the hromada (municipal) and community level.

With that in mind, our recovery and peacebuilding programme set out to help restore critical infrastructure and social services, boost the economy and promote resilience and peace-building in five conflict-affected regions, known as Oblasts.

We took the bold step of deploying a strong team of 70 staff in the East - as close as possible to the contact line. That in itself took months of extremely hard work because we didnt have that staff. Now, our women and men are working directly with IDPs, host communities, local and regional governments and crucially, provide a security umbrella for international donors and dignitaries. We now serve as trusted and neutral advisers in the most difficult areas, straddling recovery and development efforts.

In the east, we initially had no other agencies to partner with. Over time, we created a platform that is bringing together 12 donors, together with UN WOMEN, FAO, UNFPA and UNDP, businesses, social impact investors and our national counterparts. We run one programme, have one work plan, one monitoring and evaluation system and we meet twice a year in the eastern cities of Kramatorsk or Severodonetsk. This year, we have begun to hand this platform over to the government.

Investing in the future

Thanks to our presence on the ground, we have mobilized fresh new funding, having put into place transparent procurement and contracting modalities. In December 2016, the European Investment Bank (EIB) facilitated $200 million in loan funding for projects which UNDP is screening and monitoring. Hospitals, schools and power stations are being repaired.

In one sub-project that received Japanese funding, a shelled water facility has been entirely fixed. It now distributes running water to 3.5 million people.

Its local administrations that are now leading this type of work and our role is to help them modernize, under the umbrella of Ukraines decentralization reform. Were helping to put into place leaner and more responsive local administrations, and legal support units to help IDPs claim social benefits as they cross the contact line. With support from Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands, weve also set up local offices that listen to grievances and solve issues practically.

Finally, we launched a vast employment programme designed to inspire people from war-affected areas, many of whom worked all their life in mines and factories, to become entrepreneurs. Were now working with hundreds of companies, using crowd-funding and other modern techniques, to help them design solutions that benefit everyone.

Reaping the rewards

Its incredibly rewarding to meet the people who are part of the transformation weve kicked into motion. Last week I met one of many farmers, Olga Popova , who lost hundreds of sheep and pigs when her village was shelled. Sadly, I learned Olgas grandson died when his tractor hit an antitank mine. She was able to claim reparation and is replenishing her stocks, so shes now able to cope a little bit better with the situation.

Since women make up half of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean, it would make sense for them to have a similar representation in the different sectors of society. It is not only a question of human rights, but also an intelligent move, because equal representation generates increased benefits for both men and women, socially and economically.

However, in our region, women perform 75 percent of unpaid domestic work, 1 in 3 do not generate any income, and 54 percent work in informal contexts, with unstable incomes and little social protection. We are therefore depriving businesses, as well as society as a whole, of their talent and financial contribution to the family economy and that of their communities and countries.

We have an extraordinary opportunity to promote the role of women in the social, political, and economic spheres. This is indispensable if we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals  a series of global goals that include eradicating poverty in all its forms, promoting equitable growth, and achieving quality education for all  within the next 12 years. The SDGs are strongly interconnected and gender equality is essential for their broad achievement.

The commitment of countries around the world to achieve the SDGs is fundamental for the empowerment of women in the workplace. The numbers back this up. According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, gender equality in the labor force could add up to 28 trillion dollars to the global economy by 2025. A recent Harvard Business Review study found that companies that are diverse tend to be more innovative and innovative companies tend to be more diverse, and that both factors tend to be drivers of company growth.

All of this is within reach; however, companies must take concrete actions to make it happen.

To discuss the challenges and best practices for promoting gender equality in the workplace, more than 400 business and government representatives met in Santiago, Chile, on Feb. 27-28 for the 4th Global Forum on Businesses for Gender Equality, a joint initiative of the Government of Chile and UNDP in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women.

Recent studies reveal that increased participation of women on company boards leads to better financial results, as well as higher levels of corporate philanthropy. Nonetheless, women hold less than 5 percent of chief executive officer positions in the Standard & Poors 500 companies and less than 20 percent on company boards.

The numbers are not any better for Latin America, where according to ILO, women represent only 4.2 percent of CEOs among the 1,269 listed companies. Furthermore, almost half of the executive boards in the region comprise exclusively of men, with women making up only 8.5 percent of membership on average.

In both rich and poor countries, women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, depriving them of opportunities to earn an income, start their own businesses, and participate in public life; therefore, depriving economies of their talents and contributions. According to the latest Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum, it is estimated that at the current rate of progress it will take at least another 220 years to close this gender gap and achieve equal participation in the workforce.

The region cannot afford to wait.

Over the last decade, UNDP has supported partners in 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Eurasia to certify public and private companies that meet gender equality objectives. Through the "Gender Equality Seal" initiative, certified companies commit themselves to eliminating the gender pay gap, increasing the number of women in decision-making positions, improving work-life balance, eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace, and increasing the participation of women in traditionally male industries.

Various companies around the world are already reaping in the benefits. For example, in Chile, the state-owned copper company Codelco has been promoting, through the gender seal initiative, mixed groups of men and women in this traditionally male industry; which has resulted in increased productivity. Similarly, the National Bank of Costa Rica increased the representation of women in decision-making positions through a leadership program that allowed 70 women to assume managerial positions. Along the same line, Scotiabank of Canada identified potential employees for a "Talent Pool" offering tutorial programs to improve women's access to high-level positions.

We have an opportunity at hand, which is almost an obligation. The cost of not allowing women to contribute in the same way as men is too great, not only for companies, but for society as a whole. Companies, both public and private, can be the main drivers of inclusive growth that leads to the reduction of inequality gaps, with the aim of leaving no one behind.

About the author

Jessica Faieta is United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. Follow her on Twitter: @JessicaFaieta

This article was originally published by Devex.Dunai shut over municipal HQ row

The residents of Dunai, the district headquarters of Dolpa, enforced a town-wide shutdown for the second consecutive day on Friday to protest the governments decision to shift the administrative centre of Thulibheri Municipality to Jufal.Factories humming after energy supply increased

Factories located in the Hetauda Industrial Area (HIA) have started operating three shifts per day after their electricity supply was increased.Kanchanpur continues to isolate menstruating women in sheds

Kanchanpur continues to banish and isolate menstruating women in sheds, or Chhaupadi, despite Nepal outlawing this repugnant social practice.Land leased at Indian ports continues to remain unused

The government of Nepal has failed to utilise land leased at Kolkata and Haldia ports in India for screening and storing export and import cargoes.Early people set up a pagoda inside Kinh Chu grotto to worship Buddha.

An Phu Mountain peaks at 246m above sea level, with An Phu Temple located on the peak together with Tuong Van Pagoda and the statue of national hero Tran Hung Dao (1228-1300).

An Phu Temple, also known as Cao Temple, is dedicated to An Sinh Vuong Tran Lieu (1211-1251), older brother of King Tran Thai Tong (1218-1277), the first king of the Tran reign (1225-1400). An Sinh Vuong Tran Lieu was also the father of Tran Hung Dao.

An Phu Temple was given the area by the king to establish a village. On his death day, the first day of the fourth lunar month, has become the annual festival day of Cao Temple.

People can have a view over the region on An Phu peak.

Temple dedicated to An Sinh Vuong Tran Lieu, father of Tran Hung Dao.

Next to Cao Temple lies ancient Tuong Van Pagoda, also called as Cao Pagoda, under the shadow of big trees. The pagoda honours Buddhist King Tran Nhan Tong. The pagoda hosts an ancient well, in half circle form.

From the peak, tourists can have an aerial view over the whole region with mountains, rivers, villages and beautiful fields.

Tran Hung Daos statue is 50m below Cao Temple. The statue stands 13m tall and was built in 1993, with General Vo Nguyen Giap placing the first foundation stone. Beside the stature runs a clay baked relief of 45m long describing the fight against Yuan-Mongol invaders by Dai Viet people directed by General Tran Hung Dao.

Near An Phu Temple is Kinh Chu Grotto on Duong Nham karst mountain range. The grotto has three big caves running deep inside the mountain with spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. Early people set up a pagoda inside the grotto to worship Buddha.

Pham Su Manh (1300-1377), a mandarin and famed scholar in the Tran reign used to come to the grotto to read books. There are 40 poems by various culturists over time carved at the grotto.

Nearby is Nham Duong archaeological excavation site with various traces of early human beings in 26 caves. Experts unearthed fossilised bones of early humans and stone working tools dating back 35,000 years.British Prime Minister Theresa May gives a speech on Brexit at Mansion House in London on Mar 2, 2018. (Photo: Jonathan Brady/Pool/AFP)

In a detailed speech just weeks before starting negotiations on the future partnership with Brussels, May confirmed Britain would leave the European Union's single market and customs union after Brexit in March 2019.

In its place she called for the "broadest and deepest possible agreement, covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any free trade agreement anywhere in the world today".

But she acknowledged for the first time that Britain may suffer new trade barriers by severing its formal ties, a move driven by a desire to end mass migration and throw off EU rules.

"I want to be straight with people because the reality is we all need to face up to some hard facts ... In certain ways our access to each other's markets will be different," she said.

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier welcomed the "clarity" on Britain's position, as well as "a recognition of trade-offs".

He said her proposals would inform the bloc's guidelines, which are expected to be drawn up next week before being approved by EU leaders at a summit in three week's time.

'CHERRY-PICKING'

In a speech in London, May suggested the new trade deal would include "binding commitments" to agree some regulations such as on state aid and competition.

She repeated that she wanted to end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, insisting there must be an independent arbiter of the agreement.

But in a bid to maintain "as frictionless as possible" trade in goods, May promised to commit to some regulations and minimum standards, while reserving the option for Britain to diverge.

The EU has previously dismissed the bespoke approach as "cherry-picking", but May pointed out that each of the bloc's existing trade deals with other countries was slightly different.

May's Conservative government is divided on how closely Britain should align with the EU, but a leading eurosceptic, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, was quick to back her speech.

The plan would keep close ties but allow Britain "to innovate, to set our own agenda, to make our own laws and to do ambitious free trade deals around the world", he said on Twitter.

However, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the government of presiding over "20 wasted months".

"Theresa May has again failed to bring clarity to the negotiations - and worryingly, she admitted that her approach will reduce our access to European markets," he wrote on Twitter.

'TIME IS SHORT'

EU leaders have been sharply critical of the prime minister's optimistic view of what she could achieve, but had been pressing for details as the start of formal negotiations comes closer.

Talks on the terms of the withdrawal and a transition period are already underway, and Britain hopes a trade deal can be agreed by the end of the year.

John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, said May had "advanced a plan that the EU will not accept".

"We are heading for something much more economically damaging - unless she changes her red lines."

May has ruled out staying in the single market or a customs union with the EU because it would stop Britain signing outside trade deals.

Following May's speech, Irish premier Leo Varadkar said he remains "concerned that some of the constraints of leaving the customs union and the single market are still not fully recognised".

Warning "time is short", he urged Britain to present "more detailed and realistic proposals".

Northern Ireland will have Britain's only land border with the EU after Brexit, as the Republic of Ireland is remaining in the bloc, and all parties want to avoid a hard border, over fears it could upset the island's fragile peace.

Earlier this week tensions rose when the EU published a draft treaty suggesting Northern Ireland could stay in a customs union while the rest of Britain remained outside.

The proposal is a fall-back option if London fails to come up with a better solution to avoid new customs checks with EU-member Ireland.

But May reacted with outrage, and repeated Friday that she would "not allow anything that would damage the integrity of our precious Union".

She insisted that it was possible to avoid physical checks through technology and schemes such as trusted trader programmes, although is yet to publish detailed proposals.Lazarki, a traditional procession of Bulgaria, in which young girls decorate their hair richly and colourfully (usually with flower and ribbon wreaths) and dance around the village singing songs.

One of the oldest countries in Europe, founded in 681 AD, Bulgaria has endured difficult times and risen to establish itself as an active and trustworthy actor on the international scene  living in peace with its neighbours.

This was Bulgarias stance when it assumed on January 1, 2018, its first ever Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Using the opportunity at hand to use its term at the helm of the EU to accelerate joint efforts in certain areas of importance, Bulgaria has put forward as a key priority the need to provide tangible European perspective for its neighbouring countries of the Western Balkans, and to ensure comprehensive regional connectivity.

For Bulgaria, to lend a hand to all the Western Balkans countries on their European path, based on their fulfilment of the criteria and their merit, aspires to maintain sustainable peace and security throughout Europe.

The other three main priority areas of the Presidency include the future of Europe and its young people to be realised through economic growth and cohesive policies, digital economy and skills needed for the future and security and stability for a stronger Europe, including more effective management of migration policies.

We strive to fulfil the above by forging consensus and finding common solutions, as the slogan of the Bulgarian Presidency United we stand strong goes back not only to the history of our own statehood but reminds us of the strength that comes from unity and solidarity.

Parallel to Bulgarias aspirations within the EU are Vietnams and ASEAN member states efforts to build a prosperous regional community through consensus and balance.

Vietnam's impressive rate of social and economic growth and its constructive foreign policy position the country as a valuable international partner with increased regional significance  with hosting APEC 2017 the latest attestation to that.

The constructive engagement of Bulgaria and Vietnam in the multilateral fora offers further avenues for co-operation, grounded in the frameworks of the enhanced partnership between the European Union and ASEAN and within the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), with focus on connectivity projects, economic development and trade, people-to-people contacts and ties in education and research.

The Bulgarian Presidency of Council of the European Union will aim to contribute to the efforts of the EU in strengthening ties with partners in Asia, including through widening the scope of free trade deals and partnership agreements, as well as addressing common security, reconstruction and development challenges.

Bulgaria places a strong emphasis on further utilising the existing formats for greater Europe-Asia co-operation. For Southeast Asia this would mean a reinforced EU-ASEAN Dialogue and a strengthened and value-added ASEM process.

There is particular interest to take ASEM co-operation further, as it offers concrete opportunities for flexible, equal footing, across the board. It is important to build upon the good practices within the ASEM areas of tangible co-operation like innovation, youth, connectivity, identifying projects that meet the sustainability criteria and moving forward on issues such as digital trade and e-commerce.

Given the importance Bulgaria attaches to the ASEM process we are hosts of two high level meetings within the ASEM platform  the 8th ASEM Culture Ministers Meeting on March 1-2 and the 13th ASEM Finance Ministers Meeting on April 26.

As we mark the National Day of Bulgaria here in Viet Nam, we proudly celebrate 68 years of diplomatic relations and friendship between its peoples. Nowadays, the Bulgarian Embassy in Ha Noi is a constant witness of the resilience of this relationship. It comes from many of the thousands of young Vietnamese who lived and studied in Bulgaria and who have ever since referred to Bulgaria as their second homeland. The vibrant Viet Nam-Bulgaria Friendship associations in the cities of Ha Noi, HCM City and Hai Phong are the core of this community.

Today Bulgaria and Vietnam exchange regular visits at the highest political levels. Their national assemblies collaborate through the established Groups of Friendship. Economic co-operation has been guided through the yearly meetings of the Joint Economic Commission. The ties between the local authorities have been strengthened by direct city-twinning agreements.

Striving to secure rich bilateral ties Bulgaria and Vietnam have the potential to carry on the relationship into an outward-looking, advanced, multifaceted and multilateral co-operation for the benefit of our both peoples, with the conviction that in the modern world, official relations between states must be surpassed by creating one prosperous community of friends.The festival is held to commemorate the Great Holy Tam Lang in the 6th Hung Due Vuong, who struggled to bring peace to the nation. La Phu villagers worship him as the tutelary God of the village.Harley Davidson could be among the US brands to face EU retaliatory measures if US President Donald Trump goes ahead with tariffs on steel and aluminium. (Photo: AFP/Patrik Stollarz)

But a top EU trade official said Trump still has a small chance to avoid a damaging global trade war and asked the US leader to reconsider his aims before he signed them into effect next week.

"We will not sit idly when European industry and jobs are threatened," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said on the sidelines of a conference in Hamburg, Germany.

"The EU is preparing import duties for US products including Harley-Davidson, Bourbon and Levi's jeans," his spokeswoman quoted him as saying on Twitter.

The threat appeared to fall on deaf ears as Trump on Friday welcomed the prospect of a trade war, remaining defiant in the face of the global uproar sparked by his raft of fresh tariffs.

With global stock markets tumbling and allies riled, the president greeted the negative reaction by raising the stakes and vowing even more sweeping trade attacks in a series of angry tweets.

Despite Trump's reaction, European Commission vice president Jyrki Katainen told AFP "there is a little window of opportunity still open" and that Europe was not a danger to the US.

"That means that the president of the US has not yet signed the proposals. So we do hope that he will reconsider his aims," the former Finnish prime minister said.

"We are very close to a fast spreading trade war and in this kind of war there are only victims, not winners," Katainen said.

'MEDICINE NOT RIGHT'

Katainen, who handles trade policy for the EU with trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, said he understood that the US was seeking to take a stand against China, which has flooded the globe with cheap steel.

"I understand the frustration but the medicine the US administration is willing to use is not right," he said.

A "global trade war ... means in concrete terms unemployment, less economic growth, and worse relations between trading partners," he said.

"At a time when we have just come out of the most severe economic crisis in decades, nobody should do anything in order to harm the stability we have achieved," he added.

The EU would "form a coalition of like-minded countries and potentially take the US to the WTO court together," Katainen said in reference to the World Trade Organization tribunal in Geneva.

These countries could include Japan, Canada, Turkey and Mexico, he said.

The EU's targeting of bourbon whiskey and motorcycles had been expected and matches similar moves in 2003 during a "steel war" unleashed by the administration of George W. Bush.

At the time, the list included not just steel products but also orange juice, apples, sunglasses, photocopiers and other goods.

The United States backed down before the EU carried out its threat to impose the retaliatory measures.Representatives of Marriott Hotels in Hanoi and Operation Smile at a recent press meeting on the co-operation programme

Following the core value Spirit to Serve, Marriott International Hotels in Vietnam and Cambodia are dedicated to support Operation Smile, a non-profit organisation that provides reconstructive surgery for the underprivileged children with cleft lips or palates.

The collaboration will raise funds and build awareness of Operation Smiles mission to save lives and heal smiles by providing life-saving surgeries for children and young adults worldwide who were born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities.

For more than 28 years in Vietnam, Operation Smile has contributed in changing the lives of more than 41,000 children.

The 45-minute $350 operation will help each child to learn to speak, attend school, and have access to meals.

In 2018, JW Marriott Hanoi and Sheraton Hotel Hanoi joined Operation Smile in order to bring a brighter future to those in need.

The partnership will include a cause-related-marketing initiative, local fund-raising activities, and more. A donation envelop in each guest room together with donation boxes encourage guests to donate their unused local currency to raise funds for this campaign. Hotels will also support Smile Bags which include: Shampoos, soap or body wash, combs, and wash cloths to children in need as well as join the Vietnam Operation Smile Team on their missions.The docking area for fishing boats in An Hai commune of Ly Son district, Quang Ngai province

Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, Director of the Department for Science-Technology and International Cooperation of the MARDs Directorate of Fisheries, made the remark at the ministrys regular press conference on March 2, mentioning Vietnams remedies for a yellow card warning by the European Commission (EC) on October 23, 2017 for failing to progress in fighting IUU fishing.

The EC also proposed nine recommendations that Vietnam should immediately implement in six months (from October 23, 2017 to April 23, 2018). The "yellow card" is followed by a "green card" if the problem is resolved or a "red card" if it isnt. A red card can lead to a trade ban on fishery products.

Dung said over the past month, the whole political system, from the central to local levels, and fishermen of Vietnam have taken drastic actions to prevent and combat IUU fishing. There have been an array of urgent solutions, including supplementing anti-IUU fishing regulations to legal documents, enforcing the issued regulations, disseminating the solutions to fishermen and relevant parties, enhancing cooperation with coastal and island countries to prevent IUU fishing, and holding dialogues to update the EU on Vietnams efforts to improve fisheries management.

The official noted that the amended Law on Fisheries, approved by the National Assembly on November 21, 2017, incorporated the EC recommendations as much as possible. Regulations relevant to IUU fishing are featured in almost all chapters and articles of the law, from the chapter on general regulations to the ones on fishery resources protection, management of fishing activities, fishing boats and fishery ports, and responsibility of authorities at all levels.

To carry out the EC recommendations pending the law enforcement, competent agencies of Vietnam have made amendments and issued implementation documents in a timely manner, Dung said, adding that the Directorate of Fisheries has coordinated with the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the Vietnam Fisheries Society (Vinafish) and political and social organisations in implementing the recommendations.

Accordingly, VASEP has worked with seafood businesses to continue not buying or importing seafood fished illegally and without clear origin or those that are banned to be exploited. They also set up the principle of only buying seafood with transparent origin.

Meanwhile, Vinafish has urged its branches in coastal provinces and members to implement solutions to IUU fishing, step up communication activities, and encourage businesses and boat owners to cooperate with authorities of other countries like Brunei and Papua New Guinea in fishing, the official noted.A worker loads steel products onto a vehicle at a steel market in Fuyang in central Chinas Anhui province Friday. China has expressed grave concern about a U.S. trade policy report that pledges to pressure Beijing but had no immediate response to President Donald Trumps plan to hike tariffs on steel and aluminum.Madrid to help clean Kathmandu rivers

The Spanish capital city of Madrid has pledged to help Kathmandu Metropolitan City clean its rivers.Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM

News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.



Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens.Pokhara to launch first trekking trail for differently-abled people

The first accessible trekking trail, specially designed for visitors with physical and mobility difficulties, is scheduled to be inaugurated on March 30 in Pokhara, as Nepal is making strides to attract a chunk of untapped accessible market.Poudel faction trying to weaken Congress

At a time when Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba is pressed not to contest the Parliamentary Party (PP) elections, leaders close to him have said that the true intention of the rival faction led by Ram Chandra Poudel is to weaken the party, not to hand over leadership to a new generation.SC to record Kantipur statements tomorrow

The Supreme Court on Friday decided to record statements in a contempt of court case against the Kantipur daily on Sunday.I am grateful to the Lord Mayor and all his team at the Mansion House for hosting us this afternoon.

And in the midst of the bad weather, I would just like to take a moment before I begin my speech today to thank everyone in our country who is going the extra mile to help people at this time.

I think of our emergency services and armed forces working to keep people safe; our NHS staff, care workers, and all those keeping our public services going; and the many volunteers who are giving their time to help those in need.

Your contribution is a special part of who we are as a country  and it is all the more appreciated at a moment like this.

Five tests

Now I am here today to set out my vision for the future economic partnership between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

There have been many different voices and views in the debate on what our new relationship with the EU should look like. I have listened carefully to them all.

But as we chart our way forward with the EU, I want to take a moment to look back.

Eighteen months ago I stood in Downing Street and addressed the nation for my first time as Prime Minister.

I made this pledge then, to the people that I serve:

I know youre working around the clock, I know youre doing your best, and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle.

The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours.

We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives.

When we take the big calls, well think not of the powerful, but you.

When we pass new laws, well listen not to the mighty but to you.

When it comes to taxes, well prioritise not the wealthy, but you.

When it comes to opportunity, we wont entrench the advantages of the fortunate few.

We will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever your background, to go as far as your talents will take you.

We are living through an important moment in our countrys history. As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world, and we will make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few, but for every one of us.

That pledge, to the people of our United Kingdom is what guides me in our negotiations with the EU.

And for me that means five things: First, the agreement we reach with the EU must respect the referendum. It was a vote to take control of our borders, laws and money. And a vote for wider change, so that no community in Britain would ever be left behind again. But it was not a vote for a distant relationship with our neighbours.

Second, the new agreement we reach with the EU must endure. After Brexit both the UK and the EU want to forge ahead with building a better future for our people, not find ourselves back at the negotiating table because things have broken down.

Third, it must protect peoples jobs and security. People in the UK voted for our country to have a new and different relationship with Europe, but while the means may change our shared goals surely have not  to work together to grow our economies and keep our people safe.

Fourth, it must be consistent with the kind of country we want to be as we leave: a modern, open, outward-looking, tolerant, European democracy. A nation of pioneers, innovators, explorers and creators. A country that celebrates our history and diversity, confident of our place in the world; that meets its obligations to our near neighbours and far off friends, and is proud to stand up for its values.

And fifth, in doing all of these things, it must strengthen our union of nations and our union of people.

We must bring our country back together, taking into account the views of everyone who cares about this issue, from both sides of the debate. As Prime Minister it is my duty to represent all of our United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; north and south, from coastal towns and rural villages to our great cities.

So these are the five tests for the deal that we will negotiate.

Implementing the decision of the British people; reaching an enduring solution; protecting our security and prosperity; delivering an outcome that is consistent with the kind of country we want to be; and bringing our country together, strengthening the precious union of all our people.

A crucial moment

We are now approaching a crucial moment.

There is no escaping the complexity of the task ahead of us. We must not only negotiate our exit from an organisation that touches so many important parts of our national life. We must also build a new and lasting relationship while, given the uncertainty inherent in this negotiation, preparing for every scenario.

But we are making real progress.

At the end of last year, we agreed the key elements of our withdrawal.

We are in the process of turning that agreement into draft legal text. We have made clear our concerns about the first draft the Commission published on Wednesday  but no-one should be in any doubt about our commitment to the Joint Report we agreed in December.

We are close to agreement on the terms of an implementation period which was a key element of Decembers deal.

Of course some points of difference remain  but I am confident these can be resolved in the days ahead.

Both the UK and the EU are clear this implementation period must be time-limited and cannot become a permanent solution. But it is vital to give governments, businesses and citizens on both sides the time they need to prepare for our new relationship.

With this agreed, I want both sides to turn all our attention and efforts to that new relationship.

But before we can do that, we need to set out in more detail what relationship we want, building on my Lancaster House and Florence speeches.

So last month, I spoke in Munich about the security partnership we seek.

And today, I want to talk about the other pillar of that relationship: how we build our economic partnership.

Existing models will not work

In my speech in Florence, I set out why the existing models for economic partnership either do not deliver the ambition we need or impose unsustainable constraints on our democracy.

For example, the Norway model, where we would stay in the single market, would mean having to implement new EU legislation automatically and in its entirety  and would also mean continued free movement.

Others have suggested we negotiate a free trade agreement similar to that which Canada has recently negotiated with the EU - or trade on World Trade Organisation terms.

But these options would mean a significant reduction in our access to each others markets compared to that which we currently enjoy.

And this would mean customs and regulatory checks at the border that would damage the integrated supply chains that our industries depend on and be inconsistent with the commitments that both we and the EU have made in respect of Northern Ireland.

This is a wider issue in our negotiations and I want to dwell on this for a minute.

Successive British governments have worked tirelessly - together with all the parties in Northern Ireland and with the Irish Government - to bring about the historic achievement of peace.

This is an achievement that we should all be proud of, and protect. That is why I have consistently put upholding the Belfast Agreement at the heart of the UKs approach.

Our departure from the EU causes very particular challenges for Northern Ireland, and for Ireland. We joined the EU together 45 years ago. It is not surprising that our decision to leave has caused anxiety and a desire for concrete solutions.

We have been clear all along that we dont want to go back to a hard border in Ireland. We have ruled out any physical infrastructure at the border, or any related checks and controls.

But it is not good enough to say, We wont introduce a hard border; if the EU forces Ireland to do it, thats down to them. We chose to leave; we have a responsibility to help find a solution.

But we cant do it on our own. It is for all of us to work together.

And the Taoiseach and I agreed when we met recently that our teams and the Commission should now do just that.

I want to make one final point. Just as it would be unacceptable to go back to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, it would also be unacceptable to break up the United Kingdoms own common market by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea.

My personal commitment to this is clear.

As Prime Minister of the whole United Kingdom, I am not going to let our departure from the European Union do anything to set back the historic progress that we have made in Northern Ireland  nor will I allow anything that would damage the integrity of our precious Union.

Facing up to some hard facts

So existing models do not provide the best way forward for either the UK or the EU. But before I turn to what a new and better model might look like, I want to be straight with people  because the reality is that we all need to face up to some hard facts.

We are leaving the single market. Life is going to be different. In certain ways, our access to each others markets will be less than it is now. How could the EUs structure of rights and obligations be sustained, if the UK - or any country - were allowed to enjoy all the benefits without all of the obligations?

So we need to strike a new balance. But we will not accept the rights of Canada and the obligations of Norway.

The second hard fact is that even after we have left the jurisdiction of the ECJ, EU law and the decisions of the ECJ will continue to affect us.

For a start, the ECJ determines whether agreements the EU has struck are legal under the EUs own law  as the US found when the ECJ declared the Safe Harbor Framework for data sharing invalid.

When we leave the EU, the Withdrawal Bill will bring EU law into UK law. That means cases will be determined in our courts. But, where appropriate, our courts will continue to look at the ECJs judgments, as they do for the appropriate jurisprudence of other countries courts.

And if, as part of our future partnership, Parliament passes an identical law to an EU law, it may make sense for our courts to look at the appropriate ECJ judgments so that we both interpret those laws consistently.

As I said in Munich, if we agree that the UK should continue to participate in an EU agency the UK would have to respect the remit of the ECJ in that regard.

But, in the future, the EU treaties and hence EU law will no longer apply in the UK. The agreement we reach must therefore respect the sovereignty of both the UK and the EUs legal orders. That means the jurisdiction of the ECJ in the UK must end. It also means that the ultimate arbiter of disputes about our future partnership cannot be the court of either party.

The next hard fact is this. If we want good access to each others markets, it has to be on fair terms. As with any trade agreement, we must accept the need for binding commitments  for example, we may choose to commit some areas of our regulations like state aid and competition to remaining in step with the EUs.

The UK drove much of the policy in this area and we have much to gain from maintaining proper disciplines on the use of subsidies and on anti-competitive practices.

Furthermore, as I said in Florence, we share the same set of fundamental beliefs; a belief in free trade, rigorous and fair competition, strong consumer rights, and that trying to beat other countries industries by unfairly subsidising ones own is a serious mistake.

And in other areas like workers rights or the environment, the EU should be confident that we will not engage in a race to the bottom in the standards and protections we set. There is no serious political constituency in the UK which would support this  quite the opposite.

Finally, we need to resolve the tensions between some of our key objectives.

We want the freedom to negotiate trade agreements with other countries around the world. We want to take back control of our laws. We also want as frictionless a border as possible between us and the EU - so that we dont damage the integrated supply chains our industries depend on and dont have a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

But there are some tensions in the EUs position too  and some hard facts for them to face as well.

The Commission has suggested that the only option available to the UK is an off the shelf model.

But, at the same time, they have also said that in certain areas none of the EUs third country agreements would be appropriate.

And the European Councils Guidelines aspire to a balanced, ambitious, and wide-ranging deal, with common rules in a number of areas to ensure fair and open competition.

This would not be delivered by a Canada-style deal  which would not give them the breadth or depth of market access that they want.

And it is hard to see how it would be in the EUs interests for the UKs regulatory standards to be as different as Canadas.

Finally, we both need to face the fact that this is a negotiation and neither of us can have exactly what we want.

Future economic partnership

But I am confident we can reach agreement.

We both want good access to each others markets; we want competition between us to be fair and open; and we want reliable, transparent means of verifying we are meeting our commitments and resolving disputes.

But what is clear is that for us both to meet our objectives we need to look beyond the precedents, and find a new balance.

As on security, what I am seeking is a relationship that goes beyond the transactional to one where we support each others interests.

So I want the broadest and deepest possible partnership  covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today. And as I will go on to describe we will also need agreements in a range of areas covering the breadth of our relationship.

I believe this is achievable because it is in the EUs interests as well as ours.

The EU is the UKs biggest market  and of course the UK is also a big market for the EU. And furthermore, we have a unique starting point, where on day one we both have the same laws and rules.

So rather than having to bring two different systems closer together, the task will be to manage the relationship once we are two separate legal systems.

To do so, and to realise this level of ambition, there are five foundations that must underpin our trading relationship.

First, our agreement will need reciprocal binding commitments to ensure fair and open competition.

Such agreements are part and parcel of any trade agreement. After all, why would any country enter into a privileged economic partnership without any means of redress if the other party engaged in anti-competitive practices?

But the level of integration between the UK and EU markets and our geographical proximity mean these reciprocal commitments will be particularly important in ensuring that UK business can compete fairly in EU markets and vice versa.

A deep and comprehensive agreement with the EU will therefore need to include commitments reflecting the extent to which the UK and EU economies are entwined.

Second, we will need an arbitration mechanism that is completely independent  something which, again, is common to Free Trade Agreements.

This will ensure that any disagreements about the purpose or scope of the agreement can be resolved fairly and promptly.

Third, given the close relationship we envisage, we will need to have an ongoing dialogue with the EU, and to ensure we have the means to consult each other regularly.

In particular we will want to make sure our regulators continue to work together; as they do with regulators internationally. This will be essential for everything from getting new drugs to patients quickly to maintaining financial stability. We start from the place where our regulators already have deep and long-standing relationships. So the task is maintaining that trust; not building it in the first place.

Fourth, we will need an arrangement for data protection.

I made this point in Munich in relation to our security relationship. But the free flow of data is also critical for both sides in any modern trading relationship too. The UK has exceptionally high standards of data protection. And we want to secure an agreement with the EU that provides the stability and confidence for EU and UK business and individuals to achieve our aims in maintaining and developing the UKs strong trading and economic links with the EU.

That is why we will be seeking more than just an adequacy arrangement and want to see an appropriate ongoing role for the UKs Information Commissioners Office. This will ensure UK businesses are effectively represented under the EUs new one stop shop mechanism for resolving data protection disputes.

And fifth, we must maintain the links between our people.

EU citizens are an integral part of the economic, cultural and social fabric of our country. I know that UK nationals are viewed in entirely the same way by communities across the EU. And this is why at every stage of these negotiations, I have put the interests of EU citizens and UK nationals at the heart of our approach.

We are clear that as we leave the EU, free movement of people will come to an end and we will control the number of people who come to live in our country.

But UK citizens will still want to work and study in EU countries  just as EU citizens will want to do the same here, helping to shape and drive growth, innovation and enterprise. Indeed, businesses across the EU and the UK must be able to attract and employ the people they need. And we are open to discussing how to facilitate these valuable links.

Reciprocal commitments to ensure fair and open competition, an independent arbitration mechanism, an ongoing dialogue, data protection arrangements and maintaining the links between our people. These are the foundations that underpin the ambition of this unique and unprecedented partnership.

It will then need to be tailored to the needs of our economies.

This follows the approach the EU has taken with its trade agreements in the past  and indeed with its own single market as it has developed.

The EUs agreement with Ukraine sees it align with the EU in some areas but not others. The EUs agreement with South Korea contains provisions to recognise each others approvals for new car models, whereas their agreement with Canada does not. Equally, the EUs agreement with Canada contains provisions to recognise each others testing on machinery; its agreement with South Korea does not.

The EU itself is rightly taking a tailored approach in what it is seeking with the UK. For example, on fisheries, the Commission has been clear that no precedents exist for the sort of access it wants from the UK.

The fact is that every Free Trade Agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.

Moreover, with all its neighbours the EU has varying levels of access to the Single Market, depending on the obligations those neighbours are willing to undertake.

What would be cherry-picking would be if we were to seek a deal where our rights and obligations were not held in balance.

And I have been categorically clear that is not what we are going to do.

I think it is pragmatic common sense that we should work together to deliver the best outcome for both sides.

Goods

Let me start with how we do this for goods.

This is the area where the single market is most established and both the UK and the EU have a strong commercial interest in preserving integrated supply chains that have built up over forty years of our membership.

When it comes to goods, a fundamental principle in our negotiating strategy should be that trade at the UK-EU border should be as frictionless as possible.

That means we dont want to see the introduction of any tariffs or quotas. And  as the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union set out in his speech in Vienna last week - we must ensure that, as now, products only need to undergo one series of approvals, in one country, to show that they meet the required regulatory standards.

To achieve this we will need a comprehensive system of mutual recognition.

The UK will need to make a strong commitment that its regulatory standards will remain as high as the EUs. That commitment, in practice, will mean that UK and EU regulatory standards will remain substantially similar in the future.

Many of these regulatory standards are themselves underpinned by international standards set by non-EU bodies of which we will remain a member  such as the UN Economic Commission for Europe, which sets vehicle safety standards. Countries around the world, including Turkey, South Africa, South Korea, Japan and Russia, are party to the agreement.

As I said in my speech in Florence this could be achieved in different ways.

Our default is that UK law may not necessarily be identical to EU law, but it should achieve the same outcomes. In some cases Parliament might choose to pass an identical law  businesses who export to the EU tell us that it is strongly in their interest to have a single set of regulatory standards that mean they can sell into the UK and EU markets.

If the Parliament of the day decided not to achieve the same outcomes as EU law, it would be in the knowledge that there may be consequences for our market access.

And there will need to be an independent mechanism to oversee these arrangements.

We will also want to explore with the EU, the terms on which the UK could remain part of EU agencies such as those that are critical for the chemicals, medicines and aerospace industries: the European Medicines Agency, the European Chemicals Agency, and the European Aviation Safety Agency.

We would, of course, accept that this would mean abiding by the rules of those agencies and making an appropriate financial contribution.

I want to explain what I believe the benefits of this approach could be, both for us and the EU.

First, associate membership of these agencies is the only way to meet our objective of ensuring that these products only need to undergo one series of approvals, in one country.

Second, these agencies have a critical role in setting and enforcing relevant rules. And if we were able to negotiate associate membership we would be able to ensure that we could continue to provide our technical expertise.

Third, associate membership could permit UK firms to resolve certain challenges related to the agencies through UK courts rather than the ECJ.

For example, in the case of Switzerland, associate membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency means that airworthiness certifications are granted by its own aviation authority, and disputes are resolved through its courts. Without its membership, Swiss airlines would need to gain their certifications through another member state or through the Agency, and any dispute would need to be resolved through the ECJ.

Fourth it would bring other benefits too. For example, membership of the European Medicines Agency would mean investment in new innovative medicines continuing in the UK, and it would mean these medicines getting to patients faster as firms prioritise larger markets when they start the lengthy process of seeking authorisations. But it would also be good for the EU because the UK regulator assesses more new medicines than any other member state. And the EU would continue to access the expertise of the UKs world-leading universities.

And, of course, Parliament would remain ultimately sovereign. It could decide not to accept these rules, but with consequences for our membership of the relevant agency and linked market access rights.

Lastly to achieve as frictionless a border as possible and to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, we also need an agreement on customs.

The UK has been clear it is leaving the Customs Union.

The EU has also formed a customs union with some other countries.

But those arrangements, if applied to the UK, would mean the EU setting the UKs external tariffs, being able to let other countries sell more into the UK without making it any easier for us to sell more to them, or the UK signing up to the Common Commercial Policy. That would not be compatible with a meaningful independent trade policy. It would mean we had less control than we do now over our trade in the world. Neither Leave nor Remain voters would want that.

So we have thought seriously about how our commitment to a frictionless border can best be delivered. And last year, we set out two potential options for our customs arrangement. Option one is a customs partnership between the UK and the EU. At the border, the UK would mirror the EUs requirements for imports from the rest of the world, applying the same tariffs and the same rules of origin as the EU for those goods arriving in the UK and intended for the EU. By following this approach, we would know that all goods entering the EU via the UK pay the right EU duties, removing the need for customs processes at the UK-EU border.

But, importantly, we would put in place a mechanism so that the UK would also be able to apply its own tariffs and trade policy for goods intended for the UK market. As we have set out previously, this would require the means to ensure that both sides can trust the system and a robust enforcement mechanism.

Option two would be a highly streamlined customs arrangement, where we would jointly agree to implement a range of measures to minimise frictions to trade, together with specific provisions for Northern Ireland.

First, measures to ensure the requirements for moving goods across borders are as simple as possible.

This means we should continue to waive the requirement for entry and exit declarations for goods moving between the UK and the EU.

And we should allow goods moving between the UK and the rest of the world to travel through the EU without paying EU duties and vice versa.

Second, measures to reduce the risk of delays at ports and airports. For example, recognising each others trusted traders schemes and drawing on the most advanced IT solutions so that vehicles do not need to stop at the border.

Third, we should continue our cooperation to mitigate customs duty and security risks.

And fourth, measures to reduce the cost and burden of complying with customs administrative requirements, including by maximising the use of automation.

And recognising the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland, and our shared commitments to avoiding a hard border, we should consider further specific measures.

80% of North-South trade is carried out by micro, small and medium sized businesses.

So for smaller traders  who as members of the community are most affected but whose economic role is not systemically significant for the EU market - we would allow them to continue to operate as they do currently, with no new restrictions.

And for larger traders we would introduce streamlined processes, including a trusted trader scheme that would be consistent with our commitments.

Both of these options for our future customs arrangement would leave the UK free to determine its own tariffs with third countries - which would simply not be possible in a customs union.

I recognise that some of these ideas depend on technology, robust systems to ensure trust and confidence, as well as goodwill  but they are serious and merit consideration by all sides.

So to conclude on goods, a fundamental principle in our negotiating strategy is that trade at the UK-EU border should be as frictionless as possible with no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

We believe this can be achieved via a commitment to ensure that the relevant UK regulatory standards remain at least as high as the EUs and a customs arrangement.

We recognise this would constrain our ability to lower regulatory standards for industrial goods. But in practice we are unlikely to want to reduce our standards: not least because the British public would rightly punish any government that did so at the ballot box.

Agrifood and fisheries

This approach to trade in goods is important for agriculture, food and drinks  but here other considerations also apply.

We are leaving the Common Agricultural Policy and will want to take the opportunity that brings to reform our agriculture and fisheries management.

The UK has among the highest environmental and animal welfare standards of any nation on earth. As we leave the EU we will uphold environmental standards and go further to protect our shared natural heritage. And I fully expect that our standards will remain at least as high as the EUs.

But it will be particularly important to secure flexibility here to ensure we can make the most of the opportunities presented by our withdrawal from the EU for our farmers and exporters.

We are also leaving the Common Fisheries Policy.

The UK will regain control over our domestic fisheries management rules and access to our waters.

But as part of our economic partnership we will want to continue to work together to manage shared stocks in a sustainable way and to agree reciprocal access to waters and a fairer allocation of fishing opportunities for the UK fishing industry.

And we will also want to ensure open markets for each others products.

Services

Just as our partnership in goods needs to be deeper than any other Free Trade Agreement, so in services we have the opportunity to break new ground with a broader agreement than ever before.

We recognise that certain aspects of trade in services are intrinsically linked to the single market and therefore our market access in these areas will need to be different.

But we should only allow new barriers to be introduced where absolutely necessary. We dont want to discriminate against EU service providers in the UK. And we wouldnt want the EU to discriminate against UK service providers.

So we want to limit the number of barriers that could prevent UK firms from setting up in the EU and vice versa, and agree an appropriate labour mobility framework that enables UK businesses and self-employed professionals to travel to the EU to provide services to clients in person and that allows UK businesses to provide services to the EU over the phone or the internet. And we want to do the same for EU firms providing services to the UK.

And given that UK qualifications are already recognised across the EU and vice versa  it would make sense to continue to recognise each others qualifications in the future.

There are two areas which have never been covered in a Free Trade Agreement in any meaningful way before  broadcasting and, despite the EUs own best efforts in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, financial services.

But we have some ideas for how we can do this  and it is in all our interests to explore these.

On broadcasting, we recognise that we cannot have exactly the same arrangements with the EU as we do now. Currently, because of the country of origin principle, a company based in the UK can be licenced by Ofcom and broadcast into any EU member state and vice versa. The relevant directive will not apply to the UK, as we leave the EU, and relying solely on precedents will hurt consumers and businesses on both sides.

The UKs creative hub leads to the development of products that European consumers want - the UK currently provides around 30% of the channels available in the EU. But equally, many UK companies have pan-European ownership, and there are 35 channels and on-demand services, which are offered in the UK but licensed in the EU.

So we should explore creative options with an open mind, including mutual recognition which would allow for continued transfrontier broadcasting - recognising the enriching role that British broadcasters and programme makers play, not only in British - but more broadly in our common European - culture.

Similarly, on financial services, the Chancellor will be setting out next week how financial services can and should be part of a deep and comprehensive partnership. We are not looking for passporting because we understand this is intrinsic to the single market of which we would no longer be a member. It would also require us to be subject to a single rule book, over which we would have no say.

The UK has responsibility for the financial stability of the worlds most significant financial centre, and our taxpayers bear the risk, so it would be unrealistic for us to implement new EU legislation automatically and in its entirety.

But with UK located banks underwriting around half of the debt and equity issued by EU companies and providing more than 1.1 trillion of cross-border lending to the rest of the EU in 2015 alone, this is a clear example of where only looking at precedent would hurt both the UK and EU economies.

As in other areas of the future economic partnership, our goal should be to establish the ability to access each others markets, based on the UK and EU maintaining the same regulatory outcomes over time, with a mechanism for determining proportionate consequences where they are not maintained. But given the highly regulated nature of financial services, and our shared desire to manage financial stability risks, we would need a collaborative, objective framework that is reciprocal, mutually agreed, and permanent and therefore reliable for businesses.

There are many other areas where the UK and EU economies are closely linked  including energy, transport, digital, law, science and innovation, and education and culture.

On energy, we will want to secure broad energy co-operation with the EU. This includes protecting the single electricity market across Ireland and Northern Ireland - and exploring options for the UKs continued participation in the EUs internal energy market. We also believe it is of benefit to both sides for the UK to have a close association with Euratom.

On transport, we will want to ensure the continuity of air, maritime and rail services; and we will want to protect the rights of road hauliers to access the EU market and vice versa.

On digital, the UK will not be part of the EUs Digital Single Market, which will continue to develop after our withdrawal from the EU. This is a fast evolving, innovative sector, in which the UK is a world leader. So it will be particularly important to have domestic flexibility, to ensure the regulatory environment can always respond nimbly and ambitiously to new developments.

We will want our agreement to cover civil judicial cooperation, where the EU has already shown that it can reach agreement with non-member states, such as through the Lugano Convention, although we would want a broader agreement that reflects our unique starting point. And our agreement will also need to cover company law and intellectual property, to provide further legal certainty and coherence.

The UK is also committed to establishing a far-reaching science and innovation pact with the EU, facilitating the exchange of ideas and researchers. This would enable the UK to participate in key programmes alongside our EU partners. And we want to take a similar approach to educational and cultural programmes, to promote our shared values and enhance our intellectual strength in the world - again making an ongoing contribution to cover our fair share of the costs involved.

In all these areas, bold and creative thinking can deliver new agreements that are in the very best interests of all our people - both in the UK and across the EU.

And in the face of a worrying rise in protectionism, I believe such agreements can enable us to set an example to the world.

Post-Brexit Britain

For the world is watching.

We should not think of our leaving the EU as marking an ending, as much as a new beginning for the United Kingdom and our relationship with our European allies.

Change is not to be feared, so long as we face it with a clear-sighted determination to act for the common good.

Nor is Brexit an end in itself.

Rather, it must be the means by which we reaffirm Britains place in the world and renew the ties that bind us here at home. And I know that the United Kingdom I treasure can emerge from this process a stronger, more cohesive nation.

A United Kingdom which is a cradle for innovation; a leader in the industries of the future; a champion of free trade, based on high standards; a modern, outward-looking, tolerant country, proud of our values and confident of our place in the world.

This is an optimistic and confident future which can unite us all.

A Global Britain which thrives in the world by forging a bold and comprehensive economic partnership with our neighbours in the EU; and reaches out beyond our continent, to trade with nations across the globe.

The approach I have set out today would: implement the referendum result, provide an enduring solution, protect our security and prosperity, helps us build the kind of country we want to be, and bring our country together by commanding the confidence of those who voted Leave and those who voted Remain. It is an approach to deliver for the whole of our United Kingdom and our wider family of overseas territories.

I am in no doubt that whatever agreement we reach with the EU, our future is bright. The stability and continuity of centuries of self-government, our commitment to freedom under the rule of law, our belief in enterprise and innovation, but above all, the talent and genius of all our people  and especially our young people  are the seeds of our success in the future, as they have been the guarantors of our success in the past.

I look forward to discussing our future partnership with our European friends. Because although we are leaving the EU  and in that regard we will become separate  we are all still European and will stay linked by the many ties and values we have in common. And because it is only by working together that we will find solutions that work for all our peoples.

Yes, there will be ups and downs in the months ahead. As in any negotiation, no-one will get everything they want. We will not be buffeted by the demands to talk tough or threaten a walk out. Just as we will not accept the counsels of despair that this simply cannot be done. We will move forward by calm, patient discussion of each others positions. It is my responsibility as Prime Minister to provide that leadership for our country at this crucial time. By following the course I have set out today, I am confident we will get there and deliver the right outcome for Britain and the EU.

A generation from now what will be remembered is not the rough and tumble of negotiation but whether we reached an enduring solution cast in the interests of the people we are all here to serve. So my message to our friends in Europe is clear.

We know what we want.

We understand your principles.

We have a shared interest in getting this right.

So lets get on with it.Bruce Willis in Death Wish. Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

Eli Roths Death Wish remake couldnt have arrived at a worse time  or a better one, depending on your perspective. Its practically an NRA promo. In this iteration of the classic urban vigilante story, Bruce Williss Paul Kersey is a Chicago emergency-room surgeon and resolute man of peace, still carrying the scars of an abusive father. As a consequence  karmic, if not direct  of his refusal to go through life meeting violence with violence, he cant protect his wife and daughter from predators. (I failed at the most important things a man does, he says.) The Chicago cops are overwhelmed and ineffectual. God is nowhere in evidence. At his wifes funeral service, her father says he grew up believing that humans have to trust in the Almightys plan, but how can his daughters murder be part of any plan?

Slowly, as if by natural  not social or cultural  force, Kersey evolves into a killing machine. Though loudmouths on TV and radio debate the goodness or evil of the unknown white man in a hoodie whom the media has dubbed the Grim Reaper, its not difficult to gauge the filmmakers feelings. Yes, vigilantism is a messy business. But victims of crime see Kersey as a guardian angel. The world is a more just, orderly, and safe place without the people he has killed.

Its difficult to know where to start  which aspect of this Death Wish is the silliest? It hits a note of earnest dopiness from the start, when Dr. Kersey cant save a mortally wounded cop and turns without hesitation (to the cops partners outrage and disgust) to saving the life of the criminal who shot him. After the attack on Kerseys family, the police (represented by an unduly relaxed Dean Norris with Kimberly Elise as his peppery sidekick) are bound to point out that the vast majority of homicides in Chicago are against people of color, whereas a home invasion gone bad in well-off Evanston is an anomaly. But they dont get to square one in solving the crime. Not a break, not a lead. Its all on Dr. K to seek justice.

Willis has worked very hard to wipe the congenital smirk off his face, but he doesnt have the energy to replace it with anything else. Hes a blank. Which doesnt hurt the film too much, since hes there for the audience to project on. Kersey goes to buy a gun from a curvy blonde named Bethany at a fancy weapons store, but turns away when he learns it might take a few days for a background check  and that theres a surveillance camera on him! Luckily (or by divine grace), a gun falls out of the pocket of a guy on Kerseys operating table. (No one had found the Seussian Glock in his pocket! Only Kersey sees and hears it and kicks it under the gurney.) Wandering the city with his new, untraceable piece, Kersey happens to come upon a carjacking and clumsily but definitively takes out the escaping criminals. He puts an extra bullet in one, which makes him technically a murderer  though no one in the audience I saw the film with seemed to mind. I sure didnt. I whoop along with everyone else at vigilante movies, which is probably why I hate them so much. They are the definitive soul-splitters.

A few months ago, I was tipped that there was more going on in Brian Garfields original novel than in the 1974 adaptation directed by Michael Winner and starring Charles Bronson. The setup is the same, but the tone of the book is anguished, the action morally clouded  this is New York in the late 60s and early 70s, when it really seemed as if the government had lost control of the cities. Paul doesnt play detective and go after the people who killed his wife and drove his daughter to madness. His revenge is general. Near the end, he sets out a car for someone to strip and kills the two kids who first circle the block and take the bait. In the final scene, some kids are raining concrete and rocks down on a subway car  the most nihilistic crime imaginable  and he kills most of them in ugly ways before almost literally running into a cop, who symbolically holds out his arm and then turns the other way, partly in worship, partly to say, The job is yours. The novel ends in irresolution and despair.

In the Bronson version, Paul doesnt search out his wife and daughters attackers either. (It would have been easy  one of them is Jeff Goldblum!) But he is satisfied in his work and is allowed to get away clean. It wasnt until nearly a decade later, in the ludicrously sleazy Death Wish II, that Bronson turned into Dirty Harry and eliminated the people responsible for killing his maid and daughter. (Memorable racist bit: A baddie  Laurence Fishburne!  tries to shield himself with a huge ghetto blaster, in the language of the film, which is split down the middle, along with Fishburnes face, by Bronsons bullet.)

Needless to say, Chicago in 2018 is no place for a vigilante avenger, although in the hope of looking even vaguely relevant and aware of the fact that the black community is under siege, Roth and screenwriter Joe Carnahan have Kersey take out a black guy  the Ice Cream Man  threatening little kids who dont follow orders. While Roths touch is notably less savage (and slacker) than in his Hostel movies and The Green Inferno, he is evidently happy to stage Williss kills in novel ways. The only vengeance killing with any kick, though, is a torture number in which Dr. K chains the bad guy under a jacked-up car, cuts his leg, and ties pours battery fluid on the wound. Very satisfying to hear the scumbag guy shriek, and the splattery punch line is a hoot. (I told you I whoop at these movies. Its either that or leave.)

Death Wish is a classier version of what you can find on cable in the wee hours  its not worth seeing in the theater  but its worth pausing over its politics of guns. As Ive said, Kersey cant get one legally in time. But when things settle down, he goes back to Bethany and legally buys some real doozies, one of which produces the films orgasmic payoff. By then weve left the real world of Chicago  as if we were ever in it  and squarely inhabit that peculiar sadomasochistic fantasy land, in which man plus gun equals a restoration and maintenance of the natural order instead of the worst threat to it imaginable.Photo: Cornell Capa  International Center of Photography

I was sad thinking about it on the way over, said Maggie Paley, a former Paris Review editor, during the last party that would ever be thrown in George Plimptons apartment. But being here, its hard to be sad. Theres so many people!

Paley was standing by the couch where Truman Capote had sat in a famous 1963 Life photograph (above) that immortalized the parlor floor of 541 East 72nd Street as the center of postwar American high culture. George Plimpton  writer, publisher, amateur lion tamer  died in 2003 after 50 years as the founding editor of The Paris Review. The journal, which had operated out of his home, moved downtown two years later. Three months ago, the third editor to succeed him, Lorin Stein, a cerebral bon vivant emcee in the Plimpton mold, resigned in a fog of sexual-harassment allegations (including sex in the office). And now Plimptons widow, Sarah, was planning to put their multistory apartment on the market. To mourn and to celebrate, she threw one last shindig Wednesday night, billed Last Call at 72nd Street.

It was, as they say, the end of an era  an era of intellectual conviviality but also an era in which women tended to serve as ornaments or helpmeets to Great Men. George was an era, said Gay Talese, gazing at the same East River view hed described in his own piece of party mythmaking, an Esquire cover story of the same vintage as the Life photo. (Missing from both was Jackie Kennedys visit to a Plimpton party soon after; she was appalled at the state of his bedroom.) Talese still attends the Paris Reviews fundraising Revels in its new offices. Hes registered a little change in clothes, but everything else is pretty much the same  always good-looking women. (It bears mentioning that Talese got in hot water two years ago for asking a female Times journalist if she was off to get her nails done.) As for Plimpton, he was known to tell guests, Bring a pretty girl.

Morgan Entrekin, Grove Atlantics longtime publisher, was less blase about times passage. Standing on a riser, the same high vantage point of the famous photo, he was feeling a pang of nostalgia for the place where hed gotten to know Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut, writers he went on to publish. What was powerful was the continuity between generations of writers, he said, an exchange between wise elders and energetic youth fostered by the Review. After they moved out of here, it evolved out of my age group and set. It was really hot and crowded with a lot of people who were 25 years younger than me, and it didnt have the same thing.

The simple word is glamour, which also means magic, said William Wadsworth, a director of Columbias MFA writing program, who had his engagement party in the apartment. George himself was just an amazing, amazing person. He was so funny  he could stand up at one of these events, hed blow his bugle and make a speech, and it was hilarious 

As if on cue, there were calls for quiet, sadly bugle-free. Standing midway up the staircase leading to private quarters upstairs, Sarah Plimpton gave a quick speech paying homage to the Paris Review Foundation and more generally to history. Coming to a Plimpton party was a rite of passage for aspiring writers, she said. Every time George had a party here I was worried there wouldnt be enough room, but theres something about this place  it absorbs everyone who comes in.

The house did feel magically expansive, like Narnia behind the wardrobe  a world that opens out from a row-house hallway to reveal extra stairwells, nooks, and risers, along with a metamorphosing billiard table. By day it was a makeshift desk for pasting together the Review, by night a covered surface for the most basic hors doeuvres. This evening, it was just a pool table; chic canapes were ferried instead by a crew of caterers based in a kitchen carved out of the late publishers original bedroom. Long gone were the days when Plimpton would self-cater a party by emptying a can of Dinty Moore stew into a pot.

Like the Plimpton apartment, which expanded over the decades, the party did evolve with the times. Before my day it was pretty raunchy, said Sarah Plimpton, who became Georges second wife in 1991. I think weve cleaned it up a lot. She confirmed, with a grimace, the story of a woman popping out of a birthday cake in a gorilla suit, stripping fully, and then leaping into Plimptons lap. Not everyone went home in the old days  at least according to a famous anecdote from a friend of Plimptons, whod arrived one morning to find the novelist Terry Southern and a young woman passed out on the sofa in the early stages of undress, each holding a glass of Champagne.

There were a couple of other speeches Wednesday evening, including a 50-second toast from Dick Cavett (about a notorious William Faulkner interview) and another by James Goodale, a core member of the board of the Paris Review Foundation. Goodale recalled the magazines 50th-anniversary party, which Plimpton allowed under two conditions: One, we had cancan girls, and two, we would have fireworks. (Plimpton died, but the party went ahead, featuring both.) Goodale touted the Reviews evolution, under his board, from a magazine with twice the Sewanee [Review]s circulation  it was 4,500 to a website attracting 600,000 viewers a month.

Talking to me earlier, Goodale had taken more personal credit for the journals longevity: George said no good literary editor ever wants the publication to survive him because its his creation and they all fail, so dont waste your time. Ive wasted my time and here we are. After Plimptons death, his managing editor, Brigid Hughes, succeeded him under the title executive editor. But then, according to a recent article by A.N. Devers headlined This Is How a Woman Is Erased From Her Job, an old boy faction of the board, including Goodale, ended Hughess yearlong tenure and hired journalist Philip Gourevitch instead. Hughes was rarely spoken of again. Gourevitch was there on Wednesday, but didnt have much to say about the leadership, except that we threw fantastic parties during my period as well, and that the Paris Review will keep on keeping on. Hughes wasnt at the party, though she was invited. Lorin Stein was not.

When Stein took over the Review in 2010, the New York Times called him a proud throwback, the fitting inheritor of a title for which bacchanalian nights are practically inscribed in the job description. When he resigned seven years later, during an internal investigation into alleged affairs with writers and subordinates, Stein was derided as a throwback to the darker side of the Reviews golden age  when men doled out opportunities in return for sexual favors.

Goodale was laid-back about the departure. Lorin couldnt stay there forever, he said. I was on the committee that was looking into it, and we knew something had to be done, but we couldnt agree on what. If we took it to the board, wed still be in the boardroom today trying to figure out what to do. So he was a real gentleman to resign and save us all a lot of stress. But was Stein an outlier or merely the inheritor of an outmoded mid-century culture? I think its the times, said Goodale. The whole approach to this sort of thing has changed; the law has changed.

The past, meanwhile, grows hazier by the moment. I cant remember any egregious misbehavior in the old days, said Entrekin. But my wife says Im not very aware sometimes. I guess youd have to ask people who were there, particularly the women. As the party sauntered past its official 9 p.m. end-time, several women gathered in the kitchen. Jeanne McCulloch, the Reviews managing editor in the 90s and a current member of the board, wouldnt comment about Stein, but you can have this for the record. George very much kept women in positions of authority, women with opinions, because he knew he couldnt cover the waterfront. It was very much about an ensemble effort.

McCulloch was one in a long line of hardworking female editors, from the legendary Maxine Groffsky all the way up to Hughes. But her first task, at the age of 26, was to organize a party in Plimptons absence. He called and said, Listen, kiddo, Im stranded in Ohio. You can host, right? I said, Absolutely not. But I did. Kurt Vonnegut walks in, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, and theyre all like, Wheres George? I said, Ohio. Want a drink? She was also there when the Grateful Dead popped in on a few hours notice, requiring an emergency liquor run and billiard-table transformation.

Standing nearby, Sarah Plimpton said that when she met George, hostessing two or three parties a week was like part of the contract. And I was the cleanup crew. And I survived. I survived! Twenty-six years younger than Plimpton, shed lived a few doors down from him for years before they met. And now, three decades and thousands of parties later, shes moving out. I told my kids  her twin 25-year-old daughters with Plimpton  Id keep the apartment until they were launched. Id been dreaming, before I met George, of living in Santa Fe. Now, 35 years later, Im making it; Im moving to Santa Fe.

Shortly before ten, everyone was headed home  except the woman who was already home, though not for much longer. Im so tired, she said. Its been such a long night.Queen Elizabeth. Photo: Getty Images

In a bizarrely fascinating story that will undoubtedly be explored in The Crowns fourth or fifth season, its come to light by many news organizations this week that in October 1981, a teenager named Christopher John Lewis attempted an assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth II when she was on a royal visit in Dunedin, New Zealand. Per the New York Timess feature on the subject, Lewis, then 17 years old, was a self-described terrorist who was perched on the fifth floor of a nearby building with a .22-caliber rifle, who waited for the Queen and Prince Philip to emerge from their vehicle. When they stepped out, Lewis fired his weapon, although he missed by a wide margin.

The reason Lewis assassination attempt is coming to light now, as opposed to years earlier, is the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (S.I.S.) declassified a handful of documents this week, one of which details and confirms the plot. Lewis did indeed originally intend to assassinate the queen, a released memo said, according to the Times. However did not have a suitable vantage point from which to fire, nor a sufficiently high-powered rifle for the range from the target. Additionally, the memo points that the New Zealand government was pleased that the local media hadnt yet made an assassination connection. Current police investigations into the shots have been conducted discreetly and most media representatives probably have the impression that the noise was caused by a firework of some description, the memo continues. There is a worry, however, that in court the press may make the connections between the date of the offense and the Queens visit.

At the time, Lewis was arrested not for a royal assassination attempt, but rather for possessing and firing a weapon in public. He was jailed for three years, and in 1997 committed suicide in prison while awaiting charges for a separate crime. Interestingly enough, when the Queen chose to return to New Zealand in 1995, officials believed Lewis was still a great danger to the monarchy  as such, the police paid him to go on an opulent 10-day vacation outside the country during the entire visit. Olivia Colman, what will you do with that?Back in the 1970s, youngn Steve Buscemi had a plan. He was going to try his hand in the New York City stand-up scene  alongside people you definitely never heard of, like Jerry Seinfeld and Gilbert Gottfried  in the hopes of using his improv to land him a role in television shows. It didnt go well. Unless self-deprecating jokes about Buscemis skinny body are your thing, with the strategic inclusion of some kitchen props. He didnt repress these memories for nothing.TBM digging progress ahead of schedule

The Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Projectwhich is using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the time in Nepalhas completed digging 20 percent of the 12-km long tunnel within three and half months.The all-mighty PM!

Oli now has six folks in his cabinet and let us hope that he will get done with his cabinet expansion natak in the next few weeks.NAB chairman Ken Henry has urged political and business leaders to revisit the "politically difficult" issue of raising and broadening the GST to remedy Australia's "too low" tax take, while decrying governments' reluctance to act on challenging issues because they were seen as "too hard".

He has warned that without tax reform Australia risked losing the capacity to fund its infrastructure and health, education and welfare systems - saying that "if you lose the capacity to finance government on a sustainable basis then government fails".

And he said that while the findings of the 2010 Henry tax review remained current, he would not be opposed to an "inclusive" new tax inquiry - taking in community groups, business, the welfare sector and the federal and state governments - "that seeks to achieve support for a broad based tax reform package".

NAB chairman Ken Henry says governments are "acting as if they lack power". Credit:Jessica Shapiro

Dr Henry, the former Treasury secretary who led the previous Labor government's Future Tax System review, reiterated his call this week for widescale tax reform beyond corporate tax cuts - including a broader base and higher rate of tax on consumption, pointing to the cash flow tax proposed in the Henry review - and said the nation needed political, business and community leaders who "relished the opportunity to do really difficult things".A 36-year-old man has died after his Harley Davidson crashed into another vehicle in Canning Vale on Friday night.

Police said the man was riding east on Randford Road around the time of the crash at 9:10pm when his motorcycle crashed into the rear of a black Mitsubishi Pajero stationary at the Waratah Boulevard traffic light intersection.

Witnesses are urged to contact Crimestoppers. Credit:Georgia Matts

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The rider, a man from Seville Grove, was taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital by St John Ambulance for treatment, but he later died.A group of Lancelin locals have raised the cash for a swimming pontoon and installed it on a mooring in the town's main bay - but there are rumblings the project may have jumped the gun.

Kym Illman from the Lancelin District Community Association said the idea for the pontoon was first floated by the group's president Bevan Henderson, and once momentum built behind it the pontoon quickly came to life.

It's hoped the pontoon will help attract tourists. Credit:Kym Illman

"We worked out all the specifics and then set up a Gofundme page, tapped a few local businesses for funds, and very quickly we had six and a half thousand dollars from the community and direct donations," he said.

"We ordered it, had it transported from Perth and floated it out to a mooring. From go to whoa in four weeks."A light plane has made an emergency landing on a highway in Western Australia's Kimberly region.

The plane landed on the Great Northern Highway near Broome on Friday and no injuries have been reported, WA Police have confirmed.

No injuries have been reported. Credit:David Allan-Petale

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The plane took off from Halls Creek and was en route to Broome before it landed safely with ten people on board, ABC has reported.Time to impeach dishonest people in judiciary: Dahal

Former prime minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said time had come to impeach dishonest people in the judiciary.Perth's long awaited Yagan Square development was opened on Saturday with a traditional Whadjuk welcome and official ceremony.

The $73.5 million dollar precinct connects William Street to the CBD and boasts restaurants, an amphitheatre and a children's playground.

Mr McGowan with Credit:David Allan-Petale

The precinct's design and materials were selected to reflect Aboriginal stories and WA's landscape.Anyone sceptical of how Ed Sheeran could maintain the intimacy of his ballads performing as a one-man band in a stadium was quickly silenced as he kicked off his Australian tour in Perth.

The English musician reflected that he had come a long way from performing to 30 people in Sydney during his first Australian show in 2011.

Ed Sheeran kicked off his Australian tour in Perth on Friday night. Credit:David Allan-Petale

Sheeran was also the first musical act to perform at Optus Stadium on Friday night and told the crowd of about 60,000 people he was "properly honoured".

"I'm having the time of my life up here," he said.Kuala Lumpur: The families of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 passengers and crew have held a remembrance event in Kuala Lumpur, a week before the anniversary of the plane's disappearance four years ago.

The plane vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, including six Australians.

At the memorial, a Malaysian official spoke to media, saying the search for the missing flight by a US company will likely end in June.

Malaysia inked a "no cure, no fee" deal with Texas-based Ocean Infinity in January to resume the hunt for the plane, a year after the official search in the southern Indian Ocean by Australia, Malaysia and China was called off.Wanted lawmaker Nawaraj Silwal spotted in Parliament building

Former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police and newly-elected lawmaker Nawaraj Silwal, who is in the most wanted list of police for a document forgery case, was spotted in the premises of Parliament building, New Baneshwor, on Saturday.WTO should provide support system to uplift LDCs: Bairagi

Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi held a meeting with Director General of the World Trade Organization Roberto Azevedo in Geneva on Friday.Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

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Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.Stinging rebuke for Biden's "boosters for all" planHENDERSONVILLE NAMES NEW FINANCE DIRECTOR

JOHN BUCHANAN

The City of Hendersonville is pleased to announce the promotion of John Buchanan to the position of Finance Director. According to Assistant City Manager Brian Pahle, John stood out as the clear candidate for the position and has demonstrated his knowledge and skills through his leadership and multiple financial process improvements for the City. Mr. Buchanan began working for the City of Hendersonville as an Accounting Supervisor in January 2015. John has two Bachelor of Business Administration degrees, one in accounting and the other in management from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a North Carolina Certified Local Government Finance Officer (CGFO). John will be asked to lead an outstanding Finance team which includes two additional Certified Government Finance Officers. We welcome John to the position and look forward to his continued leadership, said Pahle.

John will begin his duties as Hendersonvilles Finance Director on March 1, 2018.

For more information on this press release, please contact Assistant City Manager Brian Pahle, at 828-233-3218.By Jina Belcher Ground zero for federal efforts to boost communities reeling from the downturn[Read More]In the wake of Florida shooting, states are more likely to enact laws that loosen  rather than strengthen  gun restrictionsMOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP)  Police were searching Friday for a young man suspected of killing two people at a Central Michigan University residence hall on the same day parents were arriving to pick up students beginning their spring break.

Police released a photo of James Eric Davis Jr., urging the public to call 911 if they see him but also warning that the 19-year-old shouldn't be confronted. The campus was locked down, and students and staff were told to find shelter.

"He should be considered armed and dangerous," campus police Lt. Larry Klaus said.

The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. at Campbell Hall, a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) north of Lansing. Police described the shooting as a "family-type domestic situation" and said the victims were not students.

Police declined to confirm news reports that said Davis had fatally shot his parents when they came to pick him up for spring break.

Klaus said video at the dorm suggests Davis fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.

The search was focused on Mount Pleasant neighborhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.

Klaus said Davis was taken to a hospital Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose. No other details were released.

Davis is from Plainfield, Illinois, and graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a weeklong break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.

A student, Tyler Whipple, was driving through campus when his route was blocked off by police cars at the scene of the killings. He had to catch a flight to Florida.

"These roads are kind of spooky right now," Whipple said.

The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message also was sent to students.

Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from Campbell Hall. She had planned to run errands before traveling home to the Detroit area.

"It's scary thinking about how easy a shooter can come into a college campus anywhere  a classroom, a library. There's so much easy access," Byron said.

In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings. Visitors also weren't being allowed to enter.

___

White reported from Detroit. News researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York City.LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)-- The spotlight has been on South Korea in recent weeks for the 2018 Winter Olympic games.

But for one man, South Korea means so much more than Olympic medalists.

Lafayette's oldest living marine from the Korean War is sharing his stories.

"My Mother in Law, she's very good, she nicknamed me Wild Bill."

Meet "Wild" Bill Letson.

At 86-years-old, you could say Letson's life has been a bit of a wild ride.

Bill Letson grew up in Alabama.

His father was a farmer and hoped that his son would eventually take over the family farm.

However, Letson didn't see a future for himself in farming.

He took a bus from his hometown in Moulton, Alabama to Pontiac, Michigan.

He worked with General Motors in Michigan for two years before he was drafted into the Marines at the age of 19.

The year was 1950.

"There was 42 of us drafted. And he said these first six people when you hear your name called, I was the second one, raise your right hand. You're in the Marine corps now," said Letson.

Not long after being drafted, Letson was sent to South Korea to fight in the Korean war.

While in the marines, he was in the infantry, artillery and also did reconnaissance.

Some memories, more than others, left a bad taste in his mouth.

"For 13 months we ate out of tin cans," Letson said. "Everything, corned beef hash. I couldn't stand it."

The war was a long three years, and Letson says, "you don't forget it."

But the war wasn't Letson's only fight.

"I had cancer twice on the top of my head," Letson said. "But... I'm still here."

Letson says no other fight in his life will ever compare to the Korean War.

"One time I had the feeling I'd never see America again," Letson said. "I was pretty happy, when you put your foot back in the United States."

When the war ended in July of 1953, Letson was traveling home to Alabama when he made a stop in Lafayette.

During that stop, he met a woman named Betty and fell in love.

They married the next year, made Lafayette their home, and Letson never went back to Michigan.

So whether you call him Bill, Willie or Wild Bill, at 86-years-old, the American Legion now recognizes Letson as Lafayette's oldest living Marine from the Korean War.

"You can see why everybody wants to come to the United States.. because it's free," said Letson.



China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home pageWhen New Zealands parliament resumed in late January, its first order of business was to pay tribute to ex-Deputy Prime Minister Jim Anderton, who died on January 7, aged 79. All the party leaders rose to laud Andertons 43-year contribution to bourgeois politics.

Media commentary emphasised Andertons role in saving the Labour Party and the New Zealand left during the critical period of the late 1980s and 1990s. He is also credited with rescuing the parliamentary system after mass hostility to the official parties saw the first-past-the-post electoral system ditched in 1994 in favour of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation to boost alterative parties.

The owner of an engineering firm, Anderton joined the Labour Party in 1963 and was elevated to the presidency in 1979 before becoming MP for Sydenham in 1984. Anderton quit the party to found the left-wing NewLabour in 1989, which later joined with four other bourgeois parties to form the Alliance in 1991.

As Alliance leader, Anderton became deputy prime minister in the Labour Party-led coalition government from 1999. Following the Alliances collapse in 2002, when its MPs voted to support the sending of NZ troops to Afghanistan, Anderton formed the Progressive Party, remaining the third-ranked minister in cabinet. He retired from parliament at the 2011 election.

Anderton and the Lange government

Anderton was a key figure in the 19841990 Labour government of Prime Minister David Lange. Under Finance Minister Roger Douglas, New Zealand was toasted by corporate leaders around the world as a model for economic restructuring. In the space of a decade, one of the worlds most protected and regulated economies was subordinated to the sweeping requirements of international finance capital.

The working class experienced a social catastrophe. Labour introduced a goods and services tax, imposed user pays policies in health and education, poverty became widespread and the privatisation of public enterprises destroyed over 60,000 jobs. In 1986 alone, nine public departments were turned into State Owned Enterprises to prepare them for sale.

Social inequality deepened. During Labours term of office, the top 10 percent of earners increased its share total income by 4 percentage points to 20 percent. The share for middle and bottom income earners suffered declines of about 5 percentage points. By 1993, the wealthiest 20 percent of households were receiving 45 percent of gross income, up from 35 percent in the late 1970s.

Sections of the newly-enriched elite, their share portfolios fattened by financial deregulation and the plunder of public assets, transferred their votes and, in some cases, hard cash to Labour.

Following the 1987 global share market collapse, Douglas sought to exploit the crisis to drive his economic program to its conclusion, with further deregulation, tax cuts, asset sales and attacks on government services. These measures intensified the already widespread opposition in the working class to Labours pro-market reforms.

Industrial action escalated sharply in late 1987 and during 1988, with strikes by public sector workers against privatisation and attempts to impose private sector labour laws. Labour Party membership is estimated to have plummetedfrom over 50,000 in 1984 to about 11,000 by 1998, particularly in working class areas.

By posturing as the leading opponent of the liberalisation program, Anderton served to divert and block popular disenchantment with Labour and parliamentary politics as a whole. Open political rebellion within the working class was stifled as Anderton and his followers refused to mount any campaign to expel the right-wing, pro-business Labour leadership.

Following his suspension from caucus for opposing the sale of the Bank of New Zealand, Anderton quit the party and founded NewLabour in May 1989, taking a section of the membership with him. Lange, politically paralysed by the inner-party crisis, resigned as prime minister several months later. The resignations of Lange and Anderton were an open admission that they would not oppose the economic restructuring agenda championed by Douglas.

Amid popular revulsion, Labour lost the 1990 election in a landslide, but NewLabour only won 5.2 percent of the nationwide vote, and the conservative National Party assumed office.

NewLabours role

Workers News, the predecessor in Australia of the World Socialist Web Site, followed these events closely and identified the class basis of NewLabour. Andertons opposition to so-called Rogernomics [Labours right-wing policies], it recorded in 1989, is not based on a program to advance the interests of the working class but reflects the interests of a section of the New Zealand bourgeoisie, particularly those involved in manufacturing, disadvantaged by the deregulation of the economy.

The characterisation proved to be entirely correct. Anderton, a Catholic who described himself as moderate, personally conservative, and barely left of centre, relied on the gamut of middle class ex-radicals to dress up NewLabour as a progressive and working class party. Many were prominent at the partys founding conference, but none exposed Andertons record or opposed the reactionary program that was pushed through.

The cornerstones of NewLabours program were nationalism, protectionism and the fiction that there could be a return to social reformism. Explicitly rejecting any conception of the international unity of the working class, Anderton called for import controls to protect our own people and boost international competitivenessthat is, tying the working class to the capitalist nation state under conditions of deepening class conflict.

NewLabour proposed the extension of the Compact between the Stalinist-led trade unions and the government. This scheme, through which the union bureaucracy policed the working class and suppressed demands for an industrial and political campaign against the Labour right wing, had been bitterly opposed by workers.

The founding of NewLabour was a concrete expression of the wave of anti-socialist renunciationism that swept ex-radical circles internationally with the breakup of the Stalinist regimes in Eastern Europe and, in 1991, the Soviet Union. Organisations such as the Maoist Workers Communist League (WCL) and the Pabloite Socialist Action League dissolved and their leading members entered NewLabour.

These groups embraced the new social movements based on identity politics, advancing the interests of particular layers of the middle class within capitalism, based on gender, nationality or ethnicity. The WCL announced in March 1990 that it would be renamed Left Currents because it now rejected the view  that the class struggle had primacy over those for Maori self-determination and womens liberation.

NewLabour member Keith Locke, formerly a leading Pabloite, claimed that the party was socialist, but insisted: We arent a party of any certain sector or class, but a party of policies that anyone can support (Peoples Voice, 9 September 1991). Locke went on to become a Green Party MP from 1999 to 2011.

Bruce Jesson, regarded as the pre-eminent left theoretician in NewLabour, falsely equated socialism with Stalinism in a 1990 essay entitled The Crisis of Socialism. He bitterly denounced socialism as an extraordinarily authoritarian and repressive political system. Jesson slandered Marx as utopian and his goal of revolution as a malign influence, concluding that capitalism had won a famous victory.

In fact, the destruction of the Soviet Union was the outcome of the anti-socialist and nationalist policies of the ruling Stalinist bureaucracy, encapsulated in its maxim of socialism in one country. Its end was a manifestation of an international phenomenon, in which the globalisation of production had rendered all national political programs obsolete. The working class was confronted with the fact that the social democratic parties, trade unions and even states they created in an earlier period, had been transformed into the direct instruments of imperialism.

Anderton and the Alliance

Anderton soon revealed his and NewLabours aspirations to re-enter parliament as a prop for the political establishment. In 1991, NewLabour merged with the Greens, Democrats, Liberals and the Maori nationalist Mana Motuhake to form the Alliance. Sold as a tactical electoral expedient, this represented a further shift to the right.

Middle class ex-radicals, in New Zealand and internationally, nevertheless promoted the Alliance as an anti-capitalist alternative to the discredited Labour Party. This was a fraud. It was a bourgeois party that claimed to represent the interests of all Zealanders, not the working class.

The anti-working class offensive begun under Labour was intensified by the National government. Savage welfare cuts threw thousands into poverty, workers rights were attacked and the sale of public assets continued apace. In one three-month period alone, between the May and August quarters of 1992, average weekly earnings fell by almost $15, due to the gutting of overtime provisions in employment contracts.

In the 1993 election, the Alliance won 18 percent of the vote and two seats in parliament. Amid another sharp turn to the right by both Labour and the National government, which now had a single seat majority, Anderton ensured the governments survival, guaranteeing that the Alliance would not support any no-confidence vote.

To contain the opposition of the working class, a referendum was held in 1994 to change the electoral system to the MMP proportional representation system. The Alliance supported the change, which increased the influence of smaller parties in parliament.

During the 1996 election the Alliance called for the partial abolition of tertiary education fees, free health care, cheap public housing and increased welfare. The campaign was a cynical lightning rod for mounting social discontent.

Anderton and the Alliance were well aware that such measures could not be implemented within the framework of the profit system, which they had no intention of challenging. At the same time, the party reassured big business by proposing a top tax rate of just 40 percent, well below the 66 percent rate before Labours 1980s pro-market onslaught. The Alliance also ditched NewLabours initial policy of renationalising previous state-owned assets such as Telecom.

The Alliances vote dropped from 18 to 10 percent, but due to the MMP, its seat allocation increased to 13. Exploiting the disaffection, the right-wing populist NZ First became a part of the National-led coalition government with 17 seats.

In 1999, the increasingly unpopular National-NZ First government was defeated and replaced by a Labour-Alliance coalition, led by Prime Minister Helen Clark, supported by the Greens. The Alliance obtained only 7 percent of the vote, yet Anderton became deputy prime minister and Alliance MPs Sandra Lee and Laila Harre received ministerial posts.

In office with Labour, the Alliance provided left window-dressing while the government as a wholeincluding all the Alliance MPscontinued to implement the demands of big business in domestic and foreign policy.

The Clark government fully restored New Zealands military alliance with Washington after a partial rift caused by Labours 1987 anti-nuclear legislation. It sent troops to the Bush administrations illegal invasion of Afghanistan and to participate the occupation of Iraq, and took part in Australias interventions in East Timor and Solomon Islands.

The Alliance revealed itself as an open supporter of US and New Zealand imperialism. In April 2002 the unanimous decision by Alliance MPs to support the governments dispatch of SAS troops to Afghanistan totally discredited the party, leading to its disintegration.

Amid the bitter recriminations, Anderton complained that his opponents in the Alliance were incapable of working constructively with the government, which he described as the best in a generation.

The partys demise caused considerable concern in sections of the establishment. The Sunday Star Times declared that the Alliance had made a real difference to the government. The working class, which never supported the Alliance in large numbers, had already reached its own conclusions. Alliance support plunged to around 2 percent and the party became moribund.

Anderton formed the Progressive Party, which was essentially an adjunct of Labour, and remained a cabinet minister until Labour was defeated at the 2008 election.

Having quit Labour in 1989 in protest against state asset sales, Anderton was now back in his political home. For his services to New Zealand capitalism over decades, he was appointed a Companion of the NZ Order of Merit in the 2017 Queens honours.

A forerunner of the pseudo-left in power

The Alliance and the Progressive Party provided a foretaste of the pseudo-left and pro-capitalist politics that would be revealed in a more developed form two decades later by broad left parties such as Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) in Greece. Elected in 2015 on the basis of its anti-austerity rhetoric, Syriza betrayed the Greek working class and imposed even deeper austerity measures, throwing large sections of the population into poverty.

The experience of Anderton and the parties he established provides a sharp warning to the working class. The new Labour government, which includes the right-wing populist NZ First as coalition partner, plans to spend billions on the military and police and cut social spending. It will inevitably come into conflict with an insurgent working class fighting against austerity and war.

There will be no shortage of attempts by the ruling elite to bring forward new parties like the Alliance to derail these struggles and subordinate workers to capitalism and the nation state.

The Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) urges workers and young people to consciously prepare for the class battles ahead by studying the history, program and principles of the International Committee of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, which publishes the WSWS. It is the only party that has fought consistently against every form of nationalism and to establish the political independence of the working class on the basis of a socialist, internationalist program. Above all, we urge readers to join the SEG and fight to build the Trotskyist movement in New Zealand.

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[12 January 1999]Speaking at Mansion House, UK Prime Minister Theresa May faced an uphill struggle to portray her Conservative governments unity of purpose over Brexit.

She did so after a politically disastrous week that began with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn being praised by the main employers organisations.

Corbyn declared that he would accept existing European Union (EU) trade arrangements in a two-year transition and then seek a modified customs union with the European Union and tariff-free access to the Single European Market. (May, who campaigned for Remain, wants the same thing but cannot accept the customs union because she would be removed as leader by her hard Brexit right-wing.)

The week ended with a visit by European Commission President Donald Tusk, amid a mounting crisis over an EU draft transition agreement outlining a likely hard border for Northern Ireland should Britain continue to cherry pick which elements of the Single European Market arrangements it would accept. Tusk was scathing of Mays stated goal of frictionless trade with the EU and warned that the EC could only advise a customs union in Ireland as an alternative to a hard border.

Despite the conciliatory tone of Mays speech, she failed to meet EU demands to flesh out what her government means by ambitious managed diversion as the basis for an interim Brexit agreement that is acceptable to her hard-Brexit critics.

In response to Corbyn portraying Labours vision of Brexit as one for the many, not the few, she quoted her own soaring rhetoric on a similarly bogus theme when taking office eighteen months ago. But her references to heading a government driven not by the interests of the privileged few, the powerful and the mighty, would have elicited groans and boos from any but the selected audience she addressed.

After reiterating the nationalist mantra that the Brexit referendum result was a mandate to take control of our borders, laws and money, she moved onto efforts to placate the EU. The referendum was not a vote for a distant relationship with our neighbours, and she wanted a new and enduring relationship.

May reminded her European counterparts of her Munich Security Conference speech on the vital necessity of cooperation on military, policing and state spying. May gave no detail, but her Munich speech threatened the EU by tying security cooperation to a free trade agreement. However, even here she faces significant opposition in ruling circles. Her speech was preceded by an unprecedented common statement and platform appearance by the heads of the British, French and German intelligence agenciesAlex Younger of MI6, Bernard Emie of the DGSE and Bruno Kahl of the BNDwarning against any move that cut across their cooperation.

However, the bulk of her Mansion House speech focused on our economic partnership.

At one point, in the space of around a minute, she rejected the demands of the EU and repudiated her own oft-repeated mantra that no deal is better than a bad deal. May declared all existing models for trade arrangement with non-EU states as inadequate, with Norways unacceptable because it would involve having to implement new EU legislation automatically and in its entiretyand would also mean continued free movement. But neither would Britain accept trade on World Trade Organisation terms, which would mean a significant reduction in our access to each others markets compared to that which we currently enjoy.

Once again facing both ways, she appealed for an agreement preventing a hard border in Ireland before adding that it would also be unacceptable to break up the United Kingdoms own common market by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea.

May also risked alienating the dominant faction of her party by accepting that even after we have left the jurisdiction of the ECJ [European Court of Justice], EU law and the decisions of the ECJ will continue to affect us. She proposed, however, that this would be guaranteed by a complex of mirrored legislation that would preserve the sovereignty of Britains courts and Parliament. The jurisdiction of the ECJ in the UK must end, she intoned.

Trade would involve binding commitments regarding subsidies, anti-competitive practices, workers rights, etc., to ensure as frictionless a border as possible between us and the EU so that we dont damage the integrated supply chains our industries depend on and dont have a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and cooperation with EU agencies such as those that are critical for the chemicals, medicines and aerospace industries.

This was dutifully followed by the insistence, We want the freedom to negotiate trade agreements with other countries around the world married to the broadest and deepest possible.  Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today.

But, she insisted, free movement of people will come to an end and we will control the number of people who come to live in our country.  If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.

The detailing of this wish-list ended with what has become the red line of all red linesall that in fact seems to separate May from Corbyn: Her declaration that The UK has been clear it is leaving the Customs Union.

What followed were alternative proposals allowing the UK to set its own external tariffsalso a policy shared by Labourincluding a customs arrangement and a customs partnership.

Financial services would no longer have a system of passporting, allowing all EU finance companies to sell their services across the 28-member bloc with a local license, because this requires a single rule book, over which we would have no say. It would instead be part of a deep and comprehensive partnership.

If rhetorical flourishes could conquer political realities, then May would indeed have something to celebrate. But even as she finished speaking, the negative verdict was coming in domestically and from Europe on the impossibility of squaring her position with that of the EU.

The Confederation of British Industry director general, Carolyn Fairbarn, who this week welcomed Corbyns Brexit speech, praised May for her acceptance of a possible future role for the ECJ, membership of some EU agencies, willingness to take steps to guarantee a level playing field, but was critical of the proposals for customs after Brexit, which do not deliver.

Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments Brexit spokesman, said there will be little appetite in the EU for Mays proposals and that she needed to move beyond vague aspirations, we can only hope that serious proposals have been put in the post.

EC chief negotiator Michel Barnier issued a tweet welcoming Clarity about UK leaving single market and customs union, and recognition of trade-offs will inform European Council guidelines re: future free trade agreement, which the EC said would be the full extent of its response to the speech.

Manfred Weber, the leader of the centre-right European Peoples Party in the European Parliament and a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said, After what I have heard today I am even more concerned.  I dont see how we could reach an agreement on Brexit if the UK government continues to bury its head in the sand like this.

The Labour Party leadership will be pleased to the extent that they see a possibility of acceptance in big business and financial circles of a possible governmental role if the Tory impasse on Brexit continues. With Corbyn having successfully utilised Brexit as another means of confirming his loyalty to the interests of British imperialism, Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer declared prior to the speech, Theresa May is running out of time and running out of road.  If she fails this test, Labour is waiting in the wings.

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[1 March 2018]Four police officers are currently awaiting trial in Wayne County, encompassing greater Detroit, for excessive use of force including murder. The multiple indictments, highly unusual, come after a year that saw public outrage over a series of incidents of police violence directed against unarmed and unresisting citizens.

The incidents occurred in a sharply polarized city, seething with social tension, in the wake of mass water shutoffs and social cuts following the 2014 Detroit bankruptcy. A so-called revitalization plan for the city has benefited wealthier areas in a narrow band around downtown while largely bypassing poorer neighborhoods.

Michigan State Trooper Mark Bessner waived a preliminary hearing and will face trial for the murder of Detroit teenager Damon Grimes, who died August 26, 2017 in a police killing that sparked boisterous protests. The officer was indicted in December 2017 for firing his taser from the passenger seat of his moving police car, hitting Grimes as he rode on an ATV and causing him to crash into a parked pickup truck. Grimes soon after died of his injuries. Grimes was just 15 years old.

His family has filed a $50 million lawsuit against the Michigan State Police.

In announcing the indictment Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said at a news conference, Trooper Bessner unnecessarily deployed his Taser at Mr. Grimes without legal justification or excuse as Mr. Grimes was traveling at least 35 to 40 miles per hour.

Bessner is facing one count of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughterone being that death occurred when its intent was injury, the second gross negligence. The maximum penalty for second-degree murder is life in prison. Bessner is currently free on a bail of $1 million.

Ethan Burger, the officer driving the vehicle Bessner fired the taser from and the responding officer, Jacob Listz, have not been charged.

Three other Detroit police officers are also facing charges of excessive force and police misconduct.

Officer Edward Hicks is charged with the beating of Deonta Stewart, 28. Hicks yelled at Stewart to stop running through a Detroit neighborhood. When Stewart complied and laid on the ground, Hicks began beating him, causing serious injuries to his eyes and face. It is also alleged that Hicks tried to coerce Stewart to lie about how he had received his injuries.

Hicks faces one count of assault with intent to do bodily harm less than murder, a second of aggravated assault, a third of obstruction of justice and a fourth of misconduct in office.

Officer Richard Billingslea is charged with the assault of Michaele Jackson, a Detroit City bus driver, and DMarco Craft who were at a gas station buying cigarettes. Billingslea, who according to police reports has a history of harassing Jackson, followed Jackson out of a gas station after Jackson gave him the middle finger. Billingslea then assaulted Jackson, who swung back and was then pepper sprayed and further assaulted by Billingslea. The incident was recorded on Crafts cell phone, which was thrown away by Billingslea and later recovered by a responding officer. Billingslea is alleged to have turned off his body camera at some time during the incident.

The officer is charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, one count of aggravated assault, one count of obstruction of justice and a misdemeanor charge on his assault on Craft.

In the last case, Officer Lonnie Wade is being charged with the assault of David Bivins, age 23. Bystanders saw Wade, a Detroit police officer moonlighting as a security officer at a Meijer grocery store, harassing Bivins as he left with his purchases.

Wade accused Bivins of shoplifting. When Bivins produced a receipt as proof, the officer argued with the victim and assaulted him, knocking him to the ground and smashing him in the head and teeth with his baton.

The investigation shows that although Bivins verbally resisted the assault, he never fought back or resisted arrest.

Wade is being charged with one count of assault with intent to do bodily harm, one count of felonious assault (also known as assault with a deadly weapon) and two counts of misconduct in office.

In another case prosecutors declined to bring charges in the shooting of 19-year-old Raynard Burton by an unidentified Detroit Police Officer in February of last year. Burton was shot after a brief car and foot chase. Police claimed Burton had lunged in the direction of an officer and there was a struggle over the gun just prior to the shooting. No gun was recovered at the scene.

There are no publicly available records of police related beatings or shootings in Detroit, though many departments around the US have made limited records available online.

A request last year from Vice magazine for statistics on police involved shootings in Detroit was stonewalled by local authorities, who claimed it would take 3,120 business days and cost at least $77,532 to retrieve the requested records.

There is a long history of misconduct by the Detroit police. In 2016 the Detroit Police Department ended a 13-year period of federal oversight for unconstitutional conduct, including excessive use of force and illegal detentions.

Meanwhile, the wave of police violence continues unabated in 2018. According to the website killedbypolice.net, already there are 200 people dead at the hands of police in the United States so far in 2018.Unless the polls are proved wrong, tomorrows parliamentary election in Italy will usher in a new stage in the crisis and instability of the European Union (EU).

No party and no electoral alliance expects to win a governing majority. Under the election law, which is being used for the first time, and awards a third of the seats to those candidates finishing first in electoral districts and two thirds of the seats to regional party lists, 42 percent of the vote is needed for a governing majority.

The right-wing electoral alliance of three-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which also includes the far-right Lega and fascist Fratelli dItalia, comes closest to achieving this goal with 38 percent support. But even these parties are deeply divided, meaning that even if they secure a majority a stable government would be unlikely.

The strongest single party, according to the polls, is the Five Star Movement (M5S) founded by comedian Beppe Grillo with close to 30 percent. It has no electoral allies. The Democrats (PD), which lead the current government, have the support of just 22 percent, while a split-off from the PD, Freedoms and Equals, enjoys the support of 5 percent.

Italy thus risks being plunged into a deeper crisis on the same day as the result of Germanys Social Democratic membership vote on a new government is announced, which could resolve a five-and-a-half-month government crisis. With a population of 61 million, Italy will be the third largest country in the EU after Britains departure.

Given Italys high indebtednessat 130 percent of economic output Italy has the highest level of state debt as a percentage of GDP after Greece, and its banks are sitting on the largest quantity of toxic assets in Europea sustained government crisis could quickly destabilise the entire European financial system. EU Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker therefore warned that it is necessary to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

But the real source of the crisis is not the political fragmentation of the future parliament, but the social polarisation across the country, which finds only extremely distorted and malignant expression within the official party system.

The growth of poverty and precarious working relations, which is characteristic of all European countries and has impacted wide swathes of the working class and sections of the middle class, is particularly glaring in Italy. While gross domestic product within the EU grew by 8.4 percent nominally over the past decade, and 12.3 percent in Germany, in Italy output shrunk by 5.4 percent. The majority of the population is worse off than it was 10 years ago. The official unemployment rate is 11 percent and rises to 30 percent among youth.

This is the reason for the decline of the Democratic Party. The PD, which emerged out of the Communist Party and incorporated a section of the former Christian Democrats, has organised in conjunction with the EU the destruction of hard-won workers rights, attacks on pensions and the slashing of social spending. Their lead candidate Matteo Renzi, who as the self-appointed destroyer of the old elites experienced a brief spell of popularity, is today among Italys most reviled politicians.

The PD has shared the fate of other social democratic partiesGreeces PASOK, which within six years crashed from 44 percent to just 6 percent support; Frances Socialist Party, which within five years dropped from being the countrys largest party to just 7 percent of the vote; the Dutch Labour Party, which secured only 6 percent support last year; and Germanys SPD, which won just 20 percent of the vote in last Septembers election, the worst result in its post-war history.

In the past, the social democratic parties ensured the stability of the capitalist order by means of social reforms and concessions. But under the pressure of globalisation, the deepening crisis of the financial system, and inter-imperialist conflicts, they have been transformed into the most rabid advocates of austerity policies, the strengthening of the repressive state apparatus, and war. This is the reason for their decline.

The social interests of the working class find no independent political expression in the existing party system. The election campaign has therefore been dominated by far-right, noxious and repugnant developments.

A central election issue was a vicious anti-refugee propaganda campaign. While the right-wingers openly presented their fascist outlook, called for the deportation of half a million people and defended a fascist who shot indiscriminately at immigrants in the small town of Macerata, the Democrats portrayed themselves as the party most capable of defending Italys borders and preventing refugees from travelling to Europe.

Behind such disgusting spectacles, bitter social struggles are brewing. The class struggle, which has long been smothered by social democracy, the trade unions, and their allies in the pseudo-left, is once again on the rise internationally. The rebellion of teachers in West Virginia in the United States, who have been striking for days in defiance of their trade union leaders, marks a milestone in this development.

Workers struggles against wage cuts, layoffs and unbearable working conditions are also occurring in Europe with increased regularity. This cannot but have an effect on Italy, which has a long tradition of militant working class struggle. Two years ago, major strikes and protests broke out against the Renzi governments Jobs Act.

In the face of these developments, all of the parties are drawing closer together. The Five Star Movement, which won support for its angry tirades against the corruption of the existing parties and has to date refused all cooperation with them, has declared its readiness to join a coalition government and abandoned its anti-EU rhetoric.

Their lead candidate, 31-year-old Luigi da Maio, spoke to students at Harvard, bankers in London and businessmen in northern Italy and reassured them that his party would rapidly eliminate the banks toxic assets, abandon its announced intention to hold a referendum on the EU, and cooperate with other parties to ensure Italy does not descend into chaos.

Berlusconi and Renzi, who cooperated closely to pass the new election law and value each other highly, have raised the prospect of a coalition government.

Berlin and Paris are responding to the crisis in Italy by pressing ahead with the transformation of the EU from an economic into a military union capable of pursuing its predatory interests around the world, building a European army, and strengthening the police and intelligence apparatus to suppress the class struggle. This is the essence of the coalition agreement for a new German government, which will assume office in the coming days unless the SPD membership vote to reject it.

There is hardly any support in the population for these policies, which most of Italys parties advocate. They will lead to bitter political conflicts and class struggles. These struggles require a political perspective. They can be successful only if they organise independently of all of the bourgeois parties, their backers in the trade unions, and their pseudo-left henchmen.

The working class must unite internationally and fight for a programme that links the struggle against war, fascism and social attacks with the fight against their source: the capitalist profit system. This is the programme advocated by the International Committee of the Fourth International and its sections.Asia

Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa revenue department workers strike

Revenue department workers for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government struck this week over a series of long-outstanding demands. Locally known as patwaris, the workers want a service structure, time-scale promotions and recruitment into higher pay-grades.

The strikers, who have accused the provincial government of making false promises over the last three years, warned that they would launch an indefinite strike if their demands are not met.

As part of the industrial action workers locked down the revenue department offices, preventing any work being carried out. Despite years of service, no revenue department workers have been given pay increments or promotions. They are responsible for processing approximately half of the government revenue.

Islamabad teachers continue class boycott

Over 2,000 teachers employed on a daily-wage basis in Pakistan government-run educational institutes in Islamabad are continuing their boycott of classes. The industrial action began more than 55 days ago. The striking teachers have been camped outside the National Press Club. On Tuesday several dozen teachers blocked the main road outside the capitals Federal Directorate of Education for two hours.

The teachers want immediate payment of nine months outstanding wages, job permanency and their monthly pay increased from 12,500 rupees ($US113) to 25,000 rupees. The teachers have been campaigning over these issues for eight months. Despite repeated promises, the government has failed to address any of these issues.

Bangladesh sugar mill workers to demonstrate

On Sunday Mobarakganj Sugar Mill workers will begin a month-long series of protests outside the plant over 19 demands. These include payment of the 8,750-taka ($107) minimum wage. While their current wage is only 4,200 taka, they have not been paid for the last three months. The protests will involve picket lines, stop-work meetings, as well as partial and full-time work suspensions.

The sugar workers are members of the Sector Corporation Sramik Kormochari Federation Samonnay Parishad, a coalition of about 80 unions which represents hundreds of thousands of workers in Bangladeshs state-owned corporations.

The media reported last September that the deputy labour minister would announce the governments decision on the minimum wage for workers in nationalised sectors by December.

Bangladesh community healthcare providers resume demonstrations

Community healthcare providers resumed their sit-down protest outside the National Press Club in Dhaka on February 23. The protests originally began on January 22 and continued until February 1 when they were shut down by police authorities.

The workers are demanding nationalisation of community healthcare providers and opposing the health ministrys moves to form a community clinic trust.

The trust is an attempt by the government to dissipate the ongoing struggle and is in response to a series of protests by community health care providers in recent weeks.

Condemning the ministrys suggestion, the Bangladesh Community Health Care Providers Association convener Shahidul Islam told the media, The trust might be run by donation, but that does not ensure our future.

Private hospital nurses in Kerala continue indefinite strike

About 100 nurses from the K. Velayudhan Memorial (KVM) hospital in the Indian state of Kerala remain on strike, after walking out on August 21. They want better working conditions at the private health facility and reinstatement of 112 unfairly dismissed nurses.

Other demands include implementation of a three-shift system, the statutory 190 to 208 hours of work per month, payment of wages in line with 2013 and 2018 wage deals and health insurance.

Instead of a system based on 3 shifts of 8 hours, the hospital currently has a 10-hour day and 14-hour night shift. Nurses are often asked to work 20 hour shifts because of staff shortages.

While the nurses have maintained their action for more than six months, the United Nurses Association has systematically isolated their struggle and refused to call for joint action by other nurses in the state or anywhere else in India.

Andhra Pradesh power workers protest against contract system

Thousands of contract, outsourcing and piecemeal workers employed at the south eastern Indian states electricity department walked out on strike on February 22 to demand an end to the contract system, third party contractors and equal pay for equal work.

The contract workers, who are members of Stalinist-affiliated Centre for Indian Trade Unions, protested in Andhra Pradeshs industrial city of Vishakhapatnam. Police arrested several union officials and an unknown number of rank-and-file workers. According to union officials, an estimated 30,000 contract employees were involved in a hunger strike protest prior to the demonstration.

Hong Kong bus drivers strike

Hong Kong bus drivers staged an unscheduled strike last Saturday evening near Tsim Sha Tsui station, briefly blocking traffic. The stoppage only lasted ten minutes, before it was broken up by the police.

The walkout was called by the newly formed Full-time KMB Driver Alliance, a union which claims to represent a number of drivers in the privately owned Kowloon Motor Bus Corporation.

Drivers were protesting changes to conditions, including a reduction of working hours and an increase in the number of part-time employees. Workers are reported to have held a short sit-in protest on Monday, in opposition to attempts by the company to victimise leaders of the new union.

Textile company sacks 2,000 workers in Vietnam

Nearly 2,000 workers at the South Korean owned KL Texwell Vina textile factory in Dong Nai provinces Bau Xeo Industrial Zone were told on February 28 that the company would not be resuming production. The workers have been protesting outside the company since early February after the factory director and 11 managers fled to South Korea on February 8 owing the workers 13.7 billion Vietnamese dong (about $US600,000).

Provincial government authorities sought to dissipate workers anger by paying VND7 billion ($308,000) to cover half of the overdue wages and claiming that ten other enterprises would hire them. The company also owes VND17.5 billion in social insurance contributions and many workers need to get their Texwell social insurance books before they can start new jobs.

Vietnams minimum monthly wage is just VND3.75 million ($US166), a 7.3 percent increase on 2016 rates, but, the lowest rise on record. Workers say they cannot not afford to live. In January, 600 workers at the Nam Phuong garment factory in Ho Chi Minh City struck for a week when the South Korean employer disappeared owing the workers $1.3 million in wages.

Indonesian bank workers demand pay rise

Indonesian bank workers demonstrated outside the Jakartas Manpower Agency on March 1 to demand 30 percent increase in salaries for their sector. The current sectorial pay in the bank services industry is 3.69 million rupiah ($US276) per month, less than retail supermarket workers receive.

Bank Danamon Indonesia workers union chairman Abdoel Mujib said the rally was a warning to the wages council to increase bank employees wages. Dont make us strike like the factory workers have done, he said.

Australia and the Pacific

Paper workers strike enters sixth week

Over 90 workers from Australian Papers Preston envelope factory in Melbourne remain on strike after six weeks. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) members walked out on January 16 after negotiations for a new enterprise agreement broke down. The strikers want a 2.5 percent pay increase per annum and a three-year agreement with no changes to working conditions.

The company is attempting to impose cuts to wages and working conditions including reducing the rostered days off (RDOs) from 16 to 14 annually and changes to classification structures that will leave workers worse off financially. Management is also insisting on a four-year agreement with an overall pay increase of just 6.5 percent. This would consist of a wage freeze in the first year, followed by increases of 2, 2.5 and 2 percent in the remaining years.

The AMWU has isolated the dispute, refusing to organise any industrial action by its hundreds of members across Victoria or calling on any other section of the working class.

Queensland brewery workers considering industrial action

Around one hundred workers at the Castlemaine Perkins brewery in Milton, Queensland will vote on taking industrial action in a dispute over terms in a new enterprise work agreement. Management is demanding they accept cuts to fulltime jobs and a greater casualisation of the workforce

United Voice, the union covering the workers, has not yet indicated when the vote on industrial action will occur. It claims that management has threatened to close the plant if its demands are not met. While the company has denied any plans for closure a management spokesman confirmed that it wants changes to the present agreement which he deemed confusing and prohibitive.

Castlemaine Perkins is owned by Japanese-based brewing giant Lion that has other breweries around Australia around including Tooheys in Western Sydney, West End in South Australia and Boags in Tasmania.

Lock-out at Oaky North coal mine suspended

A lockout of about 190 workers by mining conglomerate Glencore at its Oaky Creek underground mine in the Queensland town of Tieri has been suspended following an order this week by the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

The company imposed the lockout last June after the workers took limited industrial action in a dispute over a new enterprise agreement (EA). The FWC intervention was triggered by an application by the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) calling for the suspension of all protected industrial action.

The FWC is currently considering an application by Glencore that it be allowed to cancel the current EA and place workers onto the basic industry award and inferior pay and conditions.

The FWC has ordered workers to vote again on a previously rejected in principle agreement worked out between the CFMEU and the company in January. The latest ballot is scheduled for March 27.

New Zealand: Auckland rail workers take industrial action

Auckland rail workers began industrial action on February 26, scheduled to last three weeks. Rail and Maritime Transport Union members are refusing to work overtime in protest against plans by the Labour Party-controlled Auckland Council and its contractor, multinational corporation Transdev, to sack up to 200 onboard staff and introduce driver-only operated (DOO) trains on the commuter network. The action means peak hour train services are running only every 20 minutes, rather than every 10 minutes.

Auckland rail workers held a 24-hour strike last December. Wellington rail workers have also taken industrial action over efforts by Transdev, Hyundai Rotem and the Greater Wellington Regional Council to drive down their wages.

While workers are determined to fight, the RMTU is seeking to limit and isolate their action and reach a sellout agreement with management.

Union officials entered negotiations on February 28 with Transdev and Auckland Transport and RMTU spokesman John Kerr told the media the union was happy to lift the overtime ban if progress was made.

The RMTU is not calling for the DOO plan to be scrapped, but for a moratorium until mid-2019. In the interim, the union would work with the council and Transdev to discuss its safety concerns over the plan.

French Polynesia newspaper workers strike

Print workers at La Depeche de Tahiti have been on strike since February 22 in protest against late payment of wages and poor working conditions. The workers went on strike last November over a plan to outsource printing to another company, Pacific Press, which workers feared would lead to job cuts. The latest action follows a general strike on February 15 against the French Polynesian governments plan to raise the age of pension entitlement.

Solomon Islands nurses issue strike notice

The Solomon Islands Nurses Association (SINA) issued a four-week strike notice on February 25. The union states that the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Public Service have failed to comply with a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2007 on conditions for nurses.

SINA claims that the government breached its obligations by reducing salaries for nurses during annual leave, and by not paying additional allowances for public transport, housing and postings in remote areas.

The union is complicit in the running down of the countrys health system. The 2007 agreement between the government and the union mandated a three-month freeze on recruitment of nurses and stated that the union would accept a three-year wage freeze.The EU foreign affairs council has demanded that Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen immediately lift a state of emergency, restore constitutionally guaranteed rights and release all political prisoners. A statement on Monday declared that if the situation does not improve, the EU may consider targeted measures.

The EU move follows escalating US and Indian attempts to undermine Chinese influence on the strategically-located island nation in the Indian Ocean. The EU has no concerns about the democratic rights of the people of the Maldives but is attempting to advance its own interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

The current political crisis in the Maldives emerged early last month. The countrys Supreme Court ordered the dropping of all convictions and immediate release of opposition leader and former president, Mohamed Nasheed, and eight other political leaders.

The Supreme Court directive followed its inquiry into a petition accusing Yameen of corruption, filed by the opposition parties, led by Nasheeds Maldivian Democratic Party.

If the courts order had been carried out, Yameen would have lost his parliamentary majority and his arch-rival Nasheed would be able to contest the forthcoming presidential elections.

Instead, Yameen defied the order, declared a state of emergency and arrested two of the Supreme Court judges, including the chief justice, on charges of corruption and conspiring against the government. The three remaining judges then revoked the courts order.

Nasheed, a stooge of Washington and New Delhi, immediately responded by calling on India to invade the Maldives. He claimed that China was transforming the archipelago into its colony and threatening security across the Indian Ocean.

While New Delhi has not mounted an invasion, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasing pressure on Yameen. Modi is fully supported by the Trump administration, which is harnessing India as a strategic partner in its aggressive geo-political confrontation against China.

The heightened international pressure is destabilising Yameens government. On Tuesday, Health Minister Dunya Maumoon, a niece of Yameen, resigned in protest against the arrest of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, her father. She tweeted a call for the international community to help overcome this crisis and to build a stronger democratic system.

Police allege that Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, an autocratic ruler for 30 years, conspired and bribed the judges in a conspiracy to overthrow the government.

On February 23, Maldivian Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham sent a letter to police declaring that the state of emergency was unconstitutional because the parliament had not followed established procedures.

Bisham referred to the parliaments extension of emergency on February 20. Although 43 of the 85 assembly members should have endorsed the emergency extension, only 40 members voted for it. The remaining MPs had been barred from entering the parliament.

Bishams letter also said all detentions made under the emergency were illegal. Attorney General Mohamed Anil, a loyalist of the president, advised the police to carry out Bishams advice but Yameen overrode this.

Desperately fighting for political survival, Yameen is implementing increasingly repressive measures. Last Sunday, the police imposed a curfew banning all political gatherings between 10.30 p.m. and dawn. Daytime political gatherings are already banned and the police have violently suppressed protests.

The ongoing political crisis is affecting the tourist industry, which is worth $US3.5 billion annually and is the countrys main source of foreign income. Hundreds of hotel bookings are being cancelled daily, despite the governments assurance that the situation is normal in the popular resort islands. If the crisis continues, Moodys rating agency said it would lower this years growth forecast of 4.5 percent.

In another indication of strained relations, the Maldives turned down an Indian invitation to participate in an Indian Ocean multilateral naval exercise on March 6. In attempt to assuage New Delhi, Maldivian ambassador Ahmed Mohamed said his country was not participating because its military was on standby due to the emergency situation.

The Indian media is continuing its anti-China campaign, claiming that Beijing is threatening Indias strategic interests. A Times of India article on February 26 noted that the Maldives is establishing a Joint Ocean Observation Station with China at Makunudhoo, its westernmost atoll. The Maldivian opposition claims the deal involves a provision for a submarine base.

The Times of India report said the facility would provide an important vantage point in the Indian Ocean and be uncomfortably close to Indian waters and [will] test red lines with regard to ties with the Maldives. Consisting of 1,192 islands, the Maldives is located astride Indian Ocean sea lanes through which flow 70 percent of worlds petroleum shipments and half of its container traffic.

Concerns are being raised in Indian ruling circles that New Delhi is not aggressively defending its interests in the Indian Ocean. Brahma Chellaney, a former adviser to Indias National Security Council, told the Times of India this week: The underwater ocean observation centre in the South China Sea will be dual purpose, with civilian and military applications. Chinas supposed plan to build such a centre in the Maldives would effectively open a Chinese maritime front against India.

Chellaney called on New Delhi to warn China and the Maldives that it would not tolerate such a centre. China responded by declaring that the observation station had no military application and was not a submarine base.

In 2015, India signed an agreement with the Maldives to establish 10 radar observation points to watch the movement of ships, particularly Chinese vessels, in the Indian Ocean. That plan has been abandoned because of the tensions between India and the Maldives.

This week, the Japanese foreign ministry issued a statement claiming that its maritime self-defence force observed a Maldivian flagged tanker lying alongside a North Korean flagged tanker in the East China Sea. It claimed there had been ship to ship transfers banned by the UN Security Council.

The Maldives government denied the allegations but Nasheed immediately tweeted that the Maldives had violated the UN resolution.

These developments underscore the global strategic dimensions of the Maldivian crisis and its dangerous implications. The US and Indian campaign against China throughout the Indo-Pacific could erupt into direct military conflict with catastrophic consequences.In a transparent capitulation to the provincial Liberal governments reactionary education reform, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) has ruled out calling an illegal strike.

The announcement, made Thursday by NSTU President Liette Doucet, is a betrayal of the provinces 9,600 teachers and the fight to defend public education. It comes just over a week after the overwhelming majority of teachers voted by an 82.5 percent majority to strike, and do so in the face of threats by Stephen McNeils Liberal government to fine the union up to $10,000 per day and each teacher up to $1,000 per day of job action.

In spite of this vote and the strong public support teachers enjoy, Doucet coupled the release of the strike vote results with an announcement that the NSTU leadership was suspending any decision on strike action and calling on the government to hold talks. She subsequently met with Education Minister Zach Churchill and Premier McNeil to hammer out a rotten compromise behind the backs of the teachers.

Doucet is boasting that her talks have resulted in important changes to the governments education reform legislation, which was tabled by Churchill in the provincial legislature Thursday morning. A union press release spoke of numerous compromises by the McNeil government, making the calling of a strike unnecessary. With evident relief, Doucet asserted, A strike has been averted.

The NSTUs miserable climb down has nothing to do with defending the interests of teachers, but with protecting the privileges of the union bureaucracy.

One change the Liberals agreed to, which was presented in the corporate-controlled media as a major concession, was to allow administrators, principals and vice-principals to remain affiliated with the NSTU, even though they will become members of a new association. In practice, this means the NSTU bureaucracy will be able to continue to collect upwards of $800,000 in dues per year, helping to pad the salaries of Doucet and her fellow union bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, the principals and administrative staff will be transformed into enforcers of government policy. Exposing the reactionary character of the change in their status, the approximately 1,000 teachers and senior staff who will be transferred to the new association will not have the right to unionize, take job action, or even file grievances.

The Liberals refused to retreat on any of the essential elements of their education reform. The seven democratically-elected English-language school boards will be abolished and replaced by a centralized provincial advisory commission appointed by the government. This will give government more direct managerial control over the provinces schools, and lead to the centralization of administration and other support services. Churchill has already declared that job losses will resulthowever, he claims they will be achieved through attrition as older workers retire.

The governments decision not to establish a central college of educators, which would have been responsible for assessing teachers and removing weak teachers from the classroom, came about because the NSTU has agreed to fulfil this function. CBC reported that the union has agreed to cooperate with the government in the drafting of teaching and leadership standards, which will no doubt be used to scapegoat teachers for the problems confronted in the education system due to years of underfunding and neglect by successive governments.

Churchill made clear that he believes the union will serve as a willing partner in the big business Liberals assault on public education. This is a great opportunity for us to enter into a new phase of our relationship, he stated. Weve got to rebuild some trust.

The legislation goes even further in restricting teachers ability to strike by increasing the penalties for illegal job action tenfold. This means the NSTU would be fined $100,000 per day of illegal strike action. Neither Doucet nor any other union official remarked on this outrageous move, which was blandly portrayed as the expansion of existing anti-strike legislation already applying to other unions.

This is far from the first time that Nova Scotia teachers have experienced the treachery of the NSTU. In 2016 and 2017, teachers voted down three concessions-laden tentative agreements that had been recommended by the NSTU leadership. Then, when the Liberals moved to impose a concessionary contract by government decree, the NSTU called a token one-day strike and protest outside the legislature. However, no sooner did the Liberals pass their legislation imposing a four-year contract and a blanket ban on job action for its duration, than the union meekly submitted.

It was this systematic demobilization of the teachers that emboldened the government to press ahead with its education reform.

The Liberals right-wing agenda is in keeping with attacks on public education and other critical services by governments of all political stripes across Canada. Kathleen Wynnes Ontario Liberal government imposed back-to-work legislation on striking teachers in 2012 to enforce a rotten concessions contract, while in British Columbia in 2014, Christie Clarks Liberals relied on the connivance of the unions to shut down and sell out a provincial-wide teachers strike over growing class sizes and a lack of public funding. Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic Party governments alike have slashed government funding for education across the country over the past three decades.

The Nova Scotia Liberals attack on public education is part of a global ruling-class offensive targeting public services and the social rights working people wrested though the mass social and revolutionary struggles of the last century .

The McNeil Liberal governments Education Reform Act is based on a report authored by Avis Glaze, a former Ontario education commissioner who has acted as an adviser to dozens of governments around the world pursuing education reforms. In Scotland, she serves as head of the regional governments International Council of Education Advisers. The ICEA meets twice annually to provide input on the governments education reforms, which have included a 6 percent pay cut for teachers in real terms since 2005.

Teachers should reject with contempt the NSTUs claim that the McNeil governments legislation contains concessions to teachers demands. They should follow the example of their colleagues in West Virginia, who after being presented with a sell-out deal by the unions took matters into their own hands and are continuing their strike in defiance of the bureaucracys wishes. West Virginia teachers, who are among the lowest paid in the United States, are demanding substantial wage increases and additional funding for the state-run health insurance system to curb exorbitant health care costs.

Nova Scotia teachers should form their own independent action committees, which should immediately begin plans to fulfil the mandate given last week by educators for a strike against the Liberal governments reactionary attack on public education. These committees should make the broadest appeal for support to students, parents and workers across the province, all of whom face similar attacks on their working conditions. A special appeal should be made to teachers across Canada and internationally to support their struggle.

Like their colleagues in West Virginia, who have rejected the bogus union claims of support for the teachers demands from Democratic Party politicians, Nova Scotia teachers should spurn Doucets efforts to portray the Liberals as willing to listen and respond to teachers concerns. The only way that public education can be defended and provided with the level of resources it requires is through the political mobilization of the working class in the fight for a socialist and internationalist program.

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BC teachers union endorses austerity contract

[18 September 2014]The past week has seen an unprecedented escalation of the conflicts within the American ruling class, with the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, NBC and other leading corporate media outlets acting as the spearhead for a campaign to cripple the Trump White House.

Trumps inner circlehis son-in-law Jared Kushner, his daughter Ivanka, his close personal assistant and communications director Hope Hickshave been the principal targets of leaked reports from the FBI and other intelligence agencies. These led Tuesday to the downgrading of Kushners security clearance, the resignation of Hicks Wednesday, and the revelation Thursday that the FBIs counterintelligence unit had opened an investigation into Ivanka Trumps overseas business activities.

Press reports throughout the week have focused on Kushner, heir to a billion-dollar real estate fortune. The Post reported Tuesday that at least four countries, identified as Mexico, Israel, Qatar and China, had discussed using Kushners business activities as leverage with the Trump White House. The Times published a report Thursday on how two financial institutions made large loans to Kushner real estate operations in 2017 shortly after their CEOs met with Jared Kushner at the White House over financial and tax issues.

The New York Times published Wednesday and Thursday an extraordinary, two-part, 3,000-word statement by its editorial board denouncing the White House role of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, focused on the nepotism of the Trump White House.

It has, of course, not been difficult to implicate the Trump administration in various corrupt and nepotistic themes. However, from the Times, and the sections of the ruling class for which it speaks, such criticisms are thoroughly hypocritical. Trump is a product of the American ruling class; his own personal and financial history exemplifies the financial oligarchy, for which corruption, insider-dealing and nepotism are standard business operations.

NBC News reported Thursday that the Mueller investigation into alleged Russian intervention in the 2016 presidential election had begun to scrutinize whether Kushners business discussions with foreigners during the presidential transition shaped White House policy. The network cited claims by witnesses that Mueller investigators had asked about Kushners business contacts with investors from Turkey and Qatar, among other countries, contacts which could have no direct relation to the question of the alleged Russian hacking or other efforts to assist Trump during the 2016 elections.

Finally, the Washington Post carried a report on its web site Thursday night headlined, Jared has faded: Inside the 28 days of tumult that left Kushner badly diminished. The article described an atmosphere of mutual suspicion driven particularly by the Mueller investigation. Some of his administration colleagues are just more reluctant to have conversations with him or in his company because theyre not sure if hes a witness or a target of the Mueller investigation, one unnamed official told the Post.

The targeting of those closest personally to Trump indicates that the political warfare in Washington has reached an unprecedented level of intensity. It is necessary to cut through the personalized and sensationalized elements in the factional warfare in Washington to grasp the real underlying driving forces of this conflict.

As a result of his ever-expanding investigation into the White House, Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the first twelve years of the war on terror, has become the most powerful man in America. Mueller exemplifies the vast and sweeping powers that the state intelligence agencies are assuming in conjunction with the Democratic Partys conspiratorial drive to undermine or remove Trump.

As the WSWS has previously explained, the Mueller investigation originated in the opposition of sections of the military-intelligence apparatus, backed by the Democratic Party, to any softening of the anti-Russian national security offensive undertaken in the second term of the Obama administration, particularly in relation to US intervention to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russias main Mideast ally, and the US backing for the fascist-led coup that overthrew a pro-Russian government in Ukraine.

The conflict has broadened, however, to a considerable range of foreign policy issues, including this weeks widespread backlash, both internationally and in Wall Street circles, over Trumps declaration Thursday that he intends to impose tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum, followed by tweets celebrating trade war as a positive good.

There is not the slightest progressive or democratic content to the campaign by the Democrats, the media and the intelligence agencies to cripple the Trump White House and, if possible, create the conditions to force Trump to leave office. They have not objected to Trumps ferocious attacks on democratic rights, his witch-hunting of immigrants, his attack on social programs like food stamps and Medicaid, or his militaristic threats against North Korea, Iran and China.

On much of the Trump agenda, particularly the tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, the slashing of health, safety and environmental regulations on business, and the record levels of military spending, there is bipartisan agreement in the ruling elite.

But there is mounting concern that Trump is too erratic a figure to be relied on as the commander-in-chief of American imperialism, particularly under conditions of a growing movement from below, from the American working class, to oppose the policies of big business and both of the political parties that represent and defend corporate America.

It is no accident that the media frenzy against Trump has accelerated during the week that the class struggle in America has exploded to the surface in the state of West Virginia, with the powerful statewide strike by 30,000 teachers and school workers in defiance not only of the Republican governor and state legislature, but state Democratic politicians and the union leaders allied to them.

Trump became president only thanks to the electoral votes of states like West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, where deindustrialization and the destruction of jobs and living standards discredited the Obama administration and the Democratic Partys pretense to defend the interests of working people.

The conspiratorial methods of a palace coup being used to settle scores within the ruling elite are contrasting ever more directly with the working classs turn to class struggle. It is the fear of such an independent movement spreading and taking on a mass, nationwide character that impels sections of the ruling elite to seek a reorganization or restructuring in Washington so as to bring in an administration that will be stronger, more competent and even more ruthless in its attacks on both the foreign and domestic opposition to American imperialism.Puerto Rico's governor, Ricardo Rossello, announced Tuesday that the US Treasury Department has cut a $4.7 billion disaster relief loan available to the US territory by more than half, without explanation.

Congress had approved the already meager loan for aid relief in October after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island in September last year. The storm, and the botched recovery effort that followed, has killed hundreds, if not thousands of people, and caused an estimated $94 billion in damage.

Last month the Treasury Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ominously warned in a letter they would be temporarily withholding the aid loan because they did not believe the islands government was facing a cash shortage. Federal officials said the money would be released through the Community Disaster Loan Program once the islands central cash balance decreased to a certain level.

Even before the storm, the island was already struggling with a major financial crisis to the tune of $74 billion in debt. With the economy in shambles after the hurricane, the suggestion that the island is flush with cash is absurd.

The aid cut has put many essential services, especially the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), the islands public power utility, at risk of being interrupted. This means that millions of workers on the island may soon lose access to running water and electricity. This would be in addition to the approximately 30 percent of electric customers who have not had service since Maria made landfall over five months ago.

Just two days after the relief cut was announced, two major power plants shut down in the Puerto Rican capital, San Juan, affecting 970,000 customers, exposing the continuing fragility of the electrical system. Similar events have become a regular occurrence; just three weeks ago thousands were left without power after an explosion at a PREPA plant just north of the capital. Both events were the result of repairs of storm damage using old scrap materials and patchwork methods out of desperation. Puerto Ricos power company is currently running with a $300 million loan that will only sustain operations until the end of the month.

Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans are still struggling from the damage from the hurricane. Many people whose houses were severely damaged have received little, if any, aid for home repairs. Entire families are still living with relatives or as refugees in hotels because they don't have anywhere to go.

The recovery effort from the beginning has been a series of scandals and backroom dealings which epitomizes the callous indifference of the ruling class to the plight of workers in Puerto Rico. In the immediate aftermath of Maria, Puerto Ricans struggled to find food and water when the entire island lost electricity, roads became impassable, and fuel for generators ran out. The situation worsened when ports that import about 85 percent of its food supply shut down under the draconian hundred-year-old Jones Act, which the government only reluctantly lifted weeks later.

Shortly thereafter, a Florida company with an unproven record, was granted more than $30 million in contracts from FEMA to provide tarps and plastic sheeting for emergency home repairs. Bronze Star LLC never delivered those urgently needed supplies, which left hundreds of thousands of residents roofless and unprotected from the elements for months.

Next, FEMA awarded a $156 million contract to a one-woman company, Tribute Contracting LLC, to deliver 30 million meals for Puerto Ricans. Only 50,000 of these meals made it to the island, when at least 18.5 million meals were due.

Lastly, most notorious was the Whitefish scandal in which a newly created company consisting of just two employees was granted a $300 million contract to help restore the operations of PREPA. Under enormous public pressure, FEMA was forced to cancel the contract. The restoration of power continues to be delayed.

While millions of Puerto Ricans, who are US citizens, continue to live in such harsh conditions, the federal government argues that there are not enough resources to aid the recovery process. However, unfathomable amounts of money are being funneled into the pockets of the rich while the working class of Puerto Rico, like the working class everywhere, is thrown scraps.

Since Maria made landfall in September the ruling class passed a historic tax bill granting trillions in tax cuts to the wealthiest layers of society, passed a budget which included $716 billion for the military in a single year, and are currently negotiating millions to be spent on arming border agents and building a wall along the US-Mexico border.

A month after the hurricane, the CEO and owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, made $10.2 billion in a single day, making him the worlds richest person. That is five times the amount of aid now being loaned to Puerto Rico. With a fraction of Bezos net worth, which currently stands at $125 billion, the funds needed to rebuild Puerto Rico could be covered and Bezos would remain the richest person in the world.Support for the West Virginia teachers strike and sentiment for its expansion continues to grow among students and workers. Teachers and public school employees have been on strike for seven days, defying return-to-work orders by the teachers unions on Tuesday night.

High school students demonstration in Charleston, West Virginia

More than 1,500 students and teachers attended a demonstration and march outside the state capitol building organized by high school students. Juliana, one of the students who organized the event, told the World Socialist Web Site that she and her friends started planning the march on Wednesday. We made a Facebook event that afternoon, and next thing we knew there were hundreds of people sharing it.

The event was livestreamed on the World Socialist Web Site Facebook page as part of ongoing on-the-spot coverage on the teachers struggle.

Several students addressed the rally. One said, This isnt just about teachers, or just about state employees. Its about our futures. We need to see the bigger picture.

A high school student addresses the demonstration

A lot of the time, our teachers buy our school supplies for us. Some students who go to my school cannot afford textbooks. And at the beginning of the year the teachers will go out of their own pocket, they will sacrifice what little money they get for the students, because they care about us. We have outdated science books, with information that has been proven wrong, but were still using them.

Zac Corrigan, a member of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the student and youth movement of the Socialist Equality Party, also spoke. He called for an expansion of the strike and the mobilization of the entire working class behind school employees.

Your demands are the demands of the entire working class, Corrigan said. Workers everywhere are tired of being told there is no money for our basic social rights, no money for education, no money for decent jobs. Meanwhile trillions are made available for Wall Street bailouts, corporate tax cuts and endless war.

Corrigan warned that the unions, media and Democratic and Republican politicians were seeking to shut down the strike. It is time to reach out to workers throughout the state, he said, to coal miners, to natural gas workers, to factory and warehouse workers, to service and health care workers, to high school and college students. Corrigan added to applause: It is time to rally the broadest support behind this strike. If the governor and his henchmen threaten injunctions, fines and dismissals, the response of the working class should be: General Strike!

Corrigan said the teachers fight was a political struggle to determine which class should rule and how the wealth created by the working class should be distributed.

WSWS reporter Zac Corrigan addresses rally of West Virginia students

The Democrats, Republicans and unions all boycotted the rally even though it was held on the steps of the state capitol. They are working to shut down the strike and view with fear workers sentiment for broadening the fight.

After the march, thousands of teachers, students and supporters once again flooded the capitol building and rallied inside. WSWS reporters distributed hundreds of leaflets of the statement, Mobilize the entire working class behind West Virginia teachers! Form rank-and-file committees to expand the struggle!

Zack Sapp is a 24-year-old custodian at a school in Logan County, a southern coalmining region of West Virginia. His father is a retired coal miner. He told the WSWS: I think we have to stand up for what we deserve. I come in early and leave late almost every day.

Theres no evening shift at our school, so we have to clean the building while the kids are there, which makes it really difficult. On top of that, I have to drive one hour to get to work and one hour to get back home. And I only take home about $650 every two weeks. Its not enough for what we do and the time we put in.

Zack Sapp, a school custodian

I heard that Frontier [telecommunications] workers may be going on strike on Monday. And out of state, I heard that teachers in Pennsylvania are planning to go on strike. A lot of people say that we inspired them, and Im happy about that. People have to stand up for whats right. I feel that the politicians dont care for us.

Zack continued: I think the working class should be in control. Weve all worked too hard to not get what we deserve. I dont think the billionaires should control us. I feel that our senators are bought out. They dont want to do anything for us because theyre getting paid.

Sylvia, who has taught in Kendall County since 1999, attended the march on Friday with her son, who is in high school.

Sylvia with her son

When the union said they were closing the strike, I felt disheartened. I felt like no one had been listening to what we had been saying for such a long period of time. Yes, the raise is nice, but without the insurance, without the benefits, it all goes hand in hand. That was the main point.

I have a masters degree. My husband is a welder. I have three children, all teenagers. Everybody has a lot of doctors appointments. Its $40 for each co-pay right now. Plus, with the rising costs, it takes more and more out of the paychecks. Thats less and less that goes toward the family for the things that kids need growing up.

Sylvia explained how she and her co-workers had independently organized to continue the strike. We never met back at school. It was just through social media, and texting and calling. We said, No, this is not right. Were going to be back up there tomorrow! Everybody on the first day wore black, and we said were back in black! Because nobody listened to us, and it took a few minutes for it to sink in that, wait a second, this is our representation, and maybe they have a few things wrong.The Social Democratic Party (SPD) membership vote on a new edition of the grand coalition ended yesterday. Since February 20, 464,000 SPD party members have had the opportunity to vote by mail. On Sunday, the SPD executive will then announce the result.

The aim of the vote was not to ascertain the opinion of the SPD rank and file and then orient the policy of the executive to the outcome of the membership vote. The broad rejection of the grand coalition in the population and among the SPD ranks has long been known. In the general election in September last year, all the parties of the outgoing grand coalitionthe Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD)were massively punished. As a pay-off for its right-wing, anti-social policies, the SPD vote slumped to 20.5 percent, its worst election result in 70 years. Since then, it has slipped by another 5 percent in voter surveys.

The real aim of the membership vote has been to provide a kind of pseudo-democratic cover for the continuation of the grand coalition, in order to realize a political programme that is even more right-wing than that of the last government, against the declared resistance of the population. To achieve this, the SPD executive has used the vote to conduct an intense propaganda campaign in support of the proposed coalition and has sought to intimidate all its opponents.

When the ballot papers were sent out 10 days ago, the SPD executive approved a three-page letter praising the coalition agreement to the heavens. It said, The coalition agreement bears clear social democratic handwriting! And further, The bottom line is that our negotiation results [with the CDU/CSU] provide the basis for a government that puts people at the centre of its workwith all their hopes, desires, but also worries and fears. Only with the SPD is such a policy possible. The arguments of the coalitions opponents were completely hidden from sight.

At seven regional conferences, countless district assemblies and local organisation meetings, as well as in talk shows and media interviews, active and former executive members appeared and warned the membership of the consequences of a rejection. Former party leader Rudolf Scharping spoke for them all when he told the Rhein-Zeitung that new elections would be a life-threatening risk for the SPD and bad for Germany.

It is hard to better formulate the SPD leaderships fears of the people and their determination to use brutal methods against any resistance.

This dictatorial demeanour emerges directly from the programme of the grand coalition, whose true core was covered up at all SPD events. Nowhere in the various conferences and meetings, and in the media reports, has there been any talk of what stands at the heart of the coalition agreement: the pursuit of great power politics, a doubling of military spending and preparations for war.

The word Bundeswehr (armed forces) appears more than three dozen times in the coalition agreement, and the decision on rearming the military permeates all policy areas. The entire thrust of the next governments work is to be geared towards the return of Germany to aggressive foreign and great power policies.

The central chapter, Germanys Responsibility for Peace, Freedom and Security in the World, comprises 20 pages and reads like a strategy document for a third grab for world power. The list of German areas of interests includes the Western Balkans, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Armaments production is to be massively expanded and specifically promoted. The coalition agreement states, The Bundeswehr will procure what it needs, not what it is offered. What is needed is a transparent, effective and optimized armaments process. How the doubling of defence spending is to be financed along with simultaneous tax cuts for corporations and the rich, as well as a ban on new debt, is not explained. Clearly, a renewed policy of comprehensive social cuts was secretly agreed.

Following the monstrous crimes committed by the German army in two world wars, and in view of the massive popular resistance against rearmament, the Bundeswehr had to call itself a parliamentary army in the post-war years. This was supposed to ensure the strict subordination of the military to parliament and the elected government.

Now the coalition agreement turns this control into a duty of care towards the military. It states that the Bundestag (parliament) assumes a special responsibility for our soldiers, and, So that the Bundeswehr can properly fulfil the orders given to it in all dimensions, we will provide the soldiers with the best possible equipment, training and support.

To this end, the trend reversals in personnel, material and finances initiated are to be systematically continued, and in addition to ensuring the sustainable financing of the Bundeswehr, the necessary conditions are to be guaranteed for planning and financing security investments over the years. In the future, a parliamentary army means that parliament must ensure the implementation of the requirements of the army brass.

The massive pressure the SPD leadership has exerted on its own members over the past 10 days during the vote is part of a political conspiracy to implement this militaristic program.

The SPD leadership even wants to keep the counting of votes strictly under its control. Unlike the first SPD membership vote on the 2013 coalition agreement, which took place under notarial control, no premises have been hired for the count this time. The ballots are being transported by Post Office trucks to SPD headquarters at Willy Brandt Haus. There, 120 SPD volunteers will carry out the count under the eyes of the party executive.

Another element of this undemocratic process is the opposition campaign by Juso (Young Socialists) boss Kevin Kuhnert, who parades in the media as a spokesman for the coalition opponents within the SPD. Kuhnert himself is a member of the SPD executive committee and largely agrees with the content of the coalition agreement.

The 28-year-old son of a Berlin civil servant joined the SPD in 2005, the last year of the SPD-Green Party coalition under Gerhard Schroder and Joshka Fischer, as thousands of SPD members protested against Agenda 2010 and the Hartz lawsintroducing massive attacks on welfare and labour rightsand the war policy, with thousands resigning from the party. For Kuhnert, the Schroder SPD did not look repugnant, but appealing. He has worked systematically on his rise through the party ever since.

Even now, he constantly emphasizes that regardless of the current differences, the party must be united and strengthened after the vote. His nationwide  no-groko tour (No Grand Coalition) is not designed to organize a political fight against the grand coalition, but serves above all to raise his own profile. Like the advocates of a grand coalition, his primary concern is rescuing the SPD, which has played the leading role in implementing social cuts and the return to militarism over the past two decades and has repressed all working class resistance in close collaboration with the unions.

The WSWS and the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) advocate the opposite view. We welcome the growing opposition of many workers and young people against the SPD, which is also manifested in its loss of votes and the decline of the party in the polls. The claim that it is possible to renew or reform the SPD in opposition is wrong and a deliberate fraud. If the SPD were in opposition, it would protect the CDU/CSU government from the rear, suppress resistance against it, and prevent all socialist developments in the working class.

Ever since the SPD agreed to the Kaisers war credits in 1914 on the eve of the First World War and bloodily suppressed the November Revolution of 1918 a century ago, it has been one of the most important political pillars of German imperialism. Today it is trying to take the lead in advancing Germanys great power politics, military rearmament and police state measures.

It is not the renewal of the SPD but the construction of the SGP that is the task of the hour. We call on workers to break with the SPD-controlled unions and to build workers committees that carefully study the coalition agreement and develop the growing opposition to redundancies and welfare cuts into a broad political movement for new elections and against the coming grand coalition.European leaders yesterday threatened trade retaliation after President Trump announced global tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imports of aluminium. Trump, however, responded with a series of tweets making clear that he does not intend to back down on a move that could provoke an escalating trade war.

European Union (EU) trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told the Financial Times that the EU would have little choice but to challenge US tariffs in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and impose its own tariffs and other retaliatory measures. Warning of the danger of a trade war, she said: We risk seeing a dangerous domino effect.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker suggested in the German media that plans were being drawn up to tax American goods such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Kentucky bourbon and blue jeans if the planned tariffs on steel and aluminium were implemented. The choice of goods was targeted at the home states of key US Republican leaders.

In a swipe directed against Trump and his administration, Juncker added: None of this is reasonable, but reason is a sentiment that is very unevenly distributed in this world. He said that European trade retaliation would conform with WTO rules.

Trumps announcement triggered international criticism and warnings, including from US allies that will be among the hardest hit if the tariffs go through next week. While the Trump administrations rhetoric has been directed against China and Russia, Russia is only the fifth-largest source of US steel imports, and China the eleventh-largest.

In Germany, Steffen Seibert, a spokesman for Chancellor Merkel, rejected the US tariffs, warning that they could lead to a global trade war that would not be in anyones interest. The president of the German Steel Federation, Hans Jurgen Kerkhoff, declared that the measures violated WTO rules and urged the EU to react.

Frances economy minister Bruno Le Maire said the US tariffs would have a major impact on the European economy and a number of French companies, including in steel and aluminium which were in a particularly fragile state. He warned that a trade war between Europe and the US will only result in losers.

American allies pointed to the hypocrisy of the Trump administration in invoking national security rules in trade legislation to implement the tariffs.

Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland declared: It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau branded any tariffs on steel and aluminium as absolutely unacceptable.

Canada is the top supplier of steel to the US, accounting for about 17 percent of total American steel imports. Canada will take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers, Freeland warned.

Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko responded similarly, saying he saw absolutely no impact on American security from Japanese steel and aluminium imports. Shares in Japanese and South Korean steel and aluminium corporations, like their European counterparts, fell sharply yesterday.

Trump, however, responded to the international backlash with a belligerent tweet. When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win, he declared.

Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, dont trade anymorewe win big. Its easy!

Trump followed up hours later by repeating his protectionist credo: We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DONT HAVE STEEL, YOU DONT HAVE A COUNTRY!

In reality, a downward spiral into full-blown trade war threatens a major contraction in world trade and the world economy and a further acceleration of geo-political tensions that are already driving the world towards war.

Within the United States, industry groups and economists are already warning that higher steel and aluminium prices in the US would make key manufacturing sectors such as auto, aerospace and whitegoods less competitive internationally. Amid the falls and volatility on Wall Street sparked by fears of trade conflict, these companies were the hardest hit.

Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisers, told the Financial Times that auto manufacturers faced increased costs for what were significant inputs. They will have a choice whether to pass those costs along to consumers or become less profitable, he said.

Trumps announcement has sharpened divisions in US ruling circles and compounded the intense political crisis within his own administration. Hard-line advocates of protectionism such as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross have vigorously defended the planned tariffs and dismissed the potential fallout.

Speaking on Bloomberg TV, Ross backed the imposition of the tariffs against all countries, rather than targeting particular exporters. We have to deal with a global problem on a global basis, he said, in order to stamp out exports being routed through third countries to evade trade restrictions.

Ross told CNBC that the Trump administration was going to fight back, adding, In any war there may be a few casualties. That just comes with the nature of the beast. He dismissed the concerns of manufacturers, declaring that the increased cost of a can of Campbells soup as a result of higher steel prices would be miniscule.

However, according to the Politico, Trumps top economic adviser, Gary Cohn could be on the point of resigning over the tariff announcement. Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive and director of the National Economic Council, is a mouthpiece within the White House for the interests of finance capital and an opponent of protectionism.

Politico reported: The tariff decision on Thursday capped several weeks of freewheeling and often caustic debates that one White House aide called absolute chaos and featured loud disputes between Cohn and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, a leading advocate of tariffs.

The article also noted that Cohns opposition to tariffs was echoed by most of the members of Trumps national security team, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. They are concerned about alienating key allies in Asia and Europe right at the point that Washington is intensifying military operations in Syria and preparing for imminent war against North Korea.

Trade war and war are intimately interconnected as the US seeks to undermine its main rivals in its bid for global hegemony. It is no accident that propagandists for trade war such as Ross and Navarro are above all antagonistic to China, which Washington regards as its chief obstacle to world domination.On February 17 and 18, the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) held their annual national convention in Washington D.C., under the headline, Building Socialist Power Beyond the Campus. Just over 350 young people attended the conference, several times higher than in previous years.

The DSA has grown more than six-fold since the election of Donald Trump, from 5,000 to over 32,000 members, many of them young people. There is a growing interest amongst workers and youth in socialism. As was evident at the conference, the aim of the DSA is to turn young people interested in socialism into foot-soldiers for the Democrats or organizers for the anti-working class trade unions.

The first plenary session, Democratic Socialisms Strategy for Trumps Second Year, set the tone for the rest of the conference. This panel featured Amirah Sequeira, a lobbyist for the trade union National Nurses United; Jacquelyn Smith, former election campaign manager to Lee Carter, a Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates; and Bianca Cunningham, a low-level official in the Communication Workers of America (CWA), who worked on the bargaining team of the sellout of the 2016 Verizon workers strike.

Sequeira gave the first report, consisting of a call-to-action around Bernie Sanders Medicare For All bill. We need to build a serious grassroots movement across this country, and we hope that you will be a part of it, she announced. There are going to be state campaigns for Medicare For All bills in states across this country. We are going to work to pass H.R.676 [Expanded & Improved Medicare for All Act], formally introduced by Representative John Conyers, and S.1804 [Medicare for All Act of 2017] in the Senate by Mr. Bernie Sanders, she continued.

During an address concerning electoral work, Smith elaborated DSA strategy under a tactic she referred to as running where the machine is weak. Running an insurgent socialist campaign in a Democratic Party stronghold puts us at a significant disadvantage in brutal primary elections, often against well-funded incumbents, she said, who have already locked up union support. Instead, the DSA intends to focus on Republican-held districts with substantial working-class populations who have long since been abandoned by the party establishment.

These communities are especially receptive to leftist messaging and real grassroots campaigns, Smith said. In particular, she stressed the importance of targeting low-income and low-turnout communities that the establishment refuses to prioritize. Theyre just uninterested and they think that theyre lost causes.

To this effect, Smiths speech made clear the DSAs hope to re-inspire illusions in the Democrats amongst workers and youth. After witnessing decades of deindustrialization, cuts to social programs, and widespread impoverishment, the working class by and large views the Democratic Party with justifiable contempt.

The DSA leadership hopes that, by bringing these disaffected workers back into its fold, they will be rewarded with power and influence of their own. You want to find a race that you can actually make a significant impact on. Because when you can make a significant impact, the elected officials, you are going to have more influence with them, she explained.

Bianca Cunningham expressed the same sentiments with regard to swelling the ranks of the trade unions with young workers. Unions are still fundamentally workers organizations at the end of the day, she claimed. Whether the leadership has gone astray or not, they can always be replaced through elections. While on the one hand, Cunningham was forced to note that the Democratic Party is a capitalist organization and is always going to be fundamentally capitalist, her solution consisted of taking union jobs as a way to change the party.

Take a union job and lets be the leadership we want to replace, she said. We dont want to necessarily be bureaucrats, but we want to be in a position of power so that we can make the right decisions and change the union from the inside. This statement underscores the desire of individuals like Cunningham to boost Democratic votes and expand the unions dues base in return for well-heeled positions in the party establishment and trade union bureaucracy.

The assertion by Cunningham that the unions are still workers organizations was an effort to revive support in organizations that are working deliberately and systematically to sabotage any emergence of class struggle, as they are doing now in West Virginia.

Only a week after the YDSA conference, a lawyer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees explicitly articulated the real role of the unions. In arguments before the Supreme Court in the case of Janus v. AFSCME, David Frederick declared that union security is the tradeoff for no strikes. Without the unions, he said, there would be an untold specter of labor unrest throughout the country.

A breakout session titled Democratic Socialism on the Ballot, chaired by National Political Committee members Chris Riddiough and Christian Bowe, dealt exclusively with the question of working within the Democratic Party. The decision was treated by the leadership as a fait accompli, for which there was no room for further discussion. Still, the speakers were forced to acknowledge the existence of conflict within the DSA over this question.

Lets talk about the elephant in the room, or perhaps I should say the donkey, Riddiough said. The debate over whether to work in the Democratic Party or to support Democratic candidates and or run as socialists in the Democratic Party has been raging on the left for decades.

For some, this is a question of principle, she continued. The Democratic Party is a captive of the capitalist neoliberals and cant be salvaged, they would say. We need a party of the working class, of labor. Now I think that some of that is true, but I think however that to DP or not DP is really a tactical question.

We often think of parties as ideologically based, she continued, but in the US thats really not true. The Democratic Party stands for nothing. But we can also look at it as an opportunityan opportunity to move the party to the left.

The reality is the opposite. The Democratic Party represents the interests of Wall Street and the military-intelligence apparatus. It is a party that acts on behalf of a parasitic minority of the super-rich. It is a party of militarism, which is presently basing its opposition to Trump entirely on the demand that the White House take more aggressive action against Russia. If workers view it with anger and disgust, it is because it is this party that is responsible for the gutting of entire industries and the devastation of communities across vast regions of the United States.

The conference also sought to bolster the identity politics used by the Democrats to divide the working class and subordinate it to the interests of the upper middle class. White, male workers and youth were repeatedly urged to take a backseat in political discussion. Speakers warned the audience that any attempt to raise the consciousness of the working class was paternalistic and indicative of privilege. Instead, the speakers instructed attendees to meet people where theyre at.

During the second plenary session, Capitalism Is The Crisis, policy analyst Matt Bruenig presented data that showed that social inequality followed a similar pattern across all ethnic groups in the United States. For making this basic and irrefutable point, he was roundly criticized by individuals in the audience and on the panel.

David Thurston, a member of the steering committee of the Movement for Black Liveswhich received $100 million from the Ford Foundation last yeardeclared, Any analysis of anti-capitalism that doesnt put white supremacy at its center, is bound to be utterly pointless and irrelevant. In other words, any statement that challenges the narrative that the principal division in society is racenot classis to be politically suppressed.

More important than what was said at the conference, however, is what was not said. The meeting, ostensibly held in opposition to capitalism and in favor of socialism, made no attempt at any analysis of the current political and economic crisis. There was no mention of the developing crisis in the stock market, which saw the Dow wildly gyrate at the beginning of the month.

Most significantly, there was no reference to the growing danger of a third world war. The extraordinary conflict raging within the American capitalist state was ignored, as was the current wave of anti-Russian hysteria and conspiracy theories from the Democratic Party and the capitalist press. Internet censorship of left-wing, anti-war and progressive websites was likewise passed by in silence.

To address any of these issues would expose the character of the Democratic Party, of which the DSA is an auxiliary faction.VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The final defendant charged in the murder of Terre Haute radio personality Matt Luecking has pleaded guilty.

Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt stated Donald Featherstone signed his plea agreement Friday afternoon. He's admitting to felony murder.

Featherstone's plea agreement caps his prison sentence at 50 years. However, Indiana law requires a minimum of 45 years on all murder cases.

Featherstone will be sentenced April 4.Terre Haute, Ind. (WTHI) - From livestock to drones students gathered at Ivy Tech to learn about subjects related to farming and tech.





"We've invited about 220 high school students to compete in different contests that are ag. related" John Rosene with Ivy Tech in Terre Haute says.

Friday was Ivy Tech's annual Ag Expo. Students participated in various contests related to agriculture. The contests were designed to emulate real-life ag concepts.

"Livestock judging, soil judging, we've got a power tool drag race, they're flying drones, you name it. These are all ag related concepts so they are using skills they learned in high school in their ag classes to compete" Rosene says.

Organizers say the agriculture industry is filled with older members looking to retire. Younger workers are needed and events like these can inspire students to pursue a career in the field.

"Most young people don't even think about ag as a potential career. So what we are trying to do is educate them about all of the different jobs and the diversity of careers in agriculture. It's not just 'farming' it's not just working out in the fields, it's technology jobs" Rosene says.

Organizers want students to prepare for technology jobs that are very similar to the contests being held at the expo Friday.

"Flying drones and gps technology and variable application rates of chemicals so there's a lot of really high tech high paying jobs out there and we are trying to raise awareness of those jobs" Rosene says.BOSTON (AP)  A noreaster pounded the Atlantic coast with hurricane-force winds and sideways rain and snow Friday, flooding streets, grounding flights, stopping trains and leaving 1.6 million customers without power from North Carolina to Maine.

At least five people were killed by falling trees or branches.

The storm submerged cars and toppled tractor-trailers, sent waves higher than a two-story house crashing into the Massachusetts coast, forced schools and businesses to close early and caused a rough ride for passengers aboard a flight that landed at Dulles Airport outside Washington.

Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up, a pilot wrote in a report to the National Weather Service.

The Eastern Seaboard was hammered by gusts exceeding 50 mph, with winds of 80 to 90 mph on Cape Cod. Ohio and upstate New York got a foot or more of snow. Boston and Rhode Island were expected to get 2 to 5 inches.

The storm killed at least five people, including a 77-year-old woman struck by a branch outside her home near Baltimore. Fallen trees also killed a man and a 6-year-old boy in different parts of Virginia, an 11-year-old boy in New York state and a man in Newport, Rhode Island.

A fierce noreaster has downed trees and power lines, causing widespread problems across the Northeast. Parts of Massachusetts saw heavy flooding, while Buffalo, N.Y. was buried in snow. (March 2)

Floodwaters in Quincy, Massachusetts, submerged cars, and police rescued people trapped in their vehicles. High waves battered nearby Scituate, making roads impassable and turning parking lots into small ponds. More than 1,800 people alerted Scituate officials they had evacuated, The Boston Globe reported.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help victims.

Airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights, mostly in the Northeast. LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill.

President Donald Trump, who traveled to North Carolina for the funeral for the Rev. Billy Graham, was forced to fly out of Dulles instead of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is housed, because of high winds.

Amtrak suspended service along the Northeast Corridor, from Washington to Boston. In New Jersey, a tree hit overhead wires, forcing the suspension of some New Jersey Transit commuter service.

Winds toppled a truck on Rhode Islands Newport Pell Bridge and prompted officials to close several bridges in the state to commercial vehicles. A tractor-trailer also tipped over on New Yorks Tappan Zee Bridge, snarling traffic for hours.

The federal government closed all offices in the Washington area for the day. Smithsonian museums also shut their doors.

In the western New York town of Hornell, 30-year-old Anna Stewart was milking the 130 cows of her dairy farm in a barn powered by a generator hooked up to a tractor. Stewart lost power Thursday night. Hornell got more than 14 inches of snow.

The snow is pretty wet and heavy. Its taken down a lot of lines, Stewart said. Theres more snow than Ive seen in quite a few years.

On the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown resident Andy Towle took video of a 50-foot fishing boat breaking free from its mooring and drifting dangerously toward the rocks.

Ive never seen anything like that, the 50-year-old resident said. The harbormaster was down there with police, and they didnt know what to do.

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This story corrects that several bridges in Rhode Island were closed, not all major bridges.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Hill in Albany, New York, Michelle R. Smith in Providence, Rhode Island, Anisha Frizzell in Baltimore, and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A team of Purdue University students is preparing to launch a methane-powered rocket in a contest seeking new types of rockets.

The Purdue Space Program team is among numerous university student-engineering teams from around the globe competing in the FAR-MARS Prize contest. That competition seeks rockets that could land on Mars and refuel by harnessing the red planet's resources.

The teams will launch their rockets in May from Southern California's Mojave Desert.

Each will have two hours to deploy its launch system, fuel the rocket, and launch a payload that includes an altitude tracking device, and recover it via parachute.

Student teams that launch a bi-propellant liquid-fueled rocket to 45,000 feet will win $50,000. Those that can launch using liquid oxygen and liquid methane as fuel will win another $50,000.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.ISIS'-former minister for health-Kefah Basheer Hussein is calm and collected, almost too composed and smug for a captured-man. A corner of his mouth twitches in what appears to be an attempt to hide a smirk. He answers "no comment" to yet another-CNN-question about the murky years-when al Qaeda in Iraq-went underground only to reemerge as ISIS.

Hussein says he was a high-level ISIS operative -- not a fighter-on-the battlefield but someone who-formed the backbone of the-terror-group. An intellect-in the shadows, he helped-ISIS to survive and morph over the years.

CNN exclusively interviewed Hussein after he was apprehended last month by Turkish security forces. The former ISIS minister, who claims that he left the terror group six months ago, is currently in Turkish custody awaiting trial on charges that have yet to be announced.

A rheumatology doctor by training, Hussein, 39,-served ISIS and its previous incarnations for over a decade and a half.-For the bulk of that-time, he-remained largely unknown to intelligence agencies, the US military, and the Iraqi government.

Former Iraqi childhood acquaintances, professional contacts, and others connected to Hussein requested to remain anonymous before speaking to CNN about a man whose terrorist affiliations still haunt and threaten them. His story serves as a time capsule of the rise and fall of the radical jihadi agenda that swept through the region.

The US invasion of Iraq

Hussein was raised in Tal Afar, a predominantly Turkmen city-in Iraq, situated on one of the main roads between Mosul and the Iraqi-Syrian border.-People acquainted with him in high school describe him as "ambitious," "smart" and "very competitive." Like any teenager with big hopes, Hussein set out for the big city when he graduated.

Hussein was training as a doctor in Mosul when the US invasion of Iraq began in 2003.-Seeing a foreign occupying army in his country burned him to the core. His family were zealous converts. In the 1970s, their family broke away from the Shia faith of their tribe to Sunni Islam, according to a neighbor from Tal Afar. Adherents-of-Salafism, a strict and puritanical interpretation of Sunni Islam, their anger was primed as they watched events unfold in Afghanistan and witnessed the fall of Saddam Hussein. The more raids the US military carried out in their hunt for Saddam-Hussein's henchmen and, later, in their targeting of the then-nascent insurgency, the angrier Hussein appeared to grow.

"The whole family had a violent reaction," the neighbor says. "When they (Americans) came to Tal Afar, Kefah was part of the first group that was fighting the Americans -- their house was one of the houses that was used for planning operations against the Americans," the neighbor said.

By his own account, Hussein joined Tawhid wal-Jihad in 2004. The group, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was the ideological precursor to al Qaeda in Iraq. Hussein embraced Zarqawi's ideology.

"We saw many things that happened in front of us, rapes, killings, corruption, the Americans stealing money,"-Hussein-tells CNN.

Hussein says he helped the radical jihadist group by managing health services. It was a role he would play for the better part of a decade across Iraq and Syria as Tawhid wal-Jihad slowly morphed into the so-called Islamic State.

At the height of the tribal awakening of 2007-2008, when Iraq's Sunni tribes fought against al Qaeda, Hussein had his one and only run in with the authorities.

He was detained briefly in Mosul, according to one ISIS expert. Hussein was accused of being a member of al Qaeda but was released after a short stint in-jail and was not mistreated.

Hussein himself was evasive on the subject.-"At that time, I had security issues but they didn't know anything about me and I changed my address," he says. Asked if he was in US custody, he-responded: "maybe."

A US troops surge prompted by the awakening fighters forced ISIS underground, and Hussein continued his day job at the Ibn Sina Hospital in Mosul.-One-doctor who worked with him describes him as a "strange" and "distant" figure.

When the ISIS offensive to take over Mosul began in 2014, Hussein emerged from the shadows.

"We weren't sleeper cells, but we weren't participating in the battles for security reasons," Hussein says.

Organ trafficking and blood removal

As ISIS took over the city, a doctor at the hospital recalled Hussein saying: "If any doctors run away, we will execute them."

Hisham al-Hashimi, a leading expert on ISIS in Iraq, told CNN that in Hussein's position, he would have overseen some of ISIS' most horrific activities.

To bolster their blood bank, individuals slated for execution would have their blood removed, in some cases even a kidney extracted. Al-Hashimi said he learned this from his sources as well as people he spoke to who were in ISIS detention.

"It was for their (ISIS') own use, they needed blood. And if they take blood from a prisoner over the course of weeks up until the execution, it would weaken them, make them less likely to struggle. The kidneys, they were for sale," al-Hashimi says.

CNN sources say that they heard about these practices, but had no concrete evidence of it taking place. One former senior official in Iraq's Nineveh province, where ISIS controlled large swathes of land, said that some of the bodies they had recovered from a morgue appeared to have had a kidney removed.

CNN was not aware of the allegation at the time of the interview with Hussein and was not permitted access to Hussein to seek comment on these allegations.

Links to ISIS leadership

Two months after ISIS took control of the city, Hussein's first wife left him, fleeing for the relative safety of Baghdad, according to an acquaintance in Mosul. He pursued his wife relentlessly, sending her threats of abduction, according to the acquaintance who delivered messages between Hussein and his wife.

Hussein took a second wife. It was a marriage of ISIS' top brass. She was the daughter of an influential female doctor, who was prominent within the ISIS cadres. The doctor is believed to be part of the main group that was dispatched to treat ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after he was injured in 2015.

While Hussein confirmed that he is married and has children, he declined to answer any detailed questions about his family from CNN, saying only, "they exist."

Hussein didn't have a direct relationship with al-Baghdadi, but his second wife did, according to al-Hashimi.

"But these people like him, I call them the black box of ISIS because they have ties to the top tier and to the local leaders. He may not have a direct tie, but he knows important information.-And-they are trained to be killed and not confess all they know," al-Hashimi says.

"These individuals are fundamental for three main reasons... they are not on any of the terror watch lists, they have charisma and the ability to charm people, and they have complete loyalty to the principles of the caliphate."

A doctor from Deir Ezzor says he met Hussein in the late spring of 2016. He says Hussein was the head of a committee selected by al-Baghdadi, tasked with setting up a hospital in a small village in Syrian between Raqqa -- the ISIS stronghold -- and Deir Ezzor. "I think they picked al-Kasrah [the city between Raqqa and Deir Ezzor] because they wanted to make that they have the capacity to receive high level ISIS members for treatment. I heard that they also improved the equipment there and provided the facility with the best assistance."

An unapologetic view

Throughout our interview, it is clear that Hussein is careful about what he discloses, unwilling to let information slip, but at the same time wanting to appear cooperative. He is oddly apologetic about-refraining from answering certain questions. After a string of "no comments" he adds: "I have a trial you know."

Hussein took over the post of ISIS minister of health after his predecessor was killed by a bomb in Mosul, he said. When ISIS began losing control of the city, Hussein moved his base of operations into Syria like many other high-ranking ISIS operatives and began shuttling between Raqqa and Deir Ezzor. "We weren't only serving militants, we were also serving the civilians, people are poor in those areas,"-he said defending his position.

He is unapologetic in his belief in the-Zarqawi doctrine, in ISIS' brutal version of Sharia, or Islamic law. Still he says he was propelled to leave the group after ISIS veered off what he saw as the "righteous path."

"It is a right way of-asking people to-adhere to-Sharia, of course I believe in it... many stuff happened that misdirected the caliphate from its righteous path,"-he says. "But I always thought about the medical help that I can provide, especially the administrative stuff, so I was a bit late when I left them."

A Syrian who identified Hussein through a photograph knew him as Dr. Omar in the town of al Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province in June 2017. By Hussein's own account given to Turkish authorities, he left al Mayadeen when fighting intensified. He illegally entered Turkey through the YPG-held town of Tal Abyad.

When pressed by CNN, Hussein is vague about how he left Syria. "Don't ask me how. Don't ask me the route."

After a month in Turkey, he said he secured a fake Syrian refugee ID, but was stopped at a checkpoint while en route to Istanbul.

Alongside him was another Iraqi man who-Turkish authorities-identified as being one of the men under his command. On that same day, Turkish authorities detained half a dozen foreign ISIS members, including a Dutch and a British-national who were on a red notice alert, essentially an international arrest warrant.

Security forces routinely round up hundreds of-suspected-ISIS members -- ranging from-the-lowly fighters to logistics organizers to men like Hussein who make up the-terror group's-brain trust.

Hussein says he did not expect ISIS to lose its so-called "caliphate."

"The caliphate is not just in Iraq and Syria. It is in Khorasan (a historic region in central Asia), Libya and the Philippines currently and also in Africa."

Asked if he wants ISIS-to-survive, Hussein again-answers "no comment."

The US military has long said that an organization can only be eliminated when its middle leadership is destroyed. But when it comes to ISIS, al-Hashimi estimates that only about 30% of the dozens that make up this vital cornerstone are known. And that is precisely what makes it so dangerous.

"We have defeated ISIS militarily, but only in the sense that there are no ISIS flags, no buildings that they can openly claim as their own," al-Hashimi adds. "But ISIS is everywhere in Iraq and Syria."

Hussein likely won't have a role in the next ISIS incarnation.

But when it comes to this deadly, radical ideology, it's not a matter of if but when its other ghosts emerge from the shadows.JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi lawmakers are rejecting an attempt to rewrite the state's public school funding formula.

The state Senate killed the bill on a procedural motion Thursday. The vote was 27-21.

A number of Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats. The bill would have replaced the state's 21-year-old Mississippi Adequate Education Program with a new formula.

Sen. Hob Bryan, an Amory Democrat who made the motion to kill the bill, argues that the new proposal is based on faulty data and hasn't been thoroughly considered.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Gray Tollison, an Oxford Republican, tells senators that they should have moved forward, saying the current formula inequitably distributes a significant portion of its money.

The vote climaxes in a multi-year struggle by Republicans to change the formula.JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - The Mississippi Supreme Court will not review a Clay County statutory rape case.

Latrai Spraggins, 31, is serving 10 years after pleading guilty to having sex with a child under the age of 14.

Spraggins was indicted in 2009 and pleaded guilty to the charge in 2012.

He later appealed claiming he was never told he would be able to appeal his case if he pleaded guilty.

The appeal was filed outside a three-year deadline set in law, but the Mississippi Court of Appeals ruled the claim was without merit.

The state's highest court denied a request to review the case on Thursday.JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) - The state's highest court will not review the appeals filed in a Yalobusha County murder case.

Jermaine Crump, 36, is serving a life sentence in the shooting death of Crystal Crump in 2012.

Crystal was married to Crump's younger brother, and the couple and their two kids were living with Jermaine and his mother in Coffeeville.

Investigators say he chased the woman out of the home where they lived and shot her multiple times after she fell on the porch.

He claims he was acting in self-defense and thought she had a knife when he chased her out of the home.

The Mississippi Court of Appeals upheld his convicted last year, and the Mississippi Supreme Court denied a request to review the case Thursday.BROOKS COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) - A family is in mourning Friday night after they say law enforcement shot and killed their loved one.

Officials at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation still haven't confirmed the death of 31-year-old Timothy Smothers, Jr. However, his father tells WTXL his son was shot and killed when he refused to turn himself over to deputies who had a warrant for his arrest.

"I could've taken my son out of there," said Timothy Smothers. "There would be nobody dead right now."

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Brooks County deputies went to a trailer home to serve a warrant for probation violation Friday afternoon. During the attempted arrest, they say the man barricaded himself inside the house.

The Lowndes County SWAT team was called to help. Smothers and other family members showed up and tried to help, too.

"They wouldn't let us go in, period," said Smothers. "They told us if we wouldn't leave, they would place us all under arrest and put us in jail. They even said nobody is gonna get shot, nobody is gonna get shot. Next thing, my son is shot in the chest and dead."

At one point, the trailer home caught on fire. Authorities are still investigating the cause. That's when Smothers says his son was taken to the hospital and his family found out he died.

"My brother went in and identified him. I couldn't do it. I was devastated," said Smothers. "[My son] wasn't all there mentally. He didn't think right but he was a good boy."

Officials say the fire consumed about half the mobile home. Family members tell WTXL that Smothers, Jr. lived there with his grandmother, but they don't believe she was home during the standoff.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (News Service)- Friday, Florida Senate leaders ordered a rare Saturday floor session to begin debate on a measure that has become mired in controversy over allowing armed teachers.

The Saturday session is planned as House and Senate leaders race against the clock to reach consensus on a bill before the annual legislative session ends on Mar. 9.

Senate President Joe Negron sent out a memo Friday morning announcing the Saturday floor session, saying the bill's sponsor wanted additional time to work on this important issue.

The Senate had been expected to take up the bill Friday.

"We have lots of very different backgrounds in our state. So, it looks like it might be taking us a little bit of time to make sure that we find that balance," State Senator Anitere Flores said. "But we'll get it right and we'll have a response to the tragedy in Parkland."

Orlando Democrat Linda Stewart has filed an amendment to the bill that would ban assault-style rifles in Florida.

She hopes the delay means legislative leadership is listening to many outspoken groups along with Governor Rick Scott, who say allowing teachers to carry guns is a bad idea.

"I know what the citizens of Florida would like to see happen," Stewart said. "And whether we can get to where they would like us to be is totally a different thing."

Delaying consideration of the measure until next week would affect the House's ability to hear the Senate bill because of procedural reasons.

House Speaker Richard Corcoran has said his chamber will wait until the Senate acts on its proposal before taking up the issue.TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (News Service) - Several Democratic lawmakers joined school administrators, students and clergy at the State Capitol Friday.

They continue to call for a ban on assault-style weapons as part of any "school safety plan" the legislature may pass in the coming week.

The group also objects to what has been dubbed the "school marshal" program in House and Senate proposals.

That program could lead to armed teachers in schools.

Following a Valentine's day school shooting in Broward County that killed 17 people, lawmakers are under pressure to act quickly to address school safety and mental health issues, and raise the age to 21 for the purchase of rifles and other long guns.

State Representative Shevrin Jones, a former teacher, says carrying a gun should not be in the job description.

"I think that it is the most asinine thing that the leadership of this body could even come up with to say that this is good legislation," said Jones. "This is not good legislation. This is pandering to the NRA."

Governor Rick Scott, who must sign off on any proposed legislation, has repeatedly stated his opposition to giving teachers guns.

The Florida Senate is expected to discuss the bill on Saturday, during a rare weekend legislative session.PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL (WSFA) - Panama City Beach's spring break alcohol ban is now in effect.

During the month of March, no alcoholic beverages can be consumed on sandy beaches, right of way or in parking lots.

"There is zero tolerance for criminal behavior. Use common sense and leave Spring Break with a great suntan, not a criminal record," said Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford in a statement.

Other ordinances in effect in Panama City Beach:

Anyone under the age of 21 can't be inside establishments serving alcohol and licensed for consumption on premises after midnight, except active duty military personnel with ID, in the unincorporated areas of Bay County. (County Ordinance 15-24)

Law Enforcement officers can order a nuisance party to cease and desist. A nuisance party is defined as a party, usually at a residence, where minors and underage drinkers find easy access to alcohol and causes noise, litter, traffic congestion, a neighborhood disturbance, and creates an unsafe environment that leads to property damage, violence, and criminal behavior. (County Ordinance 15-45)

Digging holes deeper than two feet on the sandy beaches of Bay County is prohibited. (County Ordinance 15-02)

It is illegal to operate a rented scooter at night during Spring Break. (County Ordinance 16-07)

Copyright 2018 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.HARD-WON VICTORY: Brenna Legaard (above) and her husband, Scott Fournier, were one of two families who last week won a federal class-action lawsuit against Providence Heath Plan after the insurer refused to cover applied behavior analysis treatment for their 7-year-old son, identified in the suit as "A.F." Legaard says the treatment, which has helped their son, required the couple to drain their retirement accounts. "This has been a blow to our resources, but at least we have resources." she says. "A lot of families don't."

Elie, who lives in Salem, was diagnosed in 2006 with severe autism, a developmental disability that often manifests itself in repetitive behaviors, lack of eye contact, tantrums, or extreme sensitively to touch.

Experts recommended that Elie undergo applied behavior analysis, an intense personalized therapy that has become a standard of care for children with autism.

The therapy she got at a Johns Hopkins clinic made all the difference. After five months of the treatment, known as ABA, Elie's self-harm dropped by 93 percent.

Her family's health insurer, Providence Health Plan, initially refused to cover the care, which runs as much as $50,000 a year, despite state and federal laws that call for insurers to cover the treatment.

Elie's mother, Christie, said her experience as a financial compliance officer and health insurance billing agent allowed her to fight back; Providence ultimately consented to cover the treatment.

Other parents have not been so lucky. Providence and other health insurers have for years refused to follow the law when it comes to covering ABA treatment for autistic children.

As first reported by wweek.com, a federal judge in Portland last week ruled Providence Health Plan had violated state and federal law by denying coverage to two boys, both age 7.

It shouldn't have taken a federal judge.

Records obtained by WW show the Oregon Insurance Division for years allowed health insurers to avoid compliance, even after the companies had been ordered to pay for the autism treatment more than 20 times by external review boards.

The Insurance Division "works to ensure consumers are treated fairly by their insurance company," says spokeswoman Lisa Morawski, but she declined to comment on the division's policy on ABA treatment. So did the office of Gov. John Kitzhaber, which backed the division's position.

"It's heartbreaking. Why would we want anyone to suffer unnecessarily?" says Christie Riehl. "There is a complete lack of accountability in Oregon."





Video courtesy Eric and Christie Riehl





Applied behavior analysis to treat autism is expensive because it requires an enormous amount of time. A therapist uses positive reinforcement to help a child learn even the simplest behaviors. The treatment is aimed at teaching the child how to learn as well as correct a range of challenges, from self-injury to a gag reflex triggered by the texture of solid food.

"A kiddo may come in, and I can hardly listen to his heart," says Portland pediatrician Leigh Ann Chapman, who prescribes ABA. "He's not looking at me. He can't sit still for 30 seconds. If a kid is like that, nothing is going to be productive."

Treatment can take monthsin some cases, yearsat 20 to 40 hours a week, and $30 to $50 an hour. Many insurance providers consider ABA "education" training as opposed to medical treatment, even after the U.S. surgeon general in 1999 determined the treatment had proved its worth and become a best practice in the eyes of major medical associations.

In 2005, the Oregon Legislature required insurance companies to cover mental and nervous conditions, including autism, at the same level as they do physical ailments.

Two years later, lawmakers said insurers must pay for treatment for developmental disabilities, including autism, that a physician considers medically necessary. "Insurance companies should have been covering it if ABA is going to make a difference in a child's health," says Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham), who sponsored the 2005 law.

That didn't guarantee treatment for Niko Boskovic. He was 3 when diagnosed with autism, and his parents, Bojan and Loreta, in one year burned through their life savings of $10,000 to pay for ABA treatment.

"We had talked about buying some land and starting a winery," Loreta Boskovic says. "It was a young couple's dream."

In 2007, the Boskovics asked Providence, their health insurer, to pay for treatment. Providence refused, saying ABA was experimental and not medically necessary for their son.

The Boskovics appealed to an independent review organization, in effect an arbitrator that, under state law, can order an insurance company to provide coverage.

They won. "ABA therapy is well-regarded, medically necessary, and efficacious," the committee ruled. "Denying ABA therapy for an autistic child is not consistent with national standards of care."

Providence complied, but two years later, in December 2009, the company threatened legal action to get the Boskovics to drop their claims. "If we are unable to resolve this dispute, we have been instructed to file an action in court," wrote Peter D. Shepherd, with the Eugene law firm of Harrang Long Gary Rudnick hired by Providence.

The Boskovics hired a lawyer. "Another $12,000 we didn't have," Loreta Boskovic says. "But they backed off and stopped bugging us."





The Boskovics were the first of more than 20 Oregon families to win orders directing insurance companies to cover ABA treatment for their autistic children, records show. Kaiser Permanente was ordered to cover ABA in 13 cases in which the insurer claimed the treatment wasn't needed.

The state Insurance Division, charged with regulating insurance companies, could have stepped in to make clear what state law required.

Paul Terdal, who has two autistic sons, says the agency promised to do sobut never did.

Terdal's sons received ABA treatment after his insurer, Kaiser, was ordered by independent review organizations to provide it. Kaiser did not respond to requests for comment.

Terdal, a management consultant, didn't know much about politics when his youngest son was diagnosed, but the long-limbed, khakis-wearing middle-aged father of two went to Salem swinging. He had some backing: A federal judge in Portland had ordered PacificSource to cover ABA treatment for a 6-year-old boy.

Terdal worked lawmakers and pushed the Insurance Division.

In a December 2013 email to state Insurance Commissioner Laura Cali, Terdal wrote that the agency had promised to take action against insurance companies if independent review organizations overturned five denials by health insurers.

"We're now at over 20all have overturned denials of ABA," Terdal wrote. "How many do we need now before the Insurance Division is prepared to act? Fifty? One hundred?"

(Meanwhile, the state of California issued a warning to insurers in 2011 after nine denials of ABA treatment had been overturned on appeal.)

In 2013, an Insurance Division lawyer, Anthony Behrens wrote a legal opinion that echoed the position of insurances companies. State law didn't actually require insurers to cover ABA treatment. Doing so now, Behrens argued, would create a new mandate for insurance companies, which taxpayers would have to reimburse.

Records show Behrens shared a copy of his draft opinion with an executive at Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon. Terdal, meanwhile, had to fight to get a copy of it through a public records request.

Terdal says he appealed to Sean Kolmer, Gov. John Kitzhaber's health care adviser, providing Kolmer with binders filled with cases of overturned denials, medical research, and court rulings supporting the effectiveness of ABA.

"I told him the state's policy violates the law," Terdal recalls.

Neither Behrens nor Kolmer would agree to be interviewed for this story.





Terdal eventually convinced Keith Dubanevich, a former high-ranking lawyer in the Oregon Department of Justice, to tackle the issue. In May 2013, Dubanevich filed a class-action suit against Providence, which had denied coverage of ABA treatment to two families of autistic children.

Providence was now arguing the company didn't cover developmental disabilitiesan argument that prevented the families from appealing to an independent review organization.

Two months later, lawmakers passed another law mandating coverage of treatment of autism. Sen. Alan Bates (D-Medford) says the measure was intended to clear up any doubt ABA treatment should be covered.

In February, Providence changed its position and extended coverage of ABA treatment, even though the new law doesn't go into effect until 2016.

On Aug. 8, U.S. District Judge Michael Simon ruled Providence's actions in denying the coverage violated federal and state law. Providence spokesman Gary Walker said the company is reviewing the ruling.

The state's next move is uncertain. "We are looking at this with fresh eyes," Cali, the insurance commissioner, tells WW.

News of the ruling circulated on a list serving parents of autistic kids. Families asked whether their kids would now get access to ABA. Not all will.

The state Public Employees' Benefit Board, which provides health care coverage for 50,000 state employees and 80,000 of their dependents, is facing a lawsuit of its own for refusing to cover ABA. The agency won't say whether it will change its policy in light of Simon's ruling.

And it's unclear how the ruling affects self-insured companies such as Providence, which has refused to cover ABA treatment for children of their own employees.

Cari Pagan's husband works for Providence. She tells WW that when the couple's 2-year-old daughter was diagnosed with autism three months ago, a Providence doctor recommended ABA therapyand told them they shouldn't expect to get the treatment covered.

Pagan says the doctor's comments are still fresh in her memory. "I'll write you a letter if you want, I've done it before," he told the Pagans. "But it's never done anyone any good.a

WWeek 2015As the country debates whether to arm teachers and school staff to try and prevent mass school shootings, many districts around the state have already moved in that direction thanks to a law passed last year by the Wyoming State Legislature.

As the country debates whether to arm teachers and school staff to try and prevent mass school shootings, many districts around the state have already moved in that direction thanks to a law passed last year by the Wyoming State Legislature.

In the Big Horn Basin, Cody, Powell, Greybull and Ten Sleep are exploring options with Ten Sleep might have its policy before the board on first reading at...LISBON, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Portugal's Social Democratic Party (PSD) insisted on Tuesday that Lisbon town hall must add interest onto repayments of a municipal tax declared unconstitutional in December.

The PSD called on the Socialist Party (PS) mayor to "send every municipal taxpayer a complaint form so that everyone can claim back, free of charge, all monies owed to them from the liquidation of the Civil Protection Municipal Tax (TMPC) plus compensatory interest," the Lusa Portuguese News Agency reported.

Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon, agreed in January to pay back the 58 million euros the TMPC had raised. He has, however, repeatedly ruled out paying interest.

But according to the PSD, "it's the town hall's duty to restore the situation to how it would have been had the annulled charges never taken place, and that means paying indemnity in the form of interest."

Lisbon property owners began paying the TMPC in October 2015. The tax was introduced to replace a drains maintenance and conservation tax, which became the responsibility of the sanitation department.

In March 2017, Portugal's ombudsman questioned the constitutionality of the TMPC. Medina maintained the tax was legitimate and essential to the city's fire fighting and public safety services.

In early December 2017, the PSD, backed by the Central Social Democratic-Popular Party (CDS-PP) and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), put forth several motions to repeal the tax. Medina used the PS majority in Lisbon's Municipal Chamber to vote each one down.

However, by the end of the month, the Constitutional Court had declared the TMPC unconstitutional.

Lisbon town hall promptly agreed to pay back the money the tax had raised. Some 223,467 taxpayers were identified as being due for reimbursement.

But whether interest should be paid has become a major bone of contention. Medina has requested a legal opinion from the office of the Attorney General.

The TMPC was originally introduced by Antonio Costa, Portugal's prime minister, who preceded Medina as mayor.BRUSSELS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- United States President Donald Trump's newly announced tariffs on steel and aluminium won't help the U.S. economy and may cause bigger job losses in sectors using steel, an EU economist told Xinhua here on Friday.

"Trump's new tariffs won't help the U.S. economy," said Fredrik Erixon, the director of the European Center for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based think tank, in an interview with Xinhua. These measures, if put into place, will affect exports to the United States from Europe and many other countries, he said.

On Thursday, Trump announced the imposition of additional import duties on EU exports of steel and aluminium to the United States, set at 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminium. Similar restrictions will also be imposed on exports from other suppliers.

"Trump is really shooting himself in the foot," Erixon said.

Previous steel tariffs in the United States led to a small increase in U.S. steel jobs, but far bigger job losses in sectors using steel, he said.

The cost of construction and car production will go up, making it more expensive to build new infrastructure and to be globally competitive in the automobile sector, the economist added.

Moreover, Erixon warned that U.S.-EU trade relations would be affected by imposing additional import duties on EU exports of steel and aluminium to the United States.

"There are always some trade and economic frictions between them, but now that the U.S. says that one of its key allies can't export freely to the U.S. for reasons of national security, it is a slap in the face," he said. "And it adds to brewing disputes they have in competition and tax policy," he added.

The Brussels-based expert said "there isn't, for the moment, any real cooperation" between the United States and the EU on trade policy, and with Trump's new move, the relations are certain to become confrontational.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-02 23:19:01|Editor: Zhou Xin

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BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- As President Xi Jinping's concept of "building a community with a shared future for humanity" gains ground internationally, China will attach more importance to the five-year-old notion, with a view to finding an ultimate way to world peace.

At the beginning of March, China is entering its annual political high season. As the country's top legislature and advisory body gear up for their annual sessions to set the national agenda for the year and beyond, analysts expect the "shared future" concept to be a major theme during this year's meetings.

Analysts have suggested that building a community with a shared future for humanity could potentially be proposed to be added to the Constitution, at the two sessions.

A NOTION THAT MATTERS

Building a community with a shared future for humanity was first proposed to the world by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March 2013 during his visit to Moscow. In the following years, Xi continuously refined his vision of global governance.

A community with a shared future pursues an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.

According to the idea, countries should respect one another, discuss issues as equals, and resolutely reject the Cold War mentality and power politics. Countries should take a new approach to developing international relations with communication, rather than confrontation, and partnerships, rather than alliances.

"The notion has enriched the theoretical system of international relations and provided a new perspective -- a Chinese perspective -- on how countries get along with one another," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president of the China Institute of International Studies.

In his report made at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) last October, Xi reiterated the concept and laid out a roadmap for China's foreign policy that connects the country's future to that of the whole world. The notion was thereafter written into the Party's Constitution as an integral aspect of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

"Building a new type of international relations" and building a community with a shared future for humanity are the overall goals of China's diplomacy, according to Wang Yi, Chinese foreign minister.

"The goals originate from 5,000 years of tradition that the Chinese nation sees the world as equally shared by all, from China's diplomatic values with peace at the core, and from the CPC world view that well-being of people from all countries is intertwined," Wang said.

This echoes the observation of late British historian Arnold Toynbee, who believed that the cosmopolitanism that the Chinese nation had cultivated in its long history was a "historic asset."

In January this year, the CPC Central Committee at a plenary session stressed that, "Following the path of peaceful development, pursuing a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind are of great significance to the cause of peaceful development for humanity."

PUTTING POLICY INTO ACTION

Key to this "shared future" is translating the vision into action.

During the past five years, China has been pursuing win-win cooperation with the world while following its own path of peaceful development.

The Belt and Road Initiative, as the epitome of the concept, has become a huge cooperation platform for countries concerned -- big or small, near or far -- to realize their common development.

Also proposed by Xi in 2013, the initiative comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and aims to build a trade, investment and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond ancient Silk Road trade routes.

So far, the initiative has gained support from more than 100 countries and international organizations. More than 80 countries and international organizations have signed cooperation agreements with China.

"The Belt and Road Initiative promotes the formation of a new global and economic order," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University, adding that the new global order was a community of shared future which embodies "China's view of power, stressing equality and fairness."

As a supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative, the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has now expanded its membership to 84, representing a vote of confidence in the bank by the international community.

By hosting or participating in such international events as the G20, BRICS, APEC, and Boao Forum for Asia meetings as well as the World Economic Forum in Davos, China demonstrates a strong preference for an open world economy.

At the WEF meeting in 2017, Xi's vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity gained resonance worldwide. His speech garnered huge appreciation as he vehemently championed a world of free trade, an open economy and globalization, revealing China's multilateralist approach to invigorating global growth. The speech was still warmly discussed at this year's meeting.

BIGGER ROLE ON WORLD STAGE

"Our friends in Southeast Asia say that the lotus flowers grow taller as the water rises. Our friends in Africa say that if you want to go fast, walk alone; and if you want to go far, walk together. Our friends in Europe say that a single tree cannot block the chilly wind. And Chinese people say that when big rivers have water, the small ones are filled; and when small rivers have water, the big ones are filled," Xi said when addressing a forum three years ago. "All these sayings speak to one same truth, that is, only through win-win cooperation can we make big and sustainable achievements that are beneficial to all."

Over the past five years, from multilateral conferences to bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, from high-profile speeches to congratulatory letters, Xi has frequently emphasized his notion, which has augmented its visibility and influence at home and abroad.

Building a community with a shared future for humanity is, in essence, a way to connect the prospects and destinies of every nation and country closely together, share weal and woe, and turn planet Earth into a harmonious family.

In the past five years, Xi's visits to 57 countries and major international and regional organizations have covered five continents. With friendly cooperation between China and other countries continuously expanding, the idea is indeed gaining support and endorsement from an increasing number of people worldwide.

It has been not only incorporated into a UN resolution at the 55th UN Commission for Social Development, but also enshrined by the UN Security Council, the Human Rights Council and the First Committee of the UN General Assembly.

When delivering a speech focused on building a community with a shared future at the general debate of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2015, Xi received a remarkable 15 rounds of applause in just 20 minutes.

No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will never seek hegemony or engage in expansion. The country will neither import foreign models of development nor export the Chinese model, according to him.

As this year's "two sessions" are about to start, at which the country's development and diplomatic policies will be better elaborated, China will define its role on the world stage more clearly.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-02 23:34:10|Editor: Lu Hui

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British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for Prime Minster's Questions at the House of Commons, in London, Britain, on Jan. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LONDON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that her country wants "the broadest and deepest possible" trade agreement with the European Union (EU).

In a keynote speech at the City of London's Mansion House, British Prime Minister Theresa May said that Britain wants the deal to cover "more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today."

She also pledged to deliver the real change the country voted for in June 2016 while protecting jobs and security.

She called for a Brexit deal with the European Union (EU) unmatched by free trade agreements anywhere else in the world and set out five tests to guide negotiations with Brussels on a new relationship after Britain leaves the EU next March.

May said her five tests say the agreement Britain reaches with the EU must respect the result of the 2016 referendum when the historic vote to leave the bloc was taken by a 52-48 margin. She said it was a vote to take back control of British borders, laws and money.

The five tests for the deal that Britain negotiates would mean implementing the decision of the British people; reaching an enduring solution; protecting British security and prosperity; delivering an outcome that is consistent with the kind of country Britain wants to be and bringing the country together, and strengthening the precious union of all our people.

She said: "As Prime Minister it is my duty to represent all of our United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; north and south, from coastal towns and rural villages to our great cities."

On a future economic partnership, May said: "What I am seeking is a relationship that goes beyond the transactional to one where we support each other's interests."

"I want the broadest and deepest possible agreement, covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today."

May said she believed the goal is achievable, saying: "It is in the EU's interests as well as ours and because of our unique starting point, where on day one we both have the same laws and rules. So rather than having to bring two different systems closer together, the task will be to manage the relationship once we are two separate legal systems."

May's speech, titled "Our Future Partnership", set out what she said was an ambitious but credible vision for the future and the UK and EU have a "shared interest" in getting this right.

May said her vision was of a UK that is a "champion of free trade based on high standards" -- thriving in the world by "building a bold and comprehensive economic partnerships with Britain's neighbors in the EU, and reaching out beyond to foster trade agreements with nations across the globe.

She said there is no escaping the complexity of the task ahead, but adds the government is making "real progress". May rejected any idea of a border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic or a border in the middle of the Irish Sea that would separate the British mainland from Northern Ireland.

Britain will leave the customs union and the European single market, May said, adding leaving the EU will be a new beginning for Britain.

She added: "Change is not to be feared.. I am in no doubt whatever agreement we reach with the EU our future is bright. There will be ups and downs in the months ahead, and nobody will get everything they want, but I am confident we will get there."Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 01:19:37|Editor: Jiaxin

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Israeli policelimen are seen at the entrance to the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, on March 2, 2018. Netanyahu and his wife on Friday were questioned separately by police investigators in the corruption affair of Bezeq, Israeli largest telecom company. (Xinhua/JINI)

JERUSALEM, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife on Friday were questioned separately by police investigators in the corruption affair of Bezeq, Israeli largest telecom company.

Netanyahu was questioned at the official residence in Jerusalem under caution for five hours in the Bezeq affair, also known as Case 4000, while his wife Sara Netanyahu gave testimony at the offices of the police's Lahav 433 anti-corruption unit in Lod, Israeli media reported.

However, police said in a statement, after the question was concluded, that the prime minister and his wife "were questioned for a number of hours as part of an investigation by police unit, Lahav 433 and the Israeli Securities Authority."

"The investigation is being carried out with the supervision of the State Attorney & approval of the Attorney General," added the statement, "There are no further details or information on the ongoing investigations."

Media reported that also on Friday, police brought in suspects Shaul Elovitch, chief shareholder of Bezeq, and Nir Hefetz, Netanyahu's confidant and former media adviser, for another round of questioning in the case, and also interrogated a former senior official at the Communications Ministry.

The Bezeq case is also known as Case 4000. Elovitch is suspected of being part of a bribery deal, in which Bezeq received regulatory and financial benefits from the Communication Ministry, which Netanyahu headed between 2014 and 2017 in addition to his capacity as prime minister.

In return, Walla, a news site controlled by Elovitch, allegedly refrained from criticizing Netanyahu and gave him and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, positive coverage.

Channel 10 news reported on Thursday that investigators are in possession of correspondence between Sara Netanyahu and Elovitch's wife that appear to implicate the prime minister's wife in the burgeoning scandal.

However, Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and charges the allegations are part of a witch-hunt by the media and "the left."

Last month, Israeli police recommended that the prime minister be indicted for a series of serious corruption charges including bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in two other cases, "case 1000" and "case 2000."

In "case 1000," Netanyahu and his family received expensive cigars, champagne, and jewelry in a sum amounting to about one million shekels (about 282,800 dollars) from the Israeli businessman and Hollywood tycoon between 2007 and 2016.

In "case 2000," Netanyahu allegedly received bribes from Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Yedioth Aharonoth, one of Israel's largest newspapers. According to the police, Netanyahu and Mozes held talks over an "exchange deal," in which Netanyahu would receive favorable coverage in Yediot Aharonot in return for promoting a law and other measures that would limit the distribution of Israel Hayom, Yedioth's main rival.ABUJA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Friday decried the killing of humanitarian workers by suspected Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria's northeastern town of Rann late Thursday, saying "the saving of lives should not cost lives."

In a statement, the EU said humanitarian workers should not be a target and described the incident as a senseless violence and great violation of all humanitarian principles.

"Right now, our thoughts are with families, friends and organizations of all those affected and the most vulnerable people aid workers strive to help in Nigeria," said the statement issued by its Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, in Nigeria's capital Abuja.

Earlier on Friday, the United Nations confirmed the killing of the three aid workers and said a fourth aid worker was feared killed and another likely abducted during the attack. A local nurse was also injured.

All the aid workers affected by the attack were Nigerian nationals, according to Samantha Newport, a UN spokeswoman in Nigeria.ACCRA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ghanaian government is taking decisive steps to address the recent spate of armed robbery and other security breaches in the country, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia said on Friday.

He said these measures include greater collaboration between the security agencies to aid intelligence gathering and crime prevention, while manpower challenges are being addressed, urging the public to play a watchdog role and report any suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities to take the necessary action.

Bawumia gave the assurance at Muslim prayers at the Central Mosque, Abbosey Okai, Accra, as part of activities marking Ghana's 61st Independence Anniversary on March 6, 2018, the presidency said in a release.

The past week has seen a rash of brazen armed robberies, with two lives lost and a number of injuries recorded.

After an emergency National Security Council meeting on Thursday, the Inspector General of Police announced a reshuffle in the top hierarchy of the police administration to put a sharper edge to their operations.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Minister for Information, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, also announced a number of crime prevention measures including increased Police cum Military patrols, installation of more CCTV Cameras and street lights in crime-prone areas.

In brief remarks after the Friday prayers, the vice president also said that the government would provide the necessary logistics and resources to the security agencies to ensure there is peace and stability.LONDON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Measures outlined Friday in a keynote Brexit speech by the British Prime Minister Theresa May made a good future trading deal more achievable, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said in its response.

But Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the country's main opposition Labour Party, said May had read out a long list of problems, but failed to provide any solutions.

May set out her own vision for a trading relationship Britain after it leaves the European Union, spelling out five tests, and insisting membership of both the European Single Market and Customs Union would come to an end.

"We are leaving the single market. Life is going to be different. In certain ways, our access to each other's markets will be less than it is now," said May.

She also ruled out a hard border between Northern Ireland and the adjoining Irish Republic which will remain a member of the European Union (EU).

OPTIMISM

Reaction to May's speech was mixed, but it was broadly welcomed with optimism in some quarters.

Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said May's speech rightly set the bar high for the economy and jobs.

"We heard the strongest acknowledgment yet of what's needed to get a good deal," said Fairbairn, adding membership of some EU agencies, willingness to take steps to guarantee a level playing field were welcome softening of red lines.

"They will make a good deal more achievable," said Fairbairn, "But more is needed to lift the fog of uncertainty and we welcome the PM's call to 'get on with it'."

Catherine McGuinness, policy chairman at the City of London Corporation, also welcomed May's speech saying it is a step towards an ambitious free trade agreement.

"The UK shares the same regulatory starting point as the EU, an advantage that no other potential trading partner has. And so the Prime Minister is right: the UK should look to secure a bespoke deal with the EU.

"We look forward to securing a transition deal with the EU as soon as possible and then discussing these trade proposals further. Securing this type of deal would see Europe retain access to London -- one of the world's leading financial hubs."

CRITICISM

Labour's Corbyn said: "After 20 wasted months, Theresa May has once again failed to bring real clarity to the negotiations -- and worryingly, she admitted that her approach will reduce our access to European markets. She read out a long list of problems but failed to provide solutions, particularly on the urgent question of preventing a hard border in Northern Ireland. Theresa May's only clear priority today seemed to be to tie the UK permanently to EU rules which are used to drive privatisation and block support for British industry."

Vince Cable, leader of the minority Liberal Democrats criticised the speech, saying May avoided tough decisions.

Cable said: "Theresa May has once again prevaricated from making serious decisions about our future. Her speech outlined all the reasons why we should stay in the single market and customs union."

FROM EU

There was no early detailed response from the EU, but Pieter Cleppe, Brussels head of Open Europe think tank, said May's speech provided some more welcome clarity on the future relationship with the EU. "Important was that she stressed Britain's willingness to take over EU rules voluntarily in some sectors, in order to avoid disruption for business," he said.

Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, who held talks with May at 10 Downing Street Thursday, welcomed the speech, saying it provided "clarity" about the UK leaving the single market and customs union and a "recognition" that trade-offs will inform future talks on a deal.

The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said May needed to move beyond vague aspirations, adding: "we can only hope that serious proposals have been put in the post."

DUP

Northern Ireland politician Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, said: "The prime minister has set forward the basis upon which it would be possible to move forward. I welcome the prime minister's clear commitment that she will not countenance any new border being created in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. Securing a sensible outcome for everyone will require the EU27 to consider innovative solutions rather than rule out any proposal which has not been conceived in Brussels."

May said in her Mansion House speech she wants a UK-EU trade deal covering more sectors than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today.

"The world is watching," said May, "We should not think of our leaving the EU as marking an ending, as much as a new beginning for the United Kingdom and our relationship with our European allies."

"I am in no doubt that whatever agreement we reach with the EU, our future is bright," May concluded.BERLIN, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Unilateral punitive tariffs jeopardize world trade and thus growth and prosperity, German politicians from the federal parliament (Bundestag) said on Friday.

"Unilateral trade restrictions or punitive tariffs are not the right answer to the challenges of the global trading system," said Christian Hirte, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.

Hirte declared in a statement that not only Germany and Europe, but also the United States have benefited significantly from free world trade in recent decades. "We must therefore do our utmost to avoid a trade war. Because that would end up losing everyone."

Economic and energy policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Joachim Pfeiffer said that it is important to prevent a looming spiral of global protectionism, adding "The aim of the U.S. administration is apparently to set a domino effect with unilateral punitive tariffs."

"Europe can not play this game because it endangers the stability of the global trading system and thus growth and prosperity worldwide, not only in Europe, but also in the U.S.," Pfeiffer stated.

U.S. president Donald Trump has announced the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports and 10 percent on broad categories of aluminium imports, prompting widespread criticism of this material manifestation of his "America First" rhetoric across the world.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 07:43:53|Editor: Jiaxin

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Ultra-Orthodox Jewish children celebrate Purim in Mea Shearim neighborhood, Jerusalem, on March. 2, 2018. Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from Haman's plot during the reign of the ancient Persian Empire, according to the Biblical Book of Esther. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 07:50:52|Editor: Zhou Xin

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HOUSTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A senior economist at BP said on Friday that rapid growth of renewables is leading to a fuel mix that could be the most diversified ever, with the largest increase in China.

Spencer Dale, group chief economist at BP, delivered report of "BP Energy Outlook 2018" at Baker Institute's Center for Energy Studies at Rice University in Houston, Texas, the United States.

According to the report, renewables development will result to a fuel mix that could be the most diversified ever through 2040.

"I have never seen such a mix," he told the audience, adding that for the past few years, the share of renewable energy has grown in the mix, especially in China and India.

Meanwhile, he said the United States has seen natural gas taking a growing share of the fuel mix.

BP produces the BP Energy Outlook annually to examine and discuss potential paths for energy demand based on assumptions about future changes in policy, technology and the economy.

The outlook stated that, in the ET scenario, the fuel mix in India in 2040 is roughly similar to that in China today.

In most cases, coal, as a source of energy, shows significant declines in the mix, except in India and some other areas in Asia.

The consumption of oil is expected to decrease in the United States, EU and China, but increase in India and some other areas in Asia. Nuclear energy is decreasing in the United States and EU, while increasing in China, India and some other areas in Asia and Middle East.

BP is a global producer of oil and gas with operations in over 70 countries. Houston is home to BP's U.S. headquarters, and it also represents the company's largest employee base in the world.OTTAWA, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Friday called U.S. President Donald Trump's plan for tariffs on steel and aluminum imports "absolutely unacceptable" and warned of serious disruption.

Trudeau said Trump's plan will have "significant and serious" economic ramifications on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

"The United States has a 2-billion Canadian dollars surplus on steel with us, so we regard the imposition of any new tariffs or any tariffs on steel or aluminum between our two countries as absolutely unacceptable," Trudeau told a news conference.

He stressed that it makes no sense for the U.S. to claim there's a national security imperative for imposing the duties, given the level of security cooperation between the two countries.

"The level of cooperation and integration of our militaries, our defence of North America and our working together on a broad range of security issues means that it just makes no sense to highlight that Canada and Canadian steel or aluminum might be a security threat to the United States," he said.

Trump's announcement to impose tariffs came as Canada, the United States and Mexico continue talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

On Thursday, Trump said that he planned a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum that would go into effect next week.

Canada is the largest steel exporter to U.S. market, with steel imports from Canada accounting for 16.1 percent of the U.S. total steel imports in 2017, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department.PANAMA CITY, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The government of Panama on Friday said it was taking a tourism prize it won in China, during the Guangzhou International Travel Fair, as a sign of growing Chinese interest to discover the country.

The award was received by Panama's tourism minister, Gustavo Him, and its ambassador to China, Francisco Carlo Escobar.

Him is leading a Panamanian mission to China which started last Monday to seek to increase the country's profile among Chinese travellers, as well as to continue working on the deals signed between both sides since diplomatic relations were established in June 2017.

Nine Panamanian companies are taking part in the fair in Guangzhou while the Panama National Folkloric Dance Company performed at its inauguration.

"It is being shown that the Chinese market has an interest in discovering Panama and its folklore, history, nature, gastronomy, shopping and one of the most important engineering works in the world: the Canal," said Him.

The Panamanian ambassador to China said that the tourism links between the two countries were developing and that the opening in April of the first Air China flight from Beijing to Panama City would facilitate multi-destination tourism.

Escobar added that the status of approved destination given by China to Panama "is evidence of our deep cooperation with the Chinese people and a lasting friendship."

Escobar said that Chinese citizens with valid visas for the U.S., Australia and Canada could enter Panama. "This measure is applied by other countries in the region with the opportunity to develop multi-destination packages with tour operators," he said.MEXICO CITY, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Canada and Mexico should be exempt from proposed U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, a Mexican trade negotiator said Friday.

Kenneth Smith, Mexico's chief technical negotiator in ongoing talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), said the two countries should be excluded from the import duties because they are NAFTA signatories and Washington's "strategic allies."

"We feel that because of NAFTA and because of our position as strategic allies of the United States, we should be excluded from these types of measures," Smith told reporters.

"We are going to maintain that stance," Smith said on the sidelines of the ongoing seventh round of negotiations on NAFTA in Mexico City.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to protect American industries.

It wasn't clear whether the new import duties, 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, would apply to Canada and Mexico, but they may further complicate the NAFTA talks.

Aside from this latest development, Smith described the negotiations as "positive" and "constructive."

He said none of the three nations "are in a position ... to walk away from the (negotiating) table," adding: "We are making progress on various topics."

Trump took office in 2017 with a promise to renegotiate NAFTA to make it more favorable to his country.

Talks began in mid-August and updated the 1994 agreement with regulations on e-commerce, telecommunications, small- and medium-sized companies, anti-corruption measures, among others.

However, other issues have eluded consensus, including proposed changes to rules that will affect the automobile sector, and the inclusion of a so-called sunset clause that requires a review of NAFTA every five years.HOUSTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Houston Community College (HCC) said Friday that it will cooperate with Chinese government partners to establish a training program to certify nurses from China.

HCC Chancellor Cesar Maldonado said in an interview with Xinhua that the cooperation is expected to begin by training Chinese nurses in a Chinese province and certifying them with associate degree in nursing.

"Our partnership will be looking at moving Chinese students to our system, and then they will go back to China to develop their own community college system or nurse training programs there," he said.

After the students go back to China, HCC will continue to share the curriculum with them and offer consulting advice in program development, the chancellor added.

Maldonado first visited China in 1993 on a business trip. Joining the Houston Trade and Investment Mission, he visited China again last December to meet with high-level government officials, business leaders and industry counterparts to explore opportunities for trade and professional partnerships.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 10:21:12|Editor: Zhou Xin

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KHARTOUM, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind can help reduce global instability and achieve peace, analysts here said.

"The world is currently suffering from a state of instability because of wars, armed conflicts and political disturbances, all of which make of peace an important priority," Abdul-Raziq Ziyada, a political analyst, told Xinhua Friday.

Ziyada further said the Chinese idea is more evidence of China's commitment to face current global challenges through multilateral frameworks.

"No single country can face the successive challenges alone, whether they are political, economic, social or climate challenges. Collective action, sharing and exchange of views are indispensable," said Ziyada.

He went on to say that "climate change, pollution, drought and desertification represent challenges facing the future of mankind. Such issues need to be dealt with through a collective mind and joint action."

He stressed the importance of the Chinese concept for Sudan, a country in need of political stability and the end of armed conflicts in some of its regions. Furthermore, the country needs the support of the international community to help its economy integrate globally.

Political analyst Abdul-Raouf Al-Sunni said China has illustrated its commitment to sharing its successes with the world.

The Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind "enhance the principle of partnership," Al-Sunni told Xinhua on Friday.

"We hope Sudan would benefit from these Chinese initiatives, namely the Belt and Road," as Sudan expects the initiative will "help bring huge infrastructure projects to the country such as roads and railways as well as factories and agricultural projects," he said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 11:11:20|Editor: Zhou Xin

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NANCHANG, March 3 (Xinhua) -- When Zheng Yuandong got off a long-distance bus in his hometown in Wannian County, east China's Jiangxi Province for the Spring Festival holiday, a 30-meter-long recruitment ad at the station exit welcomed him home.

There used to be all kinds of commercial ads, Zheng recalled, but this time, all he saw was job descriptions and salary packages for local companies, recommended by the government.

He took out his smartphone and scanned the QR code on the ad. An employment registration form popped up, along with a list of over 3,000 jobs offered by more than 30 companies in the county, with monthly salaries ranging from 3,000 yuan to 8,000 yuan (370 - 1,260 U.S. dollars).

To his surprise, the recruitment ads were everywhere in bus stations, on street billboards, even on the seat covers in the bus to his village.

Like other underdeveloped areas in China, many of Wannian's 430,000 residents usually leave to find jobs in coastal cities after Spring Festival and come back just once a year for the new year celebration.

Zheng, 29, worked in east China's Zhejiang Province as a quality controller and earned about 7,000 yuan a month.

"There were not many choices here 10 years ago. So I took my chance and went to big cities to make more money," he said. "But deep inside, who wouldn't want to work near home?"

Transferring the industries from neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces has quietly fulfilled his dream. As more factories and companies opened in Wannian, the demand for talent with different skills has surged.

According to Chen Fenghua, director of the county's corporate service center, job vacancies experienced a steady growth from 2,800, 3,900 to 4,500 in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. This year the number has exceeded 5,800.

"We are trying our best to recruit," said deputy county head Wu Qianqian. Favorable policies have been introduced regarding house purchases, education and health care to attract talent from outside and encourage local workers to stay.

New Time Plastic Manufacturing Company, based in south China's Guangdong Province, has opened a factory in Wannian. According to its president Huang Dingben, the salary packages they offer in the county are almost the same as its headquarters in Guangdong.

In the meantime, companies in cities are also worried about recruitment. Human resources personnel at some companies in Zhejiang even took to the streets to recruit employees.

Besides the shortage of labor, a lack of skilled workers haunts some developed areas, halting production in some companies, according to Liu Xugang, chairman of Shandong Chamber of Commerce in Zhejiang.

"We are actively cooperating with universities to establish training bases in order to reserve talent in advance," Liu said.

Wu said Wannian is also doing the same to secure high-end talent. Among the 1,650 people who signed employment agreements this year, most were general laborers or service staff. Skilled jobs are still waiting to be filled.

Luo Huimin, executive president of a local agricultural company, said professional marketing personnel are most needed. The company will cooperate with higher education institutions to train and recruit talent.

The battle for talent will soon expand to universities, she said.TRIPOLI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced Friday that the mission will reopen an office in the eastern city of Benghazi for the first time in years.

"We are preparing to reopen a UN office in Benghazi and I promise you to continue to engage with people and residents of Barqa" in eastern Libyan, Ghassan Salame said during a meeting in Benghazi with more than 60 tribal leaders and elders from eastern Libya.

The official said Barqa has played a key role in the history of Libya. He also emphasized the necessity of equality, saying: "The UN cannot side with marginalization or discrimination."

The elders and tribal leaders called for a fair sharing of resources, argued for decentralization and shared their views about the need for a constitutional framework, according to the UNSMIL.

Salame is on a working visit to eastern Libya since Thursday to hold talks with local officials on reconstruction, mine clearance, assistance to displaced people, as well as support from international organizations.

The UNSMIL pulled out staff from Libya in July 2014 due to deteriorating security conditions in the country.MINSK, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had strong words for a regional economic bloc on Friday, saying his country faced unfair trade restrictions.

Lukashenko said his country cannot freely sell its goods within the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Belarus, Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Lukashenko stressed that Belarus should persistently defend its interests in the bloc.

"I am not talking about milk, which became a barefaced political instrument recently," Lukashenko said, referring to Russia's restrictive measures on the supply of Belarusian dairy products to the Russian market.

Lukashenko early stated that Belarus would respond to Russia's ban on Belarusian milk. "Such things will not remain unanswered. We just will not tolerate it," said the president.

The Russian side planned to ban the supply of industrial dairy from Belarus beginning Feb. 26, citing violations of veterinary requirements. After consultations with the Belarusian side, the ban was postponed until March 6.

Belarus is the largest supplier of dairy products to Russia.WASHINGTON, March. 2 (Xinhua) -- The State Department said Friday that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will outline his country's relationship with Africa and its "desire to strengthen ties with African partners."

Prior to his visit to Africa, Tillerson is scheduled to deliver the remarks at George Mason University in the U.S. state of Virginia.

Tillerson will kick off his maiden trip to Africa next week as the country's chief diplomat, which will bring him to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Chad and Nigeria on March 6-13.

In a special briefing about his trip via teleconference earlier on Friday, senior State Department officials said his trip is "an outgrowth of" and "a kind of follow-up" on the ministerial meeting involving 37 ministers from Africa in November, 2017.

"Africa in the year 2100 is going to form 40 percent of the world's population, over 30 percent of the work force, yet also have the potential of having 50 percent unemployment rate, which is very high. That is a security issue, an economic issue problem, but more important, it's also an opportunity," said the officials.

Speaking of the U.S. self-positioning in Africa, officials said "it's going to be based on - not only on economic and commercial development, but in the context of building strong institutions, governance, and security, as well as human rights."

Djibouti, which accommodates the only permanent U.S. military base on the continent, has become "the main refueling spot for all U.S. naval ships. U.S. officials said the country "is not just a base for counterterrorism but also to support the security of all the other countries in the region."

In Chad, Tillerson will try to help the nation get off the visa sanctions list. "We also want to give Chad importance because they're part of the G5 (a regional security bloc in central Africa) countries and their troops have made a tremendous amount of sacrifices in providing troops in supporting Mauritania and Niger and other countries in the G5 area."

In Kenya, which houses the U.S. largest embassy in Africa, Tillerson is expected to discuss with the ruling government and opposition how to build strong institutions and "advance political and economic reform that will help in the transition process."

In Ethiopia, Tillerson will discuss with the Ethiopian government "institution building, human rights, engagement, community leadership," among others.

"And also because of its 8-percent economic growth rate, it really is - becomes an engine for economic growth for the entire region. So that's - so we're trying to look at how we can work with that country," the officials said.

The two sides will discuss the agricultural sector where Ethiopia has economic advantages and opportunities, such as coffee and flour as well as the development of girls' education and expanding electrification to help the country's industrialization.

In Nigeria, the two sides will discuss issues that are "much more broad-based, comprehensive, and really interrelated with security," since "what happens in Nigeria is going to affect the Lake Chad region, and that includes Cameroon as well as the G5 countries," said the officials.

"Some of the issues and challenges that we'll be working on is political institutions, political dialogue, reconciliation, supporting community-based development, helping growth, education. And then on the other hand, is the security, particularly in the north," said the officials.

"It just can't be constantly a kinetic strike operation or bring in U.S. military. That s not the answer," they said. "So those are some of the things that we're looking at, but again, it's complex, no easy answers, and I think we probably need to have a much more in-depth discussion."

"So we're very hopeful. We're very high on Africa," they said.

The visit comes amidst lingering worldwide uproar over Trump's vulgar remarks towards African and Latin American nations.

In January, Trump reportedly used the word "shithole countries" to describe African nations as well as Haiti and El Salvador while discussing immigration issues with U.S. lawmakers.

The African Union issued a statement calling Trump's remarks outrageous and hurtful.

"While expressing shock, dismay and outrage, the African Union strongly believes there's a huge misunderstanding of the African continent and its people by the current (U.S.) administration," the statement read.

Trump denied using vulgar terms, saying the language he used was "tough, but this was not the language used."by Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Employees of India's official television Doordarshan (DD), and official radio the All India Radio (AIR), seem to be at the receiving end amid a series of rows between the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati (PB) and the country's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

According to private news platform "The Wire" Minister of Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani has taken the unprecedented step of "withholding funds," which the public broadcaster needs to pay the salaries of its employees.

As a result of her punitive action, "unparalleled in the history of the Government of India," the PB has had to pay its staff's salaries for January and February out of a contingency fund, PB Chairman Surya Prakash is quoted as saying.

"If the standoff continues, the broadcaster will run out of money by April," added the report.

Countering the report, the PB issued a statement on Friday evening, describing it as "a deliberate, sinister, motivated campaign" to wrongfully tarnish the image of the ministry.

"The misinformation is based on ill-will and incorrect appreciation with half baked facts and is tantamount to causing loss of reputation of the government in public eyes. It is patently defamatory in nature," said the statement.

Further clarifying, it said the PB is bound by the General Financial Rules (GFR) of the Government of India as any other ministry or organization receiving grants-in-aid from the government.

As per the GFR provision, any autonomous organization receiving grant-in-aid must sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry, clearly bringing out the physical and financial targets with timelines for activities to be done by utilizing the said grant during that financial year.

"For the record, irrespective of repeated reminders from the ministry, no MoU has been signed by Prasar Bharati," it added further.

In its report published Thursday evening, "The Wire" claimed that there have been many instances where the PB and the ministry crossed swords. Citing examples, it said the PB strongly opposed the ministry's move to hire a private company to telecast the annual film festival, arguing that like every year the DD should be allowed to do it.

Then, the officers of the Indian Information Service (IIS) are said to be up in arms against the minister for her "arbitrary" transfers over the past couple of months. The agitated IIS officers are learnt to have written an open letter to the Prime Minister Office citing their grievances regarding their transfers.

"Transfer, say ministry sources, is Irani's favorite weapon. The moment she is displeased with an official, a transfer order is on its way," said the report published by "The Wire."

It also claimed that after she took over in July 2017 as minister of information and broadcasting, Irani has acted as a "super censor" pulling up DD for its coverage and criticizing it for not splashing stories which are "reflecting the success of the Government of India."

It also accused Irani of trying to fit in her favorite as senior journalists and other employees with the DD at the expense of the PB.

"Yes, our minister Ms Irani has been trying to assert herself in many areas, which is actually unprecedented. She transfers DD employees at the drop of the hat whenever anyone expresses a different point of view," said a senior DD employee on the condition of anonymity.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 12:36:30|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have recently discovered a major hotspot hosting more than 1.5 million Adelie penguins near the Antarctic Peninsula.

Based on direct ground counts and computer-automated counts of aerial images from drones, the researchers found a total of 751,527 pairs of Adelie penguins on the Danger Islands in the Weddell Sea on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

The amount of Adelie penguins discovered here is more than the rest of the Antarctic Peninsula region combined, noted the researchers in a study published Friday in the journal Scientific Reports.

Moreover, it represents the first complete census of Adelie penguins in the Danger Islands, they added.

"Until recently, the Danger Islands weren't known to be an important penguin habitat," said Heather Lynch, an ecologist from Stony Brook University who led the study, in a press release.

These super colonies have gone undetected for decades, Lynch noted, partly because of the remoteness of the islands themselves and partly the treacherous waters that surround them.

The Danger Islands appear to have avoided recent declines in penguin population documented on other parts of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Another study published earlier this week suggested that more than 70 percent of king penguins may disappear by the end of the century as a result of global warming and overfishing.

As the Danger Islands is likely to remain an important hotspot for avian abundance under projected climate change, scientists believe it deserve special consideration in the negotiation and design of Marine Protected Areas in the region.

"Now that we know how important this area is for penguin abundance, we can better move forward designing Marine Protected Areas in the region and managing the Antarctic krill fishery," said Lynch.

The idea of building the Marine Protected Areas, which covers 1.8 million square km of the Weddell Sea and around the Antarctic Peninsula, was first put forward by the European Union and supported by nongovernmental organization Greenpeace.

In January, a global campaign has been launched in the vast fishing-free zone to better protect wildlife amid worsening climate change.TRIPOLI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Five members of Islamic State (IS) involved in bombings and suicide attacks were arrested, the Libyan Interior Ministry said Friday.

These militants were "planning to target some security facilities and government institutions after preparing car bombs and sending suicide bombers," the Libyan Interior Ministry's Special Deterrence Force said in a statement.

"They were equipped in the desert by IS leaders to carry out some terrorist operations in Tripoli and Misurata (a city in northwestern Libya)," the statement said.

The arrested militants confessed their roles in suicide bombings in different Libyan cities, the statement said.

In December 2015, forces allied with the UN-backed Libyan government defeated the IS affiliates and expelled them from their former stronghold in the city of Sirte, 450 km east of Tripoli.

The remaining IS fighters fled to the southern valleys and mountainous areas since.LUSAKA, Mar. 3 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Friday called on the continent's finance ministers to address the issue of illicit money flows, a growing problem it says is hampering development.

Zambia's permanent representative to the African Union Susan Sikaneta delivered the remarks during a quarterly briefing of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) ahead of the Conference for African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to be held March 12-17 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Sikaneta said it was unfortunate that Africa was losing colossal sums of money through illicit financial flows, without any solution in sight.

Africa requires practical steps that will see the continent recover funds lying in offshore accounts for development purposes, according to a statement released by the Zambia embassy in Ethiopia.

The Zambian envoy said it was high time Africa utilized important conferences to come up with concrete resolutions to spur development.

"These conferences have in the past tended not to produce significant impacts in member states but have always been business as usual," she said.

Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the ECA urged member states to take an initiative to join global tax transparency and other relevant legislation and to ensure that money and assets siphoned out of the continent through illicit means was brought back once tracked.

It is important that countries take the necessary steps that are needed to ensure that illicit financial flows are curbed, she added.

Illicit financial flows out of Africa have become a source of concern because of their scale and negative impact on the continent's development.

According to figures, Africa loses about 50 billion U.S. dollars per year in illicit financial flows, which is double the official development assistance to the continent.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 13:11:35|Editor: Jiaxin

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RIO DE JANEIRO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Sergio Cabral, a former governor of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, was found guilty of money laundering on Friday and sentenced to 13 more years in prison.

It is the fifth time Cabral has been found guilty of crimes of corruption and money laundering. Together, his jail term amounts to over 100 years.

Judge Marcelo Bretas, who judged four of the five cases, said Cabral is a mastermind of a large corruption and money laundering scheme in Rio state.

"The size of the scheme is impressive, especially due to the amount of money moved. In this case, over 4 million reals (1.23 million U.S. dollars) were laundered in only five jewelry purchase operations," said the judge.

Cabral's wife Adriana Ancelmo was also found guilty and sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison. His two accomplices, Carlos Miranda and Luiz Carlos Bezerra, were sentenced to eight and four years of jail respectively.ISLAMABAD, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan held the election for its Senate to elect 52 members of the upper house in the parliament for the next six years on Saturday, said the Election Commission.

According to a statement from the Election Commission, at least 135 candidates are competing for the 52 Senate seats from all the four provinces of the country, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the capital of Islamabad.

As many as 20 candidates are contesting against 12 seats from eastern Punjab Province, 33 against 12 seats from southern Sindh Province, 27 against 11 seats from northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, 25 against 11 seats from southwest Balochistan Province, 24 against four seats from FATA and six against two seats from Islamabad.

The polling process will continue from 9:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) until 4:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) without any break.

Local reports said that security was beefed up in Islamabad to ensure the election.UNITED NATIONS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks against the army headquarters and the French Embassy in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso.

In a press statement, the members of the Security Council expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the government of Burkina Faso.

They also wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," said the statement.

They expressed their solidarity with Burkina Faso in its fight against terrorism and stressed the need to intensify regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.

The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed, it said.

They reaffirmed the need for all states to combat threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts by all means, it added.

Earlier on Friday, Islamic extremists opened fire on the French Embassy and army headquarters in separate attacks in Ouagadougou, killing at least seven soldiers.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 13:26:37|Editor: Jiaxin

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CARACAS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's decision to push back its presidential elections serves to further weaken the opposition bloc, a political analyst said Friday.

Miguel Contreras, a professor of sociology at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), spoke with Xinhua a day after the government and opposition parties signed an agreement to postpone the elections to May 20.

The move has split the opposition into two camps: those in favor of competing for the vote of the Venezuelan people and those who favor boycotting any initiative involving the government.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will be running for re-election as candidate of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), and Henri Falcon, former Governor of Lara State, has registered to run against him as candidate of the Progressive Advance (AP) and Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) parties.

Falcon's campaign chief Luis Romero and Maduro's Communications and Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez signed the agreement, in which the two sides pledged to respect the outcome of the elections.

Venezuela's coalition of right-wing parties known as the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) is so far refusing to take part in the election process.

The MUD denounced Falcon for registering as a candidate, saying his participation only serves to legitimize the election process, and ejected him from the opposition alliance.

According to Contreras, by agreeing to push back the poll and give the opposition more time to organize, the government may be following a two-pronged strategy to both bolster its "legitimacy" and "fragment the opposition as much as it can."

The government can "gain legitimacy by postponing the elections on the basis that it is creating the conditions" that the opposition was demanding, said Contreras.

Secondly, the PSUV has been looking for a rival like Falcon, said Contreras.

A former "Chavista," or sympathizer, who then migrated over to the opposition, Falcon is a rival with "a certain familial similarity," making it easier for the PSUV "to dialogue" with him, which "is an advantage" for Maduro, said Contreras.

"The radical factions of the opposition obviously don't identify with Henri Falcon's platform," and would not unite behind him, Contreras said.

Falcon's disregard for the MUD leadership's call to shun the elections have made "the internal differences more acute" within the MUD, he said.

Falcon moved to the forefront of the opposition movement after MUD leaders Henrique Capriles, who lost to Maduro in the past elections, and Leopoldo Lopez, currently under house arrest, became ineligible to run on technical grounds.

Their political parties, Primero Justicia (First Justice) and Voluntad Popular (Popular Will), respectively, were disqualified by the electoral body after failing to renew their registration.

Contreras said Maduro is likely to win re-election, but he also believed the opposition and its foreign backers will maintain their economic warfare against the ruling PSUV.LUSAKA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese presence in Zambia should not be a source of concern, and the Southern African nation should welcome Chinese investment, Zambian Vice President Inonge Wina said Friday.

Wina made the remarks when she answered questions in parliament from some lawmakers who expressed concern over China's growing presence in the country.

Zambia, like other countries, should not be left out of China's overseas projects, but should instead welcome the investment, Wina noted.

She further said that some Chinese presence in the country was a response by Zambia to the Chinese government's offer during the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit.

In December 2015, Chinese and African leaders attending the FOCAC Summit held in South Africa signed an action plan to strengthen China-Africa cooperation and promote the development of Africa in the next three years.

China offered 60 billion U.S. dollars of funding support to ensure the implementation of the package of programs, which covered various areas including industrialization, agricultural modernization, financial services, green development, poverty reduction and others.

Yang Youming, Chinese ambassador to Zambia, said Zambia was better placed to gain from those economic cooperation plans due to the country's stable and peaceful environment.

At a dinner hosted by the Barclays Bank of Zambia to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the envoy said Chinese banks and other international financial institutions were encouraged to establish physical presence in Africa with an aim to open up new financing models for the region.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 13:26:37|Editor: Jiaxin

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By Xu Haijing, Zhao Bo

CANBERRA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- By imposing tariffs on imported products, the United States will weaken the industries it intended to protect, Andrew Forrest, founder and chairman of Australia's Fortescue Metals Group, said on Friday.

Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group is among the world top four iron ore producers.

"Whether or not there are tariffs put on certain products, remember that's happened since time immortal. Countries have been filling around with tariffs and protections," Forrest told Xinhua in an interview.

"What has always happened though is those countries who protect its certain industries have rounded up with a lot weaker industries."

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced to impose 25 percent of tariff on steel and 10 percent of tariff on aluminium products into the U.S. market.

Forrest said Australia stopped protecting its car industry but "we are now much stronger in the industries which we are best at."

"Countries should specialize where their strongest (area) is."

Forrest said Trump's decision to place tariffs and protections all over the American economy is an attempt to "appease election promises."

"All the experienced commentators know that that'll really hurt the U.S. economy. So if there is a tariff here and tariff there, just trying to appease election promises, it doesn't worry me."

Australian government officials and media share Forrest's view on the U.S. tariff decision.

Trade and Investment Minister Steven Ciobo said on Friday that he felt disappointed with the U.S. move.

During his visit last week to the United States, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull raised this issue and tried to secure an exemption for Australian steel and aluminium exports to the United States.

Washington is yet to agree and is about to announce the details of the tariff policy next week.

"The imposition of a tariff like this will do nothing other than distort trade and ultimately we believe will lead to a loss of jobs," Ciobo said.

"If we do see trade sanctions put in place and retaliatory action from other major economies, that will dampen economic growth. The consequences of that are never good for anybody."

Australia's interests in the U.S. market in both steel and aluminium represent around 274 million Australian dollars (212 million U.S. dollars) for steel and 276 million for aluminium.

An article published on the Weekend Australian on Saturday said tariffs mean pain for all and the U.S. trade barrier will hurt American consumers first, as the cost for products from cars to chocolate candies, which use steel and aluminum for manufacturing and package, will soar as a result.PHNOM PENH, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen won all the Senate seats at stake in an election on Feb. 25, according to official results released by the National Election Committee (NEC) on Saturday.

The results showed that the CPP received 11,202 (or 96 percent) of the total 11,670 votes, sweeping all 58 elected Senate seats.

Four political parties - the CPP, the Funcinpec Party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the Cambodian Youth Party, and the Khmer National United Party - took part in the election.

The Senate election, held every six years, is a non-general election because ordinary citizens do not take part in the electoral process.

According to the NEC, 11,670, or 99.7 percent, of the 11,695 eligible voters (123 members of parliament and 11,572 commune councilors) voted in the election.

Founded in 1999, the Senate, or the upper house of parliament, has 62 seats, but the vote was held for 58 seats only, as two senators had been appointed by King Norodom Sihamoni and two others will be appointed by the National Assembly, or the lower house.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 13:56:40|Editor: Zhou Xin

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ZHENGZHOU, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen people have been sentenced to prison terms for involvement in a telecom fraud case in central China's Henan Province, local authorities said.

The 13 people will receive prison terms ranging from three to 10.5 years, and will be fined between 30,000 to 110,000 yuan (about 4,700 to 17,300 U.S. dollars), said a district court in Sanmenxia.

More than 160 suspects were involved in the fraud case. The court will deliver verdicts for another 50 defendants soon.

The case surfaced after a man surnamed Li reported to police that he was a victim of suspected telecom fraud in March 2017. An investigation showed the criminals published fake stock information on a commodity trading platform and convinced victims to trade.

The criminals had obtained more than 2 million yuan in illegal gains from December 2016 to March 2017.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 13:56:40|Editor: Jiaxin

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NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian police have made its first arrest in the murder of a prominent woman journalist whose death triggered nationwide protests last year.

Gauri Lankesh, the 55-year-old Indian journalist, critical of Hindu nationalist politics, was shot dead outside her home in the southern state of Karnataka's capital Bengaluru on Sept. 5, 2017 by helmet-wearing, bike-borne gunmen.

"The special investigating team probing the murder case Friday arrested K.T. Naveen Kumar, said to be a leader of a local Hindu fundamentalist outfit, for his involvement in the murder of Lankesh," a police official said Saturday.

Kumar was earlier nabbed by the Bengaluru Police under the Arms Act for illegal possession of bullets. "The special probe team has now taken him into its custody," the official said.

Lankesh worked for several leading newspapers in India and later ran an independent newspaper Lankesh Patrike, along with her brother Indrajit for several years. But after a split with her brother, she started her own newspaper Gauri Lankesh Patrike.

Well-known in India for her left-leaning views, Lankesh was fiercely critical of Hindu fundamentalism in politics and vehemently opposed the caste system. She was also sympathetic to left-wing Naxalite rebels involved in a bloody insurgency against the government.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 14:01:41|Editor: Zhou Xin

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by Nemanja Cabric, Wang Huijuan

BELGRADE, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming sessions of China's top legislative and advisory bodies are not only important for China's own development, but can help shape a better future for people around the world, said a senior Serbian official.

Zarko Obradovic, vice president of the Socialist Party of Serbia, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Obradovic, also head of the parliamentary friendship group with China and former education minister, noted that this year marks the 40th anniversary of the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy by Beijing.

He said China's opening-up that started four decades ago was an "immensely important, key decision" that combined strength, knowledge and wisdom and finally influenced the future of China and the world.

"I think that there is no country in modern history which managed to make such progress in such a narrow time span," said Obradovic.

According to Obradovic, 40 years of opening-up and reform have made China a powerful economy and a motor of development not only in Asia but also globally, with an important influence on economies of many countries around the world.

It is hard for a big and populous country like China to maintain a steady growth rate for such a long period of time, he said, noting that China has been a key factor to help suppress the negative effects of the 2008 global financial crisis.

Obradovic believes China's proposals like the Belt and Road Initiatives and 16+1 cooperation mechanisms are very important for boosting the internal development of participating countries.

He said the Belt and Road Initiative is "the first project on such a global scale with so many countries included and with development and peace as its aim," adding that a lot of countries are expressing their interest to be included in the initiative.

Obradovic said the upcoming "Two Sessions" in China are expected to focus on problems the Chinese people are coping with. He believes the Chinese leaders have the wisdom and ability to "turn these ideas and suggestions into concrete actions and projects."

He also said that 2018 will be an immensely important year for Serbia-China relations.

"Serbia and China have already realized important projects within the (Belt and Road) Initiative, while more are ongoing or in plan and 2018 should give an additional impulse to this trend," he said.KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, March 3 (Xinhua) -- At least three armed insurgents were killed and four others wounded during military operations in Kunduz province, north of Afghanistan, a local official said saturday.

"Security forces launched a military operation in Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province, on Friday night, killing three militants and injuring four others," Ghulam Hazrat Karimi, a police spokesman in northern provinces, told Xinhua.

During the operation a hideout of Taliban militants was completely destroyed, he said, adding that security forces didn't suffer any casualties.

Taliban militants have yet to make comment on the report.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 14:51:46|Editor: Zhou Xin

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DHAKA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China's development initiatives will not only boost the country itself, but bode well for the region and the world, a Bangladeshi politician said Friday ahead of the annual "Two Sessions" of China's top legislative and political advisory bodies.

Abul Hasan Chowdhury, former minister of foreign affairs, told Xinhua that China's economic transformation in the past decade has been rapid and impressive, offering many lessons for countries like Bangladesh.

China's rise "over the last decade is one of the most striking examples of the impact of opening an economy up to global markets," he said.

Chowdhury noted that China's development in infrastructure construction such as highways and high-speed railways has outstripped many developed countries.

"I think China changes every month with eye-catching infrastructures. Every time I visited China, I saw something new in infrastructure construction that actually leaves a great impression on people across the world," he said.

China has been flourishing and continuing its efforts to help people forge ahead toward a better-off life.

China's new initiatives like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative in a bid to build a community with a shared future for humanity will surely benefit all countries and regions, he said.

Chowdhury lauded the rapid pace of economic reforms in China.

"China has undergone a big shift from a largely agrarian society to an industrial powerhouse," he said, adding that China made remarkable efforts in expanding its own domestic demand instead of relying on its exports to drive growth.

"China is now a more balanced economy as a result of many structural reforms, policy shifts and poverty alleviation successes," he said.HOUSTON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The oil and gas sector in the United States' Houston area might suffer from the White House's steep tariff measure on steel and aluminum imports, a U.S. economist said Friday.

Ed Hirs, who teaches energy economics at the University of Houston, told the local Houston Public Media that the oil and gas sector in Houston and the Gulf Coast region might be impacted the most by the tariffs, as the area consumes thousands of tons of steel in drilling, pipeline and refining operations.

The Gulf Coast is an area in the southern United States along the northern portion of the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plan on Thursday to protect the steel and aluminum industry by imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum, which will come into effect next week.

The United States is the world's largest steel importer, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Trump's planned tariffs have sparked anger from Canada and the European Union (EU). Canadian Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Thursday that any U.S. tariff or quota imposed on Canada's steel industry would be "unacceptable." Meanwhile, the EU has vowed to take retaliatory measures.

U.S. domestic steel mills and metal producers welcomed Trump's tariff plan. However, the manufacturing companies buying metals to produce industrial products and other construction projects would all see increased raw material prices under the plan.

Houston is known as the oil and gas capital of the world as well as the home to one of the largest petrochemical manufacturing centers in the world.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 15:06:48|Editor: Lifang

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The first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) opens at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisory body started its annual session Saturday afternoon in Beijing, raising the curtain on the country's annual political season.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 15:15:53|Editor: Yurou

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Butter sculptures are displayed in an exhibition at the Kumbum Monastery in Huangzhong County of Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, March 2, 2018. The butter sculptures are handmade by lamas in shapes of Buddha figurines, trees, flowers, birds and animals. (Xinhua/Wu Gang)ISLAMABAD, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan held elections for its Senate to elect 52 members of the house for the next six years on Saturday amid strict measures to ensure transparency, the Election Commission said.

According to a statement from the Election Commission of Pakistan, at least 135 candidates, including 110 men and 25 women, are competing for the 52 Senate seats from all the four provinces of the country, northwest Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the capital of Islamabad.

As many as 20 candidates are contesting against 12 seats from eastern Punjab province, 33 against 12 seats from southern Sindh province, 27 against 11 seats from northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 25 against 11 seats from southwest Balochistan province, 24 against four seats from FATA and six against two seats from Islamabad.

Among the candidates, 20 are from the Pakistan People's Party led by Pakistan's former Pakistani President Asif Zardari, 14 from the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement, 13 from Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, 65 independents and others.

Among the 65 independent candidates, 23 contestants are nominated by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) who were prohibited by the Supreme Court last week to contest the elections on their party tickets. Some local media reports said that 131 candidates are competing now after four candidates have withdrawn from the elections in favor of some other runners.

Pakistani political analysts believed that the PML-N-backed independent candidates are likely to top in the Saturday's Senate elections by winning more seats than its rivals.

Aslam Khan, a senior political analyst and renowned Urdu columnist, told Xinhua that the PML-N of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has a very strong position to outnumber rivals and take a majority in the upper house of the parliament.

The analyst said that the PML-N would win at least 15 seats in the elections as it has more than a two-thirds majority in eastern Punjab province assembly and in the National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament.

In Pakistan, the 342-member National Assembly and four provincial assemblies are the Electoral College for the Senate. Members of the National Assembly will also elect senators for Islamabad and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The contestants from provinces will be elected by members of provincial assemblies respectively while the aspirants from Islamabad and FATA will get votes from the members of the National Assembly.

If the PML-N wins 15 seats, its total number of senators in the upper house will rise to 33, more than any other party in the house.

Pakistan's Senate comprises 23 members from each province, eight from FATA and four members from Islamabad. The Senate elections are held after every three years to elect half seats that have completed their six-year term. The last elections were held in 2015 and the next will be conducted in 2021.

The polling is being held in four provincial assemblies and at the National Assembly in Islamabad. The polling process will continue from 9:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) until 4:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT) without any break.NEW YORK, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The United States should find areas "of cooperation, not of conflict" in its relations with China, a U.S. expert has said.

China is actually "a responsible stakeholder in the global community," Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

China is a productive member of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. "With efforts like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, China is building upon the existing global system," he said.

"The focus of (U.S.) defense and strategic programs should be on finding areas of cooperation, not of conflict," Orlins said.

China has made it clear that it wants healthy and win-win trade cooperation with the United States, but recent months have indicated that the latter has other ideas.

Orlins said that whether in the recent national security strategy document, the national defense strategy, or the U.S. Trade Representative's report to Congress, "the portrayals of China and of U.S.-China relations in these documents lack context."

"The positive aspects of this relationship were ignored," he said.

For example, Orlins said, "China's WTO (World Trade Organization) accession allowed Americans' quality of life to improve."

With China joining the WTO, Americans with lower incomes were able to save 1,000 to 1500 U.S. dollars a year on purchasing basic household items from shoes to televisions, Orlins said. "They can live better. Where is that in this (trade) document?"

"Is there a trade deficit? Yes, but the bilateral trade deficit is based upon issues that are not addressed in this document," Orlins said.

The expert emphasized that these numbers are not the whole picture.

Economists believe that the trade deficit and national savings rates are inversely related. Through national accounting identities, a country's trade balance can also be expressed as the differences between national savings and investment.

"Where's the discussion of savings rates in China and the United States (in this document)?" Orlins said.

The United States' net national saving rates -- the sum of saving both in the private and public sectors -- stood at just 2.1 percent of national income in the third quarter of 2017.

"When you have a savings deficit like you do in the United States you must have a trade deficit. You must import goods and capital to make up for that," Orlins said.NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Amid a growing clamor for privatizing state-owned banks in the wake of the country's biggest-ever bank fraud of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, bank employees have written to the Indian government slamming such a "counterproductive" move.

"Should the PSBs (public sector banks) be handed over to private corporates, it will not only be counterproductive, but also lead to self-destruction of a well-knit huge branch network across the length and breadth of the country that services crores of people," Indian National Bank Employees Federation wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

A bank official said Saturday that they would hit the streets and stage protests if the government goes ahead with any such move. "Privatisation means many employees will lose their jobs," he said.

In fact, the Indian government has been considering several measures like privatization of nationalized banks after facing flak for the 1.8-billion-U.S. dollar bank fraud. It passed a law Thursday aimed at confiscating the properties of those involved in large-scale fraud.

India's Finance Ministry ordered the closure of as many as 35 branches of state-owned banks in foreign countries.

The move came after Punjab National Bank last month reported to authorities about the 1.8-billion-U.S. dollar fraud, masterminded by billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, though he claimed to owe the bank only 775 million U.S. dollars.

Though Modi has not been formally charged for the crime, India's External Affairs Ministry has revoked the passports of the disgraced jeweller and his uncle and business partner Mehul Choksi, and launched a massive crackdown on companies linked to the duo.

Investigators have also arrested 13 people, including some high-ranking bank officials, for their alleged involvement in the fraud. A top internal auditor of the Punjab National Bank was the latest to be taken into custody Wednesday.

The celebrity jeweller, however, has gone into hiding. He is said to have fled the country and was reportedly last seen in New York after his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos as a part of an Indian delegation.HAVANA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 2,000 participants from 70 countries visited the 20th Habanos Cigar Festival here Friday, with the event being one of the world's largest ones on premium cigars and a fundraiser for Cuba's health system.

The annual festival also featured an auction of cigar humidor boxes for 1.829 million U.S. dollars, which will fund the country's public health system.

At a gala dinner and auction to wrap up the five-day event, the participants bid on the cigar boxes, which are considered collectors' items. Many of the boxes had a large amount of premium cigars in them.

During the event, cigar aficionados had the opportunity to see and taste novelties in the Cuban tobacco industry.

One of the humidors was bought by Alex Wong from Hong Kong for 307,925 dollars. Wong is a cigar lover who not only will take home a piece of art, but also an exclusive line of Cuban habanos made especially for the occasion.

"It's very exciting for me, this humidor is a beautiful piece of art. Not only do I have the honor to bring it home, but the money is for a really good cause," Wong told Xinhua minutes after purchasing the piece.

As part of the week-long event, participants also visited tobacco plantations and historical cigar factories.

Currently the main clients of Cuban cigars are customers in Spain, France, and China.LOS ANGELES, March 2 (Xinhua) -- A California police officer was taken into custody Friday on federal charges related to the illegal sale of more than 100 firearms.

According to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, Pasadena police officer Vasken Kenneth Gourdikian, a 48-year-old lieutenant on administrative leave, turned himself in to federal authorities Friday.

On Thursday he was named by a federal grand jury in a four-count indictment that accuses him of dealing in firearms without a license, making false statements on forms from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as well as possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

The federal indictment charged that Gourdikian sold over 100 firearms without a license from March 2014 through February 2017. He allegedly used his official status as a police officer to purchase firearms that were not available to the general public, and then sold the "off-roster" firearms through third-party transfers to the public.

His status as an officer let him purchase more than one handgun in a 30-day period, according to the indictment. He also allegedly obtained authorization from his employer to acquire a firearm before the 10-day waiting period was over, the indictment said.

The indictment also disclosed that special agents from the ATF executed a federal search warrant at Gourdikian's residence in 2017 and seized approximately 62 firearms, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle.

Gourdikian appeared in the U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles Friday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty in court, then was released on a 100,000-U.S.-dollar bond. If convicted on all four charges, Gourdikian could face up to 35 years in federal prison.

Mark Geragos, an attorney representing Gourdikian, released a statement Friday as well.

"This Indictment is misguided and truly an abuse of the supposed discretion of the Government," the statement said. "This case will be vigorously contested."KABUL, March 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 300 armed insurgents have been killed elsewhere in the conflict-strife Afghanistan over the past week as government forces have increased military pressure against militants, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

"A total of 302 insurgents have been killed, 187 others injured and 28 more militants have been captured elsewhere in Afghanistan over the past seven days," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the government forces have conducted 111 joint operations involving police, army and other security operatives during which huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including 66 anti-vehicle mines and explosive devices, have also been discovered.

Without providing information on possible casualties of security personnel over the week, the statement said the country's defense and security forces would continue to chase and target anti-government militants elsewhere in Afghanistan.

Increase in the military crackdowns and killing more than 300 militants have been reported after offering peace talks to Taliban by Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani at Kabul conference on Wednesday to end Afghanistan's more than 16 years of war.

The peace package offered by president Ghani at the Kabul conference has been termed by Taliban as a "ploy to divide" Taliban group and rejected.

Meanwhile, General John Nicholson, the U.S. commander of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) mission in Afghanistan, has reportedly said that military pressure will continue on insurgents to make the political efforts for peace a success.SAN FRANCISCO, March 2 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition on the art of 18th-century Europe at a local museum is expected to inspire visitors to reflect on the exchanges between East and West, a top executive of the museum said Friday.

The ongoing exhibition, entitled "Casanova: The Seduction of Europe," presents the cultural and social world of Europe during the Age of Enlightenment with one of its most colorful characters, an Italian man named Giacomo Casanova who lived from 1725 to 1798, as a guide.

Through more than 80 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, period furnishings and delicate porcelains, the exhibition, which runs through May 28 at the Legion of Honor Art Museum in downtown San Francisco, recreates the world of masked balls, palaces, theaters and operas at that time.

Casanova was considered by his own contemporaries to be a witty conversationalist, autobiographer, gambler, spy and one of the greatest travelers of all time, said Max Hollein, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF).

Casanova used to travel to Constantinople (today known as Istanbul), the Western terminus of the Silk Road linking Europe and China. The art works associated with him reflect Europe's strong interest in Asia as well as the intellectual and cultural exchanges between East and West, said Hollein.

"Casanova's time witnessed the world coming closer together, when people were traveling farther and (were) more open to new ideas," he said.

To achieve the best effect, the exhibition features several tableaux, where mannequins dressed in period costumes are surrounded by paintings, sculptures and decorative arts.

Porcelain, the creative fruit of ancient Chinese people, was introduced to Central Asia via the Silk Road and then introduced to Europe and became an important part of the fine dining of the 18th century.

A connoisseur of food, Casanova wrote in great detail about his meals in his memoirs. To highlight the importance of fine dining, an interactive exhibit enables visitors to experience an aristocratic three-course feast at a "dining table," using period porcelain and silver pieces, through an overhead video projection.

"We are most impressed by the period costumes and furniture, which help us visualize the European people's life at that time," said a visitor from Beijing, who gave only his last name, Wang. He and his wife were visiting San Francisco during the Chinese New Year holiday.

He said visiting art museums was an important part of their U.S. trip. "We want to have a genuine taste of the classic Western art in a Western setting," said Wang, referring to the neoclassical architecture of the museum.

The FAMSF, comprising the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park and the de Young museum in Golden Gate Park, have received a growing number of visitors from China in recent years.

In 2016, the museums saw a 90-percent increase in website visits from China, and a 125-percent increase on the previous year in inquiries and bookings from Chinese tour groups. China is the biggest source of visitors in Asia, according to the FAMSF.

To accommodate the growing demand from Chinese visitors, the museums have recently provided Chinese language maps. Audio tours in Chinese are expected to be launched this year.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 17:12:10|Editor: yan

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Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (4th R, front), Zhang Dejiang (4th L, front), Yu Zhengsheng (3rd R, front), Zhang Gaoli (3rd L, front), Li Zhanshu (2nd R, front), Wang Huning (2nd L, front), Zhao Leji (1st R, front), and Han Zheng (1st L, front) attend the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisory body started its annual session Saturday afternoon in Beijing, vowing to take on new mission for the country's goal toward a "great modern socialist country."

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivered a work report to 2,149 political advisors who gathered to discuss major political, economic and social issues in the world's most populous nation and second largest economy.

"We will focus our advice and efforts on the main issues in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China," Yu said.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

Summarizing the work and experience over the past five years, Yu said the CPPCC should remain committed to its nature as "an important platform for all Chinese political parties, social organizations, and people from all ethnic groups and all sectors of society to work together and participate in the deliberation of state affairs in a democratic manner."

He stressed that the top political advisory body shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In regards to its future work, the CPPCC would give top priority to studying and applying Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and earnestly study the new thinking on and requirements for the patriotic united front and the CPPCC, Yu said.

"We will promote the ready acceptance of the leadership of the CPC among all political parties, social groups, and people of all ethnic groups and from all social sectors that participate in the CPPCC, and firmly uphold the core position of General Secretary Xi Jinping," he noted.

The CPPCC would consolidate a shared political foundation for concerted efforts, sharpen the political advisors' skills across the board, and improve the institutions, standards and procedures for the performance of its functions, he said.

In a report on proposals, Wan Gang, vice chairperson of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, said over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 percent of them had been handled up to Feb. 20 this year.

"Most of the proposals have either been taken up or put into practice gradually," Wan said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 18:22:16|Editor: Yurou

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Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang (L) shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, capital of India on March 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)

NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- India and Vietnam on Saturday signed three key memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in areas like economic and trade cooperation, agricultural exchanges, and atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

The pacts were inked between the two sides in the presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

Quang is in India on a three-day state visit from March 2-4. He held bilateral and delegation level talks with the Indian premier here on Saturday.

According to an official release issued by India's external affairs ministry, the two sides signed an MoU on cooperation between India's Global Centre of Nuclear Energy Partnership and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute. The purpose of this MoU is to strengthen the technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes between the two nations.

The purpose of the MoU on economic and trade cooperation is to establish a framework for trade and economic relations between the two sides.

The two countries also signed a work plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The work plan is to promote cooperation in transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in the fields of agriculture.Sorry, this news has been deleted.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 18:32:18|Editor: Lifang

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BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China provided financial support for 95.9 million students nationwide, including pre-school children, in 2017, 5 percent up from 2016, according to the Ministry of Education.

Financial aid for students totaled 188.2 billion yuan (29.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, with a year-on-year increase of 11.45 percent, said Ma Jianbin, vice director of the National Center for Student Financial Aid.

Ma said the student aid system covers all stages of education including public and private schools, and students in financial difficulties, ensuring every student the access to education.

Over the past 11 years, the total amount of national aid has been expanding as fiscal support as well as investment from schools and society continues to grow. The number of students receiving support has been increasing over this period, Ma said.BUJUMBURA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- At least three Burundian soldiers of the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) were killed in an Al-Shabaab attack near Jowhar, the Burundian army spokesman Floribert Biyereke said Friday evening.

The insurgent ambush on a Burundian convoy happened around 10:30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT) when Al-Shabaab militants exploded a bomb and then opened fire, said Biyereke, adding that the Burundian troops fought back.

Three soldiers were killed, seven were injured and four others were still missing, and one armored vehicle and four trucks were damaged during the conflict, he said.

The attack happened as representatives from the contributing countries to AMISOM were meeting in the Ugandan capital Kampala.

Countries contributing troops to fight militants in Somalia include Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia. They have agreed not to pull out of the Horn of Africa as this would "lead to a reversal of the gains made by African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)," said a communique released on Friday evening.

The communique said that the Somalia National Army is not yet strong enough to take care of security concerns there, and also made a reference to the United Nations Security Council Resolution of August 2017, which aimed at a gradual reduction and withdrawal of AMISOM troops by 2020.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 18:47:23|Editor: pengying

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Amit Shah (C), President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrates with party supporters outside the party headquarters in New Delhi, India, March 3, 2018. The country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered impressive electoral performances as election results were announced Saturday in India's three north-eastern states -- Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya.(Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)

NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The country's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) registered impressive electoral performances as election results were announced Saturday in India's three north-eastern states -- Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Though final results would be announced by India's Election Commission in the evening, live TV reports suggested that the BJP wrested Tripura from the Communists and seemed comfortably placed to form the next government in Nagaland with its alliance partner, while Meghalaya gave a fractured mandate.

In Meghalaya, the country's main opposition party the Indian National Congress (INC) had the erstwhile government. This time the INC seems to be winning in most number of constituencies, around 20 out of the total 59 constituencies that went to polls. Though the party was not able to open its account in both Tripura and Nagaland.

Now, across the country the Communists have been reduced to just one state -- Kerala. On the other hand, with both Tripura and Nagaland in the BJP's kitty, the party will have governments in 21 states, while the main opposition party the INC has been reduced to just four states, namely, Punjab (in north India), Karnataka and Puducherry (both in south India), and Mizoram (in north-east India).

BJP's win in Tripura was hailed as the brightest feather in its cap as the party defeated the Communists who had successive governments in the state for over two decades.

The BJP is also set to form the next government in Nagaland along with its alliance partner the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), with the two seen to be jointly winning nearly 30 constituencies.

The BJP is also expected to form the next government in Meghalaya too, despite a hung Assembly there.

"We will try to form a non-Congress government in Meghalaya as the people of the state have rejected the INC," said senior BJP leader Ram Madhav in Tripura on Saturday afternoon.

The BJP and its alliance partner, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura won in over 40 constituencies in Tripura out of the total 60, in sharp contrast with last year's election (held in 2013) when the party could not even open its account and almost all its candidates had lost miserably. In Meghalaya the party is seen to be winning in around five constituencies.

Senior BJP leaders attributed the impressive electoral performances to the joint leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.Welcome travelers from afar! Photo taken on Oct. 15, 2011 shows zebras at Lake Mburo National Park in Kiruhura, West Uganda. (Xinhua/Yuan Qing)

KAMPALA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Uganda will soon contract private companies to market the country's tourism sector in all provinces of China.

This was revealed by the chairperson of Uganda Tourism Board, Daudi Migereko, in an interview with Xinhua on Friday.

Migereko said although China exports 123 million tourists to the world annually, Uganda was only receiving 19,175 visitors from there.

"That number is so huge and therefore we need to tap more of those tourists so that we can earn more foreign exchange. China is our leading bilateral development partner in the world, I see no reason why more Chinese should not come to enjoy our tourist attractions," Migereko said.

Migereko revealed that already, the Ugandan embassy in Beijing and the consulate in Guangzhou were doing a great job in marketing the country's tourism potential.

"Also, there are many investment opportunities in tourism and other sectors such as mining, agriculture and manufacturing. These are the areas we can work on together with the Chinese to benefit both countries," Migereko said.

Welcome to my beautiful turf. A lion roams at Queen Elizabeth National Park in the western Ugandan district of Kasese, January 31, 2017. (Xinhua/Ronald Ssekandi)

He added that several Ugandan universities had introduced the study of Chinese language while many Ugandans had been sent to China as way of improving the two countries' relations so that "when the Chinese tourists come here, they can find guides who understand their language."

"Uganda has been active in the Chinese market and we are now prioritizing it as major area for current and future tourism growth. Uganda has participated in the Guangzhou expo in 2017, translated a Uganda country guide into China and has hosted Chinese operators in Uganda to showcase what we can offer," he added.

And to show that Uganda is serious about attracting Chinese tourists, the government will send a team of technocrats and tourism sector players to China to try and market what Uganda has to offer. The team will be leaving Uganda on March 11.

Migereko also revealed that with the revival of Uganda Airlines, Beijing and Guangzhou will be top priority flights because of the high traffic exchange between the two countries.

"We are also working on putting up several airports in Uganda to ease movement of tourists from one part of the country to the other," Migereko added.

Uganda currently earns 1.5 billion U.S. dollars from the tourism sector, with most of the visitors coming to check out the country's national parks.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 19:06:03|Editor: Xiang Bo

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Actors perform on the Taiping Bridge during a folk activity in Quanjiao County, east China's Anhui Province, March 3, 2018. The annual folk activity in Quanjiao was held on the 16th day of the first month of Chinese lunar calendar to pray for happiness and good health. (Xinhua/Zhang Duan)File photo shows a released Chibok girl (R) hug her relative in Abuja, Nigeria, May 20, 2017. Four years ago more than 200 schoolgirls, also from an all-girl college, were abducted by Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok. (Xinhua/Olatunji Obasa)

ABUJA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian authorities have hired at least 300 Muslim clerics to continue to pray for the safe return of 110 schoolgirls abducted by suspected Boko Haram fighters in the northeastern state of Yobe on Feb. 19, according to a local official on Friday.

The special prayers are being held on a daily basis, and this will continue until all the abducted schoolgirls return safely, Goni Bukar, a national lawmaker representing Dapchi and neighboring communities said in the Nigerian parliament.

"We have gathered all the Ulamas (Muslim clerics) in Dapchi into one mosque and gave them every support to start praying to God until all the girls return," Bukar told reporters.

The national lawmaker said intelligence among the locals had revealed that the abducted schoolgirls are being kept somewhere within Yobe.

Bashir Manzo, head of the Forum of Parents of the Missing Girls, also confirmed the development, saying the forum also contributed financially to the prayers.

One of the largest Muslim organization in Nigeria Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI) on Thursday urged the government to be at its best in rescuing the missing girls.

In a statement, the group said abduction of the girls was aimed at frustrating the girl-child education in Nigeria.

"No parent now is comfortable, especially in the North-East, to allow his daughter to go to such callously unprotected schools; and the North is the loser," the group said, blaming the lapses on the government and lack of synergy between the local security operatives.

The Nigerian military has deployed air assets, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, in search of the missing schoolgirls.

So far, the Nigerian air troops had already flown more than 200 hours while conducting the search for the girls, the military said.

The country's air force chief Sadique Abubakar, the police chief and heads of other paramilitary agencies had also relocated to Yobe to superintend the search for the girls.

The tragedy of the missing girls has brought back memories of a similar occurrence four years ago in Africa's most populous country when more than 200 schoolgirls, also from an all-girl college, were abducted by Boko Haram in the northeastern town of Chibok.

Only 107 of the Chibok girls have been rescued or returned amid ongoing government negotiation with Boko Haram.

The United Nations believes Boko Haram has killed more than 20,000 innocent people since 2009 through terror attacks.PYONGYANG, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The official media of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday reported on a newly discovered video showing Japanese troops massacring sex slaves in 1944.

A video showing the Japanese Imperial Army's massacre of sex slaves was recently disclosed to the public, said the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), citing reports by the South Korean KBS.

"The 19-seconds-long video, which was stored at the U.S. National Archives, reportedly shows the scene of killing dozens of Korean women who had been taken away to Yunnan Province of China as sex slaves by the Japanese imperial aggressor forces in September 1944," said the KCNA.

The DPRK condemns Japanese enslavement of Korean women as a state-sponsored crime against humanity.

A DPRK researcher said in an article published by the KCNA last month that Japan can never shirk responsibility for crimes related to sex slavery.

Ri Hye Yong, a researcher at the Human Rights Division of the DPRK Institute of International Studies, said that Japan has "in the first half of the last century forced hundreds of thousands of women from Korea and several other countries into humiliating sexual slavery."

"Nevertheless, Japan recently keeps harping on 'championing women's empowerment' deceitfully in the international arenas including the UN. What is worse, it impudently seeks to cover up its past crime by paying a trivial sum of money," said the article.

"Japan cannot cover up its past crimes of sexual slavery -- the A-class state-sponsored crime against humanity that has left an indelible mark on mankind's history," it said.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 20:02:36|Editor: Yurou

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LOS ANGELES, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Weinstein Company, the U.S. film studio co-founded by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, avoided bankruptcy at the eleventh hour due to a 500-million-U.S.-dollar takeover by an investor group it has been talking to for months, U.S. media reported.

Earlier this week, the company had announced it would file for bankruptcy after the buyout deal collapsed, calling it "an extremely unfortunate outcome."

But the consortium led by Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the Small Business Administration in Barack Obama's government, and U.S. billionaire Ron Burkle returned to the negotiation table and is refining the final details of a deal.

The Weinstein Company, one of the most successful independent film studios in the United States, has produced Oscar-winning movies like "The King's Speech," "Django Unchained" and "The Reader".

But it began struggling financially since Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assault by dozens of women in 2017.

"We have taken an important step and have reached an agreement on purchase assets from The Weinstein Company in order to launch a new company, with a new board and a new vision," Contreras-Sweet said Thursday night.

The deal will save 150 jobs. The new company will include a compensation fund for Weinstein's accusers worth up to 90 million dollars and hire a new board of directors, the majority of whom will be women.

The two sides were very close to finalizing the deal on Feb. 10 when Eric Schneiderman, New York's attorney general, expressed concerns over it, especially on adequate compensation for Weinstein's victims, protection for the company's remaining employees, and no financial rewards for executives who knew about Weinstein's alleged misconduct.LONDON, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Shiants Islands off the coast of Scotland's Outer Hebrides has declared a victory in its four-year battle against rats, assuring a brighter future for seabirds inhabiting on the isles.

the remote and uninhabited islands attracts over 100,000 pairs of nesting seabirds every year, and is officially classed as an internationally important wildlife colony.

However, it had been plagued for years by non-native black rats, thought to have arrived from a shipwreck, which have feasted on chicks and eggs.

On Friday, the islands were officially declared rats free thanks to the European Union (EU)-backed 622,000 U.S. dollars project to restore them as a secure haven for nesting seabirds.

It is now hoped that seabirds such as puffins, razorbills, and guillemots will see improved breeding successes which could eventually support population increases in the long lived seabirds breeding on the Shiants.

It is also hoped that other seabirds, such as Manx shearwaters and storm petrels, will begin to nest on the islands.

The success of the project, which started in 2014, has been a collaboration between the family who own the islands and have been custodians for three generations, the Nicholsons, Scottish Natural Heritage and RSPB Scotland.

A month-long intensive monitoring check in February found no sign of rats, finally reaching the internationally agreed criterion for rat-free status, the project organizers announced Friday.

A spokeswoman for RSPB Scotland said "there was evidence that the rats fed on the seabirds' eggs and chicks, having a detrimental impact on their breeding success. With many seabird populations facing a multitude of threats and severe declines in Scotland and around the globe, it was vital that action was taken to safeguard those nesting on the Shiants."

The operation to eradicate the rats was led by a New Zealand-based company, Wildlife Management International Limited, with the help of 15 volunteers.

The operation was incredibly challenging due to the rugged terrain and steep cliffs that make up the islands, and the Hebridean weather conditions including severe storms.

To ensure the islands remain rat-free, visitors are asked to follow biosecurity measures including checking boats and all kit for signs of rats prior to departing for the Shiants.

Senior Project Manager Dr. Charlie Mann said: "With so many of Scotland's seabird populations in decline it's vital that we do all we can to help them. Making these islands a secure place for them to breed is really important."

Tom Nicolson, from the third generation of the family to own the islands, said: "This is a tremendous story of success on so many levels. When the idea was presented to us six years ago, the pure logistics of the project seemed hugely ambitious. Now, knowing that new species are beginning to thrive on the islands, so soon after the project has finished, there are no limits to what the Shiants could become over the next five, 10, 20 years."Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 20:37:42|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), one of the country's two leading nuclear power companies, is stepping up its overseas cooperation, the chairperson said Saturday.

Progress is being made in cooperation with CNNC's local partners in countries like Pakistan, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Ghana and the United States, CNNC chairperson Wang Shoujun said on the sidelines of the annual session of the country's top political advisory body.

In 2017, the CNNC completed the construction on the No. 4 unit of the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan. The company also reached an agreement with its Pakistani partner to built another nuclear power unit at the Chashma plant using the Hualong One technology.

The total installed capacity of CNNC's nuclear projects in Pakistan has so far reached 4.63 million kilowatts while the installed capacity in operation has exceeded 1.3 million kilowatts, said Wang, who is also a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

"These projects have effectively alleviated local power shortages and boosted the country's economic development," he said.

Contracts have been signed for nuclear projects in Argentina while the CNNC and its Saudi Arabian partner have agreed to push forward cooperation on uranium and thorium resources.

In Ghana, the CNNC has helped convert a local highly-enriched uranium nuclear reactor into a low-enriched one.

Last year, the CNNC signed a joint venture agreement with TerraPower, LLC to form the Global Innovation Nuclear Energy Technology Co., Ltd. to work together on the Travelling Wave Reactor technology, marking a new stage in China-U.S. nuclear cooperation, Wang added.

The CPPCC started its annual session Saturday, with more than 2,100 political advisors gathering to discuss the country's major political, economic, and social issues.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 20:42:46|Editor: Yurou

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MANAMA, March 3 ( Xinhua) -- Security authorities in Bahrain arrested 116 suspected terrorist with Iranian links in the operation to combat terrorism and external interference in the country's internal affairs, said a government statement on Saturday.

The individuals were arrested for wide range of terror crimes, including planning and executing terror attacks as well as manufacturing, storing and transporting explosive devices.

"Comprehensive investigations have revealed that the suspected terrorists were members of a network formed and supported by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)," said the statement posted on the state-run Bahrain News Agency.

"The network was planning to target Bahraini officials, members of the security authorities and vital oil installations, with the objective of disturbing public security and harming the national economy.

The statement said the IRGC and its affiliates including the Asaib Ahl al-Haq (League of Righteous People) in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon "are directly responsible for the intensification of terrorist activity in Bahrain by providing material, recruitment and training support to terrorists."

"The investigations revealed that terror cells within the network were operating under the supervision of IRGC-affiliated groups and fugitive terrorist leaders in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon," it added.

The investigation also revealed that 48 of the 116 suspected terrorists arrested had received training at IRGC facilities in Iran and their affiliated locations in Iraq and Lebanon.

Security agencies as part of the counter terrorism operations discovered a number of sites used to manufacture and store explosives intended to be used for terrorist attacks.

Items seized during raids include high grad explosives, chemicals used to manufacture bombs, kalashnikovs, pistols, ammunition and detonators.CAIRO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Egypt condemned on Saturday the terrorist attacks that targeted the French Embassy and army headquarters in Burkina Faso on Friday.

The Egyptian people and government stand by the side of Burkina Faso and France in the face of terrorism, Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry condoled with families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

On Friday, Islamic extremists opened fire on the French Embassy and army headquarters in separate attacks in Ouagadougou, killing at least seven soldiers.TRIPOLI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Rampant kidnapping of foreign workers by multinational criminal gangs has seriously worsened security in southern Libya, said a local security official on Saturday.

Brig. Abdul-Qadir Al-Bakush, the chief of Ubari Security Directorate, told Xinhua that an unknown armed group kidnapped a Pakistani engineer working in an oil field near the southern Libyan city of Ubari, some 900 km south of the capital Tripoli.

"The continued kidnappings and absence of official security in the south are due to the lack of government support for the security and military departments as well as some tribal factors," said Ramadan Saleh, the security coordinator in Ubari municipality.

"The claim that there are security and military agencies operating is not true, because tribes run things in the south, and this is the imbalance and the basis of the problem," Saleh explained.

Ubari, one of the largest southern cities, has a population diversity of Arabs, Tuaregs and Tabus, where armed militants outnumber the police and the army, he told Xinhua.

"The government cannot stand up to them, because fighting them means armed clashes and civil war," the security coordinator noted.

When asked about the proper way to slove the insecurity in the south, Saleh pointed to the concerted efforts between the government, army and police.

"The division between army in the east and in the west is an input to chaos, and therefore the security in the south cannot be established without their unification," Saleh said.

The kidnapping of the Pakistani engineer in Ubari is not the first and will not be the last, he noted.

Musbah Uheda, a Libyan Parliament member, also believes the absence of the government contributes to the expansion of kidnapping and criminal activities.

"A few years ago, there were no such cases in the south. When a car was stolen, the security forces intervene and brought it back. Today we hear and see every day a kidnapping or assault on a foreign worker," Uheda told Xinhua.

"There are those who try to derail the security in the south and threaten the work of foreign companies operating in oil fields and power projects. The government should intervene quickly before the situation worsens further," he warned.

The southern cities of Libya are increasingly vulnerable to human trafficking and arms and drugs smuggling because of their rugged and vast desert features.CAIRO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian authorities said nine people were killed and eight others injured in a car crash on a desert highway linking the capital Cairo with the Suez Canal city of Ismailia on Saturday.

A passenger minibus collided with another vehicle on the Desert Cairo-Ismailia Highway in Ismailia Province, northeast of Cairo, Health Ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

A total of 14 ambulances rushed to the scene to carry victims to nearby hospitals, he added.

On Thursday, six people were killed and four others injured in a collision between a private car and a truck on a desert road in central province of Minya.

Also in Minya a deadly accident left 11 dead and 29 injured in February.

Egypt suffers a high rate of traffic accidents that kill thousands of people every year due to lack of highway monitoring systems, poor road maintenance and negligence of traffic rules.

In 2016, some 14,000 traffic accidents in Egypt killed more than 5,300 and injured over 18,600 others, according to a report from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 21:32:53|Editor: Yamei

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Xi Jinping (C, front), Li Keqiang (4th R, front), Zhang Dejiang (4th L, front), Yu Zhengsheng (3rd R, front), Zhang Gaoli (3rd L, front), Li Zhanshu (2nd R, front), Wang Huning (2nd L, front), Zhao Leji (1st R, front), and Han Zheng (1st L, front) attend the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisory body started its annual session Saturday afternoon in Beijing, kicking off an important political season that will highlight new missions for the country's goal of a "great modern socialist country."

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivered a work report to 2,149 political advisors who gathered to discuss major political, economic, and social issues in the world's most populous nation and second largest economy.

"We will focus our advice and efforts on the main issues in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China," Yu said.

Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

The CPPCC is an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China (CPC). It is an important means of promoting socialist democracy.

Summarizing the work and experience over the past five years, Yu said the CPPCC should remain committed to its nature as "an important platform for all Chinese political parties, social organizations, and people from all ethnic groups and all sectors of society to work together and participate in the deliberation of state affairs in a democratic manner."

He stressed that the top political advisory body will uphold the CPC leadership.

In regards to its future work, the CPPCC will give top priority to studying and applying Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and earnestly study the new thinking on and requirements for the patriotic united front and the CPPCC, Yu said.

"We will promote the ready acceptance of the leadership of the CPC among all political parties, social groups, and people of all ethnic groups and from all social sectors that participate in the CPPCC, and firmly uphold the core position of General Secretary Xi Jinping," he noted.

The CPPCC will consolidate a shared political foundation for concerted efforts, sharpen political advisors' skills across the board, and improve the institutions, standards and procedures for the performance of its functions, he said.

In a report on proposals, Wan Gang, vice chairperson of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, said over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 percent of them had been handled up to Feb. 20 this year.

"Most of the proposals have either been taken up or put into practice gradually," Wan said.

The 13-day event runs almost in parallel with the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, which is set to start Monday.

Together dubbed the "two sessions," the dual meetings are regular yet crucial venues where political and economic developments are reviewed and discussed, and key policies and laws adopted.

The more than 2,100 national political advisors and about 3,000 legislators are expected to offer proposals and insights for the government on running state affairs during this year's annual sessions.

The sessions are among the most important political events held since the 19th CPC National Congress in October, which charts the roadmap for China's development in the next decades.

This year's gatherings are expected to garner more attention both at home and abroad as they offer a window for global observers to look into China's next-stage policies.

On the agenda of this year's two sessions is a revision to China's Constitution, which is likely to enshrine Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to guide future development.

A draft law on supervision is also set to be deliberated and discussed, which will lay a legal basis for an upgraded anti-graft taskforce in a major political system reform process.

A government work report to the NPC session will reveal the nation's economic growth target and development plan for this year.

China's economy expanded 6.9 percent last year, picking up for the first time in seven years and well above the official target of around 6.5 percent.

A report delivered by Xi at the 19th CPC National Congress declared the opening of a new era for socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The report offered two clear objectives: socialist modernization basically completed by 2035, and a "great modern socialist country" built by the middle of the century.

"In response to the need for development in the new era, we will put forward suggestions on how to develop a modern economy and socialist democracy, help culture to flourish, strengthen and develop new approaches to social governance, and build a Beautiful China," Yu stressed.CAIRO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court ruled on Saturday that all previous judicial verdicts on the maritime demarcation deal between Egypt and Saudi Arabia are unbinding, official MENA news agency reported.

The court said previous rulings issued by the State Council or the Court for Urgent Matters regarding the demarcation of maritime borders between Egypt and Saudi Arabia will not be taken into account.

Last June, the constitutional court ruled that all previous verdicts on the deal were suspended until a final judicial decision is made.

Under the deal, which was signed in April 2016 during a rare visit of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Egypt, two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir will be transferred to the Saudi authorities.

The deal has gone through a judicial debate in Egypt.

While previous State Council Court's rulings invalidated the deal, a later verdict from the court of Urgent Matters rejected these rulings.

In its Saturday's ruling, the Constitutional Court said State Council's rulings on the agreement represented an aggression against the jurisdiction of the legislative authority, adding that signing the demarcation agreement by the representative of the Egyptian state is a political affair.

On the conflicting verdict of the Urgent Matters Court, the Constitutional Court said its ruling will not be heeded either since it contravened the Egyptian constitution.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and his administration see that it is time to return the two islands to their rightful owner Saudi Arabia, while opponents believe the islands belong to Egypt and giving them up means sacrificing national soil for temporary interests.

Last June, Sisi ratified the deal a week after the Egyptian parliament approved it in a general vote.

Saudi Arabia led its support to Sisi's government with billions of U.S. dollars and generous oil supplies following the ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 following mass protests against his one-year rule.A man walks towards a toilet hut on grasslands located around 200 km southwest of the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator April 4, 2012. (Reuters Photo)

ULAN BATOR, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia announced Friday that it would ban the use of all traditional wooden toilets in Special Protected Areas (SPA) beginning on June 1 in an effort to prevent soil pollution.

Citizens and entities operating in the protected areas should start converting all traditional wooden toilets into standard toilets, otherwise their licenses will be revoked.

Mongolia approved the law on SPA on in 1994 partly to preserve the specific features of natural zones and endangered plants and animals there.KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The new effort to find the missing Malaysia Airline flight MH370 is expected to complete by June, a Malaysian official said Saturday as families marked the fourth year since the plane disappeared.

After previous search effort failed to find the plane in an area of 120,000 square kilometers, the Malaysian government signed an agreement with U.S. based exploration firm Ocean Infinity in January to resume search on a "no cure, no fee" basis within a 90-day timeframe.

At the gathering to mark the fourth anniversary of MH370 going missing on Saturday, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, told families that the 90 days would not include the days when Seabed Constructor, the vessel operated by Ocean Infinity, leaves the search area to refuel and resupply in the nearby port roughly every 26 days.

"I expect the search to finish in early June or mid-June," he told reporters later.

He said the search has entered the second search area of 10,000 square kilometers after the first 5,000 square kilometer search concluded in vain. The search will move further north if the plane is not found in the 25,000 square kilometers recommended by the Australian investigators.

Meanwhile, the recovery plan is being finalized with Malaysian and Australian agencies in the case that the plane is found, Azharuddin said, adding that the primary targets for recovery remain to be the two black boxes.

The latest weekly search update released by the Malaysian government said the total area covered as of Feb. 25 is 8,200 square kilometers with "no significant contacts identified to date."

MH370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people on board.PYONGYANG, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Saturday urged the United States to hold dialogue without any precondition.

A dialogue with Washington is possible, a DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

"It is the consistent and principled position of the DPRK to resolve issues in a diplomatic and peaceful way through dialogue and negotiation," the Korean Central News Agency quoted the official as saying.

The spokesperson said the DPRK wants dialogue "designed to discuss and resolve the issue of mutual concern on an equal footing between states."

"In the decades-long history of the DPRK-U.S. talks, there has been no case at all where we sat with the U.S. with any precondition, and this will be the case in future too," he said.

However, while the DPRK intends to resolve issues in a diplomatic and peaceful way, it will "neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the U.S," he said.

Dismissing the United States putting denuclearization as a precondition for dialogue as "more than ridiculous", he claimed Washington is "terrified" at the rapid development of the DPRK's nuclear force.

According to media reports, a high-level DPRK delegation in South Korea said last week that Pyongyang is leaving the door open for dialogue with the United States.

However, Washington says it will not have dialogue with the DPRK unless "a right condition is met" and will keep watching to see if Pyongyang has any intention to abandon its nuclear and missile program.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 23:18:11|Editor: Mengjie

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WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A visiting senior Chinese official and his U.S. hosts have agreed that the two countries should settle their trade disputes by cooperation rather than confrontation, so as to secure the healthy development of bilateral economic and trade ties.

The two sides also agreed to talk about related issues in Beijing in the near future, in a bid to create conditions for further cooperation.

Liu He, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs and also the leader of the Chinese side in the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, came to the Unites States at the invitation of the U.S. government and has stayed here from Feb. 27 to March 3.

During his visit, Liu discussed the China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as other important issues of mutual concern with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, and U.S Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

During the consultations, Liu said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump have charted the course of Beijing-Washington ties in their close communications this year through telephone calls and exchanges of letters.

The two countries should work together to implement the consensus of the two leaders, expand pragmatic cooperation in economic and trade exchanges, jointly push for the settlement of the pressing issues, promote balanced development of the China-U.S. economic and trade relationships so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples, said Liu.

China will advance its comprehensive reform and opening up, he said.

He also said that the two countries have complementary economic advantages and huge potentials for cooperation, adding that stable economic and trade ties between them conform to the fundamental interests of the two countries and help global prosperity.

In the consultations with the U.S. side, Liu also delivered China's principled stand on trade balance and market access.

The two sides believed that the consultations in Liu's visit were helpful for both nations to deepen mutual understanding and promote cooperation.

During his visit, Liu also exchanged views with U.S. business leaders and famous experts and scholars, and held meetings with leaders of international organizations.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 23:23:12|Editor: pengying

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People transfer an injured person to a hospital after a bus accident in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on March 3, 2018. A van veered off and crashed into a convenience store in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai, injuring nine Chinese tourists, China's consulate general in Chiang Mai confirmed on Saturday. (Xinhua)

BANGKOK, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A van veered off and crashed into a convenience store in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai, injuring nine Chinese tourists, China's consulate general in Chiang Mai confirmed on Saturday.

According to the consulate general, the accident happened on Saturday afternoon when the bus lost control and collided with a 7-11 store on its way to Chiang Mai from Pai, a mountainous town in northern Thailand.

The injured were rushed to hospital and some victims are seriously wounded, according to the consulate general.

Pan jin, vice consul-general of the consulate general of China in Chiang Mai, together with other officials visited the injured.

The consulate general has urged Thai police and tourism bodies to investigate the cause of the accident and follow up with insurance.

Lyu Jian, Chinese ambassador to Thailand, attached great concern to the accident and has instructed the embassy staff to help the injured.VIENTIANE, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Office stationery, aided by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), has been delivered to Lao capital Vientiane, Chinese embassy official told Xinhua on Saturday.

Wang Wentian, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, transferred the office supplies, which were sent to Vientiane on Friday afternoon, to Somphone Sichaleune, deputy head of LPRP Central Committee's External Relations Commission.

Wang said that the cooperation between the two parties of China and Laos is an important pillar for the development of bilateral relations. The external relations commission has played an active role in promoting bilateral cooperation.

The aided supplies reflect the Chinese kindness and the friendly relationship between the two parties, Wang said.

China is willing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two parties, and to continuously promote the development of China-Laos comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, said the Chinese ambassador.

Sichaleune highly appreciated the fruitful results of the cooperation between the two parties, and expressed sincere thanks to China for aiding the office supplies.

The Lao party official said the aid is of great significance to improving the daily office work. The LPRP External Relations Commission shall, as always, push forward the friendly cooperation between the two parties and put the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two parties and the two countries into practice, Sichaleune said.KIEV, March 3 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were injured and more than 100 others detained on Saturday after police raided a protest camp near the Ukrainian parliament, authorities said.

Andriy Kryshchenko, head of Kiev Police, told the local 112 TV channel that six protesters and four police officers were injured.

The raid was carried out as part of an investigation into multiple criminal cases, the Interior Ministry said.

Police found grenades, smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails in the camp, the ministry said.

The camp was set up last year by supporters of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

On Feb. 27, 14 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters near parliament.MOSCOW, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Kremlin Saturday criticized Washington's extended sanctions against Moscow as illegal and harmful.

"We did not initiate the sanctions. We consider them illegal and harmful to the people of both countries and the entire world," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing.

The criticism came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to maintain the prevailing sanctions against Russia for one more year.

The previous Barack Obama administration had imposed the sanctions following the 2014 Crimean referendum and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin showcased a number of new strategic weapons that "can pierce any defense systems," and the U.S. State Department accused Moscow of violating arms control treaties.NEW DELHI, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior forest officer was killed Saturday by a wild elephant in India's southern state of Karnataka, officials said.

The officer was trampled to death by the wild elephant in Dodda Byran Kuppe forest area in Mysuru district, about 175 km southwest of Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka.

"Today a senior forest officer S Manikandan was killed by a wild tusker inside D B Kuppe forest range in the Nagarhole National Park," a senior forest official said. "Manikandan was the conservator of forests and director of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve."

According to officials, Manikandan went inside the forest to assess the damage caused by a fire incident.

"The officer, accompanied by a few staff members, was walking inside the forest when the tusker attacked the group from behind. The wild elephant chased the officer and trampled him, resulting in his killing," the official said.

"He was removed to hospital in H D Kote but doctors there declared him brought dead."

Reports said another forest official also suffered injures in the attack and has been hospitalised.

Every year many people get killed or injured in the growing man-animal conflict across India.VIENTIANE, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The handing over ceremony for assistance from All-China Women's Federation to Lao Women's Union was held here on Friday afternoon, the Chinese embassy told Xinhua on Saturday.

Wang Wentian, the Chinese ambassador to Laos, on behalf of the All-China Women's Federation, transferred the assistance to Inlavanh Keobounphanh, President of the Lao Women's Union.

Wang said that the women's federations of China and Laos have been keeping good cooperation for a long time. There are frequently exchange of visits at all levels.

The handover of the equipment and supplies is expected help to further improve the office conditions of the Lao Women's Union at all levels in Laos, said the Chinese ambassador, adding that with the continuous development of the relations between China and Laos, the friendly cooperation between the two countries' women federations will be strengthened.

Keobounphanh expressed sincere thanks to the assistance from the All-China Women's Federation.

She said the supplies fully reflect the Chinese people, especially women's profound sentiments of friendship towards Laos. The Lao side will distribute the supplies to all provinces according to actual needs and will make effective use of them.

Lao Women's Union is willing to make more contribution to the Laos-China relations in the new era, she said.Pedestrians look at a tree blown down by high winds that blocked part of Woodley Road NW in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people have died by Saturday morning from the Nor'easter windstorm which is retreating after wreaking havoc across the U.S. East Coast, causing heavy flooding, massive power shortage and thousands of flight cancellations in and out of the country.

There were still 2.3 million customers without power in 12 states across the northeastern America on early Saturday, said an ABC News report.

A worker cuts off branches of a tree blown down by high winds that blocked part of Woodley Road NW in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

All the victims, including two children, were killed by falling trees.

A six-year-old boy died in the state of Virginia after a tree fell on his family's home early Friday morning when he was sleeping. And in New York state, an 11-year-old boy died when a tree fell onto his home and trapped him underneath.

Others included a 77-year-old woman in Baltimore, a man in his 70s in Rhode Island, a 57-year-old man in Pennsylvania and a 44-year-old man in Virginia.

A tree blown down by high winds blocks part of Woodley Road NW in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

On Saturday morning, numerous roads across the region were still closed due to debris, fallen trees and power lines. Rail service across the Northeast was also impacted significantly with Amtrak suspending all service on the Northeast Corridor line.

Meanwhile, widespread street flooding was reported in eastern Massachusetts with storm surge reported to be as high as three feet.

Leaves are blown into the air by high winds above Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, the United States, on March 2, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

The Boston Harbor rose to 14.67 feet on Friday, marking the third-highest on record in a century. Another high tide near 14.6 feet is forecast around noon on Saturday.

On Sunday, the storm is gone and winds will be even calmer, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.File Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a National African American History Month reception at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

by Evan Duggan

VANCOUVER, March 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is risking economic harm to his own country and possibly an international trade war if he follows through on his threat to slap tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, a Canadian trade expert said.

"I don't believe it will be implemented next week, at this point in time. But I think he'll try," Mike Manjuris, professor of global management studies at Ryerson University, told Xinhua in an interview on Friday.

The tariff would likely come in the form of an executive order by the president, Manjuris said. "That would make it vulnerable to legal challenges from individual American states and companies who feel they would be harmed by the import taxes of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum."

"They can actually take him to court and find an injunction," he said, adding that "every indication is that this will hurt their economy."

Manjuris called the threat a protectionist measure that will not help the U.S. economy.

"He is doing it for political reasons. He's doing it basically to satisfy his base and to make them think he's fulfilling a promise," he said.

He said every academic and industrial study shows that the economy that gets hurt the most in these situations is the one that imposes the initial protectionist measures.

An exhibitor showcases a large scale steel house frame structure at the BUILDEX trade show in Vancouver, Canada, Feb. 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Liang Sen)

U.S. aluminum production isn't large enough to meet the demand for aluminum in the country, Manjuris said.

If Trump goes ahead with sweeping tariffs on aluminum imports, prices of aluminum components and products and products that use aluminum components are going to rise, he said. "Immediately, there will be a price run."

He said the tariffs would also tamp down economic activity, chase away foreign investment and eventually kill jobs.

It could also lead to a trade war, he said.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 28, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the new steel and aluminum tariffs made no sense, according to the CBC, Canada's national broadcaster.

"We regard the implication of any new tariffs as absolutely unacceptable," Trudeau said, adding that he has spoken with Trump for several times "highlighting this is not something that we want to see."

The CBC also reported Friday that the Canadian government is seeking an exemption on the would-be tariff and would take retaliatory trade measures against the United States if it's imposed.

Steel coils wait to be shrink wrapped and shipped to customers at the Severstal steel mill in Dearborn, Michigan in this June 21, 2012 file photograph. (Xinhua/Reuters)

Data released by the Canadian Steel Producers Association showed that Canada and the United States traded more than 10 million tonnes of steel, worth 12 billion Canadian dollars, in 2017.

Canada is the top destination for U.S. steel exports, representing half of all U.S. total exports, while the United States is the No. 1 destination of Canadian steel exports, representing around 90 percent of Canada's exports and almost 45 percent of domestic stell production, the data showed.

U.S. steel exports represent about 30 percent of Canada's steel consumption, while Canadian exports only represent 6 percent of the entire U.S. steel market, it revealed.A picture shows on Feb. 20, 2018 Iranian rescue teams gathering in the area of a search operation for the wreckage of a passenger plane that crashed in central Iran on Feb. 18. (AFP Photo)

TEHRAN, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's rescue operators have found the black box of the passenger plane which crashed last month with all 66 on board killed, Iranian media reported on Saturday.

Bahram Parsaee, a senior Iranian lawmaker, confirmed the discovery of the black box, Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported.

"The black box would be availed to Tehran Prosecutor General," Parsaee told ISNA.

The Iranian Majlis (parliament) would monitor the data decoding in the box, the lawmaker said.

The black box was found "intact," he added.

Earlier in the day, Aziz Fili, the deputy governor of Kohgiluyeh Province, said the rescue operators found the black box on the heights of Pazanpir, semi-official Fars News Agency reported.

On Feb. 18, an ATR 72 turboprop aircraft of Iran Aseman Airlines took off from the capital Tehran to Yasuj city in central Iran at 5:00 a.m. (0130 GMT), and later crashed near the Bideh village in the central city of Semirom.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-04 02:08:38|Editor: Jiaxin

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Relatives of Palestinian farmer Mohamed Abu Jame'a mourn over his body during his funeral in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, on March 4, 2018. Palestinian farmer Mohamed Abu Jame'a was killed on Saturday by Israeli troops' gunfire when he approached his farm close to the borderline area between southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis and Israel, medics said. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar)

GAZA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian farmer was killed on Saturday by Israeli troops' gunfire when he approached his farm close to the borderline area between southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis and Israel, medics said.

Mohamed Abu Jame'a, 59, was shot by Israeli troops' gunfire stationed at the borderline area and was critically wounded, the Gaza Health Ministry said in an emailed press statement.

He then succumbed to his injuries later in hospital, said the statement.

On Friday, around 16 Palestinian demonstrators were shot and wounded by Israeli troops' gunfire during clashes near the borders.

Israel established a 300-meter no-go zone on the borderline into the eastern area of the coastal enclave, where the Israeli soldiers stationed at the borders open fire at anyone who approaches the area.

Few weeks ago, four Israeli soldiers were injured when a roadside bomb detonated. They were trying to remove a Palestinian flag that was hanged on the barbed-wire on the borders.

The Israeli army gives no clarification yet on the Palestinian farmer's death.In this file photo, a missile is launched during an Iranian naval drill from the coastline of the sea of Oman in southern Iran on Jan. 1, 2013.(Xinhua/IRNA News Agency)

TEHRAN, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian military official said Saturday that Iran will not negotiate its missile program unless Europe and the United States destroy their nuclear weapons and missiles.

"What Americans say out of desperation about exerting restrictions on Iran's missile capabilities is their unreachable dream," Deputy Chief of Staff of Iran's Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said.

The U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear power stem from "their failures and defeats in the region," Jazayeri said.

Besides, the development of Iran's defense power has put the United States in a weaker position, he said, urging the U.S. forces to leave the region.

"The precondition for talks on Iran's missiles program is the dismantling of the U.S. and Europe's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles," Jazayeri stressed.

Pushed by the U.S., Europe has stepped up its pressure on Iran to start negotiations on the country's developing missile program.

Iran has reiterated that its military forces will continue boosting the country's defense capabilities and deterrent power.

Also, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Iran does not allow any interference in its domestic affairs and defensive policies, especially its missile program.U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

MOSCOW, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Kremlin Saturday criticized Washington's extended sanctions against Moscow as illegal and harmful.

"We did not initiate the sanctions. We consider them illegal and harmful to the people of both countries and the entire world," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a daily briefing.

The criticism came after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to maintain the prevailing sanctions against Russia for one more year.

The previous Barack Obama administration had imposed the sanctions following the 2014 Crimean referendum and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin showcased a number of new strategic weapons that "can pierce any defense systems," and the U.S. State Department accused Moscow of violating arms control treaties.U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a National African American History Month reception at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, Feb. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

BRUSSELS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- United States President Donald Trump's newly announced tariffs on steel and aluminium won't help the U.S. economy and may cause bigger job losses in sectors using steel, an EU economist told Xinhua here on Friday.

"Trump's new tariffs won't help the U.S. economy," said Fredrik Erixon, the director of the European Center for International Political Economy, a Brussels-based think tank, in an interview with Xinhua. These measures, if put into place, will affect exports to the United States from Europe and many other countries, he said.

On Thursday, Trump announced the imposition of additional import duties on EU exports of steel and aluminium to the United States, set at 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminium. Similar restrictions will also be imposed on exports from other suppliers.

"Trump is really shooting himself in the foot," Erixon said.

Previous steel tariffs in the United States led to a small increase in U.S. steel jobs, but far bigger job losses in sectors using steel, he said.

The cost of construction and car production will go up, making it more expensive to build new infrastructure and to be globally competitive in the automobile sector, the economist added.

Moreover, Erixon warned that U.S.-EU trade relations would be affected by imposing additional import duties on EU exports of steel and aluminium to the United States.

"There are always some trade and economic frictions between them, but now that the U.S. says that one of its key allies can't export freely to the U.S. for reasons of national security, it is a slap in the face," he said. "And it adds to brewing disputes they have in competition and tax policy," he added.

The Brussels-based expert said "there isn't, for the moment, any real cooperation" between the United States and the EU on trade policy, and with Trump's new move, the relations are certain to become confrontational.Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi meets with senior officials of China's ICT giant Huawei and lauds bilateral cooperation. (Egyptian presidency photo)

CAIRO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi lauded on Saturday the strategic partnership between his government and China's giant corporation Huawei, the Egyptian presidential spokesman said in a statement.

Sisi's remarks came during his meeting with Huawei Rotating CEO Guo Ping and Huawei Egypt CEO Terry Liu in Cairo, attended by Egyptian Communications and Information Technology (IT) Minister Yasser al-Qadi.

"President Sisi expressed hope for enhancing cooperation with Huawei and increasing the volume of its activities in Egypt in the coming period," Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The president's expectation is highlighted by Egypt's tendency to develop its IT sector and the digital transformation of different industrial sectors in the country, said the presidential spokesman.

For his part, Guo expressed Huawei's keenness on boosting cooperation with the Egyptian government in the light of Egypt's ongoing economic growth and the mega national projects being carried out in the country.

He hailed the advantages of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in Egypt and the government's efforts to promote the field.

The Huawei rotating CEO pointed out the constant progress of his company's Egypt-based international technical support center and its plan to establish a second one in Egypt to provide technical support for Africa and the Middle East.

Guo continued that choosing Egypt as a regional base reflects Huawei's confidence in the country's investment climate.

Huawei is a leading ICT corporation that has been operating in Egypt for over 18 years, providing innovated ICT solutions for businesses and government institutions as well as smartphones for the local market.

Last December, Huawei took part in the Cairo ICT 2017 exposition and attracted visitors by showcasing smart ICT solutions like "OpenLab," which cooperates with local markets and provides industry solutions to better meet business demands.

It also presented its ICT-based "Smart City" system that pursues the conditions of a whole city through a large monitor to facilitate controlling and dealing with traffic congestions, crimes, accidents, etc.

Huawei offers Egypt and African states cooperation to stay abreast of the latest smart city trends and technology, providing solutions to connect the digital and physical worlds across city administration, public services and industries, which are designed to benefit city residents and businesses in almost every aspect including transportation, education, healthcare, public security and more.CHICAGO, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A 19-year-old college student charged with killing his parents on his school campus in the U.S. state of Michigan was arrested early Saturday after a nearly daylong manhunt, authorities said.

Michigan State Police has confirmed the suspect, James Eric Davis Jr., was now in custody.

He fatally shot his parents, put the Central Michigan University campus into lockdown on Friday morning, while police conducted an expansive search.

The Central Michigan University said Davis was arrested without incident. "The suspect was seen and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight," it said in a statement.

The university identified the two dead as Davis' mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood. The shooting occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time near the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, a residence building in the campus.

Central Michigan University police Chief Bill Yeagley said that the gun used in the shooting belonged to Davis Sr.

He would not say whether the father had brought the gun to campus when picking up his son, but noted that Davis Jr. was seen on video in the dorm's parking lot with the gun before going into the building where his parents were shot.

The university was put into lockdown after the shooting and advised all students to seek shelter in a message via Twitter. A robocall also went out to people on the campus, telling them a suspect was on the loose.

Central Michigan Police Lt. Larry Klaus said the suspect was in contact with police Thursday night, in response to a possible drug overdose. Davis was taken to a hospital and released Friday morning.

Central Michigan University, which is located about 155 miles northwest of Detroit in Michigan, has over 20,000 students.LISBON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Paulo Estevao of Portugal's People's Monarchist Party (PPM) ended his hunger strike on Saturday after going 13 days without food.

Estevao, who represents the PPM in Corvo, an island in the autonomous region of the Azores, was on hunger strike in protest at the lack of lunch facilities at a local school.

"Right from the beginning my objective was to ensure that lunches would be provided to students, teachers and the rest of the school community," Estevao told the Lusa Portuguese News Agency.

"That has now been guaranteed and so my goal of ending this discrimination has now been achieved," he said.

However, the regional government issued a statement saying "there have been no negotiations, whether direct or through third parties, whether concluded or ongoing."

Estevao claimed that the Santa Casa de Misericordia charity had been appointed to supply Mouzinho de Silveira, the only school on the island, with meals.

But the government claimed the agreement with the charity pre-dated Estevao "embarking on the form of protest that he chose" and that it falls upon the school to initiate it.

Estevao will remain under medical observation over the weekend and have his food intake progressively increased. He is expected to return to parliamentary duties on Monday.

Estevao represents Corvo and the PPM in the Azores Legislative Assembly.

Corvo is the smallest and most north-westerly of the nine islands that make up the Azores mid-Atlantic archipelago.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-04 04:23:58|Editor: pengying

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U.S. Secret Service agents stand guard on the north side of the White House after a man shot himself in front of the White House, Washington D.C., the United States, on March 3, 2018. The man who shot himself in front of the White House on Saturday was dead, said local police. The man, who was not identified yet, was in a large crowd when he fired the gun, the Washington Post reported, citing witnesses. (Xinhua/Yang Chenglin)

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The man who shot himself in front of the White House on Saturday was dead, said local police.

The man, who was not identified yet, was in a large crowd when he fired the gun, the Washington Post reported, citing witnesses.

One video posted on social media showed hundreds of people running away as sirens blared in the background and emergency vehicles sped toward the scene.

Secret Service spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said the male suffered a single gunshot wound and that Secret Service personnel didn't fire any shots.

U.S. President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time of the shooting. He is at West Palm Beach in the state of Florida and is expected to return to Washington D.C. Saturday evening.

The incident occurred just before noon, putting the White House on a lockdown while reporters were temporarily sent down to the basement.

"Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse," the Secret Service tweeted.

"No other reported injuries related to the incident at @WhiteHouse," said the Secret Service.

"We are aware of the incident," White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said. "The President has been briefed."

The incident came days after a vehicle hit a security barrier near the White House, resulting in the arrest and charge of a 35-year-old female driver.COLORADO SPRINGS, the United States, March 3 (Xinhua) -- An American man who was sentenced to 316 years in prison for multiple child sex offenses and released Tuesday on an appeal court ruling was arrested again by police.

Michael McFadden, 46, was re-arrested here in the U.S. state of Colorado on Friday for failure to register as a sex offender, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

He was attempting to leave Colorado and catch a bus to the state of Florida before El Paso County police arrested him.

His arrest on Friday was in connection with an "earlier sexual assault on a child conviction which required him to register as a sex offender," the Denver Post reported, citing the police department.

McFadden, 46, was released from prison on Tuesday after an appeals court determined that his right to a speedy trial had been violated.

McFadden was convicted in 2015, but his trial was delayed after his attorneys sought to include provisions in the juror questionnaire and the judge granted a continuance.

The Colorado's Supreme Court declined to hear the case last month, keeping the appeals court's decision in place and resulting in McFadden's release.

This technicality frees triggered outrage in the state.Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-04 05:09:04|Editor: Yamei

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Smoke rises from the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, east of Damascus, capital of Syria, on March 2, 2018. The Syrian aircraft continued to drop leaflets over the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Friday, encouraging civilians to leave and armed militants to lay down their weapons. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

DAMASCUS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army advanced on Saturday in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta countryside of the capital Damascus, capturing a number of areas there. The place has sparked international attention recently.

A military source told Xinhua that the Syrian government forces captured the towns of Otaya, Nashabiyeh, and Herzama in Eastern Ghouta, following battles with the rebels in that area.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the military source said the achievement is considered as breaking the rebels' defense lines in the southern part of Eastern Ghouta.

Meanwhile, the oppositional Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Syrian forces advanced in Eastern Ghouta after 65 Syrian soldiers have been killed in that battle zone since last week.

The London-based watchdog group said the clashes between the Syrian forces and an array of rebel groups in Eastern Ghouta have been ongoing in the eastern and southeastern parts of Eastern Ghouta, which, it said, is besieged by the Syrian army.

It said that rebel-held region has been under an intense government forces' offensive since Feb. 25.

The observatory said the Syrian army captured the town of Shefoniyeh and Otaya and is advancing to lay a siege to leave the rebels between two choices either to withdraw or to surrender.

The observatory, which says it relies on a network of activists on ground, said the Syrian military progress has been achieved over the past 48 hours.

Eastern Ghouta has grabbed international attention recently since the military showdown has started to gain momentum on Feb. 18.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2401 on Feb. 24, which requires all parties in Syria to immediately cease clashes and provides a sustained humanitarian break for at least 30 days across Syria.

Two days later, the Russians demanded a daily humanitarian pause for five hours in Eastern Ghouta specifically.

But those initiatives have slightly reduced the number of rebels' mortar shells on the capital and the Syrian airstrikes and bombardment of Eastern Ghouta.

During the five-hour-long truce, the situation becomes calm, but the military confrontation continues right afterward.

Five days into the humanitarian pause, only two children left Eastern Ghouta as well as a Pakistani couple through the designated humanitarian corridor in Wafidin area, adjacent to the city of Douma, which is under the control of the Islam Army rebels.

The Islam Army said the civilians evacuation from Eastern Ghouta wasn't part of the recent UN Security Council resolution, urging instead for the entry of relief aid to that sprawling area.

But the Russian-backed Syrian army is apparently determined to recapture that enclave, which constitutes the last remaining threat to the capital after the Syrian forces captured all the surroundings of the capital except the Eastern Ghouta.

A day earlier, the Syrian army dropped leaflets over Eastern Ghouta, encouraging civilians to leave and armed militants to lay down their weapons.

Some of the leaflets include small maps showing safe exits out of Eastern Ghouta with instructions on how to leave, while others urge the armed militants to lay down weapons to gain a presidential pardon for those who turn themselves in.

But the ongoing military operations haven't resonated with the Western powers as on Thursday, Britain formally asked the United Nations Human Rights Council to hold an "urgent debate" this week on the situation in Eastern Ghouta, where Britain put forward a draft resolution condemning the conflict in Eastern Ghouta.

Voting on the resolution was postponed till Monday after member states failed to agree on the final text.

The British draft calls for immediate humanitarian access to the Eastern Ghouta and instructs war crimes investigators from the UN-backed Commission of Inquiry for Syria to conduct an investigation into alleged atrocities in the area.

The British text condemned what it described as "the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian authorities against civilians in the Syrian Arab Republic, including against the people living in Eastern Ghouta."

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta or elsewhere, saying the West is working to create a pretext to justify targeting Syria.

Meanwhile, the UN said it had not received Syrian government permission to deliver humanitarian aid to Ghouta.

A couple of months ago, al-Qaida-linked groups launched an offensive against a key military base in the city of Harasta in Eastern Ghouta, prompting a counter-military offensive in the area.

These attacks were coupled with rebels' shelling of Damascus, while the government troops retaliated by launching airstrikes targeting rebel positions in Eastern Ghouta.

The situation has dramatically worsened since Feb. 18, creating a humanitarian crisis that has attracted the international attention, as the life in Damascus' eastern neighborhoods near Eastern Ghouta has been largely paralyzed by heavy mortar shellings.

Eastern Ghouta has long been the major threat to Damascus, with rebels keeping launching attacks at the capital.

Four major rebel groups are currently positioned inside Eastern Ghouta, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham and the Levant Liberation Committee, otherwise known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.KHARTOUM, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector announced Saturday halt of internal fighting, proposing a reconciliation to end the division within the movement.

"The internal fighting between the movement's two factions will not benefit any party," said Malik Agar, leader of the movement.

Agar declared "a comprehensive internal cessation of hostilities among the forces of the movement in all Blue Nile areas."

The SPLM/northern sector has recently broken up into two factions, one led by Agar in Blue Nile area, and the other led by Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu in South Kordofan area.

The movement has suffered from internal divisions which, in July last year, resulted in the removal of its chairman, Agar, and the appointment of his former deputy al-Hilu in his place.

The two factions have entered into armed confrontations several times, the last of which was in February this year.

Agar instructed his forces to cease all hostilities except for self-defense.

"We have to engage in a reconciliation and unity program to unify the movement and hand over its leadership to a new generation that works for the unity of Sudan," said Agar.

The SPLM/northern sector has been fighting Khartoum government in South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas since 2011.LOS ANGELES, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is discussing with the Yuz Museum, a private museum in Shanghai, to launch collaboratively created programs, local media has reported.

A representative for the Yuz Museum confirmed that the two institutions had been in talks for many years to share their collections and programs, according to ARTnews.

The cooperation "would bolster our offerings both in Shanghai and in Los Angeles," the report cited the representative, adding that the two museums are working out the details and could start the collaboration from next year.

A spokesperson for LACMA also confirmed the talks, the report said.

The involvement of museums from the West in Shanghai is not unprecedented, the report said. Last year, Paris' Centre Pompidou announced that it will open next year an outpost designed by David Chipperfield in the West Bund area, where the Yuz Museum is located.

Yuz Museum was founded in 2014 by billionaire Indonesian-Chinese collector Budi Tek who has long figured on the annual ARTnews "Top 200 Collectors" list.

The prodigious contemporary art collector said he hoped the museum to "provide a platform for the communication and promotion of Asian and Western Contemporary art and artists."

LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States with more than 150,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present. It attracts nearly a million visitors annually to art exhibits, film and concert series.AHTARI, Finland, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The new home of Chinese giant pandas Huabao and Jinbaobao in central Finland officially opened to public on Saturday following a two-and-half-week trial period.

They landed in Finland from China in January this year, and spent one month in quarantine. "Now they have adapted perfectly well," said Jukka Salo, a zoologist working with the Ahtari Zoo, some 300 kilometers north of Helsinki.

Salo said the pair were completely ready to meet the public. During the experimental days, they were curious about people, and did not react in bad way to the appearance of people. "They are truly ambassadors of China," added Salo.

Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila was among the hundred guests taking part in the official opening ceremony at the zoo on Saturday.

Talking to the press, Sipila said the arrival of the pandas was "a great thing" for Finland, and it was the result of the bilateral trust.

He said the cooperation on the research of giant pandas was important for Finland and he expected "a lot from this cooperation."

Chinese Ambassador to Finland Chen Li said the pandas were not only the ambassadors for friendship, but opened the channel for other kinds of cooperation as well.

"Finland hopes the arrival of pandas will bring more opportunities for local economy, the construction of infrastructure as well as a boom in tourism," Chen told Xinhua.

Expecting "the panda economy" to come up, Chen said the better mutual understanding and stronger friendship, the more willing to explore new chances between the two nations.

At the opening ceremony on Saturday, Yang Chao, director of the State Forestry Administration of China (SFA), handed over the pandas' genealogy report to Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppa and Permanent Secretary Jaana Husu-Kallio.

An agreement on implementation of the scientific research plan was signed. Mayors of the city of Dujiangyan and the city of Ahtari also signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation.File Photo: Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang (C) and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross (L) witness the signing of trade deals, part of the business achievements of U.S.President Donald Trump's visit to China, after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A visiting senior Chinese official and his U.S. hosts have agreed that the two countries should settle their trade disputes by cooperation rather than confrontation, so as to secure the healthy development of bilateral economic and trade ties.

The two sides also agreed to talk about related issues in Beijing in the near future, in a bid to create conditions for further cooperation.

Liu He, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs and also the leader of the Chinese side in the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, came to the Unites States at the invitation of the U.S. government and has stayed here from Feb. 27 to March 3.

File photo taken on Nov. 1, 2017 shows workers arranging packed beef at the Greater Omaha company in Omaha, the United States. (Xinhua)

During his visit, Liu discussed the China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as other important issues of mutual concern with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, and U.S Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

During the consultations, Liu said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump have charted the course of Beijing-Washington ties in their close communications this year through telephone calls and exchanges of letters.

The two countries should work together to implement the consensus of the two leaders, expand pragmatic cooperation in economic and trade exchanges, jointly push for the settlement of the pressing issues, promote balanced development of the China-U.S. economic and trade relationships so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples, said Liu.

Photo taken on Nov. 3, 2017 shows a worker introducing beef that imported from the United States to a customer, at a supermarket in Shanghai, east China.(Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

China will advance its comprehensive reform and opening up, he said.

He also said that the two countries have complementary economic advantages and huge potentials for cooperation, adding that stable economic and trade ties between them conform to the fundamental interests of the two countries and help global prosperity.

In the consultations with the U.S. side, Liu also delivered China's principled stand on trade balance and market access.

Photo taken on Nov. 3, 2017 shows beef that imported from the United States, at a supermarket in Shanghai, east China.(Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)

The two sides believed that the consultations in Liu's visit were helpful for both nations to deepen mutual understanding and promote cooperation.

During his visit, Liu also exchanged views with U.S. business leaders and famous experts and scholars, and held meetings with leaders of international organizations.You have permission to edit this article.

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Washington, DC - By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including chapter 47 of title 10, United States Code (Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. 801-946), and in order to prescribe amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, prescribed by Executive Order 12473 of April 13, 1984, as amended, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Part II, Part III, and Part IV of the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, are amended as described in Annex 1, which is attached to and made a part of this order.

Sec. 2. The amendments in Annex 1 shall take effect on the date of this order, subject to the following:

(a) Nothing in Annex 1 shall be construed to make punishable any act done or omitted prior to the date of this order that was not punishable when done or omitted.

(b) Nothing in Annex 1 shall be construed to invalidate the prosecution of any offense committed before the date of this order. The maximum punishment for an offense committed before the date of this order shall not exceed the maximum punishment in effect at the time of the commission of such offense.

(c) Nothing in Annex 1 shall be construed to invalidate any nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, investigation, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action begun prior to the date of this order, and any such nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, investigation, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action shall proceed in the same manner and with the same effect as if the amendments in Annex 1 had not been prescribed.

Sec. 3. (a) Pursuant to section 5542 of the Military

Justice Act of 2016 (MJA), division E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Public Law 114-328, 130 Stat. 2000, 2967 (2016), except as otherwise provided by the MJA or this order, the MJA shall take effect on January 1, 2019.

(b) Nothing in the MJA shall be construed to make punishable any act done or omitted prior to January 1, 2019, that was not punishable when done or omitted.

(c) Nothing in title LX of the MJA shall be construed to invalidate the prosecution of any offense committed before January 1, 2019. The maximum punishment for an offense committed before January 1, 2019, shall not exceed the maximum punishment in effect at the time of the commission of such offense.

(d) Nothing in the MJA shall be construed to invalidate any nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, investigation, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action begun prior to January 1, 2019. Except as otherwise provided in this order, the MJA shall not apply in any case in which charges are referred to trial by court-martial before January 1, 2019. Except as otherwise provided in this order, proceedings in any such case shall be held in the same manner and with the same effect as if the MJA had not been enacted.

Sec. 4. The Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, as amended by section 1 of this order, is amended as described in Annex 2, which is attached to and made a part of this order.

Sec. 5. The amendments in Annex 2, including Appendix 12A, shall take effect on January 1, 2019, subject to the following:

(a) Nothing in Annex 2 shall be construed to make punishable any act done or omitted prior to January 1, 2019, that was not punishable when done or omitted.

(b) Nothing in section 4 of Annex 2 shall be construed to invalidate the prosecution of any offense committed before January 1, 2019. The maximum punishment for an offense committed before January 1, 2019, shall not exceed the maximum punishment in effect at the time of the commission of such offense.

(c) Nothing in Annex 2 shall be construed to invalidate any nonjudicial punishment proceeding, restraint, investigation, referral of charges, trial in which arraignment occurred, or other action begun prior to January 1, 2019. Except as otherwise provided in this order, the amendments in Annex 2 shall not apply in any case in which charges are referred to trial by court-martial before January 1, 2019. Except as otherwise provided in this order, proceedings in any such case shall be held in the same manner and with the same effect as if such amendments had not been prescribed.

Sec. 6. (a) The amendments to Articles 2, 56(d), 58a, and 63 of the UCMJ enacted by sections 5102, 5301, 5303, and 5327 of the MJA apply only to cases in which all specifications allege offenses committed on or after January 1, 2019.

(b) If the accused is found guilty of a specification alleging the commission of one or more offenses before January 1, 2019, Article 60 of the UCMJ, as in effect on the date of the earliest offense of which the accused was found guilty, shall apply to the convening authority, in addition to the suspending authority in Article 60a(c) as enacted by the MJA, to the extent that Article 60:

(1) requires action by the convening authority on the sentence;

(2) permits action by the convening authority on findings;

(3) authorizes the convening authority to modify the findings and sentence of a court-martial, dismiss any charge or specification by setting aside a finding of guilty thereto, or change a finding of guilty to a charge or specification to a finding of guilty to an offense that is a lesser included offense of the offense stated in the charge or specification;

(4) authorizes the convening authority to order a proceeding in revision or a rehearing; or

(5) authorizes the convening authority to approve, disapprove, commute, or suspend a sentence in whole or in part.

Sec. 7. The amendment to Article 15 of the UCMJ enacted by section 5141 of the MJA shall apply to any nonjudicial punishment imposed on or after January 1, 2019.

Sec. 8. The amendments to Articles 32 and 34 of the UCM enacted by sections 5203 and 5205 of the MJA apply with respect to preliminary hearings conducted and advice given on or after January 1, 2019.

Sec. 9. The amendments to Article 79 of the UCMJ enacted by section 5402 of the MJA and the amendments to Appendix 12A to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, made by this order apply only to offenses committed on or after January 1, 2019.

Sec. 10. Except as provided by Rule for Courts-Martial 902A, as promulgated by Annex 2, any change to sentencing procedures:

(a) made by Articles 16(c)(2), 19(b), 25(d)(2) and (3), 39(a)(4), 53, 53a, or 56(c) of the UCMJ, as enacted by sections 5161, 5163, 5182, 5222, 5236, 5237, and 5301 of the MJA; or

(b) included in Annex 2 in rules implementing those articles, applies only to cases in which all specifications allege offenses committed on or after January 1, 2019.

Sec. 11. The amendments to Article 146 of the UCMJ enacted by section 5521 of the MJA and the new Article 146a enacted by section 5522 of the MJA shall take effect on the day after the report for fiscal year 2017 required by Article 146(c) of the UCMJ (as in effect before the MJAs amendments) is submitted in accordance with Article 146(c)(1), but in no event later than December 1, 2018.

Sec. 12. In accordance with Article 33 of the UCMJ, as amended by section 5204 of the MJA, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, will issue nonbinding guidance regarding factors that commanders, convening authorities, staff judge advocates, and judge advocates should take into account when exercising their duties with respect to the disposition of charges and specifications in the interest of justice and discipline under Articles 30 and 34 of the UCMJ. That guidance will take into account, with appropriate consideration of military requirements, the principles contained in official guidance of the Attorney General to attorneys for the Federal Government with respect to the disposition of Federal criminal cases in accordance with the principle of fair and evenhanded administration of Federal criminal law.

DONALD J. TRUMPNews

Austin, Texas - The Civil Rights Division and the United States Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas jointly announced the filing of a complaint in federal district court against WiFi Alliance, a non-profit organization headquartered in Austin. The complaint alleges that WiFi Alliance violated the employment rights of Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Charles ODonnell, an Army Reservist, under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).

According to the complaint, ODonnells military service was a motivating factor in WiFi Alliances decision to terminate his employment in 2016. WiFi Alliance implemented a reduction in force that resulted in its laying off ODonnell concurrent with his military duty supporting West Point Admissions at the United States Military Academy. ODonnell, a program manager, was selected for termination despite positive performance evaluations, seniority, and unique job responsibilities as compared to employees who were not laid off. ODonnell served more than 22 years in the Armed Forces, and was a program manager with WiFi Alliance for three years before he was terminated. He was notified of his termination less than a month after he returned from military service.

Through this lawsuit, the Department of Justice reaffirms its commitment to protecting the employment rights of the members of our Armed Forces, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Civil Rights Division. The men and women of our armed services expect and are entitled to the peace of mind of knowing that their civilian employment will not be jeopardized because they serve our country.

Members of our armed forces make many sacrifices, including spending months or years away from their jobs and families, said U.S. Attorney John F. Bash of the Western District of Texas. When our service members are away from their homes, jobs, and families in the service of our country, they are entitled to retain their civilian employment and to the protections of federal law that prevent them from being subject to discrimination based upon their military obligations. We are filing suit today, as representatives of Lieutenant Colonel ODonnell, a member of the United States Army Reserve, to ensure that he does not lose his rights while he was protecting ours.

The lawsuit filed by the United States seeks damages equal to the amount of LTC ODonnells lost wages and benefits. It also seeks an order requiring WiFi Alliances compliance with all provisions of USERRA.

LTC ODonnell initially filed a complaint with the Department of Labors Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), which investigated this matter and attempted to reach a resolution between the parties. After resolution failed, VETS referred the complaint to the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division, Employment Litigation Section. This lawsuit followed as a collaborative initiative between the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Texas.

Congress enacted USERRA to reduce employment disadvantages faced by non-career service members; to provide prompt reemployment for returning service members; to minimize disruption to the lives of those performing military service, their employers and others; and to prohibit discrimination and retaliation against those who serve in the uniformed services.Latest News

Somerton, Arizona - Thursday at 3:37 p.m. the Somerton Police Department was notified by the Cocopah Tribal Police that they had recovered the vehicle wanted in connection with the SPD's ongoing Attempted Homicide Investigation. SPD investigators subsequently recovered and secured the vehicle for evidentiary purposes. At 4:28 p.m. on March 1, 2108, SPD was notified by the Yuma County Sheriff's Office that the suspect in this investigation, Raymond Chairez Jr. had surrendered himself to the Yuma County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators from the Somerton Police Department met with Yuma County Sheriff's officials where the arrest warrant for Raymond Chairez Jr. was executed.

The Yuma County Attorney's Office has filed a complaint against Raymond Chairez Jr. on the following charges: Attempted First Degree Murder (2 counts), Drive By Shooting (1 count), and Aggravated Assault (4 counts). On March 2, 2018, the suspect appeared before the South County Justice Court #2 in San Luis, Arizona where he was remanded to custody on a $100,000.00 secured bond.

This case remains under investigation by the Somerton Police Department Investigations Division. Anyone with any information concerning this investigation is asked to contact the Somerton Police Department at (928) 722-7300 or 78-CRIME to remain anonymous. The Somerton Police Department would like to thank the Yuma County Attorney's Office, the Yuma County Sheriff's Office and the Cocopah Tribal Police for their assistance and cooperation during this investigation.Latest News

Washington, DC - On March 6, 2014, by Executive Order 13660, the President declared a national emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of persons that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets.

On March 16, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13661, which expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, and found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets.

On March 20, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13662, which further expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, as expanded in scope in Executive Order 13661, and found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation, including its purported annexation of Crimea and its use of force in Ukraine, continue to undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets.

On December 19, 2014, the President issued Executive Order 13685, to take additional steps to address the Russian occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

The actions and policies addressed in these Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2014, and the measures adopted on that date, on March 16, 2014, on March 20, 2014, and on December 19, 2014, to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2018. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

DONALD J. TRUMPLatest News

Washington, DC - President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts:

Lisa Porter of Virginia, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Dr. Porter most recently served as Executive Vice President and Director of In-Q-Tel Labs (IQT). Prior to joining IQT, Dr. Porter was the President of Teledyne Scientific & Imaging, and before that, she was the first Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Dr. Porter served as the associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and before that, she served as a program manager and senior scientist at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Dr. Porter holds a bachelors degree in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in applied physics from Stanford University.

Patrick J. Fuchs of Wisconsin, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board for a five-year term. Mr. Fuchs is a senior professional staff member working on surface transportation and maritime issues for the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation under the leadership of Chairman John Thune of South Dakota. Mr. Fuchs has played an integral role in the development and enactment of major railroad legislation, including the first reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board since its creation in 1996 and the first passenger rail reauthorization in over seven years. Prior to serving Chairman Thune, he was a policy analyst and Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Management and Budget, where he managed railroad and maritime regulatory reviews. He graduated with distinction in economics and political science and earned an M.P.A. from the University of Wisconsin, where he received the Directors Achievement Award for his outstanding academic record. Mr. Fuchs and his wife, Katherine, were born and raised in Wisconsin.

Michelle A. Schultz of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board for a five-year term. Ms. Schultz is a deputy general counsel at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Before joining SEPTA in 2006, Ms. Schultz was an associate with a law firm in Philadelphia. Additionally, she clerked for the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Ms. Schultz holds a B.A. in English from the Pennsylvania State University; a J.D. from Widener University School of Law; and a Master of Governmental Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

James Edward Campos of Nevada, to be the Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact in the Department of Energy. Mr. Campos has been involved in the government administration, renewable energy, minority community relations, strategic business consulting, and business development fields. Currently he serves as the senior advisor on Economic Development & Government Relations to the College President of Nevada State College and as a State regulator on the Nevada Taxicab Commission. Before working with Nevada State College, Mr. Campos served as the director of Renewable Energy Initiatives & Government Relations for the College of Southern Nevada. Mr. Campos was formerly the State-wide Commissioner of the Nevada Consumer Affairs Division where he regulated 7 industries and enforced State laws governing deceptive trade practices. Campos holds both a B.A. and an M.S. from the University of Maryland, an M.B.A. from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and an Executive Business Program Certificate from Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business.

Peter C. Wright of Michigan, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (Office of Solid Waste). Mr. Wright is a managing counsel with the law department of The Dow Chemical Company, in Midland, Michigan. He provides counsel to the companys leaders, and has led Dows legal strategies regarding Superfund sites and other Federal and State-led remediation matters. He also provides legal counsel on merger and acquisitions and significant real estate transactions. Before joining Dow in 1999, he was with Bryan Cave LLP and Monsanto Company. He began his legal career with the environmental practice group of Baker & Daniels (now Fagre Baker & Daniels). Mr. Wright has been a leader of the American Bar Associations Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. He earned his J. D., summa cum laude, from Indiana University in 1986 and his A.B, summa cum laude, from Wabash College in 1981.

Jon Parrish Peede of Mississippi, to be the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Mr. Peede is senior deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. His previous positions include publisher of the Virginia Quarterly Review at the University of Virginia, literature grants director at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), counselor to NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, director of the NEA Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience program, director of the NEA Big Read program, director of Communications at Millsaps College, and editor at Mercer University Press. He has lectured at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College and served on the National Council of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University. He completed his B.S. at Vanderbilt University and M.A. at the University of Mississippi. He is the editor of a bilingual literature anthology and co-editor of an essay collection on Flannery OConnor. He was raised in Mississippi and lives in Virginia with his family.

Michael J. Desmond of California, to be Chief Counsel for the Revenue Service and Assistant General Counsel in the Department of the Treasury. For the past six years, Mr. Desmond has run his own law firm, representing businesses and individuals before the Internal Revenue Service, state tax authorities, and in court proceedings. Mr. Desmond was previously a partner in a global law firm. Mr. Desmond clerked for Judge Ronald S.W. Lew of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. From 1995 through 2000, he served as a trial attorney in the Tax Division at the Department of Justice, and from 2005 through 2008 he served as tax legislative counsel at the Department of the Treasury, Office of Tax Policy. He earned degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara and from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.Living Section

Wellton, Arizona - Curious about the latest technology? On Saturday, March 17th, the Wellton Library will host Adult Tech Time at 10:00 a.m. See, touch, and hear about tech devices from toys, such as the Dash and Dot Robots, to 3-D printers, which are now widely used in many professions, including architecture, medicine, food and maritime fields.

There is no charge to attend.



The Wellton Library is located at 28790 San Jose Avenue in Wellton, AZ. For more information, call (928) 785-9575.Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs

07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0)

Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na...Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- The prime minister's control body will look into the situation related to forged vaccination certificates, Prime Minister Florin Citu announced on Monday, transmitting that it is "inadmissible" for forgery rings to be discovered by a journalist, given that "there are so many institutions that have

- Guvernul Statelor Unite ofera recompense in criptomonede pentru informatii referitoare la operatiunile hackerilor inamici sustinuti de stat sau a presupusilor teroristi. Noua platforma Rewards for Justice a Departamentului de Stat al SUA permite informatorilor sa trimita sfaturi si informatii

- The implementation of environmental legislation in the unrolling of European funds for agriculture and rural development, afforestation and the creation of agro-forestry systems on degraded agricultural lands were some of the aspects analysed on Thursday by the Minister of Agriculture, Adrian Oros,

- Other measures for relaxation of the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic will enter into force on Thursday. The head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announced last week that, starting July 1, the number of persons that can attend private events - weddings,

- Minister of Environment Tanczos Barna declared on Monday evening, after attending the coalition meeting, at Parliament, that he proposes a gradual intervention in the case of bears coming to and around localities, but also that Romania currently lacks a rapid intervention procedure. "I presented

- On Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu hosted a high-level round table dedicated to promoting the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), held in virtual format. In his address, the Romanian Minister said that the initiative to organize this event was outlined

- Odata cu iOS 14, Apple anunta una dintre functiile de care utilizatorii de pe Android se bucurau de ceva timp, anume aceea de a putea vedea clipuri de pe YouTube in format picture-in-picture. Pe sistemul de operare al celor de la Apple, functia a fost testata o perioada, insa a fost destul de repede

- The European Court of Justice said Googles YouTube cant automatically be held liable for illegal uploads of copyright-protected music or videos under the European Unions old rules, according to Bloomberg. Operators of online platforms in such cases arent the ones that communicate illegal contentSource: Xinhua| 2018-03-03 01:39:46|Editor: Jiaxin

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Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Liu Jingsong (5th R) shakes hands with a representative of an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 2, 2018. Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Liu Jingsong on Friday met with representatives of an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Kabul, discussing ways to provide assistance to displaced families, particularly children. (Xinhua/Dai He)

KABUL, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Liu Jingsong on Friday met with representatives of an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Kabul, discussing ways to provide assistance to displaced families, particularly children.

On Thursday, the Chinese Embassy donated items for IDPs at Char Rah-e-Qambar Camp. The donations included chairs, tables, computer desks, aluminum alloy doors and windows and radios.

During the meeting with the IDPs representatives on Friday, Liu said China will continue to contribute in the rebuilding process and economic development of Afghanistan.

The representatives expressed gratitude to China.

"We really appreciate Chinese continued assistance for the Afghans. We receive materials provided by Chinese friends yesterday and the items will help our children to read and write and get better education," a local teacher of the camp, Juma Khan, said.

The IDPs camp in western Kabul is home to about 950 families mostly from southern Helmand province.

In 2017, more than 445,000 Afghans have been displaced by violent conflicts and prolonged insurgency, bringing the number of IDPs in the country to over 1 million.Amaravati: BJP president Amit Shah on Friday spoke to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu over phone, hours after his Telugu Desam Party decided to intensify its fight over the Centre not honouring the commitments made to the state.

Shah rang up the TDP chief and invited him for talks over the commitments made at the time of bifurcation of the state. Naidu conveyed to the BJP chief that he will send a delegation led by the central minister Sujana Chowdary.

According to TDP sources, Naidu made it clear that there will be no compromise on the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. He conveyed to Shah that the TDP's fight is not against the BJP but for the justice to the state.

The BJP President called up Naidu a couple of hours hours after TDP Parliamentary Party meeting chaired by Naidu decided to step up the fight over the raw deal meted out to the state in Union Budget 2018-19.

The TDP, a partner in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, had stalled proceedings in Parliament during the first leg of the budget session and it is gearing up to continue the protest in the second leg, beginning next week.

TDP MP Galla Jayadev told reporters after the meeting that if the Finance Bill is not amended to make allocations to the state to fulfil the commitments, the party will oppose it.

Jayadev said since the Centre had promised to extend all assistance under the special package, the TDP had agreed for the same but as nothing has been done so far, they were pressing for their original demand of special category status. The MP said the party decided to take the issue to the national level by writing letters to all the parties, their floor leaders and MPs.

"If necessary we will go to the court," said the Lok Sabha member.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh State Planning Commission Vice-Chairman Kutumba Rao, who along with TDP MP Rammohan Naidu met Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday, said the talks were disappointing.

He said instead of mooting a formula as assured by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah asked them to present their formula. Kutumba Rao the state had already made its demands clear and hence the Centre should respond to them instead of asking it to present a formula.

The TDP has been demanding that the Centre make financial allocations to the state to fulfil the commitments made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of its bifurcation in 2014 to carve out Telangana state.

Stating that residuary state of Andhra Pradesh suffered huge loss due to the division, the TDP is urging the Centre to handhold the state till it comes up at par with other southern states.

Hyderabad: The bodies of eight Maoists, who were among the 10 ultras killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, were flown to a Telangana hospital and their identification was likely to be completed today, an official said.

The Greyhounds, an anti-Naxal force, had yesterday swooped on the camp of Maoists near Pujari Kanker in Bijapur district, as part of a joint operation with the Chhattisgarh Police. Ten Maoists, including six women, were killed in the early morning operation in which a personnel of the elite force also lost his life.

"Bodies of two Naxals and the junior commando of Greyhounds were airlifted yesterday. Due to the inaccessibility of the location, the rest of the bodies were flown in a chopper this morning to the hospital," Superintendent of Police of Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district Ambar Kishor Jha told PTI.

"We have received all the ten bodies from the encounter site. Post mortem will be conducted today. We will follow all the Supreme Court directions related to encounter cases," he said.

According to the SP, the post-mortem examination will be conducted at the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital.

The identification process is also underway. "By (this) afternoon we hope to complete the process and get a clear picture," the SP said.

Security forces from Telangana and Chhattisgarh had launched the counter-insurgency operation in the forest on the inter-state border based on inputs about a gathering of a large group of ultras, officials had said.

"Susheel Kumar, a junior commando of the Greyhounds, lost his life," officials had said.

Six women were among the ultras killed in the operation which took place around 6.30 AM, the SP said.

The Chhattisgarh Police had identified two of the dead Naxals as Sanjeev, a "deputy commander", and a woman named Pedda Budri.

Both were part of the protection team of Hari Bhushan, secretary of the Maoists' Telangana state committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Bastar range, Sundarraj P had said.

An AK-47 among others was been recovered from the encounter site indicating the presence of of a top leader of the outfit at the site where encounter took place, a senior police official had said.New Delhi: Tata Group is paying tribute to Tata Steel founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata on his 179th birth anniversary function in Jamshedpur, named in honour of him, on Saturday.

JN Tata, born on March 3, 1839, was an Indian pioneer industrialist, who founded the Tata Group, India's biggest conglomerate company.

Every year, on his birth anniversary, the entire steel city wears a festive look with bright illumination even as the tourist hotspot Jubilee Park is being bathed in colours.

As part of celebrations being organised on Saturday, there will be a laser show on a smoke screen on Beldih Lake, featuring a 28-minute film on the vision of JN Tata who is also regarded as the legendary 'Father of Indian Industry' .

Other attractions that will adorn Jubilee Park during the anniversary celebrations include LED light models of animals, a cartoon park and a JFC corner.

Continuing with the tradition, all divisions of the Tata Group as well as other Group companies based in Jamshedpur, will pay homage to the founder on Saturday. Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata and chairman N. Chandrasekaran along with other members of the board are attending the function.New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday produced 6 accused including PNB deputy manager Gokulnath shetty before special CBI court.

All the six accused have been sent to 14 days judicial custody. The six accused include Gokulnath Shetty, former deputy manager PNB; Manoj Kharat, single window operator; Hemant bhat, authorised signatory for nirav modi in his firms; Bechchu tiwari, chief manager incharge of forex and supervisor of Gokulnath Shetty; Yashwant joshi, manager forex and supervisor of Shetty; Praful Sawant, PNB official whose job was to check SWIFT daily.

Meanwhile, a special court in Mumbai has issued non-bailable warrants against diamond traders Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi.

The Punjab National Bank (PNB) detected a billion dollar scam, earlier this year, in which billionaire Nirav Modi acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking from one of its branches for overseas credit from other Indian lenders.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attached immovable properties of Nirav Modi and companies controlled by him.

The scam, which allegedly started in 2011, was detected in the third week of January this year, after which the PNB officials filed a complaint with the CBI on January 31.New Delhi: India and Vietnam signed 3 pacts including on nuclear cooperation after talks between PM Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang.

Modi and Quang discussed ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of defence and trade. The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.

"We will jointly work for an open, independent and prosperous Indo Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and where differences are resolved through talks," Modi said in a media statement in the presence of the Vietnamese President.

"Both sides are committed towards expanding the bilateral maritime cooperation and for an open, efficient and rules-based regional architecture," he said.

During the talks, Modi said India and Vietnam have also "agreed" to deepen trade and investment ties in sectors such as oil and gas exploration, renewable energy, agriculture and textiles.

"PM @narendramodi welcomes Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. India and Vietnam enjoy warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history. #ActEastPolicy," Kumar tweeted.

PM @narendramodi and Vietnamese President Quang held fruitful talks and discussed steps to further strengthen comprehensive strategic partnership in defence & security, trade & investment, atomic energy, agriculture, S&T, tourism, oil & gas, as well as regional and global issues. pic.twitter.com/6ojJbiSmAz  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 3, 2018

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Vietnamese president.

Their discussions focused on steps to further strengthen country's comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, Kumar said.

Quang was also given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening. President Quang is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen.

The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.

Prime Minister Modi had visited Vietnam in 2016, a year before the two countries celebrated 45 years of honouring diplomatic ties.During this visit, the two countries signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.

India had also extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Vietnam for facilitating deeper defence cooperation between the two sides.California: All eyes will be on the battle for Oscars supremacy between The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri on Sunday.

But if there`s one thing previous ceremonies have demonstrated, it`s that it`s a good idea never to expect the expected on Hollywood`s biggest night.

Here are five things to watch for:

It may have been the most embarrassing flub in Oscars history, but don`t expect host Jimmy Kimmel to shy away from mining Envelopegate for comedy gold at the Academy`s expense.

The embarrassing mix-up at last year`s show saw the best picture Oscar incorrectly given to musical La La Land before the actual winner, coming-of-age drama Moonlight, was finally handed the prize.

Accountants for PricewaterhouseCoopers, the firm responsible for tabulating Oscar ballots, had handed Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway the wrong envelope.

Oscar watchers expect the mistake, which made for a chaotic end to the film industry`s biggest night, to be fodder for both Kimmel`s opening monologue and jokes from the presenters.The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro`s much-admired Cold War-era fairy tale love story, goes into the Oscars with the most nominations -- 13 -- compared to just seven for its main rival, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

But Martin McDonagh`s Three Billboards, an early favorite in the prestigious best picture race, has weathered a backlash against its treatment of race issues to launch a late assault on the statuette.

It has regained its status as the narrow frontrunner at odds of 13/10 against 2/1 for The Shape of Water, according to awards prediction website Gold Derby.

Every Oscars ceremony serves up some shocks, however, so don`t count out Get Out, the third favorite ahead of outsiders Lady Bird and Dunkirk.

The #MeToo and Time`s Up movements -- against sexual misconduct and gender inequality, respectively -- have featured prominently in the awards season, inspiring many powerful speeches and turning the red carpet into a sea of symbolic black dresses at the Golden Globes and the Baftas. While there is no official repeat planned, some actresses have indicated they will again wear black in support of #MeToo on Sunday.

Ryan Seacrest, an Academy Awards mainstay interviewing the rich and famous on the red carpet for E! News, is facing his own backlash following allegations of repeated sexual harassment from a former stylist.

The channel is standing by Seacrest, host of ABC`s American Idol and Live With Kelly and Ryan, and says he`ll be on the red carpet as usual.Don`t be alarmed if you hear glass ceilings shattering at this year`s Oscars, with numerous breakthroughs to cheer among the nominees.

Mudbound director Dee Rees is the first black woman nominated for best adapted screenplay, while her director of photography Rachel Morrison is the first woman to be nominated for best cinematography.

Mudbound scored another first, with soul diva Mary J. Blige the first person nominated for acting and best original song in the same film.

Yance Ford ("Strong Island") is the first openly transgender director ever nominated, and Jordan Peele ("Get Out") is the first black filmmaker nominated for directing, writing, and producing.

He is also only the fifth black person ever nominated for best director -- after John Singleton, Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen and Barry Jenkins -- and could be the first to win.

Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) is the fifth woman in history nominated for best director" and the first to land the nod for a directorial debut.

Other firsts include a superhero film nominated for best adapted screenplay (Logan) and the first person over the age of 87 to be nominated for an acting award -- Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World.Comedian and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will preside over the Oscars for the second consecutive time, with critics tuning in to see how he navigates the tricky balancing act of being funny without making light of the #MeToo victims.

Keeping the more than three-hour show -- usually the most-watched non-sports telecast each year in the United States -- upbeat in a year overshadowed by allegations of sexual assault will also be a tough challenge.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host was presenting last year when Beatty and Dunaway wrongly gave best picture to La La Land instead of rightful winner Moonlight after being handed the wrong envelope.

"We were like, we have 10 seconds to say goodbye, we don`t know how long the speech is going to be, and it affects your rating in a very negative way if you go on past midnight," Kimmel recalled in an interview with news portal AZ Central.

"And then all of a sudden it was like, `Forget midnight. This might go on into `Good Morning America.`"LUCKNOW: At least seven people were killed in separate road accidents in Uttar Pradesh on Holi, police said today.

In Barabanki, five people were killed in three road accidents. According to Circle Officer (Sadar) Sushil Kumar, all three accidents involved motorcyclists, including one in which two people were visiting the district for a 'Holi Milan' programme.

Two people died in Banda after their motorcycle collided with the official car of the city magistrate, police said.

Additional Superintendent of Police Lal Bharat Kumar Pal said Magistrate Ramesh Chandra Tiwari was going to Tindwari to greet people on Holi, whe his official car collided with a motorbike.

Two people injured in the accident later succumbed at a hospital, Pal said, adding that Tiwari and two other occupants of the car were also injured.

The driver has been detained.

Meanwhile in Bareilly, at least 16 people were injured in violent clashes and stone-pelting incidents yesterday.

Senior Superintendent of Police Joginder Kumar said stones were hurled on people participating in a Holi procession in Rampura-Kamanpur village.

A police official and 10 others participating in the procession were injured.

Senior district administration and police officials have reached the spot and the situation has normalised, Kumar said.

In Narayan Nagla village of the district, two groups clashed and opened fire in the air during Holi celebrations.

"In the violence, five people were injured. Four of them have been hospitalised," Kumar added.

Bareilly District Magistrate Raghvendra Singh said two people have been arrested in connection with Narayan Nagla incident.

He said a case has been registered against seven people under various sections of theA saffron wave seems to have swept through Indias three north-eastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. The results in Tripura are perhaps the most remarkable where the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government - an unprecedented first in state that has been held by the CPM-led Left for over two decades now.

As trends started emerging this morning, Kiren Rijiju, Mos Home in the Narendra Modi government, and an MP from Arunachal Pradesh said: The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming government in all three states. That confidence wasnt misplaced.

With leads coming in on all the seats, Prime Minister Narendra Modis BJP is ahead in 43 of the 59 seats that went to the hustings. The Left parties which had 50 seats in the 60-member state Assembly were ahead in just 16. Votes are being counted for just 59 of the 60 seats in the state. Polling in Charlilam constituency was deferred after the death of a candidate. It will now be held on March 12.

That Chief Minister Manik Sarkar was not able to make it an unprecedented fifth term in office comes as a big blow to the Left. Tripura and Kerala were the only two states in India where the party held sway. BJPs Ram Madhav said: This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata, the people of the state and the hard work of Prime Minister Modi and party workers.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad quipped: "In a way the entire north-east is now with the BJP. Initially we used to say "Congress mukt Bharat' now I think we can say 'Vaampanth Mukt Bharat'."

In Meghalaya, the final trends showed that the Congress, despite emerging as the single largest party with leads on 20 seats, failed to reach the majority mark of 31. Here too votes are being counted for 59 seats as polling in Williamnagar was countermanded after the killing of one of the candidates.

Led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, it has managed to emerge as the single-largest party but may have to sit in the Opposition as it falls short of the majority mark. The Congress has dispatched senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong ostensibly to keep its flock together. That may not amount to much given how the poll arithmetic is panning out.

The final leads show the Congress ahead in 21 seats, while BJPs ally at the Centre, NPP, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, was ahead in 19 and the BJP itself in 2. Interestingly, another NDA partner, UDP, which contested the state polls separately, is leading in 6 seats and the others column show 11 independent candidates ahead.

Pollsters believe that if these trends hold, the NDA partners, who decided to go it alone in the state, may come together in a post-poll alliance to keep the Congress out. Giving strong indications of that, BJPs Meghalaya in-charge Nalin Kohli said: The vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance.

The BJP has sent Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of its tallest leaders in the north-east, to the state. 49-year-old Sarma, who joined the BJP in 2015, is a minister in Assam and in-charge of the partys poll preps in Tripura and has delivered the state to the saffron kitty. He worked in close coordination with Sunil Deodhar, BJP - National Executive Committee Member In-charge of Tripura and a man who managed PM Modi's campaign in Varanasi in 2014.

And Tripura shifted its base from Left to Right. @BJP4India successfully barged into invincible fort of CPM.#TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/kDlqUnsAJe  Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) March 3, 2018

Most exit polls had predicted the Congress, led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, will win between 13 and 20 seats. The chief minister, who was contesting from two seats, has won both Songsak and Ampati.

In Nagaland, BJP and its ally, the newly formed NDPP earlier pulled ahead. The alliance led by NDPPs founder and former chief minister Neiphui Rio is ahead in 28 seats. Rio was elected unopposed from his constituency Northern Angami II and looks all set to be sworn in as Nagalands next chief minister.

Chief Minister TR Zeliangs NPF is ahead in 26 seats in leads available currently. The BJP, which was in alliance with the NPF, broke away before the elections to partner with the NDPP.NEW DELHI: In what can be seen as a strong signal to China, India and Vietnam on Saturday agreed to work for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as the two sides signed three agreements, including one on enhancing bilateral economy and trade.

"We will work together for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and disputes are resolved through dialogue," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a joint address to the media with visiting Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang following delegation-level bilateral discussions here.

"Both of us are committed to expanding our maritime ties and ensure an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture," Modi said.

On his part, Quang said that both countries will work together for regional security, including maritime and cyber security.

The remarks assume significance given China`s increasing influence in the Indian Ocean region and aggressive attitude in the South China Sea.

In his remarks, Modi said that Vietnam has played a significant role within the framework of New Delhi`s Act East Policy and India`s ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc.

Vietnam is the country coordinator for India with the Asean, a role that will be passed on to Thailand later this year.

The Prime Minister recalled that during his visit to Vietnam in 2016, the bilateral relationship was elevated from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"Last year, we celebrated 45 years of our diplomatic relationship and the 10th anniversary of our Strategic Partnership," he said.

"Our ties are not just limited to our two governments. Our civilisational ties are 2,000 years old."

Stating that all aspects of the bilateral relationship were discussed in detail in Saturday`s talks, Modi said that both nations, being developing nations, gain from the experiences of each other.

"We are fortunate that thousands of Vietnamese people have received education and training in technical and other areas in India," he said.

He also pointed out that bilateral trade continued to grow even in the current global economic scenario and said trade between the two countries rose from $6 billion to $10 billion in the last five years,

He said that, in the discussions, both sides agreed to further strengthen trade and investment ties, including in sectors like renewable energy, agriculture and agro-products, textiles and oil and gas.

"We will not only strengthen our longstanding bilateral partnership in oil and gas, but also explore possibilities of working with other countries for trilateral partnership," Modi said.

Stating that defence and security is an important pillar of the strong bilateral ties, he said that all defence services of the two nations enjoy close cooperation and it was decided in the talks to increase cooperation in defence production.

"We will also explore possibilities in co-production and transfer of technology in the defence sector," he stated.

Stating that the old civilisational ties between the two countries are still alive and can be seen in the increasing cultural, tourism and people-to-people links, the Prime Minister said that the Archaeological Survey of India has contributed to the preservation and restoration My Son Unesco World Heritage site in Vietnam.

He also thanked Vietnam for its invaluable support last year in getting Ahmedabad recognised as a Unesco World Heritage City.

"Our relations are are not only beneficial for the well-being and happiness of our two nations but also important for peace, security and stability of the entire region," Modi stated.

On his part, President Quang said that both sides hoped to increase two-way investment and hoped that bilateral trade will reach $15 billion by 2020.

He thanked Vietnam Airlines for starting services between Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi and urged Indian airlines to start operations between the two countries.

Stating that there will be more breakthroughs in cultural tourism, he said that both sides will intensify people-to-people contacts.

"Both sides will continue to cooperate in multilateral forums, including in the multifaceted relations with Asean," Quang stated.

He said that both countries respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), adding that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to be deepened.

The three agreements signed between the two sides include two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) - one on to establish a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion and the other to strengthen technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

A work plan for the years 2018 to 2022 was also signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to promote cooperation in transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in agriculture and allied fields,

Quang, who first touched down at Bodh Gaya on Friday while coming on a three-day visit to India, reached New Delhi later in the evening.

New Delhi: In what can be seen as a strong signal to China, India and Vietnam on Saturday agreed to work for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region as the two sides signed three agreements, including one on enhancing bilateral economy and trade.

"We will work together for an independent, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and disputes are resolved through dialogue," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a joint address to the media with visiting Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang following delegation-level bilateral discussions here.

"Both of us are committed to expanding our maritime ties and ensure an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture," Modi said.

On his part, Quang said that both countries will work together for regional security, including maritime and cyber security.

The remarks assume significance given China's increasing influence in the Indian Ocean region and aggressive attitude in the South China Sea.

In his remarks, Modi said that Vietnam has played a significant role within the framework of New Delhi's Act East Policy and India's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc.

Vietnam is the country coordinator for India with the Asean, a role that will be passed on to Thailand later this year.

The Prime Minister recalled that during his visit to Vietnam in 2016, the bilateral relationship was elevated from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

"Last year, we celebrated 45 years of our diplomatic relationship and the 10th anniversary of our Strategic Partnership," he said.

"Our ties are not just limited to our two governments. Our civlisational ties are 2,000 years old."

Stating that all aspects of the bilateral relationship were discussed in detail in Saturday's talks, Modi said that both nations, being developing nations, gain from the experiences of each other.

"We are fortunate that thousands of Vietnamese people have received education and training in technical and other areas in India," he said.

He also pointed out that bilateral trade continued to grow even in the current global economic scenario and said trade between the two countries rose from $6 billion to $10 billion in the last five years,

He said that, in the discussions, both sides agreed to further strengthen trade and investment ties, including in sectors like renewable energy, agriculture and agro-products, textiles and oil and gas.

"We will not only strengthen our longstanding bilateral partnership in oil and gas, but also explore possibilities of working with other countries for trilateral partnership," Modi said.

Stating that defence and security is an important pillar of the strong bilateral ties, he said that the all defence services of the two nations enjoy close cooperation and it was decided in the talks to increase cooperation in defence production.

"We will also explore possibilities in co-production and transfer of technology in the defence sector," he stated.

Stating that the old civilisational ties between the two countries are still alive and can be seen in the increasing cultural, tourism and people-to-people links, the Prime Minister said that the Archaeological Survey of India has contributed to the preservation and restoration My Son Unesco World Heritage site in Vietnam.

He also thanked Vietnam for its invaluable support last year in getting Ahmedabad recognised as a Unesco World Heritage City.

"Our relations are are not only beneficial for the well-being and happiness of our two nations, but also important for peace, security and stability of the entire region," Modi stated.

On his part, President Quang said that both sides hoped to increase two-way investment and hoped that bilateral trade will reach $15 billion by 2020.

He thanked VietJet Air for starting services between Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi and urged Indian airlines to start operations between the two countries.

Stating that there will be more breakthroughs in cultural tourism, he said that both sides will intensify people-to-people contacts.

"Both sides will continue to cooperate in multilateral forums, including in the multifaceted relations with Asean," Quang stated.

He said that both countries respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), adding that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will continue to be deepened.

The three agreements signed between the two sides include two memorandums of understaning (MoUs) - one on to establish a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion and the other to strengthen technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

A work plan for the years 2018 to 2022 was also signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to promote cooperation in transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in agriculture and allied fields,

Quang, who first touched down at Bodh Gaya on Friday while coming on a three-day visit to India, reached New Delhi later in the evening.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paused his speech on the BJP's Northeast triumph for Azaan or prayers from a mosque near the party's new headquarters in Delhi.

PM Modi stayed silent for around two minutes as the sounds of Azaan rang out in the middle of his speech on the party's spectacular performance in Tripura. BJP president Amit Shah had just finished speaking before the Prime Minister.

When the prayers stopped, the Prime Minister resumed his speech after shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", which was echoed by scores of BJP workers gathered at the office.

This is not the first time PM Modi has stopped his speech for Azaan. In November, he paused his speech while campaigning in Gujarat.

In 2016, he had stopped while speaking at a rally in West Bengal. "I do not want to interrupt anyone's prayers. So I decided to take a brief rest," he said as he resumed his address.

Senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Amit Shah were also present at the BJP headquarters to celebrate BJP's resounding victory.NEW DELHI: Ahead of the bilateral talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang at the Hyderabad House here on Saturday.Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar shared the information about the meeting on Twitter.

"PM @narendramodi welcomes Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. India and Vietnam enjoy a warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history. #ActEastPolicy," he tweeted.

Earlier today, Vietnamese President paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in Delhi.Vietnamese President Quang also received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

He was received by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival.Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived here on late Friday evening.President Quang is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen.

The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.On a related note, Prime Minister Modi had visited Vietnam in 2016, a year before the two countries celebrated 45 years of honouring diplomatic ties.

During this visit, the two countries signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.

India had also extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Vietnam for facilitating deeper defence cooperation between the two sides.With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) performing well in the Assembly elections in Tripura and Nagaland, Union minister Giriraj Singh on Saturday lashed out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, calling him a non-serious party president who abandoned his party workers at a crucial time.

Yeh natural leader nahi hai, yeh paristhitiyon ki den hain. Rani ke kokh se paida liye hain (he is not a natural leader, he is a gift of circumstances. He was born to a queen), said Giriraj Singh while speaking to news agency ANI.

#WATCH: Union Minister Giriraj Singh speaks on Congress President Rahul Gandhi, says 'Koi neta apne karykartaon ko chhodd ke aise samay mein nahi bhaagta. Non-serious adhyaksh hain Rahul Gandhi.' pic.twitter.com/wMyuh3ncfV  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

He further said that no leader leaves his party workers at such crucial juncture. Once he disappeared for 56 days, today also he has gone. No leader leaves workers at such crucial time. He cannot handle stress, said Singh.

He (Rahul Gandhi) knows when he has to run away, but people in Congress have forcefully made him their leader, he added.

The latest attack on Rahul Gandhi by the BJP leader came as the party emerged victorious in Tripura Assembly elections, ousting Left Fronts Manik Sarkar from power after almost two decades. The BJP also emerged a close second in Nagaland, with leads of 26 out of 60 seats.

The Congress party, which has been ruling Meghalaya, could not secure a victory in the state despite Rahul Gandhi spearheading the campaign in the northeastern state. While the Congress emerged as the single largest party with leads on 20 seats, the verdict failed to give a clear majority to any party.New Delhi: Social activist Anna Hazare, who spearheaded nation-wide anti-graft protests in 2011, will reportedly join the protest against the alleged leak of the examination paper for the combined graduate level exam (SSC CGL tier 2 exam) held for nearly 9,372 vacancies.

Score of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) aspirants have been protesting outside the SSC office at CGO complex in Lodhi Road since February 27, 2018, seeking a CBI investigation into the alleged paper leak in the examination held from February 17 to 21, 2018.

The SSC has cancelled the exam held on February 21, 2018. The commission has said that this exam will be re-conducted on March 9, 2018.

Screenshots of the question paper of the exam along with answers were found circulating on social media.

Taking note of it, the SSC had issued a statement saying, "The commission has received a few screenshots in the afternoon of 23.2.2018 of quantitative ability (paper-1) apparently taken on 21.2.2018 at around 12.30 pm belonging to a candidate namely Sachin Chouhan (roll number 2201281955). These snapshots are being circulated after about 48 hours of completion of the CGLE (Tier-II) Examination, 2017 and appear to be manipulated and would have no significance on the sanctity of the examination. Earlier also, at around 10.15 am on 21.2.2018, the commission received an information that some of the answer keys of paper I, to be held wef 10.30 am on that day of the examination, were being circulated on the social media/e-mails. The commission investigated into the matter and found that the claims were absolutely bogus and baseless."

Later the chairman of the SSC, Ashim Khurana, in an official statement said, "In continuation with the earlier discussions held with the protesting candidates of CGLE 2017, a delegation of the candidates met with the Minister of State, Ministry of Personnel, Pension and Public Grievances... After hearing the delegation, it was directed by the Honble minister that though the paper 1 of 21.2.2018 was cancelled by the SSC on account of technical issues, to inquire into the allegation of leakage of this cancelled paper, the evidence being provided by the candidates be taken on record and if found substantiated, the matter will be referred to CBI for further enquiry. Else, the crime branch of Delhi Police which is already seized of the matter upon a referral by the commission, shall complete its inquiry in a time-bound manner and submit its report for further necessary action."

Exams for recruitment of non-gazetted staff for various central ministries and subordinate departments is conducted by the SSC. Lakhs of aspirants take various examination held by the commission.NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi revelled in his party's victory in the Tripura Assembly elections, and launched a scathing attack on the politics of the Left. He said the Northeast would show the way to the rest of the country when it comes to development.

Modi's comments came at an address he delivered at the BJP's new headquarters on New Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, hours after the decisively wrested Tripura from the Left, which had ruled the state for 25 years.

Modi began by not speaking. He said he would remain silent as the azaan sounded from a nearby mosque. When he resumed, he dedicated the victory in Tripura to BJP workers who were allegedly killed by Left forces.

"The sun is red when it is setting. But when it rises, it turns saffron. This is a new age for the Northeast," he declared.

"When you are in politics you need to know how to handle defeats. Looking at the way the Left has reacted to the verdict, it seemed that they need to learn sportsmanship. The people have watched what has happened, they have seen how things were done. And, they have responded with their votes," said Modi, to loud

"Whether it is Kerala or West Bengal or Tripura, they are not those who will address things politically. They are those people who will take the path of violence. And if we raise an arm to defend ourselves, there will be accusations of vendetta," he said.

He also used the stage to take shots at the Congress, noting that the Grand Old Party has perhaps never had as small a political footprint as it does now. "There are some in the Congress who rise through the ranks, but each steps they take, they get smaller in stature. We must do our best to ensure that such a Congress culture never enters the ranks of our party," he said, in an attack on dynasty politics in the Congress.Counting of votes for Assembly elections in three northeastern states  Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya  is set to begin at 8 am on Saturday amid high security. Apart from regional players like Naga Peoples Front and National Peoples Party, both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) left no stone unturned during the campaign to ensure good performance in all three states. In the run up to the elections, the BJP has emerged strong with at least two exit polls predicting that it would snatch power from Manik Sarkar-led Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in Meghalaya and Nagaland.

The Congress, which has been ruling Meghalaya for the past 10 years, is likely to lose power in the state according to exit polls. And no clear winner is likely to emerge in the state. The National Peoples Party is expected to perform well.

Though the strength of each of the Assemblies in the three states is 60 members, voting was held for 59 constituencies in all of them, for different reasons. While a CPI(M) candidate died in Tripura, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in Meghalaya, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat each in the two states.

In Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio was declared elected unopposed.

The Congress in Meghalaya fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP put up nominees in 47 constituencies. For the first time, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is contesting from two seats.

In Nagaland, the BJP has joined hands with the NDPP that was floated by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The NDPP is contesting on 40 seats and the saffron party on 20. The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, is contesting only in 18 seats, two less than the BJP.

Nagaland also witnessed some trouble before the polling with major political parties deciding to boycott the elections, demanding solution to the Naga crisis before. Though the filing of nominations started on January 31, the first batch of 22 contestants filed their papers only on February 5, the penultimate day for filing of nominations.

While Tripura went to the polls on February 18, elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.

(With PTI Inputs)Brussels: Europe has warned US President Donald Trump to expect retaliatory strikes against American icons like Harley-Davidson, Levis jeans and Kentucky bourbon if he sparks a trade war by going ahead with the proposed tariffs on foreign steel.

On Friday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that there would be consequences for the US if Trump's threat of a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminium imports takes effect, reports The Guardian.

"If the Americans impose tariffs on steel and aluminium, then we must treat American products the same way.

"We must show that we can also take measures. This cannot be a unilateral transatlantic action by the Americans... I'm not saying we have to shoot back, but we must take action.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans  Levi's," Juncker added.

His warning came as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Trump's plan would cause international damage and also harm America's own economy.

"The import restrictions announced by the US President are likely to cause damage not only outside the US, but also to the US economy itself, including to its manufacturing and construction sectors, which are major users of aluminium and steel," the IMF said.

Other world leaders also threatened retaliation. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the US tariffs would be "absolutely unacceptable" and China too expressed "grave concern" over the plans, The Guardian reported.

Canada has the largest share of steel imports to the US at 16 percent, according to data from the Department of Commerce, followed by Brazil and South Korea, with steel imports from China down 5 percent in the most recent period.

Japan's steel industry also urged Donald Trump not to impose steep tariffs on imports, warning it would have "serious harmful effects" on trade worldwide.

Meanwhile, the US President on Friday night asserted that "trade wars are good".

In a tweet, Donald Trump said: "When a country (the US) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don't trade anymore-we win big. It's easy!"

Trump's announcement sent stock markets around the world tumbling and could prompt other countries to take action.Veteran Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader and Bharat Raksha Manch national convenor Suryakant Kelkar, who is believed to have brought Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Indian politics, has said that defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Kolaras and Mungaoli bypolls was a result of anti-incumbency.

According to Kelkar, the BJP needs to now change the face of the government in Madhya Pradesh and also include new faces in the Cabinet. He said that one person being in power for long period results in dip in popularity of the government, and this is what the BJP experienced in the bypolls.

He, however, added that the popularity of the BJP ideology and nationalism has increased among people, hence winning elections might not be trouble for the party, but anti-incumbency does make a dent in the prospects of the party.

During emergency days, Kelkar was an office bearer of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and Chouhan was arrested after his name was found mentioned in the diary of the RSS leader. Later, Kelkar convinced Chouhan to join politics.

The statement by the RSS leader comes days after the Congress emerged victorious in both Kolaras and Mungaoli seats in Madhya Pradesh bypolls.

Mahendra Singh Yadav of the Congress won the Kolaras bypoll by 8083 votes. The party got 82515 votes while the BJP could bag 74432 votes. In Mungaoli, Bijendra Singh Yadav of Congress won by 2124 votes as BJP candidate Sahab Yadav got 68684 votes.

While the BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since December 8, 2003, Chouhan became the chief minister on November 29, 2005. Under him, the BJP has decimated the opposition in every election in the state. But a string of by-election losses in the last few months have dented the party.

Chouhan led the BJP campaign in Kolaras as well as Mungaoli, well aware that any setback would lead to his rivals within and outside the BJP claiming that his charisma is on the wane. Chouhan made several promises during the campaign for the tribals as well as farmers in a bid to make a dent in the Congress citadel.New Delhi: With election trends projecting that the Congress could emerge as the single-largest party in Meghalaya, the party today rushed two senior leaders to the northeastern state to explore possibilities of forming a government.

According to sources, senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government there.

The Congress currently rules Meghalaya and is set to emerge as the single largest party in the state, according to trends available for most of the seats in the state.

Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27.

The Congress's move comes in the wake of criticism in the past that the party was caught ?napping? in Goa and Manipur, where despite emerging as the single-largest party it failed to form governments there.

Sources said Patel and Nath would land in Shillong post noon and will hold discussions with party leaders there, including outgoing chief minister Mukul Sangma.

Meghalaya is one of the five states currently held by the Congress. The other states are Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Puducherry.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally surged ahead of the Left Front in Tripura establishing a lead in 41 seats in the 59-seat elections. It is a close fight in Meghalaya with the Congress ahead in 20 seats and NPP is leading in 19 seats. In Nagaland, the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) was ahead in 28 constituencies while the BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leading in 26 seats.

Here is how politicians from across party lines are reacting to the results:

Union minister Kiren Rijiju: The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. A new political direction would have an effect on national politics as well.

BJP leader Ram Madhav: The credit for the victory goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He who not just addressed four public rallies in the state but also took stock on regular basis of the preparations BJP did for Tripura assembly elections.

#WATCH: Workers of BJP celebrate in Agartala as the party is poised to win in the state #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/CmM2uMgqSw  ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2018

UP CM Yogi Adityanath: BJP is all set for a historic win in Tripura. I would like to congratulate PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah ji and our party workers. Even our performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya is historic. It is an important day in Indian politics.

Nalin Kohli, BJP Meghalaya in-charge: In Meghalaya, the vote is clearly against the Congress because if you see it from the larger perspective, the anti-Congress vote goes to the NPP, the UDP, BJP, and all of us are part of NDA. Now it is up to the national leaders to decide, but there can be a possibility of a post-poll alliance.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma: Manik Sarkar has just three options before him. He can go to West Bengal, where the CPI-M still has some presence. He can go to Kerala, where the party is in power and will rule for three more years or he can go to neighbouring Bangladesh.

NPP President Conrad Sangma: We are hopeful that we will be able to form the government. People are fed up with the corrupt Congress government and looking for a change.Agartala: The BJP on Saturday said people in the northeast have voted for a change in Tripura and Nagaland and its effort in Meghalaya would be to usher in a non-Congress government.

"We are happy with the trends so far in Tripura where the BJP looks like forming a government with 40 or more seats (in the 60-member assembly). Go for change was our slogan and the people have accepted our campaign," BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav told reporters as elated party workers gathered in large numbers at the party office to celebrate the verdict.

Madhav conceded that the CPI-M gave a good fight in Tripura but people voted for change.

"We are seeing a revolutionary verdict. It is a historic verdict," the BJP`s northeast in charge said.

Behind this verdict, he said, there was hard work by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who not merely addressed four election meetings but was continuously monitoring the BJP strategy in Tripura along with party President Amit Shah.

Madhav said in the neighbouring Nagaland the BJP and its alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) are putting up a good performance.

Madhav said in Nagaland the pre-poll alliance of the BJP and NDPP will get the numbers to form the government.

In Meghalaya, he said, the results appeared to be producing a divided house. "There is a possibility of a non-Congress government in Meghalaya and our effort would be towards that."

The BJP Parliamentary Party is expected to meet in the evening in Delhi to devise its strategy on forming the governments in the three northeast states.Even before voting for Nagaland Assembly elections took place on February 27, one of the favourites to occupy the chief minister's post in the event of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance winning the polls, had secured his seat. Neiphiu Rio, the 67-year-old former Nagaland chief minister was elected unopposed in the Nagaland Assembly election after his rival from the Naga People's Front (NPF) withdrew his nomination.



Rio may soon become Nagaland chief minister if election results go in favour of the NDPP -BJP alliance. "NDPP-BJP's chief-ministerial candidate is Neiphiu Rio. But depending on the results, decisions will be taken in the future," Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Saturday even as votes were being counted for Nagaland Assembly elections.



Having led Nagaland for 11 years, Rio has often been described as "the tallest leader in Nagaland". In January 2018, Nagaland's lone Lok Sabha member broke away from the ruling NPF after the party decided to sever ties with the BJP. He then joined the newly-floated NDPP saying that he was committed to finding an early solution to the vexed Naga insurgency problem.



Rio has maintained that he has been a supporter of the peace process between the Naga rebels and the Indian government and has always worked to resolve the standoff in a manner acceptable to the people.



Quitting the party, he had said: "I have been left with no option but to resign from the NPF in accordance of the wishes of the people and in the greater interest of the masses in collective endeavour to bring an early political solution."



After weeks of negotiation ahead of the elections, NDPP got into a pre-poll alliance with the BJP. The NDPP decided to contest on 40 seats while the saffron party agreed to field candidates in the remaining 20 seats.



Rio is also among the top three crorepati candidates in the state with assets worth Rs 36.41 crore.



Rio was elected unopposed after NPF's Chupfuo Angami, who happens to be Rio's brother-in-law, quit the race claiming that "his position was not good." However, this is not the first time that Rio won without a challenge. In 1998, he had been elected unopposed as a Congress candidate, thanks to the boycott of the election by other parties.



Rio served three terms spanning 11 years as chief minister of Nagaland, from 2003 to 2014. After winning the Lok Sabha seat in 2014, he passed on the CM's office to TR Zeliang, a move that was criticised by many. If his party wins the polls, Rio would have to resign his Lok Sabha seat to be able to continue as a Nagaland MLA, and tale over as the Chief Minister.New Delhi: Actor Abhishek Bachchan has started shooting for a project after a two-year hiatus. Abhishek posted a rather emotional tweet to announce his comeback. His Twitter handle was soon flooded with congratulatory and encouraging messages from his colleagues in Bollywood.

The actor took to Twitter to share the good news, he wrote, "Its been just over two years since I faced a film camera  A new journey, a new film begins today. Need your good wishes and blessings. Manmarziyaan. Earlier, he had posted a photo of the films script."

Here's the tweet:

Its been just over 2 yrs since I faced a film camera A new journey, a new film begins today. Need your good wishes and blessings. #Manmarziyaan #TakeTwo  Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) March 2, 2018

Abhishek will be seen in 'Manmarziyan' directed by Anurag Kashyap. He was last seen in Housefull 3, that released on June 16.

Filmmaker Karan Johar was among the first ones to congratulate him, like a generous friend he wrote, "Welcome back AB! We have missed seeing you and need to see much more of you at the movies!!!! Love you!!!!"

Actor Rishi Kapoor, whom Abhishek addresses as Chintu Uncle, also had nice things to say to him. Taking to Twitter, Rishi wrote, "Sincerest best wishes to an actor waiting to explode. My best to another son of mine. Love you and always an admirer! God Bless!"

Actor Rohit Roy also extended his best wishes to Abhishek via a tweet, "Wooohoooo my brother!! Go get em, Tiger! God bless n all my love, always !"

Abhishek Bachchan, who is currently shooting in Amritsar, recently shared a video of the film's crew having a meal at a dhaba.New Delhi: Sridevi's sudden demise has left the whole nation in a state of shock. Three days after the actress was cremated with state honors, husband Boney Kapoor has opened up for the first time about the fateful night of February 24, 2018, to friend and noted film critic Komal Nahta, who has reproduced the conversation in a blog shared on his official Twitter page..

In his blog, Nahta wrote that Boney had told him that how his unscheduled trip to Dubai in 2018 was much-like his unplanned trip to Bangalore in 1994 when he and Sridevi had freshly fallen in love. Sridevi had extended her stay in Dubai post nephew Mohit Marwah's wedding to shop for daughter Janhvi, while Boney had left for India to attend some important event in Lucknow.

On the 24th morning, Sridevi made a call to Boney saying, "Papa( As she used to address Boney) I am missing you. I also told her that I was missing her a lot. But I didn't tell her that I would be joining her in Dubai in the evening. Janhvi had seconded my idea of going to Dubai because she was scared, her mom, not used to being alone, would misplace her passport or some important document if she was alone, " an emotional Boney told Nahta.

Boney reached Dubai on the evening of February 24th around 6:20 pm. An excited Boney requested the bell boy to delay taking his bag to the room as he wanted to catch her by complete surprise. The two hugged like teenage lovers once Boney opened the door with his duplicate key. But she told me, she had a hunch that I would come to Dubai to fetch her, Boney recalled amidst sobs. The couple hugged, kissed and chatted for almost half an hour, the blog read.

After a romantic reunion, Boney freshened up and suggested that they go for a romantic dinner.Then Sridevi, who as he says, was in "relaxation mode", went for a bath.

"I went to the living room while Sridevi went to the master bathroom to bathe and get ready," Boney told Nahta.

In the living room, Boney who was engrossed in TV realized that they were getting late for dinner. He called out to her several times but when he got no response, he broke open the door only to find that his worst nightmares have come true.

"He panicked and opened the door which had not been bolted from inside, nervous but yet not at all prepared for what he was going to see. The tub was full of water and Sridevi was immersed completely, from head to toe, inside the tub. Devastated, he reached out to her but watching her motionless, he feared the worst.

"Sridevi had drowned! Boney's world had come crashing down." Nahta quoted Boney.

As Nahta puts it: "Whether she first drowned and then became unconscious, or she first fell asleep or unconscious and then drowned, nobody will, perhaps, ever know. But she probably never got a chance to even struggle for a minute because had she moved her arms and legs in panic while drowning, there would be some water spilling out of the tub. But there wasn't a drop of water on the floor outside the tub area."

Nobody would ever know how Bollywood's first female superstar drowned in a bathtub, the mystery will remain unsolved.

(With inputs from IANS)New Delhi: Winter has arrived in Austrailia and before you begin to imagine why now? Remember that it's a hemisphere thing. When it's winter in India, it's summer in Austrailia and vice-versa. But will that stop Lisa Haydon, who is currently in Austrailia, from flaunting her fit-bod? Well, no. Her current Instagram pictures are a proof that not even winters can force this beach-loving, sand child from having summer-like fun.

Here is the picture:

A post shared by Lisa Haydon (@lisahaydon) on Mar 1, 2018 at 8:15am PST

Lisa Haydon sizzles in a Bikini in the bone-chilling Austrailian winter albeit indoors. Her Instagram handle is full of beach pictures and shows how much the actress loves going to the beach but now that she can't, she has created a beach-like atmosphere at her home in Austrailia.

Here are some more pictures:

A post shared by Lisa Haydon (@lisahaydon) on Mar 1, 2018 at 8:14am PST

And some more...

A post shared by Lisa Haydon (@lisahaydon) on Mar 1, 2018 at 8:12am PST

The sultry actress became a mother to a baby boy Zack Lalvani on May 17, 2017. It is commendable how the actress has shed all her baby fat in such a short-span and has emerged fitter than ever. Lisa is an inspiration to many other women who are battling post-pregnancy weight issues.

Here's another one to remind you what the weather looks like Austrailia:

A post shared by Lisa Haydon (@lisahaydon) on Mar 1, 2018 at 8:14am PST

Well, Australia just got warmer and we can feel the temperature soaring in India too, but no one's complaining!New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday took a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over the Assembly election results in three Northeast states.

Addressing a press conference, he said on a lighter note, "I received a message on WhatsApp that elections are being held in Italy."

Shah said today his party's victories in the Left's citadel Tripura and Nagaland were and endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast.

A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

"It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways....It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast," he told a press conference.

The BJP and its ally IPFT were close to securing a majority in Tripura having together won 28 seats in the 60-member House. They were leading in 15 more. Elections were held in the state for 59 seats due to the death of a CPI-M candidate.

In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally NDPP have won 13 seats and are leading in 14. The ruling Naga People's Front, with which the BJP parted ways just before the elections, has won 13 seats and was leading in 12 others in the 60-member Assembly. In Nagaland too, elections were held for only 59 seats as NDPP leaders Neiphiu Rio was declared elected unopposed.

Meghalaya appeared set to have a hung Assembly.

Shah ruled out the possibility of the BJP, whose NDA partner National People's Party has won 19 seats, engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. The two NDA allies had, however, contested the elections separately. BJP has won two seats in the state where the Congress has won 19 seats so far and was ahead in two.

"Where is the question of 'tod-phod' (horse-trading). The Congress does not have a majority there," he said.Agartala: Jubilant at the party's scintillating performance in the northeastern state Tripura, BJP president Amit Shah on Monday said that it was the victory of PM Narendra Modi's politics of development.

He also thanked the people of the state for the massive support to the party.

I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to BJP. This is the victory of PM @narendramodis politics of development and his commitment to the welfare of North-Eastern region of India.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 3, 2018

Congratulations to Shri @rammadhavbjp ji, Shri @Sunil_Deodhar ji, Shri @himantabiswa ji, Shri @BjpBiplab ji and I also applaud the hard work & dedication of our karyakartas of @BJP4Tripura unit which has made this historic win a reality.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) March 3, 2018

The BJP on Saturday to stormed to power in Tripura in alliance with the tribal-based IPFT outfit, crushing the CPI-M led Left Front in one of the country`s last remaining red bastions.

The saffron outfit was a virtual political non-entity all these years in the tiny state, where it had drawn a blank in terms of seats and secured only 1.5 percent of votes in the Assembly polls five years back.

The elections were held for 59 seats, and counter nded in one following the death of a ruling Left Front major CPI-M candidate a week before the February 18, 2018, polls.

The Left Front has ruled the state uninterruptedly for the past quarter of a century. In the last Assembly elections in 2013, the LF had secured 50 seats while remaining 10 seats went to the Congress, which this time seems unlikely to open its account.

A total of 290 candidates, including 23 women, of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress and many independents, were in the fray.

Balloting in Charilam (reserved for the tribals) has been deferred to March 12, 2018, after CPI-M candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma died a week before the polls.

Over 92 per cent (excluding 50,700 postal ballots) of Tripura`s 2,536,589 voters cast their votes on February 18 in a peaceful election, setting a new record in India`s electoral history.

(With IANS inputs)

The BJP's push in the Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya has meant that these assembly elections in the three North-eastern states have seen an unprecedented interest across India. In polls that seem to be going down the wire, the BJP seems set to establish itself was a force to be contended with in these states. Counting began at 8 AM today.

Here is your 10-point cheatsheet on North-East India's 'Super Saturday' poll so far:

1. In Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar seems to be struggling to see off the challenge mounted by the BJP. The CPI (M) led in 28 seats and the BJP on 31 at 10:30 AM.

2. If the poorest chief minister in the country can pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat, it will see him in office for an unprecedented fifth-term. In filing his nominations this year, the 69-year-old Sarkar has declared a bank balance INR 2410 and INR 1520 as cash in hand. Sarkar, like many Left leaders, donates his chief minister's salary to the party fund, and the CPI(M) pays his a wage of INR 5000 each month. Even if he wins Tripura for the CPM, the Left will still have suffered major losses down to slender majority from the 50 seats it has in the outgoing assembly.

3. Speaking to news agency ANI, Brinda Karat said, We are very confident. Let more rounds of counting complete, our leads are going to get much bigger.

4. In Meghalaya, the actual number will count and the big question is whether the Congress will reach the majority mark of 31. With leads available at 10:30 AM, the Congress-led in 23 seats, while BJPs ally at the centre NPP, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, was ahead in 12 and the BJP in 5. Interestingly, another NDA partner, UDP, which contested the state polls separately, is leading in 8 seats.

5. Pollsters believe that if these trends hold the NDA partners, who decided to go it alone in the state, may come together in a post-poll alliance to keep the Congress out.

6. Most exit polls had predicted the Congress led by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma will win between 13 and 20 seats. The chief minister, who is contesting from two seats, Songsak and Ampati, is currently leading in both.

7. Nagaland is proving to be another closely contested state where the contest is between Chief Minister TR Zeliang of the NPF and the newly-formed NDPP of Zeliangs colleague turned adversary Neiphui Rio. The BJP, which was in alliance with the NPF, broke away before the elections to partner with the NDPP. The NPF is ahead on 31 seats and the NDPP-BJP alliance in 25.

8. All the three states have 60 assembly seats and any party or alliance needs 31 to form a government.

9. Polling was held for 59 seats in Tripura and Meghalaya after the death of candidates forced elections to be postponed on a seat each.

10. In Nagaland, former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has been elected unopposed from his constituency Northern Angami II.Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front's decimation in Tripura Assembly elections 2018 at the hands of Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has hidden Congress's complete annihilation in the Northeastern state. The Congress saw a complete erosion of its vote bank which plunged to just about 1.8% resulting in all its candidates losing the election by a huge margin.

The party had secured 10 seats in the 2013 elections with a vote share of 36.53% (8,04,457 votes) and was the principal opposition party in the state. The entire Congress vote share seems to have shifted to the BJP which garnered 42.8% of votes in 2018 elections, up from a meagre 1.54% in the 2013 polls.

Even as the BJP formed an alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and launched an aggressive campaign to uproot the 25-year-old Left Front rule in the state, the Congress lurched from one crisis to another and failed to put up any fight.

Congress had been trying to win Tripura for well over two decades but when the state's voter decided to go for change it was the BJP-led alliance which walked away with the prize. The party has been long plagued by factional fighting with local leaders not seeing eye to eye and its covert understanding with the Left Front in the face of a rampaging BJP saw the party being completely marginalised in the state. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah toured Tripura extensively addressing several rallies, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi landed in the state on February 16 and spoke at just one meeting.

BJP leaders succeeded in sending out the message that Congress was not a serious player as it was not hitting the Left Front government of Manik Sarkar with full vigour. Congress leadership also failed to put forward an aggressive and young face to counter the BJP and, in the end, paid dearly for its follies.Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said she had approached Congress president Rahul Gandhi for an alliance in Tripura but was not listened to.

"I requested the Congress for a coalition (in Tripura). I told Rahul Gandhi that we are new as a party in Tripura. So let's unite Congress and Trinamool Congress and the hill parties there to fight the election together. But they did not listen to me," Banerjee said in the wake of Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) thumping victory in Tripura.

"The Congress showed total negligence in Tripura and did not accept my proposal. As a result, they are languishing with 1.8 percent votes. It is a matter of shame for them," the TMC supremo said.

Banerjee clarified she had proposed a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress and other hill parties in Tripura to keep the BJP at bay.

"I also proposed seat adjustment there. I told the Congress that my party is ready to fight 14 seats, let the local hill parties contest 16 seats and you (Congress) fight the rest 30 seats. If such a platform could be formed, getting 15-20 percent vote share would have been easy. But the Congress did nothing. They supplied oxygen to the BJP," she revealed.

"If the coalition had happened, I would have held six or seven public meetings there. Maybe, the whole complexion of the election would have changed. But I did not get that chance," Mamata said.

Terming BJP's victory in Tripura as 'insignificant' vis-a-vis the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she said the inactivity by the Congress and total surrender by the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist has led the BJP to the victory.

Earlier, she had refused to give any credit to the BJP for its historic victory in Tripura and termed Saturday's result as 'CPI-M's loss'.

BJP sweeps Tripura Assembly elections:

The BJP on Saturday decimated the Left in Tripura - one of its last two citadels - and ousted the CPI-M from power after 25 long years.

Pulling off a historic victory, the BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal-dominated party, together won 43 out of 59 Tripura constituencies. The BJP on its own won 35 seats, four more than the half-way mark, while its ally IPFT won eight seats. In a remarkable performance, the alliance swept all the 20 seats reserved for tribals.

The BJP, which had no MLAs in the outgoing Assembly and polled just 1.5 percent votes in the 2013 elections, losing deposits in 49 of the 50 constituencies it contested, secured over 42 percent of votes in the February 18, 2018, Tripura elections.

The CPI-M which headed the ruling Left Front was reduced to just 15 seats - down from 50 in the last elections. None of its partners, including the CPI, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party, could open their account.

The Congress, which had 10 members in the outgoing Assembly, drew a blank this time.

(With IANS inputs)Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday welcomed the results of Assembly elections in Tripura as trends showed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) comfortably crossing the half way mark, paving the way for ouster of Manik Sarkar government, which has been in power for 19 years in the northeastern state.

The BJP strongman lauded the party for historic win in Tripura as he congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah for the victory. BJP is all set for a historic win in Tripura. I would like to congratulate PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah ji and our party workers, said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

LIVE RESULTS - TRIPURA | MEGHALAYA | NAGALAND

He further said, Even our performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya is historic. (It is an) important day in Indian politics.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju also welcomed the trends pouring in from the northeastern states, saying the results of the Assembly elections will change the political landscape of northeast.

Expressing confidence that the BJP and its allies would form government in all three states, Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, Rijiju said that the results in the northeast will have its bearing on the national scene.

The trends in all three states point to a new political direction, it will have an effect on national politics as well. We are confident of forming Govt in all three, he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP surged to victory in Left bastion Tripura, as it comfortably crossed the half way mark with leads on as many as 37 seats. The ruling Left Front was leading on just 27 seats as trends for all 59 seats came in.

In the run up to the Tripura Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed several rallies in the state, endorsing BJPs slogan chalo paltai (lets change).The results of Assembly elections in northeastern state of Tripura has been termed as historic and revolutionary, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has roared to success once again ousting Left Fronts Manik Sarkar, who is the poorest chief minister in India and the man who held the red flag intact when the one in saffron colour was gradually taking over the political landscape of the country.

In his election affidavit, the Tripura Chief Minister had declared a bank balance of Rs 2,410 and Rs 1,520 cash in hand. According to reports, Manik Sarkar has never even filed his income tax return because of the low level of his income.

Born in a middle-class family in 1949, Sarkar started his political journey by joining the CPM at the age of 19 in 1968. However, his first major break in politics came in 1980 only, when he was elected as a Member of Legislative Assembly from the Agartala constituency. After his victory in the Assembly elections, Sarkar was appointed the chief whip of the CPM by the politburo.

At the age of 49 in 1998, Sarkar achieved the biggest landmark in his political career by becoming the Chief Minister of Tripura, a post he will now have to let go of after almost two decades.

The biggest highlight of Sarkars tenure in Tripura is ending insurgency and bringing peace to the state. One of the reports on Sarkar quoted a farmer as saying that it was because him that people were able to walk out of their houses after sunset.

ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS - TRIPURA | MEGHALAYA | NAGALAND

However, the Left Front leader has also been blamed for lack of development in the state during his tenure. Beyond Agartala, it is said that even basic health facility is lacking in almost all parts of the state while education and employment also remain challenge for the people of the state.

Even during his rallies in Tripura during the election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had blamed Sarkar for lack of development in the state. He had said, we need to replace Manik with HIRA, where HIRA stood for Highways, I-ways, Roadways and Airways.

Responding to the attack, Sarkar had accused the BJP of conspiring to wipe Tripura off history.

Another criticism that the leader, touted as one of the most honest politicians the country has seen, has faced is that he failed to disassociate with the policies of the party, doing injustice to the government. His critics say that since Sarkar is a member of CPM politburo himself, he has no option but to follow the diktats of it even if it compromises the intentions of the government of the state.

Whatever his critics or admirers might say, but having been in power for almost two decades and with the clean image he holds, Manik Sarkar is certain to become an unforgettable chapter in the history of Indian polity.Agartala: The counting for Tripura Assembly elections will begin shortly on Saturday morning. Initial trends will start emerging within the first hour of counting. A clear picture of winning parties and candidates are expected post noon. The chief contest in the state is between Manik Sarkar-led Left Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A total of 307 candidates are in the fray.

The counting of votes will start at 8 am on Saturday, with the counting of postal ballots. The BJP entered a pre-poll alliance with tribal political outfit Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), while the Congress is contesting the polls alone.

The Left Front  Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)  has been in power in the state for the last 25 years, with incumbent CPI(M) leader and incumbent Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the helm for the past 19 years.

The state went to polls on February 18. The voting was held in 59 seats, out of the total 60. Due to CPIM candidate for the Charilam constituency Ramendra Narayan Deb Barma's death, the seat will now go to polls on March 12.

The CVoter exit poll is the only major survey that predicts a CPM victory. It states that the Left Front will win 26-34 seats, while BJP combine will get 24-32 seats. That is still a big fall for the Left, which won 49 of the 60 seats in the 2013 election. The other two major exit polls see the BJP alliance storming to power. The JanKiBaat-NewsX exit poll put BJP+ firmly in power, with 35-45 seats to the 14-23 it saw the CPM winning. The AxisMyIndia exit poll saw the BJP alliance winning and even bigger mandate, with 44-50 seats to the vastly decreased 9-15 for the Left.AGARTALA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that stormed the 25-year-old red bastion in Tripura in the 2018 State Assembly elections, will hold a parliamentary board meeting on Saturday to decide on the next chief minister of the state. The meeting is reportedly scheduled to be held at 6 pm.

As the BJP emerged victorious in the Assembly elections, speculations were rife on who will be the next Chief Minister of the state. Sunil Deodhar and Biplab Kumar Deb are the top contenders for the chief minister's post in Tripura.

The BJP entered an alliance with tribal political outfit Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) while the Congress went solo. The Left Front consists of Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)  which is the dominant party, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).

Left Front has been in power for the last 25 years, with incumbent CPI(M) leader Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the helm for 19 years.The state went to polls on February 18. The voting was held in 59 seats, out of the total 60. CPIM candidate for the Charilam constituency Ramendra Narayan Deb Barma. The assembly constituency will now go to polls on March 12.BEIJING: China's top political advisory body started its annual session on Saturday here, vowing to take on a new mission for the nation's goal toward a "great modern socialist country".

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, delivered a work report to 2,149 political advisors who gathered to discuss major political, economic and social issues in the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We will focus our advice and efforts on the main issues in securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and embarking on a journey to fully build a modern socialist China," Yu said.

President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders attended the opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People.

Summarising the work and experience over the past five years, Yu said the CPPCC should remain committed to its nature as "an important platform for all Chinese political parties, social organizations, and people from all ethnic groups and all sectors of society to work together and participate in the deliberation of state affairs in a democratic manner."

He stressed that the top political advisory body shall uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In regards to its future work, the CPPCC would give top priority to studying and applying "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era", and earnestly study the new thinking on and requirements for the patriotic united front and the CPPCC, Yu said.

In a report on proposals, Wan Gang, vice chairperson of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, said over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 percent of them had been handled up to February.

NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron will embark on a four-day visit to India from March 9 to 12 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

He will be accompanied by his wife, Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron, and a delegation of businessmen and ministry officials.

"The visit of President Macron is aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic, political and strategic dimension of our engagement", the MEA said in a statement.

"The strategic partnership between India and France, established in 1998, is one of the most important and comprehensive bilateral engagements and is marked by intense and frequent high-level exchanges and deep political understanding", it added.

Both sides will continue to enhance and cooperate in the defence, maritime, space, security, and energy-related sectors.

It will also work together on issues of concerns such as terrorism, climate change, sustainable growth and development, infrastructure, smart urbanization, science and technology cooperation and youth exchanges.

Prime Minister Modi and the French President will co-chair the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which will take place on March 11.

The ISA, an alliance of more than 121 countries, was initiated by Prime Minister Modi in January 2016.

The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The last visit of the French President to India was in January 2016, when Macron was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations.

Prime Minister Modi had last visited France in June last year.

The visit is also aimed at forging not only strong manufacturing and technology partnerships but also greater people to people contacts especially through greater exchanges of students and researchers.

The bilateral trade between India and France for the period between April 2016 to March 2017 reached USD 10.95 billion.

France is the ninth largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 6.09 billion from April 2000 to October 2017.Close to 1000 French companies are present in India.

About 120 Indian companies have invested in excess of 1 billion euros in France and employ close to 7000 people.

The India-France CEO`s Forum will also take place during the visit.The Indian community, including Non-Residential Indians (NRIs) in mainland France number around 1.1 lakh people, largely originating from the French enclaves of Puducherry and Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Yanam (Andhra Pradesh), Mahe (Kerala) and Chandannagar (West Bengal)Islamabad: Polling was on Saturday underway in Pakistan's four provincial and national assemblies to elect 52 members of Senate - the upper house of parliament, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Provincial and federal lawmakers are voting in the polling that started at 9 am and would continue till 4 pm without any break, the ECP said.

Strict security measures have been taken and paramilitary Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel and police have been deployed outside buildings of parliament house and the four provincial assemblies, which have been declared as the polling stations.

The ECP also barred cellphones or any other electronic devices in the assemblies so that the privacy of the polling is maintained.

The Senate has 104 members elected for six years but half of them retire every three years on completion of term.

New Senators are elected indirectly by provincial and national assemblies through proportional representation.

The 52 Senators retiring this month were elected in 2012. The other 52 were elected in 2015 and will serve until 2021.

The ECP has taken several decisions to ensure vote privacy during the elections. It said officers will ensure that no voter exposes his vote's privacy and neither be allowed to take issued ballot paper outside the polling station.

In case of non-compliance the controlling officer will cancel the ballot paper of such persons.

It was also decided that all controlling officers will have powers of full magistrate and they can suspend the electoral process by bringing such elements to ECP's notice in case of irregularity.

Officials said that 46 senators will be elected by the four provincial assemblies, 2 by the National Assembly, and 4 by lawmakers from tribal areas.

Total 135 candidates are contesting, including 20 from Pakistan People Party (PPP), 14 from Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), 13 from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and four from Pak Sarzameen Party.

There are 65 candidates who are independent and they also include 23 from ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N). They cannot use PML-N name and platform due to a recent decision by Supreme Court. However, they are supported by PML-N and will formally join it after the elections.

PML-N is likely to emerge the majority party in Senate after the elections. It will help it control legislation as previously PPP was in majority in Senate and the ruling party needed its support for lawmaking.

There are reports and allegations of massive use of money and influence ahead of elections because Senators are elected by provincial and federal lawmakers and due to proportional representation, even a single vote can make a huge difference.

In Balochistan, a candidate needs just nine votes to become a senator while in the biggest province of Punjab, 47 votes are needed to elect a senator.

But the trickiest situation is in Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where 10 members of the National Assembly would elect four senators. A candidate in FATA having support of just three lawmakers can surely land in the upper house of Pakistan.

Almost all political parties have expressed dismay at the elections laws of Senate and promised to improve them.

"There is a broad consensus that system of election for Senate is flawed and we need to improve it," Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said ahead of polls.

Imran Khan of PTI said that his party would work to introduce direct elections for senators to root out corruption and use of money.RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's crown prince lands in Egypt tomorrow on the first leg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne, a diplomatic charm offensive that follows his stunning rise to power.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman's two-day visit to Cairo comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and the United States from March 19-22.

The trips are aimed partly at courting investors and come after a tumultuous period that saw a major military shake-up and a royal purge, part of the prince's sweeping power play that has shaken business confidence.

The son of Saudi King Salman is already seen as the country's de facto ruler controlling the major levers of government.

His visit to Cairo, a key regional ally, comes before Egypt's presidential polls in late March, with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to win a second four-year term.

"Prince Mohammed's visit will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support for Sisi to remain as the president of Egypt in the coming term," Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.

Egypt is part of a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Huthi rebels, a conflict that the United Nations says has engendered the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also part of a bloc of nations that have boycotted Qatar since June over alleged ties to Islamic extremists and Iran. Qatar denies the accusations.

A Saudi government source said Prince Mohammed's choice of Egypt for his maiden overseas trip as crown prince "reaffirms Saudi-Egyptian cooperation at the highest level".

Talks would cover regional rival Iran, the conflict in Yemen, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said.

The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks.

The diplomatic offensive comes as Prince Mohammed, a self-styled moderniser who has sought to project a liberal image of Saudi Arabia to investors, consolidates power to a level unseen by previous rulers.

A dramatic shake-up announced on Monday saw military top brass, including the chief of staff and heads of the ground forces and air defence, replaced.

Prince Mohammed's reshuffle came after he sidelined political rivals to become heir to the throne last June and orchestrated a royal anti-corruption purge in November that saw princes, ministers and tycoons locked up in Riyadh's luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel for nearly three months.

"His first trip as crown prince is symbolically a moment for the young Saudi ruler to try to put Riyadh's best foot forward on the world stage," Andrew Bowen, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told AFP.

"It comes at a time of uncertainty and turbulence at home and he has an upward task of both selling to the business community that Saudi is a stable and safe place to do business and that he has a steady hand on foreign policy despite Qatar and Yemen. This certainly won't be an easy sell."

The British government said Prince Mohammed's visit will help enhance cooperation in tackling challenges such as "terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen".

But some protests are expected during his visit over the West supplying Saudi Arabia with arms despite the kingdom's role in the crisis gripping Yemen, said Mohamed Abdelmeguid, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The crown prince's visit to the United States in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administration's efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh is expected to announce this year who will build the first two of up to 16 reactors, and negotiations are underway with the United States for its agreement to export technology needed for their construction.

Besides the US company Westinghouse, Russian, French, Chinese and South Korean firms have all been seeking the Saudi contracts.

Another key focus could be the Aramco initial public offering.

The kingdom is preparing to sell under five percent of its state-owned oil giant, the crown jewel of the Saudi economy, in what is expected to be the world's largest-ever IPO.

"Prince Mohammed may seek to foster a competitive rivalry between a UK government desperate to attract Saudi investment to offset the Brexit chaos and his US hosts, particularly over the Aramco IPO," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in the United States.

US President Donald Trump-hosted Prince Mohammed in March 2017, just weeks after taking office, and he chose Saudi Arabia for his first official overseas visit as president.

Saudi Arabia has grown close to its longtime ally Washington under Trump, whose harder line on Iran and softer stance on arms sales are a welcome shift in policy for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia viewed Trump's predecessor president Barack Obama as too accommodating towards Iran -- particularly on negotiating a 2015 nuclear dealNEW YORK: A major winter storm pounded the US East Coast on Friday, whipping up strong winds and dumping heavy rain and snow, forcing the cancellation of several thousand flights and the closure of federal government offices in Washington.

Coastal flooding alerts were issued from New Jersey to Massachusetts with winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and high wind warnings in effect from the Northeast to the Mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said.

The storm dropped more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) of snow in western and northern parts of New York state, as heavy rain lashed coastal areas. The storm is expected to taper off overnight or by early Saturday.

More than 2,600 flights were cancelled within, into or out of the United States on Friday and more than 1,500 others delayed, according to the website FlightAware.

Half the flights scheduled to arrive and depart from New York's LaGuardia airport were cancelled, with sweeping cancellations also in effect at Boston Logan International and New York`s two other area airports, Newark and John F. Kennedy International.

Amtrak, the US national railroad passenger service, announced that "for safety" all services along the North East corridor were temporarily suspended.

Trains already en route between the US capital, New York, and Boston would continue to their destinations and hold, it announced.

New York, the most populous US city and home to 8.5 million people, was expected to avoid heavy snow.

Instead, the forecast was for two to three inches of rain and wet snow (six centimetres), with wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometres per hour).

New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo warned that Long Island and New York City would see winds of 40 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 70 possible in eastern Long Island. Wind at that speed has the potential to uproot trees and cause power outages.

In Massachusetts, state police announced the closure of roads and businesses in coastal areas as the National Weather Service warned that shoreline neighbourhoods would stay inundated and cutoff, with water unable to drain until the storm passes.

Weather forecasters urged people to avoid driving through flood waters or head to the coast to watch the flooding, flagging up reports of motorists stranded as they tried to pass flooded costal roadways.JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a brief respite next week from the deluge of legal woes he faces when he heads to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump.

Even as he prepared for his trip, Netanyahu was again questioned by police in Jerusalem on Friday in connection with alleged corruption as concerns mount over whether he will eventually be forced from office.

Monday's visit to a White House that has shown enthusiastic support for Israel and Netanyahu may help bolster the long-serving prime minister, who has called Trump a "true friend" of his country.

Both men have used populist appeals in the face of investigations, with Netanyahu borrowing Trump's "fake news" moniker to denounce reports of his alleged corruption.

Israeli police recommended last month that Netanyahu is indicted in two corruption cases and investigations are continuing in others.

"I think they are partners in ideology, and the ideology is a populist, conservative ideology which says that the old liberal elites are against us," said Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

"I think from that perspective it is a boost" for Netanyahu.

But Trump has given Netanyahu far more than moral support.

The United States is set to upturn decades of international consensus when it moves its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem in May.

Trump has also frozen tens of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians in a bid to force them to the negotiating table.

Both moves have left the Palestinian leadership outraged, accusing Trump's administration of blatant bias and declaring it can no longer serve as mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

That, along with Trump son-in-law and senior aide Jared Kushner losing his top-level security clearance, has raised questions over whether Trump's pledge to reach the "ultimate" peace deal will get off the ground anytime soon.

Kushner has been among those heading up the White House's efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Netanyahu may not be troubled by any such delay.

He appears more interested in speaking with Trump about other issues, such as Israel's arch-enemy Iran and its influence in neighbouring Syria.

He will likely seek to further push his case that the Iran nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers should be changed, said Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington.

"Israel, I think, is hoping that there will be a more active American role in trying to block, trying to stem, the Iranian advances in Syria," Shoval said.

Beyond his meeting with Trump, Netanyahu will address a conference organised by powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC during his trip after having done so by satellite link the last two years.

The speech, expected on Tuesday, comes as Netanyahu faces what some in Israel see as an important concern: a growing divide between Republicans and Democrats over support for his country, according to at least one recent poll.

The United States remains by far Israel's most important ally, providing it with more than $3 billion per year in defence aid and key diplomatic backing.

But poll results released in January by the US-based Pew Research Centre showed 79 percent of Republicans sympathise more with Israel than the Palestinians, while 27 percent of Democrats said the same.

Although Netanyahu may want to avoid talk about the Palestinians during his trip, the decades-long conflict is certain to be on the agenda.

Trump has spoken of wanting to reach the elusive Israeli-Palestinian deal that repeated US presidents have been unable to achieve.

At the same time, many analysts have trouble seeing how progress can be made with the Palestinians angered and a pressured Netanyahu playing to his right-wing base -- not to mention Kushner no longer able to access America's most closely guarded secrets.

Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East negotiator now with the Wilson Centre think-tank, said Kushner faces a "prestige problem", but that may make little difference.

"The Arab-Israeli peace process right now is so fraught, so challenged, so burdened with complexity and problems that Jared Kushner could have access to every piece of classified information in the world," he said.

"It would not help him significantly broker a deal."NEW DELHI: Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang, who is on a three-day visit to India, was on Saturday accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM Narendra Modi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

President Quang landed in Bodh Gaya in Bihar, a Buddhist pilgrimage site, earlier on Friday before reaching New Delhi in the evening.

Modi and Quang will hold a bilateral meeting later in the day following which a number of agreements are expected to be signed.

The visiting dignitary will also attend a Vietnam-India Business Forum and the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Days in India 2018.

Vietnam is an important partner in Southeast Asia and is currently the country coordinator for India with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc, a role that will be handed over to Thailand later this year.

Apart from Asian, India and Vietnam closely cooperate in other regional forums such as the East Asia Summit, Mekong Ganga Cooperation, Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) besides the UN and WTO.

India-Vietnam trade stood at $6.24 billion in fiscal 2016-17 and the two sides have agreed to raise this to $15 billion by 2020.

The defence has emerged as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and Indian ships regularly make friendly port calls to Vietnam.

India is also an important development aid partner for Vietnam and has extended several lines of credit for capacity building in the southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam is also among the larger recipients of scholarships offered under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.Open source

One Ukrainian serviceman died as a result of llegal armed formations' shelling in eastern Ukraine on Friday, March 2. This is reported on the page of the HQ press center in Facebook.



"Since the beginning of today, 6 enemy shootings have been reported. As a result of these actions, unfortunately, the Ukrainian military was killed, two more of our defenders were injured," the report says.



At the headquarters of Donbas conflict, it is noted that militants continue to fire at the fortifications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements.



"In the direction of Luhansk, the enemy used 120-mm mortars at our positions near Troitsky. On the Donetsk direction, the enemy repeatedly fired at Ukrainian strong points in the suburbs of Avdiivka, from mortars of various calibers, grenade launchers and small arms," the report says.



Previously it was reported that the Tripartite Contact Group confirms the commitment to a full and indefinite ceasefire in Donbas, starting from 00:01 on March 5.

Related: 20 cargo ships enter Crimean ports illegallyUkraine fully fulfills all its transit obligations with respect to contracts for the supply of Russian gas to Poland.

This was stated by the chairman of the board of the Polish oil and gas company PGNiG Petr Wozniak, reports Polsat News.





In particular, according to him, during the monitoring of the volume of gas that comes in transit to Poland, there were no failures.









"We are following the volumes of gas that transit to Poland from Russia via Ukraine , we did not notice any anomalies, the gas is supplied normally," Wozniak stressed.

The chairman of the board of the Polish company specified that PGNiG signed with Ukraine a short-term contract for the supply of small volumes of gas to the end of March, but Poland has enough gas for its own needs and for supplying Ukraine.





"We are ready to supply more gas, and we have declared this to Ukrainian partners, we are in constant contact with the Ukrainian side and, if necessary, are ready to give them a hand, that is, to sell gas," Wozniak said.



president.gov.ua

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko approved the regulations on the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The relevant Decree No. 52/2018 was promulgated on the official website of the Presidential Administration.



"To approve the regulations on the special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (attached, secretly)," the decree reads.

Earlier Petro Poroshenko at the National Council of Reforms signed the law "On privatization of state and municipal property." This was reported by the press secretary of the head of state Svyatoslav Tsegolko on Twitter.



"The president at the National Council of Reforms signed the law on privatization. The aggressor state has no right to take part in it," Tsegolko wrote.



We recall that in January 2018 the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that provides for new rules for the privatization of public and state enterprises. In particular, we are talking about the division into large and small privatization (with the value of assets more and less than 250 million UAH, respectively).



Previously acting chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine Vitaly Trubarov stressed that before the law operates, it will be necessary to adopt a number of by-laws regulating the conduct of such privatization.

Related: German environmentalists dispute construction of Nord Stream 2 in courtOpen source

President of the United States Donald Trump ordered to extend for another year sanctions against the Russian Federation due to the situation in Ukraine. This was reported in the White House, reports RIA Novosti.



The report notes that when the situation around Ukraine "continues to represent an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security and US international policy," the effect of the presidential decree of 2014, which imposed sanctions on Russia, is extended by one year.



The White House informed about the corresponding decision the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Paul Ryan.



We recall, on January 26, the United States extended sanctions to 9 Russian companies, another 12 sanctions were clarified. In addition, 21 names have been added to the sanctions list, including Andrei Tcherezov, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation. Under the new sanctions were Russians and companies that participated in the supply of Siemens turbines to Crimea.



For their part, in Russia authorities said they have the right to an answer, and sanctions and bans will not yield results.

Related: Russian court extends arrest of Pavlo Gryb until May 4According to him, an official request to the Russian prosecution must be filled to prosecute in Russia

In his interview for NBC, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that the U.S. submit official documents that prove the guilt of Russian citizens meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

Give us material. Give us information. With all due respect for you personally, with all due respect for Congress, you must have people with legal degrees, 100% you do, Putin said to the question on Russian meddling.

According to him, an official request to the Russian prosecution must be filled to prosecute in Russia.

This has to go through official channels. Not through the press, or yelling and hollering in the United States Congress.

As we reported earlier, on Feb. 16, the U.S. has accused 13 Russian citizens In the framework of the investigation of Russia meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

According to the accusations in the indictment, twelve of the individual defendants worked at various times for Internet Research Agency LLC, a Russian company based in St. Petersburg, Russia. The other individual defendant, Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, funded the conspiracy through companies known as Concord Management and Consulting LLC, Concord Catering, and many subsidiaries and affiliates. The conspiracy was part of a larger operation called Project Lakhta. Project Lakhta included multiple components, some involving domestic audiences within the Russian Federation and others targeting foreign audiences in multiple countries.As a result of clashes between protesters and police officers near the building of the Ukrainian Parliament 11 protesters were hospitalized. NGO Rukh Vyzvolennia posted this on its Facebook page.

Everyone has head injuries multiple fractures of arms and legs. One protester has internal bleeding besides injuries and fractures, the message says.

It was also mentioned that one of the protesters doctors took to the Oleksandrivsk hospital for surgery.

Meanwhile, Hromadske reports that during the clashes near the building of the Ukrainian Parliament in the morning on March 3 one of the policemen used a pepper spray against Radio Svoboda journalist Serhiy Nuzhnenko.

It was reported earlier that the police officers under the courts decision started the investigation in the tent city under two criminal procedures in the tent city under the Ukrainian Parliament. But the protesters started to resist against law enforcers. The clashes began and according to the police data 6 people out of those, who were in the tent city, were injured, four victims among policemen.

It was mentioned that 101 people were either detained or invited for giving testimony. During the search, nine RGD-5 combat grenades, bottles with petrol (Molotov cocktails), metal sticks (for attacking police officers) and five smoke shells were found.

The police officers started the investigation in the protesters camp under two criminal procedures: the events of Feb. 27 near the Parliament, when 14 police officers were wounded, and the events near the October palace in 2017, when police officers were also wounded. As to the events of Feb. 27, a few protesters were informed about suspicion.

As we reported earlier, public events were held near the building of the Ukrainian Parliament on February 27. The protesters brought tires and wanted to fire them. The police officers tried to stop the protesters, but they started to throw stones and bottles with petrol. As a result of clashes 14 law enforcers were wounded.According to the spokesperson for the U. S. Department of State, Russia has to prove that it is a reliable gas supplier

Open source

Heather Nauert, the spokesperson for the U. S. Department of State, said that American side expects Gazprom to resume gas supply for Ukraine. She wrote about this in her Twitter.

Gas supply and transit must never be a political weapon. We expect #Gazprom to supply gas to #Ukraine's transit pipeline per Stockholm Arbitration decision. #Russia should prove it is a reliable gas supplier.  Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) 2  2018 .

According to her, Russia has to prove that it is a reliable gas supplier.

As we reported earlier, after the ruling of the Stockholm Arbitration, Russia's Gazprom announced its intention to terminate gas contracts with Naftogaz Ukraine.

The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce has granted the lawsuit of Naftogaz as to compensation for the volumes of transit gas that had not been delivered by Gazprom.

According to the decision of the court, Naftogaz got a $4,63 billion compensation for the transit gas that had been agreed on, but not delivered by Gazprom. As a result of two arbitrations in Stockholm, Gazprom is to pay Naftogaz $2,56 billion. The court dismissed the demands of Gazprom that stated that the money hadnt been paid as it was considered the fines for what they called unlawfully seized by Naftogaz volumes of the transit gas.

Yet, Gazprom does not agree with the Arbitrations decision to pay compensation.

As 112.international reported earlier, Gazprom said that Naftogaz Ukrainy had made an advance payment for the resumption of Russian gas supplies from March. At the same time, Gazprom returned the money, saying that this was due to the absence of an agreed supplementary agreement to the current contract.

Later, on March 2 Naftogaz-Ukraine called on Ukrainians to lower the temperature in offices and households by 1-2 degrees in order to reduce the overall gas consumption.

Volodymyr Groysman, the Prime Minister, hopes that the situation will normalize on March 6.Moldovagaz did not receive any official message from Gazprom about possible supply problems or any other changes in the current contract

Moldovagaz said that Gazprom continuese to supply gas to Moldova as usual. This is how Moldovagaz commented on publications in national mass media on Friday about cessation of gas supply to Ukraine and possible reduction of gas supply to Moldova, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Due to the contract termination between Gazprom and Naftogaz, Moldovagaz informs that gas supply will not stop and continue to be full. The contract on gas supply through the territory of Moldova signed with Gazprom expires in 2019, the message says.

Representatives of the company stress that they did not receive any official message from Gazprom about possible supply problems or any other changes in the current contract.

Accordingly, gas system of the Republic of Moldova continues to work as usual, Moldovagaz provides a reliable gas supply to the final consumers, the company says.

As we reported earlier, after the ruling of the Stockholm Arbitration, Russia's Gazprom announced its intention to terminate gas contracts with Naftogaz Ukraine.After Gazprom refused to accept money from Naftogaz for the next delivery of gas, Ukraine managed to stabilize the situation and cover the deficit

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said the situation on gas delivery in Ukraine has been stabilized, according to his briefing broadcasted by 112.ua.

We can say that the critical situation has been overcome. As of this morning, we have a rapid increase in gas delivery from the European Union: gas deliveries from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary. As of 10:20, the deficit has been fully covered, Poroshenko said.

He also noted that on Mar. 2, Ukraine decreased consumption of gas by 25 million cubic meters, which is 14%.

As we reported earlier, although Naftogaz paid Gazprom for the resumption of Russian gas supplies in March, Gazprom returned the money, saying that there was no supplementary agreement for this and refused to continue delivery.

This comes as retribution of Gazprom for having lost a $2,5 billion lawsuit against Naftogaz, especially now, when Ukraine and Europe battle with the Beast from the East - unusually cold weather conditions that came from Siberia.

On March 2, Naftogaz-Ukraine called on Ukrainians to lower the temperature in offices and households by 1-2 degrees in order to reduce the overall gas consumption and help eliminate the gap created by Gazproms actions.Poroshenko thinks that it is a clear message to the aggressor that the restrictive measures will be staying in force until the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored

Ukraines President Petro Poroshenko welcomed Trumps decision to prolong anti-Russian sanctions for a year due to the situation in Ukraine. Poroshenko wrote this on his Facebook page.

I welcome the decision of President Trump to prolong the American sanctions against Russia! A clear message to the aggressor that the restrictive measures will be staying in force until the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored. Neither propaganda, nor rattling arms, nor energy blackmailing would undermine the pro-Ukrainian coalition, Poroshenko wrote.

As it was reported earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered to prolong anti-Russian sanctions due to the situation in Ukraine.

Earlier, on January 26, the United States extended sanctions to 9 Russian companies, another 12 sanctions were clarified. In addition, 21 names have been added to the sanctions list, including Andrei Tcherezov, Deputy Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation. Under the new sanctions were Russians and companies that participated in the supply of Siemens turbines to Crimea.Ukraine provided gas transit to EU countries in the full extent. Ukraines President said it in briefing, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

We provided gas transit to EU countries in the full extent. Russians hoped, that Ukraine would start gas transit removal. Dont count on it! Ukraine is a reliable supplier, reliable state and reliable partner, the President said.

He also noted, that Kyiv informed all of its European partners about the current situation, about Gazproms refusal to implement the decision of the Stockholm Arbitration. This is why the partners were prepared and informed not to take the bait.

Naftogaz-Ukraine showed the President that Russian inlet pressure on Natural gas transmission system of Ukraine is lower than agreed by the contract. The outlet pressure from Ukrainian gas transmission system to EU is a bit higher than needed.

Naftogaz press-office reported that 257 million cubic meters were transited to EU countries and Moldova since March 1. On March 3 they received 264 million cubic meters of gas (as to recent reports).

As it was reported earlier, After the ruling of the Stockholm Arbitration, Russia's Gazprom announced its intention to terminate gas contracts with Naftogaz Ukraine.

The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce has granted the lawsuit of Naftogaz as to compensation for the volumes of transit gas that had not been delivered by Gazprom. According to the decision of the court, Naftogaz got a $4,63 billion compensation for the transit gas that had been agreed on, but not delivered by Gazprom. As a result of two arbitrations in Stockholm, Gazprom is to pay Naftogaz $2,56 billion. The court dismissed the demands of Gazprom that stated that the money hadnt been paid as it was considered the fines for what they called unlawfully seized by Naftogaz volumes of the transit gas.

The refusal of Gazprom to supply gas to Naftogaz of Ukraine in accordance with the prepaid payment deprives the Russian company of the right to take or pay measure in 2018.

As reported earlier, on March 1 Gazprom reported that Naftogaz-Ukraine has made an advance payment for the resumption of Russian gas supplies from March. At the same time, Gazprom refunded the money, stating that this was due to the lack of an agreed addendum to the current contract. Naftogaz called Gazprom's refusal to supply gas a violation of the agreement and failure to comply with the arbitration decision.

Later, on March 2 Naftogaz-Ukraine called on Ukrainians to lower the temperature in offices and households by 1-2 degrees in order to reduce the overall gas consumption.

Volodymyr Groysman, the Prime Minister, hopes that the situation will normalize on March 6.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!)The global price of aluminum fell below $1500 per metric ton by the end of 2015. By June 2017, it had risen to $1885 per metric ton. This source suggests that this price is even higher. So what happened yesterday?:

The stock market dip reflects the enormous impact that a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum will have on the economy. Thats because so many American industries need steel and aluminum: Theyre used to build cars, skyscrapers, roads, bridges, washing machines, refrigerators, and a whole host of other products. More expensive steel and aluminum means higher costs for the American businesses that make these products  higher costs that will likely get passed on to consumers. Trade groups and businesses didnt wait long to slam the presidents decision. Some of the countrys most influential industry groups warned that the tariffs would hurt more than a companys bottom line

Cmon man! Arent there winners from these tariffs?

There are a handful of winners from the proposed tariffs: the companies that produce steel and aluminum in the United States. The CEOs of the big American steel companies were invited to the White House for Trumps big announcement. David Burritt, the CEO of US Steel, was thrilled. This is vital to the interests of the United States, he said at the White House after the announcement, according to a pool report. This is our moment, and its really important that we get this right. As the stock market slid, share prices for his company  and other steel companies  jumped.

Forget steel  what about Alcoa! Alcoa has seen a recent slide in its revenues and profitability so we will look at certain information from their 10-K filing shortly. But first lets check with Census to see how much bauxite and aluminum we imported last year. End use code 14200 shows that total imports were $16.255 billion but only $1.267 billion was from China. Yes boys and girls it was those socialists in Canada that sold us $6.978 billion of these products in 2017. That damn NAFTA! I saw some pro-Trump cheerleader commenting on another economist blog that we had to protect our U.S. smelters from foreign competition, which brings me to Alcoas most recent 10-K filing: From 2016 to 2017, their sales picked up and they return to profitability. But the details on their smelters is interesting:YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan departed for Gyumri on a working visit by a new Yerevan-Gyumri-Yerevan electric train, the government told Armenpress.

The PM got acquainted with the conditions of the electric train, its capacities and welcomed the South-Caucasian Raliway CJSCs decision to operate this train in Armenia.

The PM was reported that starting from March 4 the new electric train will operate on Fridays and Sundays twice a day with an express regime without separating stops, departing from Yerevan to Gyumri at 10:00 and returning at 16:55. The duration of the trip is 1 hour 59 minutes.

On March 4, 8 and 11 the train will operate for free. After that the ticket price in one direction will cost 2500 AMD.

The new electric train fully complies with all safety rules of passenger transportation. The two-wagon model has been chosen for Armenia as it is much more convenient for the countrys conditions.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. In the evening hours of March 3, on March 4-7 precipitation from time to time is forecast in most of the regions in Armenia, the ministry of emergency situations told Armenpress.

In the daytime of March 7 and on March 8 no precipitation is expected.

Air temperature will gradually increase by 5-6 degrees on March 4-8.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. The session of the small council of the Public Council was held during which issues relating to the draft law on the Public Council and the upcoming meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan were discussed, reports Armenpress.

The Council members discussed the provisions of the draft law, the issue of developing a new charter of the Public Council which will regulate the further cooperation between the Public Council and the Armenian government.

As for the meeting with President Sargsyan, chairman of the Public Council Vazgen Manukyan said this will be the last meeting with the President by this staff of the Public Council.

During the meeting with the President, the Public Council will sum up the activity of 9 years and will discuss a wide range of issues facing Armenia and concerning people.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. Workers of the mining and enrichment plant of Kapan town have been injured in the underground mine, the emergency situations ministry told Armenpress.

A mountain rescue squad was dispatched to the scene.

The rescuers found three workers unconscious, and they were transported to the Kapan town hospital.

It was found out that one of the workers has died, and the two were diagnosed with exogenous poisoning: they are in moderate condition.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanGYUMRI, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. A closed-door consultation was held in the Shirak governorate led by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, reports Armenpress.

The consultation was attended by representatives of all sectors.

At the end of the consultation the PM told reporters that during the meeting the works carried out in 2017 and the future activities were discussed.

We held a regular provincial meeting. We have discussed the works conducted in Shirak province in 2017 and outlined the works for 2018. We have agreed to eliminate the gaps and shortcomings and again to sum up the results, the PM said and promised to visit Gyumri in the near future to sum up the works.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. The presidential institute with new powers is a new culture in Armenia. In such situation its very important how it will launch.

Karen Bekaryan, Member of Parliament of Armenia, told a press conference in Armenpress that this launch will later create culture, traditions, will give the political institute its role and significance.

According to him, there are quite extremist opinions on the presidential institute with new powers. On the one hand, there is skepticism on the capacities of the president, and on the other hand, they attribute serious competitiveness qualities. Meanwhile, the reality is in the middle of these two.

I want to highlight several key points from the speech of the President-elect Armen Sarkissian. One of them is his emphasis according to which the presidents institute will play a significant role on Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity. I think the presidential institute can play a serious role on this unity. But to what extent this opportunity will work, it doesnt depend only on the personality of the president, but on everyone, MP Bekaryan said, stating that the public, the civil society should take a lot of actions.

Among the key points from the President-elects speech, Bekaryan highlighted the emphasis on emigration, demography, social justice. According to Bekaryan, Armen Sarkissian also highlighted the issue of forming a new political culture.

In reality, the most important is that how each of us can have a contribution to the complete establishment of that institute, the MP noted.

In response to the question that the Yelk faction MPs questioned the legitimacy of the election of the president, in particular whether Armen Sarkissian has renounced the UK citizenship or not, MP Bekaryan said he personally saw the note in the Parliament according to which Armen Sarkissian has lived in Armenia in the past six years and is a citizen of Armenia.

Armen Sarkissian was elected as President of Armenia by the Parliament on March 2. 90 lawmakers voted in favor, while 10 voted against his candidacy. He will be sworn into office on April 9 at a special session in the Parliament.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan



YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. The US Police arrested James Eric Davis Jr., a Michigan college student suspected in the fatal shooting Friday following a family-related domestic dispute at Central Michigan University, CNN reports.

"The suspect was seen and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight," the university said in a statement.

Two people have been killed as a result of the shooting.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. The positive dynamics of Armenia-Georgia relations continues. Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvilis visit to Armenia will give new impetus to the bilateral relations, Joni Melikyan  expert on Georgian studies, told a press conference in Armenpress. He said among the key achievements of the visit is the statement on the preparation of the inter-governmental commissions session.

Such session wasnt held over the recent years, and holding the new session will be an important event. In terms of the steps in humanitarian field, I attach importance to the mutual visits of the youth of the two countries, as well as the student exchange programs. If we can say that we know Georgians to some extent, but the same cannot be said in the opposite direction, Joni Melikyan said.

Talking about the cooperation of the two countries in regional projects, Melikyan said the ongoing programs will continue. He attached importance to attraction of investments, but in this context highlighted the fact of being the initiator.

Expert on Georgian studies Alik Eroyants said it is said that the Armenian-Georgian relations are at a high level, are friendly, and over the recent years it is obvious that these relations have received a new development dynamics.

The frequency of visits, the format of meetings, the content of statements and the staff of delegations show that the positive dynamics is obvious, he said.

The expert noted that in terms of Georgias relations with other neighbor states Armenia is in beneficial condition.

This is linked not only with the balanced policy of the Georgian leadership, but also with the consistent work carried out by Yerevan. We can state that quite a ready and warm atmosphere has been formed in the relations of the two countries, and this is reflected also in the statements made by Yerevan and Tbilisi, Alik Eroyants said.

Commenting on the question according to which in the conditions of dynamic development of the Armenian-Georgian ties, Georgia till now has not recognized the Armenian Genocide, Alik Eroyants said this is not a matter of one day. He said a consistent work must be carried out on this path. The expert noted that an environment in Georgia on this matter changes every year. According to his prediction, this year on April 24, the genocide issue will be seriously raised in Georgia and will be actively covered by media. He added that the anti-Armenian publications have decreased in Georgia.

Alik Eroyants said Armenias diplomatic representation in Georgia carries out quite an active work, there are active visits and contacts. The expert stated that still more works need to be done, but Armenia is on the right path.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanYEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. Seven people arrested in connection with the murder of an investigative journalist in Slovakia have been released, BBC reports.

Jan Kuciak, who was writing an article on corruption allegations, and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova were shot dead at their home on February 25.

The murder shocked the whole country. Protests were held in 25 cities on this occasion.

The journalist was investigating alleged political corruption linked to Italian organized crime in Slovakia.

He was killed before he had finished the article, but it was published posthumously.

The Police said the seven suspects have been released as no evidence was found within 48 hours.

The protest participants carried pictures of the dead couple along with a banner reading: "An attack on journalists is an attack on all of us." Some of the protesters demanded the governments resignation.

English translator/editor: Aneta HarutyunyanPictured above: Kristofer Weston and Tex Davidson, NastyDaddy.com

LOS ANGELESJust 18 months ago, when Ducati Studios launched NastyDaddy.com, gay adult star Trenton Ducati was one proud papa. But today hes even more satisfied with his digital offspring after redesigning the site from top to bottom, launching his first affiliate program, and signing a new licensing and distribution deal.

First, theres the affiliate program, Powered by the NATS affiliate tracking software, DucatiCash.com is something brand-new for Ducati Studios.

Ducati Cash is our affiliate program. Weve never had that before, Ducati said. Its a big step up for us. We can really be more proactive to help the members  and to showcase NastyDaddy. Its such a great site, with great content, but it never really had the platform.

Ducati is looking forward to being able to promote the site more effectively. We have promo packs and content zips for the bloggersits a lot more user friendly for them. It brings us up to date.

Ducati continued, We are excited. Both Anthony Duran and I have been working on this for a long time. We not only wanted to give NastyDaddy.com the platform it deserves, we also wanted to add a NATS program so affiliates can promote our site.

In addition to overhauling the back end with NATS, Ducati Studios also did major work on the flagship site in DucatiCash.com. NastyDaddy.com, lives up to its tagline of Where Daddies Breed by featuring a mix of mature men, daddies, muscle bears and those who admire them.

In a wide array of videos and photo sets, NastyDaddy offers up a mix of hairy and smooth men, daddies and daddy lovers. Ducati mentioned some of the stars featured on the site, including Danny Gunn. Myles Landon, Teddy Bryce, Max Sargent and Armond Rizzo. And I have a scene coming out with Jack Hunter, he added. Its a really cool scene.

The website was developed by new boutique web marketing and development solutions company No-Monkeys.com, based out of Montreal.

Finally, we have been connected with the best dev team in the business, Ducati said. The team at No-Monkeys is brilliant.

Explaining that the site is fully customized and completely responsive, Ducati said, We rebuilt it basically from the ground up. It has all the bells and whistles and all the player options you could possibly want. We went more advanced on everything we could possibly do.

Ducati had worked with the No-Monkeys team before, both as a content producer and an affiliate, and he expressed absolute delight in the work they did on NastyDaddy. I know theyre super smart. They know all of the tricks.

The website has been redesigned with new features, including a more user-friendly, responsive layout and navigation. And one of the neatest tricks is that NastyDaddy is now a two-in-one site where viewers can choose between joining the site or purchasing tokens to use for downloads.

Its five tokens to download a movie. You wouldnt have to sign up for a subscription, Ducati explained. Were trying to give people as many options at the ready. Some people dont like the subscription model.

The next step, Ducati said, is to add more sites to Ducati Cash. Were already in the process of migrating GentlemensCloset.com into Ducati Cash, he said. It will be put onto the same template and will be controlled by NATS user management.

All NastyDaddy.com CCBill affiliates have been imported into the new DucatiCash.com program and will continue to be offered 50 percent for all memberships. Payments will be managed by CCBill for now.

Affiliates can download promo content and banners at DucatiCash.com or contact Anthony Duran at [email protected] for more information.

As if all that wasnt enough, Ducati Studios also has a spanking-new arrangement with NMG Management that will include oversight of its broadcast licensing and DVD distribution. NMG handles a diverse portfolio of well-known studios, including SexArt, Porn Pros, Team Skeet, BAEB, Mormon Boyz and Man Royale.

Theyve taken over distribution, which is good for us. Its taken a lot of pressure off of us, and now we can focus on producing, organizing the models.  Its a great collaboration. Ducati expects to put out monthly DVDs from Nasty Daddy, Gentlemens Closet and also the original content he creates for TrentonDucati.com.

Ducati feels hes moving to the next level because theyre picky with who they represent. They dont have a giant collection of gay content, so we feel like its special.

Megan Stokes of NMG said all three brands will be released as different lines since the content is so unique. DVDs will be carried by Pulse Distribution.

The first release is titled Bound and Raw, named after a series on NastyDaddy.com. Its more bondage, BDSM, a little bit of a rougher line, Ducati said. According to NMG, people are really excitedpeople like TLA and the buyers. So thats exciting.

According to Stokes, the release date is March 27, and the featured performers are Ducati, Kyler Ash, Devin Dixon, Jack Hunter and Lance Hart.

We are very excited to be handling the Ducati Studios brands, Stokes said. In todays market its important to not only have great content but to offer something unique. Ducati Studios offers all of this and more!

Trenton Ducati and Kyler AshFERNDALE, Mich.One of Americas leading adult distributors, Nalpac, has announced that it is now shipping fluid-proof products from Sheets of San Francisco.

Nalpac is now stocking and shipping innovative fluid-proof products from Sheets of San Francisco, including fitted sheets ranging in size from full to cal king, throws, and standard and king-sized pillow cases.

You can do more than dance in these sheets, as many customers have already discovered," said Glenn LeBoeuf, Nalpac Director of Operations. "These sheets have to be seen and felt to be believed. I encourage our customer base to try these out as they are as soft as they are durable and at a great price point. The real innovation is how thin these sheets are in comparison to others in the category, but they are just as fluid-proof.

Sheets of San Franciscos range of products includes both fitted sheets and flat throws that utilize Sheets of San Francisco high quality engineered fabrics to provide products that are not just fluid-proof but also have a range of additional qualities. Sheets of San Francisco items are breathable, highly tactile, extremely tough, with a great feel against the skin. Sheets of San Francisco products are also safe for everything from intimate massages to messy lube sessions and even food play, wax-play, and watersports. Sheets of San Francisco products are easy to launder and ready to go again and again after easy cleanup.

Since we began manufacturing our fluid-proof sheets in Downtown San Francisco, we have built a strong reputation for both the quality and feel of our product and the ideals behind our brand, said Mark Boulton, Sheets of San Francisco CEO. "We are delighted to have partnered with a well-respected, quality distributor such as Nalpac, a partnership which gives us the opportunity to promote our brand much more widely across the US and introduce it to many more people.

Retailers interested in these new items can contact a Nalpac account manager or email [email protected].

For more information on Nalpac, visit the company website Nalpac.com and follow them through social media for daily updates on Twitter @NalpacWholesale, on Facebook and on Instagram @Nalpac.CYBERSPACEMore than a million people last year contracted dangerous viruses on their smartphones and other mobile devices from visiting porn sites, which have become a widespread cover for digital criminals to conceal their dangerous malware, according to a recent study by the Russia-base cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs.

At the same time, the study found that desktop computer users surfing adult sites were vulnerable to attacks from 27 different strains of malware in three different families. Using those malware programs, hackers attacked approximately 50,000 personal computers around the world in 2017, and about 300,000 were exposed to the dangerous software, Kaspersky Labs found.

Malware, short for malicious software is a type of program that secretly downloads itself from an internet site onto a users personal computer or mobile device. The malware then performs any one of a wide range of destructive functions, without the users knowledge. Those insidious infections could be as simple as adware, which forces internet browsers to produce unwanted pop-up ads over and over again, to spyware which can steal a users most sensitive personal information.

In fact, Kaspersky found 72 million personal login and payment credentials from porn sites that had been stolen via malware and posted online, from well-known adult sites. The Kaspersky report noted that its findings did not include 400 million credentials stolen in a massive data breach of the site AdultFriendFinder.

About 46 percent of adult-site surfers are exposed to clicker malware, which covertly signs up its victims for paid subscriptions to sites unknown to the user. The subscriptions are then paid for by money secretly extracted from the users bank account.

One way to minimize the risk of contracting malware from adult sites is simply to avoid porn from unfamiliar sources. While many popular sites have been vulnerable to data breaches, "cybercriminals often set up fake porn sites for the single reason of infecting victims with malware, the study found.

But malware has long been a risk for porn sites. As far back as 2010, a study by the University of California at Santa Barbara and two other academic institutions found that 3.23 percent of all unique URLs on adult sites were found to trigger malicious behavior such as code execution, registry changes, or executable downloads.

With, according to another recent study, 98 percent of men and 73 percent of women saying they have accessed online porn at least once in the past six months, that 3.23 percent figure could yield millions of exposures to malware.

In the United Kingdom alone, the Kaspersky Labs researchers concluded that almost one of every three adults have contracted malware on a mobile device by visiting an adult site.

At the same time, according to the CEO of the anti-virus software maker Malwarebytes, porn sites are not necessarily any more dangerous than any other type of online destination, and many porn sites have shown more diligent responses to cyberattacks than non-porn sites.

"Pornography publishers are about half the publishers we work with, Marcin Kleczynski told TechWorld magazine in 2015. They do take security seriously... Their response times have been significantly better than other publishers."

But with porn being perhaps the single most popular genre of site online, users are more likely to encounter cyber-infections from porn. So what can visitors to porn sites do to keep their phones, tablets and computers safe?

Anyone who is planning on visiting an adult website should make sure their computer or mobile device has a full suite of up-to-date anti-malware and anti-phishing software, and they should know the latest tricks and scams, wrote Gary Robbins of The San Diego Union-Tribune in a report on porn-based malware last year.

Otherwise, Robbins recommended, porn site visitors could use a cheap Chromebook or used Windows laptop for their adult site visitskeeping all personal information and financial apps off those machines.Visitors to this web site know that Civitas has been outspoken in its opposition to the use of tax breaks and incentives to woo big companies to North Carolina.Such practices constitute nothing less than corporate welfare and cronyism. How does it work? The state doles out the perks for big business, the state picks the winners - and losers; and the state leaves taxpayers and the businesses on Main Street to pick up the tab.If you think corporate incentives are only used to attract businesses, think again.Earlier this week Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, called for legislators in that State to come up with a "FoxConn type" incentives package for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, a company with deep roots in Wisconsin but had recently announced it would be closing two plants in the state and laying off 600 employees.Last fall, Walker and the state legislature offered FoxConn, a Chinese electronics manufacturer, $3 billion in tax breaks and credits to locate a large manufacturing plant in Southeast Wisconsin. FoxConn pledged $10 billion in investment and said it would bring 13,000 jobs, with an average salary of $54,000. By the time the negotiating stopped an additional $1.5 billion in infrastructure and local costs were included, raising the total value of the tax and incentives package to $4.5 billion. The numbers helped to make the FoxConn deal one of the biggest incentive packages ever promised to a company to locate in the United States.While the numbers are boggling, the deal wasn't a slam dunk. Significant opposition emerged in Wisconsin. Nevertheless, the deal was passed by the State Legislature - with a lot of kicking and screaming. Opponents say it will take until 2043 for the state to recoup all the lost revenue. Moreover, with Wisconsin's unemployment rate at 3 percent, there is concern that there won't be a large enough labor pool. To address those concerns Wisconsin is spending $7 million to attract workers to the state.Of course, we could talk about the wisdom of that decision, but I simply ask: Where does it all end?Some friends of mine say,Believe me they will -and doing so won't require an economic downturn either.General Electric recently moved its headquarters from Fairfield, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts. The jockeying among states to house a Fortune 500 corporate headquarters was fierce. Ultimately, GE chose Boston over other candidates. After you review all the aid packages , you can easily see that the incentives Massachusetts offered were considerably less than those offered by other states.So why did GE re-locate to a place locals refer to as "Taxachusetts"? One word, millennials . Millennials want to live and work in large cities. They don't want to commute. And they want to live and work in places where there is plenty to do. No amount of money would change the fact that Fairfield, CT is an affluent, sleepy little suburb 90 minutes from New York City.Much as we like to think so, decisions to build or relocate companies don't always turn on economic considerations. Earlier this week it was announced that North Carolina lost out to Alabama as the site for a new Toyota assembly plant, even though the aid package Alabama offered Toyota was far less than what North Carolina had put together. Still it appears the decision came down to a number of things Alabama had that North Carolina did not: lower energy costs, proximity to auto suppliers and better access to a distribution network.Citizens are constantly told about the importance of the aid package to lure companies like Toyota or Amazon to North Carolina. Don't listen to them. Such proposals amount to corporate welfare. They put local businesses at a severe disadvantage, ask local taxpayers to shoulder the costs for big business tax breaks and seldom if ever prove to be the most important factors for company's choosing to relocate.All compelling reasons why North Carolina should end this policy as soon as possible.First-term 13th District Rep. Ted Budd, who won a 17-way primary in 2016, in odd turn faces no primary opponent

Half of North Carolina's 10 Republican congressional incumbents have primary challengers, and two of three Democrats are being challenged on May 8. If history is a guide, unseating any of them would be a long-shot upset.to run in the general election, Kyle Kondik said on Thursday, March 1. He analyzes U.S. House of Representatives elections for the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, where he is managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a newsletter that tracks campaigns and elections.But some North Carolina challengers could beat the odds in Republican primary contests.Jones is running in the 3rd Congressional District.in the 9th Congressional District.Jones is in a three-way race with Phil Law of Jacksonville, a tough 2016 challenger, and Scott Dacey of New Bern. Pittenger is again being challenged by the Rev. Mark Harris of Charlotte, who finished second by just 134 votes in the 2016 primary, and Clarence Goins of Fayetteville.Republican incumbents who drew no primary opponents and will advance directly to the general election are Reps. Mark Walker, 6th District; David Rouzer, 7th District; Richard Hudson, 8th District; Mark Meadows, 11th District; and Ted Budd, 13th District.Democrat G.K. Butterfield has no opposition in the 1st District.Budd's lack of competition is of note because, in 2016, that primary race featured 17 candidates . That primary also was remarkable because it was moved from the scheduled March 15 date to June 7. Only 7.7 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.The date change was prompted when a three-judge panel of the U.S. Middle District of North Carolina struck down the 1st and 12th districts as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. By the time the General Assembly redrew the maps, and the court approved them, it was too late to hold the primary as originally scheduled.The three-judge panel ordered the General Assembly to redraw congressional maps again this year, this time saying they were unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. But the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the lower court's decision until it had an opportunity to rule on an appeal from the state.Patrick McHenry, R-10th District, is in the largest congressional primary field with five challengers. They are: Gina Collias of Kings Mountain; Jeff Gregory of Shelby; Ira Roberts of Hickory; Seth Blankenship of Swannanoa; and Albert Lee Wiley Jr. of Salter Path."Having a bunch of challengers is actually not that bad for an incumbent," Kondik said. Anti-incumbent votes might be split, he said. Under a North Carolina law effective this year, McHenry would advance to the general election so long as he finished first with at least 30 percent of the primary vote. McHenry won with 78 percent in a four-way race in 2016.Rep. George Holding, R-2nd District, faces Gregory Chesser of Louisburg in the primary. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-5th District, faces Cortland Meader Jr. of Mocksville.Rep. David Price, D-4th District, is opposed by Richard Watkins of Chapel Hill, and Michelle Laws of Durham. Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District, faces Gabriel Ortiz of Matthews, Patrick Register of Charlotte, and Keith Young of Asheville. Price ran unopposed in the 2016 primary. Adams won a seven-way race.A list of all primary contests and candidates can be found here Kondik isn't completely discounting congressional Democratic primary upsets.Democrats have been more disciplined and deferential to party leadership in part because they held the White House, and because they had a clear leader in President Obama.Kondik said. He also is unsure if the anti-incumbent among Republicans may dissipate.While Kondik has low expectations for primary surprises, the Nov. 6 general election might yield unanticipated results.Kondik said.Jones, Pittenger, and Budd are favored to win their primaries, but could be targeted by Democrats in November as potential pickup seats, Kondik said. Budd in particular could have a tough general election if philanthropist Kathy Manning defeats Adam Coker in the Democratic primary. Both are from Greensboro. Manning has amassed a sizeable war chest for her run.Sabato's Crystal Ball rates all three of those seats as "likely Republican" wins, while the other seven GOP districts and all three Democratic seats are rated "safe."Kondik said.Democrats have overperformed in a handful of special congressional elections, and more so in some state-level special elections, he said. Better turnout and performance in those races are linked to a midterm environment thatThat doesn't mean Democrats will reclaim control of the House, he said. It's even longer odds for Democrats to win a majority in the Senate because they must defend 26 of 34 contested seats. But they could pick up seats in state gubernatorial and legislative races.North Carolina legislative races should be more competitive than ever in this year's general election. For what may be the first time, both major parties have candidates on all 120 House and 50 Senate ballots, based on filings that closed Wednesday, Feb. 28.That doesn't mean every race would be contested Nov. 6.said Patrick Gannon, spokesman for the State Board of Elections.County boards of elections check candidates' required party affiliation and voter registration, and the burden of proof is on the candidate. Appeals are handled by the state board, and then the Court of Appeals. A state board isn't seated because of the ongoing court battle between Gov. Roy Cooper and the General Assembly.Although the deadline to withdraw notice of candidacy was Feb. 23, it's possible some listed candidates will decide later not to campaign.It also is possible more candidates will end up running in the general election.Gannon said. Write-in candidates must submit their petitions by July 24 or Aug. 8, depending on whether it is a single- or multi-county contest.The Green Party has submitted documents to be recognized as a political party in North Carolina, Gannon said. The application must wait until the State Board of Elections has members and is operating. Nominees of a new political party are appointed by party convention.Now that it is fully apparent, to all who have the ability to pay some modicum of attention, that Imposter President Biden has extreme cognitive issues, in addition to being an inveterate liar: Can OUR Republic continue with this Executive Office that has completely failed, so many times, on far too many issues here at this early date in this abysmal presidency?

No, Joseph R. Biden is completely unqualified, morally and cognitively, to represent real Americans, and lead this Republic of disparate peoples.

Yes, Joseph R. Biden has started whispering again, even softer now than before; so, I know he still cares, plus, OUR media will soon stop reporting on Afghanistan in favor of OUR Socialist issues.Czech Republic names authoritarians into influential positions in Parliament

3. 3. 2018

cas cteni 3 minuty





Members of Czech Parliament have elected the Communist Deputy Zdenek Ondracek to chair the police oversight committee of

As a 19-year-old, Ondracek joined Czechoslovak communist police and has admitted that he beat some demonstrators with a truncheon during the anti-regime demonstrations of the so-called Palach Week in January 1989, which marked the twentieth-anniversary since the immolation of Jan Palach. Palach had burned himself to death in protest against the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. At the time, Vondracek granted an interview to communist Czechoslovak Television in which he strongly supported police action against the demonstrators:



"Nic bych nemenil, prace u SNB nelituji," rekl dnes komunista Zdenek Ondracek po zvoleni do cela Stale komise pro kontrolu GIBS. Jak je videt v dobovem videu, nelitoval ani zasahu proti demonstrantum v lednu 1989. (Zdroj: CT) Vice na: https://t.co/l3BjQgja92 pic.twitter.com/yfTzUet302  Hospodarske noviny (@Hospodarky) March 2, 2018

Almost thirty years on, he says that he still adheres to his 1989 views that police action against the demonstrators was correct. Members of Czech Parliament have elected the Communist Deputy Zdenek Ondracek to chair the police oversight committee of GIBS, the Czech government police inspection authority.

As a 19-year-old, Ondracek joined Czechoslovak communist police and has admitted that he beat some demonstrators with a truncheon during the anti-regime demonstrations of the so-called Palach Week in January 1989, which marked the twentieth-anniversary since the immolation of Jan Palach. Palach had burned himself to death in protest against the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. At the time, Vondracek granted an interview to communist Czechoslovak Television in which he strongly supported police action against the demonstrators:Almost thirty years on, he says that he still adheres to his 1989 views that police action against the demonstrators was correct.





Recently, Mr. Ondracek has passionately supported the Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine and has railed on Facebook against the "fascist" government of Petro Poroshenko in Kiev, using fake images (from the making of a historical film) to discredit the regime:









Ondracek is major pro-Putin figure on the Czech political scene. He was elected the Head of the Parliamentary GIBS police oversight committee by MPs from Babis's populist party ANO, from Okamura's extreme right-wing SPD party and from the Communist Party. The three parties have a parliamentary majority, although they have not formed a formal coalition.





GIBS has recently been under pressure from Andrej Babis, who has been trying to force its Head Michal Murin to resign. Babis is being investigated by Czech police for alleged fraud. Observers in the Czech Republic fear that Babis is trying to replace Murin with his own man who as a new Head of the Police Inspection Service would then dismiss the policemen investigating Babis's alleged fraudulent behaviour.



Andrej Babis has not managed to form a government which would have been approved by Czech Parliament but he remains in post as an acting Prime Minister and continues to make major political decisions, although his government is illegitimate.



Czech Parliament has also just elected controversial commentator Petr Zantovsky a member of the regulatory committee which controls the work of the state-owned Czech News Agency (CTK) . Petr Zantovsky writes for the Czech Breitbart-like server Parlamentni listy and frequently criticises public service Czech media for not disseminating fake news.



"So they have managed to do this. Interesting times are beginning," says Czech left-wing commentator Ondrej Slacalek:











Several members of the extreme right-wing SPD party, which has 22 seats in the 200-seat Czech Parliament, now hold influential positions in Czech Parliament:





Predsedove bezpecnostnich vyboru a komisi ceskeho Parlamentu:

R. Koten (SPD) - vybor pro bezpecnost

Z. Ondracek (KSCM) - komise pro kontrolu GIBS

M. Rosner (SPD) - komise pro kontrolu NBU

P. Jelinek (SPD) - komise pro kontrolu NUKIB

? pic.twitter.com/dcyIHEALmy  Michal Blaha (@michalblaha) March 2, 2018





0

8916America's favorite cowboy cosplayer/accused child molestor/senate race loser Roy Moore is pleading to his fans to give him $250,000 to "prevail against the unholy forces of evil" that prevented him from becomes God's own representative in the US Senate. According to AL.com, Moore has raised $32,235 to "fight a lawsuit filed by Leigh Corfman, one of the women who said Moore had sexual contact with her when she was a teenager. Corfman filed a defamation suit after the election, claiming Moore and his campaign defamed her by saying she was a liar and immoral."

From Moore's Facebook post:

I now face another vicious attack from lawyers in Washington D. C. and San Francisco who have hired one of the biggest firms in Birmingham Alabama to bring another legal action against me and ensure that I never fight again.

However, I will trust God that he will allow truth to prevail against the unholy forces of evil behind their attack.

I have lawyers who want to help but they are not without cost and besides their fees, legal expenses could run over $100,000. I have had to establish a "legal defense fund, anything you give will be appreciated.

The liberal media, in association with some who want to destroy our Country do not want my influence in the 2018 elections and are doing everything they can to stop me.

Gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear. Unless we stand together we will lose our Country.

Christians can no longer afford to remain silent in these "perilous" times. For we know that in such time men shall become lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.

We must fight, an appeal to the God of Heaven is all that is left us!

Please help me fight this battle for the heart and soul of this Nation. Your financial contribution to my legal defense fund is crucial.

After over 40 years of public service I cannot back down now.

When I stood to bring these values and truths to Washington D. C. I was forced to fight the Washington establishment, the Republican Party, the Democrat Party, the ultra-liberal media and people such asGeorge Soros, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and many others who fear the truth.

I'm sure that you cannot imagine how this has taken a toll on my wife, my children, and even my friends.

My resources have been depleted and I have struggled to make ends meet, but I have not lost my faith in our God, who is our true source of strength and will never leave or forsake us.The ACLU's Josh Bell just wrapped up a livestreamed training session for students on their free speech rights and then released the video and slides; these are a great complement to the ACLU's existing know your rights guide for public school students.

Josh writes: "The training covered various ways that the First Amendment protects students' rights to express their views. It also included what schools can and can't do when it comes to disciplining students for various actions, like posting on social media, walkouts, and wearing clothing with slogans."I've written an op-ed on The Wire, a prominent nonprofit publication in India about access to knowledge. Access to scientific knowledge has been colonized by a few publishers who have improperly laid claim to the ocean of knowledge. This situation is morally untenable and contrary to law. It must change because education is a fundamental right.

The parallels between companies such as Reed Elsevier and the exploiters of old such as the East India Company are remarkable. Scientists are the new indigo farmers. Journals are the railroads built, not to benefit the population of scholars, but to ship raw materials back to England and high-priced goods back to the universities. Paywalls and DRM are the new salt taxes.

The decolonization of knowledge is a great opportunity for our times and I believe India is poised to lead that revolution.



In India, the principle that copyright does not apply for materials used in the course of instruction was recently affirmed by the Delhi high court in the Delhi University copy shop case. The Rameshwari Photocopy Shop is located on the premises of Delhi University, and was selling students course packs with copies of journal articles. At the behest of three large publishers, the shop was raided by armed police and charged with high crimes for violating copyright. After an intervention by an association of students and an association of academics pointed to the "for the purposes of instruction" exception to the copyright, the court said no wrongs had been committed. The right to education triumphed over the baseless claims of the publishers. Despite this principle of law, students in India are being forced to go to Sci-Hub in Russia to find the materials they need to educate themselves, and forcing them to do so is a wrong being committed against the students. Students should be able to access these materials with the full blessing and support of their institutions and professors instead of being forced to fend for themselves in the wilds of the Internet. I believe this situation should be changed.

Who May Swim in the Ocean of Knowledge? [Carl Malamud/The Wire]The annual CPAC freakshow reached a new absurdist peak last week when Trump FCC Commissioner was awarded the NRA's Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award for his cowardly back-shooting of America's most beloved policy, the sweet and tender Net Neutrality.

The NRA's prize takes the form of a handmade gun, suitable for killing other defenseless creatures.

That turns out to be a problem for Ajit Pai, because the NRA has its own TV network, and that means that Pai was accepting an award with a large cash value from a company whose activities he regulates. In DC, it is only permissible to do this if the company gives you the money before you take your regulatory job, and promises to hire you back after you leave "public" service. That's why Ajit Pai was able to make so many lovely bathtubsful of money from his old employers at Verizon, who will doubtless throw him a welcome home party the day he clears out his FCC office and goes back to the private sector.





Career ethicists at the FCC's Office of General Counsel told Pai he couldn't keep his musket, so he returned it to the NRA.News / National

by Staff reporter

THE family of a Zimbabwean nurse who worked at a South African hospital where the late MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai was hospitalised, suspects her alleged murder was linked to her photograph with the politician in his final days which went viral.Ms Nomsa Ncube, who worked at the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) in Johannesburg where Mr Tsvangirai was hospitalised, came under the spotlight when a picture of her posing next to the ailing politician during his final days, went viral on social media.Prior to her death, a complaint against her had been filed with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) by a fellow nurse who wanted her disciplined for misconduct.Ms Ncube's body was reportedly discovered in a pool of blood by her Grade Three daughter at their flat in Johannesburg on February 18, four days after the former Prime Minister's death.Her body was expected in the country last night ahead of burial today. When The Chronicle contacted the deceased's father Mr Malaba Ncube (73) of Bhekeni area, under chief Ndiweni in Ntabazinduna, he referred questions to one of his sons, Mr Absalom Ncube.Absalom did not give details on circumstances leading to Ms Ncube's death."I can't say anything because we haven't been told anything yet. We don't know what happened and we are just gathered here waiting for the body that is on its way from South Africa and we lay her to rest. That's it," he said.Ms Ncube, a former sister in charge at Nkayi District Hospital is said to have left the country for South Africa in 2008.Family sources said they suspect that her death was linked to the picture of herself and Mr Tsvangirai taken during MDC-T leader's last days which went viral.The relative said what worsens the situation for the family is that Ms Ncube's death came just three months after the death of her mother.A relative who preferred anonymity said Ms Ncube's daughter discovered her mother's body when she woke up on February 18."It is alleged that a neighbour heard Nomsa's child screaming and shouting for help in her flat. When neighbours went to investigate, they found her dead in a pool of blood. We suspect that she was killed, but we are not sure who may have done it," said a source."The reasons must be to do with her picture with the late Mr Morgan Tsvangirai. We were not told much except that she was found in a pool of blood in her house."The relative said they hoped the police investigations will lead to the arrest of the murderers and probably establish the motive.The source said the family was disappointed that no-one from Mr Tsvangirai family or the MDC-T party had visited or contacted the family following their daughter's death yet she was taking care of the late MDC-leader while in hospital.Zimbabwe's consul general to South Africa Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro could not be reached for comment.Last week he said investigations on the death were underway.A Zimbabwean nurse registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC) allegedly wrote to the professional body demanding action against Ms Ncube after her picture with Mr Tsvangirai went viral.In the complaint, the nurse, identified only as S Masawi, demanded that the nurse be charged with misconduct."May I bring to your attention the attached image showing one of your nurses posing for a picture with a patient who is clearly in his final days."The patient is a well-known Zimbabwean politician Mr Morgan Tsvangirai who passed away today (Wednesday) 14 Feb 2018 at the well-known hospital in Africa WDGMC (Wits Gordon, South African Hospital)," Masawi said."I am a fellow registered nurse myself and, sadly, l find the actions of your staff member, a fellow professional colleague to be grossly inappropriate, unprofessional and in breach of the Nursing profession's code of conduct."In response, a spokesperson for the hospital said disciplinary measures had been taken."It is with regret that we note recent posts on social media showing a photograph of Mr Tsvangirai with a nursing staff member. We have investigated the matter and, according to the nursing staff member, the photograph was taken with the permission of Mr Tsvangirai."We strongly condemn the appropriateness of the photograph and its subsequent distribution and confirm that disciplinary action has been taken against the nursing staff member," the spokesperson was quoted as saying.News / National

by Staff reporter

President Mnangagwa has extended by two weeks the three-month moratorium Government gave to money externalisers and promised to publish names of those that did not take heed on March 19.Speaking at the Zimbabwe Trade and Investment Conference and Expo 2018 today, President Mnangagwa said a statement would soon be released on the matter."I am aware that yesterday was the last day on the moratorium issue. A statement will be released to inform you about how much has come back and how much is in the process of coming back and how much has not come back. We have given them another two weeks but on the 19th of March we will reveal the names of those who have not returned the money they owe this country," he said.News / National

by Staff reporter

TRANSPORT minister Jorum Gumbo has shifted his focus away from the controversial Zimbabwe Airways project linked to former president Robert Mugabe's son-in-law Simba Chikore to reviving struggling flag carrier Air Zimbabwe (AirZim), it has been established.At Independence in 1980, AirZim had 18 planes, but is now operating at less than a third of its all-time peak.Last November, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that the project to establish a new airline, Zimbabwe Airways, whose relationship with AirZim is opaque, was moving towards finality amid revelations Gumbo and Chikore, who was then AirZim chief operating officer, were caught in a massive conflict of interest storm. The ploy to wind down AirZim through the backdoor, sources said, has not gone down well withnew government which is now demanding swift action to save the airline from collapse.Aviation industry sources familiar with the developments told the Independent Gumbo has proposed a turnaround strategy for the AirZim in cabinet, that will be anchored on the "Zimbabwe is open for business" theme which seeks to woo investors.Already, the company is trying to recruit a chief executive to replace Ripton Muzenda who stepped down last year."Interviews for the CEO and COO were done last month and this clearly shows that government still has an interest in the airline. Before this, plans were afoot to collapse the airline and introduce Zim Airways," a source said.Gumbo confirmed last week that his ministry has been tasked with turning around the fortunes of the airline, although he would not disclose the finer details."There are plans to revive Air Zimbabwe and these will be made public in due course. As for now the plan is under discussion," Gumbo said in an interview.Zimbabwe Airways, according to information gathered by this paper, is owned by a local firm, Zimbabwe Aviation Leasing Company (ZALC). The company was formed by a group of Zimbabwean investors, among them lawyers and businesspersons with interests in the aviation industry. Some of the ZALC shareholders are said to be based in the diaspora.An enquiry with the Deeds Office in Harare indicated ZALC was registered under file number 3015/12. The file was, however, missing from the office, meaning the directors could not be immediately ascertained. But information obtained shows that Zimbabwe Airways had acquired four long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft from Malaysia Airlines.Last year, AirZim rolled out an ambitious plan to overhaul the company that will see Treasury expunging the airline's legacy debts, estimated at US$330 million, by way of liquidation before acquiring new planes from Asia.News / National

by Staff reporter

A DIPLOMATIC rift between European superpowers Britain and Germany over Zimbabwe emerged this week when the British government hosted Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa while the Germans barred him from visiting. This came as Berlin adopts a cautious approach towards the Zimbabwean government, ushered in through a military intervention last year, in line with the European Union stance.Chinamasa was in Britain this week for high-level diplomatic talks aimed at mending ties between Harare and London. British Secretary for Foreign Affairs Boris Johnson on Tuesday tweeted that he was excited to meet Chinamasa.Government sources told the Zimbabwe Independent that Chinamasa also intended to visit European economic powerhouse Germany but was turned down, resulting in him limiting his visit to the more receptive London.Britain and other countries in the European Union (EU) differ on their approach to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government. The British are more accommodative and want to support the new administration as much as possible but the EU block has taken a cautious approach.Britain has been aggressive in its support of the new administration. It has been impressed by statements made by Mnangagwa so far on economic and political reforms.However, the EU wants government to match rhetoric with action, particularly on the implementation of critical political and economic reforms before committing significant funding to the broke government.The EU says the bloc would consider scaling up financial assistance to Zimbabwe if Mnangagwa's government delivers on its pledge to hold free, fair and credible elections, as well as implement reforms that would set the country's fragile economy on a firm growth trajectory.Despite the differences in approach, both Britain and the EU's 28 member states have demanded a commitment to credible, peaceful, free and fair elections that are monitored by international observers.Sources in government say although the Germans have decided to be supportive of the Mnangagwa administration, they do not want to fully endorse the regime until it fairly wins polls and ushers in tangible reforms, hence the snub.Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel in December sent Mnangagwa a congratulatory message after his inauguration.Merkel said: "Germany will support you as a partner in your endeavours to start a new chapter in the history of Zimbabwe  one characterised by democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights."Government sources say the Germans want to see a tangible implementation of a number of economic, political and social reforms, given that their nationals' investments, including farms and wildlife conservancies, protected under the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Zimbabwe have over the years been grabbed.Germany ambassador to Zimbabwe Thorsten Hutter confirmed Chinamasa failed to visit Berlin this week. He attributed the failure to transitions taking place in his country, although he admitted there were also bilateral bottlenecks to be taken care of."We do hope that the minister of Finance (Chinamasa) whom I had seen last Friday will indeed come to Germany soon and of course he is welcome in Germany. What I had explained is that we have a caretaker government at the moment. Tomorrow (today) the internal poll within the Social Democratic party will end and if the Social Democratic Party membership as a whole votes in favour of the grand coalition between the Socio Democrats and the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union then within the next two or three weeks a new government will be formed," said Hutter."But at the moment we only have a caretaker government so we thought that the timing was not right. Indeed there are some bilateral issues that we thought should be resolved before the visit. I hope that is something that we will be able to sort out in the coming days."Germany has the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth-largest by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world after United States in America, China and Japan, and fifth by GDP (purchasing power parity). It surpasses Britain which is in the process of pulling out of the EU through its controversial Brexit process.Other super powers like the US have also been cautious with Zimbabwe. The US recently extended its targeted sanctions with the possibility of a review after the general elections expected later this year.China has been a less noisy and visible but it has embraced Mnangagwa's government behind the scenes.By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW (Reuters) - Protests against Vladimir Putin after his expected re-election as president this month could descend into street clashes if police crack down too hard on demonstrators, a senior opposition politician said. Polls show Putin, who has dominated Russia's political landscape for 18 years, should win comfortably on March 18. None of the seven candidates registered to run pose a threat. But Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader with the highest profile in the West, has been barred from standing over a suspended prison sentence for what he says is a trumped-up fraud charge, and is planning post-election protests. "It's realistic to expect violence," Vladimir Milov, a Navalny ally and a former deputy energy minister, told Reuters in an interview. "If police use excessive force, a significant number of people will fight back. We're talking about clashes in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Several thousand people participating in clashes might be a realistic estimate." The demonstrators plan to demand a re-run with Navalny's participation and to protest against what he and his allies believe will be widespread electoral fraud. Polls show Navalny would not come close to unseating Putin, but his supporters believe he would pick up a sizeable protest vote and displace the Communists as the country's second biggest political force behind the pro-Putin United Russia Party. In the run-up to the election, Navalny, a 41-year-old lawyer, has organized the biggest anti-Kremlin protests in years. Police have detained hundreds at rallies that have drawn thousands, but large-scale violence has been averted. Milov, who advises Navalny, said the opposition leader had been determined to ensure that the protests remained peaceful, but said he had overheard repeated discussion among demonstrators about responding to violence with violence. Some riot police, who had been bussed in to Moscow from distant provincial towns, had badly beaten protesters while detaining them during previous demonstrations, Milov said. "At some point they (the police) will meet resistance," he said. "People will maybe tolerate this one or two more times and then there will be clashes." Tens of thousands protested after Putin's last election win in 2012. At one major Moscow demonstration that May, police detained more than 400 people after clashes that saw stiff jail sentences on charges of mass disorder handed down to some. BACKLASH RISK The Kremlin says the police act proportionately to uphold public protest laws which stipulate that the location and timing of demonstrations must be agreed in advance. Authorities in Moscow and St Petersburg have regularly rejected opposition applications for protests in the past, suggesting out-of-town venues on public safety grounds. The opposition has sometimes spurned those alternatives and gone ahead anyway. Navalny, who has been repeatedly detained, was briefly taken into custody last month and said police had opened a case against him for organizing illegal protests. If found guilty, he could be jailed for 30 days. Milov said protests were just one part of the strategy to try to bring political reforms to Russia and that, though large, they were for now not enough on their own to change the situation. The authorities had so far exercised a measure of restraint when it came to breaking up protests, he said, because they were aware that a harsh crackdown could backfire. "They (the authorities) are really behaving like they want to avoid mass violence," said Milov, who said the opposition wanted to avoid violence too, even though they might gain support as a result. "But who knows what will happen when the situation heats up. If they respond (to protests) heavily they would win using force, but there would be a reaction. It could act as a trigger event when a lot of people who were previously loyal shifted away from Putin because they did not feel secure anymore." (editing by John Stonestreet)The former mayor of Burns Lake, B.C., has been charged with 24 counts of sex-related offences, including offences related to people under the age of 16.

Luke Everett Strimbold, 27, was arrested and released Feb. 3 with 11 conditions, including being banned from going to to any public park, swimming area, school, playground or any other place where people under the age of 18 are present or can reasonably be expected to be present.

The identities of the alleged victims are protected under a publication ban. The alleged incidents occurred between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30 2017.

Burns Lake RCMP say they are investigating the possibility that there are more victims who have not yet spoken to police.

Strimbold was first elected mayor of the Village of Burns Lake in 2011 at the age of 21. He was the youngest mayor ever elected in B.C. history, and second-youngest in Canada.

After successfully running for re-election in 2014 he stepped down suddenly in September 2016, citing a desire to focus on business and educational opportunities and spend time with family.

Strimbold was listed as the membership chair on the B.C. Liberal website before news of the charges were made public. He was removed from the page shortly afterwards.

He was also a member of the rules leadership committee in the party's recent race to replace Christy Clark.

In an email, the B.C. Liberals' communications manager, David Waysluk, said the party became aware of the charges on Friday, and that Strimbold had resigned from both the executive and as a member of the party.

Mary Teegee, executive director of Carrier Sekani Family Services, says the allegations are shocking.

Her organization  a First Nations health and social service society  has an office in Burns Lake.

"We are very, very devastated. Definitely our hearts are with the families, especially the victims right now," Teegee said.

"We're really just reaching out to the community right now to let them know that we are there, that we will get through this together."

Story continues

Strimbold is facing eight counts of sexual assault, seven counts of sexual interference, five counts of invitation to sexual touching and four counts of sexual exploitation. None of the allegations has been proven in court.

Strimbold's next court appearance is scheduled for April 6 in Burns Lake.

CBC has attempted to contact Strimbold, but has not had any reply.Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh summoned Myanmar's ambassador on Thursday over an increased security presence near their border, where thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been sheltering just inside Myanmar, Bangladesh's foreign ministry said. The United Nations refugee agency has expressed concern that thousands of people staying on the strip of land, dubbed "no mans land" because it is beyond Myanmars border fence but on Myanmars side of a creek that marks the international border, would be forcibly returned without enough care for their safety. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after insurgent attacks on Aug. 25 sparked a military crackdown that the United Nations has said amounted to ethnic cleansing, with reports of arson attacks, murder and rape. About 5,300 people had been staying in a makeshift camp on the border line since late August, but roughly half moved to camps inside Bangladesh after the neighbors met to discuss possible repatriation on Feb. 20. (See graphic: http://tmsnrt.rs/2CPnLCs) Several hundred of them have been moved back to the border line, two border guards said. On Thursday, Myanmar armed soldiers and police, estimated to number more than 200, came to the border fence and appeared to be moving in heavy weapons, including mortars, said a Bangladesh army official and the two guards, all three of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. Dil Mohammed, a community leader among the roughly 950 Rohingya families staying at the border, said Myanmar officials used loudspeakers to tell them to move from the area. An official of Bangladesh's border guard said Myanmar security forces fired one round on Thursday evening in an apparent attempt to scare those on the border, but no one was injured. "It looks like they attempted to push the Rohingya people on the zero line to Bangladesh," Major Iqbal Ahmed told Reuters. PROTEST NOTE The movement of troops so close to the border violated international norms, another Bangladesh border guard official, Brigadier General Mujibur Rahman, told Reuters. "We are sending them a protest note. We have already asked for a flag meeting," said Rahman, the force's additional director general in charge of operations, referring to a meeting of border guards of both countries. "They have removed heavy weapons, such as machine guns and mortars, from the area after our verbal protests." In Dhaka, the foreign ministry said Acting Foreign Secretary Khurshed Alam had asked Myanmar envoy Lwin Oo to ensure that security forces pulled back from the border, as a military build-up would create confusion in Bangladesh and escalate border tension. The action could also hamper the agreed repatriation of refugees, the ministry said in a statement, adding that it handed a diplomatic note to the ambassador. A Myanmar official, Myint Thu, on Friday confirmed the ambassador's meeting and said the two countries were "coordinating" on patrolling the border and resolving the issue of those staying there. Asked about the troop movements, Myint Thu, the permanent secretary at the foreign ministry, said, "This happens due to security concerns." He did not elaborate, and also declined to comment on whether Myanmar forces fired shots at the border on Thursday. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay has said "terrorists" with links to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which had attacked 30 police posts and an army base in August, were sheltering in the border area. Zaw Htay said he believed people were staying there to put political pressure on the government and "create a situation where Myanmar security forces and government officials will remove them". There was no plan to collect information on the people in the border area, Win Kyaing, the permanent secretary at Myanmar's immigration ministry, said on Friday, but added that the country had set up two reception centers for returnees. "They stay there illegally," he said. "They are leaving for Bangladesh in an illegal way." (Additional reporting by Thu Thu Aung and Simon Lewis in YANGON; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Clarence Fernandez)By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia's prime minister on Saturday accused the U.S. government of being dishonest in its announced suspension of aid to the Southeast Asian nation, saying Cambodia had already stopped receiving aid from Washington in 2016. The White House said on Tuesday it was suspending or curtailing several Treasury, USAID and military assistance programs that support Cambodia's military, taxation department and local authorities - all of which, it said, shared blame for recent political instability. In his first public comments since the announced aid suspension, Prime Minister Hun Sen accused U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia William Heidt of lying, saying aid cuts to Cambodia's tax department were made in 2016. "We, the 16 million people, didn't receive American aid in the tax sector. This aid was already finished in 2016," Hun Sen said in a speech to thousands of garment workers in the southern province of Preah Sihanouk. "Please, U.S Ambassador, answer this one question: why did you announce cutting aid while there is no aid? Do you intend to distort the reputation of Cambodia?" The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh declined to comment. The White House decision comes amid an ongoing crackdown by the government and its allies against critics of Hun Sen ahead of a July general election. The crackdown has targeted some non-governmental organizations, independent media and opposition lawmakers. In November, the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was dissolved by the Supreme Court at the request of Hun Sen's government. Earlier, the English-language Cambodia Daily - one of the country's few independent print media outlets, was forced to close over an allegedly unpaid tax bill. Hun Sen, a close ally of China, has frequently publicly criticized the United States, particularly for dropping bombs on Cambodia during the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975. Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for 33 years, has accused CNRP opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was arrested and jailed last year, of conspiring with the United States to overthrow him. Rights groups and Western nations have decried the crackdown on the opposition ahead of the July 29 vote. The White House said that Washington had spent more than $1 billion in support for Cambodia and that assistance in health, agriculture and mine-clearing will continue. (Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Sam Holmes)Residents in Chatham and Thamesville whose homes and businesses were soaked by flooding will be able to apply for relief funding from the provincial government.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs activated the Disaster Relief for Ontarians program on Friday following flooding between Feb. 22 and 25 where the Thames River peaked at five metres higher than normal.

The municipality issued a state of emergency and several people had to be rescued by boat from their flooded homes by the dive team from the Chatham Fire Department.

Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs, Bill Mauro toured the flooded areas, followed by a visit from a disaster assessment team that determined government funding should be made available.

"The government is closely monitoring other areas experiencing flooding. It may activate the program in these areas as flood impacts continue to be assessed in the coming days and weeks," the ministry stated in a media release about the activation.

The Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians program is meant to cover emergency expenses and the costs of repairing or replacing essential items after a natural disaster.

Here's what it covers:

- The program offers partial financial assistance for essential items such as fridges or furnaces.

- Financial help is limited to $250,000 per application.

- The program does not offer financial assistance for any costs covered by insurance.

Property owners who want to apply are asked to document their damage with photos and to save receipts for the cost of cleanup and replacing items.

Officials with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority have begun distributing a survey in flooded areas to better understand the depth of the water with the goal of supporting recovery efforts and being better-prepared for future floods.

The municipality has announced special garbage pickups in both Chatham and Thamesville during the week of March 5 to clear sodden items and flood-damaged furniture.

People with property in the following areas are eligible to apply:By Tom Westbrook SYDNEY (Reuters) - The death toll from the strongest earthquake to strike Papua New Guinea's rugged interior in almost a century has climbed to 31 and would probably rise further, officials said on Thursday, as damage to roads, runways and phone lines slowed relief efforts. Remote hamlets closest to the epicenter of the 7.5 magnitude quake in the Southern Highlands were buried, killing 13 people, said James Justin, a research officer at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in Port Moresby in an email, citing a two-way radio call from a mission station in the region. Most of the other confirmed fatalities were in or around the provincial capital of Mendi and the town of Tari 40 km (25 miles) from the epicenter, where aftershocks continue to be felt and people afraid their homes may yet collapse have been sleeping in their yards. "Tari is completely shut down," Mark Mendai, head of the district's Development Authority told Reuters by phone. "All the water tanks have been turned over and at the moment people are suffering a lack of fresh water, all the rivers are dirty," he said. "The runway has some cracks, the district offices are all spoiled, all our roads within Tari are cracked, blocking traveling traffic." A spokesman from the country's National Disaster Centre said a preliminary damage assessment from the quake, which struck the mountainous Southern Highlands some 560 km (350 miles) northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, was still incomplete. (For a graphic on 'Papua New Guinea quake' click http://tmsnrt.rs/2ow1YLR) Australia has promised tarpaulins, water purification tablets, and water containers, and despatched a military C-130 transport plane to assist with aerial surveillance. Pictures showed collapsed buildings in Mendi and residents using shovels to clear away landslides. That left those injured in villages to the west unable to reach the general hospital, where wards were largely empty except for long-term patients, Wendy Tinaik, assistant to the hospital's director, said by phone. Miners and oil and gas companies were also assessing damage to their infrastructure, including a 700-km (435-mile) gas pipeline that connects to a coastal liquefaction plant, but were hampered by bad weather according to Oil Search Ltd. Quake damage shut the region's biggest airfield at Komo, built to supply remote Exxon Mobil Corp facilities, though bush airstrips were accessible and Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) evacuated four people to Mt Hagen. "As we flew and photographed all that we could see, we prayed for those below that had been affected," said Connie-Lou Aebischer from MAF. "The majority of the landslides were in what appeared to be largely uninhabited mountainous regions, or at least sporadically inhabited, which was the saving grace through this ongoing instability in the earth." (This version of the story has been refiled to fix typo in headline) (Reporting by Tom Westbrook in Sydney. Additional reporting by Sonali Paul in Melbourne)The Atlantic Salmon Federation says the Nova Scotia government needs to be more transparent in how it releases information about disease outbreaks at aquaculture facilities.

On Thursday, the province announced about 600,000 salmon smolts had to be killed following an outbreak in February of infectious salmon anemia at what it called two "land-based aquaculture facilities" in Nova Scotia, but didn't specify they were hatcheries.

Neville Crabbe, the federation's director of communications, said the use of the term created confusion in the eyes of the public.

He said a distinction should be drawn between hatcheries, which produce smolts to be sent to sea cages, and closed-containment facilities that grow fish from egg to plate for the market.

"They're ultimately both engaged in growing fish for the market, but their practices and processes are different, and I think it's worth making sure that there's a clear differentiation when referring to the two of them," said Crabbe.

In speaking to reporters on Thursday about the virus outbreak, Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell referred to the facilities as hatcheries.

The outbreak affected two hatcheries. The province wouldn't release the names, but said they're located close to each other.

On Thursday, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department spokesperson Chrissy Matheson said the names weren't being released for privacy reasons, but did not respond to an email seeking further explanation.

On Friday, Colwell stood by the decision not to name the companies.

"Unfortunately, I have to work under confidentiality rules with businesses," he said. "I'm the regulator that regulates this industry and if the industries want to step forward themselves and identify themselves, that's not a problem."

The province said the virus is native to Atlantic Canada and was first detected here in 1996. Prior to these incidents, the most recent disease-causing version of the virus in Nova Scotia was in 2012 at a Cooke Aquaculture site in Shelburne County.As homestays under scrutiny nationwide, students on P.E.I. say they are treated 'like family'

Faye Williams, her partner, musician Richard Wood, and UPEI international student Kosay Jaere sit around the kitchen table telling stories, sipping tea and laughing. It feels like a typical, welcoming Island kitchen.

Williams has been a homestay host to international students for several years. She currently has three living in her home: Jaere, who's from Lebanon but grew up in the Caribbean, a Japanese student who arrived in the summer, and a student from Saudi Arabia, who grew up in Sudan.

When Williams heard UPEI was in need of homestay hosts, she took the opportunity. The students each pay Williams $800 a month, which includes all food, utilities and transportation, if needed, to the university.

"It was a fit, as I homeschool my son and actually his curriculum includes culture and studying other countries," she said.

The homestay industry is huge in Canada with hundreds of thousands of international students from around the world attending public K-12 schools, colleges and universities. Recently, CBC Investigates reported that settlement agencies, student recruiters and host family companies are calling for regulations.

In P.E.I., three companies are in the homestay business  Chinada Newcomer Cozy Home Company, Canada Homestay Network and Study Abroad Canada. If it's a homestay for a public school student, they'll use one of these companies and also appoint a guardian or custodian to oversee the child. The custodian also serves as a connection for the parents back home.

Screening for homestays

The university handles its own homestay program. Cathy Gillan, director of the English Language Centre at UPEI, said the university has about 80 approved hosts, with more in the summer. A one-time homestay placement fee of $300 is charged. She thinks the system works well as it is.

"We have a detailed handout for parents and hosts. We know the people and it's closely monitored. I'm not sure we need more regulation," Gillan said.

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Screening for homestay hosts on P.E.I. include:

- extensive application form.

- home visits.

- necessary requirements, for instance every bedroom needs a desk.

- a criminal background check.

- a couple of interviews at UPEI.

"Occasionally there will be a miscommunication on a cultural or language level," Gillan said. "Saying 'please help yourself' could be awkward as some cultures will not know what to do or will take too much. It's usually funny and not something that needs more rules."

The groups calling for stricter regulations are national but largely based in Toronto. They say some businesses and custodians charge more and do less. The CBC Investigates story revealed one case of Tina Lui who moved to Toronto from China when she was 16. Her parents paid $16,000 for a so-called "super-custodian" package to guarantee her custodian would take extra care. That didn't happen, the custodian charged her $300 for two trips to the hospital.

"I agree that rules, regulations and quality standards are important for any industry that provides services to minors and vulnerable people," said Jennifer Wilson, managing director of Canada Homestay Network. It operates homestays in Charlottetown, North Wiltshire, Cornwall and Hampshire.

"The good news is there's work being done in Canada to establish guidelines and best practices for homestay."

One organization she says is leading the way is the Canadian Association of Public Schools  International (CAPS-I). The organization has a standards of practice used by all member schools and helped B.C. become the first province to establish homestay guidelines for K-12. P.E.I.'s Department of Education is a member.

Positive experience

Rui Shimizu, a Japansese student who has been at UPEI for six months studying economics, said her homestay has been nothing but positive. She stays with a woman and seven-year-old boy she refers to as her mother and little brother.

"On the weekend we bake cupcakes and cookies. I feel happy with them they treat me like my original family," she said.

Williams said the experience is also good for the hosts.

"We get so much out of it," she said. "We make new friends and they're people who become part of our family. We learn about other countries that we may not get to visit ourselves. Last Christmas was our most memorable. There was the traditional dinner, dishes for vegetarians, and a dish from each country represented plus students who lived with us before joined us."

- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Cannabis store locations announced for Summerside, Montague

- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | More land on P.E.I. should be protected, says Island Nature TrustA northern Manitoba First Nation is suing Saskatchewan's Crown power corporation, the Province of Manitoba and the Canadian government over decades of flooding caused by a hydroelectric generating station blamed for disrupting traditional livelihoods.

Mathias Colomb Cree Nation filed a statement of claim in Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench on Feb. 22 seeking $750 million for damage to the land and water, loss of use of the land and infringement of treaty rights. The lawsuit is also seeking $50 million in aggravated and punitive damages.

The lawsuit names SaskPower  the Saskatchewan Power Corporation  Canada's attorney general and the Government of Manitoba.

The flooding is caused by the Island Falls Hydroelectric Station and Whitesand Dam on the Churchill River, the statement of claim says.

Deputy Chief Richard Dumas said for the last 80 years, the power station has routinely caused flooding around his home community of Pukatawagan, roughly 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg and part of Mathias Colomb First Nation.

"The dam has caused the water to wash away fish nets, the boats, traps, rice harvesters. It has caused the ice conditions that destroy docks," said Dumas.

"It destroys the habitats  the stable shoreline habitat is essential for different kinds of plants and fish," he said.

"Generations of people haven't been able to exercise their treaty rights to hunt, fish, trap, rice harvest. Those are the ones who haven't been able to teach their children about the livelihood has been going on here prior to the dam."

Construction of the power station started in 1929 and it was expanded several times over the next few decades, the last time in 1959. It was originally built by the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company to power mining operations in Flin Flon, Man. SaskPower bought it in 1981.

According to the statement of claim, water levels within the First Nation's territory can fluctuate between four and 15 feet, or roughly one to five metres.

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"MCCN members have suffered stress, distress, anguish, anxiety and worry as a result of the damage to the land, waters, plants and animals on which they rely," the statement of claim reads.

Leaders from the First Nation have tried, without success, to work with SaskPower to find a solution, Dumas said.

"We're  basically taking it to the courts and hopefully [we'll] have some sort of a tangible result."

SaskPower, province haven't been served

A spokesperson for SaskPower said it hasn't been served notice of the lawsuit.

"SaskPower does not comment publicly on matters that may be before the courts," the spokesperson wrote in an email.

The Province of Manitoba also hasn't been served a copy of the statement of claim.

"Once the government of Manitoba has been formally served, the statement of claim will be reviewed to determine next steps. We are unable to provide further comment at this time," a provincial spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The $750 million amount was calculated based on estimated loss to the First Nation's 3,200 registered members, Dumas said.

SaskPower will send them notifications by fax whenever they plan to change the flow out of the generating station, but it's hard to relay that information in the community where cellular service is limited, Dumas said.

"Our people are out there on the land trying to harvest and they don't know if the water level's about to change. And when they're out there, it's harder for us to communicate with them," he said.

No statements of defence have yet been filed.

2016 lawsuit

This is not the first lawsuit connected to the Whitesand Dam.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan sued the federal government, the Province of Saskatchewan, SaskPower and two third parties  Hudson Bay Mining Co. and Churchill River Power Corp  saying that up to 600 acres of its Southend reserve, 460 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, is regularly flooded.

Under Treaty 6, the reserve land was to be used by members of the First Nation for hunting, fishing and trapping.

However, thanks to flooding caused after the 1943 construction of the Whitesand Dam, those rights have been infringed upon, Peter Ballantyne argued.

A 2016 Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision dismissed the lawsuit with respect to the federal government and the third parties, but said the claim against the Saskatchewan government and SaskPower was valid in that they continue to trespass on First Nations territory.FILE PHOTO: Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey answers a question during an interview with Reuters at her office in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

By Nate Raymond

BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts' attorney general can move forward with a lawsuit alleging that one of the largest student loan servicers in the United States has engaged in practices that have undermined a federal debt forgiveness program, a state court judge has ruled.

Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Salinger in a decision released on Thursday denied Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistant Agency's motion to dismiss Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's lawsuit.

Healey, a Democrat, called the ruling "a victory for thousands of students and families in Massachusetts who have been victimized for too long by student loan servicers."

PHEAA declined to comment on the judge's ruling.

It had argued that as a quasi-governmental agency originally established by the state of Pennsylvania to provide student loans to its residents, it enjoyed sovereign immunity that protects it from being sued.

But Salinger noted that a federal appeals court in Virginia concluded in 2015 in a different case that PHEAA did not enjoy the same immunity as Pennsylvania from being sued.

Salinger also rejected Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based PHEAA's contention that the lawsuit could not proceed because Healey had not sued the U.S. Department of Education, which retained it to service federal student loans.

PHEAA noted that the U.S. Justice Department, arguing for the Education Department, filed papers in January arguing that Healey could not pursue claims under state law to the extent they conflicted with federal law.

Salinger said, however, that the Justice Department's position "is much narrower than it may appear at first blush," as it did not contend Healey's claims were indeed pre-empted or that federal law allowed any of PHEAA's alleged misconduct.

In August, Healey sued PHEAA, which does business as FedLoan Servicing and manages over a fourth of the nation's $1.4 trillion student loan debt on behalf of various lenders.

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The lawsuit accused PHEAA of deceptive practices that caused public servants to lose benefits and financial assistance under two federal programs, including one that forgives student loans after about 10 years of public-service work.

That program is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The other is the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant program, which provides grants to borrowers pursuing teaching careers in low-income schools for at least four years.

Healey alleged that PHEAA prevented borrowers from making qualifying monthly payments that count toward loan forgiveness and also overcharged students.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Susan Thomas and Peter Cooney)Jillian Vessey loves to share her enthusiasm for Japanese fashion and culture with her more than 160,000 YouTube followers. Soon, she will be sharing her love for all things cute and colourful with an even larger audience.

Vessey  known online by her YouTube name Pixielocks  was announced this week as winner of a competition run by Japanese broadcaster NHK, on its show Kawaii International.

Vessey won the competition to be this year's Kawaii leader  a role she describes as "kind of like an ambassador of culture."

What is Kawaii?

As the Kawaii leader, Vessey will be flown to Japan sometime this year, where she will appear on at least one episode of Kawaii International, an English language show that explores different aspects of Japanese and Kawaii culture.

Kawaii is the Japanese word for cute, but Vessey says it means more than just that.

"It's also this whole culture and this whole concept of hyper cuteness. And it's also kind of a way of life. Japan has some amazing, very unique, and out there street fashions," Vessey said.

"Definitely hyper feminine, very colourful, sparkly, like ultra-cute."

Showcasing her style

More than 300 people entered the competition, and 10 finalists were selected. The winner was chosen based on a combination of votes from the public, as well as the opinion of judges.

Vessey describes the other finalists as strong competitors, and "hard core fashion bloggers."

Each contestant submitted an outfit photo, and a personal blurb. For her photo, Vessey said she wanted to showcase her personality.

"I actually wanted to use two pieces that I had designed and sewed myself. Because I think a big part of me and my kind of online identity is that I want to go into fashion design and I'm going to Fredericton for school for it in the fall. So I really wanted to kind of highlight the fact that I don't just wear clothes, I also make them."

From her understanding, Vessey said judges look at things like social media following, style and personality.

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"They select people who they think really represent this cute Japanese culture and that they're like spreading it throughout the world," Vessey said.

Support from followers

More than 55,000 votes were cast this year  a record for the contest, now in its fifth cycle. Vessey said she was amazed by the support she received from followers.

"Oh it was ridiculous, people were so sweet. I had people tweeting me that they had set a daily alarm to remind themselves to vote for me every day."

And she said after she was announced as the winner, she woke up the next morning to see Twitter full of congratulatory messages.

International audience

While her style is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, Vessey's audience is from around the world.

"In YouTube you can see your analytics, you can see where people are from who watch you. And actually I don't have that many in Japan. Because, of course, I speak English on there. But it's definitely a global phenomenon."

The global reach was well represented in the 10 finalists for the competition, who came from around the world  including the United States, Sweden, Turkey and Australia.

Vessey said it's extra exciting to have won the title, coming from "such a small place."

"It's amazing. I feel like it still hasn't quite hit me yet. But I'm just so, so excited. I'm so happy."

- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Drivers say confusing signs keeping them from leaving New Brunswick

- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Charlottetown police investigating CRA bitcoin scamFederal government refusing 'no' for an answer on carbon pricing in Sask.

By not signing the federal climate change plan by Feb. 28, Saskatchewan lost a guaranteed $62 million in funding for emission-reduction programs.

But with hints of a legal challenge over the carbon tax, there's a lot more that could be at stake in the coming months.

The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change is the federal government's plan to meet emissions reductions targets.

The main reason Saskatchewan has given for not signing onto the plan is its opposition to a mandatory carbon pricing or tax system  a foundational aspect of the plan.

Provinces and territories were given the option of developing their own climate plan under federal guidelines, or opting for one created by the federal government.

"To be clear, carbon pricing is coming into effect across Canada, regardless of whether provinces sign onto the framework or not," said Julia Kilpatrick, director of communications for the federal Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"It also means they miss out on the chance to design the best carbon pricing approach for Saskatchewan, as other provinces have done, and instead [are] choosing to have the federal system come into effect there," Kilpatrick said.

Differing plans for carbon tax revenue

The plan outlines the federal government's expectations that regions begin by charging at least $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide in 2018, increasing each year up to $50 per tonne by 2022.

Ottawa will analyze all of those provincial and territorial climate plans in September. The government is drafting legislation that would allow it to impose a federal carbon pricing plan on jurisdictions whose plans aren't up to snuff.

A carbon tax for an industry-based economy like Saskatchewan's would amount to billions each year, but that money goes directly back to the province as revenue to dole out as it chooses.

This manifests in other regions in different ways.

In Alberta, residents who file their taxes get a carbon tax rebate cheque based on income and family size.

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Single adults earning below $47,500 received a rebate of about $200 in 2017, based on Alberta's $20 per tonne price on carbon.

In British Columbia, all carbon tax revenue goes toward reducing other taxes.

Pricey court proceedings

Saskatchewan has steered clear from commenting on what it would do with revenue from a carbon tax.

Instead, the province said it will challenge any imposition of a plan or a carbon tax in court.

Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said the federal carbon plan would cost Saskatchewan's economy $4 billion over five years.

"At those numbers, I don't think this province can afford not to fight this in the court if it comes to that," he said.

Other regions have looked into whether a constitutional legal challenge would be successful in court.

Manitoba revealed an extensive legal analysis in October 2017. Premier Brian Pallister told CBC the analysis  intended to determine whether Ottawa had the constitutional authority to impose its carbon plan  cost Manitoba roughly $40,000.

In the end, the alternatives Manitoba's lawyers discovered were clear: by saying no, Manitoba would get Trudeau's plan. By going to court, "we lose," Pallister said.

Eric Adams, an associate law professor at the University of Alberta, agreed there isn't a terribly strong legal case for Saskatchewan.

"The courts and legal opinion on that matter is fairly clear that the federal government does have jurisdiction to regulate through the imposition of a carbon tax. I suspect that that would be the holding when, and if, this does come to court," he said.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his government would be ready to launch a legal fight against a carbon tax anyway. That sentiment was echoed by Duncan Thursday.

"We're prepared. Our lawyers within justice and the constitutional branch now have the draft legislation so we know how the federal government intends to proceed on this, and they're developing a case around it," Duncan said.

Saskatchewan does have its allies on the legal matter.

Earlier this year, Jason Kenney, leader of Alberta's Opposition, the United Conservative Party, said he would cut the carbon tax if elected, and potentially join Saskatchewan in a legal battle.

Political clout

While the chances of winning a court fight are small, according to Adams, there may be other gains for Saskatchewan.

One is the potential political gain from standing up for the province and fighting the federal government over a principle it disagrees with.

"If you have some small possibility of making it a challenge  and if you believe strongly in the rightness of that policy objective  then as a government, that may be worth spending time and energy on fighting that fight. Even if there is a small chance of success," Adams said.

But what the province gains politically, it could lose in autonomy. Section 164 of the draft federal bill dictates how revenues from a carbon tax would be used.

As it works now, provinces with their own plans get to decide how to use the revenue, with no strings attached.

Under the current draft, the federal government could decide whether the money is allocated entirely to the province, or if some of it is distributed directly to specific people or corporations.

Only provincial governments that voluntarily ask to use the federal carbon price system will guarantee they get the revenues to use as they see fit, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna's office told The Canadian Press.

Loss of guaranteed $62 million

Each province had part of a $1.4-billion fund set aside for it when it agreed to sign the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change.

Every province and territory except Saskatchewan signed the agreement by the Feb. 28 deadline and was guaranteed their portion of the cash.

"The intent of that fund is to help signatories of the framework implement solutions for climate change and clean growth  like energy efficiency rebates for households and businesses," said the environment ministry's Julia Kilpatrick.

She said Saskatchewan's portion of that fund will now get funnelled into the Low Carbon Economy Challenge Fund.

The $600 million in the fund will be doled out for industry and public sector projects on a merit-based, project-by-project basis.

However, on Thursday, Saskatchewan's environment minister said he believes the province should still be entitled to the $62 million, aside from the option to compete for the challenge fund.

"We don't think that there should be any reason why it shouldn't still be set aside for Saskatchewan projects," Duncan said.

In order for that to happen, though, the federal government would have to reverse its decision to put Saskatchewan's portion of the money into the competitive fund.

The fund hasn't been launched yet, but it will be a pool of cash that provinces, companies and more can compete to draw from.

"If this is about reducing emissions in the province of Saskatchewan, then we're going to put forward projects that should be evaluated on that basis and [the federal government] should not penalize Saskatchewan with the $62 million just because we're not signing the Pan-Canadian Framework," Duncan said.MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide bomber rammed a car into a Somali military base about 30 km (20 miles) northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, on Friday, killing one soldier, the military said. The attack, claimed by the militant group al Shabaab, occurred shortly before Friday prayers, when the base was almost empty, Major Abdullahi Ise told Reuters. Three more soldiers were killed in a separate bombing targeting their truck as it headed into the capital with soldiers wounded in the first bombing, Ise said. Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab carries out frequent bombings and other attacks in Mogadishu, in a campaign to topple Somalia's Western-backed federal government. A car bombing in Mogadishu last Friday claimed by the group killed 45 people. Also on Friday, al Shabaab spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters that militant forces had captured the town of Balad, 30 kilometers north of Mogadishu. A military official confirmed that al Shabaab forces had ambushed the town. "We fiercely fought al Shabaab on the outskirts of the town and now they have entered the town," Captain Nur Bile told Reuters. Lieutenant Colonel Wilson Rono, a spokesman for the African Union-backed peace-keeping force AMISOM, said on Friday that there had been an ambush by al Shabaab but he did not have any details on casualties. He did not answer phone calls on Friday evening seeking further information. The militants also want to drive out AMISOM, which helps defend the government. The 22,000-strong force began to withdraw troops in December and is scheduled to leave by 2020. After a summit in the Ugandan capital Kampala, African nations that contribute troops to the peace-keeping mission said on Friday saying the schedule for withdrawing the troops was "not realistic". The drawdown by 2020 would "lead to a reversal of the gains made by AMISOM", the statement read. It urged the United Nations Security Council to reconsider the drawdown. Somalia has been in a state of chaos and lawlessness since the early 1990s, when dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was toppled by warlords. President Mohamed Abdullahi has struggled to defeat the Islamist insurgency and restore security and stability, even though he has support from the peace-keepers, Western aid and frequent airstrikes on Islamist targets by the United States. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar; writing by Elias Biryabarema and Maggie Fick; editing by Larry King)Police Chief Danny Smyth says Winnipeg's police service did the best it could in an effort to investigate the 2014 death of Tina Fontaine.

In his first comments since a jury declared Raymond Cormier not guilty of killing Fontaine, Chief Smyth said Friday that Winnipeg's homicide investigators worked very hard on the case and felt good about it going to trial.

"Frankly, we did our best on this one," Smyth told the Winnipeg Police Board on Friday, eight days after a Winnipeg jury found Cormier, 56, not guilty in Fontaine's 2014 death.

The 15-year-old girl from Sagkeeng First Nation was reported missing before her body was found in the Red River on Aug. 17, 2014, wrapped in a duvet cover and weighed down with rocks.

Smyth said he was aware the case against Cormier was circumstantial, but remained disappointed with the verdict.

"It's heartbreaking for the family. I think they expected a different outcome. I'm sure our investigators expected a different outcome. The evidence is what it is," Smyth told reporters following the police board meeting.

"We brought forward the evidence where the Crown was confident and comfortable with laying a charge of murder. But it's a different standard for the jury," he said.

"Conviction brings a standard of 'beyond reasonable doubt.' Clearly they didn't see that."

Smyth said he doesn't know if the jury would have made a different decision if the Crown raised more details about the "Mr. Big" sting conducted by police.

The chief noted none of the "Mr. Big" evidence was struck from the court proceedings.

'What we did was the right thing'

Smyth also said the trial allowed the public to see the evidence police had gathered and denied there was pressure to make an arrest in the high-profile case.

"I didn't feel political pressure at all. I think what we did was the right thing to do for a victim in our community," Smyth said.

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"This was a child that was murdered and certainly a child that really wasn't even from here. She was from Sagkeeng First Nation, so we all felt an obligation to properly investigate this."

In the days before her death, Fontaine was in contact with members of the Winnipeg Police Service, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service and provincial Child and Family Services employees.

Her death drew attention across Canada and inspired more calls for the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Smyth said Fontaine's death has already resulted in some change, citing the provincial decision to stop using hotels to house children who are in CFS care.

"When Tina went missing, it wasn't unusual for kids to be housed in hotels. That doesn't happen anymore," he said.

Limited grounds for appeal: former prosecutor

Nonetheless, there remains a strong sentiment within Winnipeg's Indigenous community that the Fontaine's killing was not investigated or prosecuted as vigorously as possible.

"I think there's a lot of questions as to how the investigation was done, whether it was done thoroughly, and how the justice system ultimately failed Tina and her family as well," said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, a spokesperson for a coalition of families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Manitoba.

"So I know there's a lot of disappointment in the community with respect to the investigation and the justice system."

The Crown has 30 days to appeal the verdict. That deadline is March 22.

Brian Bell, who worked as a Manitoba Crown prosecutor for 27 years before his retirement in 2016, said because jury deliberations are secret, the only grounds for appeal would involve an error in fact or law in the judge's charge to the jury.

Correction : An earlier version of this story said that Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth said he did not sleep for a week following the verdict in Raymond Cormier's trial. In fact, Smyth said he did not speak (about the verdict) for a week following the trial.(Mar 02, 2018 3:47 PM)Eight musicians with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and Sistema travelled to Mexico City this week to learn from some of the world's best musicians.

They took part in a pan-American workshop conference that included 800 musicians from across the Americas, according to youth orchestra CEO Ken MacLeod.

"Throughout all of our programs ... our mission is the same, it's to inspire youth to achieve their full potential," he told Shift New Brunswick on Friday. "At home they're exposed to really great teachers and here in Mexico City, they likewise have the chance to be exposed to these great teachers and composers and conductors.

"It challenges them to do their best and to reach another level in terms of development of their skill and their talent."

There are more than 1,000 children in their orchestra programs in New Brunswick, MacLeod said.

There are students from North, South and Central America invited to the event at the National Theatre in Mexico City. Of the 14 Canadians attending, eight are from New Brunswick, according to MacLeod.

One of the conductors the students will be meeting is Gustavo Dudamel, the music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela.

Grace Hamilton, who plays the trombone, said she was excited to play with other students from other countries.

"Everyone's amazing, from the teachers to the other students that are there, everyone's just awesome, they're at the top level," she said. "It's super interesting to see the different languages and the different cultural customs and we're still able to make music together.

"I think that it just shows that music is an international language."SATURDAY, March 3, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Temporarily boosting the dose of inhaled steroids may not do much to reduce the frequency of severe asthma flare-ups in children, according to two new studies.

Short-term increases in inhaled steroids might even be tied to slightly slowed growth in kids, one of the studies suggested.

Asthma flare-ups in children are common and many doctors increase doses of inhaled steroids when children have early symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. But there's been little research into the safety and effectiveness of this approach.

In order to learn more, researchers in a U.S. trial studied 254 children, aged 5 to 11, with mild-to-moderate asthma for nearly a year.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and it was led by Dr. Daniel Jackson, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, in Madison.

All of the kids in the trial were already placed on "low-dose" inhaled corticosteroids -- about two puffs from an inhaler twice daily.

However, at the earliest signs of a severe asthma flare-up, half of the children were kept on low-dose inhaled steroids, while the other half were put on "high-dose" inhaled steroids -- five times the standard dose.

The kids did this twice a day for seven days during each episode. The study was "blinded," meaning the children and their parents were not told which dosage was being used.

The study's main finding was that kids in the high-dose steroid group did not have fewer severe asthma flare-ups as a result of the increased treatment.

The number of asthma symptoms, the length of time until the first severe flare-up, and the use of albuterol (a rescue medication for asthma symptoms) were also similar in both groups, according to the study.

Jackson's team also found that growth among children in the high-dose steroid group was about 0.09-inches less per year than among those in the low-dose group -- even though the high-dose treatments were used only about two weeks a year on average.

This growth difference was small, but adds to previous research showing that children who take inhaled corticosteroids for asthma may have a slightly slower-than-normal growth rate. More frequent or prolonged high-dose steroid use might increase this impact on growth, the study authors said.

Jackson's team reported the findings online March 3 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A second trial was led by Tricia McKeever of the National Institute for Health Research in England. Her team tracked outcomes for more than 1,900 kids with asthma who were similarly placed on either a temporary high-dose (quadruple the amount) or low-dose steroid protocol when flare-ups occurred.

In that study, increasing the steroid dose did seem tied to a slight lessening of the frequency of asthma flare-ups, McKeever's team reported in the same issue of the NEJM.

But the trial was less rigorous than the U.S. trial (it was "open-label," meaning the patients knew which dose of drug they were taking), and the benefit was only deemed to be modest.

Also, kids taking the quadrupled dose had a higher rate of "adverse effects" related to the steroids than children on the lower dose, the investigators reported.

Both trials were also presented at a joint meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the World Allergy Organization, in Orlando, Fla.

In a university news release, Jackson said his team's findings "suggest that a short-term increase to high-dose inhaled steroids should not be routinely included in asthma treatment plans for children with mild-moderate asthma who are regularly using low-dose inhaled corticosteroids."

According to James Kiley, director of the NHLBI's Division of Lung Diseases, "This study allows caregivers to make informed decisions about how to treat their young patients with asthma."

Kiley suggested in the news release that "trials like this can be used in the development of treatment guidelines for children with asthma."

Two asthma experts unconnected to the studies said the findings cast doubt on the value of using high-dose steroids in this context.

Dr. Sherry Fazan is attending physician in allergy and immunology at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y. She said that, even in the British study, "the degree of improvement is debatable, and the open-label nature may have introduced bias affecting the results."

And, she added, the more rigorous U.S. trial "indicates that the harm of this practice may outweigh the benefits in children with mild-to-moderate persistent asthma."

Dr. Walter Chua is senior pulmonary attending physician at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in Forest Hills, N.Y. He stressed that asthma symptoms and behavior varies widely between patients, so it's still tough to discern from these studies what the best course might be for individual patients.

What the research "does seem to reinforce, is that every attempt should be made to prevent asthma exacerbations prior to any augmentation of medication including: ensuring asthma medication compliance, proper inhaler technique, and avoidance of known triggers in the household," Chua said.

More information

The American Lung Association has more on childhood asthma.FRIDAY, March 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- American soldiers who have babies after a recent deployment are at increased risk of preterm birth, a new study suggests.

The finding comes from the analysis of data on nearly 12,900 births to U.S. soldiers from 2011 to 2014. Overall, just over 6 percent of the births were premature -- three or more weeks early. That rate is lower than in the general population.

However, the preterm birth rate among those who had returned from military deployment within the previous six months was 11.7 percent. On average, these women were younger, made less money and had lower levels of education than other military moms.

The Stanford University study was published March 1 in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

"What's important is the timing of deployment," said study author Dr. Jonathan Shaw, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford. Women recently back from deployment were at higher risk for preterm birth, the study found.

"Pregnancies that overlapped with deployment or the period of returning home were much more likely to end in preterm birth, which has impacts not only on the health of the infant, but also on the mother and family," Shaw said in a university news release.

However, among women who'd recently returned, the degree of risk for premature birth did vary with their number of previous deployments. Chances of an early delivery were 1.6 times greater with one previous deployment, 2.7 times higher with two earlier deployments and 3.8 times greater with three or more previous deployments, compared with women who'd never been deployed.

Among soldiers who had babies within six months after returning from deployment, 74 percent were deployed seven to 10 months before giving birth. This suggests that, in many cases, conception occurred during deployment.

Pregnancy during deployment is considered a medical emergency that requires immediate evacuation from conflict areas, the researchers noted.

"The concerns raised by these findings are heightened in the context of prior research documenting high rates of unintended pregnancy in the military and emerging evidence that the most reliable forms of contraception (long-acting reversible contraceptives) are underutilized in the Army, especially around the time of deployment," the study authors wrote.

"This study shows that the time around deployment is a period during which we should empower our soldiers to prevent unintended pregnancies," Shaw said.

"It's reassuring that deployment itself is not a risk factor for having a premature baby," but female soldiers need to understand the risks of becoming pregnant around the time of deployment, Shaw said.

"We could tell them, 'It's a pretty stressful time; consider returning home and settling in for a few months before you add to your family,' " he suggested.

More information

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New York, March 2, 2018The Committee to Protect Journalists today confirmed that Yusuf Ruzimuradov, the longest-imprisoned journalist worldwide, was freed in Uzbekistan in late February. CPJ called on authorities to take further steps to improve the climate for the media by dropping charges against two independent journalists who are due in court in a separate case on March 5.

Ruzimuradov, a former reporter for the opposition newspaper Erk, was quietly released on February 22 and has been reunited with his family, a relative of the journalist told CPJ today. He has not yet made any public statements, according to press reports. The journalist served 19 years in prison on anti-state charges, with his sentence prolonged at least twice after he had served his initial 15-year term, according to CPJ research. The independent news website Fergana, which cited the local human rights organization Ezgulik, reported that Ruzimuradov was released with unspecified restrictions.

In a separate case, the trial of independent journalists Bobomurod Abdullaev and Hayot Nasriddinov is due to start in Tashkent next week, according to members of Abdullaevs family with whom CPJ spoke. The journalists, who are charged with conspiracy to overthrow the constitutional regime, face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Today, we can breathe a sigh of relief that Yusuf Ruzimuradovthe longest imprisoned journalist in the worldhas finally been released in Uzbekistan, but we remain outraged at the grave injustice that robbed him of 19 years of his life, said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova. If President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is serious about turning a new page in his countrys treatment of the media, restrictions will be dropped against Ruzimuradov, charges will be dropped against Bobomurod Abdullaev and Hayot Nasriddinov, and they too will be freed.

Abdullaev, a freelancer who reported for outlets including Fergana, the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting, and U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was detained in Tashkent on September 27, 2017. His relatives told representatives of several human rights groups last month that Abdullaev told them he was tortured and mistreated in detention. Today Fergana reported that Abdullaevs defense attorney was not allowed to meet with the journalist.

Nasriddinov, a blogger and economist, was arrested in October on similar charges. There are serious concerns that he may have also been tortured in custody, according to human rights organizations. A relative of one of the journalists told CPJ that both of them are in the Uzbek security services detention center in Tashkent.

Last month, CPJ and a coalition of 11 other international press freedom and human rights groups called on Uzbekistan to release all imprisoned journalists and investigate allegations that some were tortured in custody.A widespread Amazon Web Services outage Friday prompted a more-quiet-than-usual Alexa as Amazon's personal assistant technology, which is housed on AWS servers, appears to have succumbed to the regional outage.

Users began reporting problems with Amazon's Alexa and Echo speakers around 9:30 a.m. EST, according to website Down Detector. By Friday afternoon, Alexa and Echo outages were being reported throughout the U.S. with the East Coast and California appearing to take the biggest hits.

[Related: 8 AWS Offerings Gaining Popularity Right Now]

Amazon, for its part, acknowledged a networking error at 10:30 a.m. EST stemming from its multiple Virginia-based data centers. The company, however, did not comment or respond to CRN's request for comment on the Alexa outage.

While Amazon does not have a status update page dedicated to its consumer products, business customers also rely on Amazon's Alexa technology. In November, Amazon unveiled Alexa for Business, a service designed to simplify common business tasks, such as setting up reminders, inventory management, and managing agendas and calendars.

Alexa for Business is available through select AWS solution providers.

Some reports have suggested that the Alexa outage was caused by an AWS service outage impacting the voice recognition and natural language processing servers that power Alexa.

Users also reported issues or downtime Friday with other third-party applications that live on AWS servers such as team collaboration application Slack.

Users are reporting that Alexa running on Echo speakers, as well as third-party devices, is giving replies such as: "I am not sure what went wrong" or "Sorry something went wrong" or a total loss of connection with no response whatsoever.

John Shaw, founder and CEO of Digital Nebula, an Austin, Texas, artificial intelligence startup that is pioneering an AI-based ELE.AI cloud ecosystem for solution providers, said the Alexa outage is a warning shot of sorts on the dangers of AI and natural language processing in an Internet of Things world.

If AWS had combined Alexa for Business with its $1 billion acquisition of smart doorbell maker Ring, an outage could spark a break-in at homes that are using the technology, said Shaw. "This is a huge problem," he said. "If a criminal knew that Alexa and Ring were down, they could break into your home."

If Alexa for Business was used in a self-driving car and the outage caused an accident, the question would be who is ultimately responsible: "AWS or the insurance company?" said Shaw.

The lesson to be learned from the outage, Shaw said, is the mantra often preached by AWS CTO Werner Vogels: Build for failure. "This shows AWS is not taking into account the fundamental message from its own CTO," Shaw said. "This may be a human error or something else; whatever it is they need to fix this and get a status page for Alexa and Echo. They need to build for failure."

Digital Nebula, for its part, is building an AI-based system for solution providers designed to work in a multicloud environment to avoid problems on a single platform like AWS. "What we are trying to do is make sure we build a system that is resistant to this type of failure," he said.

Raymond Tuchman, CEO of Experis Technology Group, a fast-growing Potomac, Md.-based HPE private cloud powerhouse with its 80,000-square-foot cloud services data center, said the AWS outage hammers home yet again the benefits of private cloud versus public cloud.

"This is more firepower for us to go tell the private cloud story with higher uptime, better security and better redundancy and at least a 40 percent cost savings compared with AWS," he said.

Tuchman said more customers are starting to listen to the benefits of private cloud versus public cloud, but it requires a lot of education. "A lot of customers go to the public cloud without doing the research to compare private cloud uptime, security and redundancy," he said.

One of the big advantages of Experis versus AWS, said Tuchman, is he and his company's responsiveness to customers. "You can call me 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said. "AWS does not even have a status page for consumers using Alexa and does not pick up the phone. That is a problem."

The AWS outage comes just after onetime AWS stalwart Dropbox revealed in its S-1 Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it saved $74.6 million in operating costs over two years by moving from public cloud storage to its own lower-cost, custom-built infrastructure.

HPE was the driving force behind the Dropbox move two years ago to a hybrid cloud model with an "open architecture approach and a custom server solution" with HPE ProLiant and Cloudline service provider systems -- all financed by HPE Financial Services.

STEVEN BURKE contributed to this story.Naftogaz claimed a resounding victory in the Stockholm Arbitration over Gazprom, in response to which the Russian gas monopoly decided to go for a despicable revenge in contravention of the Swedish court decisions, but Ukraine holds its ground and intends to seek penalties. The National Security and Defense Council extended sanctions against Russian banks, while the European Union promised a new program of macro-financial assistance worth EUR 1 billion - these are the main economic news of the outgoing week.

The main news of the week was the completion of the Stockholm Arbitration hearings in the long-standing litigation between Naftogaz and Gazprom, which ended in favor of the Ukrainian company. Traditionally, the Russians resorted to a vile revenge move. But first things first

Late on Wednesday, Naftogaz stated that he had received the final award of the Swedish Court on the second, "gas transit" lawsuit, obliging Gazprom to pay Naftogaz $4.63 billion for its failure to fulfill contractual terms on pumping gas via the Ukrainian territory.

According to Naftogaz, following the two arbitration proceedings, Gazprom's debt totaled $2.56 billion. This is due to the fact that in December 2017, by the decision of the Stockholm Arbitration on the purchase and sale of gas, Naftogaz owed Gazprom some $2 billion.

Naftogaz stated that the Russian monopoly was supposed to start paying the debt from the date of the court decision was announced, i.e. from February 28, and for any delay, there is a considerable penalty of $500,000 a day. According to Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev, the Ukrainian side is not interested in the barter option, that is, payments at the expense of future supplies of Russian gas to Ukraine.

He also noted that if Gazprom were to resist and not comply with the Stockholm Arbitration award, Naftogaz would be ready to sue to seize Gazprom's foreign assets.

Meanwhile, on March 1, Gazprom, resentful of the decision of the Swedish Arbitration, went for a demarche - it refused to supply to Ukraine the volumes of gas agreed by Ukraine in accordance with the decision of the Stockholm court. They returned the prepayment for gas supplies received from Naftogaz in late February. And they did it 15 minutes before the start of deliveries. And a little later, they said that they were initiating proceedings in the Stockholm Arbitration for the termination of all contracts with Ukraine.

Gazprom's actions led to a reduction in gas pressure at the entrance to the Ukrainian gas transmission system to a critically low level, which created significant risks for fuel transit to Europe.

"Given the extreme weather conditions in Ukraine and in the EU, such irresponsible actions on the part of Gazprom further complicate operations of the Ukrainian gas transmission system operator, and artificially create significant risks for the uninterrupted transit of large volumes of gas to European consumers," said GTS operator Ukrtransgaz.

On March 1, a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council was convened, where the Naftogaz CEO proposed to impose on March 3-4 a restriction on gas consumption due to the cold snap and Gazprom's moves.

According to Kobolyev, due to a sharp drop in temperatures in Ukraine, there is a record daily gas consumption of 200 million cubic meters, with 18 million cubic meters of gas becoming a deficit, which could have been covered by gas supplies from Russia. This deficit will be partially compensated by gas purchases from the European direction, and Gazprom will be billed for its failure to fulfill the contract.

On March 2, the Cabinet of Ministers introduced for five days a national action plan to prevent a crisis in the energy sector. It provides for the transfer of generating companies from gas to fuel oil. Until March 6 it was recommended that the schools shut down while the citizens were asked to reduce gas consumption. The Ministry of Energy informed the EU Secretariat of its decision. The European Commission immediately stated that it was ready to cooperate with Kyiv and Moscow to resolve the problem.

At the same time, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman accused Naftogaz of the latest developments - the NAC made a mistake when it hoped that Gazprom would execute the decision of the Stockholm Arbitration in a civilized way civilly and therefore Naftogaz should fox the problem. However, he rejected the possibility of the dismissing Kobolyev from his post.

Naftogaz immediately moved to correct the mistake. They urgently signed a contract with the Polish PGNiG to have more than 60 million cubic meters of gas supplied until the end of March 2018. Its implementation began on March 2. Moreover, PGNiG assured Kyiv of its readiness to increase gas supplies to Ukraine if necessary.

On Friday evening, Naftogaz said that from March 3, the Ukrainian GTS, taking into account the five-fold increase in gas imports from the EU, would resume its normal operations.

This is how Ukraine once again managed to overcome artificial obstacles built by Gazprom, or rather its commander-in-chief, the Kremlin. And it proved to Europe that it is a reliable gas transit state. It also demonstrated to Moscow that it can completely do without Russian gas, as it has been doing for more than two years. All that Russia has achieved is an additional vacation for Ukrainian students.

Sanctions against Russian banks

The decision of the Stockholm Arbitration in the gas dispute is by no means the only slap in Russia's face. Another one was the news that the European Union plans on March 12 to extend for six months its sanctions against representatives of the "Russian world".

The sanctions policy against the aggressor state was supported in Kyiv as well. In particular, the National Security and Defense Council, under the leadership of President Petro Poroshenko, extended for a year the sanctions against Russian banks still operating in Ukraine. Perhaps "sanctions" is a word said too loudly. After all, we are talking, basically, about the ban on the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine to Russia. However, the so-called sanctions do not affect settlements through the banks of the aggressor state. In addition, Russians are given the opportunity at any time to capitalize their financial institutions in Ukraine or sell them.

Speaking at the NSDC meeting, the president noted that by the end of 2017, the net assets of Russian banks in Ukraine decreased by one third, while the volume of deposits of individuals and legal entities placed in them fell by 28% and 34%, respectively. Another important figure, which the head of state drew attention to, was a reduction by almost a half of the share of banks with state Russian capital (banks that belong to Russian oligarchs, apparently, do not count) in the net assets of the banking system of Ukraine - from 10.6% to 5.6%.

However, First Deputy Head of the National Bank Kateryna Rozhkova says that Russian banks still have a very significant influence in Ukraine. For example, the volume of funds attracted by Russian banks from legal entities and individuals remains significant - at UAH 22 billion - although it declined over the past year by UAH 13 billion. In this regard, the National Bank categorically opposes tightening sanctions against the banks of the aggressor state. Allegedly, it's in order not to paralyze the work of the following five banks - Sberbank, VSBank, Prominvestbank, VTB Bank, and BM Bank (no sanctions are applied to Alfa Bank).

For the sake of fairness, it must be said that the current leaders of the National Bank have never seen a threat to national security in the activities of Russian banks. Over the past few years, while fierce battles between Ukrainian troops and Russian mercenaries have been ongoing in Donbas, the central bank has been repeating the same mantra: Ukraine does not have Russian banks, there are banks with Russian capital, and there are no complaints to them. "Our curators are there. They passed the first stress test that was held in 2014. They have recapitalized their institutions. The second stress test was also passed," Valeriya Gontareva said at the Verkhovna Rada in February 2016. At the same time, Gontareva especially stressed that the National Bank had no reason to make any slightest claims to the banks of the aggressor state.

And only under the very strict pressure of activists, who started vandalizing offices of Russian banks in Ukraine, the National Bank was forced to develop, and the NSDC for the first time to introduce in mid-March 2017 certain restrictions against Russian banks, calling them sanctions. Apparently, these "sanctions" are so powerful that the Russian banks are still in no hurry to withdraw from the country where "fascist thugs" are raging and the "bloody Junta" is at the helm.

However, Poroshenko believes that Russian banks continue to cut their presence in Ukraine and are in parallel negotiating with buyers. "Therefore, their withdrawal from the local market is only a matter of time," the head of state stated at the latest meeting of the National Security and Defense Council.

Smolii's non-appointment and a promised billion from the EU

Perhaps the attitude toward Russian banks would change with the arrival of a new head of the NBU. After all, the country's central bank has been beheaded since May. Yakiv Smolii has been an acting governor ever since. For a long time, the president could not decide on a candidate for the vacant post due to reasons unclear. In the end, he put his bet on Smolii. On Thursday, March 1, the Rada even had to hold a successful vote on his candidacy, because two major factions - the pro-presidential BPP and Popular Front both expressed support for him earlier.

But at the last minute in the People's Front faction became afraid that the BPP would deceive them, and demanded a batch vote - together with the motion on the new head of the National Bank, to vote for a new candidate for the post of ombudsman and change the composition of the Central Election Commission and the Accounting Chamber.

Bargaining continued, even though early this week, the G7 ambassadors urged the Ukrainian parliament to elect the new chairman of the National Bank without delay.

The failure to hold such vote saw a negative reaction on the part of foreign experts.

"Rada delays vote on new NBU Governor until mid-March. What a total joke. This damages the credibility of the NBU and the country. What country in the world has not had a central bank Governor for a year?" British economist Timothy Ash wrote on Twitter. By the way, he assigned a certain share of responsibility to President Poroshenko, urging him "to realise that the NBU is an important institution and not on the same level as the finance department of his chocolate factory". This is a very important remark because the emergence of a new head of the NBU has long been demanded by Ukraine's key creditor of Ukraine, the IMF. The latter has repeatedly stressed that without the full leadership of the NBU there will be no cooperation, and without the cooperation with the IMF, the remaining creditors - the World Bank and European Union - will not be able to help,

For example, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli said last week that the European Commission was ready to provide Ukraine with new EUR 1 billion macro-financial assistance but this program can be approved if the country renews cooperation with the International Monetary Fund.

It is very important that for the allocation of macro-financial assistance the EU must have either a letter from the IMF or an existing program with the IMF. As soon as Ukraine receives the next tranche of the IMF, this will be a motivating signal for the bloc, according to Deputy Head of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement and Neighborhood Affairs Ekaterina Maternova who spoke at an investment conference in Kyiv March 1.

Dmytro Sydorov

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterNaftogaz says it easy to achieve arrest of Russian gas supplied to EU

On March 1, Gazprom refused to supply gas to Ukraine in March 2018, having returned to Naftogaz a corresponding prepayment.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+EnterGazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said on Saturday the group had started a procedure at the same court to make the terminations.

Russia's gas giant Gazprom said on Saturday it had started moves to terminate gas supply contracts with Ukraine's Naftogaz, though Kyiv said there had so far been no impact on supplies through its pipelines to Europe.

Gazprom's announcement marked an escalation in a long-running dispute between Moscow and Kyiv, which has left Ukraine struggling to stay warm and which the EU said could threaten gas flows across the continent, according to Reuters.

The Russian group said on Friday it intended to terminate the contracts after a Stockholm arbitration court ordered it this week to pay more than $2.5 billion to Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz.

Read alsoRussia's Gazprom announces termination of all contracts with Ukraine

Gazprom deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said on Saturday the group had started a procedure at the same court to make the terminations  though he was sure different arbitrators would handle the new case.

"We have started the procedure of terminating contracts with Ukraine's Naftogaz," Medvedev said.

Ukraine's state-owned gas pipeline operator Ukrtransgaz said on Saturday it had to take additional measures to ensure gas transit to European customers.

Ukrtransgaz spokesman Ihor Kravchyshyn said it had faced"a critical situation" as Russia had kept pressure at the point connecting to the Ukrainian pipeline system at a low level  at least 20 percent below that required by transit contracts.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Saturday Ukraine saw an increase in gas supplies from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, which has fully offset the impact from Gazprom's decision.

Gazprom had intended to resume gas supplies to Ukraine from March for the first time since late 2015 when Kyiv started buying gas from Europe to try to cut its energy dependence on Moscow. But the Russian group canceled that plan on Friday.Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have held Iran to account for flagrant violations of Security Council resolutions.

The Security Councils Yemen Panel of Experts report laid out in devastating detail the evidence that Iran has violated the Yemen arms embargo established by the Security Council in 2015 in Resolution 2216.

Ambassador Kelley Currie is U.S. Representative for Economic and Social Affairs to the United Nations. She said, Iran failed to prevent the transfer of ballistic missiles, related military equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicle technology to the Houthi militants.

This was confirmed when the ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis that struck near civilian areas in Saudi Arabia were found to be of Iranian origin. As the U.S. intelligence community has long known, Iranian weapons are getting into the hands of Yemeni militias, and these militias are using them to target the capitals of Yemens neighbors, said Ambassador Currie.

A UK drafted security council resolution called out Iran for giving the Houthis the tools to threaten Yemens neighbors and to threaten freedom of navigation through the Red Sea. But this common sense attempt to hold Iran accountable has failed, said Ambassador Currie. And now the potential exists for this local conflict [to turn] into a broader regional one.

Even though this vote was a deep disappointment, this is far from the end of the road to accountability for Iran, warned Ambassador Currie. Across the region, Iran is entrenching itself. We see this in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. It is flouting its obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions as we speak. And it is making the world a more dangerous place.

We will not hesitate to continue to make the world aware of Irans misdeeds, declared Ambassador Currie. And we will not stop until Tehran is stopped and peace is once more possible for the people of the Middle East.Marching through streets of Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, thousands of workers on Saturday, March 3, called for the immediate release of their fellow workers.

More than ten workers were reportedly detained at their homes by security agents overnight on Thursday and put in Ahvaz central prison.

The reason behind their detention has not yet been announced, while judiciary and police officials have kept their silence on the case.

The workers were detained after the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused foreign enemies of stoking discord among Iranian workers.

The enemy, as a rule, is a word used by the Islamic Republics authorities to describe the United States or Israel.

Furthermore, Khamenei in his speech made on February 5, but published three weeks later said, One of the major activities of our enemies has been to create economic recession and obstacles in our factories and among our labor groups -- particularly the big ones -- so they can provoke the workers."

Meanwhile, Irans Free Trade Union has disclosed a directive issued by the factorys managers accusing a small number of workers of the National Iranian Steel Industrial Group of "hampering the production and jihad work of their colleagues.

Nevertheless, thousands of workers who have not been paid for months, marched through streets of Ahvaz, chanting slogans, including The imprisoned workers must be released, Beware, police officers! We are workers not hooligans, We are workers, we need bread, medical treatment and medicine and We stand firm; we will die, but we will achieve our rights.

Protesting their comrades detention, the workers also chanted, Thieves are outside, laborers are behind bars.

However, the private owner of the industrial complex, Iranian tycoon, Abdolreza Mousavi has regretted on his Instagram page that several of the workers were detained.

In the meantime, Mousavi has insisted, several malicious individuals are fomenting unrest among the Ahvaz workers.

The workers have not been paid for the past three months, and say they hold the former owner of the industrial complex, the National Bank of Iran, responsible for the livelihood crisis imposed on laborers, the Iran Free Trade Union reported.

The protesters had earlier called for the dismissal of the current owner of the complex, Mousavi, and the resignation of regional Governor-General Gholamreza Shariati.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 110 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 3.

Armenias armed forces were using heavy machine guns.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

Trend:

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will send an observation mission to the presidential elections in Azerbaijan, said the organization.

Following an official invitation to observe the presidential election in the Republic of Azerbaijan, scheduled for April 11, based on the findings and conclusions of the Needs Assessment Mission, ODIHR is preparing to deploy an Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the election, said the ODIHR statement.

In this respect, ODIHR is currently looking for external consultants to fill the following positions:

Head of Mission

Deputy Head of Mission

Political Analyst

Election Analyst

Legal Analyst

Media Analyst

Coordinator of Long-Term Observers

ODIHR recommended to send 280 people to Azerbaijan to observe the election process on the voting day (short-term observers) as well as 30 long-term observers.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev March 3.

"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the national holiday of Bulgaria," President Aliyev said in his congratulatory letter.

The president said the traditionally friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria and cooperation will continue to develop and expand in accordance with the interests of the two peoples.

"On this remarkable day, I extend my best regards to you, and wish the friendly people of Bulgaria lasting peace and prosperity," added President Aliyev.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

Trend:

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has expressed condolences to Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in connection with a fire in Bakus Drug Abuse Treatment Center, which led to human casualties, the press-service of the Uzbek president said in a message March 3.

"We were deeply saddened by the news of death of many Azerbaijani citizens in a fire in Bakus Drug Abuse Treatment Center," the message reads.

I extend my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, wishes for the speedy recovery of all the injured, the message said.

The strong fire broke out at 06:10 (UTC+4) on March 2 in a one-story building of Azerbaijans Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center in Baku.

Twenty-five people died as a result of fire, says a joint statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Health Ministry of Azerbaijan.

The statement says that it was managed to save 30 people of 55 who were in the building of the center during the fire.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

Trend:

The Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Houston rendered financial aid for the restoration of the largest religious temple in Houston-Congregation Beth Yeshurun synanogue, which was damaged in 2017 as a result of Hurricane Harvey, the Azerbaijan-Israel International Association (AZIZ) reported.

"This was another action demonstrating the centuries-old traditions of Azerbaijans tolerance, as well as friendship and mutual assistance of Jews and Azerbaijanis, beyond Azerbaijan," the message said.

Expressing gratitude for the financial aid, Rabbi David Rosen praised the rich multiculturalism traditions of Azerbaijan, which has no anti-Semitism, and thanked Azerbaijan for being a close partner of the US and Israel.

Advisor at Azerbaijans Embassy in US Vugar Gurbanov noted that the Jewish community is an integral part of the Azerbaijani society, and that both nations support each other in both difficult and happy times.

Lev Spivak, director general of the Israel-Azerbaijan International Association, spoke about the tolerance and multiculturalism traditions in Azerbaijan and the efforts made to strengthen Israel-Azerbaijan friendship.

According to Aziz News, the English version of "Black Snowdrops" book by Efim Abramov and Leyla Begim, timed to the event of the memory of the victims of the Khojaly tragedy February 26 was also presented at the Houston State University.

The event was organized by the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Houston jointly with AZIZ within the Justice for Khojaly project.

In his turn, Spivak spoke about the centuries-old friendship between the Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples.

"The Jewish people are aware about the pain of loss and genocide, he added. During these sad days, we are in solidarity with Azerbaijanis."

In his turn, Gurbanov spoke about the causes of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the terrible night in Khojaly town.

It was massacre, cold-blooded killing of innocent civilians - women, old people and children, he said.

Poetess and playwright Leyla Begim told the guests about the history of the creation of the story, translated into three languages and published in several countries.

She added that the story touched the hearts of thousands of readers of different nationalities. The human pain, described in the story, is understandable to everybody. This proves once again that only literature and art, mutual understanding and tolerance are able to truly bring peoples together.

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.

On Feb. 25-26, 1992, the Armenian armed forces, together with the 366th infantry regiment of Soviet troops, stationed in Khankendi, committed an act of genocide against the population of the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly. As many as 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old people were killed in the massacre. Eight families were totally exterminated, 130 children lost one parent and 25 children lost both. Some 1,275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people still remains unknown.

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, March 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The number of Iranian citizens visiting Turkey increased by 52,660 in January 2018, according to a report of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey.

The report says that 154,296 Iranians visited Turkey in the period.

According to the report, Iranian citizens accounted for 10.56 percent of the total number of foreigners visiting Turkey in January 2018.

Iranian citizens ranked first in terms of visits to Turkey in January 2018, according to the ministry.

In total, 1.4 million foreigners visited Turkey in January 2018, says the report.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluAshgabat, Turkmenistan, March 3

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend

The revenues of Turkmenistans state budget amounted to 2 billion manats, while the expenditures  1.9 billion manats in January-February 2018, the Turkmen government said in a message March 3.

"Salaries, pensions, state benefits and student scholarships have been fully financed," the message says.

Moreover, 63 social facilities, 31 wastewater treatment facilities, 416,900 square meters of housing, as well as various engineering systems are being built in the districts. The total amount of used capital investments made up 172.6 million manats.

The official exchange rate of the Turkmen manat against US dollar has remained unchanged since January 2015 ($1 = 3.5 Turkmen manats).

The revenue part of the state budget has been formed, mainly, through oil and gas, chemical, power engineering and construction sectors. Agro-industrial complex, transport sector, communication sector, textile industry and food industry will further develop.

Turkmenistan holds one of the key positions in the supply of natural gas in the region, which is exported to China and Iran.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Japan increased by 17 percent in 2017, while Kazakhstans trade turnover with Asian countries, in the same period, increased by 34.9 percent.

Japan's share of Kazakhstan's total commodity turnover, despite the growth in volumes, declined from 1.8 to 1.7 percent, Energy Prom reported.

The growth of trade with Japan is mainly due to strengthening of Kazakhstan's exports to Japan, which increased by 58.6 percent in 2017.

Kazakhstans import of Japanese products, in contrary, decreased by 25.1 percent.

The key export commodities of Kazakhstan to the Japanese market in 2017 included ferro-alloys (worth $534.3 million), oil and oil products (worth $339.4 million), which accounted for 98.6 percent of Kazakh exports to Japan.

Kazakhstan mainly imports products of the Japanese automotive industry and special machinery, including cars (worth $164.4 million), bulldozers, graders and other special vehicles (worth $47.3 million), medical devices (worth $19.6 million), trucks (worth $12.1 million), as well as tires (worth $11.7 million).Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

The agreement between Uzbekistan and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on its activities in Uzbekistan has entered into force, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a message.

In October 2017, the EIB and Uzbekistan signed a framework agreement in Washington that defines the legal framework for the bank's activities in the country. The bank will officially be able to support public and private sector projects in such areas as infrastructure, energy and energy efficiency, and small business development.

After the agreement was signed, an EIB expert group started work on a program of actions and other preparatory work for entering the Uzbek market with its credit resources.

According to EU officials, the EIB's entering the country, which remains a strategically important partner of the European Union in Central Asia, will be a positive aspect for relations between Europe and Uzbekistan.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

The European Commission will support the development of alternative energy in Azerbaijan, the countrys media reported March 3.

For those purposes, in particular, a part of a grant will be allocated for energy reform support program. The corresponding change in the grant agreement was approved by the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.

Initially, the funds were planned to be allocated to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Finance for a project to support the improvement of public financial management.

According to the change, one million euros will be allocated to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Energy. The project includes the measures to rationally manage energy resources, improve the corresponding infrastructure and increase the share of alternative and renewable energy sources in the country's overall energy system.

The total amount of the grant of the European Commission is 13 million euros. It was allocated to Azerbaijan in 2009.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

Etihad Airways may expand flight routes to Azerbaijan by launching new flights to the countrys Gabala and Nakhchivan cities, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA) Nahid Baghirov told Trend March 3.

According to the agreement between the national airlines of Azerbaijan and UAE  Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) and Etihad Airways  the Abu Dhabi-Baku-Abu Dhabi joint flights have been launched for the first time. The flights will be operated on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays via Airbus A320 aircraft.

A special delegation, consisting of Etihad Airways management, diplomats, media representatives, flew from Abu Dhabi via the first EY297 flight on March 2.

The launch of the flight will positively affect the flow of tourists from the UAE and neighboring Arab countries, Baghirov said.

"Residents of many Arab countries prefer to use the services of more prestigious airlines, rather than low-cost ones, he said. Etihad Airways is a prestigious airline. I think Azerbaijans tourism sector will be able to benefit from the new flights. I think that after Ramadan holiday, we may have daily Abu-Dhabi-Baku-Abu Dhabi flights."

Etihad Airways, established in 2003, is a flag carrier of the UAE headquartered in Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways transported 18.6 million passengers in 2017.The Government of Hungary has decided to increase quota of scholarships for Kyrgyzstan from 25 to 75 seats - starting from September 1, 2018. Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Foreign Affairs of Hungary Peter Szijjarto said this at a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Erlan Abdyldaev in Budapest, Kabar reports.

Earlier, Hungarian Minister of Education Laszlo Palkovics told about an increase in quota from 25 to 50 seats.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that in view of the high level of bilateral cooperation between Bishkek and Budapest, the Hungarian side decided to increase the quota to 75 seats.

Separately, the sides expressed readiness for further strengthening of bilateral relations discussed a wide range of issues on international agenda, underlined the proximity of positions on main issues of global agenda and expressed desire to develop cooperation between the two countries within international organizations and forums.

In the course of the conversation alongside with bilateral talks, key issues of regional cooperation between Central Asia and the Visegrad Group were discussed, as well as cooperation within multilateral organizations.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

Trend:

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have concluded negotiations during which the sides reached full mutual understanding on issues of demarcation and delimitation of disputable sections of their state borders, Tajik Telegraph Agency TajikTA reported March 3.

"The meetings of working groups of government delegations of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Republic of Tajikistan were held in Tashkent from Feb. 24 to March 1, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said in a message. During the meetings, the negotiations on delimitation and demarcation of the state border were held in a constructive atmosphere and in the spirit of friendship and mutual understanding."

The working groups prepared annexes to the draft agreement between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on certain sections of the border to implement the protocol of the Tajik-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission for Delimitation and Demarcation of Borders, signed Feb. 24 in Uzbekistans Ferghana.

The agreement is planned to be signed during the visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tajikistan on March 9-10. According to the sources in the government of Tajikistan, the visit puts an end to the disputed border issues between the two neighboring countries.

A preliminary agreement on the most contentious border issues, in particular, the Farkhad hydropower station, was reached at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Delimitation and Demarcation of Borders in Dushanbe on Jan. 10.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 3

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend

Ishanguly Amanlyev has been appointed Turkmenistan's extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Morocco in accordance with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs decree.

The diplomat will also continue to lead the diplomatic mission in Turkey.

In a letter to President Berdimuhamedov, in October 2017, King of Morocco Mohammed VI expressed confidence that the existing relations of brotherhood and mutual respect between Morocco and Turkmenistan will continue to strengthen and develop on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation in the interests of the two peoples.

Stressing the important role of cooperation with African states earlier, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry expressed its commitment to development of relations with the African Union.

The African Union, established on July 9, 2002, is an international intergovernmental organization uniting 55 African states.Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, March 3

By Huseyn Hasanov - Trend

The representatives of the Turkmen State Migration Service met with Ukrainian Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Valentin Shevalev, the Turkmen State Migration Service said in a message March 3.

According to the message, the sides exchanged views on the prospects for partnership of countries in the field of migration.

The sides expressed confidence that cooperation between the two countries will continue to develop dynamically, the message said.

Turkmenistan is an important trade and economic partner of Ukraine in Central Asia, said a message posted on the website of the Ukrainian embassy in Ashgabat.

Ukrainian business entities are involved in the construction of large-scale infrastructure facilities, complex engineering communications, oil and gas, industrial and transport facilities in Turkmenistan, export various products to Turkmenistan and render services.

Ukraine exports railway cars, agro-industrial products, electrical machines, chemicals, pharmaceutical and woodworking products to Turkmenistan.

The oil refining products, wool, cotton, textiles are mainly imported from Turkmenistan to Ukraine.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Gazenfer Hamidov  Trend:

About 18 percent of Irans non-oil export is sent to Iraqi market, according to the Islamic Republics commercial attache to Iraq, Nasser Behzad.

Iran exported $5.5 billion worth of goods to Iraq during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year (started March 20), Behzad said, the press office of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran reported.

The volume of Irans exports to Iraq amounted to 12 million tons, Behzad added.

He further said that some 66 percent of Irans overall non-oil exports is destined to China, Iraq, the UAE, South Korea and Afghanistan, with half of that to Iraq and China.

The average price for each ton of Iran's non-oil exports to Iraq in the 11-month period was around $460, which is 1.2 times more than the average price of Irans exported goods, Behzad said.

Iran was the third biggest trading partner of Iraq in 2016.

Turkey, with a 22 percent share in Iraqs foreign trade, is Baghdads top trade partner followed by China with a 20 percent and Iran with a 16 percent share.

Food exports constituted 19 percent of Irans non-oil exports to Iraq in the past three years followed by agro-products (15 percent), chemical products (15 percent), energy products (11 percent), construction materials (10 percent), machinery and vehicles (5 percent), home appliances (4 percent) and textiles (3 percent), according to Iranian officials.Tehran, Iran, March 3

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad  Trend:

Two senior Iranian oil officials have said that talks are underway with neighboring Azerbaijan to widen cooperation.

We are currently in talks with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to expand cooperation in the field of gas and oil, Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs Amir Hossein Zamaninia told Trend on Saturday on the sidelines of the 2nd Iran International Exploration & Production Congress & Exhibition (Iran E&P 2018) in Tehran.

In the meantime, Deputy Head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for Engineering and Development Affairs, Gholamreza Manouchehri, has said the talks with Azerbaijans SOCAR for deepening cooperation are underway.

However, the officials both refused to provide further details on the current situation of discussions.

According to earlier reports, officials from Iran and Azerbaijan over the past months have discussed the exploration and development of Caspian Sea oil and gas fields.

Caspian region, as one of the oldest oil-producing areas in the world, holds an estimated 48 billion barrels of oil and more than 8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas in proven and probable reserves.

NIOC chief Ali Kardor earlier pointed out that Tehran is interested in collaboration with foreign majors to develop offshore oil and gas fields in the Caspian Sea, an increasingly important source of global energy production.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Gazenfer Hamidov  Trend:

Iran exported over $163,410 worth of dairy products to Russia through the Astara border checkpoint, Bahram Pourzarb, head of Astara Veterinary Bureau, said.

The cargo, including 32,682 kilograms of cream and cheese, was sent to Russia Feb. 28, Pourzarb said, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The cargo was shipped from Irans northern Mazandaran province, he added.

The official further said that during the current fiscal year (started March 2017) over 669 tons of cream cheese, 1,740 kilograms of cream, 143 tons of trout, and 143 tons of powdered milk were exported to Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Iran exported $2,274.1 million worth of agricultural and food products in the first half of the current fiscal year (started March 2017), 3 percent less year-on-year.

Over $52.4 million worth of food products were exported to Russia in the period.

Astara is on Irans border with Azerbaijan and is the countrys door to Central Asia and the Caucasus.Tehran, Iran, March. 3

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad  Trend:

The 2nd Iran International Exploration & Production Congress & Exhibition (Iran E&P 2018) has been held in Tehran.

The two-day event which brings together state officials, public and private decision makers and dependent industry managers of Iran, seeks to introduce new models for cooperation with the country in the upstream sector of the industry.

Iran E&P 2018 in the meantime is discussing the latest developments regarding the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) model and also the necessity of luring private sector into the business.

Deputy Head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) for Engineering and Development Affairs, Gholamreza Manouchehri, told the inaugural ceremony that the volume of the proven oil reserves of the country has increased by ten percent.

He added that the ministry seeks to involve banks and financial funds as well as small-size investors in the development of the industry.

Following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal), the Islamic Republic, freed from crippling sanctions, has sought to develop the countrys oil and gas fields.

Tehran, immediately after removing the countrys oil sanctions in 2016, introduced the Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC) in a move to replace the old buyback model.

Irans overall crude output has reached about 3.8 million barrels per day and the country currently exports about 2.6 million barrels of crude and condensate.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

"History of modern Turkey is divided into two periods: "old weak Turkey" - before the Justice and Development Party came to power and "new strong Turkey" - after the Justice and Development Party came to power", according to the Turkish political circles.

Exploring Turkeys political and economic development after the Justice and Development Party came to power, one can see that despite all the political and internal unrest, many reforms were carried out for the development of the country.

The defense industry is one of the indicators of the power of any country. Of course, realizing that, the Turkish authorities began to actively develop the defense industry. Moreover, Turkey got rid of the dependence on imports of armaments as a result of the refusal of a number of EU countries and the US to sell weapons to that country.

Turkey has recently invested about $35 billion in the defense industry, while the export of defense products of the country has recently reached $2.5 billion.

According to the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, in January-February 2018, exports of defense products increased by 16.6 percent and amounted to $258.9 million compared to the same period of 2017.

In January-February 2018, the products of the Turkish defense industry worth $20.3 million were exported to Oman. The defense industry products worth $10.5 million were exported to the UK, products worth $9.4 million  to India, products worth $8.2 million  to China, products worth $7.9 million - to Qatar, products worth $6.4 million - to Italy, products worth $5.2 million - to Azerbaijan. The rest volume of the exported defense products worth $191 million accounted for the share of other countries.

The Operation Olive Branch, which is being carried out by Turkey in Syrias Afrin district against terrorists of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), has given the country an opportunity to demonstrate its military might.

The Turkish armed forces use the so-called Alpagu kamikaze drones, long-range howitzer Frtna (Storm), Kirpi and Cobra armored vehicles, ATAK helicopters, Kasirga missiles that can hit targets at a distance of 100 kilometers. These are domestically produced weapons.

Amid the military operations in Afrin in early February, Turkish Minister of National Defense Nurettin Canikli announced the successful testing of HISAR air defense missile systems.

In February 2018, the Turkish Nurol Makina military company announced that it is developing technology for the Ejder Yalcin 4x4 armored combat vehicles that do not require the crew.

Turkey completed the development of an engine for ANKA domestic unmanned aerial vehicles, UKTK anti-tank system in February. During the same period, Turkey launched the construction of the Murat Reis third submarine.

Presently, Turkey is working to improve the development within such projects as Samur, Ejder Yalcin 4x4 armored combat vehicles, Cobra II armored tactical vehicle, Kirpi, ALTAY tanks.

Such projects as "MILGEM" (construction of ships), LHD (construction of a multipurpose amphibious assault ship), "LST" (construction of an amphibious ship) "MOSHIP" (construction of Submarine Rescue Mother Ship) are also being improved and developed.

Of course, after the transition of the country's defense industry under the presidential administration, Turkey will more develop this sphere, which is one of the priorities for the president.

--

Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizogluThe Czech Development Agency will help Georgia develop management capabilities for chemical waste and create proper legislation, announces Georgias Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Agenda reports.

The Ministry and the Agency have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) within the "Strengthening of Sustainable Management Capabilities of Georgias Chemical Waste project.

"Within the project the Czech Development Agency will help Georgia develop management capabilities of chemical waste and create the proper legislation. This will facilitate the harmonisation of Georgian legislation with the European Unions legislation, said Georgias Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Levan Davitashvili.

On the other hand, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Georgia Tomas Pernicky said he was welcoming the initiative of creating legislation in the field of chemical waste.

"I am glad that within the memorandum we will be able to share our experiences with Georgia in sustainable management of chemical waste, which is an important factor for environmental protection. I also welcome the initiative of creating legislation in the field of chemical waste and our involvement in this process, said Pernicky.Israels unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest in nearly 50 years, JNS with reference to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The bureau released figures for January, showing unemployment at 3.7 percent, compared to 4 percent in the previous month of December 2017. The unemployment rate in January was also lower than the annual average in 2017, which stood at 4.2 percent.

The last time unemployment was this low was in the early 1970s, before the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when it stood at 3.4 percent.

The CBS said that in January, for the first time since the 1970s, the number of people classified as unemployed dropped below 150,000, to 148,000.

Israels labor-force participation rate stands at 3.86 million, and for the first time includes more women than men: 1.840 million women compared to 1.82 million men.

The rate of employment for people ages 25 to 64 was 80 percent (68 percent for women and 87 percent for men). Unemployment levels for men in that age range dropped to 3.5 percent (compared with 3.8 percent in December 2017), and for women in that age group fell to 3.9 percent (compared with 4.2 percent in December 2017).

Economy and Industry Minister Eli Cohen lauded the figures, saying they underscore the Israeli governments successful economic stewardship and its praiseworthy efforts to boost Israels peripheral communities.

The CBS figures are proof that we are pursuing correct, responsible and wise economic policies, he said.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday strongly condemned an attacks on army headquarters and the French Embassy in Burkina Faso, his spokesman said, Xinhua reported.

Guterres is closely following the news and is concerned over the reported casualties and injuries, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Islamic extremists opened fire on the French Embassy and army headquarters in separate attacks in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on Friday, killing at least seven soldiers.

The UN chief spoke briefly by phone with the president of Burkina Faso, Dujarric told a daily press briefing. "We are in contact with the authorities, to whom we have expressed our solidarity."

He said the secretary-general has asked Special Representative of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, to travel to Burkina Faso as soon as possible to personally express the United Nations' solidarity to the government and people of Burkina Faso.US State Department said Friday that the United States and Colombia had held a bilateral high-level dialogue in the South American nation, reaching agreements of cooperation with the focus on counter-narcotics campaign, Xinhua reports.

Colombian Foreign and Defense Ministers, Maria Angela Holguin and Luis Carlos Villegas Echeverri, hosted the one-day dialogue in Bogota. The US delegation was led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon and Deputy National Security Advisor Ricky Waddell.

Among the major outcomes from the dialogue, the two nations pledged to expand counter-narcotics cooperation over the next five years, so as to achieve a sustained reduction in illegal narcotics trafficking.

This effort included the implementation of a whole-of-government counter-narcotics strategy that aimed to reduce Colombia's estimated cocaine production and coca cultivation to 50 percent of current levels by 2023.

The two nations also issued commitments to implement a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the commercial growth of the cacao sector and other legal economies in Colombia.

The two sided signed the Memorandum of Understanding to combat illegal gold mining that damages the environment, harms human health and funds transnational criminal organizations.

Washington and Columbia were also committed to humanitarian demining efforts in conflict-affected regions to support civilian and military deminers, the national mine action authority, mine risk education and victims' assistance projects, as well as the monitoring and verification program to ensure land is cleared to international and national standards.

In the dialogue, interagency experts from both countries discussed a range of issues, including energy, social and economic opportunities, environmental protection and education.

The meeting helped reinforce the "bilateral commitment to increase stability and prosperity" of both countries, according to a State Department statement.Sudan will send its ambassador back to neighboring Egypt on Monday, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said, two months after withdrawing him amid heightened tensions, Reuters reports.

Khartoum has not explained why it recalled Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim early in January. But disputes over the ownership of the Halayeb Triangle border area and Egyptian suspicion of a Sudan-Turkey naval agreement have strained ties.

Relations between our people and our countries are historic and maintaining them is a responsibility. Setting them on the right path is a duty, Ghandour told Reuters on Saturday.

A committee including the foreign ministers and heads of intelligence from both countries met in Cairo last month in an attempt to cool tensions.

Sudan has accused Cairo of political meddling and banned imports of Egyptian agricultural products last year.Toronto police's homicide unit is investigating after a fatal shooting in North York late Friday night, CBC reports.

Emergency crews were called to the area of Jane Street and Shoreham Drive at about 11:53 p.m., where they discovered a man without vital signs, according to police.

The victim was rushed to the nearest trauma centre, however he was pronounced dead shortly after 12:30 p.m.

The victim is believed to be in his 40s, paramedics told CBC Toronto.

A person was seen fleeing the area of the shooting in a vehicle of unknown make and model, police said, however no other details were immediately available.

Homicide investigators were still on scene as daylight broke Saturday

police's homicide unit is investigating after a fatal shooting in North York late Friday night.

Emergency crews were called to the area of Jane Street and Shoreham Drive at about 11:53 p.m., where they discovered a man without vital signs, according to police.

The victim was rushed to the nearest trauma centre, however he was pronounced dead shortly after 12:30 p.m.

The victim is believed to be in his 40s, paramedics told CBC Toronto.

A person was seen fleeing the area of the shooting in a vehicle of unknown make and model, police said, however no other details were immediately available.

Homicide investigators were still on scene as daylight broke Saturday.Nusrat Islam wal-Muslimin group, affiliated with Al-Qaeda terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in the capital of Burkina Faso, Sputnik International reported on Saturday.

The attacks took place in Ouagadougou on Friday, targeting the French Embassy and military headquarters.

The group said the attack was a response to a killing of one of its leaders by the French military, Al Akhbar news agency reported.

According to the country's officials, the attacks claimed eights lives, 80 people were injured. The French Interior Ministry said no French citizens were among the victims.

According to the eyewitnesses, five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading toward the embassy, while an explosion went off near the General Staff's headquarters.Baku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

EU remains vulnerable without Turkey, the Turkish media quoted Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying March 3.

Cavusoglu added that the opinions that Turkey will become a burden to the EU are false.

Today, Turkey's economy is much stronger than the economy of a number of EU member states, he added.

Turkey has fulfilled all 72 commitments for the EU accession, the Turkish Ministry for EU Affairs said earlier.

An association agreement between the EU and Turkey was signed in 1963. Ankara filed an application for membership in the EU in 1987, but accession negotiations were launched in 2005.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Since the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch, 2,434 terrorists have been killed in Syrias Afrin, the Turkish General Staff said in a message March 3.

In particular, 139 members of Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organizations have been recently killed in Afrin.

A total of 118 settlements were liberated from terrorists as part of the Operation Olive Branch.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

F-16 fighters of the Turkish Air Force are involved in the operation, inflicting strikes on the positions of PYD/YPG on the Syrian-Turkish border.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluBaku, Azerbaijan, March 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkish Armed Forces established control over strategically important Rajo settlement in Syrias Afrin district, the Turkish media reported citing a military source March 3.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

F-16 fighters of the Turkish Air Force are involved in the operation, inflicting strikes on the positions of PYD/YPG on the Syrian-Turkish border.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizogluDavis Jr., 19, shot and killed his mother and father in the dorm on the northwestern edge of campus at a Michigan college Friday morning, authorities said, leading to an hours-long manhunt that ended with his arrest early Saturday.

It was the nations 12th school shooting this year.

Its not immediately clear what led to the shooting or why the parents, James Eric Davis Sr., 48, and Diva Jeenen Davis, 47, were on campus in Mount Pleasant, a roughly four-hour drive from their Chicago-area home.

But authorities said the student had an encounter with police hours earlier  on Thursday evening when he was taken to a hospital for what officers believed was a bad reaction to drugs, campus police Lt. Larry Klaus said.

And the parents may have been intending to pick up their son for spring break, said Andre Harvey, mayor of the Chicago suburb of Bellwood, where the elder Davis was a part-time officer.

The family is in shock and trying to piece everything together, a relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN.KYODO NEWS - Mar 3, 2018 - 02:05 | All, World

Japan plans to invite Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for a formal visit coinciding with a trilateral summit with South Korea in May, indicating Tokyo's eagerness to improve ties with Beijing, Japanese government sources said Friday.

However the invitation to South Korean President Moon Jae In for the summit will likely be for an unofficial visit, possibly reflecting the chill in relations caused by a rekindled dispute over the so-called "comfort women."

It is Japan's turn to host the summit, and Japan has suggested to China and South Korea that the long-delayed trilateral summit take place in May, the sources said.

And as years of tension between Japan and China begin to give way to a thaw, extending an invitation for a formal visit to Li is viewed as a step toward the goal of getting Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a state visit to Japan down the track.

The last Chinese leader to make an official visit to Japan was then Premier Wen Jiabao in May 2010.

Li is expected to be invited as an official working guest, a step down from a state guest or official guest, but he will likely have a meeting with Emperor Akihito included in his itinerary, according to the sources.

Although improving recently, bilateral ties between Japan and China have been strained in recent years, particularly over the Senkaku Islands, uninhabited islets in the East China Sea controlled by Japan but claimed by China.

China hardened its stance toward Japan after the Japanese government under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's predecessor Yoshihiko Noda purchased most of the islands, called Diaoyu in China, from a private Japanese owner in 2012.

(South Korean President Moon Jae In, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang)

According to the sources, the Japanese government hopes to have Li visit the country for three days including a formal summit and dinner with Abe.

A Foreign Ministry source said Tokyo has suggested to Beijing that Li also visit somewhere outside the capital to develop a deeper understanding of Japan.

Abe's national security adviser Shotaro Yachi may have brought up these plans in a meeting in Beijing last month with State Councilor Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat.

According to a source close to Japan-China relations, Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua has expressed anticipation over Li's visit, telling a senior member of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party late last month that a formal visit by Li "would hold great meaning for bilateral relations."

But the nature and duration of Li's stay in Japan is still not guaranteed. China has to first give the green light to the trilateral summit.

Japan's overtures toward Li are in sharp contrast to its plans for Moon.

Japan and South Korea are at odds over a 2015 agreement which the Abe administration says was meant to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the issue of the "comfort women" forced into Japan's wartime military brothels.

But the Moon administration argues that Japan needs to do more than stipulated by the 2015 agreement, which was negotiated under Moon's impeached predecessor Park Geun Hye.

The three countries have been rotating summit-hosting duties since 2008, although a chill between Japan and China over the Senkakus put a stop to the gatherings in 2013 and 2014.

After South Korea hosted a trilateral summit in 2015, Japan planned to do so in 2016 but dropped that plan in light of the political turmoil enveloping Park.By Naomi Pallas, KYODO NEWS - Mar 3, 2018 - 21:09 | All, Feature, World

Forty-one students from elementary and middle schools around Japan participated in the ninth Japan Times Bee on Saturday in Tokyo, with one spelling star advancing to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington this May.

This year's winner was 14-year-old Hanna Yoshida, an eighth-grader from the K. International School in Tokyo. After several heated rounds against runner-up Preksha Prashanth, 12, of the India International School in Japan in Yokohama, Hanna correctly spelled the words "execute" and then "insubordinate" to take the win at the annual spelling bee organized by The Japan Times.

"My teacher gave me a list of words I should study, so I tried to study the words I'm not really good at," a smiling Hanna said after the competition. "I'm not really good at German words, so I tried to practice those more," she said, adding that her favorite word happens to be "serendipity."

This year's judges were Shirayuri University Linguistics professor Ellen Kawaguchi, freelance writer Steve McLure, and manager of the Japan Times Life and Culture section, Elliot Samuels, while editor James Tschudy pronounced the words.

Saturday's contestants were between the ages of 9 and 14 and had each been victorious at their respective school bees. Their nerves were palpable when the event began at the Japan Times Nifco Hall, and there were some tears as participants returned to their families in the audience after misspelling a word.

When asked about advice for spelling bee hopefuls, Hanna told Kyodo News, "Maybe they could try and read more. I read a lot of novels."

(Hanna Yoshida (R) and Japan Times President Takeharu Tsutsumi)

]In addition to a T-shirt reading "I eat words for breakfast" that was awarded to all the contestants, Hanna received subscriptions to Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Merriam-Webster unabridged online, The Japan Times editorials from 2017, and a New York Times tote bag. The Japan Times will fly Hanna and her guardian to the United States for the D.C. bee at the end of May.

About the upcoming competition, Hanna said, "I feel really excited and a little worried, but I'll study a lot."(Adds details on market activity throughout; updates prices to close)

TORONTO, March 2 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index slipped to a two-week low on Friday, ending the week with a 1.6 percent decline, as the threat of a global trade war weighed on energy and industrial shares.

* The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended down 9.36 points, or 0.06 percent, at 15,384.59, its lowest close since Feb. 14.

* The energy group retreated 0.4 percent, with Suncor Energy down 2.1 percent at $40.85.

* U.S. crude oil settled 0.4 percent higher but posted its first weekly fall in three weeks on fears U.S. plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum could squeeze economic growth and jitters about rising U.S. crude production.

* U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled the tariffs on Thursday but did not make clear whether they would apply to Canada, which is the largest supplier of both steel and aluminum to the United States.

* Canada's economy could also be impacted by talks with the United States and Mexico to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement. Canada sends 75 percent of its exports to the United States.

* Shares of trade-sensitive auto parts and railroad companies added to Thursday's declines. Magna International Inc fell 1.6 percent to C$67.60 and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd retreated nearly 1 percent to C$224.75.

* The overall industrials group slipped 0.4 percent, while the financials group, which accounts for more than one-third of the weight of the TSX, declined 0.2 percent.

* The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, added 0.2 percent.

* Gold futures rose 1.2 percent to $1,318.9 an ounce, boosted by investor demand for safer investments.

* The largest percentage gainer on the TSX was Sleep Country , which rose 15.4 percent after it reported fourth-quarter results after the close on Thursday.

* The TSX posted 4 new 52-week highs and 12 new lows, while five of the index's 10 main groups ended lower. (Reporting by Fergal Smith Editing by Nick Zieminski and Diane Craft)General Electric (NYSE: GE) has been all over the news lately, with its dividend cut and financial worries front and center. Some analysts have even suggested that it's time to buy back into the stock, but with an uncertain future and a current yield of only about 3.3% -- assuming no further cuts -- there are better places for your money.

One place to consider is the oil and gas industry. Oil prices began to rise in 2017, even as GE's stock was falling, and now the industry is home to upbeat outlooks and healthy -- and safe -- dividends. If you're after an attractive yield without the drama, consider Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA), Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A)(NYSE: RDS-B), and Magellan Midstream Partners (NYSE: MMP).

A shattering Edison-style light bulb.

General Electric, once a stock market darling, has been hit by an underperformance trend of its own making. Time to look for other stocks to buy. Image source: Getty Images.

When the going gets tough

Like most independent oil and gas exploration and production companies, or E&Ps, Apache Corporation has had its fair share of drama over the past three years as oil prices slumped. However, even as the company's rivals were cutting or even eliminating their dividends, Apache held its quarterly dividend steady at $0.25/share. That means Apache is currently yielding a best-in-class 2.9%.

That's not to say the company is completely without risk. While it posted solid Q3 and Q4 2017 earnings, thanks to rising oil prices, the stock has languished due primarily to delays in getting production at Apache's huge new Alpine High play off the ground. But even when Alpine High production comes online in earnest -- which should happen this quarter -- it will take some time for production to take off. That means investors may need to bide their time with the dividend for the year.

Beyond 2018, Alpine High production is expected to grow by leaps and bounds, and the company has other operations in Egypt and the North Sea that are also expected to continue to grow. For investors who can afford the wait -- and the inherent risks of E&Ps, whose fates are often tied to oil prices -- Apache represents an excellent opportunity at a bargain-basement price.

Story continues

A solid giant

For those who prefer less-risky investments, there are plenty of big corporations in the oil and gas sector. One of the largest is Dutch behemoth Royal Dutch Shell, which not only has a huge market cap, but a huge dividend yield -- currently 5.8%.

Shell has done some things right that GE did wrong. Remember how GE made some investments that didn't pay off by beefing up its oil and gas holdings right before the bottom fell out of the oil market, and making the major acquisition of Alstom's power unit, which has since underperformed?

Well, Royal Dutch Shell made a big acquisition of its own in giant BG Group, but by snapping it up at a bargain price of "just" $53 billion during the oil price downturn, Shell gained critical exposure to the liquefied natural gas market -- which it expects will grow even faster than the oil market over the next decade. Unlike GE, Shell has been very successful at cutting costs to streamline its operations in a "new normal" environment of lower prices and demand for oil.

If you wanted a big company with a great dividend whose future looks rock solid, 30 years ago, you might have bought shares of GE. Today, you should feel comfortable buying Shell.

A mouth-watering yield

Even more so than oil majors, oil and gas pipeline master limited partnerships -- usually abbreviated to MLPs -- pay their investors hefty yields. But because of their unique tax structure, owning one can make filing your taxes more difficult. However, MLP Magellan Midstream Partners' current 5.6% yield may make the extra work worth it for a dividend investor.

Unlike GE's dividend, Magellan's payout is constantly growing. Its 2017 distributions were 8% higher than they were in 2016, and the company has increased its distribution every quarter since going public in 2001. And it doesn't seem to be at any risk of being unable to cover those distributions, with a 2017 coverage ratio of 1.2 times.

An excellent yield that's easily covered by a company with good prospects is a winning formula for continued outperformance.

Investor takeaway

As a GE shareholder myself, I'm very concerned about the company's current situation. And while I'm hopeful that things will get better at GE -- mostly because it looks like they can't get much worse -- I don't feel comfortable recommending the stock.

Instead, dividend-focused investors will be better off looking into Apache, Shell, and Magellan for more secure dividends at companies with clearer growth potential.

More From The Motley Fool

John Bromels owns shares of Apache and General Electric. The Motley Fool is short shares of General Electric. The Motley Fool recommends Magellan Midstream Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.gun control 4

Google Trends

 Gun control is a prominent political issue, especially in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, which claimed 17 lives.

 Google Trends maps show which states search more for "gun control" and which search more for "gun shops."

 In the past year, "gun shops" was a more popular search term in most states. After Stoneman Douglas, the trend has largely reversed.



In America, mass shootings are typically followed by a rush to purchase more guns.

In the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14, however, something surprising happened. Gun shares actually dropped.

Google Trends has collected data that may bolster that picture. The last week of February, searches for "gun control" beat out searches for "gun shops" in the majority of states (see map above). Kentucky and Tennessee were the only standouts where "gun shops" continued to dominate.

Those numbers stand in stark contrast to Google Trends' breakdown of search terms from the past year.

Over the past year, more people searched for "gun shops" than "gun control" in the majority of states. The only exceptions were Washington, California, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Iowa, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

This map shows the searches for "gun control" and "gun shop" over the past year:

gun control map 2

Google Trends

The annual data lines up with a trend that has emerged in the wake of many mass shootings. Gun stocks tend to rally when speculation about gun control sends some Americans scrambling to buy more firearms  especially models that seem at risk of being banned.

Google also found that many searches "focused around the AR15-type assault rifle, which has been used in a number of mass shooting incidents."

After the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012, the surge in gun purchases was followed by an increase in accidental gun deaths. Gun manufacturer shares also soared after the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017 claimed 59 lives.

Story continues

But the school shooting in Parkland, Florida on Valentines Day this year prompted retailers like Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart to change their gun sales policies  and for more Americans to turn their attention, or at least their search terms, to gun control.

Related Video:

Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View.



NOW WATCH: Henry Blodget: Will arming teachers with guns help stop school shootings?

See Also:

SEE ALSO: These 4 countries have nearly eliminated gun deaths  here's what the US can learnWhether or not virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa actually make our lives better is debatable to say the least. Is navigating the myriad of voice cues really faster or more convenient than just tapping on your smartphone screen a few times? Whichever side of the issue you fall on, its clear that AI is here to stay, so the European Space Agency is planning to embrace it with a fancy virtual assistant of its own, and its headed to the International Space Station this year.

The new AI is the product of a partnership between Airbus and IBM, and its called the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion. Thats not a terribly catchy name, so they just call it CIMON (pronounced Simon, I assume) for short, and itll be put through its paces by astronaut Alexander Gerst. The device and the digital personality that resides within it are designed to aid the ISS crew in various tasks, walking them through procedures and offering advice when needed.

Don't Miss: Amazon just acquired Ring, but this $60 video doorbell is just as good as Rings $200 model

Perhaps the most interesting way that CIMON differs from the AI assistants that were all familiar with is the fact that it actually has a face of sorts. Its wide screen features a smiling face to greet its handler, Gerst, and it can also recognize the astronaut by his face. Depending on how you feel about AI, thats either really cool, kind of creepy, or somewhere in between.

If this entire concept sounds familiar  and assuming youre not just thinking of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey  you might remember the animated AI named Gerty from the sci-fi cult hit Moon. Equipped with a display to relay its emotions, Gerty follows the main character around and helps keeps track of things and provide feedback on various actions.

With CIMON, crew members can do more than just work through a schematic view of prescribed checklists and procedures; they can also engage with their assistant, Airbus explains. In this way, CIMON makes work easier for the astronauts when carrying out every day routine tasks, helps to increase efficiency, facilitates mission success and improves security, as it can also serve as an early warning system for technical problems.

Story continues

CIMON is slated to launch to the International Space Station in June and will be tested for several months. If all goes well, its not a stretch to think that AI could become an integral part of future missions.

BGR Top Deals:

Trending Right Now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.comDelta CEO Ed Bastian on Friday sent a letter to the airlines employees, explaining the companys decision last week to end the discount it provided to National Rifle Association members in the wake of the Florida school shooting. The decision riled Republican lawmakers in Deltas home state of Georgia to the point that the state senate on Thursday approved a tax bill that did not include an expected tax break for airlines. Deltas headquarters are in Atlanta.

The tiff between the airline and the state government prompted speculation that Delta may relocate its HQ as Democratic leaders from other states appealed to the airline. But in his letter Friday, Bastian assured Delta workers that it plans to stay put. He also said Delta supports the 2nd Amendment but is committed to ending group discounts for politically divisive groups.

Ed Bastian reached out to employees after a tumultuous week.

Here is his letter in full:

This week, you have likely seen Delta in coverage of the national debate over gun control and security in U.S. schools. I want to take the opportunity to update you on how we got here and where we stand.

On Saturday, Delta rescinded a one-time group travel discount for the National Rifle Associations annual meeting, and asked the organization to remove our name and logo from their website. This decision followed the NRAs controversial statements after the recent school shootings in Florida. Our discounted travel benefit for NRA members could be seen as Delta implicitly endorsing the NRA. That is not the case.

I have heard from many of you over the last few days. Our people and our customers have a wide range of views on how to increase safety in our schools and public places, and we are not taking sides. Our objective in removing any implied affiliation with the NRA was to remove Delta from this debate.

While Deltas intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course. Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale. We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature.

Story continues

None of this changes the fact that our home is Atlanta and we are proud and honored to locate our headquarters here. And we are supporters of the 2nd Amendment, just as we embrace the entire Constitution of the United States.

I have tremendous respect and admiration for Governor Nathan Deal, and thank him for the work he has done on the jet fuel tax exemption. He is a great friend to Delta. I know this action by the state legislature troubled him as it does all of us.

I know it is not comfortable to be caught in a highly emotional debate, and many of you have received questions from customers. We are at our best when we bring our customers and our world closer together. Hopefully, our decisions this week will serve this ultimate cause.

I want to thank every one of you for your professionalism and continued focus on taking care of our customers every day.

EdIn an incredibly rapid yet somewhat overlooked shift, global trade volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) have doubled since 2005 -- and they're not done growing yet. Demand will continue to rise, and the countries lucky enough to be flush with natural gas reserves are racing to keep up with it.

The United States will boast 9.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of LNG export capacity by the end of 2019. That will make it the third-largest LNG exporter on the planet, right behind Australia and Qatar. While that alone is amazing, the U.S.'s overnight ascension up the global rankings is even more incredible: America had just 0.8 Bcf/d of export capacity at the start of 2016.

Judging by the supply growth in the U.S. and elsewhere, it seems the market will have plenty of LNG to go around. But an astonishing industry outlook published by Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A)(NYSE: RDS-B) sounded the alarm bells, concluding that the world soon won't have enough LNG production to meet demand. That flies in the face of what investors have been told over the years.

Is the world really headed for an LNG crunch?

Two ships sitting idle at port.

Image source: Getty Images.

Why Shell thinks an LNG shortage is possible

Countries around the globe have turned to LNG imports for various reasons -- sometimes to displace dirtier coal-fired power generation, sometimes to replace falling domestic production of natural gas, sometimes to lower geopolitical risk, and sometimes for all those reasons. Cheap and abundant natural gas reserves in Australia and the U.S. have made the global LNG boom possible, as have billions in investments planned years ago.

Royal Dutch Shell is a majority owner in a floating LNG (FLNG) facility hovering over the massive Prelude field in Australia, which is nearly 300 miles offshore. Meanwhile, Cheniere Energy (NYSEMKT: LNG), America's top LNG exporter, employs more traditional land-based liquefaction facilities along the Gulf Coast. The company actually embodies the national and global trends in the industry quite well.

Story continues

Cheniere made huge bets a decade ago on the potential opportunity in LNG exports. It will see most of its production capacity (nearly half of America's total) come online between 2017 and 2019, and then it plans to kick back and let cash flows accumulate. According to Shell, that last part is the problem facing the global industry.

The awesome growth in global LNG trade, which reached 293 million metric tons in 2017, has been made possible by hundreds of billions of dollars invested in supply expansion. From 2015 to 2019, the world will add roughly 150 million tons per year of production capacity, including over 40 million tons of annual capacity expansion both this year and next. But a strange thing happens after that: Planned capacity expansions fall to virtually zero in 2020 and beyond.

A Chinese city in the background with energy infrastructure in the foreground.

Image source: Getty Images.

What's the reason? Well, it's not because LNG consumption growth stops. To the contrary, Royal Dutch Shell expects global LNG demand to nearly double again by 2035. Instead, the global energy leader points to a stalemate between the needs of producers and buyers.

Buyers are increasingly seeking smaller and more flexible volumes in order to make LNG more competitive for an expanding list of downstream applications, ranging from industrial use to vehicle fuels. From 2011 to 2014, the average LNG supply contract had a length of over 12 years and volume of over 1.3 million tons per year. From 2015 to 2017, those metrics slipped to just seven years and 0.7 million metric tons per year.

The problem is that producers have come to rely on signing massive long-term contracts up front in order to secure the financing needed to construct export terminals. That's because export terminals are incredibly expensive to build, and financiers want revenue certainty before handing over money. Case in point: Cheniere Energy may be barreling its way toward 4.5 Bcf/d of export capacity, but it had $25.3 billion (and counting) in long-term debt at the end of 2017.

Luckily, the stalemate doesn't appear to be bad news for investors. In fact, investors stand to win almost no matter what.

An aerial view of an LNG tanker at port.

Image source: Getty Images.

A boon for business?

While investors have become accustomed to seeing Cheniere Energy announce supply agreements lasting 15 years or longer, that will become increasingly rare going forward. The good news: America's largest LNG exporter will be largely unaffected by the shifting market dynamics for the foreseeable future. That's because 85% of the company's capacity -- including most of the expansions coming online between now and the end of the decade -- is entered into long-term contracts.

Things could get interesting as existing contracts begin to expire closer to 2030, but that's a pretty long time away. The supply crunch Royal Dutch Shell is warning against is expected to become a problem in the early 2020s.

In fact, given the mismatch between supply and demand, it may make sense for Cheniere Energy to reserve a certain portion of its production capacity for spot markets, where prices have periodically tripled those in long-term contracts. And the company seems to have left that door open, as the liquefaction trains at its Corpus Christi expansion project are smaller than those at its flagship Sabine Pass facility. That would be a win for investors, perhaps providing lucrative incremental income under the right market conditions.

Royal Dutch Shell's Prelude FLNG project should be able to fly above market turbulence, too, as it's smaller and close to the world's fastest-growing LNG markets in Asia. There's almost no set of market conditions under which it couldn't thrive.

Long story short, the changing dynamics in global LNG trade appear to have caused a dramatic underinvestment in new liquefaction capacity. That could create problems for supply sold on the spot market -- especially if prices skyrocket as product becomes scarce -- and affect planning and investment in new production facilities. But Cheniere Energy and Royal Dutch Shell should avoid the worst of the fallout. In fact, it could even be a boon for business.

More From The Motley Fool

Maxx Chatsko has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.President Donald Trump said that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on imported steel and 10% tariff on imported aluminum. The announcement sent markets tumbling more than 500 points on Thursday.

The proposal has left beer and beverage companies wary. More than half of the beer produced every year in the U.S. is packed in aluminum cans or aluminum bottles. The beverage and brewery industry has been relying on imported aluminum to make 96 billion cans annually. Cans account for about 9.76% of the brewers overall production cost of beer, according to a report from John Dunham & Associates last June.

Trumps proposed tariff is likely to cause beer price to go up. (Getty Images)

The higher cost of cans resulting from a potential tariff on aluminum would be passed through to consumers as part of the manufacturers price of beverages, the report writes. John Dunham & Associates estimates that a 10% tariff on aluminum will lead to a 0.2% increase in beer price.

Domestic aluminum may not be able to fill the gap

Heineken is one of several beer brewers that has urged Trump not to impose tariff on aluminum. (Taylor Weidman/Bloomberg)

Major beverage and beer companies including PepsiCo (PEP), Coca-Cola (KO), Heineken and Molson Coors Brewing (TAP) have written Trump to urge him to restrain from imposing tariffs on aluminum. According to the Aluminum Association, a trade group representing aluminum producers, 84% of the primary aluminum used in can stock is imported. A 10% tariff aluminum will create a new $347.7 million tax on Americas beverage industry, according to a statement from Beer Institute on Thursday.

The U.S. has been running an aluminum deficit for years, and domestic producers may not be able to fill the gap as soon as Trump hopes. Data from U.S. Geological Surveys National Minerals shows aluminum imports increased about 17% from 2016, while production of primary aluminum decreased for the fifth consecutive year to the lowest level since 1951, mainly because of rising labor, energy costs and global competition.

Details of Trumps plan were not revealed on Thursday, but besides tariff, if he follows U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recommendations to limit the sum of aluminum imports to 86.7% of their 2017 level, U.S. aluminum producers will have to scramble to fill that gap.

Story continues

We dont see that happening in the future, Beer Institute President and CEO Jim McGreevy told Yahoo Finance. The tariff has caused uncertainty for all users. We question whether that uncertainty in supply can be filled by plants that are not up and running and wont be up and running for quite a while. He hopes to work with the Department of Commerce to get tariff exemptions for cans.

Krystal Hu is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

Read more:

Why Amazon cut hundreds of jobs

Amazon and Whole Foods clash over products like Coca-Cola

Amazon is going after dollar storesFILE PHOTO: Liu He, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), attends a signing ceremony between China and Vietnam at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China May 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration held "frank and constructive" talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser, Liu He, on Thursday, a White House official said, the same day U.S. President Donald Trump said he would impose steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminium in a veiled threat to China.

"We underscored the importance of achieving balance and reciprocity in the economic relationship," the official said of the meeting between Liu He and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. "We discussed ways to ensure fair and reciprocal trade."

On Wednesday, Liu He met with top U.S. business executives from companies including Boeing, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and Chubb as part of his trip to the United States for trade talks.

Trump's announcement on tariffs raised the prospect of retaliation from Beijing amid fears it could spark a trade war. Trump said the duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium would be formally announced next week.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom; Writing by Mohammad Zargham and Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Leslie Adler and Daniel Wallis)The GOES-S satellite is launched by an Atlas 5 rocket. (NASA via YouTube)

A next-generation GOES-S weather satellite, the second of its kind, rose into orbit at 2:02 p.m. PT (5:02 p.m. ET) today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.

NASA assisted with the preparations for launch, but the satellite will be operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as part of a constellation that also includes GOES-R, now known as GOES-16. The acronym stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite.

GOES-16 monitors the eastern United States, much of South America, the Caribbean region and the Atlantic Ocean from NOAAs GOES-East orbital vantage point, 22,000 miles above Earth.

Once GOES-S is declared operational, late this year, it will occupy the GOES-West position as GOES-17.

The satellite is designed to provide faster, more accurate data for tracking wildfires, fog conditions, tropical cyclones and other storm systems and hazards that threaten the western United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as Mexico, Central America and the Pacific Ocean, all the way to New Zealand.

GOES-16 and GOES-S represent a quantum leap for climate and weather forecasting, Stephen Volz, director of NOAAs Satellite and Information Service, said during a pre-launch news briefing. This means, quite frankly, more lives are saved and better environmental information is made available for state and local officials  who, for example, may need to make decisions about when to call for evacuations when life-threatening storms or wildfires occur, Volz said.

Two additional satellites, GOES-T and GOES-U, are due to be launched in 2020 and 2024. Total price tag for the satellite upgrade program is $10.8 billion, which includes the costs of development, launch and operations through 2036.

More from GeekWire:Quote:

(A) about the same as Great Britain but only four million in population, where many

land area

Quote:

(B) of about the same size as Great Britain is, but in Laos there is a population of only four million, and many

is

Quote:

(C) that is about the same size as Great Britain's land area, but in Laos with a population of only four million people, many of them

Quote:

(D) comparable to the size of Great Britain, but only four million in population, and many

Quote:

(E) comparable to that of Great Britain but a population of only four million people, many of whom

the land area

This is one of those classic GMAT comparison questions that forces you to be mind-numbingly literal about what, exactly, is being compared. We also covered this in our YouTube webinar on comparisons, so head here if you prefer your explanations in video form.Literally, (A) is saying that theof Laos is the same as the country of Great Britain itself. Thats not cool.Plus, the modifier beginning with where doesnt make sense:  four million in population, where many are members of a hill tribe Huh? Where needs to modify a location of some sort, and the population of Laos isnt a place. (A) is out.Its harder to pin down exactly why the comparison in (B) is logically wrong, but its clearly a mess. Its comparing the land area of Laos to the size of Great Britain, and thats not totally crazy but then what the heck is is doing there? I guess I could live with something like Laos is the same size as Great Britain is, because wed be comparing two verb phrases. But Laos has a land area of about the same size as Great Britain? I cant make sense of that.Plus, the last part of the underlined portion isnt great. What is many referring to, exactly? Theres no actual mention of people here  and Im really not sure that many can operate by itself as a pronoun, anyway.If you wanted to be really, really conservative, you could hang onto (B) for a moment, but well have better options in a moment.The first part of the comparison isnt illogical, but its wordy AF: Laos has a land area that is about the same size as Great Britains land area. Really, is that necessary? Its not WRONG, and I wouldnt eliminate it right away. But the version in (E) is much more succinct.Heres (arguably) the bigger problem: the second part of the underlined portion gently warps the meaning of the sentence. The but indicates some sort of contrast, but the contrast doesnt make a ton of sense in (C). The sentence is trying to say that Laos is the same size as Great Britain, BUT that Laos has a much smaller population; the fact that much of the population lives in hill tribes is just extra, incidental information.But if we strip down (C), the contrast surrounding the but doesnt really work. Ill strip out some stuff for clarity, and were left with something like this: Laos is about the same size as Great Britain, but in Laos [modifier blah blah] many of them are members of hill tribes Nope, thats not the part that deserves a but.For that reason, (C) is out.Again, the comparison isnt ideal: were comparing the land area of Laos to the size of Great Britain. Thats not great, especially when we compare it with (E). Plus, we still have that funny problem with the word many. Its trying to act like a pronoun, and Im not sure that many can stand alone as a pronoun  and people arent even mentioned here, so its not clear what many would refer to, exactly.(D) doesnt look great, so I hope we like (E).Yup, I think (E) is OK. That refers to land area, and thats perfect: Laos has a land area comparable toof Great Britain Makes sense. The but makes sense now, too: were contrasting the fact that Laos is as large as Great Britain with the fact that the population is tiny. And now its clear whom were talking about:  four million people, many of whom are members Cool, now we know that many of whom refers back to people in Laos.So (E) is the best we can do._________________Many scholars have theorized that economic development, particularly industrialization and urbanization, contributes to the growth of participatory democracy; according to this theory, it would seem logical that women would both demand and gain suffrage in ever greater numbers whenever economic development expanded their economic opportunities. However, the economic development theory is inadequate to explain certain historical facts about the implementation of women's suffrage. For example, why was women's suffrage, instituted nationally in the United States in 1920, not instituted nationally in Switzerland until the 1970's? Industrialization was well advanced in both countries by 1920: over 33 percent of American workers were employed in various industries, as compared to 44 percent of Swiss workers. Granted, Switzerland and the United States diverged in the degree to which the expansion of industry coincide with the degree of urbanization: only 29 percent of the Swiss population lived in cities of 10,000 or more inhabitants by 1920. However, urbanization cannot fully explain women's suffrage. Within the United States prior to 1920, for example, only less urbanized states had granted women suffrage. Similarly, less urbanized countries such as Cambodia and Ghana had voting rights for women long before Switzerland did. It is true that Switzerland urbanized cantons (political subdivisions) generally enacted women's suffrage legislation earlier than did rural cantons. However, these cantons often shared other characteristicssimilar linguistic background and strong leftist partiesthat may help to explain this phenomenon.

Show Spoiler C

Show Spoiler A

Show Spoiler E

4. The passage suggests which of the following about states in the United States prior to 1920?

Show Spoiler E

5. According to the passage, the scholars mentioned in the highlighted text assert which of the following about the growth of participatory democracy within a particular nation?

1. The primary purpose of the passage is toA. contrast two explanations for the implementation of women's suffrageB. demonstrate that one factor contributes more than another factor to the implementation of women's suffrageC. discuss the applicability of a theory for explaining the implementation of women's suffrageD. clarify certain assumptions underlying a particular theory about the implementation of women's suffrageE. explain how a particular historical occurrence was causally connected to the implementation of women's suffrage2. The passage states which of the following about Switzerland's urbanized cantons?A. These cantons shared characteristics other than urbanization that may have contributed to their implementation of women's suffrage.B. These cantons tended to be more politically divided than were rural cantons.C. These cantons shared with certain rural cantons characteristics such as similar linguistic backgrounds and strong leftist parties.D. The populations of these cantons shared similar views because urbanization furthered the diffusion of ideas among them.E. These cantons were comparable to the most highly urbanized states in the United States in their stance toward the implementation of women's suffrage.3. The passage suggests which of the following about urbanization in Switzerland and the United States by 1920?A. A greater percentage of Swiss industrial workers than American industrial workers lived in urban areas.B. There were more cities of 10,000 or more inhabitants in Switzerland than there were in the United States.C. Swiss workers living in urban areas were more likely to be employed in industry than were American workers living in urban areas.D. Urbanized areas of Switzerland were more likely than similar areas in the United States to have strong leftist parties.E. A greater percentage of the United States population than the Swiss population lived in urban areas.A. The states that were not highly urbanized were slow to grant women's suffrage.B. The states that were highly urbanized were the most influential in determining national policies regarding suffrage.C. The most highly urbanized states were more likely to have strong leftist parties.D. The most highly urbanized states were not necessarily the most industrialized ones.E. The most highly urbanized states had not yet granted women's suffrage.A. It is not necessarily correlated with increasing income and opportunities for women in that nation.B. It is not necessarily related to the implementation of women's suffrage within that nation.C. It cannot adequately explain the nation's level of economic development.D. It tends to be encouraged by the occurrence of industrialization in that nation.E. It is to increase with the growth of leftist parties in that nation.Each wrongly modifies corporation as it should modify divisions. Also them wrongly refers to employees. So Eliminate.

Same as A.

Looks good, No SV error and pronoun error as in A & B.

Would is redundant here- So eliminate.

Exemplify is not the proper form according to the context.

A. having 14 divisions each with at least 100 full-time employees, exemplify the kind of complexity that frustrate the consultants trying to help them-B. having 14 divisions each with at least 100 full-time employees, exemplifies the kind of complexity that frustrates the consultants which are trying to help them-C. composed of 14 divisions, each of which has at least 100 full-time employees, exemplifies the kind of complexity that frustrates the consultants trying to help it-D. composed of 14 divisions, each of which has at least 100 full-time employees, exemplifies the kind of complexity that frustrate the consultants that would try to help them-E. composed of 14 divisions, each of which has at least 100 full-time employees, exemplify the kind of complexity that frustrates the consultants trying to help it-Hence the answer is C._________________A few weeks ago, the premiere of Holstein America aired on RFD-TV. I hope many of you tuned in to watch the hour-long presentation about the lives of Registered Holstein dairy farmers. I found the episode on YouTube where smaller clips of each of the segments are also available. Each dairy farm featured was full of characteristics that make them unique, but they all share a common love for the Holstein cow.

The coast-to-coast perspective of the dairy industry was one way the story was showcased. Dairy cows can adjust to live anywhere in the United States. Each region comes with its challenges, but the diversity of farm size and location in the United States is one of my favorite parts of the industry. Registered Holsteins can be found on operations of all sizes.

When someone starts to tell a story, people gather around and listen. Dairy farmers are full of these stories, ranging from how they became a farmer to their favorite cow. The episode was full of these heartwarming stories that showed dairying is a family-oriented profession.

I am looking forward to the next episode, which is scheduled to air this coming fall. Sharing the videos with friends and family is a great way to promote the dairy industry. What makes you passionate about your dairy farm? The story of farmers is a powerful tool these days.

Elise Regusci

Elise Regusci grew up on her family's farm in Modesto, Calif. Regusci attends Cal Poly University, majoring in dairy science with an agricultural communication minor. On campus, she is the Los Lecheros Dairy Club Ag Council representative and a member of the Cal Poly dairy judging team. Regusci is the current Brown Swiss Youth Ambassador and is the 2017 Hoard's Dairyman summer editorial intern.New York, Mar 3 (JEN): Big cats, the planets most majestic predators, are under increasing threat  mostly caused by human activities  and this years World Wildlife Day, the United Nations is joining the world in raising awareness to their plight and galvanizing support for the many actions already under way to safe these iconic species.

This year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in his message on the Day, the spotlight falls on the worlds big cats, which include species such as cheetahs, pumas and snow leopards, found from Africa to Asia and the Americas.

These charismatic creatures are universally revered for their grace and power, yet they are increasingly in danger of extinction, he continued, noting the massive decline in their numbers.

Just over a century ago, some 100,000 wild tigers roamed Asia, while fewer than 4,000 remain today. All the big cats are collectively under threat from habitat loss, climate change, poaching, illicit trafficking, and human-wildlife conflict.

We are the cause of their decline, so we can also be their salvation, Mr. Guterres asserted. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include specific targets to end the poaching and illegal trafficking of protected species of wild fauna and flora.

Last year, UN Member States adopted the third in a series of resolutions tackling wildlife decline.

Ultimately, the solution to saving big cats and other threatened and endangered species is conservation policy based on sound science and the rule of law, noted the UN chief, adding the need that local people be given full consideration.

When local communities and economies benefit from wildlife conservation, strategies are much more likely to succeed, he elaborated.

By protecting big cats we also protect the landscapes they inhabit and the life they harbour, it is a gateway to protecting entire ecosystems that are crucial to our planets health, Guterres pointed out.

Wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility, he concluded, calling on people around the world to help raise awareness and to take personal action to help ensure the survival of the worlds big cats and all its precious and fragile biological diversity.

In his message, Yury Fedotov, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said that while the cheetah is the world's fastest land animal [] like other big cat species, it cannot outrun the threat of extinction.

Mr. Fedotov maintained that this years theme: Big cats: predators under threat, is bringing much-needed attention to the urgent challenges faced by these majestic animals.

Across the world, lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars, as well as many other big cat species, are under pressure due to poaching, lost habitats and disappearing prey, he detailed.

UNODC is working to help countries criminalize wildlife poaching and trafficking as a means of protecting animals, including big cat species, and halting their tragic disappearance into history.

Our collective roar of defiance must be aimed at the poachers, traffickers and all those who would destroy our natural heritage. We must not let them succeed, he exhorted.

Fedotov wrapped up his message calling on everyone to work with the international community to stop wildlife crime and prevent the world's big cat species from sliding into extinction,

At an event at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Gabon, Germany, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand, and UNDP, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP,) UNODC, African Parks, Panthera, WCS and WWF, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed explained that SDG 15 highlights actions to reverse the loss of biodiversity across all regions.

"Biodiversity is disappearing at a thousand times the natural rate, lamented Mohammed, saying that the varied causes are all linked to the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda.



She observed that in many cases poverty, hunger and biodiversity loss are intrinsically connected.

Protecting ecosystems and ensuring access to ecosystem services by poor and vulnerable groups are therefore essential to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, he underscored.



Calling conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biological diversity an effective anti-poverty strategy, Mohammed emphasized the need to better maintain the natural resources on which billions of people depend  especially the worlds rural poor.



We must work resolutely to improve biodiversity conservation and to eliminate the associated mismanagement, illicit trade, corruption and trafficking, she said.



They say cats have nine lives. Our big cats are on at least number eight, she held sway, highlighting the need for a new paradigm to conserve and sustainably manage their habitats, one that acknowledges that economic growth is not in direct conflict with conservation.



We need people-centred and planet-sensitive economic growth strategies that support environmental protection and wildlife conservation, she affirmed.



Indicating that wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility in which consumers, communities, policy-makers and businesses all have a role to play, she urged people all around the world to help raise awareness.



Let us act together to help ensure the survival of the worlds big cats and all of our planets precious and fragile biological diversity, concluded Mohammed.

UNEP GRID Arendal/Peter ProkoschOttawa, Mar 3 (IBNS): Echoing the words of Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has termed the imposition of trade tariffs as "unacceptable", media reports said.

Trudeau made the coment after the US took a decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from all other countries.

Trudeau was quoted by CBC News, "We will continue to engage with all levels of the American administration in the coming days so that they understand that this proposal is unacceptable."

Trudeau has also said he had raised the issue with his US counterpart Trump number of times in the past.

He has also warned earlier that the decision would "significantly disrupt" the supply chain from Canada.

Trump on Thursday announced an imposition of 25% and 10% tariffs on imported steel and aluminium respectively.

Freeland said "responsive measures" will be taken if Canada is not exempted at the last minute.

She said: "It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States. We will always stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses. Should restrictions be imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum products, Canada will take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers.

"It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States. We will always stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses" Freeland added.

Trump said he will formally impose the tariffs in the next week.

The tariffs plan is yet to receive the signature of the US President.

Trump hopes the imposition of tariffs will help him to bring back jobs to the US which he alleged to have been stolen by other countries that acted unfairly.

Trump was quoted by Toronto Star, "People have no idea how badly our country has been treated by other countries, by people representing us that didnt have a clue. Or if they did, then they should be ashamed of themselves because theyve destroyed the steel industry, theyve destroyed the aluminum industry, and other industries, frankly."

Following the announcement of Trump, US steel and aluminium companies have cheered but companies which greatly depend on the imported goods have warned of price hikes and job losses.

Canada still can hope for a last minute exemption as it was done in 2002 when then US President George W. Bush had imposed a tariff on steel imports.



Image: instagram.com/justinpjtrudeauParaguay: The finance ministry has announced that a Paraguayan government delegation will be travelling to the US next week to drum up interest there for the planned issue of US$500m of bonds in international financial markets. A ministerial statement said that the delegation is due to meet with potential US investors ahead of the issue scheduled for later this month. This will be only the fourth time that Paraguay has issued sovereign bonds in international markets, and the finance ministry has said that the government is seeking to take full advantage of the current interesting window in the financial markets to secure financing for this years national budget.

Caty Weaver: Welcome, Penelope Poulou, our VOA movie correspondent! How are you doing?

Penelope Poulou: Im great, its great to be here.

CW: Well, thank you very much for doing it. Our listeners really love American movies. Watching them is one of the ways they learn how to speak English.

PP: And its a reflection of our way of life.

CW: Absolutely. So, I guess what I would like to know this year are your predictions, because you have been on target the past few years, is that true?

PP: That is very true. But this year, all these nominees are really worth it.

CW: So lets go ahead and just start with the biggies - best actor.

PP: Best actor?

CW: Just tell me who its gonna be.

PP: Well, Gary Oldman, come on now.

CW: Yes, for his performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.

PP: I truly am very confident that he will get the Oscar.

CW: And who is he up against?

PP: He is up against Daniel Day Lewis, who is always superb; and, then of course, Timothee Chalamet, who is (in) Call Me By Your Name. He gives an exceptional performance. Daniel Kaluuya, of course, who plays in Get Out. And hes wonderful but I would not put him in on the same level as Oldmans performance. I think everybodys looking at Oldman in this situation.

CW: Yes, Yes.

PP: As for actresses in a leading role, hands down, Frances McDormand. I really believe that. She plays Mildred in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and she carries it. And shes the epitome of female empowerment.

CW: And shes up against

PP: Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water; a very romantic interpretation of her character. Margot Robbie who plays Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. Saoirse Ronan who plays in Lady Bird, of course, and Meryl Streep, who plays in The Post. And Meryl Streep is Meryl Streep. She has gotten these..I dont know...Ive miscounted how many nominations she has by now

CW: At least 20. Maybe 21. I know that she has won at least three Oscars, already. Three. And she is very good in The Post. But that role didn't seem like a challenge for her.

CW: OK, and the last Im going to do: Best Picture.

PP: Two films. One is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri because it carries so many themes in there. But Get Out has captured peoples imagination. My only question mark about Get Out is: if I am to look at the film from a traditional point of view, does it fit the bill to get an Oscar for Best Picture? Usually these kind of pictures were grand on cinematography and this and that and the other. Does it fit the bill? And with that, I would say not so much. But things are changing. And what is important here is that it is a very original story. And its so hard to get original stories nowadays.

CW: Absolutely. Thats its edge. But on the other hand, Three Billboards, also very original.

PP: Very original. And so human. And such arcs, such character arcs, such topics.

CW: Exactly. Its almost too bad that they were put out in the same year.

PP: And of course we need to mention The Shape of Water, because it has gotten, I think,13 nominations. And it is up there. It checks all the boxes. It checks the box of cinematography, it got a nomination there, best director, best editing, and all that. So, it does stand a great chance also.

CW: It doesnt seem like, though, it has the groundswell.

PP: That is very true. That is absolutely true.

CW: So, I get the feeling you really think the competition is between Get Out and Three Billboards. So whats it gonna be? Youre on the spot!

PP: UhI cant! I cant go beyond that at this point! I cant commit!

CW: Its gonna be fun to watch and judge you!

PP: Oh my!

CW: Just kidding, Penelope. Thank you so much for coming in and talking.

PP: Well, its always fun taking with you.

CW: Especially at Oscar time. Enjoy them! And, Learning English fans, you can enjoy the Oscars with us beginning at 00:30 UTC Monday. We'll be providing live Oscar updates on Facebook and on our website, Learningenglish.voanews.com. See you then!

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

reflection n. - something that shows the effect, existence, or character of something else

absolutely - adv. completely or totally

confident - adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something: having confidence

superb - adj. extremely good: excellent or brilliant in a very noticeable way

hands down - exp. easily and decisively; without question.

epitome - n. a perfect example: an example that represents or expresses something very well  usually used in the phrase the epitome of

romantic - adj. of, relating to, or involving love between two people

interpretation - n. the way something is explained or understood

challenge - n. a difficult task or problem : something that is hard to do

original - adj. not like others: new, different, and appealingFor many would-be college students, testing is the most difficult part of the undergraduate application process.

Applicants sit for hours taking tests. They answer questions about a number of subjects, sometimes providing answers both in writing and by saying them out loud.

In some countries, a single test result can be the only thing college or university officials consider when deciding whether or not to admit a student.

But that is not true everywhere. Ryan Griffin says that in the United States, test scores are only part of what school officials consider.

Griffin is head of International Admissions at the University of Missouri, a public research university in Columbia, Missouri. He notes that many schools have changed their thinking about this part of the application.

Griffin says a growing number of U.S. colleges and universities let applicants choose whether or not they want to take a standardized test, such as the SAT or ACT. He told VOA the University of Missouri does not require international applicants to provide results from either test.

Why? The College Board, a higher education group, created the SAT in 1926 as way of fairly measuring a students academic abilities and critical thinking skills. A university professor created the ACT in 1959 so as to offer a different method for rating college applicants. But Griffin says research has since shown the two tests are not as fair as was once thought, especially for students in need of financial help.

Colleges and universities have come to recognize that tests like the SAT and the ACT usually help students with experience in the U.S. education system. Additionally, official testing centers are available in some, but not all areas. They can be difficult to reach and costly for some applicants.

Still, Griffin says, if a student decides to apply to a school that does require a standardized test score, there is a lot to consider. Both the SAT and the ACT are divided into different parts.

Both tests have areas that measure a students abilities in mathematics, where they must choose the best answer to a question.

Standardized tests also require students to demonstrate their ability to understand a reading and express themselves in writing. But unlike the SAT, the ACT has a part with questions about science.

Schools usually prefer one standardized test over the other and will clearly state which of the two they want applicants to take, says Griffin. The different parts of both tests have their own test scores. And he thinks that students should consider taking either test more than once.

Theres going to be some anxiety as far as sitting down for this test for the first time, Griffin told VOA. So it can be a good chance for the student  to feel as though they then have a better understanding  for their second attempt.

Most Americans take the SAT or ACT in the spring of their next to last year in high school. If students decide to re-take the test, Griffin suggests doing so in the autumn of their final year.

Some colleges will only accept a students most recent test score. But another reason he says students should take either one more than once is that some schools will accept the highest score from both attempts. And if, for example, a student scores higher in math the first time they take the SAT, but higher in writing the second time, some schools will combine the higher numbers. Students can often ask schools how they weigh these scores, or read about their methods on the schools websites.

There are many test preparation books and classes available to people interested in paying for them. But Griffin says the best test preparation is to be well-rested the night before and calm the day of the test.

Its  important for students  to be confident in their knowledge, so that when they sit down to take the test theres not an extra level of  pressure that theyre putting on themselves, he said.

However, academic tests are not the only ones students from non-English speaking countries will face. After World War II, U.S. schools needed a way of measuring the language abilities of the greatly increasing number of international students entering the country. So a test of English as a foreign language -- the TOEFL -- was created in 1964.

Another test for non-native English speakers -- the IELTS -- was created in 1980. The IELTS is mainly for use by English-speaking European colleges and universities. But Mark Algren says it is becoming more widely used in the United States. Algren is the executive director of the Center for English Language Learning at the University of Missouri.

Algren notes that like the SAT and ACT, the TOEFL and IELTS are similar, and schools usually prefer one over the other. They also both have individually scored parts. These measure a students abilities in listening, speaking, reading and writing in English.

Like the academic tests, he says, there are many resources available to help applicants prepare themselves. But one of the best things any language learner can do is to take seriously the English language classes their school offers.

Outside of school, the best thing a student can do is read in English, notes Algren. All areas of language ability are important. But in a college environment, reading is the most commonly used language skill. And reading connects to the second most commonly used skill: writing.

Read, read, read, read, read; because when youre reading, youre not only learning reading, he said. Youre learning vocabulary  Youre going to learn grammar.

Unlike traditional standardized tests, Algren suggests students not take the TOEFL or IELTS more than once. Test results are considered acceptable for up to two years, and many schools, such as Missouri, only accept the most recent score.

Instead, Algren says, students should make use of internet-based practice tests. These will help student get used to the amount of time they have to complete these tests, and let them know where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

Be truthful with yourself, because you do  get some idea of things you need to be working on, he added.

Both Algren and Griffin agree that honesty is important, especially in testing. Schools have ways of looking at test scores to see if there is anything unusual about them that suggests a student cheated.

Also, in the case of language testing, many U.S. schools require international students to take an additional English ability test when they arrive. This to ensure that students are fully prepared to begin their studies.

Im Pete Musto. And Im Caty Weaver.

Pete Musto reported this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. How do you prepare for tests? What advice can you offer to other students who are considering taking the SAT, ACT, TOEFL or IELTS? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________ QUIZ Quiz - College Admissions: Preparing to Test Your Abilities Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

undergraduate  adj. describing a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree

application  n. a formal and usually written request for something, such as a job, admission to a school, or a loan

standardized test  n. any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a consistent manner

academic  adj. of or relating to schools and education

prefer  v. to like someone or something better than someone or something else

anxiety  n. fear or nervousness about what might happen

confident  adj. having a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

practice  adj. describing the activity of doing something again and again in order to become better at itWhen refugees arrive in a new country, they bring few possessions. But many bring something more valuable: their skills.

Recently, twenty refugee women and asylum seekers met at a pop-up store in Phoenix, the largest city in the American state of Arizona. They came together to show their handmade products and exchange stories.

I am from Iraq, said Nada Alrubaye. I was an art teacher and I had two boys. One, my young boy, was killed in Baghdad. I decided to go to Turkey with another son because I wanted to protect him. After that, I came to Arizona.

Rodain Abo Zeed also spoke at the meeting. I escaped from Syria, she said, when the war started because there was no safety and no opportunities for my kids to continue their education, and because my husbands restaurant got burned down to ashes.

Another refugee, Tahmina Besmal, told the gathering We escaped from Afghanistan, me, my mom and two sisters because of safety and there was no opportunities for ladies to go to school, to do a job, to be independent.

Details of the trips and the countries may be different, but their stories are similar.

More than 20 refugee women left sadness and often tragic pasts behind. They all were given a chance to sell homemade products at this donated space in Phoenix.

A group of social work students at Arizona State University created the Global Market pop-up store to help these women earn money.

The Global Market Project involved local non-profit groups at Arizona State, said Alyaa Al-Maadeed, one of the students.

The American Muslim Womens Association (AMWA) was one of the groups supporting the project.

Last year, we started a new beginning skill training program for refugee women, said Asna Masood, the groups president. She added that the women are taught how to sew and then helped to sell their products in the community.

Among the products for sale were paintings, jewelry, soap, and handicraft arts.

Nada Alrubaye says she likes the market because she can sell paintings, jewelry or other possessions that were in her home. I am happy with this shop, she said.

The store was only open in February, but organizers are already thinking about the future.

The goal of the project is not only to bring these women short-term income. We want to really provide them with the experience to learn how to run their own businesses and learn how to be entrepreneurs, said Megan McDermott, an Arizona State student.

Iraqi refugee Tara Albarazanchi sold her homemade soaps and body care products at the market.

This pop-up gives me the experience of working in a shop, dealing with people (and) dealing with cash, she said, adding that she is also learning about record-keeping.

The organizers hope visitors to the store also learned new things  hopefully about the lives of refugees in their community.

I'm Susan Shand.

June Soh reported this story for VOA. Susan Shand adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pop-up  adj. a short rental opportunity

opportunity  n. a possibility; a chance

sew  v. to make or repair something (such as a piece of clothing)

handicrafts  n. an object made by skillful use of your hands  usually plural

shop  n. a business; a place with products for sale

income  n. money that is earning; earnings

entrepreneur  n. one who sets up and operates a businessUntil recently, scientists had trouble identifying what was causing large numbers of fish to disappear from the high seas.

Now they have an answer: human beings.

By using emergency signals from ships, scientists got what they are calling the first complete picture of commercial fishing worldwide. And a new study claims the effect is much bigger than researchers thought.

Major commercial fishing covers more than 55 percent of the oceans. The world's fishing fleet travels more than 460 million kilometers a year, according to a study in the journal Science. That is equal to three times the distance between Earth and the sun.

Five countries do 85 percent of high seas fishing. The five are China, Spain, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

Boris Worm, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Canada, called the fishing study mind-blowing. Worm helped prepare a report on the findings. He likened industrial fishing to factories that are mass producing goods for people around the world.

The latest fishing information was taken from 22 billion ship safety signals sent to satellites orbiting the Earth. Before this, scientists had to use shipping records and observations, which were not always correct.

Ships are obeying no-fishing areas and times, although they do sail along the edges of marine-protected areas. The study noted a drop in fishing around holidays, including Christmas, New Year's and the Lunar New Year.

"The maps of global fishing in this report are sobering," said Douglas McCauley, a marine biologist who wasnt part of the study. He works at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The top country for fishing is China. Of the 40 million hours that large ships fished in 2016, 17 million hours were by boats sailing under a Chinese flag, noted marine biologist Barbara Block. She is with Stanford University in California

"No longer is the ocean, especially the high seas  out of sight, out of mind, noted Jane Lubchenco in an email. She formerly led Americas National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lubchenco was not part of the study.

From 2012 to 2016, the researchers collected signals from boats. New laws require many ships to carry identification systems that every few seconds report their position to satellites as a safety measure.

Scientists then used computer programs to show where the boats were fishing, how they were moving, and what they were likely fishing for and how the fish were caught.

The information was then compared with log books from some ships and they were the same, Worm said. It also shows that in the high seas, there is a heavy use of long line fishing, which catches more of the top predators like tuna, sharks and whales.

Researchers said the findings could be used to better protect the oceans and keep fisheries alive.

Block said that for too long scientists failed to recognize that human activities have the biggest effect on the planet. He added we have to develop a better system or else well end up with a planet without Bluefin tuna and some sharks.

I'm Susan Shand.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the report for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

According  adv. as stated by or in

Fleet  n. a group of ships that work together

Commercial  adj. relating to or based on the amount of profit that something earns

Mind-blowing  adj. exciting; surprising

Marine  n. of or involving the sea

Global - adj. involving the whole world

Sober  adj. having or showing a very serious quality

Predator  n. an animal that lives by killing and eating other animalsThe following companies are subsidiares of Stryker: ActiViews, Aimago SA, Alcott Indemnity Company, Arrinex Inc, Arrinex Inc., Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Berchtold, Berchtold + Fritz GmbH, Berchtold Consulting GmbH, Berchtold Corporation, Berchtold GmbH & Co. KG, Berchtold Holding Switzerland GmbH, CHG Hospital Beds, Cactus LLC, Cardan Robotics, Changzhou Orthomed Medical Instrument Company Limited, Concentric Medical, Concentric Medical Inc., Entellus Medical, Entellus Medical Europe Ltd, Entellus Medical Inc., GYS Tech LLC, Gaymar Industries, Gongping (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., Groupe Bertec, HeartSine Technologies LLC, HeartSine Technologies Limited, Howmedica International S. de R.L., Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Hygia Health Services, Hygia Healthcare Services Inc., HyperBranch, HyperBranch Technology Inc., ITAPCo Limited, Image Guided Technologies, Imorphics Limited, Infinity MSD Corp., Infinity MSE Corp., Infinity MSF Corp., Infomedix Communications, Instratek, InstruMedics L.L.C, Invuity Inc., Ivy Sports Medicine, Ivy Sports Medicine LLC, Jiangsu Chuangyi Medical Instrument Company Limited, Jolife AB, K2M Germany GmbH, K2M Group, K2M Group Holdings Inc., K2M Holdings Inc., K2M Iberia Medcomtech S.L.U., K2M Inc., K2M Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, K2M Spine Solutions (Schweiz) GmbH, K2M UK Limited, Loon Intermediateco LLC, MAKO Surgical, MAKO Surgical Corp, Memometal Technologies, Mobius Imaging, Mobius Imaging LLC, Muka Metal, Muka Metal Ticaret ve Sanayi Anaonim Sirketi, NV Stryker SA, Nettrick Limited, Novadaq Corp, Novadaq Hong Kong Ltd, Novadaq Technologies, Novadaq Technologies ULC, OOO "Stryker", Orneo Ozel Saglk Hizmetleri Medikal Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, OrthoSpace, OrthoSpace Ltd., OrthoSpace US Inc., Orthomed (Hong Kong) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Orthovita, Orthovita Inc., OtisMed, P.C. Sweden Holding AB, Patient Safety Technologies, Patton Surgical, Pficonprod Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control, Physio-Control (Shanghai) Sales Co. Ltd., Physio-Control Brazil Vendas Ltda., Physio-Control Czech Sales s.r.o., Physio-Control Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Physio-Control Holdings Inc, Physio-Control Hungary Sales Kft, Physio-Control Inc., Physio-Control India Sales Pvt. Ltd, Physio-Control Investments LLC, Physio-Control Lebanon Sales Offshore s.a.l., Physio-Control Manufacturing Inc., Physio-Control Operations Netherlands B.V., Physio-Control Sales Limited Liability Company, Physio-Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Physio-Control South Africa Sales Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control UK Sales Ltd., Pivot Medical, PlasmaSol, Porex Technologies, SSI Divestiture Inc., SYK Costa Rica Services Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, SafeAir AG, SafeWire, Sage Products, Sage Products Coperatief U.A., Sage Products Holdings II LLC, Sage Products Holdings III LLC, Sage Products LLC, Scopis GmbH, Sightline Technologies, Small Bone Innovations, SpineCore, Spirox Inc., Stanmore Implants Worldwide, Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited, Stanmore Inc., Stryker (Barbados) Foreign Sales Corporation, Stryker (Beijing) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Shanghai) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co Ltd, Stryker (Thailand) Limited, Stryker AB, Stryker Acquisitions BV, Stryker Asia Holdings CV, Stryker Australia LLC, Stryker Australia Pty. Ltd., Stryker Austria GmbH, Stryker B.V., Stryker Berchtold BV, Stryker Beteiligungs GmbH, Stryker Canada GP ULC, Stryker Canada Holding Company, Stryker Canada Manufacturing ULC, Stryker Canada ULC, Stryker Canadian Management ULC, Stryker Canadian Sales Holding Company ULC, Stryker Capital BV, Stryker China Limited, Stryker Colombia SAS, Stryker Communications Inc., Stryker Corporation (Chile) y Compania Limitada, Stryker Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Stryker Customs Brokers LLC, Stryker Czech Republic s.r.o., Stryker Delaware Inc., Stryker EMEA Supply Chain Services BV, Stryker Employment Company LLC, Stryker European Coordination Center BV, Stryker European Holdings Cooperatief U.A, Stryker European Holdings I LLC, Stryker European Holdings II LLC, Stryker European Holdings LLC, Stryker European Holdings V LLC, Stryker European Operations B.V., Stryker European Operations Holdings I BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings II BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings III BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings LLC, Stryker European Operations Limited, Stryker European Technologies C.V., Stryker Far East Inc., Stryker Foreign Acquisitions Inc., Stryker France Holding SNC, Stryker France MM Holdings SAS, Stryker France SAS, Stryker Funding B.V., Stryker GI Services CV, Stryker Global Technology Center Private Limited, Stryker GmbH, Stryker GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Grundstucks GmbH & Co KG, Stryker Grundstucks Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Holdings BV, Stryker IFSC Designated Activity Company, Stryker Iberia SL Unipersonal, Stryker India Private Limited, Stryker International Acquisitions BV, Stryker International Holdings BV, Stryker Investment Holdings B.V., Stryker Ireland Holding Unlimited Company, Stryker Ireland Limited, Stryker Italia S.r.l. S.U., Stryker Japan Holdings BV, Stryker Japan K.K., Stryker Korea Ltd., Stryker Lebanon (Offshore) S.A.L., Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Stryker Luxembourg Sarl, Stryker Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Mauritius Holding Ltd., Stryker Medical London LP, Stryker Medtech K.K., Stryker Medtech Limited, Stryker Mexico Holdings B.V., Stryker Mexico SA de CV, Stryker NV Operations Limited, Stryker Nederland BV, Stryker New Zealand Limited, Stryker Osteonics AG, Stryker Pacific Limited, Stryker Performance Solutions LLC, Stryker Polska Sp.z.o.o., Stryker Portugal - Produtos Medicos Unipessoal Lda., Stryker Professional Latin America S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Puerto Rico Limited, Stryker Romania SRL, Stryker Sage Inc., Stryker Sales Corporation, Stryker Servicios Administrativos S.de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Singapore Private Limited, Stryker South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Stryker Spine SAS, Stryker Spine Sarl, Stryker Sustainability Solutions Inc., Stryker Tibbi Cihazlan Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Stryker Trauma GmbH, Stryker Turkish Holdings BV, Stryker UK Ltd, Stryker Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Vietnam Company Limited, Stryker do Brasil Ltda, Surpass Medical, Synergetics, TG SP Holdings Corp, TSO3 Corp, TSO3 Inc, Trauson, Trauson (China) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Trauson (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (BVI) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings Company Limited, VEXIM SA, Vexim, Waterloo Bedding Co., Wright Medical Group, ZipLine Medical Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ZipLine Medical Hong Kong Limited, ZipLine Medical Inc., and eTrauma.com.The following companies are subsidiares of Banco Santander: 2 & 3 Triton Limited, A & L CF (Guernsey) Limited (f), A & L CF June (2) Limited, A & L CF June (3) Limited, A & L CF March (5) Limited, A & L CF September (4) Limited, AFB SAM Holdings S.L., ALIL Services Limited (b), AN (123) Limited, ANITCO Limited, Abbey Business Services (India) Private Limited, Abbey Covered Bonds (LM) Limited, Abbey National, Abbey National Beta Investments Limited, Abbey National Business Office Equipment Leasing Limited, Abbey National International Limited, Abbey National Nominees Limited, Abbey National PLP (UK) Limited, Abbey National Property Investments, Abbey National Treasury Services Investments Limited, Abbey National Treasury Services Overseas Holdings, Abbey National UK Investments, Abbey Stockbrokers (Nominees) Limited, Abbey Stockbrokers Limited, Ablasa Participaciones S.L., Administracion de Bancos Latinoamericanos Santander S.L., Aduro S.A., Aevis Europa S.L., Afisa S.A., Albert., Aljardi SGPS Lda., Alliance & Leicester, Alliance & Leicester Cash Solutions Limited, Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (Derivatives) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (No.2) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments Limited, Alliance & Leicester Limited, Alliance & Leicester Personal Finance Limited, Altamira Santander Real Estate S.A., Alternative Leasing FIL, Amazonia Trade Limited, Andaluza de Inversiones S.A., Aquanima Brasil Ltda., Aquanima Chile S.A., Aquanima Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aquanima S.A., Arcaz - Sociedade Imobiliaria Portuguesa Lda., Argenline S.A. (b), Asto Digital Limited, Athena Corporation Limited, Atual - Fundo de Invest Multimercado Credito Privado Investimento no Exterior, Atual Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos e Meios Digitais S.A., Autodescuento S.L., Autohaus24 GmbH, Auttar HUT Processamento de Dados Ltda., Aviacion Antares A.I.E., Aviacion Britanica A.I.E., Aviacion Centaurus A.I.E., Aviacion Comillas S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Intercontinental A.I.E., Aviacion Laredo S.L., Aviacion Oyambre S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Real A.I.E., Aviacion Santillana S.L., Aviacion Suances S.L., Aviacion Triton A.I.E., Aymore Credito Financiamento e Investimento S.A., BEN Beneficios e Servicos S.A., BRS Investments S.A., BZW Bank, Banca PSA Italia S.p.A., Banco Bandepe S.A., Banco Madesant - Sociedade Unipessoal S.A., Banco PSA Finance Brasil S.A., Banco Popular, Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 100740, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 2002114, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso GFSSLPT, Banco Santander - Chile, Banco Santander Consumer Portugal S.A., Banco Santander International, Banco Santander International SA, Banco Santander Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Banco Santander Peru S.A., Banco Santander Rio S.A., Banco Santander S.A., Banco Santander Totta S.A., Banco Santander de Negocios Colombia S.A., Banco de Albacete S.A., Bansa Santander S.A., CCAP Auto Lease Ltd., Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund IV LLC, Capital Street Delaware LP, Capital Street Holdings LLC, Capital Street REIT Holdings LLC, Capital Street S.A., Carfax (Guernsey) Limited (f), Carfinco Financial Group, Carfinco Financial Group Inc., Carfinco Inc., Casa de Bolsa Santander S.A. de C.V. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Cater Allen Holdings Limited, Cater Allen International Limited, Cater Allen Limited, Cater Allen Lloyd's Holdings Limited, Cater Allen Syndicate Management Limited, Centro de Capacitacion Santander A.C., Certidesa S.L., Chrysler Capital Auto Funding I LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Funding II LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Receivables LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 2 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 4 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding LLC, Cobranza Amigable S.A.P.I. de C.V., Community Development and Affordable Housing Fund LLC (g), Compagnie Generale de Credit Aux Particuliers - Credipar S.A., Compagnie Pour la Location de Vehicules - CLV, Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Argentina S.A., Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Iberica S.L. Unipersonal en liquidacion (b), Consulteam Consultores de Gestao Lda., Consumer Lending Receivables LLC, Crawfall S.A. (b), Cantabra de Inversiones S.A., Cantabro Catalana de Inversiones S.A., Darep Designated Activity Company, Decarome S.A.P.I. de C.V., Deva Capital Advisory Company S.L., Deva Capital Holding Company S.L., Deva Capital Investment Company S.L., Deva Capital Management Company S.L., Deva Capital Servicer Company S.L., Digital Procurement Holdings N.V., Diners Club Spain S.A., Direccion Estratega S.C., Dirgenfin S.L. en liquidacion (b), Ebury, El Corte Ingles, Elavon Mexico, Electrolyser S.A. de C.V., Entidad de Desarrollo a la Pequena y Micro Empresa Santander Consumo Peru S.A., Erestone S.A.S., Esfera Fidelidade S.A., Evidence Previdencia S.A., Financeira El Corte Ingles Portugal S.F.C. S.A., Financiera El Corte Ingles E.F.C. S.A., Finsantusa S.L. Unipersonal, First National Motor Business Limited, First National Motor Contracts Limited, First National Motor Facilities Limited, First National Motor Finance Limited, First National Motor Leasing Limited, First National Motor plc, First National Tricity Finance Limited, Fondos Santander S.A. Administradora de Fondos de Inversion (en liquidacion) (b), Fortensky Trading Ltd., Fosse Funding (No.1) Limited, Fosse Master Issuer plc, Fosse Trustee (UK) Limited, GTS El Centro Equity Holdings LLC, GTS El Centro Project Holdings LLC, Gamma Sociedade Financeira de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Gesban Mexico Servicios Administrativos Globales S.A. de C.V., Gesban Santander Servicios Profesionales Contables Limitada, Gesban Servicios Administrativos Globales S.L., Gesban UK Limited, Gestion de Instalaciones Fotovoltaicas S.L. Unipersonal, Gestion de Inversiones JILT S.A., Gestora de Procesos S.A. en liquidacion (b), Getnet Adquirencia e Servicos para Meios de Pagamento S.A., Global Vosgos S.L. Unipersonal, Grupo Empresarial Santander S.L., Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico S.A. de C.V., Grupo Financiero Santander SAB de CV, Guaranty Car S.A. Unipersonal, HQ Mobile Limited, Hispamer Renting S.A. Unipersonal, Holbah II Limited, Holbah Santander S.L. Unipersonal, Holmes Funding Limited, Holmes Master Issuer plc, Holmes Trustees Limited, Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH, Iberica de Compras Corporativas S.L., Independence Community Bank Corp., Insurance Funding Solutions Limited, Interfinance Holanda B.V., Inversiones Capital Global S.A. Unipersonal, Inversiones Maritimas del Mediterraneo S.A., Isla de los Buques S.A., Klare Corredora de Seguros S.A., Landcompany 2020 S.L., Langton Funding (No.1) Limited, Langton Mortgages Trustee (UK) Limited, Langton Securities (2008-1) plc, Langton Securities (2010-1) PLC, Langton Securities (2010-2) PLC, Laparanza S.A., Liquidity Limited, Luri 1 S.A. en liquidacion (b) (e), Luri 6 S.A. Unipersonal, Master Red Europa S.L., Mata Alta S.L., Merciver S.L., Mercury TFS, Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.A. de C.V., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.L., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.p.A., Moneybit S.L., Mortgage Engine Limited, Motor 2016-1 PLC, Motor 2017-1 PLC, Mouro Capital I LP, Multiplica SpA, NW Services CO., Naviera Mirambel S.L., Naviera Trans Gas A.I.E., Naviera Trans Iron S.L., Naviera Trans Ore A.I.E., Naviera Trans Wind S.L. (b), Naviera Transcantabrica S.L., Naviera Transchem S.L. Unipersonal, NeoAuto S.A.C., Norbest AS, Novimovest  Fundo de Investimento Imobiliario, Open Bank Argentina S.A., Open Bank S.A., Open Digital Market S.L., Open Digital Services S.L., Operadora de Carteras Gamma S.A.P.I. de C.V., Optimal Investment Services SA, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland Euro Fund, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland US Dollar Fund, PBE Companies LLC, PECOH Limited, PI Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., PSA Bank Deutschland GmbH, PSA Banque France, PSA Finance UK Limited, PSA Financial Services Nederland B.V., PSA Financial Services Spain E.F.C. S.A., PSA Renting Italia S.p.A., PagoFX Europe S.A., PagoFX HoldCo S.L., PagoFX UK Ltd, PagoNxt Merchant Solutions S.L., PagoNxt S.L., Parasant SA, Patagon.com, Pereda Gestion S.A., Pingham International S.A., Popular Spain Holding de Inversiones S.L.U., Portal Universia Argentina S.A., Portal Universia Portugal Prestacao de Servicos de Informatica S.A., Prime 16  Fundo de Investimentos Imobiliario, Punta Lima LLC, Punta Lima Wind Farm LLC, Retop S.A., Return Capital Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos S.A., Return Gestao de Recursos S.A., Riobank International (Uruguay) SAIFE (b), Rojo Entretenimento S.A., SAM Asset Management S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, SAM Investment Holdings S.L., SAM UK Investment Holdings Limited (b), SANB Promotora de Vendas e Cobranca Ltda., SCF Eastside Locks GP Limited, SDMX Superdigital S.A. de C.V., SMPS Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A de C.V, Sancap Investimentos e Participacoes S.A., Santander (CF Trustee Property Nominee) Limited, Santander (UK) Group Pension Schemes Trustees Limited, Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 1 S.A., Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 2 S.A., Santander Alternatives SICAV RAIF, Santander Asesorias Financieras Limitada, Santander Asset Finance (December) Limited, Santander Asset Finance plc, Santander Asset Management - S.G.O.I.C. S.A., Santander Asset Management Chile S.A., Santander Asset Management LLC, Santander Asset Management Luxembourg S.A., Santander Asset Management S.A. Administradora General de Fondos, Santander Asset Management S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Asset Management UK Holdings Limited, Santander Asset Management UK Limited, Santander Back-Offices Globales Mayoristas S.A., Santander Banca de Inversion Colombia S.A.S., Santander Bank & Trust Ltd., Santander Bank National Association, Santander Bank Polska S.A., Santander Brasil Administradora de Consorcio Ltda., Santander Brasil Gestao de Recursos Ltda., Santander Brasil Tecnologia S.A., Santander Capital Desarrollo SGEIC S.A. Unipersonal, Santander Capital Structuring S.A. de C.V., Santander Capitalizacao S.A., Santander Cards Ireland Limited, Santander Cards Limited, Santander Cards UK Limited, Santander Chile Holding S.A., Santander Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Santander Consumer (UK) plc, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L4 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L5 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Bank AG, Santander Consumer Bank AS, Santander Consumer Bank GmbH, Santander Consumer Bank S.A., Santander Consumer Bank S.p.A., Santander Consumer Banque S.A., Santander Consumer Credit Services Limited, Santander Consumer Finance Benelux B.V., Santander Consumer Finance Global Services S.L., Santander Consumer Finance Oy, Santander Consumer Finance S.A., Santander Consumer Finance Schweiz AG, Santander Consumer Financial Solutions Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Finanse Sp. z o.o. (b), Santander Consumer Holding Austria GmbH, Santander Consumer Holding GmbH, Santander Consumer International Puerto Rico LLC, Santander Consumer Leasing GmbH, Santander Consumer Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.L., Santander Consumer Multirent Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Operations Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Receivables 10 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 11 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 3 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 7 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables Funding LLC, Santander Consumer Renting S.L., Santander Consumer S.A., Santander Consumer S.A.S., Santander Consumer Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Services S.A., Santander Consumer Technology Services GmbH, Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., Santander Consumer USA Inc., Santander Consumo S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Corredora de Seguros Limitada, Santander Corredores de Bolsa Limitada, Santander Corretora de Cambio e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., Santander Corretora de Seguros Investimentos e Servicos S.A., Santander Customer Voice S.A., Santander Digital Assets S.L., Santander Drive Auto Receivables LLC, Santander Equity Investments Limited, Santander Espana Merchant Services Entidad de Pago S.L. Unipersonal, Santander Espana Servicios Legales y de Cumplimiento S.L., Santander Estates Limited, Santander F24 S.A., Santander Facility Management Espana S.L., Santander Factoring S.A., Santander Factoring Sp. z o.o., Santander Factoring y Confirming S.A. E.F.C., Santander Finance 2012-1 LLC, Santander Financial Exchanges Limited, Santander Financial Services Inc., Santander Financial Services plc, Santander Finanse Sp. z o.o., Santander Fintech Holdings S.L., Santander Fintech Limited, Santander Fundo de Investimento SBAC Referenciado di Credito Privado, Santander Gestion de Recaudacion y Cobranzas Ltda., Santander Global Consumer Finance Limited, Santander Global Facilities S.A. de C.V., Santander Global Facilities S.L., Santander Global Operations S.A., Santander Global Services S.A. (b), Santander Global Sport S.A., Santander Global Technology Brasil Ltda., Santander Global Technology Chile Limitada, Santander Global Technology S.L., Santander Global Trade Platform Solutions S.L., Santander Guarantee Company, Santander Holding Imobiliaria S.A., Santander Holding Internacional S.A., Santander Holdings USA Inc., Santander ISA Managers Limited, Santander Inclusion Financiera S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Insurance Agency U.S. LLC, Santander Insurance Services UK Limited, Santander Intermediacion Correduria de Seguros S.A., Santander International Products Plc. (d), Santander Inversiones S.A., Santander Investment Bank Limited, Santander Investment Chile Limitada, Santander Investment I S.A., Santander Investment S.A., Santander Investment Securities Inc., Santander Investments GP 1 S.a.r.l., Santander Inwestycje Sp. z o.o., Santander Lease S.A. E.F.C., Santander Leasing LLC, Santander Leasing S.A., Santander Leasing S.A. Arrendamento Mercantil, Santander Lending Limited, Santander Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Operations S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Services S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Uruguay S.A., Santander Merchant Platform SolucoesTecnologicas Brasil Ltda., Santander Merchant S.A., Santander Mortgage Holdings Limited, Santander Paraty Qif PLC, Santander Pensiones S.A. E.G.F.P., Santander Pensoes - Sociedade Gestora de Fundos de Pensoes S.A., Santander Private Banking Gestion S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Private Banking UK Limited, Santander Private Banking s.p.a. in Liquidazione (b), Santander Private Real Estate Advisory & Management S.A., Santander Private Real Estate Advisory S.A., Santander Real Estate S.A., Santander Retail Auto Lease Funding LLC, Santander Rio Asset Management Gerente de Fondos Comunes de Inversion S.A., Santander Rio Trust S.A., Santander Rio Valores S.A., Santander S.A. Sociedad Securitizadora, Santander Secretariat Services Limited, Santander Securities LLC, Santander Seguros y Reaseguros Compania Aseguradora S.A., Santander Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., Santander Servicios Especializados S.A. de C.V., Santander Technology USA LLC, Santander Tecnologia e Inovacao Ltda., Santander Tecnologia Argentina S.A., Santander Tecnologia Espana S.L.U., Santander Tecnologia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Totta SGPS S.A., Santander Totta Seguros Companhia de Seguros de Vida S.A., Santander Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A., Santander Trade Services Limited, Santander UK Group Holdings plc, Santander UK Investments, Santander UK Operations Limited, Santander UK Plc, Santander UK Technology Limited, Santander Wealth Management International SA, Santander de Titulizacion S.G.F.T. S.A., Santusa Holding S.L., Services and Promotions Delaware Corp., Services and Promotions Miami LLC, Servicio de Alarmas Controladas por Ordenador S.A., Servicios de Cobranza Recuperacion y Seguimiento S.A. De C.V., Sheppards Moneybrokers Limited, Shiloh III Wind Project LLC, Sociedad Integral de Valoraciones Automatizadas S.A., Sociedad Operadora de Tarjetas de Pago Santander Getnet Chile S.A., Socur S.A., Sol Orchard Imperial 1 LLC, Solarlaser Limited, Sovereign Community Development Company, Sovereign Delaware Investment Corporation, Sovereign Lease Holdings LLC, Sovereign REIT Holdings Inc., Sovereign Spirit Limited (f), Sterrebeeck B.V., Suleyado 2003 S.L. Unipersonal, Summer Empreendimentos Ltda., Super Pagamentos e Administracao de Meios Eletronicos S.A., Superdigital Argentina S.A.U., Superdigital Colombia S.A.S., Superdigital Holding Company S.L., Superdigital Peru S.A.C., Suzuki Servicios Financieros S.L., Swesant SA, TIMFin S.p.A., TOPSAM S.A de C.V., Taxagest Sociedade Gestora de Participacoes Sociais S.A., Teatinos Siglo XXI Inversiones S.A., The Alliance & Leicester Corporation Limited, The Best Specialty Coffee S.L. Unipersonal, Time Retail Finance Limited (b), Tonopah Solar I LLC, Toque Fale Servicos de Telemarketing Ltda., Tornquist Asesores de Seguros S.A. (b), Totta (Ireland) PLC, Totta Urbe - Empresa de Administracao e Construcoes S.A., Trabajando.com Mexico S.A. de C.V. en liquidacion (b), Trabajando.com Peru S.A.C., Trans Rotor Limited (b), Transolver Finance EFC S.A., Tresmares Growth Fund Santander SCR S.A., Tresmares Santander Direct Lending SICC S.A., Tuttle and Son Limited, Universia Brasil S.A., Universia Chile S.A., Universia Colombia S.A.S., Universia Espana Red de Universidades S.A., Universia Holding S.L., Universia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Universia Peru S.A., Universia Uruguay S.A., Uro Property Holdings SOCIMI S.A., WIM Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., WTW Shipping Designated Activity Company, Wallcesa S.A., Wave Holdco S.L., Waypoint Insurance Group Inc., and Wirecard (Technological Assets). American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.The following companies are subsidiares of HCA Healthcare: 2490 Church LLC, 360 Community Alliance LLC, 4600 Waters Avenue Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., 52 Alderley Road LLP, AC Med LLC, ACH Inc., ADC Surgicenter LLC, AOGN LLC, AOSC Sports Medicine Inc., AR Holding 1 LLC, AR Holding 10 LLC, AR Holding 11 LLC, AR Holding 12 LLC, AR Holding 13 LLC, AR Holding 14 LLC, AR Holding 15 LLC, AR Holding 16 LLC, AR Holding 17 LLC, AR Holding 18 LLC, AR Holding 19 LLC, AR Holding 2 LLC, AR Holding 20 LLC, AR Holding 21 LLC, AR Holding 22 LLC, AR Holding 23 LLC, AR Holding 24 LLC, AR Holding 25 LLC, AR Holding 26 LLC, AR Holding 27 LLC, AR Holding 28 LLC, AR Holding 29 LLC, AR Holding 30 LLC, AR Holding 31 LLC, AR Holding 4 LLC, AR Holding 5 LLC, AR Holding 6 LLC, AR Holding 7 LLC, AR Holding 8 LLC, AR Holding 9 LLC, ASD Shared Services LLC, Acadiana Care Center Inc., Acadiana Practice Management Inc., Acadiana Regional Pharmacy Inc., Access 2 Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Health Care Physicians LLC, Access Management Co. LLC, Ace Leasing II LLC, Acute Kids Urgent Care of Medical City Childrens Hospital PLLC, Acworth Immediate Care LLC, Administrative Physicians of North Texas PLLC, Advanced Bundle Convener LLC, Advanced Plastic Surgery Center of Terre Haute LLC, Advanced Practice Providers of Gulf Coast PLLC, Alaska Regional Medical Group LLC, Albany Family Practice LLC, Aligned Business Consortium Group L.P., All About Staffing (India) Ltd., All About Staffing Inc., All About Staffing Philippines Inc., Alleghany General and Bariatric Services LLC, Alleghany Hospitalists LLC, Alleghany Primary Care Inc., Alleghany Specialists LLC, Alliance Surgicare LLC, Alpine Surgicenter LLC, Alta Internal Medicine LLC, Alternaco LLC, Altitude Mid Level Providers LLC, Ambulatory Endoscopy Clinic of Dallas Ltd., Ambulatory Endoscopy Holdco LLC, Ambulatory Laser Associates GP, Ambulatory Services Management Corporation of Chesterfield County Inc., Ambulatory Surgery Center Group Ltd., American Medicorp Development Co., Anchorage Surgicenter LLC, AppleCare/Memorial Immediate Care Joint Venture LLC, Appledore Medical Group II Inc., Appledore Medical Group Inc., Appomattox Imaging LLC, Arapahoe Surgicenter LLC, Arlington Diagnostic South Inc., Arlington Neurosurgeons PLLC, Arlington Primary Care PLLC, Arlington Primary Medicine PLLC, Arlington Surgery Center L.P., Arlington Surgicare LLC, Arthritis Specialists of Nashville Inc., Ashburn ASC LLC, Ashburn Imaging LLC, Athens Community Hospital Inc., Atlanta Healthcare Management L.P., Atlanta Home Care L.P., Atlanta Market GP Inc., Atlanta Outpatient Surgery Center Inc., Atlanta Surgery Center Ltd., Atlantis Surgicare LLC, Atrium Surgery Center L.P., Atrium Surgicare LLC, Augusta CyberKnife LLC, Augusta Inpatient Services LLC, Augusta Management Services LLC, Augusta Multispecialty Services LLC, Augusta Primary Care Services LLC, Augusta Specialty Hospitalists LLC, Augusta Urgent Care Services LLC, Aurora Endoscopy Surgicenter LLC, Austin GI Surgicenter LLC, Austin Heart Cardiology MSO LLC, Austin Medical Center Inc., Austin Physicians Management LLC, Austin Urogynecology PLLC, Aventura Cancer Center Manager LLC, Aventura Comprehensive Cancer Research Group of Florida Inc., Aventura Healthcare Specialists LLC, Aventura Neurosurgery LLC, BAMI Property LLC, Backlogs Limited, Bailey Square Ambulatory Surgical Center Ltd., Bailey Square Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Bannerman Family Care LLC, Barrow Medical Center CT Services Ltd., Basic American Medical Inc., Basil Street Practice Limited, Bay Area Healthcare Group Ltd., Bay Area Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Bay Area Surgicare Center Inc., Bay Area Surgicenter LLC, Bay Hospital Inc., Bayonet Point Surgery Center Ltd., Bayshore Family Practitioners PLLC, Bayshore Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Bayshore Occupational and Family Medicine PLLC, Bayshore Partner LLC, Bayshore Radiation Oncology Services PLLC, Bayshore Surgery Center Ltd., Bayside Ambulatory Center LLC, Bedford-Northeast Community Hospital Inc., Behavioral Health Sciences of West Florida LLC, Behavioral Health Wellness Center LLC, Bellaire Imaging Inc., Belleair Surgery Center Ltd., Belton Family Practice Clinic LLC, Big Cypress Medical Center Inc., Blacksburg Family Care LLC, Blossoms Healthcare LLP, Blue Ridge-TKC LLC, Bone & Joint Specialists Physician Group LLC, Bonita Bay Surgery Center Inc., Bonita Bay Surgery Center Ltd., Bountiful Surgery Center LLC, Boynton Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Bradenton Cardiology Physician Network LLC, Bradenton Outpatient Services LLC, Brandon Imaging Manager LLC, Brandon Regional Cancer Center LLC, Brentwood ASC LLC, Brigham City Community Hospital Inc., Brigham City Community Hospital Physician Services LLC, Brigham City Health Plan Inc., Brighton Surgicenter LLC, Brookwood Medical Center of Gulfport Inc., Broward Cardiovascular Surgeons LLC, Broward Healthcare System Inc., Broward Neurosurgeons LLC, Brownsville Specialists of Texas PLLC, Brownsville Surgery PLLC, Brownsville Surgical Specialists PLLC, Brownsville Surgicenter LLC, Brownsville-Valley Regional Medical Center Inc., Buford Road Imaging L.L.C., Byron Family Practice LLC, C. Medrano M.D. PLLC, C/HCA Capital Inc., C/HCA Development Inc., C/HCA Inc., CAREOS Surgicenter LLC, CC Clinic PLLC, CCBH Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, CCH-GP Inc., CFC Investments Inc., CH Systems, CHC Finance Co., CHC Holdings Inc., CHC Management Ltd., CHC Payroll Agent Inc., CHC Payroll Company, CHC Realty Company, CHC Venture Co., CHC-El Paso Corp., CHC-Miami Corp., CHCA Bayshore L.P., CHCA Clear Lake L.P., CHCA Conroe L.P., CHCA Mainland L.P., CHCA Pearland L.P., CHCA West Houston L.P., CHCA Womans Hospital L.P., CHCK Inc., CJW Infectious Disease LLC, CJW Wound Healing Center LLC, CLASC Manager LLC, COL-NAMC Holdings Inc., COSCORP LLC, CP Surgery Center LLC, CPS TN Processor 1 Inc., CRMC-M LLC, CUC PLLC, CVMC Property LLC, Calder Immediate Care PLLC, California Imaging Center Manager LLC, California Urgent Care LLC, Calloway Creek Surgery Center L.P., Calloway Creek Surgicare LLC, Cancer Centers of North Florida LLC, Cancer Services of Aventura LLC, Capital Anesthesia Services LLC, Capital Area Cardiology, Capital Area CareNow Physician Associates, Capital Area Multispecialty Providers, Capital Area Neurosurgeons, Capital Area Occupational Medicine PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care PLLC, Capital Area Primary Care Providers, Capital Area Providers, Capital Area Specialists PLLC, Capital Area Specialty Providers, Capital Area Surgeons PLLC, Capital Division - CCA Inc., Capital Division Inc., Capital Network Services Inc., Capital Professional Billing LLC, Capital Regional Healthcare LLC, Capital Regional Heart Associates LLC, Capital Regional Psychiatry Associates LLC, Cardiac Surgical Associates LLC, Cardio Vascular Surgeons of North Texas PLLC, Cardiology Associates Medical Group LLC, Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio PLLC, Cardiology Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Texas PLLC, Care for Women LLC, CareNow, CareOne Home Health Services Inc., CarePartners HHA Holdings LLLP, CarePartners HHA LLLP, CarePartners Rehabilitation Hospital LLLP, CareSpot Professional Services of Middle Tennessee LLC, CareSpot of Brentwood (210 Franklin Road) LLC, CareSpot of Cool Springs (100 International Drive) LLC, CareSpot of Donelson (2372 Lebanon Road) LLC, CareSpot of Hendersonville (280 Indian Lake Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Hermitage (5225 Old Hickory Boulevard) LLC, CareSpot of Lebanon (1705 West Main Street) LLC, CareSpot of Mt. Juliet (S. Mt. Juliet Road) LLC, CareSpot of Murfreesboro (1340 Broad Street) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (2001 Glen Echo Road) LLC, CareSpot of Nashville (West End Avenue) LLC, Career Staffing USA Inc., Carlin Springs Urgent Care LLC, Carolina Forest Imaging Manager LLC, Carolina Regional Surgery Center Inc., Carolina Regional Surgery Center Ltd., Cartersville Medical Center LLC, Cartersville Occupational Medicine Center LLC, Cartersville Physician Practice I LLC, Catalog360 Limited, Cedar Creek Medical Group LLC, Cedars International Cardiology Consultants LLC, Cedars Medical Center Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Cardiovascular Consultants LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Center LLC, Centennial CyberKnife Manager LLC, Centennial Heart LLC, Centennial Hospitalists LLC, Centennial Neuroscience LLC, Centennial Psychiatric Associates LLC, Centennial Surgery Center L.P., Centennial Surgical Associates LLC, Centennial Surgical Clinic LLC, Centennial Womens Group LLC, Center for Advanced Diagnostics LLC, Center for Advanced Imaging LLC, Center for Digestive Diseases LLC, Center for Occupational Medicine LLC, Centerpoint Cardiology Services LLC, Centerpoint Clinic of Blue Springs LLC, Centerpoint Hospital Based Physicians LLC, Centerpoint Medical Center of Independence LLC, Centerpoint Medical Specialists LLC, Centerpoint Orthopedics LLC, Centerpoint Physicians Group LLC, Centerpoint Womens Services LLC, Central Florida Cardiology Interpretations LLC, Central Florida Division Practice Inc., Central Florida Health Services LLC, Central Florida Imaging Services LLC, Central Florida Management Services LLC, Central Florida Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates LLC, Central Florida Physician Network LLC, Central Florida Regional Hospital Inc., Central Health Holding Company Inc., Central Pasco LLC, Central San Antonio Surgical Center Investors Ltd., Central Shared Services LLC, Central Tennessee Hospital Corporation, Central Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Physicians PLLC, Centrum Surgery Center Ltd., Charleston CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Chatsworth Hospital Corp., Chattanooga ASC Acquisition Inc., Chattanooga Diagnostic Associates LLC, Chattanooga Healthcare Network L.P., Chattanooga Healthcare Network Partner Inc., Chelsea Outpatient Centre LLP, Chesterfield Imaging LLC, Chicago Grant Hospital Inc., Childrens Multi-Specialty Group LLC, Chino Community Hospital Corporation Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Hospitals Inc., Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Sports Medicine LLC, Chippenham Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Chippenham Pediatric Specialists LLC, Chiswick Outpatient Centre LLP, Christiansburg Family Medicine LLC, Christiansburg Internal Medicine LLC, Christina Cano-Gonzalez M.D. PLLC, Chugach PT Inc., Church Street Partners, Citrus Memorial Hospital Inc., Citrus Memorial Property Management Inc., Citrus Primary Care Inc., Citrus Specialty Group Inc., Citrus Surgicenter LLC, City of San Antonio H2U Employee Health and Wellness Center PLLC, Clarksville Surgicenter LLC, Clear Creek Surgery Center LLC, Clear Lake Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., Clear Lake Cardiac GP LLC, Clear Lake Family Physicians PLLC, Clear Lake Medical Tower Owners Association Inc., Clear Lake Merger LLC, Clear Lake Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Clear Lake Regional Medical Center Inc., Clear Lake Regional Partner LLC, Clear Lake Surgicare Ltd., ClinicServ LLC, Clinical Education Shared Services LLC, Clinishare Inc., Coastal Bend Hospital CT Services Ltd., Coastal Bend Hospital Inc., Coastal Carolina Home Care Inc., Coastal Carolina Multispecialty Associates LLC, Coastal Carolina Primary Care LLC, Coastal Healthcare Services Inc., Coastal Imaging Center L.P., Coastal Imaging Center of Gulfport Inc., Coastal Inpatient Physicians LLC, Coliseum Health Group Inc., Coliseum Health Group LLC, Coliseum Medical Center LLC, Coliseum Park Hospital Inc., Coliseum Primary Care Services LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Macon LLC, Coliseum Primary Healthcare - Riverside LLC, Coliseum Professional Associates LLC, Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center L.P., Coliseum Surgery Center L.L.C., College Park Ancillary LLC, College Park Endoscopy Center LLC, College Park Radiology LLC, Colleton Ambulatory Care LLC, Colleton Diagnostic Center LLC, Colleton Medical Anesthesia LLC, Colleton Medical Hospitalists LLC, Colleton Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery LLC, Collier County Home Health Agency Inc., Collin County Diagnostic Associates PLLC, Colorado Health Systems Inc., Columbia ASC Management L.P., Columbia Ambulatory Surgery Division Inc., Columbia Arlington Healthcare System L.L.C., Columbia Bay Area Realty Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Health Ltd., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare Inc., Columbia Behavioral Healthcare of South Florida Inc., Columbia Call Center Inc., Columbia Central Florida Division Inc., Columbia Central Group Inc., Columbia Champions Treatment Center Inc., Columbia Chicago Division Inc., Columbia Coliseum Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Columbia Development of Florida Inc., Columbia Doctors Hospital of Tulsa Inc., Columbia Eye and Specialty Surgery Center Ltd., Columbia Florida Group Inc., Columbia GP of Mesquite Inc., Columbia Good Samaritan Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia Greater Houston Division Healthcare Network Inc., Columbia Health System of Arkansas Inc., Columbia Healthcare System of Louisiana Inc., Columbia Healthcare of Central Virginia Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation at the Medical Center, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Arlington, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Bay Area, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Central Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Corpus Christi, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Fort Worth, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Kendall, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Massachusetts Inc., Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of North Miami Beach, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Broward, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Dade, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Florida, Columbia Hospital Corporation of South Miami, Columbia Hospital Corporation of Tamarac, Columbia Hospital Corporation of West Houston, Columbia Hospital Corporation-Delaware, Columbia Hospital Corporation-SMM, Columbia Hospital at Medical City Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Hospital-El Paso Ltd., Columbia Integrated Health Systems Inc., Columbia Jacksonville Healthcare System Inc., Columbia LaGrange Hospital LLC, Columbia Lake Worth Surgical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia Medical Arts Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center Dallas Southwest Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center at Lancaster Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Arlington Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Denton Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Las Colinas Inc., Columbia Medical Center of Lewisville Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of McKinney Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Center of Plano Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Medical Group - Centennial Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Daystar Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Parkridge Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southern Hills Inc., Columbia Medical Group - Southwest Virginia Inc., Columbia Medical Group - The Frist Clinic Inc., Columbia Midtown Joint Venture, Columbia North Alaska Healthcare Inc., Columbia North Central Florida Health System Limited Partnership, Columbia North Florida Regional Medical Center Limited Partnership, Columbia North Hills Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Columbia North Texas Healthcare System L.P., Columbia North Texas Subsidiary GP LLC, Columbia North Texas Surgery Center Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Inc., Columbia Northwest Medical Center Partners Ltd., Columbia Ocala Regional Medical Center Physician Group Inc., Columbia Ogden Medical Center Inc., Columbia Oklahoma Division Inc., Columbia Palm Beach GP LLC, Columbia Palm Beach Healthcare System Limited Partnership, Columbia Park Healthcare System Inc., Columbia Park Medical Center Inc., Columbia Parkersburg Healthcare System LLC, Columbia Pentagon City Hospital L.L.C., Columbia Physician Services - Florida Group Inc., Columbia Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Primary Care LLC, Columbia Psychiatric Management Co., Columbia Resource Network Inc., Columbia Rio Grande Healthcare L.P., Columbia Riverside Inc., Columbia South Texas Division Inc., Columbia Specialty Hospital of Dallas Subsidiary L.P., Columbia Specialty Hospitals Inc., Columbia Surgery Group Inc., Columbia Surgicare of Augusta Ltd., Columbia Tampa Bay Division Inc., Columbia Valley Healthcare System L.P., Columbia West Bank Hospital Inc., Columbia Westbank Healthcare L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Canton Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-CSA/HS Greater Cleveland Area Healthcare System L.P., Columbia-Georgia PT Inc., Columbia-Osceola Imaging Center Inc., Columbia-Quantum Inc., Columbia-SDH Holdings Inc., Columbia/Alleghany Regional Hospital Incorporated, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Central Texas, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of Northern Ohio, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation of South Carolina, Columbia/HCA Heartcare of Corpus Christi Inc., Columbia/HCA International Group Inc., Columbia/HCA John Randolph Inc., Columbia/HCA Middle East Management Company, Columbia/HCA Physician Hospital Organization Medical Center Hospital, Columbia/HCA San Clemente Inc., Columbia/HCA of Baton Rouge Inc., Columbia/HCA of Houston Inc., Columbia/HCA of New Orleans Inc., Columbia/HCA of North Texas Inc., Columbine Psychiatric Center Inc., Columbus Cardiology Inc., Columbus Cath Lab Inc., Columbus Cath Lab LLC, Columbus Doctors Hospital Inc., Commonwealth Perinatal Services LLC, Commonwealth Specialists of Kentucky LLC, Community Hospital Family Practice LLC, Comprehensive Radiation Oncology LLC, Comprehensive Radiology Management Services Ltd., Concept EFL Imaging Center LLC, Concept West EFL Imaging Center LLC, Congenital Heart Surgery Center PLLC, Conroe Hospital Corporation, Conroe Montgomery Physicians Group PLLC, Conroe Orthopedic Specialists PLLC, Conroe Partner LLC, Conroe Specialists of Texas PLLC, Continental Division I Inc., Coral Springs Surgi-Center Ltd., CoralStone Management Inc., Corpus Christi Healthcare Group Ltd., Corpus Christi Heart Clinic PLLC, Corpus Christi Primary Care Associates PLLC, Corpus Christi Psychiatric Specialists PLLC, Corpus Christi Radiation Oncology PLLC, Corpus Christi Surgery Center L.P., Corpus Christi Surgery Ltd., Corpus Christi Surgicenter LLC, Corpus Surgicare Inc., Countryside Surgery Center Ltd., Crewe Outpatient Imaging LLC, Cumberland Medical Center Inc., Cy-Fair Medical Center Hospital LLC, DFW Physicians Group PLLC, DOMC Property LLC, DS Real Estate Holdings LLC, Daleville Imaging L.P., Daleville Imaging Manager LLC, Dallas CardioThoracic Surgery Consultants PLLC, Dallas Cardiology Specialists PLLC, Dallas Hand Surgery Center PLLC, Dallas Medical Specialists PLLC, Dallas Neuro-Stroke Affiliates PLLC, Dallas Pediatric Neurosurgery Specialists PLLC, Dallas/Ft. Worth Physician LLC, Davie Medical Center LLC, Daytona Medical Center Inc., Dean 4641 LLC, Deep Purple Investments LLC, Del Sol Bariatric Clinic PLLC, Delray EFL Imaging Center LLC, Denton Cancer Center PLLC, Denton County Hospitalist Program PLLC, Denton Pediatric Physicians PLLC, Denton Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Denver Clinic Surgicenter LLC, Denver Mid-Town Surgery Center Ltd., Denver Surgicenter LLC, Derry ASC Inc., Diagnostic Breast Center Inc., Diagnostic Mammography Services G.P., Diagnostic Services G.P., Dickson Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Bay Area Physician Hospital Organization, Doctors Hospital (Conroe) Inc., Doctors Hospital Columbus GA-Joint Venture, Doctors Hospital Surgery Center L.P., Doctors Hospital of Augusta LLC, Doctors Hospital of Augusta Neurology LLC, Doctors Osteopathic Medical Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Inc., Doctors Same Day Surgery Center Ltd., Doctors-I Inc., Doctors-II Inc., Doctors-III Inc., Doctors-IV Inc., Doctors-IX Inc., Doctors-V Inc., Doctors-VI Inc., Doctors-VII Inc., Doctors-VIII Inc., Doctors-X Inc., Doctors Memorial Hospital of Spartanburg Limited Partnership, Dominion Hospital Physicians Group LLC, Dublin Community Hospital LLC, Dublin Heart Specialists LLC, Dublin Multispecialty LLC, Dura Medical Inc., E.P. Physical Therapy Centers Inc., EASTSIDE URGENT CARE LLC, EHCA Diagnostics LLC, EHCA Eastside Occupational Medicine Center LLC, EHCA LLC, EHCA Metropolitan LLC, EHCA Parkway LLC, EHCA Peachtree LLC, EHCA West Paces LLC, EIRMC Hospitalist Services LLC, EMMC LLC, EP Health LLC, EP Holdco LLC, EPIC Development Inc., EPIC Diagnostic Centers Inc., EPIC Healthcare Management Company, EPIC Properties Inc., EPIC Surgery Centers Inc., EPSC L.P., East Falls Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery LLC, East Falls Family Medicine LLC, East Falls Plastic Surgery LLC, East Florida - DMC Inc., East Florida Behavioral Health Network LLC, East Florida Cardiology Network LLC, East Florida CareNow Urgent Care LLC, East Florida Division Inc., East Florida Emergency Physician Group LLC, East Florida Healthcare LLC, East Florida Hospitalists LLC, East Florida Imaging Holdings LLC, East Florida Primary Care LLC, East Houston Primary Care PLLC, East Houston Specialists PLLC, East Layton Internal Medicine LLC, East Orthopedics PLLC, East Pointe Hospital Inc., Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment LLC, Eastern Idaho Brachytherapy Equipment Manager LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners ACO LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners Holdings LLC, Eastern Idaho Care Partners LLC, Eastern Idaho Health Services Inc., Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Eastside Behavioral Health Associates LLC, Eastside General Surgery LLC, Eastside Heart and Vascular LLC, Eastside Medical Center LLC, Eastside Surgery Center LLC, Edmond General Surgery LLC, Edmond Hospitalists LLC, Edmond Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Edward White Hospital Inc., El Paso CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, El Paso Healthcare Provider Network, El Paso Healthcare System Ltd., El Paso Healthcare System Physician Services LLC, El Paso Nurses Unlimited Inc., El Paso Primary Care PLLC, El Paso Surgery Centers L.P., El Paso Surgicenter Inc., Eldridge Family Practitioners PLLC, Elite Family Health of Plano PLLC, Elite OB-GYN Services of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of El Paso PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Irving PLLC, Elite Orthopaedics of Plano PLLC, Elstree Outpatient Centre LLP, Emergency Physicians at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Emergency Providers Group LLC, Emergency Psychiatric Medicine PLLC, Encino Hospital Corporation Inc., Endocrinology Associates of Lees Summit LLC, Endoscopy Surgicare of Plano LLC, Endoscopy of Plano L.P., Englewood Community Hospital Auxiliary Inc., Englewood Community Hospital Inc., Envision Stakes LLC, Eye Care Surgicare Ltd. a Missouri limited partnership, FHAL LLC, FMH Health Services LLC, Fairfax Surgical Center L.P., Fairview Medical Services LLC, Fairview Park GP LLC, Fairview Park Limited Partnership, Fairview Partner LLC, Family Care Partners LLC, Family Care of E. Jackson County LLC, Family First Medicine in Brownsville PLLC, Family Health Medical Group of Overland Park LLC, Family Health Specialists of Lees Summit LLC, Family Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Family Practice at Forest Hill LLC, Family Practice at Retreat LLC, Family Practitioners of Montgomery PLLC, Family Practitioners of Pearland PLLC, Fannin MOB LLC, Fannin MOB Property Management LLC, Far West Division Inc., Fawcett Memorial Hospital Inc., Florida Care Partners LLC, Florida Care Partners Orlando LLC, Florida Home Health Services-Private Care Inc., Florida Outpatient Surgery Center Ltd., Flower Mound Surgery Center Ltd., Focus Hand Surgicenter LLC, Foot & Ankle Specialty Services LLC, Forest Park Surgery Pavilion Inc., Forest Park Surgery Pavilion L.P., Fort Bend Hospital Inc., Fort Chiswell Family Practice LLC, Fort Myers Market Inc., Fort Pierce Immediate Care Center Inc., Fort Pierce Orthopaedics LLC, Fort Pierce Surgery Center Ltd., Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Inc., Fort Worth Investments Inc., Forward Pathology Solutions LLC, Four Rivers Medical Center PHO Inc., Frankfort Hospital Inc., Frankfort Wound Care LLC, Freeport Family Medicine LLC, Fremont Womens Health LLC, Frisco Surgicare LLC, Frisco Warren Parkway 91 Inc., Frist Clinic Express LLC, Ft. Pierce Surgicare LLC, Ft. Walton Beach Anesthesia Services LLC, G. Rowe M.D. PLLC, G. Schnider M.D. PLLC, G. Voorhees M.D. PLLC, G.P. Martin Fletcher & Associates LLC, GA PHYSICIAN SERVICES LLC, GA Urgentcare Holding LLC, GHC-Galen Health Care LLC, GI Associates of Denton PLLC, GI Associates of Lewisville PLLC, GME Services of Osceola LLC, GPCH-GP Inc., GYN-Oncology of Southwest Virginia LLC, Gainesville GYN Oncology of North Florida Regional Medical Center LLC, Gainesville Physicians LLC, GalTex LLC, Galen (Kansas) Merger LLC, Galen BH Inc., Galen Center for Professional Development Inc., Galen College of Nursing, Galen Diagnostic Multicenter Ltd., Galen GOK LLC, Galen Global Finance Inc., Galen Health Institutes Inc., Galen Health Partners Limited, Galen Holdco LLC, Galen Hospital Alaska Inc., Galen Hospital of Baytown Inc., Galen Hospital-Pembroke Pines Inc., Galen International Holdings Inc., Galen KY LLC, Galen MCS LLC, Galen MRMC LLC, Galen Medical Corporation, Galen NMC LLC, Galen NSH LLC, Galen Property LLC, Galen SOM LLC, Galen SSH LLC, Galen Virginia Hospital Corporation, Galen of Aurora Inc., Galen of Florida Inc., Galen of Illinois Inc., Galen of Kentucky Inc., Galen of Mississippi Inc., Galen of Virginia Inc., Galen of West Virginia Inc., Galen-Soch Inc., Galencare Inc., Galendeco Inc., Galichia Anesthesia Services LLC, Galichia Emergency Physicians LLC, Garden Park Community Hospital Limited Partnership, Garden Park Hospitalist Program LLC, Garden Park Investments L.P., Garden Park Physician Group - Specialty Care LLC, Garden Park Physician Group Inc., Gardens EFL Imaging Center LLC, Gastroenterology Specialists of Middle Tennessee LLC, General Hospitals of Galen Inc., General Medical Clinics Limited, General Surgeons of Houston PLLC, General Surgeons of North Richland Hills PLLC, General Surgeons of Pasadena PLLC, General and Cardiovascular Surgeons of Conroe PLLC, Generations Family Practice Inc., GenoSpace LLC, Georgia Health Holdings Inc., Georgia L.P., Georgia Psychiatric Company Inc., Glemm SA, Good Samaritan Hospital L.P., Good Samaritan Hospital LLC, Good Samaritan Surgery Center L.P., Goppert-Trinity Family Care LLC, Grace Family Practice LLC, Gramercy Eye Surgicenter LLC, Gramercy Surgery Center Ltd., Grand Strand Regional Medical Center LLC, Grand Strand Senior Health Center LLC, Grand Strand Specialty Associates LLC, Grand Strand Surgical Specialists LLC, Grandview Health Care Clinic LLC, Grant Center Hospital of Ocala Inc., Grayson Primary Care LLC, Greater Gwinnett Internal Medicine Associates LLC, Greater Gwinnett Physician Corporation, Greater Houston Preferred Provider Option Inc., Greater Tampa Bay Physician Network LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physician Specialists LLC, Greater Tampa Bay Physicians - Pinellas LLC, Green Oaks Hospital Subsidiary L.P., Greenview Hospital Inc., Greenview PrimeCare LLC, Greenview Specialty Associates LLC, Gulf Coast Division Inc., Gulf Coast Electrophysiology Associates PLLC, Gulf Coast Inpatient Specialists LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Center Primary Care LLC, Gulf Coast Medical Ventures Inc., Gulf Coast Multispecialty Services LLC, Gulf Coast Physician Administrators Inc., Gulf Coast Provider Network Inc., Gwinnett Community Hospital Inc., Gynecology Specialists of Utah LLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Del Sol Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Las Palmas Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - Medical City Dallas PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers - St. Davids Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers LLC, H2U Wellness Centers  Clear Lake Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers  Conroe ISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers  Conroe Regional Medical Center PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers  Corpus Christi PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers  El Paso PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers  PISD PLLC, H2U Wellness Centers  San Benito CISD PLLC, HBP Lone Star Inc., HCA - IT&S Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S Inventory Management Inc., HCA - IT&S PBS Field Operations Inc., HCA - IT&S TN Field Operations Inc., HCA - Information Technology & Services Inc., HCA - Raleigh Community Hospital Inc., HCA - Viera ALF LLC, HCA - WHS Progressive LLC, HCA - WHS Services LLC, HCA ASD Financial Operations LLC, HCA ASD Sales Services LLC, HCA American Finance LLC, HCA Carenow Limited, HCA Central Group Inc., HCA Central/West Texas Physicians Management LLC, HCA Chattanooga Market Inc., HCA Development Company Inc., HCA Eastern Group Inc., HCA Global Capital LLP, HCA Gulf Coast GME PLLC, HCA Health Services of California Inc., HCA Health Services of Florida Inc., HCA Health Services of Georgia Inc., HCA Health Services of Louisiana Inc., HCA Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Health Services of Midwest Inc., HCA Health Services of New Hampshire Inc., HCA Health Services of Tennessee Inc., HCA Health Services of Texas Inc., HCA Health Services of Virginia Inc., HCA Health Services of West Virginia Inc., HCA Healthcare Mission Fund LLC, HCA Healthcare UK Limited, HCA Holdco LLC, HCA Human Resources LLC, HCA Imaging Services of North Florida Inc., HCA Inc., HCA International Holdings Limited, HCA International Limited, HCA LewisGale Regional Cancer Centers Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Long Term Health Services of Miami Inc., HCA Luxembourg 1 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg 2 Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Equities Sarl, HCA Luxembourg Finance Limited, HCA Luxembourg Investments Sarl, HCA Management Services L.P., HCA Medical City Limited, HCA Medical Services Inc., HCA Midwest Comprehensive Care Inc., HCA Outpatient Clinic Services of Miami Inc., HCA Outpatient Imaging Services Group Inc., HCA Patient Safety Organization LLC, HCA Pearland GP Inc., HCA Physician Services Inc., HCA Plano Imaging Inc., HCA Property GP LLC, HCA Psychiatric Company, HCA Purchasing Limited, HCA Realty Inc., HCA Richmond Cardiac Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA SF LLC, HCA SFB 1 LLC, HCA Sarasota Orthopedic and Spine Clinical Co-Management Company LLC, HCA Squared LLC, HCA Staffing Limited, HCA Swiss Capital 1 LLP, HCA Swiss Capital 2 LLP, HCA Switzerland Finance GmbH, HCA Switzerland Holding GmbH, HCA Switzerland Limited, HCA UK Capital Limited, HCA UK Holdings Limited, HCA UK Investments Limited, HCA UK Limited, HCA UK Services Limited, HCA Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital Inc., HCA Western Group Inc., HCA-Access Healthcare Holdings LLC, HCA-Access Healthcare Partner Inc., HCA-California Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-EMS Holdings LLC, HCA-EmCare Holdings LLC, HCA-Georgia Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCA-HBPS Holdings LLC, HCA-HealthONE LLC, HCA-Solis Holdings Inc., HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Continental LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of Gulf Coast LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of North Texas LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Service Holdings of TriStar LLC, HCA-Solis Mammography Services LLC, HCA-Solis Master LLC, HCA-Urgent Care Holdings LLC, HCAPS Anesthesia Manager LLC, HCAPS Conroe Affiliation Inc., HCOL Inc., HD&S Corp. Successor Inc., HDH Thoracic Surgeons LLC, HHBY Holdings LLC, HHNC LLC, HICCH-SCL LLC, HM Acquisition LLC, HM OMCOS LLC, HMMG 1226 LLC, HPG Energy L.P., HPG Enterprises LLC, HPG GP LLC, HPG Solutions LLC, HSS Holdco LLC, HSS Systems LLC, HSS Virginia L.P., HTI Gulf Coast Inc., HTI Health Services of North Carolina Inc., HTI Hospital Holdings Inc., HTI MOB LLC, HTI MSO LLC, HTI Memorial Hospital Corporation, HTI Physician Services of Utah Inc., HWCA PLLC, Hamilton Memorial Hospital Inc., Hamsard 3160 Limited, Harley Street Clinic @ The Groves LLP, Hathor Chelsea Ltd., Healdsburg General Hospital Inc., Health Care Indemnity Inc., Health Insight Capital LLC, Health International Billing Partners Limited, Health Midwest Medical Group Inc., Health Midwest Office Facilities Corporation, Health Midwest Ventures Group Inc., Health Partners of Kansas Inc., Health Service Partners Inc., Health Services (Delaware) Inc., Health Services Merger Inc., Health to You LLC, HealthCoast Physician Group LLC, HealthONE Aurora Investment LLC, HealthONE Care Partners LLC, HealthONE CareNow Urgent Care LLC, HealthONE Clear Creek LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Bariatric Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Behavioral Health LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cancer Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Cardiovascular LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Medical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Neurosciences LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Occupational Medicine LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Oncology Hematology LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Orthopedic Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Otolaryngology Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Pediatric Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Primary Care LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Specialists LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Spine Surgeons LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgery Neurological LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Surgical Specialties LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Transplant Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Womens Services LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services - Youth Rehabilitation LLC, HealthONE Clinic Services LLC, HealthONE High Street Primary Care Center LLC, HealthONE IRL Pathology Services LLC, HealthONE Institutes for Clinical Research LLC, HealthONE Lowry LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Red Rocks LLC, HealthONE Radiation Therapy at Thornton LLC, HealthONE Ridge View Endoscopy Center LLC, HealthONE Surgicare of Ridge View LLC, HealthONE Urologic LLC, HealthONE at Breckenridge LLC, HealthONE of Denver Inc., HealthOne Heart Care LLC, HealthOne Lincoln Investment LLC, HealthOne Westside Investment LLC, HealthTrust Europe Company Limited, HealthTrust Europe LLP, HealthTrust Locums Inc., HealthTrust Workforce Solutions LLC, Healthcare Oklahoma Inc., Healthcare Purchasing Alliance LLC, Healthcare Sales National Management Services Group LLC, Healthcare Technology Assessment Corporation, Healthco LLC, Healthnet of Kentucky LLC, Healthserv Acquisition LLC, Healthtrust Inc. - The Hospital Company, Healthtrust MOB Tennessee LLC, Healthtrust Purchasing Group L.P., Healthtrust Utah Management Services Inc., Healthy State Inc., Heart Specialist of North Texas PLLC, Heart of America ASC LLC, Heart of America Surgicenter LLC, Heartcare of Texas Ltd., Hearthstone Home Health Inc., Heartland Womens Group at Wesley LLC, Heathrow Imaging LLC, Heathrow Internal Medicine LLC, Hendersonville Hospital Corporation, Hendersonville Hospitalist Services Inc., Hendersonville OB/GYN LLC, Hendersonville ODC LLC, Hendersonville Primary Care LLC, Henrico Doctors Hospital - Forest Campus Property LLC, Henrico Doctors Neurology Associates LLC, Henrico Doctors OB GYN Specialists LLC, Henrico Surgical Specialists LLC, Heritage Family Care LLC, Heritage Hospital Inc., Heritage Medical Care LLC, Hermitage Primary Care LLC, Hidalgo County Family Practitioners PLLC, Hidden Lakes Health Center PLLC, Highlands Regional Medical Center, Hip & Joint Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Homecare North Inc., Hometrust Management Services Inc., Horizon Orthopedics LLC, Horizon Surgical LLC, Hospital Corp. LLC, Hospital Corporation of America, Hospital Corporation of Lake Worth, Hospital Corporation of Tennessee, Hospital Corporation of Utah, Hospital Development Properties Inc., Hospital Partners Merger LLC, Hospital Realty Corporation, Hospital-Based CRNA Services Inc., Hospitalists at Centennial Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Fairview Park LLC, Hospitalists at Greenview Regional Hospital LLC, Hospitalists at Horizon Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists at Parkridge LLC, Hospitalists at StoneCrest LLC, Hospitalists at Wesley Medical Center LLC, Hospitalists of the Wabash Valley LLC, Houston - PPH LLC, Houston CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Houston Healthcare Holdings Inc., Houston NW Manager LLC, Houston Northwest Concessions L.L.C., Houston Northwest Operating Company L.L.C., Houston Northwest Surgical Partners Inc., Houston Obstetrics and Gynecology for Women PLLC, Houston Pediatric Specialty Group PLLC, Houston Urologic Surgicenter LLC, Houston Womans Hospital Partner LLC, ICU Associates of West Houston PLLC, IMX Holdings LLC, IRL Pathology Services MidAmerica LLC, Idaho Behavioral Health Services LLC, Idaho Physician Services Inc., Illinois Psychiatric Hospital Company Inc., Imaging Realty LLC, Imaging Services of Appomattox LLC, Imaging Services of Jacksonville LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana LLC, Imaging Services of Louisiana Manager LLC, Imaging Services of Orlando LLC, Imaging Services of Richmond LLC, Imaging Services of Roanoke LLC, Imaging Services of West Boynton LLC, InVivoLink Inc., Independence Neurosurgery Services LLC, Independence Regional Medical Group LLC, Independence Surgicare Inc., Indian Path Hospital Inc., Indianapolis Hospital Partner LLC, Institute for Womens Health and Body LLC, Institute of Advanced ENT Surgery LLC, Integrated Regional Lab LLC, Integrated Regional Laboratories LLP, Integrated Regional Laboratories Pathology Services LLC, Intensive Care Consortium Inc., Internal Medicine Associates of Huntsville PLLC, Internal Medicine Associates of Southern Hills LLC, Internal Medicine of Blacksburg LLC, Internal Medicine of Pasadena PLLC, Internist Associates of Houston PLLC, Isleworth Partners Inc., J. M. Garcia M.D. PLLC, JCSH LLC, JDGC Management LLC, JFK Internal Medicine Faculty Practice LLC, JFK Medical Center Limited Partnership, JPM AA Housing LLC, Jackson County Medical Group LLC, Jackson County Pulmonary Medical Group LLC, Jacksonville CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Jacksonville Multispecialty Services LLC, Jacksonville Surgery Center Ltd., James River Internists LLC, John Randolph Family Practice LLC, John Randolph OB/GYN LLC, John Randolph Surgeons LLC, Johnson County Neurology LLC, Johnson County Surgery Center L.P., Johnson County Surgicenter L.L.C., Jordan Family Health L.L.C., Jupiter EFL Imaging Center LLC, KC Pain ASC LLC, KC Surgicare LLC, KPH-Consolidation Inc., Kansas CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Kansas City Cardiac Arrhythmia Research LLC, Kansas City Gastroenterology & Hepatology Physicians Group LLC, Kansas City Neurology Associates LLC, Kansas City Pulmonology Practice LLC, Kansas City Surgery Center Properties LLC, Kansas City Vascular & General Surgery Group LLC, Kansas City Womens Clinic Group LLC, Kansas Healthserv LLC, Kansas Pulmonary and Sleep Specialists LLC, Kansas Trauma and Critical Care Specialists LLC, Kathy L. Summers M.D. PLLC, Kendall Healthcare Group Ltd., Kendall Regional Medical Center LLC, Kendall Regional Urgent Care LLC, Kennedale Primary Care PLLC, Kingwood Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Kingwood Surgery Center LLC, Kingwood Surgicenter LLC, Kissimmee Surgicare Ltd., Kyle Primary Care PLLC, L E Corporation, LAD Imaging LLC, LGMC Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, LOC @ The Christie LLP, LOC @ The London Bridge Hospital LLP, LOC Partnership LLP, LPN TeleBehavioral Health PLLC, Lafayette OB Hospitalists LLC, Lafayette Urogynecology & Urology Center LLC, Lake City Imaging LLC, Lake City Regional Medical Group LLC, Lake Forest Family Health PLLC, Lakeside Radiology LLC, Lakeside Womens Services LLC, Lakeview Cardiology Specialists LLC, Lakeview Hospital Physician Services LLC, Lakeview Internal Medicine LLC, Lakeview Medical Center LLC, Lakeview Regional Medical Center Inpatient Services LLC, Lakeview Regional Physician Group LLC, Lakeview Urology & General Surgery LLC, Lakewood Surgicare Inc., Laredo Medco LLC, Largo Medical Center Inc., Largo Physician Group LLC, Las Colinas Primary Care PLLC, Las Colinas Surgery Center Ltd., Las Encinas Hospital, Las Palmas Del Sol Cardiology PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Internal Medicine PLLC, Las Palmas Del Sol Urgent Care PLLC, Las Vegas ASC LLC, Las Vegas Surgicare Inc., Las Vegas Surgicare Ltd. a Nevada Limited Partnership, Lawnwood Cardiovascular Surgery LLC, Lawnwood Healthcare Specialists LLC, Lawnwood Medical Center Inc., Layton Family Practice LLC, Leaders in Oncology Care Limited, Leadership Healthcare Holdings II L.P. L.L.P., Leadership Healthcare Holdings L.P. L.L.P., Lees Summit Family Care LLC, Leslie Cohan M.D. PLLC, Lewis-Gale Hospital Incorporated, Lewis-Gale Medical Center LLC, Lewis-Gale Physicians LLC, Lewisville Primary Care PLLC, Lewisville Surgicare LLC, Lincoln Surgery Center LLC, Live Oak Immediate Care Center LLC, London Oncology Clinic LLP, London Pathology Limited, London Radiography & Radiotherapy Services Limited, Lone Peak Hospital Inc., Lone Star Intensivists at Gulf Coast PLLC, Lonestar Provider Network, Longview Regional Physician Hospital Organization Inc., Lorain County Surgery Center Ltd., Los Gatos Surgical Center a California Limited Partnership, Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Los Robles Regional Medical Center MOB LLC, Los Robles SurgiCenter LLC, Loudoun Surgery Center LLC, Louisiana Psychiatric Company Inc., Loveland Surgicenter LLC, Low Country Health Services Inc. of the Southeast, Lowry Surgicenter LLC, M. Jamshidi D.O. PLLC, MCA Investment Company, MCA-CTMC Holdings LLC, MEC Endoscopy LLC, MFA G.P. LLC, MFM Fact PLLC, MGH Medical Inc., MH Anesthesiology Physicians LLC, MH Angel Medical Center LLLP, MH Asheville Specialty Hospital LLC, MH Blue Ridge Medical Center LLLP, MH Eckerd Living Center LLLP, MH Highlands-Cashiers Medical Center LLLP, MH Hospital Holdings Inc., MH Hospital Manager LLC, MH Master Holdings LLLP, MH Master LLC, MH McDowell Imaging LLLP, MH Mission Hospital LLLP, MH Mission Hospital McDowell LLLP, MH Mission Imaging LLLP, MH Physician Services LLC, MH Transylvania Imaging LLLP, MH Transylvania Regional Hospital LLLP, MHS Partnership Holdings JSC Inc., MHS Partnership Holdings SDS Inc., MHS SC Partner L.L.C., MHS Surgery Centers L.P., MMC Sleep Lab Management LLC, MOSC Sports Medicine Inc., MOVCO Inc., MP Management LLC, MRT&C Inc., MSL Acquisition LLC, MVH Professional Services LLC, Macon Healthcare LLC, Macon Northside Health Group LLC, Macon Northside Hospital LLC, Macon Psychiatric Hospitalists LLC, Madison Behavioral Health LLC, Mainland Family Medicine PLLC, Mainland Multi-Specialty Group PLLC, Mainland Primary Care Physicians PLLC, Management Services Holdings Inc., Manatee Surgicare Ltd., Marietta Outpatient Medical Building Inc., Marietta Outpatient Surgery Ltd., Marietta Surgical Center Inc., Marion Community Hospital Inc., Mark Gottesman M.D. PLLC, Martin Fletcher & Associates L.P., Martin Fletcher Associates Holdings Inc., Mary Alice Cowan M.D. PLLC, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists of Corpus Christi PLLC, Maternal Fetal Services of Utah LLC, Maury County Behavioral Health LLC, Mayhill Cancer Center LLC, McAllen Comprehensive Upper Extremity Center PLLC, McKinney Surgeons PLLC, Mechanicsville Imaging LLC, Mecklenburg Surgical Land Development Ltd., Med City Dallas Outpatient Surgery Center L.P., Med Corp. Inc., Med Group - Southern Hills Hospitalists LLC, Med-Center Hosp./Houston Inc., Med-Point of New Hampshire Inc., Medi Flight of Oklahoma LLC, MediCredit Inc., MediPurchase Inc., MediStone Healthcare Ventures Inc., MediVision Inc., MediVision of Mecklenburg County Inc., MediVision of Tampa Inc., Medical Arts Hospital of Texarkana Inc., Medical Associates of Ocala LLC, Medical Care America Colorado LLC, Medical Care America LLC, Medical Care Financial Services Corp., Medical Care Real Estate Finance Inc., Medical Care Surgery Center Inc., Medical Center - West Inc., Medical Center Imaging Inc., Medical Center Surgery Associates L.P., Medical Center of Baton Rouge Inc., Medical Center of Plano Partner LLC, Medical Center of Port St. Lucie Inc., Medical Center of Santa Rosa Inc., Medical Center of Southwest Florida LLC, Medical Centers of Oklahoma LLC, Medical City Dallas Hospital Inc., Medical City Dallas Partner LLC, Medical City Dallas Primary Care PLLC, Medical City Frisco, Medical City OB-GYN PLLC, Medical City Pediatrics PLLC, Medical City Specialty Surgicenter of Dallas LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Alliance LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Frisco LLC, Medical City Surgery Center of Lewisville LLC, Medical City Transplant PLLC, Medical Corporation of America, Medical Group - Dickson Inc., Medical Group - Southern Hills of Brentwood LLC, Medical Group - Southern Hills of Nolensville LLC, Medical Group - StoneCrest FP Inc., Medical Group - StoneCrest Inc., Medical Group - Stonecrest Pulmonology LLC, Medical Group - Summit Inc., Medical Imaging Inc., Medical Imaging of Colorado LLC, Medical Office Buildings of Kansas LLC, Medical Oncology Associates LLC, Medical Partners of North Florida LLC, Medical Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center Associates L.P., Medical Specialties Inc., Memorial Family Practice Associates LLC, Memorial Health Primary Care at St. Johns Bluff LLC, Memorial Healthcare Group Inc., Memorial Neurosurgery Group LLC, Memorial Satilla Specialists LLC, Memorial University Medical Center, Menorah Medical Group LLC, Menorah Urgent Care LLC, Mercy ASC LLC, Metairie Primary Care Associates LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Boerne LLC, Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Center of Landmark LLC, Methodist Cardiology Physicians, Methodist CareNow Physician Associates, Methodist CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio Ltd. L.L.P., Methodist Inpatient Management Group, Methodist Medical Center ASC L.P., Methodist Physician Alliance, Methodist Physician Practice Services LLC, Methodist Physician Practices PLLC, Metroplex Surgicenters Inc., Metropolitan Multispecialty Physicians Group Inc., Miami Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Miami Beach Healthcare Group Ltd., Miami Dade Surgical Specialists LLC, Miami Lakes Surgery Center Ltd., Miami-Dade Cardiology Consultants LLC, Michael Mann M.D. PLLC, Mid-America Surgery Center LLC, Mid-America Surgery Institute LLC, Mid-Cities Surgi-Center Inc., Mid-Continent Health Services Inc., MidAmerica Division Inc., MidAmerica Oncology LLC, Middle Georgia Hospital LLC, Middle Georgia Urgent Care Services LLC, Middle Tennessee Neurology LLC, Midtown Diagnostics LLC, Midwest Cardiology Specialists LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery LLC, Midwest Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Kansas LLC, Midwest Division - ACH LLC, Midwest Division - CMC LLC, Midwest Division - LRHC LLC, Midwest Division - LSH LLC, Midwest Division - MCI LLC, Midwest Division - MMC LLC, Midwest Division - OPRMC LLC, Midwest Division - RBH LLC, Midwest Division - RMC LLC, Midwest Division Spine Care LLC, Midwest Doctors Group LLC, Midwest Heart & Vascular Specialists LLC, Midwest Holdings Inc., Midwest Infectious Disease Specialists LLC, Midwest Medicine Associates LLC, Midwest Metropolitan Physicians Group LLC, Midwest Oncology Associates LLC, Midwest Trauma Services LLC, Midwest Womens Healthcare Specialists LLC, Mikrod Services Inc., Mill Creek Outpatient Services LLC, Millenium Health Care of Oklahoma Inc., Mission Bay Memorial Hospital Inc., Mission Community Anesthesiology Specialists LLC, Mission Employer Solutions LLC, Mission Health, Mission Health Partners Inc., Missouri Healthcare System L.P., Mobile Corps. Inc., Mobile Heartbeat, Mobile Heartbeat LLC, Montgomery Cancer Center LLC, Montgomery Hospitalists LLC, Montgomery Regional Hospital Inc., Montgomery Surgery Associates LLC, Mountain Division - CVH LLC, Mountain Division Inc., Mountain View Hospital Inc., Mountain View MRI Associates Ltd., Mountain West Surgery Center LLC, MountainStar Behavioral Health LLC, MountainStar Brigham General Surgery LLC, MountainStar Canyon Surgical Clinic LLC, MountainStar Cardiology Ogden Regional LLC, MountainStar Cardiology St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Intensivist Services LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Cache Valley LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - Ogden Regional Medical Center LLC, MountainStar Medical Group - St. Marks Hospital LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Neurosurgery-St. Marks LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Primary Care LLC, MountainStar Medical Group Timpanogos Specialty Care LLC, MountainStar Specialty Services LLC, MountainStar Urgent Care LLC, MountainView GME Primary Care LLC, Mountainstar Brigham OBGYN LLC, Mountainstar Cardiovascular Services LLC, Mountainstar Ogden Pediatrics LLC, Movement Disorders of North Texas PLLC, Mt. Ogden Utah Surgical Center LLC, NPAS Inc., NPAS Solutions LLC, NT Urgent Care PLLC, NTGP LLC, NTMC Management Company, NTMC Venture Inc., NTX Pathology Program PLLC, Nashville Psychiatric Company Inc., Nashville Shared Services General Partnership, Nashville Surgicenter LLC, Natchez Medical Associates LLC, Natchez Surgery Center LLC, National Association of Senior Friends, National Contact Center Management Group LLC, National Patient Account Services Inc., National Transfer Center Management Services LLC, Navarro Memorial Hospital Inc., NeighborMD Management LLC, Network MS of Florida Inc., Network Management Services Inc., Neuro Affiliates Company, Neuro-Hospitalist of Clear Lake PLLC, NeuroHospitalist of McAllen PLLC, Neurological Eye Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Neurological Specialists PLLC, Neurological Specialists of McKinney PLLC, Neurology Associates of Hendersonville LLC, Neurology Associates of Kansas LLC, Neurosurgery Atlanta LLC, Neurosurgery of Kingwood PLLC, Neurosurgical Associates of North Texas PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of El Paso PLLC, Neurosurgical Specialists of North Texas PLLC, Nevada Surgery Center of Southern Hills L.P., Nevada Surgicare of Southern Hills LLC, Nevada Urgent Care Holdings Inc., New Iberia Healthcare LLC, New Iberia Holdings Inc., New Port Richey Hospital Inc., New Port Richey Surgery Center Ltd., New Rose Holding Company Inc., Niceville Family Practice LLC, North Augusta Imaging Management LLC, North Augusta Imaging Services LLC, North Augusta Rehab Health Center LLC, North Austin Plastic Surgery Associates PLLC, North Austin Surgery Center L.P., North Brandon Imaging LLC, North Central Florida Health System Inc., North Central Methodist ASC L.P., North Charleston Diagnostic Imaging Center LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Lake City LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Live Oak LLC, North Florida Cancer Center Tallahassee LLC, North Florida Division I Inc., North Florida Division Practice Inc., North Florida GI Center GP Inc., North Florida GI Center Ltd., North Florida Immediate Care Center Inc., North Florida Neurosurgery LLC, North Florida Outpatient Imaging Center Ltd., North Florida Physician Services Inc., North Florida Physicians LLC, North Florida Radiation Oncology LLC, North Florida Regional Company Care LLC, North Florida Regional Freestanding Surgery Center L.P., North Florida Regional Investments Inc., North Florida Regional Medical Center Inc., North Florida Regional Psychiatry LLC, North Florida Regional Trauma LLC, North Florida Rehab Investments LLC, North Florida Surgical Associates LLC, North Georgia Primary Care Group LLC, North Hills Cardiac Catheterization Center L.P., North Hills Catheterization Lab LLC, North Hills Orthopaedic Surgeons PLLC, North Hills Surgicare L.P., North Houston - TRMC LLC, North Miami Beach Surgery Center Limited Partnership, North Miami Beach Surgical Center LLC, North Palm Beach County Surgery Center LLC, North River Physician Network LLC, North Shore Specialists of Texas PLLC, North Suburban Spine Center L.P., North Tampa Imaging LLC, North Texas - MCA LLC, North Texas Cardiology PLLC, North Texas Craniofacial Fellowship Program PLLC, North Texas Division Inc., North Texas General L.P., North Texas Geriatrics PLLC, North Texas Heart Surgery Center PLLC, North Texas Internal Medicine Specialists PLLC, North Texas Medical Center Inc., North Texas Neuro Stroke OP PLLC, North Texas Pulmonary Critical Care PLLC, North Texas Sports and Orthopedics Center PLLC, North Texas Stroke Center PLLC, North Texas of Hope PLLC, North Transfer Center LLC, Northeast Florida Cancer Services LLC, Northeast Methodist Surgicare Ltd., Northeast PHO Inc., Northern Utah Healthcare Corporation, Northern Utah Healthcare Imaging Holdco LLC, Northern Utah Imaging LLC, Northern Virginia CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Northern Virginia Community Hospital LLC, Northern Virginia Hospital Corporation, Northern Virginia Surgicenter LLC, Northlake Medical Center LLC, Northlake Physician Practice Network Inc., Northlake Surgical Center L.P., Northlake Surgicare Inc., Northside MRI Inc., Northwest Fla. Home Health Agency Inc., Northwest Florida Healthcare Systems Inc., Northwest Florida Multispecialty Physicians LLC, Northwest Florida Primary Care LLC, Northwest Medical Center Inc., Notami (Opelousas) Inc., Notami Hospitals LLC, Notami Hospitals of Florida Inc., Notami Hospitals of Louisiana Inc., Notami Hospitals of Missouri Inc., Notami LLC, Notco LLC, Nuclear Diagnosis Inc., OB Hospitalists of Womans Hospital PLLC, OB/GYN of Brownsville PLLC, OB/Gyn Associates of Denton PLLC, OBS Diagnostic and Treatment Centre LLP, ODP Holdings LLC, ODP Manager LLC, ODP Properties LLC, OHH Imaging Services LLC, OPRMC-HBP LLC, Oak Hill Acquisition Inc., Oak Hill Family Care LLC, Oak Hill Hospitalists LLC, Oakwood Surgery Center Ltd. LLP, Ocala Health Company Care LLC, Ocala Health Imaging Services LLC, Ocala Health Primary Care LLC, Ocala Health Surgical Group LLC, Ocala Health Trauma LLC, Ocala Regional Outpatient Services Inc., Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery LLC, Ocala Stereotactic Radiosurgery Partner LLC, Occupational Health Services of PRH LLC, Occupational and Family Medicine of South Texas, Ogden Imaging LLC, Ogden Internal Medicine & Urology LLC, Ogden Regional Health Plan Inc., Ogden Regional Medical Center Professional Billing LLC, Ogden Senior Center LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy LLC, Ogden Tomotherapy Manager LLC, Okaloosa Hospital Inc., Okeechobee Hospital Inc., Oklahoma Holding Company LLC, Oklahoma Outpatient Surgery Limited Partnership, Oklahoma Physicians - Medical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Obstetrics and Gynecology LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Primary Care LLC, Oklahoma Physicians - Surgical Specialties LLC, Oklahoma Surgicare Inc., Old Fort Village LLC, On-Site Primary Care PLLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi LLC, Oncology Services of Corpus Christi Manager LLC, OneSourceMed Inc., Online Pathology Services Limited, Orange County Healthcare LLC, Orange Park Hospitalists LLC, Orange Park Medical Center Inc., Orlando CareNow Urgent Care LLC, Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Inc., Orlando Outpatient Surgical Center Ltd., Orlando Surgicare Ltd., Orthopaedic Specialty Associates L.P., Orthopaedic Sports Specialty Associates Inc., Orthopedic Hospital Ltd., Orthopedics Specialists LLC, Osceola Neurological Associates LLC, Osceola Physician Network LLC, Osceola Regional Hospital Inc., Osceola Regional Hospitalists LLC, Osceola Surgical Associates LLC, Outpatient Cardiovascular Center of Central Florida LLC, Outpatient GP LLC, Outpatient Services - LAD LLC, Outpatient Services Holdings Inc., Outpatient Surgical Services Ltd., Outpatient Womens and Childrens Surgery Center Ltd., Overland Park Cardiovascular Inc., Overland Park Medical Specialists LLC, Overland Park Orthopedics LLC, Overland Park Surgical Specialties LLC, Oviedo Medical Center LLC, Ozarks Medical Services Inc., P&L Associates, P/SL Hyperbaric Partnership, PET CT LLP, PMM Inc., POH Holdings LLC, PSG Delegated Services LLC, PTS Solutions LLC, Pacific Partners Management Services Inc., Palm Beach EFL Imaging Center LLC, Palm Beach General Surgery LLC, Palm Beach Healthcare System Inc., Palm Beach Hospitalists Program LLC, Palmer Medical Center LLC, Palms West Gastroenterology LLC, Palms West Hospital Limited Partnership, Palms West Surgery Center Ltd., Paragon Physicians Hospital Organization of South Texas Inc., Paragon SDS Inc., Paragon Surgery Centers of Texas Inc., Paragon WSC Inc., Paragon of Texas Health Properties Inc., Parallon Business Solutions LLC, Parallon Enterprises LLC, Parallon Health Information Solutions LLC, Parallon Holdings LLC, Parallon Payroll Solutions LLC, Parallon Physician Services LLC, Parallon Revenue Cycle Services Inc., Park Central Surgical Center Ltd., Park Ridge Surgery Center LLC, Park South Imaging Center Ltd., Park View Insurance Company, Parkersburg SJ Holdings Inc., Parkland Hospitalists Program LLC, Parkland Oncology LLC, Parkland Physician Services Inc., Parkridge East Specialty Associates LLC, Parkridge Hospitalists Inc., Parkridge Medical Associates LLC, Parkridge Medical Center Inc., Parkridge Professionals Inc., Parkside Surgery Center Inc., Parkway Cardiac Center Ltd., Parkway Hospital Inc., Parkway Surgery Services Ltd., Parthenon Insurance Company Limited, Pasadena Bayshore Hospital Inc., PatientKeeper, PatientKeeper Inc., Patients First Neurology LLC, Pavilion 2 Condominium Property LLC, Pavilion 2 Medical Office Building Condominium Association Inc., Pavilion Surgicenter LLC, Peach State Anesthesia Partners LLC, Pearland Institute for Womens Health PLLC, Pearland Partner LLC, Pediatric Anesthesia Consultants of San Antonio PLLC, Pediatric Cardiac Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Critical Care of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Hospitalists of Conroe PLLC, Pediatric Intensivist Group LLC, Pediatric Intensivists of El Paso PLLC, Pediatric Intensivists of North Texas PLLC, Pediatric Specialists of Clear Lake PLLC, Pediatric Specialty Clinic LLC, Pediatric Surgicare Inc., Pediatrics of Greater Houston PLLC, Pensacola Primary Care Inc., Physician Associates of Corporate Woods LLC, Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Physicians West Surgicenter LLC, Pinellas Medical LLC, Pinnacle Physician Network LLC, Pioneer Medical LLC, Plains Healthcare System Inc., Plano Ambulatory Surgery Associates L.P., Plano Heart Institute L.P., Plano Heart Management LLC, Plano Surgery Center - GP LLC, Plano Surgery Center Real Estate LLC, Plano Surgicenter Real Estate Manager LLC, Plano Urology PLLC, Plantation General Hospital L.P., Plaza Medical Specialists PLLC, Plaza Primary Care PLLC, Plaza Transplant Center PLLC, Podiatry of Clear Lake PLLC, Poinciana Medical Center Inc., Port St. Lucie Surgery Center Ltd., Portland Primary Care LLC, Portsmouth Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center LLC, Portsmouth Surgicenter LLC, Preferred Hospitals Inc., Preferred Works WC LLC, Premier ASC LLC, Premier Medical Management Ltd., Primary Care Medical Associates Inc., Primary Care Plano PLLC, Primary Care Services of Orlando LLC, Primary Care South PLLC, Primary Care West PLLC, Primary Care of West End LLC, Primary Health Asset Holdings Ltd., Primary Health Group Inc., Primary Health Inc., Primary Health Network of South Texas, Primary Health Physicians PLLC, Primary Medical Management Inc., Proaxis Therapy HealthOne LLC, Provident Professional Building Condominium Association Inc., Psychiatry Services of Osceola LLC, Pulaski Community Hospital Inc., Pulaski Urology LLC, Pulmonary Renal Intensivist Group LLC, Putnam Community Medical Center of North Florida LLC, Putnam Hospital Inc., Putnam Radiation Oncology LLC, Putnam Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Putnam Surgical Group LLC, Quantum/Bellaire Imaging Ltd., Quick Care Centers LLC, Quivira Internal Medicine Inc., RCH LLC, RMC - Pulmonary LLC, RMC Transplant Physicians LLC, RMCA Professionals Mgmt LLC, ROi CPS LLC, Radford Family Medicine LLC, Radiation Oncology Center of Thornton LLC, Radiation Oncology Manager LLC, Raleigh Community Medical Office Building Ltd., Rapides After Hours Clinic L.L.C., Rapides Healthcare System L.L.C., Rapides Regional Physician Group LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Primary Care LLC, Rapides Regional Physician Group Specialty Care LLC, Rapides Surgery Center LLC, Raulerson GYN LLC, Raulerson Gastroenterology LLC, Raulerson Primary Care LLC, Raymore Medical Group LLC, Red Rock Holdco LLC, Red Rock at Smoke Ranch LLC, Red Rocks Surgery Center LLC, Redmond Anesthesia Services LLC, Redmond Hospital Services LLC, Redmond Neurosurgery LLC, Redmond Park Health Services Inc., Redmond Park Hospital LLC, Redmond Physician Practice Company, Redmond Specialty Services LLC, Regional Hospital Healthcare Partners LLC, Research Cardiology Associates LLC, Research Family Physicians LLC, Research Internal Medicine LLC, Research Neurology Associates LLC, Research Neuroscience Institute LLC, Resource Optimization & Innovation L.L.C., Reston Hospital Center LLC, Reston Hospitalists LLC, Reston Surgery Center L.P., Retreat Cardiology LLC, Retreat Hospital LLC, Retreat Internal Medicine LLC, Retreat Surgical Associates LLC, Rhodes Limited-Liability Company, Richmond Imaging Employer Corp., Richmond Multi-Specialty LLC, Richmond Pediatric Surgeons LLC, Ridgeline Surgicenter LLC, Rim Building Partners L.P., Rio Grande Healthcare MSO Inc., Rio Grande NP Inc., Rio Grande Regional Hospital Inc., Rio Grande Valley Cardiology PLLC, Rio Grande Valley CareNow Urgent Care PLLC, Rio Grande Valley Urology PLLC, Riverside CyberKnife Manager LLC, Riverside Healthcare System L.P., Riverside Holdings Inc., Riverside Hospital Inc., Riverside Imaging LLC, Riverwalk ASC LLC, Roanoke Imaging LLC, Roanoke Neurosurgery LLC, Roanoke Surgery Center L.P., Roanoke Valley Gynecology LLC, Robotic Radiosurgery LLP, Rocky Mountain Pediatric Hematology Oncology LLC, Rocky Mountain Surgery Center LLC, Rome Imaging Center Limited Partnership, Roodlane Medical Limited, Rose Ambulatory Surgery Center L.P., Rose Health Partners LLC, Rose Medical Plaza Ltd., Rose POB Inc., Rosewood Medical Center Inc., Rosewood Professional Building Ltd., Round Rock Hospital Inc., Round Rock Trauma Surgeons PLLC, Royal Oaks Surgery Center L.P., S.A. 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Its products include paper towels, bathroom tissues, and paper napkins. The company offers its products under the Orchids Supreme, Clean Scents, Tackle, Colortex, My Size, Velvet, and Big Mopper brands; and licensed brands, such as Virtue, Truly Green, Golden Gate Paper, and Big Quality. It also sells parent rolls to other converters. The company serves discount retailers, grocery stores, grocery wholesalers and cooperatives, convenience stores, janitorial supply stores, and stores in the food service market. Orchids Paper Products Company was founded in 1976 and is based in Pryor, Oklahoma.

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At the same time, in his words, Armenia is a key player in the international arena, especially in this region.

Armenia can offer a lot to the world, Arshakyan explained. And the changes expected in the Middle East and the world, in general, will enable to implement reforms in Armenia.

As per the ex-lawmaker, if Armenia conducts a proper foreign and domestic policy, it can play a positive part in the development of the whole region and the world; and, according to Azat Arshakyan, Ambassador to UK Armen Sarkissians election as fourth President of Armenia may contribute to this.The real estate firm tied to the family of presidential son-in-law and top White House adviser Jared Kushner made a direct pitch to Qatars minister of finance in April 2017 in an attempt to secure investment in a critically distressed asset in the companys portfolio, according to two sources. At the previously unreported meeting, Jared Kushners father Charles, who runs Kushner Companies, and Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sharif Al Emadi discussed financing for the Kushners signature 666 Fifth Avenue property in New York City, Intercept reported.

The 30-minute meeting, according to two sources in the financial industry who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the potential transaction, included aides to both parties, and was held at a suite at the St. Regis Hotel in New York.

Mohammed Hitme, chief of staff to the Qatari finance minister, did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. White House Spokesperson Hope Hicks referred questions to Kushner Companies, whose spokesperson Christine Taylor said, We dont comment on who Charlie meets with. She added, We dont do business with any sovereign funds.

The news of Kushner Companies direct pitch to the Qatari government puts a Wednesday report from the Washington Post into broader context. U.S. intelligence services, the paper reported, had determined that officials in four countries  the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel, and Mexico  had been privately discussing how to use Jared Kushners real-estate investments as a way to gain leverage over him in order to influence official U.S. policy.WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017. (Reuters/Peter Nicholls)

UK Judge Refuses to Stop Legal Action Against WikiLeaks Assange

LONDONA British judge refused on Tuesday to halt legal proceedings against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for jumping bail and fleeing to the Ecuadorean embassy in London in June 2012.

The ruling leaves Assange, 46, in a legal and diplomatic impasse, with no way out of the embassy where he has lived for almost six years, unless he decides to face the prospect of arrest by British police.

Assange said on Twitter he had three months to appeal the ruling, without specifying whether he would. He said the judges ruling contained significant factual errors which he did not spell out.

Australian-born Assange entered the embassy to avoid being sent to Sweden to face allegations of sex crimes, which he denied. The Swedish case was dropped in May last year, but Britain still has a warrant out for his arrest over his breach of bail terms.

His lawyers had argued that British authorities should give up on arresting him, on public interest grounds, but Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot rejected all their points and criticized Assange.

The impression I have  is that he is a man who wants to impose his terms on the course of justice, she said in her ruling at Westminster Magistrates Court.

He appears to consider himself above the normal rules of law and wants justice only if it goes in his favor.

Assange has said all along that the Swedish sex allegations were baseless and the real reason for his legal troubles was the fact that he had published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets on WikiLeaks. He fears that handing himself in would lead to extradition to the United States.

Assanges supporters regard him as a champion of free speech who has exposed government abuses of power at great personal cost. His critics seem him as a criminal who recklessly endangered lives in many countries by exposing secrets.

U.S. Investigation

There is no public record or evidence demonstrating any U.S. criminal charges are pending against Assange, but he and his supporters believe U.S. prosecutors could have a sealed, therefore secret, indictment against him.

A U.S. government official told Reuters on Monday that federal prosecutors were still pursuing a criminal investigation against WikiLeaks using a grand jury based in Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C.

But Judge Arbuthnot said that should the United States seek Assanges extradition, he would be able to challenge that in the courts by raising issues such as whether he could get a fair trial and whether U.S. prison conditions were acceptable.

The courts would consider, with the assistance of Mr Assanges lawyers and expert witnesses, whether he should be extradited, she said.

The judge also said she had to take into account the impact on public confidence in the British criminal justice system should Assange be allowed to avoid a warrant for his arrest by staying out of reach of the police for years.

Assanges lawyers had argued that his restricted living conditions in the Ecuadorean embassy, in a first-floor apartment in the affluent Knightsbridge district of London, amounted to severe and disproportionate punishment for breaching bail terms.

They said he had no sunlight and was suffering from depression, respiratory infections, dental problems and a frozen shoulder for which he could not get treatment.

The judge rejected those arguments, saying conditions in the embassy were much better than in prison.

Firstly, he can leave the embassy whenever he wishes, she said.

Importantly for a man who spends a great deal of time on his computer, he is free to use multi-media, whether his computer or a mobile phone, in a way that prisoners are not allowed to do.

She also disputed that he had no sunlight, noting that she had seen multiple photographs of Assange on the embassy balcony.

Assange responded on Twitter: Pulling security to get me safely on the balcony six times in six years for a few minutes turns into this.

By Andrew MacAskill and Estelle Shirbon

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The Origins of AntifaHome | News | Crime/Legal | Just in: Lawmakers wife abducted, kidnappers demand N100m

- Tunas said the abductors stormed his residence in large number and decided to leave with his wife when he was not at home

- The kidnappers later called to let Tunas know that he had to pay for his wife to be released

- The lawmaker narrated the whole ordeal to Governor Masari who paid him a sympathy visit

The wife of a Katsina lawmaker Abubakar Suleiman Tunas, representing Ingawa Constituency at the State House of Assembly, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

Vanguard reports that the kidnappers are demanding N100m as ransom for her to be released.

According to report, the victim Mabaruka, was abducted right in the lawmakers home in Ingawa local government area of the state.

READ ALSO: Buhari pays dowry for Ganduje's daughter, on behalf of Ajimobi's son

The lawmaker reported confirmed the abduction to the state governor while narrating the incident on Saturday, March 3 evening when he received Aminu Bello Masari.

Masari was accompanied by the Minister of State for Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika on visit to sympathize with the lawmaker. He said the kidnappers stormed his residence in their numbers visited on Thursday, March 1 night and left with his junior wife Mabaruka when thy could not find him.

Tunas said the bandits also carried away valuables such as money, jewelries, and cellphones. The kidnappers, the lawmaker said had called to demand for ransom.

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The Governor, prayed Allah to prevent a reoccurance of the incident and for the safe return of his wife. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Gambo Isah said he will make inquiry on the development.

Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? | NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...This is due to the recent social media frenzy surrounding her escapade in the toilet with fellow housemate Teddy A.

Video images of what looked like the two housemates copulating have been circulating on the Internet over the past week.

The actions of these two housemates have caused a resurgence of a wide debate among Nigerians that focused on the immorality of the show.

BBNaija followers have emphasised on Bambams claim to be a religious and dedicated member of her church at the beginning of the show.

An alleged member of her church Stephanie Amaty took to social media to express her disappointment in Bambam, who she claimed is a chorister in her parish.

She said I am personally disappointed in Bamike Bambam she is a choir member in my parish.

Followers of the show on social media have claimed the parents of the BBNaija housemate have requested to have their daughter withdrawn from the show as a consequence for her wrongdoings in the BBNaija house.

Contrary to those reports, the family of Bambam has released an official statement through Bambams Instagram page appreciating her fans and reinforcing their support for their daughter.

The statement reads theres been a false news circulating on social media about BamBams parents requesting for her to leave the big brother house to return home.

This news is very false as the supposed person is not family, friend or even supporter of BamBam, I repeat it is completely false and as such should be disregarded.



The family completely disregarded the source of information of the alleged claims and appealed to viewers to continue showing support toward Bambam.

We do not know the said user from anywhere and have no affiliations with her. Its the work of unscrupulous elements and it is what it is. Thank you for those who stuck out for us and brought it to our notice.

We crave your indulgence to please spread this news and continue to show your support as we stand together to ensure victory is ours by Gods grace.

Bambams initial game strategic partner Teddy A, had earlier proclaimed in the show to respect Bambamss religious background by abstaining from any form of sexual intercourse with her.

NANHome | News | General | Doctor in Kenya performs brain surgery on wrong patient

- A neurosurgeon at Kenyas largest hospital has performed brain surgery on the wrong patient

- Hours into the surgery doctors discovered there was no blood clot in the brain of their patient, and that they were in fact operating on the wrong man

- This was the latest scandal to hit the hospital in recent weeks, after allegations of staff assaulting patients, and the theft of a baby

There has been an outpouring of rage in the social media after a neurosurgeon at Kenyas largest hospital performed brain surgery on the wrong patient.

The Kenyatta National Hospital, which admitted the horrific error has suspended the doctor, as well as two nurses and an anaesthetist, according to a statement on Friday.

Health minister Sicily Kariuki also suspended the chief operating officer of the hospital, Lily Koros, over the blunder. Lily Koros had suspended the four medics.

It was the latest scandal to hit the hospital in recent weeks, after allegations of staff assaulting patients, and the theft of a baby.

An investigation by the Daily Nation newspaper revealed that two men had been taken to the hospital last Sunday.

READ ALSO: US condoles with Nigeria over Boko Haram attack in Rann

The two men were wheeled into the hospital unconscious. One needed head surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain, while the other only required nursing and medicine to heal a trauma swelling in his head, medically known as closed head injury.

Hours into the surgery doctors discovered there was no blood clot in the brain of their patient, and that they were in fact operating on the wrong man, the newspaper reported.

The hospitals chief operating officer, Lily Koros, issued a statement announcing the suspension of four medics who were at work on that night. The hospital also expressed regret over the incident.

The hospital deeply regrets this event and has done all it can to ensure the safety and well being of the patient in question, read the statement from the hospital, adding the patient was in recovery and progressing well, Koros said.

Kenyatta National Hospital is Kenyas oldest and largest hospital, and also serves as a teaching hospital.

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Meanwhile, NIAJ.com had reported that 19-year-old Rebecca Aluel Garang was on Sunday, February 25, forced back to South Sudan by Kenyan authorities following an arranged marriage to a rich old man in Juba, South Sudan.

NAIJ.com understands Aluel had run away from an old, but wealthy man with three wives and was seeking refuge in Kenya.

Election-2019: (Dont) mark your calendar - On NAIJ.com TV:

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Loading...Home | News | General | Pastor claims Adeboye's prophesy made him become a car owner

- Akinrinlola, a cleric in Ondo state has claimed that he became a car owner through the prophesy of Pastor EA Adeboye

- He said he got his miracle when Adeboye asked the congregation to ask for a christmas gift

The Ondo state born clergy says that through's his prophecy, he became a proud owner of a car whorth N4.5 million

Pastor Olumide Akinrinlola, the national president of the Council of Concerned Youths of Nigeria (COCYON), in a testimony made available to NAIJ.com on Friday, March 2, claimed he became a car owner through the prophesy of Pastor Adeboye, the general overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God.

The outspoken cleric claimed Pastor Adeboye, sometime during the 2012 Holy Ghost Congress, asked the congregation to ask for their Christmas gift from God.

Akinrinlola who revealed he was watching the programmed online said he keyed in to the prophet and asked God for a gift of car.

"I can't forget in a hurry what God used this man of God to do in my life. Some years ago, close to 6 years now or thereabout, precisely 2012 Holy Ghost Congress if I am not mistaken, this man of God asked everybody in the congregation, including those watching the programme online to ask for Christmas present as he said God told him that he should tell the people to ask for their Christmas gift.

READ ALSO: US condoles with Nigeria over Boko Haram attack in Rann

"I remember while I was watching the programme in my living room, I received the faith and I joined millions of people to ask for one singular Xmas present which was a very good car from God right inside my parlour.

The Ondo state born clergy says that through's his prophecy, he became a proud owner of a car worth N4.5 million. Source: Olumide Akinrinlola

Before 25th of December that same year, a local government chairman of a local government in Ondo state sent me an errand. I carried out the errand and came to give him feed back in his house using a bike man. I almost fell down when the bike man came to drop me off.

"Why did you carry a bike and wanted to injure yourself," the chairman queried me. I told him I have no car and he hardly believe my word.

"All said and done, he promised to give out one of the car in the compound to me. I pointed at the 2006 Toyota Avalon as my choice when he offered me his Toyota Sequia jeep, an Avalon car he bought around N4.5M then was my choice. He obliged to release the car but insisted I must drop something before I take it.

"God knows I have no (something) money anywhere. so, He used a customer to give me a cheque in January 4 as something for the car. So, on January 6, 2013, I became the owner of Toyota Avalon car 2006. All my salary per annum was not up to N1.5M. But for about one year, I was riding a car of about 4.5M Toyota Avalon through the prayer of Pastor E. A. Adeboye which I received online with my faith," he narrated.

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Meanwhine, NAIJ.com had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, March 1, congratulated Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) on his 76th birthday.

Buhari in a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, prayed that the almighty God will grant the general overseer longer life, good health and more strength.

Are Nigerians truly tired of President Buhari? - on NAIJ.com TV:

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Loading...Home | News | General | International medical organisation suspends activities following deadly Boko Haram attack

- Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international humanitarian non-governmental organization, has suspended its medical work in Rann, Borno state

- The humanitarian organisation evacuated national and international staff after a deadly raid by Boko Haram insurgents

- The MSF emergency coordinator, Kerri Ann Kelly, said they will return as soon as the condition allows

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF) said on Friday, March 2, that it had suspended its work in the Nigerian town of Rann and evacuated national and international staff after a deadly raid by Boko Haram insurgents.

Kerri Ann Kelly, MSF emergency coordinator in Nigeria in a statement said the 40,000 people living in Rann were relying almost entirely on MSFs services to access healthcare.

Following a violent attack in Rann, Borno state, on Thursday 1 March, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) suspended its medical activities in the town and evacuated 22 national and international staff, MSF said.

READ ALSO: US condoles with Nigeria over Boko Haram attack in Rann

It is still unclear how many people were killed and injured but before leaving, MSF medical staff treated 9 wounded patients.

This latest attack is a stark reminder that it is the people in Borno who are paying the price of this ruthless conflict. They are trapped in a deadly cycle of violence and are heavily reliant on external assistance to survive. In Rann, this is now considerably reduced.

Leaving our patients without medical assistance is an extremely painful decision.

We will continue to evaluate how the situation evolves and we will return as soon as the conditions allow," it added.

MSF teams have been providing medical care to the 40,000 people in Rann, since January 2017. Mobile teams delivered assistance on a regular basis, and a permanent medical team has been based in Rann since September 2017.

The group has mainly been treating people for malaria, malnutrition and illnesses linked to poor living conditions.

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In a previous report by NAIJ.com, President Muhammadu Buhari said the attack on humanitarian workers in Rann, Borno state, more than ever shows Boko Haram insurgents as godless, brutish, and utterly to be despised.

"As I have always maintained, no true religion advocates hurting the innocent. To now further attack and kill those offering humanitarian aid is the height of depraved behaviour. It is odious before both God and man," the president said, while sympathizing with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies working at Rann, and in the country generally.

Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? - on NAIJ.com TV:

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Loading...Home | News | General | Dapchi: The war against Boko Haram must become a Jihad

By Dr. Ugoji Egbujo

Dapchi does not call for finger pointing and trading of blames. Dapchi demands clear eyed sober reflection. Dapchi is an unspeakable calamity. One hundred and ten teenage girls snatched from their school by Boko Haram vultures. The nation, four years after Chibok, has failed disastrously to protect children in a school. Its truly a national disgrace. But we must understand the precariousness of our situation. And we must channel our anger and grief into rescuing the girls and into exterminating the scourge.

Prsident Buhari and Dapchi school girls

The odds are stacked against us. The girl child is very vulnerable in our society. Dapchi makes the girl child in northeastern Nigeria especially endangered. Girl child enrollment figures in the north are abysmal. The abduction of girls and their use as pawns would only complicate a terrible situation exacerbate its generational consequences. The abductions must cease.

But with Boko Haram alive, technically defeated or terribly degraded, abductions may not go away soon. The insurgents have learnt through Chibok that any mass abduction of girls can be very lucrative. It disseminates fear. It fetches them international publicity. It fetches them sex slaves. It fetches them tons of cash. It retrieves their captured commanders from the clutches of death in prison. It, literally, magically rejuvenates them. And once abducted, its always immoral to argue that ransom should not be paid to retrieve the children.

A cursory look at the two recent mass abduction incidents reveals that very little effort goes into these abductions. A few trucks, a few guns, one vulnerable school, some innocent girls, no shots fired. So it is not foreseeable that the terrorists can resist the allure of this stratagem. But the country cannot afford the loss and scarring of school children. It cannot stand further erosion of its dignity and international reputation. Neither can it afford the colossal damage to school enrollment figures. We cannot fail to guarantee the safety of girls in schools. Mass abductions of girls must be made prohibitive rather than lucrative. So what can be done?

The geographical width of the northeast is daunting. The military cannot protect every single school in that region. The military doesnt have the manpower to hold the ground in every liberated village. And even if it tried to keep soldiers in every school, it would not be effective against a surprise attack by 200 vultures from Boko Haram. So it wouldnt even matter that 5 soldiers or 20 policemen are posted to every boarding school.

So should boarding schools be closed in the northeast?

It would be difficult to offer qualitative education in a region of vast sparsely populated terrains without boarding schools. But we cant have another abduction. Yes, we cant afford it. Yet we cannot afford to close the boarding schools without furthering the aims of a murderous sect that is committed to the eradication of western education. We cannot hide the girls under their fathers beds in their homes.

So what must we do?

We must quieten Boko Haram. But thats easier said than done. We beat them 100 times, they strike one blow and they win. The odds are always stacked in favor of terrorists. We are particularly vulnerable. We have thousands of kilometers of very porous borders. With Mali and Libya awash with lawlessness and guns, the insurgents replenish with frightening ease. Our soldiers have done well. They have degraded the insurgency. But at some point we must seek a political solution. But we can only do that meaningfully against these insurgents after we have bled them into coma. Because we cannot meet their main demands of shared sovereignty.

So what must we do?

Our military has done very well since Buhari came. Our neighbors have given us tremendous support lately. We have decimated the enemy. But we have not managed to cut off the oxygen and food of the cancer. This enemy must be destroyed from within. We must infiltrate Boko Haram. But that is much easier said than done.

Most countries that have been afflicted with a religious insurgency of this strain have not managed to eradicate the scourge completely. But I am optimistic that we can. But we must try something unorthodox. We once hired South African mercenaries during the previous government. That raised eyebrows because that regime failed woefully to equip and motivate our own troops. But we have been fighting at probably our full capacity recently. And we thought the insurgency was in the throes of death. Unfortunately, with Dapchi , this war evidently has acquired a new intractability.

We cannot afford more mass abductions of girls. Neither can we afford to balloon the size of our military. We cannot continue to fund this war for much longer. The local tribes in the war areas have suffered too much. 20,000 dead. Thousands upon thousands maimed and fractured. Three million families dislocated and languishing in IDP camps. Home lands laid to waste and abandoned. The fertility and peace of the region consumed by fear, violence and hopelessness. This war must end, somehow, now.

The local tribes have given their youths in courageous militias that have helped the military. But they must do more now. They must find more anger and more desperation. They must stab the soul of the insurgency.

The youths must be taught that the destruction of Boko Haram isnt just dignity and survival. It is the will of God. It is His command. Its counter indoctrination as counter insurgency. God hates the destruction of women and children. God abhors mass rape of girls. God hates destruction of families. And perhaps God hates cowards.

So the local traditional rulers and religious leaders must find volunteers. We must announce that volunteers killed by Boko Haram are martyrs. We will take volunteers, train them , indoctrinate them and seed them into Boko Haram recruitment areas. They will serve Boko Haram its own medicine. They will die for their mothers, and sisters . They will die for the nation. They will fight for God. We will read out their names and bestow on them national honors. We will take care of their families. The communities in the affected areas must take their destiny in their hands.

Boko Haram must be destroyed from within.

Dapchi has called for inventiveness. Religion must be used against religion. Food sellers, market people, fishermen, transporters. Mosques, Imams , Emirs. The time for passivity is gone. We cannot leave the war to the military alone. Islam must be used to counter the insurgency. Everyone must be recruited into what the locals must perceive as a Jihad against the insurgency. A struggle for God, and for Islam. For freedom, and for peaceful religions.

Thats what Dapchi demands.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Fuel scarcity and NNPC war room

By Sonny Atumah

In military campaigns an operations centre is always created called a war room. It could be called a situation room, command centre or mission control room. It is a room where operations are planned, coordinated, monitored and controlled. Political campaigns are not left out in war rooms as political campaign strategy headquarters are also created for political operatives to plan and execute tactics and strategy.

NNPC

Some war historians believed the German war room failed in World War 1 because of two frontal attacks from the east and west that were never anticipated. From the Western front, the British and French offensives prevented Germans from transferring sufficient forces to the eastern front. Without the troops, the Germans could not shatter the Russian armies to achieved victory. Russia that manned the eastern front used a strategy that worked for them in previous wars of fitting bloody defensive battles as the opportunity offered. As invading armies wasted away Russias vast reservoirs of manpower would refill the Russian ranks. It was a strategy that did not work in World War1. The Russian industry was unable to furnish enough weapons or ammunitions to supply the reserve personnel.

When strategies fail parties redraft their plans. Could this be the problem the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC faced in the recent fuel scarcity that continually lasted for three months? The NNPC thought that panic buying was the problem until its war room indicated otherwise. Sabotage from some quarters in the marketing and distribution chain was probably not anticipated. NNPCs strategy to flush volumes and create a product glut situation across the country failed in the war room scrutiny.

Subsidy claims and non-payment caused scarcity in some circumstances. Former GMDs got consumed in these circumstances and were removed from office. In 2010, the then GMD Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo activated his war room. Under the arrangement, they worked in concert with major oil marketers and depot owners, coordinated the loading of unprecedented volumes of premium motor spirits, PMS, to filling stations throughout the country. The records showed that over 59.1 million litres of fuel was dispatched throughout the country on Thursday, March 4, 2010 using 1792 trucks.

On May 12, 2016, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and GMD of NNPC, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, told newsmen in Abuja that the new pump price of N145 for Premium Motor Spirit would help to sustain supply and reduce the suffering to get the product. He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), did not have the resources to supply the product to meet the demands of the nation. His war room strategy was the movement of pump price from N86 to N145.

The reality is that we are unable to bring the product with the prices we sold before, that is why we see the systemic queues all over the country for a very long time. I will urge you to trust that we are trying to do what is right and there is no better time to do this other than now under the leadership of President Buhari. He said that with the NN86.50 pump price of PMS, Federal Government would have been paying subsidy of N13.7 per litre which he added, translated to N16.4 billion monthly. The minister said government could not go on with such funding and had completely removed subsidy and working with the price modulation to get things done right. Some of us doubted him because we knew the problem was beyond products imports and subsidy.

The NNPC under Baru inherited the import regime and the challenges necessitated its Fuel the War Room reactivated. Baru said the NNPC was able to find a solution to the recent problem of fuel scarcity by deploying and activating a 24-hour real time monitoring and sustaining a 24 hour loading and sales operations in all depots and mega stations in the country. He said other measures taken by the corporation which ensured product availability in the country included sharing information with oil industry regulators and sister agencies and working closely with petroleum tanker drivers and the National Association of Road Transport Owners to ensure seamless movement of petroleum products nationwide.

Does the NNPC deserve commendation for ending the queues? Some would say yes while to some others it was a mixed blessing. The NNPC may have achieved victory in the battle against scarcity of gasoline in the country but ones belief is that it is half the battle against scarcity. The ultimate should be local refining of petroleum products. This GMD of NNPC Dr. Maikanti Baru as made commitment to the nation.

Baru said the final selection of financiers to secure funding to start the rehabilitation of the refineries towards a 90 per cent capacity utilization per stream day before the end of 2019 was before NNPCs board approval. He pledged NNPCs commitment to provide utility services including power, processed steam, water and land, stressing that the corporation has agreed in broad terms on areas of collaboration to fast track the development. That is the way to go.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Bimbo Lanre-Baloguns political strides

By Oba Michael Soyebo

Despite the rapid decrease in women participation in politics in Nigeria in the present political dispensation, one of the Amazons, who is passionate about turning things around in the next election year, is the legal luminary par excellence, Barrister Bimbo Lanre-Balogun.

The well-read grass-rooted politician has undoubtedly carved a niche for herself in the South-Western political space, as she took a bold step of dumping the Gov. Amosun administration, where she was a Special Adviser to pursue her State Assembly legislative ambition. Recall that she is one of the very few fearless female politicians who participated in the struggle to return the progressives to power in Ogun state, after her major efforts under the then Action Congress.

Bimbo Lanre-Balogun.

She had since risen from a party member to one of the staunch shot callers, who shaped and endeared the party to the people in Ogun state. The legal doyen has now become an item in Ogun state politics ever since she became a mouthpiece for women who want to pursue adventurous ambition in politics but are limited, due to the paucity of funds. Her women empowerment programme in Obafemi /Owode has expanded into a big political force, with the aim of giving hopes to women, who are interested in contesting political positions.

At her last event, she explained that women must learn to break away from any form of political limitation and get involved in politics by registering with a grassroots party, in order to rise to the top.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Saheed Adelanwas Change for Africa plans mother of all debate

By Oba Michael Soyebo

2019 elections might still be some few months away but the political landscape is already a beehive of activities as different political platforms strategize on their game plans. Interestingly, a forward-thinking non governmental organisation, Change for Africa, solely established with the mission of abolishing religion and ethnicity in electing African leaders who can position the continent as the leading giant of the world, is set to light up the Nigerian political space with a debate that can best described as mother of all debates.

According to the founder of Change for Africa foundation, Saheed Adelanwa his team is leaving no stone unturned to bring back the essentials of a healthy political society by providing a credible platform for candidates to showcase their agendas when elected. The foundation reputed for its integrity and unbiased operations in the build up to the 2015 elections is more committed to the Nigerian project.

In its efforts to enhance a better Nigerian society, the foundation had commenced consultation with traditional rulers from different zones in other to achieve the purpose of helping to channel the necessary energy in line with putting qualitative leadership in place.

On the exciting line up of events is a mega concert that will parade international acts and Nigerian artistes. The idea behind the concert is to draw the attention of the young population on the importance of getting involved in politics.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Garlands for Governor Okowa

By Julius Oweh

Hard work and appreciation are part of human existence at the individual level or governmental level. Appreciation for deeds well done is one form of motivation to spur the person so appreciated to do more. And this was demonstrated recently at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos where the governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa was honoured by the Independent newspaper as Man of the Year 2017. It was a well attended occasion that saw the presence of the mighty and high from Delta State and friends of the governor from other parts of the country. Two former governors of the state  Chief James Ibori and Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan were present affirming the unity of the PDP family in the state and putting to shame the views of skeptics about the rumoured division in the party.

The award was presented to the governor by Alhaji Ismalia Isa Funtu, appreciating the developmental efforts of Okowa and other award winners. Funtu explained the reasons behind the award: When you look at the list of people this paper is honouring, you will discover that they are Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in various fields of life. I will like to appeal to the media to do her utmost to promote the unity of this country. The media should try and unite Nigerians and stop fanning the embers of disunity.

Gov. Okowa

A highly elated Okowa thanked the Independent newspaper for the award and promised to do more for the electorate in the state. The governor also used the occasion to comment on national issues like unemployment and insecurity currently plaguing the nation. He appealed to those in authority at federal and state levels: Government at all levels should begin to pay more attention to our youths; we must make consistent efforts to empower them. We need to strengthen technical education and the polytechnics in the country so that the youths will be well equipped with relevant skills to become self reliant rather than going about with certificates seeking jobs that are not available. Until we do that, we may not have a great country that we seek today. We must also look at the family planning because the level of insecurity that we have in the country is borne out of the joblessness of our youths, we must find a way to control our population growth. The governor also commended the newspaper for the award, paid tribute to his predecessors for working with him to ensure that dividends of democracy get to all Deltans.

The Independent newspaper award is the third award the governor has received so far in recent times. It would be recalled that during the Delta State Products Exhibition and Business Fair in Asaba, last year, the World Bank commended the efforts of the government in job creation. Tunde Adekola, senior Education Specialist in the bank in that occasion spoke glowingly of the state: Delta is the only state that has demonstrated its commitment to skills development in practical terms. the World Bank will continue to support the Delta State government in the area of skills and technical development and will work with the job creation office of the state government to strengthen their labour market observatory system in order to make Governor Okowa dream of re-creating the middle class a reality.

The third award came from the University of Ibadan where he trained as a medical doctor. Okowa bagged the highest national award of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, The Alumni of the Year Award. The national president of University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Dr Kemi Emina observed that the award was given to Okowa to celebrate excellence, maintaining that Governor Okowa bagged the award as a result of effective delivery especially in the areas of empowerment, provision of infrastructure and the contributory health insurance scheme.

Okowa was in his elements while receiving the award from the university that had played prominent role in molding his education and career. Okowa described the award thus: I feel very elated coming back to my roots and be honoured with the award. We should take research in our universities serious, individuals and organizations should support government by sponsoring research in the fields that will encourage us. 

Many prominent Deltans who spoke on the relevance and essence of The Man of the Year Award were the deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Friday Osanebi, the Information Commissioner, Hon Patrick Ukah, Honourable Michael Tidi, chairman of Warri South local government area and Mr Nnamdi Ezechi, the DESPOADEC Commissioner.

Hon Friday Osanebi described the award as a reward for hard work, dexterity and prudence. Listen to the deputy speakers sentiments: Your Excellency, through diligence and prudent management of resources, you have practically demonstrated that you are a leader with strong abilities. The award today is indeed a reward for excellence  that the governor was so honoured for the uncommon wealth creation and infrastructure in the state, has demonstrated rare virtues of frugality and industry in the discharge of his duty as a governor.

Ukah, the state Information Commissioner maintained that the award to the governor was well deserved given to the fact Okowa as man is not one that jumps at awards and that the award could not have come at a better time. He observed that the developmental projects of the governor were visible in all parts of the state and that sceptics were very free to verify them. He said that his boss was a workaholic who ensured that those working with him were always on their toes until the set goals are achieved. Ukah argued that the Independent newspaper award was a further justification of the 2nd position ranking of Delta State by the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria on its first sub-national competitive Index.

Hon Michael Tidi, the chairman of Warri South local government area saw the award as the resourcefulness of the governor in managing the affairs of the state. Tidi puts it this way :It is recognition of Dr Okowas remarkable resourcefulness, resilience and strong managerial acumen as reflected in his spread of infrastructural projects across the three senatorial districts in Delta State amid the difficult economic situation experienced in the country between 2015 and 2017. The award will make him to work harder in wealth creation for the people and the educational sector.

Mr Nnamdi Ezechi, the DESOPADEC commissioner applauded the award on the governor for his passion and commitment towards holistic development of the state, noting that the award has shut the mouth of his critics. Hear Him: Within the space of two years, Governor Okowa has demonstrated an unparalleled passion and zeal to the holistic development of Delta State and SMART prosperity of Deltans across board.

The mass media apart from informing, educating and entertaining people (of which The Independent newspaper is a critical member) should be able to offer praises where necessary and single out individuals and corporate organizations for commendation for extra ordinary feats and achievements. It is against this backdrop that the award given to the governor of Delta State could be situated and this is one of the fine grains of developmental journalism, helping the government to grow by offering constructive criticism and applauding elected officials should they be faithful to their electoral promises and minister to the people, democratic dividends.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Dapchi Update: Youve failed, PDP tells Buharis FG

Weve extended search to neighbouring countries  FG

By Emmanuel Elebeke and Davies Iheamnachor

The Federal Government yesterday said the search for the missing 110 Dapchi schoolgirls, who were abducted from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State, had been extended to the neighbouring countries,

Prsident Buhari and Dapchi school girls

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Federal Government said that the top military and security officials on Thursday travelled to the North-East to add more urgency to the search, which has now been extended beyond the North-East theatre.

The officials include the nations top military officer and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Army Staff; Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Alhaji Lawal Daura.

They joined the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who had earlier relocated to the North-East, as well as, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd), who has also visited the theatre.

The Federal Government had earlier released the names and other details of the 110 girls, who were yet to be accounted for, following the attack on the GGSTC, Dapchi, Yobe State, on 19 Feb. 2018.

The Panel set up by the Federal Government to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls was inaugurated on Thursday by the NSA and was given two weeks to submit its Report.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, led Federal Government lacked the capacity to manage the nations security, adding that the kidnap of the girls was a proof that the dreaded Boko Haram sect has not been defeated as claimed by the Federal government.

PDP made the statement in Port Harcourt while receiving over 2000 members of Ikwerre Youth Movement, IYM, loyal to APC, who decamped to PDP through Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI.

Speaking, the Publicity Secretary of PDP in Rivers State, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, questioned the identity of those responsible for the kidnap if indeed Boko Haram had been defeated, stressing that the success of the war against insurgents was only in the media.

He said: The abduction of the students in Dapchi shows that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed in the promise they made to Nigerian that they will conquer and completely destroy Boko Haram and any other organization that portends danger to the lives of Nigerians.

He, however, accused the FG of insensitivity to the plights of its citizens, adding that hunger and killings have characterized the nation.

The government is insensitive to the plights of the people of the nation. I dont think the president knows he is the Chief Security Officer of the country. To us, look at what Donald Trump did in the case of Florida shooting, you see the kind of attention he gave to Americans that died, you will see what Nigerians want from our president. We in the PDP have been vindicated, Nwanosike added.

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Loading...Home | News | General | How Kogi, NNPC MoU on biofuel will boost economy

Plant to produce 84 million litres annually

By Charles Kumolu

A FORMER Chairman of Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Sen Smart Adeyemi has said that last Tuesdays Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between Kogi State government and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, on ethanol fuel would make the state a model for economic development.

NNPC

He particularly said that apart from providing jobs for more than two million people, the partnership which would result in the construction of a refinery in the state would make Kogi less dependent on federal allocation. The state government and NNPC signed the MoU in Abuja for the development of a biofuel processing plant that would produce 84 million litres of biofuel annually. Adeyemi in a chat with Vanguard, said more than five local government areas in the state are major producers of cassava needed for the biofuel refinery.

His words: This agreement signifies a new chapter in the socio-economic history of Kogi State coming less than a month after the maiden edition of the economic summit. It also points to the fact that the state governor, Alhaji Yaya Bello is purpose driven. The partnership will bring several individual and communal benefits to the confluence state. It will provide jobs for over two million people and also bring infrastructure development to the state which would make Kogi a model for economic development. This again has greatly re-echoed the New Direction Agenda of the government.

I commend the governor for exploring latent but potent sectors aimed at diversifying the state economy and accelerating socio-economic development.

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Loading...Home | News | General | N3.48b NDDC contract: EFCC closes in on Senator

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

A Nigerian Senator has come under the searchlight of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for using his influence to corner N3.4 billion job for himself, using companies licensed by family members, friends and associates to secure the questionable jobs.

EFCC operatives

The Senator (name withheld) who is already in court with the EFCC for supplying used equipment to a Southern State in place of new ones and using the money to purchase a monumental building in Lagos, is being probed by the anti-graft agency for influence peddling, breach of public trust and abuse of the public procurement Act in the award of the multi-million contract for the provision of plastic chairs and desks for primary and secondary schools in nine states of the Niger Delta-Abia, Imo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo and Delta.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that trouble started for the Senator when the EFCC received a petition on the fraudulent NDDC contract award from anti-corruption group, which alleged that the said contract did not pass through any bidding process as prescribed by law.

The petitioners, Anti-Corruption Group and Integrity Forum, a group interested in promoting good governance, transparency and sustenance of the rule of law in Nigeria, raised the alarm that the Senator virtually used his position as the Chairman of a powerful Senate Committee to force the NDDC to hand over the huge jobs covering the nine states to him.

Findings by EFCC showed that the lawmaker used 15 companies, which are closely related to him to award contracts valued at N3,483,144,000 to himself not minding that the jobs did not go through any procurement process.

Most worrisome to the crack team of EFCC investigators is the discovery that four of the companies were registered in the name of the Senators younger brother while the rest had the imprints of his proxies and business associates.

Documents obtained by Saturday Vanguard from investigators gave the names of the companies used by the Senator to secure the jobs as: Benchmark Construction & Projects Limited; Milestone Allied Builders Limited; Edendoma Stars Intl; Isumabe U.K Global Ventures; Nelpat (Nig) Company; Edrihide Company; Antlers Construction & Allied Works Limited; AGH-Rown Ventures; NOAN Integrated Services Limited; De-Towers Construction & Allied Services; Eastern Wrought Iron Limited; Franstine Nig. Enterprise; Brant Technologies; Omozuabho Global Resources and Bugstruct Limited.

Documents at the disposal of Saturday Vanguard also indicate that out of the 15 firms suspected to be linked to the Senator based on Corporate Affairs Commissions records on their ownership,

Investigations reveal that out of the above companies, all believed to have links with Senator, Benchmark Construction & Projects Limited got the contract for the production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in Abia State at the cost of N232,209,600, Milestone Allied Builders Limited and Edendoma Stars International Ltd got the same contract sum of N232,209,600 each for the same purpose in Akwa Ibom State. On the other hand, Isumabe U.K Global Ventures; Nelpat (Nig) Company and Edrihide Company also got N232,209,600 each for the same contract in Bayelsa.

In Cross River State, Antlers Construction & Allied Works Limited got her share of the contract sum of N232,209,600 for the same production of plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools while AGH-Rown Ventures and NOAN Integrated Services Limited were also awarded the same contract in Delta State at the cost of N232,209,600 each. Brant Technologies, Omozuabho Global Resources and Bugstruct Limited also got N232,209,600 each for the same job in Rivers State.

Similarly, De-Towers Construction & Allied Services, Eastern Wrought Iron Limited and Franstine Nig. Enterprise got N232,209,600 each as contract sum for the production of same plastic desks and chairs for primary and secondary schools in Edo, Imo and Ondo States respectively.

However, EFCC teams working on the probe of the Senator are trying to establish and locate the schools in the nine states where the said chairs and desks are currently being used after the lawmaker had received more than 50 percent of the fund as mobilisation fee.

Further investigations into the registration history of the above-mentioned companies with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Abuja revealed that four of the firms- Benchmark Construction & Projects Limited with RC No: 925180; Milestone Allied Builders Limited with RC No:

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Loading...Home | News | General | From Chibok to Dapchi: Sad tale of the girl child

By Rose Moses

It would seem that the pun about Nigerians now waking up, daily, and wondering what exactly will be the next bad news, seems to be sticking, no longer as a joke but reality.

And so it was that last week Monday, February 19, 2018, the nation woke to the tragic news of abduction of 110 girls from Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, again by members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, which government had severally said had been decimated.

Prsident Buhari and Dapchi school girls

In the same state of Yobe, about four years ago, members of the same terrorists sect had invaded the Government Secondary School, Buni Yadi, where they murdered scores of male students of the school.

Also, the Chibok, Borno state incident of 2014, where about 272 girls were kidnapped from their school by the terrorists group, is still fresh in our memories.

Though in the Chibok incident, which presents similar scenario with the Dapchi abduction, some of the girls reportedly managed to escape from their captors. And while about 100 were freed, in exchange for Boko Haram militants following a negotiations said to have been brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 100 others are still held captive by the Boko Haram.

Incidentally, both abductions happened shortly after security operatives stationed in those locations, were said to have been withdrawn.

But how these terrorists easily disappear into thin air, without a trace, after successfully carrying out such operation, remains a puzzle yet to be solved by any group.

Instead, what one gets to hear after the deed must have been done is likely an outright denial, followed by blames and counter blames as observed in the latest incident between government, police and the Army.

Immediately news of the Dapchi abduction broke early last week, Nigerians were told that no girl was missing. Later on, the story changed that the army had rescued about 50 of them and it didnt take long for Yobe state government to also make a U-turn, apologising to the people that earlier information on rescue was false.

The dimension also introduced by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to the effect that the abduction was meant to embarrass President Muhammadu Buhari, did not make things any better.

Then came the story of 100 jets being deployed, Wednesday, to search for the girls, an aspect that actually made the whole thing sound like one huge joke. And social media, naturally, made mincemeat of it.

If that story were to fly, it would mean one fighter jet per one missing girl, which is good. But whether Nigeria could afford 100 fighter jets in the skies at the same time left many wondering what the APC-led government wanted to achieve with the bogus claim. It also left many wondering who actually are involved in these abductions, and for what purpose?

A member of the House of Representatives from Bauchi State, Mr. Mohammed Sani-Abdu, actually suspects sabotage in the manner the Dapchi abduction took place, pointing accusing finger at the security system.

This is a big shame to Nigeria because this incident took a pattern that indicated that our security system is in a serious trouble, he said.

Another lawmaker from Akwa Ibom State, Henry Achibong, hits harder, describing the Dapchi abduction as failure of government to cater for the citizenry.

In fact, he said it might just be a diversion created by government to take the attention of Nigerians away from the killings being carried out by the rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

His argument really is that if as we are told that the military has practically defeated Boko Haram, how then is it possible they could abduct this number of girls from a school?

The debate followed after the member representing Dapchi community in the House of Representatives, Mr. Goni Bukar-Lawal, had moved a motion on urgent public importance to bring the plight of the schoolgirls to the attention of the House.

Bukar-Lawal, who said several abductions of pupils by Boko Haram in Yobe State had taken place in the past, unreported, wondered why the military withdrew its men from the area prone to attacks. And pronto, the school was attacked shortly after.

And in line with Speaker Yakubu Dogaras view, the traumatic experience of the Chibok abduction should have served as a warning to security agencies to provide adequate protection to all schools in the North-East.

To think this is happening in states listed among those with worst girl child education, simply means more apathy to school enrolment for the girl child.

Despite other factors militating against girl-child education in the north, not many parents would gladly allow their wards to go back to school in an environment they are constantly attacked and abducted.

Such a situation, no doubt, will worsen the already alarming rate of female illiteracy in the area that produces the highest adolescent girl marriage, highest under 15 child-bearing and highest risks of maternal death and injury, all of which constitute factors that retard development of any nation.

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Loading...Home | News | General | We are here to take over your land not to kill you, Herdsmen order Benue community

Herdsmen order Benue community before sacking them

BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

Just when it seemed respite was coming the way of Benue farming communities from the incursions of marauding herdsmen after the flag off of Exercise Ayem A Kpatuma, or Cat Race, a military spike operation to end herdsmen killings in the state, armed herdsmen early in the week stormed Mbatoho, an Island community at Mbalagh council ward of Makurdi local government, sacking over 5,000 inhabitants of the vast Island.

The invaders who were reported to have quietly ordered the locals to vacate their ancestral homes without putting up any resistance warned that their intent was not to shed blood.

Scared stiff of the threat, the locals immediately fled their homes to the mainland after which the well armed herdsmen razed several homes on the island and occupied the territory which is less than five kilometer on sea from the Wadata area of Makurdi town.

Majority of the victims caught refuge in homes of relatives and friends on the other side of River Benue while a handfull of others staged a peaceful protest to Benue Government House, seeking the intervention of the state government to save them from being homeless.

Saturday Vanguard gathered from some of the displaced persons that the armed herdsmen started the action of attacking and taking over the island some days ago.

According to the Community Leader of the Island and tax collector of the inner segment of the Island, Chief Peter Tachie, the armed herdsmen who are usually dressed in black started their action four days ago in our community.

They came in their numbers with their cattle into island from Guma local government area and other places on foot some weeks ago because the water level of River Benue has dropped significantly so they could easily assess the island on foot.

Four days ago they started destroying our houses, farmland and food barns and also taking over the LGEA Primary school in the island and converting same for personal use.

As we speak no Tiv person is on that island at the moment, they have taken our farms and also uprooted our cassava from our plantation to feed their cattle which are also grazing freely on our farmland.

They have destroyed all that we spent years to acquire, so we have all moved into Makurdi main town with our families to seek governments attention.

You know that we do a lot of dry season farming on the Island and as we speak all that we planted in this dry season have all been destroyed by the herdsmen and their cattle.

On his part, the tax collector of the outer segment of the island, Chief Stephen Guntu, said the invaders had warned that it was in the best interest of the locals to vacate the island in order to avert a major crisis.

They warned that we should leave the island quietly in our own interest. And since we know that they could be ruthless we all fled with our families.

Some of us are currently taking refuge in the houses of friends and relatives while John Kyuka who is a politician that comes regularly to campaign in the island also offered to accommodate very few of us.

We need urgent intervention of the government because they have taken over our farmlands and all the food we harvested during the last farming season.

Moreover, we do a lot of dry season farming and as I speak all the crops we planted this season are now food for the cattle.

Head Teacher of the only Primary School on the Island, the LGEA Primary School, Daudu, Mr. Ephram Otave told Saturday Vanguard that close to 400 pupil of the school had been chased out of school by the invaders.

All my pupils who are close to 400 have been chased out of school and displaced due to the activities of the herdsmen who have occupied the entire island and chased out our people.

Confirming the development, the Benue state Information Commission, Lawrence Onoja Jnr. said the invaders had completely taken over the Island adding that the government had also directed security personnel to push them out of the community before the crisis would escalate.

According to the Commissioner our findings when the Security Adviser to the Governor, Lt. Col. Paul Hemba(Rtd.) led a team to Island indicated that for sometime in the last few days there has been serious influx of herdsmen into Benue especially along Agatu, Guma, Logo, Katsina/Ala local government areas and communities bordering Nasarawa state especially.

It was in the course of this influx that groups of herdsmen some days ago went to Mbatoho Island, at Mbalagh council ward of Makurdi local government area and sacked the locals from their homes.

The people fled from Island and the herdsmen took over the community. When the team got there it was discovered that the herdsmen were feeding their cattle on the farm produce of the people and all they had in their barns.

Governor Samuel Ortom has been in constant touch with security personnel who have mobilized to the Island and have been directed to to push back the herdsmen.

Unfortunately the Exercise Ayem A Akpatuma recently launched by the military in the state to end the herdsmen incursion in the state does not cover that area because it is an Island completely surrounded by water.

However, security personal have been mobilized to the island to move the herdsmen out so that the people can move back to their community.

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu confirmed that the Special Forces of the Police had moved into the Island to restore order.

Just today, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni held meetings with some Ardos (Fulani Chiefs) and Chiefs from Agatu, Gwer West and others, after which they went on a visit to the Island. As we speak they are yet to return to Makurdi mainland.

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Loading...Home | News | General | MSF quits Rann, evacuates staff as Buhari, Saraki, UNICEF, IOM, UN condemn attacks

By Adekunle Aliyu, Johnbosco Agbakwuru with agency report

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF) said on Friday it had suspended its work in the town of Rann in Borno State and just as it said that it has evacuated national and international staff after a deadly raid by Boko Haram guerrillas.

Following the attack in Rann on 1 March 2018, in which three aid workers were killed and one injured, UNHAS has assisted with the evacuation of the wounded.

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed four Nigerian aid workers in an attack on a military barracks in the town in Borno state late on Thursday.

Following a violent attack in Rann, Borno state, on Thursday 1 March, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) suspended its medical activities in the town and evacuated 22 national and international staff, MSF said in a statement.

It is still unclear how many people were killed and injured but before leaving, MSF medical staff treated 9 wounded patients.

 This attack is a stark reminder that it is the people in Borno who are paying the price of this ruthless conflict, MSF said.

Leaving our patients without medical assistance is an extremely painful decision, it added.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki have condemned the attack on the town.

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja said that the attack on humanitarian workers in Rann, Borno State, was an indication that the Boko Haram insurgents were godless, brutish, and utterly to be despised.

President Buhari in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina said, As I have always maintained, no true religion advocates hurting the innocent. To now further attack and kill those offering humanitarian aid is the height of bestiality. It is odious before both God and man.

He sympathized with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies working at Rann, and in the country generally.

President Buhari affirmed that such cowardly attacks can only bolster the determination of government to bring the Boko Haram insurgency to a decisive end, in the shortest possible time.

Saraki Condemns Killing of Aid Workers; Describes Attack as Cowardly

Also the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, condemned the Boko Haram attack

In a tweet on his personal handle @BukolaSaraki, the Senate President described the attack that led to the deaths of several humanitarian workers as cowardly  while also calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

He said:

My prayers are with the people of Rann, Borno State at this time.

Last nights despicable attack that led to the deaths of several aid workers is a callous and cowardly act. Our security forces must not relent until they bring the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) have deplored Boko Haram attack on Rann in Borno.

IOM said: a large number of Boko Haram members armed with automatic weapons, rocket propelled grenades and gun trucks attacked the military base in Rann.

The UN migration agency said some 55,000 people displaced by the conflict lived in a camp near the base.

IOM staff reported that during the incident, four soldiers, four mobile police and three humanitarian workers were killed and another three humanitarian workers were injured.

Two of those killed were IOM field colleagues, Mohammed Abdiker, IOM Director of Operations and Emergencies said.

We are outraged and saddened at the killings of two of our colleagues in an attack by Boko Haram in North East Nigeria last evening.

They represented the best in us in assisting displaced civilians. We will miss them, Abdiker said.

UNICEF, in a statement by Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, also expressed shock on the attack against humanitarian workers in Rann.

Poirier said: UNICEF is shocked by the attack on March 1, in Rann, Borno State, in which three aid workers lost their lives, three were injured and one is reportedly missing.

One of these brave workers who lost their lives, and the nurse who is missing, were on the frontline providing critical services supported by UNICEF.

The two others who were killed were working for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

We strongly condemn this attack on selfless aid professionals, who were working in the most difficult humanitarian conditions.

Alarmingly, the number of attacks on aid workers is increasing around the world, and we must stand together to reaffirm our commitment to protect them. Humanitarian workers should never be a target.

UNICEF offers its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to all IOM staff members. We will continue to work with the Government to ensure safe return of those missing.

The UN statement, issued by its Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, had also strongly condemned the killing of the three aid workers in Rann town.

Three aid workers were also injured, and a female nurse is missing and feared to have been abducted, Kallon said.

He said the UN was also concerned about other civilians who may have been injured or killed in the attack.

Two of the deceased aid workers were contractors with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), working as coordinators in a camp in Rann for 55,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The other aid worker was a medical doctor employed as a third-party consultant with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), Kallon said.

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Loading...Home | News | General | 2019 Presidency: Is Fela Durotoye overreaching himself?

After Mushin Makeover Is FD Overreaching himself with Nigerian Makeover?

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

He is unarguably among Nigerias leading motivational speakers with a clientele base ranging from tier one banks to some of the countrys leading oil companies. Fela Durotoye, or FD as he is simply called, has his forte in inspiring executives to bring out the best to enhance organizational and personal career goals.

With degrees and fellowships garnered from Obafemi Awolowo, Havard, Yale universities among others, FD has successfully laced strategic management processes into flowing oratory to motivate men to milestone missions, and millions and perhaps billions into his storehouse.

His wife, Tara Fela-Durotoye, the brain behind the House of Tara, unarguably Nigerias number one make-up artist house complements him as a power couple that is the toast of many Nigerian youths on social media.

Fela Durotoye

Besides the thousands of Nigerians associated with him in his mentoring programme, FDs most intrusive effort in the countrys landscape may have been his 2009 effort in spearheading the Mushin Makeover project.

That project which successfully recruited about 5,000 Nigerians in a programme to change the landscape of selected areas of Mushin, Lagos left a lasting impact on the participants and the Mushin community. Participants who engaged in the 8-hour project were trained in how to paint. The community was rewarded with a free face lift and even companies that participated through provision of paints and other resources adequately posted glorious reports of community social responsibility in their annual reports.

But is FD now overreaching himself with his bold attempt to spearhead a Nigerian Makeover? So some critics and even aficionados guessed with his intervention into the countrys political space?

Penultimate Thursday, FD escorted by his wife formally indicated his interest in vying for the presidency.

His declaration for the presidency came as he formally registered for the Alliance for New Nigeria, ANN, one of the newly registered political parties. ANN has as its motif, to position professionals to displace career professionals in the running of the country.

It was as such not surprising that following his formal registration for the ANN at the Lagos State Secretariat of the party in Surulere, Lagos that FD drew back from calling himself a politician when this correspondent dubbed him as such.

I know what it is to be a technotician, which is what we are in ANN. I dont know whether I will need to learn what it means to be a politician but we are technocrats here and technoticians who have a deep understanding of political structures and realities, and we also are not just focused on politics and the power of it but really the deliverance of good governance for the benefit of the people.

FD who has a huge presence on social media with thousands of followers was asked if he was stepping into the political fray with his followers?

I believe that many people who have followed me are leaders in their rights. I believe that we are all concerned about the well-being of Nigeria, but most importantly, we share the same values and our passion for good governance and the understanding that we need political parties that are truly free and fair in terms of democratic processes.

I didnt decide to come to ANN by myself; it was a collaborative decision after we had evaluated several platforms and we had collectively determined that ANN is the platform. So, while you see me here, there are many other people, in fact quite a few tens of thousands at the very least who have joined the ANN and will be joining the ANN immediately.

On his presidential aspiration, he said:

I do aspire to serve my nation and I believe that to be able to do the most that I can, it will require that we have the kind of leadership for the nation that I believe I can offer in terms of priority of vision, in terms of a set of clear values that can bring about the kind of behaviour and culture of a new Nigeria.

More importantly, in terms of the fact that I am someone who has spent the most of my life helping others build their businesses, find their careers, and I dont know if there is any other platform that will enable me to serve the people as the presidency. So, I am grateful to Nigerians for their encouragement, and if my party, ANN gives me the nomination, I will be honoured to serve my people as president.

Asked if he did not fear that his incursion into politics would muddy his poster-boy symbol as an ethical motivator, he said:

I have always said that I believe that the only thing that we hold valuable, most priceless are our values. I share with my team that on this journey, by the grace of God, I will not have to compromise about this. I said if I have to compromise on my values and I lose my values and identity to win an election, then I have still lost everything.

And it will be worse still if you compromise on your values and then lose the election because that could be a tragedy. But I believe very strongly that it is possible for us to hold on the values that we profess and still be able to win an election because there are more people who value people like me.

There are people out there of all tribes and societies who want people of integrity to manage the affairs of our country. People who will not steal, people who are faithful in their commitment to their duty, people who hold excellence and professionalism as a value, there are people who truly value people like myself. And once people like me step out there and join with other people who are like me but have already gone ahead of me, I believe we will not have to compromise our values to win this election.

Will he remain in ANN if the party overlooks him to pick another person as presidential candidate?

Of course not! Especially if the party has and carries out its promise which we have checked out, of truly free and fair democratic elections. It will be my joy to see the best candidate emerge from all the list of aspirants. My commitment is to a new Nigeria, not just an elected office, he enthused.

Durotoye describes himself as a business management consultant talks of his background:

My focus is business strategy, and my area of specialty is in corporate transformation. I started my professional career in 1992 as an investment manager and consultant with focus on venture capital and project finance. I worked with Ventures and Trusts Limited; at that time the sole investment consultant to the European Investment Bank. Thereafter, I went to do an MBA. Then I came back and joined a company called Phillips Consulting. I worked in the Total Quality Management Unit.

From Phillips Consulting, I eventually set up my consulting firm called VIP Consulting, and we focus mostly on service delivery, performance management and over time into service culture delivery, and that is how companies begin to do culture transformation. So, that is the journey of my professional career. I think that the whole concept of motivational speaker has come from just my natural style of delivery. Even if Im teaching on business strategy or customer management, people say  I am so inspired.

The world came to know me more as a motivational speaker because when they see me on public platforms, that is what I am trying to do. To inspire a generation that is going to believe in Nigeria; to inspire a generation to believe that we can build a new Nigeria; to accept the responsibility to build it and to go ahead to do what we can to build it.

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Loading...Home | News | General | 28 dead: Burkina Faso terror attack bloodier than told

As many as 28 people may have died in the terrorism attacks today at the French embassy in Burkina Faso and the countrys military headquarters, before being repelled.

Although a government source said 16 attackers and defenders died, the AFP learned unofficially that the attacks may have been bloodier than the official narrative, which earlier in the day had only admitted the deaths of four of the attackers.

Terror attack: Smoke billows from the Burkina Faso army headquarters in Ouagadougou on Friday

Heavy gunfire broke out mid-morning in the centre of the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou.

Witnesses said five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the French embassy. The car was later seen ablaze.

At the same time, an explosion occurred near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural centre, which are located about a kilometre (half a mile) from the site of the first attack, other witnesses said.

A government source said 16 people  nine assailants and seven members of the security forces  had died, most of them in the attack on the military HQ. The armys medical chief, Colonel Amado Kafando, said 75 others had been injured.

Three security sources, two in France and one in West Africa, told AFP in Paris that at least 28 people were killed in the attack on the military HQ alone.

French government sources said there had been no French casualties and described the situation in Ouagadougou as under control.

French military spokesman Colonel Patrick Steiger told AFP said French forces in Burkina Faso intervened in support of the local military but did not directly take part in the action.

They went to the French embassy but the situation was already resolved when they arrived, Steiger said.

The Paris public prosecutors office said it had opened a formal investigation into attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise, an expected procedural step after attacks targeting French citizens or interests.

 Overtones of terrorism 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Information Minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said the attack has strong overtones of terrorism.

Burkina Faso has a history of military-backed coups as well as of jihadist attacks.

The country is one of a group of fragile states on the southern rim of the Sahara that are battling jihadist groups.

The insurgency has caused thousands of deaths, prompted tens of thousands to flee their homes and dealt crippling blows to economies that are already among the poorest in the world.

On August 13 last year, two assailants opened fire on a restaurant on Ouagadougous main avenue, killing 19 people and wounding 21. The attack remains unclaimed.

On January 15 2016, 30 people, including six Canadians and five Europeans, were killed in a jihadist attack on a hotel and restaurant in the city centre.

Responsibility was claimed by a group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

NAN

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Loading...Home | News | General | Buhari under pressure over Boko Haram abduction, attacks

Another Boko Haram mass kidnapping has cast doubts on Nigeria  s claims to have virtually defeated the jihadists , putting the government under scrutiny as elections approach next year.

Heavily armed Islamist militants abducted 110 girls from their school in Dapchi , in Yobe state, on February 19 .

Parallels were immediately drawn to the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014 , which captured world attention and contributed to the ouster of Goodluck Jonathan .





The man who defeated him in elections in 2015 , former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari , campaigned hard on security , lambasting Jonathan  s record and vowing to defeat the rebels .

Certainly Boko Haram is not as strong as it was in 2014 , when it held swathes of territory across the northeast.

But there is a growing sense the government  s handling of the insurgency could once again feature prominently in the run  up to next year  s vote .

Security consultant Don Okereke said the Dapchi abduction, which Buhari has called a national disaster, was a political game- changer .

The Chibok schoolgirls abduction undermined Goodluck Jonathan  s re  election bid . I think Buhari is in tow if he eventually makes up his mind to run ,  he told AFP .

My deduction is that propaganda could help win an election but it takes much more than spin to govern a nation . 

 Loss of confidence 

Even before Dapchi , there were doubts about whether the government and military  s claims in the counter  insurgency matched the reality on the ground.

Buhari  s declaration in December 2015 that Boko Haram , which just a year earlier held swathes of territory in the northeast , was technically defeated has become a familiar refrain .

Yet every pronouncement has been followed by a new suicide bombing and raid . Data suggests there has been little change in extent of the violence in the last two years.

On Friday , eight soldiers and three aid workers were killed in an attack in Rann , near the border with Cameroon.

The UN said Boko Haram had superior firepower and were armed with automatic weapons , rocket  propelled grenades and gun trucks .

Freedom C. Unuoha, a political scientist at the University of Nigeria Nsukka , said confidence in the government  s ability to provide security was being deflated by repeated attacks .

The questions Nigerians are asking is how come a group that has been defeated  would be able to carry out such an audacious attack to abduct more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi , in a region under the control of the military . 

 Good news needed 

Dapchi can not only be seen as part of a series of setbacks in the northeast but in a wider context of security challenges across the country that are stretching the military , analysts say .

In recent months, Buhari has been blamed for failing to curb a resurgence of violence in central and southern states between nomadic herdsmen and farmers .

Equally , separatist sentiment from pro  Biafran supporters remains high in the southeast while the oil  rich south is still fragile after a wave of militant attacks on pipelines .

Buhari  s northern support base is unlikely to be swayed by such issues but could influence voters he needs to win in key southern constituencies , said analyst Chris Ngwodo .

Nigeria s economy is limping back to growth after recession while there is little apparent progress in Buhari  s much- vaunted anti -corruption drive .

The government is desperately in need of positive news that can turn the tide , said Ngwodo.

AFP

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Loading...Home | News | General | Why The Senate Rejected Me Twice  EFCC Chair, Magu Reveals

Ibrahim Magu has spoken out on the reason the Nigerian Senate refused to confirm him as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.



While speaking during an interview on Channels Television programme, Question Time, the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, said the refusal of the Nigerian Senate to confirm him is an indication that he is carrying out his duties judiciously.

Recall that the senate had on two different occasions, refused to confirm Magu as the substantive chairman of the commission, citing a report of the Department of State Services (DSS) which indicted him.

According to TheCable, Magu said he is not deterred by the delay in his confirmation, adding that he is rather encouraged, and would not compromise his duties.

I dont think it (non-confirmation) has given the public a cause for concern. I think it is a lot of encouragement. The fact that I am not confirmed shows I am working. Really, Magu said.

In the anti-corruption environment, if they rush to confirm you, it means you are not doing your work properly.

When asked why he is the first to have his confirmation delayed for so long, Magu said, No problem. Maybe the others are happy. Because a number of the people we are investigating are also in the national assembly.

I am not completely distracted. It is not an issue. Rather, it gives me courage. You wake up in the morning and see some terrible publications about you. Despite all these, we are determined to go ahead.

I cannot be distracted with those things. Nobody can purchase me, I cannot compromise what I am doing.

Magu also said he was not in support of the separation of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) from the EFCC, adding that the suspension of the NFIU from Ergmont group is being politicised.

The best financial intelligent units in the world are the ones that are domiciled in law enforcement agencies, he said.

Do you think if they put financial intelligence that is totally independent, do you think the banks will listen to it? They listen to it because of its affinity to the EFCC.

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Loading...Home | News | General | #BBNaija: Housemates Deliver Elegant Performances Showcasing Nigerian Art, Music And Culture

Housemates at the Big Brother Naija house were impressive as they showcased Nigerian culture and heritage in elegant performances.

Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) `Double Wahala housemates, delivered an elegant performance to emerge successful in their latest task, after a week of preparation for the exhibition of Nigerian art, music and culture.



They also won their first 100 percent wager after the task presentation aimed at celebrating Nigerian heritage and culture on Thursday night.

Housemates put in their best wagered performance by performing acts ranging from theatre and music to dance and art all embodied in a truly unique and significant Nigerian way of life.

The housemates were criticised for shabby performances in previous weekly tasks.

However, during the presentation, `Biggie, owner of BBNaija House, said all housemates performed well and also adjudged that the pair of Nina and Teddy A, stood out with their presentation of music in Igbo language.

Nina, a graduate of Imo state university, thrilled viewers with her African goddess outfit and ability to produce an Igbo song.

Also, her partner Teddy A dressed up in an Igbo cultural attire, embraced diversity by using his talented voice to mesmerise the viewers with musical performances in Igbo language.

The housemates took turns to showcase their distinctive performances with the pair of Bam bam and Rico (Bamco) taking the stage to represent the Western and the Northern culture of Nigeria through the presentation of Nigerian dishes.

Bam bam, who is from a typical Yoruba background in Ogun state, managed to slot into the role as a Yoruba bride to her Northern husband Rico.

Bamco had the task of performing a pantomime about a Northern Nigerian husband and a Western Nigerian wife.

As a Yoruba bride, Bam bam took honour in depicting her cultural identity by serving her Northern Nigerian husband a typical Yoruba soup known as Efo-Riro (Mixed Vegetable).

The pair of Ahneeka and Angel (Gelah) showcased the Nigerian fashion by using the green natural environment to create a concept of outfits designed with green leaves and flowers.

Gelahs creativity has been applauded by Nigerians who thought showcasing our agricultural potential was creative.

A fan of the show Eric Orji told newsmen that Gelahs performance was the most creative among the others. He said Nigeria is rich in agriculture with vast farm lands; creating awareness like this is impressive.

The housemates have evidently been creative this week and the pair of Tobi and Alex (Tolex) was no different from the others.

Tolex used their initiatives to show off paintings of rural Nigeria, inspired by some famous rural environment.

While explaining the thoughts behind the paintings Tobi said art can be used to express anything.

The pair of Cee c and Lolu who recently witnessed their understanding as strategic partners reached an all time low as a result of disagreements between each other, put their differences aside to produce an educating theatrical performance.

Irrespective of their differences, the pair worked together to show the diversity in Nigerian culture through a short play.

The script required Lolu to act as Cee cs uncle and also depicted Cee c as a niece who wanted to go abroad because she wanted to be a slay mama and Nigeria was not good enough for her.

Lolu advised her by claiming home will always be home citing the achievements of some prominent Nigerians in the movie and music industry such as Pete Edochie, King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey.

The winner of the 78-day contest will be given N45 million cash prize and a brand new SUV car.

BBNaija, introduced in 2006, is a special Nigerian version of the continental show Big Brother Africa.

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Loading...Home | News | General | APCcrises, confusion and contradictions

By Emmanuel Aziken

Anyone wondering why Nigeria is in bad shape could get an insight from the goings-on in the All Progressives Congress, APC; the party that formed the government in Abuja.

APC

To wit, the level to which it has so shamelessly trashed its constitution, campaign promises and the values that the party and its leaders once wore as garbs during their messianic campaign for power. Perhaps, one could set aside the narrative of internal crises in several state chapters as famously chronicled in states like Kano, Kaduna, Kogi that led to appointment of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as trouble shooter and focus on the partys values for its own procedures.

Last Tuesdays NEC meeting was the fifth in as many years that the party has been in existence. The Constitution of the party provides for the NEC to hold its meetings at least once every quarter, meaning that what was the fifth NEC should have been at least its 20th meeting.

If the party has been lackadaisical with its NEC, it has simply been defiant in inaugurating its Board of Trustees, BoT, a body that ordinarily should have weighed in to call party executives to order. Is it then surprising that when President Muhammadu Buhari spent six months to constitute his cabinet, or more than two years and still counting to fully inaugurate boards of federal parastatals that the party could do nothing?

For a party that has failed to play by its own rules, it is not surprising that the government it formed has followed its path.

Of course, many would be quick to extricate the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun from the foibles of the party he leads. An otherwise cool gentleman, it is suggested in some quarters that Odigie-Oyegun may have been swallowed by the intrigues playing around him. His lot has not been made any better by his seeming deficit in political prowess and power which has made him swing along with different political power blocs in the party. Originally, a scion of the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu bloc, he has tried to perch on the Muhammadu Buhari tendency, but to no avail.

So, he has now been adopted by the partys governors who by providing the cash to run the party and the votes that Buhari needs for a second term, have formed a power bloc that everyone including the president now panders to.

Last Tuesday, the party chairman won the battle against his former mentor, Tinubu with the extension of his tenure. However, the fact is that Odigie-Oyeguns victory came at the behest of the partys governors who saw his retention as an effective opportunity to squash the resurgence of the Tinubu tendency in the party.

The chaos and internal contradictions of a party not being able to elect new executive officers as scheduled were eloquently expressed by the partys deputy national publicity secretary, Mr. Timi Frank. In a statement following the extension of the tenure of the NWC, Frank who is estranged from Chief Odigie-Oyegun, said the violations of the constitution had made the party a laughing stock. It was not much of an exaggeration when he said that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP was itself better than the APC in the matter of internal democracy.

A party that not too long ago mocked the then ruling PDP for its vicious suppression of selected internal critics has not just aped its major rival, but gone ahead to set records in political naivety and incompetence in governance.

The Tuesday NEC meeting was foreshadowed with distressing news in the core competences that Buhari and the APC had promised to intervene before the 2015 elections, to wit corruption and insecurity?

In the matter of corruption, the 2017 Transparency International anti-corruption index released last week showed Nigeria to have dipped further in the anti-corruption index moving from 136 to 148 among 180 countries.

In the sphere of security, nothing more damning could have been slapped on the APC and the government it runs than the kidnap of 110 school girls by a group that the government technically defeated in December 2015 and recently completely defeated!

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Loading...Home | News | General | A Boost for Non-Oil Sectors

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has expressed its commitment towards providing the necessary assistance for Nigeria to attain competitive edge in non-oil sectors of the economy.

Group Managing Director of the corporation, Dr. Maikanti Baru stated this while delivering a goodwill message during the NNPC Day held at the 39th Kaduna International Trade Fair, in Kaduna, during the week.

Ibe kachikwu

NNPC is suited to providing the enabling environment for the Nation to optimise its commercial, industrial and agricultural potentials to attain competitive edge in these sectors. This is a commitment which we shall continue to abide by, Dr. Baru stated.

To further demonstrate NNPCs commitment on this goal, Baru explained that the corporation had set up the Renewable Energy Division which is focused on not only developing solar and other renewable energy sources but also on developing Biofuels that are heavily dependent on agricultural produce as feedstocks.

According to him, the multiplayer effects of such ventures are enormous. These include reviving the nations agricultural sector, generating millions of jobs, contributing significantly to power generation, producing high volume of animal feed, starch and other byproducts, in addition to the biofuels that will be blended to our Refineries petroleum products that will significantly reduce imports of petroleum products into the country.

Baru, who spoke on the theme NNPC and Promotion of Industry, Commerce and Agriculture for International Competitiveness noted that to aid the course of focusing on industry, commerce and agriculture, Nigeria needed to begin with the end in mind by first undertaking a holistic policy actions towards rebuilding the nations infrastructure.

In this regard, the GMD observed that that key infrastructure sectors that were expected to be upgraded include electric power, transport, information and communication, Roads, Water and Sanitation as well as rehabilitation of existing oil and gas pipeline facilities.

It is my sincere belief that revitalisingthese critical infrastructure will emplace efficiency in the new focus areas of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture to buoy the national economy and enable the countrys entrepreneurs compete favourably with their peers across the globe, he added.

The GMD also lauded President MuhammaduBuiharis economic agenda which he said had saved the country from the vagaries of monoculture. Every Nigerian, individual or corporate, has the onerous responsibility to ensure this vision becomes a reality, he maintained.

On the recent fuel supply issues witnessed in some cities across the country, Baru said NNPC had, over the last few months, been engaging with relevant stakeholders to ensure the challenge remains a thing of the past.

Baru, who insisted that fuel scarcity was caused by greedy marketers, explained that the corporation had been collaborating with sister agencies towards addressing products profiteering, diversion, hoarding and smuggling.

Above all, he said, the corporation was working hard to get the nations refineries back to their optimal levels.

He listed some of the key stakeholders engaged by the corporation to include the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, the Nigerian Security & Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Customs Service as well as Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Earlier in his speech, President of the Kaduna State Chamber of Commerce, Mines & Agriculture (KADCCIMA), Dr. Farida Dankaka, said this years theme was chosen to complement the efforts of the Federal Government in promoting economic growth through commerce and industry.

Dankaka, who was represented by Alh.TijjaniMusa, also commended the Federal Government on its economic diversification which has led to sufficiency in rice production, stressing that such effort should also be extended to other cash crops like cotton, groundnut, wheat, rubber, palm oil etc.

The Kaduna International Trade Fair is one of the most important events in the business calendar of KADCCIMA. Alongside Lagos and Enugu, it is one of the three local trade fairs attended by the corporation not only to enlighten the public on its various services, but also to educate them on the safest way of handling its products.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Political Relevance: Why Igbo still grope in the dark

By Chioma Gabriel, Editor Special Features

As 2019 general elections approach fast, nationalities across Nigeria are strategizing and negotiating into the heart of the party under which platform they hope to realise their dreams. The Igbo whose position have been precarious in the Nigerian political landscape dont seem to know which way to go.

Igbos have been hoping for a day Nigeria will produce a president of southeast extraction. But they are not united. On top of it, Igbo play bad politics. They support others blindly and emotionally without negotiating, believing power will be given to them on a platter. Many politicians from the southeast appear to be under the illusion that after Buhari would have completed his tenure in 2023,it would be the turn of the Igbo.

Igbo

Igbos have missed so many chances. Since the return of democracy in 1999, the people seem to be groping in the dark. They have been waiting for their turn to produce the president of Nigeria.

Some believe that Dr Alex Ekwueme was betrayed at the PDP Jos convention when Dr. Olusegun Obasanjo was brought out of prison and imposed as PDPs presidential candidate. Some Igbo believe that it was akin to what they did to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in the first republic. After winning an election in Lagos, the table suddenly turned and he was out. He was betrayed overnight.

The Igbo need to deliver themselves from the almost there syndrome.

Aside the great Dr Azikiwe and Dr Alex Ekwueme, the present crop of Igbo political leaders appear weak, lacking what it takes to negotiate profitably for their people.

Just towards the end of January, a powerful delegation of Igbo APC leaders made up of Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology led a delegation to Buhari and endorsed him for another term in office. They said the president has done enough to merit a second term.

That delegation comprised Deputy Governor of Imo Stat Eze Madumere, who represented Rochas Okorocha, serving members of the national assembly, former governors, all the ministers from the south-east, members of the national working committee and national executive committee of the APC.

They endorsed Buhari without negotiating the terms of endorsement. What will Buhari do for Ndigbo if they support him in 2019? And the delegation was happy that the president was happy with them.

It was not the first time Igbo leaders would play daft.

During the time of Jonathan, the southeast blindly endorsed him without negotiating what would benefit the Igbo. Just like the delegation that met Buhari, the Igbo endorsed Jonathan before his party even did so. At the end of the day, Jonthan did nothing for them. He did not construct a single road in Igboland. He only rewarded individuals who backed him. As a matter of fact, he rolled back the Igbo presidency. Hence a politician like Chief Paul Unongo dared to say that Jonathan was the realisation of Igbo presidency.

By the time Jonathan was warming up for another term in office he made a million promises which he hoped would be fulfilled in his second term.

To strategize for this, former Anambra governor, Mr Peter Obi decamped from All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, to the PDP. And for Jonathans second term in office, Igbo leaders made up of then Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; then Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha;

Senator Hope Uzodinma; then Minister of Labour & Productivity, Emeka Wogu; then National Publicity Secretary PDP, Mr Olisa Metuh; Mr Ifeanyi Ubah and former Governor Peter Obi stormed Dover Hotel at Lekki Phase 1 Lagos to woo Ndigbo Lagos for President Goodluck Jonathans 2015 presidential bid.

At Dover Hotel, they met eminent and prominent Igbo leaders, namely then President General Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey; President Ndigbo Lagos, Professor Anya. O. Anya; President Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike; former Chairman Diamond Bank, Chief Pascal Dozie; former Governor of Lagos State, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu(rtd); former President of Nigerian Stock Exchange, Dr Raymond Obieri; Eze Ndigbo of Ikeja, Eze Uche Dimgba and then President Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos, Fabian Onwughalu and many other eminent Igbos in Lagos. They campaigned support for Jonathans second term in office.

But Jonathan lost the election. The south east also lost out. The Pharaoh who did not know Joseph came into power and the fate of the south east deteriorated from playing third, fourth fiddle to playing no fiddle at all.

Ofcourse, nothing is wrong with endorsing President Buhari for another term in office if they felt his government was good but what is there for the Igbo whose leaders in APC went to endorse him? What were the terms and conditions of the endorsement? Will Buhari address the Igbo question?

Will he work for Igbo Presidency or even the good of the Igbo? This government has never spoken about an Igbo in a positive way. It has never made any promises, given juicy appointments or tried in any way to make the people happy. Each time an issue about the Igbo comes up, the people will be talked down on, intimidated and made to look foolish.

In the midst of these, their self-serving nature has not helped matters. They work for their private pockets.

The APC leaders who endorsed Buhari believe he will hand over to the southeast if they support him in 2019. Did they discuss that with him? Or were they happy that the South East has the least number of states in Nigeria, the least number of Senators, least number of House of Reps members, the least number of State House of Assembly members, least number of Ministers at the federal level, least revenue allocation, least federal presence or investment, least local governments, least wards and the least of everything in Nigeria?

And the endorsers came back commending Buhari on efforts he is making to ensure there is development in the south-east. What efforts? Railways were mapped out across states in Nigeria and south east got none. The south east did not get any position of consequence in the present administration. Did Buhari promise them better things in 2019? Will he make an Igbo man his running mate?

Will he give them the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation,SGF? Will he reconstitute the security agencies to have at least two Igbo at the helm of affairs? Political appointments may not even matter. What projects will be cited in Igboland to create jobs? What development programmes will he consider for the South East?

Or dont Ndigbo have the resources and manpower to lead the nation? They should stop speaking from different sides of the mouth so as to become relevant in the political landscape of the country.

Unless the people are united, 2023 will be an illusion because the reckoning system has changed . In the past, it used to be Hausa , Yoruba, Igbo but now, its Hausa, Yoruba, South-South, then Igbo. Now, everybody denigrates, disregards and talks down on the people. They have slipped from being one of Nigerias largest and significant ethnic groups. After Azikiwe and Alex Ekwueme, the Igbos political influence have reduced .

The pronounced disunity and infighting among the Igbo would make it difficult for them to make any kind of progress in politics. Those who went to endorse Buhari went for their own selfish reasons. These southeast APC leaders never showcased what Buhari promised the Igbo. From all indications, in the next 20 years, an Igbo man may not rule Nigeria. The people are known for playing bad politics.

Other major ethnic groups have schemed to dominate political power. The Igbo nation has failed to make its influence count politically at the centre since the countrys return to democratic rule in the Fourth Republic. And even as the presidential candidates emerged, they have all carefully avoided picking an Igbo as deputy. They do not matter any more politically. Obasanjo picked Atiku. YarAdua picked Jonathan. Jonathan picked another northerner. The south east was nowhere. The Igbo was avoided like a plague.

When the pro-Biafra agitators started, the idea was to bring the Igbo question to the fore-front and many supported them but along the line, it was clear the agitation became a personal business enterprise of the leaders of the agitation.

The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr Nnamdi Kanu started well,gathered support but shot himself on the knee when he left the Igbo question to start addressing inconsequential ethnic issues, and then transformed himself into a god that his followers now bowed down to kiss his feet, forgetting God is a jealous God.

He began to equate himself with The Christ and his followers began to say he was greater than the Christ. At that point, it was obvious he had lost control and Igbo elders looked the other way when he stopped listening to them.

They rest is history.

Igbos play the worst politicsOkorocha

Lamenting the position of Igbos in todays Nigeria, Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha said that Igbo play the worst politics in Nigeria. It could be true but he is also playing a leading role in the wrong direction.

According to him, Igbo have to change their strategy, in order to reclaim their relevance in Nigerias power equation. Quote me anywhere, Igbo play the worst politics in Nigeria. Today, Hausa have realised they can win an election without Igbo. Now, they believe with the combined massive populations of Lagos and Kano, they no longer need Igbo to win, hence, the latest alliance between Hausa and Yoruba.

So, where is Igbo today in Nigerian politics? I have always said Igbo have this feeling of abandonment. Check it out, no Hausa man living in the south-east owns a duplex neither can you see a Yoruba man who lives in a room and parlour apartment of his own or an investment worth N20 million in Igboland. But, should Nigeria break up today, Igbo will lose trillions in property and other investments in Lagos, the north and other parts of the country.

The south-south has produced a president, the south-west has produced a president and vice president while the north has produced many presidents. IPOB activities created fears in the minds of Hausa and other ethnic nationalities in the country that once Igbo becomes president, they would secede.

Theres nothing like Igbos turn to produce presidentChekwas Okorie

Founder of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, and later United Progressive Party, UPP, Chief Chekwas Okorie reacting to the scenario expressed dismay over the political position of the Igbo in Nigeria.

Okorie told Saturday Vanguard: Its been the concern of the mainstream Igbo leaders. The only time Ndigbo got something out of Nigeria was in the first and second republics because the great Zik and Ekwueme negotiated. Since then, nothing has happened to benefit Igbo in Nigeria.

It was for this reason that I founded APGA and practically dragged Dim Emeka Ojukwu to contest on its platform after others refused to contest. We supported the PDP presidential candidates in the time of YarAdua and Jonathan without negotiation.

Now, nobody has the courage to negotiate. But in UPP, we have incorporated restructuring and State police in our manifesto. We have zoned the presidency to the southeast. Our people have been talking about their turn since 1999 and it keeps shifting. Now, it has shifted to 2023.

This idea of turn is not in Nigerian constitution. Who told the Igbo that they will have their turn? The people should come out and contest election and negotiate their support for anybody. In UPP, Kingsley Moghalu said he will contest presidential election and UPP adopted him for 2019.

The only answer to the agitation is to contest. Former President Ibrahim Babangida said last year that he would support an Igbo who wants to contest presidential election. Presidency is not a community issue and its not a regional issue. Its something that needs somebody with courage. If Kingsley Moghalu does not chicken out, Im sure all will be well.

Ambassador George Obiozor

In his own reaction to the Igbo question, former ambassador to the United States, George Obiozor said: The Igbo thing is not about the Igbo being president. Who told you that if an Igbo man becomes president, there will be no more problems? If the Igbo man is partial, if the Igbo man is parochial, if the Igbo man is biased, then the people will also vote against him.

What Nigeria needs is a great leader, a good leader. In fact, Nigeria has reached a point where the leadership of the country is not determined by where you come from but your ability in terms of what you can offer to the country, what you can do. If a leader is good, you dont even ask where he comes from.

Countries that have good leaders dont even bother about where the leaders come from. But when a country has a problem such as we have and nothing is being done as quickly as possible as a response to the national crisis, then what do you think the people would do?

Everything is lopsided in Nigeria. Take a look yourself at any institution you like and examine the level of equity in it. Look at the issue of federal revenue allocation. Look at the issue of revenue from oil and how it is shared. The details will shock you. Go and find the list of appointments in Nigeria in different areas. The list will shock you. Go and see even the list of retirements in Nigeria in some of the agencies. The list will shock you. So, the issue we are talking about is emanating from the failure of leadership and insensitivity in the way we do things.

Every zone has six states but South-East has five. Is that good? And if they speak ,youd say they are talking about marginalisation. A just leader will not leave things that way. If that visible difference is not marginalisation, then what is it? It affects everything else: revenue sharing, membership in the federal house, membership in the senate and everything affecting the south east. When the people are complaining, a good leader should look into what is going on and redress injustice whether it is real or imagined.

The average Igbo knows he is suffering because the civil war of over 50 years ago never ended. There is no doubt that the war didnt end. It continued in other ways. People are asking what Igbos want in Nigeria and I tell you, Igbos want justice. People who ask what Igbos want are so prejudiced and narrow-minded.

What the Igbos want is unity but not unity of slaves and masters. The leaders are failing the people, they are not speaking with one voice. People are putting the blame on them but you have to see that even these are victims of the system. And what voice are you looking for? A people cannot speak with one voice when they have been intimidated and frightened as the people of South East.

The South-East people have been frightened by the system. How can they control what they didnt create?? The Igbo and their leaders are victims of the system they find themselves. That is the lopsidedness of the federal system. The citizens of South-East are in near-permanent disadvantage. So, you have to look at the situation in a wholistic way.

Igbo are treated as conquered peopleMbazulike Amaechi

First Republic politician, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi had this to say: More than any other race in Nigeria, the South-East, the Igbo have been dealt with especially since the end of the civil war. They were treated at all times as a conquered people. The Igbo have been treated as slaves. During the Shagari era, the South-East got a reprieve.

But simply because of a feeling that the South-East might get into power, Buhari staged a military coup and took over the government. Everybody knew it at that time. So, the Igbos have been treated as slaves in this country and it is time to put a stop to it because the other areas are beginning to sympathise with Igbos. Look, if we dont come to terms with the Igbo question, there will be a terrible implosion or explosion.

The people are collectively suffering. They are collectively being punitively treated?They are victims. Even those who go to Abuja to collect hand-outs are all victims. They are suffering together.

Our problems started from not having free, fair and credible electionsMaria Okwor

An associate of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe in the second republic and leader of the Igbo Women Assembly, Maria Okwor had this to say: What we had in the past worked better for us. Im talking about regions and the time people like Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe and Awolowo held sway.

Every region developed at its own pace and contributed to the centre. Now, reverse is the case. They just gave you anything they liked from the centre. This presidential system that we operate today, I have always maintained that it is too wasteful and encourages corruption.

See what is happening in our country: imposition of candidates and leadership failure. Nigeria has not got it right with leadership. Nigerians are not allowed to choose the people they want to lead them. They just impose people on the electorate and when they assume office, they dont care about anybody except themselves, their families and friends.

Some will even tell you that whether you vote or not, a winner must emerge. We have been battling with square pegs in round holes. That is the origin of our problems. The South-East is on the spot. The situation is dicey. Igbo cannot continue being slaves in this country.

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Loading...Home | News | General | A reconciliator in need of reconciliation

By Muyiwa Adetiba

Its not easy to spot a talent. In my recruiting days as Editor or Publisher, I often asked young writers to write about their partners. My aim was to see how well they could make their intimacy breathe on a blank piece of paper. I would want to see a turn of phrase, a play on words and a general ease with language that would show promise.

APC Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu

When I see the array of people I picked as promising writers who have moved on to become famous Columnists and Editorsa couple have become publishers as wellI know I havent done too badly. But then again, many of those I thought would soar have under achieved. So I didnt always get it right.

Its even harder to pick a leader. There are too many intangibles. There are the silent, strong men. There are the voluble ones. But whether active or passive, it is generally agreed that a leader gets things done preferably in a timely, decent manner. A good leader inspires.

A good leader has a core of competent but fiercely loyal people who watch his back all the time. But the most difficult ability is the ability to select a successor. The stakes are often high; so are the variables. More often than not, ego gets in the way and we look to clone ourselves.

Or we go the other extreme and pick someone who is totally different from us; someone whose strengths are our weaknesses or vice versa. I know I have not fared well in this respect. And judging from the way businesses nose dive soon after the owners pull out through illness, death or just retirement, many elders and even contemporaries havent fared that well also.

Many have tried to place their children or relatives as successors and the result has been as tragic. But the most tragic result has to be that of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who has had many opportunities to right his wrongs and has failed every single time. He has failed in his choice of able successors in the two times he had handed over the reins of power and in the many times he had influenced the choice of successors to the countrys highest office.

That cannot be said of Bola Tinubu. His choice of commissioners in his first coming as Governor of Lagos State showed he could spot talents irrespective of religion or state of origin. The way he positioned himself to become the de facto Asiwaju of Yoruba politics also showed his leadership qualities.

That Lagos is doing so well 12 years after he left office shows he chose his successor well. So he spotted talents, showed leadership and picked a good successor. Kudos to him. He was adamant in his choice of Fashola as his successor and against daunting opposition, fought his way through. Fashola turned out to become a revelation.

He followed the template of his predecessor faithfully and added a few of his own. Lagos blossomed. So did Fashola. I felt proud to call him my Governor and I dont say that often. His eloquence and superb grasp of issues put him a cut above his contemporaries. Somehow, he has managed to brand himself more as a technocrat in government than as a politician.

I mean that as a compliment. The same should be said about Fayemi, the ex-Governor of Ekiti State who is seen as a quiet but decent intellectual. They were both protegees of Tinubu. Their national and international strides should make Tinubu happy and proud. But is he?

It would be considered a deep flaw in Tinubus character if he still tried to control and contain those he has nurtured into plumage. A talent is spotted, nurtured and released into the world. That is how it should be. Otherwise, how do you see and admire the many colours of a butterfly if it never leaves its cocoon even after maturing?

On a personal level, the man who discovered me as a young writer also made me his Editor eventually. He acknowledged my growth along the way and allowed dissent, sometimes vehement ones, on professional issues. Today, he is my mentor, boss and friend. Our relationship might have been different if he hadnt allowed me to grow up.

I was so disturbed by Tinubus initial refusal to endorse Fasholas second term that I spoke to two of his close aides who shall remain nameless in this article since they are both still very visible. The feeler I got was that Tinubu was uncomfortable with Fasholas sudden independence and swagger. The soured relationship which hasnt improved much blew into the open after the 2015 elections and has remained frosty since then.

Tinubu has his work as a peace maker cut out. The problems in Kogi, Oyo, Kano, Imo and indeed, many states in the country will require all his guile and skills to resolve. The one in Kaduna State has already gotten out of hand and will need a miracle to resolve. El-Rufai is a small man in many ways.

His heart and mind are certainly small and unaccommodating. His notion of governance is to crush dissent whether it is religious, ideological or political. Having a building you had used before destroyed under your watch because your authority was challenged is vindictive and small minded. His label as the demolition man is apt since he seems to enjoy demolishing more than building.

And its not property alonenorms, ethos, relationships and institutions are inclusive. This man seems to enjoy inflicting pain. Tinubus task as the chief peacemaker has been made more onerous by this man. But before Tinubu ventures too far out, it would help if he could reconcile himself to his lieutenants and his lieutenants to themselves.

His relationship with those who were with him in ACN needs improvement. The relationship between those who should be watching his back and making sure his ideals and credentials outlive him is not at its best. Also, this notion that the enemy of my boss is my enemy is childish and a poor way to show loyalty.

Many of the peopleand thingsthat worked for Fashola have been cast out with ignominy by Ambode. Lagos and its indigenes are the loser for it. Information filtering in at the moment is that all is also not well with the Lagos APC. This is a pity but hardly surprising given the way Ambode is reportedly running the show. Lagos is the home base of the chief peacemaker.

Again, I wish Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the best in his assignment. But he must remember; charity begins at home. ile ni ati ngbe eso rode.

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Loading...Home | News | General | 2019: Plot thickens to stop Buhari with Saraki, Tambuwal

Why Northern establishment will root for Tambuwal

Pressure on Saraki to help stop Buhari

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

President Muhammadu Buhari may have strengthened his hand in getting the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, with last Tuesdays sweeping extension of the tenure of the National Working Committee, NWC.

Buhari & Saraki

However, more trouble lies for him in the general contest from a coalition of displeased party members and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that could make last Tuesdays endorsement of the NWC a pyrrhic victory. That is if the President resolves to seek a second term despite health and age concerns.

Buhari, who was inaugurated as President at the age of 72, making him the oldest person to have occupied the Nigerian presidency would extend that record if he goes on to win a second term at 76.

Health and age issues

His health and age issues nonetheless, critics within his party are not giving up on stopping him, if not on account of alleged underperformance, then to stave off what some party insiders claim as potential vengeance in a second term.

The opposition, Saturday Vanguard gathered is now centering around Senate President Bukola Saraki, who became an early target of the Buhari presidency upon claims of his alleged unbridled presidential aspiration.

Saraki, who was an influential factor in rallying the Middle Belt and the business community towards the Buhari candidacy ahead of the 2015 elections has twice been charged by officials of the Buhari administration on two alleged crimes; forgery of the 2015 Standing Rules of the Senate and wrongful declaration of assets.

The charge of forgery was withdrawn by administration officials upon lack of evidence while the government and Saraki have appealed and cross-appealed disfavourable judgments on the assets declaration charges.

Tambuwal, Markarfi , Lamido, Atiku

With Saraki apparently being pushed to his wits end, Saturday Vanguard learnt that he is being prevailed upon to forgo his reported presidential aspiration to help forge a strong alliance that could stop Buharis second term.

Those canvassing the idea expect Saraki to return to the PDP and help push the candidacy of any of the four major aspirants being canvassed to fly the ticket of the opposition party.

The four include Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Alhaji Sule Lamido and Atiku Abubakar.

Saraki has become increasingly distant from the APC despite reconciliatory moves made by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu towards him and his allies. A source disclosed that immediately Tinubu was given the assignment to lead the reconciliation one of the first persons he met in Abuja was Senator Saraki.

Asiwaju told him that he has been given the job and that he needed Sarakis cooperation for the job, a source privy to the encounter between the two men which occurred about two weeks ago said.

Absent at APC meetings

The encounter between Saraki and Tinubu was particularly sensitive given claims that the APC national leader was one of those who marshaled opposition to stop Saraki from occupying the office of Senate President.

That meeting between both men, Saturday Vanguard learnt, did not produce any breakthrough but that did not stop Tinubu in his task. Evidence of the lack of substance from the meeting was Sarakis absence at two national meetings of the party earlier this week; the national caucus on Monday and the NEC meeting the following day despite being in Abuja.

Saraki remarkably was in court last Tuesday when the NEC of the party took place in Abuja.

One associate of Saraki s associates dismissed insinuations about his absence at the two meetings.

How could they have expected him at the meeting of the national caucus when he would have been preparing himself for the court case that was to come up the following day, and that was the same day that the NEC was holding.

Sarakis Spokesman, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu was, however, quick to disabuse any claims of mischief in the absence of the Senate President at the two meetings.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, Mr. Olaniyonu said the Senate President returned from an official Senate engagement in Benin late on Monday and was unable to attend the caucus meeting. He also traced his absence at the NEC meeting to the CCT trial.

It is possible to defeat Buhari

On Tuesday when the NEC meeting was holding at the APC secretariat, the Senate President was at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) where he was fighting to clear his name as the defendant in an ongoing case. Dr. Saraki did not fix the date of the adoption of briefs by prosecution and defence lawyers. The Tribunal did, and by law, Saraki must be physically present at the Tribunal as the defendant.

It stands to reason that he cannot be in two places at once, and so he was unavoidably absent at the NEC meeting.

Dr. Saraki is not one to sneak into a room via the window. He would rather enter through the front door so that his entry is well noted and acknowledged. Nigerians know that when he joined the APC, he did not sneak in. Therefore, no one should attach any mischievous or inaccurate interpretation to his absence at the two meetings held at times when his whereabouts were a matter of public record.

Despite Buharis continued popularity in some portions of the North, his critics within the party believe that it is possible to defeat him and hence the shopping around for strong politicians to turn the tide against the President. Besides Saraki, others that are being courted include the influential senior senator from Zamfara, Senator Sani Yerima and the immediate past governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko.

Remarkably, the two senators like the overwhelming majority of APC senators are supportive of Saraki.

Those courting Wamakko are counting on him to back Tambuwal for the presidency, a decision they believe would help to stave a substantial proportion of the Northern votes away from Buhari.

One million votes from Sokoto

The argument in support of Tambuwal according to the projections is that it would deny Buhari the estimated one million votes from Sokoto. Even more, is the fact that a Tambuwal candidacy could rally the Northern feudal establishment which, in any case, had been largely circumspect about Buhari, around a more youthful person. Another projection by the North is that a Tambuwal candidacy defeating Buhari would project the presidency to be in Northern hands up to 2027, instead of 2023 which the second term for Buhari could offer.

However, the same projection of handing power to the South and particularly to the Southwest is at the centre of the troubleshooting efforts of a Southwest leader of the party. The Southwest leader who is himself interested in the presidency according to sources believes that the best route for him is for Buhari to do a second term and relinquish power to the south.

The permutations driving a Tambuwal presidential aspiration are, however, tempered by local domestic politics in the governors home state in which external forces have recently tried to break the cordiality between the governor and his political leader and predecessor, Senator Wamakko.

Tambuwals presidential aspiration

Though both men continue to display signs of cordiality, Saturday Vanguard learnt that there are apprehensions from those around Wamakko that Tambuwal could fall out of line. That fear is real given the claims that Governor Tambuwal has not been too mindful getting close to some of his predecessors estranged allies, including a former minister from the state and a former governor.

A source close to the two men told Saturday Vanguard that Tambuwal was not Wamakkos original plan for a successor as the former commissioner for finance and later local governments, Alhaji Farouk Yabo was the preferred choice.

Sources in Sokoto revealed that Wamakko might not mind a Tambuwal presidential bid as conspiracy theorists say that it would, win or lose, help Wamakko plant Yabo as governor and thus ensure that his legacy in Sokoto State survives in the longer term.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Buhari, 25 govs expected in Kano as Gandujes daughter weds Ajimobis son

- Governor Umar Ganduje of kano state is giving out his daughter to the son of his Oyo state counterpart, Abiola Ajimobi

- President Muhammadu Buhari is expected at the ocassion

- The Kano state commissioner of information, Malam Muhammad Garba, also said that 25 governors would grace the event

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to attend the wedding ceremony of Hajiya Fatima, daughter of Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

Daily Trust reports that Fatima is to be handed over in marriage to the son of Oyo state Governor, Idris Abiola Ajimobi.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

NAIJ.com gathered that the marriage is to be contracted at Emirs palace by 12pm on Saturday, March 3, under the supervision of the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi ll.

The state commissioner of information, Malam Muhammad Garba told Daily Trust that 25 serving governors would attend the wedding fatiha.

Garba also said expected at the occasion are serving and former ministers, senators and members of House of Representatives among others.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that Idris Ajimobi, son of Oyo state governor and Fateema Ganduje, daughter of Kano state governor served people cute pre-wedding photo goals on internet.

The governors' children Fateema and Idris whose wedding is scheduled to hold in Kano this month looked all glorious in their pre-wedding photos they had shared online as they get ready to walk down the aisle.

The wedding is scheduled to take place at the central mosque located inside the the Emir Kano's palace ground while the second arm of the wedding will take place in Ibadan at the brides home

Nigerians share their thoughts exactly 1 year before elections - on NAIJ.com TV

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Source: Naija.ng

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Loading...Home | News | General | New Senate bill proposes death sentence for hate speech

- New Senate bill that proposes death sentence for hate speech has emerged

- The bill has passed through first reading at the Senate

- It was sponsored by the Senate spokesperson Sabi Abdullahi

A bill prescribing death by hanging for any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person has received the first reading at the Senate.

Premium Times reports that the bill, sponsored by the Senate spokesperson, Sabi Abdullahi, seeks the establishment of an independent national commission for hate speeches.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

NAIJ.com gathered that the proposed commission would enforce hate speech laws across the country, and ensure the elimination of hate speech, the bill says.

For offences such as harassment on grounds of ethnicity or race, the offender shall be sentenced to not less than a five-year jail term or a fine of not less than N10 million or both.

The bill proposes that: A person who uses, publishes, presents, produces, plays, provides, distributes and/or directs the performance of any material, written and/or visual, which is threatening, abusive or insulting or involves the use of threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour commits an offence.

The charge would be justified if such a person intends to stir up ethnic hatred.

The bill has gone through the first reading.

Abdullahi said cases of religious and ethnic violence experienced in the past years in Nigeria informed his decision to sponsor the bill.

Speaking with Premium Times on Friday, March 2, Abdullahi said the bill proposes various mechanisms to prevent cases of death which emanate from hate speeches.

For me, its in response to the series of events. With all intents and purposes, it is motivated by what we term hate speech in the real technical sense, he said.

In the past couple of years in this country, hate speech is driven by many variables; the issue of religion and ethnicity and because of that, a lot of lives have been lost. They question I want to ask is why.

Why must I die because I am somebody and somebody somewhere feels otherwise and makes statement that at the end of the day provokes intense anger and rage leading to violence, breakdown of law and order and I lose my life, my family, and sometimes I never even get to recover and nobody is even punished?

This is becoming a contemporary problem if you look at it in the past couple of years. It is assuming a dangerous dimension for us to ignore. I am of the opinion that we must learn from history. There are lots of cases where violence that is unusual either from individuals or groups was actually motivated by hate speeches.

I sat and I said we just have to find a way of having a system in place that will systematically address this issue and get people to realise that is the way to go.

The bill is not really looking at the policy side, there are lots of mechanism to moderate our discourse, engagement in a manner that we dont overheat the polity and in the process endanger other peoples lives, he said.

The Buhari administration has in recent months pledged tougher actions against hate speech, amid rampant abuse mostly on the social media.

Last month, the minister of information, Lai Mohammed, said hate speech offenders would be punished in accordance with the 2011 Anti Terrorism Act.

He was speaking at a conference of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Kano.

Last year, the minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, announced a bill against hate speech had been submitted to the justice ministry for onward transmission to the National Assembly.

It is not clear whether the bill would be an amendment of the 2011 Anti-Terrorism Act, or an entirely new bill.

That draft speech contains the laws and punishment for hate speech. Hate speech should not be allowed in this country, everybody is entitled to belong to the religion he believes in, Dambazau said.

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I mean people dont choose the tribe to be, thats how God brought him and there is absolutely no reason for hate speech. So, if the national assembly passes that law, certainly anybody who is engaged in hate speech will be prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the federal government warned that it would prosecute those who indulge in the practice of hate speech in accordance with the 2011 terrorism act.

The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, who gave the warning on Monday, February 19, at the second national conference of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Kano, noted that offenders of dangerous comments would henceforth be prosecuted by the federal government.

EXCLUSIVE: Be patient with President Buhari, Femi Adesina tells Nigerians - on NAIJ.com TV

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Source: Naija.ng

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Loading...Home | News | General | ANTI-GRAFT AGENCY: Lawyers group hails Osinbajo over statement

By Charles Kumolu

THE League of Patriotic Lawyers has hailed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for saying that the executive would not change its position on the chairmanship of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

Briefing newsmen in Lagos, Chairman of the group, Mr. Abubakar Yesufu described the Vice President as being consistent with the truth on the matter.

His words: Ibrahim Magu remains the last man standing despite attempts to intimidate and blackmail him. Magus credentials remain unblemished and spotless as the cattle egret. Here is a man who put his in-law, the former Managing Director of Bank of the North, Mallam Bulama on trial, and eventually convicted him.

Here is a man who has put senior retired and serving military officers on trial for financial crimes. Here is a man who has refused to compromise and demanded justice. It would be ambitious for anybody to think that he would ever be confirmed when more than 15 senators are on his radar.

Until more than the 15 cases that abound in our various courts are consolidated and determined, Magu, like the Vice President said remains the EFCC boss, either in an acting capacity or otherwise.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Event, catering industries need govt support, to provide more jobs  Dairo

Stories by Moses Nosike

Kemi Remi Dairo, Managing Director/CEO, Events Expert is a graduate of Economics, Social Sciences from Obafemi Awolowo University. Her passion and love for quality services gave birth to Events Expert/KRD Chef Services. The young Nigerian through her entrepreneur hunger and business outfit has created jobs for a lot of youths.

In this interview with Nosike Moses, she reveals that skills, knowledge of catering from childhood add to training, had given her competitive edge in the event and catering industry even as she calls for government partnership to promote event industry the more. Excerpts:

Tell us your vision of Events Experts/KRD Chef Services?

These two companies are actually separate entity running differently but owned by me. Both came out of passion and love for quality services. Events Expert started full operation in January 2008 after 6 years of training in the industry. But my passion for event planning started 2002 way back in school when a group of friends came together to start events kolony, it was fun as my wedding in 2005 was one of the events planned and coordinated by events kolony.

However, I was receiving training at Zapphaire Events after school and that helped me to gain more experience in the industry between 2006 and 2007 precisely. All these experiences helped me to start my own company, Events Expert. My major vision for the company is to carry out excellent service delivery by taking away stress off clients and replacing it with pleasure, and this over the years has been a remarkable success for us at Events expert.

Four years ago after working with notable catering companies in the industry, though the skills and knowledge of catering had been part of me from childhood, I did not think of turning it into business initiative, until my training experience in the industry that the passion for starting a catering outfit came up and we took the bold step and KRD Chef Services was given birth to. Our major vision is to develop a plan for a world class catering outfit for both indoor and outdoor, with a top notch service delivery and executive presentation. This we have preached and practised in all our deliveries in the past 4 years of catering business and we have indeed achieved a lot.

What can you say about catering and event planning in Nigeria?

Event planning industry, which catering is actually a department has been a positive development, in job creation in Nigeria. The birth of the event industry has given the industry a lift with creativity at all levels thereby promoting competitions. For instance, catering has gone beyond domestic cooks (oloopo), serving in coolers and as guests at events if you are served food then you were lucky.

However, to a well planned and high level of table presentation to many and varieties of sumptuous menu to choose from, this has made events what to always look out for and look up to when invited.

To what extent does your industry create job?

Like I said earlier, event industry has really created jobs in Nigeria at different levels; we have departments where you can explore and excel without formal education. And there are also jobs for O Level, undergraduates and graduates respectively. For under-graduates, they have been able to sponsor their education with the little amount they are paid for ushering, waiters and coordinating at events, graduates becomes entrepreneurs even before leaving school proud to be called CEO and they are all doing exploit everywhere.

What are those challenges your company is facing, as well as, the entire industry of event planning?

One of the challenges we are facing is lack of government support. We need government policies that would encourage more business owners in the industry. Operators in the industry suffer under multiple ,which has left them with little or no profit at the end of the day. We need tax rebate to encourage small scale businesses in the country. This will encourage standards and reposition us to compete globally.

Is your industry regulated to avoid quacks?

In the pursuit of standardization and to eliminate quacks in the event industry, Association of Professional party Organisers and Events Managers of Nigeria, (APPOEMN) was formed to streamline activities of the industry practitioners and deal with dubious behavours of vendors when noticed. We want government to support the Association to claim their rights when the need arises. Government can partner with the Association to ensure that the Association meets the test of time.

What level do you want to take your company in the nearest future?

According to both companies vision, we are looking forward to world class catering outfit and Event management company and we are almost there. We want to build a catering and an event industry in Nigeria that can compete globally and stand as a reference point any time any day. That is part of our future vision.

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Loading...Home | News | General | New Lagos State Land Use Charges: Jimi Disu appeals to Ambode, residents react

Popular public affairs commentator and veteran journalist Jimi Disu bared his heart to the Akinwunmi Ambode-led Lagos State Government in the popular Front Page Comment, a morning newspaper review programme on Classic FM.

Disu was analysing a news story in the dailies about the increase in Land Use charges in Lagos. This was the major issue Disu and Bukola analysed on the day. Many Lagos residents reacted and today we published some of their reaction to the usual insightful analysis of Disu. The headline of the story in the Punch Newspaper read this: Lagos State government commends residents for paying land use tax.

Houses in Lagos and Ambode

According to the Punch, the Lagos government on Wednesday applauded property owners and occupiers in the state for trooping into designated banks in fulfilment of their civic duties. The turn-out followed the launching of the payment platform by the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode. Part of the story reads that a renowned comedian and resident of the state, Mr. Gbenga Adeyinka who paid his land use tax on Tuesday said massive payment of the levy would enable government to embark on more infrastructural projects for better living conditions.

Disu made the following comments in his analysis:

I will like to plead with the Lagos State government officials to always try and do the right thing or ask for advice when issues like these come up. The Lagos state government introduced a new system of paying for land use and that has been virtually condemned by almost everybody in the state in the sense that the new rates are more than punitive. For example, someone called in to say he used to pay N58,000 before, but now has a bill of more than N400,000.

In any business transaction, an increment of about N400,000 to N500,000 is completely unacceptable. If youre paying a rent of N100,000 per annum, your landlord cannot increase the rent to N500,000 per annum. The Lagos Chamber of Commerce issued a statement that they are even going to court. Most people see these new charges as punitive and that is very clear.

Now the usual manner in which government officials react to this is, they see it as a challenge. Rather than take a second look and say to themselves How best can we handle this situation so that its a win-win situation for everybody? The same headline in all the papers tells me that it is a planted story and Im surprised they fell for this because it is the same photograph of Gbenga Adeyinka you have across all the newspapers, so hes being used. And the issue is beyond that.

What you have is that in most cases, people are not even in a position to pay and its going to reflect on rents. What is typical in Nigeria is that everybody wants to defend the boss. Since the governor has put this in place, it will be bad for him to retrace his steps I think the governor who luckily is an accountant, should take a second look at these land use charges. They are punitive. Youre going to have a lot of defaults therein, no doubt. Most of the houses where he wants to get the highest charges from are empty  go to Ikoyi, VGC, all these houses are empty.

Jimi Disu

You have a crisis on your hands and you need all the ingenuity under the sun to resolve that crisis. You cannot be hard on your citizens. If you have very good consumer protection laws, for example, a landlord cannot just increase his rent from N58,000 to N400,000. So why should the government be seen as doing this? I buy their argument, but you must find a way to make life bearable and tolerable for citizens. And the typical thing is officials will always be thinking about the governor We cannot afford to embarrass the governor in this instance . And so what do they do? They go on publicity. The publicity is not going to bring out any money I dont have from my pocket. That is the reality. Am I going to get a bank loan because I want to pay for land use charge? Definitely not! The approach is wrong and Im sorry I have to do this again and again and again.

If Gbenga Adeyinka has paid his land use charge, what has that got to do with me? Is Gbenga Adeyinka going to put money in my pocket? The whole attitude is completely wrong. Luckily the governor is an accountant. He needs to sit and take charge of this process because the truth of the matter is, if you spend more of government money on publicity and getting people to endorse what youre doing, its not going to put money in the pockets of the landowners.

For the Chamber of Commerce to have gotten up within a week to make a definite statement, that they were even ready to go to court to get to the bottom of all these should give the governor some concern.

So my message this morning to His Excellency is that, please take control of this process. Luckily, as God would have it, youre an accountant. Bring people from the private sector  consultants and see how you can make this more realistic for people to adhere to or else, I can assure you what they are going to have is a lot of default. I also think that generally Lagos state has to be a bit careful, there are a few things happening that are making life more difficult for Nigerians. I think we need to get our priorities right in this state.

Reactions.

Sylvester Steve Obiakor sends a message which says Is there no legislation controlling these government charges and fees or the government is just arbitrarily increasing charges?

Jimi Disu: To be fair to the government, its not as arbitrary as you might think, but the bottom line is, that is the responsibility of the government  To make life bearable for its citizens. The government must do something.

Laws are made for men, men are not made for laws. It is the system that was put in place that brought about that. Its a bit technical, I dont want to go into that. But its not as if the government just decided to Where Im going is, first of all, you need to explain it to the people. But most importantly, if that system is not working, choke it! Its going to break the backs of a lot of our citizens and I dont think the government will want to inflict pain on the citizens, because we have enough pain around us. I also want to plead with the handlers of the governor to be a bit more creative in some of the things they do. That a comedian has paid his land use charge is neither here nor there.

Akugbe Daniel says So they used a comedian as their poster-boy

Jimi Disu: While we are at it, I think the press need to be very careful about their relationship with politicians. We need to be extra careful, even if we have them as friends and whatever The press should not be against the government, we should work hand in hand, but part of our job is to tell these people some home truths. Remember that the intents of the politicians might not necessarily align with yours, so you have to be very careful. I dont mean that you should be antagonistic at all times. The same story and photograph is in about three to four papers Is there also a pun in using a comedian?

Another person says What is the penalty for not paying the land use charge because I can tell you categorically that most people wont pay?

Jimi Disu: Its not that they wont pay, but its that that they wont be in a position to pay. The truth of the matter is most people may not have the capacity to pay.

Radioman says The challenge with the government today in Lagos is the fact that they think Lagos state is their birthright. They need another party to give them a good run for their money.

Loius says Governor Ambode is taking Lagosians for granted with some of his policies

Jimi Disu: Thats why I say to people Know the honourable in your neighbourhood. Hes there to protect your interest, thats what you voted him in for.

Michael says It has become the norm for Lagos state government to use celebrities in endorsing some distasteful policies

Jimi Disu: I dont think I will go as far as call it a distasteful policy because the truth is you must pay land use charge. But I think that the government must also protect its citizens and as for using comedians I dont see anything wrong with that.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Why semi literates are governing Nigeria  Prof. Nwabueze

By Emeka Mamah

Apparently miffed by the degeneration in Nigerias political and economic fortunes in the recent years, the National Chairman of the Patriots and Igbo Leaders of Thought, ILT, Professor Ben Nwabueze has called for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to ensure an upper age limit of 70 years or below for anybody to be eligible to contest for office of President, Governor and state and national assemblies.

Prof. Nwabueze

Nwabueze said that Our dear country is bleeding to death. It needs a leader to save it. He gave poor marks to President Muhammadu Buhari in the last three , stressing that his performance was abysmally low.

These were contained in a statement in he issued in Enugu.

According to him, any claim that Nigeria is anything other than an underdeveloped country or that its economy has been, or is being effectively managed is fanciful, indeed a fallacy or based on dream. On age limit, he said that the wear and tear and stresses of life, coupled with health and other challenges, rob every one of us, after the age of 70 years, of the energy required for the job of governing Nigeria, pointing out that Anyone aspiring to govern and lead Nigeria as President should also be a person with plenty of energy, a high amount of energy characteristic of the youth, the energy of youth, the kind of energy that will enable him or her to engage in the arduous task of mobilising the people for national transformation; mobilisation of the people for such a purpose being one of the most arduous tasks of political leadership.|

Qualification for political office

He also called for the review of qualifications for political office holders from the elementary school certificate to university degree or equivalent, saying that the bane of the countrys leadership was semi literacy.

He stressed that a situation where semi literates were governors or president did not augur well for the country as they lacked the intellectual capacity required for good governance.

He also said that the first school leaving certificate prescribed as qualification for office holders in the constitution should be substituted with university degree since semi literates who occupy offices of governors, president or become members of both the state and National Assembles do not have the intellectual capacity to lead the nation.

According to him, there was no part of the country which had not produced several university graduates to represent them as governors, president or members of the state and National Assemblies these days.

The statement further read, Good leadership: The qualities and credentials needed for good leadership can readily be identified. The primal credential is good education, such as would enable the leadership to combine -ideas and power, intellectualism and politics.

Leadership is a critical part of Nigerias problem of governance because the educational qualification prescribed for our political leaders by section 131(d), as amended by the National Assembly in 2010, and section 318(1) of the Constitution does not equip them to be able to combine ideas and power; intellectualism and politics.

In these days of widespread expo, certificate faking and general degeneration in the standards of education in our schools and colleges, primary six school leaving certificate prescribed by the Constitution for those seeking elective political office is really next door to illiteracy.

A semi -literate President or Governor is what the prescription tantamounts to. What little literacy is acquired from the educational system at the primary school level is soon lost owing to the lack of a reading culture that pervades our society, caused to a considerable extent by the enthronement of wealth as the determinant of social standing and the consequent inordinate pursuit of it and of other mundane, non-intellectual pursuits.

No one with this kind of thoroughly inadequate educational background can be expected to read, with understanding, the Constitution of Nigeria, laden, and it is, with difficult and perplexing concepts, or the books on constitutional law, political science and sociology where the knowledge of these concepts can be found.

And knowing that he cannot understand them, he would have no inclination or disposition to buy the books or to read them.

The desire to accommodate educationally backward areas, which no doubt is the reason underlying the provisions, is no justification for prescribing such low level of educational qualification for election to the office of president, state governor or member of the National Assembly.

There is no state in the country today that does not have a fair number of university graduates.

The effect of these provisions is, lamentably, to entrench in the Constitution the intellectual poverty and educational inadequacy which has characterised leadership at the level of the presidency since independence in 1960 right up to the election of President Umaru YarAdua in 2007 (the first university graduate to hold the office of Executive President discounting the interim arrangement under which Chief Ernest Shonekan, a university graduate, ruled for four or so months) and the ascension to the presidential office by Vice-President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan on May 5, 2010, after the death of Umaru YarAdua.

The low educational qualification prescribed for elective political leaders has resulted, sadly, in the relegation of intellectualism in government and politics in the country. Intellectualism is concerned essentially with the notion of ideas, that is: the mental ability to comprehend ideas, and to reason or think them out.

An intellectual is a person engaged in creative and rational thinking about the world, about humanity, about human relationships, and about the governance of human society; he is a person dedicated to the study and understanding of ideas that govern and shape our world, society, the organism known as thestate, and generally to intellectual pursuits and interests. The power of ideas in shaping human life and in liberating, liberalising and stimulating the mind is well highlighted in a book by Peter Watson titled Ideas : A History From Fire to Freud, first published in 2005, a tome of a book, 1117 pages, which everyone aspiring to govern and lead Nigeria should read.

Our Constitution should, therefore, prescribe an upper age limit for the presidency, say, 70 years or lower, as is the case in some countries of the world, and as is done for non-elective public officers in Nigeria.

In addition to the sort of education that would enable the leadership to combine ideas and power, intellectualism and politics, the type of leadership needed for our country has to be one, not only committed to democracy and constitutionalism, but also one at once dedicated, single-minded, selfless, disciplined, patriotic and highly motivated in the national interest with a deep concern for the public good/welfare, a leadership able to mobilise the various strata of society, and prepared to commit suicide by sacrificing its vested economic interest in the preservation of the status quo.

It must be a leadership whose sincerity of purpose is so transparent as to induce people to adopt the desired new patterns of behaviour in place of the old ones and whose dedication to the cause is sufficiently total and selfless to inspire confidence, a leadership that is seen to be practising what it preaches.

People cannot be persuaded by the leadership to be tolerant, honest, public-spirited, patriotic, fair-minded, law-abiding, devoted, disciplined, among others if the leaders themselves do not practise those virtues.

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Loading...Home | News | General | 2019, insecurity: IBB, Danjuma hold talks in Minna

FORMER Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida on Thursday played host to former Chief of Army Staff, General Theophilus Danjuma during which they held a closed door meeting.

Former military head of state, General Ibrahim Babangida

Gen. Danjuma was said to have arrived Minna International Airport at about 11:45am on Thursday and was driven straight to the hill top residence of Gen. Babangida. The source said the meeting commenced immediately after launch at about 1 p.m. and lasted over three hours.

Immediately after the meeting, General Danjuma was driven straight to the Minna Airport in a Mercedes Benz E class belonging to Gen. Babangida which brought him from the Airport .

A dependable source told our correspondent that the former Military leaders must have discussed current national issues including 2019 general elections and security. According to the source, Nobody was with them during the meeting and so nobody could actually say what they discussed. The meeting started immediately after they had lunch together and the closed door meeting lasted over three hours.

However, I can tell you that they must have discussed the general situation in the country including security, politics and other sensitive matters. General Danjuma left the house here exactly 4:05 and he was taken straight to the airport and that is all I can tell you about the visits.

Gen. Babangida had been playing host to prominent Nigerians since former president Olusegun Obasanjo wrote the incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari to go home and rest in 2019 and that he should not contest the presidential election.

Gen. Babangida also released a similar letter on Gen. Buhari.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Professionals commend furnishing company at 2018 Abuja Fusion Show

Residents of Abuja, and stakeholders in the furnishing and interior decor industry such as facility managers, hoteliers, and estate developers have commended Rosemarys  The Soft Furnishing Company for holding its 2018 Fusion Showcase in the federal capital territory.

According to the Group MD/CEO of Rosemarys Ezinne Kufre-Ekanem, the two days of fun and connection in Abuja was amazing. It had really made us happy with the connection and open mindedness. It is very rewarding to see that so many ideas resonate with so many people despite the diversity of visitors we had at the 2018 Fusion Showcase.

Furniture

The Abuja Operations Manager of Rosemarys, Doosuur Okorie said, we are very grateful to all our visitors, clients and friends for joining us at the Fusion Showcase. This was a real privilege for my team and myself.

However, the fun and fusion would not stop with the showcase. Our commitment to making Africans home proud has only been heightened. Beyond the sales and the orders, each of our visitors learnt one or two things they can use to spruce up their living spaces and be home proud, offices or hotels.

In addition, Ezinne Kufre-Ekanem explained that the decision to adopt a flexible open day approach for the 2018 Fusion Showcase is rooted in the vision and house style of the 15-year-old company. According to her our vision at Rosemarys is to create and provide furnishing that is perfect for living spaces which we believe in offering soft, simple and beautiful furnishing. So the event had to tick all three boxes so that our customers could attend any time in the day and not miss any action. We are happy it worked out at the end. We had hoteliers, estate developers, facility managers and families join us in Gwarimpa as we showcased a fusion of items in ultra violet.

Rosemarys is a niche-focused, passion-driven home comfort company specializing in soft furnishing and interior design with a deep belief in personal service, driven by the singular purpose of making Africans home proud.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Guys, consider status in picking ladies!

By Yetunde Arebi

Hi,

After last weeks publication, I received a call from Tolu, a dear friend. She said she had a similar gist for me. It was unfolding right inside her compound and involved her landladys 14 year old daughter and one of the male tenants. The guy in his early 30s had impregnated the little primary school girl and absconded. What was most baffling was that the guy is a medical doctor and had a girl friend that could have passed for a fiancee considering how often she visited the apartment.

love

My friend said Ada should consider herself lucky that Sunny was nabbed in the act on time, before he could cause much damage to her family. Had Sunny impregnated Ndidi, Ada would not have been able to end the matter by simply sending the poor girl back to the village. They would have become sisters-in-law, married into the same family, she added jokingly.

So, Tolu informed me that when Adedayo, the young girl in her compound turned up pregnant about two years ago, almost everyone in the compound refused to believe that Doc was responsible. Everyone called the little girl a wayward liar, insisting that the guy was a good, upright young man and promising doctor. Many in fact, hinged their argument on the fact that as a doctor, he could not have indulged in such an act knowing the full implications of what could happen. And others easily vouched for his sophisticated preference of female company and could therefore not stoop as low as to sleep with a 14 year old primary school girl. At the end, they were all proved wrong, she said.

Akproko will not kee me o. I quickly asked if she could arrange for me to talk to the girl and she said yes. The girl comes to her flat often to relax with her daughter. She advised me to bring along something the girl could snack on and perhaps a little token as gift when leaving. I jumped at it.

The girl I saw was a tiny, naive girl, now struggling with her identity .One minute a teenager and the next a caring mother. Adedayo couldnt speak much English, so we spoke mainly in Yoruba. At the end of the day, I discovered that her case could have been handled better but for ignorance and lack of good counselling.

I walked away with only one desire, if only I could set my eyes on doc, whose real name incidentally is also Dayo. All I wanted to know was why. Perhaps his answer could help me in figuring out why such men prey on young, hapless, naive girls, ruining their lives and destiny at the altar of a few moments of ecstasy. And while still pondering on this, I remembered those who cross all limits of decency and humanity, picking on infants, toddlers and young children. The devil must be really busy.

When compared with Adedayos story, Ndidi must be very lucky to have been courted with biscuits, ice-cream, lipstick and nail polish. This poor girl got nothing but the emotional hype of sharing a name with her predator. I was filled with pity as I watched her little girl crawling around happily inmy friends living room, oblivious of her circumstance and what the future holds for her and her mother. This is Adedayos story:

I didnt have a boyfriend. He was a tenant in our house. I live with my grandmother. (Her father is dead and her mother, remarried. She lives with her paternal grandmother). I cant really tell how old he is, but I think he is quite old. Maybe between 32 or more. Im not sure. Everyone calls him doctor but I called him brother Dayo because he said we have the same name and God had already planned that we should be friends. He was very nice to me.

I visited him sometimes when he is at home to watch some video films or TV and sometimes when he sends me on errands. He had a girlfriend, Aunty Shade who used to visit him. They both worked at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Brother Dayo is a doctor, while aunty Shade is a Nurse. I dont know where aunty Shade is now.

He was not my boyfriend. We only did it once, I didnt know just doing it once could lead to pregnancy. It was my first time and I was a virgin. He was really surprised when he knew too. I guessed he must have thought that Id done it before. It was painful but he told me not to worry that the pains will go. I dont know how long we spent in his flat, but it wasnt a long time. He gave me some medicine to use. I dont know what they were meant for and didnt ask because he is a doctor.

We never did it again after that. I dont know why. He was not usually around. He would come home late in the night when it would be impossible for me to go out. In the morning, I cant see him because I will be preparing to go to school. Nobody guessed in our house that anything like that happened between us, so they were really shocked when I told them he was responsible.

Brother Dayo packed out of our house a few months after the incident for an unknown destination. He found a new flat closer to his place of work, he told me. But he did not tell me the place. In fact, there was more or less nothing left between us.

Over the months, I didnt feel anything. I knew my period had stopped coming, but I didnt link it with pregnancy. I thought there must be some other reasons responsible for it. I was however having stomach pains and movements in my body. I did not change much. I am a small person by physique and I am told that the first pregnancy is not always so conspicuous in the early stages.

It was about seven months before my grandmother knew. It was my older sister who told her that she suspected something was wrong with me. Then, that night, I think they called a meeting. My aunty and her daughter were summoned by my grandmother, along with my older sister, and I was interrogated. After some time, I told them the truth. They were surprised. They traced him to somewhere in Idi- Araba area. That was when my problems began.

Initially, brother Dayo told them that he was not responsible. He denied having anything to do with me. He kept on shouting at us and practically walked us out. My sister suggested we call the police but my aunt and her daughter refused. They said it would only cause more trouble because his older sister was a family friend of theirs. He later confessed to his older sister that he did it to me once but said he was sure that he was not the owner of the pregnancy as he was not the only one.

My family was very annoyed. After that, they started maltreating me. My aunty, whenever she came around would rain abuses on me about how I have disgraced them and worse still, how my baby will not have a father. I had to stop school immediately and was taken to live with a doctor friend of my aunty for the rest of the duration of the pregnancy. Their fear was that I was too tiny to carry a pregnancy and would probably not be able to have the baby on my own. At the end, they had to perform a Caesarean Section on me because they said I was not strong enough to have the baby on my own and that my birth canal was too small.

After the child was born, things eased up a bit because there were no more doubts about the paternity of the child. It was a girl, but it looked so much like brother Dayo. When his mother and older sister came to see us at the hospital, they all confirmed that the baby was his. They wanted to take the baby from me after we left the hospital, but my family refused. They insisted that he should marry me which he also refused. Hospital expenses were borne by both families, although the bulk came from our side. Even up till today, my family bears most of the finances. Sometimes, I feel so sad that I cant do anything for my baby by myself. If she is ill, I have to wait for my sister, or cousins who live nearby to buy something for her.

Aunty (my friend) also buy things for her. Brother Dayo has now travelled to the USA. I was not informed when he was going. The family used to come once in a while to see us, but the tension is too much. So, they hardly ever come around any more these days. I would have preferred that they take the baby away, but my grandmother doesnt want to hear anything like that.

I often wonder how some people manage to close their eyes and sleep at night. Brother Dayo is somewhere now, enjoying himself in other relationships. Perhaps married and telling some awful lies to some woman out there about himself. He must be thinking of going further with his studies. Hoping to fall in love, marry and raise good children he would feel proud to call his own.

Yet, he has taken advantage of a poor, young girl and changed the course of her destiny for his selfish uncontrollable libido. It is most unlikely he will ever come back for either mother or child. But I am resolved to help her track him down. And soon too. Guys, please pick on ladies your own status.

Do have a wonderful weekend!!

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Loading...Home | News | General | Tanzanian actress,Yvonne Monalisa, David Vandy set

to host TAFF 2018

*As Nollywood stars storm Dallas for the filmfest

As the African film makers, stars and stakehoders are gearing up for another edition of TAFF, the glitzy and high-profile annual black film festival, holding in Dallas, the United States, organizers have announced award-winning Tanzanian actress, Yvonne Monalisa as well as Sierra Leonean actor and Voice of America TV host, David Vandy as the hosts of this years fesival.

The festival director and founder, Kelechi Eke made the announcement during the week, explaining that the two entertainers are selected based on their outstanding accomplishements as international stars.

The festival was hosted last years by veteran actor, Richard Mofe-Damijo,RMD, who brought his wealth of experience to bear, while the festival lasted.

Shielding more light on this years TAFF, Kelechi who was recently honoured with African Community Achievement Award by a North American group, AFRIFAMU, said the festival will open on June 29, at the Dallas City Performance Hall and climaxes on July 3rd, with an awards night.

According to him, RMD will be teaching the Master Acting class again this year, while popular film director, Lancelot Imasuen will teach a class in directing. The classes, he said will be held at Southern Methodist University, one of the most prestigious universities in Texas, which supports TAFF initiative in promoting African Arts and Culture through motion pictures.

While the festival opening night will be a folklore of storytelling sessions by Eclectic Vanessa Danso from Ghana; and Ruth Ndulu Maingi from Kenya, the festival director revealed that the Association of Nigerian Physicians in America,ANPA, will be part of this years event, as its members will be holding a convention in Dallas ahead of the opeing of the festival. ANPA is said to be partnering TAFF to showcase the power of Medicine and Film, as its founder will be delivering a paper at the convention.

Notable film makers who are expected to grace this years TAFF include: Emem Isong, Uche Jombo, Stella Damasus, Charles Billion, Jim Iyke; US- based Nigerian filmmakers. Also, expected at the event are Cameroonian filmmakers Kang Quintus, Ruth Nkweti, Terence Limona, Tiana Bibish. Gambian Alhagie Manka; Sierra Leonian Winstina Taylor; Congolese Soleil Marie; Kenyan Hollywood-Based, Benjamin Onyango; and all the practitioners whose work were among the 40 selected films.

According to the organizers, the three-day event will showcase films made by Africans, as well as a few made by non-Africans about issues important to different regions of the continent.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Dapchi: How insurgents abducted our school girls Residents

BY NDAHI MARAMA, MAIDUGURI

One week after insurgents attacked their community and abducted more than 100 of their school girls, residents of Dapchi, the headquarters of Bursari Local Government Area of Yobe state were gradually recovering from the shock as they recounted how the insurgents carried out the attack.

Prsident Buhari and Dapchi school girls

The residents also narrated how the girls were deceived by the terrorists who pretended to be soldiers who had been sent to rescue them.

According to one of the residents who witnessed the attacks but declined to disclose his name, he said the gunmen who were dressed in military fatigues and turbans arrived Dapchi unchallenged and started firing indiscriminately shouting Allahu Akbar  (God is greatest ).

Another resident, Safai Maimagani , a herbal medicine vendor in Dapchi, said the militants headed towards the school, Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) Dapchi, Borno State on Monday, February 19 and that not long afterwards they returned, and I heard the cries of the girls from their lorry .

Muhammad Kabo, a tea seller, gave a similar account: They were here for less than an hour. I heard girls wailing in the truck and it was clear that they abducted some girls from the school. 

A school security guard who gave his name as Baa- Kolo said the gunmen tried to stop the girls from fleeing and deceived them into believing they had come to rescue them.

According to him,  Some of the girls believed them and climbed up into the lorry. Many others just kept running. Hadiza Makinta, one of the students who escaped unhurt said, she was fasting on that very day of the incident, and thanked God for sparing her life while she ran to the bush for safety.

Meanwhile, following the false information of the rescue of the girls, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State did not expect the kind of reaction that greeted his visit to Dapchi by the residents of the community last Thursday.

It will be recalled that before the attack on the GGSTC Dapchi the insurgents had attacked Government Girls Secondary School GSS Damaturu, GSS Mamudo, Federal government college Buni Yadi, College of Agriculture Gujba and GSTC Potiskum leaving scores of students dead and injured in the past

The residents of Dapchi, headquarters of Bursari Local Government Area which is 100 km drive from Damaturu, the state capital, and which also shares a porous border with Niger Republic, did not only boo the number one citizen of the state but threw stones and dangerous objects at his convoy, resulting in the destruction of some vehicles.

The governor was at Dapchi to tell the people that the kidnapped girls from GGSTC had not been found contrary to earlier information that they had been rescued by gallant Nigerian soldiers.

The governor, who attributed the conflicting statement to his inability to get accurate information from the right source, blamed the military who left the area one week before the attack, for the abduction of the girls.

One of the parents, Inuwa Mohammed, whose 16- year- old daughter, Falmata , was missing, said he was  devastated by this twist of events and that his wife fainted on hearing the news and was in hospital.

 I woke up with the strong hope of meeting my daughter and my wife had been making preparations for a warm welcome, only for us to receive this shattering news that the story was a rumour , he added .

Speaking on the abduction, Idris Abdul, Executive Director of Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), described it as a national embarrassment, and blamed the federal and state governments for leaving the girls vulnerable.

He said I expected that the government must have learned from what happened in Chibok by providing adequate security for the girls in the school.

He urged Governor Gaidam to intensify efforts by providing adequate security for all schools, especially the female institutions in the state.

Also lamenting, Spokesman of the North East Youth Initiative For Development NEYIF, Mallam Dauda Gombe in an interview, called on the federal government to ensure that all communities which were not covered by adequate security should be given enough military personnel to protect them from the insurgents.

He said that the increase of military personnel in the war theatre was the only way wanton killing and abduction can be avoided.

According to him, if there were adequate military personnel to go round, the army commander in the state would not have been under any pressure to remove the soldiers protecting Dapchi at that material time adding that some tactical mistakes would have been avoided if a mobile strike force was within five minutes reach.

Gombe expressed worry in the lack of coordination between the government and the military such that it took two hours before the mobile troops arrived the scene to save an already bad situation.

Gombe then requested that all communities in the local government areas be assigned adequate military men to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizens.

In his own reaction, a security experts based in Damaturu Mr. Ali Abubakar Goni said the abduction in Dapchi was not only a national disaster, but an embarrassment to the Buhari-led Federal Government.

He advised that, a more effective mechanism should be deployed to manage and close the gap between the time of postings and shifting of military duties.

Goni also called for a more technical mobile strike force to be established to go round the local councils not only in Yobe but the entire council areas of the north east of Nigeria to fight insurgency.

He argued that all schools be given adequate security men as it was done for commercial banks and many other public places. Above all, as it is clear that the insurgents have insatiable thirst for ladies, the government should upgrade the status of most boarding girls secondary schools urgently so that large number of kids would not be placed in a position where the insurgents would easily pounce on them.

A veteran Journalist based in Maiduguri, Mr. Gbenga Akingbule also submitted that both government and the security agencies were to be blame for not living up to their constitutional responsibilities.

Another parent who gave his name as Mohammed Audu in Dapchi said, the government have to sit up and be up and doing, looking at what happened in Chibok in the past four years.

 One of the constitutional responsibilities of government is to protect human lives, anything short of this, it is better for those in government to resign, rather than shifting blames to the military or the police.

Secondly, the issue of deploying, redeploying and withdrawal of the military to a vulnerable school like that of Dapchi was most unfortunate which I will describe as a fire brigade approach, so our security operatives should do the needful.

 I therefore advise the government and security agencies to punish whoever was found to have neglected his/her duty that led to the abduction of the school girls to serve as deterrent for others, Audu stated.

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Loading...President Muhammadu Buhari has described the attack on some United Nations aid workers in Borno state as the height of bestiality.

Earlier on Friday, the insurgents overran a military base in Rann, Borno state, killing at least four soldiers, four policemen and three humanitarian workers.

They also abducted a female nurse.

In a statement by Femi Adesina, his spokesman, Buhari said insurgents are godless and brutish.

As I have always maintained, no true religion advocates hurting the innocent, he said.

To now further attack and kill those offering humanitarian aid is the height of bestiality. It is odious before both God and man.

Buhari also sympathised with the UN and other humanitarian agencies working at Rann, and in other parts of the country.

He said such cowardly attacks can only bolster the determination of the federal government to bring the Boko Haram insurgency to a decisive end, in the shortest possible time.

The UN had earlier condemned the attack.

Edward Kallon, the U.N. Humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, had called on the authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.Air Vice Marshall Sampson Akpasa, the Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Nigerian Air Force Ground Training Command (GTC), Enugu has urged officers and men of the airforce to be combat ready at all times.

Akpasa gave the advice shortly after the 1st Quarter Route March of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel in Enugu on Saturday.

The AOC, who led the route march, which covered a stretch of 10 kilometres, said that fitness of officers and men of NAF was a pre-requisite for successful operations within and outside the country.

He noted that the route march would also enhance the health and agility of officers and men as well as make them flexible to adapt to emergencies.

According to him, a soldier that is not fit cannot perform satisfactorily, especially during emergencies.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has made it mandatory that each of the officers and men of NAF must participate in this exercise.

The essence is to keep NAF officers and men ready for operational combat at any moment, he said.

The AOC also urged officers and men to be ready for deployment on internal security duties in order to quell insurgency and other forms of criminality.

It is only a fit soldier that can out run a criminal as well as make tactic maneuvers necessary to nip crime in the bud, he said.

The exercise covered Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Abakaliki roads within Enugu metropolis and lasted for two hours.The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) says the lecturers who recently regained freedom from the captivity of Boko Haram will return to oil exploration activities in the Chad basin.

The lecturers are Solomon Yusuf, Yusuf Ibrahim and Haruna Dashe.

They were abducted in July while carrying out a research commissioned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

In a statement, Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC spokesman, said the university pledged its readiness when a UNIMAID delegation visited Maikanti Baru, group managing director (GMD) of NNPC, on Friday.

Ibrahim Njodi, vice-chancellor (VC) of the university, said the freed lecturers and the entire university community were ready to re-mobilise for oil exploration in the Chad basin.

Despite the harrowing experience of the adoptees in the captivity of the insurgents, UNIMAID is focused on carrying through the exploration programme in the inland sedimentary basins, he was quoted to have said.

The VC said he regretted to announce the demise of one of the victims of the attack, Muhammed Kolo, who died from gunshot wounds.

He expressed gratitude to the NNPC, adding that the university community would not forget the support the corporation extended to the families of the victims at their hour of need.

Baru called for a minute silence in honour of Kolo.

NNPC is ready to mobilise to the Chad basin for further exploration activities and the corporation would work rigorously with the university and all relevant security agencies to fortify the environment for smooth exploration activities, he said.

It would be a great mark of honour to the departed for the corporation and the university to resume exploration work in the basin.Home | News | General | Semi-literates should not be allowed to govern Nigeria - Igbo leader blows hot over current political situation

- Prof Ben Nwabueze has called for an amendment of the Constitution which would substitute a university degree for the first school leaving certificate currently prescribed as qualification for office holders

- He noted that the current constitutional requirement amounts to a semi -literate president or governor; and stated that this has served the nation badly

- According to Nwabueze, the low educational qualification prescribed for elective political leaders has resulted in the relegation of intellectualism in government and politics in the country

National Chairman of the Patriots and Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), Professor Ben Nwabueze, has stated that semi-literacy is the bane of Nigerias leadership, and called for the review of qualifications for political office holders from the elementary school certificate to university degree or equivalent.

According to Vanguard, he made his comments in a statement issued in Enugu state.

READ ALSO: Polls reordering: Senate joins forces with Reps; to override Buhari's veto

NAIJ.com gathers that Nwabueze opined that intellectual capacity was necessary for good governance; hence, a situation whereby semi literates were governors or president, did not augur well for the country.

He called for an amendment of the Constitution which would substitute a university degree for the first school leaving certificate currently prescribed as qualification for office holders.

Nwabueze argued that the current crop of leaders do not have the intellectual capacity to lead the nation; and stated that there was no part of the country which had not produced several university graduates to represent them as governors, president or members of the state and National Assemblies these days.

In his words: Leadership is a critical part of Nigerias problem of governance because the educational qualification prescribed for our political leaders by section 131(d), as amended by the National Assembly in 2010, and section 318(1) of the Constitution does not equip them to be able to combine ideas and power; intellectualism and politics.

In these days of widespread expo, certificate faking and general degeneration in the standards of education in our schools and colleges, primary six school leaving certificate prescribed by the Constitution for those seeking elective political office is really next door to illiteracy.

A semi -literate president or governor is what the prescription tantamounts to. What little literacy is acquired from the educational system at the primary school level is soon lost owing to the lack of a reading culture that pervades our society, caused to a considerable extent by the enthronement of wealth as the determinant of social standing and the consequent inordinate pursuit of it and of other mundane, non-intellectual pursuits.

No one with this kind of thoroughly inadequate educational background can be expected to read, with understanding, the Constitution of Nigeria, laden, and it is, with difficult and perplexing concepts, or the books on constitutional law, political science and sociology where the knowledge of these concepts can be found.

And knowing that he cannot understand them, he would have no inclination or disposition to buy the books or to read them. The desire to accommodate educationally backward areas, which no doubt is the reason underlying the provisions, is no justification for prescribing such low level of educational qualification for election to the office of president, state governor or member of the National Assembly.

There is no state in the country today that does not have a fair number of university graduates.

The effect of these provisions is, lamentably, to entrench in the Constitution the intellectual poverty and educational inadequacy which has characterised leadership at the level of the presidency since independence in 1960 right up to the election of President Umaru YarAdua in 2007 (the first university graduate to hold the office of Executive President discounting the interim arrangement under which Chief Ernest Shonekan, a university graduate, ruled for four or so months) and the ascension to the presidential office by Vice-President Dr Goodluck Jonathan on May 5, 2010, after the death of Umaru YarAdua.

"The low educational qualification prescribed for elective political leaders has resulted, sadly, in the relegation of intellectualism in government and politics in the country. Intellectualism is concerned essentially with the notion of ideas, that is: the mental ability to comprehend ideas, and to reason or think them out.

"An intellectual is a person engaged in creative and rational thinking about the world, about humanity, about human relationships, and about the governance of human society; he is a person dedicated to the study and understanding of ideas that govern and shape our world, society, the organism known as the state, and generally to intellectual pursuits and interests.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that Professor Ben Nwabueze continued with his campaign for the restructuring of Nigeria; saying that the country could not maximise its potential under the current structure of 36 states and all-powerful federal government.

He stated this during the public presentation of his book, titled: Save our Constitutional Democracy from Emasculation in Abuja.

He also advised Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to appeal to his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, to embrace fiscal federalism and regionalism.

What is the problem with Nigeria? - on NAIJ.com TV:

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Loading...Home | News | General | Lagos raids baby factory, rescue 3 children, pregnant woman

- Lagos government rescues 3 children, pregnant woman from baby factory

- The baby factory is run by a Togolese woman

- Commissioner for youth and social development, Agboola Dabiri, said the ministry acted on the information it received about the baby factory

The officials of the Lagos state government have raided a baby factory in Lekki area of the state run by a Togolese woman.

The Punch reports that the officials rescued three children and arrested the Togolese woman along with a pregnant woman and seven others, who were brought to the ministry of youth and social development on Friday evening, March 2.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

NAIJ.com gathered that the raid at Baboon village, Ajele area of Ajah, was conducted with the backing of 20 policemen from the Ajah police station and area J police command.

Lagos raids baby factory, rescues 3 children, pregnant woman

Commissioner for youth and social development, Agboola Dabiri, said the ministry received a report of a woman who allegedly harboured pregnant ladies, kept them until they delivered and sold the babies under the guise of being a traditional birth attendant.

Surveillance was carried out on the location, a shanty area off Mobil Road, Ajah area of Lekki. The assistance of the area J police command and the Ajah police station was sought and they deployed 20 police officers to assist with the mission.

Adults (including the suspected perpetrator) were apprehended along with three babies, two of whom were extremely sick, he said.

Dabiri said the government had recently issued two weeks ultimatum to people running illegal homes to close them or have them registered or face the wrath of the law, adding that the raid on the illegal home was after the expiration of the ultimatum.

The prime suspect, Regina Bankole, who said she was from Togo but married to a Nigerian, denied that she ran a baby factory, but admitted that she was a traditional birth attendant, a job she had been doing for the about 30 years.

She said she did not sell babies and that she was well known in the area as a traditional birth attendant who handled delivery for pregnant women in the traditional way.

Bankole also said she registered with the Eti-Osa local government area as a traditional birth attendant and that she was preparing to take a course in traditional birth process.

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She said one of the three babies recovered from her place was her child and that the other two belonged to someone else kept in her custody.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) arrested a couple, Adeola and Binta Adebayo, in Lagos for allegedly operating a baby factory.

See the faces of newly arrested criminals in Lagos state - on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | APC plans fresh NEC meeting over tenure extension for party's NWC

- The APC will hold fresh NEC meeting this month

- The party had on Tuesday, February 26, granted Oyegun-led administration one year tenure elongation

- The party's spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said President Buhari will fix the date for the meeting

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed another national executive council meeting for this month to fix the controversies arising from the one-year tenure extension granted the John Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC).

Nigerian Tribune reports that Bolaji Abdullahi, the national spokesperson of the party and a beneficiary of the extension, confirmed the coming meeting.

NAIJ.com gathered that the date for the meeting is for President Muhammadu Buhari to fix. As of press time, he had not communicated a definite date to the party leadership.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

A party source said the exact date would be dependent on the presidents convenience.

The controversial extension granted Oyegun and his NWC team on Tuesday, February 27 at NEC meeting, is generating ripples among party stakeholders who wanted a new national leadership, particularly the southwest wing of the party.

Lagos, Osun and Oyo governors, allies of the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu were not present at the last NEC meeting.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki was also absent. He claimed a tight schedule for his absence.

Abdullahi, also confirmed that the coming NEC meeting would be used to fill the lacuna in the extension granted the embattled NWC.

The amendment is expected to read what the NWC members would enjoy from May when their tenure officially ends, and that it is not an extension but acting appointments.

Whoever doesnt fancy staying longer than May, among them, would be at personal liberty to leave, a party source told Nigerian Tribune.

A couple of NWC members had complained of poor funding of the party.

The report of the Nasir El-Rufai panel on restructuring is also on the card for consideration during the meeting.

Governors elected on the platform of the party had joined colleagues in opposition to agree to state police.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, a statutory NEC member of the party, had also spoken on the state police push.

His public stance is taken to be President Buharis private endorsement.

The National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly are in the process of rounding off on the proposed amendment to the 1999 constitution (as amended) to reflect constitutional restructuring of the polity.

Amendments made to the partys constitution which Oyegun NWC had approved, will also be considered at the coming NEC meeting, Abdullahi confirmed.

Nearly all members of the partys NEC had received electronic copies of the revised constitution for study, ahead of the meeting, Saturday Tribune was told.

Highlights of the revised constitution include; compulsory membership dues payment with attendant sanctions for defaulters, whittling of governors influence in picking candidates for local government elections, granting of waiver to new members to seek elective positions, strengthening of the office of the chairman of the party, general party discipline, internal democracy, among others.

The partys spokesperson also confirmed the fixing of dates for governorship primary elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

While the partys candidate will emerge for Ekiti governorship election on May 5, Osun will have a go at it on July 7.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed July 14 for Ekiti governorship election and September 22 for the Osun poll.

With the rocky relations between Tinubu and Oyegun, the peace and reconciliation agenda of the party, may have run into a hitch, with Oyegun staying beyond May 2018, a party source has disclosed.

Tinubu signed on leadership change at the top echelon of the party and had publicly engaged the national chairman in war-of-words.

Saturday Tribune gathered that while the party leadership has encouraged those on its trouble-shooting expedition to troubled state chapters, to make their reports available to Tinubus peace committee, the move is believed to be pacifist, because the party national leadership, according to senior sources, would end up implementing the peace recommendations.

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Despite being a presidential assignment, Saturday Tribunes checks showed that Buhari would still require the party leadership in Abuja to relate with the state chapters, to implement the peace deal.

A source close to Tinubu disclosed that: the whole thing (peace assignment) now appears like a mockery."

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that some top officials APC said the decision by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the governing party to extend the tenure of members of the national working committee and other party leaders across the country was taken to avoid facing a destructive convention similar to that held by the opposition PDP in 2013.

Nigerians share their thoughts exactly 1 year before elections - on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | How kidnappers released my wife, child after I paid N2m ransom - Relieved VOA reporter narrates ordeal

- VOA Kaduna reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, has disclosed that his wife and child have been released by the kidnappers who abducted them

- They were released on Friday night, after Yero managed to pay the sum of two million naira to the kidnappers

- The reporter disclosed that the abductors did not harm his wife and child

The abducted wife and child of the Voice of America (VOA) reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, have regained freedom after the payment N2 million, NAN reports.

The abductors, who kidnapped the reporters family on Wednesday, February 28, also killed a staff of Federal Road Safety Commission that wanted to help the victims.

READ ALSO: GEJ instructed his aide to take 10 suitcases of hard currency into his inner room - EFCC

NAIJ.com gathers that Birnin-Yero stated on Saturday, March 3, in Kaduna, that the abductors released the victims late Friday, March 2, at Sabon Birni, a village near Kaduna International Airport.

He stated: When the abductors contacted me, they demanded N12 million ransom for their release.

The abductors told me that they came to kidnap me but they didnt find me. So, if I want to see my family, I must pay, or I will never see them again.

But we pleaded with the abductors and they later agreed to take N2 million which we paid before their release.

Friends and family were able to source for the money and pay to the abductors.

He added that his wife and the child were not harmed by their abductors.

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Recall that NAIJ.com previously reported that kidnappers on Wednesday, February 28, abducted the wife and child of a reporter with the Voice of America (VOA) in Kaduna.

The reporter, Malam Nasir Birnin-Yero, said that the abductors, about 30 in number, attacked his residence in Birnin Yero, near Kaduna at about 1.30am.

He stated in part: They came to my house at about 1:30 am. I was not at home then but they forced themselves into my house and asked my wife of my whereabouts and she told them I was not at home.

They vandalised my television set and refrigerator before taking my wife and son insisting that they must take them to where I was."

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Loading...Home | News | General | Trouble for GEJ as EFCC reveals how former president directed aide to take 10 suitcases of hard currency into inner room

- An EFCC investigator has told a Federal High Court how GEJ directed his then-aide to receive 10 suitcases of hard currency from his ADC, and keep them in his inner room

- According to the investigator, the event was narrated in a written statement by the former aide

- The money reportedly emanated from the Office of the National Security Adviser; headed at the time by Sambo Dasuki

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos was informed by an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Orji Chukwuma, that former President Goodluck Jonathan instructed his former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, to receive 10 suitcases from his ADC and to keep them in the presidential bedroom, Daily Trust reports.

The anti-graft agency has arraigned the former aide and his one-time account officer in Heritage Bank, Joseph Iwuejo, on 23-counts bordering on conspiracy and money laundering.

READ ALSO: We could have prevented abduction of Dapchi schoolgirls - Peace Corps to Buhari

NAIJ.com gathers that they are alleged to have laundered various sums of money running into about N5.1bn between June 2013 and June 2015, using various companies as fronts.

The companies used to carry out the alleged crimes are Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited, Ebiwise Resources, Ibejige Services Limited, DeJakes Fast Food & Restaurant Nigeria Limited, Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Rotate Interlink Services Limited and Seagate Property Development & Investment Limited.

The EFCC further claims that the money was gotten from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which was headed by Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd.) at the time.

During cross examination before Justice Mohammed Idris, the EFCC investigator stated that the former aide had written a statement disclosing how he was instructed by Jonathan to receive the 10 suitcases, all containing hard currency, from the ADC.

Orji stated that the statement read in part: Sometime in 2014, I was called by the president. He instructed that I should wait for the ADC who handed over to me 10 bags as directed by the president.

I received the 10 bags and dropped it in the inner room.

The defendants however pled not guilty to the charges; and the case was subsequently adjourned till March 16.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission revealed that it would soon invite former president Goodluck Jonathan when it is through with its investigation.

The disclosure was made by the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, at the office of the BBC Hausa service in London.

Several officials who served during the Jonathan administration have been under the radar of the anti-graft agency; while some have been arrested and are facing charges.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Court adjourns Fani-Kayode, Nenadi Usmans trial on N4.9b fraud till March 29

- The federal high court sitting in Lagos has adjourned Fani-Kayode's trial till March 29

- Fani-Kayode, who was a former minister of aviation, is standing trial of alleged N4.9 fraud leveled against him by EFCC

- But he had maintained that he did not commit any crime

Justice Ridwan Aikawa of the federal high court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday, March 2, adjourned further hearing in a N4.9 billion fraud case involving a former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and others to March 29, 2018.

Premium Times reports that Fani-Kayode is standing trial alongside a former minister of state for finance, Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a company, Joint Trust Dimensions Limited, on a 17-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N4.9 billion.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

NAIJ.com gathered that at Fridays sitting, counsel to Fani-Kayode, Norrison Quakers, cross-examined a prosecution witness, Shedlis Gana, branch manager, Zenith Bank Plc, Abuja.

During the cross-examination, Quakers sought to establish a contradiction in the testimony the witness gave in the statement she made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He also sought the leave of the court to tender the statement extracted from the witness as evidence.

However, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, raised an objection to the admissibility of the statement by the court.

Oyedepo argued that the defence counsel must establish the contradiction between the testimony given in chief and the details in the statement.

Also, Fedinard Orbih, counsel to the first defendant, continued with his cross-examination of Gana, who confirmed to the court that exhibits 6, 7, 8 and 9 were all certified by the bank.

She stated that the bank sourced for campaign accounts, as political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) organised fund raisers in the build-up to the 2015 general election.

She confirmed that exhibits 9 (pages 2-5), 8, 9, 11, 13-54 were all crossed cheques for Joint Trust Dimensions Limited.

Gana further said that there was nothing unlawful about the transactions because the bank went through due process when the cheques were being processed.

Each of the cheques was thoroughly analyzed, she added.

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Consequently, Justice Aikawa adjourned the matter to March 29 for continuation of trial.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that Chief of staff to governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe state, Alhaji Ahmed Yayari was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning over alleged complicity involving the handling of the 2015 PDP campaign funds.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | Police confirms 5 dead in fresh Mambilla Plateau attacks

The Police Command in Taraba has confirmed that five people were killed and several others injured in fresh attacks on Fulani communities by suspected Mambilla militia in Sardauna local government area of the state.

The states Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP David Misal, said on Saturday that the crisis erupted in Nyiwa and Yerimaru areas on Thursday as a result of a misunderstanding between a farmer and a herder.

He said units of mobile policemen and soldiers from the 20 battalion in Serti have been deployed to the area to maintain law and order.

Misal added that the situation, which led to the burning of several homes and killing of many cows, has been brought under control.

A victim of the attack, Malam Abubakar Ardo, who escaped with his family, said in Gembu that the attacks started at midday on Thursday and most of the killings occurred in the night.

He said almost all houses in about 15 Fulani communities were torched by the assailants.

Ardo said that the timely arrival of both army and police prevented further killings and destruction of property.

He said that about 15 people were killed during the violence on Thursday evening, adding that five of those killed were buried in Gembu on Friday.

Ardo also confirmed that security personnel have been drafted to the trouble areas leading to restoration of peace.

He called on the state government and security agencies to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators to serve as deterrent to others. (NAN)

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Loading...Home | News | General | UniMaid defies terrorists, to resume oil exploration with NNPC

By Michael Eboh

Despite the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents and the adoption of three Lecturers from the University of Maiduguri, the institution has said it will continue with the oil exploration in the Chad Basin.

NNPC

The University said it would not be deterred by the death and abduction of its staff by the Boko Haram terrorist group, noting that it would return with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, to resume crude oil exploration in the Chad basin.

In a Statement by the NNPC in Abuja, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ibrahim Njodi, who led the three recently released Lecturers and the Management team of the University on a visit to the NNPC, said the freed Lecturers and the entire University community were ready to mobilise for oil exploration in the Chad Basin.

He also announced the unfortunate demise of one of the victims of the attack, Muhammed Alhaji Kolo, whom he said, died as a result of gunshot wounds inflicted on him by the insurgents.

Njodi stated that despite the harrowing experience by the Lecturers in the captivity of the insurgents, the University of Maiduguri was focused on carrying through the exploration Programme in the inland sedimentary basins.

The NNPC said the freed Lecturers, who accompanied the Vice-Chancellor are: Dr. Solomon Nehemiah Yusuf, Mr. Yusuf Ibrahim, both Lecturers of the Geology Department of the University and Mr. Haruna Dashe, of the Works Department of the institution.

Njodi expressed profound gratitude to the NNPC, stating that the University community would not forget the support the Corporation extended to the families of the victims at their hours of need.

He sought more support for the affected Lectures, stressing that they passed through unimaginable trauma in the hands of the insurgents.

Some of the UNIMAID geologists. File photo

In his response, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Maikanti Baru called for a minute silence for the repose of the soul of the victim, who died from injuries he sustained during the attack, saying NNPC is totally in support of the University.

Baru thanked the Academics for their visit, saying NNPC was ready to again mobilise to the Chad Basin for further exploration activities, noting that the Corporation would work vigorously with the University and all relevant security agencies to fortify the environment for smooth exploration activities.

He remarked that it would be a great mark of honour to the departed for the Corporation and the University to resume exploration work in the basin.

The NNPC boss stated that the Corporation was convinced on the need to intensify exploration activities in the North given the need to boost the nations oil reserves in line with the aspiration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the oil and gas sector of the economy.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Enhancing the integrity of Nigerias Voters Register

By Jide Ojo

Recent reports of violations by underage persons following the local government elections in Kano State are deeply disturbing. The voter register in Kano State is the one used for the 2015 general election. In July 2016, INEC used the same register to conduct a State Assembly bye-election in Minjibir Constituency.

What therefore happened in the last local government election conducted by the State Electoral Commission? Was the voter register actually used or not?  INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Friday, February 16, 2018 set up investigative panel to unravel the reported incidence of underage voting in Kano LG election.

On February 10, 2018, Kano State Independent Electoral Commission conducted elections into the 44 Local Government Areas and 484 Councillorship positions in the state. As usual, the ruling party in the state, All Progressives Congress, won all the contested positions. That is however not the main news. The real gist is that by evening of the Election Day, pictures and video clips of underage voters casting ballot allegedly during the election surfaced in the media. A lot of commentators were of the opinion that there were a lot of undesirable elements in the countrys National Register of Voters. This is worrisome and heart-rending!

For the records, it was not the first time the country would have issues with her National Register of Voters. For a long time, Voters Registers were compiled manually and without any biometric features of the registrants being captured. That was when Optical Mark Recognition Registration Form was in vogue. By 2006, ahead of 2007 General Election, the Independent National Electoral Commission decided to capture the biometrics of the registrants. That was when the commission under the leadership of Prof.

Maurice Iwu decided to use the Direct Data Capturing Machines to capture the fingerprints and faces of the registrants to be enlisted on the Voters Register. That exercise was sabotaged and undermined by some unscrupulous elements in INEC who in cahoots with politicians decided to pad the Voters Register with ghost and fictitious names.

Of course, there were a lot of underage voters registered in that exercise. The National Register of Voter was the one used for the deeply flawed 2007 General Election where at least 13 gubernatorial elections were annulled at either tribunal or appellate courts. That election was adjudged by national and international accredited observers as the worst in the political history of Nigeria.

By the time Prof. Attahiru Jega was appointed in June 2010, his commission tried to audit the Voters Register and found out that it was irredeemably bad. That was what led to the fresh nationwide Voters Registration exercise of January/February 2011 ahead of that years April general election. Even at that, the Voters Register was not totally cleaned up in spite of the attempt by the commission to use the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System. AFIS software could only identify and remove multiple registrants. However, there was also significant number of underage registrants who could not be weeded out.

It was the fear that the National Register of Voters is not 100 per cent clean that made the Jega commission to come up with the policy of accreditation before voting during the 2011 and 2015 General Elections. It was the believe of the commission that if accreditation of voters commence nationwide at 8am and ends at 12:30pm in 2011 and 1:30pm in 2015 even if anyone has multiple Permanent Voter Cards, he or she will not be able to vote in more than one place given the fact that there will be restriction of movement on election day and every eligible voter is supposed to be on queue to vote when it commence at 12:30 or 1:30pm.

It was the fact that the NRV is also not completely clean that makes INEC to insist that every voter should obtain Permanent Voter Card. Prior to 2011, people are allowed to vote with Temporary Voter Card. Now, with the introduction of PVC in 2011, INEC went a step further in 2015 to introduce Smart Card Reader to authenticate and verify voters details. All these efforts are to enhance the integrity of our elections.

Ordinarily, if the Registration Officers engaged by INEC, many of whom are ad-hoc staff of the commission, have followed the provisions of the Electoral Act on Voters Registration as well as INEC guidelines on the exercise, there wouldnt have been this challenge of multiple and underage registrants. Part Three of the Act comprehensively enunciated the guidelines for the conduct of Voters Register and allied matters. Specifically, section 10 (2)(a,b & c) stipulated that for anyone to be registered to vote, such must produce documentary evidences to support the claim that he or she is eligible to register in accordance with provision of section 12 of the Act .

Among the documentary evidences required are Birth or Baptismal certificate, National Identity Card, International Passport, National Drivers License or any other documents that will prove the identity, age and nationality of the applicant. Honestly, this requirement of the law is observed in breach by many of the Registration Officers.

Similar requirement in section 14 of the Act is also largely ignored. While the Registration Officers may have been pressured or threatened to register underage people as attested to by senior INEC officials who have publicly commented on this raging issue, in many other instances, the rules are simply ignored or not willingly and voluntarily applied. From the moment the Registration Officers compromised, either by error of omission or commission, what the election management body can do thereafter is simply damage control.

Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended provides a way out of the dilemma of underage voting as well as that of multiple or erroneous registration. The law says that INEC shall appoint a period of between 5  14 days to display the Voters Register for each Local Government, Area Council or Ward for public scrutiny.

This exercise known as Claims and Objections are usually not well publicised and as such many voters are not aware of how to engage the process. Section 50 of the Electoral Act also states that candidates and Polling Agents can challenge the right of a person to receive ballot paper. The ground of challenge, in my own opinion, include when such potential voter is deemed to be underage.

It is a good thing that INEC has decided to set up a powerful technical committee under the leadership of a National Commissioner to investigate the claim of underage voting in Kano on February 10.

The commission has also promised to make the outcome public. What INEC can do in addition is to ensure adequate protection for its staff currently engaged to conduct Continuous Voters Registration exercise. This is to ward off community leaders and politicians who sometime mount pressure on the ROs to register ineligible persons. Also, a well-publicised claims and objections exercise must be conducted well ahead of the next general elections. Thirdly, political parties and civil society should henceforth endeavor to deploy accredited party agents and observers to watch and report on the ongoing CVR.

The commission should conduct community outreach to enlighten the people on eligibility requirements to register as well as hold stakeholder meetings with political parties to admonish their members to desist from pressurising Registration Officers to commit electoral offences. Identified masterminds of underage and multiple registrations must be properly investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of section 24 of the Electoral Act. Election is a multi-stakeholder exercise and everyone must play its role nobly.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Shocking! Man Murders His Girlfriends Side-lover After He Caught Them Bonking On Live Stream

A jealous man who caught his girlfriend pants down in bed with her side lover, might spend all his life behind bars after he took the laws into his own hands.

Screenshot of the livestream

A Louisiana man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after he shot and killed his girlfriends sidelover.

The suspect, 27-year-old Fredrick Franklin Jr, is said have caught his girlfriend live streaming herself and her alleged side guy having s*x at her home in Lake Charles on Thursday morning.

He confronted the side dude at once and then shot him at a close range, which was also captured in the video.

The victim, 43-year-old Charles Ray Henry was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where he later died.

Confirming the incident, Lake Charles police said they arrested a man in connection with the fatal shooting in Lake Charles Thursday morning.

According to a spokesman with the Lake Charles Police Department, at 5:22 p.m., officers located 27-year-old Fredrick Franklin, Jr., of Lake Charles, near the intersection of Hwy. 14 and 10th Street after receiving a call about suspected suspicious activity in the area,

The authorities said Franklin was arrested without incident.

During the investigation, officials say they learned that Charles Ray Henry, of Lake Charles, was injured during the shooting. He was taken to the hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Franklin has been charged with a second-degree murder.

It was also reported that Franklin and his girlfriend had previously livestreamed a s*x tape of themselves in the past

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Loading...Home | News | General | Governor Obiano Begins $2b Airport Project In Anambra

The State Government has signed a two billion dollars Memorandum of Understanding with two investment companies, Orient Petroleum Resources and Elite International Investment Limited, for the construction of an international airport city in Umueri, Anambra East Local Government Area.

Speaking at the signing ceremony which took place in the Government House Awka, the states capital, Governor Obiano expressed hope that the project would reduce cost of importation and boost development in the state.



He added that it will also create a boundless business connection between Anambra and China, saying the State Government will ensure that the project is not only a central economic hub for the state, but also for the entire south-east region and Nigeria at large.

Giving details of the investment, the Chairman of Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA), Igwe Cyril Enweze, said the project would promote rapid urbanisation and increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state.

On his part, the Managing Director of Orient Petroleum Resources, Mr Christian Udechukwu, commended the vision of the Obiano led administration.

He assured the State Government that they would deliver quality project, in line with aviation engineering best practices.

The airport city to be named, Anambra Airport Infrastructure Company Limited, has a completion duration of three years and sits on a 1,500 hectares of land at Ivite Umueri.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Ekiti PDP crisis ends as Governor Fayose backs down ahead gubernatorial polls

- Mark's reconciliation committee says the warring sides have agreed to allow the conduct of a credible primary election

- State governor Fayose, who attended the reconciliation meeting, was said to have pledged to work with whoever wins the ticket at the primaries

- PDP national chairman Secondus created the committee to put the party in good position ahead of the governorship polls in July

Former Senate president David Mark has reportedly ended the disagreements in the Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Punch reports that this was confirmed in a statement which was issued by Paul Mumeh, the media assistant to Senator Mark in Abuja on Saturday, March 3.

According to the report, the senator representing Benue South district led a reconciliation committee to Ekiti with members that included Senator Enyinaya Abaribe , Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, Alhaji Yusuf Ayitogo, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze and Dr. Eddy Olafeso.

READ ALSO: Semi-literates should not be allowed to govern Nigeria - Prof Nwabueze

The secretary of the reconciliation committee Olafeso said the state governor Ayo Fayose and all the aspirants attended the meeting at which all the parties agreed to the conduct of a credible primary election to pick a candidate for the governorship polls in July.

Olafeso revealed further that Governor Fayose has agreed to work with any of the contestants that emerge at the primary, even if not his preferred candidate.

NAIJ.com reported earlier that the PDP invited former Senate president Mark to wade into the rift between members of the Ekiti state chapter of the party.

The party set up the reconciliation committee led by Mark and assisted by the deputy vice chairman of the party in the southwest, Eddy Olafeso.

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The national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, announced the development in an interview in Abuja on Monday, February 19.

Governor Fayose warns Nigerian youths ahead of 2019, tells them what to do - on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | Another massacre averted as police foil fresh gunmen attack in Zamfara, arrest one

- The assailants attempted to attack a community in Anka local government area but were stopped by vigilant policemen

- Spokesperson for Zamfara state Police Command DSP Muhammad Shehu said one of the gunmen was arrested

- The suspected, he said, had live ammunition and an AK-47 machine gun on him when he was picked up

The Police in Zamfara said it averted an attempt by unknown gunmen to attack Wuya Community in Anka Local Government Area of the state, and arrested one suspect.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, DSP Muhammad Shehu made this known in a statement in Gusau on Saturday, March 3.

According to him, the police also recovered arms from the suspect.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

Shehu said that on March 2, armed bandits in large number on motorcycles attempted to invade Wuya Community in Anka.

He said that the commands mobile police patrol team engaged the bandits, which made them to retreat into the forest with possible bullet wounds.

One suspect was arrested and 35 rounds of live 7.62 Ak-47 ammunition recovered from him, he said.

According to him, security has been beefed up in the area.

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Shehu reiterated the commands efforts to ensure protection of lives and properties of people in the state.

He appealed to members of the public to continue to cooperate with the police and other security agencies by always providing useful information on criminals and their activities in their areas.

Just days ago, NAIJ.com reported that the Nigeria Police Force on Sunday, February 18, announced the arrest of three principal suspects over the recent killings in Zamfara state.

The police said the suspects - Halilu Garba (Alias Mabushi), 45; Zubairu Marafa (Alias Wakili), 45 and Nafiu Badamasi (Alias Zakiru), 40 - were arrested for participating the recent killings in the state.

A statement signed by national spokesperson of the police, Jimoh Moshood, said the trio were in custody.

Victims of Herdsmen killing buried in Benue State - on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | Army puts huge smiles on faces of widows with N19m largesse

- The sum of N19m has been given to 95 widows of fallen heroes in Enugu, by the Nigerian army

- The beneficiaries have been urged to make judicious use of the money, which was given to them to ameliorate their hardships

- The army also thanked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his continuous support to the widows

The Nigerian army has disbursed N19 million to 95 widows of fallen heroes residing in Abakpa and Awkunanaw Barracks in Enugu state to ameliorate the hardship being faced by the women, NAN reports.

General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division of the Nigerian army, Maj Gen Adamu Abubakar, said this in a statement issued by Col Sagir Musa, the deputy director of army public relations of the division on Saturday, March 3, in Enugu.

READ ALSO: Semi-literates should not be allowed to govern Nigeria - Prof Nwabueze

NAIJ.com gathers that Musa, who explained that each of the widows received N200, 000, said that the money was presented to the widows at the divisions auditorium in Enugu on Friday, March 2.

He said that Abubakar, on behalf of the chief of army staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, urged the beneficiaries to make use of the money judiciously.

Musa also said that the GOC thanked Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his continuous support to the widows and the division.

Ugwuanyi had during the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration, pledged to empower the widows of fallen heroes of the division.

The governor on February 17, during the 2018 West African Social Activities (WASA) held in Abakpa Cantonment, Enugu, redeemed the pledge with a cheque of N19.6 million, which he presented to the GOC.

Musa also said that the garrison commander of the division, Brig Gen Lasisi Adegboye, and representatives from the Nigeria Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), 82 division chapter, attended the occasion.

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Meanwhile, a previous report by NAIJ.com detailed how the Nigerian army had practically abandoned some widows of military personnel who died in active service.

Among those affected were wives of soldiers who died while on missions abroad, some who fought Boko Haram insurgents as well as a few others who were cut down by armed robbers and other criminal elements while on duty.

The report stated that some of the widows had since given up on the entitlements due to the rigorous obstacles placed by the military authorities.

How we fed, clothed over 17,000 widows with about N60million - on NAIJ.com TV:

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Loading...Home | News | General | Makarfi decries Rann attack

Urges government to intensify war against terrorism

By Dirisu Yakubu

ABUJA-Former governor of Kaduna State and ex-chairman of the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has expressed shock over the terrorist attack in Rann by suspected Boko Haram extremists, which led to the loss of many, including officials of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration.

Following the attack in Rann on 1 March 2018, in which three aid workers were killed and one injured, UNHAS has assisted with the evacuation of the wounded.

The PDP chieftain who described the incident as utterly condemnable, also called on government to intensify the fight against all forms of terrorism, adding that no effort should be spared to rescue all abductees as quickly as possible.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Mukhtar Sirajo, Makarfi also offered his condolences to the families of victims of another bomb explosion in Bumi Yadi and Madagali on Saturday stressing that until terrorists are chased out of the nation, the fight against insurgency cannot be said to have been won in the true sense of the word.

Senator Makarfi considers the attack utterly cowardly and condemnable as innocent people were made soft targets, including those engaged in rendering humanitarian services. A better approach is needed in the fight against the Boko Haram, which should include a tightening of the security architecture in all the affected areas, the statement read in part.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Thugs attack Kogi senator in Okene, injure many of his supporters

- The thugs invaded an empowerment programme Senator Ogembe was holding and attacked everybody in sight

- Ogembe went ahead with the programme at the same venue after the thugs had left

- The senator refused to blame Governor Bello for the attack, instead he accused those trying to impress the governor of carrying out the invasion

Suspected hired thugs on Saturday, March 3, attacked Ahmed Ogembe, the senator representing Kogi central senatorial district, and injured many of his supporters.

The Tribune reports that the thugs numbering about 20 reportedly invaded the venue of an empowerment programme that Senator Ogembe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) federal lawmaker, held in Okene.

READ ALSO: Dapchi girls abduction occurred because APC politicized Chibok - Rep

The thugs reportedly arrived at the venue with dangerous weapons early in the morning, destroyed the venue and injured several people who came for the programme including Ogembes supporters.

The senator however exonerated state governor Yahaya Bello from the attack. He blamed those trying to impress the governor for the incident and advised those behind the attack to stop it.

He urged them to find another means of assisting the governor rather than creating a problem for him.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported earlier that another Kogi senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi west senatorial district, on Thursday, March 1, displayed a bottle of coke, tissue paper, toothbrush and toothpaste to journalists, saying he was ready to go to prison after he was arraigned.

The Cable reports that the federal government arraigned Melaye on a two-count charge.

NAIJ.com learnt that he was accused of deliberately giving false information to the police to frame Edward David, chief of staff of Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, for an attempted murder on his life.

Kogi West senatorial district to recall senator Dino Melaye from the Nigerian Senate - on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | Quran is the greatest human encyclopedia that teaches peace  Buhari says as 20-yr-old wins national quranic competition

- President Buhari says understanding the Holy books in the Quran would teach Nigerians peaceful coexistence

- He noted that even in the Quran, Muslims and Christians lived together in peace in Ethiopia at a point in time

- A 20-year-old man Yunusa took home the first prize at the 2018 National Quranic Recitation Competition were the president spoke through a representative

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to understand that all the Holy Books revealed by Allah preach peaceful coexistence among people.

Buhari stated this on Saturday, March 3 in Katsina at the closing ceremony of the 32nd National Quranic Recitation Competition.

All the Books of Almighty Allah teaches us same thing, that is how to live in peace with one another.

It is clear that Quran is the greatest encyclopedia which contains all aspects of human life.

Quran teaches us how to be fair and just to all including the non-Muslims.

It has also been stated that during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace be Upon Him, when Muslims were being persecuted, he asked them to migrate to a Christian Kingdom in Ethiopia, where they lived peacefully, he said.

The President was represented by Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.

READ ALSO: Dapchi girls abduction occurred because APC politicized Chibok - Rep

He said that the Quran should not be used as a decoration in houses, hence the need for reflecting on the teachings contained therein.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Quranic recitation competition is an annual event organized to select those who will represent the country at the international competition.

The 2019 edition of the competition would hold in Gombe state.

Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man Amiru Yunusa from Bauchi state, has emerged the overall winner of the 32nd Quranic Recitation Competition held in Katsina.

Similarly, Amina Ahmad from Borno state also emerged overall winner of the female category.

Dr Sani Yunus Birnin-Tudu, the National Coordinator of the Quranic Recitation Competition, announced the result of the competition.

The coordinator said that the winners competed for the memorization of the whole Quran with Arabic translation.

He said that 360 participants from 32 states of the federation took part in the competition.

Birnin-Tudu said that the two young Quranic reciters in the male and female category emerged victorious at the end of the week-long event.

Birnin-Tudu said that the winners would go home with brand new cars, digital Quran, laptop and N500,00 cash prize each, among others.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that winners in the other five categories of the competition were also given cars.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, the organizers of the competition, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, commended the Katsina State Government for hosting the hitch-free competition.

Zuru said that the competition recorded an increase of 2.7 per cent in states' participation when compared to 2017.

Recall that NAIJ.com reported earlier that President Muhammadu Buhari says the attack on humanitarian workers in Rann, Borno state, more than ever shows Boko Haram insurgents as godless, brutish, and utterly to be despised. "As I have always maintained, no true religion advocates hurting the innocent.

"To now further attack and kill those offering humanitarian aid is the height of depraved behaviour. It is odious before both God and man," the president said,

He also sympathized with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies working at Rann and in the country generally.

Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? | NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | PDP lawmaker reveals why 110 Dapchi girls were kidnapped

- Oladipupo said Dapchi abduction may have been prevented if Chibok girls' matter was properly treated

- The lawmaker argued that the ruling APC played politics with the episode to take power from PDP but is now in the same position

- Oladipupo, representing Remo Federal Constituency, Ogun state, claimed the continuation of insecurity in northeast is a failed promise by President Buhari

An opposition lawmaker in the House of Representatives Oladipupo Adebutu has said that the abduction of the 110 girls from a college in Dapchi, Yobe state could have been avoided if the first abduction in Chibok was properly addressed almost four years ago.

According to Adebutu, who is the chairman of House Committee on Rural Development, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) politicized the matter just to get his People Democratic Party (PDP) out of power.

READ ALSO: David Mark ends Ekiti PDP crisis, reconciles warring factions

On the recent abduction of some school girls, what goes round comes round. We had Chibok girls before and instead of addressing the problem Nigeria had, we turned it into a partisan issue.

Now we have a repeat episode and we are calling on the APC to now wave the magic wand they promised they had to rescue those girls and even ask them further for people that claim to know so much, superior generals, how do they found themselves to the extent that we have a repeat after the experience of the Chibok girls.

With that experience, we have had, Im very well disappointed that this government into this again. The military withdrew because they supposed the area was safe; incompetence, he said.

The lawmaker, who represents Remo Federal Constituency in the lower house of legislature, said this during the inauguration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Odogbolu area of Ogun state.

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Oladipupo also claimed that President Muhammadu Buharis regime had failed a top campaign promise to end insecurity in the northeast.

The lawmaker said he felt the president should have resigned over such an alleged failure.

The president should have even resigned because one of the things he promised is security in the North East. He has failed. He said we would have security in the North East, he told us Boko Haram will be gone overnight. But it has now shown that all these promises are just promises. All Promises Cancelled.

Oladipupo's words come just as NAIJ.com reported that the military announced that it had reviewed the pattern of information management in all ongoing counter insurgency operations and will henceforth communicate only successes rather than strategies of operations.

The acting director defence information (DDI), Brig.-Gen. John Agim, said on Friday, March 2, in a statement that this was the decision taken during the meeting of the Chief of Defence Staff, other Service Chiefs and Director-General of Department of State Services(DSS) in Maiduguri.

Agim said they met and reviewed the ongoing operations in the North-East, particularly the operation to get back the Dapchi school girls, who were abducted by terrorists on February 19.

Nigerians react as Boko Haram terrorists kidnap over 100 girls in Dapchi, Yobe on NAIJ.com TV

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Loading...Home | News | General | Lagos lawmaker donates UTME forms to 350 students

A Lagos lawmaker, Prince Bisi Yusuff on Saturday obtained Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms for 350 indigent candidates in his constituency.

Presenting the forms, Yusuff, representing Alimosho Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly, said that health and quality education were the most important needs of citizens.

The lawmaker, who is Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts (Locals), said his passion for quality education and healthcare services remained constant.

After prividng a very good healthcare services for our children, the next thing is to equip our children with sound education to develop their minds for growth and development of the nation.

Education is just like insurance for the parents in the old age. Education is the pathfinder to life targets.

Education is highly important because it is an instrument for development. If one has education, such will have the world in his pocket.

 Thats why I am so passionate about health and education. I am doing these two because God has given me health and given my parents that opportunity to educate me.

If not, I would have been a nuisance to my society; as representative of the people, I must save money to aid the childrens education, Yusuff said.

According to him, politicians should be concerned about the needs of the poeple whose mandate they are using rather than being greedy and selfish.

I live with the people and I know their problems, I know some parents cannot afford to buy UTME forms. This is not the first, we have been doing it.

I do not only buy the forms, I organise tutorial classes for them and give them stipends to settle down when they are offered admission.

I will urge beneficiaries of this edition to study hard and I will not rest on my oars until I help them fulfill their dreams, especially the best among them.

I am touching your lives today so that you will be able to touch lives of others in the future, the lawmaker added.

The lawmaker assured that some of the candidates would enjoy scholarship up to university level if they worked hard.

He said that in addition to his annual free drugs donations to state Ministry of Health, he also bankrolled free surgeries for over 400 constituents in 2017.

In his remarks, Chief Edward Obisesan, Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alimosho Local Government Area, commended the lawmakers generosity and impact in health and education, saying education is the bedrock of development.

Mr Shakiru Yisuf, Chairman, Ipaja Ayobo Local Council Development Area said: This is a mark of good leadership that affect the lives of the youth, our future generation.

This gesture is selfless in that it cuts across all council and not limited to the constituency the honourable is representing. He is representing us well.

He urged the candidates to encourage their benefactor by studying hard to excel in the examination.

Miss Olubusola Omotayo and Kayode Ojedele, two of the beneficiaries, commended the lawmaker and urged him to continue the gesture which had brought relief to many parents.

Another beneficiary, Deborah Sofuye, said :I was hoping to wait till next year before sitting for UTME because of money but our lawmaker has given me the opportunity to write this exam.

We promise to make you proud and our parents are glad.

Newsmen report that the beneficiaries were drawn from the six council areas in Alimosho Constituency in Lagos, namely: Ipaja Ayobo, Mosan Okunola, Egbe/Idimu, Igando/Ikotun and Agbado Oke Odo

NAN

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Loading...Home | News | General | Attack on workers, repugnant, barbaric  Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara has condemned the callous attack on humanitarian workers in Rann, Borno State.

DOGARA

In a statement on Saturday in Abuja, Dogara described the attack as another low in the inhuman, repugnant, callous and barbaric acts of the Boko Haram terrorists.

It is saddening that people, who have been sacrificing to save lives, and offer succour to our people in the North East are now targets of blood thirsty terrorists.

We condemn this in the strongest terms as it is against all rules of engagement in conflict zones all over the world.

We appeal to all humanitarian agencies not to be deterred by this new dimension of violence by the insurgents, Dogara said.

The Speaker urged security agencies to also provide adequate protection for humanitarian workers in the region.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Caretaker Committee, has sympathised with the government and people of Borno over the attacks.

In a statement issued by his Spokesman on Saturday in Abuja, Mr Mukhtar Sirajo, Maikarfi also expressed his condolences to the International Organisations over the incident.

Makarfi described the attack as cowardly, saying that innocent people were made soft targets, including those engaged in rendering humanitarian services.

He stressed the need for security agencies to intensify the fight against the insurgency in that part of the country as it had lingered for too long.

The party chieftain appealed to aid agencies in the country not to be deterred by this incident but be further emboldened by it.

He said it would send a message to the insurgents that the agencies would not be deterred on their commitment to rendering humanitarian services.

Makarfi urged security agencies to ensure that no stone was left unturned in their efforts to rescue all abductees.

A better approach is needed in the fight against the Boko Haram, which should include tightening of security in all the affected areas.

Boko Haram cannot be said to have been defeated until every inch of Nigerian territory is rid of it and people therein return to their legitimate pursuits without any fear, he said.

Newsmen report that four UN aid workers, all Nigerians, were killed in a night attack by Boko Haram insurgents at Rann Community in Kala Balge Local Government of Borno.

A female aid worker is also missing, while one other sustained various degrees of injuries in the attack on Thursday.

NAN

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Loading...Ex-militant leader in the Niger Delta, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, has advised the Peoples Democratic Party on the choice of presidential candidate ahead of the 2019 election.

Asari, who spoke with Sun believes that only former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has the credentials to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, come 2019.

Speaking on other candidates indicating interest under the umbrella of the PDP, Asari, said mentioning names such as Tambuwal, Sule Lamido, and others shows that the main opposition party is not ready for the election.

His words, Yes, the PDP is not ready for a fight. If the PDP is ready for a fight, there wont be talks of Tambuwal candidature, someone who is a governor in APC. He destroyed PDP and ran to APC. They are talking of Tambuwal, who knows him in Bayelsa?

PDP governors are lobbying a character like that to join the PDP and contest for the presidential ticket. They are talking of Makarfi, a man who could not win Senate election; a man who during the 2015 presidential election allegedly voted for Buhari and showed his ballot paper to the people before putting it in the box.

Such a man is the one some PDP people are lobbying to get on the presidential ticket.

Sule Lamido is not different from Buhari. He is one of these arrogant Fulani people who feel they own this country and the rest of us are just like appendages.

Yes, I was in the SDP with Atiku Abubakar. He is the most liberal of all the people coming from the North. He has his own baggage. Let us look at other people. What are people like David Mark doing that they cant contest?

Is it that they are not courageous enough to come and fight? So everybody in the North would abdicate to the Fulani. Other Northerners are even afraid to take their liberty even when we have told them that we have taken our liberty and they should take theirs.

On Fayose, he added, Yes, he has signified his intention but it is not going to fly. Who is going to run Fayoses election for him? Whose money is going to be used?

The South West does not vote heavily. The percentage of voters is low. Ekiti state where Fayose is governor has one of the lowest voting population.

The other voters in South West are in the hands of the APC. For me, David Mark would have been the very best for PDP to galvanise the swing nationalities; those people outside Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba and bring them together to join with the Igbo and some other liberal Yoruba people.

But if David Mark is not there, among the Fulani if the PDP insists on having a Fulani to become its presidential candidate, Atiku is their best bet.

We also have Ibrahim Shekarau, a very honest and cerebral man. But does he have resources because election demands resources. At the end of the day, a lot of people do not know Shekarau in the South.

Atiku already has platforms across Nigeria and whatever it is he can fight more. Aside that, he has also talked about restructuring and as an Ijaw man, we want to engage him, what he means by restructuring. If PDP is looking for somebody with a war chest to fight and that would attract a lot of people from the APC, it is Atiku.Home | News | General | Orbih made false claims against Obaseki  Osagie

By Festus Ahon

Mr. Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser, Media and Communication to Governor Obaseki, in this interview, responds to the issues raised by Chief Dan Orbih on the creation of 200,000 jobs and the distribution of rice to IDPs in Edo State.

Osagie

What is your reaction to the claim by Chief Dan Orbih that the government received 6,882 bags of rice from the Federal Government but that your government presented about 1,000 bags in December as its own to the IDPs and another 1,000 plus bags in February?

That allegation is completely false. There is a very elaborate process that led to the release and distribution of the rice to the displaced persons. There was an allocation of 6,000 plus bags of rice; that was an allocation document. After that allocation was made, it was directed that we should go to the various ports in the country to retrieve the items. For Edo State, the allocation was 6,000 plus bags of rice on paper, then 76 cartons of vegetable oil allocated on paper, 100 bags of shoes allocated on paper and then another 20 pairs of shoes allocated on paper. One of the ports Edo State was to collect its allocation was Owerri Port which was to have the bulk of the rice allocated. When Edo State got there, and when they opened the storage, where the rice was supposed to be, they found that a large portion of the rice allocated from Abuja  2,182 bags in Owerri Port were already bad. We could not receive rice that was already bad and unusable, so the Customs now reissued another document stating the actual quantity collected even though the actual quantity allocated was 6,000 plus bags. In total, we collected about 4, 640 bags of rice. We rejected 2,182 bags of the rice. For vegetable oil out of the 76 cartons allocated, not a single one was collected because the entire 76 cartons were expired according to the expiry date written on the containers by the manufacturers. The customs also endorsed a document to us stating that we did not collect a single carton of vegetable oil because all of them were expired. In all, all that were collected were 4,640 bags of rice, no single carton of vegetable oil, 100 bags of used shoes and another 20 pairs of used shoes. We have documents from the customs and the army which transported these consignments.

How did you distribute the items?

In December because we knew that most of these camps get a lot of patronages, we decided to be strategic in the release of these materials. On Christmas Eve we gave 500 bags of rice at the IDP Camp in Uhogha and then in January, another 2,101 bags to the same camp. We also distributed to displaced persons in Edo Central and Edo North, 1,421 bags of rice because we have internally displaced persons in those areas who were displaced mainly on account of flooding. We staggered this distribution because we know that if they were clogged with everything at the same time that they would not make the best use of it. We still have another 617 bags of rice in store yet to be distributed. We also have another 35 bags of shoes that are yet to be distributed.

Chief Orbih has also alleged that we have so many returnees from Libya to Edo State because of the failure of the Obaseki government to create the 200,000 jobs it promised during the campaigns?

The right question to ask him is when did the government come to power? This government came into power in November 2016 meaning that it has had only one full year in office, so the question you will ask him is how many of the people returning from Libya embarked on the journey in 2017?

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Loading...Home | News | General | Had Nnamdi Azikiwe been blessed Ahmadu Bello, Awolowos mind-set Nigeria would have evolved differently

By Emeka Mamah

The leadership and family membersof the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, worldwide has publicly apologized to the leaders of the Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, over the embarrassment of its leaders in Enugu, Tuesday.The apology was contained in a statement signed by the Publicity and Media Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful and made available to Saturday Vanguard in Enugu yesterday.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Alhaji Ahmadu Bello

IPOB, however, threatened that its members would disrupt a meeting on restructuring of the country by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, scheduled for March 16, in Enugu, as its members would not tolerate any discussion on Nigerian unity because of the level of discriminations against the easterners in the country over the years.

The statement read in part, We (IPOB) wish to clarify that events that took place at the ECA gathering in Enugu on Tuesday, February, 27 is regrettable and unfortunate under the circumstance because it happened in the presence of the two most distinguished and respected elder statesmen we have in Professor Ben Nwabueze and Chief Mbazuluike Amechi. For this we respectfully and unreservedly apologise to both elders and the leadership of ECA over how the ceremony came to an (abrupt) end.

Regardless of who was involved, we are all, indigenous persons from Biafra. Everybody, as long as you are indigenous to the territories comprising Biafra, is IPOB. So we view and have always viewed our highly regarded elders like Prof. Ben Nwabueze and Chief Mbazuluike Amechi as our own. What transpired at the said gathering is not a protest against them or ECA but an indication of the level of loathing, anger and resentment against everything Nigerian among all right thinking indigenous persons from the East.

We respect our honest elders like Prof. Nwabueze and Chief Amechi and will continue to do so. What happened was a protest against the one Nigeria project; not them. Nobody in tune with his or her senses will endorse the form of apartheid being visited on Biafrans by the current regime of Muhammadu Buhari.

We would like the world to view the outburst at Enugu as sign of what is to come in the near future. Our people and a majority of other people that wish to be referred to as Nigerians are all tired of the one Nigeria experiment and wish to go their separate ways.

It should not be forgotten that the said event was going smoothly but for the occasional boos that accompanied any mention of Nigeria. Chief Mbazuluike Amechi was cheered to the rafters after his speech though this aspect has received little or no press coverage.

What precipitated the collapse of the event was the announcement of an award for Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe who is seen by all as the sole architect of the monstrous one Nigeria project that has brought untold shame, misery and consumed over three million Biafran lives and still doing so till today.

Had Nnamdi Azikiwe been blessed with the same mind-set as Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Obafemi Awolowo then Nigeria would have evolved differently from this blood sucking, corrupt evil monstrosity that is the laughing stock of the world. What happened at Enugu should serve as a warning to any person or group promoting the continuation of this apartheid murderous one Nigeria project anywhere on Biafran territory.

IPOB, it must be said has made it very clear; we are not interested in a restructured Nigeria, all we want and prepared to settle for is outright independence, which can only be ascertained via a referendum. Anybody talking about restructuring is risking the anger of the people.While not condoning the activities of the few that brought the event to a premature end, we must understand why they did it.

The public rejection of Nnamdi Azikiwe and everything he stood for within Nigeria is a warning to those planning to hold similar restructuring gathering on March 16, 2018. It will be in their best interest to refrain from holding such event anywhere in Biafra land, as anything that could be seen to endorse the continued existence of one Nigeria will be peacefully resisted.

Ohaneze Ndigbo is hereby warned to reorganise their event to focus on referendum and not restructuring. If they insist on discussing restructuring within Nigeria, they will encounter a worse fate.There are hundreds of innocent Biafrans in prisons and illegal detention centres all across Nigeria for no reason whereas not a single has been arrested and prosecuted for all the killings of herdsmen.

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Loading...Home | News | General | CNN report sparks outrage in Auchi

By SIMON EBEGBULEM

Dania of Auchi Kingdom, Edo govt vow to tackle human trafficking menace

BENIN CITY  The recent CNN report on human trafficking in Edo state, indicated that despite the efforts by the state government to stop traffickers in the state, the trade is still booming. What is even more shocking is the fact that the illicit trade is being carried out publicly without security operatives nabbing the perpetrators, as witnessed in Auchi from the CNN report.

Dania of Auchi Kingdom, Alhaji Usman Abuda

Though Governor Godwin Obaseki has vowed to eradicate the scourge in the state, he needs to do more in order to achieve his dreams. Incidentally, the report was aired the same day that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau and the European Union were all in Benin City to attend a Round-Table on Migration and Human Trafficking. However, there was outrage in Auchi Kingdom after the report, as the Dania of Auchi Kingdom, Alhaji Usman Abuda vowed that the traditional institution would not allow such trade thrive in its domain.

But the Edo state government, through the Special Assistant to the governor on Anti Human Trafficking, Comrade Solomon Okoduwa, said that  Edo state government has put in measures to eradicate trafficking and support victims. That is why we have returnees reintegration programmes, waze have skill acquisition programmes and farms for them. As it is today, the state government is dealing with traffickers seriously.

We have been making arrests and there is no hiding place for traffickers right now in Edo state. We are breaking into their den, disconnecting them from their madams over there and we are trying to bring them to justice. True, but the Auchi syndicate has beaten them. The CNN report captured a guest house where the girls are kept before being conveyed in a public transport to Kano from where they begin the journey to Libya.

The CNN reporter spoke with the traffickers and saw them give the girls packets of condom in case of abuse in their journey. The report showed the girls take off in the bus to Kano. Absolutely authentic report with incredible visuals showing how openly the illicit trade begins from Edo, the state most hit by the scourge.

Said Okoduwa: Yes, there is a route from Auchi to Kano but that does not mean that there is a special bus stop in Auchi which the traffickers use. Traffickers dont have a sign post, they dont have motor parks. It takes intelligence to apprehend them

Disclosing efforts being made to check the excesses of human traffickers in the state, Okoduwa said We have arrested seventeen traffickers this year and next week we are going to take them to court. They were arrested in different parts of the state. Because of the sensitive nature of the arrests, we dont tell the media and that is why it looks like we are not working. The only thing we need now is for the House of Assembly to pass the anti-trafficking bill before them.

The law we have now is that of NAPTIP. And we cannot just keep the suspects in prison and the next thing they are granted bail. The situation is not encouraging at all, it is slowing us down. That bill, if passed into law, will provide stringent penalties for traffickers in the state. We have seen situations were these traffickers are arrested and we see the victims crying but no law to prosecute them apart from that NAPTIP law. So the Edo state House of Assembly needs to expedite action if they dont want to sabotage the effort of the governor.

Reacting also, the Dania of Auchi Kingdom, Alhaji Abuda said the people of the kingdom were shocked by the CNN report, disclosing however that they have been able to identify the guest house being used to camp the victims by the perpetrators. His words,  We cannot tell people how to live their lives but this is an evil business. For CNN to focus on Auchi for the wrong thing is not good for us. Auchi is a metropolitan community and it is developing. Fundamentally, the palace does not have the right to tell people how to live their lives but it is the image of the nation and the community that we are talking about. I have been able to trace the location. We have seen the guest house. What we intend to do is to find out the perpetrators and do the needful thing. They cannot do that in Auchi.

At the round table meeting on Migration and Human Trafficking which held in Benin last Monday, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and others threw their weight behind the Edo State governments efforts at combating the scourge. Dr Saraki noted that the effort by the State Government was the beginning of many steps to be taken in halting illegal migration, describing as regrettable that youths save funds to leave the country and, in the process, fall prey to predators that sell them as slaves.

According to him, the government has been doing its best to liberate Nigerians from slave trade in Libya, as many lives have been lost in the cause of irregular migration. The time is apt to end the scourge. In his address, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, said human trafficking has become critical, noting that its magnitude wasnt fully grasped before now.

Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, expressed concern over the trend, noting that it was unpalatable for youths to risk their lives across difficult terrains to Europe. The European Union (EU), Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Ketil Karlsen, said it has recorded no fewer than 10,000 cases of irregular migration within the last two months, disclosing that EUs illegal migration registration of the 10,000 took place in 2018, as the records were taken between January and February.

According to him, in 2017, EU registered about 187,000 cases, while number of deaths registered so far was 411, as against 116 reordered in 2017. Of that figure, Nigeria accounts for about 60 percent and that is why we need to correct the worrisome menace urgently.

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Loading...Home | News | General | Jonathan, Makarfi decry Rann attack

Urge government to intensify war against terrorism

By Dirisu Yakubu

ABUJA  Nigerias immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi have condemned the spates of killings in the country, particularly the recent attack that led to the death of international aid workers in Rann, Borno State.

Following the attack in Rann on 1 March 2018, in which three aid workers were killed and one injured, UNHAS has assisted with the evacuation of the wounded.

Jonathan in a post on his Facebook wall Saturday called for international cooperation in the ware against terrorism, noting that an attack on a nation is an attack on all nations of the world.

I condemn the killings of members of staff of the United Nations (UN) and other humanitarian and aid workers in Rann by Boko Haram terrorists. My thoughts and prayers are with the UN and the families of the victims as well as to those injured in the dastardly and cowardly attack.

The UN and other humanitarian and aid groups such as Medecins Sans Frontieres have been friends of Nigeria and deserve hailing, not killing. I therefore repeat the call I made while in office-that the war on terror must be treated as a global war. There must be full and total cooperation amongst the nations of the world. An attack on one nation must be seen as an attack on all nations. That is the only way we can defeat terror, together, not apart, he wrote.

In a similar vein, Senator Ahmed Makarfi expressed shock over the terrorist attack in Rann by suspected Boko Haram extremists, which led to the loss of many, including officials of the Red Cross and the International Organization for Migration.

The PDP chieftain who described the incident as utterly condemnable, also called on government to intensify the fight against all forms of terrorism, adding that no effort should be spared to rescue all abductees as quickly as possible.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Mukhtar Sirajo, Makarfi also offered his condolences to the families of victims of another bomb explosion in Bumi Yadi and Madagali on Saturday stressing that until terrorists are chased out of the nation, the fight against insurgency cannot be said to have been won in the true sense of the word.

Senator Makarfi considers the attack utterly cowardly and condemnable as innocent people were made soft targets, including those engaged in rendering humanitarian services. A better approach is needed in the fight against the Boko Haram, which should include a tightening of the security architecture in all the affected areas, the statement read in part.

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Loading...Home | Odd | Go back to your parents, remarry, while myself, children go back to our creator  Suicide note

Go back to your parents, remarry, while myself, children go back to our creator  Suicide note of the man who killed his four children, sister-in-law, self

By Vincent Ujumadu & Nwabueze Okonkwo

ONE week after Edwin Nnadiogo, a 48-year old tenant of No.19B Ntueke Street, Awada layout, Obosi in Idemili North Local government Area of Anambra state, near Onitsha killed his four children, sister in-law and himself, his fellow tenants were yet to recover from the rude shock, fear and psychological trauma which gripped them as a result of the incident..

A visit to the compound last Wednesday showed that the entire house was almost deserted by the tenants, including the one sharing the same flat with him. Some of the tenants abandoned the compound for fear of the unknown, while others sneak in at intervals and hurry out.

The action of the tenants, according to their chairman, Chief Osualor Ibeabuchi J, was not only based on the frequent visits of policemen and other security agencies to the compound, or because of the abnormal nature of the act, but also because the odour of the congealed blood of the slain children was still oozing out from the 4th floor where Nnadiogo lived and killed his children and himself.

Speaking inside the compound, Ibeabuchi J noted that almost all the children residing inside the compound are now suffering from one type of sickness or the other following the terrible sight of corpses of the slain children who were playing with them when Nnadiogo, their father, returned home and they all shouted Daddy, Daddy, welcome in jubilation and followed him upstairs.

Ibeabuchi J said that as chairman of the yard, he did not know much about the late Nnadiogo who hailed from Isu Njaba in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo state because during his life time, he refused to attend meetings of the tenants because he saw himself as the landlord, since he was a direct younger brother to the landlord.

He recalled that Nnadiogos wife, a nurse by profession and proprietor of a chemist shop near the compound whom he simply identified as Mama Mmesoma, had packed into the building early last year without the husband, while the husband joined her in the apartment between November and December, last year. Giving a graphic account of how the tenants knew about the killings, Ibeabuchi J recalled that it was very difficult for himself residing on the ground floor of the building to have known what was happening at the 4th floor because even the tenant who was sharing the floor with Nnadiogo was not in the house on the fateful day.

He said the tenant who shared the floor with Nnadiogo is from Enugu state and he had a ghastly motor accident about seven months ago which shattered one of his legs and landed him at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Enugu and was just discharged from the hospital recently.

He said he was taking his bath between 6.35 and 7.35 p.m. on the fateful Saturday when he heard the shouting from the 3rd floor of the building and when he rushed out to find out who was shouting and why, he saw a teenage girl who had visited the slain sister in-law to Nnadiogo at the window.He said the teenage girl jumped from the window of the 4th floor where the incident took place and landed at the 3rd floor when she saw Nnadiogo butchering his children with knife and warned her to steer clear..

He said luckily enough, the tenant living at the 3rd floor returned from maternity where he had gone to see his wife who was delivered of a baby and he opened the door before they reached the teenage girl shouting and asked her what it was all about and then she disclosed that something terrible had just happened at the 4th floor.

He said as they all went upstairs to the 4th floor and knocked, there was no response as the door was locked from inside but they perceived an ugly incidence because the teenage girl informed them that she saw Nnadiogo using knife on his children before she escaped through the window from the 4th floor and jumped into the 3rd floor and discovered that she could not climb down from there because the doors were under lock and key since the tenant of the 3rd floor was not in and then she started shouting: help me, someone help me.

According to him, I was taking my bath that evening and when I started hearing the shouting, I quickly abandoned my bath half way, tied my wrapper around my waist and rushed out with the foam of soap all over my body. I joined the tenant on the 3rd floor who just returned from the maternity and when he opened his door, the teenage girl narrated her horrendous story to us and we quickly rushed to the police..

After the police at Awada police station took our statements, they followed us back home and forced the 4th floor open and behold, I saw Nnadiogos last born lying dead on the floor and knife wounds all over his body and I was so terrified that I refused to follow the policemen into the bedroom where they found the four others also lying dead, with Nnadiogo himself unconscious, but he died on the way to the hospital and all of them were deposited at Bex Memorial Hospital Mortuary, Awada..

He disclosed that while their lifeless bodies were being evacuated from the flat, Nnadiogos elder and younger brothers, who are all brothers to the landlord of the house, picked up his international passport and saw a hand written note folded inside it and when he was reading the note, one of the policemen snatched it from him and read it to the hearing of everybody.

He stated that he heard the policeman reading the content of the note written by Nnadiogo himself before the killings as follows: I and my children will go back to the creator of the world, while my wife will go back to her parents and remarry someone who she feels is better than me.

He quoted Nnadiogos wife as telling the police that her late husband was frequently using abusive words on her, adding that he had been going to rehabilitation and psychiatric homes to control his mental disorderliness and that her parents came to Awada on Sunday, a day after the incident and took her to Isu Njaba.

The teenage girl told all of us that she had come to pay a visit to her friend, the slain sister in-law, but came face to face with the horrendous development. Also, a house help to Nnadiogo, whom he sent out to buy a sachet of cold water for him, returned with the water and found everybody dead,.he said.

He said both the landlord of the house, who is eldest brother to the deceased and the caretaker of the house who is the elder brother to the deceased, came into the police station, made statements and left.

He said it was the shout of the teenage girl that saved the whole tenants from walking into trouble because if she had not visited and saw part of the killing, the tenants would not have known what happened until their bodies would have started decomposing and it would have sent all the tenants into perpetual trouble.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mrs. Nkiru Nwode, ASP, told newsmen on phone that the police are still waiting for the report of the autopsy.

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Loading...Home | Politics | Ondo APC begs President Buhari to run again, backs tenure extension for Oyegun

- The APC leaders in Ondo North senatorial district said President Buhari has qualified for a second term

- They also passed vote of confidence on Ondo governor Akeredolu for his massive achievements in just one year in office

- They also backed tenure elongation for national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and other executives of the party's governing body

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to run again in the 2019 presidential election.

Leadership reports that the party leaders in Ondo North Senatorial District also passed a vote of confidence on the state governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu over his outstanding achievements in just one year in power.

READ ALSO: David Mark ends Ekiti PDP crisis, reconciles warring factions

The Party also threw its weight behind the tenure elongation of Chairmen and their executives from the National to the Ward levels with their executive members.

According to the party: We resolved to cooperate with the State Chairman and his executive members to continue to advance the course of the Party in the state.

Just recently, NAIJ.com reported that seven state governors from the northern part of the country under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday, January 12, declared that they wanted President Muhammadu Buhari to get a second term.

NAIJ.com gathered that the governors stated this at the Aso Rock presidential villa in Abuja after they visited President Buhari.

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state while speaking after state governors met behind closed doors with President Buhari, said northern governors were committed to his re-election bid and have no apologies for their stand.

Election-2019: (Dont) mark your calendar - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: PoliticsHome | World | Africa | Mnangagwa grants amnesty to jailed MDC-T activist

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has granted amnesty to Yvonne Musarurwa, one of the three MDC-T activists serving a 20-year jail term for killing Harare police Inspector Petros Mutedza in 2011.

MDC-T leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday confirmed that Musarurwa was set to be released from Chikurubi Female Prison under a presidential amnesty yesterday.

"Yes, it's true one of our jailed cadres, Yvonne, has been released, but we are lobbying government to release the other two because as far as we are concerned they are political prisoners," he said.

However, party sources said all the three jailed activists were released yesterday, but NewsDay Weekender was not able to independently verify the claims.

Musarurwa together with Tungamirai Madzokere and Last Maengahama were convicted and sentenced to 20 years each by Justice Chinembiri Bhunu in 2016 for fatally stoning Mutedza at Glen View shopping centre during an MDC-T rally in May 2011.

The latest development came shortly after MDC-T vice-president Elias Mudzuri indicated that they were piling pressure on the government to consider an amnesty for the three party members.

The group initially consisted of over 30 MDC-T activists arrested over the same matter, although the majority were later released for lack of incriminating evidence.

The MDC-T, however, insists that the activists did not commit the murder and that their arrest and jailing was politically motivated.

Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi recently disclosed that Mnangagwa had agreed to grant a presidential amnesty to serving prisoners to ease pressure on the country's congested prisons.

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Loading...Home | World | Africa | AU/SADC endorse coups, can they be trusted to monitor elections?

As Zimbabwe heads towards crucial harmonised elections in a few months time, one wonders if our regional bodies are competent enough to be monitors and observers, as they have, of late, tarnished their images by endorsing a recent military coup d'etat in this country.

The African Union (AU) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) ostensibly reject the unconstitutional removal of governments - whether by the military, armed militants, or civilians.

Nevertheless, these same organization shocked the world when they blatantly violated their own principles by not only endorsing, but also praising, the November 2017 military intervention - which took over all state institutions - in Zimbabwe, and resulted in the forced resignation of then president Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

Although, I have never been a fan of Mugabe, and was one of his loudest and staunchest critics - due to his brutal tyrannical rule, which was characterised by gross violation of human rights, skewed electoral landscape, and warped economic policies that destroyed the lives of millions of Zimbabweans - the respect for democratic values and the rule of law have always been on the top of my principles.

As such, no matter how tyrannical a leader is, I always believe that only democratic means, which are in conformity with the rule of law, should be used in changing the government.

Endorsing and praising the military removal of a government, no matter how unpopular, sets a very dangerous precedence that could ignite the unstoppable and unextinguisheable flames of coup d'etats throughout Africa - a continent that already has an unenviable history with this scourge.

Furthermore, if Zimbabwe's military gets it into their heads that they can get away with coup d'etats, what is to stop them from removing the next democratically elected government?

In fact, if the ruling ZANU PF party is to lose the forthcoming elections, who is to say the military will not intervene again, in order to 'preserve the legacy' of the liberation struggle?

The AU and SADC have only themselves to blame if they have just set a ticking time-bomb in the Zimbabwean political landscape - introducing a system of coup d'etats that was alien to the region, and only associated with west Africa.

As both the AU and SADC have clear guidelines and principles on the conduct of democratic elections, how does this balance with the endorsing and praising of coup d'etats on the continent?

Coups are anything but democratic, and are the very opposite of democratic elections - thus, how can these two regional bodies subscribe to both?

Is that not a serious case of schizophrenia?

Can then, such schizophrenic organisations be trusted to monitor and observe the forthcoming harmonised elections in Zimbabwe - or any other country, for that matter?

How can the people of Africa, and the region, believe that organisations that have no problem with the unconstitutional removal of a government are capable of distinguishing between undemocratic and democratic elections?

Maybe, that explains and gives a clearer picture as to why these two bodies endorsed very contentious and controversial elections that have been held in Zimbabwe in 2000, 2002, 2008, and 2013.

Whilst, the rest of the civilised world viewed these elections as not credible, as characterised by atrocities - such as the murder, torture, abductions, illegal arrests and beating up of opposition supporters - as well as, oppressive laws that made the electoral playing field grossly biased in favor of the ruling party, the AU and SADC saw nothing wrong and declared them free and fair.

In fact, targeted sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries after the 2002 elections, as a consequence of these human rights abuses.

To add insult to injury, the 2008 elections resulted in the defeat of incumbent Mugabe to the late opposition's Morgan Richard Tsvangirai - who was, however, alleged to have failed to secure the majority 50+1%, leading to a very violent election run-off - the most violent election in Zimbabwean history.

The very military that removed Mugabe in 2017, in a coup that the AU and SADC supported, was at the forefront of this brutality - ironically, to keep Mugabe in power, even if he had clearly lost an election.

Although, Tsvangirai subsequently withdrew from the run-off, due to the violence, Mugabe proceeded with a one-man election, resulting in a charade that both the AU and SADC did not find anything wrong with.

The resultant negotiations between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, and the subsequent formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) can never be attributable to the AU or SADC, as it was purely a Zimbabwean solution to a grave situation, which threatened to boil over.

If anything, the then South African president Thabo Mbeki said that there was no crisis in Zimbabwe, as he would have supported whatever action Mugabe decided to take - even if it meant the inhalation of the entire opposition.

As Zimbabwe faces another crucial election this year, the country's electoral laws have not been aligned to the constitution - in gross violation of the very guidelines and principles on democratic elections that the AU and SADC claim to subscribe to.

These include, but not limited to, the provision to all political parties fair and equal access to electronic and print media, and the eradication of all forms of political violence and intimidation, which are still rampant in the country.

Yet, these two bodies have not questioned the failure of Zimbabwe to conform to these principles and guidelines.

In fact, the AU and SADC have had an unsettling and sickening appeasement policy towards the country - allowing the ruling junta to do as they please - even removing each other through the barrel of the gun - just waiting to jump into action, and acting as saviours, when the situation boils over.

I may even be wrong, because, when Mugabe was under house arrest and the military had taken over every government institution in November 2017, these bodies did not see any need for urgency, as they took their sweet time, even in calling for an emergency meeting.

That is the reason that the people of Zimbabwe ended up telling the AU and, especially, SADC to keep out of the country's affairs - during the coup - as these bodies could no longer be trusted, since they had ignored Zimbabweans' pleas for help against Mugabe's tranny for years.

The people of Zimbabwe still do not trust the AU and SADC to be credible enough to monitor or observe the forthcoming harmonised elections - and other countries should also be wary of these organisations.

It is so disheartening that the only people we are forced by circumstances to turn to, and trust, are actually the last people we should be trusting - our erstwhile colonisers and their allies.

However, for whatever ulterior motives, these are the people who have, at least, been fair and have been bold enough to ensure that justice and human rights are respected in Zimbabwe, as well as that peaceful, free and fair elections are conducted.

They have been the only ones to stand up and take some form of action - be it, condemnation, and targeted sanctions - should these basic democratic values be violated.

Where are our brothers and sisters in all this, whilst we are being oppressed by our own, and we end up turning to the ones who once enslaved us?

Is the AU and SADC not ashamed?

What happened to the former spirit of liberation, human rights, democracy, and equal and fair suffrage to the people, which the forerunners to these bodies had - namely, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), and the Frontline States?

Were they not fighting for the ordinary people - not the leaders?

They have failed us, as they have watched us been battered, butchered, and brutalised in all manner, yet stood by whoever was in power, and not the people.

They do not know what democracy and democratic change is all about, as they can unashamedly support violent elections, and military coup d'etats - endorsing them without bating an eyelid.

Therefore, how can they continue observing or monitoring our elections?

We do not need the AU and SADC anymore!

Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist, writer, author, and speaker. He is the Programmes Director with the Zimbabwe Network for Social Justice (ZimJustice). Please call/WhatsApp: +263782283975, or email: zimjustice@gmail.com. Please also 'Like' the 'ZimJustice' page on Facebook.

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Loading...YOUTH HAS ALWAYS BEEN A double-edged sword in politics. It tends to inject the governments with fresh ideas and energy, but it can also lead to impetuousness and a disregard for the tried and true. So far, Nelson Chamisa who is so lucky to rise up through death of others has demonstrated both the positive and the negative sides of the equation. He rose to prominence after the death of another spiritual young leader elder of the Seventh Day Adventist church and an MDC Secretary general and a Lawyer Mr Learmore Judah Jongwe. As the nation's party's youngest chief executive - he turned 40 in February 2018 the same month Tsvangirai died. He rose on the death of Tsvangirai and grabbed power from the rightful candidate. He disregarded the dying and consolidated his hold on power while Tsvangirai was kicking his last.

Chamisa's youthfulness made him disregard the humanity and culture. Claimed inheritence even before the demise of his president. People sympathised with his age and his hired thugs made scenes of violence at the funera tribally assaulting Khupe and giving Mwonzora a fright of his life. Yes Chamisa is both innovative and vigorous, but at the same time he is unseasoned and perhaps too willing to experiment and take big risks. He can not hesitate to mortgage the country to satsfy his virgin mind. Chamisa is a virgin to reason and a host to show off. To him power is in the mouth and not in the brains. His youthfulness exposes him to overzealousness and excitement which will lead the nation astray.

Over the years, youngest presidents have had mixed records. Only one - Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest chief executive in history, who took office in 1901 at the age of 42 years and 10 months - qualifies to be in the great or near-great categories, according to historians. Roosevelt's age was a joking matter even for his friends and advisers because he seemed so preposterously young. Secretary of War Elihu Root told him on his 46th birthday in 1904: "You have made a very good start in life, and your friends have great hopes for you when you grow up." At that point, he had been commander in chief for three years. But he had not yet grown.

Rounding out the youngest five were John F. Kennedy, who was 43 years and 7 months old when he was inaugurated; Bill Clinton at 46 years and 5 months; Ulysses S. Grant at 46 years and 10 months; and Obama at 47 years and 5 months.

Kennedy still has a hold on the popular imagination as a young leader whose potential was cut short by assassination. The reputations of Clinton and Grant were marred by scandal. It is very true that age plus power is equal to disaster.

"Ideally, what you get from a young president is seeing beyond the status quo,"Youth creates a level of freshness - someone who will look at ideas in a different way and who is not confined to old, stale answers to problems." And a young president often is seen as having an advantage in stamina and emotional energy that can help in tackling problems that older leaders wouldn't touch. But young leaders take risks motivated by immaturity showing off and trying to prove a ooint without considering the consequences they try to usher in a new era of activist government and deal with long-term issues such as stimulating the economy and overhauling the healthcare system it remains to be ineffective

On the negative side,"inexperience is a problem." A young president inevitably requires on-the-job training. Although he will be reluctant to admit it publicly. "Presumably," Kennedy confided to a friend, "Experience matters - you can't get around it. People who've gone into battle before are more ready for the next battle." Chamisa intends to experiment with our lives and he will be a problem to remove from office.

youth has its advantages in the eyes of the public. "Youth connotes energy, freshness, the future," and a sense of optimism, And for many voters, "older" suggests staleness, being out of touch, and putting political calculations above doing what's right. But if a president doesn't deliver results relatively quickly, the disadvantage of inexperience could rapidly overcome the advantages of youth in the public's mind, That may be where Chamisa is headed.

More broadly, the history of youngest presidents offers both inspiration and cause for concern. In most cases the young presidents have caused untold sufferings of the masses. we prefer older leaders for stability and younger leaders for change but change without stability is a threat to peace.

Whereas most political leaders around the world achieve their position in office when they are well in their forties, many of the world's best known revolutionary leaders were considerably younger when they came to prominence.

Here are some of the world's best known revolutionary leaders and the age at which they started to rule: Fidel Castro (33), Napoleon (30), Emiliano Zapata (31).

Psychologists will tell you that age is an important aspect of person perception. Age is one of the first things we infer when we look at a face and we have a keen interest in guessing people's age when we first meet them.

So far leadership scientists have not been terribly interested in questions regarding age and leadership. This is an oversight for various reasons. First, humans tend to live longer so there will be more people of old age around than ever before in our history. Second there seems to be a general trend towards endorsing younger leaders in politics. So what does age tell us about implicit leadership abilities? Age simply implores us to be careful in our choices.

In South Africa the youthful EFF party reduces the parliament to a circus.

So Chamisa should not be taken on his age for his age falls on the lines of experiments and lacks seriousness.

People thought that age can be seen as a cue for wisdom so whenever groups encounter problems that require some knowledge about norms, values and old ways of doing things (traditions) we would expect them to endorse an older leader. This then shows us that choosing Chamisa on the basis of his age is reducing the nation to a circus show.



So it is in the interest of the nation to follow the oldest member if they want to survive. As people get older they become better at thinking about social conflicts, and so does their crystallized intelligence - combining knowledge from various sources. The country needs maturity.

Social scientists have described people to be suffering from midlife crisis from the age of forty so allowing Chamisa to be the president of the nation is like giving a blind man the bus to drive across the bridge.

The young leaders becomes relevant if you need change. In this case the change has already been implemented. The country is now open to business.

What every Zimbabwean need now is stability. So for stability vote for mature people.

Chamisa is capable of exciting the crowds but the country can not be ruled by excitement.

Stability is the key to prosperity. It can be brought maturity do not fall for the Chamisa euphoria. Zimbabwe needs maturity. Vote wisely.

Vazet2000@yahoo.co.ukHome | World | Africa | Mliswa urges Mnangagwa to declare corruption national disaster

Norton Legislator Temba Mliswa has urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa to declare corruption a national disaster so that full attention, resources and time are channelled towards eradicating it.

"Corruption should be declared a National Disaster so that full attention, resources and time be channelled towards eradicating it!@EDMnangagwa," said Mliswa via Twitter.

"Corruption has destroyed this country and the panaces is what we urgently require. Talk shows must end action begin!!We need to have persons of integrity heading the various institutions that are key in eradicating this cancer. #Action Against Corruption Now!, "he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Mliswa as the chairperson of Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy presided over graft allegations of Wicknell Chivhayo and Obert Mpofu.

Apparently, president Mnangagwa issued a statement saying out of 1166 cases of externalisation known by the Government (worth US $1.3billion), a total of 105 cases valued at us $250 million were processed by the RBZ in respect of externalised foreign currency.

Thirty cases valued at US$50 million of immovable properties in various countries were reported to RBZ whilst 210 cases valued at US$287 million pertained to externalised funds that were used to procure imports.

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Loading...Home | World | Africa | Chamisa Khupe clash on social media

MDC-T President Nelson Chamisa has threatened to fire the party's defiant deputy leader Thokozani Khupe and elevate legislator Thabita Khumalo instead.

Khupe is opposing Chamisa's assumption of power following the death of the MDC-T's founding president Morgan Tsvangirai.

Khupe, taking to social media, condemned the changes and threats against her.

"It is regrettable and very revealing that while the Guardians Council leadership is yet ceased with sensitive matters in the party, some take pleasure in bullish threats, ultimatums and suspensions," she said on Twitter.

She rejected claims that she had boycotted party activities, saying; "For the record, I have always been Acting President of MDC-T in the absence of the late President Tsvangirai since 2006, up until the late president left Zimbabwe on what was to be his last trip to South Africa in January 2018, when he left Hon Elias Mudzuri as Acting President.

"This means that by all manner of calculations, when he passed away I had not been away from party business for 8 months as widely claimed.

"I last saw President Tsvangirai alive on the 28th of January 2018. I made an effort to resolve issues in the MDC-T by going in person to meet & share notes with Hon Chamisa at his law chambers on the 13th of February 2018, a day before President Tsvangirai passed on."

Chamisa however, retorted, "That ain't smart Dr. You refused to meet MRT (Tsvangirai) in Harare saying wasn't safe for you but there you were, in Chamisa chambers."

He added; "(Khupe) is just stubborn; it's all about positioning herself without the people (at) heart. Greedy and opportunist she is, I can say!"

Responding, Khupe said; "A comment yet more revealing of the characters that support bullish political tactics!

"With all due respect Mr, I may be a woman, but I am not easily fazed by such. Very resolute, & on principle, very unflinching! CONSTITUTIONALISM & DEMOCRACY are not a respector of any person."

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Loading...Home | World | Africa | Civil war over Ndebele president

THE MDC-T National Organising Secretary Abednico Bhebhe has warned that Zimbabwe risks plunging into civil war if minority groups continue to be "denied" the opportunity to rule the country.

Speaking at an Ibhetshu LikaZulu-organised public discussion in Bulawayo recently, Bhebhe said it was "sad and unbelievable" that some Zimbabweans still believe that a Ndebele speaking person cannot rule the country.

"Please quote me on this one; this country will degenerate into a civil war if we continue to deny minority groups opportunities to rule the country" he said.

"Everybody should be given equal opportunities," said Bhebhe in an apparent reference to MDC-T deputy president Thokozani Khupe who is locked in a bitter leader wrangle with rival Nelson Chamisa.

Bhebhe claimed that Zimbabwe is the only country in the SADC region which does not allow minority groups to rule.

He explained; "Rwanda is one of the fastest developing countries in Africa and yet is led by Paul Kigali from the minority tribe.

"Look at South Africa, their new president Cyril Ramaphosa is also from the minority tribe. So, what is wrong for someone from the minority tribe in Zimbabwe ruling this country?"

The meeting was also attended by Khuphe. The former deputy prime minister is locked in a power struggle with Chamisa over the leadership of the MDC-T with allies suspecting the she was being side-lined on tribe and gender grounds.

Khuphe was elected vice president at an MDC-T congress while Chamisa and co-deputy leader Elias Mudzuri were appointed by the late party leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a process who constitutionality was also questioned.

Chamisa has since taken over as new party president after the death of recent Tsvangirai who succumbed to a lengthy battle against colon cancer.

Khuphe is challenging the power transition and has since been given a seven-day ultimatum to back the new leader or risk disciplinary action.

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Loading...Home | World | Africa | Soldiers join Zanu-PF campaign

ZANU-PF's Mashonaland East leadership has roped in an army officer to assist the ruling party's Marondera Central district election campaign team.

NewZimbabwe.com reported that the development comes after senior party officials in the province expressed concern over the low number of locals who registered to vote ahead for elections due later this year.

The army officer, who was introduced as Captain Chitande, on Thursday night addressed two ward rallies in the town, where he criticised local councillors and Marondera Central MP, Lawrence Katsiru, for failing to mobilise residents to register to vote.

At one of the rallies held in Ward 5 in Dombotombo suburb, Chitande told Zanu-PF supporters that senior party officials were unhappy, adding that he would now take charge of the final stage of the voter registration exercise in the district.

"We have done an analysis and we identified that only 800 people registered to vote in Ward 5 against a target of 1,500 people; that is not encouraging at all. Do you think President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa will win when only a few people are registered to vote?"

"Do you want the MDC to win this election and give jobs to their relatives when companies like the (CSC) Cold Storage Company here reopen and they leave you out? I will not allow President Mnangagwa to lose this election!" said army officer.

He took to task the local Zanu-PF councillor, Tafirenyika Tsuro and Katsiru, for failing to mobilise voters and said he would instead work with Marondera East MP Jeremiah Chiwetu to encourage people to register.

Chiwetu, who attended the meeting, went on to donate two goats per ward to provide relish for Zanu-PF members who take part in the last leg of the voter mobilisation exercise.

Katsiru was barred from the meeting amid reports that he was also being investigated by the Zanu-PF province for abusing his position as party secretary for administration to solicit personal funds from companies operating in Marondera.

The legislator was dismissed as secretary for administration in January amid accusations that he was part of the Zanu-PF G40 faction in Mashonaland East.

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Loading...Home | World | Africa | Mnagnagwa cut Kereke's jail sentence?

Convicted rapist and former Member of Parliament for Bikita West Munyaradzi Kereke has had three years of his 10-year sentence cut by prison officials on account of good behaviour, the Daily News reported.

The businessman has also been removed from the D Class section at Chikurubi Maximum Prison to Connemara Open Prison, which is meant for male inmates.

This emerged in a court application in which Kereke is seeking bail pending appeal based on changed political circumstances.

Kereke, a former advisor to then Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono, was jailed after being convicted for raping his then 11-year-old relative, following private prosecution proceedings.

He was jailed after a long legal battle that took about six years.

Efforts to have him prosecuted through the normal court process had hit a brick wall after the State claimed there was no sufficient evidence to proceed with the matter.

He was eventually prosecuted privately after an order was given to the then Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana to issue a certificate for private prosecution.

In his latest application, Kereke told the court that the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) has, taking into account his exemplary behaviour, reclassified him from the D Class and he now qualifies to be admitted to Connemara Open Prison.

"That entitles him to occasionally be with his family. The conditions pertaining to the grant of bail have accordingly drastically altered. An applicant who is effectively entitled to serve his sentence at home is surely entitled as well to bail pending appeal," Kereke told the court.

"The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services has further cut 40 months of the sentence he must serve through remissions. In reality, applicant has now directly served 18 months, 48 months were suspended on condition of good behaviour, a further 40 months have been interfered with on remission which leaves applicant with 38 percent of his sentence to serve. The risk of him absconding under the circumstances has been diminished to the point of extinction," he added.

He said the new political dispensation has an effect on his political persecution.

"The court was also duty bound to consider the 'political' angle set up by applicant. It was consistent with the nub of his defence and was not an afterthought as wrongly concluded by the court," he said.

But the complainant's lawyer, Charles Warara, is challenging the application in court.

Warara, who is representing the girl's guardian, Francis Maramwidze, told the court that Kereke was getting special treatment because of his political connections, which he said must be investigated.

He alleged the business had told the trial court that he belonged to the Lacoste faction in Zanu-PF and that the persecution he was facing was as a result of that.

"He admitted to be very close to the current president of Zimbabwe (Emmerson Mnangagwa) and as such he might be using that influence in prison to continue his political protection," Warara said.

He further said Kereke was trying to use the current political system to get out of prison, adding that the change of government cannot amount to changed circumstances in his case.

"He wants this court to be collated and be viewed as sympathetic to him because of the political changes that has taken place in Zimbabwe because he submitted that he is in prison because respondent (Maramwidze) benefited from the old and deposed government and now the current government is connected to him, he must be released," Warara said.

Warara also said there are fears that once Kereke is released on bail he might never taste jail again by pulling political strings.

"Once he is released, he will never again be taken back because he is connected to the leadership in the government and they have openly stated in public that applicant must be helped out of prison because he was taken to prison through a political outfit notoriously called G40 which he claimed in court was responsible for his political persecution.

"Powerful people in Masvingo Province have declared that applicant is a victim of political persecution who must be assisted to come out of jail. That assistance is now manifesting in the form of reduction of his sentence by Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services," the court was told.

Warara further told the court that there was no disclosure to the effect that he had been removed from D Class and that there was need for a prison official to provide a sworn statement confirming the process was done lawfully, adding the changes were a manipulation of the system by powerful government officials.

"Again, this is proof that the coming in of the new political dispensation benefitted the applicant. Applicant gets his sentence slashed by three years, just like that and if he has served two years as he claims, the sentence he has served is less than that which he has had remitted.

"All this needs proof and an investigation by respondent why the applicant has suddenly become such an important prisoner to the current hosts in government. It will become meaningless for the justice system to benefit rapists on the basis that a court sentence can be slashed by prison officials just like that," Warara said.

Kereke's lawyers from Mutandiro, Chitsanga and Chitima Attorneys have since written to the presiding judge, Davison Foroma, in a letter dated February 22, 2018, to have the bail application postponed indefinitely.

The lawyers said they would need to respond to issues of remission of sentence and Kereke's removal from D class.

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Loading...Home | World | Africa | Cops warn politicians

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has said people who are forcing registered voters to surrender their voter registration slips risk being arrested and prosecuted.

Both the police and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) have received reports of such incidents countrywide.

In a statement on Thursday, national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said registered voters that were being intimidated in this way should report to the police.

"The Zimbabwe Republic Police and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have received numerous reports to the effect that they are some individuals and groups of people who are forcing potential voters in the forthcoming harmonised elections to produce or surrender their voter registration slips," said Chief Supt Nyathi.

"Police are, therefore, warning these individuals and groups to desist from this electoral malpractice. Anyone found involved in violation of this nature will be arrested and prosecuted, as they will be committing a criminal offence."

Chief Supt Nyathi encouraged people to take heed of President Mnangagwa's call that elections should be held in a peaceful environment.

Police have been urged to be vigilant during the forthcoming harmonised elections, as they are reportedly some elements that want to tarnish the electoral process.

"Potential voters who experience such unlawful conduct should report to the nearest police station for swift investigations to be instituted," said Chief Supt Nyathi.

"Members of the public and political parties are urged to take heed of his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Head of State and Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Cde E.D Mnangagwa's inaugural speech and his subsequent appeals in various fora of the need to have free, peaceful and fair elections and the observance of the rule of law."

While officially opening the Criminal Investigations Department (CID)'s new headquarters and Forensic Science Laboratory recently, President Mnangagwa implored the police to ensure that the forthcoming harmonised elections are held in a peaceful environment.

"Allow me to reiterate that we are going to have free, fair and credible elections," he said.

"As the country's law enforcement agency, we, therefore, expect you to play a pivotal role by contributing to the building of a conducive atmosphere that begets such a desired outcome, through efficient and effective policing.

"Government would thus do everything in its power to ensure that you are ready to adequately police the forthcoming plebiscite."

President Mnangagwa urged the police to deal diligently and decisively with all forms of political violence.

"Political players should not be allowed to flout the laws of this country, willy-nilly," he said.

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Loading...An E! producer says she was fired after she allowed Eva Longoria's Catt Sadler statement to air on the channel's red carpet show. E! disputes the producer's charges. https://t.co/wJQKE866Xm  New York Times Arts (@nytimesarts) March 2, 2018

Eva Longoria brings up women equal pay and says "We stand with you Catt Sadler" to Ryan Seacrest and E!. Debra Messing also called out E! on the red carpet. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/nzBVTI0WVz  Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 8, 2018

Longtime E! producer Aileen Gram-Moreno filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity commission where she says she was unfairly terminated and replaced by a man. In an effort to prevent any mention of the Catt Sandler equal pay issue from going to air after Debra Messing mentioned her, Gram-Moreno was instructed to review all of the prerecorded interviews on the red carpet for mentions of Sadler. Due to the time constraint - they were reviewing interviews as the show was airing - Gram-Moreno said it was all but impossible to review every single interview. She said she listened to most of the Eva Longoria clip but missed the part at the end where she says she stands with Catt Sadler and the clip went to air.She apologized to her executive producer who responded by saying it probably couldn't have been avoided, but a week later another executive producer called her and informed her that she'd been fired from the upcoming shows she'd been booked for because she let the mention go to air.E! has made a point of standing behind Ryan Seacrest despite his sexual harassment allegations and he will be hosting their red carpet show on Sunday.E! will reportedly only be speaking to "friendly" celebs who they know won't bring up the allegations against Ryan Seacrest on air.A few nurse practitioners I work with are obsessed with Jimmy Buffett, I would bet money theyd end up retiring at that margaritaville place.

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I would too no lie. Sounds like fun.

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Yeah I mean there aint nothing wrong with sitting on the beach and drinking margs all day. Sounds heavenly, tbh.

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My teacher who is a nurse wants to do that lol.

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i kinda want to as well :P

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They put one in in our downtown area by the river, where all of these other bars and restaurants are. It's always packed with people going in in Hawaiian shirts and shorts, even this week we saw some people going in shorts and there was like 5 inches of snow.

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Thoughts and prayers

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The liberal media, in association with some who want to destroy our Country, he wrote,  are doing everything they can to stop me.



Gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear. Unless we stand together we will lose our Country, he continued.



He said that Christians can no longer afford to remain silent in these perilous times, taking aim at covetous, unthankful, unholy and incontinent lovers of pleasure.



I wanna party with these unholy joined forces tbh!



Edited at 2018-03-03 03:55 pm (UTC)

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Boo hoo

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I wont be satisfied until hes in prison

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Uhhhh he gets over 100,000 a year from the government he's fine unfortunately

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This pedo has some balls asking people to give him 250k



The fact that he raised 30k is shameful enough.



Edited at 2018-03-03 06:19 pm (UTC)

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I got super shitfaced in Maragritaville in Vegas the first time I went. Their double shots are no joke.

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has megan ever made it a whole episode w/o bringing up her father? jw

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Megan preaching out her farher, being an NRA member and republican every god damn show is annoying. Someone needs to tell her to start reviewing her tapes and become more self aware... I dont think she will get fired tho because shes a conversation piece of the view lol

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Im amazed at the franchise he created just out of one cheesy song

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Hes a fuckin genius, his songs come on every so often at his margaritaville restaurants and he gets royalties every time they play.



Edited at 2018-03-03 05:40 pm (UTC)

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He is beach culture personified. I grew up on the beach, and there are the people who live it year round and the people who wish they didand he is their musical icon. He took a niche market and turned it into a damn empire.



And Im not a fan in the sense I check for him, but just given how much his music was playing the background of my youth, I cant help but just get a comfortable feeling when his music comes on.





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I pretty much grew up listening to him, his music's really fun. I was always fond of "Son of a Son of a Sailor" and "Come Monday".

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Aww i love Come Monday

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I love both of those, too. Cheesy, but good!

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lol perfect description of parrotheads



honestly he's a fucking genius when it comes to brand management.

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my dad unironically loves jimmy buffett so we grew up listening to a lot of his music and i actually like most of what he put out before i was born. like i'll jam to one particular harbor any day and i like a lot of his older ballads. his more recent music is pretty meh to me though.



i also really like the margaritaville station on xm for long drives because it plays a pretty good variety of chill music. i roadtripped across the country with my ex a few years ago and we ended up just listening to the margaritaville station for like 75% of the drive.

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He is also planning a Margaritaville active retirement community in Florida.



I shall inform my parents ASAP



I swear to gummy bears, everything I've heard come out of this CPAC makes me wanna set things on fire. Pretty much hate all Repubs/Conservatives right now.

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Schlapp has always shown his ass as a blatant racist. I hate that people submit to him as someone reasonable when hes s Nazi defender himself

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I mean Michael Steele definitely did get the job so they could attack Obama and then be like look! Were not racist! We have a black bff!



Edited at 2018-03-03 04:22 pm (UTC)

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They chewed Matt up and spit him out. It was enjoyable to watch.

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You have to be a real piece of shit to defend this administration.



These shithead news media outlets need to stop trying to compare this Third Reich/Nazi movement to any reasonable Republican presidency. Anyone that voted or supported these Nazis need to be shamed at all times. They dont deserve any sympathy or understanding. They need to be branded as UNAMERICAN!!!

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meghan mccain is a piece of fucking work



i can't stand her ass

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LinkWe had a meeting at [Chers then boyfriend] Tom Cruise's apartment



WAT

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MTE I never knew that they dated. Just woah.

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https://www.nydailynews.com/amp/entertainment/gossip/cher-lesbian-fling-tom-cruise-top-best-lovers-article-1.1385306 Pre-scientology Tom was good in bed:

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He looks like her son wtf







Edited at 2018-03-03 06:49 pm (UTC) I was literally going to make this exact comment lolHe looks like her son wtf

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It was fairly brief, around the same time she dated Val Kilmer & Val gave Cher's son Elijah a human scalp or something for his birthday, which Elijah talked about as making Val officially Cher's coolest boyfriend.

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I was about to comment.

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right im shocked

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lol exactly what I came here to comment

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I came in here to say I totally forgot they dated. I read that before.

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Edited at 2018-03-03 06:25 pm (UTC) No one will beat Bjork's crazy oscar outfit.

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When people asked her why she wore the dress she just said, "I like swans."

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I thought she said her friend made it for her.

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Honestly I dont even think its that crazy? Its well designed imo

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always thought this was absolutely beautiful

plus the bitch fucking sold the hell out of the concept laying her eggs on the red carpet!!

if this was a Drag Race animal-themed runway challenge, she'd be top toot of the week tbh

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It's hilarious that THIS caused any sort of grumbling or backlash, LoL, it's so tame and harmless - these assholes take themselves way too seriously.

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ICONIC

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OMG why does that woman in the background look like an irl grown up janice ian though?

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i hate the shoes thooo could have gonna all the way and made some webbed feet shoes

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And I feel like I'd wear a weird dress if I knew I wasn't going to win and wasn't likely to be nominated again anytime soon, but tbh I'd probably stick with something safe-but-flattering if I thought I had a shot. I've cooled a bit on the ~both sides are bad guys mkay~ -ness of South Park itself, but I still enjoy that Matt & Trey wore gowns to the Oscars while tripping on the red carpet lol:And I feel like I'd wear a weird dress if I knew I wasn't going to win and wasn't likely to be nominated again anytime soon, but tbh I'd probably stick with something safe-but-flattering if I thought I had a shot.

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LMAO at the bedazzled flip flops.

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legitimately appreciate this, too bad that they're giant douches (and shit sandwiches tbh)

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lol are those supposed to be J.Lo's and Gwyneth's red carpet dresses?

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damn straight they are!

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i loathe them but this is a quality story

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I ran into Bob Mackie once at a Pottery Barn, it was an amazing moment for me!

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I can imagine that must have greatly eased the pain of losing your dear friend Anderbo and her beau.

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lol clearly from my username you can tell that was practically a religious event to a gay such as myself

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i like it when people take risks. people were so mean to Bjork for her dress. yeah i think it's ugly, but at least it's remembered in a sea of safe evening gowns. I like that Cher was and is so completely Cher, she can get away with some really bold choices. fashion should be, and can be fun, instead of who wore the most expensive Dior gown.







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I think Las Vegas showgirls are breathtakingly gorgeous. More showgirl dresses please.



It's also about time to see some incredible cosplay on the red carpet. Like, a silk kimono Yuna with vintage leather boots from Calvin Klein or something.

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I always felt a bit sad that I presented Don Ameche with his Best Supporting Actor Award in that outfit. It seemed to make him a little nervous.



Not saying it's the case there but this reminds me of that tweet saying Beyonce was every woman who's ever had to dim her shine in order to work alongside a mediocre man (in reference to her performance with Chris Martin).

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Cher has some iconic looks



Don't think it's that crazy but I love a good cape.



insert Edna Mode gif here

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I love that dress! And I just know Don Ameche from the Golden Girls. I am sure he was uncomfortable, but oh well! He had an Oscar at the end of the day!

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Was this before or after hellraiser? Who inspired who?

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I always love what Tilda Swinton wears to the Oscars.



And Cher should've been nominated for Mask instead of Moonstruck.



Edited at 2018-03-03 07:16 pm (UTC)

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Sending this out again because I need that click https://t.co/CYCAf92Cn1  Richard Lawson (@rilaws) March 1, 2018





And finally, Madonna is the last thing we will all hear before we die. lmao someone posted this in another post and it was so enjoyable to readlmao

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i loved that dress



also i love all the bob mackie barbies, they are my faves

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I know him because of Barbie.

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LinkWeatherford International plc, an oilfield service company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Western Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere. It offers artificial lift systems, including reciprocating rod, progressing cavity pumping, gas, hydraulic, plunger, and hybrid lift systems, as well as related automation and control systems; pressure pumping and reservoir stimulation services, such as acidizing, fracturing and fluid systems, cementing, and coiled-tubing intervention; and drill stem test tools, and surface well testing and multiphase flow measurement services. The company also provides safety, downhole reservoir monitoring, flow control, and multistage fracturing systems, as well as sand-control technologies, and production and isolation packers; liner hangers to suspend a casing string in high-temperature and high-pressure wells; cementing products, including plugs, float and stage equipment, and torque-and-drag reduction technology for zonal isolation; and pre-job planning and installation services. In addition, it offers directional drilling services, and logging and measurement services while drilling; services related to rotary-steerable systems, high-temperature and high-pressure sensors, drilling reamers, and circulation subs; managed pressure drilling, conventional mud-logging, drilling instrumentation, gas analysis, wellsite consultancy, and open hole and cased-hole logging services; reservoir solutions and software products; and intervention and remediation services. Further, the company provides equipment and drilling tools; tubular handling, management, and connection services; equipment rental services; and onshore contract drilling and related services through a fleet of land drilling and workover rigs. Weatherford International plc was incorporated in 1972 and is headquartered in Baar, Switzerland.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group: 360 Connect S.A., [email protected] Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. 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It also explores for copper deposits. The company owns 100% interests in the El Gallo and Fenix projects located in Mexico; and the Black Fox Mine and Stock Mill, Grey Fox, and Froome and Tamarack properties in Canada. It also owns interests in the Fuller, Davidson-Tisdale, Buffalo Ankerite, and Paymaster exploration properties located in Canada; and a 49% interest in the San Jose mine located in Argentina. In addition, the company owns 100% interests in the Gold Bar and Tonkin properties located in Eureka County, Nevada; and interests in the Los Azules copper project located in the cordilleran region in the province of San Juan, Argentina. The company was formerly known as US Gold Corporation and changed its name to McEwen Mining Inc. in January 2012. McEwen Mining Inc. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MoreWhen dozens of actresses wore black at Januarys Golden Globes to raise awareness about sexual assault, the red-carpet press floundered. On E!, babbling commentators recalled all the black dresses celebrities had worn to previous awards shows and Photoshopped random gowns, shaded black, onto actresses bodies. One anchors big contribution to the public discourse was remarking that the protest was a big statement, but a positive one, dont you think?

This Sunday, the Academy Awards pre-show promises to be at least as awkward. Though theres no major wardrobe coordination planned to acknowledge the Times Up initiative, the host of E!s red-carpet broadcast, Ryan Seacrest, will be a walking reminder of the sexual abuse allegations that have shaken the industry since the fall.

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Seacrest, who has been accused of several instances of sexual harassment and assault by a former stylist, tried to get out ahead of the allegations in November. Before the woman went public, Seacrest came forward in a statement to agree to cooperate with any investigation into her claims against him, which spanned from 2007 to 2013, and to deny what he called the reckless allegations. The woman, who later identified herself as Suzie Hardy, had asked E!, parent company NBCUniversal, and Seacrest in a letter to come up with a plan to address the treatment of all women at the networks and to take responsibility for the wrongful treatment of Hardy. If they didnt, her lawyer wrote, they would pursue more formal action.

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Variety laid out Hardys allegations in a gut-wrenching report on Monday. According to Hardy, a single mother who was excited to find the part-time job, Seacrest subjected her to unwanted sexual touching for years. She says he grabbed and cupped her vagina, hugged her while wearing only underwear, and once slapped her butt so hard it left a welt. She also describes an incident in a hotel room, where he allegedly pushed her onto a bed, got on top of her, and rubbed his erect penis on her until a colleague told him to stop. That colleague told Variety that he witnessed that incident in addition to multiple occasions wherein Seacrest pushed Hardys head into his crotch when she was tying his shoe. Other associates and former co-workers said theyd heard Hardy complain about Seacrests behavior at the time.

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Hardy said her decision to go public with Variety was influenced in part by an essay Seacrest published in the Hollywood Reporter early last month, bluntly titled What Happened After I Was Wrongly Accused of Harassment. I knew, regardless of the confidence I had that there was no merit to the allegations, my name would likely soon appear on the lists of those suspected of despicable words and deeds, he wrote. The pressures of our overflowing newsfeeds would insist on it. Seacrest stated in the piece that a third-party investigation commissioned by NBCUniversal found the claims to be unsubstantiated and that there was no evidence of wrongdoing on my part. More precisely, according to an E! statement, the investigation found insufficient evidence to back Hardys claims. To Hardy, the difference matters. Seacrests lawyer has gone on to claim, without producing any evidence, that Hardy had threatened to make untrue accusations against Seacrest if he didnt pay her $15 million, a claim that Hardy and her lawyer deny. Seacrest went on to claim, in another lengthy statement on Tuesday, that the investigation had cleared his name, that the Variety story was salacious, and that Variety didnt speak to me or hear his side while reporting. Variety disputed Seacrests claims, saying they spent one hour on the phone with Seacrests lawyer and publicist before publishing and that Seacrests reps refused to make him available for interview.

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Now, celebrities whose fame intersects with Seacrests are being forced to make yea-or-nay judgments on his character. His Live With Kelly and Ryan co-host Kelly Ripa gave him a slew of compliments on Thursdays show that were, to any viewers who hadnt followed the story, seemingly delivered apropos of nothing, calling him an easy, professional, great person and a privilege to work with. (Meanwhile, sources told Page Six that Ripa doesnt necessarily love Seacrest and that she is understandably livid because it could potentially fuck up her show.) On Wednesday, Howard Stern asked Jennifer Lawrence if shed give Seacrest an interview on the Oscars red carpet or boycott him altogether. Lawrence said she hadnt heard about the allegations against Seacrest, but once she was brought up to speed, she said, I cant imagine him being sexual, then deflected, saying that E! can be mean about peoples bodies and has a history of paying male hosts more than female ones.

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I think it is scary, you know, Lawrence continued. He has not been to trial for anything. I am not a judge. I am not a jury.  That is where this stuff gets tricky.

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On one hand, its fair to ask celebrities to withhold the benefits of their image from sexual abusers. On the other hand, as weve seen with R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein, this laudable impulse too often morphs into an excuse to demonize women for not immediately having the right response to terrible (or are they?!) men. People who have never spent 10 minutes thinking about Ryan Seacrest will now be asked to map and assess his character, with their reputations at stake. And Seacrests case is particularly complex: Usually, a celebrity can equivocate when theres no incontrovertible evidence by recommending the public wait to pass judgment until an independent investigation has assessed the facts. But in this case there already was an investigation, and its credibility is disputed: NBCUniversal says the investigation was thorough and simply didnt find sufficient evidence to condemn Seacrest, while Hardy is doubling down, going public, and saying that the investigation failed to interview multiple key witnesses (which E! denies). Viewers of the Academy Awards red carpet will be free to hold complex and conflicting interpretations of the case in their heads, while expecting every woman who ends up on the other side of Seacrests microphone to hand down a clear, definitive verdict.

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For women faced with Seacrest on Sundays red carpet, theres no right response. If they turn away and refuse to talk to him, and the allegations are somehow borne out to be false, they may be shunned as people who dont play nice or believe in due process. If they give him a nice interview, the many people who find Hardys allegations credible and convincing may see them as traitors to the movement against sexual assault. Since actresses are already asking red-carpet press to talk to them about things other than fashion, they could use any time with Seacrest to speak about gender inequities and abuse in the industry instead of answering any of his questions. It was a bad move for E! to put an alleged sexual abuser in the middle of a public debate on the first Oscars red carpet since the advent of #MeToo. To make the best of a profoundly uncomfortable situation, savvy celebrities will likely talk to the microphone like the guy holding it isnt even there.

Read more in Slate about the Oscars.Roy Moore is short on cash. The unsuccessful Senate candidate who was engulfed by accusations of abusive and inappropriate behavior with underage women has called on supporters to help him fight a lawsuit that was brought forward by a woman who says he molested her when she was 14. The former judge started the fundraiser that seeks to raise $250,000 in January but recently increased its visibility with a long Facebook post in which he asked for help.

My resources have been depleted and I have struggled to make ends meet, but I have not lost my faith in our God, who is our true source of strength and will never leave or forsake us, Moore wrote.

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Leigh Corfman had accused Moore of undressing and touching her when she was 14 and he was in his 30s. Corfman filed a lawsuit after Moore lost the election, saying Moore and his campaign defamed her by calling her a liar and characterizing her as immoral. All these statements by Mr. Moore are defamatory, the January lawsuit reads. Mr. Moore sexually abused Ms. Corfman in 1979, when she was 14 years old and he was in his early 30s, and Mr. Moores denials of these facts are false and his characterizations of Ms. Corfman and her motivations are untrue.

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In his Facebook post, Moore complains lawyers are expensive. I have lawyers who want to help but they are not without cost and besides their fees, legal expenses could run over $100,000, the former Senate candidate wrote. The liberal media, in association with some who want to destroy our Country do not want my influence in the 2018 elections and are doing everything they can to stop me. Moore also blames the gay community for his woes, writing that gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear. Unless we stand together we will lose our Country.Donald Trump has an interesting history with the notion of due process, and his position on the subject seems to have been updated again this week, this time in reference to gun ownership. As he explained, in an extremely twirly gun control meeting at the White House on Wednesday, due process in dealing with people who might have mental illnesses is, in fact, overrated. Just as Vice President Mike Pence was advocating gun violence restraining orders with the caveat that we should allow due process, so no ones rights are trampled, the president broke in to note that actually due process is maybe crap.

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Or, Mike, he blurted. Take the firearms first and then go to court.  Because a lot of times, by the time you go to court, it takes so long to go to court, to get the due process procedures. I like taking the guns early. Take the guns first, go through due process second.

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They have so many checks and balances that you can be mentally ill and it takes you six months before you can prohibit it, the president added.

When it comes to due process, I dont think those words means what he thinks they mean.

Conservative media acted with horror and alarm. Trump boosters like Sean Hannity pretended it didnt happen. Then everyone pretended it didnt happen. Then Trump and the NRA reunited Thursday night to let us know it wasnt really true. Perhaps for the first time in history, Second Amendment fantasists can now understand where having a loaded gun in the hands of a truly unstable person can lead.

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More interesting, though, than the presidents vague and unbankable policy pronouncements is this further evolution in our possible understanding of his understanding of what due process might mean.

This is the same Trump who cant stop talking about executing suspected drug dealers. Its the same Trump who pardoned convicted former Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the same Trump who persistently threatened to jail his political opponents, including Hillary Clinton, if he won the presidency. This is the man who spent a small fortune taking out ads seeking the death penalty for the Central Park Five before they had even been tried and refused to acknowledge when they were exonerated.

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So, when it comes to due process, I dont think those words mean what he thinks they mean.

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What due process rights actually mean is that the state cant take away someones life, liberty or property without adequate legal safeguards and protections. Thats what Trump was belittling this weekthe silly checks and balances that get in the way of confiscating guns without notice or an opportunity to be heard. When the president talks about using the force of the state to seize property or incarcerate someone without any legal recourse, he is attacking a core pillar of legal and constitutional law. The government cant take your stuff away just because the president feels like it.

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Now consider the many times Trump has used the absence of due process to justify his own action and inaction. The most famous recent example would be after his former staff secretary, Rob Porter, resigned following accusations by two ex-wives of domestic violence. Trumpwho has himself been accused multiple times of sexual assault and abusestweeted his sympathy: for men who are accused of harming women.

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Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation, he tweeted. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused - life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?

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Later Trumps budget director Mick Mulvaney suggested that the tweet was likely referencing Steve Wynn, the casino mogul who had to step down as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee when it was reported that he also allegedly sexually harassed female employees over years. While we may never know which of these two alleged predators had so moved the president to remember that due process is an actual thing, it wasnt hard to miss the fact that for Trump it is something the worldnot just the stateowes powerful white men who stand to lose their jobs.

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Theres an obvious pattern here. It was only recently that the president defended and endorsed Roy Moore, who was credibly accused by multiple women of committing sexual misconduct against them when they were children and young adults. In that case, Trump wanted due process to protect Moore not from incarceration or unjust loss of property, but from the chance that he might lose a Senate seat. Sarah Huckabee Sanders offered the White House line in defending Moore, doing grotesque backflips to protect a credibly accused child abuser with claims that mere allegations can destroy entire (mens) lives.

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Like most Americans, she said at the time, the president does not believe we can allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a persons life. However, the president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.

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Theres also the time that Trumps former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was caught on tape assaulting a female reporter. Trumps answer then: How do you know those bruises werent there before?

Due process to Trump, then, is mostly just something owed by newspapers, complaining women, or voters to his buddies. This definition is what the rest of us might legally define as blind and unflinching fealty. But theres a different lesson to be gleaned from his revelatory gun discussion this week. In an inadvertent gaffe, he used the words due process correctly, meaning taking guns from people without legal protections or procedures in place. He also used checks and balances disparagingly to mean actual constitutional protections against what is considered government overreach.

When Donald Trump misuses legal language to manipulate law and misrepresent truth, its easy to see how the rule of law means nothing to him. Funnily, when he uses legal language precisely and correctly to assert that he wants to use state authority to impair the rights of gun owners, hes actually revealing a much more potent and frightening disdain for the rule of law and the Constitution. And honestly, no more due process is necessary to understand that.Slovak students win international physics competition

The young women shone among attendees from 15 different countries.

Slovak students from the Ludovit Stur School in Zvolen, Andrea Skvareninova and Radka Vesela, won the international physics competition Particles4U by constructing a Paul ion trap using only easily accessible and low cost tools. They were able to demonstrate catching ions in a trap with the help of green laser light. Ion traps use dynamic electric fields to trap charged particles.

The competition, which was attended by participants from 15 countries, was organized by the International Particle Physics Outreach Group with support from the European Physical Society. The aim of competitors, who were divided into two categories over or under 12 years old, was to create educational, funny and inspiring tools that demonstrate the presence of elementary particles in everyday life.

Read also:

Read also: Slovak astrophysicists return from Olympiad in Thailand with medals Read more

3. Mar 2018 at 6:30 | SITA, Compiled by Spectator staffIt is no news journalists in Central Europe face hostility

The consistency and accumulation of the incidents when politicians verbally attack journalists shows a clear trend in Central Europe, and slowly makes it acceptable to make ever more serious threats, or worse.

In the wake of the tragic murders of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova, it is impossible to ignore the increasingly hostile atmosphere for journalists in Central Europe  Slovakia included.

Viktor Orbans government regularly targets journalists, by alleging they are colluding with financier George Soros in an attempt to bring him down.

We must stand our ground against the Soros mafia network and bureaucrats in Brussels, and will have to go to battle against the media they operate in the coming months, he said in July 2017. A few months later, the pro-government news site 888.hu published a list of international journalists it said were out to damage Hungarys standing in the world, and accused them of colluding with the financier George Soros. One wonders what a list like that is designed to do?

3. Mar 2018 at 20:56 | Benjamin CunninghamHere are the names you need to know to understand how the unprecedented murder of a journalist, Jan Kuciak, and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, have affected Slovakia.

Gaspar, Fico, and Kalinak (right to left). The one million euros that the government offers for information about the murder is displayed on the table. (Source: Sme)

In this story you can read more about:

-What has happened in the first week after the murder hit the news

-Prime Minister Robert Fico and his response to the crisis so far

-Interior Minister Robert Kalinak and why people call for his resignation

-Culture Minister Marek Madaric and what his resignation means

-Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska, Most-Hid Chairman Bela Bugar, and what they are waiting for

-Who has left the government and/or the coalition so far and why

-What the opposition wants

-Why Slovaks discuss the involvement of EU bodies



What happened since the murder?

Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were buried in their birth villages earlier this weekend. The investigation of their murder continues one week after they were found murdered in their house in Velka Maca on February 25.

Meanwhile, Slovakia is experiencing major political turbulence. People are calling for independent investigation of the murder along with political consequences, such as the resignation of the interior minister.

Fico's government has promised to give one million euros to anyone who comes forward with relevant information that can help clarify the murder.

Jan Kuciak is believed to have been murdered due to his investigative reporting. The last article he worked on indicated ties between people close to the prime minister and the Italian organised crime group, Ndrangheta.

Read the last article of Jan Kuciak:

Read the last article of Jan Kuciak: Italian mafia in Slovakia. Tentacles reaching out to politics Read more

On March 1, the police raided several places in eastern Slovakia and detained seven Italian citizens, most of whom were mentioned in Kuciaks story.They were released this weekend after the 48-hour legal timeframe elapsed.

President Andrej Kiska has maintained a low profile so far. He made an appearance at the Bratislava march on March 2 but only requested the crowd hold a minute of silence for the murdered couple.Kiska is scheduled to give a speech on public-service television on Sunday, March 4, after the primetime evening news. Prime Minister Robert Fico and Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko have requested to speak to the nation too; their address will be broadcast following Kiskas.

Here is what you need to know about the aftermath of the murder and the publication ofKuciaks last article in Slovak politics:

Prime Minister Robert Fico

(Source: TASR)

Robert Fico has led the country since 2006, with a short break between 2010 and 2012. His party has been linked with a number of scandals during that time, but the current situation is believed to be the toughest he has ever faced in his career.

Since news of the murder broke, Fico has been consistent in saying that he sees no reason for himself or his ministers to step down. Journalists, local and international media watchdogs have pointed out that Fico, along with other politicians in Slovakia, contributed to the hateful atmosphere against journalists with his repeated statements addressed to the press, calling reporters dirty, anti-Slovak prostitutes or slimy snakes.

3. Mar 2018 at 20:51 | Michaela TerenzaniBrookdale Senior Living, Inc. engages in the operation of senior living communities. The firm manages independent living, assisted living and dementia-care communities and continuing care retirement centers. It operates through the following segments: Independent Living Assisted Living & Memory Care, CCRCs, Health Care Services and Management Services. The Independent Living segment is primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors who desire an upscale residential environment providing the highest quality of service. The Assisted Living & Memory Care segment offer housing and 24-hour assistance with ADLs to mid-acuity frail and elderly residents. The CCRCs segment offers a variety of living arrangements and services to accommodate all levels of physical ability and health. The Healthcare Services segment provides home health, hospice and outpatient therapy services, as well as education and wellness programs, to residents of many communities and to seniors living outside communities. The Management Services segment composes of communities operated by the company pursuant to management agreements. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Brentwood, TN.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited.Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Philippines ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Philippines ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.Wall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI Poland ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI Poland ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management segments. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small businesses and commercial customers, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides Internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 952 branches and approximately 3,540 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,400 branches, 5,200 ATMs, and 22 contact centers internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.

Read MoreArconic Corporation manufactures and sells aluminum sheets, plates, extrusions, and architectural products in the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Russia, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Rolled Products, Extrusions, and Building and Construction Systems. The Rolled Products segment provides a range of aluminum sheet and plate products for ground transportation, aerospace, industrial, and packaging markets; and roofing, architectural composite panels, ventilated facades and ceiling panels, spacers, culvert pipes, and gutters for building and construction markets. The Extrusions segment offers extruded products, including aerospace shapes, automotive shapes, seamless tubes, hollows, mortar fins, and high strength rods and bars for ground transportation, aerospace, and industrial markets. The Building and Construction Systems segment provides various products and building envelope solutions, such as entrances, curtain walls, windows, composite panels, and coil coated sheets for fabricators and glazing subcontractors under the Kawneer, Reynobond, and Reynolux brands. The company offers its products directly to customers, as well as through distributors. The company was formerly known as Arconic Rolled Products Corporation and changed its name to Arconic Corporation in Arpil 2020. Arconic Corporation was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Read MoreCEMEX SAB de CV engages in the production, distribution, marketing, and sale of cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates. It operates though the following geographical segments: Mexico; United States; Europe; South, Central America and the Caribbean (SCA&C); Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA); and Others. The Europe segment covers United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Czech Republic, Poland and Latvia, as well as trading activities in Scandinavia, and Finland. The SCA&C segment includes Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Caribbean TCL, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Jamaica, the Caribbean, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The EMEA segment comprises of Egypt, Israel, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. The Others segment refers to the cement trade maritime operations, information technology solutions business, and other corporate entities as well as other minor subsidiaries with different lines of business. The company was founded by Lorenzo Zambrano Gutierrez in 1906 and is headquartered in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. 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Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC.The 30th anniversary of the Sumgait Pogroms was commemorated yesterday at the California State Capital during the inaugural hearing of the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange.

March 3, 2018, 09:31 Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh mutual trade, art and cultural exchange hosts inaugural hearing

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 3, ARTSAKHPRESS:The committee hearing entitled California, Armenia and Artsakh Trade Agreements, Civil Rights Issues and University of California Divestiture and Budget Impacts covered a wide array of issues of importance to the Armenian-American community and featured moving testimony by attorney and activist Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, updates on the establishment of a trade Memorandum of Understanding between Armenia and California, and the latest in the effort toward divestment from the Turkish Government by the University of California. The Select Committee was founded by Chairman Anthony J. Portantino (SD-25) following positive impressions he formed during a visit to Armenia and Artsakh prior to his election to the California State Senate, reported NEWS.am.

In her remarks, Ms. Astvatsaturian Turcotte outlined the atrocities that Azerbaijanis committed against Armenians through her own familys experiences. In response to this freedom movement in Karabakh, the Armenians of Azerbaijan were slaughtered in the city of Sumgait and then Kirovabad and then in my home city of Baku, said Turcotte. We were completely driven out of our homes, from our streets, and from the city that we built.

In 2012, Ms, Astvatsaturian Turcotte published her book, titled Nowhere, a Story of Exile, which she wrote at the age of 14 as her family settled in North Dakota as refugees. During her testimony, she explained how the book is based on the childhood diaries she kept as her family was fleeing Baku and during their years as refugees in Armenia.

Turcotte stressed that the massacres in Sumgait were only the beginning of this anti-Armenian and xenophobic behavior that was set forth by the Azerbaijani government. Sumgait was a turning point and a blueprint for Azeris to begin with their government orchestrated expulsion of 400,000 Armenians from their wealth, their position of power, and from their own history within Azerbaijan, continued Turcotte.

The activist also explained that the anti-Armenian behavior in the 1980s is being repeated today by the Azerbaijani regime against the Armenians living in Artsakh. No one should ever forget the innocent lives lost in the most brutal, horrible ways, she concluded, stating that the circumstances today are similar to 1988 because justice in Sumgait was never properly served.

Both Senator Portantino and Senator Scott T. Wilk (SD-21), appreciating Turcottes remarks, explored ways of further cooperation between Artsakh and California and questioned how diaspora Armenians could get more involved in sharing the stories similar to Annas.

Following Astvatsaturian Turcottes testimony, Gordon Hinkle, Vice President of the California Center (Global Operations) and Valery Mkrtoumian, Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Armenia presented the benefits of signing an MOU between California and Armenia. Hinkle provided the general benefits of MOUs and discussed Californias interest in engaging with foreign governments. In the past, Hinkle has helped lead numerous executive level trade missions to numerous cities and provinces in China.

Meanwhile, Deputy Consul Mkrtoumian explained the importance of an MOU between California and Armenia and highlighted the need for a trade office to solidify relations. He added that the IT and agricultural sectors of Armenia provide great potential for further trade and cooperation between Armenia and California.

The strength of US-Armenia relations is based on the shared values and common vision for a secure world, said Mkrtoumian while highlighting the different methods by which both economies could excel through an MOU. There are more favorable business conditions now which would attract investments for US companies.

The process of potential divestment by the University of California from the Turkish Government was first explained through testimony provided by Jagdeep Bachhner, Chief Investment Officer, Vice President of Investments at the University of California, who expressed willingness to work with students to find solutions while highlighting the interests of the UC in maintaining its financial obligations and investing in emerging markets.U.S. President Donald Trumps plan to slap hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will likely make Southeast Asia the new hunting ground for global exporters seeking buyers, creating a glut that could depress prices and prompt some producers to close.

More of Chinas steel may find its way into developing countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam, but it could face competition from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, industry officials and traders said.

Chinese aluminum exporters, which may take a similar tack, could clash with producers in South Korea and Thailand.

Trump said the duties, 25 percent on steel imports and ten percent on aluminum, would be formally announced next week, and believes they will protect American jobs.

Fears of a global trade war dragged down Asian equities with shares of Asian steel producers supplying the U.S. market hit hard.

South Korea is the third-biggest steel supplier to the United States after Canada and Brazil and would be the hardest hit by the tariffs. Other Asian suppliers are Japan, Taiwan and India.

China, the worlds biggest steel producer, accounted for only about 2.9 percent of U.S. steel imports, data compiled by Wood Mackenzie showed.

The worlds top steel-buying nation, the United States imported a total 35.6 million tonnes last year.

Some of those Chinese products meant for the U.S. would go to Southeast Asia, said Roberto Cola, vice president of the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council.

There will be excess supply in the region and prices will drop, which will be good for consumers, Cola said.

With some of the worlds fastest-growing economies including the Philippines and Vietnam, Southeast Asian countries are among the worlds major steel buyers with many of them having limited and costly domestic steelmaking capacity.

Southeast Asia accounted for about a quarter of Chinas steel exports in 2017, Cola said.

As prices drop, China will face competition from other suppliers such as Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East and Turkey, said CRU analyst Richard Lu.

But strong domestic demand may help China absorb the excess steel, Lu said. Chinese steel shipments have dropped since hitting a record 112.4 million tons in 2015.

'They have to shut'

Japan and China are two of the biggest Asian exporters of aluminum to the U.S., accounting for 11 percent and 14 percent of those countries total shipments.

As Chinese aluminum producers look for new export markets, they could offer competition to manufacturers in South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, while tighter margins could accelerate their plans to set up units offshore.

We believe the fabricators are able to divert their exports to other Asian countries if the U.S. situation plays out as they expect, said a source at a global trading house in Shanghai.

China Hongqiao Group, the worlds biggest aluminum producer, is already looking into the possibility of moving recently shuttered illegal smelting capacity overseas, mainly to Indonesia.

But import duties on semi-manufactured aluminum products in some Asian countries could make it tougher for China to enter them, said a Singapore-based physical aluminum trader.

China has no choice, they have to shut. But ultimately U.S. consumers will have to bear the brunt of the price increase because the industry needs it. Its more about politics than aluminum, the trader said.

I expect retaliatory moves from other countries, said Cola from the ASEAN Iron and Steel Council.

What Trump is doing is an unprecedented move, its going back to the old days of protectionism.The administration of the central city of Da Nang has ordered suspension of the operations of two local steel mills over their polluting activities.

The decision, announced during the municipal leaders meeting on Friday, won the public as authorities had also considered resettlement for households residing in the factories neighboring areas instead of asking the facilities to shut down.

The steel plants in question, Dana-Italy and Dana-Australia, both located in Hoa Lien Commune, Hoa Vang District, were forced to stop all environmental pollution-causing production activities right from Friday.

Local residents are seen at the meeting on March 2, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The plants are still allowed to continue other transport, import-export and administrative activities, under the condition that the time, types of vehicle and number of people involved in these processes be reported to the Hoa Lien administration for supervision.

As the shutdown option was adopted, the Da Nang administration cancelled its plan on relocating residents living near the polluting facilities.

The decision came after a number of complaints from locals that Dana-Italy and Dana-Australia steel factories had the local landscape and peoples lives with their operations.

The plants were asked to suspend operations from February 28, after a dialogue between the municipal administration with local residents, prior to Fridays order to officially shut down.

Nguyen Thanh Tien, deputy head of the secretariat of the Da Nang administration, announces the decision at the meeting on March 2, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Vietnamese State President Tran Dai Quang arrived in New Delhi late Friday with his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam, commencing a three-day state visit to India.

The Vietnamese leader was welcomed at Palam military airport by Indias Union Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre and representatives of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, and staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in the country, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Saturday.

Prior to the New Delhi arrival, President Quang visited Bodh Gaya city in the state of Bihar on the morning the same day, the first destination in his tour of India.

The Vietnamese leaders visit, made at the invitation of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, takes place at a time when Vietnam  India traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation have been developing extensively, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

The two countries established a bilateral strategic partnership in 2007 and elevated the ties to comprehensive strategic partnership in 2016.

The visit affirms Vietnams consistent external policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization and diversification of foreign relations, including the friendship with India.

It is also expected to help promote cooperation between the two countries, while deepening ties in national defence and security, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh told the Vietnam News Agency late last month.

The visit will also expand bilateral collaboration in economy, investment, tourism, cultural exchange and better tap potential for cooperation in education and technology, and marks a new and important milestone in bilateral cooperation, according to the diplomat.

This is the first visit to India by a Vietnamese president following the visit by then President Truong Tan Sang in 2011.

The visit demonstrates the importance Vietnamese leaders have attached to India and their attention to Vietnam-India relations, the ambassador underlined.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Read whats in the news today, March 3!

Society

-- A recent proposal by Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of Construction to raise the minimum living space required for immigrants to register as permanent residents from five square meters to 20 square metersper person has been met with criticism from social experts.

-- The tourism department of Da Nang is working to identify a foreign tour guide who was seen in a clip going viral on social media telling tourists at Da Nang Museum that Vietnam used to be a part of China, and traditional Vietnamese costumes had derived from Chinese ones.

-- The Ministry of Transport has approved a plan to develop a network of sea ports in the south-eastern region of Vietnam, including ports in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Ba Ria  Vung Tau, and Binh Duong until 2020 to relieve traffic pressure in central Ho Chi Minh City.

-- Vietnams plan to build a north-to-south expressway, which is expected to greatly improve the flow of traffic and goods across the length of the country, has been submitted to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for feedback and approval.

-- Seventy-three students at an elementary school in the southern province of Dong Nai were admitted to hospital on Friday due to suspected food poisoning, after they had all drunk milk from a school nutrition program.

-- The deputy director of Dong Nai Provinces Department of Finance has received an official warning for his lack of responsibility that had allowed a local state-owned lottery company to violate regulations on salary payment by VND39 billion (US$1.72 million).

-- A number of officials and Party members in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Nong and Dak Lak have been found to abuse their authority to reap huge profits from public land and forests the through illegal appropriation, transfer, and lease of the land to private parties.

Business

-- Da Nangs Party chief Truong Quang Nghia has requested that the municipal administration end the sale of public land in the citys two downtown districts of Hai Chau and Thanh Khe, with the remaining land being reserved for public use.

-- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has warned of environment risks from two bauxite plants Tan Ri and Nhan Co in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong due to the degradation of equipment for environmental protection at the facilities.

-- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Friday it has been working closely with provincial authorities to call for the Europen Union (EU) to lift the yellow card  a warning to countries involved in illegal fishing it gave Vietnam in October last year  from this April.

-- Vietnams State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) is expected to rake in over $100 million from the sale of over 24 million shares, or 29.51 percent stake, in the local plastics giant Binh Minh Plastics.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!Ho Chi Minh Citys Department of Construction has made a controversial proposal to raise the minimum living space required for internal migrants to register as permanent residents by four times.

The proposed plan, aimed at relieving pressure from the citys social and technical infrastructure, has been met with criticism from social experts who see little benefit from the new requirement.

According to Vietnams law on residency, citizens who want to register as permanent residents in a municipality must have a legal place of residence in the destination city and have been a temporary resident there for at least one year.

A legal place of residence can be either their own property or a rent one.

In the latter case, one applicant must obtain written permission from the house owners that they agree to have him or her register as a permanent resident in their residence book.

The application is only approved if that applicant has a minimum living space of five square meters in the house.

The municipal construction department has proposed increasing the required minimum living space by four times to 20 square meters per person.

Two Vietnamese residence books and a national ID card are seen in this file Tuoi Tre photo.

Residence books, which tie a person to a permanent address, are issued to the house owner and contain information of all permanent residents who stay at the same address.

Having ones name in a residence book in a major city like Ho Chi Minh City is a goal for many undocumented migrants in Vietnam, as it allows them to enroll their children into local public schools, applying for certain jobs, enjoying welfare benefits and performing a range of administrative procedures.

The move by Ho Chi Minh City authorities has been viewed as a setback, considering the Vietnamese government already made a landmark decision last year to part with residence books in an effort to streamline administrative procedures and citizens documents.

An aerial view of Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The construction department has argued that the hike in internal migrants to the southern metropolis, while boosting its economy, has placed tremendous pressure on the citys social and technical infrastructure.

The new living space requirement could solve problems including traffic congestion, pollution and overpopulation, it explained.

However, experts have pointed out that the proposed plan would do little to help elevate these problems Ho Chi Minh City is facing, as the internal migrants are still here to stay and work whether they are permanent residents or not.

Resorting to living space conditions as a tool for residency management reflects an outdated mindset, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Dien, vice rector of the University of Economics and Law in Ho Chi Minh City.

Instead, authorities should start viewing social problems from an economic perspective and use economic drives to redirect the flow of migrants elsewhere.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!A walkway, paved with a rare, expensive type of ironwood, has been planned for installation by the iconic Huong (Perfume) River in the central tourist city of Hue, sparking concerns over the choice of surface material.

The walking passage will be built as part of a project by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Nguyen Viet Bang, the projects deputy director of the management board, said on Friday.

The VND52.9 billion (US$2.3 million) walkway will have steel and concrete foundation with its 2,440-square-meter surface, measuring five centimeters thick, paved with South African tali wood, commonly known in Vietnamese as lim.

Paving alone costs VND5.14 billion (US$225,000), which will be funded by non-refundable aid by South Korean government, according to Bang.

Many locals have opposed the idea of using ironwood as the area is often flooded during the rainy season.

Bang defended that tali wood is one of the four most durable wood types in Vietnam, besides padauk, lauan, and apitong,

This particular type of wood is known to be hard and can withstand the hot and humid weather of Vietnam well, the director further explained, citing a study by the KOICA project.

Binh also said that ironwood was chosen for the project as its durability will bring lasting beauty and traditional features to the ancient Hue.

The large quantity amount of tali wood used in the project has also raised concerns for many locals and conservationists in Vietnam.

However, the deputy director insisted that the wood to be used will be imported from South Africa, therefore not affecting forests in Vietnam.Catastrophe will address the passing of Carrie Fisher in its upcoming fourth season.

Fisher, who played Robs mother Mia, tragically died in December 2016 after flying home to the US having filmed the 3rd season.

Co-creator and star Sharon Horgan told Radio Times,Its a tricky thing to work out  because obviously we want to deal with it, but also dont want to make light of it, but at the same time were a comedy and we cant help ourselves. Not the making light of it thing exactly, but trying to infuse it with comedy in amongst the drama of it.

So, yeah, it took us a while to work it out. And I think in a way were still working it out. But I dunno. Series three felt like a really good goodbye to her, because it was such a great performance, and we really got to know a lot more about the character. You know, in the bed scene with Rob, we really got to find out why she was who she was.

So now, having done that, we sort of want to follow it up with just that little bit more that gives you an insight into, not just the character but kind of like a thank you and a goodbye to Carrie as well. But yeah, were still working it out.

Season 4 is expected in the UK later this year.There have been a series of Brexit speeches recently to outline the potential relationship the UK will have with the EU. It started with Jeremy Corbyn outlining Labours vision, then Liam Fox, finally Theresa May at Mansion House on Friday. The European Commission also this week delivered a draft withdrawal agreement to Mrs May.

Theresa May will face problems after fresh amendments were tabled to a key Brexit bill, Boris Johnson has made the Brexit news with an absurd comparison plus more

Sovereignty and Ireland

Fresh amendments were tabled to a key Brexit bill which would force ministers to give MPs and peers the power to amend or veto dozens of potential deals, this comes after fears that the government will force through multiple bills regarding EU deals with no parliamentary scrutiny.

This will of course anger hardened leavers because the idea of parliamentary sovereignty only stretches to the implementation of Article 50 after the referendum result. The amendments are designed to hold the government to account because the deals will impact everyone in society but likely to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and poorest.

The European Commission delivered a draft withdrawal agreement this week that outlined plans to keep Northern Ireland in the customs union, allowing goods to past freely from the north to the Republic. However, Theresa May rejected the plans and vowed that it would never happen, Donald Tusk responded by asking the PM for a better idea to prevent a hard border.

Unfortunately, the DUP, who prop up Theresa May, have significant influence and they are against any form of customs union.

The Irish problem that the government face is seemingly looked down on by the government as a non-issue, after Boris Johnson this week claimed that remainers were using it to score political points, he also compared the lack of the border with London Boroughs of Westminster and Camden.

This comparison is inexcusable and insulting to the Irish people because he compared centuries of oppression, violence and forced famine by the British, eventually culminating in a civil war that led to the partition of Ireland. This displaced many citizens from their homes, saw the persecution of Catholics in the northern territories of Ireland which eventually led to another war with the British using terrorism as a weapon, to moving between two London borough.

Friction or frictionless?

During the first part of the talks, rights for EU citizens was a sticking point along with Ireland. But eventually there was an agreement made, however, now May has abandoned a Brexit red line by agreeing that during the transition period, EU citizens who arrive will have the same rights as those who arrived before. This is a positive step in the right direction and it will at least appease the likes of Donald Tusk. Normally this would be called a U-turn, however, that implies that the government had a direction they were heading in the first place.

There has been constant talk of frictionless trade deals with the EU upon leaving, with key leavers, stating that this is possible, but Donald Tusk spoke to business leaders in Brussels and stated that friction is an inevitable side effect of Brexit by nature.

Something leavers will vehemently deny and paint Tusk as the enemy. But Theresa May followed Jeremy Corbyn and Liam Fox in Brexit speeches, key points include a warning to the EU that not including financial services in a trade deal will hurt them too, telling the British public that they must face up to some hard facts and announcing that the UK will seek to remain in EU agencies. The latter feat would be easier with a customs union.Amanda Knox appeared live on Irish TV on Saturday night on the "Ray D'Arcy Show". Before she came on, a clip was shown from the Netflix film, 'Amanda Knox', wherein she states ominously, 'I am either a psychopath in sheep's clothing, or I am YOU.'

Knox adopts a feminine image for the show

Knox, 30, came on the show at about 10:50. She was wearing a full-length dress in a pale blue fabric print with a faint white pattern and a high neck. Her shoes were stacked laced-up beige open-toe boot-style sandals.

Her hair had been curled and set to tumble down her shoulders and back.

She had on thick foundation and make-up with a pale blusher.

She describes herself as the 'little sister' of the cottage

Her facial expression on her opening introduction was a stricken one. She had a raised forehead with frown lines, often associated with anxiety. She pointed out that Meredith was one year older than her and that she was the little sister of the cottage. Several times her voice became tremulous.

D'Arcy asked her how she had met ex-co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito. Knox went into delighted 'girly' mode, bubbling about falling in love and his buying her perfume as he would an Italian woman. These lines and flirtatious demeanour are identical to that in the Netflix film. Knox became faux giggly and asked DArcy, have you never had an experience like that, where you "just fall in love?"

DArcy looked at Knox raptly.

His interview contained plenty of hard questions. Knox characteristically answered the tougher ones by taking a gulp and looking downwards.

Knox becomes emotional whilst describing why she accused Patrick Lumumba of the crime

D'Arcy seemed to hit a raw nerve when he asked her why she told police Patrick had murdered and raped Meredith.

Knox became more and more emotional as she launched into her oft-repeated 'script' of how she had been questioned for hours and hours, hit and screamed at. She claimed she named him because the police suggested it to her. However, in her original court testimony, she confirmed she was the one who brought up Patrick's name first.

'The media misrepresented me...'

Knox' main message was that the media misrepresented' her with their use of the photo of the pair kissing outside the cottage immediately after the body was found. She claimed she knew Meredith was dead when Filomena shouted, A Foot!

The press and the prosecution 'did what they do to all women' claimed Knox, by dwelling on her sexuality and being abusive about her. At this, Knox' face screwed up with imaginary contempt. However, at the time of the trial, she told the prosecutor, Mignini and the courts she didnt know the dead person was Meredith until the police told her at the Questura.

Knox was visited regularly by a representative from the US Embassy who reported no ill-treatment at the time.

In court, during her testimony, she confirmed she had been treated well.

'They told me I had HIV'

Knox told D'Arcy that doctors told her she was 'infected with HIV' She said a prison officer kept visiting her and asking her for s*x. She claimed that she was forced to write a list of every man she had ever slept with, which she jotted down in her prison journal. She claims the police then confiscated her prison diary and the prosecutor released its content to the press.

What her Prison Diary says in her own hand is that the prison doctor informed her that it was probably a 'false positive' result and not to worry. There is evidence that it was the defence who released the diary to the press, as they allegedly did the confidential autopsy pictures to an Italian TV channel.

'Come Out You Black and Tans'

Knox said she had lots of letters from Irish people when she was in prison, who understood her treatment by the authorities and some had sent her Irish rebel music. Knox sang a few lines of the Wolfetones, Come out you Black and Tans, Come out and fight me like a man.

DArcy remarked, That is the oddest thing I have ever heard'.

It is a pro-IRA song, with the Black and Tans referring to a division in the British Army.

Knox told the audience she is now concentrating on journalism and Innocence Projects. She said she was unusual, in that most 'wrongly convicted' in the USA were black and deprived. She told D'Arcy, they see her as their little girl.

Knox' links to Peter Pringle in Ireland

Knox may well be staying with a friend in her innocence project circuit, Peter Pringle, who recently resettled in Connemara with his wife ex-death row prisoner Sunny Jacobs. He is awaiting a decision by the Irish courts as to whether his application for compensation for almost sixteen years' imprisonment for an INLA-linked murder of two policemen - for which he was acquitted in 2002 as an 'unsafe verdict' - is out of time. The other issue is whether it will allow Pringle access to police DNA results which identified a hair in one of the robbery cars as his.

Peter Pringle has invited various 'Innocence' campaigners to stay with him, including Steve Avery, currently fighting his conviction for the murder of Theresa Hallbach.

It would explain Amanda Knox' presence in Ireland if she came at this couple's invitation, having made firm friends with them after appearing together on K5 News in May last year, as Ireland is a long way to travel from Knox home city of Seattle in the USA.THE church OF THE Holy Sepulchre had recently closed its doors for three days for the first time in protest to the decision by the Israeli government to tax land and buildings owned by the church not used for religious purposes. In response, Netanyahu announced that they would suspend the plans. Christian leaders had previously claimed the tax plan would have allowed Israel to expropriate church land.

The reversal in policy by Israel has been deemed a positive win for the Christian community in Palestine, however, there have been significantly more honourable opportunities to shut the church in protest.

Why protest now?

Money and profit is the reason why the church decided to close its doors and it can be linked to the religious leaders in Italy and Greece who primarily benefit from the tax exemptions of the church's land.

The exemptions themselves were first derived from the charitable status of the work conducted within the Palestinian community, including provisions for schools and hospitals. However, in recent times the church has diversified away from charitable work and moved onto more commercial areas, such as shops, hostels and restaurants.

They have a significant investment portfolio and a tax on the Churchs land would see profits fall dramatically. An argument would normally be made that the profits then go to the local Palestinian community, but a large proportion of the profits are siphoned off abroad to the religious leaders in Italy and Greece. Israel has occupied Palestinian territory and has slowly annexed more and more land over the decades, yet the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has never once deemed it necessary to protest any violent action towards the Palestinian people.

Whilst there is a need to question Israeli motives, the idea to tax land owned by them that is not used for religious purposes is a good idea, because of the initial tax exemption, this is no longer the charitable work but a commercial business which should rightly face taxes. Israel will find a way to push through these plans as they have only stated they would suspend them, rather than ditch them.

There is legitimate concern that these plans could be used by the Israeli government to seize land from the Palestinian community, but the church shouldnt hide behind injustice to protect the profits for their leaders away from those very communities they claim to be defending.Newly chosen President Sarkissian attends a parliamentary session in Yerevan Armen Sarkissian, who was chosen by Armenia's parliament as the country's new president, attends a parliamentary session in Yerevan, Armenia March 2, 2018. REUTERS/Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure

By Hasmik Mkrtchyan

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Armenia's parliament chose Armen Sarkissian as the country's new president on Friday in a vote that is meant to herald the start of a power shift to the country's prime minister and parliament.

Sarkissian, 64, a former prime minister who once served as the country's ambassador to Britain, was elected to serve a seven-year term.

Ninety lawmakers voted to elect him, ten opposed his election, and one abstained.

Sarkissian succeeds Serzh Sarksyan, who opposition leaders say could now become prime minister.

Armenia, a South Caucasus country of around three million people, is in line with some other former Soviet republics and countries in eastern Europe in moving away from direct democracy, according to analysts.

Outgoing Sarksyan became president in 2008 and nominated former prime minister Sarkissian to succeed him in January.

Under the terms of a constitution approved in 2015 in a referendum that effectively abolished direct presidential elections, parliament can elect a president with a three-quarters majority.

The presidency is now meant to become largely ceremonial under the amended constitution and power to shift to the prime minister and parliament.

Opposition leaders accuse Sarksyan of planning to move into the post of prime minister to continue ruling Armenia.

Sarksyan denies having any such intention.

But many members of the ruling party say Sarksyan would be the best candidate for prime minister given his experience, especially in negotiations over neighbouring Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Clashes over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenians, have intensified in the past three years and there was a flare-up in violence there in April 2016.

Armenia seceded from the Soviet Union in 1991, but remains dependent on Russia for aid and investment. Many Armenians accuse the government of corruption and mishandling the economy.

(Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Andrew Osborn)Far-right Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache is on the losing end of a court ruling after he accused left-wing activists of public insults," in which the group flips their middle fingers off at his policies in a video.

The left-wing group, Linkswende Jetzt (Left Now), created a video stating their opposition to Strache and his right-wing Freedom Party (FPO), AFP first reported. The videos feature large drawings of Johnny Cashs iconic middle finger photograph and each of the segments ends with the leftist supporters proclaiming F**k Strache!" as they also extend their middle fingers.

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Because we stand in solidarity with refugees and Muslims we say: F**k Strache, several Left Now supporters said in the video. "Because the anti-women politics of the FPO reminds me of the Mutterkkreuz of the Nazis: F**k Strache."

A Vienna appeals court ruled Thursday that the groups popular social media videos ridiculing Strache are covered by the countrys free speech laws. The court dismissed Straches attempt at placing the video under Austrias defamation and disparagement laws, which can include when the Republic of Austria, or one of its constituent States, is maliciously insulted or degraded in such a way that it is perceived by a broad section of the public, according to the International Press Institute.

The appeals court ruling confirmed the decision of a lower court that the left-wing activists have the right to express provocative and shocking political opinions as it is a fundamental part of freedom of expression.

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This freedom of speech fight comes as Strache is the target of a lawsuit from the Austrian public broadcaster ORF after the vice chancellor took to Facebook to label the outlet propaganda and lies," German broadcaster DW first reported.

Story continues

The Freedom Party leader is accused of making libelous and untrue attacks on the ORF, after he posted Facebook comments calling several journalists and the publication a bunch of liars. Strache labeled a story from chief ARD correspondent Michael Mandlik Satire! and included a cropped photo of Pinocchio.

Taking a page from President Donald Trump's phrase playbook, Strache also posted several more Facebook comments labeling the ORF fake news.

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"There's a place where lies become news. It's the ORF," the text on Straches post read, mimicking ads the broadcaster distributes. The best of fake news, lies and propaganda, pseudo-culture and forced licensing fees. Regional and international. On TV, radio and the Facebook profile of Armin Wolf."

Strache has since removed the posts and apologized to Wolf for the comments by saying that it was simply satire.

The ORFs defamation suit against Strache has drawn criticism from Strache and other right-wing Freedom Party politicians who say there needs to be ORF Reform so that they are purely neutral.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekA view shows offices of the prime minister along a deserted street near the French embassy in the capital Ougadougou, Burkina Faso March 2, 2018. REUTERS/Anne Mimault

By Thiam Ndiaga

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore called on the public on Saturday to collaborate more closely with the armed forces, the day after attacks at army headquarters and the French embassy left 16 people dead, including eight gunmen, and wounded 80.

No one has claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in the capital Ouagadougou, which follow two other major assaults in the past two years.

Previous attacks in Ouagadougou and near the porous border with Mali were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso's participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.

"In these difficult moments, I would like to reaffirm to Africa and the entire world my unshakeable faith in the capacity of the Burkinabe people to preserve their dignity and ferociously oppose their enemies," Kabore said in a speech on national television.

"I would like to encourage the population to reinforce collaboration with our defence and security forces in our common fight against terrorism," he said.

Burkinabe security forces are frequently targeted by militants near the country's borders with Mali and Niger, where they participate in a regional task force aimed at countering rising jihadi violence.

Authorities said four gunmen were killed at army headquarters, where the assailants also detonated a car bomb, and four more were killed at the embassy. Two attackers were also captured on Friday.

Local residents were left to wonder how their country remained vulnerable to such attacks after a raid in January 2016 claimed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and another last August by suspected jihadists killed a total of nearly 50 people.

"If the army headquarters is totally wiped out there is a problem," said Souleymane Traore, director of the newspaper Le Quotidien.

"We are really revolted by this insecurity and we must point the finger at those who are responsible."

Story continues

Security was reinforced near strategic sites in Ouagadougou on Saturday as Prime Minister Paul Kaba Thieba, flanked by ministers from his government, toured the army headquarters and the French embassy.

Government spokesman Remi Dandjinou told Reuters on Saturday that arrests had been made in connection with the attacks but it was unclear if he was referring to new arrests or the two that authorities had reported on Friday.

(Additional reporting by Nadoun Coulibaly; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Stephen Powell)A Joshua Tree, California, couple have been arrested after their three children were found living in a plywood box for four years.

On Wednesday, Mona Kirk, 51, and Daniel Panico, 73, were booked into Morongo Basin jail on suspicion of willful cruelty to a child after San Bernardino County sheriff deputies found the children, aged 11, 13 and 14, living in a large box made of plywood on their property, according to a statement from the sheriffs department. The couple are being held in lieu of a $100,000 bail.

The children were found hungry and living among garbage, debris and human feces at the makeshift property, which had no electricity or running water. A trailer was also found near the box containing around 30 to 40 freely roaming cats.

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ABCD

San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department

The children told authorities they had been living in the box for four years, according to the statement. Upon discovering them, authorities called Children and Family Services, who immediately drove them to the hospital for treatment. Authorities measured the plywood house at approximately 20 feet long by four feet high and 10 feet wide. It appeared to have a plastic tarp draped over it to form a roof.

Morongo Basin Station Captain Trevis Newport told local press that the children were not being held captive and distinguished this incident from that of the Turpin children in Perris, California.

"They're homeless," Newport said, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. "It's a shelter, the shape of a box."

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"This time of year, it's very cold at night," said Cindy Bachman, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department.

She added: "When that wind blows, it is freezing. These kids are living in a shelter made of wood and tarp and it's 20 to 30 degrees at night."

Story continues

EFGH

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department

Mike Reynolds, a neighbor, told CBS Los Angeles that he had never been to the house despite knowing the family for the past few years.

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His family, they lived not too far from here and they lost their house. So he bought that lot and bought that trailers and moved up. There were living there, and his goal was to build his dream house, Reynolds said.

He added: Were in the desert. People come up here to get away from it all. People come up here to live off of the grid.

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This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekXi Jinping Angela Merkel 2

Reuters

China has been investing heavily in Europe, especially in countries that could eventually become European Union members like those in the Balkans and eastern Europe.

There is a legitimate fear that China could be using these investment projects to control major European infrastructure, which would allow the Chinese government to pressure EU member states to take stances favourable to China.

The EU's most important member, Germany, is suspicious of Chinas presence in Europe and has called for a European response to safeguard our interests.

The EU is on alert for Chinese attempts to drive a wedge through the bloc as more states on the periphery line up to join the European fold, diplomatic observers and sources said.

Diplomatic observers said the European Union was wary of Chinas growing investment in the Balkans, central and eastern European countries and poorer EU members  which Beijing sees as gateways into the more developed European market  as it threatened unity and solidarity.

In her second warning in a fortnight against Chinas interference in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that EU member states involved in Chinese infrastructure projects should maintain the blocs foreign policy stand on China.

Otherwise the EU would be allowing itself to be divided against itself, she said.

China EU

Associated Press

About a week earlier, Merkel stressed that Chinas trade with countries in the western Balkans should not come with political strings attached.

China and Germany have a strong economic relationship, with bilateral trade rising to 186.6 billion (US$227.9 billion) last year from 170.2 billion in 2016.

But Berlin is suspicious of Chinas presence in Europe and has called for a European response to safeguard our interests.

Diplomatic sources have accused China of using divide and rule tactics, by getting eastern members of the EU to block or contest decisions on political issues, such as the South China Sea disputes, which Beijing considers unfavourable, as it did with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

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The strategy was used successfully to block an EU move to raise criticisms of Chinas human rights record at the United Nations, they said.

China has been involved in infrastructure projects in Europe since 2012 through the 16+1 initiative, which was set up in the wake of the financial crisis with the promise to develop investment and trade cooperation in the region.

In November, work began in Serbia, an EU membership candidate, on a railway line from its capital Belgrade to the Hungarian capital Budapest. The Serbian section of the project is being funded by Chinese companies.

In 2016, Chinas state-owned shipping company Cosco bought a majority stake in Greeces Piraeus Port, which triggered discontent within the EU despite the bloc having earlier demanded the privatisation of the facility to help solve Greeces debt crisis.

China Greece Piraeus

Associated Press

Some EU members, especially Germany, are concerned about Chinese investment in the so-called periphery of the union, as well as about the acquisition of strategically sensitive infrastructure such as ports, power plants and key technologies, Igor Rogelja, a researcher at the Lau China Institute at Kings College London, said.

Germany may be taking a more hard-line stance because it sees China as a competitor for the worlds export markets, but other members may see it more as a source of financing and investment, he said.

Germany, France and Italy are leading the call for the EU to tighten the screening regime for foreign investment, a move which is seen as a response to Chinas growing appetite for European technology. EU trade ministers discussed a proposal for the introduction of such a mechanism at a meeting in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Tuesday.

A report released by the Global Public Policy Institute and the Mercator Institute for China Studies, both of which are based in Germany, said Europes economic ties with China are more important than those it has with Russia, and the stakes associated with calling out Beijing are much higher.

Europe neglects Chinas increasing influence at its own peril, the report said. Drawing on its economic strength and a Chinese Communist Party apparatus that is geared towards strategically building stocks of influence across the globe, Beijings political influencing efforts in Europe are bound to be much more consequential  than those of the Kremlin.

China Eastern Europe

Associated Press

But Rogelja said there was not much the EU could do to prevent Chinese investment in the western Balkans as these countries will turn to whatever source of funding they can to pay for infrastructure upgrading.

On February 6, the European Union unveiled a new strategy to integrate six Balkan states, some of which could join the fold as early as 2025.

Five Balkan states currently in the process of negotiating their accession to the EU, and 11 existing members, make up the China-led 16+1 initiative, which Beijing has sought to use as a platform for its Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinpings pet project to expand intercontinental trade and infrastructure links.

Jonathan Hilliman, a fellow with the Washington-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said that while Brussels was concerned about Chinas investments in central and eastern Europe, Beijing was unlikely to find it easy to get a solid foothold.

EU members have access to more infrastructure investment sources than many belt and road members do, particularly when compared to Central or Southeast Asia, he said.

China often gains a foothold because its willing to invest where others are not. But the EU is a different environment: more investment options, open procurement rules, higher social and environmental safeguards. These factors all provide a higher bar for entry.

AP_17332518927249

Associated Press

Chinas direct investment in Europe jumped 76 per cent to US$81 billion last year, although that was mostly because of the delayed completion of a 2016 mega deal involving ChemChinas US$43 billion takeover of Swiss agribusiness company Syngenta.

If the deal were excluded, the value would have fallen by 22 per cent to US$38 billion, according to a report released in January by law firm Baker McKenzie and consultants Rhodium Groupreport.

The EUs direct investment in China in the year fell 9.1 per cent to US$8.8 billion, according to industry and government figures.

Zhao Junjie, a specialist on European issues with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that despite frequent dialogue at all levels between China and the EU, there remained a shortage of political trust between the two sides.

He suggested that internal problems, such as Brexit and the conflict between member states on how to handle the refugee problem, had created tensions within the EU that were being redirected at China, and that things were only likely to get worse.

Mutual trust will weaken further, and there will be more suspicion and disputes, Zhao said.

Cui Hongjian, a senior fellow with the China Institute of International Studies, said that the EUs core members viewed a rising China as a threat, which could lead to further confrontation.

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See Also:FILE PHOTO - A Colombian anti-narcotics policeman stands guard next to packs of cocaine at the police base in Bogota July 22, 2015. REUTERS/ John Vizcaino

Thomson Reuters

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia and the United States agreed on Thursday to work together to reduce by half the production of cocaine, and cultivation of its raw material coca in the South American nation within five years.

Coca leaf, which is turned into cocaine using various chemicals and fertilizers, covered 188,000 hectares of Colombia at the end of 2016, while potential production of cocaine reached 910 metric tons, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

"This effort includes the national implementation of a comprehensive anti-narcotics strategy that aims to reduce estimated cocaine production and coca cultivation by 50 percent by 2023," U.S. Under Secretary of Political Affairs Thomas Shannon said at the end of a meeting with Colombia's foreign minister.

Details were not provided on how they would achieve the reduction.

Colombia is one of the leading producers and traffickers of cocaine. The United States is the main consumer of Colombian cocaine and provides military and economic aid to fight the illegal drugs industry.

Between 2000 and 2015, Colombia received about $10 billion for military and social programs. The U.S. government now provides about $400 million annually to Colombia.

Colombia's Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin said she appreciated support from the United States over the years.

"On the issue of security and the fight against a world drug problem, we continue to unite, and we know that by working together we can one day make Colombia a drug-free country," she said in a statement.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, Writing by Helen Murphy; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

See Also:US Army soldier M4 carbine rifle

US Army/Markus Rauchenberger

For decades, troops have been complaining about the limitations of the M16 rifle and M4 carbine, both of which are hindered by the same flawed operating system that makes the weapons jam easily. But after years of ignoring small arms in favor of expensive aircraft and warships, the Pentagon is taking a long, hard look at how to give the Army 11 Bang Bangs and Marine grunts a better weapon.

Defense Secretary James Mattis has ordered the creation of a task force to make American small arms more lethal to give infantry soldiers and Marines an extra advantage in the close fight, Pentagon personnel chief Robert Wilkie said. It has been decades since the Pentagon last looked at the combat effectiveness of small units.

We dont want any more fair fights, Wilkie told Task & Purpose on Wednesday. We want to overmatch any adversary out there.

Close combat, in which opposing troops are no more than 600 meters from each other, accounts for up to 90 percent of US casualties, Wilkie said, and Americas adversaries have made advances in this type of fighting in recent years.

The Israelis had planned to destroy Hezbollah using airpower in 2006, but they found themselves in close combat with a conventionally trained force that lured Israeli tanks and infantry into kill zones.

The bottom line for us is we dont want that to happen, Wilkie said.

Marines M16 rifle

US Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Sarah Stegall

To ensure that US troops can annihilate any enemy in the close fight, the new task force will look at how to update troops training and equipment based on lessons learned from special operations forces, he said. One aspect of the review is whether infantry soldiers and Marines need a new rifle, he said.

When asked if the Task Forces work could result in the Army and Marine Corps fielding a new rifle, Wilkie said: It could. We just havent gotten to that point yet.

Story continues

But Wilkie stressed that the task forces focus is to make sure that infantry troops have the training to be dominant in the close fight, adding that discussions about how soldiers and Marines are equipped will flow from that.

Mattis has said that he wants US troops to experience 25 simulated battles before they get their first actual combat experience, Wilkie said. To accomplish that, the task force will look at expanding the use of simulators that are currently in the works at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Camp Pendleton, California, he said.

US Army M4 rifle target range

US Army/Sgt. 1st Class Randall Pike

Over the last 70 years, small infantry units have done most of the fighting and dying in Americas wars, but a Pentagon Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation review recently determined that infantry troops get less than 1 percent of the Defense Departments resources for training and equipment, said retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Scales, who was an advisor to the CAPE review.

Meanwhile, any US casualties can have strategic implications, Scales told Task & Purpose on Feb. 23. For example, the deaths of four soldiers in Niger in October 2017 has led the US military to rethink its entire posture in Africa, he said.

Were very, very sensitive to casualties, Scales said. So, it make sense to me that the nation should do more to keep alive who are most likely to die.

While small arms and other infantry equipment cost far less than the Defense Departments modernization programs, they have not been a top Pentagon acquisition priority.

For decades, expensive weapons programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier have eaten up a large part of the Pentagons budget, but Wilkie said the task force will now look at whether the Defense Department needs to spend more money on grunts.

The focus for this secretary will be on the point of the spear where the most of the casualties occur, Wilkie said. We are going to determine whether or not we have devoted sufficient resources to that fight. My view is, yes, we will be spending more money on that.

NOW WATCH: The US spent $611 billion on its military in 2016  more than the next 8 countries combined

See Also:The National Grid, which manages the UKs energy network, warned that it might not have enough gas to meet demand on March 1, due to plummeting temperatures and issues with supply. It has since withdrawn the warning, saying the market response has boosted supplies. But Britains lack of flexible energy supply is a serious issue. This isnt the first time such a warning has been issued and it probably wont be the last.

More than 80% of UK households use gas to heat their homes so the industry has to handle huge seasonal swings in demand. British weather is notoriously unpredictable and experiences fluctuations throughout the year. This requires flexible energy supply, especially when extreme weather events hit, such as the Beast from the East.

Historically, flexible supply came from simply producing more from the North Sea, but due to falling production that option has gone. Instead, flexibility today comes from four sources: from Norwegian offshore production that is delivered by pipeline directly to the UK, from domestic storage facilities, from the UKs three liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and gas from Europe via interconnector pipelines. What gas comes from where depends on the market price  in the UK, Europe and globally  and the willingness of those that own the gas to sell it.

No surprises here

The industry was warning before winter that things could get difficult. The reason being that back in June last year Centrica, the UK energy group that owns British Gas announced that it was closing its long-term storage facility at Rough, a depleted gas field off the Yorkshire coast. Technical problems were making it increasingly costly to maintain. But it was the UKs largest gas storage site.

Even before then, the UK was short on storage, with a capacity equivalent to 5.9% of total consumption in 2016. In some countries, including Germany, France and Italy, storage covers around 20% of demand. With the Rough facility gone, the UK is left with 1.4bcm of medium range storage  equivalent to 1.8% of 2016 consumption. This gets filled and emptied many times over the course of the winter. But, in an emergency such as this, it is quickly emptied and wont refill while prices are high.

Story continues

Until recently the government did not seem phased by the closure of Rough, despite industry calls back in November to review the situation. Reportedly, it is now thinking again. With limited storage, the UK is dependent on sufficient gas being in the LNG tanks and on being able to get more gas from Norway and continental Europe. But there are physical limits on the pipelines that carry that gas.

Back in December a combination of a fire at the Baumgarten gas hub in Austria, technical problems in the North Sea and with the interconnector pipelines that enable imports from northwest Europe, and congestion on the National Transmission System (NTS) operated by National Grid, all resulted in shortage and a short-lived spike in the UKs gas price. Things soon rectified themselves and it was back to business as usual.

This time is different

But, this time is different, as a prolonged period of cold weather right across Europe is resulting in a surge in gas demand, that is projected to reach a six-year high.

The surge in demand in the UK also puts additional pressure on National Grid to move gas around the system. Back in December, congestion limited the ability of the interconnectors to supply gas. At present, the LNG tanks are about 35% full, thanks to recent deliveries from Qatar and Russia, and gas is flowing from all three terminals. But it takes two weeks for an LNG tanker to get to its Welsh terminal from Ras Laffan in Qatar. Thus, the UK has to work with what it has at the moment.

With demand in the UK surging to more than 400mscm a day (compared to normal seasonal demand of 304mscm), a loss of capacity from any source of flexible supply, due to technical problems or an inability to attract sufficient gas from European markets, can lead to a supply emergency like the one just seen. If there were also technical failures on what is an ageing infrastructure, a prolonged cold spell could make things difficult.

The EU has introduced new policies in relation to gas security, including a solidarity principle which requires member states to help one another in an emergency. What happens if the UK leaves the EUs internal energy market? Equally, what happens in Ireland, which is dependent on the UK for its security of supply? Its yet another Brexit issue to contend with. If not, a cold shoulder from Brussels could end up being just as damaging as the Beast from the East.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Michael Bradshaw receives funding from RCUK's UK Energy Research Centre and from the University of Warwick's ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (grant reference ES/M500434/1).BERLIN (Reuters) - The German government would not oppose a suitable French candidate to replace Tom Enders as chief executive of European planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA) when his term expires in 2019, German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries said on Thursday.

Zypries told reporters it would be difficult for Germany, which alongside France holds a stake in Europe's largest aerospace company, to block a French candidate after years of having Enders, a German, at the helm.

"The most important thing is that it is someone who is qualified," Zypries said, adding: "The competition in America is not sleeping."

Enders announced in December he would not seek a new mandate when his term expires in 2019.

Germany and France are the two single largest stakeholders in Airbus, with each holding just over 11 percent of the company's shares.

Enders told shareholders last month he still held the reins and sought to address concerns about continuity as a raft of industrial executives prepare to leave or retire from Airbus.

It remains unclear who will succeed Enders in 2019. Although Airbus officials insist that should not be an issue until later this year, industry sources call it a potential distraction.

The main internal candidate is Guillaume Faury, a French citizen and the former helicopter unit chief who recently replaced Ender's previous No. 2 Fabrice Bregier.

But the board is also expected to examine fresh blood such as Thales (TCFP.PA) CEO Patrice Caine, two industry sources have told Reuters.

Le Figaro newspaper has also identified former Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) chief Alexandre de Juniac, currently head of the International Air Transport Association, as a contender.

Some German company officials, including Airbus defence chief Dirk Hoke, have also been named as possible successors.

(Reporting by Rene Wagner and Andrea Shalal; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Paul Carrel and Mark Potter)On Wednesday, astronomers announced that they had detected faint signals from what could be the very first stars in the universe, born just 180 million years after the Big Bang. The previous contenders formed more than twice as long after. That scientific journey required travels of a different kind: in order to actually spot the stars, the astronomers had to trek out to the middle of the Australian Outback.

Specifically, they had to travel to the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia, a government-protected science site. The long commute was worth it, first author Judd Bowman, a cosmologist at Arizona State University, told Newsweek. "Really this was the best option in the world" for the project, he said. Once the team got there, they set up two incredibly sensitive detectors tuned to radio waves.

02_28_murchison_radio_astronomy

CSIRO Australia

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Radio waves are an invisible form of light with especially long wavelengths, which means they can travel vast distances, like across the universe. But there's one big problem with radio waves: We humans are awfully fond of them ourselvesthey power a whole host of communications technology, including the radios they share a name with. "When you're driving in the car, you don't want to be changing the station all the time," Bowman said. Hence using a form of light that can travel with you.

But the radio waves Bowman and his colleagues wanted to hear are much fainter than radio waves produced here on Earth. That's why the Australian Outback was so appealing: Not only are there not many people nearby, but the government has banned FM radio broadcasts in the area.

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Story continues

Those broadcasts, it turns out, have exactly the same fingerprints as the signals the team was looking for. "It's amazingly quiet in this band," Bowman said of the Murchison area. And unlike other quiet places on the planet, because the site is home to other astronomical observatories, the area is equipped with everything else the scientists needed, like power generators and an Internet connection.

Before settling on Murchison, the team had also considered sites in Nevada and southeast Oregon, which Bowman said would have been the best American option. Another team looking for similar data to help confirm the new findings has settled on a different outpost, in the foothills of the Himalayas. That's truly the middle of nowhere, unlike the scientifically inclined Australian site.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks during a joint news conference with Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov in Sofia, Bulgaria, February 19, 2018. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

Thomson Reuters

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday opposition parties would unite to try to oust his ruling Fidesz in the April 8 election and would turn Hungary into a haven for immigrants, after his party suffered a surprise by-election defeat.

Orban's rightwing nationalist Fidesz is seeking a third consecutive term. The party is leading in opinion polls but suffered an unexpected setback at a municipal by-election on Sunday when an opposition-backed independent comfortably beat the Fidesz candidate for mayor.

Orban told state radio on Friday fragmented opposition parties would unite and present a single candidate to run against Fidesz in each constituency.

Political analysts have said the by-election result could change dynamics within the opposition, which had struggled to mount any serious challenge.

The Socialists, the strongest opposition party the nationalist Jobbik and the smaller leftist liberal parties have so far not presented a common nationwide front against Fidesz.

"The (by-election) was a laboratory case, and this will be repeated in several constituencies," Orban said. "In the end, there will be a candidate in every constituency from the opposition who supports immigration ... and our candidate who opposes immigration."

Orban said if Hungary becomes an "immigrant country" it would bring "terror, women and girls will no longer be safe and our cultural identity will weaken and slowly evaporate".

He reiterated that Central European EU members - Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary - along with Austria and Bavaria rejected the European Union's migration policies.

"They shoot at Poland, both Germany and Brussels ... because if they weaken (Poland) they weaken the whole Central Europe, and this way they also weaken the central European opposition to immigration," Orban said.

Orban has been one of the loudest opponents of mandatory migrant resettlement quotas proposed by the EU.

Story continues

Orban said the opposition would use funding from U.S. financier George Soros with the help of foreign-owned media operating in Hungary. Fidesz frequently vilifies Soros, saying he wants to bring millions of migrants into Europe, which Soros denies.

Voter support for Fidesz dropped to 29 percent in February from 32 percent in January but the party is favorite to win the election, a poll by the Republikon institute showed on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Krisztina Than; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

See Also:Jared Kushner's family-run real estate company tried to seek Qatari government financing for its troubled New York City property a month before Kushner backed a blockade on the Gulf kingdom, The Intercept reported on Friday.

Related: Jared Kushner can broker peace between Israel and Palestinians because of real estate experience, Netanyahu says

Kushner Cos. directly solicited investment from Qatari Finance Minister Ali Sherif al-Emadi for its 666 Fifth Avenue luxury tower in April 2017, two sources in the finance industry told The Intercept. No deal came of it.

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Kushner Cos. spokeswoman Chris Taylor denied such brokering attempts occurred. To be clear, we did not meet with anyone from the Qatari government to solicit sovereign funds for any of our projects, Taylor told Newsweek in an email. To suggest otherwise is inaccurate and false.

The following month, Kushner and the White House supported a blockade of Qatar organized by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Due to the crisis, alliances in the region have shifted, with Qatarwhich holds the largest U.S. military base in the Middle Eastaligning more closely with Iran and Turkey.

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In June, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought a calm and thoughtful dialogue to bring resolution to the clash between Qatar and its neighbors. But President Donald Trump echoed Saudi talking points and called Qatar a funder of terror at a very high level, The New York Times reported.

Kushner resigned as CEO of Kushner Cos. when he joined the White House and left his father, Charles Kushner, to run the business. It was Charles Kushner who met with al-Emadi, along with their aides, at a St. Regis New York hotel suite in April, according to The Intercept. The meeting ran for half an hour, and they discussed the potential investment. Conversations continued the next day at a conference room at 666 Fifth Avenue, but al-Emadi was not present, The Intercept said.

Story continues

The report concerning Qatar adds to controversy surrounding Kushners government work, business dealings and any conflicts between them.

Officials from the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico have privately talked about how they could use Kushners lack of foreign policy experience and business interests as leverage, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekTHESSALONIKI, Greece (AP)  The Latest on the Greek soldiers detained Turkey (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says a Turkish court has ordered two Greek soldiers arrested for allegedly entering a Turkish military zone and on suspicion of attempted espionage.

Greece said Friday that the two soldiers on patrol at the Greek-Turkish border had accidentally strayed into Turkey because of bad weather.

Anadolu Agency reports that a court in Edirne, in northwestern Turkey, ordered the pair arrested after they were questioned.

___

11:30 a.m.

Greece says two of its soldiers on patrol on the Greek-Turkish border accidentally strayed into Turkey and have been taken to the city of Edirne by Turkish authorities.

The Greek army said Friday the two-man patrol strayed into Turkish territory on Thursday because of bad weather, and that Greek and Turkish authorities were in contact with each other and were undertaking procedures for the two to be returned to Greece.

Most of the Greek-Turkish border is marked by a river, and a fence runs along much of the land section. Some parts, however, aren't clearly marked, and the area where the soldiers strayed was reportedly in woodland.

Although NATO allies, relations between Greece and Turkey are often strained.

See Also:Tens of thousands have protested across Slovakia after a journalist working on a story about the Italian mafia was shot dead along with his fiancee.

Slovakian president Andrej Kiska joined about 20,000 people in the capital Bratislava on Friday.

They held a minute's silence for Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, who were found dead on Sunday at their home in the east of the city.

Marches were held in 25 towns and cities across the country and abroad, including in London, Paris and Brussels.

Demonstrators held photos of the 27-year-old journalist and carried banners with slogans such as: ''Mafia get out of my country," and "an attack on journalists = an attack on us all".

Some moved on to the government office to call on prime minister Robert Fico's administration to resign.

Mr Kuciak was looking into suspected Mafia links among Italian businessmen in eastern Slovakia when he was gunned down.

He had also reported on tax and subsidy fraud and links between businessmen and local politicians.

A retired Italian anti-Mafia prosecutor said Italian prosecutors had warned authorities in Slovakia of "dangerous" infiltration by a powerful organised crime syndicate before the killings.

Franco Roberti told Italian radio that Slovakian authorities had been warned, "but unfortunately they didn't heed us" with regards to the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate's expansion into Slovakia.

Police in Slovakia raided houses linked to alleged members of the syndicate on Thursday.

Seven men were detained in the towns of Michalovce and Trebisov - but all seven have since been released.

Mr Roberti suggested the group may have killed the journalist as "there was no other way to silence" him.

He also said "corruption" of local officials played a major role in the 'Ndrangheta's operations abroad.

Scotland Yard, the FBI and the Czech and Italian police, along with Europol, are assisting Slovakian authorities in the investigation.

Story continues

Prime Minister Fico, who is known for his attacks on the media, was urged by the secretary general of the Reporters Without Borders group to apologise to journalists when they met on Friday.

Christophe Deloire branded the climate for journalists working in the country as "appalling".

The killings come less than five months after anti-corruption journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, died in a car bomb on Malta. The men charged with her murder are also accused of being involved with organised crime.Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a memorial ceremony for the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem as Israel marks the 22nd anniversary of Rabin's killing by an ultra-nationalist Jewish assassin, November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo

Thomson Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Benjamin Netanyahu is the dominant Israeli politician of his generation. On the domestic and international stage, no rival comes close to the veteran Likud Party leader known widely as "Bibi".

Israeli police on Feb. 13 recommended that the 68-year-old,four-term prime minister be indicted for bribery in two cases[nL8N1Q36M4]. On Friday, he was questioned in connection with a third investigation.

It is by no means certain that Netanyahu will be indicted. The police can only make recommendations. It is now up to Israel's attorney-general, Avichai Mandelblit, to decide whether to press charges. That decision could take months.

But the very fact that the leader of Israel's ruling right-wing coalition is being scrutinized by prosecutors will likely affect the political calculations of his supporters, rivals and opponents within his own coalition, and across the political spectrum.

Here is a guide to Netanyahu's career, some possible candidates to succeed him, and what effect any change in leadership might have on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and across a Middle East in which Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other regional power brokers are all watching closely.

DOES NETANYAHU HAVE TO RESIGN?

Netanyahu is under no strict legal obligation to quit following the police recommendations. Indeed, he has given every indication that he intends to remain in office while pursuing a legal battle.

There has been little public pressure from coalition partners for him to step down, although that could change as fellow politicians and the Israeli public study details of the cases.

There was speculation before the police recommendations were made public that Netanyahu might call early elections, seeking a public mandate that would make a prosecutor think twice before moving against him.

However, Netanyahu said in a televised address that he was "certain" the next elections would be held on schedule. They are not due until November 2019. Recent polls show on the one hand that about half of Israelis believe the police over Netanyahu and think he should step down. On the other hand, surveys also show strong support among Netanyahu's core base, putting Likud ahead of all the other parties.

Story continues

HOW DID NETANYAHU BECOME SUCH A DOMINANT FIGURE?

Netanyahu has been in power on and off since 1996. The son of a hawkish Israeli historian, he was born in Tel Aviv in 1949and moved to the United States in the 1960s when his father got an academic job there.

He is the middle of three brothers, all of whom served in elite Israeli commando units. The eldest, Yonatan Yoni Netanyahu, became a national hero after he was killed in 1976leading an assault team that stormed Entebbe Airport in Ugandato rescue Israelis and other airline passengers taken hostage by radical Palestinian and West German hijackers.

Netanyahu says his brother's death "changed my life and directed it to its present course".

Telegenic, and speaking fluent American-accented English, he first gained domestic and international attention as Israels ambassador to the United Nations during the first Palestinianintifada (uprising) that broke out in 1987.

He used this as a springboard to secure the leadership of the right-wing Likud party, running on a platform of opposition to the 1993 Oslo interim peace accords that were spearheaded by U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israel's then-prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

But Rabin was assassinated in 1995 and Netanyahu was elected prime minister the following year, the youngest-ever Israeli to hold the position and the first to be born in Israel.

Despite having opposed Oslo, Netanyahu worked with Arafat on deploying Palestinian forces into the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, and even shook Arafat's hand in public.

But his first term as prime minister was widely seen as a failure. Critics assailed what was seen as a divisive style of leadership, and after losing the election in 1999 he spent a period in the second rank of Israeli politics, overshadowed even within his own party by former general Ariel Sharon.

Returning to prominence after Sharon left Likud and then suffered an incapacitating stroke in 2005, Netanyahu was elected for his second term in 2009  10 years after his first ended. The last election was in 2015, and Netanyahu will become Israels longest-serving leader if he serves the full four years until elections are next due in November 2019.

A familiar figure in Washington dating back to the 1980sReagan administration, Netanyahu most recently had a strained relationship with President Barack Obama, especially over his opposition to the July 2015 Iran nuclear deal promoted by the U.S. leader.

But he has been much closer to Obama's successor, President Donald Trump. On Dec. 6 last year Trump reversed decades of U.S. foreign policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He also said he would move the U.S. Embassy to the city.

Both moves were hailed by Netanyahu and proved very popular with Israelis, although Palestinians - who claim East Jerusalem for the capital of a future state - and political and religious leaders across the Middle East were dismayed.

So proud is Netanyahu of his relationship with Trump that he has a picture of the two shaking hands at the top of his Facebook page. He is likely to use his relationship with the leader of the world's most powerful country in any future appeal to the Israeli public.

WHO ARE THE POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS?

Opinion polls suggest that Yair Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid opposition party, is the strongest candidate to succeed Netanyahu if he is forced out. But other candidates could enter the race, which would shift the balance.

Within Netanyahu's Likud party, a number of members of his cabinet are vying to succeed him, including Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Intelligence Minister Israel Katz and former Education Minister Gideon Saar. None has shown strong signs of planning to depart significantly from Netanyahu's hawkish policies.

Outside Netanyahu's party, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett are possible candidates. Both head far-right parties in Netanyahu's governing coalition.

WHAT HAPPENS TO ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN, REGIONAL CONFLICTS IF HE QUITS?

A cloud over Netanyahu's political future would compound the uncertainty surrounding prospects for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that collapsed in 2014.

If Netanyahu steps down, a successor from within Likud would need the support of the party's hardline central committee, which passed a non-binding resolution in December calling for annexation of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, captured by Israel in a 1967 war and which Palestinians want for a future state.

Recent tensions along the Syrian and Lebanese borders have not so far proved to be a major factor in domestic political calculations, as even Netanyahu's political opponents say they do not believe his legal troubles would affect his decision-making on security matters.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell, Jeffrey Heller and Stephen Farrell, Editing by William Maclean)

See Also:By Syed Raza Hassan

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - When British colonial rulers hastily left South Asia at Pakistan's painful birth in 1947, the ensuing chaos and violence meant little attention was paid to the architecture they built or influenced in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi.

More than 70 years later, architectural gems have been torn down and many are either crumbling or under threat from real estate developers in Pakistan's commercial capital which is mushrooming into a mega-city.

The structures, weathered by the salty air, open the door to Karachi's colonial scars, researchers say, pointing out that many of the original owners were among millions of Muslim and Hindu refugees who fled their homes amid communal and religious violence that accompanied the end of British rule in India in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan.

"Every brick of the heritage building narrates a story of those who left in 1947," said Akthar Baloch, a researcher who has written several books on Karachi's heritage. "They built them with love and affection.

"When people like me feel bad looking at the neglect of these heritage sites, one wonders how the families of the owners must feel if they ever visit Karachi." (Click http://reut.rs/2F03sEg for a picture package of Karachi's crumbling heritage buildings)

Karachi's population has skyrocketed to nearly 17 million people in 2017 from an estimated 400,000 at independence, and every inch of the city has become a valuable commodity for developers building homes or drafting plans to alter the city's skyline with new skyscrapers.

Jahangir Kothari Parade promenade, once an imposing British heritage site, is now obscured by a maze of overpasses and the shadow of Pakistan's tallest building.

The promenade is part of a handful of buildings, along with the colonial-era Imperial Customs House, which have been restored to their former grandeur, but such projects are rare when the focus is on tearing down old and building new.

Story continues

Rapid urbanisation has ensured large-scale destruction, particularly in the old city areas, where more profitable multi-story residential buildings have sprung up.

But amid the new concrete, remnants of the colonial legacy can still be seen, often recognisable by their state of neglect.

The Saddar neighbourhood of Karachi has perhaps the largest concentration of British architectural history, while in the city's eastern district, the iconic old colonial jail has been declared a heritage site by Sindh province's antiquities department.

So far more than 1,700 premises have been listed as heritage sites by the antiquities department and the process continues.

The Sindh Cultural Heritage Preservation Act, introduced in 1994, has helped provide legal protection for structures of historical significance. But courts are also busy with cases of developers trying to circumvent such protection.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)By Carlos Garcia Rawlins

CARACAS (Reuters) - The bus station was like a funeral home. Families were weeping and hugging, saying their goodbyes. Everybody was sad and scared - the ones leaving because they were facing an uncertain future, and the ones staying behind because they were facing muggings, shortages of food and an even more uncertain future.

Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans migrated elsewhere in South America last year. Reporter Alexandra Ulmer and I wanted to give names and faces to at least a few of them, so we decided to join them in a nearly 5,000-mile bus journey south to Chile.

I hoped that by sharing this journey with my fellow Venezuelans, I could help show the rest of the world what most of us are facing every day.

I am no stranger to this daily reality: Friends and family members are leaving; some have been robbed of their few remaining belongings and of their hopes; others have lost their jobs and income. I try to take care of the people closest to me - otherwise, some of them might not eat.

When the passengers finally boarded the bus carrying cheap Chinese luggage, the mood was sombre, but there was also a feeling of hope. I just photographed them silently, observing their strength as they made this huge step.

Adrian, a car battery salesman, lived with his girlfriend in the house he shared with his grandparents, his mother and his siblings. Although they all worked, there was never enough money. Adrian wanted to help his mother and build a future with his girlfriend. And he saw no other way to do that than leaving.

It was very difficult for him to leave his home, and he broke down in tears when he learnt, while crossing Colombia, that his great-grandmother had died. But he told me that although the pain was almost breaking his heart, he had to keep going. He was the only hope for his family.

And there was Alvaro, a former bank supervisor, whose most precious possession was a photo of him, his wife and their two children posing with Santa Claus. His wife had written a few lines on the back of the picture - that she loved him, that they would miss him and that he was the greatest father in the world. And that she hoped they would all be together again soon. They looked happy and healthy in the photograph. Now it was a memory that he held onto like a castaway and a life preserver.

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Everyone on the bus counted and spent every cent carefully, considering if it was necessary to spend a few coins on a bathroom at a bus station or eat a warm meal. Some of them lived on food they had brought from Caracas: canned sardines or tuna, mayonnaise and white bread that had gotten smashed in a plastic bag after days of travelling.

I felt their fear every time we crossed a border. Most of them had never left Venezuela before. There were afraid of the border police, worried they would ask any tricky questions that could bring an end to their journey and force them to return.

And although the landscape was constantly changing, after so many days it was like a movie that was constantly repeating itself. The passengers spent the hours sitting listless in their seats, staring out of the windows and completely losing any notion of time.

In fact, that sameness made the assignment a challenge, visually speaking. After the first days, the photos started to repeat themselves: people sitting inside a bus. But as the hours went by, I got to know them, and I was able to visualise their dreams and hopes  and fears.

I could feel their growing anxiety until the last group finally crossed the border into Chile. There, the mood changed immediately. They cried and hugged each other, only this time out of sheer happiness.

It hurts me as a Venezuelan, but after witnessing their pain during those nine days of travelling together, I believe they made the right decision. They took the best chance they had to change their lives.

((reporting by Carlos Garcia Rawlins; editing by Kari Howard))The Polish government has said that Germany could be liable for as much as $850 billion in war reparations for the damage the Nazis caused the country in World War II.

Polish politician Arkadiusz Mularczyk is in charge of a unit tasked with calculating the cost of Germany's war damages after it killed 6 million Polish citizens in the conflict. The Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler occupied Poland for six years from 1939 to 1945.

"We are talking about very large, but justified amounts of compensation for war crimes, for destroyed cities, villages and the lost demographic potential of our country," Mularczyk told Polsat News, a private broadcaster, according to the Associated Press.

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02_22_Auschwitz_Poland

Scott Barbour/Getty

Poland has never asked Germany for the war reparations, and Germany says that it does not owe them because of an agreement signed between the pair in the 1950s.

But Poland's conservative government is now trying to calculate how much Warsaw would be owed, with a view to reclaiming some or all of the money. It says the agreement to waive the reparations, signed in 1953, does not count as Poland was then under the auspices of the Soviet Union.

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The German parliament's legal experts said last year that the country does not owe Poland any reparations, and it remains unclear what the outcome would be if Poland did make an official demand for the large sum.

Poland has made moves to exonerate itself of any blame for the actions on its soil during the conflict. It has introduced a controversial law that will pass down a maximum prison sentence of three years to anyone who accuses Poland of responsibility for crimes committed in World War II.

Story continues

Israel has condemned the bill as an attempt to rewrite history. It says that some Poles were guilty of taking part in several atrocities against Jews, sometimes in tandem with the Nazi regime.

The Polish government bid to estimate the cost of the German occupation appears to be another way for it to disregard any blame for World War II crimes committed on Polish soil.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPHILADELPHIA (AP)  Federal prosecutors are urging a Pennsylvania mayor convicted on dozens of corruption charges to resign.

U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen Friday said Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski was unfit to serve even before a jury determined that he had sold his office to campaign donors.

The Democrat cried in court as the verdict came down Thursday, and his wife collapsed in a hallway.

His lawyer tells The Associated Press that Pawlowski respects the jury's verdict but maintains his innocence. Jack McMahon says the conviction is a "devastating blow" to Pawlowski, who will be required to forfeit office.

Authorities say Pawlowski masterminded a scheme to rig city contracts to raise money for his statewide political campaigns.

Lappen says a timetable for Pawlowski's resignation has not been set.

See Also:Protesters in Taiwan threw red paint over the tomb of former Nationalist ruler Chiang Kai-shek on February 28, urging the government to speed up plans to remove symbols of the countrys authoritarian past, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.

A statement posted to the Facebook page of From Ethnos to Nation, the group who reportedly carried out the attack, said the tomb was the greatest mockery of the transition to justice and should not be preserved as a tourist attraction.

Taiwan News reported that the protest was carried out on the 71st anniversary of a nationalist massacre estimated to have killed as many as 28,000 people. A spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense condemned the incident, the report said. Credit: From Ethnos to Nation via StoryfulArchaeologists have uncovered a large 7,000-year-old Native American burial site beneath the waters off the coast of Manasota Key, Florida, in what has been described as an unprecedented discovery.

The first evidence of the remarkably well-preserved burial site emerged in the summer of 2016 when an amateur diver came across a human jawbone on the seabed, 21 feet (6.5 meters) below the surface, while searching for the teeth of a giant ancient shark speciesthe Megalodonwhich are commonly found in the area.

The diver sent a picture of the jawbone to Floridas Bureau of Archaeological Research, where underwater archaeologist Ryan Duggins noticed something intriguing.

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The only tooth still attached to the jawbonea molarwas very worn, suggesting it must have belonged to someone who ate much tougher food than what we are used to today.

"That's something we don't see in modern populations, so that was a quick indicator we were dealing with a prehistoric individual, Duggins told National Geographic.

Subsequently, Duggins and his colleagues carried out non-invasive investigations of the sitelocated 900ft (275m) from the shoreuncovering burial grounds estimated to cover an area of more than 32,000 square feet (3,000 square meters).

014-native-american-burial-site-3

Ivor Mollema/Florida Department of State

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So far, the team have found the remains of at least six individualsincluding pieces of skull and broken arm bonesin addition to carved wooden stakes and textile fragments. However, the researchers expect to find more, given the size of the site and the fact that investigations are only in their preliminary stages.

They dated the objects found to around 7,000 years ago during a period known as the Early Archaicusing radiocarbon techniques.

Story continues

Seeing a 7,000-year-old site that is so well preserved in the Gulf of Mexico is awe inspiring, Duggins said in a statement. We are truly humbled by this experience. We now know that this type of site exists on the continental shelf.

Seven thousand years ago, the Manasota Key site would have looked very different to how it does today. Sea levels were much lower, meaning it was likely still part of the mainland, although the burial grounds may actually have been the site of an ancient freshwater pond.

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Previously, evidence has been found to suggest that prehistoric Floridians placed their dead at the bottom of ponds, which is likely what happened at Manasota Keys.

The bottom of the pond was covered in peat, which slowed the process of organic decay, allowing remains and items at the site to stay well-preserved, the researchers said. Over centuries, rising sea levels eventually covered the burial grounds as the Florida shoreline gave way to the ocean.

Little is known about the Indigenous peoples of Florida during the Early Archaic period, but research suggests that this time was marked by a transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to more sedentary societies.

The archaeologists and state authorities are now working with Indigenous representatives to ensure that the remains are treated appropriately.

It is important to remember that this is a burial site and must be treated with the utmost respect, Duggins said.

He added that the find will will forever change the way we approach offshore archaeology. As we continue to learn as much as possible from the site, we look forward to sharing that knowledge with the people of Florida.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekMembers of Thai Citizen Power party summit their documents to register their political party at the Election Commission Office in Bangkok, Thailand, March 2, 2018. REUTERS/Aukkarapon Niyomyat

Thomson Reuters

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Registration for new political parties in Thailand began on Friday with the Election Commission (EC) noting that 34 groups turned up to register, the first sign of political activity being officially allowed in the country since a 2014 coup.

The registration opening comes days after Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who led a 2014 coup, said that a general election would take place "no later" than February 2019, pushing back the vote by several months.

The vote delay has fueled growing protests in the Thai capital Bangkok in recent weeks.

Aspiring founders of new parties picked up documents on Friday to register party names at the Election Commission's headquarters north of Bangkok.

"This is the first time ... that we have opened registration. There are 34 [potential] parties which is a lot and it shows us that people are interested in taking part in politics and that they want a general election," Jarungvith Phumma, acting secretary-general of the Election Commission, told reporters on Friday.

Thailand currently has 69 registered, political parties.

Thailand has been bitterly divided since a 2006 coup against then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a businessman turned politician who gained the adoration of rural voters but made many enemies among the military-royalist elite.

After the restoration of democracy, the military again intervened in 2014 to topple a civilian government led by Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra.

The Election Commission has said those who want to register a new party for the general election will have until the end of March to do so.

One of those is Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister turned street protest leader who led demonstrations in Bangkok in 2013/14 that helped to oust Yingluck's government.

"We are ready to field candidates in the South and in Bangkok ... I cannot tell you more yet but we already have the names of those who we want as prime minister in mind," Thani Thaugsuban, a former Democrat Party lawmaker and Suthep's brother, told Reuters on Wednesday.

Story continues

Some groups wanting to register may face hurdles under the Political Parties Act that require parties to at least have 500 registered members and 1 million baht ($31,776.29) in party funding.

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panu Wongcha-umWriting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Michael Perry)

See Also:Fed-up commuters took matters into their own hands by forcing train doors open and walking along the tracks after a London train was delayed by a trespasser.

Rush-hour services in south-east London ground to a halt after a passenger pressed the emergency button.

With trains out of London already having suffered delays and cancellations due to Fridays snow and ice chaos, passengers marooned on the stationary service then ended up taking matters into their own hands.

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Passengers had to eventually be escorted away from the stationary train by emergency services. (Twitter/Eleanor Mawrey)

Passengers put themselves in clear by standing on the tracks near Lewisham station on Friday night. (Twitter/Keima Payton)

Irate commuters forced the doors open on a Southeastern train near Lewisham station, causing further delays as the train firm attempted to get people back into carriages.

Southeastern services at connecting London terminals were crippled as a result, with only a handful of trains leaving Londons Cannon St over several hours.

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In a flurry of tweets from 6.30pm on Friday, Southeastern said on social media: Weve asked for extra police assistance at Lewisham because of the ongoing major disruption with a number of trains trapped in the area whilst the power is off.

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We know its difficult and really unpleasant onboard the trains but youre safer remaining onboard.

Southeastern later added: We cant tell you when youll be moving at the moment. Process is effectively this; when people stop getting off trains (unless controlled by emerg. services) and were clear no-one else is on track, the power will go back on. Once this happens  trains will move.

A Southeastern spokesman said: There are currently severe delays to trains in the Lewisham area following a serious trespass incident.

Story continues

Several passengers have forced open the doors on a train and disembarked while it was stopped outside of the station.

Weve had to turn the power off for safety reasons, and Southeastern staff are currently working closely with Network Rail and the police to clear the trespassers from the tracks so that we can get trains moving again.

We completely understand that passengers on delayed and busy trains may be frustrated, but they simply must stay on the train for their own safety.

These trespassers risk being electrocuted by the third rail or hit by other trains. Theyre also causing significant further delay for other passengers that our staff are working hard to get home.

888poker Release the 14th Edition of The Poker Brief

March 03 2018 Matthew Pitt

888poker has released a new poker news round-up video called The Poker Brief on its YouTube channel, the 14th such video. Hosted by 888poker ambassador Kara Scott, The Poker Brief looks at the biggest poker stories from the past month and it even includes news that is not related to 888poker.

This months Poker Brief features what 888poker considers to be the biggest stories from February, which may be the shortest month on the calendar but it was a month packed with action from around the world.

Scott starts the 8:55 long video by talking about the US Poker Open and describes how the fact viewers could watch mixed games and high stakes no-limit holdem and pot-limit Omaha tournaments streamed on PokerGo is a good thing for the industry. Of course, PokerNews covered the US Poker Open so if you want to read how the events went down, check our recaps of the action.

Despite the MILLIONS Germany Main Event, won by Viktor Isildur1 Blom for $1 million, being run by one of 888pokers rivals, it features in the second slot of the latest Poker Brief. It goes without saying that Scott had to mention the ridiculous hero-call that Blom made to take down the title. Watch the video to see and listen to Scotts praise of the hyper-aggressive Swede.

Next on the agenda is the partnership between 888poker and the WPT500 London, a 1 million guaranteed spectacular that runs over March and April. Thanks to the partnership between the two poker giants, 888pokers players can qualify for WPT500 London online and can even play a Day 1 online knowing if they make it to Day 2 they are already guaranteed a payout.

Another 888poker-related piece of news was the round-up of the 888poker LIVE London Kick Off event, which featured a poker Valentines special. Want to know what that particular snippet is all about? Head to around the five-minute mark on the video.

Finally, rounding off the Poker Brief for Februarys edition are the American Poker Awards. The 4th annual awards saw several members of the poker media and industry people pick up awards voted for by an expert panel and by fans of poker. Which award did Scott particularly enjoy see be given out? Youll have to watch the video to find out!Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Donald Trump on Wednesday that he would stop his nation's military from purchasing any further aircraft from Chicago based aerospace giant Boeing if the White House insisted on moving forward with its plans to enforce a 300% import tariff on Bombardier aeroplanes into the US.

The ongoing spat between Bombardier and Boeing threatened to start a trade war between the US, Canada and the UK, after the Labour Party referred to the latter as "the king of corporate welfare" after its "egregious hypocrisy" of pursing illegal-subsidies claims against Bombardier had put thousands of jobs in Northern Ireland at risk as a result.

Trudeau and Trump met at the White House on Wednesday where they discussed the North American Free Trade Agreement, which the UK had been rumoured earlier this week to be looking into joining after leaving the EU in March 2019.

The PM said he "directly" voiced his concern over the public row between the two companies and outlined his opposition to the President's anti-dumping policy.

"I highlighted to the president how we disagree vehemently with Commerce's decision to bring in countervailing and anti-dumping duties against Bombardier, that we feel this is not something that is warranted and quite frankly something that we look very negatively upon," he said.

He added that talks with Trump were "not easy".

After the US Department of Commerce ruled in favour of slapping a 219% import duty on Bombardier's C-Series jets in late September, as a result of a complaint from main rival Boeing that the firm was receiving unfair subsidies from the Canadian and UK governments, Theresa may told Boeing that it was putting future deals with Downing Street at significant risk, including its agreement to supply the Ministry of Defence with 38 Apache helicopters.

Shortly after imposing the tariff, US authorities decided to add a further 80% tax on Bombardier after Boeing claimed that the "absurdly low" price of its aircraft did not do enough to combat the subsidies Bombardier received abroad.

As a result, Trudeau told Trump that he would prevent any and all future Canadian government orders from Boeing.

"I certainly mentioned that this was a block to us making any military procurements from Boeing," he said.Bellew, who is currently the chief executive of Malaysia Airlines, will take over responsibility for all Ryanair's flight operations, ground operations and engineering, but with a specific responsibility for pilot production, training and career development to ensure that the pilot rostering failure that occurred last month doesn't happen again.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary said: "We are pleased to welcome Peter back to Ryanair. Having worked previously in a senior role in our operations team, Peter has an unrivalled knowledge of our business model and how we maintain controlled growth, with industry leading punctuality, for the benefit of our customers and our people.

"Peter will lead a significant transformation in the way we reward and interact with our pilots, improve their working environment and career development over the coming years as we grow the fleet to some 600 aircraft and expand our traffic, at lower fares, to 200m customers per annum."

Ryanair said earlier this month that it had refunded or re-accommodated 98% of the customers who were hit by its flight cancellations, with the remaining 2% yet to contact the airline.Guo Guangchang, the Chinese tycoon caught up in Beijings anti-corruption drive, has emerged in public for the first time after four days out of sight while assisting a judicial investigation. Mr Guo appeared on stage on Monday to address an annual internal conference of his company, Fosun, but he made no mention of the investigation.  Financial Times

Nationalising Rolls-Royces nuclear submarine business, which powers the UKs Trident deterrent, is one option under consideration by the government should the crisis at Britains premier engineering group deepen. David Camerons office has had plans drawn up to protect UK interests as Rolls-Royce seeks to recover from five profit warnings in less than two years. Other scenarios include a merger of all or part of Rolls-Royce with BAE Systems, the UKs biggest defence group.  Financial Times

Royal Bank of Scotland has become embroiled in another scandal after admitting that it was wrong to deny sitting on almost quarter of a million pounds of customer money. The troubled lender said it had now agreed to return cash to as many as 4,500 customers after apologising to them for the mistake. The controversy is a major blow to chief executive Ross McEwan, who has promised to return customer trust to the largely state-owned bank after a series of mis-selling scandals following on from a financial bailout in 2008.  Guardian

Labour and Liberal Democrat peers are threatening to block George Osbornes plans to water down regulatory powers designed to hold top City bankers to account for banking scandals. Opposition parties want the chancellor to think again about his proposals to unwind tough regulations on banker accountability, introduced by the coalition government only two years ago.  Guardian

The beleaguered education giant Pearson faces a crisis in its British universities business after it imposed steep price rises on academic libraries. A string of leading universities have stopped buying the FTSE 100 companys teaching materials in a row over charges for ebooks, The Daily Telegraph has learned.  Telegraph

Benchmark, the animal food health business, has reeled in the fish nutrition firm INVE Aquaculture for $342m (225m) after three years of planning. The Aim-listed company said the acquisition will create a global leader in the aquaculture technology market with customers in more than 70 countries. INVE, a Belgian brand, makes health foods and nutrition products for fish and shrimp farms.  Telegraph

Ryanairs use of the worlds leading supplier of airline pilots is at the centre of an international investigation into an alleged especially serious case of tax evasion. British police and German investigators have searched the Surrey headquarters of Brookfield Aviation International, which was claimed to be supplying half of Ryanairs pilots.  The Times

HSBC has held talks with Canadian officials about relocating its headquarters from London to Toronto. Discussions were held in October with senior HSBC directors, including Douglas Flint, the chairman, shortly before the global bank said that it would be delaying its headquarters decision from late this year to early next year.  The TimesOn Wednesday (Feb. 28) at a high school in Georgia, a 53-year-old Social Studies teacher, Jesse Randal Davidson, locked himself in his classroom and fired his gun, Time reported. At the time of the shooting, there were no students with him but that did not prevent fear and mass hysteria from taking over the school community.

The school went into immediate lockdown mode moments after the teacher fired his pistol, shattering the classroom window. Thankfully, no students or faculty members were seriously injured. The principal, Mr. Bartoo attempted to get the teacher to open the door, however, he refused.

It would take the work of authorities to get the teacher out of the classroom and school.

The media spoke with several students after the incident who described a terror-filled scene telling reporters that the panic-stricken teens trampled each other while trying to escape the portal of fear created by the teacher.

The school administration was clueless

When asked about the teachers background and mental state, the school administrators could only say that the teacher was fit for duty the day he came to work. However, to many, this appeared to be double-talk at best as the details arose from the teachers personal life and mental history.

In 2016, Jesse Randal Davidson walked into a police station and confessed to having someone murdered.

The police found no evidence of a body or murder to substantiate Davidsons claims. As a result, he was not arrested but instead referred for psychiatric treatment. When confronted with this information and questioned why the teacher was allowed to continue working at the school the school administrations response was the same, repeating that Davidson was fit for duty the day of the shooting.

On Friday (Mar. 2), two days after the shooting, Time Magazine reported that a police report acquired by The Associated Press stated the teacher had three rifles confiscated after he set fire to his familys Mitsubishi Outlander in 2016. This too was something that Dalton school authorities were not aware of until the incident.

That police report, in addition to information from at least two other reports from a Dalton Police Department, expressed concern about Davidsons mental state. The reports also indicated that the teacher had been hospitalized multiple times because of other concerns about his psychological stability.

Trying to understand the illogical

Because of HIPPA laws, health records are considered private and protected by patient-doctor privilege; therefore, there was no public record stating a pattern of mental health challenges existed or that Davidson was unfit to work with children. However, the average person would think that the one public police record of someone falsely admitting to having someone killed should have been sufficient.

However, it wasnt.

This is most likely how Davidson kept his job because the details of his medical records are considered confidential. Additionally, it could be that mental health providers may not have seen any breaks with reality and deemed him stablein which case, no one at the school would have known about the details surrounding his psychiatric treatment or sessions he may have had.

A license to sling bullets

As the country continues to heal from the deadly Parkland, Florida school shooting that took the lives of 17 students and faculty, gun debates and talk of arming teachers still swarm the headlines and coffee shops. One cannot help but wonder if the Georgia teacher felt emboldened as a result of the debates.

Did he feel empowered to bring his weapon to school and play cowboys and Indians with the classroom window? And if so, was it because of the promptings from the POTUS and the National Rifle Association (NRA) that arming teachers is a great solution to end gun violence in schools?

It should be noted, that according to students interviewed, Davidson had voiced concern about the Parkland tragedy and the senselessness of the Florida school massacre. Students recalled that he adamantly denounced support of arming teachers.

Just to be clear, the teacher was beloved and favored by many students, and still, no one at the school saw this coming. However, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to know that every human being, including a loving teacher, has the potential to be thrown out of kilter.

Once unhinged, having a gun nearby adds unnecessary fuel to a fire that need not burn. Perhaps this is the starting point for the reconsideration of recent proposals regarding mental health, guns, and teachers.Javi Marroquin and Briana DeJesus announced their breakup in mid-January but already, just weeks later, the "Teen Mom 2" stars appear to be back together. Following a number of online comments, which suggested that Marroquin was actually on the verge of moving on from DeJesus with another woman, he turned up with DeJesus in Miami, Florida.

On February 1, Radar Online shared a photo posted by Briana DeJesus on her Snapchat account in which Javi Marroquin was seen sitting at his computer before the reality star was set to get a number of plastic surgery procedures.

In the caption of the photo, DeJesus added a heart-eyed emoji. As the outlet revealed, Marroquin flew to be by DeJesus' side prior to her visit with Dr. Miami, who operated on the "Teen Mom 2" star years ago after the birth of her first child.

Javi Marroquin began dating Briana DeJesus in 2017

After it was announced that DeJesus had been added to the cast of "Teen Mom 2" as the series' fifth girl, she and Marroquin began flirting with one another on social media. Then, during a cast trip to Los Angeles last September, the couple got quite cozy with one another and proceeded to enjoy spending time together in a number of other places, including DeJesus' hometown in Florida and New York City. Several weeks later, the couple confirmed they were dating before calling it quits weeks ago.

During their months-long relationship, Marroquin and Briana DeJesus spent time in Florida and Delaware and at one point, DeJesus and her daughters, Nova and Stella, helped Marroquin's son Lincoln celebrate his fourth birthday. Marroquin shares Lincoln with ex-wife Kailyn Lowry.

Javi Marroquin feuded on Twitter with Briana days ago

Javi Marroquin and Briana DeJesus seemed to be at odds days ago when they participated in a Twitter feud following a Kailyn Lowry interview a short time prior. As fans may have seen, DeJesus called out Lowry for suggesting that she was responsible for their inability to co-parent their young son without fighting.

Marroquin then slammed DeJesus for taking their issues to Twitter but said that he wouldn't change his feelings for her because of it.

To see more of Javi Marroquin, Briana DeJesus, and their co-stars, including Kailyn Lowry, Jo Rivera, Vee Torres, Leah Messer, Miranda Patterson, Jeremy Calvert, Corey Simms, Jenelle Evans, and David Eason, don't miss the new season of "Teen Mom 2" later this year.It's no secret that Donald Trump is not well liked in Hollywood. The latest star to speak out against the president is Jeff Daniels, who did so during an interview on "The Late Show."

(Daniels' comments start around 2:00 in the above video.)

Daniels on Trump

Not long after Donald Trump officially kicked off his campaign for president he was met with opposition from Hollywood. The more liberal-leaning celebrities often used their popularity to rally against the former host of "The Apprentice," which became a theme throughout the entire 2016 election and during Trump's current time in office.

Whether it was on sketch comedy shows like "Saturday Night Live," late night talk shows like "The Late Show," or during award shows, Trump has been a top target of celebrities.

As a country we lost respect, decency, civilized behavior, integrity, class, accountability, responsibility...hes got NONE of that s**t. - @Jeff_Daniels on what we lost in the election. #LSSC pic.twitter.com/XHBeicrwUI  The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) March 2, 2018

The most recent celebrity to hit back at Donald Trump is Jeff Daniels, who appeared on the March 1 edition of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" to promote his new show "The Looming Tower" on Hulu. When asked his thoughts on Trump, Daniels didn't hold back.

"We lost, as a country. We lost respect, decency, civilized behavior, integrity, class, accountability, responsibility," he said, before adding that Trump is "the opposite" of what the United States needs and that he has "none of that sh*t."

Jeff Daniels doubled down, ripping Donald Trump for his lack of leadership before stating, "Get him out of here, throw him in the back of the truck and take him away." Not stopping there, the former star of "Dumb and Dumber" and "The Newsroom" compared the Trump administration to the Titanic after it hit the iceberg, while calling out the Republican Party for not speaking up.

"How long can you sit on the Titanic when you can see the iceberg coming?" he wondered.

Daniels' history

This isn't the first time that Daniels has been political, as his character in HBO's "The Newsroom" was a cable news host who was a political centrist. The episodes used real life news items and mixed them with the fictional word of the program, all tying in to Daniels' character who was the main star.

Jeff Daniels blasts Trump: "Get him out of here, throw him in the back of a truck and take him away" https://t.co/3LRYPYHcEj pic.twitter.com/75nntJpRQV  The Hill (@thehill) March 2, 2018

Next up

Jeff Daniels' criticism echos the overwhelming majority in Hollywood, and it doesn't look to be ending any time soon. On Sunday night, celebrities will once again gather together, this time for the 2018 Academy Awards where it's likely to include a few shots at the president. Earlier this year, Trump was a top target during the Grammy Awards, where Oprah Winfrey received so much praise for her speech that many called for a potential presidential run. For Daniels, his show "The Looming Tower" is currently available for immediate viewing on Hulu.The renewed attacks from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army have left the world losing faith in humanity. On February 18th, 2018, Assad's army, aided by the Russian military, started bombarding the Damascus suburb in the Eastern Ghouta region in a bid to take control over the region, which is being held by rebels. The barbaric Syrian forces have remorselessly bombed schools, hospitals, and every other civilian habitation, showing no compassion towards women and children. As many as 674 civilians, including 121 children, have lost their lives in the past two weeks and the situation continues to worsen as the war enters its eighth year.

The start of the Syrian civil war

Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father Hafez after his death in 2000 and under his rule, political and socioeconomic tension began to rise after the government was accused of corruption, repression, and denial of political freedom. The tension finally gave birth to nationwide protests in March 2011, which were headed by the Arab Spring in the southern city of Deraa. Assad tried to curb the movement with force and called for the killing of a 13-year-old boy just for drawing anti-government graffiti, sparking outrage in the whole country.

The opposition then decided to take arms against the government to defend themselves and their rights, escalating the situation into a civil war as Assad vowed to take control over the country once again.

The intensification of the civil war

The civil war soon turned into a proxy battleground for external powers, which led to the elongation of the war. While Russia aided Assad to maintain a stronghold in Syria, the United States of America joined forces with the opposition and the involvement of the two superpowers worsened the situation as advance weaponry began to be used in the war causing large-scale destruction and bloodshed.

To add to the fire, sectarianism was promoted to provoke more violence, pitting the Sunni majority against the Shia Alawite sect to which Assad is associated with. The promotion of such views led to the pouring in of armies from neighboring nations and armies from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan joined hands with the Syrian forces to protect the Shia sect.

The war opened up avenues for Jihadists groups, which rose to power and began to acquire pockets of regions all around Syria,worsening the conditions of the country as it continued to slump to an era of darkness and pain.

UN declares Damascus "Hell on Earth"

The fresh assault on Damascus started on February 18th, when the Syrian forces decided to attack the rebel-held region and bombarded the region continuously for two weeks, burning every structure in the region down to the ground. The bombings have brought out the worst in the war, with 400,000 people stuck in the region with no provisions for food, water, or medical aid for the injured.

The recent assault has drawn international condemnation and led to the United Nations General Assembly vote for a 30-day ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

However, the ceasefire has failed to hold or even drown the violence in the region. Forces from both sides have been accused of not adhering to the five-hour pauses on humanitarian grounds to evacuate the injured and for the entry of aid convoys into the region. Thousands of families have been forced to make underground shelters in order to save themselves from the continuous air raids. The conditions in the region prompted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to term the region "Hell on Earth."

The countries around the world continue to condemn the attack but fail to protect thousands of innocent lives that are lost with each passing day.Derwent London plc owns 83 buildings in a commercial real estate portfolio predominantly in central London valued at A5.4 billion (including joint ventures) as at 30 June 2020, making it the largest London-focused real estate investment trust (REIT). Our experienced team has a long track record of creating value throughout the property cycle by regenerating our buildings via development or refurbishment, effective asset management and capital recycling. We typically acquire central London properties off-market with low capital values and modest rents in improving locations, most of which are either in the West End or the Tech Belt. We capitalise on the unique qualities of each of our properties - taking a fresh approach to the regeneration of every building with a focus on anticipating tenant requirements and an emphasis on design. Reflecting and supporting our long-term success, the business has a strong balance sheet with modest leverage, a robust income stream and flexible financing. As part of our commitment to lead the industry in mitigating climate change, in October 2019, Derwent London became the first UK REIT to sign a Green Revolving Credit Facility. At the same time, we also launched our Green Finance Framework and signed the Better Buildings Partnership's climate change commitment. The Group is a member of the 'RE100' which recognises Derwent London as an influential company, committed to 100% renewable power by purchasing renewable energy, a key step in becoming a net zero carbon business. Derwent London is one of only a few property companies worldwide to have science-based carbon targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Landmark schemes in our 5.6 million sq ft portfolio include 80 Charlotte Street W1, Brunel Building W2, White Collar Factory EC1, Angel Building EC1, 1-2 Stephen Street W1, Horseferry House SW1 and Tea Building E1. In 2019, the Group won several awards including EG Offices Company of the Year, the CoStar West End Deal of the Year for Brunel Building, Westminster Business Council's Best Achievement in Sustainability award and topped the real estate sector and was placed ninth overall in the Management Today 2019 awards for 'Britain's Most Admired Companies'. In 2013 the Company launched a voluntary Community Fund and has to date supported over 100 community projects in the West End and the Tech Belt. The Company is a public limited company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The address of its registered office is 25 Savile Row, London,

Read MoreMagna International Inc. designs, engineers, and manufactures components, assemblies, systems, subsystems, and modules for original equipment manufacturers of vehicles and light trucks worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Body Exteriors & Structures, Power & Vision, Seating Systems, and Complete Vehicles. Its Body Exteriors & Structures segment provides body and chassis systems, as well as engineering and testing services; exterior systems, including fascia and trims, front end modules, front integration panels, liftgate modules, active aerodynamics, engineered glass, running boards, truck bed access products, and side doors; and roof systems, such as modular and textile folding roofs, and hard and soft tops. The company's Power & Vision segment offers dedicated hybrid, dual and e-clutch, and manual transmissions; engine drive plates and accessories; AWD/4WD products, rear drive modules, and hybrid and battery electric drive systems; transmission, engine, and driveline components; advanced driver assistance systems, camera systems, ultrasonic sensors, and electronic controllers; interior and exterior mirrors, actuators, door handles, overhead consoles, and camera monitoring systems; head, tail, and fog lamps; signal and other lighting products; and latching systems, door modules, window systems, power closure systems, hinges and wire forming, and handle assemblies. Its Seating Systems segment provides seat structures, mechanism and hardware solutions, and foam and trim products. The company's Complete Vehicles segment offers vehicle manufacturing and engineering services. It also designs, engineers, and manufactures tooling products. Magna International Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Aurora, Canada.

Read MoreAptiv Plc engages in the design, development, and manufacture of vehicle components. The firm also provides electrical, electronic, and safety technology solutions to the global automotive and commercial vehicle markets. It operates through the following business segments: Signal and Power Solutions, Advanced Safety and User Experience, and Eliminations and Other. The Signal and Power Solutions segment includes complete electrical architecture and component products. The Advanced Safety and User Experience segment covers component and systems integration in connectivity and security solutions, as well as advanced software development and autonomous driving technologies. The Eliminations and Other segment comprises of elimination of inter-segment transactions, other expenses, and income of a non-operating or strategic nature. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given iShares MSCI India ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares MSCI India ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.American Electric Power Co., Inc. engages in the business of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Vertically Integrated Utilities, Transmission & Distribution Utilities, AEP Transmission Holdco and Generation & Marketing. The Vertically Integrated Utilities segment engages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers through assets owned and operated by its subsidiaries. The Transmission & Distribution Utilities segment engages in the business of transmission and distribution of electricity for sale to retail and wholesale customers through assets owned and operated by its subsidiaries. The AEP Transmission Holdco segment engages in the development, construction and operation of transmission facilities through investments in its wholly-owned transmission subsidiaries and joint ventures. The Generation & Marketing segment engages in non-regulated generation and marketing, risk management and retail activities. The company was founded on December 20, 1906 and is headquartered in Columbus, OH.

Read MoreReinsurance Group of America, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of traditional and non-traditional life and health reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Latin America; Canada; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia Pacific; and Corporate and Other. The U.S. and Latin America segment markets individual and group life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. The Canada segment offers individual life reinsurance, and to a lesser extent creditor, group life and health, critical illness and disability reinsurance, through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements. The Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment serves individual and group life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, reinsurance of critical illness coverage that provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and underwritten annuities. The Asia Pacific segment comprises individual and group life and health reinsurance, critical illness coverage, disability, and superannuation thr

Read MoreVermilion Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of petroleum and natural gas in North America, Europe, and Australia. It owns 81% working interest in 642,300 net acres of developed land and 87% working interest in 376,700 net acres of undeveloped land, and 613 net producing natural gas wells and 3,034 net producing oil wells in Canada; and 96% working interest in 248,900 net acres of developed land and 91% working interest in 222,100 net acres of undeveloped land in the Aquitaine and Paris Basins, and 325 net producing oil wells and 3.0 net producing gas wells in France. The company also owns 49% working interest in 930,000 net acres of land and 51 net producing natural gas wells in the Netherlands; and 36,900 net developed acres and 965,900 net undeveloped acres of land, and 61 net producing oil wells and 8 net producing natural gas wells in Germany. In addition, it owns offshore Corrib natural gas field located to the northwest coast of Ireland; and 100% working interest in the Wandoo offshore oil field and related production assets that covers 59,600 acres located on Western Australia's northwest shelf. Further, the company holds 138,000 net acres of land in the Powder River basin, and 136.6 net producing oil wells in the United States; and 951,200 net acres of land in Hungary, 244,900 net acres of land in Slovakia, and 2.4 million net acres of land in Croatia. Vermilion Energy Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

Read MoreLate mistakes boost Groton over Mobridge-Pollock in 23-14 win

For much of Friday night, it looked as if either team could eke out a win.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The New York State Department of Financial Services has asked Deutsche Bank and two community lenders for information about their relationships with President Trumps son-in-law and embattled senior adviser Jared Kushner and the Kushner Companies, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.



The requests for information on loans, lines of credit and other financial arrangements were sent to Deutsche Bank, Signature Bank and New York Community Bank. Responses are due March 5.



While the inquiry was described as routine due diligence under the DFS safety and soundness mandate, the source said regulators are seeking to understand why certain loans were made amid recent reports of potential conflicts of interest between Kushners roles in the Trump administration and his familys real estate business.



On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Apollo, a private equity firm, and Citigroup, a leading global bank, made large loans to the Kushner Company in 2017 following meetings with Kushner at the White House.



DFS sought copies of emails between the Kushners and the banks related to any pending or denied loan requests, the source said, and asked whether the banks conducted internal reviews of the Kushners and, if so, what they revealed.



Signature Bank, where Kushners wife Ivanka Trump once sat on the board, released a statement that didnt directly address the inquiry.



With permission of our client we can state that the Kushner Family and Kushner Co. have been clients since 2010, the statement reads. By law we cannot disclose regulatory or legal inquires. Do not infer from our legal inability to answer questions that we do not fully fulfill our regulatory responsibilities and obligations at all times.



Deutsche Bank declined to comment. New York Community Bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) declined to comment about an ongoing matter.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Farley pledged to raise $10 million to support her campaign, which would help her compete against the well-funded Democratic incumbent. As of Dec. 31, Gillibrand had more than $9.6 million in the bank.

Securing the Republican Party's support was the latest milestone for Farley's campaign. She earned the Conservative Party's endorsement earlier this week. Republican candidates, especially for statewide offices, typically run with the support of the Conservative Party.

Ed Cox, chairman of the state GOP, believes Farley will be a formidable foe against Gillibrand.

"Chele will bring an ability, fire and conviction to the U.S. Capitol that has been sorely lacking from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand," Cox said. "Chele will get things done, unlike our current senator who is all talk and no action."

Glen Caplin, a spokesman for Gillibrand's campaign, said the incumbent senator congratulates Farley on securing the GOP nomination.A pair of Albuquerque city councilors are re-upping efforts to decriminalize marijuana in the Duke City.

City councilors Pat Davis and Isaac Benton are planning an event on Monday with Emily Kaltenbach of the Drug Policy Alliance to announce the reintroduction of legislation that will decriminalize the herb. If the legislation passes, marijuana would still be illegal in the city. But officers would be instructed to either do nothing about it or write someone a $25 ticket, similar to a parking ticket, if they catch someone with an ounce or less.

The bottom line is if you are just possessing a small amount of marijuana, were going to tell police officers that they could ignore it or write you a small fine for it, Davis said.

Officers will still have the ability to charge someone under state law. That could happen if they believe someone is using it while driving, selling it or if someone has it while they are committing another crime, Davis said.

Davis said there will be several benefits to decriminalizing pot. One, itll free up officers to handle more pressing calls for service. Instead of spending hours arresting and writing police reports against someone for possession of marijuana, they can instead spend a few minutes writing a ticket or do nothing at all.

And, Davis said, the law will allow young people to avoid making their first appearance in the criminal justice system for something frivolous.

Shaun Willoughby, the president of the Albuquerque police union, said he would support the legislation. He said police officers are, in most cases, not arresting people for marijuana.

I think its definitely the wave of the future, he said. There were multiple tax benefits (from marijuana legalization) in Colorado.

Albuquerque city councilors in 2015 voted 5-4 to decriminalize marijuana. But former Mayor Richard Berry vetoed the legislation.

Davis said he thinks New Mexico as a state is not far from having legal marijuana. Several states around the country, including Colorado, have made it legal.

I think New Mexico will be a state to legalize when we have a change in leadership next year in Santa Fe, Davis said.Superintendent of Denver Public Schools Tom Boasberg spoke to a roomful of Albuquerque business and education leaders on Friday about moving from the lowest rate of student academic growth among major Colorado districts to one of the highest.

Part of the work is making sure we learn from others, said Boasberg, who was unanimously appointed as superintendent in 2009.

The Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, which hosted the event, was hoping Albuquerque could do just that by juxtaposing Albuquerque Public Schools and DPS.

The Denver district has more than 92,000 students and a graduation rate of 64.8 percent, according to its 2016 data. APS, which has 84,000 students in 142 schools, had a 2017 graduation rate of 67.9 percent.

Among all large districts over 25,000 students, DPS had the second-highest growth from 2009 to 2013, Boasberg said.

Boasberg presented an assemblage of statistics on its improvements. He said enrollment has grown 27 percent since 2005 and the number of graduates has increased 64 percent since then, too.

He also said his district is seeing the positive side effects of the Denver Plan 2020, a multifaceted initiative that looks to revamp schools with early childhood investment, fostering effective leaders and emphasizing culture among key themes.

Specifics Boasberg pointed to were a principal residency program, a year-long job-embedded professional learning experience, and teacher teams made up of specialists and assistant principals among others who aim to spur collaboration.

President of the APS Board of Education David Peercy said that teacher-team concept was something he found APS could imitate, saying its possible it will be implemented in the future. Overall, Peercy said he found Boasbergs talk interesting but said APS has some of the same initiatives already underway.

A lot of what were doing is similar, Peercy said.

He said APS is working on putting together a data dashboard with similar statistics that were used to create Denvers master plan. He also said APS has programs that mirror Denvers whole child plan that aims to foster social and emotional health in addition to the education of the child.

Where Albuquerque and Denver differ, Peercy noted, is in funding. Several of Boasbergs changes were funded with tax increases, which Peercy said were very unlikely to happen in New Mexico.

Education is under funded here, he said.WASHINGTON  Its taken just two weeks for Washingtons immigration battle to fade from blistering to back-burner. Lawmakers now seem likely to do little or nothing this election year on an effort thats been eclipsed by Congress new focus on guns, bloodied by Senate defeats and relegated to B-level urgency by a Supreme Court ruling.

Talks have gone dormant that sought a bipartisan package: A chance for citizenship for young immigrants brought to the country illegally and $25 billion for President Donald Trump to erect his treasured wall with Mexico. Even a proposal dangling modest wins for both sides  a three-year renewal of a program protecting hundreds of thousands of those young immigrants from deportation in exchange for a $7.6 billion down payment for the wall  seems a longshot.

The prospects for immigration legislation, big or small, are very, very bleak, concedes Frank Sharry, executive director of Americas Voice, an immigrants rights group.

Distrust between the two parties has intensified, with each suspecting the other of weaponizing the impasse to rouse loyal voters for Novembers contest for congressional control. There are tactical rifts between Democrats and the coalition of liberal and immigrants rights organizations over how aggressively to force the issue, and differences between conservative organizations and some Republicans over the wisdom of even a narrow accord.

Looking to furnish political cover to rank-and-file Republicans, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., only want to consider immigration bills that have Trumps support. Democrats say Trumps portrayal of immigrants as threats who commit crimes and steal jobs, plus his vulgar references to their countries, shows hes not serious about compromise  yet leaves him pivotal for any deal.

There are certain people and certain countries that Donald Trump does not envision as part of Americas future, said No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard Durbin of Illinois. Until the president and the Republicans in Congress believe that deporting the Dreamers is so much of a political negative that they must do something, I think its unlikely that well move forward.

Rather than making new offers, Trump is blaming Democrats for the stalemate.

Im the one thats pushing DACA and the Democrats are nowhere to be found, he tweeted days ago, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Hoping to recapture attention, immigrant and civil rights groups plan demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere on Monday. When Trump announced last year that he was terminating the program, he gave Congress until that date, March 5, to replace it.

The program, which President Barack Obama created administratively without enactment of a law, lets immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children get jobs for renewable two-year periods. Its currently protecting 680,000 of them.

The Supreme Court this week erased that deadlines impact with a ruling that requires the administration to renew DACA permits while lower court challenges to Trumps action continue. Those lawsuits could drag on for months, easing pressure on Congress to act quickly.

Lawmakers are now fixated on last months shooting deaths of 17 students and faculty members at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The shift accentuates how rapidly priorities shift in Congress, fueled by todays hyper speed news cycles and a president whose tweets and utterances add additional volatility.

Last month, the Senate rejected a Trump proposal offering citizenship to people protected by DACA, fully financing his wall, cutting legal immigration and ending a visa lottery for people from countries with low U.S. immigration rates. A bipartisan plan backed by nearly all Democrats included potential citizenship for DACA recipients and money for Trumps wall, barred the young immigrants from sponsoring their parents and left the visa lottery intact.

Neither side is showing any indication of sweetening its offer.

Weve offered the sun and the moon and that wasnt enough, said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking GOP leader. I guess well see what happens.

Democrats face pressure from liberal groups like Indivisible and United We Dream to use coming budget legislation to crimp money for immigration enforcement programs. But with several Senate Democrats facing tough re-election fights in Trump-friendly states leery of that stance, the party has little leverage.

Clarissa Martinez, a policy chief for UnidosUS, an immigrants rights group, said Democrats should force votes on the issue any to drive home how immigrants bolster the economy. She cited the repeated, doomed votes Republicans forced under President Barack Obama to repeal his health care law because they had a narrative they were building.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., whos joined bipartisan efforts to forge compromise, says hell try forcing a vote next week on his plan to extend DACA for three years and supplying three years of financing for Trumps wall.

But many Democrats oppose it, saying they abhor financing the wall in exchange for merely a temporary DACA extension. Groups like the Center for Immigration Studies that favor tight restrictions are also opposed, saying it would inscribe DACA into law, and conservatives such as Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, seem certain to block Flake.

Flake said hed keep trying anyway.

At some point were going to want to put this behind us, even if theres no deadline. I dont think this plays into our favor in the midterms, he said.

In the House, Republicans are hunting votes for a conservative package that cuts legal immigration, requires employers to verify workers citizenship and makes it easier to deport immigrants who are drunk drivers or gang members. Facing solid Democratic opposition, GOP leaders remain short and its unlikely theyd consider more moderate alternatives that lack majority Republican support.DENVER  Colorado lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Friday to expel a Democratic state House member over sexual harassment allegations, making him the nations second state lawmaker kicked out for such misconduct since the rise of the #MeToo movement.

Democratic state Rep. Steve Lebsock was not in the House chamber when lawmakers voted 52-9 to expel him after an emotional daylong debate in which numerous women lawmakers revealed that they, too, had experienced sexual harassment and assault by others.

Lebsock also was absent when House Speaker Crisanta Duran made a last-minute plea in a hushed chamber for him to resign before the vote.

We will not tolerate harassment, Duran said after the vote. Its unbelievable to me that in 2018 we are still having this conversation.

In an apparent act of spite before his expulsion, Lebsock left the statehouse during Fridays daylong debate to change his party affiliation to Republican. The Colorado secretary of states office confirmed the change.

Normally, his replacement would be named by a GOP vacancy committee. But the state GOP said it might not do so and, in that event, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper would name a replacement.

Lawmakers tearfully embraced Rep. Faith Winter, a Democrat who said Lebsock accosted her at an end-of-session party in 2016.

An independent investigator determined her claims  and those by four other women  were credible. Lebsock denied it to the end.

On Monday, for the first time in nearly two years, Im going to come to a building where Im not going to be worried about retaliation from someone I stood up to, Winter said.

A teary Lebsock addressed the chamber shortly before the vote.

I wish all the best for the accusers, and I hope for the best for all of you, he said.

Arizona Republican Rep. Don Shooter was expelled Feb. 1 over sexual misconduct claims. A California state senator resigned just moments before his colleagues sought to formally expel him after a series of sexual misconduct allegations.

The vote in Colorado followed dramatic accounts of sexual harassment or abuse by House members . A male colleague tearfully talked about his wifes rape, while others spoke of harassment suffered by their wives and daughters.

Lawmakers read letters from four of Lebsocks accusers, including Cassie Tanner, who watched the proceedings from the floor of the House. Many people walked over to hug her after her letter was read.

Two male House members said they were so worried about tensions stemming from the case against Lebsock that they had taken to wearing bulletproof vests beneath their jackets and ties.

As late as Thursday, many Republicans said they couldnt vote to expel, which put the outcome in question because Democrats hold a majority but not the two-thirds needed for expulsion. They cited concerns about the independent investigation, standards of proof and a rush to judgment.

But for many, Fridays debate  and the details of alleged retaliation by Lebsock against his accusers  changed their minds.

Some were swayed by a document Lebsock sent last year to lawmakers intended to defend himself that also included sexual details about his accusers.

They said that amounted to retaliation  a clear violation of the Houses sexual harassment policy and beyond the realm of a he-said, she-said stand-off.

At the end of the day, its everything, but I think the retaliation piece was a huge part of this because it was a clear violation and it was really egregious and it was something we could touch and see and interpret on our own, Republican Rep. Lang Seas said.

Winter recounted that pattern early in the day.

The last months have been awful, Winter told her colleagues, who stood somberly as she spoke. I have taken public attack, after attack, after attack while I have patiently stood by waiting for due process to take its course.

Today is not about sex. It is about power, she said.

Lebsock, who also represented suburban Denver, said Winter and other accusers were lying. He asked his colleagues Friday for a formal committee investigation, saying the previous outside review that concluded the claims were credible was flawed.

Its been the honor of my life to serve the people of Colorado and I was willing to fight this year for the people of Colorado, Lebsock said, looking up at the visitors gallery.

Lebsock declined to address the specific claims against him.

The debate over sexual harassment has engulfed both chambers of Colorados Legislature. Three Republicans in the GOP-led Senate were accused of misconduct; one of them, to date, has stepped down as chair of a committee, while denying wrongdoing.

Senate President Kevin Grantham held a news conference Thursday to decry Colorados investigative process, which calls for a confidential, third-party investigation. He called for Denvers district attorney to investigate whether Lebsock had committed any crimes.

However, District Attorney Beth McCann said a complaint must be filed with police before her office could investigate.Near-daily gossip surrounds Donald Trumps three marquee generals.

The media sometimes blare out rumors that Gen. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, is proving to be a loose cannon and might soon be fired.

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trumps national security adviser, is said to be a robotic PowerPoint wonk and hawkish interventionist. There have been recent reports that he might be terminated soon.

Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis is purportedly too much the centrist Democrat, and embarrassed by Trumps antics, and thus might be leaving.

Of course, few Cabinet or White House appointees ever serve throughout an entire administration. Burnout is natural. Lucrative private-sector job offers multiply monthly. Normal people do not enjoy living inside the Beltway. Barack Obama had four defense secretaries, three national security advisers and five chiefs of staff. That is about par for a presidential tenure covering eight years.

But the problem with all these rumors of departing generals is not just that they are likely false and shopworn. They also make no sense because the three generals have been radically successful. In just a year, they have markedly enhanced U.S. national security as well as the image of the Trump administration itself.

The media, which is mostly anti-Trump, has always been schizophrenic in the coverage of the three generals. Some media outlets initially echoed old worries about too many Pentagon tentacles or the militarization of the executive branch. They forgot that generals have long held administration jobs. Gen. Colin Powell, for instance, served four different presidents, starting with his tenure as national security adviser under Ronald Reagan.

Others in the media had hoped that the mostly apolitical generals would nudge the wild-card Trump left of center and embed him within the Washington foreign-policy establishment.

But now, most journalists seem baffled that the generals are either proving too conservative or not standing up to Trump enough  as if playing the role of the loud maverick to a president had been in the job description of any Cabinet secretary or White House official of the past.

By late 2016, strategic deterrence had mostly been lost due to the prior administrations failed Russian reset; unchecked Chinese ascendance; a comatose approach to North Korean nuclear enhancements; the Iran deal; empty red lines, step-over lines and deadlines; the Syrian and Libyan misadventures; the collapse of Iraq and rise of ISIS; and the alienation of Israel and the Gulf states.

In reaction to these growing threats, our friends have been reassured, enemies have been warned, and stability is returning. ISIS is on the run. North Korea is forcefully embargoed. Defense spending is up. Missile defense is recalibrated. And reset fantasies are over with Vladimir Putin.

Trumps improving poll numbers reflect the order that Kelly established out of chaos in the West Wing. In delusional fashion, the media had hoped that a four-star Marine general might be a liberal wolf in conservative sheeps clothing  so its easy to understand why the number of Kellys media critics has grown. Kelly is a no-nonsense traditionalist and serves Trump not just by improving the mechanics of day-to-day operations in the White House, but also by helping Trump with the shared goal of restoring U.S. economic and military dynamism.

Mattis and McMaster are said to play good cops abroad to Trumps bad cop. By warning that the alternative to negotiations is a raging Trump who might do anything, the two generals are purportedly leveraging everything from delinquent NATO members defense contributions to European help in isolating Iran and North Korea.

The problem with that scenario is not that it is absolutely false, but that the stereotype is exaggerated and simplistic. After all, it is difficult to see where Mattis and McMaster have disagreed with Trump  or, for that matter, with the American people  on existential issues.

Who wishes to return to Obamas principles of strategic patience and lead from behind? Do critics want more of the massive Defense Department cuts that had been the most severe since the end of the Korean War? Should there be more apology tours, or further outreach to Cuba?

The real challenge for the generals has been how to warn enemies and reassure friends that past global provocations against U.S. interests will now be deterred  but without a major war.

So far, Kelly, Mattis and McMaster  along with Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson  have avoided both nation-building interventionism and lead-from-behind abdication of postwar responsibilities.

When they go abroad, their wide portfolios and latitude are signaling that they are in charge not despite but rather because of Trump.

To reverse the purported quip of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord: To fire any one of these three generals at this point would be worse than a mistake, it would be a crime.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

For the third consecutive year, New Mexico saw a decrease in prescription opioid-related deaths, even as opioid deaths rose nationwide.

According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, New Mexico had 153 deaths in 2016 from natural and semi-synthetic opioids, down from 160 deaths in 2015 and 223 deaths in 2014.

Nationwide, opioids of all types killed more than 42,000 people in 2016, more than any other year on record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC notes that from 1999 through 2015, opioid overdose deaths quadrupled from 8,050 to 33,091 and accounted for 63 percent of all drug overdose deaths.

Overall, New Mexico had the 15th highest opioid-related overdose death rate in the nation as of 2016. Going back to 2005, New Mexico was among the top 10 worst states for opioid-related overdose deaths, ranking the second highest in the nation in 2012 and in 2008.

According to Kaiser, New Mexico last year experienced 17.5 opioid deaths per 100,000 population. West Virginia led the nation with 43.4 opioid deaths per 100,000, followed by New Hampshire with 35.8 deaths per 100,000.

States with the fewest opioid deaths were Nebraska with 2.4 deaths per 100,000 population, Montana with 4.2 deaths per 100,000 and Texas with 4.9 deaths per 100,000. The nationwide average was 13.3 deaths per 100,000.

While the opioid overdose death rate in New Mexico is decreasing, the states non-opioid overdose death rate from legal and illegal compounds remains unchanged.

So what is New Mexico doing thats reversing the risk of people dying from opioid overdoses?

Dr. Michael Landen, the state epidemiologist and the Department of Healths epidemiology director, pointed to three factors:

 Fewer opioid prescriptions are being written combined with improved monitoring of those that are written.

 Wider access to drugs that can reverse opioid overdoses.

 And increased availability of outpatient treatment medications for opioid addiction.

New Mexico has seen increased use of its Prescription Monitoring Program, which requires pharmacies to provide data to the state Board of Pharmacy on what controlled substances have been dispensed to a patient. Prescribing doctors are required to check the database to look for red flags, such as overlapping prescriptions, whether a patient has been doctor- or pharmacy-shopping, and what other drugs and in what dosages have been prescribed.

Monitoring of high-risk prescribing has been extremely important in situations where people are receiving opioids and benzodiazepines, a class of drugs often used for treating anxiety and sleeplessness, and includes such drugs as Valium, Xanax or Atavan.

Opioids and benzodiazepines depress the respiratory system, which could lead to a drug overdose, and where alcohol is used, another respiratory depressant, it further raises the risk of overdose and death, Landen said.

Naloxone impact

Since March 2016, naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, can be dispensed by pharmacists and without a doctors prescription. The drug, which can reverse opioid overdoses, is now routinely carried by police officers and other first responders. The drug is commonly dispensed in an injection pen, but it is also available in a nasal mist form.

The New Mexico Department of Health has been distributing naloxone since 2001 through its harm reduction services, and since 2013 through its co-prescription pilot programs.

In 2016, when a statewide standing order was issued, there were 6,551 naloxone doses distributed statewide, 800 reported overdose reversals and 1,458 Medicaid reimbursement claims processed from 124 outpatient pharmacies, according to the DOH.

We have essentially opened up access to naloxone, Landen said.

Also contributing to the decrease in opioid overdose deaths is the wider availability of outpatient medication-assisted treatment with such drugs as methadone and buprenorphine, Landen said. These compounds are used to wean people off more dangerous drugs and help manage their addictions.

Awareness shift

Cheranne McCracken, the executive director of the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy, said there have been huge changes on several fronts over the past decade. In addition to the availability of naloxone, she cited better practitioner education in pain management, wider public awareness about prescription drug addiction, better integration of health system records and the adoption of the Prescription Monitoring Program.

According to data from the American Medical Association, registration on New Mexicos Prescription Monitoring Program has steadily increased from 6,199 in 2014 to 11,543 in 2016.

Theres been a shift in awareness of information about the risks of opioids, McCracken said. Fifteen years ago, there was information out there that opioids were not associated with addiction and were just for pain management. There is also increased insurance coverage now for methadone. Years ago, Medicaid didnt cover it, and they do now.

Dr. Barbara McAneny, an Albuquerque oncologist and president-elect of the American Medical Association, said physicians in New Mexico have prescribed 8.6 percent fewer opioids from 2013 to 2016, according to the most recent data available, an indication that physicians in this state are heeding the recommendations of the AMA.

Todays nationwide opioid crisis did not, of course, happen overnight. It began years ago when hospital accrediting organizations decided that relief of pain needed to be stressed, McAneny said. That sent the message to patients that they should be 100 percent pain free, and that led to overtreatment.

The pharmaceutical industry marketed opioids as non-addictive, and that reassured physicians that their patients would not get into trouble, she said.

Because there is a stigma attached to being drug addicted, people who are in chronic pain often do not seek medical assistance and instead buy opioid drugs on the street.

The bottom line is we need to destigmatize drug addiction so we can treat it like any other disease, and we need to put some resources into the treatment of addiction, as well as recognize that not every patient can be made 100 percent pain free, McAneny said.

We do not have enough physicians trained in that (addiction) specialty and need alternative ways of relieving pain other than opioids. That needs to be the focus going forward.Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Susana Martinez signed legislation late Friday that will grant more confidentiality to aerospace companies working at Spaceport America, amid a flurry of other action.

The Republican governor also approved a measure aimed at easing the paperwork burden on companies that enjoy certain tax breaks.

Altogether, she signed 21 bills Friday and vetoed two.

The Spaceport bill was a major point of discussion during the legislative session, and it was revised repeatedly.

The version signed Friday exempts from public disclosure any aerospace customer information that would cause substantial competitive harm to the company. The exemption would have to be based on specific factual evidence.

Supporters said the legislation was critical to the effort to attract more companies in the incredibly competitive, secretive aerospace industry.

Martinez faces a Wednesday deadline to sign or veto bills passed in the closing days of the legislative session, when most of the work gets done. The session ended Feb. 15.

About 40 bills are awaiting action.

On Friday, the governor:Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  For the first time, teachers rated exemplary under New Mexicos controversial grading system are in line to get bonuses of up to $10,000 next year.

But theres a catch: Approval by a union  if the teacher is covered by one  would be required before the money could be doled out by districts or charter schools.

And union leaders say the evaluation system for teachers is too flawed to be the basis of compensation. In fact, the head of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation says they will not participate.

Executives under Gov. Susana Martinez argue that every exemplary teacher ought to get the award, as part of a multipronged effort to keep high-performing educators in the profession.

Debate over accepting the bonuses will unfold district by district across New Mexico, as local union groups decide for themselves how to respond.

The new program is possible because state lawmakers agreed this year to include $5 million for it in the state budget  at Martinezs request  but with the provision requiring union approval.

Lida Alikhani, spokeswoman for the state Public Education Department, said the union language was inserted into the bill at the eleventh hour.

Bottom line: Every teacher should have the opportunity to earn this award, she said.

Union leaders, by contrast, say the states evaluation system is too unreliable to be tied to financial incentives, and they object philosophically to merit pay.

Quite frankly, we think this provision is insulting to teachers, said Charles Bowyer, executive director of the National Education Association New Mexico. It sort of implies that teachers are holding something back and will do more if they get more money.

The negotiating teams for each NEA local union group are expected to decide how to respond to the bonus offer, perhaps after surveying their members.

Who gets bonuses

The new program is called the Excellence in Teaching Awards. Each classroom teacher rated as exemplary under the states evaluation system this school year  based on student test scores, classroom observations and other factors  would receive a $5,000 bonus next year.

Exemplary high school math or science teachers would get an extra $5,000, or a total of $10,000. The higher bonus would also be available to exemplary teachers at schools designated by the state as in need of more rigorous intervention.

The actual bonuses could be reduced if the $5 million appropriation isnt enough.

Generally, fewer than one in 20 teachers is rated as exemplary. In 2017, the state Public Education Department put about 4.5 percent of teachers in that tier, up from 3.8 percent in 2016.

The bonus idea is the latest twist in a long-running debate over how to evaluate New Mexico teachers and encourage the best to stay in the profession.

Under Martinez, the state has created a system of rating teachers based on classroom observations, growth in their students test scores, student surveys and teacher attendance. The state has also offered various merit-based pay programs over the years, a priority of Martinezs.

But a one-time bonus for exemplary teachers statewide is new.

Alikhani, the PED spokeswoman, said an exemplary teacher can help students achieve 24 months of growth in one academic year  a success that should be celebrated.

Recruiting, retaining, and championing our teachers has consistently been a top priority for Gov. Martinez, she said. One way to do this is by creating groundbreaking opportunities for professional growth and teacher leadership.

Test scores

Union leaders, in turn, say the evaluation system is unfair and damages morale  not something to base compensation on.

A key sticking point is that 35 percent of the ratings are based on growth in test scores.

A much larger share  50 percent  was part of the calculation when the evaluation system began in 2013. The state reduced the percentage in 2017 after pushback from teachers and administrators. The number of highly rated teachers has ticked up since then, although the PED says that was driven by performance, not changes to the criteria.

Opponents of the current evaluation system say it still depends too much on student achievement, which is shaped by too many factors outside a teachers control  especially students health and home environment  to be a meaningful reflection of an educators work.

Collective endeavor

Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, said education is collaborative and that rewarding one teacher for students performance isnt appropriate.

All of the research on what makes schools function even better than they do is that its a collective endeavor, said Bernstein, who taught for 17 years. Its not an individual pursuit.

The Albuquerque teachers union has had a long-standing policy, adopted by representatives at different schools, against merit pay and wont participate in the bonus program, she said.

Alikhani said union leaders are out of touch.

The bonus program, she said, would enhance schools ability to reward, recognize, recruit, and retain some of their highest-performers with the biggest impact on student outcomes.

The provision in the legislation requiring union approval was added to the bill as part of a package of budget changes adopted by the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 10, five days before the session ended.DENVER  A man charged in a fatal shooting during a botched marijuana robbery in Denver has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

The Denver Post reports 33-year-old Joshua Binns entered his plea Friday and faces up to 48 years in prison for the Nov. 8, 2016, death of 50-year-old Charles Polzin. Three other defendants pleaded guilty Tuesday to various robbery charges.

Prosecutors say Polzin came into a large amount of marijuana that he wanted to sell and reached out to one of the defendants on Facebook, asking if she was interested.

He and his son drove from their home in Loveland to meet the defendants in Denver, where Binns pulled a .40-caliber handgun and began firing. Polzin died at the scene, and his son was seriously injured.

All four defendants are set to be sentenced April 20.

___

Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.comGALLUP, N.M.  FBI Director Christopher Wray met with tribal officials of the largest Indian reservation in the U.S. this week, becoming the first head of the federal law enforcement agency to visit the Navajo Nation.

His visit to the Navajo Nation was the first by a director and was intended to allow Wray to introduce himself to tribal leaders during a visit to FBI field offices, FBI spokesman Frank Fisher said.

Wray visited the tribal capital in Window Rock, Arizona, on Friday and spoke with Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and other tribal and federal law enforcement officials, including FBI agents stationed in New Mexico, the Gallup Independent reported.

The FBI investigates major crimes on tribal reservations and Wray said his visit, which included a stop at a crime scene, helped give him a look at law enforcement on the front lines.

After the meeting, Wray said he was very impressed by the partnership between Navajo and FBI officials.

The Navajo Nation reservation covers 27,000 square mile (69,930 square kilometers) in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah, making it larger than West Virginia.

The visit to where a homicide occurred was intended to show Wray the remoteness of the Navajo Nation, said Nation Police Chief Phillip Francisco. They picked one that was kind of close so they didnt have to drive that far.

Large areas of the reservation have little or no cellphone coverage and have roads that are impassable in bad weather.

President Begaye said he was honored to have Wray in his office and glad to hear him acknowledge the tribes sovereignty. He asked Wray for his agencys support and possible training to handle cybercrime, human and drug trafficking, meth labs, and shooting threats against schools.

Wray was sworn in as FBI director last August, replacing James Comey, who was fired last May by President Donald Trump.Celebrity chef, television host, MasterChef India Judge, and having his own web series  Kunal Kapur dons several hats. A typical Punjabi lad from a banker family, Kapur got his early lessons in cooking from his grandfather and father.

He began his culinary journey in 2000 with the Taj Group of hotels across India. After a long stint with the Group, he made a move and is currently the Executive Sous Chef at the Leela Kempinski in Gurgaon.

Beyond being a chef, Kapur has also hosted Seasons 1 and 2 of My Yellow Table on NDTV Good Times and shows like Pickle Nation, Fit Foodie, and Celebrating Togetherness on Living Foodz. He has hosted his first travel & food show, The Foodie Comes to America, where he travelled through New York and California, showcasing the best of Indo-American cuisine.

Along with television, Kapur has also ventured into the digital domain with his web series  #TravelWithKunal. The first edition was launched with Tourism Australia, where Kapur explored the local produce, food joints, breweries, nightlife and a lot more in Australia, along with huge servings of the countrys cuisine. In Season 2 of the web series, Kapur is on a culinary journey of Hong Kong.

Kapur has also won several accolades. In January 2008, he was rated as one of the Best Indian chefs in Delhi by India Today and was also hailed as the next big guy in kebabs and curries in India. The Limca Book of Records cited Kapurs name for creating Indias largest Chocolate Tower. He received the Dr S Radhakrishnan National Media Network Award in 2014 for his contribution in television (MasterChef India). He is also the recipient of the Indian Television Academy Award 2014 for the Best Jury/Anchor in a game show format for Junior MasterChef India.

Kapur first tried his hand at cooking with a humble cup of tea when he was 14, which, as he confesses, was terrible. He mother then taught him the right was to make tea. The first dish that he cooked during his hotel management training was Dahi ka Shorba. However, he received a scolding because he forgot to give a spoon to the mentor. But it taught him a valuable lesson  No matter how good your dish is, if you dont serve it right then its of no use.

Though Kapur is exposed to the best of world cuisine every day, nothing makes him happier than coming home to a warm bowl of dal and freshly made rotis.

An avid and passionate traveler, Kapur's favourite food holiday is exploring recipes preserved through generations in humble home kitchens of our country. As he shares, One thing really close to my heart is chronicling regional Indian cuisine.

Always a Delhi boy, there is nowhere else that this world traveler wants to stay than in the nations Capital. And there is no other industry that he would want to be a part of than the hospitality industry. When pressed with the question on what he would have done had his family insisted on his giving up on his chef dreams, Kapur quipped, A really bad banker with a calculator!

On a lighter note Kapur also confessed that he has always loved the Hulk, whom he considers to be the perfect combination of brain and muscle  on and off duty. However, the superpower that he wishes to have is everything that Batman has, especially the Bat Mobile.

Read on to get to know a bit more about Kunal Kapur, where he gives a peek into his life as a celebrity chef. While his secret recipes continue to be closely guardedwell, secrets, the following interaction does give ample insights into his passion for travel and cuisine.

What was your idea behind launching a web series? What made you shift from being a judge to opening your travel diaries?

I think both TV and web have their own set of audiences. As a chef and as a travel enthusiast, I endeavour to reach out to people in all formats of media consumption, connecting with them at their convenience. The advantage with web series is of course the enormous access at all times, across locations and devices, which makes it a perfect fit in our on-the-go lifestyle.

I have always aspired to be a connoisseur of experiences. Cooking is obviously my passion and I have been fortunate to receive so much love for the culinary experiences I created. Travel is another staple for me. I believe nothing teaches you like travel can. Food, of course, is a huge part of my travel. I love being on a journey of iconic history, new cultures and flavours, you become richer in experiences. So I guess, I never have to think about striking a balance. I get to live my passions for a living and whats better than that. The intent behind #TravelWithKunal is to share my experiences, discoveries, anecdotes and learnings with everyone.

Why choose Hong Kong as the destination for the second edition of #TravelWithKunal?

Hong Kong is a foodie city. Its paradise for young, hungry foodies with a passion for flavour and an insatiable stomach. Whether it is burgers, bagels, cart noodles, congee, vegetarian, brunch, hot pot, Mexican, fine-dining Cantonese, dim sum, something to keep you warm in winter or even just the daily special from your local cha chaanteng or daipai dong, Hong Kongs got it and itll knock your socks off with a flavour punch. So, certainly I was most excited about the food in Hong Kong, especially because I was also a part of the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival 2017.

Three-quarters of Hong Kong is protected countryside. Its pretty amazing that I can be dodging suitcase-wheeling hordes of mainland tourists in MongKok one moment and strolling peacefully along a nature trail the next. Its a true explorers delight. Hong Kongs energy is infectious and addictive, and the can-do spirit is for real. From the highest number of skyscrapers, and Rolls-Royces per person, to local neighbourhoods that are steeped in proud tradition and culturally unique, the vibrancy and diversity makes this a truly special place. I am thrilled to be sharing Hong Kong with my audiences through my lens.

How and when did you decide to become a Chef? What was your familys response when you told them you wanted to become a Chef?

I belong to a middle-class Punjabi banker family. With me being the only boy in my generation, it was expected that I too would become a banker. But I was scared of Maths and was not that great at Accounts. I confessed to my dad that I did not want to do banking and wanted to study hotel management (inspired by a friend). I was scared of how my father would react, but my dad has always been the most encouraging person in my life, reinforcing my belief in myself and pushing me to think outside the box. Once I was in a hotel management institute, it didnt take me long to discover that cooking is where my passion belonged.

Moreover, all the men in my family cook. I grew up watching my grandfather and father cook. I have numerous memories of watching dad cook a delicious Sunday lunch, while I sat on an upturned Dalda box and repeated the ingredients diligently!

What were the challenges that you faced as a MasterChef India judge?

When you train as a professional chef, theres a certain arrogance that gets seeded in you that you are better than people who cook at home. MasterChef has been a very humbling experience for me as I realised through the home cooks I met that the real culinary talent is still locked away in home kitchens. There are so many flavours and skills and innovations that come out of home chefs that are way beyond what a textbook can teach you. It has been an extremely fun, enlightening, humbling and memorable experience.

How difficult was it judging kids in MasterChef Juniors?

It was really heartwarming and inspiring to meet such talented and focused young chefs. They were skilled way ahead of their age and their passion and love for food resonated throughout our journey. The only difficult part was when we had to bid adieu to one young chef every week.

What is that one social cause that you are most passionate about?

One of my proudest moments was working with the Street Food Vendors Association of India to educate them on basic hygiene and cleanliness practices in association with NASVI. Our country has a rich treasure of street food, but there is often a negative connotation attached to it due to hygiene concerns. I endeavoured to educate hundreds of vendors on best practices and there is no match for the satisfaction you get from sharing your privilege with the ones who dont have access to it.

What is your biggest fear and how do you face it?

I think I am scared of running out of time and missing out on experiences in life. I think that is why I make a constant conscious effort of travelling to newer locations as frequently as I can.Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

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Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.Dominion Energy, the Virginia-based utilities goliath positioned to purchase SCANA Corp., has finished a natural gas pipeline that services Lexington and Charleston counties, among others.

Dominion Energy Carolina Gas Transmission has completed and flipped the switch on the Charleston Project, the company's largest infrastructure buildout to date.

The pipeline will deliver enough natural gas to serve 73,000 households on a winter day, according to Dominion Energy. The now-complete project includes 55 miles of 12-inch diameter pipe from Moore to Chappells, 5 miles of 4-inch diameter pipe in Dillon and compressor station upgrades.

Charleston Project fact sheet A PDF containing quick data about the Charleston Project, a newly complete natural gas pipeline.

The DECGT expansion is just the latest in Dominion Energy-operated natural gas infrastructure in this area: The company already operates some 1,500 miles of pipeline in South Carolina and Georgia.

Dominion Energy bought Carolina Gas Transmission in 2015. Dominion Energy operates nearly 15,000 miles of pipeline across the country.

Dan Weekley, Dominion Energy's vice president and general manager of southern pipeline operations, said the new pipeline will bring much-needed clean energy to South Carolinians. Roughly 94 percent of the pipeline's capacity will serve South Carolina Electric & Gas customers.

SCE&G is a subsidiary of SCANA, the Cayce-based company that abandoned a decade-long project at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in Fairfield County last year.

On Jan. 3, Dominion Energy announced its plans to buy SCANA for $14.6 billion.

On Friday, Weekley was scheduled to speak at the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce's monthly breakfast. Weekley ultimately could not attend. Kristen Beckham, a Dominion Energy external affairs representative, spoke instead.

When asked, Beckham said the Charleston Project is the product of necessity: "A lot of the systems are full," she said of pre-existing natural gas lines. "We needed to build more pipe."

When asked if the successful purchase of SCANA would make potential natural gas expansion in South Carolina easier, Beckham said not automatically.

"Natural gas expansions always require a customer," Beckham said. "For us to have continued growth in natural gas, it's about future economic development and the growth of this state. It's all tied together."

South Carolina gained more than 64,000 residents in 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. That's the seventh year in a row of population growth.

Charleston Project completion comes at a time when Dominion Energy is proposing a 600-mile natural gas pipeline  the Atlantic Coast Pipeline  that starts in West Virginia and dead-ends roughly 20 miles northeast of the South Carolina border. Beckham touched on the the project briefly Friday morning.

In 2017, the Associated Press reported Weekley  at the 2017 S.C. Clean Energy Summit in Columbia  said "everybody knows" the Atlantic Coast Pipeline will not stop in North Carolina. The AP sourced the quote, and more, from a summit attendee's submitted recordings.

Dominion Energy refuted any plans of Atlantic Coast Pipeline expansion at the time. Work in South Carolina is not expressed in the current plans.

The company has said the Charleston Project and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline project are completely unrelated.The Iraqi government sent to parliament a revised version of the 2018 budget bill for the fourth time Feb. 11. The budget proposal includes a new 10% tax on sales at commercial centers, restaurants and barbershops.

Iraq lacks the appropriate environment to collect new taxes because sales are made in cash, not credit cards. This reality will likely impose obstacles on tax collection as both citizens and shop owners can find ways to evade taxes. This is not to mention the influence peddling in the tax collection departments, where some officials could add the taxes to their personal accounts instead of state coffers.

The government's new tax policy comes as a result of Iraq's 2015 agreement for a $5.4 billion loan with the International Monetary Fund.

This deal includes a reform of public finances (including the tax system) to collect 2.3 trillion dinars ($1.8 billion) under the 2018 budget through taxes imposed on telecommunications services, hotels, refreshments, cigarettes and alcohol, among other items.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Madhar Mohammad Saleh, financial adviser to the prime minister, attributed the government's new taxes to efforts to diversify the economy and end its reliance on oil. Saleh said, "Iraq ranks last in the world in terms of paying taxes  with the amount of tax paid equivalent to only 3% of GDP. Paying taxes is still alien to the Iraqi people."

He added, "Paying taxes is a national duty so that every citizen could contribute to the state budget and these funds could be used for national projects that are of paramount importance to Iraqis, such as hospitals and infrastructure, among other development projects.  The imposed taxes are very low and will not pose any burden to citizens. Politicians need to find solutions to financial problems as the situation in the country is already difficult."

The government began to impose taxes for the first time in the 2015 budget, namely Article 33, on prepaid mobile card and airplane tickets in the wake of the financial crisis that broke out in 2014, which is still ongoing. Those taxes were implemented because of low oil prices and the high cost of the battles against the Islamic State, which swept the north and west of Iraq.

Najiha Abbas, director of the General Tax Authority, said, "The proposed sales tax in the budget of 2018 is not imposed on traders and shop owners but are rather deducted from consumers." Abbas added, "Taxation will help diversify the economy and reduce the rate of the non-oil deficit and therefore make the country less reliant on oil."

The Finance Committee of the Iraqi parliament described the economic measures as "unrealistic and full of confusion."

"Imposing new taxes on the Iraqi people means further impoverishing them as the countrys economy is facing major obstacles in addition to the bad economic decisions that came to the detriment of citizens," parliamentarian Serhan Ahmed told Al-Monitor.

"These taxes will raise the prices of goods and will lead to economic stagnation and citizens are already tied up with loans. The oil funds, loans and grants have already gone to the pocket of the government, which is now seeking more funds through taxes," Ahmed said. He called upon parliament to cancel the article on taxation from the 2018 budget bill.

Shop, hotel and barbershop owners have largely objected to the 10% tax, which will adversely affect their incomes in light of the stagnation that has been gripping the country since 2014.

Selim Khadem, a barbershop owner in Baghdad, told Al-Monitor, "The government does not provide any service of essence to the citizens while it continues to collect billions of dollars from oil every year. Now they want more money, which explains the new taxes. If this system comes into force, I will have to sell my business as I cannot afford that the government shares my profits through sales taxes."

Khadem said, "Usually people pay taxes in exchange for good services provided by their state. In Iraq, however, people buy fake commodities at a very high price and now they will pay taxes."

Abdul Rahman al-Mashhadani, a professor of economics at Iraqi University in Baghdad, agreed with Khadem.

"This is a bad decision by the government. The country is already gripped by an acute financial crisis that has taken its toll on citizens, causing more poverty and unemployment. With these new taxes, the already shaky trust between the people and the government has been strained," Mashhadani told Al-Monitor. He said the new taxation system will serve as fertile ground for the rampant financial and administrative corruption due to the major imbalance in the tax system, stressing that Iraq needs a long-term strategic policy to reform its economy and not short-term palliatives.

The government has been facing many obstacles in collecting taxes, as it has said more than $8 billion a year from custom duties on imported goods have been wasted.Americas main pro-Israel lobby is struggling to bring Democrats and Republicans together on major legislation ahead of its annual confab as bipartisan consensus on foreign policy continues to erode.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) holds its three-day policy conference starting Sunday. As in years past, the groups lobbyists have worked with Congress to tee up legislation for the thousands of eager members coming into town to rally around. But the lobby has no concrete plans to fight the anti-Israel boycott or strengthen the Iran nuclear deal.

Its notable that two days before the conference theyve had difficulty coming up with concrete asks, a Senate staffer told Al-Monitor.

AIPAC continues to push the Senate to pass the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, which bans Americans from supporting a UN plan to create a list of companies operating in the West Bank. While the bill enjoys 51 cosponsors from both parties, opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union and other free speech advocates has halted its progress.

The bills Senate sponsor, Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland, has agreed to alter the bill to assuage some of these concerns. Its not clear, however, that he can address the free speech issues without rendering the bill toothless. AIPAC for its part has yet to spell out what it would accept in an alternative bill.

The organization is also struggling to deal with the partisan climate around the nuclear deal, which was negotiated under President Barack Obama and didnt get a single Republican vote in the House or Senate. AIPAC staunchly opposed the deal from the outset, but is rallying behind the presidents calls to fix its perceived flaws rather than calling for its dismantlement.

An AIPAC backgrounder calls on Congress to extend key restrictions on Irans nuclear program that eventually expire under the deal. The lobby also wants the International Atomic Energy Agency to strengthen, expand and provide full transparency into its inspection of Irans nuclear program.

However, AIPAC has stopped short of endorsing a White House-backed partisan bill from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., that would reimpose sanctions on Iran if it comes within a year of obtaining a nuclear weapon. Instead, the group wants Corker and the committees top Democrat, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., to pen a letter to the administration urging Trump to reach a follow-up agreement with European signatories to the deal.

While the United States and its European partners may be able to agree to further action against Irans ballistic missile program, another AIPAC demand, Trumps insistence on addressing the deals sunset provisions with the threat of further sanctions will be a harder sell. Further complicating matters is the fact that Russia and China are also signatories to the deal.

AIPAC nonetheless had overwhelming success by joining forces with the Chamber of Commerce and the Israeli American Council, Al-Monitor has learned, to convince all 100 senators to sign onto another letter directed at Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Spearheaded by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the letter requests that the Department of Homeland Security expedite Israels membership in the US Global Entry Program, which eases entry into the country for pre-approved travelers from select countries. Israel has participated in a limited, pilot Global Entry program since 2012 and seeks to become a full member.

Israels membership in Global Entry would not only provide its passport holders a smoother visit to the United States but would also help to make our country safer by enhancing bilateral law enforcement cooperation, the senators write in the letter.

However, Maya Berry, the executive director of the nonprofit Arab American Institute, raised concerns about Israeli profiling of Arab Americans and US pro-Palestinian activists at Israel's borders. She argued that allowing Israel to become part of the Global Entry Program would be inappropriate unless Israel stops discriminating against Arab Americans.

Every single one of these senators has a constituent thats been subjected to discrimination at Israels border in the form of harassment or detention or even deportation, Berry told Al-Monitor. We are going to demand that the Department of Homeland Security uphold the requirements of the Global Entry Program and if you respect that precedent that requires reciprocity, then there is no way that Israel could be admitted.

In addition to the Global Entry letter, AIPAC has pushed for military assistance and more sanctions against Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

While AIPAC calls on Congress to maintain the $3.8 billion per year in military aid negotiated by the Obama administration in a 2016 memorandum of understanding, the backgrounder also calls on lawmakers to expand joint innovation, enhance Israels qualitative military edge  and consider upgrades to the value of US stockpiles in Israel.

To that end, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., and Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the respective chairwoman and ranking member of the House panel overseeing the Middle East, introduced a bill this week codifying the $38 billion, 10-year memorandum of understanding into law. The bill also reaffirms the US commitment to maintaining Israels qualitative military edge against other countries in the region while including provisions to bolster cooperation on cybersecurity, space and drone detection.

Meanwhile in the upper chamber, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., fresh off a trip to Israel, made clear to reporters that they think the $3.8 billion a year in Israeli military aid is insufficient and that they intend to appropriate additional funding. Graham chairs the Senate panel that oversees foreign aid spending.

Additionally, the AIPAC backgrounder calls on Congress to toughen sanctions enforcement against the IRGC and penalize its supporters.

Almost on cue, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., respectively the chairman and top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced legislation this week to further sanction companies partially owned by the IRGC. The bill authorizes the Trump administration to sanction companies even if the IRGC owns a less than 50% stake. It also requires the administration to submit a report to Congress on companies for which there is a reasonable basis to determine that Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps has an ownership interest of at least 33%.Adults who survived child abuse attempt to prevent further abuse and support victims by policy campaigns and therapy.

New Delhi, India  Shaista Shamin remembers the day she slapped the man who touched her inappropriately.

The 17-year-old lives in the Tiljala slum of Kolkata and had previously survived sexual assaults. But on this occasion, she stood up against her attacker.

When I was very young, I couldnt understand what was happening so I couldnt say anything, she told Al Jazeera.

But, the harassment began to increase as I was growing up. I dont understand why men do this.

In an attempt to overcome abuse, Shamin has now joined a drama group led by Pranaadhika Sinha Devburman, an activist working with child sexual assault survivors.

Devburmans drama therapy classes create awareness among teenage girls and boys of the slum.

We are trying to get the children acquainted with acting out the problem. They can act, they can laugh about it, but ultimately this is the way to tell them that this kind of behaviour if it happens to you in real life is wrong, Devburman, a survivor herself, told Al Jazeera.

Throughout my childhood, I kept looking for a safe space. But it isnt easy to talk about abuse in India.

She was four years old when an older male relative sexually abused her.

He molested me. I blanked out because I was so shocked. I could not believe that somebody who loved me so much had broken my trust. And I never spoke about it for the same reason  my family wouldnt have believed me.

The abuse continued until she was 19 years old, she says, adding that thousands of children across the country continue to suffer today.

In 2016, at least 36,022 cases were reported under Indias 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act law, according to Indias National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Suicide and self-harm

Psychiatrist Rima Mukherji works with survivors in Kolkata.

Attacks have not necessarily increased, she said, but more people are coming forward to report.

However, she told Al Jazeera: I still think it is the tip of the iceberg. I would say 90 percent of the cases, or more, are still not being reported.

Vinay Singh, a child rights activist, helps to run a support group in which writing is promoted as a way of therapy.

One childs diary entry shown to Al Jazeera read: I feel scared even when my own father touches me. When my father wakes me up in the morning, I am fearful  and wonder  why is he touching me? I cannot sleep any more and I feel upset with myself and ask myself why I am feeling uncomfortable with my father.

A brother and cousin had been sexually assaulting the child  who has attempted suicide  from the age of three to 13.

Al Jazeera showed a copy of the diary entry to Mukherji, the psychiatrist.

Most people actually have maladaptive coping skills if they have been sexually abused, Mukherji said.

Some feel very guilty. In order to punish themselves, they commit self-harm, because of this guilt. Self-harm gives them a sense of relief, they feel better. They feel that the pain is helping them.

My aunt burst out laughing when I told her

Several activists told Al Jazeera that the average Indian family structure is unable to deal with sexual abuse.

Because of family pressure, especially if the abuser is a relative, victims are not encouraged to speak up and are told to try and forget about the incident.

Devburman, the therapist who works with children in the slums, recalled how when she was eight years old, her aunt laughed at her when she tried to discuss her experience of abuse.

I was abused by the caretaker of the building that my father lived in, she said. The caretaker took me downstairs to an area which was isolated, and tried to rape me. When I spoke with my aunt about it, she literally burst out laughing. She said, What did you do to make him touch you?'

Devburman has also written in a journal as a way of therapy.

It helps me not be suicidal, which Ive been for the longest time of my entire life. I self-harm, I have a lot of anger issues, she said. And it is misdirected anger. Why should I be angry with myself?

The journal entries help me get the anger out in a constructive fashion. I use it to heal myself because at some point the hard work of healing has to be done by you.

Devburmans healing process has inspired other child sexual abuse survivors, including 29-year-old Abhik Mukherji.

Last year, he recorded a video clip about his sexual abuse and posted it online.

Society, in general, perceives men as abusers, he told Al Jazeera. They cannot even accept the fact that a man can be abused. People kept saying, You are a man, how could you have been abused?'

When he was around five years old and living with his family in the UK, Mukherji was regularly abused by a childminder.

Later, as a teenager, he was sexually assaulted by schoolchildren.

The experiences made Mukherji feel increasingly isolated, affecting his studies and relationships.

Today, Mukherji has moved forward. He is now a trained counsellor and works with sexual abuse survivors.

Devburman, Mukherji and other survivors use social media to campaign against sexual abuse.

Personal safety education, they also believe, should be mandatory at all Indian schools.

I want to provide a safe space to them so that they can talk about their problems in a non-judgemental, non-hostile environment, Mukherji said.Italy will go to vote on March 4, 2018, for a new parliament under a new law, Rosatellum bis, in a parallel voting system, which acts as a mixed system.

The Senate of the Republic has 315 elected members

116 Directly elected in single-member districts.

193 Regional proportional representation.

6 are elected by the Italians abroad.

Senators-for-life includes former presidents of the Republic and several other persons appointed for life by a president of the Republic  no more than 5. The Senate is elected on a single ballot.

The Chamber of Deputies had 630 members

232 are directly elected in single-member districts.

386 are elected by national proportional representation.

12 are elected by the Italians abroad.

Italian elections  lower house [Al Jazeera]

Candidates

Silvio Berlusconi  Forza Italia.

Matteo Renzi  Democratic Party (PD)

Luigi Di Maio  M5S

Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party is in alliance with the Northern League which is led by far-right politician Matteo Salvini other right-wing parties.

While Berlusconi is barred from running in the elections and cannot become prime minister, owing to a 2013 tax fraud conviction, his party was polling at an average of 36 percent as of the most recent polls.

Coalition

Center-right coalition: Forza Italia, Northern League, Brothers of Italy and Us with Italy.

Center-left coalition: The PD (currently in power), Piu Europa (More Europe, a pro-European party), Lista Insieme and Civica Popolare.Rodolfo Illanes, Bolivias deputy interior minister, was reportedly beaten to death after being kidnapped by miners.

Bolivias Deputy Interior Minister, Rodolfo Illanes, has been killed after being kidnapped by protesting miners, a senior government official has said.

All the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly assassinated, Carlos Romero, the minister of government, said late on Thursday in comments quoted by the Reuters news agency.

He said that the 56-year-old had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday in Panduro, around 160km from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said.

Local media also reported Illanes death, citing a radio station director who claimed he saw his body.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

Protests turned violent this week after two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said was an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Morales nationalised Bolivias resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for ploughing the profits into welfare programmes and boosting development.

However, his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years, and even the unions who were once his core support have become disillusioned with him as falling prices have limited spending.Response follows US move to cut aid for what White House called Southeast Asian countrys recent democratic setbacks.

Cambodias prime minister has accused the US government of being dishonest in its announced suspension of aid to the Southeast Asian nation, saying Cambodia had already stopped receiving aid from the US in 2016.

Please, US ambassador, answer this one question: Why did you announce cutting aid while there is no aid? Do you intend to distort the reputation of Cambodia?

The US will cut military support and financial aid to Cambodia over a series of undemocratic setbacks, the White House announced recently.

Cambodias management of its recent senate election, held on Sunday, is among a number of concerns held by the US regarding the health of democracy in the Southeast Asian country, the White House said on Tuesday.

Senate elections on February 25  failed to represent the genuine will of the Cambodian people, a White House statement said.

These setbacks compelled the United States to review its assistance to Cambodia to ensure that American taxpayer funds are not being used to support anti-democratic behaviour.

Economic well-being

The US will cut, or reduce, several treasury, USAID and military assistance programmes that support Cambodias armed forces and officials following the review, the statement said, adding that assistance for health, agriculture and mine-clearing programmes would continue.

The US has spent more than $1bn on supporting economic, social and democratic well-being in Cambodia during the last 25 years, according to the White House.

Cambodias ruling Peoples Party (CPP) won all 58 elected seats in the countrys 62-member senate during Sundays election, Reuters news agency said.

Three other parties contested the election, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

Cambodias lower parliamentary house, the National Assembly, and ruling monarch appoint the other four members of the upper house.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), however, declared the vote as undemocratic, saying authorities prevented more than 5,000 of its councillors and legislators from voting.

Sam Rainsy, a former leader of the CNRP, described the election as a pointless farce that will deceive no one in a Twitter post on Sunday.

Cambodias Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP, which was accused of plotting to overthrow the government, in November 2017.

The Cambodian government, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, had asked the Supreme Court to hold the trial.

Two months earlier, Kem Sokha, then leader of the CNRP, was jailed on charges of treason.

Cambodian authorities allege Sokha colluded with the US to topple the government, an accusation denied by the US and Sokha himself.Annual conference set to open with objective of reining in Irans influence and limit US financial support to the PA.

A previous version of this article stated that AIPAC membership has reached 500,000. This is incorrect. According to latest estimates from AIPAC, the lobby group says it has more than 100,000 members.

Washington, DC  The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, is holding its 2018 policy conference in Washington, DC, on Sunday, an event meant to underscore its outsized influence inside Americas corridors of power by hosting key Congressional leaders; the US vice president; the US ambassador to the UN; and several foreign leaders.

This years conference will crown several of AIPACs accomplishments in advancing its pro-Israel agenda in Congress and in the White House.

Key to AIPACs congressional agenda this year will be to support Israeli goals of curbing Irans rising power and influence in the Middle East, something Israel sees as a threat to its own economic and military superiority in the region.

AIPAC also seeks to limit US financial support for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and to target the BDS movement for its efforts against the Israeli occupation.

BDS, which stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, is a Palestinian-led international initiative that seeks to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories through economic and cultural boycotts.

According to its website, AIPACs key legislative agenda includes: develop a comprehensive strategy for Iran.

Driven by AIPACs lobbying efforts and by pro-Israeli supporters on the American right, President Donald Trumps administration is trying to undo the American nuclear deal with Iran, signed under the Obama administration in 2015.

Taking on the PA

AIPAC seeks to limit US aid to the PA for its financial assistance to the families of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held by Israel mostly for their activism against Israeli occupation.

Palestinians view this assistance as key to help families cope with economic hardship when their relatives and breadwinners are imprisoned by Israel.

Another major AIPAC goal is to codify the US commitment to give Israel $38bn over the next 10 years that was committed by the Obama administration.

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AIPAC wants Congress to enact a law to make those funds available to Israel regardless of who is in the White House.

If this key agenda is passed through Congress, which should not be difficult given the wide support Israel enjoys there, it will prevent any future US presidents from using any component of US aid to Israel as a leverage to advance US policy objectives in the Middle East.

Israel also gets an annual $3.1bn every year since it signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979.

Through its website, AIPAC urges its members to contact their congressional representatives to support giving Israel an additional $750m for Israels missile defence programme.

Established in 1951 by Jewish American leaders as an interest group to advance Israeli objectives in the US, AIPAC has evolved into one of the countrys most powerful lobbying organisations.

AIPAC says that its membership figure has crossed the 100,000 mark across the US.

AIPACs influence in American politics stems from its members generous financial donations to candidates for political office at both the state and national levels.

Unlike its Democratic and Republican predecessors, the Trump administration is seen to have accomplished one of AIPAC key demands of recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital and moving the US embassy to the city last December, effectively ending a longstanding US policy that left the fate of the city to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

AIPAC had successfully lobbied Congress during the Clinton administration to enact the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 which became a public US law.

All of President Trump key Middle East advisers  notably US ambassador to Israel David Freedman, Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt  are key supporters of Israeli rightwing policies against Palestinians.

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These key advisers are effectively in charge of US foreign policy vis-a-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict and are known to favour expanding illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian areas, thus ending Palestinian hopes of establishing a viable independent Palestinian state on pre-1967 lines.

Palestinians demand that Arab East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967, to be the future capital of their independent Palestinian state.

Among the key speakers of this years conference is Vice President Mike Pence, who as a conservative Christian is one of Israels strongest backers inside the White House, and Nikki Haley, who often uses the UN platform to defend Israeli policies and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and publicly admonish its critics at the UN.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, will also address the delegates as it is customary of AIPAC conferences to invite the sitting Israeli prime minister to address AIPACs annual conference.

Among the key congressional leaders scheduled to speak this year are the Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; Nancy Pelosi the Democratic Senate Minority leader; and several other key senators and House members.

Nana Akufo-Addo, the president of Ghana, and Edi Rama, prime minister of Albania, will be among the foreign leaders scheduled to deliver speeches at the conference.

Follow Ali Younes on Twitter @ali_resportsAnnual meeting to push for measures that counter boycott Israel campaign as rights groups call bills unconstitutional.

Washington, DC  Israel supporters in the US are gearing up for AIPACs much-vaunted annual policy conference, with measures to counter the widening campaign to boycott Israel and its West Bank settlements expected to feature prominently in the powerful lobbying groups agenda.

This includes legislation that several Republican and Democratic Congress members have sponsored to curb the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which aims to pressure Israel into ending its occupation of Arab and Palestinian land.

AIPAC set the stage for its conference, which runs from Sunday through Tuesday and features leaders of both parties, by sending out an action alert to rally support for two anti-boycott bills in the House and Senate.

Israel has long been targeted by the pernicious Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Together we must continue the fight to protect Israel from economic warfare and American companies legally doing business with the Jewish state, the alert said.

The United Nations and other international governmental organisations have long singled out Israel with unfair criticism and have led efforts to isolate the Jewish state politically and economically.

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An AIPAC official told the Jewish Telegraph Agency that conference talking points would include its backing of two bills targeting BDS, with a focus on a UN database of companies that deal with Israeli settlements.

The bills were initially backed by both parties but its sponsors have found themselves in hot water following criticism by civil liberty groups, leading some Democrats to withhold support.

Free-speech advocates and various activist groups have been fighting these bills in court and through grassroots organising, arguing that boycott is a protected means of political expression under the First Amendment.

Politicians are increasingly out of touch with the grassroots in this country, on many issues, including Palestinian rights, said Rahul Saksena, a lawyer at Palestine Legal, a group that supports pro-Palestine civil rights activists.

While more and more people support boycotts for Palestinian rights, legislators continue to enact unconstitutional anti-boycott laws.

BDS opponents have recently been dealt a series of setbacks, most notably the declaration by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights last month that it had identified more than 200 businesses, 22 of them American, that could be held accountable for operating in settlements.

The UN did not release that database of firms, and it is unclear if it ever will, experts say, but that has not slowed momentum to pass legislation that civil liberty advocates believe stifles freedom of expression by erasing the distinction between Israel and its settlements.

We have seen a wave of legislation in US states and efforts at the federal level  to define any differentiation between the two as boycotting Israel and to seek ways to use US law to either sanction people doing that to punish them or to prevent them from doing it, said Lara Friedman, president of the Washington, DC-based Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Israel Anti-Boycott Act

The non-profit found that as of March 1, 23 states enacted laws or executive orders to withhold contracts from companies and individuals that boycott either Israel or its settlements, essentially conflating the two.

At the federal level, Congress is pushing forward with a bill called the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, which would impose criminal penalties  up to $1m fine and 20 years in prison  on those supporting, promoting or providing information that champions efforts to boycott Israel, including its settlements.

The bills main sponsors, who will be speaking at the AIPAC conference, argue that they are merely updating long-standing, anti-boycott legislation, which dates back to the 1970s and were written to address the Arab League boycott of Israel. They deny that the bill would target US individuals or involve criminal or civil penalties.

Critics, such as Friedman, argue that under the bills provisions, researchers or activists could be found legally liable for producing information on Israeli settlements based on the UN database or the EUs differentiation strategy, which requires excluding settlement activities from its bilateral relations with Israel.

This week, AIPAC will also be lobbying for the Combating BDS Act, a bill designed to give a federal green light to the 23 states with laws to combat BDS efforts. Friedman calls these state bills gag laws and free-speech advocates like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have challenged the constitutionality of some of these bills, leading to a major victory for the BDS movement in Kansas.

In January, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction on a Kansas law requiring US individuals and companies to sign a declaration that they will not engage in a boycott of Israel if they want to be awarded a state contract.

But other states seem undeterred by the Kansas ruling, forging through local legislatures to introduce similar bills, or expanding existing laws on the issue.

Weve seen laws like this introduced across the country, said Imraan Siddiqi, executive director of the Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Some cities are implementing these laws in their contracts as well, which is extremely troubling.

This happened with a mosque that was renting out the Phoenix Convention Center last year for Eid prayers. The language was eventually removed from the contract after the mosque complained.

Lawsuit filed

On Friday, CAIR and representatives of the Muslim Students Association at Arizona State University filed a lawsuit challenging the Arizona statute requiring contractors to certify that they are not engaging in BDS activity.

The university has accordingly been prohibiting groups from inviting speakers to campus who support or are affiliated with the boycott movement.

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This included Hatem Bazian, a professor of Islamic law and cofounder of Zaytuna, the first-accredited Muslim college in the US.

Bazian and the AMP plaintiffs argue that the law is a violation of the First Amendments guarantee of free speech.

What they are doing essentially is policing thought, CAIRs Siddiqi said.

They are making it illegal to espouse pro-Palestine advocacy.

On February 8, several organisations supporting Israel filed an amicus brief  documents presented usually by a group or party that back or oppose a certain outcome in a case  in federal court to uphold the Arizona anti-boycott law, calling Israel boycott efforts discriminatory.

But civil liberty groups like Palestine Legal argue that these laws are tools to crush a human rights movement and shield Israel from criticism for its violations in the Palestinian territories.

AIPAC and other Israel advocacy organisations are resorting to efforts aimed at shutting down the conversation by punishing those who speak out in support of Palestinian freedom, censoring our speech, and infringing on our constitutional right to boycott, said Saksena of Palestine Legal.

These anti-democratic tactics should have no place in a democracy.Billy Graham leaves a debated legacy

Called Americas Pastor, the Evangelical preacher was honoured in the US Capitol building, but his views on interfaith and racial tolerance remain a subject of some dispute.Calls for improved children rights in Guatemala

Despite having one of the healthiest economies in Latin America, the UN says that Guatemala is failing its children.Chinese firm wins case on intellectual property in the US

The importance of intellectual property rights is increasing in China, where the economy is switching from industry to innovation, and Chinese firms are beginning to fight for those rights, even in foreign courts.Voting under way in election thats being billed as a test for right-wing populism and increasing anxiety over migration

Why is Italys election important?

Italys election on Sunday has been billed as a test for Europe amid growing right-wing populism and increasing anxiety over migration.

With widespread anger over economic stagnation and far-right parties making gains across the continent, Italians will cast their ballots to choose a new government.

Many of the countrys politicians have focused their ire on refugees and migrants, nearly 120,000 of whom arrived in Italy in 2017.

Among the parties railing against immigration are the populist Five Star Movement (M5S), The League (also known as the Northern League), the self-professed fascist party CasaPound and the neo-fascist Forza Nuova.

Around 30 percent of eligible voters are reportedly still undecided, according to the most recent surveys on public opinion, which were conducted two weeks ago in advance of a media blackout on polling.

Whats expected?

According to the polls two weeks ago, none of the parties currently command the requisite 40 percent support needed to create a government, a level that was introduced in a new law last year.

In such a scenario, the president would have to find a cross-party solution to create a government, a grand coalition would have to be formed, or Italians would head back to the polls if no workable government is agreed upon.

Cas Mudde, an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, explained that no single election could be a test for the broader populist phenomenon.

On top of that, Italy has long been an outlier, with a solid populist tradition going back at least until the early 1990s, Mudde, whose scholarship has focused on populism, told Al Jazeera.

It also has very particular economic and political circumstances.

Is Berlusconi in bed with the far right?

Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party has struck a deal with The League (also known as the Northern League), headed by far-right politician Matteo Salvini and a pair of smaller right-wing parties.

One of those parties is the Brothers of Italy, which is estimated to have a membership of some 50,000 people.

While Berlusconi is personally barred from running in the elections and cannot become prime minister, owing to a 2013 tax fraud conviction, the bloc led by his party was polling at an average of 36 percent as of the most recent polls.

Northern League leader Salvini gestures during a television talk show in Rome [Remo Casilli/Reuters]

In the past, Berlusconi, a media tycoon, served as prime minister for a combined total of nine years, making him the countrys longest-serving ruler since the end of the second world war.

On Thursday, during his final rally before the vote, Berlusconi said he was relatively satisfied with the trajectory of the campaign.

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Salvini has pledged to deport upwards of half a million refugees and migrants. Earlier this month, a former local candidate for the League in Macerata was suspected of shooting and injuring six African migrants in a drive-by shooting.

Although Salvini has railed in the past against the European Union, he has said he will not seek a referendum on Italys membership in the 28-country bloc.

Daniele Albertazzi, a senior lecturer in European politics at Birmingham University in the UK, said that the Berlusconi alliance with right-wing parties is part of a very well established relationship.

Berlusconi has been prime minister four times, and hes always had the support of the Northern League, he told Al Jazeera.

Where does the centre-left stand?

Founded to bring together disparate centre-left parties in 2007, the Democratic Party (PD), which currently controls the governing coalition, is polling at around 23 percent.

Under the leadership of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (2014-2016), the party has lost much of its support in recent months.

Paolo Gentiloni, the countrys current prime minister and a PD member, is the most popular individual politician in the polls, with an approval rating of 47 percent, according to a survey in the daily Corriere della Sera.

No one knows what the PD stands for, but everyone knows what Berlusconi is for. Daniele Albertazzi, European politics lecturer

The PD has steadily lost support since it last won more than 40 percent of the vote in 2014. Just two years later, M5S surpassed PD in Rome and Turin in regional elections.

Albertazzi explained that the decline in support for PD can be attributed to several factors, among them Renzis failed 2016 constitutional reform referendum that led to his resignation.

One of the primary reasons the PD has lost the support of much of its previous base is that it has no clear message, Albertazzi added.

No one knows what the PD stands for, but everyone knows what Berlusconi is for.

Local media has observed that the partys primary problem appears to be the lack of potential coalition partners, likely rendering it unable to maintain its role in the government.

What has become of the comedians anti-establishment party?

M5S was polling at an average of 28 percent, making it the most popular individual party before the elections.

Founded in 2009 by a comedian, Beppe Grillo, the party has been described as anti-establishment, Eurosceptic and pro-environment.

M5S ruled out the potential of creating a coalition before the elections, but has since softened its stance.

[M5S Cas

become more and more like a populist radical right party, however, being increasingly anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic.]

It was recently revealed that several party members had broken M5S protocol by failing to donate half of their salaries to small business.

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Leader Luigi di Maio, who took over in September 2017 after being voted M5S prime minister, has promised to expel bad apples from the party before the nation takes to the ballots.

Yet, the scandal appeared to have little impact on M5S in the polls, observers have noted.

Although the party has rejected the left-right dichotomy of traditional politics, M5S is a member of the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy in the European Parliament.

That group includes right-wing parties, such as the United Kingdoms UK Independence Party (UKIP) and the ultranationalist Sweden Democrats.

Explaining that M5S had adopted a combination of positions typically associated with the left and the right, along with a focus on issues such as internet access and the environment, Mudde described the party as having an amorphous structure and a leader who stays out of practical politics.

This makes it very hard to figure out who speaks for the party, Mudde said.

He added: In the past years they have become more and more like a populist radical right party, however, being increasingly anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic.

Although M5S has consistently advocated leaving the EU and the euro, the unified European currency used in many member states, its leader recently said that it preferred to stay in the bloc for the time being.

Is the far right expected to gain ground?

CasaPound was established in 2003 and describes itself as fascist. It has been accused of carrying out violence against political opponents and asylum seekers, charges it consistently denies.

Founded in 1997, Forza Nuova also hails the legacy of fascist ruler Benito Mussolini and has been on the front line of anti-migrant organising.

Both parties advocate the expulsion of refugees and migrants.

While neither CasaPound nor Forza Nuova is likely to land politicians in the government, they have had an increasingly significant effect on the national discourse, particularly regarding migration, according to analysts.

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In November, CasaPound grabbed nine percent of the vote in Romes Ostia district, sparking fears among critics and political opponents.

Last week, CasaPound declared its support for the Leagues Salvini as prime minister.

If there is the possibility of a sovereign government that takes us out of the euro and out of the European Union and blocks immigration, which are the three main points of our programme, we are ready to support it, Simone di Stefano of CasaPound said.

Analysts say the far rights growing cosiness with more mainstream parties comes at a time of their increasing effectiveness in organising.

More than a growth in numbers, there has been a growth in visibility and efficacy in the way they organise, Guido Caldiron, author of Extreme Right, a book about the far right in Europe, told Al Jazeera.

In the 1990s, Forza Nuova tried but never succeeded to create a real party, but it was more of a movement, he explained.

Now [the far right] has a stronger link with mainstream politics, he said, arguing that CasaPound and Forza Nuova have influenced the rhetoric of larger parties like the League.

Caldiron added: This new wave goes along with the growth of the right in general in Italy  They have been legitimised since the Berlusconi era of the 90s. The fact that they call themselves fascists is no longer a scandal.

Since the attack in Macerata, tensions between anti-fascists and the far right have soared.

Last weekend, police clashed with anti-fascists in Milan, as demonstrators in that city and Rome rallied against the growth of the far right.

On February 20, anti-fascists bound and beat Massimo Ursino, a local Forza Nuova leader, in Sicily.Controversial ruling concerns sovereignty over Tiran and Sanafir, largely unoccupied islands in a strategic location.

Egypts top court has upheld a deal to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Situated between the two countries, the islands of Tiran and Sanafir are largely unoccupied but they lie in a strategically important and politically sensitive area.

The agreement was first announced during a visit to Cairo in April 2016 by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, during which he announced a multi-billion-dollar package of investments and soft loans for Egypt.

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Following the signing of the deal, widespread protests broke out across Egypt.

Opponents of the agreement said it amounted to selling off Egypts sovereign powers and that it violated the constitution, which bars the surrender of any territory.

Saturdays decision by the Egypt Supreme Court nullifies the contradictory rulings two other lower courts had given, with the Supreme Administrative Court opposing ceding control of the islands and the Court of Urgent Matters approving the deal.

The Supreme Court ruled the deal was not unconstitutional, adding that approving the deal was down to Egypts legislative body.

The Egyptian parliament debated and approved the handover in June last year, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ratifying it a week later.

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The government then said Tiran and Sanafir belong to Saudi Arabia but had been leased to Egypt in the 1950s.

Yehia Ghanem, Al Jazeera Middle East analyst, said Saturdays ruling is important for the regime and that the Supreme Court decision has granted it legitimacy.

Todays ruling proves that the Constitutional Court, which is the highest judiciary court, is really part of the regime, he said.

In the light of the total absence of democracy, these things happen.

The Supreme Courts decision comes several weeks before presidential elections in the country.

Sisi runs largely unopposed and is expected to win an easy victory after his most important challengers stepped out of the race for office.Anger persists as police release suspects in killing of Jan Kuciak, who was researching an Italian crime syndicate.

Demonstrations calling for justice for a murdered journalist continue in Slovakia after police announced the released of seven suspects in the killing of Jan Kuciak, who was investigating alleged corruption.

Kuciak, 27, was reportedly writing a piece about alleged links between Slovak politicians and Italian organised crime.

He and his fiancee, Martina Kursnirova, were both shot and killed in their home last Sunday.

He was laid to rest in Stiavnik on Saturday, near the border between Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The seven suspects were detained by police on Thursday were named by Kuciak in his report.

They were released on Saturday after no evidence was found in a 48-hour window during which the evidence can be attained.

Kuciaks research reportedly found that Italian businessmen with ties to the Ndrangheta, Italys most powerful organised crime syndicate, were operating in Eastern Slovakia.

The businessmen were allegedly embezzling EU funds for the region, which borders Ukraine.

Antonio Vadala, one of the businessmen named by Kuciak, was among the suspects released by Slovak police.

Robert Fico, Slovak prime minister, reportedly has business ties with some of the Italians suspected of links to organised crime.

Continued protests

Slovakia saw protests in 25 cities on Friday, including the capital, Bratislava.

Roughly 20,000 Slovaks marched to the government headquarters in Bratislava, where they shook the gates of the building and chanted Enough of Fico. The protesters were led by President Andrej Kiska.

Demonstrators held posters with slogans like An attack on journalists is an attack on all of us.

Fico has offered one million euros (roughly $1.2m) for anyone who can give investigators information about the case.

The prime minister has a contentious history with journalists. He previously referred to reporters as slimy snakes that are anti-Slovak.

Kuciaks murder was the first killing of a journalist in Slovakias history. He and Kursnirova were due to be married in May.

His investigation into ties between Slovak politicians and organised crime was released posthumously.Officials say David Castillo Mejia planned the murder and provided support to the killers of environmental activist.

Police in Honduras have arrested a construction executive for his alleged role in the murder of environmental and indigenous activist Berta Caceres.

David Castillo Mejia is charged as being the intellectual author of the killing in 2016 while CEO of Desarrollos Energeticos (DESA), the firm behind a project to build a hydroelectric dam across a river on which indigenous communities were dependant.

Caceres was a vocal opponent of the plans and said she had received death threats from the firm in the run-up to her assassination two years ago in La Esperanza, Honduras. In the past, DESA has denied any involvement in the murder of Caceres.

The arrest on Friday brings the total number of individuals arrested to nine.

#ATIC captura a Presidente Ejecutivo de la Empresa Desarrollos Energeticos S.A. (DESA) por asesinato de Berta Caceres https://t.co/WcE3hePy7z pic.twitter.com/tmL0B4CiAh  Ministerio Publico (@MP_Honduras) March 2, 2018

Last year, a team of international lawyers said Honduran authorities had evidence implicating high-level business executives and state agents in Caceres murder, but had yet to arrest them.

It also said that there were serious flaws in the governments investigation of the killing.

Caceres murder was condemned internationally and put the spotlight on the dangers of environmental activism in Honduras and worldwide.

Most dangerous for environmentalists

More than 120 environmental activists have been killed in Honduras since 2010, according to the NGO Global Witness, making the country one of the most dangerous in the world for such activism.

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Many of these cases focus on the construction of hydroelectric projects or the mining of resources on indigenous land.

Relatives of victims, often complain that instead of receiving support from police and help tracking down killers, they are intimidated by officials into leaving their land.

Global Witness alleges the involvement of some of the countrys elite in the killings; including serving and former members of the military; politicians; and business leaders.

In 2013, Caceres told Al Jazeera that she believed the army had a hit list of activists with her name on the top but that Honduran officials were reluctant to take action.

Several of those convicted or arrested in connection with her death are former military or police officials.

Caceres was one of Latin Americas most prominent environmental activists. She won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015.Humanitarian crisis in Eastern Ghouta worsening

Conditions in Syrias Eastern Ghouta continue to deteriorate, but with the governments lack of security guarantees and ongoing bombardment, many residents feel evacuation is not an option.At least three aid workers were killed when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked an army base in the northeastern town

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials, MSF, has suspended its medical activities in the northeastern Nigerian town of Rann after a deadly attack on aid workers by suspected Boko Haram fighters in the area.

The announcement came on Friday, hours after an attack on a military base in Rann, which is located in Borno state, killed at least two aid workers, a doctor and eight members of the security forces.

The military base is near a camp hosting about 55,000 internally displaced persons.

Following a violent attack  Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) suspended its medical activities in the town and evacuated 22 national and international staff, an MSF statement said.

The fighters involved in Thursdays attack were armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and gun trucks, according to an official statement by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

Al Jazeeras Mohamed Vall, reporting from Abuja, said the target of the attack was the military post guarding the camp but the crossfire between the fighters and security forces resulted in the death of aid workers.

According to the UN source, two of them [aid workers] had been working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and one was a medical doctor with UNICEF, he said. All three were Nigerian nationals.

A fourth worker, whose identity has not yet been established, is also suspected to have died and another one was apparently abducted, Vall added.

MSF said about 40,000 people in Rann were relying almost entirely on its healthcare services.

It said its decision to suspend its work in the town was an extremely painful decision.

The latest attack is a stark reminder that it is the people in Borno who are paying the price of this ruthless conflict, Kerri Ann Kelly, MSF emergency coordinator in Nigeria, said in a statement.

Thursdays attack came nearly two weeks after Boko Haram fighters abducted 110 girls from a school in the town of Dapchi, west of Rann, in neighbouring Yobe state.

That incident is seen as a major setback for President Muhammadu Buhari who had vowed to improve security and defeat Boko Haram.

Borno state is the part of Nigeria that is worst hit by the Boko Haram attacks, which have continued despite repeated assertions by the government and military since 2016 that they had defeated the armed group.

Boko Haram roughly translates to Western education is forbidden.

More than 20,000 people have been killed, and over two million have been forced to flee their homes since 2009 when the group waged an armed campaign in northeastern Nigeria.North Korea has said it would not beg for talks with Washington, its official KCNA news agency reported on Saturday.

The US drills harm reconciliation efforts but North Korea will counter the US if the United States holds joint military exercises with South Korea, KCNA reported.

The United States is due to start joint military exercises with South Korea in early April, a South Korean presidential security adviser said this week according to Yonhap news agency  the latest in a series of military drills that North Korea regards as a threat.

If the US finally holds joint military exercises while keeping sanctions on the DPRK, the DPRK will counter the US by its own mode of counteraction and the US will be made to own all responsibilities for the ensuing consequences, North Koreas official KCNA news agency said in its commentary.

The DPRK is the acronym of the countrys official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Reconciliation efforts

On February 23, the United States said it was imposing its largest package of sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programmes.

President Donald Trump also warned of a phase two that could be very, very unfortunate for the world if the steps did not work.

North Korea has slammed Trumps unilateral sanctions against it, but it said it was open to talks with the United States during senior North Korean officials visit to South Korea for the Olympics last month.

The White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end of its nuclear programme.

North Korea reiterated on Saturday that it was willing to talk to the United States but said it would never sit with any precondition.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by state media KCNA news agency as saying We will neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the US.

Whether peace desired by our nation and the rest of the world settles on the Korean Peninsula or a situation that no one desires is developed in the vicious cycle of confrontation depends entirely on the attitude of the US, the spokesman said, according to KCNA.

South Korea plans to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong-un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Trump in a phone call on Thursday.

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang last month gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after sharply rising tensions over North Koreas missile programme.US media reported Muellers team was looking into possible ties between Jared Kushner and Trumps foreign policies.

Qatars ambassador to the US has denied it has been contacted by Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US elections.

Ambassador Meshal Hamad Al Thani said on Twitter that Qatar had not been in touch with anyone from the US Special Counsels office, adding that any reporting claiming the contrary was false.

On reports that Qatar has communicated with US Special Counsel's office: We have not been approached nor have we had any contact with them on any matters. We have also had no contact with the US Government on any related investigations. Any reporting to the contrary is false.  Meshal Hamad AlThani (@Amb_AlThani) March 3, 2018

The response came after US media reported that Muellers team was looking into possible ties between US Presidents Donald Trump son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushners foreign business and Trumps foreign policies.

According to reports by NBC News and The Intercept, real estate company Kushner Companies, represented by Jareds father Charles, met Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Qatars former prime minister, in December 2016 and Ali Sharif Al Emadi, Qatars finance minister, in April 2017.

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The purpose of the alleged meetings for Kushner Companies was to secure funding for 666 Fifth Avenue, the companys flagship property that is estimated to be almost $1.5bn in debt.

Both times, nothing came of the meetings, leading the Kushners to look to other places to get funding for their property.

According to the NBC report, several unnamed Qatari officials think in the weeks following the meetings, the US retaliated against Qatar by supporting a blockade against Qatar imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt.

The countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, a claim vehemently denied by Qatar repeatedly, and cut all ties with the Gulf country,

Hours after the blockade was imposed, President Trump sent out several tweets in support of the action taken by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain.

Besides Kushner Companies alleged attempt to obtain funding from Qatari investors, NBC also claims there were meetings between representatives of China, Russia, the UAE, Turkey and Kushner Companies.

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A report The New York Times from February also claimed Kushner Companies received a $30m investment from a large Israeli financier.

Kushner, who is not only Trumps special adviser but also the man appointed to lead the peace process between Palestine and Israel, has been in rough waters the last couple of weeks.

Not only is Muellers team allegedly investigating him, he has also lost access to top-secret intelligence information for reasons that are unclear.

Mueller was directed to investigate any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, as well as any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.

So far, four people related to Trumps campaign, including Paul Manafort; former campaign manager; and Michael Flynn, former national security adviser; have been indicted.History, offensive or hate crime? South Africa debates banning its old apartheid-era flag.

ByA Christian resident of Lahore says he attempted suicide as interrogators forced him to perform oral sex on cousin.

Lahore, Pakistan  Sajid Masih lies in a hospital bed, struggling to breathe, as a watchful police guard keeps a close eye on him at the Mayo Hospital, in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.

Both of Masihs legs are in casts, and he is covered in bruises. His left eye is bloodshot, and the other appears to have sunken in, where his skull was fractured.

Hospital officials at the intensive care unit say he is still too critical to operate on, and that he will need multiple surgeries on his neck, face and legs if he is ever to recover.

Cut off from the outside world since he attempted to commit suicide by jumping from a fourth-floor window during a police interrogation in a blasphemy case, he looks around fearfully, asking if the guard is there to arrest him.

Speaking is a struggle, through his oxygen mask, but Sajid manages a few more words.

Is Patras free yet? he asks.

We are terrified

On February 19, a mob of dozens of enraged protesters stormed a Christian neighbourhood just outside Lahore, accusing Patras Masih, Sajids cousin, of committing blasphemy.

They raised chants calling for Patras, a 21-year-old sweeper, to be produced before them so that he could be lynched, community members told Al Jazeera.

A view of the street on which Patras Masih lives [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

When it became clear that Patras had already fled the area, they produced cans of petrol, threatening to burn down the entire neighbourhood.

More than a week after the attack, the streets of the village of Baba Bandook Saeen remain largely deserted, with many of the areas more than 800 Christian residents too afraid to return.

Our whole village is still afraid, we are terrified that another mob attack might happen, says Waris Masih, 54, a labourer.

Patras Masih is accused of having shared an allegedly blasphemous image on a Facebook messenger group, depicting a man standing with his foot placed on the dome of a mosque resembling the Masjid-e-Nabvi, an Islamic holy site.

Pakistans blasphemy laws prescribe a mandatory death penalty for anyone found guilty of defiling the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Recent years have seen increasing violence associated with the laws, with at least 74 people killed in attacks motivated by blasphemy accusations since 1990, according to an Al Jazeera tally.





Christians and other minorities, who make up about two percent of Pakistans 207 million population, are disproportionately targeted by the laws, prosecution data shows.

Patras, a sweeper at a local bank branch, surrendered himself voluntarily to authorities on the night of February 19, hours after the mob attacked, his father Inderias Masih told Al Jazeera.

Days later, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials summoned Sajid to their headquarters in Lahore, demanding access to his mobile phone, his lawyer and FIA officials said.

Sajid went to the headquarters and handed over his phone upon arrival, his lawyer Aneeqa Maria told Al Jazeera.

Hours later, still in FIA custody, Sajid Masih threw himself out of a fourth-floor window during a forensic examination of his phone, in an attempt to commit suicide.

They took off Patras pants

Sajid survived, however, and the circumstances that led to his attempt to take his own life remain heavily disputed.

Hours after the incident, Sajid recorded a video statement testifying that he had been heavily beaten during his interrogation, with police officials accusing him of having committed blasphemy.

He alleges that FIA officials attempted to force him to perform oral sex on Patras, his cousin.

They took off Patras pants, and [] thats when he jumped out of the window, Aneeqa Maria, lawyer for both men, told Al Jazeera.

Patras Masihs family has fled their home in the Christian locality of Baba Bandook Saeen after a mob threatened to burn it down [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

To escape all that humiliation and all that torture. He thought that it is better if I die, rather than do this.

In her first meeting with her client, Maria says, Patras corroborated this account, without being prompted with details.

FIA officials deny the allegations, saying that Sajid jumped out of the window out of fear that he, too, was about to be accused of blasphemy.

Sajid was sitting at the desk watching his phone being looked at in the forensic lab for two hours, and was growing increasingly agitated, says Khalid Saeed, an FIA investigator who was present at the time.

[During the examination] he got up and ran for the window and then jumped out, out of fear.

Sajid jumped onto the window sill, sat there for a few seconds, and then jumped, according to Saeed, who is facing disciplinary action for allowing a suspect to come into harms way while in his custody.

Masihs lawyer says she will pursue further legal action against Saeed, whom Sajid accuses of torturing him.

From an examination of the window from which Sajid defenestrated himself, it is clear that survival from any fall would be highly unlikely.

While the narratives diverge on the cause, the FIA and Sajids family and lawyer do agree on one thing: Sajid Masih did not expect to survive the fall.

Empowering accusers

Muhammad Siddiq, Patras Masihs initial accuser, lives nearby and was a member of the Facebook Messenger group to which the image was allegedly sent, FIA officials say.

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His case, however, has been championed by Muhammad Owais, a local worker of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA), a newly emergent religious organisation that has sprung to national prominence in Pakistan after a string of strong electoral performances and a protest that paralysed the capital, Islamabad, in November.

Khadim Hussain Rizvi, TLRYAs leader and a religious figure who has made his name on the issue of blasphemy, led a protest of thousands that blocked a major highway into Islamabad in protest against a minor change in the wording of an oath parliamentarians must take affirming their rejection of the Ahmadi sect of Islam.

Rizvis protest resulted in the resignation of a federal minister, the reversal of the change in the oath and complete amnesty for the considerable damage done to infrastructure by the protesters.

Ejaz Ashrafi, the information secretary for TLYRA, says that attacks on those who blaspheme or insult Islams Prophet are entirely justified [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

Posters bearing Rizvis image and Owais name are visible all over the Christian neighbourhood where Patras lives.

The mob that threatened to burn down the village was primarily made up of TLRYA activists, residents allege. TLYRA denied the accusation, although leaders continue to threaten violence against anyone who commits blasphemy.

That man in Shahdara has gone beyond all limits, says Ejaz Ashrafi, TLYRAs information secretary.

Why did he do so? When one crosses the limit, then you have to face the consequences, he adds.

Anyone who disrespects the Prophet, his home is not safe.

Ashrafi says that while TLYRA had been gaining popularity in recent months, the success of the Islamabad protest has driven far more people towards it.

There has definitely been an increase [after the protest]. Our audience now has a greater awareness of our message.

Systematic delays

Hearings in Patras Masihs case are yet to begin, but it is likely to take years before a final verdict is reached.





There is a systematic delay in these cases, says Lahore-based rights lawyer Asad Jamal, who has represented several people accused of blasphemy.

Jamal currently represents Junaid Hafeez, 31, a university lecturer in the central town of Multan, who has been in custody for five years while his trial has been conducted.

The judge in the case, Jamal says, has been changed multiple times.

Other lawyers corroborated to Al Jazeera that judges often do not appear to want to hear blasphemy cases, which are considered controversial.

At least one judge has been killed in Pakistan in connection with a blasphemy verdict.

Given the security threat associated with the allegations, Hafeez has remained in solitary confinement for four years.

Inderias Masih, the accuseds father, says his family is living in hiding, fearful of attacks on them due to the blasphemy allegations. His face is hidden for security reasons. [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

He is extremely anxious whenever I meet him and talk to him especially in the court room, said Jamal. His health has degraded over the years. He has visibly lost hair.

Hafeez is accused of being the administrator of a Facebook group where a blasphemous image was shared by a different user.

For Patras, however, the concerns are more immediate.

His family remains in hiding, fearful of being attacked if they return to their home.

His brother Jamshed was fired from his job following the accusations, his father Inderias told Al Jazeera.

At the hospital, Abid Masih, Sajids father, spends another sleepless night on a stone bench outside the emergency ward.

We have done whatever [the FIA] asked. They asked us to go somewhere, we went there. They asked for the mobile phone, we gave the mobile phone. What else can we do? he asks.

We have seen the extent to which they can go, from what Sajid has told us.

Patras is still with them.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras Web Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.Site of protest against corruption targeted by authorities in Kiev amid violent clashes and detention of 100 people.

At least 10 demonstrators have been injured in clashes with Ukrainian police and another 100 detained in the capital Kiev after authorities began dismantling a makeshift tent city protesting against corruption.

The tent city was set up in October by supporters of Mikheil Saakashvili, a former president of Georgia who has become an opposition politician in Ukraine.

Saakashvili, a critic of corruption in Ukraine, was deported to Poland in February. He said he was kidnapped by Ukrainian authorities and removed from the country against his will.

Andriy Kryshchneko, police chief of police, said at the camp on Saturday that two court decisions allowed authorities to search and dismantle the camp.

Police said that explosives and other weapons were found at the scene.

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Yuri Lutsenko, Ukrainian prosecutor, said in a Facebook post that from the first day of the Saakashvili demonstration, I, as general prosecutor, spoke of the guarantee of peaceful protest.

But to turn the tent village  into a hoard of extremists, weapons and explosives is taboo.

The tent camp is part of a broader movement calling for the resignation of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Poroshenko won the 2014 presidential election following the overthrow of a pro-Russia government by popular demonstrations.

A billionaire whose large-scale confectionery company Roshen earned him the nickname Chocolate King, Poroshenko promised reforms that demonstrators say have stalled.

Members of the broader movement of which the tent city was a part are also calling for a national anti-corruption court.

Corruption is reportedly a growing problem in Ukraine.

Before his deportation, Saakashvili was a well-known critic of Poroshenkos efforts to fight corruption in Ukraine.UN Human Rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein says perpetrators of these crimes will be held to account.

The UNs human rights chief has warned that attacks on Syrias Eastern Ghouta probably amount to war crimes and that those behind the targeting of civilians will be held to account.

I must emphasise that what we are seeing, in Eastern Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria, are likely war crimes, and potentially, crimes against humanity, Zeid Raad al-Hussein said at an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday.

The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done, he added.

His comments come as some 400,000 civilians trapped in the besieged rebel-held suburb of Damascus are subject to a campaign of bombardment by Syrian government and Russian warplanes, which has killed at least 674 people and wounded hundreds more just two weeks, according to the White Helmets volunteer group.

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Hussein said civilians were being pounded into submission or death in the Syrian government offensive and that aid was being prevented from entering the area.

Smoke rises from the besieged Eastern Ghouta in Damascus [Bassam Khabieh/Reuters]

The UN official pointed to the prosecution of Serbian and Argentinian war criminals, as examples of justice being meted out to perpetrators of crimes against civilians.

The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind, he said.

Syrias campaign in Eastern Ghouta has drawn international condemnation and an emergency UN ceasefire quickly failed to reign in its offensive on the Damascus suburb.

The Syrian government has faced accusations of indiscriminate bombing of civilians, targeting of medical facilities and emergency workers, and the use of toxic chemical agents.

In late February, Russia said it would implement a five-hour daily ceasefire to allow civilians to leave the area through a humanitarian corridor, but residents say the plan has not materialised.





The ongoing siege of Eastern Ghouta has resulted in a shortage of food and vital medicine, and according to the UN, nearly 12 percent of the areas children suffer from acute malnutrition.

Syrias President Bashar Al-Assad has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes since Russian military intervention started in September 2015.

Since then forces loyal to the Syrian leader have been able to claw back territory from Syrian rebels, as well as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, which is fighting both sides.

According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), government forces are trying to advance in Eastern Ghouta.

Regime forces and their allies have intensified their attacks on rebel positions in the past 48 hours, Rami Abdel Rahman, SOHR head, said.

The Russia-backed government troops are trying to cut off the main town of Douma and its surroundings in the north of the enclave, as well as isolate the southeastern area of Al-Marj.

The area under rebel control is only a third of what it was at its height in 2012.

The war in Syria started in 2011 when initially peaceful protests were violently put down by the Syrian government.

The conflict has cost more than 500,000 lives, according to groups tallying the casualties.French general says armed rebels used canoes to cross Niger River for surprise strike on Malian army in northern city.

An armed rebel group, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, has claimed responsibility for an attack on the city of Gao in northern Mali and a suicide bombing the day before.

Hundreds of residents gathered around the heavily damaged police headquarters building in the center of the city early on Monday, where body parts lay strewn about a day after al-Qaida-linked rebels launched a surprise attack on the city.

Yesterday we had the gunfire and hid in our homes all evening, said Soumayla Maiga as he stood with his friends near the rubble of the police offices. We were stunned when we came out and saw what happened.

Fighters armed with AK-47 automatic rifles sneaked into Gao on Sunday to launch a surprise attack on the Malian army in the most populous city in northern Mali, two weeks after French and Malian troops routed the al-Qaeda-linked fighters in the city.

The attackers used canoes to cross the Niger River to penetrate Gao, according to French General Bernard Barera, who cited Malian officials.

The combat started at about 2:00pm local time (14:00 GMT) in Gaos commercial hub and the fighting continued through the night.

Later, the sound of gunfire was replaced by the clattering of helicopters overhead.

On Monday morning, French helicopters fired at a police station at the centre of the clashes, the AFP news agency reported. A tense calm had descended on the city by the afternoon, and it was unclear how many fighters on either side had been killed.

Earlier, on Saturday night, a suicide bomber had detonated his explosives at a checkpoint at the northern entrance to Gao, killing himself and injuring one Malian soldier.

Another suicide bomber, on a motorcycle, blew himself up at the same security post on Friday, killing only himself and injuring a Malian lightly.

Troops at the checkpoint where both suicide attacks occurred said no one else was wounded in Saturdays blast.

MUJAOs claim

In a statement to AFP news agency on Sunday, Abou Walid Sahraoui, spokesman for MUJAO, which had already claimed responsibility for Fridays blast, said: Today Gods faithful successfully attacked the Malian army, which let the enemies of Islam come to Gao. MUJAO also claims [Saturdays] suicide bombing  that made the Malian soldiers flee.

The combat will continue until victory, thanks to Gods protection. The mujahedeen are in the city of Gao and will remain there.

A witness describing Sundays fighting in Gao said the attackers hid in the citys empty central police station, then attacked Malian soldiers when they arrived.

When reinforcements came, snipers hidden in surrounding buildings opened fire on them.

Fighting also erupted around the governors offices.

Rocket-propelled grenade explosions and fire from heavy machine guns and light weapons could be heard in Gao late in the afternoon.

A French Tiger attack helicopter circulated over the neighbourhood and French and Malian forces conducted joint patrols, warning residents that snipers could be hidden in the city.

A death toll could not immediately be established. A Malian officer said many rebels had been killed, and a witness reported seeing a body that appeared to be a civilian hit by a stray bullet.

The fighting appeared to centre near the police headquarters, where Malian soldiers with rocket-propelled grenades traded fire with the MUJAO fighters.

Soldiers were positioned at every corner in the neighbourhood of mud-walled buildings.

Ongoing clashes

Since French forces took Gao on January 26, rebels have clashed with security forces on the citys outskirts.

This was the first time they succeeded in entering the strategic city.

The al-Qaeda-linked fighters seized the northern half of Mali in April 2012, sending poorly disciplined and equipped Malian forces retreating in disarray.

France launched its military intervention in its former colony on January 11 when the fighters, many of whom had fought for ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, began encroaching on the south, threatening the capital Bamako, which lies deep in southern Mali, 1,200km from Gao.

France has said that it wants to hand over responsibility to the Malian military and other African nations who have contributed troops and has raised with the UN Security Council the possibility of establishing a UN peacekeeping operation in Mali.Dr Marc Lamont Hill is an award-winning journalist and author and is the Steve Charles Professor of Media, Cities, and Solutions at Temple University. Hill is known for his work addressing the intersections of race, justice, politics and culture. His latest best-selling book is We Still Here: Pandemics, Policing, Protest and Possibility which follows on the success of Nobody: Casualties of Americas War on the Vulnerable from Flint to Ferguson. Hill has received numerous prestigious awards from the US National Association of Black Journalists, GLAAD, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.It had been six years since Valdez said goodbye to her daughter Emely in Honduras.I am frustrated to still hear the silliness about how President Donald Trump is soft on Russia. It continues to be a mainstream talking point, repeated by congresspeople pushing impeachment and pundits like Max " I would rather vote for Stalin than Trump " Boot. Our friends the Germans even made this disgusting parade float of a Russian bear sodomizing Trump.

Below is a list of all the ways that Trump's policies are anathema to Moscow. They are coordinated and deliberate, to help America and undermine Russia. Trump may not be saying as many mean things about Putin as the media say about Trump, but he has taken the concrete actions of a dead serious man.

As a point of contrast, please keep in mind that ex-president Barack Obama's pro-Russian policies included granting Russia permanent normal trade relations, ushering the Russians into the WTO, and a "reset button." It would be easy to go on at length about how Obama helped Russia.

Without further ado, the list:

1. Trump is unleashing the American energy industry: more fracking, more offshore drilling, and approval for the Keystone Pipeline. This is important because 52% of the Russian government budget comes from sales of oil and gas. Increased American supplies of fossil fuels will push global prices down, costing Putin many billions of dollars on a recurring basis.

2. Trump took the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement (PCA).

Putin was a strong backer of the PCA. He said, "[C]limate change has become one of the gravest challenges that humanity is facing" and called for a legally binding treaty. He has a few motivations for this. First, each time the U.S. submits to international treaties and organizations, Russia gains control over America. Second, as part of the PCA, Obama wanted to donate $3 billion to a Green Climate Fund. These international funds are ripe for plunder by Russia. Finally, the PCA would hurt American coal and help Russian gas.

3. Trump is permitting American companies to export liquefied natural gas. The first shipment arrived in Poland in June of 2017. A Polish diplomat described it as a "milestone." This will help Poland avoid "energy bullying" from Russia. In addition to weakening Russia's position politically, it will, once again, hurt Russia economically. (Angela Merkel and Germany prefer Russian gas.)

Note how many policies Trump has coordinated that hurt Russia economically in a significant way. Trump is, as Theodore Roosevelt would say, "speaking softly and carrying a big stick."

4. Trump approved a deal to sell Poland an anti-missile defense system. Russia will become weaker politically because it will have less leverage to blackmail Poland. Russia's comparative military strength is being diminished. It will have a harder time attacking Poland  a threat the Polish people live with daily and take seriously.

5. Trump has approved the sale of $47 billion's worth of defensive arms to Ukraine. This was a move that "lawmakers of both parties have been urging for years." Russians will die because of this. Insofar as Putin cares about dead Russians, or fails to hide the casualties he caused to his people, this will hurt him.

6. The American military recently killed up to 300 Russian troops in Syria.

7. Trump has shifted America's foreign policy to become dramatically more hawkish toward a number of countries who act as proxies for Russia. The clearest example is North Korea. Russia has an extensive history of providing North Korea with weapons, including nuclear weapons. (Please view this interview with world-class expert Peter Pry for details.) Russia even threatens to go to war with America to defend North Korea. Notwithstanding Russian intimidation, Trump has pushed a policy of steadily increasing pressure on North Korea via sanctions. Trump even explicitly called out Russia for its help for North Korea. (That's a fact America's mainstream media have been hiding for decades).

Iran is another country that works with the backing of Russia. Trump has begun rolling back the dangerous and misnamed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. When Iranians began revolting against the ayatollah, Trump offered them the full moral support of America. Trump has also taken steps to strengthen America's alliance with enemies of Iran.

Yet another example is Venezuela. Russia is a good friend to Venezuela. The Russians supplied Hugo Chavez and have since been supplying Nicolas Maduro with military weapons as well as billions of dollars. In response, Trump is upping sanctions. He has even threatened an American military intervention.

In sum, Trump is containing and hurting the many arms of a devious Russian foreign policy.

8. Trump closed three Russian diplomatic compounds.

9. Trump placed sanctions on Russians.

10. Trump is pushing for a stronger military. This includes auditing the Pentagon to remove waste and corruption, as well as significantly increased spending. Russian governance and foreign policy are still based on hard power. American military might is a key to respond to and deter any actions Russia may take that threaten American national security.

11. Trump has repeatedly pushed for modernization of America's nuclear forces. With a utopian view of the world, many previous presidents had allowed America's nuclear deterrent to become "dangerously obsolete." Russia, on the other hand, has been hard at work. The Russian defense minister recently stated that Russia will "continue a massive program of nuclear rearmament." A modernized American nuclear arsenal is essential to deter Russia and protect Americans.

12. Finally, and most important of all, Trump is doing his best to restore the confidence of Americans in America. This is the basis for any success we may have.The momentum toward anarchy began with the move toward federal government expansion. During Woodrow Wilson's presidency, we began to see the implementation of what is now called the administrative state. This was helped along by our participation in WWI, which created the need for more governmental controls. This was followed by the massive Keynesian demand-side economics implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, and WWII.

Government in the name of order, control, efficiency, organization, the greatest good for the greatest number, solidarity, social justice, and safety is instead ruling over a society that is increasingly disordered, crime-ridden, unjust, and disturbed to an extreme. A word that describes the direction of our acceleration through space and time is anarchy .

Regulation grows by supposedly "meeting a need," but meeting a need leads from that point into greater regimentation. Greater regimentation means a suppression of individual freedom. This suppression produces a reaction that is anarchy. Therefore, we must be careful whenever we expand government with the premise that we are "meeting a need."

For example, more students are getting a college education, but the burdens are also increasing as ever greater numbers depend on student loans to get a college education (students often work, but working one's way through college has become less and less feasible). This in turn has given rise to a demand for free higher education. That demand is growing, as we see from Bernie Sanders's successes in the last election cycle, and Andrew Cuomo was able to push through a free tuition plan for public colleges in New York State. This free tuition is anything but a support for freedom, for indeed, it requires that students take a certain minimum number of credits and that they be full-time. It will gradually mean greater and greater control by the government over what is taught and what is required study for each student. Thus, easing the financial burden will increase other burdens and curtail freedom of thought and freedom of choice.

This intense regulation is in the name of problem-solving and replacing chaos with order. More and more police are hired to protect us, yet crimes proliferate even as law and order strategies, firepower, and sheer numbers of officers increase. In 1955, a little more than 22,000 police worked for the City of New York. Today, the number of police is over 36,000. Do the citizens of New York City feel safer than in the 1950s?

Here's a chart of the violent crime rate in the U.S. over the decades. While violent crime peaked in the 1990s, it is still more than double what it was in 1960. Yet we had an estimated 900,000 police officers nationally in 2014.

Thus, despite increased government controls of everyday life in education, policing, and citizen surveillance (don't forget those traffic tickets based on surveillance cameras), we observe increasing social anarchy. Let's look at a somewhat truncated list of what we have endured and are enduring as a society. We have seen horrible onslaughts as follows: World Trade Center and Dept. of Defense jihad attacks by men here on visas; Fort Hood jihad massacre; Boston Bombing jihad massacre; San Bernardino jihad massacre; Pulse Nightclub jihad massacre; riots in Berkeley, Ferguson, and Baltimore; cop shootings in Dallas and New York City; Sandy Hook massacre; Las Vegas massacre; Texas church massacre; Florida H.S. massacre; Chattanooga recruiting station attack; and jihad in Garland, Texas against Pamela Geller.

We see regular and frequent breakdowns of mass transit systems in metropolitan New York City and elsewhere, massive infiltration of our country by illegals (reminiscent of flooding in of Germanic tribes leading to collapse of the Roman Empire), and the drug use epidemic. (This writer just watched a show on Justice TV indicating that 1 out of 7 persons in Puerto Rico is a heroin/cocaine addict.) We see thirty-one "gender designations" by the City of New York with male and female demoted to being only two of the thirty-one. Recently the mayor of Oakland, Calif. notified 1,000 illegal alien felons (yes, felons  not just nice men and women scrambling to make a living) that ICE was coming for them. These developments suggest that anarchy is rife.

Thus, we see that the scope of government has grown and become more intrusive, but at the same time, anarchy seems to be racing forward at warp speed. The leftists seem to think the anarchy is growing because government, despite its growth, has not been growing big enough or fast enough. According to their thinking, growth in government power is the answer to anarchy. Isn't the purpose of a government to protect the citizens from the bad people and from the wrong activities that threaten social safety, unity, and order? However, given the present size, scope, and cost of our government, it never seems to occur to them that governmental policies have been wrongheaded and guided by a wrong philosophy or purpose for the past 100 years. It's not the size and power of the government that has been lacking; rather, the size and power have been put in the service of the wrong purpose.

To use a term from Greek philosophy, the telos (purpose) of government has been misplaced. Instead of designing laws and methods to enhance the dignity and freedom of the individuals living in our society, the government has been designing projects that are (1) guided exclusively or primarily by utilitarian goals of the greatest good for the greatest number or (2) by socialistic goals that government expansion is the greatest good in itself or (3) by identity politics, where the good of identity collectives is more important than the good of individuals.

The above three purposes of government diverge from the founding values of the United States. Those values are based on government's existence to promote the well-being of the individuals living under that government, individuals as individuals, not members of a subgrouping according to sex, race, age, occupation, mental functioning, health, etc. There is a divergence between the path taken by government and the philosophical premises of our society as built upon a foundation of Judeo-Christian morality. This writer used the word "telos" to also suggest that the Judeo-Christian moral basis or purpose of government is in tune with the foundations of antiquity. The Greek and Roman savants also understood that there is a necessary link between good governance and the well-being and happiness of the individual. But they did not appreciate the role of divine-centered and divine-inspired morality as the Christians did who came after them.

Government is considerably to blame for the anarchy that besets us. But the answer is not more government programs and more government authority. More government authority is not the answer to an anarchistic society. Rather, it is a government with a correct understanding of its purpose that is needed.

The true conservatives have it right. We need to go back to our Judeo-Christian moral roots based on biblical and natural law, and to checks and balances and federalism as understood by the Founders.

Mr. Ludwig is a frequent contributor to American Thinker and has published numerous articles at various conservative and Christian websites. He teaches philosophy, and his latest book on education, The Catastrophic Decline of America's Public High Schools: New York City, A Case Study, is available here.

Image: Nicolas Raymond via Flickr.Immigration Disaster Looms in Germany

Milton Friedman once said open borders and the welfare state are incompatible. This is easy to prove in California, where, according to a recent essay by Victor Davis Hanson, half of all immigrant households are on welfare and the state accounts for a third of the nation's welfare recipients with only 12% of its population, even as 20% of California's population lives below the poverty line. Recent figures published in Europe's economic powerhouse, Germany, indicate that following Angela Merkel's disastrous open-borders experiment of two and a half years ago, that country is well on its way to joining California in proving the wisdom of Friedman's admonition, to the huge detriment of the German people. Official figures of the German statistical office show that beginning in 2015, Germany accepted 1.4 million asylum applications. According to detailed figures from 2016, 71.4% were granted asylum or "subsidiary" protected status, while 28.6% were rejected. Being rejected, however, did not at all mean that you had to leave Germany or were in danger of being deported. Most of those rejected filed an appeal (64,251 in 2016), and 31.7% of those received a negative decision. Even then, few of those rejected left voluntarily, and even fewer were deported. According to the daily Die Welt, citing government figures, most of the migrants remain in Germany, regardless of the asylum decision.

Because very few of the refugees would qualify as persecuted for their political or religious beliefs, the traditional reasons for claiming refugee status, under Merkel, the German government has de facto created a right to better life for migrants from poor countries, which means that the economic incentives to migration remain extremely powerful. Indeed, nobody in Germany has any illusions about this. The difference between the nominally conservative CSU of Bavaria and the pro-immigration social democrats (SPD), for instance, is that the former want to limit immigration to 200,000 per annum, while the latter do not want any limits at all. In reality, this is a phony debate, because German law allows chain migration, which means that the actual numbers will be dramatically higher in the future, regardless of politicians' grandstanding. The law says a recognized refugee has the right to bring in his spouse and children, while minor migrants, who made 36% of the total in 2016, can also bring their parents and their siblings. Since 2015, 230,000 migrants have had their reunification applications accepted, while another 390,000 refugees from Syria alone will be eligible by the end of 2018, according to the Focus Online weekly of August 29, 2017. On the basis of these figures alone, reunification will bring at least 2.5 million migrants in the next few years. Should the approved minimum of 200,000 migrants per year materialize, which is nearly certain, the yearly addition of mostly Muslim and mostly young migrants would swell to approximately 800,000. This could easily overwhelm a country that has a median age of 47.1 and a fertility rate of 1.47, nearly a third below replacement. Dismal as these prospects are, of more immediate concern are the huge and clearly unsustainable social and economic costs of the large-scale migration that has already taken place. The mainstream media in Germany are as predictably leftist and pro-immigration as their American counterparts and are notoriously reluctant to report the reality, but the numerous existing think-tanks and institutes make sure that it cannot be hidden for long. Various institutes estimate migrants per capita cost at 2,500 euros per month and twice as much for unaccompanied minors. The total cost per year per million refugees ranges from a low of 30 billion euros by the federal minister of development, Gerd Mueller, to 77 billion euros and more. It's worth noting that even the lowest figure is higher than the 27 billion euros Germany spends on its defense budget and that the actual number of migrants at present is already much closer to 2 million. Perhaps the most disturbing finding about the new wave of migrants is that contrary to the early sanguine predictions by the left of a new "Wirtschaftswunder" in Germany on account of the migrant labor, the future is anything but rosy. Research has shown that most new migrants have neither much of an education nor any skills. According to the World Bank, only 6% of Syrian refugees have finished high school, and 59% do not have any education. And the Syrians are considerably better off in this respect than migrants from Africa  or Afghanistan, for instance, where 52% of the male migrants are illiterate. Nor are earlier assimilation efforts with the gastarbeiter of the 1960s and 1970s much of a success. According to a study of the German Institute for Economic Research, most Turks in Germany still live off welfare. They also continue to entertain strong Islamist sympathies after decades of living in Europe. Sixty-three percent of them voted for the Islamist Erdogan in the recent referendum in Turkey, a percentage considerably higher than that in Turkey proper. Finally, Chancellor Merkel again threatened Eastern Europe with economic consequences in a speech to the Bundestag on February 22. Follow my disastrous migration policies and take your "fair share" of migrants, she told them, or else. This is the kind of "solidarity" Eastern Europe should have no problem refusing. AlexAlexiev is chairman of the Center for Balkan and Black Sea Studies. He can be reached at alexievalex4@gmail.com.But first, that absurd dossier. All of us from the New York business community know that the dossier is a fake. Here's why. Remember the lurid highlight of the dossier, that Trump cavorted with Russian prostitutes in a Moscow Hotel while the girls peed on Trump's hotel room bed? Not possible. The Donald Trump we know was for years an extreme germophobe, who would have recoiled in horror at such an idea.

We longtime New Yorkers know full well that Donald Trump is no Russian Connection. But the FBI won't disavow the infamous "Steele Dossier," and ex-FBI chief Robert Mueller, now the special counsel, persists in his quest. What is going on? The answer may lie in the just released Jennifer Lawrence spy thriller Red Sparrow.

Let me tell you a story.

Years ago, a real estate colleague invited me to a lunch in New York where Trump was the speaker. As the talk ended, and we headed to the podium to introduce ourselves, my host laughingly told me, "Don't try to shake his hand. Donald is a super-germophobe, and he thinks touching hands is dirty!" Sure enough, when I got to the podium and stuck out my hand, Mr. Trump raised his hand as though waving hello, and said nice to see you. But no handshake. No touching from the germophobe.

That is the real Donald Trump. Do you think for a moment that such a germophobe participated in some vulgar peeing game in a Moscow hotel room? Not a chance.

Of course, as Donald Trump embarked on his presidential campaign, he worked hard to overcome his germophobe past. I watched with curiosity at his early appearances, to see if he would pick up a baby. Well, in the campaign, he did, so winning mattered more than germs. Nonetheless, the dossier pee story, from years earlier, is absurdly out of character. I know it. All New York knows it. And I am sure the U.S. intelligence community, that must have an awesomely complete background profile of Mr. Trump, also knows it. The only guy who didn't know Donald Trump, and didn't know that the peeing story was impossible, was this ex-British spy Steele who wrote the dossier. The ex-spy made up a story that he was too ill informed to know was not plausible.

Do some in the U.S. intelligence community really believe this nonsense? I am afraid so.

Let me tell you another story.

Last summer, I attended a gathering with Jim Clapper, the former National Intelligence director to President Obama. Of course, Director Clapper discussed Trump and the election. I found Director Clapper an earnest and well intentioned patriot, clearly proud of his long work on behalf of the United States. And Director Clapper was unequivocal. Russia had "hacked" the election, he said. Asking what "hacked" meant, Director Clapper did not describe physical tampering with a machine or software, but rather an interference of ideas. His lead example: "Just look at RT."

That left me puzzled. RT, which stands for "Russia Today," is a Russian news service. You can find its articles on the internet and on Twitter every day. But why the subtly slanted political stories of RT constituted hacking, I do not know. At the time Director Clapper spoke to us, RT was running a series of articles on the glorious chronology of the Russian communist 1917 Revolution. So RT's outlook and propaganda were obvious to anyone. This is a Russian communist news service. But so what? I read RT often, for its interesting articles on science. When I read other articles  for example, on the Syrian war, where Russia has intervened  I am obviously reading the official Russian take. That is not "hacking" as I understand the word. Just the Russian government promoting its agenda.

Director Clapper rightly abhors the Russian agenda, and I suspect that he equally abhors any U.S. figure not angling for a fight with Russia. That gets us to Mr. Trump.

In the decades I have heard Donald Trump speak on current issues, his first interest has always been the same: failing U.S. infrastructure. Mr. Trump would lead his talks with complaints at the mess around the JFK airport in New York City, and ask, "Why do we live in the greatest city in the World and have a third-world airport?" (Good question, by the way.) But while Mr. Trump's public focus had usually been rebuilding infrastructure, he did have another theme: the scary reality of Russia and the U.S. facing each other with devastating nuclear weapons. I recall one funny interview Mr. Trump did some 30 years ago, where he suggested that President Reagan appoint Mr. Trump a special ambassador on arms control so he could go "make a deal" with Russia to reduce the risk of nuclear war! Of course, diplomatic professionals were aghast that a brash real estate guy in New York thought he could "do a deal" on arms with the Russians! And maybe Mr. Trump was being his usual very eager and very confident self. But so what? We all know Donald Trump, and that is his persona.

And we all also know who was compromised during the West's Cold War with the Soviet Union: the left that so loved socialism. A famous case was the Norwegian Labor Party politician Arne Treholt, once a youth socialist activist who ended up in the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, convicted in 1984 of being one of the Cold War's most famous spies. But look at Treholt versus Trump. Treholt was a left-wing politician. Trump entered politics championing Ross Perot's Reform Party, a nationalist movement that was the opposite of the International Left.

But I suspect that when Director Clapper looks at Donald Trump, he doesn't see that typically brash New York City real estate guy. He sees only the dark and menacing Russian threat. Today's Russia is a threat, but that is not Trump's doing. In the years after the fall of Communism in 1989, the West had a chance to integrate Russia into Europe. Instead, the advisers from the West who went to Moscow to help form a post-communist Russia lost a historic opportunity. But Trump had no role in that failure; the culprits were our Liberal elite. When Institutional Investor magazine published its expose of this disaster, the paper called it "How Harvard Lost Russia" (2006). And the economic adviser who presided over the failure of integration was Harvard's Jeffrey Sachs, protege of Republican Harvard economist Martin Feldstein. Sachs now heads Columbia University's Earth Institute. In the wake of our Establishment's failure to bring Russia into Europe, oligarchs and thugs like the former KGB officer Vladimir Putin took over the remains, rebuilt the Russian military, and now confront Europe and America, just as in the height of the Cold War. But none of this fiasco has anything to do with Trump.

Today's Russia is scary, but when Trump and his short-lived foreign policy adviser General Michael Flynn began to promote negotiation and rapprochement, they were not colluding. They were trying to undo failures of our foreign policy establishment. Sadly, I worry that Director Clapper and his allies so despise Trump's criticism of our own failures that they set in motion and to this day promote a "collusion" story with lurid absurdities like the "pee-pee" dossier.

This brings me to the Red Sparrow, a Jennifer Lawrence movie about the Russian intelligence services. You may not want to go see it. In order to depict an evil Russia, the movie has scenes of violence and shocking vulgarity that go beyond even the outer boundaries of newly "realistic" war movies. They are horrifying. Of course, that is the point.

The Russia depicted in Red Sparrow is pure, nauseating evil. I wonder: is this film released now to play to the Russia-is-bad narrative that is the cover for the attack on Mr. Trump?

Though I have no doubt that Director Clapper is a patriot, the dossier smear against Donald Trump is ignorant of Trump's past and of Cold War history, and it diverts us from dealing today with a new Russian challenge  a challenge not of Mr. Trump's creation, but arising from the horrific failures of our foreign policy establishment.What to Do with Iran's Mullahs

Many pundits predict that it is just a matter of time before the confrontation between the world and Iran's mullahs, with the U.S. leading the charge, after President Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the nuclear deal, setting off a conflagration. The present stand-off is bound to change, either by the U.S. use of force to make good on its threat that a nuclear Iran is not acceptable or by the mullahs managing to make the unacceptable an accomplished fact. Although the main adversaries are the U.S. and Iran, much of the world has a huge stake regarding this potentially catastrophic confrontation. Israel, the Persian Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iraq, as well as nations farther away from the region, are willing and unwilling parties to this unfolding crisis.

There is a non-violent solution, without appeasement, that offers the best chance for resolving the impasse: change of regime in Iran. Selected president Hassan Rouhani's bellicosity notwithstanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran is on the verge of collapse upon the head of the despised mullahs and their emblematic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). A few nudges from the outside world would serve as the tipping point for the long-suffering Iranians to rise and bury the mullahs in the graveyard that they so richly deserve and have made of Iran. Here are some indicators of how seriously the Islamic Republic is ailing: - The $100 barrel of oil is no more. It is down around $62. Oil money is the mullahs' lifeblood. The Mullahs are strapped. They can't pay the salaries of teachers and other government employees, including their terrorist proxies. Rouhani's largess to buy and hold his constituency has exacerbated the problem. The Islamic Republic is unable to continue financing its terrorist clients abroad. - The great majority of Iranians are fed up with the misrule of the Islamic Republic. Students, workers, and women's groups have been at the forefront of fighting the Islamists. Even among the high-ranking clergy, significant widespread dissention is surfacing. Ayatollahs in the twin holy cities of Qom and Mashhad are in trouble. Recent uprisings started in Mashhad and then spread across the country. - Tehran is already quivering under the mild U.N. and U.S. sanctions and is desperately avoiding tougher Security Council resolution. The mullahs' smiling emissary, former president Muhammad Khatami, presented one of the mullahs' initiatives to Americans and European personalities at the latest World Economic Forum in Davos. Khatami's initiative includes the willingness of the mullahs to suspend uranium enrichment under some reasonable-sounding conditions. At the moment, the Islamic regime has restricted Khatami's activity, and he is barred from leaving the country. - The Islamic Republic finds itself isolated and has decided not to carry out its threat of suspending relations with countries that voted in support of the U.N. sanctions, nor have the mullahs summoned the ever ready thugs on their payroll to demonstrate and harass the embassies of those nations. - Iran is timidly putting up with the U.S. arrest and interrogation of its senior Revolutionary Guard commanders in Iraq. - The very mild U.N. sanctions are already rattling the Iranian economy. Even after the nuclear deal, the perception was that Iran's economy will excel. But it backfired. The rial, Iran's currency, is shaky; the business community is deeply worried; and thousands of contracts remain unsigned due to uncertainty of what might happen next. - Experts predict that hundreds of thousands of Iranian workers will join the already swelled ranks of the unemployed in short order, even under the present mild sanctions. Senior foreign diplomats report a significant "moderation" in the mullahs' behavior and signs that they wish to get themselves out of the present predicament. - Fear of a possible attack by the U.S. has badly shaken the morale of the ruling elite, who see their ill gotten wealth and power in serious jeopardy. The multi-billionaire mullahs are moving their assets out of the country and transferring it to a safer place. - The Islamic Republic is facing serious setbacks in Lebanon, in the Palestinian Territory, in Syria, and even in Iraq. The mullahs' attempt to seize power in Lebanon has aroused much of the Lebanese population against them, and their proxy, Lebanon's Hezb'allah, is in disarray. The Iraqi thug-cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army, the mullahs' mercenary force, face serious problems due to the pressures from the U.S. and the Iraqi government. In recent weeks, hundreds of Mahdi fighters have been killed, and many more have been arrested. - The above is by no means an exhaustive list of troubles the mullahs face. Yet they should make us realize that both Rouhani and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his gang are on shaky ground now that the Iranian people in all strata of life in Iran despise them. A nudge here, a nudge there will likely topple the Islamofascist's regime and save everyone a lot of trouble. It is dangerous and unnecessary to attack Iran militarily, nor does the U.S. need to go the route of appeasement with a seriously weak adversary, as the IRI under the rule of the mullahs is now proving itself to be. The most effective and prudent solution is to change the regime in Iran. This idea is hardly new. What is new: here is a list of non-violent undertakings that holds considerable promise in disposing the homicidal-suicidal Mullahs. Governments should enact the following: - Declare unequivocally the commitment to respect the territorial integrity of Iran, as well as the rights of Iranians to decide, through a democratic process, all matters pertaining to their life and their country. - Initiate, without delay or equivocation, a comprehensive program of assistance to all democratic Iranian opposition groups, including Mr. Reza Pahlavi, who is popular inside and outside of Iran in their struggle to accomplish the regime change themselves. - Proclaim far and wide that the cardinal reason for taking these measures against the Mullahs' "reign of terror" is to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons, the threat they pose to the region as well as to the world, and the stimulus they provide for other nations to develop their own nuclear arsenal. - Enforce the U.N. sanctions by inspecting every vessel headed for Iranian ports to make sure they are not ferrying prohibited material. Other than vessels known to be carrying foodstuffs and medicine, each ship should be subjected to an elaborate inspection. - We should once again Persuade Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and other Persian Gulf Arab oil-producers to significantly increase their output and drastically cut the price. It is the least they can do to forestall the emergence of a nuclear Shiite Iran bent on ruling the region. - Obtain court orders to freeze the overseas assets of Iranian leaders, since they are clearly ill gotten funds that rightfully belong to the nation. - Shut down, or severely restrict the operation of the mullahs' businesses in Dubai and other Persian Gulf states. - Shut down Iranian missions. Severely restrict Iranian officials and nuclear scientists from foreign travel. Recall your ambassadors from Iran. - Deny the Iranian Airline operation and encourage non-Iranian airlines to cease serving the country. - File legal charges against the leaders of the Islamic Republic's wanton violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; for its crimes against humanity and genocidal actions against religious and political groups; for support of international terrorism; for the demolition of religious sites and cemeteries; for rape, torture, and summary execution of prisoners of conscience; for forgery of documents, for acts of blackmail and fraud, and much more. - Declare and treat the clerical regime as illegitimate. Stop or slow down Iran's import of refined petroleum products. - Shut down the Islamic Republic's websites and block their television and radio broadcasts. - Provide Internet and Wi-Fi Access across Iran. - Identify the agents of the Islamic Republic and prosecute them as promoters of international terrorism. Investigate individuals and organizations that lobby or front for the Islamic Republic. - Take all necessary steps to stop investments in Iran. Persuade banks to refrain from dealing with Iran and the issuance of letters of credit. - Pressure businesses to stop dealing with Iran. Pressure governments to stop doing business with Iran. Warn countries such as China and Russia against commercial adventurism. In short, the Iran problem is urgent. It is a world problem. A warning to the world: You need to act now. Apathy is sleep. If you sleep, you weep. Image: Gwydion M. Williams via Flickr.But the bloom started coming off that rose when a scientist who had made population estimates that allowed the bears to be classified as threatened admitted that the estimates were: A guess to satisfy public demand but wrapped in the prestige of settled science."

A favorite technique of the propagandists of the Global Warming scare is to find cute and cuddly creatures that they can claim are threatened by global warming. For years, an iconic picture of a polar bear on an ice floe was used to frighten children into clutching their stuffed teddy bears and demanding Mommy and Daddy act to save them.

The scam took an even heavier blow when NASA admitted there was no measurable retreat in polar ice last year

But that hasnt stopped other cure species from being held up as hostages to carbon. Along with polar bears, another favorite creature is penguins, so cute in their version of tuxedos.

Ever eager NASA published a warning less than two years ago: Climate change may shrink Adelie penguin range by end of century.

Climate has influenced the distribution patterns of Adelie penguins across Antarctica for millions of years. The geologic record tells us that as glaciers expanded and covered Adelie breeding habitats with ice, penguins in the region abandoned their colonies. When the glaciers melted during warming periods, the Adelie penguins were able to return to their rocky breeding grounds.

Now, a NASA-funded study by University of Delaware scientists and colleagues at other institutions reports that this warming may no longer be beneficial for Adelie penguins. In a paper published June 29 in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers project that approximately 30 percent of current Adelie colonies may be in decline by 2060, and approximately 60 percent of the present population might be dwindling by 2099. They also found the penguins at more southerly sites in Antarctica may be less affected by climate change.

But, lookkee here! Rachel Herman of AFP

A thriving "hotspot" of 1.5 million Adelie penguins, a species fast declining in parts of the world, has been discovered on remote islands off the Antarctic Peninsula, surprised scientists said Friday.

The first bird census of the Danger Islands unearthed over 750,000 Adelie breeding pairs, more than the rest of the area combined, the team reported in the journal Scientific Reports. The group of nine rocky islands, which lie off the northern tip nearest South America, in the northwest Weddell Sea, housed the third- and fourth-largest Adelie penguin colonies in the world, they found.

The fact is that creatures adapt to their environments. And another fact is that estimates of wildlife populations are not an exact science, especially in the remoter areas of the world.

Good news for cuddly critters is bad news for Warmists.

What does that tell you?National governments (and the E.U.) are eager to foster the high technology segment of airplane manufacturing, particularly airliners and high-end business jets (the two categories overlap), and one way to do that is to offer easy financing for customers.

A ghost jet haunts Canadian bureaucrats, stealthily flying the world and hiding out from them in obscure or covert airstrips. Crony capitalism at its worst is on display in the aviation industry.

The U.S.'s own Export-Import Bank (The Ex-Im Bank) is a thorn in the side of pure conservatives, who see it subsidizing Boeing (by far its largest source of loans) and foreign airlines. Whenever a move is made to defund it, Boeing (by far its largest beneficiary) and others claim that the E.U. or other competitors will step in and offer financing, taking away manufacturing jobs and technological momentum from the U.S. industry.

While the U.S. and E.U., which sponsors Airbus financing, are the giants, there are some smaller players in the global aviation business who also find it necessary to offer concessionary financial terms to buyers of the their products. Canada's Bombardier manufactures business jets and commuter jets and recently has moved up the product chain to offer the C-series airliners to major carriers like Delta, essentially a slightly smaller version of the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, which has a long range and good fuel efficiency.

When Bombardier wants to sell to a foreign buyer, it goes to Export Development Canada (EDC) for the same sort of financing the Ex-Im Bank would provide to Boeing or Gulfstream or others. But in its eagerness to sell the high-end Global 6000 business jet  an ultra-long range twin jet that shares fuselage components with its commuter jets  the EDC appears to have ignored some warning signs about the customer's creditworthiness and trustworthiness.

Alan Freeman of the Washington Post (via MSN):

If you spot a sleek Bombardier Global 6000 business jet sporting tail number ZS-OAK, Canada would love to hear from you. The jet belonged to South Africa's notorious Gupta family, whose alleged corruption helped trigger the scandals that recently forced President Jacob Zuma out of office. But the Guptas bought the plane with help from a $41 million loan from Export Development Canada, or EDC, Canada's state-owned export-import bank. EDC was helping Bombardier Inc., the Canadian aerospace firm, land the jet sale. But that turns out to have been a poor bet: EDC now says the family defaulted on the loan in October and still owes the bank $27 million. And with an arrest warrant outstanding for Ajay Gupta, one of three brothers in the family, there are other worries, too. "There is a very real concern that the aircraft may be used to escape justice or for some unlawful means," wrote EDC in a recent application to a South African court seeking permission to ground the jet. But EDC first has to find the plane; the Guptas made the plane's location data private after EDC sought the jet's exact whereabouts in a court filing.

Lots of luck to them. This bird can fly nonstop from New York to Tokyo. If the fugitive owners can pay cash for jet fuel, and hold onto their pilots, they can hide out in obscure airfields and possibly even take apart the plane for parts, which will find an aftermarket in the shadier elements of the aviation economy. Or there might be some folks in the drug trade who would appreciate the capabilities of this highest-end aircraft.

The underlying problem is that governments are all too eager to beat out their foreign rivals and are not good at evaluating commercial risks. It's the same problem that cost American taxpayers about half a billion dollars when Solyndra went belly-up.

Crony capitalism stinks. Unfortunately, in the aviation business, there is no sign that it will go away. As China attempts to break into the jetliner business, it will get worse, not better.

Hat tip: Bryan DemkoAngry Georgia legislators worried about their constituents being dissed passed a bill stripping a $40 million a year in sales tax exemption on aviation fuel, a move that will directly impact the airline's bottom line if the governor signs the bill (update: he signed it) and it becomes law. Delta operates America's largest airline hub (over a thousand flights a day) at Atlanta Airport, where it buys oceans of jet fuel. In theory, it has the ability to funnel some connecting passengers and their flights through its other hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Salt Lake City if the costs at Atlanta rise too much. In practice, constraints in gate availability and runway capacity limit the short-term ability to escape the tax change by operational adjustments.

Delta Airlines opened Pandora's Box when it caved in to a wave of complaints  likely the result of a sophisticated operation to turn a handful of activists into what looks like tens of thousands of individual emails, tweets, Instagram messages, and Facebook posts  and ended its program of discounts for NRA members.

According to USA Today, only 13 passengers have ever used the NRA discount, which reveals how trivial it was. Airlines, car rental companies, and other firms in competitive industries hand out discount offers like Halloween candy to groups with large memberships. But the well organized gun-grabbers saw an opportunity to embarrass the NRA by pressuring companies to shun the discount arrangements they have made with it.

In other words, this is entirely a symbolic battle, but one with real-world consequences. Delta has gotten the message:

"We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature," [Delta CEO Ed] Bastian said in a note to employees.

My expectation is that Delta and many other companies will now end their affiliate group discount programs for every organization, from AARP to Planned Parenthood to the Girl Scouts. The only way to avoid taking sides is to have a blanket withdrawal from any involvement with any group that could antagonize a significant number of people.

In the end, I think that that by weaponizing these affiliate discount programs, the Progressives have done themselves harm. First of all, the nonprofit sector is dominated by Progressives. O'Sullivan's Law, first formulated almost three decades ago, has proven accurate: "All organizations that are not actually right-wing will over time become left-wing." So, as affiliate discounts end, it will hit the coffers of progressive-dominated groups that take the heaviest damage.

The second level of damage could be even more of a hit against Progressives, because one of the core techniques for intimidating its enemies  the use of bots and other technology to make a small group of activists appear to be a mass movement  is being exposed. The left tried this technique against Rush Limbaugh, trying to get his advertisers to dump the show, based on waves of digital communications demanding they do so or else mass boycotts will result. Facing a mortal threat to his broadcast's survival, and possessed of extraordinary intellect and guts, Rush fought back:

September 23, 2014  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee''s newest email spam, asking their recipients to sign a petition calling for sponsors to end their relationship with The Rush Limbaugh Show, is based on the two-year-old Stop Rush political protest as it's [sic] inspiration. After an investigation, The Rush Limbaugh Show has discovered a far darker story to Stop Rush, and is today releasing the hidden story of the people and motives behind the Stop Rush conspiracy. The Stop Rush group claims to be made up of ordinary consumers unhappy with Rush Limbaugh's comments. The group claims to be "grassroots," just concerned consumers who won't shop at businesses that advertise with Rush Limbaugh. In truth, however, there are no potential customers here, just a small number of hardcore political activists founded by Angelo Carusone, EVP of Media Matters for America. It's remarkably tiny. Only 10 Twitter users account for almost 70% of all StopRush tweets to advertisers, amplified by illicit software. In addition, almost every communication from a StopRush activist originates from outside the State of the advertiser. Thus, these activists are not and never would have been customers...their only role is to harass small businesses in an attempt to interfere with their operations, as long as they are advertising with Rush. A small number of politically motivated out of-state [sic] activists are distributing target lists indiscriminately, and annoying small businesses until they give up the advertising deals that help them grow, or risk being unable to conduct business at all. ["]It's not even activism...it's blackmail," according to Brian Glicklich, Rush Limbaugh Show spokesperson.

The rest of the media and corporate America largely ignored this investigative work because they cannot credit Rush for anything. But now Delta has very publicly learned the expensive lesson that caving in to such campaigns is folly. Perhaps an understanding of such astroturf campaigns will spread in corporate America, and the left will lose a valuable tool.

If so, the left loses. Again.How Canada ended up with Justin Trudeau

With all of Justin Trudeau's blunders  from blowing up Canada's relationship with India (and messing up in China, too) to welcoming floods of unvetted migrants to Canada to running up the debt to taking lavish vacations at taxpayer expense to pushing for all kinds of political correctness, it's kind of natural to wonder why this has happened. Seriously, how could Canada have ended up with such an incompetent as its prime minister? His stupidities are legion and likely only to continue. A new Ipsos poll reveals that if a Canadian election were held tomorrow, Trudeau would be thrown out. In retrospect, it's worth looking at how Trudeau got elected, because the election had consequences, all of which are on display now. When he was elected in 2015, he had a famous name but no significant political experience. And at age 43, when he was voted in, he didn't even have much life experience, particularly as a cosseted rich man's son growing up in an elite left-wing bubble.

Baffling to conservatives is how such a fine prime minister as Stephen Harper could be voted out, his exit largely attributed to his lack of charisma. It's true that voters get tired of incumbents. But in Canada's case, and this is worth noting, Trudeau was elected because of massive foreign funding, from the likes of the rabidly left-wing and secretive Tides Foundation, linked to George Soros and radical environmental movements. In 2017, the National Post reported that Trudeau got elected after a massive influx of illegal foreign funds, mostly from the U.S.-based left-wing Tides Foundation, writing: Foreign money funnelled towards Canadian political advocacy groups affected the outcome of the 2015 federal election, according to a document filed last week with Elections Canada and obtained in part by the Calgary Herald. The 36-page report entitled: Elections Canada Complaint Regarding Foreign Influence in the 2015 Canadian Election, alleges third parties worked with each other, which may have bypassed election spending limits  all of which appears to be in contravention of the Canada Elections Act. The Canada Elections Act states that "a third party shall not circumvent, or attempt to circumvent, a limit set out ... in any manner, including by splitting itself into two or more third parties for the purpose of circumventing the limit or acting in collusion with another third party so that their combined election advertising expenses exceed the limit." "Electoral outcomes were influenced," alleges the report. Well, they certainly were. And the scope of this has brought some bitter consequences to Canada. Trudeau, like the leftists in the U.S., has resisted all efforts at electoral reform, despite campaigning on that platform. Obviously, it's a corrupt system that has been good for him. There isn't much we Americans can do about it in Canada, but it highlights two points here: 1) that the Russians and their supposed meddling does not shine a candle to the other kinds of meddling that can be taking place and 2) that electoral reforms, to ensure the integrity of elections, make for one of the most important missions left to be finished by the Trump administration. Lefties, once in power, will never undertake this mission; the system as it is is too good for them. Canada's disaster in its prime minister's office shows just how bad it can be.At a Klick Health's Muse happening in New York City, moderated by CEO Leerom Segal, medical technology expert and health care guru Michelle Obama answered questions from an audience about everything from health to social media to life outside the White House.

Giving new meaning to the title of her "highly anticipated" memoir, recently, Michelle Obama provided insight into what Becoming may actually mean.

Emulating her master-of-passive-aggressive-innuendohusband, Barack, Mrs. Obama used the medical technology event as a platform to disparage Donald Trump's deployment of social media.

Michelle, who just last week used Twitter to give a grown-up and committee-approved thumbs-up to David Hogg and Company's orchestrated effort to weaken the Second Amendment, informed the audience that she "tweets by committee." Obama then said, "I don't just tweet off the top of my head, which I don't encourage people to do  especially kids. Yes, I use social media, but I use it like a grown-up."

Up to that point, remarks belittling Trump and alluding to racial inequity were standard Obama fare. However, at one point, things took a turn for the worse. And while it's risky business to juxtapose Nazi youth and the goals of modern-day politicians, some of Mrs. Obama's proclamations should give those "who have ears to hear" pause.

Before delving into the former first lady's more disturbing comments, let's take a historical stroll down memory lane with a quote from Adolf Hitler, who once made the astute observation that "he," or in this case, "she" "alone, who owns the youth, gains the future."

Rather than hold public office, Michelle said that, at this juncture, both she and her husband prefer to influence impressionable minds by sowing to the "collective future." The former first lady said she plans to work with the Obama Foundation, whose mission is to "equip civic innovators, young leaders, and everyday citizens with the skills and tools they need to create change in their communities."

Ironically, after educating America for eight grueling years, and while in the actual process of instructing yet another group what to think, the wife of the self-proclaimed "one we've been waiting for" then informed the Klick crowd that:

We give too much credit to leadership. We wait for some leader to tell us what to do. These problems aren't solved by a man. It is not a leader. It is us. We have more power to change the way people think, to change the way we treat everybody, to change the way people see us in the world, by the actions we take every single day.

During the question-and-answer period, Mrs. Obama also underscored the value of the revolutionary approach to activism when she said:

We don't have to have policy. No edict. The Supreme Court doesn't have to do anything for us not to be racist, for us to be open, for us to practice equality in our lives, in our workplaces. We're in charge of that. If we lived in that country where each of us was really, really doing that, and not just worrying about a tax cut or power or holding onto power ... it wouldn't matter who was in the White House.

In other words, the queen of progressive policy and lunchroom diktats and the king, who, thanks to a renegade Supreme Court chief justice, got his unconstitutional health care law enacted, no longer need edicts, legislation, and a whole branch of the U.S. federal government.

Instead, according to the former FLOTUS, the racism and inequality that she imagines still afflicts this nation could be eradicated on the street level. This, according to the Obama brand of militancy, would eliminate the need for tax cuts and, more importantly, a president who cuts taxes.

Simply put, the stated task ahead for Michelle is molding and making legions of community organizers who will bust up cities; aggressively attack police; attempt to dismantle the Bill of Rights; and, in the process, define it all as "hope and change."

During the Q&A, the always upbeat Michelle summed up her assessment of American adolescents in the following way:

I'm optimistic about our kids, always. We see these kids in Florida, the Black Lives Matter kids. They are smart, they are passionate, they do have the right values. They know inequity. They know wrong when they see it. There is hope in that next generation. They're tired of watching us do the same old thing and expect different results.

The interpretation of that alarming point of view is that Michelle thinks people who agree with the Obama philosophy not only recognize inequity, but also are "smart [and] passionate ... [and] have the right values."

Mrs. Obama's observations also mean that "wrong" is whatever the radical left disagrees with. If she took the time to think that statement through, her off-the-cuff assertion destabilizes the left's foundational contention that the definition of wrong is relative.

Nonetheless, Michelle also indicated that she believes that divergent opinion is synonymous with insanity when she expressed that her "hope" for the "next generation" is to convince those who can be worn down by rhetoric that they are "tired of watching us do the same old thing and expect different results."

Communist revolutionary and "fundamental transformation" advocate Vladimir Lenin hada similar attitude. Lenin once said, "Give me just one generation of youth, and I'll transform the whole world."

That may be why unsettling images of thousands of young people marching in lockstep popped up when Michelle announced she's decided against running for president. Instead, the former first lady said she thinks "it's a better investment to invest in creating thousands and thousands of 'mes.'" In other words, Mrs. Obama believes that in order to "fundamentally transform" the whole world, "older leaders" like herself need to "step out of the way and mak[e] room ... [because w]e don't need just one  we need thousands and thousands"...of Michelles?

Sorry if the comparison is an affront to historical sensibilities, but Klick was supposed to be a medical technology event, and statements like that are eerily reminiscent of the spirit that inspired "thousands and thousands" of German Hitlerjugend. Therefore, the next time Mrs. Obama is out shilling her upcoming memoir, maybe someone needs to ask her if the word Becoming also refers to the formation of Obama youth.

Jeannie also hosts a blog at www.jeannie-ology.com.Recently, one of the Democrats' most significant state voter ID and GOTV organizations, Wellstone Action in Minnesota, has gone through a controversial reorganization in which the late Senator Paul Wellstone's children and some of his long-time associates were kicked off the group's board.

I saw only one local story about this and none nationally  although this group has been central not only to Democrats' recent successes in Minnesota, but through its formidable training programs, to successful first-time liberal candidates across the county.

One of Mr. Wellstone's sons was quoted as describing the board move as 'betrayal." Paul Wellstone was an authentic and respected liberal hero not only in his own state, but nationally. One can only imagine the media attention to a controversy involving an equivalent conservative political figure!

In fact, in very "blue" California, where Democrats are expecting to make gains in congressional seats, most media are ignoring the internal squabbles among Democratic factions and candidates, including one district, previously expected to be a Democratic pick-up, where so many liberals are running that the ballot in November might only have two Republicans!

When long-time Democratic Senator Diane [sic] Feinstein was recently denied re-endorsement at her own party's convention, the story was too sensational to ignore, but for the most part the media turns its attention to GOP conflicts and anomalies.The bill classifies firearms as "assault weapons" based on a feature test; it classifies magazines as "high-capacity" if they can hold more than ten rounds.

Following the massacre in Parkland, Florida, Representatives Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and David Cicilline (D-R.I.) introduced their version of an assault weapons ban. The bill would ban the sale of "assault weapons" and "high-capacity" magazines manufactured or imported after the law's enactment. Weapons already in circulation would be "grandfathered" in.

Under the bill, a semi-automatic rifle is an assault weapon if it accepts a detachable magazine and has one of the following features: pistol grip; forward grip; folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; grenade- or rocket-launcher; barrel shroud or threaded barrel.

The bill stipulates a similar test for semi-automatic pistols and shotguns.

Contrary to popular belief, this type of guns is legal outside the United States. Canadians, for example, can purchase a Tavor or similar rifle with a basic firearms license. New Zealanders can purchase a "featureless" AR-15 with a basic firearms license; they can also purchase one with a pistol grip and flash-suppressor if they are willing to go through the paperwork.

Further, feature tests do not make much sense as policy. There is no reason to believe that pistol grips, forward grips, telescoping stocks, or barrel shrouds increase the lethality of a firearm. They may make a gun more ergonomic or tactical-looking, but they do not change how it functions.

The bill includes a list of firearms banned by name and a list of firearms explicitly exempted by name. The bill specifically exempts the Ruger Mini-14  despite the fact that it was used to perpetrate one of the world's deadliest mass shootings  and explicitly bans the Beretta CX4 Storm.

Both rifles are semi-automatic and accept detachable magazines. The Mini-14 fires the same ammunition as the AR-15, the 5.56 rifle round. The CX4 fires the weaker 9mm luger pistol round. The relevant difference for the bill's sponsors seems to be that the Mini-14 looks like a traditional rifle with a wooden stock, and the CX4 looks like a prop from a science fiction movie.

Regulating weapons based on how they look doesn't make much sense, which is what the new assault weapons ban does. Gun control proponents would likely point to the bill's other major component  its ban on high-capacity magazines  to defend its efficacy.

While it's plausible that limiting magazine capacity could reduce the number of victims, there isn't much hard evidence for this. The alleged perpetrator of the Parkland, Florida massacre used ten-round magazines because they were easier to fit in his bag. The perpetrator of the Virginia tech massacre used a handgun with ten- and fifteen-round magazines. For an experienced shooter, the time it takes to change magazines might not make a big difference.

Further, limiting magazine capacity would reduce the ability of the average citizen to defend himself. When New York State passed a law limiting magazine capacity, it didn't include an exemption for retired and active law enforcement. Following backlash from police, they amended the law to create an exemption for retired and active-duty officers. If a retired cop needs a seventeen-round magazine to defend himself, it's hard to argue that the average citizen doesn't.

Mass shootings are horrific, and doing nothing is unacceptable. However, this new assault weapons ban lacks a rational basis. There's no reason to believe that threaded barrels or polymer furniture makes guns deadlier. Ineffective and stupid laws are not the answer to mass shootings.

Image: Teknorat via Flickr.This usually was a cue for the crowd to chant, Lock her up! Lock her up!

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump repeatedly referred to the case of Navy sailor Kristian Saucier, who was sentenced to one year in prison for taking pictures on a submarine that were deemed confidential  the lowest rung on the ladder of national security secrets. Candidate Trump compared Sauciers severe punishment for this comparatively minor infraction to Hillary Clintons exoneration by James Comey for far more serious breaches in using an unprotected server in a bathroom to house top secret and beyond documents.

The next chapter is about to dawn. Steve Nelson of the Examiner reports:

The Justice Department is processing a pardon application from former Navy sailor Kristian Saucier after denying him a waiver to apply for a pardon last year. This is a departure from normal pardon practice: People convicted of federal crimes generally have to wait five years after being sentenced before they can apply for a pardon, and a waiver request from Saucier was denied in May, even though Trump told Fox News days after taking office in January 2017 that he was considering a pardon. In its waiver-denial letter to Sauciers then-attorney Jeffrey Addicott, the Justice Departments Office of the Pardon Attorney wrote on May 30: Upon careful review of the information you submitted, we have concluded that it would not be appropriate to grant a waiver of the waiting period in Mr. Sauciers case to permit him to apply for a pardon at this time.

But, apparently pressure from above has been applied:

In late February, the Justice Department sent another letter, saying Saucier's pardon application is now being processed. We will now be processing the application for presidential pardon of your client, Kristian Saucier, the Office of the Pardon Attorney wrote to Addicott, who forwarded the letter to Sauciers current attorney, Ronald Daigle. The new letter, dated Feb. 20, requests detailed information about Sauciers criminal, employment, and medical history, in addition to information about his current civic engagement. The questions focus on specific details about Sauciers life.

Assuming that these formalities are concluded, the stage will be set for President Trump to sign a presidential pardon in front of the cameras, with a grateful Saucier (who has completed his term) beside him, ready to describe his infraction and the prison term he already served, and compare it to Hillary Clinton escaping indictment or punishment through James Comey taking upon himself an authority he did not have, to decide that she should not be indicted.

It should be quite a show, in the hands of television's greatest reality TV producer.Editor Lifson believes that the announcement by the president on Twitter is a negotiating ploy, that his comment that "trade wars are good and easy to win" is just part of his opening gambit in whatever endgame he has in mind regarding protectionist policies.

How serious is Donald Trump about slapping a 25% tariff on steel imports?

That may be true. But U.S. trading partners are taking the proposal seriously enough that they are examining retaliatory moves they can make against U.S. goods.

Reuters:

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to slap stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum has rattled financial markets and stirred fears that some trading partners might retaliate by dumping U.S. Treasuries. Should China, Japan and other nations, which have recycled their trade dollars through their Treasuries holdings, suddenly decide to whittle them down, markets could be in for a rough ride. Such a retaliatory move, in the wake of Trump's first big protectionist action, comes at a time when foreign demand for U.S. debt is seen critical to offset an expected surge in federal borrowing needs, analysts and investors said on Friday. "The threats are real," said Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco in New York. "We need more foreign demand, not less." To be sure, it is unlikely that Beijing, Tokyo and other overseas central banks would dump Treasuries altogether, if at all, analysts and investors said. Countries could wind up torching their own U.S. bond investments, without winning any guaranteed gains from Washington, they said. "They already own a lot of them. They would be shooting themselves in the foot," said Jack McIntyre, portfolio manager at Brandywine Global Investment Management in Philadelphia.

China has been threatening to dump U.S. debt for years, so nothing new there. And it would have to be a pretty bad trade war for countries to tank their own economies to get back at the U.S.

But that doesn't mean there aren't serious repercussions being considered by our trading partners.

Reuters:

Major U.S. trade partners are likely to hit back. Europe has drawn up a list of U.S. products on which to apply tariffs if Trump follows through on his plan. "We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans  Levi's," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German television. Trump's threats to unleash a trade war over steel crushed any hopes of substantial progress in current talks with Canada and Mexico to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement, heightening fears for the trade deal's future. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said any U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum would be "absolutely unacceptable" and vowed to continue to engage with U.S. officials on the issue. The International Monetary Fund also expressed concern, saying the proposed tariffs would likely damage the U.S. economy and those of other nations.

The U.S. is the third largest producer of steel in the world but also the world's biggest importer. No one expects U.S. steel plants shuttered for 50 years to rise from the dead if we slap a tariff on imports, but it's generally agreed that protectionist action would create thousands of jobs.

But any tariffs would likely lead to a net loss of jobs in some other industries that are heavily dependent on exporting their goods. It's why, despite the president's boast, trade wars are not good and are never easy to win. In fact, if the past is any indication, there will be only losers.

Thomas Lifson adds:

We are a long way from actual moves to impose tariffs. President Trump, in his usual pattern, is throwing out a provocation to see what kind of response comes. That helps him formulate his further strategy, which will include actual administrative measures and possibly legislation.

Trump has made it clear that there are national security reasons to maintain steel and aluminum industrial capabilities in the United States. That is a legitimate  indeed, a wise  reason to question the overall benefits of freer trade.

In reality TV terms, this is the trailer for the series to follow.Amazon will stop selling new Nest products in the near future and has already informed Googles smart home division of that decision via a call late last year, Business Insider reported Friday, citing sources with knowledge of the development. The worlds largest e-commerce platform is still offering a limited number of Nest-made devices but will pull their listings after the stock runs out, insiders claim. The timing of Amazons disclosure of the decision to Nest indicates the recently announced Ring purchase was in the making since at least the final quarter of 2017, with the company now preparing to intensify its efforts in the home automation segment. The latest additions to Nests portfolio such as the Nest Hello smart doorbell will never make their way to Amazon, sources say.

The development is just the last step in Amazons rivalry with Google which started escalating several months back over the companys unwillingness to retail Chromecasts, prompting Alphabets subsidiary to pull YouTube from the Echo Show smart speaker and Fire TV streaming sticks. The tensions are likely to rise following Amazons takeover of Ring which directly competes with the Nest Hello and has previously accused Googles division of blatantly copying its own products. Last December, Amazon signaled its close to reaching a new collaboration agreement with Google and will resume Chromecast sales but hasnt delivered on that promise to this date. The company is positioning its artificial intelligence assistant Alexa as the center of its smart home ecosystem and is directly rivaling the Google Assistant in that regard.

Being the largest e-commerce platform in the United States and the world, Amazons decision to refuse retailing Nests products is likely to impact the bottom line of Googles hardware unit which recently reabsorbed the firm, only two years after spinning it off. Insiders claim Amazons retail team told Nest the decision came from the top and has nothing to do with the overall quality of its products which continue being some of the best-reviewed offerings in the home automation category. The latest report doesnt clarify whether Amazons Marketplace program for third-party resellers will also prevent the companys independent partners from offering Nest products through its platform .Google Assistant support has gone live for Arlo cameras a mere couple of weeks after the company announced that compatibility with Googles digital assistant software would be on the way in the near future. This bodes well for anyone with Arlo products as the turnaround for getting the support up and running was a long process and didnt require users to wait too long from when the announcement was made that it would be added.

To reiterate Google Assistant compatibility is there for every single camera that Arlo sells, which is the Arlo Pro 2, the Arlo Pro, the Arlo Go, the Arlo Baby, the Arlo Q, and the Arlo Q Plus, so no matter which one you have, or if you have all of them, you can use your voice to control each one and see the video recording feeds for them at any time. While this will work with Google Home speakers, like the Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Google Home Max, itll also work for Google Assistant on any other device which has it built-in, such as Android smartphones, Android Wear smartwatches, and other smart speakers that arent part of the Google Home line.

Theres essentially only one command as all youll be doing is asking Google to show the video for the camera you want to view, other than that theres not a whole lot else Google Assistant will do for you in this regard, but its important to remember too that there isnt really a whole lot that consumers will need it to do with the cameras beyond showing the feed anyway. That said, Arlo could decide to add more commands at some point in the future if it feels the need to do so, and if it feels they will enhance the user experience. If setting this up would be your first time configuring Google Assistant with a smart home product, the process is pretty easy and take a whole lot of steps. To configure things you can go into the Google Home app and then tap on the hamburger menu, and the tap the home control option. From there you can simply hit the floating action button at the bottom to add a new device and then youll be able to see and add each Arlo camera you have set up.Google has a new addition to its Chrome Music Lab project called Song Maker, in honor of the National Association for Music Educations Music In Our Schools Month. As with previous Music Lab experiments, there are no apps to download or software to install to get started. Users simply need to navigate to g.co/songmaker from any browser-enabled computer or mobile device to get started  or click the button at the bottom of this article. Anybody can get in on the fun with no account creation or sign-in required. Better still, creations can be saved or shared directly through the site.

As to the experiment itself, Song Maker is effectively a grid which allows participants to click and fill squares which represent musical notes. Users are free to mess around with different ways to fill those in, from attempts to create or recreate a specific tune, to just drawing something and seeing what that drawing sounds like. Microphone, keyboard, and MIDI keyboard inputs are available, as well, for those who want to change things up a bit. For those modes, corresponding notes filled in automatically as a user presses keys, talks, or sings or hums a tune. Along the bottom of the page, there are separate lines for filling songs out further with basic drum beats. Meanwhile, both main notes and drums can be altered in tone. For primary sounds, users can choose from the marimba, piano, strings, woodwind, or synth. Drum beats can take on life as either an electronics, blocks, conga drum or a classic kit. Taking things just a bit further, users can also play with tone, octave range, and scale. Best of all, songs can be shared and collaborated on, without ever having to save anything or log in.

For those who may not already be aware, Chrome Music Lab is intended to provide interactive experiments that just inspire a love of music through visual stimulation and exploration. Perhaps more importantly, they are generally supposed to show the ways that music can be connected to other subjects like art, science, and math  with many teachers across the world using the tools, according to the company. Google has been pursuing the realm of music experimentation for quite some time now and this latest addition brings the total number of available experiments to thirteen.In the past few years, Google has released the first developer preview for the next version of Android around February or March. With the final release coming around August or September (a few months before the Pixel smartphones are announced and available). It appears, at least according to Evleaks, that the first developer preview for Android P is targeting a mid-March release. That would still mean that there could be two developer previews released before Google I/O in early May.

Google typically releases around five or six developer previews for new versions of Android. This helps the Android team get all of the bugs fixed, but also helps developers get their apps ready for the next version of Android, and utilize all of the new features and APIs that are coming in this next version. Google also doesnt typically announce the official name of the next version of Android until around late summer, just before the last developer preview (with finalized APIs) is available. So itll be referred to as Android P for most of the Spring and Summer. Including during the keynote at Google I/O, where Google will go more in-depth with the new version of Android, which is definitely going to be an exciting part of the event for developers.

When the first developer preview for Android P does launch, dont expect to see a ton of features announced with it. Google will announce a handful of newer features, usually the smaller features, with the first preview or two. But it will keep the bigger announcements for Google I/O when it talks about the developer preview (and also launches a newer preview). But as is the case with any new version of Android, everyones going to be excited to see what Google has been working on for the past year. In fact, there have already been a number of leaks coming out depicting what Google may be including in this next version of Android, which should be Android 9.0, if recent history is anything to go by. So the next version of Android should be seeing a developer preview release fairly soon, in the next week or two.In 1998 Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google, and like all companies, it has undergone some restructuring and changes  it is now operated under the umbrella company called Alphabet. Larry Page became the CEO of Alphabet and Sundar Pichai is now the CEO of Google. Through all of these transitions, one thing has remained constant  Googles sense of humor. It loves to name its operating systems after sweet treats  Marshmallow, Nougat, and Oreo, etc.  and it likes to include hidden gems called Easter Eggs within its search function, among other places. Here we will look at some of those Easter Egg gems found in the search bar, where they also reflect Googles penchant for fun.

Games

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Lets look at a couple of classic games  Solitaire and Tic-Tac-Toe. All you have to do is to type solitaire or Tic-tac-toe in the search bar, hit enter, and you will be presented with a game to pass the time. One note about Tic-tac-toe  if you have any sense at all, you will soon learn that you can never lose, but it is fun to play.

Rolling The Dice & Flipping A Coin

Are you undecided about what choice to make? Whenever you have a tough decision to make, let Googles search bar help you out in a number of ways. You can roll a die, spin (or play) dreidel, or you can always flip a coin. The first two options give you the feeling of gambling, but flipping a coin is a more direct answer for your dilemma.

Askew

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This gem is just downright crazy! Simply type in the word askew and not only will the definition appear  crooked, lopsided, tilted, or angled  but the display itself will be askew. Talk about a sick sense of humor, and that is exactly what Google is all about.

Barrel Roll

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Another crazy Easter Egg  type Do a Barrel Roll and click search and watch the entire screen display do a complete 360-degree roll of your display! Click search again, and it will continue to barrel roll the display. We agree that this feature helps you in no way, but it is fun to watch.

Anagram

When you type in an incorrect word in the Google Search bar, it will always ask you, Did you mean: and then offer the correct spelling. Try typing in the correct word, anagram, which is of course, a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another, such as cinema form from iceman. Google will ask you, Did you mean: nag a ram, which of course is an anagram for the word anagram.

Animal Sounds

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This is not only a fun Google Search Easter egg, but also an educational one for young children to help them learn the sounds of many animals  Dog, Falcon, Antelope, Guinea Pig, Sheep, Duck, Bee, Chicken, Alpaca, Turkey, Raccoon, African Grey Parrot, Alligator, Anteater, Ape, Bat, Bowhead Whale, Buffalo, Cat, Cow, Dove, Elephant, Horse, Humpback Whale, Lizard, Lion, and a dozen more  quite the combination of a barnyard and a zoo!

Fun Facts

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Fun Facts is just thata way to get the answers to some rather interesting questions. This is a good site for trivia buffs to play a game to see which one of you is most knowledgeable. Simply keep clicking on the ASK ANOTHER QUESTION bar at the bottom and Google will keep returning facts  some more interesting than others.

Classic Console Games

The Google Search bar will also allow you to conjure up some classic game titles  though not all are as easy as playing on a console setup, they are never the less fun. If you search Super Mario Bros, and click on the flashing golden ? you will hear that classic coin-dispensing sound from the original games.

Gotta Go Fast. Sonic Fast

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The readers that have a soft spot in their heart for Segas Sonic the Hedgehog can see the mascot does his famous spin by searching for Sonic the Hedgehog and simply clicking on him in his laidback state and you can make him spin to your hearts content.

Zerg Rush

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Just for fun, if you type in Zerg Rush a flurry of Os will start to fall from up above and devour everything in their path. The first wave of Os will make the first section of your display disappear, and then after a quick pause, the Os will drop and attack the next group of text on your display. After everything is consumed, you will be left with two large Gs staring at you.

PAC-MAN

Doing a Google Search, on PAC-MAN will bring up one of the most beloved games of all time. Google gave this gem back in 2010 to celebrate PAC-MANs thirtieth anniversary  can PAC-MAN lovers really be that old? It is a little hard to move the little yellow guy around the board, but with a little practice, it can be quite fun.

Atari Breakout

Do a Google Search on Atari Breakout and the click on the More images block to the right and you will be treated to a stirring game of the classic Breakout on your display. Breakout was a simple, yet addicting game as you try to rid the display of all of the colored blocks with a bouncing ball and a paddle  a more sophisticated game of the basic Pong.

Metronome

For those musicians in our group, simply search on Metronome and you will be able to set the BPM (Beats per Minute) and then click on the arrow to start your metronome tick-tocking away. You can increase or decrease the BPMs by clicking on the + or - symbols, and you can do this while it is ticking.

Bubble Level

Before we end, we wanted to give you a gem that works only on your mobile device. Do a Google Search on bubble level and it will transform your smartphone to an actual bubble level. It works great in a pinch to level a picture or to place a line on a wall.

Google likes to develop these Easter Eggs, and is constantly coming up with new ones  especially to celebrate a holiday or the anniversary of a classic game. There are so many it is hard to count even just how many Google has embedded, mostly in their search engine. This is just a very small sampling of the jokes and games that are available. Enjoy the ones we have told you about and have fun looking for new ones yourself.This photo of Copper, the subject of a lawsuit in Pitkin County District Court, was taken after it had surgery at Colorado State University, according to attorney Caitlin Grant, who is representing the plaintiff, Kathy Wallace. The lawsuit alleges the horse is now lame after procedures Wallace did not authorize.DNC Chair Tom Perez questioned the DCCC's attack against Laura Moser, a Democratic candidate running for Congress in Texas's 7th district, in an interview with USA Today's Susan Page. "I wouldn't have done it," he said, adding that he "would have done it differently."

Why it matters: Perez's response further exemplifies the growing tension within the Democratic Party that could threaten their chances at taking back the House.

Background: The DCCC called Moser a "Washington insider who begrudgingly moved to Houston to run for Congress." She reportedly raised more than $86,000 after the DCCC's brutal memo.

Moser is a more progressive candidate  supporting a $15 minimum wage and Medicare for all  among the 8 Democrats running in this Houston-area district currently held by a Republican.

Our Revolution, a progressive group based on Bernie Sanders' movement, recently endorsed Moser, highlighting her advocacy for grassroots progressives.

Perez didn't say how he would've handled it himself, but told USA Today that "we're at our best as Democrats when we talk about the issues."

What they're saying: A Democratic pollster working on a few Congressional races in Texas told Axios the DCCC's attack on Moser is "the biggest head scratcher," but he argued that "a pretty liberal Democrat isn't the ideal fit" in Texas' 7th district.

He said that the DCCC might be using lessons learned from Jon Ossoff's race in Georgia's 6th district against Moser  namely that he, like Moser, didn't always live in the district where he was running.

DCCC Press Secretary Tyler Law said, Our job is to support and empower candidates who know their communities and districts better than anyone else.

One quick thing: The DCCC's attempt to push out a progressive candidate is reminiscent of the leaked DNC emails from the 2016 presidential election showing how party officials tried to help Hillary Clinton secure the nomination over Sanders.

Go deeper: The DCCC's messaging woes.By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan plans to expand the volume and geography of local wine exports, Rufat Mammadov, president of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), said on March 2 at a joint event of AZPROMO and the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) Organizations of Azerbaijan.

Noting that presently Azerbaijan delivers wine mainly to Russia, Mammadov said that last year the volume of export of Azerbaijani wine abroad amounted to $6 million, which is 67 percent more than in 2016.

The Chinese market is one of the most important directions for us, he added, noting that this year, Azerbaijans wine house will open in Shanghai. It is noteworthy that last year, Azerbaijani wines worth $1 million were delivered to China.

Mammadov further said that about 60 percent of subsidies allocated for export promotion in Azerbaijan last year accounted for wine producers. In general, Azerbaijani entrepreneurs received subsidies worth 3 million manats ($1.76 million) as part of the export promotion mechanism in 2017, he added.

Currently, winemaking is a promising segment of the country's economy and the government continues to support its development.

As many as 23 out of 38 alcohol producing companies operating in Azerbaijan are engaged in only wine production. Meanwhile, 20 of these companies are export oriented.

The country exports its wine products to Russia, China, Turkey, South Korea, France, Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Belarus, Georgia and some other countries. Thus, the Azerbaijani wine is becoming more and more popular around the world.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzBy Rashid Shirinov

Ministers of the Caspian littoral states agreed on the draft convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, Russian Foreign Ministry informed on March 2.

"The 50th meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group on drafting of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, dedicated to the implementation of the decisions made at the meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian states, was held in Moscow," the message says.

Delegations of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan attended the meeting. Finance Minister Samir Sharifov headed the Azerbaijani delegation.

Following the meeting, the draft convention was agreed upon and the texts of the draft convention were checked in Russian, Farsi and English in order to prepare it for signing during the forthcoming 5th Caspian Summit.

The next meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group will be held in Kazakhstan.

The issue of determining the legal status of the Caspian Sea became relevant after the collapse of the USSR, when the emergence of new subjects of international law - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - raised the issue of delimitation of the Caspian Sea between the five littoral countries.

The difficulties in determining the status of the Caspian Sea were linked, in particular, with the recognition of it as a lake or sea, the delineation of which is regulated by different provisions of international law.

The leaders of the five countries met for the first time in 2002 in Ashgabat. The second Caspian summit was held in Tehran in 2007, the third one in Baku in 2010, and the fourth summit  in Astrakhan in 2014.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAzTrend:

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has today signed an order on additional measures to ensure intensive development of crop production with a view to stimulate the agricultural production in the country.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to raise by 50 percent the upper limit of the total discount amount for agricultural producers per hectare of the perennial plant sowing areas and the areas for plants that have not been genetically modified, for mineral fertilizers sold to agricultural producers by OJSC Agroleasing and other legal entities and individuals, and for the sale price of vermi-compost produced industrially in the country.

Furthermore, the Cabinet was tasked to raise by five times the upper limit of the discount amount for agricultural producers on the pesticides sold to them.Trend:

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has extended condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in connection with fire in the Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center, which led to casualties, Belarus president's website reports.

"In the Republic of Belarus the tragic news of a fire in the Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center in Baku which caused human casualties was received with deep sorrow," the message reads.

The head of the Belarusian state also wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

The strong fire broke out at 06:10 (UTC+4) on March 2 in a one-story building of Azerbaijans Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center in Baku.

Twenty-five people died as a result of fire, says a joint statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Health Ministry of Azerbaijan.

The statement says that it was managed to save 30 people of 55 who were in the building of the center during the fire.Trend:

Prime Minister of Georgia Georgi Kvirikashvili expressed his condolences over the fire at the Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center in Baku, said in the statement posted on the website of the government of Georgia.

"I express my condolences on the death of people as a result of the fire in Baku. I condole to their families, relatives, as well as to the Azerbaijani people and the government of Azerbaijan. In these difficult moments we are near you", reads the statement.

The strong fire broke out at 06:10 (UTC+4) on March 2 in a one-story building of Azerbaijans Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center in Baku.

Twenty-five people died as a result of fire, says a joint statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Health Ministry of Azerbaijan.

The statement says that it was managed to save 30 people of 55 who were in the building of the center during the fire.Trend:

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has extended condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in connection with fire in the Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center, which led to casualties.

"Dear Mr. President, I was deeply saddened by the news of death of many Azerbaijani citizens in a fire in a treatment center in Baku," the message reads.

On behalf of Turkish people, his government and his own behalf, Yildirim extended his deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died and wished recovery to the wounded.

"We feel the sorrow of the brotherly Azerbaijan in the depth of our hearts," he added.

"Taking this opportunity, I wish you good health and well-being to the brotherly Azerbaijani people," Yildirim told President Aliyev in the letter.Trend:

Azerbaijan will print out 5,347,803 notification papers for informing voters about the voting place and time during the April 11 presidential election.

This was announced at a meeting of the Central Election Commission on March 2.

Composition of some constituency election commissions was changed during the meeting.

The meeting also registered authorized representatives of Tural Abbasli, a presidential candidate.Trend:

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has expressed his condolences to Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in connection with fire in the Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center, which led to casualties, said a message posted on the website of the president of Kazakhstan March 2.

Nazarbayev in his letter of condolence voiced deep sorrow at the news of numerous casualties.

"Sharing the pain of the brotherly people of Azerbaijan, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Kazakhstan, I express condolences to the families and friends of the killed. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured," the letter reads.

A strong fire broke out at 06:10 (UTC +4) on March 2 in a one-story building of Azerbaijans Republican Drug Rehabilitation Center.

Twenty-five people died as a result of fire, says a joint statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor Generals Office, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Health Ministry of Azerbaijan.

The State Commission was created in order to investigate the causes of the tragedy and to eliminate the consequences.Trend:

Azerbaijan's participation in NATO operations is highly appreciated.

Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly David Hobbs made these remarks at a meeting with the acting head of Azerbaijan's mission in NATO, Gaya Mammadov.

Hobbs appreciated the active participation of the Azerbaijani parliament's delegation at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Mammadov, in turn, spoke about Azerbaijan's participation in NATO's "Partnership for Peace" program, further noting that the parliamentary scope of the partnership is important.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the partnership between Azerbaijan and NATO, the situation in the region and other issues of mutual interest.Trend

Ishanguly Amanlyev has been appointed Turkmenistan's extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Morocco in accordance with President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs decree.

The diplomat will also continue to lead the diplomatic mission in Turkey.

In a letter to President Berdimuhamedov, in October 2017, King of Morocco Mohammed VI expressed confidence that the existing relations of brotherhood and mutual respect between Morocco and Turkmenistan will continue to strengthen and develop on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation in the interests of the two peoples.

Stressing the important role of cooperation with African states earlier, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry expressed its commitment to development of relations with the African Union.

The African Union, established on July 9, 2002, is an international intergovernmental organization uniting 55 African states.Tucked into the commercial heart of the West End is the chic Green Light Americana, which has a modern yet neighborly feel.

Light bulb salt and pepper shakers, wooden tables and neutral colors give the space a contemporary vibe, while each guest who walks in is greeted by the owners and asked about their dining experience while they're there. 

Known for Green Light Kitchen in Edison Plaza and Green Light Catering, owners Kayla and Scott Fisher wanted to do something different.

"Green Light Americana came about from our wanting to do a dinner spot in West End of Beaumont," Scott Fisher said. "The thing we kept getting asked is 'Hey, are you going to open up for dinner?' At our core, we knew we always wanted to do a fun mix of a full service-dining restaurant. That was the next step in expanding our brand."

The husband and wife duo had an idea to bring a new concept to Beaumont.

"My wife and I always knew we wanted to do a blend of fast casual dining meets fine dining," Fisher said. "It's called fine fast casual dining. It's one of those new emerging markets that really work in big cities. It's this happy blend of two styles of dining  upscale casual to formal fine dining. This was our answer to that."

As the couple tossed the notion around, a space popped open in the Westmont Shopping Center at the corner of Phelan Boulevard and Dowlen Road.

"The spot was vacant for almost a year or two when it finally got on our radar," Fisher said. "We had thought about it and talked about it."

Green Light Americana Where: 6420 Phelan Blvd., Beaumont

Hours: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Credit cards: All major

Drink situation: Fulli- service bar

Info: http://glatx.com/or (409) 730-7061

Price range: $15-$30 See More Collapse

Fisher said Mike Albanese, whose company owns the Westmont center as well as Edison Plaza, approached him and said, "Hey man, we have a spot for you. Let's make something happen."

Making its debut in mid-November of last year, Green Light Americana harbors no trace of the eatery's culinary predecessor, Crazy Jose's.

"The layout and design was very deliberate," Fisher said. "We wanted to completely revamp the patio and have this fun outdoor only-spot-in-town entertaining area. We took this main dining area and made it for big parties. The next one is more formal. The very last element is that we wanted to be very open and transparent with the kitchen and then have some private dining rooms."

When designing the menu, the Fishers considered the region.

"We're basically an elegant neighborhood diner with a lot of focus on Texas steaks, gulf seafood and doing some good classic home-style dishes but refined," Fisher said. "We have simple spins on dishes that we all know and flavors that we love from Asian to Cajun to some spins on French. It's a little bit of a melting pot of a restaurant that is in the middle of a neighborhood area that a lot of people frequent and dine out."

With selections added weekly, the menu encompasses an eclectic variety, from jumbo shrimp corn dogs to a ground brisket burger to crispy eggplant with ratatouille.

All of the dishes are so beautifully presented that they're almost too pretty to eat. Then hunger overrides.

Every part of Green Light Americana is intentional, including the owners' mission to use local produce and partner with community vendors, Kayla Fisher said.

"Most of our vegetables come from Donna's Farm," she said. "We're really integrating with the Beaumont Farmers Market trying to bring in more of our local farmers. Beaumont needs local restaurants that are investing back in the community with food, contributions to the community and with their employees."

Customer dish favorites include the Fried Chicken Sandwich, the Roasted Sea Bass and the Prime Corned Beef.

Don't skip on dessert. Options include Blue Bell Pecan Balls, Goat Cheese Cheesecake and the beloved Nanna Pudding, which comes with cinnamon vanilla wafers at the base with banana cream and carmelized banana at the top.

Green Light Americana also makes house infusions, Kayla said.

"We're excited to offer something that's a little different on the bartending side," she said. "We make our own coffee liqueur, our own limencello, our own house-infused gin, and in the springtime, we're going to be doing a cucumber vodka for one of our specialty cocktails."

Favorite alcoholic beverages include The Fence Jumper, featuring house-made jam; Sun Kissed, incorporating house limoncello; and the Rum-A-Rita, which consists of rum, triple sec, sugar, lemon, candied orange and jalapeno.

On select Saturdays, the patio hosts live music performances.

"We're excited about what we have planned for the spring  lots of bands coming out on the patio on Saturdays," Kayla Fisher said. "We're using lots of local artists and trying to support that community. The ambience on the patio is really stellar. It feels like you're not in Beaumont when you sit out there.

"It's a city experience in a hometown community. I think we're just excited to offer something to Beaumont that is fresh and innovative, upscale yet casual, on a side of town where people like to hang out."

Kara Timberlake is a freelance writer.Leon Bridges made what should have been a throwaway introduction one song into his Friday night set at RodeoHouston.

"It's nice to meet, y'all," he said. "Thank you for having me here."

Instead, the greeting came with the weight of weeks of controversy.

BIG NIGHT: Leon Bridges talks RodeoHouston pressure, chopped and screwed music

Bridges' inclusion as RodeoHouston's Black Heritage Day performer was met with heavy criticism that hasn't subsided since the lineup announcement in January. Simply put, the Fort Worth performer's brand of retro soul appeals to a largely white audience. He's also a relatively new artist with just one album and no radio-saturated hits.

That's fine for a small venue or a multi-act festival that's built on discovery. But RodeoHouston's most successful performers are established acts with big hits that appeal to a broad audience.

That's no diss to Bridges. He told me recently, in fact, that he was ready to prove himself amid all the noise, which he called "disappointing."

NO SICK DAYS: Despite the flu, Blake Shelton rallies at RodeoHouston

Judging strictly by the numbers, some of the criticisms seem warranted.

Bridges' performance drew 51,870 paid attendance, the lowest so far this year. Large pockets of seats were empty throughout the stadium, and the uppermost sections were almost completely bare.

Compare that crowd to previous Black Heritage Day performances from Alicia Keys (73,660 in 2017), Jason Derulo (59,236 in 2016), John Legend (69,583 in 2015) and Usher (75,067 in 2014).

Onstage, Bridges did his thing, mining an easy kind of '50s and '60s soul. He was also the first act to make use of one of the stage's new star point risers.

He kicked off with the R&B and rock blend of "Smooth Sailin,'" then shifted to the modern pulse of "Born to Lose."

KICKOFF: Garth Brooks gets emotional, covers George Strait at RodeoHouston

"Brown Skin Girl" was a song of celebration. "Coming Home" oozed buttery soul. Bridges thanked the mothers in the audience, including his own, before the sweet "Lisa Sawyer."

He was joined by rapper Bun B for a rousing run through UGK's "One Day." It was a savvy move that energized the crowd and Bridges.

He bounced through a few new songs that incorporated R&B, disco and country before the snap and crackle of "Twistin' and Groovin'" and a gorgeous reading of "River."

The crowd might not have known all the words. But those who were there seemed to vibe with the energy.There are more than 450 people on the state GOP committee and there were 83 votes cast in the straw poll, which means that less 20 percent of the party's leadership cast votes.

Molinaro's entry could shake up a race for the Republican nomination that appeared to be DeFrancisco's to lose.

Harry Wilson, a corporate restructuring expert who pledged to spend $10 million of his own money if he ran for governor, declined to run. Days after Wilson's announcement, Molinaro said he wouldn't be a candidate for governor.

At the time, Molinaro cited personal reasons for the decision.

With Molinaro and Wilson out of the race, Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb appeared to have the inside track to the nomination. He was securing endorsements after declaring his candidacy in December. But he abruptly dropped out the race in February.

After Kolb's departure, DeFrancisco announced several endorsements from Republican and Conservative party leaders. But some Republicans weren't satisfied and wanted an alternative.Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

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Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

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Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

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Courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Courtesy of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

The Houston Police Department is search for a missing 9-year-old girl who was last seen being dropped off at Heflin Elementary School Monday.

Jolisa Hughes is described as weighing 70 pounds and three feet 10 inches tall. She brown eyes and black hair. Police say she never returned home after school. She's believed to be with her non-custodial parents.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is encouraged to call HPD at 832-394-1840.Ann Scott Blouin, RN, PhD, is retiring from The Joint Commission April 13. Cheryl Hoying, RN, PhD, will succeed her as chief nurse executive and executive vice president of customer relations. Here are three notes.

1. Dr. Hoying previously served as senior vice president of patient services at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she helped decrease serious harm to patients by 85 percent.

2. Dr. Hoying begins her role March 5, and Dr. Blouin will assist with a smooth transition before her departure.

3. After 10 years working for The Joint Commission, Dr. Blouin will remain involved with the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement board of directors.The following hospital and health system credit rating and outlook changes and affirmations took place in the last week, beginning with the most recent.

1. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Children's National Medical Center

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A1" rating on Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Medical Center's series 2015 revenue bonds, affecting $364.3 million of debt.

2. Fitch upgrades Salem Health's rating to 'AA-'

Fitch Ratings upgraded Salem (Ore.) Health's outstanding rated dent to "AA-" from "A+."

3. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Memorial Health System

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A1" rating on Springfield, Ill.-based Memorial Health System's outstanding debt.

4. S&P revises Huntington Memorial Hospital's outlook to negative

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "A-" rating on Pasadena, Calif.-based Huntington Memorial Hospital's series 2014A and 2014B revenue bonds.

5. Fitch assigns 'A+' issuer default rating to UNC Rex Healthcare

Fitch Ratings assigned its "A+" issuer default rating to Raleigh, N.C.-based UNC Rex Healthcare.

6. Fitch upgrades Wise Health System to 'BBB-'

Fitch Ratings upgraded Decatur, Texas-based Wise Health System's series 2014A revenue bond rating to "BBB-" from "BB+," affecting $93.7 million of debt.

7. Fitch upgrades Major Hospital's rating to 'A'

Fitch Ratings upgraded Shelbyville, Ind.-based Major Hospital's issuer default rating to "A" from "BBB+."

8. S&P downgrades Kuakini Health System's rating to 'B'

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Honolulu-based Kuakini Health System's long term rating to "B" from "B+."

9. S&P revises Lake Region Healthcare's outlook to positive

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "BBB-" rating on Fergus Falls, Minn.-based Lake Region Healthcare's revenue debt.The Broward Health Foundation, the giving arm of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health, launched a fundraiser for the individuals and families affected by the mass shooting at Parkland, Fla.-based Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a spokesperson for the foundation confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.

Fifteen shooting victims were brought to two of Broward Health's trauma facilities and three of those patients remain hospitalized, according to the Sun Sentinel.

The foundation is seeking donations from current contributors, the general public and community partners. The money raised from the campaign will be combined with funds already collected from an employee giving campaign.

"We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our employees, physicians and many others to help our community heal," Beverly Capasso, Broward Health president and CEO, told the Sun Sentinel.

All of the funds raised will go to the victims and their families and the foundation will form a committee to help distribute the funds appropriately, Jennifer Smith, Broward Health's director of corporate communications, told Becker's.

"[The] Broward Health Foundation is forming a committee that will work with the National Center for Victims of Crime, which will help guide the Foundation on how funds should be distributed," she said.

Donors can give by contacting the foundation via phone at 954-712-3980 or by visiting browardhealthfoundation.org.A female employee was shot outside the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston by her boyfriend March 2, reports KHOU.

The employee, whose name has yet to be released, was shot once in the leg outside of the medical school in the parking lot before 9 a.m. March 2. She is currently receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

The employee said she had an argument with her boyfriend earlier that day, according to police. The boyfriend then called her place of employment saying she left her phone in his car and he was coming to return it. When she left the building to get her phone, the boyfriend allegedly shot her once and fled.

Police are working to track down her boyfriend.

None of the UT Health facilities were placed on lockdown following the incident.President Donald Trump called for a federal lawsuit against drug companies during a summit on the opioid crisis held at the White House March 1, according to a report from Reuters.

States, counties and cities in recent months have filed hundreds of lawsuits against drug companies for allegedly engaging in deceptive marketing tactics to promote widespread, unsafe use of opioid medications. During the summit, President Trump said he had previously urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take legal action on behalf of the federal government against the companies.

"Hopefully we can do some litigation against the opioid companies," President Trump said. "A lot of states are doing it. If the states are doing it, why isn't the federal government doing it?"

The comments follow Attorney General Jeff Sessions' Feb. 28 announcement of a new Department of Justice task force launched to increase scrutiny on opioid makers and distributors. Mr. Sessions also said the task force will examine local and state opioid epidemic lawsuits to determine what assistance federal law can provide these legal actions.

To read the full Reuters report, click here.

To watch a recording of the White House opioid crisis summit, click here.

More articles on opioids:

10 Colorado EDs cut opioid use by 36% in 6 months: 5 things to know

Ohio AG targets 4 drug distributors in second opioid lawsuit

Drug overdose deaths decline in 14 states: 5 things to knowSonex Health entered into a co-marketing agreement with Samsung NeuroLogica Corp. to promote ultrasound-guided micro-invasive procedures.

Here are four things to know.

1. Sonex Health is a medical device company created by physicians and healthcare leaders at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. The company focuses on the safe, rapid treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition that affects 12 million Americans each year and is one of the leading causes of lost productivity.

2. Sonex Health created the SX-One MicroKnife, which enables micro-invasive carpal tunnel release through a micro-incision up to five times smaller than the incision made during traditional CTR surgeries with Meerkat Technology.

3. Samsung NeuroLogica is the healthcare subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. It is the global corporate headquarters and manufacturer of Samsung CT, and it is also the U.S. headquarters for sales, marketing and distribution of all Samsung digital radiography and ultrasound systems.

4. The SX-One MicroKnife makes an incision so small it can be closed with an adhesive bandage or strip. High-quality musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging is a key aspect of this procedure; ultrasound guidance allows real-time visualization of the critical anatomy surrounding the device during this procedure, designed to protect patients and promote a speedier recovery.

More articles on imaging:

First standalone pediatric hospital acquires virtual reality visualization platform: 4 insights

Atlantic Medical Imaging receives 5-year tax abatement

Carestream DRX Core detector to be used at 2018 NFL Scouting Combine: 3 insightsState officials barred Clifton Orthopedic Associates owner Evangelos Megariotis, MD, from prescribing opioids after allegedly freely overprescribing patients for years, according to Patch.

Here are five notes:

1. Dr. Megariotis allegedly ignored patients' signs they were abusing opioids or filling prescriptions for illegal purposes. State officials also allege the orthopedic surgeon engaged in professional misconduct and gross negligence in treating patients between 2012 and 2017.

2. State officials required Dr. Megariotis to stop practicing until the Board of Medical Examiners approves a supervisor to be present during his visits with patients.

3. Dr. Megariotis' misconduct allegations include keeping patients on opioids for years without reason, failing to properly diagnose patients, treating patients for conditions outside his expertise and performing surgery without establishing medical reason.

4. Investigators allege the orthopedic surgeon discouraged a patient from using illegal drugs by telling the patient "anything that drugs can do on the street, my medications will do better and safer." He is also banned from prescribing Prozac.

5. The orthopedic surgeon allegedly treated post-traumatic stress disorder without reviewing a patient's medical history or conducting a physical exam.It is fair to say that Max Mosley and the Daily Mail are not the best of chums. Mosley's antagonism towards elements of the Press is long-running and deep-seated. It is now a decade since he successfully sued the News of the World for revealing that he had been involved in a sadomasochistic orgy.

In the years since - and emboldened by the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal - he has seemingly made it his mission to hold the whole of the British press to account.

To that end, he has (at arm's length, as he is always keen to point out, via a charitable trust) funded a regulator called Impress, which has gained official recognition from a body set up by Royal Charter.

This stands in competition to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso), the self-regulatory organisation funded by mainstream publishers to deal independently with complaints from members of the public about alleged journalistic failings.

Ipso has not been officially recognised and does not wish to seek such recognition, which many publishers regard as amounting to State approval (though the Press Recognition Panel would dispute it).

As things stand, Impress regulates very few well-known titles. The Canary and The Skwawkbox might ring a few bells; other regulated entities, like Common Space, Maximus.media and Libya Business News, might well not.

Some major titles, including The Independent and The Financial Times, continue to stand outside both regulatory systems.

It's all a bit of a rum do, sustained by the threat that, one day, a government might enact Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, which would potentially leave any publisher not signed up to an officially recognised regulator at risk of bearing the costs of any legal claim brought against it, irrespective of the merits of the case in hand.

The Conservatives promised to scrap the relevant provision, but have been unable to do so, thanks to the Prime Minister's failure to win a majority at last year's general election.

Labour, on the other hand, argues that enacting Section 40 would simply be a fulfilment of the proposals for Press regulation Lord Justice Leveson put forward in 2012.

That's debatable. What is not in doubt, however, is that the party's commitment to triggering the change to the law has enraged many in the news media industry.

Jeremy Corbyn's recent video response to Press claims that he met a Communist spy in the 1980s upped the ante even further, with its promise to the Press barons that "change is coming".

Meanwhile, Max Mosley has been busy engaging lawyers to demand that various newspapers remove from their archives past stories about the orgy case, as well as disputed references about his link to Impress.

In this context, it is not difficult for Press critics to present the Daily Mail's latest assault on Mosley (and by extension - thanks to the half-million quid he has donated to the work of its deputy leader, Tom Watson - the Labour Party) as being driven by a political agenda.

Yet, Mosley is in many ways an unsympathetic figure, notably because of his past links to the Right-wing politics espoused by his father, Oswald.

The discovery by the Mail of an election pamphlet, seemingly published by Mosley in his role as the election agent for a Union Movement candidate in a 1961 by-election, cannot easily be dismissed as a detail from history.

Mosley has questioned whether the document is genuine and argued that it didn't - and doesn't - reflect his views. But the leaflet's content is plainly racist, as Mosley himself was forced to admit in a remarkably uncomfortable interview with Channel 4 News.

Just because the Daily Mail is already antipathetic towards him doesn't mean that unearthing the pamphlet is not good and legitimate journalism.

Likewise, for all that many on the Left have exalted Jeremy Corbyn for having the courage to "take on" the dreaded 'MSM', it seems staggeringly short-sighted to think stricter regulation will only affect Right-leaning newspapers.

Yes, newspapers sometimes go overboard in their critiques. And, yes, it is right that the Press should be held to account.

But in an advanced democracy with a long tradition of journalistic freedom - when once-dominant publishers are already being challenged by myriad other voices thanks to the rise of new and social media - it seems extraordinary that so many people should delight in the idea of bringing certain sections of the Press to heel.

If you don't like the Daily Mail, don't buy it; complain about it, even.

But never imagine that laws which might make life harder for the Mail will not be used by powerful people to make life harder for journalists at any other news outlet you might care to name.

Will Gore worked at the Press Complaints Commission from 2000 to 2011, latterly as director of external and public affairsMy interview with Seamus McKee begins with him enquiring about my shoulder, which I broke a couple of months ago. How is it now? How exactly did it happen? Where exactly did it happen? Did I go to hospital right away? Which hospital was I treated in? What exactly did they do? How well did I feel I was treated in the hospital? Is it still very...?

"Hold on, Seamus," I finally have to interject, "I'm supposed to be interviewing YOU here."

The man can't help himself. It's not just his decades long broadcasting career with BBC NI which has honed his interrogation skills.

Seamus McKee is by nature an inquisitive sort, a man curious about the world around him, genuinely interested in other people, what they think, what drives them.

Put it like this - if you were trapped in a lift with Seamus, you wouldn't be stuck for conversation.

Much liked and highly respected within local journalism, he seems to have been around for ever and yet it is something of a shock to learn that he will celebrate his 70th birthday in October this year.

Like the man himself, that distinctive voice seems ageless. Seamus is not a product of the Aggressive Hectoring School of Interview Technique. His is a more thoughtful, probing approach.

Like the schoolteacher he was before he joined the media, he does his homework meticulously, "mugging up" on issues to be discussed, ensuring he's done his research on interviewees.

"The way I put it is, you don't interview the writer if you haven't read the book. When you do an interview it's not about you. It's about the person you're interviewing."

He adds that "there are some presenters who think they're the big shot. That it's all about them."

His presenting skills have been acknowledged by two prestigious PPI (Phonographic Performance Ireland) Radio Awards in 2014 and 2016. He is quick though to pay tribute to the entire team who put Evening Extra together - the show also won a PPI.

His BBC career started if not quite by accident, certainly with no thought that it might become long-term or even full-time.

Seamus grew up in Riverdale, back then a very middle-class area at the top of the Andersonstown Road in west Belfast.

A doctor lived next door. Nearby lived the owners of other small businesses like McKee and Birnie Ltd, the paint supply firm run by his late father Jim.

The business which had originally been founded by Seamus's grandfather, William McKee, and a gentleman called Bob Birnie, is still going strong today.

Seamus points out with pride that his late father worked in the place into his 70s. Today his brother, Noel, is at the helm.

His mother, May, came originally from Dublin. So did he spend much time down there as a child?

"All summer holidays," he recalls with considerable enthusiasm.

Seamus, Noel and their sisters, Madeleine and Mary, would spend the summer months with their granny, Bermingham, and a large family circle of aunts, uncles and cousins.

"Belfast is my home city", he says, "but Dublin is very much a hinterland. A place of influences. It was formative for me. My uncles in particular had enormous influence on me."

After graduating from Queen's, he taught English and French for 12 years in what was then St Patrick's but later became Our Lady and St Patrick's School.

"I left in 1981. And looking back I wouldn't have missed it for anything. Helping young people, I'm very glad that was part of my working life."

He was married by then to Brenda, his wife of 43 years. The couple have two daughters, Emma (40) and Ruth (35).

His broadcasting career started while he was still at Queen's University with contemporaries the late Barry Cowan and Derek Hobson.

Derek, who was studying law, had done an audition for the Beeb and had landed work as a television newsreader.

"Well, we looked at this and thought, 'That's okay!'," says Seamus.

He phoned up to arrange an audition. On the day of this try-out, he recalls sitting in the studio afterwards somewhat unsettled on hearing laughter coming from next door.

"I thought, 'That's a bit discouraging.'"

It turned out not to be a critique of his efforts but a couple of staff watching a comedy programme.

Not only had he passed the audition, he now hit the ground running, appearing on the station's then flagship television news programme, Scene Around Six, three nights on the trot.

After that it wasn't always quite so regular - "They called on you if they wanted a bit done", is how he puts it - but gradually he built a wealth of experience covering sport, religious affairs, the arts.

Since then, he's worked in production, on television, on radio. "I was lucky to get into broadcasting the way I did back then," Seamus says. "There were people who were very helpful to me and who had a great influence on me, teaching me so much.

"When I reflect on the situation for others now that jobs are at a premium, I'd say I was very lucky. I had a full-time job in teaching, so I couldn't say I was depending on it for a living. In terms of the media in general today, I do wonder how much nurturing they do now. That said, where young people coming into the industry are concerned, I do think talent will always out. But you have to take the knocks too."

When he decided to leave the teaching job, his ever supportive wife Brenda backed him all the way.

The couple had known each other since their respective sixth forms and through university.

Touchingly, he is as enthusiastic, if not more so, talking about Brenda's career as he is about his own.

A teacher of Drama and English, Brenda taught in Lurgan for a time, later at St Louise's in Belfast. These days she still teaches contemporary dance and Pilates at the Crescent Arts Centre. A member of the contemporary dance group founded by Holocaust survivor Helen Lewis, Brenda was instrumental in having the blue plaque erected at the Crescent Centre to commemorate that remarkable woman.

"We knew Helen and her husband Harry very well and still keep in touch with their sons Robin and Michael," says Seamus.

The McKees' two daughters, Emma, a lawyer who lives in Farnham, and journalist Ruth, who lives in London, have inherited their mother's red hair.

Emma has two children, Ava (6) and two-year-old Flinn (the name means "son of the red-haired one.")

What are his views on the salary controversy and gender pay gap which have rocked the BBC in recent months?

"I think the BBC made mistakes and it has acknowledged that. Talking to colleagues, women among them, I think it's fair to say that when the top salaries were revealed it caused shock and it caused anger. Apart from anything else, it contrasted the very large amounts at the very top with the amounts paid to the people putting the programmes together who were getting just a fraction. That caused resentment.

I think theres now among women colleagues more of an openness. Theyre talking, sharing information.

I dont think theres any question theres a will for change.

It has caused shock. It has caused heart-searching. And there is still scepticism.

Society is demanding change. The BBC, because of what it is, finds itself at the forefront. Because of the licence fee, people feel an ownership [of the BBC]. Everybody has an opinion on it.

Presenting Evening Extra, its inevitable that he ends up quizzing the same politicians on the same issues on what must seem an interminable basis. Doesnt he ever get weary of it?

I dont think you can ever get into that. You must always be probing for something new  that element of truth, that possibility that hasnt emerged so far, something the politician will let slip but didnt intend to reveal.

If I ever let that (the sense that it was just pointless repetition) influence me, Id stop. It wouldnt be fair to the listeners and it wouldnt be fair to the politicians.

As a journalist, youre always on the lookout for the unexpected. If youre not on the lookout for the new, you shouldnt be doing the job.

Youre doing your job, but your job isnt to belittle people  its getting them to explain, to reveal.

As an interviewer, he knows that there will always be that key question to ask that will indeed reveal much about the interviewee.

So Seamus, I say, if you were interviewing yourself, what would that question be?

Hes momentarily silenced.

And then says he always believes that the most revealing word of all is why?

Its no accident that the word children ask most. I think the hardest questions for the politicians are the why? It may sound simple to answer, but its not.

He pauses. This doesnt really answer your question and reveal something about me though, does it?

So he obliges.

I would say Im not a dogmatic person. I admire people who have very fixed views. But I dont have that certainty.

Im a sceptical person.

The sort of man who asks why?

I ask him about downtime and how he relaxes and he laughs and says delightedly: Oh, the grandkids!

Theres a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between Belfast, Farnham and London, where theres the added bonus of indulging his and Brendas interests in cinema, theatre and dance. (Not a huge amount of dance comes here) He also enjoys swimming. I note that the profile picture on his Twitter account was taken during a visit to the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, where hes pictured kneeling by the Clint Eastwood plaque. Is he a big Clint fan?

He laughs heartily.

I needed a photograph for the Twitter feed and that one seemed to fit. It was taken when we were on holiday there.

That just happens to be the plaque we stopped beside.

Yes, I like Clint Eastwood movies. But no, I dont have fantasies about telling politicians to go on, make my day.

Evening Extra, Radio Ulster, Mon-Fri, 5pmThe DUP has said the Prime Minister's keynote Brexit speech sets out the basis for progress in talks with the EU, but the Irish Government has insisted "more detailed and realistic" proposals are needed.

Speaking in London yesterday, Theresa May called for "pragmatic common sense" to deliver a Brexit deal good for both the UK and Europe.

She pledged that Brexit wouldn't jeopardise the peace process and said London and Brussels had a joint responsibility to find a solution on how to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. A border in the Irish Sea that would break up the UK's common market was also unacceptable, she stressed.

Arlene Foster said: "The Prime Minister has set forward the basis upon which it would be possible to move forward. I welcome her clear commitment that she will not countenance any new border being created in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK."

The DUP leader welcomed the Prime Minister's pledge that one of her five tests for a Brexit deal was "strengthening the Union".

Mrs Foster, who will meet EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier on Tuesday, added: "We want to see an outcome that protects the economic and constitutional integrity of the UK but one that also enables us to have a good trading relationship with our nearest neighbours."

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was concerned that some of the constraints of leaving the customs union and the single market hadn't been fully recognised by London. "We will now need to see more detailed and realistic proposals from the UK. Brexit is due to happen in a little over 12 months, so time is short," he said.

UUP MEP Jim Nicholson welcomed Mrs May's speech and said it was a time for pragmatism and not for Brussels and Dublin "sabre-rattling" over the border. "The Prime Minister suggested a number of arrangements that could be put in place to prevent a hard border post-Brexit. The Irish Government and EU Commission cannot just dismiss proposals out of hand and with disdain.

"It will benefit no one for the Commission to continue to approach these negotiations like a petulant child," he added.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald accused Mrs May of failing "to grasp the hard truths and realities" of Brexit. She said: "Brexit is incompatible with the wishes of the people of the North, acts against our economy and undermines our agreements. The British Government knows this and that is why they have failed to bring forward any workable solutions or new thinking."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood accused the Prime Minister of failing to find any solution to the border question.

"The SDLP is happy to restate the only solution that makes any sense," he said. "Northern Ireland should remain in the single market and the customs union to avoid a hard border in Ireland. To avoid a border in the Irish Sea, the island of Britain should remain in the customs union and the single market."

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said Mrs May's Brexit speech did "little to address the many contradictions in the UK's Brexit position".

In her address, the Prime Minister insisted a good trade deal was possible from the Brexit talks. "The fact is that every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved.

"If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking," she said.A Northern Ireland Catholic bishop caught up in controversy surrounding paedophile priest Fr Malachy Finnegan has sent his letter of resignation to Pope Francis.

After announcing his resignation through his solicitors on Thursday, Bishop of Dromore John McAreavey has written to parishioners about his decision, saying it had been made "with a heavy heart".

Allegations of child abuse against Fr Malachy Finnegan - who was a teacher at St Colman's College in Newry from 1967 to 1976 and president for 11 years after that - were highlighted in a recent programme by BBC Spotlight.

He has been linked to a catalogue of physical and emotional abuse against pupils.

Bishop McAreavey conducted Fr Finnegan's funeral in 2002, having known about allegations of child abuse against the disgraced priest from as far back as the mid-1990s.

A lawyer for the victims of Fr Finnegan has called for an inquiry following revelations about his crimes.

In his statement Bishop McAreavey wrote: "I wrestled with this decision over recent weeks; it was not an easy decision to take. Following recent media coverage which has disturbed and upset many people, I decided on Thursday to resign."

"I would ask you first and foremost to continue to hold in your prayers those who have been abused and all who are suffering at this time."

Bishop McAreavey said the day-to-day administration of the Diocese would go to Canon Liam Stevenson until new arrangements are put in place, and priests of each parish have been designated to minister the Sacrament in relation to the upcoming celebration of the Confirmation.

He added: "To serve as Bishop of Dromore, my home Diocese, has been the greatest privilege of my life, though not without its challenges.

"Finally, I want to say thank you for your kindness and co-operation over my time as Bishop. Please keep me in your prayers, as I will keep you in mine."The search on the River Bann for Kerry Millar last week

The body of a missing Coleraine woman has been recovered from the River Bann.

Kerry Millar (50) was reported missing in the early hours of Saturday, February 24, after her car was found near the River Bann at Christie Park in the heart of the Co Londonderry town.

A round-the-clock search was launched involving the Community Rescue Service (CRS), the PSNI and dozens of volunteers, and it continued until yesterday afternoon when a body was recovered.

A spokesman for the PSNI told the Belfast Telegraph: "Police can confirm that the body of a woman recovered from the River Bann in Coleraine on Friday, March 2 was that of Kerry Millar who had been reported missing on Saturday, February 24."

"The death is not being treated as suspicious and our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time," the spokesman added.

Ms Millar's daughter, Nicole Archibald, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, said: "On behalf of myself and my sister Kirsten, I would like to thank the Community Rescue Service and the PSNI for all their efforts in helping to recover my mother.

"We are all very relieved my mother has been found and that we have gotten her home. It has been a long week. We are obviously devastated but we are relieved to have her home at the same time."

Sean McGarry from CRS said: "We recovered a body from the River Bann at around 3pm yesterday. We understand the family of Kerry Millar has positively identified her body.

"Our thoughts are with them at this time."

CRS is a charity organisation with 10 teams based across Northern Ireland and is the primary responder for the PSNI for low-land search operations for missing persons.

The organisation is staffed entirely by volunteers and relies on donations and indeed people to sign up to help its services.The former home of Hazel Stewart is being sold to settle legal action over benefits from her murdered husband

The 'dream home' partly owned by double killer Hazel Stewart has gone on the market for just under 300,000.

The stylish four-bedroomed detached house on the Ballystrone Road in Coleraine is being sold to settle a legal action over benefits that 54-year-old Stewart inherited from her murdered first husband.

Policeman Trevor Buchanan was killed by Stewart and her 58-year-old dentist lover Colin Howell, who also killed his wife Lesley, in May 1991 when Howell fooled the RUC into believing the deaths were the result of a joint suicide pact.

But after he confessed to the murders in 2009 Howell implicated Stewart in the killings and gave evidence against her at Coleraine Crown Court.

Stewart denied the charges but was convicted by a jury and she is serving a minimum 18 year sentence for killing the victims, who were found together in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock.

Howell was sentenced to 21 years.

The sale of the house is being handled by the Daniel Henry estate agents firm.

Dan Henry from the company said the house, which appeared on their website some weeks ago, has already generated a lot of interest.

"It's a good house in a good area, and we have had a lot of interest in it," he said.

"It ticks a lot of boxes for people, so I don't expect it will sit too long.

"It's only been on sale for a couple of months and went on the website a few weeks ago."

Mr Henry said the house was "very desirable".

He added: "With current planning it's difficult to get rural sites, so you are fortunate that it's not too far from Coleraine but yet in the countryside.

"We've had a lot of interest in it over the last few weeks, but once the weather picks up that will improve.

"It's a very desirable house and is a good size, so would suit a family or a variety of different people.

"It's a modern house and is built to all modern standards with a good quality finish inside. I can't see how anybody would have very much to do to it. Structurally, it ticks all the boxes."

The National Crime Agency issued High Court proceedings last year in an attempt to recover assets and police pension funds gained by Stewart following the death of Constable Buchanan.

Her second husband, David Stewart, was given nine months to sell the house before the agency can step in to complete the process.

The agency is entitled to two-thirds of the price fetched under terms agreed with the couple.

Mr Stewart, who is a retired police superintendent, claimed the outcome meant his wife's son and daughter, Andrew and Lisa, would lose their family home and have their rightful inheritance "seized by the State".

He told the court: "Not one penny will come from Trevor Buchanan to his children."

It was at the Ballystrone Road house that Hazel Stewart was arrested by PSNI officers who called at her home after Howell's confession. Stewart wasn't in at the time but the police waited 45 minutes for her to return after a dental appointment.

Sources said her long-held fears that her evil past would come back to haunt her surfaced as soon as she saw the PSNI officers and she slumped into a chair.

Friends said the house at Ballystrone Road had everything that Stewart had dreamt of in a home.

She and David Stewart built the house, and one acquaintance said: "Hazel had the best of furniture, the best of curtains, the best of everything. It was in an idyllic location just outside the town."

The house, which has three reception rooms, has been described as a "superb family home which is immaculately presented throughout with spacious well-proportioned accommodation".

The estate agent's listing adds: "This superb detached chalet bungalow constructed in 2006 is finished to an exceptionally high standard throughout and offers well laid out family accommodation."

Stewart has failed in a series of court actions to have her murder verdicts overturned.

Her children and her husband have supported her protestations of innocence.

The efforts to recover money from Stewart were brought under proceeds of crime legislation.

Mr Stewart was a joint respondent despite facing no allegations of any wrongdoing, with the NCA acknowledging he was "entirely blameless".

Colin Howell's luxury home at Castlerock was sold in 2016 to a Belfast academic who has turned it into an Airbnb rental accommodation.Former US Senator George Mitchell, one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, has warned reinstated border checks would harm the peace process.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Mitchell said that although a return to violence was not inevitable, the risk of it happening was "high enough".

Mr Mitchell said the greater risk with the reinstatement of a border would be a "change in attitude".

"If you reinstate a hard border you go back to the days when stereotyping resumes, demilitarisation resumes and people turn inward as opposed to outward and they lose the benefits that come from open borders," he said.

His comments come after Prime Minister Theresa May gave a keynote speech in London on Friday, in which she called for "pragmatic common sense" to deliver a Brexit deal.

She reiterated her commitment to avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic, but also emphasised a border in the Irish sea breaking up the UK's common market would be unacceptable.

Last year, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire met with George Mitchell in New York, with some speculation at the time he may have been approaching Mr Mitchell to take on a role in the negotiations to restore Northern Ireland's power-sharing Executive.

Mr Mitchell is set to travel to Belfast next month for an event to mark 20 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Mitchell chaired the talks, and will be joined by former First and Deputy First Ministers Lord David Trimble and Seamus Mallon along with former-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Also attending will be the former DUP and Sinn Fein leaders Peter Robinson and Gerry Adams.Searches are continuing in the River Lagan in central Belfast after a report of a man entering the freezing water.

Police and rescue services have been carrying out a major hunt of the river since mid-morning on Thursday.

The PSNI said: "Police responded to a report of concern for the safety of a man close to the Lagan Weir in Belfast around 10am on Thursday, March 1.

"Officers are currently carrying out a search of the area in conjunction with a number of agencies including Lagan Search & Rescue and HM Coastguard.

"There are no further details at this time."Victims of paedophile priest Malachy Finnegan have come together to demand a public inquiry into clerical abuse, as well as a police investigation into failings by the Catholic Church.

As the fallout from the scandal continues, victims have called for support from politicians and church leaders in their fight for justice.

Their demands came hours after the Bishop of Dromore, John McAreavey, resigned amid controversy over his decision to officiate at the funeral Mass of Finnegan.

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One survivor, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "I feel a huge sense of relief that it's out because I knew there would be others like me.

"I feel personally that there's now an explanation for some friends and family as to why I am the way I am. I had shut it away for 40 years and now I want answers and apologies and I want someone to put it right."

Another said: "If the Church mean this rhetoric they are coming out with now and they want survivors and parents in the schools to trust them, they should also be calling for a public inquiry and putting their weight behind it and giving forward every single document they have."

A government spokesperson said any decision on a public inquiry was a "devolved" issue and must be decided by a restored Executive at Stormont, and not Secretary of State Karen Bradley.

She said: "This Government has always been very clear in its outright condemnation of any form of abuse of children. The Secretary of State urges anyone with information relating to the abuse of children or young people to contact the PSNI.

"The issues at play here are devolved, and it should be for a restored Executive to decide on the right way forward."

Yesterday's heartfelt calls from victims came amid a series of dramatic developments, which saw:

 The PSNI launch a special task force to investigate "clerical and institutional abuse" involving Finnegan;

 Dr McAreavey lose his position as chairman of education body CCMS - an automatic move as he is no longer Bishop of Dromore; and

 St Colman's College in Newry, where Finnegan worked for 20 years, pledges to "co-operate fully" with any investigation into the abuse.

Lawyers for some of the victims also confirmed they would be lodging a complaint with the PSNI over the Church's handling of the matter.

Solicitor Claire McKeegan from KRW Law said survivors had felt "a huge sense of relief and vindication" following Dr McAreavey's resignation, but said it was simply a "first step" towards the truth.

She said: "There is evidence that the Church were aware of Malachy Finnegan's criminal acts when he was still alive and as such they had a duty to refer this information to the then RUC.

"We have been instructed that in 1994 the then Bishop of Dromore, Francis Brooks, was advised of allegations of abuse and asked the current Bishop of Dromore to assist in a pastoral capacity. Section 5 of the Criminal Law Act 1967 requires such referrals to be made within reasonable time.

"We will be lodging a complaint to the PSNI in this regard on behalf of our clients."

Disgraced cleric Finnegan, who was president at St Colman's College for 11 years before moving to Clonduff as parish priest in 1988, died in 2002.

He has been linked to a string of abuse allegations, including sexual and physical attacks.

The first allegation was reported to the Diocese of Dromore in 1994.

A second report was made to police in 1996, although the victim Sean Faloon, who was just 17 at the time, did not submit a formal complaint. Two years later, in 1998, he brought his allegation to the diocese.

In a statement, the PSNI said it had not received a report from the diocese relating to Finnegan until 2006 and confirmed eight new complaints against him have been reported in recent weeks.

The Diocese of Dromore was aware of 10 allegations against Finnegan before a recent BBC Spotlight programme brought his crimes to the public. They have been told about three more since, a spokesman said.

Detective Superintendent Deirdre Bones from the PSNI Public Protection Branch said: "The PSNI has set up a dedicated team to investigate complaints of clerical and institutional abuse involving Father Malachy Finnegan. I would appeal to anyone who has been the victim of physical or sexual abuse to report it to the Public Protection Branch in PSNI, who will deal with their reports sensitively and confidentially."

SDLP MLA Sinead Bradley said: "We must all do our part to ensure that victims of abuse, wherever it occurs, receive truth, justice and accountability for the wrongs committed against them."

Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt said: "When an organisation like a church and its senior leaders like Bishop McAreavey are seen to react to public pressure rather than taking the initiative they have clearly lost moral authority and on that basis a public inquiry becomes both desirable and inevitable."

Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International NI added: "McAreavey's resignation has got to be the start, not the end. When the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry was being set up, we called for clerical abuse in the community, in schools and churches, to be part of that. The abuse goes much further than one man and we need to reach out and appeal to get other victims to come forward. There was a clear modus operandi employed by the Catholic Church, and it needs to be examined. An investigation team within the PSNI is welcome, but a public inquiry is essential to cover every aspect of what happened."

A spokesperson for the Board of Governors of St Colman's reiterated its condemnation "in the strongest terms the abuse inflicted by Malachy Finnegan and is devastated that any pupil who was entrusted to the care of St Colman's College should ever have suffered abuse".

It added: "The school will co-operate fully with any inquiry into historic abuse by Malachy Finnegan."

The Diocese of Dromore confirmed Canon Liam Stevenson would be stepping in to the senior role on a temporary basis, until a permanent replacement for Dr McAreavey is selected.The scene of the fire in Derrylin

The bodies of the four victims of a house fire in Fermanagh were removed from the scene of the tragedy yesterday.

There was a heavy police presence last night as the vehicles carrying the bodies of an entire family including a baby girl drove slowly along the snow covered Molly Road bound for Belfast for postmortem examinations, the Impartial Reporter newspaper reported.

The family were named locally as Edward Gossett (16), his sister Diane Gossett (19), their mother Crystal Gossett, and Dianes young daughter, who is understood to have been under two.

Detectives confirmed they were continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

A man who was arrested at the scene and had been under PSNI guard in hospital was moved to police custody for questioning earlier this week.

The PSNI said: Police have attained extra time to question a 27-year-old man.

It is understood the family originally came from Doncaster in the north of England, but had moved to Tralee in Co Kerry a number of years ago before moving to the house in Derrylin around 18 months ago.

Neighbours said they were not well-known in the area.

Father Gerard Alwill, parish priest of Knockninny, told the Belfast Telegraph that local people had hoped to hold a vigil for the deceased, but would wait until members of the bereaved family give their consent.

He added they had to be sensitive and careful to the family, but will say prayers for them during services this weekend.

The PSNI reported three bodies were found at the property following the blaze on Tuesday and two days later confirmed a fourth body, believed to be the toddler, was also recovered.

Police are appealing for anyone who knew the residents of 57 Molly Road, or who was in the area between midnight on Monday and 7.20am on Tuesday, to contact detectives in Enniskillen.The only surviving parent of one of two life-long friends gunned down in a Co Armagh pub in one of the most sickening attacks of the Troubles says she will "never forgive" their loyalist killers.

Philip Allen and Damien Trainor, one a Protestant and the other a Catholic, were shot dead by the LVF as they sat in the Railway Bar in Poyntzpass 20 years ago today.

Philip's mother Ethel (74) told the Irish News that she believes Banbridge man Stephen McClean and Noel McCready, from Seapatrick, carried out the attack in order to clear their drug debt.

"I don't know why they picked Philip and Damien but I was told that they owed 1,000 for drugs and if they killed two Catholics that was their bill paid for. And that came from a reliable source," she said. "But they didn't kill two Catholics, they didn't care. Why was them boys' two lives only worth 500?"

McClean and McCready were both found guilty in 1999 and given life sentences for the sectarian killings, but they were released a year later under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. They were later arrested after a man was beaten in a dispute over a paramilitary flag and, although acquitted, they had their early release licences revoked and returned to jail until 2010.

A third man, Ryan Robley from Banbridge, was also sent to prison for his role in the murder.

Suspected informer David Keys was murdered by the LVF while he was in jail just days after the shooting.

Mrs Allen said she cannot forget or forgive the men. "I don't know whether that's because I'm not religious," she said. "I don't know how anyone can stand up and say that 'I forgive them for what they done', I can't. I have only three grandchildren, I could have had six grandchildren. I could have seen Philly happily married."

But Ethel, who has many unanswered questions, said she might be willing to meet the killers who she believes knew Philip and Damien. "Why did they do it whenever they knew the boys - were the two boys easy targets?

"The pub was full because there was a sale on, there was plenty of other ones there - why was it just them two?"

At the time of his death her son had been engaged to his long-term girlfriend Carol Magill, Damien was to be his best man.

The heartbroken mum, who struggles to think of McClean who is now married with two children, will lay flowers on her son's grave today. "It hurt that he was able to live and get married and my son wasn't," she said.

"I find it hard to talk about."

Bernie Canavan (84), mother of former Armagh manager Brian, was working in the family-owned pub when the gunmen burst in and ordered the men to lie down - she fled in terror believing she was the target.

"It wasn't long 'til they started to shoot," she recalled.

"We thought the ambulance never would come.

"They actually said they didn't die until they were up the road but Damien must have been unconscious - he never spoke."

Bernie's husband Dessie considered closing the pub down but the shocking double murder united nationalists and unionists in the run-up to the signing of the historic agreement. "I took a notion that I wouldn't let them close me," she said.

The SDLP's Seamus Mallon, former UUP leader David Trimble and former Secretary of State Mo Mowlam were among the politicians to visit the relatives in what was a powerful display of unity.A report claiming intimidation was not the only reason behind thousands of Protestants leaving the west bank of Londonderry has been challenged by some of those affected.

The publication by human rights organisation the Pat Finucane Centre says poor housing and a lack of economic development also played their part.

Between 1971 and 1981 the Protestant population of the west bank, also known as the cityside, dropped by two-thirds - from 8,459 in 1971 to 2,874 in 1981.

By 1991 it had fallen to 1,407, down 83% in those 20 years.

Jeanette Warke and Victor Wray, both of whom left their homes due to intimidation, accused the report's authors of "diminishing" their experiences.

Their view is supported by playwright Jonathan Burgess, whose work The Forgotten Exodus is based on the experiences of the hundreds of Protestant families forced from their homes in the west bank.

The report, Protestant Migration From The West Bank of Derry/Londonderry 1969-1980, by Dr Helen McLaughlin and Dr Ulf Hansson, was launched in Derry yesterday.

It says that while there was intimidation of Protestants, this was not the sole reason for people leaving.

The report says intimidation was a "highly significant factor", but suggests the situation was more complex.

It states: "The evidence shows that a number of complex and often inter-related 'push' and 'pull' factors contributed to Protestant migration from the west bank of Derry/Londonderry from 1969-1980 in particular."

The report says other reasons included "poor and limited housing on the cityside and the availability of better housing elsewhere", and the policy of skewing economic development and investment away from Derry.

But some with first-hand experience of having to leave dispute the findings.

Mrs Warke said: "To suggest we left our home in Mountjoy Street, that we bought from hard-earned money and were bringing our family up in, just so we could get a bigger house in the Waterside, makes me so angry; I am fuming.

"We were forced to leave our home against our will but we still had to pay our mortgage on it and at the same time pay rent on a house in Newbuildings, a place we didn't want to be in.

"We left in March 1972 because of continued intimidation of the Protestant people and after I was attacked in the middle of Abercorn Road, ordered to leave and called 'Orange scum'.

"My own neighbours in Mountjoy Street were brilliant and they were sorry to see us going.

"But to say we left to get a bigger house is insulting and, more than that, I see this report as an attempt to deny what we went through."

Mr Wray, who attended the launch yesterday, had a similar experience of being forced from the family home: "My grandmother left my mother our house in Argyle Street but they had to move because my father was a policeman and the house was shot at three times," he said.

"The suggestion that people were leaving was to get a bigger house makes me angry; the real reason was fear. Even the Protestant families who were not directly intimidated felt they had to go too because they felt it was only a matter of time before someone would knock on their door."

Dr McLaughlin and Dr Hansson said they hope their report will "add to understanding the phenomenon of Protestant migration from the west bank" and will "provide a framework to build towards an inclusive future".

However, Mr Burgess claimed the report could set back community relations.: "The Derry model of community relations is struggling already since the addition of Strabane to the council area, but this is will pour cold water on community relations even further," he said.

People were put out of their homes and there was an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the air at the time.

"This republican-motivated human rights scenario is not only dominating the narrative in regards to peace and victimhood, but it is also denying my community its story, and that is quite cruel. You can't say this didn't happen. Thousands of Protestants came out of the west bank for a reason - and it wasn't to get a better house."

Veteran civil rights campaigner Eamonn McCann commented: "I think it is a mistake to attribute the exodus of Protestants from the west bank to a particular single reason. There are subtleties here, there are nuances, there are contradictions, but in the end, it seems to me, I do believe there were large numbers of Protestant people who began to feel uncomfortable and isolated, fearful where they were living.

"The fact was the fear was genuine, so the fear was real."A 19-year-old man is to stand trial accused of robbing and murdering a Syrian refugee in the centre of Belfast, a court heard yesterday.

Callin Wilson, of no fixed abode, appeared at Belfast Crown Court, where he denied murdering Hazem Ahmed Ghreir last summer. Mr Ghreir, who was in his 30s, died after he was stabbed at Downshire Place in the centre of Belfast on June 4 last year.

At the time police said the incident was not being treated as a hate crime.

When the charge was put to him, he replied "not guilty". He was also charged with, and denied, stealing Mr Ghreir's mobile phone, as well as possessing a knife in a public place.

After Wilson entered "not guilty" pleas to all three charges, his barrister Joel Lindsay told the court he was in the process of obtaining a report "from an expert in relation to Asperger's".

Crown prosecutor Ciaran Murphy QC then informed Mr Justice Colton he was expecting the trial to be "relatively short" and said it would take around two weeks.

Mr Justice Colton set the trial date for May 8. He then ordered Wilson be returned to custody.What are the lessons to be learnt from the Malachy Finnegan scandal and the resignation of Bishop John McAreavey?

That is a question that will be taxing the minds of numerous committed Catholics and their priests at Mass throughout Northern Ireland this evening or tomorrow.

And many more what might be called cultural Catholics, who have long given up on their Church if not their Christian faith, will not be particularly bothered one way or another though they might just, in time, express an interest in looking at the Church again if the right lessons are demonstrably learnt.

One thing is obvious.

The clerical abuse scandals, what Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger called "the filth in the Church" weeks before his election as Pope in 2005, that have ravaged the Church in Ireland - but also in other countries - have retained a capacity to come back again and again to bite the Church hard and to retraumatise victims.

That capacity to inflict so much new damage stems from the criminal and shameful cover-up of the sex abuse of children by predator priests, by the Church top brass over so many decades in the last century. It is now not just confined to the Catholic Church.

Only yesterday The Guardian reported that the Church of England "is braced for two years of 'deep shame' over its handling of child sex abuse cases" and the Archbishop of Canterbury is due to face a grilling before The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) within weeks.

No organisation can guarantee absolute protection, but the Catholic Church in Ireland has now in place so strict a safeguarding regime that Catholic premises are among the safest places for children and vulnerable adults in the country.

In Down and Connor Diocese alone, in 88 parishes, there are more than 500 volunteers who have been vetted and trained in safeguarding.

But that effort there and elsewhere over so many years now risks being undermined if bishops do not come clean about any remaining skeletons in the cupboard.

How many other Malachy Finnegan-type dark secrets are hiding in files in diocesan vaults throughout Ireland? One might hope there are none but that would be a naive hope given past form.

In 2011 Bishop McAreavey did the right thing by requesting the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church (NBSCCC), the Irish Church child protection watchdog, to go beyond its terms of reference to review the handling of allegations against deceased priests, especially Finnegan. Unfortunately, he missed the opportunity to expose Finnegan at that time, one of five missed opportunities, as reported in my extensive interview with Dr McAreavey in last week's Irish Catholic.

A good way to proceed would be for every bishop to urgently review the files of all priests, living and dead, against whom allegations have been made, and not hold back on anything that should be legitimately shared with the public.

And also makes those files available to the next NBSCCC review. We owe the belated exposure of Malachy Finnegan, in the public interest, to BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme and they should be commended for their tenacity in the best traditions of television investigative journalism.

Bishop McAreavey's position, already shaky, was rendered completely untenable by Nolan Live's revelation that McAreavey had permitted Finnegan to concelebrate Holy Mass in the very church where he had groomed Sean Faloon and where he had celebrated Mass week after week, assisted by Mr Faloon, before raping him week after week in the parochial house next door.

Nolan Live, once it had uncovered that devastating piece of news, had a duty to publicise it.

However, the way it put it into the public domain, revealing it "live" on television in the company of Mr Faloon, a victim and survivor, who looked visibly distressed and taken by surprise, is also a matter of concern. Sometimes the media have lessons to learn as well.

Martin O'Brien is a journalist and communications consultant and an award-winning former BBC producerArmed gardai were called in after uniformed officers came under attack from a large gang of looting youths in west Dublin last night.

Treacherous driving conditions hampered the garda response as some approach roads were virtually impassable.

Gardai were responding to reports of looting at the supermarket and also reports of a digger being used to "smash into the supermarket".

Reinforcements from across the Irish capital were called in as gardai tried to maintain order outside a Lidl supermarket at Fortunestown Lane in Tallaght.

The incident began shortly before 5pm when gardai at Tallaght station received reports of looting at the supermarket.

A uniformed patrol in a Jeep was sent to the scene but had difficulty accessing the location because of heavy snow drifts.

The gardai attempted to approach the supermarket on foot but immediately came under attack from the growing gang of looters.

Stones and other objects as well as snowballs were hurled at the gardai, who summoned help.

Additional garda vehicles were sent to Fortunestown Lane including three patrols from the armed support unit and four traffic Jeeps.

Gardai said they were also investigating reports that a JCB had been used by the looters to smash their way into the supermarket. They are also investigating reports that a safe was dragged out of the store and the bucket of the digger was used in an attempt to smash it open.

A digger was recovered in the operation and three people were arrested at the scene.

They are also investigating other incidents in the area.

One of the patrols on their way to the scene intercepted three youths, suspected of being involved in a separate looting incident at a Centra store in Jobstown, near the Blessington Road.

Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed that they attended the scene after reports of a fire, but say there was no fire at the scene.

Tallaght councillor Brendan Ferron told Independent.ie that he's shocked that so many people took part in the alleged robbery.

"It's extremely disappointing to see stuff like this going on," he said.

"The village is completely snowed in so I'm sure it was an absolute nightmare for the guards to get up there and deal with this situation."

Lidl released a statement; "We are aware of the very serious incident at our Fortunestown Lane store this evening. Given that the incident is now the subject of a criminal investigation we are not in a position to comment further at this time."Nine people have been arrested after looting at premises in west Dublin.

It is understood a digger was used by looters to gain access to a Lidl supermarket on Fortunestown Lane. A Centra store in Jobstown was also damaged.

Gardai have confirmed that they are attending a number of incidents in the Tallaght district of Dublin and that nine people have been arrested.

It is understood that the Defence Forces assisted gardai getting to the scene.

Three fire engines from Dublin Fire Brigade responded to reports of a fire at a supermarket on Friday night but no blaze was found.

Dublin Fire Brigade tweeted: Weve left the scene of a supermarket in #Fortunestown #Citywest, no fire found. Gardai are attending the incident.

We've left the scene of the supermarket in #Fortunestown #CityWest , no fire found. Gardai are attending the incident pic.twitter.com/BO5SzOASNd  Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) March 2, 2018

Local Labour Party councillor Martina Genockey condemned the behaviour of those involved and said it does not represent the people of Tallaght.

The local councillor claimed three stores were looted in the area.

This type of behaviour has put a needless amount of pressure on our emergency services who have been trying to keep our community safe throughout Storm Emma, Ms Genockey said.

Dublin South-West TD Colm Brophy said: I utterly condemn this mindless criminal behaviour.

Fianna Fail TD John Lahart said he was lost for words by what he described as the appalling events in his constituency.

Lives could have been put at risk through this mindless vandalism and criminality, Mr Lahart said.

In a statement, Lidl said: We are aware of the very serious incident at our Fortunestown Lane store this evening.

As the store was closed when this incident occurred we can confirm no member of our team has been injured.

Given that the incident is now the subject of a criminal investigation we are not in a position to comment further at this time.Theresa May has insisted her Brexit vision in which Britain will align with European Union rules to get frictionless trade but retain the freedom to diverge from them is ambitious and credible.

The Prime Minister also claimed voters are tired of politicians arguing over Brexit and so aimed to be straight with people in her high-profile speech at Londons Mansion House on Friday.

The details of her Brexit strategy appeared to unite warring Remain and Leave factions of the Conservative Party.

But Downing Street and Boris Johnson have denied reports that Mrs Mays chief of staff Gavin Barwell was behind a leak of the Foreign Secretarys private thoughts on the contentious issue of the Irish border, which is holding up Brexit negotiations.

Expand Close Gavin Barwell (left) and Boris Johnson (right) at the Conservative Party Conference. (Stefan Rousseau/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Gavin Barwell (left) and Boris Johnson (right) at the Conservative Party Conference. (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

On Friday, Mrs May rejected unacceptable EU proposals to retain customs union arrangements in Northern Ireland, but accepted the UKs responsibility to help maintain a soft border with the Republic, spelling out in detail how she believed this could be achieved by technological means or through a broader trade agreement.

But she had been under pressure to back an EU-UK customs union amid a now-stalled rebellion from Tory Brexiteers and a shift in Labours position announced earlier in the week by Jeremy Corbyn.

In the lead-up to the speech a memo from Mr Johnson to the PM was leaked, showing the Foreign Secretary believed the Government should focus on stopping the Irish border becoming significantly harder, reigniting a row over the issue.

Mr Johnson said even if a hard border is reintroduced on the island of Ireland, the vast majority of goods would not be checked.

Sunday newspaper reports that Mr Barwell leaked the memo to stop any rebellion over Mrs Mays Brexit plan from the Cabinets leading Brexiteer were strongly denied.

Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech at the Mansion House in London on the UKs economic partnership with the EU after Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech at the Mansion House in London on the UKs economic partnership with the EU after Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA)

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: This is a yawnerama  a nonsense claim from an anonymous quote about a half baked and misleading leak that has been totally superseded by the Prime Ministers excellent speech on Friday.

We all now have a song to sing on Brexit  and we are going to be in unison.

We are coming out of the customs union and single market and as Theresa May has spelt out we can stay economically and politically close to our friends and partners in Europe while forging an exciting new future for Britain  controlling our own laws and doing our own free trade deals.

And the PM was absolutely right to be optimistic about the solutions to the issues raised by borders in Ireland and elsewhere.

Its time to be positive folks.

A Number 10 source said: As Boris himself has made clear, these claims are ridiculous and totally untrue.

Most of the times the public feel that the time for arguing, either side of the referendum is goneTheresa May

In an interview to be broadcast on Sunday, Mrs May admitted unravelling Britains relationship with the EU was complex but insisted she had set out a very practical way to move ahead in negotiations.

She told BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show: I was being straight with people. I think its important to be straight with people, but its also one of the messages behind the speech which I think is to say to people  I think most people, most of the time, the public feel that the time for arguing, either side of the referendum is gone.

Former PM Sir John Major warned Mrs May any hardening of the Irish border could lead to the age-old violence of the Troubles flaring up and said the issue cannot be taken for granted.

He accused her of unconvincing and easy soundbites about finding a way to avoid a hard Irish border through technology, without offering any practical solutions.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, he said: What happens if local incidents cause the border to be attacked  as there is ample past reason to believe it might be? Is security brought in? Does that reactivate old disputes that begin a downward spiral? As the age-old conflicts of Ireland tell us, this is a clear and present fear. The removal of hope is corrosive.

He went on: I know that, after the many years of peace Ireland has enjoyed since the Good Friday Agreement, it is easy to believe there is no further risk.

And I wish that were so. But that peace, which many people strove for years to achieve, is still fragile, and even the smallest risk must not be taken.Prime Minister Theresa May has urged the EU to "get on with it" in a major speech on Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA)

European Union officials were poring over the details of Theresa Mays latest Brexit offer ahead of a fresh round of negotiations next week.

The Prime Minister used a high-profile speech to call for pragmatic common sense to deliver a Brexit deal that will be good for Britain and Europe, as she sent a message to Brussels: Lets get on with it.

But initial indications suggest the UK still has more to do, particularly on the Irish border, ahead of the March 22-23 European Council summit of EU leaders at which Mrs May is hoping to sew up a deal on a post-Brexit transition period.

The PM has rejected unacceptable European Commission proposals to retain customs union arrangements in Northern Ireland, but accepted the UKs responsibility to help maintain a soft border with the Republic, spelling out in detail how she believed this could be achieved by technological means or through a broader trade agreement.

But Irish premier Leo Varadkar called for more detailed and realistic proposals, although he was criticised by leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said the EUs absurd proposition heightened the risk of no deal.

EU and UK officials will be expected to discuss Mrs Mays proposals on the border when they meet for technical talks from Monday to Wednesday in Brussels, which will also look at citizens rights, the financial settlement and the terms of the transition.

The speech avoided major rows within the Conservative Party at home despite Mrs Mays apparent warning to hardline Brexiteers to temper their expectations, acknowledging that neither side would get exactly what we want in talks on the future UK/EU relationship.

But she also sent a blunt message to Brussels that the EU must face hard facts and resolve tensions in its own stance if it is to help deliver the best outcome for both sides.

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She dismissed the commissions insistence that it would not allow cherry-picking of rights and obligations, insisting that this was a part of any trade negotiation.

And she rejected chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barniers argument that her red lines on quitting the single market, customs union and European Court of Justice have left only the option of a Canada-style free trade agreement, insisting that Brussels needs to look beyond the precedents, and find a new balance.

Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech at the Mansion House in London on the UKs economic partnership with the EU after Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech at the Mansion House in London on the UKs economic partnership with the EU after Brexit. (Leon Neal/PA)

After increasingly impatient appeals from EU leaders for more detail about Britains aims, Mrs May used her keenly awaited address at the Mansion House to put more flesh on the bones of her vision for the broadest and deepest possible partnership after Brexit.

Mr Barnier welcomed the speech for offering clarity on the UKs aims and a recognition that there would be trade-offs.

But German MEP Manfred Weber  an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel and leader of the centre-right EPP grouping in the European Parliament  said: I dont see how we could reach an agreement on Brexit if the UK Government continues to bury its head in the sand like this.

After what I have heard today I am even more concerned. I don't see how we could reach an agreement on #Brexit if the UK government continues to bury its head in the sand like this. #TheresaMaySpeech @EPPGroup  Manfred Weber (@ManfredWeber) March 2, 2018

Mrs May said that any deal must pass the five tests of respecting the 2016 referendum result; delivering an enduring solution; protecting security and prosperity; leaving Britain an open, outward-looking, tolerant, European democracy; and strengthening the union of the UK.

And she said the agreement should rest on five foundations, including binding commitments to ensure fair and open competition and prevent a race to the bottom on standards, as well an independent arbitration mechanism to resolve disputes.

In a message agreed with her Brexit war cabinet at Chequers last week, she said Britain was also ready to give up passporting arrangements in return for a new system allowing financial services in the UK and EU to access each others markets by maintaining the same regulatory outcomes over time.

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UK courts will also be allowed to look at ECJ judgments, particularly where Britain and the EU have identical laws.

And Britain will make appropriate financial contributions for associate membership of Europe-wide medicines, chemical and aerospace agencies;

Mrs May also outlined plans for a labour mobility framework to allow businesses and self-employed professionals to work across the UK and EU.

And she called for mutual recognition in areas like regulation of goods, broadcasting licences and professional qualifications.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Mrs May of failing to bring real clarity, stressed he was worried about her admittance that access to European markets would be reduced, and said she failed to provide solutions in particular on the Irish border.Damage to the General Staff of the Armed Forces building in central Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Ludivine Laniepce/AP)

Burkina Fasos prime minister has condemned the Islamic extremist attacks that killed at least eight people in the capital, and said the government and people must remain vigilant against such violence.

Paul Kaba Thieba met with the army chief at the army headquarters, where the assault killed at least six soldiers, including a senior officer. Two gendarmes died at the French embassy.

I express my emotion and feeling of revolt after what Ive seen  horrible scenes, said Mr Thieba.

We cannot explain why individuals reach such level of extremism. But nothing will affect the determination of the government and our people to overcome this adversity.

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Burkina Fasos security forces killed eight militant attackers, and several arrests were made after Fridays simultaneous attacks on the French Embassy and army HQ.

Trading resumed at the main market in Burkina Fasos capital city near the headquarters, and residents returned to the streets.

Trees were burned down by the explosions, and the smell of smoke lingered over the city.

A deep hole in the ground and adjacent wall at the army headquarters mark where extremists dressed in uniforms set off a car bomb, apparently targeting a room where senior officers were to have met, but had relocated, said security minister Clement Sawadogo.

The room was completely destroyed and the cars parts scattered inside the headquarters. Mr Sawadogo said if the meeting had taken place in that room, our army would have been beheaded.

This is the third attack by Islamic militants on the city since January 2016, prompting criticism of the military but no group has yet claimed responsibility for Fridays attacks.

Islamic extremists carried out two other large-scale attacks on Ouagadougou in recent years, killing 30 people at a popular cafe in 2016 and 18 more at a Turkish restaurant in August 2017.

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What just happened to us is a lesson, and we need to remain vigilant and also ready to anticipate on the modus operandi of the terrorists, said Mr Thieba, announcing the government will put in place new measures to protect institutions.

The French ambassador to Burkina Faso, Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes, expressed solidarity with Burkina Faso, saying: Our political objective does not change, it remains the same: That of being on the side of Burkina Faso in the war against terrorism.

The extremists will become more violent, reinforcing the desire for countries to work together, he said.

This attack marks a significant change of tactics from previous assaults on Ouagadougou that targeted civilians in cafes and hotels, said Sean Smith, a West Africa politics senior analyst.

Burkina Faso has become a target for Islamic extremist attacks for a few reasons, he said, especially since a popular uprising ousted former president Blaise Compaore in 2014, said Mr Smith.

Compaore notoriously had ties to various nefarious actors in the region, which enabled him to both negotiate the release of hostages and protect his country from jihadist attacks, he said.

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President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, however, is not the kind of leader that wants to make morally repugnant deals with terrorists.

More importantly, Burkina Faso contributes more troops to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali than other West African nations, he said.

Several extremist groups have vowed to step up the bloodshed in response to the recent deployment of the multinational G5 Sahel force. The 5,000-strong force combines troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania to battle extremism in the region.

People on Saturday flocked around the headquarters and the French embassy to view the damage. A burned-out car remained in front of the embassy, which is riddled with bullet holes.

The embassy was attacked around 10:15am on Friday, with witnesses at the nearby state TV offices saying the attackers arrived in a pick-up truck, shouted, Allahu akbar! and began shooting.

French special forces helped to kill the assailants at the French embassy, security minister Sawadogo said.

The attack at the army headquarters started soon after the embassy assault and both were under control by 3pm, he said.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation in West Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. It shares a northern border with Mali, which has long battled Islamic extremists. Attacks have spread into Burkina Faso, and a local extremist group has also gained momentum, attacking troops and civilians.Protesters carry torches through Shahbag Square in Dhaka after a man wielding a knife attacked secular activist and science fiction writer Zafar Iqbal in the northern city of Sylhet, March 3, 2018.

A knife-wielding youth stabbed a prominent writer and secular activist on a university campus in Bangladesh on Saturday before students caught and beat the attacker, witnesses said.

The victim, Zafar Iqbal, 65, was being treated at a military hospital in Dhaka after being airlifted from Sylhet, a city some 240 km northeast of Dhaka where the attack occurred, doctors said.

He was watching the robotic fair there. Suddenly, a lean youth with a thin beard attacked him with a knife from behind. He was stabbed on the head and shoulder, AKM Mahbubuzzaman, a colleague of Iqbal of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, told BenarNews.

Iqbal, a professor of computer science and technology at Shahjalal, had received at least two death threats from radical Islamic groups for his sharp writing against fundamentalism and militancy, and two police officers had been deployed to guard his house, Mahbubuzzaman said.

Paritosh Ghosh, acting commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said he had yet to determine the motive of the attacker, identified as Fayzur Rahman, 24, the son of a madrasa teacher.

Due to mob beating, his condition is not good. He is being treated at the Osmani Medical College. A CT scan has been done. We will interrogate him once he comes round, he said.

A police official on condition of anonymity told BenarNews that the counter-terrorism unit of the police would take the perpetrator into custody.

Iqbals attack was the first of its kind since a grisly series of murders of secular thinkers and intellectuals two years ago. Between February 2015 and April 2016, suspected Islamic militants hacked nine individuals to death.

Security forces launched a massive crackdown on militant suspects following a terror attack on the Holey Artisan Cafe in Dhaka in July 2016 that left 29 people dead, most of them foreigners who had been dining at the upscale eatery.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group and carried out by its local affiliate, known as Neo-JMB.

Bleeding Profusely

Four policemen had been guarding Iqbal when the attack took place at around 5:40 pm in a campus building, according to Mahbubuzzaman, a professor of social work.

We saw only one attacker. Our students caught him immediately and beat him mercilessly. He is nearly dead, he said.

Iqbal was bleeding profusely as he was whisked off to Osmani Medical College Hospital in Sylhet, Mahbubuzzaman said.

He had four injuries on his head, stabbings on the shoulder and hand. His brain is unhurt. So, we think he is out of danger, Morshed Alam Chowdhury, dean of the medical science faculty of the university and a physician at Osmani Medical College Hospital, told BenarNews.

But his condition may deteriorate, he said.

Chowdhury said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had telephoned him and instructed that Iqbal be flown to Dhaka for better treatment. This took place at around 10:00 p.m., Iqbals younger brother, Ahsan Habib, confirmed to BenarNews.

Iqbal was several times listed on militant hit lists circulated on Facebook, according to Rakib Hasan, a filmmaker and teacher of Jagannath University in Dhaka.

He had been vocal against militancy and corruption, and bitterly criticized the activities of the student front of the ruling Awami League party.

Students at Shahjalal University in Sylhet and members of the secular Gonojagaran Moncha movement in Dhaka protested the attack late Saturday.

The Bangladesh University Teachers Council also condemned the attack.

The vice chancellors of the 44 public universities are very worried by this dastardly terrorist attack... aimed at killing Dr Zafar Iqbal, Harun-or-Rashid, vice chancellor of National University, said in a statement issued on behalf of the group.

Kamran Reza Chowdhury in Dhaka contributed to this report.A member of Myanmars security forces keeps watch along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border as Rohingya refugees stand outside makeshift shelters near Tombru, in the Bangladeshi district of Bandarban, March 1, 2018.

Myanmar pulled back security personnel and weapons from near a no-mans land along Bangladeshs southeastern frontier, as border-guard officials from both countries met Friday after Dhaka complained about a troop build-up by Naypyidaw, officials said.

Representatives from Myanmar said during the meeting that Naypyidaw had deployed additional troops and weaponry in the area for internal security reasons and these were not targeted at Bangladesh, according to Bangladeshi officials. The meeting took place in Ghundam, in Bangladeshs Bandarban district.

Their explanation is not acceptable, Khurshed Alam, Bangladeshs acting foreign secretary, told BenarNews when asked how Dhaka viewed the claim about internal security made by Myanmars Border Guard Police (BGP).

Dhaka had summoned Myanmars ambassador the day before to lodge a diplomatic protest, when it accused Naypyidaw of increasing its troop presence and deploying heavy weaponry, including mortars and machine guns, near the no-mans land by the Tombru crossing point, where more than 5,000 Rohingya refugees have been stranded for months.

Myanmars military build-up is aimed at pushing in the Rohingya living in the no-mans land to Bangladesh, Alam said.

Lt. Col. Majurul Hasan Khan, a Border Guard Bangladesh commander who led the Bangladeshi delegation, spoke to reporters after Fridays meeting.

On Friday, Myanmars BGP pulled back their additional personnel and weaponry. The Rohingya living in the no-mans land are unharmed, Khan said.

The BGP officials informed us that they very often deploy army and BGP [personnel] on the border for their internal security. As part of this, they said they brought in heavy weaponry. They said it was completely for Myanmars own security, Khan said.

In addition, the BGP denied that its personnel had fired off blank shots or there was any shooting from the Myanmar side of the border on Thursday night, Khan told BenarNews. He was responding to questions based on eyewitness accounts from refugees in the no-mans land, who said they had heard Myanmar troops fire off rounds.

Some refugees had also complained that Myanmar troops had used loudspeakers to order refugees to clear the no-mans land.

Khan said the Myanmar delegation sought clarification from the BGB about why Bangladesh had installed CCTV cameras along the frontier.

We have told them that it is for our internal security. This is not targeted at Myanmar, Khan said.

Rohingya refugees in the area confirmed that Myanmar scaled down its troop presence near the no-mans land following Fridays meeting.

Today, they reduced troops and weapons. They also removed some military vehicles, Dil Mohammad, a Rohingya sheltering in the no-mans land near Tombru, told BenarNews.

Bombs in Sittwe: Myanmar

On the Myanmar side of the border, government officials said that extra troops had been deployed along the frontier with Bangladesh to guard against what they described as a potential attack from the other side by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents.

In recent days, there were bomb explosions in Sittwe, and it is known there are ARSA terrorists mingling with people [along] this border line of the two countries. According to this report, we increased security, and already replied about this to Bangladeshs Foreign Ministry, U Myint Thu, Myanmars permanent secretary of foreign affairs, told the Myanmar Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), a sister entity of BenarNews.

He was referring to blasts in the capital of Rakhine, the home state of Myanmars stateless Rohingya minority.

The build-up was in response to new intelligence reports about movements of Rohingya insurgents along the border, Zaw Htay, spokesman for Myanmars government, told Agence France-Presse.

It was not aimed at antagonizing Bangladesh, he said, according to AFP.

Zaw Htay told the Associated Press: This is not like we are trying to invade Bangladesh and fight against them. These are only actions taken against the terrorist groups based on information we received.

Myanmar has blamed ARSA insurgents for launching attacks on police and army outposts in northern Rakhine in late August 2017 that provoked a brutal military crackdown. This, in turn, forced at least 671,000 Rohingya to seek refuge across the nearby border in southeastern Bangladesh.

The U.N. and U.S. have accused Myanmar of carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya. But Myanmar officials have denied allegations that government security forces and Buddhist militias committed atrocities against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya.Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks during a gathering of youth leaders at the Malaysia International and Exhibition Center in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 28, 2018.

Updated at 7:45 a.m. ET on 2018-03-18

Malaysia has started distributing about U.S. $1.6 billion to millions of low-income citizens as part of a government plan to spur economic growth, but critics slammed the move as vote-buying ahead of a general election that could come within months.

Seven million eligible Malaysians began receiving the first batch of payments Monday, with recipients taking home up to 1,200 ringgit (U.S. $306) this year, a big jump from 500 ringgit (U.S. $127) when the scheme was first launched in 2012.

The handouts are part of a proposed 2018 spending plan of 280 billion ringgit (U.S. $71.6 billion) unveiled by Prime Minister Najib Razak in October, when he announced the countrys largest-ever annual budget.

The government earlier described the handouts as a remedial effort to help lower-income citizens, including palm oil farmers, offset a higher cost of living that followed higher global oil prices and a weaker local currency. Officials had explained that the handouts would also have a multiplier effect, as people would use the money they had received to buy goods and help stimulate the countrys economy.

But Rafizi Ramli, vice-president of the opposition Peoples Justice Party and a member of parliament, questioned why Najib decided to offer handouts to the public rather than offer subsidies.

Instead of easing the livelihood cost, BR1M instead becomes a treat for the people  generally from the low-income bracket  to go out for a one-time dining, he told the Malaysian daily Sinar Harian last month.

Rafizi was referring to the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia or 1Malaysia Peoples Aid, known locally as BR1M, which Najib started in 2012.

Opposition struggles to build united front

The dishing out of cash comes as Najib faces his toughest electoral test, which he could still survive, since becoming prime minister in 2009, according to political analysts. He can expect a stiff challenge from an opposition spearheaded by two former government leaders, ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his jailed former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim.

Under Malaysias constitution, a general election must take place every five years, and the next one is required before August this year.

The opposition came close to unseating Najibs Barisan Nasional coalition in the 2013 election, but has since struggled to put up a united front to challenge the prime minister in the next general election.

The 2018 increase in handouts to more than 6 billion ringgit, compared with 2.6 billion ringgit six years ago, is being criticized by opposition lawmakers.

This week, Najib fired back at his critics who alleged that the payout was a form of vote- buying in the nation with a population of 32 million.

This targeted subsidy is better than a blanket subsidy that can have a lot of leakages, Najib said before an estimated 2,000 handout recipients.

Economist Hoo Ke Ping, in an interview with BenarNews, dismissed assertions that handout recipients would automatically vote for Najibs coalition. He cited results from the previous general election, which was held a year after BR1M was first introduced.

Barisan Nasional failed to get any substantial votes from the Chinese community despite there being Chinese people of low income who were recipients of the handouts, he said, referring to one of Malaysias ethnic minorities.

The handout program, he said, was necessary because low-income citizens really need it to supplement their livelihood.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had the wrong total for proposed 2018 spending plan.THE Japanese government, through its official development assistance, will help fund six of the 13 infrastructure projects earlier approved by the National Economic and Development Authority board. Of the six new projectsthe total cost of which amounts to a combined P715 billion-five are related to transportation while one is flood management. Japan is one of our long-time and most trusted development partners. We recognize its commitment to technical excellence in infrastructure, Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said during last weeks 36th Joint Meeting of the Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation Committee of the Philippines and Japan. Our focus on the transportation sector is part of the bigger mission to decongest Metro Manila, and bring development to the regions, which is embedded in our National Spatial Strategy, Pernia said. The six projects are the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project, Arterial Road Bypass Project-Phase III (formerly Plaridel Bypass Road Project), Malolos-Clark Railway Project (PNR North 2), Maritime Safety Capability Project II, Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP)Phase 1 and PNR South Commuter and South Longhaul Project. Pernia said the government was acting to ease traffic congestion in the mega cities of the country following Jicas study that estimated the cost of traffic in Metro Manila at P3.5 billion. This estimated economic loss in daily traffic is massive, and we must act fast. We are looking at this problem in a comprehensive way. We recognize that transportation is the enabler and driver of socioeconomic development, that is why we have the National Transport Policy approved by the Neda board, Pernia said.The Inter-Agency Technical Committee on Transport Planning and the Neda Board Cluster on Infrastructure would review plans, projects and programs for the long-term development of the transport sector, he said. He said the governments transport vision was a safe, secure, reliable, efficient, integrated, intermodal, affordable, cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and people-oriented national transport system that ensures improved quality of life of the people. Let me reiterate that infrastructure is crucial. It is a sine qua non in development. What we aim is an infrastructure boom that serves not just the economy but, more importantly, the Filipino people, Pernia said. Aside from the six new projects that will be funded by Japan, seven new projects will be funded with assistance from other ODA partners.Posted Friday, March 2, 2018 12:00 pm

World Heritage Student Exchange Programs is now looking for American families to host high school students from Asia. These personable and academically select exchange students speak English, are bright, curious and eager to learn about this country through living as part of a family for an academic year and attending high school.

Your support of these students reinforces the United States commitment to education and opportunity throughout the world.

World Heritage is currently seeking host families for these well-qualified, bright, motivated and well-screened students coming from Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea. By living with local host families and attending local high schools, the students acquire an understanding of American values and build on leadership skills.

The exchange students arrive from their home country shortly before school begins and return at the end of the school year. Each World Heritage student is fully insured, brings his or her own personal spending money and expects to bear his or her share of household responsibilities, as well as being included in normal family activities and lifestyles. At the same time, the students will be teaching their newly adopted host families about their own culture and language.

To become a host family or find out more about World Heritage, contact Tiffany Wilson, at (816)-807-2765, contact via email at Tiffany@world-heritage.org or visit www.whhosts.com.US President Donald Trump has conditioned hosting Gulf leaders at Camp David on the ending of the diplomatic row opposing Qatar to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt.

President Trump could decide not to host the Camp David summit, scheduled to bring together US Gulf allies, in May, reported AFP citing US officials.

According to the US lofficials, President Trump threatened to cancel the meeting if the Saudi-led sides does not lift sea, air and ground blockade imposed on the tiny gas-rich country.

We would hope the dispute is resolved before the summit to allow maximum focus on other strategic concerns like Iran, a US official told AFP.

The quartet in June severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and cut off all sea, ground and air links with their tiny neighbor over grounds that it supports terrorism; charges that Qatari officials vehemently dismissed.

President Trump is expected to host US Arab Gulf allies in the presidential retreat in Marylands Catoctin Mountains in May.

A Saudi official who spoke on condition of anonymity told AP that remarks that the White House is pressing the Saudi-led side are false.

If the pressure is confirmed, it will underline a shift of President Trumps stance on the crisis. The American leader at the beginning of the crisis praised Saudi Arabia and its allies for severing ties with Qatar. He credited himself for the move, which took place right after his maiden international tour that took him to Riyadh where he met with various the Gulf allies.

President Trump however last month made a U-turn after congratulating Qatar for its fight against terrorism.A cast member from the CBC sketch-comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes will be paying a visit to Pelican Lake today.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A cast member from the CBC sketch-comedy show "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" will be paying a visit to Pelican Lake today.

Shaun Majumder will be shooting a sketch in Ninette during the towns fifth annual ice fishing derby, which is hosted by the Healthy Lake Committee.

(SUBMITTED/AARON MCKENZIE FRASER) This Hour Has 22 Minutes star Shaun Majumder will be shooting a sketch today in Ninette during the towns fifth annual ice fishing derby.

"I couldnt believe it at first," said committee member Charlotte McConnell.

McConnell said the group got a phone call on Wednesday from an assistant at "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" asking about the derby and whether Majumder could come out.

The group received a followup email the next day, confirming Majumders arrival for this weekend.

"Its a pretty big deal to have someone like This Hour Has 22 Minutes there interviewing us and checking us out," she said.

The money raised from the ice fishing derby helps support the committees work of cleaning up algae in Pelican Lake.

The derby drew 750 people last year, McConnell said, and this year is expected to be similar, depending on the weather.

A spokesperson from Pigeon Row, a communications and content creation firm based out of Toronto and Halifax that works with "This Hour Has 22 Minutes," confirmed Majumder will be coming to Manitoba to shoot a sketch on ice fishing.

"As with many sketches shot in advance, its not guaranteed to make the broadcast," the spokesperson said. "Those decisions come at the 11th hour sometimes."

Majumder is a Gemini-award winning actor and comedian whose film and television roles include "Unhitched," "Cedric the Entertainer Presents," "24," "Republic of Doyle" and "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle."

He is also the founder of OME, a not-for-profit organization that helps promote tourism in Majumders hometown of Burlington, N.L.

 mlee@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @mtaylorleeThe UN Security Council Thursday issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms the attack that targeted a convoy of MINUSMA (UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali), in the axis between Boni and Douentza.

Underlining that attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law, the Council members paid tribute to the peacekeepers who risk their lives and called on the Government to swiftly investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

They stressed that involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against MINUSMA peacekeepers constitute a basis for sanctions designations pursuant to Security Council resolutions.

They also stressed that those responsible for the killings should be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard.

The Council members expressed their concern about Malis security situation and the transnational dimension of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region, urging the Malian parties to implement the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation without further delay.

The full implementation of the agreement and the intensification of efforts to overcome asymmetric threats can contribute to improving the security situation across the country, they noted.

Finally, the Council further spotlighted the importance that MINUSMA have the necessary capacities, including combat convoy companies, to fulfil its mandate and promote the safety and security of the UN peacekeepers.

The UN Secretary-General also condemned the attack, stressing that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law and that the perpetrators must be apprehended and prosecuted.

The Secretary-General pointed out that this incident came one day after six members of the Malian armed forces died from another improvised explosive device attack in central Mali.

These cowardly acts will not deter MINUSMAs determination to support the Malian authorities in their efforts to protect civilians and accompany the Malian people in their quest for peace and stability, a statement by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.Update 11.30pm: Gardai confirmed last night that following reports of burglary and theft of vehicles, units were deployed in the Tallaght District resulting in nine arrests to date.

In a statement Gardai said that substantial damage was caused to a supermarket on Fortunestown lane and further damage to another premises in Jobstown.

It went on: "All those arrested are currently detained at Dublin Garda Stations. An incident room has been established at Tallaght Garda Station and anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 016666000 or the Garda Confidential line 1800666111 or any Garda Station."

Reacting to the looting and theft Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Dublin, John Lahart TD said that the havoc created by a group of criminals in Dublin South West was no reflection on the people of Tallaght or surrounding communities.

The despicable events which have unfolded over the course of today in the Dublin South West area are inconceivable to those I have come to know throughout the constituency.

This behaviour is not a reflection on a community; its a reflection solely on the individuals who created havoc during a National Red Alert.

Mr Lahart went on to say it was particularly disgraceful that the "reprehensible crimes" were carried out during a time when emergency frontline services are severely stretched to the limit to protect the public.

This group of criminals put lives at risk tonight while destroying the livelihoods of the stores employees and in many cases their families reliant on that income. These jobs are now undoubtedly in jeopardy because of this heinous behaviour.

I am in contact with the Garda Superintendent at Tallaght Garda Station and pay tribute to the Gardai who apprehended some of those involved."

Earlier: Number of arrests as Gardai and fire brigade attend 'looting' in Dublin Lidl store

Dublin Fire Brigade have attended an incident at a supermarket in Fortunestown Lane in CityWest in Dublin.

Three fire engines responded to reports of a fire at Lidl in Fortunestown Lane, but have now left the scene which is being examined by gardai.

Social media erupted with video footage of a digger being used at the scene of a supermarket which was at the centre of reports of a fire.

The premises appears to have undergone severe structural damage.

Earlier there were reports of a break-in at the same location.

Gardai say they are tonight responding to several incidents in the Tallaght area and a number of arrests have been made.

"We are aware of the very serious incident at our Fortunestown Lane store this evening," Lidl said in a statement.

"As the store was closed when this incident occurred we can confirm no member of our team has been injured.

"Given that the incident is now the subject of a criminal investigation we are not in a position to comment further at this time."

Please see below statement in relation to the incident at our branch at Fortunestown Lane, Dublin pic.twitter.com/jl8PD57Vcx  Lidl Ireland (@lidl_ireland) March 2, 2018

Local Labour councillor Martina Genockey has condemned the events that have taken place in Tallaght this evening.

I absolutely condemn the behaviour of those who looted the Centra, Topaz and Lidl stores in our community this evening," she said.

This type of behaviour has put a needless amount of pressure on our emergency services who have been trying to keep our community safe through out Storm Emma.

Over the last number of days, our community here in Tallaght has shown strength in the eye of a literal storm and the behaviour by this select few is nothing short of disgusting.

During bad weather events like this, it is absolutely horrific to think that people in genuine need will be denied speedy access to emergency services because they have to clear up the mindless mess created by people who have no concern for our community.

This behaviour does not represent Tallaght. I will continue to work with the Gardai and local residents to ensure that no further damage is done to the Jobstown and Citywest areas.Update 6pm:Farmers are welcoming an announcement by Glanbia that they will pay a subsidy for milk that cannot be collected during Storm Emma.

Milk collections have resumed in some areas today - but further difficulty is still being experienced by farm producers around the country.

The IFA's Joe Healy says it is a welcome sign of support that others may hopefully follow - but the key issue is to get milk collections back up and running.

He said: "The average over the years is 26c per litre to produce a litre of milk, this time of year is a lot more expensive, but at least 20c will help to cover the costs.

"It goes against a farmers nature to have to dump any top quality foods.

"Hopefully the councils and locals farmers will be able to clear the roads so that milk lorries can travel."

Earlier: The President of the Irish Farmers Association says dairy farms are facing a crisis due to the current weather conditions.

A rising number of farmers throughout the country are at risk of large financial losses as their milk cannot be collected due to snow and ice on roads.

Consumers could be impacted as farmers may be forced to dispose of stored milk if it is not collected urgently.

The IFA are urging local authorities to co-ordinate their actions with co-ops to prioritise the clearing of roads leading to dairy farms.

Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Food Jackie Cahill said: "Dairy farmers have been storing their milk but with no collections, there is simply no capacity left in most farms.

On my own farm outside Thurles, we havent had a collection since Wednesday. Im at full capacity right now  every drop thats milked from now on will have to be simply poured down the drains.

Unless access to dairy farms is restored, the Irish dairy industry will lose significant volumes of milk and income for farmers, said Cahill who is a former President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association.

Storm Emma and the Beast from the East have made nearly all secondary roads impassable and many farmers in hilly areas have been unable to get access to sheep and other livestock.

Mr Cahill said: I am calling on the Department of Agriculture and the National Emergency Coordination Committee to prioritise the reopening of roads to dairy farms.

There is a significant amount of agricultural machinery available to the State, but we need to see better coordination between farmers, local authorities and bodies such as the Defence Forces and Civil Defence.

This is a valuable commodity that is at the core of Irelands rural economy. Every single one of these farmers has budgeted for selling this milk. Any loss of income could have a terrible impact on farm incomes and on rural Ireland."A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory and then running from campus has been apprehended.

Central Michigan's Emergency Communication said on its website that James Eric Davis Jr was arrested without incident early today.Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa SCOTT KEELER | Times

The Florida Senate advanced HB 7055 on Friday, but it wasn't the same education package that had passed through a committee earlier in the week.

A major amendment filed the evening before it went to the floor for a vote was the result of negotiations with House members, said sponsor Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples. Those negotiations were not public.

Among the new changes, the amendment:

Added a new sales tax funding source for the Gardiner Scholarship, a voucher for disabled students to attend private schools

Removed proposed accountability measures to prevent unethical profits from charter school construction

Removed a pitch to make a financial literacy course a high school graduation requirement

Increased the amount of money a person can donate to the new Hope Scholarship vouchers for bullied students, from $20 to $105, matching the House's version.

Passidomo spoke at length about how the Senate had resisted the attempts of the House to fast-track the bill by attaching it to the budget, and said the Senate had chosen the transparent path.

"Everything in this bill everyone has had on opportunity to look at," she said. "Our president wanted to make sure that the bill went through Senate committees to allow time for review, edits, testimony and discussion about issues important to all of us."

The bill now allows tenants of commercial property to direct the sales tax of their rent away from the state's general fund and into the account for the Gardiner Scholarship, up to $57.5 million. The Gardiner Scholarship is a publicly funded voucher for students with mental or physical disabilities to be able to attend private schools.

Democrats unsuccessfully tried to remove a highly controversial piece of HB 7055 which requires teachers' unions to have 50 percent of all people eligible to be in the union be dues-paying members. It does not apply to unions of other professions. Teachers' unions are a core constituency for the Democratic Party.

Teachers' unions have decried the rule as union-busting and unfair, especially in the wake of the Parkland shooting during which three teachers were killed protecting students.

Then in a dramatically tense moment on the floor, Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, stood defiant of his party as he proposed an amendment to relax the threshold to 40 percent, calling the 50 percent margin "mean-spirited" and "punitive." Twice the Senate President, Joe Negron, R-Stuart, asked him to finish speaking on his amendment but Lee continued anyway.

"I know how easy it is to come up here and go along and get along," he said. "I also didn't come to Tallahassee to be told what to do. ... There isn't a budget amendment or a bill I care about more than doing the right thing."

That amendment failed in a 19-19 tie, with three Republicans  Sen. Dana Young of Tampa, Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah and Sen. Greg Steube of Sarasota  voting with Lee and the Democrats.

HB 7055 still needs to be formally passed by the Senate, which it is expected to do in the coming days. The bill will then go back to the House for final approval before it is sent to the governor.

At the same time the Senate spent hours in debate on this bill, the House moved forward HB 1, a separate bill with the same bullying voucher program in 7055. Several pieces of the package bill have been similarly peeled off in the House, an indication that it could be prepping for the measures to still go into effect in case HB 7055 doesn't pass into law.

The House also advanced a major tax package on Friday that included a sales tax funding source up to $154 million for multiple types of school vouchers.Wesfarmers is considering ownership options for its 88-strong pub business after it was approached by several parties, according to its new chief executive Rob Scott.

The retail behemoth doesnt like the ethical problems that the pubs poker machines create and has called itself a reluctant owner for years. But its previous attempts to extricate itself have been hamstrung by regulatory issues in Queensland, where most of its hotels are located.

Looking for a way out of pokies: Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott. Credit:Trevor Collens

It is not clear whether Wesfarmers has been able to structure a deal that would let it retain some kind of interest in the bottle shops attached to the pubs.

Its considerations come as rival Woolworths, which has enjoyed a very profitable association with pubs and not voiced any ethical concerns, has come under a harsh spotlight.Energy retailers are starting to offer consumers the option of pre-paying bills, taking their lead from the mobile phone industry.

AGL on Friday launched a new billing structure for some customers that lets them make smaller, more frequent upfront payments on their electricity bills. Customers can track how much energy they are using via a mobile app, and receive warnings if they are nearing their credit limit.

The new power bill structure could help families budget better, Canstar's Simon Downes said. Credit:John Woudstra JZW

While pre-paid power bills are relatively common in the UK, AGL is the first Australian energy retailer to provide such an option, although Powershop offers a similar service where customers can buy "power packs".

"The point of pre-paid is to simplify the process without complicated discount structures," AGL's head of product and pricing, Jo Egan, told Fairfax Media.You may think spin-doctoring and economics are worlds apart, but they combine in that relatively modern invention the "free-trade agreement"  the granddaddy of which, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, is presently receiving CPR from the lips of our own heroic lifesaver, Malcolm Turnbull.

It's not surprising many punters assume something called a "free-trade agreement" must be a Good Thing. Economists have been preaching the virtues of free trade ever since David Ricardo discovered the magic of "comparative advantage" in 1815.

Many people oppose free-trade deals on the grounds that ordinary workers end up worse off. Credit:Andrew Harrer

Nor is it surprising the governments that put much work into negotiating free-trade agreements  and the business lobbyists who use them to win concessions for their industry clients  want us to believe they'll do wonders for "jobs and growth".

What is surprising is that so many economists  even the otherwise-smart The Economist magazine - assume something called a free-trade agreement is a cause they should be supporting.Actor, comedian and writer, Shaun Patrick Micallef. Credit:James Brickwood. How old were you? Primary school. I might have been 12; the cusp of being a teenager. What do you remember? It was an animated film. Single-cell animation, ironically, showing the ovum being fertilised by the spermatozoa. I remember thinking, "Gee, that's not very good animation."

By the time you were an adult yourself, did you feel equipped for the sexual world? It was never a particularly big deal, to be honest. I don't recall suffering enormous angst. It was more about whether people liked me or not. I was one of these pathetically needy children who required validation from strangers in the form of laughter and applause after performing. It was disgraceful! Maybe if I had a healthier balance in terms of not needing that empty validation, maybe I'd be more interested in sex! [Laughs] You don't need applause after sex? No. Standing ovation. POLITICS

You've played a politician in The Ex-PM and you host a show about politics. What is it that fascinates you about politicians and politics? Ah, you assume I'm fascinated and not revolted by it. We'd done a show called Newstopia, which was about world news. Our shtick was to take extraordinarily important things and to treat them flippantly and lightly  a parody of a world news program. Then we were given the opportunity to do something that, on the surface, looked similar for the ABC [Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell], but about Australia. We looked at Australia and thought, "Australia's pretty dull." The trick was to take these things that didn't matter and make them really important. Australian politics always seemed to be inherently  comical?

Comical! Because it was so meaningless. Theres a distinct lack of grandeur. Theres no gravitas at all. Thats a generalisation; there are important things that are obviously dealt with from time to time, but I would say theyre dealt with quite cackhandedly, as politicians increasingly play the short game rather than the long time. Have you heard what politicians think of either Mad as Hell or The Ex-PM? I don't tend to court their opinion.

Have you heard anything on the grapevine? I did get a call once from a senator complaining about the way he was portrayed. And Mathias Cormann's staff corrected my pronunciation of his name. Apparently I  for two years  had been calling him "Math-eye-us". Shows how informed I am politically. Any politicians you admire, here or abroad? I had a lot of time for Gough Whitlam. I don't necessarily venerate him because he flew a particular flag, but I am grateful to him because, without the policy Labor had for tertiary education back in those days, I wouldn't have had a university education. We couldn't afford it. So I managed to get through that window that was closed very slowly, then painted over, by successive Labor and Liberal governments. RELIGION

Do you believe in God? I'm very envious of people who seem to have that worked out. I did a three-part series for SBS about faith [Shaun Micallef's Stairway to Heaven] and met people who have faith. I was really interested to hear how they got to that place of certainty Obviously you're fascinated by, interested in and engaged with the idea of faith. Where does that come from? It's that question we ask of ourselves: why are we here and is there any sort of purpose to the whole thing? I thought religion was a man-made thing to control people, and maybe you could possibly tease out faith from that, but I found I couldn't. Dogma and tradition seemed to be a large part of why people thought in a certain way. But I'd never say anything to take away the consolation that people receive from it. Are there any labels out there that gel with where you sit with faith? Atheist, agnostic, anything like that?So this year, especially in the bearpit of social media, the Oscar debate is all about whether each contender passes the #timesup test - which, given there is always somebody who can get upset about something (often quite reasonably), they dont. Sometimes its the people involved who are the problem; sometimes its the films themselves found wanting, their demerits picked out, swapped and excoriated as part of the accelerated outrage cycle that is the internet. Clickbait criticism has found its perfect moment. Its certainly changed the way we see things. Think how recently Woody Allen won an Oscar, in 2012 for his screenplay for Midnight in Paris. Roman Polanski, still on the run from a longstanding rape charge, nonetheless won Best Picture and Best Director for The Pianist in 2003 (and a tidal surge of sentimental support from his peers, who petitioned for the charges to be simply forgotten). Its inconceivable these things could happen now. Just last year, Casey Affleck won the Oscar as best actor for Manchester By the Sea. His name was also under a cloud, thanks to ongoing rumblings about two women who had accused him of trying to coerce them into sex in 2010 and with whom he had settled out of court at the time. As last years winner, he would normally be giving away this years prize. In fact hes not even going to the ceremony. James Franco, right, and Dave Franco with the former's best actor award at the Golden Globes in January. Credit:AP

Nor will James Franco, whose seemingly triumphal run with The Disaster Artist - of which he is director, producer and star - was brought to a screaming halt after his Golden Globes win, when five different women who had done acting classes with him accused him of sexual harassment. (Ironically enough, it was the fact he wore a Times Up pin in his lapel as he was picking up his statuette that incensed them enough to speak out.) Up until that point, Franco was shaping up as the feel-good story of the Oscars, the challenger riding in to duke it out with longstanding favourite for Best Actor, Gary Oldman. Now The Disaster Artist has just one nomination  for Scott Neustadter and Michael Webers adapted screenplay, practically the only area of production that doesnt have Francos tainted name all over it. Meanwhile, the works themselves have been combed for infractions. Mexican director Guillermo del Toros The Shape of Water is the most honoured, with 13 nominations, and is generally regarded as the most likely winner of Best Film. Set in a fantastically embellished version of 1962, it is a dreamy fable about a mute young woman (Sally Hawkins) who falls in love with a luminous fishy humanoid held captive in the military bunker where she works as a cleaner. The film was unveiled at the Venice Film Festival last September and was immediately embraced, winning the festivals Golden Lion. Sally Hawkins, left, and Doug Jones in a scene from The Shape of Water. Credit:AP It wasnt long, however, before advocates for the disabled rounded on the film for its depiction of a mute. Sally Hawkins can speak; Del Toro should have found a deaf or partly-deaf actress for such a plum part. If he had, she would have used a more convincing version of sign language, mixing signs with English grammar. Or perhaps he should not have told anything like this story, which equates a disabled person with a monster. And which shows a disabled person (and her gay male neighbour, come to that) as a lonely outcast.

Disability is also an issue in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, directed by the British director Martin McDonagh; Peter Dinklages role as the town midget is an immediate provocation. Almost everything about Three Billboards has turned out to be a provocation, however, partly because McDonaghs style is to slam between drama and comedy without much regard for who gets hurt and partly because he makes one of his leading characters an unreconstructed racist. Sam Rockwell plays a junior policeman infamous for having bashed a black suspect in his custody; by the end of the film, he is shown to have some prospect of changing, at least if he keeps hanging around with the heroine played by Frances McDormand. Sam Rockwell, left, and Frances McDormand in a scene from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Credit:Fox Searchlight via AP For some critics, this amounts to giving him a free pass. The criticism reached a head after the Golden Globes, where the film won best drama; McDonagh has put out statements in its defence, saying theres a lot of hope and humanity in the film, but that kind of thing always looks like special pleading. In Toronto last September, Three Billboards looked like an unassailable winner to me. Not anymore. There have been issues with depictions of women - with Phantom Thread and its lauding of the creative man who needs a muse, with The Post and the diffidence of Meryl Streeps Katharine Graham - and with the credibility of I, Tonya, which has been lashed for taking Tonya Hardings version of her own story as fact. (It doesnt, actually.) But perhaps the most sensitive soft spot in this years films is the age disparity between Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet in Luca Guadagninos Call Me By Your Name.

Armie Hammer is 31 playing 24. Chalamet is 19 playing 17. The fact is that he looks even younger than 17, while Hammer looks older than 31 and seems to be about twice Chalamets size. There is no illegality; there is no great power disparity - Hammer plays a graduate student employed by Chalamets professorial father - but for many viewers, there has a been a sort of queasiness. Jordan Peele on the set of Get Out. Credit:AP One family abuse survivor writing in The Boston Globe commanded a chorus of approval when she condemned the film as abusive in itself. Controversialist critic James Woods wrote simply 24-year-old man. 17-year-old boy. Stop. This one has become more of a battle of two sides, given that the film has a vociferous legion of gay defenders thrilled by its romanticism and ready to write off the naysaying as no more than homophobia in new drag. James Woods hadnt even seen the film. Even so. I thought this myself. Eww. How far any of these ideological roadblocks will stand in the way of any of these films, however, is still an open question; were not talking about anything as ominous as a witch hunt, despite what the trolls say, just a debate in which the volume seems to have been turned up to 11. Anyone determined to confront this list of forensic objections to film content might point out that the one Oscar film that does take aim unequivocally at a target group hasnt been picked apart by anybody. Thats Jordan Peeles sci-fi thriller Get Out, a brilliant take on the Stepford Wives story in which liberal whites are the exploiters and young black men are their victims. The white folks in this story arent offered any chance of redemption. They dont even have to suffer the indignity of being compared to melancholy amphibians. Theyre just evil. Its that simple.That could lead to surprises, especially with controversies around the leading contenders for best picture. So let's see how it plays out ... Best live action short The Hollywood Reporter has The Eleven O'Clock favourite to win, which would be remarkable for a comedy - centring on a confusing psychiatrist's appointment - against four political shorts: DeKalb Elementary is about a school shooting; Watu Wote centres on an Al-Shabaab terrorist attack in Kenya; My Nephew Emmett is about an African-American man trying to protect his nephew in the racist south; and The Silent Child focuses on a deaf four-year-old who gets to communicate. Damon Herriman (left) and Josh Lawson in The Eleven O'Clock. Likely winner: Let's go for The Eleven O'Clock

Should win: The Eleven O'Clock or the timely DeKalb Elementary Best story: A win for The Eleven O'Clock would be the first for an Australian film in the category and Seale would join his father, The English Patient cinematographer John Seale, with an Oscar. Best Editing Their successful handling of massive technical challenges make the two Australians favourites - Smith shaped an emotional drama with three different timelines in Dunkirk and Machliss and co-editor Jonathan Amos deliverd an action movie choreographed to music in Baby Driver. They are up against Tatiana S. Riegel (I, Tonya), Sidney Wolinsky (The Shape of Water) and Jon Gregory (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Likely winner: Lee Smith, Dunkirk

Should win: Lee Smith, Dunkirk Best story: An Australian tie! Other Technical Categories After 14 nominations Roger Deakins is finally set to win best cinematography for Blade Runner 2049, with Dunkirk favoured to win both best sound mixing and sound editing, Darkest Hour best make-up and hairstyling, Phantom Thread best costumes, War for the Planet of the Apes or Blade Runner 2049 best visual effects, Blade Runner 2049 best production design, This Is Me from The Greatest Showman best song and Alexander Desplat best score for The Shape of Water. Best Original Screenplay

Having won at the Golden Globes and British Academy awards, Martin McDonagh is hot favourite to win the strongest of the two screenplay categories for Three Billboards but there has been flak about whether the film redeems a violent racist cop and sidelines black characters. It might still win but there is strong competition from Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor for The Shape of Water (though they have had to deny a legal claim that it infringes the copyright of a 1969 play), Jordan Peele for Get Out, Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird and Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani for the under-rated The Big Sick. Likely winner: Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Should win: Three Billboards, Get Out and Lady Bird all have cracking scripts Best story: A surprise win for Greta Gerwig. Best Adapted Screenplay

Veteran James Ivory has to be warm favourite for Call Me by Your Name from Aaron Sorkin for Molly's Game, Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for The Disaster Artist, Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green for Logan, and Virgil Williams and Dee Rees for Mudbound.



Likely winner: James Ivory, Call Me by Your Name Should win: James Ivory, Call Me by Your Name Best story: After three previous nominations dating back to 1985, James Ivory wins for the first time at 89. Best supporting actor It's still strange that both Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell are nominated for Three Billboards. Surely Rockwell has to be lead actor. That aside, the only first-time nominee in the field in Rockwell went from towering arrogance to bruised vulnerability playing a racist cop and, after winning at the Golden Globes and British Academy awards, is expected to win. The most likely challenger is Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project with Christopher "Not Kevin Spacey" Plummer also nominated for All the Money in the World.

Likely winner: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Should win: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Best story: The oldest acting nominee, Christopher Plummer, wins at 88. Best supporting actress You have to love great swearing in a movie. Allison Janney nails everything about Tonya Harding's monstrous mother in You have to love great swearing in a movie. Allison Janney nails everything about Tonya Harding's monstrous mother in

I, Tonya. Her biggest rival is Laurie Metcalf as a conflicted mother in Lady Bird. Rounding out the field are Mary J. Blige for Mudbound

- she's also up for best song - Lesley Manville for Phantom Thread and the only previous Oscar nominee - Octavia Spencer for The Shape of Water.Likely winner: Allison Janney,

I, TonyaShould win: Allison Janney, I, TonyaBest story: Allison Janney brings the bird from the film on stageBest actor

The (bull)dogs are barking that two-time nominee Gary Oldman is a certainty for playing Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. While he is definitely favourite, so many other actors have been great as the wartime British PM and the look - the bowler hat, cigar, suit, paunch, jowls, umbrella - helps with the heavy lifting. There is also another exceptional performance here - Timothee Chalamet as a teenager who falls in love in Call Me By Your Name, with the final scene as moving as anything in recent cinema. But with the youngest best actor winner Adrien Brody at 29, Chalamet is likely considered too callow at 22. They are up against another first-time nominee in Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out and Oscar veterans Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread (three wins) and Denzel Washington for Roman J. Israel, Esq (two wins). Likely winner: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour Should win: Either Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour or Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name Best story: Timothee Chalamet becomes the youngest winner of best actor Best actress

Given she had to switch between comedy and drama while being convincing on ice skates, no-one could have played Tonya Harding better than Robbie. But she is up against Frances McDormand, who was ferocious, funny and moving as a grieving mother in Three Billboards. The field also includes Saoirse Ronan who has her third Oscar nomination at just 23 for Lady Bird, Sally Hawkins, who impressed without words in The Shape of Water, and Meryl Streep, who has a quite remarkable 21st nomination for The Post. Likely winner: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Should win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Best story: Margot Robbie goes from Neighbours to an Oscar in seven years Best director

In a sign of changing times at the Oscars, two first-time film directors better known for being in front of the camera are nominated: Lady Bird's Greta Gerwig is just the fifth woman to get a nod and Get Out's Jordan Peele is another outlier for being an African-American helmer of a horror film. They are up against three of the best directors working in world cinema - Christopher Nolan, who gets his first directing nomination for Dunkirk; Guillermo del Toro, who also gets his first directing nod for The Shape of Water; and Paul Thomas Anderson, who has his second directing nomination for Phantom Thread. If del Toro wins, it will be the fourth win by a Mexican director in five years after Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity then Alejandro Inarritu for Birdman and The Revenant. And assuming the Mexican-set Coco wins best animated film, best not build that wall just yet. Guillermo del Toro on the set of The Shape of Water Likely winner: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water Should win: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk Best story: A surprise win for either Greta Gerwig or Jordan Peele

Best picture While The Shape of Water is favourite - dominating the nominations with 13 - it is no sure thing. Assuming the right envelope is handed over, the Oscar won't go to The Post (not widely loved), Darkest Hour (not as strong as its star's performance) or Phantom Thread (too challenging). Call Me by Your Name is hardly any more likely (slow build, European). Dunkirk is arguably the most emotionally powerful and creatively ambitious of the best picture contenders (though it was released an eternity ago and will lack impact for voters who only watch it on a small screen). With its feisty lead character seeking justice for her daughter's rape and murder, Three Billboards is the #MeToo pick (but controversial as already mentioned). Lady Bird is another strong #MeToo contender (but more likely to appeal to female voters than males). And Get Out has intelligence and heart as it addresses race in America (though voters might baulk at it being a horror film). Is The Shape of Water as good as del Toro's earlier Pan's Labyrinth? Will it be hurt by the law suit? Will Three Billboards triumph despite the controversy? Will a split vote leave room for either Dunkirk or Get Out? Likely winner: Hard to call between The Shape of Water and Three Billboards. Let's say The Shape of Water Should win: Three Billboards or Dunkirk Best story: Despite all the precautions, another "wrong envelope" mix-up sees The Shape of Water pipped by Get Out. The Academy calls off future awards.

The fallout from last year's best picture fiasco It was the drama that electrified the Academy Awards last year - the "wrong envelope" mix-up that led to La La Land being named best picture winner. Then, after more than two minutes of chaos on stage, it emerged the real winner was Moonlight. The drama made for riveting television, later winning an Emmy for outstanding directing in a variety special. And left winners and losers who will undoubtedly be drawn back to the emotional finale as the Oscars unfold this year.

Jordan Horowitz shows the envelope revealing Moonlight as the real winner of best picture at the Oscars last year as Warren Beatty and Jimmy Kimmel look on. Credit:Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP The winners included Moonlight team led by director Barry Jenkins who, incredibly for a low budget film about a gay African-American man, won the biggest prize in the movies; La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz, who showed impressive grace in acknowledging the real winner; and host Jimmy Kimmel, who held his nerve and made light of the situation. The losers were the Academy for allowing such a shambolic finale, PricewaterhouseCoopers accountant Brian Cullinan, who was too busy on social media backstage to hand over the right envelope, fellow accountant Martha Ruiz, who failed to act when the wrong name was read out; and presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, who seemed like kangaroos caught in the headlights. The fiasco overshadowed another stuff-up that upset people in this country - the wrong photo in the In Memoriam segment for designer Janet Patterson. Twelve months on, the Academy has retained PwC as accountants on the proviso that Cullinan and Ruiz are not involved.The factory belonging to a 123-year-old Brisbane business went up in flames on Friday night, with half of the building gutted by the blaze.

The Buhot Street structure in Geebung, located on Brisbane's northside, was used by Gerns Continental Smallgoods to smoke delicatessen meats.

Gerns Continental Smallgoods factory in Geebung after fire ripped through the building on Friday night. Credit:Facebook

It caught alight about 8.45pm and the business told Fairfax Media on Saturday the fire was thought to have been started by wiring in the roof.

In aBrisbane streets have been shut down by about 100 protesters, who say they are "fed up" with being ignored by Brisbane City Council over concerns regarding inner-city high-rise developments and a lack of infrastructure to cater for the associated population growth.

The group, consisting largely of locals, gathered at the intersection of Vulture Street and Montague Road on Saturday morning, which saw the closure of surrounding streets and led to trucks and council buses being forced to perform difficult U-turns in tight West End streets.

About 100 residents gathered in a bid to make the council heed their concerns over high-rise development. Credit:Toby Crockford - Fairfax Media

Greens councillor for The Gabba Ward Jonathan Sri said the significant turnout showed how concerned residents were regarding the new residential developments being considered.

I think this shows residents are still really concerned about whats going on in the area. Were seeing, in particular, residents who have only moved in during the past few years (who) are realising theres not the infrastructure that can handle the population," he said.An inner-Brisbane shopping strip lined with historic buildings has moved on from its days as an antique precinct and transformed into a retail and restaurant destination.

The cul-de-sac on Logan Road at Woolloongabba once formed part of the citys busiest intersection, The Gabba Fiveways, which had intersecting tram and rail lines.

The area has since gone through several waves of rejuvenation, and over the past two decades was a popular antique, secondhand goods and gallery precinct.

The shopping strip on Logan Road at Woolloongabba.

But the most recent changes to the area left some businesses shutting up shop.A low-pressure system has swamped north-west Queensland on the weekend, delivering falls just shy of 300 millimetres during a 24-hour period.

Swift water rescue crews have been deployed to the area and put on standby, with emergency services urging residents to bunker down.

The raging Cloncurry River following the 24-hour torrential downpour. Credit:Facebook - Dazza Goddard

The Carsland weather monitoring station recorded 298 millimetres in one day, while Black Gorge received 159 millimetres and Gereta Station saw 153 millimetres during the same period. These measurements were taken during the 24 hours to 9am on Saturday.

A range of warnings remained in place from the Bureau of Meteorology, including flood warnings for the Dawson, Balonne, Burdekin and Bohle river catchments. Flood watches were also in place for Central West and Channel Country catchments.A Melbourne man has been accused of murdering his housemate after an argument over unpaid rent.

John Pozzebon, 56, has been charged with one count of murder after a tenant at his Sunshine North property was shot dead.

According to a police remand summary tendered in an out of session court hearing, the tenant had lived in a room at Pozzebon's property for a few weeks when a heated argument began in the kitchen early on Saturday morning.

Police allege Pozzebon had been drinking and believed the tenant was refusing or delaying payment.

Pozzebon, a licensed gun owner, went to the rear shed of the property and grabbed three bullets before retrieving a hunting rifle from a locked safe in the garage and loaded the ammunition, police allege.Signalling the move, Labors spokesman on employment services and workforce participation, Ed Husic, launched a stinging attack on the program in Parliament during Thursdays adjournment debate, calling the scheme, costing $156 million this year, a dud from which seven out of 10 compulsory participants, failed to find stable work.

The decision, yet to formalised, would remove the last vestiges of bipartisanship underpinning a scheme that has operated under governments of both stripes, while exposing Labor to the charge that it is weak on mutual obligation for welfare recipients.

Bill Shortens Labor opposition is preparing to walk away from the unemployment program, Work for the Dole, arguing it punishes the unemployed, puts young people in unsafe workplaces, and too often fails to get them into work.

"The biggest thing for us right now is to put a sharp focus on the safety issues around the program and the fact that the Coalition has had more than enough warning that there are elements of this that are basically unsafe.

"We're just as interested in getting young people into work as they are, we don't want people sitting on their hands and neither do they, but under the current program, they're moving nowhere fast."

Among the concerns Labor cites around Work for the Dole are cases where participants have been exposed to asbestos, and a case in Toowoomba where an 18-year old participant was killed on a Work for the Dole project.

Mr Husic said the government should concentrate on fixing the safety problems and then work out if the program as a whole could be improved or if it should be replaced.

Mr Husic is building support within the opposition to replace it with a program that is "a lot more focused" on building up skills among the jobless that are actually needed in the 21st century economy.

But the Turnbull government remains committed to the program describing it as highly effective for some and consistent with its view that the best form of welfare is a job.Lucetta Scaraffia, editor in chief of Women, Church, World which denounced the treatment of nuns, at home in Rome. Credit:AP

The article, based on the comments of several nuns, described how some work in the residences of "men of the Church, waking at dawn to prepare breakfast and going to sleep once dinner is served, the house is in order and the laundry cleaned and ironed".

According to the magazine, nuns are relegated to second class citizens in the Church. Credit:AP

The article in the monthly Women, Church, World - remarkable for an official Vatican publication - described the drudgery of nuns who do work such as cooking, cleaning and waiting on tables for cardinals, bishops and priests.

Vatican City: A Vatican magazine has denounced widespread exploitation of nuns for cheap or free labour in the Roman Catholic Church, saying the male hierarchy should stop treating them like lowly servants.

It said their remuneration was "random and often modest".

Until now, no one has had the courage to denounce these things, the magazines editor, Lucetta Scaraffia, told The Associated Press.

In many cases, the nuns, who take vows of poverty, receive no pay because they are members of female religious orders and are sent to the residences of male Church officials as part of their assignments.

In the past, most of the nuns working as domestic help in male-run residences or institutions such as seminaries were local nationals. But in recent years, many have come from Africa, Asia and other parts of the developing world.

The author of the article wrote that what most saddened one of the nuns she talked to was that "they are rarely invited to sit at the table they serve" and made to eat in the kitchen by themselves.May's long-awaited remarks, called "Our Future Partnership", represented her third big speech on Brexit since the 2016 vote in which a narrow majority of Britons opted to leave the EU and were billed as a pivotal moment. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Credit:AP Across the English Channel, EU leaders were listening closely, hoping for concrete solutions to issues such as the Northern Ireland border and how to achieve the "as frictionless as possible" trade that May has demanded. "After what I have heard today I am even more concerned," tweeted Manfred Weber, a German lawmaker and close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel's. "I don't see how we could reach an agreement on #Brexit if the UK government continues to bury its head in the sand like this."

But Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, said he welcomed the speech. "Clarity about #UK leaving Single Market and Customs Union & recognition of trade-offs will inform #EUCO guidelines re: future FTA," he tweeted. Under pressure: British PM Theresa May. Credit:AP In an interview published on Saturday by Germany's Die WeltMay May categorically ruled out a second Brexit referendum, saying failure to implement the decision of the last one would damage the public's trust in politicians. Britain will leave the European Union as planned on March 19, 2019, she insisted adding the overwhelming majority of British lawmakers agreed with her. In her speech, May, who has ruled out staying in the single market or a customs union, talked about a need for reciprocal "binding commitments" and an independent arbitration system. She also said that certain British sectors - such as the pharmaceutical, aviation and chemical industries - may seek to remain a part of existing EU agencies, meaning they would abide by their rules and make financial contributions.

She said that the government was committed to no hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but that a deal was possible that would also leave Britain open to striking its own international trade deals. She didn't outline specifics on what such an arrangement would look like. May also outlined what she said were "five tests" that will guide her government's approach in the negotiations: taking back control of Britain's borders, laws and money; an enduring solution; the protection of jobs and security; Britain remaining an "outward-looking, tolerant, European democracy"; and a strengthening of our "union of nations." Mujtaba Rahman, a Eurasia Group analyst, said that although May's speech "feels superficially more realistic, it does not really address the EU's core concerns." In a briefing note, he said that May offered no new ideas on how to solve the Irish border problem and noted that her "pick and mix" approach has been "constantly ruled out by the EU27." "May was preparing the ground for medicine that both factions in the Conservative Party's heated debate on Europe will find difficult to swallow," he wrote. May tried to head off the criticism that she is trying to enjoy the benefits of being in the single market and customs union without the obligations, saying that "every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved. If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking."

The speech comes at the end of a rough week for May. She saw pro-business lobby groups applaud the opposition Labour Party's call for the UK to stay in a customs union. She tussled with EU officials over their proposal that would effectively see Northern Ireland remain part of the customs union. And she faced interventions from two former British prime ministers. John Major, the Conservative prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said lawmakers should have a free vote on the final deal and the option of a new referendum. If Brexit flops, he said, "there will be the most terrible backlash." His successor, the Labour prime minister Tony Blair, said May's Brexit plan is "literally not going to happen" and lambasted those who dismiss the Northern Ireland border issue as insignificant. "I find it not just disappointing but sickening that people should really be prepared to sacrifice peace in Northern Ireland on the altar of Brexit," said Blair, who played a crucial role in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that helped end decades of violence. May delivered her speech at Mansion House, an 18th-century building in the centre of London's financial district, in front of an audience that included EU ambassadors and journalists. The venue was hastily relocated from the north-eastern city of Newcastle, as Britain struggled to cope with its heaviest snowfall in decades.US President Donald Trump met at the White House on Thursday evening with a top representative from the National Rifle Association, just a day after embracing gun-control measures opposed by the nation's largest gun-rights lobbying group.

The sit-down in the Oval Office between the President and Chris Cox, the chief lobbyist for the NRA, was confirmed by both men in social-media messages late Thursday.

Chris Cox, the chief lobbyist for the NRA, and US President Donald Trump. Credit:Bloomberg

"Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

The meeting with Cox marked the latest twist in the administration's effort to respond to the massacre at a Florida high school last month that left 17 people dead. It suggested that Trump may be shifting position again in a gun-safety debate that has been deadlocked for years, despite mass shootings in Nevada, Texas, Connecticut and other states.Winter returned in a big way to Cayuga County Friday after a taste of spring earlier in the week.

A winter storm warning remained in effect for all of central New York until 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Southern Cayuga County was expected to get an estimated 8 to 12 inches of snowfall between Thursday evening and early Saturday morning. As of 7 a.m. Friday, 7 inches had already fallen, according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy, wet snow and strong, gusty winds as high as 45 mph throughout the day made travel difficult and could result in downed trees and power lines. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office issued a travel ban Friday morning. All roads in the county were closed "except for essential travel." That ban was lifted around 2:20 p.m. The sheriff still advised drivers to use caution. The sheriff's office did not indicate when the ban would be lifted.Fortis Healthcare today said it has received a notice from Serious Fraud Investigation Office asking for certain information and documents to be submitted by March 9.

The corporate affairs ministry has been looking into the affairs of Fortis Healthcare after reports about the financial irregularities emerged regarding the healthcare firm.

The company has received a notice from Serious Fraud Investigation Office, Ministry of Corporate Affairs seeking certain information and documents as mentioned therein to be submitted by March 9, 2018, Fortis Healthcare said in a BSE filing.

"The company is in the process of collating the said information and will be sharing the same in due course. The financial implication/ compensation/ penalty and quantum of claims has not been referred in the aforesaid letter and hence cannot be ascertained, " it added.

The development comes against the backdrop of reports that the Fortis Healthcare's promoters -- Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh -- allegedly took at least USD 78 million out of the company without any board approval about a year ago.

The SFIO, under the ministry, mainly probes white collar crimes.

Fortis Healthcare has also come under the lens of markets regulator Sebi, which has launched an investigation into the alleged regulatory lapses.The Congress has won 21 seats, whereas its rival BJP-NPP alliance secured the same number of seats in the Meghalaya Assembly elections, according to Election Commission. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won two seats, and its National People's Party (NPP) won 19 seats in the Meghalaya Assembly. With the initial trends favouring Congress, two senior party leaders had arrived in Shillong to ponder over government formation possibilities with local leaders.

As for other parties in the fray, the United Democratic Party (UDP) has won six seats in total in the Meghalaya Assembly. The People's Democratic Front (PDF) has won in four constituencies that went to polls. The Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) has won two seats. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has won in one seat.

Independent candidates have secured a win in three constituencies of the state. Nationalist Congress Party won only one seat. Incumbent Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has won from Songsak and Ampati constituencies.

Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27.

It is a hung Assembly in Meghalaya. With election trends showing Congress as the single-largest party in Meghalaya in this Assembly elections, the party today rushed two senior leaders to the north-eastern state to explore possibilities of forming a government. BJP could come out on top by the way of an after-poll alliance. With BJP and its ally NPP managing to secure the same number of seats as Congress, this becomes even more probable.

According to sources, senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath left for Shillong this morning to work out possible tie-ups with independents in Meghalaya to form a government there. Sources said Patel and Nath would land in Shillong post noon and will hold discussions with party leaders there, including outgoing chief minister Mukul Sangma.

The urgency in Congress' decision comes in the backdrop of criticism in the past that the party was unprepared in Goa and Manipur, giving the edge to BJP. The party failed to form the government in these two states even after emerging as the largest contender during the Assembly polls last year.

The Congress holds power in Meghalaya and is set to emerge as the single largest party in the state, according to trends available for most of the seats in the state. It is one of the five states currently held by the Congress, the other being Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Puducherry.

(With PTI inputs)The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 11 seats, whereas its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has won 15 seats in the Nagaland state Assembly elections, taking the totall tally of seats in the alliance's kitty to 26. The NDPP is still leading on one seat, acccording to Election Commission.

Meanwhile, the incumbent Naga People's Front (NPF) has bagged 27 seats out of the 59 constituencies of Nagaland Assembly where elections were observed. Chief Minister TR Zeliang of the NPF has retained his Peren constituency, defeating his nearest NDPP rival Iherie Ndang by 5,432 votes, Election Commission sources said.

Zeliang got 14,064 votes in the Nagaland Assembly polls, while NDPP's Ndang secured 8,632 votes. In the last Assembly election in 2013, Zeliang had won the seat by a margin of 2,636 votes.

The National People's Party (NPP) won two seats and the Janata Dal (United) managed to secure one seat, the sources said. Independents have won one seat in the Nagaland Assembly. Former chief minister, NDPP chief Neiphiu Rio, has already been declared uncontested from Northern Angamai-II seat.

Voting for the 59 seats in the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27.A special court issued on Saturday non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the alleged Rs 12,700 crore Punjab National Bank scam.

The court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), issued the NBWs on applications filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies probing the bank fraud cases registered last month.

The ED had earlier issued summonses to Modi and Choksi, both key accused in the scam cases, asking them to appear before the central agency.

However, the two diamond traders, who are said to have left the country before criminal cases were registered, had failed to appear before the ED, promoting the agency to move the PMLA court for issuance of NBWs against them.

On February 27, the ED had moved the court seeking an NBW against Modi.

The agency had told the court that it had issued three summonses to Modi to appear before it.

"We issued three summonses to Choksi. He neither responded to those summonses nor appeared before the agency," special ED prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar had told the special court presided over by Judge M S Azmi here on March 1.The BJP-IPFT combine scripted history by securing a majority in the Tripura state Assembly, marking the end of 25-year long reign of Communist Party of India (Marxist)in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 35 seats on its own, while its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), was victorious in 8 constituencies. This has taken the alliance across the required number of seats to get majority in the House.

The outgoing CPI (M) bagged 16 seats in total. The Left front party had won 50 out of the 60 Assembly constituencies in the state in 2013.

Among the winning candidates in the BJP were Biplab Deb, its state unit president. His name coming up as the most likely candidate for the next Tripura CM, according to sources. Final call on the name of the new Chief Minister will now be taken in a parliamentary board meeting.

The BJP's strong showing came as a surprise for many as the party did not even have a councillor in Tripura. It has secured 43 per cent vote share, which was less than two per cent votes in the 2013 Assembly election in the state. Its ally IPFT, which fielded candidates in nine seats, got nearly 8 per cent votes. The CPI (M), on the other hand, saw a little over 42 per cent voting in its favour.

The Congress has not won a single seat in the state. Its vote share is likely to dip to slightly over two per cent, the EC source said. The elections in 59 seats in the 60-member Assembly were held on February 18. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to the death of a CPI(M) candidate.

Commenting on the victory, BJP leader Ram Madhav said that the people in the state have voted for a change. "They have supported our slogan for change," he said, adding that the CPI(M) gave a "spirited fight".

BJP in-charge in Tripura and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "People were fed up with the Manik Sarkar government which has been ruling the state for more than two decades and wanted to get rid of the CPI(M) rule."

He also said the BJP's alliance with the tribal-dominated IPFT has also helped the saffron party. "Tribal votes in Tripura are around 35 per cent and they voted for the BJP lock, stock and barrel," he said.

Sarma also dismissed the suggestion that the minorities, particularly the Christians in the northeast, were against the BJP, saying the community "wholeheartedly" supported the party.

On the poll outcome, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said, "Tripura voters have given their mandate for a BJP-IPFT government in the state. We thank the people of Tripura for giving us the opportunity to serve them for the past 25 years."

He said that CPI(M) would continue to oppose the BJP and its "divisive agenda" not only in Tripura but throughout the country. He alleged that the BJP has used both "money and muscle power in Tripura".

(With PTI inputs)The IMF has warned that President Donald Trump's decision to impose hefty tariffs on imported steel and aluminium is likely to cause damage to the US and its trading partners, urging all countries to "constructively" resolve trade disagreements.

Trump on Thursday said that he would impose a 25 per cent import tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium to protect US producers.

The import restrictions announced by the US president are likely to cause damage not only outside the US, but also to the US economy itself, including to its manufacturing and construction sectors, which are major users of aluminium and steel, International Monetary Fund spokesman Gerry Rice said, a day after Trump made the announcement.

IMF, he said, is concerned that the measures proposed by the US will, de facto, expand the circumstances where countries use the national-security rationale to justify broad-based import restrictions.

We encourage the US and its trading partners to work constructively together to reduce trade barriers and to resolve trade disagreements without resort to such emergency measures, Rice said.

The tariffs -- 25 per cent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium -- cover two materials that are the lifeline of the construction and manufacturing sectors in the US.

The announcement angered key US allies -- Canada, the EU, Australia and Mexico.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker vowed the bloc "will react firmly" to defend its interests.

Canada and Germany both termed the tariffs "unacceptable".

Trump has defended his decision, saying "trade wars are good".

He tweeted that the US was "losing billions of dollars on trade" and would find a trade war "easy to win".

In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said the US would "win big" in a trade war.

He later followed this up with further tweets, saying the US must "protect our country and our workers" and that the trade deficit left him with no choice on tariffs.1. National Institute Of Film And Fine Arts, Kolkata

One of the oldest animation institutes in the country, this institute has a line of illustrious alumni to its credit. These include names like Raja Sen, Sudipto Dey and other renowned people of the industry. The animation department of this college opts for a host of unique teaching and learning techniques that are used to impart knowledge and skills to the students. Creativity is in the ambience of this institution and the students are encouraged to bring in a personal touch to all their works.

2. St. Xaviers College (autonomous), Kolkata

One of the oldest colleges of Kolkata, this institute has a legacy to carry forward. When the college adopted itself with the changing times and introduced courses in animation, it made sure that it did it job well and today this particular course is among the top in the country. The animation labs in this college are up to date with the latest technology and all of this has ensured that the students graduating out of the department land themselves with jobs both in the country as well as that at the global level.

3. Maya Institute Of Advanced Cinematic (MAAC)

What sets this institute apart from the rest is its focus in employment driven education. It offers a number of courses in visual arts, VFX, 3D animation and others. Some of these courses are short term while the rest are long term. All these courses train the students to become specialists in their chosen field of study and in turn ensure that they land themselves with jobs in the industry.

4. Arena Animation

The courses offered by this institute ranges from 2D and 3D animation to digital visualization and digital sculpting. On successful completion of any of these courses, the institute offers placement assistance in a variety of job roles like BG Artist, 2D animator, layout artist among others.

5. F X School, Mumbai

The infrastructure of this institute is among the best in the industry. Most of its laboratories are open 24X7 and students can come and practice whenever they want. Being located in Mumbai gives the college the advantage of having the guidance of some of the top names of the industry as its patrons. All of this comes together to make sure that the people graduating out of this college are industry ready.

6. Picasso Animation College, Bangalore

In its fifteen years of existence, this institute of excellence has ensured that money can never come in the way of imparting quality education. Offering cost effective animation courses without compromising on the quality, the college has ensured that they remain connected to the market and evolve a deep training culture that instills creativity in its students.

7. Mayabious Academy  School of Animation And Visual Effects, Kolkata

Established in 2002, this institute has one of the best animation laboratories in the country. The graphic multimedia animation course that is offered by this industry is among the best in the country as this makes sure that the students are well versed in all the modern and latest software in the field. Other than this, the college also offers a number of short term and part time courses in the field of animation.

8. Toonz Academy, Thiruvananthapuram

The focus of this college is on the fact that its students must learn through experience and that is why it is dedicated to bringing out the real talent in its students and grooming them to become one of the most sought after animation professionals in the country. It offers free internship to all its students and its international curriculum ensures that the students of this institute are ahead of their competitors in ways more than one.

9. Zee Institute of Creative Art, Bangalore

What sets ZICA apart from all other colleges in this field is the fact that it was one of the first colleges in the country to offer a course in VFX certification. The number of PDP courses and certifications that are on offer here is much larger than that of other institutions. Its central location and association with the Essel and Zee group ensures that the students who graduate out of this place tend to fare well in their respective careers.

10. Whistling Woods International Institute, Mumbai

With the very reputed film-maker Subhash Ghai as its Founder and Chairman, this institute has collaborations with some of the top names in the industry like Zeiss, YouTube, Foxxcoon, Dolby and Adobe among others. This ensures that the placement scene in the college is among the best in the industry. Students of this college are placed in almost all the top notch animation firms of the country.Mercedes-Benz is going big on alternate fuel vehicles and in the runup has released its first teaser image for the both the SUVs testing in the snow in Sweden.

The photos show the cars undergoing cold weather testing in Sweden - an altogether common practice done by manufacturers at this time of the year in the regions closer to the artic circle. But adding to the cold weather testing for the engine is also work on the ride and handling which will continue for the rest of the cold season. The automaker has said that the cars will be subject to over 500 tests in addition to some additional ones that will be specific to these vehicles due to the nature of their powertrains.

To recap, The EQ C is a new electric SUV that the automaker is developing under its EQ brand and will be launched in 2020. The GLC F-Cell is a GLC but with hydrogen power as well as an electric motor and will be launched in 2019. The former was shown in concept form at the 2018 Delhi Auto Expo.After the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, high school students all over America are taking matters into their own hands to tackle gun reform. As a means of protest, school walk outs are scheduled on a national level to bring attention to the growing number of students who feel directly affected and increasingly concerned about the issue. However, many high schools are threatening various forms of punishment for students who choose to participate. Several top colleges have decided to weigh in and take a stance.

1. UCLA

UCLA Admission sent out a tweet detailing its thoughts about the prospect of potential student protests. UCLA supports students who use their right to peacefully demonstrate and have their voices heard. We stand with you, the school tweeted along with a photo of text that read: UCLA is a community that supports active citizenship and applauds students expression of their beliefs. Participation in peaceful, meaningful protest and/or civil action in no way jeopardizes your admission or scholarship to UCLA.

Next: Previously, any disciplinary action that occurred after acceptance could revoke a students attendance at this school.

2. MIT

MIT specifically states in their acceptance letters that students must report to our office any conduct that may result or has resulted in any disciplinary or other action that occurs after your admission to MIT. This bit of information proved troubling to students who planned on protesting current gun laws. MIT Admissions posted a letter to students in an effort to clear the matter up.

[] because we do not view such conduct on its face as inappropriate or inconsistent with their prior conduct, or anything we wouldnt applaud amongst our own students, it will not negatively impact their admissions outcome, wrote Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill.

Next: Yale wrote a letter to its prospective students about what will happen if they protest (or, what wont).

3. Yale

Yale began receiving questions from already admitted and potential students alike asking if their involvement in the recent gun protests would lead to their acceptance getting rescinded. In short, Yale responded: Of course not. Hannah Mendlowitz, a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions and Director of Recruitment, wrote a letter to students titled In Support of Student Protests that details Yales attitude concerning a prospective students suspension due to protesting.

Next: Brown University weighs in

4. Brown University

Brown University Admissions sent out a tweet alerting prospective students to its feelings towards the upcoming protests. Applicants to Brown: Expect a socially conscious, intellectually independent campus where freedom of expression is fundamentally important. You can be assured that peaceful, responsible protests against gun violence will not negatively impact decisions on admission to Brown, the school wrote.

Next: A leading private research institution

5. Boston University

Boston University Admissions posted a statement on their website in support of the upcoming protests. Boston University believes that every student should expect a safe school environment in which to learn and study. We stand in support of every high school student who chooses to participate in peaceful protests, such as the March For Our Lives and the National School Walkout Day, or who thoughtfully and respectfully exercise their freedom of expression. We want to reassure students who have already been admitted to BU or whose applications are currently under review, that your admission to Boston University will not be jeopardized should your school levy a penalty for participating in such protests, wrote Kelly A. Walter, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions.

Next: This school applauds students expression of their beliefs.

6. Dartmouth College

Dartmouth also sent out a tweet clearing up their stance on prospective students getting in trouble with their high schools for protesting. Dartmouth supports active citizenship and applauds students expression of their beliefs, the school tweeted along with a photo of text that read: Dartmouth supports active citizenship and applauds students expression of their beliefs. Participation in peaceful protest in no way jeopardizes your admission to Dartmouth, even if you are disciplined or suspended. Speak your truth.

Next: One of the most politically active colleges in America

7. George Washington University

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions at George Washington University released a statement on what will happen to students who are penalized for protesting. As one of the most politically active colleges in the US, we support your Constitutional right to advocate for what is just. In our view, participation in peaceful protests is a legitimate way to exercise this right. If you are disciplined or suspended by your school district as a consequence of peacefully and lawfully exercising this right, such measures will have no effect upon your admissions decision here at GW, wrote Dean of Admissions, Costas Solomou, Ed.D.

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!Hollywood superstar and Christian actor Chris Pratt offered prayers for director Kevin Smith, who recently suffered a heart attack. However, the gesture received criticisms online while some people even attacked the "Guardians of the Galaxy" star.

A few days ago, Pratt posted on his Twitter account that he was praying for Smith's quick recovery. He also enjoined the rest of his followers to do the same.

"Kevin we don't know each other too good but I have loved you since Clerks," the actor wrote. "I'm praying my a** off for you cause I believe in the healing power of prayer. Can you please pray with me people!?"

Netizens, however, were quick to criticize the actor for his post. Some alluded that prayers to "the great sky fairy" would not actually help. Pratt's critics likened his gesture to politicians who offered prayers in times of tragedy, such as the recent school shooting, but did not actually make concrete actions to prevent these, such as enforcing effective gun control laws.

Pratt's friend and the director of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise, however, defended the actor from the bashers. James Gunn posted a series of Tweets and said that Smith likely appreciated Pratt's offer for prayers.

"No one expects Chris Pratt to shoulder doctors out of the way and perform heart surgery on Kevin Smith," Gunn replied. "Nor does Kevin need Chris to pay his medical bills."

Gunn added that in some cases, offering prayers was like an acknowledgement that someone cares. The director said he would be grateful if someone did the same to him if he got sick.

Smith, who is currently recovering from his heart attack, shared a video to address everyone following his health scare. He particularly talked about what happened to Pratt and told his online followers that it was pointless to fight over this issue and he knew that the actor's offer for prayers came with good intentions.

Pratt has never hidden the fact that he is a devoted Christian working in Hollywood. The Marvel star openly talked about following Jesus Christ, and when he is not on the set, he often goes to church with his son.There is a simmering clash over religious freedom in public schools in one of America's fastest-growing city, and at the center of the issue are the students of the McKinney Independent School District in Texas.

Megachurch Prestonwood Baptist pastor Jack Graham expressed that recent events in the school district could qualify as an attack on religious freedom. It all started when one Christian church member refused to remove a crucifix while employees at the public school held a meeting at the church.

Following this, McKinney ISD decided to end its decade-long practice of holding commencement rites at the same Baptist church. Allegedly, some concerned parents of the over 24,000 student community voiced out that the venue was no longer appropriate. Graham, however, believed that the school officials "yielded to the pressure" from non-Christian groups.

Last year, McKinney ISD received complaints after a video showing Superintendent Rick McDaniels praying with employees made its rounds. McDaniels could be heard in the video saying that he knew that his colleagues might be uncomfortable about prayer, so he asked them to observe a moment of silence.

The activist group Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote a letter to McKinney school officials to remind them about the separation of church and state. As it is in the Constitution, public schools can never endorse a religion.

That controversy has once again surfaced amid the school district's decision to change venues for its graduation.

Cody Cunningham, the spokesperson for the school district, said in a statement there were plenty of reasons leading to the decision to move to the Allen Event Center. He also reminded the public that graduation was not about religious debates but was a time to honor the achievements of the students.

A father of one of the graduates, however, said that there did seem to be an attack on religious freedom in McKinney. He also said that although he was not comfortable holding his child's graduation rites in a secular place, he would not be debating with other parents about it. These recent events have also pushed some students to keep their identities or ideologies to themselves for fear of being bullied.The Catholic community in Hong Kong expressed disappointment and worry over the Vatican's deal with China's government. The two sides have reportedly been forging an agreement that openly allowed the government to appoint bishops in the mainland but the Vatican would still need to approve them.

Retired Cardinal Joseph Zen found the deal with China to be questionable. Though Pope Francis has the final approval on bishop assignments in all Catholic churches around the world, Zen thinks the Chinese government could still influence church activities in the country.

In particular, the government could still nominate bishops whose loyalties are with its communist leaders. In the meantime, there are still underground bishops who are well-deserving leaders servicing illegal Catholic communities. Hong Kong Catholics are concerned that the deal will never address the actual issues of divide, prohibition and interference.

"It's obvious what they are going to do," Zen told the press from Hong Kong. "They will not only eliminate bishops, but in some dioceses have no bishop, but some kind of [government] delegate."

For 70 years, the diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and the Chinese government has been strained. Chinese authorities usually supervise and control church activities, while the government also has a say in the appointments of Catholic Church leaders.

The constraints led to the growth of underground and illegal Chinese Catholic communities. Government authorities have also treated many members of the underground church unfairly.

News of the Vatican and China's deal have led a group of Hong Kong lecturers, lawyers and human rights activists to launch a petition for Vatican leaders to reconsider its agreement with the Chinese government. The campaign received 2,300 signatures as of press time.

"If the Vatican makes a compromise with Beijing, the Catholic Church loses that moral and spiritual appeal," one of the group's heads, Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, stated. "It doesn't benefit the church."

There are some 12 million Catholics in China as of 2012. The number, however, has declined since the government has aggressively controlled the community in recent years.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

At this stage in my life, early rising has become the norm. It was 4:00 am, February 21 when my BBC app flashed the news about Billy Graham's passing. So many memories flashed into my mind, and then prayers flowed from my heart.

When my wife roused sometime later I said, "Billy Graham has died at 99, and I'm sure that he's glad he didn't live to be 100." My story about Billy Graham feels so personal because he impacted my life on so many levels.

On Crusade with Billy Graham

As a young boy I always admired my dad's older brother, my Uncle Don. Donald Hustad was well known in church music circles as a talented and wise musician and teacher. He was a world-class organist, choral director, musical arranger, and composer. I was so impressed to see the many record album covers with my Uncle Don's name on them.

By then, Billy Graham had become a household name and he was a growing national and international celebrity. And then it happened. Billy Graham invited my Uncle Don to join him as the organist for his worldwide crusades. "Wow," was my initial reaction. When I was 16, my uncle invited me to join him and his family for the Billy Graham crusade in Minneapolis, St. Paul.

I remember the thrill of it all like it was yesterday. I was there in the midst of all the excitement backstage and the long, intense week of events and meetings. Then, to watch thousands of people pack into the Minnesota State Fair Grounds and to be within 50 feet of the powerful preacher was incredible. Billy Graham usually came to the stage after the meeting started, would pray intensely, and then do what he was called to dopreach the gospel with passion and deep pathos. I watched in wonder as literally hundreds of people streamed forward.

And then, to be at one of the staff eventsa partyand to be introduced to the man himself and to note his presence and poise, and his interest in me, a shy, young boy from Iowa. He was indeed, "the man."

A Meeting that Changed My Life

I followed him and read what he wrote from then on and particularly admired his talent in the mediahow well he used radio and television. But with all of his achievements, there was always such a modest touch to the man.

I remember once, a TV interviewer quoted another Christian leader who had unleashed a major criticism of Billy Graham. The interviewer seemed intent on starting a fight or controversy. Billy listened, put his head down for a moment, then looked at the interviewer and simply said, "I am sorry he feels that way." No defense, no counter-attack, no fighting back. If you want to see true greatness in a man or a woman, don't look at the big things they do, watch for the little things.

As I grew into a young man and started my teaching career, I usually made a point to listen to his weekly radio broadcast, "The Hour of Decision." In my teaching, I had overcome my deep introversion and shyness and had become a recognized and respected teacher. But I was thinking of a career change to follow my life-long dream of getting into radio; and indeed, Billy was the master of the spoken word on the airwaves.

One night, the Billy Graham broadcast came on and it was noted that Billy was speaking from an international missionary radio station located in Monte Carlo: Trans World Radio. I jumped out of bed, wrote the name down, and within a year, my family and I were involved in the global work of missionary radio, all the while supporting our own work and outreach. I became a missionary entrepreneur.

I am still an entrepreneur today; what I call a Jesusled entrepreneur. Billy Graham had indeed changed my whole life and career, and I am sure he never knew or probably remembered the shy boy he was so kind to that night of the staff party at the Minneapolis crusade.

I have been a student of his life for some time, and the lessons about entrepreneuriship, ministry, media, leadership, and personal conduct that you can learn from the life of Billy Graham are legion.

This short memoir is just a single example of a story that was duplicated hundreds of thousands of times around the world. Lives were totally changed by the presence of "that man, the man."

But I can just imagine him shaking his head and saying, "No Stanley, I am not the man; there is only one who is 'the man.'"

A Gentle Passion

I remember one interview in which Billy was asked about his purpose and passion, and with a little bit of a shrug and smile, confessed that he was indeed quite intense, a bit of a "warrior" for the gospel. In my view, "humble warrior" would be a suitable title for Billy Graham.

Billy would have turned 100 this coming November, and I just know in my heart that he might have been dreading that. There would have been hundreds of kudos, tributes, news stories, and thousands of accounts just like mine that would have come forward. He would have endured it with a smile, but I know that he would not have liked it. I can almost hear him say, "It's not me, I was blessed to do what I was called to do, to join with others in saying, 'Come and see the One who is truly The Man.'"

That is the one thing he did, and he did it well. Thank you, Humble Warrior.

Photo credit: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

This article is copied with permission from the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (www.tifwe.org). The original article appeared here. IFWE is a Christian research organization committed to advancing biblical and economic principles that help individuals find fulfillment in their work and contribute to a free and flourishing society. Visit https://tifwe.org/subscribe to subscribe to the free IFWE Daily Blog.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny."

This often-quoted maxim speaks to a great biblical truth at the core of who we are called to be in Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes "...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). But how do we consistently "sow" thoughts that make us into the people God intends us to be?

Renewing a Spirit of Sacrifice

The framework for this type of spiritual formation can be seen in Romans 12:1-2:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will.

I often hear Christians only quote verse 2. Yet, if you look at this passage in the original Greek, it is all one sentence. This suggests that Paul wanted these two ideas (of being a "living sacrifice" and not conforming to the world but being transformed) linked together.

In a recent blog, I suggested that the gospel calls us to be "all in," to be wholly committed to what God is doing in the world with everything we have. This is what Paul is saying in verse 1; we have to be "all in."

But as a friend of mine often says, "the problem with living sacrifices is they keep crawling off the altar," which is why "offering our bodies as a living sacrifice" is not a one-off but something we must continuously do. This is why Paul calls this sacrifice worship; it is something we are called to do every dayit is the way we are to live.

With this as a prerequisite, we keep from being conformed "to the pattern of this world" (Rom. 12:2), by being "transformed by the renewing of our minds." Paul goes on to say that only then will we truly know God's will. The question is, how does this renewing of our minds happen and what's the impact in our daily lives?

Sowing Biblical Principles and Reaping Values that Govern Behavior

In a previous blog, I wrote about the foundational biblical principles that undergird the law of God in the Old Testament and how they are a guide to everything we do, including our work and, by extension, our businesses. These principles should inform the values we use to make everyday decisions.

Stephen Covey explains in his book The 8th Habit the important connection between values and principles:

Values are social normsthey're personal, emotional, subjective, and arguable. All of us have values. Even criminals have values. The question you must ask yourself is, Are your values based upon principles? In the last analysis, principles are natural lawsthey're impersonal, factual, objective and self-evident. Consequences are governed by principles and behavior is governed by values; therefore, value principles!

Values are the bridge between principles and behavior. Our value system acts as the "operating system" driving our everyday thoughts and behavior. God's principles are external laws that are permanent, unchanging, and universal in nature. Values, on the other hand, are internal and subjective, and they may change over time.

What Paul is telling us in this passage in Romans is that our value system must be reprogrammed from time to time. Our value system, or character, must be continually checked and realigned with God's principles. Many Christians have value systems that are a collection of conflicting ideas gleaned more from the common culture that from God's word.

In his new book, Old Testament Law for Christians, Roy E. Gane writes:

A rich source of wisdom regarding values is contained in OT laws. However, Christians have generally neglected these laws, to our loss, because we have not regarded them as relevant to our lives.

The transformational process that Paul is talking about in verse 2 ("be transformed by the renewing of your mind") is not instantaneous. It's a process wherein the Holy Spirit writes God's laws on our hearts (Heb. 10:16). We are not passive participants in this processwe have an essential, active part to play.

Constant Renewal Is Necessary for Flourishing

As we are committed to the transformative process, we must be actively seeking out the wisdom of God's principles found in his word. The Bible underscores the importance of studying God's word.

We read in Joshua: "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Josh. 1:8).

Jesus himself tells us "If you love me, keep my commands" (John 14:15).

When Paul tells Timothy "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16), he is talking about the Old Testament.

And as you study God's word, it is clear that God's "good, pleasing and perfect will" (Rom. 12:2) is for his creation to flourish. The purpose of our work, all the work we do, is to bring more biblical flourishingto God's creation.

The more we are "all in," the more our thoughts and actions align with God's principles, the more we can glorify God, serve the common good, and further his kingdom in this time and this placein our particular season on this earth. And it is in the process of bringing more flourishing to the communities we serve that we flourish, too (Jer. 29:7).

Our prayer today should echo that of the psalmist in Psalm 119:10: "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands."

This is how we change the world; this is how we reap a destiny!

This article is copied with permission from the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (www.tifwe.org). The original article appeared here. IFWE is a Christian research organization committed to advancing biblical and economic principles that help individuals find fulfillment in their work and contribute to a free and flourishing society. Visit https://tifwe.org/subscribe to subscribe to the free IFWE Daily Blog.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Sometimes a coffee cup perks me up, reminding me that all is the samefriendships and warm drinksand other times I find that in the blink of an eye, all has changed. Sometimes, smiles, laughs and excited chatter accompany coffee in this place I find myself. Sometimes, the birth of a child, an engagement, mysteriesboth good and badsickness, and even death now accompany coffee in this place I find myself.

Maybe most of this is the same as before, but no, I believe something has changed. My mind sorts this puzzle out, repeatedly taking memories in and out of a greater understanding of customs that I need to have, that I want to have. Sometimes I think I can understand the key to unlocking mysteries here, and sometimes I honestly realize I am on a journey of discovery that perhaps will never end.

Each day I start my morning routine with the Bible and a treasured mug, a memory of where and whom the mug is from and the subsequent warmth resulting from holding this American delicacy, both common but also special, otherwise known as coffee.

There is the social nature of the time-honored tradition of coffee also, though. I make a modern invitation through Facebook, asking friends to come for coffee or a drink of choice. It was so even in America, but now that I find myself in the Muslim country of Albania and had wondered what changes would happen.

At first, I found instant coffee and then was given a coffee maker, and life became more normal to me being able to drink my daily drink. The greatest happiness for me, though, was not in these rare finds and presents. It was the day the first spoken invitation came and then each invitation after that.

Wanting so much to know the people I worked so hard to meet, my heart leapt when a woman's voice called to me. "Pershendetje (Greetings!)," she called out, trying to start a friendship with me, a stranger, it seemed.

Then the question loomed which I would here again and again in this country known for hospitality, "Will you come for coffee?" Drink coffee with a stranger in her home or place of business, was this a good idea? And somehow, I knew from the welcoming look on her face, this was what I should and would do.

So, coffee took on a new meaning. Large mugs morphed into small tiny cups, decorated lavishly with floral patterns but different all the same. And what was inside the cups, was still black, but thicker with frothiness atop. If I was honest, I still enjoyed this momentary interruption to my day just as much as before, but it was not due to the delicious Turkish delight I was given to drink.

To my American palate, Turkish coffee would always be ranked second to pretty much any form of American coffee. However, the hospitality and warm reception in the homes of the Albanians I longed to know and share hope with would rank first place in my heart in the coffee world.

I was not disappointed either, at least not at first, as coffee after coffee rendezvous became commonplace and a perfect opportunity for in-depth conversation about what matters most in life, the faith in Christ I had so wanted to share with people in this post-communist country. But I then I met Gerta and subsequently others like her and found out the darker side to the Turkish brand of coffee.

In my attempts to share my faith with Gerta, I had agreed to help her learn English. From her carefully groomed chestnut hair and her earnest chocolate brown eyes to her stylish clothes with English wording, her appearance told me she valued success. Often our conversation, though, was about her life and mine and not just about learning a language. Time spent with her was rewarding to me.

She learned English by leaps and bounds, but she also wanted to study the Bible. However, the day came when her sadness became mine. She revealed that she dreaded the day she would turn 14.

The reason why surprised me even more than her dread. One day, a woman that "read coffee cups" had foretold that the day when Gerta entered her 14th year of life, she would encounter many misfortunes.

Gerta was one of many I would meet whose belief in their future was in the hands of another who had held their coffee cup. A commonplace coffee cup quite often is lifted by a woman and twisted and turned, examined, with truth then foretold about what the future of another holds. The truth that I know seems so elusive to them. But, unfortunately there are those like this Gerta that still believe their fate was sealed on a day of Turkish coffee.

Like Gerta, my friend Diana wanted to me to help her improve her English, but unlike Gerta, Diana is full of confidence about her life. When I first really got to know Diana, she eloquently spoke English and was nearing the end of finishing a law degree with excellent grades.

These facts alone did not give Diana knowledge of what she needed to take her next steps in life. After months of not only helping Diana with her English, but sharing coffees and studying the Bible with her, she one day decided to follow with all her heart the Savior about whom she had heard so much. While she still struggles with her desire to wait on God's plan to marry a Christian man, she, like me, now knows who holds her future and trusts Him to guide her.

Life continues to evolve, and each day emerges different than the one before, with even grander coffee shops in our city. I still tend to drink mostly Turkish coffee in homes, though. My day starts not just with coffee, but with prayers for those who do not know the One who truly holds their future and has a better destiny for them.

Caryl Aukerman, along with her husband and three children, has lived and worked with Global Partners in Albania for over 11 years. While she spends much of her time sharing God's love and truth with people in Albania, she also homeschools and writes in her free time. She is a contributing writer to the Annesley Writers forum and has had articles published in several publications in recent years.Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

Hours after President Trump equated immigrants with a "vicious snake" at last week's conservative CPAC Forum, he stood side by side with Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull at a joint press conference touting America's enduring commitment to partnership with our sister nation. Turnbull trumpeted our two nations' shared values of "freedom" and "the rule of law."

What wasn't trumpeted was another distinction our two nations share  recent UN censures for inhumane immigration and refugee policies and practices.

Australia's draconian refugee policy was formed in the wake of 9/11 and has born its fruit  the internationally unlawful and indefinite incarceration of mostly brown-skinned men, women, and children, most of whom have been deemed legal refugees by the international community. If we're not careful, Trump will follow Turnbull (and lead the U.S.) off a similar moral cliff.

The 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocols provide a legal framework for people to find safety in times of crisis around the world. 145 nations, including Australia and the U.S., ratified the convention and agreed to protect the rights of all refugees.

One of the unintended consequences of the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan with allied forces was a flow of refugees that became a life-altering reality for nations in the region and triggered Machiavellian political warfare that reverberates to this day.

On August 24, 2001, The Tampa carried 433 asylum seekers from Afghanistan into Australian waters. It was an election year. Then Australian Prime Minister John Howard leveraged the incident for votes and turned the boat away, all too reminiscent of the St. Louis, the infamous ship filled with 937 Jews fleeing Nazi Germany in 1939. The U.S. turned it away, it returned to Europe, and half the passengers perished in the Holocaust.

Australia's 2001 Tampa Affair led to Prime Minister Howard's "Pacific Solution." Howard drew an artificial ring around Australia and declared that anyone who entered these waters by boat would be processed offshore.

(It's important to note that offshore processing did not apply to those arriving by air, which is how the bulk of undocumented people from white majority nations arrive and become undocumented by overstaying their visas.) Australia removed surrounding islands from the Howard migration zone, particularly Manus Island and the tiny island nation of Nauru, to be able to warehouse refugees and asylum-seekers there with no obligation to accept them as refugees.

The Pacific Solution went through fits and starts, but was resurrected in 2013 when, according to Amnesty International, "for the first time since World War II, the number of those forcibly displaced from their homes exceeded 50 million [globally]."

Since 2013, 3,172 images of God have sought safety in Australia, according to the UNHCR Refugee Agency. Among them is Kurdish Iranian journalist and filmmaker, Behrouz Boochani, one of the displaced souls who made that journey and has been interned on Manus Island for nearly 5 years.

Boochani told me his story during a recent interview via secure text.

In Iran, Boochani had leveraged the press to protect Kurdish culture. Government forces attacked his office and arrested colleagues. Boochani fled Iran after reporting on the attack. His journey took him to Indonesia where he boarded a small and crowded boat with 65 other refugees bound for Australia.

"The journey was so dangerous," Boochani told me. "People were extremely scared, especially the women and children who were with us."

Hungry and afloat on the sweltering Indian Ocean, desperate families fought the ocean for a week. Then Boochani's boat broke apart on the waves. It (and he) sunk with the 65 other souls onboard.

They were rescued and brought to Indonesia, where Boochani and the survivors were arrested and jailed in a small town near the capital city of Jakarta. Two weeks later, he escaped and tried to reach freedom again.

This time his boat got lost and a British ship hauled him from the waters and delivered him to the Australian Navy, which immediately processed him into its off-shoring refugee system. They interned Boochani on Manus Island on August 28, 2013. More than 1000 men, women, and children remain interned on Manus Island and in Nauru. Many have languished for nearly five years with no actual process for resettlement established.

Similar to President Trump's claims that a gigantic wall will serve as a deterrent to border crossers, one Australian Prime Minister after another has justified the off-shoring policy by claiming that fewer people will die in refugee boats in Australian water, if they were dissuaded from making the trek in the first place. But the offshore "processing" facilities hold horrors of their own.

In November 2017 the UN Human Rights Committee cited physical and sexual abuse, gross neglect, and inadequate medical and mental health care to treat trauma experienced by refugees as they called on Australia to end its offshore processing program.

Only 85 refugees have been processed of the 1250 that the U.S. agreed to receive from Australian offshore detention. Boochani remains on Manus where he has chronicled the movement through journalism, film-making, and organizing.

One can't help but also think ahead to March 5, 2018  the artificial deadline set last fall by President Trump to purge from the U.S. an estimated 800,000 DACA recipients and an estimated million more who never registered but are DACA eligible, if Congress does not pass a Dream Act. As the death of DACA approaches, Trump needs to release them from the islands of fear and isolation upon which he has imprisoned them. Brought to the U.S. by their parents as children, these mothers, sons, pastors, engineers, and business owners should be granted a path to citizenship, not deportation.

Unlike Turnbull, Trump still has time to do the right thing and not follow Australia over a moral cliff.

Originally published at Red Letter Christians.

The goal of Red Letter Christians is simple: To take Jesus seriously by endeavoring to live out His radical, counter-cultural teachings as set forth in Scripture, and especially embracing the lifestyle prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount.NOTICE:

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Primary school pupils should be taught how to manage money, according to a charity founded by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Just Finance Foundation, which provides training teachers and helps school savings clubs, said in a joint response with the Church of England to a Department for Education consultation that learning where money comes from, when to spend and how to save is vital to children's ability to navigate adult life.

It said teaching financial skills should be be a mandatory part of personal, social, health, and economic education (PSHE) in primary schools and warned that a 'strong focus on sex and relationships education' could squeeze out other important areas of the subject.

In its written submission, the Foundation highlights figures that show 40 per cent of UK adults have less than 100 in savings and that struggling to manage money is becoming a mainstream issue.

'Financial distress is on the rise in the UK. A recent report by the Financial Conduct Authority found that 50 per cent of UK consumers show one or more characteristics of financial vulnerability and the Money Advice Service estimate that one in six individuals in the UK are over-indebted,' the Foundation notes.

It refers to the pressure on younger generations of uncertain incomes, the impact of lifelong indebtedness, and high housing costs.

The foundation's executive direction Rowena Young said: 'Children growing up today face the most challenging and complex financial landscape of a generation. Education should reflect the times and there is a growing consensus that managing money should now form an essential part of setting children up for life.'

The Just Finance Foundation has published an interim report on the impact of its LifeSavers programme of financial education in 30 primary schools across the North East, Nottinghamshire, South East London and West Yorkshire.

The study showed that 90 per cent of participating schools agreed LifeSavers had improved the quality of financial education.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: 'Research has shown that habits and attitudes to money are already being formed at the age of seven. LifeSavers helps primary schools and teachers embed financial education in ways that best meet the needs of pupils and local communities. The programme combines down-to-earth, practical experience and helping children explore what it means to be wise, generous, just and thankful with money.'

The initiative has also won the backing of chief economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, who said: 'Having seen first-hand  indeed, participated in  the LifeSavers initiative at a school in Ashington, I know how big the benefits can be in getting money matters understood by children.

'This and the broader work of the Just Finance Foundation are important steps towards the crucial goals of improving financial literacy and money skills across the UK.'Theresa May sets out ambitions for EU free trade deal

Prime Minister Theresa May urged the European Union on Friday to show more flexibility in talks on a future relationship after Brexit, saying Britain realised it could not get all it wanted but believed an ambitious trade deal was still possible.

In a much-anticipated speech, May set out ambitions for a tailor-made free trade deal that would include financial services and said Britain would aim for associate membership of EU regulators covering chemicals, medicines and aerospace.

Jettisoning an earlier strident view that Britain could walk away from the talks, May appealed to the EU to work together to solve some of the more difficult Brexit problems, including over Ireland, where some fear the return of a 'hard border' with the British province of Northern Ireland after Brexit.

But by proposing that Britain accept some EU rules and regulations and that the European Court of Justice continue to play a role in British law, May also risked alarming some campaigners who fear she will preside over Brexit in name only.

'We all need to face up to some hard facts,' May told ambassadors and business leaders in the Mansion House, the 18th century official home of the Lord Mayor of London in the heart of the capital's financial district.

'Neither of us can have exactly what we want... So we need to strike a new balance.'

It was, she added, time to be 'straight' with people over what was achievable, some 20 months after Britain voted to leave the EU and her government began to try to unravel more than 40 years of integration. Britain is due to leave on March 29, 2019.

The EU's main negotiator, Michel Barnier, welcomed the 'clarity' May offered and her recognition that Britain faces 'trade-offs'. Big business echoed his words and even some Brexit campaigners praised the prime minister for her pragmatism.

Doubts

But some EU officials were more sceptical. Manfred Weber, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the European Parliament, said May had her 'head in the sand', while the assembly's Brexit point man Guy Verhofstadt called the speech a 'few extra cherries on the cake'.

May's speech, entitled 'Our Future Partnership', was an attempt to settle doubts over how Britain sees its future outside the EU and its economic architecture and to try to ease frustrations in Brussels over what they say is a lack of detail.

She dismissed the 'off-the-shelf' trading arrangements which the EU already has with countries such as Norway, saying they did not provide 'the best way forward' for Britain or the EU.

But her vision was little changed from an earlier proposal for Britain to be able to diverge from some of the EU's rules and regulations while sticking to others which benefit Britain, a plan the bloc has described as 'pure illusion'.

May has long kept her cards close to her chest, trying to avoid provoking those in Britain who want a clean break with the EU, or others who fear the world's sixth-largest economy will suffer if barriers are raised against a major trading partner.

One Brexit campaigner welcomed the speech and praised May, who has been under pressure from two warring factions in her Conservative Party.

'The EU must now consider whether they want to put rigid doctrine ahead of the mutual interests of their people and those of the UK,' David Jones, a Conservative lawmaker and former junior Brexit minister, told Reuters.

'We must hope that they will be as positive and pragmatic as Theresa May.'

A government source said the speech was aimed at showing more pragmatism in the Brexit talks, which are now even struggling over the relatively easier part of agreeing a transition period after Britain leaves in March next year.

It will be very difficult for May to clinch the bespoke trade deal she seeks with the EU within the given time frame while keeping her deeply divided party on side and parliament, where she has only a narrow majority, broadly supportive.

'The City needs a deal in place before the end of a transition period... Not something that would take 10 years,' said New Financial, a think-tank that promotes capital markets in Europe.

Rows

May's speech did offer some proposals to solve some of the thorniest problems thrown up by Brexit, especially over Ireland, after the EU set out in a draft withdrawal agreement a backup plan that effectively would see Northern Ireland remain part of the EU's customs union.

She offered a customs partnership, where Britain would implement EU tariffs on its border for goods intended for the bloc, or a streamlined customs arrangement, where jointly implemented measures and the use of technology would minimise friction.

But the government source said the latter approach would need more work to fully solve the border question, and an EU official told Reuters in Brussels it was 'fantasy' to suppose the bloc would trust Britain to collect tariffs on its behalf.

It was also unclear whether Britain having access to the EU's financial markets in return for keeping similar standards to those of the bloc would be accepted in Brussels.

But May's overall message was that the EU and Britain must both focus on the benefits of their future trade relationship.

'Yes, there will be ups and downs in the months ahead... We will not be buffeted by the demands to talk tough or threaten a walk-out,' she said.

'By following the course I have set out today, I am confident we will get there and deliver the right outcome for Britain and the EU.'The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not as legal advice. Readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, should consult attorneys for advice on their particular circumstances.

Q. I am retired and 65 years old. In 2015, my husband and I filed papers in Fort Bend County acknowledging a common-law marriage. Now he's back with his ex-wife, and they're living together as husband and wife. Do I need to file for divorce to be rid of him? Is this something I can do on my own?

A. Even though Texas allows common-law marriage, there is no equally simple common-law divorce. To get divorced, you must go to court.

You can try to do this on your own. Go to texaslawhelp.org, then click on "Legal Information and Forms" and then on "Family, Divorce & Children." You will find forms, instructions, and answers to frequently asked questions. Everything you need to get divorced should be available for you there.

Texas Law Help also offers free advice to residents of Fort Bend County in a program they call "Fort Bend Lawyers Care." Information is available on their website. If you click on the link called Legal Help you will find many resources that might be helpful to you.

Q. I have no will. All my assets are in checking and savings accounts, IRAs, 401(k)s and brokerage accounts. All of them have beneficiaries designated. How will those beneficiaries be made aware of their inheritances upon my death?

A. What often happens is someone will start rummaging through your files and stacks of papers after you have died, and that person will discover you maintain accounts at a number of different places. A few phone calls later, all the issues should be resolved.

However, it would be a good idea for you to leave a list that's easily accessed, or better, you could let your beneficiaries know which institution they need to contact.

Maybe you have a trusted friend or family member who is younger than you, and healthy as well. That person could be responsible for letting all the beneficiaries know who they need to contact.

If your accounts go unclaimed, the banks and brokerage houses will eventually turn the funds over to the state. After a certain number of years, if the funds remain unclaimed, they will "escheat" to the state (meaning the state gets the money). You certainly don't want that to happen, so you should endeavor to take the proper steps to be sure everyone knows what they need to do to claim their inheritances.

Q. I purchased a tract of land approximately seven years ago, and I have been unable to get to it because the easement I thought existed is not there. The title company has been trying to purchase an easement but nothing has happened yet. What do you advise?

A. You need to hire a real estate lawyer.A man died after a he crashed into a ditch in northwest Houston ditch Saturday and was ejected from his car, authorities said.

Garrett Stephen Bouldin was driving northwest in the right lane at 11500 Tower Oaks Blvd. when he ran a stop sign and crashed into a ditch at 11500 Dakar Drive.Future Houston Community College students may graduate without cracking open a textbook.

A physical one, that is.

The so-called Z Degree -- a new program highlighted Friday at HCC's State of the College -- requires students in specific programs to purchase zero textbooks to earn an associate's degrees.

Instead, these students use peer-reviewed openly licensed materials developed for cheap distribution, including online.

It's an example of how HCC has tried to cut expenses for students amid concern over the rising cost of college tuition. HCC says the program and other online educational resources have saved students $750,000. Chancellor Cesar Maldonado said its development followed HCC realizing that students weren't completing their degrees due to the cost of books.

But Maldonado appears to be aimed for more sweeping reform, saying that HCC is "looking toward a future where every student can achieve the education they want without having to pay" thanks to a collaboration with the college's foundation.

In an interview later, he said that a free-tuition program is still "in design" and years away, and it would start with limited degree offerings. HCC's board has not approved any plan to offer free tuition.

Not mentioned in his State of the College address Friday was the deep tumult that has shaken the college system's board, resulting in one former trustee landing in federal prison after he said he took bribes connected to college contracts. The FBI on Friday said it would use former trustee Chris Oliver's case to raise awareness about public corruption and encourage citizens to come forward.

Candidates for trustee campaigned last fall on cleaning up the board's ethics, and separately, another trustee has lobbed lawsuits against board members over the last year and was censured in January. Several trustees were not present at Maldonado's address, which a spokeswoman attributed to scheduling conflicts.

"Certainly (the board's dynamic) affects our thought processes and our planning for what we do," he said after the event. "But I don't find it today to be stopping us."

Maldonado spoke Friday at HCC's new West Houston Institute, a $50 million project that was paid for with a taxpayer-approved bond. The facility includes collaborative conference space as well as a room with 3-D printing and laser cutting.

Lindsay Ellis writes about higher education for the Chronicle. You can follow her on Twitter and send her tips at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.It was the 182nd anniversary of Texas' independence. But for some, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Thursday was about celebrating the chapters of Texas history which they say are overlooked.

Larry Callies used to be a fixture in the local country music scene. His booth at the rodeo was replete with photos of the politicians and other celebrities for whom he once sang.

Then, a few decades ago, he lost his voice.

Luckily, he had a fallback plan. He was the second black cowboy to make state finals, and has been obsessed with the culture since he was a child. While working at Jones Ranch in Richmond, he said he started to learn about the history of black cowboys.

"I was looking at old photos, and thinking 'I know him' and 'I know him,'" he said.

He wants to tell those stories.

Two years ago, he opened the Black Cowboy Museum in Rosenberg, where he said an increasing number of people have since visited to view the artifacts that tell the story of black Western culture.

"The term 'cowboy' was actually originally about black people," he explained. "(During slavery) they had house boys, and yard boys and boys who worked with the cows - cowboys.

"Black cowboys didn't get any credit," he said. "That history wasn't forgotten, but I think some people just didn't want to say it."

Nearby, Tom Adams passed NRG Stadium in a shirt decorated like the Texas flag, a large white star adorning his heart.

He said Texas Independence Day makes him appreciate his roots.

"I just get a sense of pride," said Adams, a fourth-generation Texan. "We were the true underdogs."

Jim Schwartz had similar thoughts on the day and its meaning.

"I feel like that was the first time that we were really a part of the Union," he said.

Attached to his jacket was a miniature Texas flag that he received when the rodeo celebrated the 200th anniversary of the state's declaration of independence from Mexico.

"I wear it every year," he said.

For others, though, feelings about the day are more complicated.

Doc Brown is obsessed with the Buffalo Soldiers, the former slaves and Civil War veterans who in 1866 became the nation's first all-black peacetime regiment.

He works at the Caroline Street museum honoring the regiments.

"But even prior to them, (black soldiers) had fought in every armed conflict," he said, citing Crispus Attucks - the black man killed in the Boston Massacre who became the first casualty in the American Revolution - and the story of Joe, a 23-year-old slave who was among the only survivors of the Alamo siege.

His thoughts on Texas Independence Day are colored by history and his own upbringing. Now 73, Brown remembers vividly the segregation he and the overt racism he and other minorities experienced.

He recalled one job he had in the late 1960s, where Texas' independence at times felt less like a celebration that it did an opportunity for white workers to taunt Hispanic colleagues about the bloody war with Mexico.

It's still hard for him to separate his memories from the celebration of Texas itself.

"I think we should celebrate Texas independence," he said. "But should be about Texas being Texas, and not about how many XYZs or ABCs were killed on either side.

"It's a difficult subject," he said. "It's difficult for me to really form the words, but I do think we should celebrate something."

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated it was the 222nd anniversary of Texas' independence.Officials in the Katy Independent School District are in the process of selecting instructional materials for several courses ranging from Earth Science to Advanced Placement, or AP, World History.

The district said the materials will be implemented during the 2018-1019 school year. The courses that will be receiving new instructional items are: Forensic Science, Earth Science, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Government, AP Economics and AP World History.A federal district judge in Houston Friday rejected Harris County's request to begin implementation of an appeal court's order in a landmark suit challenging local bail practices, meaning swifter releases for poor misdemeanor defendants will continue as is for the time being.

Among the key issues the county wanted Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal to address was extending the timeline for releasing indigent defendants from 24 to 48 hours. Rosenthal ruled in April that the county's bail practices amounted to "wealth-based detention" for poor people who couldn't afford costly bail.

RULING: Harris County bail system unconstitutional, federal judge rules

While the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the majority of Rosenthal's conclusions about the county's bail practices, it determined the judges should have more room for discretion and more time to decide on bail matters.

ORDER: Appeals court OKs most of federal ruling that Harris County's bail practices unconstitutional

Rosenthal's order on Friday gives the indigent defendants who filed the class action suit time to take the case back to the appeals court on the narrow issue of whether the county sheriff should remain a defendant in the case.

While their lawyers make that request, Rosenthal said Friday in her ruling, the 5th Circuit's order for her to make revisions will remain on hold.

This was disappointing news for the defense, according to Robert Soard, first assistant at the Harris County Attorney's Office.

"We've been concerned for sometime about the non-appearance rate among the people released on the sheriff's bonds," he said. "We've been concerned about the revolving door aspect."

Attorneys for the indigent defendants have said any problem with appearance rates is the county's own creation, because it has not provided enough resources to assist defendants with making their court dates. Other jurisdictions have had no trouble implementing such systems, they have said.

Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and send her tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com.Bryan Avis remembers buying a shotgun at 18 years old to go duck and goose hunting.

We didnt have any issues, said Avis. It set there in the closet and it never did anything. My guns dont move. They dont ever do anything unless I do it to them.

The 38-year-old Clear Lake resident was among the hundreds streaming into a gun show at the Pasadena Convention Center Saturday, as the national conversation about gun control remains heated on the heels of the mass shooting that killed 17 people at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida on Valentines Day.

In the weeks since, three major stores raised the minimum age for customers who purchase guns to 21 from 18. Kroger said on Thursday that it would raise the age limit at all of its Fred Meyer locations and announced it would stop selling assault-style semiautomatic rifles at its stores in Alaska. It already decided not to sell the weapon several years ago in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

Wal-Mart and Dicks Sporting Goods also announced that guns would not be sold to those under 21.

Jeremy Dorsey, 37, of Pearland, who was exploring the convention center with his 5-year-old son, isnt sure whether raising the age limit will do much to keep weapons out of the wrong hands.

I dont think it matters to be honest with you, because if a child or a teenager really want to do something theyre going to find a way to get it, said Dorsey, also a manager at Wal-Mart. You can buy guns off the streets.

Besides age limits, other conversations have revolved around more thorough background checks and record keeping with critics, including the president, citing how the FBI missed a tip on the Florida school shooter, Nikolas Cruz.

"Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable," President Donald Trump tweeted.

Avis was waiting on more details before judging how law enforcement missed warning signs. Although, he noted that those who sell guns should not be held at fault if the FBI misjudges the persons eligibility.

The guy thats selling the gun has done his job, turned in the paperwork, waited for the response. The FBI says yes, said Avis. That persons eligible to go. How can that be his fault? Hes doing his job.

Todd Bean, 59, the founder of the gun show at Pasadena Convention Center, said hes watched his idea grow from a mom-and-pop shop to an actual business.

The now monthly show, which started around 1990, has about 120 vendors spread out across the convention center Saturday.

Gun enthusiasts had their pick of weapons, but other items were also on sale, including skinning knives, camo gear and concealed handgun purses. One vendor was selling jewelry made from bullets.

You got to realize that I bought beef jerky today, said Avis as he stood outside the convention center. Just because youre going to a gun show doesnt mean youre buying guns. They got helmets in there and they got swords.

Bean noted that Devin Patrick Kelley, who killed people in the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, shouldnt have been able to pass his background check based on his past of domestic abuse.

Theyre looking at different issues, but theyre not looking at the right issues, said Bean. There needs to better record keeping. The federal government must report people that are mentally unstable.

But Avis wants the dust to settle before the government makes decisions concerning new legislation around gun control.

The thing that I really hope happens with the governments and states that they talk it over and really understand what theyre doing before they make a quick decision that the people are going to regret in the long run, he said. Hopefully we have representatives that will do that.Community residents in northwest Harris County are urged to share information with the sheriff's office to curtain criminal activity and better identify hotspots.

The sheriff's office district 5 patrols a swath of the county that roughly lies between Texas 249 to the area east of U.S. 290.

At the first meeting on Wednesday night at the district 5 substation, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told residents they were the "eyes and ears" of their community.

"We believe that crime fighting is a shared responsibility," he said.

Deputies highlighted during the last quarter of 2017, the sheriff's office responded to 84 robberies, 256 burglaries, 178 auto thefts and 708 burglaries of vehicles.

Gonzalez said he wants the agency to be more data-driven to deploy deputies to strategic areas where they are most needed.

The office is determining how to reach out to residents either through Nextdoor, social media platforms or other methods, he said.

Sgt. Brad Miller said many of the criminal hotspots where deputies have calls for service tend to be around U.S. 290, Texas 6, FM 529, FM 1960 and Jones Road where businesses such as hotels and storefronts are densely located.

"As you can see, it's the south end of our district where we have most of our issues," he said.

Marlene Lobberecht from Cypress, said she was concerned about massage parlors where human trafficking can take place.

"The massage parlors along FM 1960 and Jones was really bad for a while," she said. "When we're out shopping, you notice those things."

Miller said the yearly average response times in 2017 for priority 1 calls, which are crimes in progress tend to be approximately 7 minutes and 55 seconds before a deputy arrives.

Disturbances between family members or similar circumstances are considered a priority 2 call and tend to be 11 minutes and 47 seconds before a deputy arrives.

Alarms and breaking and entering incidents where no one is in immediate danger tend to have a 16 minute and 45 second response.

The office is also seeking to alleviate calls where deputies aren't necessarily needed, like when residents need to report lost or stolen property.

Residents living in unincorporated Harris County can click on "Online Reporting" at the bottom of the sheriff's website to provide information on non-emergencies, such as thefts, lost items and vandalism, which will be investigated by the office.

"A lot of people don't know you can do reports like that," said Captain John Nanny. "If somebody backs into your mailbox and you need a case number for your insurance or whatever, you can do it from that standpoint."

One safety deterrent is home alarms and when homeowners install them, they need to obtain a permit from the sheriff's office, which costs $35, said deputy Stacey Tilley.

"If you don't have a permit for your alarm system and you have a false alarm go off, the county's going to send you a $75 bill," she said.

While only four residents showed up to the first meeting, Nanny said the office is relying on people to spread the word so that they are able to share public safety information.

"The more things you feed us, the more we can kind of gear it," he said. "This is for you guys to be informed. We need to know what you really want to know without us guessing."

The next meeting will be hosted in April, although a time and location have not been announced.About 150 Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp cadets from The Woodlands and Oak Ridge high schools gathered at sunrise Saturday morning to participate in a reenactment of the infamous World War II Bataan Death March.

Ninety-nine cadets from TWHS and 65 cadets from ORN were in attendance for the 14-mile hike at W.G. Jones State Forest.

The Bataan Death March was one of the most brutal acts of war in the Pacific Theater of Operations during the Second World War. The march occurred in the Bataan peninsula of the Philippines in 1942. The Imperial Japanese Army forcibly marched approximately 60,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war about 60 miles under extremely brutal conditions.

"The original Bataan Death March was an event in World War 2 after Japanese captured Americans and forced them to a prison camp," said retired Lt. Colonel Chris McMartin, who is also the senior aerospace science instructor at TWHS.

"Prisoners died along the way," McMartin said. "A few made it to the camp and made it back after the war, so this (re-enactment) is to commemorate what they went through."

The death march resulted in the deaths of at least 5,500 of the prisoners and as many as 19,000 in all and was eventually ruled a war crime committed by the Japanese Imperial Army.

McMartin said the march was first conducted by Oak Ridge students last year.

"We decided to join together this year, so this will be the first time both school do it together," he said.

McMartin said the re-enactment on Saturday morning was an effort for all involved to remember the sacrifices of the soldiers of the "greatest generation" who fought in World War II. He said he would like to continue this event as an annual tradition.

"For the foreseeable future it looks like something we'll be able to continue," McMartin said, adding that he hopes the re-enactment instills a respect for those who engaged in wartime activities.

"I hope (students) develop a greater sense respect for the sacrifices of those of who came before us to keep us safe from those who wished to do us harm," McMartin said.

Retired Lt. Colonel Lynn Bentley, who is a senior aerospace science instructor at Oak Ridge High School, said the Bataan Death March was selected to be re-enacted due to its relative obscurity compared to other wartime events in history.

"To some degree, the Bataan Death March is not as well known as the others, like the Holocaust, but we still had a large group of people that were basically marched and tortured to death," Bentley said.

Bentley said the cadets collected about $3,000 in donations in advance of the march, which will be donated to Family Service Center at Ellington Air Field in Houston.

"This is a way for kids to kids to give back," Bentley said. "They walk and get a ribbon and they get to help the community."

Bentley said preparation for the long walk included mental and physical exercises.

"Mentally, we talked about it," he said. "Physically, we practice and walked and exercised."

Bentley advised cadets to stay focused and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

TWHS cadets were required to carry a 25-pound backpack and ORN cadets took turns carrying a 100-pound stretcher of a "wounded warrior." Cadets were required to work as a team and take turns carrying the wounded solider, which weighed about 100 pounds.

"We never leave a man behind," Bentley said.

Booster clubs from both high schools set up lunch, snacks and water for the students at the midway point before the cadets continued on with the remaining 7 miles in the march.

Senior Enlisted Advisor Paige Coffell of TWHS was the main organizer of the event.

"I thought it'd be a great way for the ROTC and Oak Ridge and The Woodlands High School to get together and memorialize something that happened in our history," Coffell said. "I thought it'd be something neat for us to honor. It's something I personally feel we should remember."

ORHS Cadet Noah Martin said he came prepared for the event by packing water and beef jerky in his backpack. He said he is proud to participate in the march because of the honor it bestows on those who served.

"It's not just honoring my relatives that died in World War 2, but it's [honoring] everybody," Martin said.

ORHS Cadet Melanie Alvarez said the sacrifice of preparing for the event and getting up early was not difficult considering what the veterans went through. She said she was excited to participate and even got up at 5 a.m., well in advance of the meeting time at 7:30 a.m.

"I really wanted to be prepared," Alvarez said. "I really hope that we do it again considering that I love the purpose for it."JERUSALEM  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was questioned by police Friday as a possible suspect in a third bribery case, the weightiest so far in a string of corruption investigations that are jeopardizing his political future.

Officers questioned Netanyahu about a case involving Shaul Elovitch, an Israeli telecommunications tycoon accused of using his popular Hebrew news site to provide positive coverage of Netanyahu and his wife in return for regulatory and financial benefits worth tens of millions of dollars.

A large black screen was drawn Friday morning across leafy Balfour Street in Jerusalem, concealing the prime ministers official residence and the comings and goings of investigators. Outside, a small but noisy group of demonstrators beat drums and held placards with slogans against corruption.

Netanyahu, who has now been questioned by police eight times in the past 14 months, is fighting for his political life as the allegations against him mount. Last month, police recommended Netanyahu be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two other graft cases involving allegations of illicit gifts for favors and another attempt to obtain more favorable coverage.

Those cases are now being examined by state prosecutors and the attorney general, who will ultimately decide whether to file charges pending a hearing with Netanyahus lawyers. The process could take months.

Inside the Balfour Street residence, Netanyahu was questioned for hours under caution as a possible suspect, according to police. His wife, Sara, was questioned simultaneously as a suspect in the same case at the fraud investigation units headquarters in Lod, central Israel.

The latest twist in a spiraling corruption scandal comes on the eve of Netanyahus departure for Washington, where he is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump and address the American Israel Public Affairs Committees annual policy conference.

Netanyahu has made a point of maintaining a high-profile presence on the world stage, traveling in recent weeks to India, where he was treated like royalty; to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland; and to an international security conference in Munich.

Denying all wrongdoing, Netanyahu has been trying to project a business-as-usual approach despite his mounting legal troubles, aiming to burnish his credentials both at home and abroad as an international player.

In a short video posted on Facebook after he was questioned, Netanyahu said he was about to embark on a very important visit to the United States and added, in reference to the police investigations, I feel confident that nothing will come of it.

The questioning of the prime minister, who also served as communications minister from 2014-2017, in this latest case was expected.

Several members of his close circle have been arrested in the case, including Nir Hefetz, a former media adviser to the Netanyahus, and Shlomo Filber, a political operative for Netanyahus conservative Likud Party and Netanyahus pick as director general of the Communications Ministry. Filber, a long-serving Netanyahu aide, has turned state witness.

The case involves a dicey mix of political power, big business and personal relationships. Netanyahu is a friend of Elovitch, who owns the Eurocom Group holding company, which owns Bezeq, the Israeli telecommunications giant that has long had a near-monopoly on landlines in the country.

Bezek owns Walla, the Israeli news site that has provided lopsidedly flattering coverage of the Netanyahus for months or years. Sara Netanyahu, a friend of Elovitchs wife, Iris, is reported to have sent messages to her with demands to tilt the coverage in her husbands favor. Iris Elovitch has already been arrested in the affair and spent several days in detention.

Sara Netanyahu is facing possible fraud charges in a separate case in which she is accused of misusing about $100,000 in public funds in her management of the prime ministers official residence.

Among other things, the Communications Ministry is said to have pushed regulators to allow the merger of a money-losing satellite network, Yes, also owned by Shaul Elovitch, with Bezeq, a deal that would have reaped huge tax savings for Elovitch.

At a hearing for two of the suspects in the case in a Tel Aviv court this week, Yehudit Tirosh, a prosecution lawyer, pointed a finger at Benjamin Netanyahu in his role as communications minister.

This is a grave case of giving and receiving bribes, Tirosh was quoted as saying by the Israeli news media. The term positive coverage is misleading. This is harnessing a leading website in return for regulatory favors by the minister of communications and the director general of the Ministry of Communications. The value of the regulatory benefits was about $500 million, she said.

The prime minister responded in a Facebook post this week, saying, All actions were carried out in a professional manner based on the recommendations of the professional echelon, professional committees and legal counsel.

Jack Chen, a lawyer representing Shaul Elovitch, said in an interview Friday that the allegations were baseless and that his client categorically denied that there was ever any such deal.Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush is the scion of a political dynasty but hes standing firmly with President Donald Trump as Tuesdays Republican primary approaches.

Facing three opponents including former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Bush is using his support for Trump in hopes of fending off a runoff election, aligning himself as an ultra-conservative who has reduced the size of the Texas General Land Office. Hes spending millions on ads to promote his conservatism and attacking Patterson for not supporting Trump.

Some political experts say Bush is trying to differentiate himself from his family members, who repudiated Trump, by embracing a president who remains widely popular among Texas Republicans.

If you're a candidate running for statewide office as a Republican in Texas, the path of least resistance is to align yourself with Trump, said James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at UT Austin.

Bush, 41, easily won the Republican primary nomination in 2014. This year may be different.

Bush is facing Patterson, who headed the Land Office for 12 years; former schoolteacher Rick Range; and land surveyor Davey Edwards.

Bush and Patterson have intensified their attacks against one another on social media, in the press and in political ads, including websites dedicated to criticizing the others record.

Patterson, who owns BushFail.com, has criticized Bushs handling of housing recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and the redevelopment of the land around the Alamo. He has also denounced Bush for not attending candidate forums or publicizing campaign events.

Bush, on the other hand, has said he is focused on doing his job as land commissioner and has noted he drastically cut the size of the General Land Office when he took over. His campaign, which owns JerryPatterson.com, has paid for web ads lambasting Patterson for not voting for Trump.

Trump endorsements

George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Jeb Bush  George P. Bushs father  also opposed Trump in 2016. George P. Bush, on the other hand, endorsed him.

From Team Bush, it's a bitter pill to swallow, but you know what? You get back up and you help the man that won, and you make sure that we stop Hillary Clinton," Bush said at a GOP event after Trump won the Republican nomination.

Campaign officials said Bush was not available for an interview. Lee Spieckerman, a campaign spokesman, said while the Bush family is very close, George P. Bush is his own man.

He represents a new generation of conservative leaders, Spieckerman said. The Republican Party is rigorous. Its diverse, and its a party epitomized by President Trump.

Spieckerman said George P. Bush is firmly aligned with our president.

In the past month, Donald Trump Jr. and President Trump tweeted their support for Bush.

Texas LC George P. Bush backed me when it wasnt the politically correct thing to do, and I back him now, Trump wrote in a tweet last week in which he also endorsed other GOP candidates.

On Friday, former President George H.W. Bush tweeted a photo of himself wearing blue-and-red socks emblazoned with the word vote, encouraging fellow Texans to hit the polls.

While I am at it, this very proud grandfather will also put in a plug for @georgepbush for Texas Land Commissioner. A good man doing a great job, he wrote.

University of Texas at Austin political scientist Daron Shaw said the George P. Bush campaign and others in Texas are aligning themselves with figures that are seen as anti-establishment. But that can be challenging for someone like Bush who comes from a storied political family with moderate conservative views, he said. A recent UT Austin/Texas Tribune poll shows 83 percent of Texas Republicans are supportive of Trump.

What Bush would like to do is establish an identity as someone who is new and going to shake up the status quo. This is doubly difficult when you have a famous last name, said Shaw, who worked as a strategist on both of George W. Bushs presidential campaigns. Bush is attempting to reinforce the notion that he is his own man and a politician for the 2020s, not the 1980s.

Patterson, Bushs most outspoken opponent, accuses Bush of hanging his hat on the Trump endorsement because thats all hes got.

Thats his salvation, or he hopes its his salvation, Patterson said. Theres nothing else.

Patterson did not vote for Trump. Instead he cast a write-in vote for Evan McMullin, a Utah conservative, who ran as an anti-Trump independent. On the campaign trail, Patterson has praised Trump for many of his political appointments and makes a point to mention that his son is a pilot for Marine One, the presidents helicopter.

Effective conservative

Along with emphasizing his support for Trump, Bush has also paid for mailers and video ads highlighting his conservatism.

One video features Bush, who has millions of dollars in his campaign coffers, wearing a quilted vest on a beach lauding his tenure as the most conservative in the agencys history.

I am a proud conservative. I stood by Ted Cruz in 2012. I endorsed President Trump in 2016. Weve done a lot, but were just getting started, Bush said.

He lists his accomplishments: creating a coastal master plan to better prepare the state against natural disasters, saving the Alamo by undertaking repairs; and stopping an illegal Obama land grab near the Red River.

The main strategy for Commissioner Bush is to do a great job and govern conservatively, Spieckerman said. Actions speak louder than words. Hes proving he should be re-elected.

But some have raised questions about that record, particularly Bushs handling of the Alamo and Harvey recovery efforts. State lawmakers have criticized Bush for putting the management of the Alamo under three nonprofits that are often shrouded in secrecy. An internal GLO audit, leaked to the media in February, found that the agencys use of the nonprofits to manage the storied landmark was overly complicated and led to practices that run afoul of state requirements.

The agency has also been marked by its slow response to Hurricane Harvey. Six months after the storm, the Associated Press found efforts to provide short-term housing and emergency repairs following the storm have lagged well behind previous post-disaster efforts in other states.

Bushs opponents have seized on those issues to argue they would do a better job leading the General Land Office. Spieckerman said Bushs political enemies have fanned the flames to create baseless stories about Bushs record. Asked why Bush has not personally responded to those stories or attacks, Spieckerman said Bush doesnt have to dignify every baseless media attack with an answer.

He is working tirelessly. Thats how he should be focused, not on dignifying spurious and silly accusations and nonstories that are blown up, Spieckerman said. He has better things to do than to spend time on that.Eight state and local civil rights groups filed a formal complaint Friday with a judicial commission, seeking sanctions against a Harris County felony court judge because of comments he made to the Houston Chronicle about black defendants.

State District Judge Michael McSpadden, who has served 36 years on the bench, told the Chronicle last week he didn't allow magistrates to grant cash-free bail bonds to defendants because most defendants were "tainted," they tended to have extensive criminal histories and they did not take court dates seriously.

COMMENTS - Harris County judges told hearing magistrates to deny no-cost bail

McSpadden said, "The young black men - and it's primarily young black men rather than young black women - charged with felony offenses, they're not getting good advice from their parents," he said. "Who do they get advice from? Rag-tag organizations like Black Lives Matter, which tell you, 'Resist police,' which is the worst thing in the world you could tell a young black man ... They teach contempt for the police, for the whole justice system."

Terri Burke, executive director for the ACLU of Texas, said her group and several others jointly filed a complaint in response to these remarks -- and an explanation McSpadden submitted in the form of a letter to the editor -- asking the State Commmission on Judicial Conduct in Austin to investigate whether McSpadden violated his obligation to remain unbiased.

LETTER FROM JUDGE - McSpadden speaks loud and clear on Black Lives Matter

"This isn't new, but it's jarring to hear a powerful figure in the criminal justice system embrace discrimination so openly," Burke said in a statement. "It's time we took action to end the inequality that black defendants face in courtrooms like Judge McSpadden's."

Until the commission responds to the complaint, Burke's group and the others have requested that McSpadden recuse himself from cases involving African American defendants.

The other groups listed as part of the complaint are the Houston branch of the NAACP, Texas Civil Rights Project, ImagiNoir/BLMHTX Organizing Collective, the Earl Carl Institute for Legal & Social Policy, the Texas Organizing Project, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition and Black Lives Matter.

RELATED - NAACP Legal Defense Fund, others call for Harris County judge to resign after controversial comments

McSpadden told the Chronicle earlier this week he did not wish to comment further. He could not be reached for comment Friday evening.

The civil rights groups allege that McSpadden's comments violate the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct and warrant suspension and removal from office.

The complaint notes that McSpadden was one of 31 judges identified in a Chronicle story who during a 12-year period systematically denied defendants personal bonds during their initial appearances before a magistrate.

It says, "All judges who adopted such policies, not just Judge McSpadden, willfully discriminated on the basis of socioeconomic status in violation of the Canons of Judicial Conduct."

In reference to McSpadden's comments to the Chronicle, it says, "The quotation reveals that Judge McSpadden had an administrative policy of denying personal bond motivated by bias against young black men."

RELATED - ACLU calls for judge's ouster over racially charged comments

The complaint claims the judge failed to maintain and enforce high standard of conduct and integrity and failed to perform his duties without bias or prejudice.

The groups say the quote indicates has prejudged an entire category of people who come to his court.

"Judge McSpadden's comments indicate that he considers race, sex, and age to be appropriate bases for denying pretrial release. His comments also indicate that he adopted an administrative policy, which was in place for more than ten years, motivated by his belief that young black men should be denied pretrial release," it says.

Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and send her tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com.Detectives are searching for a Houston-area man accused of trafficking a 16-year-old girl who ran away from home in 2017.

Kareem Marcus Nolden, 34, is wanted on several felony charges, including trafficking of a child, compelling prostitution and sexual assault of a child. The girl is now safe, according to HCSO Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland.

She ran away on Sept. 15, 2017, according to court documents, moments after her mother dropped her off at her school that morning.

CHILDREN SHOT: Two children wounded as they waited in car while mother had her nails done

She walked to a YMCA across the street from the school where she met with Nolden. He then drove her to the Intown Suites in the 3000 block of Texas Highway 6 where they stayed for two nights, detectives said.

Nolden forced her to have sex with several men while at Intown Suites, according to court documents.

After their stay at the Intown Suites, Nolden took her to the Crossland Economy Studios, an extended-stay hotel, a few blocks north of Intown Suites on Texas Highway 6. That's where Nolden again allegedly sold her for sex, detectives said.

HOSPITAL SHOOTING: Police arrest man who shot UT Health employee outside work

A few days later she was moved to the Texan Inn Suites, in the 4000 block of the North Freeway. The girl told detectives Nolden essentially paraded her up and down the halls of the Texan Inn Suites letting people there know she was available for prostitution, detectives said.

Nolden also took photos of the girl while she was naked that he used to market her for prostitution, she told detectives. After about three weeks, the girl called her mother wanting to return home, court documents show.

She met her mother at a Home Depot in southwest Harris County on Oct. 4 where she was taken back home, according to court documents.

Nolden is also accused of having sex with the girl on a daily basis, according to court documents.

MALL ASSAULT: Houston man accused of attacking woman inside Memorial City Mall bathroom

Nolden's last known location was at the Windchase Hamlet Apartments in the 3200 block of Windchase Boulevard, near the intersection of Richmond Avenue and Eldridge Parkway in southwest Harris County. He has five prior felony convictions in Harris County since 2002, including drug, weapon and theft charges.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $5,000 for any information that helps find Nolden, detectives said. Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477), visit crime-stoppers.org or text "TIP610" to CRIMES (274637) with the information in the text.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.A teenager was injured by gunfire Friday afternoon in southeast Houston.

The Houston Police Department was called to a reported shooting in the 6000 block of Wortham Way, which is near the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Bellfort Street. When they arrived, they found a 16-year-old male shot at the location.

Paramedics with the Houston Fire Department rushed the teenager to an area hospital in stable condition, police said.

HOSPITAL SHOOTING: Police arrest boyfriend accused of shooting hospital employee

Detectives with HPD's Major Assaults Unit are investigating the shooting. Authorities offered no details on the shooter.

No other information was available. Check back for updates on this developing story as they come in.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.White candles were lit, Psalms were read and loved ones shed tears late Friday as the Third Ward community searched for answers a day after two children were shot in what police Chief Art Acevedo called a crossfire of cowards.

Clergy, friends and community leaders gathered for a vigil to pray for the injured boy and girl and for violence to cease, as the childrens grandmother stood by, visibly shaken and sobbing.

We have to come together, said Reginald Gordon, of Operation Outreach, a community organization that empowers at-risk youth. We have to sit down at the table and discuss the issues. Weve got to come together to bring a truth to this kind of violence that is going on amongst the communities here.

The shooting, which Mayor Sylvester Turner labeled a heinous and cowardly act during a news conference on Friday, shocked city and community leaders, prompting them to call for an end to the bloodshed and to urge anyone with information to come forward.

Turner gathered with Houston police in a parking lot outside Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Friday afternoon, just yards away from where the children were shot Thursday night.

This will not be the new normal in this city, Mayor Sylvester Turner said. And we are not going to allow a safe haven and we should not provide safe haven.

About 16 hours earlier, the 8-year-old boy and his 5-year-old sister were sitting in a car while their mother went inside the 7 Day Nails salon in the 3900 block of Scott Street near Wheeler Avenue.

The shots rang out Thursday about 7 p.m. The boy, Tristian Hutchins, was shot in the head and is in critical condition. The girl, Kheristian Hutchins, is being treated. A third child in the car was unharmed.

Robert Gilmore Sr. of Houston Ministers Against Crime said prayer is important in times of tragedy but that communities need to take action. He called for a Crime Stoppers reward to be offered to encourage someone who might have information to step forward.

Those gathered for the vigil remembered that just a year ago another 8-year-old, DeMaree Adkins, was shot and killed inside a car in southwest Houston. A teen was arrested a few days later.

Faith without works is dead, said Gilmore.  Weve got to do more.

Acevedo condemned what is believed be a gang-related shooting, saying the innocent children were "caught in the crossfire of cowards."

"I think its outrageous, and every Houstonian should be outraged," Acevedo said. "Were going to do everything in our power to capture them, to charge them, to make sure they are tried but that they never see the light of day for what they did."

Investigators released few details about the shooters, saying they didnt want to compromise any leads. But police said they have identified persons of intersest and that multiple guns were involved, Executive Assistant Chief Matt Slinkard said. Officers were looking for a light-colored car that pulled up next to the vehicle before the shooting.

Police said they dont know if the gunmen were aware that children were inside the car.

The attack did not appear to be random. While the children might not have been targeted specifically, police believe that someone else might have been the intended target.

The shooting, coupled with other recent shootings of children around the country, has made it clear that blood and violence needs to end, said the Rev. Marcus D. Cosby, pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.

We have to put an eradication to gun violence in our city to ensure that innocent children are not affected by this senselessness, Cosby said.

Police are also looking into whether a separate shooting, which occurred just a mile away hours earlier, was connected. Officers found a 24-year-old man dead in the 2600 block of Napoleon. Slinkard said police couldnt confirm whether the two shootings were related.

Once the shooters are caught, police will push for harsh punishment, Acevedo said.

"These fools ... are going to find out that they're going to grow old in prison," he said. "I look forward to watching these perpetrators go behind bars."

brooke.lewis@chron.comBOISE, Idaho - As Willie Hughes walked around the weathered plots and mounds of dirt at Peaceful Valley Cemetery, he remembered family that died too young and his brother Steven, who was born with spina bifida.

Steven never saw a doctor, a physical therapist or used a wheelchair. He crawled around on his forearms and died of pneumonia at age 3.

"I remember his was the first body that I saw and touched. It was traumatic for a 4 1/2-year-old to see his little brother in a coffin. I can't tell you how many dead bodies I've seen," said Hughes, a Boise truck driver who grew up in the Followers of Christ church.

Nearly one-third of the roughly 600 gravesites in Peaceful Valley Cemetery belongs to a child, advocates say. Spotty records make it difficult identify how and why the children died before burial at the graveyard used by the Followers of Christ, a splinter sect that practices faith healing and believes that death and illness are the will of God. But coroner and autopsy reports gathered by advocates, and former church members' childhood memories, tell a story about children needlessly dying from a lack of medical care.

Child advocates estimate that nearly 183 Idaho children died because of withheld medical treatment since states across the nation enacted faith-healing exemptions in the early 1970s. They say many of those victims are buried at Peaceful Valley.

"We assume that a lot of deaths can be prevented," said Bruce Wingate, founder of Protect Idaho Kids Foundation.

Wingate estimates three to four children will die this year in Idaho alone if lawmakers fail to lift the state's faith-healing exemptions.

"Because this happens over time, people don't get shocked. But 183 kids is outrageous," Wingate said. To make his point, he built 183 pint-size coffins. Dozens of children's advocates recently carried the pine boxes through the streets of downtown Boise to the Idaho Statehouse in a rally that unfolded in part protest and part funeral procession.

Marchers remembered the victims and carried signs urging state lawmakers to repeal Idaho's faith-healing exemptions so parents could no longer deny their children medical care under the shield of religious freedom.

"No child should die as a result of neglect of any kind," said Roger Sherman, executive director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund.

"Idaho policymakers have chosen to ignore this aspect of medical neglect. The most vulnerable members of society needed the protection of adults in society," Sherman said amid a crowd of marchers carrying the coffins.

More children die of faith-based medical neglect in Idaho than any other state, according to Children's Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, a nonprofit organization that tracks medical neglect and lobbies to repeal religious medical-care exemptions. The organization's retired president, Rita Swan, points to the gravesites at Peaceful Valley as evidence. More than 200 of those sites belong to children, and many of their deaths could have been prevented, she said, citing data from gravestones, coroner reports, obituaries and statements from family members.

Many of the gravesites at Peaceful Valley remain unmarked, however, concealing information about the lives and deaths of those buried there.

Linda Martin, a former church member and retired Lane County barber, said Followers of Christ members eschew birth control, normally give birth at home and frequently forgo prenatal care. They often home-school children and go without birth certificates, making efforts to track faith-healing deaths difficult, she said. The culture and rituals of the church compound the problem, Canyon County Sherriff Kieran Donahue said. He said followers have not always alerted authorities after a death. When deputies are called, they often find bodies moved, washed and redressed and dozens of church members milling about the house of the deceased, he said.

"You can start to imagine how difficult it is for law enforcement," Donahue said.

The Washington Post contacted several members of the church for comment. None responded.

In Idaho and more than half the other states, some kind of religious exemption allows parents to withhold medical treatment from a child. Sixteen states have no religious exemption, according to a 2016 Pew report.Early in the Netflix series called Babylon Berlin, set in Germany in 1929, the police vice squad raids the studio of a pornographic film company. At first, we hear only the off-camera voice of the director speaking to Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and so onand, for a second, we infer that it is a rehearsal for a school Christmas pageant.

Then the camera, following the police officers, enters the studio to disclose the pale, naked bodies of actors engaged in an orgy in a mangercoupling in the fashion of barnyard animals, as the director calls out instructions and encouragement.

The scene is not just a travesty of the Nativity but a travesty of blasphemy itselfand, somewhere beyond that, a comment on a style of German transgressiveness so naive and humorless and boorish and literal-minded (almost moronic) as to be . . . not innocent, exactly, but bovine, a little too dumb to arouse an intelligent persons indignation. One feels disgust, but it is not directed at the religious transgression; rather, one is overwhelmed by the depressing, over-the-top stupidity of it all, the squalor. The vice squad officers, all business and a little bored, take the scene as a matter of course. These are the polluted waters of their culture. This is their swamp. (Weimar Germany was a prequel, needless to say.)

Its possible to have a similar reaction to aspects of America in 2018. Jean Cocteau once said, Stupidity is always amazing, no matter how often one encounters it.

Its not that our violence, pornography, stupidity, etc., will necessarily lead on to a twenty-first century version of Hitler; the current disturbances might as easily conjure a twenty-first century version of Stalin, or, more likely, a reign that enlists totalitarian cybernetics, of which we have had glimpses and warnings. Its just that the violence, pornography, and squalid politics are such an indictment of what we have become, and what we have come to tolerate. Almost everyone, I think, shares the sense that we inhabit an age of travesties; everywhere, there is an atmosphere of travesty. Prodigies of nature itself proclaim itextreme hurricanes, heat waves, droughts, travesties of weather.

We disagree about which side is responsible for what has gone wrong in our culture and politics. Probably everyone agrees that social media, along with talk radio and cable television, live by the dynamics of travesty and do their part to sustain it.

Mass school shootings make a travesty of the Second Amendmentand of the idea of kids in school, and of childhood itself. The multi-billion-dollar business of pornographywhich has expanded to become a signature style of the mass culture, so that explicit sexual scenes are as common as Busby Berkeley production numbers in movies in the thirtiesmakes a travesty of love, of the First Amendment, and of the sex act itself.

Leading universities have turned themselves into hybrids of Mr. Rogers neighborhood and Maos Red Guards. They have become madrassas of identity politics, given over to dogmatism, indoctrination, the coddling of grievance, and the encouragement and manipulation of neurotic youthful insecurities for the purpose of consolidating political power. The effects of travesties being committed on American campuses, where the mind of the hard Left is embedded in faculties, administrations, and boards of overseers, will be felt for generations. The damage may be irreparable.

Consider the comedy of the pronouns, which is symptomaticand hilarious, if you can stand it. In the Alice in Wonderland of academe, pronouns are deemed to be discretionary. A person may choose a unique pronoun (zhi, zher, or Gloria Swanson, or John Foster Dulles up to you, precious: we leave the choice to your iridescent narcissism).

This is a travesty of the sanctity of the person and of individual freedom. It is not social justice but vandalism of the languageself-obsession carried beyond the reach of parody. It is the sort of mischief that children do when they have no parents worthy of the name; universities make a wicked travesty of the idea of in loco parentis.

Shared meaning language and the community of understanding that it fosters dissolves under the pressure of ideology. Sex between a man and a woman (an arrangement that accomplished its biological purpose for thousands of years after the moment when Adam and Eve left Eden and entered history) becomes heteronormative behavior the vaguely disreputable or distasteful preference of mere breeders, only one of many choices, after all. Meantime, the open-ended LGBTQ sequence expands its differentiated offerings seemingly each week, and stretches on indefinitely, like the numerical value of pi.

Travesty, as a phenomenon of politics and culture, is what happens when exaggeration has no place left to goexcept to the last locked door in Bluebeards castle. Things are first stretched, then grossly parodied, then done to death. Travesty abhors compromise, scorns moderation, or careful thought; the travestied Left and travestied Right are twins, and converge in the neighborhood of coercion and certitude.

There is a generational dynamic at work in this. Travesty is the way of the twenty-teens, just as it was the style of the1960s, which was a noisy travesty of a decade. The vast baby boom generation was a travesty of a generation; the boomers were then (roughly) in their adolescence, a stage of life which is itself a travesty of the sane and normal. Now the old age of the boomers recapitulates the drama of their youth except that the 2018 production has a certain desperate quality.

Are we witnessing the dawn of a new era? Or merely the twilight of people who supposed themselves to be forever young? Is it possible that the boomers at long last have lost control of their own story, and have turned it over to forces of travesty that they themselves called forth? In part, I blame a certain historical flippancy in the boomerstheir overprotected and overprivileged beginnings, their narcissism, their lack of humilityelements of character that in turn have caused their responses to history to be self-important and hysterical, and have transmitted themselves to their children and grandchildren in deadlier variations.

Travesty seems to progress in the way that addiction does. Travesty is an addiction. And it occurs to me that what we see in both addiction and travesty is a vindication of the Fibonacci Sequence. Fibonacci (1175-1245, approximately) was the Italian mathematician who devised the sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on) in which each number is the sum of the two previous numbers (5 plus 8 gives you 13, for example). It is a design (a prediction) of proliferation, or elaboration. I think it may apply not only in mathematics but in culture.

It's my theory that the Fibonacci numbers have been at work by a process of (shall we say) oblivious tumescence-in the elaboration of American life and politics and culture since the 1960s, with alarming accelerations in the last few years. One thing not only leads to another, but leads on to another by a sort of mandate of exaggeration, so that the last two numbers (so to speak) are always added together to produce, not a linear, orderly progression (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and so on) but rather an organic exaggeration advancing, at each step, to exaggeratedly greater exaggerations.

Fibonacci numbers go on forever. But a society cannot go on compounding its travesties indefinitely. We are undoubtedly approaching a crisis in which our travestiesone way or another will have to resolve themselves, either by committing suicide or burning down the house (which is what travesties and addicts often threaten to do), or by sobering up and going to meetings and learning to behave like serious grownups.

Photo: Viroj_Supornpradit/iStockGAVIN HELLIER/JAI/CORBIS

David Wolff and David Hightower are driving down the partially completed Grand Parkway around Houston. The vast road, when completed, will add a third freeway loop around this booming, 600-square-mile Texas metropolis. Urban aesthetes on the ocean coasts tend to have a low opinion of the flat Texas landscapeand of Houston, in particular, which they see as a little slice of Hades: a hot, humid, and featureless expanse of flood-prone grassland, punctuated only by drab office towers and suburban tract houses. But Wolff and Hightower, major land developers on Houstons outskirts for four decades, have a different outlook. We may not have all the scenery of a place like California, notes the 73-year-old Wolff, who is also part owner of the San Francisco Giants. But growth makes up for a lot of imperfections.

A host of newcomersimmigrants and transplants from around the United Statesagree with that assessment. Its low cost of living and high rate of job growth have made Houston and its surrounding metro region attractive to young families. According to Pitney Bowes, Houston will enjoy the highest growth in new households of any major city between 2014 and 2017. A recent U.S. Council of Mayors study predicted that the American urban order will become increasingly Texan, with Houston and DallasFort Worth both growing larger than Chicago by 2050.

The Grand Parkway, Wolff points out, continues Houstons pattern of outward development. The vast ExxonMobil campus being built in the far northern suburbsand surrounded by its own master-planned community, Springwoods Villagewill eventually be the nations second-largest office development, after Manhattans Freedom Tower. Houston is already home to numerous planned communities with bucolic-sounding names: Cinco Ranch, Bridgeland, Sienna Plantation, the Woodlands, and Sugar Land. Open space is the most precious amenity, says Wolff, a primary developer of the Energy Corridor, a Houston neighborhood boasting 22 million square feet of office space and housing the headquarters of such key energy firms as BP America, ConocoPhillips, and CITGO. What we are creating here is a place where business can grow and people can afford to live. This is the key to Houston. Indeed, the Houston model of development might be described as opportunity urbanism.

Houstons economic success over the past 20 yearsand, more remarkably, since the Great Recession and the weak national recoveryrivals the performance of any large metropolitan region in the United States. For nearly a decade and a half, the city has been adding jobs at a furious pacemore than 600,000 since early 2000, and 263,000 since early 2008. The greater New York City area, by contrast, has added just 103,000 jobs since 2008, and Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Philadelphia remain well below their 2008 levels in total jobs. In fact, Los Angeles and Chicago, like Detroit, have fewer jobs today than they did at the turn of the millennium.

And many of Houstons jobs pay well. Using Praxis Strategy Group calculations that factor in the cost of living as well as salaries, Houston now has the highest standard of living of any large city in the U.S. and among the highest in the world. Indeed, the average cost-of-living-adjusted salary in Houston is about $75,000, compared with around $50,000 in New York and $46,000 in Los Angeles. Personal household income has risen 20 percent since 2005 in Houston, compared with 14 percent in New York, 11 percent in Los Angeles, and less than 9 percent in Chicago. Former Federal Reserve economist Bill Gilmer notes that, except during the energy bust of the mid-1980s, Houstons per-capita income growth has outpaced the nations since the late 1960s.

Not surprisingly, given Houstons reputation as an oil town, much of the job growth in its metro region (known as Greater Houston) is tied to energyparticularly, to the technological revolution now reshaping that industry. Once widely derided as a colony of California- and New Yorkbased companies, Houston has increasingly become the location of choice for American energy firms. In 1960, for example, Houston was home to only one of the nations top energy firms; by 2013, it was home to 22 from the Fortune 500, more than all other cities combinedand that doesnt include major non-headquarter locations for ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and BP. This past spring, Occidental Petroleum, Los Angeless last major energy firm, announced plans to move to Houstons Uptown district, near the famed Galleria.

Since 2001, the energy industry has been directly responsible for an increase of 67,000 jobs in Houston, and it now employs more than 240,000 people in the area. These jobs include many technical positions, one reason that the region now boasts the highest concentration of engineers outside Silicon Valley. Since 2001, Houston has seen a 24.1 percent growth in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) employment, compared with less than 5 percent growth in New York and San Francisco. The jobs should keep coming: Gilmer estimates that $25 billion to $40 billion in new petrochemical facilities is on its way to Greater Houston.

Oil and gas used to feel old, but thats changing, suggests Samina Farid, cofounder of Merrick Systems, a 25-year-old oil-services firm with 45 employees. Younger people are coming into the business because they see opportunities to use new technologies that can really make a difference. Farids firm is one of the thousands of smaller companiesincluding a group of new, tech-savvy start-upsthat serve the energy industry. Allison Lami Sawyer, the 29-year-old president of Rebellion Photonics, is part of a movement of younger professionals clustering in the area, many of them in the citys inner ring. I came here kicking and screaming, said the British-educated Alabama native, whose nine-person company, mostly engineers and scientists, provides image-sensing equipment to firms such as Exxon. But this was the place to beit works well to be in the oil and gas capital of the world if thats who you are selling to.

Houston has embraced not only the energy industrys white-collar professional jobs but also its well-paying blue-collar industrial positions. The city has seen a surge in mid-skills jobs (usually requiring a certificate or a two-year degree) in fields such as manufacturing, logistics, and construction, as well as energy. Many of these jobs pay more than $100,000 a year, and since 2007, according to calculations derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the Praxis Strategy Groups Mark Schill, Houston led the 52 major metropolitan areas in creating them, at a rate of 6.6 percent annually. In contrast, these jobs have declined by more than 10 percent in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco, which have not been friendly to such industries.

Trade is robust. The Port of Houston, connected with the Gulf of Mexico by the 50-mile Houston Ship Channel, is now the nations Number One export hub, feeding off the energy revolution and expanding economic exchange with Latin America. Mexico and Brazil are by far the ports largest trading partners. Houstons port business has grown almost fourfold since 2000far faster than either New Yorks or Los Angeless. Port officials estimate that the trade sector contributes $500 billion in economic activity and more than 1 million jobs to the state of Texas annually.

Houston is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest concentration of hospitals and research institutions in the world and, by itself, the metro regions third-largest source of jobsemploying 106,000 people, including 20,000 physicians, scientists, and other professionals. Fifty-two separate medical institutions are located on the campus, equal in size to Chicagos Loop. It currently has over 28.3 million square feet of office space, more than the downtowns of both Houston and Los Angeles. By the end of 2014, TMC top officials predict, the area will be the nations seventh-largest business district.

Houston is neither the libertarian paradise imagined by many conservatives nor the antigovernment Wild West town conjured by liberals. The city is better understood as relentlessly pragmatic and pro-growth. Bob Lanier, the legendary three-time Democratic mayor who steered the citys recovery from the 1980s oil bust, when the metro region bled more than 220,000 jobs in just five years, epitomized this can-do spirit. Lanier was more interested in building infrastructure and promoting growth than in regulation and redistribution. That focus remains strong today. Houston is getting very comfortable with itself and what it is, says retired Harris County judge Robert Eckels. We are a place that has a big ideasupporting and growing through private industry, and thats something everyone pretty much accepts.

Low taxes are part of that idea. Texas has no income tax, as Governor Rick Perry frequently points out to businesses in other states, and its average state and local tax burden is 11th-lowest in the nation. New York, New Jersey, and California, by contrast, impose the three highest state tax burdens in the nation. The friendly tax environment is one reason that Houston ranked as the most affordable city to do business in a recent survey of global metropolitan areas by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Partnership for New York City. It means a lot more money in their employees pockets, too. A family of three making $150,000 moving from New York City to Houston would save upward of $8,000 in taxes, an analysis conducted by the District of Columbia found.

An even bigger component of Houstons growth, however, may be its planning regime, which allows development to follow the market instead of top-down government directives. The city and its unincorporated areas have no formal zoning, so land use is flexible and can readily meet demand. Getting building permits is simple and quick, with no arbitrary approval boards making development an interminable process. Neighborhoods can protect themselves with voluntary, opt-in deed restrictions or minimum lot sizes. Architect and developer Tim Cisneros credits the flexible planning system for the citys burgeoning apartment and town-home development. There are a lot of people who come here for jobs but dont want to live, at least not yet, in the Woodlands, he notes. We can respond to this demand fast because theres no zoning, and approvals dont take forever. You could not do this so fast in virtually any city in America. The lack of zoning allows us not only to do neat thingsbut do them quickly and for less money.

The flexible planning regime is also partly responsible for keeping Houstons housing prices low compared with those of other major cities. On a square-foot basis, according to Knight Frank, a London-based real-estate consultancy, the same amount of money buys you almost seven times as much space in Houston as it does in San Francisco and more than four times as much as in New York. (See Houston, New York Has a Problem, Summer 2008.) Houston has built a new kind of self-organizing urban model, notes architect and author Lars Lerup, one that he calls a creature of the market.

Some citiessuch as Los Angelesgrow as a progression of larger communities around a relatively small core. Otherssuch as New York and Chicagoform dependent communities surrounding a dynamic central core. Houston is different: it revolves around a patchwork of centers, such as the aforementioned Woodlands, home to some 40,000 residences and more than 50,000 jobs. Other centers exist within the city limits, but Houston also retains a strong core that never imploded, as did those of so many American cities. The city turns the whole debate that dominates urban thinking todaywhether to grow the suburbs or downtownon its head. Rather than advocate one kind of housing, Houston prides itself on providing choices. In fact, as the citys outer suburban ring has grownlast year attracting roughly 80 percent of all new home buyersthe downtown has also boomed. The citys vibrant inner ring, notes demographer Wendell Cox, grew 3 percent during the last decadefour times the average in the top 15 metropolitan areas and more than Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Most cities would die for our in-fill, says Jeff Taebel, director of Community and Environmental Planning at the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC). No one would mistake downtown Houston for midtown Manhattan, true; but it represents 6 percent of the regions jobsa proportion 2.5 to 4.5 times greater than one finds, say, in downtown Los Angeles or Phoenix. Houstons experience refutes the popular notion that urban density and central city development require heavy regulation.

Houstons housing-market flexibility has also benefited some of the citys historically neglected areas. The once-depopulating Fifth Ward has seen a surge of new housingmuch of it for middle-income African-Americans, attracted by the areas long-standing black cultural vibe and close access to downtown as well as the Texas Medical Center. Rather than worry about gentrification, many locals support the change in fortunes. In Houston, we dont like the idea of keeping an image of poverty for our neighborhood, explained Rev. Harvey Clemons, chairman of the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation. We welcome renewal.

By allowing and encouraging development in the inner ring and on the fringe, the city increases its attractiveness to younger people, who want to live close to the urban core, while also providing affordable suburban housing. Houston thrives because it has someplace for young people to stay inside the city but also offers an alternative when they get older. Just because you grow up doesnt mean you have to leave the region, notes Gilmer, now head of the Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston.

Houstons explosive economic growth has engendered another kind of boom: a human one. Between 2000 and 2013, Greater Houstons population expanded by 35 percent. In contrast, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago grew by 4 percent to 7 percent. These figures reflect emerging migration patterns. Texas once sent large numbers of people to California and the East Coast, but now, considerable numbers of New Yorkers, San Franciscans, and Los Angelenos are picking up stakes and heading for Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.

As it grows, Houstons ethnic demography is shifting. Two decades ago, Houston struggled to attract foreign-born immigrants, as did Texas generally. But since the 1990s, Texass immigration rates have surpassed the national average. Over the past decade, Houston added 440,000 foreign-born residents, the second-most in the country, while New York, with more than three times the population, added 660,000. In a dramatic sign of changing trends, Houston attracted more than three times as many foreign-born immigrants as did Los Angeles, which is more than double its size. This is the big deal for immigrants, suggests HGACs Taebel. We are a very attractive place for working-class people to settle. The immigrant surge has turned what was once a conventional Southern city into a multiracial melting pot. Indeed, a 2012 Rice University study claimed that Greater Houston is now the most ethnically diverse metro region in America, as measured by the balance between four major groups: African-American, white, Asian, and Hispanic. Hispanics alone constitute nearly half the core citys population, while the Asian population has surged almost fourfold; whites constitute barely a quarter of the total. The entire Greater Houston metro regionroughly 6.3 million peopleis now 60 percent nonwhite, up from 42 percent in 1990.

Houstons new diversity is not confined to one neighborhood or district. Suburban Sugarland is over 35 percent Asian and home to one of the nations largest and most elaborate Hindu temples. This place is as diverse as California, notes David Yi, a Korean-American energy trader who moved to the city from Los Angeles in 2013 and lives in the suburb of Katy, west of the central core. But it is affordable, with good schools. Our kids, who are learning Spanish, can afford to stay and have a house, which is not the case in California. Pearland, located 17 miles south of downtown, has also become a draw for upwardly mobile minorities and immigrants. This is very different from Dallas, where I grew up, which was very segregated, notes African-American entrepreneur Carla Lane, president of Lane Staffing, which works with energy, construction, and other local firms. My daughter has a totally different experiencemany of her friends are white, Hispanic, or Asian. Living out in Pearland, you can have that experience, and then you cross Highway 6 and you see people with big hats, boots, and straw in the mouth. Thats Houston to a tee.

Immigration is driving growth but also creating new challenges. Though skilled immigrants are beginning to flock to Houston, observes former state demographer Steven Murdock, Texass immigrants also include many lower-skilled workers, primarily because of the states proximity to Mexico. Leaders in the petrochemical and construction industries complain about looming shortages in the skilled trades. A dearth of plumbers and electricians is already affecting construction of new housing, offices, and industrial facilities, impinging on developers ability to expand, despite a thriving housing market. We have all these jobs but not the people in the pipelines, says Marshall Schott, associate vice chancellor at Lone Star community college. Sure, we have need for more geologists and engineers; but by an order of magnitude, we need skilled workers such as welders and machinists. These jobs pay $80,000 a year, a lot better than being a barista at Starbucks.

To address these shortfalls, many companies have invested in workforce training programs, some in collaboration with local high schools as part of cooperative education, where students go to school part-time and work part-time. This is a typically Houston solutionvery pragmatic, Mike Temple, director of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, points out. We are trying to tell kids that its not only what you know but also what you can do. Enrollment at Houstons largest community college, Lone Star, has exploded 58 percent, to 78,000 students, in just the past five years, and the college expects it to reach 100,000 students by 2018.

Often attacked for under-investing in education, Houston has actually shown encouraging educational progress. Many of the schools in the outer rings, often predominantly white and Asian, perform well in state performance rankings. Houston Independent School District, the largest district in Texas and seventh-largest in the country, has won the Broad Prize for urban education twice. Houston has also been called the Silicon Valley of education reform, with several highly successful charter school networks such as KIPP, Harmony, and YES Prep setting up shop in the city.

These schools and others within the Houston Independent School District will have much to do with Houstons future success, which, in Murdocks view, will come down to how well minorities are going to do. Murdock is optimistic, in part, because Houstons minorities share the citys basic culture of faith in hard work as a means of upward mobility. According to Rice Universitys Houston Area Survey, 85 percent of Houstoniansincluding 79 percent of blacks and 89 percent of Hispanicsagreed with the statement if you work hard in this city, eventually you will succeed. Nationwide, this sentiment is shared by only 60 percent of those surveyed.

LYNN JOHNSON/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Not everyone is impressed by Houstons growth and prospects. Critics dismiss the citys development model as a disaster for the environment, quality of life, and civic culture. For the most part, they regard Houston as a cultural deserta throwback to the sprawling postwar model of many American cities. When one asks to see the social center of Houston, scoffs architect Andres Duany, one is taken to the mall.

But such statements dont reflect a city where opportunity urbanism is shaping an impressively vibrant cultural landscape. A 2012 survey by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) of the citys creative economy found 146,000 jobs, generating an annual economic impact of $9.1 billion. Houston is projected to have the largest gain in arts-related jobs by 2016 of any city in the study. Arts and culture expenditures totaled almost $1 billion per year in 2010, with total event attendance topping 16 millionnumbers sure to grow, with almost 150,000 people per year moving into Greater Houston. The city boasts permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts, including opera, ballet, symphony, and theater, and its theater district has more seats than any rival in the country, except for New Yorks. Houstons 18 museums attract 8.7 million visitors a year. This is no cultural backwater.

With their higher real incomes and lower taxes, Houstonians dine out substantially more than residents of any other major American cityand theyve got lots of options. You used to go to New Orleans for food and music, notes Chris Williams of Lucilles, a cutting-edge Houston restaurant that serves sophisticated Southern food. Now you go down the block. Taylor Francis, a 24-year-old advertising executive who moved recently from the Bay Area, points to restaurants like Underbelly, a popular Beard Prizewinning restaurant in the fashionable Montrose district. My friends in the Bay Area rarely go out because its too expensive, he said. All their money goes to rentbut here, I can live in a roomy place and go out. Theres something attractive about that. Houstons leaders hope to lure more young people like Francis away from coastal cities such as Portland, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. The city is building one of the nations most extensive bike systems and constructing a $215 million park system along its long-disdained bayous.

Marcus Davis, who grew up in the hardscrabble Fifth Ward, says that growth is simply part of the Houstonian ethos. This place is pure opportunity, including for African-Americans, he said at his successful and usually crowded restaurant, the Breakfast Klub, just outside downtown. Daviss customer base includes young professionals and middle-class families. This is a place where everyone wants to figure out how to do business. And since Houstonians like to do things over food, having a restaurant can be very lucrative. The growth-friendly attitude is what holds everything together in Houston, and it will be crucial whenever the next slowdown comeswhen oil prices could drop, say, to below $100 a barrel. It remains to be seen whether a large influx of newcomers to Greater Houston from the ocean coasts will clamor, as they have elsewherenotably, in Coloradofor a more controlled, high-regulation urban environment.

For now, though, most Houstonians see the city as a place that worksfor minorities and immigrants, for suburbanites and city dwellersand few want to fix what isnt broken. The key to Houstons future is to keep thinking about how to be a greater city, notes David Wolff as he passes a new set of towers off the Grand Parkway. This road, it wouldnt be built in many places. People might talk about these things, but in most places, they dont get done. In Houston, we dont just talk about the futurewere building it.Peter Hujar: Speed of Life, now at the Morgan Library, is an overdue retrospective of the career of the East Village photographer. Hujar has never been underrated as an artist; its more accurate to say that he was overshadowed by his contemporary and peer Robert Mapplethorpe. Its also safe to say that Hujarmore various in his subjects, more subtle and more visceral in his approach, and a far more generous mentorwas the better artist. Mapplethorpe had glamour; Hujar had vision.

Hujar (1934-1987) was a Manhattan native who spent his early career assisting commercial photographers. From 1968 to 1972, he worked as a freelance fashion, music, and advertising photographer, believing the most cutting-edge work happened in these fields, though hating the constant hustle and demeaning joust for work. In 1973, he moved into a loft on 12th Street and Second Avenue, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. The East Village might have been seedy and crime-ridden, but it was also a magnet for young musicians, artists, writers, actors, and a broad cross-section of freaks and misfits. Avant-garde theater, drag cabarets, gay bars, and punk rock were everywhere, as were tie-dye, macrame, cheap homemade jewelry, and the smell of pot.

Hujar never became famous but was a known and well-liked East Village denizen, older and more stable than most. There, he found his milieu and his creative juice. Joel Smith, the Morgan shows curator, elegantly describes Hujars gift. What is brutal in his work is something in the air around his subjectsthe forces pushing them into shape, he writes in the excellent catalogue. And what is beautiful is their bearing up.

What strikes the viewer immediately is the beauty of Hujars prints. Unlike Mapplethorpe, Hujar did his own processing. He had years of experience, and it shows, along with an impressive sense of nuance and mood. Two cityscapes, San Gennaro Street Fair at Dawn from 1976 and Canal Street Pier from 1983, use pools of velvety black punctuated with shiny whites and countless middle tones to invest inelegant scenes empty of people with a powerful inner life. Hujar was a superb landscapist. His Manhattan skyline scenes are abstract geometries. He loved scenes with long roads; he likened them to the duration of lives, each as unique as it was finite.

Hujar was also an extraordinary portraitist. His photographs of animals will convince viewers that the ducks, cows, and dogs have the self-consciousness of a Broadway ingenue during an audition. Though Hujar was a gay man and lived in the East Coast center of Gay Liberation, his work is not preoccupied with hustlers and eye candy. Still, Boy on a Park Bench from 1981 is sexy and sweet, showing a young man with the cool look of an experienced rake. Zacky and Gamal Sherif (Twins) from 1985 depicts twin brothers in subtle, even light, one putting his arm around the others shoulder, one brother tenderly touching the others wrist. It has the stillness, intimacy, and dignity of northern Renaissance double-marriage portraits, but depicts siblings. Playing with the portrayal of affection and familiarity in a puzzling manner is a classic Hujarian trope.

A portrait of Hujars onetime boyfriend, David Wojnarowicz Reclining, from 1981, is sultry and frankly admiring. Hujar is a master of the recumbent figure. These are difficult portraits, defying basic conventions since the figure is neither sitting nor standing, but the more challenging compositions offer visual rewards. Wojnarowiczs reclining pose reinforces his come-hither look. Often Hujars recumbent figures are in bed, allowing a degree of dishevelment not expected in a formal portrait. Hujar also shows us that bedtime attire can be much more interesting than street clothes.

The artists most famous photograph is probably Candy Darling on Her Deathbed from 1973. Though its subject lived for six more months, the cross-dressing star of Andy Warhols Factory took full advantage of the chance to condense every death scene from every movie, as Hujar described the moment. He captures her in sassy, brave defiance of her illnessthe power of her self-representation transcending the utilitarian hospital bed, cheap vases, ratty flowers, and bad neon light.

Theres plenty of gender-bending in Hujars work. The weirdness of drag queens and their abundant decorative qualities were irresistible to him. He found glamour, humor, and poise, but also courage leavened by a measure of vulnerability. He picked subjects that provoked both eye and mind. The drag star Ethyl Eichelberger was a favorite; dressed as Minnie the Maid in a 1981 photograph, Eichelberger looks as diabolical as a B-movie killer clown: equal parts frightening and frightened. Another portrait of Eichelberger from 1981 shows him remarkably handsome, conservatively dressed to look like a Brooks Brothers model, evoking smarts, restraint, depth, and strength; he looks surprised that hes pulled it off. Either way, hes in disguise. In his inventory records, Hujar called the photograph Ethyl Eichelberger, Dressed as a Man.

Mapplethorpe and Hujar lived only blocks apart, wary competitors rather than friends. The shows curator tackles the differences in their work, aptly describing Hujars photographs as intimate and playful, while Mapplethorpes are impersonal, suffused with the arctic elegance of a pure formalist. Mapplethorpe was the celebrity bad boy, while Hujar was everybodys older brother and a homebody. Hujar didnt cultivate dealers and collectors, and he certainly had no Sam Wagstaffs in his life. He did few male nudes while Mapplethorpe did many, the best-known and most controversial of black men. The conflation of race, nudity, and the white artists covetous, judgmental gaze ensured Mapplethorpes role in every college survey of American contemporary art. While the Morgan Library show correctly displays only Hujars work, the unavoidable comparison with Mapplethorpe in the catalogue is a testament to how artists become famous while others from the same period and same place, working in the same medium and with broadly similar subjectsdont.

Hujar died of AIDS in 1987, and critics and scholars have put him in the category of AIDS art, though his art didnt treat the subject. The marketplace sometimes doesnt work or think hard. Serious collectors have been more discerning, though, and prices for his prints are high.

The Morgan Library is to be commended for partnering with the Mapfre Foundation in organizing the Hujar exhibition. Based in Madrid, the foundation does shows of the highest quality funded in part by the insurance conglomerate. Often its shows are risky. In working with Mapfre on the Hujar show, the Morgan Library proves that it is willing to present elegance and integrity subjects that most museums would find too edgy.

All Photos Courtesy of the Morgan Library"We have a much more important ruling that's going to be coming out" regarding allegations that China has stolen intellectual property from U.S. companies, the chief investment strategist at ClearBridge Investments said in an interview with " Power Lunch ."

The president said Thursday he wants to impose a 10 percent tariff on aluminum and a 25 percent tariff on steel.

There's a bigger threat to the market than President Donald Trump 's new tariff proposal, strategist Jeffrey Schulze told CNBC on Friday.

Trump has said in the past that he's considering a big fine as part of the probe into China's alleged theft.

While Trump did not specify what he meant by a "fine" against China, the 1974 trade law that authorized an investigation into China's alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property allows him to impose retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods or other trade sanctions until China changes its policies.

If the Chinese are found guilty, Schulze fears that the nation will retaliate.

"That ruling is going to weigh on investor sentiment right now for the next month. And until we get a little bit of visibility there, I think the markets are going to be trading in a choppy pattern," he said.

The market sold off on Thursday after Trump's tariff announcement, with fears of a potential trade war weighing on investors. On Friday, however, stocks closed higher.

"Does this evolve into a full-fledged trading war? Because then you go way beyond steel," Prudential Financial Chief Market Strategist Quincy Krosby told "Power Lunch."

"The answer is we just don't know. And markets do not like the uncertainty," she added.

Jack Bouroudjian, chief economist and co-founder of UCX, said if the tariffs expand into more widespread protectionism, the U.S. won't be happy with the results.

"Protectionism is a prosperity killer, plain and simple," he said in an interview with "Closing Bell."

 Reuters contributed to this report.

Correction: Quincy Krosby is Prudential Financial's chief market strategist. A previous version of this story misstated Krosby's title.With much of the market riled up about what President Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs mean for U.S. industry, CNBC's Jim Cramer wanted to take a more analytical approach.

"I say let's take a deep breath and look at some actual numbers," the "Mad Money" host said on Friday. "Let's be thoughtful."

First, Cramer examined the trajectory of the biggest U.S. steelmaker, Nucor. An industry innovator, Nucor has been a staple steel play for many investors including Cramer, whose charitable trust owns shares in the company.

But Nucor's story has not been without blemishes; the company has been at fault for missing earnings estimates in the past because of sub-par execution, Cramer said.

"There were also many, many quarters where, because the People's Republic of China wants to create jobs, they build steel mills and they sell the stuff well below cost and it causes our companies to have real issues and, in some cases, just wipes them out," he said.

Cramer explained that China offers companies huge steel subsidies to employ Chinese workers. Profiting from the work is more of a secondary concern, throwing a wrench in the United States' ability to compete, he said.

As a result, U.S. leaders who support free trade have largely chosen to turn the other cheek as cheaper steel flows into the country. The underlying results for Americans, however, are more daunting: cheaper steel means U.S. workers in the steel industry are often ousted, Cramer said.

"Steel mills put a lot of people to work," he said. "The Chinese government put a lot of their own people to work producing way too much steel, which crushed the price to the point where most mills in our country, with the exception of Nucor and a handful of others, simply couldn't survive."

"Pretty much every time Nucor misses numbers, they explain to me that it's because of Chinese dumping," Cramer continued. "What are you supposed to do when your trading partners behave this way, just let it happen?"

That's why Cramer was not as concerned as others when it came to Trump's tariffs. Putting pressure on China, which needs our markets at least as much as we need theirs, could actually encourage it to change its tune.

Moreover, the costs to U.S. consumers would be negligible, the "Mad Money" host argued. The tariffs would translate into $100 per car  a small price to pay in the context of a vehicle that costs thousands of dollars.

Cramer also acknowledged that aircraft manufacturers like Boeing could take a harder hit than others given the volume of aluminum they use in their products.

"It's true that there are some markets at stake," Cramer admitted. "For the longest time, we've had a policy in this country of sacrificing American jobs so we could sell as many diapers and turbines into China as possible. Look, I get it. I like it when Procter or Kimberly or the once-sainted GE make their numbers."

But there were always complex trade-offs like these in play, the "Mad Money" host argued.

Lastly, Cramer noted that trade helped Trump win the 2016 election. Voters decided that companies like Boeing could take cost-related hits if it meant stemming the mass layoffs in the steel industry: from 700,000 employed workers in 1990 to 350,000 today.

"Bottom line? Look, could Trump's decision to fight back on trade cause the stock market to go down? Sure. So could a lot of other things, frankly," Cramer said. "Will we still make money? Newsflash: there's always a bull market somewhere, and I promise to find it just for you."WHEN: Today, Friday, March 2, 2018

WHERE: CNBC's "Squawk on the Street"

Following is the unofficial transcript of a FIRST ON CNBC interview with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" (M-F 9AM  11AM.) Following is a link to video from the interview on CNBC.com: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/03/02/commerce-secretary-wilbur-ross-trump-tariffs-will-have-a-broad-but-trivial-impact-on-prices.html?play=1 & https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/03/02/watch-wilbur-ross-use-a-can-of-campbells-soup-to-defend-steel-and-aluminum-tariffs.html?play=1.

All references must be sourced to CNBC.

DAVID FABER: WELL, LET'S BRING IN THE U.S. COMMERCE SECRETARY, WILBUR ROSS, WHO JOINS US IN A FIRST ON CNBC INTERVIEW FROM FLORIDA. MR. ROSS, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU. PARTICULARLY AT THIS IMPORTANT TIME. LET ME BEGIN BY SIMPLY ASKING, ARE THESE TARIFFS GOING TO BE EXEMPTED FOR CERTAIN NATIONS, OR IS IT YOUR EXPECTATION THAT WHEN THEY ARE IMPOSED IT WILL BE ACROSS THE BOARD?

COMMERCE SECRETARY WILBUR ROSS: WELL, WHAT WAS ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY BY THE PRESIDENT IS A VERY BROAD CONCEPT OF 25% ON ALL STEEL AND 10% ON ALL ALUMINUM. SO WE'LL HAVE TO SEE THE INTRICATE DETAILS, BUT THAT CERTAINLY IS THE BROAD OUTLINE, AND, THEREFORE, IT WILL HAVE A FAIRLY BROAD EFFECT, BUT IT'S A TRIVIAL EFFECT, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CARS. IT'S ABOUT ONE TON OF STEEL IN A CAR, AND THE PRICE OF A TON OF STEEL IS $700 OR SO, SO 25% ON THAT WOULD BE ONE-HALF OF 1% PRICE INCREASE ON A TYPICAL $35,000 CAR. SO IT'S NO BIG DEAL, AND IT CERTAINLY ISN'T ANYTHING THAT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN 2 POINT SOME ODD HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OFF THE PRICE OF GENERAL MOTORS. IT'S A TREMENDOUS OVERREACTION.

FABER: ALRIGHT, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE MARKET REACTION IN A MOMENT, BUT JUST COMING BACK TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID. SO IT WOULD APPLY, THOUGH, TO EVERY COUNTRY? WHETHER ALLY OR NOT IN TERMS OF THE IMPORT OF STEEL AND ALUMINUM FROM THOSE COUNTRIES. THAT IS YOUR EXPECTATION, CORRECT?

ROSS: WELL, THAT'S WHAT THE PRESIDENT SEEMED TO ANNOUNCE YESTERDAY 

FABER: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, "SEEMED TO ANNOUNCE," COMMERCE SECRETARY? YEAH.

ROSS: LET'S ASSUME THAT TO BE THE CASE.

FABER: OKAY.

ROSS: THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'VE PUT TARIFFS ON STEEL. WE HAVE TARIFFS ON MANY FORMS OF STEEL. THE REASON THAT WE'VE HAD TO GO THIS ROUTE IS THAT THE CONVENTIONAL TRADE METHODS DON'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF SYSTEMIC GLOBAL OVERCAPACITY AND GLOBAL DUMPING. BECAUSE PEOPLE, YOU PUT A TARIFF ON IT COMING FROM ONE COUNTRY, THEY TRANSSHIP IT THROUGH ANOTHER ONE. SO IT HAS TO BE BROAD. IT HAS TO BE GLOBAL IN ITS REACH IN ORDER TO SOLVE THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM.

FABER: COMMERCE SECRETARY, YOU MENTIONED, OF COURSE, ON THE MARKETS REACTION, PERHAPS IN YOUR WORDS AN OVERREACTION, GIVEN THE ACTUAL COST THAT WOULD GO UP TO U.S. CONSUMERS OR TO MAKE GOODS THAT ARE -- THAT ARE MADE OF THESE UNDERLYING PRODUCTS. BUT THERE'S AN ARGUMENT TO BE MADE THAT THIS IS SIMPLY THE FIRST SHOT IN WHAT WILL BE CONTINUING PRESSURE FROM THIS ADMINISTRATION, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATES TO CHINA, AND MANY PEOPLE POINTING TO THE 301 INVESTIGATION THAT WAS BEGUN BY THE USCR LAST AUGUST.

ROSS: AUGUST.

FABER: YEAH. LAST AUGUST. AND THE -- THE CONCERN/QUESTION ABOUT, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THERE? DO YOU EXPECT THE ADMINISTRATION TO COMMENT ON THE 301 INVESTIGATION? THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS THEY SAY HAVE OCCURRED TO CHINA. YOU HAVE, IN FACT, IN THE PAST CALLED CHINA PROTECTIONIST DRESSED IN FREE MARKET CLOTHING.

ROSS: WELL, PROTECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, AND THE CHINESE HAVE NOT BEEN VERY RESPECTFUL OF IT. BUT I'M NOT GOING TO PREJUDGE WHAT MIGHT BE THE OUTCOME OF ANOTHER INVESTIGATION. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO, THOUGH, IS TO EMPHASIZE AGAIN THE LIMITED IMPACT. THIS IS A CAN OF CAMPBELLS SOUP. THIS, IN THE CAN OF CAMPBELLS SOUP THERE'S ABOUT 2.6 CENTS -- 2.6 PENNIES -- WORTH OF STEEL. SO IF THAT GOES UP BY 25%, THAT'S ABOUT 6/10 OF ONE CENT ON THE PRICE OF A CAN OF CAMPBELLS SOUP. WELL, I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAN TODAY, AT A 7-ELEVEN DOWN HERE, AND THE PRICE WAS $1.99. SO WHO IN THE WORLD IS GOING TO BE TOO BOTHERED BY 6/10 OF A CENT? HERE'S A CAN OF COCA-COLA.

FABER: NOBODY.

ROSS: HERE'S A CAN OF COCA-COLA.

FABER: OH, YEAH.

ROSS: COCA-COLA HAS THREE CENTS WORTH OF ALUMINUM IN IT. SO IF THAT GOES UP 10%, THAT'S 3/10 OF A CENT. I JUST PAID $1.49 FOR THIS CAN OF COKE. IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING. SO ALL OF THIS HYSTERIA IS A LOT TO DO ABOUT NOTHING. I EXPLAINED IT'S A FRACTION OF A PERCENT ON CARS. NOW, RETALIATION. RETALIATION IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CRYING THAT THE SKY HAS FALLEN. AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY. TAKE A TYPICAL CROP, SOYBEANS. WE'RE ONE OF THE MAJOR SUPPLIERS OF SOYBEANS IN THE WHOLE WORLD, AND THE ONLY REASON CHINA OR ANYONE ELSE BUYS SOYBEANS FROM US IS THAT IT'S THE CHEAPEST PRICE THAT THEY CAN GET. SO THE FIRST THING IS, IF THEY WERE TO CUT BACK ON SOME AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, IT WOULD COST THEIR ECONOMIES MORE. SECOND, IN MANY CASES, WE'RE SUCH A BIG FACTOR, THAT THEY WILL HAVE TROUBLE FINDING A SUBSTITUTE. WHERE THEY CAN FIND A SUBSTITUTE, THOSE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ARE ALREADY BEING SOLD IN SOME OTHER MARKET. SO TO THE DEGREE THERE'S DIVERSION FROM THAT PRESENT MARKET TO, SAY, CHINA, THAT WOULD OPEN UP THE OTHER MARKET FOR U.S. AGRICULTURE. SO I THINK THIS IS SCARE TACTICS BY THE PEOPLE WHO WANT THE STATUS QUO, THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GIVEN AWAY JOBS IN THIS COUNTRY, WHO'VE LEFT US WITH AN ENORMOUS TRADE DEFICIT AND ONE THAT'S GROWING. IT GREW AGAIN LAST YEAR, AND IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING, IT WILL KEEP GROWING AND KEEP DESTROYING AMERICAN JOBS.

MORGAN BRENNAN: SECRETARY ROSS, THIS IS MORGAN BRENNAN FIRST OF ALL, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BREAKING DOWN THOSE NUMBERS AND BRINGING US PROPS TO DO THAT. RECENT WASHING MACHINE TARIFFS. A LOT OF HULLABALOO AROUND THAT. AND THEN WITHIN DAYS YOU HAVE L.G. AND SAMSUNG COME OUT AND SAY THEY'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THEIR U.S. BASED PLANTS THAT ARE UNDERDEVELOPED. I WONDER WITH THESE TARIFFS THAT ARE IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW, HOW MUCH OF THIS IS ABOUT DUMPING STEEL AND ALUMINUM FROM OTHER COUNTRIES AND HOW MUCH IS ABOUT PUSHING COMPANIES, BE IT U.S. COMPANIES OR EVEN FOREIGN COMPANIES, TO INCREASINGLY SET UP SHOP AND DO MORE MANUFACTURING HERE IN THE U.S.

ROSS: WELL, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE WASHING MACHINES AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOLAR PANELS. MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE WHO WERE CRYING CHICKEN LITTLE NOW ALSO BE OPPOSED TO THOSE TWO MOVES. THE REAL REASON WHY LG AND SAMSUNG DECIDED TO DO FACTORIES, AND THEY'RE BIG FACTORIES  I WENT TO EACH OF THE GROUND BREAKING THESE ARE 100,000 SQUARE-FOOT FACTORIES. SO THEY'RE NOT SMALL THINGS, AND THEY'RE EXPANDABLE. THEY COULD EVEN BE A MILLION SQUARE FEET. I BELIEVE THE MAIN REASON THEY INITIATED THE FACTORIES WAS, THEY KNEW WE WERE GOING TO PUT TARIFFS ON. SIMILARLY, WITH THE SOLAR PANELS, THAT INDUSTRY HAD BEEN REDUCED FROM 32 DOMESTIC PLAYERS TO 2. NOW HALF A DOZEN COMPANIES HAVE ANNOUNCED THEY'RE GOING TO REOPEN CLOSED SOLAR PANEL FACTORIES. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. WE CANNOT ALLOW DUMP MATERIAL TO KILL AMERICAN JOBS. WE SHOULD BE EXPORTING PRODUCTS, NOT EXPORTING JOBS.

CARL QUINTANILLA: MR. SECRETARY, ITS CARL. I JUST HAD A QUESTION. NOT OH MUCH ABOUT THE POLICY BUT WE ALWAYS COME BACK TO PROCESS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. YOU SAID THE PRESIDENT "SEEMED" TO ANNOUNCE THIS. THERE WERE REPORTS TRADE OFFICIALS WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION WEREN'T EXACTLY CLEAR WHAT THE PRESIDENT WOULD SAY YESTERDAY. IS THIS NORMAL OR SHOULD WE HAVE EXPECTED POLICY TO HAVE BEEN AGREED UPON AHEAD OF TIME?

ROSS: WELL, THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN FULLY VETTED BY THE INTERAGENCY PROCESS. WE HAD SIX OR EIGHT MEETINGS OF THE TRADE COMMITTEE. WE'VE GONE THROUGH NUMEROUS WRITTEN COMMENTS FROM VARIOUS OTHER AGENCIES. THERE'S BEEN NO END OF DISCUSSIONS, INCLUDING LOTS OF DISCUSSIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT. THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN CONSISTENT ALL THE WAY FROM HIS CAMPAIGN DAYS TO THE PRESENT ABOUT DOING SOMETHING BIG TO PROTECT STEEL AND ALUMINUM. SO IT SHOULD NOT HAVE COME AS A SHOCK. NOW, AS TO THE IDEA OF DIFFERING VIEWS WITHIN THE WHITE HOUSE  SURE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE PRESIDENT ENCOURAGES IS HEALTHY DISCUSSION WITHIN HIS IMMEDIATE WHITE HOUSE STAFF AND WITHIN THE CONGRESS DEPARTMENTS OF ANY BIG MOVE, BECAUSE THAT WAY HE'S SURE HE HAS HEARD ALL POINTS OF VIEW BY THE TIME HE MAKES HIS DECISION. BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE PERSON IN WASHINGTON WHO WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT. THAT'S DONALD J. TRUMP SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S HIS DECISION, AND I BELIEVE THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD RALLY AROUND THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION. WE ONLY GET TO HAVE ONE PRESIDENT AT A TIME.

BRENNAN: SECRETARY ROSS, I WANT TO GET BACK TO THIS IDEA OF JOBS. HAVE YOU CRUNCHED THE NUMBERS? DO YOU HAVE A PROJECTION YOU'RE WORKING ON IN TERMS OF HOW MANY JOBS YOU THINK THESE TARIFFS WILL CREATE IN THE U.S. VERSUS ELIMINATE?

ROSS: WELL, THERE HAVE BEEN SOMETHING LIKE 70,000 JOBS IN STEEL ALONE THAT WERE LOST FROM 1998 THROUGH LAST -- 2016. THERE'S BEEN A SIMILAR AMOUNT OF JOBS LOST IN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS LOST IN ALUMINUM AT THE SESSION YESTERDAY, JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE COMPANY THAT WAS THERE SAID ONCE THIS IS FINALLY PUT INTO BED, AND IS REAL, THAT THEY WILL BE REOPENING PLANTS AND REHIRING PEOPLE. SO YOU ARE TALKING TENS AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS BEING CREATED, AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT COMING. LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH WASHING MACHINES. LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED WITH SOLAR PANELS. WE NEED TO BE EXPORTING PRODUCT, NOT JOBS.

FABER: SECRETARY ROSS, BACK TO, THOUGH, THE LARGER ISSUE, WHICH IS, IS THERE A COMING TRADE WAR WITH CHINA? A.) IS THERE ONE COMING? AND, B.) WHEN THE STATE-RUN NEWSPAPER OF THE GLOBAL TIMES WARNED, FOR EXAMPLE, NOT THAT LONG AGO, THAT BOEING ORDERS WOULD BE REPLACED BY AIRBUS, THAT U.S. AUTO AND iPHONE SALES IN CHINA WOULD SUFFER A SETBACK. THAT U.S. SOYBEAN, WHICH YOU JUST SPOKE ABOUT, AND MAIZE IMPORTS WILL BE HALTED. DO YOU BELIEVE THEM?

ROSS: WELL, HERE'S THE SITUATION THAT WE FACE. THE UNITED STATES EVER SINCE WORLD WAR II HAS MADE HUGE AMOUNTS OF UNILATERAL CONCESSIONS. IN THE EARLY DAYS AFTER WORLD WAR II, IT WAS PROBABLY GOOD PUBLIC POLICY TO REBUILD EUROPE AND JAPAN FROM THE RAVAGE  AND CHINA -- FROM THE RAVAGES OF THE WAR, BUT THE MISTAKE THEY MADE, THEY DIDN'T PUT A TIME LIMIT ON THE CONCESSIONS. SO AS TIME WENT ON, WE AGREED TO THINGS LIKE THE FOLLOWING -- THE TARIFF ON AUTOMOBILES COMING INTO THE U.S. IS 2.5%. TARIFF ON AUTOMOBILES GOING INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION, 10%. TARIFF ON AUTOMOBILES GOING INTO CHINA, 25%. THAT'S A DISEQUILIBRIUM. AND SO WHILE ALL THESE COUNTRIES TALK ABOUT FREE TRADE, THEY ACTUALLY ARE THE MOST PROTECTIONIST COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD. I WAS AT DAVOS ON A PANEL, WHICH YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN. IT WAS TELEVISED. AND I ASKED THE OTHER PANELISTS WHO WERE THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, THE HEAD OF CARGILL, A MAJOR AGRICULTURE EXPORTER, A HEAD OF STANDARD CHARTER BANK AND MANAGING EDITOR AT "FORTUNE" AND I SAID YOU'RE COMPLAINING ABOUT U.S. BEING PROTECTIONIST. IF WE AREN'T THE LEAST PROTECTIONIST MAJOR COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, PLEASE TELL ME WHO IS YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY HAD NO ANSWER. BECAUSE WE ARE THE LEAST PROTECTIONIST. SO WHAT'S REALLY BEEN GOING ON IS THE OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN PICKING AWAY AT US, DUMPING MATERIALS IN HERE. SUBSIDIZING THEIR INDUSTRIES AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN FIGHTING BACK. THE PRESIDENT PLEDGED DURING THE CAMPAIGN 

FABER: RIGHT.

ROSS: -- AND NOW HAS KEPT THE PROMISE. HE IS GOING TO FIGHT BACK. NOW, IN ANY WAR THERE MAY BE A FEW CASUALTIES AND THAT JUST COMES WITH THE NATURE OF THE BEAST.

FABER: ALL RIGHT SECRETARY ROSS, FINALLY, IT WAS A FEBRUARY REPORT FROM YOUR AGENCY, OF COURSE, UNDER WHICH YOU FOUND THE QUANTITIES AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF STEEL AND ALUMINUM IMPORTS THREATENED TO IMPAIR THE NATIONAL SECURITY, THE SO CALLED SECTION 232 ACTION, THAT PROMULGATED OR BROUGHT THIS ABOUT. WHY IS THIS A NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERN?

ROSS: WELL, NATIONAL SECURITY IS A DEFINED TERM IN THE 232. AND IT COVERS A LOT BROADER THINGS THAN JUST THE MILITARY. IT SPECIFICALLY SAYS THAT WE MUST ADDRESS THE OVERALL NEEDS OF THE ECONOMY, THE OVERALL AFFECT ON JOBS, THE OVERALL IMPACT ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. AND WHILE IT'S TRUE THAT NOT A HUGE AMOUNT OF STEEL AND ALUMINUM RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL IS NEEDED DIRECTLY IN DEFENSE INDUSTRIES, HOWEVER, THERE'S CERTAINLY KINDS OF ALLOY THAT ARE USED, MADE PRINCIPALLY OF STEEL, BUT ALLOYS THAT ARE USED TO PROVIDE THE ARMORED PLATE FOR VEHICLES THAT WE USE IN WARFARE. WE ARE DOWN TO ONE PRODUCER OF THAT. ANY OTHER THAT WE NEED HAS TO COME FROM ABROAD. SIMILARLY, THE VERY HIGH QUALITY ALUMINUM ALLOYS THAT WE NEED FOR SATELLITES AND FOR AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS, WE HAVE ONLY ONE DOMESTIC SUPPLIER. THAT'S A VERY DANGEROUS THING. AND WHAT BRINGS IT ABOUT IS THAT YOU CAN'T DISCARD THE NEED OF THE STEEL COMPANY OR THE ALUMINUM COMPANY TO MAKE A PROFIT OVERALL. THERE ISN'T ENOUGH MILITARY BUSINESS ON ITS OWN TO MAKE THEM PROFITABLE, SO THEY MUST HAVE THESE OTHER BUSINESSES TO KEEP THE MILLS GOING, BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME MILL THAT MAKES THESE OTHER PRODUCTS THAT MAKES THE VERY DEFENSE SENSITIVE MATERIAL. SO IT'S AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION TO SAY, WELL, DEFENSE DIRECTLY IS ONLY A FEW PERCENT ALSO, WE HAVE HUGE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS. OUR ROADS ARE CRUMBLING. OUR RAILROADS NEED HELP. OUR AIRPORTS ESPECIALLY NEED HELP. WE NEED STRONG INFRASTRUCTURE. THE GRID, ALL KINDS OF THINGS, IN ORDER TO HAVE A VIBRANT ECONOMY. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A VIBRANT ECONOMY, YOU DON'T HAVE NATIONAL SECURITY. GENERAL MATTIS HAS BEEN ON RECORD QUITE A LOT AS CONFIRMING YOU NEED -- ECONOMIC STRENGTH IS MILITARY STRENGTH, AND HE'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

BRENNAN: SECRETARY ROSS, I'M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP AND CERTAINLY YOU HAVE A LOT OF INSIGHT ON AEROSPACE AND DEFENSIVE. I BELIEVE YOU'RE IN FLORIDA BECAUSE OF THE NOAA LAUNCH OF THE WEATHER SATELLITE THAT HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE THIS WEEK YOU. BROUGHT UP SECRETARY MATTIS, AND THE MILITARY AND DEFENSE NEEDS, WHERE ALUMINUM AND STEEL ARE CONCERNED. HE PUT OUT THAT MEMO LAST WEEK SAYING THAT THEY DID BELIEVE THAT TARIFFS WERE IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF TARGETING UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES. THAT THIS IS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY. BUT HE ALSO HAD SAID IN THAT MEMO THAT, "THE DOD CONTINUES TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR KEY ALLIES REGARDING THE RECOMMENDED OPTIONS IN THE REPORT." HE BASICALLY WAS CALLING FOR MORE TARGETED TARIFFS. AND WE HEARD SOMETHING SIMILAR FROM ALCOA YESTERDAY. THEY SAID, "PLEASE, DON'T PUT TARIFFS ON CANADA." WHY WOULD IT MAKE SENSE FOR THIS TO BE BLANKETED? WOULDN'T IT MAKE MORE SENSE TO BE TARGETED BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID AND THE COMMENTS FROM MATTIS AND ALUMINUM PRODUCERS?

ROSS: WELL, MY REPORT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. I PROPOSED SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES TO THE PRESIDENT, BUT THIS IS A PRESIDENTIAL DECISION. AND THE PRESIDENT DECIDED THAT FOR HIS PURPOSES, THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO DO THIS WAS A BROAD BLANKET TARIFF. I'M NOT GOING TO SECOND GUESS THE PRESIDENT. PEOPLE WHO TRIED TO SECOND GUESS HIM DURING THE CAMPAIGNS LOST THE PRIMARIES, AND THEN LOST THE GENERAL ELECTION. SO I'M NOT GOING TO SECOND GUESS THE PRESIDENT. HE KNEW WHAT THE ALTERNATIVES THAT I HAD PROPOSED WERE, AND THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THOSE ALTERNATIVES, THEY WERE ALL DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULT. NAMELY, GETTING STEEL PRODUCTION UP TO ABOUT 80% OF CAPACITY. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT NEEDS TO BE VIABLE AS A TERM INDUSTRY. SAME FOR ALUMINUM. AND BOTH WERE OPERATING AT WELL BELOW THE CAPACITY UTILIZATION THAT'S NEEDED FOR LONG TERM LIABILITY. SO THE QUESTION THAT THE PRESIDENT ADDRESSED IS OF THE VARIOUS ALTERNATIVES TO ACHIEVE THE END RESULT, WHICH ONE DID HE THINK WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND HE CLEARLY DECIDED ON THE ONE HE ANNOUNCED.

QUINTANILLA: YOU MADE THAT POINT PRETTY CLEAR, MR. SECRETARY. AND YOUR POINT ABOUT PRICE INCREASES, ALTHOUGH MINIMAL IS A GOOD ONE. I WONDER THOUGH WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE JOURNAL OP-ED PAGE TODAY, I MEAN, THE POINT IS THAT IT NOT JUST PUNISHES WORKERS OR ANTAGONIZES ALLIES, BUT THAT IT UNDOES SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF TAX REFORM THAT ADMINISTRATION WORKED SO HARD TO PASS. ARE YOU NOT WORRIED ABOUT THAT?

ROSS: NOT A BIT. THE JOURNAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VERY FREE TRADE ORIENTED NEWSPAPER. THEY'VE BEEN VERY COURTEOUS TO ME ABOUT PRINTING MY EDITORIALS AND SUCH AS THAT SO I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT THEY'RE TOTALLY ONE SIDED. BUT THEIR POINT OF VIEW HAS BEEN A GLOBALIST POINT OF VIEW FOREVER. AND I THINK WE HAVE TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN WHAT'S GOOD FOR CORPORATE AMERICA, BECAUSE CORPORATE AMERICA IS THE MAIN AUDIENCE FOR THE JOURNAL, AND WHAT'S GOOD FOR MR. AND MRS. AMERICA. IT'S FINE FOR GENERAL MOTORS OR SOME OTHER COMPANY TO OPEN A FACTORY IN WOHNUNG, CHINA INSTEAD OF IN DETROIT. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE AMERICAN WORKER WHO'S LEFT BEHIND? I THINK WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON THE NEEDS OF THE AMERICAN WORKER. MIDDLE CLASS AMERICA HAS BEEN THE VICTIM OF ALL THESE TRADE PRACTICES GOING BACK FOR ALL THESE YEARS. INCOME TO MIDDLE AMERICANS HASN'T GONE ANYWHERE. AND A BIG PORTION FOR THE REASON, NOT ALL OF IT, BUT A BIG PART OF THE REASON IS THESE UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICED. SO I AGREE WITH THE JOURNAL THAT IN A TRULY FAIR WORLD YOU'D HAVE FREE TRADE BUT IT DOESN'T EXIST. IT'S ONLY DEGREES OF UNFAIRNESS OF TRADE AND WE'RE TRYING TO LEVEL THAT PLAYING FIELD.

FABER: MR. SECRETARY, AS ALWAYS, WE APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE SOME TIME WITH US. IF YOU DO CHOOSE TO HAVE THAT CAMPBELLS SOUP, REMEMBER, OF COURSE, THERE IS A LOT OF SODIUM IN THERE AND A LOT OF SUGAR IN THE COKE AS WELL. JUST, YOU KNOW, THERE YOU GO.

ROSS: WELL  OKAY.

FABER: VERY NICE. ALL RIGHT. WILBUR ROSS, COMMERCE SECRETARY JOINING US.

For more information contact:

Jennifer Dauble

CNBC

t: 201.735.4721

m: 201.615.2787

e: jennifer.dauble@nbcuni.com

Emma Martin

CNBC

t: 201.735.4713

m: 551.275.5221

e: emma.martin@nbcuni.com

About CNBC:

With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and CNBC World, CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 409 million homes worldwide, including more than 91 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries.

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Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBCUniversal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/programming/cnbc.

For more information about NBCUniversal, please visit http://www.NBCUniversal.com.Alex Essoe as Lindsey, Dylan McTee as Jeff and K.C. Faldasz as Vic in the thriller film MIDNIGHTERS Photo courtesy of IFC Midnight.

How did a Pentagon speechwriter pivot to writing screenplays for independent films? For Alston Ramsay, writer of the new thriller "Midnighters," it took risk, research and a group effort from his family. The taut, paranoid "Midnighters" follows Lindsey (Alex Essoe) and Jeff Pittman (Dylan McTee), a young couple straining to contain their simmering marital discord during a party on New Year's Eve. A few drinks past midnight, Jeff's lapse in focus on the drive home causes a life-changing accident. To cover it up, the Pittmans resolve to take matters into their own hands  and into their own house, where the true consequences of their crime begin to take shape.

Ramsay's first credit as a writer and producer made its debut Friday. Ramsay said he re-watched the majority of Alfred Hitchcock's canon while writing "Midnighters," and was heavily influenced by the black comedy of the Coen brothers, as well as Danny Boyle's early film, "Shallow Grave." Yet "Midnighters," peppered with arguments over money and hush-toned plots, exudes the kind of cynicism and sense of self-preservation that comes from years in Washington, the writer explained to CNBC. "Working in D.C. for that long you see some twisted motivations, and you see people make bad mistakes and bad human errors," Ramsay said. "You know the classic thing of, like, 'Well I never would have thought he would be capable of that.'"

Searching for angel investors

The story and aesthetic of "Midnighters," which is being distributed by IFC Midnight, feel far removed from Ramsay's past life in the halls of the Pentagon. But while he did write a military-action screenplay (he called it a "'Taken'-meets-'Rambo' situation" in the style of old Arnold Schwarzenegger flicks), Ramsay and his brother, director Julius Ramsay, made a pragmatic decision to do something different. "We wanted to do something in the thriller-suspense genre because that's his bread and butter," Alston Ramsay said of his brother, "and we wanted to do something in a budget-conscious fashion."

Director Julius Ramsay and writer Alston Ramsay on the set of "MIDNIGHTERS." Photo courtesy of IFC Midnight.

Julius Ramsay had a number of television credits to his name when the brothers began to pursue "Midnighters," having directed episodes of "The Walking Dead," Cinemax horror series "Outcast" and MTV's "Scream" series. But even with his brother's resume to boast, bagging the first film contract is always a challenge. "I pooled together what was very much an angel investor-style presentation, and did the typical start-up fundraising process," Alston Ramsay said. For low-budget films, he said it's possible to "kind of piece together a budget with smaller investments, very much the same way you would with an angel round of a start up." The economical script, mainly set in one location and involving a small handful of characters, was only half the battle. "You can make the same movie for 10 times more, but you don't have to," Alston Ramsay said. One way the producers cut costs for the film was by venturing outside of Los Angeles to shoot it. "Midnighters" was produced in Rhode Island, where locations can be rented for a sliver of the cost of a Hollywood lot. Even better for indie filmmakers: The state offers a generous 25 percent transferable tax credit for film and television productions. Alston Ramsay said the film falls under the category of "Modified Low Budget"  a term which, according to the Screen Actors Guild website, refers to movies made for under $700,000. The cast and crew rented houses in Providence through Airbnb during the production, which lasted less than three months.

On to Los Angeles

Since college, Ramsay had been paving a straight path toward a career in politics. After studying government at Dartmouth, Ramsay worked as an associate editor at National Review, the flagship periodical of American conservative intellectuals. He was tapped in 2006 to work for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but his tenure was cut short after a few months when Rumsfeld was "unceremoniously kicked to the curb" following the midterm elections. Soon after, Ramsay was hired by Rumsfeld's successor, Robert Gates, who served under the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama until 2011. After four years as a Pentagon speechwriter, Ramsay shipped off to Kabul, Afghanistan, writing for Gen. David Petraeus for another year. He eventually worked as a senior speechwriter for Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. After years of writing speeches for government officials, Ramsay had had enough. "I just got to a point where I felt like it was time to move on to something else," he said. After earning an MBA in 2013, Ramsay found himself at a crossroads: Should he follow the safer, more natural progression into business, or "throw caution to the wind" and pursue screenwriting? He made the impractical choice. "Even when I was at the Pentagon, I read books on screenplays," Ramsay said, "to sort of understand the art and the craft of it." The risks were clear: At that point, Ramsay wasn't sure if he would be any good at screenwriting, or if he would even enjoy it. But his prior work, he said with a laugh, endowed him with some transferable skills. "Political speechwriting is its own form of fiction, right?"

Wolves in sheep's clothing

One of the characters in "Midnighters" says that no matter who you are, you fall into one of two categories: "either wolves, or wolves in sheep's clothing." In due course, Ramsay's characters in the film embody that cynical sketch of human nature: Relationships, family, loyalty and mercy are supplanted by venality, avarice and paranoia as the Pittmans struggle to cover their increasingly bloody tracks.

Alex Essoe as Lindsey in the thriller film MIDNIGHTERS Photo courtesy of IFC Midnight.People sign up at the booth for the National Rifle Association (NRA) at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at National Harbor, Maryland, February 23, 2018.

Since the Feb. 14 massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the National Rifle Association has taken hits from survivors and from major businesses.

Among the actions: Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have discontinued their discounts for NRA members, as have insurance company MetLife and car rental companies Avis and Hertz. Dick's Sporting Goods announced that it will no longer sell high-capacity magazines or assault rifles and raised its minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21.

The question arises: Can the nation's largest advocate for gun rights, which prides itself on defending liberties and the Second Amendment, improve its image? The organization did not return CNBC's request for comment.

At least a few observers say yes. DeeAnn Sims, founder and creative director of the SPBX public relations firm in Los Angeles, said the organization's problem can be addressed with a few proactive steps.

"First, members who are speaking to the press and making public appearances should definitely invest in media training," Sims told CNBC.

"Second, the organization's overall image could benefit from a total rebrand. This should include everything from a positive tag line to partnering with a nonprofit partner," she added. "Lastly, I would suggest running a national [public service announcement] about gun safety and investing in a message that suggests they not only recognize a problem, but that they care about these issues."Zekelman Industries, a Chicago-based steel pipe and tube manufacturer, announced yesterday that each of its employees would receive a $1,000 bonus after President Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs go into effect.

"We think there are great days ahead, and we wanted to share it with all of our people," Mickey McNamara, executive vice president of Zekelman Industries, told CNBC during "Closing Bell." "We think [the tariffs are] going to have a tremendous impact for us and for the entire domestic steel industry."

On Thursday, the president announced his proposed tariffs  25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum  would go into effect next week. He said the tariffs were in response to national security risks.

Zekelman Industries, which has sales exceeding $2.7 billion each year, said the bonuses would be distributed after the tariffs are implemented and again each year on the anniversary of the tariffs, as long as they remain in effect.

"If something happens and this falls through, then we'd have to revisit the situation," said McNamara, who said he'd be disappointed if the deals don't go through at all.

"President Trump has made some promises to our industry," said McNamara, who also serves as president of the company's Z Modular. "So far to date he's stood behind those promises. These tariffs are the latest example of that, following the tax cuts."

"We're excited about the opportunities that we think this tariff is going to create for us," McNamara said.

But not everyone is excited about the tariffs.

Ravin Gandhi, CEO of GMM Nonstick Coatings, calls the bonuses Zekelman is giving out "awesome," but said he is "nervous" about the tariffs.

"It distorts free market," Gandhi said during "Closing Bell." His company supplies the cookware, bakeware and electrical industries.

Gandhi worries that operating costs will increase with the tariffs, pushing up consumer prices.

"The question is, ultimately, who is buying these products?" he said. "It's Americans. We're a country addicted to low prices and consumption. ... This is why I think tariffs don't work."

"When prices across the board go up," Gandhi said, "the market could go down potentially far and could put us into a recession, which I hope does not happen."

While McNamara said there will likely be a "curving" of imports, "it's certainly not going to knock imports out of the market. . It's going to grow our market."

"The effect on the consumer of increased steel prices is nominal to negligible," he said.In the past few years, tiny homes have had a big impact on real estate. And the trend has gained some serious traction with consumers  shows like HGTV's "Tiny House, Big Living" and FYI's "Tiny House Nation" are fueling the compact houses' popularity. Last year, homes less than 500 square feet were reported to have appreciated twice as fast as the overall market. Now, the trend is bleeding into travel, and tourists can fulfill their big vacation dreams in teeny, tiny accommodations. Whether you're looking to escape to the scenic Rocky Mountains or the sunny Florida shore, teeny rentals (some as small as 135 square feet) pack a major punch. With micro-living and minimalism spiking in popularity, get a taste of the smaller life with these tiny home resorts, hotels and rentals found across the country. Live A Little Chatt in Georgia

Nestled on a hill in Lookout Valley, providing sunrise and sunset views of Lookout Mountain in Georgia, just a 15 to 20 minute drive from Chattanooga, Tennessee, is Live a Little Chatt. The retreat offers four tiny houses available for booking through Airbnb. While small, the rentals are designed to maximize space using with lots of windows (45 total in four houses), cathedral ceilings, skylights and portholes. Nightly rates for Live A Little Chatt's houses range from $142 to $170. There's Shangri-Little, one of the first tiny houses in Georgia, according to the site, located on the bluffs of Lookout Mountain. The house sleeps three and has a rooftop deck and even an elevator. Meanwhile, Old Blue Chair sleeps five to six and showcases dreamy interiors like a rain shower, reading nook and Cedar siding.

Instagram-friendly Alpha sleeps three and has a Jacuzzi tub and outdoor door deck. The Wandering Gypsy Tiny House sleeps four. It is described on its Airbnb profile as "funky," "cozy," and "tiny," and is built with all recycled materials. Tiny House Siesta in Florida

This beachy resort might not feature balcony views, but its tiny houses are certainly a treat for tourists looking to try a different kind of accommodation . Tiny House Siesta is located in Sarasota, Florida in an RV park just across a bridge from popular Siesta Key Beach.

Tiny House Siesta 11 different RV properties of varying sizes, many brightly colored and boasting fun names. Tiny House Eleanor, painted blue, sleeps three guests with a single bed on its first floor and a queen bed in the loft. The nightly rate is $133. The Sand Dollar is a bit bigger and sleeps six, with a rate of $152 per night. The bright yellow Margarita property also accommodates six guests for the same price. Leavenworth Tiny House Village in Washington

This tiny house village is located in the Leavenworth RV Resort near the Cascade Mountains in Leavenworth, Washington, and as a nod to the town's Bavarian design, is also appropriately German-themed. The Leavenworth Tiny House Village, operated by Petite Retreats, consists of five tiny houses ranging from 180 to 300 square feet, and is located on a campground, making outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking and snowmobiling easily accessible. Prices range from $129 a night to $149.

Other tiny house villages operated by Petite Retreats include the Mt. Hood Tiny House Village in Welches, Oregon; the Verde Valley RV Resort in Cottonwood, Arizona; and the Tuxbury Tiny House Village in South Hampton, New Hampshire. WeeCasa Tiny House Resort in Colorado

WeeCasa, the self-proclaimed "world's largest tiny house resort," is located in Lyons, Colorado (near Rocky Mountain National Park), and features a number of different tiny homes available for rent. The homes are set up "neighborhood-style" according to WeeCasa, and within close proximity to each other. They vary in square footage  ranging from 135 to 365 square feet  and feature different types of design; while some look more rustic, others boast a modern appearance.

The Hobbit House, which features a circular front door and earthy accents, sleeps four people with its 170 square feet, and starts at $159 per night. Meanwhile, the Modern Tiny Home screams luxury with its butcher-block countertops and marble floating sink. Modern Tiny Home is priced at $139 per night and sleeps two in its 190 square feet. Tiny Digs Hotel in Oregon

Tiny Digs Hotel in Portland, Oregon serves as the perfect pint-sized city escape, whether you prefer a cabin or cottage. All of the hotel's houses are on wheels and feature a small deck, but tout different themes.

There's the Beach Tiny House, with an exterior featuring grey shingles and white trim, as well as beachy interior accents. The house sleeps two adults with its 150 square feet. Then there's the Bamboo, also 150 square feet, which Tiny Digs describes as a "bamboo-filled den of Zen." It features walls covered with grass cloth and a custom Shoji-screen door. Rates vary, but for March, run between $155 to $165 a night. Getaway in New York, Boston and Washington, D.C.

Getaway serves as a tiny escape for urbanites, and offers 150-square-foot cabin rentals on the outskirts of several big cities. The mini-cabins are aesthetically pleasing, and look as if they've been plucked right from an Urban Outfitters ad.

But if you're a planner, be prepared: Getaway keeps the exact locations of its tiny homes a secret, revealing it shortly before your stay. However, each rental is guaranteed to be a two-hour drive (or less) from its respective city. Currently, Getaway offers escapes from Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. Rates vary, but a cabin in New York is currently going for $150 per night. Don't miss: Airbnb's most-liked Instagram listings for 2017 include an Atlanta treehouse and Cape Town penthouseHere's a round-up of the most important deals in venture capital from the past week.

Exits

Amazon acquired Ring, a smart doorbell maker, in a deal that's valued around $1 billion. Ring previously raised $209 million in venture funding from investors including Charles River Ventures, DFJ Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Qualcomm Ventures and Amazon's Alexa fund. Credit Suisse says Amazon's acquisition of Ring will help its Amazon Key in-home delivery offering.

Spotify, the top streaming music service in the U.S., filed to go public on Wednesday. It will begin trading on the New York Stock exchange under the ticker name SPOT. The company reported 71 million paying subscribers and more than 159 million monthly active listeners as of December 2017. Its closest competitor, Apple Music, is far behind at 36 million subscribers. However, Spotify is not profitable  it lost $1.5 billion last year. The company's initial offering of shares will not be underwritten, meaning there is no price set by its underwriters. Last Friday, cloud storage company Dropbox filed to go public, with plans to raise $500 million through the offering. A long-awaited prospectus revealed who will make money on this deal. Sequoia Capital, which led Dropbox's seed round in 2007 and first venture round the following year, owns 23 percent, followed by Accel at 5 percent and T. Rowe Price at 3.5 percent.

DoorDash delivery person Source: DoorDash

Softbank Vision Fund led a $535 million round of funding for DoorDash, the food delivery start-up that's taking on Grubhub, Uber EATS and Square-owned Caviar. SoftBank was joined by Sequoia Capital, an earlier DoorDash backer, and Singapore's GIC. The deal values DoorDash at about $1.4 billion. Alibaba led a $150 million investment in the Indian food delivery startup Zomato this week, Reuters reported. The company offers restaurant search and food delivery in 24 countries. India's answer to Spotify, Gaana, raised $115 million from Tencent and Times Internet. The company told CNBC it would use the money to develop a paid subscription product, and add "personalization" features to its streaming music service via machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Source: Aurora

Aurora, a start-up working on systems to enable fully self-driving cars, has raised $90 million from investors including Index Ventures and Greylock Partners. The company was founded by engineers who formerly worked in the self-driving vehicle divisions of Google, Uber and Tesla. Aurora is already working with Volkswagen, Hyundai and Byton, a Chinese automaker developing electric vehicles. Citadel Defense, A maker of military grade counter-drone systems, raised $12 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners. According to a company statement, Citadel has six current military and government clients, including the United States Department of Defense. Its drones are used to keep soldiers, medics and others safe in conflict zones.

Alison Darcy, CEO and founder of Woebot LabsThe new tax law caps deduction on state and local taxes at $10,000.

In one neighborhood in Jersey City, New Jersey, the average tax burden will rise to $29,026 from $16,591, an increase of nearly 75 percent.

Pedestrians walk along the Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, New Jersey. Emile Wamsteker | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The good news for some homeowners in one town: The average assessed value of a house in your neighborhood has skyrocketed by more than eightfold, climbing from about $212,000 to $1.8 million. Now for the bad news: Your property taxes are going up as well, to just over $29,000 from an average of about $16,500  and you'll only be able to deduct the first $10,000 on your taxes. That's the situation facing some homeowners in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the rapidly gentrifying city performs its first round of reassessments since 1988. The traditionally blue collar town, which sits directly across the Hudson River from New York City, is an extreme example, but it isn't alone. Property taxes, for instance, are up 38 percent year-over-year in Clark County, Nevada  home to Las Vegas  raising the average 2017 tax bill on a single family home to $2,445 from $1,774, according to ATTOM Data Solutions, a provider of real estate data. Home prices there have risen by 100 percent over the last five years, according to ATTOM.

Las Vegas, Nevada RebeccaAng | Getty Images

Meanwhile, homeowners in Williamson County, Texas  just outside of Austin  experienced a 15 percent tax increase last year. Owners of single family homes paid an average of $6,697 in property taxes, up from $5,837, according to ATTOM. Over the last five years, home prices there have risen by 80 percent. "The story is that people are moving to these markets, and they're experiencing rapid home price appreciation," said Daren Blomquist, senior vice president at ATTOM. "It doesn't just affect the people who are willing to pay for the homes and the property taxes," he said. "There is a ripple effect on neighbors who might have been there for 20 years, and their taxes go up as well." Here's how to contend with skyrocketing property taxes.

Monthly crunch

For Keren Vered, a Jersey City resident, community activist and fashion industry consultant, the $18,000 tax hike on her townhouse translates to an additional outlay of about $1,500 a month. That's on top of the $10,000 she already paid annually in property taxes prior to the city's reassessment. Then there are other regular monthly costs she'll need to weigh. "For me, it's not just the $1,500 a month, but the private school part of it, too," said the mother of two, ages 2 and 4. "Year over year, plus private school, I worry about the long-term sustainability of it." The family has a lever available to help contend with the tax increase: They already rent out one floor of their three-story townhouse. Even so, tenants can only handle so much of an increase in their rent. "I'm trying to get the city to where other families like mine would want it to be," said Vered. "Rents going up create a barrier to entry."

Tax strategies

Homeowners like Vered face an additional difficulty: Prior to 2018, they were able to claim all of their property tax liability if they itemized on their taxes. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act now in place, residents can now only claim up to $10,000 in state and local tax deductions. Residents in New York, New Jersey and California are among the hardest hit.

Plus, fewer filers are expected to itemize in 2018 because the new tax law has doubled the standard deduction to $24,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Under the previous law, about 49 million taxpayers  roughly 3 in 10 individuals  filed itemized returns, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Accountants point to a couple of strategies homeowners facing big tax hikes can take.

Home office break

An entrepreneur working from home can take a home office deduction in one of two ways. First, there's the "safe harbor" method in which you deduct $5 per square foot for an office that's up to 300 square feet. You can also calculate your deduction based on your actual expenses, figuring out the percentage of your home used for the business.

Loic Lagarde | Getty Images

This method considers the percentage of home costs, including real estate taxes, attributable to the office, according to S. Andrew Smith, a CPA and principal at Baker Newman Noyes in Portland, Maine. The "actual expense" method also deducts for depreciation, and you will pay taxes on that when you sell your home, Smith warned. You do not need to itemize on your taxes to grab the home office deduction, but you do need to show a profit from a home business in order to take it.

Rent it out

Whether you have a duplex or a spare room, consider taking on a tenant. "You'll pay the property tax one way or the other, but at least you have some rental income to help pay for it," said Tim Steffen, director of advanced planning for R.W. Baird's private wealth management group in Milwaukee.

As a landlord and a small business, if you become a pass-through entity  an LLC or an S-corporation  you may be eligible for a 20 percent deduction for qualified business income. If you rent out your home, be sure to track your expenses and talk to your insurance agent. "If you use it as a rental property, even partially, your insurance coverage needs will change," said Smith. Report your rental income or loss on Schedule E when you file your taxes. On the other hand, if your rapidly appreciating property is in a prime destination, consider that you won't have to claim the rental income if you rent your space for less than 14 days over the year.

Fight backA top republican donor close to President Donald Trump tried to negotiate a $75 million fee from the man at the center of the 1MDB scandal if he could get the U.S. to stop investigating the Malaysian state investment fund, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Elliott Broidy, a longtime Republican donor, and his wife, Robin Rosenzweig, discussed setting up a consulting contract with Jho Low, who has been accused of embezzling state funds, the WSJ, according to emails that the publication reviewed.

One email showed a proposal that would have given Broidy and his wife $75 million if they got the Justice Department to drop its probe into 1MDB.

Broidy also prepared talking points for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak for his 2017 visit to Washington that included a meeting with Trump. Some of the talking points included talking up Malaysia's relationship with the U.S. in fighting North Korea and arguing against the legal pursuit of 1MDB.

Chris Clark of Latham & Watkins LLP, on behalf of Broidy and Rosenzweig told the WSJ in a statement that at not time did "anyone acting on their behalf, discuss Mr. Low's case with President Trump, any member of his staff, or anyone at the U.S. Department of Justice."

Read the full Wall Street Journal report here.For Solomon Oyakhire, the call from Palo Alto came during dinner time the Nigerian student was alone, eating dinner in his apartment in Lagos.

On the other line was John Hennessy, a former President of Stanford University and the co-founder on the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, congratulating him on winning a scholarship to study at the prestigious California university.

Oyakhire is one of 49 applicants selected from 3,601 applicants, who received a personal phone call from Hennessy to come study at Stanford. Each scholar receives full financial aid for three years to pursue a graduate degree. Applicants are admitted based on academic excellence, civil mindset and demonstrated leadership ability.

"When the call came, I was completely overwhelmed. I felt humbled, excited, and inspired to be considered worthy to join the family of scholars" said Oyakhire, who will be pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering.

The scholarship's funding comes from deep Silicon Valley pockets. With an endowment of $750 million, it benefits from the generosity of Phil Knight, a co-founder of Nike and Stanford alum, who by himself donated $400 million in 2016 to start the scholarship fund with Hennessy.

Earlier this month, Hennessy replaced Eric Schmidt as chairman of tech giant Alphabet, Google's parent company. "My main gig is teaching" Hennessy told CNBC recently, jokingly referring to Google as "my side gig."

The Silicon Valley veteran co-founded the semiconductor company Mips Computer System, and sold it for a little over $400 million in the early 1990s. In 2011, Hennessy's Atheros Communication, a semiconductor company for wireless chipset, was acquired by Qualcomm for more than $3 billion.As consumers pressure corporate America to act in the wake of last month's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman High School in South Florida, one of Wall Street's highest-profile companies finds itself in an awkward position: Goldman Sachs.

In 2017, Goldman's private equity arm helped finance Bass Pro Shops' roughly $4 billion purchase of hunting and sporting good retail rival Cabela's. The bank contributed approximately $1.8 billion in preferred equity to the deal. It was the largest investment of the bank's first new private equity fund since the financial crisis.

That bet makes it awkward for the bank to come out with a stance on gun control, as corporate America is now being called on to do. There is ongoing debate about the fairness of that expectation and what the appropriate response should be. Still, financial institutions like BlackRock and Bank of America have vocally weighed in on the matter.

In a statement provided to CNBC, Goldman Sachs said: "We are saddened by recent events, especially the tragedy in Florida last month. We are in touch with management at Bass Pro/Cabela's and know they are deeply concerned and focused as well."

Goldman Sachs' ownership stake in Bass Pro/Cabela's is small, and the company does not have a board seat. Its equity is "preferred" which, in layman's terms, means it is more akin to a financing tool than it is to ownership. It nonetheless forges a connection between Goldman and guns at a time at which scrutiny of the firearms industry is high. Goldman declined to disclose the size of the stake.

The alleged gunman who massacred dozens of people in Las Vegas is said to have bought a gun at Cabela's, according to multiple reports. (The retailer reportedly has since gotten rid of bump stocks, which are a legal attachment that makes guns fire faster.)

Goldman did not issue a statement in response to the Las Vegas shooting, though did provide a comment to Axios about its previous investment in SureFire, a high-capacity magazine that TMZ alleged was used in the massacre. (Goldman said SureFire moved into magazines after its investment, against its wishes. Its stake in the company is currently for sale, a source familiar with the matter tells CNBC.)

Cabela's/Bass Pro is one of the few national retailers that has not publicly issued new gun restrictions in the wake of the Florida shooting, despite vocal measures taken by Walmart, Kroger and Dick's Sporting Goods, among others.

It is also one of the most reliant on the industry, heavily steeped in hunting culture. Outdoor products including guns comprised roughly half Cabela's sales, according to securities filings from before its sale to Bass Pro. The retailer has gun libraries on its grounds and displays taxidermy in its stores. It is one of a thinning number of national stores that still sell AR-15 assault rifles, the weapon allegedly used by the Parkland shooter.

Neither Cabela's nor Bass Pro responded to CNBC's requests for comment.Iran will not negotiate over its ballistic missiles until the United States and Europe dismantle their nuclear weapons, a top Iranian military official said on Saturday, keeping up the Islamic republic's tough stance on the issue.

While Iran has accepted curbs on its nuclear work  which it says is for purely peaceful purposes  it has repeatedly refused to discuss its missile program, something the United States and the Europeans have called for.

"The condition for negotiating Iran's missiles is the destruction of the nuclear weapons and long-range missiles of the United States and Europe," Iranian Armed Forces spokesman Masoud Jazayeri was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying.

Iran says its nuclear program is defensive because of its deterrent nature, and that it is not related to Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which led to the lifting of sanctions against the country.

European powers and Iran have started talks over Tehran's role in the Middle East and will meet again this month in Italy as part of efforts to prove to U.S. President Donald Trump that they are meeting his concerns over the 2015 nuclear deal.One of the ironies of trade protectionism is that tariffs and import quotas are what we do to ourselves in times of peace what foreign nations do to us with blockades to keep imports from entering our country in times of war.

Or consider that we impose sanctions on U.S. enemies such as North Korea, Russia and Iran because we want them to feel the economic pain of being deprived of imports. But now we are imposing sanctions on our own country by punishing with tariffs in order to make Americans more prosperous. If ever there were a crisis of logic, this is it.

President Trump genuinely believes that his steel and aluminum tariffs will save thousands of blue collar jobs. And we know from our interactions with him that he truly cares about these workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other rust belt states.

The American people do as well, and we don't want factories to shut down. But even if tariffs save every one of the 140,000 or so steel jobs in America, it puts at risk 5 million manufacturing and related jobs in industries that use steel. These producers now have to compete in hyper-competitive international markets using steel that is 20 percent above the world price and aluminum that is 7 to 10 percent above the price paid by our foreign rivals.

In other words, steel and aluminum may win in the short term, but steel and aluminum users and consumers will lose. In fact, tariff hikes are really tax hikes.

 Some of those 5 million jobs will be put in harm's way. And if they sell less to foreigners, the trade deficit goes up, not down.

Since so many of the things Americans consumers buy today are made of steel or aluminum, a 25 percent tariff will likely get passed on to consumers at the cash register. This is a regressive tax on low-income families."Red Sparrow," a dark, complex and violent thriller debuting this weekend, is a fresh take on an old trope: The Cold War between Russia and the United States.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Dominika Egorova, a ballerina in modern day Russia who suffers a career-ending injury that leads her into the shadowy world of espionage. The film is a throwback to the years when spycraft was steeped in the concept of "kompromat"  using seduction instead of computers to lure diplomats and businessmen into divulging sensitive information, or blackmailing them outright.

The plot, seemingly anachronistic during a time when sophisticated digital hacking is the weapon of choice among geopolitical rivals, revolves around Lawrence's character being trained at a secret school that prepares her for a career in psychological and sexual manipulation.

Yet according to Jason Matthews, a best-selling author and a CIA veteran with more than three decades of national security experience, the movie's narrative is in fact art imitating real life. "Red Sparrow" is based on Matthews' book series, and the idea of using sex as a linchpin of human intelligence (HUMINT) gathering is something he euphemistically refers to as "sexpionage."

As it happens, according to intelligence sources, the Soviet Union once ran a school to train young women in being professional "honey pots" to entrap diplomats. The events of "Red Sparrow", which was published in book form in 2013, are an amalgam of Matthews' own anecdotes from his years as a clandestine officer.

"The Russians have for many, many years, used women to try and sexually entrap [high-ranking foreign officials] for blackmail purposes, to try and tell their secrets," Matthews told CNBC in an interview this week.

"If the conditions are right, in Moscow, someone with access to secrets is having one too many drinks in a Moscow bar, and a young lady for sure will sidle up to them and see how far it goes," said the 66-year-old Connecticut native.President Donald Trump threatened to hit car exports from the European Union with a retaliatory tax, escalating a brewing global fight with U.S. trading partners triggered by newly announced 25 percent U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

In a post on Twitter, Trump cited a "big imbalance" between the two countries, said if the 28-nation bloc insisted on imposing punitive taxes on U.S. goods, America would strike back on European car exports. It was an apparent response to European officials threatening policy changes of their own in the wake of Trump's sudden pronouncement on metal imports.

"If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a tax on their cars which freely pour into the U.S.," the president said on Twitter.

Trump tweet

That could spell trouble for car manufacturers like Volkswagen and BMW, two of the most popular European brands sold in the U.S. The German luxury car maker also manufactures many of its cars in America, shipping billions of dollars worth abroad.

In 2016, the EU shipped more than 6 million cars abroad, and the U.S.  its largest market by far  absorbed more than 1 million of those, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Each year, the U.S. imports more from Europe than the continent absorbs in American goods, to the tune of a trade deficit totaling more than $151 billion in 2017, according to U.S. Census data.

Trump's hasty decision to impose tariffs on steel imports has stoked talk of a brewing trade war, roiling both the political establishment and the global economic order. The move also prompted E.U. trade chiefs to weigh hitting a broad array of U.S. imports with a 25 percent tax, Reuters reported this week.

The U.S. Justice Department has asked a court to lift a stay on civil proceedings linked to a Malaysian fund at the center of its biggest ever "kleptocracy" probe, so that a settlement can be reached with producers of the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street."

In September, U.S. prosecutors were granted a stay on dozens of civil lawsuits they filed in connection with $1.7 billion (1.2 billion pounds) in assets allegedly bought with or funded by money stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), to make way for a criminal probe into the scandal-hit state fund.

The court filing on Friday requesting the lifting of the stay order did not say whether prosecutors would now go ahead with a criminal probe. If they did, the timing could be awkward for Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who founded 1MDB, as he prepares to call an election that must be held by August.

The court filing said the prosecutors sought to lift the stay order to make way for a "consent judgment and proposed consent judgment that will fully resolve this case."

Red Granite Pictures, which produced "The Wolf of Wall Street" and was co-founded by Najib's step son, had announced in September that it had "reached a settlement in principle" with the U.S. government, without revealing any sum.

The Hollywood blockbuster, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was among the assets listed in the U.S. Justice Department's lawsuits.

The filing also said the parties involved have reached a global settlement that includes rights and interests in the motion pictures "Daddy's Home" and "Dumb and Dumber To".

Red Granite and 1MDB did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A total of $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials of the fund and their associates, according to U.S. lawsuits filed in the past three years under the Justice Department's kleptocracy asset recovery initiative.

They include a private jet, a hotel and real estate in New York, and a $107 million interest in EMI Music Publishing purchased by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, the department said.

The U.S. attorney-general described the 1MDB scandal as "kleptocracy at its worst".

The lawsuits also said $681 million from 1MDB was transferred to the account of "Malaysian Official 1", which U.S. and Malaysian sources have previously identified as Najib.

Najib's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Najib set up 1MDB in 2009 and previously served as chairman of its advisory board. He and the fund have denied any wrongdoing.

At least six countries are investigating transactions related to 1MDB, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

In the past week, Indonesian authorities seized a luxury yacht, the Equanimity, which was sought by U.S. prosecutors as part of their investigations linked to 1MDB.I'm currently on the graphics desk. I've also been an assistant city editor and a reporter on the community and education beats. You can reach me by email at oliviagarrett@mail.missouri.edu or on Twitter @_oliviagarrett.

Follow this search 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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Zach Castles was a political adviser to two senior ministers in John Keys National-led Government. He now works in public affairs in London.

New Zealands National Party elected a new leader on Tuesday: his name is Simon Bridges. The leadership of the conservative opposition in a country of 4.5 million people may not seem of great significance, particularly when viewed in the context of the challenges its British counterpart faces at present. But the broader long-term political challenges facing centre-right parties are not dissimilar across different countries.

Who is Bridges?

Bridges is a 41 year old former crown prosecutor who, like Theresa May (and many other MPs), studied at Oxford. He was a senior minister in the John Key and Bill English governments. Socially conservative and economically dry, it can be expected he will change the partys policy agenda, although he has said he supports its present direction, and believes that its existing economic platform is strong.

He is the first Maori leader of a major political party in New Zealand, and could well become New Zealands first Maori Prime Minister. He is unashamedly ambitious, and focused on ensuring that the National Party reassumes government at the next General Election in 2020. Polling well, more than financially buoyant and administratively competent and unified, it is in a strong position. There is no real issue dividing the parliamentary party or caucus, in the way that Brexit has divided Conservative MPs.

Taking on the government

New Zealands Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has now been in office for nearly five months and is unquestionably popular. But there is an increasing view that her broad vision statements and lack of detail will begin to grate with the public at some point.

The Labour Party unexpectedly won the 2017 election, and its campaign consisted of not much more than vague slogans about values. Bridges made this point in his first press conference as leader, describing the Prime Minister as a nice, well-intentioned person who has found herself almost accidentally leading a government. Ardern inherited the leadership of a country in almost rude economic health, with a growth rate that is the the envy of the western world. For now, at least, her Government will be able to coast off the proceeds of its predecessors success. But worrying policy announcements, particularly in the industrial relations area, have already caused a marked fall in business confidence. Talks of a recession are gathering pace.

As his partys leader, Bridges faces a weak government with a poorly defined sense of what it is doing. He is tasked with pursuing the government on every policy, every promise, every target that it sets, holding it to account and making mileage out of its mistakes, while at the same time preparing the National Party to look for a government-in-waiting in 2020.

A plan for New Zealand

Bridges will be giving a series of speeches during the coming weeks outlining his vision for New Zealand in greater detail. The Key-English Government was defined by record popularity  harnessed by moderate policy change during the global financial crisis, the prudent management of public services, and rebuilding Christchurch after the earthquakes in 2011.

The challenge now is not only to defend that record, but write a new and compelling chapter that is distinct. There is a strong argument that, since the National Party received the highest vote share, voters did not necessarily reject its policies at the last election: this is indeed true, but ensuring that voters will remember that far back in 2020 is ambitious.

Building greater confidence in centre-right values

The struggle for centre-right parties in the next decade means holding the ideological fort where necessary. Bridges has made clear that he stands for individual freedom, personal responsibility, competition, strong families and security: core National Party values, and indeed core centre-right values. From the reforms led by Margaret Thatcher through the pragmatism of David Cameron to the renewed focus on resolving the burning injustices in society outlined by Theresa May  so, too, must the National Party, and its new leader, outline how it will inspire enough voters towards something not only compelling, but practical in its impacts.

Winning the next election

The Conservatives are in government, the National Party is out of government  but both are confronted with the same problem: how to continue to appeal to the electorate, and a generation, that is becoming increasingly more left-wing. In Britain, this was seen in the so-called youthquake that arguably delivered 40 per cent of the vote share for Labour last year.

Analysis by YouGov last November found that just 15 per cent of under-30s said they would support the Conservatives. In New Zealand, substantial numbers of young people reportedly enrolled to vote ahead of the election. How National and other centre-right parties communicate their values and their story is critical to overcoming this. Failing that, centre-right parties will sleepwalk into a decade of social democratic rule in the western world.

Making friends

In the same way that the Conservatives must cooperate with the DUP, National needs to strategise effectively over the next three years in order to grow the overall centre-right vote. New Zealands MMP electoral system means that multi-government is the norm: there has been no single party majority government in New Zealand since 1996. Parties form coalitions to build effective governments.

The National Party is the largest in parliament, but there are no other viable parties sufficient in number in the House that it could work with. How National manages this unique situation will be forefront of Bridges mind: it is fundamental to whether he will be able to govern after the next election. Of course, like Theresa Mays gamble to seek an outright majority in 2017, the National Party could attempt to defy gravity at the 2020 election and seek to get a majority of the vote share but perhaps it is worth pointing out that no party in New Zealand has won more than 50 per cent of the vote-share since 1951.

Next steps

In an age of Jeremy Corbyn and Donald Trump, and the challenges they pose, the centre-right cannot rely on vague Ardern-style values statements to win elections. Nor can it run on turgid policy platforms. They must ask themselves what the practical effect of policy will be on voters everyday lives, whether it is in housing and health, education, social policy or climate change.

Bridges has already signaled that the National Partys 2020 policy platform will be largely informed by work his MPs do in the regions and cities, listening to peoples concerns and their ideas for addressing them.Theresa May had much to say yesterday, in her Brexit speech, about regulation, but nothing much about immigration  a matter which affects the economy, culture and public services; and which was the second most important issue in the EU referendum campaign. Indeed, it was all bound up with the first: taking back control.

No wonder she wanted to avoid it. Until this week, the Prime Ministers policy was that EU nationals would be entitled to stay on indefinitely and eventually acquire the right to permanent residence up until Brexit day. And as at present, anyone coming to work, study or be self-sufficient would also acquire the right to bring their family.

On Wednesday, this position was quietly shelved. These entitlements will now be extended until the end of transition  whenever that turns out to be. Why the change? There seem to be four main reasons.

First, May wants to get out of talks about transition and into talks about trade as soon as possible. Giving way on the rights of EU migrants might help this to happen. Second, there was hostility to the plan among some businesses. Third, the Home Office might not have its systems prepared in time. (Whats that we were saying about being Ready on Day One?)

Fourth, Downing Street is no longer preoccupied, as it was in David Camerons day, by a threat from the right, given the collapse of UKIP. But there is another factor at work which is well worth pondering  namely, the lack of a champion at Cabinet level for lower immigration, especially among the Brexiteers.

Boris Johnson has a long record of liberalism on the matter, despite his campaigning during the EU referendum, having several times called for an amnesty for illegal migrants. Liam Fox has stressed that the key argument around immigration is really an economic one. Michael Gove tends to keep his counsel on the issue. David Davis is the most immigration-sceptic of the leading Brexiteers.

None the less, the Prime Minister seems to have been able to beat her retreat without a major discussion in either her War Cabinet or the larger one. Compare and contrast with all the toing-and-froing, briefing, leaking and debate about alignment and divergence.

The way was smoothed for May by the drop in net migration from Europe  down below 100,000 for the first time in six years. On the one hand, there is certainly no Brexodus: more migrants are still arriving in Britain from the EU countries than are leaving. On the other, the actual number of those coming has fallen.

Overall, net EU migration since the referendum has fallen by about half  from 190,000 the year before to about 90,000 now. That is a big drop. None the less, 220,000 people from EU countries came here last year. If that rate continues into any transition, it means a lot of people will be entitled to permanent residence, and to bring their families, who might not have been before Mays noiseless U-turn.

Many Tory and Leave voters  and others  will agree with Migration Watchs take: This is a complete capitulation to EU demands, as yet with no parallel commitment from EU member states. This will lead to a scale of immigration to the UK that the electorate voted against and certainly dont want to see.Today's recall will be the biggest election since Joe Biden became president, and its results may hint at the political trajectory of the country.Face Off

Samsung has its work cut out for it with luring customers to the new Galaxy S smartphones, including the Galaxy S9+. Not only does Samsung have to compete with the likes of Apple and its iPhone X, the company also has to fend off Google -- the maker of the Android operating system that runs Samsung's phones. Google's latest flagship, the Pixel 2 XL, poses a major challenge to the Galaxy S9+ even with the camera improvements and other updates Samsung is offering in the device. Which of the premium Android smartphones is a better match for you? In the following slides, the CRN Test Center takes a look at Samsung's Galaxy S9+ vs. Google's Pixel 2 XL on specs and price.Grupo TMM is seeing its Mexican cruise business trending up nicely. For 2018, the logistics and transportation company, which also offers port agency services in all Mexican ports, is expecting to handle 1,152 cruise ship calls, up from 955 last year and 871 the previous year, according to Bernardo Varela, director of operations for ports and terminals.

We are general agents for Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands in all Mexican ports, Varela said, in addition to Crystal Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Cruise & Maritime Voyages, and The World, as well as Carnival Cruise Line in Progreso.

TMM also operates three Mexican ports, Tuxpan, Tampaico and Acapulco.

Varela is hoping that more cruise lines will return to Acapulco, following Norwegian which returned two years ago. We have not had any security issues with passengers or crew, he said, and hopefully other lines will notice this and decide to come back as well.

When Pullmantur and Ocean Star homeported in Acapulco, TMM was also their shipping agent, and Varela said the ships would be sailing at a 95 percent load factor. Cruise & Maritime Voyages is currently planning to homeport in Acapulco, and Varela is convinced there is a market.

One advantage for passengers sailing from here is that they do not need a visa, he said. I am sure there are many people in Mexico who would like to take a cruise, but do not want the hassle of getting a visa and traveling all the way to Florida to get on a ship. Acapulco is only a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Mexico City. (The population in the metropolitan area is about 21 million.)

This has been a seasonal market, he continued, but I think an operator can find a formula to make this year-round, for instance, by offering three- and four-day cruises in the off-season. Itinerary options can go north or south to Guatemala and Costa Rica.Silversea has announced the identities of three new Tale Tellers for the companys world cruise in 2019, according to a press release.

Steve McCurry, Alain de Botton, and Sophy Roberts will each embark the Silver Whisper for a segment of Silverseas 52-port voyage, joining Paul Theroux, Pico Iyer and four other Tale Tellers who are yet to be announced.

They will each host a series of lectures for guests while o board.

Steve McCurry, a recognized photographer, will capture a selection of images to convey his experiences traveling between Tokyo and Singapore.

Alain de Botton, an author whose literary works have been bestsellers in 30 countries, is sure to relay a tale from his cruise experience between Mombasa and Cape Town.

Having written for numerous magazines and newspapers, Sophy Roberts will bring her traveling experience to the Silver Whisper between Cape Town and Lisbon.

Commencing from San Francisco on January 6th, 2019 and concluding in Greenwich, London, on May 19th, Silverseas world cruise will visit 31 countries across 5 continents over a 132-day period. Early booking fares start from $60,000 per guest.VIKING Life-Saving Equipment is set to launch a new polar MES (marine evacuation system), according to a company statement. The new system is timed well ahead of an unprecedented 24 expedition ships on the global cruise ship orderbook.

The VIKING VEC Plus Polar MES is ideally suited for expedition ships, according to Niels Fraende, vice president of cruise and LifeCraft.

Based on the new generation of Plus series VIKING MES launched last year, the VEC Plus Polar is a first-of-its-kind chute-based marine evacuation solution focused on technical simplicity, reliability under harsh conditions and a user-centric design, Fraende said.

We have a host of smaller expedition class vessels set to navigate exotic yet potentially hazardous waters such as those surrounding the two Poles," Fraende continued. "The new VEC Plus Polar is a perfect match (for these ships), including all the IACS PC-6 Class, Polar Code Category B vessels that will be leaving shipyards in the years to come.

The company said the new system can be installed on any large passenger vessel, and can be integrated either on a newbuild or in a refit scenario.

The system includes 40 percent fewer mechanical components than earlier MES designs and is full of advantages and integrated cost-efficiencies for installation and servicing, the company said.

Serving periods are said to be set on 30-month intervals.

The system has been tested to temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius, advised Fraende.

Released by gravity and featuring measures for controlled descent, the system will launch safely onto ice as well as water. In addition, based on our extensive experience including recent findings from the SARex I and II expeditions in Svalbard, the entire system including the associated liferafts has been modified and reinforced to match the extreme conditions under which it may be required to save lives. This includes measures to store Polar Code mandatory personal and group survival kits (PSK and GSK) along with rations for 5-day survival directly at the MES station, he explained.Say Slainte!  twice. St. Patricks Day falls on a Saturday this year, which means the traditional Irish celebration will stretch to two full weekends this year  with Hartford, Essex, New London, Milford and New Haven holiday parades this first weekend, March 10-11.

New Havens parade, from Sherman Avenue, down Chapel Street and up Church Street to Grove and the corner of Orange Street, is the St. Paddy granddaddy of marches in Connecticut, the 176th since 1842, with 3,000 to 3,5000 marchers and an estimated 350,000 spectators. It steps off at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 11.

Among the nearly 150 units marching, Were also going to feature four very nice additions, said Hamden-raised Coleman Walsh Jr., executive chairman of the Greater New Haven St. Patricks Day Parade. The Joseph A. Ferko String Band (of the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia), the New York Fire Department Emerald Society Pipe and Drums unit ... the Funky Dawgs Brass Band (UConn grads) and the Stony Creek Fife & Drum, who after our parade will get on a plane and fly to Dublin for their parade.

Like the other parades around the state, the New Haven version doesnt just happen after a few phone calls or emails. Walsh leads a large committee from the four Irish societies around New Haven that puts on events all year (a 5K race, New Haven Bed Race, fashion show) and lines up sponsors to raise funds for the significant costs associated with such a large parade. Some marching units are paid for their appearance and police overtime must be paid.

The parade stepped off to a temperature of about 14 degrees last year, but cold or not  and Walsh is hopeful this years will be in the 40s  the green-wearing parade is a harbinger of nicer weather and brighter days.

Its really a celebration of not only Irish culture, but of the culture of all ethnic groups to come together at the end of winter and look forward to the springtime and the fine weather, said Walsh, who noted that, per tradition, Church Street will be renamed Kevin J. Smith Boulevard, for the grand marshal of the 2002 parade who died at 59 in October. (This years grand marshal is Patrick J. Smith, of New Haven.)

New Haven-based WTNH-TV (News 8) takes over live TV coverage of the New Haven parade after several years with WTIC (Fox-61). Parade officials signed a three-year contract with WTNH General Manager Rich Graziano, who formerly led Fox-61 (which will continue to show the Hartford parade, beginning at 11:30 a.m.)

Walsh said New Havens parade, known as the most widely attended one-day event in Connecticut every year, is a free, family-oriented event that welcomes people of all ages. (Parade officials and police in recent years have worked to curb the abuse of alcohol at the parade.)

In a news release, Graziano said, To us, what the parade represents is tradition; it is so important to families in the area and their personal history.

The Hartford parade will be Saturday, March 10, at 11 a.m., according to the Central Connecticut Celtic Cultural Committee. The parade begins at Capitol Avenue by the State Capitol, takes a left on Main Street, a left on Asylum, a left on Ford Street and then ends by the Memorial Arch.

The Essex Go Bragh (translated as Essex Forever) Irish Parade & Festival will take place Saturday, March 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., starting at Essex Town Hall and moving down Main Street into the heart of Essex Village, followed by the festival portion that will include free horse and carriage rides, face painting with Bohemian Body Art and special events at the Griswold Inn.

Milfords parade will take place downtown at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at River and Broad streets.

More Information Essex parade, Main Street. Saturday, March 10, 10:30 a.m.; Hartford parade, Capitol Avenue. Saturday, March 10, 11 a.m.; Milford parade, River and Broad streets. Saturday, March 10, 1 p.m.; New Haven parade, Chapel and Church streets. Sunday, March 11, 1:30 p.m. New London parade, Bank Street. Sunday, March 11, 1 p.m. See More Collapse

The New London St. Patricks Day Parade will take place Sunday, March 11, in downtown New London at 1 p.m. The parade route runs from the Bank Street Connector down Bank Street, past the reviewing company at the start of State Street and down State to the end point on Washington Street.

Two more parades arrive in coming weeks: The Greater Bridgeport St. Patricks Day Parade will take place on Friday, March 16, starting at noon and proceeding up Broad Street to Fairfield Avenue and down Main Street to South Frontage Road. The Mystic Irish Parade on Sunday, March 25, starts at 1 p.m. at Mystic Seaport and moves through downtown Mystic and ends at the Mystic Arts Center.UPDATE: 6:30 a.m. Monday

Eversource says the total number of outages stands at 2,928.

Greenwich leads the list with 830 customers without power.

Other outages reported include 331 in Stamford, 149 in Ridgefield, 131 in Danbury, 101 in Westport, 74 in Monroe, 71 in New Fairfield, 61 in New Milford, 61 in New Canaan, 55 in Wilton, 48 in Norwalk and Sherman, 39 in Bethel, 45 in Redding, 28 in Oxford and 27 in Seymour.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m. Sunday

Eversource crews are continuing to work at restoring power to the thousands of customers left without electricity following a weekend storm that brought heavy gusts of wind, fallen trees and downed power lines across the state.

More Information Forecast for the Greater Bridgeport Area: Saturday night - Mostly cloudy with a low around 33 degrees. Wind chill values between 25 and 30 degrees. Winds around 13 to 17 mph. Gusts could reach as high as 28 mph. Sunday - Mostly sunny with a high near 46 degrees. Slight chance of rain and snow shower after noon. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 in the early hours of the day. Wind around 13 to 15 mph, with a possibility of gusts up to 25 mph. Sunday night - Mostly cloudy with a low around 30 degrees. Wind chill values between 25 and 30 degrees. Winds around 11 to 14 mph, with occasional gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Monday - Partly sunny with a high near 42 degrees. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 degrees. Winds between 9 and 11 mph, with gusts reaching as high as 21 mph. Monday night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 29 degrees. Winds between 5 and 7 mph. Forecast based on National Weather Service reports. See More Collapse

Working alongside out-of-state lineworkers, crews have restored power to approximately 174,000 homes and businesses across the state since the storm began, Eversource said in a press release.

The company said it is on track to restore power to a majority of customers still without power by 9 p.m. Sunday.

As of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, roughly 3,045 customers in Greenwich were still without power, as well as 754 in Stamford, 580 in New Canaan, 101 in Darien and 76 in Norwalk, according to an outage map on the Eversource website. The map says it is updated every 15 minutes.

This has been painstaking work - in some parts of the state our crews are having to rebuild portions of the electric system, said Eversource Vice President of Electric Operations in Connecticut Michael Hayhurst. With almost 500 utility poles broken, 87 miles of electric lines down and nearly 400 blocked roads that had to be addressed, our crews have done a tremendous job and they are committed to continue working until every last customer is restored.

Once power is restored to most of the affected customers, crews will focus on the remaining single or scattered outages, Eversource said. Those single or scattered outages are more complex and will take additional time to complete and may require assistance from a private electrician or contractor, the company said. Lineworkers are expected to go to each location to assess what additional equipment or effort may be required to make repairs.

For a list of estimated restoration times, visit eversource.com.

UPDATE 3:03 p.m. Sunday

Sunday afternoon, the Westport Police Department sent a release announcing that the electrical grid was still being repaired after the storm and, due to that, several roads were expected to remain closed during the morning commute Monday, including the intersection of Greens Farms Road and Bridge Street at Compo Road South.

The release outline the following detour plan:

Road closures will be in place at the following locations: Bridge Street at Imperial Avenue, Compo Road South at Keyser Road, Greens Farms Road at Hillspoint Road and Compo Road South at Elaine Road. Any destinations within this area will be accessible only to local traffic; all other traffic should adhere to the following outlined detour.

Again, this plan has been generated under the current assumption that absolutely no vehicular no traffic will be allowed through the intersection of Greens Farms Road at Compo Road South.

Traffic officers and/or traffic control devices will be present to assist with traffic direction at the above locations. Motorists traveling from all points south of the Interstate 95 overpass on Compo Road South should follow Compo Road South to Hillspoint Road north to the intersection of Greens Farms Road. From this point, traffic will be routed either east on Greens Farms Road and/or north on Hillspoint Road. Motorists traveling west on Greens Farms Road will be detoured north at the intersection of Greens Farms Road and Hillspoint Road toward Post Road East (Route 1).

No westbound traffic will be allowed on to Greens Farms Road from the Sherwood Island Connector. This area will be accessible to local traffic only. All other traffic will be diverted north on the Sherwood Island Connector towards Post Road East (Route 1).

Compo Road South will be completely closed to southbound traffic at the intersection with Keyser Road. All southbound traffic on Imperial Avenue will be diverted west on Bridge Street. All eastbound traffic on Bridge Street will be diverted north on to Imperial Avenue.

UPDATE 2 P.M. SUNDAY

Greenwich

Greenwich remains the hardest hit town in the area, with 12 percent of residents still without power. Thats 3,260 people, according to Eversource.

Police said Sunday morning that all main roads had been reopened, but dozens of secondary roads were still closed because of fallen trees.

These roads included Ricky Beth Lane, Hillcrest Park Road, Stonehedge Drive, Comly Avenue, Blind Brook Road, Fox Run Lane, 29-55 Richmond Hill Road, James Street, Norias Road, Flower Lane, Bowman Drive, Mackenzie Glen and Oneida Drive. Police tweeted out a full list of closures.

Stamford

More than 1,050 residents were without power, according to Eversource. This number jumped by about 100 customers mid-afternoon Sunday.

Danbury

Just over 200 customers are without power, according to Eversource.

Ridgefield

More than 500 Eversource customers are without power. Police reported 25 roads were closed earlier this morning.

New Fairfield

Eversource reported 525 reported outages. Thats 9 percent of town.

Redding

About 460 Eversource customers, or 12 percent of town, is without power. Route 107 at Umpawaug road remains closed. Several other roads, such as Newtown Turnpike and Sport Hill Road are also still closed.

Newtown

All but 30 customers have regained power. Still, police said 10 roads were closed this morning.

New Milford

About 360 customers still do not have power. This is 3 percent of the town. Eight roads remained closed Sunday morning.

Westport

About 500 outages were reported, according to Eversource. This was about 4 percent of the town.

Norwalk

More than 150 outages were reported, according to Eversource.

UPDATE 7:30 A.M. SUNDAY

While power was restored to some residents overnight, hundreds remain in the dark Sunday morning.

Eversource hopes power will be fully restored to all towns across the state by 9 p.m. Sunday. In some communities, such as Hartford and Waterbury, power has been restored to all but less than 1 percent of customers, according to Eversources latest estimates.

United Illuminating reports 93 customers are without power as of 6:30 a.m. Sunday, down from 272 customers Saturday night. The majority of these outages are in Easton.

Bridgeport

Power has been restored to all but two customers, as of 6:30 a.m. Sunday, according to United Illuminating.

Bethel

Fourty-two customers are without power, as of 6:30 a.m. Sunday. This is a slight increase from Saturday night, when all but 39 residents had power, according to Eversource.

Brookfield

The number of customers without power has remained at 89 since Saturday night, according to Eversource.

Danbury

Power was restored to about 160 people overnight. Less than 1 percent of the cityor 259 customersare without power, as of 6:30 a.m., according to Eversource.

Darien

More than 150 people had power restored overnight, but 416 customers are still in the dark, according to Eversource.

Easton

United Illuminating reports 57 people are without power.

Fairfield

Power has been restored to all but eight customers. Almost 490 had been without power Saturday night, according to United Illuminating.

Greenwich

Although 2,200 customers had their power turn back on overnight, 13 percent of the town is still without power. Thats almost 3,500 customers, according to Eversource.

Milford

Power has been completely restored. Only 36 customers had been without power by Saturday night, according to United Illuminating.

Monroe

About 30 customers had power restored overnight, but 111 customers are still in the dark, according to Eversource.

New Canaan

More than 325 customers are without power, down from just over 450 customers on Saturday night, according to Eversource.

New Fairfield

More than 600 outages, or 10 percent of the town, are reported, according to Eversource.

But two roads that had been closed for more than a day reopened Sunday morning. Crews cleared a tree that had fallen on the wires on Route 39, reopening the road around 6 a.m. Sunday. The road had been closed at Warwick Road around 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Route 37 was also reopened around 6 a.m Sunday. Authorities had closed Route 37 near Havalin Hollow Road at 4:45 p.m. Friday because of a tree that fell on the wires, according to the state Department of Transportation.

New Milford

More than 560 customers remain without power. Thats 4 percent of the town.

Norwalk

Under 200 customers had power restored overnight. Just over 250 customers are still without power, according to Eversource.

Redding

More than 670 customers, or 18 percent of the town, is without power, according to Eversource. Route 107 at Umpawaug Road remains closed because of a tree fallen on the wires.

Ridgefield

While 115 customers had power restored overnight, almost 630 outages are still reported, according to Eversource. Thats 6 percent of the town.

Seymour

Power went out for a few more customers overnight, but most of the town has power. Twenty-seven customers were without power as of 7 a.m. Sunday, but 14 customers reported outages the previous night, according to Eversource.

Shelton

Power had been completely restored by 7 a.m. Sunday, according to United Illuminating.

Stamford

Almost 700 customers regained power overnight, but nearly 1,070 are still in the dark, as of 7 a.m. Sunday. Thats 2 percent of the city, according to Eversource.

Several roads are still closed. Crews are working to clear Brookdale at High Ridge Road, North Lake Drive at Long Ridge Road, Laurel Ledge at Riverbank Road, Fifth Street to Vincent Court, and Scofieldtown Road from Haviland to Chestnut Hill Road, according to the polices Twitter account.

Stratford

Power has been completely restored, according to United Illuminating.

Trumbull

All but 12 customers have regained power, according to United Illuminating.

Weston

More than 200 customers regained power overnight, but 250 are still in the dark. Thats 6 percent of town, according to Eversource.

Westport

About 100 customers had power restored overnight, but more than 450 are still without power, according to Eversource.

Wilton

More than 400 are without power and several roads remain closed.

Police reported on Facebook that 20/39 Old Huckleberry Road, , 84 Valeview Road, 128 Spoonwood Road, Hickory Hill Road/Millstone, 309 Sturges Ridge Road, were closed as of around 7:45 a.m.

But several roads, including 35 Collinswood Road, 41 Antler Lane, Boulder Brook Road, Deforest Road/Deforest Lane, and Wilton Woods Road/Long Meadow Road, reopened between 4 and 7:45 a.m.

Meanwhile, Olmstead Hill Road, Rivergate Drive, Powder Horn Hill Road, Catalpa Road and Scribner Hill Road were reopened earlier in the night.

The police department said Saturday they had responded to 140 calls since the storm. More than 80 of those calls were for poor road conditions, such as trees or wires on the street.

UPDATE, 9 P.M. SATURDAY:

As towns and cities work to recover from Fridays noreaster, the following updates were provided by local fire and police departments.

The most up-to-date information is below, based on what police, fire and town officials reported at the time of their posting on social media.

Power outages to United Illuminating can be reported at 1-800-722-5584. The company reported 272 without power as of 9:45 p.m. Saturday.

Report any power outages to Eversource at 1-800-286-2000. The company reported 20,024 without power as of 9:45 p.m. Saturday.

The numbers below are referring to the customers still in the dark are as of 8:45 p.m. or later Saturday.

Bridgeport

133 customers in Bridgeport remain without power Saturday. A majority of those without power are in the Black Rock and North End areas, city officials said.

United Illuminating estimated the lights should return for a majority of customers in the city by midnight.

Officials report no injuries caused by the storm, downed trees or wire. Residents are reminded not to touch or approach down wires.

Bethel

39 customers still without power Saturday.

Brookfield

89 customers still without power Saturday.

Flax Hill is closed.

Eversource reported 89 customers remained without power at 8:15 p.m.

Danbury

422 customers still without power Saturday.

Officials in the city reported around 4 p.m. that roads were mostly clear from debris and that any additional issues were being handled as soon as possible.

Darien

573 customers still without power Saturday.

Easton

164 customers still without power Saturday.

Morehouse Road at Morning Glory Drive, which was previously closed for flooding, is open. Police ask drivers to use caution, as there is still some water over the roadway.

Two customers remain without power, according to Eversource. UI reports 164 customers in Easton without power.

Fairfield

489 customers still without power Saturday.

Greenwich

5,719 customers still without power Saturday.

As one of the areas of Connecticut hit the hardest by the storm, crews -- from Eversource and the town - are working around the clock to restore power.

Milford

36 customers still without power Saturday.

Monroe/Stepney

142 customers still without power Saturday.

The fire department reported responding to several calls during the storm Friday evening into Saturday morning.

Among those calls, officials said, was the cleanup of a transformer oil spill when a pole came down on Bradley Drive.

Stepney Fire Department stepped in for a car that crashed into a pole on Pastors Walk.

Stepney firefighters also handled a tree and wire fire on Monroe Turnpike. Crews kept an eye on the fire for two hours early Saturday morning, waiting for the power company to respond as the fire burned and winds blew embers around nearby homes, officials said.

New Canaan

454 still without power Saturday.

The towns Emergency Operation Center announced at 10:30 a.m. that town-wide restoration efforts were underway.

At that time, there were 31 roads with downed trees and wires. An updated number was not immediately available later Saturday.

Police ask that anyone who encounters caution tape or barricades blocking off roads do not move them or try to travel down the roads.

As people remain without power, they are reminded not to keep a generator inside, but to keep it outside and at least 10 feet away from their home.

Non-emergency situations can be reported to 203-594-3500. Life-threatening emergencies should be reserved for 911 calls.

Norwalk

433 customers still without power Saturday.

Norwalks emergency services had a busy day Friday, officials said.

There are still several roads in the city closed because of trees and wires down, officials said, though there were no specific roads provided.

Police ask anyone who sees wires down to call 911 and do not approach or touch them. If drivers see flooded roadways, police said, do not drive across them.

Ridgefield

746 customers still without power Saturday.

Around 4 p.m., police reported that roughly 20 roads in the town remained closed because of downed trees and wires. Police said the roads affected were back roads, not main ones. They were expected to be cleared later Saturday.

Seymour

14 customers still without power Saturday.

A car that crashed into a telephone pole Friday night caused police and fire personnel to shut down South Main Street between Colony Road and Bellevue Terrace. The road was expected to remain closed until utility companies could get to the site to make repairs.

Police reported at 7:30 a.m. Saturday that the road remained closed and was expected to be beyond 3 p.m. There was no immediate indication from police that the road had been reopened as of 8:30 p.m.

Shelton

8 customers still without power Saturday.

Stamford

1,753 customers still without power Saturday.

With the citys St. Patricks Day Parade scheduled in downtown, crews worked throughout the evening to ensure the roadways were cleared for the parade to run without issue.

The parade, which kicked off at noon Saturday, was able to run on the expected street - Hoyt Street, Summer Street, Main Street, Atlantic Street, Broad Street, Bedford Street and North Street - without any problems.

Stratford

3 customers still without power Saturday.

Trumbull

15 customers still without power Saturday.

Weston

475 customers still without power Saturday.

Friday evening, Weston fire officials reported several incidents involving damage to the towns power infrastructure.

Wires and trees were down throughout the down and crews were out Friday night, working to clear the roadways. A larger force was out Saturday working to cleanup debris.

Friday night, fire officials reported the following roads to have blockages: Davis Hill Road, Valley Forge Road, Kettlecreek Road, Old Hyde Road, Wampum Hill Road, Whippoorwill Road, Norfield Road, White Oak Lane, High Noon Road, Newtown Turnpike, Cindy Lane, Lords Highway, High Acre Road, Kellogg Hill Road, Ravenwood Road, Old Orchard Road, Hackberry Hill Road, Hidden Meadow, Blue Spruce Circle, Godfrey Road East, Farrell Road and Birch Hill Road.

There was no immediate word on which of those roads, if any, had been cleared by Saturday at 8:40 p.m.

Anyone who requires assistance can reach Weston emergency services at 203-222-2600.

Westport

556 customers still without power Saturday.

More than 24 hours ago, Westport police reported the following roads were closed: Turkey Hill Road South at Hillandale Road, Roseville Road area of Salem Road, the area of 326 Main Street, the area of 3 Bayberry Ridge, the area of 2 Hillyfield Lane, the area of 166 Compo Road South, the area of 5 Farnham Court, the area of 8 Warnock Drive, Canal Street at Woods Grove Road, the area of 18 High Gate, the area of 12 Side Hill Road, the area of 17 Saxon Lane, the area of 10 Highland Lane and Compo Road South at Bridge Street.

There was no word Saturday evening around 8:45 p.m. on whether these areas had been cleared of the trees, wires and debris that caused emergency officials to close them Friday evening.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Tens of thousands of people across the state remained without power Saturday, after a noreaster the day before brought rain and fierce winds that knocked down countless trees, including one that killed a man on the Merritt Parkway.

Utilities said some customers would have to wait until Sunday  or longer  before their electricity was restored.

As of 4:15 p.m. Saturday, across the state, Eversource reported 23,702 customers without power, while United Illuminating reported 453. Greenwich (5,709) and Stamford (1,740) remained the two hardest-hit municipalities in the state, as of 7:20 p.m.

It was the same across much of the Northeast, as coastal communities experienced damaging high-tide flooding and the lingering wind. In all, more than 2 million homes and businesses from Virginia to Maine lost power at some point because of the storm.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency Saturday, joining governors in Maryland and Virginia who had earlier made the declarations.

By Saturday evening, power outages on the East Coast had dipped by about 500,000. But high winds were still making it hard for utility crews to get all the lights back on.

In Connecticut, Eversource officials said there were nearly 100 broken (utility) poles, damaged transformers and about 11 miles of downed electrical wires to repair. ... In many cases, weve had to rebuild the electric system.

The majority of Eversource customers still in the dark would likely have their power back by 9 p.m. Sunday, utility spokesman Mitch Gross said. But despite the all hands on deck approach, Gross said, it could take several days to restore power to some customers.

Were doing everything that we can to restore power to all of our customers today, and were doing that as quickly and safely as possible, Gross said.

Death on the Parkway

Jonathan Rodriguez-Melendez, 25, of Hawthorne, N.J. was identified as the man killed Friday afternoon on the Merritt Parkway, near exit 33 south.

Connecticut State Police said a tree dislodged and fell on top of the Mini Cooper Rodriguez-Melendez was driving. The cars passenger was taken to Greenwich Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

There were other storm-related deaths elsewhere. A 57-year-old Pennsylvania man and a 37-year-old Massachusetts man were also killed when trees fell on their vehicles Friday. A man and a 6-year-old boy were killed in different parts of Virginia, while an 11-year-old boy in New York state and a man in Rhode Island, both died. A 77-year-old woman died after being struck by a branch outside her home near Baltimore.

The storm prompted more than 2,800 flight cancellations, mostly in the Northeast on Friday. LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill. A day later, airports from Washington, D.C. to Boston were still reporting dozens of delays and cancellations, but they were recovering.

The storm also knocked out Amtrak service between Washington D.C. and New York before it was restored Saturday morning. In Connecticut, Metro-North rail service was limited Friday because of trees on the tracks, and buses replaced trains on the New Canaan line. Late Saturday afternoon, Metro-North reported that its rail lines were fully operational again.

Greenwich Police reported several hundreds of trees knocked down during the peak of the storm Friday, and town officials urged residents to stay home so public works crews could clear the roads.

Throughout Friday night, Bridgeport police responded to calls for wires, trees and branches down across the city, dispatch reports indicated. Most people who lost power in the city were in the Black Rock area, officials said.

By 7 p.m. Saturday, UI reported that 133 Bridgeport customers remained without power. WPKN, a Bridgeport-based radio station at 89.5 FM, was offline, because the storm knocked out its transmitter.

Handling massive outages

When restoring power after a major storm, Eversource said, the company focuses on bringing power back to critical facilities first - including hospitals and police and fire departments.

Safety is always a top priority, said a tweet from Eversource on Saturday. We respond to emergency 9-1-1 call, clear electric equipment from blocked roads and complete damage assessments.

Average wind gusts were recorded Friday in the range of 40 to 60 mph throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties.

Though the winds started to die down around midnight Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, gusts were strong enough Saturday to prevent electric companies from restoring power in some places.

Out-of-state utility crews came to Connecticut on Saturday to help Eversource workers. Michael Hayhurst, the utilitys vice presidents of electric operations in Connecticut, said Saturday afternoon that crews had restored power to more than 134,000 customers since the storm began.

This storm was extremely destructive, bringing down thousands of trees around the state, making it difficult for our crews to travel to locations where work needs to be done, Hayhurst said.

The Associated Press and staff reporters John Nickerson, Ken Borsuk, Pat Tomlinson and Zach Murdock contributed to this report.In theory, Google Shopping is simple. You upload your products to a feed through Google Merchant Center, connect it with Adwords and voila, your product images and price will start to populate on Googles search results.

Related: Why Ecommerce Owners Must Create Google Shopping Campaigns

If you are an entrepreneur looking to get started on Google Shopping, Adwards has a video tutorial that walks you through setting up a campaign in under 5 minutes.

Just so you have a visual representation of how Google Shopping works, below you can see how a product from your website will populate via an image after someone conducts a Google Search for the product name. If you have the right Google Shopping strategy, this can be a lucrative way to grow ecommerce sales.

The issue with Google Shopping is that you lack control, which means you can spend a lot of money without being profitable (unless you follow the hacks below). With Google PPC, you bid on keywords and your advertisements will only populate if people search for those specific keywords. I wrote an article on Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAG) that details how controlled you can get with Google PPC.

Google Shopping pulls in product information from the title of your product along with information on your website, so there are much more search terms that can drive people to your site. Sometimes this can be good; other times, not so good.

Related: Are You Taking Advantage of Google's Local Inventory Ads?

Here are six hacks that can save you money on your Google Shopping while boosting your profitability.

1. Optimizing content on your website

Make sure your product titles are strategically selected and the content on the product pages of your website is well optimized.

If you are selling a product from a manufacturer, youll want to make sure the title is consistent with what the manufacturer has listed since this will likely be what people search and convert for.

If you have your own brand, it is beneficial to select titles that have keywords with good search volume so people can actually stumble on your product via Google Shopping.

Having unique content on each product page is an important way to differentiate your brand. If you just copy and paste the same content as a manufacturer or competitor, you could be looking at duplicate content isssues. Google is going to crawl the content on your product pages, so optimize each product page with search terms that can convert.

However, even if you optimize the title and content on each product page, youll still drive traffic to your website that wont convert, which is why the next step on negative keywords is so important.

Related: How to Make at Least $1,000 Your First Month of Ecommerce

2. Negative keywords

I cant overemphasize how important it is to add negative keywords into each one of your Google Shopping campaigns. This can drastically save you money and increase your performance.

Within your Google Shopping campaign, youll want to click on keywords and then search terms and then segment by "clicks" to see which search terms are eating up the majority of your budget (see below).

DermWarehouse, an ecommerce skin care brand, was nice enough to allow us to share campaign data for this Entrepreneur article so readers could get a better understanding of the examples we're referring to.

Google is trying its hardest to drive people to your site based on keywords on each product page. This doesnt mean the traffic it is driving to your site will convert.

DermWarehouse sells a popular and trendy brand name Juara. Juara has several products that contain coffee ingredients. Above in the "search terms" report, you can see DermWarehouse converts on keywords pertaining to the brand name Juara (look at the conversions tab). When people searches for just coffee lotion they do not convert well. This is an opportunity to add the exact variation of coffee lotion as a negative keyword.

If you are having trouble grasping why the search term coffee lotion wouldnt convert for this skincare company, think of how broad of a search term this is. Juara is much more specific, meaning people are deeper into the purchasing funnel when searching for this brand on Google. Coffee lotion is more likely an initial search people are typing in, meaning it wont be as likely to convert.

Can these more generalized keywords such as "coffee lotion" convert? Absolutely! You have to keep a close eye on your shopping campaigns to monitor whats converting and pause the poor performers by adding them as a negative keyword. Anytime we see a search term that has over 30 clicks without a conversion, we either lower the bid or add the search term as a negative keyword.

Related: Set up Your Google AdWords Campaign in 9 Steps

3. Segmentation

One of the biggest mistakes we see among ecommerce brands is they upload all of their products into one Google Shopping feed and it is a massive free-for-all.

Sticking with the skin care example, Glytone is a much more popular brand than Juara. This means there are more search terms for Glytone products compared to Juara. If you have one campaign with a $100 daily budget, Glytone would likely eat up 90 percent of the daily budget. Even though Juara isn't as popular, since it is more niche, it could convert three times higher, which is why it is so important to segment your Google Shopping campaigns. You want all of your products to have a chance to prove whether or not they are profitable for your company.

I recommend segmenting your Google Shopping campaigns based on the following:

Price of product: $10-$29, $30-$49, $50-69, etc.

Brands: Juara, Glytone, ClarityRX, Alphaeon, etc.

Seasonality: Summer, fall, winter, spring

Top sellers

Below is an example of campaign segmentation for the top 30 selling products for DermWarehouse. In order to find the top selling products, there was prior segmentation based off of each brand. You can see the day I took the screen shot below, DermWarehouse spent $8.16 on this specific Shopping campaign and generated three conversions for $122 in revenue. This is a 14.95x return on advertising spend. While there wasn't a lot of money spent at the time of this screen shot, you can see how past data is being used to make Google Shopping work smarter so the campaign is profitable.

Related: Use This Google AdWords Hack to Lower Costs and Increase Leads

4. Proper bidding

In the example above, you can see how there are different bids (default max CPC bids) for each product. You want to make sure you are bidding strategically based on the price of the product along with your profit margin.

We recommend taking the price of the product and dividing this by your profit margin. If you have a $100 product and your margins are 50 percent (after all expenses), then you are looking at $50 profit. According to SmartInsights, the standard ecommerce conversion rate percentage is 3.78 percent on desktop devices; on mobile devices, it is 1.14 percent (more on mobile bidding to come). You'd want to take $50 and multiply this by .038 to get a $1.90 bid. This is a good starting point! If you can convert above 3.78 percent on this $100 product, you'd be profitable.

Too often, ecommerce businesses will have the same bid for each product despite a drastic difference in pricing. This is a major flaw that can hold back your profitability on Google Shopping.

Related: 4 Ways to Squeeze Every Last Bit of Value From Your Google AdWords Budget

5. Mobile bid adjustments

Any digital markter is going to tell you about the importance of mobile. The issue is that mobile has an ecommerce conversion rate of 1.14 percent, less than half of desktop.

Most advertisers don't realize that you can reduce your mobile bid adjustment, which will make your Google Shopping campaigns more profitable.

If you go to "settings" and "devices" you have the option to reduce mobile bidding. In the example below, you can see the mobile bid adjustment has been reduced by 50 percent. This has dropped the average cost per click by more than 50 percent on mobile. This is making our budget work harder on desktop, where all of the conversions have come from. While we don't want to give up on mobile completely within this campaign, we know it isn't as profitable as desktop and tablet, hence the 50 percent bid reduction.





Related: 3 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Ad's Clickthrough Rate and Lower Your Cost Per Click

6. Retargeting

I mentioned earlier that the standard ecommerce conversion rate percentage is 3.78 percent on desktop and 1.14 percent on desktop. This means that 97 out of 100 people who are visiting your website are not converting!

Make sure you have retargeting set up so after someone drops off your site your branded advertisement will continue to be served for up to 30 days.

There are advanced features of retargeting called dynamic search retargeting and RLSA (retargeting lists for search ads). For starters, make sure to create your first display retargeting campaign so your brand will stay top of mind to people who drop off your site.

Related:

IKEA India Chief is Finding it Tough to Build a Store in India. Here's Why

How to Actually Make Sales Using Google Shopping

The Inspiring Story of an Artisan Food Retailer



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com

NORWALK  A New Britain man who allegedly threatened a Central Connecticut State University administrator was located and detained after Norwalk police received a tip that he was hiding out at a local church.

CCSU police learned a week ago that 21-year-old Rutho Charlot had been harassing and threatening a school administrator. In the course of harassing the administrator, police said that Charlot also learned the identity of the administrators mother and began harassing her too.County commissioners say ADHS funds can be used for 219Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. provides various insurance solutions. The company operates through four segments: Life; Non-Life; Asset Management; and Holding and Other Business. It offers saving and protection insurance products for individuals and family; unit linked products with investment purposes; and motor, liability, casualty, accident, health, and commercial and industrial risks insurance products. The company also provides equity and fixed-income funds, as well as alternative products; investment; and wealth management services. It operates in Italy, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia/Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the Americas, Southern Europe, and Asia. The company was formerly known as Assicurazioni Generali Austro-Italiche and changed its name to Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. in 1848. Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. was founded in 1831 and is headquartered in Trieste, Italy.

Read MoreElringKlinger AG develops, manufactures, and distributes technical and chemical products for the automotive sector and the general manufacturing industry in Germany and internationally. It operates through four segments: Original Equipment, Aftermarket, Engineered Plastics, and Other. The Original Equipment segment is involved in the development, manufacture, and sale of products and assemblies, such as metal sealing systems and drive train components; thermoplastics for drivetrains, body, and underbody applications; hybrid technologies; thermal, acoustic, and aerodynamic shielding systems; cylinder-head and specialty gaskets; battery and fuel cell components and systems; electric drive units; and exhaust gas purification. This segment serves passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors. The Aftermarket segment offers a range of gaskets, gasket sets, and service parts for the repair of engines, transmissions, exhaust systems, and auxiliary units in cars and commercial vehicles under the Elring A- Das Original brand. This segment serves a network of wholesalers and purchasing organizations. The Engineered Plastics segment develops, manufactures, and markets customized products made from various plastics for the mechanical engineering sector, as well as in medical, chemical, energy, and vehicle industries. The Other segment operates engine test benches and measuring equipment for testing engines, transmissions, and exhaust systems for vehicle manufacturers and automotive suppliers; and offers logistics and catering services. The company was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in Dettingen an der Erms, Germany.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of Masco: A&J Gummers, Airex 3 LLC, Arrow Fastener, BEHR PAINTS IT! INC., BSI Holdings, Behr, Behr (Beijing) Paint Company Limited, Behr Paint (Beijing) Commercial Co. Ltd., Behr Process Canada Ltd., Behr Process Corporation, Behr Process Paints (India) Private Limited, Behr Sales LLC, BrassCraft Manufacturing Company, Brasstech Inc., Bristan, Bristan Group Limited, Cambrian Windows, ColorAxis Inc., Davenport Insulation Group, Delta Faucet (China) Co. Ltd., Delta Faucet Company, Delta Faucet Company India Private Limited, Delta Faucet Company Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Delta Faucet Company of Tennessee, Diversified Cabinet Distributors Inc., Duraflex, Duraflex Limited, Erickson Framing, Glass Idromassaggio, Guy Evans Inc., Hans Grohe Pte. Ltd., Hansgrohe, Hansgrohe A.B., Hansgrohe A/S, Hansgrohe AG, Hansgrohe Armature Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Hansgrohe B.V., Hansgrohe Brasil Metals Santitarios Ltda., Hansgrohe CS s.r.o., Hansgrohe Deutschland Vertriebs GmbH, Hansgrohe Handelsges.mbH, Hansgrohe Inc., Hansgrohe India Private Ltd., Hansgrohe International GmbH, Hansgrohe Japan K.K, Hansgrohe Kft., Hansgrohe Ltd., Hansgrohe N.V., Hansgrohe Pty Ltd, Hansgrohe S. de R. L. de C. V., Hansgrohe S. a r.l., Hansgrohe S.A., Hansgrohe S.A.U., Hansgrohe SA (Pty) Ltd., Hansgrohe SE, Hansgrohe Sanitary Products (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Hansgrohe Sanitary Products W.L.L., Hansgrohe Sp. z.o.o., Hansgrohe Wasselonne S.A., Hansgrohe d.o.o., Hansgrohe ooo, Hansgrohe s.r.l., Hot Spring Spa Australasia Pty Ltd, Hot Spring Spas New Zealand Limited, Huppe B.V., Huppe Belgium S.A., Huppe GmbH, Huppe Insaat Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Huppe S. a r.l., Huppe S.L., Huppe Spolka z.o.o., Huppe s.r.o., IDI Group inc, Inrecon, Jet Acquisition LLC, Kichler Lighting LLC, L.D. Kichler Lighting Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Landex of Wisconsin Inc., Liberty Hardware Asia Co. Ltd., Liberty Hardware Mfg. Corp., Liberty Hardware Retail & Design Services LLC, Masco Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Masco Building Products Corp., Masco Cabinetry Hong Kong Limited, Masco Canada Limited, Masco Capital Corporation, Masco Chile Limitada, Masco Corporation Limited, Masco Corporation of Indiana, Masco Europe Inc., Masco Europe S. a r.l., Masco Europe SCS, Masco Framing Corp., Masco Germany Holding GmbH, Masco HD Support Services LLC, Masco Home Products Private Limited, Masco Home Products S.a r.l., Masco Retail Sales Support Inc., Masco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Masco WM Support Services LLC, Mascomex S.A. de C.V., Masterchem Industries, Masterchem Industries LLC, Mercury Plastics LLC, Milgard Manufacturing, Mill's Pride, Mirolin Industries Corp., My Service Center Inc., NCFII Holdings Inc., Newport Brass, Oz Acquisition LLC, Peerless Sales Corporation, SCE Unlimited, Service Partners, Shanghai Hansgrohe International Trading Co. Ltd., SmarTap, SmarTap A.Y. Ltd., Tapicerias Pacifico SA de CV, Tempered Products Inc., Texwood Industries, The Faucet-Queens, The GMU Group, The L.D. Kichler Co., Tvilum, Vapor Technologies Inc., Vapor Technologies Shenzhen Co. Ltd., Watkins Distribution UK Limited, Watkins Europe BVBA, Watkins Manufacturing Corporation, and Wellness Marketing Corporation.MasTec, Inc. engages in the provision of infrastructure construction services. It operates through the following segments: Communications; Oil and Gas; Electrical Transmissions; Clean Energy and Infrastructure; and Other. The Communications segment performs engineering, construction, maintenance and customer fulfillment activities related to communications infrastructure, primarily for wireless and wireline/fiber communications, and install-to-the-home customers. The Oil and Gas segment offers services on oil and natural gas pipelines and processing facilities for the energy, and utilities industries. The Electrical Transmission segment deals with the energy and utility industries. The Clean Energy and Infrastructure segment serves energy, utility and other end-markets through the installation and construction of power generation facilities, including from clean energy and renewable sources such as wind, solar and biomass, as well as various types of heavy civil and industrial infrastructure. The Other segment comprises of equity investees, other small business units that perform construction, and other services for a variety of international end-markets. The company was founded by

Read MoreSinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells petrochemical products in the People's Republic of China. It operates through five segments: Synthetic Fibers, Resins and Plastics, Intermediate Petrochemicals, Petroleum Products, and Trading of Petrochemical Products. The Synthetic Fibers segment produces polyesters, acrylic fibers, and carbon fibers that are primarily used in the textile and apparel industries. The Resins and Plastics segment produces polyester chips that are used to produce polyester fibers, coating, and containers; polyethylene resins and plastics, which are used to produce insulated cables and mulching films, as well as molded products, such as housewares and toys; and polypropylene resins that are used for films and sheets, as well as molded products, such as housewares, toys, consumer electronics, and automobile parts; and PVA granules. The Intermediate Petrochemicals segment produces p-xylene, benzene, and ethylene oxide, which are used as raw materials in the production of other petrochemicals, resins, plastics, and synthetic fibers. The Petroleum Products segment operates crude oil refinery facilities used to produce refined gasoline, fuel, diesel oil, heavy oil, and liquefied petroleum gas. The Trading of Petrochemical Products segment is involved in the import and export of petrochemical products. The company was founded in 1972 and is based in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company Limited is a subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation.

Read MoreThe following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing, ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment, ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub, APGO Trust, Adam Opel, Adam Opel GmbH, Aftermarket (UK), AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan, AmeriCredit Consumer Loan Company Inc., AmeriCredit Financial Services, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., AmeriCredit Funding, AmeriCredit Syndicated Warehouse Trust, Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings, Argonaut Holdings LLC, BOCO (Proprietary), BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GMAC, Banco GMAC S.A., Baylis (Gloucester), Boco Trust, Boden Brussels, CHEVYPLAN, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors, Controladora General Motors S.A. de C.V., Cruise, DCJ1, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations, Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK, Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), FAW-GM, Fundacion Chevrolet, G.M.A.C., GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension, GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM APO Holdings, GM Administradora de Bens, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Auslandsprojekte, GM Automotive, GM Automotive Services Belgium, GM CME, GM Canada Holdings, GM Canada Limited, GM Components Holdings, GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Cruise, GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Cruise LLC, GM Defense LLC, GM Eurometals, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Europe Treasury, GM Finance, GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial AB, GM Financial Canada, GM Financial Canada Leasing, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer, GM Financial Consumer Discount, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Del Peru, GM Financial GmbH, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Services, GM Financial Mexico Holdings, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial Real Estate, GM Financial de Mexico, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Business Services, GM Global Propulsion Systems -Torino S.r.l., GM Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, GM Global Technology Operations, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holden, GM Holden Pty Ltd., GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mexico Holdings, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM PSA Purchasing Services, GM Personnel Services, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Plats (Proprietary), GM Regional Holdings, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM Viet Nam Motor Company, GM-DI Leasing, GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC - Instituicao Financeira de Credito, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Banque, GMAC Continental, GMAC Espana de Financiacion, GMAC Holdings (U.K.), GMAC Lease B.V. (aka Masterlease Europe), GMAC Nederland N.V., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMAC Servicios, GMAC UK, GMAC de Venezuela, GMAC-Prestadora de Servios de Mo-de-Obra, GMACI Corretora de Seguros, GMACI Corretora de Seguros Ltda, GMAM Real Estate I, GMCH&SP Private Equity II, GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Australia Pty Ltd, GMF Europe, GMF Europe Holdco, GMF Europe LLP, GMF Floorplan Owner Revolving Trust, GMF Funding, GMF Germany Holdings, GMF Global Assignment, GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Leasing Warehousing Trust, GMF Wholesale Receivables, GMGP Holdings, General Motors (China) Investment Company, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors (Thailand), General Motors (Thailand) Limited, General Motors - Colmotores, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Austria, General Motors Austria, General Motors Auto, General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings, General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Belgium, General Motors Chile, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors East Africa, General Motors Egypt, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Espana, General Motors Europe Holdings, General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company, General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial International, General Motors Financial Italia, General Motors Financial Suisse, General Motors Financial UK, General Motors Financial of Canada, General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Finland, General Motors France, General Motors GBS Hungary, General Motors Global Service Operations, General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Hellas, General Motors Holden Australia, General Motors Holden Australia NSC, General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holden Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company, General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments, General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Ireland, General Motors Israel, General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Italia, General Motors Japan, General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors Manufacturing Poland, General Motors Nederland, General Motors New Zealand Pensions, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Poland Spolka, General Motors Portugal, General Motors Powertrain (Thailand), General Motors Powertrain (Thailand) Limited, General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Suisse, General Motors Taiwan, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India, General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Turkiye, General Motors UK, General Motors Uruguay, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Venezolana, General Motors Ventures, General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai), General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina, General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico, General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador, General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil, General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada, General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, GigaPower LLC, Global Services Detroit, Global Services Detroit LLC, Global Tooling Service Company Europe, Global Tooling Service Company Europe Limited, Go Motor Retailing, Go Trade Parts, Grand Pointe Holdings, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium, Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, H.S.H., Haines & Strange, Holden New Zealand, Holden New Zealand Limited, IBC Pension Trustees, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, IBC Vehicles, Lease Ownership Cooperative, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Master Lease Germany, Maven Drive, Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motor Repris Automocio, Motors Holding, Motors Holding LLC, Motors Properties, Motors Properties (Trading), Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited LLC, OnStar Europe, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services, OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Opel Bank, Opel Danmark, Opel Group, Opel Group Warehousing, Opel Leasing, Opel Norge, Opel Sonderdienste, Opel Southeast Europe, Opel Sverige, Opel Szentgotthard Automotive Manufacturing, Opel Wien, P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Investment Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Chengxin Used Car Operation and Management Company Limited, Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sherwoods (Darlington) Limited, Sidecar Technologies, Skurrays Limited, Stam-Terberg Autobedrijven B. V., Strobe Inc., VHC Sub-Holdings (UK), Vauxhall Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, Vickers (Lakeside) Limited, Vision Motors Limited, WRE, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS.Zurich Insurance Group AG is a holding company. The Company and its subsidiaries provide insurance products and related services. Its segments include General Insurance, Global Life, Farmers, Other Operating Businesses and Non-Core Businesses. The General Insurance segment provides a range of motor, home and commercial products and services for individuals, as well as small and large businesses. The Global Life segment is engaged in providing unit-linked, protection and corporate propositions through global distribution and proposition pillars. The Farmers segment, through Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, provides certain non-claims administrative and management services to the Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange, Truck Insurance Exchange, and their subsidiaries and affiliates. The Other Operating Businesses segment includes the Company's Holding and Financing activities. The Non-Core Businesses segment includes its insurance and reinsurance businesses.

Read More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.The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO Energy Canada, XTO Energy Inc., and XTO Holdings LLC.Les lunettes de marque ne sont pas ce qui manque dans les commerces. Il y en a de toutes les sortes dont les lunettes de []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, savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services, such as 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 provides investment solutions, trust and estate services, banking services, lending services, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and other wealth management solutions through internal and third-party distribution networks. The Financial Markets segment offers risk management products and services; and 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 expertise; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and the activities of targeted investments in certain emerging markets. The company also offers credit cards. It provides its services through a network of 483 branches and 1,573 banking machines. The company was founded in 1859 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Read MoreVous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []Sanchez Energy Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of U.S. onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources. It engages in the horizontal development of resources from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It also holds an undeveloped acreage position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2017, the company had assembled approximately 285,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale; and owned approximately 37,000 net acres in the TMS. Sanchez Energy Corporation was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Read MoreWall Street analysts have given Dream Global REIT a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but Dream Global REIT wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.The following companies are subsidiares of Lennar: 360 Developers LLC, Alliance Financial Services Inc., Ann Arundel Farms Ltd., Aquaterra Utilities Inc., Arbor Mill Veteran Project 2018 LLC, Asbury Woods L.L.C., Astoria Options LLC, Autumn Creek Development Ltd., Aylon LLC, Azusa Associates LLC, B2 Milpitas LLC, BB Investment Holdings LLC, BCI Properties LLC, BMR Communities LLC, BMR Construction Inc., BMTD LLC, BPH I LLC, Bainebridge 249 LLC, Bay Colony Expansion 369 Ltd., Bellagio Lennar LLC, Belle Meade LEN Holdings LLC, Belle Meade Partners LLC, Black Mountain Ranch LLC, Blue Horizons Estates LLC, Bonterra Lennar LLC, Bramalea California Inc., Bressi Gardenlane LLC, Breton Park Lennar LLC, CAP IL 1 LLC, CL Ventures LLC, CML INACTIVE LLC, CML-MO HAF LLC, CML-MO HAF PARKING LLC, CP Block 6aS LLC, CP Block 8aS LLC, CP Block 9aS LLC, CP Center Apartments LLC, CP Center Garage LLC, CP Red Oak Partners Ltd., CP Vertical Development Co. 1 LLC, CP/HPS Development Co. GP LLC, CP/HPS Development Co.-C LLC, CPFE LLC, CPHP Development LLC, CalAtlantic Financial Services Inc., CalAtlantic Group, CalAtlantic Group Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Arizona Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Georgia Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Texas Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Washington Inc., CalAtlantic Mortgage Inc., CalAtlantic National Title Solutions LLC, CalAtlantic Title Agency LLC, CalAtlantic Title Group LLC, CalAtlantic Title Inc., CalAtlantic Title LLC, CalAtlantic Title of Maryland Inc., Camarillo Village Park LLC, Cambria L.L.C., Candlestick Retail Member LLC, Cardiovascular Medical Specialists LLC, Carolina Blue LLC, Carson 175 LLC, Cary Woods LLC, Casa Marina Development LLC, Central Park West Holdings LLC, Cherrytree II LLC, Club Bonterra Lennar LLC, Coco Palm 82 LLC, Colonial Heritage LLC, Columbia National Risk Retention Group Inc., Commonwealth Incentive Fee LLC, Concord Station LLP, Coventry L.L.C., Creekside Crossing L.L.C., Crest at Fondren Investor LLC, DBJ Holdings LLC, DCA Financial LLC, DTC Holdings of Florida LLC, Darcy-Joliet L.L.C., Durrell 33 LLC, EL Ventures LLC, EV LLC, Eagle Bend Commercial LLC, Eagle Home Mortgage LLC, Estates Seven LLC, Evergreen Village LLC, F&R QVI Home Investments USA LLC, FLORDADE LLC, Faria Preserve LLC, Fidelity Guaranty and Acceptance Corp., Fidelity Land LLC, Fox-Maple Associates LLC, Friendswood Development Company LLC, GDI MANAGER LLC, Garco Investments LLC, Greystone Construction Inc., Greystone Homes of Nevada Inc., Greystone Nevada Holdings LLC, Greystone Nevada LLC, Greywall Club L.L.C., HCC Investors LLC, HPS Development Co. LP, HPS Vertical Development Co. LLC, HPS Vertical Development Co.-B LP, HPS Vertical Development Co.-D/E LLC, HPS1 Block 1 LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3B LLC, HPS1 Block 50 LLC, HPS1 Block 51 LLC, HPS1 Block 52 LLC, HPS1 Block 53 LLC, HPS1 Block 54 LLC, HPS1 Block 55 LLC, HPS1 Block 56/57 LLC, HSP Arizona Inc., HTC Golf Club LLC, Hammocks Lennar LLC, Harbor Highlands Group LLC, Harveston LLC, Haverton L.L.C., Heathcote Commons LLC, Heritage Pkwy East Holdings LLC, Heritage of Auburn Hills L.L.C., Hewitts Landing Trustee LLC, Hingham Properties LLC, Huntley Venture L.L.C., Inactive Companies LLC, Independence L.L.C., Independence Orlando LLC, Isles at Bayshore Club LLC, KMC Real Estate Investors LLC, Kendall Hammocks Commercial LLC, Kentuckiana Medical Center LLC, Kingman Lennar LLC, LB/L  Duc III Antioch 330 LLC, LCD Asante LLC, LCI Downtown Doral Investor LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor GP LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor LP LLC, LEN - Belle Meade LLC, LEN - OBS Windemere LLC, LEN - Palm Vista LLC, LEN BPT Investor LLC, LEN Mirada Investor LLC, LEN Notarize Investor LLC, LEN OT Holdings LLC, LEN Paradise Cable LLC, LEN Paradise Operating LLC, LEN-CG South LLC, LEN-Cypress Mill LLC, LEN-Ryan 1 LLC, LEN-Touchstone LLC, LENH I LLC, LENNAR HOMES OF TENNESSEE LLC, LFS Holding Company LLC, LH Eastwind LLC, LHI Renaissance LLC, LMC 10th & Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 144th and Grant Investor LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Holdings LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Investor LLC, LMC 360 Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 410 S Wabash Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Investor LLC, LMC 8th Avenue Apartment Investor LLC, LMC 990 Bannock Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Investor LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Holdings LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Investor LLC, LMC Block 42 Holdings LLC, LMC Build to Core III Investor LLC, LMC Build to Core III LLC, LMC Burnside Holdings LLC, LMC Burnside Investor LLC, LMC Chandler and McClintock Holdings LLC, LMC Charlestowne Holdings LLC, LMC Charlotte Ballpark Developer LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Holdings LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Investor LLC, LMC Cobalt Holdings LLC, LMC Costa Mesa Holdings LP, LMC Crest at Park West Holdings LP, LMC Denver Gateway I Investor LLC, LMC Denver Gateway II Holdings LLC, LMC Development LLC, LMC Downtown Doral South Holdings LLC, LMC Durham Gateway Holdings LP, LMC Evans School Holdings LLC, LMC Gateway Investor LLC, LMC Gateway Venture LLC, LMC Gilman Square Investor LLC, LMC Horton Street Holdings LLC, LMC Huntington Crossing Holdings LLC, LMC Inactive Companies LLC, LMC Lakeside Holdings LP, LMC Leya Holdings LLC, LMC Living Illinois LLC, LMC Living Inc., LMC Living LLC, LMC Living TRS LP, LMC Millenia Investor II LLC, LMC NE Minneapolis Lot 2 Holdings LLC, LMC New Bern Investor LLC, LMC North Park Holdings LP, LMC Parkfield Holdings LLC, LMC Parkfield Investor LLC, LMC Righters Ferry Holdings LLC, LMC River North Holdings LLC, LMC Spring Street Investor LLC, LMC Stonewall Station Investor LLC, LMC Triangle Square Investor LLC, LMC Venture Developer LLC, LMC Verbena Holdings LLC, LMC West Loop Investor LLC, LMCFX Investor LLC, LMCPNW Marymoor Holdings LLC, LMI - Jacksonville Investor LLC, LMI - South Kings Development Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle Holdings LLC, LMI - West Seattle Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle LLC, LMI Cell Tower Investors LLC, LMI City Walk Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale LLC, LMI Contractors LLC, LMI Glencoe Dallas Investor LLC, LMI Lakes West Covina Investor LLC, LMI Largo Park Investor LLC, LMI Las Colinas Station LLC, LMI Naperville Investor LLC, LMI Pacific Tower LLC, LMI Park Central Two LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners Investor LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners LLC, LMI-JC Developer LLC, LMI-JC LLC, LMV 1640 Broadway REIT-DC LP, LMV 1701 Ballard REIT-DC LP, LMV 19H REIT-DC LP, LMV 2026 Madison REIT-DC LP, LMV 85 South Union REIT-DC LP, LMV ATown REIT-DC LP, LMV Annapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Apache Terrace REIT-DC LP, LMV Block 42 REIT-DC LP, LMV Bloomington REIT-DC LP, LMV Bolingbrook REIT-DC LP (DE), LMV Central at McDowell REIT-DC LP, LMV East Village I REIT-DC LP, LMV Edina REIT-DC LP, LMV Fremont WS I REIT-DC LP, LMV Glisan REIT-DC LP, LMV Grand Bay REIT-DC LP, LMV II Grand Bay Pod V Holdings LP, LMV II Kierland Holdings LP, LMV II NoMo Holdings LP, LMV II Venture Developer LLC, LMV II Wynwood Holdings LP, LMV Kirkland REIT-DC LP, LMV Little Italy REIT-DC LP, LMV M Tower REIT-DC LP, LMV Millenia II REIT-DC LP, LMV Milpitas REIT-DC LP, LMV NE Minneapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Oak Park REIT-DC LP, LMV One20Fourth REIT-DC LP, LMV QR Build to Core Manager LLC, LMV Rio Bravo REIT-DC LP, LMV Scottsdale Quarter REIT-DC LP, LMV Tysons REIT-DC LP, LMV Vallagio III REIT-DC LP, LMV Victory Block G REIT-DC LP, LMV Warren Street REIT-DC LP, LNC Communities II LLC, LNC Communities IV LLC, LNC Communities V LLC, LNC Communities VI LLC, LNC Communities VII LLC, LNC Communities VIII LLC, LNC Pennsylvania Realty Inc., LNC at Meadowbrook LLC, LNC at Ravenna LLC, LS College Park LLC, LS Terracina LLC, LV Opendoor Investor LLC, LV Opendoor JV LLC, LW D'Andrea LLC, Lagoon Valley Residential LLC, Lakelands at Easton L.L.C., Legends Club LLC, Legends Golf Club LLC, Len - Little Harbor LLC, Len FW Investor LLC, Len Paradise LLC, Len-Angeline LLC, Len-Hawks Point LLC, Len-Land LLC, Len-Land West LLC, Len-MN LLC, Len-Verandahs LLP, LenCom LLC, LenFive LLC, LenFive Opco GP LLC, LenFive Sub III LLC, LenFive Sub LLC, LenFive Sub Opco GP LLC, Lenalto CMBS LLC, Lencraft LLC, Lennar Aircraft I LLC, Lennar Arizona Construction Inc., Lennar Arizona Inc., Lennar Associates Management Holding Company, Lennar Associates Management LLC, Lennar Avenue One LLC, Lennar Berkeley LLC, Lennar Bevard LLC, Lennar Bridges LLC, Lennar Buffington Colorado Crossing L.P., Lennar Buffington Zachary Scott L.P., Lennar Carolinas LLC, Lennar Central Park LLC, Lennar Central Region Sweep Inc., Lennar Chicago Inc., Lennar Cobra LLC, Lennar Colgate Urban Renewal Development LLC, Lennar Colorado LLC, Lennar Colorado Minerals LLC, Lennar Commercial LLC, Lennar Communities Development Inc., Lennar Communities Inc., Lennar Communities Nevada LLC, Lennar Communities of Chicago L.L.C., Lennar Concord LLC, Lennar Construction Inc., Lennar Cory Road LLC, Lennar Courts LLC, Lennar Developers Inc., Lennar Ewing LLC, Lennar Financial Services LLC, Lennar Flamingo LLC, Lennar Fresno Inc., Lennar Gardens LLC, Lennar Georgia Inc., Lennar Greer Ranch Venture LLC, Lennar Heritage Fields LLC, Lennar Hingham Holdings LLC, Lennar Hingham JV LLC, Lennar Homes Holding LLC, Lennar Homes LLC, Lennar Homes NJ LLC, Lennar Homes of Arizona Inc., Lennar Homes of California Inc., Lennar Homes of Indiana Inc., Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd., Lennar Homes of Texas Sales and Marketing Ltd., Lennar Homes of Utah Inc., Lennar International Holding LLC, Lennar International LLC, Lennar Lakeside Investor LLC, Lennar Layton LLC, Lennar Living LLC, Lennar Lytle LLC, Lennar MF Holdings LLC, Lennar MPA LLC, Lennar MPA WIP LLC, Lennar Mare Island LLC, Lennar Marina A Funding LLC, Lennar Massachusetts Properties Inc., Lennar Middletown LLC, Lennar Monmouth Redevelopers LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Victory Block G Mezz LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily Builders LLC, Lennar Multifamily Communities LLC, Lennar Multifamily Venture DC LP, Lennar New Jersey Holdings LLC, Lennar New Jersey Properties Inc., Lennar New York LLC, Lennar Northeast Properties LLC, Lennar Northwest Inc., Lennar OHB LLC, Lennar PI Acquisition LLC, Lennar PI Property Acquisition LLC, Lennar PIS Management Company LLC, Lennar Pacific Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Management Inc., Lennar Plumsted Urban Renewal LLC, Lennar Point LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core GP LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core LP LLC, Lennar Realty Inc., Lennar Reno LLC, Lennar Riverwalk LLC, Lennar Sacramento Inc., Lennar Sales Corp., Lennar Sierra Sunrise LLC, Lennar Spencer's Crossing LLC, Lennar Sun Ridge LLC, Lennar Texas Holding LLC, Lennar Ventures LLC, Lennar West Valley LLC, Lennar Winncrest LLC, Lennar at Franklin LLC, Lennar at Jackson LLC, Lennar at Marlboro 79 LLC, Lennar at Monroe LLC, Lennar.com Inc., Longleaf Acquisition LLC, Lori Gardens Associates II LLC, Lori Gardens Associates III LLC, Lori Gardens Associates L.L.C., Lorton Station LLC, Lyons Lennar Farms LLC, Madrona Ridge L.L.C., Madrona Village L.L.C., Madrona Village Mews L.L.C., Majestic Woods LLC, Maple 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Realty Inc., UAMC Holding Company LLC, UB 2018C14 MOA LLC, USH - Flag LLC, USH Equity Corporation, USH LEE LLC, USH Leasing II LLC, USH Leasing LLC, UST Lennar HW Scala SF Joint Venture, VII Crown Farm Investor LLC, Venetian Lennar LLC, Vineyard Land LLC, Vineyard Point 2009 LLC, Vista Palms Clubhouse LLC, WCI Communities, WCI Communities Inc., WCI Communities LLC, WCI Towers Northeast USA Inc., WCI Westshore LLC, WCP LLC, WIP Lennar OHB LLC, Waterview at Hanover LLC, West Lake Village LLC, West Seattle Project X LLC, West Van Buren L.L.C., Westchase Inc., Westchase Ltd., Westfield Homes USA Inc., White Course Lennar LLC, Wild Plum JV LLC, Willowbrook Investors LLC, Winncrest Natomas LLC, Woodbridge Multifamily Developer I LLC, Wright Farm L.L.C., and YLRichards4Acres 2015 LLC.Rogers, an ordained Presbyterian minister, produced the pioneering TV program at a Pittsburgh PBS station in 1966. It went national two years later. Few can forget that opening scene where he made a gentle entrance into his TV home, removes his jacket and changes into a mom-made zip-up cardigan sweater  one now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution  before taking off his shoes and slipping into a pair of sneakers, all while singing the theme song, "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood." Rogers composed it  and all the music on the show  himself.

"No one has come along like him," actor John Lithgow said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. "Everything is based on high stimulation. He really was exactly the opposite. He had such a sense of children's' developmental needs. And I think that's under assault these days."

That's especially important in today's world.

But it's not so simple anymore. Parents today often struggle with ways to explain what's happening in our broken world, and despite our best attempts to shield and protect little people some of the terrors we face, it's sometimes unavoidable. Kids not only say the darndest things, as the late Art Linkletter said, but they also hear the darndest things. And they ask the darndest things.New Delhi: Online restaurant guide and food delivery app Zomato's co-founder Pankaj Chaddah announced his resignation from the company to "move on to something new."

Taking to Twitter, Chaddah, who has been with Zomato for the last ten years, said he would remain in the company till the end of March.

"After 10 years, I am moving on from Zomato to try out something new. I'll continue to play an active role till the end of this month. Have been thinking about this for a while, and the timing seems right today as Zomato is back to being a rocket-ship," he tweeted.

Chaddah also went on to thank Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal and entrepreneur Sanjeev Bikhchandani for their faith in him.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), Chaddah joined Zomato in March 2008. Prior to this, he served as a senior analyst and subsequently an associate consultant at Bain & Company, a leading business consulting firms.

Chaddah will be associated with Zomato till March 31.Yazh-Paanam in Sri Lanka acquired its name for the same root as it is where the Tamil art and culture flourished during those times.

M.S. Anand, a filmmaker from Australia who has also won few awards for his shorts, tried his hand in making a commercial Tamil cinema and debuted with the movie Yazh, which is an ancient musical instrument. Yazh-Paanam in Sri Lanka acquired its name for the same root as it is where the Tamil art and culture flourished during those times.

Talking to DC, Anand says, The film narrates in real time in a non-linear fashion three interwoven stories of six main characters who are torn apart by the looming Lankan war. The plight and struggle with the choices of these interconnected characters is told in back and forth style in real time in gripping parallel tracks. The story takes place entirely in Sri Lanka and the dialogues and song lyrics are written in Eelam Tamil for the first time in Tamil cinema. It is full-fledged commercial film with beautiful songs from Arunagiri of Goli Soda fame. Vinoth Krishnan, Daniel Balaji, Sasikumar, Misha Ghoshal, Neelima Rani and Rakshana play the lead roles in Yazh.

Due to the non-availability of theatres for small films, Anand could release it only in a solitary screen a couple of months back. It was well received then. So, I decided to re-release it now, thanks to the industry strike, I have got more number of screens in TN, reveals the filmmaker.KOLLAM: A womens magazine has courted trouble by carrying a breastfeed picture of a model on its cover in its latest issue. The picture carried by the Grihalakshmi magazine showed model Gilu Joseph breastfeeding a baby as part of a campaign to uphold the right of women to breastfeed in public without hesitation. The tagline read Dont stare, we want to breastfeed. Mr Vinod Mathew Wilson, a lawyer here, has filed a criminal case at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court here under section 3 and 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act of 1986. He has alleged that the picture was not in good faith and that it was an affront to women.

The Act has certain exemptions like in the case of cinema and other forms of art, say paintings by Raja Ravi Varma, which are in good faith. In this case, they could have given an original mother feeding her child if they had genuine concern about staring. Here the cover picture is just for the sake of marketing the product, he told this n ewspaper. Is there any case registered in the courts of Kerala against men staring at women while breastfeeding? he asked.

The petition has accused the management representatives and editors of the magazine P.V. Gangadharan, P.V. Chandran, M.P. Gopinath and the model with the offences under the Act. It prohibits advertisements containing indecent representation of women and publication or sending by post of books, pamphlets, etc., containing indecent representation of women. Any person who contravenes the provisions of section 3 or section 4 shall be punishable on first conviction with imprisonment of two years and fine of Rs 2,000.This could lead to better treatments and help doctors more accurately predict life-threatening complications from the disease. (Photo: Pixabay)

Scientists on Friday unveiled a revised classification for diabetes, one they said could lead to better treatments and help doctors more accurately predict life-threatening complications from the disease.

There are five distinct types of diabetes that can occur in adulthood, rather than the two currently recognised, they reported in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, a leading medical journal.

The findings are consistent with the growing trend toward "precision medicine," which takes into account differences between individuals in managing disease.

In the same way that a patient requiring a transfusion must receive the right blood type, diabetes sub-types need different treatments, the study suggested.

Similarly, scientists have also identified distinct kinds of microbiome -- the bacterial ecosystem in our digestive tract -- that can react differently to the same medication, rendering it more or less effective.

"This is the first step towards personalised treatment of diabetes," said senior author Leif Groop, an endocrinologist at Lund University in Sweden, adding that the new classification is a "paradigm shift" in how the disease is viewed.

People with diabetes have excessively high blood glucose, or blood sugar, which comes from food.

Some 420 million people around the world today suffer from diabetes, with the number expected to rise to 629 million by 2045, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Currently, the disease is divided into two sub-types.

With type-1 -- generally diagnosed in childhood and accounting for about 10 percent of cases -- the body simply doesn't make insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels.

For type-2, the body makes some insulin but not enough, which means glucose stays in the blood.

This form of the disease correlates highly with obesity and can, over time, lead to blindness, kidney damage, and heart disease or stroke. Acute cases may also require limb amputations.

- 'Exceeded expectations' -

It has long been known that type-2 diabetes is highly variable, but classification has remained unchanged for decades.

For the study, researchers monitored 13,270 newly diagnosed diabetes patients ranging in age from 18 to 97.

By isolating measurements of insulin resistance, insulin secretion, blood sugar levels, age, and the onset of illness, they distinguished five distinct clusters of the disease -- three serious and two milder forms.

Among the severe types, a group of patients with insulin resistance -- in which cells are unable to use insulin effectively -- was at far higher risk of kidney disease.

"This group has the most to gain from the new diagnostics as they are the ones who are currently most incorrectly treated," Groop said.

Another group facing serious complications was composed of relatively young, insulin-deficient patients.

The third "severe" group were people with auto-immune diabetes corresponding to the original "type-1" diagnosis.

The two other groups have milder types of the disease including one, which includes about 40 percent of the patients, beset with a form of diabetes related to advanced age.

"This will enable earlier treatment to prevent complications in patients who are most at risk of being affected," said lead author Emma Ahlqvist, an associate professor at Lund University.

The results were checked against three other studies from Sweden and Finland.

"The outcome exceeded our expectations," said Groop.

The researchers plan to launch similar studies in China and India.KANNUR: The newborns are having a hard time at the E.K. Nayanar Memorial Government Hospital for Women and Children, Parassinikkadavu, near here. Those having jaundice are crowded into one phototherapy unit for treatment as three other units are non-functional. Though only one kid is supposed to be kept in the unit for a day, the staff place three of them together, it is alleged. The parents fear that this would give rise to more infections for the kids. However, the hospital says that it is safe to keep three to four babies at a time in one unit and that it would not affect their health.

A new mother, who had to place her one-week-old daughter at the phototherapy unit for treating jaundice, said that she had to fight with the staff to keep her baby in it comfortably. The parents also fear that the life of the newborns will be at risk from the hygiene point of view also. "I am disappointed by the attitude of the staff there. There were four machines in the hospital but only one is functioning. I was asked to place my baby along with two others already in it. The babies lie there for more than a day and who will be responsible if they contract more diseases?" asked a mother who did not wish to identified.

Hospital superintendent Dr Jeevan Lal said that there was nothing unusual in keeping three to four babies in a single machine, though he refuted the statement of the mother. "It is unlikely that the hospital placed more than a baby at a time in the machine. It might have happened at a particular time and on a particular day. However, such machines can accommodate up to four babies at a time. If placed alone, they might not be able to bear the heat. The newborns are unlikely to contract diseases from others," said the superintendent.BJP supporters wave party flag to celebrate BJP's win, which brought down 25 years of CPI-M government rule, after Tripura Assembly election results were announced in Agartala on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday ended the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the Left Front government in Tripura, landed on the winning side in Nagaland and was looking to scramble a post-poll alliance in Meghalaya which threw up a hung Assembly, much to the consternation of the ruling Congress.

In the last couple of years in Northeast politics, the BJP has come up from the far fringes and decisively bagged five states  Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland. A few days of parley, or even hours given the BJPs alacrity to stitch together post-poll alliances, will make the fate of Meghalaya clearer. Mizoram is the only state among the seven sisters that is still out of the BJPs basket. Ruled by the Congress, Mizoram goes to polls later this year.

As his supporters beat drums and danced with joy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that the people of India were reposing their faith in the positive and development-oriented agenda of his party. "People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind," he said.

Also Read: BJP committed to fulfil dreams of people from Northeast: Narendra Modi

Tripura:

The biggest upset was Tripura which has been ruled by the Left Front since 1993. Its chief minister Manik Sarkar, he with the lowest bank balance and a squeaky clean image, has ruled the state from 1998.

The Red Fort crumbled under an aggressive attack by the BJP that pushed all its frontliners into the campaign battle, charging the Left of sustained corruption, inability to develop the state and disappointing its aspirational youth by failing to provide opportunities.

In alliance with the tribal party, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the BJP swept to power with 43 seats, and left the Left licking its wounds with 16. BJP has got majority on its own with 35 seats.

It was a huge turnaround for the BJP, which had no MLAs in the 60-member House and had got only around 1.7 per cent votes in the Assembly elections in 2013.

The Congress, which over the years had played second fiddle in the state and has been in power twice, failed to open its account and its candidates forfeited their security deposits in majority of seats. The Congress had 10 seats in 2013.

Crediting the favourable results to the hard work of party workers of Tripura in the last three years, Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was one of the key architects of BJPs victory in Northeastern states, said that merger of Trinamool Congress' Tripura unit with the BJP was the most significant factor which consolidated the Opposition and anti-CPI(M) votes across the state.

Also Read: BJP demolishes Left Front in Tripura, Biplab Deb likely to be new CM

The BJP contested Tripura on local issues and ignored its Hindutva plank in the campaign. This was more visible when the party brought into focus Maharaja Colonel Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarman Bahadur of the Manikya dynasty. The last reigning monarch of the princely state before it merged with the Indian Republic in 1949, Bir Bikram is credited with planning the kingdoms capital of Agartala, initiating land reforms, reserving vast tracts of land for Tripuras tribal population, building Agartalas first airport and setting up one of the countrys first municipalities and university.

The BJP strategists laid focus on the non-development of the frontier state where unemployment and non-compliance of pay commissions recommendation for state government employees became a major issue.

Besides tapping into the youth, the BJP made aggressive best efforts to break the CPI(M)s stranglehold in 20 seats reserved for tribals, which possibly turned the tide in its favour. The BJP-led alliance has succeeded in winning all 20 tribal reserved seats.

Last elections, the BJP contested in 50 seats and forfeited deposits in 49. The CPI(M) had won 49 of the 55 seats it contested while the Congress managed to win 10 out of 48 seats it contested.

Though the CPI(M) was voted out of power, it succeeded in retaining 43 per cent vote share whereas BJP made significant jump in vote bank by securing 42.8 per cent votes. Its alliance partner IPFT, which polled 7.7 per cent votes

Nagaland:

In Nagaland, the BJP will form the next government with its new ally the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) as the combine is hovering around the half-way mark in the 60-seat Assembly.

Union Minister and BJP in-charge for the state Kiren Rijiju, on Saturday, indicated the party may also align with its erstwhile ally NPF which has come a close second. Rijiju said, "The NPF has already passed a resolution on alliance with the BJP."

The Congress has drawn another blank here, with zero seats, down all 8 from last time.

The BJP-NDPP combine and the NPF were tied 29 seats each till last results.

The BJP was part of the NPF-led government in Nagaland till the Assembly elections but parted ways to join hands with the newly-formed NDPP.

The Union Minister of state for home said the BJP's victory in Nagaland was a historic one as people have shown tremendous love and affection for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reposed full faith in his vision for Nagaland.

"The BJP has been working with the agenda of development and will continue to do so in Nagaland too," he said.

"It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. He thanked the people of Nagaland for supporting BJP and its allies.

"I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit," he said.

Meghalaya:

This state provided the Congress some consolation, which emerged as the single largest party but did not get the numbers to form government.

The Congress has ruled the state for the last 10 years, eight of them headed by party senior leader and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma. The Congress got 21, 10 short of a simple majority. As it became clear the state was headed for a hung Assembly, senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel rushed to Shillong. Inability to react on time cost the Congress two states last year as the BJP carted away the throne in record time.

The National Peoples Party, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma and now led by his son and lawmaker Conrad Sangma, is a partner of the BJP and a member of the NDA.

The BJP, which had won no seats in 2013, won two this time. Its other ally United Democratic Party won 6 seats. Eleven seats have been won by others and these MLAs will be soldiers of hard-nosed political negotiations in the coming days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for his government.

These impressive wins by the BJP is expected to boost the prospects of Narendra Modi when he seeks a second term next year.

The voting was a test for Rahul Gandhi, the 47-year-old Congress chief, who took over from his mother Sonia Gandhi in December.

The BJP currently governs 19 of India's 29 states, compared with five by the Congress party. Regional parties rule other states.Atwal was invited to dine with Prime Minister Trudeau, during his visit to India in February, at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Randeep S Sarai asserted that he is not a 'scapegoat', and claimed that he 'did not invite' Pro-Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's reception dinner in New Delhi.

In an exclusive interview to Surrey Now-Leader, when asked if he is, figuratively, falling on a sword, Sarai said, "Look, I took full responsibility as soon as I found out that this had happened and I, you know, the name came from my office, I should have vetted them before I forwarded them, I should have looked a bit more diligently at it, I am a new, young Member of Parliament, a rookie you can say so obviously I am learning from my mistakes".

He claimed that he has seen Atwal at public events, but does not have any other relation with him.

"I didnt invite the person (Jaspal Atwal). Hes a media personality; hes associated with Media Waves, the radio, and hes there for, around everywhere. We did go on his radio pre-election, kind of during the writ period time, afterwards Ive been on it a couple of times, hes been around socially in the community here in Surrey for years now," Sarai said

"Ive seen him around but I dont have anything beyond socially when we see him at media events or at public events. I dont have any other relationship with him," the MP added.

Randeep Sarai also stated that he has no intention of stepping down from his job. He, however, took full responsibility of the fiasco.

"I was eleven years old and Im the oldest in my staff, everyone else in there is in their early twenties. We should have vetted better, we should have been more diligent but none of us, instead of doing that we were pretty preoccupied in organizing myself, for myself to go to the visit and I just forwarded the names that I received. I take full responsibility, Ive as you know stated that and I should have done better, I should have searched the names up and done my due diligence better," he said.

For the unversed, Atwal was invited to dine with Prime Minister Trudeau, during his visit to India in February, at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel.

The invite was later rescinded.

Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1986.India plans to invest USD 550 million in building the base to help it ensure the safety of its vessels in the southern Indian Ocean; it also says the base will be a resource for other shipping nations. (Photo: AFP)

Victoria/New Delhi: A plan for India to build a military base on an outlying Seychelles island has won favour among the archipelago nations politicians, but some hostility from its people.

The base on Assumption Island is to be funded by India and shared by the two countries militaries.

The deal was struck in principle in 2015 during a visit to the Seychelles by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but progress since has been slow.

The government of the Seychelles, based in Victoria on Mahe Island 1,135 kilometre (705 mile) northeast of Assumption, says the base will help coastguards to patrol its 1.3 million square kilometre (500,000 square mile) exclusive economic zone for illegal fishing, drug trafficking and piracy.

Currently, the remote coral island has a tin shack post office, an air strip and almost no people, it is less than seven kilometres long, has a high point just 30 metres (100 feet) above sea level and is covered in bird excrement.

But its location lends it strategic importance for monitoring shipping in the Mozambique Channel.

Small island, big investment

India plans to invest USD 550 million in building the base to help it ensure the safety of its vessels in the southern Indian Ocean. It also says the base will be a resource for other shipping nations.

Assumption is very close to the Mozambique Channel where much of the international trade is transiting, and not just for India but for other countries as well, and our interest is that our trading vessels are safe, said Indias ambassador in Victoria, Ausaf Sayeed.

India has had a military cooperation agreement with the Seychelles since 2003 and the deal would give it use of the Assumption base for up to 30 years. Indian soldiers would be deployed on the island and help train Seychelles troops.

But ratification of the 2015 agreement has been slow with a new, amended pact only signed between the two countries on January 27.

What we did in relation to the first agreement is to clarify some points that could give rise to litigation, said Frank Ally, the Seychelles attorney general.

He said these included a prohibition on any nuclear uses of the island or weapons storage. India is also not allowed to use Assumption in war.

Seeking to allay fears the government has made available to the public some details of the classified defence agreement.

Weekly protests

Nevertheless, the project remains controversial with small weekly demonstrations in the capital.

Indian presence in the Seychelles is a sensitive matter. Some fear an influx of Indian workers who, they say, might come to dominate the economy, while others consider a foreign power building a military base an affront to sovereignty and national pride.

The Seychelles can make its own military base, I am against any foreign military presence! said Guilmert Corgat, a businessman in Victoria who attended a town hall meeting on the plan in late February.

If this deal is so good for the Seychelles, why dont we hold a referendum? asked Alexia Amesbury, a lawyer.

During the discussions foreign minister Barry Faure was forced to insist the government was not giving the island away, because Assumption belongs to the Seychelles.

Opponents of the plan also cite Assumptions relative proximity to Aldabra atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to the worlds largest population of giant tortoises.

Environmentalists worry about the possible impact of a large military presence so close to an ecosystem that has survived precisely because of the absence of people.

Despite the dissenting voices, Sayeed remains positive that parliament will ratify the new agreement when it reopens in March.

With the opposition, like the government, broadly in favour of the base, though against too many concessions to India, the diplomats optimism may be well-founded.

I think politicians and people who see the positive side of this cooperation will be in favour, and I am convinced that it will pass, he said.A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory before running from campus was apprehended early Saturday following an intensive daylong search that included more than 100 police officers. (Photo: AP)

Mount Pleasant (US): A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory before running from campus was apprehended early Saturday following an intensive daylong search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said.

James Eric Davis Jr. was arrested without incident after an individual spotted him on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight, according to a release posted on Central Michigan's Emergency Communication website.

CMU President George E. Ross thanked the campus, surrounding community and law enforcement personnel "who came together to keep each other safe and apprehend the suspect," according to the university police website.

Also Read: US: Student, 19, shoots parents dead in university dorm, sets off manhunt

Friday's shooting at Campbell Hall happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break. The university identified the two dead as Davis' mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.

The shooting occurred around 8:30 am at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 112.6 kms north of Lansing. Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldn't be confronted. Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a "slow, methodical removal" of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings, Lt. Larry Klaus said, adding that he should be "should be considered armed and dangerous."

Klaus said video at the dorm suggested that Davis had fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run. "This has been a tragic day. ... The hurting will go on for a while," said university President George Ross.

The search focused on Mount Pleasant neighborhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places, such as yards and porches.

In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings. Klaus said Davis was taken to a hospital Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.

The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 61 kms southwest of Chicago. Davis Jr. graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202. Bellwood Police Chief Jiminez Allen released a statement last night praising Davis Sr.'s work.

Davis' "contributions to our community positively impacted everyone he served and served with," Allen said.

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a weeklong break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.

A student, Tyler Whipple, was driving through campus when his route was blocked by police cars at the scene of the killings. He had to catch a flight to Florida.

"These roads are kind of spooky right now," Whipple said. The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall.

An automated phone message was sent to students. Halie Byron, 20, said she locked herself in her off-campus house, about a 10-minute walk from the dorm. She had planned to run errands before travelling home to southeastern Michigan. "It's scary thinking about how easy a shooter can come into a college campus anywhere a classroom, a library. There's so much easy access," Byron said.THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with wife Kamala, was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai near midnight on March 3, and was discharged on Saturday. Initially there were confusions about the hospitalisation. Early unconfirmed reports said that there was a drop in the Chief Ministers blood count. The Chief Ministers Office, too, fuelled the confusion when an official release said that it was not the Chief Minister, but his wife who had been admitted.

It was a medical bulletin put out by Apollo Hospitals on Saturday that clarified the issue. It said that Mr Vijayan was admitted at 11.55 p.m on Friday for a routine annual medical check up. The bulletin, signed by Dr RK Venkatesalam, the joint director Medical Services at Apollo Main Hospital, said that the Chief Minister would be discharged on Sunday. However, the Chief Minister and his wife shifted to the state guest house in Chennai on Saturday evening.

Later, the CMO clarified that both Mr Vijayan and his wife had undergone medical check at the Apollo Hospital. Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan visited Mr Vijayan at the state guest house and enquired about his health. His newly launched party Makkal Needhi Maiam's Twitter handle posted pictures of Kamal with a healthy-looking CM and his wife.He has confessed to his links with prominent radical right-wing outfits, gun dealers from North India and the underworld of coastal districts of Karnataka, a source said. The SIT is sifting through his call record details since July 2017 to get his location and contacts.

BENGALURU: A day after taking him into custody, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) grilled K.T. Naveen Kumar, founder of radical Hindutva outfit Hindu Yuva Sene, to establish his involvement in the murder of activist and journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead outside her residence on September 5, 2017.

SIT sleuths interrogated Naveen on Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday. Sources said that Naveen has so far only revealed about his associates involved in the arms and ammunition dealings. The team has now launched a hunt for Naveens associates.

He has confessed to his links with prominent radical right-wing outfits, gun dealers from North India and the underworld of coastal districts of Karnataka, a source said.

The SIT is sifting through his call record details since July 2017 to get his location and contacts. The SIT is also checking his whereabouts till his arrest on February 18 after the murder of Gauri.

Naveen was picked up from Kempegowda Bus Station on February 18 by the Organized Crime Wing of Central Crime Branch while he was waiting for his contact to handover 15 rounds of ammunition. On strong suspicion of his involvement in the killing of Gauri, the SIT on Friday took his custody for eight days and is interrogating him.Chennai: With reports of woodcutters from Tamil Nadu being arrested in Andhra Pradesh increasing, forest officials and experts feel that the state government and politicians are misleading them by supporting these woodcutters who cross over to Andhra Pradesh only to cut red sanders. The state has failed to create awareness on red sander smuggling and its consequences and politicians issue statements justifying the woodcutters plight suppressing the facts. The issue, if not addressed will result in more deaths from TN and create an unnecessary political rift between TN and Andhra, warned a senior forest officer who specialises in international wildlife crime and red sander smuggling.

Referring to the recent arrest of 84 woodcutters from northern Tamil Nadu, the informed officer noted that the labourers of four TN districts, including Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri and Tiruvallur are periodically targeted by the red sander mafia operating in South India.

The fact that the TN workers go to Andhra forests for livelihood should not be accepted and the state has to make it clear that it will not support the illegal woodcutters, the officer noted.

Further, there is a nexus between the red sander smugglers and local politicians in all the recent cases. Only labourers are caught and there is no arrest of the kingpin, the official noted. The TN forest department has sensitised the rangers on red sanders growing in TN, but only the sanders grown in Andhra are under high risk due to their quality.

Responding on the issue Rajya Sabha MP T.K. Rangarajan said that the issue needs a high-level probe by the central agencies as the red sander smuggling issue has become an interstate problem between Tamil Nadu and Andhra. In the recent times, there have been three brutal attacks on TN labourers and there is no proper response from Andhra police.

Only if a third party investigates the matter the entire mafia can be nabbed so that the wood smugglers do not induce the innocent workers from Tamil Nadu and Andhra, the MP noted. It may be noted that the CPI (M) had also formed a fact-finding team to look into the deaths related to red sanders.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah wave as they arrive to address BJP party workers after their victory in North-East Assembly election at party headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: As the BJP demolished the last bastion of the Left in Tripura, looked comfortable in forming government in Nagaland with allies and performed impressively in Meghalaya, the saffron leadership saw the mandate as a reflection of the party's performance in coming assembly elections in Karnataka and the crucial electoral battle of 2019.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared the coming BJP rule in Tripura with the sunrise, when the horizon is "saffron coloured" and the outgoing CPI(M) government with the sunset when the colour is Red, BJP president Amit Shah asserted that Tripura results have proved that the Left party is "not right" for any part of the country. Both Mr Modi and Mr Shah said the poll results were a tribute to many party cadre who were victim of Left's political violence. Mr Modi also took a dig at the Congress, saying it was never diminished this low and cautioned the pary workers from catching the "Congress culture."

In Tripura, speculation is rife that party's state unit chief Biplab Deb could be the chief ministers of BJP's first government in this Northeastern state. Mr Shah, sources said, could also visit the RSS headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday to meet its supremo Mohan Bhagwat. RSS's crucial meeting, Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha is also scheduled next week.

Hailing Modi government's 'Act East' policy and the hardwork of the party cadre for BJP's performance in the three states whose polling results were declared on Saturday, Mr Shah predicted that the BJP will wrest power from the Congress in Karnataka and asserted that for all those who used to claim that the BJP is not pan-India, the party has finally become an "Akhil Bhartiya."

Mr Shah also announced that the BJP and its ally now rule 21 states and replied to a question that the party will attain its "golden period" when it forms government in Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha.

Addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters, Mr Modi said the Tripura verdict showed that the the people answered to "fear, lies and confusion" being spread against the central government through ballots and though the people of the northeast had a sense of alienation but his government worked overtime to remove it. Mr Modi also targeted the Congress, saying it was never so diminished as a party as it is now. Hailing Mr Shah as the architect of poll victories, Mr Modi said though the festival of Holi saw many colours yesterday, but today, saffron was the predominant colour. The Prime Minister also paused for a while when the sounds of azaan rang out in the middle of his speech. The crowd chanted "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" when the prayers stopped and the PM resumed his speech.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, Mr Shah dismissed the Left's claim that the BJP had used money power in Tripura polls and said the opposition can no longer blame electronic voting machines due to use of voter-verified paper audit trail system.SALT LAKE CITY  Despite backers saying raising the minimum wage is another tool to combat poverty and homelessness, two bills to raise worker pay failed in the House Business and Labor Committee.

Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, sponsored HB117, which would have increased the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.25 this year and then to $12 in 2022, and HB118 to raise the minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.25. It is currently $2.13.

The last time Utah's general minimum wage increased was the last time the federal minimum wage went up in 2009.

"Increasing the hourly wage is necessary to provide stability and security for hard-working families," King said during Thursday's hearing. "It also ensures that the wealth created by our unprecedented growth in Utah will be shared fairly.

King mentioned the numerous initiatives to help low-income Utahns, from creating affordable housing to removing the sales tax on groceries to intergenerational poverty tax credits. King said he is a small-business owner himself and he has always tried to pay his employees a wage that would allow them to make ends without relying on handouts from the government.

The Legislature talks of wanting to reduce entitlement programs and shrink the size and scope of the government. But when we allow employers to deny families financial independence, it is ultimately the state who is forced to step in and subsidize those employers who keep profits from their employees, King said.

But a coalition of small-business owners spoke against the bills.

Candace Daly, representing the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said that annual wage growth is at its highest levels now since 2009 and urged the committee to allow the labor market to drive up wages on its own. She said there is a labor shortage and employers will offer higher wages to attract workers.

Kate Bradshaw, representing the Utah Food Industry Association and the Utah Retail Merchants Association, agreed that the labor market is tight and asked the committee not to increase the cost of doing business in Utah. If they did, Bradshaw said, businesses would find ways to reduce the costs that may not benefit laborers.

A slew of affordable housing and living wage advocates spoke in favor of the bills, with many representatives speaking up from Utah Fair Wages and the Utah Housing Coalition. The point was repeated many times that a household making the current minimum wage cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment at a fair market price.

Committee member Rep. Susan Duckworth, D-Magna, pointed out that a person working full time at a wage of $10.10 is only making $21,008 a year, which is near the poverty line.

"And we're not even there," she said, referencing Utah's current minimum wage.

The committee voted 12-2 against sending the general minimum wage increase to the House and 10-2 against raising the minimum wage for tipped workers.SALT LAKE CITY  Utah lawmakers rejected a proposal Friday that would have required primary care doctors to take two hours of suicide prevention training.

"Our physicians are the front lines of mental health right now, unfortunately," said Rep. Justin Fawson, R-North Ogden, the sponsor of HB87. "We don't have enough mental health providers in the state. That is a reality."

The bill, which the House voted down 42-27, would have allowed doctors to opt out of the training if they could show that had received suicide prevention training appropriate to their specialty.

Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, said he has "deep reservations" about foisting more requirements on professionals of any kind.

"I believe that if professionals dont have the skills, they should go out and get them," said Kennedy, a doctor.SALT LAKE CITY  While land acreage was slashed from 24,000 to 19,000, a bill Salt Lake leaders say would have unprecedented and dangerous implications for local land decisions advanced Friday  still carrying deep concerns for the city.

A scaled-back version of SB234, which would create the Utah Inland Port Authority board to oversee the development of a global trade area in Salt Lake City's northwest quadrant, cleared its first hurdle.

The bill, with some changes including the port authority's land reduction, passed unanimously out of the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Standing Committee. It now goes to the Senate floor  but not without lawmakers urging more work to address Salt Lake City concerns.

Though Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski credited the bill's sponsor, Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, for continuing to work with city officials on the bill, the new draft "still leaves me with grave concerns," she said Friday.

"This usurps the city's core municipal function and gives an unaccountable board the right to supersede the city's ordinances if it has a different opinion about how the northwest quadrant should be developed," Biskupski said. "Such unprecedented authority has far-reaching unintended consequences, not just for the city but for other municipalities in the state and is an overreach into local authority."

SB234 would still "redirect" final administrative land use decisions to an appeal panel consisting of the Utah Inland Port Authority members, giving the board the right to "override" local land authority, Biskupski said.

Salt Lake City Councilwoman Erin Mendenhall said city leaders welcome a world trade area  in fact, Salt Lake City has been working "tirelessly" for nearly two years to create one.

"We're willing and ready partners, (but) we have serious concerns with the current language in this bill," she said. "As drafted, this bill would be an unprecedented encroachment on core municipal functions that would threaten every municipality in Utah."

The board would also have the authority to automatically take 5 percent of the tax increment of any project within the port authority's area, Biskupski noted.

The city would also have less representation on the board that state leaders, with only three appointees to the state's four.

"If I'm understanding this, this is really just about control," Sen. Jake Anderegg, R-Lehi, remarked.

But Stevenson disagreed.

"It's about working with the city," Stevenson said. "We have a project here that's much larger than any one community can take on."

The Utah Inland Port Authority would create a global trade area unlike anything the West has ever seen, Stevenson said, and the purpose of the bill is to create an oversight board that would enable the state to work "in concert" with local authorities and private property owners in the area.

"The infrastructure to support this would be tremendous and take the resources of not just a city, but a county (and) a state to help put this together," Stevenson said. "It could be the largest economic development project we've ever done in the state of Utah."

Stevenson stressed that the intent of the bill is to structure a "partnership" with the city. "We don't want partners that are not eager to play in this realm, and yet we need to establish what that realm is. That's what this bill does."

Stevenson added, "This is not a destination bill; this is a process bill," noting that state leaders will "probably look at this several times over the next few years."

Though its fiscal note was not yet public Friday, SB234 would have an estimated $1.5 million fiscal note for "startup" of the board, Stevenson said, noting state leaders expect there will be travel costs associated with the first year so board members can see other ports as they help develop their own.

Northwest quadrant private property owners, including John Birkinshaw, principal adviser for Rio Tinto, spoke in favor of the bill  but in concept, acknowledging there are issues the state needs to iron out with the city.

"We are advocates for coming together," Birkinshaw said. "We think the formation of the authority is essential, but we do understand there are some issues in the bill that need to be evaluated."

Before the vote moving the bill to the Senate floor, Anderegg said he would support the bill because he wanted it to have a chance to work through the process.

"This bill's not done," he said, noting that it still needs to make its way through the Senate floor and the House. "Let's make sure if there are tweaks that need to be made, let's make them and let's get this right."

Sen. Karen Mayne, R-West Valley City, said she always knew the site where the prison would be eventually be relocated would end up becoming a "bonanza" because of development opportunity.

She said the "ramifications" of SB234 will be "monumental." She acknowledged Salt Lake City's concerns, but said, "We need a vehicle to make it happen," urging Stevenson to continue working with city leaders to draft a bill to make the city "comfortable."

Less than a week remains in the 2018 session. Biskupski and Mendenhall both said in an interview after the vote they're hopeful they can work through some amendments to the bill as it makes it way forward.

If not?

When asked about the potential of the city pursuing any litigation if it turns out SB234 passes without quelling their concerns, neither Biskupski or Mendenhall ruled that out.In Hawaiian mythology, the great gods Kane (pronounced KAH-nay), Lono, Ku and (possibly) Kanaloa existed before the creation of the world.

In the beginning, according to one tradition, nothing existed except a chaotic blackness called the Po (night). But Kane awoke and, realizing that he was distinct from the Po, managed to break free from it. Thereafter, when Lono and then Ku perceived that Kane had separated himself from the Po, they too freed themselves.

Next, Kane created light, with which he pushed the darkness back. These three gods created all the lesser Hawaiian deities  most famous among them the fire and volcano goddess Pele, creator of the Hawaiian Islands. Then, they created our world to serve as a footstool for the gods.

Finally, the three gods gathered red clay from the four corners of the Earth, mixed it with their saliva, molded it into the image of Kane (though with a head formed by Kane himself from a specially selected white clay). When they had breathed life into the clay model  according to some accounts, it was Kane alone who breathed that life into the clay figure  it became the first man.

The similarity of this account to Genesis 2:7, where Adam or man is created out of adamah (literally, red clay) and the Lord God breathes into him the breath of life, is obvious.

Associated with dawn, sun and sky, Kane seems to have been the highest of the four great deities. He was the god of procreation and the ancestor of all humans, both chiefs and commoners.

Ku, god of politics and war, bore many names, including Kukailimoku (the Snatcher of Land). Uniquely among Hawaiian gods, his worship sometimes included ritual human sacrifice. Perhaps appropriately, he was associated with such animals as sharks and hawks.

Lono  sometimes called Lono-makua (Lono the Provider)  was linked with rainfall, fertility and agriculture, as well as with music and peace. Although the traditions are unclear and sometimes contradictory, there seems to have been a legend in which Lono manifested himself in human form, departing afterwards to Kahiki (likely Tahiti) with a promise to return.

Captain James Cook arrived at the Big Island of Hawaii in 1779 during the great harvest festival of Makahiki, sacred to Lono. Coincidentally, the rigging of his ship, HMS Resolution, resembled some of the artifacts associated with Lono-worship, and, just as ritual processions honoring Lono went clockwise around the island, Cook had sailed clockwise around the island before making landfall.

Some historians speculate that, for these and other reasons, the Hawaiians took Captain Cook to be a manifestation of Lono. When a member of his crew became ill and died, however  something not expected among deities t he Hawaiians became suspicious and much less compliant. And when a violent altercation broke out, Cook and several others among his crew were killed.

Some authorities theorize that Kanaloa was a lesser god who was created to preside over the dead and even that his worship may have arrived in Hawaii only after A.D. 1100, via a secondary Polynesian migration. Given his connection with the underworld, several commentators have tried to identify him as a god of evil and of death itself, permanently at war with Kane. But this may reflect the viewpoint of European missionaries, who were perhaps seeking to associate the four great Hawaiian deities with the Christian Trinity and (in Kanaloas case) with Lucifer or Satan.

One legend says that Kanaloa tried to mimic the creation of man by Kane, Lono and Ku, but that  unlike them  he was unable to bring his statue to life. So, humiliated, he challenged Kane, vowing that Kanes human creations would be mortal and that, when they died, they would belong to him in the underworld.

Balanced against such accounts, however, is the fact that Kanaloa and Kane were actually often associated with one another and worshiped together. They were apparently viewed as mutually complementary rather than opposed, and may even have been considered brothers.

Canoe builders, for example, would invoke Kane during their labors, while sailors aboard completed boats would call upon Kanaloa for guidance and protection. Kane was the lord of the area north of the suns annual path, while Kanaloa was the master of the area to its south. Some commentators have suggested that the two gods together represent a divine duality of wildness and domestication, much like the famous yin and yang of Chinese Taoism.SALT LAKE CITY  Children as young as 10 years old are being enticed into street gangs around the state, and community leaders are looking for ways to stop it.

"This is a real crisis when you start getting kids involved in violent crime at that age," said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.

Rivera joined Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown, Sen. Karen Mayne, D-Magna, and Reps. Susan Duckworth, D-Magna, and Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, at a news conference Friday to call attention to the problem.

Mayne and Hutchings are sponsoring a resolution, SCR12, that urges state and local governments to work together to reduce gang activity. They're also seeking $300,000 a year for school programs teaching children how to avoid gang life.

Gang members use every means possible to recruit children into their "family of violence," including social media and tattoos, Mayne said. They come across as gangbangers and they know how to engage children, she said.

"They use all the skills they have to trap these children into this lifestyle," Mayne said.

Though recent shootings have heightened sensitivity about school safety, recruiting children into gangs shouldn't be overlooked, Hutchings said.

"As we look at ways of keeping kids safe, it's not just about those momentary tragic things that'll make the national news, but its the individual tragedies also," he said.

Hutchings said many kids don't know a different way of life and they get stuck into gang violence. They need mentors to show them a better way, he said.

The Granite School District along with the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit offer the Choose Gang Free program in six elementary schools. It's designed to teach children about the consequences of gang membership and how they're in control of their choices.

But it doesn't receive funding from the state, said district spokesman Ben Horsely The district, which encompasses some of the highest crime areas in Salt Lake County, could use state money to expand the program to other schools.

"We're appreciative of our legislative leaders in this community taking up the weight to increase that funding and those grants so that Granite School District might be a recipient of future funding," he said.SALT LAKE CITY  A man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in a Salt Lake motel has been charged.

Omar Eli Bautista, 22, of South Jordan, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with two counts of rape, a first-degree felony; aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; unlawful sexual activity with a minor, a third-degree felony; and child endangerment, a third-degree felony.

On Feb. 12, the girl met Bautista in a park and the two exchanged phone numbers, according to charging documents. The girl told Bautista she was a freshman in high school, the charges state.

On Feb. 14, the two agreed to meet. Once the girl got into Bautista's car, they smoked marijuana together, according to the charges. The girl told investigators she was "very impaired" the rest of the time she was with Bautista.

He took her to a motel where he raped the girl and strangled her, "causing her to go in and out of focus and causing her vision to start to go black," according to court documents.

Bail was set at $250,000.SALT LAKE CITY  Another attempt to abolish the death penalty in Utah fell short Friday.

Rep. Gage Froerer, R-Huntsville, pulled his bill that would have repealed capital punishment. HB379 would have banned the state from seeking the death penalty for aggravated murder committed after May 7, 2018. It would not have affected the nine men now on Utah's death row.

Given the lateness in the session and the impact the measure would have on the state, it's best left to a future legislature, he told his colleagues on the House floor.

"This is not an easy issue," said Froerer, who isn't seeking re-election after 12 years in the House. "I appreciate that the dialog was always done in a respectful, thoughtful manner."

Froerer couldn't muster the votes to pass the bill in the House, marking the second time in three years that an effort to repeal the death penalty wilted in the chamber. In 2016, the Senate narrowly passed a repeal bill but it was held in the House.

Froerer is among a number of Republican legislators, including House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, who favor doing away with executions. Hughes also is not seeking re-election.

Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, a staunch proponent of capital punishment, commended Froerer for being a "gentleman" as lawmakers debated the issue.

"I just want to thank the representative for looking at the bill and the body and making the motion so we don't spend a lot of time debating something that may or may not have gone through," he said.

Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, thanked Froerer for those who "looked at this a different way."

"It's always good to debate these issues, issues of life and death, issues that affect many, many people  people in the system, people out of the system, the assailant, the families," he said.

The House Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Committee last week held an emotional hearing on the issue where families of murder victims testified for and against the death penalty. The panel endorsed the bill 7-4.

Utah has executed seven men since the nationwide moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in 1976, the last one being Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010. Four died by lethal injection and three by firing squad.SALT LAKE CITY  A New York Times story Friday details how "oil was central" in the Trump administration's decision to shrink the Bears Ears National Monument last December, but Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the paper missed the mark.

The paper sued and obtained internal Interior Department emails  20,000 pages  that in part detail correspondence over the Bears Ears Monument designation in 2016 and a subsequent review by the Trump administration.

Those documents, about 4,500 according to the Times, underscore the consideration given to potential mineral extraction, particularly related to 109,000 acres of land owned by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration that was within the footprint of the 1.35 million-acre monument.

"While some on the left and in the media have attempted to portray supporters of this executive order as greedy energy tycoons, the real benefactors are Utah schoolchildren and the people of San Juan County," Hatch said. "The lands in question were school trust lands that fund education priorities in the state, particularly San Juan County where the monument was designated."

The reduction directed by a proclamation last December shrunk Bears Ears by 85 percent, and subsequently removed 87,000 acres of school trust lands  comprising a block of acreage on the monument's eastern boundary near Bluff.

One of the emails obtained by the paper is from a Hatch staffer to the Interior Department that says the boundary adjustment would resolve mineral conflicts for the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration.

The school trust lands administration, in its correspondence in May to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, emphasized that its board does not have an opinion on the appropriate size of federal designations such as wilderness or for other conservation purposes, but stressed that school trust lands administration be held "harmless."

The board noted that any trust lands within a designation should be mitigated through a timely exchange or purchase so those lands are not off the table for potential resource development.

John Andrews, associate director of the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and chief legal counsel, wrote Zinke and asked that the boundary be "slightly adjusted to avoid two state school trust parcels, particularly the large block of school trust lands north of the town of Bluff."

The letter was sent as part of the comment period accompanying Zinke's review of more than two dozen monuments directed by President Donald Trump through an executive order.

Zinke, when he visited Utah last May, said the lands inside Bears Ears National Monument have little oil and gas development potential overall, which coincides with the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management's assessment of the area.

Maps of the BLM's Resource Management Plan show much of the Bears Ears National Monument land included in the original designation was closed to leasing or open with major constraints that include no surface occupancy stipulations. The BLM concluded there would be little impact from the restrictions given that they did not overlap with areas of high mineral potential.

The western part of the monument managed by the BLM's Monticello office predominately indicates low to moderate potential for oil and gas development.

Hatch's office said the Interior Department acted correctly to remove school trust lands from the monument footprint.

"These lands were originally given to Utah from the federal government with the express purpose of funding education priorities in the state. Sen. Hatchs conversations with SITLA throughout the process have focused on ensuring that schoolchildren, particularly those in San Juan County who rely on these lands, were not hurt in the process of protecting the antiquities in the region," the office said in a prepared statement.

"Sen. Hatch is grateful these emails have been released because they make very clear that his priority in addressing the Bears Ears situation was looking out for the people of Utah, and particularly the people of San Juan County who were ignored when this monument was designated.

The Times story also indicated Zinke's office probed the amount of coal contained in the Kaparowitz Plateau at Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, long a lament by locals objecting to the 1996 designation. That has been removed in that monument's boundary reduction.FARMINGTON  A Utah company is at the center of controversy for its supportive stance of the National Rifle Association and its gun manufacturing business.

Farmington-based Vista Outdoor has drawn criticism from one of its major customers for thus far refusing to offer any details regarding its position on the powerful, conservative lobbying organization based in Washington, D.C.

Vista Outdoor did not respond Friday to multiple requests for comment on the recent decision by Recreational Equipment Inc.  better known as REI  to halt new product orders until the matter is addressed.

The Seattle-based retailer, which doesn't sell guns, announced late Thursday that it will at least temporarily stop ordering ski goggles, water bottles, bike helmets and other products from some popular brands  including CamelBak, Giro and Bolle  because their parent company, Vista Outdoor, also makes ammunition and assault-style rifles.

The decision came a few hours after REI's Canadian counterpart, Mountain Equipment Co-op, took a similar step.

"REI does not sell guns. We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work toward common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month," the company said in a statement Thursday. "In the last few days, weve seen such action from companies like Dicks Sporting Goods and Walmart, and we applaud their leadership."

"This week, we have been in active discussions with Vista Outdoor, which has recently acquired several companies that are longtime partners of REI. These include Giro, Bell, Camelbak, Camp Chef and Blackburn. Vista also owns Savage Arms, which manufactures guns, including 'modern sporting rifles.'"

REI said it learned "that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action. As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds."

"Companies are showing they can contribute if they are willing to lead. We encourage Vista to do just that."

So far, Vista Outdoor has been silent.

An outpouring of customer concern over continued mass shootings has prompted MetLife, Hertz, Delta Air Lines and other major U.S. corporations to cut ties with the NRA, at some political risk. Kroger, L.L. Bean, Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart have announced that they'll no longer sell guns to anyone under 21.

Smaller companies have acted, too, including bike shops around the country that have announced they'll no longer carry Vista products.

Vista owns ammunition and firearms manufacturers, including Savage Arms, and it acquired outdoor-equipment companies over the last few years to complement its shooting-sports division, buying CamelBak in 2015 for $412.5 million.

The political battle is the latest to sweep up outdoor retailers like REI, which has long embraced a philosophy of social corporate responsibility but which also has more than 6 million members encompassing a range of political views.Editor's note: A version of this was previously published on the author's blog.

By definition, anything superlative is the most-whatever of its type; the coldest winter, the greatest rainfall, the highest mountain. It's unique, untouchable among its kind. The tiny Hypatia Stone is such an object. It's the strangest rock on Earth.

In December 1996, Aly A. Barakat, a researcher with the Geological Survey of Egypt, was in the southwestern section of his country participating in an Egyptian-Italian expedition to the site of "Lybian desert glass." The glass is an unusual yellowish material now thought to have formed from a high-pressure impact, such as a meteorite or asteroid strike, on desert sand. A pebble about an inch long, an inch wide and a little thinner than an inch caught his eye because it didn't look like other rocks in the area.

Partly buried in the dirt, it was shiny gray-black and weighed just over an ounce. At first Barakat thought it might be a tektite. A tektite is a stone formed by the melting of rocks hit by meteorites and their subsequent cooling, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. However, examination in the field showed it was not. It was something more peculiar.

The pebble was studded with microscopic diamonds, he discovered.

Diamonds typically form in the Earth's mantle about 90 miles underground in super-hot and super-pressurized conditions, where naturally present carbon deposits are squeezed and heated. (Coal is not involved.) Later, volcanoes may shove diamond-bearing formations to the surface. Also, diamonds form through the impact of asteroids  the enormous pressure and heat of the strikes are enough to do the job. And microscopic diamonds called nanodiamonds have been discovered in meteorites, the result of high-speed collisions of rocky debris in space.

Small pieces of the stone were examined independently in labs in Egypt, Italy and South Africa. "All these studies proved that the material contains the first record of tiny grains of diamond in Egypt," Barakat wrote at drbarakataly.wordpress.com.

He said the material is dubbed the "'Hypatia Stone' after Hypatia of Alexandria (c. A.D. 350370  A.D. 415) the outstanding woman philosopher, astronomer, mathematician and inventor."

Major contributors to our understanding of the matter are Jan Kramers and Gregory Belyanin of the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Their university reportedthat they "found exotic micro-mineral compounds in the 'Hypatia' stone that are not known to occur on Earth, elsewhere in our solar system, or in known meteorites or comets."

In a paper to be published officially on Feb. 18 by the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, but whose abstract is already available on line, Kramers, Belyanin and colleagues wrote that their extensive studies indicate the material is of "pre-solar origin."

A 2013 study by the group posited that the stone might be a remnant of a comet's nucleus. But Kramers told The Evening News in a Jan. 18 email, "We have now found that it does not contain any silicates at all (except in the fractures, where minerals of terrestrial origin have formed, such as clay minerals). All studied cometary material (interplanetary dust particles and in situ collected dust from NASA's Stardust mission) has silicate minerals."

"Further there are exotic minerals which we think must be presolar, such as silicon carbide, a nickel phosphide compound with extremely high Ni/Fe (nickle to iron) ratio (around 80) that cannot be formed in the solar nebula by any process, and grains of metallic zinc, aluminium (which we Americans call aluminum), iron and silver. 

"All in all we now think that the stone's parent body formed by dust agglomeration in the outermost solar nebula and remained cold until its encounter with Earth."

Kramers doubts that the stone is a wanderer from another star system, like the asteroid or comet spied flying through our own in October, which NASA says originated from elsewhere in the galaxy.

"We don't think that the object comes from outside the solar system because its xenon isotopes are similar to those of carbonaceous chondrites," he wrote. Carbonaceous chondrites are a rare type of meteorite. "But it certainly contains extrasolar dust. One important conclusion is that the solar nebula was primarily not quite homogeneous, containing regions without silicate grains."

Dating to more than 4.5 billion years ago, the Hypatia Stone is a relic of a period around the time the solar system condensed from a vast interstellar cloud of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, dust and other molecules. As elsewhere in space, this cloud was seeded with elements from previous generations of stars that went supernova.

The new study indicates that this strangest rock comes from the nebula that was clumping up before the solar system finished condensing. And now we know that elements were not distributed evenly in the cloud.SALT LAKE CITY  Fred Hayes, Utah's parks and recreation director, died unexpectedly Friday. He was 58.

Hayes passed away Friday afternoon at his home in Heber City, the Utah Department of Natural Resources said in a prepared statement. His career at Utah's state parks began more than three decades ago.

A cause of death has yet to be determined but police believe he most likely died of natural causes, said DNR spokesman Nathan Schwebach.

Hayes, who ran the Division of Parks and Recreation for the past six years, raised the profile of Utah's 44 state parks, said Mike Styler, DNR executive director, in the statement. He helped drive attendance and revenue and was developing new recreation programs across the state at the time of his death, Styler said.

Gov. Gary Herbert in a statement issued by the department said Hayes "had a unique ability to connect with people, whether government officials, legislators, local leaders, community partners or his division personnel. His leadership, forward thinking and calming influence have benefited all those he worked with and forged the division's success."

Styler agreed.

"We have lost a dear friend and a passionate and dedicated supporter of recreation in Utah," Styler said, sending condolences to Hayes' family. "Fred will be sorely missed."

Hayes is survived by his wife Serena and their five children, Styler said.

He began his state parks career in 1982 as a seasonal park ranger aide at Starvation State Park near Duchesne.Love Per Square Foot Actress Angira Dhar On Her Debut Film, Dream House And Her Upcoming Projects!

Angira Dhar is slowly but steadily making her way into Bollywood. The Mumbai girl, who had started off as an off camera crew member on Channel V, has already made her Bollywood debut. She had made us all her fans with YFilms web-series, Bang Baaja Baarat opposite Ali Fazal, and now, she has mesmerized us once again with her debut film, Love Per Square Foot that released on Netflix on Valentines Day.

We had a chance of catching up with the vivacious Angira post the release of her film. She opened up about her journey from off camera to on-camera, on the response to Love Per Square Foot and also her upcoming projects.

Hi Angira, first of all, congratulations on your debut film. Love Per Square Foot got a Netflix release instead of a theatrical release. So how did you feel about that?

See, we were looking at a theatrical release in the beginning. But when I found out that it was a Netflix release, I was very very happy. I could just imagine the reach this film will have. That was insane because as imagined I was getting so many messages and responses from places like Brazil and Turkey. Like someone is messaging me from Patna and someone from Russia. So it is as beautiful as that!

Love Per Square Foot has the backdrop of Mumbai and how taking a flat there can be very difficult. Do you think the audiences would relate to it everywhere?

Uh, I think because we are living in a fast-paced and continuously growing world, where the population isnt pretty much under control, I believe that every major city in every country would be facing similar issues that a Mumbaikar faces. I feel that this problem is pretty global. We just took the issue of Mumbai but we knew that this story would be somewhat relatable to maybe somewhere in Paris. I know this is true because of the kind of responses we are getting from faraway countries, as I said.

The fact is there is not just a crunch and problem in the physical state but also in the mental state! We strive to find our own space, even more so when we become independent.

You had worked for Channel V before, behind the camera of course. How was this transition from being an off-camera person to an on-camera person was like?

When I was off-camera, I never imagined that I would someday be working in front of the camera but of course, while I was growing up I was looking at the screen and seeing all the heroines perform. You know, Sridevi had always been one of my favourite superstars. I have seen her and so many women create magic on-screen. And would always imagine how it would be to be where they are. I am just grateful that I have a film right now and it has helped me reach so many people through my craft.

I was a producer with Channel V and was only involved in production work behind camera. The transition was touchwood, quite smooth and organic for me. I was getting a lot of offers from the directors I had met with during my stint as an off-camera person. I hadnt imagined myself as an actress at that point in time.

One day I was sitting in a cafe and Shanoo Sharma, who is the casting director of YRF spotted me and asked if I was an actress. Thats when my life changed. She took me under her wing and almost mentored me. And thats how everything started.

How did Love Per Square Foot happen from there?

Anand Tiwari, the director of Bang Baaja Baarat also directed this film. We worked together and at that time I had no idea about this script. But much later, I got a call from Honey Trehan, whos the casting director of our film. I went through a 3-hour long audition and it was quite intense.

Were there any preparations for the role.

Yeah, there were a lot of preparations as Karina DSouza, my character is quite different from Angira Dhar in personality. But we share similar morals. I believe whatever was written for Karina DSouza in the script. I really related to it. But to be Karina was a whole different process. I used to do my rounds in Badra, go to the smaller gallies and church and feel it! It was a long, but beautiful process because I could see myself become Karina.

You also got to work with many veteran actors in this film

I did, and I am so thankful and grateful for that. I got to work with all the really experienced theatre professionals. They have so much knowledge to impart. There is so much to learn from them, for example, their judgment on a certain character or how a certain scene should be done. I would just observe them and feel happy that I am getting to learn from them just when I am starting off!

You have gone through a lot of good changes in the past few years and I think the future would also be bright for you. So what are the future projects where we will see you?

Uh, so I am right now reading some interesting scripts and meeting a few people. There would be quite a few good things happening which unfortunately I cant talk about right now. I am so looking forward to a few things and this is a really great time to be in the industry!

So up next we will have quick rapid fire

*Sigh*

You feel nervous with rapid fires?

I dont know. Rapid fire never remains a rapid fire.

Ok, lets start. Ali Fazal or Vicky Kaushal, the better co-star?

Oh no no. I cant actually make a comparison. Its impossible because they are two different human beings and actors. Its unfair.

Production or acting?

Acting

550 sq feet in Mumbai or 2000 sq. feet in Shimla?

2000 sq feet in Shimla. Post-retirement for sure.

But an actor never retires

Uhm yeah, I would be working and I hope to make my own film one day because I have a production background. Maybe sometime in the future.

Current crush in Bollywood.

*thinking* I dont know I have many crushes, I like many people. I like Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor

The namesakes

Yes. I think they are everyones crushes, isnt it?

How would you imagine your dream house to be?

It would have lots of greenery, lots of plants. It will be those houses that either overlooks a mountain range or a beautiful lake. I am more of a mountain person, so this house in Shimla that you are talking about can be my favourite! *Laughs*

Angira Dhar is slowly but steadily making her way into Bollywood. The Mumbai girl, who had started off as an off camera crew member on Channel V, has already made her Bollywood debut. She had made us all her fans with YFilms web-series, Bang Baaja Baarat opposite Ali Fazal, and now, she has mesmerized us once again with her debut film, Love Per Square Foot that released on Netflix on Valentines Day.

We had a chance of catching up with the vivacious Angira post the release of her film. She opened up about her journey from off camera to on-camera, on the response on Love Per Square Foot and also her upcoming projects.

Hi Angira, first of all, congratulations for your debut film. Love Per Square Foot got a Netflix release instead of a theatrical release. So how did you feel about that?

See, we were looking at a theatrical release in the beginning. But when I found out that it was a Netflix release, I was very very happy. I could just imagine the reach this film will have. That was insane because as imagined I was getting so many messages and responses from places like Brazil and Turkey. Like someone is messaging me from Patna and someone from Russia. So it is as beautiful as that!

Love Per Sqaure Foot has the backdrop of Mumbai and how taking a flat there can be very difficult. Do you think the audiences would relate to it everywhere?

Uh, I think because we are living in a fast paced and continuously growing world, where the population isnt pretty much under control, I believe that every major city in every country would be facing similar issues that a Mumbaikaar faces. I feel that this problem is pretty global. We just took the issue of Mumbai but we knew that this story would be somewhat relatable to maybe somewhere in Paris. I know this is true because of the kind of responses we are getting from faraway countries, as I said.

The fact is there is not just a crunch and problem in physical state but also in the mental state! We strive to find our own space, even more so when we become independent.

You had worked for Channel V before, behind the camera of course. How was this transition from being an off camera person to an on-camera person was like?

When I was off-camera, I never imagined that I would someday working in front of the camera but of course, while I was growing up I was looking at the screen and seeing all the heroines perform. You know, Sridevi had always been one of my favourite superstar. I have seen her and so many women create magic on-screen. And would always imagine how it would be to be where they are. I am just grateful that I have a film right now and it has helped me reach so many people through my craft.

I was a producer with Channel V and was only involved in production work behind camera. The transition was touchwood, quite smooth and organic for me. I was getting a lot of offers from the directors I had met with during my stint as an off camera person. I hadnt imagined myself as an actress at that point of time.

One day I was sitting in a cafe and Shanoo Sharma, who is the casting director of YRF spotted me and asked if if I was an actress. Thats when my life changed. She took my under her wing and almost mentored me. And thats how everything started.

How did Love Per Sqaure Foot happen from there?

Anand Tiwari, the director of Bang Baaja Baarat also directed this film. We worked together and at that time I had no idea about this script. But much later, I got a call from Honey Trehan, whos the casting director of our film. I went through a 3 hour long audition and it was quite intense.

Were there any preparations for the role.

Yeah, there were a lot of preparations as Karina DSouza, my character is quite different from Angira Dhar in personality. But we share similar morals. I believe whatever was written for Karina DSouza in the script. I really related to it. But to be Karina was a whole different process. I used to do my rounds in Badra, go to the smaller gallies and church and feel it! It was a long, but beautiful process because I could see myself become Karina.

You also got to work with many veteran actors in this film

I did, and I am so thankful and grateful for that. I got to work with all the really experienced theatre professionals. They have so much knowledge to impart. There is so much to learn from them, for example their judgement on a certain character or how a certain scene should be done. I would just observe them and feel happy that I am getting to learn from them just when I am starting off!

You have gone through a lot of good changes in the past few years and I think the future would also be bright for you. So what are the future projects where we will see you?

Uh, so I am right now reading some interesting scripts and meeting a few people. There would be quite a few good things happening which unfortunately I cant talk about right now. I am so looking forward to a few things and this is a really great time to be in the industry!

So up next we will have quick rapid fire

*Sigh*

You feel nervous with rapid fires?

I dont know. Rapid fire never remains a rapid fire.

Ok lets start. Ali Fazal or Vicky Kaushal, the better co-star?

Oh no no. I cant actually make a comparison. Its impossible because they are two different human beings and actors. Its unfair.

Production or acting?

Acting

550 sq feet in Mumbai or 2000 sq. feet in Shimla?

2000 sq feet in Shimla. Post retirement for sure.

But an actor never retires

Uhm yeah, I would be working and I hope to make my own film one day because I have a production background. Maybe sometime in the future.

Current crush in Bollywood.

*thinking* I dont know I have many crushes, I like many people. I like Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor

The namesakes

Yes. I think they are everyones crushes, isnt it?

How would you imagine your dream house to be?

It would have lots of greenery, lots of plants. It will be those houses that either overlooks a mountain range or a beautiful lake. I am more of a mountain person, so this house in Shimla that you are talking about can be my favourite! *Laughs*After hosting a pop-up shop since late January, First Street Napas newest retailer, State & First by Maris Collective, has officially opened for business.

The global lifestyle and luxury fashion destination retailer has leased 2,000 square feet facing First Street, underneath the Archer Napa hotel.

There is a lot growth happening in downtown and we wanted to be a part of that, said Maris Collective Regional Director Christina Walton.

Located at 1214 First St., the store sells jewelry, clothing, handbags, accessories, candles, barware and more, said Walton.

We want to offer something for every client that walks in the door, she said.

At the same time, State & First by Maris Collective brands itself as an upscale retailer. Candles start at $50, jewelry at $99, clothing at $79 and handbags at $199, she said.

This is the second Maris Collective store in Napa County. The first, COOP, is located at the Carneros Resort and Spa.

That store is different than the downtown Napa Maris Collective retailer, said Walton. COOP carries more resort type items such as swimsuits and caftans, she said.Killian Band was established in Inver in March, 1968 by principal, Vincent O'Donnell, from Annagry. A love of music and culture drove the Irish speaking principal to establish a band the children would treasure for life.

Members of the Killian Band will celebrate 50 years as they march down 5th Avenue in New York on St. Patrick's Day. Pictured above is a photo of the old school band at Killian NS.

The principal laid the band hats, drums and staff in front of the schoolchildren and watched as their eyes light up with joy.

The children in the senior classes at the school had worked hard over the last number of months and now they felt like they were becoming a true marching band.

In March 1968, principal Vincent O'Donnell established the Killian School band in Inver.

We began to play on tin whistles and we progressed from there. Money was scarce, Vincent said.

The hats and instruments had been sourced by Vincent from two local bands in Annagry when they amalgamated.

The band performed for the first time when a local priest, who had been ordained, returned home. The school children marched the road in their white Aran jumpers and their new hats. The band was invited to perform in many different events in the following years.

They played at all festivals from Burtonport to Ballyshannon. The band enjoyed great success, winning every major competition in the county along with two Ulster titles.

The Ulster titles have always been difficult to win and the winner of the title has always been a true contender in the All-Ireland final.

On the occasions that the Killian School band took the Ulster titles the band couldn't afford to travel to Kerry to compete in the grand final.

However, Vincent made the journey and he was of the opinion that the south Donegal band would have taken the All-Ireland on both occasions.

In the early 80's families began to emigrate and the number of musical families in the area became scarce.

The students who left the national school to attend nearby schools returned and played with the band, which helped.

At the end of the 80's families began to return home again and the band played once again.

The band bought new uniforms, parents became involved and the band began to enjoy its former glory.

The band began to play less and less competitions and focused on events they were invited to .

In 2001, Vincent was asked by the Department of Education to undertake a project which focused on the Irish language. On the brink of retirement and with a great love for the Irish language the Annagry native agreed to undertake the work.

In 2003, a celebration was held for Vincent between Christmas and New Year.

Celebration

At one point in the night, organisers began to clear the floor, much to Vincent's astonishment.

To his delight the band emerged onto the floor and played a number of tunes during the celebration.

There were 40 of them playing. Students from the 70's and 80's were among them. It was just lovely, he said.

In London in 2015, Vincent was present playing with the well-known Ranafast band.

He was waiting for the march to begin when from the corner of his eye he saw a woman who used to play in the Killian National School band.

He walked over to her and they began to talk. I asked her why she was playing with the band she was with. She looked at me and said 'there is no other band to play with, he said.

They decided at that point to bring the Killian band over in 2016.

It didn't work out in 2016 but we did make it in 2017, Vincent said.

Practice later began in earnest. The band played in Dungloe on Easter Sunday. They also played in Bundoran and took part in the popular Mary from Dungloe Parade.

This March, the band which this year celebrates half a century, will go to New York and march proudly down FifthAvenue.

There are 25 members in the band. However, many of those who have left Donegal are making the effort to join the band in New York.

Off to New York

Former members will travel from the UK and America to meet their friends in New York.

The band members have cemented strong friendships over the years and just to prove how determined they are to meet up again, many are willing to pay for their own travel to play in the band which brought great happiness during their childhood.

Two former members are traveling from Chicago for the celebrations.

It is estimated that by the time all members are present on Fifth Avenue, there will be 30 former band members from south Donegal marching in the grand parade.

The band will stay in New York for a period of five days.

Vincent is delighted that the band will grace Fifth Avenue on a day that the Irish diaspora celebrate their identity across the globe.

A film crew from TG4 will join the band on the historic 50th anniversary. The crew has already attended band practice and are eager to captivate the proud moment on camera.

Vincent is delighted that those he taught during their school days continue to want to be part of the band and perform with him.

It's a priviledge to be going there with them. It is all good fun and laughter, he said.

Fundraising events are being planned to cover some of the costs of bringing band items across to America.Water restrictions have been imposed on some Donegal supplies due to unprecedented demand during the cold snap

Irish Water working in partnership with Donegal County Council is advising customers that due to the extremely cold weather conditions and exceptionally high usage, water treatment plants are struggling to keep up with water supply demands.

Customers are being asked to stop running taps and conserve water to avoid reservoirs emptying and water pressure to homes and businesses being affected.

Due to unprecedented demand night time restrictions were placed on the Lough Mourne water supply from 12 midnight to 7am last night (Saturday) to allow reservoirs to refill. Water supply has been switched back on today and restrictions will be imposed again tonight.

Last night restrictions were also imposed on the Gortahork/Falcarragh supply due to increased demand. This enabled reservoirs to refill and full supply has been restored today. Further restrictions may be imposed tonight if demand continues at current levels.

High demand is also being registered in the follow water supply schemes: Letterkenny, Milford, Fanad East, Fanad West, Pollan Dam, Inishowen West Meendoran, East Inishowen, Buncrana, Frosses Inver, Donegal Eske, Owenteskina, Rosses Regional, and Lettermacaward due to, more than likely, taps being left running in peoples properties and on farms.

Irish Water is urging customers to conserve water by turning off taps in properties and farm buildings, not running dishwashers or washing machines where possible and taking showers instead of baths.

Information on dealing with frozen pipes is available on www.water.ie and water supply updates are available at www.water.ie/water-supply/ supply-and-service-update/

Irish Water and Donegal County Council would like to thank customers in advance for their co-operation in conserving water at this critical time. Irish Water would also like to thank the local authority staff for their efforts in keeping water supplies running in very difficult conditions.Collaboration is happening on campus between faculty, staff, and administration, as forums are being held on campus to hear what instructors need to prepare students for universities and careers.

Collaboration between the college and the community is also starting to happen.

A speakers bureau has been formed to communicate with businesses, nonprofit agencies and service organizations. Dozens of organizations are looking for guest speakers and about 20 college volunteers are eager to participate.

Each speaker will give a five-minute PowerPoint presentation, and continue to ask for the communitys feedback about their priorities for the College as we celebrate our 75th year.

If you come to the colleges 75th anniversary celebration and open house festival on April 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., youll see what the college has been doing, and be able to tell us what youd like the college do in the future.

The process of self-improvement doesnt happen in a vacuum. To make the right decisions about how to best serve students and the community, the college is asking:Three pieces of Australian automotive history will go under the hammer this month as HSV auctions some of its last Australian-made cars.

HSVs final 435kW GTSR sedan and GTSR Maloo examples will go to auction with Manheim on March 17, accompanied by a particularly special sedan.

The manufacturers GTSR W1 press demonstrator will cross the block, giving collectors a chance to acquire a car immortalised in dozens of videos, reviews and feature stories around Australia and beyond.

While many W1 owners are expected to carefully protect their investment, this car has had a much more colourful life.

Holdens 2017 Bathurst winners David Reynolds and Luke Youlden pushed the car to the limit at Sandown and Winton, while a handful of journalists had the opportunity to test the car on road and track.

Drive took the W1 on an unforgettable road trip to its spiritual home at Bathurst, revelling in the 474kW machines surging thrust, sensational brakes and outstanding traction offered by supercar-spec Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo R tyres.

Originally priced from $169,990 plus on-road costs, this well-loved and unique example of Australias ultimate muscle car could fetch double that at auction.

Manheim chief executive Charles Cumming said the Melbourne auction represents a moment in Australian automotive history.

We are very excited and very proud to be working with HSV to conduct such a special auction which will see these iconic vehicles offered to the public, he said.

Clearly HSV has a proud and long history in the Australian automotive industry so we want to make sure the public sale of these special vehicles generates the interest HSV truly deserves.

2017 HSV GTSR W1 pricing and specifications

Price: Sold out (was $169,990 plus on-road costs)

Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8 petrol

Power: 474kW at 6500rpm

Torque: 815Nm at 3900rpm

Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive

Fuel use: 16.5L/100km

- For all the latest info, visit our HSV showroom.Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.All schools, colleges of further education and third level institutions will re-open on Monday, according to an update from the Department of Education.

However, the Government body said that "decisions will be made by schools, colleges of further education and third level institutions on an individual basis depending on the circumstances and conditions in their area".

The statement also said that "schools must ensure the safety of those in their care and give due consideration to this when making a decision to re-open".

More updates from Louth schools and colleges as we have them.

With regards transport to school, the Department of Education said that they will be "regularly monitoring" bus services over the weekend.

"It is expected that Bus Eireann will be in a position to advise schools tomorrow evening on school transport routes that will not operate on Monday and schools will contact the families involved. However, some decisions on individual schools transport routes may still not be confirmed until Monday morning given changing local conditions. Where possible, information on routes not running will also be provided on the Bus Eireann website - http://www.buseireann.ie." the statement said.

The Minister for Education and Skills added that he would "like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all those principals, teachers, students and parents who co-operated fully with the safety measures in place over the past days".

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Against the backdrop of a recent slide in bitcoin markets and a record drop in the U.S. financial markets, federal securities regulators and Senate Banking Committee members on Tuesday signaled that additional regulation may be necessary in the rapidly growing area of virtual currency.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton said in testimony before the committee that virtual currency markets are initial coin offerings, or ICOs, that are trading globally, largely outside the scope of regulatory scrutiny.

While embracing innovation, the agency wants to ensure that Main Street cryptocurrency investors be provided the same level of protection that they would receive when trading standard securities.

"The cryptocurrency and ICO markets, while new, have grown rapidly, gained greater prominence in the public conscience and attracted significant capital from retail investors," Clayton told the committee.

There have been times in history when a rush to new investment vehicles has benefited the national economy as well as investors who bet on the right offering, he noted, "but when our laws are not followed, the risk to all investors are high and numerous, including risks caused by and related to poor, incorrect or nonexistent disclosure, volatility, manipulation, fraud and theft."

Clayton cited a recent study that showed 10 percent of proceeds from ICOs, or about US$400 million, have been lost to cyberattacks.

Wild West

Many cryptocurrency platforms are regulated by states under check cashing and money transmission services. However, Clayton and Christopher Giancarlo, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, last month warned that they too were keeping an eye on the virtual currency industry.

The SEC last month obtained a court order to block an alleged ICO scam by AriseBank, which promised to raise more than $600 million of a $1 billion goal in two months in what it promised was the world's first decentralized bank.

The court order froze the assets of the bank and appointed a receiver.

Giancarlo on Tuesday testified that regulators were considering a "do no harm" approach, comprised of improved consumer education and some increased regulation over data reporting, capital requirements, cybersecurity standards and measures to prevent fraud and manipulation.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a member of the Banking Committee, raised concerns that bitcoin lacks inherent value, and no one knows where the true floor is located.

Shelby fears bitcoin and other virtual currencies "could cause systemic risk to our whole financial system," he said in a Bloomberg television interview.

Free Falling

The testimony came against the backdrop of a precipitous slide in bitcoin prices, which had fallen below $6,000 for the first time since mid-November, and were off nearly 70 percent from all-time highs recorded in December.

"Volatility is more digestible if the general direction is up," observed Jessica Groopman, industry analyst at Kaleido Insights.

Bitcoin's dramatic volatility, coupled with the uncertaintly of traditional financial markets, could precipitate a flurry of demands from central banks and governments, she told the E-Commerce Times.

There have been recent moves to crack down on virtual currency trading, Groopman noted, including plans for a joint effort to regulate the activity at the upcoming G20 summit, and an announcement last month that Facebook would ban cryptocurrency ads.

Even before Tuesday's hearing there were concerns about bitcoin trading and ICOs from federal agencies, said Gabriel Wang, an analyst at Aite Group.

China and other countries recently have moved to crack down on cryptocurrencies, he told the E-Commerce Times.

"Given what's happened most recently, I think it will be a surprise if we don't have more regulation in terms of who can set up bitcoin exchanges," Wang said.

Economist Nouriel Roubini has ripped the virtual currency market in recent days, calling them crypto-terrorists in a series of tweets and warning that the market would crash to zero.

Get Ready for Most Cryptocurrencies to Hit Zero, Goldman Says

Ouch!https://t.co/8PPz8nx92f  Nouriel Roubini (@Nouriel) February 7, 2018

Bitcoin is "a combination of a bubble, a Ponzi scheme and an environmental disaster," said Agustin Carstens, the new general manager of the Bank for International Settlements, in a speech in Frankfurt earlier on Tuesday.

However, investors were pleased by what they saw as a relatively light touch approach to regulation compared to the heightened fears of a crackdown, according to Ronnie Moes, founder of Standpoint Research.

The bad behavior of players at the lower end of the market is not going to get in the way of the more established leaders in the industry, he told the E-Commerce Times.

"I think the market has been overreacting to the headlines," Moes said. "Everything that happens with these penny names at the bottom of the barrel, and these ICOs -- I don't care about that."

David Jones is a freelance writer based in Essex County, New Jersey. He has written for Reuters, Bloomberg, Crain's New York Business and The New York Times.

In routine urban driving, the eight-speed automatic transmission, which is the only gearbox Alfa offers with this SUV, keeps revs low in the interests of fuel economy. Rolling into the accelerator builds boost progressively but not abruptly. Keep your foot in it and the Stelvio Quadrifoglio punts down the road with authority, especially once the tach swings past 3,000 rpm. Yet it's a deceptively drama-free experience since the torque curve is mesa-flat over the entire midrange. Its potency extends all the way to the redline, so you find yourself traveling at alarming speeds in short order. Alfa Romeo pegs the sprint to 60 mph in a scant 3.6 seconds, which is at the pointy end of anything in its class and many other classes, for that matter.Manx Government welcomes UK's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement

The Manx Government has welcomed the UK's proposed Withdrawal Agreement ahead of their exit from the European Union.

The agreement would allow the Isle of Man to maintain its current relationship with the EU through the UK during its Implementation Period, meaning goods will be able to freely move between the Island and the EU.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle said he was pleased to see that the Island had been explicitly covered in the withdrawal treaty, and that the UK's stance on EU nationals reflects the position Manx authorities took up last year.

The Council of Minister previously pledged to protect the status of EEA national currently living and working in Crown Dependencies.

The Government insists it intends to ensure the Island's voice is heard as Brexit negotiations continue. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

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MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.



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 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.Germany's economy minister on Saturday suggested tightening the rules on foreign investment, following concern over Chinese influence on European firms.

Last month it emerged that Chinese billionaire Li Shufu had quietly bought a near 10-percent stake worth around 7.2 billion euros ($8.9 billion) in German car giant Daimler  making him the groups largest shareholder.

We must always adapt our law on the external economy according to new developments, including the threshold at which (the government) can become involved, Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries told the weekly Der Spiegel.

Currently, Berlin can scrutinise a transaction and possibly prevent it, if the foreign investor seizes a stake worth more than 25 percent of a companys capital.

The fact is, the investors can often exert considerable influence on a business, even with a smaller stake, said Zypries, a Social Democrat.

Chinas increasing interest in German companies has sparked unease in Europes biggest economy.

The distrust is all the greater as EU nations are more open to investment from abroad than Beijing allows on its territory.

The subject will have to be on the agenda of the new government, particularly with regard to strategic infrastructures, such as energy, transport or internet sectors, Zypries said.

Germans are waiting to discover on Sunday whether the Social Democrats will approve a coalition with Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union, bringing an end to a five-month stalemate following inconclusive elections.

German ministers agreed last year to expand government powers to scrutinise takeover bids from abroad, especially in sectors affecting critical infrastructure, and to extend the range of deals eligible for official probes.

The move followed the 2016 Chinese takeover of industrial robotics firm Kuka and US-based Tesla Motors buying-up of factory automation specialist Grohmann Engineering.

That same year also saw Washington block a Chinese acquisition bid for German microchip maker Aixtron, warning its products could have military applications.

ilp/ecl/nla/bpWith a snip of an oversized pair of scissors, on Wednesday The Wiseman Company officially introduced its third Class A commercial building in downtown Napa.

Two tenants have been announced for the mixed-use building, located at 1300 Main St.

The first floor has been leased to celebrity chef Hal Yamashita, who will make his U.S. debut with his 10th restaurant worldwide.

Chef Hal has appeared on multiple national television appearances in his native Japan, and is friends with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, who has a restaurant down the street in Napa. Others are located in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai.

Other tenants include Cornerstone Cellars within the first floors retail space and a large medical organization occupying office space on an upper floor.

This is our third Class A building in downtown Napa...and we feel lucky to have been part of downtown Napas commercial real estate landscape, said Doyle Wiseman, CEO, The Wiseman Company. Those who took part in its creation are really proud of their accomplishments.Four police officers were assaulted and three people arrested at a pro-Kurd protest in Berlin on Saturday demonstrating against Turkey's military offensive in Syria.

Thousands of people marched amid a heavy police presence under the banner Together against Turkish attacks in Afrin, referring to the region in northern Syria where Turkey is waging a campaign against a Syrian Kurd militia.

Organisers, including NGOs, Kurdish groups and some political parties, said 30,000 people took part, but police estimated several thousand and said overall the march passed without disorder.

Ankara launched the offensive in January against the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), which is allied with US forces against the Islamic State (IS) group.

Ankara views the YPG as a terror group, and the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The PKK has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for more than three decades.

It is banned in Turkey and the US and European Union consider it a terror group.The airport in Gibraltar closed Saturday after heavy winds damaged equipment, the British overseas territory's government announced, as strong gusts and downpours hit southern Spain.

Gibraltars government said flights to the Rock had been diverted to Malaga and passengers would then be taken by bus to the territory.

The government statement did not specify what equipment had been damaged in the airport.

The news comes with a mass of warm air from the Atlantic clashing this week in Spain with the so-called Beast from the East, a cold weather front that blew in from Siberia, causing heavy snowfall in the north.

In the south, while the rain was welcome in a drought-prone area, the heavy wind caused damage and even one death.

In the town of Hinojos, a 55-year-old municipal worker died this week, hit by a falling tree as violent winds swept the town.Some 1,000 police, firefighters and volunteers searched on Saturday for an eight-year-old boy whose disappearance four days previously in southeastern Spain has gripped the country.

Gabriel Cruz was at his grandmothers home in the small village of Las Hortichuelas when he left to go play at a friends house nearby on Tuesday afternoon. He has not been seen since.

His relatives alerted police who published a missing persons alert with a photo of the smiling boy, which went viral in Spain via mobile messaging services and social media.

Since then, police and volunteers have been combing the countryside in the area on foot and on horseback, using helicopters and drones to try and locate him.

On Saturday, around 1,000 people were involved in the search, a Guardia Civil police spokesman told AFP.

Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said police were also searching waters off the coast nearby.

Cruzs parents have given several tearful interviews to Spanish media, saying he knew the area well and could not have got lost.

We maintain hope we will get Gabriel back soon and that he will return home with his family, which is where a boy who is only eight should be, his father Angel Cruz told reporters Saturday, before breaking down in tears.

In a twist on Friday, it emerged that a man had been detained this week for stalking Gabriels mother Patricia Ramirez, though authorities stressed he was not held in connection with the disappearance.

The man, named as Diego Miguel, had become obsessed with Ramirez and in 2016 was ordered by a judge to stay away from her and given a three-month suspended jail sentence, according to court documents seen by AFP.

But he broke this order several times, including in the hours when Gabriel disappeared, and was detained, authorities said.

Police said they were investigating the circumstances, but Angel Cruz stressed Saturday he believed the man had nothing to do with his sons disappearance.The Kremlin insisted US sanctions against Russia were "illegal" Saturday, a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to extend measures put in place during the Ukraine crisis.

We have never been the initiator of these sanctions, we consider them illegal and harmful not just to the people of our two countries but the whole world, Russian presidential press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday, Interfax news agency reported.

Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow following Russias 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula and Moscows backing of rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week set the course for a new arms race with Washington as he boasted of a new generation of invincible Russian weapons developed in response to the threat posed by the US.

The moves come as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War, despite candidate Trumps promises to mend fences.

As well as the Ukraine crisis, Russia and the US have clashed over the conflict in Syria and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US election in 2016.Harvey Weinstein's lawyer said Saturday a woman having sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career is "not rape", in a British newspaper interview on the eve of the Oscars.

Ben Brafman is one of the US top criminal defence attorneys, hired by the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose career is in tatters following accusations of sexual harassment, assault and rape.

More than 100 women have accused Weinstein of impropriety going back 40 years, but Brafman argued there was no criminal behaviour.

If a woman decides that she needs to have sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career and actually does it and finds the whole thing offensive, thats not rape, he told The Times.

You made a conscious decision that youre willing to do something that is personally offensive in order to advance your career, he added.

Weinstein, a twice-married father of five, is being investigated by British and US police, but has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex and is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction.

Dozens of Hollywood women, including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek, are among Weinsteins accusers.

The bombshell exposes last year have led the film industry to declare war on sexual misconduct, with the campaign dominating the 2018 awards circuit.

Brafman told The Times his clients behaviour was reflective of the broader culture in the industry: The casting couch in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey Weinstein.

While Weinstein will not be welcome at Sundays Oscars ceremony, his infamous casting couch has been created by artists to mark the occasion.

Plastic Jesus and Joshua Monroe created a gold sculpture of Weinstein on the couch, wearing a dressing gown and clutching an Academy Award.Saudi Arabia's crown prince lands in Egypt Sunday on the first leg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne, a diplomatic charm offensive that follows his stunning rise to power.

Prince Mohammed bin Salmans two-day visit to Cairo comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and the United States from March 19-22.

The trips are aimed partly at courting investors and come after a tumultuous period that saw a major military shake-up and a royal purge, part of the princes sweeping power play that has shaken business confidence.

The son of Saudi King Salman is already seen as the countrys de facto ruler controlling the major levers of government.

His visit to Cairo, a key regional ally, comes before Egypts presidential polls in late March, with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to win a second four-year term.

Prince Mohammeds visit will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support for Sisi to remain as the president of Egypt in the coming term, Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.

Egypt is part of a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Huthi rebels, a conflict that the United Nations says has engendered the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also part of a bloc of nations that has boycotted Qatar since June over alleged ties to Islamic extremists and Iran. Qatar denies the accusations.

A Saudi government source said Prince Mohammeds choice of Egypt for his maiden overseas trip as crown prince reaffirms Saudi-Egyptian cooperation at the highest level.

Talks would cover regional rival Iran, the conflict in Yemen, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said.

The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks.

 Uncertainty and turbulence 

The diplomatic offensive comes as Prince Mohammed, a self-styled moderniser who has sought to project a liberal image of Saudi Arabia to investors, consolidates power to a level unseen by previous rulers.

A dramatic shake-up announced on Monday saw military top brass, including the chief of staff and heads of the ground forces and air defence, replaced.

Prince Mohammeds reshuffle came after he sidelined political rivals to become heir to the throne last June and orchestrated a royal anti-corruption purge in November that saw princes, ministers and tycoons locked up in Riyadhs luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel for nearly three months.

His first trip as crown prince is symbolically a moment for the young Saudi ruler to try to put Riyadhs best foot forward on the world stage, Andrew Bowen, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told AFP.

It comes at a time of uncertainty and turbulence at home and he has an upward task of both selling to the business community that Saudi is a stable and safe place to do business and that he has a steady hand on foreign policy despite Qatar and Yemen. This certainly wont be an easy sell.

The British government said Prince Mohammeds visit will help enhance cooperation in tackling challenges such as terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

But some protests are expected during his visit over the West supplying Saudi Arabia with arms despite the kingdoms role in the crisis gripping Yemen, said Mohamed Abdelmeguid, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

 Competitive rivalry 

The crown princes visit to the United States in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administrations efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh is expected to announce this year who will build the first two of up to 16 reactors, and negotiations are under way with the United States for its agreement to export technology needed for their construction.

Besides the US company Westinghouse, Russian, French, Chinese and South Korean firms have all been seeking the Saudi contracts.

Another key focus could be the Aramco initial public offering.

The kingdom is preparing to sell under five percent of its state-owned oil giant, the crown jewel of the Saudi economy, in what is expected to be the worlds largest ever IPO.

Prince Mohammed may seek to foster a competitive rivalry between a UK government desperate to attract Saudi investment to offset the Brexit chaos and his US hosts, particularly over the Aramco IPO, said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in the United States.

US President Donald Trump hosted Prince Mohammed in March 2017, just weeks after taking office, and he chose Saudi Arabia for his first official overseas visit as president.

Saudi Arabia has grown close to its longtime ally Washington under Trump, whose harder line on Iran and softer stance on arms sales are a welcome shift in policy for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia viewed Trumps predecessor president Barack Obama as too accommodating towards Iran  particularly on negotiating a 2015 nuclear deal.

burs-ac/hc/drA week after state Sen. Carlos Urestis conviction in a salacious trial that included vivid testimony about him carrying on an extramarital relationship, his wife has filed for divorce.

Lleanna Uresti cited adultery among the reasons for seeking to end the couples nearly six-year union, according to the petition filed Friday in state District Court in Bexar County.

The San Antonio Democrat couldnt immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.

Lleanna Urestis petition requests temporary orders preventing her husband from, among other things, contacting her, acting badly, withdrawing money from various accounts, and destroying or selling any property.

Lleanna Uresti seeks exclusive possession of their Helotes home, assessed at $1.6 million. She also says she should be awarded a disproportionate share of the couples estate for various reasons, including fault in the breakup of the marriage and need for future support.

The Urestis separated on Monday, the petition says, four days after Carlos Uresti was convicted by a federal jury on 11 felony charges in connection with his involvement in a now-defunct oil field company that defrauded investors. Uresti vowed to appeal. He is facing up to 12 years in prison and millions of dollars in restitution when he is sentenced in June, according to some local lawyers who spoke to the San Antonio Express-News last week.

Uresti, 54, served as outside general counsel for FourWinds Logistics. He also was a 1 percent owner and recruited investors. Among those investors was Denise Cantu, a Harlingen woman whom Uresti helped obtain a $2.5 million legal settlement over the deaths of two of her children in a 2010 vehicle wreck.

Cantu later invested $900,000 of the settlement with FourWinds on Urestis recommendation, losing about $800,000. She testified during his trial that she didnt know he stood to get a cut of her profits.

Cantu told jurors that Uresti became her financial adviser, confidante, friend and eventually lover. She said their sexual relationship further bonded the grieving mother to Uresti. He has denied that the two were sexually involved.

Prosecutors say Uresti, under financial strain, groomed Cantu before defrauding her  gaining her trust over time, seducing her and persuading her to invest in the startup company he knew was a sham.

Cantu told investigators that her relationship with Uresti became intimate during the wrongful-death case. She recalled him telling her, Damn, you look sexy today when they were in an elevator on the day she had to give a deposition.

On one visit to Urestis law offices for a meeting on FourWinds, Uresti pulled her into a restroom where she performed oral sex on him, according to reports from the FBI.

Cantu described for jurors having sex in the bathroom shower at Urestis work. Prosecutors blew up on a screen for jurors a text exchange between Uresti and Cantu where he posed the question: U want my big? Cantu explained that she understood that Uresti was referring to his genitals.

She also testified that Uresti once sent her a picture of his penis while he was on a shopping trip with his wife. Urestis defense team called Cantu a demonstrated liar, noting that she first denied to investigators that she and Uresti had been sexually involved.

Cantu has a pending fraud lawsuit against Uresti.

Uresti and his wife were regularly seen walking hand in hand or arm in arm while arriving and leaving federal court in San Antonio during the trial, which lasted nearly five weeks.

After the guilty verdict, the two held each other in a lingering embrace just outside the courtroom. He remains free on bail until sentencing.

On Wednesday, the Daily Beast reported that two more women came forward to report sexual harassment allegations against Uresti. It had reported in December that multiple women said Uresti ogled them, made lewd comments and sent them inappropriate messages. Uresti denied the allegations.

One of the two women now accusing Uresti, Jenn Cervella, who worked as a data director for the state Democratic Party, told the Daily Beast that she met the lawmaker in 2015.

He was ogling my body. He spun me around so he could see what I looked like from behind. He wanted a 360-view, Cevella said. He made me feel like I was frozen and had no ability to say anything.

Uresti and Margaret Lleanna Elizondo, a woman 12 years his junior, married on July 24, 2012. She is a former school counselor and real estate agent. The website HomeLight says she has sold 14 houses since 2012.

Uresti had served as her lawyer in her 2008 divorce from her previous husband, Joel Rodriguez, court records show. Uresti also represented his co-defendant, Gary Cain, 61, in his 2011 divorce case. Cain was a FourWinds consultant who was convicted on nine felonies.

The Urestis held their wedding reception at the ritzy Kendall Plantation, an antebellum-style venue in Boerne.

A video of their wedding dance  featuring Lleanna Uresti in a silver fringe ballroom mini-dress and Carlos Uresti in a tux sans jacket and tie prancing to the Bee Gees More Than a Woman and Im Glad You Came by the British boy band The Wanted  has generated more than 21,000 views on YouTube.

Nside San Antonio magazine reported the wedding had a theme of glamour, glitz, elegance, romance and The Godfather. Carlos Uresti is a huge fan of the 1970s Mafia epic.

Houston Press reported that the wedding could be seen as part of a TV show that was just an inexpensively made advertising vehicle for wedding vendors.

After their wedding, the couple moved to a Helotes Creek Ranch home they had custom built on a nearly 3-acre lot. County records show that the construction was financed with a $1.2 million loan.

Prosecutors alleged that Uresti ignored numerous warning signs about FourWinds because he needed money to support his upgraded lifestyle. His monthly mortgage payment was $10,000, and he had payments on a $77,000 Porsche.

Prosecutors said Urestis financial troubles were so severe that he didnt have enough money to make the first mortgage payment on the home.

Lleanna Urestis divorce petition comes as her husband is under pressure to resign from his Senate seat. He also is facing the loss of his livelihood as an attorney, as well as his freedom.

Urestis sentencing, set for June 28, could get postponed, given that hes facing another criminal trial in May.

Uresti is accused of using his consulting business to split $850,000 in bribes with Jimmy Galindo, a former county judge in Reeves County. Uresti has denied those charges. Galindo has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and failure to file a 2013 tax return.Actors Greg Hinojosa and Rosa Gardner have spent a fair amount of time lately working on their movement.

Thats because their latest characters require very specific ways of moving.

In Performing Arts San Antonios staging of The Elephant Man, Hinojosa plays the title character, a man whose severe deformities are conveyed physically without the aid of the makeup or prosthetics. And in Magik Theatres staging of Knuffle Bunny, Gardner toddles about the stage as Trixie, a tot utterly bereft when her beloved stuffed rabbit gets left behind on a trek to the laundromat with her dad.

Heres how Hinojosa and Gardner have gotten their movement down.

The Elephant Man: Bernard Pomerances play is based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, whose deformities included massive growths all over his body that impacted the way that he moved and the way that the world viewed him. The drama explores his relationship with a doctor who took him in.

No one knew who he was inside, Hinojosa said. He was a poet and an artist and a writer trapped inside that body.

Images of the real-life Merrick will be projected on the rear wall of the theater at various points in the show.

Merricks right arm  sometimes described as a paddle  was swollen and much larger than his left, which, Hinojosa said, was said to be almost feminine in its beauty. His hip was damaged, leaving him with a profound limp. And his head was enlarged and so heavy that he was unable to sleep lying down for fear that its weight would snap his neck.

Trying to get around, Hinojosa said, had to have been very taxing (for Merrick). He had to be very strong.

The bulging tumors in Merricks head forced his jaw into his eardrum, making it difficult for him to hear out of his right ear. To get a sense of what that was like, Hinojosa spent some rehearsals with cotton in his right ear, making everything sound like he was in a tunnel.

He spends the entire play with his right arm hanging limply and his hand curved inward. His right foot is curled in and he walks  and, in a scene in which Merrick is chased by a mob intent on beating him, he runs  with an exaggerated limp. In addition, he twists his mouth to the left side of his face and keeps his tongue mostly pressed to the roof of his mouth.

Keeping all of that tension in the body can take a toll. To minimize that as much as possible, Hinojosa stretches for 30 minutes before coming on stage. Hes also drinking plenty of water, has been working with a massage therapist, and usually ends the day with a hot bath or shower.

This is the second time hes played the part. His first was about 20 years ago in the Cellar Theater of the San Pedro Playhouse (now The Public Theater of San Antonio).

I dont think I was as ready for it physically as I am prepared for it now, he said, noting that he has shed more than 100 pounds in the past four years.

He had wanted another go at it  I loved the role, he said  but was initially worried that, at 55, he might be too old to take it on.

Director Vaughn Taylor-Tinder disabused him of that idea. She wanted an actor with some maturity to play the role. And shes delighted with the work that he and the rest of the cast have put in.

Itll rip your heart out, she said.

Knuffle Bunny: Movement is especially important for Gardners portrayal of Trixie, because the child hasnt started forming words yet. She holds a few seemingly urgent conservations entirely in baby talk, a frustrating situation that her uncomprehending dad (played by Travis Trevino) sings about in the show.

To try to capture the way that toddlers move, Gardner, 33, spent some time playing with Eleanor Schwamb, marketing manager Megan Coy Schwambs 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Gardner took note of the cherubic little girls penchant for unexpected moves  suddenly busting a few dance steps, for instance, or dropping into a squat. And she noticed that all of those moves are made with abandon  there is no careful lowering to the ground the way an adult is likely to do it.

Gardner took advantage of Eleanors presence at a preview of the show for season subscribers. The little girl was summoned to join the cast and crew onstage and immediately charged up there. Gardner followed her around, mimicking her movements.

Gardner borrowed a fair amount of Trixies physicality from Eleanor.

She was a master class, she said.

The actress also has drawn on memories of what her 5-year-old daughter Amelia was like at that age. Amelia is a big fan of the book that the musical is based on. And shes thrilled that her mom is in the show, though she did recently suggest some alternate casting.

We were singing one of the songs in the car, and she said, Mom, its too bad Im not Trixie, because I sing way better than you, Gardner said, laughing. But then she said, Youre still pretty good.

After an hour inhabiting Trixies universe, Gardner is both buzzed and exhausted. Much like a little kid, she said, she has a lot of energy right up until she sits down, and then she can barely keep her eyes open.

But maybe thats also being a mom, she said.

The Elephant Man can be seen at 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through March 18 at Performing Arts San Antonio, 15705 San Pedro. Tickets range from $18 to $25 for standard seating; $31.25 to $37.50 per seat for cabaret seating at brownpapertickets.com. Info, 210-557-1187 or performingartssa.org.

Knuffle Bunny plays through April 7 at Magik Theatre, 420 S. Alamo. Performance times vary. Tickets range from $12 to $13.50 at magiktheatre.org. Info, 210-227-2751.

dlmartin@express-news.net. Twitter: @DeborahMartinENIn September, when Trinity University police responded to reports of a disturbance at a dorm room, they found a sliding glass door cracked, a mattress soaked with a soft drink, and clothes and a string of decorative lights strewn on the floor.

The room belonged to sophomore cheerleader Cayley Mandadi, 19, and an officer encountered her boyfriend, Mark Howerton, 22. Police determined that he had caused upward of $1,000 in damage to university property, and on Sept. 24, the police department filed a criminal mischief charge and issued a criminal trespass warning that banned him from campus for a year.

Mandadi wasnt there, but the incident was, in hindsight, a warning. Weeks later, on Oct. 31, she was brain-dead, covered in cuts and bruises, and taken off life support. As Howerton was charged this week with aggravated sexual assault and murder, a judge issued a ruling that Mandadi was killed by blunt force injury to the head and face. Howerton was released on $225,000 bail Thursday. His lawyer declined to comment on the specifics of the case.

Mandadi was still alive when a Texas Ranger started interviewing several Trinity students, having been assigned to investigate after Howerton brought her unconscious to a Luling hospital. They described a series of violent incidents that came as a shock to university administrators when publicized in an arrest warrant affidavit released Wednesday.

The document made clear that Howertons alleged abusive behavior toward Mandadi in the month that they dated was well known to her friends, including sorority sisters and an ex-boyfriend. Her relationship with Howerton, who was not a Trinity student, showed the limits of what universities can do when operating with incomplete information and dealing with an individual with no ties to the school, officials said.

Were learning so much from the affidavit, and we have a lot more information today than we did several months ago, university spokeswoman Sharon Jones Schweitzer said. We had received no formal reports from students with these concerns. This is why its so important, as a close-knit community like ours, for bystanders to take action when it comes to dating violence and other issues.

The university regularly evaluates its procedures to provide a safe environment and will continue to talk about dating violence and sexual assault to make sure that its roughly 2,400 students know these programs extend to any non-Trinity student relationships, Schweitzer said.

According to the affidavit, a friend observed bruises on Mandadis legs, allegedly caused by Howerton. Mandadi told the same friend that in October, Howerton slammed her head against a car window and that on another occasion, Howerton allegedly took Mandadis phone, then brandished a gun when she and the friend attempted to get it back, according to the affidavit.

On another night, he threw her against a brick wall inside the dorm, and the next day, when trashing her room, he allegedly threatened to throw Mandadi off a balcony, according to the affidavit.

When the room was damaged, Trinitys dean of students followed up, Schweitzer said. Mandadi told him that she was still getting to know Howerton and did not plan to see him again. Mandadi also said she understood that he was no longer welcome on campus.

Had Howerton been a student, the university could have issued an administrative no-contact order to prevent the two from interacting on campus or taken disciplinary measures against him. But the ultimate result  preventing contact between the two on campus  would have been the same.

When Trinity officials learned of Mandadis death, the university issued a campus alert notifying the university community that Howerton was forbidden from campus. Based on the information available, Schweitzer said, Trinity had taken what steps it could to protect Mandadi, but it could not prevent her from seeing him again.

She has the ability to make certain decisions for herself, as all of our students do, Schweitzer said.

S. Daniel Carter, president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, said Trinity had few options beyond barring Howerton from campus, already considered the maximum step. He said universities have little authority over who students spend time with off campus.

Given that the accused is unaffiliated, there would have been limits on what they could have done even if they had had additional information, Carter said.

Those limits can be frustrating to institutions tasked with protecting their students, said Saundra Schuster, a consultant with the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management, who visited Trinity in 2014 as the university grappled with criticisms of its sexual assault policies.

Universities can encourage students to report troubling behavior to faculty and staff, but students and the victims themselves are often reluctant, she said, fearing retribution from the abuser or inserting themselves into a personal situation.

A lot of times people will say, Oh, I didnt want to get involved, Schuster said. What it comes down to is, what would you want someone to do for you?

Under the Clery Act, colleges and universities are required to develop policies, training and prevention efforts in relation to sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, Schuster said. As a result, many universities have implemented bystander intervention programs that encourage students to intervene or make a report when they become aware of harmful situations.

For more than a decade, Trinity has tried to get that message across to its new students, said Sheryl Tynes, Trinitys vice president for student life. Currently, they sit through a two-hour seminar at freshman orientation that includes discussions about alcohol, sexual assault and violence and the importance of bystander action.

Throughout the academic year, the Coalition for Respect, comprising students and staff, organizes regular outreach efforts to remind and re-emphasize to students what they learned during the session, Tynes said

She said students can report concerns to anyone on Trinitys staff or faculty, all of whom are mandatory reporters. Students can also talk confidentially with campus counselors or the university chaplain. But for the university to take action, they have to speak up, she said.

Institutions who are not able to connect the dots of somebody that is a problem, thats why theres mandatory reporting rules, Tynes said. We need to be able to say these are the names of the individuals who are involved. We need to be able to connect the dots.Voters in the June 5 election will decide whether Napa County bans new personal-use heliports and airports when they vote on Measure D.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday had the choice of adopting the initiative or placing it on the ballot. Supervisors placed it on the ballot.

I feel that its important for these votes that are changes to land use zoning to be put before the people on the ballot, Supervisor Diane Dillon said.

The Board of Supervisors made an exception later that day, indicating it will adopt an initiative to allow Blakeley Construction to remain on agriculturally zoned land. But Dillon saw special circumstances there, including that the 56-year-old business predates agricultural preservation laws and is part of the rural community fabric.

Several speakers wanted the Board to also adopt the heliport initiative. But the Board stuck with its usual stance that citizen-driven initiatives for land use changes should go to voters.

I think it would be a large hurdle to overcome to change that practice at this time, Supervisor Belia Ramos said.Click to read this Alamo dispatch as it originally appeared.

SAN ANTONIO de BEXAR, Texas, March 3, 1836 - News from beyond the immediate horizon, a most precious commodity in this beleaguered community these days, arrived to-day in the form of a horseman bearing information for Lt. Col. William Travis.

Travis, of course, is commander of the bastion of Liberty whose occupants currently are monocle-to-monocle with the marshaled forces of the Mexican dictator, Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Thus far in the confrontation, neither side has batted an eye.

With Santa Anna having positioned his minions at various points of the compass, a veritable curtain of iron has descended around Fortress Alamo.

However, narrow gaps remain that can be utilized by the Brave, the Swift and the Sly, and Lt. James Bonham - dispatched by Travis more than a fortnight ago with a missive to Col. James W. Fannin in Goliad - slipped back into the fort through one of the cracks.

---------

ENCOURAGEMENT

The missive that Lt. Bonham delivered to the Alamo today was written in Goliad on March 1 by one Robert M. Williamson - better known as "Three-Legged Willie" because of the peg leg he uses to get about on after suffering an illness as a youth that caused his right limb to draw back at the knee.

"From this municipality 60 men have now set out, who in all human probability are found, at this date, with you," he informed Travis. "Colonel Fannin with 300 men and 4 artillery pieces has been en route to Bejar for three days now. Tonight we are waiting for some reinforcements from Washington, Bastrop, Brazoria and San Felipe, numbering 300, and not a moment will be lost in providing you assistance."

Although none of the aforementioned reinforcements has yet been spotted here, Travis was quick to spread the word to his troops. Heartened by the news brought at great peril from Goliad, the Alamo defenders fired numerous rounds into San Antonio de Bexar, which is now serving as bivouac for Gen. Santa Anna's troops.

---------

DEFIANT MAN

Lt. Bonham, the horseman who to-day braved Gen. Santa Anna's encirclement of the Alamo, is a South Carolinian who made his way to Texas last November.

He is no stranger to the defiance of authority - during his senior year at South Carolina College, Bonham led a student protest against the inferior quality of food being served at the school, an act that led to his expulsion.

Several years later while working as a barrister, Bonham had the audacity in court to threaten to tweak the jurist's nose - a questionable legal strategy, as it earned him a sentence of 90 days for contempt of court.

Upon his arrival in San Felipe, Bonham penned a missive to Sam Houston offering his services gratis to Texas, and on Dec. 20 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry.

He arrived at the Alamo in January and on Feb. 1 unsuccessfully sought election as a luminary to represent the San Antonio de Bexar garrison at the great Convention that is currently taking place at Washington-

on-the-Brazos.

---------

TRAVIS MISSIVE

After providing the troops assembled at the Alamo with the information brought by Lt. Bonham, Lt. Col. Travis again took quill in hand to-day to address the Convention currently assembled in Washington on-the-Brazos.

He told the delegates of the doings at the fortress to date and appealed for more armaments and troops, noting San Antonio de Bexar's strategic importance.

---------

A ROUT

Mexican Army Col. Juan Almonte reported that today, "Official dispatches were received from Gen. (Jose de) Urrea, announcing that he had routed the colonists at San Patricio - killing 16 and taking 21 prisoners."

Gen. Santa Anna's troops rang the bells atop the San Fernando Church in celebration of this information.

Almonte also noted that Santa Anna's forces have been augmented by the arrival of the battalions of Zapaderes, Aldama and Toluca.

COMING NEXT on Day 11: Santa Anna vows death to all

About this series: To mark the 175th anniversary of the 13-day Alamo siege in 2011, Express-News copy desk veteran Robert Kolarik was tasked with becoming an 1836 reporter, covering the siege in a series of live daily newspaper dispatches in the language of the day from Feb. 23 through March 6. His stories captured the imagination of readers for almost two weeks. In this Tricentennial year, were repeating those daily dispatches. Art Director Adrian Alvarez created the vintage look for the daily pages and Graphics Editor Mike Fisher did the illustrations. Director of News Production Dean Lockwood conceptualized the series and its vintage format.Authorities apprehended three men charged with capital murder after they escaped from the Bexar County Jail on Friday and stopped at a Sonic restaurant, officials said.

Inmates Jacob Anthony Brownson, Luis Antonio Arroyo and Eric Trevino were reported missing about 10:40 a.m. from the jail, in the 200 block of North Comal Street, officials said.

They were captured about an hour later after one escapees ex-girlfriend, who had picked them up from the jail, dropped them off at the restaurant near Hildebrand Avenue and Blanco Road and then called police, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said.

All three were taken into custody after a brief foot chase, he said.

The driver may face charges for her role in the escape, officials said.

Two contractors renovating the exterior of a home on Norwood Court, near where the suspects were arrested, described the hectic moment when police swarmed the street.

It was quiet one minute, and then a bunch of cops were here, Paul Kanae said. And then helicopters flew above us.

They didnt get a good look at the suspects, but said officers were running down the street with their guns drawn.

The cops were yelling at us to get inside. For them to yell like that, we knew it was serious, Steve Ortega said.

It happened too close for comfort, he added.

McManus credited the teamwork among local law enforcement agencies to catch the murder suspects.

In what Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar called a pretty miraculous feat, the inmates escaped by climbing 20 feet up in a recreation area inside the jail, cutting a hole in some mesh and climbing down onto a roof outside using bedsheets.

He said officials will retrace the inmates steps and determine how they were able to escape.

Well start working backwards to find out how it was they formulated this plan and got the materials together that were needed to effect this escape, Salazar said. Its something that should never be allowed to occur in this setting.

The jail will be on a lockdown for the foreseeable future, he said, adding that the inmates ability to escape is concerning.

Now Playing: Bexar County Sheriff's Office deputies patrol streets around the jail after inmates escape on Friday, March 2, 2018. Video: San Antonio Express-News

Trevino was charged with capital murder in December. He is accused of shooting and killing 3-year-old Rene Blancas Jr. on Nov. 4 as he sat in a car with his parents and next to his 11-month-old sister.

Information on Trevinos court date was not immediately available.

Brownson was already in jail in December 2016 when he was charged with capital murder in the deaths of three men. Anthony Rodrigues, Pedro Garcia Jr. and Matthew Martinez were found dead with gunshot wounds on Sept. 27, 2016, in an apartment complex in the 100 block of Rampart.

Brownsons trial date is set for March 22 in the 175th State District Court, according to court records.

Arroyo was arrested in January 2016 and charged with murder in the deaths of Rodney Spring and Quickether Jackson, 36.

Spring was found dead, while Jackson had a gunshot wound to the head and several stab wounds to her stomach. They were in an apartment complex in the 3800 block of Sherril Brook Drive.

Jackson was taken to an area hospital but was later pronounced dead, according to a previous report.

Court records indicate Arroyo is awaiting trial in the 227th State District Court.Voters know its a ripe political season in Bexar County when even a race for probate court judge, an obscure but important job, has turned heated and personal. But such has been the contentious tenure of Judge Kelly Cross of County Probate Court No. 1.

In 2016, Cross, a Republican, fired an associate probate court judge, Oscar Kazen, a Democrat, who had anchored the countys mental health docket for nine years, and then replaced him with her staff attorney, Art Rossi, a fellow Republican with no history in mental health.

Cross had the authoritiy to fire Kazen, but she did it in a brief email and offered no explanation, allowing critics to say it smelled of personal partisan score-settling. Opponents in both parties say Cross often berates and belittles attorneys in her courtroom.

Ive had many cases before her, said Cross Republican challenger in Tuesdays primary, probate attorney Anna Gordon Torres. And several times all of us or one of us (lawyers) were screamed at, that we were rookies, that our clients should have gotten someone else, often with foul language.

Her handling of the Kazen firing was abominable, said Gordon Torres, 48. Then she filed suit against the county (contesting commissioners authority), which cost taxpayers about $113,000.

Republican County Commissioner Kevin Wolff, who isnt running for anything, called Cross legal fight a waste of taxpayers dollars.

Probate court has nothing to do with probation. It primarily handles wills, guardianships, eminent domain, mental health and estates.

Last year, a survey of 419 attorneys practicing in Bexar County, asked to evaluate the countys 51 judges, ranked Cross last in all six categories - punctuality, hard work, following the law, temperament, impartiality and overall performance.

This is all an indication of a broken court, said Kazen, 54, who is running unopposed as a Democrat for the judgeship now held by Cross. Court No. 1 used to have the attitude of, How do we help the community? It was a force for change in this county.

Cross responded to the criticism in an e-mail, saying, When it comes to guardianships and dependent administrations, I have no patience for unprepared lawyers.  I have come to learn that when some attorneys do not have the law or the facts on their side, they resort to personal attacks.

She said she also gets a lot of push back from attorneys when she resists approving what she believes are high legal fees billed to the county.

Cross, who has been on the bench since 2014, portrayed as lazy some lawyers appointed as attorneys ad litem to represent the best interests of state wards, such as the mentally ill. Their duty is to meet in-person with their clients, Cross wrote, and some attorneys make only a phone call and never even meet the person who they are supposed to be representing.

Gordon Torres, who came to the United States at age 9 from Australia, attended the Ursuline Academy and the University of Dallas, where she earned a masters in theology. She has been an attorney for 20 years, specializing in probate cases for 12. The Express-News editorial board endorsed Gordon Torres and said Cross was unfocused in the operation of the court, rude to lawyers, and does not display good management skills.

Former County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson, a Democrat, defended Cross, describing her as an Annie Oakleymaverick, and termed Kazens run as a flippin vendetta against her, which Kazen denies.

In the far calmer Probate Court No. 2 race, four Republicans are competing for retiring Judge Tom Rickhoffs bench, while attorney Veronica Vasquez is uncontested in the Democratic primary.

Julie Hardaway, 47, an estate specialist with Broadway National Bank, was a staff attorney under former Probate Judge Polly Jackson Spencer from 1999 to 2005.

A Texas Tech University law school grad recipient of the Express-News endorsement, Hardaway said she wants probate court to be a place where attorneys and the public will never feel intimidated by the process. Unlike Rickhoff, she said, she would take her fair share of the mental health docket. Rickhoff shocked the probate community in 2006, when he announced he would stop hearing the often complicated and heart-breaking cases of the mentally ill.

Probate attorney David Balmer - a full-time probate geek for 23 years he declares - said he wants to remedy inefficiencies in the court, such as the time it takes to get an agreed order signed by the judge.

I dont think anyone in the race can match my experience, said Balmer, 51, a St. Marys University School of Law graduate, single father and first-time political candidate. This may sound grandiose, he said, but one of the things I want to do is educate the public about what probate court actually is.

Another St. Marys law school grad, Laura Heard, has practiced probate law in San Antonio for 30 years and said she is moved by those who are vulnerable to exploitationand have no appropriate relatives when they appear before the court.

Her campaign website says: My passion is to help widows and orphans as instructed in Isaiah 1:17  `Seek Justice! Correct oppression. Defend the fatherless. Plead the cause of the widow. Heard added that a womans touch might help the court.

Also in the GOP primary is Rossi, who replaced Kazen as associate judge for the mental health docket. Rossi agreed with his opponents that the new Court No. 2 judge must accept an equal amount of mental health cases and said he wants to improve the countys guardianship program and seek more collaborative solutions to county budget problems.

Winners of the March 6 primary will vie in the general election Nov. 6. Probate judges are elected for a four-year term and receive $161,492 in salary.PRESIDIO - For Linda Lujan, 62, a cleaning lady and seller of used clothes, a long life of obscurity here on the border is ending quickly without her really understanding why.

Visible to everyone on the 100-foot-high city water tower is an enormous image of Lujan, a red rose in hand. It is being painted by El Mac, an internationally known street artist from Phoenix with a social conscience.

Now a lot of people are recognizing me and there are a lot of questions, Lujan said Tuesday, standing below the looming column, which faces Mexico.

I tell them I dont know why I was chosen. It was quite a surprise, she added.

The mural is a gift of public art from the Mexican government to Presidio, a low-income border city south of Marfa, and about 450 miles from San Antonio.

Presidio was chosen from among 50 other consulates to receive the gesture of bi-national goodwill in a time of often harsh rhetoric on border and immigration issues.

The sense of the painting will be that migrants are part of the community, migrants are welcome and it strengthens the relationship of people on both sides, said Francisco Jacobi, a Mexican consular official in Presidio, in remarks published late last year in the Big Bend Sentinel.

When contacted last week, Jacobi said he couldnt comment, but noted that a government press release would be issued on Monday.

Just days earlier, Mexico President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped his first planned trip to the White House after a testy exchange with President Trump over Trumps refusal to drop his demand for Mexico to pay for his proposed border wall.

It pains me, but I cannot comment, Jacobi said.

Symbol of motherly love

Born in Mexico, Lujan is a perfect subject for the project.

I came here 32 years ago and worked my way up. Im very proud I was chosen, and so is my family, she said.

El Mac, 37, whose works adorn public spaces from Denmark to Vietnam to Cuba, met her several weeks ago while forming a concept for the mural.

Its a painting of someone who probably looks like a lot of people. Its relatable, he said.

Additionally, in an isolated region that is harsh, dry and sometimes forbidding, the image offers a comforting sense of maternal warmth and caring.

To me, it symbolizes motherly love, he said Tuesday.

El Mac, whose given name is Miles MacGregor, sees his latest painting as being in the tradition of the great 20th century Mexican muralists including Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros and Camarena, as well as that of the Works Project Administration.

Many of their creations had explicit social themes and messages.

I put so much time and effort into these pieces, I like to think they serve some greater purpose, he said.

Persistent winds have put the project behind schedule, forcing him to work shifts of 12-hours or more, when the wind ebbed in an enclosed cage held aloft by the granddaddy of all cherry pickers.

City leaders, meanwhile, are delighted with their good fortune.

This will be a cool thing. I think it will put Presidio on the map, said Mayor John Ferguson.

Brad Newton, Presidios director of municipal development, hopes it will become part of the citys self identity.

This being a grand image, Im going to refer to it as the Abuelita of Presidio, he said.

Across the border in Ojinaga, Mexicans are slowly becoming aware of the mural, which can be seen from the river bank.

Its a portrait of a woman, a Mexican woman, which is interesting to me, because its on the American side. It means we are sister cities, and when we see it, we feel content, said Hury Munoz, the citys secretary of public assistance.

I see it as a message to President Trump, that it is not necessary to make a wall, he added.

Like one big town

If the Mexican government was seeking a place where border communities on either side are very involved with each other, and their leaders work together, it chose well.

More than 200 miles from the nearest mall, and often looked down upon as being a cultural backwater, Presidio and Ojinaga have always had each other, even during times of border crisis. Presidio has a population of about 5,000, roughly a fifth of Ojinaga.

We actually get along with our neighbors. If it didnt have a damned border running through it, it would be one big town, Newton said.

Everyone is married to everyone else, dates everyone and the kids go over there. Were not a typical border town with animosities, he said.

For the last several years, officials in the two cities have been cooperating closely in the complicated effort to add a new bi-national bridge.

Presidio locals go daily to Ojinaga to shop for food, get their teeth fixed, visit doctors, go to the drug stores and to find any kind of nightlife after 9 p.m., when their town shuts down.

Ojinaga residents cross the other way to visit kinfolk and to shop for shoes, clothes and household items at the Family Dollar, Dollar General, Payless and Melrose stores. At the AutoZone in Presidio, at least 75 percent of the trade comes from Mexico, according to a counter man.

We are actually one community. Were so far from the big towns, we rely on each other for everyday necessities, said Jake Giesbrecht, 48, owner of Bullet Transport in Presidio.

Giesbrecht, who was born in a Mennonite community in Mexico, grew up in Canada, and has lived in Presidio for the past 25 years.

His company has offices in Ojinaga and almost all of his business is cross-border trucking, hauling goods ranging from pecans to car parts.

I go over there almost every day. I have a ranch there that used to belong to my grandfather, he added.

On Tuesday afternoon, his office assistant, Leti Lujan, 43, no relation to Linda Lujan, was heading out to grab her three kids and go to Ojinaga.

I go every day. Todays its for groceries and my mother-in-law lives there. On weekends, I stay over, she said.

In a typical week, she spends four days in Presidio and three in Ojinaga.

Despite a recent murder there, she feels safe.

I dont worry over there. If you dont know anything, you dont have to worry, she said.

She said the crossings both ways are smooth if everyone has the correct documents. The only snags with Mexican Customs come when she brings her dirty family laundry over to wash at her mother-in-laws house, and they suspect her of planning to sell it, she said.

Despite it being a gift with no strings attached, not quite everyone in Presidio has accepted the mural with open arms.

There has been some criticism on Facebook of the image chosen and there were other comments asking why we didnt spend the money on something else, but I explained it to them, said Laurie Holman, the high school art teacher, who also organizes the citys annual arts festival.

I think its awesome. The way I understand it, she represents the mother figure, the strong Hispanic female of the family and the community, she said.

I think shes beautiful and I love the expression on her face, she added.A San Antonio police detective pulled down a womans shorts in a public area and inappropriately searched the woman for illegal contraband, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court.

The 25-page lawsuit alleges that the detective, Mara Wilson, a 32-year veteran of the force, conducted an illegal vaginal cavity search on Natalie Simms, an action that was a blatant violation of Ms. Simms constitutional rights and resulted in significant and lasting harm.

The city of San Antonio declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

The lawsuit includes photos of the incident and alleges there is dash cam video with audio that documents the alleged strip search.

According to the lawsuit, Simms was sitting on a curbside on Aug. 8, 2016, waiting for her boyfriend when police officers approached her and asked if they could search her vehicle for drugs.

Simms, who has a criminal record, allowed the officers to search the vehicle but the police officers found nothing illegal, the lawsuit states. They then requested a female officer respond to the scene to search Simms.

After Wilson arrived, the detective started searching Simms and eventually pulled down her shorts and examined her vaginal area as the male officers were within view, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit alleges that Wilson then removed a tampon from Simms vagina and held it in the air, examining it.

Simms asked why she was being searched in that manner and why they couldnt continue the search at the police station. Wilson allegedly said, I dont know. It looked like it had stuff in there, the lawsuit states. However, no illegal contraband was found, the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, internal affairs investigators reviewed Wilsons actions but did not find she violated any department policies. Officials said the incident would serve as a reference in the event there (was) a reoccurrence of (that) type of action by the officer, the records state.

Wilson retired in May.

Simms is seeking an unspecified amount of money to cover mental anguish, attorney fees, court costs and punitive damages.Surrounded by old Halloween flyers and school club advertisements, a large whiteboard at Trinity Universitys student center has been newly filled with colorful hearts. Among them, in large letters, are the words R.I.P. Cayley and, below that, Draw a heart for Cayley.

The death Tuesday in a hospital in Kyle of Cayley Mandadi, 19, a Trinity cheerleader from League City in the Houston area, has rocked the small, private university campus, all the more so because days later, so little is known about it.

Texas Rangers are investigating it as a possible homicide, authorities said Friday. No cause or manner of death has been released.

Everyone was shocked. The idea of death is scary  especially for someone that young, and especially someone going to your school, said one senior at Trinity, a school of about 2,500 students.

The Trinity community has suffered an unbearable loss, and our primary focus today is on supporting the student's family, friends and classmates as we cope with this tragic news, University spokeswoman Sharon Schweitzer said in an email Wednesday. Unfortunately, we have few details to share other than to confirm this tragic loss.

Mandadis mother, Allison Mandadi Steele, declined an interview request Friday.

The family is going to reserve statements for the time being, Steele said. We understand that the public, and of course Trinity, is very concerned with the case.

Mandadi was in a vehicle traveling from San Antonio to Houston on Sunday when someone in the vehicle noticed she was not breathing, so she was taken to Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling, said Guadalupe County Sheriff Arnold Zwicke, who said his office is not involved in the case but was briefed on it by Luling police.

Luling PD responded to a call from the hospital. Now the Texas Rangers are involved because of the jurisdictional issue about where the death occurred, Zwicke said.

Hays County Justice of the Peace Beth Smith said she was notified by Seton Medical Center Hays in Kyle, where Mandadi had been transferred, of her death there at 3:43 p.m. Tuesday.

I ordered an autopsy.  (Results) will probably take about three months to get back, said Smith, who would not disclose any further information about the case. I will be handling the inquest investigation to determine the manner and cause of death.

A spokeswoman for the Luling police said early Friday that it was being investigated as a homicide, but that afternoon the department would not confirm that or release any details.

All we are authorized to say is it is an active investigation and that the Texas Rangers are handling it, said an employee there.

Lt. Jason Reyes, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said authorities in Luling and Caldwell County asked the Texas Rangers to investigate the death. He said no determination has yet been made whether it was a homicide.

Seton hospital officials said they could not provide any information about Mandadi, citing patient confidentiality laws.

Students who worked for the Trinitonian, the weekly campus newspaper that hit stands Friday, said Mandadi was a cheerleader and member of the Chi Beta Epsilon social sorority. They and other students and faculty found out about Mandadis death Wednesday, via an email from Danny Anderson, university president.

Some professors have held moments of silence, while others have offered support or resources outside of class. University counselors have held special sessions for those closest to her. The university is planning a memorial service for Mandadi on Sunday morning for the campus community.

Students at the Trinitonian, the universitys student newspaper, found themselves processing the news first as community members, but then as journalists.

Daniel Conrad, 22, a senior and the Trinitonians editor-in-chief, said he knew Mandadi as an acquaintance but had good friends who were close to her, adding, I was really devastated when I heard what had happened.

Reading the email felt unreal, said Kathleen Creedon, 19, a sophomore and news editor for the Trinitonian.

When senior Grace Frye, an executive editor at the paper, got Andersons email, she thought about how to provide support to people who knew Mandadi best.

Were not going to be able to read an email like that and immediately be OK, Frye, 21, said. I think at the heart of it, people were mostly just thinking about other people.

But then the personal had to quickly turn professional as Frye became involved with the papers reporting of Mandadis story.

The amount of rumors and talk on campus, that is what really helps me to drive towards getting to what actually happened, Frye said. At the end of the day, those rumors and those incorrect facts are whats going to be more damaging, both to the family and to close friends who have to walk around and be bombarded with that.

It was sunny on Friday afternoon, but many students described the day  every day since Tuesday, really  as gloomy. Many Trinity seniors still recall the death of Corey Burris Byrnes, an 18-year-old student who died two years ago in a car crash with four other first-year students who were injured.

Generally people have been upset, but were all supporting one another, said Zabdi Salazar, 21, a junior.

The original version of this story misidentified Frye as Creedon when she spoke about the rumors on campus. It also did not mention that Frye, in addition to being a Trinity senior, is an executive editor for the student newspaper, the Trinitonian.

Staff Writers Caleb Downs, Alia Malik and Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this report.| sfoster-frau@express-news.net;AUSTIN  Texas state lawmakers picked up thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from pro-gun groups over the last several years, while chiseling away at firearm restrictions, such as allowing the open carry of handguns with a permit and reducing the fee for a license.

But the donations from two political committees  totaling at least $30,000 since 2017  are paltry in a state with no contribution caps.

Where the National Rifle Association and Texas State Rifle Association wield clout is in their endorsement and promotion of candidates who support a pro-second amendment agenda, advocates said.

The influence we have is our membership, said Alice Tripp, Legislative Director of the TSRA, which counts 37,000 members in Texas.

The recent shooting at a Florida high school is renewing the debate over gun control and putting focus on the National Rifle Associations influence and campaign contributions.

The NRA has pumped more than $400,000 to Texas Congressional campaigns since 1998, according to the Washington Post. But at the state level, the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund has contributed far less. It doled out mostly $500 checks to 40 state candidates over the last year, including Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, according to finance reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission. Only four campaigns received higher amounts, with the biggest $1,000 donation going to Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks reelection bid.

The influence isnt in the money, but in grading candidates and promoting recommendations to members, experts said.

Lots of GOP voters pay close attention to the NRA's endorsements. Even an incumbent with a good record on guns is often fearful of being primaried by the NRA, said Adam Winkler, a law school professor at the University of California at Los Angeles and author of Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America.

The NRA-Political Victory Fund did not respond to a request for comment.

The Texas State Rifle Association PAC, meanwhile, contributed to 17 state candidates last year, including $1,000 donations to Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbotts reelection campaigns, campaign finance reports show. Four Republican state senators got $750 checks and 10 representatives received $500 donations.

The contributions are given to members who have carried bills for or who are endorsed by the Texas State Rifle Association. Beyond cash, the group grades candidates and sends out postcards to members that list their endorsements, Tripp said.

Several national groups advocating gun control have sprung up in recent years in an effort to counteract NRA spending. But some of the most well-known, including Everytown for Gun Safety, arent registered to contribute to state-level campaigns in Texas and a spokeswoman said Everytown doesnt have plans to do so at the moment.

Corporations cannot give to state candidates in Texas. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, a 501c4 organization, falls under that restriction, spokeswoman Phoebe Kilgour said in a statement.

Republicans, who have shut Democrats out of statewide office for more than two decades, have a strong second-amendment consensus, making it unlikely to emerge as a major campaign issue, said Rice University political scientist Mark Jones.

Virtually every serious Republican candidate is on the same page in their support of second amendment rights, he said. You arent going to see one candidate come out and begin to effectively openly challenge the NRA or the Texas State Rifle Association.

It remains to be seen what kind of firearm policies are proposed when legislators return to Austin in 2019 for the next session. Republicans will likely retain control of the Legislature, but the March 6 primaries will determine whether more conservative or moderate-leaning candidates take the seats.

Over the last few sessions, lawmakers have loosened gun restrictions by letting licensed owners carry their handguns openly and on certain college campuses, for example.

While an effort failed last year to let gun owners carry without any license  whats known as constitutional carry  Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, is planning to revive the legislation next session, according to his office.

Sen. Jose R. Rodriguez, D-El Paso, also plans to refile a bill that would create lethal violence protective orders, also known as a red-flag laws.

Its my hope that we can have a frank discussion and move forward with smart solutions like Lethal Violence Protective Orders (LVPO) that narrowly target dangerous individuals while protecting responsible gun owners rights, Rodriguez said in a statement.

Several states already have such laws in place, letting relatives or law enforcement petition a court to temporarily strip gun rights from people who show violent or concerning behavior. The policies are receiving new attention after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. Law enforcement had received multiple warnings about the accused gunman before the shooting that left 17 people dead, according to news reports.

Theres this gap for people who are showing dangerous signs, gathering firearms, talking about hurting themselves or others, but they dont commit a crime or reach the level of involuntary commitment, said Gyl Switzer, executive director of Texas Gun Sense. There needs to be a way to say time-out, to have a judge say lets take those weapons temporarily and often, it can help the person get treatment or diffuse a situation.Count on Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood to act as arbiter of good taste for the general public.

A few days before a theater performance was set to debut at a gala honoring Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on February 6, LaHood pushed to cancel the event benefiting the Bexar County Family Justice Center, sources said. LaHood, a board member of the center by virtue of his public position, had deemed the plays subject matter inappropriate for the occasion.

Based on what I know, the DA decided not to do it, said Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff, the county judges son. Thats what the judge told me. He was like, Yeah, Nico canceled at the last minute.

Nelson Wolff said LaHood, who is running for re-election in the March 6 Democratic primary, was involved in the decision to cancel the production at the last minute.

Late Friday, LaHoods office emailed a statement: The play has historic significance, and District Attorney LaHood hopes many San Antonians have an opportunity to see it performed and enjoy it at some point. DA LaHood felt that the venue chosen to host a dinner honoring County Judge Wolff and his many contributions to the community, and highlighting the great work done by the Family Justice Center, wasn't the proper venue for a historical play.

Penned by local attorney Lee Cusenbary, The Trial of Lee Johnson was an account of the real-life, racially charged trial of a black man accused of murdering his white employer, Dr. Augustus Maverick. The production was to be staged with professional actors in the recently restored Double Height courtroom in the Bexar County Courthouse, where the actual trial occurred.

Its brutally honest, Cusenbary said of the script. Its about a man who was not really treated fairly in court.

Among its cast of characters, the play features an arrogant district attorney, A.B. Storey, who is portrayed as a smart but bitter man who accepts bribes and sees his position as being beneath him.

Johnson worked for Maverick and was likely having an affair with his employers cook, who was white. On the night of Aug. 18, 1913, Johnson scaled Mavericks home with a ladder and climbed into a window with a revolver. Maverick was shot twice, fatally, in a shooting that Johnson claimed was accidental.

The black man was arrested, and the next day a mob of hundreds of men descended on Bexar County Jail to deal summary justice to the 18-year-old suspect, whom the San Antonio Express referred to as the negro slayer. The ensuing trial was considered the speediest in Texas history; after just two days, Johnson was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Working for free, Cusenbary spent about a month researching the case and another four months writing the script. Paid actors rehearsed for weeks leading up to the performance.

Just four days before the gala, Cusenbary posted on Facebook that the play had been abruptly canceled due to unforeseen circumstance. The family justice center followed up three days later, announcing the galas postponement.

Recalling the cancellation, Cusenbary said, It did rub me a little wrong.

Cusenbary shouldnt have been worried. As Henry Miller found when his novel, Tropic of Cancer, finally was published in the United States after 30 years of being banned, selling more than 1 million copies in 1961, nothing is more marketable than censored art.

A lot of people were asking, Why was it canceled? Was it a First Amendment violation? Was it censored? Cusenbary recalled. That made George Green interested.

Green, artistic director of The Public Theater of San Antonio, immediately picked up the play. It was performed this past Tuesday and Wednesday for Black History Month; both nights sold out. A few family justice center board members even showed up.

They actually were crying, they were so touched, Cusenbary said. I think they realized it wouldnt have offended anybody.

In other news, around the same time LaHood was playing the role of government censor, the district attorney took to the airwaves to attack his opponent in the primary, defense attorney Joe Gonzales, by urging voters to Google child pornography.

Just Google child pornography San Antonio Texas, LaHood said in a radio ad running this month, and youll see for yourself how Joe has made a living defending convicted sex criminals.

At least now, anyone who had their gala ticket refunded has something to do at home.Nico LaHood has dropped a last-minute advertising firebomb on his opponent in the Democratic primary race for district attorney.

LaHood, who is seeking his second term in the office, has submitted a series of ads to the San Antonio Express-News that depict his opponent, veteran defense attorney Joe Gonzales, as the candidate of prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases and shady New York special interests. The ads resemble the cover of a tabloid newspaper.

The ads are the bluntest attempt by LaHood to hammer Gonzales for representing clients accused of sexual offenses. The Express-News has reported, however, that LaHoods law firm solicited similar clients as recently as 2011 and that he and his former law partner, Andrew Del Cueto, represented at least seven clients accused of sexual crimes against children.

With early voting ending Friday, the ads appear to be aimed at affecting Tuesdays primary.

It is unfortunate that my opponent has chosen to make outlandish, Trump-like statements as we enter into the final days of this primary election, Gonzales said in a prepared statement. My message to bring about true justice reform resonates with voters. I am the true Democrat in this race and will continue spreading this positive message regardless of my opponents desperate attempts to mislead voters.

In a text message to the Express-News late Friday, LaHood said, Its an expose ad, not an attack ad.

In a later text message, he said that Joe has spent six weeks and $1 million, in out of state money from George Soros, attacking me with mischaracterizations and dishonesty  The ad is 100% factual. Joe promised not to prosecute prostitution cases, which will lead to more young women being exploited, more families being destroyed, and an increase in STDs. The facts may be uncomfortable, but they are the facts.

One of the ads includes a photo of the backside of a woman wearing a short skirt and fishnet stockings, clearly meant to be a prostitute working the streets. Next to that image, the ad states, District Attorney candidate Joe Gonzales condones prostitution in Bexar County.

Below that message, another woman, with a shocked expression on her face, is seen covering her mouth with her hands. The accompanying message reads, Parents Everywhere Outraged!

The ads also criticize Gonzales for accepting nearly $900,000 in campaign contributions from Texas Justice & Safety, a political action committee backed by Soros, a liberal billionaire.

In recent weeks, LaHood has accused Gonzales of being in Soros pocket. In a recent text message, LaHood said he found Soros contributions alarming and suggested that the billionaire investor has an unknown agenda.

LaHood fended off similar attacks four years ago when he got big help from a deep-pocketed donor in the stretch drive of the race for district attorney.

When high-powered local attorney Thomas J. Henry gave LaHood more than $1.2 million in 2014, critics warned that the contributions could create a conflict of interest for LaHood in any cases involving Henry.

A year later, a video surfaced showing two Bexar County deputies fatally shooting Gilbert Flores while his hands were raised. LaHood promised to investigate whether the deputies had committed a crime.

Henry ended up representing the family of Flores. Later that year, a grand jury declined to indict the deputies in the shooting.

In an interview with the Express-News, Henry said the DAs dual role as both attorney for the county and potential prosecutor of the deputies created a more urgent conflict than his contributions. He pointed out that the district attorneys office controlled the flow of information presented to the grand jury, even as it submitted court papers arguing that the deputies werent guilty of wrongdoing.

Beyond the fact that Soros contributions to Gonzales were smaller than those from Henry to LaHood, there is a difference between the two situations.

Unlike Henry, Soros is not an attorney and has no local interests, and his donations dont carry the potential for conflicts of interest with the district attorneys office. Hes operating as a political donor hoping to put more progressive candidates in office.Ghilarducci agreed the emergency alert system needed improving, including making sure all counties have the ability to use wireless alert tools.

Without question there are areas where we continue to need improvement and assets, he said. Equipment and resources is one piece of it. Expanding training capabilities across the board at every level of government is important.

Prevention was a key topic Thursday, as experts and government officials warned senators that decades of lackluster efforts to improve forest health has left the state vulnerable to more mega fires. Senators were told repeatedly of the need to increase intentional burns to clear out hazardous undergrowth and thin forests, helping reduce fuel for possible large-scale blazes.

The states current budget has $200 million earmarked for fire prevention and forest health, Ghilarducci said. That will go toward thinning forests, adding fuel breaks, education and vegetation management in urban-rural interface areas.

Also speaking at the hearing was Napa County Sheriff John Robertson, who described how the October 2017 Atlas fire broke out in Napa County.

He said the county now is taking multiple steps to help residents prepare for the next major emergency.GREENWICH  Area residents Friday told U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal they demand government action to help stop gun violence.

The senators held an hour-long roundtable discussion in a packed Town Hall Meeting Room that included comments from local students and teachers in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shootings in Parkland, Fla.

No one wants to be in calculus class trying to learn and live their everyday life when all of a sudden they hear gunshots, said Greg Goldstein, Greenwich High Schools student body president. Students are done. They dont care what side of the aisle theyre on. This is not a political issue for students. What it is is their fellow classmates being killed and theyre hoping one day it wont be them.

I never used to fear for my public safety, but I do now, Elissa Teles, a senior at Weston High School, who will lead her schools protest against gun violence, told the senators. Im just asking for you to advocate for us and for me at the U.S. Senate because Id like you to help break the stigma that we dont know what were saying and what were doing.

Teles noted she could legally purchase a gun but still isnt being taken seriously by those who dismiss her because of her age. Murphy urged her to keep going,

saying she is part of a social change movement.

The people who are telling you to shut up and sit down are the people who are most scared it will be you and your generation that will fundamentally alter the status quo on this issue, Murphy said.

The crowd at the event was astrongly sympathetic to strict gun laws and gave Murphy and Blumenthal a standing ovation when they walked in.

Obviously tragedy continues to bring us together to have these conversations about how we can end the scourge of gun violence that plagues not only our schools and public places, but our cities and our neighborhoods as well, Murphy said. The only way we actually do get anything done and pass meaningful legislation that ends this epidemic is by public action and people standing up and saying, Enough is enough and engaging in this debate.

Blumenthal offered optimism about bipartisan action being taken.

There is no question our colleagues, particularly our Republican colleagues, are in a different place in their thinking, Blumenthal said. The political landscape has shifted seismically. It shifts in stages. This country doesnt just all of a sudden go from one view to another. A consensus develops and that is what is happening right before our eyes. The American public is making known its outrage that Congress has been complicit in its inaction.

Blumenthal said he will introduce legislation on Tuesday called a red flag measure which would enable federal judges to order people deemed dangerous to themselves or others to be prevented from buying or having weapons. He stressed a prohibition would only come after due process, saying a similar measure has been a success in Connecticut because it can not only help prevent gun violence but get people in crisis needed mental health help.

Both senators said they would also continue to advocate for more federal funding to increase school safety and push for improved background checks. But many of the speakers demanded more.

Its really sad that nobody wants to touch the Second Amendment, Greenwich resident Vera Blankley said. What has been written by people should be amended by people. One should be able to do that. Why dont you start there?

Several spoke out against the AR-15 rifle, which was the weapon used in Parkland, at Sandy Hook and other mass shootings in Orlando and Las Vegas.

I have fired an AR-15 and I am telling you they have no absolutely business in the private sector whatsoever, Stamford resident David Lynch, who identified himself as a gun owner, said. Its 33 percent more powerful than an AK-47. It will go through you and the wall youre standing in front of.

All speakers favored strong gun laws, but there has been pushback.

Murphy is running for reelection and one of his two potential Republican opponents, Dominic Rapini, said in an interview with Greenwich Time he was a strong defender of the Second Amendment and felt Murphy politicized tragedies such as the Parkland shooting. Rapini did say more had to be done to protect people, and is advocating for steps to harden schools to keep potential threats out while also advocating for background checks to note red flags similar to what is in Blumenthals proposal.

Rapini and Matthew Corey, Murphys other potential Republican opponent, both support allowing teachers and administrators to have guns in school as volunteers, not as a mandate.

This debate is about school safety and saving lives, Rapini said..

The idea of arming teachers, which President Donald Trump has advocated, was not a popular one at the roundtable, which included several teachers. Blumenthal called the idea insane and the teachers in the audience said they didnt want it.

I believe teachers should be armed with these, pens, pencils and books, Aaron Johnson, a panel member and teacher at Western Middle School, said as he held up a marker.

Further perspective was offered from the audience by Bridgeport teacher Darcy Hicks, founder of DefenDemocracy of Connecticut.

I do not want a gun to be a compassionate teacher, Hicks said. I want guns gone. I want the (assault weapons) ban back.Need for Literature talk at Fairfield University

FAIRFIELD  Lisa Lucas, director of the National Book Foundation, will visit Fairfield University to speak on The Need for Literature in Politically Challenging Times. Lucas is the foundations first African-American director. She is a former publisher of Guernica Magazine and is a vocal advocate in support of diverse voices in publishing.

The free event will take place March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Dolan School of Business dining room. Accessible parking is available behind the building.

Lucas visit is sponsored by the Fairfield Low-Residency MFA Program; the DiMenna-Myselius Library; the Connecticut Center for the Book; the Humanities Institute; the College of Arts and Sciences; the departments of English, Politics, and Philosophy; the Center for Faith and Public Life; the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program; the Office of Student Engagement and the Office of Student Life.by Ryan Patti | Pistons Correspondent | Fri, Mar 2nd 3:58pm EST

Rodney McGruder totaled 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting (2-for-4 from three), one rebound and one assist in 25 minutes on Thursday.

Fantasy Impact:

McGruder had an expanded role due to the health of Tyler Johnson (quad) and Wayne Ellington (quad). The Kansas State graduate currently possesses an ounce of value in the deepest of leagues, but should fall off the radar when the backcourt returns to full strength.A Somerset farmer has had to ditch 8,000 litres of milk because his farm was inaccessible due to the recent severe weather conditions.

Recent conditions from the weather front nicknamed "Beast from the East" and Storm Emma caused the Met Office to issue a red warning for snow  the highest level of warning.

The south west of England was included in this red warning, and experienced some of the worst weather.

Mark Wareham, who keeps 150 cows on his farm in Trudoxhill, near Frome, told BBC News how milk tankers couldn't access his farm for two days due to the treacherous conditions.

The dairy farmer said he was hopeful trucks would be able to reach his farm tonight (3 March), and any more delays would severely impact his business.

He told the BBC: "These are pretty extreme conditions that we've experienced - it's been a challenge for everybody.

"The lorries physically couldn't get anywhere near the farm. The roads on the way were blocked and I've only got capacity to store 5,000 litres on the farm and I produce just over 4,000 every day, so I don't have enough to store for several days on end."

He added: "It's a massive impact - dairy farming is tight enough and hard enough is without losing money, but what can you do? You've just got to get on with it.

"We're expecting the tanker to get to us tonight - they've been excellent, on the phone to us every day to keep us informed."

'Businesses suffer'

National Farmers' Union (NFU) President Minette Batters said farmers are "pivotal" in the rural community, particularly during times of adverse weather.

They will be playing their part to help clear roads, unfreeze water pipes and providing emergency help to those in need, all while caring for their own business and livestock, Mrs Batters said.

Most businesses suffer during a cold snap and farming is no different. As many affected farmers will be trying to reach remote parts of their farms, I am urging everyone to remain as safe as possible and take the necessary precautions.

However in many cases, it is inevitable that business as usual will be disrupted. The NFU is supporting its members to ensure that they have the information to remain safe during this time of severe weather.

Rest assured, farmers and growers will still be working round the clock to ensure they are able to provide the public with a safe, affordable, traceable supply of British food.Summary

Company Announcement Date: March 02, 2018 FDA Publish Date: March 02, 2018 Product Type: Animal & Veterinary

Food & Beverages

Pet Food

Foodborne Illness Reason for Announcement: Recall Reason Description Salmonella Company Name: Steves Real Foods Brand Name: Brand Name(s) Steves Real Foods Product Description: Product Description Raw frozen dog food turkey canine recipe

Company Announcement

March 2, 2018 Steves Real Food of Salt Lake City, Utah is voluntarily recalling one lot of 5lb Raw Frozen Dog Food Turkey Canine Recipe due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products.

Symptoms of infection in people include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms.

Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The potentially affected lot of 5lb. frozen turkey nuggets were distributed to retail pet food stores in states of CA, CO, CT, IA, KS, FL, MD, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA,

and WA. Fifty two cases of this product was distributed between 6/27/17  7/15/17.

The affected product was sold frozen in 5lb bags. Those bags affected by this recall are identified with the following UPC codes and the Best by date located on the bag.

LOT # UPC Best By Date E 178 6-91730-15303-8 09/27/18

This recall is being initiated after the firm was notified by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture that a retail sample was collected and tested positive for Salmonella.

No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date. However, because of their commitment to overall safety and quality, Steves Real Food is conducting a voluntary recall of this product. Consumers should also follow the safe handling tips published on the Steves Real Food packaging, when disposing of the affected product.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Consumers are encouraged to check the lot code of any 5lb frozen turkey nuggets. Any product with the noted lot code should be returned to the specialty retailer where product was purchased for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Steves Real Food at 888-526-1900 , Monday  Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm MTN.

Company Contact Information Consumers: Steves Real Food 888-526-1900





As the nation bids adieu to its favourite actress Sridevi, her fans and her colleagues from various film industries are still coming to terms with the tragic loss. Stars from the Tamil and Telugu film industries also flew down to Mumbai and paid their last respects to Sridevi on February 28, the day that marked her funeral. Superstar Rajinikanth who flew to Mumbai on February 26 to meet Sridevi's family, gave up his age-old tradition as a mark of respect for his dear friend. It was a pretty known fact that Rajinikanth and Sridevi were extremely good friends so the news about Sridevis demise naturally must have been a big shock for him.Rajinikanth got married to his wife Latha Rajinikanth on Februrary 26, 37 years ago. And every year, on the occasion of their anniversary, the two have celebrated it by devoting time to their family as they spend the day with their daughters and extended family. Apparently, it is being said that Rajinikanth even made sure to keep himself free for the special day as he is currently involved with the work of 2.0 which also stars Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson.However, this year, things didnt go as planned. As Rajnikanth called off the anniversary celebrations he had planned out of respect for Sridevi. On February 25, when news of Sridevi's demise broke, Rajinikanth tweeted that he had lost his 'dear friend'.Sridevi's first lead role was in K Balachander's Moondru Mudichi, in which she shared screen space with Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. The trio then went on to work together in P Bharathiraja's 16 Vayadhinile and SP Muthuraman's Aadu Puli Aatam.While speaking to the media about Sridevi's sudden demise Rajinikanth said Ive known her for around 40 years and weve been acting together since my second film. Shes a very good friend. May her soul rest in peace and my condolences to Boney Kapoor and her family. Everyone knows how good an actor she was. Off camera, she would be normal and listen to all the instructions given to her. And then suddenly before the sets, it was as though she was fire, like electricity her performance would be.When I first went to China in late 1982 there were no foreign brands operating in the country, and everyone wore Mao jackets and rode a bicycle. The term "middle-class consumer" did not apply. People shopped at government-owned stores and street vendors. The GDP per person was about US$1,000. Thirty-five years later the picture has changed.

Today, China has 160 cities with a population of more than 1 million, with the top 41 cities accounting for 50 percent of the country's GDP. In 2016, Shanghai and the two adjacent provinces, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, had a combined annual GDP of US$4.4 trillion--the same as Italy and Mexico combined. China has the largest middle class on Earth, with more than 225 million households in this category--and by 2020, China should see its number of millionaires soar to 2.3 million.

U.S. brands in China

As Chinese consumers earn more discretionary income, they want the quality, brand, convenience, and service associated with Western brands. They often buy goods and services at stores, restaurants, and service establishments that are franchises, thus many U.S. franchises help fill the needs of China's fast-growing middle class. This group is largely a young, upwardly mobile, and aspirational two-income family demographic with one child and considerable discretionary income.

Today there are 5,299 KFCs, 2,200 McDonald's, 1,500 Pizza Huts, 590 Dairy Queens, 500 Subways, 170 Papa John's, and 105 Baskin-Robbins in China. And the GDP per capita is US$8,000. More than 12 million new cars are sold in China every year.

The first McDonald's in China opened in Beijing in 1991. The company built, owned, and operated all of its restaurants in China until last year when McDonald's sold its locations in China and Hong Kong to franchisees.

Yum! Brands spun off its China operations into Yum China Holdings, which is the exclusive licensee of Yum! Brands in China, which includes KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. With more than 7,300 restaurants, Yum China generated sales of more than $8 billion, and its loyalty program has more than 127 million members.

Pizza Hut in China is more of a full-service Italian restaurant than in other countries. All the food chains that are successful in China had to localize. In Pizza Hut China, you don't eat one type of food at a meal, you eat many different dishes.

Starbucks has changed the country's thousands-of-years-old tea culture. There currently are about 2,000 Starbucks outlets across 100 Chinese cities. In shopping malls, office towers, and near tourist attractions, an empty Starbucks is hard to find. In the more developed, so-called first-tier cities, it's not unusual for a big department store to have more than one Starbucks in it, and they're all packed.

White Castle opened two stores in Shanghai in 2017. In addition to its beef hamburgers, the menu includes a meatless spicy tofu burger made from mapo tofu, a Sichuanese classic, as well as a cherry duck slider made with smoked duck drenched in a cherry sauce.

Dunkin' Donuts first tried to break into China in 1994. By the late 1990s, Dunkin's franchises had pulled out. Now they are back in Beijing, Shenyang, and Shanghai and hope to open more than 1,400 stores China over the next two decades.

Online, mobile, and social

China's 2017 online retail sales approached $1 trillion, with the country's Singles Day shopping carnival in December totaling US$38.26 billion. Eighty-five percent of China's middle-income consumers have shopped online.

In China's big cities, people seldom carry cash. Mobile payments are booming, with total transaction value topping US$5.5 trillion in 2016, triple the previous year, according to Beijing-based iResearch. By comparison, the U.S. mobile payments market increased by 39 percent to $112 billion last year, according to Forrester.

There is no Facebook and no Google in China. They have WeChat and Alibaba. WeChat, a Chinese multi-purpose and social media portal with 980 million monthly active users, allows brands to send messages directly to users who follow them--a seemingly ideal tool for marketing and sales, since the brands maintain control of the sales process. Users buy directly from their online shops without leaving the app.

Alibaba is an e-commerce, retail, and technology conglomerate that provides consumer-to-consumer, business-to-consumer, and business-to-business sales services through web portals, as well as electronic payment services, shopping search engines, and data-centric cloud computing services. Alibaba is the world's largest and most valuable retailer since April 2016, after it surpassed Walmart in 2015.

Thinking about China?

Numerous opportunities exist for foreign franchise brands to enter China today. In addition to food and beverage brands, we are starting to see service franchises such as Right At Home and Home Instead Senior Care enter the country.

Below are the four very important major legal requirements for a foreign franchisor to franchise into China, according to Shelley Spandorf, an international licensing lawyer in Davis Wright Tremaine's Los Angeles office.

The U.S. brand must have registered its trademark in China. The franchisor must satisfy the "2 + 1" requirement: either the entity that will award franchises in China or its subsidiary must have owned and operated at least two units under the franchise brand for at least one year. These units may be located outside of China. The franchisor must provide the prospective franchisee with a disclosure document at least 30 days before the franchisee executes the franchise agreement. The content is fairly comparable to the U.S. FDD. Within 15 days of signing its first franchising agreement in China, a franchisor must file as a franchisor with the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). Within the first quarter of each year, the franchisor must file an annual report with MOFCOM noting the number of new franchise agreements signed and operating.

Some challenges

While there are many opportunities for U.S. brands seeking to grow in China, obstacles remain.

Local Chinese brands are growing in sophistication. Foreign franchises must be able to show they are unique and not just more of what is already in China. Intellectual property protection is uneven. The Chinese government is enforcing trademarks more than in the past, but there are still rip-offs operating. Local managers often lack strong management and business skills. A foreign franchise must have a very strong training program at multiple levels to ensure that the Chinese staff can fully deliver the brand experience to consumers. China has many markets. China is a very large country with diverse business cultures and even different languages. It is not common to award the entire country to one company that may not have local experience in another region of the country.

William Edwards is CEO of Edwards Global Services (EGS). He first went to China in 1983 while working for a major U.S. oil and gas company. He has lived in both Mainland China and Hong Kong. From 1990-1992, he was the master licensee of AlphaGraphics in China. Subsequently he has helped several U.S. franchise brands enter China, and his company maintains an office in Beijing. Contact him at bedwards@edwardsglobal.com or 949-224-3896.OAKLAND -- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Friday again defended her recent warning to the community ahead of a large-scale operation by federal immigration authorities.

Speaking to reporters after a ground-breaking ceremony for an affordable housing project in Oakland's largely Hispanic Fruitvale district, Schaaf said, "I remain confident that my actions were both legal and moral."

White House officials have suggested that Schaaf may have engaged in obstruction of justice by warning the community before recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Northern California that resulted in the arrest of about 230 people.

"I find it difficult to believe even in today's America that informing people of their legal rights could be considered illegal," Schaaf said.

Schaaf has met with legal advisers and said she believes she acted "within the confines of the law."

"I did what I believe was right for my community as well as to protect public safety," Schaaf said. "People should be able to live without fear or panic and know their rights and responsibilities as well as their recourses."The strategy the United States is left with, as I have long argued, is trying to raise the international cost that Moscow faces for developing these grotesque systems. That's why I argued so vehemently that the United States should engage with the people pushing to ban nuclear weapons - to increase the political price that Moscow pays for these programs.

Instead, the Obama administration decided that arms control was something best done with the Russians, or perhaps the other nuclear weapons states, and that everyone else could mind their own business. The problem with that strategy is that it created the impression of moral equivalence between modernization programs in the United States and Russia, encouraging America's allies to make excuses for Moscow.

The recent Nuclear Posture Review, I fear, continues this trend. The tone of the document, as well as some of the more controversial proposals, gives the impression of enthusiasm for the arms race. The result is that the United States' allies, those with whom it needs to work with to contain Russia, are just as worried about Trump as they are Putin. This is an awful state of affairs.

A coalition opposing Putin's new nuclear weapons seems unlikely, at least as long as this U.S. president treats the country's alliances like a protection racket while envying Putin's "nuclear" for being "tippy top" and making sure the world knows his "button" is bigger than North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's. Rather than expect any condemnation of Russia's new systems, I can only imagine how excited Trump will be when he's told about the nuclear-powered cruise missile: how his eyes will grow wide when it is explained to him, and the temper tantrum he'll throw when he's told he can't have one.

Jeffrey Lewis is director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program for the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. He wrote this for Foreign Policy magazine.Sarahah app removed from Apple and Google stores after allegations of cyber-bullying News oi-Samden Sherpa Sarahah app is no more but existent users will still be able to use it.

Do you remember the Sarahah app? Well, the app that was developed in Saudi Arabia and launched a year ago did become an instant success. Reports further suggested that around 300 million users created accounts and the app even topped Apple's App Store in several countries. Talking about the app, Sarahah allowed users to receive anonymous constructive feedback from other users.

However, since its launch, the app has been a topic of debate for many and the app itself has had a mixed run among the users. And now, according to BBC Trending, the popular anonymous messaging app has been permanently removed from both the Apple and Google store.

The app has been removed after accusations that it had been facilitating cyberbullying. A petition was created by an Australia-based woman whose daughter had received abusive messages on the app.

Katrina Collins was shocked to see the messages that her 13-year-old daughter had received. The message contained extremely offensive note.

After witnessing such bad practice within the app, she put up a viral petition on online petition site Change.org. The petition was against Sarahah and stated that the app was facilitating "bullying" and "self-harm". The app had become a breeding ground for hate. The petition soon gained close to 470,000 supporters.

And now the app has been removed from both the Apple and Google stores. While it is obvious that the companies have taken action in response to the petition, Google and Apple have not provided any official statements. Google spokesperson has told BBC, "we don't comment on specific apps."

Meanwhile, people behind the Sarahah app have denied the allegations and they have further stated that the app is not to be used by young teenagers. Zain-Alabdin Tawfiq, the CEO, and developer of Sarahah has refuted Collins' move. According to BBC Trending, he has expressed that the decision to remove the app was "unfortunate". The company is "very optimistic about reaching a favorable understanding with Google and Apple soon."

Tawfiq has also assured that the company has improved its filtering system and that it will sort any offensive messages through "artificial intelligence and machine learning" thereby stopping the message from being sent.

At the moment, if anyone wants to download the app it will not be found on Android's Google Play or Apple Store and even in searches. Users who already have the app can use it though.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsSamsung Galaxy S9 Plus, Zenfone 5Z, Redmi Note 5 and more smartphones: Week 8, 2018 launch round-up Features oi-Harish Kumar The beginning of the year 2018 has seen some remarkable launches in the smartphone industry.

The last Week of 2018 was full of exciting new smartphone launch events. The action happened at the mobile word congress 2018 where big brands like samsung, asus, LG and others came up with smartphones of modern times.

Moreover, Xiaomi introduced the new budget Redmi devices for Indian consumers. Lets have a look at all the important smartphone launches.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Check out the Key Specs 5.99-inch (2160  1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with 450 nits Brightness

1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU

4GB / 6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB (eMMC 5.0) storage

expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD

Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) with MIUI 9

Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)

12MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash

secondary 5MP camera with Samsung senso

20MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX376 sensor

4G VoLTE

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz + 5GHz)

Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS

4000mAh (typical) / 3900mAh (minimum) battery with Quick Charge 2.0 Nokia 8 Sirocco Check out the Key Specs

5.5 inches P-OLED capacitive touchscreen

Android 8.0 (Oreo)

Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835

Octa-core (4x2.5 GHz Kryo & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo)

microSD, up to 256 GB card slot

128 GB internal memory

6 GB RAM

12 MP + 12 MP Rear camera

5Mp front camera

Non-removable Li-Ion 3260 mAh battery Samsung Galaxy S9+ Check out the Key Specs

6.2 Inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Display

Octa Core Exynos 9810/Snapdragon 845 Processor

6GB RAM With 64/128/256GB ROM

WiFi

NFC

Bluetooth

Dual SIM

Dual Pixel 12MP Rear Camera

8MP Front Camera

Iris Scanner

Fingerprint

IP68

3500 MAh Battery Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus) Check out the Key Specs

5.99-inch (2160  1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with 450 nits Brightness

2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU

3GB RAM with 32GB storage

4GB RAM with 64GB storage

expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD

Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) with MIUI 9

Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)

12MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash

5MP front-facing camera with LED flash

4G VoLTE

4000mAh (typical) / 3900mAh (minimum) battery Nokia 8110 4G Check out the Key Specs

2.4-inch (320 x 240 pixels) QVGA display

1.1GHz Dual-Core Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform (MSM8905) with Adreno 304 GPU

512MB RAM

4GB internal storage

expandable memory up with microSD

Single / Dual SIM (micro + nano)

Smart Feature OS powered by KaiOS

2MP rear camera with LED flash

Drip protection (IP52)

4G VoLTE

2000mAh battery LG V30s Thinq Check out the Key Specs

6-inch (2880 x 1440 pixels) QHD+ OLED display with a 18:9 aspect ratio, 538 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform with Adreno 540 GPU

6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB storage (V30S ThinQ) / 256GB storage (V30S+ ThinQ)

expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD

Android 8.0 (Oreo) with LG UX 6.0+

16MP rear camera and 13MP secondary camera

5MP front camera

4G VoLTE

3,300mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, Wireless charging Samsung Galaxy S9 Check out the Key Specs 5.8 Inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Display

Octa Core Exynos 9810/Snapdragon 845 Processor

4GB RAM With 64/128/256GB ROM

WiFi

NFC

Bluetooth

Dual SIM

Dual Pixel 12MP Rear Camera

8MP Front Camera

Iris Scanner

Fingerprint

IP68

3000 MAh Battery Sony Xperia XZ2 Check out the Key Specs

5.7-inch (2160 x 1080 pixels) 18:9 Triluminos HDR Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU

4GB RAM

64GB internal memory

expandable memory up to 400GB via microSD card

Android 8.0 (Oreo)

Single / Dual SIM

Water Resistant (IP65/IP68)

19MP rear camera with Exmos RS sensor

5MP front-facing camera

4G VoLTE

3180mAh Battery with Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, Qi Wireless charging Alcatel 5 Check out the Key Specs

5.7 Inch 18:9 HD+ Touch Screen Display

1.5 GHz MT6750 Octa-Core Processor

3GB RAM With 32GB ROM

Dual Nano SIM

12MP Camera With Dual Tone LED Flash

Dual 13MP + 5MP Front Camera With Flash

WiFi/4G VoLTE/Bluetooth4.2/NFC

Fingerprint Sensor

3000 MAh Battery Alcatel 3V Check out the Key Specs

6.0-inch FHD+ (21601080 pixels) 18:9 IPS display

1.45GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737T 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU

2 GB LPDDR3 RAM

16GB onboard storage

expandable memory with microSD

Dual SIM

16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras with dual LED flash

8 MP front camera

4G VoLTE

3000mAh battery Alcatel 3X Check out the Key Specs

5.7 Inch 18:9 HD+ Touch Screen Display

1.28GHz MT6739 Quad-Core Processor

3GB RAM With 32GB ROM

Dual Nano SIM

13MP + 5MP Dual Camera With LED Flash

5MP Front Camera With Flash

WiFi/4G VoLTE/Bluetooth4.2/NFC

Fingerprint Sensor

3000 MAh Battery Alcatel 3 Check out the Key Specs

5.5 Inch 18:9 HD+ Touch Screen Display

1.28GHz MT6737T Quad-Core Processor

3GB RAM With 32GB ROM

Dual Nano SIM

16MP + 2MP Dual Camera With LED Flash

8MP Front Camera With Flash

WiFi/4G VoLTE/Bluetooth4.2/NFC

Fingerprint Sensor

3000 MAh Battery Alcatel 1X Check out the Key Specs

5.3 Inch 18:9 FWVGA+ Touch Screen Display

1.28GHz MT6739 Quad-Core Processor

2GB RAM With 16GB ROM

Dual SIM

13MP Rear Camera With LED Flash

5MP Front Camera With Flash

WiFi/4G VoLTE/Bluetooth4.2/NFC

Fingerprint Sensor

2460 MAh Battery Asus Zenfone 5Z Check out the Key Specs

6.2-inch (2246  1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 2.5D curved glass Super IPS display with 500 nits Brightness

Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU

4GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB storage

6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB storage

8GB LPDDR4x RAM with 256GB storage expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD

Android 8.0 (Oreo) with ZenUI 5.0, upgradable to Android P

Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) with Dual VoLTE

12MP rear camera and secondary 8MP camera

8MP front-facing camera

4G VoLTE

3300mAh battery with ASUS BoostMaster fast charging and AI charging Asus Zenfone 5 Lite Check out the Key Specs

6-inch (2160  1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with glove touch support

2.2 GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 630 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 508 GPU / Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 with 64-bit Mobile Platform with Adreno 505 GPU

3GB RAM with 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage

expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD

Dual SIM

Android 7.0 (Nougat) with Zen UI 4.0, upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo) with Zen UI 5.0

16MP rear camera with LED flash

20MP front camera

4G VoLTE

3300mAh battery Ulefone T2 Pro Check out the Key Specs a 6.0 inches Capacitive Touchscreen display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels. Display type IPS LCD

Octa Core 2.5 GHz, Cortex-A73, MediaTek Helio P70 that is coupled with Mali G72 MP4 GPU

8 GB RAM

64 GB Storage default memory capacity

expanded up to another Up to 256 GB with the help of a microSD Card

a 16 MP + 8 MP Dual Camera with LED Flash

a 16 MP Camera selfie camera

runs Android OS, v7.1 (Nougat)

a Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery Wiko View2 Pro Check out the Key Specs

6.0 inches IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen

Android 8.0 (Oreo)

Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450

Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53

64 GB internal memory

4 GB RAM

16 MP Dual Camera

16 MP front camera

Non-removable Li-Po 3000 mAh battery

Best Mobiles in IndiaGitHub successfully tackles the worlds largest DDoS attack in cyber history News oi-Samden Sherpa GitHub suffered brief outage after being attacked by hackers who flooded the servers with fake traffic.

GitHub, a web-based hosting service and a platform which many developers use to store codes, encountered the largest-known DDoS attack in the history of cyber attacks. The website suffered brief outage after being attacked by hackers who flooded the servers with fake traffic.

"On Wednesday, February 28, 2018, GitHub.com was unavailable from 17:21 to 17:26 UTC and intermittently unavailable from 17:26 to 17:30 UTC due to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack," the company reported the incident on its blog post.

The attack originated from over a thousand different autonomous systems (ASNs) across tens of thousands of unique endpoints. "It was an amplification attack using the memcached-based approach that peaked at 1.35Tbps via 126.9 million packets per second," the company writes.

Talking about "memcrashing," it basically involves exploiting memcache servers that companies use to speed up their web applications. As most of the machines have unsecured internet connections hackers can use them easily to boost fake traffic. GitHub has said that a memcache server can turn a single incoming byte into as much as 51 kilobytes aimed at a victim's servers.

As such, GitHub was reportedly down for five to ten minutes and the service provider suffered random outages for some time. According to reports, this was the largest compared to previous assault that was launched in 2016 against a company called Dyn which hit 1.2 terabytes per second.

But Github was successful in tackling the problem. The company along with the help of Akamai routed the traffic flood to Prolexic, (an automated anti-DDoS system run by Akamai) that filtered out the malicious attack. Github was quick to restore its systems to normal service.

"We understand how much you rely on GitHub and we know the availability of our service is of critical importance to our users. To note, at no point was the confidentiality or integrity of your data at risk. We are sorry for the impact of this incident and would like to describe the event, the efforts we've taken to drive availability, and how we aim to improve response and mitigation moving forward," the company has said.

The company has also stated that it is going to continue to expand its edge network and strive to identify and mitigate new attack vectors before they affect the user's workflow on GitHub.com. "We will continue to analyze this and other events that impact our availability, build better detection systems and streamline response," the company has assured.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsNew design patents

As the launch time of the foldable smartphone is inching closer, leaks have started pouring in at a high rate. New patents filed by the company gives us a sneak peek of how the device would shape up.

While these patents might not be the final design of the device, they give us an idea of company's vision towards the future smartphones. This isn't the first time the company has filed for a patent for a foldable display.

The Galaxy X?

Patently Mobile has reported a new design patent filed by Samsung has received a nod from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patents do not reveal any technology, specifications or materials used for the device, leaving us with only diagrams depicting the patented design.

The most intriguing patent among these is a 'foldout' smartphone, similar to the recently released ZTE Axon M. But instead of using two displays like ZTE, Samsung chose to go with one large foldable display.

How practical?

Besides, there is a patent for a smartphone without any physical key or ports. While the design sounds innovative, only time will tell how practical it actually is.

Samsung has received a patent for a wraparound device which will probably blur the lines between a smartphone and smartwatch.

Will anyone of these patents see the production stage remains to be seen. Companies file many patents that never make it to the production stage, so putting so much hope in any one of these is not advisable.At first glance, President Donald Trump's new tariffs on steel and aluminum may look like a repetition of one of President George W. Bush's mistakes. Bush also imposed tariffs on steel in his second year in office and, like Trump, did it in part to keep a campaign promise he considered helpful in the Rust Belt.

Bush's tariffs are generally thought to have backfired. The tariffs raised costs for steel-using industries, which employ more people and contribute more to the economy than the steel industry itself. They also drew retaliatory tariffs from other countries against American exports. Bush withdrew them in late 2003.

The results of Trump's tariffs could be worse. The steel industry is smaller now than it was in 2002, suggesting there will be even more workers who lose out from the tariffs than who win from them. Trump is vowing that his tariffs will be in place for a long time, unlike Bush's.

But the biggest difference between Trump's tariffs and Bush's is their context. Bush's action fit into a bipartisan tradition that began after the Great Depression. Presidents from that point onward sought to liberalize trade overall, but had to buy support for that agenda from a more reluctant Congress.Samsung retains top spot in the 4G LTE mobile handsets: CMR News oi-Priyanka LYF was the only domestic brand among the top three 4G LTE mobile handsets makers with 14 percent market share

Samsung led in the 4G LTE mobile handsets with 21 percent market share, while Lenovo dominated the 4G LTE tablet market with 41 percent market share, as per CMR's Annual 4G LTE Devices India Market Review Report.

The report said the 4G LTE shipments in India grew 80 percent in 2017 Year-on-Year (YoY), with total shipments reaching 148.3 million units.

Meanwhile, CMR pointed out that, in 2017, Chinese brands grew aggressively with 143 percent sequential growth, thereby, contributing to 1 in every 2 4G LTE device shipped in India

"The Chinese success story in India can be traced to their keen and clear understanding of the needs of the discerning Indian customers, and offering them, with the latest specs at affordable price points," Prabhu Ram, Head - Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR said.

LYF was the only domestic brand among the top three 4G LTE mobile handsets makers with 14 percent market share, CMR added.

Prabhu further added, "Amongst Indian brands, only LYF was in the top three contributing 14 percent of the 4G LTE mobile handset devices in India. Alongside, Reliance Jio's JioFi devices shook the 4G data card market in CY2017, contributing to the extraordinary availability of LTE. On the back of Reliance Jio, 4G in India will continue to grow in an upward trajectory, with India becoming a fully-developed 4G nation this year."

In the tablet category, Lenovo led the 4G tablet shipments in 2017 and contributed 47 percent to the total shipments, followed by Samsung with 19 percent and iBall with 15 percent shipments.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ First Impressions

Narinder Kumar, Lead Analyst, CMR, "CY2018 will further see 4G technology adoption continuing to gain traction in India. This will be largely driven by adoption of 4G smartphones. The recent trend of 4G feature phones, and bundled offerings at the entry level price band will further see 4G LTE device shipments grow, largely from first-time 4G users."

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsVivo bringing more smartphones with under-display fingerprint scanner News oi-Chandrika Dubbed as X21, the smartphone is likely to come in four different variants; Vivo X21, X21UD, X21A and X21 UD A.

A new Vivo smartphone has received the Chinese 3C certification. Dubbed as X21, the smartphone is likely to come in four different variants; Vivo X21, X21UD, X21A and X21 UD A. The first two variants are said to be most powerful ones with high-end features, whereas the third one and the fourth one will be their cheaper versions.

According to the listing, the two UD variants will feature an under-display fingerprint scanner just like the Vivo X20 Plus UD, courtesy to he chip launched by Synaptics late last year. Needless to say, with the Under-Display versions of the Vivo X21, users will be able to unlock the phone just by touching the display. The rumors suggest, the smartphone will be flaunting a custom borderless display made by Samsung.

The X21 and the X21 UD models are also expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 SoC, which is an octa-core processor. The Snapdragon 670 chipset is yet to get official, but the chipset is likely to launch soon.

The Vivo X21 is also said to come with 18W fast charging support. Well this is pretty much everything we know about these aforementioned smartphones, but we expect new details to emerge in the coming days.

Oppo is not the only BBK company which is planning to release new upper-midrange devices focused on camera and innovation. Right after Oppo teased its upcoming R15 and R15 Plus, Vivo X21 has received the official Chinese 3C certification.

Meanwhile, Vivo seems to be prepping for the launch of a new smartphone called Vivo V9. Yesterday, promotional billboards featuring the smartphone were spotted in Indonesia. As shown in the billboards, the V9 has a similar design to that of the Apple's iPhone X. It appears to feature an edge-to-edge display with a notch at the top.

At the moment, there is no information on the V9's specifications and features. In any case, the smartphone will get launched soon as the company has already started advertising it.

Via

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsXiaomi to announce something important regrading Mi Mix 2S next week News oi-Chandrika Xiaomi will be unveiling the Mi Mix 2S on March 27.

Xiaomi is all set to launch its Mi Mix 2S on March 27. The smartphone was initially rumored to launch at MWC 2018, but the company dismissed the rumors by announcing the launch date. In any case, we already know almost everything about the Mi Mix 2S due to numerous leaks. The smartphone has also visited AnTuTu benchmarking site.

Xiaomi, itself, is dropping hints about the Mi Mix 2's successor as well. The company recently posted a teaser video that suggests the Mi Mix 2S will be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. Now, the Chinese manufacturer has said that it will make some important announcement regarding the smartphone next week. This news comes from Xiaomi's official Weibo page.

Unfortunately, we don't know what will the announcement reveal. As of now, we will have to content with the information we have obtained via leaks. The Mi Mix 2S is said to come with a 6.01-inch FHD+ display with a screen resolution of 2,1601,080 pixels and aspect ratio of 18:9.

The smartphone is likely to offer 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. We assume that there could be more memory variants of the phone with lower storage and RAM configuration.

In terms of optics, the Mi Mix 2S is said to be equipped with a 16MP primary sensor. A recent leak reveals that the smartphone will pack a huge 4,400mAh battery. Do note that the firmware files of the Mi Mix 2S have revealed that it includes a smaller 3,400mAh battery. Now, we are not quite sure what to expect from this contradictory information.

Via

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsMWC 2018: Nvidia Shield TV and Mi box seen running on Android Oreo News oi-Sandeep Sarkar Nvidia and Xiaomi have both shown of their product which runs on Android Oreo, The Nvidia Sheild TV and the Mi Box at the MWC this year.

Back in 2017, Google showed off its Android TV at Google I/O, however, there was no update on when the device will be available for purchase. However, there are other brands who are working on this technology and two companies are now reportedly have shown off their product running on Android Oreo.

As per the reports from Beebom Nvidia and Xiaomi have both shown of their product which runs on Android Oreo, The Nvidia Sheild TV and the Mi Box at the MWC this year. The report further suggests that the update was previously available for Nexus player which however has not made an appearance in the market over a year. This leaves a user with an option of only two devices in the market the Nvidia Shield TV and the Mi box.

For our users who don't have an idea of the Mi Box, Xiaomi Mi Box which was first unveiled during Google I/O 2016 is basically a 4K Ultra HD streaming device and gaming box powered by Android TV. Mi Box allows users to access streaming apps including Netflix, HBO, Showtime, Youtube and more directly on the big screen. Users can also enjoy live TV channels. Powered by Google Cast, Mi Box also enables users to cast shows, movies, music and more from their phone, tablet or laptop onto the TV with a single tap. Further, the Mi Box comes with a remote integrated with Google voice.

Talking about Mi Box 4 the device gets a fresh white coating but it does retain the square-shaped design. It is powered by an Amlogic S905L quad-core Cortex-A53 64-bit processor with a 3+2 core Mali-45 GPU. The device offers 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.

Connectivity options include AV interface port, HDMI port, and a USB port. The device supports 4K HDR Ultra HD quality content, h.265 hardware decoding and support for Dolby + DTS audio output. It measures 1.6cm in thickness and weighs 145 grams.

Mi Box 4 comes with an artificial intelligence technology and is integrated with specially designed PatchWall system which enables users to search for keywords, open applications, check the weather as well as calendar, amongst others. The box also supports intelligent error correction and supports voice-activated smart appliances.

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Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow NotificationsSouth Sudan Rebel Leaders Form Coalition

By John Tanza March 02, 2018

Nine South Sudanese opposition groups have formed an alliance to accelerate efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan.

Kwaje Lasu, secretary-general of the South Sudan National Movement for Change, told VOA's South Sudan In Focus program Thursday that the various opposition groups had united.

"We in opposition believe that the unity of the opposition is paramount to address the issues that brought the country to the crisis, and since High [Level] Revitalization Forum 2, we have been working together collectively as a unified opposition addressing the issues of the country.'' Lasu said, referring to the second phase of the South Sudan peace initiative.

The South Sudan Opposition Alliance is an umbrella group composed of the Federal Democratic Party, National Salvation Front, National Democratic Movement, People's Democratic Movement, South Sudan Liberation Movement, South Sudan National Movement for Change, South Sudan Patriotic Movement, South Sudan United Movement and United Democratic Alliance.

Lasu said the new group would work together at the third round of the talks mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), scheduled for March.

'It is an opportunity for us to cultivate our efforts and work together in a concerted mechanism to address the issues,'' he said.

Groups not mentioned

The rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), loyal to South Sudan's former First Vice President Riek Machar, and the SPLM Former Detainees (SPLM-FD) were not mentioned among the groups in the new alliance.

"This is a preliminary process of unifying or forming the alliance," Lasu said. "SPLM-IO is still with us and we are working together as opposition. However, they are still making consultation before they join this new group.''

Lasu said the alliance leadership would rotate among the leaders of the coalition members.

''We are not interested in any accommodation. ... We are more concerned about what brought the country to this crisis, and we would like to address it in [a] unified voice as the opposition,'' he said.

Since violence erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, several groups opposed to President Salva Kiir sprang up, and leaders fled to the neighboring countries of Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan.

A group of opposition parties held a news conference in Addis Ababa last month to accuse South Sudan's government of not taking the High-Level Revitalization Forum seriously and of violating the latest cease-fire, which was signed in December. A South Sudan army spokesperson dismissed the accusations, saying it was the rebels who were attacking government positions across the country.

Both government and opposition forces have committed multiple violations since the cease-fire pact was signed, according to four separate investigations by the Cease-fire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism, or CTSAMM, an independent body.

IGAD adjourned the South Sudan peace talks last month for three weeks. Ismail Wais, IGAD's special envoy for South Sudan, told delegates from the South Sudanese stakeholders that his office would set a date for the resumption of peace talks.

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As an educator, parent, and grandparent, I was saddened and appalled by the most recent mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas high school  even the phrase, most recent mass shooting should give us all pause.

Yousef Baigs column on the Feb. 20 ("Many Parkland shooting victims are people we 'know'") makes an excellent point about how familiar these victims are. They could indeed be our own beloved teachers or children.

Though we have a relatively strong law in California that limits the possession of assault weapons, so long as surrounding states, and the country as a whole, permit the possession of such incredibly lethal firearms we are all still in danger of the very sort of tragedy that occurred in Florida.

It is essential to understand that AR-15s and similar guns not only allow an assailant to mow down a great number of people in a very short time, they also result in unusually horrible wounds that are almost invariably fatal.Officials Report Details of Latest Strikes Against ISIS in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 2, 2018  Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continued to strike Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets in designated parts of Syria and Iraq between Feb. 23-March 1, conducting 23 strikes consisting of 35 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Strikes in Syria

Yesterday in Syria, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes destroyed an ISIS motorcycle and two weapons caches.

On Feb. 28, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of four engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed an ISIS supply route and an ISIS-held building.

On Feb. 27, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of five engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed an ISIS vehicle and a supply route and damaged a unmanned aerial vehicle.

On Feb. 26, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of seven engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed an ISIS supply route and damaged a mortar.

On Feb. 25, coalition military forces conducted a strikes consistin of two engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three fighting positions.

On Feb. 24, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal. The strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a heavy machine gun and a fighting position.

On Feb. 23, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of three engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed a fighting position.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and an improvised explosive device facility.

Strikes in Iraq

There were no reported strikes in Iraq on Feb. 28-March 1.

On Feb. 27, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Kirkuk, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Qayyara, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two ISIS-held buildings.

There were no reported strikes in Iraq on Feb. 26.

On Feb. 25, coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of two engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Asad, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held cave.

-- Near Rutbah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two ISIS vehicles and a weapons cache.

On Feb. 24, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Hawijah. The strike destroyed an ISIS weapons cache.

On Feb. 23, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of one engagement against ISIS targets near Hawijah. The strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

Additional Strikes in Iraq

On Feb. 22, coalition military forces conducted a strike consisting of three engagements against ISIS targets near Hawijah. The strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS watercraft.

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 ground-based tactical artillery, officials noted.

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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USS Bremerton Visits Subic Bay During Indo-Pacific Deployment

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS180302-09

Release Date: 3/2/2018 9:49:00 AM

By Ensign James Gloria, USS Bremerton Public Affairs

SUBIC BAY (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Bremerton (SSN 698) arrived at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone March 1 for a routine port visit during its deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.

The visit highlights the strong partnership between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines and gives the crew an opportunity to meet the local community living in the Subic area. It also demonstrates the U.S. Navy's commitment to regional stability and maritime security in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

Bremerton's crew of 150 sailors regularly conducts a variety of missions to maintain proficiency in the latest submarine fleet capabilities. Its stealth, mobility, endurance and firepower allow Bremerton to work independently or in conjunction with a carrier strike group.

"Bremerton's arrival into Subic Bay means a lot to both my crew and the U.S. submarine force," said Cmdr. Travis Zettel, commanding officer. "This is Bremerton's ninth and final visit to Subic Bay in the ship's 37 year history. My crew and I are looking forward to the opportunity to engage with the local community while simultaneously preparing the ship for the remainder of our deployment."

A number of the sailors aboard Bremerton have family from the Philippines and through this visit have the chance to better connect with their heritage.

"It really means a lot to me that I get the chance to visit a number of my family members again," said Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Christopher Gapasin, who lived in the Philippines for six years and has relatives in the area.

Measuring more than 300 feet long and weighing more than 6,000 tons when submerged, Bremerton is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and mine warfare.

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Topeka Visits Yokosuka During Indo-Pacific Patrol

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS180302-08

Release Date: 3/2/2018 9:48:00 AM

By Lt. j. g. Jason L. Herrera, USS Topeka Public Affairs

FLEET ACTIVIES YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Mar. 2 for a visit as part of its Indo-Pacific region deployment.

The visit strengthens the already positive alliance between the U.S. and Japan through the crew's interaction with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). It also demonstrates the U.S. Navy's commitment to regional stability and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region.

"We are honored to have the opportunity to visit Japan again and engage with our host ship JS Zuiryu (SS 505)," said Cmdr. Steven Tarr III, commanding officer. "I believe the relationship between the United States Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force contributes to peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. My first port visit at the start of my naval career was Yokosuka and it had a profound impact on my life. I'm looking forward to introducing the future of the submarine force and Navy to our allies and their unique culture."

Topeka is capable of operating at depths greater than 600 feet and at speeds exceeding 25 knots.

"As the crew of one of the world's most capable warships, we rigorously train to operate our ship at peace time and war time, in port and at sea," said Tarr. "This deployment affords our crew the opportunity to maintain the utmost operational readiness."

Topeka's crewmembers are excited to experience the rich culture of Japan.

"The crew has been working hard on this deployment and this port visit to Yokosuka will allow them to experience the unique culture of Japan," said Lt. Cmdr. Emil D'Innocenzo, executive officer.

Measuring more than 300 feet long and weighing more than 6,000 tons, Topeka is one of the stealthiest submarines in the world. The submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including: anti-submarine warfare, strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

"I am very excited about making the port visit to Japan," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin Macalalag. "Besides visiting Kamakura and the big Buddha, I can't wait to eat some fresh sushi and marvel at the view from Tokyo Tower."

Commissioned in 1989, Topeka has a long standing tradition of excellence and achievement. Its crew is highly trained and capable of supporting the boat through any mission cycle within short notice. Topeka is homeported in Guam.

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Gunmen attack army headquarters, French embassy in Burkina Faso

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 04:36PM

Nearly 30 people, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed when gunmen launched a coordinated attack in Burkina Faso's capital, targeting the army headquarters and the French embassy.

Five assailants reportedly got out of a pick-up truck in the center of the capital Ouagadougou and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the French embassy on Friday morning. They then set fire to the car.

Meanwhile, a blast took place near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural center, which are located around a kilometer (half a mile) from the area of the first assault that houses the embassies, the prime minister's office and the United Nations offices, witnesses said.

"I saw people with sacks on their backs attack the guard. Then I heard the explosion. I saw soldiers flee the army headquarters building running," witness Kader Sanou said. The explosion hit the army compound, setting the building on fire.

Media reports quoted three security sources, two in France and one in West Africa, as saying that at least 28 people lost their lives in the attack on the military headquarters.

Two of the sources said 28 people were killed and a third reported that "around 30" died in the attack in the capital.

Government spokesman Remi Dandjinou had earlier said the attackers killed five people and injured about 50 others during the attack on the military headquarters.

Speaking on state television, he added that two paramilitary gendarmes lost their lives while defending the French embassy.

According to the government, four gunmen were killed in the embassy attack and two in the second assault.

Burkina Faso's government had said in a statement posted on the government's Information Service website, "Special units of the defense and security forces have been deployed."

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous assaults were conducted by allies of al-Qaeda in retaliation for the country's participation in a regional fight against Takfiri militants.

Jean-Marc Chataigner, France's ambassador to West Africa's Sahel region described the assault as a "terrorist attack."

The attack was the third major attack in Ouagadougou in just over two years.

In August 2017, a terrorist attack on the upscale Turkish restaurant Aziz Istanbul in Ouagadougou killed 19 people, many of them children, and injured 21 others.

In January 2016, assailants launched an attack on a hotel also popular with foreigners and a cafe in the capital, killing at least 30 people from 18 different nationalities. The al-Qaeda Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, shares a northern border with Mali, which has long been battling al-Qaeda.

French Special Forces have been present in Burkina Faso since 2010 on a declared mission to help regional governments in the Sahel tackle extremism, particularly in neighboring Mali.

France was a former colonial power in Africa, ruling over Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast as well as the Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Morocco, and Algeria. Ghana was a former British colony.

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Fresh wave of ethnic violence kills 49 in DR Congo's Ituri

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 06:55PM

A fresh flare-up of ethnic violence has claimed the lives of at least 49 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ituri province.

The murders took place overnight in the village of Maze, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bunia, the capital of the northeastern province of Ituri, which has been wracked by conflict between the Hema and Lendu communities, the government said on Friday.

Alfred Ndrabu Buju from international Catholic charity Caritas said, "We have counted 49 bodies and are still searching for other bodies."

"A child was admitted this morning in Drodro general hospital, with an arrow in his head," Buju added.

Interior Minister Henri Mova earlier said 33 were killed in the unrest.

"The provincial governor is on his way to the site of the killings," Mova said.

Witnesses said the assailants were members of the Lendu community.

"The attackers went into the village and committed a real massacre," said local activist Banza Charite.

More than 100 people have been killed since the violence erupted in Ituri in mid-December. The unrest has also forced 200,000 people to flee their homes.

More than 28,000 of the displaced have crossed the border into Uganda in recent weeks, according to UN figures, most of them women and children, reporting horrific stories of violence.

Tensions between the Hema cattle herders and Lendu farmers have largely laid dormant since a 1998-2003 war, which claimed the lives of thousands, but have flared again in recent months because of disputes over land.

The United Nations said earlier this year it would seek more than $1.5 billion to respond to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, warning the violence-torn country was at a "breaking point."

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Gunmen Attack on Burkina Faso Army HQ Killed 28 People - Security Forces

Sputnik News

13:37 02.03.2018(updated 21:20 02.03.2018)

A "terrorist attack" has hit Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou, France's ambassador to West Africa's Sahel region said after an explosion rocked the army headquarters there and witnesses reported seeing masked gunmen attack the building.

Eight terrorists that attacked Ouagadougou have been eliminated, seven members of Burkina security forces and about 30 civilians have been killed in attacks, according to AFP, citing three security sources.

"France's embassy and cultural institute in the Burkina Faso capital are no longer in danger," an aide to Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said.

The Special Forces are continuing operations, according to the government statement. Souro Sanou, an official at the hospital in the capital, said that several people have been wounded.

"The situation is under control at French diplomatic premises," in Burkina Faso's capital, which came under attack Friday, a French foreign ministry source said.

An armed attack is underway in downtown Ouagadougou near the prime minister's office and UN roundabout, says the Burkina Faso Police.

Burkina Faso police director general says capital is being attacked by suspected Islamic extremists. Gunshots have been intermittent and helicopters are now flying near the embassy.

The police said security units have been deployed to the scene and have urged people to stay away from the area.

Previously, the French Embassy in Burkina Faso had announced that it was under attack and was asking people to stay in their homes. Later the information was amended to say that it wasn't clear which locations were being targeted in the attack.

"Terrorist attack this morning in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: solidarity with colleagues and Burkinabe friends," Jean-Marc Chataigner wrote on Twitter, adding to avoid downtown Ouagadougou.

French President Macron is receiving updates on events in Burkina Faso, according to Elysee Palace.

The Embassy of Canada to Burkina Faso is also asking residents to stay away from the downtown area of the city.

"The US embassy in Burkina Faso has received reports about gunfire in downtown Ouagadougou. Avoid the area and search for a safe place to stay," the US embassy wrote on Twitter.

Information on the cause of the explosion and possible victims has not been provided.

Twitter users are posting that shots and explosions heard came from the area near the French Embassy and French institute.

Attention si vous etes a Ouagadougou ce matin. Des tirs et explosions entendus du cote de l'etat major proche de l'ambassade de France et institut francais #burkinafaso

According to witnesses, five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards French embassy. Others said there was an explosion near the Burkinabe military headquarters.

Islamist militants have gained a stronger foothold in Africa's vast Sahel region over the last few years, launching attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger.

Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people last August during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon to Pour Extra Money in Hypersonic Weapons as Putin Reveals New Arms

Sputnik News

12:34 02.03.2018(updated 13:27 02.03.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has received increased funds for the development of hypersonic weapons, the agency's director, Steven Walker, said amid Moscow's revelations about the creation and mass production of hypersonic weapons in Russia.

"We understand we are in competition with countries like Russia and China We did push for a comprehensive initiative in the budget process this fall  We did receive a budget increase at DARPA and some of the services to do more in hypersonics. I don't think we got all we wanted, but it was a good first step," Walker said at a meeting with the Defense Writers Group, an association of defense and national security correspondents, as quoted in a statement by the Pentagon press service published on Friday.

DARPA, the US Air Force, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been cooperating for years on this technology, the statement said.

Walker said he expected test flights of the new US hypersonic weapons to be held in 2019.

Reacting to Putin's Thursday's statements on the new invincible weapons that Russia had developed, Pentagon said it was not surprised by them.

The US State Department, in turn, claimed that Putin's statements confirmed that Moscow had been developing weapons in violation of its treaty obligations, including those under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov refuted Washington's accusations, saying that Putin's address concerned strategic armaments that are not subject to the limitations of the INF treaty.

Antonov also reiterated Moscow's stance that it considered US accusations of violating the INF and other weapons control treaties as groundless.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented new weapons systems

during his annual address to the parliament. Particularly, Putin said that Russia had created and started mass production of the hypersonic weapon Avangard, which is able of carrying out intercontinental flights at the hypersonic speed of Mach 20 and higher.

Putin also provided the details about a state-of-art Russian missile system with the heavy intercontinental missile Sarmat, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, including the hypersonic ones.

 Sputnik

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Chinese Firm, Manila Discuss 'Co-Ownership' Agreement Over South China Sea Oil

Sputnik News

03:40 02.03.2018(updated 03:44 02.03.2018)

The Filipino government has initiated discussions with a Chinese state-owned company to reach a joint agreement to conduct oil exploration and pumping in the disputed South China Sea.

According to the Philippines' President, Rodrigo Duterte, the proposal under discussion amounts to "co-ownership" of certain disputed areas, Channel News Asia reported Thursday.

Such mutually beneficial arrangements are better than the potential alternative scenario: the People's Liberation Army carrying out a "massacre" of Filipino troops, Duterte said.

"Now their [Beijing's] offer is joint exploration, which is like co-ownership. It's like the two of us would be the owners. I think that's better than fighting," Duterte was quoted as saying while on a visit to Marawi on Wednesday.

Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, gave some clarity Thursday about what Duterte meant by dealing with China. "We might enter into an agreement with a Chinese-owned corporation," Roque said, stressing, "not the Chinese state itself."

The name of the Chinese company has not been publicly revealed.

The details, such as which areas would fall under the agreement, when the deal might take effect and what amount of revenue might come out of the deal similarly remain unclear. Importantly, Roque noted the agreement is "likely to happen."

In January, Manila and Beijing agreed to form a panel that would discuss an agreement to work in concert on extracting oil reserves while sidestepping the issue of sovereignty. The joint agreement can be complex since it can be viewed as endorsing one or the other country's territorial claims.

For this reason, "we are not entering a sovereign agreement for exploration," Roque said. "It will be an agreement, if we do it, between two corporate entities."

Last July, Beijing vowed to strike Vietnamese targets if a joint Spanish-Vietnamese oil exploration project was not immediately called off. Hanoi eventually caved and ended to project.

If armed conflict were to break out in the South China Sea, the roughly $5 trillion worth of cargo passing through the strategic waterway would face significant risk of disruption.

 Sputnik

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US Carrier Group Headed to S. China Sea Waters Claimed by China

By Ralph Jennings March 02, 2018

A U.S. aircraft carrier group is preparing to sail through the contested South China Sea later this month, and observers expect an angry Beijing to register its opposition and quicken its militarization of small islands in the region.

The group of ships led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and guided missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy is plying the South China Sea after a mid-February port call in Manila where some of the 5,500 crew members offered humanitarian aid, the U.S. Navy said in a statement.

A U.S. Navy statement says the group came for, "promoting freedom of the seas and enhancing regional security," as well as working with allies in the region.

That's not the message likely to be received by Beijing, which regards about 90 percent of the 3.5 million-square-kilometer waterway as its own.

Those claims are disputed by five militarily weaker claimants: Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States does not claim territory in the region, but regularly patrols the waters to ensure that they remain open for commercial traffic.

"I think it's important to show to the world that the South China Sea is an international water, that it's not a private lake of China, and only the United States can challenge China or provide balance of power in the South China Sea," Philippine Congressman Gary Alejano said.

Chinese build-up

China has built up three features in the sea's Spratly Islands since 2013 to accommodate fighter planes and radar systems, one American think tank believes. It also controls the 130-feature Paracel Islands disputed by Vietnam.

The U.S. carrier group's visit may lead China to accelerate development or deploy fighter planes, some analysts believe.

U.S. maneuvers, which are taking place roughly once every two months under President Donald Trump, would spark a tightening of China's positions in the name of "defensive purposes," said Collin Koh, a maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

China will take on the U.S. naval group indirectly, predicted Euan Graham, international security director with the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

"What they're looking for is an excuse to ramp up the level of defense infrastructure on the features that it's built up and occupied since 2013," Graham said. "What they want I think is to derive the indirect benefit of characterizing the U.S. as provoking [them] into doing what they wanted to do all along."

The People's Liberation Army Air Force has the option of basing fighter planes on the larger Spratly Islands, where all other claimant governments have nearby holdings, analysts say.

However, maintenance of aircraft would cost a lot in utilities, said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan.

Other claimants cheer carrier visit

The USS Carl Vinson group is due to dock at Vietnam's port in Da Nang March 5-9 following an upbeat visit to Vietnam by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in January. The carrier will be the largest and most powerful U.S. military ship to reach a Vietnamese port, said Carl Thayer, emeritus professor with the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Vietnam is the most outspoken claimant against Chinese maritime expansion but has struggled for U.S. support because of their own war in the 1970s. Hanoi supports U.S. naval presence in the South China Sea to advance "regional peace and stability," Thayer said in a commentary February 22.

Southeast Asian countries as well as Taiwan have been pushing for more U.S. presence as China expands at sea, backed by the world's third strongest armed forces after the United States and Russia.

But Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam are working with both China and the United States to keep the peace as well as economic relations with two vital trade partners. Their support for the USS Carl Vinson will be muted, but excited, analysts say.

"Reactions from other claimants would be in favor or that presence except China," Huang said.

"I don't think there's a specific quarrel between Washington and Hanoi and even though [Philippines] President [Rodrigo] Duterte had expressed some kind of collaboration possibility with China, I think the Philippines in general would appreciate American strong presence."

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Al-Shabab Blamed in AU Ambush, Suspected in Attack on Somali Forces

By Mohamed Olad Hassan March 02, 2018

At least five African Union troops were killed in an ambush in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region Friday by al-Shabab militants, officials and security sources told VOA Somali.

The militant group also was suspected of carrying out a suicide bombing and related attack that left at least five Somali soldiers dead near a military base in Lower Shabelle, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

The ambush targeted Burundian soldiers escorting a convoy of trucks loaded with supplies near Balad, 30 kilometers north of Mogadishu.

A Somali military source, who requested anonymity, told VOA "at least five soldiers of the Burundi contingent ... have been killed and several others injured."

Burundian troops

Burundi's first vice president, Gaston Sindimwo, confirmed for VOA that at least five Burundi soldiers, serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), had been killed in the ambush.

Al-Shabab said it had killed more than 20 AU soldiers, but military officials said that figure was exaggerated.

It was not immediately clear whether the convoy was carrying AU military supplies or humanitarian aid.

Amateur video, disseminated through social media, showed abandoned trucks loaded with cartons burning in the road linking Mogadishu north to Jowhar, where the AU's Burundi troops have a base.

Residents in Qalimow village told VOA Somali that they saw al-Shabab fighters dragging the body of a foreign soldier.

Somali military officials said the Burundians were ambushed by heavily armed al-Shabab militants who were heading to attack Balad on Friday morning.

After ambushing the AU troops, the militants attacked and briefly took control of Balad.

Residents reported that the Somali and AMISOM troops remained in the southern corner of the town while militants advanced.

"They entered the town from three directions and took positions at the police headquarters and the district headquarters. They hoisted their black flag on top of some of the buildings," one witness said.

The insurgents later voluntarily withdrew as government soldiers and AMISOM troops sent reinforcements near the town.

Bombing at base

At least five soldiers and a suicide bomber were killed in two related incidents early Friday at the military base in Afgoye, Somali government and security officials said.

Somali authorities said the bomber rammed a minivan full of explosives into base's main gate. It was the second suicide strike against Somali security forces in 24 hours.

"The guards at the base prevented him from entering inside and he blew himself up at the gate, killing one soldier," said Abdifitah Haji Abdulle, deputy governor for the region. "The bomber and the soldier died on the spot."

Three other soldiers were injured in that attack, a police commander told local radio.

Then, a truck carrying the wounded soldiers from the military base struck a roadside bomb, according to security officials, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They said at least four more soldiers were killed and another two were injured. It was not clear whether any of those killed were among the initially injured.

Abdulle could not confirm the death toll but said the number was "quite significant."

Somali troops stationed at the base were trained by the United Arab Emirates.

On Thursday, at least two soldiers were killed and five other people wounded in an al-Shabab suicide car bomb attack at a checkpoint 15 kilometers outside Mogadishu.

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Thankfully, its been raining today, Thursday, March 1. And its expected to rain for several more days. We need it.

Earlier today, I sent an email to Betty Rhodes, our Senior Corner columnist, and I said, I hope youre enjoying this rainy weather. She replied: Im loving it! Ordinarily, Im strictly a sunshine gal, but oh boy, do we ever need this lovely wet stuff.

A few days ago, I was remembering the rainy Februaries that weve had  our weather records indicate that the driest February, 0.07 inches, was in 1953 and our wettest February was in 1986, when 25.60 inches of rain fell.

This year, an anemic 0.44 inches of rain fell in St. Helena in February.

Anyway, Im sure you may remember February 1986. From my newspaper job in Middletown, in Lake County, there were two big rainy Februaries: 1983 and 1986.

Im just going to talk about 1986. My wife Joni and I were living in Hidden Valley Lake and one of the largest rainstorms was on Presidents Day weekend. That was the only time when our two nieces, Amy and Lynnea Dabney, twins and both about 10 years old, came to visit. Joni drove her white 1967 Mustang down to Napa to get the twins from their parents and after picking them up, she ran out of gas on Silverado Trail.At Least 5 Somali Soldiers Killed in Related Attacks

By Mohamed Olad Hassan March 02, 2018

At least five soldiers and a suicide bomber were killed in two related incidents in Somalia early Friday, according to Somali government and security officials.

Somali authorities say the bomber rammed a minivan full of explosives into the main gate of a military base in the town of Afgoye, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the capital, Mogadishu. It was the second suicide strike against Somali security forces in 24 hours.

"The guards at the base prevented him from entering inside and he blew himself up at the gate, killing one soldier," said Abdifitah Haji Abdulle, deputy governor for the Lower Shabelle region. "The bomber and the soldier died on the spot."

Three other soldiers were injured in the initial attack, a police commander told local radio.

Later, a truck carrying the wounded soldiers from the military base struck a roadside bomb, according to security officials, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They said at least four more soldiers were killed and another two were injured. It was not clear whether any of those killed were among the initially injured.

Abdulle could not confirm the death toll, but said the number was "quite significant."

Somali troops stationed at the base were trained by the United Arab Emirates.

On Thursday, at least two soldiers were killed and five other people wounded in an al-Shabab suicide car bomb attack at a checkpoint 15 kilometers outside Mogadishu.

Second attack Friday

In another attack Friday, heavily armed militants briefly took control of Bal'ad, a town about 30 kilometers from Mogadishu.

Residents said they saw militants enter early Friday after forcing Somali government soldiers to withdraw.

Residents reported that the Somali troops, along with troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), remained in the southern corner of the town while militants advanced.

"They entered the town from three directions and took positions at the police headquarters and the district headquarters. They hoisted their black flag on top of some of the buildings," one witness said.

The insurgents later voluntarily withdrew as government soldiers and troops from AMISOM sent reinforcements near the town.

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IOM: Boko Haram Kills Aid Workers, Police in Nigeria

By Lisa Schlein March 02, 2018

Aid workers and police were killed in an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on a military base in northeastern Nigeria, the U.N. migration agency says.

An investigation into the attack is under way. According to the agency, Boko Haram insurgents armed with automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and gun trucks attacked the military base in Rann, in Borno State.

Joel Millman, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration, said that staff at a camp for internally displaced people in the area reported the deaths of four soldiers, four mobile police and three humanitarian workers. Reportedly, another three humanitarian workers were injured and one is missing.

The attack follows the kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls by Boko Haram on February 19.

Millman says aid workers encounter many dangers as part of their daily lives. Earlier in the week, he noted, a U.N. children's fund aid worker and five educators were killed by unknown assailants in the Central African Republic.

He says the IOM has experienced kidnappings and other dangerous incidents, but the killings in Nigeria by Boko Haram are the first deaths this year among IOM staff.

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Germany cyber attack claim against Russia 'baseless': Peskov

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 05:26PM

The Kremlin has rejected allegations by German officials of Russia hacking into Germany's cyber system.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was being unjustly blamed for the cyber attacks.

The chairman of Germany's parliamentary committee on intelligence issues, Armin Schuster, said on Thursday that the government's computer systems had been targeted by an ongoing cyber attack.

German news agencies cited local security sources claiming that a Russian hacker group linked to the Kremlin named "APT28" had launched the attack on German government computer systems. APT28, also known by other names including "Sofacy" and "Fancy Bear," was also accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election in the United States.

"We note with regret that any hacking attacks in the world are associated with Russian hackers but that each time they (the allegations) are made without any tangible proof," Peskov said during a news briefing in Moscow on Friday.

This is not the first time the Kremlin rejected such "baseless allegations."

The Kremlin had previously rejected accusations by Germany's domestic intelligence agency claiming that Russia was behind a series of cyber attacks in 2015 on German state computer systems.

Hacking 'hysteria'

Russian officials have repeatedly said that the United States is trying to frame Russia as a sponsor of computer hackers and IT specialists hired to meddle in the political affairs of other countries.

The US "started this hysteria, saying that this (hacking) is in Russia's interests. But this has nothing to do with Russia's interests," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 2016.

US President Donald Trump has spoken against this hysteria, describing efforts to link his 2016 presidential election campaign to Russian hackers as a "witch hunt."

"This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history," he tweeted on May 18, 2017.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed any collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin despite Special Counsel Robert Mueller filing criminal charges against Russians believed to have clandestinely worked to influence the outcome of the election.

Even after 13 Russians and three Russian companies were charged with conspiracy to meddle in the 2016 election, Trump denied that his campaign colluded with Russia.

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Suspected Russian Cyberattack In Germany Called 'Serious,' 'Damaging'

RFE/RL March 02, 2018

A major cyberattack on the German government reported this week has been "serious," "damaging," and is still going on, German legislators and officials said.

The comments at an emergency meeting of the Bundestag's parliamentary control committee on March 1 in Berlin appeared to contradict earlier government assurances that the security breach had been "isolated and brought under control."

"The security breach in itself is considerably damaging" and "ongoing," said Armin Schuster, chairman of a parliamentary intelligence control panel whose job it is to monitor the activities of the security services, although he said it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage.

"Public discussion about details would simply be a warning to the attackers that we do not want to give," Schuster said.

Outgoing Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere called the cyberattack "technically sophisticated" and a "serious act" that he said had been planned for a long time.

German media, citing anonymous officials and documents, reported on March 1 that the hack appears to have originated from the Russian hacking group known as "Snake" or "Turla," which has been active since 2005.

Earlier reports had blamed the notorious Russian hacking group known as "Fancy Bear" or "APT28," which some believe has connections to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency and was accused of attacks on U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.

There has been no official confirmation of the identity of the perpetrators, and some legislators have suggested that hackers who are deliberately copying Fancy Bear's tactics might be the culprits.

Security sources told the German dpa news agency that the attack was apparently in progress by the end of 2016.

"It confirms what we've long known and said," De Maiziere said. "Various parties with different motives endanger our cybersecurity."

While the attack continues, De Maiziere repeated the government's assertion that it has been brought under control. "The current situation proves that our security services have worked successfully," he said.

He said that the attack is the work of highly professional hackers, who are currently being monitored by the security services in order to glean further information about the method of attack and motive, so that security precautions can be introduced to the government network.

"These [security] measures have not yet been finalized," De Maiziere said.

Security services were told in December by a partner agency that the German network had been the victim of a cyberattack, dpa reported.

IT experts observed the attackers hacking into a Foreign Ministry document that concerned Russia and Eastern Europe, it said.

The deputy chairman of the parliamentary control panel, Konstantin von Notz of the Green Party, said there were good reasons why the government had "guarded very closely" certain information about the attack in previous weeks.

But he said it was unacceptable that the panel first heard about the attack through the media, calling it a "substantial problem" that needs to be cleared up.

Panel member Andre Hahn of the left-wing party Die Linke said he had the impression that the government and security services had sought to play down the attack.

"I fear that more will come to light in the coming weeks," he said.

Germany's Bundestag came under a major cyberattack in 2015 that was widely blamed on Fancy Bear. Fears that information gleaned from the attack would be leaked to influence last year's German election never materialized, however.

With reporting by dpa and The Guardian

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/suspected-russian-cyberattack-german- called-serious-damaging-still-ongoing/29072210.html

Copyright (c) 2018. 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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Xi: Reform needed for prosperity

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 09:01, March 02, 2018

Non-Communist parties urged to fully participate in two sessions

Deepening reform of Party and State institutions has great significance for the completion of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and national rejuvenation, General Secretary Xi Jinping said.

Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark while meeting with representatives of non-Communist parties. The CPC Central Committee has held two meetings with non-Communist parties, on Feb 6 and on Wednesday.

During the meetings, the CPC Central Committee discussed its decision and plan for deepening reform of Party and State institutions as well as the lists of candidates for State leaders and leaders for the top political advisory body. The two lists will be recommended to the top legislature and the top political advisory body during their annual sessions starting Saturday.

In his speech, Xi said that the Party and State institutions should be reformed continuously along with economic development, social progress and the improvement of the people's livelihoods. Reform will not reach a point in which it is finished, but should be adjusted from time to time, Xi said.

Xi stressed that reform will improve the system of the Party's leadership over major works, coordinate the adjustment of Party and government institutions, and push reform of the Party's disciplinary system and the State's supervision system.

Reform will properly set the functions of the macro administration agencies, delegate administrative power to lower-level institutions, improve market supervision and law-enforcement systems, and improve the efficiency of governance, Xi said.

Reform will improve the adjustment of Party and government institutions, and the people's congress, political advisory body and judicial authorities will be further reformed, Xi said.

Reform will grant institutions at lower than provincial level more power to build an efficient grassroots administrative system, Xi said.

It also will lead to laws and regulations on the staffing of institutions and better define the functions, powers, responsibilities and operations of such institutions, Xi said.

Xi said that institutional reform is an important part of implementing the spirit of the CPC's 19th National Congress and an important task to uphold and improve the Party's leadership, improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, and push the modernization of the governance system and capacity.

It will be an important task for the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee to elect State leaders and the leaders of the CPPCC National Committee during their annual sessions, Xi said.

The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to personnel reshuffling in State institutions and the top political advisory body, Xi said, adding that the CPC Central Committee has deliberated and collected opinions on the issue.

After rounds of selection and consideration, the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and its Standing Committee have discussed and raised the lists of proposed State leaders and leaders of the CPPCC, and the lists have been reviewed at the Third Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, Xi said.

Xi said that he hoped the non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliation will unite their thoughts and actions with the decisions made by the CPC Central Committee to deepen reform.

Xi called on them to support the reform, make suggestions, coordinate relations and reach greater consensus to push the deepening of reform.

The non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and those without party affiliation should participate in the two sessions with full political enthusiasm, guide the NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members of their parties to fulfill their duties, and spread positive energy, thus ensuring the smooth completion of all the tasks of the two sessions, Xi said.

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DPRK refutes U.S. accusation of producing chemical weapons with Syria

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:28, March 02, 2018

PYONGYANG, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday slammed U.S. accusation regarding "a theory of cooperation of manufacturing chemical weapons" between the DPRK and Syria.

The U.S. accusation is "preposterous fabrication," director of the Press of the Institute for American Studies, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, said Thursday night in a statement, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"It is well-known to the world that the United States has fabricated at its will a sophistry, only to have used it as an excuse to stage an aggression against a sovereign state," said the statement.

When civilians in the region of eastern Syria were said to be subjected to "the use of chemical weapons," the United States "set in motion its government patronized-machine" to assert itself that this cooperation is reflected in the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee Report, said the KCNA.

Calling the move "a mean trick to fan an atmosphere of sanctions against the DPRK and enforce a full-scale sea blockade" against Pyongyang, the statement said the DPRK does not have "a single record of developing, producing and stockpiling a chemical weapon" and is opposed to chemical weapon itself.

The statement also called on the international community to be aware that the United States is "none other than the first user of chemical weapons in the world" and "a criminal state of having massacred 50,000 innocent people in the northern half of the DPRK by using bio-chemical weapons on a large scale during the Korean War of 1950s."

"It (the United States) is a cancer of global peace as a biggest supplier of weapons in the world," said the statement.

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North Korea rejects chemical links to Syria as 'mean US trick'

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 08:45AM

North Korea has dismissed reports of its cooperation with Syria over chemical weapons, saying such claims are mere US fabrications meant to put more pressure on Pyongyang and justify the American military intervention in Syria.

"As we have clearly said several times, our republic does not develop, produce, and stockpile chemical weapons and opposes chemical weapons themselves," the state-run television KRT cited a spokesman at the North Korean Foreign Ministry's research institute of American studies as saying Friday.

Western media outlets have recently cited a confidential United Nations report as alleging that North Korea has been shipping supplies to the Syrian government "that could be used in the production of chemical weapons."

The report claims that two North Korean shipments to a Syrian government agency have been intercepted in the past six months.

North Korea has been the target of harsh US and international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, which it views a deterrent against a possible foreign aggression amid increasing US military buildup in South Korea.

The North Korean official added that Washington had "incited the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee to fabricate the theory of cooperation between us and Syria."

"This is only a mean trick to create an atmosphere of sanctions against our republic and enforce a full-scale sea blockade by railing at us as a state of 'possession and proliferation of chemical weapons' and to justify its military invasion into Syria," the source added.

Damascus has stiffly rejected ever using such weapons against a torrent of accusations by some Western governments and media sources.

The report comes amid a Western push to pin an alleged chemical attacks in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta on the Syrian government.

The foreign-backed militants have been using Eastern Ghouta to launch deadly attacks on the Syrian capital, prompting the Syrian army, backed by Russian air force, to step up their counter-terrorism operations in the area.

Damascus and Moscow has warned of an imminent chemical attack by the militants, who are blocking the exit of civilians through the humanitarian corridor set up by the Damascus government.

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India Becomes Sole Global Producer of AH-64 Apache Fuselage

Sputnik News

08:31 02.03.2018

A facility in the southern city of Hyderabad expects to deliver the first fuselage in 2018. It will also produce secondary structures and vertical spar boxes for the Apache multi-role combat helicopters.

New Delhi (Sputnik)  In what could propel Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign, India's southern city of Hyderabad has become the sole global hub for the production of fuselages for Boeing's AH-64 Apache helicopter which has customers all over the world, including the US Army. The state-of-the-art production facility for such fuselages was inaugurated by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Hyderabad on Thursday.

"The manufacturing of advanced defense platforms and the integration with the complex global supply chain will help our aerospace industry acquire technology, build local capability, provide employment and become a global exporter," Nirmala Sitharaman said at the occasion.

The facility was jointly created by Tata Boeing Aerospace (TBAL), a joint venture between Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) in the 14,000-square meter space that employs 350 highly skilled workers.

"With the streamlining of the export regulation process under the Strategy for Defense Exports (SDE) of the Government of India, and with established capabilities and demonstrated deliveries, we are poised to emerge as a supplier of choice for global OEMs," Banmali Agrawala, president of infrastructure, defense and aerospace at Tata Sons said in a statement on Thursday.

Construction of the manufacturing facility began in 2016 and was completed on schedule. "The auditors from the US mentioned that it is zero defect facility which you attribute normally to robotics. This facility shows that it is achievable even with a high degree of the human element," Sitharaman added.

Presently, over 2,300 Boeing-made Apache helicopters are in operation in at least 16 countries including India. The Indian Ministry of Defense had finalized an order with Boeing for 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters in September 2015, the deliveries for which are scheduled to begin in 2019.

 Sputnik

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Israeli police question Netanyahu, wife in telecommunications graft case

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 03:21PM

Israeli police investigators have questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara for the first time as part of an investigation into a corruption case involving Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq.

Police investigators entered Netanyahu's residence in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds on Friday morning, while his spouse was interrogated in the city of Lod southeast of Tel Aviv.

It's the first time that Netanyahu, whose four-term prime minister's political survival is greatly at risk over corruption and bribery probes, is being questioned over the affair, known as Case 4000.

Israeli police assert that Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch had instructed the Walla news website, which is fully owned by the telecom company, to provide favorable coverage of Netanyahu and his wife in return for favors from communications regulators. The company has denied wrongdoing.

Elovitch, his wife and two senior Netanyahu associates were recently arrested as part of the ongoing probe.

Meanwhile, protesters gathered outside Netanyahu's residence, demanding his resignation.

"We want to see Netanyahu go to trial and, if needed, go to jail or go home. Let our people go free from all the corruption surrounding the administration and the head of it," Shimrit Orr, a 72-year-old writer from Tel Aviv, said.

Some drivers touted their horns in support as they drove by.

"A prime minister under investigation cannot, and may not, take crucial decisions," Shuki Cohen, a 63-year-old economist from Moshav Arugot, said.

Israeli police investigators have also been grilling Netanyahu for corruption over his involvement in cases 1000 and 2000.

Case 1000 revolves around alleged illicit gifts given to Netanyahu and his family by different businessmen, most notably the Israeli-born Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan.

The Israeli prime minister and his wife, Sara, have denied wrongdoing in the case, claiming that the value of the items was significantly lower than reported, and that they were only "trifles" exchanged between close friends.

Case 2000 focuses on an alleged clandestine deal made between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher and owner Arnon "Noni" Mozes, in which the 68-year-old chairman of the Likud party promised Mozes he would support a bill to reduce the circulation of Yedioth's main commercial rival, the Hebrew-language freebie Israel Hayom, in exchange for favorable coverage of himself in Yedioth.

Reports emerged recently that the president of the World Jewish Congress and Netanyahu's long-time ally, Ronald Lauder, had given the premier and his son gifts, including expensive suits. The accounts prompted Israeli police to interrogate the prime minister.

Netanyahu is currently under probe over suspicions that he accepted 1 million euros (about $1.1 million) from accused French fraudster Arnaud Mimran for campaign funds during the 2009 elections.

There are also calls for Netanyahu to be investigated for his role in a billion-dollar deal to purchase three submarines from German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH.

Netanyahu's personal lawyer and one of his closest confidants, David Shimron, reportedly represented the German company behind the submarine contract.

The Israeli prime minister, in an apparently unrelated case, is also subjected to accusations that he and his spouse misappropriated public funds to pay for private expenses, ranging from laundry to ice cream.

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Japan May Buy US F-35B Jets For Its First Aircraft Carrier - Defense Minister

Sputnik News

13:38 02.03.2018(updated 13:42 02.03.2018)

Japanese media reported earlier that the Defense Ministry had been redesigning its helicopter carrier into the country's first aircraft carrier, capable of accommodating US F-35B aircraft.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense is considering purchasing US F-35B fighter jets to deploy on the country's JS Izumo helicopter carrier, Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera said Friday during hearings of the budget commission of the House of Councillors.

"The ministry is studying whether F-35B fighter jets can use the deck of JS Izumo," Onodera said, adding that no decision on the issue has been concluded yet.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also took part in the hearings, said that the government wasn't considering the issue of remodeling the country's helicopter carrier into aircraft carriers, but noted that it was "necessary to search for an increase in the effectiveness of marine aviation, regarding both  the current capabilities and the purchase of new technologies."

According to earlier media reports, Japan was considering the creation of the country's first aircraft carriers on the base of JS Izumo helicopter carrier. The spendings on the project will be included in the country's 2019 defense budget, while the vessel will be put into operation in 2020.

JS Izumo, as well as another Japanese helicopter carrier the JS Kaga, are already primed for F-35B operations, even though the country still hasn't decided on the purchase of the jets. A Japanese official recently confirmed that the purchase of 25 F-35As  the jet's traditional runway variant  is in the pipeline but a decision on F-35B aircraft has not been reached yet.

 Sputnik

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In early 2010s the successes in Russian military buildup triggered an euphoria. It was characterized by calls to resume the production of missile-carrying trains, sea skimmers, air-cushioned ships and total upgrade of the fleet inherited from the USSR. However, it should be admitted now that the program had failed, expert Alexander Shishkin writes in the Vzglyad business newspaper.

Russian Navy submarine Omsk (K-186), a Project 949A SSGN (NATO designation: Oscar II), with all missile hatches opened. The class is being modified to launch Kalibr SLCM. Picture via airbase.ru

A technical project was approved in 2012 to increase the firepower of nuclear cruise missile submarines (SSGN) of project 949A three-fold by replacing Granit missiles with Onix and Kalibr. Some reports said all the five submarines of the Pacific fleet had to be upgraded. In 2013 Zvezda shipyard began modernizing the Irkutsk, next year the Chelyabinsk arrived and the Tver had to become the third submarine.

The plans were even bigger for SSN of project 971. The whole series of ten submarines was to be upgraded. In 2011 the Leopard arrived at Zvyozdochka shipyard to become the lead boat of project 971M. The modernization was to last three years. Although the Leopard upgrade was delayed at the end of 2013, the Volk, the Samara, the Bratsk U-boats arrived at the shipyard in 2014.

The Russian Navy Slava-class cruiser Marshal Ustinov arriving at its Northern Fleet Base of Severomorsk following its modernization. 2017 Picture by Oleg Kuleshov

The situation with surface warships was also inspiring. The Zvyozdochka accepted for interim overhaul the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser of project 1164 which had to return to the fleet in 2014 followed by the upgrade of the Moskva and the Varyag cruisers. In 2013 a contract was signed with Sevmash shipyard for interim overhaul repairs and modernization of the Admiral Nakhimov heavy nuclear missile cruiser up to project 11442M which was one of the two cruisers suitable for upgrade. The work had to be completed in 2018. In 2013 the 35th shipyard in Murmansk began interim overhaul (up to 2016) of the Admiral Chabanenko big antisubmarine warfare ship. It was planned to overhaul all the seven destroyers of project 956 and upgrade all the eight big antisubmarine ships of project 1155.



It became clear late last year that the concept of "a new warship in the old hull" which boiled down to a quick and cheap renewal of the fleet by interim overhaul and modernization of Soviet projects failed completely.

The transfer of the Irkutsk to the fleet (and consequently of the Chelyabinsk) was delayed by four years - from 2017 to 2021 and the overhaul time upped to eight years (the submarine construction took twice less time). The statement of the defense ministry that 2021 is a realistic deadline for the fleet to get all the four submarines back is dubious provided the upgrades of the Tver and the Tomsk have not yet begun.

The situation with SSN of project 971M is also a plight. The number of submarines in the series was first cut to six and then to four. The Leopard return to the fleet was postponed from 2015 to 2019, but a source at Zvyozdochka said the four-year delay is too optimistic. If the work at three other submarines accelerates 1.5-2-fold the fleet will get the final 971M in 2023-2024 together with the last SSGN of project 885M or even after them which makes SSN modernization senseless and inappropriate.

Project 11442 heavy nuclear-powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov is being upgraded to the Project 11442M configuration. 2017 picture by Oleg Kuleshov

As for surface warships, the Nakhimov modernization was delayed from 2018 to 2021-2022 and the overhaul risks extending beyond the benchmark of 7.5 years while it took six years to build the cruiser. The Moskva missile cruiser has been docked for over two years. If Sevastopol shipyard accepts it for overhaul this year, the Moskva would stand idle for at least eight years.



Delays and unexpected modernization plans will make the Chebanenko leave the shipyard not earlier than 2022-2023 and its idle time will be close to 13 years. Three out of seven project 956 destroyers will likely remain and only one is undergoing interim overhaul. Only the Tributs has been overhauled with minimal upgrade out of eight big antisubmarine warfare ships and now the work is ongoing on the Shaposhnikov which is to become the lead ship of project 1155M but not earlier than in 2019.



The systemic crisis with interim overhaul is incomplete without the Vepr SSN of project 971, the Tambov of project 671RTMK, the Alrosa diesel-electric submarine of project 877 and the Neustrashimy frigate of project 11540. They are all overhauled without major modernization and the result is not inspiring. Nuclear submarines are due to leave Nerpa shipyard in 6-7.5 years after the beginning of the overhaul with a 4-6-year delay. If a miracle happens and the Alrosa is commissioned this year, the overhaul at the 13th shipyard would last 4-4.5 years since the U-boat arrived there.

The Neustrashimy will leave Yantar shipyard in 2019 instead of 2015 and the overhaul will last six years (it was built in less than four years).

Russian Navy Northern Fleets K-157 Project 971 nuclear-powered submarine Vepr. Picture by Ilya Kurganov

It would be appropriate to drop the traditionally cited reasons for the crisis in Russian military shipbuilding which are a lack of personnel, cooperation and finances. It is not the end of the 1990s or the beginning of the 2000s. The bottom of the crisis has been passed. The United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) has been operating for ten years "to preserve and develop the scientific and production potential of the defense industry, pull intellectual, production and financial resources in the shipbuilding for the Navy." If they still do not know the reasons for the problems, they should blame the USC leadership and its shipyards.



Lets consider three other reasons for the shipbuilding plight. Even Soviet authorities which were known for their voluntarism consulted the interested parties before making decisions in the sphere of military buildup. Today the arms programs are thoroughly agreed with all participants. Nevertheless, inaction and negligence of some contractors delay and collapse the agreed and adopted programs. An example is offered by nuclear submarines of project 971M.



There is no doubt that the decision on a deep upgrade of project 971 SSN was adopted collectively by the Defense Ministry, the Navy, the USC, the Malakhit Design Bureau and Zvyozdochka shipyard. They agreed the schedule of the work for one boat "at close to three years". There are no claims to the Navy and designers, but Malakhit could hardly know the capacity of the shipyard in detail. But Zvyozdochka leadership was well aware of it and its consent means either incompetence or roguery (decreasing the real time two-three-fold in order to get a lucrative contract).

 Copyright 2018 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Myanmar defends military build-up at Bangladesh border

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 09:26AM

Myanmar has defended its military build-up near the border with Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees have sheltered after fleeing a brutal military crackdown on their community.

On Thursday, Myanmar sent some 200 of its armed soldiers and police to a border zone with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh immediately reacted to the move by summoning Myanmar's envoy and calling for the "pullback of Myanmar security forces along with military assets from the area."

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay, however, said the military build-up "was not aimed at antagonizing Bangladesh."

"We acted this way based on the information we got regarding terrorism," Zaw claimed on Friday.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have escaped to neighboring Bangladesh since August last year, when the Myanmarese military intensified its crackdown against the community. About 5,300 people had also been staying in a makeshift camp on the border line.

In recent weeks, Myanmar has increased pressure on them to leave the no man's land strip across the border.

Myanmarese soldiers, according to Bangladeshi border guards and refugees, used loudspeakers to tell the refugees to leave the area. They also fired one round of gunshot on Thursday evening to scare the refugees living along the border strip.

"It looks like they attempted to push the Rohingya people on the zero line to Bangladesh," senior Bangladesh border guard official Major Iqbal Ahmed told Reuters.

Myanmar signed a deal with Bangladesh in January to repatriate the Rohingya people. The process, however, has so far been delayed due to lack of preparations and protests by the refugees, who refuse to return to Myanmar without guarantees of basic safety and citizenship.

Many of those who have fled have recounted harrowing accounts of rape, murder, and arson at the hands of Myanmar's force. Myanmar refuses to grant citizenship to the Muslim minority community.

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Goodbye Arms Control, Hello Arms Race? Putin's New Weapons, And U.S. Policy Shifts, Stoking New Arsenal Buildup

Mike Eckel March 01, 2018

WASHINGTON -- If it hasn't started already, then a new arms race is almost certainly about to get under way, arms-control experts and analysts warn.

With his announcement that Russia has developed new strategic weapons, including a nuclear-powered missile that he said can fly indefinitely and evade U.S. missile defenses, President Vladimir Putin grabbed the attention of policymakers, military experts, and legislators from Washington to Berlin.

He made clear that was the intention and laid the blame on a 16-year-old grievance over a collapsed arms control treaty with the United States.

"Nobody listened to us then," Putin said in his March 1 live televised speech before hundreds of lawmakers and other officials. "Well, listen up now."

Moscow and Washington, which combined hold some 93 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, have both made clear shifts in policy regarding their arsenals.

"We've really seen an about-face, particularly in the last 10 years, where the arms-control regime that we inherited from the Cold War is under severe stress," John Baker, an analyst and strategist with the Ploughshares Fund, a disarmament advocacy group, told RFE/RL.

"We're at the beginning of a new arms race," he warned.

'We Are Just Now Waking Up'

Putin boasted of nuclear-capable weapons in service and in development that include an underwater drone and a low-flying cruise missile, both of which were showcased in his nearly two-hour speech to lawmakers and other senior officials, complete with a montage of computer animation and launch footage.

But Matthew Kroenig, a professor at Georgetown University and author of the book The Logic Of American Nuclear Strategy, suggested the United States and Russia were already well into an arms race, whether or not Washington was aware of it.

"Russia has been in an arms race with the United States for the past decade, and we are just now waking up to that fact. So we may be entering a new arms race, but that is not the worst possible outcome," Kroenig said. "The worst outcome is doing nothing as an enemy builds weapons to engage in aggression against you and your allies."

Some analysts cast doubt on even whether the weapons were operational. At least one U.S. news report cited unnamed intelligence officials as saying a test model had even crashed recently in the Arctic.

"It looks like they tested the thing. It's likely that the concept worked, but it is not clear how close it is to an actual [militarily useful] weapon," Pavel Podvig, a Swiss-based researcher of Russian weaponry, told RFE/RL by e-mail.

Stephen Schwartz, an analyst and author of the book The Costs And Consequences Of U.S. Nuclear Weapons, said the design of the nuclear-powered cruise missile echoed a U.S. weapon tested in the 1950s and 1960s, with a nuclear "ramjet" engine.

"It was an especially nasty concept. The reactor was unshielded, emitting dangerous levels of gamma and neutron radiation. And as it flew, it would spew radioactive fission fragments in its exhaust, including over allies en route to the U.S.S.R.," he said.

Podvig, meanwhile, cautioned against drawing parallels with the weapons buildup that defined the U.S.-Soviet relationship in the late 1950s or the '80s.

"It's not an arms race in the sense that it's not upsetting any balance and will not drive quantitative increases in the number of missiles or warheads. But these systems will definitely complicate the situation and will make it more accident prone. They are also rather difficult to bring into the arms-control framework," he told RFE/RL.

"I guess we will have to go through a period when people have to realize that things are getting dangerous to take actions. So, I hope we will get through this in the long run, but it is going to get worse in the short term."

A grievance that Putin explicitly mentioned in his speech -- and one that the new missile appears aimed at -- is the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, which curtailed the ability of Moscow and Washington to develop missile-defense systems. The 1972 treaty was one of the most important Cold War agreements because missile defense was believed to be destabilizing in how the two countries calculated nuclear strategies.

In 2002, then-President George W. Bush pulled out of the treaty unilaterally. Putin complained at the time that the decision was "erroneous" but said there was little Moscow could do.

Since then, U.S. engineers have pushed forward with antimissile systems like the Aegis, angering Moscow by placing elements of that system in Eastern Europe. U.S. President Donald Trump has called for $12.9 billion for missile-defense programs in his 2019 budget.

The Aegis systems, which U.S. officials have insisted would be ineffective against Russia's huge and sophisticated arsenal, is one of the issues Russia has cited for the near collapse of another Cold War agreement: the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

Russia has deployed a missile in direct violation of the treaty, U.S. officials assert. That has led to calls by a growing number of Republican lawmakers, and a line-item in the U.S. defense budget, for developing a new U.S. cruise missile.

'Destabilizing And Unnecessary Path'

In his State Of The Union speech in January, Trump called on Congress to "modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal."

"Putin described the rationale for the new weapons largely in terms of broken U.S. promises on arms control and paranoia about U.S. missile-defense systems," said Kingston Reif, an analyst at the Arms Control Association.

"Russia and the United States are heading down a destabilizing and unnecessary path," he warned.

Putin also cited Trump's recently unveiled U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, a policy document laying out how and when Washington will use nuclear weapons. The review appears to loosen guidelines for their usage, including by deploying low-yield nuclear weapons for limited strikes.

"We will interpret any use of nuclear weapons against Russia and its allies no matter how powerful they are, of low, medium or any other yield, as a nuclear attack," Putin said. "It will trigger an immediate answer with all the consequences stemming from it.

The other core arms treaty governing U.S.-Russian arsenals is known as New START, which, notably, was signed in 2010 by Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, and Putin protege Dmitry Medvedev.

Earlier this month, both countries announced they had met the treaty's obligations to cut their arsenals.

But the treaty also expires in 2021. And growing anger in Congress about Kremlin policies in Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, combined with Trump's own apparent embrace of U.S. weapons, means fears are growing that the treaty will expire, removing any restraints on weaponry.

In a new paper published by the Arms Control Association and released before Putin's announcement, Madelyn Creedon, a former top administrator with the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, had one conclusion to draw from the ongoing policy shift.

"In short, prepare for a new arms race," she said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-arms-race-united-states- new-weapons-arsenal-buildup/29071540.html

Copyright (c) 2018. 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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Q&A: Arms Expert Says Putin's Weapons Boasts Look Like 'Overkill'

Pete Baumgartner March 01, 2018

President Vladimir Putin used a speech before lawmakers and other Russian officials on March 1 to accuse the international community of attempting "to contain Russia" and vowed that a new generation of strategic, homegrown, nuclear-capable weapons would compel the international community "to listen to us now."

Questions emerged quickly about the capabilities and preparedness of Russia to deploy the array of nuclear-powered, hypersonic, and underwater weapons he described, despite his assurance that it was "no bluff."

RFE/RL talked to Ian Williams, an associate fellow and associate director in the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) International Security Program who focuses on missile defense and strategic forces and deterrence, about whether Putin might have broken new strategic ground or put the United States on the defensive.

RFE/RL: What are you first impressions of Putin's speech today?

Ian Williams: It follows a long pattern, I think, of Russians' professed attitude towards what the U.S. is doing. Particularly the Putin regime attitude that the United States is trying to encircle them and trying to negate their strategic-deterrent force through missile defenses and a variety of other deployments. I think this is in some ways a culmination of that paranoia and fear.

I do think again, and it's somewhat unjustified -- I think their opinion of the capabilities of U.S. missile defenses is much greater than they actually are. We look at our missile defenses -- we really think of them as being defenses against much lower-tier threats like North Korea, Iran -- countries with less-sophisticated and smaller missile capabilities. We have nowhere near the capability to even put a dent in Russia's strategic deterrent with our [currently] deployed interceptors.

So, the new technologies and the new missiles they are deploying are really just piling on to an already very capable strategic deterrent.

RFE/RL: Was there anything that surprised you from the various missile and weapons programs that were announced today? Something that you hadn't heard about before?

Williams: I think the nuclear-powered cruise missile is the one that is getting the most attention. I was a little shocked when they said "nuclear powered." I thought they meant nuclear tipped, and then realized...they actually are talking about a nuclear-fueled cruise missile. It's actually not new technology, per se, the United States actually experimented with nuclear-powered missiles back in the 1960s...and it worked, but ultimately the intercontinental-ballistic missile...that technology became more attainable and was seen as being more practical and so we gave up on the long-range intercontinental cruise missile idea, but it is something that it looks like Russia has revived and brought back, which is quite interesting.

RFE/RL: I don't know if you've seen, but just a few minutes ago there have been reports that the Russians have twice tested this new nuclear-powered ballistic missile in the Arctic and they were unsuccessful and the missiles crashed.

Williams: That does confirm one of the concerns that I have when I first learned about the concept of a nuclear-powered missile. We have these nuclear reactors on a lot of military things, mostly ships and submarines. And you know there is enough danger having them on those -- there's been...eight or nine nuclear-powered submarines that have sunk over the years and these things are sitting at the bottom of the ocean. If you start having these things flying around, you can imagine the danger of nuclear material being spread and the risk of accidents.

RFE/RL: Do you think the U.S. military was surprised today by anything that it heard from Putin?

Williams: It's hard to know what the Pentagon knows, but it certainly was a surprise to us in the open-source community. It's possible they have intelligence on this beforehand so were not surprised. I think perhaps the tone of it and how they have rolled these things out. This is almost a kind of North Korean way of announcing a new weapons system. They had big fanfare about it. It's not typically something Russia does.

I would imagine it certainly is a concern over at the Pentagon, these new kinds of technology. It doesn't fundamentally shift too much -- we're currently very vulnerable to Russian cruise missiles. You know the big distinction between a cruise missile and a ballistic missile is that a ballistic missile flies very high, it flies into space, sort of on an arc; a cruise missile flies more like an airplane. It flies flat, along the curve of the Earth; they fly very low. They are both interceptable by missile defenses, but they are a slightly different challenge.

With ballistic missiles, the challenge is hitting them because they are moving so fast. With cruise missiles, the challenge is seeing them coming because they fly so low and often times below radars and so you need some other kind of sensor to see them coming. Once you do see them coming, they are fairly easy to hit because they are just like shooting down an airplane.

So the fact that this is a nuclear-powered cruise missile means that it has an almost unlimited range -- you could have it flying around for long periods of time before you order it to hit something, which would be new. [But] I wouldn't say this makes it impossible to shoot them down. We certainly don't have the infrastructure in place to detect cruise missiles right now. We're really geared toward ballistic missiles. But we certainly could, I think, craft a cruise-missile defense system for the U.S. homeland.

RFE/RL: So when Putin says that some of these weapons he announced today will render missile defense useless, does that ring true to you?

Williams: It rings true in the sense that our ballistic-missile defense systems would not be of use. So these 44 interceptors that we have deployed in Alaska defending the United States against ballistic missiles, you know, these high-flying missiles that can fly through space. The kind of missile defenses that we have in Europe, so these facilities that we have in Poland and in Romania, these systems cannot intercept missiles in the atmosphere. They only work in space.

So, from that perspective, yes, these new Russian cruise missiles would render [them so that they]...would not be useful against a cruise missile.

RFE/RL: There's a meme going around on Twitter earlier today that said Putin was engaging in "nuclear trolling." Does that sound accurate?

Williams: By trolling, do you mean that he's perhaps faking it?

RFE/RL: Well, that he's kind of giving it to the [United States]...

Williams: I think they likely have developed this technology, so I think the fact that he wants to rub our faces in it is no surprise. That's kind of how he operates. I think he relishes any opportunity to do that, to appear to have a technological leg up on the United States. I think he certainly relishes in that.

RFE/RL: He said there's no equivalent in the West to all these weapons. Does that sound right?

Williams: Well, we don't have a nuclear-powered cruise missile. We do have a lot of cruise missiles that are very accurate and can do a lot of interesting things. You know, you have things like the Tomahawk Block IV, which is the latest Tomahawk that we're deploying. It has the ability to change targets after being launched; they can talk to each other -- you can fire several and they can communicate with each other and then coordinate reassigning targets. They're very flexible; it's pretty impressive. And the precision that they have is pretty incredible.

So no, we don't have a cruise missile that's powered with a nuclear reactor, but we do have a lot of very capable weapons in the U.S. arsenal that can go toe to toe [with Russia]. And when you look at being able to hit anywhere on Earth, and from a nuclear weapons perspective, we have the U.S. nuclear triad (Editor's note: He's referring to the United States' three delivery options for nuclear weapons: land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers, and submarine-launched ballistic missiles), which has the ability to strike anywhere on Earth.

RFE/RL: How about the hypersonic capability, at 20 times the speed of sound. Is that something that the U.S. has as well?

Williams: ...All the three big powers -- the United States, Russia, and China -- have some kind of hypersonic glide-vehicle program. But the thing about hypersonic glide vehicles, they're not like cruise missiles. They're like a combination between a cruise missile and a ballistic missile.

Again, when you're looking at Russia, China, United States, these countries are very vulnerable -- already -- to each other's existing, conventional, normal nuclear ballistic missiles. Russia can penetrate the U.S. missile-defense system right now, without any new technologies. We don't have the capacity -- the numbers that they do -- there's no way. Nowhere near. And we're probably not going to anytime soon. So I think all of these kinds of hypersonic, boost-glide vehicles, these new kinds of propulsion systems -- a lot of it is just overkill, I think, from their part. But if that's what they want to spend their money on. I don't think it fundamentally changes the strategic situation, the strategic balance of power, at all.

RFE/RL: Putin today somewhat blamed the U.S. for forcing his hand into doing this by going back to 2002 when the U.S. withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. What do you think of that charge?

Williams: I think that's kind of revisionist history. When we did withdraw from the ABM Treaty, if you look at the initial statements that Putin himself made, they were very measured. It was an expression of disappointment, but he admitted at that time that it was not a threat, didn't pose a threat to Russia. That rhetoric has changed over the years as it has become convenient for Putin. But to go back and say that we started this with the [ABM Treaty] withdrawal [is inaccurate].

RFE/RL: Do you think that any of these weapons announced by Putin today breach the current U.S.-Russia nuclear arms treaties?

Williams: I don't think so. In order to stay compliant with the New START treaty, which is the main arms-control treaty that we have right now, as long as they stay under a certain warhead count, it doesn't really matter what those warheads are on or how they're delivered.

One question would be the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which forbids the U.S. or Russia from deploying ground-launched missiles capable of hitting between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. This would [possibly] bend that a little bit, because if you ground-launched it, it certainly could land earlier than its maximum range, which if it's unlimited, is hard to say. I would probably say it doesn't violate any of these things. But it's hard to say until you can actually see what this missile is and what its capabilities actually are. The INF distinctions are somewhat arbitrary.... But we know that Russia is already violating the INF Treaty with other ground-launched cruise missiles -- not this new one but with other ones. We've known that for some time.

RFE/RL: Do you think this puts us in a new arms race or escalates a current one? Does the U.S. have to respond in kind?

Williams: I don't think the U.S. needs to respond in kind. When you have a lot more low-flying -- one of the cornerstones of stability is the ability to see an attack coming. If we have Russian missiles heading toward the United States, we need to be able to see them coming so we can prepare our response -- that's part of our deterrent, our retaliatory deterrent.

So if we do have a lot of lower-flying cruise missiles, or hypersonic-glide vehicles, what we need to do instead of trying to create similar weapons [is to] create some kind of system where we can see them coming. We have many radars right now so that we can see ballistic missiles incoming. But these are different kinds of threats. They may fly differently and they may fly underneath those existing early warning radars. So a good thing [for the United States] to do...would be to develop and start deploying, augmenting, that early warning radar system with new kinds of sensors that can detect these low-flying threats so that we have some warning if we are under attack. I think that's important.

And then the next step after that, I think, would be looking at some kind of defense: How can you shoot these things down? But first you would need a sensor architecture; that would be a first step. I don't see a reason to start developing nuclear-powered cruise missiles or even the hypersonic stuff. Nobody can stop a U.S. Minuteman ICBM right now, and no one appears to be trying to, so why invest more now? But on the defensive side, the detection and early warning and defense, there are opportunities to explore.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/arms-expert-putin weapons-look-like-overkill-question -and-answer/29071494.html

Copyright (c) 2018. 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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Russia denies violating arms control pacts, says not seeking arms race

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 01:58PM

The Kremlin strongly rejects the allegations that Russia has been violating any arms control agreements, stressing that Moscow does not seek to be part of an arms race.

"We categorically reject any accusations that Russia is violating any provisions and articles of international law on disarmament and arms control," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call on Friday.

He emphasized that Russia has no plan to "get dragged into any arms race."

Delivering his annual state of the nation speech in Moscow on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that his country would regard any use of nuclear weapons against its allies as a "nuclear attack" on itself and give an "instant" response.

The new American policy allows the use of nuclear weapons "in response to a conventional attack or even a cyberthreat," the Russian president said, adding, "Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons only in response to a nuclear attack or an attack with other weapons of mass destruction against her or her allies, or a conventional attack against us that threatens the very existence of the state."

The Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which was released in February, came largely to counter Russia and China, effectively ending efforts by former US President Barack Obama to reduce the size and scope of the US arsenal and minimize the role of nuclear weapons in the country's military doctrine.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly asked his generals to see if it is possible to arm the US Navy's warships with nuclear weapons, a strategy that seems to fall in line with his order to review America's nuclear posture.

After President Putin revealed a new nuclear weapon which he said makes nuclear defense systems "useless," the United States military said it is fully prepared to defend the country against any nuclear threat.

"We're not surprised by the statement, and the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters on Thursday after Putin's announcement.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders also on Thursday accused Russia of developing destabilizing weapons systems for over a decade in direct violations of its treaty obligations.

Elsewhere in his comments, Peskov pointed to the Russian president's annual state of the nation speech and reiterated that Moscow should not be seen as a threat.

"Russia is not going to attack anyone, and these weapons do not present a danger to anyone who is not hatching plans to attack our country," the Kremlin spokesman said.

"Russia will not respond symmetrically to US plans and the ongoing work to deploy missile defense systems. We are talking about an asymmetric response," he added.

Also on Thursday, Putin told NBC in an interview that an arms race effectively started again when the US pulled out of the Soviet-era Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty under former President George W. Bush.

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Russia postpones strategic talks with US in act of protest

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 10:52AM

Moscow has postponed planned talks with Washington on strategic stability originally set for later this month, after a US delegation refused to attend a Geneva meeting on cybersecurity earlier in the week, Russian envoy to Washington has announced.

Ambassador Anatoly Antonov told Russian TASS news agency on Thursday that the last-minute pullout from talks in Geneva by the US delegation on February 27 reflected an "unfriendly step... that gave the impression of having been pre-planned and leading to the further degradation of bilateral relations."

"We have expressed indignation to the Department of State that the American side has wrecked Russian-American expert consultations on global information security," Antonov said, noting that Moscow and Washington had agreed to hold the talks in Geneva on February 27-28.

However, he insisted, "The Americans refused to participate in the event just on its first day under the pretext of absolutely ungrounded accusations against Russia."

"As a result of those US actions, the Russian side has found it impossible to hold Russian-American consultations on bilateral issues and strategic stability topics planned for March 6-7 in Vienna, which is why we have postponed them," Antonov said.

The development came after the US accused long-time rival Russia of openly breaching Cold War-era treaties by developing what President Vladimir Putin referred to on Thursday as a new generation of "invincible" hypersonic weapons and submarines.

Reacting to Putin's speech on Thursday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, "It was certainly unfortunate to have watched the video animation that depicted a nuclear attack on the United States. We don't regard that as the behavior of a responsible international player."

Antonov, however, rejected the remarks by Nauert in a separate statement he posted on Facebook.

"I will underline once again that Russia has not violated a single arms control and non-proliferation agreement while developing its nuclear potential," said the Russian envoy.

He further said, "It appears that the State Department does not know the substance of the matter very well."

Antonov went on to also emphasized that none of the weapons mentioned in Putin's state of the nation address were covered by the treaties signed by the US and the former Soviet Union.

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President Putin Reveals Two Cases When Russia Can Use Nuclear Weapons

Sputnik News

20:15 02.03.2018

Russia may potentially use nuclear weapons only in the event of an impending nuclear attack, or if there is a threat to the country's existence, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the NBC broadcaster.

"There can be two reasons that can make us use nuclear weapons: an attack against us with nuclear weapons or an attack on Russia with conventional weapons. But the second case is only if it threatens the existence of the Russian state," Vladimir Putin said.

Putin said he had offered to collaborate on the joint improvement of missile defenses with the United States but had been rebuffed, so he had to act in Russia's best interests.

"Instead of creating threats to one another, great powers should join their efforts in protecting against terrorists," he said.

Commenting on suggestions that Russia could spark a new Cold War, Putin emphasized, "the individuals that have said that a new Cold War has started are not analysts. They do propaganda."

On Thursday, Putin made his annual address to the country's bicameral parliament, the Federal Assembly, which comprises the Federation Council and State Duma. The Russian leader announced his country's development of new types of armaments, including intercontinental underwater drones, nuclear-powered cruise missiles, and a prospective hypersonic missile, and showed footage featuring tests of these weapons.

The Russian president stressed that Russia's efforts toward enhancing its defense capabilities were being carried out within the framework of existing international accords. According to Putin, Russia is creating advanced weapon systems in response to the deployment of US missile defense systems, and these arms present no threat to other states.

 Sputnik

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'We Don't Want New Cold War or New Arms Race': NATO Reacts to Putin's Speech

Sputnik News

19:05 02.03.2018(updated 19:22 02.03.2018)

NATO said that Russian statements were "unacceptable and counterproductive" after President Vladimir Putin revealed a new arsenal of hypersonic weapons announced as "invincible".

"Russian statements threatening to target Allies are unacceptable and counterproductive. We do not want a new Cold War or a new arms race. All Allies support arms control agreements which build trust and confidence, for everyone's benefit," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement.

She was commenting on Putin's nation speech featured video montages of missiles crossing mountains and oceans, though the Kremlin later insisted the maps used did not represent any actual countries. Also, Lungescu reminded, that the alliance would continue with its twin-track approach with Russia, a "dialogue paired with strong deterrence and defense."

"NATO is a defensive alliance, which stands ready to defend all members against any threat," Lungescu said, taking into account Russian concerns about US-led alliance's missile defense system in Europe.

Russia has been outraged by NATO's expansion into former Soviet satellite states in eastern Europe and Putin stated that Russia would react to an attack on one of its allies, though he said it would only ever be defensive in nature.

"As we have repeatedly made clear, the alliance's missile defense is neither designed nor directed against Russia. Our system defends against ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area," Lungescu said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump discussed in a phone conversation Putin's claims, Berlin said Friday, and analysts have cautioned that Putin was effectively challenging Washington to a new arms race. To such suggestions, Russian President said, that a new arms race has started when the US left the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

 Sputnik

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Russia Not Going to Engage In Arms Race - Kremlin

Sputnik News

13:23 02.03.2018(updated 14:30 02.03.2018)

Russia's development of new weapons was nothing but a response to the US withdrawal from the ABM treaty, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Putin has stressed that his speech could not be considered a beginning of the arms race as it is a retaliatory response to the US withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty), as well as to the process of creating a global system of missile defense, according to the spokesman.

"This is nothing else than Russia's response to the scrapping of the ABM Treaty, the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and to the highly active process of creating a global missile defense system, which in the long term was able to break strategic parity, nuclear parity and, in fact, neutralize the strategic forces of Russia," Peskov added.

"The deterrent element of the nuclear triad, in terms of international stability and security, is well known and accepted by all," the spokesman noted.

On Cooperation Between Russia and International Community

Russia has been and still is a country that is seeking mutually favorable cooperation with all other states, based on mutual respect and trust, Peskov noted.

"It is incorrect to comprehend [Putin's Thursday's address to the parliament] as some militarist statements  I am calling on you to draw attention to the main thought in the address. It is the idea, which the president had voiced at the very beginning [of the address]. In this case, Russia's aim is to make this push before it is late. We have everything, which is needed for this," Peskov stated.

According to Peskov, the statements, made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address are not going to increase the isolation of Russia on the international arena.

"It is a wrong and exaggerated perception of the president's point of view, which he outlined in his address. He also in fact gave an explanation of this point of view in a night interview, which he gave to NBC [broadcaster]," Peskov said while answering the question on whether Putin's address to the upper house and possible contacts with North Korea may increase Moscow's isolation in the world arena.

The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented new weapons systems

during his annual address to the parliament. Particularly, Putin said that Russia had created and started mass production of the hypersonic weapon Avangard, which is able of carrying out intercontinental flights at the hypersonic speed of Mach 20 and higher.

Putin also provided the details about a state-of-art Russian missile system with the heavy intercontinental missile Sarmat, which can be equipped with nuclear warheads, including the hypersonic ones.

Russia Not Going to Attack Anyone

According to Peskov, Russia is not going to attack anyone, its new weapons do not threaten those who do not plan to attack it.

"I have not seen, frankly, the map of Florida, so I do not see any reason to say that there really were some US maps used there. No maps were used there, just some outlines, there is no link to any particular country," Peskov told reporters.

"And once again I repeat, and the president said this: Russia is not going to attack anyone, and these weapons do not pose a threat to those who do not have plans to attack our country," he said.

During Putin's speech, a video animation showed the newest SARMAT missile system hitting its target. Following Putin's speech, several Twitter users noticed that the land the missile was targeting in the video appeared to be the US state of Florida, making the US concerned about the alleged use of the US map in the animation.

Commenting on the issue, Peskov said that he "didn't see any Florida map on the video. No map was used and these were just some sets, depicting no country."

 Sputnik

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Putin: New Russian Nuclear-Powered ICBMs Successfully Tested

Sputnik News

04:33 02.03.2018(updated 08:32 02.03.2018)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called the rhetoric of a "new cold war" a propaganda launched to justify the arms race, which began when the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABMT).

"My point of view is the individuals who have said that the new cold war has started are not really analysts, they do propaganda. If you want to speak about arms race, than an arms race began at exactly the time and moment when the US opted out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty," Putin said in an interview with the NBC broadcaster, a fragment of which was published on its website. The president's answer was given in an English translation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that the new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) presented during his annual address to the parliament on Thursday had been successfully tested and some were already on combat duty.

"All of those tests were successful, it's just each of these weapons systems is at a different stage of readiness. Some of them still have to be fine-tuned and worked on, others are already available to the troops and already are battle-ready," Putin said in an interview with the NBC broadcaster, answering the host Megyn Kelly's question whether nuclear-powered intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) were really tested or were just a computer graphics, as some experts claimed.

Moreover, Vladimir Putin clearly stated that one of such ICBMs was already on combat duty.

However, Russia and the United States should jointly fight terrorism, and should not create threats to each other, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview.

"Instead of creating threats to one another, great powers should pool their efforts in protecting against terrorists," the Russian leader told the NBC broadcaster.

Putin also recalled that he had offered the United States to jointly develop an anti-missile defense system, but had been rebuffed.

Putin said earlier on Thursday in his address to the parliament that Russia has developed intercontinental underwater drones and nuclear capable cruise missiles. He also said that the new Russian hypersonic aviation and missile system dubbed Kinzhal ("Dagger") had been successfully tested and deployed to the south of the country.

The president's address has broken a record in terms of duration, having lasted for one hour and 57 minutes. It was for the first time accompanied by a multimedia presentation that showed the tests of Russia's most modern weapons.

The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was an arms control agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union on the limitation of the anti-ballistic missile systems used to defend against ballistic missile-delivered nuclear weapons.

The ABMT was signed in 1972. In 1997, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine agreed with the United States to succeed the Sovient Union in the treaty. In June 2002, the United States withdrew from the treaty, and the ABMT was terminated.

 Sputnik

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Putin's New Nuclear Arsenal Spawning More Tough Talk

By Jeff Seldin March 02, 2018

Russia is rejecting U.S. accusations it has broken any of its nuclear treaty obligations, arguing it wants only to maintain global peace and stability.

"This should absolutely not be considered a beginning of an arms race," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

"These arms are not a threat to anyone who is not planning to attack our country," he added.

Peskov's comments come a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted in his annual state of the nation address about his country's upgraded nuclear weapons arsenal.

Putin said that arsenal included "invincible" nuclear missiles that have unlimited range and which are capable of evading U.S. missile defense systems.

In response, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders accused Russia of "developing destabilizing weapons systems for over a decade in direct violation of its treaty obligations."

NATO also criticized Russia, calling Putin's statements "unacceptable and counterproductive."

"We do not want a new Cold War or a new arms race," alliance spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement Friday.

"All Allies support arms control agreements which build trust and confidence, for everyone's benefit," she said. "We continue to work for more military predictability and transparency."

Also Friday, Russia's RIA news agency reported Moscow has delayed planned talks with the U.S., set to focus on strategic stability.

The news agency quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying the postponement was in response to an earlier decision by Washington to cancel consultations on cybersecurity.

Tensions between Russia and the West have been growing following Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea and its subsequent military buildup.

NATO members have since pledged to increase defense spending and bolster defenses along the alliance's eastern flank. But Moscow accuses the U.S. and NATO of aiming some of those defense systems, including anti-missile batteries, at Russia.

Both NATO and the U.S. reject that accusation.

Information from Reuters was used for part of this report.

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Article Currently Unavailable





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RFE/RL March 02, 2018

The United States is making a push at the United Nations to set up a new inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in Syria, three months after Russia killed a previous UN inquiry.

.

The U.S. ambassador to the UN said on March 1 that she wants the UN Security Council to create a new investigative team charged with determining who is behind chemical attacks in Syria following several reports of the use of chlorine gas in Syria's eastern Ghouta in recent weeks.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said she hopes the council will vote on the measure as early as next week. The initiative comes days after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a child suffocated to death and 13 other people fell ill from a suspected chlorine gas attack over the weekend.

A previous UN inquiry ended in November after Russia vetoed efforts to renew its mandate. Russia maintained that the investigative team, which had attributed most of the chemical attacks it investigated to the Syrian government, was biased against its ally. Damascus insists it has renounced all use of chemical weapons.

Russia in January offered its own plan to create a new inquiry but has never put it to a vote before the council. The Russian plan was opposed by the United States and other Western countries, which said it gave Syria too much influence over investigations.

"When the Russians put their mechanism forward, that's a nonstarter, and so that's why we're coming back out with another one," Haley told Reuters. "We've been working on it since the [previous inquiry] was killed."

"We've taken into account certain things that [Russian diplomats] thought were an issue, but if they want no mechanism at all, they'll veto it," Haley said.

U.S. diplomats said their draft resolution to set up a new one-year inquiry was discussed at a UN meeting on March 1, but Russian diplomats did not attend.

A council diplomat said it was unlikely Russia would back the measure, which calls for investigators to operate in "an impartial, independent, and professional manner."

Russia criticized the previous UN investigative team for reaching conclusions about who perpetrated a chemical attack sometimes without visiting the place where the attack occurred or collecting evidence firsthand.

Russia and Syria fiercely rejected a final conclusion reached in the previous inquiry, which found the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in an attack last April that killed nearly 100 civilians in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun.

Russian diplomats vetoed efforts to renew the inquiry after that incident, complaining that the UN investigative team never visited the site of the attack or the Syrian air base from where the attack was allegedly launched.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-makes-new-push-un- security-council-investigate-chemical-toxic-gas -attacks-syria-russian-veto/29072144.html

Copyright (c) 2018. 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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Iran's Khamenei Defiant After EU Call To Pressure Syria On Truce

March 02, 2018

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 1 praised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and said Tehran will continue to support him, despite an international outcry over civilian deaths in eastern Ghouta.

Khamenei's statement comes a day after the European Union urged Iran and Russia to pressure their ally Assad to halt Syria's offensive and heed a UN-declared cease-fire in the Damascus suburb, where more than 500 civilians have been reported killed by bombing.

"Iran will continue to support the Syrian government," Khamenei said, according to his official website. "Syria is on the front lines today; it is our duty to defend the Syrian resistance."

Khamenei called Assad "a great example of resistance and a fighting image," saying "he never hesitated and stood strong: This is extremely important for a nation."

Khamenei said Iran also has persevered against global opposition since the Islamic republic was founded some 40 years ago.

"From day one, all major world powers united and acted against us: the United States, U.S.S.R., NATO, Arab, and regional reactionaries -- they all united. But we survived and prospered," he said.

Addressing Assad, Khamenei said, "If you and we, and other elements of resistance, stay determined, the enemy cannot accomplish a single thing."

On February 24, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling for a 30-day cease-fire in Ghouta, but violence has continued with the government and rebels blaming each other.

Russia on February 26 declared that it would enforce a five-hour cease-fire each day to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered in stricken areas of Ghouta and allow civilians to leave the battlefield.

But UN officials have said the pause in fighting is not long enough for them to deliver aid, while Russia's "humanitarian corridor" has gone largely unused, according to independent observers in Ghouta.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-khamenei- defiant-eu-call-pressure-syra-cease- fire-in-eastern-ghouta-assad/29072080.html

Copyright (c) 2018. 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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E Ghouta Terrorists Prepare Chemical Attacks to Discredit Damascus - Russian MoD

Sputnik News

21:48 02.03.2018(updated 21:56 02.03.2018)

Syrian terrorists are preparing provocations involving chemical warfare agents in Eastern Ghouta, which will be used by western states as a pretext for accusing Damascus of the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilian population, spokesman for the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Maj. Gen. Yury Yevtushenko said Friday.

HMEIMIM (Sputnik)  Syrian militants carried out 11 bombardments of residential areas in Damascus in past 24 hours, firing a total of 28 mortar rounds, the head of the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation said.

"Illegal armed groups continue firing at residential areas of Damascus and its suburbs. They carried out 11 bombardments throughout the day, firing a total of 28 mortar rounds. The Russian center for Syrian reconciliation also came under fire," Maj. Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko said at a daily briefing.

Yevtushenko also noted that illegal armed groups continue to violate the current ceasefire regime not only in Eastern Ghouta but in Aleppo and Latakia provinces as well.

"We have received from the Syrian party the information about provocations involving chemical warfare agents that are being prepared by the Faylaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and Jabhat al-Nusra (terrorist organization banned in Russia). The provocations aim to put the blame for the use of chemical weapons in Eastern Ghouta on the government forces, that is why the action is being prepared close to the contact line with the Syrian army. The civilian victims will be used by the West as a pretext for accusing the Syrian leadership of the use of chemical weapons against its people," Yevtushenko said.

Yevtushenko stated that the Syrian command reiterated once again that it did not possess the chemical weapons.

Commenting on the situation around the humanitarian corridor in Syria's Eastern Ghouta he said, that the situation in the checkpoint area remains tense.

"Since yesterday, snipers have regularly been firing at access routes to the corridor," Yevtushenko continued.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during talks with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz that terrorists in Eastern Ghouta shelled Damascus around 50-80 times a day, including the region of Russia's embassy and pointed out that Russia would not tolerate this forever.

 Sputnik

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Residents of Syria's E Ghouta Running Out of Food, Essentials  Russian Military

Sputnik News

10:08 02.03.2018(updated 21:49 02.03.2018)

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) - The fourth five-hour "humanitarian pause" began in Syria's Eastern Ghouta on Friday at 10:00 a.m. Damascus time (07:00 GMT), civilians, who are practically facing the occupation by militants, are running of food and essentials, the Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation said.

"During the first day since the hotline was launched by the Center for Syrian reconciliation in the city of Damascus, we received more than 30 calls from civilians in Eastern Ghouta, as well as from their families and relatives in Damascus. In their appeals, people complain about the lack of medical care, water, food, electricity," center's interpreters' department head Aleksandr Maslennikov told reporters.

According to the official, some local residents attempted to bribe the militants in exchange for an opportunity to leave Eastern Ghouta, but the militants refused.

"We also received complaints about the fact that the militants increased the prices for basic necessities, as well as for food products by dozens of times. People do not have an opportunity to eat properly, and many are ready to resort to eating stray animals," Maslennikov said.

Bombing Continues, No Medical Evacuations, Supplies Underway

Shelling and bombing continue in the Damascus neighborhood of Eastern Ghouta, preventing evacuation of those wounded from the area and humanitarian supplies to the district, the Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) in Russia said in a statement, sent to Sputnik.

"Past two days and nights, continued bombing and shelling, covering almost all of East Ghouta but mainly on the outskirts  very heavy in places. No medical evacuations out as far as we are aware. No supplies in as far as we are aware. Overall  the situation the same as before. Still bombing and shelling ongoing, heavy in some areas and less heavy (but still deadly) in others," the statement read.

Between February 18 and February 27, over 770 people had been killed, and 4,050 others injured as result of the situation in the area, the document continued.

These figures are, however, an underestimate since they are reported by only some of the medical facilities with which the MSF is cooperating, the MSF office noted, adding that there are also other medical facilities operating in Eastern Ghouta, which do not report to the aid organization.

Fifteen out of 20 local medical facilities supported by the MSF have been hit by bombing or shelling. Moreover, three MSF-supported medics were killed and eight others injured since the escalation of the situation in Eastern Ghouta on February 18.

Outpatient services are almost entirely inactive in the medical facilities in Eastern Ghouta since many outpatient departments have been turned into post-operative or inpatient wards, the MSF noted.

On March 1, at 09:00 a.m. Damascus time (07:00 GMT) the third five-hour "humanitarian pause" began in Eastern Ghouta. In order to evacuate civilians, a humanitarian corridor with access to Muhayam-al-Wafedin settlement was prepared with the assistance of the Syrian Red Crescent Society.

The citizens were informed of the evacuation details through broadcasting, SMS, and leaflets explaining how to exit from the area and to pass government checkpoints.

Later in the day before, spokesman for Russian center for Syrian reconciliation Maj. Gen. Vladimir Zolotukhin said that civilians residing in Eastern Ghouta were massively contacting representatives of Syrian human rights organizations with a request to assist their evacuation from the territories held by militants.

The ceasefire comes several days after the UNSC unanimously approved resolution 2401, which provides for the introduction of a ceasefire regime throughout Syria for a period of 30 days.

The decision on the resolution was made nearly two weeks after the escalation of the situation in Eastern Ghouta, following the launch of a military operation by the Syrian government forces, in a bid to clear the region of militants.

 Sputnik

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'Dossiers are being built up' for prosecution of crimes in Syria, says UN rights chief

2 March 2018 - War crimes, potentially crimes against humanity, are likely being committed in east Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria, and the perpetrators of these acts must know they are being identified and will be held accountable, the United Nations human rights chief warned on Friday.

"Civilians are being pounded into submission or death," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council during an urgent debate on situation in east Ghouta, where some 400,000 civilians are trapped amid daily airstrikes, shelling and the reported release of toxic agents, which have killed and injured hundreds of people in the past two weeks alone.

The UN human rights chief said: "The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done."

He said that over the past four months, some high-profile perpetrators were brought to justice: Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide; Salvadoran Colonel Inocente Orlando Montano has been extradited to Spain to face charges related to killings in San Salvador in 1989; and two Argentinian former Navy Captains, Alfredo Astiz and Jorge Eduardo Acosta, were convicted for crimes against humanity committed between 1976 and 1983.

"The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind," Mr. Zeid said, noting that the Human Rights Council can have a real impact in ensuring that there will be justice  determined, inescapable and effective  for the suffering that has been inflicted on the Syrian people.

He also said that Syria must be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging all States to greatly increase their support for the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up last year with its mandate focused on ensuring that information about serious crimes is collected, analyzed and preserved, with a view to furnishing dossiers for future prosecutions.

He also strongly encouraged the Council to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday called once again on those fighting on the ground inside Syria and all those who have influence over them to put their arms down and stop the war on children.

"Is our call falling once again on deaf ears? The children of Syria have been waiting for way too long. The world has failed the children of Syria so many times," Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, told reporters at a regular briefing in Geneva.

Nearly a week ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that would have created an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of children to finally get respite from the brutal and unabated violence they have been living through.

"We all thought this was an excellent window for UNICEF and other partners to deliver urgent and lifesaving assistance to children in need wherever they are inside the country," he said.

"But as the days went by, these hopes turned into illusions, the windows shut abruptly in our faces," he added, noting that violence continued in several places across the country, escalating in some and flaring up in others, despite the resolution's call for a 30-day ceasefire.

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Russia's Humanitarian Corridor in Syria a 'Joke,' State Department Spokeswoman Says

By VOA News March 02, 2018

Russia's idea for a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from a besieged Damascus suburb is "a joke," the U.S. State Department's spokeswoman said Thursday.

"What needs to happen instead is a nationwide cease-fire that was voted upon unanimously at the United Nations last Saturday," Heather Nauert told reporters. "Fifteen countries supported it, let me remind you. So did Russia."

The 30-day cease-fire in eastern Ghouta approved by the Security Council was "clearly not working," Nauert said. "They are continuing to kill innocent civilians. We have seen more than 100 people die since Saturday alone."

She said "Russia's responsible for this in part because they continue to train and equip and work with the Syrian government," adding "we've been watching that very carefully. It's a tremendous concern of the U.S. government."

Washington is calling on the Russians to pressure the Syrians to restrain themselves and de-escalate the fighting, not just in eastern Ghouta but everywhere.

Russia unilaterally announced Monday a daily five-hour pause in fighting in rebel-held eastern Ghouta so civilians can leave through a humanitarian corridor.

But no one has taken advantage of the daily lull so far, not trusting the Russians or the Syrians, and no aid has gone in.

Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian aid chief for Syria, called the Russian plan "positive" but "insufficient."

"I know of no humanitarian actor ... who thinks that five hours is enough for us to be able to deliver relief into eastern Ghouta and to organize orderly medical evacuations out," he said.

UN 'determined'

Also Thursday, U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said in Geneva that the United Nations "has not and will not" give up in demanding implementation of a 30-day cease-fire across Syria.

"We don't have and we cannot afford to have the luxury of giving up, so any type of feeling that the U.N. is frustrated, forget it. We are not frustrated, we are determined," he said.

Nearly 600 people have died and more than 1,000 have been wounded since the Syrian military launched an operation to retake eastern Ghouta from the rebels more than two weeks ago.

Rockets fired from the suburb into Damascus have reportedly killed 15 and injured more than 200.

Raed Saleh, head of the rescue group known as the Syrian White Helmets, said Thursday in Washington that many Syrians believe the world has "abandoned and failed" them.

He called U.N. Security Council resolutions worthless and said Russia was responsible for what was going on.

Margaret Besheer at the United Nations and Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.

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Task force set up to deal with China's incentives for Taiwanese

ROC Central News Agency

2018/03/02 16:24:30

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) In response to China's recent offer of 31 incentives to lure Taiwanese people, Premier Lai Ching-te () said Friday that the Executive Yuan has set up a task force to study the measures put forth by Beijing and their impact on relevant sectors in Taiwan.

"The task force has been established to study the incentives offered by Beijing and compare China's policy with that of Taiwan. We will review and adjust what should be revised," he said when answering questions at a plenary legislative session.

"It is good if Taiwan's professionals are being enticed to develop in China for economic reasons, but it is not good if the measures are politically motivated," Lai said, adding that "Taiwan's people must guard against this."

An Fengshan (), spokesman for the Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office, noted Friday that Beijing has devised greater economic benefits and subsidies targeting Taiwanese people and businesses in a wide range of sectors, from agriculture to movie production, that would allow them to compete on an equal footing with Chinese nationals in China.

In the face of Beijing's "unprecedented" offensive, Su Chi (), a former secretary-general of the National Security Council, said he fears that it will be too late for Taiwan to respond, even if it comes up with a defensive mechanism now.

"It will definitely have a great influence on Taiwan's people and many of them could be lured away," he said.

Under such circumstances, Taiwan will be pulled toward two extremes, with those who are pro-U.S. leaning more toward the U.S. and those who are pro-China moving even closer to China, at a time when tension between China and the U.S. is escalating, he analyzed.

"Due to Taiwan's poor economy, young and middle-aged people in particular will be enticed by Beijing's incentives," he said. "And it could be too late for Taiwan to start fending off the offensive now, because it is a divided society."

Speaking of the possibility of Chinese use of force against Taiwan, Su contended that the chances are slim, given that China does not want to see such a development because it still hopes to unify Taiwan through peaceful means.

(By Liu Lee-jung and Flor Wang)

Enditem/J

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China's suppression of Taiwan bad for cross-strait relations: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

2018/03/02 14:21:29

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu () said Friday that if China chooses to continue to use suppressive measures in dealing with Taiwan, it will not improve relations across the Taiwan Strait.

Wu, who previously served as chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, made the comments after China once again voiced its strong dissatisfaction with the Taiwan Travel Act after it passed the U.S. Senate Wednesday.

According to China's state-run Xinhua news agency, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying () said during a routine news briefing that while some of the Taiwan Travel Act's clauses are not legally binding, the act as a whole seriously violates the one-China principle and the joint communiques that govern China-U.S. relations.

"China is strongly dissatisfied and firmly against the act and has lodged solemn representations with the U.S.," Xinhua quoted Hua as saying.

The Taiwan Travel Act breaks with tradition, lifting restrictions on senior official-level travel between the U.S. and Taiwan that have been in place in the 39 years since the U.S. severed official diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979.

Under the act, officials at all levels of the U.S. government are allowed to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, while high-level Taiwanese officials can enter the U.S., under "respectful conditions" and meet with U.S. government leaders.

This is why many Taiwanese officials and lawmakers, including Wu, have celebrated its passage by the U.S. Congress as a milestone in Taiwan-U.S. relations, one that will help to elevate cooperation and exchanges between the two countries.

It is also why China is opposed to the act, with its Taiwan Affairs Office warning Taiwan to "not rely on foreigners to build yourselves up, or it will only draw fire upon you."

Wu rebutted China's claims that the act violates the one-China principle, saying that the principle is subject to the determination and interpretation of each of the parties involved.

The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, said Washington's policy on Taiwan has not changed.

"The United States remains committed to our one-China policy based on the three joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act," Michael Cavey, a spokesman for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told CNA in an e-mail.

(By Kuan-lin Liu and Liu Kuan-ting)

Enditem/J

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U.S. policy on Taiwan remains unchanged: State Department

ROC Central News Agency

2018/03/02 11:54:28

Washington, March 1 (CNA) Despite the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act by the U.S. Senate, Washington's policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, the U.S. State Department said Thursday.

"Our policy on Taiwan has not changed. The United States remains committed to our one-China policy based on the three joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA)," Michael Cavey, a spokesman for the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told CNA in an e-mail.

"We consider Taiwan to be a vital partner, a democratic success story, and a force for good in the world. Taiwan shares our values, has earned our respect, and continues to merit our strong support," he added.

Under the Taiwan Travel Act passed Wednesday, officials at all levels of the U.S. government would be allowed to travel to Taiwan to meet their counterparts in Taiwan, while high-level Taiwan officials would be able to enter the U.S. and meet with government leaders under "respectful conditions."

The act still needs to be signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, Cavey pointed out that "the U.S. Constitution establishes the Executive Branch and Congress as independent and separate branches of government. Both have important roles in making the foreign policy of the United States, but neither can control or speak on behalf of the other."

Cross-Taiwan Strait peace and stability serves U.S. interests, he said.

The U.S. encourages Taipei and Beijing to hold constructive dialogue and work out a peaceful resolution to deal with their divide that is acceptable to the people on both sides of the strait, he said.

On Friday, Taiwan's Premier Lai Ching-te () expressed hope that the Taiwan Travel Act would substantially upgrade relations between Taiwan and the U.S.

An Fengshan (), spokesman for the Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office, voiced opposition to the act and warned Taiwan not to stir up "burning fire" by allying with foreign forces.

(By Chiang Chin-yeh and Flor Wang)

Enditem/AW

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China decries US measure on Taiwan

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 13:52, March 02, 2018

Beijing has voiced its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to the Taiwan Travel Act in the United States and has lodged solemn representations with Washington over the bill.

The bill, aiming to encourage official visits between the United States and Taiwan and passed by the US House of Representatives in January, was approved by the US Senate on Wednesday, the US Congress website shows.

It has to be signed by US President Donald Trump to become law.

"Though relevant clauses of the bill are not legally binding, the bill has severely violated the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three joint communiques between China and the US," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US ties, Hua said, urging the US to observe its promises to stick to the one-China policy and abide by the three joint communiques.

Hua also urged the US to stop official exchanges as well as its elevation of ties with Taiwan and deal with Taiwan-related issues carefully and appropriately in order to avoid disruption or damage to China-US ties.

The US established diplomatic ties with Beijing and severed such ties with Taiwan in 1979.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the move by the US Senate shows that the US is trying to "play the Taiwan card" to contain China and increase its leverage in ties with China.

Such "bad ideas" will only backfire, Ruan said, warning that "the US should not harbor any illusions".

"China has never compromised, and will not compromise when it comes to safeguarding the one-China policy," he said, adding that China will take countermeasures against the "destructive" US practice.

In another development, Hua dismissed on Thursday key US military officers' recent comments.

CNBC quoted John Hyten, commander of US Strategic Command, as saying on Wednesday that China poses unique threats to the US. Also, Joseph Votel, commander of the US Central Command, talked on Tuesday about "China's growing military ambitions" in the Middle East, the Washington Post reported.

In response, Hua said it is strange that the US, "the number one military power in the world" with a military expenditure "way ahead" of those of other countries, tends so often to call others a threat. She questioned the true intention behind such "China threat" voices.

China's strategic intention is very transparent, the spokeswoman said, urging the US to view the development of the world as well as China objectively.

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Through panels featuring Emorys Mellon Faculty Fellows and discussions with Emory deans and senior leadership, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Conference will explore interdisciplinary humanities and the liberal arts throughout Emorys colleges, graduate and professional schools.

Emory Interdisciplinary Humanities Conference Monday, March 26

Robert W. Woodruff Library

Jones Room, Third Floor 8:30-11:30 a.m.  Panels on the interdisciplinary humanities, featuring Emorys Mellon Faculty Fellows 2-3:30 p.m.  Discussion with Emory deans and senior leadership, moderated by Laney Graduate School Dean Lisa Tedesco: Emory as a Research University with the Liberal Arts at Its Core 4-5:15 p.m.  Discussion on the future of the humanities with Provost McBride and Earl Lewis, former president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and professor of history and African American and African studies at the University of Michigan, moderated by President Sterk 5:15-6:30 p.m.  Reception

The sweeping reach of interdisciplinary humanities and liberal arts at Emory University  from current innovations and collaborations to future impacts in higher education and wider society  will be the focus of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Conference, set for later this month.

Organized through the offices of Emory President Claire E. Sterk and Provost Dwight A. McBride, the conference will be held Monday, March 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Jones Room of the Woodruff Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Through panels featuring Emorys Mellon Faculty Fellows and discussions with Emory deans and senior leadership, the event will focus on exploring the roles of interdisciplinary humanities and the liberal arts throughout Emorys colleges, graduate and professional schools.

Of special focus will be the reach of humanities beyond their traditional departments and their contributions to the natural and health sciences and professions, such as business, law, ministry and the arts.

Emory is a research university with the liberal arts at its core, Sterk says. This conference is an important opportunity for faculty, students and staff members to explore how Emorys innovative work in the humanities  generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation  fuels our broader mission.

The conference marks the culminating event of the Humanistic Inquiry Program, made possible by a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which has contributed to Emorys development of the interdisciplinary humanities and its recruitment of Emorys Mellon Faculty Fellows.

It will also afford a rare opportunity to hear top leadership join with the deans of Emorys schools in public conversation on the topic of interdisciplinary humanities and the liberal arts, which constitute the heart of higher education at Emory.

The future of the humanities lies in bridging intellectual resources across fields of inquiry, Sterk notes, empowering and equipping our students to thrive in the public sphere and successfully address the challenges of the 21st century.

Exploring interdisciplinary humanities

The framework of Emorys Humanistic Inquiry Program is designed to advance the interdisciplinary humanities across the university, from undergraduate programs to the professional schools.

Building upon the idea that humanists bring important analytical skills to professional training, Emory has used the Mellon grant to help recruit promising young scholars who are pursuing innovative humanistic research and teaching beyond the traditional purview of humanists.

Through the scholarship of Emorys Mellon Faculty Fellows, interdisciplinary humanities have been used to foster visions of professions that are self-aware, reflective and forward-thinking.

One of the most exciting aspects of this conference  and the scholarship at Emory supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation  is that it illustrates how Emorys pioneering work in the interdisciplinary humanities has become integral to critical reflection, says McBride.

Through interdisciplinary humanities and the liberal arts at Emory, we create scholarship and encourage our students to question traditional hierarchies, assumptions and practices, and we broaden the diversity of the publics we serve, he notes.

Sessions will feature faculty, leadership

The day-long conference will begin with panels on the interdisciplinary humanities featuring Emorys Mellon Faculty Fellows, including:

Daniel LaChance, assistant professor of history, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Pablo Palomino, assistant professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies, Oxford College

Nichole R. Phillips, assistant professor of sociology, religion and culture, Candler School of Theology

Daniel Reynolds, assistant professor of film and media studies, Emory College

Falguni Sheth, associate professor and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Womens, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Emory College

Kylie Smith, assistant professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Kate Winskell, associate professor of global health, Rollins School of Public Health

Afternoon sessions will continue with a discussion with Emory deans and senior leadership, moderated by Lisa A. Tedesco, vice provost for academic affairs  graduate studies and dean of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies, on Emory as a Research University with the Liberal Arts at Its Core.

"It's exciting to bring together leaders from across the campus to hear about the value of the humanities to the liberal arts research university, says Michael A. Elliott, dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences.

The concluding session of the day will feature a discussion on the future of the humanities with McBride and Earl Lewis, former president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and professor of history and African American and African studies at the University of Michigan, moderated by Sterk and followed by a reception.China media warn of 'hell' if Trump signs Taiwan bill

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 06:29AM

Chinese state media have warned that China can go to war if US President Donald Trump signs into law a bill that seeks to improve ties between the United States and Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing considers subject to its sovereignty.

The US Senate unanimously passed the bill  the Taiwan Travel Act  on Wednesday. The proposed legislation, which only needs Trump's signature to become law, would allow high-level Taiwanese officials to enter America "under respectful conditions" to meet with US officials, and American officials from all levels would be allowed to travel to the island to meet their Taiwanese counterparts.

China, which expects countries to adhere to the "Once China" policy of recognizing Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, has already voiced strong dissatisfaction with the bill.

On Friday, the official China Daily wrote in an editorial that the bill would only encourage Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen to further assert the island's sovereignty.

"Which, if she persisted, would lead to the inevitable consequence of triggering the Anti-Secession Law that allows Beijing to use force to prevent the island from seceding," the daily said, referring to a Chinese law passed in 2005. "Since the US is bound by domestic law to act on behalf of the island in that instance, it would only give substance to the observation that the descent into hell is easy."

China has long suspected that Tsai wants to push for formal independence. It regularly warns that Taiwan is the most sensitive issue in its ties with Washington, which has no formal relations with Taipei by law.

Taipei, however, has welcomed the proposed legislation in the US, with Prime Minister William Lai calling Washington a "solid ally" on Friday.

'Don't draw fire upon yourself!'

Meanwhile, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the US bill was a serious contravention of the "One China" principle.

"We also sternly warn Taiwan: do not rely on foreigners to build yourselves up, or it will only draw the fire upon you," the Office said in a statement.

China and Taiwan split amid a civil war in 1949; however, Beijing's leadership pursues their reunification. In 1979, the US adopted the "One China" but has, under Trump, been playing up the prospect of direct relations with Taiwan as an apparent bargain against China.

Upon taking office, Trump began questioning America's commitment to the "One China" policy and angered Beijing by taking a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwanese president after winning the 2016 presidential election.

The incumbent US president later affirmed the US's continued adherence to the "One China" policy, but the new US bill threatens to stir political tensions once again.

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Beijing Warns Taipei Against Over US' Taiwan Travel Act Adoption

Sputnik News

13:15 02.03.2018(updated 13:16 02.03.2018)

BEIJING (Sputnik)  A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council has warned Taiwan that if Taipei continued relying on foreign support, it might face undesirable consequences after US congressmen passed a bill encouraging bilateral visits by US and Taiwan officials.

"It seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, and we are firmly against the act  We sternly warn Taiwan not to rely on foreigners to build you up, or it will only draw fire against yourself," An Fengshan, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council, said as quoted by the Xinhua news agency.

On Wednesday, the US Senate passed the Taiwan Travel Act, facilitating mutual trips and meetings between officials from Taiwan and the United States. The US House of Representatives passed the bill in January, thus the legislation needs to be signed by US President Donald Trump to become law.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that Beijing had made a representation to Washington after the US Senate had unilaterally adopted the Taiwan Travel Act.

"China is strongly dissatisfied with the bill and resolutely opposes it, and has already lodged stern representations with the US side," the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

China has repeatedly expressed opposition to US contacts with Taiwan, the independence of which is not recognized by Beijing as it regards the island as a breakaway province.

The United States, along with many other countries, does not acknowledge Taiwan as a sovereign nation and officially adheres to the "One China" policy. Nevertheless, Washington has kept informal relations with the island nation after severing diplomatic ties with it in 1979.

 Sputnik

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17 dead as Turkish helicopters hit pro-government forces in Syria's Afrin

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 11:01AM

Turkish military helicopters, operating as part of an unauthorized campaign in Syria's Afrin, have reportedly targeted a group of pro-government forces defending the northern region.

The attack, first reported by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Friday, was carried out by three choppers in a village north of Afrin, in northwestern parts of the Arab country.

According to the Observatory, 14 of the dead belonged to the pro-Damascus forces that had entered Afrin last week to defend the region against Turkey's 'Operation Olive Branch,' which is targeted at militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) controlling Afrin.

Earlier on Thursday, Turkey's armed forces confirmed that at least eight Turkish soldiers were killed in the conflict, while another 13 were injured.

The Observatory said only three of the casualties were YPG militants, but Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency put the number at nine.

Turkey views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called for Afrin to be cleared of "terrorists."

Denying reports of widespread civilian casualties, Turkey insists that it has "neutralized" over 2,000 people it calls "terrorists" since the onset of the military operation in January.

More than 390,000 civilians trapped in the region are said to be struggling with severe shortages of food and medical supplies.

Syria has slammed the Turkish military intervention as a violation of its sovereignty.

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Turkey orders arrest of 154 over alleged Gulen links

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 09:33AM

State prosecutors in Turkey have issued arrest warrants for 154 people, including navy officers, teachers, and union members, for alleged links to a US-based Turkish figure accused of organizing a coup against Ankara in 2016.

Turkish police forces launched operations across five provinces across the country to arrest 16 naval officers  seven of them serving and nine previously expelled from the armed forces  over alleged connections with cleric Fethullah Gulen, state news agency Anadolu reported on Friday.

The Ankara chief prosecutor's office further conducted a separate investigation, ordering the detention of 66 teachers from across the country who had been previously dismissed from their jobs over links to what the government describes as Gulen's movement.

The report also added that 72 officials from a labor union confederation, which had already been shut down under a government order, were set to be taken into custody as well in a third investigation into the alleged plot across more than a dozen provinces in Turkey.

Ankara, meanwhile, has rejected concerns expressed by international rights organizations over the massive crackdown on people suspected of having links with Gulen, insisting that threats posed by his network across Turkey could only be neutralized through such wide-scale purging of government institutions allegedly infiltrated by his elements.

Gulen, a former political ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has lived in self-imposed exile in the US state of Pennsylvania since 1999 and has persistently denied accusations of involvement in the failed coup attempt in July 2016, which killed more than 240 people.

Following the coup, Ankara launched a massive crackdown that has so far led to the imprisonment of more than 50,000 people pending trial for alleged ties to the Gulen network.

Nearly 150,000 other people have also been either dismissed or suspended from their posts in the military, as well as in the public and private sectors.

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Turkish attacks on Syria's Afrin leave nearly two dozen civilians dead

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 02:04AM

Nearly two dozen people have lost their lives when Turkish military forces launched a series of attacks against the purported positions of US-backed militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria's northwestern region of Afrin.

Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported on Thursday night that Turkish forces shelled the villages of Sharran, Maidanaki and Haj Khalil in the western sector of Afrin, killing 20 civilians, including a woman, and injuring and dozens more.

A number of civilian buildings were badly damaged in the attacks as well.

Meanwhile, the Turkish military said on Thursday that at least 2,222 terrorists have been killed since the launch of Operation Olive Branch.

Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian branch of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that Afrin should be cleared of "terrorists," and demanded the deployment of Turkish troops there during a speech back in November 2016.

This is while US officials regard the YPG as the most effective fighting force against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in northern Syria, and have substantially increased their weaponry and technology support to the terrorist group.

The controversy over a possible Syria border force first started on January 14 when a report emerged on Reuters saying that the military coalition led by the United States in Syria was planning to set up a large border force of up to 30,000 personnel with the aid of its militia allies.

The Syrian government has already condemned the "brutal Turkish aggression" against Afrin, rejecting Ankara's claim about having informed Damascus of the operation.

Damascus "strongly condemns the brutal Turkish aggression on Afrin, which is an inseparable part of Syrian territory," SANA cited a Syrian Foreign Ministry source as saying on January 20.

"Syria completely denies claims by the Turkish regime that it was informed of this military operation," the source added.

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Turkey Expects F-35 Delivery Soon, But Greeks, Armenians Seek to Block Deal

Sputnik News

22:15 02.03.2018

The Turkish armed forces are expecting to take delivery of their first F-35 joint strike fighters before the end of 2018, according to Turkish daily Yeni Safak.

Turkey has committed to buying around 100 of the expensive fifth-generation aircraft. So far, though, Ankara has allocated funds for only 30 F-35s.

Turkish firms Alp Aviation, Aselsan, Ayesas, Fokker Elmo, Havelsan, Kale Aerospace, MiKES, Tubitak-SAGE and Turkish Aerospace Industries stand to rake in about $12 billion in profit from their participation in the F-35 program, according to Lockheed Martin's website.

But that's only if Greece and Armenia don't get in their way. Greek and Armenian lobbies launched a campaign petitioning the US Senate to block the sale of F-35s to Ankara in February.

According to Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, "There will be very strong opposition in Congress  which already acted against small arms sales to Turkish security forces  and in which measures challenging the F-35 transfer have been circulated," the lobbyist said February 20, noting that Turkey's opponents in Washington are "growing in numbers" while "congressmen willing to defend Turkey are in pretty short supply nowadays."

Following an incident in which security forces travelling with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to the US capital and beat peaceful US and Kurdish protesters as well as police officers in Northwest Washington, a House lawmaker sought to block the proposed sale of F-35s to Ankara, the Hill reported.

The Greek and Armenian lobbies have renewed their advocacy efforts to convince the Senate to officially pull the plug on the deal, as reported by Sputnik.

 Sputnik

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Turkey Imposes Curfew in 3 Districts Amid Anti-Kurdish Op

Sputnik News

13:30 02.03.2018(updated 14:03 02.03.2018)

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey has introduced a curfew in its three districts located in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir as the Turkish forces are carrying out an operation against Kurdish militants, the province's authorities said.

"An operation is being held in the districts of Lice, Hani, and Kocakoy in order to neutralize the members of the terrorist group of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and destroy their shelters, munition depots and air defense systems. In this regard, in order to ensure the safety and protection of property of citizens from 6 a.m [03:00 GMT] on March 2, it is prohibited to go out into the streets in the following 115 settlements," the provincial authorities said in a statement.

The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the United States, and several other countries.

Turkey is also conducting a military operation in northern Syriaagainst Kurdish militias that it believes are linked to the PKK.

As of Friday, Turkish forces have neutralized 2,295 militants of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and the Daesh terrorist group since the start of Ankara's operation in Syria's northern region of Afrin.

 Sputnik

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Ankara Faces Mounting Pressure Over Syria Operation

By Dorian Jones March 02, 2018

The Turkish military says eight Turkish soldiers and 13 others were wounded in fighting in northern Syria's Afrin enclave in one of the deadliest days for the Turkish military since it launched "Operation Olive Branch" against the Syrian Kurdish militia, YPG, in January.

"May God grant peace to our martyred soldiers in Afrin. All my condolences to their loved ones," tweeted Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.

In a sign of the continuing cross-party support for the operation, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, tweeted "We trust our army, we have no doubt that they will succeed in their mission to fight terror."

Turkey's defense minister, Nurettin Canikli, said Friday that 41 Turkish soldiers and 116 Free Syrian Army members have been killed in Operation Olive Branch.

Turkey's mainstream media is offering little criticism of the operation, and protests and dissent on social media are banned. International relations professor Husein Bagci of Ankara's Middle East Technical University says history has shown that the more deaths there are in a conflict, the more difficult it will be for the Turkish government to maintain support for it.

"The psychology of the people will change from happiness to them being very unhappy, with what is happening. This is probably already happening. The more Turkey stays there [in Syria] the more unhappiness," he said.

Widening conflict

Thursday also saw a widening of the conflict in Afrin, with reports of 14 members of a pro-Damascus militia being killed in Turkish airstrikes. The militiamen had joined Kurdish YPG forces resisting Turkey's offensive.

The threat of extending the conflict beyond YPG forces is likely to put more pressure on Turkey to curtail its incursion into northern Syria. Ankara insists the operation is about securing Turkey's borders from the threat posed by YPG, which it accuses of supporting a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. Ankara is infuriated with its allies over what it perceives as a lack of support for what it claims is its legitimate right to fight terrorism.

"Turkey will likely get more angry with a lot of people, not only with the West," warned political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website, "There is already potential trouble brewing with Iran, not everything is hunky-dory [agreeable] with Russia. The dialogue with the Arab world is non-existent. This could lead to more isolation for Turkey."

Civilian deaths

Ankara is also facing growing international criticism over how it's conducting its operation.

"It appears that vulnerable civilians are facing displacement and death because of the way Turkey's latest offensive is being conducted," said Larma Fakih, deputy Middle East director at the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch. "Turkey is obligated to take every feasible precaution to avoid harming or killing civilians, and to help them if they want to flee the violence."

The rights group highlighted three separate incidents in which it accused Turkish forces of negligence resulting in the deaths of civilians. Similar concerns and criticism have been raised by the London-based Amnesty International rights group. While the YPG Kurdish militia also was blamed by Amnesty for indiscriminate use of mortars in civilian areas, Amnesty's most scathing criticism was reserved for Turkish forces.

"Reports of shelling of villages and residential areas in cities are deeply troubling," said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East research director. "The use of artillery and other imprecise explosive weapons in civilian areas is prohibited by international humanitarian law and all parties should cease such attacks immediately," it said.

Amnesty, siting eyewitnesses, claimed scores of civilians have been killed by Turkish forces.

The Kurdish Red Crescent reported that between Jan. 22 and Feb. 21, 2018, 93 civilians were killed, including 24 children. A further 313 civilians were wounded, including 51 children.

'Black propaganda'

Rejecting growing criticism, Ankara insists its forces are taking the utmost precautions to avoid civilian casualties. "To date, no civilians have died or even been hurt in Turkish Armed Forces operations," declared Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag in February.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims such steps are the reason why the Afrin operation is proceeding slowly. All reports of civilian casualties are routinely dismissed by Turkish officials as "black propaganda." A similar stance is taken by Turkey's media, which rarely acknowledged even claims of civilian deaths.

International concern for civilians is likely to grow, with the Turkish offensive heading toward increasingly urbanized areas of the Afrin enclave, with the ultimate goal being the city of Afrin, home to several hundred thousand people.

But for now, Ankara is relying on its strategic importance in the region to get its way.

"Every country involved in the region is being very cautious with Turkey," claimed columnist Idiz, "so having this critical mass means Turkey can muscle its way on many occasions. But will it ultimately get its way remains to be seen."

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US plans sale of anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, complicating Ukrainian conflict

Iran Press TV

Fri Mar 2, 2018 06:42AM

The United States administration has formally notified Congress of its intent to sell 210 anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, in a move deemed a major escalation in the Ukrainian conflict.

The US administration on Thursday notified Congress of plans to sell to Ukraine 210 US-made Javelin missiles accompanied by 37 command launch units, worth 47 billion dollars in total.

The US military has already begun training Ukrainian forces on how to use the lethal weapon.

The missiles would be shipped from the existing US Army stockpiles in a bid to speed up the process of transferring them to the Ukrainian military forces.

The weapons would most likely be delivered to Kiev sometime in April, AP reported, citing "several congressional officials" who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The US military's Defense Security Cooperation Agency also issued a statement saying that, "Ukraine will have no difficulty absorbing this system into its armed forces."

The White House had initially approved the sale of the anti-tank weapon to Ukraine back in December last year, but no missiles had been delivered since the administration hadn't completed the formal process for foreign military sales.

After Thursday written notification to the US legislature, lawmakers are allowed a 30-day period to block the sale if they disapprove of it. However, the top Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the foreign relation committees in both chambers of the Congress have informally supported the sale, and the arms deal is expected to ease through the legislative body.

Ukraine has long sought to enhance its military force against ethnic Russians seeking independence from Kiev in the east of the country, where since 2014 the Ukrainian government has been carrying out a crack down on them.

The missile deal deepens American involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and might further deteriorate tensions between Washington and Moscow.

The development came on the same day that Russia's President Vladimir Putin declared that his country has developed new nuclear arms that cannot be intercepted by an enemy.

"You have failed to contain Russia," President Putin said, in a reference to Western countries led by the US.

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U.S. State Department Approves 'Javelin' Missile Sale To Ukraine

RFE/RL March 02, 2018

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department has approved the proposed sale of Javelin antitank missiles and launch units to Ukraine in a deal worth about $47 million, the U.S. military says.

"The Javelin system will help Ukraine build its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements," the Pentagon said in a statement on March 1.

"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," it added.

In December, Washington prompted protests from Russia when it decided to provide lethal defensive weaponry, which some U.S. officials said would include the Javelin antitank missiles, to support Kyiv in its nearly four-year conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that Ukraine had requested 210 Javelin missiles, 37 command launch units, and related hardware. Training, technical assistance, transportation, and other aspects of logistics will be included in the deal, it said.

Officials in Ukraine and the United States had indicated that they were expecting the approval from the State Department. The notice of approval was required by law but does not mean a deal is finalized, the Pentagon said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on February 28 said the first delivery of weapons from the United States was expected in weeks.

"The first delivery of the weapons will take place in several weeks. We are talking about a number of different deliveries, starting with the antisniper devices, because many Ukrainian soldiers were killed by Russian snipers," Poroshenko said.

He added that other military equipment expected from Washington included tools for electronic warfare, air defense, and other kinds of weapons.

"I cannot give all the details as the data is classified," Poroshenko added.

Since April 2014, more than 10,300 people have been killed in fighting between Kyiv's forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

With reporting by Christopher Miller in Kyiv

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-state-department-approves- javelin-anti-tank-missile-sale-ukraine/29072069.html

Copyright (c) 2018. 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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23:24





The ministers have been tasked with selecting the party's chief ministerial candidate in the state.





The board met in the evening and expressed its happiness over the party's performance in the three northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya.





It also appointed central observers for Nagaland where the BJP is set to form government along with its allies, and Meghalaya where the elections have thrown up a hung verdict, said senior party leader and Union Health Minister J P Nadda.





Nadda and party general secretary Arun Singh are the observers for Nagaland and Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Alphons Kannanthanam for Meghalaya.





"The BJP has secured a majority on its own. One of the few surviving Left enclaves has been demolished. The BJP led alliance has secured over 50 per cent of the popular vote. The politics of violence has been defeated by the power of democracy in Tripura.





"This is a mandate for peace, stability and development. The voters have voted for including North-east as a part of the national development agenda," Nadda said in a statement.





All these observers will visit the respective states and speak with the party MLAs to elect their leader.





Though the party had not announced any chief ministerial candidate during the run-up to the elections, Tripura BJP chief Biplab Kumar Deb is seen as a front runner.





The BJP will form its maiden government in the northeastern state where it routed the Left, which was in power for the last 25 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and several other members of the parliamentary board were present in the meeting.





-- PTI

The BJP Parliamentary Board today appointed Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram as central observers for Tripura, where the saffron party along with its ally won a two-third majority.US Approves Sale of 210 Javelin Anti-Tank Missiles to Ukraine

Sputnik News

00:51 02.03.2018(updated 01:18 02.03.2018)

The US State Department decided to approve the sale of hundreds of Javelin anti-tank missiles and missile launch units to the Ukrainian government on Thursday, according to an announcement from the Pentagon's arms exporting agency.

The deal is worth an estimated $47 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.

"These missiles are being provided from US Army stocks and then [command launch units] will be obtained from on-hand Special Defense Acquisition Fund-purchased stocks," the announcement said.

The DSCA claimed that the deal contributes to the national security of the US "by improving the security of Ukraine."

"The Javelin system will help Ukraine build its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements," the agency noted.

Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, confirmed last August that the supply of US lethal weapons would almost certainly result in an escalation of the conflict. "As soon as Ukraine receives lethal weapons, an armed conflict would automatically be unleashed," Zakharchenko warned.

While Kiev has long sought the weapons to presumably enhance its military capabilities, the US defense agency said "the proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region."

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Kiev last August, where he said the US was "actively reviewing" the supply of "defensive lethal weapons" to the Ukrainian armed forces, which Russian officials said at the time was "inappropriate."

US officials discussed Javelin missiles as well as anti-aircraft weapons as a form of lethal aid for Kiev.

 Sputnik

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BJP To Follow TDP Strategy In Assembly!

The Bharatiya Janata Party is learnt to have decided to pay the Telugu Desam Party in its own coin with regard to controversy over central assistance to Andhra Pradesh in the last three and a half years.

The BJP state leaders are going to hold a crucial meeting in Visakhapatnam on Saturday to decide on the stand it should take with regard to alliance with the TDP.

Since the attitude of the TDP appears to be breaking the alliance with the saffron party, the latter has decided to go aggressive against the ruling party in the assembly during the forthcoming budget session.

The BJP has four MLAs in the assembly and two of them are ministers in the Naidu cabinet. And in legislative council, it has two members.

So, the two BJP MLAs and MLCs would continue to stall the assembly proceedings demanding that the Naidu government disclose the details of expenditure of funds released by the Centre till now under various schemes.

The BJP members would also question the TDP government on the corruption involved in Polavaram and Amaravati projects and seek an explanation.

Since the YSR Congress party is boycotting the assembly, the BJP would take the role of the opposition to embarrass the TDP government.

It remains to be seen how the two BJP ministers in Naidu cabinet would react on the latest stand to be taken by the party in the assembly.

Click Here for Latest Direct-to-OTT Releases (List Updates Daily)Why waiting till March 21 for no-trust motion?

The budget session of Parliament will resume on March 5 (Monday) and the YSR Congress party has already started its move to take the battle to New Delhi demanding special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

While there is absolutely no doubt in Jagans fighting spirits, what has puzzled the political pundits is the date chosen by him for moving no-confidence motion against the Centre on March 21.

According to the party leaders, the party wants to adopt a step-by-step strategy to build pressure on the Centre to grant the status to AP. It starts with the party leaders holding dharna on March 5 at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

It will be followed up by various programmes and we would raise the issue in the Parliament and question the NDA coalition about the SCS and the protests would continue till the goal is achieved. And on March 21, we shall move no trust vote on March 21, YSRC MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy said.

However, a source in Delhi says Jagan has deliberately chosen March 21 for the no-confidence motion, though nothing prevents him from doing it earlier.

If a no-trust motion is moved, it will not be admitted immediately. The party will be given three or four days to mobilise the support of at least 50 MPs and even if they endorse it, it cannot be taken up for motion if there is only 10 days time for the closure of the Parliament session, the source said.

if the motion is moved at least a week before, the chances of it getting admitted are more, he said.

However, the intention of Jagan is not to pull down the NDA government, which it cannot because of the huge majority it has in Lok Sabha, but only to expose the Telugu Desam Party and its sincerity in achieving the SCS.

It wants to show to the nation who stands where on the SCS issue and how the promises made during the division of the state were simply traded for personal gains by Naidu.

Click Here for Latest Direct-to-OTT Releases (List Updates Daily)STAMFORD  Jennifer Ladd would like to be known as a dangerous woman, not because she wants to inflict harm but because she wants to stop it.

The Stamford resident, who teaches high school history in Darien, plans to walk out of her job on April 20, a national day of action against gun violence, unless Congress has by then banned assault weapons, instituted universal background checks and taken other measures to protect students from mass murderers.

This months killing of 14 Florida high school students and three educators by a disturbed 19-year-old with an AR-15 rifle was as much as she will take, Ladd said.

I cant live with it anymore, she said.

Because Congress is unlikely to act, and Connecticut does not allow teachers to strike, she probably will be fired, said Ladd, who takes her inspiration from Mother Jones, the early-20th century schoolteacher who was called the most dangerous woman in America for her success in defending laborers, including children, against workplace injustice.

I feel like Im in a position where I could put my job on the line, and its my responsibility to do that, said Ladd, 40, who has taught at Darien High School for 12 years.

The ultimate would be for all teachers to walk out, she said, but thats a really tall order. Most teachers cannot afford to do that.

She has a retirement fund from her days working in the finance industry and can join her husbands health-insurance plan, she said.

Its not ideal, but were prepared, she said. I feel like theres no other way.

Theres been no movement since 20 first-graders and six educators were slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown more than five years ago, Ladd said.

Its on your mind daily. You work it into the way you think about your day  locking into the school, memorizing where the exits are, thinking about how you would pull kids out of hallways, where to hide them to save them, she said. If I thought organizing a march, or starting a group to elect certain people would work, I would do that. But I think people will  just like I did  go about our business, sad and angry and frustrated, and nothing will change.

So on Monday she wrote her students a letter. She reminded them how shed taught them about Henry David Thoreau and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who used civil disobedience to force the government to reconsider its support of unjust laws.

Soft target

Its time for her to make a stand, Ladd told her students.

They were stunned. They asked a lot of questions. Ive told them how much I love my job so they wanted to know how I could do this, Ladd said. A lot were supportive. Some said they dont agree with me, that owning an assault weapon is a persons right. I told them I am not trying to convince them, I am just telling them what I will do.

Her classroom reflects the intractable argument over guns in America, where some believe military-style weapons must be outlawed, and others think more people must be armed.

Scott Wilson is president of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, a statewide grassroots organization that supports gun rights.

Most of these shootings are happening in schools and other gun-free zones, Wilson said, and teachers such as Ladd should be concerned with the fact that lawmakers and policy makers have left her a soft target in this type of environment.

The nation can pass all the laws we want but criminals, especially those intent on murder, are not going to follow the law, Wilson said. In our view there need to be better safety procedures in schools to prevent people from getting in  we like the idea that some faculty members, including teachers, that receive proper training and pass the proper background checks can be trained to stop an attack as it happens.

His organization respects life, Wilson said, and gun-free zones are a false utopia that protect no one.

All on the line

Ladd said she thinks many teachers would leave the profession before arming themselves. A fellow teacher, Stamford native Matt Pavia, who has taught with Ladd at Darien High for a decade, agreed.

Its incredibly frustrating that Congress took no action after Sandy Hook, Pavia said.

Its very sad to stand in your room a day after a shooting, and the kids want to talk about it and you want to tell them they are safe, but you know in your heart you cant, Pavia said. I think what (Ladd) is doing is a long shot, but really admirable. If you believe something is wrong and you have the power to do something, then doing something is better than doing nothing.

It comes straight from the American Studies classes he and Ladd taught together, Pavia said.

Its the American story of the power of the individual to create his own life, bring about change, and determine his destiny  sometimes through civil disobedience and dissent, Pavia said. Those people often are thought of as radical or dangerous. But history shows that the only time important change happens is when a few individuals are willing to put everything on the line for what they believe in.

Ladd wrote to the students of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., who are organizing rallies and confronting politicians about banning assault rifles. She contacted Connecticuts two senators, Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both Democrats and outspoken advocates of gun restrictions, to enlist their help.

I want to sound the alarm, Ladd said. My biggest hope is that other teachers hear about it, think about it, consider it. Maybe some of them will walk out elsewhere.The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy A8 Enterprise Edition models have arrived in Germany. The former will be available in the country starting April, while the latter has gone on sale already.

They carry a price tag of 849 and 499, respectively. It's worth mentioning that these phones are dual-SIM.

In case you aren't aware, Samsung's Enterprise Edition devices come with features such as Knox Configure and Enterprise Firmware Over-the-Air (E-FOTA).

The Galaxy A8 Enterprise Edition will get three years of monthly security updates, while the S9 variant will also get quarterly updates in the fourth year. Both devices come with manufacturer warranty of two years.

Source | ViaPublished on 2018/03/03 | Source

Added episode 2 captures for the Korean drama "Queen of Mystery Season 2" (2018)

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Network : KBS

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"Queen of Mystery" tells the story of a prosecutor's wife who's always dreamed of being a detective. After actually solving a case, she ends up in an unlikely crime-fighting duo with a young police captain.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018/02/28

MoreState officials break ground on $110M Apodaca science building

Former state Sen. Tom Apodaca, state officials and Western Carolina University break ground on Apodaca Science Building. [PHOTO BY JOHN PANNELL]

Related Stories

There is an empty lot behind the Natural Sciences Building on Western Carolina University's campus. It's covered in grass and on Friday afternoon it was muddy. During a groundbreaking ceremony, Western Carolina and an all-star lineup of state officials praised the $110 million building that will rise from the site over he next three years.

The new building, named for former State Senator Tom Apodaca, will contain 182,989 square feet and be six stories tall. The Natural Sciences Building that it will replace dates back to 1970s. Apodaca retired from the North Carolina Senate in 2016.

Apodaca is one of the more well-known alums of Western Carolina University. Having graduated with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Economics.

I never went in the science building, Apodaca told the crowd, provoking laughter. I made it a point not going into the science building when I was at Cullowhee.

Despite the jokes, Apodaca certainly does see the merit in higher education having sponsored such legislation during his time in the NC Senate. One such bill was the Access to Affordable College Education Act from 2016. He has a scholarship endowment at WCU. The Pilar C. Apodaca Schalorship is named for his grandmother, a second-generation American from Mexico. According to WCU's website, the scholarship is granted to students of high academic performance, good citizenship and community service with a preference given towards Hispanic Americans.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, WCU officials Apocada's colleagues in the North Carolina Senate. Tom Belt, coordinator for WCU's Cherokee Language Program, delivered a Cherokee blessing.

Speaking to his accomplishments as a member of the NC Senate was president pro tempore Phil Berger, who jokingly described his colleage as part teddy bear and part grizzly bear because you would never know which one you were going to get. Berger also joined in on jokes about Apodaca having a science building named after him.

Everyone knows that economics is referred to as the 'dismal science,' so this building is perfectly apt for someone who is a economic minor, Berger said. Tom understands that college is a significant investment that leads to higher paying jobs, a better-skilled workforce and stronger local economies. He knows that escalating costs and rising student debt are threatening the value of that investment. Thats why, as a state senator, he spearheaded the NC Promise program, which guarantees in-state undergraduate students at three public universities across our state  including Western Carolina University  pay just $1,000 in tuition each year.

The tuition plan starts this fall at WCU and at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Elizabeth City State University.

UNC system President Margaret Spellings noted that Apodaca had always supported his alma mater.

Growing up in North Carolina, you went to Cullowhee, forged a deep bond with your school, then stayed in the region and launched a highly successful career creating companies, serving the state and ultimately succeeding at the highest levels of state government, Spellings said. And at every step along the way, you gave back to your alma mater, lifted it up alongside you and fought for it in Raleigh. And youve delivered results for this university, just as you delivered results for the entire UNC System and for the entire state.

Made possible through funding from the 2016 statewide $2 billion Connect NC bond referendum, the Apodaca building will replace WCUs existing, 1970s-era Natural Sciences Building. Construction will begin later this year, followed by completion and occupancy by June 2021. The building will include five stories of laboratory, classroom, assembly and office space, with the sixth story serving as a mechanical penthouse. It will feature a large, 150-person lecture hall, a science commons area on the first floor and a rooftop plaza for astronomy observations.

The WCU Board of Trustees voted in December 2016 to name the building in honor of Apodaca in recognition of his years of service to and support of the Western North Carolina region and the university, including his time as a member of the WCU Board of Trustees and his extensive advocacy for the university in the General Assembly.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have invited thousands of people into the grounds of Windsor Castle to share their wedding day.

Kensington Palace said 1,200 members of the public will be among a crowd of 2,640 allowed in to watch the arrival of the bride and groom and their guests at St George's Chapel on May 19 and to see the newlyweds start their carriage procession through Windsor.

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"Prince Harry and Ms Meghan Markle have said they want their wedding day to be shaped so as to allow members of the public to feel part of the celebrations too," the palace said in a statement.

"This wedding, like all weddings, will be a moment of fun and joy that will reflect the characters and values of the bride and groom."

The 1,200 members of the public will be drawn "from every corner of the United Kingdom", said Kensington Palace, and will be nominated to attend by nine regional lord lieutenant offices.

Harry and Meghan have asked that the people chosen are from a broad range of backgrounds and ages, including young people who have shown strong leadership and those who have served their communities.

Harry said earlier this week that he and Meghan were busy planning their wedding, which will see the royal fam- ily, Meghan's relatives and guests gather at Queen Elizabeth's Berkshire home for the event.

Mel B has confirmed that the Spice Girls will attend the wedding, and also sparked speculation that the recently reunited band will perform on the big day.

Elton John is also rumoured to be on the guest list and former US president Barack Obama and wife Mich-elle - who are friends of Harry - are likely to be invited.

Sassiness

Meanwhile, Meghan will bring a touch of American "sassiness" to the look of the royal family, according to the former long-time editor of British Vogue.

However, Alexandra Shulman said the queen remained "the most stylish person", after receiving a CBE for services to fashion journalism in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

"Meghan's got a great style, is very confident in her style, and she will bring a bit of American sassiness to the look of the royal family," said Shulman (60).

"And I'm looking forward to seeing what she wears to the wedding."

Following the queen's app- earance at London Fashion Week in February, Shulman paid tribute to her outfit choices over the decades.

"The queen is the most stylish person because she never changes," she said.

"Style is about having a look and sticking to it and she does it so well.

"I think everybody just thinks she's amazing.

"And Buckingham Palace is really unbeatable. You just come in and you really know you're in somewhere truly unique."Colin Farrell presented fellow Dubliner Barry Keoghan with a prize at the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles

Colin Farrell has praised Dunkirk actor Barry Keoghan for overcoming "insurmount- able" difficulties as he presented him with an award in Los Angeles.

The rising star, who played George Mills in the Oscar-nominated film, was handed an Oscar Wilde Award alongside Mark Hamill, who followed in the footsteps of his late friend Carrie Fisher to collect the honour.

The awards, held by the US-Ireland Alliance on Thursday, recognise the contributions of Irish people in film, television and music as well as those with a connection to Ireland.

Farrell praised the 25-year-old Dubliner for excelling despite experiencing "desolation" that Farrell said he himself would not be able to overcome.

Incredible

Keoghan, who is nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for his work alongside Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, has discussed growing up in foster care and his mother's death from heroin.

"It's really incredible what he has achieved in a few years. Anyone who knows Barry can testify to the fact that he has gone through a certain amount of experience in his own personal life," Farrell said.

"He has experienced a certain amount of desolation, in his past, things that I would find in my contemplation of such loss completely insurmountable."

Speaking on the "green carpet" ahead of the ceremony, Hamill said the honour had extra significance because he had accompanied his Star Wars co-star Fisher to receive the same award in 2015.

"Her speech was, of course, hilarious," he said.

"I can't touch her in that regard, but I'll try and be more coherent."

Hamill said his paternal family is Irish and he has filmed at various locations on the island, including at Skellig Michael for The Last Jedi.

Also presented with awards were Paula Malcomson, who starred in US series Ray Don-ovan.

Malcomson, who left Ireland for the States during the Troubles with "just 27 (30) in my pocket that I borrowed from my granny", made an impassioned speech about immigration in the US which allowed her to live the "American dream".

"This country took in an 18-year-old girl. It wrapped its arms around her and handed her a better life," she said.

"I hope the American dream is available for those who reach out and grab it the way I did."

Among the Irish acting talent who attended the awards were Victoria Smurfit and Sarah Bolger.The moment a woman was thrown a life ring at Sandycove Harbour after waves and strong winds overcame her

This is the extraordinary moment when a swimmer had to be rescued from the stormy sea in Dublin.

Gardai have warned people not to go swimming after the woman got into trouble in Dun Laoghaire yesterday morning.

Video footage has emerged online showing people, including Edward Thomas (50), going to the woman's aid at Sandycove Harbour.

Speaking to the Herald, Mr Thomas' wife Gwen said she is in no doubt that the person rescued from the water would have died had others not been present.

"Our electricity was out so we decided to go for a drive to get some supplies and we stopped at Sandycove," she said.

"There were people there running over to the water so we got out to see what the problem was. Then we saw the woman struggling in the water.

"She was fighting against the waves, so my husband and another man threw the life ring over to her and she fortunately was able to grab it and they dragged her out.

"She couldn't even stand, she was that exhausted, so she sat down for 10 minutes to catch her breath.

Waves

"Without a doubt, if those people hadn't been there to throw in the ring for her she would have died.

"The waves were pushing her against the rocks and were dragging her under."

The rescued swimmer was not the only person Mrs Thomas saw take to the water.

"As soon as they got her out, two men togged up and got into the water after all that happened. I couldn't believe it," she said.

"Luckily, a police car came and once they put the sirens on they two men quickly got out.

"This is proof that it doesn't matter how good a swimmer you are, you can't compete against a storm or the raging current."

A garda spokesman told the Herald: "We are advising people not to go swimming as there are extremely high tides."

Despite a status red snow-ice warning still being in place, some swimmers have ignored this.

People also defied a status red warning during Hurricane Ophelia, when videos and pictures emerged of people swimming in Salthill, Co Galway, and at the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire.

Elsewhere, motorists are being advised to continue to drive with caution in the coming days.

The AA has warned that as the snow thaws there is a significant risk of surface moisture building up, and potentially instances of localised flooding.Swedish Tomb Raider actress Alicia Vikander (29), who recently moved to Lisbon with her husband Michael Fassbender, has revealed it was a place they discussed living in when they first met.

"When I met Michael three-and-a-half years ago, he mentioned he'd been to Lisbon and loved it, and I knew friends who were moving there," she said.

"That was a time when I was starting to feel at home in London, but after Brexit I thought, 'You know what? I want to stay in Europe'."

Reboot

Vikander can next be seen portraying Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider reboot, for which she embarked on a tough exercise regime as well as tucking into five meals a day to bulk up.

"I wanted Lara to be strong. I'm very petite and I wanted the audience to find the action sequences plaus-ible - to believe she could lift herself up with her own bodyweight," she said.Catalytic converter thefts hit low-income car owners the hardest

Utah lawmakers are considering a crackdown on catalytic converter theft, in which criminals saw the emission control devices from cars and sell the precious metals found inside to a booming worldwide black market. Rep. Ryan Wilcox, a Republican who represents House District 7, covering North Ogden, Pleasant View and part of Ogden, is sponsoring a bill to create a statewide database of catalytic converter sales. "We want to force the (illegal) sales out of the legitimate areas, to lock down the legitimate ways to dispose of them," Wilcox said. The usual proper channel is through metal ...A member of the Provo City School District Board of Education voiced support Friday for arming teachers in schools.

Taz Murray, a member of the Provo School District Board of Education, said during a board meeting that the district could pay anonymous teachers extra to volunteer to carry a concealed weapon at school.

One active deterrent will go a lot further than anything we have talked about so far, Murray said.

Other board members voiced their opposition and hesitancy to the idea.

Teachers, by law, are allowed to carry a concealed weapon. Keith Rittel, the districts superintendent, said there are teachers who currently have conceal carry permits.

McKay Jensen, the boards president, told the board about an incident in another district where a student destroyed a classroom. He said the district needs mental health care to intervene and hes concerned about arming employees.

If a student used a chair leg as a weapon, he said a teacher could see the student as a danger. He doesnt want Provo to be the first school district to have a teacher shoot a student.

Id much rather send that student home, Jensen said.

Julie Rash, a board member, said a student could get ahold of a teachers gun and there are risks with arming teachers.

Murray said hed heard the majority of attacks happen in undefended areas, students wouldnt know which teachers are armed and said it would be an inexpensive deterrent to potential school shooters.

The district has been reviewing its emergency procedures following a Feb. 14 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.

The district has been doing security checks in every school and plans to send a SWAT team through the new Provo High School to solve any potential problems before it opens in the fall.

Todd McKee, the districts director of secondary education, spoke on preventative measures and said the district has more social workers than other districts. He said the district also has an emphasis on health clerks and kindness initiatives.

I havent seen a district as proactive on social-emotional learning than us, McKee said.

Shannon Poulsen, a member of the board, proposed putting metal detectors in schools. The idea faced resistance from the rest of the board.

Jensen suggested the district post an emergency plan on all of its websites so parents know what to do in case of an emergency.

We have to be very vigilant, Jensen said. We have to be constantly moving forward.Hagerstown Police looking for man involved in deadly shooting Saturday

Hagerstown Police Department has issued a warrant for a man who fled the scene of a shooting that left one person dead on Sept. 18.In Istanbuls busy Kadikoy district, a group of women attend a pole dancing class, working out in a gym which many see as a refuge in an increasingly conservative Muslim city. The WOW studio is one of three in Istanbul which, starting in 2013 with just eight dancers, now runs courses for more than 1,000 women. Its popularity is part of a global fitness trend, but in a country ruled by President Tayyip Erdogans Islamist-rooted AK Party, the pole dancing classes also help women escape social or religious constraints, instructor Ozge Uraz says.

A group of women perfom in a pole dance class in Istanbul. (Reuters)

The dancers are seeking a secure and secluded atmosphere where they can display their female energies, Uraz said, adding that her dance studio was a freedom zone... decontaminated from male existence. Thirty-year-old social media consultant Zeynep said pole dancing made her feel free. She said its popularity was partly a reaction to changes in Turkish society. On one side conservatism is rising but on the other side a new generation is rising, living for herself not for others, she told Reuters.

College graduate Tugba, 27, who wears a Muslim headscarf, has told only her husband and a few close friends that she does pole dancing. Despite its links to burlesque shows and strip clubs, Tugba says pole dancing does not contradict her religious beliefs because no man sees me when Im dancing, and Im doing this only for myself.

The WOW studio is one of three in Istanbul which, starting in 2013 with just eight dancers, now runs courses for more than 1,000 women. (Reuters)

Political scientist Alev Ozkazanc says pole dancings popularity should be no surprise in a Muslim country, particularly one like Turkey where strong secular and religious traditions co-exist. The dance can be seen as a means of resistance to the duress applied on the female body and womens liberties, she said.

Not all the opposition comes from the religious conservatives, said another dance instructor. There are of course critics but the ones directly made to me are not from conservatives, says Sevinc Gurmen Hall. The feminists and highly educated people criticize me. They think pole dance is a way of commoditising women. That appears unlikely to deter many of the dancers. I feel liberated here, as I cannot when Im out on the street, Zeynep said. Seeing so many women here gives me hope for the future.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreVillagers in northern China wake up before dawn to paint their faces with pinkish make-up, don colourful robes and wield swords to represent legendary figures for a unique festival capping Chinese New Year celebrations. Art troupes gather at a plaza in Longxian county, Shaanxi province, to sing, beat drums, dance, and perform traditional Chinese drama and martial arts during the pagan She Huo celebration for the gods of land and fire.

They then hold a lively parade, some wearing long fake beards, others riding real horses or fake decorative stallions around their waist as onlookers follow them. For this important regional tradition, performers get up as early as 4am to paint their faces and prepare stage props like swords and spears.

China marked its New Year on February 16 to enter the Year of the Dog, but celebrations last for days and include regional traditions. The She Huo festival dates back to ancient China, when people performed to pray to their gods for a bumper harvest and good weather. Now it is listed as an intangible cultural heritage in China, where local governments are making efforts to make more people participate and enjoy the activity.

Government workers typically walk in front of the parade, leading it to new construction sites and shops as the art troupes perform blessing rituals. But concerned villagers still worry about the fading of the tradition, saying the festival is getting shorter every year and the schedule is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Its not as lively as it used to be when I was young, said Chen Liping, a She Huo performer in her 40s. I hope it can be as boisterous forever, so we can have new performances every year.

Here are some more photos of the festival:

The festival being celebrated in the courtyard of an official state building in Longxian, Shaanxi province. (AFP)

Villagers in northern China wake up before dawn to paint their faces with pinkish make-up, don colourful robes and wield swords. (AFP)

Villagers represent legendary figures for the She Huo festival. (AFP)

The She Huo festival is a unique event capping Chinese New Year celebrations. (AFP)

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreA museum in Los Angeles is launching an exhibition, titled Rembrandt and the Inspiration of India, that reveals how the 17th century Dutch painter was inspired by artists from a dramatically different culture in a country thousands of kilometres away. The March 13-June 24 exhibition of paintings by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn at the J Paul Getty Museum will include 23 of his works, closely based on portraits made by artists from Mughal India.

These drawings mark a striking diversion for this quintessentially Dutch Golden Age artist, the only time he made a careful and extensive study of art from a dramatically different culture, a J Paul Getty Trust statement said. The trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation.

Rembrandt may be one of the most famous painters in European art history but there are still remarkable discoveries to be made about his work, said Timothy Potts, director of museum. This exhibition is a case in point, demonstrating how Rembrandt turned to the art of India to produce some of his most exotic and intriguing images. This vivid example of cultural exchange reminds us how artists on different continents take inspiration from one another, a reality that of course continues to this very day.

The exhibition pairs 20 of Rembrandts surviving drawings depicting Mughal emperors, princes, and courtiers with Indian paintings and drawings of similar compositions, which had been brought to Amsterdam from the Dutch trading post in Surat. Rembrandts portraits reveal how his contact with Mughal art inspired him to draw in a newly refined and precise style.

The critical eye and attentive curiosity Rembrandt turned towards Mughal portrait conventions still captivates viewers today. At this late stage in his career, around 1656-1661, this meticulous rendering is exceptional, said Stephanie Schrader, the organiser of the exhibition. The exhibition also examines how global trade and cultural exchange impacted artists working for Mughal emperors in India, who were in turn inspired by Dutch and Flemish printed images of European rules and scenes of daily life.

Among the treasures found in a Dutch East India ship, which sank en route to China in 1597, was a package that contained 400 prints by and after Dutch and Flemish artists.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreLike millions of fans, actor Priyanka Chopra is also mourning the death of Sridevi, arguably Indias first female superstar. The 54-year-old actor died in a Dubai hotel due to accidental drowning on February 24.

In remembrance of Sridevi, Priyanka has written an article in Time magazine, recollecting her memories of the late actor and how Sridevi inspired her to take the leap of faith in life.

She writes that she was immobilised when she heard of Sridevis death. She left us too soon. My last memory of her is a red-carpet moment last December. In the frenzy of flashbulbs and whirring cameras, she pulled me into a tight hug and spoke lovingly and excitedly about her two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi. Her family was her life. She left me feeling warm and fuzzy, and with a promise to meet again, Priyanka wrote in the article.

Sridevis elder daughter, Jhanvi, is expected to make her Bollywood debut this year.

Sridevi had worked in over 300 films in different Indian languages and was one of the highest paid actors in her prime between 1983 and 1995.

She was last seen in the crime-thriller Mom, which was produced by her husband Boney Kapoor.At the tail end of a dinner for Maria Balshaw, the new whizz director of the Tate, artist Subodh Gupta pipes up from the seat to my right: Youve opened up the Tate to everyone  youve given access back to the people. This is an extraordinary gift to democratise art.

And then Gupta commits exactly the kind of faux pas I would, one that endears him to me for life: You embarrass us all.

Meru Gokhale, Publisher, Penguin Random House, laughs out loud (Naina Redhu)

Perhaps, Subodh, you mean embrace? Guptas partner Bharti Kher  one of my favourite artists  chimes from the head of the table.

Balshaw, razor-sharp on uptake, says, Gosh, yes, of course, I do both equally.

Balshaws husband, Nick Merriman, director, Manchester Museum, smiles at me. It is impossible to be immune to Balshaws mighty charm and scimitar intelligence, and how the combination sets her apart at any dinner table.

Among the delectable dishes served was this grilled king oyster mushroom with Kashmiri morel, celeriac, black truffle and sherry vinegar reduction (Naina Redhu)

Paperbacks to Picasso

Balshaw is in Delhi for an art fair. Along with my friends Dattaraj and Dipti Salgaocar, I hosted Nick and her at supper for HT Brunch. Some dear friends who joined us at The Leela Palace included Kavita and Hari Bhartia, Namita and Arun Saraf. Over the years, Balshaw and Merriman have been Goa drinking buddies, where its mostly chatting art, politics, books et al in board shorts over cold beer and prawn curry. Naturally, I was intimidated to be at dinner at The Leela Palaces Le Cirque (the mixologist had created astonishing cocktails inspired by key works at the Tate and Manchester Museum, including one inspired by Cezannes wife reclining and wondering when she would leave England for France).

Picassos Weeping Woman on the cover of Sartres The Age Of Reason led me to London...Maria Balshaw

For a north Goa village hick, what put me at

ease in Le Cirques glamorous climate was Balshaw, who has the notable gift of being naturally self-effacing and in full ownership of her genius. Perhaps it comes from her childhood  sound, middle class British stock with no unnecessary allusions to art.

The host of the evening, Siddharth, making artist Bharti Kher feel comfortable (Naina Redhu)

As initiation into a lifelong apprenticeship to art practice, she credits literature.

For most of my childhood books were my refuge and inspiration, she told me. I read everything I could lay my hands on and had some wonderful aunts who passed me things that opened new vistas for me. I still remember receiving The Color Purple and Meridian by Alice Walker for Christmas at age 13, and curling up and immersing myself in Celies story and her voice and not moving from the armchair for most of the day. Virginia Woolfs To the Lighthouse guided me into modernism, Ursula K. Le Guins The Left Hand of Darkness and Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale were my feminist awakenings. And the world of literature then made me want to get on a train and go to find art and artists. So, Picassos Weeping Woman on the cover of a Penguin copy of Sartres The Age of Reason led to a journey to London seeking out modernist art. This journey led me to Tate Britain (then called just Tate as it was the only one) and to a sense that I really wanted to discover things I didnt know (and I still like to do this).

The host of the evening, Dattaraj Salgaocar (Naina Redhu)

In addition to serving as a disciple of curiosity, if Balshaw sounds dreadfully sensible then, well, she is. And its precisely this poise, candour and wit that Balshaw will high beam at the Tate, an institution that will revive under the new directors expansive scholarship, gender inclusive politics, and her profound, intimate friendships with rock star artists as formidable as Marina Abramovic and Cornelia Parker.

Mostly, its what Gupta wisely observed: shes committed to democratising art, playfully calling out its pretentions, and reminding younger audiences that even ones Instagram feed, considered carefully, may be a tableau of artistic nourishment.

Nick Merriman, Director, Manchester Museum in conversation with Namita Saraf (Naina Redhu)

Portraits of the artists as heroes

I first met Balshaw a few years ago; she was director of the The Whitworth, Manchester. After attending a photography exhibition Id curated at Sunaparanta, an arts foundation I head in Goa, which was set up by the Salgaocars, we had dinner at my cottage. She asked me if Id curate a show for her. I thought of Sooni Taraporevala, who is feted for her photographs of the Parsees but also had, as gallerist Devika Daulet-Singh alerted me, a definitive archive of Mumbai/Bombay photographs spanning 40 years. During our collaborative adventure, Taraporevala and I were dazzled by the ease of working with Balshaw and her team at The Whitworth.

When we presented Queer British Art at Tate, one visitor comment simply said, I think it might be safe to come out now! Maria Balshaw

Balshaw is utterly professional, entirely non-interfering, and a prodigy of mindful delegation. Her greatest strength? She champions her artists with animated gusto. Unlike many in similar positions, who come with the industrial strength arrogance of an influencer, Balshaw is disarmingly fangirl before her artists. The weight of her recent designation is such that she arrived in Delhi only to discover a lunch reception for 300, where she had been billed guest of honour. Her entirely extemporaneous speech at this lunch was waving candles for attending artists she admired: Subodh Gupta, Bharti Kher, Nalini Malani (she separately pointed out Indian artists she is watching carefully, including Jitish Kallat, Reena Kallat, Gauri Gill, Raqs Media Collective). What might have been an opportunity for her to speak about her own role at the Tate turned into a thoughtful reminder of its primary responsibility: to nourish and advocate artists.

Ms. Monets Meditation  a cocktail inspired by the famous French artist (Naina Redhu)

And then theres also that quietly thoughtful way she winds up a project. To celebrate Taraporevalas rapturously received show at The Whitworth, she treated me to dinner at Mahesh Lunch Home, when Nick and she were passing through Mumbai. We walked from my flat to the restaurant, and over rice and fish curry, we spoke about our parents, how we aspire to age, the Marquezian solitude of ageing. I had, around that time, lost my father; we touched on the role of art in helping us process loss.

We struggle as humans to accept loss, as I think we delude ourselves that we can or should be complete in ourselves, she later observed. So the process of engaging with an artists work is a timely reminder that we cannot stop time, or be perfect and that more takes place beyond or outside us, and I find this humbling and also inspiring.

Hari Bhartia gets cheerful (Naina Redhu)

Couturier Kavita Bhartia is all smiles (Naina Redhu)

Arts and the economy

The Tate drew 8.5 million visitors last year. Balshaw must allocate 110 million of funds across its venues, manage a permanent collection of over 70,000 artworks, and lead close to a thousand employees. Internationally, art has revived economies in nearly bankrupt towns such as Spains Bilbao, where the Guggenheim Museum attracted millions of visitors to its whimsical and lavish Frank Gehry edifice (in its initial three years the museum generated nearly $500 million and another $100 million in city taxes). A 2014 McKinsey study pointed out that what makes a city great, in addition to green spaces and immigrants, is a thriving cultural sector.

Author Patrick French sips a secret (Naina Redhu)

Sadly, a thriving cultural centre is vastly lacking in our country. In India, public museums are dismal  run either by government servants with no vision, training or passion, or by ageing socialites who use public art spaces to dignify their otherwise pointless existence. There are few private museums, with key exceptions such as the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (where the excellent Roobina Karode directs its energetic programme). In America and China, the mega rich create and support art centres. Our newly wealthy, instead of funding world class museums  for the sheer vanity, if for no altruistic motive  build two billion dollar homes that become odes to crass greed and aesthetic failure. In the process of heading an arts foundation in Goa, I find myself struggling to keep my own bullshit sensor in check  its so easy to fall into the art world rhetoric of free champagne and inscrutable language. So how does Balshaw cope?

Artist Subodh Gupta (right) in conversation with hotelier and museum founder Arun Saraf (Naina Redhu)

I acknowledge the gilded world and the systems of control and privilege, but my public-sector career has always been and will continue to be about how we can make art and artists ideas accessible to a wider public. And there is nothing better to remind one of the power and relevance of art than to listen to what visitors say, think and feel when they come into Tate, she said. To give one powerful example, when we presented Queer British Art at Tate Britain, which explored the until recently hidden histories of queer desire and life in our national collection, one visitor comment at the end simply said, I think it might be safe to come out now.

(Author of bestselling books, including The Last Song of Dusk, Shanghvi is honorary director of an arts foundation in North Goa. He travels extensively, and frequently contributes travel dispatches for Brunch)

From HT Brunch, March 4, 2018

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Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunchThe Bank of Barodas South African unit has been in possession of the proceeds of crime linked to a dairy farm project that involved the politically connected Gupta family, said Thato Ntimutse, a lawyer for the National Prosecuting Authoritys Asset Forfeiture Unit.

While Indias Bank of Baroda has tried to stop the state from freezing 30 million rand ($2.5 million) of its funds over the dairy farm dispute, it should be noted that the lender has gone so far as to take its own clients, the Guptas, to court to try and sever ties, Ntimutse said in the high court in Bloemfontein in the Free State province on Friday. Although state funds intended for the farm may also have gone through other banks in South Africa, Bank of Baroda has a single current account into which all funds are paid so that legal and illegal money co-mingles, he said.

The case is related to a state-owned farm in the Free State leased to Gupta-linked company Estina (Pty) Ltd. in 2012. The regional government agreed to help develop the land, but the high court on January 19 gave the National Prosecuting Authority permission to freeze the projects assets after more than 220 million rand destined for the farm was said to have been transferred to Atul Gupta, one of three brothers, and a number of companies and associates. State prosecutors allege Atul Gupta received 10 million rand.

The 30 million-rand preservation order is wrong because the money due to clients had already been withdrawn and the attachment of an equal amount of the lenders own funds is unsustainable, Luke Spiller, a legal representative for the Bank of Baroda, said in the court on Thursday.

No show

Atul Gupta, who didnt appear in Bloemfontein on Thursday or Friday, has previously denied in court documents that cash meant for the development of the dairy farm was transferred to his private bank accounts. Bank of Baroda transferred the 10 million rand that Estina paid it into a fixed-deposit account in the farms name a few days after first receiving the funds and they did not go to Atul Gupta, according to his lawyer Rafik Bhana, who also spoke in Bloemfontein.

The test is not whether this is money laundering or not, its about the 10 million rand, Bhana said. This is more than about the Guptas. This is about the rule of law.

Judgment has been reserved on the applications to overturn the orders against Atul Gupta, Bank of Baroda and the companies linked to the Gupta family, Judge Andre Fouche Jordaan said in the High Court on Friday. A ruling will be given on March 9, he said.

Atul Gupta, who signed his legal documents in Dubai, and businesses linked to his family have applied to the Bloemfontein court to reconsider the assets attachment. The Gupta family have close ties to former President Jacob Zuma and have been accused of using the association to win state business and influence government appointments. Zuma and the Guptas have denied wrongdoing.

The crackdown on the dairy farm project came just weeks after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa replaced Zuma as head of the ruling African National CongressConspiracy theories have always been as much part of the Indian fabric as the ability to argue every facet of any matter. The latest example of this predilection, of course, was the speculation around the death of megastar Sridevi. Breathless voices read forensic tea leaves on television, faces were marked with frowns of interrogation, as every clue was collected and magnified under the lens of public prosecution.

There are plenty of previous instances, focusing on demonetisation, Padmavat, Aadhaar and much more, and all within the past 18 months.

Given that this is, and has been, a cottage industry in India, you would hardly think that imports are necessary. But as the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau completed his eight-day visit, marked with more trips than you would see in a neighbourhood game of langri taang, his entourage left behind a whopper to chew on. That tale still stands tall, whipping up emotions in Ottawa.

Jaspal Atwal, a person once convicted of an assassination attempt on a visiting minister from Punjab in the 1980s, being invited to an official dinner at the Canadian High Commissioners residence in New Delhi, was another example of the false steps during the Trudeau trip. Just about the only time he made the right moves was while doing the bhangra while making an entrance at that very reception.

The Canadian PMO sent out a senior member of the countrys national security establishment to brief the media, the Canadian newsfolk that is since Indian hacks werent invited. This unidentified mandarin was tasked with trying on the spin that the Indian government had somehow planted Atwal (despite background checks by Canadian agencies) to embarrass Trudeau. The Canadian PM, meanwhile, has told the House of Commons that when one of our top diplomats and security officials says something to Canadians, its because they know it to be true.

This just adds another layer of the ridiculous to the bilateral engagement. Its gone awry because this diplomatic arena is strewn with conspiracies. That Indian diplomats attempted to sabotage the campaign of Jagmeet Singh to become the leader of the New Democratic Party is one. Another, even more dangerous, is that the terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182 in 1985 was a false flag operation by the Indian government. There is a understood code for this: Chants of a fresh investigation, refusal to criticise the principal perpetrators like Talwinder Singh Parmar of the Babbar Khalsa, portraits of whom still adorn some gurdwaras in Canada. This was the worst case of aviation terrorism in the world till 9/11, which itself attracts plenty of alternate charlatanry.

Multiple investigations and a Commission of Enquiry have established the facts, but in this age of fake news, other versions of reality go viral.

But these were marginal elements pushing these paranoid premises for political purposes. When the Prime Minister of the nation plays along, it only leads to the mainstreaming of the fringe.Superstar Sridevis demise for her family and fans is a matter of tragic Till death do us part, but for Tweeple it translated into a case of Till death do us upstart. Ironically, the curtain down on the life of a gifted actress of such superb histrionics, saw histrionics and hysterics of another kind staged on TV and Twitter -- Theatre of the Absurd. And how!

English Vinglish: Syntax of Sensationalism

Starring in a real-life twist to the reel English Vinglish was none other than the famous Angry Man of Twitter, Rishi Kapoor. No sooner had tamasha TV and Twitter exploded with tidings of Sris tragic passing than Chandinis leading man took the lead to teach telly journos a lesson or two in English Vinglish on Twitter.

Kapoors angst, rightly so, was at the vocabulary spawned by Sris departure, since it spelt dramatic departure from the semantics of sensitivity and sobriety. In the context of news channels constant references to her body being brought from Dubai, Kapoor tweeted, How has Sridevi all of a sudden become the body?

This was the curious case of tamasha TV being tutored by tinsel town, Primetime or NoonKyoon Junoonits all about English Vinglish!

Sadma: Death by drowning of sobriety

It was indeed a case of death by drowning. A drowning of the voices of sanity n sensitivity, the death of dignified reportage as tamasha TV went cacophonous on the coverage of cinemas czarina.

As most channels did drown decency in decibels of sensationalism, voices of sobriety were few and far between. Tellys fabled loudmouths disinclined to watered down reportage and displaying decibels disposed to drowning the voices of sobriety even in times of grief, had viewers under Sadma exclaiming, Good grief!

As if Arnab himself isnt enough to drown the very vitriolic of vocal chords, he pitted on his primetime panel two women lawyers, who engaged in diabolically drowning each others voice along with poor Arnabs lungs stout more than they did legalese spout.

As #SrideviDeathMystery went riding higher on decibel-ism, skepticism and sensationalism, what else was this but a curious case of, Tere mere hothon pe teekhe teekhe tweet mitwaa!

Khuda Gawah 2: Rise of the Bathtub

God save Tweeple if a celebrity kicks the bucket leaving a dearth of gawah to substantiate the drowning theories floating around. Khuda Gawaah hai how the absence of gawah saw the rise of a new prop, much in the spirit of Baahubali  The Rising, around which tamasha TVs Theatre of the Absurd was staged: Bathtub  The Rising.

Never perhaps has the ubiquitous bathtub been elevated to exalted status such, smacking of scariness or sexiness much -- since an iconic reel role in Fatal Attraction, The Seven Year Itch, Last Tango In Paris or A Nightmare on Elm Street or since a real role in Whitney Houstons drowning -- as the role it starred in on tamasha TV. With death by drowning emerging the cause, the bathtub was pronto positioned as a primetime prop as TV headlines regurgitated Maut ka Bathtub without a pause.

This sounded like a curious case of: Lagi aaj bathtubs ki phir woh jhari hai !

ChaalBaaz 2: Return of conspiracy theorists

Conspiracy theorists, too, had their day out again on tamasha TV as there was no end to netas and abhinetas crying foul about Sris end.

From Subramanian Swamy to Nasser Abdullah, many a contrarian voice emanated to expound conspiracy theories furore, blaming villains like beer to botox, or anorexia to alcohol galore. Suffusing the Sri saga with Lamhe a la an Alfred Hitchcock or Sherlock Holmes thriller was none other than expert on intrigue Amar Singh, She wouldnt have done what she did!

This floating of conspiracy theories Left Right Centre translated into a curious case of: Mere haathon mein nau nau theorian hain!

(The author can be contacted at chetnabanerjee@gmail.com)

(The views expressed are personal)Ahead of the local body and Rajya Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice president Shyam Jaju held a meeting with chief minister TS Rawat and party organisational heads. Later, he also attended a meeting with Rashtriya Swayam Swak Sangh (RSS).

Jaju reached Dehradun on Saturday afternoon and went straight to Bijapur Guest House where he met the CM and party heads. Along with discussing the donation under Ajeevan Sahyog Nidhi, he also discussed preparations for urban local body polls slated in April and RS elections.

We have started planning for both the elections. How party workers, district committees and even cabinet ministers will be involved in the election campaign was discussed, Ajay Bhatt, state BJP president said.

Rajya Sabha election is a much talked about agenda before the party. Party sources claim there are many in the fray, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, national secretary Teerath Singh Rawat, national spokesperson Anil Baloni and even the state president Ajay Bhatt.

The seat would be vacated on April 2 after Congresss Mahendra Singh Mahara will complete his six-year term. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has already issued the schedule of the election. But whats needed is the consensus of the ruling party on the candidate.

There are some big shots in the fray and Jajus visit could be seen as a groundwork on the opinion of the leaders here on RS candidate, a party leader close to the issue said requesting anonymity.

Voting for the seat is scheduled on March 23, only if necessary.

TS Rawat-led BJP government is also completing one year on March 18 and therefore, it was decided that a meeting should be organised in March with district organisational members to popularise the policies of the government.

Later in the day, Jaju also held a closed-door meeting with RSS leaders in the presence of the CM to strike a balance between the government and the wing.A case was registered against the principal, a teacher and the manager of a school after a minor student was allegedly beaten up in Kashipur of Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand.

Police are investigating the case and no arrest has been made so far. Action will be taken against the accused if they are found guilty, Kashipur additional superintendent of police Jagdish Chandra said on Saturday.

The incident happened a few days after a teacher of a private school in Dineshpur of the district was arrested and sent to jail for allegedly beating up a minor student.

Bhavishaya (8) is a Class 4 student at Geeta Bal Vidya Mandir, Munshi Chowk, in Kashipur, 55 km from here. His father Chandra Shekhar, a resident of Dhampur, complained to the police that Bhayshya was beaten up by his female teacher for making a wrong drawing on February 23.

Bhavishya suffered serious injury on his left eye. We took him to Moradabad, UP, for treatment. He has not got relief from pain, though we have spent Rs 28,000 on the treatment, he said.

Shekhar said the school management had assured financial help for the treatment when he and his wife went to the school to express annoyance over the incident. When I asked for the financial help, school manager and ex-MLA Rajeev Aggarwal misbehaved with me, he alleged.

Police said an FIR was lodged against the manager, principal and the teacher under various sections of IPC for voluntarily causing grievous hurt and for intimidation.

Aggarwal said, All allegations are baseless. The child has not suffered any serious injury as is stated; his father only wants to get money from the school.

Delhi Public School, Rudrapur, chairman Surjeet Singh said, Corporal punishment is not acceptable. Teacher must conduct counselling for students. Sometimes, teachers have to be strict towards careless students, and parents must understand the position of the teachers. Police too must investigate the case before lodging an FIR.

In Dineshpur, Avinash Mandal, a Class 4 student, was allegedly beaten up by English teacher Sukumar Sarkar for not reciting a poem. After Avinashs father Prakash Mandal lodged an FIR against the teacher, he was arrested and sent to jail.

In August 2017, a Class 3 student of a private school in Kashipur was allegedly beaten up by a female teacher for not obtaining good marks in a monthly test. Her service was terminated by the school management after protests by parents.Vice-president Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday visited Rishikesh and inaugurated the International Yoga Festival along with governor K K Paul and chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that yoga is an intrinsic part of Uttarakhands cultural legacy. It is a matter of pride for me to inaugurate the international yoga festival on the bank of the river Ganga, he said, adding that the festival has now acquired a global identity.

Naidu dubbed the yoga festival as a platform that provides individuals an opportunity to reform and transform their inner self. It (yoga) is Indias gift to the worldYoga touches people at spiritual, physical and emotional levels, he said adding that Indias ancient legacy is all about connectivity, control of mind and concentration.

Naidu said that everything in the contemporary world is becoming online. In fact the entire way of life has become onlineIn such a situation, yoga keeps us rooted and nurtures us spiritually and physically, he said adding that yoga should be a part of the routine.

Naidu termed yoga as a process that rids us of diseases and ailments. This is a method of healing that paves the way for peace and spiritual well being of man, he said. Naidu said that ancient Indian science of exercise and healing (yoga) was the only way to rid the world of a number of ills it is replete with.

Chief minister Rawat welcomed around 1,500 participants in the yoga festival from 94 countries. All these participants will go back to their respective countries with a sense of joy, peace and satisfaction, he said. It is the power of yoga that has brought together so many yoga enthusiasts from across the world.The Delhi Government Employee Welfare Association asserted on Saturday that all officials are united to fight for the dignity and safety of chief secretary Anshu Prakash and other employees.

The association issued a statement dismissing reports that it had changed its stand on the alleged assault on Prakash by AAP MLAs during an official meeting at chief minister Arvind Kejriwals residence on the night of February 19.

The statement came after the associations president Dayanand Singh and a few other officials met Kejriwal at his residence on Holi on Friday.

A joint forum of Delhi government employees  including IAS and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar & Islands Civil Services (DANICS) officers  have been boycotting meetings with AAP ministers since the alleged assault on Prakash, demanding a written public apology from Kejriwal for the incident.

We have not changed our stand on the assault of the chief secretary, and that we all are united to fight for the dignity and safety of the chief secretary and all other government employees. Our movement will continue and intensify until the chief minister apologises for the misconduct of MLAs who assaulted and misbehaved with the CS, the associations general secretary Deepak Bharadwaj said.

In a statement, Singh said he met Kejriwal at the chief ministers residence after receiving information that his mother is serious and admitted to hospital and Arvind Kejriwal is also suffering from fever.

This was absolutely my personal visit... Singh added.

The IAS and DANICS officers have maintained only written communication with Kejriwal and his cabinet colleagues in protest against the alleged attack on Prakash.

Earlier this week, nearly 500 Delhi government employees carried out a candle-light march in support of Prakash.The Delhi Government Employees Welfare Association (DGEWA) on Saturday reiterated its stand by saying it remains united in the fight for the dignity and safety of chief secretary Anshu Prakash and other government servants. The statement comes a day after reports emerged that the organisation was softening its stand on the issue after a delegation of employees led by the associations president Dayanand Singh called on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at his residence on Holi.

A statement issued by DGEWA blamed the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for creating confusion among the employees by propagating an alleged softening in their stance.

A report in media that the Delhi government employees joint forum has diluted its stance on the issue of insult of respected chief secretary of Delhi is wrong and baseless and may be issued by the political party to create confusion among the employees, said associations statement signed by its general secretary Deepak Bhardwaj.

After the meeting with Kejriwal, DGEWA president Dayanand Singh said he visited the chief minister in his personal capacity was doing so to inquire about the health of the CM and his mother.

The latest showdown between AAP government and its bureaucracy started last week when the chief secretary alleged that he was beaten up by several AAP MLAs during a meeting at the CMs residence. Since then, the bureaucrats under the banner of DGEWA, which includes IAS and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar & Islands Civil Services (DANICS) officers, have been boycotting meetings with AAP government ministers. The officials have been demanding a written apology from the chief minister for the alleged assault on the chief secretary.

The ruling AAP has denied the allegation lay by the chief secretary. Hours after chief secretarys allegation, the ruling party released a video in which its minister, Imran Hussain and chairman of Delhi Dialogue Commission Ashish Khetan, were purportedly heckled at Delhi secretariat.

We, as members of the forum, deny the statement of the AAP and further reiterate our stance that we are all united in the fight for the dignity and safety of our respected chief secretary and all other government servants. Our movement will continue till the honble chief minister apologises for the misconduct of the MLAs who assaulted and misbehaved with (the) chief secretary, it said.

At present the bureaucracy has maintained only written communication with chief minister and his cabinet of ministers in protest against the alleged attack on the chief secretary.A man stabbed himself to death after attacking his family members in south Delhis Sangam Vihar, police said on Friday.

Jitender allegedly took the extreme step due to his poor financial condition, a senior police officer said.

He had inflicted sharp injuries on his wife and daughter, and then stabbed himself, he said.

The officer said that Jitender succumbed to injuries at a hospital in New Delhi.

His wife and daughter are undergoing treatment at the same hospital and their condition has been stated as stable, he said.A 10-year-old boy who had gone missing after school hours on Wednesday was found dead in a canal in south Delhis Jaitpur on Saturday, police said.

Family members of the boy cried murder and alleged that the boys throat was slit.

Investigators remained clueless about the motive behind the suspected murder as well as the suspects until late Saturday.

Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), initially told Hindustan Times that registering a murder case was in order, but later issued an official statement saying investigators would proceed with the case after they receive the autopsy report and medical opinion on the case.

The boy, Akash Kumar Jha, was a Class 4 student at a government school in Meethapur where he lived with his parents and a younger sister. His father, Sanjay Kumar Jha, works for a private firm. Akash was walked to school by his mother on Wednesday morning. CCTV footage showed him walking towards his school, but not leaving it, said Akashs cousin, Ashutosh.

When the school ended, Akashs mother ran late to pick him from school. When she reached school, Akash was not to be seen. We searched in the neighbourhood before informing the police. They registered a kidnapping case, said Ashutosh.

We asked his classmates of his whereabouts. One of the boys revealed that Akash was approached by an unidentified man who told the boy to purchase gutkha from a nearby shop. We suspect that man, but do not know his identity, Ashutosh added.

While a search for the boy continued, his body was discovered in the Agra Canal passing next to Meethapur by some locals around 9.30am on Saturday who informed the police. The canal is nearby the school. The boy was found in his school uniform, said his cousin.

The body was found in a shallow part of the Agra Canal. The body was fished out and inspected by a crime team, and then sent to AIIMS for postmortem. Akashs parents were called to identify him. His father immediately identified him before falling unconscious. He had to be hospitalised, said Ashutosh.

Akashs relatives said they did not have any enemies and did not suspect any known individuals role in the murder. The family had not received any ransom call either.Violence against Dalits, caste clashes, unseasonal hailstorms and pests that have wiped out the rabi and cotton crop, unending farmer suicides and allegations against its ministers are all contributing to the simmering rural discontent in Maharashtra.

There is clearly much to debate and resolve in the budget session of Maharashtras legislature that opened on February 26. Given that the 288 legislators will face polls in at most another year and a half, one expects a more cohesive and aggressive Opposition and a more prepared government in this five-week-long session.

But what has been witnessed from the press gallery ever since the session began suggests many opportunities lost for both the ruling parties and the Opposition.A host of issues has been raised by the Opposition against the government, ranging from pride in the Marathi language to hailstorms, with the sole aim of shutting down the state assembly or council for the day. The legislative assembly and council have been adjourned; not much work has yet got done.

In the din, the Opposition missed a chance on Wednesday to debate the Bhima Koregaon violence issue in the legislative council even after the ruling party agreed to a special discussion on it. The violence against Dalits at Bhima Koregaon, 29 km from Pune on January 1 had sparked protests across the state. The Opposition, instead of cornering the government on its intelligence failure, chose to force a shutdown of the House over the issue of the chairman not hearing two of their other adjournment motions.

With the alliance between the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party for the 2019 polls all but sealed, the Opposition, after nearly three years of uncertainty, is in a position to push the government on to the back foot in the House. Success here could translate into more confidence and greater morale in the electoral arena. It can definitely improve the inadequate communication channels between the two former allies. Ideally, the Congress and NCP political stalwarts should be able to work out a clear strategy for the coming five weeks of the session. Such a strategy cannot be focused on shutting down the House.

The onus is on the ruling dispensation to answer the questions raised. In the coming weeks, one hopes both the Opposition and the treasury benches get their act together. Beyond their political agendas, our public representatives must use the session to voice the concerns of the people, debate government policies and frame legislation.The state legislature run on public money cannot be an arena for political battles alone.Private schools in Uttar Pradesh appeared to lock horns with the administration on Saturday with a decision not to admit children from poor families under the right to education for the next academic session unless the government reimburses fees of the previous two years.

After a meeting of private schools, Madhusudan Dikshit, national senior vice president, and UP state president of the Independent Schools Federation of India, issued a statement saying, Previous two years fee reimbursement should first be given as per Section 12(2) of the RTE Act, and only then will private unaided schools of Uttar Pradesh give fresh RTE admissions in the coming school year.

The private schools are also upset that the state government has arbitrarily set a reimbursement rate of Rs. 450 per month per child rather than fixing it according to the formula stipulated in Section 12(2) of the Act. Private school owners feel that this amount is completely against Section 12(2) and a clear-cut violation of the RTE Act.

Under which section of the Act have they fixed a reimbursement rate of Rs 450 pm? Dikshit asked.

The government claims that it hasnt heard anything from the private school owner association.

Deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma who is also in charge of secondary and higher education said he has not received any official communication from the private school owners association. They have not conveyed me about this decision. Hence it will not be proper to issue any statement in this matter. He added, Ill speak to the official to find out why the schools did not received reimbursement from the state government.

In the statement, Dikshit claimed that according to Section 12(2) of the RTE Act the state shall reimburse private schools either the fee amount actually charged by the private school from children, or the per pupil expenditure in the government school system, whichever is the lower. The Uttar Pradesh government spends about Rs 5000 per month per child in its own schools which impart low quality education, whereas the fee level of private schools is much lower and yet they impart quality education. Thus, the government should reimburse schools equal to their actual fee levels, he said.

Dikshit said many private schools of Uttar Pradesh are not able to pay salaries to their teachers, nor their electricity and stationery bills etc., due to which many schools are on the brink of closure. On the one hand 75% children are bearing the burden of the 25%, but on the other the government is squeezing the fee levels of private schools. The result will be to reduce private schools quality to the level of government schools, he said.

Dikshit said to make India prosperous, it is important that the country produces doctors, engineers, architects, pilots, technicians and learned teachers, all of which require a high quality base of elementary and secondary education, but unfortunately, the quality of education in government schools has completely deteriorated.

He said, Instead of fixing the poor quality of education in government schools, state government is busy with making policies to ruin private schools. It is daily making new rules and regulations for private schools, sometime on fee, sometime in the name of the right to education, and persecuting private schools.

But deputy chief minister Sharma insisted that private schools have certain responsibility as well.

Private schools must shoulder certain responsibility and should follow government rules, Sharma said.

Samina Bano, an RTE activist, said the private schools decision was very sad.

The reason quoted is not having received reimbursement for two years. It is clearly a conspiracy to use reimbursement as an excuse to avoid RTE admissions, she said.

While she acknowledged that private schools havent received full reimbursement for the last year, Samina Bano pointed out that this was majorly due to elections, change of government and inadequate budget allocation.

Dikshit said that if the government spent even half as much effort and zeal in improving its own schools as it is spending on harming private schools, the quality of government schools could be like that of private schools.Grab a fan and a cold beverage because youre about to see a lot of Kim Kardashians crazy-strong abs, toned legs, and, ahem, cleavage.

The social media and reality TV stars name is basically synonymous with the word red hot, so it shouldnt come as a surprise that shes given us a fair share of revealing and sexy outfits  most of them red  on her fashion spread in Vogue Indias March 2018 issue. Of course, there are the skintight dresses, but there are plenty of Indian designer looks as well. Keep reading to see them all.

Kim has been rocking traditional Indian wear, from sarees to lehengas, like nobodys business lately. As if her stunning Anita Dongre lehenga-choli wasnt enough, Kim donned not one but two more fabulous Indian looks for her photoshoot with the Vogue India.

On Friday, Kim and the magazine posted pictures on Instagram of the 37-year-old in an outfit that made our jaws drop: A scarlet chiffon saree with sequins from designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, which put her toned torso on full display. That isnt to say she couldnt pull it off, though. In fact, despite it being a supersexy saree choice that was equal parts sultry and swaggy, Kim nailed it, in our opinion.

Kims (Out of the Day) #OOTDs turn heads on the daily, but wed say this Aakash-tara Sabyasachi saree, featuring hand-embroidered metallic sequins and beads, on Kim was a pretty big deal. Per usual, Kim slayed in this look from the designers upcoming spring-summer 2018 couture collection, Le Club De Calcutta, and it was the perfect choice for her first saree moment. It was everything but melodrama.

Kims other revealing outfit  a lehenga-inspired wine and oxblood-hued three piece  was an Anamika Khanna ensemble that won our hearts at once. It was both magazine shoot and red carpet perfect. Her theatrical ensemble included a high-waist flowy full-length skirt with a coordinated sleeveless choli and a floor-length jacket for the ultimate royal-esque take on the maxi skirt.

So, is it time you parked your denim skirt and embraced the power of the twirl? According to Kims latest look, the answer is a resounding yes. Our only suggestion? Leave the dressy jacket out and style your maxi skirt with sneakers and a hoodie for a fresh 2018 feel. Deal?

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreThe Oscars, the Oscars, was the refrain used by Paris Fashion Week organisers to explain the low-key turnout Friday for top stars who normally flock to the City of Lights coveted front rows. Whether it was Sundays Academy Awards in Los Angeles or Fridays French equivalent, the Cesars, that kept A-listers at bay it didnt seem to affect the energy levels at the 80s disco-themed Balmain collection.

Here are some of Fridays highlights, including shows by Nina Ricci and Issey Miyake:

A model presents a creation for Balmain. (AFP)

Balmains lavish disco

An opulent staircase with golden banisters and red velvet led up to a gilded salon inside Paris Hotel de Ville. It was the fairytale setting for designer Olivier Rousteings fashion spectacle for Balmain on Friday morning that quickly put to rest any question about which Paris Fashion Week show would be the days biggest.

Rousteing is a showman and no detail goes unmissed including incorporating the dazzling spirit of the storied City Hall into the shimmering clothes. One of the first looks  a loose silvery top and sheer, sheeny cropped pants  sported teardrop paillettes that mirrored the halls 15 large crystal chandeliers. Disco was at the heart of this high-energy early Eighties-themed collection that featured 90 sparkle-heavy ensembles. Guests smiled and tapped their feet as the infectious disco soundtrack included Blondies Heart of Glass.

Horizontal stripes across the torso were this seasons leitmotif. It produced a catchy blue-and-black sequined jacket worthy of Michael Jackson and was twinned with sensual black PVC pants. Flashes of neon yellow produced the shows most standout looks such as a jaw-dropping fur coat.

Models present creations by Japanese designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae. (REUTERS)

Issey Miyakes winter wonderland

In case the cold drizzly Paris weather threatened to put a damper on the fashion proceedings, Issey Miyake came to the rescue. Designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae channeled a wrapped-up, fashion-forward aesthetic for fall-winter in which he wove wool into the textiles. The shows decor got guests into the homely mood  orange neon light sticks were abstractly piled up, resembling a fire underground in Paris Palais de Tokyo.

A winter wonder-wardrobe kicked off the collection with furry, snow-kissed all-white ensembles. The featured knits in the houses famed steam-stretch fabric showed subtle wavy lines. The clothes had an almost medieval feel in their unusual silhouettes and thick, rough textures. Minimalist boots with one single strap stylishly seemed to merge serf with space-age.

Sinewy hooded jackets, fashioned in dark material in sometimes trapeze silhouettes, had a beautiful fabric trim in vivid colour that beautifully blurred the lines between art and fashion.

Models present creations for Nina Ricci. (AFP)

Front row chatter at Nina Ricci

Although poetical clothes that riffed on military styles were the order of the day at Nina Ricci, fashionistas minds were elsewhere. Front row chatter at the collection in Paris chic 8th arrondissement centered on unconfirmed reports that creative director Guillaume Henry would be quitting as designer in a spat about investment in the storied house, and that Fridays show would be his last.

The reports threatened to overshadow the collection and forced Nina Ricci to issue a statement in which they categorically denied his exit. All the information stated within the news is pure speculation that does not respond to reality, the house said. Henry took over from Peter Copping as the brands designer in October 2014 and has had mixed reviews.

On the runway, it was military themes with a dash of sex at Nina Ricci. Bright red opened the show to set off the soldier theme that designer Henry has used as a touchstone in recent collections. The historic styles of British army regiments were evoked on a long cleanly cut coat with horizontal rope fastenings and initials on the collar.

The venue of the Hotel Potocki, a noble palace that was once the fashionable salon of the Countess Emanuela Potocka, was ripe for such historic musing. Lapels were adorned in a military style with gold foliage motifs that rose up to a high, tight collar. The sensuality turned into sexuality at several points. A Latex shirt dress had a shimmery feeling of spilled oil  and a croptop with articulated bosom evoked lingerie and a state of undress.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for moreFive persons, including three of one family, were killed when the Wagon R in which they were travelling was hit by a speeding canter truck at Jamalpur village on Gurgaon-Pataudi road. The truck, which was going from Gurgaon towards Pataudi, also hit two persons on a Pulsar motorbike, killing both of them.

The victims were shifted to Rockland hospital in Manesar by locals where they were declared brought dead.

The victims, who were seated in the car, were identified as Rakesh, Sunil and Usha. The two bike riders hailed from Mallahera village in Rewari.

A case was registered against the truck driver, who managed to escape from the spot, the police said. He hasnt been identified as yet, the police said.

Eyewitnesses said that the speeding canter truck going towards Pataudi suddenly careened to the right before colliding head-on with the car coming from Pataudi, just half a kilometre from the Jamalpur chowk. Locals, who heard the sound of the crash, rushed to the spot only to find the Maruti Wagor R crushed and the men on the bike critically hurt. Locals said that the road was empty on account of Holi and it was difficult to imagine any other reason apart from rash driving as the cause of the accident.

A few days earlier, a woman was killed when a speeding school bus and a Scorpio car were involved in a head-on collision at Khwaspur village on the Gurgaon Pataudi road. Even on the day of that accident, the road was relatively empty and both vehicles were speeding.

The family was putting up in Bhondsi and the deceased trio was employed in Gurgaon, the police said. Their children also study in Gurgaon.

According to the complaint filed by Jyoti, one of the occupants in the car, she along with her husband Rakesh, sister Usha, brother in law Sunil and her two children Yash and Prince had been to Shadipur in Rewari to celebrate Holi. However, she said that as one of the boys had to appear for an examination, they decided to return. She said as they were nearing Jamalpur,the canter hit their car. She said that while she lost her husband and two other occupants, her two children were critically injured.

Read I One person killed, 5 injured in Scorpio-school bus collision in Farrukhnagar

The complainant said her husband was a driver and her brother-in-law was a daily wage worker.

The police said that the accident was perhaps caused by speeding or rash driving and the drivers of either vehicle didnt have a chance to slam the brakes. A case has been registered and an investigation is under way, Ravinder Kumar, PRO, Gurgaon police, said.Harvey Weinsteins lawyer said Saturday a woman having sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career is not rape, in a British newspaper interview on the eve of the Oscars. Ben Brafman is one of the US top criminal defence attorneys, hired by the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose career is in tatters following accusations of sexual harassment, assault and rape.

More than 100 women have accused Weinstein of impropriety going back 40 years, but Brafman argued there was no criminal behaviour. If a woman decides that she needs to have sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career and actually does it and finds the whole thing offensive, thats not rape, he told The Times.

You made a conscious decision that youre willing to do something that is personally offensive in order to advance your career, he added.

Weinstein, a twice-married father of five, is being investigated by British and US police, but has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex and is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction. Dozens of Hollywood women, including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek, are among Weinsteins accusers.

The bombshell exposes last year have led the film industry to declare war on sexual misconduct, with the campaign dominating the 2018 awards circuit. Brafman told The Times his clients behaviour was reflective of the broader culture in the industry: The casting couch in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey Weinstein.

While Weinstein will not be welcome at Sundays Oscars ceremony, his infamous casting couch has been created by artists to mark the occasion. Plastic Jesus and Joshua Monroe created a gold sculpture of Weinstein on the couch, wearing a dressing gown and clutching an Academy Award.The red carpet has been rolled out, make-up artists have been booked and tuxedos have been ironed. Everyone is ready for Hollywoods biggest night, the 90th Academy Awards, on Sunday.

The biggest names in the world of movie-making will come together and root for their favourite actors, directors and films at the worlds most respected film awards function.



Also rooting for their favourites will be the fans who watched and loved films through the year. They will now witness the best ones getting honoured, as long as they find the right place and time to watch the ceremony. We are here to help you with just that.

The red carpet is rolled out in preparation for the Oscars in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. (REUTERS)

The ceremony will be hosted at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood and Highland Centre in Los Angeles, USA on March 4. While in the USA it will be telecast on ABC at 8 pm ET, you will be able watch it at 5.30 am in India on March 5. Star Movies, Star Movies HD and Star Movies Premiere HD will air the show and Hotstar will stream it live online. You can also watch it on the Hotstar app. The red carpet event will begin an hour before the ceremony.

This year, Jimmy Kimmel will return as the host for a second time after last year. Guillermo del Toros The Shape of Water leads the pack with 13 nominations.

Follow @htshowbiz for moreA plan for India to build a military base on an outlying Seychelles island has won favour among the archipelago nations politicians, but some hostility from its people.

The base on Assumption Island is to be funded by India and shared by the two countries militaries.

The deal was struck in principle in 2015 during a visit to the Seychelles by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but progress since has been slow.

The government of the Seychelles, based in Victoria on Mahe Island 1,135 kilometres (705 miles) northeast of Assumption, says the base will help coastguards to patrol its 1.3 million square kilometre (500,000 square mile) exclusive economic zone for illegal fishing, drug trafficking and piracy.

Currently, the remote coral island has a tin shack post office, an air strip and almost no people, it is less than seven kilometres long, has a high point just 30 metres (100 feet) above sea level and is covered in bird excrement.

But its location lends it strategic importance for monitoring shipping in the Mozambique Channel.

Small island, big investment

India plans to invest $550 million dollars in building the base to help it ensure the safety of its vessels in the southern Indian Ocean. It also says the base will be a resource for other shipping nations.

Assumption is very close to the Mozambique Channel where much of the international trade is transiting, and not just for India but for other countries as well, and our interest is that our trading vessels are safe, said Indias ambassador in Victoria, Ausaf Sayeed.

India has had a military cooperation agreement with the Seychelles since 2003 and the deal would give it use of the Assumption base for up to 30 years. Indian soldiers would be deployed on the island and help train Seychelles troops.

But ratification of the 2015 agreement has been slow with a new, amended pact only signed between the two countries on January 27.

What we did in relation to the first agreement is to clarify some points that could give rise to litigation, said Frank Ally, the Seychelles attorney general.

He said these included a prohibition on any nuclear uses of the island or weapons storage. India is also not allowed to use Assumption in war.

Seeking to allay fears the government has made available to the public some details of the classified defence agreement.

Weekly protests

Nevertheless, the project remains controversial with small weekly demonstrations in the capital.

Indian presence in the Seychelles is a sensitive matter. Some fear an influx of Indian workers who, they say, might come to dominate the economy, while others consider a foreign power building a military base an affront to sovereignty and national pride.

The Seychelles can make its own military base, I am against any foreign military presence! said Guilmert Corgat, a businessman in Victoria who attended a town hall meeting on the plan in late February.

If this deal is so good for the Seychelles, why dont we hold a referendum? asked Alexia Amesbury, a lawyer.

During the discussions foreign minister Barry Faure was forced to insist the government was not giving the island away, because Assumption belongs to the Seychelles.

Opponents of the plan also cite Assumptions relative proximity to Aldabra atoll, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to the worlds largest population of giant tortoises.

Environmentalists worry about the possible impact of a large military presence so close to an ecosystem that has survived precisely because of the absence of people.

Despite the dissenting voices, Sayeed remains positive that parliament will ratify the new agreement when it reopens this month.

With the opposition, like the government, broadly in favour of the base, though against too many concessions to India, the diplomats optimism may be well-founded.

I think politicians and people who see the positive side of this cooperation will be in favour, and I am convinced that it will pass, he said.As it got down to working out the contours of a pre-poll alliance in Nagaland, the BJP leadership had a crisis on hand: representatives of 11 political parties, including two of its own, sided with the civil society groups and Naga Tribal Hohos call for putting on hold the assembly poll till a solution to the Naga issue was reached.

Within hours, the BJP backroom had put out a statement, announcing the removal of the two party representatives. Through the use of social media platforms and communication aids such as WhatsApp, it simultaneously relayed the message that negotiations to ensure that polling was done on February 27 were underway.

LIVE UPDATES: BJP rises in Tripura, gains in Nagaland, eyes to thwart Congress in Meghalaya

In the three states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, the backroom managers had to identify issues on the ground that had a wider resonance as well as find the best means of communication for traction of those issues. They also had to balance the traditional campaigning methods with the newer forms of canvassing.

In the politically fragile state of Nagaland, where the BJP looks all set to form the government with its allies, the backroom warriors had to rely on ingenuity to counter questions about the details of the Nagaland Peace Framework that was signed in August 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) to end the insurgency in the region.

Full coverage of Assembly election results

While union minister Kiren Rijiju was in charge of the state, the backroom was anchored by the BJP general secretary Ram Madhavs aide and India Foundation senior fellow, Priyang Pandey.

From countering accusations of the RSS-BJP combine trying to impose a Hindutva agenda in the state to reaching out to various tribes and addressing their specific concerns, supplementing the campaigning on the ground with outreach through social media, Pandey and his team had their jobs cut out for them.

We worked according to the plans drafted by the party brass led by the PM and it is heartening to see the hard work of the party members bear fruit, Pandey said.

In neighbouring Tripura, where the contest was between the BJP and the incumbent CPI-M, the brief from PM Modi and party president, Amit Shah, to Rajat Sethi, who was steering the backroom was to remove fear.

Sethi, who has worked with Ram Madhav during the Assam and Manipur polls, says the backroom only executed the ideas of Modi and Shah.

Under the guidance of Ram Madhavji and Amit Shahji, we implemented what the PM told us, which was to remove fear from peoples minds. There were so many violent attacks in the state against people opposing the communist ideology. We had to think of micro-strategies to help overcome that fear. In the end it has been a peoples fight, Sethi said.

The BJP, which is backed by the widespread network of the RSS, in addition to its own well-structured cadre, buttresses its election campaigns through the extensive use of social media.

In Meghalaya, where internet penetration is limited, the partys backroom managers had to rely on traditional methods of campaigning and bolster it with use of WhatsApp to connect with people at the booth level.

In the state in which the BJP in the last assembly poll managed only 1.27% of the votes and lost the deposit in all of the 13 seats that it contested, the focus was local issues.

We followed PM Modis development agenda of Sabka saath, Sabka Vikas (With all, Development for All). We raised the issue of inadequate drinking water supply, poor state of roads and the need to bolster tourism for employment generation, said Satyendra Tripathi, the organisational secretary in the state.Kiren Rijiju, MoS for home affairs, was the overseer of the BJPs Nagaland chapter. In an interview on Saturday, he spoke about the BJPs improved tally in the state.

The BJP and the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) parted ways before the election, giving way to a new partnership between the BJP and the National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). How do you see the two regional parties now?

Its very clear. We had a good understanding with the NPF but we couldnt have an electoral alliance due to some seat-sharing problem. So we entered into an alliance with the NDPP.

But BJP has worked closely with NPF in the past and will likely do so in the future. How do you see the relation play out from here on?

We still share the same views on peace and development of the region.The NPF has also sent a resolution that they would like to continue the alliance with the BJP, but our partner is the NDPP and we will form the government with them.

The Centre has maintained that it will continue working towards signing the Naga peace accord. Is there a road-map to achieve this goal?

We have made it very clear, Naga solution is a priority. A road-map to the accord is already there. Development is the panacea to all the problems so we will be able to execute the projects declared by government.

Nagaland is a Christian-majority state; how did you manage to mobilise support from the states voters?

It is because our agenda is development, other issues are not important. They are diversionary tactics deployed by the Congress.

So can you say that election results in Nagaland show that the BJP is a party which is inclusive of all communities?

Obliviously. The BJP stands for sabka saath, sabka vikas . It is the slogan of our PM. It is our mantra ,with which we are moving ahead.

In north-eastern states, especially in Nagaland, how will you navigate through controversial subjects like the beef ban?

Beef is not an issue, the Congress tried to raise it but our focus is on development.

What was the biggest challenge in Nagaland ?

To break the boycott call given by certain groups.

What are your major takeaways from the elections?

The Naga people have reposed faith in BJP. We wont disappoint them. In Tripura, our victory is historic, as the Left Front had ruled there for over two decades and in Meghalaya, Congress will be voted out. Congress will not come back to power that itself is a victory. So overall, the elections results are very positive.Ahead of elections to the Nagaland assembly, a powerful Christian organisation warned voters of the faith to be wary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Even so, the BJP did exceedingly well in the northeastern state, where it is likely to form the next government with ally National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

The BJP, which fielded candidates for 20 of the 60 seats in the state, secured wins in 12---its best show till date since 2003, when it won in seven seats. In 2008, it won two seats, and in 2013, only one.

We cant deny that the Hindutva movement in the country has become unprecedentedly strong and invasive in the past few years with the BJP, the political wing of RSS, in power, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council said in a statement last month ahead of the assembly poll. RSS stands for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The statement was issued by Zelhou Keyho, general secretary of NBCC, the umbrella organization for over 1,500 Baptist churches in the state where over 90% of the population is Christian.

Have you ever seriously questioned their intention? If you have not, do not be fooled, the statement added.

On Saturday, with the BJP increasing its vote share in the state from 1.75% in 2013 to 14.4%, Keyho admitted that voters in Nagaland had ignored the NBCCs statement.

What has been done cant be undone for the next five years. I will give the development a positive spin and hope that wins by Christian candidates from the BJP would spur the party to raise its voice for minority communities outside Nagaland, Keyho said.

In Meghalaya, another Christian-majority state, the Centres announcement of a Rs 70-crore package to develop places of worship was rejected by two major church organisations.

On Saturday, the saffron party, which contested 47 seats in Meghalaya, won two--its best performance ever in the stateand increased its vote share from 1.27% in 2013 to 9.6% this time.

No party won a clear majority in Meghalaya. BJPs ally National Peoples Party came in second after the Congress (21), winning 19 seats, and has a chance of forming the next government.

The offer of money to churches was not a healthy exercise. The election is over, but issues remain. I would like to see the next government focusing on health, education and jobs, said Reverend K Pyrtuh, a senior member of Meghalayas Presbyterian church body.BJP chief Amit Shah said on Saturday his partys victories in the Lefts citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership by the people of the Northeast.

He also said the BJPs golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways... It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast, he told a press conference.

The results in favour of BJP in Tripura and other states are a reflection of likely verdict in Karnataka and the Lok Sabha polls (in 2019), he added.

Click here for full coverage, live election tally, election news and analyses

The BJP and its ally IPFT were close to securing a majority in Tripura having together won 28 seats in the 60-member House. They were leading in 15 more. Elections were held in the state for 59 seats due to the death of a CPI-M candidate.

I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to the BJP. This is the victory for Modis politics of development and his commitment to the welfare of northeastern region of India, Shah earlier said on Twitter.

In Nagaland, the BJP and its ally NDPP have won 13 seats and are leading in 14. The ruling Naga Peoples Front, with which the BJP parted ways just before the elections, has won 13 seats and was leading in 12 others in the 60-member Assembly. In Nagaland too, elections were held for only 59 seats as NDPP leaders Neiphiu Rio was declared elected unopposed.

Earlier in the day, the party chief thanked the north eastern states for their support.

Meghalaya appeared set to have a hung Assembly.

Shah ruled out the possibility of the BJP, whose NDA partner National Peoples Party has won 19 seats, engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. The two NDA allies had, however, contested the elections separately. BJP has won two seats in the state where the Congress has won 19 seats so far and was ahead in two.

Where is the question of tod-phod (horse-trading). The Congress does not have a majority there, he said.With the assembly elections in Meghalaya throwing up a hung House on Saturday, the ruling Congress which won 21 seats (down from 30) and the NPP which moved from two seats to 19 are scrambling to form a government.

After an absence of five years, the BJP will return to the house with two MLAs  AL Hek and Sanbor Shullai. The saffron party increased its share of the popular vote from 1.27 percent to 9.6. Both the victories came in cosmopolitan areas of Shillong while the party failed completely in the Garo Hills.

Elections were held in 59 of the 60 assembly seats.

Intense discussions to form a coalition are currently underway. Top Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath, Mukul Wasnik and AICC general secretary in charge of Meghalaya CP Joshi have rushed to Shillong to try and save one of the last Congress governments in the northeast.

The incoming Assembly will have a very different look to the outgoing one. More than half of the sitting MLAs (36) who were seeking re-election lost their seats, including Speaker AT Mondal, urban affairs minister Ronnie Lyngdoh and home minister HDR Lyngdoh. There were also a spate of high profile defeats among top opposition politicians, like former Congressman Rowell Lyngdoh, who switched to the NPP, HSPDP leader Ardent Basaiawmoit, UDP working presidents Paul Lyngdoh and Jemino Mawthoh and PDF leader Pynshngainlang Syiem.

There were no worries, however, for Congress candidates chief minister Dr Mukul Sangma, his wife Dikkanchi Shira and cabinet minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, who were among seven contestants who won with more than 50 per cent of the vote in their respective constituencies.

The Assembly will also be a fairly young one with five of the winners below the age of 30, while there are just two who are in their 60s. Women made up three of the 59 winners, roughly level with the 2013 figure. Nearly 14,500 voters rejected the politicians on the ballot and went for the NOTA option on polling day.

The Congress, which polled 34.78 per cent in 2013 dropped its vote share to 28.5 per cent. The NPPs vote share went up from 8.81 to 20.6 per cent. The UDP and other regional parties, for their part, failed to make much headway, though the newly-formed PDF bagged four seats.

The NPP must be the happiest of the lot rocketing to second place with a strong shot at running the state if they can cobble together a coalition. James Sangma retained the Daddengre seat while his sister and former Union minister of state Agatha Sangma won from South Tura with a narrow margin.

These were significant victories for the Sangma family, coming one day before the second death anniversary of their patriarch Purno A Sangma, a former Lok Sabha Speaker who was by far Meghalayas best known politician.

NPP national president and James and Agathas brother Conrad Sangma said that his party is already in talks with likeminded outfits in order to form a non-Congress coalition government. James, meanwhile, said that the results show that the people of Meghalaya were voting for change.

Shillong MP and working president of the state Congress committee Vincent Pala, however, maintained a positive tone, saying that his party will lead the next government, while outgoing chief minister Mukul Sangma said that his party will look to form a non-BJP and secular coalition.The Congress is welcome to raise the Rafale deal during the upcoming leg of the Budget session, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday, but asserted that there were no irregularities in the pact with France to buy 36 fighter planes.

She was responding to a question by reporters on the likelihood of Congress raising the issue in Parliament.

The Congress has been raising questions about the $8.7 billion deal, alleging corruption and violation of procedures.

Dont even compare it with Bofors. There is no scam here, Sitharaman said in reply to a question, referring to an alleged scam during a previous Congress government over the purchase of 410 howitzer guns from Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors.

India floated a global tender for 126 planes more than a decade ago but it stood cancelled after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared in April 2015 that India would buy 36 Rafale jets from France under a government-to-government deal.

The Indian Air Force is looking at inducting the fighters by 2022 to bolster its combat capability.

The NDA government has accused the Congress of manufacturing corruption charges against it by questioning the Rafale deal.

The Opposition party has asked the government to reveal the purchase price of each aircraft but the Centre has said details cannot be disclosed as there is a clause on classified information in the inter-governmental agreement.

Responding to a question on the situation along the Line of Control, Sitharaman said India has been able to contain infiltrators from coming in to a large extent and thats why more skirmishes were taking place.

We are not allowing them (militants) to come in, she said.

On the locally-built Tejas light combat aircraft, the minister said the government wanted Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to ramp up production of the fighters and deliver the upgraded Mk-II version at the earliest.

The IAF plans to deploy 123 Tejas planes over the next decade.

The IAFs first Tejas squadron, raised in 2016, consists of only six planes. The slow rate of production of the aircraft is a reason to worry for the IAF.

HAL says it is ready to produce eight Tejas aircraft per year and is ramping up the production rate to 16 planes by 2019-20 by investing Rs 1,331 crore. HAL says it can deliver 16 to 24 jets 2021 onwards.Two Dalits, including a teenage boy, were beaten to death in separate incidents in Rajasthans Bharatpur and Alwar district, officials said on Saturday.

Jaswant Jatav (26), a Dalit labourer, was on Friday night beaten to death and his thatched house set ablaze by three-four persons in Bharatpur, a police officer said.

The incident took place in Kumher area where the accused beat Jatav over an old dispute. His house was also burnt, Kumher police station SHO Seetaram Meena said.

Jatav died of internal injuries and the post-mortem was conducted today, he said.

In Alwar district, a clash broke out between two groups of youths during Holi celebrations on Friday.

According to police, the victim Neeraj Jatav (16) was playing Holi with persons from other community when clashes broke out between the two sides at Bhiwadi town.

Additional Superintendent of Police Pushpendra Solanki had said Jatav sustained grievous injuries in the attack.

Jatav was rushed to a hospital where he died, Bhiwadi Circle Officer Siddhant Sharma said.

He said the accused, who belong to another community, are being searched.The Opposition DMK on Saturday urged chief minister Edapaddi Palaniswami to ask all members of parliament from Tamil Nadu to resign if the Centre fails to immediately set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) as per the recent Supreme Courts directive.

DMK president MK Stalin made the suggestion when he called on the CM at the latters invitation at the state secretariat in the morning.

We are ready to make any sacrifice to protect the interests of the farmers and the state, Stalin told media, emerging from the meeting.

The DMK leader said he told the CM to mount pressure on the Centre on the vexed issue by getting MPs from the state to resign when budget session of the Parliament resumes on March 5.

A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on February 16 directed to form the CMB within six weeks in a verdict that marginally increased Karnatakas share of Cauvery water, reducing allocation for Tamil Nadu, settling the protracted water dispute between the southern states.

The DMK leader upped the ante as the Centre so far remained non committal on forming the CMB and Prime Minister Narendra Modi allegedly refused to meet an all-party delegation from Tamil Nadu.

Political observers in the state viewed the Centres alleged inaction on the issue as a deliberate move to avoid any adverse fallout in Karnataka ahead of assembly elections in the state where the BJP is eyeing to form a government.

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S Ramadoss accused the Centre of being partial towards Karnataka to protect BJPs political interest in the state.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had already convened an all-party meeting on the Cauvery issue. The state is said to be preparing to oppose the SC directive on setting up of the CMB.

Stating that Palaniswami told him that the Prime Minister is reluctant to meet an all-party delegation from the state, Stalin said it was an insult to the entire population of Tamil Nadu and its farming community that is under severe stress due to repeated droughts over the past few years.

Stalin said that the CM told him that the PM wanted the all-party delegation to meet the concerned minister.

EPS and OPS have been meeting the PM separately. Why the PM is not meeting the farmers, DMK and other opposition parties, Stalin questioned and added, we want all-party delegation to call on the prime minister to press for CMB and safeguard interests of the state.

At least five lakh acres of standing crops have wilted in Tamil Nadu due to non-availability of water, according to leaders of farmers associations in the state.

State fisheries minister D Jayakumar, however, said the DMK leaders claim on PM being reluctant to meet the all-party delegation from the state was not correct.

The reply we got from the PM office is that the delegation should first meet the concerned minister, Jayakumar said.

The state minister also denied that state government was not doing enough on the issue.

We are hopeful of getting an invite from the Centre on Monday, he said.

Only two weeks have past and there are still for more weeks for the implementation of the apex courts directive on the CMB, the minister pointed out.

The CM had also given a copy of the resolution adopted in the all-party meeting to the prime minister when he visited Chennai to participate in former chief minister late Jayalalithaas birth anniversary on February 24, Jayakumar added.The Madras high court on Friday directed the police to register an FIR, if a cognisable offence was made out, against the pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt, Vijayendra Saraswathi, for allegedly disrespecting the Tamil anthem.

Justice MS Ramesh gave the direction on a petition by Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam vice-president S Doraisamy, seeking registration of an FIR against the seer for allegedly not standing up during the recital of Tamil Thai Vaazthu at a function in Chennai last January.

The petitioner alleged that the pontiff remained seated when the song was being played with an intention to insult it and contended that he committed an offence punishable under relevant laws.

Doraisamy submitted that he had moved the court as the police had failed to act on his complaint in this regard.

Saraswathi sat in his chair on the dais with his eyes closed when the Tamil anthem was being played, but stood up for the national anthem at the function on January 23.The Karnataka police team probing the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh on Saturday revised the number of suspects in the case from three to four following the arrest of a suspected illegal arms supplier.

The illegal arms supplier, KT Naveen Kumar, has given us information that we are checking out, said a member of the special investigation team (SIT) tasked with cracking the case. Kumar is connected to the case. He does not appear to have played a major part in the crime, but it is still a major breakthrough for us, added the SIT member, who asked not to be named.

The SIT had initially released sketches of three suspects in the case. We have reasons to believe there is a fourth suspect, the investigator said.

An assailant wearing a helmet shot Lankesh, 55, outside her home on September 5, 2017. The assailant fired four bullets at her and struck her thrice. Lankesh, known for her anti-establishment and pro-Dalit stands, was targeted when she was returning home from work. The murder was captured on a CCTV camera.

Lankesh was the daughter of poet-journalist P Lankesh and the editor of weekly tabloid Gauri Lankesh Patrike.

Read | Gauri Lankesh, a journalist known for anti-establishment, pro-Dalit stand

Police arrested Kumar in Bengaluru on February 18. He was in the city to sell ammunition. In total, 15 bullets were recovered from him, said the SIT member.

Kumar, who is from Chikmagalur district, is the founder of the Hindu Yuva Sene, a radical right-wing group without any apparent affiliation to any other organisation, he added.

After the murder, the SIT had pinned hopes on finding leads from CCTV footage and mobile call data. However, only a few leads turned up, forcing the SIT to change tack and launch a crackdown on illegal arms suppliers across the state. This is when Kumars name came to our notice, said the SIT member.

On Friday, court gave the police Kumars custody for eight days for further investigations.An all-women crew leading the Indian Navy Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini on Friday docked at a port in Cape Town in South Africa, during the last phase of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe, the Navy said.

The expedition is being covered in five legs, with stop-overs at Fremantle in Australia, Lyttleton in New Zealand, Port Stanley in Falklands, and Cape Town in South Africa.

After reaching Cape Town, the vessel has covered the first four legs of its voyage.

The crew encountered rough seas and extremely cold temperature coupled with stormy weather conditions, making the circumnavigation highly daunting, the Navy said in a statement.

The vessels passage through the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans so far, has witnessed winds in excess of 60 knots and waves up to 7 metres high.

This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. The vessel is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had flagged-off INSV Tarini from Goa on September 10.

The vessel has covered 1,75,00 nautical miles from Goa, crossing the equator on September 25, Cape Leeuwin, the southernmost part of Western Australia, on November 9, and Cape Horn off Chile on January 19 this year.

The indigenously-built INSV Tarini is a 56-foot sailing vessel, which was inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year, and showcases the Make in India initiative on the international forum.

The expedition titled Navika Sagar Parikrama, is in consonance with the national policy to empower women to attain their full potential. It also aims to showcase Nari Shakti on the world platform and help in transforming societal attitudes and mindset towards women in India by raising visibility of their participation in challenging environs, the Navy said.

The crew has also been collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department, as also monitoring marine pollution on the high seas.

They would interact extensively with the local populace, especially children, during the port halt to promote Ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.

INSV Tarini is likely to depart Cape Town on March 14 and return to Goa in April, on completion of the voyage.Dimitri Papanikas, sales executive at Mondo TV Iberoamerica, recently talked to TV Kids about the hit live-action franchisearrived on the kids live-action scene with a splash. The series, which Mondo TV Iberoamerica co-produced with Alianzas Producciones, is a reinterpretation of the classic childrens novelby Johanna Spyri. It also marks Mondo TV Iberoamericas first foray into live-action production. We are very happy to work with Alianzas Producciones on this production, Dimitri Papanikas, sales executive at Mondo TV Iberoamerica, told. Its a very, very important release for us.Penned by screenwriter Marcela Citterio, who is known for her work on shows such asand, the series puts a modern spin on Spyris classic novel from the 1880s, combining comedy and music to tell the story of a young country girl who moves to the city.launched on Nickelodeon in Latin America (Latinoamerica) in March 2017 and has been rolling out in the rest of the world. The company has been working on securing free-TV deals for the show across the globe.In Latin America, the series also aired on A+ in Mexico, TV Aztecas new channel, as well as in Bolivia, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The show has also been broadcast in Brazil (Brasil) on Nickelodeon, in Russia on CTC Love and in Israel on yes KidZ. Other key territories in EMEA will follow in early 2018. We are very happy that the series has already been so successful, Papanikas says of the deals closed thus far.Mondo TV Iberoamerica has also made headway on the licensing side. Several agents have been announced in the Americas, and the program is already underway in both Latin America and Italy. Mondo TV Iberoamerica secured a publishing agreement with Panini, which will produce a sticker album, collectibles, trading cards and more in Europe and Latin America, using thebrand and characters. The products are expected to roll out at retail this year.Another key publishing agreement was signed with Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, which will launch more than ten titles inspired by the comedy drama for teens. The books will be published in Spanish for the Latin American market, where they will be released in Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The first titles are slated to hit retail this month.Filming on season two, titled, recently wrapped. This means Mondo TV is one step closer to premiering the second season on TV, Papanikas says.will feature more humor, and according to Papanikas, the music component will be even more important than it was in the first season, as Heidi will join a band. It will be interesting to see how Heidi balances being in the band and having new friends. There are even plans for a third installment of the series. Both new seasons are expected to air on Nickelodeon Latinoamerica.Looking ahead, Mondo TV Iberoamerica is keen to keep working in both the live-action and animation categories. The co-production model will continue to be important for the company moving forward. Papanikas says, We would like to improve our relationships with buyers and find new clients. We are also looking to improve our relationships with OTT platforms. In addition, Mondo TV Iberoamerica will be keeping an eye on Mexico and Brazil, which Papanikas calls critical markets in the industry.A man convicted in a rape case and was out on bail was lynched by a group of people opposing his visit to a slum at Adityapur in Seraikela-Kharswan district on Friday, police said.

Ratan Lohar, the victim, has served a few years in jail before being released on bail. At least half a dozen other criminal cases were also pending against him.

Lohar went to Ram Madaiya bustee, where he had created terror earlier, angering the local people who told him to leave the area, Sub-divisional Police Officer (Seraikela), Avinash Kumar said.

Following an altercation, Lohar threatened them with a gun but by that time more people assembled at the spot.

Sensing danger, the convicted man fled and reached the roof of a building but the irate people reached there and beat him up, he said.

On being informed, a police team reached the slum and took him to hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Kumar said policemen were deployed in the area.Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), general secretary Sitaram Yechury spoke to the Hindustan Times on the partys defeat in Tripura, where it has been in power for 25 years, and what it means for the party and its political priorities. Edited excerpts:

What are your thoughts on the Tripura verdict?

Of course, it is a clear setback for us. We were hoping to get elected for a sixth consecutive time and it didnt happen. The BJP and its ally IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura) will form government in the state. We will wait for the full and final results to come out. We will then analyse them to see what exactly went wrong and the state committee of the party will go deep into the findings and take necessary corrective measures.

What do you feel about the nature of the verdict?

As I said earlier, we will make a detailed analysis of it all. But dont forget two important aspects of this election. The BJP has utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections. Then the BJP also succeeded in bringing to its kitty the vote share of the Congress, which was the principal opposition party.

What is the bigger threat?

Our party has said BJP is a bigger threat. We are working for the defeat of the BJP. We will continue to oppose the party and its divisive agenda not only in Tripura but all over the country. It is imperative for those who believe in Indias constitutional ideals to defeat the nefarious designs of the BJP-RSS. For us, it is an ongoing battle. And we will fight it.

What will be the impact of the results on the party line?

The draft political resolution of the CPI(M) for the party congress (to be held in Hyderabad in April) is ready and out for discussion. It will be discussed at the party congress. So, I cannot say anything on this now.On Wednesday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the chief ministers of all the BJP-ruled states, he predicted that the BJP would win Tripura, and told them that the celebration that followed should be bigger than the one after last years assembly election sweep in Uttar Pradesh, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

Modi ji said, It will not just be an electoral win for the BJP. It will be a victory for our ideology, said one of the people present at the meeting who asked not to be named. This is because the BJP and the Left parties have been engaged in an ideological battle on several issues, particularly in West Bengal and Kerala, this person added.

The results confirmed Modis prediction and the BJP defeated Tripuras Communist Party of India (Marxist) government, which has been in power in the state for 25 years. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar of the CPI(M) was dethroned after two decades at the helm.

Click here for full coverage, live election tally, election news and analyses

The BJPs rise in Tripura has been steep: from forfeiting its deposit in 49 of the 50 seats it contested in 2013 to cruising to a comfortable majority with almost half the vote share five years later.

People responded very well to our call of Chalo Paltai (Lets Change), BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said in Agartala on Saturday.

The BJP first sensed an opportunity in Tripura during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in which it increased its vote share and tally threefold compared to 2009. The Congress and Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress were a challenge. Together they had polled 5 lakh votes and occupied the space between us and the CPI(M), said a BJP strategist from the northeast.

The Congress had a vote share of 36.5% in the previous assembly elections, and this gave the BJP the confidence that there was a space for a credible and strong opposition to the Left in Tripura. With this in mind, the BJP started working on taking over the Opposition space, party insiders said.

Building the team

The tipping point was when former Congress leader and key north-east strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the party in 2016. With Sarmas help, the BJP won Assam in April that year, prompting party president Amit Shah to set Sarma on a mission to win other states in the region for the party.

Sunil Deodhar, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader, was already working in Tripura to build a new team in the CPI(M) stronghold, along with Biplab Kumar Deb, who was sent to Tripura in 2015 as the partys jan sampark pramukh (chief for mass-connect programmes). Deb soon emerged as a leader with potential, and was elevated as the party chief in January 2016. Today he is seen as the front-runner to be the states next chief minister.

With the team of Sarma, Deodhar, Deb and Madhav in place, the party began its 2018 mission. Sarma and Madhav worked on expanding the BJPs base, while Deodhar and Deb concentrated on galvanising BJP workers. It was for the first time that the CPI(M), a cadre-based party, was confronted with another cadre-based party in the form of a transformed BJP.

The BJP leaders began identifying and approaching leaders from the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for a possible changeover. Six TMC MLAs joined the BJP in August 2017, giving the party its first entry into the state assembly. These leaders had been elected to the Tripura assembly as Congress members, but had defected to the TMC in 2016. In December 2017, another Congress MLA and former leader of opposition, Ratan Lal Nath, joined the BJP, leading to other smaller Congress leaders changing loyalties.

Promises made

The BJP gradually grew in size and influence, and it was now time to pick up the right issues and the right allies. The BJP was quick to adapt to the demands of the state. Instead of talking about Sangh icons Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya, it worked on linking itself with the legacy of Tripuras last king Bir Bikram Kishore Deb Burman of the Manikya dynasty. The party celebrated his 110th birth anniversary. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarma Manikya Bahadurs rich contribution towards the development of Tripura can never be forgotten.

The BJPs vision document for the February 2018 polls said that the Agartala airport would be renamed Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Deb Burman airport, and a cultural art academy would be established after another former king, Birendra Kishore Manikya Bahadur.

In addition to these symbolic gestures, about 400,000 government employees were wooed with the promises of implementing the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations instead of the Fourth Pay Commission rules that were being used in the state, and the regularisation of jobs of contract employees.

Most of the government employees had been hired under the CPI(M) rule and several of them behaved almost as cadres of the ruling party, but the BJPs offer for better salaries and perks won them over.

Other promises included free education for women till graduation, free smartphones to young people, free health insurance to below poverty line (BPL) households, social allowances of at least Rs 2000 per month and a minimum wage of R340 per day in line with the national standard.

Tribal outreach

Meanwhile, the BJP opened communications with tribal groups and stitched an alliance with the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT). The Left had won 19 out of 20 assembly seats reserved for the scheduled tribes in 2013 and the BJP wanted to break this monopoly. The gamble paid off and the BJP, with the IPFT, swept the tribal belt.

The focus then shifted to the campaign. Modi  BJPs most sought after campaigner  held four rallies in Tripura, where he took on the chief minister over the lack of development in the state. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, another popular campaigner, was roped in to woo the strong population of members of the Nath sect in Tripura. Part president Amit Shah and other leaders of the BJP, too, held public meetings to tap on the anti-incumbency against the Manik Sarkar government.

The prime minister addressed four rallies in Tripura. He had worked very hard and continuously monitored our campaigning. The credit must go to him, Ram Madhav said on Saturday. But it was, in the end, a combination of factors and deft planning that worked for the party in a red bastion.After the impressive performance of the BJP and its allies in Tripura and Nagaland assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said people are reposing faith in the development oriented agenda of the NDA while rejecting negative and disconnected politics.

He said his partys historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one.

In a series of tweets, Modi said that time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA. People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind. 

It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves, he said.

Modi thanked the people of Nagaland for supporting BJP and its allies.

I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit, he said.

He said the welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for his government.Even before the declaration of the final election results in Tripura, it became evident that the fall of the Manik Sarkar government would have an impact on political equations in West Bengal, starting with the panchayat polls due in a few months.

Leaders of West Bengals ruling Trinamool Congress realised that the party had been reduced to a virtual nonentity in Tripura, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)ended the Lefts 25-year rule.

For Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, who started making inroads into Tripura five years ago and found some acceptance among the anti-Left Bengali population, Saturdays results came as a a big setback to her hopes of emerging as a regional force before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

She met Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal leaders and took part in rallies organized against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government in 2017. Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M), leaders too have taken the side of Trinamool members in Parliament.

On Saturday, Banerjee tried to downplay the victory of the BJP, yet blamed the CPI(M). Without naming BJP president Amit Shah, who said earlier in the day that the partys next target was Bengal, Banerjee said: An ant doesnt become a bird if it grows wings.

Those who used muscle and money power to win this election should not start dreaming about winning in Bengal. This is CPI(M)s defeat, not BJPs victory, she added.

According to Prosenjit Bose, an economist who was formerly with the CPI (M), the first casualty of a resurgent BJP in Bengal will be the Communist party. What they (the BJP) have done in Tripura, they dont have to do that to the TMC, but they will certainly do that to the Left and the Congress, he said.

Many leaders in the CPI (M)s all-powerful central committee, including general secretary Sitaram Yechury, want an electoral understanding with the Congress and regional parties to counter the BJPs rise. This is being opposed by former general secretary Prakash Karat and the Kerala unit of the CPI (M).

The CPI(M) was defeated in Tripura because it did not consider it necessary to take along the other opposition parties in its battle against the BJP. The CPI(M) failed to fathom the impact of the BJPs use of resources and and force. The CPI(M)s ego, along with a lack of confidence among voters, led to these results, Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee said in Kolkata.

Chatterjees statement came barely two days after chief minister Mamata Banerjee wished her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee of the CPI (M) on his 73rd birthday and sent him flowers and a cake.

On February 28, the Trinamool supremo said in the Bengal assembly that she would like to see the CPI(M) win the Tripura polls since that would serve greater interests of the people. Banerjee also asked the Kolkata civic body to quickly repair the government apartment where Bhattacharjee lives.

Her actions were significant because under the Left Front regime the two leaders shared a bitter relationship. They exchanged words on official business only once and avoided meeting each other. Whether he was addressing a political rally or talking to party colleagues behind closed doors, Bhattacharjee never uttered the name of the states main opposition leader.

On Saturday, Partha Chatterjees statements triggered speculation that in order to protect its own bastion, the Trinamool might adopt a new strategy to stop the rise of the BJP in Bengal . In all recent elections in West Bengal , the BJP has bettered the performance of the CPI(M) and Congress and ended second in the race.

Trinamool never claimed that it would win the Tripura polls because we had a traitor who was working secretly for the BJP. But the CPI(M) should have been on the alert, said Chatterjee, an implicit reference to his partys former all-India general secretary Mukul Roy, who joined the BJP in November last year.

Bengal BJP leaders need not rejoice and dream of winning the panchayat polls. Mamata Banerjee enjoys the confidence of the masses, he added.

BJP has won in Tripura because Congress and Trinamool merged with it. They encouraged the BJP to take on the Marxists. The CPI(M) could never match the money and muscle power. Trinamool should now hold its fort in Bengal instead of helping the BJP any further, said CPI(M) politburo member Mohammed Salim.

Mukul Roy reacted sharply. Residents of Tripura have voted for change. Mamata Banerjee recently said she would be happy if the Left won in Tripura. So, she has to take the responsibility if the Left fails, said Roy. The result of this victory will definitely have an effect on the panchayat polls, he added.

On Friday, while reacting to Mamata Banerjees birthday wishes for Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Roy said CPI(M) and Trinamool were two sides of the same coin

Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh sounded buoyant on Saturday. Outcome of the Tripura election will definitely ensure the rise of the BJP in Bengal. That will start from the panchayats, he said. Panchayat elections in the state could take place n May or June.

For the Bengal CPI(M), which recently overhauled its rank and file by introducing hundreds of new faces in place of aging leaders, Saturdays results dealt a major setback.

There is a tough battle ahead of us and we have been saying this since 2011. The BJP will definitely try to penetrate certain ethnic groups and tribal belts in north Bengal using the tactics it deployed in Tripura. But the ground reality in the two states is different, said Salim.

The ripples of the CPI (M)s shock defeat in Tripura were also felt in faraway Kerala, now the last bastion of the Communists, who found it difficult to explain the trouncing they received at the hands of their arch enemy, which has been trying to raise its profile in the southern state.

Party veteran V S Achuthanandan, who always supported general secretary Sitaram Yechurys call for a tie-up with the Congress, asked CPI (M) leaders to do enough introspection and see dangers ahead.

State opposition leader Ramesh Cehnnithala said the results clearly showed the need for a united fight against the BJP. Yechury was right. I hope Kerala leaders will open their eyes at least for now, he said.

With inputs from Ramesh Babu in Thiruvananthapuram and Zia Haq in New Delhi.A Congress party delegation will meet Meghalaya governor Ganga Prasad on Saturday night and stake its claim to forming the next government in the state, senior leader Kamal Nath said.

Both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have sent their top managers to Shillong to scout for possible partners to form a government in Meghalaya, where the February 27 elections threw up a hung assembly.

Nath and party colleagues Ahmed Patel, Mukul Wasnik and CP Joshi have started talks with regional parties and independents. The BJP has deputed Assam minister and its North-East strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma to talk to potential partners.

The Congress received much flak after failing to form governments in Goa and Manipur despite emerging as the single largest party in both assemblies in elections last year. The BJP came to power in both states with the help of smaller parties and independent candidates.

Nath accused the BJP of using money power to cause as much disturbance as possible and keep the Congress out of power.

It is clear that we will form the government. The will of the people of Meghalaya will be reflected in our Congress government, he said.

We are in touch with everybody. Everybody is in touch with us. We will stake claim tonight.

Patel said there would no repetition of what happened in Manipur and Goa.

Outgoing chief minister Mukul Sangma, who won the two seats he contested, said the results were not on expected lines and he would keep his cards close to his chest on government formation.

Meghalaya is one of the five states where the Congress is in power. The others are Karnataka, Punjab, Mizoram and Puducherry.Unauthorised constructions  buildings, shops and eateries  stand at a stones throw from a famous 300-year-old 3.8 metre-long exquisitely crafted cannon called Dalmadal that was used in 1742 to repel Maratha attackers in Bengal led by Bhaskar Pandit. Ironically, a signboard by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) nearby declares the site a protected area and prohibits construction within 100 metres.

The mostly one-storied concrete structures, stand in the way of Bishnupur, the centuries-old terracotta temple town, making it to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre list from the tentative one that it entered 20 years ago. Violations being the rule instead of exceptions, Bishnupurs wait may never end.

Read: Taj Mahal second best UNESCO world heritage site after Angkor Wat

In a glaring example of administrative negligence, a cluster of unauthorised houses  some brick-built and the rest thatched huts  stand uncomfortably close to the ASIs Bishnupur sub-circle office, situated inside a protected compound housing the temples of Kalachand and Radha-Madhab, both declared monuments of national importance.

Despite prohibition of construction within 100 metres from the protected site, houses and eateries stand close to the boundary. (HT Photo)

As per notification issued under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1959 (32 of 1959), the areas up to 100 metres from the protected limits and further beyond it up to 200 metres near or adjoining this monument have been declared prohibited and regulated areas, respectively, for purposes of both mining operation and construction, reads the signboards.

Take the case of Rash Mancha, built in 1600 A.D., about which the ASI says, Its parallel has not been found elsewhere in India. More than a dozen one-storied and two-storied constructions occupy the prohibited range of 100 metres from the boundary. Its same with Jor-Bangla AKA Keshto-Rai temple, built in 1655 and considered among the finest examples of terra cotta temples of Bengal.

India has 36 World Heritage Centres, including seven natural sites and 29 cultural sites.

Read: Majuri Islands on World Heritage List: UNESCO

In 1998, Bishnupur  the seat of the Malla dynasty famous for the cluster of 22 temples made of brick and laterite stone and covered with intricate terracotta ornamentation, the Bishnupur gharana of dhrupad music and Baluchari saree - was one of Indias 11 submissions to the UNESCO. All submissions were deferred by UNESCO, seeking more information from India.

Built in 1600, the Rash Mancha is considered architecturally unparalleled in India. (HT Photo)

Over the next two decades, India resubmitted eight entries, including Buddhist Monastery Complex at Alchi (Leh), Golkonda Fort (Andhra Pradesh), Dholavira (Gujarat), Mattanchery Palace (Kerala), Tomb of Sher Shah Suri and Rani ki Vav (Gujarat), in a more comprehensive manner. Rani ki Vav went on to be inscribed in the list.

But the case of Bishnupur, along with Group of Monuments in Mandu and ancient Buddhist site of Sarnath, was never pursued.

Read: Head to Cambodia now. Its temple complex is a UNESCO world heritage site

Bishnupur was not pursued mainly because of the violations of the construction norms around protected monuments. In case we resubmit the entry, everything will lie exposed when UNESCO undertakes verification, said Bimal Sinha, deputy superintendent, archaeology, Kolkata circle.

If the violations are to be rectified, more than 100 constructions will have to be demolished.

Ironically encroachments are seen within a few feet of the boundary making a mockery of the ASIs rules mentioned in the board. (HT Photo)

Asked why ASI did not act to prevent violations, Sinha said, We lodge police complaints whenever violations come to our notice.

A 2013 CAG report noted that near one of the prime terra cotta structures, Rash Mancha, FIR against the unauthorised construction was lodged only after the joint physical inspection by the Audit team along with the staff of Sub Circles.

Read: Indias Kumbh Mela and Naples pizza making win UNESCO intangible status

Conservation experts almost unanimously agree that Bishnupur is an ideal entry from India for world heritage list.

Except for some architecture in Cambodia, Bengals terracotta temples are unique in the world and Bishnupur offers the best of the lot. Its a perfect candidate for world heritage centre. Violations are not a major issue and WBHC is taking steps to pursue the case with the Centre, said architect Partha Ranjan Das, a member of West Bengal Heritage Commission.

Sanghamitra Basu, a professor of architecture at IIT Kharagpur who served as a member of Nation Monuments Authorities between 2011 and 2014, differs. I have visited many world heritage sites in India and abroad and I see no reason why Bishnupur should not be in the list. However, with the kind of violations observed, it all seems a distant dream, she said.

Earlier in 2010, in a document titled Heritage-based Sustainable Urban Development, published by UNESCO-IHCN and the Embassy of Switzerland in India, Basu had written, Bishnupur in West Bengal, with its rich heritage of terracotta temples and sculptures, an integrated water management system (now almost extinct), an intangible heritage of painting, music and weaving has the potential of being declared a world heritage site but is languishing in utter negligence.

The towns civic chief-cum-MLA, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, pleads innocence. The constructions completed before I took charge, said Mukherjee, who is an MLA since 2011.

Asked whether he was aware of the new brick house being built just behind Rash Mancha, he said, ASI has not informed us.

The employees of ASIs Bishnupur circle office refused comment.A three-year-old girl is battling for life at Lucknows King George Medical University (KGMU) after she was allegedly raped by her uncle here on Friday afternoon.

The condition of the girl, who was undergoing surgery, is said to be critical.

The accused, 20-year-old brother of the girls father has been arrested and sent to jail. A caterer, he came to the girls house to celebrate Holi.

He took the girl to an abandoned building on the pretext of giving her some eatables and sexually assaulted her, said Ramesh Chandra Yadav, inspector, Thakurganj police station.

The girls father is a daily wager in Lucknow Nagar Nigam and has been residing with his wife and three children in a rented house in Thakurganj locality for many years.

The girl went missing on Friday afternoon while she was playing outside her house. She was found later from an abandoned under-construction house nearby.

A group of locals nabbed the girls uncle coming out of the abandoned building. He was beaten up badly before being handed over to us, said police.

The accused has been booked under charges of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.I was terribly nervous. But as soon as the show began, off I went with the name of God on my lips, welcoming everyone to my show, Johar Jhargram (Greetings Jhargram), says Shikha Mandi, remembering her first broadcast as an RJ, in November.

Mandi had reason to be nervous. She is the first radio jockey to host a show in Santhali, the language spoken by the Santhal tribals of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura.

Thats a total of 42 lakh people, but its not often that you hear Santhali on TV or the radio, even in these regions.

Mandi, for instance, grew up listening to one weekly show on All India Radio Kolkata that featured Santhal songs and music. But she loved her mother tongue, and would sing the songs she heard on that show, and write poetry in Santhali in her free time.

It needed that effort to stay in touch with the language, because Mandi  the daughter of small farmers from West Midnapore  grew up in her uncles home in Kolkata, where she had been sent at the age of three so she could get a good education.

This is a very positive development. There have been some community radio efforts, but our community is not just in need of perennial support. We also want to be entertained. We too come home tired from work. A radio channel like this is a good sign of the community becoming mainstream.

 Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, Santhal and author of The Adivasi Will Not Dance

She graduated from an Industrial Training Institute and was set to take an apprenticeship exam at a shipbuilding and engineering company on the same day as her interview for the position of RJ.

My parents were hoping I would get the apprenticeship, says the 24-year-old, laughing. I too was very tense about trying something new but I wanted to give it a shot. I had a feeling I could do it.

That feeling was based on years of pretend news anchoring when no one was watching.

Since childhood I had always fancied speaking on the mic, Mandi says. After the interview I realised just how much I love doing what I am doing now. Most of all, it was hard to believe I was speaking in Santhali on the radio!

Mandis show is beamed by Radio Milan 90.4, in the Jhargram and West Midnapore districts of West Bengal  which also broadcasts in Bengali, Hindi and English. The Santhali show has become so popular that its duration was extended from one hour to two in February.

We wanted to hire a fresher and Shikha was just the right kind. She is fluent in the language, a good speaker and has an interest in Santhal culture, says Milan Chakraborty, editor Radio Milan. We guessed there was an audience for the language but the response has been much greater than we expected. We are now looking at devoting three hours to Santhali daily, he adds.

What are the broadcasts about? Theres always a theme, Mandi says, but the theme could be anything.

A lot of our discussions are about our culture, says Mandi. Sometimes, the audience informs me of cultural mores that I was unaware of.

One show discussed Baha, the communitys spring festival. This was to make people aware of the distinctions between our spring festival and Holi or Dol Jatra in West Bengal, as they often get confused even within the community, she says.

Three broadcasts that got the most responses were discussions on the theme of waiting, on the year-end festival of Poush Sankranti, and on the joys of spring.

I thought waiting was an interesting and universal theme. From childhood you wait to grow up and when you grow up you wait for other things to happen, says Mandi.

One call she remembers fondly from that day was from a man who waited many years for his lover but could not get married. He told her how they met recently and discussed their now married life.

Her father Dayal, 50, is also now a fan. I am really proud that she does a radio show in her mother tongue. The radio at our home is not working right now so we listen to her show at our neighbours house. On most days, many of our neighbours gather to listen too, he says.

Mandi is hoping the show will make Santhals proud of their language and culture. In Kolkata, young Santhals dont even want to admit they know the language, she says.

She also wants to perfect her Santhali pronounciation. Living in Kolkata and speaking in Bengali most of the time has influenced my diction a bit, Mandi says. I am determined to make it pitch perfect with practice.Veerey ki Wedding

Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda, Jimmy Shergill, Satish Kaushik

Director: Ashu Trikha

Rating:1/5

Director Ashu Trikhas Veerey Ki Wedding, is purportedly a frothy romcom which severely challenges your intelligence quotient.

Veer Arora (Pulkit Samrat) is the son of a rich businessman Prabhu Arora (Mickey Makhija) and is known to be the quintessential humanitarian with muscle power always ready to help. Not serious about life, his parents are keen that he settles down.

Omnipresent in Delhi trying to save damsels from eve-teasers, preventing bank robberies and donating his fathers hard-earned money to the poor and the needy, Veer is just a phone call away when anyone is in trouble.

In love with Geet Bhalla (Kriti Kharbanda), Veer is keen to marry her but her father Gopi Bhalla (Satish Kaushik) disapproves of the match as he is a firm believer of Ahimsa or non-violence and thinks Veer is a hooligan who indulges in violence.

How Veer proves his goodness to his would-be father-in-law and wins him over thus getting his daughters hand, forms the crux of this two hour plus film.

The screenplay by Dilip Shukla and the treatment by Director Ashu Trikha, is mindless and hopelessly outdated. The writing is amateurish and the humour absurd and trite. Each scene is senseless and insular with no bearing on the next. The film appears to be a patchwork of several poorly directed scenes sewn together.

The plot is wafer-thin and the poor treatment does not help. The inflated comedy, hackneyed dialogues, caricature characters, make for tedious viewing. Vijay Raazs voice as the sutradhar does not salvage the film either.

Pulkit Samrat as always, portrays himself as an extension of Salman Khan - right from his dialogue delivery to his action scenes, albeit minus the Khan charisma. He appears comfortable displaying his brawn and swag but emotes poorly, making no impact at all.

Kriti Kharbanda as Geet is effervescent and pretty, but sadly is limited by a badly written script. She delivers what is expected of her.

Jimmy Shergill is miscast as a young and suave Balli, Veers older cousin who is heartbroken and perpetually unlucky in love. He effortlessly walks through most scenes being a good actor, but is thoroughly wasted.

Satish Kaushik as Geets possessive father and the owner of Bhalla sweets, is his usual loud self, oozing Punjabiness in every breath, including his rustic dialogue delivery and unpolished mannerisms. But again the fault lies with the poorly etched characters.

Abhishek Duhan as the potential suitor for Geet, displays confidence and talent in several scenes and stands out among other actors. Yuvika Chaudhary as police inspector Rani Chaudhry in her inane Haryanvi accent is an eyesore.

The rest of the ensemble cast gets a fair amount of screen time but fail to leave an impression as the plot is a mindless riot. The music replete with Punjabi flavours, does not make you hum a single number and the songs seem forced. The film boasts of good production values and is colour and glamour in every frame but mind-numbing nonetheless.

Overall, Veerey ki Wedding is a shaadi you might not like to attend.

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopThe Common Service Centers (CSC), set up for providing various e-governance services to citizens, will now charge five times the current amount to make online applications for driving licences and other vehicle-related documents.

The decision will affect senior citizens and those who do not have smartphones or access to internet, but it likely to provide an opportunity to RTO agents and touts to fleece them.

While renewing the contract with CSC e-governance services India limited, the transport department gave them sanction to charge Rs100 instead of the earlier amount Rs20 for facilitating online applications for any RTO related work at around 32,000 CSC operators across the state.

Before adopting new upgraded versions of SARATHI and VAHAN systems, used for driving licence and vehicle registration respectively, the department had signed an agreement with CSC e-governance services India limited in 2015. This was to make it easy for citizens to apply online for RTO-related work, even if they did not have smartphones or internet access.

Since then, the CSC e-governance centre has been facilitating the citizens for filling online forms for RTO related works, charging them Rs20 per application.

Last week, the department wrote to all RTO offices, asking them to inform CSC operators and citizens in their jurisdiction about the increased fees.

If e-governance service centres are going to charge such a high amount, people will prefer going to agents outside RTOs, said a RTO official, requesting anonymity. Another RTO official expressed concern that some agents might hike their fees for online applications, in the wake the decision.

The transport department defended its decision, claiming that it has revised the fees considering the input cost for the service. CSC centers have to do data entry, scan the documents, make payments and give print outs of the forms to the applicants, which is why the charges have been revised, said Satish Sahsrabuddhe, additional transport commissioner of the state.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) general body sanctioned a reform proposal to increase the fares of BEST buses for longer routes, monthly passes and bus passes for school children.

The general body meeting on Saturday, approved the proposed hike of Rs1-12 fare beyond 4km and Rs40-360 in monthly passes. The monthly passes for school children have been increased from Rs50 to 100. These rates are likely to be applicable from April 1 subject to approval from transport authority.

Currently, the minimum fare of BEST buses is Rs8 for 2km and Rs10 for 4km distance. According to the proposal, BEST has proposed no fare hike for distance up to 4km. Beyond that, the fare is proposed to be increased in the range of Rs1 to Rs12 depending on the distance. For instance, fare for 6km, which was Rs14 earlier has been increased to Rs15; fare for 8km has been increased from Rs16 to Rs18. Also, the daily buses pass for the entire city will cost Rs90 instead of the current Rs70; fare for a pass for the suburbs increased from Rs50 to Rs60 and for the island city it has been increased from Rs40 to Rs50.

The proposal was tabled as urgent business in the general body. The BJP and Congress councillors alleged that they were not notified about the urgent business and the Shiv Sena sanctioned the proposal without discussing it with the group leaders.

Ravi Raja, leader of opposition in the BMC, said, Why is Sena in a hurry to sanction the fare hike proposal? The BEST should give better services first before increasing the fares. I fail to understand the ruling partys interest in hiking the BEST bus fares. Lately, Sena has been clearing several proposals without discussing with other parties as they fear that the proposals would face strong opposition.

The BEST had proposed wet leasing of buses in which the contractor will take care of driver, fuel and maintenance of buses, along with restructuring of bus routes, freezing of dearness allowance of BEST employees, curtailing various allowances and schemes meant for them, as a part of the reform agenda. It was expected to bring savings of Rs700-800 crore, but BEST panel had rejected the proposal earlier.

However, it later on sanctioned most of the reform proposals including wet leasing of more than 450 buses. The proposal also involves restructuring more than 200 of its existing routes that are operating at losses of 40% or more.

This proposal was earlier passed by the BEST committee, the policy making body of the BEST. However, the fare hike did not go down well with the transport experts who have pressed upon improving the BEST services.

Ashok Datar, traffic analyst, said, The fare hike will not help the BEST recover their losses. The authority may lose more commuters owing to the fare hike. The current rates are already very high. What the BEST should be focusing upon is improving their services to attract more commuters.Three policemen, including an officer, were assaulted by members of Irani clan in Mumbra when they had gone to arrest a chain snatcher on Friday.

Three people, including the chain snatcher, were arrested and a 16-year-old girl detained for beating up the policemen. The girl allegedly slapped the officer on duty.

The police got a tip-off that Hussain alias Ansar Salim Ali Jaffery, 37, a serial chain snatcher, was hiding at Kausa in Mumbra.

When a team of five policemen went to arrest Hussain, his relatives, mostly women, stopped them from coming in and started beating them and pelting stones at them. Assistant police inspector from Mumbra police station Mangesh Borse and two constables were injured.

The police managed to arrest Hussain, who is wanted in many cases of chain snatching.

The police said that they have booked 12 people, including eight women, for the assault. The Mumbra police have registered an attempt to murder case and other charges under sections of the IPC.

We arrested three people and the minor girl was sent to a shelter home. We are getting details about the other accused who are relatives of Hussain, said officer from Mumbra police station.

Siraj Javed Irani, 32, and Suraiiya Ali Jaffery, 40, have been remanded in police custody till Match 7.

In another incident at Bhoiwada, policemen were assaulted by a criminals wife after he was arrested.

On Friday, the police officers spotted an externed criminal from Mumbai Aakash alias Chiku Pawar, 22, moving around in the powerloom town.

A police team was immediately dispatched to the spot.

Pawar was caught from Devnagar.

While the police was taking him to the police station, his wife Suman, 22, and 19-year-old brother Ganpat blocked the road to stop them.

The two assaulted police constable Amol Desai, 31, and other policemen who were taking him to the police station.

A case has been registered with the Bhoiwada police station under relevant sections of the IPC.It was in April 2017 when former chief minister and then a senior Congress leader, Narayan Rane, was seen in Ahmedabad with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on his way back after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah.

This supposedly clandestine meeting where pictures of Rane and Fadnavis travelling together got leaked, set the ball rolling for the former Sena and Congress leaders third political switchover, this time to the BJP. It was also with this meeting that Rane lost much of his bargaining power as his talks with BJP became public.

After waiting for 10 months, at a meeting with Shah and Fadnavis again, this time in Delhi on Wednesday night, Rane got a concrete offer of a Rajya Sabha seat from the BJP. Will the former CM, who had been waiting for the BJP to deliver on its promise of a cabinet portfolio accept this lesser offer? Political observers said Ranes safest bet would be to accept the Rajya Sabha offer since he was running out of options. Rane, however, has once again insisted on his preference for a cabinet portfolio. Rane was told he can contest the Rajya Sabha seat now because there is no guarantee when a cabinet reshuffle can be done to accommodate him. The political scenario is such that we may be able to do so only after Karnataka polls, if at all. If he still chooses to wait for us, thats fine but we cannot give a clear time frame, said a BJP minister.

If he doesnt get a cabinet post, his influence will be akin to smaller BJP allies  limited to a couple of constituencies. And, he will lose out on the Rajya Sabha seat.

Cornered by the cm...

From his first meeting with Shah to the one this week, Ranes actions have left him with little recourse. He quit the Congress and resigned as a member of the state legislative council. After being refused a direct entry into the BJP because of Shiv Senas opposition, Rane launched his own party, the Maharashtra Swabhimani Party (MSP) in October 2017 and declared support to the BJP. All this was done for an assured seat in Fadnavis cabinet.

Currently, as the founder of MSP, Rane has no backing of a party or a position. There is also no reason why legislators unhappy with their parent parties should join his ahead of the polls. He has burnt bridges with both the Congress and Sena.

Even the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that could have been an option for him last year may not want to take him on board at the risk of upsetting the Congress. If Rane goes against the BJP, the ruling party has enough wherewithal to get him or his kin under trouble. There is already a pending inquiry against him as the former industries minister, headed by former bureaucrat K P Bakshi committee, to look into the denotification of industrial land for private benefit for years.

The CM never wanted Rane as he would have challenged his leadership. There is no reason for CM to take Rane at the risk of losing stability of our government, said a senior BJP leader. NCP leader Jayant Patil said, I think this is a lesson for others who want to join the BJP. They ensured he quit the party and kept changing their promises. Now, even a person like a former CM has been rendered helpless.A pizza delivery boy was arrested after he got drunk and created ruckus outside a mosque in Khar (west) during Friday prayers on Holi. When the accused was taken into custody, he assaulted a policeman and spat on his face.

Akshay Dalvi, 27, was produced before the Bandra magistrate court on Saturday with his right eye bandaged. The police submitted before the court that Dalvi hit his head on the police vehicle when a sub-inspector tried to restrain him.

Dalvi lives with his parents in a chawl in Khar and works at a pizza delivery joint. On Friday around 2pm, after celebrating Holi, Dalvi showed up outside the mosque in Gulab Nagar area. A shirtless Dalvi, smeared with colours, was reeking of alcohol, police officials said.

Assistant public prosecutor MM Nerlikar told the court, Dalvi was yelling outside the mosque when the policemen tried to stop him from creating a law and order situation. He instead got into an altercation with the policeman and spat on his face.

Head constable Santosh Parkar was on duty outside the mosque when he heard the man yelling. He, along with sub-inspector Santosh Rasam, tried to stop him but Dalvi refused to budge. During the bustle, Parkars uniform was torn.

The officer was taking Dalvi to the police vehicle when he tried to slip away and run. During the attempt, he hit his head on the police vehicles bumper, and injured his right eye.

Appearing for Dalvi, advocate Rimpi Tuli told the court, Dalvi has no prior history of such behaviour. During the incident, he was under the influence of alcohol and he does not even remember the incident.

The prosecution prayed for custody citing it is a serious offence. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate YP Manathkar has remanded the accused in police custody till Monday.Following the dramatic exit of two senior Shiv Sena councillors  Mangesh Satamkar and Ashish Chemburkar  from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) standing committee last month, they have now been made members of the Education and Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) committees, respectively.

The members of the committees were announced by mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar at the general body meeting on Saturday.

They might be made chairmen of these committees, said a senior Sena leader.

The two party heavyweights had resigned from key posts in the standing committee in February, on the orders of party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Each year, the parties in the BMC can reshuffle members of the statutory committees. Similarly, former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Dilip Lande, who has now joined the Sena, has been made a member of Improvements Committee.A 15-year-old boy was caught by the Versova police, after he created a fake Instagram account of a 14-year-old girl he liked, and posted indecent pictures on the account.

The boy, who was nabbed last month used his mothers mobile phone without her knowledge. Officials said he met the girl about two years ago as they lived in the same area.

The police were alerted in December 2017. Officials found that after creating the fake account, he sent follow requests to the girls relatives and friends. He also sent sexually explicit messages to her, said police inspector Sanjay Pawar.

We took the URL of the fake account and tracked the device which was using a certain WiFi for internet. We got the mobile number which turned out to be his mothers. We followed the procedures of the Juvenile Justice Act after tracking the boy, he said. The boy said he liked the girl.

Psychiatrist Harish Shetty said he had come across similar cases. Intense anger and hate existed in the past too, but was expressed openly. With social media, the circle of safety has gone. They become emotionally blind, and use social media to vent the anger, said Shetty.

Apart from the victim, it is important to address the boy who is found in conflict with law, with proper counselling and help, said Shetty.A 15-year-old student from Prabhadevi died reportedly after complaining of chest pain a day before his Class 10 exam. Although doctors havent ruled out heart attack, the cause of death can be confirmed after an autopsy report, officials said.

Rutvik Ghadsi, a student of Shishu Vihar school at Dadar, went to sleep after pre-Holi celebrations on Wednesday. Sources said he had asked his family to wake him up at 5.30am to prepare for the exam. But late at night, he called his mother and complained of severe chest pain. He collapsed within minutes and was rushed to KEM Hospital, officials said. The patient was brought to the hospital around 1.50am and doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. We performed an autopsy in the morning, but prima facie, the doctors couldnt find a specific cause of his death, said Dr Avinash Supe, Dean of KEM Hospital.

Forensic experts from the hospital said there is a possibility of a heart attack, but it cant be confirmed as some of his test reports are pending. We preserved his heart tissue samples and have sent it to the Kalina Forensic Laboratory for a histopathology. As there were some observations needed to be done microscopically to determine the cause of death, we will know the exact reason of Ghadsis death only after a final report from the Kalina Forensic Laboratory, said the forensic expert on the condition of anonymity.

Ritviks family members refused to comment when asked if he had an existing heart ailment or family history of heart attacks. He lived in Adarsh Nagar, Prabhadevi, along with his two sisters and mother.Police inspector Abhay Kurundkar, who allegedly kidnapped and murdered assistant inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gore in April 2016, was given the Presidents medal for gallantry on Republic Day in 2017.

Thirty seven-year-old Bidre-Gores husband Raju said this fact clearly shows how Kurundkar, 52, was supported by some senior officers of the Maharashtra police. Bidre-Gore who was posted with the Protection of Civil Rights Unit at Konkan Bhavan in Belapur, went missing on April 11, 2016. The police registered a kidnapping case against Kurundkar on January 31 in 2017.

In October 2016, we wrote to the Bombay high court saying we suspect Kurundkars involvement in Ashwinis kidnapping. Despite being accused of kidnapping, he was given the Presidents medal, said Raju. He had earlier alleged that Navi Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale was protecting the accused.

We have written to the President and the Chief Justice of India, he said. Raju learnt from the police that his wife was killed by the accused on April 11, after which her body was cut into four pieces with a wood-cutter.

While they dumped the limbs and the head in Bhayander creek, the torso was kept in Kurundkars fridge and was dumped the next day, Raju said. So far I have not understood how Ashwini was murdered and the motive behind the murder. Even though the police are not revealing it, I am sure Ashwini insisted Kurundkar on marrying her and hence he killed her.

A video available with HT shows some cops seizing Kurundkars fridge in which he allegedly kept some of her body parts. Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police (crime) however, denied this fact.We are now thinking how to trace her mortal remains, he said. Raju said the police are taking the help of the Indian Navy and the fire brigade for the search operations. It will start from Monday. Navy officials will scan the river bed using their cameras. Officials have been deployed along the Bhayander creek. The Navi Mumbai police however, did not confirm thisThe Navi Mumbai police on Saturday denied that a refrigerator had been recovered during investigations into the disappearance and murder of assistant police inspector Ashwini Bidre-Gore, a day after reports appeared in some sections of media that the fridge in which her body was cut and stored had been seized.

Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police (crime), Navi Mumbai, denied that they had recovered a fridge and said: We are in advanced stages of the investigation, but everything that has appeared in news reports is not true.

At this point, the only concrete thing is that four people, including a police officer [senior inspector Abhay Kurundkar], have been arrested and booked for murder, Doshi said.

After killing her, the four accused reportedly dumped her body in a creek near Bhayander. We are now considering how to trace her mortal remains. Nothing has been decided so far, Doshi said.

Gore was attached to the protection of civil rights unit at Konkan Bhavan in Belapur. She went missing on April 11, 2016.

On December 7, 2017, the police arrested Abhay Kurundkar, 52, a senior inspector with the security branch of Thane (rural) and the main accused in the case, from Vasai. Four days later, they arrested Rajesh Patil, 44, nephew of BJP leader Eknath Khadse, from Jalgaon.

Ten days ago, Kurundkars driver, Kundan Bhandari, 51, was arrested on February 23, while his close friend Mahesh Phalnikar, 48, was arrested from Pune on February 27.

The charges of murder were added after Phalnikar is believed to have confessed. Some media reports said that he also told the police Kurundkar had cut up Gores body and stored the parts in a fridge in his flat in Bhayander, and later dumped them in the creek.The state Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) has announced the fees of private medical and dental institutes in the state for the academic year 2018-19 with most being allowed a marginal hike anywhere between Rs10,000 and Rs50,000 per year. One institute has decreased their fee by Rs 10,000 this year compared to last year.

Until last year, various colleges were made to slash their fees by 10-50% to bring uniformity to the fee structure across colleges.

Vedanta Institute of Medical College (VIMC), Palghar, has been in a fee row with the FRA for more than a year. The institute that started its first batch in 2017-18 is the first in the state to register as a private limited company under the Companies Act, 2013 (a for-profit institute). Earlier this year, FRA asked the institute to reduce their annual fees from Rs14 lakh to Rs6 lakh.

The FRA has taken some years to bring uniformity in the fee structure of all private medical and dental colleges, and has managed to do so despite resistance from private institutes. Many parents were worried that this year the institutes might get away with a hike, but a marginal fee hike will definitely leave students and parents happy, said Dr Pravin Shingare, director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER).

Established in 2004, the FRA or Shulka Niyamat Samiti (earlier known as Shikshan Shulka Samiti), is a quasi-judicial body responsible for regulating fees of unaided private professional colleges in the state. Every year the colleges submit proposals for changing their fees structure to the authority.

The FRA considers a number of indicators such as nature of the course, number of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, infrastructure and other facilities at the college before finalising the fees. If proposals are eligible, the colleges are allowed a 10% fee hike every year.

Chipluns B K Walawalkar Rural Medical College has hiked their fees by almost Rs65,000 per year whereas ACPM Medical College, Dhule, and Nashiks SMBT Institute of Medical Science and Research Centre have been allowed to hike their annual fees by Rs 50,000.

Neruls Terna Medical College and Hospital has hiked fees by Rs20,000 whereas Vasantrao Pawar Medical College in Nashik and Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College in Amravati has hiked their fees by Rs10,000 each.

Parents who have been checking with private institutes for admissions for the next academic year have been told a very exaggerated figure, which had left us worried. But the FRA release has been good news, said Sudha Shenoy, a parent. She added that the FRA still has to announce the fees of various other institutes, including KJ Somaiya Medical College in Mumbai and Kashibai Navale Medical College in Pune. Some institutes have not yet declared their fees structure, which will be announced soon hopefully, she added.

Most private medical institutes are planning to send their proposals for a second review to the FRA. It is impossible to run an MBBS course with so many restrictions. We will definitely ask for a review and we are ready to take this matter to court as well, said a spokesperson for B K Walawalkar Rural Medical College, Chiplun.

Similarly, management of VIMC is also waiting to hear from FRA. We have filed review appeal with FRA against their order and are waiting for an outcome of same soon, said Ganesh Kesari, dean of the institute.A 27-year-old man was arrested on February 28 by the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell after he attempted to kill a man for slapping him in the presence of his mother three years ago at Bhandup.

The accused, Sandesh Bhiraghunath Dubey, 27, is a history-sheeter. He was externed in 2016 for two years by the Mumbai police from Mumbai and Thane.

However, on the afternoon of February 28, when Dubey had come to Thane, officials from the Anti-Extortion Cell nabbed him. They also seized a country made revolver and five live bullets from Dubey.

During investigations, Dubey confessed that he had come to Thane to sell the revolver, but wanted to kill a man named Sanjay Singh, 35, who used to reside in Mumbai previously.

Pradeep Sharma, senior police inspector from the Thane Anti Extortion Cell said, Dubey said that he had bought this revolver from Uttar Pradesh to kill Singh. Dubey was angry at Singh for slapping him and planned to kill Singh soon. Both Singh and Dubey are criminals, and have many cases registered on them.

Inspector Sharma added, On further investigations, Dubey said that after killing Singh, he wanted to sell the country made revolver, so that he would not be suspected. He came to Thane to make a deal to sell the revolver. We laid a trap after we received his whereabouts and caught him.

Dubey has six offences, including an attempt to murder charge previously registered against him. He was produced in court and was remanded in police custody till March 6.In a bid to celebrate World Wildlife Day (WWD) 2018, Inspectors and constables from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), western region, on Saturday conducted an awareness drive from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to the Gateway of India and Marine drive.

They carried banners and pamphlets highlighting the theme Big cats: predators under threat. Hundreds of commuters were sensitised to illegal wildlife trade, especially with regard to the sale of the body parts of tigers, leopards and other big cats.

Leaflets and pamphlets were distributed among the commuters and we informed them about the threat from poaching, illicit trafficking, habitat loss, climate change and human-wildlife conflict, especially for big cats, said M Maranko, additional director, WCCB.

Apart from the majestic beauty of these cats, if the carnivores population declines, it will automatically alter the food chain and herbivores will destroy our agricultural settlements, said Maranko.

On February 1, HT had reported that according to data from the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), more than a third of the 40 leopards that died in the country in January 2018, were killed by poachers. Last year, Maharashtra recorded 21 tiger deaths, highest in a decade and second highest in India. Of these, six tigers were electrocuted, either accidentally or on purpose.

Addressing the country on Saturday, Dr Harsh Vardhan, union environment minister, said, Illegal wildlife trade has become a serious crime across the world, due to which we are gradually losing big cats. This WWD, I urge you all to play a proactive role in helping governments control this heinous crime.Two men were killed while another was injured when a speeding car hit people who were standing along their bikes on a road in Tronica City area of Ghaziabad on Friday afternoon.

The police said that the car driver was inebriated and fled the spot following the incident.

According to the victims family, Deepak, 33, and his cousin Sonu, 32, were standing alongside their bike, which was parked on the main road leading to gate number 2 of Tronica City on Friday afternoon.

A speeding Swift car hit a bike and a man some distance away and continued at a high speed towards the bike of my brothers. The driver was speeding and dragged the two of them, along with the bike, for nearly 100 metres from the spot. They both sustained severe injuries and were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead, Tinku, younger brother of Deepak, said.

Deepak and Sonu used to operate dhabas in Loni and were heading home to Mandola when the incident took place, around 3.30pm, on the day of Holi.

The man who was standing along the first bike that was hit by the speeding car was also injured and rushed to the hospital. When the car came to a halt, two persons were found inside the car and it was driven by one Sachin Tyagi of Panchlok locality. He tried to put the blame on his cousin for driving the car rashly but some of our acquaintances at the nearby dhaba saw Tyagi driving the car, Tinku said.

The two injured victims, Deepak and Sonu, were declared dead at a hospital in Loni. Their families have filed a complaint against Sachin Tyagi and an FIR under sections of rash and negligent driving, causing death due to negligence and causing grievous hurt was registered.

The police said that the car was driven by Tyagi and he has been absconding since the incident.

Tyagi was driving the car and is it also suspected that he was in an inebriated state. He is absconding but our teams will nab him soon. An FIR is also registered against him and his car was seized. He is said to be a local video journalist and had also put a sticker of his channel on his car, Brijesh Kumar Singh, circle officer (Loni), said.A 25-year-old man was detained by the police on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday for allegedly stealing womens clothes, including undergarments, from a residential society in Noidas Sector 93.

According to police, the thefts took place around 12.30am on Saturday. Ashok Kumar (25), a cab driver, was apprehended by a group of residents for stealing clothes that were put outside on a clothesline for drying in Express View Apartments in Sector 93.

Around 12.30 am, our security guard spotted a man running away after stealing clothes. We made a round of our housing society complex and saw a man coming out of a park. The security guard confirmed that he was the same man who had ran away with the clothes. We checked his WagonR car and found his car littered with garments, all womens, including undergarments, Tanmay Shankar, a resident of Express View Apartments, said.

The residents said the man appeared to be of a perverted mindset since he was stealing only womens clothes.

We think the man might be mentally ill as he was stealing only womens clothes. Such men are dangerous to society and we called up the police immediately. When we asked the man as to why he was stealing clothes, he told us that he intends to sell them, Shankar said.

According to police, the man was questioned by the police after a complaint was received from the residents of Sector 93. Ashok Kumar, who hails from Jahangirpur, drives a cab for a living.

However, no case has been filed against him so far.

Prima facie, the man appears to be mentally ill. But no case has been registered yet since there is no complainant. We might book him under Indian Penal Code section 151 (disruption of peace) if anyone complains against him, Mithilesh Upadhyay, station house officer, Phase 2 police station, said.

Sector 93 police post in-charge Niraj Malik, who questioned Kumar, said man was inebriated at the time of the incident.

The man claims that he had a cab booking for IGI Airport from Express View apartments and he was waiting for the customer. He claims that he had stolen a salwar that was hanging on a clothesline to dust his car and he was caught by residents, Malik said.

As for the clothes in his car, there has been no complaint that he has stolen clothes, so we cannot charge him, he said.Mount Sinabung is a 4,260m tall volcano in the North Sumatran region of Indonesia. It formed over centuries, 15,00,000 years ago during the last Ice Age with layers upon layers of thick magma oozing out slowly from the top and building up along the sides, raising its height. This kind of volcano is called a stratovolcano. It is a part of a chain of volcanoes around the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra that were created because the Indo-Australian tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate collided with each other, the former gradually sliding underneath the latter. As the plate gets pushed underneath the weight of the Eurasian plate, the friction and pressure causes its rock to melt into magma, which rises to the top to form a volcano.

Sinabung has been active since 2010 when it reawakened from a 400-year-old slumber from its last recorded eruption in 1600, and rumbled for a month. In September 2010, it erupted at least thrice, spewing ash and dust up to 3km in the air. Rain mixed with this ash, covering everything with a thick layer of mud for kilometres in the vicinity. The government had already begun monitoring the volcano intensively and evacuated several thousands.

In the second half of 2013, it erupted again and kept continuously belching out small quantities of ash and dust into the air. In 24 hours, between January 4 and 5, 2014, the volcano erupted over a 100 times. In February 2015, Sinabung released a heavy screaming jet of gas and dust into the air, killing 16 people. In May 2016, it again killed seven people who thought it had been safe to move back to evacuated regions.

The area around the volcano has been since evacuated properly and Sinabung erupted several times more between 2016 and 2018.

In February 2018, Sinabung gave a shudder and explosively erupted, releasing more material into the sky than ever before. It shot dust and ash clouds over 5km into the sky, becoming news all over the world. Thanks to social media, images and videos of this eruption spread widely. There have been no casualties or injuries as citizens had evacuated to a safe distance away well beforehand.

But why does this volcano release ash and dust only instead of the lava that we associate with typical volcanoes? The explanation lies in the type of volcano that Sinabung is. A stratovolcano (commonly known as composite volcano) has only a single vent at the top. Because it is disturbed by the subducting plates below it, the thick magma doesnt flow quickly. But the pressure builds up to such high levels that when an explosion finally occurs, all the gases and ash burst forth, hiding from view this thick lava (magma that is released in a volcano is called lava).

Such an explosion and subsequent flow of material is called a pyroclastic flow. Its deadly; the rocks, ash, and gases can race down the mountain and cover entire cities in a matter of minutes. They reach speeds of up to 700 km/hr and the emitted gases can be as hot as a 1000 degrees Celsius. The ejecta will first completely cover the sky and cut off sunlight, and then fall down on the surrounding land, covering everything. They cause massive destruction to plant and animal life, and can even hurt oceans. Indeed, a pyroclastic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius is what wiped out the civilisation of Pompeii.

Indonesia has over 120 active volcanoes, and most of the deadly eruptions through history have been recorded here; all of them pyroclastic flows. A famous example is the Krakatoa eruption of 1884, which was the loudest sound ever produced on earth, heard all the way on the other side of the globe. Mt Tambora erupted in 1815 and is considered the deadliest volcanic eruption in history. It killed over 70,000 people. Its pyroclastic material blocked out sunlight and travelled such large distances that it brought about a volcanic winter where ash fell all over the world, crops and animals were killed everywhere, the global weather changed, and humanity had to live through a famine.

Sandhya Ramesh is a science writer based in Bengaluru

The views expressed are personal

Photos: Indonesias Mount Sinabung erupts again, spews volcanic ash for milesThe Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed murder trial proceedings against an army officer, who was charged with the offence by a Chandigarh court in a case of road rage on February 16.

The high court acted on the petition of Col Manvir Singh Bains, who had challenged the trial court decision of framing charges under Sections 302 (murder) and 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The maximum punishment for murder is life imprisonment and 10 years for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The case so far September 2, 2017: Parveen Yadav dies soon during scuffle on road September 2: Col MS Bains arrested for murder October 26: Challan filed November 11: Col Bains bailed out Feb 16, 2018: Trial court frame murder charges against the Col February 28: HC stays trial, seeks police response

Col Bains, 48, a resident of Phase 7, Mohali, was arrested on September 2 and booked for murder after a scuffle with Parveen Yadav, 38, on the dividing road of Sectors 34 and 35, Chandigarh, had led to the latters death.

Yadav, a distributor of electrical goods, was in his Chevrolet Beat, and the driver of a Skoda in which Col Bains and his wife were travelling asked him to stop and get out of the car. Yadav had collapsed in the ensuing scuffle and declared dead when he was taken to hospital.

The police had filed charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the Col. However, the trial court observed that Col Bains intentionally jolted, thrashed and slapped the deceased and charged him for murder. Col Bains is currently out on bail.

Defences contention

Col Bains counsel Sartej Narula had argued before the high court bench of justice Sudip Ahluwalia that the decision of trial court was untenable as medical report had concluded that death was due to natural causes.

Neither the FIR nor any other material collected during investigation even remotely indicates that the deceased was known to the petitioner earlier, and that for such reason, the petitioner (Bains) could not have had any knowledge whatsoever about the diseased condition of the victim(Yadav), the court was told.

Narula further argued that Yadav died due to poor condition of his heart. His heart was in such a poor condition that he could collapse at any point of time, even while driving or walking, he had submitted, citing his medical report.

The high court while staying the proceedings before trial court has sought response from Chandigarh police by March 21.Amid the euphoria of poll results in Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modis compliment for Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has put both him (Amarinder) and the Congress at unease.

Delivering a victory speech on Saturday, Modi mocked the Congress saying its chief ministers are becoming rare. But he heaped praise on Amarinder saying: Neither he nor they (Congress) consider each other their own. He is a swatantra fauji (independent soldier). He also tweeted it later. As the Congress saw red, Amarinder was quick to dismiss Modis remarks as part of the BJPs futile attempts to create a wedge between him and the Congress high command through frivolous and unsubstantiated statements ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Questioning the source of Modis information, Amarinder quipped: I dont remember complaining to him against the Congress high command. Did the high command go and complain to him against me? Neither he nor the Congress high command needed the PMs advice on how to manage their internal relations. He said the PMs jumlebaazi would not have any impact on the Congress leadership, workers or the citizens of the country. Amarinder also tweeted it later.

Contrary to what Mr Modi would like to believe, the Congress was not a fly-by-night party which he could simply wish away, Amarinder said, declaring his partys complete readiness, under the leadership of its president Rahul Gandhi, to take on the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections next year.

But the Modi-Captain bonhomie has been worrying the Congress since Amarinder took over in March last year. He softened his stand towards the Centre by welcoming talks on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue. In November 2016, Amarinder had resigned as a Lok Sabha MP after the Supreme Court gave a verdict supporting Haryana. In run-up to elections, Amarinder had announced that Punjab will not share its waters with Haryana at any cost.

BJPs ally SAD was quick to hit out at the CM with his predecessor Parkash Singh Badal and Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal questioning Amarinders stand to put waters of Punjab on the negotiating table.Three members of a family were hacked to death at their rented house in Chehlan village near Samrala on Friday afternoon.

The killers tied hands and legs of the victims and also gagged them by stuffing cotton in their mouth. The deceased were identified as Sukhdev Singh, 50, who worked as a security guard in a factory, his wife Gurmeet Kaur, 48, and son Harjot Singh, 25. Sukhdevs elder son Jatinder Singh, who works at a hotel in Doraha, was not at home when the incident took place.

The incident came to light when neighbours found doors of the house open. Ruling out the robbery angle, police suspect it to be the handiwork of some acquaintance.

A case of under Section 302 (murder) has been registered against unidentified assailants at the Samrala police station. The police have also recovered an axe used in the crime.

The neighbours told the police that when they went to wish the family on Holi, they found the doors wide open. When nobody responded despite repeated calls, they went inside and were shocked to see the blood-stained bodies of the trio in separate rooms.

Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal said the couples eldest son Jatinder used to visit his parents once a week. He had left house on March 1. Jatinder said they moved here nine months ago from Meerpur village in Fatehgarh Sahib. He said the family had no enmity with anyone.

The SSP said the assailants had covered the bodies with blankets. It could be the handiwork of two or more people. As nobody heard screams from the house, it is suspected that the assailants were known to the family. They might have been sedated before being murdered, said the SSP.

We are investigating the case from several angels, added the SSP.Nithya Menen is, undoubtedly, one of the most exciting actors of our times. From Ala Modalaindi to her latest outing Awe, her choice of roles across languages is proof of her versatility, making her stand out among her contemporaries with her approach to cinema. Therefore, it doesnt come as a surprise when we saw her as a lesbian in Prashant Varmas Awe, a multi-genre film in which the segment featuring Nithya and Eesha Rebba, her lover in the film, was not only well-written and executed, but at the same time quite bold, going by Telugu cinema standards. As Krish a.k.a Krishnaveni, Nithya played her part with consummate ease, without an iota of qualm. When Prashant pitched the character, I was absolutely excited. As artistes, we come across many stories but something like Awe doesnt come often; its rare. I didnt see it as a lesbian character. I accepted the offer because I thought itd be exciting and challenging. I love doing different, edgy roles, Nithya said in a group interaction.

It was not just her role that got Nithya excited about Awe. As actors, we get typecast easily when we play certain type of roles a few times. What was really exciting about Awe for me was the fact that it portrayed every actor in a different way. It also explains why Nithya didnt mind her short screen time. When I accept a project, I look at it in a broader sense. I look at the bigger picture. I look at the intent of making the film and then think about my character. In a film like Awe, the intent to attempt something thats quite unlike anything Telugu cinema has witnessed is bigger than any of the characters, she said.

Brushing aside rumours that Nithya came on board because the project also featured actor Nani, who made his debut as producer. Nani and Nithya have known each other for a long time and are good pals. She clarified its the out-of-the-box approach of Awe that drew her to the project. Prashant approached me much before Nani came on board as producer. Initially, Nani was to just give voice-over to the fishs character. When Prashant met me the second time, he told me Nani had expressed his interest to produce the film. I was definitely happy for Nani, but I didnt sign the film for him. Im sure all the actors were drawn by the story and Prashants willingness to cast against the grain.

Nithya said she really didnt have to prepare in any way to play the character. Honestly, theres no need for preparation for the kind of roles we play. My process to play any character is simple. I take my lifes experience and use it to portray a character. In case of Krish from Awe, I couldnt draw anything from my own life. I was a little skeptical even a few days before the shoot. But when I stand in front of the camera, I just become the character and thats exactly what happened in this case as well. I did find this role challenging, but it was in my head, said Nithya, who still feels shes yet to land challenging role. I would consider what I did in Kanchana to be very challenging. Nothing else has even come close to what I did in that film. Im still waiting for a character thatd fully challenge my ability.

Throughout her career, Nithya has managed to be part of projects in which her characters had good contribution to make to the story. She says its a conscious effort to do something noteworthy in every film she signs. Ive signed films intuitively, and only when I am convinced. Even when theres been slight hesitation, I have turned down projects. If I get 200 scripts, I end up picking 6 or 7 and these are what I do. Somewhere, filmmakers who approach me know I wont do anything thats simple and unexciting. Quoting an example, Nithya said: I recently did a film called Praana, which will be released in four languages. Originally made in Malayalam, it was also shot in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Its a one-actor film, which was shot in 23 days. Im the sole character in the film. The whole experience was exciting, but equally draining because each scene had to be shot four times. I didnt mind putting in the effort because I have so much to contribute. Nithya also doubled up as a writer for this project. The script was originally written in Malayalam. Since I know Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, I helped them get it translated and was actively involved in the writing process.

On a concluding note, Nithya said Telugu filmdom needs more films like Awe. I believe Awe may have opened a small crack with respect to different content. But we need more such attempts and they need to be encouraged. Telugu cinema needs a revolution with respect to content. We have huge audience base but we keep making same type of films. Look at Malayalam industry and their recent films. Telugu cinema needs such films and it doesnt matter they work or not, but we need different films.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopActor Siddharth Chandekar is enjoying this current phase. The Zenda (2009) actor has been receiving a great response and some unusual feedback for his work in the recently released Marathi film Gulabjaam. From electronics to food items, he has been opening several interesting parcels over the past two weeks. Siddharth says, Friends and fans have been gifting me a number of things since the release of the film. I am overwhelmed and enjoying the feedback. I have received jackets, T-shirts, coffee beans and edibles as a token of appreciation for the film.

While these are materialistic goods, Siddharth has something more to be excited about, he has been called by renowned names in the industry to praise him for his part. On the day of the release director-actor Mahesh Manjrekar called me at 11.30am. He praised my work and went on to speak to me for a good 20 minutes. When a veteran such as him acknowledges your work, you know you are doing something right. Also, we did not have a premiere or preview show, which means these big names saw the first show on the first day. It is a huge thing for an actor like me, adds Siddharth, who will start work on two web series, one Hindi and one Marathi.

Siddharth adds that in the first half of 2018 he will be working on web content and then focus on more films. I am always instinctive about my work. I have never been calculative and never will be. Yes, I will try and work harder to find fun scripts bit wont start to be picky or choosy.

Reminiscing his food memories in the city of Pune, he says, Wadeshwar in Sadashiv Peth remains my all-time favourite for a plate of idli-chutney. It has been the best I have had and it is just two blocks away from where I stay. As a child, it was an incentive my mother would offer if I studied well.

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopNaga Chaitanyas next, Savyasachis first look will be released on March 18. The film stars Nidhi Agarwal opposite Chaitanya and R Madhavan plays a key role in the film along with Bhumika.

A statement from the makers revealed that the team is currently shooting important sequences in Hyderabad. Savyasachi is a special film for our entire unit. We have skilled technical team headed by Chandoo Mondeti carrying out the production schedules at brisk pace. Currently, films unit is canning important scenes with Naga Chaitanya, Bhumika and other key artists in Hyderabad. After the pack up of this schedule, team will leave to the USA for a pivotal schedule.

The statement from producers Y Naveen, Y Ravi Shankar and Mohan added, R Madhavan happens to be the special artist in Savyasachi. He plays a character which makes the project really interesting and exciting.

MM Keeravani will score the music. It will be his first project after the hugely successfuly Baahubali 2.

Naga Chaitanya and Chandoo Mondeti will collaborate for the second time after working together on Premam remake, XYZ. The film bankrolled by Mythri Movie Makers is slated to release on June 14.

The film also stars Vennela Kishore, Satya, Rao Ramesh and Thagubothu Ramesh in supporting roles.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktopOne of Bangladeshs top writers was attacked and injured in the northern city of Sylhet on Saturday, the police said, the latest in a series of attacks on authors and bloggers.

The police said Zafar Iqbal, a celebrated secular activist and bestselling science fiction writer, was rushed to a hospital in Sylhet after the attack.

He was hit on the back of his head and he was bleeding, a police constable posted at the hospital told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Abdul Wahab, a spokesman for the Sylhet city police, confirmed the incident, saying police suspect he was attacked with a knife.

He was in a seminar when he was attacked. His gunman caught an attacker, he told AFP, referring to Iqbals police guard.

Bangladeshs government provides security for the countrys top secular writers and activists.

Police do not know how many people were involved in the attack nor whether they belonged to any Islamist extremist groups, he said.

He has been taken to the operating theatre, he said.

Iqbal, who teaches at a state-run university in Sylhet, is a longstanding a champion of free speech and secularism in Bangladesh.

He is also a top selling author and celebrity speaker who regularly appears at university campuses nationwide.

Suspected Islamist extremists have carried out a series of attacks on secular and atheist writers and bloggers in the last four years, killing around a dozen of them including a top Bangladesh origin American atheist blogger.

Police have blamed homegrown Islamist extremist group Ansarullah Bangla team, also known as Ansar al Islam, which is linked with al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent for most of the attacks.Couples in China should be allowed to have a third child, a lawmaker has proposed, arguing it is the only way to stem a worrying slide in the birth rate despite the scrapping of the one-child policy two years ago.

The number of births fell sharply in 2017 after an increase in 2016, a year after the one-child policy was discontinued following nearly 40 years of strict implementation.

Experts have said China is looking at a gloomy demographic situation in future, raising questions whether the current two-child policy was implemented too late.

It means a steady decline in the number of people in the working age and the government having to spend millions more to take care of the increasing number of elderly in society.

Zhu Lieyu, a member or deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC), Chinas Parliament, which convenes on Monday, agrees with experts who have sounded the alarm.

There is a big gap between the effect and expectation of the second-child policy, as it did not result in a population blowout, but a decline in China's birth rate, Zhu, a lawyer from the southern province of Guangzhou, was quoted as saying by online news platform jiemian.com.

Zhu has argued in his proposal that a moderate rise in population will help China resolve the problem of an ageing society by upgrading its economy.

The essence of future competition among countries is competition in technology, economy and population, and the fundamental competition is the competition of talent. Thus, the fertility rate of a country is very important, Zhu was quoted as saying.

There were 630,000 fewer births in 2017 than the year before, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said earlier this year.

A total of 17.23 million babies were born in 2017, declining from 17.86 million in 2016, and the birth rate dropped from 1295 to 1243 per 100,000 population.

The NBS said the decline was because of 2.5 million fewer couples having first children.

Experts have even suggested that what China needs is to abandon the family planning policy to encourage more births. Questions, however, remain whether Zhus idea of a third child will work as one reason why couples are not opting for a second child is the increasing costs of rearing children.

A recent report by the Shanghai Women's Federation showed that more than half of households with only one child did not want a second. Beyond demographics, the cost of having a child was chosen by 35.9% of those surveyed as the main reason for not having a child.At least five people were killed after a major winter storm pounded the US East Coast on Friday, with strong winds, heavy rain and snow disrupting thousands of flights and forcing the closure of federal government offices in Washington.

Coastal flooding alerts were issued from New Jersey to Massachusetts with winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings and high wind warnings in effect from the Northeast to the Mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said.

Winter Storm Riley dropped more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) of snow in the western and northern parts of New York state, as heavy rain lashed coastal areas. The storm is expected to taper off overnight or by early Saturday.

Police in James City County, southern Virginia, confirmed a 44-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on the truck he was traveling in -- while in Chesterfield County, south of Richmond, authorities said a six-year-old boy was killed when a fallen tree struck him as he slept in his home.

Outside Baltimore, an elderly woman, 77, was also killed when she was hit by a large tree branch in Kingsville, Baltimore County Police & Fire Department said in a statement.

Meanwhile, local media said fallen trees also killed an 11-year-old boy in Putnam Valley, New York, and a man in his 70s in Newport, Rhode Island.

Travellers wait in line to inquire about the latest on Amtrak service suspension March 2, 2018 at Union Station in Washington, DC. (AFP)

More than 3,000 domestic and international flights were cancelled on Friday and more than 2,400 others were delayed, according to the website FlightAware.

More than half the flights scheduled to arrive and depart from New Yorks LaGuardia Airport were cancelled, with sweeping disruptions at Boston Logan International and New Yorks two other area airports, Newark and John F. Kennedy International.

Amtrak, the US public railway service, announced that for safety all services along the northeast corridor were temporarily suspended.

Trains already en route between the US capital, New York, and Boston would continue to their destinations and hold, it said.

New York, the most populous US city and home to 8.5 million people, was expected to avoid heavy snow but was forecast to receive two to three inches (six centimeters) of rain and wet snow, with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour).

New York state governor Andrew Cuomo warned that Long Island and New York City would see winds of 40 mph, with gusts as high as 70 mph possible in eastern Long Island. Wind at that speed has the potential to uproot trees and cause power outages.

In the federal capital Washington and surrounding suburbs, public schools were closed because of the storm, which some dubbed online as Windmaggedon.

A family walks down a snowy street during a winter storm, Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Marple Township, Pennsylvania. (AP)

A plane coming in to land at the Ronald Reagan airport was forced to abort its first attempt amid intense wind before touching down 10 minutes later, according to ABC news, which broadcast footage of the incident.

A pilot landing at the capitals Dulles International Airport meanwhile reported to authorities that the descent of his United Airlines flight from Charlottesville, Virginia, was so turbulent that pretty much everyone on the plane threw up.

Dulles also briefly evacuated its control tower due to high winds.

In Massachusetts, authorities reported more than 100,000 power outages by mid-afternoon, warning that additional power cuts were likely and ordered some coastal communities to evacuate, warning that they expected homes to sustain significant damage.

State police announced the closure of roads and businesses in coastal areas as the National Weather Service warned that shoreline neighborhoods would stay inundated and cutoff, with water unable to drain until the storm passes.

Weather forecasters urged people to avoid driving through flood waters or heading to the coast to watch the flooding, flagging reports of stranded motorists.

California storm kills one, avalanche injures two at ski resort

A winter storm that roared through California left a snowboarder dead and sent an avalanche crashing down on five people Friday at a Sierra Nevada ski resort, but the danger of another deadly mudslide eased in a devastated coastal community.

Dozens of rescuers and rescue dogs rushed to the scene after an avalanche hit the Squaw Valley Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe near the Nevada state line. Video showed them digging out a man from the snow.

One man was hospitalized with a serious lower body injury, another person was treated for injuries and released while three other people escaped injury, the resort said in a statement.

The skiers and snowboarders were within areas open to skiing at the time and the guests had been warned of the potential danger, resort spokeswoman Liesl Hepburn said.

In this photo provided by the Heavenly Mountain Resort, fresh snow covers most of a table and chairs Friday, March 2, 2018, in South Lake Tahoe, California. (AP)

The resort used explosives and other tools to knock down snow to prevent avalanches throughout the day but the snowfall was heavy, she said.

We had assessed the area to be safe to open to the public and unfortunately an avalanche did occur after that assessment was made, she said.

The avalanche occurred hours after the body of a missing snowboarder was found at the same resort.A student at Central Michigan University suspected of shooting to death his parents inside a campus dormitory during a domestic dispute was arrested on Saturday, the school said, after a day-long manhunt.

The suspect was seen by a bystander on a train passing through the north end of campus in Mount Pleasant, about 125 miles (200 km) northwest of Detroit, shortly after midnight and taken into custody without incident, said Heather Smith, a university spokeswoman, in a statement.

The suspect was identified as James Eric Davis Jr., 19, after the two victims were found inside a residence hall at the university, police said.

It was an isolated incident, but we had two people that were killed in a residence facility. Thats traumatic, Michigan governor Rick Snyder said at a news conference hours after the Friday morning shooting.

The shooting led authorities to order a lockdown of the campus, which has more than 20,000 students, and police also warned Mount Pleasant residents to be on guard.

Police in helicopters and patrol cars spent Friday scouring the locked down campus and the area for the suspect, local media reported. Police escorted people leaving the campus, as university events were cancelled and Saturday classes were called off, university officials said in a statement.

Davis had been taken to a local hospital on Thursday night after an apparent overdose or bad reaction to drugs, Klaus told reporters.

The two victims were James Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47, university officials said on Twitter.

James Davis Sr. was a police officer in Bellwood, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, Emanuel Chris Welch, an Illinois state lawmaker, said in a post on Twitter.

The incident came just over two weeks after 17 students and educators were killed by a 19-year-old gunman with an assault-style rifle at a Florida high school.US investigators are reportedly looking into business meetings of the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner with foreigners during the transition period and if they shaped or informed the administrations actions and policies.

From November to mid-January, between President Donald Trumps election and inauguration, Kushner had met individuals from China, Qatar, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Special Counsel Robert Muellers team, probing Russian meddling in the elections, interviewed witnesses about those meetings and Kushners efforts to get funding for his debt-laden business, NBC News reported.

Kushners family business, Kushner Companies, has been looking for financing for its flagship property in Manhattan that is facing a $1.4 billion debt payable in 2019. It had been in talks with the Qatari government and a Chinese company.

Talks with the Qatari government, and a former prime minister, collapsed last spring, and the Trump administration shortly thereafter sided with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in their blockade of Qatar over its alleged support of terrorism.

NBC said top Qatari government officials believe the Trump administrations backing of the blockade could be a form of retaliation engineered by Kushner who is also the presidents top adviser on West Asia and has developed close relationships with the Saudi and UAE royals.

Qatari officials recently visited the US and considered handing over some material to the Mueller team but decided against it as they felt satisfied with their meetings with US government officials, the NBC report said.

This new line of investigation would be a matter of concern for Kushner, whose meetings with Russians are already under scrutiny and who has seen his position as a power player in the Trump White House suffer a series of setbacks recently.

He was stripped off his top-secret security clearance last week that will deny him access to government secrets he required as a key advisor to the president, specially as the lead official on West Asia peace efforts and dealings with other foreign governments such as China and Mexico.Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus woeful visit to India is weighing down his political fortunes in Canada. According to a new poll, if federal elections were held now, his Liberal Party would lose to the opposition Conservatives and among the factors in that plunge in popularity is the much-panned eight-day tour of India in February.

These latest findings are from polling agency Ipsos, in a survey conducted for the Canadian network Global News.

According to the results, the Liberals would capture 33% of the vote, five points behind the Conservatives. An article accompanying the poll noted that public reaction to a recent troubled trip by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India two weeks ago might be a symptom of a growing problem.

Global News cited Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Global Public Affairs, as stating there was a shift in public perception towards Trudeau and his party. He suggested the recent trip to India is a prime example of that change.

The poll also found that 40% of Canadians believed the visit had a negative impact on relations with India, with only 16% having a positive view of the trip.

Its the first time weve shown, since before the election, any time the Liberals have been behind. Theyve been consistently four or five points ahead of their nearest competitor; sometimes more than that for the last two years and a bit, Bricker was quoted as saying.

The poll also found that a majority of those polled, 54%, disapproved of the performance of Trudeaus government.

The thing thats really held them up is the prime minister and peoples views of him so when that takes a hit, everything starts to go and thats whats happened here, Bricker was quoted as saying.

The poll was conducted between February 28 and March 1 and surveyed 1001 Canadian adults.North Korea threatened on Saturday to counter the US if the United States holds joint military exercises with South Korea, and said it would not beg for talks with Washington.

The United States is due to start joint exercises in early April, a South Korean presidential security adviser said this week according to Yonhap news agency, the latest in a series of drills that the north has regularly described as a threat.

If the US finally holds joint military exercises while keeping sanctions on the DPRK, the DPRK will counter the US by its own mode of counteraction and the US will be made to own all responsibilities for the ensuing consequences, North Koreas official KCNA news agency said in its commentary, saying the drills would harm reconciliation efforts on the peninsula.

The DPRK is the acronym of the countrys official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

On February 23, the United States said it was imposing its largest package of sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programmes. President Donald Trump warned of aphase two that could be very, very unfortunate for the world if the steps did not work.

North Korea has slammed Trumps unilateral sanctions against it, but it said it was open to talks with the United States during senior North Korean officials visit to South Korea for the Olympics last month.

The White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end of its nuclear programme.

North Korea reiterated on Saturday that it was willing to talk to the United States but said it would never sit with any precondition.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by state media KCNA news agency as saying we will neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the US.

Whether peace desired by our nation and the rest of the world settles on the Korean peninsula or a situation that no one desires is developed in the vicious cycle of confrontation depends entirely on the attitude of the US, the spokesman said, according to KCNA.

South Korea plans to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Trump in a phone call on Thursday.

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang last month gave a boost to recent engagement between the two Koreas after sharply rising tensions over the Norths missile programme.In an unexpected move, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will travel to Kathmandu on Monday for a two-day visit to congratulate his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli on his appointment as the premier.

Abbasi will be first high-level foreign dignitary to visit Nepal to meet Oli since he assumed office on February 15, though the two sides are yet to release details of the trip.

Diplomats in Kathmandu said Abbasi will also discuss ways to take forward the stalled Saarc process during his meeting with Oli.

The 19th Saarc summit, which was to be held in Kathmandu in 2016, was put off after an attack on an Indian Army base in Uri that was blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists. India and several other Saarc members unilaterally pulled out of the meeting.

Though the summit has not been held since then, meetings of various Saarc mechanisms have been held with the participation of Indian and Pakistani representatives. Pakistan wants to use this positive environment to take forward the Saarc process, the diplomats said.

The last visit to Nepal by a Pakistani prime minister was in November 2014, when Nawaz Sharif attended the 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in Kathmandu.Russian President Vladimir Putin told Washington to send him hard evidence that his citizens meddled in the US elections, mocking accusations to date as yelling and hollering in the United States Congress.

The office of US Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three firms last month with interfering in the 2016 presidential vote as part of what it called a conspiracy to support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton.

I have to see first what theyve done. Give us materials, give us information, Putin said in an interview with NBC TV aired late on Friday, according to an English voice-over of his words.

We cannot respond to that if they do not violate Russian laws, Putin told NBCs Megyn Kelly, when asked whether Moscow would take action against the named individuals.

Kelly listed some of the accusations of Russian interference made by Muellers office and other US officials, including the spreading of false information online.

With all due respect for you personally, with all due respect for Congress, you must have people with legal degrees, 100 percent you do, Putin said smiling.

He said US authorities should send Russias general prosecutor an official request.

This has to go through official channels, not through the press or yelling and hollering in the United States Congress, Putin said.

The broadcast came a day after Putin announced an array of new nuclear weapons, in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

Putin is standing in March 18 elections that polls indicate he should win easily.A meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir this week received a critical update on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir from the president of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Masood Khan, prompting charges that it was no more than Pakistani propaganda.

There was no representative to provide the Indian perspective to the group comprising MPs from the ruling Conservative and opposition Labour parties. Some leaders of the UK-based Kashmiri diaspora alleged that despite requests to attend the event, they were not invited.

Categorised as a country group, the AAPG on Kashmir is one of many informal cross-party groups that have no official status within the UK Parliament, but are governed by rules set by the House and are subject to oversight by the parliamentary standards commissioner. APPGs focus on countries and subjects, and invite leading lights for hearings and events.

Chaired by Labour MP Chris Leslie, the 10-member group on Kashmir has seven Labour lawmakers  including Indian-origin Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi  and three from the Conservative Party. The meeting on Thursday was also attended by Pakistan high commissioner Syed Ibne Abbas.

Efforts to contact Leslie on the meeting did not elicit a response, but senior Conservative MP Bob Blackman said: The APPG for Kashmir is merely a forum for those who support the illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan. Sadly, we have been prevented from forming a Jammu and Kashmir APPG as the Kashmir one already exists.

The fact that they refuse to allow supporters of the legal position, that Jammu and Kashmir in its entirety is a part of India, demonstrates that they are merely pandering to the Pakistani propaganda machine. It is extremely sad that they refuse to invite organisations, or their representatives, that hold a different view to their meetings.

The purpose of the APPG on Kashmir is described as: To support the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people through dialogue; to seek support from British parliamentarians; to highlight the abuses of human rights in Kashmir; and to seek justice for the people there.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minster Mehbooba Mufti was reportedly invited to the hearing but she did not attend. PoK president Khan was reported to have asked the APPG and the UK (as a member of the UN Security Council) to help highlight Indias alleged rights violations in the state.

Kashmir Voice International, a UK-based group comprising Kashmiris from the valley, said: KVI is the only valley diaspora organisation that understands and deeply feels the pain of their people.

Not inviting this organisation to APPG meetings is a deliberate attempt to shadow the real situation and provide platform to those who exploit the sufferings of Kashmiris to their benefit.

MPs on the APPG on Kashmir had secured a debate in the House of Commons in January 2017 on the situation in the state, when most members were critical of India's handling. Only Blackman and Labour MP Veerendra Sharma presented the Indian perspective.

Londons long-standing position, followed by Labour and Conservative governments, is that it can neither prescribe a solution to the Kashmir issue nor act as a mediator. The Labour Party and its MPs see the conflict from a human rights perspective and often highlight it.

The Labour Party wants India to allow international rights monitors to visit the state to verify reports of violations since the current situation in the state, according to one of its senior-most leaders, is not one that can continue as it is. It needs to be sorted out.

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry told Indian journalists: Our current position on Kashmir comes from a concern for human rights. We hear a kaleidoscope of stories, from the extremes to the less extreme; the human rights of Kashmiris continue to bubble up. I have spoken to the (Indian) high commissioner about this.

Kashmiris want to live in peace. That should be our starting point. I know there are people in India who say these stories are exaggerated or indeed downright lies. And if thats right, it does seem to me that India has nothing to fear from allowing human rights monitors into Kashmir in order to be able to support that it isnt true.

Refraining from going beyond the official position that the issue needs to be settled by India and Pakistan, and that Britain had no role, Thornberry said: It is our place to keep saying that it needs to be resolved in a peaceful way. This is not radical, this is common sense.Saudi Arabias crown prince lands in Egypt on Sunday on the first leg of his maiden foreign tour as heir to the throne, a diplomatic charm offensive that follows his stunning rise to power.

Prince Mohammed bin Salmans two-day visit to Cairo comes ahead of a scheduled trip to Britain on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and the United States during March 19-22.

The trips are aimed partly at courting investors and come after a tumultuous period that saw a major military shake-up and a royal purge, part of the princes sweeping power play that has shaken business confidence.

The son of Saudi King Salman is already seen as the countrys de facto ruler controlling the major levers of government.

His visit to Cairo, a key regional ally, comes before Egypts presidential polls in late March, with incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to win a second four-year term.

Prince Mohammeds visit will be interpreted as proof of Saudi support for Sisi to remain as the president of Egypt in the coming term, Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University, told AFP.

Egypt is part of a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a conflict that the United Nations says has engendered the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt are also part of a bloc of nations that has boycotted Qatar since June over alleged ties to Islamic extremists and Iran. Qatar denies the accusations.

A Saudi government source said Prince Mohammeds choice of Egypt for his maiden overseas trip as crown prince reaffirms Saudi-Egyptian cooperation at the highest level.

Talks would cover regional rival Iran, the conflict in Yemen, counter-terrorism and energy cooperation, the source said.

The crown prince is also expected to visit France in the coming weeks.

Uncertainty and turbulence

The diplomatic offensive comes as Prince Mohammed, a self-styled moderniser who has sought to project a liberal image of Saudi Arabia to investors, consolidates power to a level unseen by previous rulers.

A dramatic shake-up announced on Monday saw military top brass, including the chief of staff and heads of the ground forces and air defence, replaced.

Prince Mohammeds reshuffle came after he sidelined political rivals to become heir to the throne last June and orchestrated a royal anti-corruption purge in November that saw princes, ministers and tycoons locked up in Riyadhs luxury Ritz-Carlton hotel for nearly three months.

His first trip as crown prince is symbolically a moment for the young Saudi ruler to try to put Riyadhs best foot forward on the world stage, Andrew Bowen, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, told AFP.

It comes at a time of uncertainty and turbulence at home and he has an upward task of both selling to the business community that Saudi is a stable and safe place to do business and that he has a steady hand on foreign policy despite Qatar and Yemen. This certainly wont be an easy sell.

The British government said Prince Mohammeds visit will help enhance cooperation in tackling challenges such as terrorism, extremism, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

But some protests are expected during his visit over the West supplying Saudi Arabia with arms despite the kingdoms role in the crisis gripping Yemen, said Mohamed Abdelmeguid, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Competitive rivalry

The crown princes visit to the US in late March, which a Saudi government source said could include multiple cities, would highlight the Trump administrations efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh is expected to announce this year who will build the first two of up to 16 reactors, and negotiations are under way with the US for its agreement to export technology needed for their construction.

Besides the US company Westinghouse, Russian, French, Chinese and South Korean firms have all been seeking the Saudi contracts.

Another key focus could be the Aramco initial public offering. The kingdom is preparing to sell under 5% of its state-owned oil giant, the crown jewel of the Saudi economy, in what is expected to be the worlds largest ever IPO.

Prince Mohammed may seek to foster a competitive rivalry between a UK government desperate to attract Saudi investment to offset the Brexit chaos and his US hosts, particularly over the Aramco IPO, said Kristian Ulrichsen, a fellow at the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in the US.

President Donald Trump hosted Prince Mohammed in March 2017, just weeks after taking office, and he chose Saudi Arabia for his first official overseas visit as president.

Saudi Arabia has grown close to its long-time ally US under Trump, whose harder line on Iran and softer stance on arms sales are a welcome shift in policy for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia viewed Trumps predecessor Barack Obama as too accommodating towards Iran - particularly on negotiating a 2015 nuclear deal.The second part of the Leveson Inquiry set up to probe the phone-hacking scandal has been shelved on the ground that the British press had cleaned up its act and that the media landscape had changed, sparking criticism from Labour and others.

The inquiry shone a light on unethical practices of news organisations, such as hacking into phones of celebrities and others for information and chequebook journalism. The inquiry questioned former prime minister David Cameron and others in 2011 and 2012.

The second part of the inquiry was scheduled to consider the extent of improper conduct and governance failings by individual newspaper groups, how these were investigated by police and whether police officers received corrupt payments or inducements.

However, culture secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons on Thursday that the terms of reference for the second part had largely been met by the first part of the inquiry, which was concluded by Justice Brian Leveson in November 2012 in a report.

There have also been extensive reforms to policing practices and significant changes to press self-regulation. IPSO (Independent Press Standards Organisation) has been established and now regulates 95% of national newspapers by circulation. It has taken significant steps to demonstrate its independence as a regulator, he said.

So it is clear that we have seen significant progress, from publications, from the police and also from the newly formed regulator.

Leveson recently urged the government to initiate the second part of the inquiry which, he believed, would have broadened out to include data protection and fake news on social media.

He wrote to Hancock: I have no doubt that there is still a legitimate expectation on behalf of the public and, in particular, the alleged victims of phone hacking and other unlawful conduct, that there will be a full public examination of the circumstances that allowed that behaviour to develop and clear reassurances that nothing of the same scale could occur again: that is what they were promised.

Labours deputy leader Tom Watson, who was at the forefront in criticising news-gathering practices, particularly by titles owned by Rupert Murdoch, accused Hancock of being brazenly misleading about public support for going ahead with the inquiry.

Evan Harris, director of campaign group Hacked Off, said: If this was any other industry, the press would be demanding that inquiry must happen immediately, but when it is about them they applaud the cover-up of a cover-up. The government will find it very difficult to maintain this cover-up for long.

The Murdoch-owned News of the World was closed in July 2011 following revelations of phone-hacking in The Guardian, which triggered a series of inquiries, arrests and changes in the relationship between the British press, public and police.Despite international outcry against slavery across the globe, Mauritanian authorities continue their crackdown on anti-slavery activists with the arrest recently of abolitionist Biram Ould Abeid who was interrogated by authorities following three days of demonstrations led by the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA).

Analysts consider his arrest as a move by the government to silence the IRA movement, which is gaining ground among the under-privileged black population, called Haratin in the West African country.

In a recent report issued in February 2018, Human Rights Watch (HRW) deplored that anti-slavery groups endure police repression in Mauritania.

Mauritania outlawed slavery only in 1981, criminalized the practice in 2007, and created specialized courts in 2015 to prosecute slavery cases. Authorities claim success in eradicating slavery and say that today the challenge is to address the lasting socioeconomic effects, or legacy of slavery.

The Human Rights Watch report noted that both Mauritanias main anti-slavery non-governmental associations, IRA and , challenge the official discourse by affirming that slavery continues to be practiced, though differ in their approaches.

Cited by the report, IRAs President Biram Bah Abeid, maintains that slavery, far from being eradicated, affects 20 percent of Mauritanias population; he also denounces the under representation of Haratines and other blacks in senior government positions.

Last January, the African Union rebuked Mauritania for falling short of fully eliminating slavery after the country handed out lenient sentences to a slave owner.

IRA is the largest anti-slavery organization in Mauritania, with members throughout the country who regularly mobilize to protest slavery and state-endorsed discrimination based on race, caste and gender.Killy had a hell of a year in 2017. The Toronto rapper's been making waves through the numerous releases he dropped throughout the year. He's amassed millions of hits on his YouTube page and it doesn't look like he's slowing down at any point in the near future. He definitely someone out of Toronto to keep an eye out for. Today, he comes through with a brand new single and accompanying video with "Very Scary."

Killy made sure the first release of 2018 was impactful and "Very Scary" was the perfect way to storm in. His latest single is dark but incredible infectious. He links up with producer 16yrold and Daxz for the record who deliver a haunting piano progression with heavy bass kicking in the back. The single arrives before he heads on his Canadian tour so if you end up catching him, expect to get caught up in an intense mosh pit when this song drops.

Quotable Lyrics

I don't got no adversaries

That's your dawg, imaginary

Diamonds dancin', white canaries

White boy wit me, shoot like Larry



Earlier today we reported that Rick Ross was hospitalized due to reports of a bad case of pneumonia. Someone called 911 inside his Miami mansion at 3:30 AM Thursday morning after he was found "breathing heavy and unresponsive" where he was described to be "slobbing out the mouth."

Not many more reports have come by way of the rapper's status since being in the hospital, but new reports from Bossip say his illness did mean his court case with his baby mama has been postponed. The publication says that Rick, born William Leonard Roberts, was set to meet Tia Kemp at Broward County Family Court for a mediation meeting. After the judge got word of the rapper's emergency, she agreed to cancel.

Tia sued Rick in 2007 asking for a paternity test and child support. The court dates ended in 2013, but Tia re-opened it asking for more money from the rapper - $20,000 from $2,800 to be exact. Tia reportedly claims their son needs counseling and needs to be enrolled in extracurricular activities and tutoring. Tia argued that Rick was making more money and needed to show it for his child. Rick responded saying he actually wasn't making more money and Tia just needs to get a job.

The publication reached out to Tia for a comment, but she declined saying she was on her way to the hospital.Earlier in the day, news broke out that Rick Ross was in the hospital due to what was reported as pneumonia. Concerns rose considering his health concerns over the past few years. A few hours later, there were reports that the rapper was placed on life support with a machine hooked up to him to help the functions of his lungs and heart. It was reported that it wasn't pneumonia but a heart attack. However, it seems like these reports may not be true, according to MMG signee Fat Trel.

Shortly after news broke that Ross was on life support, Fat Trel hit Instagram to set the record straight. He said that Ross is indeed in the hospital but he's not on life support and that he's good.

"JUS TALKED 2 MY BIG HOMIE... HE GOOD... HE IN DA HOSPITAL BUT HE IS NOT ON LIFE SUPPORT ... HE GOOD," he captioned the photo.

Trel's been signed to Rick Ross for a few years so it's good to know that he's not on life support right now and that he's in better condition than what was reported.

Rick Ross' health issues have been well documented over the past few years. The rapper's suffered some serious seizures in the past that prompted him to start taking better care of his health and slim down.

Trel's update is definitely a relief. Hopefully, Rick Ross gets out of the hospital soon. Our prayers are with Ross and his family right now.President Donald Trump has proposed tariffs on aluminum and steel that he says will put the country first.

But a broad swath of corporate America strongly disagrees, saying the levies will boost prices on everything from cars to beer and force companies to cut jobs.

While the policy would hit the auto and aerospace industries hardest, it would also have ramifications for a wide range of businesses -- and products that Americans purchase daily. Beer, soft drinks, candy, canned soup and even pharmaceuticals rely on aluminum for packaging. Electronics, such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone, also use the metals.

That's led companies such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, General Motors and Campbell Soup Co. to weigh in on Trump's proposal, which would slap tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum for "a long period of time."

The auto and aerospace industries would probably be hurt the most by the tariffs because they use so much metal. Toyota said the administration's proposal will hike the price of cars and trucks sold in America. General Motors and parts supplier Robert Bosch also raised their hackles, and dealers have balked at the idea.

"These proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports couldn't come at a worse time," said Cody Lusk, president of the American International Automobile Dealers Association. "Auto sales have flattened in recent months, and manufacturers are not prepared to absorb a sharp increase in the cost to build cars and trucks in America."

Sellers of consumer packaged goods may not use the same quantity of metals, but the levies would still have a big impact, according to industry leaders.

Campbell Soup warned that the taxes would raise price tags on items shoppers depend on. "Any new broad based tariffs on imported tin-plate steel -- an insufficient amount of which is produced in the U.S. -- will result in higher prices on one of the safest and more affordable parts of the food supply," spokeswoman Nicky Thomson said in an email.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross attempted to tamp down that idea on Friday. During an appearance on CNBC, he held up cans of soup and soda, saying that the increases would only amount to fractions of a penny.

Even so, beer companies -- another key user of aluminum -- urged the Trump Administration to quash the proposal. There simply isn't enough domestic supply to provide for the needs of U.S. companies, MillerCoors said.

Demand for tin-plate steel was 2.1 million tons in 2016, while domestic supply was only 1.2 million tons, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute.

In opposing the tariff idea, AB InBev Chief Financial Officer Felipe Dutra warned that the U.S. beer industry's 2 million jobs could be hit by a sudden shortfall.

The widespread impact of Trump's tariffs has created enemies of the policy even within the Republican Party. Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania voiced particular concern for Hershey Co., which uses aluminum for packaging sweets such as its Kisses chocolates.

"We are watching this matter closely," Hershey spokesman Jeff Beckman said in an email. "Such a broad and sweeping order could have a negative impact on the entire U.S. economy."

Depending on how a tariff is imposed, it could also hit iPhones, laptops and other tech products.

Many of Apple's gadgets are made in China, including phones with aluminum or steel edges. If the levies only apply to raw materials, the effect on Apple would be minute, since the company produces only a small portion of its Macs in the U.S., according to Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster.

If the tariff includes finished goods, Apple's Mac and iPhone costs could go up by as much as 0.2 percent, Munster said. Apple declined to comment.

Other industries are worried about retaliation. Production of wheat and other crops could be hurt if trade partners choose to punish U.S. exporters.

"We've repeatedly warned that the risks of retaliation and the precedent set by this kind of protectionism may have serious potential consequences, not just for wheat, but for American agriculture," said Steve Mercer, a spokesman at trade group U.S. Wheat Associates in Arlington, Virginia.

The solar-power market also may feel the pinch. For developers of solar-panel farms, steel is used for poles and racking. A 25 percent tariff could add as much as 2 cents per watt to construction costs, according to Dan Whitten, a spokesman for the Solar Energy Industries Association. That's on top of tariffs Trump slapped on imported panels in January.

Electrolux, a Swedish appliance maker, had been planning to invest $250 million to upgrade a factory in Springfield, Tennessee. But that's on hold until the company knows more about the tariffs, according to spokesman Daniel Frykholm.

"We need more information and to analyze further what the effects of this decision will be before we can decide whether to move ahead with the investment," he said.

While coal may see a boost from increased domestic steel production, other parts of the energy industry would suffer. The Association of Oil Pipe Lines estimates that the steel levy would add $76 million to the cost of building a typical pipeline.

"The U.S. oil and natural gas industry, in particular, relies on specialty steel for many of its projects that most U.S. steelmakers don't supply," said Jack Gerard, head of the American Petroleum Institute.

Of course, not everyone hates the tariff. U.S. steel and aluminum manufacturers see it as a way to reinvigorate domestic production.

John Ferriola, chief executive officer of Nucor Corp., says the steelmaker expects to step up its investments in light of the tariffs. The changes should help the industry get back up to using 85 percent of capacity, he said in a Bloomberg Television interview this week.

Last week, Century Aluminum Co. CEO Mike Bless said that a mix of tariffs and quotas would allow the company to bring back 350 jobs and 150,000 metric tons of annual production.

And demand for metallurgical coal -- used in steelmaking -- may see a double-digit percentage increase if Trump's tariffs succeed in boosting U.S. steel output to at least 80 percent of capacity, said Clarksons Platou Securities analyst Jeremy Sussman.

Still, not all metals companies are on board with Trump's approach. Alcoa Corp. said last week that the best way to address the issue is via the World Trade Organization.

"We believe vital trading partners, including Canada, should be exempt from any tariff on aluminum," Alcoa said. "The aluminum industry has an integrated supply chain and actions should not penalize those that abide by the rules."

---

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Niclas Rolander, Hanna Hoikkala, Christopher Martin, Joe Ryan, Meenal Vamburkar and Megan Durisin contributed.Of the nine films vying for Oscar's best-picture honors Sunday night, there's one that's being ignored like tofu at a steak cook-off: "Dunkirk."

Many exhausting online skirmishes have been waged for and against Martin McDonough's tale of revenge through outdoor advertising ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"), Guillermo del Toro's monster-and-me love story ("The Shape of Water"), Jordan Peele's interracial-dating-trauma drama ("Get Out"), Greta Gerwig's Catholic-high-school catharsis ("Lady Bird"), Luca Guadagnino's love letter to summers in Italy with a shirtless Armie Hammer ("Call Me By Your Name") and Steven Spielberg's journalism-still-matters broadside ("The Post").

Even Joe Wright's darkest-of-dark-horses "Darkest Hour," with its Golden Globe-, SAG- and BAFTA-winning central performance from Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, has been part of the awards-season conversation.

But the World War II-set "Dunkirk," Christopher Nolan's dazzlingly immersive retelling of the German assault on Allied troops on the French coast and subsequent evacuation, largely has been absent from much of the prognostication. That's despite being nominated in eight categories, earning sterling reviews (93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, 94 percent on Metacritic), Nolan's imprimatur and an impressive box-office take ($500 million globally).

Oddsmakers put its chances of winning the best-picture statue at 40-to-1, behind "Billboards," "The Shape of Water," "Lady Bird" and "Get Out."

More Information 90th Academy Awards When: 7 p.m. Sunday Network: ABC See More Collapse

That's not disastrous as the odds are apparently much worse for "Phantom Thread" and "Darkest Hour" (200-to-1). But, more tellingly, "Dunkirk" has been overlooked at many of the major awards leading up to the Oscars. It went home empty-handed from the Golden Globes as well as the SAG Awards and claimed only a best-sound trophy at the BAFTA Awards on Nolan's British home turf.

One of the problems with "Dunkirk" is timing. The film was released in July and, even though it was re-released in theaters in December, it had lost much of its momentum as its autumn competitors were dominating moviegoers' conversations. Also, it's unusual for a film with no recognition for its actors or screenplay - the film is intentionally lacking in character development and dialogue - to waltz away with the top honor.

That's only part of the equation, though. Back in 1998, Spielberg's similarly intense World War II film, "Saving Private Ryan," was released that summer but was still electric with Oscar buzz by the time awards season rolled around. It would go on to win five Oscars, including best director, and best motion-picture drama at the Golden Globes.

But a lot has changed in 20 years. "Dunkirk," for better or worse, feels like a movie out of its time.

As Hollywood wrestles with the fallout from the sexual-harassment scandals and pushes for more diversity in subject matter and casting, "Dunkirk" is resolutely old-fashioned, a bombs-bursting-in-air, battle hymn to wartime testosterone, set in an era of stark good and evil.

If this were 1971 (when "Patton" won best picture) or 1957 (when "The Bridge on the River Kwai" won), it's easy to assume that "Dunkirk" would be more of a shoo-in than it is today.

Still, there's a way that "Dunkirk" might find its path to the podium Sunday night. As Vox recently noted in its breakdown on Oscar probabilities, the traditionalism of "Dunkirk" could work in its favor with some voters. Along with "The Shape of Water," it's certainly the most breathtakingly cinematic of all the best-picture nominees.

Adding to that, as Oscar voting is based on a preferential system, in which voters rank their choices, a film that is broadly well liked may not be the first choice of many voters, but it might be their second or third. Depending how many rounds of voting there are, "Dunkirk" could benefit if "Billboards" or "Water" has lots of haters. As Vox noted, "Even if not everybody loves 'Dunkirk,' everybody at least admires it."

More than likely, though, "Dunkirk" will have to be satisfied with recognition in various technical categories. That might be cold comfort to Nolan on Sunday if he leaves Hollywood's Dolby Theatre without a statue. But that doesn't dim the fact that he created one of the year's most bracing moviegoing experiences.Last year's Oscars offered a last-minute shock when "Moonlight" scooped up the best-picture award after presenters had already announced that "La La Land" was the winner. This year probably won't see a repeat of that particularly egregious mistake, but be prepared for some surprises.

Even though Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water" is heading into the ceremony with 13 nominations, by far the most of any film this year, it's no lock to be the night's big winner.

And the awards leading up to the Oscars - the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards - don't lend much guidance. "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" seems to have the most momentum with a win for best dramatic film at the Globes as well as best film at the BAFTAs and outstanding cast performance at the SAG Awards. But "The Shape of Water" has dominated the directing honors, with del Toro snapping up the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards. Will this be a year when the academy defies its general history of giving director and picture to the same film and splits the difference?

Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig's exceedingly well-liked "Lady Bird" won the comedy-musical Golden Globe and can't be discounted.

With that preamble, here's a look at the major Oscar categories with who we think will, and should, win the golden statuettes.

Best picture

The smart money might be on "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," considering how it has fared so far this awards season, but it's also the most divisive of the nine films nominated. People really love it or really, really hate it. In a preferential voting system like the Oscars, something that sparks such fierce partisanship might find itself losing to a film that lots of people like rather than love or hate. With that in mind, "The Shape of Water" could find itself going home with the gold.

Will win: "The Shape of Water"

Should win: "Get Out"

Director

Guillermo del Toro seems to have this on lockdown over Christopher Nolan ("Dunkirk"), Greta Gerwig ("Lady Bird"), Jordan Peele ("Get Out") and Paul Thomas Anderson ("Phantom Thread"). He has won all the major directing honors - Golden Globe, Directors Guild of America, BAFTA - while Martin McDonough ("Three Billboards") isn't even nominated in this category.

Will win: Guillermo del Toro

Should win: Christopher Nolan

Best actress

If Frances McDormand ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri") has been making room for an Oscar statuette, she has more than hopes and prayers to base that on. She already has this year's Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG awards on her desk, and that's going to give her the edge over Sally Hawkins ("The Shape of Water"), Meryl Streep ("The Post"), Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird") and Margot Robbie ("I, Tonya"). Whatever people think of the film, they can't argue with her ferocious performance as the mom seeking justice for her daughter who was raped and murdered.

But this is perhaps the night's toughest category as each is deserving. Streep's layered portrayal of publisher Katharine Graham and Robbie's funny yet sympathetic evocation of Tonya Harding are equally notable. Hawkins, meanwhile, couldn't rely on words to get by as she's playing a woman who's mute, and Ronan smartly brought to life an American teen who thinks she knows more than she does.

Will win: Frances McDormand

Should win: Margot Robbie

Actor

It would be cool for such young newcomers as Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out") and Timothee Chalamet ("Call Me By Your Name") to be able to put this on their mantle. It would be newsworthy if Denzel Washington gets it for a film few saw or particularly liked ("Roman J. Israel, Esq."). Or if it goes to Daniel Day-Lewis ("Phantom Thread") as a sweet farewell since he's retiring from acting.

None of them stands a chance, though, against Oldman's towering performance as Winston Churchill. It's a part that seems specifically weaponized as Oscar bait and, as that, it succeeds magnificently. Plus, he's already won the acting award at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the BAFTA Awards.

Will win: Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"

Should win: Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour"

Supporting actress

Unfortunately, "Mudbound" probably is going to get totally ignored on Oscar night, but its achievements - a Netflix film dealing with the prickly issue of race getting nominated for four Academy Awards in a world where mainstream Hollywood traditionally has refused to acknowledge streaming services - are extraordinary. That needs to be said here as Mary J. Blige's stoic performance, for which she's nominated in this category, is revelatory. She doesn't stand a chance, though, against the juggernaut that is Allison Janney ("I, Tonya"), who won in this category at the Globes, the BAFTA Awards and the SAG Awards. That means Laurie Metcalf ("Lady Bird") and Lesley Manville ("Phantom Thread"), both fantastic, probably won't hear their names called, either. Also, because it can't be said enough, it's too bad that Holly Hunter, so wonderful in "The Big Sick," wasn't even nominated.

Will win: Allison Janney

Should win: Laurie Metcalf

Supporting actor

After years of solid work in a variety of films, Sam Rockwell is finally getting his due in his showy role as a racist, doofus deputy in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." He's up against some solid competition - Woody Harrelson ("Three Billboards"), Christopher Plummer ("All the Money in the World"), Willem Dafoe ("The Florida Project") and Richard Jenkins ("The Shape of Water") - but he has won the SAG, Golden Globe and the BAFTA.

The best thing about Rockwell's newfound fame is that maybe people will check out some of his previous films that they might have missed, such as the outstanding "Moon" (2009) and the sweetly nostalgic "The Way, Way Back" (2013).

Will win: Sam Rockwell

Should win: Willem DafoeFor those who might still revere Harris County's lingering reputation as a law-and-order bastion  a place once considered the symbolic home of American capital punishment  the coming years are unlikely to offer much solace.

With a new boss in the corner suite and different priorities unfolding, the local district attorney's office no longer stands out as a tough domain where prosecutors earn their spurs by packing Houston's meanest killers off to death row. As far as District Attorney Kim Ogg is concerned, it's now about common sense and balancing resources.

"People's attitudes have changed, prosecuting attorneys' attitudes have changed and mine have changed," said Ogg, who once toiled as a felony prosecutor in the administration of Johnny Holmes, whose national renown was built on a hard-edged approach to the death penalty. "That was a different time."

To say the least. For many years any discussion of capital punishment in America had to include Houston. Reporters tackling the subject dutifully recounted the gaudy local statistics  the product of Holmes' insistence the law was on the books for a reason, and that it was not his role to undermine it by overly selective application.

The Chronicle regularly reported on the DA's approach to capital murder and embarked on a major project exploring the reasons for it  and consequences thereof  when Texas Gov. George W. Bush was running for president.

Not long after writing some of the articles in that series, I participated in a symposium on death penalty trends at a university in Tennessee. Other reporters on the panel worked for more prestigious newspapers  including The New York Times and Washington Post  but it was the writer from bloodthirsty Texas who drew more attention. Were Texans just crazy, they wondered. How could so many people be worth sending to death row?

I did my best to explain the different strains of prosecutorial discretion, but I felt my responses failed to satisfy. While the other reporters barely concealed their disdain for the death penalty, I remained agnostic on the subject, and still am. It was not my role to advocate for its abolition or skew stories to place the local DA in a bad light. Some who came for the discussion failed to grasp that.

"Is there anything that might change your district attorney or make the voters rethink this love for capital punishment?" one student asked during the Q&A session. He went on for another 30 seconds at least, and quite eloquently, about the dangers of such an approach and how it seemed at odds with many other places in the U.S. and the worldwide trend.

The questioner may have been hoping for a constructive outlet for his obvious indignation. But all I could think of was the most obvious answer.

"No," I said, leaving it at that.

As it turned out, I was wrong. There was one thing that could bring about change. Time. Over the years those states and counties that had aggressively pursued death sentences were undermined by highly publicized appellate reversals, wrongful convictions, a declining crime rate and the slow shift of public opinion.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided that juveniles would no longer be eligible for the death penalty  and also those with significant intellectual disability. One state after another adopted a new sentencing option for capital juries  life without parole and that changed everything, even in Houston.

I recall one afternoon when I sat in Holmes' office discussing all the national publicity he had received, and all the criticism. He was nonplussed and completely unapologetic. A rumor circulated that his prosecutors would joke about the newly condemned being granted membership into the "silver needle society." Holmes would not talk about that, emphasizing that he was simply doing the job he was elected to do. Voters could remove him if they disapproved.

They never did. A trusted lieutenant took over when Holmes retired in 2000, only to resign in disgrace in his second term.

Now, several DAs later, it's Kim Ogg's turn. She liked and respected Holmes, once prosecuting a death penalty trial for him. But she's cut from a rather different cloth.

JUST HOW different was made clear in her recent decision not to seek the death penalty again for Duane Buck, a double murderer who had spent two decades on death row before the U.S. Supreme Court granted him a new sentencing trial earlier this year.

Agreeing to allow Buck to live out his days in prison once would have been heresy for an office that defiantly rejected easy compromise. For Ogg, it was the most reasonable choice: His trial was based on old evidence and marred by impermissible testimony, so why go through it all again and potentially deal with another 10 years of appeals?

Giving up the fight for Buck's execution was perhaps the most obvious reminder that business as usual no longer applies at the local courthouse  and that Ogg is serious about pushing a reform agenda.

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle

"I think she is definitely among the few in the nation who have been elected with a reform mentality and whose time has come," said University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus. "She was elected by a sea of Democratic votes, but she got 20,000 more votes than other Democrats. There is a growing sense that criminal justice reform is needed, and there is bipartisan support to make that happen."

Ogg has promised to make the death penalty a rarely sought punishment. At the same time she has focused on the other end of the criminal justice spectrum: the "trace" drug cases and nickel-and-dime marijuana arrests that clog dockets and accomplish little. Her office henceforth will have little use for either, she announced.

Former DA Pat Lykos pushed some of the same notions only to lose in the 2012 Republican primary to a traditionalist promising to turn back the clock. Now Ogg, a Democrat, has seized the office with a progressive agenda that may be in sync with other big-city district attorneys  what Governing Magazine referred to as a "fresh new wave" of top prosecutors  but it surely is at odds with Houston's fierce history.

Only five years ago, lock-'em-up Republican Mike Anderson was handed the prosecutorial reins behind the endorsement of none other than Holmes, whose two decades of uncompromising philosophy toward capital punishment had stocked death row with scores of inmates, so many in fact that many states could not equal Harris County's output. Anderson spoke openly in his campaign about his desire for resurrecting "the good old days."

For her part, Ogg is dead-set on keeping death penalty cases to a minimum.

"The changing attitudes of prosecutors are influenced by three things  the life without parole option, the immense cost in a time of limited resources and the human toll of waiting decades for final imposition of that sentence," Ogg said in a recent interview. "Those are the reasons for my approach."

Fair enough. But removing a murderer from death row is another matter, especially in cases prosecuted before life without parole was a sentencing option. In agreeing to reduce death sentences to life, Ogg may see the fulfillment of a campaign pledge. Yet each instance has potential as fodder for a "soft on crime" accusation in her next campaign.

Even if there's consensus that the death penalty is no longer a priority in an era of fewer murders, it's hard to imagine either Anderson, Mike or Devon doing likewise with Buck. The question is whether it matters anymore. For Ogg, it's an important one to answer correctly.

Death penalty cases from Texas, and Houston in particular, are getting more scrutiny than ever before from appellate courts. Buck won't be the last condemned inmate to have his sentence overturned. It's likely that most of the erstwhile condemned will end their lives in prison, not on a gurney with a needle in their arms.

Which means more future years will look like 2017, when for the first time in three decades no one from Harris County was executed.

"Are there (political) consequences? There could be  down the line," said Gary Polland, a criminal defense attorney and former county chairman of the Republican Party. "Someone would have to drive the message that what (she) did was hostile to the interests of law and order. But I think she's doing every politically astute thing she can do to make people think she's a reformer. There is no downside to that right now."

BUCK HARDLY presented an inviting case to make a point about overzealous application of the death penalty. His guilt was beyond doubt, and his actions on the night of the crime were cruel. There was no complaint of misconduct by prosecutors or evidence of intellectual disability.

Buck's lawyers had spent years asking only for a new sentencing hearing because of racially tinged testimony by psychologist Walter Quijano, who cited statistics that showed African Americans were found in the criminal justice system in numbers greater than their overall percentage of population.

When the request finally was granted earlier this year, Ogg's office didn't have to do anything other than make a reasonable argument based on his own actions about why he should be sent back to death row. That's what the relatives of his victims wanted.

She balked.

"We had a difficult case to prove with the evidence that was available," Ogg said. "We had a divided family  one victim did not want death. The children were the witnesses, and I felt they continue to be traumatized. Race had been injected into the case, and that did taint it. Future dangerousness was a question we had to answer, and there had been nothing since he'd been in prison, in contrast to some of those on death row. And it would be another 10 years of appeals."

Ogg's decison not to retry Buck was acceptable to his stepsister, who survived a gunshot wound in the chest during his rampage, but it infuriated relatives of his two deceased victims.

"I have concluded that 22 years after his conviction, a Harris County jury would likely not return another death penalty conviction," Ogg said in announcing her decision.

That she could be right is remarkable for a county that once had a worldwide reputation as the "capital of capital punishment," turning out death sentences with assembly-line efficiency. But that she did not even try says more.

Buck was not the first example of Ogg's revised attitude toward the death penalty. In April, Randolph Mansoor Greer also was removed from death row. He had been sent there for a crime spree in 1991 that left two women sexually assaulted and the owner of a Bellaire gun shop dead.

In early November, her office agreed to a life sentence for Bobby Moore, whose IQ scores raised the probability of intellectual disability. The U.S. Supreme Court threw out his sentence in March, and Ogg's office chose not to dispute his lawyers' claims that Moore was ineligible for the death penalty.

He had been on death row since 1980.

Larry Reese/HC staff

Murray Newman, a longtime prosecutor who lost his job when Lykos came in, said he expects the future to bring similar decisions more often than not.

"Kim has an agenda she wants to follow through on, and she's not going to be second-guessed on it," said Newman, who writes a blog about ongoing developments in the local courts and DA's office. "She is unabashedly taking that office in a different direction than it's gone in before."

Ogg said that the death penalty will still be sought in rare circumstances, including the murder of police officers.

"Some murderers are so bad that they have earned the death penalty," she said, mentioning mass murderers, serial murderers and cases where killers "torture and enjoy the suffering of their victims."

As some of the old death cases from Holmes' era float back from appellate courts, Ogg applies a different standard, knowing that any particular decision not to seek death again could come back to haunt her. She said she doesn't worry about it.

"I don't believe that I should be controlled by fear of political fallout," she said. "I'm a prosecutor for these times."

And these times could not be further from Houston's notorious past. Once synonymous with the death penalty, Harris County prosecutors haven't sent anyone to death row since August 2014, the longest hiatus of the modern era.

Sooner or later that will end, of course, but the era of Houston's singular commitment to the ultimate punishment is gone, with only the occasional execution to remind us of the status it once so defiantly held.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It's cut from a rather different cloth.BEIJING - China reacted with cautious criticism Friday to President Donald Trump's plan to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, urging the United States to abide by multilateral trade rules and do nothing to damage the fragile global economic recovery.

In Europe, however, Thursday's announcement triggered a sharp backlash, including threats of retaliation.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levi's," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, according to the Reuters news service. "We cannot simply put our head in the sand."

China is the world's dominant steel producer, but experts said the tariff plan would not greatly affect it, because the country accounts for only 2 percent of U.S. imports. Beijing is not about to start a trade war over the decision, they added, framing it as self-defeating.

"What an extremely stupid move," said Li Xinchuang, vice secretary general of the China Iron and Steel Association. "A desperate attempt by Trump to pander to his voters, which I think in fact runs counter to his 'America First' pledge."

Li, who is also director of the China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute, said the tariffs would only make U.S. industries fall further behind globally at a time when "China is in its prime."

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference Friday that world trade would be harmed if other countries follow the U.S. example.

"The basis for the global recovery is still unstable," she said. "All countries should make concerted efforts to cooperate to resolve the relevant issues, instead of taking trade-restrictive measures unilaterally."

It is not clear whether the tariffs would affect only certain countries or apply globally.

European officials have not minced their words in recent months about a U.S. president they often see as an obstacle rather than an ally. But the tariff proposal met with unusually blunt criticism, particularly in Germany, where Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called it "unfathomable."

"With this, the declaration of war has arrived," said Bernd Lange, a German Social Democrat and head of the European Parliament's trade committee, speaking on German public radio. "They have a mercantile trade model in their heads that dates back 200 years."

Although Germany exports more steel to the United States than any other European country, last year it accounted for just 3 percent of U.S. steel imports, through September. Far more originated in Canada, South Korea and Mexico, countries that also have raised major concerns about the policy.

But many European officials see the tariffs as part of broader fears they have about Trump's "America First" agenda and what it means for the bloc, given its long-standing reliance on U.S. partnership. Lange and others also worry that the tariffs could be expanded to other fields, such as computers.

"It's a bottomless pit," he said.

France also condemned the move. In a strong statement Friday, Bruno Le Maire, France's economy minister, said that if a trade war ensues between the United States and the European Union, there will be "only losers."

Top British government officials had no immediate public comment, but a senior representative of Britain's steel industry warned that the tariffs could have a "significant impact."

"Measures such as these smack of short-termism, protectionism, and would be rife with unintended consequences for global trade and for the users of steel in the U.S.," said Richard Warren, head of policy at U.K. Steel.

The possibility of global trade frictions unsettled markets Friday, with Asian and European stocks following their U.S. counterparts lower. "Tariffs on steel and aluminum are not the end of the world," said Richard Jerram, chief economist at the Bank of Singapore. "The risk is escalation. How aggressively China reacts and America's response to that will worry the markets."

Later Friday, Reuters reported that the European Union is considering imposing duties on U.S. imports worth about $3.5 billion if the White House pursues its plan. An E.U. official confirmed the report, saying, "This is broadly the figure we are looking at." The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump's move also is expected to trigger legal challenges at the World Trade Organization by China, the European Union, Brazil and perhaps others. Wei Jianguo, a former Chinese vice minister of commerce, said the U.S. decision runs counter to WTO rules and hurts Sino-U.S. relations.

"China does not want to see a trade war with the United States. But if Trump insists, China is not afraid of it," Wei said, noting that China imports a huge amount of U.S. goods, including Boeing planes as well as agricultural and IT products.

But most analysts said the move is more of an irritant to China than anything serious at this stage.

Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank in Shanghai, said China already had been working to cut overcapacity in its steel industry. Anti-dumping duties imposed on China by the Obama administration two years ago also had helped cut U.S. imports, experts said. Last year, China's steel exports fell 30 percent, and Lu said Trump's move came too late to make much of a difference.

Still, Beijing is not insensitive to the symbolism of the decision, aware that Trump's rhetoric has targeted it and wary of further measures to restrict trade and investment, experts said.

"China has to respond and fight for every inch of its own interests," Lu said. "However, the result we are expecting is negotiation between both sides."

The Trump administration is investigating China over intellectual property rights and technology-transfer policies and is expected to unveil more tariffs or penalties in coming months. Congress is also likely to strengthen and broaden controls on Chinese investment in the United States.

Andrew Polk, a founder of the Trivium consultancy in Beijing, said China's response to the tariffs probably would be more rhetorical than real. He predicted a similar reaction to the one that followed Trump's decision to slap tariffs on solar panels: "We don't like this, but we're going to downplay it and not really do anything."

Trump's announcement came as President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser, Liu He, was in Washington trying to ease trade tensions. Hua, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said the envoy had held "constructive consultations" with U.S. officials Thursday and shared a candid exchange of views.

Rob Carnell, head of Asia-Pacific research at ING in Singapore, said China might join or hide behind other nations and trading blocs - such as Canada, the European Union, Japan and South Korea - in retaliating against the U.S. move. Taiwan and Brazil are also among those affected by the measure.

Working through the WTO could take a long time, he said, making "tit-for-tat retaliation" more likely. That would not be good news for the global economy, Carnell said.

But ironically, it might not be bad news for China. Many will now wonder whether the United States is not a greater threat to the world trading system, said Arthur Kroeber, managing director of the Beijing-based research firm Gavekal Dragonomics.

"China can afford to play it pretty cool and measured, as they have been doing ever since Trump took office," Kroeber said. "They take a small, really negligible, hit to their steel and aluminum exports, but strategically they come out way ahead by just letting Trump be Trump."

- - -

Noack reported from Berlin. The Washington Post's Luna Lin, Shirley Feng, Amber Ziye Wang and Liu Yang in Beijing, James McAuley in Paris and Quentin Aries in Brussels contributed to this report.

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Video: Trump's announcement of a 25 percent tariff on steel imports could greatly affect products that you may not know depend on it, like Reddi-wip.(Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)

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Video: President Trump on March 1 announced tariffs on steel and aluminum. "Without steel and aluminum, your country is not the same," Trump said.(The Washington Post)

Embed code:WASHINGTON - A man standing alone amid a crowd of more than 100 people shot himself along the north fence line of the White House midday Saturday, according to witnesses.

Philipos Melaku-Bello, who was manning a nearby peace vigil, said the gunman was standing just inside the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue, across from Lafayette Square. Melaku-Bello heard two shots fired in quick succession before he saw the man drop to the ground as people fled the area.WASHINGTON - The White House appeared to soften its tone on gun-control measures Friday after President Donald Trump met privately with officials from the National Rifle Association the night before.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House is still deliberating on what type of proposals it will support in the wake of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed. She said Trump still supports raising the age limit to buy assault rifles from 18 to 21 but added that he understands there is "not a lot of broad support" for such a proposal.

"I think he thinks it would probably have more potential in the states than it would at the federal level," Sanders told reporters at the White House. On background checks, she said, Trump does not necessarily support universal checks "but certainly improving the background-check system. He wants to see what that legislation, the final piece of it looks like. 'Universal' means something different to a lot of people."

Trump tweeted Thursday evening about the meeting, which was not listed on his public schedule.

"Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!," he wrote.

Friday capped a week of conflicting signals from Trump and the White House on what the president wants to do in response to the shootings in Florida, which has led to confusion over what policies he wants Congress to advance. Trump shocked lawmakers from both parties Wednesday during an hour-long televised meeting at the White House in which he voiced support for far stricter gun-control measures than most Republicans appear willing to support. At one point, he accused lawmakers of being "scared of the NRA." Trump also has said he wants to arm some teachers and school staff with weapons to help fight back against perpetrators.

Sanders sought to downplay the idea that Trump has not been consistent about what he wants.

She reiterated that Trump supports a bill from Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that would require federal and state agencies to report relevant criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Trump called Cornyn on Thursday to reiterate his support for that bill, according to a person familiar with the call.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., challenged Trump to "go with his instincts, not the clarion and destructive call of the NRA."

Schumer added that Trump "knows instinctively that this is the right thing to do both substantively, because it will save tens of thousands of lives, and politically, because over three quarters of the American people support it. If he continues to bow to his right-wing ringmasters, we will get nothing done on guns and his presidency will continue to fail."

But Murphy praised Trump for engaging in the debate and entertaining ideas that have traditionally been taboo for most Republicans.

"Trump may not end up leading Congressional Republicans to water on guns, but his willingness to buck the gun lobby in public, rule out the NRA agenda, and talk up background checks, has changed this debate nationally," he tweeted.

Asked whether Trump made any promises to the NRA officials during their meeting, Sanders replied: "Only that he'll continue to support the Second Amendment. That's not something that he's backed away from."

NRA Executive Director Chris Cox, who attended the meeting, echoed that sentiment on Twitter.

"I had a great meeting tonight with @realDonaldTrump & @VP. We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people. POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don't want gun control. #NRA #MAGA," he wrote.

Sanders said Trump believes that raising age limits to buy guns would have "more potential in the states than it would at the federal level."

And she said Trump will continue to talk with lawmakers. "He wants to help move the ball down the field, so he's going to keep having calls with a number of different members on how we can do that," she said.Morocco is preparing a new strategy to lure more tourists with the target of receiving 12 million tourists in 2018 and 15 million in 2020.

After closing 2017 with a record number of 11.35 million tourists visiting the country, that is a 10% rise compared to the previous year, the tourism ministry will unveil a road map on April 2 in Agadir to enhance the attractiveness of Morocco destination.

The levers of Moroccos new strategy include air transport, the French-speaking daily LEconomiste reported, noting that the implementation of phases 3 and 4 of the Open Sky agreement is also part of this multi-pronged strategy that also covers financing, training and regionalization.

The Moroccan government, keen to bolster the diversification of its economy away from the primary sector, has developed vision 2020 for tourism aiming to double the size of tourist sector and boosting revenues to $15bn annually by the end of the decade.

Low-cost airlines are increasingly opening new air routes linking Moroccan cities to tourist emitting markets in Europe. In this respect, the tourism department focuses on increasing direct air links from Moroccos imperial cities, such as Fez, to Andalusia in Southern Spain with the aim of building on historic connections between the two regions to create a cultural corridor for visitors.

In 2017, revenues of the tourist sector stood at 69.7 billion dirhams (6.16 bln) compared to 64.2 billion dirhams in 2016.

Marrakech saw the number of tourists increase by 20% to reach 2 million tourists in 2017 with 7 million nights.

Morocco sees enormous opportunities in the Chinese market, which has 130 million tourists traveling abroad annually and spending generously. Morocco has therefore taken a series of incentives to attract 500,000 Chinese tourists by 2020 up from 10,000 in 2015.

Tourism, which employs 2.5 million people, was worth an estimated 6.6 % of GDP in 2016.WASHINGTON-ON-THE-BRAZOS  Planners, park rangers, re-enactors and history interpreters preparing for the annual Texas Independence Day Celebration here this weekend can look forward to a partly cloudy day on Saturday, high 68 degrees, and, with fingers crossed, the possibility of thunderstorms on Sunday, high 72. If the rain holds off, its good weather for several thousand Texans wholl gather at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, near Brenham, to celebrate Texass 182nd birthday.

On the night of March 1-2, 1836, delegates preparing to organize a new nation could have used a reliable weather forecaster, as William Fairfax Gray, a Virginian newly arrived in Texas, recalled in his remarkable diary (published in 1909 and available online). Most of them newcomers, they might have been better prepared for the areas fickle weather as they sat down to draft a declaration of independence from Mexico, write a constitution for the Republic of Texas, establish a government and elect officials.

Gray, a lawyer and land speculator who in later years would become a prominent Houstonian, wasnt a delegate but was hoping to be appointed secretary to the meeting. At Pamela Manns boardinghouse, the only one in town, he found the hosts wife and children, and about thirty lodgers, all slept in the same apartment, some in beds, some on cots, but the greater part on the floor. The supper consisted of fried pork and coarse corn bread, and miserable coffee. I was fortunately lodged on a good cot with a decent Tennessean named Kimball, who is looking for land, but said that the state of anarchy is such that he is afraid to buy and is waiting to see the course of things after the meeting of the Convention.

The soon-to-be Philadelphia of Texas was less than 1 year old. It is laid out in the woods; about a dozen wretched cabins or shanties constitute the city; not one decent house in it, Gray wrote, with only one well defined street, which consists of an opening cut out of the woods. The stumps still standing. A rare place to hold a national convention in. They will have to leave it promptly to avoid starvation.

Gray got to Washington on Saturday, Feb. 27, and described in his diary some of the other early arrivals, including Lorenzo de Zavala, the most interesting man in Texas. As Gray noted, de Zavala was a native of Yucatan, had been governor of the State of Mexico for five years and ambassador to France until Santa Anna renounced the liberal cause. De Zavala had come from his estate on Buffalo Bayou, near Galveston Bay.

Also arriving early was Sam Houston. He is evidently the peoples man, Gray observed, and seems to take pains to ingratiate himself with everybody. He is much broken in appearance, but has still a fine persona and courtly manners; will be forty-three years old on the 3rd of March  looks older.

More Information For information and updates about the March 3-4 Texas Independence Day Celebration at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, go to www.wheretexasbecametexas.org or call 936/878-2214. Washington-on-the-Brazos is about an hour northwest of Houston. Admission is free. See More Collapse

Houston was one of the older delegates; their average age was 34. Of the 59 who eventually made their way to Washington, only two were native Texans, both from San Antonio: Francisco Ruiz and Antonio Navarro. Most had been in Texas less than five years.

The early arrivers had been strolling around town in their shirt sleeves, and Monday night was so warm that at bedtime Gray found it necessary to throw off some clothes. Before daylight, he was throwing them back on.

In the night, he recalled, the wind sprung up suddenly from the north and blew a gale, accompanied by lightning, thunder, rain and hail, and it became very cold. In the morning the thermometer was down to 33 degrees, and everybody shivering and exclaiming against the cold. This is the second regular norther that I have experienced.

The delegates convened in the grandly named little settlement on the Brazos because it was considered safer than towns to the west. On the morning of the 1st, they walked over to their meeting place, a one-room frame building without doors or windows that had been rented by a group of Washington businessmen from gunsmith Noah Byars and real estate speculator Peter M. Mercer. They paid $170 for three months rent.

For the next 17 days, townspeople stood at openings where windows were supposed to be, pushed aside makeshift cotton curtains and observed the proceedings inside. A rare place, indeed, to hold a national convention.

News of the Alamo siege hit the members like a concussion, as James Haley put it in his superb history of Texas, Passionate Nation. A hotheaded delegate from Nacogdoches named Robert Potter  He can only float in troubled water, Gray observed  immediately moved that they suspend proceedings, take up arms and rush to San Antonio de Bexar. Houston, confirmed over Potters lone dissent as commander in chief of all Texas forces, forcefully reminded his fellow delegates that their task for Texas was to complete the vital work they had begun.

News of the Alamos fall ignited the Runaway Scrape, as thousands of terrified civilians abandoned their land grants, took with them all they could carry and headed eastward through cold rain and clutching mud, across dangerous, swollen rivers and bayous. Those on the La Bahia Road  a constant stream of women and children, and some men, with wagons, carts and pack mules  passed within a few yards of the delegates crafting a constitution.

Among the delegates, news of the Alamos fall spread like fire in high grass. At midnight on March 16, they adopted the constitution lying before them on the table, approved an ordinance organizing a provisional government and then scattered for safety, in Grays words, with haste and confusion. They hoped to reconvene whenever and wherever they could safely do so.

Gray was leaving too, but he had a problem: I had sent some clothes to be washed by a woman who occupied a shed at the end of the town. I went this morning to get them, and found the place deserted.  But in their haste and panic they had not forgot to be honest. My clothes were washed and neatly tied up, and placed in an adjoining office, whence I got them.

**

On a weekday afternoon in the Philadelphia of Texas, the only sound is the wind among venerable live oaks, magnolias and pecan trees. Its hard to imagine that anything had ever happened in this ghost of a village, population today about 15. The reconstructed little cabin where delegates met is in a beautiful parklike setting, bluebonnets already in bloom, not far from the river. Three old buildings, a post office and a few homes are all thats left of a once-thriving community, laid low when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad opted for nearby Navasota in the 1850s and riverboat traffic dried up.

It went from wilderness to the sight of the birth of a nation to boomtown and then back to wilderness in 70 years, the span of a lifetime, Park Ranger Jonathan Failor, the sites lead interpreter, reminded me.

Not too many people remember Washington, he added, but without Washington, theres no Texas.McKINNEY - Public school officials in one of the nation's fastest-growing cities are being accused of violating the separation of church and state.

The controversy has been simmering in this once-tiny cotton-farming community, about 30 miles north of Dallas, since last summer when Rick McDaniel, superintendent of the McKinney Independent School District, prayed at a pulpit adorned with a Christian cross - during a mandatory school employee meeting at a church.

Last month, under pressure from concerned parents, the 24,500-student school district decided to end a decade-plus practice of conducting high school commencement ceremonies at the same church, Prestonwood Baptist, a Southern Baptist megachurch in nearby Plano.

The change outraged Prestonwood Pastor Jack Graham, one of President Trump's evangelical advisers and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

"It appears religious freedom is under attack at the McKinney Public Schools," Graham said in a Twitter post. "It was our refusal to remove the cross from view that created this cowardly decision."

In a follow-up post, Graham added, "Just wondering on what planet a church, synagogue or mosque would be expected to cover its religious symbols to host a public school graduation."

And in another tweet, the pastor alleged that school administrators had "yielded to the pressure of atheist groups and their supporters."

McDaniel's prayer drew the ire of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which demanded that the school "temporarily cover iconography" to keep graduation ceremonies secular.

Its co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor, said in a statement after the school district's decision: "We are pleased that the school has moved its graduation to a secular location rather than attempt to modify a house of worship into a place that appears secular. The district's decision to change its tradition to protect its students' rights of conscience is anything but cowardly."

Across the nation, church-state clashes like the one in McKinney "are happening more and more," said Charles Haynes, founding director of the Newseum Institute's Religious Freedom Center in Washington, D.C.

"As we grow more religiously diverse in the United States and people are more visible from various religious groups that have long been here but have not been visible, we are being called in these communities to live up to the First Amendment for the first time in many cases," said Haynes, co-author of "Finding Common Ground: A Guide to Religious Liberty in Public Schools."

Haynes said that if a cross or crosses were visible during a public graduation ceremony, that wouldn't necessarily be wrong or unconstitutional. But the church can't require a cross to be visible, nor require students to listen to a pastor.

"Religious freedom isn't a local church putting conditions on a public school using its facility and making sure its cross is visible," Haynes said. "That's the opposite of religious freedom, and that's exactly what the First Amendment is intended to prohibit."

School district spokesman Cody Cunningham said in a statement that there were "a variety of reasons including proximity, availability, attendance capacity and convenience" for moving the graduation events to the secular Allen Event Center in a neighboring suburb.

"In addition to proximity, McKinney ISD acknowledges the fact that parents and community members have expressed opposing views on the appropriateness of holding graduations in a religious facility," Cunningham said. "More recently, the public debate over the venue intensified to a level that would likely have caused a distraction at the commencement ceremonies.

"While community members are entitled to their own opinions on the issue," he added, "graduation is not an event to be used as a platform for religious or ideological debates, but rather a time to celebrate and honor students."

Just since 2000, McKinney has more than tripled in size, hitting an estimated population of nearly 180,000. Last year, it ranked as the third-fastest growing city in America, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Seven years ago, in search of a community friendly to his Christian values, James Blanchet moved his family from Southern California to McKinney. When a cashier at Target told him to "Have a blessed day," he felt like he had found it.

Blanchet said Christianity seems to be under increasing attack in some quarters.

But he has no problem with moving McKinney's commencement ceremonies to a secular location.

"If they wanted to hold the graduation at a non-Christian place of worship, I wouldn't feel comfortable with that," he said.SUTHERLAND SPRINGS - Pastor Frank Pomeroy now carries a pistol to each and every church function.

The gun isn't new; he's had it for years. But it was not until the shooting rampage nearly four months ago that killed more than two dozen at First Baptist Church including a pregnant woman - and his own daughter - that he began wearing it regularly, in a holster on his hip.

As fresh mass shootings such as the one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which killed 17, reopen debates about gun control, members of this Southern Baptist congregation are relying on what they hope is added safety plus ongoing prayer as they move forward.

At this 92-year-old congregation near the town's one blinking red light, many members believe God allowed the Nov. 5 massacre to happen as - in Pomeroy's words - "blood's seed for revival."

Those beliefs couldn't be more different from those of the Florida teenagers who believe they can reform an American political culture that has resisted curbs on the availability of weapons.

Those students recently begged President Trump to support tougher gun control legislation, including bans on assault rifles.

Here in Sutherland Springs, at a Sunday morning Bible study, Pomeroy told members that for Christians, prayer, not protests, is the primary response.

"When I see the aftermath of what's happening in Florida, I thank God for your faith here," Pomeroy said. "I am just thankful that we chose to lift up God, rather than man. Pray for those who are truly involved, not all the secondary people that are getting the noise on TV."

That prayer has been constant and heartfelt: The names of the survivors and their families are listed in each week's church bulletin. And numerous prayer services have been held - sometimes jointly with other churches - to support and strengthen the grieving and the wounded.

It's not that the people of Sutherland Springs haven't talked about guns. But mostly there have been debates about whether a church member with a gun might have stopped the shooter.

"The main conversation is, 'If this, or if that,' " said Judy Green, who manages the church's food pantry. She and her husband were running an errand on the morning of the shooting and were instructed to stay in their car as they approached the church.

For Green, that resistance to engage the gun control debate is understood.

"It's a Bible-based church," she said. "We study strictly out of the Bible."

Outpouring of goodwill

On Nov. 5, a 26-year-old former U.S. Air Force airman drove to Sutherland Springs with a mission. He wanted to kill the mother of his estranged wife and take down as many others as possible. He failed on the first count. Michelle Shields wasn't in church that day. But he succeeded on the second.

The assailant knew the church well and had attended a fall festival there less than a week before. Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, he sprayed the church with bullets during Sunday services, killing congregants, including Pomeroy's daughter, Annabelle, whom they adopted at age 2. The pastor and his wife were away that weekend.

A local man shot the killer as he fled the scene. He was later found dead in his car from a self-inflicted gunshot wound about eight miles from the church.

Overnight, the rural unincorporated town in Wilson County, with its median household income of $40,000, was deluged with media from all over the world. Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit. Area churches and charities responded with an outpouring of food - pallets of water bottles, casseroles in aluminum trays, boxes of cookies - more than the congregation could ever consume.

After burying its dead, the church turned to tending the wounded.

The old, bullet-scarred sanctuary was turned into a memorial where people can come to pray or receive grief counseling. Around it, the chain-link fence has become a kind of shrine to those killed, adorned with banners, flowers, candles and stars.

Services now take place in a temporary, prefabricated sanctuary fitted with a wheelchair ramp.

The first few weekends after the shooting, well-wishers and members of other congregations thronged the church in solidarity, swelling the ranks. Services now average about 170, more than the church's 140 members. Thirty new members have joined, more than replacing those that were killed.

The weekly bulletin exhorts members to pray for "healing and for peaceful rest and sleep" for the survivors. Its "prayer requests" listing of 22 survivors and their families remains the same week in, week out.

But the church also has installed security cameras and exterior lighting.

And more changes are on the way. On March 1, the church will review architectural drawings for a new permanent sanctuary. (The Southern Baptists' North American Mission Board is largely funding the project, expected to cost as much as $1.5 million.)

Signs of redemption

Three weeks ago, a group of 22 women went on a "ladies retreat" in the Texas Hill Country paid for by a Southern Baptist camp and conference center.

Sherri Pomeroy, the pastor's wife, acknowledged she didn't want to go. But at a church service, she said the time away helped her come to terms with the massacre.

"God didn't want this tragedy to happen," she explained at a recent Sunday service. "He allowed this tragedy to happen. But when He puts all of his goodness together with this tragedy, that's how He makes things work together. I didn't want to believe that before I left."

In this congregation, church members are searching for signs of redemption.

On a recent Sunday, the congregation welcomed back Juan "Gunny" Macias, the last person to be released from the hospital after the massacre. He walked into services with an IV drip draped over his walker.

The homes of seven other survivors are being remodeled to make them wheelchair accessible. Among them is Kris Workman, the church's worship leader.

Workman, who plays lead guitar in the band, was shot twice; one bullet fractured his L2 vertebra; the other nestled in soft tissue in his hip. He can no longer walk but said he is recovering some muscle control in his legs.

On a recent Sunday, after leading the band in a mix of hymns ("The Old Rugged Cross") and praise songs ("I Exalt Thee"), he sat beaming.

"The way I see it, the loss of control of my legs is just a small price to pay to see the revival and outpouring that has come from this," Workman said. "What Satan intended for evil, God spun for his glory."

Workman, who is 34, married, with a 3-year-old daughter, said he expects to return to work soon as a manager at Rackspace, a managed cloud computing company in Windcrest, north of San Antonio.

He credited the H-E-B grocery chain with sending out construction crews to build a ramp and remodel the bathroom in his home.

Workman echoes his pastor who spoke of "the blood seed that was spilled here for revival." In recollecting the day of the shooting he said he saw God at work:

"Even while it was happening, I was able to see God saying, 'Not this one. Spare this one. I'm taking this one home. This one's coming home, too.' When you can see God working that granularly, it just strengthens your faith so much. I'm just happy to be alive and happy to share my story."For the first time in more than two decades, voters in eastern parts of Houston and Harris County are going to send someone new to Congress.

When U.S. Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, announced he would not seek re-election, it triggered a rush of candidates lining up to replace him. Seven Democrats and four Republicans have jumped into the race for the 29th Congressional District.

That district stretches from the east end in Houston to Pasadena, and also includes South Houston, Galena Park, Jacinto City and spikes over to Aldine.

In the 1990s, the district was designed to improve the chances of someone who is Hispanic winning the race. It did not work out that way, though. In 1992, then-City Councilman Ben Reyes was the leading vote-getter in a five-candidate primary, but he was forced into a runoff that Green won by 180 votes out of more than 31,000 cast.

About 77 percent of the current 29th District is made up of people who list themselves as Hispanic with the U.S. Census. Houston has never had a Latino elected to Congress.

The district heavily favors a Democrat. Seventy-one percent of the votes in the 29th District picked Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

The winner of the seat will get a two-year term that pays $174,000 a year.

The primaries on are March 6.

Democratic Primary

Sylvia Garcia

For Sylvia Garcia the race to replace Rep. Gene Green is about having a seasoned pro who can hit the ground running in Washington.

Garcia has never served in Congress, but has a lengthy background in public service since 1998 when she was elected city controller, then jumped to the county commission and now is in the state senate.

Experience matters, Garcia said in an interview with the Chronicle. Knowing about how government works matters. And knowing how to get things done matters.

Garcia, 67, is the only candidate in the race who has ever held public office before. She says that plus how long she has been working in the communities that are included in the district are big selling points.

On the campaign trail, Garcia has stressed her humble beginnings. She grew up poor as one of 10 children in Palito Blanco - 150 miles south of San Antonio. Garcia was able to earn scholarships to attend Texas Woman's University in Denton and later earned a law degree from Texas Southern University.

Garcia said she wants to build off of the community work Green has done, noting his work to make immunizations more accessible and hold citizenship workshops in the area. Green has endorsed Garcia in the race. She has also won support from EMILYS List, the Texas AFL-CIO and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC.

If she wins, Garcia said she will advocate for a higher federal minimum wage and support efforts to protect people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

This race is about who knows the district, Garcia said. Its about who has lived and breathed the issues that people care about here.

Garcia has raised almost $500,000 her campaign, with about $106,000 coming from loans and donations shes made to her own campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Tahir Javed

A lifetime of helping underserved communities has businessman Tahir Javed convinced he can represent the 29th Congressional District.

The recent Beaumont-transplant said he's always focused his businesses in underserved communities to help people, even when he could make bigger profits elsewhere. He points to a medical facility he is opening in Galena Park as evidence of his mission.

"A lot of my businesses are in underserved areas," he said. "This is my passion."

He said the district needs a strong voice to help work on big needs in the communities, like access to health care, better schools, better roads and higher wages.

"I have a proven history," Javed said of his business success.

Javed came to the U.S. 16 years ago from Pakistan will just $500 to his name. But Javed said through hard work he was able to turn a single convenience store business near Beaumont into a thriving 28-company enterprise that includes hospitals, distribution networks and real estate businesses.

Javed is the only non-Latino in the Democratic Primary, but insists he understands the community because of his own immigrant roots.

"Our struggle is the same," the 51-year-old Pakistani native said. "I was told 'go back to your country' many times."

Javed, who is married an has four children, is new to running for office but not politics. Over the last few years, hes become a major Democratic donor, even hosting a fundraiser from Hillary Clinton in Beaumont during the 2016 presidential election cycle. That fundraising past has helped Javed win an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York.

Javed has raised more than $1.2 million for the campaign, which includes him putting in at least $980,000 of his own money into the race, according to the FEC.

Dominique Garcia

Dominique Garcia has never been in elected office before, but that didnt stop her from jumping into the race for Congress.

I have lived in District 29 most of my life and I have skills and the heart to bring actual change to the district, Garcia told the Houston Chronicle.

The 45-year old Austin native says in her professional career as a small business owner and real estate agent gives here an advantage in the race because of her ties to the community.

Garcia, who is married and has one child, has made the economy in 29th District a big part of her campaign. On her website she have vowed to bring more federal funding to the district and looking for ways to boost wages in the district.

Garcia has also talked up education issues on the trail, focusing on both providing more options for gifted students and making sure there are after school programs for students who need more help in school.

Garcia has raised no money for her campaign, according to the most recent records with the FEC.

Hector Morales

Hector Morales was tired of seeing the problems in his community go unaddressed.

After decades of watching people in the 29th District breath in pollution for factories, struggle to get good health care, and attend underfunded schools, Morales decided it was time for him to run for Congress.

"I decided it was time to do something about it," Morales, 30, told the Houston Chronicle.

Even before U.S. Rep. Gene Green announced he would not seek re-election, Morales jumped into the race preparing to take on the long-term incumbent to force changes in the district he says are long overdue.

Morales has been passionate about environmental issues he sees in the community, pointing to the air pollution and pollution in the San Jacinto River.

How are we not ready to clean up the environment, Morales asked in a campaign video on his Facebook page.

Morales, was born in Monterrey, Mexico, but has lived in the 29th District most of his life. He attended San Jacinto Community College and then later the University of Texas. After stints working for a state legislation and then on the U.S. Senate campaign for Democrat Rick Noriega in 2008, Morales interned in the Obama administrations Office of Health Reform. There he worked on issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act.

We need universal health care, said Morales, who is a teacher. Health care is a right.

Morales has reported raising over $10,000 for his campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Roel Garcia

The 29th Congressional District needs big changes and attorney Roel Garcia said hes the guy to do it.

In his pitch to voters, Garcia has stressed the he is not a typical politician beholden to special interests. As a first time candidate and a millennial, the 32-year-old Garcia said he brings a new approach to politics that is needed in the community.

Its time for new leadership, Garcia said. This election is an opportunity to spark the transformation of Texas.

Garcia was born in San Francisco, but has lived most of his live in Houston. He earned a bachelors degree from Columbia University and a law degree from the University of Texas.

On his website Garcia says hell battle to protect the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid. In addition he said on immigration reform he supports a path to documentation and citizenship for those who have contributed to this country.

His experience practicing law in the private sector for the last decade prepares him to be an effective member of Congress, Garcia said. That experience includes not just arguing in courts across Texas, but also having to cross examine technical experts on a variety of issues.

Garcia, who is not married, also stress his youth as a way to get more younger people involved in politics. He said while voter participation has been generally low in the District in years past, he thinks his campaign can help change that.

They just want good reason to believe that their leadership is working for them and that their vote matters, Garcia said.

Garcia has raised almost $54,000 for his campaign, including about $28,000 in loans from himself to his campaign.

IN THE 29TH: Garcias abound to succeed Gene Green

Augustine Reyes

The election of Donald Trump to the White House played a big part in motivating Augustine Reyes to run for Congress.

Reyes, a Marine veteran, said the political climate that has engulfed the nation since Trump took office was a wake-up call that made him want to offer himself up for service to his country and community again.

Sure, he doesnt have the traditional college education or political history that members of Congress often has, but he said if the last two years have shown anything its that anybody can be the voice for the people.

Reyes, 37, is an elevator mechanic who said when he returned from the Marine Corps he grew concerned about what he was seeing in the 29th Congressional District. He said too many people are struggling.

I want to change that, said Reyes, who is married an has two children. I want to be that voice.

Education is a big issue for Reyes. He has stressed the need for more federal funding for early childhood education programs and Pre-K.

Reyes has raised just over $12,000 for his campaign with about $3,100 coming from loans he gave his own campaign.

Pedro Valencia

Like many candidates running for office in the race Pedro Valencia is in his first ever campaign.

I think its time for fresh, new ideas and direction in our district, Valencia says on his campaign website. I think its time to have a representative that truly represents the people (not special interest groups).

Valencia is a businessman who was born in Colombia, but his family immigrated to Houston when he was young. He grew up in East Houston and attended North Shore High School.

I am not a politician, just someone ready to make a difference, said the married father of three.

On the campaign trail, Valencia has said hell fight to get resources to fight crime and poverty in the district and to provide job training and career development for the people of the district.

He also said he supports Medicare for all and an immigration plan that provides a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants and Dreamers who have proven to be model citizens.

Valencia has raised about $5,000 for his campaign, including about $3,000 in loans hes given himself to run.

Republican Primary

Jaimy Z. Blanco

Jaimy Z. Blanco said decades of Democratic control in the 29th Congressional District has not worked for the community.

I grew up in the district and witnessed first hand how the Democrats have sold people on a false dream, said Blanco.

The 35-year-old Republican from Pasadena is the owner of Visions Property Management and Visions Investments.

It is very important that we have the 29th District defended, said Blanco, who is married.

Blanco attended San Jacinto College and University of Houston-Clear Lake.

On the campaign trail she has pitches herself as a true conservative who will rein in big government, fight to cut regulations and lower taxes.

Blanco, who touts her support from the National Rifle Association on her website, has relied almost entirely on her own money to support her campaign. Federal Election Commission records show of the almost $21,000 she has raised, $19,000 has come from herself.

Robert Schafranek

Robert Schafranek has made voter engagement a top priority in his campaign for Congress.

Although the district was drawn to favor Democrats, the 60-year-old Republican its important to make sure there is a competitive general election to help motivate voters.

It is extremely important to increase civic engagement in the 29th US Congressional district here in Texas, Schafranek said. I believe the only way to do that is by having a competitive congressional election in the district.

Schafranek is a New Jersey native but has lived in Houston for more than 40 years. He graduated from the University of Texas and works in sales.

On the campaign trail Schafranek advocates for a more compassionate approach to immigration, seemingly taking issue with some of the heated language from national Republicans.

Many of these people are undocumented, but it is extremely unfair to refer to the majority of them as murderers and rapists, Schafranek says on his website.

He said those who commit serious crimes nee do be prosecuted, but those who have become productive members of the community should be given a change to legalize their status, he says.

Schafranek has raised no money for his campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.

BATTLE FOR TED POE SEAT: 14 seek to replace Republican in Congress

Phillip Aronoff

Phillip Aronoff is bringing a wealth of government experience into his bid to with the Republican nomination in the 29th Congressional District.

The 72-year-old Aronoff served as the chairman of the Texas State Purchasing and General Services Commission under then Texas Gov. Bill Clements and locally served on boards and commissions like the Harris County Housing Authority.

I spent a lot of years working with a lot of people in the Republican Party, Aronoff said during a candidates forum earlier this year.

Aronoff said Republicans have to do a better job in reaching out to Hispanic voters in Texas and the district and show them that their values line up better with the GOP. He pointed to the issues related to religion, patriotism and family values as evidence.

If elected to Congress, Aronoff said hell defend the children of immigrants who have protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. He said those who qualify under DACA should be allowed to stay if theyve worked hard and have been on the right track.

These young people need an advocate in the Republican caucus, Aronoff said.

The married father of three served in the Texas Air National Guard and hold a degree from the University of Houston.

Aronoff has raised $16,000 for his campaign, with $5,000 of that being a loan from himself to support his campaign.

Carmen Maria Montiel

Carmen Maria Montiel says watching the collapse of her native Venezuela has made her concerned that the same thing could happen in the U.S. because of the direction the nation has headed at times.

I lost a country to communism, Montiel said. I don't want to loose another one.

She said she has seen how the left can destroy wealth and progress in a country and wants to go to Congress to help prevent it.

Montiel, 53, is a former reporter with Telemundo in Houston. She is a mother of three and holds a degree in broadcast journalism from East Tennessee State University.

On the campaign trail she has broadly advocated for gun rights and strong border security.

Border security is essential in order to free communities ravaged by crime and exploitation, and honors the privilege of citizenship we all enjoy, Montiel said.

Montiel has raised $11,000 for her campaign. About $4,300 came from loans from herself.

Related: Record number of candidates running for Congress in Houston area

Jeremy Wallace writes about state politics and government for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter at @JeremySWallace.Erich Schlegel / Erich Schlegel / Getty Images

AUSTIN  With just hours to go before early voting closes, Texans are still showing strong turnout for a primary with no president on the ballot.

More than 700,000 voters cast ballots in the state's largest counties, up 100,000 votes from Wednesday alone. The number of ballots cast in a Republican or Democratic primary is already 17 percent higher than the entire early voting season in 2014. Poll close at 7 p.m. Friday.Aditya Kapoor from DK books Iyengar Institute

Legendary yoga guru BKS Iyengar passed away at 95 in August last year. Quite a miracle, when you consider his history  born in 1918 during an influenza epidemic, he was a weak, malnourished child, and suffered several illnesses including malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid.

He started yoga at the age of 15 under the tutelage of his brother-in-law, the yogi Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (often referred to as the father of modern yoga), and eventually went on to establish himself as one of the foremost names in yoga  a reputation that still prevails across 70 countries. In spite of his popularity, Delhi-based photographer Aditya Kapoor, who was assigned to photograph Guruji's (as Iyengar was fondly called) yoga stances in July last year (just a month before he died), didn't know much about him, and was in fact averse to the idea of yoga.

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It took just one visit to the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute to change his perspective.

"When I reached his institute in Pune, I realised that everyone called him Guruji," remembered Kapoor who had been assigned the job to update a book by Iyengar (The Path to Holistic Health) out of the many he had already published. "And after a few days I started doing that too. Once he started performing his yoga asanas, it was unbelievable: I have not seen people my age do the exercises he was pulling off," said Kapoor. "And you could tell he was enjoying it: at certain times when people would applaud, he would crack a rare smile, and it was beautiful." Not many people know that this grumpy-looking man with bushy eyebrows actually had a good sense of humour, he added.

Kapoor also revealed that Iyengar lived a very simple life. Apart from an elevator, Iyengar's home (that is part of his institute) looked like a home from the 60's: old furniture, an old radio set, and he dressed simply and traditionally. "It was slightly surreal to see him in such simple surroundings when you consider the personalities he's trained (including violinist Yehudi Menuhin, Sachin Tendulkar, Madonna and the Queen of Belgium), and his reach all over the world," said Kapoor who also visited Bellur Krishnamachar & Seshamma Smaraka Niddhi Trust (BKSSNT) in the guru's hometown (Bellur) that focuses on education and yoga alike.

Kapoor spent three-four days photographing Iyengar and his family, and went back home only to encourage his (then) girlfriend who was suffering from a slipped-disc injury to join yoga. He even took it up himself: "There were people at the institute who doctors had given up on," he said. "People who couldn't walk, and were sick  yoga cured all of their ailments."

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Both Kapoor and Iyengar seemed to realise the value of these photographs only after they met each other: "This was my last chance to photograph this legend. And he knew this was his last chance to do one final session. So he stretched his boundaries, only for me  at least that's what his patrons told me. Soon after I heard he was in hospital and he passed away."

Kapoor's photos turned out to be the last photo shoot the Guru would participate in. Here are the pictures from it.

The Last Photos Of BKS Iyengar See Gallery

Advertisementfotobaba

Earlier, this article erroneously featured India Pictures (second in the list) twice. This has now been corrected to include Delhi-based photographer AJ Raina as the 19th Indian Instagram account to follow in this list.

This year has been a particularly colourful one for those who follow photographer George Koruth, aka 'fotobaba' on Instagram. Looking to build a descriptive narrative of India, Koruth has captured some unbelievably vivid scenes across the country that will make viewers want to drop everything and go on an exploring binge.

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Once you untangle yourself from the mass of selfies and dubsmash videos crowding the app, there are some veritable gems  few already discovered, and others waiting to be be found. A few months ago Anusha Yadav's project titled 'Indian Memory Project' -- an ongoing attempt to present Indian history through archived content in the form of photographs and letters was featured on the New Yorker's Instagram account. Her personal feed  she goes by the alias 'photowaali' also contains some statement portraiture.

Designer Krsna Mehta features some iconic design patterns, while New Delhi-based Chandan Khanna uses only his iPhone to capture some stunning portraits of people.

Instagram's exponential growth in the country this year (its userbase has, according to the app's latest survey, doubled in India) has opened people's eyes to the beauty that's part of our country - in its fashion, food, travel, sketches, portraits and more.

While there's no doubt that there are many more to be found, here are some Instagram feeds you need to follow.

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Mumbai-based photographer Anusha Yadav uses (mostly) people, with a rich mix of cats to tell her tales:

Pyaar ho to aisa. Aur sirf sardiyon mein. A photo posted by Anusha Yadav (@photowaali) on Dec 11, 2015 at 7:04am PST

Sourced from different feeds, this particular account showcases photographs from around India in a beautiful, yet realistic light:

Barely out of his teens, self-taught baker and food blogger Shivesh has a way with desserts:

Dreams are made of chocolate and Oreos  A photo posted by Shivesh (@shivesh17) on Nov 25, 2015 at 6:21am PST

An eye for colour, George Koruth has painted many a vivid picture of India:

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#GoGoa - Reflection Vs Reality. #VisitGoa #Goa #beach #India #travel #fotobaba A photo posted by George Koruth (@fotobaba) on Dec 3, 2015 at 11:04pm PST

It's safe to say that few follow the Indian art scene on Instagram quite as well as artist and photographer Dayanita Singh:

#museumoflegs #ursstahel #museumbhavan #delhisultanate A photo posted by Dayanita singh (@dayanitasingh) on Dec 8, 2015 at 1:54am PST

This photographer chances upon the surreal every now and then:

A nurse cycles by the walls of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, Jaffna, Sri Lanka. A lot of the smaller temples and homes fell to ruin during the war. People are slowly returning to reclaim what is theirs and a temple reopening is a common sight. Although they still remains a heavy army presence in the region. #Jaffna #srilanka #lonelyplanetmagazineindia A photo posted by hashimbadani (@hashimbadani) on Apr 24, 2015 at 11:14am PDT

Delhi Street Art, a project to celebrate art and artists, gave birth to a full-fledged event that now takes place every year:

Delhi-based photographer Ravi Choudhary, who is working with a national daily, features some amazing portrait work.

Artist Bala Murugan is still waiting to be discovered for his stunning illustrations:

My art. A photo posted by Bala Murugan (@bala.murugan.9693) on Jul 7, 2015 at 8:25am PDT

Travel photographer Abhinav Singhai does these unbelievable things with skies.

Merry go round over Solang Valley A photo posted by Abhinav Singhai (@abhinavinsta) on Dec 20, 2015 at 8:51am PST

The design director of India Circus, Mumbai-based artist and product designer Krsna Mehta's Instagram feed is a must stop for design and pattern lovers:

Magnified Indian block print  A photo posted by Krsnaa Mehta (@krsnaamehta) on Nov 23, 2015 at 9:18am PST

In her quest to collect eclectic matchboxes across the country, Shreya Katuri has uncovered some interesting angles about the country.

Travel photographer Jitendra Singh who lives between Shimla and New Delhi has a feed that is a mix of landscapes and portraits.

New Delhi-based photojournalist Chandan Khanna's speciality lies in capturing social portraiture with only his iPhone for his Instagram account.

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He probably needs to experiment with more filters, but Bombaybhukkad's crazy variety of the food he's sampled will make you hungry.

Lost my phone, it's been a week but the pugs master Vodafone wont give me a new sim. #sirsystemisupdating HOPELESS! Anyway on a borrowed phone here is a delicious slice of rainbow cake from Theobroma! #cake #bombaybhukkad #happytohelpless A photo posted by Bombay Bhukkad (@bombaybhukkad) on Jul 19, 2015 at 11:07am PDT

Instead of sticking to standard portraits, photographer/wanderer Siddhartha Joshi involves a wide range of subjects from an army of divas to kids at play.

NEW on blog: A photo story from Pune's Diwali markets. Link to the story in profile. #HappyDiwali A photo posted by #TellMeYourDream2015 (@siddharthajoshi) on Nov 11, 2015 at 10:21pm PST

Delhi-based fashion blogger Dimpy Kapur of Delhi Style Blog features a well-shot mix of fashion, food and travelling experiences. Her colleague Aanchal has a quirky eye for accessories, and quite often plays Dimpy's model in shoots.

There's always a story behind Asif Khan's pictures

Photographer AJ Raina who specialises in art photography loves the idea of fusing surrealism into what would have been an ordinary shoot.

Photojournalist Anushree Fadnavis has been travelling in trains for over a decade, and has captured some interesting stories during her many journeys.

Sonam Kapoor's sister and stylist, Rhea Kapoor, provides a fashionable sneak peak into the actress's and her life every now and then:

Can we talk about this bridal party situation please? #hotbridealert #sashsam A photo posted by @rheakapoor on Dec 8, 2015 at 11:48pm PST

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Also See On HuffPostJean-Claude Juncker. Photo: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will be slapping a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. He did not specify whether these duties would apply to imports from all foreign countries without exception. And his administration was unable to clarify this point:

Asked by CNBC whether Trumps tariffs would apply to all countries, no exemptions, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says this: Thats what the president seemed to announce yesterday.  Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 2, 2018

The cause of Wilbur Rosss equivocation was simple: The president unveiled his tariff policy before allowing any White House staff, government lawyers  or officials at the departments of State, Treasury, or Defense  an opportunity to weigh in on the measure, or hammer out its details.

Instead, Trump (reportedly) decided to publicize a protectionist policy that would rankle all of Americas allies on a whim Wednesday night, a decision born out of anger at other simmering issues, according to two anonymous officials who spoke with NBC News.

Critics of Trumps move predicted it would result in a trade war that would hurt American consumers and workers. Some administration officials sought to downplay that risk. But on Friday morning, Trump clarified that he not only expected a trade war, but wanted one.

When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, dont trade anymore-we win big. Its easy!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 2, 2018

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, European leaders were doing everything in their power to persuade the president that he was mistaken  that this trade war would be bad, and very difficult to win.

Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, told the German press Tuesday that should Trump make good on his protectionist promise, the European Union would slap retaliatory tariffs on goods produced in the home states of top Republican officials  including the bourbon prepared in Mitch McConnells backyard and Harley-Davidson motorcycles manufactured in Paul Ryans.

None of this is reasonable, but reason is a sentiment that is very unevenly distributed in this world, Juncker said. We are here and they will get to know us. (Apparently, trade war really gets Jean-Claude Junckers catchphrase juices flowing.)

Frances economic minister Bruno Le Maire expressed a degree of sympathy for Americas predicament  French steel has also suffered from the massive subsidies and dumping practices that certain countries (read: China) use to prop up their domestic production. But Le Maire insisted that a trade war between Europe and the United States will only result in losers.

Angela Merkels office said that the German chancellor rejects the tariffs, and believes that such a policy could trigger a global trade war. The United States is the biggest importer of Germanys rolled steel products, and the second-biggest consumer of the European Unions.

But bitter opposition to Trumps policy wasnt limited to the EU. Canada, which runs a steel trade surplus with the United States  and is the biggest buyer of U.S. steel  promised to take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers.

And reviews from China were no less withering: I feel Trumps decision is stupid, Li Xinchuang, vice-chairman of the China Iron and Steel Association, told the New York Times. It will only make the U.S. steel industry, which is already 10 years behind China, more left behind.

Stateside, a slew of Republican officials denounced Trumps move, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.

Its worth noting that Trumps steel policy has precedent (our last Republican president adopted a similar one, however briefly). But the impulsive, belligerent, and haphazard manner in which he announced it does not. And that announcement is indicative of the broader traits that will make it exceptionally difficult for Trump to win a global trade war. His utter lack of credibility as a diplomat; respect on the world stage; understanding of basic economics; and domestic political support will make it childs play for his adversaries to paint his position as reckless and unreasonable.

In a sense then, Trumps morning tweet was partially right: A trade war will be easy to win  just not for his side.At least their ties almost match. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Americans have gotten at least a little bit used to the idea that the Trump White House is in a permanent state of chaos and crisis  or at least that cycles of crisis come regularly, every few Scaramuccis. But Washington and much of the media are still in the grip of a narrative that says shadowy, unelected adults are keeping a steady hand on the tiller overseas, and that because national security Cabinet members are so impressive our foreign policy is showing barely a ripple.

That hasnt been true since the moment newly inaugurated President Trump rolled out his first Muslim ban, a piece of immigration policy with profound implications for U.S. relations with dozens of majority-Muslim countries. But this was the week it became clear to everyone, or should have, that the grownups are not in charge, and U.S. foreign policy is in the same painful state as everything else. These some of the telltale signs:

Do we have a national security adviser?

H.R. McMaster has borne up under stories saying he and Trump are on the outs for months. Whether it was McMasters fights with Tillerson and Mattis, or Trumps humiliating treatment of McMasters handpicked staff (thinking one very senior woman professional was a secretary and offering humiliating personal commentary to another), D.C. insiders have had McMaster on dead man walking status for a while. And yet he continued to walk, leaving insiders blase with every new report forecasting his departure. This week we have had no formal announcement but a dramatic uptick in White House leakers saying hes on his way out, and a flood of leaked possible destinations, from commanding U.S. forces in Korea (seems only fair; he wanted the U.S. to give Pyongyang a bloody nose, let him lead it) to a brief respite at Stanford University. But still no announcement from Trump, so perhaps hes not going anywhere.

Do we even have a Korea policy?

From an administration that has nominated and then dropped an ambassador to South Korea, sent Mike Pence to refuse meetings with North Korean officials and then sent presidential daughter Ivanka to counter a propaganda offensive by North Koreas first sister, the only constant is uncertainty. In the days after the end of the Pyeongchang Olympics, Washington upped the confusion by accepting the retirement of the career State Department official who had led back-channel contacts with North Korea for years. And remember, we dont have an ambassador to South Korea, because the White House apparently changed its mind about its nominee after he wasnt enthusiastic enough about launching a preventive war. Our allies the South Koreans  the same ones who would be the people dying by the hundreds of thousands in a war  want us to talk to the North. But there isnt anyone to do the talking.

We dont have a Syria policy, either  or we have too many.

Just last month, Secretary of State Tillerson said that Washington and Moscow shared a vision for how Syria might develop in peace. With Moscow setting up its own peace talks and supplanting the U.N. process the U.S. had championed, that was a bit of a head-scratcher. Then came a series of encounters in which U.S. forces found themselves actually fighting hundreds of Russian mercenaries, clearly in Syria with the consent of the highest levels of the Russian government. It emerged that their contracts promised them a share of any oil fields they could seize  oil fields whose revenue the U.S. allies also wanted. Maybe we take their oil is the shared vision.

But nobody told General Joseph Votel, who runs the regional command in charge of U.S. fighting in Syria. He told Congress this past week that Russias role was incredibly destabilizing and that Moscow had to be held accountable. Defense Ones Kevin Baron, who talked to Votel after the testimony, described him as frustrated.

Our trade policy is \_()_/.

One thought that might cheer up General Votel: At least he wasnt one of the Cabinet secretaries who spent much of the week telling the media that President Trump was not going to impose retaliatory tariffs on aluminum and steel, even bragging that they had saved the day  only to then be blindsided when the president followed through and imposed them anyway, sending U.S. relations with Germany and China, the prospects of U.S. manufacturers that depend on imported metals, and the stock market into a tailspin. And how are those trade negotiations going to go when your ambassador to Germany isnt confirmed, your ambassador to Mexico just quit, and the Canadian government gets boosts in the polls from stiff-arming you?

This is the point in the column where the writer is supposed to use some clever analogy to explain what it all means. If this were Model United Nations, the U.S. team would lose and slink back to school in embarrassment. But even Model U.N. teams dont mess up this badly. (You want to see how young people organize, check out the enormous climate marches of recent years  or the Florida high school kids.)

And this isnt Model U.N. Lives are already being lost. Tens of thousands of American soldiers would be victims, too, in a Korea war  even if the Norths missiles never got out of their silos. American soldiers are already dying in Syria  as ISIS remnants plot new ways to bring their attacks here. Does anyone believe the president analyzed how many steel jobs will be created for every assembly job lost to his tariffs?

Lets be clear: Not a single one of these problems is about ideology. Theyre all about sheer incompetence. Any presidential administration should be able to pick a policy, any policy, and execute it competently and predictably. Not this one.Jhanvi Kapoor  the daughter of famed Bollywood actor Sridevi Kapoor  has posted an emotional tribute to Instagram just a week after the death of her mother.

Theres a gnawing hollowness in my chest that I know Ill have to learn how to live with, the 20-year-old wrote on social media just days before turning 21.

Even with all the emptiness, I still feel your love, I feel you protecting me from sadness and pain. Every time I close my eyes, I only have good things to remember. I know its you doing that.

You were a blessing in all our lives, we were blessed to have had you as long as we did. But you werent meant for this world. You were too good, too pure, too full of love. Thats why he took you back. But at least we had you.

Jhanvi went on to call her mother her best friend and the only person I ever needed. Alongside the message, she also posted multiple pictures of herself with her mother and a caption reading: On my birthday, the only thing I ask of all of you is that you love your parents. See the full post below.

Sridevi was found dead last weekend having accidentally drowned in a bathtub, according to a forensic report. Local reports says she lost balance, fell into the bathtub and drowned.

Dubai authorities deemed the case closed soon after and released the body to the family, which was then transported back to India.

Born Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan, Sridevi made her Bollywood debut at in 1975 drama Julie, aged just four. She later landed a starring role in 1979 drama Solva Sawan; having multiple commercial successes, including Himmatwala (1983), which cemented her place as one of Bollywoods top stars, Mawaali (1983), Maqsad (1984) and Waqt Ki Awaz (1988).

In 2013, the Indian government awarding her the Padma Shri  the fourth highest civilian honour  in 2013. Last years Mom, in which she played a mother avenging her daughters sexual assault, marked her final appearance and 300th film.

She is survived by her husband and two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi.Jaden Smith has revealed that he doesn't hang out with Kanye West or Drake anymore - saying he's no longer "cool" with them after releasing his own music.

The 19-year-old musician discussed their relationship change in an interview with Complex saying he used to be on good terms with the rappers and even Donald Glover, but everything recently changed.

[My relationship with Drake, Kanye, and Donald Glover has] really changed, he explained. I always felt like Little Homie before and that allowed me in all of their circles. But now that Im on the charts next to them, Im not really Little Homie anymore.

But it isn't only his relationship with West or Drake that's been affected - it seems he's gotten the cold shoulder from quite a few people.

Its more like, You cant hang out with us anymore. We didnt know you were making an album this whole time. We thought you were just Little Homie giving us free water and shit. Youre not really cool with us anymore,' he added.

Smith's debut album SYRE reached number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart and garnered over 100m streams on Spotify.

He's been seen as a visionary within the hip-hop industry since he began releasing music in his early teens.

It's unfortunate Smith has had to endure this side of the industry, but it seems like he surrounds himself with the right people.

In the past few years, Smith has taken fellow musician and friend Harry Hudson under his wing, working with him under the artist collective MSFTS Music.

He seems to be focusing on his own success at the moment stemming from releasing his own music.

Smith will support his debut LP with the "Vision Tour" hitting 15 cities in North America this year.Eight men arrested after two supermarkets were looted in Dublin during Fridays blizzards have been charged with theft, burglary and trespassing offences, Irish Police have said.

The defendants, aged between 24 and 47 years, were due to appear in court on Saturday morning.

A number of vehicles were also reported stolen.

A ninth man, in his 30s, has been arrested for handling stolen property.

Unverified social media footage appeared to show a Lidl store being attacked with a digger before the alleged looters entered.

Irish police said the store on Fortunestown Lane in the west of the city had sustained substantial damage, while another store had also been damaged.

Expand Close The Lidl store in Fortunestown Lane, Jobstown, Tallaght (Niall Carson/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Lidl store in Fortunestown Lane, Jobstown, Tallaght (Niall Carson/PA)

The alleged incident came amid some of the worst snow storms to hit Ireland for decades.

Following the raid on the Lidl store, which almost flattened the building, locals on Saturday were forced to drag their shopping baskets in the snow, a mile to the next outlet to stock up.

Shoppers walked to the Lidl opposite the Tallaght Stadium, home of Shamrock Rovers FC.

As well as the looting of the two supermarkets, the shells of several burnt-out cars were found abandoned in the snow following a night of vandalism.

Irish Police said in a statement: Following reports of burglary and theft of vehicles, Garda units deployed in the Tallaght District and nine arrests were made to date.

Substantial damage was caused to a supermarket on Fortunestown lane and further damage to another premises in Jobstown. All those arrested are currently detained at Dublin Garda Stations.

Police urged anyone with information to come forward.

A member of Irelands ruling Fine Gael party, parliamentarian Colm Brophy, said: I utterly condemn this mindless criminal behaviour that has been carried out in recent hours.

I fully anticipate that the gardai will pursue the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.

He added: I am particularly mindful that these actions have taken place in the midst of a code red weather warning when our emergency services are at full stretch.

Lidl is a much valued and appreciated employer in our community whose head office is on the Main Road in Tallaght.

The type of outrageous behaviour we witnessed tonight has no place in our community.Jacob Rees-Mogg has accused Ireland and the European Union of risking a no deal Brexit with their absurd suggestion that Northern Ireland should be in a common regulatory area with Brussels to avoid a hard border on the island.

The leading Tory Brexiteer blamed irresponsible, vote-chasing immaturity from Irish premier Leo Varadkar and clear disregard for the Good Friday Agreement from EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier for the row over the Irish border.

The MP said it was clear that a solution cannot be found to maintain a soft Irish border until Britain and the EU have finalised their future trading relationship.

Theresa May has already rejected the EUs demand, arguing it would threaten the constitutional and territorial integrity of the UK by keeping Northern Ireland in a de facto customs area with Brussels, which the rest of the country would be outside.

The Prime Minister has instead called for either a customs partnership, under which the UK mirrors EU requirements on goods from around the world, or a streamlined customs arrangement, using technology and trusted trader schemes to do away with the need for customs checks.

Writing in the Belfast News Letter, Mr Rees-Mogg praised Mrs May for rejecting Brussels demands firmly and unalterably.

Brussels is still not being seriousTory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg

He said: The thing she said no to was the egregious act of aggression by the European Commission, under its lead Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, that a friendly European state should be dismembered at its behest.

This will not happen. Our union has endured rather more unpleasant threats than a policy paper out of Brussels which the Prime Minister has rightly rebuffed. But the presumption of Brussels in even proposing this is an unfriendly act.

He went on: Then there is the further problem in what this absurd suggestion  that the Province should be detached from the rest of the country and become a protectorate of Brussels  in fact means.

It means that Brussels is still not being serious, and that vital voices in Europe actually seem to want a no deal Brexit. For it can be inescapable now for everyone in Europe that no deal could ever seriously be contemplated on these preposterous terms. So why even suggest them unless no deal is your objective?

Mr Rees-Mogg also attacked Mr Varadkar.

He said: I cannot see how it is in the Republics interests for its current prime minister, Leo Varadkar, to posture in this way, not least by endorsing the fantasy proposals of Michel Barnier this week, which would do such comprehensive harm to the Belfast Agreement and risk No Deal, which would be more damaging to the Republics economy than to any other European state.A Westminster committee has written to the UK government calling for "realism" in its approach to the Border after Brexit.

In a detailed letter, the House of Lords EU Committee said it was concerned at the lack of detail from Downing Street around how technological solutions for the Border, as the government has repeatedly stated, would work.

The committee visited Ireland last month for three days of evidence in Dublin, Belfast and Derry. It has now written to Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley outlining its concerns.

The committee said the evidence it had received suggested that there was potential in the longer term to develop technological solutions, not only at the UK-Irish border, but at all UK-EU borders, so as to streamline the cross-border movement of goods.

"We therefore do not dismiss the government's proposals out of hand," the letter stated.

"Nevertheless, there is a need for realism. We note that, while customs processes have been streamlined and made more efficient, the EU external border, for instance with Switzerland and Norway, retains a physical manifestation."British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered her most realistic Brexit speech to date, when she set out "hard facts" about the diminished access Britain will have to European markets.

"I want to be straight: the reality is we all need to face some hard facts. Life is going to be different. Access is going to be less," she said.

Yet she has barely inched closer to outlining her defined interpretation of how Brexit will look and work.

Mrs May once again ruled out hard, physical checks at the Northern Ireland Border, and seemed genuine when she professed her government's commitment to continue with the Good Friday Agreement.

She later went on to reaffirm Britain's key priority to "negotiate trade deals around the world" and leave the single market and customs union. However, such a proposition brings her back to square one, given the complications that arise when two states border each other and are party to different customs rules.

But she said she would come up with a plan for a "customs partnership" so the UK would no longer apply the same EU tariffs to goods from countries it makes new trade deals with.

In a highly complex, yet-to-be-worked-out plan, Mrs May essentially said the customs partnership could keep the same border tariffs for goods intended for the EU. These would probably be collected by the UK, but then apply different ones for those going into the UK.

It appears, according to Mrs May, the need for hard borders and customs checks on this very complicated initiative would be negated using technology and 'trusted trader' recognition to ensure unauthorised goods would not get in to the EU.

Once again, the British premier was unable to give specifics on the matter, and it isn't clear how such a model would work for smaller operators who would likely be outside "trusted trader" mechanisms.

In the past, former Taosieach Bertie Ahern said this would require a "blind eye". Try telling that to puritanical EU trade experts whose actual job it is to ensure borders are kept safe and the single market's rules are abided by. Notwith-standing the fact that the Border in the North is far more toxic and politically destabilising, not to mention the history of smuggling associated with it.

As much as the Irish State would like to give her some leniency in order to protect the Border, there is very little chance that the 26 other member states will allow the EU border be manned without satisfactory, enduring solutions.

Where Mrs May appeared to be realistic is in the area of standards and regulations.

She appeared to ease concerns about sub-standard goods getting into EU territory either through Dover Port or Northern Ireland. But will this intention hold water when her trade secretary tries to deal with America's agriculture industry?

Mrs May also said she wants continued participation in EU science, education and cultural programmes, and a close relationship with Euratom - the EU's nuclear energy agency. She wants recognition of broadcasting rules to allow UK channels to continue to be watched across all European countries, and continuity of rail, maritime and aviation services - so that UK airports don't grind to a halt. She said she wants to protect the City of London's future as global leader in financial services.

The City will lose its so-called passporting rights - which is essentially its right to trade financial products and services across all EU member states. Instead, she would call for a new system, seeking a "collaborative, objective framework". In a nutshell, the prime minister once again spelled out the reasons to stay in the EU, rather than leave.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned time is running out and he needs to see "more detailed and realistic proposals from the UK".

"Brexit is due to happen in a little over 12 months, so time is short. I remain concerned that some of the constraints of leaving the customs union and the single market are still not fully recognised," he said.

Meanwhile, a Brexit source told the Irish Independent: "We can see the elements of optimism if you look hard, but the speech was written to try to please everyone; she talked about hard choices but hasn't taken any of them,"

The EU has accused the British prime minister of "cherry-picking" once again.

This was "a few extra cherries on the Brexit cake", said Brexit negotiator for the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt.

"After what I heard today, I am even more concerned. I don't see how we could reach an agreement on Brexit if the government continues to bury its head in the sand," said leading German MEP Markus Weber.Brother, can you spare 250k? Photo: Nicole Craine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Remember Roy Moore, the Alabama fellow accused of sexual assault by multiple women when they were teenagers, who also came within 1.5 percentage points of becoming a U.S. senator back in December?

In a Facebook message to his supporters, Moore revealed that any wounded pride at losing to a Democrat in Alabama is the least of his problems. Moore is facing a defamation lawsuit from Leigh Corfman, who upended the senate race when she accused Moore of sexually touching her in 1979, when he was 32 and she was 14.

As the Washington Post notes, her lawsuit is part of an emerging legal strategy of litigating sexual misconduct claims through civil lawsuits when the statute of limitations has expired for criminal charges. Corfman claims that some of Moores statements denying her allegations, like those alleging she was politically motivated, were defamatory. She is not seeking financial compensation  merely a judgment, an apology from Moore, and a guarantee that he will not defame her again.

Moore, using the incendiary style he honed as Alabamas Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, framed his legal battle as a left-wing plot to take him down, while managing to include a healthy dose of homophobia in his message.

After thanking his fans for standing behind his senate campaign against insiders who did not want me to bring the truth about God and our Constitution to Washington D. C., Moore writes that I now face another vicious attack from lawyers in Washington D. C. and San Francisco who have hired one of the biggest firms in Birmingham Alabama to bring another legal action against me and ensure that I never fight again. However, I will trust God that he will allow truth to prevail against the unholy forces of evil behind their attack.

Later, he says: Gays, lesbians, and transgenders have joined forces with those who believe in abortion, sodomy, and destruction of all that we hold dear. Unless we stand together we will lose our Country. And he singles out Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and (naturally) George Soros as among the people who have tried too block his righteous path.

Moore never actually conceded the race to Doug Jones, instead preferring to go after Joness gay son (see a theme here?) and whining about a conspiracy against him, as is his way.

He has reportedly been soliciting donations since January, when Corfmans lawsuit was filed, and, as of this writing, is only at $32,000 of the $250,000 hes seeking. Perhaps demagoguing works better before blowing a race that literally any other Republican would have won.Sinn Fein has been accused of using its six MPs to engage in "pointless" lobbying on Brexit at a time when they could potentially sway key Westminster votes in favour of Irish interests.

Labour leader Brendan Howlin has said he's "disappointed, but not surprised" that new Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald has said she doesn't see the party changing its policy on abstentionism.

Ms McDonald was challenged on the issue by Newstalk's Pat Kenny. With the minority Conservative government relying on DUP support, votes on Brexit are likely to be tight.

But Ms McDonald said Sinn Fein was an "abstentionist party" and added: "I don't envisage us changing that stance."

She said Sinn Fein's MPs had been "consistently lobbying" politicians and "banging the drum for all of Ireland in respect of Brexit".

Put to her that Sinn Fein MPs could sway a vote on the final Brexit deal, she replied: "There is no prospect of any deal... which will render Brexit null and void."

Last night, Mr Howlin told the Irish Independent "lobbying is pointless" and added: "Parliament obviously boils down to a vote and the majority carries the day."

He said there was likely to be "a once-in-a-generation, critical vote for the people of Ireland" in Westminster on whether or not Britain remains in some form of customs union with the EU now that the UK Labour Party supports such a stance.

He said he had respected Sinn Fein's policy of abstentionism but that there had to be a point where the good of the people overrules that principle.

Mr Howlin accused Sinn Fein of putting "interests of the party before what's in the best interests of the people of Ireland".

A Sinn Fein spokesman responded by saying: "If the Labour Party wants Irish politicians to take their seats in Westminster, then they should stand candidates in the North on that basis and stop hurling from the ditch."

Separately, Ms McDonald was forced to defend her use of the phrase 'tiocfaidh ar la" in the speech where she assumed her party leadership.

Mr Kenny suggested she had used the slogan to "give a nod to the hard men in Belfast".

Ms McDonald denied this and insisted: "The conflict has gone away, you know. The IRA has gone away, you know, and Sinn Fein is led now by a woman from the city of Dublin who has had no involvement in the conflict, with the IRA or anything else."Blizzard Conditions South Wexford. Pictured at Ballygarvan, Co Wexford during the snow and blizzard conditions this week. Picture: Patrick Browne

Harold Kingston captured this picture of one of his cows struggling in the snow in Cork this week. Pic: @HaroldKingston1

Dairy Industry Ireland (DII), the Ibec group that represents the sector, has called on the insurance industry to deal positively to address issues arising at farm level from Storm Emma.

Even as the weather warning downgrades today, much of the country is still in the grip of exceptional weather, with snow drifts and freezing conditions making the collection of milk on farms particularly difficult.

Director of DII, Conor Mulvihill said: It is clear that we are in an unprecedented situation, where companies are going as far as they can to maintain a collection service, while at the same time ensuring the safety of farmers, staff and animals.

"As the weather warning downgrades today, collection of milk will resume in certain areas. However, with some parts of the country not being serviced because of exceptional weather since Tuesday, individual farmers are currently coming under pressure with their milk storage.

It is important that the insurance industry are pro-active with farmers in terms of what procedures are needed to be put in place to cover any losses arising from the current weather situation."

Fianna Fail Spokesperson on Food Jackie Cahill has warned the Government that thousands upon thousands of gallons of fresh milk will be lost unless milk collection lorries can get access to dairy farms up and down the country.

IFA President Joe Healy has contacted the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy and the National Emergency Response Group regarding the urgent situation facing a rapidly rising number of dairy farmers whose milk cannot be collected.

IFA is asking that local authorities would co-ordinate their actions with co-ops to prioritise the clearing of roads leading to dairy farms.

Joe Healy said milk is normally collected by private hauliers on contract to milk processing co-ops, using both articulated and rigid tankers, the latter being better able to handle difficult conditions. The hauliers have done trojan work since early this week to collect milk before the storm hit, and to keep collections going for as long as possible on Wednesday and Thursday.

However, now, in many of the co-ops catchment areas, milk collections have had to be suspended.

Most dairy farms farmers have static refrigerated milk storage tanks that can hold up to two days worth of milk. Already, some farmers have filled these and they will have to dispose of milk if it is not collected urgently.

This is obviously seriously problematic from a food wastage point of view and would cause a massive economic loss to the farmers concerned. If it continues it could also affect the availability of fresh milk on supermarket shelves, Joe Healy said.Aldi Ireland veteran Giles Hurley has been named as the retailer's chief executive officer for the UK & Ireland.

He'll take over from Matthew Barnes, who has been promoted to the co-ordination board of parent company Aldi South, the German discounter said yesterday.

Mr Hurley, inset, has up to now overseen almost 130 Aldi outlets in Ireland, having joined the group as an area manager 18 years ago when there were just five shops here.

Mr Hurley is an Aldi stalwart and has held down roles such as training director and group buying director. He will take up his new post on May 1.

In his new role Mr Barnes will oversee the UK, Ireland and US markets.

Mr Hurley (42) lives in Warwick in England and has been commuting regularly to Ireland and Scotland in his role as an Aldi managing director with responsibility for the two countries.

Meanwhile, Mr Barnes, who is credited with overseeing the supermarket's meteoric rise from upstart to challenger to the so-called Big Four, has been promoted to the "co-ordination board" of Aldi South, the parent firm of the grocery giant's UK and Ireland operations.

He will also join the board of Hofer KG, which acts as management holding for Aldi's Austrian and international shareholdings.

Aldi, alongside fellow German chain Lidl, has caused major headaches for Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes Stores over the past two decades in Ireland, grabbing market share and driving competition by offering cheaper prices and extending supermarkets into smaller towns that had historically often been overlooked by the established grocery chains.

According to figures from research group Kantar Worldpanel, Aldi has a share of around 11pc of the Irish grocery market in terms of value of sales, virtually neck-and-neck with rival German discounter Lidl.

It means each of the German grocery chains has around half the sales of the big three Irish chains here.

In the UK, Aldi has plans to plough further funds into launching 70 new UK stores and recruiting 4,000 staff this year.

Aldi doesn't split out its numbers for Ireland, but is understood to have wafer-thin margins. Aldi's combined UK and Ireland operation posted revenue of 8.74bn (9.9bn) in 2016 and a 255.6m (289.5m) profit. Irish sales are reckoned to make up about 1.4bn of the total. Aldi, along with Lidl did well from the downturn and has so far managed, despite the recovery, to hang on to shoppers who were coaxed away from the established supermarkets.Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan

European shares fell to new two-week lows yesterday after Donald Trump said the United States would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, prompting worries about a global trade war.

Such concerns sparked a broad sell-off in Europe, weighing particularly on the export-oriented German DAX index, which fell 1.8 pc to a six-month low, while the broader pan-European STOXX 600 benchmark was down 1.2 pc.

Mr Trump said duties of 25pc on steel and 10pc on aluminium would be formally announced next week, sparking concerns of retaliatory moves from major trade partners such as China, Europe and neighbouring Canada.

"Markets are spooked more by the aggressiveness of the message and by its potential of sparking an extended trade war rather than just by the scope of the measures' economic impact," said JCI Capital fund manager Alessandro Balsotti, noting how steel and aluminium account for just 2pc of US imports.

All sectors were trading in negative territory, with cars leading the drop, weighed down by a 6pc slump in Italian-American car maker Fiat Chrysler on concerns that the US tariff move could increase its raw material costs.

Elsewhere, Germany's Volkswagen and Daimler and BMW and France's Peugeot fell more than 2pc.

Steel and aluminium stocks were also generally lower, with ArcelorMittal, Salzgitter and Norsk Hydro all down more than 2pc. Steel pipes maker Tenaris also fell 1.4 pc, giving up earlier gains. (Reuters)US President Donald Trumps announcement drove the latest decline for the Dow and S&P 500

World markets have fallen sharply amid fears that surprise steel and aluminium tariffs proposed by the US will spark a trade war.

Asian stocks fell to multi-year lows, while European shares also opened lower. Investors, spooked by the US position, piled out of stocks in steel and manufacturers.

The tariffs raise the prospect of tit-for-tat curbs on American exports and higher prices for domestic users, further clouding the outlook for economic growth at a time when central banks around the globe are embarking on policy-tightening or approaching it.

Europe promised to act firmly and China said it would defend its interests appropriately if US President Donald Trump followed through with his pledge to lump a 25pc tax on steel and 10pc on aluminium next week.

Asian countries reacted with concern to Mr Trump's comments, with Australia's trade minister warning that it could risk retaliation from other economies and cost jobs, while China predicted harm to trade if other countries follow the US.

Closer to home, the European Commission said it viewed international trade as a win-win in which everyone benefits, but warned that it will respond to defend its interests.

"We don't see this as a situation where, like in a zero-sum game, one party loses because another party wins. Trade is beneficial for everyone. It needs to take place on the basis of rules, and these rules are in place," a spokesman said.

"The measures that we are prepared to take will prove that we will, on the basis of the rules, not hesitate to protect our industry."

Mr Trump said the proposed duties would be formally announced next week, although White House officials later said some details still needed to be ironed out.

In a note to investors yesterday, Investec Ireland said the move - part of Mr Trump's America First strategy - has been widely condemned on the global stage, and has received criticism from some within the US also.

"It is expected to trigger legal challenges by China, the EU and Brazil at the WTO, while it is thought that China will retaliate with tariff announcements which will hit US agricultural exporters, with the Trump announcement appearing particularly cutting, given that it came even as a top Chinese economic official was in Washington for talks aimed at forestalling a possible trade war," Investec said.

The move is already affecting company decisions.

Sweden's Electrolux, Europe's largest home appliance maker, said it would put on hold a planned $250m investment in the US. It said tariffs could cause a pretty significant increase in the price of steel on the US market.

Mr Trump's announcement drove a third straight 1pc decline for the Dow and S&P 500 yesterday, putting the Dow into negative territory for the year, and futures pointed to almost a 1pc fall at opening.

The Stoxx Euro 600 Index dropped for a fourth day, with Germany's DAX gauge reaching an 11-month low, as carmakers slumped.

Mr Trump pushed back yesterday against a wave of criticism against his proposed steel tariffs, publishing a tweet saying "trade wars are good and easy to win."

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index declined 0.3pc, the largest drop in more than a week. (Additional reporting agencies)Barry Keoghan with the Wilde Card rising star award, presented to him by Colin Farrell. Photo: Getty

Colin Farrell praised actor Barry Keoghan for overcoming 'insurmountable' personal tragedy to become one of Ireland's fastest rising stars.

Farrell presented Keoghan with the Wilde Card rising star award at the annual Oscar Wilde party in Santa Monica, California.

The pair worked together on Yorgos Lanthimos's 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer', and Farrell said it was an honour to share the screen with the 25-year-old.

"It's really incredible what he has achieved in a few years. Anyone who knows Barry can testify to the fact that he has gone through a certain amount of experience in his own personal life," he said.

"He has experienced a certain amount of absolute desolation in his personal life in his past, things that I would find, in my contemplation of such loss, completely insurmountable.

"So for him to put every bit of hope and pain and curiosity into his work but also be a man of great generosity and warmth fun, little bit of madness - just the right measure - is the most impressive thing."

Keoghan's mother died from a heroin overdose when he was small, and his maternal grandmother raised him after her death.

Farrell said Keoghan's role in 'Dunkirk' was pivotal and "for me at least the true heart and soul of the film... in a film of epic scope he was the one who brought home the personal loss inevitable in conflict".

Keoghan, from Summerhill in Dublin's north inner city, almost missed the awards after his flight out of Dublin was first cancelled, then delayed by 24 hours.

"The whole of Ireland is shut down," Farrell said. "There is a shortage of bread, s*** has hit the fan."

Keoghan was feeling the jetlag kick in when he took to the stage, thanking the Oscar Wilde team he added that he was "absolutely wrecked, lads".

Other honorees on the night included 'Star Wars' actor Mark Hamill, 'Best in Show' and 'Home Alone' star Catherine O'Hara and 'Hunger Games' actress Paula Malcomson.

Hamill spoke about his paternal Irish heritage and his time shooting on Skellig Michael.

"I have learnt everything I know about Ireland through movies and what a rich heritage it is, from the exuberance and joy of 'The Commitments' to harrowing tragedy of 'Angela's Ashes'," he said.

Now in its 13th year, the Oscar Wilde awards honour filmmakers with a connection to Ireland and Irish film.

Other guests included Martin Short, Kathy Griffin, Diane Keaton, Jason O'Mara, Sarah Bolger, Andy Serkis, comedian Aisling Bea, Victoria Smurfit, Nora-Jane Noone, and designer Don O'Neill.A controversial development in north Dublin that will see more than 200 apartments being built has been granted permission by An Bord Pleanala.

In the developer's original application, it proposed a mixed-use development of 209 apartments, a gym, childcare facility and community room on the Hole in the Wall Road and R139 Road in Donaghmede.

Although permission was granted, the decision came with a number of conditions.

The applicant, Midgard Construction Ltd, was informed that it will have to scale back six units, with area made available as a public open space.

Councillor Tom Brabazon, of Fianna Fail, who objected to the application, said: "I'm not saying it's in the wrong location, there's no doubt we need more houses.

"But this development is being shoehorned into a corner.

"Traffic in the area is bad enough as it is and the sheer number of apartments being built is going to lead to even heavier congestion.

"It seems that An Bord Pleanala is looking at this from a housing provision point of view rather than a good planning viewpoint."

Concerns

The site of 1.3 hectares (3.21 acres) on the Hole in the Wall Road, Dublin 13, was sold on behalf of the Missionary Society of St Columban. John Clancy, director of Grattan Hall Management Ltd, an area adjacent to the proposed developments, believes the residents' concerns weren't taken into consideration.

"We challenged the planning application and even brought in our own architect," he said.

"The planning density that was awarded is significantly higher than the adjacent developments.

"Secondly, the number of apartments going in will see an additional 250 cars in the community, which will ultimately create chaos on our roads.

"There is inadequate reference to local residents' concerns with the way planning is going about," he said.Seven of the accused outside court; top (l-r) Keith Kelly, Gerard Buggle, Pouilas Gueizecius; bottom (l-r) John Kelly, Mohammad Smeu, Edgar Cesynas and David Bernie

NINE men appeared at a special court sitting yesterday after the looting of two supermarkets in south Dublin on Friday night.

The men appeared in the Courts of Criminal Justice this morning after a Lidl store on Fortunesown Lane in Tallaght was raided and looted, and a Centra, also in Tallaght, was broken into.

Six men were charged in connection with the incidents at LIDL. John Kelly, 48, from Allen Hall in Tallaght, is accused of handling stolen property, namely a safe. Pouilas Gueizecius, 20, from St Mochtas Drive in Clonsilla, is accused of burglary and possession of stolen property. Paul Freeman of Russell Green in Tallaght and Keith Kelly from Suncroft Park in Tallaght are accused of trespass at LIDL. Two other men, Edgar Cesynas, of Silken in Citywest and Gerard Buggle, from Macuilmaim Tallaght are charged with theft at LIDL

The court heard that John Kelly, who was arrested 9.25pm on Friday night at Ardmore Avenue, was a widower, whose wife died in December of cancer, and who looks after a number of children. He was released on bail.

Keith Kelly was arrested at 9.10pm on Friday on Fortunetown Lane. The court was told that he is unemployed because of a back injury and receives 191 a week in disability allowance. The solicitor for Mr Kelly, Cahir OHiggins, asked that CCTV in the case be sought out and conserved.

Paul Freeman, who was also arrested at Fortunestown Lane, was also released on bail to reappear before the court on April 12.

A further three men were charged in connection with the alleged offences at Centra.

They include Mohammad Smeu, 25, from Milners Square in Santry. He is accused of burglary and possession of a weapon - a sledgehammer. John Doyle, 37, from Russell Walk, Russell Square Tallaght and David Bernie, 36, of Suncroft Park Tallaght are also both charged with burglary.

The court heard that Gardai were called to the Centra store on Friday night shortly after 8pm. They found that the front door and shutters were smashed in. The cash register and the cigarette machine were opened.

The court heard that Mr Smeu, a student with an address in the north side, was stranded on that side of the city due to snow.

John Doyle, a father of four with a baby who is being christened next week, was described as a settled family man.

Davie Bernie, who is currently unemployed but minds his baby with his partner, said to the judge: CCTV will vindicate us. We are not the ones who broke into that shop and CCTV will prove that.

Civil Defence vehicles were used to deploy 16 gardai from the public order unit to the scene because of the treacherous road conditions.Scituate Avenue in Scituate, Massachusetts, is flooded during a noreaster storm on March 2, 2018. Photo: Jonathan Wiggs/Boston Globe via Getty Images

Wind, rain, sleet, and snow hammered the East Coast on Friday, as a noreaster spread from North Carolina to Maine, flooding coastal areas and drawing a dire warning from the National Weather Service.

Take this storm seriously! This is a LIFE & DEATH situation for those living along the coast, the National Weather Service in Boston said in a tweet.

Winter Storm #Riley is wreaking havoc across the northeast. Turn to @weatherchannel to stay informed about the storm's dangerous and destructive path. pic.twitter.com/VXPQPuRXS4  We Love Weather (@WeLoveWeather) March 2, 2018

Like the storm that lashed the East Coast just after New Years, this one has undergone bombogenesis, which happens when pressure falls by 24 millibars in 24 hours. The so-called bomb cyclone has knocked out power to more than a million Americans in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Midwest and is visiting different horrors on different parts of the East Coast.

The mid-Atlantic, where one local fire department warned of #Windmageddon, has been ravaged by gusts of up to 80 miles per hour.

2 drivers transported w minor injuries after pine tree is blown on to their cars as they drive on Walther Ave in NE #Baltimore #wind pic.twitter.com/QyCikQn8Zf  Mike Schuh WJZ (@MikeWJZ) March 2, 2018

Meanwhile, upstate New York is getting hammered by snow, leading Governor Andrew Cuomo to issue a travel advisory for all areas north of New York City. By Friday afternoon, some parts of New York had seen 24 inches.

Heavy, wet snow fell overnight and snow will continue into the evening hours tonight, Cuomo said in a statement. Snow will turn dryer and lighter and combined with strong winds, will cause dangerous conditions making driving extremely hazardous from blowing and drifting snow.

Gale from Forestville shared this photo with me! It looks like a maze outside!! What does it look like where you are?!  shoeing you Buffalo on #wakeup now! pic.twitter.com/tLEF0fxQQ4  Kaylee Wendt (@KayleeWendt) March 2, 2018

The Boston area experienced the worst of the storm, as storm surge flooded many coastal towns. Flooding first hit in the late morning Friday, when massive waves crashed into towns such as Scituate and Hull, filling the streets with seawater.

Very bad in Scituate. Waves higher than 2 story homes! @7News pic.twitter.com/Oe51UbXb0y  Alex DiPrato (@AlexDiPrato) March 2, 2018

Boston Harbor is being watched closely as tonights high tide approaches. Forecasts currently call for water levels to reach 15.4 inches, which would surpass the all-time record high set in January. As the Washington Post notes, if those forecasts are accurate, there will be problems:

In Boston, a water height above 14.5 feet leads to significant flooding of low-lying coastal areas from Revere through Hull, including the Seaport District. Numerous homes will be flooded and road closures and evacuations of coastal sections are likely, according to the National Weather Service.

We expect to lose homes during this storm, Kurt Schwartz, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said Friday.One of the cars burnt out in the Tallaght area last night

The cars on fire in Tallaght last night

Gardai are investigating after six cars were burnt out in west Dublin last night.

The incident happened on Fortunestown Way amid a chaotic night in the Tallaght area.

"We are investigating criminal damage to 6 vehicles on Fortunestown Way last night," a garda spokesman told Independent.ie.

One local described how a gang of people lit the vehicles on fire before fleeing.

Footage circulating of abandoned cars that were set on fire in Tallaght last night. pic.twitter.com/yHjNUo9CHu  Mike Hogan (@mikehoganmedia) March 3, 2018

"It was crazy. People in the area are still in shock about what happened. After everything else that happened last night too, it's just totally unacceptable."

Garda reinforcements from across the capital were called to the Fortunestown area last night as gardai tried to maintain order outside a Lidl supermarket.

The store was looted and the roof was smashed in with a digger.

Gardai were also called to an incident at a Centra store in Jobstown, near the Blessington Road.

Nine men were arrested in relation to the incidents at the two stores and appeared in court this morning.Hospitals countrywide are uncertain of how much work can reopen while the state of the roads will influence the restart of community services. Stock image

Patients are facing into another week of disruption, and cancellations of some hospital appointments, although the plan is to try to resume as many services as possible.

Hospitals have been reduced to just essential services since Wednesday, generating a huge waiting-list backlog.

Beaumont Hospital, Connolly Hospital, Rotunda Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Louth County Hospital, Cavan and Monaghan Hospitals said their outpatient clinics will resume on Monday.

However, patients with appointments for inpatient and day case surgery cases are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will be directly contacted.

All gynaecology outpatient appointments in the Rotunda have been cancelled.

Hospitals countrywide are uncertain of how much work can reopen while the state of the roads will influence the restart of community services.

Doctors are warning the public of the heightened risk of serious slips and falls as more people try to escape "cabin fever" over the weekend and navigate treacherous paths.

People will be anxious to attend Mass and other religious services.

Dublin orthopaedic surgeon Paddy Kenny said a fractured hip in an older person can have serious consequences, including leaving them with a loss of confidence they may find difficult to regain.

Meanwhile, hundreds of staff are staying overnight in hospital in make-shift bedding arrangements, including on trolleys, camp beds and mattresses in offices.

Dr James Gray, an emergency consultant in Tallaght Hospital who lives 30km away, said he was delighted to be able to be accommodated at the hospital in recent nights and be ready for duty for patients in response to the "extraordinary event".

Some nurses criticised arrangements in St James's Hospital saying free breakfasts did not materialise.

A spokeswoman said complementary meals are being provided and there has been great teamwork.

Nursing Homes Ireland said private nursing homes have 398 beds available in 105 facilities nationwide to provide respite or transitional care of patients during the bad weather.The most expensive public nursing home in the country now charges 2,339 a week per resident, according to new figures.

The weekly cost of care is highest at St Vincent's Care Centre in Athlone, Co Westmeath, which has 44 long-stay beds, including four for palliative care, the HSE has revealed.

It is due to reopen shortly after being closed for refurbishment, with large rooms now being divided.

The weekly cost of care in public and private nursing homes is paid for through a means-tested contribution from the resident under the Fair Deal scheme and a State subvention.

The most expensive private nursing homes are run by the TLC group in Santry, Dublin, and Maynooth, Co Kildare, where the weekly cost per resident is 1,239.

The TLC nursing homes promise "hotel quality accommodation".

The highest weekly prices for private nursing homes are in the Dublin area where they are nearly all over 1,200 a week.

They are lower in counties such as Tipperary at around 875 a week.

Tadhg Daly (inset), of Nursing Homes Ireland, representing private nursing homes, said the overall gap in weekly costs was a "chasm" of 60pc, up from 53pc in October.

"Over the 16-month period, fees payable within HSE nursing homes increased by an average 11pc versus 3.9pc for private and voluntary nursing homes," Mr Daly said.

He said public HSE-run nursing homes were subject to no negotiation to justify the fee payable to them.

However, private and voluntary nursing homes were pressed by the National Treatment Purchase Fund "to provide care for fees that are not sustainable" under the Fair Deal scheme.

"This discriminatory practice within health service provision must be called to account, as it threatens the capability of the Fair Deal scheme to sustainably fund nursing home provision for our population into the future," Mr Daly added.

Private nursing homes faced added costs such as commercial rates and insurance, he insisted.

The Department of Health has been carrying out a review of the cost of care. Private nursing homes, which have been criticised for charging some Fair Deal residents out-of-pocket top-up fees for areas such as social activities, have blamed the level of fees they receive for part of the problem.

Residents who qualify for the Fair Deal scheme are assessed on their individual income and assets.

The contribution which they pay is the same, regardless of what the weekly cost of care is in the public or private nursing home. Around 23,000 people are in the Fair Deal scheme.An Offaly man has died following a traffic collision in England on Wednesday.

William Corrigan (38), who was originally form Birr but living in Bedford, was struck by a car in Bedford on Wednesday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Corrigan was married with children and had been living in Bedford for a number of years. His family paid tribute, saying: "William Joseph was a loving husband, dad, son and brother. He loved his music and was a gifted banjo player. He was hugely popular in the local area and will be sadly missed by all who knew him."

At home in Birr, Mr Corrigans death has been met with shock and sadness. One relative recalled his talent for banjo playing and described his death as awful, awful news".



Investigating Bedfordshire Police officer Sergeant Paul Stanbridge said: Im appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or who saw the vehicle in the area before, or after, the collision, to get in touch to help us establish what happened.

"It is a tragedy when someone loses their life as a result of a collision and our thoughts are with Mr Corrigans family at this time, said Sgt Stanbridge.

A man has been charged in connection with the collision after appearing in court yesterday.Asylum seekers will begin arriving in Lisdoonvarna tomorrow  despite a secret ballot among local people against the move. Stock image

Locals in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, have voted overwhelmingly to reject Government plans to accommodate 115 asylum seekers in the town.

This follows 93pc of those who voted saying 'no' to plans by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) to house the asylum seekers in the King Thomond Hotel.

The hotel is owned by Marcus White, who has been centrally involved in promoting the Lisdoonvarna match-making festival every September.

At a public meeting last week, Mr White said that if people didn't want the centre to proceed, he would honour that.

In response to Mr White's public statement, the local community held a vote by secret ballot at a public meeting organised by Lisdoonvarna Failte.

In response to the question 'do you want a direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna?', 197 voted 'no', with 15 voting 'yes'.

Now, as a result of the vote, chairman of Lisdoonvarna Failte Paddy Dunne has called on Mr White to honour that undertaking and not proceed with the plan.

He said: "I hope Marcus will listen now and reconsider."

Mr Dunne said the vote "is nothing against Marcus and we really appreciate everything he does for the town, bringing in tourists, but it is too much for the community to handle."

He said the 115 asylum seekers would increase the 300-strong population of Lisdoonvarna by 38pc.

He said: "People in the town will be welcoming to a lesser number, but not 115."

In response to questions from the local community, the RIA stated that the Minister for Justice had concluded a contract with the owner of the King Thomond Hotel.

The RIA response stated that "the addition of a maximum of 115 persons over the course of a year should not put an undue strain on existing resources and services".

The first asylum seekers were due to arrive on Monday and this has been put back a week due to the current weather conditions. The RIA has told the community in a written reply that the implementation of the plan cannot be delayed.

Efforts to contact Mr White for comment were unsuccessful.The loss to business is set to top 500m following days of snowstorms.

The crippling weather has led to an almost total shutdown as an estimated 80pc to 90pc of firms closed their doors.

Director of the Small Firms Association, Sven Spollen-Behrens, said the cost will escalate if the storm fails to subside over the weekend.

He said some service industries have not suffered as badly, as workers could work remotely.

But others, including restaurants, hotels and healthcare firms, have been badly hit.

"Whilst it is very difficult at this stage to say what the exact economic impact of the current weather phenomenon is, the loss of business on top of additional costs is likely to be higher than 500m."

He said his members have been better prepared this time as many were "caught out" during Storm Ophelia.

"However, especially our members from the retail, hospitality, transportation and manufacturing sectors, are hugely concerned about the loss of revenue and the additional pressure this puts on their businesses," he said.

"The financial damage to the economy and small business is likely to be in the high millions with commercial activities either disrupted or businesses being forced to close for at least two and a half days. It will be next to impossible to recuperate these losses."

He said the extreme weather phenomenon has highlighted the road and public transport infrastructure's vulnerability to bad weather, and the fact poor broadband cover means working from home is not a realistic option outside bigger urban areas.

A spokesperson for An Post said that it expected bumper deliveries due to a shopping surge as the public took advantage of having unexpected time off work.

Strong sales are expected over the weekend as retailers try to recoup lost revenue due to store closures with special online offers.

"We are seeing high volumes of sales from Irish and international retailers translating into packet and parcel volumes on our data systems," said Garrett Bridgeman, An Post managing director of mails and parcels.

"Full-scale deliveries will resume as soon as the road conditions allow."

Irish online fashion retailer Vavavoom.com also said that the current weather crisis has been very good for business.Stuart Kilmartin says there are 'no guarantees' his flight will leave Helsinki on Sunday

An Irish teacher who has been working in South Korea for the last year is now stranded in Finland following a nightmare journey home.

Stuart Kilmartin (23), from Co Galway, is one of thousands of passengers affected by Storm Emmas wrath.

He spent one night stranded in Seouls airport after his connecting flight from London to Dublin was cancelled.

The young teacher was then told he had to fly to Helsinki and transfer to Dublin from there.

After spending the past year teaching in Korea, I was excited to finally travel home, particularly after missing birthdays, Christmas, New Years.

However, when I awoke in Korea, I discovered that my flight from London to Dublin had been cancelled, and then when I arrived at the airport I was told I would have to wait another day and would have to fly to Helsinki and transfer to Dublin from there.

I now find myself stranded in Helsinki until Sunday morning. That was the earliest time I could fly into Dublin, but theres no guarantee. At this rate I'll never get home to see my girlfriend.

Dublin Airport suspended all flights to and from the airport on Friday.

Service will resume at the airport today, however Aer Lingus and Ryanair have cancelled around 100 flights for Saturday as weather continues to wreak havoc.

Paul Tanner and his 16-year-old Daughter are currently stranded in Dusseldorf, Germany.

He has been unable to rebook a flight home via Aer Lingus website and he says no accommodation was provided.

We have booked to fly into Kerry Airport on Monday now with Ryanair instead. My car is in Dublin Airport so its very inconvenient, but weve no other option.

We were unceremoniously handed an A4 photocopy of a letter from Aer Lingus stating our flight was cancelled so we could rebook but not at this ticket desk, only online. We were told that no accommodation would be organised, no food would be arranged.

Its now three days later and I have not heard of thing from Aer Lingus accept a useless email explaining how to rebook our flights. None of the methods detailed in the email function. The website will not let me reschedule, the phone numbers dont work.

These things happen but the lack of communication is very frustrating.

Independent.ie has contacted Aer Lingus for comment.

Has Storm Emma disrupted your travel plans and you wish to share your story? Email digital@independent.ieArmed gardai are patrolling the Tallaght area in a six-wheel drive military vehicle this morning following looting by a large gang on Friday evening.

Nine people have been arrested after over 50 gardai were dispatched to the area last night to deal with the incident.

Eight of the nine arrested are due to appear before the Criminal Courts of Justice this morning.

Treacherous driving conditions hampered the garda response as some approach roads were virtually impassable.

Gardai were responding to reports of looting at the supermarket - and reports of a digger being used to "smash into the supermarket".

Reinforcements from across the capital were called in as gardai tried to maintain order outside a Lidl supermarket at Fortunestown Lane in Tallaght.

The incident began shortly before 5pm when gardai at Tallaght station received reports of looting at the supermarket.

An uniformed patrol in a jeep was sent to the scene but had difficulty accessing the location because of heavy snow drifts.

Expand Close A photo of a digger at the scene / Facebook

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Whatsapp A photo of a digger at the scene

The gardai attempted to approach the supermarket on foot but immediately came under attack from the growing gang of looters.

Stones and other objects as well as snowballs were hurled at the gardai, who summoned help.

Additional garda vehicles were sent to Fortunestown Lane including three patrols from the armed support unit and four traffic jeeps.

Gardai said they were also investigating reports that a JCB had been used by the looters to smash their way into the supermarket.

Furthermore, they are investigating reports that a safe was dragged out from the supermarket and the bucket of the digger was used in an attempt to smash it open.

A digger was recovered in the operation and nine people were arrested at the scene.

There are no reports of any garda being injured at the scene.

Gardai are also investigating other incidents in the area.

One of the patrols on their way to the scene intercepted three men, suspected of being involved in a separate looting incident at a Centra store in Jobstown, near the Blessington Road.

Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed that they attended the scene after reports of a fire - but there was no fire at the scene.

It's understood that the Defence Forces received a request to provide one six-by-six vehicle to help transport gardai from Tallaght garda station to the scene of the alleged crime.

Tallaght councillor Brendan Ferron told Independent.ie that he's shocked that so many people took part in the alleged robbery.

"It's extremely disappointing to see stuff like this going on," he said.

"The village is completely snowed in so I'm sure it was an absolute nightmare for the guards to get up there and deal with this situation.

"My real issue with all of this is that when something like this kicks off it often leads to even more people taking part.

"Hopefully, the gardai will use the video footage as evidence to help them in their investigation," he said.

Councillor Cathal King said that those involved give a bad name to the Tallaght community.

"Everyone I know that has seen this video is extremely disappointed. It's a small minority of the community that's making us all look bad.

"What really annoys me is that children were dragged into this, which just sets a terrible example," he said.

Labour Party representative for Dublin South-West and Councillor for Tallaght South, Martina Genockey condemned the events and said they "do not represent Tallaght".

Over the last number of days, our community here in Tallaght has shown strength in the eye of a literal storm and the behaviour by this select few is nothing short of disgusting," she said.

During bad weather events like this, it is absolutely horrific to think that people in genuine need will be denied speedy access to emergency services because they have to clear up the mindless mess created by people who have no concern for our community."

Gardai have confirmed that substantial damage was caused to both premises.

All those arrested are currently detained at Dublin garda stations.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station on 01 666 6000 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

Lidl released a statement; "We are aware of the very serious incident at our Fortunestown Lane store this evening.

"Given that the incident is now the subject of a criminal investigation we are not in a position to comment further at this time."

They later added; "As our store on Fortunestown Lane was closed when the incident occurred this evening, we can confirm no member of our team has been injured."The Irish Coast Guard has warned people to be mindful of the risk posed by a surge in water levels as snow and ice begins to melt around the country.

Met Eireann has downgraded the Status Red snow-ice warning to a Status Orange level, but the national forecaster has warned that serious flooding is likely over the weekend.

Both the RNLI and Irish Coast Guard has issued the joint warning to the public after a woman had to be rescued by passers-by at Sandycove Harbour in Dublin yesterday.

"Please heed the warnings and be mindful of the risk posed by a surge in river levels following the expected thaw and be mindful of the risks on exposed coastal areas," Gerard O'Flynn of the coast guard told Newstalk.

Owen Medland, RNLI manager added: "Its been a tough few days for the country and people will want to get out and about as soon as the weather moderates. Many people rescued by RNLI lifeboat crews had no intention of entering the water in the first place.

"All too often, peoples first instinct when they see someone in trouble in the water is to go in after them. If you see someone in danger, dial 112 and ask for the Coast Guard straight away. Look for a ring buoy or something that floats that they can hold on to and throw it out to them."Teachers continue to protest at the State Capitol as the legislatures upper chamber refuses to bring up a pay raise for a vote. Photo: Scott Heins/Bloomberg via Getty Images

You may have heard midweek that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and leaders of the states two teachers unions reached a deal to end the strike that has kept public schools closed since last Thursday. But what you might not know is that rank-and-file teachers rejected the deal as too tentative. And with the Republican-controlled State Senate dragging its feet on a bill incorporating the deal, the strike has continued and will apparently drag on into next week.

The whole saga may seem a little strange to people accustomed to strikes in other places. West Virginias public employees have no collective bargaining rights. So the only way to secure pay raises and better benefits is to lobby the legislature. Since the deal union leaders cut with Justice was not a labor contract or a law, there was really nothing to submit to members for a vote; instead, they voted with their feet to stay on strike.

The lower chamber of the legislature quickly approved a 5 percent pay raise for teachers (and a 3 percent raise for other school employees). That and a temporary freeze in health insurance premiums the governor announced earlier (along with the appointment of a task force to create a permanent solution to rising insurance costs for teachers) appeared initially to be enough to end the strike. But the State Senate, whose president, Mitch Carmichael, has expressed doubts that the stay can afford the pay raise the governor agreed to, has yet to schedule a vote on the raise, despite the watchful presence of many striking teachers in the Capitol. The delays have not exactly improved the atmosphere of trust in the negotiations, since Justice does not seem to be able to deliver on his promises.

The legislature will be in session over the weekend, so movement remains possible before the school week begins on Monday. But battle-lines could soon harden, as a local media report indicated:

As for how long this strike will last - most teachers I ask say - as long as it takes, said Mark Curtis, 13 News Chief Political Reporter.

This state with its colorful history of labor strife  though mostly in the now-declining mines  could yet provide some surprises as Republican legislators feel the heat. As the president of the United Mine Workers told protesting teachers in Charleston: This is not really a strik . This is when the good people of West Virginia take back their state.Passers-by help push a 4x4 out of the snow on Chesterfield Avenue, Phoenix Park, Dublin. Photo: Conor McCabe

Serious fears have emerged about the flooding threat to the country as heavy rain later today is to combine with melting snow.

A "conveyor belt" of precipitation which fell as snow overnight, as high winds and sub-zero temperatures continue to wreak havoc.

Latest rain and snow forecast for the next 24 hours.

Rain = Blue to Red colours

Snow = White pic.twitter.com/u93lzwcx6z  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) March 3, 2018

While Met Eireann believes the snow risk has now subsided in most areas, there are concerns that a belt of heavy rain this afternoon could combine with melting snow to create a major flood risk.

"It is very hard to say how rapid the thaw will be, but there is a significant risk of flooding in the east and south east," forecaster Gerry Murphy told RTE's Morning Ireland.

"Temperatures will increase to between 3 and 5 degrees which means that anything which falls will be rain and sleet.

"The roads are still extremely dangerous, so only take absolutely necessary journeys."

25,000 households, farms and businesses are still without power this morning, some for more than 24 hours, an ESB spokesman said.

ESB Networks said it will be today at the earliest before repair crews can access isolated parts of the country. Cork, Enniscorthy, Arklow, the Greater Dublin Area and eastern counties of Leinster are worst affected.

There is no certainty that schools in many areas will be able to reopen on Monday. And there are now serious concerns that Storm Emma will result in communities being cut off for days, with water supplies at risk in Galway, Cork, Mayo and Cavan.

The HSE has said it could be up to two weeks before hospitals return to business as usual.

"The snow drifting which has occurred is going to pose particular problems," NECG chairman Sean Hogan said. "Local roads will take a considerable period of time [to thaw] and it will be very difficult. Individual houses may be inaccessible."

He added it would take a number of days before life returned to normal, particularly in Wexford, Waterford, south Carlow, Wicklow, Meath and Louth, which continued to be battered overnight.

High spring tides already pose a flooding risk in Cork city, low-lying areas of Cork county and Waterford county, in Limerick, Dundalk, Dublin and the Shannon Estuary.

While temperatures are expected to rise across Cork, Kerry and into parts of Waterford from today, Met Eireann is predicting a slow thaw.

But river levels are also high, meaning when the snow melts it will exacerbate the risk. Experts are hoping against a fast thaw, as this will likely lead to flooding. Met Eireann forecaster Evelyn Cusack said: "It's something we're very concerned about".

Intense snowfall fell for much of yesterday along the east and south-east coast, which is piling up. On Dublin's M50, snow was falling faster than it could be cleared. Transport Infrastructure Ireland said abandoned cars were hampering efforts to keep roads open, with a spokesman urging the public to only travel when absolutely necessary.

"It's not helpful that people are travelling unnecessarily, and there's a particular issue on interchanges off the M50 which are on inclines," he said.

Airports are expected to re-open today, but Aer Lingus has cancelled more than 50 flights from Dublin Airport as weather continues to wreak havoc with schedules. Ryanair has also cancelled more than a dozen flights to and from Dublin.

Public transport will take longer to come back on line, and many areas are unlikely to see a return to services today.

Most public transport services will not attempt to resume operations until noon at the earliest.

Local authorities continue to salt and grit roads, but conditions are treacherous in many areas. Hundreds of motorists were rescued after becoming stranded. Roadways to food depots have been prioritised for clearing, amid concerns that staples could run low in remote parts of the country.

The Defence Forces have dealt with 81 individual call-outs, while the Coast Guard assisted in 400 incidents.Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said people should continue to stay off roads and only travel to work if they are working for an essential service.

Mr Varadkar said severe weather warnings were remaining in place because he didnt want to lull people into false sense of security. He said people should stay away from rivers and coastal areas especially before and after high-tides.

The Taoiseach was speaking following todays first meeting of the National Emergency Coordinating Group (NECG).

He said flooding is expected to follow the extreme weather of the last week which brought about by a combination of heavy snow fall from the Beast from the East and strong winds from Storm Emma.

Schools will reopen on Monday on case-by-case basis and the decision to open or not will rest with principals.

Around 20,000 homes are still without electricity which is down from a peak of 30,000 yesterday. There were also 10,000 homes without water and 16,000 homes were issued boiled water notices. However, 13,000 of these boil water notices were in place before the storm. Catherine Walsh from Irish Water urged people to conserve water as heavy usage was likely to impact on the system. Ms Walsh confirmed the heave usage was caused by people running their taps to stop their pipes from freezing.

Junior Minister for Defence Paul Kehoe deployed 745 troops and 300 vehicles to assist emergency services in recent days. This included army vehicles acting as ambulances in the worst hit areas.

Local authorities worked with food wholesalers to deliver more than 2m worth of food which would have perished had it remained in depots.

NECG chair Sean Hogan said the snowfall of the last two days had not been seen for a generation. Mr Hogan said the depth of snow in some parts of the country was up to 8ft.

He said people should watch out for snow falling from rooftops and gutters collapsing from the snowfall.

Met Eireanns Evelyn ORourke said temperatures over the coming downs will rise to around 7C. Ms ORourke said cloudy condition and relatively low temperatures will not result in a dramatic thaw.Public transport companies will get the country moving again today - but with limited frequency as the snow continues to cause havoc on Irish roads.

Trains won't run today until 12pm at the earliest, and Irish Rail has warned customers the timetable will be subject to both alterations and delays.

Overnight inspections will take place along tracks.

Significant flooding was evident along the Dart line near Dun Laoghaire - with Irish Rail saying that high tide at 12.30pm today has the potential to lead to further disruption on southside stops.

Spokesman Barry Kenny said that while there was significant flooding along that area, there was no indication of any damage to lines or train stations.

The flooding was confined to the line and did not reach the platforms.

Dublin Bus said that it will also be back up and running this morning.

However, the company says that diversions will be in place.

Monitoring

It added that it will be monitoring the advice of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group to ensure that it is safe enough for the fleet to return to the roads.

Bus Eireann will also be operating from today, but insisted in a statement that it will "not be any kind of full service".

"We anticipate that we may be able to resume a level of services in some parts of the country tomorrow morning, dependent on the local road conditions," yesterday's statement read.

"It is our aim to operate some services on the Expressway inter-city network, and possibly a level of regional city and town services, in less affected areas."

Luas will not operate this morning, with the company saying that a decision will be made at 9am today on whether there will be services for the rest of the day.

Yesterday, snow ploughs were working the tramlines in order to get the Luas moving in the capital again.

Luas said that following the removal of snow from the lines, the trams must then undertake a full test run.

Keep safe and warm, but if you are out in Storm Emma we'd love to see your photos and videos. Send by email to contact@independent.ie or Whatsapp to 0871847169In Kilbraney, Co. Wexford yesterday even tractors found the going tough. Picture: Patrick Browne

Residents of parts of Wexford are being warned to expect 'very high waters' as the county bears the brunt of the aftemath of the extreme weather.

Speaking on RTE 1 Radio, Wexford native and Minister of State at the Departments of An Taoiseach and Defence with Special Responsibility for Defence Paul Kehoe said that people living between Bunclody and Enniscorthy can expect 'very high waters' as the snow melts in the mountains and flows down the River Slaney.

Minister Kehoe said of those living in that area: "All retailers and those who have flooded previously should put flood precautions in place. This is a huge risk of flooding in next 24-36 hours.

"So much snow has fell and it will all come down through Enniscorthy.

"I expect very high waters with a high tide at around 12.30pm tomorrow."

Earlier, Sean Hogan, the chair of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group said that the south east, and especially Wexford, remained deeply affected by the weather.

He too warned of flooding in areas while adding that the county was suffering other issues.

ESB say 9,000 customers remain without power, predominantly in south Wexford. ESB expects 6,000 customers in Wexford to be without power overnight.

Irish Water have 13,000 people without supply. Of those, 5,000 are in the Gorey area alone.

According to The Irish Red Cross the severe snowfall that affected Wexford is the worst since the 1947 snowfall. There were particular challenges faced by the National Ambulance Service in Wexford as a result, mainly due to the severe access restrictions in many parts of the county.

The Irish Red Cross has a four-wheel-drive ambulance based in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and this is one of 20 Irish Red Cross 4x4s which assisted communities and the National Ambulance Service nationwide.

They responded to two emergency calls in the south Wexford area yesterday which were subsequently transported to hospital. One of these was a medical emergency and the other resulted from a fall due to the conditions.

Beyond that, over a period of three days, this ambulance transported a number of patients for dialysis and also undertook the transfer of a patient from Wexford to Waterford University Hospital.

Road conditions, namely snow drifts and access restrictions posed particular challenges for both state and volunteer responders. The Irish Red Cross volunteers faced particular strong challenges in these conditions but completed their volunteer duties in an exemplary manner.

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy too warned that while the country was now in "recovery mode" risks of localised flooding remained.

Meanwhile, the Status Orange snow and ice warning for Munster, Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan has been extended until 12 pm tomorrow.

As Met Eireanns five-day weather warning continues, Ireland can expect more rain, sleet, and even some snow this weekend.

According to the national weather service, freezing temperatures are expected to stay over Ulster, but other areas will rise to between 3 and 6 degrees. Dublin is expected to reach up to 4 or 5 degrees this afternoon and fall to as low as zero tonight.

Outbreaks of rain or sleet are predicted tonight paired with temperatures as low as -2 degrees with moderate winds and some frost.

Tomorrow is predicted to see a gradual rise in temperatures reaching up to 7 degrees, but a few degrees lower on high ground. There will be further outbreaks of rain, particularly in the south and east, creating more snow melt and swapping snow concerns for flood warnings.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned of these expectant floods following last weeks extreme combination , while speaking after todays first meeting of the National Emergency Coordinating Group.

Sunday night is expected to have cold temperatures paired with clear spells, showers and sleet. Temperatures will dip to between -2 and 1 degree with some patches of frost and ice as well as potential mist and fog.

Temperatures should warm up on Monday, reaching between 5 and 8 degrees. Dry, bright spells paired with misty periods and scattered showers are also expected, with a spell of rain hitting Leinster in the afternoon.

Later in the evening, rain, frost and icy patches can be expected along with dropping temperatures hitting between -2 to 2 degrees.

Along with the Status Orange warning for other areas, a Status Yellow snow-ice warning for Connacht and Donegal is in place until 12 pm tomorrow.

The Taoiseach said such severe weather warnings are still in place because he didnt want to lull people into false sense of security, saying people should continue to stay off the roads and only travel to work if they are working for an essential service.Streams and rivers will surge to flood levels due to huge melting snow volumes as warnings were again issued over the threat of tidal flooding from Dundalk and Dublin to Cork and Limerick.

Irish Water Safety (IWS) issued a special warning for people to avoid lakes, streams and rivers - with vast quantities of snow melt likely to create the risk of flash floods in some areas over the coming days.

Emergency services also urged people to stay away from frozen lakes and ponds given the safety threat they pose.

The warning came as tidal flooding again hit Salthill, Clontarf, Sandycove and Dun Laoghaire in Dublin.

Gardai were forced to implement road closures because of the scale of flooding by Queen's Road to Sandycove, while parts of the Clontarf Prom were left under a tidal surge.

Cork city and county remains on high alert for a sea surge from Storm Emma until Monday.

The combination of high spring tides coupled with the sea surge from Storm Emma has posed a tidal flooding threat to low lying parts of the city as well as county towns including Midleton, Youghal, Clonakilty and Bantry.

However, such is the height of the tides that warnings have also been issued for parts of Waterford, Dundalk, Wexford, Wicklow, parts of the Shannon Estuary and Limerick.

Council officials stressed that they are monitoring water levels on an hourly basis.

However, Wicklow-based Social Democrat Jennifer Whitmore warned that the flooding threat should not be underestimated given the high tides, sea surge and potential of major snow melt entering streams and rivers. "There's a real risk that, because the main focus is on the current snow storm, that we fail to prepare for potential flooding risks that could be coming our way," she said.

"Snow melt, combined with powerful spring tides, could see localised flooding in coastal areas of the country including Bray and other low lying parts of Wicklow."

In Cork, two days of high spring tides have passed without major property damage.

Even potential flood disruption to traffic and transport has been avoided thanks to motorists opting not to travel due to the Storm Emma safety warnings.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) warned its advisory notice over high tides will remain in place until Monday evening.

"OPW continues to monitor sea levels and storm surge conditions over the coming days," OPW official Jim Casey said.

"The highest tides will be on Friday and Saturday, especially the first tides."

The OPW official warned that the locations most at risk from tidal flooding include Cork city and county, the Waterford coastline, Dublin Bay, Dundalk, Wexford Harbour and areas of Wicklow. The Shannon Estuary and Limerick could also face flooding.Author Emma Hannigan has died following an 11-year battle with cancer.

The 45-year old mother-of-two recently revealed that she was nearing the end of her long-running battle with the disease. She had fought cancer 10 times and passed away this morning.

After she revealed on her website that her cancer was terminal, she turned her attentions to raising funds for Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI), which backs pioneering research into the disease. She recently revealed that 100,000 had been raised.

"It's never too late to dream big, keep dreaming," she told her followers on Twitter. "Thank you so much, please keep those donations coming in and don't stop until we reach the top," she added.

Thousands of people have been supporting her CURE campaign and have also helped her new book 'Letters to my Daughters' reach the top spot in Ireland, with Dubray Books also donating all profits to BCI.

The inspirational author discovered in 2005 that she was carrying the BRCA 1 cancer gene, which meant an 85 per cent chance of developing breast cancer and a 50 per cent chance of ovarian cancer.

BCI wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of our dear friend Emma Hannigan who lost her battle with cancer earlier today. RIP pic.twitter.com/tlKKR5w2hX  BreastCancerIreland (@BreastCancerIre) March 3, 2018

To reduce her risk to five per cent, she had surgery to remove her breasts, ovaries and fallopian tubes.

In spite of the surgery, she was diagnosed with cancer for the first time in 2007, and her 11-year battle began.

Speaking about her terminal diagnosis in a blog post last month, she said, "Faced with very little time can I tell you what screams out at me? Love.

"Nothing else has much meaning anymore. Just the love I feel for the people I hold dear. My two babies (ok they both tower over me, but I'm still allowed call them my babies) my husband, my parents, my family, my friends and readers."

Tributes have started to pour in for the author. Breast Cancer Ireland, of which she was an ambassador, tweeted, "BCI wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of our dear friend Emma Hannigan who lost her battle with cancer earlier today. RIP".

Broadcaster and friend Maia Dunphy wrote, "The news we never wanted to hear. Even in her last days, @MsEmmaHannigan was still blazing a trail. Her book reached number one and she raised over 100k for @BreastCancerIre . Just extraordinary. Love and thoughts with Cian, Sacha and Kim. We miss her light already. XX"

Emma is survived by her husband Cian and children Sacha and Kim.Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the majority of babies in Ireland were fed formula.

In 1974 for instance, the breastfeeding initiation rate at the Rotunda hospital was 11pc.

But breastfeeding rates in Ireland are now climbing. Last year, 55.4pc of Irish babies were being breastfed at the time of the public health nurse's first visit, which usually takes place within days of the birth.

But Ireland still has the lowest rate for breastfeeding in Europe.

A study published in The Lancet in 2016 found Ireland had the lowest breastfeeding rates of 27 high-income countries.

The World Health Organisation says adolescents who were breastfed as babies are less likely to be overweight or obese. They are less likely to have type-II diabetes and they perform better in intelligent tests, the WHO says.

The Irish government's action plan on breastfeeding wants to increase breastfeeding duration rates by two per cent every year for the next four years.

Part of this strategy is to encourage the provision of supports for women breastfeeding in the workplace.

Internationally, politicians who were also new mothers have been - granted, sometimes inadvertently - raising awareness about breastfeeding in their parliaments.

In 2013, Victorian Labor MP and new mother Kirstie Marshall was asked to leave state parliament because she was breastfeeding her 11-day-old daughter.

A parliamentary rule did not permit "strangers" or unelected members in the house, she was told.

But Ms Marshall said: "I didn't come here to break the rules. Charlotte was due for a feed, so I whacked her on the breast and walked in and sat down. Then an official came and told me there was a room set aside for me to feed her."

Three years later, the Australian Parliament changed its rules to allow mothers to breastfeed in the chamber. Australia has a 90pc initiation rate for exclusive breastfeeding.

Also in 2016, Icelandic politician Unnur Bra Konrasdottir nursed her six-week-old daughter at the podium of the Alingi parliament, while explaining her vote on new immigration legislation.

Here, in Ireland, no one except elected members and officials are allowed inside the chamber. But there is no policy on breastfeeding in the Houses of the Oireachtas, a spokesperson says.

We have no policy on breastfeeding in the chambers as it has never arisen as an issue, but as it stands, only elected members and officials are allowed in the chamber.

There are no maternity or paternity leave entitlements for TDs and Senators in Ireland.

Many Irish female TDs and Senators have called for the rules to be changed.

Speaking to independent.ie, former education minister Jan OSullivan told Independent.ie that breastfeeding should be allowed inside the Dail and Seanad chambers.

Ms OSullivan said: I would be in favour of changing the rules to allow breastfeeding in the chamber.

I will take the opportunity to raise the issue of breast-feeding in the chamber(s) at the meeting of the Women's Parliamentary Caucus.

Social Democrats TD Roisin Shorthall said: For sure, I think breastfeeding should be allowed in the Dail chamber and indeed council chambers around the country.

Actually, we raised it as an issue for council chambers last year This was on foot of some work my colleague Cllr. Jennifer Whitmore was doing in this area.

Jennifer was the first councillor to breastfeed her baby during a county council meeting (Wicklow) in 2016."

We strongly believe that there needs to be a concerted effort to increase rates in Ireland and that its important that it is seen as the norm.

There are breastfeeding facilities in the Oireachtas for members of staff who wish to breastfeed. But breastfeeding in the chambers themselves has not been sanctioned.

Were it to be sanctioned, it would send a clear message to the Irish public, some TDs and Senators feel.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said the government's national maternity strategy should support women in their choice to breastfeed.

National health policy emphasises the importance of supporting mothers who breastfeed as well as taking action to increase breastfeeding rates in Ireland.

The National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026 states that in addition to practical supports which can be provided to mothers, such as support to continue breastfeeding on return to the workplace, a broader societal change is required in order to promote a more positive culture around breastfeeding. This should support women to feel confident about their choice to breastfeed.

In 2014, the journal Maternal and Child Health published a study looking at breastfeeding and maternal depression.

It found that mothers who planned to breastfeed and went on to do so were around 50pc less likely to become depressed than mothers who had not planned to, and who did not, breastfeed.

Senator Catherine Ardagh said Ireland has a long way to go before women feel confident to be able to breastfeed in the chamber.

The Oireachtas needs to become a more women-friendly environment, she says.

I believe all women who have children should get as much support as possible to breastfeed their babies. All of the research shows it benefits the baby and the low figures for women who breastfeed in Ireland has never been tackled on a constant basis. This is a shame. Breastfeeding should be the norm and not a rarity. Ireland has one of the lowest rate in the world.

At least under section four of the Maternity Act there are entitlements laid out to help mothers who return to work and who still want to breastfeed. These entitlements should be promoted more so that women are aware.

Unfortunately women who are elected to the Oireachtas do not have maternity leave and this needs to be corrected. Some colleagues who have had children have come back to work within a month or less and this is not fair. More women should be encouraged to make the choice to breastfeed and employers / workplaces should provide facilities to allow them to continue to do so when they return to work.

The Oireachtas should become more women friendly and it was good to see child care facilities opened in the last few years but we have a long way to go in relation to women to feel confident to be able to breastfeed in the chamber.

She added: I have requested this item be on the agenda at the next Seanad Committee on Procedures and Privileges and this request has been acceded to.

Senator Ivana Bacik, who was pregnant with her second daughter when she was first elected in 2007, says she was happy to use the Oireachtas creche facilities to breastfeed her baby when she returned to work. Having conveniently located breastfeeding facilities was key, she said.

In the Seanad, I am one of very few women for whom [breastfeeding in Parliament] might have been an issue, as I was pregnant with my second daughter when first elected back in 2007 - but I was really pleased then to learn that other women previously elected to the Oireachtas had campaigned for provision of on-site Oireachtas creche facilities, so I was able to use those both for part-time child care and for breastfeeding when my baby was small.

It was great as it meant I could still attend the chamber and participate in certain debates without being too far from my daughter and before I was ready to return to work full-time.

It is really important that provision is made for breastfeeding in workplaces, particularly given the very low rate of breastfeeding in Ireland - women need crucial supports both while on leave and when they return to work, in order to encourage greater take-up.

She added: I think the main thing is to have conveniently located breastfeeding facilities available in workplaces generally

Green party TD Catherine Martin, who breastfed her three children, said politicians are told quite categorically when theyre first elected that they are the only people allowed in the Dail chamber.

I think [breastfeeding in the chamber] should be allowed and Ive written to the ceann comhairle in the Dail, to the Dails committee on procedure and privileges, and the Cathaoirleach in the Seanad, to the Seanads committee on procedure and privileges, to see if they can make the change.

Who wouldnt support this?

Why our statistics are so low for breastfeeding is because they are rooted in cultural choices. If we had this changed in our national parliament, it would be a chance to lead and change the culture and it would be a signal by our national parliament for change.

I breastfed all my three children. The bond is incredible, and the bond is the bonus.

It maybe something we dont think about. But when you become a TD and youre elected, youre given a tour of the building in your first few days, and youre told quite categorically that you are the only person allowed into this chamber.

If you make the decision to breastfeed your child, you should be given the support to do so. Especially moreso now with more women represented.

Kildare Fianna Fail TD Fiona OLouhglin, who believes that some allowance should be made in the chambers for politicians who are breastfeeding, said times are changing in Irish politics.

The issue has not arisen before now possibly because of the lack of women elected - less than 100 hundred in 100 years, Ms OLoughlin told Independent.ie.

I certainly believe that some premise in the chamber should be made for mothers who are breastfeeding, especially around voting when presence is mandatory. I would support any such measures.

Sinn Fein Senator Maire Devine, who breastfed her three children, said she feels a facility for breastfeeding directly outside the Dail and Seanad chambers would be appropriate.

As a mother I would want to be able to have the freedom to do it but whether Id be brave enough to do it on camera is another thing. I breastfed all of my children, I didnt mind sitting in cafes, restaurants and bars, but Im not sure, if specifically knowing you were being filmed I just wouldnt feel comfortable.

For me, the anteroom would be an appropriate area to look at bringing in soft furniture and would accommodate breastfeeding and make women feel comfortable to bring the children in with them.

To breastfeed in front of cameras, I couldnt.

She added: If someone was in this position and wanted to bring the issue forward, I would support them 100pc.

Senator Grace OSullivan is the mother of three daughters, who were all born in the Netherlands, which has an 80 pc initiation rate in breastfeeding.

Traditionally, politics was so heavily male dominated. Now theres a slow increase in the numbers of women in politics, then possibly there will be more demand for women to have the opportunity to bring their baby in to the Oireachtas and go to the creche to feed.

She added: Were not in the chamber that often. Were here three days a week  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and you have notice of when youll be sitting, so I dont know if theres any demand for the current members to bring their babies into the chambers.

But she added: Considering that we do expect to have more women in politics in time, in that case I think itd be great to have this discussion and see can we facilitate the needs of women and see could the Oireachtas be more favourable to women.

Former Tanaiste, Joan Burton, said she is strongly in favour of breastfeeding.

Of course that requires access to nice clean warm facilities for mother and baby, and yes that should be avail generally in the Dail building.

We have a reconstruction going on in the Dail but it should from part of the brief to have those facilities available.

Senator Alice Mary Higgins said Ireland needs more lactation consultants across hospitals and communities to support women breastfeeding and tackle the low national breastfeeding rate.

Beastfeeding is an important issue in many workplaces. You may be aware that currently workplaces are obliged to accommodate breastfeeding for up to six months after birth. However, in most workplaces, although not the Oireachtas, women are entitled to six months of maternity leave which makes the measure somewhat ineffective."

"I strongly support the recommendation from the National Women's Council of Ireland that this be extended to one year in all workplaces as part of an important shift in culture to encourage and support breastfeeding. I also believe that there is a pressing need for more lactation consultants in both our hospitals and communities to support women breastfeeding.The MS Danubia makes its way serenely along the Danube, through the heart of Central Europe

Cruising down the river, on a Sunday afternoon. With one you love, the sun above, waiting for the moon.

When my sister was a baby and devilishly hard to get to sleep, we used to swing her in our arms and croon Cruising Down The River (on a Sunday Afternoon), a 1948 tune by Nell Tollerton and Eily Beadell. Though fast in most versions (even the wonderful Connie Francis cover), we always sang it slow, a loving waltz, lulling her to sleep.

Those lyrics always made me think it must be the loveliest thing on earth to boat down a river. And what more beautiful journey could there be than on the river that inspired one of the most beautiful waltzes - The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss ll.

The magic of arriving into magnificent cities such as Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest in a manner that people have done for centuries, is something to be experienced - especially when it comes to an awe-inspiring beautiful river frontage such as Budapest's.

A significant birthday is an excellent blackmailing tool to be leveraged easily on soft-touch friends. Having set my sights on the Danube Cruise, a full-board, escorted holiday with the Travel Department, I inveigled my best friend to come with me.

The Danube is remarkable. Rising in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany, it joins the waters of the Black Sea, after winding its way through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine.

The ancient Greeks sailed their way into Europe and established trading routes using the Danube. The Romans used it to mark the boundary of their vast empire. The royal family who were at the centre of so many European conflicts of recent centuries, the Habsburgs, came from the lands of the Danube.

Religion's historical importance in European politics is very apparent as you travel the Danube, seeing extraordinary basilicas, such as at Esztergom, and churches prominently presiding over the river.

We squeezed a lot of history and culture into our river cruise. The excellent Travel Department guides were oracles of information and learning as we visited jewels on the Danube such as Vienna in Austria, Bratislava in Slovakia and Budapest in Hungary.

You learn unexpected things on trips like this. Such as a different European viewpoint. Being westerly Europeans, we are unaware that our news is dominated by the agenda of Ireland, the UK, Germany, France and Belgium. But travel south, say to Budapest, and you hear a very different European attitude. One that is about closed borders and self-sufficiency. Despite EU payments to support the opposite. In Bratislava, they seemed to value the progress the EU has brought, if not that they earn a quarter of someone in Ireland.

One learns a lot, too, from shopping in a country. Zara in Vienna was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (and better than what we see), while H&M in Bratislava was nearly half the price. Is that because wages are low (900 per month), I ponder. Everywhere becomes a busman's holiday because I work in fashion journalism and love learning. Everyone else on the cruise enjoyed shopping simply for shopping's sake.

In Vienna, where our cruise kicked off, every street screams 'Former Great Imperial Power' (my title) just from the sheer size of the buildings. The diversity of stores and elegance of their fronts was staggering. There's no Sunday trading which means the city is peaceful (and staff get proper rest and family life). Dogs are everywhere - supermarkets, restaurants - without all the brouhaha that goes on in Ireland.

Food was good quality, nourishing and value for money (except in the museums). Chocolate is a national passion. There were salad bars, pan-Asian places and so on. I recommend visiting the Naschmarkt (open weekdays only), a 19th century market with great restaurants and cafes also.

Part of our Travel Department itinerary was a guided tour of Schonbrunn Palace, the vast home of the Empress Maria Theresa whose children included Marie Antoinette. If you ever wondered at Vienna's place in European history, as a former superpower (and why Adolf Hitler was convinced of his authority), this place will set you clear.

The number of palaces and museums in Vienna is truly staggering. Which is why sojourning to great tea-room-like restaurants such as that in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, is a must. Chocolate and coffee are essential to build up one's strength before museum-ing.

Next day, it was on to Bratislava. The Travel Department gave us a fantastic guide in Juraj Berdis, who has a PhD in urban development but preferred guiding ("less bureaucracy"). He was the wittiest guy and had us laughing our heads off (while simultaneously educating us) as he walked us around Bratislava for several hours. Passing a tourist shop with a tacky window display, he murmured: "There is nothing that says Bratislava more than an African cat." We didn't want our tour with him to end.

Bratislava was one of the first cities to be conquered by the Soviet Union. In the squares around the Opera House (built in 1886), there are still some Italian-like piazzas and beautiful soft-hued buildings with Rococo features and medieval streets. So you can get a glimpse of the beauty that must once have been this country's, before the Soviets.

Today, Russians are back, this time as rich men, building ultra-modern architecture mansions with intense security systems. Within kilometres of the Austrian border.

The Irish were building here, too. Eurovea Galleria, the shopping centre I found H&M in, was built on the banks of the Danube by Ballymore Industries.

For all that it was under communist rule, there is still a lightness to the city we found appealing. The short train trip from Bratislava to Vienna is valuable to know about, especially if you are an opera lover; the same performers in Vienna come to Bratislava, where opera is massively subsidised by the state (the Soviets were great about valuing and supporting the arts). You will pay 35 for the most expensive ticket in Bratislava whereas in Vienna a regular price is 150.

Of all the cities we visited, Budapest's river approach was extraordinarily impressive. It is the one you will see featured on river cruise brochures. At night the view is like something out of Disneyland. The palaces, the cathedrals, the boulevards that line the river were all created to highlight the (former) power and place, wealth and taste, of this city. It is decayed elegance.

River cruises are holidays that are about amazing, historical cities that one gets to visit without the soul-destroying stresses of airports. They are, for all the sightseeing one does, relaxing and sociable.

If you have never done a cruise holiday, there are a few things to know. Meals are generally a communal affair; one tends to share a table with fellow travellers. Think Agatha Christie novels set on trains and boats and you get the idea. (And yes, everyone you meet is as fascinating.)

Cruise holidays are ideal if you are a solo traveller (or have nothing left to say to each other). I met a livestock farmer who rarely gets to leave his farm and has found cruises to be the perfect solution to forget his cares and meet friendly people. I agree.

River cruising is for people who are active, who love to get out and about and appreciate culture, be it historical, artistic, or cafe society in a different city.

They have the added bonus of you being able to sit on the deck and effortlessly enjoy the landscapes of Europe. Quaffing something nice... cruising down the river...Aer Lingus has cancelled more than 50 flights from Dublin Airport today. Photo: Twitter/ShannonAirport

Dublin Airport has resumed flight operations this morning - however there will be continued knock-on disruption from Storm Emma.

Aer Lingus has cancelled more than 50 flights from Dublin Airport for Saturday.

The airline had planned for a return to full operations after suspending all flights Friday, but has now cancelled over 50 flights this morning.

"Our Dublin short-haul flight schedule on Saturday will be disrupted with early morning flights cancelled and most operations not commencing until after 10am," it says.

Ryanair said they currently plan to return to operations at all Irish airports, but they do expect further disruptions.

A spokesperson said; "Ryanair currently plans to return to operations at all Irish airports on Saturday, 3rd March while remaining in close contact with the airports and the emergency authorities. We recommend customers check the status of their flight at Ryanair.com before making their way to the airport.

"Based on the latest weather warnings in place for Ireland until Saturday morning, Ryanair expects some further disruptions tomorrow morning and has had to cancel a number of flights to/from Dublin airport.

"All affected customers have already been notified of their options by email and SMS text message and should avoid traveling to the airport.

"Affected passengers will be informed by SMS and email, but anyone flying should check the status of their service before leaving for the airport."Dr Wilberforce Kisamba Mugerwa yesterday assumed office as the new board chairman of the Microfinance Support Centre.

For the next three years, Mugerwa will work with four other members: Mayanja Gonzaga (Local Government), Ruth Musoke Biyinzika (Private Sector Foundation Uganda), Juma Walusimbi, and Robert Bariyo Barigye (assistant commissioner of Cooperative Development at the ministry of Trade and Cooperatives).

L-R Kisamba Mugerwa, state minister for Microfinance Haruna Kosolo and outgoing board chairperson Justine Byagenda

The new team was unveiled by the state minister for Microfinance, Huruna Kasolo, who urged the new team to utilize their wealth of experience to help spur development and financial inclusion.

Justine Byagenda, the outgoing board chairperson, asked the incoming team to take on from the five-year strategic plan initiated by her team in 2014.

The pillars have guided the board to ensure that MSC delivers its mission of being the lead provider of affordable microfinance in Uganda, she said.

Under our stewardship at MSC, the clientele grew from 828 in 2010 to 1,974 in 2017. The loan portfolio also grew.

Figures from the organization show that the MSCs loan portfolio stood at 67 billion in 2017, up from 34 billion in 2010. Through MSC, Uganda received a loan of $10 million from the Islamic Development Bank to support Islamic finance products, especially in the area of agriculture.

Byagenda said MSC has so far funded 39 projects worth Shs 14 billion; MSC is the only government institution that is providing financing using the Islamic financing model.

Budgetary challenges

One of the challenges faced by the previous board was inadequate funds and new board members feel there is need to recapitalize.

MSC needs a strong capital base to be effective and efficient in service delivery and remain a competitive player in the financial sector, said Mugerwa.

However, Kasolo said government will recapitalize MSC in the next financial year as requested by the board members.

We understand the relevancy of MSC, and I can confirm that government will be injecting Shs 50 billion; so, we want more people to organize into cooperatives and Saccos and get this money to improve their incomes, he said.

justuslyatuu08@gmail.comLittle Italy is famous for its restaurants and festivals

There's a line from the immortal movie Beaches in which Bette Midler's character says of her hometown, New York, "Do you remember when we said we wouldn't be caught dead above 14th Street?"

When I first saw the film as a child, I had no idea what she was talking about. But when I rewatched it recently, I absolutely got what she meant.

After a dozen visits and trips to every neighbourhood on the island of Manhattan, I can safely say that, to me, the very best of New York exists below 14th Street.

When most people head to The Big Apple for the first time, they stay in the cosy environs of Midtown. It's there that the bright lights of Broadway shine, and where the high-rise buildings, billboards and buzz live. And I absolutely get that. Everyone should visit Time Square and soak it all in at least once in their lives. But when you've been to NYC a few times, it can start to feel old. And not only that, it's criminal not to explore outside of the tourist bubble in a city of such diversity.

Below 14th Street is where many New Yorkers live, alongside the students of New York University. As with the rest of the city, it's a melting pot of cultures living side by side.

The big divider is Union Square, a transportation hub complete with a park and regular farmers' market, as well as the requisite superstores, bars and restaurants. It's here you'll often connect on the subway if heading uptown to the theatre or Central Park.

Much like the rest of New York, there's an area of downtown to suit every taste and budget - all it takes is a little information to make the best decision as to which neighbourhood would suit you.

Here are a few tips!

Greenwich Village

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The area below Union Square is referred to as the Village, but it's really the spots surrounding Washington Square Park that encapsulate Greenwich to the west and the East Village. You might remember the famous arch from When Harry Met Sally, and the park itself is a hang-out for dog lovers, students of NYU and tourists alike.

Greenwich Village is an affluent residential area with a hipster edge. Everything downtown is on a smaller scale to the excesses of Midtown, and Greenwich is crammed with independent shops, restaurants, bars and hotels. It's picturesque and pretty, and the setting for the sitcom Friends. It's also littered with traditional New York brownstone buildings, many divided into high-end apartments, others the private residences of the rich and famous.

The East Village is a little more beatnik and rough around the edges, but equally charming. Both areas have become chintzier in recent decades, and they're popular with those interested in the Sex and the City side of New York.

To me, this is the best Lower Manhattan neighbourhood to dip your toe into when first venturing outside of more touristy areas.

Stay: The Walker Hotel (walkerhotel.com), a gorgeous Art Deco-style boutique hotel in a great location just off 6th Avenue. Rooms from 269 per night.

Eat: Meatball Obsession (meatballobsession.com), a little hole in the wall where you can buy (you guessed it) meatballs in a cup smothered in sauce.

Don't Miss: Washington Square Park and its famous arch.

Tribeca

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The name comes from its location, the Triangle Below Canal Street, and it's relatively recently gentrified. That said, it's still affluent and expensive, and achingly hip.

Stay: The Roxy (roxyhotelnyc.com), formerly the Tribeca Grand. It's in a fantastic location and the design is incredible.

Eat: Brekkie at Bubby's (bubbys.com), where you can get good southern grits as well as classic staples.

Don't Miss: Tribeca Tavern, a cute little pub with a good atmosphere. It's pretty old-school, and doesn't have a website.

Little Italy and Chinatown

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Walk south in SoHo and you'll come to NoLita (North of Little Italy), a charming and less posh version of SoHo with independent boutiques and restaurants on a smaller scale. Keep walking south, and you'll encounter Little Italy itself; these days, it's mostly a tourist trap filled with overpriced restaurants and souvenirs, but in the early 20th century, the area was chock-a-block with immigrants from the boot.

Next to Little Italy, in the blocks surrounding Canal Street to the Bowery, you'll encounter Chinatown, a far more authentic experience than its neighbour; thousands of first generation Chinese immigrants live and work in the area, and apart from a couple of the more famous stretches, it's no more touristy than Dublin's Moore Street.

Stay: Sohotel (thesohotel.com). Don't let the name fool you, it's practically in Chinatown, but on a quieter stretch.

Eat: Joe's Shanghai (joesshanghairestaurants.com), but be warned - there will be a queue.

Don't Miss: The Nom Wah Tea Parlour for dim sum (nomwah.com), Whiskey Tavern for drinks (whiskeytavernnyc.com).

SoHo

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Affluent, glitzy and glamorous, the area 'South of Houston Street', also known as SoHo, is where the fashion and art set meet. It's a pretty area; full of cobbled streets with white buildings (old converted warehouses) and decorative fire escapes, high-end boutiques and lots of bars and restaurants.

Stay: Hotel East Houston (hoteleasthouston.com) is a pocket-friendly option - you can get a room for as little as 110 a night. It's small but perfectly formed and in a great location near Katz's Deli (where Meg Ryan faked it in When Harry Met Sally).

Eat: Schillers (schillersny.com), a nice little steakhouse with incredible French fries and strong cocktails.

Don't Miss: A stroll down Broadway; it has all the same shops as Midtown, but is far less manic.

The Meatpacking District

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As you might have realised, the names of New York neighbourhoods are quite on the nose. This is literally the area where meat is/was packed, and you'll notice the trucks dropping off and picking up in the wee hours if you're leaving a bar or going for an early morning stroll. It has recently become incredibly chic (and quite overpriced), but still a gorgeous area of low-rise buildings, wide avenues and views of the southern tip of the island.

Stay: The Standard High Line, a popular design hotel perched atop the former railway track turned park. Go for a drink in the rooftop bar at sunset - it's pricey, but the views of Lower Manhattan are second to none. standardhotels.com

Eat: Catch (catchrestaurants.com), a very trendy fish restaurant.

Don't Miss: The High Line itself (thehighline.org). Walk along as much of it as you can - it offers a lovely view of the city below.

Lower East Side

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Low-rise and pretty, the LES used to have quite a dodgy reputation, but it's possibly the hippest neighbourhood there is these days and full of bars and restaurants. Think of it as SoHo's slightly less upmarket neighbour, but with buckets of charm.

Stay: Sixty LES, a cool, chic hotel with rooms from about 175 a night. sixtyhotels.com

Eat: Beauty and Essex (beautyandessex.com), a very trendy establishment you enter through a pawn shop. Go for brunch (and order the Caesar Toast) or for dinner (there's a free champagne bar in the ladies' loo), but go hungry and order as much as you can. This restaurant is quite simply fantastic.

Don't Miss: Economy Candy (economycandy.com), an incredible old-fashioned sweet shop that has everything you can think of.

The Financial District

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This encapsulates pretty much everything below Tribeca, right down to the tip of Battery Park. It's where the buildings rise up once again, where the Freedom Tower sits at One World Trade Centre Plaza (complete with its 9/11 memorial), and where greed is good on Wall Street. This is the beating heart of New York's economy, and not exactly tourist-friendly; many of the hotels down this far are business rather than tourist-oriented.

Stay: Club Quarters Wall Street (clubquartershotels.com), it's cosy and in a fantastic spot.

Eat: Blue Ribbon Federal Grill (blueribbonrestaurants.com), the newly opened sister restaurant to the original well-loved Blue Ribbon in the Village. The menu is slightly old-school and eclectic; steak and fish are the specialties.

Don't Miss: The 9/11 museum (911memorial.org). Queues can be long, but worth it.

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NYC by boat

The best way to see the southern tip of the island? By boat. But not just any boat - a lovely, warm one where you can sit and eat and be entertained.

We took a Bateaux New York dinner cruise from Chelsea Piers, and sailed the Hudson and the East River marvelling at the skyline from the comfort of our table (and eating delicious food). The boat goes right out to the Statue of Liberty. See bateauxnewyork.com.

For more ideas, including shopping, dining, tours, museums, sightseeing, green spaces and more, see nycgo.comOn Saturday night I headed for the Ballymascanlon Hotel where the Oriel Harriers were hosting their annual Hunt Ball and a huge crowd had turned out specially for the occasion.

I was only in the door when I met up with Honorary Master Michael and Lucy Bishop from Kilcurry who told me it was going to be a good lively night, always.

Not to long later I then got a word with Jo Reilly from Dromiskin who told me she was with Anthony Murphy from Belleks, Paul and Linda Nulty from Dromiskin, Stephen Nulty and Leona Morrissey both from Castlebellingham and Dale Lockhart from Armagh who are all friends of the hunters and assured me they were going to have a totally mad night for sure.

Next I got talking to hunter Leona Dougan from Killowen and Cathal McCann from Lislea who was just there as eye candy but assured me it was going to be an epic night for sure.

I then had the pleasure of talking to three ladies who were looking exceptionally well and they were Aileen McDade, Keeva Farron and Molly Foster all from Newry who told me they all hunt and wouldn't have missed this night for anything.

Not too long later I got a word with Peter Callan the good looking chairman of the Oriel's from Meigh who was with is wife Brenda Fearon who were both looking well and told me this always turns out to be a major night and they were really looking forward to it with all their friends.

Just arrived in the door were Matt, Rachel and Anna Harvey from Park Villas who were looking well and told me this was definitely going to be a late one.

After this I then got talking to Bernard McMahon from Castleblaney who was with Darina Kelly from Carlow, Nadine McGuirk and Barry Murphy both from Crossmaglen, Caroline and Eamonn McGuirk from Lower Point Road who told me they were all gonna have a ball.

Heading for another table I met up with Tommy and Aedamar McGrane from Cooley and Adrian Martin from Rostrevor who told me that Tommy and Adrian are hunters. When I asked if it was going to be a good night the lads replied 'come back after 12 and see how we're getting on then!'

Making my way over to another table I had the pleasure of speaking to Anna Harvey from Park Villas and Molly Gogarty from Haggardstown who are both hunters and assured me the night was going to be an epic one.

Next I had the pleasure of meeting up with sisters Lisa Murphy from Blackrock and Helen O'Dowda from Ravensdale. Lisa remembered me taking her name at a Debs many, many, many years ago. The ladies told me they were on a G.N.O. but said they didn't need a reason to get all dressed up and looking lovely because it was actually a Sisters Night Out!

Looking sharp and up for a good night were Benny and Gwem Malocca from Maloccas in Stapleton Place who told me they were with hunters John and Deirdre Kerr from Mount Avenue and were going to have a wild and crazy night with Michael and Lisa Bellew from Bellewsbridge.

I spent about five minutes trying to get a word with Conor Kenny from Castlebellingham, I didn't see Siobhan, but it didn't matter Conor was too busy talking to Matt Harvey, so I just gave up!

So, I headed over for a quick word with Cathy Lee from Dromintee who told me she had brought husband Brendan to the bash and were going to have a good night.

Just arrived in the door were Patricia and Eamonn Toner from Oaktree Stables in Ravensdale who told me they are great supporters of the Oriels and said their hunt ball was always an excellent night.

Next I got a word with Stephen and Niamh Hoey from Armagh Road who were just in and ready for a major night of fun.

Making sure they got their best side when it came to selfies were Tara Cummins from Dublin Road and Cecilia Sherry from Cullyhanna who was armed with the phone doing all the damage and said they were sure it was going to be a massive night.

Finally, before I departed I met up with Danny and Geraldine McIntyre from Greenfield Court who were looking sensational and were there to show everyone how to party!Louth Rose, Aoife Heffron, back row on right with other Roses and Escorts who travelled to Chernobyl

Louth Rose, Aoife Heffron, with one of the young children she met while there

It was an 'emotional, life changing trip' for Louth Rose Aoife Heffron as she joined volunteers at the Chernobyl Children International orphanage last week.

Aoife travelled with Rose of Tralee, Jennifer Byrne and a 26 other Roses from around the country to Belarus as part of a volunteering mission caring for the children in Vesnova Children's Mental Asylum.

Speaking to the Argus since she returned home from the emotional visit, Aoife explained that the orphanage is home to young children, many born with severe and complex deformities and illnesses.

'It was an incredible experience to be honest. We were all a little apprehensive heading out, but as soon as we arrived we just got stuck in meeting the children, playing with them, providing much needed human contact and giving plenty of hugs.'

The roses mission was to provide one to one attention to the children who are left very much alone all day with feeding and nappy changes often being the only attention they get on a day to day basis.

Aoife admitted that although they came across 'some harrowing scenes' they were delighted to bring an air of happiness to many of the children and their visit had many of the units in the orphanage buzzing with excitement.

While there, the roses were also shown some of the projects that Adi Roche is responsible for such as 'Homes of Hope' where healthier children are fostered to a loving family instead of being admitted to orphanages or other institutions.

The Irish charity also runs community care programs where, through which they manage to assist parents to look after their own sick children at home without the necessity to give them up to an institution.

'I really was filled with a sense of pride during my time in the orphanage, pride that I was Irish, and all of the help that had come from the people of Ireland for these children.'

She admitted to developing close bonds with a number of individual children, bonds which 'made it incredibly difficult to leave.'

'The trip to Belarus has been a life changing experience and incredibly emotional. It was heartbreaking to leave. I can't help thinking about the children, and if they had anyone to life them out of their cot today and cuddle them.'

I am planning to go back as soon as I can,' said Aoife. 'It has absolutely been the highlight of my time as Louth Rose.'

'I'd really emphasise to anyone who is thinking of going for the Rose of Tralee this year to do it, as this experience alone will make all of it worthwhile.'Louth's five branch libraries in Dundalk, Carlingford, Ardee, Dunleer and Drogheda are taking part in the 'Healthy Ireland at your Library' Department of Health led initiative

The initiative aims at ensuring that everyone in the county can access support and information; enabling people make healthy choices for a healthier lifestyle at every life stage.

It was launched locally by the Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, Cllr Colm Markey, earlier in the month, in conjunction with a health and well being event. Over 170 people attended to hear a talk by Dr Harry Barry, G.P., cognitive therapist and author, on 'Anxiety and Panic'.

Louth Libraries have a full schedule of events for Healthy Ireland, some of which have already taken place to great public response. Events for adults and children include talks on physical and mental health, pharmacist and physiotherapist talks, mindfulness sessions, food and nutrition information events, and art and music therapy - and there are lots more to come.

There is also a new collection of health related books and electronic resources to supplement the existing range of health titles. The Healthy Ireland collection is approved and validated by professionals who are the best in their field.

The public are urged to visit their local library and see what is on offer. Membership is free to all and all events and services are free of charge.The Japanese Ambassador to Ireland has thanked the people of Dundalk for the outpouring of sympathy following the tragic murder of Yosuke Sasaki last month.

In a written reply to the chairman of Louth County Council, Colm Markey, Ambassador Mari Miyoshi said 'I am truly grateful for your recent letter and book of condolence from the people of County Louth expressing sympathy on the recent death of the Japansese national Mr. Yosuke Sasaki in Dundalk.'

'It was indeed a tragic incident. Although deeply saddened by his death Mr. Sasaki's family is very aware of how much he loved Dundalk and the people he knew during his stay there,' said Ambassador Miyoshi.

'I will ensure that your message, and the book of condolence is forwarded to Mr. Sasaki's family.'

He added: 'I sincerely hope that this kind of incident will never happen again in Ireland, and that Japan-Ireland relations will remain strong at this difficult time.'

Yosuke Sasaki had only been living in Dundalk for a number of months, after he took up employment with National Pen.

He was stabbed to death while walking along the Avenue Road just before 9am on January 3rd. He was one of three young men attacked during a series of incidents across the town that morning. The two other victims have been recovering from their injuries.

The response from the people of Dundalk saw a vigil attended by around 1,500 mourners in the days following the tragic death of the Japanese national.

An 18 year old Egyptian native, Mohamed Morei is currently in custody, charged with the murder.

The accused was remanded in custody after a hearing at Cloverhill District Court last Thursday.

Morei didn't appear before the court as he is being treated in the Central Mental Hospital.

The next hearing is scheduled for March 8 next.Traders are concerned about the plans for the redevelopment of Bridge Street and Church Street

Church Street is set to lose 60 per cent of its parking spaces, according to a submission by traders and residents of Bridge Street, Church Street and Linenhall Street to Louth County Council regarding the proposed upgrade of the town's main streets north of The Square.

'Church Street embodies what planners, councillors and those in support of successful town centres love: a vibrant neighbourhood of local independent traders, which the people of the town depend on for their local produce and services,' says Sarah McKenna, a ceramic artist from Bridge Street Studios.

She points out that while the proposed design acknowledges the reduction of parking in the scheme, which is calculated at 12 per cent, Church Street is set to lose 60 per cent.

'The reduction of spaces in Church Street is from the current 25 parking spaces to just nine parking spaces - a reduction of approx 60 per cent with no provision for alternative parking to replace the vital spaces removed from the area,' she states.

It's critical, she argues, 'to bear in mind is that the life of neighbouring weaker streets (Bridge Street, Patrick Street, Linenhall Street) rely upon the success of Church St. Where Church Street struggles, the neighbouring streets will flounder.'

As stakeholders in the proposed development the group say they want to engage constructively with the council and look forward to the evolution of the proposal. They have taken advice from independent qualified engineers and have consulted with residents along the main routes to the planned redevelopment including Castletown Road as far as Fatima, Wolfe Tone Terrace, St Nicholas St, The Laurels and surrounding area.

'We have been advised of the financial constraints pertaining to the delivery of this proposed development and that the project may not be completed in its entirety,' continues Sarah.

'We remain firmly of the view that Bridge Street is arguably the most in-need of all streets included in the proposed works. Bridge Street is a key entrance point into Dundalk as it is directly linked to the M1 motorway via Castletown Road. Also an important thoroughfare, Linenhall Street is relied upon by pupils, traders, residents, service providers, church-goers. Moreover, it is the gateway into Dundalk Town Centre and the access point for a massive cohort of town users, from not only the local environs, but also Northern Ireland.'

The traders believe if implemented in its entirety with some amendments, the proposals will deliver a much improved environment. The Authority's initial funding application was from Square to Bridge and completing anything less than this would be a neglect of the Authority's responsibility to Dundalk Town Centre, and its traders and residents.

'We consider it crucial that we take an 'all or nothing' approach to this proposal: deliver a solution that is delivered 'Square to Bridge', with the aim of these works being to sustain our town centre - to the betterment of everyone.' concludes Sarah.In a post-Brexit era, business owners in the north-east say it is imperative there will continue to be free movement of people.

Last December, the UK made a commitment to avoid a hard border. However, British ministers still intend that the UK will leave the EU customs union - something which seems incongruous with a soft or non-existent border.

"Carlingford is to northerners what Wexford is to Dubs. They have a real affinity for this area," said Des Goldrick of the Carlingford Brewing Company, adding that many businesses on the Cooley Peninsula are dependent on northern visitors.

"It may sound obvious, but for businesses to continue to grow and be successful, it has to be easy for customers to get to us; if it's not, they'll go somewhere else," he said.

"We have a great product here - and by here, I mean Carlingford. This is a great place to visit, it has so much potential, but people from the North need to be able to get here just as easily as they'd get to Portrush or Portstewart."

As well as the Carlingford Brewing Company, Goldrick recently renovated a 14th century mill as a venue which is now available for weddings and corporate hire.

"Seventy percent of our bookings come from the North. That shows how important northern business is to Carlingford," he said.

"In terms of Brexit concerns - tariffs, regulations, taxation, currency - there is help from Enterprise Ireland and LEOs, but for me, in the hospitality business, if my customers struggle to get to me, I won't have a business, and the other concerns don't really matter."

Hotelier Francis Carroll agrees. He said a hotel needs functions, specifically weddings, to survive.

"With the uncertainty around Brexit and the weakening of sterling, it makes it more difficult for us to market weddings in our hotels in the North, because we cannot be 100pc certain what we're selling to people."

Free movement is not just important to attract visitors. Many people cross over and back the border on a daily basis. For anyone living in Monaghan, the quickest way to get to Dundalk is through the North. Both Carroll and Paddy Malone agree their employees need certainty of movement.

"One of the girls in the office lives in Monaghan, and it's 40 to 45 minutes to Dundalk, crossing into the North and back again. She finishes work at 5pm and needs to collect the children from the creche by 6pm. She needs to know she will be able to pick those children up on time," said Malone.

"She, and many more like her, need to know that day in, day out, they will be able to cross over and back the border without any hassle or delay," he added.

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteLouth has a 'very strong foothold' in the new National Development Plan 'Project Ireland 2040' councillors heard at their monthly meeting.

Council CEO Joan Martin told members that it was a 'great day for Louth' as the cross border corridor between Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry had been identified in the regional spatial and economic strategy.

'I am absolutely delighted,' said Ms. Martin.

'It is acknowledged that the key economic driver of the north east border area is the Dublin-Belfast area.'

She added that the plan advocated the 'strengthening of Ireland's overall urban structure and cross border networks with a focus including Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry with the Dublin Belfast corridor.

'In this regard it will be necessary to prepare co-ordinated strategies for Drogheda and Dundalk at regional and town level to ensure their sustainable development as investment locations.'

She added that the Narrow Water Bridge Project was also specifically mentioned in the plan.

Cllr. Peter Savage asked about progress on the proposed Dundalk to Sligo western link.

Ms. Martin confirmed that it had not been included in Project Ireland 2040.

She admitted that 'travelling West from Dundalk is very difficult I have to admit.'

Councillors heard that funding for the link was not available, but that there was a possibility of a 'piece meal' approach where the road would be upgraded in parts.

Cllr. Maria Doyle welcomed Dundalk's position within the Dublin-Belfast corridor.

She proposed that Louth County Council consider a similar partnership to that of Derry and Donegal.

The CEO said it was her understanding that this partnership was modelled on the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which exists between Louth and Newry and Mourne Councils.

Cllr. Doyle added that she would like to see Louth 'take more ownership of this given the impact Brexit will have on the future.'

Cllr. Edel Corrigan called on those who are members of the MOU to attend meetings.

She said there was 'very poor attendance, particularly from those on Louth County Council.'

Cllr.Antoin Watters welcomed the inclusion of the Narrow Water Bridge project, appealing for not 'to be left on the shelf.'

Cllr. Tommy Byrne added that the plan 'looks good on paper, but we need to follow it up with meaningful proposals.

He highlighted two areas in Drogheda, Westgate and the Northern Cross route, where action was needed.

Cllr. Mark Dearey welcomed the national spatial planning, adding that high speed rail links were essential for the cross border corridor.

Cllr. John McGahon noted that there were just eight daily journeys on the Dublin-Belfast rail line, compared to 49 each day between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

He added that at present commuters are fighting for space on the early morning trains arriving into Dundalk.

Joan Martin explained that Louth County Council have just become involved in a 'pre feasibility study' of high speed rail, which she hoped would be completed by the summer.

She acknowledged issues raised about area's in Drogheda, and Ardee, but told councillors that it was not possible to include everything in the submission Louth County Council had made.

Cllr. Tomas Sharkey asked if the plan made way 'for all the schools that will be needed?'

'We also have to think where are all the plans for the new houses in County Louth, and where are the plans for the services and facilities needed before those houses are built.'

Chairman, Cllr. Colm Markey added his welcome for the cross border corridor being featured in Project Ireland 2040.

He agreed that a high speed rail was 'essential.'

'This plan is good news, but we have to keep the pressure on.'Former Bubulo West member of parliament Tony Kipoi Nsubuga has been taken to Nalufenya police detention facility in Jinja district just hours after being extradited from Botswana.



Kipoi was arrested in Botswana in January this year for allegedly posing as a witch doctor and conning millions out unsuspecting Botswanans. The plane carrying Kipoi touched down at Entebbe International Airport today at about 11am.

Former MP Tony Kipoi Nsubuga (2nd L) was deported from Botswana today. Photo: @capitalfmUganda

Dressed in a checked shirt, blue pair of jeans and maroon shoes, the 39-year-old former legislator emerged with both hands and legs in chains. He was led out of the plane by masculine Botswanan operatives wearing black shades.



With Kipoi, and also in chains, was another man identified as Robert Kitale, believed to be his personal assistant.

The two were escorted by operatives from Uganda's External Security Organisation (ESO) and Botswanan security operatives on a chartered plane.

From Entebbe, the two were driven to Mbuya Military Barracks at around 11:30am, interrogated for hours before being handed over to police. They were handed over to Military Police by the Director General ESO, Joseph Ochwet.

According to police spokesperson Emilian Kayima, Kipoi will be in police custody while he awaits to appear before the General Court Martial.



"Court granted him bail, he jumped bail, fled the country and has been a wanted person since then. Currently, he is on the way to Nalufenya awaiting arrangements to take him back to court," Kayima said.



In 2013, Kipoi and other Ugandans including police officers and soldiers were charged before Nakawa Chief Magistrate's court on charges of treason.

He is alleged to have been recruiting people in both Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to overthrow government. He is also alleged to have been a financier for the Allied Democratic Front (ADF) rebel group.



Apart from the treason charge, Kipoi is also wanted for a case of human trafficking at Bukedea police station under CRB 393/2013 among other cases. The treason case at Nakawa Magistrate's court was in 2014 transferred to the General Court Martial where all the other co-accused are still undergoing trial.

Government spokesperson also executive director of Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo had earlier tweeted; saying the extradition followed negotiations by ESO and the Botswanan government.



According to the Botswanan media reports, Kipoi allegedly conned people out of more than 290,000 Botswana Pula, approximately Shs 113 million by posing as a traditional doctor.



Kipoi declined to make a comment about his arrest and repatriation saying he was tired and not in good health.



"I don't want to talk. I am tired and not feeling well," he said.



However, Kitale denied having any association with Kipoi.



"I was arrested because I had overstayed in Botswana. I know Kipoi but I was not involved in his things," Kitale said as he was being led to the Military Police vehicle.



Kipoi, then serving as a member of parliament for Bubulo West, escaped from Uganda in 2013 after he was granted bail on charges of treason.



A year later, he was reported to have been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for alleged car theft but he went on social media to refute the claims saying he had never been arrested and was a free man.



Attempts by government and DRC to negotiate his arrest and repatriation were all futile. Kipoi was next heard of when he was arrested in Botswana a month ago.



Kipoi and Kitale appeared at the Broadhurst court in the Botswana's capital, Gaborone, and were charged with four counts of obtaining money by false pretence.



Prosecution alleged that they went around the city masquerading as witch doctors and defrauded four female victims of more than 290,000 Pula, between May 2017 and January 2018. They allegedly claimed they could make their victims money 'multiply' if kept in specially supplied wallets.



Removal from parliament



On February 18, 2014, parliament adopted recommendations from the Rules, Privileges and Discipline committee to kick Kipoi out of the House. This followed investigations by the committee that found the MP guilty of missing 15 consecutive sittings without authorisation from the Office of the Speaker.



Fox Odoi, who was the chairperson of the Rules committee at the time, cited Article 83(1) (d) of the Constitution of Uganda and Rule 101 (10) of the Rules of Procedure.



Article 83 (1) (d) of the Constitution makes it mandatory for a member of parliament to vacate his or her seat in Parliament if the member is absent from fifteen sittings of parliament without permission in writing of the speaker.



Kipoi had only attended seven out of the 103 sittings of the second session of parliament and had attended none of the 57 sittings of the 3rd session by the time he was removed.Firms in the north-east are searching for new markets in a time of uncertainty as Brexit looms, writes Eimear Cotter.

"It's stressful not knowing how Brexit and any border restrictions will impact on the business and then, of course, there's the pressure in trying to find new markets."

So, says Des Goldrick, the owner of the Carlingford Brewing Company. He believes that small businesses such as his, which is exposed to Brexit, urgently need help in finding new markets.

"To be honest, I think SMEs need everything to calm down for a while, so we can get our heads around what is, and could happen, with Brexit", he said.

The cross-border trade market is worth 3.1bn annually and is the first export market for 74pc of Irish business. One of the targeted aims of Project Ireland 2040 is to diversify trade from the UK to new markets.

"I think I've a great business here, and it's proved to be very popular with northern stag and hen parties, as well as corporate work groups", said Goldrick, "But I need help to market my business in France, Belgium or Germany. On a practical level, I don't think I'd even know where to start."

Francis Carroll, the owner of the Four Seasons Hotels in Carlingford and Monaghan and the Imperial Hotel in Dundalk, also believes that better marketing of the north-east is vital to combat the fallout from Brexit.

"It's all about the Wild Atlantic Way, and that's great, but we've got the ancient north-east and there needs to be more done to market this region. Think about the great tales of Cuchulainn and the Brown Bull of Cooley, there's so much that could be done to market this area, on a European and international basis," said Carroll.

"It wasn't done before because Dundalk and the border area had a bad name. But people have been working across the border very successfully for the last 15 to 20 years, and suddenly Brexit is bringing the border back, and everything is unclear.

"Any future border restrictions will make the area harder to market, which makes it harder for business, particularly the hotel business", he added.

Thomas McEvoy, head of enterprise at the Louth Local Enterprise Office (LEO), said LEOs are encouraging clients to mobilise now and prepare for Brexit.

He said the objective of Enterprise Ireland and LEOs, in the context of Project Ireland 2040, was to strengthen business for any kind of Brexit.

"Project 2040 recognises the Drogheda, Dundalk Newry corridor as an economic centre of growth and that it has the largest population catchment in the country, outside of Dublin," he said.

"It is hoped that encouraging the growth of this area as an economic centre will help drive the economy along the border and act as a counterweight to Brexit."

McEvoy said the LEOs were focused on helping enterprise to combat Brexit in four specific ways.

"We are helping companies to look at ways they can become more competitive, more innovative, we're helping to develop new markets and looking at finances, and how to mitigate against currency fluctuations," he said.

As a start-up business, Des Goldrick said the Louth LEO had been "absolutely fantastic" to him.

"I don't think I'd be here without Louth LEO, but now, with Brexit, we need someone to go out on behalf of SMEs and map out the places where new opportunities exists. I can sell my business, but in terms of new markets, I need guidance as to where to do it," he said.

For Francis Carroll, he said it was difficult to prepare for Brexit when it was "all up in the air".

"No one knows yet what's happening, and until we know for definite, it's hard to prepare. How can you prepare? Take us, as a hotel group. We provide food, so, for example, chicken: there are clear EU rules and regulations on chicken. Post-Brexit, what will the rules and regulations be for chicken? Will there be a mix of EU and UK rules? Will they be different? Where will we have to get our chicken? We don't know. It's all very vague," he said.

Carroll said the hope was that the major umbrella groups, such as Enterprise Ireland, Failte Ireland, the IDA and others would resolve these issues on an all-Ireland basis so that individuals wouldn't have to.

Paddy Malone, of Malone & Co Chartered Accountants and PRO of Dundalk Chamber of Commerce, has noticed that his clients have been thinking about where they will position themselves post-Brexit.

"Businesses are definitely looking for information and assessing what they need to do, and I'd say that there's an awareness that SMEs may need to keep a foot on both sides of the border," he said.

In that context, the fact Project Ireland 2040 and the National Planning Framework acknowledges the importance of Drogheda, Dundalk and Newry along the Dublin Belfast M1 economic corridor is a "win for business".

"It is hugely significant for us that Dundalk has been mentioned as a headline item in the context of planning for the next 20-plus years," he said.

"It means that this area will be at the front and centre of Government planning and development, and that can only be good for everyone."

As part of Project Ireland 2040, it is proposed that the IDA will actively market the north-east region for opportunities arising from Brexit.

The largest employer in the north-east is the retail industry, which is "massively exposed" to Brexit, said Paddy Malone.

"Ideally, I'd like, as part of Project Ireland 2040, for the IDA to be encouraging manufacturing or pharma companies to come to Dundalk," he said.

It is generally accepted that the hard infrastructure, the roads, sewage and water treatment in the north-east region is well developed.

But Des Goldrick believes the improvement of the mobile phone signal and broadband service in Carlingford is one of the most needed infra-structural improvements in Project 2040.

"The mobile phone signal on the Cooley Peninsula is so patchy," he said. "It's a real priority for business that it is improved. Depending on the strength of the signal, you can be roaming even through you're still in the south."

Project Ireland 2040 specifically states that a key short-term action will be the delivery of the National Broadband Strategy, to deliver fast, secure, high capacity and reliable digital connectivity.

"The sooner the better," he said.

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThere has been a major breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe as a man in his 20s was arrested on Sunday night.

The man, who is reported to be the chief suspect in the murder investigation was arrested outside Wheatfield Prison in Dublin, on Sunday.

He had completed a sentence for road traffic offences and was taken to Dundalk Garda station for questioning.

This is the first arrest in the five year investigation, and is seen as the most significant development in the five-year case.

A garda spokesman confirmed on Sunday that 'As part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Adrian Donohoe at the Lordship Credit Union, Belurgan, Jenkinstown, Dundalk, Co Louth on the 25th January 2013, Gardai from Dundalk have arrested a male in his 20's in connection with the murder.'

'He was arrested in Dublin earlier this evening and is currently being detained at Dundalk Garda station under the provisions of section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 as amended.' He can now be held for questioning for up to seven days, during which time his period of detention must be formally extended; by senior Garda officers for the first 24 hours and a district or circuit court judge thereafter.

It is believed he is being quizzed about his alleged direct involvement in the shooting dead of the father of two in 2013.

The suspect is originally from the border area in Northern Ireland, but is reported to have fled to the US after the murder.

Det Garda Donohoe was killed when he was shot at close range in the car park of the Lordship Credit Union, during a botched robbery. He arrived at the credit union with Det Garda Joe Ryan to provide an armed escort for a staff member depositing a bag of money at a bank night safe.

He got out to question a group of men who were acting suspiciously when one of them fired a shotgun, fatally wounding Det. Garda DonohoeThe children of Bray School Project celebrated Chinese New Year last week with a dragon dance parade at their school.

This is an annual tradition at the school, started with the creation of a very impressive dragon around 30 years ago by artistic pupils.

There are a number of Chinese pupils at the school, who were delighted to mark the occasion with their friends.

Parents Connie McTurk and Mein Lin as well as past-parent Hong Soon Har organised an assembly last Friday to celebrate Chinese New Year.

They taught the children to say 'Happy New Year' in Chinese, and taught them a celebratory song to ring in the year of the dog.

They also provided samples of typical Chinese food for everyone to enjoy.

Each child was presented with a red envelope containing a coin. This ancient Chinese tradition will, it is said, bring luck to the recipient during the coming year.

Then it was time for the dragon to make an entrance.

The tradition is that sixth class pupils lead the parade, carrying the magical creature.

Every class took part, with pupils making lanterns, dragon puppets and decorative fans.

Fifth class followed the dragon, playing badhrans and drums during the parade.

It was a most enjoyable day for the children, teachers, and even the dancing dragon.6,000 and 5,200 in cash was seized during the searches on Wednesday morning

An imitation firearm and imitation ammunition were seized during the operation

The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) swooped on a number of premises in North Wicklow last Wednesday morning seizing cash and imitation firearms.

CAB, assisted by local gardai, the Garda Emergency Response Unit, Garda Region Support Unit and Garda Public Order Units, conducted searches in the Bray and Newtownmountkennedy areas.

A total of five searches were carried out and approximately 6,000 and 5,200 cash, an imitation firearm, imitation ammunition, and a TV were seized.

Documents and mobile phones/devices are also being examined. A freezing order has been made in respect of approximately 144,000 in a bank account.

No arrests were made.

A spokesperson said that the CAB investigation into Wicklow-based organised crime gang continues.

Earlier this month, Chief Superintendent Pat Clavin, head of the Criminal Assets Bureau told members of the County Wicklow Joint Policing Committee that CAB is currently targeting six people in County Wicklow.

He said that the organisation is working closely with local gardai to identify the suspected proceeds of criminal activity.

He said that CAB is currently targeting a number of people in Wicklow who are suspected of amassing assets as a result of criminal activity.

Chief Superintendent Clavin urged people to report any suspicions they had about criminals and their assets to CAB in confidence.

'We are appealing to the local community to contact us if they suspect someone is involved in crime so that we can make further inquiries. Basically our motto is: Make them pay and take it away. If people that you know never worked a day in their life but are flaunting their wealth, report it,' Chief Supt Clavin told the JPC meeting.

In a second separate and unrelated operation last Wednesday, CAB, assisted by local Gardai and Garda Armed Support Unit, conducted a search in the Dublin 8 area. The search relates to a target believed to be connected with suspected members of an organised crime gang involved in the drugs trade. Two vehicles were seized, as well as a quantity of documents, mobile phones, five watches (including Rolex and Breitling) and these are being examined by investigating officers. Again no arrests were made and the investigation into the South Dublin based organised crime gang continues.

CAB carried out further operation, involving searches in Dublin 1, Dublin 7, Dublin 11, North County Dublin and Limerick, on Friday morning. Eighteen premises were searched and cash, watches and cars were seized. No arrests were made during this operation and the investigation is continuing.Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg is shooting a new horror movie on Kilruddery Estate called The Turning.

The Hollywood legend has flown into Ireland to begin work on his latest project, which has been shrouded in secrecy as he's keen to keep all images from the set under wraps.

The top film-maker has put in place a range of strong security measure to ensure the privacy of the film.

It's understood that Spielberg has been in Ireland since last week, when shooting began.

The movie, which was previously called The Haunted, will star acclaimed acting talent Finn Wolfhard.

The talented 15-year-old Canadian played Mike Wheelan in Stranger Things and his youthful co-star has been named as Brooklyn Prince, with the film being directed by Floria Sigismondi (The Handmaid's Tale) and Spielberg as executive producer.

The film tells the story of a young woman, played by Mackenzie Davis, who has taken on the part of a nanny in charge of looking after two orphans who live in a spooky country mansion.

The picturesque beauty of Wicklow's Kilruddery Estate was considered the perfect backdrop for the movie, which was based on the Henry James novella, The Turn Of The Screw.

Spielberg is no stranger to Wicklow having previously come to the county to convince actor Daniel Day Lewis to take on the leading role in Lincoln, for which the actor won his third Oscar, and he also spent time in Wexford when he was filming Saving Private Ryan in 1997.An investigation into the death of fisherman Leonard (Lenny) Hughes has determined that the alarm was raised only after the skipper tried and failed to save his drowning colleague.

Last Friday, The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) published its report into its investigation into Mr Hughes' death off the FV Kerri Heather east of Kilmichael Point, Arklow, on November 16, 2016.

The report found that on the morning of November 16 the FV Kerri Heather left Arklow with three people including 49-year-old Lenny Hughes on board. The trio were heading to sea to lift and bait lines of pots. None of the three was wearing a personal floatation device.

At around 9 a.m. as the second line of pots was being hauled, Mr Hughes fell overboard. Despite immediate attempts to recover him, and a subsequent search by lifeboats, fishing vessels and helicopters, his body was not recovered.

Searches continued until December 2, without any body being found. On January 11, 2017, a body was recovered on the south west coast of Anglesey and was subsequently identified as Mr Hughes.

The FV Kerri Heather is a half decked wooden vessel while the fore part was decked with a steel wheelhouse and cabin in the forecastle. The vessel had a hydraulic pot hauler on the starboard side just outside the wheelhouse door. The hydraulic power was supplied by a pump driven from the main engine. There was a steel ramp on the starboard side from which the pots were stored and launched.

On the day of Mr Hughes' death, the boat was crewed by Wayne Walker, who had been a skipper for four months and a fisherman for 12 years, Mr Hughes, who was an experienced fisherman, and a Polish man who was in his early twenties and was fishing for four days.

Both Mr Walker and Mr Hughes had completed Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) basic training and none of the crew had a radio operator's certificate.

There was a number of safety equipment on board, including three personal floatation devices with personal locator beacons, three life-jackets, two life rings and two parachute flares.

There was also two very high frequency radios, a GPS chart plotter and a Furuno radar. The FV Kerri Heather held a Declaration of Compliance (DOC) with the Code of Practice for the Design, Construction, Equipment and Operation of Small Fishing Vessels following a survey in April 2016 and the cert stated the number of crew was two. However, Mr Walker said he had declared a skipper and two crew because he believed two crew to mean in addition to the skipper. He was of the opinion that there was sufficient safety equipment for three people when surveyed.

The MIB report found that at the time of the incident the FV Kerri Heather wasn't compliant with the Code of Practice because it was valid only for two crew members and Mr Walker didn't have a required radio operator's cert. In addition one crew member didn't have the required safety training and there was also no 'Fishing Vessel Safety Statement' on board.

The weather on the day of the accident was fine and clear according to Met Eireann reports.

The MIB report said that Mr Hughes fell from the deck and said he was not wearing his personal floatation device and there was unsafe working operations at play.

After a distress call was made from the FV Kerri Heather at 9.20 a.m. the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Dublin took control of the situation.

Arklow Lifeboat and the SAR Helicopter R117 were tasked and arrived on site by 10 a.m. Searching continued with the addition of Wicklow and Rosslare Lifeboats and fishing vessels from Arklow until nightfall. Searches by Arklow Lifeboat and local fishing boats continued, weather permitting, until December. 2

Mr Walker told the board that the FV Kerri Heather needed three people on board to carry out the type of fishing it was engaged in and he wouldn't go to sea without two crew members in addition to himself.

On the day of the incident, none of the crew were wearing personal floatation devices and there had been no vessel familiarisation or safety discussion before departure.

Mr Hughes, who was an experienced fisherman, had not sailed on the FV Kerri Heather before. On the day in question he was replacing one of the usual crew members. He had recently completed the BIM safety training course and was employed on another vessel based in Arklow Harbour on a regular basis.

The second crew member, a Polish man, had just started fishing and it was his fourth day out on the FV Kerri Heather. He had not completed any safety training.

The weather forecast was for max force seven with a small craft warning in place.

Mr Walker didn't think the sea would be too rough to haul pots as the wind direction was from the south west and to veer westerly. As they would be working relatively close to the shore and be in the lee of the land, they would be relatively sheltered.

The crew hauled, bailed and shot the first line of pots by 9 a.m. and started to haul the second line.

Mr Walker was in the wheelhouse manoeuvring the boat, Mr Hughes was hauling the pots on the pothauler just outside the wheelhouse door and the Polish man was on the aft deck preparing the bait.

The height of the bulwark at this point was 720 mm, which is approximately mid-way between a person's knee and hip.

The anchor for the second line of pots had been hauled out of the water and was placed on the ramp beside the hauler. At this point, Mr Hughes who was on the pothauler fell overboard.

Mr Walker and the second man both said that the first anchor to the line of pots had been hauled on board and was placed on the forward end of the ramp. Mr Walker was just coming out of the wheelhouse to take over the hauling when he heard a 'whack' and the Polish man shouted 'he has gone overboard'.

The Polish man said he saw Mr Hughes and the anchor go overboard at the same time.

The rope, hauling the pots, had also come off the pothauler as the vessel was reported to have drifted with the wind and tide, and was not secured to the line of pots.

The exact order of events is not clear. Either the line came off the pothauler and then the anchor pulled Mr Hughes overboard, or he fell overboard and having let go the line, it came off the hauler and the anchor was pulled overboard behind him.

Mr Walker threw a life-jacket into the water but Mr Hughes did not reach for it. He was not responding to calls from Mr Walker or attempting to swim. Mr Walker then threw the line with the small grapple used to pick up the buoys for the pots. This landed beside Mr Hughes but he did not reach for it.

At that stage Mr Walker grabbed a life-jacket and jumped into the water. He swam to Mr Hughes and caught hold of his oilskin jacket. He was trying to don his own life-jacket at the same time and he lost his grip on Mr Hughes who slipped away and sank into the water.

There was no response from Mr Hughes during this time.

Both Mr Walker and Mr Hughes had drifted away from the FV Kerri Heather and Mr Walker shouted at the other man to operate the engine and bring the boat back over to him.

He then managed to grab a rope on the stern and haul himself back on board.

Once on board, he pressed the distress button on the VHF which was timed on receipt at 9.20 a.m. Once the distress call was received the MRCC Dublin took charge and tasked the Arklow Lifeboat and the SAR Helicopter.

The Arklow lifeboat arrived at 9.46 a.m. and found Mr Walker back on board the FV Kerri Heather dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. He was in the first stages of hypothermia.

The lifeboat crew suggested that Mr Walker be brought back to Arklow on board the lifeboat and the lifeboat crew would take the FV Kerri Heather back to port. However, Mr Walker refused the offer and the lifeboat crew gave him a jacket and a blanket.

The FV Kerri Heather was subsequently directed back to Arklow by the MRCC Dublin and Mr Walker was treated for hypothermia by an ambulance crew on arrival.

The Search and Rescue helicopter arrived at 10 a.m. while the Wicklow and Rosslare lifeboats joined in the search, as did other vessels from Arklow.

Mr Hughes body was found on the south west coast of Anglesey in north Wales on January 11 and a post mortem report concluded death was due to drowning.

The report found that the bulwark height on the FV Kerri Heather of 720mm could increase the risk of falling overboard to the person operating the pot hauler. A sudden motion of the vessel could unbalance the operator and pitch him over the side.

Additionally, the boat was hauling pots in a three-knot tide and the strong westerly wind, which would put an increased strain on the hauler. The anchor was placed on the ramp behind the operator and not secured. Loss of tension of the line on the pot hauler would cause the pot line to slip and pull the anchor back overboard, hitting the man on the hauler as it went. Loss of control could be due to one of the lines to a pot, with its knot passing over the pot hauler or due to the line slipping off the pothauler as the vessel sheered (i.e. swinging from side to side from the direct course), or a combination of both.

The report found that Mr Hughes was 'unconscious' saying 'he possibly hit his head on the pot hauler as he went overboard or the anchor hit him when he was in the water. It went on to say that given the intensive searches for Mr Hughes his recovery would have been 'more likely' had he been wearing his personal floatation device.

It said that the normal procedure when there is a man overboard situation is to move the boat alongside the casualty and then secure him alongside with a line or a boathook until a means of lifting on board can be rigged.

It is also recommended that an immediate Mayday call be made by radio.

Mr Walker said that in his twelve years serving on fishing vessels, he never took part in a man overboard drill or other safety drill except for a couple of fire drills.

The report found that Mr Walker 'put his own life at risk, particularly as the vessel was drifting because of the wind and strong tidal current. The second crewman who was left on board, had no training or knowledge on how to operate the engines, steering and the safety equipment.'

According to the report the basic safety training Mr Walker obtained was not adequate for the responsibilities of a skipper of a fishing vessel, which requires the ability to assess the safety risks for all operations on the vessel.

The report found that Mr Hughes was 'most likely concussed or unconscious, after he fell overboard, as he did not attempt to swim or stay afloat. He did not respond to the actions of the skipper nor attempt to grab on to the skipper when they were in the water together.

'The lack of preparation, procedure or drills for a man overboard situation resulted in a delay of 20 minutes before the alarm was raised.

'The response of the skipper to the emergency was not in accordance with good practice and could have resulted in the loss of his life. The skipper's experience and training was not adequate for a skipper of a fishing vessel with crew.'

It also said that had Mr Hughes been wearing a personal floatation device he 'would have remained afloat, even if unconscious'.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board said that Shane Ross, the transport minister, should warn seafarers of the necessity to hold regular emergency drills, which should be made mandatory for fishing vessels under 12 metres long. The owners of fishing vessels must ensure that crew held the required qualifications and wore life-jackets, it added.

The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) examines and investigates all types of marine casualties to, or on board, Irish registered vessels worldwide and other vessels in Irish territorial waters and inland waterways.

The MCIB objective in investigating a marine casualty is to determine its circumstances and its causes with a view to making recommendations for the avoidance of similar marine casualties in the future, thereby improving the safety of life at sea.Financiers tied to the new schools vacant in Bray are re-negotiating with developers for the completion of works.

Around 100 people attended a meeting in The Royal Hotel about Colaiste Raithin, one of two schools affected by the collapse of Carillion, the other being Ravenswell.

The meeting was attended by parents, teachers students, public representatives and Minister Andrew Doyle, Deputy John Brady and principal Gearoid O'Ciaran explained what has been happening to further matters.

'We have been decoupled from the bundle,' said Aileen O'Reilly of the Parents Association. This means that because the school is more or less finished, they will be able to move in quickly once a facility management deal is made.

Mr OCiaran was among a group of principals and board of management members to attend a meeting last week in Tullamore with senior officials from the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA).

The NDFA was awaiting the outcome of talks in London between DIF and Sammon Construction with a view to coming to an agreement to conclude the building work. An earlier fee proposed by Sammon was not acceptable to DIF, the meeting in Bray heard.

Public representatives told parents and others gathered at the hotel that Sammon had been paid prior to the collapse of Carillion.

Those London negotiations remain underway. If agreement is reached, NDFA officials will travel to London to, hopefully, give state approval and re-mobilisation of work crews on all sites will begin very quickly. In the event that DIF cannot reach agreement with Sammon, other building contractors, with whom there has already been engagement, will be brought into the equation.

DIF is engaging separately with other companies to provide 25 year facility management services to all six buildings in the bundle.

The secondary school in Bray, and Loreto in Wexford are virtually complete and could be opened with the appointment of just a facility management service that would also have the capability to complete the very small amount of outstanding construction work.

Both of these schools are being prioritised in the current negotiations as it is recognised by all parties that it is in everyone's interests to open schools as quickly as possible.

Another briefing meeting will take place in Tullamore next Tuesday, March 6.Brewers Simon Lynch and Quincey Fennelly don't plan to be caught on the hop when Brexit is triggered next year.

The co-founders of Wicklow Wolf micro-brewery not only produce a range of hand-crafted beer, they grow their own hops on a 10-acre farm in Roundwood and employ 15 full-time and two part-time staff. And with an annual turnover that has gone from 300K to 1.5 million in just three years, they've proven their business is no small beer.

Thanks to the revolution in craft beers that's been sweeping Ireland and the UK over recent years, Britain was an obvious destination for their first foray into an export market. And despite the current debate about what the future may hold, as Simon Lynch explains, they have no regrets about going there.

"We know that Brexit has the potential to be a catastrophe, but that's far from certain," he says. "If Brexit comes to pass, we'll be as prepared for it as possible. We're continually looking to explore new markets in the UK and beyond. My partner Quincey is at a trade fair in London right now hoping to develop our market share there.

Wicklow Wolf are not putting all their ale in one keg, however. "The upside of the discussion and uncertainty around Brexit is that it forces companies like ours to go further afield than we might have done had Brexit not been an issue," says Lynch.

The dynamic duo work closely with agencies including Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia to help them brew up big plans for the future of the company.

"They've encouraged us to consider ways to Brexit-proof our business, which for us primarily entails spreading our net as far and wide as possible," says Lynch. "This has given us the impetus to concentrate on opening new markets outside the UK so we're not over-reliant on Britain, and that's a sensible strategy in any event.

"Last year we spent time exploring markets in the Nordic countries, which yielded great results. Consequently, we'll be exporting to Denmark for the first time in about six months. We also do good business in Italy, and we're continuing to look at other areas too. It creates a safety valve for us in case of a worst-case scenario with Britain."

Currently based in Bray, the company has recently been granted planning permission to construct a new purpose-built brewery in Newtownmountkennedy.

"This will give us the necessary capacity to upscale in order to service the new markets we enter and increase sales domestically," says Lynch.

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThe Meelin Music Group took runner up place in the Co. Senior Scor Final

Cork teams showcased their talents to enjoy success at the County Senior Scor Finals hosted in the presence of an appreciative attendance in the Eire Og GAA Pavillion, Ovens last Sunday night.

The Mid Cork venue hosted the 49th decider and in a diverse programme compered by Liam O Laochdha, the exciting and diverse fare offered an abundance of cultural entertaiment.

St. Johns and Kanturk grabbed a rewarding outing for Duhallow while individual triumph for Ballinhassig and team success for Carbery Rangers and St. James raised the cheers of respective supporters. Muireann Vaughan(Kanturk) followed up on underage success to grab the spoils at solo singing with a splendid rendition of "Fill a Run O".

Elsewhere Elaine Lombard emerged best at recitation with a powerful piece from "Riders to the Sea". Youghal's Instrumental Music group offered plenty of foot tapping with a selection of gigs and reels.

St James kept the West flags floating on a splendid win in the Leiriu with a production titled "Temple Less" and not for the first time, Carbery Rangers Ballad Group retained county honouts with their double fare titled "Molly gCuach Ni Chuilleannain" and "Eyes of an Irishman".

St. Johns swept home impressive winners to the set dancing category with the Sliabh Luachra Set. And for their consistent endeavours on participating across various disciplines, St. Johns collected the best senior club award, the trophy accepted by Michael O'Riordan.

Cork Scor Chairman Tony McAulliffe and Vice Chairman Pat Malone presented the prizes to the winners and runners up. The winners go forward to represent Cork in the Munster final in Cappamore, Co Limerick on Saturday, March 10.The call has gone out from County Hall to people across Cork to nominate individuals and groups that have made outstanding contributions to their local communities over the past year.

Nominations are now been sought for the annual Cork county Mayor's Community Awards Scheme 2018, with the winners set to be honoured at a gala bash in the county Hall later on this year.

Now in its sixth-year, the scheme publicly acknowledges those whose tireless voluntary efforts on behalf of others, in conjunction with the County Council and other agencies, has helped helps draw their respective communities together.

Past winners have been behind a wide variety of initiatives that have ultimately made their towns, villages and local communities better places to live and work in.

The Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Declan Hurley, urged people to get their thinking caps on and nominate the all too often 'unsung heroes' they feel are worthy of being formally recognised for their hard work and dedication.

"There are so many wonderful individuals and groups in Cork County that I want to afford recognition for the work they do. Their selflessness, energy and enthusiasm are what these awards represent," said Cllr Hurley.

"This wonderful scheme is about congratulating all those nominated for the enormous positives they bring to their respective communities. This recognition will help encourage others to follow their lead, I look forward to meeting all nominees on awards the night, which is set to be a wonderful community orientated and inclusive gathering."

Mayor Hurley will present a total of 11 awards on the night, including three from each of the Council's geographical areas (north, south and west). There will also be an overall Community & Voluntary award and one individuals award winner, which will be selected from the nine recipients.

"If you know of an organisation of individual that you feel should be recognised for their efforts, contact a local County Councillor or member of the Public Participation Network (PPN) who will make the formal nomination," said Mayor Hurley.

The closing date for the receipt of nominations has been set for Thursday, March 8. For more information about the scheme and the nomination process the Council's website at visit www.corkcoco.ie.BMW to launch 7 M Series models in China 2018

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Recently, BMW Group plans to launch 4 all-new models and 3 limited editions of M series in China this year. The all-new BMW M5 is expected to go on sale on March 22 and M4 CS will hit China's market in the second quarter.



The all-new BMW M5 has made several adjustments based on new 5 Series, including a large-size intake grille above the front bumper, aerodynamics outside rear-view mirrors, openings of front wings for heat dissipation, etc. Besides, the all-new M5 carries a carbon fiber roof which is helpful for lowering the orthocenter of the vehicle. Thanks to the utilization of lightweight materials, the curb weight of the new model amounts to 1,855kg.

The all-new M5 is equipped with a T-shape steering wheel with a button featuring user defined driving mode, an M-designed electronic gear lever and all-new highly-wrapped sport seats. Besides, the designer mounts a unique M5 nameplate in headrest as well as at the thresholds.

The all-new M5 is powered by an upgraded 4.4-litre twin turbocharged V8 engine which is able to deliver a maximum power output of 600hp as well as a peak torque of 750Nm. In addition, the new model is paired with an 8-speed AMT (automatic manual transmission). The biggest attraction is that the all-new M5 features an all-new four-wheel drive system which can deliver 3 different driving modes, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive and all-wheel drive sport version. Powered by such powertrain, the vehicle can sprint from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds and run at a top speed of 305km/h.

In April 2017, BMW M4 CS has already been showcased at 2017 Shanghai International Automobile Exhibition. The model, positioned between the normal M4 and M4 GTS, can be taken as the non-limited edition of M4 GTS to some extent. M4 CS adopts a new design on headlights, equipped with the front lip, rear spoiler, door panels and roof made of carbon fibers.

As to the interior, M4 CS retains the design of M4 GTS. The designer chooses Alcantara materials inside the vehicle. Unlike M4 GTS, M4 CS abandons the central armrest box. No longer outfitted the roll cage that M4 GTS uses, the M4 CS saves more spaces for passengers to sit on the back seat.

Same as M4 GTS, the M4 CS is still powered by 3.0-litre 6-cylinder in-line twin turbocharged engine with a maximum power output of 460hp and paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.Cameroonian authorities say they have dismantled a network of child traffickers responsible for dozens of abductions in the region over the past several months.

The network is said to have extended into neighbouring Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. The operation intensified after three young children were found dead in the back of a truck, prompting angry residents to torch a hotel owned by alleged traffickers.

Hundreds of people are still visiting the neighbourhood where the inn was razed last Tuesday by an angry mob in Cameroon's southern town of Kiossi, on the border with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.



Thirty-nine-year-old Vanessa Nzali was among parents of missing children who arrived in Kiossi Friday. She says she had traveled some 280 kilometers from Cameroons capital Yaounde when she heard that unidentified children had been found there by Cameroonian police. She says she immediately decided to travel to Kiossi to see if her missing 11-year-old daughter was among the children.

Nzali says four months ago she returned home from work and was informed by her neighbours that her daughter went to fetch water from a well and four men forced her into their car and drove off. She says her neighbours also told her there was a baby crying in the car.



Quetong Handerson Kongeh, the most senior Cameroon government official in the Ntem Valley administrative unit that includes Kiossi, says the inn was razed after a vehicle belonging to its owner was found with the three dead children who, as determined later, were aged two, four and seven years old.



"At about 2 p.m., their parents started looking for them and could not find them. These children had been kidnapped by some suspects who took them into an inn deep down into the quarter in Kiossi. They administered some toxic products and these children went off [died]. They now put these children inside bags and tied them, and put all of them in the back booth of a vehicle."



Handerson Kongeh says 15 people suspected to be members of a network of child traffickers operating in Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea were arrested when investigations were opened.



In 2016, the Yaounde-based Interpol office for central African states reported that thousands ofchildren, alongside men and women, were forcibly abducted in Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo to be used as combatants, cooks, guards, sex partners, servants, messengers, and spies.

Patricia Asta of the local non-governmental organisation Childrens Rights says child kidnapping has increased in Central African states because many childless couples and mothers are ready to buy from the black market.

She says some are forced to serve as commercial sex workers, while others are recruited or kidnapped and then transported to far away places where they are forced to work as pickpockets, beggars and drug transporters.



Asta says within the past several months at least 26 cases of abductions have been reported to her NGO, with parents saying their children either were tricked, forced or persuaded to leave. She says they also have had cases of children who were held for ransom.



She says her organisation has decided to educate parents to be vigilant. It is also asking all victims to join the associationss lawyers in legal processes that will protect and free children from predators who are out to target mainly naive teenagers. She says it is her wish to see to it that all child traffickers are punished.



Cameroon, according to the 2012 trafficking in persons report by the U.S. State Department, also is a source, transit, and destination country for children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.As the snow began to fall across Cork on Wednesday, the first of many collisions occurred on the N22,as pictured above, at the Farran junction near Ovens. Emergency services attended the scene and one person was treated for minor injuries. Picture: John Delea

While much of the east and south-east of the county felt the full force of the so called 'Beast from the East', many parts of north and mid-Cork remained relatively unscathed at time of print on Wednesday.

However, accumulations of snow and ice in Cork City and across eastern and western parts of the county left few in any doubt about what was on the way.

Those fears were confirmed on Wednesday afternoon when Met Eireann updated its weather warning to status red for Munster from today (Thursday) at 4pm through to noon on Friday.

The forecaster said the Siberian air mass hovering above Ireland would meet with rain from the fast approaching Storm Emma, turning that into snow as it met the cold air.

"Blizzard-like conditions will develop in heavy snow and strong easterly winds on Thursday evening and will continue through the night and into Friday morning, giving significant snow drifts in many areas," said a Met Eireann spokesperson.

In a statement, the emergency planning regional steering group, which is comprised of the Gardai, HSE and local authorities, said it would be meeting regularly over the coming days to co-ordinate the response of all relevant agencies.

"The impact of the severe weather warning in Cork is already being felt and we appeal to the public to take all sensible precautions. Where it is safe, we'd ask that people check in on elderly neighbours and other vulnerable members of the community," said group chair Ger Reaney.

"All state agencies are working together to provide a co-ordinated response and to ensure that the impact of this weather event is minimised," he added.

Mr Reaney advised people to visit www.winterready.ie for updates and advice. Meanwhile, the National Emergency Co-ordination Committee has requested that everybody in Munster be indoors by 4pm today and stay there until at least noon tomorrow.

Ongoing safety concerns have prompted the Department of Education to confirm that all schools and colleges across Cork would remain closed for the remainder of the week and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has confirmed that payments due on Friday can be collected today at open Post Offices in areas affected by adverse weather conditions.

There will be no Bus Eireann services operating across Munster for the next two days and Iarnrod Eireann will also be stopping all of its services across the province from 2pm today.

The HSE has confirmed that all non-essential clinics and routine appointments, in addition to mental health day services, day hospitals and outpatient services across Cork, have been cancelled for today and tomorrow. The civil registrations office in Mallow will also be closed for the rest of the week.

"We will do everything possible to maintain essential services, particularly those to vulnerable people at home in the community," said an HSE spokesperson.

"We will be monitoring the situation on an hour-by-hour basis and using all channels of communications to update patients, clients and the general public. All updated information can be found on www.hse.ie/weatherwarning."

People can also keep up to date on services through @HSELive on Twitter.

Many other events across the area have fallen foul of the weather as people get ready to batten down the hatches. These include a Cheltenham Race Night in aid of the Rickie Healy Appeal that had been due to take place tonight at the Arches Bar in Mallow. It is hoped that the event will now take place early next week.The frenzied speculation surrounding the political future of Cork County Councillor John Paul O'Shea has finally been put to bed following the official announcement that he has joined the Fine Gael party.

The 34-year-old this week confirmed to The Corkman that he now intends to seek a nomination from the party to run for the Dail in the Cork North West constituency as a running mate for Agriculture Minister Michael Creed.

Cllr O'Shea, who sat on the Independent bench in the council chamber for almost a decade, said he was confident the move was right for him "both personally and politically."

"I came close (to winning a Dail seat) at the 2016 general election and it has always been my intention to run again at the next election. This is obviously something that I will be discussing with party members when we next meet. Ultimately, they will be the people who will make a decision," said Cllr O'Shea.

He said his decision to join Fine Gael was not one that he took lightly, saying that the party's "proud tradition of public service in Cork" made it an ideal fit for him to be able to continue the work he does in his community.

"I have been in discussions with both the party and my supporters on the issue over the past few weeks and feel that it is the right move for me both personally and politically. I am delighted and honoured to join Fine Gael and, in particular, my local branch of the party in Glantane."

Cllr O'Shea said that should he be selected by the party to run for the Dail he was confident that the vast majority of people who have voted for him at the last two the local elections would continue to support him.

"I believe that people will look at my track record as a county councillor, see what I have achieved over the years for the people of the Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District and remain with me through the next phase," said Cllr O'Shea.

Cllr O'Shea said that in the meantime he was looking forward to working with his new party colleagues on behalf of the people of the Kanturk/Mallow district and the wider North Cork region.

He said he would be working alongside his new colleague, Cllr Gerard Murphy, who is based in the Newmarket area, and that together they could advance the Kanturk/Mallow area "economically, socially and culturally" over the coming term of the council.

"Becoming part of a large party that has the country's prosperity as it number one priority will allow me to have an increased impact as I continue to represent and deliver for my constituents," said Cllr O'Shea.

"The country is now reaching full employment again, we have the fastest growing economy in Europe and we are seeking our family and friends returning home to live and work in Cork. I want to ensure that this progress is not undone and will work hard to represent the people of North Cork within Fine Gael."

Cllr O'Shea said he would also be liaising closely with the three Fine Gael TD's covering the Kanturk/Mallow area, Michael Creed (Cork North West), Minister David Stanton (Cork East) and Dara Murphy (Cork North Central) over the coming months.

"In want to ensure that any issues that may arise locally that have a national context are brought to their attention and addressed as soon as possible."As part of their efforts to promote engineers' week, Irish Water staff based in Mallow have been busy visiting local schools and taking part in a series of events to promote engineering.

Co-ordinated by Engineers Ireland, the initiative aims to encourage students, their teachers and parents to explore the world of engineering and possibly consider it as a career in the future.

With more than 800 staff across the country, Irish Water has employees working across many different engineering sector, including more than 60 in Mallow.

Many of these took part in visits to schools across the area including the Patrician Academy, St Mary's, Davis College Scoil Ghobnatan, Mallow Convent Primary School and Gaelscoil Thomais Daibhis.

The students were shown a video outlining how water is treated from source to tap, with Irish Water staff performing some fun water experiments and speaking about engineering career paths and opportunities.

Irish Water's regional information specialist, Aisling Buckley, said staff were delighted to be involved in the initiative - with some of them even re-visiting their old schools.

"This has been a great opportunity to tell people about what we are doing to fix our old water networks and improve water treatment to protect the health of generations to come," said Aisling.

"The provision of clean drinking water and the disposal of wastewater in a manner that protects the environment is vital to our daily lives and for economic and social development. This is why initiatives such as this are critical for educating and informing our future generations about the importance of our work in this area," she added.All of the publicans in one rural town are going to keep their doors shut and remain closed for business this coming Good Friday.

Six publicans based in the north Cork town of Newmarket are coming together and deciding collectively that they will not open their doors in spite of the State lifting the 91-year old ban on publicans serving alcohol on Good Friday.

Publican John Scanlon of Scanlon's Bar, Church Street, who first proposed the move in an initial chat with a colleague, said this week: "We have only two days off each year, Christmas Day and Good Friday, and we want to hold onto that. It is a day publicans want to spend with their families."

According to the most recent census, Newmarket has a population of 976 and the move has received an overwhelmingly positive response from pub customers in the town with one customer congratulating the publicans saying 'well done Newmarket, keep up our traditions'.

Publican Joan Hourigan has been serving pints from the behind the counter at Hourigan's Bar on Newmarket's New Street for the past 50 years.

A mother of-nine, five of her children are involved in the business and Ms Hourigan said that she has always enjoyed a day out or decorating their shut pub on Good Friday, "and I don't want to give that up," she said.

Ms Hourigan said that the day off on Good Friday "is something that I cherish and a tradition I want to maintain".

She said that religion is playing only "a small part" in her decision to remain closed.

"A lot of our customers would be older farmers and I wouldn't think we would be particularly busy on Good Friday anyway. They have grown up with the tradition and I think they will see it out," she said.

One of the other publicans in the village, Mick Hourigan, announced the move to his customers on his pub's Facebook page and the response from customers has been universally positive. "There are 363 days a year when the pub is open and I think that it plenty. Soon they will want us to open on Christmas Day," he said.

Mr Hourgian operates a bar and a night-club in the village, employing more than 20 people and he said: "I wouldn't ask my staff to work on Good Friday. What is around on a Friday is not a lot."

In his comments, Mr Scanlon said: "The day off every Good Friday is a day that publicans look forward to."

Mr Scanlon admitted that the decision to close can only work when all publicans in the area decide to close. He said: "It would be different for city publicans who would be giving up a lot of revenues by staying shut on a Friday night, but I don't think there would be a lot around here on Good Friday."

Mr Scanlon said that there has been no negative feedback from customers and the response has been positive.

Mr Scanlon said: "It is going against the grain but, who knows? Other pubs around the country may follow."

On the Facebook page of Mick Hourigan's pub, one customer wrote: 'It is great to see that old traditions matter to our countrywell done to you and hopefully more will follow'.

Another wrote: 'well done, Newmarket, keep up our traditions' while one woman posted: 'Well done to ye guys. Fair play. Our country needs to stand up for its traditions.

'Very proud that it is Newmarket leading the way - 'we lead where others follow'.'

Earlier this year, President Michael D Higgins signed into law the amendment to the Intoxicating Liquor Act that lifted the Good Friday pub ban that had been in place since 1927.

Independent senator, Gerald Craughwell was a co-sponsor of the bill that has resulted in the lifting of the ban. He said: "The bill was all about choice, especially for publicans, and I fully respect the decision by the publicans of Newmarket to stay closed on Good Friday. It is very interesting that they have come together to do this."

Senator Craughwell said that he wasn't approached by any vintners while the bill went through the Oireachtas.

In the wake of the Newmarket publicans' move, a spokesman for the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) said: "Like all other days of the year -except Christmas Day - publicans can choose to open or remain closed on Good Friday. The decision is entirely their own to make".

He said: "The removal of the ban on serving alcohol in licenced premises on Good Friday has received broad support from the pub sector particularly as many tourists visit Ireland during the Easter period."Project Ireland 2040 is a welcome start for enterprise say Cork business owners, writes Ailin Quinlan

The business supports contained in Project Ireland 2040 are a great start, according to north Cork businessman Patrick Buckley - but he warns the devil's in the detail, and crucial resources to underpin these strategies have yet to be hammered out.

The new national plan outlines excellent initiatives for Irish companies, says Buckley, managing director of the Mallow-based firm EPS, a top provider of water and wastewater treatment and pumping solutions.

He strongly approves of the proposal for the development of new Regional Sectoral Clusters.

These will be led by industry and involve both regional small- and medium-sized businesses as well as multinationals collaborating with research centres and third-level institutions, with the aim of scaling and internationalising enterprise in all regions.

"This is something we've been pursuing as a group of businesses in manufacturing and engineering sectors in north Cork over the last two years; we're looking at the establishment of an engineering and manufacturing cluster."

However, Buckley observes, specific supports for the clusters have yet to be outlined, for example the provision of dedicated 'cluster managers.'

"There needs to be a full-time cluster manager for all of these companies, so the government needs to put funding in place."

Once the clusters are established, he emphasises, ongoing financial support from the government will be critical to the success of the clusters.

The launch by the government of the second phase of the Regional Enterprise Development Fund involving 30m under Project Ireland 2040 is also to be welcomed, Mr Buckley observes - but again, he emphasises the need for more detail in terms of supports "to ensure that real value-added projects are coming forward from entities or individuals to tap into the funding".

"It's very much a case of the devil is in the detail," he explains, adding that the proposed Regional Enterprise Development Fund should provide supports enabling community groups to drive local enterprise.

"I'd like to see funding channelled to community groups which are pro-active in terms of the rollout of broadband in the community. For example, a community that would be prepared to build enterprise units, workshops or storage space within a village or small town," he says.

While the fact that a big national plan like Project Ireland 2040 identifies Cork and Kerry for significant supports is to be welcomed, he says, care must be taken to avoid any bias towards Cork city in terms of supports and infrastructure development.

"It's important to ensure balanced development in Cork county so that every town and village in the county is treated equally in proportion to the city," he says.

The planned construction of the M20 motorway is also to be warmly welcomed, he adds - but he believes detail is required on how sufficient links from towns along the route to the motorway, in particular Mallow and Charleville, will be put in place.

"What I don't see in the plan is any discussion around the road network in terms of linkages, for example, between Mallow and Killarney and Mallow and Tralee, which are very important for the whole Duhallow area in terms of its development," he warns.

The broad supports outlined by the plan to help businesses prepare for Brexit are an excellent starting point, he says. The plan refers to a range of targeted programmes supporting exposed enterprises to improve competitiveness and innovation and diversify trade from the UK to new markets.

However, he adds, more needs to be done.

"There will have to be more industry-specific and company-specific Brexit supports," he declares.

"Generally, you'll have a broad support initiative announced by the government for industry, but when you look at the detail you will find that invariably it is not applicable to all businesses.

"The challenge for LEADER groups and LEOs is to ensure that all companies outside of Dublin and the big urban centres get full access to all the supports.

"There will be an impact," he declares, adding however, that he believes the net impact of Brexit will be a positive one for Ireland.

However, Buckley warns there will inevitably be companies which lose out.

He welcomes the Project Ireland's plan to open a 300m loan fund to businesses with fewer than 500 employees and which are exposed to the impact of Brexit, but urges the government to clarify the exact conditions surrounding access to such loans.

"I welcome the loan fund, but detail is needed around the conditions for those loans. It needs to be made clear, for example, who is providing the funding and whether it is to be banks or state agencies.

"For any SME or any business, the meat is in the specific conditions which apply to the loan."

Kevin Curran head of enterprise at Cork North and West LEO is excited about Project Ireland's plan for a 500m Disruptive Technologies Fund.

"We're looking for new innovative technologies that will revitalise industry," says Curran.

"The government is asking for industry to drive innovation and keep Ireland at the forefront, at the absolute cutting-edge of tech and innovation."

The fact that the government has specifically identified a fund to promote innovation is, he says, a strong indication that the State prioritises supports for innovative companies which find new ways to stay ahead of the curve.

"Businesses should take advantage of this and it is certainly something that should be welcomed," adds Curran.

"It's an element of the national plan for the next 20 years and it's pushing businesses to be at the cutting edge of their particular sector."

Businesses should avail of the wide range of supports and initiatives to help them withstand any downside from Brexit and take advantage of any upside, believes Curran, who points to a LEO-run programme, Lean for Micro.

This programme's key objective is to make companies "leaner and keener" by addressing competitiveness issues within their businesses, building the capability of their people to identify issues and improve their operations and increase capacity as they improve efficiency and effectiveness.

"If a company is working effectively, it's more competitive," he stresses.

"The second element is capacity, which means working with owner-managers to make them more effective in their role.

"This is about building the skillset of owner-manager to help them drive their businesses more effectively," says Curran.

"What LEO programmes do is look under the bonnet of the business and help owner-managers make their businesses more effective and more competitive."

Just as important is innovation, he says. "We're looking at the possibilities for finding a newer or more innovative way for companies of doing what it is they do - to differentiate themselves from rivals, which makes them more attractive to the marketplace."

However, innovation is also about encouraging companies to look at new markets, he emphasises.

"Certain sectors of the Irish economy are very dependent on the UK for business," he says.

This is particularly relevant to the agri-food business and therefore to north Cork, which boasts companies like Dairygold and the Kerry Group.

"There are risks for such businesses in terms of their dependence on the UK market," he says.

The LEO-run Food Exporters Programme is helping businesses prepare to export not just to the UK but beyond, as Curran explains: "There will still be opportunities post-Brexit and what we are doing is to reduce the dependence of some of the agri-food industry on the UK market.

"Last year we took 12 Cork businesses to a major food expo in London - this had a high proportion of non-UK buyers there - one of the companies ended up getting business from the UK, Canada and Germany as a result of showcasing its products at that trade fair."

Basically, he says, the idea is to encourage people "to look outwards".

Although nobody yet fully understands the implications of Brexit, there are still preparations to be made.

"The whole question is do we end up with hard or soft borders and what other barriers might there be for Irish business who want to do business in the UK, or more importantly, through the UK because of its landbridge connection to Europe?"

To enable businesses assess - to an extent at least - their exposure to the potential implications of Brexit, he says, the LEOs are offering a Brexit Scorecard.

"This is an online questionnaire which takes about five to 10 minutes to fill out.

"It helps you assess what your business's exposure is to various Brexit issues.

"What we do afterwards, depends on the score card - some business might have little exposure; for others Brexit might be a big issue."

Depending on the needs of a particular business, the LEO will try to target advice or assistances, an important element of which is mentoring.

"A lot of Irish businesses' supply chain runs in or through the UK, for example - the importance of the UK in terms of connectivity to Europe cannot be overstated.

"We can put in place a mentor who will help a company decide the best way forward in sourcing this product in the future," he says.

"Come to us and let us see if we can help you find the right solution.

"The whole message is about making people aware of what is going on and how it might affect their business - and it's a very important message," he says.

"I'd strongly encourage businesses with concerns to give us a call. If there is an issue, allow us to work with you to resolve it.

"The key thing is to ask for advice and help. Nobody is quite sure what Brexit's going to look like and they're not sure what they're planning for."

The best option, says Curran, is to try to envisage both the potential best and worst scenarios for your company, and seek advice based around that assessment.

"We have strategies and programmes in place to help business. If you can help your business grow in terms of competitiveness, managerial capacity and innovation, you'll end up with a better business."

He urges businesses in the region to attend the Enterprise Ireland-organised Brexit Roadshow in Charleville Park in Charleville on April 11.

"That is about encouraging people to get information about Brexit and about what it might mean for them and their companies. It's about thinking what Brexit might mean for you."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThe Defibrillator Community in Rockchapel/Knockaclarig marked a decade in existence on Saturday. Reversing backwards to 2007, the voluntary group was formed to facilitate the lack of emergency first responders to the region as it is not in a close proximity to an ambulance depot or hospital.

In that time, the parish fund-raised for two defibrillators and have trained over 50 people in CPR and defib use and, very impressively, more than 200 parishioners have been trained in CPR.

The stationary defibrillator is located in the village and a mobile unit is carried by a member of the group who is on call on a 24-hour basis.

As pointed out, one of their biggest obstacles is the lack of mobile phone coverage in the region.

Just recently, an 'in case of emergency' card was created by the group and distributed to each house in the parish. It outlined the steps to take in an emergency situation, the number for the defibrillator mobile and the Eircode of each individual house in the community.

The voluntary group consists of Dr Helena Allen who is the President of the Group, Connie O'Connor, Triona Carroll, Nelius O'Connor, Nora M Curtin, Neily Curtin, Triona Curtin, Breeda O'Callaghan, Denise McCarthy, Tim Mulcahy, Trisha Murphy, Maria Mangan, Aileen Piggott, Brendan Cahill, Eoin O'Sullivan, Maurice Daly, Noel O'Callaghan, Michael Carroll and John McNulty.

On Saturday, Dr Helena Allen spoke, as did Dr Brendan Payne, and also in attendance was John Kearney, Rapid Response who gave an overview of the development of an Air Ambulance based in Cork which will hopefully be operational by June. In addition, Ger McAuliffe of the Irish Red Cross gave a demonstration on a bystander CPR an children who were out in force were also shown how to give chest compressions on a mannequin.

Dr Payne held high praise for the "dynamic voluntary group" who took the initiative to provide a vital service to their neighbours.

"This region is geographically isolated and is certainly an area of medical need being distant from the busy and hard-working ambulance service in the county Cork area," he said.

He also praised the group who have visited each home in the region and provided a laminated series of emergency numbers for the ambulance service, South Doc and most recently the crucial Eircode location for each household.

"This provides a major safeguard to the ambulance service who need to locate a house very accurately during emergency situations.

"This region is unique regarding its distance from all the tertiary referral hospitals in the relatively challenging road network in the region. But despite its geographical isolation, I have seen first hand the community spirit and initiative of the local people who time and time again rally round to help each other and their neighbours," said Dr Payne, who is a GP based at the Woodbrook Family Practice in Newmarket.

By way of explanation, he said he has seen neighbours go to the point of using a track machine to open up an access in a dividing ditch to give smoother access for helicopter evacuation of a patient who needed emergency care at CUH.

Dr Payne is a MER IT 3 GP who alongside other Gps in the region provides out of hours GP service locally via SouthDoc, but in addition, he is a volunteer emergency GP working with the National Ambulance Service through Irish Community Rapid Response.

During his working time in Australia in the Emergency Departments of Sydney and Queensland, he worked in conjunction with the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

"During my time there with both helicopter and fixed wing aircraft, I was able to see first-hand the benefits life-saving potential for rapid air evacuation and treatment of both trauma and cardiac cases in isolated rural communities in Australia," he said.

He spoke of the 'golden hour' of being the most crucial time for emergency intervention to save lives.

"There is no doubt that the service would be of huge benefit to all areas of Cork and Kerry and where isolated communities live often great distances from the hospital services," said Dr Payne.

John Kearney, voluntary chief officer of the ICRR(Irish Community Rapid Response) also spoke about the plans to commence the Irish community air ambulance in the region.

The aim of an air ambulance is to work with GP responders to give safe, effective and timely emergency medical care to those seriously ill or injured in Ireland through the provision of a dedicated air ambulance service.

The new helicopter medical support unit is to be established by the current ICRR service, which has been in existence for the past nine years.

It was the strong viewpoint that due to the unique geographical challenges in North Cork and the Munster counties, would all benefit hugely from the provision of this service. As pointed out by voluntary member, Triona Carroll toldNewly invested Cubs pictured with Leaders at the Kanturk Scouts investiture ceremony in the Edel Quinn Hall. Photos: Sheila Fitzgerald

Steven Mangan (North Cork County Commissioner) presenting Ben McAuliffe with Wood Badge Beads to honour his commitment to the Kanturk Scout Group since 1979

Scouting in Kanturk came under the spotlight last weekend as 32 new Cubs and Beavers were invested at an event in the Edel Quinn Hall, attended by their families and friends.

Scout leader Ben McAuliffe said preparations for the event began well before Christmas when the young boys and girls started their journey, learning their promise to scouting and their community, scouting principles, the wonder and enjoyment of nature and the importance of the outdoors.

Kanturk Scout Group Leader, Frank Mulcahy, welcomed all the parents and relatives to the celebration and, after outlining the format for the evening, began investing the large group of new beavers and cubs.

The strength of a Scout Group can be measured by the quality of its leaders, and the 13th Cork Scout Group was delighted to welcome Sara O'Toole, Amanda Hogan Higgins, Helen Lofts O'Dea & Janet Heeran as Scouters to continue their Wood Badge training.

The evening was made exceptionally special when Regional Commissioner Steven Mangan and Assistant Commissioner John McCarthy presented Wood Badge Beads and a certificate to Leader Ben McAuliffe in honour of his commitment to the Kanturk Scout Group since 1979.

Steven spoke of Ben's commitment to the group down through the years, his involvement in the different sections from cubs, scouts and venture and his leadership qualities.

He emphasised how Ben selflessly gives his time to local and regional activities thereby allowing the youth of Kanturk and district to fully embrace the enjoyment of scouting. Ben thanked founding members Pat Flavin, Don Fitzgerald and Timmy Lynch for starting him on his journey as a Scout Leader in 1979.

"I'm delighted to be involved with such a determined group of leaders and parents in bringing the scouting ethos to the community in Kanturk. I also thank those who were unable to attend for their commitment and dedication in putting local scouting on a strong footing ," he said.

Later the children showcased their many innovative projects and entertained everyone with music and song while the adults enjoyed a cuppa.

Scouter Janet Heeran delighted everyone with a lovely poem she penned about Ben's achievements and tributes were paid to the local Men's Shed Group who prepared 'knot boards' which the cubs use for practising their knotting and rope-work.Tesco held a 'Get on Your Feet' fundraiser for Temple Street Children's Hospital in branches across Louth.

2,680 was raised by Tesco employees which will go towards Tesco's ambitious goal of raising 5 million within 5 years for the children's hospital.

Skipathons, cyclothons and treadmill runs saw employees put their fitness and agility to the test to raise awareness and donations.The Premiere is set to be screen of Duleek Foroige's Documentary "Remembering Childhoods of Times Past":

Over the last number of months teenagers from Duleek Foroige have interviewed some seasoned local personalities - Cathy McGrane, Michael Brodigan, Mary Connell, Jim Curley and Jimmy Lynch - to hear about their childhood memories. Join them for the first screening of this hour-long documentary on Sunday 11th March from 3pm - 5pm in the Courthouse. Refreshments will be served - expect to see some traditional deserts and treats from 1940s, 50s & 60s Ireland! This event is free and all are welcome.

Mother's Day Trip

Duleek Women's Forum are running a trip to the Glenview Hotel and Leisure Centre in Wicklow and a day trip to Wicklow Jail . Leaving on Sunday 11th March and returning Monday 12th of March. Enquiries to Ann on 9823415.

Eamom's book launch takes place in the library

Irish Book Launch of Pure Mental by local writer Eamon Shanley takes place at 7pm on Tuesday 27th March in Duleek Public Library.

Duleek GNS enrolment

Duleek Girls' National School are now taking applications for 2018/19 school year. Please contact the school on 041 9823632 or email duleekgns@eircom.net. Enrolments are also been taking for the ASD Unit.

Realt na Mara school

Bunscoil Buachailli Realt na Mara host an Information Evening at the end of February. The evening, for Parents/Guardians of Junior Infants starting school September 2018, will take place on Tuesday 27th February at 7.30pm (Parents/Guardians only). Please contact the School Office on 041 9827045.It will be birthday time for the Drogheda Cottage Market this Saturday when it makes a return to St Peter's Church of Ireland hall on Peter Street between 11-4pm.

This will be its second birthday and the whole idea has gone from strength to strength over the course of the last year.

The Cottage Market is a wonderful concept and has proved an outlet for everyone, from potato farmers to crafters and food producers.

They will be showcasing the brilliant talent in the town with over 25 stalls of homemade, homegrown and handcrafted goodies.

The crew from Music at the Gate will join them as part of the festivities, adding some brilliant Irish music to the occasion.

And those with an interest in the arts won't be left ut either.

Drogheda's Poetry in The Park will launch their monthly meet up at the cottage from 2.30-3.30pm .

They invite poets and writers to come along and just enjoy the occasion.

They will have Kraut rocks by Plenitude who will host two fermentation workshops on site and booking is essential here.

It is hoped that large crowds will attend the market throughout the day.The impact of Brexit on the economy along the border region was outlined to Louth County Council at their monthly meeting.

A briefing by Thomas McEvoy, head of the Louth Enterprise Office, highlighted the potential economic impact on businesses across the region.

Members heard that over 40% of companies in the North East export to the UK, with most to Northern Ireland.

Mr. McEvoy said the biggest implications of Brexit will be felt within the food sector.

With no trade deal yet agreed between Britain and the European Union, he said it was vital that businesses look at where they might be 'exposed' in the event of a hard border, and put plans in place to protect their business.

He said that the 'worst case scenario' for the border area was a 'no deal' situation, but added that it was widely hoped this would not be the case.

He urged businesses to make contact their local Enterprise office, which can provide advice and assistance on how to prepare for Brexit.

He told councillors that a lot of the 'regulatory framework' of a Brexit deal was expected to be in place by the end of March.

Speaking at the council meeting,Cllr. Ruairi O'Mhurchu said 'As much as I agree with preparing for the worst, I think we need to work at governmental level to ensure this doesn't happen.'

He said there was 'a lot of concern about Michael Barnier's recent comments that there would have to be border posts if the UK is no longer in the Customs Union.

'So there is a real need to put pressure on at governmental level.'

Cllr. Conor Keelan said it was 'alarming the number of businesses which are not Brexit ready.'

Cllr. Mark Dearey suggested that councillors 'create a better way of interfacing with Louth MEP's.'

He added that the Brexit negotiations have been 'a chaotic process, which hasn't been easy for anyone to make clear.'

'We have done some work on it in Dundalk, but I would like to see this on a much wider scale,' said Cllr. Dearey.

Chairman, Cllr. Colm Markey agreed, suggesting that a Brexit workshop be set up for councillors, 'where we could debate the issues at large.'

CEO of Louth County Council, Joan Martin, told members that she is set to travel to Brussels with other chief executives, and will hold meetings with a member of the EU's Brexit negotiating team.

She said it would be an opportunity to lobby for the border area.

Cllr. Maria Doyle welcomed the presentation to the council, asking if Mr. McEvoy could update the council before the summer on ongoing developments.Firm but fair. That was former Chief Supt Michael Bohan who passed away last weekend, after a distinguished career in An Garda Siochana.

A native of County Leitrim, Michael Bohan joined the force in 1944 and served for six and a half years in the Dublin Metropolitan area and on transfer to Cork in 1951 became the youngest sergeant in the gardai. In January 1962 he became the youngest inspector in the force when transferred to Cavan from Carlow.

Two years later he was to become the second youngest superintendent and served in Roscommon until 1966 before he was transferred to Drogheda and remained in the town until July 1974. That year he was promoted to Chief Superintendent and transferred to Mullingar in charge of the Longford/Westmeath Division. He was there until August 1979 when he was posted to Garda HQ, acting as personal assistant to Garda Commissioner Patrick McLoughlin.

He returned to Drogheda as Chief Super of the 500 strong Louth-Meath division in October 1984. He had made Drogheda his home from 1966 where he raised a family with wife Nancy. Outside of the force, he served on the Board of Management at St Ita's school and was a forthright fundraiser for the Order of Malta Workshop.

Michael Bohan was a key figure in locality when he lost one of his men in the 1980s, the brutal murder of Sgt Patrick Morrissey sparking him to state: 'Sgt Pat Morrissey's courage, loyalty and dedication to his duty would be an inspiration to other members of the garda force. In every respect he was what I would regard as a model man.'

A few years later the Chief Supt resigned the force a year before his retirement in a blazing row over border security. It followed remarks made by then Northern Secretary Tom King when he said that Gardai had gone to the scene of a border incident following information supplied by the British Army.

The Chief Superintendent protested to his own authorities, claiming that it put the lives of his own members at risk. He denied that the Gardai had had any contact with the British Army and that communication about security matters was carried out strictly between the Gardai and the R.U.C. His official retirement was believcd to have been linked with his dissatisfaction over the affair. He had asked for the comments to be corrected. His resignation sent shock waves throughout the force and prompted questions about the operation of certain aspects of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Asked about reports that his resignation was linked to the aftermath of an incident ai Ballinaby, Co. Louth, when a British soldier was arrested and taken to Dundalk Garda Station, he replied "I have absolutely no comment to make."

In May 1989, the retired chief said the decision to transfer the Louth/Meath Garda headquarters from Drogheda to Dundalk was a political one. He said it would be a hardship for the members and also the public. Drogheda had served as the HQ for 67 years. Mr. Bohan questioned the cost effectiveness of the switch and added, "I would say that anyone with a modicum of intelligence and common sense would see the move as the ultimate in bureaucratic nonsense". Fianna Fail Deputy Dermot Ahem challenged the assertion that the decision to transfer to Dundalk was a political one.

Michael was predeceased by wife Nancy and is missed by his loving sons John and Michael, daughters Anne, Gretta and Breeda, sons in law John, Bobby and James, daughters in law Eliane and Alison, grandchildren Robert, Emma and Naoimh, great grandchildren Onique, Margot, Tiffany-Rose, brothers in law, sisters in law, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends. His funeral was Monday to Our Lady of Lourdes Church with burial afterwards in St. Peter's Cemetery.Two men were arrested following a break-in at DPL Providers on the Donore Road on Monday, February 19th last.

The incident happened at around 6.30pm and was witnessed by an off duty garda.

The garda then rang Drogheda station to say he had observed two people breaking into the premises.

Four wheelbarrows were stolen during the incident but two people were arrested a short time later close to the scene and all items were recovered.

Burglary at Bia

Gardai in Drogheda are investigating a break-in at the Bia Restaurant on the Dublin Road last Friday, February 23rd at around 12.30am.

The culprits gained entry to the premises through a side door, which was smashed.

Trays of soft drinks were stolen.

Computer stolen

The Little Duke Theatre on Duke Street was broken into overnight sometime between Friday, February 23rd and Saturday, February 24th.

The offices were ransacked and a computer was stolen in the incident.

Two schools

Gardai are investigating break-ins at two local schools.

The first incident happened on Saturday, February 17th when Walshestown NS was broken into at around 2.26am.

Gardai responded to the alarm activation and found entry had been gained.

Callystown National School was also broken into shortly after 2am when again the alarm was activated and gardai attended the scene.

The office had been ransacked and a small amount of property was taken.

More parking

Drogheda is in dire need of more carparking and a local councillor has called for an urgent review of the situation in light of the recent closure of the Old Fire Station Car Park on Scarlet Street. The issue was raised at the Drogheda Municipal District meeting by Councillor Frank Godfrey who said the issues of availability, location and suitability in central Drogheda need to be reviewed. Responding to the motion, a spokesperson for the council said a meeting in respect of parking was convened and attended by technical staff based in Drogheda.The MMM community in Drogheda is in mourning this week for Sr Gemma Breslin (94), one of the driving forces behind introducing vital services in African countries in the 1950s onwards.

She served in the MMM community for 70 years, including 50 years in Africa.

Born Mary Breslin in Ballina, Co. Mayo in 1923, she worked in a hotel before joining MMM in 1945. After profession, she helped in the Spiritan's seminary in Kimmage for 2 years. She then joined two other MMMs in founding a new mission in Kabanga, Tanganyika -now Tanzania - in 1951. This developed into a general hospital.

In 1955, she began MMM's first foundation in Uganda, at Kitovu. Here services were developed for people affected by HIV/AIDS and for women with obstetric fistula that became models for other countries.

In 1961, Sr. Gemma was asked to begin in yet another country, this time in Mzuzu, Malawi. She was to spend 22 years in Malawi before returning to Ireland in 2001. The hospital helped to train 1,000 nurses. She also pioneered a new mission at Nkata Bay in Malawi. She also served in MMM leadership for five years.

Sr. Gemma moved to Aras Mhuire in 2005 and died there peacefully on 22 February 2018.

Her sister, Breege, followed her into the MMM order.Drogheda Coastguard were called out out to Bettystown Beach on Sunday after a jeep and a trailer became stuck in the sea.

The Coastguard were tasked by MRCC and immediately responded.

However, the tide was already well in by the time they arrived and due to the high water level around the vehicle they were unable to recover the jeep successfully.

Some time later, on the same evening, Drogheda Coastguard were tasked for a second time to attend the East Meath area, this time responding to a car stuck in the sea at Laytown.

Thankfully this time the water levels weren't as high and the team managed to successfully remove the car from danger.

The unit were then stood down.

The Irish Coast Guard would like to remind the public about the dangers of driving on beaches.

Because of soft sand and fast rising tides, people run the risk of losing their cars to the sea. The Coastguard have received a number of similar calls over the past year.

'Please follow the danger signs, and if parking your car, park above the high water line,' said a spokesperson for the organisation. If you see anyone in trouble on or near the water dial 112/999 immediately and ask for the Coast Guard.As a nation of biscuit lovers, we munch our way through 230m worth of elevenses each year.

And a dunkable Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookie by East Coast Bakehouse - retailing at 2.40 for a pack of eight - is just the latest to take a bite out of the lucrative market.

Across the pond however, as Brexit negotiations continue, bosses told how the company has been forced to come up with more inventive ways to crunch the numbers.

"In the short term, the issue is really about the currency," said co-founder Michael Carey. "Our competitiveness in the UK has been badly damaged because of the weakness of sterling, so in that context, we have to be considerably more innovative.

"We've invested heavily and made good progress in innovation in areas like high-protein products and sugar-free biscuit products, and they're getting a lot of traction in the UK."

Urging other companies in the north-east to think outside the biscuit box, Local Enterprise Office head of enterprise Thomas McEvoy said: "There's four approaches that businesses need to consider to try and ensure that they remain competitive.

"As well as eliminating waste, looking to new markets and looking at their financials, they can look to innovation and how can they add or differentiate their product to create a premium in the market that people will pay more for or will have a greater need for."

At Boann Distillery, it's 'ginnovation' that bosses are hoping will help keep spirits - and profits - up while its single-malt slowly matures, and Britain slowly divorces the EU.

While Irish whiskey takes three years and one day to mature by law, gin can be turned around in just a day, and is more popular than ever with our neighbours, explained Sally-Anne Cooney: "For us, I think there's definitely an opportunity for gin," she explained.

"The British are world-renowned gin drinkers. There's a huge gin movement going on there at the moment, and we'd like to think we'd be able to play a bit of that market with our gin once we release it."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThe 220th anniversary of the 1798 Rebellion and the hugely significant battle of Vinegar Hill is to be marked with an impressive programme of events due to take place over the coming months. The programme was officially unveiled at last week's meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council and it is hoped that it will attract even more tourists into the area this year.

It is hoped that young people will take a greater interest in the illustrious history of Vinegar Hill this year and in April teaching resource and school activity packs will be circulated to primary and secondary schools locally, focusing on the significance of the 1798 rebellion in Wexford. Staff at the National 1798 Centre are currently working on the pack and it is hoped that it will also be made available from the 1798 Centre website.

From May 25 to 27, an archaeology conference will take place showcasing some of the wonderful finds from recent surveys of the Vinegar Hill battlefield. The three day conference will be held in The Presentation Centre and will consist of a screening of a documentary on the Longest Day Research Project on the Friday, a full day of lectures on the Saturday and a field trip and tour of Vinegar Hill on Sunday.

Events continue in June with scheduled battle re-enactments due to take place from June 15 to 17. This year, Enniscorthy will link with New Ross and there will be a street battle there on Saturday, June 16, followed by the large scale re-enactment on Vinegar Hill on Sunday, June 17, along with a living histories camp in the Abbey Square where the All Ireland Farmer's Market will also be taking place.

On June 21, the annual Longest Day Commemoration takes place at Vinegar Hill to remember all those who died during the rebellion. This event will consist of a blessing, a poetry recitation and a wreath laying ceremony. In July, Enniscorthy will embrace a certain joie de vivre as a celebration of all things French takes place in connection with the 20th anniversary of the Tour de France passing through the town. Among the schedule for the Sunday, July 15, will be examinations of French culture, history and cuisine throughout the town.

In August, this will be followed by a special concert featuring traditional songs and music associated with the 1798 rebellion. While no date has been set yet, it is hoped that this event might correlate with the visit of a delegation from Newfoundland. Finally in September, a book will be published on the recent Vinegar Hill Archaeology study and it is hoped that this may coincide with the Wexford Literary Festival.

Chairman Keith Doyle said that he was particularly excited about the association with New Ross this year and affirmed that 'we're twice as strong together' and that 'this could be significant in terms of making this a national event to attract people into the county and keep them here for a few days.'

Cllr John O'Rourke suggested promoting these events through the upcoming St Patrick's Day parade, while Cllr Paddy Kavanagh said that given the substantial interest in the Vinegar Hill site, he was concerned as to whether the Presentation Centre would be big enough to host the three day conference. All of the councillors welcomed the programme of events and hoped that it would have a positive impact both in terms of tourism and for the enjoyment of the people of Enniscorthy.The future of Templeshannon was laid out for a packed house at Treacy's Hotel last week as Chairman of the Municipal District Council Keith Doyle officially launched the Templeshannon Regeneration Strategy.

Cllr Doyle welcomed business owners, stakeholders and local representatives on the night and outlined how the plans for Templeshannon were just one part of an overall plan which includes the M11 Bypass, the Flood Relief Scheme and the Business and Technology Park at Killagoley. 'Enniscorthy is behind Wexford and Gorey at the moment,' he said. 'But we want to compete and these projects will make a huge difference.'

He said that it was hoped that an 'Enniscorthy Expo' would be held during the summer cover all projects, however, the focus of last week's meeting was Templeshannon.

Head of Development on the Templeshannon project, Brian Galvin, outlined how it was a long-term plan that will stretch over 10 to 15 years, tackling prevalent issues such as traffic, a poor pedestrian environment and dereliction. He outlined how the first phase, consisting of the implementation of a one way system heading into town and down onto the quay and improvement of pedestrian access, would be finished by mid 2019, while a new pedestrian bridge would be installed to link the Waterfront car park with the town centre by 2020.

Manuel Garrido of ARUP Consultants then an engaging presentation on his vision for an area of Enniscorthy that has long been neglected. Mr Garrido said that it was essential that the redevelopment of the area occurs in tandem with the flood relief scheme - 'If we don't have this, we have nothing,' he affirmed. He said that while 'the county council cannot do everything, they can enable the private sector to invest and that's what we're doing here.' He pointed out that, while the council would carry out initial work, the hope is that private investors will then come in and ensure the area continues to grow.

In terms of traffic management, Mr Garrido said that they were faced with two choices in Templeshannon - either get rid of the buildings, or get rid of the cars. After much examination, it was decided that a one-way system would be the best option going forward, increasing the size of the footpaths and allowing people time and space to walk and making the area more attractive to potential shops and businesses. Other areas which Mr Garrido suggested should be looked at going forwards were the arrival area at the railway station and the River Walk from the island. He was firm in his appraisal that Enniscorthy had wonderful potential as a tourist destination and this was something which was backed up by County CEO Tom Enright who said that the town has 'all the ingredients' of a fantastic tourist town.

Mr Enright said that the Office of Public Works was 'committed' to the Flood Defence Scheme and pointed out that the business and technology park at Killagoley finally reached the planning phase the week before. 'We don't want Enniscorthy to become the next commuter town for Dublin,' he said.

'We want people to come and live and work here and that's what we intend on doing with the business and technology park.'

He said that, in relation to the park, planning applications for the buildings will be lodged in the coming months and it is hoped that construction will get underway before the end of the year. He pointed out that the decision to raise property tax and council rates provided the funding for these projects and commended the local representatives on making the 'brave decision' to back the hike.

District Manager Liz Hore thanked everyone for their input and promised to deal with any queries one on one, while also confirming that the full Templeshannon Regeneration Strategy would be published on the County Council website over the coming days.Senate elections are underway 03 March, 2018



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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Woke Bingo The Senate elections are underway in the national and provincial assemblies as 133 candidates contest for 52 seats on Saturday. The Senate  the Upper House of parliament  is a body of 104 lawmakers. Each serves a term of six years, barring resignation, disqualification, or other extraordinary circumstances. They are not all elected at the same time: rather, half are elected at one time, and the other half three years later.



In 2018, 52 senators (who were elected in 2012) are slated to retire. The other 52 were elected in 2015 and will retire in 2021. Of the 52 Senate seats being vacated for election today, 46 will be filled by the four provincial assemblies, 2 by the National Assembly, and 4 by lawmakers representing Fata.



Of all the candidates in the running, 20 are looking to secure one of 12 seats from Punjab, 33 are contesting for 12 seats from Sindh, 26 for 11 seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 25 for 11 seats from Balochistan, 24 for four seats from Fata and five for two seats from the federal capital.

PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi casts his vote for Senate elections.



National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq cast the first vote in the elections while Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi arrived in the assembly to cast his ballot around noon.



On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has chosen not to take part in the election activities. Khan will not visit the parliament house today, the PTI secretariat confirmed.



While addressing the media on Saturday, State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said: "Everyone will see that Nawaz will be the winner today,"



While answering a question regarding possible defection by PML-N ministers, Aurangzeb said: "We have witnessed that each time someone chose to turn their backs on Nawaz, they destroyed their own political careers. If anyone chose to do so today, they will have the same fate."



PML-N leader Zaeem Qadri, while speaking to the media outside the parliament, said that members of the party would prove that Nawaz Sharif does not need a title to run the party. "Every member of PML-N is Nawaz Sharif's soldier, they will all vote for the candidates that Nawaz has chosen for the party."



"God has bestowed leadership skills on Nawaz, and he has been given the skills to be and remain the king and the kingmaker," Qadri said while referring comments made by the chief justice in yesterday's SC Judgement in Election Amendment Act 2017 case.



Speaking to reporters outside the Sindh Assembly, MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar said that while his party yesterday claimed that they would win all four seats from Sindh, today he would be cautious and say that they are trying to win all four seats.



Touching upon the internal conflict in MQM-P, Sattar said, "We have resolved the symptom by agreeing on [the nominees for] the Senate elections, we will sit together on March 5 and resolve the actual condition that was manifested through the symptoms."



According to a senior official of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel have been deployed outside all the polling stations established in parliament house and the four provincial assemblies, while returning officers have been given magisterial power during the polling process which will continue from 9am till 4pm without a break.



Media personnel have been barred from entering the provincial assemblies as well as the parliament building as part of the security arrangements.



No person entering the assembly premises is allowed to carry their cellphones or any other electronic devices with them.



The Senate election is held through secret voting on a basis of single transferable vote through preference voting. All four provincial assemblies are electoral colleges for the four respective assemblies.



The main halls of all provincial assemblies have been declared polling stations for the respective provinces and while separate polling stations have been formed in the National Assembly for the election of senators from Fata and Islamabad.



According to the ECP, 1,600 ballot papers for Punjab, 800 for Sindh, 600 for KP, 300 for Balochistan, 800 for Islamabad and 50 for Fata have been printed and handed over to the respective returning officers.



The new senators will take oath on March 12.

Provincial assemblies



Punjab (46 votes* elect a senator)



There are 371 total seats in Punjab Assembly; however, only 367 are currently occupied. Of these, 309 are occupied by members of the PML-N, 30 by PTI members, eight each by PPP and PML-Q members, five by independent lawmakers, three by members of PML-Zia, and one each by a member of Pakistan National Muslim League, Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and the Bahawalpur National Party.



Sindh (21 votes* elect a senator)



The total seats in Sindh are 168, but there are currently only 167 lawmakers occupying them. Currently, 95 of them are members of the PPP, 50 are members of MQM, nine are lawmakers representing PML-F, nine PML-N, four PTI, one National Peoples Party and one is an independent lawmaker.



KP (16 votes* elect a senator)



The total seats in the KP Assembly are 124, but there are 123 lawmakers currently in office. Sixty one are members of the PTI, 16 are members of PML-N, 16 of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, 10 of Qaumi Watan Party, seven of Jamaat-i-Islami, six of PPP, five of the Awami National party and two are independent members.



Balochistan (9 votes* elect a senator)



The total number of seats and lawmakers in the Balochistan Assembly is 65. Of these, 21 are PML-N members, 14 PkMAP members, five PML-Q, eight JUI-F, 11 National Party, two from the BNP, a lawmaker each from the MWM, the ANP and the BNP-A, and one independent member.



Federal (114 votes* elect a senator)



At present, the National Assembly has 342 seats for lawmakers from across the country. It currently comprises 340 members.



The treasury benches are occupied by 221 members: the PML-N enjoys a majority with 187 members, while its allied JUI-F contributes another 14. The PML-F adds another five, PkMAP three, National Peoples Party two, and PML-Zia and the National Party have one lawmaker each on the benches.



There are 119 lawmakers on the opposition benches, of which 47 belong to the PPP, 33 to PTI, 24 to the MQM, four each to the Jamaat-i-Islami and PML-Q, two to the ANP, and one each to APML and QWP. Three independent lawmakers are also part of the opposition.



The chart below shows how many votes are needed from each assembly to be successfully elected to a Senate General seat, assuming all lawmakers turn up to vote.



Prominent among those contesting polls from Punjab against the seven general seats from Punjab include former Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar on a PTI ticket, Kamil Ali Agha (PML-Q) and PML-N-backed Asif Kirmani, Musadik Malik, Haroon Akhtar Khan and Rana Mehmoodul Hassan. PML-N-backed independent candidates for the two seats reserved for women are Prime Minister Shahid Khan Abbasis sister Saadia Abbasi and Nuzhat Sadiq. The PTI has fielded Andaleeb Abbas for women seat from Punjab.



The three PML-N-backed independent candidates in the run for two technocrat seats include former finance minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar.



Prominent candidates from Sindh include sitting Senate chairman Raza Rabbani, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, Maula Bux Chandio, Murtaza Wahab, Kamran Tessori, Ahmad Chinoy, Anis Ahmad Qaimkhani and Farogh Naseem.



From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, former chief minister Pir Sabir Shah, Ali Afzal Khan Jadoon (backed by the PML-N), Faisal Sakhi Butt (PPP) Talha Mehmood (JUI-F), Maulana Samiul Haq, Azam Swati, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Rubina Khalid and Naeema Kishwar are amongst the prominent candidates.Children from the Gaelscoil in Drumgoold were delighted to show off the facilities at their school as it hosted an 'Oiche Oscailte' or open night recently. The doors were thrown open and the welcome mat was rolled out for prospective students and their parents or guardians. They got the chance to meet with Priomhoide na Scoile (School Principal) Judy Ui Ifearnain and her staff, as well as some students from the school, who were perhaps the best advertisement for the school!

Parents were given the chance to discuss the benefits of educating their children through the medium of Irish and take a look at some of the state of the art facilities enjoyed by pupils.

With a huge emphasis placed on IT skills, prospective pupils got to take a look at the interactive whiteboards in each of the classrooms, as well as the laptops and iPads used by the pupils. They also got a chance to see for themselves the focus on art and music as well as sports. Anyone who would like further information or would like to enrol their children may contact the school by phoning 0539237422 or email gaelscoilinis@gmail.comA dispute between the owner of the Tipperary Crystal brand and an Enniscorthy giftware seller over the alleged passing off of trademarks on the packaging of items offered for sale has been resolved.

Last October Allied Imports Ltd, which is the owner of Tipperary Crystal is known for its crystal, glassware, ceramics and jewellery brands, sued Enniscorthy based Kavanagh Giftware Ltd. The action was over the alleged unlawful use by the defendant of Tipperary Crystal marks on packaging of certain goods including mugs and cups being offered for sale by Kavanagh Giftware. Kavanagh Giftware had rejected all claims against it including it had infringed Allied Import's intellectual property rights. The case had been admitted to the fast track Commercial Court list.

When the matter was mentioned before Mr Justice Brian McGovern on Monday the judge was told the case had been resolved and could be struck out. Allied Imports and its director Mr Robert Scanlan's claim centred on the use by Kavanagh Giftware of a grey and white coloured graphical representation on the outside and the inside of the packaging of items being offered for sale. The plaintiffs claimed this breached their copyright.

The defendant had been offering the allegedly infringing products for sale through its retail outlet in Market Square and online. It is further alleged that the Kavanagh Giftware is engaged in the wholesale distribution of the infringing products to other retailers in Ireland. It was claimed the unauthorised use of the Tipperary Crystal mark had caused confusion with the public. Allied Imports Ltd and Mr Scanlan had sought various orders against the defendant, including injunctions restraining Kavanagh Giftware from infringing their trade marks and passing off the goods and damages.Jim Hughes is the chief executive officer of Innovate, a Gorey-based provider of managed IT services and in the areas of cloud infrastructure and productivity, networking, communications and security. He is also president of the town's chamber of commerce. He welcomes Project Ireland 2040.

"I'm optimistic about it and in business you need to be optimistic," he says. "The most important thing about it is that it's a defined plan for the future, and every business needs to think in both the short and long term."

He says financial commitments to greatly improve the transport and broadband infrastructure should be welcomed by all, especially rural dwellers.

"Obviously, for business it's essential to have the best broadband available, but it's also something that enhances people's everyday lives too. And here in north Wexford, it could certainly be better, although there have been improvements in recent times, especially with the arrival of Virgin Media."

While it is the Government's intention that Project Ireland 2040 helps to bridge the gap that currently exists between urban and rural Ireland in terms of quality of life, opportunity and employment, Hughes believes the disconnect is not as great in Wexford as it is in other parts of the country.

"We get a lot of spin-out from Dublin," he says. "And the motorway development has really brought the city close to us. I can leave here at 6am and be having breakfast in Dublin at 7am, ready for a morning meeting there.

"Since the M11 we're noticing that we're getting many more interviewees from places like Bray and Greystones. In some cases, those people can travel to work in Gorey quicker than they would when going to certain parts of Dublin."

Hughes says the plan to develop regional hubs "makes a lot of sense" and might help disperse the population more widely. Good roads and internet, he says, could encourage the squeezed middle in Dublin to consider places like north Wexford for a new way of life.

"You can get a there-bed semi in Gorey for 220,000-230,000 - and Dublin is just up the road. It's the best of all worlds."

On Brexit, he says the lack of clarity makes predictions difficult, but he is unequivocal when describing it as bad for Ireland. "Any customs barriers between Ireland and the UK will be unwelcome and bad for business given Ireland's scale of business with the UK," says Hughes.

"It will create bureaucratic barriers that over time will reduce the amount of business between Ireland and the UK."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteWexford County Council are looking for a way to tackle problems of anti-social behaviour at Chapel Lane in Drumgoold after helpless residents appealed for something to be done. In recent weeks, one resident told The Enniscorthy Guardian that she had witnessed drug deals, bloody brawls and countless acts of mindless vandalism carried out by youngsters who frequent the lane. She outlined how one woman living in the area has had to replace her windows with plexi-glass as they were being broken so frequently.

Cllr Paddy Kavanagh raised the issue of the laneway once again at last week's meeting of the Municipal District Council and Engineer Tadhg O'Corcora said that the council were looking into the problem. Mr O'Corcora said that he had consulted with a number of local residents and he said that if the council can't get rid of the laneway itself, they may have to install gates at either end.

Cllr Kavanagh expressed further concerns over this saying: 'I think that may create some problems in itself, but I'll talk to you later on about it.'A 10-year-old piper from Lusk has taken her skills on the pipes to the stage of Vicar Street where she joined a unique pipe band who are making big waves in the Irish music industry and should not be confused with a certain American band of a very similar name.

The band are of course, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, who along with the O'Neill's Pipe Band from Clontibret, were joined by 10-year old piper, Aine Gaffney from Lusk for their recent gig at the prestigious Dublin venue.

Red Hot Chilli Pipers are described as the best known pipe band in the world. They combine guitars, wind instruments and keyboards with their bagpipes and drums to create what they call 'bagrock' sound.

They have released a number of albums, some going to platinum with one album reaching Number 2 on the US Amazon Chart.

Aine plays with St. Joseph's Pipe Band, in Clondalkin and they arranged for a night out to go to the concert in Vicar Street. But as Aine is only 10, she would not be allowed entry. They didn't want to leave her out so they arranged for her to play on the night instead.

It was the start of a brilliant week for Aine. Later in the week, she received top marks in her exam results in piping under the Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework (SCQF). These courses are run by the Leinster branch of the Irish Pipe Band Association.The CityNorth Hotel celebrated Chinese New Year - Year of the dog, with a 'China Red' reception.

Madame Xue He, Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, launched the celebrations and spoke about the potential for increased trade between Ireland and China with over 70,000 Chinese visitors to Ireland last year.

This is great news for the Drogheda, East Meath and Louth region ahead of the start of Cathay Pacific direct flights to Dublin in June.

The evening was a lavish affair with the Lord Mayor of Drogheda, Pio Smith, many councillors and local business people in attendance.

'It has been a privilege to collaborate with Failte Ireland and become one of the first hotels in Ireland to be officially China Ready,' said Cyril Laffan, General Manager for the CityNorth Hotell.

He also commented that "The hotel has undertaken several measures to be culturally welcoming to our Chinese guests. For example, our staff have been trained, we've adopted Union Pay as a method of payment, QR Codes have been added to our menus which can be scanned to translate the menu into Chinese and we are working with Emerald Media to setup social media platform, WeChat and various marketing campaigns.'The council has launched its 2018 Artists Support Scheme

Fingal County Council has announced a 50% increase in its funding this year for the 2018 Artists' Support Scheme.

The funding allows professional artists to avail of an award towards travel and professional development opportunities, a residency or the development of a work.

The objective of the Artists' Support Scheme is to support individual professional artists from Fingal to develop their artistic practice, according to the local authority.

The award is open to practising artists at all stages in their professional careers working in music, visual art, drama, literature & dance. To be eligible to apply, applicants must have been born, have studied, or currently reside in the Fingal administrative area.

Speaking about the award, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Paul Reid said: 'Last year, 27 bursaries were awarded to artists across all disciplines.

'Fingal County Council is proud to provide funding to professional artists through this scheme and the increase in funding reflects the Council's continued commitment to support and encourage artistic excellence in Fingal.'

The funding is for projects/initiatives which will take place from June 1 to December 31, 2018.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 23 March, 2018 at 4pm.

For further information and application forms please see www.fingalarts.ie or contact: denise.reddy@fingal.ie or call 01 8905733.

Meanwhile, the council will host an Artists' Professional Training and Mentoring Session on 'Developing a Creative Proposal' on Thursday, March 8 in Malahide Castle Visitors' Centre from 10am to 5pm.

Fingal County Council in partnership with Visual Artists Ireland will present a Creative Proposal Writing and Mentoring session for artists working in visual art, music, dance, theatre and literature.

The workshop will provide advice on preparing and developing proposals.

Mentors for the session include Annette Moloney from the world of visual arts, Ian Wilson on music and Helen Meany on literature. There will also be a mentor on work in theatre at the session.

For further information please contact Monica Flynn: monica@visualartists.ie or phone 01 6729488.

Check out www.visualartists.ie for more.

Places in the workshop are prioritised for artists based in or originally from Fingal County. There will be a fee for artists from outside Fingal of 15.daa Community Liaison Manager, Maura Cassidy with Jake O'Malley, Ciara Sexton, Ciara Brogan and Tom Watson from the winning school, St. Marnock's Portmarnock and Mayor of Fingal, Mary McCamley

Dublin Airport did its bit recently to support a reading initiative by Fingal Libraries when the airport sponsored the 'Battle of the Book'.

More than 180 children from six schools in the Fingal region gathered in the Riasc Centre, Swords recently to attend the final day of the successful Battle of the Book reading initiative, which is sponsored by Dublin Airport and organised by Fingal Libraries.

The Battle of the Book is a reading programme designed for primary school children aimed at encouraging them to read more, by using a multi-disciplinary interactive approach that includes drama, art, creative writing and an active competition element between the different schools.

The final day of the initiative was a competition quiz event between all six participating Fingal schools based on the students' knowledge of this year's chosen book, 'The Irish Civil War 1922-23: Ava's Diary' and its author, Patricia Murphy.

'We are proud to sponsor this fantastic educational initiative,' said Dublin Airport Community Liaison Manager Maura Cassidy.

'This is our fifth year to sponsor The Battle of the Book and we're delighted to help Fingal Libraries to give local school children a great appreciation of the joy of reading,' she added.

'Congratulations to St. Marnock's School in Portmarnock on winning the competition and to all the children who participated in the event. The detailed knowledge of the book and its author presented by all of the students in the competition was impressive,' Ms. Cassidy said.

Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Mary McCamley who also attended the final day of the Battle of the Book project, said the initiative has been a great success and provides immense enjoyment among the participating pupils.

The Fingal Mayor said: 'Programmes like Battle of the Book are a brilliant way to introduce children to reading at an early age.

'Doing this as part of a group also adds a social element as they work together and interact as they learn.'

The six schools taking part in the competition were: St. Patrick's NS, Skerries, St. Nicholas of Myra, Kinsealy; St. Marnock's, Portmarnock; St. Colmcille's NS, Swords; Mary Queen of Ireland NS, Rivermeade and St. Margaret's NS, St. Margaret's.

Congratulations to all of the participating schools and students and no doubt, schools across the county will be looking forward to the return of the initiative, next year.Brexit holds a fear factor for Fingal businesses but for one Portmarnock pharma start-up the UK's divorce from the EU presents "new, exciting business opportunities".

Ann McGee has a pharmaceutical background spanning three decades and she's utilising a gap in the market to counter Brexit to the best of her ability.

The savvy businesswoman, set up MIAS Pharma, an international consultancy in pharma regulation, after realising companies across the world needed assistance to access the EU market.

And as the UK's position becomes increasingly intangible in Europe, more companies are choosing Ireland, and specifically MIAS, as an option to do business with.

"There are new opportunities with Brexit," Ann said. "We're seeing these opportunities in the pharmaceutical sector. We're only in our first year and companies across the world are coming to us, trying to access the EU marketplace for medicines.

"We provide a platform for companies outside of the EU who don't understand the complexities of the EU.

"We hold the licences they need to access the market and we get them there in half the time. Brexit is definitely a benefit to this company.

"Pharma companies globally are looking where to locate to find an English-speaking and well-educated workforce. Traditionally that had been the UK and now it's more and more Ireland."

Ann said she's in talks with companies in the US, China and Russia and she's very much the optimist, feeling "there's no point in being otherwise".

The company has recently been approved for a Fingal LEO investment of 80,000. The firm employs three people and the plan is to increase staffing levels.

"It's fantastic for a start-up to access funding at that level," Ann said. "It gives us a leg up to give people jobs and, let's face it, that's in the interest of the country as a whole."

Ann described Project Ireland 2040 and its range of business packages as being "a very ambitious plan".

"There's an awful lot of very good intentions described by the Government, but it will be interesting to know how they'll fund it all," she said.

"It's more like a vision document, saying what the Government wants to achieve.

"That's fantastic, but the next thing we need to know is how they're going to achieve these plans and exactly when on all of them.

"If all of the packages go ahead, from business to transport and infrastructure in general, it will position Ireland well in helping the country grow internationally.

"But I'm not sure Project Ireland and the level of information in it tackles all the challenges of Brexit.

"I'd like to see the impact Brexit is expected to have on different sectors and how Project 2040 is aiming to tackle that. More detail is needed."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteGardai have said that last year there were a number of seizures of 'crack cocaine' in both Balbriggan and Blanchardstown but there is currently 'no evidence that it is becoming a significant problem in the area', but the Garda Superintendent believes at the current rate of growth in trade in the drug in the wider Dublin are, it is likely to become a problem in Fingal.

Cllr Paul Mulville (SD) put a question to local gardai at the Fingal Joint Policing Committee, asking them to 'provide an update on the work they are engaging in to stem the growth in the use of crack-cocaine in the Fingal area'.

In response, gardai issued a report stating: 'The Drug and Organised Crime Bureau, Customs and District Drug Units liaise regularly on intelligence led operations to combat illegal drugs. While there have been seizures of small amounts of 'crack cocaine' in the Blanchardstown District there is no evidence that it is becoming a significant problem in the area.'

However, the Garda report also revealed there had been seizures of the drug in Balbriggan in 2017, The report states: 'The report from Y-District advises that while there have been occasional seizures of cocaine during 2017 in the Balbriggan Garda District, there had been only two significant seizures of crack cocaine.

'The street value of the first was estimated to be in the region of 7,000 and it was part of a seizure with an estimate overall street value in the region of 18,000. The second significant seizure of crack cocaine had an estimated street value in the region of 1,000 and it was part of a seizure with an overall estimated value of 11,500.'

Elsewhere in North Dublin, the problem is growing, according to the report from the Garda Superintendent, which states: 'Crack Cocaine is becoming a very large problem in the R-District but it is mainly concentrated in the Coolock area.

'At the moment we have no seizures of Crack Cocaine in the Fingal area of the R- District but I would anticipate that this will become a greater problem as the popularity of Crack is increasing.

'Two years ago the prevalence of Crack Cocaine was very small and most drugs users would not touch it. Cocaine, Benzodiazepines, Cannabis and Heroin were the most prevalent. However, in the last year Crack Cocaine has come to be a problem and as a result there has been a big increase in the prevalence of robberies and other violent crimes. At the current rate of increase, I would expect that crack Cocaine could become a problem in the general area.'Early indications of the route of the revised Metro Link from Swords to Sandyford, suggest the vital rail link to Swords will stop short of Lissenhall where Swords' future growth is concentrated.

Thousands of new homes are to be built at Lissenhall but much of that planned growth for Swords northwards is predicated on the arrival of Metro, which may now stop short of that destination and end at a park and ride facility at the estuary.

Since the Metro project was revived in 2015, the Lissenhall stop that was part of the original Metro North proposal has been dropped but local representatives and the council have been making the case that stop was crucial for the development of Swords.

Council chief executive, Paul Reid said the council has not been made aware of the details of the route selection of the new Metro Link proposal as yet he told the Fingal Independent: 'The Metro is the most crucial piece of infrastructure needed in Ireland because not only will it link the Airport with Dublin City Centre it will also link Swords and North County Dublin with existing public transport infrastructure such as LUAS and DART.'

He added: 'We are currently awaiting the announcement of the specific details of the route and the time-lines involved.'

But Mr Reid made it clear where he would like the Metro to stop in Swords and appealed for the northern half of the line to be progressed first.

He said: 'Fingal County Council has made it known to Government, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the National Transport Authority that the construction of the northern section of the Metro should be prioritised and the line should terminate in accordance with the original plan for Metro North at Lissenhall to assist the sustained development of Swords and ensure a Park and Ride facility can be constructed which will greatly assist in the reduction of traffic in Dublin City,'

Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) agreed with the chief executive's position and said there was 'an ongoing battle for us to get the Metro to Lissenhall'.

He said; 'It has to go to Lissenhall because that is where all the future housing development in Swords will take place.'

Cllr Butler said that Lissenhall is also the perfect location for a park and ride facility that would accommodate commuters driving to the Metro from north Fingal as well as further afield in Drogheda and Dundalk.

He said he wanted to see a 'massive' park and ride facility that would facilitate thousands of cars parking for free or very cheaply, to encourage more people to use Metro.

It's clear the local authority, public representatives and all the supporters of Metro to Swords have a battle on their hands in the weeks and months ahead as the route selection process advances, to make sure Lissenhall becomes the final destination for Metro Link and allow Swords to expand northwards.North Dublin farmers and firm owners welcome Brexit and enterprise measures but say the devil in detail. By Laura Lynott

Business owners say Fingal could be in a strong position ahead of Brexit thanks to Project Ireland 2040 - but the "devil is in the detail" of where and how funding is deployed across the county.

The funding will be delivered via a 300m loan fund open nationally to businesses exposed to the impact of Brexit, with fewer than 500 employees.

And the Regional Development Fund will mean 30m will be released to new enterprises across Ireland that can create regional and national employment.

Alan Hickey, from Castleknock, Dublin 15, is co-founder of WeBringg, a firm that delivers online products within 90 minutes, beating the traditional two- to three-day waiting time.

Hickey, 31, has reached the national final of Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition and the start-up, co-founded with childhood friend Sean Murray, 32, has just secured 650,000 in funding from backers.

The future looks bright for the businessmen, who credit their success partly to support from Fingal Local Enterprise Office (LEO).

But Hickey feels more help must be offered to entrepreneurs against the backdrop of Brexit.

"It's great to see the Government is tackling the elephant in the room that is Brexit," says Hickey.

"But the point is, we still don't know what Brexit means for Irish businesses. We're trying our best to Brexit-proof as much as we can, but the more supports the better that Government can offer.

"It's not as if there's an infinite amount of resources, so it's about balancing and making sure this money is deployed in the right places.

"We need to see still more of a focus on small and medium enterprises. They employ the vast number of employees in Ireland.

"I understand everything is driven by politics and headlines, but assisting these companies needs to come as the major policy ahead of assisting global conglomerates if the Government wants to make an impact on day-to-day life.

"Sometimes 300m funds make headlines, but it's about how these funds are utilised."

Enterprise Ireland will be assisting 1,000 firms develop and implement sustainability and growth plans as part of the Project Ireland 2040 stimulus of packages.

To help support employment and enterprise, new regional sectoral clusters will be developed. These clusters will see regional SMEs and multinationals working with research centres and third-level institutions as they help companies think in global terms.

Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Offices will also be supporting Brexit-exposed businesses, with initiatives to help them become more competitive and to 'diversify' trade from the UK to new markets.

Oisin Geoghegan, head of enterprise at Fingal LEO, said in a "typical year" his office deals with more than 1,000 local start-ups.

Last year the Fingal LEO held 670 clinics to assist entrepreneurs launch new businesses.

"It's staggering, the volume of business going on in Fingal," Geoghegan said.

"Project Ireland is probably unprecedented for the 300m loans that will be available. And our job is for small businesses to know this isn't just going to be for the big boys, that they can avail of that funding too."

On March 5, Fingal LEO will be holding an event titled Show Me The Money, for small and medium enterprises, at the Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport. The group will help companies unlock some of the secrets to gaining finance.

The potential for what Project Ireland could deliver is "very exciting from a business perspective", Geoghegan. "And Fingal is a gateway to Ireland for business," he added.

"In my world, which supports smaller businesses, micro enterprises and start-ups, I don't think anywhere else in the EU has as many supports when it comes to practical advice and funding. It's stronger now than ever before.

"With more funding and the airport and transport infrastructure in Project Ireland, there are new opportunities for business coming to Fingal.

"We have diversity in business in Fingal - from tech, to pharma to agriculture and a food sector too. There are a lot of opportunities, but companies need to take Brexit seriously and look at how they could be impacted."

One of the most vital industries in Fingal, farming, is particularly at risk due to Brexit. And farmers are keen to have their say on Government policy.

Thomas Cooney, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) chair for environment and rural affairs, said: "We welcome the plan for development and the allocation of funds, but the admin needs to be kept without too much red tape.

"There's a lot of farming activity in Fingal and farmers are concerned about Brexit. More still needs to be done for farmers, with formal agricultural policy. The devil is in the detail of this project.

"A lot of farmers are at the mercy of supermarkets. There needs to be more done - legislation brought in at EU level and a budget needs to be increased to allow for the impact of Brexit on farmers.

"Farming did its part for the recovery of the economy - it was the only sector that grew in the crash. It sustained the Government in recession, so we hope Government continues to do what it can for us."

Padraic McMahon, a farmer from Kilsallaghan, near Swords, said nationally "people don't associate Dublin with farming". But, he added, "It's at the heart of Fingal."

"It's early days with the Government's Project Ireland plan," Mr McMahon, who runs a farm with his wife Brid, said.

"The general thrust of the announcement was good. Certainly, if the Government can help business people and farmers grow new markets, then that's the aim ahead of Brexit.

"It's a waiting game but it's a start and if someone is there to tell me I need to be more Brexit-prepared, I will listen."

A Department of Business spokesman said: "Enterprise Ireland is working directly with clients most exposed to Brexit, providing the necessary supports and expertise to help them navigate immediate challenges. This includes the Brexit SME Scorecard, the Be Prepared Funding and the Market Discovery Fund.

"A series of Brexit Advisory Clinics are also being held across the country to support businesses affected by Brexit in taking action to reduce their exposure."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThe fact that five people are walking around today and enjoying a new lease of life thanks to the organs of Cal Grimes who sadly passed away last summer, seven months after a fatal road accident, has proven to be a huge comfort to Cal's girlfriend who spoke to the Fingal Independent about how she and Cal's family are bidding to 'keep his legacy positive' with an annual fundraiser.

It was a unique night for a unique individual on Saturday night as friends and family of Cal Grimes gathered to celebrate his birthday, his life and his generosity of spirit that is keeping five people alive today.

Aisling McKeown was Cal's girlfriend and was by his side during the agonising seven months that followed the road accident that saw the young man from Rush knocked down near his home.

Cal endured 15 operations during that time but sadly, never regained consciousness and when his body finally gave way to a heart attack, his parents were faced with an awful decision but one that was made easier by the certainty of their son's intentions to donate his organs.

Aisling said that organ donation was something that she and Cal openly discussed.

'It was something me and Cal would have spoken about quite a lot. He would tell me: 'Give them away, they'll be no use to me at that stage'.

'I never second guessed the decision but it wasn't my decision to make, obviously it was his parents' decision to make but knowing what he wanted did make it slightly easier. It was a very difficult time for us all. He had been through months and months of a battle and at that stage and we just wanted to do as much of what he wanted as we could.'

Aisling said she has taken great comfort in the fact that five of Cal's organs are now keeping other people alive.

She told the Fingal Independent: 'One hundred per cent, it is a comfort.'

Aisling said that when a letter arrived to Cal's family confirming his five organs were being used, she was comforted by the fact that five families had got the good news that she had prayed to get about Cal.

She explained: 'We had been praying in every way imaginable for those seven months to get Cal back. We wanted Cal back with every fibre of our being but unfortunately that didn't happen. But those five families have had their prayers answered and they have their loved ones back.

'That thought was so poignant to me at the time and I thought about the excitement they must have felt when they got the news that their family member was coming home from hospital. It was devastating for us but it was a comfort to know there was a happy, positive outcome for those people.'

So inspired by the positive impact that Cal's legacy has already had, Aisling and the Rush man's family have decided to have an annual fundraiser for the Neurological Department in Beaumont Hospital as well as Organ Donation Ireland.

The first event happened last Saturday night in the Strand Bar and was full of the things Cal loved, particularly hip-hop music.

Aisling said, prior to the event: 'We are trying to keep his legacy positive and not about the tragedy that happened to him and we will be giving out donor cars to people on the night.'

Aisling said that Cal was 'one of a kind in every way imaginable' and was someone who found his own unique path in life and his uniqueness was celebrated on Saturday night at the 'King Cal Jam' in the Strand Bar, as it was in his equally unique funeral last summer where the church was filled with the music of the Wu Tang Clan, for probably the first time and almost certainly the last.

Cal's beloved girlfriend said: 'That was Cal in a nutshell - he was very much his own person and would always do what he wanted to do. He was one of a kind in every way imaginable and we were all adamant that his funeral would be something he would have wanted.'

Hip-hop music, all kinds of references to comic book heroes and a request for funeral guests to 'dress dapper' all made for one of the more colourful funeral we have seen in Fingal.

Aisling added: 'Cal was a big fan of Hunter S Thompson who has his ashes shot out of a cannon when he died. That's the kind of person Cal wanted to be and he would have wanted to out something like that and we were very conscious of that and wanted to make the funeral a real celebration of his life.'

Cal's life and unique spirit continues to be celebrated, as it was in the Strand Bar on Saturday night and as it is every day in the hearts of his family and friends and in the five people somewhere out there who have 'King Cal' to thank for their lives.There will be no return in the immediate future to more localised policing fora, according to the Fingal Joint Policing Committee

There will be no return in the immediate future to more localised policing fora, according to the Fingal Joint Policing Committee.

Cllr Paul Mulville (SD), speaking at the latest meeting of the committee, asked the council and gardai who operate the forum, to consider 're-establishing the Swords Community Policing Forum in line with article 14 of the Joint Policing Committee Guidelines'.

The background to the elimination of local policing fora in Swords and Balbriggan was laid out in a written report to the councillor, which stated: 'Local Policing Fora for Swords and Balbriggan which were in place up to 2013 were funded solely North Dublin City & County Regional Drugs Task Force, through the Fingal LEADER Partnership.

Regional Drugs Task Forces are funded by the Department of Health. In 2013, a comprehensive review was carried out by the North Dublin City& County Regional Drugs Task Force which identified scope for improved front-line services targeted at the needs of the service user. This resulted in structural changes whereby the funding was re-directed to the provision of these front-line services.'

'In May 2014, the North Dublin Community Care Service was established, funded through the Regional Drugs Task Force (from the Department of Health) and with a remit to respond to drug/alcohol based problems.'

The report added: 'The system as it operates at present allows for direct communication and engagement between the North Dublin Community Care Services and relevant Local Authority Departments and local Gardai. The North Dublin Community Care Services would not be in favour of a duplication/overlap in service provision as this would divert essential resources.

'Without a source of funding available, it is not feasible to re-establish the Local Policing Fora at Swords.'

The Fingal Joint Policing Committee was subsequently established and the report stated: 'The JPC holds four public meetings per annum, offering members of the public an opportunity to meet Gardai and Local Authority officials and raise items of concern directly. The 2018 public meetings are scheduled to take place throughout April 2018.

'The Joint Policing Committee is a structured mechanism for engagement on the matters of crime, anti-social behaviour and the underlying factors, and it is not desirable to increase demands on the resources of both An Garda Siochana and the local authority by effectively duplicating a structure already in place.'

While the Fingal Joint Policing Committee is an initiative that has been widely welcomed in the county, there has been those arguing for a more localised structure.'A pedestrian plaza space at Ferns Castle is one of the projects in the pipeline for the village

A Ferns Village Design Statement was presented to the councillors at last week's Gorey Municipal District meeting.

Brian O'Driscoll from O'Driscoll Lynn Architects in Wexford gave the councillors a look at what Wexford County Council has in mind to renew the historic village of Ferns, a place which was once the capital of Leinster during Norman times.

Projects include an avenue with trees on the Camolin side; removal of trees at St Peter's Church; construction of recreational walking trails; a pedestrian plaza space at Ferns Castle; possibility of removing the roundabout; sculptures near the plaza space; renovations of the mud cabin on the Enniscorthy side; public art and mural on empty buildings; refurbishing the Community Hall and extra signage.

'We have already presented this vision plan to the people of Ferns who have welcomed it,' said Senior Planner from Wexford County Council Diarmuid Houston. 'After we held a meeting with the community we identified the incredible assets and monuments the village has to offer.'

Mr O'Driscoll said they had a few community meetings which inspired the report and plan for Ferns.

'The points which kept occurring were the fact the first impression of Ferns is poor,' said Mr O'Driscoll.

'The green space in front of the castle is a missed opportunity, roundabout has a good and bad impact on the village, opportunity to build trails and it is missing the tourist offering.'

The councillors were in full support of the pedestrian plaza space idea at the castle. The plan would be to knock down the wall in front of the castle to create an open space.

'It is an opportunity to open that back up to the community again,' said Mr O'Driscoll. 'We could have an allocated place for buses to drop tourists off and maybe they could park in the GAA grounds while they are waiting to pick them up.'

Cllr Fionntan O Suilleabhain welcomed the plans for Ferns, but said parking could be an issue.

Mr Houston assured the councillors this is just a vision plan for the future, and if successful they will build car parks. He also said costings for the projects will be done later.

Mr O'Driscoll pointed out that all vistas and approaches to Ferns would be reinvented. Trees would be cut back on the Enniscorthy side to allow for the view of Ferns Castle and others would be planted to create an avenue on the Camolin side.

'We could create a looped walking trail for people so they can return back to the village,' said Mr O'Driscoll.

Cllr Malcolm Byrne praised Mr O'Driscoll and Mr Houston on their ambitious plans and said Ferns under sold itself in relation to its Norman link.

'This is a real opportunity for Ferns post by-pass,' said Cllr Byrne. 'The by-pass will either make or break Ferns.'Councillor Malcolm Byrne voiced his concern about the former St Joseph's NS on Wexford Street in Gorey at last week's Gorey Municipal District meeting.

Cllr Byrne pointed out that the site is attracting a lot of anti-social behaviour on a regular basis and suggested it be examined every three months.

Senior Planner for Wexford County Council Diarmuid Houston said they could possibly look at fencing off the site if anti-social behaviour continues.

'The site is deteriorating and it is not great for people living in the area,' added Cllr Byrne.

Councillor Pip Breen said the St Joseph's site is a huge asset to the town. 'Something has to be done with it and it should not be left the way it is at the moment,' said Cllr Breen.

'The Bayview Hotel in Courtown is also an eyesore, is there any update on that?,' said Cllr Byrne. 'It has been going on way too long now.'

Mr Houston said they would look at the Bayview Hotel report.The UKs departure from the EU brings great challenges, but it is also a time of opportunity for firms to grow new export markets. By John Meagher

Brexit may be looming on the horizon but Mary Walsh is not deterred. She founded her pallet manufacturing company in 1990 when the recession that had scarred so much of the previous decade was still biting and she survived the challenges of the most recent downturn too. Brexit, she believes, is an opportunity to turn disadvantage into advantage and for Ireland to grow other export markets.

"I think we have been too reliant to the UK market for too long," she insists. "And I don't believe that trade will simply cease with Britain. They will still want to do business with us, and us with them. It will be different, though, but I don't think we should panic unduly."

Her company, Gorey-based Ire Well Pallets, employs 50 people and, she says, it has experienced month-on-month growth since June 2016 - the month Britain voted to leave the EU.

"A lot of the companies we supply have been actively looking to develop other export markets," she says. "Brexit may have been a shock, but they're refusing to rest on their laurels."

She is enthused about Project Ireland 2040 and its promise to grow the regions. "I think it's a really good plan for Ireland and I hope it's something that will benefit all parts of the country, including the south-east. It's ambitious and forward-thinking and that can only be a good thing."

The commitment to improve transport infrastructure and broadband capabilities is to be welcomed and she says both can make an enormous difference when it comes both to business and quality of life.

Despite complaints about poor broadband outside of Dublin, she believes that the service she has at home and work is often better than she experiences "in major cities in the UK and Europe".

Of course it could be better - and should be - but I've been struck by how poor it can be elsewhere," she says.

Significant road improvements - including the development of the M11 motorway - has brought north Wexford within an hour of Dublin. And there have been significant upgrades to the broadband network in recent years.

"It's aspects like that that might help people decide that the can start a new life elsewhere," Walsh says. "They can still work in Dublin for instance, but live a quieter pace of life somewhere like here. I can be in Dublin in no time for a meeting and yet I can live just three kilometres from the sea. There's a lot to be said for that."

She is convinced that the focus on growing the regions in the plan is good news for Ireland as a whole.

"It's important to spread investment and to support the regional cities in order to maximise their effectiveness. You'd hope that would have a positive impact on the areas surrounding them and I think it can only be a good thing for Wexford that Waterford city is strengthened. Already, in this county, we can draw from expertise there such as the Waterford Institute of Technology."

Walsh is also involved as a mentor with the Acorns initiative, which stands for Accelerating the Creation Of Rural Nascent Start-ups. "It's about helping young entrepreneurs and it's something I'm passionate about. I think it's important to give something back and for business people in rural Ireland to help each other," she says.

More businesses means more employment and, she insists, it can help ensure the future of rural Ireland.

It is a sentiment echoed by John Walsh, the managing director of the Irish Country Meats operation at Camolin, Co. Wexford.

For businesses of all sizes to prosper off the beaten track, they are certain variables that are essential for their success, especially when it comes to the recruitment of employees.

"One of the biggest issues for us here at present is the accommodation shortage," he says. "That can be a significant problem when it comes to attracting staff. We need to build enough houses throughout the country."

Walsh is heartened by Project Ireland 2040's commitment to a top-line nationwide broadband network and says major improvements need to arrive sooner rather than later.

"It's a substantial issue at the moment," he says. "I hear staff in the canteen say the broadband isn't great. And that's particularly an issue to the large numbers of staff we have from overseas - it's not good if they can't Skype home to family as easily as they would like. The National Broadband Strategy is key."

North Wexford's proximity to Dublin has helped business in the area, Walsh believes, and he says the development of regional hubs makes sense. "[Developing a hub in Waterford city] will probably have greater impact in New Ross than here, but it's something I'd definitely welcome."

Brexit, he says, has been a topic of conversation among business associates for the past 18 months, and he says as a sheep-meat processor, Irish Country Meats isn't as impacted as beef factories. "Seventy five per cent of what we do is exported," he says, pointing out that little of that is to the UK.

"There's a potential positive in Brexit for us in that the UK is currently the third largest exporter of sheep-meat to the EU and when they depart that situation may well change and there's an opportunity for Irish exporters to exploit that.

"But on the other side, the UK may negotiate a new trade agreement with New Zealand - a huge exporter of sheep-meat - and that could have a knock-on effect."

Like many general managers of major regional companies, John Walsh believes Brexit will have an impact on their business, but it's virtually impossible to predict just how significant it will be. "It's the uncertainty of the uncertainty of Brexit right now."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThe Refugee Resettlement Programme is now commencing in Gorey, according to Housing Officer from Wexford County Council Padraig O'Gorman at last week's Gorey Municipal District meeting.

'A total of six houses in various locations around the town are being prepared,' said Mr O'Gorman.

The six families will move into their new homes the week after St Patrick's Day weekend, with the help of two refugee resettlement workers and translators.

Cathaoirleach of Gorey Municipal District Cllr Joe Sullivan asked Mr O'Gorman where the funding for these houses is coming from.

'The Department of Housing funds the cost of the houses,' said Mr O'Gorman.

Cllr Sullivan assured councillors it does not interfere with funding already there. 'It is just a top up,' added Cllr Sullivan.

'The refugees are not displacing others on our housing list, I think we need to make that clear,' said Cllr Malcolm Byrne. He proposed that all councillors host a civic event to welcome them to Gorey once they have settled in.

'Do the houses become Wexford County Council property if they move back?,' asked Cllr Anthony Donohoe.

Mr O'Gorman said it is unlikely they would return home due to various reasons, but 'if for whatever reason they leave the house it would return back to the Council'.The search is on to find the 2018 Wexford Rose and young women from all over the county are invited to apply online ahead of this year's selection.

The current Rose of Tralee, Dr Jennifer Byrne recently teamed up with RTE presenter, Daithi O Se to launch the search for her successor who will be crowned next August.

Dr Byrne, the first ever Offaly Rose to take the title urged others to get involved. 'All I can say to any young woman is to 'go for it and apply'. It has truly been the most incredible experience of my life and I would encourage as many young women as possible to take part and become their local Rose', she said.

'I guarantee them they will make incredible friends and have an amazing experience. I've thoroughly enjoyed my year as the Rose of Tralee so far and am really excited about what is to come. Many people think that the Rose of Tralee festival is just one week long and they don't realise that the Roses and Rose Escorts have so many incredible experiences throughout the whole year.'

'I have many more exciting times ahead and I'm really looking forward to meeting the 2018 Roses who will be selected in the coming months'. The desire to be the next Rose of Tralee is stronger than ever with over 4000 women entering selection events around the world since 2014.

Jennifer was one of the 502 people who took part in qualifying selections in Ireland last year, while another 500 women entered selections in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Britain, Europe and Middle East.

Rose of Tralee regional selections will take place from February to June all over the world and anyone interested in entering the Wexford Rose of Tralee event can do so online at www.roseoftralee.ie. Selection will take place in the Amber Springs Hotel in Gorey on April 13 on Friday 13th April at 7:30pm

As the Lead Sponsor of the Rose of International Festival, Tipperary Crystal will present, the 2018 Rose of Tralee with a complete collection of Tipperary Crystal Fine Jewellery, a range of high quality products from their Giftware and Homeware Collections. The winner will wear the splendid tiara featuring the Rose motif as the central framework, adorned in glistening crystals and will receive the exquisitely crafted Crystal Perpetual Trophy.

The next Rose of Tralee will drive away from Tralee in a brand new KIA from McElligotts Tralee, a World Travel Prize valued at 25,000 and a weeklong holiday in Kerry from Kerry County Council.

Every return visit to Tralee during the 2018 Rose of Tralee's reign will be spent in comfort at the magnificent 4-star Rose Hotel, the home to the Rose of Tralee International Festival.

The 2018 Rose of Tralee International Festival will run from Friday August 17 to Tuesday August 21.Mercy Holy Cross Killarney pupils Nessa Galvin, Angelike Ellaga, Mia Twomey and Fiona McHugh performing during The Gathering Festival visit to the school on Thursday. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

Round the house Des Dillons Dance Pupppers with Raw Bar Affair and Sean O Se performing at the Gathering Irish Traditional Festival. Photo by Valerie OSullivan

Its 2018 tagline was '19 years and counting' - and with year-on-year attendances up once again this year, it's all eyes already on 2019 and a bumper anniversary for The Gathering Traditional Festival at the Gleneagle.

Running over five days from February 21 to 25, Killarney was the scene of concerts, ceilis, musical sessions, and workshops throughout the 19th staging of the hugely popular event, with attendees calling from all over Ireland, Europe, and beyond. And they enjoyed such eclectic national and international acts such as Des Dillon's dancing puppets; Scottish traditional stars Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham; Mairtin O'Connnor; Cathal Hayden; the Johnny Reidy Ceili Band; Ui Bhriain; Seamie O'Dowd; and Stockton's Wing.

With its ability to draw both the crowds and the stars to Killarney, the long-running festival is showing no sign of slowing down as it enters its landmark 20th year; if anything, the event is only heating up and preparing to mark next year's major anniversary, according to the INEC's Ceara Scanlon.

"We were exceptionally pleased with how it went again this year," Ms Scanlon told The Kerryman.

"I don't have exact attendance figures to hand, but we know that attendances are up again as they are year-on-year.

"I think a big part of its success is that for the five days, whether you walk in day or night, there's something on to suit all ages and tastes. That's where a lot of its popularity comes from."

Ahead of February 21, The Gathering had promised the biggest and best line-up for its visitors from the Ireland, the US, Britain, France, Germany, and elsewhere - but even at this early stage, Ms Scanlon is confident they'll be able to make the same boast in 12 months' time.

"It's all about next year and the 20th anniversary of The Gathering now. Onwards and upwards!"Big cats are among the most widely recognised and admired animals worldwide, yet these charismatic predators are facing many threats, which are mostly caused by human activities

Saturday of this week is World Wildlife Day. Each year, March 3 celebrates and raises awareness of the world's wild animals and plants.

World Wildlife Day is a United Nations initiative that coincides with the anniversary of the signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international agreement between governments to regulate international trade in wild species of animals and plants to ensure that their survival does not become threatened by such trade.

World Wildlife Day is celebrated under a different theme each year. This year the theme is 'Big Cats: predators under threat". Using the expanded definition of big cats, the day will raise awareness on the conservation of the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar, as well as the cheetah, snow leopard, puma, clouded leopard and related species.

Big cats are among the most widely recognised and admired animals across the globe. However, today these charismatic predators are facing many and varied threats, which are mostly caused by human activities.

Overall, their populations are declining at a disturbing rate due to loss of habitat and prey, conflicts with people, poaching and illegal trade. For example, tiger populations plummeted by 95% over the past 100 years and African lion populations dropped by 40% in just 20 years. But a range of measures is underway to arrest this decline.

Big cat species are found in Africa, Asia, and North, Central and South America, representing a virtually global distribution, and representations of big cats such as for car logos, by sporting clubs and the fashion industry, are used globally.

Over the past century we have been losing big cats, the planet's most majestic predators, at an alarming rate. World Wildlife Day 2018 gives us the opportunity to raise awareness about their plight and to galvanize support for the many global and national actions that are underway to save these iconic species.

Ireland ratified CITES in January 2002 and the convention entered into force here on 8 April 2002. Over 4,000 animal species, including big cats, and 25,000 plant species are accorded varying degrees of protection by the CITES convention. Regulations implementing CITES in the European Union list the species relevant to this part of the world and the EU experience of illegal trading in endangered wildlife.

Irish laws follow the EU Regulations and lay out the terms and conditions for possession, use and trade in protected species that are both native to Ireland and non-native species listed under CITES.GAA-mad Listowel is overjoyed to host Micheal O Muircheartaigh himself as its big guest for St Patrick's Day as part of the national Rith 2018 celebrations converging on the Fealeside town.

St Patrick's Day is set to be bigger than ever in North Kerry this year as a result of Listowel being chosen as the national destination of Rith.

A cornerstone of the national Seachtain na Gaeilge festivities, Rith sees native language lovers undertaking a 1,500km-long relay carrying a very special teachtaireacht - message - from none other than Uachtaran na hEireann Micheal O hUigin.

It's certainly making St Patrick's Day an exciting one for Listowel Glor na nGael's new chairperson Ailish Ni Shuilleabhain.

"We're over the moon to have Micheal with us on the day," Ailish told The Kerryman this week announcing the identity of the big festival guest.

"He is a huge draw for the event and for the town, for people of all ages. As a Gaeilgeoir himself Micheal is fantastically suited as guest speaker, who will not only champion, but will enhance the celebration of the Irish language on the day, both in Listowel and on the island of Ireland."

As March 17 also marks the close of Seachtain na Gaeilge, Ailish and Glor na nGael are calling on everyone to get out in St Patrick's Day style like never before to show the nation exactly how Listowel throws a big party.

Meanwhile a pupil from the Gaelscoil will be tasked with reading the President's message, upon its arrival to the main stage courtesy of the runners bringing it in.

RTE will also be broadcasting the 11am Mass as Gaeilge from St Mary's in another great recognition of Listowel nationally.

"We're expecting a big crowd on the day for our annual parade and businesses or groups interested in participating in the parade can get an entry form from Christy Walsh in the square christythewell@eircom.net."

"This would be a particularly great year to enter a float into the parade considering the local and national interest Listowel is garnering on St Patrick's Day this year," Ailish said.

With the Rith done all are invited over to the Seanchai for craic and ceoil with the local Comhaltas branch.

Meanwhile, Seachtain na Gaeilge sees set-dancing returning to the Seanchai on Friday, March 9, from 9.30pm. Musicians Donie and Maura Nolan provide the rhythm with Timmy Woulfe casting the sets.

The Seanchai will also host the aforementioned special session of Listowel Rambling House on St Patrick's Day from 3 to 6 pm. "We would encourage everyone to come along and join in the fun," manager Cara Trant said.Independent TD Mick Wallace has availed of Dail privilege to make a number of extraordinary claims about the enforcement of liquor licensing laws in the Killarney area.

The Wexford based TD made the remarkable comments during last Wednesday's (February 21) Dail debate on proposals to raise the age limit for Garda Commissioners from 55 to 60.

The Wexford TD - who has raised issues about alleged Garda malpractice on numerous occasions in the past - told the Dail that in late 2017 he and Dublin Independent TD Clare Daly had met a "garda whistleblower" who had been "chewed up and spat out by the garda system" after he made claims about "blatant non-enforcement of liquor licensing laws" in the Killarney area.

The following is what Deputy Wallace told the Dail.

"In what is becoming a familiar story with whistleblowers in this country, the garda in question spotted a problem in how policing was done at a station where he served. He brought the issue to his superiors' attention in the belief that they might address the problem and perhaps even thank him," said Deputy Wallace.

"In a small way, he managed some of that but what he did not expect was he would have to face a majority of superiors and colleagues who did not like what he was doing," Deputy Wallace said.

"His pursuit of the issue ended up with him being reprimanded by his superiors and alienated from his colleagues. Eventually, after six years of not being supported, he was forced to take stress-related sick leave in December 2016," Deputy Wallace claimed.

"Things got worse a little over a year later. Stressed, in despair and needing help, the garda found himself in a bad place and ended up unresponsive on the back seat of a bus. Two gardai arrived to remove him but removing him was not enough so they gave him a good clipping."

"When they realised the fellow they were clipping was also a garda, the two gardai scuttled off and left him behind. Not alone had he been chewed up and spat out by the Garda system but when he was at his lowest and really needed support - as might any of us at times - he got a punch on the way down," said Deputy Wallace.

"The whistleblower's crime and how it had come to this was as simple as discovering blatant non-enforcement of liquor licensing laws. He found there were favoured publicans who were allowed to run pubs with immunity and without proper licensing in the Killarney area. When the whistleblower attempted to enforce the law and change things so all publicans would be treated equally, he was discouraged by his colleagues, alienated and ridiculed," he said.

"In May 2016, the whistleblower encountered an after-hours street brawl during which the premises continued to serve patrons. After dealing with the brawl, the garda confronted the publican. About a week later he was reprimanded by an inspector for harassing this serial offending publican. The Garda whistleblower was encouraged to come to an arrangement with the publican or the inspector said he would send a complaint up the line and the whistleblower would not come out well of an investigation. This same Inspector threatened to use CCTV footage, supplied by the publican, to destroy this garda unless he apologised and came to an arrangement with the law-breaking publican," Deputy Wallace said.

Deputy Wallace said that the Whistleblower had prepared 16 files for prosecutions under the liquor licensing laws. One was successful but Deputy Wallace said that "in many cases the summonses were not issued, not lodged or withdrawn."

"I do not believe for a second that Killarney is the only place that has a problem with the licensing laws but County Kerry does seem to be a basket case when it comes to prosecuting cases in the District Courts," Deputy Wallace told the Dail.

"In 2016 in Listowel there were 43 prosecutions in the District Court of which two resulted in convictions; in Tralee there were 14 prosecutions and one conviction; in Killorglin, 18 prosecutions and one conviction; in Caherciveen, 27 prosecutions and one conviction; and in Dingle, Kenmare and Killarney there were seven, 19 and 26 prosecutions, respectively, and zero convictions in each case. The conviction rate for the whole of County Kerry in 2016 was three per cent," Deputy Wallace said.

"Across the country there are even more bizarre anomalies that require further scrutiny. From 2012 to 2016 the total number of prosecutions in Wicklow and Arklow towns was two, neither of which resulted in a prosecution."

"Either publicans are so compliant in these areas that the gardai there can spend their time looking after the Christmas trees or the gardai have just ignored that licensing laws need to be enforced. Dundalk, with a 30 per cent conviction rate from 2010 to 2016, illustrates the lack of consistency," Deputy Wallace said.

When contacted by The Kerryman Garda Headquarters declined to comment on Deputy Wallace's allegations.

"An Garda Siochana is prohibited from commenting on any individual protected disclosures that may or may not have been made in relation to individuals in An Garda Siochana or the organisation as a whole," said a statement issued in response by the Garda Press Office at Garda headquarters in Phoenix Park.

A local Garda spokesperson in Kerry told The Kerryman that liquor licensing laws are strictly and fairly enforced in the Killarney area.

"There are hundreds of licensed premises in the Killarney area when one takes into account hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, supermarkets and garages. The gardai continually liaise with the Revenue Commissioners to ensure these premises are fully licensed and licenses are up to date," said the spokesperson.

"The licensing laws are strictly enforced in a fair and responsible manner and prosecutions are taken when necessary. In fact there were a number of licensing prosecutions at last week's sitting of Killarney District Court," the spokesperson said.A meeting between An Post officials and Gerald O'Sullivan of Glencar Post Office took place on Tuesday in Dublin with the outcome described as 'hopeful'.

Junior Minister for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin also attended the meeting and a decision will be made on the post office's future in the coming weeks.

"The meeting went okay to be honest but we still won't know for another two to three weeks," said Gerald O'Sullivan. "All we can do is remain hopeful, but to have Junior Minister Brendan Griffin by your side in the meeting with the CEO of An Post can only be a positive for us."

Gerald said the public support received in recent weeks was also raised by An Post officials at the meeting. They mentioned the positive response by the public who submitted over 200 submissions, and also the local meeting in Glencar Community Centre where 400 people turned up.

"The public response came up in the meeting a couple of times and we're hoping that's a positive for us. They said they understand our situation and how we're willing to stay in Glencar and run the shop, hostel and post office. We told them if the post office goes, all three businesses will go," Gerald added.

Gerald said he doesn't feel An Post are out to deliberately close post offices, he appreciates the fact they too are running a business. The An Post CEO told them that over 50 percent of Post Offices across the country are now losing money.

"The key thing here is that people need to support their local post office and the same is true of every post office in every community. I also want to thank all the councillors and TDs that have helped us since we started this campaign," Gerald added.

Meanwhile, Deputies Martin Ferris, John Brassil and Michael Healy-Rae have also issued statements expressing their hope that a positive outcome can be reached as they also attended a meeting with An Post officials and the O'Sullivan family in Dail last Thursday.In the tourism sector, challenges include Brexit but the industry is upbeat about the initiatives in Project Ireland 2040.

"We welcome the commitment to the various initiatives in the heritage area of tourism in Project 2040," said Patrick O'Donoghue, Chairman of the Kerry branch of the Irish Hotels Federation. "As the only county in the south-west of the country that has no access to the motorway network, we would very much welcome the progress on the Macroom and Adare bypasses for accessibility to the county of Kerry."

Mr O'Donoghue is also the chief executive of the Gleneagle Group, and is a former director of Failte Ireland.

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) is the national organisation of the hotel and guesthouse industry in Ireland, and represents almost 1,000 hotels and guesthouses nationwide, employing more than 57,000 people and a key stakeholder in the Irish tourism sector.

"The Kerry Branch of the IHF is one of the most progressive and effective branches in the country, and I am honoured to represent our members throughout Kerry," he added.

Brexit remains an issue for the hotel sector, according to the latest quarterly barometer from the IHF. Almost all hoteliers surveyed called for additional marketing support and product development across the region.

Kerry remains Ireland's premier tourist destination and, with approximately 25pc of employment in the county tourism-related, it is a significant economic contributor to the county.

At the end of last year, the new destination brand for Kerry was launched.

Designed to promote the county, 'Kerry - Your Natural Escape' includes imagery and messaging highlighting key attractions in the county.

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteThe last photo of Amy published in The Kerryman, taken on September 13, which shows Amy meeting Francis Brennan as he signed his new book, with Amys parents Triona and Brendan OConnor, at Easons Bookshop, Main Street, Killarney. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

"She had the whole community behind her and they kept her going," said heartbroken dad Brendan O'Connor as tributes were paid to his daughter Amy who lost her battle with cancer at the weekend.

The 11-year-old Killarney girl underwent intensive treatment at the Children's Hospital in Crumlin and she captured the hearts of a nation when Dr Crokes' captain Johnny Buckley asked her to help him lift the Andy Merrigan Cup on the steps of the Hogan Stand last March.

"Sport and the Crokes were her life really and they meant everything to her. She was amazing, she really was and we want to thank everyone for their support over the past few years," Brendan added.

Amy's association with Crokes was an inspiration to the players in their quest for that coveted All-Ireland title and her parents and brother Cian are heartbroken as they have been by Amy's side throughout her illness.

Dr Crokes Club Chairman Patrick O'Sullivan told The Kerryman the club is absolutely devastated and that Amy was an inspiration to everyone involved with the club.

"She had a tough few years but she always showed her best side and always wore a smile. Before last year's All-Ireland final she would visit the team and I believe that her courage really influenced the players," said Patrick.

He added that even though Amy was very young, she knew and left an impression on everyone she met.

"She'll be missed and all throughout her illness she spent as much time as possible around the club grounds. On behalf of everyone at Dr Crokes, I extend my sympathies to her family. Her dad and brother are a major part of our club and over the next few days we'll do everything we can for the family," he added.

Crokes star Johnny Buckley said he could not overemphasise enough the effect Amy had on the team in 2017 and how her encouraging messages and visits to training let them they know they were playing more than just a match.

"We knew the effort it was going to take for Amy to be in Croke Park on St Patrick's Day and when we heard she was in the Hogan Stand, it lifted the whole dressing room," said Johnny.

"We've all remarked since then that Amy being there to lift the cup was the highlight of the day. On a personal level I have, and always will, find Amy inspirational. Her smile was infectious, her positivity was astonishing, and her bubbly personality shone through every time we met. She was an amazing little girl and it was my privilege to have known her. She will be sadly missed by us all," he added.

Just days after that memorable Croke Park occasion, Amy's dad Brendan told The Kerryman how much Amy loved the Crokes since she was four-years-old and that all she ever wanted to do was play with Crokes when she was older.

Dad Brendan said of that day: 'It was so emotional and it made her so happy and it was just an incredible gesture by the Crokes. It was such a passionate speech by Johnny and he meant every word of it. We were in the stand and I was just so emotional, but I never saw Amy move as fast as she did down those steps, she couldn't wait to get there. We'll never forget it.'Mark Shoosmith, left, Brendan Coffey and Anthony Cronin, getting in some practice for the annual Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. Photo by Valerie OSullivan

Wheelin in the years Mark Shoosmith, cyclistleft; Cathal Walsh, PRO; Brita Lyons, Ring of Kerry Event; Brendan Coffey, cyclist; Tony Daly, Chairman, Ring of Kerry and Anthony Cronin, cyclist, getting in some practice for the annual Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle which is celebrating 35 years as Irelands largest one-day charity fundraising event. The amazing event is taking place this year on Saturday, July 7. Registration for the charity cycle will open on March 10 and the eventis expected to see 10,000 recreational cyclists take part, with a number readying their High Nelly vintage bikes for the cycle again this year. Photo by Valerie OSullivan

Its reputation alone is enough to cause a stir in an ordinary year, but 2018 marks a special anniversary for the country's largest one-day fund-raising event - so this July looks set to be even more memorable than usual.

Registration for the 2018 Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle - now into its 35th year - opens on March 10 and is expected to welcome 10,000 recreational cyclists, including a few who, as pictured, have dusted off their High Nelly vintage bikes for the fun 175-kilometre challenge.

Participants in the iconic July 7 event will each choose one of the 14 selected 'main' beneficiary charities, an increase on previous years, while another 30 charities will also receive funds from registration proceeds.

Previous cycles have helped such worthy initiatives as hospital extensions, improved special needs facilities, suicide prevention services, rescue teams, elderly care, and far more besides, and this year sees the number of 'main' charities stretched from 10 to 14 to include national charities such as Enable Ireland, Pieta House and the Irish Kidney Association.

"With 35 years of experience behind us, our goal for 2018 is to help people make the most of their achievements by creating a fun and inclusive event and giving them more choice in charities to support," Cycle Chairperson Tony Daly told The Kerryman. "We are looking forward to welcoming all 14 charities, our many cyclists and invaluable volunteers in July to celebrate 35 years of the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle."

This year's list also includes the Kerry Parents and Friends Association Buy a Bus Campaign; Down Syndrome Ireland; St Mary of the Angels; Breakthrough Cancer Research; Bru Columbanus; Kerry Hospice Foundation; Baile Mhuire; Caherciveen Social Services; Irish Community Rapid Response; KDYS and St Joseph's Home, Killorglin. The 2018 registration fee is 100 plus a 3.5 per cent service fee, and cyclists can also boost their selected charity through an online fundraising page using Everyday Hero or sponsorship cards.

"There are many great projects and initiatives which will benefit from funds raised and if you choose to fundraise, every euro will go directly to your chosen charity," cycle PRO Cathal Walsh said.

"Registrations will take place on a first-come-first-served basis and we are encouraging all participants to keep an eye on our social channels for regular updates including preparation tips and how your fundraising efforts are positively affecting the charities involved."

Further information on the 2018 cycle is available at www.ringofkerrycycle.ie, which includes route outlines, charity descriptions, news updates, volunteer information, and preparation tips. One can pre-order their official Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle Jerseys at the outset of the registration phase.

You can also keep tabs on this year's event ahead of its roll-off through its various social media channels.

Its Facebook page can be obtained at www.facebook.com/RingofKerryCharityCycle/, while the event can also be followed on Twitter or Instagram, both via the handle @RingOKerryCycle.President Higgins in the Cable building and those who attended. Back (from left): Martin Shanahan (CEO,IDA), Junior Minister Brendan Griffin, Mary Rose Stafford (Tralee IT), Anthony OConnell (Valentia Island Development Company and Cable Foundation Board), John Griffin (KCC Tourism). Front (from left): Leonard Hobbs (Chairman of the Cable Foundation Board), Micheal Lyne (Valentia Island Development Company and Cable Foundation Board), President Higgins, Mayor of Kerry John Sheahan and Moira Murrell (CEO KCC)

Valentia, the point from which the first successful trans-Atlantic telegraph cable link was laid - between Valentia and Newfoundland in 1866 - is seeking to be included on the Irish government's 'Tentative List' of World Heritage sites.

It's a first step on the path to formal recognition by UNESCO and the drive is receiving support from some impressive quarters.

For instance, the Canadian government is supporting Ireland's bid for Valentia to be added to UNESCO's list and this support has increased since December when the cable property at Heart's Content in Newfoundland moved one step closer to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Canadian Government has long since recognised the cable station at Heart's Content as a national treasure and Canada's Federal Heritage Department thinks it's time Valentia Island received similar recognition, as part of a joint UNESCO bid.

Cross -border applications will get priority from UNESCO, particularly for industrial heritage sites, and a statement from the Canadian department reads: 'The Heart's Content Cable Station Provincial Historic Site, together with its sister site in Valentia, Republic of Ireland, meets World Heritage's high standard of universal value with respect to its cultural heritage values. The Committee encourages the Government of the Republic of Ireland to consider inclusion of Valentia on its Tentative List for World Heritage sites.'

This support from Canada is hugely significant for Valentia and last week Minister of State with responsibility for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin visited the Newfoundland historical cable site where he discussed a joint application to UNESCO for World Heritage Designation for the Valentia Cable Station and it's sister site in Newfoundland.

Meanwhile, Killarney National Park, Skellig Michael and the Valentia Cable Station are part of Project Ireland 2040, which will see a 285 million investment in national heritage nationwide. In view of this, President Higgins' visit last week to the Valentia Island Cable Station buildings in Knightstown was of major significance. It was perfect timing for the campaign and the ambitions of Valentia Island Development Company and Valentia Island Transatlanic Cable Foundation Board to present the historic cable as a UNESCO World Industrial Heritage Communications Site.

It is also the intention of Valentia Cable Foundation Board to establish a Digital Hub (sponsored by BT) upstairs in the cable building, with top of the range high speed broadband as a huge incentive to re-establish a vibrancy of technological employment which once existed there.

The President first visited Valentia Observatory in Cahersiveen and subsequently arrived to Knightstown at approximately 2.30pm. On a calm, rain-free day he was greeted outside the building by Anthony O'Connell of the Valentia Island Transatlantic Cable Foundation Board

There was bagpipe music too, provided by Patrick Lyne of Cooil, accompanied by his daughters Amy and Chloe and also Dermot Walsh of Knightstown. The President then entered the building to a packed attendance in the billiard room and was introduced to the Valentia Cable Foundation Board members by Anthony O'Connell.

Cable Foundation Board Chairman Leonard Hobbs opened by welcoming the President. Then Micheal Lyne of the Cable Foundation Board spoke on the Cable's history, followed by the President's speech and words from KCC CEO Moira Murrell.

Ahead of his trip to Canada to promote the joint UNESCO bid, Junior Minister for Tourism Brendan Griffin was also present for the presidential visit, as was Mayor John Sheahan, IDA CEO Martin Shanahan, as well as members of the Transatlantic Cable Foundation Board and members of the local community.

In his speech President Higgins said he is "very much in favour" of seeing Valentia recognised as one the most important sites in the world, in terms of the development of modern communications and technology.

He said that what happened in Valentia was such an important contribution to the development of communications and he gave his support those who are seeking recognition of the connection between Valentia and Heart's Content as a UNESCO World Heritage Industrial Site. The President's very significant milestone words of support were very well received by locals.

Campaigners believe that UNESCO recognition for Valentia would be of major benefit to the local community and to all of Kerry, by increasing hugely the area's attraction to international visitors.

They now hope that the President's remarks will help boost the island's chances of being included on the list. "When you get support from the highest office in the land, you know you're on the right track," said Valentia's Anthony O'Connell of the Transatlantic Cable Foundation Board.

Moira Morrell also spoke very favourably in favour of Valentia's UNESCO status.

When the speeches concluded Mayor John Sheahan presented President Higgins with the book 'They Talk along the Deep' by Donard De Cogan which outlines a global history of the Valentia Telegraph Cable.

The President then mingled among those in attendance as he enjoyed copious refreshments in their company. His departure was also heralded by bagpipe music. This was a big community effort in having everything right for such an auspicious occasion in Knightstown and well done to all who put their shoulders to the wheel to make for a memorable day for the Cable UNESCO endeavour and the future archives of the Cable Station and Valentia Island.NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre speaking out against gun control last week. It is clear that gun culture in the USA will not change in the forseeable future.

As students return to their school in Florida where 17 people were recently killed, the debate on the American gun culture continues.

This horrific incident is still deep in the heart of minds of those living the reality of it and for now, it is still sparking massive debate across the world.

The problem is, that once the shock of such an unthinkable massacre recedes, in America it seems, the status quo prevails and nothing really changes as the overriding culture there is that guns are an accepted part of life.

There have been countless mass shootings in the USA over many years, and the pro-gun lobby just shouts louder and louder saying that they now have even more reason to be armed. If there are dangerous people walking around with guns, then they are entitled to be able to defend themselves, they say.

I thought that this time there was a slight change in attitude on the way when a number of life-long gun owners who never before blamed the very loose gun laws as a contributing factor - destroy their own weapons publicly and share videos of this online.

It is true that if mindsets can be changed that there is hope, but this ticking time bomb for American society cannot be left up to chance and the hope that people will see sense - because the vast majority of them will not.

The floodgates are already open and there is no way that this culture will be changed in one or even two generations.

There are many layers to this, from the unhealthy societal acceptance of weapons as a necessity or a badge of honour, to the availability of them to people who should never ever be trusted with a life-threatening weapon.

Couple that with the political influence the gun-lobbyists hold and the industry itself and it is one big mess that will take more than Donald Trump arming teachers to sort out.

On that note, the fact that it is even being debated tends to endorse it as a viable option. This can never happen, and it won't.

It is the most careless and dangerous response to the American gun crisis that I have ever heard and it shows the worrying attitude that the President and many others have on the matter.

It is unthinkable and as a topic it has detracted from the real of issue of tackling a culture that has been in the making for centuries.The death of Mrs Maura Phelan (nee Brennan), aged 73, formerly of Ballinvegga, Ballywilliam, has left her family and friends bereft at her loss.

Daughter of the late John and Kathleen Brennan (nee Doyle), Maura is survived by her five siblings, Jim, Ann, Kathleen, Stella and Mick, and her late brother, Sean who passed away in 2015. She is also survived by her five children, Johnny, Jimmy, Caroline, Laura and Vincent whom she raised in Oriel Square, Lismore Lawn, Waterford with Larry, her late husband of 48 years.

Equally saddened by her loss are her four grandsons, Ryan, Jake, Scott and Edward and her many nieces and nephews in Wexford, Waterford and Kerry. Born into a farming family in Ballinvegga, Maura, or "Moll" as she was affectionately known by her three brothers and three sisters, had a very pleasant family upbringing.

She was enrolled at the national school in Rathgarogue and then went onto secondary school in the Holy Faith, New Ross. After finishing, she worked for a number of years at the Metropole Hotel, Waterford with her sister Kathy. Together, they went to dances in Waterford, New Ross and South Kilkenny where she met her future husband, Larry Phelan.

In the mid 1960s, they headed to London where they were joined by her siblings to enjoy the freedom of the London lifestyle.

In January 1967, they came back home to St Ann's Church, Rathgarogue, where they were married, surrounded by all her family as Maura was the first of the Brennans to wed. After a honeymoon in Kerry, they returned to London, where they had the first two of their five children, Johnny and Caroline.

Moving back to Ireland in 1972, they set up home in Oriel Square, Waterford, where they went on to have another three children Jimmy, Laura and Vincent. Maura stayed at home to look after the five, ensuring they had a happy, carefree childhood. As the years passed and the children moved on, the house grew quiet leaving Maura and Larry to continue their devoted care for their disabled daughter Laura.

The apple of her eye, Maura and Larry did everything for Laura, ensuring she had the best care and making sure she went to the best schools. When Larry retired a few years ago, they started doing crosswords and puzzles together and they kept hens for a few years.

Away from home, Maura loved to spend time with her sisters, Kathy, Ann and Stella. Once a year they would book a hotel in Cork or Midleton and go shopping, enjoying each other's company. She and Kathy often went to Tramore to enjoy the beach and to grab a bag of chips at the seafront.

Maura and Kathy were devoted sisters and spent so much time together, such was their closeness. Maura's character was quiet and unobtrusive; she was old fashioned in that she would never put you out, nor would she pry into your business nor ask too many questions. She was never loud, she maintained a quiet dignity in her dealings with people and was always polite and courteous in her manner. Indeed, when people heard of her death, the most common phrase used was 'lady'. She was always very observant, commenting if something was new, a new rigout or outfit or hairdo, and she would always be complementary.

Maura was proud of her children and their achievements. She never stopped giving, anytime one of her children was home, she would always send them away laden with food. There was a huge turn out at Thompsons' funeral home, Barrack Street. Waterford, on February 11 for the removal, and for her requiem Mass, held the following day at St Paul's Church, Lisduggan, Waterford.

At the internment afterwards at Ballygunner cemetery, she was carried to her final resting place by her three sons, Johnny, Jimmy and Vincent and her grandson, Jake and laid to rest beside her beloved Larry. Mourners came from far and wide to pay their respects to this quiet, dignified lady whose life revolved around her home and her family.

Her loss is profound to the Brennan and Phelan families. We will never see such a kind soul again.

May she rest in peace.Wexford County Council management met with representatives of An Garda Siochana on Monday afternoon to discuss preparation for the snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures which Met Eireann has predicted will hit the east coast of Ireland this week.

The national weather forecaster issued a Status Yellow snow and ice warning for Wexford with scattered snow showers due later on Tuesday, leading to accumulations of up to 3cm of snow in some parts by Wednesday morning. There will be widespread frost and icy conditions and temperatures dropping to between minus-two and minus-five degrees.

On Wednesday, it will be extremely cold with further snow and top temperatures of minus one to two degrees with strong easterly winds making it feel much colder. Frost, ice and lying snow will persist throughout the day and there will be further accumulations of snow overnight.

It will be bitterly cold on Thursday with further snow showers and top temperatures of minus one to one degree. A more persistent spell of heavy snow is forecast for Thursday night with strong easterly winds leading to blizzard conditions and drifting in some places.

Predictions as of Monday evening are for further falls of heavy disruptive snow for a time on Friday, mainly in the centre and north of the country but brighter conditons with scattered rain showers should develop over south Leinster in the afternoon.

The council's emergency management team consisting of senior staff from a range of services met with representatives of An Garda Siochana in County Hall on Monday to finalise preparations for dealing with the disruption which is expected to be caused across the region by Storm Emma.

Large stocks of salt and grit have been assembled in the council's operational depot in Enniscorthy for deployment across the county's road network and priority will be given to national and regional routes. Stocks of salt will also be supplied to the main urban areas.

A local authority spokesman said the council has a range of specialist vehicles and equipment at its disposal to deal with severe weather events including salting equipment, snowploughs and four-wheel drive vehicles and these will be augmented as necessary through the use of private contractors.

'Depending on the severity of the situation, the council may also consider engaging with farmers across the county to assist in keeping essential routes clear, similar to the successful arrangement put in place in 2010 when the county experienced large snowfall accumulations and sub-zero temperatures over a prolonged period', he said.

Arrangements have also been put in place to ensure that people known to be homeless or sleeping rough around County Wexford will have access to food and shelter. 'The council will continue to monitor this situation throughout the severe weather period', said the spokesman.

Emergency hostels have made additional spaces available for homeless people while extra bed and breakfast places have also been booked by the council.

The county council strongly advised the public to heed Met Eireann's weather warnings throughout the week and to take all necessary action to ensure their own safety. 'Where possible, people are asked to ensure elderly or vulnerable neighbours have adequate food supplies and heating as the period of extreme weather approaches,' said the spokesman, adding that more information on dealing with snow and freezing conditions is available online at winterready.ie.

Wexford County Council said it will give regular updates during the coming week on local radio and its own twitter page and website.People are also encouraged to register for Mapalerter, the successful public emergency notification system run by the council.A ceremony remembering the women whose identities were stolen in Magdalene laundries across the state, including in The Good Shepherd Convent in New Ross, is taking place this Sunday, March 4.

Beginning at 2 p.m. in St Stephen's cemetery, Irishtown, the peaceful and respectful homage remembers these once forgotten women through poetry, song, reflection and the laying of flowers.

One of the organisers Nancy Rochford Flynn said: 'Ireland's Magdalene women form a very important part of our cultural heritage and have previously been hidden in the shadows of Irish cultural memory. This year marks five years for this memorial in New Ross which commemorates the lives of women who were incarcerated in the Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry in New Ross.'

Dr Mary McAulfiffe, who is an Assistant Professor in Gender Studies at UCD, is the guest speaker.

Last year's intergenerational gathering attracted a very large crowd and included tributes and reflections by children, teenagers and older members of the New Ross community.

Rochford-Flynn, a local artist who organises this event every year, said its success relies on a supportive community.

'Flowers for Magdalenes is a critical practice of active commemoration which remembers, acknowledges and gives voice to the once silenced Magdalene women. Active commemoration that is shared among all of us is the only way of marking these women's lives as significant,' she said.

Approximately 10,000 women nationally are known to have entered a Magdalene Laundry from the foundation of the State in 1922 until the closure of the last laundry at Sean McDermott Street in 1996. At least 1,663 former Magdalene women are buried in cemeteries in Ireland, many of whom are in unmarked graves.

This event is one of the many events organised to celebrate International Women's Day and New Ross is one of six Magdalene locations across the country to hold this memorable homage on this day. The commemoration will begin with an opening address at the flag poles in front of the church in St Stephen's Cemetery and will then move to the Magdalene grave. Flowers for Magdalenes is a family event and people are asked to please bring flowers.Few businesswomen are as familiar with the pressures of Brexit as Verona Murphy.

Verona runs her haulage business Drumur Transport from her base at Ramsgrange, New Ross.

Employing 10 drivers, her company transports meat and other fresh food products between Ireland and continental Europe.

She has recently risen to national prominence as President of the Irish Road Haulage Association.

She also sits on a development group for Rosslare Europort, aimed at encouraging investment in the port.

Her preferred direct route for shipping to the Continent is from Rosslare to Cherbourg.

"Realistically, Brexit is an issue for hauliers at every port including Rosslare, because we expect to be held up.

"There will be backlogs, because our ports have developed without borders and customs.

"We don't know what to expect with Brexit, because we don't know if it is going to be hard or soft and whether delays will be long or short.

"Nonetheless, we have to plan for the worst case scenario, and hope for the best."

Verona Murphy says transport businesses should benefit under the Government's priority efforts to support and equip SMEs for the challenges of Brexit.

These measures were included in the Project Ireland 2040 report.

They include programmes to improve competitiveness and innovation performance, and to diversify trade from the UK to new markets.

A 300m loan fund is also open to businesses with fewer than 500 employees, nation-wide, which are exposed to the impact of Brexit.

"This should enable our members to access cheap money at lower rates than financial institutions would offer," says Verona Murphy.

Project Ireland 2040 also promises a further upgrade of the N11/M11 road to Rosslare Europort.

One of 11 children from a farming family at Ramsgrange, Verona left school at the age of 16, and worked for the Vauxhall motor company in England for a time.

She returned to Wexford and set up her haulage business at the age of 21. She has transported meat between Ireland and Italy for meat giant Kepak.

For Murphy and her clients, time is of the essence - and that is why the possible delays caused by Brexit are a concern.

Many of her trucks, she said, carry a pre-packed product that needs to go straight to the supermarket shelf.

"It's a time-sensitive, date- sensitive product," she says.

Travelling across the UK is currently faster than going direct to France on a 17-hour sailing. A truck can cross the UK and be in France within 12 hours.

"Fish is carried on ice. It's carried as a fresh product, so there's no vacuum pack," she says. "You've got shellfish that are carried in tanks and water, pernickety stuff that needs to be monitored. They can't be carried on direct ferry.

"If anything was to go wrong, the driver can't access the container for the 17-hour crossing so he has to minimise the time he's away from the container. There's a huge quantity of that leaving Ireland. Probably about 100 loads a week from ports around Ireland."

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteSligo schoolchildren met Ireland's first ever astronaut hopeful yesterday for a special event to mark the start of Engineers Week 2018.

Leading Irish engineer Norah Patten met the children of Abbott employees at the event hosted by Abbott's diagnostics team.

Norah, who has a PhD in Engineering and is a faculty member at the International Space University, addressed guests on the importance of engineering to everyday life and the unique career opportunities it provides.

Norah also told the story of how she sent Ireland's first student experiment to the International Space Station in 2014.

Norah Patten said engineering "can even lead to opportunities that are out of this world. Inspiring young people is a passion of mine, and by helping them explore the role engineering plays in their interests, I hope to encourage the next generation of engineers." Abbott is one of a large number of organisations across Ireland who are delivering hands-on, engaging STEM programmes to students during Engineers Week.

Abbott's diagnostics business Site Director Conor Murphy said: "By leveraging Abbott's expertise and by working in partnership with our community and leaders like Norah, we believe that inspiring the young people of today can produce the scientific and engineering leaders of tomorrow."

Engineers Week runs from 24 February to 2 March.The Government isn't for turning on the Versatis patches with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stating it wasn't a costs issue but one of patient safety.

The matter has dominated popular RTE Radio Show Liveline all week but Health Minister Simon Harris said public health policy would not made on foot of radio shows.

The Taoiseach has defended the Health Service Executive's decision to restrict Versatis patches.

He told the Dail that a lot of people had contacted him about the issue and he discussed the matter with the Minister for Health last week. He explained that the patches are licensed for adults who have shingles.

However, he said over the last number of years, doctors have been prescribing it for uses for which it is not licensed.

Mr Varadkar said the medication is an anaesthetic and there are long-term side-effects from anaesthetics.

"There are no problems if GPs are prescribing it for what it's licenced for," he said.

He said it was not a matter of money, but a matter of patient safety. He added the patch was being prescribed ten times more than it is prescribed in the UK.

"There's something wrong that medication is being used ten times as much as it is across the water," he said.

Mr Varadkar said the HSE decision was the right one from a patient safety perspective.

More than 2,300 patients have now been approved for the Versatis plaster under the drug schemes, Jim Daly, Minister of State at the Department of Health, told the Seanad.

Around 1,500 post-shingles patients have been approved, as well as 850 approved for use other than post-shingles pain, based on the clinical case made by their GP.

Mr Daly said that the turnaround time for applications is three working days and for appeals it is five days.

He said that nearly two thirds of appeals for non-shingles patients have been granted on the basis of the clinical case made by the patient's GP.

The plasters have been covered under community drugs schemes since 2010.

A new reimbursement system was introduced by the HSE from last September.

The HSE has been accused of brining about changes to the scheme without fair warning to patients.

The National Association of General Practitioners says a unilateral abrupt withdrawal of this medication has had unintended consequences that has undoubtedly affected patients' wellbeing.A 33-year old man has pleaded guilty to robbing a woman of her handbag in Sligo town almost two years ago.

Geoffrey McManus, of Langan Drive, Cranmore, appeared before Judge Francis Comerford at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court last Friday where he pleaded guilty to a single count of robbing Ellen Duignan of her handbag containing 70 cash in a purse at Market Street on 11th March 11th.

A jury had been sworn in to hear the case after McManus had pleaded not guilty on the previous Tuesday to two charges arising out of the same incident

Judge Comerford adjourned sentencing in the case to May 29th next and McManus was remanded on bail.

The Judge thanked the jury of seven women and five men for their attendance before asking them to rejoin the jury panel for the remainder of the court's current session which will last another two weeks.

McManus was represented by Mr Keith O'Grady BL with Ms Laura Spellman, solicitor.

At the same court, Elliott McGarry pleaded guilty to assaulting Owen McDonald at 58 Caltragh Heights, Sligo on 30th January 2016.

Mr Keith O'Grady BL, instructed by Mr Mark Mullaney solicitor told Judge Comerford that he is from Sligo originally but now lives and works in the UK.

Mr O'Grady asked that sentencing be adjourned for a short time period to allow for the preparation of a ProbatioReport.

Counsel for the State, Ms Dara Foynes BL, asked also for the preparation of a Victim Impact Statement. Judge Comerford agreed to adjourn sentencing to 8th March for the preparation of both documents.John Reilly, enterprise manager with Sligo Local Enterprise Office (LEO), says Sligo's designation as a regional centre in Project Ireland 2040 will be a key enabler for businesses in the area.

"Sligo is one of the areas selected for investment - you need investment to grow," he says.

According to Reilly, the big road infrastructural changes, namely the development of the Sligo Western Distributor Road to provide access to a new IDA Business Park at Oakfield in the town and the replacement of a section of the N4 between Dublin and Sligo, from Collooney to Castlebaldwin, will make big changes to how people do business and attract new business.

While Reilly says while the detail of how increased funding promised to help businesses respond to Brexit is still being finalised, local enterprise agencies including Sligo LEO are already doing a huge amount of work to help businesses respond to the challenge.

On its website, Sligo LEO has an online tool designed to stimulate companies into thinking about the key areas that may be impacted in their business because of Brexit and to self-assess their level of preparedness.

Using the 'Brexit Scorecard' online tool, micro and smaller businesses can self-diagnose whether they are ready for Brexit.

Reilly says the acceleration of the National Broadband Plan ensuring coverage in villages and rural areas promised in the plan is absolutely key to attracting businesses. While he says Sligo town is well served in terms of broadband, other rural areas will benefit with a further rollout of the plan.

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteBusiness confidence has grown in the county since recession but firms need support to bring more tourists, writes Kathy Donaghy.

As he looks out over the rolling surf of the Atlantic Ocean from his business in Strandhill, Co. Sligo, Neil Walton knows what it takes to build a successful business in rural Ireland.

Project Ireland 2040 aims to make places like Sligo thrive and Walton has shown how it can be done by growing his seaweed baths business to a company employing 24 people in Strandhill over the last 18 years.

The other side of the business, the products side - which involves the manufacture of luxury products from face creams to candles - is run by his brother Mark and his wife Kira.

The manufacturing end of the business employs 45 people and Voya products are sold domestically and exported to 42 countries all over the world.

When Walton set up the baths business in the summer of 2000, he went back to the history of his home place and the traditions of seaweed baths as a therapy for tired and aching limbs for inspiration.

A professional junior triathlete, it was when he was studying sport and competing in Australia that he learned about the recuperative properties of natural seaweed baths from fellow professional athletes.

Having tried the therapy himself, Walton was amazed at the healing properties. When he further investigated, he found there were around 300 seaweed bath houses in Ireland; nine in Strandhill alone. The rest is history and he now runs a successful company, working and rearing his family in the area.

Walton has seen confidence gradually return after the recession, but says businesses like his need to have the support of government agencies and specifically tourism bodies to bring more people to the area.

While he says improvements in infrastructure promised in Project Ireland 2040 are welcome, as is the designation of Sligo as a regional centre, he says businesses like his need the north-west to be promoted as a tourism destination at an agency level.

"I do feel the north-west is under-marketed and under-developed. Sligo has no local authority tourism office or officers, whereas other counties have several. What we have been looking for from a local government point of view is a push on tourism. That takes leadership and the county council has got to see the opportunity in Sligo," he says.

Walton says they are fortunate to have Knock Airport nearby but says they would love to see stronger links between Sligo and the airport.

"I look at Sligo like a company. The way I would approach things is to showcase to the world what we have to offer. The county isn't being showcased. Personally, I would spend 10pc of the county's budget on marketing. We have the beds, we have the product - we have to create awareness and that's about leadership," he says.

"There is such untapped potential here. Once we get our customers here at the baths, they fall in love with the area. They can't believe they didn't know about it before.

"I'm all for infrastructure - investment in roads is extremely important - but we also have to have the people behind us promoting the area, whether it's the local council or the IDA or Enterprise Ireland. Infrastructure is only part of the jigsaw," says Walton.

"If you presented Project 2040 to me as a business plan, I'd be looking for more detail. I'd be looking for a call to action - who's responsible for what section? What department is the money coming from? What's the time frame? I'd like to know the answers. Any plan has to be accountable. Accountability is the biggest failing we have in Ireland. There are decisions being made that people are not accountable for. I'm held accountable for me and my staff. If I don't do my job, my staff are affected. I'd love to see in all Government departments a lot more accountability," adds Walton.

Martin McGeough set up his business, Firefly, in Sligo nearly 16 years ago. A successful podiatrist, he also lectured at Queen's University Belfast but he longed for a lifestyle change that would allow him and his family to move near to his mother's homeplace in Rossinver, Co. Leitrim.

When Martin left his home and job in Belfast for a dream of a better quality of life for him and his family, people told him he was crazy.

He set about turning his dream into a reality and today he employs 20 full-time staff. His company manufactures orthotic devices and has been designing, manufacturing and distributing foot orthoses to the podiatric profession - mainly in the UK - since 2003. Firefly also has foot and ankle clinics, which are open to the general public in Sligo, Belfast, Newry, Galway, Cork, Donegal and Dublin.

While there were challenges along the way, the biggest challenge for him at the moment is currency fluctuations as a result of Brexit. His company buys products from Vancouver in Canada and the US and sells into the UK. He is dealing with four currencies: the US dollar, the Canadian dollar, sterling and the euro.

"Our model was built over the years with sterling being a certain value. The biggest challenge now is the devaluation in sterling. I think a lot of businesses will be the same," says McGeough.

And even with measures announced in Project Ireland 2040 to help businesses Brexit-proof their operations, McGeough believes there's not much that can be done about currency fluctuations.

"We spoke to staff and told them we were under pressure. I wanted to know how staff felt about Brexit so immediately after the vote we started looking at strategies to try to deal with it," says McGeough.

And while other companies were scaling back because of the fear element, his business ramped up because they needed to invest in their customer base. "We were seen as one of the key providers and our advantage was having a good relationship with customers," he says.

Last year he held a conference in Sligo aimed at cementing those relationships. McGeough flew in his top 30 customers, put them up in the town and rolled out a conference with 24 speakers at a cost of 60,000. Everything from the biscuit with the coffee to the wine with dinner was specially selected and McGeogh says people loved every minute of the experience.

"There was a lot of networking. It really added value. It blew them away. Our business is word-of-mouth-based and we are getting ten new customers a month as a direct result of the conference," he says.

While McGeough flew his guests into Knock Airport and he is happy to see more development planned for the airport in Project Ireland 2040, he says the challenge will be delivering on the pledges.

"I'd like to see what the concrete proposals in the plan are. When is it going to be executed and who is accountable? The infrastructure in terms of roads is crucial.

"I had French visitors recently coming into Sligo. I did everything in my power not to have them fly into Dublin. I thought if they have to drive that road they are not going to be impressed.

"I think there should be an airport in Sligo. If the plan is talking about Sligo as a regional centre, the airport should be re-opened. It closed in 2008, but it was great for getting a flight to Dublin in the morning and home in the evening.

"It was a 40-minute flight - you could work away and then fly home," says McGeough.

He says that from time to time he works from home in Rosses Point, where a sporadic broadband signal is frustrating to say the least and improvements promised under Project Ireland 2040 would be welcome.

For more information on Project Ireland 2040 visit the official websiteNew Sligo Chamber President Fiona Candon says so much can be achieved with vision, courage, bravery and determination.

She was speaking after she took over the role from Des Faul and said everyone had a role to play in growing Sligo, to create employment opportunities and improve social and community well-being.

"So when we talk about investing in our people, infrastructure, tourism, education, and the arts we are not just reeling out the same mantra over and over again, we are, all of us together having the courage to think big.

"My vision for the year is think big, be brave, be positive no matter where I speak I have, at the tip of my tongue, everything that is so wonderful about this fantastic county," she said.

Fiona takes over a week after Sligo achieved designation as a regional centre in the Government's Project Ireland 2040.

Referring to this, she said: "After a very, very long time we have achieved the status Sligo deserves. But now together, we must ensure delivery."

She stated: "Minister Eoghan Murphy referred last Friday to Project Ireland 2040 as a vehicle to empower choice.

"Just like any of you in business I really do want to have choices around sustainability and growth.

"I want my children to have a choice, a choice about where they work, how they work, where they go to college, where they set up a business. All of us want this.

"We will continue to work on ensuring that clear time bound regional targets across all programmes under the Project Ireland 2040 are agreed and funded properly particularly in the shorter term for infrastructure.

"Road improvements from Sligo to Dublin is a huge priority for us and I will be supporting our Chamber Industrial Group in every way I can particularly through my recent appointment to the Board of Chambers Ireland, the largest lobby group in the country.

"If we are to achieve real regional balance then our region and Sligo has to grow at a faster rate than others. So, the announcements must become actions. They must happen much more quickly for us here than in other parts of the country, if we are to catch up.

"While pushing for this we need to highlight the fact that while the costs of major infrastructural decisions are clear and immediate; the benefits are not.

"Making a region more attractive to industry, providing a better quality of life for those who live here, less commuting, less people having to live in Dublin, more people sustaining services in our region and rural hinterlands, better regional hospitals and third level institutions are all benefits. These cannot remain on the peripheral of decision making; they must be brought into the core."Matilda Larrson Crean, Heidi Agar, Bonita Crowe, Laura Crowe, Kerry OBrien Mounissey, Helen Keogh, Shannon Moriarty and Esie Mooney from Ballyrogan Vaulting Club, Redcross, with Rico at the fourth National Equestrian Vaulting Competition at Festina Lente.

The fourth National Equestrian Vaulting Competition took place recently at Festina Lente in Bray.

The sport is a combination of gymnastics and dance on the back of a horse which can be practiced both competitively or non-competitively.

Therapeutic or interactive vaulting is also used as an activity for children and adults who may have balance, attention, gross motor skill, or social deficits.

Vaulting is still quite an unknown sport in Ireland, though it has a good following especially in England, Scotland, Germany and the US.

The day included pre-novice compulsory moves on the barrel, followed by individual free style moves then pairs freestyle on the barrel.

After the barrel work, vaulters worked with the horse, performing compulsory and freestyle moves.

International French/Irish vaulting judge Alison Rimaud travelled from France to Ireland to judge the competition.

To find out more or learn about classes, go to festinalente.ie.Members of the Wicklow Uplands Council met with representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine yesterday (Tuesday) to finalise the details of the Sustainable Uplands Agri-environment Scheme (SUAS) project.

A special evening information workshop to share the full details of the pilot project, designed to assist hill farming in the Wicklow and Dublin mountain region, and the application process, has been organised for March 8 at the Brockagh Centre, Laragh at 8 p.m. Expression of Interest Forms will be provided at the event, which is open to all.

Further information on the SUAS project can be obtained from Brian Dunne on 01 2818406 and bdunne@wicklowuplands.ie.Convicted murderer Catherine Nevin was cremated in Dublin last Friday.

Nevin was convicted in 2000 for one of the most high-profile murders in Ireland. She was found guilty for paying a hitman to kill her husband Tom at their business, Jack White's pub, in March, 1996.

The hitman then tied up Nevin in an effort to disguise the incident as a robbery.

It is understood that the short religious service which was held at Newlands Cross crematorium was conducted by a priest and attended by a small group of the convicted killer's family, friends, and former prison mates.

The funeral arrangements had been shrouded in secrecy to prevent media attention.

Last week, it emerged that Nevin who was known as the Black Widow had opened up about the cancer that killed her in a soul-baring letter but never made any admissions of guilt over her husband's murder.

The letter was sent to Tiglin rehabilitation chairman Aubrey McCarthy, with specific instructions that it should be shared, according to Nevin, in the hope that it might help others going through the same ordeal.

McCarthy first met Nevin in Mountjoy Prison. He said she spoke at length about her illness and how it allowed her to view life differently.

He said that she started to phone him on a regular basis and wrote very encouraging letters.

'She asked me to share these letters with students at Tiglin and to anyone that her words might help along the way.'

Mr McCarthy revealed how Nevin sought to help addicts in need of rehabilitation.

'She was formidable, so you weren't going to direct her in a particular way. I'd say being her prison guard would have been a nightmare. But she looked for justice for the people in the prison, also the girls who were in addiction. She fought for them to get treatment.

'They would have looked up to her as a mother figure.

'Catherine would write to me and send me cards for the different girls, ask how they were doing. She then would keep me up-to-date on the different girls in prison and how their detox was going.

The final document she had sent had been typed, as Nevin was too weak to use a pen towards the end of her life, and was dated December 12, 2016.

She told how she fell ill on September 20, 2016, in the Dochas Centre, where she was imprisoned. She was diagnosed with a brain tumour and given treatment including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

'It brings home to me what the really important things in life are,' Nevin wrote.

'For example, because of the medication I'm on, I've gone from a size 12 to a size 20. But it doesn't matter to me any more - I just wear bigger and looser clothes.

'I've lost much of my lovely hair (though not my eyelashes or eyebrows) - again I can cope with that. What matters is that the awful tumour I have is being treated.'

Nevin said she had complete confidence in the medical professionals who were looking after her and in their teams.

'However, it is not enough to rely on the experts, even though this is very important. You have to do the work yourself as well,' she wrote.

'This applies to life as a patient, as is the case with me at present, but also to life in general. Life is a challenge, I am meeting it. I feel that I am worth fighting for, and I am fighting. For me the tumour is just another blip that has to be dealt with.

'We have to remember that in reality, money and position and power doesn't count.'

She said she had a grade four inoperable tumour.

'The outlook for me is not good, but I will embrace the challenge,' she wrote.

In the document, Nevin asked reflective questions and contemplated her life: 'What did I do with my life? I had a good time - enjoyed myself, had a bit of craic, did my work, looked after my family, but did I help others?

'Was I judgemental - especially in relation to poor people, marginalised people, prisoners?

'Did I reflect on the reasons people go to prison or did I presume I was better than people who go to prison? Did I ever look up at the sky and appreciate the sunshine or was I too preoccupied with other things?

'Did I ever really appreciate the beautiful morning mist or was it always too easy to turn over and sleep some more?"

'Remember life can take away only our liberty. It cannot take away our freedom.'

Prior to her death last Monday, Nevin had been on temporary release from the Dochas Centre women's prison since last August.

The 67-year-old was granted full-time compassionate leave due to her requirement for end-of-life care that could not be provided in prison.

Details of Nevin's attempts to solicit three men to murder her husband emerged during the trial which captivated the nation, but she never revealed who pulled the trigger and protested her innocence until her death.Emergency services at the scene of the rescue at Wicklow Harbour on Saturday evening.

A man was rescued from the water at the old pier in Wicklow town on Saturday evening after a fisherman noticed him in difficulty.

The alarm was raised at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday when an angler fishing near to the old pier contacted the Coast Guard to report a person in the water.

Wicklow RNLI was notified and immediately launched the inshore lifeboat.

The man was quickly located and taken ashore before being treated by paramedics and brought to a waiting ambulance. He was then transferred to St Vincent's Hospital.

The Dublin based Coast Guard helicopter was also tasked to the incident.

While it is believed the man was only in the water for a short time, he was in a serious condition when brought to the shore.

It was the second call-out of 2018 for Wicklow RNLI, with the first call-out occurring the previous Thursday, when the all-weather Tyne class lifeboat Annie Blaker launched shortly before 8 a.m. to assist a whelk trawler with engine failure in Wicklow Bay.

The 13-metre fishing boat was located as it drifted towards the shore about two miles north of Wicklow Harbour. A towline was quickly established and the trawler, which had three crew on-board was towed back to Wicklow Harbour.

The crew on the call-out were Coxswain Nick Keogh, Mechanic Brendan Copeland, Ciaran Doyle, Tommy McAulay, Terry Sillery, Carol Flahive and Graham Fitzgerald.A red weather warning is expected to be issued in the coming days.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Joanna Donnelly of Met Eireann said that the weather is 'deteriorating' with blizzard-like conditions to come.

Ms Donnelly said a Status Red warning issued before the end of the week, but the forecasting team 'have to wait until we have all of the best evidence in front of us'.

'The weather is deteriorating so it is going to get bad,' Ms Donnelly said, adding that the blizzard conditions are 'not for playing in'.

Ms Donnelly said snow showers currently on the east coast are due to become more persistent and more widespread.

Wicklow is currently preparing for Storm Emma which is expected to bring 'real feel temperatures' of minus 10 and blizzard-like conditions to the country.

'The showers are coming', said Ms Donnelly. 'They are on the east coast at the moment. "They are intermittent. They are becoming more persistent and widespread. And it's going to get worse.

'There will be more warnings issued, there will be a red warning issued but we have to wait until we have all of the best evidence in front of us.'

Ms Donnelly went on to say that she didn't expect the country to grind to a halt because of the storm saying that the country is well prepared for the exceptional weather.

'We're very well prepared. This isn't side-swiping us and it won't last forever. There is no real need to clear out the shelves in the supermarket, unless you want to.'

Ms Donnelly said temperatures are currently on a 'steady decline' and the country can expect temperatures to drop to minus five and minus six overnight.

She said that as temperatures continue to drop and winds pick up 'it will have a real feel of about minus 10'.

She said: 'Thursday night will have blizzard and we're not used to blizzard conditions. The recent memory of 2010, that wasn't blizzard conditions. That was a prolonged spell of cold, it wasn't blizzard conditions.'

Meanwhile, the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) is set to decide whether schools will be closed as 'Storm Emma' hits Ireland.

Chairman of the NECG Sean Hogan said all the signs from weather experts is that Storm Emma will hit on Thursday.

He said householders should be braced for an 'exceptional event' but every effort will be made 'to keep the country moving'.

Yesterday the Department of Education said that they will continue to monitor the situation ahead of what Met Eireann describe as 'significant snowfall'.

Mr Hogan said that some direction may be given to employers in the coming days as to whether they should close their businesses - but this is not yet clear.

'It's not a simple matter,' he said, adding that essential services would have to stay in operation.

Meanwhile in Wicklow town Conway Port is giving away free salt to people to help reduce the risk of icy conditions. Yesterday in Facebook post the company said: 'We have a limited supply of gritting salt (approx eight tonnes) that we are giving away for free. We ask that you only take what you need for yourself and those in need who you can help. It's not to be taken for profit or resale please. Salt will be available outside our office. Bring a shovel, bags or bins to load yourself. Any donations to the lifeboat would be appreciated.'Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover (L), his wife Beatrice arrive for the church wedding of Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Ekaterina of Hanover in Hanover, central Germany, on July 8, 2017

2011, Monaco: Her cap sleeve, lace dress is the perfect introductory ensemble to the world as Pierre Casiraghi's girlfriend at the 2011 wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene.

2010, Rome: This gold silk wrap dress is red carpet perfection as she takes to the red carpet with her future sister-in-law Charlotte Casiraghi.

Pierre Casiraghi and girlfriend Beatrice Borromeo leave the church after the wedding ceremony of the Prince of Luxembourg with a German student on September 21, 2013 a

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo are seen on August 1, 2015 in ANGERA, Italy. (Photo by JacopoR/PierreS/GC Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo are seen on August 1, 2015 in ANGERA, Italy. (Photo by JacopoR/PierreS/GC Images)

Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover, and his wife Beatrice Borromeo attend the "Franca Sozzani Award" during the 74th Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2017 at Venice Lido. / AFP PHOTO / Tiziana FABI

Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover, and his wife Beatrice Borromeo attend the "Franca Sozzani Award" during the 74th Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2017 at Venice Lido. / AFP PHOTO / Tiziana FABI

Pierre Casiraghi and wife Beatrice Borromeo are seen during the 36th Copa Del Rey Mafre Sailing Cup on August 2, 2017 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo attend the Monaco National Day Celebrations in the Monaco Palace Courtyard on November 19, 2016 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Beatrice Borromeo attends the Monaco National Day Celebrations in the Monaco Palace Courtyard on November 19, 2016 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo attend the Monaco National Day Celebrations in the Monaco Palace Courtyard on November 19, 2016 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and wife Beatrice Borromeo attend the 35th Copa del Rey Mapfre Sailing Cup awards ceremony at Ses Voltes cultural center on August 6, 2016 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo attend the Rose Ball 2015 in aid of the Princess Grace Foundation at Sporting Monte-Carlo on March 28, 2015 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Gaetan Luci/Le Palais Princier via Getty Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo attend the Rose Ball 2015 in aid of the Princess Grace Foundation at Sporting Monte-Carlo on March 28, 2015 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Frederic Nebinger/Le Palais Princier via Getty Images)

Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Casiraghi attend the Monaco National Day Celebrations in the Monaco Palace Courtyard on November 19, 2017 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

There's something refreshing about the new generation of royals.

Perhaps learning from the mistakes of an older generation, this new crop of royals seem less concerned with protocol and more concerned with personal happiness. While Britain's Prince Harry and fiancee Meghan Markle continue their convention-breaking with hand-holding and affectionate PDAs, Monaco's Pierre Casiraghi (30) and Beatrice Borromeo (32) are as captivating to the people of the principality and beyond.

Pierre is the youngest son of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and her second husband, Stefano Casiraghi (his uncle is reigning monarch Prince Albert), which means he can enjoy all the perks of being a royal without the same responsibility and expectation.

Since marrying Beatrice in 2015 in a lavish ceremony on the Italian island of Isola Bella, the couple have been quietly enjoying married life, while being impeccably dressed. Similar to Markle, Beatrice was an established name all her own when she met her husband - working as a journalist for in Italy, a career which she has been able to keep up, albeit, tweaked for her new status.

Expand Close Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover, and his wife Beatrice Borromeo attend the "Franca Sozzani Award" during the 74th Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2017 at Venice Lido. / AFP PHOTO / Tiziana FABI / Facebook

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Whatsapp Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover, and his wife Beatrice Borromeo attend the "Franca Sozzani Award" during the 74th Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2017 at Venice Lido. / AFP PHOTO / Tiziana FABI

And she also has opinions all her own, which are reflected in her wardrobe choices which range from high fashion gowns to practical daywear, admitting that she prefers borrowing couture dresses over buying them because it's just not practical with her salary, saying she "couldn't afford to buy as many dresses as I need for public functions."

"I'm a reporter, and I have the salary of a reporter. I'm not going to put half of my salary into a pair of shoes. I did it a few times in my life, and it doesn't feel right. You can wear Zara and nothing bad is going to happen to you," she told Glamour.

It helps that her late uncle, the Count Matteo Marzotto worked as president of Valentino for years and European fashion houses are surely clamouring to have their work endorsed by one of the best dressed women.

On that same shoot, she insisted to the stylist that she wouldn't be wearing a tiara and didn't want to look like a "little princess", because, "It would really depress me"

Expand Close Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover (C), his wife Beatrice (R) and his sister Charlotte Casiraghi (L) arrive for the church wedding of Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Ekaterina of Hanover in Hanover, central Germany, on July 8, 2017 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover (C), his wife Beatrice (R) and his sister Charlotte Casiraghi (L) arrive for the church wedding of Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Ekaterina of Hanover in Hanover, central Germany, on July 8, 2017

"If I'm interviewing someone in the government, I'm going to be more formal: a jacket, a shirt, pants. But if I go see refugees in the field, I'm not going to care what I wear," she added.

Like Markle, who has a degree in theater and international studies from Northwestern University, Beatrice has a master's in journalism from New York's prestigious Columbia University. In 2016, she was appointed a special envoy for human rights for Fashion 4 Development (F4D), an organisation which teamed up with the United Nations to tackle poverty in the developing world.

"I believe in the power of guilt-shaming people into fixing their own mistakes or taking action; for 10 years I've been selling stories that people don't really want to hear," she explained of her work. "We are particularly looking into child marriage at the moment. In the developing world, one out of three girls gets married before the age of 18, and one in nine before the age of 15.

"I created a committee of amazing women to help me; some of them are mothers, and I like the idea that I don't have to choose between career and family."

Expand Close Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo are seen on August 1, 2015 in ANGERA, Italy. (Photo by JacopoR/PierreS/GC Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo are seen on August 1, 2015 in ANGERA, Italy. (Photo by JacopoR/PierreS/GC Images)

Meghan, on the other hand, was unable to continue her work on US legal drama Suits in order to move to the UK and work as a royal full-time, where she is focusing on an altruistic partnership with her fiance with ambitious plans for their humanitarian work after their May 19 wedding.

Like Harry, Pierre is a bit down the line of succession - he is fourth in line for the Monegasque throne and his father Stefano Casiraghi died when he was a young child, in a speed boat crash.

His uncle Prince Albert offered sage words of advice for Markle last July, in coping with the new attention, which his wife of nearly seven years Princess Charlene, a former Olympic swimmer, also struggled with in the early days of their relationship.

"The only kind of advice I can offer is the British expression, 'Keep calm and carry on'.

"Being an actress, in a way, gets you a little prepared but nothing really can prepare you for the constant pace of it. Particularly now that the pace has changed so much. It's hard for anyone to handle," he told People.

"It was difficult for Charlene to handle. I can't imagine the difference now with the increased pace of news and social media."The dress Saoirse Ronan will wear to the 90th Academy Awards on Sunday night has been inspired by the sky and 1980s era Debbie Harry, according to her personal stylist Elizabeth Saltzman.

The celebrity stylist, who has Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman on her books, has been working with Saoirse for several years.

Asked about her inspiration for Sunday nights look Saltzman said her and Ronan had talking about the sky.

Were still in full blown fabric and sketch mode so it hasnt been decided, she told regarded fashion bible W Magazine.

Expand Close Elizabeth Saltzman poses at Goop's party to launch the summer season, at Mark's Club on May 21, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Elizabeth Saltzman poses at Goop's party to launch the summer season, at Mark's Club on May 21, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images)

Its just been narrowed down. I can tell you that a big part of the reference is the sky.

Obviously this doesn't make things a whole lot clearer for Ronan's style fans; is the dress velvet black and covered in iridescent stars or powder blue?

Either way, interest has been piqued.

The stylist said Ronans looks this award season had been inspired by Debbie Harry from the 70s and 80s.

Dressing Rona for the red carpet hasnt been without its glitches - at the SAG awards Saltzman realised the original gown Saoirse intended to wear wasnt working so opted for a pink Louis Vuitton dress.

I had planned for a different dress we made and it wasnt working. I flew to L.A. from London for less than six hours to make the call and it just didnt work.

If I dont believe in it 100 percent, then its not right and I wouldnt let Saoirse wear anything that I didnt believe in 100 percent unless she was so sold on it that she felt amazing. At the end of the day, thats all that matters.

The stylist also spoke about her close relationship with the Lady Bird star.

Shes the oldest, most wonderful soul that Ive been fortunate enough to meet. I met her at 21 and she was far older than I was at 50 and wiser, smarter, and cooler.

In the past few years, Ronan has grown into her style and become more adventurous.

Now at 23, she has the confidence to try things. Her body has changed. Her attitude has changed. Shes all grown up, Saltzman said.

Asked what has thought the key trends for this year Oscar was going to be she told W magazine; fringe, tulle, beadwork, black and white and pink.A visually marvellous new app for iPhone X turns the phone into what appears to be a three-dimensional hole.

Designed by Swedish coder Peder Norrby, 45, the app uses the face recognition feature of Apples flagship mobile to track the angle at which it is being viewed and thus confer the 3D image to the users eyes.

portable hole!? 

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no post effects, all in-camera. full write-up with source code coming soon pic.twitter.com/At0fzTQ8s9  LGMSIC (@algomystic) February 26, 2018

Released under Peders company Algomystic, the app is called TheParallaxView.

The video below illustrates further how the app works and the other uses it could have, with objects also appearing to come out of the screen.

Currently, Peder says the effect works best with one eye but he has plans for future apps which could be effective with both eyes, perhaps using glasses  with others hoping the app could in the future be used without need for any winking or hardware.

Yes really good idea to use anaglyph with glasses, it's just less immediate and more complicated compare to just use an iphone. I hope one day we'll have this kind of 3D effects without extra hardware :)  Samuel Leroux (@samueleroux) March 1, 2018

The app is not yet on Apples App Store as it us under review, but will be available for free once it is approved.

As the thousands of shares Peders video has on social media suggest, it will certainly be popular.From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...North Korea has hit back at claims it supplied Syria with equipment to manufacture chemical weapons, accusing the United States and United Nations of "cooking up" allegations as part of the effort to tighten sanctions on Pyongyang.

State media has also hit back at Washington, reiterating the North's long-held assertion that the US used biological and chemical weapons against civilians during the Korean War.

Quoting an official of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Institute for American Studies, the Korea Central News Agency said the US was perpetrating a "preposterous fabrication yet again".

'The New York Times' reported this week that a confidential 200-page report by a UN panel claimed Pyongyang shipped components for making chemical weapons to Syria, including acid-resistant tiles, valves and thermometers. The report added that North Korean technicians had also been identified working at chemical weapons facilities in Syria.

North Korea dismissed the report, although intelligence experts estimate the North has weaponised stockpiles of as many as 25 chemical agents, including sarin and VX nerve gas.

"As has been elucidated several times, the DPRK does not have a single record of developing, producing and stockpiling a chemical weapon and it is opposed to chemical weapons," KCNA quoted the ministry official as saying.

The US has "egged the UNSC Sanctions Committee on" to claim a link between North Korea and Syria, the official said, adding that the allegation is designed to build additional support for Washington's proposal for a "full-scale sea blockade" of the North and a "military invasion into Syria".

KCNA repeated the regime's claim the US used biological and chemical weapons during the Korean War. "The US is none other than the first user of chemical weapons in the world and that it is a criminal state  having massacred 50,000 innocent people in the northern half of the DPRK," it said.

"It should also see clearly that it is a cancer of global peace as a biggest supplier of weapons in the world."

The US has denied the claims.Leader of Italian right-wing party Forza Italia (Go Italy) Silvio Berlusconi embraces Giorgia Meloni, president of Brothers of Italy party, at the end of a joint press conference at the Tempio di Adriano in Rome. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Tomorrow Italians will go to the polls in yet another European election closely watched across the continent for signs of another burst of the kind of anti-establishment sentiment that has been gaining ground in so many corners of the EU in recent years.

Whatever the result in the eurozone's third-largest economy - albeit one hobbled by slow growth, high public debt, and unemployment - it will have an impact far beyond Italy's borders.

If, as many expect, no party garners enough of the vote to have a mandate, it will usher in a messy period of coalition politics which will deepen the existing political dysfunction and further hamper economic growth.

If Italy's crop of populist parties gets enough votes to form a coalition, it would put one of their key demands - that Rome quits the eurozone - front and centre in the public debate.

Whatever the result tomorrow, the next government is likely to take a tougher stance on immigration, anxieties over which have coloured the entire election campaign.

As in other European countries, anti-immigration rhetoric has become part of the political mainstream in Italy, the main arrival point for refugees and economic migrants who pay human traffickers to make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

Last year 119,310 migrants came to Italy by sea, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM). A further 2,832 people died or went missing en route. Those figures were the lowest in four years, the IOM said. In 2016, 181,436 people made it to Italy and 4,581 were recorded as dead or missing. In the last four years, more than 600,000 migrants have arrived on Italian shores.

In Genoa - a city where in the late 19th and early 20th century poor Italian emigrants to the US began their transatlantic journey - last year I heard concerns from locals about how their city was now shaped more by the arrival of migrants, particularly from north Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, than emigration. According to one local study, one in 10 residents of the city is foreign-born.

Genoa is the hometown of Beppe Grillo, a former comedian who stepped down last year as leader of the populist 5-Star Movement, whose platform includes strong anti-immigration messaging. The 5-Star Movement has done well in recent polls, though it suffered an unexpected defeat in local elections last year.

The extent to which immigration has become an electoral lightning rod was clear last month in the way politicians reacted to a drive-by shooting that left several foreign nationals, all of them black, injured in the town of Macerata. The attack, believed to be racially motivated, was carried out by a neo-Nazi with previous links to the staunchly anti-immigration and far-right Northern League party. Its leader, Matteo Salvini, while denouncing the shooting, also remarked that "immigration out of control leads to chaos, anger, social confrontation".

Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi - whose right-wing Forza Italia party is allied to the Northern League - also weighed in, saying immigration was an "emergency" and causing "serious social alarm", while lambasting the current centre-left government's approach as a "social time-bomb".

Berlusconi - himself ineligible to run for office after a 2013 tax fraud conviction - has nevertheless taken to the campaign trail with gusto, with his party boosted this week by the decision of European parliament president Antonio Tajani to agree to be Berlusconi's choice for prime minister.

Tomorrow's ballot will see Berlusconi's pairing with the Northern League competing with the centre-left Democratic Party headed by another former prime minister, Matteo Renzi, and the 5-Star Movement now led by Luigi Di Maio, vice-president of the lower house of parliament. The final round of polls - published in mid-February as Italian law forbids polling just before an election - put the Forza Italia-Northern League alliance at more than 35pc of the vote, with the Democratic Party and the 5-Star Movement each with some 30pc.

But this election campaign has proved more turbulent than usual, and the ballot will be the first to test a new electoral system. Add to that a significant bloc of undecided voters - perhaps as high as 40pc - and it is no surprise many believe a hung parliament is inevitable. That is not good news for a country whose chaotic politics has resulted in it having 65 governments in the 73 years since the end of World War II. Further political instability will only deepen all that ails Italy - from its economic woes to its societal tensions - and the only winners in the long run are likely to be the populists.A Russian military policeman stands guard between the portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hanging outside a guard-post in Damascus. Photo: Louai Beshara/Getty

Nato has said Russian president Vladimir Putin's threat to target its members is unacceptable and that the military alliance will continue using its armed forces to deter aggression.

Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said: "Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counter- productive."

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Mr Putin said this week that Moscow has tested an array of new strategic nuclear weapons that cannot be intercepted, and told the West: "You have failed to contain Russia."

Ms Lungescu said Nato's missile defence system is built to respond to attacks from outside Europe and North America and not directed against Russia.

Noting Russia's "aggressive actions" in Ukraine and military build-up around Europe, she said: "Nato is pursuing a twin-track approach to Russia: strong deterrence and defence, combined with meaningful dialogue."

Meanwhile, Russians are showering the Defence Ministry with proposed names for the country's new nuclear weapons, relishing the online contest announced by Mr Putin in his state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.

The suggestions include 'Kraken' for a new underwater drone capable of blasting coastlines with a powerful nuclear explosion, and 'Balalaika' for a futuristic nuclear-powered cruise missile capable of circling the globe.

The kraken - a fictional gigantic Arctic sea monster that was made popular by the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film series - seemed to reflect the nature of the nuclear-powered drone intended to sneak close to the shore unnoticed and slam a heavy nuclear warhead into the coast.

And naming the stealth atomic-powered cruise missile after a Russian folk musical instrument tapped into a long Russian tradition of giving innocuous names to some of the deadliest weapons.

Humour

Many of the entries reflected the wry dark humour Russians are known for.

Someone suggested calling the missile 'Sanction', an apparent reference to Western economic sanctions against Russia for its support of separatists in Ukraine.

Another proposed calling it 'Thaw', adding in a note of sarcasm that it would finally help warm the ties between Russia and the US.

There were quite a few four-letter entries as well. Many others were driven by patriotic feelings, suggesting that the weapons be named after legendary Russian warriors or Putin himself.

The regional leader of the province of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, proposed calling the nuclear-powered cruise missile 'Palmyra' after the historic heritage site in Syria that was taken back from Isil under Russian air cover. The site suffered extensive damage in the fighting.

"The missile's name should honour our guys who died in Syria," Kadyrov said.

"The Russian victory in Palmyra marked a turning point in the fight against Isil."

Russian diplomats have sought to spread the contest beyond Russia's borders, with the Russian embassy in Washington tweeting a link to the defence ministry's website.

As the weapon name contest went on, Russian officials and lawmakers insisted that Putin's speech wasn't an announcement of a new arms race but a warning to Washington to treat Russia as an equal partner.

"Russia has no intention to enter the arms race," Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters yesterday, adding that the weapons presented by the Russian leader aimed to maintain a "strategic parity, which is essential for maintaining peace and stability".

The Pentagon this week dismissed Putin's boasts about developing a new array of nuclear weapons, saying America's missile defence system is ready to protect the nation but is not directed at Russia.A man has shot himself outside the White House, the Secret Service said.

President Donald Trump is not at the White House  he is in Florida but is set to return later on Saturday.

The agency said in a Twitter post that there are no other reported injuries related to the incident.

The Secret Service tweeted about noon on Saturday that personnel are responding and a person allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of the White House.

BREAKING: Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse.  U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) March 3, 2018

A White House spokesman said we are aware of the situation, the president has been briefed.

The District of Columbia police said its homicide/natural death unit responded to the incident.Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday for the first time in a corruption case that involves the country's largest telecommunications company Bezeq, Israel Radio said.

Along with two other corruption cases, in which Mr Netanyahu is suspected of bribery, the probes pose a serious threat to the four-term prime minister's political survival.

Mr Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing in all the cases.

A police spokesman declined comment.

Israel Radio said Mr Netanyahu's wife Sara Netanyahu was providing testimony at the same time, at a police station near Tel Aviv.

The controlling shareholder of Bezeq Telecom, Shaul Elovitch, is currently in police custody, along with a former Netanyahu spokesman. They deny any wrongdoing.

Shlomo Filber, a confidant of Mr Netanyahu and former director general of the Communications Ministry, has also been arrested in connection with the case, and has agreed to turn state's witness, according to Israeli media.

Mr Netanyahu, Israel's dominant political figure for a generation, calls the allegations against him a "witch hunt". He has said he will seek a fifth term in a national election due in late 2019.

He has been in power since 2009 and held office for 12 years in total since 1996.

Police recommended in February that Mr Netanyahu be indicted in two other corruption investigations.

The attorney-general must determine whether to accept the police recommendation to charge him.

The final decision on both cases could take months.

In one, known as Case 1000, he is suspected of bribery over gifts, which police say were worth nearly $300,000 (243,000), that he received from wealthy businessmen.

The other, Case 2000, involves an alleged plot to win positive coverage in Israel's biggest newspaper by offering to take measures to curtail the circulation of a rival daily.

So far, partners in Mr Netanyahu's governing coalition have stood by him, saying they were awaiting the attorney-general's next moves.

Political analysts say that could change if the investigations against Mr Netanyahu intensify.People watch as black smoke rises as the capital of Burkina Faso came under multiple attacks. Photo: Getty Images

Islamic extremists have killed at least seven soldiers in Burkina Faso's capital after opening fire on the French embassy and army headquarters in separate attacks.

Eight of the militants were also killed during the attacks in Ouagadougou, a government official said.

Several other people were wounded among the security forces, and it is feared the death toll could rise, communications minister Remy Danjuinou added.

Five emergency centres have been set up in Ouagadougou to treat the high number of casualties in the former French colony.

It is not clear if more militants were involved in the violence, which was called a terrorist attack by Jean Bosco Kienou, director general of Burkina Faso's police, and French prime minister Edouard Philippe. There has been no claim of responsibility.

Gunfire and explosions resounded for hours but had subsided by midday.

Workers fled offices near the site of the violence, and helicopters were seen above the embassy. Defence and security forces responded to the attacks, police said, and barricades were set up.

Witnesses at the state television offices that face the embassy said five attackers arrived in a pickup truck and started shooting after shouting: "Allahu Akhbar".

They then set fire to the truck and continued shooting. The area also houses other embassies, the prime minister's office and UN premises.

Across central Ouagadougou to the west, heavy smoke rose from the army joint chief of staff's office, where witnesses reported loud explosions.

The assailants there also arrived in a pickup and starting shooting at soldiers, said Moussa Korbeogo, a trader at a nearby market.

"Some of the soldiers ran into a nearby bank to seek shelter. Several were killed outside and inside the premises," Mr Korbeogo said.

Five of the extremists were killed at the embassy and at least three were killed near the army headquarters, officials said.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Burkina Faso's security forces had been mobilised with the support of the French to "reduce the threat".

Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation in West Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world.

It shares a northern border with Mali, which has long battled Islamic extremists.

Ouagadougou has been attacked by Islamic extremists targeting foreigners at least twice in the past few years.

In August, extremists opened fire as patrons dined at a restaurant, killing at least 18 people.

In January 2016, Islamic extremists attacked another cafe popular with foreigners, killing 30 people.

Security forces struggled to contain the attacks.South Korean President Moon Jae-in, South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook and Ivanka Trump with vice chairman of North Koreas ruling Workers Party Central Committee Kim Yong Chol, (top right) at the closing ceremony of the games in South Korea (Mike Egerton/PA)

North Korea has said it is will only have talks with the US if Washington drops preconditions and demands for showing a willingness to scrap its nuclear programmes.

A North Korean delegate to the Olympics in South Korea said his country is willing to hold talks with US president Donald Trump but only under the right conditions, said the office of South Korean president Moon Jae-in during the closing ceremony.

The spokesperson for North Koreas foreign ministry said the North would not accept preconditions for talks.

The Trump administration has said North Korea must show a real commitment towards ending its nuclear and missile programmes before any talks can take place.A 19-year-old student suspected of killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory before running from campus has been captured, authorities said.

James Eric Davis Jr was arrested without incident after someone spotted him on train tracks, said Central Michigan University police Chief Bill Yeagley.

CMU President George E Ross thanked the campus, surrounding community and law enforcement personnel who came together to keep each other safe and apprehend the suspect, according to the university police website.

The suspect in the shooting incident that happened on CMU's campus is now in custody. Get more details at https://t.co/9LfrVQwM0i.  Central Michigan U. (@CMUniversity) March 3, 2018

Fridays shooting at Campbell Hall happened on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break.

The university identified the two dead as Daviss mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr, a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.

The shooting occurred around 8.30am local time at a residence hall at Central Michigan, which is about 70 miles north of Lansing.

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him, but also warned that he should not be confronted.

Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a slow, methodical removal of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings, Lt Larry Klaus said, adding that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Mr Klaus said video at the dorm suggested Davis had fled on foot after the shooting. He was wearing a hoodie but had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.

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This has been a tragic day.  The hurting will go on for a while, Mr Ross said.

The search focused on Mount Pleasant neighbourhoods near campus. Officers in camouflage knocked on doors and checked possible hiding places. In the surrounding community, students and staff in the Mount Pleasant school district were told not to leave nine buildings.

Mr Klaus said Davis was taken to a hospital on Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.

Whether there was a mental health component that was in conjunction with that, we dont know, Mr Klaus told reporters, adding that police were still putting together pieces of the puzzle about the shooting and any motive.

The Davis family is from Plainfield, Illinois, about 35 miles south west of Chicago. Davis Jr graduated from Central High School in 2016, said Tom Hernandez, a spokesman for Plainfield School District 202.The National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, says the current state of insecurity in Ghana is blamable, and squarely so, on President Akufo-Addo.



He says no other person can be blamed beyond the president, insisting that it is because he is the appointing authority responsible for keeping at post the Inspector General of Police (IGP) whose duty it is to oversee security within the country, he told Radio XYZ in Accra.



Over 90 robberies, a number of them fatal, have been recorded since the beginning of the year.



And according to Kofi Adams, while everyone else in the country appears worried over the deteriorating security situation, the president appears satisfied with the job of the IGP hence his continued stay in office.



Explaining why the President, and not the IGP must be held accountable for the state of affairs, Kofi Adams said there is no reason to go demanding the removal from office of the IGP when his employer thinks he is performing.



Drawing an analogy from radio programmes, he said no one expects a radio listener to confront a radio presenter over a poor show, rather the station owners or managers are to be held accountable.



Kofi Adams said as a Ghanaian and nationalist, he wishes the country could make progress all the time and move higher and higher, however the reality is that we take two steps forward, and take three steps back, sinking and sinking.



He said far from being partisan, he thinks the country needs serious infrastructure development as undertaken by the Mahama administration.



But rather than focus on infrastructure development, the current administration prefers to appoint many more ministers into office when we should be reducing their numbers to reduce expenditure.



He said for Transport alone for instance, there is a Transport Minister and deputies; Aviation Minister and deputies; Railways Minister and deputies; with the cost of maintaining these political heads very high, while the local airlines are dying, nothing has been added to the aviation sector and the nation bears the unnecessary cost.





Source: Daily Graphic









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Featured VideoNew York, Mar 3 (JEN): Updated data reveals that some 263 million  one-in-five  children, adolescents and youth worldwide are out school, a figure that has barely changed over the past five years, according to a new United Nations cultural agency report.

These new figures show starkly the size of the gap that needs to be closed to ensure universal access to education, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said Friday.

Despite decades of efforts to get every child into the classroom, progress has come to a standstill, according to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).

We need much more comprehensive and targeted approaches together with more resources to reach those children and youth who are denied the right to education, with a special emphasis on girls and on improving the quality of education for all, Azoulay added.

The new numbers are published as delegates gather in Paris for the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-Education 2030 Steering Committee meeting, which provides strategic guidance on advancing the Education 2030 Agenda.

SDG4 includes a concrete commitment to ensure that every girl and boy complete a quality primary and secondary education by 2030.

This is the greatest urgency for unlocking progress towards SDG4, stressed Ms. Azoulay.

The UIS paper shows that the rate of progress, or the lack of it, varies by age group.

At primary level, nine per cent of children aged six to 11 years, or 63 million, are out of school.

Additionally, 61 million aged 12 to 14 years and 139 million between the ages of about 15 to 17  one-in-three  are not enrolled in school. The older group are four times more likely to be out of school than children of primary age, and more than twice as likely to be out of school as those of lower secondary age.

Across sub-Saharan Africa, one-in-three children, adolescents and youth are out of school with girls more likely to be excluded. For every 100 primary age boys of out of school, 123 girls are denied the right to education.

The data also highlight a gulf between out-of-school rates in the worlds poorest and richest countries  with 59 per cent of upper-secondary youth across the worlds low-income countries out-of-school, compared to 6 per cent in high-income countries.

Access to education is only part of the picture. We also have a learning crisis, with one in six children and adolescents not reaching minimum proficiency levels in reading or mathematics; the majority of them are in school, said UIS Director Silvia Montoya.

The new figures reinforce calls for greater education investment globally to ensure progress towards SDG 4, including resources for data gathering and analysis to monitor the pace and equity progress.

Education has to deliver for every child, which requires effective monitoring to ensure that all children are in school, and that they are learning what they need to know, Ms. Montoya continued. That is why the UIS, which is the official data source for SDG 4, is developing new indicators on equitable education and learning outcomes.

These issues will be tabled at the fourth SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee, the global education consultation and coordination mechanism for the 2030 Agenda, which provides strategic advice on policies, financing, monitoring and reporting and advocacy.

UNICEF/MackenzieAgartala/Kohima/Shillong, Mar 3 (IBNS): Creating history, the Modi wave dismantled the 25-year-long Left regime in Tripura and surged ahead in Nagaland to firm up its stronghold in the northeast belt even as Congress managed to emerge as the gainer of highest number of seats in Meghalaya.

In an unprecedented poll result, the BJP has uprooted the Left from its last surviving bastion in the country if Kerala, where it is in power, is discounted with voter there changing governments every alternate terms.

In Tripura, the BJP has decimated the Manik Sarkar government by securing 40 in a 60-member Assembly with a poll left still in one constituency.

The Left, which secured just 19 seats coming down from earlier 51, could barely counter the "Chalo Paltai (Lets make a change)" slogan raised by the saffron brigade ahead of the election.

The Congress, which was earlier the prime opponent of the Left in Tripura, failed to even open its account in the midst of a bilateral contest between the Left and the Right wings.

Sunil Deodhar, BJP-in-charge of Tripura and hailed as an architect of the magic victory, said: "Support from Assam BJP was tremendous. Because of that moral and actual support we could reach this stage. "

He said BJP highlighted the failure of the Manik Sarkar government with a chargesheet and what would be their performance be like if they come to power.

He thanked the cadres, Assam BJP and Ram Madhav among others for the result in Tripura.

Crediting Assam Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma for the landslide win in Tripura, Madhav said: "It is the blessings of people that led us to this victory. We welcome the historic verdict."

In Nagaland, the BJP, which secured 26 seats, is optimist to form the next government pairing with its previous ally partner NPF which bagged 29 seats. Congress could only manage to get two seats in a 60-member Assembly.

Though Narendra Modi-Amit Shah had aimed for a three-on-three in the northeast polls, Meghalaya appears to be an obstacle.

In a hung Assembly in Meghalaya, the Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 23 seats though not getting the absolute majority. NPP got 15, BJP 4 and Others have bagged 17 seats.

In Meghalaya it could be a government of NPP and BJP with other smaller parties or a Congress led one. It remains to be seen what happens in Meghalaya.

Recounting the experience in Manipur and Goa polls last year, the Congress has sent its top leaders to the state to form the government in any possible way, though the BJP will certainly leave no stone unturned to wrest power in the state.

Post poll-trends, northeast BJP in-charge Ram Madhav said the saffron party will form the government in Nagaland.

With the wins in Tripura and Nagaland, the BJP will be in power in 21 of the total 29 states of the country.New Delhi, Mar 3 (IBNS): Three agreements were signed between India and Vietnam on Saturday after delegation level talks between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, according to media reports.

"Trade between India and Vietnam is growing despite global slowdown," said PM Modi while address the joint press briefing.

President Tran Dai Quang said, "Vietnam committed to further strengthen its ties with India in different areas including energy and connectivity."

The President also said that regional security, including maritime and cyber security, was one of their key areas of discussion,

"People to people activities should be more between India and Vietnam," he said.

Three agreements were signed, according to a Ministry of External Affairs release.

One, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Economic and Trade Cooperation, with the purpose of establishing a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion.

Two, a Work Plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (the purpose of this Work Plan is to promote cooperation in transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in the fields of agriculture and allied).

Three, an MoU on Cooperation between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, India (GCNEP) and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM), with the purpose of strengthening the technical cooperation in the field of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

Tran Dai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is on a state visit to India between March 2 and 4, 2018 at the invitation of President of India Ramnath Kovind.

Image: PIBNew Delhi, Mar 3 (IBNS): Welcoming BJP's landmark victory in Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the win in the state will be remembered as an 'epoch-making one'.

He said by bringing BJP to power the people of Tripura have performed an 'extraordinary' act.

He promised to develop Tripura under the new rule.

"2018 Tripura election will be remembered as an epoch-making one! What my sisters and brothers of Tripura have done is extraordinary. No words will be enough to thank them for the phenomenal support towards @BJP4Tripura. We will leave no stone unturned in transforming Tripura," Modi tweeted.

"The victory of @BJP4Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. This journey from Shunya to Shikhar has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta for working assiduously on the ground for years," he said.

The victory of BJP also ended the 25-year-long Left Front rule in the state.

"The historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one. It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence has prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves," he said.

Creating history, the Modi wave dismantled the 25-year-long Left regime in Tripura and surged ahead in Nagaland to firm up its stronghold in the northeast belt even as Congress managed to emerge as the gainer of highest number of seats in Meghalaya.

In an unprecedented poll result, the BJP has uprooted the Left from its last surviving bastion in the country if Kerala, where it is in power, is discounted with voter there changing governments every alternate terms.

In Tripura, the BJP has decimated the Manik Sarkar government by securing 41 in a 60-member Assembly with a poll left still in one constituency.

The Left, which secured just 18 seats coming down from earlier 51, could barely counter the "Chalo Paltai (Lets make a change)" slogan raised by the saffron brigade ahead of the election.

The Congress, which was earlier the prime opponent of the Left in Tripura, failed to even open its account in the midst of a bilateral contest between the Left and the Right wings.Shillong, Mar 3 (IBNS): A closely contested fight in Meghalaya in the Assembly polls left the Congress ahead with 23 seats so far in the 60 member assembly, but are short of reaching the majority, keeping the political scenario volatile in the state with BJP hoping to stitch an alliance despite leading in only 2 seats so far.

The state is moving towards a hung assembly and BJP is expected to play the role of a game changer here.

National People's Party (NPP), on the other end, is currently leading in 18. NPP is an ally of BJP at the centre.

The party has marked a significant rise from the figure of just 2 seats in 2013.

The Congress is 5 seats behind from its 2013 number of 28 so far.

The BJP, which might play a crucial role in government formation in the upcoming days, is leading in 2 seats.

In the north-eastern state, polling for 59 out of the state's 60 assembly seats was held on Feb 27.

Speaking to media, BJP in-charge of polls in Meghalaya Nalin Kohli said: "The vote is basically against the Congress if you see the performance of other parties. Leaders will discuss if there can be possibility of a post poll alliance."

Interestingly, the Conrad Sangma-led NPP is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre, Rajasthan and Manipur. However, it fought the elections in Meghalaya on its own.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the welfare of Meghalaya is a matter of importance for his government.

"I express my gratitude to the people of Meghalaya for supporting @BJP4Meghalaya. The welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for us. I appreciate the BJP Karyakartas for their continued efforts in the state to serve the people," he tweeted.

In the other two states-Tripura and Nagalaland- BJP stormed to power.



The BJP removed the Left Front government in Tripura by winning 41 seats in the state.

In Nagaland, the BJP-NDPP alliance has won 31 seats.

Naga People's Front (NPF) managed to clinch 27 seats in the Assembly.New Delhi, Mar 3 (IBNS): With the BJP sweeping in Northeast, including a historic win in Tripura, party President Amit Shah welcomed the outcome of the Assembly polls results and said it reflected that people have accepted the developmental policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

LIVE: Press Conference by Shri @AmitShah on BJPs success in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya elections. https://t.co/CRno0aY07Z  BJP (@BJP4India) March 3, 2018

Addressing a press conference, an elated Shah said: "People of North East have accepted the developmental policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

He thanked people of the three states for the results of the elections held recently.

"Its a proud moment for all of us. I want to thank the people of Meghalaya, Tripura & Nagaland for reposing their faith in their PM," he said.

"I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to the BJP. This is the victory for Modis politics of development and his commitment to the welfare of northeastern region of India," he said.

Shah said the thought that BJP is restricted only to Hindi states has been proved wrong with the result in the three north-eastern states.

"Earlier, it was believed that BJP is restricted to the Hindi belt. Today's results have shown that the claim is not true," he said.

Attacking Left after dismantling its government in Tripura, Shah said: " It has been proved now that the Left is not right for any part of India."

With Assembly polls in Karnataka to be held in the upcoming days, Shah said his party will march towards the state with massive victories in its belt.

"We will march towards Karnataka, with this massive victory with us," Shah said.

"Mandate after mandate has been in the favor of Narendra Modi Ji and his government," Shah said.

BJP registered victory in Nagaland and Tripura.

The party performed strong in Meghalaya and might play the role of a game changer in the state which is heading towards a hung assembly.

Image: BJP Twitter pageNew Delhi, Mar 3 (IBNS): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Saturday took a dig at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi saying election is due in Italy as the latter flew off to the European country at a time the poll results in three northeastern states came out.

Shah's comment came after the Congress failed to gain a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland polls.

Shah was quoted by The Times Of India saying, "Mujhe WhatsApp pe message aaya hai ki Italy mein chunaav hai (I received a message on WhatsApp that elections are currently on in Italy)."

Shah said this while addressing the media after the poll victories.

The BJP President's comment is targeted at Rahul's journey to Italy to meet his grandmother particularly at a time the crucial poll results came out.

In Tripura, the BJP has decimated the Manik Sarkar government by securing 43 in a 60-member Assembly with a poll left still in one constituency.

The Left, which secured just 16 seats coming down from earlier 51, could barely counter the "Chalo Paltai (Lets make a change)" slogan raised by the saffron brigade ahead of the election.

The Congress, which was earlier the prime opponent of the Left in Tripura, failed to even open its account in the midst of a bilateral contest between the Left and the Right wings.

In Nagaland, the BJP, which secured 29 seats, is optimist to form the next government pairing with its previous ally partner NPF which only bagged 29 seats.

Though Narendra Modi-Amit Shah had aimed for a three-on-three in the northeast polls, Meghalaya appears to be an obstacle.

In a hung Assembly in Meghalaya, the Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 21 seats though not getting the absolute majority. NPP got 19, BJP 2 and Others have bagged 17 seats.

Images: twitter.com/AmitShah, twitter.com/OfficeOfRGKohima, Mar 3 (IBNS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now prepared to form the next Nagaland government with the new ally party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) led by three times former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

The political scenario was dramatically changed in Nagaland after the lone Independent elected candidate Tongpang Ozukum and lone JD (U) elected candidate G Kaito Aye had supported to the BJP-NDPP alliance.

In the final result of the Nagaland Assembly poll, BJP has won 12 seats, while NDPP won 17, 27 by NPF, 2 by NPP and one each by JD (U) and Independent.

Earlier, it seems that the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF) and its ally party NPP, JD (U) would form the next government with the support from the lone Independent elected candidate.

After the poll result, Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang gave a proposal to BJP that NPF is ready to form a new government in the state with the BJP if the saffron party comes forward for a post-poll alliance.

Reflecting Zeliangs proposal, Minister of State for Home and BJP leader Kiren Rijiju has said that BJP will go with the ruling NPF if no majority with the pre-poll ally party NDPP.

While the two BJP ministers are still in the Zeliang-led government the saffron party had dumped its 15-year old alliance partner NPF in Nagaland and forged with newly formed political party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) led by three times former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

On Saturday, Nagaland CM Zeliang said that BJP is the alliance partner of NPF and his party is ready to form the next government in Nagaland with BJP.

Zeliang virtually ruled out any alliance with Neiphiu Rio led NDPP.

But the political scenario has been dramatically changed in Nagaland after the poll results were out.

With this result, BJP and NDPP alliance with support from the lone Independent and JD (U) elected candidates has managed to increase their strength to 31 and its safe for forming a government.

Sources said that former three times Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio would likely to take charge the new Chief Minister charge of the new coalition government.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)

Image: facebook.com/AmitShah.OfficialKolkata, Mar 3 (IBNS): In the wake of the BJP's landslide victory in Tripura, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said Congress had turned down her proposal for an alliance in the northeastern state, media reports said.

Banerjee said she had requested Congress President Rahul Gandhi to stitch an alliance with other hill parties.

"The Congress did not accept my proposal....It is a matter of shame" the WB CM was quoted by media.

Both Congress and Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) failed to win a single seat in Tripura.

Banerjee felt the results could have been different if the coalition had actually occurred.

The TMC supremo said she would have campaigned in the northeastern state if Rahul had accepted her proposal.

Days ago, Banerjee, while speaking in the state Assembly, took a swipe at CPI-M for not engaging into a grand alliance to keep the BJP at bay.

She had attacked the CPI-M for not participating in the all-party rally, which was called by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, in Bihar last year.

However, Banerjee feels the 2019 General Election will not be easy at all for the BJP to clinch a victory.

In Tripura, the BJP has decimated the Manik Sarkar government by securing 43 in a 60-member Assembly with a poll left still in one constituency.

The Left, which secured just 16 seats coming down from earlier 51, could barely counter the "Chalo Paltai (Lets make a change)" slogan raised by the saffron brigade ahead of the election.



Image: facebook.com/MamataBanerjeeOfficialMumbai, Mar 3 (IBNS): Miss World India Manushi Chhillar has left the social media scorching with her bikini images.

Manushi is looking gorgeous in the newly added two images where she could be seen in her hot avatar.

In one image, she looks graceful and hot where she could be seen sitting on a rock.

Manushi posted the images on social media platform Instagram to thank her fans for following her account 3 million.

"Thank you for 3 million ai#instafamily And a very happy Holi ai," Manushi posted on Instagram.

Manushi won the Miss World title in 2017.

She won the title for India after a long gap of 17 years.

It was Priyanka Chopra, now a popular actress across the globe, who had last won the title in 2000.



Image: Manushi Chhillar Instagram page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.Kabul, Mar 3 (IBNS): At least two Australian nationals were wounded in a car bomb attack which rocked Afghanistan's Kabul city on Friday, Australias Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop confirmed.

The bomb was detonated while the Australian embassy vehicles were passing by Kabul Police District 9.

Three persons were killed in the incident.

Additionally, 22 people were injured.

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said that a Suzuki vehicle was used by suicide bombers.

No group, including the Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It comes just days after the second Kabul Peace Process conference in which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani made a peace offer to militants.New York, Mar 3 (JEN): War crimes, potentially crimes against humanity, are likely being committed in east Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria, and the United Nations human rights chief warned on Friday that the perpetrators of these acts must know they are being identified and will be held accountable.

Civilians are being pounded into submission or death, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council during an urgent meeting on situation in east Ghouta, where some 400,000 civilians are trapped amid daily airstrikes, shelling and the reported release of toxic agents, which have killed and injured hundreds of people in the past two weeks alone.

The UN human rights chief said: The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done.

He said that over the past four months, some high-profile perpetrators were brought to justice: Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide; Salvadoran Colonel Inocente Orlando Montano has been extradited to Spain to face charges related to killings in San Salvador in 1989; and two Argentinian former Navy Captains, Alfredo Astiz and Jorge Eduardo Acosta, were convicted for crimes against humanity committed between 1976 and 1983.

The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind, Zeid said, noting that the Human Rights Council can have a real impact in ensuring that there will be justice  determined, inescapable and effective  for the suffering that has been inflicted on the Syrian people.

He also said that Syria must be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging all States to greatly increase their support for the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up last year with its mandate focused on ensuring that information about serious crimes is collected, analyzed and preserved, with a view to furnishing dossiers for future prosecutions.

He also strongly encouraged the Council to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

Meanwhile, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) on Friday called once again on those fighting on the ground inside Syria and all those who have influence over them to put their arms down and stop the war on children.

Is our call falling once again on deaf ears? The children of Syria have been waiting for way too long. The world has failed the children of Syria so many times, Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, told reporters at a regular briefing in Geneva.

Nearly a week ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that would have created an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of children to finally get respite from the brutal and unabated violence they have been living through.

We all thought this was an excellent window for UNICEF and other partners to deliver urgent and lifesaving assistance to children in need wherever they are inside the country, he said.

But as the days went by, these hopes turned into illusions, the windows shut abruptly in our faces, he added, noting that violence continued in several places across the country, escalating in some and flaring up in others, despite the resolutions call for a 30-day ceasefire.



UN Photo/Violaine Martin



Creative Commons

Dhaka, Mar 3 (IBNS): Shocking the nation, popular Bangladeshi science writer Prof Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal was attacked by an unknown youth on Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust) campus in Sylhet on Saturday.

The professor was stabbed on his head from behind with a sharp weapon at Mukta Mancha on the campus around 5:30 pm, The Daily Star reported.

The incident occurred at a time when Iqbal was attending a programme organised by Electronic and Electrical Engineering department of the university.

The attacker was detained by the police.

After receiving initial treatment in Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Iqbal is flown to capital Dhaka by air-ambulance for further treatment, media reports said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the officials to bring Prof Iqbal to Dhaka by air-ambulance, her Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim has told bdnews24.com on Saturday evening.

The condition of Iqbal is reportedly to be out of danger.

Dr Ehteshamul Hoque Dulal, the additional director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, told the website : "He was immediately taken to the OT [operating theatre] where doctors cleaned his wounds. There is no deep cut. I can confirm that he is out of danger.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the incident.

She ordered officials to take quick action to identify the assailants and bring them to justice, the Prime Ministers Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told bdnews24.com.

The motive behind the attack is still not known.

Image: Creative CommonsMumbai, Mar 3 (IBNS): The global market fears that the decision taken by the United States to impose heavy tariff on imported steel and aluminium may spiral into a trade war, media reports said.

Steel imports will carry a 25% tariff and aluminum imports 10%, reports said.

The European Union and Canada, which are significant players in exporting both items to the US have threatened retaliation if things do not work out, according to media reports, as stock markets reeled following the announcement by the US administration.

On the other hand, tweeted President Trump, "When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, dont trade anymore-we win big. Its easy!"

In another tweet he said, "We must protect our country and our workers. Our steel industry is in bad shape. IF YOU DONT HAVE STEEL, YOU DONT HAVE A COUNTRY!"

One of the election promises of US President Donald Trump was to reinstate the steel and aluminium manufacturing industries in the country.

Yet, according to reports, neither industry has seen any significant improvement. Even though steel production rose by three per cent in the first three quarters of last year, the overall industry is still seeing steel workers being laid off, reports said.

Even his 'buy American' executive order did not gain much traction, media reports said.

Incidentally, the US is the world's largest importer of steel.

According to media reports, while Canada and Russia happen to be leading exporters of steel and aluminium to the US; while Brazil, South Korea and Mexico supply significant quantities of steel to the US, the UAE and China are significant suppliers of aluminium.

Many fear that the imposition of higher tariff by the US will impact the industries in their own countries and is also likely to prompt many nations to impose restrictive tariff on US products.

According to reports, many steel exporting countries fear that with US raising tariffs, China - one of the key global exporters of steel -- will look elsewhere to dump their product.

Fortune quoted European Commission vice president Jyrki Katainen as saying,We can end up easily in a situation where we are in a trade war with the two fronts. And only because of one decision made by the president of the United States.

The Indian steel industry has still now laid low regarding the decision by US President Donald Trump, media reports said.



A doctors profession is one of the noblest professions. But what takes doctors from being good to great? Its more than just study and research; its about hard work, empathy towards patients, and the fervour to reach out to those who sometimes dont get proper access to healthcare.

Today, we look at 11 examples of doctors, who went from good to great with their deeds.

1. Doctors on bike help Maharashtras slum-dwellers

bccl

The Bike Emergency Medical First Responders offer their services across Maharashtra for free. By beating ambulances by 20 to 30 minutes, the responders save lives by getting a headstart that allows them to deliver babies, or administer IV drips. The bikes have boxes attached that contain trauma kits that help save patients suffering from heart attacks, asthma, strokes, fractures, etc. Read more

2. Delhi doctors save a man whose heart stopped for one hour

toi

The doctors at Apollo hospital in Delhi didnt give up on a man who suffered a massive cardiac arrest. The trauma specialists kept the blood supply running by administering continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and shock to the heart using a defibrillator. Read more

3. Army doctors save pregnant woman and deliver her baby

ani

During the terror attack in Sunjuwan, Rifleman Nazir Ahmads wife was injured in a gunshot. The woman, who was 35 weeks pregnant, was rushed to a military hospital where her life was saved by army doctors. For the doctors, it was not an easy task to tend to an injured pregnant woman but they did and successfully delivered a healthy baby girl. Read more

4. Pune doctor performs free cleft lift surgeries on kids

CLEFT LIP & PALATE ASSOCIATION

Dr Pushkar Waknis from Pune is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon whose aim is to operate on kids with cleft palettes free of charge. He firmly believes that surgery at a young age can give these children a better life. Read more

5. Dr Mathew Varghese dedicates his life to treating patients affected by polio

MEAWW

Dr Varghese runs the countrys only polio ward at St Stephen's Hospital in old Delhi. His only aim in life is to successfully treat everyone who comes to the ward, and someday eradicate the world of polio.. It is with this vision that he devotes all his time to the rehabilitation of men and women afflicted with polio. Read more

6. Doctor couple from Pune offer free healthcare to children

toi

Neurologist-ophthalmologist couple Nilesh and Sarita Bhandari are addressing health problems related to eyes, neuro and physio, and psycho issues of differently abled children. While Sarita has conducted eye check-ups of such kids through camps, Nilesh will soon start his neuro sessions for over 200 such children, followed by physiotherapy and psychotherapy sessions. Read more

7. J&K doctor donates blood 53 times in 30 years

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Kiran Sharma, a senior medical officer at Police Hospital, Jammu, was felicitated with an award from the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion and Immunohematology for her extraordinary contribution in the field of voluntary blood donation. In three decades, the doctor has donated blood over 50 times. Read more

8. Chennai doctor charges only Rs. 2 for treating his patients

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Thiruvengadam Veeraraghavan is making healthcare affordable for poor people in North Chennai. For the last 40 years, he has been charging a mere Rs 2 as fee for the patient come for consultation. Read more

9. Pediatrician dedicates her life to saving infants in rural Maharashtra

indian express

After losing her husband in an accident where all efforts to save him went in vain, Priti decided to dedicate her life to treating infants across rural Maharashtra and saving their life. She did so to keep the memory of her pathologist husband alive. Read more

10. One Rupee Clinic helps doctors save lives in emergencies

ani

Thanks to the 'One Rupee Clinic' set up at stations to aid commuters during medical emergencies, a pregnant woman aboard a Mumbai local was assigned a doctor from the clinic. The doctor had boarded the train as the mother could not be immediately shifted to a hospital and performed an emergency delivery. Read moreCondoms serve a purpose for pleasure and it can be greatly affected if the size is not right. Size does matter a lot. But more than that, condoms are extremely important if one wants to protect oneself from sexually transmitted diseases.

In Zimbabwe, the size of condoms became a talking point when nation's health minister said that the country's male members are troubled with the size of Chinese condoms as they are "too small" for them.

afp

Well, it is a 'pressing' issue.

The minister David Parirenyatwa didn't beat around the bush (no pun intended) and just got straight to the point. We import condoms from China and some men complain they are too small, he said at an HIV/Aids conference.

Also read: 11 Things You Didnt Know About The History Of Condoms

Youths now have a particular condom that they like, but we dont manufacture them, the minister was quoted as saying by New Zimbabwe.com.

china photos

He told the attendees that Zimbabwe should take the problem into its own hands (again, no pun intended), and manufacture its own made-to-measure designs.

But China seems to have taken the problem to heart. Beijing Daxiang and His Friends Technology Co. chief executive Zhao Chuan told the South China Morning Post that his firm was planning to produce a greater variety of sizes.

reuters

Zhao said that men in different parts of the world prefer different designs. The Chinese like their condoms thinner whereas the Americans prefer them softer.

Also read: While Stigma Has Kept Contraceptive Use To Only 5%, Indians Ordered 10 Lakh Condoms in 69 days From Free Condom Store

On a serious note, Zimbabwe has one of the worlds worst numbers of HIV/Aids. Over 13 per cent of its adult population is believed to have the virus. So the country's minister is not wrong in demanding for condoms that fit. It's as much about comfort as protection from a deadly disease.The fashion industry is often reprimanded for being insensitive towards animals - whether for using animal fur or testing products on them. But sometimes, the industry surprises us too.

Enter fashion label, Lacoste. The leading apparel brand is now replacing its iconic crocodile logo for a very special reason. Lacoste will release a line of limited-edition polo shirts that will sport different images of endangered species as their logos.

Lacoste

In collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Lacoste's polo shirts will carry a logo of each endangered species on it. And for each species, the number of polos produced will reflect the same number of animals alive in the wild.

Also read: This Is How AI Is Helping Save Endangered Wildlife Species, By Turning Poachers Into Prey

Lacoste

This with one aim - to save 10 endangered species.

Lacoste

The brand has signed a three-year partnership with IUCN. They will produce 1,775 polo shirts in total. Each shirt will be sold for $183, the sales of which will be donated to the organisation in their efforts to protect endangered species.

Also read: This AI-Driven Website Helps Gorillas Find Their Soul Mates, Helping Save An Endangered Species

This is indeed a first-of-its-kind initiative that will not harm but protect endangered species. More fashion brands should join the bandwagon and ensure that no animal is ever hurt again just so that humans can look good.The Indian man from Kerala who helped Boney Kapoor with the procedures in Dubai to repatriate Sridevi's body to India had never watched a movie of the actress.

Actress Sridevi's body was not handed over to her husband Boney Kapoor in Dubai on February 27 but to Ashraf. His name is seen in the Embalming Certificate issued by the Dubai Health Authority, Government of Dubai.

The certificate mentions his address as Ajman (which is part of the UAE) and also provides his number. His telephone number is also mentioned in the certificate. It was not mentioned anywhere on the certificate as to who Ashraf was but his identity number is given.

ap

When TOI checked, it was learnt that Ashraf is a volunteer with the Indian Community Welfare Fund, which is part of the Indian Embassy in UAE.

The body was technically handed over to him as he is to be responsible for it as he locally resides there and is authorized to help Indians. ICWF consists of members who are to assist Indians in problems, including who get entangled in legal issues. He said though the family of Sridevi completed all the formalities required, the person who is technically handed over the body is considered responsible because he in connected with the embassy.

Thamarassery Palorakunnummal Ashraf hails from Kerala and has been living in the Ajman for the last 18 years. "I have never watched a movie of Sridevi," he told TOI from Dubai. "One needs to go to 16 offices to complete all the procedures for completing the post-mortem and repatriating a body," he said.

ap

"On the day that I got all the procedures done for Sridevi's body, I also simultaneously worked on procedures for four other bodies," he said. Four Indians had died in Dubai during the same time. While one body was despatched to Chennai, another to Ahmedabad, two other bodies were sent to Maharashtra. "No, I never got to meet Boney Kapoor. Someone from his family was with me and I took them around for the procedures," he said. He did not get to meet Boney Kapoor, neither was he interested.

"Sridevi was a celebrity but how did it matter? The procedures are the same for everyone," he said. "My services are free. I have seen people suffer here not know where to go and what to do to get the bodies cleared. I felt I should help such people," he said. He begins his work as early as 7.30 pm.

ap

"I have a mechanic shop which my brother runs. So, I do not have to worry about earning my livelihood," he said. It is not just Indians that Ashraf helps. He has so far helped in getting procedures done for 4,700 bodies  of people belonging to 38 countries. For his commitment work, he was also given the Pravasi Bharatiya award in 2015.

"When a person dies, it is only a body. It does not matter whether one is rich or poor, known or unknown," he said philosophically when asked if he felt satisfied helping in the case of a well-known celebrity who had died.As the Jewish people observed Purim, they could be seen dressed in colourful attires, particularly the kids, who derive most fun out of the festivities. Purim is celebrated to observe the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who was planning to kill all the Jews. This took place in the ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire. The story is recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther. Here are some photos from Israel that show how the Jewish people celebrated the festival.

1. An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy dressed in a costume takes part in the reading from the Book of Esther, a ceremony performed on the Jewish holiday of Purim, in a synagogue in Ashdod, Israel.

reuters

2. People dressed in costumes are seen during a local surfing competition to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim.

reuters

3. Ultra Orthodox Jewish children take part in the reading from the Book of Esther.

reuters

4. A ceremony being performed on Purim.

reuters

5. A man dressed in a costume takes part in a local surfing competition to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim.

reuters

6. Ultra-Orthodox Jews take part in the reading from the Book of Esther.

reuters

7. People dressed in costumes take part in a local surfing competition.

reuters

8. Ultra-Orthodox Jews take part in the reading from the Book of Esther.

reuters

9. A boy dressed up in a Purim costume takes part, together with other ultra Orthodox Jews, in the reading from the Book of Esther.

reuters

10. Ultra-Orthodox Jews take part in the reading from the Book of Esther, a ceremony performed on the Jewish holiday of Purim, in a synagogue.

reuters

11. People dressed in costumes take part in a local surfing competition to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim.

reuters

12. A boy dressed up in a Purim costume looks on as ultra Orthodox Jews take part in the reading from the Book of Esther, a ceremony performed on the Jewish holiday of Purim, in Jerusalem.

reuters

13. Ultra-Orthodox Jews walk in costume during the Jewish holiday of Purim in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York.

reutersYou would think that in 20goddamn18, body shaming is a thing of the past. Well, unless youre living under a rock and/or have somehow miraculously attained nirvana and are thus blissfully unaware, we regretfully inform you that such isnt the case. Body shaming is rampant even now, and weve had it to up to here (points to own chubby cheeks) with it. Luckily, womens voices are now stronger and more vociferous than ever, and we gladly and boldly shut down haters all the damn time. What other way is there to assert our own place in society than to let people know that we beautifully, gloriously and happily continue to live and exist?

 A post shared by Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) on Sep 4, 2016 at 10:50am PDT

American personality and former supermodel Tyra Banks, who was body shamed by the media after being clicked by the paparazzi in a swimsuit and chose to address it on her own talk show shutting down haters and calling them out for being disgusting and detrimental to women everywhere; ended her rant with a bold statement that went on to become a cult dialogue, she said Kiss my fat ass! What a way to emphasize the bottom line, huh? Pun entirely intended. Women like her have already put into words our feelings and done it in such a way that the world sat up to take notice.

Another role model for the plus size community (yes, we are apparently a community) is the gorgeous model and body activist Ashley Graham who famously said:

I have never fit into a mould that I was supposed to. I was told No, no, no to all my hopes and dreams. I never forgot them. I never let anybody beat me down with them, and you shouldn't either. At the end of the day, you can do whatever you want. Don't let your body hold you back. [via New York Magazine]

A post shared by A S H L E Y G R A H A M (@theashleygraham) on Feb 26, 2018 at 8:25am PST

Yassss Queen!

Shes also known to publicly love and praise curvy bodies (her own included) and that gives us hope for a better world, honestly. Dont you think it was about damn time that women were well represented in the media? Not all women look the same way, not all women are thin, and not all bodies are perfect. About time we enjoyed the imperfections, thigh gaps be damned, right?

Closer home, Bollywood beauty Sonakshi Sinha has got flak for her weight from the time she entered the industry. What a poor double standard chosen by our country, since most Indian women do have curves. Anyhoo, the girl handles trolls with such pizazz. Her Instagram account is proof that the sassy lass has zero f**ks to give. She once posted a picture of a cartoon skeleton with the words I finally hit my goal weight and she captioned the picture as follows:

To all those who keep commenting on my weight, whether its a full picture, or a close up where you cant see jack. Take a good look at this picture. Now get this:

1) This aint ever gonna be me. 2) Get over it. 3) I wish u could see which finger I hold up for shallow and idiotic people like yourself. 

A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona) on Oct 5, 2014 at 1:40am PDT

Some silly notion, rooted in patriarchy we suppose, has given us the idea that staying quiet is better than speaking up. Its this very notion that has allowed society to walk all over our self-esteems for decades now. It gives us immense joy to be among a new crop of women who will not take the trolling sitting down. No sir! We are going to exercise our agency and everyone better get on board with that.

Another Bollywood actress, Huma Qureshi, set a great example when she posed for a magazine cover and proved once and for all that she doesnt care that she doesnt fit in. Some women, were born to stand out, eh? My body, my rules is actually a great way to summarise what we plus-size girls want the world to know. We dont owe anybody perfection. We dont owe anybody anything, for that matter.

Powerhouse actor Vidya Balan also addressed body shaming in an interview recently and in signature style, blithely ending on a note thats most relatable: If Im eating the food I want, what is your problem?

A post shared by Vidya Balan (@balanvidya) on Jan 12, 2018 at 12:00am PST

Its becoming evident, now more than ever, that this world is filled with people who arent happy with their own lives. Sitting behind a screen and typing vile things thanks to the anonymity the Internet allows has made it a nightmare scenario for us women who want to live life on our own terms, and that includes being the size we want.

Good thing that we have role models in fine people like Adele, who has always vociferously defended her right to be whatever size she chooses, and famously said: I dont have time to worry about something as petty as what I look like.

A post shared by Adele (@adele) on Mar 25, 2017 at 9:41pm PDT

Hey, question; if we are a community do we get to pick a president? Because I vote for Adele! :)A person who works with a marketing agency has been arrested for allegedly installing a hidden camera in his neighbour's bathroom Bengaluru. The accused has been identified as Jeevan Seth, who works with a marketing company lives in Saravaboumanagar.

The complainant noticed a hidden camera in her bathroom and informed her husband. They handed over the camera to police after complaint at Mico Layout police a week ago.

Reuters

During the investigation, police suspected Jeevan's involvement and picked him up for interrogation following which he confessed to his actions. Jeevan and the complainant stay on the same floor of a multistory apartment. When the complainant went down to buy vegetables, he entered her house and allegedly fixed a camera.A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Mumbai has issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the Rs 13,000 crore PNB fraud case.

The billionaire duo who along with their families had fled India earlier this year before the scam came into public knowledge has since shown no interest in returning or paying back the debt. Read more

'1Above' Owners, Staff Were The First To Run Away During Kamala Mills Fire, Says Survivors

The owners of the '1Above' restaurant, where 14 people lost their lives and 31 were injured in a massive fire on December 29 last year, left the victims to fend for themselves and ran away from the place to save their own lives, those survived the tragedy have told the police.

According to a chargesheet filed by Mumbai Police, a fan next to burning coal that was meant for hookahs at Mojos Bistro was left switched on which later caused the Kamala Mills fire. Read more

Here's The Story Of A Muslim Who Became UP CM Yogi Adityanath's Revered 'Gurubhai'

Uttar Pradesh CM, Aditya Nath Yogi , has a close Gujarat connection apart from his ties with PM Narendra Modi. The erstwhile mahant of a math (ashram) of Nath sampradaya in Visnagar, Mahant Gulabnath Bapu, who was born as a Muslim with the name Gul Mohammad Pathan, was the 'gurubhai' of today's UP CM, considered a Hindu hardliner.

Mahant Avaidyanath, the guru of Aditya Nath, was also the guru of Gulabnath Bapu. Their relation was so strong that when Gulabnath, 86, breathed his last, Aditya Nath came to Visnagar, Gujarat, to perform his last rites on December 6, 2016, and he also appointed the new mahant of the math, Sankarnath. Read more

Spouses Of H1-B Visa Holders Can Stay In US For Now As Proposed Curbs Are Put On Hold

A decision by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to defer rollout of a proposal barring spouses of certain H1-B visa holders from seeking employment, provides potential applicants with a breather.

The date for issuing the draft proposal has been deferred to June from its earlier target of February 2018. It is estimated that more than a lakh employment authorisations have been given to eligible spouses since the program was introduced in May 2015, a fair portion going to Indians. Read more

6 Months After The Murder Of Gauri Lankesh, SIT Makes 1st Arrest, Hindu Yuva Sena Activist Held

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh last year has made a breakthrough with the first arrest in the case.

The SIT has arrested Naveen Kumar T alias Hotte Manja, a member of Hindu Yuva Sena, a right-wing group in connection with the murder. Read more

Goa Becoming A Hub Of Narcotics, There's 400% Rise In Drug Cases In Just Last 5 Months

Goa police registered a 400% increase in drug cases in 2017 as compared to 2016. Most cases were booked in the last five months after chief minister Manohar Parrikar ordered a crackdown on the drug trade, which saw police book 161 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) and arrest of 172 drugs peddlers and dealers.

Anti-narcotics cell (ANC) superintendent of police Umesh Gaonkar told TOI that the total drugs confiscated during the raids are worth Rs 2.84 crore. Read moreIn a grave threat of extinction, the last white male rhino is gravely ill which has put the future of white rhino in danger. Only three white rhinos are alive and two of them are females. Last year, Sudan was in the news where the rhino was declared by Tinder app as the most eligible bachelor in the world in a campaign to raise funds to save this species.

ap

At 45, the ill rhino lives at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya with two female northern white rhinos -- Fatu and Najin. They are the last three northern white rhinos.

The last hope for this sub-species is that the two female conceive with this rhino. But the male rhino's ill health is a cause for concern as experts scramble to ensure the subspecies does not go extinct.

"We don't think he will last for much longer," Elodie A. Sampere, a spokeswoman at Ol Pejeta told CNN.

ap

"Euthanasia will be explored if we feel he is suffering too much and won't recover," Sampere said.

"We do not want him to suffer unnecessarily. Right now he is still feeding and walking around ... albeit very little."Average M&A deal value would have dropped as well had it not been for private equity firm KKR and Canadian pension fund Caisse de depot et placement du Quebecs acquisition of USI Insurance Services for $4.3 billion. This deal alone represented 80% of the years total announced deal value.

Growth via M&A has been a principal growth strategy for brokerages for a long time. Consolidation in the brokerage market is not a new phenomenon, said Boris Lukan, M&A and Restructuring Leader, Insurance, Deloitte. 2017 set a new record for most brokerage transactions in the US market, at least by Deloittes account. However, aggregate deal value wasnt quite as high as some of the previous years because there werent as many big blockbuster deals.

The scene changed when a number of very prominent private equity firms became interested in brokerage. Its an attractive business because brokerage tends not to be very capital intensive, it drives a good cash flow, and it throws off some strong returns on equity (ROE). A few private equity firms have made some important investments into brokerage and have worked hard to gain rapid growth of those platforms via acquisitions. The KKR and USI deal is a good example of this.

Active brokers in North America are transacting three or four dozen M&A deals per year, with some announcing a new conquest almost weekly. Deloittes experts predict this trend will continue throughout 2018.

Such a hyperactive M&A environment has caused a lively debate within the brokerage subsector around the relative market position of big brokers versus boutique operations. How can smaller brokerages survive against an onslaught of aggregated powerhouses?

Within the brokerage subsector, there are always individuals who are entering the marketplace and creating new brokerages focused on unique market niches that might not be particularly well-served. So, while some are being consolidated, others are being created, Lukan told Insurance Business.

In general terms, theres no doubt that larger players are consolidating more brokerage business and becoming a more significant force in the marketplace. Their market power is growing as a result of the consolidation.

Related stories:

Deloitte report says it's time insurers 'expand their value proposition'

Fitch Ratings expects uptick in M&A after natural catastrophe slumpIf you're looking for an investment strategy that pays off in the long term, it's hard to beat the strategy of super-investor Warren Buffett. Buffett's company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), has a historical record of beating the S&P 500. Some studies show that a hypothetical portfolio that mimics Berkshire's investments at the beginning of the following month after they are publicly disclosed also earns a return over the S&P 500 Index.

Want some of that action? This article will show you how to use the Securities and Exchange Commission filing Form 13F to build a fund like Buffett.

What Is Coattail Investing?

Most people like the idea of passive investing, or a "buy-and-hold" strategy. With today's complicated financial markets, who wants to actively manage a portfolio? But, unless you're a financial whiz or willing to pay big bucks to a financial whiz, your options are reduced to mutual funds, ETFs or index funds, right? Wrong.

While mutual funds, ETFs and index funds can provide good gains, they come at a cost  fees. Also, if you're hoping to beat the market, don't count on it. Investments like a spider exchange-traded fund (SPDR ETF) are never able to beat the S&P 500 because they track it. So, how can you put your portfolio on autopilot without fees or performance limitations? Why not ride the coattails of a successful investor?

Coattail investing is the term investors use to describe the strategy of mimicking the trades of celebrity super-investors like Warren Buffett, George Soros, John Paulson or Carl Icahn. Of all the super-investors out there, most coattail investors probably follow Warren Buffett, and for good reason  his picks have grown Berkshire Hathaway into the ultimate blue-chip company.

1:36 Warren Buffett: InvestoTrivia Part 2

How to Read Form 13F to Catch Buffett's Moves

You can't start mimicking Buffett's plays without knowing what they are. But believe it or not, those picks are accessible to everyone thanks to the SEC. The Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 states that all institutional investment managers who handle more than $100 million are required to file their holdings each quarter. This means that if you know where to look, you can have access to some of the best-managed portfolios in the world  for free.

One of the easiest ways to find a 13F is by heading to the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) site and doing a search under the company name.

Here's an example of what some holdings from a 13F might look like:

Source: EDGAR archives

Note: Be careful when choosing your coattail picks. By the time you have access to Buffett's investment knowledge, the investing situation may have changed and you might have lost your chance to get in early on a value investment. Once you have a list of Buffett's choices, you still need to perform your own due diligence on the stocks to see if they fit your risk profile.

So, how do you know what stocks were bought and sold during a specific period? That will require a little detective work. Institutional investment managers only have to disclose holdings once per quarter, so by looking for differences between the previous quarter's 13F and the current one, you can figure out what's new and what's been sold off.

Four Tips for Your Coattail Portfolio

1. Allocate Your Shares Properly

Since you won't be able to buy the same number of shares Buffett's multi-billion dollar portfolio invests in, one way to make sure you're allocating the same as Berkshire is by figuring out what percentage each holding makes up, and applying it to your own brokerage account. (All of that information can again be found in the 13F.)

2. Update Your Portfolio

After you've created your Buffett coattail portfolio, one mistake you don't want to make is to forget about updating it. While Warren Buffett is known for his buy-and-hold philosophy, don't think that he never unloads stocks that aren't performing. If you don't take a look at Berkshire's 13F every once in a while, you could be missing out on a great exit point.

3. Take a Page From the Pros

Don't be afraid to make your entire portfolio out of Buffett's picks. While putting all of your eggs in one basket is usually inadvisable, the Berkshire portfolio is made up of large-cap, long-term holdings. In other words, the stocks you'd be investing in are probably less volatile than what's already in your portfolio, and already appropriately allocated.

4. Beware of Fees

Since Berkshire Hathaway has so much money, it may make small changes in the number of shares it owns in any given stock from month-to-month. Since your portfolio is not as big as Buffett's fund, brokerage fees (like commissions) will probably get in the way of staying allocated exactly like Berkshire.

As a general rule, if the fund unloads or buys into more than 10-15 percent of the portfolio's value, you might want to make a trade, too. Remember, though, the smaller your portfolio's value is, the larger those changes will have to be for you to make a profit. Think before you trade.

The Bottom Line

Warren Buffett has shown us that, over time, he's a tough investor to beat. And you know what they say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. If you decide that building your own Berkshire fund is right for you, then finding and evaluating the Oracle of Omaha's picks has never been easier.By Louise Walsh

Community spirit in Meath has ensured that a local couple's white wedding wasn't put on ice, despite the blizzard conditions.

Eric Horan and and his Welsh bride Sian Williams had their dream wedding after locals in Kilmessan rallied around to clear snow and ferry the wedding parties to and from the church yesterday, with the help of Trim Fire Services

Local 4X4 drivers answered a call by Costello's Centra shop in Kilmessan to drive the newly-weds and their guests through the blizzards to the Trim Castle Hotel, some 10kms away.

Trim Fire Services also turned out to escort the happy couple to their reception.

Residents grabbed shovels and anything else they could find to clear the church grounds of snow on the morning of the wedding.

Guests weren't going to let the weather affect their style as they abandoned their wellies at the church door, swapping them for more elegant shoe wear.

Eric and Sian even braved the wintry winds to get photographs outside a snow-clad Trim castle.

"The veil blew off Sian and they could hardly see the camera in the blizzard conditions but they just laughed through it all," said wedding photographer Ruth Foran

"It wasn't the ideal romantic, fresh snow that we stopped in - it was driving snow and freezing temperatures.

"The local community are amazing. I think Sian and Eric were literally blown away by how good everyone was.

"They came out and cleared the snow from the church, the local shop put out a call for the 4X4s and even Trim Fire Services drove out to escort them into the town.

"Eric collected Sian's family from the airport on Wednesday and most of the guests managed to get to the wedding.

"The hotel were also amazing and accommodated staff with rooms so they could work and not worry about getting home. Everyone went out of their way to make sure that Storm Emma didn't ruin the day for them."

Enfield-based Ruth, who stayed in Trim on Wednesday night in case travel conditions deteriorated, added that she was due to work at three weddings this weekend, but the other two couples had made the decision to postpone their big day because of difficulties.

Speaking this morning, Sian said: "I was getting ready in the hotel when my sister-in-law sent me a picture of the men clearing the snow from the church and said she was so emotional. None of my family, or indeed Eric and myself, could believe how amazing the local people were.

"After Gary Costello put up an appeal on Facebook, ten jeeps showed up and there were even more at our disposal, if we needed them. They say you never forget your wedding day but because of the people of Kilmessan, I really won't forget mine," she said.

Eric who met Sian at his friend's stag do in Cardiff a number of years ago added: "The community spirit was marvellous. And the hotel was amazing, anything they could do for us, they did. There was never talk about cancelling.

"They even put up the staff for the night so they could work at our wedding.

"We'd both just like to say a huge thank you to absolutely everyone who did all they could to make our day magical," they said.Feminism, and the expectations on women, are at the heart of Cathy Kellys new novel, the author tells Ciara McDonnell.

CATHY KELLY, author of 19 bestselling books and mum to twin boys Dylan and Murray, 14, is giving me tips on raising boys. The most important thing to be able to do, as a mother, she tells me, is apologise.

Teaching your kids to say sorry is a brilliant thing but you have to be able to say sorry too. Like, if Im a narky cow and Im telling my sons to go to bed, I have to be able to say that Im really sorry and really tired.

Extremely close to her children, Kelly adores being a parent (my sons are just beautiful, lovely, wonderful people. I feel so lucky to have them), and says that its essential to allow children to explore their own life journey. As a parent you can give them the tools and you can give them self-confidence and unconditional love but ultimately we are the way we are; some of us are more sensitive than others.

When it came to writing her nineteenth novel, the 51-year-old considered the life paths that women are expected to take, and whether they are still relevant today. I kept coming back to the idea of three ages of women; virgin, mother, crone, she explains.

We have the bride before the wedding, who becomes a mother, who then becomes ancient and forgotten about. Maybe that idea worked when we all died at the age of 50, but it doesnt have relevance to women today, and yet society has not changed its perception. The Year That Changed Everything focuses on three women celebrating their 30th, 40th and 50th birthdays, and the year that will follow these milestones.

These birthdays, says Kelly, mark such important times in a womans life; not least because of what she feels she should have achieved so far. Ginger, our 30-year-old character, is suffering from a huge lack in self-confidence, and has created a lifestyle of lies to hide her secret shame. We have so many distressed people like Ginger in the world, says Cathy. Her weight issues and the burdens she holds may be rare, but when youre in your early thirties, and everyone is asking about babies and marriage, its hard not to feel the pressure.

Sam is finally pregnant after years of trying. When her waters go on her 40th birthday, she worries she wont be able to be a mother. Kelly resonates with Sam, having had her twins in her late 30s. I was 37 when I had the boys, and I was asked so many times in interviews before I was pregnant why have you not had children yet. The implication was that I was swanning around and too selfish to even think about having children. There is a problem in society, reckons Kelly, when women in their forties are bombarded with pressure to settle down and have babies, while men are not.

Everyone asks female movie stars in their forties like Cameron Diaz, when are you going to have a baby? Fertility is thrown at us; every day of the week there is an article telling us that our eggs are shrivelling up and we have very little time left. For a long time there was always going to be something in the marvellous world of fertility and now they are backtracking and saying we were wrong, you cant have any babies now. Classified an elderly primigravida (mother over 35), which Kelly found hysterical, it was only in the waiting room of the maternity hospital that she felt her age. I remember going into The Rotunda and sitting with really young girls, and the reality of our age differences was apparent.

The thing is, as a woman, its really hard to keep up with what is expected of us, and thats the story arc created with Kellys inimitable empathy and wisdom in The Year That Changed Everything.

We have Ginger, who hasnt achieved any of what society says she should have, so she pretends to have boyfriends, explains the author. Then we have Sam who went through devastating IVF and then suddenly she is having a baby and is scared and feels like she should know much more than she does. Callie, Kellys 50-year-old character, was a joy to bring to life for the writer.

Callie was so much fun to write because she had been a model. I love the idea of people who have been spectacularly beautiful and then they start aging. Suddenly shes in this phase of needing to look younger and all that that entails.

Kelly wanted to challenge our concept of menopause in her book, through Callie. I am sick of this bullshit that when you become menopausal your life is over. Its not over, you just sweat in bed a lot. Kelly loves to pin pictures of women in their seventies and eighties on her Pinterest boards, because she loves the raw beauty of their faces and hair.

Their bones and a beautiful bright eyes and their white hair  I really want that hair.

She pins for fun, rather than work and says that its the only social media outlet she doesnt find stressful.

Instagram is amazing but I feel constant guilt about it  I have about three pictures up. The business of being an author has changed since Kelly published her debut novel in 1997, these days requiring an almost constant social media presence. Publishers want you to be involved in all of this stuff, because social media is meant to sell books, she affirms.

I dont mind Facebook, but if Im writing or if Im having a bad day, I cant fake it and go in and be fake happy Cathy  I have to be in the right place to do it.

Twitter, she maintains, is a whole other beast. I find Twitter very hard. I am so connected to the news and what is happening in the world through my work with Unicef. I know that there are people dying  for example right now, in the famine in Yemen, she says.

I think I cant go on this and talk about my new book coming out. I find the self-aggrandisement very difficult.

On a basic level, Kelly sees Twitter as a place largely of negativity. Its a negative toxic swirl in the world. I am a Yungian and the concept of the great unconscious with all this swirling negative energy going around. It gives people who should possibly be under lock and key the opportunity to be viciously nasty to other people and send them to very dark places.

A champion of women at every age, Cathy Kelly will be voting to repeal the 8th Amendment of our constitution in the upcoming referendum.

Nobody knows whats going on in another persons shoes and the fact that this is in the constitution is unacceptable, she states. There are so many horrendous stories of people whose children wont be born because of fatal fetal abnormalities and they have to take a plane and come home with the remains of their children in a jiffy bag. Im sorry; this is not acceptable. Clinging onto the rules of a specific religions that were made up and enforced by men  the belief that women are not to be trusted with their own bodies is absolutely appalling.

Human beings deserve love, and kindness and basic human rights, and sadly in this country its not always the case.

- The Year That Changed Everything by Cathy Kelly is published by Orion and is available in all good book stores priced 13.99We can only guess who the winners will be but we are guaranteed plenty of style from our fashion-conscious stars, writes Joyce Fegan

Tomorrow night, at approximately 10pm Irish time, the stars of Hollywood will begin walking the Oscars red carpet.

For Irish people there is a lot to hope for with five nominees across multiple categories: Saoirse Ronan for Best Actress in Lady Bird; Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor in Phantom Thread; The Breadwinner  directed by Cork woman Nora Twomey  is nominated for Best Animated Feature; Consolata Boyle for Best Costume Design for Victoria and Abdul; and Martin McDonaghs Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has earned itself nominations in six categories including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

While we will have to wait until at least 1.30am on Monday morning to see who the winners are, we have gone behind the scenes to see how our stars have been preparing for the awards  from what they are wearing to receiving exotic trips to Tanzania and Hawaii in their goodie bags.

We can expect Saoirse Ronan, who has so far favoured brands such Gucci, Atelier Versace and Rodarte for awards ceremonies, to be edgier and a little bit more editorial.

Her stylist Elizabeth Saltzman, who styled Gwyneth Paltrow in the white crepe Tom Ford gown for the 2012 awards, just wants Saoirse to feel happy,

I want [Saoirse] to feel the most beautiful shes felt, Ms Saltzman told Vogue magazine on Thursday. I want her to feel happy and genuinely love her look. I always want people to feel better.

While the 23-year-old actresss red carpet dress will be kept tightly under wraps until she steps out in front of cameras tomorrow night, Saoirses stylist has given some clues into what we can expect from the three-time Oscar nominee.

For me with Saoirse on this run it was, she didnt want to wear just another pretty dress. She wanted to be a little bit edgier. She wanted to be a little bit more true to herself. She wanted to be a little bit more editorial, that was her actual word (editorial).

You know  not so safe, not another perfect sparkly thing and you can push it so far but she also doesnt want to do fashion, fashion, fashion, where its something that is incomprehensible to the public, she wants to do that for editorial (magazines). That makes sense and its very wise and smart and she just wants to feel good out there, Ms Saltzman said.

As for costume designer Consolata Boyle, who has also been nominated three times, her agent informed the Irish Examiner that she is unable to attend this years Oscars.

Were very excited for Consolata. Unfortunately however, shes not going to be able to attend the awards due to her current film commitments, which is such a shame but her schedules just a bit frantic, and shell be in Europe, so too far away, Ms Boyles agent said.

For Cork director, Nora Twomey, who is attending the awards and left Ireland as the snowstorm hit on Wednesday, she has chosen to work with Irish designer Laura Jayne Halton, who has plenty of red carpet experience.

Ms Halton told the Irish Examiner that the directors custom-made gown is all about elegance: It is an immense honour to dress Nora Twomey for the 90th Academy Awards. It was fantastic to work with such an inspirational woman and she was a great muse to inspire this very special piece. It was created with careful consideration and the result is a sophisticated and refined gown that embodies elegance and the signature design elements that I ground my work on.

While she is sworn to secrecy about her exact design that is about to be worn on a world stage, she did reveal some more details.

I wanted to use a very classic colour, with sculptural elements that enhanced the timeless silhouette of the gown and make it completely unique. As Nora comes from a creative background she had a strong understanding of the process and work that goes into creating a custom gown and thats something that I really appreciated.

I worked with Kilkenny-based fine jewellery designer Rudolf Heltzel to select one of his beautiful pieces and incorporate the style of it into the design of the neckline so the whole look was unified, Ms Halton said.

Sunday night will be the Irish designers third night on the Oscars red carpet following Academy Award-nominated producer, Fodhla Cronin OReilly, in 2013 and LA director Kathleen Davison in 2017.

I feel very privileged to have my work represented on the most prestigious red carpet in the world. It is a momentous milestone and I wish Nora and all the amazing team behind the creation of The Breadwinner the very best of luck in LA on Sunday, she added.

While neither Martin McDonaghs nor Daniel Day Lewis spokespersons returned queries for information about their attendance, guests or attire for tomorrow night, we do know some of the freebies that have already been handed out.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not itself endorse or provide these gift bags  they are independently produced by an American company called Distinctive Assets and are delivered to select nominees in the week leading up to the Oscars.

The swag bag as it is called, contains a 12-night Tanzania adventure package for two and a seven-day Hawaiian escape to a luxury ocean-view villa, and it was delivered to nominees in the Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director categories.

The bag also includes pieces from Irish company Liwu Jewellery, owned by Aine Breen in Co Wexford, who creates Celtic-inspired jewellery using Chinese calligraphy.

From Irish products in the most-coveted goodie bag in the world to our designs walking the red carpet and a host of nominations in so many categories, luck already seems to be on our side for the 90th Academy Awards.From unicorn trends to the latest lip looks, Rachel Marie Walsh rates Marchs beauty launches.

The unicorn trend began in the US last summer and got very creative, generating curiosities like Unicorn Snot body gel, a toxic-looking Frappuccino (theres a tautology) and grown women wearing plastic forehead-horns.

The trends not been major in fashion but Dame Vivienne Westwood picked up on it and a New York designer, Thom Browne, walked a unicorn (two men in a tulle costume) down his catwalk last October. Browne is the partner of Andrew Bolton, the curator behind all the Met Costume Institutes most successful exhibitions.

The latest, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, began previewing at the Vatican this week in advance of its New York opening.

Unicorns are mentioned in some translations of the Bible and also a sporadic feature of Christian art.

Little girls are just consistently fond of pretty stuff, e.g. white horse-like creatures and holographic makeup that shines blue, purple and pink.

Its all as disposable as Starbucks.

TooFaced is banking on that, actually, the brands limited-edition Festival collection has two unicorn-them products. The Rainbow Strobe highlighter palette is a pastel face powder in a fantasy-print compact.

Its candy-hued stripes are infused with rose quartz for extra love (or to play on the concurrent crystals craze) and shimmer pink-pearl on the skin.

Bobbi Brown Capri Eye Shadow Palette, 55

Gold and navy are a great colour combination, one both close to nature and glamorous.

Bobbi Brown is a luxury brand, ultimately, so the collections are named for pricey holiday destinations despite the founders inclusive aesthetic.

But there is no annexing every island, mountain range, etc., for fish-in-barrel hotel compounds, and the brands palettes have broad familiar appeal.

Navy and gold are key to this new one for spring.

All nine shadows are cream that does not crease or cake. As with all Brown glitters, the gold particles dont shed onto cheeks.

The navy also holds-up as a long-wear liner.

The other colours-slate, cream, nude, maple sugar-are useful day makeup.

Blue eyes dont pop so much with this shade range  orange, peach, terracotta better favours them as those shades are blues opposite on the colour wheel  but getting things popping is not always what make ups about.

Sometimes being a comfy neutral is appropriate.

Even attractive, I suppose, though not to those of us who rage against the beige.

Bobbi Brown All Over Glow, 29, is a companion to this launch.

This is a pink-gold shimmer that looks fabulous on fair skin.

Clearly most of us highlight our face in the evening but I think this looks especially good on the body, the shimmer pigment is so much more refined and natural-looking than products expressly intended to enhance your clavicle, shoulders, etc.

It is also limited-edition.

This is unfortunate as Im going to need it every Friday and Saturday night foreseeable.

Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush , 31, on counters March 9

Bitten-look lips are a thing, have been for quite some time, but how does the matte lip-trend meld with them?

Are we fed up with it yet? Was it ever really hot?

Dehydrated in appearance, yes, but never hot.

Chanel is as done with clay-pouts as I am, apparently as they are about to launch Rouge Coco Lip Blush for lip and cheeks.

This is not a gloss but pigmented gel, water-based and non-drying.

Colour consistency can be an issue with this type of product, Lip Blushs is perfectly distributed out of the box but best I still think its best kept out of warmths way.

It is not kiss-proof or straw-proof or likely to stay hours on your mouth without a liner but you will make it to the end of the day with lips in tip-top shape.

Rouge Captivant, the apple-red, is great, especially if you can never find the perfect cheek colour to go with a red lip but bare skin is too strong a contrast.

Captivating indeed.

Laura Mercier La Boheme Chic Collection

Laura Mercier is one of those trend-less brands easy to file as wedding makeup or no fixed demo.

If all teenagers could afford it none would ever be told get back upstairs and wash your face.

As inobtrusive, pleasant and trustworthy as a good friend, that Ms Mercier.

This collection is inspired by her Paris atelier, which surely explains why the Boheme Chic Eye Clay Palette, 45, looks like six suede-upholstery swatches.

This is no bad thing: if you dont like mattes to look flat or for shimmers to glitter, hazing them up with suede-ish clay powders an easy in.

The cheek crayon is lazily like sheer pink lipstick, of which the brand already offers many (cheaper), but I cant fault the silky texture and easy blending. Boheme Chic Lacquer Up Acrylick Lip Varnish, 28, is wet-look lip lacquer that wont catch wind-blown hairs, as gloss can.

Suki, pictured left, wears Wanderlust peach.Its a tough year for predictions at the Academy Awards, but Esther McCarthy sticks her neck out on wholl take the gongs on Sunday

THE frocks, the tux and the botox have all been ordered and Hollywood is ready for its close-up at the biggest party of the movie year.

Oscar night is on Sunday and for the third year running, the Irish are punching well above their weight, featuring among the nominees in several shortlists. But with the spoils spread throughout awards season so far, and no clear frontrunner in most of the major categories, its tricky to predict how Irish nominees will fare on the night.

BEST PICTURE

Nominees: The Shape of Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Get Out, Lady Bird, The Post, Dunkirk, Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Phantom Thread.

London/Irish director Martin McDonaghs (were claiming him) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is up for seven Oscars including Best Picture and I have great regard for this problematic but powerful film. But despite Three Billboards BAFTA success, sea-creature adult fairy tale The Shape of Water Appears to have the edge, though I found it a little insubstantial. If McDonagh misses out on best picture you could well see him awarded for his original screenplay.

I wouldnt rule out a surprise charge from a couple of others here, including the charming coming-of-age film, Lady Bird, and the race sci-fi horror Get Out. At 14/1, the timely Get Out sounds like a decent outside gamble.

Will Win: The Shape of Water.

Should Win: Three Billboards.

DIRECTOR

Nominees: Guillermo Del Toro, Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, Paul Thomas Anderson.

McDonaghs omission is surprising here, and only once this century has a movie won best picture without a director nomination  that was Ben Afflecks Argo.

Del Toro looks like a big favourite here, and certainly the handsome-looking The Shape of Water ticks a lot of boxes in terms of directorial achievement. In hope more than expectation, Im rooting for Nolan, whose work on the excellent Dunkirk has been overlooked all awards season.

Will Win: Del Toro.

Should Win: Nolan.

ACTOR

Nominees: Gary Oldman, Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Kaluuya, Denzel Washington.

In an unpredictable year, this of all the categories is a dead cert. I dont see anyone pipping Oldman for his portrayal of Winston Churchill  it was a great performance in a nevertheless average film, and hes been winning all season. If pushed, Id say keep an eye out for Kaluuya Get Out, and his work on it, was widely admired.

Will Win: Oldman.

Should Win: Oldman.

BEST ACTRESS

Nominees: Frances McDormand, Saoirse Ronan, Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Meryl Streep.

This is quite the scrap of a category, packed with great performances. I cant see Frances McDormand, who has won just about every prize going for the bereaved and ferocious Mildred Hayes in Three Billboards, being beaten here. Ronan leads the chasing pack for her best work yet on Lady Bird, and we should celebrate her third nomination, quite a feat at the age of 23.

Will Win: McDormand.

Should Win: McDormand.

ANIMATED FEATURE

Nominees: Coco, The Breadwinner, Loving Vincent, Ferdinand, Boss Baby.

Corks Nora Twomey is only the second female solo director ever to be nominated in this category, but can she take on the might of Pixar? The big studios Mexican-set movie has been winning most of the big prizes in the run-up, but Twomeys The Breadwinner is best placed to pull off a potential upset, according to some pundits.

Top industry website Deadline Hollywood is among those cautioning against Coco being a certainty, and Twomey has spent much of her recent time in LA discussing her film and building support. But Cocos been more widely seen by voters.

Will Win: Coco.

Should Win: The Breadwinner.

COSTUME DESIGN

Nominees: Phantom Thread, Beauty and the Beast, The Shape of Water, Darkest Hour, Victoria and Abdul.

Irelands Consolata Boyle, a frequent collaborator with Stephen Frears, has earned her third Oscar nomination (all in Frears films) with Victoria & Abdul. But she faces tough competition in what is a very strong year in this category. The stunning 1950s couture designs which feature in The Phantom Thread places the film as frontrunner here, with Beauty and the Beast the most likely threat.

Will Win: Phantom Thread.

Should Win: Phantom Thread.

The Academy Awards take place late on Sunday night, Irish time. Highlights on RTE2 on Monday at 9.30pmWhen Esther N McCarthy subjected herself to a sartorial analysis from Gok Wan ahead of his fashion roadshow, the celebrity stylist didnt hold back...

What does one wear to interview a fashion stylist? I ponder this as I stand in front of my wardrobe about ten minutes before I have to leave for the train to Dublin to meet, not just any old fashion stylist, but also one of my very favourite TV personalities. The inimitable Gok Wan.

I adored his How To Look Good Naked show and Im very much looking forward to hearing what he thinks I should do with my bangers.

I have three photographs of myself wearing different outfits for him to critique. Because I am a masochist and because I genuinely could do with a bit of help. I need a Fairy Gok Mother to show me the way.

I was always a bit puzzled by the premise of the Channel 4 show, though. I think I look magnificent in the nip, its the dressing up part thats the problem. Your outfit conveys so much about you, it signals to the world who you are and how you feel, its the very essence of your personality via fabric and colour and accessories.

As I peer into my wardrobe, theres so many different styles of crap, I panic theres a very real chance I have an undiagnosed personality disorder.

In the end I wear a black pair of jeans with a bleach effect on them (the husband and kids fall around the place everytime I wear them. She PAID to have them look like that, they tell each other, slapping their knees and wiping their eyes. Note to self: Punish cruel family later).

But Gok will think theyre cool, right? Oh God, am I too old to be wearing bleachy jeans? I put a v-neck black top on, because rule number one of having ample bangers is wear a v-neck, this Ive learned from Gok.

But he said that in 2006, does it still apply? I add a waterfall style faux leather jacket that I think makes me look skinny but Im probably only fooling myself.

I pair this magnificent ensemble with a giant bright yellow scarf, because its cold today and yellow makes me happy. (Gok will probably burst into spontaneous applause when he cops it. Im rock solid with the scarf choice.) I finish it off a pair of silver boots I love because I can walk comfortably in them and hello, theyre SILVER. Although... anytime I wear them to work I get Rocky Horror Picture Show references and one colleague literally pointed at my feet and laughed for a full minute. Maybe I should change into the polka dot dress and heels. Spots are trendy, right? Gah! No time, the taxi is here.

I meet Gok in Dublins Westbury Hotel. Hes here to promote the series of Irish fashion brunches hes hosting with makeup queen Danielle Mahon. Hes been up since 4am doing radio, print and TV interviews all day long. Dressed in black pants and shoes and slouchy vertically striped sweater, with a cheeky patterned sock, he is bursting with energy. Hes warm, funny, he makes everyone feel at ease and its like meeting an old friend as we air kiss. I hand him flowers; yes, Im a lickarse, what about it?

Ooh, thank you so much darling, he says before asking one of this team to bring him his handbag. Im just going to get my nasal spray. Hes allergic to the flowers. Good start.

So Gok! Im 40, Im clearing out my wardrobe, heres three pictures of me in clothes I wear. Help.

He perks up at the challenge, grabs my notepad and pen from me and says: Right! Lets do a consultation, I need a little background. He fires off questions about my family, favourite song as a child, favourite holiday, subjects in school. He then appraises the pictures and analyses how Im holding myself.

First, the way you stand, you like your legs, its the part of your body you dont mind showing off. Because of all the sport you played you dont like your shoulders, you felt defeminised because of it, theres a width up there.

You tell all your stories through your legs, youve got the ripped jeans and the jacket hanging to mid length, theres lots of covering up the upper body.

Your personality is nomadic, youve travelled a lot, youre gathering all this information, thats where the prints come from, the heavy necklaces. Youve got a bohemian look but also you feel like you have to grow up. Youve had three children, you feel like you have to start looking your age but actually youre not that person, if you could be anywhere in the world right now youd be in the back of a safari jeep not in a twin set and pearls or in a v neck floral printed top, that you know, thats massively generic. Theres nothing wrong with those tops, its just not you as a person so what youve done is youre holding onto youth, your own personality, youre trying to exist in the world you live in right now and I think its about reinvention for you. I would say your look is dated.

Hes not holding back. I did ask him to be honest. But hes not finished yet. Oh no.

The yellow scarf is a big key message, he says, pointing at my neck. Not the scarf, Gok, dont diss the scarf!

But hes on a roll now.

Its that pop, its that blinding somebody with that colour.

At this point, I die a little inside.

Its like telling people Ive arrived, Im here. Its the bleach wash on the jeans, its the silk sheen on your top. Its screaming Ive still got this, I can do this, believe in me, trust in me.

You need to take the foot off the steam a little bit and actually dont give yourself such a tough time about it trying to either be the person you were before or trying to be this creative, out-there, wacky, person who has to stand out. I would predict youll find something that makes you feel slightly more relaxed, more centred and allow the stationary part of your personality just to settle a little bit.

Youre searching for the ultimate answer, how do I dress so I feel good about myself and show off all my personalities? The last one is the most important. Nomad, creative, on-trend, mother-of-three, youve got all these people to have to dress and when you try to dress them all at the same time to get this.

He holds up one of the pictures of me. Hes so right.

You need to work out a wardrobe thats going to be all of those people separately. Bring it back, take the foot of the gas, you can have as many gears as you want on your fashion motorway, maybe just dont try to do all the gears at the same time.

Hes smiling at me kindly. Youre falling in love with me, arent you? You want to marry me now, dont you?

Whats your ring size, I say, smiling too. Thats a very personal question!

Funny, insightful, knows his way around a metaphor, a little bit dirty and hed sort out my wardrobe. Dammit, maybe I do want to marry him. I think I just got Goked.

Gok Wan and Danielle Mahon are hosting fashion and beauty shows nationwide.

Danielle Mahon on make up

Irish women are very beauty conscious and are taking great care with their skin care and beauty routines. I think the biggest challenge we are all constantly facing though is time. Whether its career, family or a hectic mix of everything, our lives are spent juggling so so much and trying to find time to fit it all in. So, make up has got to be kept simple  impactful and always beautiful  but as simple as possible. I will be doing a demo at our Gok Wan & Danielle Mahon Fashion and Beauty Collective Events that will provide everyone with totally usable tips to improve their own skin care.

Danielle Mahons beauty tips for over 40s:

The key to beautiful skin and makeup is hydration. The only skincare brand that has never failed me is Shiseido. My Top Tip product is their Beauty Sleeping Mask. In terms of makeup, less is more, enhance your skin rather than masking it.

I love Shiseidos Future Solution LX Total Radiance Foundation and their Sheer Eyezone Corrector is the perfect hydrating concealer.

- Gok Wan and Danielle Mahon Fashion & Beauty Collective Shows take place on: March 4, Clayton Hotel, Sligo; April 21, Clontarf Castle, Dublin; Sunday April 22, Rochestown Park Hotel, Cork.

- See www.gokfashion.comHow many of us could do with reinterpreting our mistakes and accepting that as humans we will all continue to make them?, writes Joyce Feegan.

Monica Lewinsky is my role model. In January 1998, when the story of her affair with president Bill Clinton broke online, I was 13 years old. She was 24.

In her own words she says: I went from being a completely private figure to a publicly humiliated one worldwide. I was patient zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously.

Pause for a moment to reflect on what that might feel like. You, as a private citizen and a single person, fall in love with someone who is married and is a parent. You act on that love.

So too does the other party  except they are the one with the family, the legal commitments, and international leadership status.

Then, as fibre-optic cables have been connecting millions of homes around the world to the internet, your mistake becomes all anybody talks about. For months. Your photo is on the front page of every single newspaper, every single day, for weeks.

You are threatened with 27 years in prison if you do not co-operate with an investigation into your love affair. Your own mother is told she too will be prosecuted unless she discloses private confidences you shared with her.

It is even hinted at that your fathers well respected GP practice will be investigated.

Recordings of private phone conversations you had with your lover, where you confess your love, are played on TV and posted online. Your mother makes you shower with the door open, because your parents think you may well be humiliated to death.

From 1998 until late 2014 you are shamed into silence, finally breaking it to give a very public speech about your experience to 1,000 bright young things at the Forbes 30 Under 30 summit.

I seem nervous, forgive me, because I am. Im a little emotional too. My name is Monica Lewinsky. Though I have often been advised to change it, or asked why on earth I havent. But, there we are. I havent. I am still Monica Lewinsky, you say.

Monica Lewinsky is my role model, but not because I idolise those who have intimate relationships with people who are already in one, that is, frankly, none of my business.

She is my role model because after she made her mistake as she describes it, and was publicly filleted for it on an international stage, she chose to not be silenced. She chose not to be shamed.

She decided to not allow everyone elses opinion of her actions define her as a human being. In the era of trolling and instantaneous public shaming, Lewinsky has given us a masterclass in how to overcome it.

Whats more, when she did come out in late 2014, and again in 2015 with her TED talk, the Price of Shame, she did so without attacking anyone, instead she detailed her role and her actions and took responsibility for them.

This week she wrote an essay for Vanity Fair, Emerging from the House of Gaslight in the Age of #MeToo.

She talks about how she recently ran into Ken Starr, the independent prosecutor who had led the investigation into her 20 years ago and threatened her with those 27 years in prison.

Lewinsky was out for dinner with her family last Christmas Eve and he happened to be vacating the table at which her party would be sitting.

A student of karma, I found myself seizing the moment. Whereas a decade ago I would have turned and fled the restaurant at the prospect of being in the same place as this man, many years of personal-counselling work (both trauma-specific and spiritual) had led me to a place where I now embrace opportunities to move into spaces that allow me to break out of old patterns of retreat or denial, she says.

Her choice to shake this mans hand, whether you condone, condemn, or pass no judgment on her presidential affair, is an act to be admired.

Shame is a funny human emotion, but a hugely powerful and motivating one, too. You may not have had an affair with your married boss and been publicly shamed for it, but from the moment you were born to right now, have you always been proud of how youve behaved?

The thing about shame is, out of the entire palette of emotions, it can be the trickiest one for us to identify. Think about it like this: You are walking down the main street in your local town and you trip  chances are you feel embarrassed and your face glows red. Say you are cut off in traffic by a large juggernaut while you maintained the speed limit  you probably feel a little angry.

You get home from a long day of work and your significant other said they would have the place tidy and the dinner ready, but that is not the case you might feel disappointed. In all three cases you will perhaps express how you felt and tell someone about falling on the main street or about the so-and-so who cut you off.

With shame, it is different. Shame is when we are walking down the road and you cross it because you see an

old friend approaching who you may have had a falling out with  and you had a part to play in it. You dont tell anyone about this. Shame comes with denial.

Researcher and sociologist Brene Brown has a far better definition for it: I define shame as the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging  something weve experienced, done, or failed to do makes us unworthy of connection. I dont believe shame is helpful or productive, she explains.

Irish psychotherapist Joanna Fortune gave a TedX last summer called Social Media: The Ultimate Shame Game, in which she explains the difference between healthy shame (say you are caught parking in a disabled spot and you move) and toxic shame.

With toxic shame we are made to view ourselves not so much as having done a bad thing but that we are the bad thing. In order to reinforce that negative sense of self we project those feelings outwards and being to experience others as also viewing us as the bad thing, states Ms Fortune.

We all make mistakes but we must remember they are absolutely not the same as punishable crimes, no matter how much neighbours or acquaintances or former friends may want to shame you for them.

This is where Monica Lewinsky can be a role model; she has not remained hidden. This week she wrote about how she continues to re-evaluate what happened back in 1998, as opposed to just accepting other peoples interpretation of events and interpretations of her moral fabric.

He was my boss. He was the most powerful man on the planet. He was 27 years my senior, with enough life experience to know better. He was, at the time, at the pinnacle of his career, while I was in my first job out of college, she said.

She now interprets it as a gross abuse of power instead of assuming she is a flawed human being.

How many of us could do with reinterpreting our mistakes and accepting that, as humans, we will all continue to make them? In doing so, we could take a kinder view of our fellow man and woman, and choose to hold back on our judgment and discharging the weapon of shame.Is the papacy of Pope Francis in danger of being undermined by controversies over his handling of clerical abuse cases? That question has become a central issue in his papacy, writes TP OMahony.

Is the papacy of Pope Francis in danger of being seriously undermined by the continuing controversies over his handling of clerical sex abuse cases?

This is now a question that is either at, or close to, centre stage, and is beginning to worry many of the Popes erstwhile admirers.

There is no denying his immense popularity, even among non-Catholics, but as Jorge Mario Bergoglio approaches the fifth anniversary of his coronation (March 13) it is also undeniable that his pontificate has entered choppy, turbulent waters. And his authority has also been weakened.

The most recent setback occurred when the Pope was forced to back down and accept the resignation of an unwanted Nigerian bishop who had been rejected for years by the priests of his diocese.

The Nigerian bishop, Peter Ebere Okpaleke, whom Pope Francis had fiercely defended, resigned after a five-year standoff with rebel priests and faithful who rejected him as an outsider.

In his report from Rome on the controversy, Philip Pullella of Reuters wrote that the Vatican versus the people of the diocese of Ahiara in southwestern Nigeria had had become a rare battle of wills that tested the power of papal authority and which could set a precedent for future appointments.

Fr Okpaleke had been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Pope Francis had demanded that all priests in the diocese write him a letter, within 30 days, pledging allegiance to Bishop Okpaleke, on the grounds that he had been appointed by a Pope, or face suspension.

But only some responded, so the bishop stepped down to end the standoff and now the diocese is being administered for the time being by an apostolic administrator.

This could well have a ripple effect. The Vatican can often be high-handed and indifferent to local concerns when it comes to episcopal appointments. According to Canon Law, the Pope appoints all bishops  but this is true only on paper.

With nearly 3,000 dioceses across the globe, no Pope could be expected to be familiar with all appointees. Very often he merely rubber stamps nominees from the Congregation for Bishops.

But the standoff in Nigeria hasnt been the only and by no means the most serious challenge to the authority of Pope Francis.

Ever since the publication in April 2016 of Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love)  an apostolic exhortation which followed two Synods on the Family and which sought to ease the rules governing the admission of divorced and remarried Catholics to the Eucharist, Pope Francis has been the target of much criticism, some of it venomous, from conservative Catholics.

In an unprecedented move, four senior Cardinals publicly challenged the Pope after the publication of Amoris Laetitia. The four published doubts about the contents of the document, virtually accusing the Pope of heresy.

All of this arose from Franciss efforts to get the Church to rethink the way it deals with failed marriages, including promoting a more welcoming attitude to divorced Catholics, including permitting them to receive holy communion.

The four were Cardinal Raymond Burke (USA), Cardinal Carlo Caffarra (former Archbishop of Bologna, and since deceased), Cardinal Joacim Meisner (former Archbishop of Cologne), and Cardinal Walter Brandmuller (Germany), former President of the Pontifical Commission for Historical Sciences.

Pope Francis holds up the holy host as he celebrates Mass in San Gelasio parish church in Ponte Mammolo neighborhood, Rome, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Photo Credit: AP/Alessandra Tarantino

The very public expression of opposition by these four senior churchmen had no parallel in the history of the modern papacy, and meant, in the words of Clifford Longley, editorial adviser to the English Catholic weekly, The Tablet, that Pope Francis has a mutiny on his hands.

Some close to Francis consider that he has never dealt adequately with this mutiny.

This was the first time in the history of the modern papacy that the orthodoxy of a Pope had been challenged openly and in public.

The theologian, Tina Beattie, professor of Catholic studies at Roehampton University in London, said: Pope Francis is up against very poisonous forces in the Church. He has tried to be gently pastoral about gay people and divorce but he is going to have to be more robust and be as tough as his predecessors in dealing with his critics.

It is this very lack of resolve and robustness in dealing with clerical sex abuse that has caused the greatest frustration  and the greatest disappointment  among those who looked to Francis to implement a zero-tolerance approach.

He has talked more than once about the need for this, but he simply hasnt followed through with the necessary policies and mechanisms.

Tackling the abuse issue certainly has not seemed a very high priority for Francis, according to Paul Vallely, author of Pope Francis: Untying the Knots.

After his election, he moved swiftly to act on evangelisation, Vatican finances, curial reform, synodical government, the refugee crisis and the treatment of the poor in the globalised economy. But it took him over a year to set up his Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors  following months of pressure from Cardinal Sean OMalley (Archbishop of Boston), who became its chairman. The appointment of members was slow and its cash restricted by the Vaticans finance chief, Cardinal George Pell.

Its chairman told the 16 members at the first meeting in May 2014 that there was stiff resistance within the Curia to its creation. Vatican departments then jockeyed to control the new body, which was charged with recommending new systems across the Church, to prevent abuse and cover-up.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Pell himself, a former Archbishop of Sydney, is now back in Australia where he faces accusations of historical sex abuse. He has not been replaced in Rome.

A new body was set up inside the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to hold bishops who failed to

report abusers to account. But no real progress has been made.

Two abuse survivors appointed to the Commission  Londoner Peter Saunders and Dublin woman Marie Collins  left in frustration over the low priority being given to child protection, despite assurances given by the Pope that it would be given the highest priority.

Just recently, when news came from Rome that the Pope had refreshed the Commission, Marie Collins (who resigned in March 2017) reacted angrily. She told Caroline ODoherty of the Irish Examiner that she had no confidence in the newly-reconvened Commission.

My confidence in the Commission to bring any radical change to the Church would not be there any longer, she said.

The Vatican saw the original Commission as too independent and she did not see that attitude changing, said Ms Collins.

She said the way to prove otherwise was for its recommendations to be implemented.

Things such as the guidelines template for child protection which was to be made universal to all the churches around the world. The Commission drew it up and it was approved but it has never been disseminated.

Also the issue of the accountability of Bishops. A tribunal was recommended but wasnt implemented, and the responsibility for the disciplining of Bishops has been given back to the Congregation for Bishops, so theyre looking after their own.

Ms Collins also said she was disappointed that Pope Francis had not stood up to the Curia.

He did not get in behind the initiatives and ensure that there were implemented so there wasnt the force there that was needed, she said.

Franciss informal, accessible style  he baptised a child on the street, and married a couple on board the papal aircraft  has won him much praise, as has his abandonment of the trappings of a monarchical papacy, and his attempts to decentralise pastoral responsibility away from Rome and out to the local churches.

Not everyone is happy with this and, while he has a multitude of friends, Francis also has many enemies in the Church.

Some senior people in the Vatican, and beyond, have not forgiven him for bringing about what Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, has called a paradigm shift in the way the Church interacts with, and ministers to, the family, and especially to those in irregular unions.

One of the Popes most trenchant critics, Cardinal Gerhard Muller of Germany, who was dismissed last July by Francis from his post as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has even written a new book entitled The Pope  Mission and Task in which he lays out a theological vision very different to that of Franciss Papacy.

Pope Francis walks inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Photo Credit: AP/Gregorio Borgia

The Cardinal, who is emerging at the forefront of the opposition to Francis, has told friends he believes he could be back in the Vatican  under a new Pope.

Meanwhile, there is no doubt that Franciss freewheeling style has landed him in trouble. As part of his drive for decentralisation, the Pope scrapped some of the bureaucracy around the Papacy, but that backfired on him when it came to dealing with cases of clerical sex abuse.

These need a centralised system of vetting and accountability and application of norms.

And although he has now refreshed the membership of the Commission, not everyone is happy, and, in the meantime his own reputation has suffered. To outsiders, he has appeared muddled and ambivalent on the issue of sex abuse.

Franciss instincts on sex abuse have never felt sure, says Paul Vallely.

Mary Dispenza, a former nun who says her parish priest raped her when she was seven years old, is more direct:

Pope Francis is no different from popes before him. When it comes to his brother priests, Francis protects them at the cost of heaping pain and shame upon victims.

This seemed to be borne out during the Popes visit to Chile in January in his defence of Bishop Juan Barros. The Pope snapped testily at reporters when they questioned his decision to promote Barros, who had been accused of covering up sex abuse by his priestly mentor.

The day they bring me proof against the bishop, then I will speak. There is not a single proof against him, the Pope replied, adding irritably: This is calumny! Is that clear?

The Pope was publicly chided by Cardinal OMalley, head of the sex abuse Commission. And the Cardinal went on to apologise to victims. Later, Pope Francis set up an investigation into the case of Bishop Barros.

But what the episode appeared to show, according to Paul Vallely, is that the Barros case carries unhappy echoes of the Popes own handling of clerical abuse allegations when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

According to Paul Vallely, when Bergoglio was president of the Argentine Bishops Conference, the organisation missed the Vaticans 2010 deadline to create safeguards against new abuse.

Peter Saunders, the other lay person who resigned along with Marie Collins from the Commission, is highly critical:

Francis is now implicated in covering up sex abuse. He seems to be no different from those other senior clerics who prefer to avoid, to cover up, and to hope it will go away... the Church should be leading the way, and not covering up.

In 2017, the Italian journalist Emiliano Fittipaldi published a book entitled Lussuria (Lust) that accused Francis of doing close to nothing to stop clerical sex abuse of minors in Italy and around the world, despite frequent assertions that he has zero tolerance for the abuse of children or those who protect abusers.

As far as the survivors of clerical sex abuse are concerned, little of what has happened lately can be said to refute this accusation.

And then there is the China problem. The Vatican is keen to restore formal relations with the nation that is on the way to becoming the dominant world power.

Diplomatic ties were severed in 1949, when Mao and the Communists took over, and now there are two Catholic Churches in China  an underground Church with bishops appointed by and loyal to Rome, and a State-controlled Church whose patriotic bishops are appointed by Beijing.

Negotiations have been going on behind the scenes for a considerable time. Pope Francis pushed for the opening of dialogue with the government of China, for he is pinning his hopes on a resurgence of Catholicism in Asia. He sees China as central to this mission.

Pope Francis arrives in procession to celebrate Mass in San Gelasio parish church in Ponte Mammolo neighborhood, Rome, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Photo Credit: AP/Alessandra Tarantino)

In the view of Catherine Pepinster, former editor of the English Catholic weekly The Tablet, and author of The Keys and the Kingdom: The British and the Papacy from John Paul II to Francis, if the Pope was to manage the restoration of diplomatic relations with Beijing and a normalisation of the appointment of bishops  bringing the unity of Chinese Catholics  then Francis might well think it is time to move on.

He has said, more than once, his papacy would be a short one. But the fear among Chinese Catholics who stayed loyal to Rome is that some of their bishops may be sacrificed in the interests of Vatican statecraft.

Asia News (asianews.it) recently published the text of a letter from 15 leading Catholics, many of them from Hong Kong, that warned of betrayal and schism.

The letter, sent to bishops all over the world, said the kind of deal being talked about is expected to accord a role both to Beijing and the Holy See in the appointment of bishops, and confer Vatican recognition on seven State-appointed bishops, whose ordinations had been considered illicit by previous Popes.

The 15 Catholics, including professors, human-rights activists, and lawyers, have argued that the Chinese government should play no role in the appointment of bishops. At the same time, they argued that the moral integrity of the seven illicit bishops was questionable.

If they were to be recognised as legitimate, the faithful in greater China would be plunged into confusion and pain, and schism could be created in the Church in China.The Turkish air force has struck pro-government Syrian fighters deployed last week in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, killing and wounding a number of them.

The incident, which targeted two positions of the pro-Syrian force, marks an escalation of violence in a region where Turkey has been on the offensive for more than a month.

Turkish troops and Turkey-backed opposition fighters have operated in Afrin since January 20 against Syrian Kurdish fighters. Ankara has also warned Damascus not to send fighters to the area, saying that it would target them.

Turkey considers Syrian Kurdish fighters to be "terrorists" linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside its own borders.

The pro-government Syrian force began deploying in Afrin on Feb 20, despite Turkey's threats. Syrian state media said the aim is to defend Afrin.

The air strikes mark a major escalation between Turkey, the main backer of Syria's opposition fighters trying to remove President Bashar Assad from power, and Syrian pro-government forces, backed by Iran.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air strikes took place late on Thursday in the village of Jamaa and killed 17 fighters of the force known as the Popular Forces.

The Syrian state news agency said Turkish forces killed 20 people in Afrin. The Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV said Turkish warplanes had killed 18 pro-government gunmen, while 19 more are missing.

Al-Mayadeen said the strike occurred after the Popular Forces hit a Turkish helicopter gunship.

The main Kurdish militia in Syria, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, confirmed the attack, saying the air strikes killed and wounded several fighters.

Turkey's military said Turkish-made ATAK helicopters struck a region in western Afrin, killing nine "terrorists". It is not clear if the air strikes were in retaliation for the deaths of eight Turkish soldiers who were reported killed there on Thursday.

Near the capital, Damascus, a five-hour truce went into effect on Friday, the fourth this week, with no civilians leaving the city's rebel-held suburbs known as eastern Ghouta.

State-run al-Ikhbariya TV said rebels shelled a crossing point to Ghouta in order to prevent people from leaving.

The Russia-ordered pause came after a UN Security Council resolution calling for a nationwide 30-day ceasefire failed to take hold. While the relentless bombing has somewhat subsided in eastern Ghouta, home to around 400,000 civilians, the Syrian government's push to squeeze the insurgents out of the region continues.

The Observatory and the opposition's Syrian Civil Defenxe, also known as White Helmets, reported air strikes earlier on Friday on the suburbs of Zamalka, Douma and Hazzeh. The Syrian Civil Defence said one person was killed.

- Press AssociationSEASIDE sites dont come much more beguiling and intriguing than this offer at South Ring, Clonakilty: it spans 13 acres of good ground, has a south west

aspect, overlooking one of Irelands most beautiful and golden beaches and grassy dunes at Inchydoney, and has hundreds of metres of water frontage, as well as sandy coves exposed at low tides.

Pitch-perfect and guided at 395,000 by estate agent Ray ONeill of Sherry FitzGerald ONeill in nearby Clon, its the sort of spot where the well-heeled (be it in sandals, Hunter wellies, or deck shoes?) might like to build a statement home.

But, be warned, grandiose constructions wont be tolerated here in this highly scenic precise setting. Already, theres a half-built monument to hubris in the hulking form of a very large construction by Ring Head and Sheep Cove, built apparently in breach of planning and stopped dead in its tracks in the 1990s. Now, glimpsed from Inchdoney beach, it looks like some castle ruin.

Yes, indeed, the headland here by Ring Head is tightly, and rightly, controlled by local planners, given its high visibility from Inchydoneys beaches and hotel. As a result, and even though some quite large contemporary one-offs have been successfully delivered by the quay at Ring, 750 metres away, theres only been a grant of planning for a replacement, stone-faced home of just 1,200 sq ft on this expansive 13 acres.... and thats not much in the great scheme of seaside home building ambitions.

The approved plans, by Daly Barry in Bantry, are for a marginally split level single storey traditionally-styled dwelling with heavily glazed triple aspect living room, down a few steps from a double aspect kitchen/diner off the entrance hall, plus two en suite bedrooms and a guest WC.

Aspected for abundant views and light, the houses site is reached up a long private lane and is surrounded by its own 13 acres of pasture. And, while there is indeed water frontage and coves, at most states of the tide it can be extremely dangerous, as the considerable volumes of water in Clonakilty Bay funnel in and out of this narrow stretch of channel that even small boats and fishing craft moored at Ring can find the speed of current and eddying pools challenging.

Location is a few miles from Clonakilty, via Ring village with its several bars and the highly-rated Deasys seafood restaurant.

VERDICT: Little house meets large site in a heavenly setting.

Inchydoney, West Cork

395,000

Size: 112sq m (1,200sq ft) on 13 acres

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 3

BER: G/A3Homes and businesses had loss or disruption of their supplies because of burst mains or power outages at treatment plants.

Staff and local councils will be working to rectify the issues over the weekend, but progress could be slowed by transport difficulties and other weather-related factors.

Around 1,000 Irish Water customers in Co Wexford were affected by a burst mains supplying Kilmore Quay and surrounding areas. Similar problems were experienced in Dublin, Wicklow, and Waterford due to mechanical problems or burst pipes, some leading to the introduction of boil water notices until issues can be rectified.

A power outage at a treatment plant in Mallow, Co Cork, yesterday led to a significant drop in water levels at a local reservoir.

A number of homes in the Charleville area of north Cork experienced supply disruptions due to low water levels at Kilaree reservoir. Some areas in west Cork were also suffering low pressure or loss of supply including Allihies, Coolineagh, and parts of Baltimore.

The utility company is urging customers to conserve water by not running taps unnecessarily and refrain from using dishwashers and washing machines.

Irish Water said it is working with local authorities, and offered an assurance that repairs would begin once the final status red weather warning had been lifted yesterday in some counties.

Meanwhile, parents and students should expect to be notified by tomorrow evening about the re-opening of schools and colleges. Principals and maintenance staff will have to access facilities before determining if there has been any damage.

The Department of Education said it was too early to offer any national advice for Monday, but a statement might be made today as weather and transport conditions are assessed.

Although the countrys 4,000 schools are allowed considerable flexibility in how they make up for days lost to unforeseen circumstances, they are expected to deliver the required 183 days of teaching at primary and 165 days at second-level.The organisations made separate calls after the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence of a husband convicted for raping his wife. The term was reduced from 12 years, with two years suspended, to 10 years, with 18 months suspended  effectively cutting his sentence by 18 months.

The defendant was also convicted of assault causing serious harm and threatening to kill his wife as well as assaulting her mother at their home.

Womens Aid director Margaret Martin said that while the organisation rarely comments on individual cases, they needed to raise their concerns following the appeal.

We can see that there is real anger at this latest decision and a sense of disbelief that an original sentence for this horrendous crime can be reduced by two whole years, she said. It points to an overall lack of understanding of rape within marriage and the links between domestic and sexual violence among the judiciary.

She said there needs to be tougher and more consistent sentences for this crime.

There were 607 disclosures of sexual abuse made to Womens Aid in 2017, including 323 reports of rape by a current or ex partner.

Ms Martin said: While rape in marriage has been a crime since 1990, there has only ever been four hard-won convictions. This is a damning indictment of Irish society.

Calling for a review of sentencing in marital rape cases, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre CEO Noeline Blackwell said: While the Court of Appeal recognised the serious nature of the rape, they took the view that it should be viewed in isolation from all the other assaults and threats by the womans husband in the same period. This is a matter of great concern to us.

Over a short period, this womans husband threatened to kill her, to cut off her face. Her car was rammed by him, he denied her permission to remove their young son from the house. He put her and her mother and her family in total terror. He hit them with a hammer.

If the courts are now looking at these rapes in isolation and reducing sentences as if there was no context of the marriage or the breach of trust or the children involved, the Government and the Oireachtas must step in to ensure that sentences in these cases are realistic and recognise the utter gravity and the specific nature of marital and intimate partner sexual violence.

Ms Blackwell said that the Domestic Violence Bill 2017, which is going through the Oireachtas, provides an opportunity to ensure that the State actually protects domestic partners.

Womens Aid helpline 1800 341 900; National 24-hour rape crisis helpline: 1800 77 88 88The 2016 annual report for the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board received just one appeal in 2016, but received 15 the previous year, of which 14 related to a proposed fish farm off Shot Head, near Bantry, Co Cork.

Late last year, ALAB asked for a new environmental impact statement on the risk of sea-lice infestation and assessments on the otter, seal, and wild bird population in the area near Bantry, in relation to that appeal. It said it could be next October before a final decision is made.Ms May made it clear that it would be unacceptable to reintroduce a hard border between the North and Ireland, but added it is for all of us to work together.

The Taoiseach and I agreed, when we met recently, that our teams and the Commission should now do just that, said Ms May.

However, a spokesman for Mr Coveney stressed that Brexit negotiations are firmly between the EU and the UK. Michel Barnier is the chief negotiator and there will be no bilateral side negotiations, the spokesman told the Irish Examiner.

The Taoiseachs offer to help was in the same way we will help in every aspect of the negotiation, by feeding into the overall process through the taskforce.

Ms May also ruled out a regulatory border down the Irish Sea, which would allow the North to remain in the customs union.

This had been included in the EUs draft legal text, published in Brussels on Wednesday.

She said this is her personal commitment to keep the North in the UKs own common market.

Just as it would be unacceptable to go back to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, it would also be unacceptable to break up the United Kingdoms own common market, by creating a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea, said Ms May.

As prime minister of the whole United Kingdom, I am not going to let our departure from the European Union do anything to set back the historic progress that we have made in Northern Ireland  nor will I allow anything that would damage the integrity of our precious Union.

Mr Coveney said the EUs draft withdrawal agreement text outlined the fall-back mechanism if the first two options did not succeed.

This would entail, if necessary, full alignment in Northern Ireland with those rules of the single market and customs union necessary to protect North-South co-operation, the all-island economy, and the Good Friday Agreement, and to avoid a hard border, he said.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said Ms May had failed to grasp the hard truths and realities of Brexit.

Welcoming Ms Mays opposition to a border in the Irish Sea, DUP leader Arlene Foster said the speech had set forward the basis upon which it would be possible to move forward.

She warned that securing a sensible outcome for everyone will require the EU27 to consider innovative solutions, rather than rule out any proposal which has not been conceived in Brussels.

While welcoming the fact that Ms May had signalled clear commitment to the Good Friday agreement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he remains concerned that some of the constraints of leaving the customs union and the single market are still not fully recognised.

Mr Varadkar said: We will now need to see more detailed and realistic proposals from the UK. Brexit is due to happen in a little over 12 months, so time is short.

Meanwhile, we will continue to work closely with Michel Barnier and his team, and the other member states, as we prepare for the March European Council, which is expected to agree new negotiation guidelines.

News: 4Transport Minister and de-facto head of the Alliance Shane Ross strongly criticised the Taoiseachs 5m Strategic Communications Unit, which had responsibility for the advertorials.

Mr Ross said the unit has not made any difference to his job.

I have just been in touch with SCU boss John Concannon to find out what happened over the past week, he said. I dont see any particular shift in my fortunes, I dont see any change one way or the other.

On foot of the controversy over the advertorials, the way in which the Government advertisements  one of which appeared in the Irish Examiner  are displayed is to be reformed. Leo Varadkar is to order the SCU to ensure paid-for content is clearly identified as advertorial, sponsored, a commercial feature, or special feature.

Mr Ross said bad mistakes were made on the marketing campaign and added that it is absolutely wrong that the Government was able to pay for adverts that papers were told to run like normal editorial.

Leo Varadkar promised yesterday that rules will be strengthened so that the public will not be misled.

Anger was vented at a private meeting of Alliance ministers and their advisers.

There is a fair bit of annoyance at the 2040 plan and we were not involved as we should have been, said a source. The so-called ads or spreads didnt mention us. They had stuff in the Independent and the Examiner and didnt mention the Alliance. The advisers, who normally dont attend, were also spitting fire, saying they too have been treated very badly.

Mr Ross and Alliance whip Sean Canney were also furious at a lack of notice of significant job announcements in their constituency.

An Alliance source said: There was an announcement in Ross own constituency and he was not told about it. There was war over that, he was spitting fire.The department is looking at avenues to improve recruitment amid fears there may not be enough suitable candidates in the next round of recruitment. Dropping or lowering the bar on psychometric testing is an option being discussed.

The conditions for entry to and service in the Permanent Defence Force are subject to continuous review, having regard to the needs of the organisation and the development of best practices.

Psychometric testing is used on potential recruits to assess their intelligence, logic, reasoning, and numerical and verbal abilities.

Fears are being raised that any test reduction is potentially dangerous and is an attempt to recruit anybody just to bolster intake, rather than addressing the exodus of highly-trained personnel, who are leaving for better pay and conditions in the private sector.

In March last year, 5,210 people expressed interest in joining the Defence Forces. Of those 4,388 were deemed eligible to apply. Only 1,213 passed the psychometric test. That was whittled down to 506 after fitness tests and interview and of those 402 passed the required medical.

In a second recruitment campaign last September, it was noticeable that figures fell across the board in comparison.

Fianna Fail defence spokesperson Lisa Chambers, said psychometric tests were necessary to ensure applicants had the particular level of intelligence and competence required to be military personnel.

Theres a huge responsibility attached to the job and a responsibility on each serving soldier to ensure the safety and wellbeing of fellow servicemen and service women, said Ms Chambers, who served as an officer in the Reserve Defence Forces (RDF).

Its understood discussions also took place on the possibility of dropping the entry requirement that bars colour-blind people from joining up.

However, it seems far less likely that this will be introduced.

Security sources point out that there is a reason that bar is in place.

The Defence Forces press office said it expects that this years general service recruitment campaign will be launched by the end of March.

It wasnt able to say a s yet how many recruits would be sought.A vote among the people of Lisdoonvarna returned a 93% rejection of plans by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) to house the asylum seekers in the King Thomond Hotel.

Hotel owner Marcus White told a public meeting last week he would honour the townspeoples wishes.

In response, the community held a secret ballot, at a public meeting organised by Lisdoonvarna Failte.

In answer to the question do you want a direct provision centre in Lisdoonvarna?, 197 voted no and 15 voted yes.

Paddy Dunne, Lisdoonvarna Failte chairman, called on Mr White to honour his undertaking not to proceed with the plan.

Mr Dunne said that the 115 asylum seekers would increase the 300-strong population of Lisdoonvarna by 38%.

People in the town will be welcoming to a lesser number, but not 115, he said. It is not about the asylum seekers coming. It is about the way in which the Government has conducted this, having no consultation, and no facilities in place for these people.

The RIA said the addition of 115 people over the course of a year should not put an undue strain on existing resources and services. The first asylum seekers were due to arrive on March 5. That has been put back a week, due to the weather.

RIA said the implementation of the plan could not be delayed and it intended to accommodate 30 people per month, until it reached capacity at the accommodation centre.Elaine-Sarah, 32, a goldsmith from Waterford, spent 26 weeks in hospital last year, and each time she was admitted through the emergency department (ED).

There are no specialists in Waterford, so I have to fight to be heard every time I go the ED, she said.

There are always different staff on call. Even when a team gets to know my condition the members move on after three months.

Elaine-Sarahs large intestine was removed during major surgery last year. She spent three months in hospital and missed Christmas at home with her young family.

She is now on total parenteral nutrition, which means she is fed the nutrients and fluids she needs through a line into a central chest vein.

I live in Waterford but would rather travel to Dublin to get experienced care, she said. I am now living in the hope that a unit will be established in St Jamess Hospital as soon as possible.

The Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism says the lack of a specialist unit in Ireland is putting bowel failure patients such as Elaine-Sarah at serious risk.

The society has been calling on the Government since 2013 to establish a national intestinal failure centre.

Despite the high-level political support, funding to establish the specialist unit has not been provided.

The society says the high complication rates for people living with bowel failure is unquestionably linked with the lack of a specialised unit.

Almost eight out of 10 (77%) people with intestinal failure have experienced at least one major complication, according to a study published in the Irish Medical Journal.

According to international prevalence data, between 80 and 100 Irish people develop acute intestinal failure every year.

The condition can be temporary or permanent and can occur following the removal of the small intestine due to injury, surgery, blood clots, or digestive disorders such as Crohns disease.

There were high hopes that funding for a specialist eight-bed adult unit at St Jamess Hospital would be included in the 2018 HSE Service Plan. However, the funding provided will only support a transition service for paediatric patients from Our Ladys Childrens Hospital in Dublin within St Jamess catchment area.

David Kevans, consultant gastroenterologist at St Jamess, said the study showed that patients in Ireland fared less well than those in other countries, such as Britain and Denmark.

It is a national disgrace that we knowingly provide a system of care for intestinal failure patients that fails to meet even the minimum standards of care available in Northern Ireland and internationally, he said.While online and digital services continued during Storm Emma on Thursday and Friday, the decision not to print was taken in anticipation of the dangerous road conditions facing drivers distributing the Irish Examiner and its sister paper, Corks Evening Echo.

In November 1972, journalists at both papers took part in a 24-hour stoppage in protest around the jailing of RTE journalist Kevin OKelly. He spent two nights in jail after being found in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions about the tape of his radio interview with IRA chief Sean Mac Stiofain, and staff on daily newspapers in Dublin also went out in solidarity.

The last known missed editions before that happened 50 years earlier, when the Cork Examiners printing machinery was damaged by anti-Treaty IRA evacuating Cork city as it was captured by the National Army during the Civil War in August 1922, meaning no paper was printed for three days.

Contrary to some social media speculation, the Burning of Cork in December 1920 did not prevent the Cork Examiner hitting the streets on Monday, December 13.

Most damage caused by Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliaries the previous Saturday night was to the opposite side of St Patricks St of the newspaper offices. The extent of the damage was made clear to the world by the work of the Examiners photographers.

Two weeks later, however, a Christmas Eve IRA attack on the offices caused one days edition not to make the news-stands. The revolutionaries were opposed to the strongly anti-violence editorial stance taken by the Cork Examiner in response to the daily ambushes, kidnappings and shootings in the city and county.

British military authorities had suppressed publication of the Cork Examiner for three days in September 1919. It had defied military orders by publishing a prospectus of the Dail Loan, Michael Collinss fundraising drive as Minister for Finance to the revolutionary government.

The reason why the paper did not print on three days in November 1897 is unclear, but foreman printer Patrick Corcoran appears to have lost his job by the end of the week.

While weather is not thought to have been a factor, the newspaper reported a rare fog lying over the city for several days, describing it as a really remarkable phase in the weather of this season.The Taoiseach said recovering from the impacts of the storm, which caused blizzards, power outages, and coastal flooding, will be a considerable challenge in the days ahead and urged people to remain cautious.

Speaking after a meeting of the National Emergency Coordination Group, Leo Varadkar said 230 snow ploughs were working to clear roads, along with 293 specialist gritters, which had spread 6,000 tonnes of grit.

These efforts, which were focused on clearing main routes as well as access to food and fuel depots, will continue over the weekend.

Mr Varadkar said: We are now looking towards the recovery phase. This will be a considerable challenge and is likely to take a few days.

He said the full resources of the State had been deployed to get the country moving safely again.

Our particular focus is on transport infrastructure. We need the roads back in a safe condition for people to use. Many roads are still unpassable and work is being done on clearing the snow and ice.

Snow is going to continue to fall and then of course after that, we are into the thaw period and depending on how the snow thaws, there is a risk of flooding, said the Taoiseach. Paying tribute to those working through the storm, Mr Varadkar said: The emergency services have been working around the clock to ensure the safety of our people. An Garda Siochana has responded to hundreds of stranded cars and the ambulance and fire service responded to hundreds of emergencies throughout the night. Our defence forces responded to 81 individual requests and are on stand-by today and over the weekend. The coast guard has assisted over 400 people.

It was heartening to see the great community spirit across the country, he said, as people made sure elderly and vulnerable neighbours were looked after.

Irish Rail hoped to run a number of test trains yesterday evening to ensure no lines have been damaged and that it will be safe to resume services today . However, the south Dart line experienced significant flooding and it is unlikely to run this morning.

It is also hoped that Bus Eireann will be able to operate some services today.

Chair of the National Emergency Coordination Group Sean Hogan said drifting snow will continue to pose particular problems, with some houses and communities expected to be inaccessible for some days.

The HSEs national director for emergency management said it will be hard to keep health services staffed in the coming days.

Damien McCallion said: At the moment, we feel reasonably comfortable, but we are still under pressure. Transport is a big issue. It is going to be difficult over the next few days to keep services staffed.

The ambulance service is getting about 1,000 calls a day, which is the normal call volume that we would expect so there has been no drop-off.

We are asking people to be patient and to keep in touch with the National Emergency Operations Centre if they have any concerns, he said.

General secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation Phil Ni Sheaghdha said some nurses were going to work even when not rostered as their colleagues could not travel.The accident in the Mayfield area of Cork City before the 4pm curfew on Thursday was the most serious weather-related medical emergency dealt with during Storm Emma.

As ESB and Irish Water crews worked last night to restore power and water supply to thousands of affected households in north, south and west Cork, a fleet of snow ploughs was deployed in a bid to get the city and county moving.

Authorities are now concerned that high spring tides and melting snow could combine to cause pool flooding in low-lying areas of the city over the next two days.

There is also a risk of tidal flooding in Youghal, Midleton, Clonakilty, Skibbereen, and Bantry this morning.

Cork Airport expects to resume flights today after almost 100 cancellations over two days, disrupting almost 11,000 passengers. There will be no early morning buses in Cork today. Irish Rail is hoping to provide commuter services from 9am.

Cork Penny Dinners reported a surge in demand for its services but said it was running low on several vital supplies, including milk and baby formula.

The Defence Forces and Civil Defence spent yesterday helping emergency services and ferrying hospital staff to work. Many hospital staff slept in wards, local hotels, and B&Bs so they could maintain critical care services.

Soldiers and Civil Defence volunteers helped a pregnant woman who went into labour in her isolated home near Kinsale, supported local GPs on house calls, and had to tow a trapped ambulance from deep snow near Riverstick. They also transported ambulance personnel from all over the county to their bases and helped bring medical personnel to Mallow General Hospital.

Civil Defence officer John Kearney said he had never seen such challenging road conditions in the region.

Our resources are stretched, but we are managing. If we had 10 times the resources, we could use them.

ESB Networks was working to restore power to thousands of people in Carrigaline, Kilmoney, Trabolgan, Aghada, and Kinsale.

Cork City and County Councils advised motorists to drive with extreme caution, even on treated roads.Windows 10 breached the 70% share barrier last month when calculated as a portion of Windows-only desktops and laptops, putting the operating system on track to account for three out of every four Windows PCs by the end of January.

According to U.S. analytics vendor Net Applications, Windows 10's share jumped by 2.8 percentage points, the most since January, and ended October on 64% of all systems. When figured as a fraction of Windows-only machines, Windows 10 accounted for 72.2%, a record for the five-year-old OS. This second number is the more important of the pair, as it provides the most accurate representation of Windows 10's position within the business universe, where runs-on-Microsoft remains central.

(Windows 10's percentage of only Windows PCs was larger than the percentage of all personal computers because Windows did not power every system last month. In October, Windows was the OS on 88.8% of all PCs worldwide, up one-tenth of a percentage point from September. Of the remaining 11% and bits, all but a picayune 10th of a point ran macOS, Linux or Chrome OS.)

Windows 10 has been piling up the share this year, pandemic and business chaos be damned. Through the first 10 months of 2020, Windows 10 has added 10.7 percentage points of share, representing a 20% increase.

Meanwhile, Windows 7 took a dive almost as steep as Windows 10's climb.

Windows 7 lost 2.4 points of share, plummeting to 20.4% of all personal computers, representing 23% of Windows-only PCs. The downturn was the largest one-month decline since January 2020 and the final number was a record low for Windows 7 on its post-2015 swan song.

So far this year, Windows 7 has shed 9.2 points of share, which represents a 31% decline in the operating system since January 1.

Windows 10 shoots for 80% by mid-2021

The major changes to Windows' shares upended the forecasts Computerworld made as recently as a month ago.

Windows 10's prognostication skewed upwards compared to the one issued at the beginning of October. By April, Windows 10 should account for more than 78% of all Windows, up two percentage points from the previous prediction. Come June 2021, Windows 10 should own 80% of all Windows editions, a point above the former forecast.

On the other hand, Windows 7's decline-of-doom will continue. The now-retired OS will slip under the 20% mark (of all Windows) in February 2021, two months sooner than had been expected. And by August, the operating system should be below 15%, two points lower than the forecast of a month ago. (At the end of January 2021, near the one-year anniversary of its retirement, Windows 7 will account for about 20% of all Windows, a couple of points under October's estimate.)

Elsewhere in Net Applications' numbers, Linux rebounded after two consecutive months of losses, adding seven-tenths of a percentage point and bringing its total share up to 2.2 points. While that was below its peak of 3.6 points in June and July 2020, it put paid to the Computerworld theory that the sudden growth of the OS (Net Applications tallies all distributions) was little more than the aftereffects of an open-source daydream.

As Linux again jumped, macOS took a drubbing, losing 1.3 points  a one-month record  to end up licking its wounds at 8.4%, the lowest mark of the last three years.

Net Applications calculates operating system share by detecting the agent strings of the browsers used to reach the websites of Net Applications' clients. The firm tallies visitor sessions of those browsers to measure global operating system activity.

Or it used to.

At the same time it published October's share numbers, Net Applications announced that it was pulling the plug on its OS metrics. "October 2020 is the last month of data," the company said. "Why? An upcoming change in browsers will break our device detection technology and will cause inaccuracies for a long period of time."

The change Net Applications cited would remove much of the agent string information used not only to compile analytics such as operating system share, but also by advertisers and/or scammers to "fingerprint" individuals so that they can be more thoroughly tracked as they conduct their online lives.

Computerworld has not yet decided whether to continue the "Windows by the numbers" series, and if so, which alternate data source might be used.

Stay tuned.School of Nursing Earns $100,000 Grant to Facilitate Hands-On Learning

March 2, 2018

The Anatomage 3D Medical Imaging Table Convertible is the most technologically advanced anatomy visualization system for anatomy education. Photo: Anatomage.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Illinois Wesleyan Universitys School of Nursing is taking an innovative approach to anatomy education. Awarded a $100,000 expansion grant, the School of Nursing will purchase an Anatomage 3D Medical Imaging Table Convertible  a virtual dissection table with an Extended Digital Library  which will be utilized primarily by first-year nursing students.

The $100,000 grant, funded by the Illinois Board of Higher Education Nursing School Grant Program, is awarded to high-performing nursing schools who agree to expand their capacity to increase the number of students preparing for careers as registered nurses. The grant supports the School of Nursings efforts to recruit and retain first-year nursing students in an effort to expand the number of qualified nurses.

"The School of Nursing and the Biology Department are excited to strengthen our partnership to meet the learning needs of first-year students, said Victoria Folse '86, the Caroline F. Rupert Chair of Nursing and Director of the IWU School of Nursing. It's exciting to bring this innovative pedagogy to Illinois Wesleyan."

Because the School of Nursing uniquely accepts first-year students directly into the nursing program, freshmen are challenged with anatomy and physiology prerequisite courses during their first two semesters. As the most technologically-advanced anatomy visualization system for anatomy education, the Anatomage table will facilitate a hands-on learning approach to anatomy.

Nursing students will begin using the Anatomage table during their first year, and they will benefit from engaging lectures and marked improvement in laboratory exercises which incorporate the virtual dissection table. The device will continue to be integrated into first-year nursing curriculum beyond the prerequisite science courses. In addition, the University will continue to provide student tutors and laboratory assistants to support students enrolled in anatomy and physiology.

The $100,000 grant supports the School of Nursings expansion efforts to modernize the learning environment, create opportunities for high fidelity simulated learning, and incorporate best practices into health assessment.

By Vi Kakares '20Slupski 18 Named Outstanding Marketing Student

March 2, 2018

Jonathan Slupski '18 and Associate Professor of Business Administration Fred Hoyt .

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.  The American Marketing Association (AMA) presented Jonathan Slupski 18 with the Outstanding Marketing Student Award at the 57th annual Saint Louis AMA Student Marketing Conference on Feb. 16. This award recognizes one undergraduate student per school for his or her academic excellence and contributions to the collegiate marketing community.

It was a privilege to represent IWU at the AMA Conference in St. Louis, and winning the Outstanding Marketing Student Award was a tremendous honor, Slupski said. I really have to thank Professor Fred Hoyt and the business department for giving me the opportunity to lead the AMA this year.

Slupski, a business administration major and economics minor, has used his position as president of the IWU chapter of the AMA to organize several extracurricular events centered around the marketing industry. He has co-hosted several speakers and overseen workshops on topics such as data analytics and social media, all in a successful initiative to generate demand for the field, and ultimately, transform marketing from a business major concentration into one of IWUs newest majors.

With the development of the new marketing major, our organization is going to be very important moving forward, and we hope to keep growing until we're the premier business organization on campus, Slupski said.

In addition to serving as president of the schools AMA chapter, Slupski has also served on the executive board of Alpha Kappa Psi and has interned with the Chicago Sport & Social Club.

I'm truly blessed to have gone to a school that gives students so many opportunities to make the most of their college experience, Slupski said. Through all of my time at IWU, I have been able to find what I'm passionate about, and I hope to carry that passion into my career.

By Rachel McCarthy 21Reddit Email 461 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Reuters reports that Zeid Raad al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned Syrian (and Russian?) officials that there is credible evidence that they are committing war crimes in East Ghouta, and perhaps crimes against humanity.

A war crime is a single action that violates international laws on the conduct of war, typically involving atrocities against non-combatants. It is analogous to murder in civil law.

A crime against humanity is a systematic pattern of the commission of war crimes. It is more like serial killing.

Al-Hussein warned that the UN human rights commission is collecting evidence on the culpability of particular individuals, in hopes that eventually they can be brought to trial.

Al-Hussein is among the architects of the International Criminal Court, which is authorized by the Rome Statute that entered into effect in 2002, and the charter of which lays out what war crimes and crimes against humanity are. Some 123 countries have signed it, giving it the force of law in much of the world.

Commenting on Paragraph 1, which forbids deliberately targeting noncombatants, the statute specifies, (a) Attack directed against any civilian population means a course of conduct involving the multiple commission of acts referred to in paragraph 1 against any civilian population, pursuant to or in furtherance of a State or organizational policy to commit such attack

The ICC is only authorized to build cases against individuals, not against governments, and can only do so where the state to which those individuals belong is a signatory of the Rome Statute. The exception is where the UN Security Council forwards a case from a non-signatory country to the ICC, as it did in the case of Muammar al-Gaddafi of Libya. Most former officials tried by the ICC have been deposed African dictators, which has provoked criticism from global South critics.

Since Syria has not signed the Rome Statute and since Russia has a veto on the Security Council, the likelihood of Syrian or Russian officials ever being tried for war crimes committed in Syria is slim. It is not impossible, however, that at some point some criminal official could be arrested in a third country. At least they wont be able to vacation with any sense of safety on Spains Costa del Sol.

Al-Husseins forceful warning, however, is important, since states must not be allowed with impunity to starve out civilians, bombard hospitals and kindergartens with reckless disregard for noncombatant life, or even target civilians as a war strategy. If the world wont intervene to stop crimes against humanity, at the very least we should forcefully and publicly denounce them.

Al-Hussein has Swedish and Jordanian heritage and is a member of the Jordanian royal family.



Bonus video:

AFP: Medical facilities await aid in Syrias besieged GhoutaReddit Email 85 Shares

By Reese Erlich | (48hills.org ) |  

The US has interfered in elections all over the world  and this Russian crisis is a big deal about very little

Welcome to the latest Washington crisis. The American people are supposed to be petrified at the threat posed by Russian spies who hack our emails, buy ads on Facebook and impersonate Americans in chat rooms. The evil Ruskies have the audacity to use phony websites to divide us over issues of racism and immigration  as if we arent perfectly capable of doing that ourselves.



The US frequently interfered in Afghan elections in support of one corrupt leader or another. Here an Afghan farmer who used to grow opium, a major source of corruption among Afghan leaders. Photo: Reese Erlich

And these no-goodnicks are getting ready to do it all over again for the 2018 elections!

Of course, the United States has been meddling in other countries elections for decades, sometimes resulting in the overthrow of governments and civilian deaths. But more on that in a moment.

What are the major allegations against the Russians so far?

* They hacked the email servers of the Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton campaign. They gave the embarrassing material to Wikileaks, which made it public. Wikileaks denies the data came from the Russians.

* Trump campaign officials met with Russian diplomats and operatives in hopes of getting negative info on Clinton.

* Special counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians for various crimes associated with creating phony websites and travelling to the United States to organize political rallies. The Russians sought to discredit Clinton and elect Trump.

Trump officials, and Trump himself, may have committed all kinds of crimes, including lying to the FBI, money laundering, tax evasion and obstruction of justice. But theres no evidence that the Russians succeeded in electing Trump, or even had a major impact on the elections.

The Russians didnt hack voting machines. So there was no Russia-inspired vote fraud.

And even the Department of Justice, in its indictment of the 13 Russians, admitted, There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election.

Hillary Clinton lost the election because Trumps campaign lies fooled people. She ran a bad campaign, which failed to mobilize the progressive Democratic Party base.

But even assuming the worst charges against the Russians are true, they pale by comparison to U.S. meddling in elections around the world.

Dov Levin, a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Politics and Strategy at Carnegie Mellon University, studied 117 cases of United States and Soviet/Russian interference in elections from 1948-2000. The United States accounted for a whopping 69% of the cases.

For example, the United States intervened in every Italian election for decades starting in 1948, according to Levin.

Italy had a strong Communist Party, which had spearheaded resistance to the Nazis during World War II. The United States feared that a democratically elected communist government would pull Italy out of NATO and either become neutral or even ally with the USSR. So the United States used any means necessary to keep pro-U.S. parties in power.

The CIA and other agencies shoveled money to the U.S.-allied Christian Democratic Party.

The money often disappeared into the villas and Swiss bank accounts of politicians, Levin told me. We worsened corruption in Italian politics.

By the early 1990s, Italys Cold War parties dissolved in the face of corruption scandals. The whole system collapsed into dust, said Levin.

Sponsored link

Some United States intelligence officials justify such illegal interventions as necessary because we back the good guys. That view is echoed by some in the mainstream media.

New York Times reporter Scott Shane wrote, American [electoral] interventions have generally been aimed at helping non-authoritarian candidates challenge dictators or otherwise promoting democracy.

Sorry guys, the record doesnt bear that out. The United States occasionally supports a centrist  but only so long as he supports U.S. policy. The United States often backs right-wingers who use violence to stay in power.

In the 1980s, the United States created and financed a Nicaraguan rebel group called the Contras. They sought to overthrow the Sandinista government, which had come to power in a popular 1979 revolution.

The contras murdered more than a hundred teachers, doctors and other civilians working for the government in a U.S.-sponsored terror campaign. One faction of the contras shipped cocaine to United States to pay for their armaments. Those shipments helped create the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s.

The Sandinistas won the presidency in free and fair elections in 1984. But in 1990 the United States made an all-out push against the Sandinistas. The CIA pumped money into the opposition party and planted derogatory news stories, using a classic CIA technique.

The CIA fed stories to German newspapers claiming Sandinista leaders had Swiss bank accounts filled with ill-gotten gains. The opposition used those reports to great effect, and it won the elections.

U.S. officials argued that fighting communism sometimes required backing nefarious characters. If fighting communism was the real U.S. motivation, then it would presumably would have stopped after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. But nooooooo.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and it soon faced a political dilemma. It had to convince people at home and abroad that the United States was building a democratic nation. But the drug dealing warlords running the government werent interested in free and fair elections. They just wanted power.

The United States installed Hamid Karzai as president in 2002, but by 2009 he was causing problems for the United States. I spoke with Matthew Hoh, who was a State Department official in Afghanistan at the time.

Karzai was weary of the war, he said. He opposed the U.S. airstrikes on civilians. He wanted talks with the Taliban, and we were against that.

The CIA tried to use the 2009 elections to oust Karzai. First the elections were delayed by three months, a violation of the countrys constitution. Then the CIA promoted news articles, rallies and cash payments to politicians in an effort to create an anti-Karzai coalition.

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in his memoirs called the effort a clumsy and failed putsch.

But Karzai outsmarted the United States through massive vote fraud. Karzai won when the main opposition leader withdrew from a runoff election.

Of course, the Russians have also interfered in elections, most recently in Ukraine and other areas formerly controlled by the USSR. They also sought, unsuccessfully, to impact the 2016 U.S. elections.

But contrary to the U.S. government portrayal of a sophisticated ring of cyber spies, the Russian efforts were decidedly old school and not likely to have much impact.

In the old days, the Russians would romance secretaries and entice them to steal files from their politician bosses file cabinets. These Russian Romeos would then plant the compromising documents in friendly media. Nowadays the spies can hack email servers and make embarrassing information public online.

The United States shouldnt interfere in other countries elections, including those in Russia. And Russia shouldnt interfere in our elections. But its time to stop the hysteria in Washington that somehow Russia has succeeded in undermining U.S. democracy. It hasnt. Only we can do that.

Reese Erlichs syndicated column, Foreign Correspondent, appears every two weeks in 48 Hills. The revised and updated edition of his book The Iran Agenda: the Real Story of US and Policy will be published in September. Follow him on Twitter, @ReeseErlich, friend him on Facebook, Reese Erlich Foreign Correspondent, and visit his webpage www.ReeseErlich.com.

Reprinted from 48hills.org with the authors permissionReddit Email 145 Shares

By Hugh Miles | (Middle East Monitor) |  

The weekend of 4-5 November 2017 was an eventful one in Saudi Arabia; a missile from Yemen exploded at Riyadh Airport and the Deputy Governor of Asir died in a helicopter crash. Important incidents, no doubt, but not enough on their own to keep that weekend in the collective memory. Instead, it will go down in Saudi history as the moment that the royal family started to eat itself in public.

The first sign of the purge came on 3 November when the Saudi authorities handed Interpol a wanted list. Within hours, Saudi media reported arrests inside the country although no names were published. At midnight, the area of Riyadh Airport reserved for private jets was closed and planes were stopped from leaving. The next day, King Salman issued a series of orders establishing a supreme committee chaired by the Crown Prince with draconian powers to identify and sanction anyone suspected of involvement in public corruption. Then the news broke: 11 princes  including several grandsons of Ibn Saud, the inner core of the Royal family  four sitting ministers and dozens of ex-ministers and military chiefs had been detained and taken to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. The guests were asked to leave and the hotel became a makeshift prison.

Since the Saudi regime has a long history of repressing its opponents the move was not entirely surprising, although it was not foreseen either. In the preceding months, many intellectuals and religious leaders who had dared to speak out or simply remained silent on highly-charged issues like the Yemen war and the Qatar blockade had already been arrested and shamed publicly. Former Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Nayef has been under house arrest since being overthrown in a palace coup last June; he was replaced by the Kings son, Mohammad Bin Salman. In the past three years, at least three dissident princes have been kidnapped from Europe and taken back to Saudi Arabia. Their associates were also detained in the Ritz. Others, like the leading Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, managed to flee into exile.

Read: Khashoggi sends message to Saudi regime following release of Ritz-Carlton residents

For the first few weeks after the initial swoop the regime managed to control the information flow. Saudi security officers  who could not be trusted not to be intimidated or bribed by the detainees  were kept away and mercenaries were brought in to handle the interrogations instead. At the end of November, news started to leak about detainees being tortured and hung upside down. One person was reported to have died while being electrocuted; Ali Bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, former private secretary to Prince Turki Bin Abdullah, was killed on 23 December. Prince Turki, a former Riyadh Governor, was a leading protagonist in the 1MDB scandal.

Throughout December, some of the moguls were released, while others were being detained. Stories abounded of vast sums paid for freedom: former Saudi Telecoms CEO Eng. Sheikh Saud Al-Daweesh reportedly paid $800 million and gave up company shares; Ethiopian-born businessman Mohammed Al-Amoudi SAR 4 billion; and former head of the Royal Court Mohammed Al-Tobaishi SAR 4 billion.

The first senior royal family member to be released was Prince Mutaib Bin Abdullah, son of the late King Abdullah. Until his arrest he had headed the National Guard, the last power centre in the country that the new Crown Prince did not control. The regime claimed that Prince Mutaib was released as he agreed to pay $1 billion to settle corruption allegations. Sources close to the prince, however, deny that he paid anything and claim that he was tortured and had his nose broken with a shoe. It seems that Mutaib may have been released first not because he paid but because of his continuing influence in the royal family, help from his brother Abdulaziz who escaped the purge and is now hiding out in Paris, and because the regime feared that if Mutaib died in custody it would start a blood feud.

The highest profile of the inmates, Prince Walid Bin Talal, was also reportedly tortured. To try and break him the Saudis flew in his estranged wife, as well as some of his former business adversaries, to participate in the interrogation process. Sources who saw him in detention said that Bin Talal had been so badly treated that he had to have emergency medical treatment three times. To pile on the pressure the Saudis showed him pictures of his daughter Princess Reem in handcuffs. She was also detained in the Ritz and released reportedly only after she agreed to sign an affidavit and swear allegiance to Mohammad Bin Salman.

When the Arab Digest blog published details of events in the Ritz, followed by a live TV interview on BBC Newsnight with Canadian businessman Alan Bender, who was one of the people the Saudis had flown in to confront him in detention, Prince Walid was promptly released, but not before giving a curious video interview to Reuters. In the video, a skeletal, bearded, twitching Prince Walid denounced the BBC report as lies and insisted that he had been well treated, while walking around a suite in the Ritz drinking from an open can of Pepsi and holding up sachets of mustard and tomato ketchup as evidence.

Since Prince Walid Bin Talal is a health fanatic and a vegetarian who would never normally eat condiments nor touch soft drinks or food left standing, it seems that he was using these props to send a signal to people who know him well that he was speaking under duress. Its a possibility acknowledged by Reuters in the report.

His subsequent release a few hours later underlines the acute sensitivity of the regime to western media coverage and its existential fear of losing western political and economic support.

Timeline: Crisis in Saudi

On 11 February, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh reopened for business and the remaining detainees were moved to new locations. Those still holding out on the Crown Princes demands  foreign asset transfers and videotaped confessions begging forgiveness and swearing allegiance  were sent to Al-Hair high security prison in the Saudi capital. Others, the more compliant or influential, such as Prince Turki Bin Abdullah, were transferred to more luxurious residences in Al-Nasriya neighbourhood in Riyadh.

Though some moguls have been reappointed to their old jobs, it is certainly not business as usual. Many are still wearing electronic tags, are under house arrest or must have a 24-hour police escort, something once unthinkable for such senior members of the regime. Nearly all are banned from travel; Prince Walid Bin Talal, for example, will likely never be allowed in a plane or out of the country again, except to sign over his foreign assets and then only if Mohammad Bin Salman is confident that he holds enough kompromat to make sure he comes back.

Other detainees saw their reputations traduced after they were released. As Prince Muhammad Bin Nayef was denounced as a drug addict shortly after being removed from detention, so Egyptian media published leaks about the aforementioned Saud Al-Daweesh after he was released, showing him at a sex party in Canada. According to the leaks, he allegedly raped a Bulgarian prostitute in a Canadian hotel and later attempted to bribe unnamed Canadian officials to get his son Majed, who is shown enjoying the company of a Lebanese drag queen, out of trouble after he was caught contacting an Al-Qaeda media outlet.

The impact of the crackdown on the wider royal family has been shattering and it has turned many of the Crown Princes would-be allies into lifelong enemies. Since Saudi Arabia has a revenge culture  King Faisal was killed in 1975 by a cousin in a revenge killing  there is a danger that someone from within the family might now try to kill Mohammad Bin Salman. Unprepared for such an event, the royal family were caught off-guard and their reaction so far has been ill-planned. Numerous princes escaped abroad, however, and so it is probably only a question of time before they embark on a more carefully orchestrated attempt to strike back.

The impact of the purge on the Saudi street is hard to assess  Saudi public opinion always is  but social media gives us some inkling. Few doubt that ordinary Saudis support a vigorous approach to corruption, but at the same time they have little faith that the Crown Prince is acting with genuine intentions. In part, this is due to how the purge has been handled; the regime promised a full, transparent judicial process and criminal prosecutions when, in fact, nothing of the sort transpired and the whole operation has been shrouded in deep secrecy. No charges were brought, no detainee list was published and there has been no sign of anything that could be described as a normal legal process. Although the Saudi Attorney General spoke of a great deal of evidence nothing has ever been produced. Nor has it ever been made clear why a new anti-corruption committee was needed in the first place, since another one had already been set up under the late King Abdullah.

Besides, Bin Salman himself and his close associates are well known to be at least as corrupt as the moguls in the Ritz. He is said to have offered Kim Kardashian millions to spend the night with him and  with remarkable hubris  made extravagant purchases, including a chateau in France and a Leonardo Da Vinci painting even while the purge was still ongoing. A letter written in 2015 by an anonymous Saudi prince called Bin Salman the thief, corrupt, destroyer of the nation and accused him and his brothers of embezzling hundreds of billions of riyals.

What is clear is that the purge has inflicted considerable damage on the royal familys reputation. For years, Saudi propaganda, the media and educational establishments dictated that the whole royal family should be regarded as a sacred, righteous leadership. Seeing princes on TV being treated like common criminals has undermined this narrative and, combined with the raised public expectations from the purge and the Crown Princes other social changes, has increased the chance of popular unrest. As austerity measures continue to bite, the Saudi public will want to know what has become of the fortunes seized in the Ritz and why they still cannot see any improvement in their own situation.

The purge has also triggered considerable uncertainty for investors in Saudi Arabia, a major problem because foreign investment is needed urgently both for Vision 2030 and the launch of Aramco on the stock exchange. Vision 2030 aims to make the non-oil private sector the new motor of the economy but the purge has weakened prospects for foreign and domestic private sector participation, which will in turn spell a bigger bill for the government and so increase the chance that the country will go bankrupt.

Capital flight from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain will have speeded up, possibly even into Qatari banks, and the cash and assets seized in the Ritz will not be enough to compensate. Back in November, Saudi officials said that they expected to make $100 billion from the purge, but this figure has since been talked down repeatedly to around $13.3 billion, equivalent, as Ambrose Carey observed recently, to a small movement in the oil price.

There is also another problem: Mohammad Bin Salmans ruthless consolidation of power is ill-suited for the sweeping changes to the Kingdom that he has planned. One man simply cannot have the bandwidth to navigate all the issues that Saudi Arabia faces: social reforms, the Aramco IPO, establishing new cities, the Yemen war, the blockade of Qatar, oil market strategy and so on. It is simply too much, raising the questions for foreign investors and the Saudi people alike of how and when will he fail, and what will come afterwards.

Update on 2 March 2018 at 13.16: An earlier version of this article had incorrectly reported that Sheikh Saud Al-Daweesh reportedly paid SAR 800 million when the correct amount was in dollars.

Hugh Milesis an award-winning journalist and author specialising in the Middle East. He has worked for a wide variety of media including the BBC, CNN, New York Times, Al Jazeera. He has written and produced for BBC Radio 4 and produced TV documentaries for Al Jazeera English. In 2000 he was chosen as The Times/Sky News Young Journalist of the Year. He is the Secretary of the MEBCS, an Egyptian NGO that oversees the Maadi British International School which is the leading primary school in Egypt.

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Via Middle East Monitor

-

Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

TRT World: Saudi crown prince not welcome in the UK?Sudbury, Ontario (FSCwire) - Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSXV: FL) (Frontier or the Company) is pleased to release the results of a Preliminary Feasibility Study (PFS) for the PAK Lithium Project located approximately 175 kilometers north of Red Lake, Ontario. Included with this PFS is the announcement on the updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the PAK Lithium Project.

The results of the PFS (see tables 1-5 below) include a pre-tax net present value at a 8 percent discount rate of $448 million with a pre-tax internal rate of return of 46.5 percent and a post-tax NPV at a 8 percent discount rate of $301 million with a post-tax IRR of 38.3 percent.

The PFS is based on an updated mineral resource estimate completed by Todd McCracken, P.Geo, outlined in the National Instrument 43-101 technical report update as reported in Table 6.

Highlights from the PFS, with the base-case premium technical grade lithium concentrate of 7.2% Li 2 O (TG_SC7.2) price of $1,250 (U.S.) per tonne, chemical grade lithium concentrate of 6.6% Li 2 O (CG_SC6.6) price of $750 (U.S.) per tonne and an exchange rate of $1.25 USD/CAD, are as follows (all figures in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated):

Life of Mine Revenue is 1,859 million

Pre-production Capital is $147 million with a contingency of 10% included within the initial capital. Pre-production is for a 2 year period.

Sustaining Capital $37 million for the Life of Mine (LOM).

Pre-tax NPV (8% discount rate) of $448 million and internal rate of return of 46.5%.

Post-tax NPV (8% discount rate) of $301 million and internal rate of return of 38.3%.

Pre-tax Cash Flow of $1,013 million over 16 year LOM.

Post-tax Cash Flow of $700 million over 16 year LOM.

Positive Cash-flow is realized in year 2 of production.

5.8 million tonnes of mill feed averaging a combined 2.00% Li 2 O.

11.5 year open pit operation, 4.5 year underground operation.

Mill operates at average tonnage of 1,090 tonnes per day.

Total production of 1.14 million tonnes of technical grade concentrate of 7.2% Li 2 O

Total production of 115,500 tonnes of chemical grade concentrate of 6.6% Li2O

The compelling PFS results display the PAK Lithium Projects ability to firstly become a high margin, low cost producer of a unique premium low-iron spodumene concentrate which is in very high demand by the global lithium market. In addition, an additional by-product output of chemical grade concentrate is produced which could also be further upgraded as required by the lithium battery market comments Trevor Walker, President and CEO of Frontier Lithium. Despite the strong PFS results, I see room to further optimize the resource and engineering designs and have already transitioned to feasibility level work. This significant milestone also sets the path forward to strategically expand the resource, support ongoing lithium compound testwork, progress our discussions with potential offtake, as well as furthering collaboration agreements with our neighboring First Nation communities."

Table 1

Production Profile Total Tonnes Milled 5.8 million Diluted Head Grade 2.00% Li2O Mine Life 16 years Daily mill commercial throughput 1,090 tpd Lithium Recovery 78.5% Total TG Production (7.2% Li2O) 1.14 MT Total CG Production (6.6% Li2O) 115,500 tonnes

Table 2

Economic Assumptions and Parameters Exchange Rate (USD/CAD) $1.25 Discount Rate 8% TG_SC7.2 Price (USD) $1,250/tonne CG_SC6.6 Price (USD) $750/tonne

Table 3

Project Economics Pre-Tax NPV (8% Discount Rate) $448 M Internal Rate of Return 46.5% Cumulative Cash Flow $1,013 M Post-Tax NPV (8% Discount Rate) $301 M Internal Rate of Return 38.3% Cumulative Cash Flow $700 M

Table 4

Capital Requirements $ Million Site Prep/ Infrastructure 45.6 Mill Processing 59.3 Power Distribution 6.4 Open Pit Equipment 12.9 Water treatment and waste management 9.5 Contingency 13.5 Total Pre-production Capital Cost 147.3 Total Sustaining Capital Cost 36.6

Table 5

Operating Costs $/tonne processed Direct Open Pit Mining Cost 4.06 Direct Underground Mining Cost 84.07 Direct Processing Cost 18.01

Table 6 Updated 2018 Mineral Resource Calculation

Cut- off Resource Category Commodity Geologic Zone Tonnes (t) Li2O (%) Ta2O5 (ppm) Cs2O (%) Rb2O (%) Contained Li2O (t) 0.4% Li2Oeq Measured Lithium Upper Intermediate Zone (UIZ) 324,720 3.95 60 0.03 0.12 12,830 Lithium Lower Intermediate Zone (LIZ) 920,330 1.72 104 0.03 0.29 15,848 Lithium Total Lithium Zone 1,245,050 2.30 93 0.03 0.24 28,678 Lithium / Tantalum / Rubidium Bulk Pegmatite 1,245,050 2.30 93 0.03 0.24 28,678 0.4% Li2Oeq Indicated Lithium Upper Intermediate Zone (UIZ) 333,200 3.23 70 0.04 0.20 10,776 Lithium Lower Intermediate Zone (LIZ) 5,909,500 1.89 102 0.04 0.31 111,690 Lithium Total Lithium Zone 6,242,700 1.96 100 0.04 0.30 122,465 Tantalum / Rubidium Central Intermediate Zone (CIZ) 1,011,300 0.80 117 0.08 0.58 n/a Lithium / Tantalum / Rubidium Bulk Pegmatite 7,254,000 1.69 102 0.04 0.34 122,465 0.4% Li2Oew Measured + Indicated Lithium Upper Intermediate Zone (UIZ) 657,920 3.59 65 0.03 0.16 23,605 Lithium Lower Intermediate Zone (LIZ) 6,829,830 1.87 102 0.04 0.30 127,538 Lithium Total Lithium Zone 7,487,750 2.02 99 0.04 0.29 151,143 Tantalum / Rubidium Central Intermediate Zone (CIZ) 1,011,300 0.80 117 0.08 0.58 n/a Lithium / Tantalum / Rubidium Bulk Pegmatite 8,499,050 1.78 101 0.04 0.33 151,143 0.4% Li2Oeq Inferred Lithium Upper Intermediate Zone (UIZ) 13,000 3.56 44 0.03 0.12 463 Lithium Lower Intermediate Zone (LIZ) 1,819,000 2.09 95 0.02 0.29 37,982 Lithium Total Lithium Zone 1,832,000 2.10 95 0.02 0.28 38,439 Tantalum /Rubidium Central Intermediate Zone (CIZ) 85,000 1.16 151 0.08 0.49 n/a Lithium / Tantalum / Rubidium Bulk Pegmatite 1,917,000 2.01 97 0.02 0.29 38,439 Grand Total Bulk Pegmatite 10,416,050 1.82 100 0.04 0.32 189,582

1) For the sole purpose of this resource estimation, Li2O equivalent was determined based on lithium and tantalum grades, prices ($400 per tonne of 6% spodumene concentrate and $150 per kg of 30% tantalite concentrate) and their respective recovery ratio (78.5% recovery for lithium and a 50% recovery for tantalum from bulk pegmatite). No credit was included for rubidium, cesium or any of the other elements contained for the purpose of this estimate

2) Li 2 O content in the CIZ is predominantly associated with lithian micas and without metallurgical testing not deemed recoverable, therefore, not included in the Li2O contained and subsequently the Li 2 O equivalent calculation for the purpose of this report.

3) The UIZ and LIZ are technical/ceramic-grade lithium zones (high-grade lithium with low inherent iron (0.1% Fe 2 O 3 from whole rock analysis). The iron content of spodumene contained within the LIZ increases as the contact with iron-rich metasedimentary country rocks are approached, but it has been noted that a concentration below 0.1% wt.% Fe 2 O 3 is maintained to within about 1 meter of the pegmatite-metasediment contact.

4) Calculation is based on 6,307m of drilling in 32 holes with an average depth of 160m to a maximum depth of 360m vertical in the deposit, 294m of production drilling for 68 blast holes for the 300 tonne UIZ bulk sample in 2015, and 32 channels covering 216m at surface.

5) Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves having no demonstrated economic viability. Results are presented undiluted and in situ.

6) Measured, Indicated and Inferred Resources were evaluated from drill hole and channel sample results using a block model approach (krig interpolation) with Surpac software.

7) (Calculations used metric units (meters, tonnes and ppm). Results were rounded to reflect their estimated nature. Tonnes are rounded to reflect the accuracy of the estimation. Grades reported in percent were rounded to two decimals while grades reported in part per million (ppm) were rounded to the closest integer.

Table 7 Reserve Table

Reserve Category Million Tonnes Li2O% Open Pit Proven 1.19 2.39 Probable 2.93 1.93 Sub total 4.12 2.06 Underground Probable 1.65 1.84 Total (OP+UG) 5.77 2.00

Due Diligence

The Mineral Resources for PAK Lithium Project disclosed in this news release have been estimated by Mr. Todd McCracken, P.Geo., an employee of WSP Canada Inc and independent of Frontier. By virtue of his education and relevant experience, Mr. McCracken is "Qualified Person" for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101. The Mineral Resource has been classified in accordance with CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, (November 2014). Mr. McCracken, P.Geo., has read and approved the contents of this press release as it pertains to the disclosed Mineral Resource estimate.

Qualified Persons and 43-101 Disclosure

Garth Drever, P.Geo, Vice President Exploration for Frontier Lithium Inc. is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Mr. Drever has been involved with all aspects of the PAK Lithium project since 2013.

Todd McCracken, P.Geo, Principal, Manager  Mining , at WSP Canada is an independent Qualified Person as per National Instrument 43-101, and is responsible for the estimation of the PAK Lithium Project mineral resource. Mr. McCracken has reviewed and verified that the technical information contained herein is accurate and approves of the written disclosure of same.

Johnny Canosa P.Eng., Sr. Mining Engineer for Nordmin Engineering Ltd., is an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Mr. Canosa is responsible for Financial Analysis, Open Pit Mine Planning, Operating and Capital Costs.

Roy Levesque P.Eng., Sr. Mining Engineer for Nordmin Engineering Ltd., is an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Mr. Levesque is responsible for Underground Mine Design, Mine Planning and Scheduling.

Kurt Boyko, P.Eng., Consulting Specialist - Mechanical for Nordmin Engineering Ltd., is an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release. Mr. Boyko is responsible for process plan design.

About Frontier Lithium Inc.

Frontiers goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium and tantalum producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. The initial target market is the glass-ceramic industry which consumes roughly one-third of global lithium supply and is currently faced with monopolistic conditions, coupled with major lithium producers increasingly directing output toward supporting battery manufacture.

Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li 2 O), if available, to avoid lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds.

The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management is working towards developing a viable operation. The Company is currently completing a pre-feasibility study to assess the economic viability and technical feasibility of producing lithium concentrates. Frontiers goal is to first establish a viable technical grade spodumene concentrate operation. A possible second stage of investment and longer term prospect is to further process a combination of some of PAKs output to produce the higher purity lithium compounds required for lithium battery technologies used in the electrification of transportation and electric grid storage applications.

About the PAK Lithium Project

The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.

Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit has a current Measured and Indicated Resource of 8.5 million tonnes of 1.78% Li 2 O and an Inferred Lithium Resource of 1.9 million tonnes of 2.01% Li 2 O which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe 2 O 3 ).

The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.

Company Contact Information

Trevor R. Walker

President & CEO

2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA

T. +001 705.897.7622

F. +001 705.897.7618

Media Requests

Joseph Mansourian

Manager, Investor Relations

2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA

T. +001 705.618.0070

F. +001 705.897.7618

Additional information regarding Frontier Lithium is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on its website at www.frontierlithium.com, including various pictures of ongoing work at the project.

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

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Companys registered filings what are available at https://www.sedar.comCALGARY, Alberta, March 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHAMPION BEAR RESOURCES LTD. (CBA.V) ("Champion Bear" or the "Company") announces that company representatives will be attending the PDAC 2018 International Convention, Trade Show & Investors Exchange sponsored by Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada to be held in Toronto, Canada on March 4-7, 2018. The Company will be in the Investors Exchange area at booth IE3216 between Sunday March 4th and Wednesday March 7th. Champion Bear invites its shareholders and all interested parties to visit the booth to discuss Champion Bears activities and investment potential. Additionally, Champion Bear has posted an updated corporate presentation on the Companys website, www.championbear.com.

About Champion Bear Resources Ltd.:

Champion Bear is a Canadian mineral exploration and development company focused exclusively on the historical prospective mining regions of Ontario, Canada. The companys primary targets are Gold, Copper, Palladium, Platinum and to a less extent other PGMs, Tantalum and REE. Champion Bears aim is to create shareholder value through discovery, acquisition and joint ventures. Champion Bear was incorporated in 1987 and is publicly listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange as ticker symbol CBA.V.

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release. 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.

Richard D. Kantor

Chairman and President of Champion Bear Resources Ltd.

Tel: (403) 229-9522

www.championbear.com2 Shares Share

Two years ago I fielded a call from a surgeon I knew of but had not met. Raised locally, she had left the state for undergraduate school, returning to Texas for medical school and North Texas for her fellowship. Heavily recruited, she wanted to stay close to home and her family, and accepted a position with a group of surgeons practicing at one of the areas stellar hospitals.

But she wasnt happy, two years into a three-year employment agreement. In fact, she was angry, frustrated, worried, and greatly concerned about her future.

What had started out as a warm and fuzzy relationship with her group had gone decidedly in the wrong direction.

The genesis of her story is almost a cliche in the physician recruitment environment. In the last year of her fellowship, she suddenly started receiving inquiries from established practices or hospital employed groups, pitching a great future, good salary, moving expenses, and even a signing bonus. Two visits to her soon-to-be employer focused on where to live, meetings with all of the group members, a hospital administrator or two (representing her surgical sites), and a real estate agent to look at homes. Everybody seemed nice, and she liked what she was shown. Money was discussed, and a contract arrived shortly after the second visit. She asked for a recommendation on a lawyer to handle the latter.

The lawyer was hired, and she consulted the internet about medical employment contracts, only to find the eight things a medical employment contract must have which she focused on exclusively during the negotiations. Her lawyer followed her lead. Within weeks the contract was signed, and she returned her focus to her final year, relieved of the pressures of finding a job.

It was a story thats been replicated thousands of times. Now, barely two years later, she was miserable. What could have happened?

She never scratched the surface. Or asked enough questions.

Most of her complaints were around issues which should have been discussed and/or documented before any contracts were mailed, much less negotiated. For example, she never saw examples of the reports provided to each physician, that outlined patient counts, charges, and revenue; they turned out to be woefully inadequate, and belied some serious issues with the groups billing practices. The practice had policies and procedures, but they only applied to the staff  there were no rules for the doctors. Governance was not in place. She was assured overflow, but as soon as she everyone got very protective of their patient base, and the overflow was far less that what had been promised. Mentoring her in certain procedures was quickly abandoned, and she was left alone to do surgeries where she needed guidance (her surgical times on these cases were excessive as a result, which made the hospital unhappy). When the group decided to start taking call at another facility she was not consulted, creating issues with her family. When the practices payer mix changed, she was given no notice about the financial impact this would have on her collections. And why was it that the patients with badly reimbursing insurance always seemed to appear on her schedule?

This list wasnt even half of the problems she recited. All of them could have been addressed, and many included as terms of her contract.

In short: She had no entrance strategy. And now conditions had become toxic, beyond repair.

The first step a graduate takes post-graduation may be the most important they take outside of their academic career. In this ever-changing health care environment, graduates, most highly sought after, need to take the time to look at both the clinical and business environment they are entering. If necessary, they need to seek guidance to help them navigate these issues (which are woefully under-addressed in medical schools), to make sure they ask the right questions.

Conversely, it would be wise for the hiring group to be proactive in this area as well. Among a myriad of topics, there should be a basic understanding between the parties on these topics:

Practice governance. Most importantly, who does the new physician talk to about problems, needs, expectations, etc. The business model that was assembled for the new physician for the first two years. The practices revenue cycle. Reports the new physician will see that will track his practice performance. His role in marketing his practice and the plan to do so.

At the bare minimum, both parties need to be on the same page on these topics.

As they say, divorce is painful.

As to my clients story, there was a happy ending. We were able to extricate her from her contract, and although she had to relocate her practice 20 miles, shes happily employed now with a group that is attentive to the problems she encountered. On her second go-round, she had a great entrance strategy and things we much different.

Tom Ellis is a health care consultant and can be reached at Ellis and Associates. This article originally appeared in the Dallas Medical Journal.

Image credit: Shutterstock.comRegional

Himachal CM stresses on documentation of last 50 years achievements of Himachal Pradesh

Promotion of adventure sports in Gobind Sagar lake starts

How All India Radio Amritsar is being blocked by ShimlaThere are still "considerable snow drifts" in high areas like North Kilkenny, Graignamanagh and South Kilkenny which Council staff cannot access.

A snowdrift is a bank of deep snow heaped up by the wind.

The local authority say they will continue to review these areas.

The Council has collected additional supplies of salt this morning.

People are asked to conserve water and not to have taps running continuously. Any queries in relation to water disruptions should be directed to Irish Water at 1850 278278.

The Council's contact centre is open and the public are advised to ring with any weather related emergencies at 056 7794145.

Regular updates will be provided throughout the day on all normal news channels, social media, and the Council website, www.kilkennycoco.ieiStock/Thinkstock(JOSHUA TREE, Calif.) -- A California couple was arrested Wednesday after it was discovered their three children were living in squalor.



Authorities initially said that the children had been living inside a box for years, but Capt. Trevis Newport with the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department later told The Los Angeles Times that the victims weren't confined to the space.



"They're homeless," Newport told the Times. "It's a shelter, the shape of a box  nowhere near what it sounded like when it came out."



Deputies made the discovery while conducting an area check in Joshua Tree, according to a press release from the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department.



They found "a travel trailer, which appeared to be abandoned, and a large rectangular box made of plywood on the property," the release reads. "The property had no electricity or running water. Several large holes and mounds of trash and human feces were located throughout the property."



Authorities said 30 to 40 cats were found roaming the property, as well.



While there, deputies encountered three children, ages 11, 13 and 14, according to the release.



"The victims were found to have an inadequate amount of food and were living in an unsuitable and unsafe environment due to the conditions located on the property," the release reads.



Two individuals identified by authorities as the children's parents -- Mona Kirk, 51, and Daniel Panico, 73 -- were taken into custody on suspicion of willful cruelty to a child, according to the release. The children were placed in the care of Children and Family Services.



Kirk and Panico were later charged with three felony counts of child abuse, and the couple was arraigned at Joshua Tree Superior Court on Friday afternoon, according to the district attorney's office. They pleaded not guilty, according to a reporter for local ABC station KABC-TV.



A number of friends and neighbors spoke to reporters at the court, saying the couple are not criminals but rather just homeless. The children built the fort and were proud of it, they said, KABC-TV reported, adding that the children seemed happy.



The parents are being held on $100,000 bail, according to the sheriff's department.



Anyone with information is asked to call San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Morongo Basin Station at 760-366-4175.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Pagani eyes all-electric model

Mar 3, 2018, 2:01am ET

It\'s not ditching the V12, though.

Italian boutique car-maker Pagani wants to go electric. The company revealed one of its future models will come with a massive battery pack in lieu of a large-displacement engine.

Speaking to Argentinian television station elTresTV, company founder and CEO Horacio Pagani explained a team made up of 20 engineers and designers is currently working on the project. The company is starting from scratch; it has never built or sold an electric car before. The CEO's comments suggest it's going at it alone instead of splitting costs with another company.

We could see the electric Pagani in 2025. That's all we know about it because the project is at the embryonic stage of development.

The brand isn't going electric-only, however. Autodato reports it's already planning a successor to the Huayra. It will use a twin-turbocharged V12 engine developed by Mercedes-AMG. The 12-cylinder will comply even with the strictest emissions regulations without requiring hybrid assistance, according to the publication.

While auto-makers are phasing out the manual transmission, Pagani has already planned one for its next-generation car. Autodato explains a majority of owners told Pagani they want a stick.

With that in mind, few will be surprised to hear Pagani isn't looking into integrating autonomous technology into its future models. The company's founder said he considers autonomous cars little more than toys.A Storm Emma Status Red remains in place for Dublin, Kildare, Wexford and Meath while Laois and several other counties are not out of the woods yet and remain under a Status Orange alert.

Met Eireann warns there will be further snow tonight, heaviest & most persistent over eastern & southern counties & the south west. Towards dawn, the snow will turn more to rain along the southeast coast.

Up to 54 cms of snow was recorded as having fallen in Wicklow.

In her weather forecast on RTE tonight forecaster Siobhan Ryan warned that there are fears that the situaition could worsen in Dublin and particularly in the south east.

WATCH FORECAST

Authorities in Laois have warned people that roads remain hazardous and people should not travel. Roads will be hit by hard frost overnight.

While temperatures will rise over the weekend and rain is expected, temperatures are likely to remain low into next week nationwide as the Siberian air lingers over Ireland.

FORECAST below tweet

There'll be further snow tonight, heaviest & most persistent over eastern & southern counties & the south west. Towards dawn, the snow will turn more to rain along the south coast.

Fresh to strong E to NE winds, with some further coastal flooding- this mainly along the east coast pic.twitter.com/uxiuKvWZli  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) March 2, 2018

Friday night

Very cold and icy overnight. There'll be further outbreaks of snow at times, heaviest over eastern and southern areas. Towards dawn, the snow will turn more to rain and sleet along the south coast. Some dry periods overnight too - best over northern and northwestern areas. Lowest temperatures zero to -3 C., coldest inland. Fresh to strong east to northeasterly winds, with some further coastal flooding- this mainly along the east coast.



Tomorrow

Some snow on Saturday morning, mainly over the northern half of the country. But a band of rain and sleet over south Munster, will edge further northwards through the day, but some sleet and snow will continue to affect Ulster in the afternoon. Top temperatures 1 to 3 C., over Ulster, but 4 to 7 C., elsewhere, best along the south coast.

Outlook

Sunday: The cold weather continues through the rest of the weekend with highest temperatures during Sunday only around 2 to 4 degrees. There will be a good deal of dry weather across the south of the country but wintry showers or some showery rain will affect more northern counties. Widespread frost overnight.

Monday: Still cold but with a slight rise in temps to around 4 to 6 degrees. There will be a lot of dry weather through the day, but some occasional showers will still occur. Frost in many places overnight.

Tuesday: Wintry showers will again affect more northern counties but many southern parts will remain dry for a good deal of the day. Remaining cold but temperatures continuing to show some improvement; highs of 3 to 7 degrees.

Thursday / Friday: Cold and frosty with occasional wintry showers; highs of 4 to 7 degrees.County Kildare LEADER Partnership has awarded funding of 31,697.25 to Clane Project Centre CLG for an upgrade of their lighting and heating to new energy efficient systems at the Thompson Enterprise Centre in Clane.

Funding under the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme will go towards the installation of energy efficient heaters and led light fittings at the Enterprise Centre to future proof the building against rising energy costs.

Thompson Enterprise Centre CEO, Ted Murray said: The LEADER funding will help us to make a substantial saving on our energy costs. With these savings, we can continue to offer high quality, competitively priced incubation and business facilities to start-up businesses and encourage entrepreneurship in the north Kildare area.

Kildare Local Community Development Committee approved the funding saying that the Centre had a proven track record of supporting local start up enterprises. Clane Project Centre is a community owned not for profit company limited by guarantee. Built in 1995, the Centre has created over 300 local jobs.

Helen Mulhall, Rural Development Officer with CKLP said that the project is an example of best practice in how community and local enterprises can taking practical steps to address climate change at a local level.

The project is being financed by LEADER as part of Irelands Rural Development Programme which is part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

LEADER aims to foster local development in rural areas, supporting communities in county Kildare for 20 years.Clearing the Naas Hospital compound and transfer of staff there was just one of a number of jobs undertake by Defence Force personnel over the past two days.

The Defence Forces have deployed 400 personnel and 155 vehicles in a range of tasks to support the civil authorities in the past 48 hours.

There are additional personnel working in support of our deployed personnel in our barracks around the country. They are currently working in support of the HSE ambulance services and medical staff transfer to support the operation of health services.

The majority of Defence Forces assets are deployed in the Kildare, Dublin and Cork areas but they have also deployed personnel and vehicles to Kerry, Louth, Westmeath, Longford, Offaly and Donegal. As well as helping with Naas hospital and other medical facilities around the country they have assisted with supporting ESB electricity reconnection in Cork, transfer of essential Met Eireann staff and provision of meals-on-wheels service in Athlone.

Defence Forces operations staff are liaising with our counterparts at National and Regional Emergency Coordination Group level advising on capabilities and resources available during the emergency period.Kildare County Council has issued an appeal for the county's farmers to come out and help them clear roads in the aftermath of Storm Emma.

Eighteen Kildare County Council trucks, 30 tractor powered ploughs a number of JCBs and other machines have been attempting to clear the regional roads and other strategic routes throughout Kildare since first light this morning.

Many roads are still treacherous, according to a Council statement this evening - however salting will commence, where possible, at around 8pm this evening and there will possibly be a further run later in the night, depending on temperatures.

"Kildare County Council also welcomes the assistance of the farming community and other qualified machinery operators in our attempts to re-open impassible routes. Assistance is particularly required in the Rathangan area and throughout North Kildare.

"Defence Forces staff in conjunction with Kildare County Council staff are attempting to clear footpaths and entrances leading to critical services such as the hospitals."

Kildare people are still being asked to conserve water, especially in the Monasterevin area, as reservoirs are under pressure due to unexpected demand. There was a water outage in Celbridge earlier today.





READ ALSO: Kildare couple praise gardai for giving them a dig out to hospital to deliver baby during Storm EmmaThe Courts Service of Ireland has met with representatives of the Office and Public Works and an engineer to discuss the future of Ballinamore's historic courthouse.



The venue was closed by the Courts Service in 2009 after it was declared a health and safety hazard and it has deteriorated significantly since then.



While it had been hoped that works could be carried out on the roof to safeguard the property, more extensive works are now required to stop further deterioration of the structure. These works will effectively leave the buildings as a shell with no interior walls or floors.



In a statement update issued to Cllr Caillian Ellis, the Courts Services said it had committed to restoring the roof of this historic structure and subsequently budgeted and approved works in 2016.



However a closer inspection of the property at the time revealed more immediate and detailed structural work was needed to preserve the masonry and walls of the building, before the roof was worked on.



In this regard we are now in communication with the Office of Public Works (OPW) in relation to them designing a scheme of repair of the roof, and a costing for same. We are hopeful this will come to us in the near future, noted the Courts Service.



In November last year the Courts Service Western Regional Office met with the OPW and a consulting engineer at the Ballinamore Courthouse.



The outcome of the meeting is that the building needs some remedial attention to the roof and the top of the walls to prevent any further deterioration from water ingress, continued the update from the Courts Service.



There will also be work required to the walls inside as part of this maintenance work along with the removal of the floors which are falling apart and constitute major health and safety issues for anyone entering the building. In effect we will be left with a shell of a building with a new roof.



Speaking to the Leitrim Observer this week, Cllr Caillian Ellis welcomed the news noting: at least this is starting to move forward now.



We need to get this building waterproofed and stop further deterioration of the structure, that is very important. It is still a great asset and if we safeguard it now, in the future it can still be used by somebody for a community project or idea.The AGM of Carrick-on-Shannon Education Centre will take place in the Bush Hotel Carrick-on-Shannon on Monday, March 5.

Teachers from all the schools in the Centres catchment area of Longford, Leitrim and Roscommon are invited to attend.



The formal business of the AGM will commence at 7pm and will include the annual reports, chairpersons address and the election of the committee for the coming year. The Management Committee includes primary and post primary teachers and may also include a teacher/lecturer from a third level college, a parents representative, and a representative of early childhood education as well as a retired member of the teaching profession.



Following the conclusion of the formal business of the AGM the guest speaker, Bryan Dobson will address the meeting. The title of Mr. Dobsons presentation will be Schooled, Challenged and Redeemed.



Mr. Dobson is a presenter of the Morning Ireland breakfast news programme on RTE Radio One, Ireland's most listened to radio programme.



Previously he presented the RTE Six-One News on RTE television.



He joined RTE in 1987 from BBC Radio Ulster in Belfast. He was RTE's Business Correspondent before moving to news anchoring. He has covered home and foreign stories for RTE News over almost three decades including general elections, the Good Friday Agreement, State visits, the economic crash, US Presidential Elections, two Papal conclaves and the Brexit referendum.



The session at which Mr. Dobson will be speaking will take place at 8pm and is open to the media and to those interested in education. To register for this event please log onto www.carrickedcentre.ieFairtrade Fortnight 2018 is running until 11th March with special events taking place in Co Leitrim.

Carrick-on-Shannon is a Fairtrade Town since 2011.

The Carrick-on Shannon-Fairtrade Steering Group will be hosting awareness events in the town to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight. On Thursday 8th March, 2018, Fairtrade Supporters are invited to assemble at Kellys Shop at 11.00am and will parade through the town to the Market Yard.

This year, the Committee is pleased to welcome Roberto Arturo Lopez, Sustainability Programme Manager with COAGRICSAL.

Roberto Arturo Lopez was born and raised in Honduras by a single mother. Since early childhood, he was taught the ways of coffee farming from both his mother and grandfather who worked on small coffee farms.

Now Roberto is employed by COAGRICSAL as Sustainability Program Manager, having worked his from way up from Certification Program Officer and Production Manager. Currently, Roberto is working to improve the quality of life of the members of the cooperative and involving the women and young members in management and technological development to drive better farming and reduce contamination.

Roberto works on spreading the importance of Fairtrade and the benefits of being certified, as well the positive impact that it has on development in Honduras. As Certification Programme Manager, Roberto created farmer profiles to gather information from each member of the co-op and to record the work the Fairtrade premium helped them achieve. He also works to ensure the education, health and economic development of the co-op members.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the work is visiting not just the farms, but the families working there; to listen to their dreams and goals, and share a moment with the children listening to them talk about who they want to be when they grow up said Roberto Arturo Lopez.

Roberto, together with representatives from Fairtrade Ireland will be speaking at the event in the Market Yard on Thursday, 8th March and all are welcome to attend and hear how supporting Fairtrade can make a huge difference to the lives of others in less well off places in the world.

Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and based on a partnership between some of the most disadvantaged farmers and workers in the developing world and the people who buy their products. When farmers and workers can sell on Fairtrade terms, it provides them with a better opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future.



THE director of a Limerick choir, who just this week paid over fees owed to the organisers of an international event in Prague, accused them of using a gestapo approach to retrieving monies.

Organisers of the choral festival in the Czech Republic had to wait three months to receive the full participation fee payment from the director of Unity Gospel Choir Limerick, Gretta OShea.

The choir paid a deposit of 1,602 for the trip in late November, with another 1,602 due to be paid upon arrival. Ms OShea said that she attempted to pay the remaining half via an online transfer but did not send the transfer properly or hit the wrong button, so the balance was outstanding after the choir returned to Limerick.

The balance was paid this week, according to Ms OShea, who apologised for the misunderstanding.

The choir director admitted that there were heated email exchanges between herself and the Prague-based organiser, and that she said lots of things I should not have.

The Prague Advent Choral Meeting organisers had been in private contact with Ms OShea since the event, but she stopped responding to emails after some exchanges in which she promised to pay the fee.

In January, the Prague group took to Facebook, publicly calling on the Unity choir to pay the fee that they were owed. They also attempted to make contact with Ms OShea and her teenage children on Facebook.

In correspondence seen by the Limerick Leader, the choir master wrote to Stanislav Terlica of the Prague Choral Meeting, accusing him of stalking her and her family.

I am so shocked at your bullying mafia creepy behaviour, she wrote, adding that he was using a Gestapo approach to getting the money.

Mr Terlica told the Limerick Leader that Ms OShea initially alleged that she made a mistake in the transfer, and that the bank was investigating where her money went and would then return the funds to her account.

When asked if she could send us the bank confirmation, she said we use Gestapo methods and are mafia. Suddenly her behaviour changed and she started calling us bad names, said Mr Terlica.

She wrote us a lot of very angry emails instead of paying the debt. We tried to contact her and her two adult children on Facebook, and she blocked us immediately - her son sent us a very mean message. Then she started telling us that we have harassed her children - everybody is so shocked - this is something so awful, said Mr Terlica.

Ms OShea threatened to contact the countrys police and did in fact contact the Mayor of Prague.

We promised never to contact her if she pays. We set February 10 as deadline - nothing arrived. Then she said she would pay in 3 parts to make sure we do not steal the money - why would we steal our own money? - and called us liars again, said Mr Terlica.

Ms OShea wrote to Mr Terlica towards the end of the debacle: Money will be paid. When I am ready and when somebody from your association sends a letter apology for all the abusive texts and emails not just to me but to my children When I feel that it is all resolved to my liking - you will be paid but not until then.

The Prague event organiser said: We decided to publish the 3 months history of the debt on the festival Facebook page so that some other people would notice it, and maybe could help us. We have also contacted the Mayor of Limerick asking for help.

Ms OShea told the Limerick Leader: This was all my fault and my choir and all the wonderful people in my choir, have suffered because of me. I made a mistake, I let them down and I am truly heartbroken. I am so sorry to have caused my lovely husband and children, my friends and my beautiful choir family any distress at all. It was not my intention and I apologise from the bottom of my heart.

The director denied misappropriating funds after allegations circulated on social media.

There are people claiming that I have misappropriated funds from the choir and would have you believe terrible things about me. These are people who have wanted to discredit me for years, saying I used money inappropriately. We had two fundraisers before we went to Prague and any monies raised went into the trip. I have receipts for every penny which has ever been spent in the five years we are in existence, she said.

I would like to ask that people who support us to believe me when I say, there is no misappropriation of funds. And to the great people of Limerick who gave us sponsorships and who have supported us from the start, nothing underhanded was done by me or anyone else, she added.IN 2016, County Limerick was allocated over 9m in the new round of Leader programme funding which will run until 2020.

To date, not a cent has been paid out in the county, Deptuy Niall Collins has revealed. The Leader programme to support rural development is administered by two local groups  Ballyhoura and West Limerick Resources.

Deputy Collins said the fact that zero has been paid out in County Limerick is a shocking statistic.

Community projects across the country are losing out as a result of delays in the roll out of the scheme, said Deputy Collins, who hit out at all the red tape, bureaucracy and administration involved in the process.

We were against the changes to Leader which made the process extremely cumbersome. This has only served to delay monies being given out and frustrate deserving community projects, said Deputy Collins.

Ballyhoura chairman, Aidan Gleeson said there is no fear of the 9,276,593 not being spent in County Limerick but says it is very slow and red tape-heavy.

There is a different system there now. There was an awful lot of change to the old Leader. The old way was you applied for funding, that was assessed and you got the go-ahead to spend the money. When the money was spent the grant was transferred to you when you proved everything.

The new system, which came in under Putting People First, changed the whole system. Everyone applies, then you have to go through I think it is 13 different steps in the application process. Then when all those projects have gone through all those steps, then they were assessed in a bunch in a closed call, said Mr Gleeson, who explains that a closed call is when there is a closing date.

Everyone applied at the same time, they're assessed against one another and ranked from the most suitable to the least suitable. So thats where all the steps in the process come, said Mr Gleeson, who adds that that process has been completed.

The West Limerick Resources projects were approved at the February meeting of the Council and the Ballyhoura projects are being put forward for approval at the March meeting, he said.

Mr Gleeson said Deputy Collins is right, you have to jump through all the hoops ahead of time.

You can see the frustration there. The delays are not helpful for the promoters and the communities. They are ready to go and they are waiting and waiting. That is the system that was designed and that is the system we are working in. We have to do our best to get as many people approved and get the money spent as soon as possible, he concluded.MORE than one in five householders and businesses in Limerick are still waiting to get their high-speed broadband connection.

And it is now likely that it will be September at the earliest before they discover when high-speed broadband will come their way and who will provide it.

These 21,810 householders and businesses are located in rural Limerick, most of which is designated an amber area on the National Broadband Plan map.

An amber area is where the government plans to subvent broadband provision because it is not commercially viable for private companies to do so.

There are an estimated 540,000 households and businesses in amber areas nationally.

The government sought tenders for this work but it has now emerged that only one company remains in the tender process following the announcement by Eir that they have withdrawn.

However, according to a presentation made to the Join Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment last week, the process can continue with just one bidder - Limerick-based company enet.

The Minister for Commuications, Denis Naughten has said his department will continue to engage intensively with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the earliest possible achievement of the Government's objective of providing reliable high quality, high speed broadband to all premises in Ireland.

When the procurement process reaches a satisfactory conclusion for Government, a contract will be awarded and the network rollout will commence, he said.

Meanwhile, however, a further 10,000 postal addresses in Limerick are part of a separate programme by Eir which has contracted to roll out broadband to 300,000 postal addresses nationwide by the end of this year.

Since that roll-out began in late 2016, some 120,567 premises nationally have received broadband buy the roll-out was slowed down as a result of Ophelia in the last quarter of 2017. However, some of these customers and potential customers are concerned that the high-speeds promised may not be delivered in reality.

According to Eoghan Ryan in Glin, where households have been or are being connected by Eir, the actual speeds provided are not sufficiently high for business purposes.

When Mr Ryan aired some of his concerns, he was told by Eir that the company was indeed offering speeds of up to 100mb in Glin. But according to Mr Ryan, a survey carried out locally showed that most people were only reaching speeds of up to 30mb.

This, he said, is more than adequate if you want to watch Peppa Pig. But it is not adequate for business purposes. He also claimed that if one were to click into any specific telephone number, the Eir offer is for speeds of up to 30mb only.

What he finds extraordinary is that a high-speed fibre-optic cable runs through Glin. It was laid from Limerick to Listowel 17 or 18 years ago, he said, yet people in Glin havent been able to avail of it.

However, communications specialist with Eir, Aoife Casey told the Limerick Leader: In Glin, there are 400 premises that can access speeds of up to 100Mb/s today. In addition to these 400 premises, there are a further 150 premises who will receive high speed broadband as part of this programme.

According to the official figures, some 65,000 homes and businesses in Limerick are receiving high-speed broadband, out of a total of 97,222 postal addresses.

However, in a presentation made to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Change and Environment a fortnight ago, TDs and Senators were told that some of the towns and cities in the dark blue areas are experiencing some difficulty in accessing high speed broadband.THE outgoing president of the Limerick Chamber has warned that if the city doesnt link with Galway and Cork, Ireland 2040 could be a missed opportunity.

President Ken Johnson was speaking this week after the business groups chief executive Dr James Ring criticised the plans impact on Limerick, saying its contents show that we are experiencing life after Michael Noonan at the Cabinet table.

Mr Johnson, who will shortly hand over the chain of office to University of Limerick vice-president, research, Dr Mary Shire, urged Chamber groups in other cities to work with their counterparts here to build the west.

Balanced regional development is critically important for our countrys future success. Project Ireland 2040 recognises the importance of building stronger regions with Galway, Cork and Limerick at the core of this growth. But if we fail to seize this chance to facilitate these cities and regions working together in a coordinated manner that can optimise the impact of balanced regional development, Project Ireland 2040 will become a missed opportunity.

Mr Johnson said he feels Limerick is in a new phase of growth and progress.

This success has been delivered through a combination of both government support and importantly through local collaboration by our key stakeholders, such as our local authority, UL, LIT, Mary Immaculate College, the Shannon Group, industry and the chamber over the last number of years, he said.

Mr Johnson said while it is natural people in Limerick might have sought more in Project Ireland 2040, he urged people to focus on what has been committed for the county in the capital plan.

These include that 900m is committed to the M20; the N69 Limerick  Adare - Foynes upgrade; the Coonagh to Knockalisheen phase of the Northern Distributor Road; and the New Maternity Hospital which are all listed for funding in the plan. These will have a very positive impact on our city and region, he said.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkars visit to Limerick has been cancelled in light of the likelihood of extreme weather this Friday. He was expected to speak on Project Ireland 2040 at UCH, alongside members of his cabinet.A GARDA sergeant was found not guilty of assaulting a prisoner at a Limerick garda station after a judge said she was not satisfied the case had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sergeant Dermot Keating, aged 41, who is attached to Henry Street garda station was prosecuted in relation to an incident on April 17, 2016.

Limerick District Court was told a GSOC investigation was launched after Gearoid Breen complained he had been beaten by several gardai while in custody following his arrest in relation to theft matters.

Judge Fiona Lydon was told the 23-year-old who has an address at Lissycasey, County Clare was violent and aggressive when arrested and had to be put to the ground before he was placed in the patrol car and brought to the garda station.

During a two-day hearing he claimed he had been choked while in the custody area and beaten black and blue.

In his evidence, Sgt Keating, who has been on the force for more than 17 years, insisted he did nothing wrong.

He confirmed there was a physical altercation shortly after 5pm when he entered Mr Breens cell to check on him after he complained he was having a panic attack.

He described how Mr Breen then lunged forward and grabbed his shirt. They grappled and both men ended up moving from the cell across the corridor to another cell.

A colleague intervened and struck Mr Breen with his asp baton to calm him down.

A further incident occurred around 30 minutes later when Sgt Keating went to the cell to inform Mr Breen his solicitor was on the phone.

He told David McHugh BL, instructed by solicitor Sarah Ryan, that Mr Breen jumped onto one of the beds, clenched his fists, flexed his muscles and adopted an aggressive stance.

Sgt Keating said he struck him across the legs with his baton a number of times but insisted his actions had been appropriate and justified.

My fear was there was a real risk and a likelihood there was going to be a further assault and violence perpetrated on me, he said.

Having considered the matter including written legal submissions, Judge Lydon said Sgt Keatings evidence had been consistent throughout.

She dismissed the charge.A VACANT multi-storey Georgian building will have one of the most ambitious restorations in its 193 years in Limerick city centre.

At 68 OConnell Street, four storeys and a basement will be completely revamped and transformed into major commercial spaces and a generous-sized apartment on the top floor.

The ODonnell Family Partnership sought planning permission for the major project on September 15, 2017 and permission was granted on January 24.

David H Leahy Architects is the architect leading the design of the new project.

On the rear of the site, with access to Dalys Lane, a separate two-storey mews will be constructed. This site will be a commercial building, and will include a recording studio.

An open courtyard will link the old and new buildings which when we put a delicate glass roof over this space turns it into a wonderful light-filled atrium, Mr Leahy said.

He said that the atrium has been the jewel in the crown of the whole schemes design.

The protected structure, whose original Georgian features remain fully intact, will join the new building through the atrium via a delicate glass footbridge.

The beauty in what were proposing is that the new structures are very respectful of their older partner and are purposefully positioned in a subordinate manner, thus sited well back from the old building leaving it plenty of room to breathe.

Mr Leahy told the Leader that they had several meetings with Limerick City and County Council officials, including the senior architect to discuss the Living City Initiative.

In an appraisal of the proposed design, Mr Leahy said: I believe this proposed scheme design is a very good example of how we can continue to enjoy and preserve these wonderful old buildings and yet at the same time still provide fun, new and creative places in which we wish to live and work. I know both the occupants of this building and its many visitors will also enjoy our proposed new living and working experience.

And welcoming the councils green light for the project, he said the true intent of our proposals being to breathe new life into this older building.

We see this unique development as being a significant addition to all of the other amazing projects being planned for Limerick.

This scheme design will serve as an enhancement to the city, helping to bring life back into its central core, a true way forward for all of our continued efforts in making Limerick a wonderful, exciting and vibrant living city.A LIMERICK woman who is battling multiple sclerosis (MS) is attempting to raise 70,000 for treatment to halt the aggressive condition.

Friends of Corballys Sarah McInerney have set up a campaign, Save our Sarah, in a bid to raise the money so the mother-of-one can travel to Russia for chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant to eliminate the condition.

Sarah, 40, whose family are well-known in the Corbally area, is already in constant pain and may eventually suffer further brain damage and be left in a wheelchair if the condition is not stopped in its tracks.

She already has 13 lesions on her brain, and further lesions on her lower spine could confine her to a wheelchair.

To this end, shes hoping to travel to Moscow for a procedure known as haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

In the early stages, this transplant can in some cases, halt the effects of MS.

Sarah said: Im trying to prevent further brain and spine damage and I want to get back some quality of life. Most of my time is spent in bed now.

She was hoping to have the transplant in London, but she does not meet one of the criteria for having this treatment there as part of the HSE treatment abroad scheme.

I have an A4 length list of symptoms at this stage, she explained.

I cannot walk for longer than short strolls, have constant pain, and Im bed-bound when the degenerative tissue disease flares up.

I dont want any further brain and spinal damage, and I want to get back some quality of life.

It was Sarahs daughter Eva, 15, a third year student in Villiers School in the North Circular Road, who persuaded her mother to make people aware of the condition, to raise money and awareness.

I could not be prouder of her. She was in the middle of her pre-Junior Certificate exams when she had the brainwave, Sarah said..

More than 6,000 has already been raised towards her bid for treatment in Russia, with a number of fundraising events in the pipeline.

The next of these will be a table quiz and auction next Thursday, March 8, at Shannon Rowing Club.

The committee says its the start of a vigorous campaign to get to 70,000.

Sarah, daughter of Ger and Theresa, admitted she is deeply moved by peoples generosity so far.

For more information on Save our Sarah, call Jody at 086-1685785, or visit www.gofundme.com/Help-my-Sarah-mom-fight-MSA group of friends in Limerick have been hailed as heroes after rescuing a dog from drowning in the freezing cold River Shannon on Friday night.

Colan Eardley, a student at Limerick Institute of Technology, and his friend Sean Curtin were out enjoying the snow in the city centre when they noticed an alsatian getting into difficulty in the river.

Myself and a few friends were just out in Arthurs Quay Park having a snowball fight because, you know we dont get snow often, just to enjoy it while we can, Mr Eardley said.

Towards the end of the evening, there was an alsatian running around, but there was groups of people around the park so we thought it might have been one of theirs.

All of a sudden then as we were leaving, the dog was in the river swimming around, struggling to find a way to get back out. It couldnt so myself and Sean and a Polish lad, I believe his name is Maciek, went over to pull him out.

The group reacted quickly to the situation, quickly climbing down to the area by Arthurs Quay Park where boats are moored.

We climbed down to where the boats are left in and out so we were slightly lower and closer to the river. Maciek was able to grab the dog by the scruff of its neck and I reached down and grabbed him by his front legs and the three of us were able to pull him up from the river. We immediately started cuddling into him once he was out, because he was literally shaking with the cold.

We had to think quickly given the situation. To us, we didnt do much.

Limerick Animal Welfare volunteer Anna then assisted the friends with warming up the dog and transferring him to the vet.

The dog is in the vet now, its been fed, its warm, had a load of injections and its healthy anyway. Hes being brought out to the shelter on Monday.

Im just glad me and the other two boys were there, and thank you to Limerick Animal Welfare for their quick response and the great work they do. They dont get enough recognition for what they do.

Marie Quirke of Limerick Animal Welfare said the rescued dog is recovering well in John ODwyers vets but is slightly nervous after the incident.

He had been seen straying for a while around Limerick but nobody was able to catch him. It was lucky the boys were where they were.

The dog does not have a microchip, she added.

There should be no problem rehoming him.

LAW is currently experiencing an extremely busy period due to the weather, she added.

If there are any volunteers who might be able to help, with feeding horses around the city, please give us a call, she said.

Or to donate. Theres several ways to do so, you can even donate from your phone.

Donations can be made to LAW through its website www.limerickanimalwelfare.ie



Operatives from the Homicide Unit of the Edo State Police Command are battling hard to unravel how three boys who are first children of their respective parents died after attending a birthday party in Benin, Edo State.

The names of the dead cousins were given as Micheal Osula, Igie Edosomwan and Kelvin Idemudia. Already, there is confusion in the area over the mysterious and questionable manner of the deaths.

According to a report by NewTelegraph, the three brothers were said to have died on Sunday last week after the birthday ceremony held at Ogida quarters in Egor Local Government Area. Sources close to them said after they were confirmed dead moments they were rushed to a nearby hospital after complaining of not feeling well. Mother of one the deceased, Mrs. Comfort Edosomwan, had wailed profusely over the Sussens demise of her son.

Edosomwan, who disclosed that her son was about to eat in the house when unidentified friend of his called him to join him to the birthday party, alleged money ritual in the ugly and dramatic incident. She also appealed to the police to thoroughly investigate the matter, adding that one of the suspects arrested in connection to the deaths had recently returned from Ghana. The states Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, when contacted, said some suspects were being interrogated over the deaths.An infrared image of the male mummy known as Gebelein Man A. Notice the tattoos on his right arm.

An archaeologist who followed a hunch has discovered the oldest figural tattoos in the world on the bodies of two 5,000-year-old mummies from Egypt.

Infrared images of the mummies revealed tattoos of a wild bull (Bos primigenius) and a Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) on the upper arm of a mummy nicknamed "Gebelein Man A." The other mummy, a female known as "Gebelein Woman," has linear and S-shaped tattoos on her upper arm and shoulder  markings that are the oldest tattoos ever found on a woman, the archaeologists said.

"Although we tend to think that prehistory (the time before writing) was primitive and rather plain, it is clear this was a sophisticated time and the people must have looked amazing," lead study researcher Renee Friedman, the director of the Hierakonpolis Expedition, led by the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, in the United Kingdom, told Live Science in an email. [25 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries]

Friedman's hunch came about after she and her colleagues discovered a Nubian cemetery at Hierakopolis in Upper Egypt dating to the early Middle Kingdom, or about 2000 B.C. The archaeologists found that three ancient women buried in the cemetery had extensive tattoos, especially on their abdomens. One woman's tattoos were visible to the naked eye, and the tattoos of the other two were revealed with infrared photography.

Infrared images of the Gebelein Woman (left), including her S-shaped tattoos (top right) and linear tattoo (bottom right). (Image credit: Copyright Trustees of the British Museum)

"This was a revelation because we really couldn't see the tattoos on these other two women without the [infrared] camera," Friedman said. "This gave me the idea that many more tattoos might be undetected and the tradition may go much further back than the Middle Kingdom."

At the time, Friedman was a research curator in the predynastic collection at the British Museum, so she "decided to try [her] camera on the well-preserved Predynastic mummies there" that had good skin preservation and weren't hidden in mummy wrappings, she said. She analyzed seven mummies and found tattoos on two of them  the naturally mummified Gebelein Man A and Gebelein Woman, which date to about 3351 B.C. to 3017 B.C.

"The discovery pushes back tattooing in Africa by over 1,000 years," Friedman said.

Black tattoos

Both mummies are from Egypt's predynastic period, before the country was unified under the first pharaoh in about 3100 B.C. Archaeologists unearthed Gebelein Man A about 100 years ago, and he has been on display almost continuously since then, the researchers said. When Gebelein Man A was young, between 18 and 21 years old, he died from a stab wound in his back, according to previous computed tomography (CT) scans, the researchers said.

The new infrared image analysis shows that black smudges on his arms are actually the tattoos of two overlapped horned animals  likely a wild bull with elaborate horns and a long tail, and a Barbary sheep with curving horns and humped shoulders, the researchers said. The tattoos aren't superficial, either  whoever made them applied a carbon-based pigment (likely soot) to the deep, dermis layer of the skin.

It's not clear what these tattoos meant, but perhaps they were symbols of strength or even marks of successful hunts, Friedman said. Or, maybe they were protective images, she said.

In contrast, Gebelein Woman's tattoos didn't show animals, but rather a series of four small S-shapes running over her right shoulder. Below these markings is a linear motif similar to ceremonial objects that are held by figures painted on ceramics from that period, Friedman said. Perhaps this line represents a crooked staff, a symbol of power and status, or a throw-stick or baton used in a ritual dance, the researchers said. [In Photos: Egypt's Oldest Mummy Wrappings]

A ritual scene painted on a Predynastic pottery jar. Notice the S-shaped lines (that looks like Zs) and the curved, linear object held by the man. (Image credit: Copyright Trustees of the British Museum)

It would have been easy to see the woman's tattoos when she was still alive, and they might have conveyed her status, bravery or perhaps magical knowledge, the researchers said.

Both mummies are roughly contemporaries of the 5,300-year-old Otzi, the iceman mummy found in the Italian Alps in 1991. Otzi has 61 geometric tattoos on his body, Live Science reported in 2015. Some researchers have hypothesized that Otzi's tattoos had medicinal purposes, as they were placed by known acupuncture points. However, "Unlike Otzi, there is no indication that [the Egyptian tattoos] had a medical reason," Friedman said.

Tattoo kit

Researchers have also discovered an ancient tool kit dating to the same period as Gebelein Man A and Gebelein Woman. The kit, discovered in a Predynastic grave, was buried with an older woman between the ages of 40 and 50 years old, Friedman said.

The kit included a bird-shaped palette likely used for grinding cosmetic ores, such as ochre, with rounded pebbles, all of which were found in a basket, Friedman wrote in "Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing" (University of Washington Press, 2017). The basket also contained bone awls, which could have been used for tattooing, she said.

This toolkit, found buried with a woman from ancient Egypt, contains instruments that may have been used for tattooing people. (Image credit: Copyright Renee Friedman, Courtesy of the Hierakonpolis Expedition)

"The presence of such awls as part of a kit including pigments, resins, amulets and incense in the grave of an older woman at Hierakonpolis suggests that tattooing was in the hands of specialists and accompanied various rituals and ceremonies," the researchers wrote in the new study.

The findings were published online March 1 in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Originally published on Live Science.The Gateway City will be a little more "bad" next month.

Puerto Rican reggaeton star Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known by his stage name Bad Bunny, announced he will be visiting Laredo in March as a part of his La Nueva Religion Tour.Editor's note: Todd Talaski of District 3 reached out to the Tribune over the weekend to confirm he also is running for re-election. This brings the total to five who say they want to serve additional terms on the Huron County Board of Commissioners.

BAD AXE  With less than two months left before the filing deadline, at least one Huron County commissioner will not seek reelection.

Commissioner David G. Peruski is not running again, and Commissioner John A. Nugent is undecided.

Commissioner John L. Bodis, Board Chairman Sami Khoury, Commissioner Steve Vaughan and Commissioner Ron Wruble told the Tribune this week that they will run again.

Commissioner Todd Talaksi could not be reached for comment on whether he is seeking a second term.

No one had filed to run with the Huron County Clerks office as of Friday.

Peruski did not give a reason for not seeking reelection. He has been on the board since August of 2006.

Bodis will seek a fifth two-year term on the board.

Id like to see things through a little further, he said. There are different things that I want to stay involved in.

That includes the process of choosing a new medical director.

"Throughout the state and nationally, there's going to be some big changes coming to the medical examiner and medical examiner investigator," Bodis said.

Officials want to standardize how medical examiners process and examine bodies and want them to be licensed and certified.

Khoury said the reason he is seeking election to his third term is because he enjoys his time on the board.

Vaughan is seeking his fourth nonconsecutive term.

I want to keep improving the quality of health for the people of Huron county, Vaughan said. My main focus on the senior community, to make sure they have a good quality of life.

Wruble will seek his ninth term. Retirement health care and retirement costs will be his priority.

Id like to see us, in a few years down the road, get legacy costs covered, Wruble said.

He noted the county has made progress recently in setting funds aside for legacy costs.

I want to maintain that and make sure when I retire that the countys on really solid financial ground, Wruble added.

Nugent will complete his fourth term this year.

I havent made up my mind, he said. "Its a tough call. Ive been doing it so many years  I dont know if Ive got two more years in me.

The District 1 seat is held by Khoury. He represents Brookfield, Fairhaven and Sebewaing townships.

Peruski holds the District 2 seat, which is consists of Bingham, Grant, Paris, Sheridan and Sherman townships.

Talaski represents District 3, which consists of Caseville, McKinley and Winsor townships and the City of Caseville.

The District 4 seat belongs to Vaughan, who represents Chandler, Colfax, Meade and Oliver townships.

The District 5 seat is held by Bodis, who represents Sigel and Verona townships and the City of Bad Axe.

Wruble represents District 6, composed of Bloomfield, Gore, Huron, Rubicon, Sand Beach townships and the City of Harbor Beach.

Nugent represents District 7, which consists of Dwight, Hume, Lake Lincoln, Pointe aux Barques and Port Austin townships.

The filing deadline to run for county commissioner is 4 p.m. April 24.Washington

The Trump administration is looking for ways to deal with its recurring frustration: individual federal judges who have put the brakes on one major administration policy after another.

The administration is telling the Supreme Court in a case about President Donald Trump's travel ban that judges are increasingly using what are called nationwide injunctions to stop "a federal policy everywhere." The Justice Department says the high court should "reject the deeply misguided practice," which has also been used against the administration's crackdown on "sanctuary cities," Trump's announced ban on transgender military service members and, most recently, the effort to end legal protections for young immigrants.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has become the administration's leading critic of the injunctions. Sessions said Tuesday they have been used 20 times in Trump's first year in office, "as many as President Obama had in eight years." But Sessions didn't object to the practice in his prior life as a senator from Alabama. He had praised a single judge from Texas who put a nationwide block on an Obama immigration policy. The more common practice is for a judge to issue an order that gives only the people who sued what they want.

Legal scholars have attributed the rise of these broad judicial orders to a corresponding increase in executive action. In 2014, Obama acted to protect immigrant parents of U.S. children after Congress failed to pass an immigration overhaul. Similarly, Trump unilaterally sought to impose travel restrictions on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries a week after taking office.

The issue has a decidedly partisan tinge. During the Obama years, Republican officials and conservative interests sought out seemingly friendly judges, often in Texas, to challenge administration actions. Since Trump has been president, Democrats and liberal interests have filed lawsuits in places where they think federal judges will be receptive, like California, Hawaii and Washington.

"It does run the risk of politicizing the judiciary," said Amanda Frost, a law professor at American University, who has nonetheless defended the practice. "In an executive branch that often engages in unilateral, sweeping actions that are often implemented without notice, it's vital to have a check on its authority."

The travel ban is one such example, Frost said. "It wouldn't have been helpful to do it one court at a time."

But Sessions has taken a dim view of the judges who ruled against the administration over the travel ban. Speaking of that matter, Sessions said this week that "one judge blocked the entire federal government from carrying out its lawful duty." Last year, he referred to a federal judge in Hawaii who prevented the enforcement of the travel restrictions as a "judge sitting on an island in the Pacific."

Trump himself reacted to an early court ruling against the travel policy by tweeting his criticism of the "so-called judge" who issued it.

Some legal scholars said the administration is on firm ground in complaining about judicial overreach. "The judge doesn't have authority to do that," said Samuel Bray, a UCLA law professor who is moving to the Notre Dame Law School. "Judges decide cases. The cases are brought by parties and the judges are supposed to give remedies to those parties."

The limits on a judge's power remain even in the face of an obviously unconstitutional policy, Bray said.

"There's not an immediate solution to everything," he said, "but our system is set up for deciding one case at a time."

Cases typically reach the Supreme Court after lower courts disagree about an important issue and the justices step in to set a uniform nationwide legal rule.

The orders judges have been issuing that apply everywhere have the effect of short-circuiting the legal process, forcing the high court to step in sometimes before the issues are fleshed out.

The travel ban case is the first time the administration has raised the injunction issue at the Supreme Court, but it's no sure thing that the justices will address it when they rule. They would first have to find that Trump overstepped federal immigration law or violated the Constitution when he imposed the travel restrictions. Only then would the appropriate remedy be at issue.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said at a hearing in November that he raised the issue with Chief Justice John Roberts and other judges. "There may be some hope they'll do something," Goodlatte said.

He and other Republican lawmakers have complained about the use of the injunctions, but so far have not proposed legislation to curb them.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., cautioned his colleagues about acting rashly. "When power changes hands and the roles are reversed, those who once decried the use of nationwide injunctions will suddenly see the virtues of such a remedy," Nadler said.Luciano Menendez, a former Argentine general convicted of his role in the killings and forced disappearances of political adversaries under the military junta that ruled from 1976 to 1983, died Feb. 27 in a military hospital in the city of Cordoba. He was 90.

Argentine media reported the death and said he had been hospitalized for coronary and biliary conditions.

Menendez, who was born into a military family, was one of the most bloodthirsty leaders of a violent dictatorship. Government death squads and paramilitary forces did their utmost best to eradicate armed leftist groups as well as political rivals and others they came to suspect of being dissidents, including artists, authors, academics, social workers, labor unionists and journalists.

Under the junta, between 13,000 and 30,000 people "disappeared," and were tortured and killed, according to human rights groups. Victims were buried in mass graves or drugged, then thrown out of airplanes over large bodies of water. Another tactic was the kidnapping of children of suspected radicals; the prisoners were killed and the babies were handed over to childless military families. An estimated 500 children of the disappeared were born in detention.

During this period, which came to be known as the "dirty war," Menendez was the head of the Third Army Corps, commanding 10 Argentine provinces and overseeing the largest detention center, La Perla, in Cordoba, which one witness called "a factory of death."

Menendez presented himself as a Cold Warrior who saw himself as a bulwark against communism, at all costs. "We are going to have to kill 50,000 people: 25,000 subversives, 20,000 sympathizers, and we will make 5,000 mistakes," he was widely quoted as telling his men.

At La Perla, all officers participated in torturing and executing prisoners as part of a "blood pact," sharing responsibility for the actions, said Marguerite Feitlowitz, who has interviewed former prisoners and is the author of the book "A Lexicon of Terror: Argentina and the Legacies of Torture."

"They all have to participate in these acts: kidnapping, torture assassination, murder," Feitlowitz said. "This becomes like shared blood among them."

Menendez laughed during torture sessions, earning the nickname the "Hyena," according to the Agence France-Presse. He later defended his brutal actions as necessary measures to prevent leftist guerrillas from obtaining power. "These were not peaceful citizens," he said in 2010, according to The Associated Press.

In 2016, Menendez was convicted of 52 homicides, 260 kidnappings, 656 torture cases and 82 disappearances of people who were never found, the AFP reported at the time. At his trial, he said there was "never repression of any kind" at La Perla. "These criminals accuse the armed forces and go to the courts saying they're victims."

Over the last two decades, since Argentina's high court cleared the way, Menendez and higher-ranking leaders including Jorge Rafael Videla, an army commander who was president from 1976 to 1981, faced convictions for the crimes committed under the junta.

Menendez was given 14 prison terms and 12 life sentences, more than other any other military leader of the dictatorship, according to the Spanish-language news agency EFE.

Luciano Benjamin Menendez was born June 19, 1927, in San Martin, a suburb of Buenos Aires. He was a nephew of Gen. Benjamin Menendez, who tried unsuccessfully to overthrow President Juan Domingo Peron in 1951, and a cousin of Gen. Mario Menendez, who became the military governor of the Falkland Islands while Argentina briefly occupied the archipelago in 1982.

His wife, Edith Angelica Abarca, died in 2012. A complete list of survivors was not immediately available.

Amid increased international attention to human rights violations in Argentina, many leaders attempted to pay at least lip service to toning down extrajudicial killings. Menendez was the exception.

He accused Roberto Viola, commander in chief of the army, of "inadmissible tolerance" toward "Marxist subversion" and led a brief and failed insurrection to oust him in 1979, The Washington Post reported in 1979. As a result, Menendez was imprisoned for 90 days and forced into retirement.

After the Falklands debacle, the regime crumbled, and Argentina returned to democracy. Over the next years, he was called to testify about his involvement in human rights crimes. At one hearing in 1984, he was seen being restrained by aides after he drew his parachutist's knife in response to protesters taunting him; he claimed that he was protecting his wife and daughter against "another attack on the armed forces" by leftist sympathizers. A photo of the incident came to be seen as emblematic of his brutish temperament.

In a controversial move, President Carlos Menem in 1990 pardoned military leaders, including Menendez, as well as left-wing guerrilla leaders in what he called a gesture of national healing. In 2005, Argentina's supreme court struck down those amnesty laws under left-leaning, populist president Nestor Kirchner. Menendez was also stripped of his military rank.

Three years later, Menendez was given the first of his life sentences. He defended himself in court.

"Argentina flaunts the dubious merit of being the first country in history to judge its victorious soldiers," he said. "They call the operations of the armed forces illegal repression."EDWARDSVILLE  The Madison County Clerks Office is gearing up for off-site early voting as the March 20 primary election draws closer.

As of Friday morning, County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza reported 374 ballots cast at the County Clerks Office, and approximately 340 mail-in ballots received.

Beginning Monday, early voting will expand to numerous satellite locations. Ming-Mendoza said workers were getting those sites ready and everything was in good shape for the continuation of early voting. Sites include:

 Scott Bibb Center (multipurpose room), 1004 E. Fifth St., Alton; County Administration Building, 157 N. Main St., Edwardsville; and Granite City Township Building, 2060 Delmar Ave., Granite City, from 8:30-4 p.m. March 5-9, 9 a.m. to noon March 10, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 11 and 18, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 12-16 and 19, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 17.

 Bethalto Village Hall, 213 N. Prairie St., Bethalto, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16.

 Collinsville Township Senior Center, 420 E. Main St., Collinsville, from noon-6 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 10 and 17.

 Godfrey Village Hall, 6810 Godfrey Road, Godfrey, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16.

 Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library, 1001 9th St., Highland, from noon-6 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 10 and 17.

 Venice Township Hall, 910 Madison Avenue, Madison, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16; and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 10 and 17.

 Willow Room, Morris University Center, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, from noon-5 p.m. March 8-9; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 12-16.

 Troy City Hall, 116 E. Market St., Troy, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16.

 Wood River Township Office, 41 S. 9th St., East Alton, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 5-9 and 12-16.

There are more than 500 possible ballot combinations for the primary, in large part because of the precinct committeeman elections.

One issue still awaiting resolution is whether Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the 56th District Illinois Senate seat being vacated by state Sen. Bill Haine, is eligible to run in the primary, although his name remains on the ballot.

An objection to Pattons candidacy was upheld by a Chicago circuit court, and has been appealed. The Illinois Supreme Court declined to issue a ruling, sending it back to the First District Appellate Court in Chicago for consideration.

The issue stems from an objection to Pattons candidacy after he signed a petition for a Democratic candidate for state office. He had signed election petitions for state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville. According to Illinois state law, a person cannot sign petitions for different parties.

A hearing officer for the State Board of Elections had recommended Patton be removed from the ballot but he was initially allowed to stay on after the state board voted 4-3 to remove him. Five votes were needed for the objection to be upheld.

The objector, Charles Yancey, of Bethalto, then filed the case in Cook County and a judge ruled against Patton.

In statewide races, voters must choose between eight candidates for governor (six Democrat and two Republican) and 10 candidates for attorney general (eight Democrat and two Republican). Both Democratic and Republican candidates for Secretary of State, Comptroller and Treasurer are all unopposed.

In Congressional races, two Democrats are running to oppose the winner of a race between Republican incumbent Mike Bost by challenger Preston Nelson in the 12th District. The winners of those races will also face Green Party candidate Randy Auxier. Five Democrats are attempting to unseat Republican incumbent Rodney Davis in the 13th District. And two Democrats are vying to challenge Republican incumbent John Shimkus in the 15th District.

In addition to the 56th District Senate race, voters must also consider several other general assembly races, as well as county-wide elected officials, county board races and precinct committeeman races.

The only referendum on the ballot is a county-wide sales tax to help fund local schools. A similar referendum failed in the November 2016 elections and a similar proposal had been overwhelmingly rejected by voters in 2011.

If approved, the tax would be in addition to existing sales taxes, and would generate an estimated $22 million annually, which would be distributed to local schools based on student population.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.The National Rifle Association is, like AAA or AARP, a bundle of bargains, a smorgasbord of savings on insurance policies, motel rooms, bottles of wine and prescription drugs. But unlike the nation's other interest groups that boast millions of members, the NRA also unabashedly embraces controversy, lunging into battle with fiery rhetoric and no-holds-barred political attacks.

The NRA touts itself with the slogan "Saving Freedom, Delivering Value," promising its 5 million faithful that "It pays to be a member!" But that piece of the NRA bundle has shrunk in recent days, as a slew of major companies have responded to a groundswell of anti-gun activism by canceling their discounts and other affinity deals with the gun lobby.

The businesses that have cut ties with the NRA include big brand names such as car-rental giant Enterprise, Delta Air Lines, MetLife insurance and the bank behind an NRA Visa credit card.

Despite that unprecedented pressure from corporate America, the NRA is unlikely to lose a significant number of members or see its influence diminished, according to those who have studied the organization. Supporters and critics say the NRA is cushioned against this kind of pushback because its members sign up not for financial gain but for a chance to be part of a cultural vanguard.

"Nobody's joining NRA to get a discount at Hertz," said Richard Feldman, a former NRA lobbyist who is president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association. "Joining NRA is like making a religious commitment; it's a statement about where you stand not just on guns, but on one view of what it means to be an American. It's a powerful symbolic move."

The NRA has been showing its political force in the weeks since the shooting massacre at a Parkland, Florida, high school, after which students and gun-control activists directly assailed the group. NRA officials countered, calling its opponents un-American. After President Donald Trump signaled a willingness to embrace some gun-control measures this week, the White House softened that tone following Trump's meeting with NRA officials on Thursday night. Chris Cox, the NRA's executive director, tweetedafter the meeting that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence support the Second Amendment and "don't want gun control."

Delta Air Lines' decision to end group discounts for NRA members met with a swift rebuke in Georgia, where legislators overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday that was stripped of a lucrative tax break that would have primarily benefited the airline. That prompted leaders in New York, Virginia, Washington and other blue states to encourage Delta to relocate its hub to more friendly environs.

On Friday, Delta announced that it wanted to remain neutral in the gun debate and is now planning to curtail discounts for any "politically divisive" group.

In some ways, the success of the NRA, as with its peers among the nation's largest interest groups, depends on finding and winning over a steady stream of like-minded members.

"The whole package is not that different from AARP or the Sierra Club," said Thomas Holyoke, a political scientist at Fresno State University who studies interest groups. But as the NRA has adopted more absolutist positions against gun regulations and has embraced more radical political language, "the NRA is really becoming the opposite of AAA, which no one joins for their political positions."

All large membership groups are valuable to big business, which craves the organizations' membership lists as reliable sources of potential customers and marketing targets. That creates a symbiotic relationship in which both sides tend to eschew controversy, trying to keep their ties clean and neutral.

Other interest groups have occasionally hit a speed bump of controversy. For example, AARP, the retired people's lobby, suffered through a spate of membership-card burnings in 2003, after the organization endorsed a Medicaid bill that some senior citizens argued would do more to help drug companies than provide security for the elderly.

But the NRA has embraced conflict as few other huge membership groups have dared to. And the organization's approach has grown ever more caustic, from NRA leader Wayne LaPierre's 1995 warning that "jack-booted government thugs" were amassing power to strip gun owners of their constitutional rights, to the late Charlton Heston's scalding address to NRA members in 2000, telling Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore that his firearm would be taken only "from my cold dead hands."

The wave of corporate moves to separate from the NRA following the Parkland massacre is unique in its size, but it is far from the first time businesses have felt compelled to distance themselves from the group.

"The pattern goes like this: A horrific event happens, a corporate player takes a stand and they're praised by the general public and squished like a bug by the NRA and their core following," said Josh Sugarmann, author of a history of the NRA and executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a pro-gun-control group. "It remains to be seen if this time is any different. All these companies aren't making these decisions out of any ideological commitment; they're reading the situation and seeing the power of social media."

In the 1980s, some companies decided not to make deals with the NRA for membership benefits because executives or boards didn't want their brands associated with a divisive issue such as the role of firearms in the country. Only after several other banks declined an affiliation with the NRA did the First National Bank of Omaha agree to sell NRA-branded credit cards, which give NRA members 5 percent back on gas and sporting goods purchases. Now, that bank says it won't renew the contract to issue the card.

But such decisions don't necessarily damage the NRA's appeal, Sugarmann said. "They're kind of a two-headed monster. They play to their hardcore base and don't care about appealing to the general public, so they don't see a backlash like this as damaging. They view being attacked by the mainstream media as a positive benefit, and their base may look at big business in the same way. On the other hand, they don't want to be a corporate pariah. So they have pressures in both directions."

The NRA did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement this week, the group said, "the loss of a discount will neither scare nor distract one single NRA member from our mission to stand and defend the individual freedoms that have always made America the greatest nation in the world."

As a culture warrior that has mastered the art of advancing its interests through brutal rhetoric and intense tribalism, the NRA, like President Trump, has become a master of gaining and maintaining power with the fervent support of an engaged minority.

But the NRA faces existential pressure as well - a steady decline in the percentage of U.S. households that own firearms and a reversal of fortunes of some major gun manufacturers. In addition, the decisions by Dick's Sporting Goods, Walmart, and Kroger stores not to sell guns to anyone under 21 represent a big blow to an industry that puts a premium on winning over young people as gun owners.

Those challenges mean that one of the NRA's most valuable assets, its membership roll, becomes an ever more important part of its business model. The money's not too bad, either; in one credit card affiliation deal, the NRA got 0.5 percent of all purchases made on the card. A one-year NRA membership costs $40.

Many of the businesses now distancing themselves from the group likely will return eventually, because that list of 5 million members is that valuable, Feldman said.

"When I was working on the Hill for NRA, I'd ask congressmen, 'Would you rather have the maximum contribution we can make or a mailing to your district?' And it was never a question," the former lobbyist said. "It was one of the greatest lists in the country, and they wanted that access."

For the NRA, the future of firearms in the United States will be determined by how well-organized and vocal gun-rights supporters are, not by winning over new members with goodies. The organization is far more devoted to developing cultural affinities - making marketing connections with country music stars, for example - than it is to adding to its menu of discounts.

Former NRA executive vice president Warren Cassidy liked to explain that his organization was different from other interest groups: "You'd get a far better understanding" of the NRA, he once told The Washington Post, "if you just approach us as if [we are] one of the world's great religions."

For years, the group posted a slogan at the convention booths where it sold insurance policies: "Share the Belief."

- - -

The Washington Post's David Nakamura, J. Freedom du Lac and Marwa Eltagouri contributed to this report.A day after unveiling dramatic new weapons - including a nuclear-powered cruise missile - that sparked talk of a return to Cold War tensions, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested he'd reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union if he could.

Putin's comments on the 1991 collapse of the USSR - which bound Russia and many of its neighbors, while exerting influence in Eastern Europe and abroad for almost seven decades - came at a question-and-answer forum held Friday in Kaliningrad. Taking questions from the audience, the Russian leader was asked what event in his nation's history he would have liked to change.

"The collapse of the Soviet Union," Putin responded, according to the Russian news agency Tass.

Though a fringe idea in the West, regret about the collapse of the Soviet Union is not unusual in Russia - in fact, it is widespread. And with Russian elections just a week away, its a factor still worth watching.

The polling agency Levada Center has been asking Russians about their views on the collapse of the Soviet Union since 1992. The most recent numbers, from a survey conducted in November 2017, show that 58 percent of Russians regret the USSR's collapse, while just over a quarter do not.

Despite all the changes in Russia over the past quarter century, this public regret has proved remarkably consistent. Only once since polling began has the number of Russians saying they had regrets fallen below a majority - in December 2012, when 49 percent said they had regrets, though only 35 percent said they did not.

The pro-Soviet sentiment peaked in 2000, just as Putin was just coming to power, with three-quarters of the country said they regretted the collapse of the USSR.

This sentiment is understandable when events are viewed from the perspective of the average Russian. Though the end of the Soviet Union heralded the end of the Cold War tensions with the United States and its allies, for many it was the start of years of political and economic uncertainty, as well as a diminished place for the Russian people on the world stage.

Part of the regret may be from the chaotic manner in which the Soviet Union came to an end. The last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, said in 2016 that the end of the union was due to "treachery." Putin, formerly a KGB officer stationed in East Germany, called the breakdown of the USSR as the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century" in 2005, pointing to how many Russian citizens wound up outside of Russian territory due to the collapse.

But the sentiment appears broader than that: The Levada Center's polling found that a majority of Russians felt bitterness over the end of the unified economic system, while a smaller group said that they felt Russia was no longer a superpower.

Putin has been been leader of Russia in some form or another since 2000, making him the longest serving Kremlin leader since Joseph Stalin. This week, Putin used his annual address to announce a series of new weapon technologies that he dubbed "invincible," including nuclear-powered missiles that would be difficult for conventional missile defense systems to combat.

Thursday's speech marked a new low in U.S.-Russia relations in the post-Cold War period, experts argue. Some analysts say that while Russia already had weapons that could overwhelm U.S. missile defenses if needed, the public announcement of these weapons was likely designed to rally a domestic base ahead of the March 18 election.

Putin is easily expected to win the election, with a poll conducted last week giving him almost 70 percent - almost ten times the share of the vote of his nearest rival, a candidate from the Communist Party.

Despite his regret about the collapse of the Soviet Union, Putin told the audience on Friday he wouldn't want to live in any other period than the current. Asked about his dreams for the future, the Russian president said: "I want our country to be successful, powerful, stable, balanced and looking ahead."CARROLLTON  Ann Egelhoff Isringhausen, a retired florist from Jerseyville, will speak about a wreath-laying program during a March 18 meeting of the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society.

Isringhausens presentation will focus on Wreaths Across America, which begins with the annual wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, to be held on Dec. 12 this year. More than 247,000 graves at 1,400 cemeteries across the United States will be decorated with Christmas wreaths. There will be similar ceremonies at sea and at each U.S. cemetery on foreign soil.Washington

The United States has determined that North Korea used chemical weapons, an apparent reference to the killing of leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother last year.

The State Department did not provide justification for the finding publicized Friday. But it comes nearly one year after Kim Jong Nam died at an international airport in Malaysia in an attack authorities said used VX nerve agent.

The determination, made by the department's international security and nonproliferation bureau, carries restrictions on U.S. foreign aid and financial and military assistance that North Korea's heavily sanctioned government is already subject to.

It was posted on the website of the Federal Register and takes effect Monday.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has previously referred to Pyongyang's use of chemical weapons. He told reporters in January, "we know they've been used by the North Koreans."

According to the Pentagon, North Korea probably has a long-standing chemical weapons program with the capability to produce nerve, blister, blood, and choking agents and likely possesses a chemical weapons stockpile that could be used with artillery and ballistic missiles.

Experts say the Feb. 13, 2017, death of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur airport is the only confirmed North Korean use of chemical weapon agents. North Korean defectors have charged that such chemicals have been used against prisoners and disabled people inside the authoritarian nation.

North Korea is believed to have provided chemical defensive equipment and technology to Syria and Libya in the past, and an upcoming report by a United Nations panel that monitors sanctions against the North says that in August 2016 the North transferred special resistance valves and thermometers known for use in chemical weapons programs in Syria. North Korean technicians continue to operate at chemical weapons and missile facilities in the war-ravaged Mid-east nation, according to details of the report obtained by The Associated Press.

The U.S. and other Western nations have accused Syria of using chemical weapons against rebel-controlled areas of the country, which the government denies.

North Korea on Thursday denied it was cooperating with Syria on chemical weapons. In a statement circulated by its diplomatic mission at the U.N. in New York, the North's foreign ministry said it "does not have a single record of developing, producing and stockpiling a chemical weapon."One thing is clear after last week's eleventh-hour death row commutation: No one agrees what it means.

For the first time in a decade, a Texas governor - following a rare unanimous recommendation from the notoriously unforgiving Board of Pardon and Paroles  granted clemency to a condemned prisoner, sparing Thomas "Bart" Whitaker just minutes before his scheduled Feb. 22 execution and giving him instead a life sentence.

There's very little consensus in legal circles as to whether Gov. Greg Abbott's moment of mercy signifies another shift in capital punishment trends, shows a political calculation on the governor's part, opens the door to accusations of racial bias  or whether it simply means nothing at all.

"It's just too soon to tell if there is any significance to this beyond the Whitaker case itself," said Shannon Edmonds, staff attorney at the Texas County and District Attorneys Association.

The Sugar Land man at the center of the debate was convicted of masterminding a 2003 murder-for-hire plot apparently aimed at scoring a hefty $1 million inheritance. Though he wasn't the gunman, Whitaker was sentenced to death after his mother and younger brother were slain in the faked burglary.

But his father, Kent Whitaker, survived and went on to argue passionately against his son's death sentence, gaining national attention as he put his devout Christianity on display in an Old Testament-laced clemency plea that ultimately won the seven-member board's favor.

"This is confirmation that victims' rights matter in Texas," Whitaker's attorney James Rytting said after his client was spared. Though defense counsel disputed it, prosecutors said the slain mother's family did not support clemency in the end.

For Jeff Strange, a former Fort Bend prosecutor who worked the case more than a decade ago, the commutation seemed like a watershed moment, an act almost inexplicable given the heinous nature of the crime and Whitaker's other prior death plots.

"At some point, years from now, we're going to look back at this and it'll just be the tipping point, the beginning of the end," he said. "The governor has basically done something that he's never really going to be able to give a good explanation for and I think he's set himself up to be second guessed every time this comes up over and over."

But Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, cautioned against labeling the commutation as any sort of turning point. Instead, he said, change is already underway.

"Texas is - like the rest of the country - changing when it comes to death penalty, and death penalty proponents are in some senses seeing this thing slipping away and that has produced some extreme and hyperbolic responses," he said. "Decline has now reached the point where proponents of capital punishment in some formerly very pro-death penalty states are concerned that the death penalty is going away - and they may be right."

Brian Stolarz, the attorney who secured the release of wrongly convicted former death row prisoner Alfred Dewayne Brown, concurred with Dunham in part.

READ MORE: Former prosecutor withheld key email in death row case

"This is a one-off case with unique facts and unique racial issues," he said. "I don't think anyone should get false hopes that this will set a trend."

For some, the case revived troubling questions of racial bias in the capital-punishment process.

"What I'm really looking forward to finding out is whether the same consideration that is given to a white person raised in privilege and college educated who has killed or tried to kill his entire family is given to persons of color who have killed people under much less heinous circumstances," said Randy Schaffer, a Houston-based attorney defending a death-row inmate who recently lost a federal appeal. "Is this going to be a policy that only applies to the white and privileged who make a religious plea or will this apply to everybody?"

Yet a number of lawyers and law experts discounted the role of race. At least one said the possibility hadn't occurred to him, and others questioned the assertion.

"You can speculate as to what the outcome would have been if he had been black," Dunham said. "But I don't think that there's evidence one way or the other to make any judgement on that."

Defense attorney Patrick McCann forcefully disagreed.

"Anyone who looks at this and thinks race doesn't play a role is simply being willfully blind," he said. "That takes away nothing from the work of the lawyers, which has been tremendous and frankly heroic but it should illustrate to everybody that this is a system that has no rhyme and no reason to it."

Though many of the dozen or so lawyers and legal experts the Chronicle interviewed about the case either weren't willing to speak on the record about its political significance or doubted that there was any, some described the governor as "calculating" and speculated privately about a possible political motive.

Rick Dunham, a long-time Texas political reporter and analyst, said the commutation could score the governor some "brownie points" and wasn't likely to cause any "political grief," in part because it came after a unanimous board recommendation.

"If it means anything (politically) it's that he's not concerned about his right flank," he added. "He's not concerned about a lack of enthusiasm among conservatives."

BACKGROUND: Gov. Greg Abbott commutes death sentence minutes before Bart Whitaker's scheduled execution

Strange predicted the action would lay out a political map for eliminating capital punishment in Texas.

"People are going to see that the governor is subject to public pressure," he said. "And the people who have money and are against the death penalty can say, 'This is a hill we're going to die on' and put on a big publicity campaign."

Given the nature of executive clemency - issued at the governor's discretion - a number of lawyers on both sides predicted it wouldn't have any impact legally.

But Keith Hampton, who also represented Whitaker, said the swirl of last-minute questions leading up to the commutation could spark changes in how the Board of Pardons and Paroles conducts its voting.

"They don't meet as a body and I think that was not lost on some lawmakers," he said, pointing out that an in-person meeting and vote may have resolved some questions sooner.

Some attorneys speculated it could just make an already-rare commutation less likely moving ahead.

"This is the horrible lie of clemency," McCann said. "Because the governor has granted it this one time, he now gets a pass on every mentally infirm black or poor Hispanic to kill them because he did this one magnanimous act. That's the lie of clemency in Texas."Vermont Sen. and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will join the populist group Our Revolution Texas for a speaking event at Trinity University on Friday.

Sanders will speak at the gathering, scheduled for 7:30-9:30 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium at 1 Trinity Place.

Those wishing to attend must reserve tickets online. Admission is free.

Sanders visit is aimed at helping Our Revolution Texas build a strong progressive movement, according to a news release distributed by the populist group. The event is being sponsored by Our Revolution Texas and a student organization, the Trinity Progressives.

Others set to speak are former Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower and Our Revolution President Nina Turner.

The speakers will address income inequality, climate change, racial justice and the building of political movements for change, according to the registration page for the event.

Sanders, Hightower and Turner will arrive at Trinity University after attending an at-capacity Our Revolution fundraiser in San Antonio. The three will depart the following morning for Lubbock, where they will speak at another Our Revolution Texas event at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center from 1-2:30 p.m.

Trinity Universitys Laurie Auditorium seats around 2,700 people.

For more information, visit the Trinity Progressives Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TrinityProgressives.A San Antonio police detective pulled down a womans shorts in a public area and inappropriately searched the woman for illegal contraband, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court.

The 25-page lawsuit alleges that the detective, Mara Wilson, a 32-year veteran of the force, conducted an illegal vaginal cavity search on Natalie Simms, an action that was a blatant violation of Ms. Simms constitutional rights and resulted in significant and lasting harm.

RELATED: Uresti's wife makes unexpected move after salacious trial

The city of San Antonio declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

The lawsuit includes photos of the incident and alleges there is dash cam video with audio that documents the alleged strip search.

According to the lawsuit, Simms was sitting on a curbside on Aug. 8, 2016, waiting for her boyfriend when police officers approached her and asked if they could search her vehicle for drugs.

Simms, who has a criminal record, allowed the officers to search the vehicle but the police officers found nothing illegal, the lawsuit states. They then requested a female officer respond to the scene to search Simms.

After Wilson arrived, the detective started searching Simms and eventually pulled down her shorts and examined her vaginal area as the male officers were within view, the lawsuit states.

RELATED: Ex-S.A. attorney accused of sex crimes has sold everything to make bail

The lawsuit alleges that Wilson then removed a tampon from Simms vagina and held it in the air, examining it.

Simms asked why she was being searched in that manner and why they couldnt continue the search at the police station. Wilson allegedly said, I dont know. It looked like it had stuff in there, the lawsuit states. However, no illegal contraband was found, the lawsuit states.

According to the lawsuit, internal affairs investigators reviewed Wilsons actions but did not find she violated any department policies. Officials said the incident would serve as a reference in the event there (was) a reoccurrence of (that) type of action by the officer, the records state.

Wilson retired in May.

Simms is seeking an unspecified amount of money to cover mental anguish, attorney fees, court costs and punitive damages.McALLEN  The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has suspended state District Judge Rodolfo Rudy Delgado without pay following his indictment on bribery and violating the federal Travel Act.

The commission said its order is effective immediately.

RELATED: Uresti's wife files for divorce following salacious trial

Federal investigators allege that Delgado, 64, accepted bribes between November 2016 and January of this year in exchange for favorable judicial consideration on cases pending in his court. Delgado was charged with three counts of bribery and three counts of violating the Travel Act on allegations that he used a phone to broker the alleged bribes, according to the indictment.

The first bribe allegedly occurred in December 2016, when an attorney paid Delgado $260 in exchange for releasing the attorneys client on a personal bond, the indictment alleges. The attorney paid Delgado $260 in cash again in November 2017, and the judge released another client from the Hidalgo County Jail on a personal bond, the indictment alleges.

A third bribe allegedly occurred in January, when the attorney, wearing audio and video recording devices, gave Delgado $5,500 in cash. In all three cases Delgado released the attorneys clients on bond, according to the indictment.

RELATED: Ex-S.A. attorney accused of sex crimes has sold everything to make bail

In late January, investigators say Delgado sent a text message to the confidential source about the envelope containing $5,500, attempting to cover up the bribe by referring to it as a contribution, according to court documents. Delgado had solicited campaign contributions from the confidential source in the past.

Working with the confidential source for more than a year, the FBI recorded phone calls and meetings between the attorney and Delgado.

Delgado, who was elected to serve as a state district judge for the 93rd Judicial District in consecutive terms since 2004, had been campaigning for a place on the 13th Court of Appeals.

Delgado has been free on a $100,000 bond since his initial appearance last month in federal court in McAllen. His arraignment is schedule for later this month in Houston before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina A. Bryan.Texans have already set a record for early voting in a non-presidential primary election year, and theres still one more day to go on Friday.

More than 602,000 voters had cast ballots in the states largest counties in either the Democratic or Republican primaries through Wednesday. That does not count Thursdays totals that were not available late Thursday, or Fridays, when polls will again be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Four years ago, fewer than 600,000 people voted in the entire early voting season.

Harris County has also seen a new record. More than 116,000 people have voted early or by mail already with two days remaining to add to that total. Four years ago, just 105,508 people in Harris voted during the entire early voting period.

Democrats represent a major reason for the records and have been out-voting Republicans since the start of early voting on Feb. 20. There have been 25,000 more Democratic ballots than Republicans have cast. That is a big change from the last two gubernatorial election cycles when Republicans dramatically outvoted Democrats in the primaries by well over 100,000 in each year.

'TREMENDOUS ENERGY': In Harris County, a record number of Latino candidates

Those numbers are partly driven by people who are new to primaries, said Austin-based political analyst Derek Ryan. In looking at voter data from about 50 counties, Ryan said hes seeing that almost 20 percent of the Democrats voting in that primary have never voted in a Democratic Primary in Texas before. For Republicans that has been closer to 8.5 percent.

This seems in keeping with what we have seen over the last year, said Cliff Walker with the Texas Democratic Party.

Democrats have been boosted this year by a combination of factors this year. Opposition to President Donald Trump has been a big factor in turning out voters nationwide, but Democrats also have been aided by more candidates running for office and more competitive primaries than four years ago. Four years ago, in the nine congressional districts that make up parts of Harris County, just two had competitive primaries for Democrats. This year, seven of the nine have Democratic primaries.

In Harris County, 59,048 people had voted in the Democratic Primary compared to 57,108 in the Republican Primary.

While the primary numbers are up overall, Rice University political science professor Mark P. Jones said it has to be put in context of Texans being terrible at turning out to vote overall. In the last gubernatorial election cycle, Texas was dead last in voter turnout compared to other states.

The primaries are just as bad if not worse, he said. Despite having nearly 28 million people, just 1.5 million to 2 million people will vote in the primaries, Jones said. As a result, because of the nature of the states politics and gerrymandering, many races are decided almost entirely in the primary, with relatively few voters having a say in it.

Not only do we have the lowest turnout in the nation, our primaries are far more consequential than in other states, Jones said.

Texas has even done pretty well in making it easier to vote in primaries, he said. In other states, voters have to register with a party 30 days or more before and election to be able to vote. And many other states dont have early voting with as many locations as Texas. Yet, still, he said Texans just dont turnout like in other states.

While early voting ends Friday, the official Election Day is Tuesday, in what is the nations first primary election in 2018. There is a lot at stake. Texas voters will decide who will carry the Democratic party's mantle into the battle for governor and a slew of other statewide offices in the nation's biggest GOP stronghold, remake the state's congressional delegation with many new members likely determined during the primary in heavily gerrymandered districts, and test Sen. Ted Cruz in his first re-election since his stunning victory in 2012.A few weeks before the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) invited a special guest to attend the State of the Union address: Stephen Willeford, the hero who just months earlier had stopped a mass shooter at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

An ordinary citizen who heard the shots from his home across the street, Willeford grabbed his weapon, ran to the scene barefoot (knowing every second he delayed could mean another life lost) and exchanged fire with the gunman, wounding him in the leg and torso. When the killer jumped into his vehicle to escape, Willeford stopped a passing vehicle and followed in hot pursuit until the shooter crashed his car and shot himself in the head.

Willeford says hes not a hero. Im no brave man. I was terrified, he said after the shooting. But, he added, I was there when nobody else was. Thank God he was.

Heres something else you need to know about Willeford. First, he is a long-time National Rifle Association instructor; it was his NRA training that allowed him to subdue the shooter. Second, the weapon he used to stop the killing spree in Sutherland Springs was an AR-15  the very weapon gun-control advocates now want to ban. Without an AR-15, he says, he might not have stopped the killer. If I had run out of the house with a pistol and faced a bulletproof vest and Kevlar and helmets, it might have been futile, he said. Because of his weapon, his training and his courage, countless lives were probably saved.

They could have used a Stephen Willeford in Parkland.

Keep his story in mind as you watch the current movement to boycott the NRA and ban so-called assault weapons. In the wake of the Parkland shooting at least a dozen companies  including United Airlines, Delta, Best Western and First National Bank of Omaha  have joined the NRA boycott. Chubb Limited insurance even announced it would cancel a program, NRA Carry Guard, which provided insurance for NRA members who faced lawsuits for using their weapons in self-defense. When companies do this, they are not boycotting lobbyists in Washington; they are boycotting upstanding citizens such as Willeford. He and his fellow gun owners deserve better.

The NRA is a grass-roots organization made up of millions of decent, patriotic Americans who believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens make our country safer, not more dangerous. To suggest that it is responsible for what happened in Parkland is obscene. Police officers were called to shooter Nikolas Cruzs house on 39 separate occasions since 2010. The FBI was warned about the shooter in January and failed to adhere to its own procedures to follow up. An armed sheriffs deputy was on the scene at the shooting, but he failed to act. And yet somehow the NRA is at fault? Please.

The NRA is far from perfect. Ive criticized the NRA leaderships resistance to legislation banning bump stocks. And there is nothing sacrosanct about the age of 18 for buying certain guns (or voting for that matter).

But NRA members have done more to prevent gun deaths, and promote firearms safety, than any other citizens association in the country. When Democrats respond to shootings like the one in Parkland by demonizing the NRA and calling for a ban on weapons such as the AR-15 that are critical to Americans right to self-defense, they send a clear and unmistakable message to millions of gun owners across the country: We dont respect you or your gun rights. This makes it harder to reach bipartisan agreement on solutions that could improve public safety without threatening the fundamental constitutional right of Americans to keep and bear arms.

We all want to keep guns out of the hands of mentally unstable people such as Nikolas Cruz. But we should all want to keep guns in the hands of responsible citizens such as Stephen Willeford. Thats not the case today. Willeford deserves a medal, not a boycott. If corporate America cant figure that out and continues capitulating to the NRA boycott movement, maybe it is time for gun owners to boycott them.Texans will vote Tuesday in the first of the countrys midterm primaries. With control of Congress at stake this year and clear evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 elections, voters face internal and external threats to their most basic democratic right.

Special counsel Robert Muellers recent indictment of 13 Russians and three companies for interfering in U.S. elections provides a rationale for voters to be skeptical of the sources of the information they receive on candidates and their campaigns  and one more excuse for them to avoid the voting booth.

Charges were brought against the Internet Research Agency, a troll farm in St. Petersburg, Russia, for fraudulently purchasing hundreds of bogus social media accounts to bombard voters with false news and provocative online posts on current topics such as immigration, religion and race to sow discord among the public before the election. The impact of the fake news and ads generated by trolls is spread widely among millions of potential voters with bots, automated social media accounts purchased from Facebook and Twitter.

Russian trolls who called themselves Heart of Texas set up a Facebook page that promoted a made-up demonstration against Muslims in May 2016 at an Islamic center in Houston. Sure enough, a dozen duped Texans, some waving Confederate flags, showed up.

Microsoft conducted a study of its browser users in the year prior to the election and found a strong direct correlation between the average percent of users daily visiting such fake news websites and the percent of the vote won by Donald Trump.

Also, Russian hackers tried to penetrate election systems in as many as 39 states by sending phishing emails to hundreds of election offices, reported the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. The center surveyed 952 election officials nationwide and found 41 states had voting machines more than a decade old and more vulnerable to hacking.

The Department of Homeland Security notified Texas and 20 other states in September that Russian hackers had targeted their election systems in 2016. There is no evidence that Texas state agency websites were breached. But Director of National Intelligence Don Coats recently warned that Russians again would try to interfere in the 2018 elections.

One bill before Congress, the Secure Elections Act, would require better information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local election officials, and require contractors and vendors to report breaches in election systems at the time they are detected. Congress has yet to pass legislation to meaningfully address election cybersecurity, and no vote or hearings on any security legislation has been scheduled this year.

There are internal threats to our voting rights as well.

Myrna Perez, head of the Voting Rights and Elections Project at the Brennan Center, helped identify those threats. More than two decades ago as an undergraduate at Yale University, Perez was an intern at the San Antonio office of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. She has since then obtained a masters degree from Harvard and a law degree from Columbia.

The lack of ballot box security due to underresourcing of elections, illegal gerrymandering and politicians suppressing the vote were at the top of her list of threats to democracy in this years elections.

Gerrymandering

Partisan gerrymandering, drawing districts to benefit one political party over another, was the result of a $30 million campaign by the Republican National Committee in 2010 to win control of state legislatures to draw more GOP-friendly districts.

A pair of gerrymandering tools  packing and cracking  were used with sophisticated computer mapping to concentrate members of a race or party into as few districts as possible and spread the rest of them among districts where Republican voters predominate.

Nationally, Republicans picked up 680 new state legislative seats in 2010, winning control of enough legislative chambers to redraw 193 congressional districts in 2011, close to the 218 seats needed to control the House. In Texas, Republicans increased their slim majority in the state house from 76-74 to 99-51.

After the 2011 round of redistricting, the Brennan Center analyzed 17 states where Republicans had complete control over drawing congressional maps, comprising 40 percent of all seats. In the 2012 elections, their candidates won 53 percent of the vote and walked away with 72 percent of the seats. The center found the same kind of distortion in the 10 percent of the House districts that were completely controlled by Democrats. They won 56 percent of the vote and 71 percent of the seats.

The Brennan Center is following major gerrymandering cases in eight states, six of which are currently at the Supreme Court. One of the most important to go before the Supreme Court this session is the Abbott vs. Perez case from Texas.

In Texas, there was illegal racial gerrymandering and intent to discriminate by the Legislature in 2011 and 2013, according to both a three-judge federal district court and the 5th U.S. Circuit Appellate Court. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear the appeal by the state in April.

Voter suppression

The Brennan Center also reports that, achieving legislative majorities in 2010, Republicans in Texas and 19 other states passed laws to restrict access to voting prior to the 2016 elections. These voter suppression laws include more restrictive voter ID laws, cutting back on early voting periods, restricting access to absentee voting, over-purging voter rolls, making it more difficult to restore voting rights for people with past criminal convictions, and making voter registration more difficult.

Some of these restrictions have been blocked by the courts. In Texas, the photo ID law  one of the most restrictive in the nation  was found to discriminate against as many as 600,000 minority voters who do not have the required identification, and some modifications were made in the law.

Voter expansion

Despite legislative efforts to limit voting, more proposals have been offered to expand voter rolls since 2012 than to restrict voting. The Brennan Center a decade ago floated a plan to achieve universal voter registration by making it automatic.

Oregon was the first to adopt automatic voter registration, in March 2015. People with drivers licenses in Oregon are automatically added to the registration rolls. This added more than 300,000 on the first day it was implemented.

The Brennan Center reports that nine states have adopted automatic voter registration. Texas is not one of them.

Some 38 states plus the District of Columbia approved online voter registration. Texas only allows application online for a registration application that must be sent in by regular mail at least 30 days before an election.

Fourteen states permit registering or updating voter registration on election day  but not Texas.

In a world that increasingly relies on cyber technology, security breaches in our election systems and the invasion of our campaigns with fake news to exploit racial divisions pose imminent threats that must be addressed by immediate bipartisan action.

Just as important are the internal threats of politicians manipulating voters as pawns in a political chess game.As San Antonio celebrates its Tricentennial in 2018 and the University of Texas at San Antonio marks its Semicentennial in 2019, our community has a unique opportunity to reflect on its past while also envisioning its future.

What does San Antonio want to become over the next 300 years? What differentiates it from other major metropolitan areas? How can we  as a city and a university in partnership  leverage our strengths to achieve our shared goals?

This conversation has many layers. Each begins with a commitment to education, workforce development and social mobility.

RELATED: Study: $2.4 billion in new building projects underway in downtown San Antonio

Two current task forces illustrate UTSAs commitment to students and its role as a prosperity driver for San Antonio.

The first is creating an enrollment plan that adopts a creative, data-driven strategy for identifying and enrolling students with great potential, including those who have not traditionally had access to college. Over the next decade, UTSA will continue to focus on the retention and academic success of underserved students, including first-generation and low-income students. Solutions created by this task force will identify areas for growing UTSAs enrollment, especially at the downtown campus.

The second task force is developing an integrated student success plan that approaches higher education as a continuum  a holistic process that includes recruitment, enrollment, academic progress, career services and placement, and lifelong learning. With the ultimate goal of producing more graduates who are highly skilled and ready for the workforce, we have set targets for improved first-year retention rates and six-year graduation rates. We are well on our way to realizing these goals in the next three to six years.

To grow and strengthen UTSAs research enterprise, we must move beyond the goal of Tier One designation to achieve National Research University Fund, or NRUF, eligibility and an R1  the highest research activity  classification from the Carnegie Commission. Earning these benchmarks will raise the esteem of UTSA in the research community, allow the university to compete for even greater research funding, and make it a partner of choice for collaborative, transdisciplinary projects.

RELATED: UTSA posts throwback of 1996 orientation leaders

So how do San Antonio and UTSA approach collaboration of this magnitude? The nations most innovative urban centers provide an excellent road map for the future.

Consider New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Austin. Theyre attractive to corporations. Theyre known as innovation hubs. And theyre home to model university partners that fuel healthy, educated, world-ready populations who contribute to the local economy.

Arizona State University is a prime example of an urban serving institution. It transformed its downtown campus into a destination focused on societal challenges particular to Phoenix and Arizona. And it did this over 15 short years.

Today, ASUs downtown campus is home to 11,500 students, including 2,000 on-campus residents. Its transdisciplinary colleges reimagine and merge existing programs to create new fields of study. Its 3 million-square-foot campus has repurposed unoccupied city buildings. Light rail takes students from ASUs downtown campus to its home campus in Tempe.

If ASU and Phoenix can achieve such a dramatic transformation, UTSA and San Antonio can, too.

Opportunities abound to transform UTSAs Downtown Campus and build on the many exciting education initiatives taking place throughout the city. UTSA must establish new programs to directly support the citys greatest needs and challenges.

Pre-K 4 SA is changing the way children are prepared to enter elementary school. CAST Tech High School has demonstrated how experiential learning can be seamlessly integrated into secondary education, giving high school students a chance to try on careers before they enter college.

These types of innovative approaches must take place throughout the education pipeline. San Antonio must look at education holistically if it wants to train the workforce of tomorrow.

The development of an urban education institute at the UTSA Downtown Campus would accelerate this vision. With the right partners, this hub would attract talented educators, administrators and education researchers to San Antonio. Working together in laboratory schools, they could share best practices and develop new models to help students thrive.

Imagine a vibrant environment where the collaboration runs so deeply that it becomes difficult to tell where the school district ends and where the university begins. This is the type of education continuum San Antonio needs.

Creating the right model would have tremendous implications. Literacy and student success rates would skyrocket. High school graduation rates would increase, and those graduates would be better prepared to succeed in college. San Antonios employers would have access to more top talent. But this is just one part of the solution.

With an influx of residents moving to San Antonio, we must also have strategies for sustainability, water, energy and transportation needs.

The University of Chicago has an Urban Center for Computation and Data. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has the Urban Dynamics Institute. MIT runs the Senseable City Lab. These university think tanks measure the metabolism of the urban environment to understand how and why each community behaves the way it does.

San Antonio needs an urban science institute. It needs big thinkers, innovators, researchers and partners who are fully vested in helping the city anticipate the challenges associated with its growing population. Properly designed, an urban science institute at the UTSA Downtown Campus would help San Antonio achieve recognition as a prosperity magnet for our nations greatest minds.

As the world becomes increasingly reliant on the internet of things, San Antonio is poised to become a hub for innovation and technology entrepreneurs, on par with the greats: Melbourne, Stockholm, Toronto and Tel Aviv.

San Antonio is home to vast expertise in cybersecurity and cloud computing. That knowledge ecosystem needs to be harnessed through the creation of a first-of-its-kind school of cybersecurity.

The city is also home to a burgeoning tech corridor. Exciting things are taking place at Geekdom and the 80/20 Foundation. Entrepreneurship is rampant in our city. These pioneers need to know San Antonio is invested in their success.

An entrepreneur institute devoted to creative scholarship, research and development, and commercialization would be a valuable asset for the city. The creation of innovative programs focused on sustainability and smart cities at the UTSA Downtown Campus would further strengthen the citys entrepreneurial ecosystem.

These are big tasks. And even more is needed. UTSA is up to the challenge.

Fueling the kind of transformation that has taken place at ASU, UTSA will become world-recognized as a great multicultural discovery enterprise. At the same time, the university will provide pathways that prepare students from diverse backgrounds for the jobs of the future.

This year, UTSA will host a series of discussions about reimagining its downtown campus. Experts from San Antonio and around the country will help shape a plan, building on UTSAs partnerships with the business community, foundations, school districts, not-for-profits, the city, the county and the community.

Just as San Antonio has helped UTSA rise to prominence, so too will UTSA help San Antonio become a model American city for the next 300 years.

Imagine ready access to an expanded brain trust downtown. Imagine a residential campus community in the heart of the city. Imagine a cradle to career education approach. Imagine national hubs in technology, education, business and urban science.

Imagine a renaissance for San Antonio. Together, we will create it.All eyes will be on award winning author John Connell later this evening as the gifted Ballinalee scribe makes his Late Late Show debut.

Fresh from his appearance on another long running RTE series 'Ear to the Ground', John will take to the Late Late sofa where he will reflect on his upcoming publication, 'The Cow Book.

Listed as one of the books to look out for in 2018 by The Irish Times, John has readily amassed a burgeoning repute as one of the country's fastest emerging authors.

A devout farmer to boot, John is also a prominent mental health advocate having spoken openly in the past about his own battles to overcome depression.

Shortly before penning his first novel 'The Ghost Estate', the keen fitness practitioner returned home from a spell overseas, a decision he revealed was fuelled more by design than choice.

"I had returned to Ireland to write my book but in reality I had fled to Ireland after my life had collapsed in Australia," he said.

"I once had a lovely girlfriend, business, an apartment, a charity, did some lecturing on the side and had even found time to import Irish whiskey to Australia (word to the wise  not worth your time!) and was even talking about opening a restaurant.

"As the work seemed to increase, so did the stress and when things started to go a bit odd, I started to go a bit odd.

"In the space of a few weeks the life I had spent four years building in Australia fell apart and I brought my wounded frame home to Ireland filled with an anger I hadnt ever known before."

Fast forward a few years and the popular Co Longford man is now being tipped for bestselling stardom.

Tonight, John will chat to show host Ryan Tubridy about his eagerly awaited book release, his life and his other passion-farming.

It all kicks off tonight from 9:30pm.

ALSO READ:

More than just ghost stories from author John ConnellConcerns are mounting in Newtowncashel this afternoon over how long it is going to take to fix the water supply to 250 homes in the area.

A water mains burst yesterday evening leaving numerous families in Newtowncashel without water.

It was initially anticipated that the problems could be fixed today, however a local area representative told the Leader that Irish Water indicated yesterday that it will send a crew to Newtowncashel when it can.

The problems began when a burst occurred on the rising water mains to the reservoir in the south Longford village.

Cllr Mark Casey (Ind) said he spent one hour and 15 minutes on the phone to Irish Water yesterday trying to explain to a member of staff where Newtowncashel was!

He also pointed out that a local plumber came forward this morning and told him that he would fix the problem in no time.

However, it has emerged that only Irish Water staff can fix the water problems and the company cannot say for definite when a crew will be made available to carry out the necessary works.

Irish Water is a disgrace, fumed Cllr Casey, before pointing out that there were actually two leaks along the mains.

Irish Water reduced the pressure significantly, in fact to the point that dozens of families and elderly residents have no water at all.

Irish Water told me that they would get a crew out to Newtowncashel as soon as possible and this was after I spent an hour and 15 minutes on the phone trying to explain to them where Newtowncashel was; its an absolute disgrace.

Meanwhile, as has been evidence over the past few days, community spirit is alive in well in Co Longford.

People have rallied together to remove snow drifts and tractors, jeeps and JCBs moved into areas where residents had become blocked in as a result of the heavy snow.

So, it comes as no surprise that a local plumber in Newtowncashel offered his services to fix the water problems in the area.

According to Cllr Casey, only Irish Water staff can deal with the issue and there is no way of knowing when those staff will arrive in Newtowncashel.

Imagine that plumber cant do anything; it has to be fixed by Irish Water and Irish Water only, he continued.

This could go on for a few days now because we are totally dependent on Irish Water.

Irish Water are a disgrace and people in Newtowncashel could be without water for days.

You may also like to read:

Breaking: Burst mains cuts water supply in NewtowncashelWater restrictions will be in place tonight throughout Longford town, Newtownforbes, Aughnacliffe, Moyne and Granard.

Irish Water told the Leader in the last few minutes that it was now advising customers in the county, that because of extremely cold weather conditions and exceptionally high water demand, some water treatment plants in the county were struggling to keep up with supply demands.

As a result, the company says that water restrictions will be in place from 9:45pm tonight to 8am on Sunday, March 4 for all customers in Longford town excluding those along the Ballinalee Road, the Mall area, Cloncoose and the fire station.

Water restrictions will also be in place in Newtownforbes and the surrounding areas; the Aughnacliffe and Moyne areas and in Granard town and the surrounding areas, a spokesperson added.

Water Supply Update - Co. Longford:

There will be water restrictions from 9:45pm tonight to 8am on Sunday, 4 March in parts of Longford Town, Newtownforbes, Aughnacliffe and Moyne areas and Granard. See https://t.co/iMsiZKEbrv for more #IrishWater  Irish Water (@IrishWater) March 3, 2018

Customers are being asked to conserve water to avoid reservoirs emptying and water pressure to homes and businesses being affected.

Irish Water customers in Co Longford are also being asked to check vacant properties for leaks/

Please repair them as soon as possible as they are having an impact on the available water in the public network, the spokesperson advised.

Customers are also asked to check for any leaks on water troughs for animals and carry out repairs as soon as it is safe to do so.

Customers throughout Longford are urged to conserve water by not running taps unnecessarily, taking showers instead of baths and to refrain from using dishwashers and washing machines.

You may also like to read:

Water restored in NewtowncashelThe north Longford parish of Abbeylara has been plunged into darkness following confirmation that an elderly woman has died in a house fire this evening.

Gardai from Granard are investigating the circumstances surrounding the blaze at a house at Camagh, Abbeylara in which the elderly woman lost her life.

The victim, who is from the area, was in her 80s and lived alone.

It's not known at this stage what caused the fire but Granard Gardai have confirmed an investigation is now underway.

Local Cllr PJ Reilly said the local community had been left reeling by the news as he expressed his sympathy to the family and friends of the local woman.

"It's a very unfortunate that a tragedy such as this has come upon the village of Abbeylara tonight," he said.

"It's all the more tragic when you consider that this was an elderly woman who lived alone and that she couldn't be saved.

"It's a terrible tragedy."

For more on this developing story, follow longfordleader.ieMembers of North Longford, Longford and Ardagh Brownies, Guides and Senior Branch joined with 10 million Girl Guides in 150 countries to celebrate the impact of Guiding on their communities.

County Longford is a stronghold of Irish Girl Guides with 277 youth members participating in weekly meetings.



The girls have been celebrating the #IMPACT of Guiding to mark World Thinking Day, (Thursday, February 22).



World Thinking Day has been celebrated by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide since 1926.



It is an opportunity for girls to appreciate the international friendships they find in Guiding, to raise money to help grow and share Guiding with more girls and young women delivering life-changing opportunities for girls in underprivileged communities in developing countries around the world and join together to take action on global issues.



Funds raised this World Thinking Day will help raise money for new Guiding projects, for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Stop the Violence campaign and for grants for girls and young women to attend leadership development projects.



Another aspect of the Thinking Day meeting was a review of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with girls considering how they can IMPACT on any one of the 17 SDGs.



Involvement in Guiding has a positive impact on girls, helping them grow in confidence, independence and maturity as they develop essential life-skills.



It also affords them opportunities nationally and internationally, with girls from Longford travelling abroad to represent Irish Girl Guides at conferences and events.

Carmel Keenan, Annaly Area Commissioner said, Everything we do in Girl Guiding has an impact on our lives and the lives of the people around us.

By taking part in relevant, exciting and fun activities, our members experience positive change within themselves.



As they develop different skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, commitment and citizenship, they get motivated to make a positive change in the community and wider world. Hence, Girl Guiding impacts individually and collectively.



Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members.



Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens.



Girls can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator and Global Traveller.



Irish Girl Guides welcomes new members from age 5+ and volunteer Leaders from age 18+, girls aged 15-25 can undertake their Gaisce Awards through our programme.



To find out more, see www.irishgirlguides.ie, find us on Facebook or email annalyareaigg@gmail.com



Contact Carmel on 086 393 9513 to see how you can get involved.Most of us often look for that perfect background to get clicked in front of because of the common misconception that only exotic locations can give you that Instagram-worthy picture. But time and again, photographers across the world have proved that while a good background does make the work a little better, it definitely isn't the secret behind a good picture. And Adam Delane is here to reinstate your faith in the same.

You might have heard of the 'Ugly Location Challenge'. If you haven't, it basically means taking pictures in what seems like an 'ugly location' to you and surprising the world with magnificent results that you can get after some careful lighting and editing. Adam, a photographer based in Cincinnati, took up the challenge a little differently and decided to shoot inside a small crafts store in US called 'Hobby Lobby'.

Apparently, Hobby Lobby has the best and biggest selection of fake flowers. He posted the results on his Facebook and boy, oh boy! We want to visit him only to get our photographs taken by him in the same store.

Have a look:

1. This is the before

2. And THIS is after.

He was accompanied by 4 of his female friends and each one of them looked surreal in the after photos.

3. Just casually holding flowers.

4. And BAM!

5. Kinda awkward pose

6. But it led to this

7. Some of the BTS is hilarious

8. WOAH

9. Wait for it

10. The lighting though

Since then, Adam's photos have taken the entire world by storm and have started a new challenge called the 'Hobby Lobby Challenge'. Now that's the kind of online challenge we like!

In case you are wondering how he did it, here's a video that he posted to take you behind the scenes:

You can see more of his work here: Adam Delane PhotographyHave you ever witnessed paranormal activity? Have you ever been visited by a ghost? Even those who do not believe in god believe in supernatural forces, because there is too much evidence to deny its existence. Truth is scarier than fiction and anyone who has ever seen an otherworldly apparition will agree. There are castles across Europe which see restless spirits with unfinished business wandering around dark corridors and stairways. There are abandoned cemeteries which are haunted enough for you to look over your shoulder when you pass them by in the dead of the night.

These are 8 of the most haunted cities in the world, where every dark alley could have a strange apparition lurking around. Would you take a walk down the alley?

1. New Orleans, Lousianna

 Wikimedia Commons

New Orleans is home to the world's most haunted cemetery, the St. Louis Cemetery, where the remains of voodoo dame Marie Laveau lie. Her ghost is believed to wander around the area. Ghosts of civil war soldiers have also been spotted by visitors to the cemetery. The city is peppered with haunted houses, which are apparently even more expensive than normal ones.

New Orleans has a history of slavery and violence. Back in the early 19th century, the city was said to house the country's largest slave market. One of the most horrific stories is that of Madame Delphine LaLaurie who used to torture slaves in a secret attic in her house in the French quarter. The mansion is still believed to be haunted by ghosts of the slaves.

2. Edinburgh, Scotland

 Wikimedia Commons

There's something about cold places that attracts everything supernatural and eerie. The famous Edinburgh Castle is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of its many inhabitants from the past. A headless drummer is often spotted by the staff along with faint sounds of music and footsteps. Spirits of prisoners form the American Revolutionary war and the Seven Years War are believed to have been spotted roaming around the staircases and halls.

3. London, England

 Pexels

Nothing like encountering the ghost of a 14th-century Englishman while walking past a London cemetery on a cold wintry night. The city is one of the most haunted cities in the world. There have been numerous ghost sightings at different places in the city, particularly train stations and cemeteries. In the year 2000, the station supervisor at Liverpool Street station spotted a man on the platform at 2 a.m., long after the station had closed. He went to investigate but couldn't see anyone and told the same to his line controller who had been watching on CCTV. His controller replied: "But the guy was right next to you. How could you not see him?"

4. Paris, France

 Pexels

Paris is famous for its large network of catacombs, which are basically dark underground passageways meant for burial. The Parisian catacombs are the largest graveyards in the world with over 6 million dead buried there. It's easy to get lost in this maze of tunnels, like Philibert Aspairt whose body was found 9 years after he went missing in the passages.

 Flickr

The biggest tourist attraction of Paris, the Eiffel Tower, is also a preferred suicide spot and said to be haunted by the ghost of young girl.

5. Rome, Italy

 Wikimedia Commons

Like Paris, Rome too sits on a huge network of catacombs. Every year on the night between 10 and 11 September, on the beautiful Sant'Angelo Bridge, walks the ghost of a woman with her head under her arm. It is believed to be the wandering spirit of Beatrice Cenci, a young lady who was executed for murdering her violent husband. She was imprisoned in Castle Sant' Angelo before her execution. Next time you are in Rome on 11 September, dare yourself to walk the Sant'Angelo Bridge at night. Rome by night is different from Rome by day, and the ghosts will vouch for that.

6. Prague, Czech Republic

 Wikimedia Commons

Another European city to feature on the list, Prague has a number of ghost legends. With a medieval history full of knights and nobles and battles and duels, most central European cities find themselves visited by ghosts of their pasts.

 Tres Bohemes

One of the most haunted places in Prague is the Houska Castle, which is located deep in the forests of northern Prague. The castle was built to close the 'Gateway to hell' which was basically a huge bottomless pit believed to be the source of demonic activity in the region. Numerous skeletons of Nazis have also been unearthed from the pit. The ghosts that inhabit the castle are many and varied and include a headless horse riding in the silence of the night.

7. Savannah, Georgia

 ghostcitytours

With a bloody history of battles, fires, and yellow-fever epidemics, the city of Savannah has seen too many gruesome deaths and restless souls. Savannah literally sits on the mass graves of its dead, graves that are not limited to cemeteries but run way beyond the gates. One of the most eerie stories is that of Lucas Theatre which ran the movie 'The Exorcist'. When the theatre was being restored, workers reported hearing strange noises and sounds of applause.

8. Bucharest, Romania

 romaniatourstore

The country of Romania is shrouded in legends and nyths about the supernatural, the most famous being that of Vlad the Impaler who inspired Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. While Count Dracula's castle in Transylania is a stone's throw away from Bucharest, there are many other lesser-known haunted places in the city itself that make it one of the most haunted cities in the world. Romania's parliamentary assembly The Palace of the Parliament is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who asks people to help her. The famous Cismigiu Hotel too is said to be haunted. In 1990, the hotel building was given to the Theatre and Film academy to serve as a hostel for students. A young student was raped and pushed into the elevator shaft at the hotel and her screams can sometimes still be heard from the shaft, it is said.White House Chief of Staff John Kelly insisted to reporters Friday there's nothing to make him think about resigning, amid recent questions over his handling of the Rob Porter domestic abuse allegations.

"I have absolutely nothing to even consider resigning over, Kelly said during an impromptu briefing for about White House reporters.

Porter, the former White House staff secretary, resigned last month over reports that he had abused two ex-wives.

The former aide had failed to get a permanent security clearance, and the episode raised concerns about his access to classified information and about how long senior staffers had known about the allegations against him.

Kelly described himself as shocked by the alleged abuse, saying he had viewed Porter as the "ultimate gentleman."

Expressing some regret about how the situation was handled, Kelly acknowledged: "We didn't cover ourselves in glory in terms of how we handled that. It was confusing."

The White House has repeatedly tried to explain the timeline of events, something Kelly did again Friday.

Kelly told reporters he first learned of the allegations against Porter on Feb. 6, after inquiries from journalists. Kelly said those first queries focused on an allegation of "emotional abuse" from one woman. He said he then spoke to Porter, who resigned. Hours later, Kelly said, he learned there was also an accusation of physical abuse. At that point, Kelly said, he made sure that Porter was out.

Originally, the White House put out statements defending Porter, including one from Kelly. Kelly said he provided a statement of support for Porter after he heard only the first accusation.

"At that point in time, I thought the statement was accurate as it represented my relationship," Kelly said.

Kelly came under fire for his handling of the situation, during which the White House offered conflicting explanations. Initially, many top aides rallied around Porter and Hope Hicks, the White House communications director who was dating Porter and helped draft the original statements defending him. Hicks announced Wednesday that she will be leaving the administration.

Kelly said he had started looking into who had clearances and any delays in granting permanent clearances last fall. But he said he was not made aware of any specific allegations against Porter.

In the wake of the scandal over Porter, Kelly ordered that White House officials with interim clearances pending since before June 1, 2017, be cut off if they hadn't received permanent clearances by last Friday.

That move resulted in the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, being stripped of his high-level security clearance amid revelations about potential conflicts of interest.

Fox News John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of senators is pursuing a legislative effort that would give low-income military service members and their families access to federal food assistance programs, a concern that has impacted more than 20,000 people in recent years.

Because of a quirk in the law, some service members can be disqualified from programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which might be more widely known as "food stamps." Service members can be considered ineligible because of certain military pay, such as housing benefits.

A new legislative proposal introduced by Sens. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Tom Udall, D-N.M., would help such military families struggling to pay for food, they said Friday in an announcement.

"Our military is weakened when servicemembers go hungry and are unable to feed their families," said Duckworth, a combat pilot veteran who lost both legs in the Iraq War. "As someone whose family depended on food stamps after my father lost his job, and who served in uniform for most of my adult life, this is personal for me. We are the wealthiest nation in the world. Our service members shouldn't be forced to rely on food stamps to feed themselves -- but at the very least, we must ensure that those who need food stamps have access to them."

Related content:

A 2013 Census Bureau survey found about 23,000 active-duty service members depend on food stamps, the senators said. A Government Accountability Office report found service members spent roughly $21 million in SNAP benefits between September 2014 and August 2015, "indicating that many service members are having difficulty making ends meet," they said.

The military has not collected data on how many military families struggle with hunger, making it difficult to determine the overall scope of the food insecurity problem in the services. However, the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which directs policy for the military, will require the Pentagon to finally collect the data to determine how many service members rely on federal hunger assistance programs.

Udall called the effort to provide members with the resources that they need a "solemn obligation."

"Military families across the country are struggling with food insecurity -- and at the same time facing down unacceptable and unnecessary barriers to accessing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," he said. "Our troops should not have to worry that their families are well fed. Congress should live up to its promise to servicemembers and pass this common-sense legislation to remove needless roadblocks preventing military families from being able to put food on the table."

The Military Hunger Prevention Act fixes language in federal law and eliminates inconsistencies that prevent servicemembers in need from accessing the federal food assistance programs, the senators said. A flaw in federal law often forces such military families to instead rely on food pantries and food banks for emergency assistance "when the nation they are serving owes them much more," they said.

Service members who are disqualified from federal food assistance programs include ones receiving basic allowance for housing or pay to live off-base or private military residences. Because of calculations in qualifying for federal food assistance programs such as SNAP, low-income service members who receive the housing allowances can be excluded from food assistance benefits.

"Our military families have enough to worry about as they defend our nation's security," Murkowski said.

The legislative proposal has been endorsed by several advocacy groups, including MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the St. Louis Area Foodbank, the National Military Families Association, Blue Star Families and the Western Center on Law and Poverty. "Food insecurity among currently serving military families is a real but preventable reality," MAZON President and CEO Abby Leibman said. The legislation "will remove a major barrier that prevents tens of thousands of military families from putting nutritious food on the table."

The senators' bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by nine Democratic senators, including Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Dianne Feinstein, D.-Calif., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Doug Jones, D-Ala., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.News that two-thirds of the Navy's aging F/A-18 Hornets were stuck on the flightline lit up headlines last year. But the defense department's brand-new 5th-generation fighter program is also struggling to ensure that its shiny new aircraft are flyable, the three-star director of the program this week.

Of the 280 operational F-35s purchased to date by U.S. and international partners, only 51 percent are currently available for flight, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, director of the F-35 Joint Program Office, told reporters Wednesday at a round-table event.

Winter added that availability rates are lowest for aircraft purchased in early lots, which were beset with a number of hardware and software issues that later production lots addressed. Low-rate initial production lots 2 through 4 have availability rates between 40 and 50 percent, Winter said. The most recent LRIP lots, 9 and 10, which include aircraft that are still rolling off the production line, have the highest availability rates, 70 to 75 percent, he said.

"If you can afford to buy something, but you have to keep it in the parking lot because you can't afford to own and operate it, then it really doesn't do you much good," Winter said.

Part of the problem, Winter said, is the buggy autonomous logistics information system, or ALIS. The software, which among other things is designed to allow the aircraft to self-diagnose faulty or failing parts, sometimes creates false positives, telling maintainers a sound component had problems.

"They take it off and it's not bad but they don't know that, [so they] put it into the supply chain," Winter said. "[Then they] find out it's not bad and send it back."

All of that, of course, adds up to sleek 5th-generation aircraft sitting on the flightline or in hangars, unavailable to their units.

The good news, Winter said, is that the next version of ALIS, 3.0, eliminates many of these false positives. Moreover, he said, officials are working to make earlier generations of the aircraft more reliable in general while beefing up the maintenance pipeline at the same time.

"Sustaining that fleet requires the appropriate spare parts, trained maintenance personnel, and the systems and the tools to be able to do that maintenance," Winter said. "Likewise, we need a strong supply chain and supply base that can do repairables ... as well as generate new parts for spares and new parts for production."

The program is standing up organic government repair depots for the F-35 to fix the planes more efficiently and at lower cost, without having to rely on the industrial base to do the work. So far, Winter said, 68 different "subsystems" of the aircraft have been identified as items the government can repair organically.

"Things like tire and wheel, thermal management systems, avionics ... canopies," he said.

Throughout this fiscal year, Winter said, additional repair depots will be activated to do this work.

Meanwhile, he said, the program is working to increase the volume of spare parts production, so that U.S. an international aircraft have what they need in the supply chain to return to availability for flight as quickly as possible.

Also underway in Fiscal 2018 and 2019 is an effort to update the first batch of roughly 100 aircraft -- those in LRIPs 2 through 8 -- with hardware modifications for reliability and some software updates in line with the newest 3F block of software. These updates are expected to increase availability rates and reduce maintenance requirements.

"Once all those airframes are to that configuration, our ALIS ... eliminates the false positive, the spare parts are on the ramp where they're needed, and our repair capacity returning parts that need to be fixed is increased, our availability will be up and we'll be driving costs out," Winter said.

While the flyaway cost of the $100 million Joint Strike Fighter is steadily coming down with each production lot, Winter said it's crucial that these cost-savings and efficiency efforts take effect. In fact, he said, the ability of the military services to pay for the F-35 depends on it.

"The cost ratio we're experiencing today, if it's the same cost ratio into the future as our fleet grows from 280 aircraft to the 800-plus that we'll have by end of 2021, we will be unaffordable, in that the services' budgets will not be able to sustain that," Winter said. "So we are putting all of these measures that I talked about in place. We are reviewing and bringing that data back to the services so they can make good informed decisions about the path forward on sustainability and production capabilities."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.What Is ISIS-K? Two Experts on the Group Behind the Kabul Airport Attack and its Rivalry with the Taliban

By 2018, the group had become one of the top four deadliest terrorist organizations in the world.The Navy has awarded an initial $150 million contract to Lockheed Martin to develop shipboard lasers that can "dazzle" enemy drone swarms and take out small boats.

It's a "watershed moment" in the Navy's decades-long effort to develop laser weapons for surface ships, Ian McKennie, Lockheed's business development leader for laser systems, said Friday of the $150 million contract that could go to $942.8 million with options.

Lockheed plans to deliver two of the systems to the Navy in fiscal 2020. One would go on board an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer for testing and the second would be used for land testing at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

"Our design is scalable, and we can optimize it to meet requirements for future increments," Dr. Rob Afzal, a Lockheed senior fellow of laser weapon systems, said of the system called HELIOS, for High Energy Laser and Integrated Optical-dazzler with Surveillance.

"The HELIOS program is the first of its kind," said Michele Evans, vice president and general manager of Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors at Lockheed.

HELIOS, she said, "brings together laser weapon, long-range [Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance] and counter-[Unmanned Aerial System] capabilities, dramatically increasing the situational awareness and layered defense options available to the U.S. Navy."

"The primary targets are small boats and, even more importantly, small drones," McKennie said in a phone conference. He was reluctant to go into the classified specifics of the "dazzling" effects of HELIOS, but said the system was designed to "confuse or limit the capability" of enemy drones targeting Navy ships.

McKennie said the system was designed to be placed forward on the ship and be integrated with Aegis Combat Systems on board the destroyers, but he could not give an estimate on when HELIOS would be operational.

The Navy has experimented for decades with directed energy weapons and most recently placed an XN-1 LaWS (Laser Weapons System) ships' defense system on board the USS Ponce in 2014 for field testing.

The Ponce, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, at the time was being used to test the Navy's Afloat Forward Staging Base concept, in which the ship would serve as a weapons platform and a base for Special Operations troops and Army attack helicopters. The Ponce has since been decommissioned.

McKennnie said the HELIOS program drew on data and lessons learned from the LaWS testing, which was combined with Lockheed's own work on lasers and experience with Aegis systems to come up with HELIOS.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.The results of Red Sox lefty Drew Pomeranz recent MRI showed a flexor strain, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports on Twitter. Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com says that Pomeranz describes the strain as mild and isnt too worried about it. Mastrodonato later tweeted that every player who had a flexor strain last season missed at least six weeks, with one exception  Pomeranz. Last years injury caused him to spend 10 days on the DL. It should be strongly noted that all of this is simply one years worth of statistics, and weve yet to hear any announcement on Bostons plans for their starter. Pomeranz pitched to a 3.32 ERA across 30 starts last season for the Red Sox, striking out just over a batter per inning while posting a 43.2% ground ball rate. Hes slated to become a free agent following the 2018 season.

Elsewhere in the American Leagues Eastern DivisionThe Rockies remain in contact with free agent first baseman Mark Reynolds, Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweets. Reynolds, who hit 30 homers for Colorado in 2017, is the best free-agent first baseman available on the market, and a reunion between the two has long seemed like a solid fit in theory. However, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports recently contacted Reynolds agent, Jeff Boris, who tells him that the Rockies havent made any type of offer to Reynolds this winter. The 34-year-old carries a .274/.354/.471 slash line across two seasons with Colorado, but graded poorly among first baseman in quality of contact statistics like hard contact rate, average exit velocity and barrels per plate appearance last season.

Other small news items out of the NL WestBirthday wishes

Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun.

Happy Birthday WishesMy observations and sightings in nature.Mitessh Thakkar of mitesshthakkar.com told CNBC-TV18, "Tata Motors' chart pattern doesnt suggest a bigger reversal. It is slightly oversold and has been underperforming, it might do a catch up, but upside beyond Rs 395-400 look unlikely."

"So, my idea would be to wait for any up move in the market and try to exit around the Rs 400 mark. I think beyond that it is difficult. There is a chance in case something negative comes, the stock might decline to levels of about Rs 330-325 which would be excellent buying opportunity. In case those levels come earlier, I think you should look at averaging around that mark."

"I think Infosys should do well. The last time we saw the stock peak was close to about Rs 1,250 on May 16. However, I think that should be the price target around Rs 1,250 levels odd and I would not be really worried about it, I think we had a correction to about Rs 1,100 levels in February sometime and think that should be the bottom end of it."

"So, it might not do much, but the drift is more on the upside, so, chances of hitting the target on the upside are much brighter and much stronger. So I would try to book it around Rs 1,250 over the next two to three months."

"HDFC Bank has very strong support around Rs 1,740-1,720 zones. That is the medium to long term support area and in case it comes to those levels, it would be a good buy for people who trade with about 6-12 months perspective."

"On the upside, once we start getting past the recent highs of Rs 1,980-2,000, I think we can reasonably expect a price of Rs 2,300. So that will be my next few months kind of a range. Buying around Rs 1,750-1,740 is what I would recommend and trying to book around Rs 2,300 is what I have in mind," he added.Dinesh Deo has been appointed as the chief executive officer of JLT India, which is the knowledge and consulting centre of UK based JLT Group, a global insurance broking, employee benefits and consultancy firm.

The incumbent, Puneet Satyawadi, will take over as the Chief Operating Officer of JLT Americas. Deo has joined JLT India from BNY Mellon where he spent the last 13 years in various roles, most recently as the CEO of their operations in India.

Dominic Burke, Group CEO, JLT said that Deo's experience and expertise are well suited to building JLT Indias profile and expertise, as it plays an increasingly important role as we continue their mission to become the leading global specialist risk advisor and broker.

In his new role, Satyawadi will take on operational responsibility for the insurance broking and reinsurance business of the Americas. He will be responsible for leading the continued buildout of JLT Groups operations that support its business across the Americas. Satyawadi is also the deputy Chief Operations Officer of JLT Group and will continue in that role, as well as remain a Director on the India Board.The market has witnessed a mixed, truncated week, with the Sensex and Nifty falling around 0.30 percent. The steepest falls were witnessed inin Nifty Auto and the Bank Nifty and the midcap index was also down 1 percent.

Selloff in the last hour ahead of the long weekend brought about weakness in the market on Thursday. The Sensex ended over 100 points lower, while the Nifty closed below 10,500.

The Sensex ended 137 points down or 0.40 percent at 34,046.94, while the Nifty was down 34.50 points or 0.33 percent at 10,458.40. The market breadth favoured the declines as 1,163 shares advanced, against a decline of 1,532 shares, while 207 shares were unchanged.

Key indices erased all the gains and settled on a flat note last week. The possibility of four rate hikes this year in the US, rising crude oil prices and rising bond yields were among the major concerns that dragged the markets lower. Even promising quarterly GDP numbers failed to cheer the sentiment on the Dalal Street, Astha Jain, Senior Research Analyst at Hem Securities said in a statement.

In the upcoming week, apart from PSU bank-related developments, global and domestic data will be in focus. Investors will keep an eye out for the likely trade tiff that is seen arising out of US President Trumps import tariff imposition on steel and aluminium.

Here are ten things that could move the market in the upcoming week.

Stocks in focus

Aurobindo Pharma: The companys Unit 4 has received nine observations from the US Food and Drug Administration. The unit was inspected between February 12 and 20, 2018.

PNB: Lingam Prabhakar appointed as executive director.

BDO India Appointed As Forensic Auditor For 5 Grp Cos Of Nirav Modi

ONGC: Appointment of Rajesh Kakkar on the Board of the firm.

TVS Motor: Total Sales rise 37% At 2.90 Lakh Units Vs 2.10 Lakh Units (YoY)

NMDC: Cuts Prices Of Lump Ore & Fines By Rs 100/Tn For March

Corporate action

Stocks such as TVS Motor, DCM Shriram, HUDCO, and PFC, among others could be in focus as their boards meet to discuss the dividend issue.

Meanwhile, other companies such as HDFC, REC, NBCC, and Amber, among others, could be on investors radar on the back of fund raising plans of the company. Additionally, stocks such as Balrampur Chini, IDFC Bank, among others are set to meet to discuss buyback issue and interest payment.

Trump trade ties

The market could be on its feet based on developments on Friday, where US President Donald Trump looked to tighten metal imports.

Trump has said that he would impose a 25 percent import tariff on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium to protect US producers, a move that could trigger a trade war with China and Europe.

An executive order in this regard would be signed next week, Trump said after a meeting with executives of steel and aluminium companies yesterday.

"It'll be for a long period of time...And you'll have protection for a long time in a while. You'll have to regrow your industries, that's all I'm asking," Trump said in the presence of a pool of reporters.

Global cues

Apart from decisions taken by the Trump administration regarding import tariffs on steel and aluminium, there are several other global cues in focus as well.

Manufacturing and services data will be out in China and US next week, along with GDP data in Japan. US employment data, non-farm payrolls, will also be out in the forthcoming week.

All these data points could also be in focus for the market going ahead.

Macro data

Back home, the Street may look to focus on data coming from the services purchasing managers index (PMI) data for the month of February.

The manufacturing PMI fell to a four-month low of 52.1 against 52.4 in January. The lows come against the December high of 54.7. Whether services PMI too follows suit of manufacturing data will be seen by the Street.

Technical factors

On the weekly charts the Nifty formed a Shooting Star kind of pattern which should weigh on markets in the coming week.

The index continued its weakness for the third consecutive session and corrected towards 10,450 zones. The index has been making lower high and lower lows from the last two trading sessions and sustained selling is seen at every small bounce back move.

HDFC Securities, in its weekly analysis, said that the underlying trend of Nifty from daily to monthly timeframe is down. The important top reversal pattern has been formed/confirmed, from smaller to larger timeframe.

We expect further weakness in Nifty down to the retest of important support of ~ 10,300 levels for next week, where one may expect emergence of minor buying interest again, the brokerage said in a report.

FII flows

After turning net buyers in January, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers for February. March, too, has begun with FIIs being large buyers. They purchased a little over Rs 240 crore worth of shares from the Indian market on Thursday. The Street will keep an eye on these movements, especially after US Fed Chair Jerome Powells comments on rate hike in this year.

Rupee

The movement of rupee will also be tracked by investors next week. The currency hit a multi-month low last week, which led to a rise in IT and pharma stocks as well. Going forward, the currency will also be in focus post Powells statements to the Senate Banking Committee.

The rupee closed at 65.17, up 0.01 percent from its previous close of 65.18. It had opened at 65.25 and touched a high and a low of 65.10 and 65.27, respectively.

PSU banks

Shares of PSU banks will continue to remain on investors radar based on developments in the Punjab National Bank scam. The lender last week clarified that the amount of scam could rise to the tune of Rs 1,300 crore. Additionally, banks have begun clarifying to the exchange regarding fraudulent accounts. Meanwhile, the governments laws to prevent swindlers along with norms to declare frauds over Rs 50 crore will keep investors and potential investors in these stocks on their feet.

Earnings action

Although major companies have ended up declaring their results around 8 companies will be declaring their results in the upcoming week.

The prominent ones in focus are going to be Orchid Pharma, Gammon India, Coal India, NBCC and REC India, among others.U.S. President Donald Trump reacts after signing an executive order on education during an event with Governors at the White House in Washington

French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warned the United States against a trade war with the EU on Friday, saying there would "only be losers" in such a standoff.

Le Maire said US President Donald Trump's plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports would, if confirmed, be "unacceptable".

He called for a "strong, coordinated and united response from the EU".

Also read  IMF warns that US steel, aluminium tariffs will likely hurt economies

Trump triggered a furore on Thursday by announcing he would slap tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium to protect US producers.

The announcement caused an outcry among US allies such as Canada, the EU, Mexico and Australia as well as China, the world's biggest steel producer.

Also read  India doesn't expect immediate hit to steel exports after US import curbs, says govt official

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker vowed the bloc "will react firmly" to defend its interests.

"We will not sit idly while our industry is hit with unfair measures that put thousands of European jobs at risk," he said.

A defiant Trump reacted by saying that a trade war would be "good" for the US economy.After having registered a stellar performance in Tripura, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah today said that it was a happy day for the party and that party workers from all three North Eastern states -- Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland -- had put in an effort worth mentioning.

Speaking at a press conference at 16:00 IST, Shah said that the BJP is working towards ending Congress' and the Left Front's misrule across the country and that the party's golden period will only begin after victories in Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal.

Listed below are the highlights of Shah's comments:

# It is a day for joy for the BJP. This is a great day for lakhs of BJP workers, win in the North-East is very important for us. This win has many different meanings for us. I congratulate our workers in all the three states.

# We will focus on development of the North-East region. When we won the 2014 elections, PM Modi had mentioned how the Eastern India was neglected...PM started the act east policy to bring development into North-East.

# This is a victory of PM Narendra Modi's North-East policy.

# Our workers faced violence from communists in Tripura, many of them were also killed also. But, they gave victory to us.

# Our victory in Tripura is a big one...in 2013, we just had 1% vote share, now we have won elections with over 50% vote share. Our allies in Meghalaya have done well.

# Results of this election will have a cascading effect on Karnataka Assembly Polls. We are preparing for a big win in Karnataka.

# Results of these three states are an indication of the results we will get in Karnataka and then 2019.

# This is a big moral victory for our workers in West Bengal and Kerala.

# Our win in Tripura is historic...Congress did not win a single seat in Tripura or Nagaland.

# Left is not right for any part of India. Tripura has proven that Left is not the right party for India.

# In 2014, Narendra Modi ji had said western side of the nation has developed a lot but the same has not reached the eastern side yet. He immediately started his 'act east policy'. I believe this is the victory of his policies, stamped by the 3 states of the north-east.

# In Tripura, BJP and allies won all 20 tribal seats. All three states are dominated by tribals...and BJP and its allies have won majority of these tribal region seats.

# North-East needs development and peace. 21 states in the country are now NDA, BJP ruled states.

# Manik sarkar was a failed government. No development took place in the last 25 years. CPM will find new excuses as this time Voter-verified paper audit trail were being used.

# Congress has not got full majority in Meghalaya, why did senior Congress leaders went to Meghalaya?

# No win is small for us...our workers fought against the violence of left and today their souls will rest in peace.

# Our golden period is yet to come...we will make our governments in Odisha, West Bengal & Kerala...and we will definitely win Karnataka. These results will boost our confidence for 2019.

# Amit Shahs jibe on Rahul Gandhi: "perhaps there are elections in Italy"Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a speech at the new BJP headquarters in New Delhi, congratulating the efforts of party workers in getting a majority for the BJP in the Tripura assembly elections.

The party broke the current CPI(M) Chief Minister Manik Sarkar's 25-year-long rule in the state, leaving Congress in the dirt with zero seats to its name.

Detailed below are some of the highlights of the prime minister's speech:

# Several workers of BJP have sacrificed their lives, our innocent workers were killed only due to ideological differences.

# Left parties killed our several workers. The killings of our workers have been answered by the public of Tripura through their vote. They fought against Maoist ideology. Fear & confusion are the weapons of leftist parties. Lets observe two minutes silence in a mark of respect to workers who were killed in the Left violence.

# The Left party has received a befitting reply for spreading bhay and bhram among people in Tripura.

# Targeting Congress, PM Modi said that it has not been able to take the defeat sportingly, adding that people should accept even defeat gracefully.

# BJP chief Amit Shah has been the architect of this victory. Even in the remote North-East truth about BJP and BJP Government has reached the common man. I thank all the voters on behalf of BJP.

# Today, the entire country is painted with saffron. Our party is a party of all colours...from saffron to rainbow. In vastu, the North-East position is very important. According to vastu shastra, North-East is the most auspicious side. I am happy that north east is part of the vikas yatra. The North-East region has today come forward to lead India on the path to development.

# From being 'no one', BJP has 'won' today. This victory has been achieved with limited resources. No celebrities were used in these elections. Tripura elected team is the youngest team...we have a young team here, they have done wonders.

# When North Eastern people used to harass in Delhi, we sent the first message in 2014 by taking up these matters seriously. Rajnath Singh addressed the issue of violence against North-Eastern students.

#Our ministers travelled to the North-East states extensively, we sent more ministers to the region in the last 4 years than any other government since independence. BJP workers are being targeted and killed in states such as West Bengal, Kerala, even Odisha and now in Karnataka.

# Opposition always says this is vendetta...this is not vendetta, this is mandate. BJP has risen in every corner of the country due to hard work of the party workers.

# Congress partys status has gone down even as some people have got elevated. Once, I had told a Congress Chief Minister that the party will soon become a specimen. Congress's popularity was never on a decline as it is today. BJP workers must be alert that it does not allow Congress culture in the party.

# People from North-East always felt that Delhi is far away from them, but with the Doner Ministry in place, BJP has brought Delhi to their doorsteps.

Comments on Twitter

After the impressive performance of the BJP and its allies in the Tripura and Nagaland assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said people are reposing faith in the development-oriented agenda of the NDA, while rejecting negative and disconnected politics.

He said his party's historic victory in Tripura is "as much an ideological one". In a series of tweets, Modi said that "time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA."

"People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind. The historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one.It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves," he said.

He thanked the people of Nagaland for supporting BJP and its allies. "I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit," he said, adding that the welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for his government.

In a similar vein, Modi thanked the "Karyakartas" of the BJP in the states of Mehgalaya and Tripura for their efforts on the ground this Assembly election.

"I express my gratitude to the people of Meghalaya for supporting the BJP. The welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for us. I appreciate the BJP Karyakartas for their continued efforts in the state to serve the people," Modi said.

"I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and Act East Policy of BJP & our valued allies. We remain committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams & aspirations of the people," the PM said.The current Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang faces uncertainty from the stiff competition given by the BJP and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance.

The 66-year-old veteran has taken up various roles in the state government before taking up the helm of the state in July 2017. He leads the Naga Peoples Front (NPF)-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN).

Zelinag first became the Chief Minister of Nagaland in May 2014 after the previous DAN alliance leader, Neiphiu Rio, was elected to the Lok Sabha. Zelinag stepped down in February 2017 over agitations against the government for the reserving 33 percent of the urban local body seats for women.

Zeliang was born in 1952 at the Mbaupungwa village in the Peren district. A Zeliang Naga, he has been active in Nagalands politics since the last four decades, starting with his role as the president of the district Youth Congress in 1976.

He did not win a seat on the first two occasions he stood for elections in 1982 as an independent candidate and in 1987 as a member of the Naga National Democratic Party. He contested from the 6-Tening constituency in Nagaland's Peren district.

Tening would later turn out to be his stronghold as he won four times in a row from there in the 1989, 1993, 1998 and 2003 elections. He first won as a candidate of the Naga People's Council. The subsequent elections were clinched as a member of the Congress party.

Zeliang was the Minister of State for Information and Tourism from 1989-90. He would be the Minister of State for Relief and Rehabilitation from 1994 to 1998 and the Minister of Forest and Environment in 2003.

Zeliang formed the Nagaland Congress on June 27, 2003, after defecting from the Congress along with six other MLAs. Zeliang would become the minister for geology and mining after merging his party with the Neiphiu Rio-led Naga People's Front (NPF).

He also served a term as a Rajya Sabha member for Nagaland from 2004 to 2008 before going back to state politics as the Planning, Animal Husbandry and Parliamentary Affairs Minister in 2008.image for representation

Meghalaya threw up a hung Assembly today with the ruling Congress emerging as the single largest party after winning 21 seats out the 59 that went to polls last month.

The National People's Party (NPP) was at the second position with 19 seats, according the results, .

Track LIVE updates of Tripura, Nagaland and Megalaya election results

The BJP, which contested 47 seats, could win only two.

Polling for 59 Assembly seats, out of a total of 60, was held on February 27. A Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in an IED blast, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Tripura assembly election Results

To form government in Meghalaya at the present juncture, a party or coalition requires a minimum of 30 seats.

The Congress had no pre-poll arrangement with any party.

The BJP, which made a serious bid to dethrone the 10-year-old Mukul Sangma government, also had no seat-sharing arrangement with any party.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Nagaland assembly election Results

However, the NPP is an ally of the saffron party at the Centre and in Manipur.

NPP chief Conrad Sangma said, "We are hopeful that we will be able to form the government. People are fed up with the corrupt Congress government and are looking for a change."

All eyes are now on the regional parties and independent candidates.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Meghalaya assembly elections Results

The United Democratic Party (UDP) has won six seats followed by the People's Democratic Front (PDF) with four and the Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP)with two. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement and the Nationalist Congress Party won one seat each.

The UDF and the HSPDP have a pre-polls alliance.

Independent candidates won three seats.

The Congress has rushed two senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to the state to explore the possibility of forming the government.

The Congress' move comes in the wake of criticism in the past that the party was caught 'napping' in Goa and Manipur, where despite emerging as the single largest party it failed to form governments there.

After the Assembly elections last year threw hung verdicts in Manipur and Goa, the BJP formed governments there with the help of smaller parties and independent candidates.

Patel said there would no repetition of Manipur and Goa.

Nath said, "It is clear that we will form the government. The will of the people of Meghalaya will be reflected in our Congress government."

"We are in touch with everybody. Everybody is in touch with us," he said, adding that "we will stake claim tonight".

Nath alleged the BJP is trying to use "money power to cause as much disturbance as possible".

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who won from the two seats he contested, said the results were not on expected lines and he would keep his cards close to his chest with regard to the Congress forming the government.

For the first time, Sangma contested in two seats.

"We are in touch with like-minded regional parties and independents to form the government," state Congress working president Vincent H Pala told PTI.

Meghalaya is one of the five states where the Congress has been ruling. The other states where the party is in power, are Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Puducherry.Buoyed by BJP's maiden win in Tripura and impressive performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya, party chief Amit Shah today said it is an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and a reflection of the future results in Karnataka and the next Lok Sabha elections.

Shah used today's assemble elections verdict in the three northeastern states to present the BJP as being a truly pan-India party, noting that it is not restricted to the Hindi belt as claimed by its critics. Targeting the Congress, he pointed out that the party did not win a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland, and also hit out at the communist parties, saying "what the results have clearly showed is that the Left is not right for any part of the country."

Track LIVE updates of Tripura, Nagaland and Megalaya election results

He cited the BJP's successive victories in states to claim that popular verdict is the "thermometer" to find out a government's acceptance, and the masses have supported the Modi government in different parts of the country. Addressing a press conference, Shah underlined the significance of his party's win in the tiny state of Tripura, where it was for the first time pitted against the Left in a direct fight, and set his sights on Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala- three big states which have been out of its reach so far- and poll-bound Karnataka where the Congress is in power.

"This is a win of the prime minister's policies. People have put their stamp of approval on his politics of performance and development.... The results in the three states are a reflection of the future results of Karnataka polls and the next Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Tripura assembly election Results

Asked if he feels that the party has now entered its golden era, he suggested that such an assertion can be considered only after it rules these states as well. While the party has got a majority on its own in Tripura and won over two-thirds of seats with its ally, it is in a position to form government in Nagaland- where two biggest regional parties see it as an ally- and is hoping to cobble together an alliance in Meghalaya which has thrown up a hung assembly.

Shah dismissed Left's claim that the BJP had used money power in Tripura polls and said the opposition can no longer blame electronic voting machines due to use of voter-verified paper audit trail system. He said the party will celebrate 'Vijay Utsav' (victory celebrations) across the country tomorrow. Rejecting the charge of Congress, which was in power in Meghalaya, that the BJP will turn to horse-trading, Shah said the verdict there is against the Mukul Sangma government.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Nagaland assembly election Results

He took a swipe at the Congress wondering why it had sent its two central leaders to the state. He also said the party in Tripura will share power with its ally, which represents the state's tribal region, despite getting a majority on its own. He called it a "historic" win and also paid tributes of to nine party workers, victims of alleged political killing.

To a question about Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's visit to Italy ahead of declaration of results, he replied tongue-in-cheek about polls being held in that country as well, a dig at his mother Sonia Gandhi's Italian origins. "It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways," he said. He praised key central and state party leaders involved in the campaign while making it clear that the verdict was an endorsement of Modi who, he said, had been making specials efforts to develop eastern, and especially northeastern region.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Meghalaya assembly elections Results

Shah noted that the BJP had got only 1.3 per cent votes in 2013 assembly polls in Tripura and lost its deposit in all but one seat. This time it received 43 per cent of votes while its ally got close to 8 per cent. The party and it ally had won all 20 seats in the state reserved for tribals, he said, claiming that it showed people's appreciation for the central government's work for the poor, backwards, dalits and tribals.

After Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, this is the third state where the party has got close to 50 per cent votes, he said. The BJP is expecting victory in Karnataka and will now fight polls there with increased confidence to get a big win, he said. The southern state is likely to go to elections in April-May.BJP

The BJP's exemplary performance in Tripura reflects the mood of the people for the 2019 general elections, Ashish Shelar, the party's city unit chief, said today.

Shelar credited the victory to the party's national president Amit Shah.

"This is a victory of the strategy of our national president Amit Shah," he told reporters here.

Track LIVE updates of Tripura, Nagaland and Megalaya election results

The state BJP's south Mumbai headquarters wore a festive look with workers bursting crackers and distributing sweets.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was expected to join the celebrations but could not as he was caught up in work, a BJP leader said.

"The victory in the North Eastern states will be celebrated with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday morning. The CM will also address a press conference at the state BJP office," the BJP leader said.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Tripura assembly election Results

In an apparent reference to Shiv Sena, Shelar said that the BJP's victory had given pain to some people.

"There are some people who are not happy with the results. On the contrary, they must have felt sad and their pain can be felt by us," Shelar said.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Nagaland assembly election Results

Continuing its winning streak, the BJP today wrested Tripura from the Left Front and received an invitation to be part of the government in Nagaland, while Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly.BJP President Amit Shah flashes victory sign as he is accorded welcome by party workers celebrating outside BJP headquarters after North-East states Assembly election results, in New Delhi. (PTI)

BJP supporters hold up a placard of PM Modi after the party's victory in Tripura on Saturday. BJP's win marks an end to 25 years of CPI-M government rule in the state. (PTI)

BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and Tripura BJP chief Biplab Kumar Deb greet the supporters after party's victory in Tripura at Agartala. (PTI)

NPP candidate James Sangma displays victory sign after winning in Dadenggre constituency in the Meghalaya Assembly elections at Dadenggre, Meghalaya. (PTI)

A BJP supporter wears a mask of PM Modi to celebrate BJP's victory in Tripura. (PTI)

Congress supporters celebrate the win of Meghalaya CM and Congress candidate Mukul Sangma after his win in the Ampati constituency. Sangma also emerged as the Songsak constituency winner. (PTI)

BJP party workers celebrate at party headquarters after assembly election results, in New Delhi on Saturday. (PTI)

BJP party workers celebrate at party headquarters after assembly election results, in New Delhi. (PTI)(Twitter/Mukul Sangma)

Incumbent Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma today won both the seats he contested from in the state's assembly polls. Sangma contested the election from the Songsak constituency and bested NPP candidate Nihim Shira by a margin of 1,300 votes. He also contested from the Ampati constituency, where he beat BJP's Bakul Hajong by over 9,000 votes.

After entering politics in 1993 as an independent candidate, Sangma became the face of the Congress in Meghalaya when he joined the party in 2010 and was appointed the chief minister. Following the resignation of erstwhile CM Dr DD Lapang, Sangma has ruled the state for the last seven years and faced two assembly elections during his reign.

Here's a quick look at Sangma's journey in the world of politics:

Early life:

Sangma was born on April 20, 1965, to teachers Binoy Bhushan M Marak and Roshana Sangma at Ampati village, which is now the headquarters of South West Garo Hills district. He completed his schooling from the Government High School of the village in 1982 and moved to Shillong for further studies. He enrolled at St Anthony's College in Shillong where he cleared his pre-university examination in Science in 1984. In 1989, he graduated in medicine at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.

Social life:

In 1991, he joined Zikzak Public Health Centre as a Medical and Health Officer where he encountered people from diverse walks of life. In his capacity, he served the masses and learnt about their problems. This inspired him to work for their betterment.

Political life:

When Sangma entered politics in 1993, he successfully went on to win his first election as an independent candidate and was appointed as chairman of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation. In 1998, he joined the Congress and was re-elected from the same constituency.

In 2004, Congress fielded him from the Tura constituency in the Lok Sabha elections against veteran leader PA Sangma, who was holding a tight grip on the Garo Hills at the time. Although Mukul was defeated in the polls, he continued to maintain a strong hold on his party. From Home and Education Minister, he was appointed as the deputy chief minister in 2005, under CM DD Lapang. But after six months, he stepped down from the post following police firing, which claimed five lives at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills district.

In 2008, he was reelected from Ampatigiri constituency for the fourth time. He was again appointed as the deputy CM and went on to replace Lapang as CM, who resigned from the party.

Since then, Sangma has held the CM position in the state.

Assets:

According to an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, the CM holds a total of Rs 13.59 crore worth of assets as of 2018. They include movable and immovable assets worth Rs 3.93 crore and Rs 9.66 crore, respectively.

However, the report showed that Sangma's fortunes had declined by around 6 percent since 2013.11:38 Leads update at 11.30 am

Tripura: Left 17 | BJP 41 | Congress 0 | Others 1

Meghalaya: Congress 27 | NPP 10 | BJP 8 | Others 14

Nagaland: NPF+ 27 | BJP+ 30 | Others 3 | Congress 0

11:00 Leads update at 11 am

Tripura: Left 27| BJP 32 | Congress 0 | Others )

Meghalaya: Congress 22 | NPP 14 | BJP leads 5 | Others 17

Nagaland:

IPFT

gamechanger

BJP's

Himanta

Biswa

Sarma

NPF+ 29 | BJP+ 31 seats | Others 1

BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma says the alliance with IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura) was the gamechanger. Alliance with IPFT could have been suicidal or give us huge advantage but Amit Shah was sure it will get good results. Many people did not want merger but the BJP president was in favour and that has helped. If Amit Shah is a student of post graduation, Rahul Gandhi is in nursery in terms of politics, he told News18.

10:55 Just In | PM Narendra Modi to visit BJP office at 6 PM

10:15 Just when it looked certain that the CPI(M) will return to power in Tripura, the BJP has made a strong come back to lead in 31 seats as compared to Left Front's 24 seats. Remember, BJP leader Ram Madhav had earlier in the day said that the EVM counting was yet to begin.

09:50 "In Meghalaya, we will form the government. The BJP don't have a stand of their own, they resorted to stealing our leaders. Many defected to their side but the Congress will still emerge victorious," says Congress spokesperson, Zarita.  News18

09:40 It appears that the tables are turning in Tripura. The Manik Sarkar-led Left Front leads in 30 seats, comfortably ahead of the BJP which is leading in 22 seats.

09:30 Early trends cant be taken on face value. Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya have smaller constituencies. Thus, the margin of victory can at times be under 100 seats. One round of counting can turn the tables.

09:15 Much like a T20 match, the leads are swinging in favour of political parties every minute.

In Meghalaya, the Congress is ahead in 10 seats, while the NPP is leading in 5 seats. The BJP has so far managed to lead only in one seat, other regional parties are ahead in 6 seats. Meghalaya has 59 seats up for grabs.

In Tripura, the BJP trailing Left by a margin of 3 seats. The Manik Sarkar-led CPM is ahead in 26 seats, just ahead of the BJP which is leading in 23 seats.

In Nagaland, the NPF+ combine is ahead in 23 seats, while BJP is leading in 17 seats. Congress still to open account.

0900 Update at 9 am: One hour since the counting has begun

Tripura: BJP trails Left  BJP leads in 19 seats; Left ahead in 23 seats

Meghalaya: Congress leads in 7 seats, NPP ahead in 3, BJP leads 1, Others 6

Nagaland: NPF+ leads in 8 seats, BJP+ in 9 seats

08:55 Tripura is getting exciting by the minute. The Left now leads in 23 seats against the BJP combine is ahead in 18 seats. Congress is ahead in one seat.

08:52 The BJP-plus alliance is leading in 6 seats in Nagaland. NPF+ and Congress yet to get cracking.

08:46 The race in Tripura is hotting up. The CPI (M) now leads in 14 seats, the BJP-lead leads in 11 seats. Congress is yet to open account in the 60-seat assembly.

08:45 Early trends coming in from Meghalaya now. The Congress and NPP are leading in 3 seats each and BJP in 1 constituency.

08:35 BJP, Left neck and neck in Tripura; BJP-NDDP bag 1 seat in Nagaland

08:31 The equation in Tripura seems changing quickly. CPI(M) leads in 9 seats while BJP+ combine is ahead in 10 seats.

Meanwhile, in Nagaland, BJP+ alliance leads in one seat; other political parties are yet to lead.

No leads from Meghalaya yet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has last week called upon the people of Tripura to "throw" out the Manik Sarkar-led Left Front government in the state and vote for the BJP to usher in development for which he developed a new acronym - 'hira'.

Hira means, he said, "H for highway, I for Internet way, R for roadways and A for airways".

08:15 Anti-CPI(M) sentiment over pro-BJP wave in Tripura?

BJPs poll in-charge of Tripura, Sunil Deodhar says "It is a fact that we are riding on a strong anti-CPI(M) wave rather than a pro-BJP wave. It's more of a 'CPI(M) hatao' sentiment than a 'Modi lao' one. And it's because of an incompetent chief minister, his misrule and bad governance."

The 52-year-old served as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign manager in Varanasi during the 2014 general elections.  News18

08:00 Counting of votes for the elections in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura has begun. The BJP will be just one state short of a northeast bereft of the Congress if exit poll predictions come true. Elections held after 2014 saw the exit of Congress in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Two exit polls have hinted at a Congress rout in the three states. With regional players help, the BJP is set to come to power, exit polls suggest.

07:58 We're just 2 minutes to the start of the counting of votes for the three northeastern states. Can the BJP expand its presence in the Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura?

07:15 Exit Polls  Nagaland

In Nagaland, the BJP-NDPP alliance is likely to storm the ruling NPF bastion as it is predicted to win 27-32 seats with a vote share of 48 percent, against NPF's 20-25 seats and a vote share of 42 percent, according to the JanKiBaat-NewsX exit poll.

07:10 Exit Polls  Meghalaya

In Meghalaya where the Congress is in power, the JanKiBaat-NewsX exit poll shows that the National People's Party (NPP) is set to gain with 23-27 seats while the BJP will get 8-12 seats, with vote shares of 39 and 12 percent respectively. The NPP, which is member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has not entered into a formal pre-poll alliance with the BJP.

07:05 Exit Polls  Tripura

JanKiBaat-NewsX has predicted that the BJP-IPFT alliance in Tripura will win 35-45 seats with a vote share of 51 percent. While another exit poll by AxisMyIndia predicts 44-50 seats for the BJP-IPFT with a vote share of 49 percent and others may get 0-3 seats with a vote share of 11 percent.

07:00 Exit polls suggest a BJP surge in the northeast

Exit polls suggest that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with allies is likely to form the next governments in Indias north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. Two exit polls last Tuesday predicted that the BJP would dethrone the Left from power in Tripura and consolidate its position in north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Nagaland.

06:55 The day ahead  Meghalaya

A three-tier security arrangement has been made at all the 13 counting centres and 11 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed for the counting process.

06:50 The day ahead  Nagalan

In Nagaland, 349 tables in 17 centres across the state have been set up for counting. Votes would be counted in presence of the candidates and agents under the supervision of the respective district returning officers and assistant returning officers.

06:45 The day ahead  Tripura

Adequate security measures have been made for the counting centres in Tripura. Counting halls are ready. General and police observers have been appointed for the halls.

06:35 Difficult start to Nagaland election process

The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, is contesting only in 18 seats, two less than the BJP. The election process in Nagaland had started on a difficult note.

Following a no-poll diktat from the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations that advocated "solution (to the Naga political issue) before election", political parties initially kept away from the poll process.

Though the filing of nominations started on January 31, the first batch of 22 contestants filed their papers only on February 5, the penultimate day for filing of nominations.

There was a heavy rush of nominees to file their nomination papers on the last day, February 7, and finally after scrutiny and withdrawal, 227 candidates were in the fray for the Assembly elections in the state.

06:30 Assembly strength in Tripura, Meghalaya & Nagaland

Though the strength of each of the Assemblies in the three states is 60 members, voting was held for 59 constituencies in all of them, for different reasons.

While a CPI (M) candidate died in Tripura, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in Meghalaya, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat each in the two states.

In Meghalaya, the Congress fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP put up nominees in 47 constituencies. For the first time, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is contesting from two seats.

In Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio was declared elected unopposed.

In Nagaland, the BJP has joined hands with the NDPP that was floated by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The NDPP is contesting on 40 seats and the saffron party on 20.

06:25 Counting would begin from 8 am in all the states amid tight security, Election Commission officials said.

While Tripura went to the polls on February 18, elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.

06:20 BJP emerges a strong contender in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura

The BJP has emerged as a strong contender in all the three states and two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states. While the Congress has been ruling Meghalaya for 10 years, the Naga People's Front (NFP) has been in power in Nagaland since 2003, except for a three-month period of President's rule in 2008.

Buoyed by the formation of governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making a bid to expand its footprints in the region.

06:16 The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in three north-eastern states  Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura  will begin at 8 am amid tight security.

06:15 Good morning readers! This blog bring you up to speed with the live counting updates from the recently-concluded assembly elections in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.The 48-year-old managed to break the entire top leadership of the Trinamool Congress and the Congress to bring them into the BJP fold as well as build an Assam-style alliance with IPFT (Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura). With this alliance, the vote in the hills polarised in favour of the BJP. Sarma is widely credited with the party's victory in Assam and Manipur elections.

The Congress is leading in 18 seats followed by the National People's Party (NPP) in 10 as trends are available for 43 seats in the Meghlaya Assembly elections.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Tripura assembly election Results

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is leading in Songsak constituency. He is also contesting in Ampati seat.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Nagaland assembly election Results

While the United Democratic Party (UDP) is leading in five, the People's Democratic Front (PDF) is leading in four.

Track LIVE updates of Tripura, Nagaland and Megalaya election results

Both the BJP and Independents are leading in three constituencies.

Track constituency-wise LIVE updates of Meghalaya assembly elections Results

Polling for 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly was held on February 27. A Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in an IED blast, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang today discussed ways to enhance cooperation in key areas of defence and trade.

The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Vietnamese president.

Their discussions focused on steps to further strengthen country's comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Quang was also given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. "PM @narendramodi welcomes Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on his first State visit to India at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. India and Vietnam enjoy warm and cordial relationship with common roots in history. #ActEastPolicy," Kumar tweeted.business NSE Finwiz Season 5: When & how to invest in mutual funds In this episode NSE Finwiz, Mehrab Irani, General Manager at Tata Investment Corporation and Kalpesh Ashar of Full Circle Financial Planners and Advisers spoke about mutual funds versus other asset classes with the young professionals at Amul Fed Dairy in Ahmedabad.2018 marks 70th year of India and Switzerlands bilateral friendship treaty that was signed in 1948.

India is one of the top partners in Asia with Switzerland when it comes to signing of various treaties like education, pharma, medical tourism, investment, visa etc. When it comes to tourism, Switzerland tops charts for Indian tourists.

2017 has been a great year for Switzerland as in sense of footfalls coming in from the Indian markets.

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Martin Nydegger, CEO of Switzerland Tourism gave a sneak peek of tourism in Switzerland.Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 23, 2017. REUTERS/Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool - RTX32D9E

The Kremlin on Friday said Russia will not be part of a new arms race as the United States and NATO voiced concern over Vladimir Putin's boasts of new "invincible" weapons.

Putin stunned the West  and many in Russia  on Thursday by using his state of the nation address to unveil a new arsenal of hypersonic weapons and submarines less than three weeks before an election is expected to extend his rule until 2024.

The revelations came with ties between Russia and the West at post-Cold War lows over the Syria and Ukraine conflicts, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.

Putin said the weapons would render Western missile defence systems obsolete, prompting a harsh response from NATO, which insisted its systems based in Europe were not directed against Russia.

"Russian statements threatening to target Allies are unacceptable and counterproductive," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said in a statement.

Putin insisted the next generation weapons would only ever be used in self-defence, though his presentation featured video montages of missiles crossing mountains and oceans, including the Atlantic.

US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel shared worries in a phone conversation over Putin's claims, Berlin said Friday.

"The chancellor and the president voiced concern about Russian President Putin's latest remarks on arms development and its negative impact on international arms control efforts," said a statement by the German chancellery.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected accusations Russia was violating any arms control agreements.

"We categorically reject any accusations that Russia is violating any provisions and articles of international law on disarmament and arms control," Peskov said.

"Russia is not going to be pulled into any arms race." Washington accused Moscow of breaching Cold War-era arms treaties, with a State Department spokeswoman saying it was "unfortunate" to have watched a video animation that depicted a nuclear attack on the United States.

Putin presented Russia's military efforts as a response to actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its own nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.

"No one really wanted to talk to us basically. No one listened to us then. Listen to us now," Putin said Thursday, prompting a standing ovation from the audience of top officials, lawmakers and celebrities.

Nearly half of his almost two-hour speech was dedicated to the country's latest weaponry.

Peskov denied suggestions that one of the videos allegedly used a map of the United States to simulate an attack on Florida.

"No maps were used there, these are absolutely symbolic contours, there is not any tie-up to any concrete country," he said.

Analysts said Putin  who is all but guaranteed to win a fourth Kremlin term in March 18 elections  was effectively challenging Washington to a new arms race.

"This is a formal declaration of a new Cold War," independent security analyst Alexander Golts told AFP.

He compared Putin's address to former British prime minister Winston Churchill's 1946 speech in which he condemned the Soviet Union and effectively announced the beginning of the Cold War.

The US State Department expressed outrage at Putin's presentation and his "cheesy" animated video of warheads over US soil -- and said the Russian leader had confirmed long-held allegations about his programme.

"We don't regard that as the behaviour of a responsible international player," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.In order to reduce the destruction of forests, the Chinese government increased the tax on a particular product. What is it? (Image: Reuters)

Senior US officials stressed concerns about the US trade deficit with China, market access and unfair treatment of US companies in a second day of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser at the White House on Friday.

Liu He met US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer after a similar meeting with the three on Thursday.

Their second day of talks came amid heightened economic tensions with Beijing and fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump announced plans to put tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium, triggering threats of retaliation from trading partners and a slide in stock markets.

Also read  WTO chief says 'clearly concerned' over new Donald Trump tariffs

"We held frank conversations," a White House spokeswoman said.

"We expressed concerns about the trade deficit, lack of reciprocal treatment for US companies, issues related to transfers of technology, and market access barriers in China," she said.

"We continue to be open to an exchange of ideas on how to resolve these concerns."

Also read  IMF warns that US steel, aluminium tariffs will likely hurt economies

White House officials said Trump himself did not stop by the meeting with Liu as he sometimes does when senior foreign dignitaries, including Chinese officials, are visiting.

Trump struck a defiant tone on Friday, saying trade wars were good and easy to win, after the European Union raised the possibility of countermeasures, France said the duties would be unacceptable and China urged him to show restraint.Abraham Lincoln may not have been born in Illinois but he clearly is among the states favorite sons.

Lincoln came into the world on Feb. 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Kentucky, but eventually spent several decades living in Illinois, and departed for the presidency as a resident of Springfield. He was a shopkeeper, postmaster, lawyer, and state and federal legislator before being elected president in 1860.

He served as the nations 16th president from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. The bullet fired by John Wilkes Booth prematurely took one of the nations greatest presidents from its citizens, but could not diminish his accomplishments  notably the abolishment of slavery  that have defined his legacy.

Planting roots in Illinois

Lincoln had a humble beginning. The second child and first son to Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, he was born in a one-room log cabin. He did not have the benefit of consistent formal schooling, as he often worked to help support his family during his childhood in Kentucky and then Indiana.

The family moved to Illinois in 1830 and Lincoln wound up in New Salem working as postmaster and shopkeeper. He became involved in local politics, winning a seat in the state legislature in 1834. He taught himself law and passed the bar in 1836; in 1846 he won a seat to the U.S. House of Representatives.

He married Mary Todd in November 1842 and they had four sons, although only the eldest, Robert Todd, survived into adulthood. The Greek Revival house the family lived in for 17 years still sits in Springfield today, with its homestead a popular place for tourists to visit when they come to the states capital.

Lincolns biggest accomplishment was probably the abolishment of slavery, an issue he began speaking out against as a young adult. His first statement on the issue is said to have been March 3, 1837, when he said the institution of slavery is founded on both injustice and bad policy during a speech at the state legislature when it was in Vandalia.

It was an issue he would repeatedly discuss during his political career: When accepting the Republican nomination in June 1858 during a convention in Springfield to be the partys candidate for U.S. Senate, Lincoln gave his A house divided against itself cannot stand speech. And it was one of the main issues discussed during his failed bid for the Senate, as during the 1858 debates with Stephen A. Douglas the future president forcibly spoke out against slavery. While he lost the race for Senate that year, those seven debates gave him the national prominence he needed to win the presidency.

The presidency

Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States in November 1860 and took office the following March. Much of Lincolns time as president was spent on the issue of slavery, as the divide between the North and South as to whether it should be allowed led to the Civil War starting a month after he took office.

It was during the war that his Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in Confederate states, went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863. And it was on one of the bloodiest battlefields of the Civil War that Lincoln delivered perhaps the most important speech in American history. The Gettysburg Address, given Nov. 19, 1863, is known for Lincolns succinct summary of the purpose of the United States: That the country was conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Lincoln was elected to a second term as the war raged on, but his death came shortly after his second inauguration and just as the Civil War was coming to end. He was shot April 14, 1865, while watching Our American Cousin at Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. It was Good Friday, just five days after the surrender of General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Booth, a sympathizer with the Confederacy, shot the president point-blank in the back of his head.

News of Lincolns death arrived in Springfield via telegraph at 3 a.m. April 15, 1865, to the Daily State Journals newsroom. The president was shot in a theater tonight and is probably mortally wounded, read the dispatch.

Moments later another followed: The president is not expected to live through the night.  Secretary (of State William) Seward was also assassinated. No arteries were cut. Particulars soon.

The second, of course, was inaccurate about Sewards fate, but the news about Lincoln was correct. Additional dispatches painted the chaos inside Fords Theater, including the sound of a pistol, a man waving a dagger leaping from the presidents box, the screams of Mrs. Lincoln, and finally, the heartbreaking confirmation that the 16th president of the United States had died.

A train carried the presidents body throughout the country for nearly two weeks, allowing citizens to grieve their loss. On May 3, crowds descended upon Springfield as the train carrying Lincoln pulled into town for the presidents burial.

Today we lay him reverently to rest amid the scenes he loved so well, the Journal said the next day. Millions will drop a tear to his memory, and future generations will make a pilgrimage to his tomb. Peace to his ashes.

Pilgrimages continue to the 16th presidents tomb to this day, with many visitors rubbing the nose of the bronze head of Lincoln that sits in front of the entrance to the tomb. The words uttered by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton upon Lincolns passing have indeed come true: Now he belongs to the ages.

 Rich Saal contributed to this report.There is enough food to take ...Justin Donald Boucher TCSO Booking Photo View Photos

Sonora, CA  A man under investigation since last February, forcibly taken into custody yesterday, faces multiple felony sex crime charges against a child under the age of ten.

According to Tuolumne County Sheriffs spokesperson Lt. Neil Evans, 30-year-old Justin Donald Boucher of Sonora fought with deputies who responded during the mid-morning to the 1800 block of Rawhide Road, where they eventually took him into custody.

As Evans recounts, He resisteddetectives ended up physically fighting with him over a several-minute period of timeused pepper spray. He was not affected by that. They ended up tasing him to take him into custody.

Evans says the sheriffs office became involved just over a year ago when family members called, sharing that the victim had come forward to confide what was allegedly going on. The case is obviously sensitive because of the victims age, he notes, adding that it involves multiple occurrences of sodomy, oral copulation, rape by force and continued sex abuse of a child that occurred over a three-year period at several locations within the county.

While the arrest report lists Bouchers occupation as a firefighter, Lt. Evans says that it appears he was not currently employed as such. In addition to the sex crime offenses, Boucher also faces a felony resisting arrest charge. His bail was set at $220,000.February 1, 2018 snowpack at Phillips Station View Photos

Sonora, CA  A dramatic decrease of the snowpack across the American West over the past six decades has Scientists in Oregon and California concerned.

The study published Friday in NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science found downward trending snow measurements at more than 90 percent of regional snow monitoring sites since 1955. The average snowpack in the region also plunged up to 30 percent in the past century. That water loss volume roughly equals the full fill level at Lake Mead, which is the Wests largest manmade reservoir.

The study, authored by scientists at Oregon State University and the University of California, Los Angeles also found that California had the most gains in snowpack since 1955 but recent drought erased those gains. Eastern Oregon and northern Nevada saw the worst decline in snowpack.

Click here for an earlier story on the Sierra Nevadas February manual reading of the snowpack.Globalscape

San Antonios Globalscape Inc. has appointed Karen Young as its interim chief financial officer following James W. Albrecht Jr.s retirement as CFO Friday.

The change comes about three months after Chicago accounting firm RSM withdrew as auditor to Globalscape, telling the San Antonio software developer that it could no longer rely on managements representations, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.A week after state Sen. Carlos Urestis conviction in a salacious trial that included vivid testimony about him carrying on an extramarital relationship, his wife has filed for divorce.

Lleanna Uresti cited adultery among the reasons for seeking to end the couples nearly six-year union, according to the petition filed Friday in state District Court in Bexar County.

The San Antonio Democrat couldnt immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.

Lleanna Urestis petition requests temporary orders preventing her husband from, among other things, contacting her, acting badly, withdrawing money from various accounts, and destroying or selling any property.

Lleanna Uresti seeks exclusive possession of their Helotes home, assessed at $1.6 million. She also says she should be awarded a disproportionate share of the couples estate for various reasons, including fault in the breakup of the marriage and need for future support.

The Urestis separated on Monday, the petition says, four days after Carlos Uresti was convicted by a federal jury on 11 felony charges in connection with his involvement in a now-defunct oil field company that defrauded investors. Uresti vowed to appeal. He is facing up to 12 years in prison and millions of dollars in restitution when he is sentenced in June, according to some local lawyers who spoke to the San Antonio Express-News last week.

Uresti, 54, served as outside general counsel for FourWinds Logistics. He also was a 1 percent owner and recruited investors. Among those investors was Denise Cantu, a Harlingen woman whom Uresti helped obtain a $2.5 million legal settlement over the deaths of two of her children in a 2010 vehicle wreck.

Cantu later invested $900,000 of the settlement with FourWinds on Urestis recommendation, losing about $800,000. She testified during his trial that she didnt know he stood to get a cut of her profits.

Cantu told jurors that Uresti became her financial adviser, confidante, friend and eventually lover. She said their sexual relationship further bonded the grieving mother to Uresti. He has denied that the two were sexually involved.

Prosecutors say Uresti, under financial strain, groomed Cantu before defrauding her  gaining her trust over time, seducing her and persuading her to invest in the startup company he knew was a sham.

Cantu has a pending fraud lawsuit against Uresti.

Uresti and his wife were regularly seen walking hand in hand or arm in arm while arriving and leaving federal court in San Antonio during the trial, which lasted nearly five weeks.

After the guilty verdict, the two held each other in a lingering embrace just outside the courtroom. He remains free on bail until sentencing.

Uresti and Margaret Lleanna Elizondo, a woman 12 years his junior, married on July 24, 2012. She is a former school counselor and real estate agent. The website HomeLight says she has sold 14 houses since 2012.

Uresti had served as her lawyer in her 2008 divorce from her previous husband, Joel Rodriguez, court records show. Uresti also represented his co-defendant, Gary Cain, 61, in his 2011 divorce case. Cain was a FourWinds consultant who was convicted on nine felonies.

The Urestis held their wedding reception at the ritzy Kendall Plantation, an antebellum-style venue in Boerne.

A video of their wedding dance  featuring Lleanna Uresti in a silver fringe ballroom mini-dress and Carlos Uresti in a tux sans jacket and tie prancing to the Bee Gees More Than a Woman and Im Glad You Came by the British boy band The Wanted  has generated more than 21,000 views on YouTube.

Nside San Antonio magazine reported the wedding had a theme of glamour, glitz, elegance, romance and The Godfather. Carlos Uresti is a huge fan of the 1970s Mafia epic.

Lleanna Urestis divorce petition comes as her husband is under pressure to resign from his Senate seat. He also is facing the loss of his livelihood as an attorney, as well as his freedom.

For the full version of this story, read Saturdays paper or click here to visit ExpressNews.com.Those who weren't able to get their hands on the coveted H-E-B Selena commemorative tote bag can drown their sorrows at El Luchador Bar where a Sunday Funday will be hosted in honor of the queen.

"Selena Sunday" at the bar, 622 Roosevelt Ave., will allow her fans to "hang out," watch her movie and videos on the big screen and nosh on free tamales and pan dulce.This story published in September 2017.

Good news, Texas: It's not unbearably hot outside anymore.

Though there are still a few 90-degree-plus days ahead of us, it looks like the worst of the summer heat is behind us as the Lone Star State welcomes another fall season.

While the prime time for tubing Central Texas' rivers might be over, cooler temperatures means it's time to take a road trip to enjoy the region's quaint small towns and popular state parks.

RELATED: 35 can't-miss concerts coming to San Antonio for fall 2017

But taking a road trip doesn't have to mean stopping at a fast food joint along the highway. New Braunfels, San Marcos, Seguin, Uvalde and other towns are filled with local restaurants worth a visit.

We looked at Yelp to find the top three dining spots in towns close to popular tourist destinations.

From German bakeries, to tacos, to roadside restaurants serving up American classics, take a look in the gallery above to find out where to go and what past customers had to say about their visits.

erobinson@mysa.com

Twitter: @eeelizzzabethSutherland Springs, Texas

Pastor Frank Pomeroy now carries a pistol to each and every church function.

The gun isn't new; he's had it for years. But it was not until the shooting rampage nearly four months ago that killed more than two dozen at First Baptist Church including a pregnant woman  and his own daughter  that he began wearing it regularly, in a holster on his hip.

As fresh mass shootings such as the one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. reopen debates about gun control, members of this Southern Baptist congregation are relying on what they hope is added safety plus ongoing prayer as they move forward. At this 92-year-old congregation near the town's one blinking red light, many members believe God allowed the Nov. 5 massacre to happen as  in Pomeroy's words  "blood's seed for revival."

Those beliefs couldn't be more different from those of the Florida teenagers who believe they can reform an American political culture that has resisted curbs on the availability of weapons.This week, those students begged President Trump to support gun control legislation.

Here in Sutherland Springs, a few days earlier at a Sunday morning Bible study, Pomeroy told members that for Christians, prayer, not protests, is the primary Christian response.

"When I see the aftermath of what's happening in Florida, I thank God for your faith here," said Pomeroy. "I am just thankful that we chose to lift up God, rather than man. Pray for those who are truly involved, not all the secondary people that are getting the noise on TV."

That prayer has been constant and heartfelt: The names of the survivors and their families are listed in each week's church bulletin. And numerous prayer services have been held to support the grieving and the wounded.

It's not that the people of Sutherland Springs haven't talked about guns. But mostly there have been debates about whether a church member with a gun might have stopped the shooter.

"It's a Bible-based church," Judy Green said. "We study strictly out of the Bible."Hundreds of women and a few dozen men gathered in The Woodlands Friday to hear messages of hope and also raise funds for a local charity.

The Interfaith Community Clinic hosted the fifth annual Women Empowering Women luncheon on March 2. Attendees-the vast majority of whom were women-listened to inspirational speeches while raising money to support The Woodlands-based The Interfaith Community Clinic.

Missy Herndon, president and CEO of the clinic, gave a warm welcome speech, thanking the many sponsors during her opening remarks.

"I want to thank each one of you for your commitment to making our community the wonderful place that it is, where neighbors help neighbors," Herndon said.

The clinic provides basic medical and dental care, counseling and patient services to qualified, uninsured individuals in need.

"The clinic serves men, women and children who would otherwise not have access to health care because they do not have insurance. It is important to note that more than 70 percent of our patients are women-women of all ages and all backgrounds," Herndon said. "These are hardworking individuals who are doing their best and come here for basic medical and dental care, something that many of us take for granted,"

Herndon said as the local community continues to grow, these needs grow as well.

More Information Where Donations Go The Interfaith Community Clinic provides free health and dental care to local residents and is always accepting donations. The following are example uses of donation money: $50: One month of diabetic monitoring supplies for one patient One adult tooth filling $75: Tetanus shot for three patients Stainless steel crown for one child $100: Materials for cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments for one month One box of cholesterol screening tests $250: Flu shots for 25 patients Adult dental extractions for three patients $500: In home blood pressure monitor for 10 patients Palodent system for dental fillings $1,000: One dental handpiece Diabetic screening for 25 patients $5,000: Sterilization system for medical instruments Dental hygiene services for 125 people See More Collapse

"We will continue to meet the needs by staying strong and steadfast to our mission, which is to improve the quality of life in our community by providing assistance and offering services that otherwise would not be accessible," she added.

Author and guest speaker Jeannette Walls said she personally knows what it is like to not have access to health or dental care-or even basic necessities such as food and indoor plumbing.

Walls wrote "The Glass Castle," which details her life growing up in extreme poverty and the tale of her emergence from her challenging childhood. Her novel is a New York Times best-selling memoir and was recently adapted into a highly acclaimed motion picture.

Walls described how her father had been fired from his job leaving the family had no income. Her family moved from one place to another, finding abandoned sheds or sleeping on the beach. When her father became an alcoholic, the family would often go hungry. When there was food, Walls said she and her siblings had to cook for themselves. When she turned 17, Walls ran away to New York and began a new life on her own.

Walls eventually became a reporter and her life returned to normal-including having indoor plumbing and being able to pay her utility bills. Walls had left her past in her home of West Virginia and transformed into a New Yorker, she said.

Then she heard from her mother and father: they had moved to New York.

"I thought I could be the woman without a past. The woman from nowhere. But the past has a way of catching up with you," Walls said.

Walls described how she had grown up ashamed of where she came from and the poverty she lived in. But it finally became time to face the truth and share her story, a personal awakening she said that led her to write "The Glass Castle."

In one anecdote, Walls told attendees about Christmas when she was 5 years old. Her father told her and her siblings to look at the stars and pick one. Walls chose the brightest, which happened to be the planet Venus.

"Dad explains that Venus wasn't a star; it was a planet. I wanted it anyway and Dad said, 'What the hell, it's Christmas. You want a planet, you got a planet.' And he gave me Venus," she recalled.

The holiday moment was one of her fondest memories with her father, so Walls shared the story at his funeral. But her inspiration was tempered by her older sister who said that it was a meaningless gesture because their father was giving away something that didn't belong to him in the first place.

"She is absolutely right. (It) Was a meaningless gesture. It was (Dad's) slick way of getting out of having to do something for us," Walls said. "But I was right, too. It was a priceless treasure. It is whatever you choose to make of it."

Walls told attendees that like the non-existent gift from her father, life is whatever people choose to make of it. Although her father never followed his dream of building a mansion one day-he encouraged Walls to face her fears and chase her dreams.

"I believe that's the most valuable gift you can give to somebody, is the hope to believe in themselves and a vision for their life," she said.

Another speaker at the event was Merle Collins, a patient at Interfaith Community Clinic, who said she was once at a point in her life where she had no hope.

Collins bravely told the crowd how she got married later in her life and had a baby who was diagnosed with autism. At that point, she said, her life began to change.

"Not only was I his mom, but I was also his caretaker," Collins said.

She had left her job to take care of her son. But after an unexpected divorce, Collins said, she found herself unable to return to her profession and struggling to support herself and her child.

"Circumstances piled up and I found myself in an extremely stressful situation. I ended up in the emergency room being diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure-a very dangerous situation. I realized I was going to have to have ongoing medical care for a chronic condition, and I knew I couldn't afford. So here I was. No income. No medical insurance. And in dire need of medical treatment. On top of that, I also found out-to my surprise-that I was a diabetic," Collins said. "Dealing with life was difficult enough and then to find out I'm sick on top of it. And I thought, 'If something were to happen to me, who was going to take care of my child?' I was in what I felt to be a hopeless situation."

The emergency room staff informed Collins about the Interfaith Community Clinic and she began to gain hope.

"It has truly been a Godsend to me and to my son. I have a medical home now. I was able to get control of my blood pressure and my diabetes. I took the education classes, which have taught me again to take care of myself first," Collins said. "And I've learned ways to help myself stay well. The clinic has been a tremendous amount of help to me. You (who support the Interfaith Community Clinic) have given me the future. And by giving me that you gave it to my son."

To learn more about the Interfaith Community Clinic or make a donation, visit http://interfaithcommunityclinic.org/.Barry Crimmins, a standup comedian who was at the center of Boston's comedy scene for years and whose political satire took a serious turn in the 1990s when he became an advocate for abused children after revealing that he had been raped as a child, died Feb. 28 in Syracuse, New York He was 64.

His wife, Helen Crimmins, announced his death on Twitter. Crimmins saidlast month that he had cancer. Late last year, he had organized fundraising efforts for his wife, who has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

During his heyday in the 1980s, Crimmins was considered a comedian's comedian, with his cerebral political satire and his well-honed mastery of the standup craft. He was broad and bearish - his nickname was Bearcat - and prowled the stage with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

"We have a presidential election coming up," he said in a joke he first delivered in 1988 and revisited many times thereafter. "I think you'll agree with me, the big problem is somebody's going to win."

He was unabashedly liberal and sometimes profanely stage-heckled by conservative-leaning customers who took exception to his act.

"People ask, 'If you don't love this country why don't you get out of it?' " he said in his routine. "Because I don't want to be victimized by its foreign policy."

Crimmins was also founder and manager of two Boston-area comedy clubs, the first at a Chinese restaurant called Ding Ho, the second called Stitches. He was credited with helping launch the careers of comedians such as Steven Wright, Denis Leary, Paula Poundstone and Bobcat Goldthwait.

Goldthwait, who was 16 when he began working alongside Crimmins, made a documentary about his mentor, "Call Me Lucky," chronicling Crimmins' career and his long-suppressed memories of childhood abuse.

Over the years, people had noticed that Crimmins' onstage persona had grown increasingly angry, until he revealed during a monologue in 1992 that he had been repeatedly raped as a 4-year-old by a male relative of the family babysitter.

The attacks continued until Crimmins' older sister walked in while her brother was being assaulted in the basement.

"She was surprised when I lifted my head and appealed to her for help with my eyes," Crimmins wrote in the Boston Phoenix in 1993. "My eyes were the only means of communication available to me. My mouth was taped shut."

He learned, years later, that his abuser died in prison.

In the 1990s, while living outside Cleveland, Crimmins began using the then-new medium of the Internet to join chat rooms with other survivors of childhood trauma. What he found was an unregulated marketplace of pornography and pedophiles.

Posing as a 12-year-old boy, he recorded the identities of predators and downloaded thousands of images of child pornography. He first took his findings to AOL, then a leading Internet portal, only to be brushed aside. He then went to an Ohio prosecutor, who alerted the FBI.

In 1995, Crimmins appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify about his investigations of online pornography and child abuse. He called AOL "the key link in a network of child-pornography traffickers" and added that the "proliferation of child-pornography trafficking has created an anonymous pedophile superstore."

Within a month, FBI agents began launching nationwide raids, ultimately leading to hundreds of convictions.

"It's an example of the power of breaking silence, and the need for it," Crimmins told the Boston Globe in 2015. "If I hadn't finally dealt with the abuse, I'm not convinced I'd be alive today."

Barry Francis Crimmins was born July 3, 1953, in Kingston, New York, and grew up in Skaneateles, New York - "an Indian name," Crimmins said, "meaning, 'small lake surrounded by fascists.' " His father was a traveling salesman.

Crimmins attended several colleges and made his first standup appearance while working at a New Hampshire ski resort - "it didn't snow" - in 1973.

A few years later, he decided to give the Big Apple a try and hitched a ride from his home in Upstate New York. The driver ended up in Boston.

Within weeks, Crimmins organized a comedy program at Ding Ho, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he headlined and selected the other performers.

"The comics ran the place," Crimmins told the Globe in 1999. "We set the tone. There wasn't any dumbing down for the audience. It was hip to be at the club."

After Ding Ho closed in 1984, Crimmins launched Stitches in Boston. He later wrote for comedian Dennis Miller's television show and appeared on Air America, a short-lived liberal talk-radio network. He occasionally toured as an opening act for musicians, including Jackson Browne.

Crimmins published an autobiographical book, "Never Shake Hands With a War Criminal," in 2004. A one-man standup special, "Whatever Threatens You," produced and directed by comedian Louis C.K., appeared in 2016.

Crimmins often spoke out in support of survivors of childhood abuse. He was a harsh critic of the Catholic Church and used Twitter to send cleverly worded messages to the pope, asking to be excommunicated.

Survivors include his wife since August, the former Helen Lysen of Cameron, New York; his mother; and three sisters.

Goldthwait's documentary about Crimmins came about because of an initial donation from Robin Williams shortly before the comic actor's suicide in 2014. Other comedians, including Margaret Cho, David Cross, Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt, appear in "Call Me Lucky" to testify to Crimmins' influence.

But the most powerful observations in the film are from Crimmins, when he returns to the house and descends to the basement where he was raped as a child.

"I'm not a victim," he says in the film's final scene. "I'm a witness. And my life is a testimony to what you can go on to do, what you can become. Call me lucky."Photo provided

JERSEYVILLE  U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Illinois celebrated Read Across America Day on Friday by reading House Mouse, Senate Mouse to Tonya Shivelys third-grade class at St. Francis Holy Ghost School in Jerseyville.

My wife, Shannon, and I read to our three kids nearly every night when they were younger  being able to recite some of their favorite books by heart, Davis said. By encouraging a love for reading, we can help children learn and further their education.NEW YORK  The jury in the bribery trial of Joe Percoco, a one-time top adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, completed its first full day of deliberations without a verdict on Friday in Manhattan federal court.

Jurors stopped work at 4:30 p.m. after getting permission for an early weather-related departure from U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni. The panel got the case on Thursday afternoon after a five-week trial and is scheduled to resume deliberating on Monday.Washington

White House chief of staff John Kelly sought again Friday to defend his role in handling the ouster of Rob Porter, who remained in President Donald Trump's inner circle at the White House for months after notifications from the FBI that Porter's two ex-wives had accused him of spousal abuse.

"We didn't cover ourselves in glory in terms of how we handled that," Kelly told reporters Friday, referring to days of conflicting statements from the White House after Porter resigned on Feb. 6. "It was confusing."

But Kelly insisted that his overall conduct was appropriate, and that he never considered resigning over the episode, as some media reports had suggested.

"I have nothing to even consider resigning over," he said.

But Kelly's latest comments on the scandal raise new questions about his decisions, and reveal new inconsistencies in his timelines.

Kelly came under intense criticism last month after he offered a glowing endorsement of Porter's "integrity and honor" following questions from the Daily Mail about the spousal abuse allegations. Kelly reportedly had been considering promoting Porter, who was staff secretary at the White House, a key role as a gatekeeper for the president and his top aides.

The FBI sent reports on the abuse allegations to the White House three separate times  in March, July and November of last year  as part of its investigation for Porter's security clearance. Kelly said those reports went to the White House security office, and he never saw them.

He did not explain why he or other top White House officials never asked the FBI why Porter's high-level security clearance had been held up for more than a year.

The lengthy delay was highly unusual, and White House veterans have said it should have raised warning signs of a problem.

Kelly offered his newest explanations two days after Hope Hicks, who reportedly was dating Porter before he was ousted, resigned from her position as White House communications director.UBLY  The Village of Ubly recently filled three vacant positions on council and named a new leader.

At its meeting Thursday night, council appointed Trustee Lola Brown to President Pro Tem and voted to appoint Jeff Rubin, Gabriel Turner and Brandon Zdrojewski to council.

Brown takes over the position from former Village President David Yaroch, who turned in his letter of resignation, citing being no longer able to perform the duties in which he was elected for.

Brown will serve as President Pro Tem until the November general election.

Id just like to say, I dont think theres anybody in this room that likes conflict or anything like that, said Brown after being appointed. So were going to try and just have peace and harmony, everybody get along and try to stay off the front page of the papers and on the radio and everything from now on. So well just see how it works.

Rubin, Turner and Zdrojewski round out a full board, following the resignation of Yaroch March 1, Larry Western Feb. 1 and Larry Gornowicz in October of last year.

We have three young gentlemen that are active in the community, said Trustee Susan Schrader, before making a motion to appoint Rubin, Turner and Zdrojewski to the board.

Later in the meeting, Schrader was appointed Mayor Pro Tem.

Council also discussed pay increases for Clerk Barbara Butch and Treasurer Kelly Pearce. The board decided to go with the same 2 percent increase awarded to the village Department of Public Works.

In other business, the board:

 Heard from Trustee Jason Nicol, who reported that the DNR has approved the villages Parks and Recreation Plan, allowing the village to move forward with its grant process.

 Announced a Master Plan meeting at 7 p.m. March 19.

 Accepted the revised employee handbook.RICHMOND, Va. - Gov. Ralph Northam on Friday gently warned state budget negotiators to send him a spending plan that includes Medicaid expansion or he will add expansion as an amendment, a procedure that gives him a stronger hand in the Senate.

If forced to go that route, Northam, D, said he would have more power to shape an expansion deal already passed by House Republicans that calls for work requirements, co-pays and other conservative reforms.

"We've obviously compromised, and if I send an amendment down - which I will if I need to - some of those compromises won't be in there," Northam later told reporters, noting that he would have more say over how to spend the $420 million in projected savings from expansion.

Northam won office last year on a promise to expand the federal-state healthcare program to as many as 400,000 uninsured Virginians. Republicans in the House and Senate steadfastly blocked expansion for four years under Northam's predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, D, saying the federal government could not afford to make good on its promise to pick up most of the $2 billion-a-year tab.

Opposition in the House softened this year, after Republicans nearly lost control of the chamber in an anti-Trump wave in November. But there has been no visible shift in the state Senate. The GOP controls both chambers by two seats.

One longtime Republican moderate, Sen. Emmett Hanger, Augusta, supports expansion in some form, although he has certain objections to the plan passed by the House. Even if the plan could be modified to suit Hanger, the budget would still die on a 20-20 vote.

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, D, presides over the Senate and can break most ties, but he is prohibited from voting on the budget. So Northam needs to win over two Republicans to pass a budget with expansion.

But Fairfax is allowed to vote on budget amendments. So if the legislature sends Northam a budget without expansion, Northam could add it as an amendment - one that could clear the Senate as long as a single Republican votes for it and Fairfax breaks the tie.

Northam made his intentions clear Friday morning over breakfast with a bipartisan group of state senators and delegates appointed as budget conferees. Their task is to reconcile to House and Senate budgets before the legislature adjourns March 10.

Using a budget amendment to muscle through something as consequential as Medicaid expansion would be something of a hardball tactic for Northam, a soft-spoken former state senator and pediatrician with close friendships with both parties. But he did not overtly present it as a threat. He shared it in response to question posed by Senate Majority Leader Thomas Norment, R-James City, co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a budget conferee.

"I answered his question that I did plan to send an amendment down," Northam told reporters hours later at an afternoon gathering.

Asked how his response was received, Northam said: "I was asked a question and I responded to it ... . I didn't have to do the Heimlich on anyone so it was all good."

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford, one of the budget negotiators, described the breakfast as "a very good, affable meeting."

"I appreciate the governor's candor," Newman said. "He's always an honest and honorable man to work with and he has been straightforward on this as he has been on other things."

But he took Northam's statement as a concession that the legislature will send him a budget without expansion.

"I'm pleased to hear the governor stating publicly that he kind of anticipates the likelihood that the Senate will stay very strong throughout the entire budget process," said Newman.

Newman also questioned whether the governor could count on Hanger's support for such an amendment given that senator's concerns about the House-approved expansion plan.

"I don't see a pathway today toward the McAuliffe-Northam plan," Newman said. "I don't know anyone ... that anticipates that plan could actually make it in a reconvene session or in a regular session. I think Mr. Hanger and others who want to find a way in the Senate have said very clearly that that approach won't work."Barbara Ford-Youngs love of children led her to become a foster care worker with the Texas Department of Human Resources in a career that spanned more than three decades.

Ford-Young, 83, died Feb. 22 of natural causes, said her niece Holly Ford.

While working as a telephone operator with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, forerunner of AT&T, Ford-Young continued with her education, earning a bachelor's in psychology from Texas Southern University. She also did post-graduate work at the University of Texas-Arlington after obtaining a master's in social work from the Worden School of Social Work at Our Lady of the Lake University.

During a successful, lengthy career, Ford-Young received several promotions. Her final position was as a TDHR regional director for employment and child care services.

She retired in 1996.

Inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame, she was a founder and charter member of the San Antonio chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, which works on empowering African-American women. Chartered in 1996, the San Antonio chapter's first president was then-State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon.

A long-time member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, the oldest African American church in San Antonio, Ford-Young served as a trustee, lay leader and worked with the churchs food pantry.

More Information Barbara Ford-Young Born: Jan. 12, 1935, San Antonio, Texas Died: Feb. 22, 2018, San Antonio, Texas Preceded by: Pparents, Emmett Ford and Norine Russell Ford; brother, Emmett Ford Jr.; husband, Earl W. Young Survived by: Nieces, Holly and Cicely Ford and other relatives Services: Today at 10 a.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 508 N. Center St., followed by interment in the Eastview Cemetery, 3530 Roland Ave. See More Collapse

Known as Feed My Lambs, the food pantry serves about 100 people each week, said pastor James Patrick Amerson.

Barbara was a woman of strong presence and affirmation for the underserved and part of a small core of church members who took care of the pantry,' Amerson said.

Ford-Young's demanding career and myriad civic activities did not prevent her from attending school functions, Holly Ford said.

Holly and her twin sister, Cicely, children of Ford-Youngs brother, were little when they were adopted by Ford-Young and her husband, Earl. The couple did not have other children.

She raised us and she was very involved with our school activities,' Holly Ford said. She had a talent for helping others shine and show who they are. She never tried to outshine anyone.'

Holly Ford laughed as she recalled her aunt's weakness and one indulgence  hats. Through the years, she amassed quite a collection.

She loved hats and wore them to church and for special occasions, and to me, she was the epitome of a sophisticated lady who did everything with grace and elegance,' she said.A former San Antonio attorney slated to go on trial at the end of the month, on accusations of having sex with female clients, has been indicted again.

A Bexar County grand jury on Thursday indicted Mark H. Benavides on four counts of continuous trafficking of persons in connection with alleged incidents with four women that occurred between 2012 and 2015.

RELATED: Wiretaps reveal Bandidos' secret code

Benavides, 48, was arrested in November 2015 and charged with compelling prostitution from at least nine female clients. Since then, he has been named in multiple-count indictments that include having sex with a child under 17 and inducing a child under 18 to engage in a sexual performance.

Court records indicate the compelling prostitution charge and one charge of sexual assault were dismissed in September.

Benavides now has five open cases against him: two charges of sexual assault of a child, one charge of sexual assault and two charges of continuous trafficking of persons, according to court records.

RELATED: SAPD: Ex picks up 3 escaped murder suspects near jail, then calls police

According to the State Bar of Texas, Benavides willingly resigned in lieu of disciplinary action and is no longer eligible to practice law in the state.

Women who employed Benavides as their attorney in prostitution cases from 2009 to 2012 told authorities that he coerced them into having sex to help lessen their legal problems or to get their cases dismissed, and that the alleged encounters took place at his law office, motels, his car and the courthouse, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed before the original indictments.

In June, Benavides was granted a change of venue to have his criminal cases heard in Wilson County. At the time, his attorney, Monica Guerrero, told Visiting Judge Dick Alcala that in addition to intense media coverage, she sought the change because some clients alleged Benavides had sex with them in at least two rooms in the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center that are used by jurors, and she did not want jurors doing their own investigating.

In a hearing Friday, prosecutors asked Alcala to set Benavides bail at $1.5 million, but Guerrero told the court that her client has been compliant with his bond conditions and GPS monitoring, and that the family is almost out of money.

The family literally has sold everything, she said, adding that Benavides already has paid bonds totaling $625,000.

Alcala set Benavides new bail at $75,000, kept the GPS monitoring restrictions and read him his rights. He was taken into custody by Bexar County Sheriffs Office deputies.

Continuous trafficking of persons is a first-degree felony punishable by 25 to 99 years or life in prison.

Benavides is set to go to trial in Wilson County on March 26, with Alcala presiding. Trial dates havent been set yet in the other cases.MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican law enforcement personnel have found undetonated explosive devices on a ferry that runs between the Caribbean resorts of Playa del Carmen and the island of Cozumel, the U.S. Embassy said.

Thursday's announcement lends credence to reports that a Feb. 21 blast aboard a ferry on the same route was caused by an explosive device. That blast injured 19 Mexicans and at least five U.S. citizens. Authorities had initially suggested it could have been a mechanical malfunction.

The embassy said in a statement that it had prohibited its employees from using any tourist ferries on that route, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico.

READ ALSO: San Antonio businessman reported to be Trump's pick for Mexico envoy

"U.S. Government employees are prohibited from using all tourist ferries on this route until further notice. Mexican and U.S. law enforcement continue to investigate," the embassy wrote.

Except for isolated shootings last year, the Caribbean coast had largely been spared the violence plaguing other parts of Mexico. The coast provides much of Mexico's tourism revenue.

The company whose boat was hit by the Feb. 21 blast had been suspended by the government from operating on Feb.25, even though the firm said it had the necessary operating permits.

Local media have reported the company is owned by the father of former Quintana Roo state governor Roberto Borge, who is under arrest on corruption charges.

An employee at the firm said Friday the company's boats were not currently operating, but did not immediately respond to the reports about the firm's links to the Borge family.

Photos of the supposed device published in local media showed what appeared to be a length of PVC pipe attached to the underside of a boat.A Roosevelt High School student was arrested Friday by police in connection with messages on social media threatening the campus.

The female student, 17, now faces four felony charges of terroristic threat, Northeast Independent School District spokeswoman Aubrey Chancellor said via email.

RELATED: Uresti's wife makes unexpected move after salacious trial

The student is being charged with a count for each post she is accused of making, officials said.

Threats like this are not funny, and NEISD will absolutely not tolerate them, Chancellor wrote. Its unfortunate that a student would instill unnecessary fear in thousands of students and families.

The messages were posted on Facebook and Snapchat on Friday morning, but officials did not say what the threat was.

RELATED: Ex-S.A. attorney accused of sex crimes has sold everything to make bail

District police investigating the incident determined the posts were coming from a fake account and that they were not credible, Chancellor said.

Investigators said they traced the posts to the students Google account.

The student was in the school when the threats were posted, and she confessed when confronted by police, Chancellor said.A man accused in a double shooting at a Northwest Side hotel that left one man dead was arrested Friday.

Taariq Mike, 20, faces a capital murder charge in the death of Robert Leonard Patterson, 25, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Mike was apprehended by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force on the North Side. He was quiet as he was led in handcuffs to a police vehicle at the Public Safety Headquarters, 315 S. Santa Rosa St.

RELATED: 'They just killed him over a car': Family looking for answers after double shooting at S.A. hotel

Patterson was fatally shot about 1 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Best Western Plus hotel in the 4800 block of Manitou Drive, according to previous reports.

His girlfriend, identified by family, was also shot in the neck.

SAPD spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez said the girlfriend survived the shooting after she was taken to University Hospital.

Rodriguez said both Patterson and his girlfriend were in a hotel room when they were shot.

RELATED: Suspects at large after killing 1, injuring 1 in shooting at NW Side hotel, police say

After the shooting, the suspects fled the area and one of them stole Patterson's girlfriend's grey Dodge Charger with racing stripes, police had said at the scene.

Rodriguez said the vehicle was recovered but another car also stolen at the scene remains missing.

This is an ongoing investigation and we are expecting more arrests in this case, Rodriguez said.

jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSASan Antonio police say the driver in a fatal wreck Saturday morning on the far East Side was not wearing a seatbelt.

The driver of an 18-wheeler was traveling east on Interstate 10 about 1:45 a.m. when he was struck from behind, near Pfeil Road, by an SUV traveling at a high rate of speed, according to police.



Kohima, March 3 : After a comprehensive win and dethroned the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura, the Bharatiya Janata Party is now prepared to form government in Nagaland again ties up with the ruling party Naga Peoples Front (NPF).





After the poll result, while Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang gives a proposal to BJP that, NPF is ready to form a new government in the state with the BJP if the saffron party comes forward for a post-poll alliance, Minister of State for Home and BJP leader Kiren Rijiju reflecting Zeliangs proposal and said that, BJP will go with the ruling NPF if no majority with the pre-poll ally party NDPP.





While the two BJP ministers are still in the Zeliang-led government the saffron party had dumped its 15-year old alliance partner NPF in Nagaland and forged with newly formed political party Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) led by three times former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.





But the political scenario has been dramatically changed in Nagaland after the poll results out.





In the final result of the Nagaland assembly poll, BJP has won 12 seats, while NDPP won 17, 27 by NPF, 2 by NPP and one each by JD (U) and Independent.





With this result, BJP and NDPP alliance bagged 29 seats while NPF-NPP-JD (U) alliance bagged 30 seats.





If BJP to go with NPF to form a new government then the total strength of the BJP-NPF-NPP-JD (U) will be increased to 42 and strength of BJP and NPF to be increased to 39.





On Saturday, Nagaland CM Zeliang said that, BJP is the alliance partner of NPF and his party is ready to form the next government in Nagaland with BJP.





Zeliang virtually ruled out any alliance with Neiphiu Rio led NDPP.



The sheriff is an outsized figure in the American imagination. He is Wyatt Earp, shooting it out with outlaws at the O.K. Corral. He is John Wayne, a lonely instrument of frontier justice. He is Rick Grimes, the resourceful survivor of a zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead.

Now, along comes Scott Israel to remind us, despite the legend, how a sheriff can be a hack politician whose primary concern is protecting his own political reputation and little fief.

The Broward County sheriff, whose disgraceful performance in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting has been a master class in evasion of responsibility, is the latest entry in why we dont trust our public institutions.

Its hard to imagine a more comprehensive and catastrophic failure from beginning to end than that of the sheriffs office in the Parkland, Florida, massacre. It ignored warnings that were specific and chilling about the shooter, and at least one of its deputies waited outside the school while the shooting occurred (and perhaps others did as well in the immediate aftermath).

Sheriff Israel appropriately pronounced himself disgusted with the deputy, who has lost his job. But asked in an interview with CNNs Jake Tapper last week if he acknowledges that had his department acted differently, the shooter might have been foiled, the sheriff responded with a flip rhyme, ifs and buts and candy and nuts.

Its not as though the sheriff, mindful of the need to get a handle on his departments conduct, has been quietly tending his own shop. At a CNN town hall, he turned in a crowd-pleasing performance. He opined about the new authorities that the police require and joined in lambasting National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch to cheers from the audience.

He was emphatic about everything not touching on what officers under his authority did or didnt do. When attention turned to that, he suddenly became mincingly precise and demanded to know more detail about reported warning signs.

When Loesch cited media accounts of 39 calls to the police, Israel denounced the figure as categorically false. And the lawman was right  it was at least 18 calls.

What were these warnings? In 2016, a caller to the sheriffs office said the perpetrator planned to shoot up a school. More recently, Nov. 30, a caller told the sheriffs office that the shooter was amassing weapons and could be a school shooter in the making.

The motto is that when we see something, we should say something. In the case of the Parkland shooter, people said something, over and over again, to little or no effect. The cliche after disasters is that no one connected the dots. In the case of the Parkland shooter, the dots were connected with bright lines.

Yet nothing happened, and the sheriffs office had a large hand in that. Israels performance at the CNN town hall was even more shamefully dodgy when considering it is likely that he already knew one of his deputies had done nothing to stop the shooter at the scene.

The sheriffs theory of leadership apparently doesnt extend down to the people working for him.

I gave him a gun, he said of the deputy in another interview. I gave him a badge. I gave him the training. If he didnt have the heart to go in, thats not my responsibility.

The buck doesnt stop with the sheriff, in other words; it stops with whomever he happens to give a badge and a gun.

Some supporters of gun control want to look away from the failures of law enforcement to keep the focus on the guns. But this is foolish for their own purposes  politically, there is no chance of significant new laws if no one is held to account for glaring mistakes under the status quo.

If we take the imperative to do better seriously, Israel and all his bureaucratic excuses should get the hell out of town.The most recent school shooting in Florida has again ignited the debate concerning gun control, in particular the restriction of assault-type weapons.

Whether you personally agree that such a limitation would make schools safer, it is helpful to know what the United States Supreme Court might decide should it be asked to determine whether a ban on assault weapons violates the Second Amendment.

On June 26, 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the United States Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment confers an individual right to keep and bear arms, unconnected with service in a militia.

Justice Antonin Scalia, author of the majority opinion, noted, Like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.

He recognized an important limitation on the right to keep and bear arms in that the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons was prohibited by historical tradition.

As illustration, he cited weapons that are most useful in military service  M-16 rifles and the like.

In response to the murder of 20 first-graders and six adults in 2012 at the Sandy Hook Elementary School by a gunman using an AR-15-type Bushmaster rifle, the state of Maryland passed a law banning the AR-15 and other military-style rifles (referred to as assault weapons).

Several individuals and groups challenged the law as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

In Kolbe v. Hogan, the Fourth Court of Appeals held that the banned assault weapons are not protected by the Second Amendment  that they are among those arms that are like M-16 rifles  weapons that are most useful in military service.

This is what the Heller court singled out as being beyond the Second Amendments reach.

Kolbe was appealed to the Supreme Court.

Justice Scalias opinion in Heller, with its language permitting the banning of M-16-type weapons, was joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Kennedy, Thomas and Alito. The latter four justices remain on the Supreme Court today. Justice Scalia died in 2016 and was replaced by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed in 2017.

During his confirmation hearings, Justice Gorsuch assured Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, when asked specifically about the banning of M-16 rifles and the like, that he would follow the law in Heller.

On Nov. 27, 2017, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in Kolbe, meaning that not even four of the current nine justices would agree to hear the appeal.

Thus, the Kolbe ban on assault weapons in Maryland was upheld.

The Supreme Court must decide a case based on the specific facts before it. Exactly how the justices would rule in a particular case cannot be predicted, and I express no opinion on that issue.Last years release of 13 Reasons Why, a Netflix series on teenage suicide, opened a national dialogue on an often taboo subject.

Parents, educators and mental health professionals worried about the series impact on impressionable young minds and expressed concern about what scientists call suicide contagion or copycat suicides.

Those concerns were well-founded. Suicide is the leading cause of death among those between the ages of 15 and 34, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine last summer indicates internet queries about suicide-related topics were up almost 20 percent after the shows debut. That is an increase of 900,000 to 1.5 million web searches.

The anticipated release of the series second season has renewed many of those concerns across the nation and locally.

In 2017, there were 12 documented teen deaths related to suicide in Bexar County. Officials say the exact number is often difficult to pinpoint because in some cases what could appear to be an accident might be something else  for instance, cases involving single car accidents. The available information leaves the matter unclear.

In Bexar County, we are fortunate to have several resources available to help those struggling with thoughts of suicide. Not everyone is well-informed about them, however.

The Alamo Area Teen Suicide Prevention Coalition was formed two years ago to help connect families with the services they might need. It also works closely with teens who want to be advocates.

The coalitions 24-hour mental health crisis and substance use hotline numbers are 1-800-316-9241 and 210-223-7233.

The San Antonio Police Department has a Mental Health Unit of 10 specially trained officers who have the authority to sign emergency detention orders to allow for immediate medical attention. They are available day and night.

One of the biggest concerns raised about 13 Reasons Why was that the series did not convey healthy ways to cope or alternatives to suicide, and it did not offer suggestions on how to help a friend suffering from depression.

As a community, we must be proactive in addressing those issues.

In an age where adolescents have basically unrestricted access to digital media through their own devices or those belonging to friends, it is unrealistic to think parents can ban the watching of this controversial series.

Encouraging a healthy dialogue about suicide might be painful in some families, but it is one that should not be avoided, especially if teens are talking about it among themselves. In this vein, 13 Reasons Why might present an opportunity.Re: Trump backs NRA bid to arm teachers; Extra pay called incentive, front page, Feb. 23:

I have a concern with arming teachers. As a retired administrator with 25 years worth of experience as a principal and vice principal, I have worked with many of them.

Ninety percent of teachers are dedicated professionals; the other 10 percent lack the emotional and mental stability to carry a gun. And I would not trust them to make the right decision while holding a handgun in the midst of a crisis.

If we go this route, we are asking for another disaster.

Not only do I vote no. I vote hell no!

Mike Guerrero, Pleasanton

Put country first

Thoughts and prayers.

Now is not the time to discuss guns.

Its not about guns; its a mental health issue.

Dont politicize this tragedy, which wouldnt have been prevented by (fill in any proposed gun control legislation).

All these trite expressions resurface after each horrific gun violence tragedy. All leading to inaction.

But we do have evidence that some steps, such as universal background checks, do reduce gun violence without eliminating the Second Amendment.

Facts are our friends, so we should gather more data about guns and gun violence. Facts shouldnt be off-limits if our goal is to reduce gun violence.

America has far more gun violence than any other developed country. We can reduce deaths from guns, the only measure that counts. Unless you believe Americans are inherently more violent than people in other countries. I dont.

Its not about any particular law or regulation, just results. And all it will take is that our elected leaders put Americans first. Lets try that.

John Fehlauer

Vote them out

Re: The issue is limiting weapons, front page, Feb. 23:

Regarding the renaissance of urgent and earnest activism among young people, this time following the recent massacre in Florida, I would encourage a strategy that for some reason doesnt get utilized often enough: Follow the money and take names.

Take the names of legislators who accept money from the NRA. Their names and how much they pocket are easily accessed online.

Hold on to those names and vote them out each election cycle until theyre all gone.

Dead babies (Sandy Hook), a seriously injured congressman (Steve Scalise), murdered students and worshippers, none matter much to these legislators. Theyre still in office and the laws havent changed.

You young people have the power to get rid of the individuals who allow this carnage to continue.

Get rid of them. Vote them out.

Francoise Wilson, Kerrville

Geographical issue

Re: World Briefs, Feb. 20:

Since Puerto Rico is part of this country, would it not be more appropriate for news of the island to be moved from World Briefs to Nation Briefs?

Linda Jones, Kerrville

Hurricane Nancy

Re: Pelosi, Castro rip GOP tax bill; House minority leader here as part of U.S. tour, Metro, Feb. 20:

Rep. Joaquin Castro is an admirable figure, with an impressive family background replete with Texas values of independence, tenacity and hard work. His liberal views are tolerable because his commitment to San Antonio and South Texas is unsurpassed.

He would be wise to choose a better traveling companion than Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the frowning frump of the Left Coast, whose values and actions are so contrary to our Texan sensibilities.

Her views are as welcome here as a Gulf Coast hurricane. Castro should not permit his reputation to be paired with this divisive Democratic diva.

Greg Nussel

On military service

Re: Marching orders, Your Turn, Feb 18:

How quickly we seem to forget. Yep, President Donald Trump was deferred from the military for medical reasons. This is done every day. I have a grandson who tried to join, but flat feet and a broken finger from years ago, which did not heal right, kept him from serving.

But please tell me, did Bill Clinton serve? Did Barrack Obama serve? Im still trying to figure out the correlation of not serving in the military and wanting a military parade (which Im not in favor of).

I dont think you will find a stauncher supporter of the military and other first responders than President Trump.

And I put Bush 43 right there with him.

Marshall Jackson, retired, U.S. Air Force, Cibolo

Now he loves it

When he was young and eligible to serve his country during Vietnam, President Donald Trump received five draft deferments  four for college, one for bad feet. Now he wants to have a military parade like the ones in North Korea and Russia, because he loves the military.

No doubt he will want to be the grand marshal riding in front of the parade.

Bill Clinton was also a draft dodger, but he never dared to have a military parade.

Greg CastilloAfter reading several news articles on the tragic Florida school shooting, I have a suggestion regarding our nations teachers.

Next time you see your childs teachers, tell them how much you appreciate the job they do. I dont think they hear that enough.

Teachers truly care about the students they teach, and some, like the brave teachers in Florida, are willing to give their lives to save the students in their classrooms.

Wayne S. Valentin

What if ?

If that had been 17 senators, you would have seen gun legislation get rushed through Congress.

Steve Ochoa

Limit bullet sales

I suggest that if some form of restriction is legislated on the purchase of bullets and magazines, it will considerably reduce mass killing incidents.

One who wants to buy many bullets and/or magazines would have to justify his need for such a purchase at the time and place of purchase. He/she should be asked to maintain a record of its use. Those who are hunters may not need a large number of bullets and seldom need magazines. Those who go to a practice range should be able to purchase required number of bullets at the range itself.

Bakul M Bhatt

Kids demand more

I think I see the beginning of the end of Donald Trump, along with our childish, partisan squabbles.

The news shows are filled with the angry, bright, articulate voices of the Parkland, Florida, kids. The kids, not the parents, took the lead in asking the tough, embarrassing question: What in the devil have you people been doing since the last massacre?

In previous slaughters, parents asked such questions. Now, the kids are asking the questions. An entirely new dynamic.

The kids are organized. They have planned rallies, marches and demonstrations. They dont give a damn about party affiliation. And they are fired up.

Perhaps the most important aspect is that these teenagers will soon be a very serious voting bloc. I dont think theyre going to accept the usual garbage.

Bobby Riley

Scent of bias

Re: As attacks continue, faith in FBI drops, Feb. 4:

This analysis is the first acknowledgment by the New York Times I have seen that the FBIs reputation is being adversely affected by its investigation of the Russian collusion matter.

Any positive effect of the acknowledgment is lost, however, when the analysts attribute the decline in favorability to partisan attacks rather than to the reported conduct of FBI agents who have been reassigned and demoted, and who have retired because of conduct indicating they may have been influenced by politics.

This ignores the problem because the FBIs reputation cannot be preserved or restored by blaming critics. The effectiveness of law-enforcement officers and agencies in a free society depends on their credibility. If they are believed to be biased, their credibility is suspect; the appearance of impropriety can be as damaging to credibility as actual impropriety.

A simple way to assess if an official is perceived to be biased is asking whether his or her activity will pass the smell test. For this test to be effective, however, those who conduct it, including news analysts, must have a sense of smell.

Bob Barton, Kerrville

Lets make a deal

I will trade with Mexico 60 criminals for the current U.S. president and his entourage.

And dont even ask whos getting the better deal.

Mark A. Hall

Seek compromise

We in this country have more in common than perhaps most care to recognize. The most obvious are security and prosperity. The most glaring difference is how to achieve these. Name-calling and fear-mongering are signs of weakness, ignorance and false bravado. They also divide with no intent of finding solutions. A country that depends on saber rattling has shown others how intellectually destitute it really is.

Let us seek to reconcile our differences instead of looking for scapegoats for actual or imagined wrongs. Let us bond in mutual respect and understanding to address issues undermining our nations well-being. Let us start by reaching out to those with differing opinions.

Let us not throw the baby out with the bath water, focusing solely on differences, but let us hash out those differences on common ground. We all want a great country that has a place in a thriving and peaceful world. By gratuitously demeaning others, we demonstrate a lack of empathy, walling us off to beneficial compromise. That will hamper, both now and in the long run, the aspiration of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.

Charles J. Harrison, Schertz

Lyin Donald

This is short and sweet. President Donald Trump deserves a nickname? How about Big Fat Liar Donald? After all, whats good for the goose 

Herman I. Morris, Plano

Larson a liberal?

Re: Abbott continues his attack against Larson at S.A. rally, Metro, Feb. 22:

Calling Lyle Larson Liberal Lyle is as ridiculous as calling Bernie Sanders Conservative Bernie. Lyle Larson has been a conservative voice in our area for many years. Area Republicans know that. His opponent is surely desperate if calling Larson a liberal is the only arrow in his quiver.

John DavidsonAcuity Hospital of South Texas (AHST) is pleased to announce that Tammy Holland has been named chief clinical officer.

As chief clinical officer, and a member of the executive leadership team, Holland will be responsible for the quality and appropriateness of all clinical services and care provided. She will also focus on quality patient care and safety.

Holland, who is a registered nurse and holds a certified emergency nurse (CEN) certification, is held in high regard within the medical community. She brings with her 18 years of clinical expertise.

Melissa Low, chief executive officer of AHST, said she is thrilled to have Holland become part of the staff. She is the perfect complement to our team. She is a seasoned clinician and trainer, who possesses strong leadership skills and thrives on mentoring others to provide the best clinical experience.

Tammys experience includes serving as a trauma nurse and clinical nurse educator for the emergency department, outpatient services, and the director of emergency services. She began her long career as a registered nurse, working in a burn unit.

Holland received her bachelors degree in nursing from the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, the American Burn Association, the Texas Nurses Association, and the Texas Organization of Nurse Executives.

Acuity Hospital of South Texas is conveniently located in downtown San Antonio, and serves the city, the Texas Hill Country, and the Rio Grande Valley. The primary goal of Acuity Hospital is to treat medically complex and critically ill patients who require long-term care, by delivering a comprehensive, patient-focused care model, with proven clinical outcomes for high-acuity patients in a family-friendly atmosphere.

The hospital is a beautiful and modern 30-bed long-term acute care facility. It has 12 intensive-care unit beds and special procedure suites with the latest technology, including computed tomography (CT) scanning. The hospital also has clinical experience in pulmonary/ventilator management, wound treatment, and infectious disease.

Acuity Hospital of South Texas has been awarded the Beacon Award, which is issued by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses to intensive care units, and in this case, a hospital that exemplifies leadership, appropriate staffing, effective communication, outcome measurement, and evidence-based practices and processes.

Acuity Healthcare is a 100-percent employee-owned (ESOP) long-term acute care hospital company (LTACH) founded in 2001 with headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Acuity Healthcare currently owns and manages four LTACHs in New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas.

To learn more about Acuity Healthcare, please visit www.acuityhealthcare.net

Editors Note: This content is made possible by Acuity Hospital of South Texas. 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.High Court judge Martin Makonese has passed a ruling blocking the coronation of Prince Bulelani Lobhengula Khumalo as the new Ndebele king saying the move is unconstitutional.

Makonese made the ruling a couple of hours before the coronation at White City Stadium on Saturday where thousands of people, including traditionalists and crown prince enthusiasts from South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and other nations, were expected to attend.

Local Government Minister July Moyo said a Ndebele king can only be installed if the Constitution of Zimbabwe is amended to accommodate such traditional leaders.

Effie Dlela Ncube, spokesperson of the Royal Crown Trust that is overseeing the installation of Prince Bulelani Lobhengula Khumalo, said they will convene an urgent meeting to map the way forward amid with indications that the event may go ahead despite the court ruling.

The Ndebele prince has arrived in the country and is engaging traditional leaders and the Kumalo clan about the latest developments.

Chief Nyangazonke, one of the top traditional leaders in Matabeleland and Midlands regions, said it was surprising that Minister Moyo initially blocked the coronation of the Ndebele king two days ago when he was informed about the event last year.

Mthwakazi youth had running battles with the police while the deliberations were in progress at the High Court and local hotel about the installation of Bulelani Lobhengula Khumalo.

At the same time, Raphael Khumalo and Peter Khumalo, who claim to be the rightful heir to the throne, are attempting to stop the installation of the king.

Section 280 of the Zimbabwe Constitution stipulates that the institution, status and role of traditional leaders under customary law are recognized.

A traditional leader is responsible for performing the cultural, customary and traditional functions of a chief, headperson or village head, as the case may be, for his or her community.

 VOA

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Related Zimbabwe Latest NewsKathmandu, Nepal: Senior orthopedic surgeon Dr Govinda KC has announced on Saturday that he will begin his fast-unto-death from March 5 demanding resignation of Chief Justice (CJ) Gopal Prasad Parajuli.





During a press meet organized to announce the planned fast-unto-death strike, Dr KC said no options will remain with him than to launch another fast-unto-death strike if CJ Parajuli does not resign from the post by March 5.



Harare businessman Rodney Dangarembizi appeared in court yesterday accused of penning a speech read out during a press conference last year, denigrating now Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.

Dangarembizi was represented by Alec Muchadehama when he appeared before Harare magistrate Josephine Sande.

He is being charged with publishing false statements prejudicial to the State and causing disaffection among the defence forces.

He was released on $400 bail, ordered to continue residing at his present address, not interfere with witnesses, surrender his passport and report once a week at Borrowdale Police Station.

Dangarembizi will be back in court on March 19. He is the director of Rodox (Private) Limited.

Prosecutor Idah Maromo alleged that on November 13 last year Dangarembizi connived with Kudzanai Chipanga, then Zanu PF youth secretary, and Munyaradzi Hamandishe  who have already appeared in court on the same allegations  to organise a press conference in response to a statement issued by Chiwenga, who was commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) at the time.

Pursuant to their plan, the trio authored a speech and ordered all Zanu PF national youth executives and journalists to attend the presser.

The court heard that Dangarembizi published the statement which was later read out at Zanu PF headquarters.

The statement read: As commander of the Defence Forces (comrade) Chiwenga, we await a full report on the whereabouts of the missing $15 billion as the army never accounted for the revenue after extraction. This money would go a long way in alleviating the obtaining hardships the soldiers are facing and improve their welfare and moraleChiwenga cannot have his cake and eat it too. He also cannot benefit from his mischief and misdeeds in that together with former minister of Defence now fugitive Dambudzo Mnangagwa they dismally failed in the stewardship of revenue streams that flowed from diamond concessions allocated to the defence forces from economic hardships. A day will come when those responsible will have to account to the peoplethis liberation and fundamental rights which came at such steep price cannot be personal property of one rogue element in the security sector with power to give it and take it at will

According to State papers, the utterances made against Chiwenga were reckless and had the effect of undermining public confidence in the ZDF.

Investigations led to Dangarembizis arrest and a copy of the press statement which he had signed was recovered from the Zanu PF youth league head office.

The recovered copy will be produced in court as an exhibit.

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Related Zimbabwe Latest News- President Muhammadu Buhari held closed-door meeting with the president of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Jean Claude Brou

- Brou thanked President Buhari for the support that he has continued to give ECOWAS

- President Buhari stressed the full commitment of Nigeria towards finding lasting solution to the problems with other ECOWAS member countries

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, March 2, received the president of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Jeane Cloude Brou at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The president in a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu said ECOWAS should be run as a leaner and smarter organisation by cutting costs and becoming more efficient to achieve the objectives of the sub-regional body.

Read the statement below:

"President Muhammadu Buhari said Friday that the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, must run a leaner and smarter organisation by cutting costs and becoming more efficient to achieve the objectives of the sub-regional body.

READ ALSO: Defence agency begins recruitment of civilians from 31 disciplines (full list)

Speaking while receiving the new president of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Claude Brou at the State House, Abuja, the President also called on the member states of the organisation to pay their annual contributions as and when due.

President Buhari receives in audience president of ECOWAS, H.E. Jeane Cloude Brou in the State House. Photo credit: Facebook, Femi Adesina

President Buhari said a lot of work had already been done towards cutting running cost for which a committee had recommended the reduction of the number of commissioners, and a drastic reduction in the cost of keeping them in office.

We must work towards limiting costs, keeping the number of statutory positions low and running the organisation more efficiently, he said.

The Nigerian leader, while welcoming the new President of the ECOWAS Commission to Abuja, pledged the full support of the government of Nigeria in ensuring that his tenure was successful.

According to President Buhari, The task is enormous. The job is not easy, given the many challenges facing the sub-region, ranging from issues of security and that posed by the environment, including the shrinkage of the Lake Chad.

He however, stressed the full commitment of Nigeria working with other ECOWAS member countries, towards finding lasting solution to the problems.

In his remarks, Mr Brou, said he had come to inform President Buhari that he had assumed office at the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja from this week, and fully prepared to address priority issues such as the common currency, restructuring of the organisation and the pending issue of new memberships.

He also presented a special message from the Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara to President Buhari and condoled him on the recent deaths of his family members."

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

In a previous report by Legit.ng, President Muhammadu Buhari again on Friday, March 2, took a swipe at his predecessors, saying trucks conveying fertilizers disappeared miraculously in transit under previous governments.

Buhari made this known while granting audience to members of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The president expressed delight that contrary to what happened under previous governments, none of the 3,333 trucks that participated in the fertilizer programme of his administration in 2017 got missing.

List President Buhari's achievements in two years - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng- Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), an international humanitarian non-governmental organization, has suspended its medical work in Rann, Borno state

- The humanitarian organisation evacuated national and international staff after a deadly raid by Boko Haram insurgents

- The MSF emergency coordinator, Kerri Ann Kelly, said they will return as soon as the condition allows

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres(MSF) said on Friday, March 2, that it had suspended its work in the Nigerian town of Rann and evacuated national and international staff after a deadly raid by Boko Haram insurgents.

Kerri Ann Kelly, MSF emergency coordinator in Nigeria in a statement said the 40,000 people living in Rann were relying almost entirely on MSFs services to access healthcare.

Following a violent attack in Rann, Borno state, on Thursday 1 March, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) suspended its medical activities in the town and evacuated 22 national and international staff, MSF said.

READ ALSO: US condoles with Nigeria over Boko Haram attack in Rann

It is still unclear how many people were killed and injured but before leaving, MSF medical staff treated 9 wounded patients.

This latest attack is a stark reminder that it is the people in Borno who are paying the price of this ruthless conflict. They are trapped in a deadly cycle of violence and are heavily reliant on external assistance to survive. In Rann, this is now considerably reduced.

Leaving our patients without medical assistance is an extremely painful decision.

We will continue to evaluate how the situation evolves and we will return as soon as the conditions allow," it added.

MSF teams have been providing medical care to the 40,000 people in Rann, since January 2017. Mobile teams delivered assistance on a regular basis, and a permanent medical team has been based in Rann since September 2017.

The group has mainly been treating people for malaria, malnutrition and illnesses linked to poor living conditions.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

In a previous report by Legit.ng, President Muhammadu Buhari said the attack on humanitarian workers in Rann, Borno state, more than ever shows Boko Haram insurgents as godless, brutish, and utterly to be despised.

"As I have always maintained, no true religion advocates hurting the innocent. To now further attack and kill those offering humanitarian aid is the height of depraved behaviour. It is odious before both God and man," the president said, while sympathizing with the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies working at Rann, and in the country generally.

Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng- The APC will hold fresh NEC meeting this month

- The party had on Tuesday, February 26, granted Oyegun-led administration one year tenure elongation

- The party's spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, said President Buhari will fix the date for the meeting

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed another national executive council meeting for this month to fix the controversies arising from the one-year tenure extension granted the John Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC).

Nigerian Tribune reports that Bolaji Abdullahi, the national spokesperson of the party and a beneficiary of the extension, confirmed the coming meeting.

Legit.ng gathered that the date for the meeting is for President Muhammadu Buhari to fix. As of press time, he had not communicated a definite date to the party leadership.

READ ALSO: 2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

A party source said the exact date would be dependent on the presidents convenience.

The controversial extension granted Oyegun and his NWC team on Tuesday, February 27 at NEC meeting, is generating ripples among party stakeholders who wanted a new national leadership, particularly the southwest wing of the party.

Lagos, Osun and Oyo governors, allies of the national leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu were not present at the last NEC meeting.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki was also absent. He claimed a tight schedule for his absence.

Abdullahi, also confirmed that the coming NEC meeting would be used to fill the lacuna in the extension granted the embattled NWC.

The amendment is expected to read what the NWC members would enjoy from May when their tenure officially ends, and that it is not an extension but acting appointments.

Whoever doesnt fancy staying longer than May, among them, would be at personal liberty to leave, a party source told Nigerian Tribune.

A couple of NWC members had complained of poor funding of the party.

The report of the Nasir El-Rufai panel on restructuring is also on the card for consideration during the meeting.

Governors elected on the platform of the party had joined colleagues in opposition to agree to state police.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, a statutory NEC member of the party, had also spoken on the state police push.

His public stance is taken to be President Buharis private endorsement.

The National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly are in the process of rounding off on the proposed amendment to the 1999 constitution (as amended) to reflect constitutional restructuring of the polity.

Amendments made to the partys constitution which Oyegun NWC had approved, will also be considered at the coming NEC meeting, Abdullahi confirmed.

Nearly all members of the partys NEC had received electronic copies of the revised constitution for study, ahead of the meeting, Saturday Tribune was told.

Highlights of the revised constitution include; compulsory membership dues payment with attendant sanctions for defaulters, whittling of governors influence in picking candidates for local government elections, granting of waiver to new members to seek elective positions, strengthening of the office of the chairman of the party, general party discipline, internal democracy, among others.

The partys spokesperson also confirmed the fixing of dates for governorship primary elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

While the partys candidate will emerge for Ekiti governorship election on May 5, Osun will have a go at it on July 7.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed July 14 for Ekiti governorship election and September 22 for the Osun poll.

With the rocky relations between Tinubu and Oyegun, the peace and reconciliation agenda of the party, may have run into a hitch, with Oyegun staying beyond May 2018, a party source has disclosed.

Tinubu signed on leadership change at the top echelon of the party and had publicly engaged the national chairman in war-of-words.

Saturday Tribune gathered that while the party leadership has encouraged those on its trouble-shooting expedition to troubled state chapters, to make their reports available to Tinubus peace committee, the move is believed to be pacifist, because the party national leadership, according to senior sources, would end up implementing the peace recommendations.

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Despite being a presidential assignment, Saturday Tribunes checks showed that Buhari would still require the party leadership in Abuja to relate with the state chapters, to implement the peace deal.

A source close to Tinubu disclosed that: the whole thing (peace assignment) now appears like a mockery."

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that some top officials APC said the decision by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the governing party to extend the tenure of members of the national working committee and other party leaders across the country was taken to avoid facing a destructive convention similar to that held by the opposition PDP in 2013.

Nigerians share their thoughts exactly 1 year before elections - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- Mark's reconciliation committee says the warring sides have agreed to allow the conduct of a credible primary election

- State governor Fayose, who attended the reconciliation meeting, was said to have pledged to work with whoever wins the ticket at the primaries

- PDP national chairman Secondus created the committee to put the party in good position ahead of the governorship polls in July

Former Senate president David Mark has reportedly ended the disagreements in the Ekiti state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The Punch reports that this was confirmed in a statement which was issued by Paul Mumeh, the media assistant to Senator Mark in Abuja on Saturday, March 3.

According to the report, the senator representing Benue South district led a reconciliation committee to Ekiti with members that included Senator Enyinaya Abaribe , Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, Alhaji Yusuf Ayitogo, Ambassador Fidelia Njeze and Dr. Eddy Olafeso.

READ ALSO: Semi-literates should not be allowed to govern Nigeria - Prof Nwabueze

The secretary of the reconciliation committee Olafeso said the state governor Ayo Fayose and all the aspirants attended the meeting at which all the parties agreed to the conduct of a credible primary election to pick a candidate for the governorship polls in July.

Olafeso revealed further that Governor Fayose has agreed to work with any of the contestants that emerge at the primary, even if not his preferred candidate.

Legit.ng reported earlier that the PDP invited former Senate president Mark to wade into the rift between members of the Ekiti state chapter of the party.

The party set up the reconciliation committee led by Mark and assisted by the deputy vice chairman of the party in the southwest, Eddy Olafeso.

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The national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, announced the development in an interview in Abuja on Monday, February 19.

Governor Fayose warns Nigerian youths ahead of 2019, tells them what to do - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit Nigeria- The thugs invaded an empowerment programme Senator Ogembe was holding and attacked everybody in sight

- Ogembe went ahead with the programme at the same venue after the thugs had left

- The senator refused to blame Governor Bello for the attack, instead he accused those trying to impress the governor of carrying out the invasion

Suspected hired thugs on Saturday, March 3, attacked Ahmed Ogembe, the senator representing Kogi central senatorial district, and injured many of his supporters.

The Tribune reports that the thugs numbering about 20 reportedly invaded the venue of an empowerment programme that Senator Ogembe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) federal lawmaker, held in Okene.

READ ALSO: Dapchi girls abduction occurred because APC politicized Chibok - Rep

The thugs reportedly arrived at the venue with dangerous weapons early in the morning, destroyed the venue and injured several people who came for the programme including Ogembes supporters.

The senator however exonerated state governor Yahaya Bello from the attack. He blamed those trying to impress the governor for the incident and advised those behind the attack to stop it.

He urged them to find another means of assisting the governor rather than creating a problem for him.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported earlier that another Kogi senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi west senatorial district, on Thursday, March 1, displayed a bottle of coke, tissue paper, toothbrush and toothpaste to journalists, saying he was ready to go to prison after he was arraigned.

The Cable reports that the federal government arraigned Melaye on a two-count charge.

Legit.ng learnt that he was accused of deliberately giving false information to the police to frame Edward David, chief of staff of Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, for an attempted murder on his life.

Kogi West senatorial district to recall senator Dino Melaye from the Nigerian Senate - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- The APC leaders in Ondo North senatorial district said President Buhari has qualified for a second term

- They also passed vote of confidence on Ondo governor Akeredolu for his massive achievements in just one year in office

- They also backed tenure elongation for national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun and other executives of the party's governing body

Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to run again in the 2019 presidential election.

Leadership reports that the party leaders in Ondo North Senatorial District also passed a vote of confidence on the state governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu over his outstanding achievements in just one year in power.

READ ALSO: David Mark ends Ekiti PDP crisis, reconciles warring factions

The Party also threw its weight behind the tenure elongation of Chairmen and their executives from the National to the Ward levels with their executive members.

According to the party: We resolved to cooperate with the State Chairman and his executive members to continue to advance the course of the Party in the state.

Just recently, Legit.ng reported that seven state governors from the northern part of the country under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday, January 12, declared that they wanted President Muhammadu Buhari to get a second term.

Legit.ng gathered that the governors stated this at the Aso Rock presidential villa in Abuja after they visited President Buhari.

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Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state while speaking after state governors met behind closed doors with President Buhari, said northern governors were committed to his re-election bid and have no apologies for their stand.

Election-2019: (Dont) mark your calendar - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit- Obaseki said Edo wants to prove that it is indeed a strong APC state in Nigeria

- He said, to do this, the party will present President Buhari with 1.2m votes at the elections

- Obaseki said the new local council chairman and councillors would deliver so well that it will interpret in votes

Edo governor Godwin Obaseki has promised President Muhammadu Buhari not fewer than 1.2m votes from the south-south state in the 2019 presidential elections.

Vanguard reports that Obaseki made the vow while receiving a reported 10,000 defectors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party at All Progressives Congress (APC) rally on Thursday, March 2 in Benin.

He said the chairmen and councillors of the party expected to emerge at the local government elections held on Saturday, March would make it possible by delivering very well in the 18 local government areas of Edo state.

READ ALSO: David Mark ends Ekiti PDP crisis, reconciles warring factions

I am not sure that there is any state where they have had a rally like this to finalize campaigns for local government elections The reason we do this is because we want our people to see the wake and see chairmen and councillors in your local governments.

What we are seeing in the state is now what we want to replicate in your local governments and wards. Because we want to make sure that infrastructural development, which we have started in Benin City, gets to every ward and local government in Edo State. Our candidates are men and women of integrity, these are people who are well grounded.

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I am promising you that the local government councillors and chairmen will extend all what we have been doing at the state level to the villages. Let us show Nigerians that Edo is an APC state. Let us tell our President (Muhammadu Buhari) that he has 1.2million votes in Edo. We want to show that we have numerical strength in Edo APC.

Legit.ng recalls that just recently, Kano state governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje assured President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of getting up to five million votes from the state in the 2019 presidential election.

Ganduje made this statement on Monday, February 12 while reacting to the victory of the APC in the just concluded local council election in Kano state, Vanguard reports.

PDP's Magnificent 7 for 2019 - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit(Natural News) Hopes for the discovery of another Earth  and alien life  have taken off again after the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Kepler space telescope discovered nearly 100 new exoplanets, reported The Daily Mail. Data from the space observatory identified 275 possible candidates, which an international team of researchers narrowed down to 95 confirmed planets. Every single one of them is a potential Earth that might be hosting alien life.

Currently on its ninth year of operation, Kepler has identified thousands of potential exoplanets. It is currently embarked on the K2 mission, a search for habitable planet around red dwarf stars.

The research group connected with the mission was headed by Andrew Mayo, a member of the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark. In an interview with Gizmodo, Dr. Mayo explained that his teams discoveries will help astronomers learn more about individual exoplanets.

The telescope that keeps scoping

The Kepler space telescope was launched into solar orbit in 2009. Its mission was to seek out new exoplanets in a single stretch of starry sky.

Successive mechanical failures in 2012 and 2013 crippled the spacecraft. Kepler was re-purposed so that it could shift its field of view every now and then. (Related: Tiny rocket from recycled parts: Japans space agency successfully launches smallest rocket to ever carry a satellite into orbit.)

Kepler detects potential exoplanets by looking for minute drops in the amount of light emitted by a star. This decrease in light is attributed to the shadow cast by a planet as it crosses in front of its host. Once a dip has been detected, researchers will closely examine the data in order to verify if it was caused by an exoplanet.

Exoplanets are planets found outside the Sol system that are orbiting a star. The first such planet was found in 1995 around a Sun-like star. So far, astronomers have catalogued 3,600 exoplanets. Some are rocky balls the size of Earth while others are Jovian gas giants.

Dr. Mayos team studied hundreds of signals. According to him, some of the signals stemmed from multiple star systems or noise pollution by Kepler itself. But we also detected planets that range from sub Earth-sized to the size of Jupiter and larger, he added.

One such planet circled its host star every ten days. HD 212657 is recorded as the brightest star found by Kepler that has an exoplanet. Planets around bright stars are important because astronomers can learn a lot about them from ground-based observatories, explained Dr. Mayo. As more planets are discovered, astronomers will develop a much better picture of the nature of exoplanets which in turn will allow us to place our own solar system into a galactic context.

The last time Keplers results raised such a ruckus was back in December 2017, when the telescope spotted an eighth planet in the Kepler 90 star system. It was the first occasion that another stars family matched the number of planets orbiting the sun.

Kepler 90 is 2,545 light-years away. Kepler 90i is its smallest planet, with an orbit of 14.4 days.

Sadly, Kepler 90i isnt anything like Earth. It is 30 percent bigger, doesnt have much in the way of air, and is scorching hot to boot.

Perhaps one of the new exoplanets will fulfill the dream of astronomers.

Google AI helps find planets

Keplers hunt for exoplanets is aided by Googles artificial intelligence (AI) system. The AI hits the mark around 96 percent of the time.

According to Dr. Mayos team, the AIs neural networks can learn from sifting through large amounts of data. It can differentiate among the patterns given off by an exoplanet and false positives from other cosmic patterns.

Google AI accounted for Kepler 90is discovery.

Join a wider effort to discover more about the cosmos by visiting Cosmic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Space.com(Natural News) The latest idea from Google goes beyond mere Orwellian Big Brother into full-blown automated robotic parenting. The company is planning a series of smart home technologies that will keep an eye on children and discipline them in lieu of their actual parents, warned an article from The Daily Mail.

Google filed a patent involving a smart home monitoring system that uses cameras, microphones, motion sensors, and thermal imaging to keep an eye on mischievous members of the family while the parents are away.

The real-time information will be analyzed by Google Home, the companys flagship smart speaker/home assistant product, which will formulate appropriate disciplinary actions.

Another potential product is a smart device that presumes to advise parents on ways to improve their relationships with their children, such as urging them to devote more time and attention to their kids during dinner.

When children are near a drinks cabinet or are in their parents bedroom alone, the system may infer that mischief is likely to be occurring, Google explained in its patent. (Related: PragerU vs YouTube case has enormous implications for the future of online FREE speech.)

Google and Amazon are watching you

According to The Times, the planned smart device will keep track of chores such as taking the trash out. It will be able to remember who failed to finish or accomplish their assigned chores.

Misbehaving children will be punished by restricting their mobile phone usage. And like any good informant, the Google smart device can also report their bad behavior to their parents. It can use infrared sensors to record the body temperatures of the kids, and it would eventually learn to discern certain sounds such as crying and laughter.

It may be beneficial to monitor the emotional state of occupants in a household, the Google patent said.

Google filed the patent for its smart home surveillance system in 2015. Tucker Carlson of Fox News was the one who first dredged it up from the forgotten annals.

Googles products get more and more intrusive with every new patent they file. A third document identified a smart device that could spot and identify a copy of the crime novel The Godfather at the bedside of the user.

According to The Daily Mail, this seemingly innocuous tidbit could serve as subtle leverage to get people to watch the film based on the book.

We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with, Google explained to Fox News. The company admitted that not all of its patents mature into real products or services.

When The Daily Mail asked for its side of this matter, Google chose to remain silent.

Digital assistants never truly sleep

The patent applications filed by Amazon and Google towards the end of 2017 read like a list of spying techniques used by their Voice Assistants to monitor their users, alleged Consumer Watchdog. According to the Santa Monica, California-based advocacy group, the patents prove Google Home and Amazon Echo can serve as surveillance equipment that collect massive amounts of information and deliver digital advertising.

Digital assistants are marketed as reliant on the detection of a wake-word such as Hey, Siri before they go awake. But Consumer Watchdog warns that the smart device might be feigning sleep when you least expect it.

Google and Amazon executives want you to think that Google Home and Amazon Echo are there to help you out at the sound of your voice, warned John Simpson, the privacy and technology project director of Consumer Watchdog. In fact, theyre all about snooping on you and your family in your home and gathering as much information on your activities as possible.

Learn more about protecting your privacy at PrivacyWatch.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TheTimes.co.ukKathmandu, Nepal: This sounds like drama but happened really on Saturday that Nepal Police failed to find the most wanted Former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police and newly-elected lawmaker Nawaraj Silwal even though he had entered in the Parliamentary building at New Baneshwor of Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon crossing the security checks in the entrances gate.

Nepal Police has still been claiming that it has been searching even listing Silwal in the most wanted list for a document forgery case.

Silwal had spotted in the premises of the Parliamentary building like other elected members of the federal parliament. He had reached the Parliament building to attend a joint Parliamentary Party meeting of the CPN-UML and CPN Maoist Centre.

Silwal is kept in the most wanted list of the Nepal police after the Supreme Court (SC), the apex court of the country, had ordered the government to initiate action against Silwal with the verdict that he had forged the performance appraisal reports submitted to the SC seeking his appointment as the Inspector General of Police (IGP).About every two weeks, someone dies in a California Drug Rehab Facility - not so surprising considering many clients are fighting addictions to dangerous drugs.

But an NBC Bay Area Investigation into the case of a 32-year-old man, Nathan Eaton, reveals that when someone dies at a facility, family members and other clients seeking treatment there may never know what happened.

NBC Bay Area (Feb 28, 2018)

When Nathan Eaton arrived at Center Point Inc. in San Rafael, California, he'd been battling addiction since he was 16 years old. His father, Fernin Eaton, has worked with people in drug recovery for years and wonders how he missed the signs of addiction in his son. We noticed Nathan being more defensive, somewhat withdrawn, he said, but really there were no overt signs. We just - if there were, we missed them.

NBC Bay Area (Jan 22, 2018)

After high school, Nathan tried to beat his addictions during numerous admissions to rehab facilities.

He went first to treatment centers in his hometown of Baton Rouge, and later in Houston. His father and mother did their best to keep up, frequently driving to Houston. It was just a five-hour drive. We could go to participate in the family meetings. said Fernin. At 32, Nathan arrived at Center Point Inc. It seemed to Fernin that rehab was finally working for his son. This time it was really taking hold, he said.

Fernin Eaton

Rehab Was Starting to Take Hold

NBC Bay Area spoke to a resident who was with Nathan at Center Point. He asked not to be identified, so his name has been changed.

Our group was really close, said Richard, and there was a lot of groundbreaking stuff happening. It was really more the clients than the staff doing that.

Richard credits the time he spent at Center Point - and the guys who were trying to quit with him - for helping him break his addiction. He says hes drug free today.

A Toothache - And Some Methadone

On the morning of March 8, 2013, Nathan was complaining of a toothache. According to Center Points logs, and a support buddy who went with him, Nathan left Center Point to visit the dentist - one mile away. Nathan then changed his mind and instead went to an AT&T store nearby to use a free phone. He arranged to meet his girlfriend. They dropped off Nathan's support buddy at his girlfriend's house and then went to the park. When Nathan returned to Center Point later that afternoon, his friends could tell he was high.

You could tell he was under the influence. Face flushed, eyes were pin-pointed, pupil was super small, eyes were lightly red, face red, said Richard.

Alex, another resident whose name has been changed, said, His eyes were dilated, and he had very blue eyes, so it was very easy to see that he was high.

His friends told Nathan he should tell the staff hed taken drugs. Nathan agreed and told the program manager that his girlfriend gave him some 10 milligram methadone pills. He said he took two of them, felt nothing - and then took three more, according to Center Point's logs.

Nathan's girlfriend later told police she never gave him any drugs and that he must have somehow gotten the prescription pills out of her purse while she was charging her cellphone.

Detoxification Without a License

State records show Center Point had no license for detox, so the correct protocol was to send Nathan to a detox facility or an emergency room, where he could be treated and monitored by trained medical staff. California laws require treatment facilities to refer patients to a higher level of care and decline admission to patients who are intoxicated unless they are licensed to provide detox services.

Instead, the staff consulted with Center Points Vice-President Mark Hering, and the decision was made to allow Nathan to stay at the rehab facility. It was also agreed that someone would check on Nathan every 30 minutes throughout the night.

According to the night managers logs, that didnt happen either. At 7:05 a.m., Nathan was found unresponsive in his bed by the staff.

The next morning, Center Point staff called Nathans father with shocking news. They said Nathan had died of a drug overdose while he was in this facility, and I had just been back to Baton Rouge two weeks from trying to see him in California, Fernin said, choking back tears.

For the next three years, Fernin Eaton believed what hed been told -- that Nathan died of an accidental overdose. But then a call from a stranger changed everything.

NBC Bay Area (Dec 27, 2017)

"Something Was Wrong"

I knew something was wrong, said Paul Schraps, whose son, Apollo, was also at Center Point seeking treatment. He woke up one morning and went to his friend's room next door and found him on his back, and he was dead with vomit on the bed beside him, said Schraps, adding that his son struggled with Nathans death. My son was injured about this psychologically."

Schraps runs an organization called Parent-Teen Bridges, which helps parents cope with their childrens addictions. He spent six months investigating Nathans death. I tried the treatment facility and the coroners office, but due to confidentiality nothing was available. I didnt even know Nathans last name.

Paul thought hed hit a dead end, but then came a chance meeting with a young man who had been at Center Point, and recognized Paul from visits hed paid to his son. The man had been friends with Nathan and knew his last name.

Schraps was then able to get a coroners report and began to piece together the story of what had happened to Nathan Eaton. Seeing that Nathan had ingested five 10 mg methadone pills, he became even more suspicious.

Schraps put together a 12-page timeline, and reached out to Nathans father in Louisiana.

A Different Version of Nathan Eaton's Death

The second hardest message I had ever received, said Fernin. Paul said that what I had been told had happened was not accurate with Nathan's death - that the facility did not check on Nathan as they said they had and that they were operating outside of their license.

Sasha Murphy says that after she went through rehab, she was hired as an administrative assistant to (Center Point) CEO Dr. Sushma Taylor. She heard from other residents at the facility that Nathan was in no condition to remain at Center Point. They should have brought him to the hospital to be medically cleared first, she said.

Fernin Eaton is now convinced that the decision to keep Nathan at Center Point was motivated by money. That's just the sad part of it, he said, that the decisions at the top to keep the bed filled to put profit ahead of the client. He sued Center Point for negligence and wrongful death.

No one from Center Point Inc. responded to repeated requests for an interview. But in a deposition, Taylor was asked about the case.

Attorney: Would you agree ... that Nathan Eaton should not have been kept on the premises ... after admitting that he had ingested methadone?

Dr. Sushma Taylor: "No."

Lawyer: "Disagree that its a violation of state law?"

Dr. Sushma Taylor: "I dont know that he was in a state of detoxification requirement."

The Department of Healthcare Services, which oversees rehab facilities, disagreed. Documents obtained by NBC Bay Area show DHCS cited Center Point for several deficiencies, including two of the most severe - Class A. The Agency found that Center Point failed to refer Nathan to a higher level of care and performed detoxification services without a detox license.

Fernin Eaton said he filed a lawsuit to shed light on what happened to Nathan. When Center Point Inc. offered a $245,000 settlement, Eatons lawyer advised him to accept it. Center Point did not admit liability in Nathan Eaton's death.

My goal is that other families that find themselves in a similar situation consider being vigilant, said Fernin Eaton. Consider looking into the facility. Consider looking into the facts. Never lose hope, never lose love, and pray.

NBC Bay Area (Jan 22, 2018)

For information about specific drug rehab facilities, you can call the Department of Healthcare Services at 916-322-2911 or 877-685-8333 to reach the Substance Use Disorder Compliance Division. They can tell you how many complaints and deaths have occurred at each facility. However, if an investigation is still open, DHCS cant tell you about the complaint or death.A San Francisco firefighter tasked with saving lives is now behind bars and facing some very serious charges for potentially endangering them.

Court documents indicate the firefighter, Rock Louis Plichcik, had an "arsenal" of assault weapons in his San Francisco properties and possessed them despite a temporary restraining order.

Authorities said 12 assault weapons and 15 other firearms were taken from Plichcik's properties. Police will not confirm that Plichcik worked for the fire department, but he was arrested on the 1200 block of 16th Avenue in San Francisco and a warrant was served for his place of work -- Fire Station 22.

Police this week managed to dig up a mass stockpile of weapons. People who work and live nearby said police were seen pulling out several rifles.

Documents describe the searching of a property on Buchanan and Greenwich as uncovering "an arsenal of weaponry" -- assault weapons and firearms found in two safes.

Plichcik is listed as the property owner. The 59-year-old faces 12 counts of unlawfully possessing an assault weapon. Plichcik allegedly broke the terms of a temporary restraining order set to expire Feb. 28 of relinquishing his weapons.

Plichcik previously told a San Francisco police sergeant he did not own any weapons and that he sold them "long ago." But that sergeant found 12 handguns registered under Plichcik's name.



The Statement of Facts include the driving force behind the order: claims from Plichcik's sister he threatened to kill her. It also highlights a series of "anonymous calls" to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, warning of Plichcik's various firearms, "extremely mentally unstable condition," and threats to "open up fire on a SMART train."

A search warrant was still visible Friday on Plichcik's door.

Court records show Plichcik on Friday was still in custody at the San Francisco County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday. He declined a NBC Bay Area request for a jailhouse interview.Police rushed to the Water Tower Mall on Chicago's bustling Michigan Avenue after a dispute between "two groups" ended in gunfire Friday evening, police said.

A stretch of Michigan Avenue was briefly closed off due to a possible armed person near Water Tower Mall, police said about 6:23 p.m. No one was injured, according to a Chicago Police Department spokesman.

"Water Tower secured by CPD and incident is clear," chief communications officer Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. "A dispute between two groups ended with an offender discharging a gun. No one was reportedly struck and no injuries reported."

Officers responded to Water Tower Place for a report of a gunman on the seventh floor just after 6 p.m.



Brianna Harper was shopping at the time of the gunfire.

All these police just came and they started getting their guns ready.

Shoppers spilled out onto Michigan Avenue as police rushed inside the mall.

Employees joined customers taking cover as they heard about a gunman. Jessica Schwartzland works on the second floor.

I was helping a customer and then all of a sudden a bunch of cops start running to the express elevator," she said. Then all of a sudden a bunch of customers are in the middle screaming.

Police say a dispute in the mall between two groups of young people led to someone firing a gunshot into the floor.

Police quickly reopened the mall after calling the gunshot an "isolated incident" and held a press conference shortly after the scene settled.



"This is one of the most heavily populated areas in the city in terms of video coverage," Chicago police Supt. Eddie Johnson said. "So the detectives are working right now and I am very optimistic that we will be able to identify the subject."

Additional patrols were assigned to the area Friday night.A New Jersey man was killed when a tree fell on his car on the Merritt Parkway (Route 15) amid rain and high winds Friday evening.

Police said the tree fell on the car driving southbound between exits 31 and 33 in Stamford around 7:12 p.m. The driver, identified as 25-year-old Jonathan Rodriguez Melendez of Hawthorne, New Jersey, was killed. His passenger suffered minor injuries.

Police continue to investigate.Clean-up crews are hard at work after a deadly storm that slammed Connecticut with heavy rain, snow and powerful winds Friday and plunged thousands into darkness as those winds took down trees, wires and utility poles.

A flood warning remains in effect in New London County, with a coastal flood advisory for the rest of the shoreline.

This storm is being blamed for at least seven deaths across the northeast, including one in Connecticut. One person was reported dead after a tree fell on their car on Route 15 south near exit 33 in Stamford Friday. Another occupant was transported to the hospital for evaluation.



Downed trees and wires littered roads throughout the state, causing road closures and power outages.

Photos: Nor'easter Leaves Damage Across Connecticut

At the peak, around 65,000 people throughout Connecticut were without power.

Power crews worked to restore power througout the day Saturday. By 9 a.m. Sunday, Eversource was reporting 13,341 customers without power, and United Illuminating reported 104.

Eversource officials said they have crews working across the state and expect the vast majority of customers to be restored by 9 p.m. Sunday. Crews will be out in the hardest hit areas through the late evening hours Sunday.

In West Hartford, several roads remained closed Saturday morning due to hanging wires and fallen trees. On Ridgewood Road, part of the road was shut down when a massive tree uprooted and fell across the road, taking wires down with it.

Down the street on Hunter Avenue, there was a similar scene. A pine tree actually brought down two power poles, snapping a street light in half.

On the Yale campus in New Haven, the roof of a garage on Sachem Street partially collapsed. Officials said the structure collapse was a result of the powerful winds. The damage was so great, the building will be demolished.

The roof of a building on the Yale campus on Sachem Street partially collapsed due to the strong winds brought by Fridays noreaster.

In North Branford on Middletown Avenue, a tree collapsed onto power lines compromising a utility pole as well. The road remains closed between woods hill road and reeds gap until repairs are made.

Nearby in Branford, multiple downed trees caused closures on Sandra Drive, Alex Warfield Road and Pawson Landing Drive.

In the Southport section of Fairfield, a tree came down on a home on Arbor Drive. No one was hurt.

Shoreline towns like East Haven and Westbrook experienced some street flooding.

Up north in Litchfield County, some towns saw snow instead of rain, and crews were working to clear the roads amid icy conditions.

At Bradley International Airport airlines were scrambling to get back on schedule after approximately 40 percent of Friday's arriving and departing flights were canceled. Travelers should check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.A Michigan college student believed to have fatally shot his parents on campus on Friday, sparking a lockdown and a day-long police search, has been apprehended, Central Michigan University police said.

James Eric Davis Jr., 19, is thought to have fatally shot his parents with his father's gun, NBC News reported. Davis' father, James Davis Sr., is a police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood, Illinois State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch confirmed.

The suspect was in custody of Central Michigan University Police, police said early Saturday.

"The suspect was seen and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight," the university said in a statement. "Law enforcement personnel responded and arrested the suspect without incident."Authorities have confirmed nine deaths in the powerful nor'easter that swept across the Northeast, as people along the coast braced for more flooding during high tides Saturday. The powerful storm also inundated roads, snapped trees and knocked out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses moved hundreds of miles out to sea.

Areas from Maryland to Maine remained under flood warnings. Officials in eastern Massachusetts, where dozens of people were rescued from high waters overnight, warned of another round of flooding during high tides expected at midday.

As Saturday's midday high tide arrived, heavy surf crashed into the cliffs along Cape Cod Bay in Bourne, Massachusetts, drawing dozens of onlookers to watch churning brown waves take big bites out of the eroding coastline.

"We've been here a long time and we've never seen it as bad as this," said Alex Barmashi, who lives in the hard-hit village of Sagamore Beach.

Up the coast in Scituate, Massachusetts, Becky Smith watched as ocean waters started to fill up a nearby marina's parking lot from her vantage point at the Barker Tavern, a restaurant overlooking the harbor.

"It looks like a war zone," she said, describing the scene in the coastal town near Boston where powerful waves dumped sand and rubble on roads and winds uprooted massive trees. "It's a lot of debris, big rocks and pieces of wood littering the streets."

Residents in other coastal areas, meanwhile, bailed out basements and surveyed the damage while waiting for power to be restored. More than 2 million homes and businesses remained without power Saturday.

"The rest of today will be clean up," said Miles Grant, after he secured a generator to run a pump to remove standing water from his basement in Marion, Massachusetts. "Usually when you think of bad weather in New England, you think of snow. But it's been all wind and coastal flooding."

Authorities on Saturday reported four more deaths from the storm, bringing the total to at least nine in the Northeast. A 25-year-old man in Connecticut and a 57-year-old Pennsylvania man were killed when trees fell on their cars Friday.

The National Weather Service expected wind gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph) in coastal areas Saturday, down from Friday's hurricane-force gusts.

"The primary remaining hazard is all the floodwater including the effects of the high tide with the continued onshore flow of the wind," said Patrick Burke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center in Maryland. "The damaging winds we saw yesterday have calmed down just a bit. But it's still going to be a windy day."

Burke said the main part of the storm was about 350 miles (560 kilometers) southeast of Cape Cod on Saturday morning. With the storm so far away, the lingering hazards showed how powerful and massive it is, he said.

The storm swept in Friday and prompted more than 2,800 flight cancellations, mostly in the Northeast. LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill. By Saturday afternoon, airports from Washington, D.C. to Boston were still reporting dozens of delays and cancellations.

Rail systems weren't faring much better.

Amtrak said riders should expect significant delays as it resumed service in its Northeast Corridor starting Saturday morning after completing shutting down the lines at the height of the storm Friday. The commuter system in parts of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts also reported suspending or delaying services Saturday for continuing flood-related problems.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency Saturday, joining governors in Maryland and Virginia who had earlier made the declarations, which allow states to deploy federal resources and request aid from other states.

The other five people killed during the storm included two children. A man and a 6-year-old boy were killed in different parts of Virginia, while an 11-year-old boy in New York state and a man in Rhode Island, both died. A 77-year-old woman died after being struck by a branch outside her home near Baltimore.

Floodwaters in Quincy, Massachusetts, submerged cars and trapped people in their homes. Local first-responders and National Guard troops rescued dozens of people overnight.

Alp Yokus, 12, and his parents were among those rescued in Quincy as the tide rose near their home.

"When it really came up, we just stayed in, hoping," Alp told The Boston Globe. "For the first floor, some of it leaked in through the walls."The city of Fort Worth meets regularly with Atmos Energy crews about replacing older gas lines and problems are rare, the city said.

Like other North Texas cities, Fort Worth has many older neighborhoods with gas lines that have never been replaced.

The evacuation of a neighborhood in northwest Dallas after an explosion that killed a 12-year-old girl is prompting other cities to more closely examine their aging infrastructure.

"Atmos has ongoing projects in Fort Worth to identify and replace older gas lines throughout the city and prevent potential leaks," according to a statement from Fort Worth's Transportation and Public Works Department.

Atmos crews were working on Norma Street on the city's east side on Friday.

Many of the homes there were built in the late 1930s.

"It looks like they're being a little more proactive here to avoid anything happening, so it's a bit encouraging," said neighbor Kevin Hardee.

Natural Gas Safety

Natural gas leaks are rare, but they can be deadly when they occur. Because of that, federal and state regulations require utility companies "odorize" natural gas so that it can be detected by people in normal circumstances. The smell added to natural gas is offensive, similar to that of a rotten egg.

The biggest threat of a natural gas leak is an explosion. The gas becomes extremely volatile when allowed to become concentrated in an enclosed area and a simple spark could cause a devastating explosion.

If You Think You Smell a Gas Leak

Atmos Energy recommends the following in the event you think you've detected a gas leak.

Leave the area immediately and tell other to leave, too.

Leave any doors open.

DO NOT turn on or off any electric switch; this could cause a spark, igniting the gas.

DO NOT use a cell phone, telephone, garage door opener, doorbell or even a flashlight.

DO NOT smoke, use a lighter or strike a match.

DO NOT start or stop a nearby vehicle or machinery.

DO NOT try to shut off a natural gas valve.

DO NOT assume someone else will report the leak. Once you're safely out of the area, call 911 and Atmos at 866-322-8667 to report the leak.

Gas leaks that occur outside the home are dangerous as well. Most gas lines are buried underground.

Before doing any digging, call 811 at least 48 hours before digging so that utility companies can mark where underground lines are buried in your yard. This service is free and it's the law.

Online: Atmos Energy: Recognizing a Gas LeakIsraeli police questioned Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife as part of an investigation into a corruption case involving the country's telecom giant on Friday, casting a shadow on the prime minister's upcoming visit to Washington.

Police investigators entered Netanyahu's residence Friday morning. An Associated Press cameraman saw them leave about five hours later.

Netanyahu's wife, Sara, was questioned at another location at the same time as the prime minister.

Police later issued a statement saying the couple "were questioned for a number of hours as part of an investigation" by police and the Israel Securities Authority.

Last month, two Netanyahu confidants were arrested on suspicion of promoting regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Bezeq telecom company. In return, Bezeq's news site, Walla, allegedly provided positive Netanyahu coverage.

It's the first time that Netanyahu, who as prime minister also held the communications portfolio until last year, is being questioned over the affair, known as Case 4000.

The development comes ahead of Netanyahu's visit to Washington where he is to meet with President Donald Trump and speak before the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC next week.

Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases.

Netanyahu is accused of accepting nearly $300,000 in lavish gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. In return, police say Netanyahu operated on Milchan's behalf on U.S. visa matters, legislated a tax break and connected him with an Indian businessman.

In the other case, Netanyahu is accused of offering a newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paper's main rival in return for more favorable coverage. Netanyahu reportedly was recorded asking Arnon Mozes, the publisher of Yediot Ahronot, for positive coverage in exchange for helping to weaken Israel Hayom, a free pro-Netanyahu newspaper that had cut into Yediot's business.

Netanyahu has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has dismissed the accusations as a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media.Tansen, Palpa, Nepal: At least two persons killed and five others sustained injuries when a passenger jeep met with an accident at Birpokhara of Tansen Municipality-12 in the district on Saturday.





According to the police, the deceased have been identified as Chitra Bahadur Thapa of Tansen Municipality-12, Luhang. Thapa is the driver of the jeep. However, identity of another deceased is yet to be identified.





The ill-fated vehicle with registration number Lu 1 Ja1938 en route to Luhang Martadi from Tansen met with the accident after it skidded off and fell some 100 meters down the road. Preliminary investigation suggests that over speeding in the hilly road would have the reason behind the accident.



LA County Health Officials cautioned people Friday who may visit beaches during the weekend to avoid areas near discharging storm drains.

Bacteria and chemicals could contaminate those waters and cause illness following downpours that swept through Southern California.

Most areas remain safe for swimmers and surfers, according to LA County Interim Health Officer Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser.

The initial advisory was in effect through Monday morning, but could be extended depending on conditions.

Information about beach conditions can be found 24 hours a day by calling the county hotline at 1-800-525-5662, or on the county's website.Part of a canyon road in Malibu was closed Friday due to a mudslide as a cold storm moved down the coast of California, producing steady rainfall along the coast and in burn areas.

Send Us Your Weather Photos: Email isee@nbcla.com or click here

Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed between Pacific Coast Highway and the community of Topanga at midday due to a mud and rock slide, according to the California Highway Patrol. Details about when the road will reopen were not immediately available, but by the evening, it had not yet reopened.

Initial reports indicated a section of PCH was closed, but the CHP later said the closure was on Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Authorities warned residents in Los Angeles County burn areas to be prepared for mud and debris flows, which can developed during heavy downpours. The storm will continue to push south throughout the day.

A flash flood watch in effect in the San Gabriel Mountains and San Fernando Valley, where moderate rain was reported overnight, expired by 6:30 p.m.

"It's a slow moving front, so it may take some time before the rain gets to your neighborhood," said NBC4 forecaster Shanna Mendiola.

The system was moving out of Santa Barbara County around 7 a.m. It was expected to move through Ventura County by 9 a.m. and LA County by midday.



In the Antelope Valley, where southwest winds were blowing at between 20 and 35 mph and gusting to 40 mph, a wind advisory will be in effect until 9 p.m.

Mountain areas can expect snow and strong wind gusts.

The storm has been moving slowly down the West Coast this week, bringing snow to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, drenching rain to the Bay Area and flooding to Santa Barbara County, where a flash flood warning was in effect Friday morning.

Temperatures will remain cool into the weekend. Friday's Highs: 46 degrees on Mount Wilson; 54 in Lancaster; 55 in Palmdale; 57 in San Gabriel; 58 in Burbank; 59 in Pasadena; 60 in Downtown L.A., Long Beach, Avalon, Woodland Hills, and at LAX.Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is asking witnesses pointed questions about whether Donald Trump was aware that Democratic emails had been stolen before that was publicly known, and whether he was involved in their strategic release, multiple people familiar with the probe told NBC News.

Mueller's investigators have asked witnesses whether Trump was aware of plans for WikiLeaks to publish the emails. They have also asked about the relationship between GOP operative Roger Stone and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and why Trump took policy positions favorable to Russia.

The line of questioning suggests the special counsel, who is tasked with examining whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, is looking into possible coordination between WikiLeaks and Trump associates in disseminating the emails, which U.S. intelligence officials say were stolen by Russia.

Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion and has described the special counsel's investigation as "illegal" and a "witch hunt." John Dowd, the presidents outside attorney, told NBC News, "We do not discuss our knowledge of or communications with the Special Counsel."What to Know The Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony is performing at Carnegie Hall

The band was one of six in the nation picked to perform at the prestigious venue

Stoneman Douglas was the scene of one of the deadliest school shootings in American history

A band from the Florida high school beset by a deadly shooting last month is performing this week at New Yorks Carnegie Hall, one of the most prestigious music venues in the world.

Members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wind Symphony arrived in the city on Saturday and were greeted by Port Authority Police officers.

Port Authority Police Benevolent Association posted a photo to Twitter of the officers and the students at John F. Kennedy Airport.

Good luck to the Concert band as they head to Carnegie Hall in NY this morning: and thank you to Miami Dade and BSO for the police escort to MIA! pic.twitter.com/JRvAptiEFw  Ty Thompson (@Ty_Thompson71) March 3, 2018

Another photo posted by the schools principal, Ty Thompson, shows the band at Miami International Airport earlier in the morning. Officers from Miami-Dade Police and the Broward County Sheriff's Office escorted the students to the airport.

The band members will perform Tuesday afternoon at the 2018 New York Wind Band Festival at Carnegie Hall.

Stoneman Douglas was one of six schools in the nation chosen to perform at the world-famous venue, according to KMPH.

The high school was thrust into the national spotlight on Valentines Day when 17 people were killed and more than a dozen others injured in one of the nations deadliest school shootings.The Democratic Party of Virginia announced Saturday that its annual fundraising event will no longer be called the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

Chairwoman Susan Swecker said the dinner will be renamed the "Blue Commonwealth Gala. It is scheduled to take place June 16, 2018.

The future of our Commonwealth is Democratic. The future of our Commonwealth will be painted in broad blue strokes, Swecker said in a statement. Building off our historic victories in the 2017 election, we are excited to rename our signature event as we work to make Virginia a stronger, fairer, and more prosperous Commonwealth."

Swecker told The Richmond Times-Dispatch on Saturday that the change makes the dinner's name more inclusive and reflective of the state.



The name-change decision comes more than two years after the Arlington County Democratic Committee stopped naming their annual fundraising event after the two slave-owning former presidents.

Jefferson-Jackson dinners have been held by state Democratic parties throughout the country. But party leaders have been renaming the events in recent years to remove association with figures who have oppressed racial minorities.

Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were U.S. presidents who had owned slaves. Jackson also championed the 1830 Indian Removal Act that led to the forced relocation of Cherokee Nation.

Swecker said Jefferson's Virginia roots were a "challenge'' in the Democrats' decision-making process. His legacy looms large in the state.

Virginias democratic party now joins the trend seen in democratic institutions in other states like Colorado, Arkansas, Georgia and Missouri, where the names of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were also removed recently.

Although Jefferson and Jackson are considered founders of the Democratic Party, they have faced scrutiny for owning slaves. Jackson also signed the Indian Removal Act that led to the Trail of Tears, with the forced removal of Native Americans from their lands.Four years after Charles Severance shot and killed a beloved music teacher at her home in Alexandria, Virginia, the victim's youngest daughter is stepping into the spotlight to join the outcry over gun violence.

Carmen Lodato first put on her Moms Demand Action t-shirt last summer. She started going to meetings for the organization and Capitol Hill visits - just listening at first.

"So, for a long time after my mom was killed I was kind of in hiding. I didn't really want to talk to the media or anyone else about it except for close family and friends," Lodato said.

Her mom, Ruthanne Lodato, was one of three Alexandria residents Severance killed over the span of more than a decade. Severance fatally shot Ruthanne Lodato on Feb. 6, 2014. He is now serving a life sentence for the murders.

"I had been thinking, you know, I want to take this horrible thing that happened to me and try and, you know, make some good come out of it," Carmen Lodato said.

The 24-year-old agreed to have a bigger role with the gun control group Everytown.



Then, the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, happened in February - the same month her mom was killed.

Inspired by the high school students speaking out against gun violence, Lodato suddenly stepped from behind the scenes to the front of the mic.

"When I was 20, gun violence touched me in the most personal way. My mom was shot and killed opening the front door of our home in Alexandria," Lodato told the crowd at a rally for Moms Demand Action.

It was her first time speaking publicly about her family's tragedy and about the pain that never really leaves.

"It just completely rocks your world and it's something that you never really - you never get over. And I don't really think that there's closure either because my Mom's gone. She's not coming back...but I do this work to honor her," she said.

She also honors her by running Music Together for pre-schoolers, a program her mom founded in Alexandria. But her role as an activist is equally important now.

"This is kind of my life's work now, I feel like, and I'm not going anywhere," she said.

And she says her Mom would approve of her newly found purpose.

"She loved to help people and she always did the right thing even when it was hard and I fee like that's kind of what this is. This isn't' easy for me to do, but I feel like it's the right thing to do so I think she'd be really proud."At least five people were killed by falling trees or branches, and airlines canceled over 5,000 flights Friday as a major Nor'easter clobbered the East Coast on Friday with a ferocious mix of heavy rain, damaging winds, intermittent snow and coastal flooding.

Delta, Southwest, JetBlue and American Airlines were allowing travelers to change their Friday and Saturday flights in anticipation of the massive storm hitting major cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Providence and Hartford.

Nationwide, 5,489 flights, both domestic and international, have been canceled for Friday and scores more were delayed as of 11:00 p.m ET Friday, according to FlightAware.com. More than 655 flights were already canceled for Saturday. Customers are advised to check with their carriers before heading to the airport.

Amtrak service between Boston and Washington, D.C. was also canceled on Friday after the effort to restore service was deemed unsafe because of storm-related damage on one of its Northeast Corridor lines. Train en route to New York Penn Station, Boston and Washington were told to stop at the nearest station and hold, Amtrak said.

The Eastern Seaboard was getting buffeted by wind gusts exceeding 50 mph, with possible hurricane-strength winds of 80 to 90 mph on on Cape Cod.

Regional power utilities reported widespread outages from North Carolina to Massachusetts. The poweroutage.us website, which tracks utilities across the nation, reported nearly 2 million customers without power as of 11:00 p.m. ET Friday.

Across the East Coast, authorities told residents of coastal communities to be prepared to evacuate, if necessary, in advance of high tides. The weather service said all of Rhode Island was under flood and high wind watches through Sunday morning.

The storm killed at least five people, including a 77-year-old woman struck by a branch outside her home near Baltimore. Fallen trees also killed a man and a 6-year-old boy in different parts of Virginia, an 11-year-old boy in New York state and a man in Newport, Rhode Island.



Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help with the storm and a state of emergency was declared in Marshfield and Scituate where high tides brought coastal flooding, NBC Boston reported.

A storm surge at Boston Harbor peaked at its third-highest level on record, the National Weather Service reported. A car was swept up in the deluge in Quincy prompting a water rescue, and police warned residents not to risk driving in floodwaters.

The Coast Guard advised boaters to exercise "vigilance and extreme caution." The National Weather Service warned that the storm would morph into heavier, wet snow later Friday.

In New Jersey, scattered flooding was reported in coastal areas and photos posted on social media showed the Hoboken train station taking on water from the Hudson River, NBC New York reported.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a travel advisory for all areas north of New York City, requesting limited travel due to dangerous driving conditions.



While New York City was only expected to see up to an inch of snow, further north in the Catskills and to the West in the Poconos, the storm dumped up to a foot of the white stuff.

In the Washington, D.C., howling winds knocked down trees overnight and left more than 100,000 customers without power Friday morning. Dangerous wind gusts of 60mph were forecast through 6 a.m. Saturday, NBC Washington reported. Schools around the District closed Friday because of the dangerous road conditions.

A tree crashed onto the roof of a commuter outside Philadelphia, halting traffic on a busy highway, NBC Philadelphia reported. The transportation agency reported four people were hurt in the crash. Their conditions were not immeditately known.

And in Maryland, a 100-year-old woman had to be rescued after a tree sliced through her home overnight. Kensington firefighters pulled her from the debris and she was taken to the hospital. The woman's injuries are not life-threatening.

Downed trees and wires were also reported across Connecticut and more than 40,000 homes and businesses were without power, NBC Connecticut reported. Dozens of schools around the state were closed Friday in anticipation for storm that was forecast to drop anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow in some parts of Connecticut.

And on the West coast another major winter storm was making its way south through California, bringing heavy snow, strong winds, steady rain and prompting mandatory evacuations for coastal areas to the south that were devastated by deadly mudslides in January.

Thousands of residents near the wildfire-scorched areas in Santa Barbara County were ordered to evacuate before the storm arrived early Friday, NBC Los Angeles reported. Authorities also warned residents in Los Angeles County burn areas to be prepared for mud and debris flows, which can developed during heavy downpours.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said forecasters weren't certain how intense the storm would be when it arrives in Southern California. However, modeling indicates "there is a risk for dangerous flash flooding, mud and debris flows," he warned.One person was killed in Plympton, Massachusetts on Friday when a tree fell on his car during the nor'easter, according to the Plympton District Attorney.

Ryan MacDonald, 37, of Plympton, was determined by first responders to be dead at the scene.

MacDonald is the first Massachusetts resident confirmed dead in the storm and the third in New England.



Plympton police say that they received a call from a resident reporting that a tree had fallen on top of a motor vehicle near a Cedar Street residence just after 5 p.m., on Friday.

Emergency crews found MacDonald, the sole occupant of the vehicle, trapped in his Dodge Ram pickup truck by a large pine tree that had fallen on the vehicle's roof.

The incident is under investigation by Plympton Police and Massachusetts State Police.The nor'easter is continuing to be problematic for travellers Saturday.

If you have travel plans Saturday, make sure to check with your airline before heading to the airport.

As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, airlines cancelled more than 120 flights departing or arriving at Boston Logan Airport, with more than 79 delayed.

There are more than 1,190 cancellations across the country as of 10:40 a.m. Saturday, and more than 8,275 delays nationwide.

On Friday, the nor'easter forced more than 5,000 flights to be cancelled nationwide.

At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a pilot was forced to abort a landing due to strong winds from the powerful storm.

Video showed the plane wobbling before it lifted back up into the air.

Several passengers on board got sick as a result of the turbulence.Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts Saturday afternoon, effective immediately.

The declaration comes after the fierce early March nor'easter that slammed into New England with torrential rain, heavy wind gusts, coastal flooding and snowfall.

Sarah White, from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), joined NBC10 Boston and necn by phone Saturday afternoon to discuss the state of emergency and the weather conditions in Massachusetts.

"The declaration of a state of emergency in the case of this severe winter storm is really related to procedural emergency actions that need to happen, so declaring a state of emergency allows for the deployment of federal resources or resources from other states if we should need it," she said. "As we go into the recovery over the next several days, there might be additional resources that we'll need to either procure and buy or bring in from other states, so that declaration allows for the flexibility administratively for us to do those types of things."

Declaring a state of emergency allows the Commonwealth to expedite resources.

"Right now the cleanunp efforts are minimal because we still have a lot of response efforts going on," White said. "We do have a lot of crews out on the field, on the ground, participating in power restoration where it's safe to do so. We have a lot of crews as well assisting in evacuations in flooded areas. There are still areas we haven't even been able to get to do damage assessment at this point."

On Thursday, Gov. Baker signed an order to activate the National Guard to assist local police and fire departments with evacuation and rescue efforts. The National Guard mobilized 53 vehicles to various cities, towns and strategic locations throughout Eastern Massachusetts.

Friday night, Gov. Charlie Baker urged people in coastal communities to get out if they have been asked to do so by officials.



The state of emergency will remain in effect until Gov. Baker issues notice that it is no longer necessary. There is no statewide travel ban associated with this state of emergency.

"We want people to know that if they need to leave their home and go to a shelter, that there are shelters available and open for people," White said. "Make sure that you check on your neighbors and your friends. This is something where we need to come together and take care of one another."

MEMA will continue to work with municipalities and state agencies to plan for the remainder of this storm and coordinate assistance for the cleanup efforts to come.

Communities in Massachusetts had declared state of emergencies as residents across the state lost electricity on Friday.

State of emergencies were declared in Marshfield, Duxbury and Scituate, where officials had long-warned of coastal flooding due to high tides. The neighboring town of Norwell also declared a state of emergency after nearly 100-percent of its residents lost power.Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.Christian writer Catherine Ayre has had a book of poems published to encourage people to find out more about God.

Christian writer Catherine Ayre has had a book of poems published to encourage people to find out more about God.

Invite for Norfolk faith groups to help prisoners The Welcome Directory is a multi-faith charity that helps faith communities to offer welcome to people leaving prison. Norfolk churches are among those who are invited to register to make a commitment. Read more

YMCA Norfolk needs Business Support Administrator YMCA Norfolk is looking for a Business Support Administrator to provide business, co-ordination and administrative support for the communities team, based in Norwich. Read more

Women's Specialist Practitioner needed The Magdalene Group is seeking to employ a Womens Specialist Practitioner to provide gender and trauma-informed support to women experiencing multiple disadvantage and to provide specialist support to female sex workers and victims of sexual exploitation Read more

Norwich church art and concerts reflect on Covid-19 Until September 25, concerts and an art exhibition at St Stephen's church in Norwich city centre will continue on the theme of "After the Storm? a reflection on the Covid-19 pandemic." Read more

Tony to raise a laugh and funds for Norfolk kids charity Raise Kids Work has invited funny man Tony Vino to a cake and comedy event to raise funds for the charity. Read more

Name change for expanding Norfolk foodbank North Norfolk Foodbank is the new name for the Cromer and District foodbank, which has changed its identity to reflect its expanding reach into the community. Read more

Filling Station reopens on Norfolk-Suffolk border The Angles Way Filling Station has reopened this month after 18 months break, having changed its name from Ouse Valley Filling Station. Read more

Dinosaurs, evolution and religion lecture Nick Spencer will give a lecture in the Cathedral on Tuesday September 21, starting at 7.00pm on the question what does evolution say about human life? Read more

The Seven Real Reasons for Unbelief Regular columnist James Knight believes that understanding the reasons why many people choose not to believe will assist Christians in reaching out to them. Read more

Burn Norwich worship nights are back Non-stop worship movement Burn has been continuing online throughout lockdown. Local group Burn Norwich are meeting in-person on October 2 in Norwich. Read more

Holt charity holds prayer meetings for Malawi North Norfolk charity Aid Africa tells of a new toilet in Malawi, and invites everyone to a monthly on-line prayer meeting to pray for their work in that country. Read more

Integrate Youth for Christ hiring in South Norfolk Integrate Youth for Christ currently have two vacancies which could be combined if the applicant has suitable skills, one based in Thetford and one in Diss. Both roles are to commence as soon as possible. Read more

New air ambulance HQ in Norwich is blessed Faith leaders from across East Anglia took part in an official blessing at the official opening of the extended and renovated East Anglian Air Ambulance operational base and HQ at Norwich Airport on September 10. Read more

Communications Manager for Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich has an exciting opportunity for a dynamic Communications Manager to be responsible for the development and implementation of a multiplatform communications strategy, supporting the vision to be Transformed by Christ. Read more

Care Assistant at Corton House Corton House, a 42 bedded care home with a mission to provide excellent loving care and support for older people, is looking for a day care assistant to work a mixture of evenings and day shifts Read more

Marketing and Fundraising Co-ordinator Corton House are looking for an experienced individual to fill a newly created role working with Senior Management to develop and implement new marketing and fundraising strategies to further develop and grow the organisation. Read more

Norfolk gives generously to Afghan refugee fund Thanks to the generosity of people across Norfolk and Waveney, the Bishop of Norwichs Refugee Fund has received nearly 36,000 in the past fortnight, to help the arriving and expected new refugees from Afghanistan. The Diocese of Norwich is administering Read moreSHELTON  A volunteer firefighter has been charged with allegedly setting a truck full of cardboard boxes on fire at the station damaging a door and car, and then driving onto Route 8 as the boxes burned and flew off the back.

According to an affidavit filed in Derby Superior Court, William Tortora, the 57-year-old brother of Fire Marshal James Chic Tortora, told police he was drunk when he set the boxes on fire behind Echo Hose after a past captains dinner about four weeks ago.

The back of Echo Hose abuts the Pierpoint building and a parking lot often filled with cars.

A second arrest is expected, police said. The investigation is on-going.

Tortora, of Coram Road, was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree arson, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree criminal mischief and conspiracy charges for each count.

He appeared before Derby Superior Court Judge Peter Brown who continued the case to March 13. He is being held on $250,000 bond.

On March 13, Milford States Attorney Kevin Lawlor will decide if the case will be transferred to Milford where more serious charges are heard, he told the judge.

Police began their investigation after being contacted by Fire Chief Francis Jones. Jones and Captain Michael Plavcan provided police with surveillance videos showing Tortora and another volunteer setting the cardboard on fire. They also show Tortora videotaping the incident, according to an affidavit filed by Detective Richard Bango.

Police seized Tortoras and the other suspects cell phones and had Stratford police extract evidence.

One of the videos contains the voice of a man saying all these cars are going to burn.

Some of the video shows the other suspect retrieving more cardboard boxes from inside Echo Hose and feeding the fire, according to Bangos affidavit.

Bango estimated the flames reached approximately five feet high.

He said Tortora can be seen taking burning boxes from the truck and throwing them around the parking lot.

One of the burning boxes landed underneath a Chevrolet Impala owned by the city of Shelton. It left burn marks on the front end.

When Tortora noticed the box on fire under the vehicle, he pulled it out and tried to step on the flames, Bango wrote.

More burn marks were found on the firehouses overhead door. The door damage is estimated at $450.

Volunteer Firefighter Tom DeMarco used a fire extinguisher on the burning boxes.

Tortora met with Detective Sgt. Michael McPadden, Detective Chris Nugent and Bango at Echo Hose on Feb. 22 after he went to the station to remove his belongings after being told he was suspended pending the investigation.

Tortora told police he began drinking at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 and by the time of the fire was intoxicated.

Tortora told us that we should have seen him driving down Howe Avenue with the rear of his truck bed on fire, Bango wrote in his affidavit. He stated that other drivers were pulling beside him beeping their horns.

Tortora stated he then drove onto Route 8 and sped up until the burning boxes flew out of his truck, Bangos affidavit reads.

Police photographed an oval burn mark spanning from one wheel well to the other on Tortoras 2013 Chevrolet Silverado after they spoke with him Feb. 22. They also determined the vehicle was unregistered, removed the plates and had it towed to his home.5 1 of 5 Contributed Photo / Weston Volunteer Fire Department / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Contributed Photo / Weston Volunteer Fire Department / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Contributed Photo / Weston Volunteer Fire Department / Contributed Photo Show More Show Less 5 of 5









WESTON  Trees and wires down delayed firefighters response to a generator fire Saturday, but it was still quickly extinguished, officials said.

The generator was next to a house on Blue Spruce Circle, officials said.ORANGE  Regional Democrats held a virtual petting zoo for statewide political hopefuls on Saturday, in a four-hour meet, greet and elevator-pitch session for potential gubernatorial candidates, as well as the under-ticket.

The event, which drew an ebbing-and-flowing audience of about 200 for coffee and bagels in the towns High Plains Community Center, gave less-known candidates the chance to make 7-minute presentations on what they offer for delegate support at the May party convention.

This gave newcomers Jacey Wyatt of Branford, the first transgender woman to run for governor, and Guy Smith of Greenwich, a former business executive, the same opportunity as the better-known hopefuls, six of whom  Ned Lamont, Jonathan Harris, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, Susan Bysiewicz  met head-to-head two nights earlier in Torrington.

For the first time, tonight I think Im the female version of Ned Lamont, Wyatt said of the Greenwich communications executive and former U.S. Senate candidate. Wyatt, with experience in construction, said that Tweed-New Haven Airport is an underdeveloped resource that should be enriched, so it can generate more jobs, tax revenue and economic development.

New York, were coming for your jobs, she said. Boston, were coming for your jobs. And if you dont think thats enough, Im a tourism person, so Orlando, be prepared because were coming for your tourism dollars and theyre coming back to Connecticut.

Wyatt said that while many Democrats are resigned to enact electronic tolling on state highways, she would limit it to border tolls and toll gantries at Bradley International Airport.

Smith said any tolling under his administration would target interstate traffic, while giving major breaks to state residents.

Tolls annoy people. Im not going to run a government that annoys people, he said. Well figure out a way for people from Massachusetts and Rhode Island to pay tolls and you dont, with tax credits.

One thing I am not going to do is raise your taxes, Smith said in his western drawl to the audience members, who were seated on folding chairs on the linoleum floor of a concrete-block meeting room, a bingo scoreboard on the back wall. Second thing: Teachers, unions and state workers are not going to be the enemy in my administration.

Smith said he would like to offer tax credits to first-time home buyers and promote free office space for small start-ups to attract millennials. He called President Donald Trumps idea of arming teachers lunacy and absurd.

The first casualty of the day occurred when an elderly woman slipped and fell, but took a nearby chair and soldiered on. Throughout the morning and into afternoon, participating politicians swanned in and out, chatting with fellow Democrats from area towns.

The format also gave Clare Kindall of West Hartford, a veteran assistant state attorney general, and state Rep. Mike DAgostino, of Hamden, the same time as better-known hopefuls Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor; state Rep. William Tong and state Sen. Paul Doyle to replace retiring Attorney General George Jepsen.

This is no time for on-the-job training, said Kindall, who said she was inspired by the 2016 election to consider running for office. I have been doing this job for 20 years.Antibiotic use is known to have a near-immediate impact on our gut microbiota and long-term use may leave us drug resistant and vulnerable to infection.

Now there is mounting laboratory evidence that in the increasingly complex, targeted treatment of cancer, judicious use of antibiotics also is needed to ensure these infection fighters don't have the unintended consequence of also hampering cancer treatment, scientists report.

Any negative impact of antibiotics on cancer treatment appears to go back to the gut and to whether the microbiota is needed to help activate the T cells driving treatment response, says Dr. Gang Zhou, immunologist at the Georgia Cancer Center and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

"It likely depends on what types of therapy physicians are giving to patients and how often they also are giving them antibiotics," says Zhou, corresponding author of the study in the journal Oncotarget.

They have some of the first evidence that in some of the newest therapies, the effect of antibiotics is definitely mixed. Infections are typically the biggest complication of chemotherapy, and antibiotics are commonly prescribed to prevent and treat them.

"We give a lot of medications to prevent infections," says Dr. Locke Bryan, hematologist/oncologist at the Georgia Cancer Center and MCG.

"White blood cell counts can go so low that you have no defense against bacteria, and that overwhelming infection can be lethal," says Bryan, a study co-author.

In this high-stakes arena, where chemotherapy is increasingly packaged with newer immunotherapies, Bryan, Zhou and their colleagues have more evidence that antibiotics' impact on the microbiota can mean that T cells, key players of the immune response, are less effective and some therapies might be too.

They report that antibiotic use appears to have a mixed impact on an emerging immunotherapy called adoptive T-cell therapy, in which a patient's T cells are altered in a variety of ways to better fight cancer.

They found that one of the newest of these - CAR T-cell therapy - is not affected by antibiotics, likely because it is not so reliant on the innate immune system.

"These infused T cells can pretty much act on their own to kill cancer cells," Zhou says.

With this approach, physicians retrieve T cells from a patient's blood, engineer them to express a tumor-finding receptor - called chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR - and give them back to the patient. These patients typically will receive a conditioning chemotherapy regimen, which often includes the common agent cyclophosphamide, or CTX, to intentionally wipe out some of their normal T cells and make room for the engineered super-fighters. This emerging treatment is often used in patients who have failed multiple other treatments, including chemotherapy.

Even long-term antibiotic use does not seem to hinder the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy against systemic lymphoma in their animal model. While they could see the impact of antibiotics on the microbiota, mice with CAR T-cell therapy continued to respond well to cancer treatment.

But the efficacy of another mode of adoptive T-cell therapy was impacted. This model mimics therapy in which receptors that target the patient's tumor are put onto their T cells. In this case, the researchers transferred tumor-specific CD4+T cells to treat mice with colorectal cancer.

One key difference here is that, unlike the CAR T-cell therapy, these engineered T cells still need help from the innate immune system to fight the tumor, now that they can better target it, Zhou says.

Mice with colorectal cancers that did not receive antibiotics were cured after being treated with the chemotherapy CTX followed by CD4+T-cell therapy. However, with antibiotics on board, this curative effect was lost in three out of five mice three weeks after treatment.

Their studies also confirmed that antibiotic use impacts the efficacy of the widely used CTX, when it's used alone, in this case to treat B-cell lymphoma. In addition to directly killing rapidly dividing cancer cells, CTX gets the attention and help of endogenous T cells, and antibiotics reduced that T-cell response, the scientists report.

Their findings in lab animals confirmed the recent work of others that the altered intestinal microbiota impacts CTX's ability to fight sarcoma, a rare cancer of our connective tissue. Bigger picture, it suggests that some chemotherapy regimens rely on the gut bacteria to stir the immune system to fight cancer, the scientists write.

"It is clear in animal models that if you wipe out the intestinal microbiota, like you do with antibiotics, it will attenuate the chemotherapy efficacy," says Zhou. "There is also emerging clinical evidence showing that for CTX-based chemotherapy, some patients who also get antibiotics for a longer period of time, seem to have less optimal outcomes."

Human studies are needed to see whether antibiotics affect the outcomes of adoptive T-cell therapy and to give clinicians and their patients better information about how best to maneuver treatment, Zhou notes.

The microbiota is comprised of trillions of bacteria, viruses and funguses and the biggest population resides in our gut, where they help us digest food and protect us from other invaders. Anyone who has taken an antibiotic also knows it can wreak havoc with the gut, causing severe diarrhea and other discomfort as it alters the natural - and healthful - complement of our microbiota.

While even a single course of antibiotics has been shown to disrupt the microbiota in humans, Zhou has shown in mice that it is protracted use that likely also impacts the immune response. And, when mice, at least, have a weakened immune system their microbiota literally looks different and there is evidence that antibiotics suppress their immune response.

Even with antibiotics out of the equation, there can be conflicting crosstalk between chemotherapy and immunotherapy. If/when chemotherapy hampers the immune response it could obviously impact the efficacy of some immunotherapies. So scientists and clinicians alike also are trying to figure out how best to combine these different therapies, to achieve optimal synergy.In a new study, researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson), Western University and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) have found that specialized programs for early psychosis can substantially reduce patient mortality.

Published online today in The American Journal of Psychiatry, the study examined health administrative data for patients treated between 1997 and 2013 at the Prevention and Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP) at London Health Sciences Centre. PEPP was founded in 1997 as the first early psychosis intervention (EPI) program in North America. EPI programs, which have been rolled out across Ontario, are specialized care models that focus on early detection of psychosis to provide intensive treatment during the first two or three years of illness.

"An episode of psychosis is characterized by delusions and hallucinations, as well as disorganized thought and behaviour patterns," explains Dr. Kelly Anderson, lead researcher on the study, a scientist at Lawson and ICES, and an Assistant Professor at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. "Evidence shows that early treatment of psychosis, from the first symptoms or episode, is very important in improving long-term outcomes."

The study compared early psychosis patients at PEPP against those who were not treated through an EPI program. The research team studied patient outcomes within the first two years after diagnosis. They found that patients being treated at PEPP experienced a four-fold reduction in risk of mortality, compared with people with early psychosis receiving services elsewhere.

In addition, patients at PEPP had rapid access to their first appointment with a psychiatrist and their psychiatrist visit rates were 33.2 per cent higher than the non-EPI user group. They also experienced an 8.7 per cent reduction in emergency department visits and fewer involuntary hospitalizations.

"The aim of our study was to examine the 'real-world' effectiveness of EPI programs in the context of the Ontario health care system," says Dr. Anderson. "Our results indicate a number of beneficial outcomes associated with EPI programs. Most importantly, the risk of mortality is significantly reduced."

Previous research has shown that mortality is at least 24 times higher in the first year after diagnosis of a psychotic disorder when compared to the general population. Dangerous behaviours, medical co-morbidities and suicide are all potential factors.

The study also found that patients being treated at PEPP had lower rates of primary care visits and higher hospitalization rates overall. The researchers point to a need for more collaboration with primary care providers to reduce risks of co-morbidities associated with psychotic illness and anti-psychotic medications, such as weight gain and sedentary behavior. They also point to the need for additional research to understand higher hospitalization rates.

"Hospitalizations are often a necessary therapeutic intervention for patients with psychotic illness," says co-author, Dr. Paul Kurdyak, a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and ICES. "While our study suggests that overall hospitalization rates are higher among EPI users, it also suggests involuntary hospitalization rates are lower. It may be that EPI users have better access to in-patient care and are more willing to seek care when needed."

In addition, the research team examined patient outcomes from three to five years post-admission, when patients have typically transitioned from intensive EPI services to management by their psychiatrist. Many of the benefits associated with EPI programs were not observed after three years when compared to patients who did not receive EPI services, although EPI patients were still more likely to see a psychiatrist.

"We may be seeing fewer benefits long-term for a number of reasons," adds Dr. Anderson. "While there is a reduction in intensity of EPI services at this time, there may also be improvements in individuals not treated through an EPI program due to the natural trajectory of psychotic illness. There are currently clinical trials being conducted worldwide to study whether the length of EPI programs should be extended."

Dr. Anderson hopes to expand her research beyond London to confirm the findings across the province. "We're fortunate that the Government of Ontario has invested heavily in the EPI model of care," says Dr. Anderson. "Our findings show the 'real-world' benefits of EPI programs and also suggest clues on how we can make EPI programs even more effective in the future."New Delhi: Manik Sarkar lost his biggest electoral battle on Saturday with the BJP ending the 25-year-long regime of the communist party. Sarkars no-frills and honest image was not enough to power the CPM government one more time.

For many, the results were a foregone conclusion, considering the lack of industry, infrastructure and investment in the state and its crippling effects. The BJP during its campaign had made several promises to revive the economy, including one job opportunity to every family through reviving and establishing industries, promoting IT industry and bringing foreign and domestic investors.

Tripura, as of now, has the highest unemployment rate in India. According to the Employment-Unemployment Survey for 2015-16 by Labour Bureau, Tripura has an unemployment rate of 19.7 per cent. It ranked 22 on the Ease of Doing Business rankings for 2017.

Tripura also features in the bottom plank for per capita income, ranking 24 of 36 states and union territories, showed Indias Economic Survey report for 2017-18.

With an income of Rs 71,666 per person in 2014-15, Tripura ranked below the the national average of Rs 86,454, between backward states like Rajasthan (Rs 75,201) and Madhya Pradesh (Rs 56,182), as per an analysis by India Spend.

Enlisting key areas in Tripura that need addressing, states Economic Survey 2015-61 said, High rate of poverty, low per-capita income, low capital formation, inadequate infrastructural facilities, geographical isolation, communication bottleneck, inadequate exploitation, inadequate use of forest and mineral resources, low progress in industrial field and high unemployment problem.

Agriculture is the main source of employment for 64 per cent of the states population but 60 per cent of the state is forestland, and barely 27 per cent undulating land is available for farming. The CPM government has also not been able to implement the Seventh Pay Commission.

Healthcare was boasted about during CPMs election campaign, however, according to rural health statistics from 2016, of the 80 specialist doctors needed in Tripuras state hospitals, only one was in position, according to latest.

The BJPs Swachh Bharat Abhiyan also might find prominence here as while Tripuras open defecation rate is 3.5 per cent, nearly 40 per cent of its population still does not have access to improved sanitation, toilets where waste is disposed without human contact.

However, along with uplifting certain areas, BJP has the dual responsibility of maintaining the already developed avenues. Tripura has a literacy rate of 87.8 per cent, making it the fifth most literate state in the country as per the 2011 Census. The states sex ratio, at 960 females per 1,000 males, is also above the national average of 942.New Delhi: In its Congress-mukt Bharat mission, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has uprooted the strong CPI(M) from one of its last two bastions of Tripura and its alliance in Nagaland with Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is neck and neck with the Naga People's Front alliance.

The BJP even won a dozen seats in the Christian majority state, up from its 2013 figure of one. But in another Christian-dominated state, Meghalaya, the story is quite different. In spite of a strong campaign by the saffron party and multiple visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the abode of the clouds remains an unconquered frontier.

BJP's tryst with Meghalaya started in 1993 when the party contested in 20 seats, winning none and forfeiting its deposits in 14. BJP's best year in the hill state was 1998 when it bagged 3 seats. Since 1998, BJP's presence in the Meghalaya Assembly has been on a steady decline in subsequent elections. The party won 2 seats in 2003, 1 in 2008 and none in 2013. In fact, all its candidates in the 2013 elections had to forfeit their deposits.

In 2018, BJP has managed to win 2 seats - both General seats in Shillong with a dominant non-tribal population. Both the seats have been won by BJP multiple times in their pre-delimitation avatars. Both the candidates AL Hek (Pynthorumkhrah) and Sanbor Shullai (South Shillong) were sitting MLAs with strong support base and both moved over to the BJP just before the elections. Both the victories can, to a large extent, be attributed more to the candidates than to the party.

Meanwhile, in North Shillong, the party lost a close contest by 406 votes against the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM).

Hek was originally with BJP and one of the first three BJP MLAs in the Meghalaya Assembly back in 1998. Hek, who has won all elections since 1998, had contested the 2013 polls on a Congress ticket, but returned to BJP just before the 2018 elections. Shullai, a two time MLA from Shillong South (which was Laban constituency pre-delimitation), also switched his allegiance from NCP to BJP.

One of the tallest BJP leaders in Meghalaya was the late TH Rangad, a two-time MLA from Laban. Rangad was also the first BJP MLA to hold a ministerial position in any North Eastern state. He was Home Minister in the EK Mawlong-led coalition government in the early 2000s. Even though BJP managed to retain the Laban seat in the by-poll following Rangad's death in 2003, with his wife Jopsimon Phanbuh being elected the MLA, the party lost the seat to Shullai (then in NCP) in 2008.

The 2 seats that the party won in 2018 in Meghalaya might be lower than the past, but the party has increased its vote share in the state form a previous best of 5.42% (2003) to 9.6% in 2018. BJP is in the second position in 7 seats.

BJP vote share increase is a result of the number of candidates that the party has fielded this year, which is more than double any other election in the past.

Unlike in Tripura and Nagaland, BJP did not forge a pre-poll alliance in Meghalaya and it might be a key factor in the party's below-expectation performance in the state.Gorakhpur: A bus carrying foreign tourists was allegedly attacked with stones by unidentified persons on Holi in Shahpur area of the city, police said today.

A Chinese national suffered minor injuries in the attack, they said.

The tourists were on a pilgrimage tour to Buddhist circuit when they came under the attack yesterday(on Friday), police said.

"The crime was apparently committed by some bike-borne men who were returning after playing Holi. A case has been registered against unidentified people under relevant sections of IPC following a complaint by bus driver, Zaheer Ahmed," Om Hari Vajpayee, SHO, Shahpur, said.

As per reports, the vehicle was attacked near 26 PAC battalion, Bichhia, around 1.30 pm when it was on its way to Kushinagar from Lumbini.

The driver said the tourists, mostly from Australia and China, began their tour from Delhi last week. They were to visit the Buddhist circuit, including Shravasti, Sarnath, Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and end their journey at Varanasi.

"Two youths on motorcycle came from behind and started pelting stones. When I tried to speed the vehicle, they chased us upto 100 meters and also used foul language," the driver alleged.New Delhi: Tripura BJP chief Biplab Deb Kumar on Saturday said he would abide by the partys leaderships decision if picked to lead the government in the state.

In an exclusive interview to CNN-News18 after the BJP secured a historic mandate in Tripura, Deb also took a dig at Rahul Gandhi, saying one doesnt remain a youth leader after crossing the age of 50. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Deb said, Narendra Modi may have grey hair, but his thought process is that of a youthful person. Age is in the mind and Modi ii thinks like a young person.

Having secured absolute majority in the 60-seat Tripura assembly, BJPs Parliamentary Board is all set to meet on Saturday evening to decide on the successor to outgoing CM Manik Sarkar.

Deb, a home-grown talent who has been associated with the RSS for a long time, is a top contender. Born in Akraban, Udaipur in Gomoti District of Tripura, Biplab was in the national capital for 15 years.

The 48-year-old has the backing of the central leadership as they think of him as one of their own and not an opportunist politician who moves from ship to ship. In a party where almost half the candidates were former Congress leaders, this can be a big fillip for him.

Deb, however, is being cautious. I am just the state president right now. The Parliamentary Board will decide who will get what responsibility. I think the central leadership is more than capable of deciding all these things. I dont think you should credit me for this victory. This is a victory of the people of Tripura.

His entry into politics happened only recently. He stayed in Tripura in his early years and got a BA Degree from Tripura University. Deb shifted to the national capital for higher studies and stayed in New Delhi for 15 years.

Before joining politics, he worked as a gym instructor in Delhi. However, it was his work as a Pracharak with the RSS that was his pathway to politics.

An old RSS hand, Sunil Deodhar had worked in Meghalaya for the better part of the last decade to expand the Sanghs footprint in the region. He is said to be the brains behind the BJPs door-to-door campaign in Tripura.

During his time in Tripura, Deodhar felt the need for a face of the BJP in Tripura to counter the popularity of Manik Sarkar, Indias poorest CM who held the high office for 20 years from 1998 to 2018. Deodhar said in an interview that he could not think of anyone better than Deb to lead the party from the front.

Deb has been the face of the BJP in the state, even though he was never declared as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Deb was instrumental in bringing several key Congress leaders, such as MLA Sudip Roy Barman, who joined the BJP in August 2017.

During the campaign, Deb told CNN-News 18, he was daunted by the fact that he was up against a four-time Chief Minister and a political heavyweight like Manik Sarkar. I was never intimidated. I had promised my central leadership that this time, there would be a BJP government in Tripura.

With the majority secured, Deb is tipped to be the next CM. But what can go against him is if the party decides to install a tribal leader as the Chief Minister. The state has not seen a Tribal Chief Minister in last 25 years.New Delhi: India and Vietnam on Saturday vowed to join hands for an open and thriving Indo-Pacific besides ensuring an efficient and rules-based regional security architecture, seen as a thinly veiled message to China over its increasing military posturing in the region.

After wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, the two strategic partners inked three pacts providing for cooperation in nuclear energy, trade and agriculture. They decided to explore co-development projects in defence sector and boost ties in oil and gas exploration, including trilateral cooperation.

Modi said both sides expressed commitment to an open, efficient and rules-based regional architecture and to expand bilateral maritime cooperation further.

"We will jointly work for an open, independent and prosperous Indo Pacific region where sovereignty and international laws are respected and where differences are resolved through talks," Modi said in a media statement in the presence of the Vietnamese President.

In an apparent reference to the South China Sea dispute, the Vietnamese president said it supports India's multi-faceted "connectivity" with ASEAN and asserted that there must be freedom of navigation and over flight in the region. He said that disputes must be resolved through peaceful means.

Vietnam and several other ASEAN member countries have territorial disputes with China over the resource-rich South China Sea.

While India, the US and several other world powers have been pressing for resolution of the dispute on the basis of international law, China has been favouring a bilateral framework with respective countries.

Modi said India and Vietnam will also look for trilateral partnership in oil and gas sector.

China has been opposing India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) exploring oil in areas claimed by Vietnam in the South China Sea (SCS). India has been asserting that the ONGC's exploration is a commercial operation and not connected with the dispute. Oil exploration in the SCS is a sensitive issue in the Vietnam-China relations.

On his part, the Vietnamese president said, "We highly value projects including the cooperation in joint oil and gas exploration in the continental shelf of Vietnam."

The Vietnamese president said it was important to respect the diplomatic and legal process in resolution of maritime dispute.

"We reaffirm our close collaboration to support India to further its relations and multi-faceted connectivity with ASEAN attaching high importance to the maintenance of security, maritime safety and freedom of navigation and over flight, settlement of disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law including UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea)," Quang said.

He said both sides also agreed to work closely to address regional security challenges including in the domain of maritime and cyber security.

On defence cooperation, which is on an upswing, the prime minister said both sides decided to cooperate in defence production and explore opportunities in transfer of technology.

The Vietnamese president said both sides continue to promote "sound cooperation" in areas, including English language teaching, capacity-building, training, concessional credit, UN peace-keeping operation, maintain effective defence security dialogues and consider expanding cooperation in other areas.

Modi noted that defence and security cooperation is one of the strong pillars of relationship between the two countries.

During the talks, Modi said India and Vietnam have also "agreed" to deepen trade and investment ties in sectors like oil and gas exploration, renewable energy, agriculture and textiles.

The two sides also resolved to harness the potential of trade, minimise barriers and facilitate exports to bring the two way trade to USD 15 billion by 2020, which is currently around USD 10 billion.

The three pacts signed after the talks between the two leaders will provide for cooperation in areas of nuclear energy, trade and agriculture.

Modi said the two sides had extensive dialogue on all aspects of bilateral relationship and noted that Vietnam has played an important role in India's Act East policy framework and its cooperation with the ASEAN bloc.

The visit of the Vietnamese president is the second high-level visit from that country in little more than a month. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was in India as one of the chief guests for the Republic Day Parade this year.

"After the Vietnamese prime minister's visit in January, the visit by the Vietnamese president reflects the commitment of both the nations to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries," Modi said.

In 2016, the two countries had agreed to elevate their ties from Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the Vietnamese president.

Their discussions focused on steps to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership by expanding cooperation across all sectors, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. Quang was also given a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.Mar 03, 2018 15:52 (IST)

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that he would keep his cards close to his chest with regard to the Congress forming government in Meghalaya as the election results were not on expected lines. Trends suggest that Meghalaya was heading for a hung Assembly. The Congress has been in power in Meghalaya since 2003 and Sangma has been at the helm of affairs since 2010. After the Assembly elections in Manipur and Goa threw hung verdicts last year, the BJP was able to form governments there with the help of smaller parties and Independents. Facing a similar situation, the BJP has asked Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to rush to Meghalaya for holding talks with smaller parties and Independents. The Congress has also rushed senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong.New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday received a major fillip as the election results from three North-Eastern states went its way. The BJPs big win came in Tripura, where it breached the CPI(M)s bastion and unseated Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who ran the state since 1998. In Nagaland, too, the BJP made major gains as the BJP-NDPP alliance emerged victorious. News18 looks at some of the key strategists who helped the saffron party on its way to victory.

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Before joining the BJP in 2015, Himanta Biswa Sarma was part of the Congress for more than a decade. After a rift with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Sarma jumped ship and became a key part of chalking out the BJPs election strategy in the 2015 Assam assembly polls.

After securing a win in his home state, Sarma was given charge of ensuring a BJP win in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura. Since coming to the BJP, Sarma is said to have facilitated the entry of other ex-Congressmen into the BJP.

As someone who has been in the Congress, Sarma has no trouble reaching across the aisle to other political parties and forge formidable alliances. His ability to raise resources, too, has been very useful to the BJP.

Ram Madhav

BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav has emerged as party president Amit Shahs Man Friday in the North-East. As a patient organiser, he has built a team of campaigners who have carpet-bombed the poll-going states with the BJPs election messaging. But this high-decibel campaign is not rolled out with Madhavs approval.

From Jammu and Kashmir to the North-East, Madhav has been at the centre of the BJPs alliance formations. The proof of Madhavs strategy working is the success of the BJP-NDPP alliance in Nagaland.

Biplab Kumar Deb

Widely expected to be the frontrunner for the post of Chief Minister in Tripura, Biplab Kumar Deb has been the president of the Tripura unit of the BJP. A former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak, Deb has been the face of the BJP in the state, even though he was never declared as the Chief Ministerial candidate. Deb even led the partys door-to-door campaign in Tripura. He was instrumental in bringing several key Congress leaders, such as MLA Sudip Roy Barman, who joined the BJP in August 2017.

Sunil Deodhar

An old RSS hand, Sunil Deodhar had worked in Meghalaya for the better part of the last decade to expand the Sanghs footprint in the region. He is said to be the brains behind the BJPs door-to-door campaign in Tripura. He is also credited with bringing Biplab Kumar Deb into the political fray.New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paused his victory speech to party workers midway on hearing the Azaan, the Muslim call for prayer, from a mosque near the partys new headquarters in the capital.

Modi had barely started his address on the BJPs emphatic victory in Tripura and good showing in Nagaland when the call for Maghreb Azaan rang out. The Maghreb Azaan is given out at dusk.

He stopped his speech and informed the party cadres about the Azaan. He stayed silent for two minutes and the party workers also remained still till the time the call for prayer continued. As soon as it got over, PM Modi resumed his speech with chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai and the party workers joined him with great fervour.

This is not the first time that the PM has stopped his speech for the Azaan. During the campaign for Gujarat elections in November, he had stopped speaking in Navsari. In 2016, PM Modi stopped his speech for over five minutes during an election rally in West Bengals Kharagpur when he heard the sound of Azaan.

I do not want to interrupt anyones prayers. So I decided to take a brief rest, he had said after it ended.

The Prime Minister, later in his speech on Saturday, again paused and observed a minutes silence, for BJP workers who have been killed in political violence in Tripura. He dubbed them as shaheed (martyrs).

Many workers of the BJP have sacrificed their lives. Politics is all about ideology and this is a defeat of the maoist-thinking of Left parties, he said, adding that the party cadre has also faced attacks in Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Karnataka, all states where the BJP hopes to make electoral gains.Mumbai: A special court on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in the alleged Rs 12,700-crore Punjab National Bank scam.

The court, set up under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), issued the NBWs on applications filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), one of the agencies probing the bank fraud cases registered last month.

The court also allowed the ED's application seeking Letters of Rogatory (LR) to seven countries - Malaysia, Armenia, France, China, Japan, Russia and Belgium - in connection with the case.

The ED had earlier issued summonses to Modi and Choksi, both key accused in the scam cases, asking them to appear before the central agency.

However, the two diamond traders, who are said to have left the country before criminal cases were registered, had failed to appear before the ED, prompting the agency to move the PMLA court for issuance of NBWs against them.

On February 27, the ED had moved the court seeking an NBW against Modi.

The agency had told the court that it had issued three summonses to Modi to appear before it. The agency said it received replies from Nirav Modi for two summonses. In response to the second summons, Nirav Modi said he cannot appear before the agency owing to his business commitments.

In reply to the third summons, the businessman raised the issue of his security, the ED counsel said.

"We issued three summonses to Choksi. He neither responded to those summonses nor appeared before the agency," special ED prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar had told the special court presided over by Judge M S Azmi here on March 1.

Meanwhile, another court allowed the CBI to arrest Gokulnath Shetty, then deputy manager (now retired) of PNB, in connection with issuance of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LOUs) to Choksi-owned firms. Shetty has already been arrested in the case related to Nirav Modi's firms.

Earlier in the day, special CBI judge S R Tamboli remanded Shetty, Manoj Kharat, a single window operator of PNB; Hemant Bhatt, authorised signatory of Nirav Modi; Bechhu Tiwari, then chief manager in the Forex department of PNB; Yashwant Joshi, scale II manager in PNB's Forex department, and Praful Sawant, scale-I officer handling the bank's exports section, in judicial custody till March 17 in the Nirav Modi case.

"It was informed by PNB...that there are more than 150 LOUs amounting to Rs 6,498 crore which are falling due with effect from January to April, and all these were issued in 2017 by Shetty. The amount is likely to go up," CBI lawyer Limosin A told the court.

"The modus operandi adopted by the accused persons was that for settling the earlier LOUs/Buyer's credit, fresh LOUs were opened and the funds received from foreign banks against the LOUs were utilised for settling the outstanding LOUs/Buyers Credit," the agency's plea for judicial remand read.

A file containing copies of SWIFT messages from February 2017 to April 2017 was recovered from PNB's Brady House Branch following disclosure made by Shetty, it said.

Bhatt told the investigators that all the LOUs were issued as per Nirav Modi's instructions, the CBI said.

Bhatt was also the authorised signatory for the accounts of Modi firms, and also a director in more than 20 companies of the Modi group, which "indicates that he is in collusion with Modi to induce PNB to issue fraudulent LOUs", the CBI said.

Fraudulent LOUs were being issued since 2010, but the documents related to them were not yet recovered, it said.

"The scam by the Modi group was going on for the last more than eight years unchecked which is unusual," the agency said.

Joshi, the arrested PNB official, admitted that Modi had gifted him two gold coins of 60 grams each which were recovered, the CBI said.

On January 31, the CBI registered an FIR against Nirav Modi, his companies, and diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi in connection with the PNB fraud.Bengaluru: Go looking for lunch, but get only the side dishes or the desserts. That may give you some comfort, but its not going to satisfy your hunger entirely. And thats the feeling that has been recurring over and over for the team probing the Gauri Lankesh murder.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Lankesh murder has been working with its entire focus on just this one case for the last five months. But while the main perpetrators of the murder themselves are at large, the team has been able to solve (and in at least one case, prevent) other crimes, thanks to its crackdown on the arms traders.

The first such major case that came into prominence was when the Crime Branch in Bengaluru was tipped off about a possible murder attempt on a journalist, Sunil Heggaravanahalli.

While on the track of where the guns and ammunition for the Lankesh killing came from, the police had questioned a gun-runner in December, who later led investigators to a supari contract killer Shashidhar Mundewari. But with both leads not pointing to any role in the Lankesh murder, these cases were handed over to the Crime Branch in the city for them to continue investigations on  which later even led to the arrest of one of Kannadas senior journalists Ravi Belegere, the editor of popular tabloid Hai Bengaluru.

There have been scores of crackdowns on weapons dealers in north Karnataka districts like Bidar, Gulbarga and Vijayapura, says a senior officer who has been working closely from north Karnataka. The SIT itself had nearly a 100 members for the first three months when more men were required to fan out  this was later disbanded and restricted to a core team of about 40.

The weapons trail led the team members to a nomadic tribe community in Madhya Pradesh that has developed expertise as blacksmiths. The team believes these tribals run a sort of cottage industry in making country-made guns. These would then be ferried through middlemen to wherever there was a demand fromin this case, north Karnataka, where petty criminals or small criminal gangs often procured them. Each country-made gun could cost Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000.

Nearly 15 persons have been picked up at various times over the last three months, with the police on the weapons trail. In all, at least 45 weapons have been seized at different junctures  and cases booked in respective police stations locally.

The weapons network has been disrupted completely now. Of course, its impossible to say that the state is cleansed of it  but there is a fear that has set in about the easy flow of weapons into the State, the officer told News18 on condition of anonymity.Mar 03, 2018 15:37 (IST)

After an imminent rout in Tripura, CPIM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury says, "Tripura voters have given their mandate for a BJP-IPTF government in the state. We thank the people of Tripura for giving us the opportunity to serve them for the past 25 years. We will continue to oppose BJP and its divisive agenda not only in Tripura but all over India. It is imperative for those who believe in India's Constitutional ideals to defeat the nefarious designs of the BJP-RSS.

The battle is on."After a heartfelt letter by father Boney Kapoor, Sridevi's elder daughter and upcoming actor Janhvi has opened up about losing her mother on her 20th birthday. Janhvi took to Instagram to share her pain and asked the fans to love their parents and cherish their love and company forever.

In a heart-wrenching elaborate post, remembering her mother, the 20-year-old wrote, "My friends always said that I'm perpetually happy and now I realise it was because of you. Nothing anyone said mattered, no problem was big enough, and no day could ever be dull because I had you."

With the controversial treatment of Sridevi's death by media and various speculations floating around, Janhvi urged fans to respect the love shared by her father and late mother. "Let the love and adulation youve showered on her continue and please know that the biggest part of my mother was the love she shared with papa. Please respect that because it hurts to think anyone would ever try to tarnish it. Preserving the sanctity of what they had would mean the world not only to my mother but also to a man whose entire being revolved around her, and her two children who are all that remains of their love."

Janhvi is making her debut this year with Karan Johar's Dhadak, alongside Shahid Kapoor's brother Ishaan Khattar.

The death of veteran actor Sridevi sent shock waves across the nation and fans, family members and the entire film fraternity mourned the loss of their beloved. The actor, who was 54, passed away in Dubai where she had gone to attend a family wedding.

Sridevi was cremated with full state honours in Mumbai. The actor, who was conferred with Padma Shri in 2013, was draped in the national tricolor and was accorded with a gun salute and elaborate arrangements made by the Maharashtra Government. The actor's mortal remains were draped in a red kanjivaram sari with a bindi on her forehead.Beyond the personal opportunism, politics of poverty and frictions of race, two ideas are at war in the small north-eastern state of Tripura which will elect a new government next Sunday. The Marxist head of the ruling Left Front, Manik Sarkar, described as the cleanest and poorest chief minister in the country, is almost the sole standard-bearer left in India today of a radical alternative to the politics of class, caste and capital.

He may be in danger of being swept away by the saffron wave represented by the BJP in alliance with the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) and a group of Congress turncoats who flirted with Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress before finding refuge in the Hindutva camp.

Capturing Tripura would be a major step in fulfilling Amit Shahs dream of bringing all eight north-eastern states into the NDAs fold. No wonder the BJP has deployed all its heavy artillery from Narendra Modi to Smriti Irani for the contest for 60 assembly seats. It already rules Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur; its partners in the North-East Democratic Alliance govern Nagaland and Sikkim. The BJP is also making a strong bid for Meghalaya and Nagaland which are going to the polls this month. A Congress-mukt Mizoram will be the last challenge for Modi and Shah.

Of course, neither Hindutva nor the Marxist revolution that never was is ever mentioned in this battle of ideologies. The ostensible emphasis is on poverty alleviation. The BJPs Vision Document 2018 promises prosperity while the party panders to local sentiment by saying it will highlight the former royal familys achievements, rename Agartala airport after its creator, Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Deb Barman, and upgrade it to international status. Sarkar, unique among chief ministers in not owning a house or car and not being guarded by security personnel, seems rather a mild antagonist for a life-or-death struggle that is crucial to the BJPs ambitions.

Barring five years from 1988 to 1993, his Left Front has been in power since 1978 and dominates the assembly with 51 MLAs. Tripura boasts the countrys highest literacy rate and highest concentration of schools. It claims creditable paddy production, extensive rural electrification and a network of blood banks. But unemployment is high, with more than six lakhs registered as unemployed in a population of about 38 lakhs. That is one grievance. Another is the on-again, off-again tribal demand for a separate state.

The challenge of jobs, capsuled into the popular Ten-three-two-three crisis, acquired dramatic poignancy last March when the Supreme Court cancelled the appointment of 10,323 government school teachers. This was a major blow in a small state with few industries where the government is still the biggest employer. Sarkars government made the appointments in December 2013 on the basis of merit and need through an open-interview process without written tests.

There were more than a lakh of applicants and the unsuccessful ones went to court accusing the government of violating the Right to Education Act as well as the National Council for Teachers Educations guidelines. The Tripura High Court ruled in their favour, the Supreme Court agreeing that appropriate recruitment rules were not followed.

The controversy played into the hands of the BJP which holds out the promise of a one-time relaxation of appointment norms to save jobs. Prakash Javadekar, the Union Human Resource Development Minister, reportedly told a delegation of Tripura teachers that the Centre would amend the Right to Education Act to help them. Sudip Roy Barman, one of the Congress-to-Trinamool-to-BJP defectors went even further. He is quoted as saying a generous NDA government in New Delhi would save the jobs irrespective of whether the BJP or the Left comes to power in Tripura.

The Left Front is hard put to it to counter such magnanimity. We are a pro-poor government pleads the CPI(M)s state general secretary, Bijan Dhar, pointing out that the appointments were made to help backward sections of society in accordance with rules that the first Left Front formulated in 1978. The courts havent mentioned corruption, he adds. But the courts have frustrated plans to recruit 12,000 non-teaching staff, presumably to accommodate the 10,323 teachers threatened with unemployment.

The irony is that while the two sides are fighting ostensibly to create jobs and more than 30 per cent of the inhabitants are tribals, the 297 candidates are among the richest in the land. Of the 35 crorepatis in the fray, 18 are from the BJP, their assets averaging Rs 1.35 crores per head. The average individual worth of the 59 Congress candidates  nine of them crorepatis -- is Rs 53.16 lakhs. The chief minister may be poor and honest but four of his Marxist candidates are worth more than a crore each.

With factions at every stage  among tribals, among unemployed teachers, among legislators  battle lines are somewhat blurred as Sarkar defends Indias last red fort against the saffron assault.

(Mr Datta-Ray is a journalist and author of several books. He has been editor of The Statesman. Views are personal)Mar 04, 2018 15:25 (IST)

In the 60-member assembly, the Congress, which had been in power, bagged 21 seats, the NPP, led by Conrad Sangma, son of late PA Sangma, got 19 seats, the BJP got two seats, the United Democratic Party bagged six seats, the Peoples Democratic Front bagged four seats, the Hill State Peoples Democratic Party got two seats, the NCP and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement got one each and Independents bagged three seats. The combined seats of NPP, UDP, BJP, HSPDP and one of an Independent candidate makes it to 30 seats. They are still in talks with eight, including PDF that had bagged four seats. The house is of 59 seats this time. So, 30 is the half way mark. Confirming the lastest development, BJP minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma said, "We will meet the Governor at 5 pm with 30 seats. We are also in talks with PDF, and the number is likely to go up."Bengaluru: BJP, eyeing to capture power in Karnataka, on Saturday launched a four-day yatra in communally sensitive coastal and Malnad region, aimed at creating awareness about the Congress governments "anti-Hindu policies".

The four-day Jana Suraksha Yatre (protection of people rally) with a call Mangaluru Chalo was kicked off simultaneously from Kushalnagar and Ankola. It would converge in Mangaluru on March 6, where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to address a rally, the party said.

BJP had, on Friday, launched its 14-day 'protect Bengaluru' march here, with a call to save the city from Congress' "misrule." Earlier, it had organised a state-wide 85-day "Parivarthana Yatre" (rally for the change) that concluded on February 4.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar flagged off the Jana Suraksha Yatre that will be lead by Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde and MP Shobha Karandlaje from Ankola. In Kushalnagar, Union Minister Sadananda Gowda kicked off the yatra led by MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha.

We have lost our 23 karyakarthas in last four-and-a-half years of Tughlaqi Congress rule in the state. To create an awareness about CM's anti Hindu policies, we will embark on a 4 days Jana Suraksha Yatre, starting from Ankola and Kushalnagara from today, the state BJP said in a tweet.

Speaking in Ankola, Hegde hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government, holding them responsible for criminal activities and the alleged murders of BJP activists. He said, "I would like to say to Siddaramaiah that in one or two months there will be elections, you are not fit to sit in the chair (as Chief Minister) even for one month, step down immediately get down."

Meanwhile, BJP state President Yeddyurappa and Union Minister Ananth Kumar, among others, participated in 'Bengaluru Rakshisi Padayatre' that will will criss-cross the city till March 15.

The 85-day "Parivarthana Yatre" had criss-crossed all 224 assembly constituencies in the state and virtually sounded the bugle for the assembly polls expected to held in April/May. BJP, which had ruled Karnataka from 2008-13, has been eyeing to return to power in the coming polls and has declared Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate.

Yeddyurappa was credited with leading the BJP to form its first-ever government in the south in 2008.Bengaluru: The BJP in Karnataka was left red faced after it was brought to notice that it shared photoshopped pictures from Mizoram and Nepal claiming that they are from Bengaluru in its "chargesheet" against the ruling Congress.

The BJP "chargesheet" was released by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar who is overseeing the Karnataka election campaign for the party. It has pictures of public infrastructure in bad shape. But a picture of a garbage heap is actually from Nepal and a potholed road is from Mizoram.

Not one to shy away, the BJP now claims that the Congress government in Karnataka resorted to fake images from USA and Turkey to hide their failures. The pictures were shared on Twitter by Balaji Srinivas, who is State Convener, BJP Karnataka Social Media cell.

Sullara Santhe Congress govt caught again @INCKarnataka Govt which is famous for its natorious fake account & sponsored trend is caught using United States images to hide their failed governance.Is this photoshop your model of governance @siddaramaiah ? #PhotoshopSarkara pic.twitter.com/TUjOXRNcJ8 Balaji Srinivas (@BuzzInBengaluru) March 3, 2018

Balaji alleged that Congress government in the state used Turkey solar plant to advertise their solar project. He said that Congress was using photoshop to fool people.

Sullara Santhe again @siddaramaiah Congress #PhotoshopSarkara now uses @Turkey solar plant to advertise their failed governance. After religious polarisation Karnataka govt now uses #Photoshop to fool people. pic.twitter.com/xUkYhYzot7 Balaji Srinivas (@BuzzInBengaluru) March 3, 2018

Some netizens have already pointed it out calling the BJP a Photoshop party. According to BJP sources, the national leadership has taken the state leaders concerned to task following the faux pas.

Previously, the BJP social media cell had shared picture of a potholed road from Mumbai claiming that it was from Bengaluru. It had led to a huge fight between the Congress and the BJP.

This "chargesheet" is a brochure the BJP released three days back on government failure in Bangalore.Kohima: Nagaland's biggest church organisation, the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), has asked believers to choose between 'Trishul' and 'Cross'.

The church organisation asked believers to not surrender Christian principles and faith for the sake of money, development into the hands of those who seek to pierce the heart of Jesus Christ.

The NBCC, in an open letter to presidents of all political parties in Nagaland, had earlier stated that India had experienced its "worst persecution of minority communities" in 2015-2017 under the BJP government.

We cannot deny that the Hindutva movement in the country has become unprecedentedly strong and invasive in the last few years with BJP, the political wing of RSS, in power, the NBCC general secretary observed in the letter.

God must be weeping when Naga politicians are running after those who seek to destroy Christianity in India, he added.

Strongly opposing what it called the "invasion" of Hindutva forces in Nagaland, Rev Keyho said that the party in power at the Centre is fighting tooth-and-nail to assert its presence in Nagaland, a Christian-majority state.

The letter went on to state, Our people are fond of propaganda and because of this we often miss reality. India has experienced its worst persecution ever in 2015-2017. You will be fully aware that persecutions have been tripled in recent years. Pastors, evangelists and missionaries are dragged openly in the streets, harassed, insulted and many made to suffer. Their homes destroyed and children discriminated in schools. Worship places were burnt down and believers are often disturbed and harassed. The Bible is openly burnt and confiscated.

Elections in Nagaland are usually fought on tribal issues, given that most of the candidates are mostly Christian. It is in this respect that this letter is viewed as unprecedented for its openly political-religious tones.

The Nagaland BJP is yet to reply to the open letter.

Some political observers claim that the BJP has been on the backfoot in both Nagaland and Meghalaya for issues like beef ban and atrocities against minorities, particularly Christians.

The state elections in Nagaland will be held on February 27, 2018, to elect 60 representatives. Counting of votes will take place on March 3, 2018.New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called the BJP's impressive performance in Tripura Assembly polls people's answer to "fear, lies and confusion" being spread against his government, and targeted the Congress, saying it was never so diminished as a party as it is now.

In an address to party workers at the BJP's newly constructed headquarters following the announcement of the polls results in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, Modi also took an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying some people grow in designation but shrink in stature. In contrast, he said, BJP chief Amit Shah was marching ahead by leading the party to victories in many states.

The Prime Minister described Shah as the architect of the party's victories. In remarks laced with sarcasm, Modi said he had recently told Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy that the Congress leader was lucky as he would soon become a "specimen of a Congress chief minister" after the party loses Karnataka, which goes to polls in April-May.

"I told him you are a most lucky person in the Congress. I told him that after June you will be a specimen for the Congress to highlight what it used to be. That it also used to have chief ministers and was in power. You will be such a specimen that they will carry you on their shoulders and dance saying it also has a chief minister," Modi said amid laughter.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who heads the Congress government in the state, he said neither he nor they (Congress) consider each other their own. "He is a 'swatantra fauji' (independent soldier)," Modi said of Singh.

The prime minister said the people of the northeast had a sense of alienation but his government worked overtime to remove it.

Central ministers have spent more nights in one of these states to deal with their problems in the last four years than they did all the years earlier, he said. "Fear, lies and confusion were being spread," he said, an apparent reference to the opposition's criticism of his government over a host of issues, and added now people have answered it through their votes.

When his government takes some actions, it is dubbed as a vendetta, he said, apparently referring to criminal cases against some opposition leaders and their kin in corruption and other matters. But it is in fact "mandetta" as the people have given the mandate to act, he said.

In 'vastu shastra', Modi said, it is believed that the northeast corner is the most important part of a land and with his party now in power in most of this region, these states are leading the country on the path to development. The Prime Minister charted his party's phenomenal rise in different parts of the country as from "no one to won".

With the Left accusing the BJP of using money and muscle power in its bastion of Tripura, Modi said opposition parties often did not concede defeats in a sportsman's spirit.

Amid a "disinformation" campaign, stories about the BJP's and its government's good works had reached far corners, he claimed and asked its leaders to work with a 360-degree approach for all-round development. He also attributed the party's performance to its organisational work and local leaders, who, he said, are not highlighted in the media as they are not known much.

Modi took a brief pause when there was a call for prayers from a nearby mosque, and also paid respect along with the audience to deceased party workers, allegedly victims of political violence, by keeping silence for a while. He said BJP workers were victims of political violence in West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and now in Odisha too.

He was felicitated by senior party functionaries, including members of the BJP Parliamentary Board, headed by Shah. The board also took stock of the party's performance in three states. Shah has said that the board will meet soon to take a call on chief ministership of Tripura. Its state chief Biplab Kumar Deb is being seen as a front-runner for the job. The CPI(M) lost in the polls in Tripura, where it was in power for the last 25 years.Bengaluru: North-East hardly matters in Karnataka politics. Actually, it never mattered. But Saturday was different. For the first time, workers of both the ruling Congress and the main opposition BJP were glued to television sets since morning closely watching the trends. As the BJP took a lead over the Left front in Tripura, Karnataka BJP leaders, including its CM face B S Yeddyurappa, broke into smiles knowing that the BJP bosses in Delhi will now turn their focus entirely on Karnataka.

The complete rout of the Congress in Tripura and Nagaland has shocked the ruling party workers and leaders who are gearing up for a "do or die" Karnataka battle in the next two months.

Even though the Congress rout was expected in Tripura, they still had hopes that Manik Sarkar would stop the BJP juggernaut and give greater confidence to the Congress in Karnataka by the fact that an incumbent had managed to hold on.

The BJP ended the 25-year rule of the Left front in Tripura and its alliance rode to power in Christian-dominated Nagaland decimating the Congress. The results have certainly dampened the spirits of the party in Karnataka.

The Congress also fears that the BJP might create a Goa and Manipur like scenario in Meghalaya where it has emerged as the single largest party.

Analysing the results, a top leader of the state Congress said, North-East hardly matters here. It is a different world for us. We are the ruling party in Karnataka. A Tripura or Nagaland like scenario is impossible. Worse we will end up like Meghalaya".

Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa was quick to react to the good news from North-East. Speaking to News18, he said, Our party has won big in the North-East. Tripura result is the most important one. Both the Congress and the communists are now history. The same will happen in Karnataka. The Siddaramaiah government will be defeated in the elections".

By 11 o'clock, celebrations broke out at the state BJP headquarters while the mood at the KPCC office was sombre.

State Congress leaders were at pains to explain how the results in North-East won't affect the party prospects in Karnataka. Many chose to dodge the question saying that only the high command can answer and they have no idea about how the elections were fought in the North-East.

Saturday's results may not have a direct impact on Karnataka Assembly polls as the ground situation is entirely different here. But it will certainly give an edge to the BJP over the Congress. The Congress can't continue to question the BJP on its committment towards the Christians whose population is over 3% in the state.

Secondly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as a real pan-India leader and he will continue to lead the party in the crucial Karnataka elections.

Perhaps Congress president Rahul Gandhi knew that he had no chance in the North-East and was campaigning for the party in Karnataka during Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya electioneering. It clearly shows that the Congress has taken Karnataka seriously.

Currently, Karnataka is the only big state ruled by the Congress in the country. Punjab, where the Congress is in power, is a midsized state with empty coffers.

It makes it all the more important for the Congress to win Karnataka at any cost. If it loses Karnataka to the BJP, then the party will find it extremely difficult to stay relevant in national politics as a major player and may not be able to turn the tide in election bound Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

A clear win can still keep the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls race and help the party in Assembly elections in three major Hindi heartland states.

A fractured mandate, with JDS as the kingmaker, can still help the BJP, but it won't help the ruling Congress even if they manage to form the government with the Gowdas.

The earthquake in the North-East has jolted the Karnataka Congress and the tremors can be felt on the ground even though these states are politically inconsequential. Because the times are different.Kohima: Even after 54 years of statehood and 12 assembly elections, Nagaland is yet to see any woman representative in the Assembly.

The state went to poll on February 27 and the Nagaland Assembly Election Results 2018 will be announced on March 3. Of the 195 candidates vying for a seat in the 60-member Assembly this time, five are women.

While Wedie-u Kronu and Mangyangpula are contesting the polls on National People's Party (NPP) tickets from Dimapur-III and Noksen Assembly constituencies, Rakhila is a BJP nominee from Tuensang Sadar-II seat.

Awan Konyak of the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is fighting the election from Aboi seat and Rekha Rose Dukru is an Independent candidate from Chizami constituency.

The ruling Naga People's Front (NPF), however, has not fielded any women candidate this time.

NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu, during a recent media interaction, said: "No woman in the party has shown interest in contesting the polls."

Barring Rakhila, the four other women candidates are first-timers.

The BJP nominee is wife of former minister and four-time legislator Lakiumong, who died in 2006 after a prolonged illness. Rakhila lost the last election from the same Tuensang Sadar-II seat by around 800 votes.

"Men in power do not perform. I will do what they haven't done so far," said Rakhila.

NDPP candidate Awan Konyak is daughter of four-time former MLA Nyeiwang Konyak, who passed away earlier this month.

"Women make significant contributions to the society every day. Their problems, however, are often ignored. I want to focus on gender equality and women empowerment," she said.

Mangyangpula, an alternative medicine practitioner, said Noksen is 100 per cent ready for a woman leader.

"The ground reality in this constituency is horrible even after 50 years of the state's formation," she said.

Men and women together in the 60-member House will make a lot of difference, Rekha Rose Dukru, an entrepreneur-turned-politician, opined.

Wedie-U Kronu, a social worker, feels women can bring positive changes in the society.

"It is difficult to clean the system of corruption. I entered politics to bring about a change in the system," she said.

All five of them have been campaigning on social media for a few weeks.

Welcoming the women candidates, Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer, Abhijit Sinha, said the number has increased from two in last elections to five this time.

The adviser of Naga Mothers Association (NMA), an apex women's body in the state, Rosemary Dzuvichu, said, "We are happy to see these women step into the fray. All women voters in these constituencies must support and vote for them."

Women participation is equally important as that of men, said social activist and entrepreneur Elu Ndang.

"We should encourage Naga women to participate in the decision-making bodies," she said.

Rano Shaiza, a member of United Democratic Party, was the first and only woman in this state who was elected to Lok Sabha in 1977. She died of age-related ailments in 2015.Hyderabad: With an eye on the 2019 general elections, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is openly exploring the possibilities of a new front without BJP and Congress.

The chief minister discussed the possibilities after holding a Parliamentary meeting on Saturday to finalise the partys strategy for the upcoming Parliament session.

KCR said, There is a serious need to bring change in national politics. Seventy years have passed since Independence and out of those 70 years, 64 years were ruled by either BJP or Congress. Even after 70 years, people are suffering and they dont even have water to drink.

It can be a third front or anything. What is required at the time is change and it will emerge at the appropriate time. Change has to happen. It is unification of the people of India and not just some political parties. And this will surely be minus BJP and Congress, no doubt about that, said KCR.

The TRS leader further cleared the speculations about a dispute between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Calling PM Modi his best friend, KCR said, I have nothing against PM Modi. I am his best friend. Many dont know about the bond we share. My problem is against the slow growth of the nation. My concern is that qualitative change has not taken place.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi MPs will be seen raising their demands in the upcoming Parliament session which resumes on March 5.

The partys main agenda will be the reservation policy, which they say should be allowed to be decided by the states. The Telangana government has cleared a bill to give 12% reservation to minorities, which exceeds the Supreme Court-mandated cap of 50% reservation.

K Chandrashekhar Rao also urged the Centre to allow states to implement reservation policies in tune with the composition of their population. He also wants more powers for the states and the Centre to implement cooperative federalism in its true spirit. KCR said he has spoken to many political parties in this regard.

The TRS MPs, in their protest at the Parliament, will also seek the linking of MGNREGA to the agricultural sector.

In a scathing attack, KCR had recently said that the Centre is not doing much for the welfare of the farmers.

The farmers are gradually losing faith and patience. This kind of a situation may lead to revolt by the farmers and this committee would lead the agitation, a disgruntled KCR had said earlier, while addressing farmers at Regional Farmers Coordination Committee meeting.

The TRS MPs will also extend their support to the Andhra Pradesh MPs in their fight for the special status tag for the state. They said that the promises made during the bifurcation, for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, must be implemented.New Delhi: AAP leader Kumar Vishwas on Saturday took a dig at the party leadership over its poor performance in elections in the northeastern states, saying those who polled votes that could be counted on the fingers of one hand were still indulging in negativity.

"The activists who used to question polling and its process... their votes can be counted on the fingers of one hand instead of EVMs, but still they are indulging in negativity. This is dangerous for democracy," Vishwas wrote on Twitter, in an apparent dig at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

Following its poor performance in Punjab last year, Kejriwal had questioned the authenticity of electronic voting machines. According to the data available on the Election Commission's website, the AAP contested six seats in Meghalaya and three in Nagaland. The party could not save its deposit in eight of them.

The AAP's Akavi N Zhimomi from the Ghaspani constituency in Nagaland polled 6,233, and finished a distant third. AAP leaders were unavailable for comment. The party had contested 29 seats in the 2017 Gujarat polls and its candidates lost their deposits in all the seats.

Vishwas has been at odds with the party leadership for some time now. Although a part of the Political Affairs Committee, Vishwas is practically out of the decision-making process. Once considered to be a strong candidate to be sent to the Rajya Sabha, Vishwas was overlooked by the party leadership. The poet-turned-politician has in the past hit out at the "coterie" around Kejriwal for targeting him.With the solitary exception of the first Assembly election, way back in 1972, nine consecutive elections in Meghalaya have not yielded a clear majority to any party. In all the nine elections since 1978, Congress has consistently been the single largest party but its highest seat count was in 2013 at 29, two short of the majority mark of 31 in the 60-member Assembly.

While Congress might still have the most seats, the biggest winner in the 2018 Assembly elections is the National Peoples Party (NPP) founded by late Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma after his expulsion from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2012. In 2013, NPP could manage only 2 seats, but 2018 is the year when the party has come of age: winning 19 seats, only two behind Congress 21.

NPPs victories are also well spread across the state with 11 coming from the Garo Hills region and 9 from the Khasi & Jaintia Hills. NPPs growth has primarily been at the cost of Congress with the party snatching 11 seats, which Congress had won in 2013.

In 2018, as in multiple instances in the past, regional parties and Independents will have a strong say in deciding who forms the government. Even though the UDP alliance is down from its previous strength of 13 to 8, it could very well play the kingmaker. Meghalaya has had three UDP Chief Ministers in the past.

Independents have played an important role in Meghalaya politics. The first Meghalaya Assembly had 19 Independent candidates in a House of 60 and the previous one had 13. In fact, in 2001, an Independent candidate became the Chief Minister of the state. Flinder Anderson Khonglam (an Independent candidate from MLA for Sohra - known as Cherapunjee to the outside world) was the first ever Independent MLA to be the Chief Minister of any Indian state. In 2018, the Independent count is the lowest at 3 (same as in 1983), but the way the results have panned out, the 3 could very well decide who would be the next Chief Minister of the state.

For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Meghalaya still remains as an unconquered state. In vote percentage terms 2018 is BJPs best ever. This year the party has got around 10% of the total votes polled, which is almost double of its previous best of 5.4% in 2003. However, in seat count it is still a seat less than the previous best of 3 seats in 1998. Also the two seats which BJP won are in Shillong and have to do more with strong candidates than the party. Both the candidates AL Hek (Pynthorumkhrah) and Sanbor Shullai (South Shillong) were sitting MLAs with strong support base and both moved over to the BJP just before the elections.New Delhi: During a good part of the election results day, NDPP candidate Awan Konyak looked poised to win her constituency, Aboi. Later, however, ruling NPF candidate Eshak Konwak won the seat and yet again, Nagaland continued with its bias against women in governance.

Awan was also the first Konyak woman to contest elections and one of the five women to have entered the election fray in Nagaland this year. While Wedie-u Kronu and Mangyangpula contested on National People's Party (NPP) tickets from Dimapur-III and Noksen Assembly constituencies, Rakhila was a BJP nominee from Tuensang Sadar-II seat. Rekha Rose Dukru was an Independent candidate from Chizami constituency. All of them lost.

It was in 1977 that Nagaland saw Rano M Shaiza being elected to the Parliament  the first woman from the state to become an MP. Ever since its formation in 1963, Nagaland had only 30 women contesting elections but none of them won.

This year, five candidates were in the fray, better than 2013s count when there were just two candidates. This time around, both ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF) and Congress failed to rope in a woman candidate saying that they did not have a strong candidate to field. Other than NDPPs Awan, BJP too had fielded a woman candidate and so did NPP.

Women in Nagaland have had a tricky role to play in governance and society in general. As per the states gender statistics, 76% of women in Nagaland are literate as compared to the national average of 65%. Their representation in government and private jobs is also significant at 23.5% and 49%, respectively. However, when it comes to the rule of the land, women still cannot inherit property. Even in village development boards, woman do not have much say.

Nagalands gender issues came to the fore last year when the NPF government tried to conduct municipal elections  which had not been held for 13 years  and also advocated a 33% reservation for women. The move invited widespread violence in capital Kohima and several influential tribal leaders opposed it, saying the move would be in violation of Article 371 (A) of the Constitution.

Tribal laws are protected under this Article and as per these laws, women are not given a role in village councils. The opposition to elections and to the proposal of womens representation was such that Chief Minister TR Zeliang was forced to step down last year.New Delhi: A few days before counting in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, Rahul Gandhi tweeted to say he was visiting his grandmother to give her a surprise hug. But before he left, he decided to send Kamal Nath, Mukul Wasnik and Ahmed Patel to Meghalaya, aware that it would not be all smooth sailing in the state.

The reason was that Rahul doesnt want a repeat of Goa and Manipur, where despite being the single largest party it failed to form the government as BJP was quicker in stitching alliances. The old warlords of the party were dispatched to ensure that Congress can form government there.

The Congress in Meghalaya is leading in 21 seats, 10 short of the 31 seats needed to form a government. But it is taking no chances as the BJP although only has two seats to its own states can stitch up a post-poll alliance together with the National People's Party (NPP), an NDA ally that contested separately.

The results have thrown up important lessons for the Congress and Rahul. First, the election machine of the BJP is very strong and Congress has much catching up to do. For this, the Congress needs the old guard as they, and not the younger ones, are the ones that have the shrewdness to take on the BJP.

The sending of the three leaders to Meghalaya by Rahul is testimony of the fact that the old guard is still needed. A senior leader of the party revealed that Rahul before leaving the country said that the Congress needs to send a message that it put up a fight.

There was a meticulous thinking behind the choice of the leaders. Earlier, Rahul was said to have not thought too highly of Ahmed Patel, unlike his mother Sonia Gandhi, who relied completely on him. But Patels ferocious win for his Rajya Sabha seat made Rahul look differently at him, and Patel returned to favour.

Kamal Nath again belongs to the old style of politics and has friends across parties. This makes him handy during fire-fighting. Nath proved his mettle, especially in 2004, when Congress was stitching up alliances. He managed to get Sonia and DMK to overcome their bitterness to come together for a larger cause, which was to defeat the NDA.

More recently, as parliamentary affairs minister during UPA-2, he managed to use his clout with other parties to get his party out of Parliament logjams.

But the biggest lesson has come from Tripura, where the Congress failed to open its account. The partys campaign there showed that it was confused over its strategy. Putting up a fight would have meant attacking Manik Sarkar.

But simultaneously, it is also trying to set up an umbrella alliance ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls, so the party wasnt too keen to take on the Left. It failed at both. It lost miserably in the state and left behind a perception that it has no individuality. As a senior leader said maya mili na ram.New Delhi: BJP President Amit Shah addressed a press conference on Saturday evening, thanking the people of Tripura and Nagaland for reposing faith in the BJP and its alliance partners.

Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Shah took a dig at the Left Front parties saying that Left is not right for the country. He added that the BJP had proven after Saturdays results that it was a pan-India party.

Left is not right for any part of India. First they were packed off from West Bengal and now from Tripura. This is a sign of the BJPs growth, Shah said. The BJP chief also said his party was now an established pan-India party. It was once said that BJP was only a Hindi-belt party. But today that has been proven wrong. Our workers in Kerala and Bengal are also very upbeat after this verdict, because they have also braved Communist violence. It was said we are not a pan-India party. But today, we have an MP in Ladahk and Kerala. We have a government in Kohima and in Kutch, he said.

Talking about the BJPs tremendous turnaround in Tripura, Shah said, In 2013, we got 1.3% of the vote and no seats. Today, we have almost crossed the 50% vote share mark and 42 seats. In Nagaland, too, it looks as if our alliance has received a mandate. These results are a forerunner to the upcoming elections in Karnataka.

Shah refused to concede that this was BJPs best performance and said the golden period for the party is still to come.

"Jab tak Odisha, West Bengal aur Kerala mein BJP nahi aa jaati tab tak party ka golden period shuru nahi hoga. Karnataka mein to hum jeetenge hi (Our golden period will begin once we are in power in Odisha, Bengal and Kerala. We will win in Karnataka)," said Amit Shah.

Shah said he dedicated this victory to all the BJP and RSS workers who died in clashes with CPI (M) cadre. He said, Victory in the North East means a lot to us. Today, I remember all those workers who have died at the hands of Communist violence in the streets. Our workers have faced Communist violence with exemplary bravery. Many of them were even martyred. Against all odds, they worked hard at the booths and ensured a BJP victory.

The BJP President said BJPs performance in the state could be credited to Prime Minister Narendra Modis focus on the North-East. In 2014, our leader Narendra Modi had said the western part of the country saw a lot of development but the east has been left out of development. Immediately after becoming PM, he started his Act East policy. Modi is the first PM to work for the North East after Morarji Desai.Sonamura/Kailashahar (Tripura): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday accused the Left Front government in Tripura of subjecting people to "slavery", and asked the voters to "throw it away".

Addressing two rallies in the poll-bound state, Modi coined a new acronym 'HIRA'--H for highways, I for Internet way, R for roadways and A for airways--, hardselling the BJP as a tool for ushering in prosperity and development in the state which the Left has ruled for 25 years without a break.

Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and his party, Modi said the people in Tripura feel intimidated by the communists.

"For something as basic as a ration card, people here have to approach the party office. Even when somebody gets murdered, police does not register a case unless they get the approval from the CPI(M)," he told an election rally at Sonamura in Sipahijala district, 50 km south-west of capital Agartala.

The communists here force common people to depend on them for everything, he said, adding "this is the new face of slavery".

He claimed Tripura has hardly witnessed any development under the Left rule.

The prime minister said people wear 'manik' (gemstone) for changing their fate, but this Manik (Sarkar) failed to bring prosperity to people.

"Throw away Manik (Sarkar government) and go for 'hira' for prosperity and development in the state in the upcoming election," he urged the gathering.

He also promised 7th Pay Commission benefits to government employees if the BJP was voted to power.

The BJP, which hardly had any presence in the northeastern state, has, in the recent past, positioned itself as the key rival of the CPI(M)-led Left Front in its bastion.

The tea grown in Tripura is very famous, he said, and added that three more 'T's have to be adopted in the state for prosperity and development.

"T for trade, T for tourism and T for training, especially for the youth, are the need of the hour," he said.

Referring to the Rose Valley chit fund scam, Modi said people were "looted" in the state and some of them even committed suicide, but the government did nothing to address their woes.

"If we come to power, we would give exemplary punishment to those responsible for the scam," he said.

Opposition parties have alleged that ministers in the Manik Sarkar government were involved in the scam.

The CBI had grilled Minister for Social Welfare and Education Bijita Nath and CPI(M) spokesperson Goutam Das in connection with the case.

As part of its 'Act East Policy', the government was committed to the development of the northeast, the prime minister said.

"If Rs 100 is used for any work in Tripura, Rs 80 comes from the Centre. The Marxist government does not spend money for the development of the state and does not furnish details of expenditure," he said.

Later, addressing a rally at Kailashahar in Unakoti district, Modi said his party would fulfil the dreams of the last king of the state Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur.

"Democratic atmosphere in Tripura has been vitiated with the communists at the helm of affairs. The last king of the princely state of Tripura, Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur had nurtured a dream of developing the state on all fronts. If BJP comes to power, his dream would come true," Modi said.

Tripura goes to poll to elect a 60-member Assembly on February 18 and results would be declared on March 3.At the age of 49, Assams minister of health, education and finance, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has already established his political footprint in the neighbouring poll-bound state of Tripura. Biswa Sarma, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP in August 2015, is currently donning the hat of Tripuras election in-charge for his party. Despite being labelled an outsider in Tripura, Biswa Sarma (along with his colleagues Ram Madhav, Sunil Deodhar and Biplab Deb) is credited with turning the political fortunes of the BJP from a state of virtual non-existence five years ago to being the foremost challenger to the Manik Sarkar-led Left Front government. Excerpts of his exclusive interview with News18s Sougata Mukhopadhyay

Barely hours remain before Tripura goes to the polls. How do you see the BJP placed at this point?

The BJP is already in a comfortable position. In my opinion majority seats thats required to form the government is already ensured. Its now a matter of improving tallies. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing two more rallies and a last minute boost by our karyakartas and candidates, I think we will make our tally more impressive and be in a more comfortable position.

Do you have a number for us?

I think as of now we are comfortably getting 35 (out of 60) seats. But there are still 10 seats which are marginal, which can go either way. Presuming we get 5 out of those 10 seats, even then we should end up with around 40 seats.

But thats a comfortable majority!

As of now, it is. But I say this with a caveat. There is a strong anti-incumbency wave against the CPM. Theres speculation that even Manik Sarkar may lose his Dhanpur seat. If that happens then you may see a surprising result, something which I am not ruling out. But as a political animal, I am predicting that we will be in the range of 35-40 seats.

Considering your performance in the last state elections where you had zero seats and just 1.5 percent vote share to where you are today, aiming to topple the Left Front, how was that made possible?

Look, we formed governments in Assam and Manipur coming from nowhere. Question is, who is occupying the opposition space? In Tripura, the Congress occupied that space but they had an on and off relationship with the CPM. So now all anti-Left votes have consolidated under the BJP because people realise that the BJP will never compromise with the CPI-M, ideologically or otherwise. Same happened in Manipur. In a bipolar electoral situation, the previous election figures dont matter. In Tripura, 44 % voters always opposed the CPM and that entire 44 % is now rallying behind the BJP. Plus there is Modijis performance and our aggressive campaigns which have made our position so solid that I dont think that 1.5% has any relevance in todays scenario.

The BJP seems to be working on a formula in the North East. The first part of that formula is to co-opt the Congress which occupied the opposition space. The second part involves tying up with regional parties which has aspirations for separate statehood. The formula has worked for you in Assam and Manipur, and to some extent in Arunachal. How do you ensure it would work for you in Tripura?

Today, we have completely decimated the Congress in Tripura and every single one of their leaders, barring two, have joined the BJP. The TMCs legislative wing has entirely merged with the BJP. So now there is no leader in the opposition space except us. So far as IPFT and other regional parties are concerned, BJPs consistent approach has been to not go into any conflict with the tribals, take them into the mainstream, enter into alliance, make them comfortable and let them share equal power with a national political party. We did that in Manipur, Assam and started the process in Arunachal. In all these states there are no internal conflicts on the ground anymore. Because of the political alliance even at the social level tension has gone down significantly. Today in Assam, although they have their demand for a separate state, they are not openly agitating for it Same happened in Manipur.

But arent you then temporarily brushing the issue under the carpet which could soon come out again?

I think that this temporary brushing aside of the agenda under the carpet can also be the foundation stone for lasting unity and peace because with the tribal leaders sharing the dais with us for the first time, they now realise there are good people on the other side as well.

But the IPFT says it hasnt given up on the demand for a separate Twipralanad and the BJP says it wants a united Tripura. How do you reconcile the difference, given that they are your political allies now?

I dont think that the IPFT has uttered a single word about separate statehood in any of their rallies. I know because I was there. Our joint statement says Tripura will remain one and wont be divided although, at the same time, the diversity of this land would be celebrated.

But IPFT chief NC Debbarma has issued statements saying they are not giving up on Twipraland! Also their leaders were conspicuous by absence when you announced that joint declaration!

No, the interpretation that the IPFT leaders were absent during the joint statement is wrong. It so happened that the statement was supposed to be announced the previous evening, but I was unable to reach. So they had signed and left. We never asked them to withdraw their demand. But in the common minimum agenda that demand is not there. Subsequently, you will not find a single election space where the IPFT is talking about Twipraland. I think we have managed to come to a common platform and when the new government starts working together with the tribal people, the demand for Twipraland will go away. But for that you need to ensure a heavy dose of development in the tribal pockets.

You are not only fighting the Left in Tripura, you are also fighting the legacy of its CM Manik Sarkar. Why hasnt the BJP projected a chief ministerial face in these elections?

You see, we have competent people around us for that job. It is just our strategy to not name one in order to avoid all our opponents from reaching his constituency to ensure his defeat. It is a culture of the north east that once you project a CM face, he loses because everybody targets him. So we have improvised our strategy. In Tripura, everybody knows who our CM will be, only that we have not issued a statement. You have seen the photographs, who we are projecting and how we are projecting. I think people can read between the lines, its not a big issue.

Your critics are pointing out in public campaigns that the BJP is spending unprecedented amount of money in the Tripura elections. How would you respond?

In 2013 when I was a Congress observer, the CPM raised the same issue of huge amounts of money getting poured in. But the fact is the BJP has released funds to its candidates through cheques/RTGS. We have completely done away with cash. The only extra thing we have done is the deployment of two helicopters which perhaps the CPM has not done. But you have to understand that CPM leaders are not in government and they have time. But our people have work in Delhi and they are pressed for time.

In Tripura, the Left has more publicity material than the BJP, more poll offices than the BJP. The CPM has taken Rs 10,000 from every government employee for which we have filed an FIR. Three months ago, I gave accounts to show that the CPM has collected Rs 150 crore from the market and even have given written complaints to the CEO and the DGP. The CPM has not even refuted that allegation. Today the CPM is spending more money in these elections than the BJP and the problem is that money has not been raised from donations but by extorting people.

The way the BJP has approached these elections... all your top leaders, from PM Modi to your party president Amit Shah and almost all top leaders from the Centre, have come to Tripura. Why is Tripura so important to the BJP?

Tripura is important for us, but so are the smallest states. The same thing is happening in Meghalaya, all our top leaders going there and spending time with our karyakartas. Electorally, the BJP is giving equal importance to all states, big or small. What is the crime of BJP workers in Tripura, why cant they see the Prime Minister? If people of UP can see the PM, why cant the people of Tripura see him? The BJP appreciates that feeling. Elections are also festivals of democracy when top leaders come and work with the grassroots workers. Thats how bonding develops.

But there is a lot of star power as far your campaign is concerned

I think except the Prime Minister and Amit Shah, who articulate policies in a different manner, I dont believe in so-called star powers. For others it is just commonality, it is called solidarity with workers. They are not stars. They are also political workers.

There are political observers who say that some of the big state elections are lined up this year where the BJP has high stakes Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh. And given that the Gujarat results havent exactly been the way you wanted them to be, is the BJP a little wary about what impact that might have on these states? Is that why Tripura and the other northeastern states have suddenly become so important to you?

That is purely a matter of interpretation. Normally one would stay away from Tripura because it is a tough battlefield. If you have to score some brownie points, you should go to a state where you are sure to succeed. Not Tripura where nobody believed that the BJP could make a turnaround. Only when they reach here now they realise that yes, Tripura is ready for a change. So I dont think that logic stands. The only logic is that the BJP gives equal importance to all states and doesnt discriminate between states and I am happy that the BJP has given so much importance to small states like Tripura and Meghalaya.

You are taking on a cadre-based party which has a strong grassroots presence. Has your back up support from the RSS helped in these elections?

I havent seen the RSS in the election campaigns. We dont want them in the elections directly neither are they interested. Parties like the IPFT have base among Christian population. So there is no question of fighting the election from an ideological point of view. We are fighting the polls from the standpoint of development. Also, I feel that the CPMs greatest problem is its cadres. They joined 25 years ago and were okay for the first five years. But gradually they became dictators. The anti-Left feeling that you see in Tripura today is largely a movement against those cadres. The cadres are no longer a blessing for the CPM, they are a curse.

Now that you have made a mark in Tripura, no matter what the results are, whats next? Bengal?

I think eastern and northeastern India will continue to be our growth area. So Odisha and Bengal will be our high priority states along with other northeastern states. And in Parliament, we want to create a solid northeast bloc. So thats the idea we are working on.

And will we see Himanta Biswa Sarma working in these states as well?

No, I have to return to Assam. But lets see how my party wants to utilise me. My Assembly is on and I have to quickly finish this and go back to my state (smiles). People like me and my Chief Minister, we have promised so many things to the people of northeast. We should hold our ground and deliver what we have promised them. Only when that is done, we can think of moving beyond.Agartala: The Assembly elections in Tripura are more about removing someone from power than bringing somebody to power, feels BJP's state in-charge Sunil Deodhar.

The 52-year old RSS pracharak-turned-BJP poll strategist, who served as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign manager in Varanasi during the 2014 general elections, had shifted base to Tripura three years ago to build BJP's campaign against the ruling Left Front government.

He has radically transformed the party's electoral fortunes from its virtual non-existence to emerging as the foremost challenger to the state's Manik Sarkar-led government. The counting of votes for the elections held on February 18 will take place on Saturday.

"It is a fact that we are riding on a strong anti-CPI (M) wave rather than a pro-BJP wave. It's more of a 'CP(M) hatao sentiment than a Modi lao one. And it's because of an incompetent chief minister, his misrule and bad governance," Deodhar said.

The BJP's state-in-charge alleged that under Manik Sarkar's rule, the poor in Tripura have become poorer and said that around 67 per cent of Tripura's population holds BPL cards.

"On top of it the ministers are steeped in financial scams. And this Dhritarashtra prefers to keep his eyes closed and is only bothered about his chair. More than 12 lakh people have been looted by chit fund companies in Tripura and the state government is involved in it. That's why people want to remove this government from power," Deodhar said during an exclusive interview to News18.

Justifying why the BJP has not officially announced a chief ministerial candidate in these polls, Deodhar said, "It wasn't required. The people are not interested in a prospective chief minister face. It is like when there was an Indira hatao wave in the country, people weren't too bothered about kisko lao. Once we come to power, the Parliamentary board and the elected MLAs will choose their leader."

Although the BJP has not formally named its CM face, for all practical purposes it has projected the party's state president Biplab Kumar Deb as the one to take up the top job if it manages to defeat the Left. Deb is contesting the elections from the Banamalipur seat in Agartala where he is taking on CPI(M) state committee leader Amal Chakraborty.

When questioned about BJP's poll prospects, Deodhar said: "Now, at the final stages, the fight is neck to neck between us and the CPI(M). The collision will be head-on. But I am confident of victory".

"At least 10 per cent voters are likely cast their votes in favour of the BJP on the day of the polls. They are scared to attend BJP meetings as they fear they might be attacked by CP(M) supporters and their NREGA work would disappear while government employees fear that they might get transferred and their homes could be set on fire. They say that we will do whatever needs to be done at the EVM machine. I am sure that if that swing happens on the day of polls, then we will sweep the state," he added.

When asked if was his RSS background that helped him take on the might of the CPI(M), which thrives on its manpower at the grassroots, the former pracharak, it is true that he has so far only fought elections against cadre-less parties and this is the first time he is taking on a party which has a very strong cadre base.

"When people ask me how difficult it was for us, I tell them that instead of asking me that question you should go and ask the CPM that they too have never been pitted against a cadre-based organization like us. Kindly ask them, aapko kaisa lag raha hai (how do you feel)."

Deodhar has been developing RSS ideology in the Khasi and Jayntiya hills since 1991 when he left home. But he prefers his present disposition of a BJP leader over his previous avatar of a RSS pracharak. "Amit Shah had entrusted me with the job of ensuring a Communist-mukt Bharat. No matter what the results are, I think I have delivered," he said.New Delhi: BJP chief Amit Shah, jubilant after the partys stellar show in three northeastern states, took a dig at his Congress counterpart Rahul Gandhi, who was missing in action on Saturday as he flew to Italy to be with his grandmother for the Holi weekend.

Italy mein chunaav bhi to hain (There are elections in Italy too), he said while addressing a press conference. As his audience burst into laughter, he added, I received a message on WhatsApp that elections are being held in Italy. I dont know.

Rahul Gandhi had jetted off to Italy on Thursday to spend the weekend with his 93-year-old maternal grandmother. In a tweet, he had revealed that it was a surprise visit for her.

My Nani is 93. She's the kindest soul ever. This Holi weekend, I'm going to surprise her! I can't wait to give her a hug... Happy Holi to all of you. Have a joyful celebration, he wrote.

But his visit meant he was not present when the results to the elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland were declared, giving the BJP ammunition to attack him.

Union minister Giriraj Singh also took a swipe at Rahul, declaring him a "master election strategist"  alluding that he left the country at a time when election results in three states were due because he knew the results would be bad.

Rahul Gandhi is a master election strategist he knows when to run away from India now, he said.

Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who is in Meghalaya to stitch an alliance, jumped to the Congress chiefs defence, and asked Singh if it was a crime for Rahul to visit his own grandmother.

Absolutely baseless. Is it a crime for someone to visit his own grandmother? It has become a profession for him to make unnecessary comments," Patel said.Chicago: A university student fatally shot his parents on his school campus Friday in the US state of Michigan before fleeing and setting off an hours-long manhunt, officials said.

The early morning incident put the campus into lockdown  trapping students in classrooms and dormitories until mid-afternoon  while police conducted an expansive search for the 19-year-old suspected gunman.

James Eric Davis, described as a university student, remained at large. He was accused of killing his father, a police officer, and mother in a shooting inside a dormitory building in what a university police spokesman described as a "family-type domestic issue."

There were no other casualties.

The college campus in the city of Mount Pleasant in central Michigan was on lockdown hours after the 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) shooting, as federal, state and local law enforcement searched for Davis using helicopters and police dogs.

Heavily armed officers fanned out throughout the city, and residents and students were asked to stay inside and lock their doors.

University officials announced at 3:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) that students were finally being escorted out of buildings by police.

"Uniformed officers are beginning to assist individuals in leaving campus buildings. Officers will be going building to building," the university said in a statement.

SUSPECT KNOW TO POLICE

Davis, who was a resident of nearby Illinois state but attending college in Michigan, was known to law enforcement.

Police took him to a hospital the night before for what was believed to be a "drug-related type of incident  an overdose or a bad reaction to drugs," campus police spokesman Larry Klaus told a news conference.

He was then released to hospital staff, Klaus said.

An Illinois state legislator identified Davis's victims as his parents, who lived in a Chicago suburb.

"The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home," tweeted the state representative, Emanuel Welch.

"My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr and his wife who were shot and killed."

It was unclear what kind of weapon Davis used or how he acquired it.

The state of Michigan allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun with a permit, but Central Michigan University does not allow guns on campus.

The reaction to the shooting was swift Friday morning, with multiple alerts going out on social media and mobile phones within minutes of the incident.

With one day left before residence halls were scheduled to close for spring break, parents seeking out their children were told to go to a staging area at a nearby hotel.

FLORIDA SHOOTING

The shooting came amid a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence and law enforcement's role in stopping potential shooters, which was sparked when a teenage gunman killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida high school two weeks ago.

Accused gunman Nikolas Cruz had a history of run-ins with law enforcement, which have faced scrutiny over their failure to intervene despite multiple warnings.

Cruz used a semi-automatic assault rifle in his attack, leading students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to make public appeals for change to permissive US gun laws.

President Donald Trump has called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks and a potential increase in the minimum age for rifle purchases.

But the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby said that Trump was opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.Paris: Heavy snowfall and deadly blizzards lashed Europe on Thursday, forcing airports to cancel or delay flights around the continent, as a deep freeze gripped countries from the far north to Mediterranean beaches in the south.

The snowstorms, unusual for much of Europe at this time of year, left roads blocked, thousands of drivers stranded and schools shut, with weather agencies predicting the biting cold would continue in parts of the region at least until Thursday evening.

The death toll Europe-wide climbed to more than 55, as another three people perished in Poland, taking the number of victims there to 21, most of them rough sleepers.

In Slovakia, exposure to the cold has claimed the lives of seven people since Sunday, the Medical Rescue Service told AFP.

There have also been six deaths in the Czech Republic in recent days, five in Lithuania, four in France, three in Spain, two each in Italy, Serbia, Romania and Slovenia, and one each in Britain and the Netherlands.

One of the Spanish victims was a 39-year-old homeless man who had been sleeping in an abandoned truck.

"Those most at risk of cold-related illness include elderly people, children, and people who have chronic diseases or physical or mental limitations," the World Health Organization said in a statement, adding that the poor, the homeless and migrants were often hardest hit.

The Siberian cold front  dubbed the "Beast from the East" in Britain, "Siberian bear" by the Dutch and the "snow cannon" by Swedes  on Thursday forced Geneva airport to close for several hours in the morning, with temperatures plunging in Switzerland to nearly minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 38 Fahrenheit) at higher altitudes.

Scotland's Glasgow airport closed its runway, while Edinburgh airport said several airlines decided not to fly because "they do not have the critical mass of staff needed to run operations securely".

Snow forced the cancellation of all flights at Dublin airport, with services not expected to resume until Saturday at the earliest, and strong winds led KLM airlines to cancel or delay dozens of flights into and out of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport.

Eurostar also pulled four of its international services on Thursday, connecting London, Paris, and Brussels, with further cancellations announced for Friday.

Though some people enjoyed an outing in the cold, those who donned their ice skates risked discovering the waters were not frozen enough.

A 74-year-old man who fell through the ice on a pond near Bruges remained in hospital in critical condition Thursday, a Belgian TV channel reported.

'CEMETERY OF TRUCKS AND CARS'

The mercury also dropped below freezing across southern Europe.

Snowfall in northern Italy forced the cancellation of 50 percent of regional trains, while in the city of Naples, schools were shut.

In normally balmy southern France, beaches in Nice were blanketed in a thick layer of snow.

Near the city of Montpellier, around 2,000 drivers were stranded on a motorway, causing anger from those sitting behind the wheel for hours on end.

"The motorway looks like a cemetery of trucks and cars," tweeted Anthony Jammot, describing an "apocalyptic" 24 hours in his car with two young children and no information or help from local authorities.

In Paris, which awoke Thursday under a blanket of snow, authorities continued operating emergency shelters for the city's roughly 3,000 homeless.

Demanding more efforts to keep people off the streets, around 30 local officials spent the night near the city's Gare d'Austerlitz train station as temperatures dipped below zero.

"We can't keep considering the homeless just another part of the scenery," Greens lawmaker Ali Id Elouali said.

In Germany, the national homeless association urged shelters to open during the day and not just at night.

"You can die of cold during the day too," its chief Werena Rosenke warned.

Authorities urged people to look out for elderly relatives and neighbours after a French woman in her nineties was found frozen to death outside her retirement home.

NO SPRING AMULETS

Europe's cold snap comes as the Arctic experiences record-high temperatures, prompting scientists to ask if global warming may be playing a role in turning things upside down.

The unusually cold weather has also impacted local customs, as the first spring month began.

In Romania, people were marking the day without the amulets they traditionally exchange.

Sales of the "martisor" good luck charms plummeted, along with the temperature.Washington: Federal investigators are looking into whether Jared Kushner's business talks with foreigners, as his father-in-law Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency, later influenced White House policy, NBC News reported on Friday.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked witnesses about Kushner's attempts to secure financing for his family's real estate ventures, focusing specifically on his talks with people from Qatar and Turkey, as well as Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates, NBC News said.

NBC cited unnamed people familiar with Mueller's investigation, as well as witnesses who have been interviewed by Mueller's team. The special counsel is looking at Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and whether there was any collusion with the Trump campaign.

A spokesman for Mueller's office, Peter Carr, declined to comment on the report.

A spokesman for Kushner attorney Abbe Lowell said the report was the "mischief" of unnamed sources conducting a "misinformation campaign" to mislead the news media.

"Mr. Kushner's role in the campaign and transition was to be a point person for completely appropriate contacts from foreign officials and he did not mix his or his former company's business in those contacts," the spokesman, Peter Mirijanian, said in a statement. "Any claim otherwise is false."

Russia has denied interfering in the election, and Trump has said there was no collusion.

Federal investigators have reached out to Turkish nationals for information on Kushner through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's legal attache office in Ankara, NBC News said.

Qatari government officials who visited the United States earlier this year considered turning over information to Mueller that they believed demonstrated their neighbours in the Gulf were coordinating with Kushner to hurt Qatar, NBC News said, citing four people familiar with the matter.

The Qatari officials decided against cooperating with Mueller for now out of fear it would further strain the country's relations with the White House, the individuals told NBC News.

The Qatari embassy in Washington rejected the assertions, saying in a statement late Friday that its government has not been approached nor has it had any contact with the Special Counsels Office on any matters."

Kushner's family business, Kushner Companies, approached Qatar several times, including last spring, about investing in its troubled flagship property at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York, but Qatar's sovereign wealth fund declined, NBC News said, citing two sources familiar with the discussions.

Muller's team also has expressed interest in a meeting Kushner held at Trump Tower in December 2016 with former Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani, people familiar with the meeting told NBC News.

The Kushner Companies' Fifth Avenue property is facing some $1.4 billion in debt that is due in 2019, NBC News cited the sources as saying. Talks with Qatari officials about investing continued after Kushner entered the White House and stepped away from the business, they said.

After the collapse of talks between Qatar and the Kushner Companies, the White House strongly backed a blockade against Qatar by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which accused Qatar of backing terrorism. Kushner has played a major role in Middle East policy.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that officials from the UAE, China, Israel and Mexico have talked privately about ways to manipulate Kushner using his business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience. The Post report quoted unnamed U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the issue.

Kushner has lost his access to top-secret U.S. intelligence information in recent weeks because of his inability to obtain a security clearance at that level.Tehran: Iran's armed forces spokesman on Saturday said that there can be no talks on the country's missile programme without the West's destruction of its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.

"What Americans say out of desperation with regards to limiting the Islamic republic of Iran's missile capability is an unattainable dream," Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri told the official IRNA news agency.

"The condition for negotiations on Iran's missiles is the destruction of America's and Europe's nuclear weapons and long-range missiles."

Jazayeri said US criticism of Iran's missile programme was driven by "their failures and defeats in the region."

US President Donald Trump has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers unless more is done to curb Iran's missile programme.

European governments have been scrambling to appease Trump and keep the deal intact, and have voiced increasing concern over Iran's missile programme.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is due to visit Iran on Monday, said last month that its missile programme and involvement in regional conflicts needed to be addressed if Iran "wants to return to the family of nations".

Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, criticised Le Drian's position today, just two days before they are expected to meet.

"Iran's defence programme is not the concern of other countries such as France, that they should come and tell us what missiles we can have. Do we tell France how it should defend itself?" he told the semi-official ISNA news agency.

"If Le Drian's visit is aimed at reinforcing our relations, he would do well to avoid negative positions," Velayati added.New Delhi: Pakistan claimed to have busted a terror outfit, which it alleged was funded by India to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The DIG of Hyderabad in Pakistan held a press conference on Friday and said that the five-member group was led by the alleged chief of Sindhudesh Revolution Army (SRA) and that it was targeting security personnel in Sindh too.

According to a report in Dawn, DIG Javed Alam Odho said that the suspected terrorists were running a sub-nationalist group to launch a separatist movement in the province and according to their own confession, they were trained and supported by India.

They would make frequent visits to India by crossing the border near Badin district, Odho said. The suspects have reportedly been identified as Muzaffar Hussain Nanjgraj, Murtaza Abro, Shakeel Ghangro, Rafaqat Jarwar and Arbab Soomro, and the men were arrested after an encounter in Aliabad area.

Odho reportedly said that Muzaffar had also confessed to his involvement in Rohri bypass explosion, Mehrabpur explosion in March 2017, January 2018 blast in Qasimabad, and also planting of a bomb outside Mehran University in Jamshoro in November 2017.

The arrests come just days after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in its latest meeting in Paris has decided to put Pakistan on a grey list for not taking adequate action against proscribed terrorist entities and individuals.

The motion, brought forth by the United States, was supported by countries like UK, France, and India. The FATF voted 36 to 1 to grey list Pakistan. The only country that voted in favour of Pakistan was Turkey. Not even traditional friends and allies like China and Turkey voted in favour of Pakistan.London: Harvey Weinstein's lawyer said on Saturday a woman having sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career is "not rape", in a British newspaper interview on the eve of the Oscars.

Ben Brafman is one of the US' top criminal defence attorneys, hired by the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose career is in tatters following accusations of sexual harassment, assault and rape. More than 100 women have accused Weinstein of impropriety going back 40 years, but Brafman argued there was no criminal behaviour.

"If a woman decides that she needs to have sex with a Hollywood producer to advance her career and actually does it and finds the whole thing offensive, that's not rape," he told The Times.

"You made a conscious decision that you're willing to do something that is personally offensive in order to advance your career," he added.

Weinstein, a twice-married father of five, is being investigated by British and US police, but has not been charged with any crime. He denies having non-consensual sex and is reportedly in treatment for sex addiction. Dozens of Hollywood women, including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek, are among Weinstein's accusers.

The bombshell exposes last year have led the film industry to declare war on sexual misconduct, with the campaign dominating the 2018 awards circuit.

Brafman told The Times his client's behaviour was reflective of the broader culture in the industry: "The casting couch in Hollywood was not invented by Harvey Weinstein."

While Weinstein will not be welcome at Sunday's Oscars ceremony, his infamous casting couch has been created by artists to mark the occasion. Plastic Jesus and Joshua Monroe created a gold sculpture of Weinstein on the couch, wearing a dressing gown and clutching an Academy Award.Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin told Washington to send him hard evidence that his citizens meddled in US elections, mocking accusations to date as "yelling and hollering in the United States Congress".

The office of US Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three firms last month with interfering in the 2016 presidential vote as part of what it called a conspiracy to support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton.

"I have to see first what they've done. Give us materials, give us information," Putin said in an interview with NBC TV aired late on Friday, according to an English voice-over of his words.

"We can not respond to that if they do not violate Russian laws," Putin told NBC's Megyn Kelly, when asked whether Moscow would take action against the named individuals.

Kelly listed some of the accusations of Russian interference made by Mueller's office and other U.S. officials, including the spreading of false information online.

"With all due respect for you personally, with all due respect for Congress, you must have people with legal degrees, 100 percent you do," Putin said smiling.

He said U.S. authorities should send Russia's general prosecutor an official request.

"This has to go through official channels, not through the press or yelling and hollering in the United States Congress," Putin said.

The broadcast came a day after Putin announced an array of new nuclear weapons, in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

Putin is standing in March 18 elections that polls indicate he should win easily.Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes is coming to DC in 2022

Plus Wonder Woman returns to the Justice League while OMAC returns to the DCUBETHEL  Not long ago, Bethel employees got an email, apparently from the towns human resources director, asking them to check out a link to an updated staff manual.

Many employees clicked the link. When they did, a message in bid red type popped up on their screens, warning them they had been hacked.

It was only a test from the Information Technology department to teach employees how to avoid cyber attacks. But if it had been real, it could have put residents private information at risk.

The exercise was just one part of an ongoing effort in Bethel and nearby towns to train employees in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity has been an extremely important thing to protect taxpayer interest, to protect assets, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said.

Bethel has signed up for its second year with KnowBe4 services, a nonprofit that helps the town conduct such tests and provides online training to employees, said Assistant Comptroller Brad Heering. The service costs $1,000 a year.

A $1,000 investment that could save us tens of thousands of dollars is well worth it, said Heering, who also serves as the towns risk manager. Unfortunately, cybersecurity is a major issue and a lot of towns are getting attacked.

Governments are among the entities at highest risk for cyber-attacks, after business, medical and insurance companies, said Joseph DeLuise, director of information technology services for the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency, an insurance group that trains Connecticut municipal employees in cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is a critically important topic, particularly for municipal government, because of the kind of information they have at their disposal, DeLuise said.

Local governments keep a treasure trove of information, including birth and marriage certificates, that hackers would love to get their hands on, DeLuise said, adding that cyber-attacks have become more profitable than the illegal drug trade.

Cybercrime is expected to cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021, according to the 2017 Annual Cybercrime Report.

DeLuise said 90 percent of cyber breaches can be traced to human errorwhether through clicking on a bad link in an email, using the same password for work and personal accounts or connecting to an insecure WiFi.

Our training is focused on how to avoid those pitfalls, DeLuise said.

New Milford has asked employees to take the cybersecurity webinars DeLuises agency offers, Mayor Pete Bass said.

The thing is to stay vigilant and to reduce the ability for hackers to get into our system, Bass said.

Bridgewater ramped up security and education for employees after a breach two years ago. First Selectman Curtis Reed said a hacker used a default password to shut down access to the assessors software program.

The error was the fault of a vendor system, not the town, and was quickly rectified, Reed said, and the information on the program was backed up, so there were no lasting problems.

It was one of those things that was caught early and it wasnt overly malicious, he said. We lucked out.

But the incident prompted Reed to heighten cybersecurity awareness amongst employees, reminding staff to change their passwords frequently and ensuring that the towns systems are secure.

At this point, we are pretty well protected, Reed said.

Danbury has also sent spoof emails to test employees abilities to spot potential attacks.

Security is one of the biggest things that we actually look at from the IT perspective, said Frank Gentile, Danburys information technology manager. Its not just constituent data; its employee data. We want to make sure its safe.

The city also works with a third-party group to keep its software secure and up to date, Gentile said.

We try to have a very short life cycle for any equipment and any software, whether its email security or computer network security, he said.

Brookfield First Selectman Steve Dunn said the town started testing employees with spoof emails about three months ago. Fourteen percent of employees fell for the first test, but no one failed the second one, which was sent out sometime after staff completed an hour-long online training session.

Weve raised the awareness significantly, Dunn said.

Dunn said he fears ransomware attacks the most, where hackers encrypt files on someones computer and demand payment to give the information back.

Towns and corporations have a lot of sensitive information that we need to protect, Dunn said. I dont want to tell the town I had to pay $1,000 to get my emails back.

After Bethels test with the spoof staff manual, the town reminded employees that officials would never send a link like that in an email.

Other test emails Bethel has sent out included tipoffs that employees should be aware of, such as extra characters in anemail address. This was the case when the town sent an email appearing to be from CNN that said Special Counsel Robert Mueller had indicted President Trump.

Knickerbocker said employees have stayed vigilant. Once last year, an employee from the finance department received an email that appeared to come from Schools Superintendent Christine Carver, saying that thousands of dollars needed to be immediately wired. Instead of sending the money, the clerk went to Carvers office and the two realized what happened.

The employees are doing very, very well, Knickerbocker said. Its a discipline. You have to get use to opening an email and every time you seen an attachment or link look at it carefully.WASHINGTON  MTAs chief safety officer told a Senate panel this week that the commuter line is on track to meet the federally imposed year-end deadline for installing Positive Train Control, the GPS-like system designed to prevent railroad crashes and collisions.

But the official, David Mayer, told Sen. Richard Blumenthal the authority still faces major hurdles in getting its software to work right on the 775 miles of Metro-North track. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority also operates the Long Island Railroad.

Our schedule calls for us to meet the deadline of Dec. 31, 2018, Mayer said. We agree there are significant schedule risks, but we are intent on meeting the deadline.

PTC, as it is commonly known, is a system of track sensors, transponders and satellite relays aimed at automatically taking over trains that are speeding out of control or headed for collision.

Its implementation has been a hot-button issue for Metro-North commuters in the wake of accidents over the past five years  particularly the 2013 derailing at Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx, N.Y., that took four lives. In that accident, the operator dozed off as the train rounded a sharp 30 mph curve at 82.

Congress in 2008 mandated full implementation of PTC nationwide by the end of 2015 but at the last minute reset the deadline to the end of 2018, with extensions from the Federal Railroad Administration possible until 2020.

Mayer testified Thursday before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, of which Blumenthal is a member.

Blumenthal noted an MTA report that said Metro-North had completed 61 percent of the work needed to get PTC rolling.

He expressed skepticism of the MTAs ability to meet the deadline, demanding regular updates and a meeting with Authority officials.

I dont want to hear in six months that youre not meeting the deadline, Blumenthal said.

He called PTC a proven system that is ready to go.

Its not like were discovering a new planet here, he said to Mayer.

Mayer argued that the technology needed to make PTCs distinct parts come together is not off the shelf, and that Metro-North and the LIRR present special difficulties because we have the densest railroads in the country.

Blumenthal insisted the principles of PTC are the same, regardless of density.

No, we all may look very similar, but we are extremely different in signal systems, communications capability and operational control, Mayer said.

The software required to make it go is being written in-house, a Metro-North official in New York said.

There is no plug-and-play PTC system, Mayer said in his written testimony. We are designing, testing and installing all at once.

Until PTC is fully in place, MTA is depending on existing technology that prevents collisions and movements over misaligned switches for trains traveling above 15 mph, Mayer said.

A Feb. 20 MTA report shows 100 percent of the radio spectrum for PTC has been acquired for Metro North, and 77 percent of hardware has been installed.

For transponders, 2,505 of 2,931 are in place  85 percent. And 80 of 84 wayside interface units are functional  95 percent.

MTAs 2017 fourth-quarter PTC progress report to the Federal Railroad Administration paints a somewhat less rosy picture.

It states that 392 of 531 Metro-North locomotives  73 percent  have on-board computers, PTC displays and event recorders and transponder readers.

For cab radios that facilitate PTC, the numbers are 172 out of 531 Metro North locomotives  32 percent.

At the hearing, Blumenthal took note of a LIRR board member who reportedly stated he would be significantly surprised if the Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration levied fines for failure to meet the Dec. 31, 2018, deadline.

If thats the mindset of the industry, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, he said. We cannot allow an additional delay after all these years.STAMFORD  State police identified the man killed by a tree that fell on his car Friday afternoon as a 25-year-old New Jersey resident.

Police said Jonathan Rodriguez-Melendez, of Hawthorne, New Jersey, suffered fatal injuries in the accident  weeks before his 26th birthday.

Around 3:35 p.m., a tree fell on a Mini Cooper traveling south on Route 15 between exits 33 and 31, which is the Stamford-Greenwich stretch of the highway. On Twitter, Connecticut State Police initially reported the incident took place at exit 33 in Stamford.

Rodriguez-Melendez, the driver of the car, was declared dead at the scene. The vehicles only other passenger, also a New Jersey resident, was transported to Greenwich Hospital with minor, non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

One occupant transported to the hospital for evaluation and one occupants pronounced deceased, said Connecticut State Police spokeswoman Trooper First Class Kelly Grant.

Police said that as the car in question approached the Riverbank Road overpass, a large tree dislodged and fell directly on top of the vehicle. The car eventually came to a rest about a quarter of a mile south of the overpass, police said.

Police are blaming the accident on rain and severe crosswinds that resulted from Fridays noreaster. So far, this is the only reported death as a result of the storm.

The scene is still active, Grant said, and troopers continue to investigate. The highway was closed to traffic around exit 33 as police investigated the crash.WESTPORT  Bruce Becker woke up at 4 a.m. on a day in late March 2016 and drove from Westport to the Tesla store in Mount Kisco, N.Y., to put his name on the list for a Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle. He was third in line.

After a nearly two-year wait, he finally picked up his car Monday.

Im an environmentalist and an architect and developer and Ive spent the last 10 years of my career trying to create buildings that dont rely on fossil fuels, said Becker, who grew up in New Canaan. What I came to realize is cars actually have a bigger impact on the environment than buildings. With all the energy Im spending trying to make green buildings, it was crazy for me to ignore my own personal driving habits.

Becker, the first known Tesla Model 3 owner in Connecticut, showed off his new ride at Staples High School Wednesday at an event promoting the new car, expected by electric vehicle enthusiasts to be as revolutionary as the Ford Model T.

In 2012, Becker, president of the Westport Electric Car Club, bought his first electric car  an early BMW electric vehicle prototype  which he said was an expensive indulgence. His new Tesla is much more affordable, coming in at $24,500 after incentives.

But now they have a Model 3  thats a mass-market car, Becker said, who works in Fairfield.

Westport building official Steve Smith agreed about the market for the Tesla Model 3.

This is the peoples version, Smith said.

The new Tesla models can go farther than the earlier models without needing to be charged, which, in addition to the lower price, Smith hopes will incentivize more Westport residents to purchase the electric vehicle.

Furthermore, the building official said, Westport already has the infrastructure necessary for residents to use electric vehicles with charging stations at both railroad stations, the high school, town hall and Baldwin Parking Lot.

First Selectman Jim Marpe attended the showcase and also hopes the towns investment in charging stations, coupled with the new Tesla model, will bring the town closer to reaching its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

We need to transition away from fossil fuels, Becker said in agreement. This is one of the keys to avoiding global warming and reducing the particulate pollution, which is creating asthma and health issues even here in Westport.

While Beckers primary reason for buying the car is environmental concerns, he also believes the Tesla Model 3 could help rebound the states economy.

All the money we currently spend on gasoline leaves the state, but more and more electric power is coming from renewable sources generated within the state. When youre powering your car with electricity, youre basically keeping money and jobs in Connecticut, Becker said.

A Connecticut law intended to protect franchised car dealers prohibits selling Teslas in Connecticut, however, because Tesla is a manufacturer, and not a dealer, which is why Becker had to travel to New York to purchase the car.

Connecticut is a very green state and were very progressive, but were completely backwards on the Tesla bill, said Scott Thompson, a Fairfield resident and member of the Fairfield Clean Energy Task Force. Michigan, Texas and West Virginia are Connecticuts only kin in prohibiting the direct sale of Teslas, Thompson said.

Weve got to bring the tax revenue associated with these cars into the state and not let it go to New York. Thats whats at stake here, besides our reputation, Thompson said.

Environmental protection was at the forefront of Jackie Eskins mind when she went to see Beckers new car at the high school. Six years ago, the Fairfield resident purchased an electric vehicle because she believed if she didnt step up and buy one, the company would say no one cared and would stop making the cars.

Each person buying electric vehicles tells the companies theyre important, said Eskin, a member of the Westport Electric Car Club.

Staples High School junior George Englehart also believes personal choices can help reduce the environmental impact of transportation emissions.

People always think of doing stuff at a huge global level, but if you just do your part in your town, it can really make a significant difference, said Englehart, the only high school student on Westports Green Task Force.

In addition to the positive environmental, economic and financial benefits of the new Tesla model, Becker said theyre just plain cool.

Its basically like turning an iPad into a car, Becker said, displaying the cars touch screen, which controls all of the cars functions.

Although now an environmental advocate, Westport resident Dawn Henry said she bought her first electric vehicle several years ago solely for the cool factor.

The first Tesla I got I didnt buy because it was electric; I didnt buy it because it was zero emissions; I bought it because it was the hot sexy car, Henry said.NEW HAVEN  Mayor Toni Harp will have to raise taxes for the first time since 2014 and she is laying the blame on state cuts, while also questioning why other cities were getting much more assistance.

Harp didnt name it directly, but it was clear she was speaking of Hartford and the $40 million in debt service assistance going to the capital city to keep it out of bankruptcy.

In a press conference at City Hall Friday, Harp recommended a 4.30-mill increase in the tax rate to 42.98 mills, an 11 percent jump.

In two revenue lines, she said the city expects a drop of nearly $17 million  an estimated $4 million less in building permits, down from a high of $15.9 million, and the rest cuts in various state aid categories.

The mayor, who for decades was a state senator and longtime co-chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, said the daunting challenges facing the state, as well as its underperforming revenue portfolio, have been well-publicized.

Compounding that, the state seems compelled to send additional resources to assist other Connecticut cities with dire financial straits of their own, instead of sending it to us, Harp said.

The $547 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2018-19 reflects an increase of $8,183,001, or 1.52 percent, while the capital budget is proposed at $79 million, an 18 percent increase.

Harp is recommending a $5 million increase for the Board of Education. It had asked for $10 million.

She said even with the proposed tax increase, the tax rate is less than the current rate for Waterbury, Bridgeport, New Britain and New London.

In addition to the higher tax rate, the city has recommended a number of fee increases.

The fees cover such things as parking violations, as well as licenses, permits and fees issued through the Fire Department; and charges for health and police services.

The city is anticipating $6 million in increased aid from voluntary contributions from such partners as Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale University.

The mayor also mentioned her disappointment that New Havens delegation didnt bring more revenue to the city.

We believe we have the most impactful delegation there, she said.

Given that, it is the reason she is so disappointed that we have been the biggest loser when it comes to financial aid and assistance from the state.

The mayor said New Haven has been held at the same level in Education Cost Sharing grants for years, is underfunded in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (for non-taxable properties) and its (budget) expectations have always been millions of dollars less than than what we thought.

Asked specifically about Hartford, Harp said: I cant say why they got more money. Im happy they did. I just wish that we had, too.

An additional expense in the budget would keep the clinic at the Health Department open 12 hours per day, seven days per week to provide more services for residents, essentially as an urgent care option. The mayor anticipates that it would pay for itself in a few years.

The proposed budget increases $774,717 to cover the additional nurses needed to get this running. Other major expenditure increases include: $782,988 in debt service; $1.3 million for police; and $2 million for the Fire Department.

The Rainy Day Fund would be cut by $1 million.

The mayor also anticipates a $3.6 million in concessions from city workers as negotiations continue with municipal unions, as well as by not filling vacancies.

We certainly dont want to lay anyone off  a possibility but we think there are ways we can work with the unions to have them help us reach the number we have set for them to reach, Harp said.

There are a lot of things we can do beyond layoffs, but if we cant come to an agreement, then that certainly is on the table, the mayor said.

She said they were pretty convinced they can come to terms with the unions to do something that is mutually beneficial.

Harp said they may have to rebid the citys medical packages to get the best deal. The mayor said there are things beyond wages that she wants to talk to the unions about.

The raises we can do, but there are some other things around pensions and other kinds of things we are looking at that we want their help with that are far more meaningful than salary adjustments, Harp said.

She made a commitment to provide the necessary funds for public safety and continue with the police and fire training classes now in progress. Some positions will be added to the Police Department and in the fire marshals office.

Economic Development Administrator Matthew Nemerson said this year the city had the benefit of a number of Yale building projects taking place, such as the $200 million Gibbs Biotech Lab that brought in a $6 million permit fee.

Going forward, the mix of construction projects will lean more toward private development. The $100 million update of Woolsey Hall at Yale might start in the next fiscal year, but it is not included in the projected fees at this point.

Nemerson said the city will have seen close to $1 billion in new construction over a 21/2-year period.

That is far and away the most in the state. The important message is, at this point, we are still the fastest growing city in the state, he said.

The first public budget hearing will be March 12.NEW HAVEN  After years of gathering data and negotiating unsuccessfully with Navy and Marine officials, a class-action suit has been filed on behalf of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who developed stress disorders and were then given less-than-honorable discharges.

The announcement was made at the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic, where student interns represent the veterans and the National Veterans Council for Legal Redress, a Connecicut organization whose members include Marines with bad papers.

The lead plaintiff is Tyson Manker, a Marine veteran of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, who suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of his service there.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 2 million Americans have been sent to either Iraq or Afghanistan and nearly one-third have suffered from PTSD or related mental health issues, but the military continues to issue less-than-honorable discharges at a high rate, according to the suit.

When they seek a change in that status, by applying to the Naval Discharge Review Board, the plaintiffs said they are unlawfully denied revisions.

The American public needs to know that hundreds of thousands of military veterans with service-connected PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries are being denied support and Veterans Affairs resources because of an unfair discharge status, Manker said in a statement.

Systemic failures of the military departments have led to widespread legal rights violations of our most vulnerable men and women in uniform, myself included. It is a national disgrace. By taking this action with the courts we intend to restore the rule of law along with honor for thousands of patriots who were treated so poorly by the nation they served, Manker, an attorney, said.

Garry Monk, executive director of National Veterans Council for Legal Redress, said the same injustice doled out to Vietnam veterans is now being applied to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

His brother, Marine veteran Conley Monk, who lives in New Haven, suffered for 44 years with PTSD after his Vietnam service before he received a discharge upgrade.

Shame on us. It shouldnt take years of waiting, an army of lawyers, and a class-action lawsuit to get the Navy to follow the law, Garry Monk said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has supported the clinics work on these issues for years, was also at the press conference.

Heroic veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war deserve support and treatment  not the stain and stigma of a less-than-honorable discharge. The Navy has inexplicably failed to recognize the impact of post-traumatic stress on post-9/11 veterans who have been discharged because of these invisible wounds with less than honorable discharges. This injustice must be righted immediately for an entire generation of Navy servicemen and women, Blumenthal said in a statement.

The clinic has had success in getting less-than-honorable discharges changed for veterans with the review board of the other services.

The Navy is defying the Department of Defense, Congress, and the Constitution in a way that the other Boards are not, said Samantha Peltz, a law student intern in the Yale Veterans Legal Services Clinic.

In 2017, the Army and Air Force Discharge Review Boards granted approximately 51% of discharge upgrade applications involving PTSD, while the NDRB granted a mere 16% of applications during the same period. The disparity is staggering, Peltz said.

The plaintiffs are represented by law student interns Samantha Peltz, Jonathan Petkun, West Resendes, and Helen White, supervising attorneys Aaron Wenzloff and Michael Wishnie of the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic, and co-counsel from Jenner & Block.WEST HAVEN  It was the kind of news thats everyones worst nightmare. And it came in the form of an email.

Your MRI of the brain came in, read the Feb. 3, 2015, message that pinged into the inbox of Danburys Megan Helbig, who is set to brave the ice-cold waters off Savin Rock in the third annual National Brain Tumor Society Connecticut Brain Freeze this Sunday.

You have a small tumor . . . The radiologist believes this is benign.

The mother of two young girls, who spent childhood summers with her aunt and uncle in Madison, had undergone the MRI as a result of the nerve pain and arm weakness shed been experiencing in the wake of a car accident a few years before.

I was with my husband and daughter, she said. Someone ran a red light and hit us. It totaled the car and we were all banged up from it.

None of them required hospitalization.

Unable to isolate a cause, her doctors sent her for a battery of tests. The MRI was to rule out the possibility of multiple sclerosis, she believes.

The email, three days later, had Helbig reeling. When you read tumor, the pretty, down-to-earth 38-year-old recalled, you immediately think cancer. Or at least I did.

No wonder. She was a senior in college in 2000 when her boyfriend, now her husband, was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma, a type of malignant brain tumor.

He went through radiation, chemo, and then they were able to remove all of it, said Helbig, who works in the financial services industry. Hes now cancer-free.

From a radiologist friend who read the scan  the doctor had attached it to the email  she learned the MRI showed a benign, slow-growing tumor called a meningioma. According to hopkinsmedicine.org, 90 percent of meningiomas are benign.

She felt immense relief. Doctors recommended a wait and watch approach, with an MRI every six months. Unless a scan shows the tumor growing to the point that its affecting her eyesight, theres no reason for major surgery.

In the midst of searching for more information, Helbig learned most meningiomas are found incidentally; patients have no symptoms until theyre identified in a CT scan or MRI for an unrelated reason.

She also found a post by Erica Robinson on Twitter. Robinson, who lives in Boston, had been diagnosed with a meningioma in 2010 and had it removed. In her post she included information about the Brain Freeze.

Helbig was intrigued.

It was the first year of the Freeze and I did the plunge by myself, she said.

At the time, she had told few people about her diagnosis. I was the same person, just with a benign tumor in my head, and I didnt want people pitying me or treating me differently, she said.

Meeting other people at the Freeze, I realized that so many people have these types of tumors and are living with them, but you never hear about it.

She joined the Brain Freeze Committee the next year, and at a kickoff event at a Hartford Wolfpack game in early 2017, met Robinson.

I was just like Megan, said Robinson, an animated 44-year-old, in a telephone interview from Boston. I kept it to myself. I was this seemingly healthy person. I didnt want people to look at me differently or to feel sorry for me.

A year or so after her surgery, a friend asked if she would talk with a family member who had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Thats what got her started.

I could talk to this man; I could talk to his wife. I could tell them what happened to me, Robinson said. It was healing for me too. And, since then, sharing my story, you never know who you might reach.

No doubt, Helbig said, hearing Erica talk so openly about what happened to her made the idea seem less overwhelming. Still, she was wary.

That changed last May, when she joined thousands of members of the National Brain Tumor Society in Washington, D.C., for Head to the Hill, an annual event that involves advocacy training and congressional visits to champion the cause of funding for brain tumor research.

It was eye-opening to hear so many different stories about what people have been through, she said. Then, Tama (Cobb, a founder of the Brain Freeze) suggested it was my turn.

By then, Helbig said, Id gotten to the point where I felt OK talking about it.

It was freeing. I want people to know that just because I have a meningioma doesnt mean the world stops, she said.

In a way, its not so different from how her husband got through his own illness. It doesnt matter if the tumor is malignant or benign, it seems. You find a way to go on. You find people to lean on, to prop you up. Thats all you can do.

That said, shes not yet ready to tell her two young daughters. My older is a worrier, she said. Well know when its time.

Meanwhile, if she can help others who suddenly find themselves facing the disease  and, perhaps, convey to doctors that an email might not be the most sensitive way to disclose a brain tumor diagnosis  all the better.

The third annual Connecticut Brain Freeze starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday at the Savin Rock Conference Center, West Haven. To make a donation, participate or volunteer, visit braintumor.org/ ctbrainfreeze.Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 54F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 54F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.The quest to right the ship at the New York Philharmonic moved forward this week when the orchestra and its players reached a new three-year contract at a critical moment of reinvention.

The new contract, which the orchestra announced Friday, was approved on Thursday by the Philharmonic and Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians, which represents the players. Under the agreement the musicians will receive a 4.5 percent increase in wages over the next three years, raising the base salary at the orchestra to $153,504 a year from $146,796; musicians will pay more for health insurance.

The deal will help prevent the kind of strife between players and management that led to strikes in recent seasons of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra and a lockout at the Minnesota Orchestra and at a moment in which many American orchestras have faced serious financial pressures.

Deborah Borda, president and chief executive of the Philharmonic, said in a statement that the orchestras board and administration respect the skill and artistry of the musicians, and greatly value the longstanding spirit of partnership that allows the entire organization to move forward and fulfill its artistic mission.The Boston Symphony announced Friday that four women who worked for the orchestra in the 1980s and 1990s had given its investigators credible accounts of sexual misconduct at the hands of Charles Dutoit, a frequent guest conductor.

The orchestra severed its ties with Mr. Dutoit in December, after The Associated Press reported accusations that he had sexually assaulted several women elsewhere. Boston opened an independent investigation into Mr. Dutoit after Fiona Allan, a prominent figure in British theater, accused him of having sexually assaulted her in 1997 when she was as an intern at Tanglewood, the orchestras summer home in the Berkshires.

The orchestra said in a statement that its investigator had determined that Ms. Allans accusations were credible. It said that the investigator had also spoken with three other women who credibly described incidents in the 1980s and 1990s in which they, too, were victims of sexual misconduct by Mr. Dutoit. It did not provide any details about the other women.

Mr. Dutoit, 81, denied wrongdoing in December, issuing a statement in which he said that whilst informal physical contact is commonplace in the arts world as a mutual gesture of friendship, the serious accusations made involving coercion and forced physical contact have absolutely no basis in truth. But major orchestras around the world cut ties with him, and in January he stepped down as principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London nearly two years early.Each week, the Open Thread newsletter will offer a look from across The New York Times at the forces that shape the dress codes we share, with Vanessa Friedman as your personal shopper. The latest newsletter appears here. To receive it in your inbox, register here.

Greetings from Paris and happy March. Its Oscars minus two, but youd never know it here. Theres been some talk of viewing parties and staying up, but given the nine-hour time difference, the chances are slim. I usually make it to the first half hour or so of arrivals, and then my bleary eyes just give up.

Missing the red carpet makes me almost as sad as missing the Olympics.

Especially this year, given how big a role red carpets have played in the #MeToo conversation. The Oscars is not going to be a black-dress moment according to all reports, nor is it about white roses, so it will be especially interesting to see what part, if any, clothing will have this time around.

The Oscars overlap with Paris Fashion Week also means there has been a smaller celebrity presence at the shows (theyre all detoxing before Sunday). This is a good thing, in part because it makes it easier to focus on whats on the runway  even with the surprise industry news that Burberry had appointed a new designer to replace Christopher Bailey, an announcement no one had expected.Through the east Midtown rezoning, Chases new headquarters has re-established Midtown as a competitor to Hudson Yards for corporate tenants, said M. Myers Mermel, chief executive of TenantWise, a real estate advisory firm. This marks the beginning a new wave of redevelopment in this area. Its kind of a surprise it actually worked.

The $3.1 billion One Vanderbilt project, a 1,401-foot skyscraper next to Grand Central, is already under construction thanks to a related rezoning and 525,000 square feet of air rights.

To add four floors atop their modest 16-story building at 405 Park Avenue, the owners  Deutsche Bank Asset Management and MRP Realty  have turned to St. Patricks Cathedral to buy 30,000 square feet of air rights in a deal that could top $11.5 million, according to records filed with the citys planning department and local officials.

The Chase deals will generate more than $42 million for the city to improve the districts streets, sidewalks and pedestrian plazas. St. Patricks, St. Barts and other landmarks will also reap millions of dollars to maintain and preserve their buildings.

More than six years ago, powerful real estate forces in New York pushed for the rezoning of what is now called Midtown East. They argued that the existing zoning often prevented property owners from replacing an aging set of office buildings with the kind of tall towers that companies were now seeking.

They also feared that a corporate migration to new oversized towers on the Far West Side would undermine the value of their properties.

In 2012, the administration of Michael R. Bloomberg began the process of upzoning the area around Grand Central to encourage development of the kind of towers now found in London, Shanghai and Hong Kong.When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday night that he had chosen Alberto M. Carvalho, the charismatic superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, as his new schools chancellor, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Mr. Carvalho had an inspiring life story that mirrored the aspirations of many of New York Citys families. On policy, he and Mr. de Blasio seemed well aligned.

But there were signs, it emerged on Friday, that the partnership  on both sides  might have been far less than perfect. Mr. de Blasio, the more eager suitor, chose to overlook them. Mr. Carvalho, in the end, did not, leading him to reject the mayors job offer on Thursday.

For Mr. Carvalho, the red flags were indications that the mayor would heavily involve himself in the job, as he is known to do in other departments.

For City Hall, the warning signs were incidents in Mr. Carvalhos past  his jilting of another school district in 2008, and a scandal over emails that suggested he had conducted an affair with a Miami Herald education reporter, which he has denied. In fact, those two matters had kept Mr. Carvalho out of the running for another major education job in New York just three years ago.That day, as he was preparing for his shift to end at 4 p.m., she approached his desk in the lobby and asked in broken English whether Ms. Krim was home. He told her that he had just seen Ms. Krim leave with Nessie. Ms. Ortega then went to the elevator with Lulu and Leo in tow, and he never saw them again.

It was a shock to me that she said anything, he said.

Ms. Krim returned to the apartment around 5:10 p.m. and searched for her children. Glenn Looby, who had replaced Mr. Thomas, was in the lobby when she called from a landing outside the familys apartment, asking if he had seen her children. When he said he had not, she went back up to the apartment. A few minutes later, he said, she came out screaming about her children being murdered and he called 9-1-1.

Over the two and a half years that Ms. Ortega worked for the family, Ms. Krim said on Friday, there were other times when she thought Ms. Ortega was acting oddly. She had considered firing the nanny, but ultimately decided against it.

There was nothing to fire her over, she said. She was on time every day. She was interacting with the kids. She was doing most of her job.

After the cross-examination had concluded, Stuart Silberg, an assistant district attorney, asked Ms. Krim if she thought she had missed any warning signs. Ms. Krim asked for a break.

She returned, and finished her testimony describing how Ms. Ortega had reacted to a pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. When Ms. Van Leer-Greenberg objected to Ms. Krims testimony about the miscarriage, Ms. Krim shouted, Let me finish telling my story! Ms. Ortega, she said, had been jubilant when told the Krims were expecting a fourth child. But when she was told of the miscarriage months later, she showed no sympathy.

She didnt say anything, Ms. Krim said. She didnt give me a hug. She gave me no emotion at all. She actually looked mad at me.Barbara Lekberg, a sculptor who infused her welded-metal works with motion and grace in a career that spanned more than 60 years, died on Feb. 14 at a nursing home in the Bronx. She was 92.

Her friend Toni Danilevsky confirmed the death. She said Ms. Lekberg had Alzheimers disease.

Where some artists work with paint brush and palette, Ms. Lekberg often wielded a blowtorch, welding steel, bronze and other materials into works featuring dancers, trees, contemplative figures and more. Moving to New York from the Midwest in the late 1940s, she began studying and working at the Clay Club, soon to become the Sculpture Center, making a strong impression in shows there and elsewhere.

Barbara Lekberg is an out-and-out romantic whose welded figures are made from thin, flowing sheets of steel, here and there adorned with color in vitreous enamel, Stuart Preston wrote in The New York Times in 1955, reviewing a Sculpture Center exhibition.

She creates figures, he went on, whose high emotional temperature might have been thought inexpressible in solid sculpture but which find an entirely suitable vehicle in this flexible medium.When that did not pan out, Mr. Jones turned to Mr. Schmidt, who had been discharged from the service and was working as a commercial artist for various NBC television programs and magazines like Esquire and Life. Mr. Schmidt agreed to work with Mr. Jones and pared Joy down to a lighter, one-act musical that debuted at Barnard College as the precursor to The Fantasticks.

Mr. Schmidt said he wrote the melody to Try to Remember, the signature song of the show, in a rehearsal hall in five minutes.

It was a hot day, there was no air-conditioning, and I was tired, he said in Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway (2015), by Michael Riedel. I had a few minutes rehearsal time left and I didnt want to waste them. So I just put my hands on the piano and thought Ill just play a simple song. I played Try to Remember from start to finish without changing a note.

In a telephone interview, Mr. Jones said: Harvey was not a trained musician, but he could always do it, from the time he was a child. And playing music for him was a very direct emotional release. He was just extraordinarily full of music of all kinds.

The opening of The Fantasticks, on May 3, 1960, was met with mixed reviews. In an article they wrote for The New York Times four years later, Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Jones recalled that their producer, Lore Noto, had kept the show running despite the criticism.

But with success came moments like the one they described in the article: After the shows 1,863rd performance, on Oct. 18, 1964, three television sets were to be wheeled onto the stage for the audience to watch an NBC production of The Fantasticks, with Ricardo Montalban, Bert Lahr and Stanley Holloway.She grew up in Devon and took to writing early, creating her own magazine, called Stories, at age 9 and selling it at school.

Image Ms. Vincenzi's debut novel was about intrigue in the cosmetics business. Credit... Penguin Random House

She was working as a secretary at Vogue when she met Paul Vincenzi on a blind date. They were married in 1960.

Ms. Vincenzi was a journalist for much of her working life, writing and editing for newspapers and magazines and in 1972 starting a fashion magazine, Looking Good, with her husband.

It was the money that made me first have a crack at writing a book, Ms. Vincenzi told an interviewer in 1999. It was the late 1980s, and quite a few women journalists  like Jilly Cooper  had written novels. So I decided to have a go myself.

She asked Ms. Cooper, whom she was interviewing for an article, for advice.

I mentioned to Jilly that I had a story in mind, and she told me about her agent, Desmond Elliott, Ms. Vincenzi told The Irish Times in 1997. When I got back to the office, she had got him to ring me, which is unheard-of. I mean, you dont share your agent  its like sharing your husband.

Among her most successful novels were An Absolute Scandal (2007), The Best of Times (2009) and a series known as the Spoils of Time trilogy (2000-2002). She also wrote two books of short stories.

Ms. Vincenzi said that she never knew how her books would end before she started them. Rather, she would just let the characters take the story where it wanted to go.Richard Weinstein, an architect who helped redefine urban planning in New York and Los Angeles by coupling private profit with public benefit to make cities more livable, died on Feb. 24 in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 85.

The cause was complications of Parkinsons disease, his son Nikolas said.

Recruited to New York City government in the late 1960s by the administration of Mayor John V. Lindsay, Mr. Weinstein joined several like-minded young colleagues in a new Urban Design Group within the Department of City Planning.

Their goal was to tailor zoning regulations to a neighborhoods unique form, function and features rather than impose generic rules by rote.

We are trying to make development responsive to some human purpose, he told The New York Times in 1973.It really is an axis of evil.

This week, The Times reported that United Nations investigators have compiled a more-than-200-page dossier containing extensive evidence of North Koreas supply of potential chemical weapons components and ballistic missile parts to Bashar al-Assads regime in Syria. Pyongyang had previously tried to furnish Assad with a nuclear reactor, until the Israelis destroyed it in a 2007 airstrike.

Pyongyang isnt Damascuss only helper. Last November, Moscow  which supplies Assad with an air force to bombard his own people  wielded its 10th and 11th vetoes in defense of the Syrian government at the U.N. Security Council to scupper a separate panel of experts charged with investigating the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Beijing has used its own veto to help Assad on six occasions.

Then theres Iran, which has been invested in Assads survival from the beginning of the uprising against him in 2011. Through Hezbollah, its Lebanese proxy, Tehran has provided Assad with his most effective and merciless ground troops.

Why should a Shiite theocrat, a Russian kleptocrat, a Korean gourmand and a Chinese son of heaven unite so openly to rescue a foul and feeble Baathist dictatorship?Sycophancy isnt as easy as it looks.

Consider the White House. Stuffed with people who got picked for their jobs because they appeared to worship the ground Donald Trump walked on. And now theyre getting trodden underfoot.

Farewell, Hope Hicks. How you doing, Sean Spicer? Jared Kushner is still hanging around  perhaps he doesnt mind having a lower security clearance than some of the government janitors. But really, its only a matter of time before he has to go back to his private career of failing at real estate development.

And speaking of all-purpose humiliation, look at Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He was the first senator to endorse Trump for president. A man who has never passed up an opportunity to publicly fawn over the commander in chief.

Sessions has been in hot water pretty much since the moment he took over the job and then recused himself from any investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians. This was based on the fact that when he was working on the Trump campaign he had contact with a Russian.It seems almost beside the point to say that the men I encountered in these sorts of operations were in relatively good spirits. They believed in what they were doing  or, at least, believed what they were doing would win the war. After Tet, the violence and brutality continued, but it came from a different place  frustration, anger, resignation, nihilism. After all that destruction, for the enemy to mount such a widespread, if strategically futile, campaign spoke to the great distance between the generals grand pronouncements about light at the end of the tunnel and the reality on the ground.

The Tet attacks also coincided with the arrival of a new type of G.I., men who had witnessed or heard about antiwar activism and rising drug use back home, experiences they brought with them to Vietnam. Drug use, in particular, reached epidemic proportions in the years after Tet. The decline in morale intersected with a growing trade in heroin, sold in vials of white powder purveyed by roadside hucksters outside bases.

Violence, threatened or actual, against officers became common too. Not infrequently, officers found grenade pins on their bunks  a warning of the fragging, or detonation of a fragmentation grenade, that might befall them for hassling their men, especially about drugs  i.e., for acting like officers.

In the summer of 1971, working on an article for The New York Times Magazine, I visited American bases and walked with troops on jungle patrols along with a photographer, David Terry. My angle was also the eventual title of the piece: Who Wants to Be the Last American Killed in Vietnam. Tensions among the troops was like nothing I had ever seen before Tet. Men in the field derided support personnel as remfs, or rear-echelon  well, you can guess the rest of the acronym. The letters F.T.A., a similarly crude term aimed at the entire Army, were painted on rocks, etched in barrack walls, scrawled in latrines. Black G.I.s shook fists in black power salutes. Antiwar protest crossed racial lines. G.I.s in a simmering state of resentment flashed the V sign  not for Victory, but for Peace.

Col. Rutland Beard, commander of a brigade of army troops with headquarters on Freedom Hill, a promontory near Danang, understood his men. We should have been out of here two years ago, he told me in 1969. Let some other people police up the world. Those were words you never heard pre-Tet.The steel and aluminum tariffs are ostensibly aimed at punishing China, which has been driving down prices for those commodities by producing far more metal than the world can use. But Mr. Trumps move will have a limited effect on China because much of the steel and aluminum the United States imports actually comes from allies like Canada, Brazil, South Korea and Mexico. Further, the move could hurt American businesses that use these metals, including auto and construction companies, which will now pay more for a critical raw material.

If Mr. Trump were truly interested in getting China to reduce its excess production, he would have worked with the European Union, Canada, Japan, South Korea and other countries to put pressure on Beijing. Those nations tend to be closely aligned with the United States and have also been hurt by Chinas mercantilist economic policies.

But rather than make common cause with them, Mr. Trump has angered American allies with this move. Top officials in Canada and the European Union are already threatening to retaliate forcefully against the new Trump tariffs. They could do so by bringing cases against the United States at the World Trade Organization, or by doing what Mr. Trump did and unilaterally imposing new tariffs on American exports like soybeans and Boeing planes. As it happens, Canada imports more American Steel than it exports to the United States, giving it the ability to hurt the very industry Mr. Trump claims to want to help. The countrys foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, says Canada buys about half of American steel exports.

Its also not clear that these tariffs will help Mr. Trump achieve his goal of increasing manufacturing employment in the United States. For example, businesses located in this country already produce about 70 percent of the steel used here. Experts say for every new job at a steel mill or aluminum smelter that is created by this trade decision, the country could lose as many or more jobs at businesses that use those metals, which will now cost more. This is one of the reasons that trade wars are, in fact, not easy to win.In just a few years, what began as a lineup of monochromatic streetwear pieces (emblazoned with the brands signature striping) has evolved into full mens and womens collections (which launched in 2015), totaling eight collections per year. This seasons inspiration, he explained while scanning a lineup of looks, derives from the West Village  specifically the Soul Cycle-then-healthy-brunch crowd of young, downtown women with roots in affluent, horse-country suburbs like Greenwich. There were nods to equestrian styles in the form of tall riding boots, reworked with heels and pointy toes, and form-fitting silhouettes to match the tailoring of competition jackets.

Placing new spins on familiar pieces is a major signifier of both the Off-White brand and Ablohs method: Its like taking a Yankees logo and flipping it upside down, he says. Youve taken something that people already wear, and made it so that people who are familiar with it now see in a new way. And now they want it. Though he admits that streetwear was always an easy identifier for his designs, one might argue that Ablohs not redefining the concept, so much as undefining it  untethering streetwear from any and all definitions.

An hour later, Abloh left Dance, the stylist, to manage the remainder of the fittings, while he traveled to his rented studio in the 18th Arrondissement to paint pieces for his show at Murakamis Kaikai Kiki Gallery in Tokyo next month. Massive canvases featuring words such as Television in white script fill the bare-bones space. Ten pieces will make up the show next month, including a video installation and a sculpture mimicking an old Sunoco gas station sign. Its the first exhibition Abloh has done of this kind, but hes more daunted by the limited time frame in which to complete and ship all the pieces to Japan than by the work itself. Theres no failure in constantly creating, Abloh said. The only failure is if youre actually not making anything. And so, thats how, thats why were here, in a whole other studio with paint on it. The way my brain is set  theres no box.

The following afternoon, Abloh signs sweatshirts, sneakers, even the shirt on a fans back, inside the Chrome Hearts store on the tony shopping strip of Avenue de Montaigne. Outside, a line has formed down the block with fans hoping to claim one of just 50 limited-edition Off-White x Chrome Hearts hoodies, all of which sell out in less than two hours. Later that evening at the shows venue, a pavilion on Rue Cambon, Abloh sits on a plastic-wrapped bench, gazing between his phone and the models rehearsal. Clusters of white balloons hover high overhead as clouds within a set design he described as fabricated nature. Theres already been a fair share of excitement surrounding the show: a last-minute dress addition to the lineup, and just down the street, a feverish mob scene outside the brands pop-up, where the newest Off-White x Nike Air Jordan 1 sneaker had gone on sale that day (a situation that required police intervention).

Earlier, Abloh explained why, even as an American, with his home base in Chicago and his brands headquarters in Milan, the decision to present his collections in Paris has always been integral to his ambitions for Off-White: Paris is home to the birthplace of this idea. The names: Givenchy, Balenciaga, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent. Of course, clothes have been made everywhere, he said. But this idea, with these principles Ill still uphold when Im 50 years old  Im only doing it for that. Otherwise I wouldnt do it. Id be doing something else.WASHINGTON  The future of cellular service is coming to a neighborhood near you.

But who gets to decide when, where and how it gets delivered is still a heated fight.

The new technology, known as 5G, delivers wireless internet at far faster speeds than existing cellular connections. But it also requires different hardware to deliver the signals.

Instead of relying on large towers placed far apart, the new signals will come from smaller equipment placed an average of 500 feet apart in neighborhoods and business districts. Much of the equipment will be on streetlights or utility poles, often accompanied by containers the size of refrigerators on the ground. More than 300,000 cell stations now provide wireless connections, and 5G will bring hundreds of thousands  perhaps millions  more.

The prospect of their installation has many communities and their officials, from Woodbury, N.Y., to Olympia, Wash., insisting that local governments control the placement and look of the new equipment. They say that the cell stations could clutter neighborhoods with eyesores and cost the communities a lot of potential revenue.The dilemma for Mr. Trump is that those are often the same thing.

He is facing pressure from lawmakers in both parties to go further in restricting weapons than the N.R.A. would like. And he seems to appreciate that he has a unique ability to sway skeptical Republicans given that conservatives largely trust him on the issue in a way they never did with Barack Obama. Theres one president since Ive been involved in any of this that can get this done, said Senator Joe Manchin III, the West Virginia Democrat who co-wrote the last major gun control bill to come to a vote in the Senate in 2013. And its him.

The ties between him and the millions of Americans for whom gun ownership is a personal and political consideration are stronger and more natural than many Republicans could have predicted when he first started running for president in 2015.

Mr. Trump had supported an assault weapons ban and at one point appeared to wish that there were no guns at all in the United States. He told CNNs Larry King in a 1999 interview, Theres nothing I like better than nobody has them, but thats not going to happen.

But by the time of his 2016 campaign, a formal working relationship became a matter of political necessity on both ends  gun activists who were single-mindedly determined to stop four more years of a Democratic president and a candidate who needed the validation and grass-roots muscle that a conservative powerhouse like the N.R.A. could offer.

Mr. Trump came to appreciate the potency that gun rights  and the fear of having them stripped away  had with many of his supporters. And it became an extension of the cultural battles he eagerly threw himself into.

It was very much a culture thing, said David Bossie, who was Mr. Trumps deputy campaign manager. Gun owners tended to be cut from the same blue-collar cloth that held together Mr. Trumps core constituency. They gravitated toward his tough talk on defending the Second Amendment in the same way they did on other issues like crime, trade and illegal immigration.

He had this connection to people who felt like he cared about them, their well-being, their family, safety and security, Mr. Bossie added.WASHINGTON  Looking around the table at the White House one day this week, President Trump chided fellow Republicans for kowtowing to the National Rifle Association. Youre afraid of the N.R.A., right? he challenged one senator.

The next evening, Mr. Trump invited the leaders of the N.R.A. to the White House. Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA! he wrote afterward. By Friday morning, his aides seemed to soften the presidents support for gun control measures opposed by the association, then denied that they were doing so.

If Mr. Trump and his team have yet to reach perfect coherence in their public messaging, it may stem from the presidents own tendency to veer sharply across the policy landscape. One moment he sounds ready to take on the gun lobby or unfair trading partners, and the next he is shifting gears and heading the opposite direction.

For all of the attention to the process chaos in the White House, recent days have made clear that there is also a policy chaos at work. While Mr. Trump has governed from the hard right for most of his presidency, he has at times confused some of his aides and allies with seemingly ad hoc, gut-driven proposals that conflict with Republican orthodoxy like seizing guns from the mentally ill without due process. Where other politicians strain for at least the appearance of consistency, Mr. Trump shows no reluctance to think out loud and change his mind.The tariffs rest on a little-used legal provision that allows Mr. Trump to restrict imports to try to bolster the American industrial base in the interest of national security. That power will face scrutiny by the World Trade Organization but, perhaps more significant, could prompt other countries to follow suit in using national security as a reason to wall off their markets.

American technology companies, agricultural producers and other industries could ultimately lose business abroad as nations seek to erect similar barriers.

Robert L. Shanks, Ford Motors chief financial officer, said commodities markets had already started to price in increases for steel and aluminum on the expectation that Mr. Trump would impose the tariffs. The effect on Ford, he said, is not positive given the automaker uses those metals in the cars they produce.

The European Union detailed a three-step plan to penalize $3.5 billion of American trade  the same amount of European steel and aluminum the bloc estimates would be harmed by the planned tariffs. It proposed taxing American exports including bourbon, bluejeans, orange juice, cranberries, rice and motorcycles. The European Union could then take action to protect their own metal makers from a surge in imports, and bring a case against the United States at the World Trade Organization.

A European Union official said that the bloc had been preparing for the announcement for months and that everything was in place for a swift, proportionate response.

The measures were intended to put pressure on politically sensitive areas, trade analysts said. Harley-Davidson motorcycles are made in the home district of Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin. Orange juice comes from the swing state of Florida. Restrictions on Kentucky bourbon could add pressure on the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who is from the state.GILBERT, W.Va.  Home from a long day teaching English last month at Mingo Central High School, Robin Ellis told her husband the latest talk among the teachers. They were tired of low pay and costly health benefits  and they were mulling a rolling strike, in which teachers in a few counties would walk out each day.

You dont want to do that, Donnie Ellis, her husband, said. As a veteran of strip mines and the intense labor conflicts that often came with them, he knew what made some strikes succeed and others crumble.

Its got to be all-in or nothing, he said.

It has definitely been all-in in West Virginia. For seven days now, teachers have refused to work in all 55 counties, shutting down every school in the state.

Every school day since last Thursday, thousands of red- and black-clad teachers, bus drivers and cooks have descended on Charleston to fill the halls of the State Capitol, chanting and singing defiantly in one of the few statewide teachers strikes in American history.Watching is The New York Timess TV and film recommendation website. Sign up for our thrice-weekly newsletter here.

The Olympics are over. The Super Bowl was played. Oscar season is drawing to a close. Folks, its TV time. The major networks and the cable outlets have been holding back a lot of their bigger midseason offerings the last few months, staying clear of everything else that was going on. Suddenly were facing one of the most crowded March television schedules in memory: HBO, FX, ABC, NBC and other major outlets will be delivering a mix of old favorites and new  each competing in its own way with Netflixs rising tide of originals.

From new citizens of Shondaland to the return of The Americans, these are just some of the potential highlights of a busy, busy month:GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo  Ethnic clashes between Hema herders and Lendu farmers in the northeastern province of Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo have killed more than 40 people, local officials said Friday.

Tensions between the groups have been largely dormant since their battles from 1998 to 2003 left thousands of people dead, but violence has flared again in recent months because of disputes over land.

At least 30 people were killed in two days of clashes last month between armed Hema and Lendu.

Militia activity has increased across eastern Congos borderlands near Uganda and Rwanda in the past year, stoked in part by President Joseph Kabilas refusal to step down in December 2016 as required by the Constitution.

Alfred Ndrabu, a member of the Roman Catholic Churchs Justice and Peace Commission in Ituri, said a colleague in the village of Maze had counted 49 bodies from Thursdays clashes, which continued into Friday morning.Uzbekistan has freed a reporter who was incarcerated for nearly two decades on sedition charges, the longest-known prison term served by a journalist, human rights advocates said Friday.

The reporter, Yusuf Ruzimuradov, 64, who worked for a newspaper banned by the Uzbek authorities, had been held since 1999.

Glad to hear that #journalist Yusuf Ruzimuradov was released from #Uzbekistan prison, the Eurasia division of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an advocacy group, said on its Twitter account. The group said he had been held longer than anybody else in the world  after being convicted on politicized charges in a quick sham trial.

Steve Swerdlow, the Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement: Today, I got a Skype message I will treasure: the government of Uzbekistan has finally released journalist Yusuf Ruzimuradov after 19 long years in jail.TORONTO  It was yet another slap in the face from the bellicose best friend and neighbor to the south.

Of all the countries that could feel the sting of President Trumps planned tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Canada, the long-suffering and restrained American trading partner, is at the top of the list because it is the No. 1 exporter of both to the United States.

But as the news settled on Friday, Canadians took another breath and hoped that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the army of cheerleaders he has deployed to charm American officials since President Trump was elected would cajole the United States back from the edge of a trade war.

Rather than erupting in rage, Mr. Trudeau  ever conscious of how much his countrys economy relies on the United States  remained calm and firm, counting off the reasons that Mr. Trumps move defied economic sense.President Trumps decision to impose broad tariffs in the coming days on imports of steel and aluminum from around the world has drawn condemnation from the European Union, Canada and Brazil. But the intended target of Mr. Trumps action, China, has been fairly cautious.

Chinas commerce and foreign ministries have publicly criticized the decision, and the Commerce Ministry raised the possibility on Friday that China might retaliate. But the threat was carefully calibrated to say that any retaliation would be based on the direct effects of the United States actions on Chinas own interests.

Those direct effects could be limited. China represents only a little more than 2 percent of American steel imports, and just 0.1 percent of Chinas overall steel production. China also exports only a very small share of its raw aluminum production to the United States.

China uses most of its aluminum to manufacture everything from auto parts to solar panel frames, although many of these are then exported all over the world. The Trump administration tariffs are expected to focus on shipments of raw or barely processed metal, although the technical details of the tariffs will not be released for a few more days.Within 20 minutes of our interview, I knew a lot about Phillip Picardi. He is, for example, an Aries with a Leo rising and a Sagittarius moon. When he was in elementary school, he didnt smile for three years because he was so inspired by Victoria Beckham and Posh Spice. In his teenage years, the background of his MySpace page was a giant collage of shirtless dudes.

We met for breakfast at the Odeon in TriBeCa, a restaurant that has become a meeting spot for the Conde Nast editors and executives who work about nine blocks away, at One World Trade Center. At age 26, Mr. Picardi, the head of Teen Vogue, is a rising star at this glossiest of magazine publishers, whose titles also include Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Architectural Digest. Anna Wintour, the empress of fashion and Conde Nasts artistic director, has signaled her approval of Mr. Picardi in ways big and small, and in a phone interview she described him to me as marvelous.

He has worked at Conde Nast more or less since he was a freshman at New York University  I heard the Olsen twins went there  and distinguished himself with his performance as the digital editorial director of Teen Vogue.

Under his guidance, the magazines website reached a new audience when it published, soon after Election Day, an online opinion piece by Lauren Duca headlined Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America. The #resistance crowd favorited it, the president-elects fans denounced it, and social media users in the habit of sharing New Republic think pieces were unexpectedly tweeting about a publication known for fashion tips and relationship advice.What to do in retirement has long been an issue for those whose work years are winding down. Now, the idea of taking a close look at where to do it, and at how that place might offer what you need, is growing in importance.

The expression aging in the right place (as opposed to aging in place) is gaining currency among experts who advise older adults. Its shaped by personal vision, opportunity and what moves you, said Linda P. Fried, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

For Thomas Hood, 62, that vision involved being on the water, catching a fish, not answering the phone, in shorts, he said. To make that happen, Mr. Hood, a software salesman who lived on Long Island, is using his skills in a new line of work and soaking in the sunshine in the area of Tampa Bay, Fla., where he sells real estate (and still has to answer the phone).

He said he doesnt quite consider himself retired but, having left his last full-time primary career job in 2014, he enjoys certain perks: I no longer have to report to anyone and I am in charge of how much I want to work.The latest is Malibu, Calif. Before that came Seattle; Davis and San Luis Obispo, Calif.; and Miami Beach and Fort Myers, Fla.

Theyre all cities that have banned or limited the use of plastic straws in restaurants. Straws, routinely placed in glasses of water or soda, represent a small percentage of the plastic thats produced and consumed but often end up on beaches and in oceans.

Advocates said laws aimed at cutting back on the use of plastic straws can help spur more significant behavioral changes.

I think a lot of people feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the plastic problem, said Diana Lofflin, the founder of StrawFree.org, an activist organization based in San Diego. Giving up plastic straws is a small step, and an easy thing for people to get started on. From there, we can move on to larger projects.PARIS  You know when you go to a friends house for dinner, and you wish you could buy their lifestyle: the furniture, the art, the clothes, everything?

At Society Room, one of the most exclusive shopping destinations in Paris, thats the idea.

Theres no question that e-commerce is the future, said Yvan Benbanaste, the gregarious 46-year-old founder and creative director of Society Room, but ultimately I wanted to give my friends a good reason to get out of the house and shop.

Located in a 19th-century brick maisonette tucked in a courtyard near the Madeleine, the store, for want of a better word, initially appears to be just an enviably appointed Parisian home, with a 1980s Italian gold and glass console in the foyer, custom-made alabaster light fixtures by Ruben Glustin in the stairwell and, in the living room, a black-and-white portrait of Naomi Campbell by the photographer Albert Watson.

Except everything is for sale. And along with the flea market finds, the art dealer loaners and the Pierre Frey curtains, there are the tailored suits, little black dresses and cocktail jumpsuits designed by Mr. Benbanaste.Sure, there are treatment facilities for adolescents who are hooked on devices, and psychologists use terms like problematic media use in describing a small percentage of people who seem to prefer screens to people. But experts are split over the question of whether internet addiction is a legitimate stand-alone disorder.

A Common Sense spokeswoman, Corbie Kiernan, told me, We use the term addiction colloquially, not diagnostically, in response to parents concerns. Of course, only a rank apologist would deny that there is cause for concern about the role mobile devices are playing in childrens and young peoples lives. Media habits are shifting fast: The amount of time children 8 years old and younger spend on phones or tablets has increased tenfold in just five years, according to a 2017 study by Common Sense. The organization also found that 42 percent of children under 8 already have their own mobile device. That number was less than 1 percent in 2011.

While those of us who grew up before smartphones can agree that these changes are jarring, the extent of the harm done to kids by more screens than we could ever have imagined is not at all clear. The real truth about tech is that there just isnt enough research on this yet. For example, when I asked Victor C. Strasburger of the American Academy of Pediatrics how the organization arrived at its no screens before age 2 recommendation, he said that later studies supported the guidance but admitted that at the time it was put into effect, there was no evidence. None. We made it up. (The group has since changed its stance, maintaining that its best to keep the youngest children away from screens, but making an exception for live video chat.)

An open letter in January from Apple shareholders calling for parental controls and more research into the effects of heavy use of mobile devices on youth was also based on fairly flimsy evidence. For example, the letter cited the work of a psychologist who analyzed large surveys to find that heavy electronic device use among teenagers is correlated with reports of loneliness, depression, anxiety and the increased presence of suicide risk factors. But this connection does not prove which way the causal arrow points. Perhaps teenagers who are under emotional duress gravitate toward their phones. Maybe they have parents with troubles of their own who are less capable of supervising them.

The science here is nothing like the kind that fueled the Truth campaign against cigarettes. For that reason alone, those working to make tech safer for kids cant emulate that campaign.To effect this transformation is one of the great political challenges of our age. It requires principled resistance to right-wing nationalism, but it can succeed only if those who are most open to diversity abandon their hostility to other forms of nationalism.

One common reaction to the dangerous excesses of nationalism has been to forgo the need for any form of collective identity, exhorting people to transcend tribal allegiances completely. But for better or probably worse, its easier to be moved by the suffering of people with whom we have some form of kinship. That is why nationalism remains one of the most powerful vehicles for expanding our circle of sympathy.

Another common reaction to the resurgence of nationalism has been to celebrate more narrow forms of collective identity, such as race or religion. At a time when many minority groups are under attack, it is, of course, crucial to defend them against discrimination. But it is also important to remember that such groups, too, are capable of oppressing their own members, for example by enforcing restrictive moral codes. Thats why the only way to allow individuals true freedom to lead their lives is to preserve some form of political identity independent of the interests of particular cultural groups.

Convinced that they would be unable to redirect nationalism toward their own ends, many of the most open-minded segments of society long ago gave up on the fight to determine its meaning. In countries like Germany and the United States, advocacy for the victims of prejudice has increasingly bled into a belief that the dark chapters of those countries history make any form of nationalism deeply suspect. Instead of exhorting their fellow citizens to live up to their nations highest ideals, many activists seem content with denouncing past and present injustices. This has allowed the bigots and racists to bend the meaning of the nation to their own sinister ends.

Its time to fight back. Nationalism can, and should, be reclaimed for liberals.

A few political leaders have made a valiant start. Barack Obama has been an especially persuasive advocate of the idea that Americans should focus on what unites rather than what divides us and that the symbolism of the nation can inspire hope, even as we reckon with the injustices of American history. What greater expression of faith in the American experiment than this, Mr. Obama marveled as he stood on the spot in Selma, Ala. where civil rights protesters were beaten in 1965. What greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that America is not yet finished, that we are strong enough to be self-critical, that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals?

Campaigning for Frances presidency last year, Emmanuel Macron expressed inclusive patriotism in an even more explicit form. I see Armenians, Italians, Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians, he said at a rally in Marseille, a diverse city in southern France, But what do I see? I see the people of Marseille! What do I see? I see the people of France! This, he added in an explicit repudiation of the exclusive nationalism propagated by the far-right National Front party, is what it means to be proud to be French!

American  and to a lesser degree European  political culture is pregnant with the symbols of inclusive patriotism. But while we have plenty of history to build on, we must also recognize that we are fighting to establish a kind of society for which there is no clear precedent.Of course, under a Demeny system that representation would be achieved by proxy, a novel feature for a representative democracy  but on the spectrum of powers we necessarily grant to parents, hardly that dramatic of a step. The simplest mechanism would be to assign half a vote to each custodial parent; presumably single parents with full custody could exercise the full franchise for each child, and assigning rights in custody disputes and polyamorous households would provide a mild stimulus for the legal profession.

In the U.S., higher fertility rates track with support for Republicans, but single mothers are more likely to vote for Democrats  as are recent immigrants, a relatively high-fertility group. So Demeny voting might change the balance of power within each coalition rather than benefiting either party overall: Hispanics and low-income families would have more clout within the Democratic Party, and the Hannity-obsessed elderly would cede influence within the G.O.P. to the minivan-driving middle-aged.

Both shifts would be positive. American life is increasingly polarized by age, with our politics tilted rightward by aging baby boomers voting Trump to hold off a millennial-ruled future and our cultural and commercial spheres devoted to pandering to the fashions of the adolescent. Parents, mostly Gen Xers now, are as well-positioned as any group to play a mediating role  and they will be more likely to play it effectively if they have the political power to redirect more resources to the beleaguered, ever-more-expensive cause of procreation.

Such a system, of course, would turn politically aware teenagers who differed ideologically from their parents into domestic dissidents, their citizenship hijacked, their support for an alderman who wants to build a skate park subsumed by their dads desire to make the local dog park great again. Im personally not all that troubled by this injustice, but Im happy to offer concessions to my 16-year-old self. Theres no reason Demeny voting when kids are small cant coexist with giving teenagers the vote a little earlier, if thats whats required to make their parents empowerment during their minority more tolerable.

Sadly, the very thing that makes Demeny voting desirable  the political and cultural weakness of the family in an aging and individualist society  makes it hard to imagine how it could ever get off the ground politically. But its somewhat easier to imagine experiments at the state level, where a certain kind of political self-interest could grease the wheels.According to the White House, a great and beautiful wall is to rise over Otay Mesa in eastern San Diego, Calif., modeled after one of the eight enormous prototypes on display there that are visible for miles around. I thought I could go see and lay hands on the slabs.

So on a recent visit to San Diego, I went to the Otay Mesa border crossing and drove around a maze of parched industrial alleys and postapocalyptic Mad Max landscapes trying to find these monuments to President Trumps vision of the future.

Frustrated by their mirage-like distance, I finally parked at the end of a road from which I could see the original border fence stretching far into the distance, with houses built up against it on the Mexican side and nothing but desert on the American side.

After some quick research, I realized you cannot visit the proposed wall sections without Border Patrol approval. The prototypes are inside a construction site surrounded by razor wire.Character is fate. Thats as true for a president as it is for anyone else, and so its no surprise that the Trump presidency is engulfed in chaos.

The policy process is broken and incoherent, with the White House lurching from one position to another. Factions are warring. Top aides are embroiled in scandal and bailing out. President Trump is escalating his attacks on his own advisers, especially his attorney general, and is increasingly isolated and embittered.

The Republican Party is learning what should have been obvious from the outset: Mr. Trumps chaotic personality cant be contained. Indeed, combining it with the awesome power of the presidency virtually guaranteed he would become more volatile and transgressive. His presidency is infecting the entire party.

In the realm of policy, Mr. Trump is reshaping some traditional Republican views. A party that was once firmly in favor of free trade is now home to a president who just announced plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum and declared: Trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, dont trade anymore  we win big. Its easy!BEIRUT, Lebanon  In the beginning there was just an insult, sparked by a trivial squabble in a street of a working-class neighborhood of Beirut. A surly-looking man on a balcony splashes some water on a foreman below who has come to fix a defective pipe; the foreman curses back. Such is the starting point of The Insult, a film by Ziad Doueiri, which is up for an Academy Award in the foreign-language category on Sunday.

Matters could have ended there. After all, as Freud supposedly said, The first human who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization. But not in the Lebanon of The Insult  where the insult turns into a fight, then a court case and finally a state affair. And not in the real Lebanon either: Some weeks back, just a few months before the next general election is expected to be held, another insult set the country ablaze.

In late January a video appeared online showing Gebran Bassil, the foreign minister (and the presidents son-in-law), calling Nabih Berri, the speaker of the National Assembly, a thug. Some streets of Beirut broke out into scenes that could have been lifted from the movie: angry youth, blocked roads, burning tires  as ever, the specter of civil strife. Mr. Bassil (like his father-in-law) is a Maronite Christian; Mr. Berri is a Shiite. And the whole of Lebanese politics plays the sectarian chord.

Here, a single insult can rekindle badly healed wounds, and nudged by just a few excesses from the media or the public, push Lebanon to the brink. (Freud might have called this, too, the return of the repressed.) Resentment runs deep in this tiny country, this house of many mansions, home to so many communities with so many narratives forged over so many decades of frustration. Fear of a conflagration remains after a long history of deadly fratricidal clashes, for example in 1845, 1860, 1958 and, of course, 197590.INTERNATIONAL

Because of an editing error, an article on Friday about the Chinese governments detention of relatives of at least five reporters who covered an extensive crackdown on ethnic Uighurs in the Xinjiang region misstated the day that Radio Free Asia released a statement about the detention. It issued the statement on Thursday, not Wednesday.



An article on Friday about the exploitation of nuns in the Vatican misstated the surname of a sociologist. She is Paola Lazzarini Orru, not Lattanzi.



An article on Thursday about an Amnesty International report accusing Egypt of using American-made cluster munitions referred imprecisely to the position held by Middle East countries regarding the treaty that bans such weapons. While many in the region, like Egypt, have not signed the treaty, others including Lebanon and Iraq have signed.

NATIONAL

An article on Thursday about Chinas dispatch of the economic adviser Liu He to the United States to help prevent a trade war misstated which U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive attended the meeting with Mr. Liu on Wednesday. It was Myron Brilliant, executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, not Thomas J. Donohue.When Todd Merrill opened his self-named antiques store on Manhattans Lower East Side in 2000, it was filled with pieces made before the Titanic: neoclassical French chairs that were contemporaries of Napoleon, an American sideboard from the time of James Madisons administration and a Japanese shrine that could have been owned by Queen Victoria (though it wasnt).

Today, at Mr. Merrills new Lafayette Street location, not a single object predates World War I. The white-walled space is dominated by contemporary creations: monstrous bronze LED chandeliers by Niamh Barry, an Irish designer; sinewy wood console tables by Marc Fish of East Sussex, England; and animal-inspired stools by Erin Sullivan, a New Yorker. Sharing the room are blue-chip examples of 20th century modernism.

The name has changed, too. Todd Merrill Antiques is now Todd Merrill Studio.

Custom-made pieces by living designer-artisans have become 70 to 80 percent of our business, said Mr. Merrill. Its a big behavioral change for the trade, for collectors, and for dealers. Were not buying things on the secondary market for resale. Were presenting artists and representing them like an agent.

He is not alone in turning away from antiques. Since the turn of the 21st century, the value of much 18th and 19th century furniture has plummeted. Shelter magazines, once look books for rooms bursting with lyre back chairs and giltwood credenzas, more often show pared-down interiors with just a few older pieces  or none at all.All of this makes it seem possible that many of the men accused of misconduct will be welcomed back into the industry in the future. Given the range of allegations, this could lead to even greater confusion about what is acceptable professional behavior, instead of real change.

Out of concern that fashion may revert to the status quo, since the publication of the Times article nearly two months ago, more male models and assistants have come forward to say they were harassed, often in situations linked to promises of work, by Mr. Testino between 1995 and 2015. Some said they wanted to speak out now because of what they saw as attempts to undermine the previous accusers.

Each of these men described making it clear to Mr. Testino that they were not going to have sex with him. For some, when they did, Mr. Testinos professional interest in them ended abruptly.

I continue to deny any wrongdoing, Mr. Testino said in a statement provided by his lawyers this week, when presented with these new accusations from five men, bringing the total number of accusers to 18. However, in the current environment, accusations like the ones leveled against me have proved to be just as damning and devastating as actual proof of wrongdoing, which they are not. It has become nearly impossible  and certainly unpopular  for anyone to try and defend himself against these types of allegations. It is important to hear both sides of every story, with no preconceived ideas, before jumping to judgment.

Oliver Bjerrehuus, a Danish model who has appeared in advertising campaigns for Prada, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Nautica and Dolce & Gabbana, met Mr. Testino in the mid-90s. Mr. Bjerrehuus assented to being photographed naked.A day after two people were shot and killed in a dorm room at Central Michigan University on Friday, the police charged the victims son, a sophomore at the school, with murder.

The son, James E. Davis Jr., 19, had been acting strangely the day before the shooting, Chief Bill Yeagley of the Central Michigan University Police Department said at a news conference on Saturday.

He said the gun recovered at the scene was registered to Mr. Daviss slain father, James E. Davis Sr., a police officer.

On Saturday afternoon, the university police said in a statement that Mr. Davis was in police custody at a hospital. He was charged with two counts of murder and one count of possession of a weapon to commit murder.An 11-year-old boy in Putnam Valley, N.Y., died after a large tree fell and crashed into a home, trapping the boy, the Putnam County Sheriffs Department said.

A similar thing happened to a child in Chesterfield County, Va. The fire chief there said the child was in bed when a tree limb struck his home, fatally injuring him.

The adults who died in the storm were also killed by falling trees. In Massachusetts, it took more than four hours to extricate a man who was killed when a large tree fell on his car on Friday during the height of the storm, Warren Borsari, the fire chief in Plympton, Mass., said in a phone interview.

In Upper Merion Township, Pa., a 40-foot portion of a tree fell, crushing a car and killing a man inside it, the police chief there said.

The storms effects were felt as far south as Georgia and as far north as Maine. In Rhode Island, the winds were so severe that officials shut down the Newport Bridge. In New York City, most flights were grounded for a time on Friday afternoon. In the Washington suburbs, downed trees were strewn across the streets.WASHINGTON  President Trump warned on Saturday that he would apply higher taxes on imported European cars if the European Union carried through on its threat to retaliate against his proposed stiff new tariffs on steel and aluminum.

If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S., Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter from Florida, where he was spending part of the weekend. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!

It was the latest indication that Mr. Trump, despite pressure from foreign allies and American business leaders, is standing by his decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from all countries. The action is likely to be signed this coming week.

After Mr. Trump announced the penalties on Thursday, European Union leaders warned that American goods like Kentucky bourbon and Harley-Davidson motorcycles, many of them with roots in the home states of key Republican leaders, would be treated the same way if the steel and aluminum tariffs were enforced. Officials from Australia, Canada and other American trade partners also made retaliatory threats.All indications point to business, not politics, as the source of the tensions, and at any other moment, the Trump Organization and its army of lawyers might have relished this sort of pitched battle.



But the Panamanian misadventure has become the family businesss biggest headache at a time when its founder is in the White House and every move and woe is magnified across the planet. The business is also showing other signs of receding: The Trump Organization last year agreed to buyout deals that removed the Trump name from once-prized properties in New York and Toronto.

With those stresses and strains, the company is reluctant to walk away from the Panama property and possibly invite other partners to challenge their agreements, according to people close to the company who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The Trumps also believe that the law is on their side, according to their lawyers, who argue that their management agreement prevents Mr. Fintiklis from terminating the contract without an arbitrators order. The contract to manage the hotel extends through 2031, and the Trumps say they want to stand behind their employees, several of whom Mr. Fintiklis has sought to fire, for the duration of the deal.

The dispute comes as the Trumps property  like many Panamanian hotels  is struggling.

The hotel lost over $1 million last year, according to the hotels confidential financial documents reviewed by The Times, after turning a gross operating profit of more than $800,000 in 2016. (The results are unaudited and may improve somewhat once they are finalized.)

Mr. Fintiklis, 39, declined to comment, but he has made several notable  and provocative  appearances at the hotel in recent days. On one evening, following a verbal confrontation with Trump employees, he and his entourage of about a dozen people retired to the lobby and had pizza delivered from a restaurant on the property. Then Mr. Fintiklis played music from Zorba the Greek on the lobbys baby grand piano while his friends sang along.TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras  The Honduran police have arrested a high-ranking executive with a hydroelectric company in connection with the 2016 killing of an activist who led a decade-long fight against a dam project, saying that he had helped plan the crime.

The executive, Roberto David Castillo Mejia, was executive president of the Honduran company that is building the dam, Desarrollos Energeticos S.A., or Desa, at the time the activist, Berta Caceres, was shot and killed.

Mr. Castillo was arrested on Friday at an airport in San Pedro Sula, in northern Honduras, as he was about to fly to Houston, news reports said, citing the prosecutors office. The Public Ministry said Mr. Castillo was the person in charge of providing logistics and other resources to one of the material authors already being prosecuted for the crime, according to Reuters.

It was at least the ninth arrest in the killing of Ms. Caceres, 43, a teacher who had battled to block construction of the Agua Zarca Dam along the Gualcarque River, which is sacred to her Lenca people. Ms. Caceres, who in 2015 was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize, had faced numerous threats and the killings of other members of her organization.NEW DELHI  When an Indian journalist was shot and killed outside her home one warm night in September, news of her death reverberated across the country.

The connection between the death of Gauri Lankesh and her work  which was often sharply critical of Indias governing party  was not lost on observers. Rahul Gandhi, an opposition leader, wrote on Twitter at the time that anybody who speaks against the Bharatiya Janata Party and Hindu nationalist groups affiliated with it are attacked & even killed.

That theory was back into the spotlight on Friday when the authorities detained Naveen Kumar, the founder of the far-right group Hindu Yuva Sena, according to Bijay Kumar Singh, the leader of a special team formed to investigate Ms. Lankeshs death.

He is in our custody for interrogation, Mr. Singh said by telephone on Saturday.

During her career, Ms. Lankesh, 55, had occasionally been sued after being accused of defamation by leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The journalist, who lived alone in the city of Bangalore, in southern India, was known as a rationalist, a term in India for people who stand against superstition and the use of religion in politics.SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea said Saturday that it would be willing to begin a dialogue with the United States on issues of mutual concern but that it would not accept any preconditions for starting such talks.

The statement came days after President Trump said on Monday that his administration could enter talks with North Korea, but only under the right conditions. That meant North Korea must first commit to denuclearization, United States officials have said.

North Korea, however, on Saturday said that talks needed to be based on an equal footing between states.

The dialogue we desire is the one designed to discuss and resolve the issues of mutual concern on an equal footing between states, the Norths state-run Korean Central News Agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying. There had been no case at all where we sat with the U.S. on any precondition, and this will be the case in the future, too.This much is certain: On Oct. 14, 1981, a teenager armed with a .22 rifle went to the fifth floor of a building in Dunedin, New Zealand, during a visit by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.

When the royals stepped out of their Rolls-Royce to greet thousands of well-wishers on the street, the gunman, Christopher John Lewis, 17, a self-described terrorist who was hiding in a deserted toilet cubicle, trained his rifle on the queen and fired.

He missed.

The Guardian said it may be the closest anyone has ever come to assassinating Queen Elizabeth II. Decades later, questions about whether the New Zealand police and government had covered up the seriousness of the crime still linger.

The New Zealand police announced this past week that they would re-examine the case because of the public interest. In an email, a police spokesman said that Commissioner Mike Bush had assigned a deputy commissioner, Mike Clement, to oversee the inquiry:

Given the passage of time, it is anticipated this examination of the old file and its associated material will take some time. NZ Police will share the outcome of this examination once it has been completed, the statement said.Cardinal George Pell, the Vaticans third-highest-ranking official, arrived at a Melbourne court on Monday for the start of several weeks of hearings to determine whether he will face trial on charges of historical sexual offenses.

Police officers lined the sidewalk, as a large contingent of the local and international journalists and members of the public watched the cardinal enter the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

The slow-moving case  charges were filed in June  will be a test of both Australias justice system and the Vaticans efforts to hold clerics accountable after decades of abuse scandals. Witness testimony began on Monday and is expected to continue for two weeks, during which time the court will be closed to the news media and the public.

Here is a guide to what we know, what we dont know  and how the case will be shaped by Australias court system.Catalonias pro-independence coalition splintered on Saturday over a proposal by Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of the restive Spanish region, to select his replacement from his own party while he remained in Belgium to avoid prosecution in Spain.

The political committee of the Popular Unity Candidacy  a far-left party known by its Catalan acronym, CUP  announced that its lawmakers would abstain from voting if two larger separatist parties presented Jordi Sanchez as candidate to lead Catalonia  as Mr. Puigdemont had proposed on Thursday, when he agreed to give up his campaign to be reappointed.

CUP has only four lawmakers among the 135 in the Catalan Parliament, but its backing is essential for the separatist coalition to keep the thin majority of 72 seats that it won in December, after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain called a snap election in the region.

One of the CUP lawmakers, Vidal Aragones, on Saturday portrayed his partys decision not as an attack on Mr. Sanchez himself, but as a way of criticizing other separatist parties for focusing on who should lead the pro-independence movement instead of agreeing on policies and a plan to materialize the republic of Catalonia, independent from Spain.Ms. Klosinska, 60, made it her personal mission to find out all she could about the Sybiracy. For years, she struggled to find funding and support.

Then, in 2015, the Law and Justice party came to power. Soon, money was flowing to Ms. Klosinska and her little outpost, to fund patriotic poetry contests for children and other projects centered on the past.

I give great thanks to the government that now we have a chance to save these memories, she said.

After more than two years in power, the Law and Justice party and its leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, have reshaped the judicial system in ways that critics say undermines the rule of law. The government has seized control of the state news media, ousting opponents; moved to curb public gatherings; and passed a controversial law making it illegal to claim that the Polish nation was responsible for the Holocaust.

Critics worry that the party is using the tools of democracy to undermine that very democracy. But for all the international hand-wringing, the party itself is more popular than ever where it counts  with the voters.KIEV  Clashes broke out near the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev on Saturday, after police began removing a camp that was set up outside the government buildings last year to protest corruption.

As heavy snow fell on the makeshift site, protesters burned tires and scuffles broke out with police, who had moved in to dismantle the camp, which has been there for months.

More than 100 protesters were detained.

Nearly all were later released, but Kiev police reported that about 20 people, including seven police officers, were injured in the confrontation.A former president of the Vatican bank has been ordered to stand trial on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, the Vatican has said, making him the highest-ranking Holy See financial official to be indicted on charges tying him to losses of more than $61 million from real estate sales.

A statement by the bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion, said Angelo Caloia, 78, who was president of the I.O.R. from 1999 to 2009, was indicted on Friday, along with his lawyer Gabriele Liuzzo, 94.

A third person who was under investigation, the former I.O.R. director general Lelio Scaletti, died several years ago.

Mr. Caloia and Mr. Liuzzo have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and were not immediately available for comment.On Iran: Seeking U.S. Assistance

Israels determination to stop Iran from entrenching itself or its proxies in Syria has led to escalating clashes, in which Israel has made clear it will take care of matters on its own.

But Israels desire to prevent Iran from establishing an overland supply line through Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon would require United States forces to interdict Irans efforts. Yet American military officials have said that, so far, countering Iran is not part of their mission in Syria.

Image Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary for policy at the Defense Department, said Mr. Netanyahu needed to get the Trump administration to focus on Irans moves in Syria. Credit... Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary for policy at the United States Defense Department, said Mr. Netanyahu needed above all else to get the Trump administration to focus, in talks over ending the Syria war, on Irans moves there and the risk of a broader regional conflict embroiling Israel.

The U.S. is not quite missing in action in the negotiations, but its certainly not carrying a lot of water at this point, Ms. Flournoy said. And it needs to be carrying a lot of water on this, not just for our own interests but for Israel  because Israel doesnt have a seat at the table.

Mr. Netanyahu is likely to resume his critique of the Iran nuclear deal in his meeting with Mr. Trump, Ms. Flournoy said. But she warned that even Israels national security establishment believed the agreement was worth preserving, in hopes of improving or extending it. The worry is that Bibi pumps up Trump to walk away from the deal, she said, using Mr. Netanyahus nickname. I would hope that he would exercise some restraint.His strange resignation was orchestrated by Saudi authorities, officials revealed in the weeks that followed. After a few weeks  and some French intervention  Mr. Hariri eventually returned to Lebanon and reclaimed his position in the Lebanese government. This weeks visit was his first to Saudi Arabia since his strange sojourn there.

Mr. Hariri arrived on Wednesday at the invitation of the royal family and met with King Salman. The two appeared together in state media reports smiling and shaking hands at Al-Yamamah Palace.

Saudi media steered clear of mentioning the prime ministers earlier resignation, and both sides focused on the path forward for the two nations.BEIRUT, Lebanon  Dozens of pro-Syrian government fighters were killed in an assault by Turkish warplanes on the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin on Saturday, according to a local journalist and a militia spokesman.

Fighting has intensified in the region in the past few days, as Turkey has sent reinforcements to press its offensive against towns held by Kurdish groups. Just a day earlier, eight Turkish soldiers were killed, Turkeys Defense Ministry said in a statement, and more were wounded.

Soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria had entered Afrin, a Kurdish stronghold, last week to support the Kurdish militia known as the Y.P.G.

Turkey and its allied Syrian rebel fighters say the Y.P.G. is the focus of their operation, which began in January. That has put them at odds with forces loyal to Mr. Assad.As Modi wave sweeps Northeast, Rahul Gandhi is missing from action, once again

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, March 3: It was the Congress' strongest hold, today there is a saffron tsunami in the Northeast India. On Saturday, as election result trends indicate that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to form the next government in Tripura and Nagaland with its alliance partners and is likely to be a part of the government formation in Meghalaya too if it could cobble up an alliance with regional parties, an "embarrassed" Congress tried to save its face by hiding behind excuses.

According to a senior leader of the Congress, the BJP has been successful in the Northeast because the voters of the region "lean towards the party in power at the Centre".

"This is nothing new. For 40 years I have seen the Northeast lean towards the party in power at the Centre. But in Meghalaya, it seems we will be able to retain the state," senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot was quoted as saying by NDTV.

In its time of defeat, the Congress president Rahul Gandhi is missing from action. On Thursday, Rahul took to Twitter to inform that he's going to spend his Holi with his maternal grandmother (nani). She stays in Italy. Rahul's mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi originally hails from Italy.

My Nani is 93. Shes the kindest soul ever. This Holi weekend, Im going to surprise her! I cant wait to give her a hug.... #HappyHoli to all of you. Have a joyful celebration..  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 1, 2018

It is not for the first time that Rahul has gone missing from action amid high-voltage political drama. In the past, on several occasions, even when Parliament was in session, Rahul went for vacation. While there is nothing wrong in holidaying, but the timing has raised eyebrows, once again.

In Meghalaya, where the Congress is in power for the last 15 years has managed to win 16 seats and is leading in six other seats (while filing this report). If the trends are correct, then the Congress will bag 22 seats in the 60-member Assembly. For any party or an alliance to form the government, it needs at least 30 seats, which means the Congress has to rely on the regional parties.

But there are chances that the National People's Party (NPP) of Conrad Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, which too has won 16 seats and is leading in two others might form the government with the backing of the BJP and other regional parties and independents. The NPP is the BJP's partner in the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a conglomeration of regional parties and the saffron party in the region.

As far as Tripura is concerned, the Congress is nowhere. The entire battle is a fight between the incumbent Left Front government and the BJP. The BJP and its alliance partner, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), are all set to sweep the polls in the 60-member Assembly by winning 41 seats as indicated by the trends.

In Nagaland again, the BJP and its alliance partner, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), are leading in 27 seats and have won polls in three seats. In both Nagaland and Tripura the Congress has failed to win a single seat. It is not even leading in any seats in these two states. Thus its score stands at "zero" in Nagaland and Tripura.

The BJP is already in power in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Now, the Congress is in power only in Mizoram in the region. Thus it is a complete sweep for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Northeast India. In a way, the BJP has managed to fulfill its agenda of "Congress-mukt Northeast."

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 15:35 [IST]BJP gives training to its workers coming to the party fold from other political parties

Northeast election results 2018: 'Be alert, Congress culture shouldn't seep in,' says PM Modi

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in three Northeastern states - Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura -began on Saturday amid tight security. The election results will be declared on the Election Commission of India's website.

The results in Tripura are perhaps the most remarkable where the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form the government - an unprecedented first in state that has been held by the CPM-led Left for over two decades now.

In Meghalaya, the Congress has taken a strong lead with CM Mukul Sangma leading in Ampati constituency. Party leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel are headed to Shillong amid fears of horse-trading.

In Nagaland, the NPF+ seems set to retain power, marching past the BJP-NDPP alliance, whose CM face Neiphiu Rio has already won unopposed from Northern Angami-II.

Counting of votes began from 8 AM in all the states amid tight security. Meanwhile, the BJP has emerged as a strong contender in all the three states and two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Stay tuned for the LIVE updates:

Meghalaya:

In Meghalaya, which went to polls on February 27, BJP will be challenging the Congress, which has been in power for the last ten years. While the Congress has been ruling Meghalaya for 10 years. The Congress has fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP put up nominees in 47 constituencies. For the first time, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is contesting from two seats.

Read more: Coverage of Meghalaya Assembly Election :

Will BJP increase its presence in Northeast

Meghalaya elections: Is ruling Congress 'sleeping' for 15 years?

Why winning Meghalaya election is so important for BJP

Meghalaya elections 2018: Serious criminal cases against 21; 152 candidates are crorepatis

Nagaland:

In Nagaland, BJP has joined hands with the NDPP that was floated by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The NDPP is contesting on 40 seats and the saffron party on 20. The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, is contesting only in 18 seats, two less than the BJP. The Naga People's Front (NFP) has been in power in Nagaland since 2003, except for a three-month period of President's rule in 2008.

Re-polling was ordered at 13 polling stations across nine constituencies in Nagaland following reports of snatching of EVMs, misuse of electoral photo identity cards and miscreants not allowing voters to exercise their franchise.

Read more: Coverage of Nagaland Assembly Election :

Religion takes centre stage in Nagaland elections

Money power rules: It's a contest between 'crorepatis' in Nagaland elections

Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya exit polls in numbers

Tripura:

In Tripura, which went to polls on February 18, the BJP has emerged as a strong contender in all the three states and two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states. However, a third exit poll predicts a close contest between the CPM and the BJP in the 60-member assembly.

Votes would be counted in presence of the candidates and agents under the supervision of the respective district returning officers and assistant returning officers.

Read more: Coverage of Nagaland Assembly Election

Will Left be able to prove exit polls wrong by winning Tripura Assembly elections

Tripura assembly election results 2018: No clarity in exit polls, leaders await outcome

To fight 'common enemy' BJP, now, Mamata wants Left to win Tripura polls

OneIndia NewsAssembly elections 2018: BJP, Cong rush top leaders to form governments

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Close on the heels of the Congress rushing its top leaders to Meghalaya, the BJP too is leaving nothing to chance. While the Tripura verdict is clear, it appears as though it would be coalition politics that would play out in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

Ram Madhav, the general secretary of the BJP says that Himanta Biswa Sarma would leave for Meghalaya to oversee the formation of the government. He said that they would ensure that there is no Congress government formed in Meghalaya.

On the other hand, Madhav would himself leave for Nagaland in a bid to stitch up a government.

The Congress too which has a realistic chance of forming the government in Meghalaya too is leaving nothing to chance. Stung by the lack of strategy in Goa and Manipur where it failed to form the government despite being the largest party, it wants no such repetition in Meghalaya.

The party has rushed Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong to oversee the formation of the government. The party high command decided to rush the senior leaders to the state to make sure that the Congress forms the government. Both Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel would be in Meghalaya to oversee the formation of a government.

The BJP on the other hand would look to form the government with the NPP. The NPP is the BJP's regional ally in the state, but the parties are contesting separately.

OneIndia NewsBattle Northeast: In elections there is one winner and no moral victories, Amit Malviya

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

There are no moral victories in elections. The reality is that there can be only one winner and there are no moral victories, Amit Malviya, the chief of the BJP's national IT cell says.

Malviya, who is ecstatic with the BJP's performance in North East, especially Tripura discusses with OneIndia the BJP's surge. Taking a clear dig at the Congress which has been claiming moral victories, he said that the sooner Rahul Gandhi realises that there is just one winner, the better.

The interesting thing is that the Congress has not won a single seat in Tripura and Nagaland. They had a 35 per cent vote share and have come down to nil now. This is why I reiterate there are no moral victories, he also said.

On whether the results of these elections would impact the outcome of the forthcoming polls, Malviya says that it would have a bearing. The win at Tripura is extremely significant for us. We managed to uproot the Left and at the start many said it would not be possible.

Malviya says that the overall performance has been very good. We are confident of forming the government in all three states. While in Tripura it is a clear mandate, in Nagaland will form it with our alliance partner. I am confident that we will install our government in Meghalaya as well, the IT Cell chief also says.

On the voting pattern in Tripura, Malviya says that the youth and the indigenous people have voted for the BJP in large numbers. We reached out to the indigenous people in a big way and what was more important is that we brought them to the mainstream. This is the first time that a national party is reaching out to them. We have given them access to governance and power, he also added.

The BJP's inclusive agenda is what did the trick. With regard to the youth, Malviya said that they were targeted across the state. We did not connect with them just in Agartala, but even in the remotest of places. When we saw their reactions on the social media, we realised that they were going to vote for a change, Malviya also added.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 16:17 [IST]Congress scores zero in Nagaland, Tripura, badly flunks NE test

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, March 3: Since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made it a point to win all the major elections, except for a few aberrations like the Delhi and Bihar Assembly polls. Once again on Saturday, the saffron party proved why it the biggest and the strongest party in the country by sweeping Assembly elections in Tripura and Nagaland (with its alliance partner) and likely to be a part of the government formation in Meghalaya.

While the Tripura Assembly elections were held on February 18, polls in Nagaland and Meghalaya were hosted on February 27. As the BJP is growing from strength to strength, the Congress is witnessing its steady downfall, except last year during the Gujarat Assembly elections when it showed its fighting spirit by coming second.

On the election result day, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is away from the country as he has gone for the Holi vacation in Italy, leaving all the responsibilities of the party on the shoulders of its senior leaders who hurriedly took flights to Meghalaya to save its government in the state.

According to the election trends, in Meghalaya, the Congress is likely to get around 22 seats, almost 10 seats less than the majority mark of 30 in the 60-member Assembly. The worst part is that in Tripura and Nagaland the party has got zero seats. In the last Assembly elections in 2013, the Congress had won 10 seats in Tripura and eight in Nagaland.

As the BJP will form governments in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, the Congress is in power in only one northeastern state, Mizoram. The BJP is already ruling the states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

The dwindling presence of the Congress from the country's political map augurs ill for the grand old party ahead of the Assembly elections in several states in the coming months and the all-important 2019 Lok Sabha elections next year.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 17:09 [IST]In Nagaland, the choice is between the Trishul and Cross says Church

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The Nagaland Baptist Church Council has written an open letter to chose between the Trishul and the Cross in the assembly elections. The letter asked believers not to surrender Christian principles and faith for the sake of money, development into the hands of those who are seeking to pierce the heart of Jesus Christ.

It may be recalled that the NBCC had stated earlier that India had witnessed its worst persecution of minorities in 2015-17.

In the letter the NBCC observed, "We cannot deny that the Hindutva movement in the country has become unprecedentedly strong and invasive in the last few years with BJP, the political wing of RSS, in power."

[Nagaland elections: Church's statement may boost BJP's chances]

"God must be weeping when Naga politicians are running after those who seek to destroy Christianity in India. Our people are fond of propaganda and because of this we often miss reality. India has experienced its worst persecution ever in 2015-2017. You will be fully aware that persecutions have been tripled in recent years. Pastors, evangelists and missionaries are dragged openly in the streets, harassed, insulted and many made to suffer. Their homes destroyed and children discriminated in schools. Worship places were burnt down and believers are often disturbed and harassed. The Bible is openly burnt and confiscated," the letter also noted.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 9:56 [IST]Karnataka polls: With Paresh Mesta's parents by their side BJP launches Janasuraksha Yatra

India

oi-Anusha

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a campaign against alleged killings of Hindu activists in Karnataka. The Ankola leg of the two-pronged Padayatra was launched by parents of Paresh Mesta- a 21-year-old resident of Honnavar who was found dead under mysterious circumstance in December 2017.

In their attempt to woo fragmented Hindu voters in the communally sensitive regions of the state the BJP launched the yatra to highlight murders of alleged Hindu workers under the Siddaramaiah government. "The Hindu community has supported me and all I want is justice from the government for my son's death. I am with the BJP in its fight," said Kamalakar Mesta, Paresh's father resonating with the BJP's sentiments over the case.

Despite a clarification from the state government, the BJP has continued to allege that 23 hindu activists have been murdered in the state. "We wait for justice from government but this government is murdering our Karyakartas. Siddaramaiah's is a murderous government," Ananthkumar Hegde said. The union minister challenged Siddaramaiah to visit coastal Karnataka and answer the people's questions.

Meshta's father who had claimed that Paresh didn't belong to any Hindu organisation, on Saturday claimed that he was a Hindu activisit. The narrative adding to the BJP's hindutva agenda in coastal Karnataka.

A tableu portraying cow slaughter and a Hindu man being killed by a group of men with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah looking was the highlight of the rally in Ankola.

Union ministers Ananthkumar Hegde and Prakash Javdekar inaugurated the Ankola leg of the Janasuraksha yatra while MPs Pratap Simha and Nalin Kumar Kateel launched the Kushalanagar leg. The four-day rally across coastal Karnataka and kodagu will culminate in Mangaluru on Tuesday. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath will address the rally on Tuesday.

Karnataka Assembly Election dates Date of notification April 17 Last date to file nominations April 24 Last date to withdraw nominations April 27 Date of polling May 12 Date of counting May 15

OneIndia NewsLearning from Goa, Manipur fiasco, Cong rushes Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath to Meghalaya

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The Congress is leaving nothing to chance in Meghalaya. While the party is in the lead, it does not want to be beaten down at the last minute due to poor alliance planning.

The party has rushed Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath to Shillong to oversee the formation of the government. The party high command decided to rush the senior leaders to the state to make sure that the Congress forms the government.

While counting is still on, the Congress is in the lead in the state. The NPP is is giving the Congress a tough fight. The NPP is the BJP's regional ally in the state, but the parties are contesting separately.

The Congress it appears has taken a cue from the fiascos in both Goa and Manipur. In both states it had emerged as the largest party, but failed to set up a government due to poor planning in the aftermath of the polls.

The decision to send Kamal Nath and Patel was taken to ensure that there are no hiccups at the last moment. Going by the current trends, the Congress has a realistic chance of forming the government only in Meghalaya. In the states of Tripura and Nagaland, the INC is way down on the counting table.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 10:04 [IST]Why the Tripura verdict will have an impact on Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018

Tripura MLAs spent just 56 per cent of their expense limit in 2018 poll

Left crushed in Tripura: BJP leaders' reaction on thumping win

India

oi-Shreya

Tripura saw a surprise win of the BJP after being ruled by the CPI(M) led Left Front for 20 years under the leadership of Manik Sarkar - the country's poorest Chief Minister. A victory which is seen as the possible end of the Left by many, which now will be left with only Kerala led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The BJP which hardly managed to even close at a decent share of votes five years back, along with alliance partner Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) snatched Tripura from the CPI(M) in the 2018 assembly elections.

The mirth of this unprecedented win is evident from some of the political reactions of the saffron leaders.

Here's some of the reactions:

BJP president Amit Shah: I thank brothers and sisters of Tripura for their massive support to BJP. This is the victory of PM Narendra Modi's politics of development and his commitment to the welfare of North-Eastern region of India.

Congratulations to Ram Madhav ji, Sunil Deodhar ji, Shri Himanta Biswa ji, Shri Biplab ji and I also applaud the hard work & dedication of our karyakartas of BJP For Tripura unit which has made this historic win a reality.

Ram Madhav, BJP: This is a revolutionary result, all due to the blessings of Tripura Sundari Mata and people of the state and the hard work of PM Modi and party workers

Sunil Deodhar, BJP: And Tripura shifted its base from Left to Right. BJP successfully barged into invincible fort of CPM.

ShivrajSingh Chouhan, BJP: My heartiest congratulations to PM Shri Narendra Modi, Amit Shah & BJP Tripura party colleagues for the fabulous victory in Tripura Election 2018. It is a vote for development agenda of BJP4. The security & sovereignty of North East is of utmost importance to us.

Rajat Sethi, BJP strategist: BJP President Amit Shah Ji was camping in Tripura and worked on all possible micro, macro strategies to make this victory possible. This symbolises revolt of the proletariats against these communists.Tribals suffered at hands of Manik Sarkar.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath: BJP is all set for a historic win in Tripura, I would like to congratulate PM Modi, Amit Shah ji and our party workers. Even our performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya is historic. Important day in Indian politics.

Tehseen Poonawalla, Activist: The 1st Non Congress government in India was the Left in Kerala. Today the Left is only governing in Kerala. Important the Congress totally distances itself from the Left .

The left rule now confined to only Kerala now hints at its fag end, similar to the end of the left in West Bengal. Many on social media also questioned whether the left-leaning Bengal would now also follow suit of Tripura?

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 18:21 [IST] With death of Alva Campbell, Ohio need no longer worry about trying to execute ill prisoner after first botched attempt | Main | Noting lengthy struggles in California over the definition of a violent crime 

March 3, 2018

Jim DeMint explains how "core of conservatism" at core of South Carolina's leadership on criminal justice reform

Jim DeMint, a former US Senator from South Carolina, has recently become of significant conservative voice in support of various criminal justice reforms. His latest commentary, appearing here under the headline "How Jim DeMint wants SC lawmakers to redefine tough on crime," links conservative principles and recent reforms and proposals in the Palmetto State. Here are excerpts:

The core of conservatism is the dignity of every individual and the value of every life. Thats why we talk about individual freedom, self-reliance and personal responsibility. Conservatives fight for limited government to preserve these sacred goals. And thats why we care about prison reform. The values conservatives hold dear are jeopardized when prisons fail to deliver results. We owe it to victims, law enforcement and the citizens of our communities to act. In 2010, South Carolina showed the nation how a conservative state can lead on criminal justice reform. Back then, we stood squarely at a crossroads. Our prison population was growing at an unsustainable rate, and we were forecasting the need to burden our taxpayers by building more prisons. We had to take action. The Palmetto State could go to an old playbook of tough on crime: incarcerate more, spend more and break an already strained budget. Or we could redefine what it means to be tough on crime by adopting smart policies aimed at keeping people safer, reintegrating citizens into the community and taming expensive correctional spending. Fortunately, state leaders chose a new direction. S.1154 addressed the enormous number of people churning in and out of our prisons for low-level nonviolent crimes and violations of supervision conditions. They also established the Sentencing Reform Oversight Committee, made up of legislators, stakeholders and policy experts, to track the laws performance and make ongoing recommendations for reform in the future. The results were transformative. Our violent and property crime decreased by 16 percent, and recidivism dropped by 10 percent. Our prison population dropped by 14 percent. As a result, we have shut down seven facilities and saved taxpayers nearly half a billion dollars. Today, based on this innovative approach and the tireless efforts of the men and women at the departments of Corrections and Parole and Probation Services trusted with its implementation, more people are returning to their families and communities and becoming productive, tax-paying citizens. As reforms outperformed our expectations, skeptics became believers, and practitioners in courtrooms and the corrections system have built a culture of following evidence-based practices. Still, our prisons are understaffed and struggle with a growing threat of violence within facilities. Therefore, we should pursue evidence based-reform that we know can deliver results. Prison resources should be spent on those who pose a threat to public safety and are not wasted denying liberty to those who can be safely supervised in the community.... Nearly 80 percent of the prison population is still incarcerated for non-violent offenses. Those convicted are staying in prison too long, nearly a third longer than in 2010. Our system drains $500 million from taxpayers and has a negative impact on families and communities. There are also gaps in supervision best-practices that dont meet the high standard we should hold ourselves to.

March 3, 2018 at 03:03 PM | Permalink

Comments

He mentions the dignity of every person. How is it dignified to be the victim of a released prisoner? As to non-violent drug dealers, they are all serial killers of their competitors. Their mandatory sentencing dropped the murder rate 40%.

Evidence based practices are quackery. This is a review of that reasoning in medicine, but it applies to criminal practice research. Most of it is political agenda driven. There is a selection bias in the publication of studies.

http://davidbeharmdejd.blogspot.com/search/label/Evidence%20Based%20Medicine

Posted by: David Behar | Mar 3, 2018 3:23:57 PM

Conservatives support the value of every life, and conveniently don't mention their (and DeMint's) support of the death penalty. That conservative value of limited government is threatened by all the conservative support - past and present - for tough on crime.

If this guy had been around during the 1980s, 1990s and earlier 2000s, would his conservative principles led him to oppose the moves of his party to get tough?

Posted by: Paul | Mar 5, 2018 8:58:19 AM

Post a commentModi to return to power after 2019 Lok Sabha polls: Assam CM

India

pti-PTI

Guwahati, March 3: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the results of the Assembly elections in the three northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya have given a clear indication that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to power after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Sonowal also said the people of the northeast were taking the lead in making a "Congress-mukt Bharat" (Congress free India) and the results of the three Assembly elections in which Congress has been marginalised were a clear indication of it. "Congress has not won a single seat in Tripura and in Nagaland. In Meghalaya, Congress has been confined to limited seats. It is a clear sweep for the BJP.

"It is a clear indication that the people have reposed faith in prime minister's development agenda and also a clear indication that the NDA, under Modi's leadership, will return to power after the 2019 general elections," he told PTI.

The Assam chief minister claimed that the Congress had no agenda for the development of the country and miserably failed in its long rule in the country. The BJP is set to dethrone the CPI(M) after its more than two decades rule in Tripura.

In Meghalaya, the Assembly election results were likely to throw up a hung verdict, while in Nagaland, it was a close close contest between the ruling Naga People's Front and the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party combine. The Congress is in power only in one state -- Mizoram -- out of the eight northeastern states.

The BJP is in power in three states -- Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh -- while the Sikkim Democratic Front, an NDA ally, is in power in Sikkim. The BJP first came to power in the northeast by winning in Assam under Sonowal's leadership.

PTINagaland elections: Church's statement may boost BJP's chances

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Days before polling, the Baptist church in Nagaland made an unprecedented move and launched a scathing attack on the BJP. The Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC), apex body of Baptist churches in the state, in an open letter to presidents of all political parties in Nagaland, stated that India had experienced the worst persecution of minority communities in 2015-2017 under the RSS-backed BJP government.

Among other things, the NBCC called on 'believers' not to surrender Christian principles and faith for the sake of money and development into the hands of those who seek to "pierce the heart of Jesus Christ."

The statement may eventually end up helping the BJP. Earlier, it were only the media reports that claimed that the BJP's influence is on a rise in the North East, but this statement by church has confirmed it. What church has done is to acknowledge that the BJP is indeed a force to reckon with in Nagaland.

In Nagaland, elections are fought more on tribal, village and individual lines than by ideologies or promises made by political parties. Given that all candidates are usually Christians, religion too does not count in electoral politics.

A common man in Nagaland, who otherwise may not have paid any heed to the BJP, will now begin taking the saffron party seriously.

When asked about the unprecedented stand taken by the church, Rev. Zelhou Keyho, the NBCC general secretary, talking to the Indian Express said, "This time it has really become a threat (RSS-backed BJP). That is why we felt we had to make a strong statement not only on behalf of the church here but also on behalf of Christians in the country in general."

[Assembly elections 2018: Will the BJP conquer Northeast?]

In a few hours from now, it would be clear who will form the government in Nagaland as the counting is underway. The BJP which is currently in the Nagaland government with NPF has decided to walk out of the alliance and join hands with Neiphiu Rio's newly launched party NDPP.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 9:41 [IST]Naveed Jutt with Hizbul terrorists shows lines between terror groups are thinning

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The surfacing of a new video that shows Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist Naved Jutt with Hizbul Mujahideen operatives is an indicator that the lines between terror groups thinning.

Jutt it may be recalled had escaped from police custody recently when he was taken to a hospital for a medical check up.

The coming together of the three terror groups- Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen was seen as a desperate attempt to survive in the Valley.

It was in July 2017 that the three groups decided to come together and operate as one unit. The Hizbul Mujahideen was tasked with logistics and local recruitments while the Jaish and Lashkar-e-Tayiba would carry out attacks and raise funds.

The bosses of these groups held a meeting during the early part of 2017 and decided that they would need to come together in order to survive. They were taking this decision in the backdrop of the Indian Army going on the offensive in Kashmir.

Further, after a meeting with the top brass of the ISI, it was decided that they could succeed or survive the onslaught only if they worked as one unit. This meant they would wage united jihad in Kashmir.

training camp was set up in Deosai Park at Gilgit Baltistan where nearly 150 terrorists of the three groups were roped in. Each one of them trained under one roof and it was decided that they would be stronger if they pooled their resources.

As each of the terrorists had finished their training in batches, they were being launched into Kashmir in groups. The three terrorists who carried out the Sunjuwan attack were part of the Deosai camp and were launched into Kashmir a year back.

The ISI and the Pakistan army decided that they should not be sent into Kashmir through the west and north routes. It was decided that the infiltrations would take place through the Kargil and Drass sectors in Ladakh.

In all the attacks in recent times, be it Uri, Lethopora, Sunjuwan or the one at Srinagar, all three terror groups worked together. The Hizbul Mujahideen has always provided the logistics as it has more local terrorists. The Jaish and the Lashkar-e-Tayiba normally stage the attack as they have undergone intense training. An Intelligence Bureau official said that in the days to come all strikes would be a combined effort of the three groups. The officer noted that the combined operation would also give these terror groups an option to deny. Investigators would find it hard to pin the blame on one leader as it would be a joint effort.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 6:20 [IST]Why the Tripura verdict will have an impact on Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018

Tripura MLAs spent just 56 per cent of their expense limit in 2018 poll

New home for Manik Sarkar: Go to Kerala, Bengal or Bangladesh says Sarma

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Assam minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma has some advise for outgoing chief minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar. He can take shelter in Bengal, Kerala or even Bangladesh, Sarma said.

"Manik Sarkar has just three options before him. He can go to West Bengal, where the CPI-M still has some presence. He can go to Kerala, where the party is in power and will rule for three more years or he can go to neighbouring Bangladesh," Sarma told reporters in Agartala when asked about his comments on Sarkar during an election rally.

The BJP leader had kicked up a row by reportedly saying that the Tripura chief minister would be sent to Bangladesh after the assembly elections in the state.

Sarma reportedly made the remark at an election rally in Dhanpur, Sarkar's constituency, while criticising the state government over the alleged deteriorating law and order situation and cross-border crimes.

The 69-year-old chief minister has governed Tripura since 1998. He is a politburo member of CPI-M and has been ruling the state for the fourth consecutive time.

Elections in 59 seats, out of the 60-member Tripura assembly, were held on February 18. Election in one seat was countermanded due to the death of the CPI-M candidate.

The BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) were leading in 41 out of the 59 constituencies whose trends were available, according to Election Commission sources in Agartala on Saturday.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 15:13 [IST]NIA books Bangladesh terror group ABT

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The National Investigation Agency has re-registered a case against Bangladesh based terror organisation, Ansarullah Bangla Team. The dreaded organisation which subscribes to the ideology of the Islamic State was behind the killings of several bloggers.

In recent times, traces of the outfit were found in West Bengal. Investigators say that the outfit has been trying to set up shop in India in a bid to realise the ISIS' dream of setting up a caliphate.

On November 21 2017, the Kolkata police arrested Samsad Mia, Riazul Islam and Monotosh Dey. The accused persons sneaked into India illegally and procured forged Indian documents like Aadhar card, PAN card, voter identity card etc. Subsequently one more Bangladeshi national Umar Farukh was arrested in connection with the case.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 6:12 [IST]Give me strength to work even harder for nation: PM Modi on birthday wishes

PM Modi halts speech midway for Azaan at BJP headquarters

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday halted his speech to party workers mid way for Azaan, Muslim call for prayer.

The prime minister was addressing BJP workers at party headquarters in the national capital after the party's significant performance in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland Assembly elections 2018.

Soon after PM Modi started his speech, a call for the evening Namaaz was made from a nearby mosque. On hearing Azaan, PM Modi took a pause and decided to continue the speech after the prayer call.

PM Modi launched a scathing attack on the politics of the Left. He said the Northeast would show the way to the rest of the country when it comes to development.

Modi's statement comes hours after the decisively wrested Tripura from the Left, which had ruled the state for 25 years.

Addressing party workers following the announcement of results of polls in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, Modi also took an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying some people grow in designation but shrink in stature.

In contrast, he said, BJP chief Amit Shah rose by leading the party to victories in many states. In remarks laced with sarcasm, Modi said he had recently told Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy that the Congress leader was lucky as he will soon become a "specimen of a Congress chief minister" as his party will be in power only in his state by June after losing Karnataka, which goes to the polls in April-May.

Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who heads the Congress government in the state, he said neither he nor they (Congress) consider each other their own. "He is a 'swatantra fauji' (independent soldier)," Modi said of Singh.

PM paid respects along with the audience to deceased party workers, allegedly victims of political violence, by keeping silence for a while.

He was felicitated by senior party functionaries, including members of the BJP parliamentary board, headed by Shah.

OneIndia NewsPNB scam: Non-bailable warrant against Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Special PMLA court in Mumbai issued non-bailable warrant against absconding diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi in connection with PNB fraud case.

Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, and uncle Mehul Choksi had been summoned by the ED to appear at its zonal office in Mumbai. Since they have skipped the summons, the agency approached a special PMLA court to get non-bailable warrants against them.

Nirav Modi has refused to join the CBI investigation into the Rs 12,622 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

In an email to ED, Nirav Modi told, "The lightning speed in which the authority has acted clearly shows that the action itself was pre-determined and my fate was already decided, without even considering my reply and without any regard to law."

"Still working abroad as I continue to be very engaged in trying to deal with businesses that I am involved with outside of India. Trying to ensure that so far as possible the position of these business creditors(including banks)& employees are properly considered," Nirav Modi wrote.

Also, CBI officials contacted Nirav through his official email address, asking him to be a part of the investigation. The jewellery merchant, however, replied in the negative with the explanation that he has "business abroad" that needed attending to.

Meanwhile, CBI produced six accused before Special CBI court seeking police custody for Gokulanath Shetty and judicial custody for the other five.

OneIndia NewsHathras gangrape case: Cremation was done in family's presence, says UP Police

Two policemen suspended for laxity after gangrape, suicide of 15-year-old Dalit girl in Chitrakoot

Rajasthan: Dalit boy beaten to death while playing Holi

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A teenaged Dalit boy was allegedly beaten to death by a group of youngsters while playing Holi in Bhiwadi village of Rajasthan's Alwar district on Friday. The deceased, identified as Neeraj Jatav and aged around 16, was playing Holi with others when the attack took place.

Siddhant Sharma, DSP Bhiwadi, Alwar,said, "In a clash between two caste groups in Bhiwadi village during Holi celebrations, one boy died. Action will be taken against culprits."

According to reports, preliminary investigation suggests the accused, also in the similar age group, were known to the victim.

The Indian Express reported that the police said that after Jatav was declared dead on arrival at the Bhiwadi health centre, angry relatives started protesting and also tried to vandalise the facility. Officials did not name the accused - they may be minors.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 10:31 [IST]Tie-up with Neiphiu Rio: A masterstroke by BJP?

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

In a few hours from now, it would be clear who will form the government in Nagaland where political developments have been voltile in the last few months. The BJP which currently in the Nagaland government with NPF has decided to walk out of the alliance and join hands with Neiphiu Rio's newly launched party NDPP.

Rio himself was in NPF for a long time and was Chief Minister of Nagaland twice representing NPF. It was only post 2016 that a rift began to appear between Rio and the faction of NPF leaders who decided to side with the incumbent chief minister TR Zeliang.

BJP decided to latch on to this oppurtunity and stitched an alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), a party launched by Rio last year after parting ways with the NPF. BJP could not have possibly gone alone in Nagaland where Christians are a majority. Becasue the BJP is seen a 'Hindu' party, it had to go along with a regional party to have any chance of forming the government.

On the other hand, Rio, although a seasoned politician in Nagaland, also needed support as his party, NDPP, was a new entity. So, the alliance between the BJP and Rio is mutually beneficial to both. Neiphiu Rio has already been declared elected unopposed from the Northern Angami-II constituency as no one else filed nomination from Northern Angami-II constituency.

CM TR Zeliang had slammed Neiphiu Rio for instability in the NPF. Some NPF leaders have also accused Rio of being power hungry. So even see Rio as an oppurtunist, but in a few hours from now, things will become clear.

Religious bodies are also playing role in Nagaland elections. Recently the all-powerful Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC) had launched a scathing campaign against the BJP. In an open letter, the NBCC had appealed to all other political parties not to support the saffron party and its "brand of Hindutva politics" as India had experienced the worst persecution of minority communities in 2015-2017 under the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed BJP government at the Centre.

[Assembly elections 2018: Will the BJP conquer Northeast?]

However, what is interesting is that the BJP is witnessing a political rise in the North East. It reamains to be seen how much of this 'rise' actually translates to votes.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 8:20 [IST]Why the Tripura verdict will have an impact on Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018

Tripura MLAs spent just 56 per cent of their expense limit in 2018 poll

Tripura assembly elections verdict would be do or die for CPI(M)

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The results of the Tripura Assembly Elections would not just have an impact on national politics, but also within the CPI(M). The CPI (M) has been in power in the state for 25 years and recent exit polls suggest that the BJP has made major inroads into the state.

The BJP has emerged as a strong contender in Tripura as well as Meghalaya and Nagaland where counting of votes will be held today. Two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states.

"If the Left Front wins in Tripura then there might not be any chance of altering the political draft that has been adopted. But, if the BJP wins then the question of adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP will again come up," a senior CPI(M) leader told PTI.

A senior CPI(M) central committee member, who did not wish to be named, echoed the view and said there is always the chance of change in the draft resolution before it is finally adopted by the party Congress.

The central committee member said the West Bengal party unit has a clear understanding about the menace of the BJP, but the Kerala unit is yet to understand the magnitude of the "threat" the saffron brigade poses.

"Our Tripura unit, too, has a taste of BJP's divisive politics," the central committee member said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury along with a large section of leaders from Bengal have been vocal about the adjustment with the Congress to stop the BJP.

But his political line has been vehemently opposed by the party's Kerala unit along with politburo member Prakash Karat, known as a hardliner in the CPI (M).

The CPI(M) central committee had on January 21 voted against the draft political resolution pitched by Yechury proposing alliance with the Congress.

It adopted a draft resolution, which will be placed before the party congress, ruling out any form of electoral alliance or adjustment with the Congress.

Election for 59 seats in Tripura's 60-member house were held on February 18 and the results will be declared tomorrow.

Polling in one seat was postponed to March 12 following the death of a CPI(M) candidate.

Exit poll by a TV news channel gave the BJP alliance 35-45 seats in Tripura and said the Left Front will bag 14-23 seats while one seat would be bagged by others.

On the other hand Centre for Voting Opinion & Trends in Election Research (CVoter) hinted at a close fight and predicted that CPI(M) and Left parties would win in 26-34 seats with 44.3 per cent vote share.

It predicted that the BJP alliance would bag in 24-32 seats with a vote share of 42.8 per cent and said the Congress might win in two seats with 7.2 per cent vote share.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 6:44 [IST]Tripura Elections 2018: Prominent faces behind BJP's ZERO to HERO performance

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was polled less than 1. 54 per cent votes and won zero seats in 2013 assembly elections. Out of 50 seats, BJP had lost deposit in 49 seats. On the other hand Left parties had a vote share of 49 per cent. The CPI(M)-led Left Front has been power in the state since 1993.

This assembly election, indeed, more than remarkable for the saffron party. This year BJP campaigned in full vigour with key players at the helm. BJP's pre-poll alliance with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) paid dividends in the Left-ruled state.

Technically, BJP marked its first presence in Tripura Assembly after six former Trinamool Congress legislators joined the party in Agartala in August 2017. The MLAs who defected from Congress to TMC had announced that BJP was only party that can ensure end of CPI(M) regime in Tripura in Assembly elections.

Party standing in 2013 assembly elections:

Himanta Biswa Sarma A prominent face in Tripura elections and Northeast India as well. BJP leadership appointed Himanta Biswa Sarma the convener of the newly constituted North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). The main objective of the alliance will be all-round development of the North East and better coordination among the states and Centre. Sarma won the 2016 Assembly elections and was sworn in as Cabinet Minister on 24 May 2016. He has been allotted portfolios like Finance, Health & Family Welfare, Education, Planning and Development, Tourism, Pension and Public Grievances. Sunil Deodhar A day before D-Day Sunil Deodhar told BD TV "Shocking results are going to come tomorrow. NJP will sweep Tripura. People want change from CPM." Sunil V. Deodhar is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician and the state in-charge of Tripura. In the 2014 Indian general election, Deodhar was appointed as the campaign manager to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency of Varnasi. Deodhar, who hails from Maharashtra, is the BJP's national "Prabhari" in Tripura and has been spearheading various agitations on behalf of his party against the ruling Left Front. Biplab Kumar Deb He has been the State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tripura since 7 January 2016. He contested the election from Banamalipur Constituency in Agartala, which was held by Indian National Congress MLA Gopal Roy. He also faced Communist Party of India (Marxist) youth leader Amol Chokroborty. Biplab Deb led a door to door campaign in his constituency with senior leader Sunil Deodhar. He later returned to Tripura after an absence of 15 years. He was a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer and previously campaigned in elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. Ecstatic BJP supporters BJP workers celebrate historical victory in Tripura assembly elections. Courtesy: ANI news

OneIndia NewsTripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland poll results: How it will have a direct impact on national politics

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Guwahati, March 3: All of a sudden the Northeast India has become the latest 'political buzzword' in the country. Thanks to the elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland--the results of which will be out on Saturday--all eyes are on the region. A lot is at stake for the political parties in these three states--especially for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist). While the BJP is trying its best to win the polls and form governments with its alliance partners in all the three states, the Congress is desperately hoping to retain Meghalaya where it is in power for almost 15 years now.

For the incumbent CPI(M)-led Left Front government in Tripura, it is a make or break situation. If it loses the polls in Tripura, then the Left will further politically diminish from the country's map--as currently it holds power only in the northeastern state and Kerala. On the other hand, if the Congress fails to come to power in Meghalaya, it will again lose one more state after Himachal Pradesh, the elections of which were held last year. The Congress is now in power in only four states and one union territory in the country.

Currently, the BJP is in power in India's 19 states. Losing Meghalaya would mean that the Congress has been almost wiped out of the Northeast region, once considered to be its bastion. Apart from Meghalaya, the Congress currently holds power only in Mizoram. On the other hand, the BJP has been witnessing an unprecedented rise in the region, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "vikas (development)" slogan which has well-resonated among the people of the region.

The BJP is having its governments in three states of the region--Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. If it comes to power in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura--as indicated by most of the exit poll results--the BJP would be successful in fulfilling its "Congress-mukt Northeast" agenda.

With a total of 25 Lok Sabha seats and 14 Rajya Sabha berths, the eight states of the region are crucial for the BJP to add up to its number in the 2019 General elections. At present, the BJP has eight Lok Sabha members from the region, and the Congress has seven. In the Rajya Sabha, out of total 14 seats, the BJP has one and the Congress nine. The rest are with local parties.

The Congress and the BJP are slugging it out in Meghalaya. The Congress fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP had put up nominees in 47 constituencies. Though they are fighting separately in Meghalaya, the National People's Party (NPP) of Conrad Sangma, son of former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, is the BJP's partner in the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).

In Nagaland, the BJP's hope hinges on its alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) of Neiphiu Rio which has contested polls in 40 seats. The BJP fought elections in 20 seats. The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland, contested only 18 seats, two less than the BJP.

The CPI(M)-led Left Front government is in power in Tripura for the last 25 years. There is no doubt that after remaining in power for more than two decades, the Left Front government in the northeastern state is facing a massive anti-incumbency wave. Moreover, the BJP extensively campaigned in the state to ouster the ruling party from power. To add to all these, there is a lot of grouse among the people of Tripura regarding lack of development and jobs in the state.

The exit poll results too are not very encouraging for the left regime. Out of the three main exit polls, the results of which were declared recently, two clearly stated that the BJP-Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance will come to power in Tripura. Will the Manik Sarkar government in Tripura be able to overcome all these odds to emerge triumphant, once again?

While the Assembly elections in Tripura were held on February 18, Meghalaya and Nagaland went to polls on February 27. All the three states have 60-member assemblies.

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Story first published: Saturday, March 3, 2018, 7:39 [IST]Russia warns of West Nile Virus: All you need to know

Afghan soil should not be used to spread terrorism: Russia

If he could, he'd try to prevent 1991 USSR collapse: Vladimir Putin

International

pti-PTI

Moscow, March 3: President of Russia Vladimir Putin said if he could go back in time, his mission would be to prevent the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. That's what he told a forum in the city of Kaliningrad on Friday.

Taking questions from audience members, he was asked what occurrence in Russia he would have most liked to have prevented. He replied "the disintegration of the Soviet Union," according to Russian news reports.

In 2005, Putin attracted wide attention when he said in a state-of-the-nation speech that the Soviet collapse was "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century."

Putin's comment came a day after he announced that Russia had developed allegedly invincible new nuclear weapons, raising concerns of a new arms race like that of Soviet times.

PTIAustria Considering New Legislation, Foreign Operators in the Crosshairs

Published March 3, 2018 by Ivan P

The Ministry of Finance of Austria announces amendments to the existing Gambling Act, looking to ban foreign operators by having ISPs block their IP addresses.

The Ministry of Finance of Austria is currently in the process of reviewing the country's Gambling Act aiming to introduce new amendments that could seriously affect the local online gambling market. Namely, the revised Act would seek to completely ban all foreign gambling operators and even request refunds for the losses players accrued playing with these operators over the past three decades.

Restrictive Ban Not a Solution

The new Gambling Act proposes that the country's ISPs should ban IP addresses of all gambling operators offering their services to players from Austria. Much like in Germany, all of these sites operate in a grey zone and aren't sanctioned by the state. Therefore, all those who refuse to stop marketing their services in the country should be blocked.

However, not everyone agrees with this solution. The ban would effectively create a monopoly, because only one site, Casino Austria, partially owned by the state, is actually licensed in Austria. By blocking other reputable operators who can't apply for a license, many believe an opposite effect would be created, where players would be pushed towards shady, unregulated sites.

Instead of this, large gambling companies licensed in Malta and Gibraltar propose a different approach similar to the one found in the United Kingdom and Denmark. Interested online casinos and gambling sites would be able to apply for local licenses and would need to adhere to local laws, but they wouldn't be forced out of the market.

30 Years Worth of Refunds

Despite the fact the IP ban would be against the spirit of freedom to provide services in the EU, the Ministry of Finance seems firm in its decision. They came up with an idea they hope would deter foreign operators and prevent them from trying to bypass or battle the ban.

Namely, the Ministry proposes that all contracts between Austrian players and unlicensed operators over the last 30 years are proclaimed null and void. This would mean that the operators would be forced to return all the players' losses from the past three decades.

Although the legality and enforceability of this law are highly questionable, the Ministry hopes the threat alone will be enough to keep the operators at bay.

Certain companies have announced they will be fighting for their rights using all legal means at their disposal. One of these is bet-at-home, a company that employs more than 300 people at their Linz office and voluntarily pays 40% tax to the state despite not having a local gambling license. Bet-at-home and others have no problems with paying their dues but they refuse to sit idle as the country tries to enact a market monopoly, which is something the European Union won't easily accept, either.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Truthdig



Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the Federal Assembly, including the State Duma parliamentarians, members of the Federation Council, regional governors and other high-ranking officials, in Moscow, March 1, 2018.

(Image by YouTube, Channel: CBS News) Details DMCA



"Don't you understand what I'm trying to say?

And can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?

If the button is pushed, there's no running away,

There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave,

Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,

And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,

Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction."

--Barry McGuire, "Eve of Destruction," 1965

From 2002 until 2011, Paul Marcarelli, perhaps better known to American audiences as Verizon's "test guy," made a career starring in television commercials, wandering the width and breadth of the United States, holding a phone to his ear and asking the simple question, "Can you hear me now?" Verizon was, and is, in the communications business in which the ability to send a message is only as good as the corresponding ability to receive it.

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin, Russia's much-maligned president, delivered his state of the nation address to the Russian Federal Assembly (the Russian national Legislature, consisting of the State Duma, or lower house, and the Russian Council, or upper house). While the first half of his speech dealt with Russian domestic issues -- and any American who has bought into Western media perceptions that Russia is a collapsing state, possessing a failed economy, would do well to read this portion of the speech -- it was the second half of the presentation that caused the world to sit up and listen.

In this portion of the speech, Putin outlined developments in Russian strategic military capability. The developments collectively signal the obsolescence of America's strategic nuclear deterrence, both in terms of its present capabilities and -- taking into account the $1.2 trillion nuclear weapons modernization program President Trump unveiled earlier this year -- anything America might pursue in the decades to come.

Some Western observers have derided Putin's speech as simple posturing, a manic effort to project Russian power, and with it global credibility, where none exists. Such an interpretation would be incorrect. There should be no doubt among American politicians, military leaders and citizens alike. "Every word has a meaning," Putin told his audience. The weapons he referred to are real, and Putin meant every word he said.

"Back in 2000," he said, "the U.S. announced its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Russia was categorically against this. We saw the Soviet-U.S. ABM Treaty signed in 1972 as the cornerstone of the international security system. ... Together with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty [START], the ABM Treaty not only created an atmosphere of trust but also prevented either party from recklessly using nuclear weapons, which would have endangered humankind. ... We did our best to dissuade the Americans from withdrawing from the treaty. All in vain.

"The U.S. pulled out of the treaty in 2002," Putin observed. "Even after that, we tried to develop constructive dialogue with the Americans. We proposed working together in this area to ease concerns and maintain the atmosphere of trust. At one point, I thought that a compromise was possible, but this was not to be. All our proposals, absolutely all of them, were rejected. And then we said that we would have to improve our modern strike systems to protect our security. In reply, the U.S. said that it is not creating a global BMD [Ballistic Missile Defense] system against Russia, which is free to do as it pleases, and that the U.S. will presume that our actions are not spearheaded against the U.S."

Building on his well-known position, delivered in his 2005 state of the nation address, that "the collapse of the Soviet Union was a major geopolitical disaster of the century" that created "genuine drama" in which "the epidemic of disintegration infected Russia itself," Putin said in his 2018 state of the nation address that "apparently, our partners got the impression that it was impossible in the foreseeable historical perspective for our country to revive its economy, industry, defense industry and armed forces to levels supporting the necessary strategic potential. And if that is the case, there is no point in reckoning with Russia's opinion, it is necessary to further pursue ultimate unilateral military advantage in order to dictate the terms in every sphere in the future....

"We ourselves are to blame," Putin said. "All these years, the entire 15 years since the withdrawal of the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, we have consistently tried to reengage the American side in serious discussions, in reaching agreements in the sphere of strategic stability." However, Putin observed, the United States "is permitting constant, uncontrolled growth of the number of anti-ballistic missiles, improving their quality, and creating new missile-launching areas. If we do not do something, eventually this will result in the complete devaluation of Russia's nuclear potential. Meaning that all of our missiles could simply be intercepted."

Putin pointed out that in 2004, he put the world on notice about Russia's intent to defend itself, telling the press: "As other countries increase the number and quality of their arms and military potential, Russia will also need to ensure it has new generation weapons and technology.... [T]his is a very significant statement because no country in the world as of now has such arms in their military arsenal.

"Why did we do all this?" Putin asked his audience, referring to his 2004 comments. "Why did we talk about it? As you can see, we made no secret of our plans and spoke openly about them, primarily to encourage our partners to hold talks. No, nobody really wanted to talk to us about the core of the problem, and nobody wanted to listen to us. So listen now....

"To those who in the past 15 years have tried to accelerate an arms race and seek unilateral advantage against Russia, have introduced restrictions and sanctions that are illegal from the standpoint of international law aiming to restrain our nation's development, including in the military area, I will say this: Everything you have tried to prevent through such a policy has already happened. No one has managed to restrain Russia."

This was a message delivered not just to the Russian Federal Assembly, but to the White House and its temperamental occupant, President Donald Trump, to the halls of Congress, where Russia-baiting has become a full-time occupation, and to the American people, who have been caught up in a wave of anti-Russia hysteria fueled by fantastical claims of a Russian "attack" on American democracy that, when balanced against the potential of thermonuclear annihilation, pales into insignificance. Putin spoke, and one would hope that throughout America the modern-day incarnations of Verizon's Paul Marcarelli are making their way into the homes of every American citizen and the halls of power where those the American people elect to represent them reside, and calling out, "Can you hear me now?"

Based upon the reaction to Putin's speech so far, the answer appears to be "no." This refusal to accept the fact that there exists today a new reality carries with it the potential for catastrophic miscalculation. In Pat Frank's 1959 novel, "Alas, Babylon," an American Navy fighter aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea fires a missile that veers off target, striking an ammunition depot near the Syrian city of Latakia, setting off a massive explosion that the Soviet Union uses as an excuse to initiate a retaliatory nuclear strike against the United States.

It doesn't take a stretch of imagination today to paint a scenario in which American and Russian forces clash over Syria. Indeed, a recent incident -- in which Syrian militia forces, supported by Russian private military contractors, advanced toward Syrian oil and gas fields occupied by U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, only to be attacked by American fighter bombers, resulting in hundreds of casualties, including scores of Russian dead -- underscores the fact that such clashes are no longer theoretical.

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Plus: Trump/Russia -- What's Up? And a Multiple-Choice Sessions Question.

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Introduction: Carter Page's name doesn't come up much in the mainstream media's coverage of Trump/Russia and the Mueller investigation. Yet Sean Hannity and others on the Right go out of their way to try to discredit in advance any findings on him, based on their falsification of the basis of the "FISA warrant." This column is about just why they are doing that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

When mainstream reporting is done on the Mueller investigation of the Trump/Russia connection, a number of names are mentioned. (By the way, just so you know, I don't consider the Fox"News"Channel, also known variously as "Trump TV" [MSNBC's Chris Hayes] or the "Propaganda Channel" [I began using the term in 2015] to be "mainstream," except, of course, for the Radical Right.) Among them are persons who have been investigated who have already pled guilty to some relatively minor charge and have presumably become cooperating witness: Gen. Mike Flynn, Rick Gates, George Papadopoulos, Richard Pinedo. Then there is the one who has been indicted and is strongly maintaining his innocence, Paul Manafort. Also indicted are the "13 Russians" and un-named co-conspirators (who may or may not be indicted at some point). But there is one name that has floated around the whole "Trump/Russia" thing from just about the time it began, that doesn't get much mention in the mainstream media. That is Carter Page.

The first time I heard of Carter Page was when he was on a Chris Hayes MSNBC show in 2016. He had been previously identified by The New York Times as a "person of interest" (for journalists at least) the Trump/Russia probe. Page came across as somewhat dis-connected, claimed that he didn't know much about Russia, and that he certainly played no role in any Trump/Russia connections. He repeated these claims recently in an interview with the radio/TV right-wing talker Sean Hannity. As a matter of fact, while Page doesn't show up in the mainstream media in re Trump/Russia, he sure shows up with regularity on Hannity's version of events.



1970's inventions that changed our way of life. When you enter .Carter Page. into a common image search engine, this is one of the choices you get. But no image of him.

(Image by brizzle born and bred) Details DMCA



In Hannity's version of "Trump/Russia," of course there is nothing there. It's all made up. It's a plot to unseat Trump made up by the "Deep State," (FBI, CIA, NSA, and etc.). (In this description of these events they share much with certain elements of the US Left as found in The Nation.) One does not have to watch Hannity with regularity (although I am now doing so) to get his message. For he repeats more or less the same thing every evening. One of his constant themes is that the whole Mueller investigation should be thrown out because of a supposedly defective application for a FISA warrant on Page (after he had left the Trump campaign, with which he was associated for only a few months. Pager joined a group of folks who at one time were pumped by Trump as key advisors [see Papadopoulos], but later put in the "who? Never knew him much" group).

Hannity does this in open, close, cooperation with Devon Nunes, who is the Republican Chair of the House Intelligence Committee. I have already pointed out that Nunes is playing a very unusual role in the whole investigation, that is working very closely with the White House, on a political, not legislative, matter. This is an element of what I call "21stCentury Functional Fascism." It is epitomized by the "Nunes Memo," which purports to show that the FBI somehow tricked a FISA court judge into approving a warrant allowing the FBI to spy on Page, in October 2016. That memo, in my view (and that of many other observers), has been thoroughly rebutted by the Democratic Response to it.



Hannity does come up on the image search engine: .Sean Hannity Fox News Liar.

(Image by Goat4421) Details DMCA



But, it is not my purpose here to engage in discussion of whether or not the October, 2016 FISA warrant on Carter Page was justified or not. Rather, of most interest to me is just why Nunes and the Republican majority on the House Intelligence Committee, and Sean Hannity and numerous other right-wing talkers, and the President himself from time-to-time, have made such a fuss about it. For contacts with various Russians, including possible intelligence operatives, Page had been under FBI surveillance off-and-on since 2013. He was admittedly in contact with Russians during the Republican National Convention in 2016. He may have played a role in the watering down of an anti-Russia-in-Ukraine plank in the Repub. National Platform. And then came the FISA warrant, which presumably justified wire-tapping, after he formally left the campaign. And although Nunes and Hannity would have you believe otherwise, FISA warrants are very long documents, filled with tons of evidence justifying the request, never drawn from just one source. In Page's case, there were apparently four FISA warrants obtained over time, approved by four different, Republican-appointed, FISA court judges.

Do I have any inside information? Certainly not. BUT, isn't it interesting that Hannity/Nunes are focusing so heavily on Page and the FISA warrant, to the exclusion of just about everything else (except of course anything they can attribute to President Obama and Hillary Clinton --- but that's another matter). With all the people they could be focusing on and trying to discredit the investigation of --- that is the above list of indictees/guilty-pleaders --- they focus on Page.

This might be simply a classical Trumpite WMD (Weapon of Mass Distraction). But perhaps it's something else. Who knows what those Page wiretaps might contain. Who knows who else's voices might appear on them. Who knows if such other persons know that they are on the tapes, if they in fact are. But if there is "something" on them, and that something is significant for the Mueller investigation, wouldn't you, if you were a Trumpite, be trying as hard as you could to discredit, not the source, in this case, but just how that information was obtained? And if you were Mueller, and you had some legal bombshells in hand from those tapes, wouldn't you be holding off on making that information public, in one way or another, right now?

I might be way off, here. But maybe not. As they used to say in the days of radio, days in which I grew up, stay tuned.

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Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.I had made up my mind to find that for which I was searching even if it required the remainder of my life. After innumerable failures I finally uncovered the principle for which I was searching, and I was astounded at its simplicity. I was still more astounded to discover the principle I had revealed not only beneficial in the construction of a mechanical hearing aid but it served as well as means of sending the sound of the voice over a wire. Another discovery which came out of my investigation was the fact that when a man gives his order to produce a definite result and stands by that order it seems to have the effect of giving him what might be termed a second sight which enables him to see right through ordinary problems. What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Mike Malloy Website

... and losing perhaps McMasters and Kelly. Or Sessions.

But it's Jared -- and Ivanka -- who should get the hell outta there. Jared wowed and wooed businessmen at the White House, then got them to loan him money to save his family's failing real estate business.

Slate says this:

"Walking conflict of interest Jared Kushner intermingled his public and private personas while camped out in the West Wing, according to a New York Times report Wednesday that appeared to show Trump's son-in-law using his position in the White House to preserve his real estate business interests. The Times reported two instances over the past year where Kushner met with executives from financial companies at the White House and then later secured hundreds of millions of dollars in loans from those companies."

Now, that just doesn't seem legal. And his sister was traipsing around China, tossing around Jared's WH status and offering facilitated VISAs for favors to the family business. And then there's Ivanka's jewelry and Melania's QVC page. It would be funny, but. Well, it's too #sad.

Trump is having a meltdown, firing off conflicting policy statements and bullying his staff like never before. Making poor Hope Hicks cry for her "white lies" comments (wonder if he gave Kellyanne the same verbal whoop-ass over "alternative facts"?), calling Jeff Sessions "Mr. Magoo," enforcing crippling tariffs, telling lawmakers he wants to seize guns before due process (!), and completely ignoring Putin's videotaped threat to drop a nuclear bomb on Florida.

That was just the last 48 hours. Unless you're living in a bubble, or only watch Fox "News," then you're witnessing a rare chaos event in motion.

The Washington Post describes:

"The ceaseless barrage of news -- both real and fake -- from the Trump administration can be numbing, so it's important to step back every once in a while and look at the big picture: Never have we seen such utter chaos and blatant corruption. "None of what's happening is normal, and none of it should be acceptable. Life is imitating art: What we have is less a presidency than a cheesy reality show, set in a great stately house, with made-for-television histrionics, constant back stabbing and major characters periodic ally getting booted out. "Hope Hicks, the White House communications director, decided Wednesday to self-eject. Was it because she had spent the previous day testifying on Capitol Hill and was forced to admit having told "white lies" for President Trump? Was it because the man she had been dating, Rob Porter, lost his important White House position when the Daily Mail revealed he faced multiple allegations of wife-beating? Or was Hicks simply exhausted? "Porter's job involved controlling the flow of paperwork, some of it classified and extremely sensitive, to the president. Because of those abuse allegations, however, he couldn't get a permanent top-secret security clearance. That was bad enough, but later we learned that dozens of White House officials, perhaps 100 or more, were working with only interim clearances, not permanent ones. Their access to secret information was cut off by Chief of Staff John F. Kelly -- but only after all of this had become public. "Among those now with limited access is Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, whose heavily indebted real estate empire and grudging disclosure of his many foreign contacts worried FBI investigators. Kushner is a senior adviser to the president whose many assignments include forging peace in the Middle East -- but who now is not cleared for documents or meetings that discuss what's really happening in the Middle East or anywhere else. So why is he still there? "Why was he there in the first place? Because of Trump's appalling nepotism.

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For the last 16 years, the U.S. and a host of other reactionary forces have bombed, shot, and tortured their way across Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other countries in the greater Middle East. Literally millions of lives have been damaged or destroyed. It's hard to imagine how the situation could get even worse--possibly much worse--for the people.

But that's precisely what's looming right now: escalating U.S.-Israeli threats against Iran, and the real possibility of yet another war.

This was dramatically brought home on February 9 over the skies of Syria, a country bordering Israel and one of the region's key flashpoints.

Early that morning, Israel shot down an Iranian drone it claimed violated its airspace (a claim Iran denies). Israeli fighter planes then attacked and destroyed an Iranian base in Syria the drone was allegedly launched from, killing a number of Iranian personnel. During the attack, an Israeli F-16 (made in the U.S.A.) was shot down by Syrian anti-aircraft fire--over Syrian airspace! Israel retaliated by attacking Syrian and Iranian air defense facilities.

The New York Times claimed that Israel's military went on a "war footing" in response to Syria and Iran's threats to retaliate, with Russia warning Israel not to escalate. All this took place in a matter of hours--but what is extremely dangerous is what the Times article concluded: "War was averted--but only for now. All of the ingredients for an extremely violent eruption in the Middle East remain in place." (Emphasis added.)

After this clash, at a February 18 international conference, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu waved a piece of metal he claimed was from the drone Israel shot down. Then, like a Mafia enforcer, he threatened Iran's foreign minister: "Mr. Zarif, do you recognize this? You should. It's yours. You can take back with you a message to the tyrants of Tehran: Do not test Israel's resolve." Netanyahu warned that Israel would attack "Iran itself"--along with groups supportive of and supported by Iran in Lebanon and Syria. An Iranian official shot back, "Tel Aviv would be razed to the ground if the Israeli regime took any military action against the Islamic Republic."



Map of Syria and surrounding area

(Image by Revolution Newspaper) Details DMCA



These threats by Israel, America's settler-colonialist attack dog in the region, and counter-threats by Iran are taking place as the Trump/Pence fascist regime is threatening the world. This regime says it's time for "America First"--time to blast away any obstacle to American global dominance and win at all costs. It has signaled its greater willingness to use nuclear weapons. And it has targeted Iran as a "rogue state" and global "scourge."

In 2015, Obama, together with Russia, China, and Europe's main powers, signed a nuclear agreement with Iran. Iran agreed to roll back its nuclear enrichment program in return for an easing of sanctions by the U.S. and others. Now Trump is threatening to tear up the agreement and impose new sanctions, sharply ratcheting up tensions. The Trump/Pence regime has stepped up U.S. support for Saudi Arabia and Israel. These are regional powers--and bulwarks of U.S. imperialist dominance--clashing sharply with Iran across the region and demanding more drastic action against it.*

The U.S. is also escalating its own direct military moves against Iran. In January, the U.S. unilaterally declared its forces--2,000 troops on the ground, with massive airpower just over the horizon--would remain (illegally and uninvited) in Syria. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated the main purpose of deploying U.S. forces was "expelling malicious Iranian influence" from Syria and preventing it from achieving its goal of "dominance in the Middle East." This creates another potential flashpoint for a direct U.S.-Iran military clash.

The February 9 clash between Israel and Iran is "a dangerous escalation that raises the specter of direct conflict between Israel and Iran in Syria," according to Middle East commentators, and a "far more serious situation" than before.

This is a far more serious situation than before. U.S. domination of the Middle East is being challenged, when the dangerously aggressive Trump/Pence fascist regime is in power.

For over seven decades, the Middle East has been a crucial oil and energy spigot for global capitalism-imperialism. It's a key military and economic crossroads. And it's been a central pillar of U.S. global domination. Yet in recent years this region has become increasingly unstable, and U.S. control has faced growing challenges. Islamic fundamentalism and jihadism have been fueled by U.S. wars. Other great powers are increasingly contending with the U.S.--Russia politically and militarily, and China economically. And Iran's influence has spread.

Yet this region remains crucial to American global dominance, and the U.S. rulers are determined to preserve that by any and every means at their disposal.

In some important ways, these contradictions are now focused up in Syria. The six-year Syrian civil war has pitted the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad and his backers Russia, Iran, and Lebanon's Hezbollah against various anti-Assad "rebels," as well as reactionary Islamic jihadists backed by the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. It's been a reactionary bloodbath on all sides, leaving 400,000 dead and 11 million refugees. Assad and his allies have, for now, emerged on top, while mercilessly bombing civilian areas under rebel control. If he holds onto power, it would strengthen the hand of Russia and Iran, and be a challenge to U.S. dominance.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a reactionary, repressive theocracy, whose ruling ideology is based on the Shi'a branch of Islam. It is also a regional power--jockeying to protect its interests and expand its influence within the current setup. This includes militarily supporting Assad by dispatching its Revolutionary Guards, as well as supporting allied Shi'ite forces including Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon and Shi'ite militia in Iraq. In doing so it's sharply clashing with the U.S., the region's dominant power, and its nuclear-armed ally Israel. Tillerson condemned Iran for "dramatically" strengthening its military presence in Syria. Netanyahu warned that "Israel will continue to prevent Iran from establishing a permanent military presence in Syria."

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This piece was reprinted by OpEdNews with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

[First published by New Eastern Outlook]

When an airplane is approaching Singapore Changi Airport, it makes the final approach either from the direction of Peninsular Malaysia, or from the Indonesian island of Batam.

Either way, the scope for natural disaster under the wings is of monumental proportions.

All the primary forest of the Malaysian state bordering Singapore -- Johor -- is now gone and the tremendous sprawl of scarred land, mostly covered by palm oil plantations, is expanding far towards the horizon. The predictable plantation grid pattern is only interrupted by motorways, contained human settlements, and by few, mostly palm oil-related industrial structures.

On the Indonesian side, the Island of Batam resembles a horror apocalyptic movie: there is always some thick smoke rising towards the sky, and there are clearly visible, badly planned and terribly constructed towns and villages. Water around the island is of a dubious, frightening color. The environmental destruction is absolute. Batam was supposed to be the Indonesian answer to Singapore. Indonesia was dreaming about a modern mega city with a super airport and port, dotted with factories, research centers and shopping facilities. But the turbo-capitalist country hoped that all this would be created by the private sector. That was of course, unrealistic. What followed was an absolute disaster.

As it is now, Batam is nothing more than a series of 'Potemkin Villages', complete with several potholed four-lane roads that lead nowhere. As for the research: there is hardly any science even in Jakarta or Bandung, let alone here. After several attempts to 'save face' and to cover up this massive failure, the island has been allowed to 'sink' back to where it had already been for several decades: a huge whorehouse for predominantly Singaporean and Malaysian sex tourists; a cheap shopping district selling mainly counterfeit goods, a place notorious for lacking even the most basic public services.

No heads were made to roll for this monumental and thoroughly stupid set of failures. The obedient business-owned media is hardly ever critical of the Indonesian regime and its business 'elites'. But the impact of the 'Batam experiment' is enormous -- there is no intact nature left on the entire island.

*

What goes on in the Southern Part of Southeast Asia?

Is nature of absolutely no concern to the Malaysian and especially Indonesian governments, business conglomerates and society?

The problem here is that everything above and below the ground has been, for years and decades, viewed as a source of potential profit. It is only valued if it can be exploited, if there can be a price tag attached to it. No sentimentality, no thoughts about beauty! Here, greed has already reached insane proportions.

Like in the West, big companies in several Southeast Asian countries are now running and selecting the governments. They are also controlling the mass media, infiltrating social networks. To criticize great logging and palm oil companies in Malaysia is lethal, literally suicidal, and almost no one dares to do it. In the past, some did, and died. The same can be said about 'illegal' gold mining, logging and other extraction ventures in Indonesia, where much of the unsavory mining and logging enterprises are in the hands of the police, military or of government officials (the interests of all three branches are also often intertwined).

Places like Borneo and Sumatra are finished; almost all of their legendary wildlife habitats are devastated. Hundreds of species are gone or almost extinct. The once mighty, primary forests are squeezed into a few national parks, and even those are often being used for commercial farming, and also for palm oil plantations.

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From Common Dreams

The outrage now directed toward the National Rifle Association should also challenge all assaults made by the U.S. military.

Here in Kabul, as the rising sun begins to warm our chilly rooms, I hear excited laughter from downstairs. Rosemary Morrow, a renowned Australian permaculture expert, has begun teaching 35 young students in a month-long course on low-resource farming.

In war-torn Afghanistan, there's a desperate need to rebuild agricultural infrastructure and help people grow their own food. People verging on despair feel encouraged by possibilities of replenishing and repairing their soil.

The night before, over dinner, one of the students discussed news from his home town in Afghanistan's Wardak province about U.S. aerial attacks. "The blasts have become so frequent," he said, "that people can't find spaces to bury their dead."

During breaks in the class, I tell some of the Afghan Peace Volunteer students about the school shootings in the United States, and the remarkable determination of teenagers from Florida to demand that lawmakers take action on gun control.

These Afghan students have also heard about Black Lives Matter activists who have been tear gassed and beaten when they've demonstrated against police brutality. The Afghan teens identify with the activists facing danger, but still standing up to insist on change.

I asked if they thought that the U.S. media and government would heed Afghan young people raising their voices asserting their anguish and fear regarding U.S. aerial attacks and drone assassinations.

"You're dreaming," said Hamid. He flashed me a warm smile and shook his head, saying, "no one will ever listen to us."

I asked if they thought that the U.S. media and government would heed Afghan young people raising their voices asserting their anguish and fear regarding U.S. aerial attacks and drone assassinations.

Nasir, a third-year university student who majors in mapping technology, tells me he thinks teens in the United States have a chance to be heard. Like Habib, he doubts that the same is true for Afghan voices seeking to end the 16-year-old war.

But Zainab, a high schooler in the permaculture class, added that she thinks it would be great to record a vigil of teenagers in Kabul sending their support for U.S. teenagers who've survived school shootings in the U.S. and who've begun shaming the adult world into action on the issue of gun violence.

The outrage now directed toward the National Rifle Association should also challenge all assaults made by the U.S. military.

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A latest research report titled as Marine Hybrid Propulsion Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends, and Forecast 2018 - 2024 has been recently added to the vast portfolio of Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) online research offerings. This report is a professional and in-depth analysis on the present state and future prospect for the global market. It provides valuable information to the industry insiders, potential entrants or investors. It includes an exhaustive enquiry with the reliability of logic and the comprehensiveness of contents.Click here For Free Sample Report @Marine hybrid propulsion systems are gradually emerging as one of the most preferred clean propulsion systems globally and are being used in several vessel categories. One of the major advantages of using hybrid propulsion systems is their clean and efficient mechanism, which significantly lowers emissions as compared to conventional propulsion systems. Features such as silent maneuvering, emission-free operations, and lower degrees of fuel consumption have prompted vessel and towage operators to invest in this technology. Development of the technology originating from the hybrid automotive industry has assisted technology developers in designing efficient and economical marine hybrid propulsion systems. Marine hybrid propulsion systems are designed to use two independent drive systems for propulsion: a diesel engine and an electric motor, where electric power is generally stored in batteries or a super capacitor. The system utilizes the unused capacity of the main diesel engine to generate electricity and store it in batteries for later use.Constituting Largest Share, Diesel-electric Propulsion Segment Emerged DominantBased on revenue & volume (US$ Mn & units); the marine hybrid propulsion market has been broadly segmented into: propulsion type, end-use, power rating, stroke, RPM, and region. By propulsion type, marine hybrid propulsion market have been broadly segmented into diesel-electric, parallel, and serial hybrid systems. In 2016, diesel-electric propulsion type constituted 49% market share. In terms of end-use, the market has been segregated into: tugboats, offshore support vessels, ferries, defense vessels, yachts, cruise ships, and others. In terms of power rating, the market has been divided into: 0-300 KW, 301-500 KW, 501-800 KW, and above 801 KW. By stroke, the market has been analyzed for two stroke and four stroke marine hybrid engines. Currently, four strokes engines are widely preferred when compared to two stroke marine engines In terms of RPM, the market has been further broken into: 0-1,000 RPM, 1,001-2,500 RPM, and above 2,500 RPM. Above 2500 RPM segment is expected to grow at a higher growth rate when compared to other RPM segments.The three propulsion type segments analyzed in this report are diesel-electric, parallel, and serial hybrid systems. Installations of these configuration types are completely dependent on the operational requirements of the vessel operators. The operating power requirements and size of the drive components are crucial factors considered while vessel operators select the appropriate hybrid configurations for their respective vessels. Diesel-electric propulsion systems have witnessed a rapid growth rate in the past few decades. As these systems are easy to configure and install, several vessel operators have switched from conventional diesel systems to diesel-electric configurations to comply with environmental regulations enforced in respective regions. The diesel-electric configuration continues to remain the dominant product type in the marine hybrid propulsion market and several vessel operators have plans to invest in this propulsion system. Though parallel and serial hybrid systems are still in the early stages of development, the market for these systems is expected to grow at a significant rate within the forecast period.Get More Info, Read Complete Report with Table of Content @Asia Pacific to Offer Lucrative Prospects in Coming YearsCurrently, ferries have been recognized as the major ends-user in terms of installation of marine hybrid propulsion systems. Ferry operators, especially in Europe, are anticipated to invest substantial amounts for the installation of hybrid propulsion systems in their respective vessels. The European Union has also supported upgrade of ferries as all vessels traversing through or operating in European waters have to reduce sulfur emissions from 2015. Defense vessels are anticipated to be one of the most prominent end-user segment in terms of future hybrid propulsion installations. Several defense organizations in Europe and North America have started installing hybrid propulsion systems in the respective vessels operated by them. The typical operating profile for naval destroyers and military vessels includes a significant amount of time voyaging at low speed. In such operating modes, electrical propulsion motors can be used to meet the vessels power requirement which significantly reduces emissions and saves fuel.Currently, Europe and North America are the largest markets for marine hybrid propulsion systems. However, Asia Pacific is likely to emerge as one of the prominent markets for this technology. Highly environment-conscious Europe and North America are expected to lead in the global market for marine hybrid propulsion in the future. On the other hand, the market for marine hybrid propulsion systems in Asia Pacific is still not as developed as in North America and Europe. The towage and vessel operators providing services in this region are gradually shifting from conventional diesel to hybrid propulsion systems. Numerous attractive technologically advanced models are expected to be introduced in the future. The marine hybrid propulsion market might witness numerous collaborations between vessel operators and technology developers in the future.Enquire About this Report @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:Additive Manufacturing Market - Key Segments and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Additive Manufacturing Market: SnapshotOver the coming years, the growth of the global additive manufacturing market is expected to be tremendous, as more raw materials become available and more end-user industries adopt the technology. The continuous rise in research and development activities in additive manufacturing processes is anticipated to alter conventional manufacturing and supply chain pathways and open doors for product innovation. Until a few years ago, the scope of application of this technology was limited. For instance, in the medical field, it was used only for the production of prototypes or models. But with advancements in technology, it is used in making prosthetics, implants, scaffolds, organs, and surgical equipment. In other end-user industries such as automotive and electronics, these advancements have paved way for cleaner, safer, and lighter products, lower costs, and shorter lead times.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Geography-wise, Europe and North America will account for substantial cumulative shares in the global market. The increasing investments by governments and international players in the technology are augmenting the growth of the regions. The high disposable income of consumers and high awareness are also playing a vital role in the growth of the regions. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is expected to register a noteworthy growth rate during the forecast period. The immense potential of the market in this region is attracting global players to set up new production plants. Moreover, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies in the medical field is propelling the growth of the region. China is anticipated to be a sight of high growth rate in the region.Global Additive Manufacturing Market: SynopsisAdditive manufacturing (AM) refers to the concept of creating 3D objects that are solid, and can be of any size or shape to suit the requirement of the engineered products. Additive manufacturing are made by laying down multiple layers of a material, which is a renowned process from traditional subtractive machining techniques that depended on removing material by methods such as cutting or milling. Since this process involves the help of a machine connected to a computer that contains the blueprint of the desired object, the chances of mistakes are decreased to negligible, and hence the demand in the global market for additive manufacturing is escalating.Additive manufacturing is utilized by a wide range of industries such as architecture, footwear, industrial design, jewelry, engineering and construction, education, aerospace, dental and medical, consumer products, and automotive. Additive manufacturing has several benefits such as rapid manufacturing, ease in prototyping, mass production, and mass customization. Many players in the global additive manufacturing market provide services to individual, industrial, or commercial use. For the individual services, a customer can upload a 3D design to the company website, which can then be printed using the industrial 3D printer and delivered to the customer.Request TOC of the Report @Global Additive Manufacturing Market: Trends and ProspectsIn the recent times, the application of additive manufacturing has expanded due to the increase in the usage of nickel superalloy for jet engine parts, repairing of heat-treated steels and components, and direct laser sintering of titanium for aerospace components. AM also helps in reducing the weight by optimizing design structure and improved geometric shapes with advanced functionalities. In addition to this customization without any additional cost, additive manufacturing also significantly reduces the production steps, which makes them time-efficient. Concurrently, the primary driver in the global additive manufacturing market are rapid production at reduced cost and ease of development of customized products. Additionally, freedom in designing is enabled by additive manufacturing as it negates the constraints of tooling and machining. Among the restraints that may hinder the growth rate of the market, the factor of process control and complete understanding of the process is foremost. However, an opportunity for the market players is the participation of small companies in the global market, which will help in mergers and acquisitions, and ultimately help the players expand their outreach.Global Additive Manufacturing Market: Key SegmentsThe global market for additive manufacturing can be segmented on the basis of application and geography. By application, the market can be divided into consumer products or electronics, medical or dental, automotive, aerospace, and tools or molds. Geographically, the report evaluates the regional markets for additive manufacturing in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @The key players in the global additive manufacturing market include 3D Systems Corporation, Biomedical Modeling Inc., Arcam AB, 3T Rpd Ltd., Envisiontec GmbH, Fcubic Ab, Fcubic AB, Eos GmbH, Gpi Prototype & Manufacturing Services Inc., Limacorporate S.P.A., Electro Optical Systems, Layerwise NV, Greatbatch Inc., Medical Modeling Inc., Renishaw PLC, Objet Ltd., Materialise NV, Morris Tech. Inc., Sirona Dental Systems, Stratasys Inc. and Slm Solutions GmbH.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Hydrazobenzene Market - Detailed Analysis and Forecast 2017-2025

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Global Hydrazobenzene Market: SnapshotHydrazobenzene is chemically studied to be a crystalline and colorless compound that when heated to decomposition discharges virulent nitrogen oxide fumes. It could find application in the manufacture of various pharmaceuticals while functioning as an intermediate. The dye manufacturing sector could engage hydrazobenzene primarily as an antecedent of benzidine, which is a dye intermediate. Based on experimental findings that prove the carcinogenicity of hydrazobenzene, it is rationally predicted to be a human carcinogen. Moreover, if humans are exposed to this compound, it can cause brain, kidney, and liver damage while irritating the lungs, throat, nose, and skin.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Each country in the global hydrazobenzene market could have its own list of key suppliers. In both the U.S. and Europe regions, Chemos GmbH & Co. KG has been making its mark with more than 25 years of quality experience in the fine chemical industry. With a robust network incorporating chemical producers and custom manufacturing firms, Chemos operates as a strong support to the chemical companies and research institutions positioned in the aforementioned regions. Likewise, there could be Hangzhou Dayangchem Co. Ltd. and IBIS Chemie International operating as top companies in the Peoples Republic of China and India respectively.According to the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals (GHS), hydrazobenzene is very toxic to the aquatic environment with enduring effects to face and may even lead to cancer. Therefore, as per the laboratory chemical safety summary (LCSS), manufacturers and end users of this substance are required to follow certain regulations related to storage and handling, cleanup and disposal, exposure limit, first aid, and health and symptoms.Global Hydrazobenzene Market: OverviewThe rising number of applications of hydrazobenzene and the rising focus of key players on research and development activities are the key factors fueling the growth of the global hydrazobenzene market. Furthermore, the demand for hydrogen peroxide for the purpose of water treatment is anticipated to encourage the growth of the market.The research report provides analysis of the global hydrazobenzene market on a regional and global level. The study offers historical information and presents the forecast statistics between 2017 and 2025 in terms of revenue and volume. The key segmentation and the major factors encouraging the growth of the global hydrazobenzene market have been provided in the research study to provide a strong understanding for readers and new entrants. Furthermore, to provide a thorough view of the global market, the research study has included a detailed competitiveness analysis and a list of the leading company players.Request TOC of the Report @Global Hydrazobenzene Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe growing demand for hydrazobenzene from the pharmaceutical industry is the key factor expected to encourage the growth of the market in the next few years. In addition, the rising consumption of phenylbutazone and sulfinpyrazone in manufacturing different pharmaceutical products is expected to accelerate the growth of the global hydrazobenzene market in the forecast period. On the flip side, the carcinogenic properties of hydrazobenzene, which is considered as extremely harmful for human being due to prolonged exposure is one of the major factors projected to hamper the growth of the global hydrazobenzene market in the next few years. Nonetheless, the rising number of applications of hydrazobenzene and the growing demand from the automotive industry are likely to supplement the growth of the market in the next few years.Global Hydrazobenzene Market: Region-wise OutlookAmong the key regional segments in the hydrazobenzene market, Asia Pacific is estimated to witness rapid growth in the next few years. With the rising number of applications, this region is projected to account for a key share of the overall market and register a progressive growth. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the rising demand for hydrazobenzene from pigments and dyes industry.In addition, the swift development of the agro-chemical sector in Asia Pacific is projected to boost the demand for hydrazobenzene throughout the forecast period. The agrochemical application of hydrazobenzene as a de-suckering agent, especially in tobacco plants is likely to contribute substantially in developing economies of Asia Pacific, including China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Thailand. Furthermore, the increasing number of players in this region is expected to encourage the growth of the hydrazobenzene market throughout the forecast period.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Key Players Mentioned in the Research Report are:The research study on the global hydrazobenzene market offers a detailed analysis of the competitive landscape, presenting insights into the prominent players operating in the market. In addition, the company profiles, financial overview, contact information, SWOT analysis, and the recent developments have been discussed at length in the scope of the study. Some of the key players operating in the market are Alfa Aesar, IBIS Chemie International, Gihi Chemicals Co., Limited, Tokyo Kasei Kogyo (TKK), and Chemos GmbH.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Chipless RFID Market - Major Key Players and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Chipless RFID Market: SnapshotChipless RFIDs, the systems that use radiofrequency energy to communicate data but do not store serial numbers in the transponder like RFID systems with silicon microchips do, are considered the next big opportunity for the global RFID market as the a highly digitized world demands means of tagging all things possible. Chipless RFIDs suit well to this requirement as they are very cheap and convenient as compared to conventional RFID tags. While not many leading RFID companies are focusing on development in the field of chipless RFID, many companies in the fields of packaging, printing, and electronics are actively leading development of the technology through R&D efforts.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The market for chipless RFIDs is increasingly witnessing the introduction of innovative chipless RFID systems. Certain chipless RFID tags in the market use materials some form of conductive polymers instead of the conventional silicon microchips. Some varieties use materials capable of reflecting back a portion of the radio waves radiated at them. A computer gathers the waves reflected back as a snapshot and uses it like biometric data to identify the tagged object. Some companies operating in the field of chipless RFID are also experimenting with implanting radio frequency reflecting fibers in documents to prevent their unauthorized photocopying.There are also some varieties of inks in the global market capable of reflecting radio waves at specific frequencies. The most common use of these inks has been seen in the field of agriculture wherein farmers can tattoo chipless RFID transponders with the help of these inks on animals for the purpose of identification.Chipless RFID: General OutlineRadio-frequency identification (RFID) uses of a wireless non-contact system that in turn uses electromagnetic fields with the level of radio frequency to transmit data. The data is sent from a tag which is attached with an object, for automatic tracking and identification. Some tags are given power by the electromagnetic fields that are then used to read them, and hence need no battery. Other types of RFID use a local power source and send out radio waves. The tag consists of electronically stored data which could be received from up to more than a few meters away.Request TOC of the Report @Chipless RFID technologies have the capability to create demand for trillions of tags yearly, through item level tagging, thereby creating more opportunity, and as a result the chip RFID suppliers are continuously working towards developing these technologies. Printers, electronics and packaging manufacturers have so far led the global chipless RFID market in terms of usage as well as rate of development. The importance of chipless RFID tags is set to increase even further for them through the implementation of low-cost RFID tags integrated with low-price electronics such as displays and sensors.Chipless RFID: Trends and ProspectsDue to the recent technological developments, chipless RFID tags have now become affordable, and can be attributed to its growth. Chipless RFID are tied to a simplified production technology, which minimizes the production time and is well-matched with the pre-existing infrastructure, thus saving the cost of establishing new system. However, the low efficiency of chipless RFID in supply chain could act as a challenge for its market growth.The U.S. is currently leading the RFID business and market share. The manufacturers of chipless RFID have understood the requirement for low priced and efficient solutions, for tracking and tracing of goods for several applications. These applications include smart card, retail, supply chain, and others. Chipless RFID offers solution such as anti-counterfeiting and asset tracking to stop the shrinkage in retail. Shrink in retail generally occurs by any kind of theft or misplacement of good without notification. Moreover, it helps improve the efficiency and productivity of the system. In addition, it is also helping smart card penetrate further in the market by offering more security to smart cards. The government of countries such as Nigeria, China, Singapore and United Kingdom have already made use of RFID compulsory in various projects such as counterfeiting, citizen identification and others, thereby giving a boost to the growth of chipless RFID.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Chipless RFID: Key SegmentsThe common application of chipless RFID can be found in supply chain, aviation, smart cards, retail, public transit, and healthcare. Defense, library, and animal tagging are a few of the modern application of chipless RFID.Chipless RFID: Key PlayersKey market players of Chipless RFID include Alien Technology Corporation, Confidex Ltd., Impinj Incorporation, Intermec Inc., Soligie Inc., Toppan forms Co.Ltd., Basf S.E., Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited, kovio inc., Inksure Technologies Inc., and Zebra Technologies Corporation among others.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RFID in Pharmaceuticals Market - Detailed Assessment and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global RFID in Pharmaceuticals Market: SnapshotThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has played a vital role in escalating the widespread adoption of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in the pharmaceutical sector to strengthen anti-counterfeiting and track-and-trace efforts. Besides these benefits, RFID technology is acknowledged for its ability to increase supply chain efficiency, reduce errors by proper storage of information, boost patient safety and monitoring, enhance staff, patient, and asset workflow, easy adoption and flexible usage, and cut down labor requirements.Request Sample Copy of the Report @With the pharmaceutical sector being a highly critical area, there is a pressing need to have highly efficient systems. Therefore, certain limitations of the technology restrict the RFID in pharmaceuticals market from realizing its utmost potential. These limitations include tampering concerns, technical issues, and compatibility and standardization issues. Another major factor holding back the market is the high cost of implementation. Industrial experts believe that these issues are interrelated. The high cost is limiting widespread adoption and at the same time, the implementation rate of RFID across the pharmaceutical sector is not considerable enough to make the technology cheap. However, the aforementioned limitations are being addressed by technological advancements, which are likely to render the global RFID in pharmaceuticals market highly opportunistic.The majority of players in the global RFID in pharmaceuticals market are focusing towards technological advancements and product innovation to improve their visibility in the market. Large players are pouring hefty funds into research and development activities to offer products and services that are advanced and in line with the requirements of the pharmaceutical sectors. Most of the leading players in the market are players with strong brand name, high technical expertise, and strong capital muscle.Global RFID in Pharmaceuticals Market: OverviewRadio frequency identification, popularly known by the acronym RFID, has a host of applications in different areas. Healthcare and pharmaceuticals is one of them. RFID tracking systems have come in handy in lowering human efforts and errors in maintenance and control of healthcare inventory. Some of its popular applications are in tracking medical equipment in hospitals, identifying patients, monitoring blood transfer, and tracking of medication from pharmacy to patient. In the pharmaceutical sector, it helps in monitoring imports and exports of pharmaceutical raw materials, internal and external tracking of pharmaceuticals, and documenting the transfer of products from manufacturers to patients.Request TOC of the Report @Comprising of a small chip, which is capable of carrying up to 2000 bytes and an antenna, the RFID devices do a job similar to that of a bar code or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card or ATM card  provide a unique identifier for an object. Like a bar code or magnetic strip, an RFID device must also be scanned to gather the identifying information.Global RFID in Pharmaceuticals Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe pharmaceuticals sector is faced with many challenges on the logistics front. These include product recalls due to overstocking which often results in expiry of drugs. Counterfeit drugs is another issue hobbling as it puts the patients safety at risk. Further, prescription packaged drugs are difficult to read and patients not taking the proper prescribed dose medication is another problem. To tackle all such challenges RFID can be leveraged successfully.RFID technology enables better tracking and accountability resulting in improved reliability in drug approval process. It also allows tracking of drug intake via the testing protocol. Also, enhanced inventory tracking with RFID can aid in bringing down buffer stocks thereby slashing cost. All these benefits have majorly contributed to the demand for RFID in the pharmaceuticals sector.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @This market is also filliped by the rising demand for more efficient anti-counterfeit solutions for drugs that would ensure product security, quality, and efficient usability. The US FDA has recommended a set of rules and regulations to be applied in RFID for the pharmaceutical industry. Countering the swift uptake of RFID in pharmaceuticals market, however, is the steep cost of installation and deployment of RFID tracking systems. Dearth of awareness about the long term financial advantages of RFID technology is another factor crimping growth in the market.Global RFID in Pharmaceuticals Market: Regional OutlookNorth America and Europe are dominant markets for RFID in the pharmaceuticals sector because of favorable government initiatives, growing thrust on cost reduction through operational efficiency, and major drug counterfeit events. Asia Pacific is slated to exhibit solid growth in the years ahead due to cheaper original equipment manufacturing (OEM) services provided by China and rapid uptake of RFID systems in healthcare in the region.Companies Mentioned in ReportTo present an accurate and detailed assessment of the competition prevailing in the market for RFID in the pharmaceutical sector, the report profiles companies such as IBM Corporation, Alien Technology, Hewlett-Pakard, Siemens, Motorola, Inc., Texas Instruments, Toshiba Tech, and Zebra Technologies 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Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) Market - Regional Overview and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Methyltriethoxysilane is considered as an organic compound of silicon, which belongs to the organosilicon compound class. Methyltriethoxysilane is manufactured at an industrial scale from ethanol and trimethylsilyl chloride. The increasing use of methyltriethoxysilane is anticipated to encourage the growth of the overall market in the next few years. The key players operating in the global methyltriethoxysilane market are emphasizing on the expansion of the application base, which is likely to fuel the markets growth in the coming years.Among the regional segments, the developing economies in the methyltriethoxysilane market are projected to grow at a substantial rate in the coming years. The high pace of industrialization and the increasing construction activities are estimated to accelerate the growth of the overall market. The rising use of methyltriethoxysilane as water repellants, sealants, stabilizing and coupling agents in the chemical industry is one of the major factors anticipated to supplement the markets growth in the near future. The high performing characteristics offered by methyltriethoxysilane is likely to contribute significantly towards the development of the overall market in the next few years.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Furthermore, several new entrants are anticipated to enter the global methyltriethoxysilane market and enhance the competitive scenario of the market in the near future. Advancements in technology and the expansion of the product portfolio, thanks to the rising research and development activities are estimated to encourage the growth of the global methyltriethoxysilane market. These players are predicted to focus on emerging economies, which are expected to help them in enhancing their market presence and attain a leading position across the globe.Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) Market: General OutlineMethyltriethoxysilane (MTES) (CH3Si(OCH2CH3)3 ) is an organic compound of silicon, belonging to a class of organosilicon compounds known as silanes, which are saturated hydrosilicones and are generally stable due to their high saturation. Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) appears to be a colorless, clear, free flowing liquid, and readily hydrolyzes when mixed with water. The hydrolysis of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) increases in basic solutions and reduces in acidic solutions. It is produced at an industrial scale from trimethylsilyl chloride and ethanol. It has a stable tetrahedral molecular structure, with a low flashpoint that readily catches fire at temperatures beyond 23 to 25 degrees Celsius. Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) is usually supplied at purity levels higher than 98% in the market, and is classified as a toxic chemical and may cause harm when exposed.Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) Market: Inclusive InsightsSilane compounds are commonly used as sealants, water repellents, coupling and stabilizing agents in the chemical industry. Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) is primarily used as a cross-linking agent for curing of silicone rubber polymers at room temperature, and is also used as coupling agents for glass fibers and silicon oxide. It also acts as a strengthening agent, while treating and coating of plastic materials, and is widely used in polymer industry. The stability of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) comes in handy for sol-gel systems, and acts as a chain protecting agent against water and polymerizing agents.Request TOC of the Report @Due to its high performing characteristics, silianes are predominantly used in the polymer industry for manufacturing polysiloxanes. It can be applied as sealants for caulking, used for insulating and sealing in construction industry, and act as semiconductors for electronics among others. The market is therefore expected to grow in the coming years. Demand growth is expected to be driven primarily with the increase of end use industries of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) including construction, polymer, and electronic industries. The market growth is likely to be affected by the availability of substitutes and toxicity of the chemical. On the other hand, the prospective market opportunity is set to increase with new application of polymer manufacture and electronic products among others.Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) Market: Regional OverviewPolymer, construction, and electronics industries are the end users of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), and due to its high demand in Asia Pacific, the region accounts for growing number of consumers. Industrial economies namely, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand are the main consumers of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) for its usage in the manufacture of various plastics and coating materials.Two of the fastest growing industrial economies of Asia, China and India are the rapidly growing market for polymer industry, and in turn is responsible for driving the demand for methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and other silanes. Cheap labor availability, land, and comparatively lenient norms and regulations against chemicals, have led several market players to establish their production facilities in Asia. The demand is high for methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) in North America due to its heavy usage in chemical industry, requirement of coatings for plastics and sealants for construction industry, making the region another key market for methyltriethoxysilane (MTES). In due course of time, the demand for methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) is likely to rise in Brazil, South Africa, and the Middle East.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) Market: Key Market PlayersThe key players of the marmethyltriethoxysilane (MTES) market are: Alfa Aesar (Johnson Matthey Group Company), Asia Silicones Association Ltd., BRB International BV, and Wynca Chemicals AG.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Cutting Equipment, Accessories, and Consumables Market - General Outline and Forecast 2017 - 2025

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Global Cutting Equipment, Accessories, and Consumables Market: SnapshotThe global cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables market is being majorly boosted by demand in Asia Pacific and from end-use sectors such as residential, commercial, institutional, infrastructure, industrial, and marine.Among the different types of consumables, the shielding gases and oxy-fuel gases currently dominate the market and are forecasted to gain maximum market share in the near future owing to increasing demand for argon gas by the industries to meet the demand.The various types of technologies leveraged in the market are carbon arc cutting, oxy-fuel cutting, plasma cutting, laser cutting, and water jet cutting. Powered by robust demand from developing economies such as India and China, the plasma cutting technology is anticipated to record maximum growth rate. It will likely be trailed by the laser cutting segment.Request Sample Copy of the Report @From a geographical perspective, Asia Pacific spearheads the global market for cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables and is projected to witness healthy growth in the near future as well. This is mainly on account of its large population base and growing demands for better residential, commercial, institutional, and infrastructure spaces.Illinois Tool Works Inc., Colfax Corporation., Lincoln Electric Company, Air Liquide, and the Linde group are to name a few key players in the global market for cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables. Other prominent companies operating in the market are Muller, GCE holding AB, Messer group, Matheson tri-gas Inc., Fronius international GMBH, and Bug-O, Gentec. Currently astute companies are trying to come with cost-effective technologies to outsmart one another and capture greater market share.Global Cutting Equipment, Accessories, and Consumables Market: General OutlineCutting equipment are at the backbone of any manufacturing industry, and the related accessories and consumables are frequently required in order to maintain consistent production. Some of the common cutting equipment are handheld and mechanized plasma cutters, high definition plasma cutters, CNC plasma cutting tables, retrofit solutions, pipe and tube cutting machines, structural steel fabrication, shape cutting controllers, and plasma torch consumables. Due to the rising population across the world, which is not only escalating the demand from manufacturing industry but also encouraging the set-up of new production outlets and in turn fueling the demand for cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables.Request TOC of the Report @This report on global cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables market is a comprehensive analysis of all the factors that are expected to influence the growth rate during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025. The report segments this market by technology, equipment, accessories and consumables, and geography. By technology, the market can be divided into carbon arc cutting, plasma cutting, laser cutting, oxy-fuel cutting, and water jet cutting. Bu equipment, the market is segmented into manual cutting equipment and mechanized cutting equipment. The segment of manual cutting equipment is further sub-segmented into oxy-fuel cutting, plasma cutting, gouging, portable cutting and, air or fuel torches. The segment of mechanized cutting equipment can be sub-segmented into oxy-fuel, plasma cutting, cutting tables, and cutting machines. By accessories, the market is divided into gas regulators, gas filters, gas flow meters, gas manifolds, gas panels, check valves, flow controllers, and gas cabinets. By consumables, the market is segmented into shielding gases and oxy-fuel gases.Global Cutting Equipment, Accessories, and Consumables Market: Trends and ProspectsThe credits the growing demand from the end-use industries such as commercial, residential, institutional, infrastructure, and marine are the prominent factor fueling the demand in global cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables market. Moreover, rapid industrialization, especially in the emerging economies in Asia Pacific such as India and China, is enticing players in this market to stretch their production capacity and meet the demand. The report anticipates consumables such as shielding gases and oxy-fuel gases to gain maximum traction over the period of next few years, due to the rising demand for argon gas by the industries. Also, plasma cutting as a technology is projected for robust growth rate, particularly from China and India, which are ranked as the first and second most lucrative country-wise market in the global cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Cutting Equipment, Accessories, and Consumables Market: Key RegionsGeographically, the report studies the regional markets of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world, and rates Asia Pacific as the most lucrative market due to its vast population. The developed region of North America is rated as the second most prominent region.Colfax Corporation., Lincoln Electric Company, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Air Liquide, and the Linde group are identified as the key players in the global cutting equipment, accessories, and consumables market. Other prominent players in this market identified by the report include GCE holding AB, Messer group, Fronius international GMBH, Matheson tri-gas Inc., Bug-O, Gentec, and Muller.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Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Pressure Ulcers Market to be at Forefront by 2024

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The realm of the global diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers market is helmed by a few players. However, the market exhibits the presence of several large and medium-scale companies, which has rendered its vendor landscape highly competitive. While the dominance has remained with established players having a global presence, they are forecast to witness intense competition at the regional level. These companies are Acelity L.P. Inc., Smith & Nephew Plc, and Molnlycke Health Care AB and together they hold over 50% of the global diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers market in 2015, rendering it a fairly consolidated vendor landscape, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study.For the companies looking to venture into the market, they might face a tough time establishing a global presence. Furthermore, experts have prophesized the competition to remain high in the market over the next few years, making it even more difficult for new players to establish their presence.Request Sample of Report:Overall, the global diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers market will exhibit a positive 6.6% CAGR between 2016 and 2024. At this pace, the markets valuation will reach US$4.9 bn by the end of 2024, from its worth of US$2.8 bn in 2015. Based on end user, hospital inpatient setting will report the maximum demand. It also constituted the leading end user segment in 2015 with a share of 36.1% in the overall market and is forecast to remain at the lead through the forecast period. Regionally, North America emerged dominant with an estimated share of 38.1% in the global market in 2016. The region is expected to remain dominant through the forecast period.Rising Incidence of Chronic Ailments to Fuel Market OpportunitiesAccording to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about half of adults in the U.S., were suffering from one or more chronic conditions in 2013. Besides this, the World Health Organizations (WHOs) factsheet says that in 2014, almost 1.9 billion adults were overweight. These health conditions often become a breeding ground for chronic ailments in adults, thereby resulting in their hospital stays, reduced mobility, neuropathic diseases, and other conditions, which are the leading causes of diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers.Read Report Overview:Talking about chronic ailments, diabetes is one of the leading causes of diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers. Diabetes has remained one of the most prevalent chronic conditions affecting millions around the world. As changing lifestyle and unhealthy lifestyle have bolstered the prevalence of diabetes, subsequently the incidence of diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers is increased as well, said a lead TMR analyst.Also the market is tremendously gaining from favorable demographic and the rising aging population who are more prone to developing chronic ailments. There is a strong co-relation between age and severe chronic ailments, risk of diabetes, obesity, and other illnesses. As chronic ailments may restrict mobility, aging population faces increased risk of foot ulcers and pressure ulcers. As people become more aware of these conditions, the demand for supporting treatment and medications for diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers will increase. This will give the market significant impetus.Download Brochure of Report:Cost Burden of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Treatment Could Hamper GrowthOn the flip side, the cost burden of diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers treatments is inhibiting the markets trajectory to an extent. Lack of preventive measure taken by healthcare providers and patients has been a major reason behind the widespread incidence of diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers. This creates additional cost burden, as the expenditure incurred on the illness is often quite high. The rising incidence of diabetic foot ulcers has therefore compelled healthcare providers and patients families to focus on preventive measures, to save any additional expenditure and discomfort on the part of patients. This could have a negative impact on the market.Nevertheless, biologics are increasingly used for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers. This is a relatively novel method and holds promise for markets growth in the near future.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based 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 us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Panic Disorders Market - Highly Competitive Scenario during 2017 - 2025

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Global Panic Disorders Market: SnapshotPanic disorders, also known as anxiety disorder deals with recurrent and unexpected panic attacks. These attacks are sudden and can affect the health of a person on a serious note if untreated. As a result, several drugs and therapeutics have been introduced in order to treat patients suffering from panic disorders across the globe. The rising demand for effective drugs and the rising awareness regarding its availability of therapeutics are anticipated to encourage the growth of the global panic disorder market in the next few years. The hectic lifestyle and the rising work pressure are some of the common causes resulting in panic disorders across the globe.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The leading players in the global panic disorders market are focusing on creating an awareness among people regarding this condition and the several effects if not properly treated are expected to encourage the markets growth in the coming years. In addition, the increasing emphasis of players on development of new product and research and development activities is likely to generate lucrative and promising growth opportunities for key players operating in the global panic disorders market. The rising preference of patients on spending significantly towards healthcare expenses is expected to accelerate the growth of the market in the near future.With a substantial rise in the competitive level, the market players are expected to witness high growth. The expansion of the product portfolio and the rising demand from developed economies are anticipated to encourage the growth of the global panic disorders market in the next few years. Moreover, the marketing strategies adopted by the players and the enhancement of the distribution network are some of the important aspects expected to augment global panic disorders market in the near future.Global Panic Disorders Market: OverviewThe increasing number of drugs in the clinical trials and the effective therapeutics available across the globe are propelling the global panic disorders market. The rising number of cases owing to the hectic lifestyle is one of the major factors boosting the cases of panic disorders. Nonetheless, with the rising focus of leading players on the expansion of the product portfolio, the market is likely to witness high growth in the next few years.Request TOC of the Report @The research report on the global panic disorders market provides a comprehensive analysis, focusing on the latest trends, growth prospects, and opportunities. With the help of primary and secondary data, the research study throws light on the leading segments and regions of the global panic disorders market. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape of the global market has been presented to guide the new entrants of the market.Global Panic Disorders Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe rising prevalence of anxiety and mental disorders, the rising awareness regarding the disorders, and the availability of effective treatment options are some of the vital factors that are estimated to fuel the growth of the global panic disorders market throughout the forecast period. The rising initiatives being taken by the leading players to create an understanding among consumers is expected to accelerate the growth of the market in the near future.On the other hand, the lack of awareness, especially in underdeveloped and developing economies regarding the severity of these disorders if not treated is one of the key factors likely to restrict the growth of the overall market in the coming years. Nonetheless, at present, several drugs are in different phases of clinical trials, which are expected to be commercialized soon are projected to encourage the growth of the market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Global Panic Disorders Market: Region-wise OutlookAmong the key regional segments, North America is predicted to lead the global panic disorders market and hold a massive share in the forecast period. The high growth of this region can be attributed to the presence of a large number of players and the growing awareness among consumers regarding the availability of effective therapeutics for panic disorders. Furthermore, Europe is expected to remain in the second position throughout the forecast period.On the other hand, Asia Pacific is projected to witness robust growth in the near future, thanks to the untapped lucrative opportunities for the key players. In addition, the rising purchasing capacity of consumers is expected to encourage the growth of the market in the next few years. India and China are anticipated to contribute significantly towards the growth of the panic disorders market in Asia Pacific.Key Players Mentioned in the Research Report are:The global market for panic disorders is highly competitive in nature, owing to the presence of a large number of players operating in it. Some of the key players in the market are H. Lundbeck A/S, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Actavis plc, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Mylan, Inc., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc., AstraZeneca plc, and Pfizer, Inc.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Human Microbiome Market is slated to rise at a CAGR of 9.80% by 2024

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The global human microbiome market has been studied by Transparency Market Research (TMR) to attract a substantial count of companies foraying into it. This could take place in a time where the market is still growing out of its nascent stage. TMR has also predicted the market to witness an intense competition, as a result, in the near future. The market has been occupied by leading contestants such as uBiome Inc., Synthetic Biologics Inc., Seres Therapeutics, Vedanta Biosciences, and Enterome Biosciences SA. If you are a player looking to expand your business in the market, you could follow some of the go-to strategies adopted by key companies such as mergers and acquisitions.Read Report Overview:The global human microbiome market could be divided into two chief classifications: therapeutics and diagnostics. Analysts at TMR have envisaged the global human microbiome therapeutics market to expand its growth at a 9.2% CAGR during the forecast tenure 2020-2024. By 2024, the market could earn an around US$1.7 bn after touching a valuation of US$1.2 bn in 2020. On the basis of technology, the analysts have foreseen the global human microbiome diagnostics market to testify of the marginal lead expected to be secured by 16s rRNA sequencing at a 2024 valuation of US$0.7 bn. Regionally, North America could be at a commanding position in the global human microbiome therapeutics market while growing at a CAGR of 9.1% between 2020 and 2024.Request Sample of Report:Rising Partnerships between Industry and Institutes Fuel Growth in MarketEarlier in 2017, there were clinical translational medicine collaborations between Vedanta Biosciences and two institutes, i.e. Leiden University Medical Center and Stanford University School of Medicine. With a view to improve their market strategies, companies are looking to team up with eminent physicians, researchers, and scientists in the field. If you are a small startup or your company needs angel investors and venture capitalists, it could be encouraging to know that the world human microbiome market has witnessed a rise in venture capital investments in the recent years. Microbiome-based diagnosis and treatment methods have been showing quite some promise, thus winning the confidence of investors in the market.The completion of the NIH Human Microbiome Project has propelled growth in the market as it has provided advanced knowledge about the relation between human health and the microbiome. This knowledge is extensively used in drug discovery and development.Download Brochure of Report:Clinical Trial Setbacks and Regulatory Hurdles Cause Problems in GrowthUndesirable results obtained out of clinical trials and regulatory hurdles have been projected to upset the growth of the international human microbiome market when it is still in the nascent phase. However, advances and expertise in the field could dilute the effect of such minor setbacks companies may have been facing today. Concerns over anonymity and privacy of the genetic data of subjects similar to those related to 23andMes genetic tests could be another factor restraining market growth.Since microbiome composition changes over time and holds a dynamic nature and the microbiome of every individual is different, standardization of diagnostic tests is extremely crucial. If the standardization is not actuated well, there could be a possibility of market growth being hampered. However, improved success rates of the treatment of major health problems and life-threatening diseases using microbiome-based techniques have been prophesied to set the tone for a valuable growth in the international human microbiome market. Furthermore, novel drug delivery systems and drug formulations could create robust growth opportunities in the market.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based 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 us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Transdermal Scopolamine Market is poised to reach a valuation of US$585.3 mn by 2024

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A new study by Transparency Market Research (TMR) indicates that Novartis AG, alone, contributed nearly 41.0% of the overall revenue of the global transdermal scopolamine market in 2016. Other two torch bearers in the market, namely, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and Baxter International Inc., commanded a cumulative share of 49.0% in the same year. Even though, the number of small players in the market is less, the degree of competition within the arena will remain low over the forthcoming years. The leading participants are focusing towards acquiring small companies in order to consolidate their position in the market, says the author of the report.The opportunity in the global transdermal scopolamine market was pegged at US$330.0 mn in 2015 and is poised to reach a valuation of US$585.3 mn by the end of 2024, progressing at a healthy CAGR of 6.70% between 2016 and 2024.Read Report Overview:North America to Stay Ahead through 2024, thanks to Robust Healthcare FacilitiesGeographically, North America will continue to be at the forefront of the growth of the global market for transdermal scopolamine until 2024. The presence of an advanced healthcare infrastructure along with the increasing consumer healthcare spending is acting as the primary factor driving the regional market. The market in North America is witnessing increased usage of transdermal scopolamine in surgeries and post-operative treatments. However, the growth of the region is impeded by the limited availability of generics. Owing to these factors, the region will exhibit a CAGR of 6.40% during the forecast period.Europe and Asia Pacific are expected to register strong growth during the same period. The growth of Europe can be attributed to the widening pool of travelers and the presence of a state-of-art healthcare industry.Request Sample of Report:Increasing Number of Surgeries Performed Worldwide to Stir up Uptake of Transdermal ScopolamineThe global market for transdermal scopolamine is gaining significant momentum, thanks to the increasing awareness among consumers regarding its high effectiveness in treating motion sickness. The growing number of travelers worldwide are, therefore, shot in the arm for the global market. Transdermal scopolamine is also being increasingly used in surgeries as it aids in controlling hyper salivation and helps in recovering from anesthesia-induced and postoperative vomiting and nausea, says a TMR analyst. Hence, the dramatic rise in the number of people undergoing surgeries every year is reflecting positively on the global sales of transdermal scopolamine patches. Researchers anticipate that the market will continue to post phenomenal growth in the coming years as well.Side-effects of Transdermal Scopolamine to Limit their Widespread AdoptionOn the flip side, the upward growth of the market is marred by the side-effects caused by the consumption of these patches, such as retarded motion, drowsiness, and diluted pupils. Besides this, the rising reporting of cases of adverse withdrawal symptoms for these patches and the presence of stringent rules and regulations pertaining to the manufacturing and marketing of these products are limiting the global transdermal scopolamine market from realizing its utmost potential.Download Brochure of Report:Nevertheless, emerging countries are expected to offer lucrative growth opportunities. The proliferation of small- and medium- scale players in developing regions is boosting the scope of market expansion. The improving healthcare sector and booming medical tourism are providing the immense potential to these countries, which in turn is likely attract the attention of key global players.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based 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 us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Patient Warming Devices Market has been prophesied to earn an around US$2.78 bn by 2024

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The global patient warming devices market has been prognosticated to demonstrate a significantly high degree of competitive rivalry amongst leading industry players. In a report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), amid the consolidated nature of the competitive landscape of the market, players could aim at amalgamating their share through mergers and acquisitions. Players have been expected to not only add to their current product portfolio but also extend their geographical footprint via the acquisition of smaller yet time-honored businesses. Furthermore, players could dedicate more significance to product differentiation.Read Report Overview:According to TMR, the world patient warming devices market has been prophesied to earn an around US$2.78 bn by 2024. This revenue valuation could progress at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period 20162024 from a US$1.73 bn touched in 2015. By product, surface warming system has been envisaged to attain a maximum share by the concluding forecast year as it had secured an approximate 76.0% in 2015. In respect of geography, forecasted to be trailed by Europe at close quarters in future, North America could continue its dominance in the market, evident by its 45.7% share in 2015.Requirement of Urgent Body Temperature Management Swells DemandThe demand for patient warming devices has been projected to be shored up by the urgent need for the management of body temperature in patients that undergo surgical procedures involving the usage of anesthesia. Such patients usually experience a drastic drop in their body temperature, which calls for the pressing requirement of patient warming devices. Perioperative care, in particular, has been anticipated to hike up the growth of the world patient warming devices market for most of the forecast period. With this in consideration, the surge in the count of chronic diseases could act in the favor of the market.Request Sample of Report:More prospects have been predicted to take birth in future as the demand for patient warming devices witnesses an increase with the elevating prevalence of oncological and cardiovascular conditions. This could likely be due to the rising demand for surgical interventions on a global platform. The mounting rate of premature births and increasing number of neonates could maintain the need for the implementation of patient warming devices. The rising age of population making people susceptible to chronic disorders could augment the need for patient warming devices. The snowballing occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and developing trend of sedentary lifestyle have been expected to further add to the growth of the market.High Excise Duties Imposed on Medical Device Manufacturers Hamper GrowthThe risk of serious side effects with the implementation of patient warming devices on account of their invasive nature could discourage the growth of the market. Another major restraint that has been foreseen to impede the growth of the international patient warming devices market could be high excise duties that manufacturers of medical devices are faced with.Download Brochure of Report:However, in the coming years, the need for patient warming devices could spike with the emergence of technologically sophisticated offerings including targeted temperature management devices. The demand for patient warming devices has been estimated to be further bolstered by bettering healthcare infrastructure and economic development in developing regions.About us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S.-based 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 us:Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Endoscopic Clips Market Overview and Regional Outlook Study 2017  2027

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Endoscopic clips is used to approximation of tissues during gastrointestinal endoscopy and others, the first introduce in Japan by Olympus Corporation, the mechanics of endoscopic clips also recognized the useful of nonhemostatics applications, the endoscopic clips are made of metal and also known as hemoclip or endoclip, this clips has a wide and expanding in its application. The clips has controllable adherence, transmural penetration, larger diameters and others. Clips can be used in bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, the small growths of tissue in intestine is known as polyps, after removing the polyps from intestine the clips is paced in tissue to stop the bleeding.Get Brochure of Report @Endoscopic Clips Market: Drivers and RestraintsEndoscopic clips is growing market over the forecast period, as players are coming with more innovative technology to develop more flexible and portable size of the clips, so that a single clips cover more area of the tissue to provide better treatment. For instance, Boston Scientific Corporation has design the clip name as Resolution clip which can work under Magnetic Resonance (MR) environments also and can be used in emergency bleeding situations, the jaw span is also more powerful to hold the tissue. The awareness and the higher cost is the present hindrances for this segment.Endoscopic Clips Market: SegmentationEndoscopic clips is segmented on the basicBy TypeEndoscopic markingHemostasisMucosal/submucosal defectsBleeding ulcersBleeding arteriesPolypectomy sitesOthersBy End UserHospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersClinicsOthersRequest Report For TOC @Endoscopic Clips Market: OverviewEndoscopic clips are developing by players to hold the market with their products, as the products are coming with innovative technology and concepts to hold the maximum area for the treatment, for instance a TriClip was introduced by Cook Medical Inc. in 2003, which have the three-pronged clip and open diameter of 12 mm. The innovation are still going on to refine the product to get more better grip and hold over the tissue or the area for treatment, transmural penetration and many more. Players are also focusing on those clips which can steers without wire and the clips can be deploy in capsule formats.Endoscopic Clips Market: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, Endoscopic Clips Market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America hold major share in this segment as the players and the application is high. Europe and Asia-Pacific are creating the awareness about the product and its applications.Enquiry for discount on this report Endoscopic Clips Market: Key PlayersSome of the players in Endoscopic Clips Market include: Boston Scientific Corporation, Olympus Corporation, Cook Endoscopy, AGA Medical, Plymouth, Mass, Natick, Cincinati, Ohio and LSI SolutionsThe report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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:Stroke Prevention Devices Market Latest Report with Forecast to 2027

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Stroke is a medical condition occurs due to interrupted blood supply to the brain, due to blockage of blood vessels which can lead to the death or death of brain cells. Because stroke takes place rapidly and immediate treatment requirement, its also called a brain attack. Being one of the major reasons of death worldwide, Stroke have high prevalence in the geriatric population. According to the WHO, stroke causes around 17 million deaths annually. As per CDC-The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, stroke causes 1 out of every 20 deaths fetching around USD 34 billion per year in the U.S. Hence, early diagnosis and treatment to prevent deaths from stroke is needed. Stroke prevention devices are used to reduction in risk of recurrent stroke in the patients. Stroke prevention devices have shown to lower the risk of stroke. Some stroke prevention devices are shown effectiveness as warfarin alternatives, enabling patients to stop taking warfarin after 45 days post implantation.Get Brochure of Report @Stroke Prevention Devices Market: Drivers and RestraintsStroke Prevention Devices Market have been surged by the increasing stroke patient pool along with rising geriatric population across the globe. Moreover, rise in the number of the aging population in western countries especially in Europe is the one of the key driving factor for surging the growth of stroke prevention devices market. Furthermore, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and CHD-coronary heart diseases are the influencing factors promoting the growth of Stroke Prevention Devices Market. However, the high cost of devices directly affects the growth of Stroke Prevention Devices Market. Also, lack of supportive reimbursement scenario is also likely to impact the Stroke Prevention Devices Market. Nonetheless, new research and development in the healthcare sector and new emerging technologies are anteceded to start growth opportunities for the Stroke Prevention Devices Market over the years.Stroke Prevention Devices Market: SegmentationStroke Prevention Devices Market has been segmented on the basis of Product, end user, and regionBased on Product, the stroke prevention devices market is segmented into the following:Left Atrial Appendage Closure DevicesPatent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure DevicesBased on Product, the stroke prevention devices market is segmented into the following:HospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersOthersRequest Report For TOC @Stroke Prevention Devices Market: OverviewStroke prevention devices market is emerging owing to promising discovery of new innovative products. Key players in market are focusing on new technologies to reduce the risk of stroke and provide maximum safety to the patients. Also surge in the heart related disorders anticipates the robust growth in stroke prevention devices market .The global Stroke prevention devices market is expected to expand at healthy CAGR owing to increasing awareness for prevention of ischemic cerebral strokes across the world. Growing incidences of acute ischemic strokes among population is forecasted to surge the demand for stroke prevention devices market.Stroke Prevention Devices Market: Region-wise OutlookGeographically, Stroke Prevention Devices Market is classified into regions viz. North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, Middle East and Africa. North America and Europe regions are anticipated to cause maximum market revenue share in Stroke Prevention Devices Market over the forecast period due to availability of advanced healthcare infrastructure and presence of key players in the regions which are expected to hike the demand for Stroke Prevention Devices Market during the forecast period in the mentioned region. Asia Pacific region as well, is anticipated to witness slow growth due to high cost of the devices, and availability of economic alternatives like warfarin treatment.Enquiry for discount on this report Stroke Prevention Devices Market: Key PlayersThe players leading in Stroke Prevention Devices Market include Abbott, AtriCure Inc., Coherex Medical, Boston Scientific Corporation to name a few.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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:Endobronchial Ultrasound Biopsy Market: Growth and Sales Forecast 2017  2025

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Technological advancements in last couple of decades have made diagnosis of lung cancer easy using endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) biopsy technique. Endobronchial ultrasound is minimally invasive technique that uses ultrasound along with bronchoscope to examine airway walls and structure adjacent to it. Ultrasound technology used in this procedure allows examination of multilayer tracheobronchial wall structure better than any other imaging technique. Endobronchial ultrasound biopsy has become best alternative to other traditional procedures such as fluoroscopic guided biopsy, fiberoptic bronchoscope, mediastinoscopy or thoracotomy. Using these traditional limits the view of bronchoscopist to bronchial mucosa and lumen, whereas EBUS has widen the vision beyond tracheobronchial wall. Endobronchial ultrasound biopsy is performed on outpatient basis under local anesthesia using thin needle aspiration. Endobronchial ultrasound guided tracheobronchial needle aspiration method has enabled real-time aspiration of lesions near to trachea and large bronchi. The use of this technique is rapidly gaining popularity due to accumulation of large amount of data related to safety and effectiveness of the technique. As per European Respiratory Journal, EBUS presents positive likelihood ratio of 26.8 and negative likelihood ratio of 0.28. According to American College of Chest Physicians, EBUS is recommended as first procedure to before surgical staging for lung cancer diagnosis in the U.S.Get Brochure of Report @The global market endobronchial ultrasound biopsy is expected to be driven by incidence of lung cancer all over the world. According to Cancer Research U.K., 46,403 new lung cancer cases were diagnosed in U.K. in 2014, which accounted for 13% of all new cancer cases. According to American Lung Association, Lung cancer is the most common cancer across the globe accounting for 1.8 Mn new cases worldwide in 2012. And is most prevalent in elderly person. 83% of patients living with lung cancer are 60 years-old or above. Growing geriatric population thus can be a factor contributing to growth of endobronchial ultrasound biopsy market over the forecast period. However, the biggest restraint for growth of endobronchial ultrasound biopsy market is unawareness about the technique. Despite the technique is being used for last two decade in matured markets, developing countries such as India and China have recently introduced to this technique.One of the main applications of endobronchial ultrasound biopsy is in staging of cancer. Introduction of this technique has made dramatic changes in treatment planning for lung cancer. In 2016, American Medical Association created three new CPT codes for endobronchial ultrasound biopsy procedure. Thus all the services using EBUS including aspiration biopsy are reimbursed by MedicareThe global market endobronchial ultrasound biopsy is segmented on basis of procedure type, end user and geography:Segmentation by Procedure TypeRadial Endobronchial Ultrasound BiopsyLinear Endobronchial Ultrasound BiopsySegmentation by End UserHospitalsAmbulatory Surgical CentersCancer Specialty ClinicsRequest Report For TOC @Hospitals end user segment is expected to be dominant in global endobronchial ultrasound biopsy market due to high patient population EBUS procedure is generally provided on outpatient or day case basis.Regionally, global endobronchial ultrasound biopsy market is segmented into five key regions viz. North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America clearly dominates the global market endobronchial ultrasound biopsy due to high prevalence and growing adoption of technique by physicians and patients. Europe is expected to be the second largest market endobronchial ultrasound biopsy. Asia pacific endobronchial ultrasound biopsy market is expected to witness steady growth over the forecast period of 20172025, primarily due to delayed introduction of EBUS technique in the region and limited availability of qualified resources to perform the procedure.Enquiry for discount on this report Olympus Europa SE & CO. KG is the major player that provides endobronchial ultrasound biopsy systems globally. Some of the popular brands of video bronchoscopes provided by the company include BF-Q180, BF-P180, BF-3C160, etc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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:Bioreactor DO (Dissolved Oxygen) Sensors Market Research Report by Key Players Analysis 2024

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Dissolved oxygen is the term used while measuring the amount of dissolved oxygen which is present in a unit volume of water. Dissolved oxygen term is widely used in bioprocessing applications such as fermentation or cell culture. Optimizing the dissolved oxygen level is important for the organism to thrive, and at the same time, dissolved oxygen should not cause additional turbulence during aeration.The dissolved oxygen sensors do not measure the actual oxygen content but measure the partial pressure of the oxygen in the water. The measurement of dissolved oxygen is displayed in terms of %, ppm or mg/L.The amount of dissolved oxygen present in a given volume of water is a function of pressure, temperature and dissolved substances such as sugars, salts, and other gases. There are two types of dissolved oxygen sensors, optical and electrochemical. The optical dissolved oxygen sensor is still in a developing phase of use, but electrochemical dissolved oxygen sensors are widely used in several applications, including at the manufacturing scale.Get Brochure of Report @Bioreactor Dissolved Oxygen Sensors Market: DynamicsConsidering the time that a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company spends to bring a product to the market, selection of bioreactor components plays a crucial part. Unlike small molecules, the cost of production of biologics is comparatively high, and hence selection of cost-saving bioreactor components can add up to substantial profits. Single-use bioreactors have changed the dynamics of the dissolved oxygen sensor market as it has established itself as a popular choice at the preclinical, clinical and production stage. Moreover, the growth potential of the biologics industry coupled with low operational costs is expected to propel the market for dissolved oxygen sensors.Bioreactor Dissolved Oxygen Sensors Market: SegmentationOn the basis of sensor type, the bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensors market can be segmented as:OpticalElectrochemicalGalvanicPolarographicBoth the galvanic and polarographic type of electrochemical dissolved oxygen sensors react with the cathode to produce electric current. The difference between these two types of dissolved oxygen sensors lies in the choice of electrode material.On the basis of end-user, the bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensors market can be segmented as:Pharmaceutical CompaniesBiotechnology CompaniesContract Manufacturing OrganizationsAcademic and Research InstitutesThe use of dissolved oxygen sensors differs in different settings. For instance, disposable bags are preferred in medical sectors. But for pharmaceutical use, such as fermentation or cell culture, bioreactor vessels can be made of glass or stainless steel.Request Report For TOC @Bioreactor Dissolved Oxygen Sensors Market: Region-wise OutlookIn terms of geography, the bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensors market has been segmented into five regions including North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa, Latin America and Europe. North America and Europe dominates the market with the presence of prominent international players in the bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensor market. Furthermore, stable government and industrial funding towards R&D activities will also contribute towards the bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensor market. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region with economically developing countries such as India, China, and Japan. These countries offer a huge skilled labor pool, large population base, and favorable government policies. In addition, clinical trial and contract manufacturing industry is also booming in the Asia-Pacific region. This is also expected to contribute towards the growth of the bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensor market.Bioreactor Dissolved Oxygen Sensors Market: Key PlayersThe bioreactor dissolved oxygen sensors market is experiencing introduction of novel products such as optical sensors which are easier to use and maintain. Several innovative products have entered the market in recent years, thanks to technology investments by major companies operating in this market. Key players in this industry are Mettler Toledo, Hach, Vernier, Emerson, YSI, Broadley-James among others.Enquiry for discount on this report The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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:Tele-Care Market Competitive Landscape Analysis with Forecast by 2025

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Demographic trend indicates a rapid aging population throughout the world, particularly in Europe. One of the major challenges of aging population is increased prevalence of chronic diseases and related functional disability. The geriatric population is prone to several diseases such as cancer, chronic wounds, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal diseases due to weak immunity. To meet these needs, the health and social care sectors have found new ways of delivering quality and improved care with reduced cost. The concept has been named as Tele-care and this is the most recent form of facility of medical services, mostly used to connect thepatients and healthcare providers at distant places. . The Tele-care concept comprises continuous, automatic and remote monitoring of lifestyle changes and real time emergencies in order to manage risk associated with independent living. The Tele-care services includes monitoring, diagnostics, communication, consultation and training to maintain independent quality of life of users.Get Brochure of Report @Telecare is increasingly being used as the population ages and incidence of long-term conditions increases. Many societies, especially in the more developed regions, now have aged populations that are larger than has ever been seen in the past. Between 2000 and 2050, the proportion of the worlds population over 60 years of age will double from about 11% to 22%. In absolute terms, the number of people aged 60 years or older is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion in the same period. The number of people aged over 80 years is growing particularly rapidly, and it is anticipated that this number will quadruple in the 20002050 period. Thus, continuous increase in the geriatric population is expected to be one of the potential drivers of the global tele-care market during the forecast period. Moreover, technological advancement, rising incidences of chronic diseases, cost effective service delivery, and government initiatives are some of the major factors contributing the growth of the global tele-care market. The steep cost of telecare devices and supplier vulnerability with respect to the rate of return impacts telecare device appropriation are considered to hamper market share of tele-care market in developing region.The global tele-care market can be segmented on the basis of product type, services type, end-user and geography. The product type segment of the global tele-care market is sub-segmented in to digital diagnostic and monitoring devices, home safety sensors, telecare software, and others. The digital diagnostic and monitoring devices segment comprises blood glucose monitors, heart rate monitors, ECG monitors, vital sign monitors, foetal monitors, pulse oximeters, and other. Technological advancements in the field of fitness band access resulting in new and innovative products such as heart rate monitor, blood glucose monitor and various portable analyser have reduces the time of diagnosis and increase the user friendly usage are some of the factors contributing to the growth of market.The service type segment covers tele-education, tele-consulting, tele-monitoring, tele-education, tele-surgery, and tele-care services. While, end-user segment includes hospital, clinics, home healthcare settings and skilled nursing facilities. In the U.S., there are over 6.5 million chronic wound patients and over 33% of the home health patients have wounds. However, there is a shortage of wound specialists, and it is anticipated that just 0.2% of the registered nurses are Certified Wound Specialists. Furthermore, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), a shortage of over 130,000 physicians is anticipated in the U.S. by 2050. The increasing geriatric population in the U.S., leading to increased retirement of experienced nurse specialists, contributes to the gap in the workforce. Thus, home healthcare end-user segment is anticipated to grow with highest CAGR.Request Report For TOC @Europe is the largest market for the telecare market due to rising geriatric population, increased adoption of advanced telecare solutions, escalating disposable income and government initiatives to develop innovative telecare solutions are the major factors boosting the growth of Europe telecare market in near future. Europe is followed by North America. Home care settings are mostly preferred because they are convenient, easy to access, monitors health continuously, and fast result output this factors helps to grow the whole market in this region. However, the market in Asia Pacific is projected to register a significant growth rate by 2024 due to unhealthy lifestyle resulting in increased prevalence of chronic and lifestyle diseases. In addition, high percentage of geriatric population, increasing awareness about health and increasing disposable income.Major players operating in the deep vein thrombosis market include GE Healthcare, Abbott Laboratories, Dexcom, Inc., AMD Global Telemedicine, Inc., Bayer HealthCare AG, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bosch Healthcare Solutions, GlobalMed, Welbeing, and Apple Inc.Enquiry for discount on this report The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a 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:Polyethyleneglycol Esters of Fatty Acids Market to Record Sturdy Growth | 2024

Polyethyleneglycol Esters of Fatty Acids Market

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Polyethyleneglycol (PEG) ester is a polyether compound manufactured by reacting polyethylene glycol with a fatty acid. Polyethyleneglycol esters consist of a hydrophilic part of surfactants and a lipophilic part of fatty acids. PEG oleates and stearates are superior emulsifiers. By changing the molecular weight of PEG and fatty acids, surfactants covering a wide range of high lipophilic balance value can be produced. (PEG) esters are primarily employed in the manufacture of products such as lubricants (for example, cutting oil and metalworking fluids), solvent cleaners, emulsifiers, pigment dispersants, and additives.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @Based on application, the polyethyleneglycol (PEG) esters market has been segmented into lubricants, emulsifiers, dispersants, and additives. The lubricants segment accounts for a significant share of the global polyethyleneglycol esters market, owing to growth of the manufacturing sector and rise in the number of OEMs. The emulsifiers segment is expected to experience high growth, led by growth in the use of PEG esters as emulsifiers in several end-uses. Growth in the fertilizers sector is anticipated to boost the PEG esters market during the forecast period, as PEG esters are used as self-emulsifying herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.In terms of region, the global polyethyleneglycol (PEG) esters market has been segmented into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America was the leading market for polyethyleneglycol esters in 2015. The market in North America is estimated to expand in the next few years, due to the increase in demand for lubricants in various end-use industries in the region. The lubricants segment held a major share of the polyethyleneglycol esters market in North America in 2015. The segment is driven by the rising demand from OEMs and the automotive sector in the region. Asia Pacific is expected to be the rapidly expanding market for PEG esters during the forecast period, due to the growing fertilizers sector in the region. Countries such as China, India, and Japan are likely to constitute a major share of the polyethyleneglycol esters market in Asia Pacific, due to high growth in end-use applications of polyethyleneglycol esters in these countries. The polyethyleneglycol esters market is anticipated to witness a shift from the U.S. and Western Europe to the developing economies of Asia Pacific due to less stringent environmental regulations in those economies. Developing economies in Asia Pacific viz. China and India are projected to witness high growth of the pigments industry. This, in turn, would boost the demand for polyethyleneglycol esters in these countries. Technological advancements and innovations are expected to increase the use of polyethyleneglycol esters. This, in turn, is expected to fuel the polyethyleneglycol esters market during the forecast period.Global demand for polyethyleneglycol esters is anticipated to rise significantly in the near future, thereby offering high growth opportunities for the market. Market players are focusing on Asia Pacific to gain higher market share. Producers of polyethyleneglycol esters have been compelled to adopt expansion and acquisition strategies to meet the global demand. A large number of producers are shifting their plants to countries such as China and India, due to high demand for PEG esters and low costs of raw material and labor in the two countries. Rapid increase in demand from end-use applications, competitive production costs, and high economic growth rate are propelling the polyethyleneglycol esters market in Asia Pacific. These factors are making companies adopt expansion and R&D strategies in the region.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @Major players operating in the global polyethyleneglycol esters market are BASF SE, Lonza, ABITEC Corporation, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Subhash Chemical Industries, Akzo Nobel N.V., Stearinerie Dubois, Croda International Plc, Stepan Company, and Faci Asia-Pacific.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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Tripropylene Glycol Market Plying for Significant Growth | 2020

Tripropylene Glycol Market

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Tripropylene glycol or TPG is a mixture of isomers. Isomers are compounds wherein atoms with the same chemical composition are arranged in a different manner. It is a colorless liquid with negligible odor and moderate viscosity. TPG is completely soluble in water and is hygroscopic in nature (it attracts water from atmosphere). TPG consists of nine carbon, 20 hydrogen, and four oxygen atoms. TPG is a by-product of the manufacture of monopropylene glycol. At high temperature and pressure, water is added to propylene oxide, which results in the formation of mono propylene glycol (90%) and mixture of propylene glycol and tripropylene glycol (10%). Excess of water can be removed by passing the mixture through evaporators and drying towers.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @In terms of grade, tripropylene is of two types: tripropylene glycol regular grade and tripropylene glycol acrylate grade of high purity. It is used as a chemical block in the production of polyurethane foam. TPG can also be used as a solvent in different applications. It is used as varnish remover, cleaning formulation for hard surface, anti-freezing agent, carburetor fuel additive, ingredient in emulsifiers, plasticizers, hydraulic fluids; and disinfectant in cosmetics and cooling media. It is also employed in the oil penetration process. High-purity tripropylene glycol acrylate can be used as a raw material for the production of printing inks, varnishes, and paints in the radiation cure industry. It is typically reacted with acrylic acid to form tripropylene glycol diacrylate. TPG products are stored using ultraviolet, visible, or electron-beam radiations. Tripropylene glycol is primarily used in acrylate applications, polymer production, in solvent lubricants as textile soaps. Commercially, TPG can be used as an intermediate chemical in the manufacture of polyurethane, printing inks, textile lubricants, and latex paints. Rarely, TPG is used in a limited number of personal care products.TPG is not a hazardous chemical. It is harmful to neither humans nor the environment. Eye contact with TPG may lead to slight irritation; however, skin contact may not lead to irritation. Inhalation of TPG is unexpected, due to its low vapor pressure. It has low toxicity when swallowed; however, consumption in higher amount can lead to injury. The key driving factor for the TPG market is different applications of TPG. Tripropylene glycol acrylate grade have several advantages such as good finish quality, compact plant size, good energy efficiency, and excellent speed processing. Also, it does not require any post-curing and it has low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. There are certain precautionary measures to be taken. TPG should be used only with proper ventilation and contact with skin, eyes, and clothes should be avoided. It should be kept closed in a container. Washing hands thoroughly after the use of TPG is required.Europe and North America are dominant regions in the global tripropylene glycol market. The market is driven by major usage of TPG in industrial and commercial sectors. In terms of demand, the U.S. leads the global tripropylene glycol market. In The U.S., growing environmental concerns and emergence of new, domestic manufacturers of bio-based propylene glycol have shifted the consumers interest toward using eco-friendly chemicals. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness tremendous growth during the forecast period, due to expansion of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries in countries such as China. Rest of the World held minimum share in the global tripropylene glycol market in the last few years. However, this scenario is anticipated to change during the forecast period, due to growth of the industries in the region. The market in RoW is likely to witness positive growth in the next few years.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @Some of the key players in the global tripropylene glycol market are Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Archer Daniels Midland Company, and Parchem Fine & Specialty Chemicals.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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Sodium polyacrylate Market - The Biggest Trends to Watch out for in Near Future

Sodium polyacrylate Market

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Sodium polyacrylate, or waterlock as it is commonly known, is a polymer of polyacrylic acid. It is a widely used super-absorbing polymer. As the name waterlock suggests, the compound has the ability to absorb several hundred times of its mass in water as well as other liquid mixtures. It is not a naturally-occurring polymer and is manufactured synthetically. It is widely used in consumer products and in the industrial sector as a binding agent, emulsion stabilizer, film former, and viscosity-controlling agent.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @It was first developed by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) about 50 years ago and was used in diapers that astronauts could wear while they were on long space trips. Since then, several other uses of the polymer have been discovered. For example, agriculture grade sodium polyacrylate is used to water the plants in an efficient manner. When plants need water, their roots move closer to the polymer and absorb water from it. Sodium polyacrylate is commonly used in sanitary products such as baby diapers and pet pads. It is employed as a thickening agent in consumer products such as hair gels, upholstery, carpets, and paints. It is also used as a thickening agent in the medical industry for different medical gels.One of its interesting applications is in the coatings industry. Electric wirings are provided with coatings containing sodium polyacrylate so as to make them waterproof. Sodium polyacrylate absorbs water or moisture before it reaches electric wires. Similar uses include anti-flood bags, ice-bags, and artificial snow. One of its recent applications is in the building sector, where it can be used as an internal sealant in chemical-based materials. According to its usage, the global sodium polyacrylate market can be segmented by the type of its application, namely as a water-absorbent, thickening agent and water-repellent.While sodium polyacrylate has several advantages, there are also a few limitations associated with the polymer. For example, it can be highly toxic when inhaled or ingested. It can also cause mild irritation to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. In 1985, use of sodium polyacrylate in tampons was stopped, as it caused unacceptable levels of irritation to women. However, in total, advantages of the polymer significantly outweigh its drawbacks.Various industries wherein sodium polyacrylate is used (for example, medical, sanitary, agriculture, consumer products, coatings, building materials, and electrical), are expanding at a significant rate. Due to this, the global sodium polyacrylate market has also been expanding at a significant pace. The trend is expected to continue in the next few years. Apart from these existing markets and industries, one of the driving factors behind this growth will be that, even though the polymer has been around for a long time, new applications in new industries are continuously being developed. Accordingly, the market can be segmented by end-user industries.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @Some of the well-known suppliers of sodium polyacrylate include Covestro (Germany), RSD Polymers Pvt. Ltd., Powder Pack Chem (India), Zhengzhou Wade Water Treatment Material Co. Ltd., Beijing Cheng Yi Chemical Co., Ltd., Dongying Naxing Trading Co., Ltd., and Hebei Yan Xing Chemical Co., Ltd. (China). While suppliers and distributors are spread across the world, a majority of them can be found in the Asia Pacific region. In terms of consumption, North America and Asia Pacific account for a major share of the market, followed by Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. As such, the global sodium polyacrylate market can be segmented by regions of North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:1-Octanol Market : Rising Need for Business Agility

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1-Octanol belongs to the family of alcohols. It is also known as octyl alcohol. It is usually present in colorless liquid state and is insoluble in water. The vapors of 1-octanol are heavier than air. This causes irritation in nose, eyes, and respiratory system if inhaled. In order to increase the shelf life, 1-Octanol is stored in a ventilated cool and dry place in tightly sealed containers protected from heat and light. Its physical characteristics make it useful as wetting and defoaming agent due to its slight viscous nature. 1-Octanol is used in various other applications. It acts as solvent for waxes, protective coatings, and oils. 1-octanol is also used as raw material for the manufacture of plasticizers.Human exposure to this chemical can either be caused through skin contact or inhalation of fumes. Short term exposure can cause irritation to skin, respiratory tract, and eyes. If swallowed in large quantity, it can cause aspiration in the lungs and pneumonitis. 1-octanol is also employed as food preservative in low quantity, so that it does not cause toxicity when consumed by human beings. It is used as synthetic flavoring substance in food, alone or in combination with other flavoring substances. Based on end-use, the market for 1-octanol can be segmented into personal care products, agriculture products, plasticizers, paints & coatings, fuels & fuel additives, and building & construction etc.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @The market for 1-octanol is niche, but is anticipated to witness promising growth during the forecast period owing to its increased usage in end-user industries. Increase in awareness among consumers regarding the therapeutic effect of lotions, creams, and conditioners is primarily driving the personal care market. This, in turn, is augmenting the demand for 1-octanol. The market is also expected to benefit from product innovation and product development of new lotions and creams. Increase in recognition of novel brands and rise in awareness among consumers to use prestige brands instead of common brands are poised to boost the 1-octanol market. The use of 1-octanol as penetration enhancer in transdermal drug delivery in the pharmaceutical industry is estimated to fuel the market during the forecast period. Ability of 1-octanol to permeate skin efficiently and safely without any hazards is the factor driving its demand in the pharmaceutical industry. The fuel & fuel additives segment held promising share of the 1-octanol market in 2015. Its share is projected to increase in the next few years owing to its usage as aluminum rolling lubricant and plastic lubricant, among others.Implementation of stringent government regulations, especially in mature markets such as North America and Europe, is the only factor limiting the growth of the global 1-ocatnol market. Overall, drivers of the market are anticipated to outperform the restraining factor. Thus, the 1-octanol market is expected to expand significantly during the forecast period.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @Geographically, the market for 1-octanol was dominated by North America in 2015 due to the high demand in end-use industries in the region. This trend is likely to continue during the forecast period. The market in North America was followed by that in Europe and Asia Pacific, respectively, in 2015. Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific are projected to be rapidly growing regional segments of the 1-octanol market. Expansion in the market in these regions is estimated to be sustained by healthy economic growth, changing lifestyle trends, increasing industrial development, technological advancements, rise in standard of living, growth in investment in prestige and luxury brands, and large base of young affluent population. The market in Latin America is also anticipated to expand at a steady pace during the forecast period due to the improvement in the standard of living of consumers and growth in economy of countries in the region.Key players operating in the 1-Decanol market are Emery Oleochemicals, Sasol, BASF SE, Thai Fatty Alcohol, Kao Chem, Musin Mas, and P&G ChemicalsAbout 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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Ammonium Ferric Citrate Market : Understanding the Key Product Segments and their Future

Ammonium Ferric Citrate Market

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Ammonium ferric citrate is a reddish brown colored crystalline powder. Ammonium ferric citrate is totally soluble in water but insoluble in alcohol. Ammonium ferric citrate is prepared by reaction of ferric hydroxide with aqueous solution of citric acid and ammonia. Ammonium ferric citrate is a multi-functional compound, which serves many end-user industries such as food & beverage, pharmaceutical, photographic printing, wastewater management and metal processing among others. Ammonium ferric citrate is used as a food additive during food & beverage processing for the purpose of acid regulation and as an iron supplement. The pharmaceutical industry employs ammonium ferric citrate as an intermediate in drug processing and as a contrast agent in medical imaging. Ammonium ferric citrate acts as a reducing agent thus suppressing salt formation in metals such as gold and silver. Moreover, ammonium ferric citrate is used for water purification and to make blue prints required in printing process.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @The demand for ammonium ferric citrate is driven by increased consumption in pharmaceutical and food & beverage industries. Food & beverage industry uses ammonium ferric citrate for making iron supplementary beverages. These supplements are generally given to children having iron deficiency. Iron deficiency affects the physical as well as mental growth in children which ultimately results in diseases such as anemia and other abnormalities. Ammonium ferric citrate on consumption easily synthesizes into iron and gets readily absorbed into the blood. Moreover, ammonium ferric citrate acts as an acid regulator for changing or neutralizing the pH levels, hence is suitably used in manufacturing of food products. In pharmaceutical industry, ammonium ferric citrate is used mainly in medical imaging. Ammonium ferric citrate acts as a contrast agent, which improves the visibility of blood vessels for better health diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray attenuation techniques are considered as major medical imaging applications for ammonium ferric citrate.In terms of global demand, Asia Pacific is likely to show the fastest growth for ammonium ferric citrate by the end of forecast period. Demand for ammonium ferric citrate is expected to grow, owing to increasing developments in pharmaceutical industry among other end-users. China is currently one of the major producer and distributor of ammonium ferric citrate. China distributes ammonium ferric citrate to various regions such as Europe and South America. Meanwhile, India has good international market for ammonium ferric citrate, owing to its good distribution network mainly in North America. China is likely to lead followed by India and Japan by the end of 2020. Other Asia Pacific countries including Singapore and Vietnam are anticipated to have emerging ammonium ferric citrate market, in the coming years.Considering the food additives market, present scenario reflects no threat of replacement for ammonium ferric citrate, which can be considered as a driving factor for the growth of ammonium ferric citrate. Owing to such a situation, India is expected to lead by the end of forecast period. Rest of the world region is anticipated to illustrate a slow paced growth in demand for ammonium ferric citrate over the coming years. Brazil and South Africa are expected to provide better opportunities for the ammonium ferric citrate market by 2024. North America and Europe are expected to depict a sluggish growth by 2024, owing to their established markets and heavy regulations on production of ammonium ferric citrate.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @Some of the major players dominating the ammonium ferric citrate market include Shreenath Chemicals, West Bengal Chemical Industries Limited, New Alliance Dye Chemicals Private Limited and Eminenco Pharma Limited.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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Dimer Acid Market : Present Scenario and the Growth Prospects

Dimer Acid Market

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Dimer acids also known as dimerized fatty acids are known to be dicarboxylic acids that are produced by a process of dimerizing unsaturated fatty acids. These unsaturated fatty acids are obtained from fatty acid feedstock such as tallow oil, rapeseed oil and tall oil among others. Crude dimer is produced from tall oil fatty acid by heat treatment with or without use of a suitable catalyst. They act as building blocks for several end-products due to its di-carboxylic acid reactivity. Dimeric acids usually consist of stearic acids, therefore called as C36 dimer acid. This chemistry of Dimer acid can further produce trimer acid comprising of three fatty acid molecules. Dimer acids are transparent light yellow colored viscous liquids which are non-toxic in nature.The major application of dimer acids is in manufacturing polyamide resins which are used in inks and coatings and adhesives among others. The other areas of application of dimer acids include reactive and non-reactive polyamides for epoxy resins, fuel additives, synthetic lubricants, polyol esters, alkyd resins, corrosion inhibitors, personal care and oil field drilling muds among others.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @Growing demand for dimer acids for manufacturing polyamides is the major factor driving the global dimer acid market. Increasing demand from the automobile industry is another factor generating scope for growth of global dimer acid market. Moreover, increasing demand from the end-user industries such as inks and coatings, adhesives and oil and petroleum industries is also expected to boost demand for dimer acids in the near future.However, the limitation to the growth of global dimer acid market is due to low availability of feedstock such as C18 tall oil fatty acid. This tall oil is a result of kraft wood pulping operations. Major production of dimer acids is carried out from tall oil fatty acids. This factor is expected to hamper the growth of global dimer acid marker in the near future.The environmental friendly nature of dimer acids has led to its application in wide range of applications in various end-user industries. Growing opportunities from the automobile industry for corrosion inhibitors, personal care and cosmetics and flexographic ink industry are expected to boost market demand for dimer acids in the developing as well as developing economies in the near future.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW) are the major segments for global dimer acids market. Asia Pacific is expected to consume large volume of dimer acids owing to the growing demand from the adhesives industry in the region. Other industries such as personal care and cosmetics and lubricant industry is also expected to fuel demand for dimer acids in the region. North America and Europe are also expected to boost demand for dimer acids due to the rising demand from the other end-user industries in the regions.The key players profiled for global dimer acid market include: Anqing Juyuan Polymer Technology Co., Ltd., Anqing Hongyu Chemical Co., Ltd, Aturex Group, Arizona Chemical Company, LLC, BASF SE, Harima Chemicals Group, Inc, Jiangsu Jinma Oil Technology Development Co., Ltd., Croda International, Jiangsu Yonglin Chemical Oil Co., Ltd, Kodia Company Limited Company, ,Jiangxi Longwell Industrial Co.,Ltd, Shandong Huijin Chemical Co., Ltd , Jiangxi Yichun Yuanda Chemical Co.,Ltd, Tianmen Chengxin Chemical Co., Ltd. Company, Jiujiang Lishan Environmental Protection Technology Co.,Ltd, Cognis Corporation, Florachem, CHEMICAL ASSOCIATES, Hexion Specialty Chemicals and Liancheng baixin science and technology Co., Ltd., 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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Sandalore Market : Opportunity Assessment Research Study

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Sandalore (sandasweet) is a synthetic odorant in liquid form, which was first developed and trademarked in the 1970s by Givaudan, a Swiss manufacturer of flavors, fragrances, and cosmetic ingredients. Since then, several generic versions outside of the Givaudan trademark have been developed and sold across the world. It has odor similar to that of sandalwood and is a powerful, diffusive, and extremely tenacious product. When used along with Ebanol and other sandalwood odorants, it acts as an effective substitute for sandalwood. It is most commonly used in perfumes to lend them rich, warm, and natural sandalwood character.The most useful properties of Sandalore include solubility in alcohol, insolubility in water, and high boiling point and molecular weight. This helps Sandalore offer volume and substantivity to various products. This makes it a useful ingredient in emollients and skin-cleaning agents. In fact, the list of its applications includes anti-perspirants such as deodorants, creams and lotions, talcum powder, tablet and liquid soaps, shampoos, hair conditioners, bath and shower gels, liquid detergents, detergent powders, fabric softeners, pot pourri, and incense. Sandalore is added to these products in various quantities and the global Sandalore market can be segmented according to these quantities, the minimum being around 0.1%, an average 1% and a maximum of 10% usage in the products. The market can also be segmented by the end-user industries of personal care products, cosmetics and toiletries.Browse Research Report With Complete TOC @However, recent experiments have revealed other potential uses of Sandalore apart from perfumes, personal care products, and cosmetics. More specifically, in case of organ cultures prepared from human skin, it enhances epidermal wound healing. Sandalore also has a positive effect on cell migration and proliferation. These effects were unique to Sandalore and were not seen in case of natural sandalwood oil or other synthetic sandalwood odorants. These experiments lead to a possibility of the future use of Sandalore in the medical sector.There exist no significant challenges or problems associated with Sandalore, except the occasional irritation to eyes, skin and respiratory system. This means that its economic outlook is highly good. Also, the ingredient has been present in the market for a long time and the markets familiarity with its properties continues to help its growth. It is also important to note that newer applications of Sandalore are likely to be developed or discovered, which is likely to drive the global market for Sandalore in the next few years. However, in the near future, the global Sandalore market would be inextricably tied to perfumes, personal care products, and cosmetics industries. These industries are expanding at an average annual rate of around 5%. This is an indicator of the growth that the market players can expect. The increasing disposable income of people in Asia Pacific and Latin American regions is especially driving the consumer products industry. This, in turn, is fueling the market for Sandalore in these regions. In other words, the Sandalore market will be driven by developing nations in the near future, rather than developed nations. As such, the global Sandalore market can also be segmented by regions which include North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Middle East and Africa.Request a PDF Brochure with Research Report Analysis @On the other hand, the supply-side market for Sandalore is more competitive. As the compound was developed nearly four decades ago, the market does not lack suppliers. In terms of the number of suppliers, Asia Pacific marginally leads the global market. However, suppliers are generally evenly spread across the world. Some of the well-known suppliers of Sandalore include A.C.S. International (Germany), Associate Allied Chemicals (India), Azelis (Europe), Berje and Parchem (the U.S.), Indukern F&F (Spain), Lansdowne Chemicals (the U.K.), and Nanjing Kaimubo and Shanghai Jiulin Industrial Co., Ltd. (China).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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, 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, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Kendall P. Stanley: The heroes

Remembering the heroic firefighters who responded to New York's World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacksThe views from the top of Stage 2 are reason alone to attend the Yeti Trans NZ. From racing, to volunteering, to capturing the moments behind the lens, every person experiences a unique perspective over the week.

Jerome Clementz rode his pace all week which translated to consistent top results. Clementz takes the fastest time on Stage 1 of Day 5, making "Fundy" look like its namesake, while other riders found it death-defying.

With one minute 45 seconds to spare over second place, Clementz throws some steeze for the camera on the final stage.

Van der Ploeg took the fastest time down Stage 3 - Fernhill Loop, locally venerated as simply "Roots".

The stoke was high leading into the fifth and final day of the Yeti Trans NZ. With only three stages and the most magnificent views of the week to be had, riders are excited to get the day underway.

Consider Stage 1 on Day 5 as a precursor to the Stages Trans BC Enduro presented by Yeti Cycles, coming July 9-14, 2018.

After climbing up Skyline Access Road right after breakfast only to race the gnarliest descent of the week, riders are treated to a lift up the gondola before charging into the final two stages of the week.

Head down, elbows out, there's no time to be left on the track when the podium comes down to seconds.

You think getting to the top of the longest, steepest hike-a-bike is tough on Day 5? Try doing it with a 23kg camera pack. Pro photag Digby Shaw shows us how it's done. Michael Hayward cheers on his fellow media squid.

Put this descent on your lifelong bucket list. Racing your bike overlooking the Remarkables, is simply... remarkable!

Charlie Murray's fellow races took notice of his lack of knee pads throughout the week. It didn't seem to slow him down with some third and fourth places. For Day 5, he decided to take it to the next level and race in bibs and baggies. He was fourth overall in the day including a win on Stage 2.

Your 2018 Yeti Trans NZ Enduro winner, Jerome Clementz celebrates with the fastest volunteer on the circuit - Bex Baraona.

Emily Slaco won Day 5 by one minute 27 seconds, and the overall by four minutes 29 seconds. She crushed the Open Women's field day in and day out, simply out of the joy of riding, not racing, her bike.

Harriet Beaven rode strong all week long in her first enduro stage race, taking third place overall in Open Women behind Renee Wilson.

Racers, volunteers, and media like are stoked for the race to be over, and for Stage 4 of Day 5 to begin - at the pub!

Finishing a trans enduro race in one piece is always an accomplishment. The race's vibe "she'll be 'right" was carried through from start to finish with an incredible crew of racers, volunteer, race organizer and media.

Volunteer medic Mark Nickolls takes his job very seriously. In addition to keeping riders safe on course, he makes sure the Event HQ stays stocked with beer.

Sarah Rawley rides by day and writes by night all week long at the Yeti Trans NZ. By the end of the week, she finally felt at home on the wet roots. Maybe it had to do with squid training all week.

Results:

Open Men

1. Jerome Clementz 1:44:41

2. Jonas Meier 1:46:26

3. Brady Stone 1:48:42

4. Paul van der Ploeg 1:49:17

5. James Hall 1:49:56

Open Women

1. Emily Slaco 2:10:03

2. Renee Wilson 2:14:34

3. Harriet Beaven 2:24:02

4. Alice Hawkins 2:31:43

5. Sarah Rawley 2:32:04



Master Men 40+

1. Christian Wingate 1:56:23

2. Michael Ronning 1:59:32

3. Kashi Leuchs 2:00:32

4. Matt Harrington 2:01:24

5. Mat Wright 2:08:56

Master Women 40+

1. Anna Harden-Taylor 2:44:13

2. April Bedford 3:12:20

3. Elizabeth Clement 3:21:51

4. Robyn Hawkins 3:44:05

5. Nicole Goebel 4:16:57



The fifth and final day of the 2018 Yeti Trans NZ Enduro presented by Shimano crowned the week with three rowdy stages and otherworldly views that demanded every last ounce of energy racers brought to the line. Ever changing weather, challenging conditions, a variety of trails, and blind racing kept dynamics exciting until the very end. Even the top riders of the week felt their limits pushed on the final day. But when the last racer crossed the finish line, the kiwism of "she'll be 'right" finally sunk in.Jonas Meier Open Men came out swinging taking the lead over Jerome Clementz on Days 1 and 2. You dont know what to expect when you get someone like Jerome coming over from France. But if you know the track, and know how to ride your bike, I think its entirely possible to hold off the big hitters.Meiers favorite day of the week was Queenstown. Stage 1 was really technical, steep, gnarly. Thats the stuff I really enjoy riding. When it gets more technical and sloppy, and people start to winge a bit  thats when I like it the best.As the week went on, Clementz pulled ahead of Meier on Coronet Peak, in Alexandra and on the final day in Queenstown.I rode my pace all week. I didnt make big mistakes - of course, you make mistakes when you're racing blind, but I tried not to make big mistakes, Clementz said. I had to fight with locals. Jonas knew Craigieburn and had a bit of an advantage. It was always tough to compete, but I rode cleaned and stayed in the lead the rest of the week.Paul van der Ploeg Open Men raced the Yeti Trans NZ for the second year in a row. Contrary to what one would think he found knowing the tracks more challenging to attack than while racing blind, particularly in the bike park.It was another awesome week of riding, and I am stoked to finish in one piece. I was confused by the increase of difficulty on the last day as I rode through Stage 1, as I expected to cruise through the final day like we did last year, van der Ploeg said. But instead, I cooked a rotor today  it was definitely the hardest stage that we raced on all week."Stage 1 brought racers down a classic Grade 6 rated route after climbing to the top of the gondola on Skyline Access Road which averages nearly 14% over the two-mile climb. For those who are familiar with the nooks and crannies of Skyline Bike Park, Fundy replaced Grundy which upped the ante significantly, particularly with the morning drizzle leaving a silky residue on the rooty drops.Megan Rose, founder and race director of the Trans NZ, has a trademark for keeping the pucker factor high, despite the conditions on any given day. When the best riders on course are challenged past their line of comfort, then shes done her job well.I want every solid rider to be able to experience the entire week, so I try not to get too crazy at the Trans NZ. However, there were a few things on Day 4 and 5 that were over peoples heads, said Megan Rose, founder and race director of the Trans NZ. But its also cool for them to experience what others are capable of riding, and give them a goal to come back after.My goal is never to attract only the Pros  I love the attitude of people who want to have a good time and not be too serious, Rose said. In the end, you have those top-level riders who know how to have a good time and a few riders who are completely out of their element. Part of the mastering the logistics is figuring out the right mix for both of them.As much as Rose likes to see riders push past their limits, she knows how to keep the stoke meter high. Riders were treated to a gondola ride up the mountain before tramping up the longest hike-a-bike of the week to the Ben Lomond Saddle for the start of Stage 2.The Trans NZ is a journey more than a race for me. I love the landscapes, the trails, and all the microclimates we travel through  from the lush forests of Craigieburn to the almost-desert landscapes of Alexandra, the MacKenzie country, and the high-alpine tussock of Coronet Peak, said Digby Shaw, professional photographer and three-year vet of the media team. Its pretty special to come back to these places at the same time every year, and see them differently each time.The variable conditions throughout the week were not only pressing for the racers, but for every party involved. Volunteers were pedaling one hour before the first racer drops, and sweeping up to two hours after the majority of racers had their feet up. The media team fought to keep their equipment functioning and banger ratio high through the wind, rain, intense sun, and overcast skies. Drivers had to keep van-fulls of smelly racers happy and bikes unscathed, and the food fairies  everyone would have been hangry as without their nurturing tendencies keeping the food stations stocked for hours on end.Bex Baraona is winding down from her off-season in preparation for a full EWS season and decided to volunteer for the Trans NZ. I felt like I was on holiday as a lead rider. I went out and rode the whole course every day for fun, Baraona said. Next year, I wouldnt mind getting into the mix a bit more instead of being out in front all week. Now that the race is over, I can feel everyone is buzzing from the week.Baraona could have easily thrown down competitive times throughout the week if she was racing, but instead it was Emily Slaco who was on fire all week for the win in the Open Womens category. Winning all of the stages for Open Women, except two, Slaco raced everything purely blind.I have really loved my time in New Zealand so far  the variety of trails has been amazing and kiwi hospitality is top notch! Riding in B.C. is similar in some ways as we have lots of different trails in our systems, so Im sure that helped prepare me a bit, Slaco said.[PI=15652241 nopbcaptionw]A sneaky creek crossing sandwiched between slippery roots on Stage 3 of Day 5 keeps tire selection honest.[/PI]As racer finished Stage 3, energy was at an all-time high. Everyone has their own story to tell, but throughout the week, there were individual highs and lows. Our local kiwi guide, Tom Bradshaw, recognized these at the final dinner after we cheered on the videos and photos on the big screen and sent plentiful churrrs around the pub to Megan, her righthand man, Nate Corrigan, the vollys, local mountain bike clubs, sponsors and media team.Without their drive, passion, and dedication to the sport and the event, we wouldn't have experiences like these that we look back on, and recognized how much they've changed us for the better. If you have even the slightest inkling of making the big trek to do this race, remember that if you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do. Registration will open for the 2019 Yeti Trans NZ in mid-September. Never one to hold back, Rose is playing with the idea of turning the Yeti Tranz NZ Enduro into a six-day event. For more information email megan@ridingbc.com or subscribe to the newsletter at www.transnz.com.Writer's Note: Three consecutive years of racing the Yeti Trans NZ, and this year was by far the most challenging. Adverse conditions kept things lively stage by stage as well as after-hours - interviewing people, extracurricular sunrise and sunset shoots, working on the fly by night, and strapping on a race plate by day. It's an honor to work with a team of incredible creatives who are just as talented on the bike as they are behind the lends. A big ol' chuurrr to Digby, Woody, Dane, Nate, Ben, and of course Megan, Nate and Kiwi Tom! Until next time.... see you all at the Stages Trans BC!~ Sarah Rawley (Golden, USA) Open Women, 5th Place Overall888poker LIVE Bucharest: Papazian, and 888poker's Saliba Among Big Stacks

March 03, 2018 Christian Zetzsche

The first of three starting days of the 888poker LIVE Festival Bucharest 888 Main Event is in the books and Day 1a drew a total of 110 entries. This put the tournament on track to meet and surpass the guaranteed prize pool of 288,000. The 888poker LIVE series headed to the Romanian capital for the very first time and picked the perfect location for the event; the stunning JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel, in cooperation with Pokerfest Romania.

Within the first seven levels of 45 minutes each, plenty of players took advantage of the unlimited re-entry option, and the eliminations kept coming at an alarming pace. The players busted so quickly that tournament staff decided to cut down the number of levels by one and bag up for the night after the end of level 11. At that point, just 27 hopefuls were still in contention with Nicolae Sorin Son soaring to the top of the leaderboard in the final level of the night. Son took two pots of Florin Tatu to put 203,000 to his name and edged into the top spot.

Position Player Country Chip Count 1 Nicolae Sorin Son Romania 203,000 2 Luca Moschitta Italy 185,000 3 Alexandru Papazian Romania 185,000 4 Ion Silviu Scobai Romania 173,000 5 Razvan Bordei Romania 171,000

Saliba eventually lost queens to kings in the last hands of the night to settle for 146,500.

WSOP bracelet winner Alexandru Papazian had to re-enter after three barrels on an ace-high board with pocket deuces. He did better on his second bullet; the first ever Romanian to win the elusive gold bracelet ended up joint second in chips with Luca Moschitta as both players bagged up 185,000. Moschitta himself went from almost zero to hero in the later stages of the day when he first tripled up with pocket kings, then doubled through Catalin Pop, and cracked pocket aces with pocket kings to score another big double.

2017 WSOP bracelet winner Alexandru Papazian

Vivian Saliba was one of two 888poker ambassadors that took to the tables on Day 1a. While Natalie Hof departed in unfortunate fashion, the Brazilian dominated her table with plenty of aggression. A nut flush over second nut flush setup gave the Pot-Limit Omaha specialist a shot at the overnight lead, but Saliba eventually lost queens to kings in the last hands of the night to settle for 146,500.

888poker ambassadors Natalie Hof, Sofia Lovgren, and Martin Jacobson will surely join the action.

Other big stacks and notables through to Day 2 include Razvan Bordei (171,000), Catalin Pop (170,000), Cristian Tardea (158,000), Andrei Nodea (130,000), Carmen Zainescu (96,500), Dan Petrea (81,500), and Michael Teplitski (66,500).

Among those to enter once or more without advancing just yet were such familiar faces as Ran Azor, Federico Petruzzelli, Ozgur Arda, Silviu Baltateanu, Marius Pertea, Pasquale Grimaldi, Viliyan Petleshkov, and Florin Pandilica. Arda had to re-enter and ran with eights into kings, while Petleshkov flopped bottom set with deuces only to run into a set of jacks in the first attempt. He then busted once more after the registration had just closed when his nines were no good against aces.

Most of those that busted on Day 1a are expected to join the action again on Day 1b as of 1 p.m. local time. 888poker ambassadors Natalie Hof, Sofia Lovgren, and 2014 WSOP Main Event champion Martin Jacobson will surely join the action, as are another 20 players who won their seat in the Main Event satellite.725 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters)  Europe has drawn up a list of U.S. products from bourbon to Harley Davidson motorbikes on which to apply tariffs if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on a plan to impose global duties on aluminum and steel.

The European Union is considering applying 25 percent tariffs on $3.5 billion of goods  a third steel, a third industrial goods and a third agricultural  to rebalance bilateral trade, EU sources said.

We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans  Levis, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German television.

We are here and they will get to know us. We would like a reasonable relationship to the United States, but we cannot simply put our head in the sand.

Trump said on Thursday the United States would apply duties of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum to protect domestic producers.

The European Commission has called Trumps plan a blatant intervention amounting to protectionism.

The European Commission has said any counter-measures would conform to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Trump tweeted on Friday that trade wars are good and easy to win.

Brussels will join other countries in challenging the measures at the WTO and says it will also look into safeguards.

Safeguard measures, last deployed in 2002 in response to steel import duties set by then U.S. President George W. Bush, would be designed to guard against a flood of imports resulting from the U.S. tariffs set to be formally announced next week.

However, they would have to apply to selected steel grades from all countries and so would hit producers from China, India, Russia, South Korea or Turkey.

U.S. steel makes up less than 1 percent of EU steel imports.

The EU sees itself as a global counterweight to a protectionism-inclined Trump, sealing a trade deal with Japan, which had been part of a planned trans-Pacific trade alliance Trump withdrew from on his first day in office.

Full-scale retaliation would go against its long-standing message that global trade should be free  as well as fair.

Clemens Fuest, the president of Germanys Ifo economic institute, told the Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcaster a clear answer, but a limited one was required in response.

Data from European steel association Eurofer shows the United States was the destination of about 15 percent of Europes steel exports in 2017.

The 3.4 million tonnes crossing the Atlantic is about 2 percent of EU steel production. Including tubes, the figure is 5 million tonnes, which Eurofer said could be cut in half by the U.S. measures.

ArcelorMittal, the worlds biggest steelmaker with sizeable European and U.S. operations, said it was assessing the likely impact, while adding governments were right to take a tough approach to unfair trade.

Turkeys steel exporters association said it did not expect a major impact. Its exports make up more than 5 percent of U.S. steel imports.

Analysts from Jefferies said the actual measures announced next week could be more nuanced than an across-the-board 25 percent tariff for steel, which it said was politically unfeasible and viewed as a direct tax on U.S. consumers.

Europe, they said, was likely to respond quickly with safeguard measures.

BSC analysts said the short-term impact for Russian steel stocks should be limited and said the measures were a zero issue for aluminum producer Rusal <0486.HK >.

The Thomson Reuters European steel equities index fell 1.7 percent on Friday, while London Metal Exchange aluminum prices were trading flat at around $2,150 a tonne.

Commerzbank said that even if the United States achieved its goal of reducing imports by implementing steep trade tariffs, the impact should be limited.

The planned reduction in U.S. imports accounts for only just shy of 3 percent of global imports in the case of aluminum. The equivalent figure for steel is only roughly 1.5 percent, said the bank.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop, Ceyda Caglayan in Istanbul, Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels, Sujata Rao-Coverley and Maytaal Angel in London, Polina Devitt in Moscow, Andrea Shalal in Berlin; Editing by Toby Chopra and John Stonestreet)3.3k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

On Real Time with Bill Maher, Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor David Hogg said he hung up on the White House because they were offensive and showed no care for the funerals that were taking place for those who lost their lives.

Video:

Hogg said, I hung up on the White House the other day. They called me, they actually called me the day before the listening session and asked if we would come, and I said, Im not coming because we expect President Trump to come to the CNN town hall, which he never declined an invitation from. The fact that they called us the day before I found very offensive considering the fact that there were funerals the next day, I ended on this message and I said we dont need to listen to president trump. He needs to listen to the screams of the children when the screams this nation.

The Trump White House is known for their ability to offend grieving people. Trump insulted the widow of La David Johnson, the Green Beret who was killed in the Niger ambush during a phone call. Of course, the White House didnt invite Hogg and the other students leading the Stoneman Douglas movement until the last minute. The White House didnt want them there.

Trump couldnt handle the questions from those who did attend without scripted notes to help him show empathy. Trump would have been eaten alive if the students who are leading the demonstration had been there.

The culture of offensiveness goes beyond Trump. It extends to his entire administration, and those who cant give respect dont deserve to get it. Hogg was right to hang up on this White House. Trump has no clue how to heal. This president only knows how to offend.529 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

NEW YORK (Reuters)  Gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety said on Friday it will donate up to $2.5 million to support marches around the United States on March 24, the date of a planned March For Our Lives in Washington to demand an end to school shootings.

They are calling for the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress to overhaul gun laws to make schools safer in a country where school shootings happen multiple times a year.

The deadly shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed, gave rise to a student-led movement organizing the planned march in the nations capital.

Organizers said more than 300 other related events are being organized in support of the march both in the United States and abroad. Everytown will give grants of $5,000 to organizers of up to 500 sibling marches, to help with permits, equipment rentals, transportation and other costs.

Students are making history and demanding that our elected officials protect them, John Feinblatt, Everytowns president, said in a statement. Everytown is a non-profit group founded by Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire founder of the Bloomberg media company and former New York City mayor.

Bloomberg, a longtime advocate of gun control, established Everytown in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. The group works to elect lawmakers willing to make background checks for gun sales more stringent, among other tougher gun-control measures.

Many student survivors of the Florida shooting have emerged as prominent advocates for greater gun control. They hope to tip the balance in a long-running national debate over how much regulation is permitted by the U.S. Constitutions Second Amendment, which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled guarantees an individual right to have guns.

U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has suggested steps including training teachers to carry concealed guns and confiscating guns from people deemed to be dangerous without due process rights.

Republican lawmakers in Congress have said they want to improve the national background check system.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)247 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

MSNBCs Ari Melber took the Russia investigation and added clarity about where the investigation is heading by breaking it down into four pieces.

Video:

@AriMelber brought some clarity to the progress of the Russia investigation by breaking it down into four potential crimes. https://t.co/vqimgoXa89 pic.twitter.com/PK0SXOeCc9  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 3, 2018

Melber said Let me extend tonight to what Muellers probing, the four issues are Russian election interference, the Russian hack of emails, U.S. Cover-up lying and the cover-up collusion, take these things, did they happen? Authorities say interference, yes, hack, yes, cover-up? Yes, as for collusion, as yet undetermined. In terms of what Mueller has indicted so, Russian meddling, yes, no ones been indicted for the email hack, the cover-up? Yes, the most common charge against Americans so far, and then theres the collusion and empty box, no indictments. If you look at that, why does that matter right now? Well, understanding the difference about whether a crime occurred and whether it has been charged actually shines a light on where this probe is headed. Professor Turley who trump is quoting says he doubts collusion because, after a year of indictments, they dont include the nexus of collusion. Thats not saying because something hasnt been criminally charged meanings it didnt happen. But it cant be determined if the underlying thing has been established. One is for hacks, it would be silly to argue either empty box proves what happened. Whats happening right now is that Mueller is eyeing the email hack against Russians for hacking and leaking emails to hurt Democrats. So actually Mueller may be looking to check that very box on the board, which would only leave the collusion box unchecked. And maybe that box will stay empty, as I have reported, we dont know. Whether its charged, though, does not answer the existential question of what happened, and thats an important legal distinction for one of the most important stories of our time.

The Russia scandal is very complicated. It involves people in multiple countries, cyber crimes, financial crimes, potential illegal coordination, lying to law enforcement, and even crimes against the United States of America. It can be hard to follow, but Ari Melber provided a checklist that shows what the investigation has done so far, and where it has yet to go. As new events unfold each day, it would be wise to keep this checklist handy. It is a useful map to where Mueller has been and where he might be going.967 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard

Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg said that if all Republicans care about is money; the student movement is going to come after their money.

Video:

Parkland survivors warn NRA backed Republicans that they're coming for their cash. https://t.co/2nol12jBdR #NRA pic.twitter.com/16UW6VDfCY  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 3, 2018

Transcript:

Bill Maher: Thats what they said to you? Lets switch the subject to porn quest back how old are you guys?

David Hogg: 17.

Bill Maher Its not going to work for you.

David Hogg: I said stop looking at that stuff and start looking at our lives. With the economics, with all of that, I felt like we werent getting enough movement so I decided if the only thing these politicians care about is money, we will go after their money.



The NRA is already facing plunging gun sales

The NRA is under FBI investigation for potentially funneling tens of millions of dollars from Russia to the Trump campaign. The organization has seen profits from gun sales plummet by 65%. The NRA already had some problems before the Stoneman Douglas shooting. The student movement has only caused their issues to multiply. NRA money needs to become politically toxic. Any Republican or Democrat who takes NRA cash should be marked for defeat.

The movement is not away. Republicans have settled into their usual routine of talking and doing nothing, but these gun reform advocates are different. They ate planning to hit the NRA where it will hurt them the most, by making their money and endorsement a liability to candidates.

To discuss this story and more join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.In what could be yet another scandal brewing for the White House  this time one involving insider trading  former Donald Trump adviser Carl Icahn reportedly sold millions in steels stocks right before the president announced his widely criticized steel tariffs.

While most of the political and business world were stunned by Trumps announcement, Icahn was seemingly unvexed, having dumped a million shares tied to the steel industry a week before the president announced 25 percent tariffs for foreign-made steel, according to The Washington Post.

More from the report:

A Feb. 22 SEC filing shows Icahn sold off his $31.3 million stake in the Manitowoc Company, which is a leading global manufacturer of cranes for heavy construction based in Manitowoc, Wis., according to the companys website. Since Trumps announcement Thursday, Manitowocs stock has plummeted to about $26. Icahn  who has had majority interest in several companies including Motorola, Xerox, Family Dollar and Pep Boys  had sold his shares for about $32 to $34 each, according to the SEC disclosure, which was first reported by Think Progress.

Even more puzzling, as the report notes, is that Icahn had not actively traded any Manitowoc stock since January 2015, according to regulatory filings.

Ironically, as the Daily Beast pointed out a short time ago, Icahn stepped down as a special adviser to Trump on regulatory reform issues last August, but the two are still thought to be in close contact. He resigned amid increasing scrutiny over whether he was using his White House role to push policies that would protect his investments.

Trumps tariff announcement shocked everybody but his close buddy

If it seems like Icahn had advanced knowledge of Trumps decision, it could be because he did. According to the Washington Post story, Though Icahn no longer advises Trump in a formal role, the two reportedly still talk.

Its also not as if everybody saw this coming. As the Washington Examiner pointed out, Senate Republicans were highly critical of and blindsided by Trumps plan to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum. It also shocked the markets.

So either one of Trumps close friends is really good at predicting what seemingly nobody expected, or he had advanced knowledge of it. If its the latter, then Trump could soon find himself at the center of an insider trading scandal.Are humans inherently self-destructive?

How does a film, ultimately about death, explore destruction, mutation, and change as necessary factors for life itself? Naturally, a film about ego death (or dissociation?) will unassumingly render its story and characters slightly portentouseven the best of sci-fi films have a smug relationship with anything perceived as sublime.

Notions of life and death are polarizing abstractions, and when metaphorized in film, even more taxing as subject matter because they are essentially known and unknown realities. We are all born into life alone, and we are all taken from life alone, and what lives beyond that realm of thought is devastatingly unforeseeable and comfortably envisioned.

Similar to Darren Aronofsky's "mother!" in ambition and ambiguity, Alex Garland's "Annihilation"adapted from Jeff VanderMeer's eco-horror novelis concerned with the finite aptitude of the human body and its limitations in the physical world. International rights to the film were sold to Netflix, a reactionary, albeit necessary safety net commissioned by Paramount after "mother's!" commercial flop. Considering how visually stunning and engrossing Garland's world is and its accompanying soundtrack by Portishead's Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury, it's a shame and regrettable reality of Hollywood politics; the IMAX experience permits a type of immersion not found in the living room.

Early in the film, it's explained that most plant cells are immortal and can divide anew; human cells, on the other hand, are not genetically equipped to modify cell structures, but simply mutate through the process of aging. In the Shimmer's ecosystem, cells not only divide forming new DNA hybrid structures altogether, but they also mutate into refractions, or as the film argues, doppelgangers.

The psychedelically transformed ecology of the animals, plants, and eventually, humans, are corporeal manifestations similarly seen in David Cronenberg films. Alex Garland takes a note from the father of body horror, using the human body as a canvas to demonstrate the violence of evolution, whether self-initiated or environmentally imposed. Garland also evokes Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey," another film fascinated with nuances of human development and technological advances. Bodies break down, communities unravel, and civilizations collapse as natural cycles of decompositionthe same fundamental, geological processes that occur in the Shimmer.

Compared to Kubrick's masterpiece, "Annihilation" is equally hypnotic with images that are at once horrific and extraordinary, a poetic rumination on human nature and the ever-changing reflections of life in all of its forms. As plant and human DNA coalesce into the earth, the boundaries of the human bodyand all of its capacitiesare entirely victimized by the violence of nature itself. Change requires disruption and in some cases, complete destruction. Farmers burn their land for agricultural production; a woman's body undergoes drastic measures to accommodate life; cells split and divide to form new cells and DNA structureslife is quite literally an enactment of change. "Annihilation" is fixated on these organic disruptions, but studies them through the human ego, particularly through Lena (Natalie Portman), a biologist who studies cancer cells at John Hopkins Hospital.

Emotionally stunted by her husband's (Oscar Isaac) disappearance after a classified military expedition, Lena one day is painting a wall when she sees a silhouette in the corner of her eye. It's her husband, but he's emotionally unresponsive, and soon, very ill, convulsing and bleeding from the mouth. On the way to the hospital, her vehicle is intercepted by a military unit that takes them to an enclosed facility where her husband is quarantined and she is interrogated. Her husband, as it turns out, has returned from the Shimmergiven its name for the bubble-esque barrier outlining its perimeters. (Like most sci-fi phenomena, the Shimmer is brought on by a meteor crashing into a lighthouse, one of the easiest ways to geographically legitimize and specify its occurrence.)

In short, Lena decides to go into Area X to see for herself what her husband experienced and is accompanied by a group of equally tormented womenDr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a psychologist; Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez), a paramedic; physicist, Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson); and Cass Sheppard (Tuva Novotny), a geologistto uncover whether the Shimmer is an extraterrestrial phenomenon, how it operates, and what exactly it wants.

Paramount Pictures

The Shimmer is recounted from here on through Lena's disjointed memories. Sure, the film's logistical reasoning is substituted by Lena's excessive scientific jargon the average moviegoer won't understand (or care to decipher), but Lena's dialogue mostly consists of one breathy, disconnected line said ad nauseam: "I don't know." Lena's apparent dissociation is a symptom of entering the Shimmer: Those that miraculously return are incapable of retelling their experiences, what they saw, what they ate or drank, and how they survived. That is to say (spoiler alert!), there are several victims in "Annihilation" following in horror's tradition of every man woman for herself. The Shimmer violently eliminates organisms incapable of genetically adapting to the environment, and humansgiven our genetic predisposition to self-destruct in unfamiliar territoryare unfit for its ecosystem.

In its second half, Garland's sci-fi horror amps up the gore and cosmic revelations. Rounding out the film's cerebral finale, Portland enacts what would appear to be a Reddit post detailing a DMT trip gone wrong. Lenalike many late rockstars from the 60s and 70ssurrenders to an ego death. "Annihilation" shows what that looks like, the feeling of being unknown to oneself, in fact, complete entropy of the human personality. Indistinguishable from her (carbon?) shimmering copy, Lena's transformation mirrors her flawed mortality, the need to know, the inclination to expose oneself to better understand one's nature.

Annihilation takes pleasure in distorting this reality, reveling in the comical dance and perversion of all things familiar. Filmgoers will likely ponder the quasi-metaphysics of the film's ending, but anyone questioning what it all means may find the Beatles said it best: "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together." What a pity, then, that none of the women morph into a walrus whilst strolling through the Shimmer.

Paramount Pictures

POP DUST Score: 

Shaun Harris is a poet, freelance writer, and editor published in avant-garde, feminist journals. Lover of warm-toned makeup palettes, psych-rock, and Hilton Als. Her work has allowed her to copyedit and curate content for various poetry organizations in the NYC area.

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A shower is possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds light and variable..

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A shower is possible early. Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.From left: Lydia Cotton, Cecilia Marquez and Maribel Acosta, of the Art Pot Multicultural Center in Hanahan. Art Pot is a nonprofit that provides arts education and community services to the growing Hispanic community in the Charleston area. Gregory Yee/StaffDavid Slade is a senior Post and Courier reporter. His work has been honored nationally by Society of Professional Journalists, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Scripps foundation and others. Reach him at 843-937-5552 or dslade@postandcourier.comInsights

Some things we could happily do without. One of these, I would guess, is the brown tree snake that famously shorts out power lines and has eli Read moreADVERTISEMENT

President Muhammadu Buhari, prominent politician, Bola Tinubu, and many top politicians are among hundreds of people who attended the wedding of the son of Governor of Oyo state, Idris Ajimobi, and daughter of Governor of Kano, Fatima Ganduje, on Saturday.

President Buhari sought the hand of the bride on behalf of bridegrooms family from the guardian of the bride, Mr. Tinubu.

The marriage was formalised by Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, after the payment of N50,000 dowry by President Buhari.

About 20 state governors graced the occasion, including chairman of governors forum, Governor of Zamfara state, Abdulaziz Yari.

The President left Kano for Abuja immediately after the wedding.ADVERTISEMENT

While the Nigerian government keeps mum on details on the attack on Rann community and the casualty thereof, the United Nations has confirmed that at least eight Nigerian security personnel were killed in the attack.

The UN in a statement by Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also confirmed the withdrawal of aid workers from the community.

The Secretary-General condemns the killing of three aid workers last night in Rann town in Borno state, Nigeria, following an attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents. At least one other aid worker remains critically injured and another three are still missing. Eight members of the Nigerian national security forces were also killed.

At the time of the attack, over 40 humanitarian workers were in Rann. All humanitarian personnel have been evacuated from Rann, and all humanitarian deliveries in the area have been temporarily suspended.

The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the affected aid workers, their families and to the Government and people of Nigeria. He wishes those injured a swift recovery. The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. Those responsible for these and other atrocities in Nigeria must be apprehended and prosecuted.

The Secretary-General calls on all the parties to ensure at all times the protection of all civilians in Nigeria.

Also, the Doctors Without Borders, otherwise known as Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) on Friday officially suspended humanitarian activities in the remote Borno community.

Neither the Nigerian military nor the police has released any statement on the Rann attack or confirmed the casualty figure. However, military sources told PREMIUM TIMES several people including soldiers were killed in the attack.

MSFs Field Communication officer in Abuja, Maro Verli, said on Friday that the humanitarian organisation has no option for now than to suspend all their operations in the volatile area.

Following the violent attack in Rann, Borno state, on Thursday 1 March, Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) decided to suspend its medical activities in the town.

MSF team has been providing medical care to the 40,000 people in Rann, since January 2017. Mobile teams delivered assistance on a regular basis, and a permanent medical team has been based in Rann since September 2017.

Thursdays attack is the second major one on Rann. About 200 persons were killed in January 2017 when a Nigerian military plane mistakenly dropped bombs on the Rann IDP camp.

The location of Rann, the security situation around the area, and the lack of efficient telephone system there makes it difficult for journalists to get a true understanding of happenings there. A similar scenario occurred in the January 2017 incident. It also took the military days to confirm the actual casualty.ADVERTISEMENT

The face-off between the lower legislative chamber and the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development that led to the vote of no confidence passed on the two ministers was the major event in the house last week.

All members of the House of Representatives voted in support of a no convidence vote on Kayode Fayemi and his state counterpart, Bawa Bwari.

The two ministers had boycotted a debate on the steel sector, focusing on the Ajaokuta steel company which the House organised on Thursday.

Below are some of the highlights:

Tuesday

Speaker Yakubu Dogara read a communication from the Nigerian president on declining presidential assent to the Nigerian Peace Corps Bill. The president had cited duplication f duties and scarce financial resources as reasons.

The House adopted a motion on the need to investigate the non-payment of monies for local contractors in the 2017 budget.

Wednesday

The House adopted a motion of urgent national importance moved by the minority whip, Yakubu Barde, on the wanton killings and destruction of properties in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna and the killings by cattle rustlers.

Thurday

The House had a sectoral debate on the steel industry with focus on the Ajaokuta Steel Company, it invited all relevant stakeholders in the industry and the ministers in the ministries of mines and steel and also finance.

The house in a unanimous vote, passed a vote of no confidence on the minister of mines and steel and his state counterpart boycotting the sectional debate.

A member of the House of Representatives, Nkem Abonta, at the plenary described Nigerias ministers as incompetent. He also called for the arrest of the offending ministers for boycotting the debate. Mr. Fayemi has since criticised the decision of the lawmakers describing it as unwarranted.ADVERTISEMENT

The plenary, for two days, was presided by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, due to other assignments the Senate President attended to. The chamber also held a humorous session while Mr. Saraki was away.

Below are highlights of the Nigerian Senate this week:

Monday

 The Senate committee on Local and Foreign Debts during a courtesy visit to the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, said Nigeria needs to lower its debt profile in order to make financial resources available for priority projects.

Tuesday

 The Code of Conduct Tribunal adjourned the trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, till March 8 to enable the defence reply to the prosecutions written address. Mr. Saraki was arraigned in 2015 by the federal government for alleged false declaration of asset after he served as governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

 Senators of the opposition party in a lighter mood called APC All Progressive Crises. The comedy played out when the Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan, moved the motion for adjournment to allow APC senators attend the partys NEC meeting.

 A senator, Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa-APC), who was recently removed as chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, vowed to fight senators and members of the House of Representatives who are misbehaving.

Wednesday

 The Senate mandated its committee on judiciary to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged resumption of Tony Ojukwu as the acting Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

 The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, said that the National Assembly would transmit the Disability Bill to President Muhammadu Buhari within 30 days for assent.

 While speaking at the opening of a two-day policy round-table discussion on the future of the anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria, Mr. Saraki called for a non-partisan approach to fighting corruption in the country.

Thursday

 Chairman Senate Committee on Anti-corruption, Chukwuka Utazi has alleged that the lackadaisical attitude of the House of Representatives committee on anti-corruption has continued to stall the passage of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIU) bill.

 The Senate passed, for concurrence the Federal Audit Services Commission Bill which will ensure regular audit of federal expenditure.

 The National Assembly received a report of constitutional amendments from state assemblies.A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the extension of the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) by its National Executive Committee (NEC), illegal and unconstitutional.

Okere Uzochukwu, a member of the APC in Imo State, made the request in a suit, filed by his lawyer, Nnamdi Okere, which also has APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents.

He also said the APCs national convention never and did not meet to delegate and has not delegated any of its powers to the National Executive Committee, to warrant the unconstitutional tenure extension.

The NEC of the party, at its meeting on Tuesday in Abuja extended the tenure of the Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC by one year, starting from June.

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi, who announced the development, said the decision was taken in line with the partys Constitution.

He explained that it was to ensure that peace prevailed within the partys hierarchy ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Considering the time left for the party to conduct all the congresses, we cannot afford to approach general elections with more dispute and crises.

So, relying on Article 13 of our Constitution, which empowers the NEC to carry out the function of the convention, the NEC has decided to extend the tenure of the current NWC, Mr. Bello said.

He explained that the tenure extension included the partys other executive committees at various levels, but stated that the action would not stop its non-elective National Convention slated for July.

In the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/219/2018, Mr. Uzochukwu said he was an aspirant to the state chairmanship position of the party in Imo State and that the tenure extension violated provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the APC.

He further explained that the the extension of the tenure of officials of the party at various levels was the primary function and responsibility of the national convention by virtue of the provisions of Article 13 and 13 (3) (ii) of the Constitution of the APC 2014 (as amended).

Mr. Uzochukwu, therefore, urged the court to among others, declare that the purported one-year extension as illegal, unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.

He also wants the court to compel the incumbent John Odigie- Oyegun-led National Working Committee, and others to vacate their respective offices with effect from June 1, 2018.

Noting that the beneficiaries of the extension will complete their four-year tenure on June 1, 2018, he further urged the court to compel them to vacate their offices by then pending the election of new officers of the party at all levels through democratically elected conventions.

The said APC membership card is hereby pleaded and shall be relied upon as exhibit 1. The plaintiff is aspiring and contesting the Imo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress slated to hold during the party elective convention in July 2018.

The four-year tenure of the present National Working Committee, State Working Committee, Local Government Area Executive Committee and Ward Executive Committee of the party will expire in June 2018 and new elective conventions ought to be conducted to elect party leadership at the various levels.

On Tuesday, February 27, 2018, the National Executive Committee of the Party met and purportedly usurped the constitutional powers of the National Convention by unconstitutionally extending the tenure of the present National Working Committee, State Working Committee, Local Government Area Executive Committee and Ward Executive Committee of the party which will expire in June 2018.

In a supporting affidavit, he said the plaintiff is a registered and card carrying member of the All Progressives Congress who registered at Ulakwo, OAU ward of Owerri North, membership card number 11013379 and has been participating in all programmes and activities of the party.

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The plaintiff also seeks an order compelling INEC to reject, cease to recognise and stop dealing with or having official communications with the incumbent John Odigie- Oyegun-led the National Working Committee and others effective from effective from June 1, 2018 for having spent the constitutionally allowed tenure of office.

He also wants an order declaring that he, as a registered and card-carrying member of the party, has been denied the right to aspire and contest the Imo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, a position he is aspiring and canvassing, and has spent enormous resources, to warrant and justify the extant action.ADVERTISEMENT

The Nigerian Army has disbursed N19 million to 95 widows of fallen heroes residing in Abakpa and Awkunanaw Barracks in Enugu State to ameliorate the hardship being faced by the women.

The money was donated by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwanyi of Enugu state.

Adamu Abubakar, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, said this in a statement issued by Sagir Musa, Deputy Director of Army Public Relations of the Division on Saturday in Enugu.

Mr. Musa, a colonel, who explained that each of the widows received N200, 000, said that the money was presented to the widows at the divisions auditorium in Enugu on Friday.

He said that Mr. Abubakar, on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, urged the beneficiaries to make use of the money judiciously.

Mr. Musa also said that the GOC thanked Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his continued support to the widows and the Division.

Mr. Ugwuanyi had during the 2018 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration pledged to empower the widows of fallen heroes of the Division.

The governor on Feb. 17, during the 2018 West African Social Activities (WASA) held in Abakpa Cantonment, Enugu, redeemed the pledge with a cheque of N19.6 million, which he presented to the GOC.

Mr. Musa also said that the Garrison Commander of the Division, Brig.-Gen. Lasisi Adegboye, and representatives from the Nigeria Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), 82 Division Chapter attended the occasion. (NAN)ADVERTISEMENT

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) has denied reports that some the persons killed by Boko Haram insurgents in Rann village on Thursday were members of its staff.

The attackers killed three UN aid workers, and at least eight police and soldiers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had said in its report that the ICRC also lost a staff in the attack.

The NAN report was quoted by other news organisations, including PREMIUM TIMES.

But the ICRC in an email complained that the NAN report was in error and that it misled other news media.

The ICRC/Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) had a food distribution ongoing in Rann throughout the week of the attack, said Aleksandra Matijevic Mosimann, ICRCs communication coordinator.

The staff and volunteers of the NRCS, our partner organization, were present on the ground. All of them have been confirmed physically unharmed.

At present we remain concerned about the safety of 2 midwives working in a Ministry of Health clinic in Rann, supported by the ICRC, whose whereabouts we dont know yet.

We would like to express our sincere condolences to the families of all persons killed or injured in the attack, including the families of the humanitarian workers tragically killed or injured in Rann.

Nearly 24 hours after the attack, the Nigerian government and the military has not issued any statement to clearly give the actual casualty figure of the attack.The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) have deplored Boko Haram attack on Rann in Borno.

IOM said: a large number of Boko Haram members armed with automatic weapons, rocket propelled grenades and gun trucks attacked the military base in Rann.

The UN migration agency said some 55,000 people displaced by the conflict lived in a camp near the base.

IOM staff reported that during the incident, four soldiers, four mobile police and three humanitarian workers were killed and another three humanitarian workers were injured.

Two of those killed were IOM field colleagues, Mohammed Abdiker, IOM Director of Operations and Emergencies said.

We are outraged and saddened at the killings of two of our colleagues in an attack by Boko Haram in North East Nigeria last evening.

They represented the best in us in assisting displaced civilians. We will miss them, Mr. Abdiker said.

UNICEF, in a statement by Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, also expressed shock on the attack against humanitarian workers in Rann.

Ms. Poirier said: UNICEF is shocked by the attack on March 1, in Rann, Borno State, in which three aid workers lost their lives, three were injured and one is reportedly missing.

One of these brave workers who lost their lives, and the nurse who is missing, were on the frontline providing critical services supported by UNICEF.

The two others who were killed were working for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

We strongly condemn this attack on selfless aid professionals, who were working in the most difficult humanitarian conditions.

Alarmingly, the number of attacks on aid workers is increasing around the world, and we must stand together to reaffirm our commitment to protect them. Humanitarian workers should never be a target.

UNICEF offers its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to all IOM staff members. We will continue to work with the Government to ensure safe return of those missing.

The UN statement, issued by its Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, had also strongly condemned the killing of the three aid workers in Rann town.

Three aid workers were also injured, and a female nurse is missing and feared to have been abducted, Kallon said.

He said the UN was also concerned about other civilians who may have been injured or killed in the attack.

Two of the deceased aid workers were contractors with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), working as coordinators in a camp in Rann for 55,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

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The other aid worker was a medical doctor employed as a third-party consultant with the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Kallon said.In Dubai, the 23rd international exhibition of products, beverages, equipment for hotel and restaurant business and gastronomy of the Persian Gulf countries Gulfood 2018 completed its work.

Contact

Alina Shagieva

***@masterpiecepro.ru Alina Shagieva

End

-- Russia was represented there by manufacturers of high qualitative agricultural and food products  more than 20 companies. Their participation in the exhibition was organized by the Russian Export Center.The area of the Russian exposition was about 550 mTotally, more than 200 products from Russia were represented at the Gulfood 2018: meatandchilledmeatproducts;cereals, beans, oil-bearing and forage crops; cannedfruitsandvegetables;frozen mushrooms and berries; caviar and light-salted and cold-smoked trout; cold-pressed oils; confectionery;water and beverages; honey; dairy products and pasta. During the exhibition, its visitors were able to taste most of the Russian brands represented in the exposition.The united Russian stand included collective expositions of the Republic of Karelia, the Stavropol Territory and the Rostov Region. There were also represented both very small domestic enterprises and large Russian companies: Ecole (manufacturer of halal products), Yarmarka Trading House (manufacturer of natural mixtures for the preparation of first and second dishes under the Yelli trademark), and many others. Well-known not only in Russia but also abroad, Miratorg, Cherkizovo and Resource agricultural holdings demonstrated their products at the individual stands in the meat pavilion; the Makfa and Ufenal companies  in the Cereals and Grain Legumes section; and the Nalchik Dairy Plant and Sinyavinskaya Poultry Plant  in the World Food pavilion.The Russian Export Center helped Russian participants in preparing and conducting business meetings with potential partners from the Persian Gulf countries and the Middle East. During the exhibition, representatives of domestic companies conducted over 290 productive negotiations with the owners and top-managers of distributor networks and manufacturing companies, importers and distributors of food products, hoteliers and restaurateurs, and government agencies suppliers.Being one of the largest and most authoritative food industry exhibitions in the world, Gulfood is essential to business representatives from the countries of the Persian Gulf region and the Middle East. In other turn, for Russia this region is one of the priority directions of agrarian and food export. So, according to data of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, the volume of export supplies of Russian food products to the United Arab Emirates in 2017 increased 2,5 times and reached 250 million dollars expressed in terms of money.Further to this positive trend, the Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Alexander Tkachev, conducted within the framework of the exhibition a business meeting with the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment of the UAE, Tani bin Ahmad al-zeiaudi. An interdepartmental Memorandum on cooperation in the field of agriculture was signed there. Prospects for the development of export-import relations between the two states were also discussed at the meeting with the Minister for Food Security of the UAE, Maryam Al Muhairi.In addition, Alexander Tkachev discoursed at a panel discussion over "Russia, Africa and the Persian Gulf: Prospects for Cooperation", which was also attended by agrarian ministers and business representatives from Uganda, Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Congo and Zambia.ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys Ven Johnson and Tom Waun of Johnson Law, PLC, will hold a press conference with client Jacob Moore on Monday, March 5, 2018 at 3:00 pm. The conference will be held at the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 Huron Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197.

Moore, who is now a freshman gymnast at the University of Michigan, is the first male to file suit against disgraced former doctor Larry Nassar. He was 15 at the time of the abuse. Johnson Law also represents Moore's sister Kamerin who described the abuse both she and her brother suffered during her victim-impact statements in January.

The amended complaint was filed in federal court Wednesday as part of a civil suit and names Nassar, USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University and others as defendants.

Attorney Ven Johnson stated, "Nassar's depravity knows no bounds. For decades, he abused children under the guise of "medical treatment" and those that should have been protecting these young gymnasts did nothing. It's sickening."

Johnson Law, PLC is a personal injury law firm specializing in vehicle negligence, product liability, medical malpractice, police misconduct and more. Visit http://venjohnsonlaw.com/ for more information.

SOURCE Johnson Law, PLC

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NEW ORLEANS, March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. ("Babcock") (NYSE: BW).

On June 28, 2016, Babcock disclosed an "isolated" problem with "a single project" in its Renewable segment, downplaying the extent of the condition. On February 28, 2017, Babcock announced disappointing Q4 and YE 2016 results, including charges and increased contingencies for Renewable projects, yet continued to downplay delays and cost overruns. Following this news, Babcock's stock fell 37%, erasing approximately $300 million of market capitalization in one day. On August 9, 2017, Babcock revealed negative results for Q2 2017, due to additional cost overruns and delays on Renewable projects including $115 million in charges, and also a material weakness in the internal controls over financial reporting at one Renewable unit. Recently, on March 1, 2018, Babcock reported per share losses of $2.44 for Q4 2017 and $8.09 for the year.

The Company has been sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws. Recently, the Company's motion to dismiss the case was denied, allowing it to move forward.

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Babcock's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to Babcock's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Babcock shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-bw/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

[email protected]

1-877-515-1850

206 Covington St.

Madisonville, LA 70447

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

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NEW ORLEANS, March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Civitas Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CIVI).

For several years, the Company, operating through its service agency, The MENTOR Network and other related entities, as one of the largest for-profit providers of foster care services, has been at the center of investigations by the news media as well as the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. In a comprehensive October 2017 report, the Senate Committee identified numerous wide-ranging deficiencies by the Company regarding child placement and foster family background screening; that "[s]ome children served by MENTOR were abused, neglected, and denied services"; that "investigations about fatalities were never followed up, autopsy reports which were pending years ago are not part of case files, and the vast majority of children who died were not the subject of an internal investigation" and that the Company had paid significant financial settlements to resolve negligence claims (for example, nine settlements in Illinois totaling $19.5 million), which had also resulted in what the Company described in a 2014 SEC filing as "less favorable insurance terms" and "greater amounts [expensed] to fund potential claims."

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Civitas' officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to Civitas shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Civitas shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-civi/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

[email protected]

1-877-515-1850

206 Covington St.

Madisonville, LA 70447

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Related Links

http://www.ksfcounsel.com

In February, DoraHacks ( www.dorahacks.com) launched its global hackathon programme, planning to host hackathons in more than 10 countries, including South Korea, Japan, UK, India and Switzerland,etc. DoraHacks has organized more than a hundred successful hackathons around China, each of which attracted between 100 and 200 participants. In January 2018, DoraHacks successfully hosted its first US hackathon in San Francisco.

What's DoraHacks? DoraHacks is an international hacker community founded in 2014, with support from Open Wisdom Lab at Tsinghua University. As the biggest hacker organization in China, DoraHacks' mission is to connect the most talented hackers around the world to solve the greatest problems we face in different industries and to overcome practical issues from our diversiform society.



DoraHacks has formed a unique and irreplaceable "Hacker Brain" for the society. Thanks for DoraHacks' standardized and professional event organization teams stationed in 10 countries among the world, hundreds of hackathons have been successfully hosted over the past two years. DoraHacks' Hackathons bring together the world's top universities' outstanding researchers and technology firms' practitioners to create a Technology Utopia, where cooperation and teamwork between hackers are more efficient and innovative ideas may be generated. Hackers have successfully solved 1000+ problems in DoraHacks' 100+ hackathons. With such high frequency of activities, DoraHacks has now successfully become the most professional and the front-running hacker organization in China.

In DoraHacks' Hackathons, hackers will need to solve practical or industry-specific problems within 24 hours using their solid expertise, knowledge and creativity. About half of the problems will be real problems that the sponsors are facing, while the rest will be problems that are raised by hackers and worth solving. Hackers will be divided in teams of 3 to 6, in which members are experts in different aspects, varying from AI technology, UI design to front-end development, etc. Interaction with fellow hackers is a key reason why hackers love DoraHacks. As preeminent hackers are gathered together by DoraHacks, most of them got out of a hackathon feeling they have learned new skills and made some great new friends.

The problem-oriented hackathons DoraHacks hosts have generated many ready-to-use solutions for DoraHacks' sponsors and partners. Therefore it has attracted a number of front-running AI, Fintech and blockchain companies as its sponsors. DoraHacks also initiated a DoraHacker Support Program where more technology firms are welcomed to join the program, providing job opportunities and mentoring directly to DoraHacks' hackers. DoraHacks is also frequently featured on major Chinese media platforms such as Sohu and iFeng.

DoraHacks (www.dorahacks.com), with a mission to connect the most talented hackers around the world, will continue to host outstanding hackathons for hackers, so that every hacker can grow better through interaction and collaboration, and be able to creatively solve real-world problems our industries and society face today.

Media Contact:

[email protected]

Wechat ID: naodongmao

SOURCE DoraHacks

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HERNDON, Va., March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EagleForce Health, LLC, a leading provider of big data interoperability and advanced analytics, announced today that Dr. Sinthi Acey has joined as Senior Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer. Dr. Acey arrived to the team from Correct Rx Pharmacy Services.

During her experience with Correct RX Pharmacy Services, Dr. Acey provided guidance in individualized Medication Therapy Management (MTM), utilizing both vertical and horizontal approaches to medication dispensing, management and billing. As EagleForce Health's Chief Pharmacy Officer, she will continue her collaborative work in the architecture, development and implementation of precision health medication and clinical programs, predictive analytics and population health innovations. At EagleForce Health, Dr. Acey will be responsible for the identification, qualification and quantification of Next Generation Pharmacy technology business models as the company expands opportunities in personalized health. Her vast expertise in Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) will drive input on pharmacy workflow oversight and patient education in the delivery of affordable quality pharmacy products and services vastly needed in the prescribing of Opioids. EagleForce Health products are designed to aid in providing better outcomes for consumers with regard to increases in patient adherence and medication treatment options. Dr. Acey's experiences in the public and private sectors will serve as treasured assets to the EagleForce team. "Dr. Acey embodies a unique set of qualifications for this position due to her experience in pharmacy and her strong naval background in systems engineering and advanced secure communications. As pharmacy electronic systems are moving to banking standards and security tokens for pharmacy are moving towards Blockchain Hashes, we are honored to have another seasoned veteran joining the EagleForce advanced analytics team," said Stanley Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of EagleForce Health.

"In addition to being a Maryland-licensed Pharmacist certified in Medication Therapy Management, Immunization and Vaccination, Dr. Acey has extensive technological experience including information technology systems management, systems engineering, intelligence, and logistics which will be invaluable to our pursuit of patient-centered health initiatives through our Medication and Immunization for Life product," said Dr. Cynthia Macri, MD, Chief Medical Officer of EagleForce Health.

Dr. Acey earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, a Master's degree in Systems Technology from the United States Navy Postgraduate School and a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the United States Naval Academy. This diverse background of medicine, machinery and mathematics provides the triple threat which is essential to the advancement of prescription medication dispensing, management and patient-centered health engagement for the 21st century pharmaceutical industry.

Beyond her work in the healthcare industry, Dr. Acey volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America and is an active leader in United Methodist Women's Ministries.

About EagleForce Health, LLC

EagleForce Health is an Advanced Analytics Company that established its pedigree in the Defense and Intelligence sector of the government solving some of the country's biggest challenges. The Company has many patents in the area of eligibility and predictive analytics which it employs in solving some of healthcare's most difficult problems with respect to disparate data interoperability by utilizing artificial intelligence, neural computing and enhanced data modeling. For more information, please contact us or visit our website:

www.TheEagleForce.net

SOURCE EagleForce Health, LLC

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SHENZHEN, China, March 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a global leading provider of power solutions, has released a new USB power station with cubic and portable size called the SmartC. Equipped with 4 USB-A and 1 USB-C ports, it is able to intelligently and fast charge 5 devices at the same time.

In order to keep abreast with the latest USB-C charging trend and pace, Huntkey has come up with yet another USB-C product intended for global use. It is specially designed with a pocket size for easy carry, measuring 63.7 mm long, 63.7 mm wide and 54.6 mm high, which is even smaller than the Rubik's cube. It is ideal for those who love to travel as light as possible since it can be carried in one hand.

The SmartC also boasts of intelligent and fast charging technologies. It uses a reversible USB-C connector to deliver a much faster charging speed compared to older USB types. To support a wide range of devices charging, it can automatically output different currents according to the devices' needs. To ensure product safety, it has been strictly tested to meet stringent protection requirements, including OCP (Over Current Protection), OHP (Over Heat Protection) and SCP (Short Circuit Protection).

Worldwide availability has begun but different standards of plugs are available in different countries. For more product information please contact local Huntkey retail stores, or visit https://en.huntkey.com/.

Huntkey SmartC Power Station:

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Smart-C.jpg

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/smartc-power-station.jpg

https://en.huntkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/usb-charging-station.jpg

Specifications Model SmartC USB-A Port 4 USB-C Port 1 Input 100~240V, 50Hz/60Hz 1.2A Output USB-A Port 5V 4A In Total / Each Max 2.4A USB-C Port 5V 3A Safety Standard CE, ETL, FCC, GS, CB Dimensions (L*W*H) 63.7*63.7*54.6 (mm)

About Huntkey

Huntkey Group, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Shenzhen, is a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and a member of The China Power Supply Society (CPSS). With branch companies in the USA, Japan and other areas, and cooperating factories in Brazil, Argentina, India and other countries, Huntkey has specialized in the development, design, and manufacturing of PC power supplies, industrial power supplies, surge protectors, adapters and chargers for many years. With its own technologies and manufacturing strength, Huntkey has served Lenovo, Huawei, Haier, DELL, ZTE, Bestbuy and many other large enterprises for years, and has received unanimous recognition and trust from many customers.

SOURCE Huntkey

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http://en.huntkey.com

OTTAWA, Ontario, March 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight years after the business began, Perfect You Eyelash Extensions and Permanent Makeup has become a monthly habit for thousands of students, dignitaries and celebrities in Ottawa. When customers walk up the narrow staircase, Perfect You appears to be a nondescript but beautiful space. There is a lot more than meets the eye at this modest Byward Market spa.

Aleksandra stands next to one of her artworks at Perfect You eyelash extensions studio, what she calls 'a revolutionary business platform.'

"I met so many wonderful women in the beauty industry. I realized beauty is something that women truly care about. And I also saw that there was a lot of opportunity to change the way spas operate, for both clients and beauty professionals," says Aleksandra Stewart, the original founder of Perfect You.

"I tell people that Perfect You is not a spa, but a beauty empowerment platform," Aleksandra's business partner Melanie Nim explains in a recent interview. "We wanted to build a business that would empower our technicians, so they would want to offer the best service possible. This translates to an environment where everyone, especially the client, is empowered."

While the rest of the province argues over minimum wage increases, the owners of Perfect You calculate that their technicians make around $30 an hour.

"All of our technicians choose when they work and have the flexibility to care for themselves and their families. They literally develop friendships with clients, so it doesn't feel like work," adds co-owner Aleksandra.

On top of their progressive "platform approach" to skills management, Melanie and Aleksandra are also answering the call of today's "need it now" modern consumer in some extraordinary ways.

"When a woman decides that she wants to improve her appearance, there is no waiting. We were receiving calls at two in the morning for eyelash emergencies, and even calls on Christmas day! I realized we needed to do something to service clients on their terms," Aleksandra exclaims.

Perfect You has spent the last three months training a call center so that clients can book an appointment literally 24/7. Each technician also live-publishes her schedule so that consumers can book an appointment online at any time.

"We also have a team to respond to Facebook and Instagram messages. We find that Facebook is a great way to respond to clients, rather than shoulder the responsibility on one administrative assistant," Aleksandra adds.

But is the business model too good to be true?

"We live in Canada, a country itself that is almost too good to be true. So I think it's natural for Ottawa customers to expect this from any service provider. We are doubling revenues year over year now too, so we're probably doing something right," Melanie responds.

"I don't look at numbers in business. I'm terrible with numbers. I just treat people the way I would like to be treated, and then I figure the money will work itself out," Aleksandra adds.

Media Contact

Brad Stewart

Phone: 613-606-2015

Email: [email protected]

Related Images

aleksandra-stewart-a-business.jpg

Aleksandra Stewart, a business founder with a mission

Aleksandra stands next to one of her artworks at Perfect You eyelash extensions studio, what she calls 'a revolutionary business platform.'

performing-a-procedure-on-a-client.jpg

Performing a procedure on a client

Aleksandra is the original founder of Perfect You and has now trained over 10 technicians in the delicate art of eyelash extensions application.

SOURCE Perfect You Eyelash Extensions and Permanent Makeup"Our new hospital is now ready to provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients," said Thomas J. McAfee, President of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. "We look forward to serving the community, and providing a leading healthcare facility for those in the northern Chicago suburbs."

The new hospital, which broke ground in 2014, will provide patients convenient access to world-class physicians with seamless access to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the No. 1 ranked hospital in Illinois by U.S. News & World Report. The new Lake Forest Hospital now offers cutting-edge treatments and innovative clinical trials within a world class health system.

The new structure offers collaborative spaces for caregivers and staff; a reduction in ambient noise; and, improved control over indoor lighting in patient, visitor, and staff areas. The hospital's five interconnected pavilions provide an integrated foundation for inpatient and ambulatory care that includes:

114 private inpatient rooms;

72 outpatient care spaces;

eight operating rooms;

106 clinic examination rooms.

The hospital was designed for physicians and staff to take advantage of the resources of an integrated academic health system. For example, video conferencing for staff and real time video sharing in the operating rooms are available to enhance collaboration and care for patients.

"The design and technology of this new hospital will directly benefit our patients, and will allow us to provide a new level of care that we were not always able to do in our previous facility," said Jeffrey Kopin, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. "Our patients always come first, and were the cornerstone of each decision that was made in the development of this hospital."

The Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest campus includes 116 acres of open space, with more than 7,000 feet of pedestrian and bicycle paths, nearly 700 new trees and a six-acre pond to support storm water retention and reduce area flooding.

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit http://news.nm.org/about-northwestern-medicine.html. To learn more about Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, visit http://nm.org/lfh.

SOURCE Northwestern Medicine

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NEW ORLEANS, March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into TreeHouse Foods, Inc. (NYSE: THS).

Beginning in early 2016 and throughout the year, the Company repeatedly touted many aspects of its performance pertaining to its private label business, recent acquisitions and overall financial condition. Then, on November 3, 2016, the Company disclosed a litany of negative information, including that its private brands business had failed to meet expectations; its 2016 guidance was excessive and would be lowered; its integration strategy had proven to be inadequate; it was closing its British Columbia facility; and its President had resigned.

Thereafter, the Company and certain of its executives were sued in a securities class action lawsuit, charging them with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. Recently, the court presiding over that case denied the Company's motion to dismiss, allowing the case to move forward.

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether TreeHouse's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to TreeHouse's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of TreeHouse shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-ths/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

[email protected]

1-877-515-1850

206 Covington St.

Madisonville, LA 70447

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Related Links

http://www.ksfcounsel.com

Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.



UNIONTOWN, Pa., March 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On February 15th, residents in the Uniontown area were faced with torrential rains and an EF1 tornado, which, according to figures provided by Fayette County EMA, destroyed a total of 22 residences. An additional 9 properties were classified as having major damage, and a total of 187 had minor damage or were affected in some way. Beginning on February 17, The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services began conducting feeding operations at the Uniontown Holiday Inn Express, where the 22 displaced families are being temporarily housed. This has continued since then, feeding from 30 to 50 people lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks on a daily basis. This will continue until the families have been able to find alternate housing with assistance of HUD, which is expected to occur within the next week.

In the aftermath of the storms, The Salvation Army also distributed 45 flood clean up kits, countless other cleaning supplies, and provided food and beverages for volunteers and clients during the two-day Multi Agency Resource Center (MARC). Also at the MARC on February 26th and 27th, The Salvation Army distributed $10,000 in gift cards to those whose homes were assessed as affected, and took applications for another $2,000 to be given later in the week. Those who were assessed as affected but have not yet reached out to The Salvation Army can still request financial support at the location at 32 W. Fayette Street in Uniontown. In addition to the material and financial support, the Commanding Officers of The Salvation Army Uniontown Worship and Service Center, Majors Deborah and Henry Weigner have been ministering to the victims, sharing hope and encouragement. "I am blessed to be able to serve," said Major Debbie Weigner. "Those we have been able to help are so thankful. We continue to pray for them."

Anyone wishing to donate to provide assistance to help affected victims rebuild their lives is asked to send checks, with "Uniontown Disaster Relief" indicated in the remittance advice of the check, to: Uniontown Salvation Army Worship & Service Center, PO Box 1026, Uniontown, PA 15401. Credit Card donations are being accepted online at: salvationarmywpa.org/disaster. One hundred percent of all funds donated for disaster relief are used for their intended purpose, with no administration costs deducted.

Celebrating over 150 years of global service as both a church and a social service organization, The Salvation Army began in London, England in 1865. Today, it provides critical services in 128 countries worldwide. The 28-county Western Pennsylvania Division serves thousands of needy families through a wide variety of support services. To learn more about The Salvation Army in Western Pennsylvania, log on to www.wpa.salvationarmy.org. The Salvation Army  doing the most good for the most people in the most need.

SOURCE Salvation Army of Western PA

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Nafissa Thompson-Spires is a visiting assistant professor of creative writing and African-American studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but, for a long time, shes also been a prize-winning short story author. In 2013, This Todd won the Josephine M. Breezee Memorial Prize in Fiction, and, in 2015, Heads of the Colored People: Four Fancy Sketches, Two Chalk Outlines, and No Apology won the StoryQuarterly Fiction Prize.

This April, Atrias 37 Ink imprint will publish her first book, Heads of the Colored People, a collection of 11 stories that includes those two prize winners. The collection features an assortment of black characters, some appearing in multiple stories, who are navigating their places in what the author calls an allegedly postracial era.

I wanted to represent black characters who are marginalized in the white world, but also even marginalized within blackness: people who are accused of sounding white because of the way they speak, people who are really nerdya different angle of black identity, Thompson-Spires says. Thats a thing I think a lot of us know well, but I havent read too many stories about those kinds of people.

The books title and format are based on a series of literary sketches titled Heads of the Colored People, Done with a Whitewash Brush, published between 1852 and 1854 in the weekly Frederick Douglass Paper, out of Rochester, N.Y. The author, James McCune Smith, was a surgeonthe first black American to obtain a medical degree. He was an abolitionist and a public intellectual whom Douglass had appointed as his papers New York correspondent. Writing under the pseudonym Communipaw, McCune Smiths satirical sketches focused on New Yorks black working class. Thompson-Spires credits her scholar husband, Derrick Spires, with introducing her to McCune Smiths work, which, she says, narrates black life from the mundane to the obscure and spans the didactic to the macabre.

Thompson-Spiress book began its life when she was an M.F.A. student at the University of Illinois, though as a YA novel rather than as short stories. She submitted that novel to an agent, who requested that she alter the ages of the characterswhich she found difficult.

To distract myself from doing revisions on the novel, I wrote six or seven short stories, Thompson-Spires says. Once I had written Heads of the Colored People, I realized that was the theme I wanted to pursue for the rest of my stories. I was initially trying to write updated versions of McCune Smiths stories, but they werent really updated because nothing had really changed. He was writing in the 1850s about black rights, and were dealing right now with so much police brutality, voter suppression, and lots of things that feel very much like where we were over 150 years ago. Its kind of scary to see how much of that history repeats itself or hasnt changed at all. So I tried to instead think about the broader theme of heads: heads as in leadership, as in psychology, as in mental illness, as in literal heads. And I think that helped me figure out the stories I wanted to tell without being so restricted.

Generally, Thompson-Spiress characters are based on observations of real peopleusing methods she proudly attributes to the influence of Harriet the Spy. Youre supposed to learn a lesson from Harriet the Spy: if you spy on people, keep notes about people, your friends will all turn on you and youll get in trouble, she says. But thats not the lesson I learned from it. Im an extremely nosy person. I actually wanted to be just like her, and I had a literal spy notebook where I would take notes on what people were doing. And Im not just talking about as a kidI still have a spy notebook! I still observe people, I take notes on what theyre saying, and I love doing it. But no one has ever discovered my spy notebook and turned on me like what happened to Harriet!

Ultimately, Thompson-Spires says, I think theres a little bit of me in almost all of the charactersdefinitely in the Fatima character. Three of the stories feature Fatima, including Belles Lettres, in which Fatima is bullied (inspired, Thompson-Spires notes, by a really nasty letter to my mom from my childhood bullys mother, when I was in third grade, about what a bad kid I was) and The Bodys Defenses Against Itself, in which Fatima deals with endometriosis. Im trying to figure out what it means to accept your body when you have an invisible illness that is wreaking havoc with it, she says. In fact, my next project is a novel about Fatima.

Thompson-Spires and her brother and sister had book-filled childhoods, with parents who were educators and now work in the tech industry. Her father is a former middle school history teacher who, she says, won a Readers Digest essay contest in the 1990s; her mother is a former English teacher who writes books for educators teaching kids of color.

Heads of the Colored People sold at auction to Dawn Davis, of whom Thompson-Spires says, She really understood what I was doing. She is also a Southern Californian who went to a private school, she was the only black kid in her school, and she just really got [the stories], not just on a mental level but in a kind of a visceral way.

Thompson-Spires says she hopes the stories help readers rethink whats allowed as authentically black and what isntto think about how mistreated the black body is, not just from the level of government and state-sanctioned violence but on an everyday level: how do you treat your own black body, how do you treat others peoples black bodies, how can you think more carefully about those behaviors?

She adds, I wrote A Conversation About Bread so that one of the disabled characters that Kim fetishizes in This Todd would have a chance to speak back about the fetishbecause it was important to me that the satire in that story was apparent. The most difficult story to write, she says, was Wash Clean the Bones: Its about a mother who considers drowning her baby because shes exhausted from black deaths. Its the only story where theres no humor, and its deeply sad. And thats atypical for me. I almost always use humor to disarm my readers, and writing something that was so intensely depressing was really difficult for me. But I wrote it because I felt like it was an important story to tell.

What surprised Thompson-Spires about the book is that its sadder than the one she set out to write. I see myself as someone who writes a lot of humor: tongue-in-cheek work, some satire, some stories that are even absurdist, she says. It surprised me that I was writing about so many more aspects of blackness than I thought I ever wouldabout physical trauma, chronic illness, and death. Those are all things I never thought I would pursue because I found them too depressing as a reader, and so I set out to write what I thought was lighthearted and ended up doing the thing that I was trying to avoid. But I dont regret thatI think that those were the stories I needed to tell.Claiming His Place

Mark Greaneys 2009 debut thriller, The Gray Man, launched the series of the same name; two years later, he was tapped to coauthor the Jack Ryan series with Tom Clancy. They wrote three books together, and, after Clancys death, Greaney wrote four more. He continued his own series all the while, and in February 2017 announced he was leaving Jack Ryan behind. His first Gray Man book since then, Agent in Place, debuts at #8 in hardcover fiction with the best first-week sales for the series to date.

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

Meet and Greet

The ALA announced its Youth Media Awards, which include the Newbery and Caldecott, February 12. Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kellys Hello, Universe debuts at #16 in childrens and YA frontlist fiction, with print unit sales up 59% from the week before.

The Caldecott Medalist, Matthew Cordell, saw a significant improvement in sales for Wolf in the Snow, though the run-up to the annual Read Across America promotions and associated surge of Dr. Seuss titles kept it from the current picture book list.

TV Watch

The police procedural Instinct, starring Alan Cumming, premieres March 11 on CBS. Its based on 2017s Murder Games by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, and features a first for a broadcast TV drama: the lead character is gay and has a husband. Hes also a fuddy-duddy professor, a bit of a dandy, [and] a former spy [who] drives a motorbike, Cumming said at a promotional event for the show. [His sexual orientation is] the fourth or fifth most interesting thing about the character. The Instinct TV tie-in debuts at #9 in trade paper.

New & Notable

Educated

Tara Westover

#4 Hardcover Nonfiction

In this searing debut memoir, our starred review said, a girl claws her way out of a claustrophobic, violent fundamentalist family into an elite academic career.

Sunburn

Laura Lippman

#18 Hardcover Fiction

According to our starred review, this tale of the gray area between betrayal, lust, and murder shows Lippman at her observant, fiercest best, a force to be reckoned with in crime fiction.

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units 1 A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine LEngle Square Fish 35,594 2 Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss Random House 33,248 3 Dog Man and Cat Kid (Dog Man #4) Dav Pilkey Graphix 25,379 4 One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish Dr. Seuss Random House 24,951 5 The Great Alone Kristin Hannah St. Martins 23,097 6 Fifty Fifty Patterson/Fox Little, Brown 22,798 7 The Cat in the Hat Dr. Seuss Random House 19,959 8 12 Rules for Life Jordan B. Peterson Random House Canada 19,593 9 Fire and Fury Michael Wolff Holt 17,785 10 Wonder R.J. Palacio Knopf 15,987

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.Founded in 1898 as the publishing unit of the nonprofit U.S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Md., the Naval Institute Press specializes in books on the military, including works on history, education, and biography, as well as some fiction. But soon, the press will add graphic novels and graphic nonfiction.

Later this year, the Naval Institute Press is launching Dead Reckoning, a graphic books imprint that will release four titles in 2018, with more to come. The imprint is named after a navigation technique.

Dead Reckoning is headed by Gary Thompson, NIPs assistant acquisitions editor and graphic novel lead, who explained that the imprint will target adults and young adults. Dead Reckoning, he said, will focus primarily on stories about military history, military biography/memoir, general history, and stories of the high seas. But he emphasized that the line will also offer plenty of fiction, as well as fictionalized stories based on true events.

The imprint accepts agent submissions, although Thompson developed most of the titles on the initial list in-house. NIP pays advances (the house also offers page-rate equivalents, which are more typical in the traditional comics industry).

Although NIP has its own warehouse and distributes its own titles, the press brought in comics consultant Sven Larsen and Parson-Weems Publisher Services, which has a longtime relationship with graphic novel distributor Diamond, to handle sales and marketing of Dead Reckonings titles. They have expertise in the comics industry and were brought in to help navigate the more idiosyncratic elements of the graphic novel marketplace, Thompson said.

Discussions about publishing graphic novels began at the press in 2015, after the NIP director asked staffers what new trends the house should focus on. Thompson, who had earlier convinced NIP to publish poetry, suggested graphic novels. Plans quickly grew from publishing a single work to starting an entire line of graphic books.

Why do just one? Thompson asked. To show that were serious, we need to do it right: publish as many books as possible and work to make this a success. Maybe some of the books wont work, but thats publishing.

Thompson used visits to local comics shows (among them the Small Press Expo outside Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore Comic Con), to find artists and writersanyone who looked like they would fit our plans for publishing military nonfiction, he said.

A longtime comics fan, Thompson noted that his taste in comics is reflected in the Dead Reckoning list. I read the big two [Marvel and DC] as a kid, he said, and later manga and indie comics. He added that the imprints list is a mix of all that stuff.

The list offers a mix of book-length and anthologized short works focused on military history and combat memoir, as well as a series of archival collections that reprint classic WWII-era war comics. Overall, the initial list offers current works on military culture, done in indie styles, Thompson said, comparable to the drawing and writing associated with literary comics.

Indeed, Thompson said a key element in the Dead Reckoning program was asking, What should a contemporary war comic look like? He added, I love Sgt. Rocka classic war comic created by the legendary comics artist Joe Kubertbut I cant do books like that all the time.

Among the first titles from the imprint is Machete Squad, a memoir by Brent Dulak, who was an Army medic who served at a remote base in Afghanistan. The book was written with war reporters Kevin Knodell and David Axe and artist Per Berg. Another forthcoming title is The Stan, also by David Axe, Kevin Knodell, and artist Blue Delliquanti, which is an anthology of stories by American and Afghan soldiers (including one member of the Taliban) about their time in the Afghan War.

Ian Densfords Trench Dogs is a wordless story set in the trenches of World War I. It uses anthropomorphized dogs, pigs, and bears as soldiers from Britain, Germany, and Russia. And The Best of Don Winslow of the Navy, edited by noted comics archivist Craig Yoe, collects vintage pulp adventures of a popular fictional WWII Navy hero whose comics are largely forgotten today.

Although NIP is best known for academic works on the military, Thompson knows those books are not everyones cup of tea. Dead Reckoning, he said, is trying to tell the stories that make up history, not just offer the dry facts. He adds, We want to offer cool military stories for a new audience of comics readers.Following the success of the recently-finished MWC 2018, which drew over 107,000 visitors from 205 countries and territories, the GSMA has rapidly announced that next year's edition will be held in Barcelona from 25-28 February.





Thus, the organisation has put to an end to the speculation that has spread over the last year regarding the mobile industry's premier event leaving the Catalan city as a consequence of the political instability seen during the last months.The GSMA has also pointed out that the cornerstone event of the Mobile World Capital has a contract with the city, the regional and the Spanish governments to be hosted in Barcelona through until 2023."We had another highly successful Mobile World Congress, across so many fronts," said GSMA CEO John Hoffman, , "We are gratified with the number of senior-level attendees, particularly the number of CEOs, as well as the continued strong attendance of government ministers and regulators. However, we are not focused on necessarily having the biggest event - we continually strive to convene the right audience and deliver a high-quality experience across all aspects of the event, the conference, the exhibition, and the many other programmes and events at Mobile World Congress."During the MWC 2018, more than 2,400 companies showcased cutting-edge products and services across 120,000 net square metres of exhibition, while over 3,500 international media and industry analysts attended the event to report on the many significant industry announcementsWith unified control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency, the last thing voters might expect of Republican leadership is taking action to increase governments power to tax and regulate. But if the so-called Remote Transactions Parity Act (RTPA), HR 2193, were to pass, thats exactly what would happen. Hot on the heels of federal reform to restrain taxes, passing RTPA would effectively unreform the limited power states have to tax businesses that dare sell on the Internet.

At issue is the power of state governments to force businesses to collect sales taxes when transacting remotely, either by Internet or mail-order. Currently, states can only force businesses that are physically present within their borders to collect their tax. This common-sense standard is a result of the 1992 Supreme Court case, Quill v. North Dakota, and prevents states from harming interstate commerce. Naturally, states dislike this limitation, so they have for years agitated for passage of a federal law that would allow them to reach outside their borders and force out-of-state businesses to collect as well. Big box stores and even Amazon, the big kid on the e-retail block, have gleefully joined in these efforts, sensing a chance to saddle smaller competitors with the staggering complexity and huge costs of having to collect taxes nationwide despite lacking physical presence nationwide, as they have.

The resulting lobbying frenzy has simmered for a long time, but recent action by the Supreme Court may cause it to boil over once and for all. In an attempt to challenge the Quill precedent that states can only tax their own businesses, South Dakota passed a law it knew to be unconstitutional granting itself the right to tax any business, anywhere in the country if certain transaction or dollar thresholds are reached. The state then rushed the case to the Supreme Court as quickly as possible, agreeing to an injunction against its own law in the process.

The case, South Dakota v. Wayfair, will be heard by the high court in April, throwing into turmoil ongoing federal and state legislative efforts to address the complex underlying issues. If the court validates South Dakotas wanton disregard for precedent that establishes limits on its power, other states will surely advance their insatiable quest to give themselves state tax power thats as big as the Internet itself -- federalism and interstate commerce be damned.

In the scramble to respond to the courts potential intervention, the lead sponsor of RTPA, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.), has been pushing her bill as a solution to head off a disruptive ruling. Unfortunately, she may have a sympathetic ear in the president, who strongly supports such a bill even though it would help out his nemesis Jeff Bezos, along with adversarial lawmakers in Congress.

But the courts actions do not strengthen the case for RTPA, they weaken it. The risk from the upcoming case is that the court could overturn Quill, thus throwing open the floodgates to states taxing and regulating businesses all across the country. RTPA not only does nothing to reestablish needed limits on state power, it actually grants states new authority that would allow them to impose burdens on businesses all across the country that dare to sell online.

It is no surprise that Americans have shown strong opposition to such schemes. A September 2017 poll by Rasmussen found that Americans oppose Internet sales tax legislation by a 45-point margin, and earlier polling of Republican voters found that they preferred candidates that oppose such laws by a 54-point margin. Nineteen conservative organizations, including the National Taxpayers Union, Heritage Action for America, Americans for Prosperity, and Americans for Tax Reform, among others, have banded together to signal their strong opposition to RTPA because it would unwisely empower states to tax and regulate all across the country, in much the same way that states did during the disastrous era of the Articles of Confederation.

South Dakotas law is just one of many aggressive actions by states to seize new power over interstate commerce. If Republicans were to pass RTPA, whether on its own or attached to some larger must-pass legislation like an omnibus spending bill, they would be ignoring the will of the American public as a whole and the base that elected them in order to grant expansive new tax and regulatory powers. After conservative victories in 2017, it would make for a very inauspicious first quarter of 2018.TORRINGTON  Representatives of the Warner Theatre and elected officials gathered in celebration Thursday, marking a grant from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority that will allow a portion of the roof of the august institution to be repaired.

Lynn Gelormino, executive director of the Warner Theatre, thanked the semi-governmental body for providing $29,960, which will allow the roofing project to move forward in the warmer months.

Its incredible. Its an incredible gift, because this theater, it was saved and it was restored. Weve put $8.7 million into this theater, and so the last thing you want is to see it (deteriorate) because of water damage or anything else, because the inside has been fully restored, said Gelormino. Were very grateful for this grant. It came at a perfect time, and were in desperate need of it.

Betty Sugerman Weintraub, grant program manager with CHEFA, said the group regularly provides grants to support the arts, with the knowledge of the economic impact such institutions can provide.

It is one of a limited number of organizations that provide funding for capital expenses, Weintraub said. Gelormino confirmed that it was hard to find such funds, prompting a knowing laugh from the elected officials in attendance.

Where can the Warner Theatre go to try to get this money, in a time where the state is dealing with incredible fiscal issues? We are one of the few places they can go to, said Weintraub. We fill that unique niche... when we think of supporting a grant like this, we think of the fact that this cultural institution does support the economy of this community, and that is vital.

But they are critical needs, Weintraub said.

(I)f youve got water coming down on your audience, thats never a good thing, said Weintraub.

Some 15 years after it was renovated, repairs are needed in the vintage building, Gelormino said. A portion of the roof was repaired two years ago, and the funds from CHEFA will allow more to be done. There is an active leak over the auditorium, which will be repaired.

Gelormino said other potential capital projects include repainting old bricks, efforts to address the ceiling inside the entrance and the gold leaf that lines it, and fixing the front of the building.

Weintraub said CHEFA provides financing to nonprofit organizations, aiding them with capital campaigns and allowing them to pull together difficult-to-fund projects. It was created by the state for this purpose, but is not funded by the state, she said.

A portion of the fees assessed to clients support grants from the organizations  which is a pleasure for them, she said.

Its actually something that they feel very good about, because they know money ends up going back to the communities, and... (that) supports the overall economy of the entire state, said Weintraub.

Since 2003, the organization has provided more than $28 million in grants, Weintraub said.

Brian Mattiello, who was previously involved with the restoration of the Warner Theatre and the current chairman of its Board of Directors, said the funding would allow the building to remain a home for the arts and artists.

According to a release from the Warner, (o)ver 50,000 people attend events in the Warners main theatre each season and thousands of schoolchildren... attend curricular-based programming there.

Mattiello said he was pleased to be there to mark the occasion Thursday. Mayor Elinor Carbone, Rep. Jay Case, R-Winchester, Rep. Brian Ohler, R-North Canaan, and Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, were also in attendance to celebrate the grant.

Whether its early (childhood) memories of the Warner Theater, or all of the promise of its coming years, this is wildly important for this community, said Mattiello. When organizations like CHFEA can recognize that this is a smart investment, Im heartened and will be here in a second.WINSTED  The watchwords were pride and accomplishment Thursday night when eight Cub Scouts from Pack 1027 transitioned over to becoming Boy Scouts.

Marco Napoleone, Charles Ley, Jack Sullivan, Nicholas Waters, Kyle Meholik, Parker Godfrey, Stephen Mastriano, and Zachary Collins made the leap through the Arrow of Light ceremony at the Pearson School.

As part of the ritual, the young people walked over a bridge, symbolizing the move, received staves to mark their accomplishment, and were greeted by their fellow members of Boy Scout Troops 1027 and 19.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the boys were clearly pleased.

(I feel) pretty good  pretty accomplished, said Nicholas Waters. (After) coming all this way.

I feel amazing  feels awesome, said Godfrey, who said he was aiming to become an Eagle Scout in the future. I want to help my community. Its fun.

When I was little, I always wanted to do the right thing, said Mastriano, who noted he had found that in the scouts.

I feel accomplished, said Collins.

(I feel) happy, said Meholik, who noted he wanted to follow in his brothers example as a scout. Ive been working towards the Boy Scout rank for a long time.

Jack Sullivan said he was jittery and nervous Thursday, as the ceremony proceeded. He was happy to become a Boy Scout, and hoped to follow in his fathers footsteps, who is currently serving the in the Army Reserves.

I do this because I want to serve my country, said Jack Sullivan.

His mother, Lesley Sullivan, said she was proud. The ceremony had given Jack something to look forward to while his father is overseas  hes currently stationed in Germany, spending a year there. - and a chance to feel connected with his Dad.

Hes worked really hard for this, said Lesley Sullivan.

Marco Napoleone said the ceremony had been on his mind for some time.

(I feel) really good, said Marco Napoleone. Ive been looking forward to it since I was in first grade.

His mother, Ruthie Napoleone, said the scouts had allowed Marco to build confidence and friendships, and strengthened his connection to the community.

Im really excited for him, said Ruthie Napoleone.

Charles Ley said he enjoyed learning wilderness survival skills and doing fun things as part of the scouts. He was pleased to have become a Boy Scout.

Its a big opportunity to be a better person and learn more stuff about nature, said Charles Ley.

His mother, Jenn Ley, was pleased to see him make the jump. Charles was quiet by nature, and his time in the scouts has bolstered his confidence, she said.

Oh my God, Im so proud of him, said Jenn Ley. Incredibly proud of him.

Adults involved in the Cub and Boy Scout packs also noted their pleasure at seeing the young men recognized.

Scouts were taught to do their best, be good citizens, and treat people with respect, Cub Master Gina Sartirana said.

Im so proud of them all. Theyve all worked so hard to get here, said Sartirana.

Julie Rego, committee chair with Boy Scout Troop 1027, said they hadnt had this many entrants in years.

Its really great to have such a large number of Cubs, said Rego.

Nelson Waters, the former scoutmaster for the Cub Scout pack, said he had seen them go from the entry-level Tiger rank to the present, and was proud of their efforts.

Its a great feeling seeing them grow up like that, said Nelson Waters.Brussels, March 3, 2018 (SPS) - The decision made by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on 27 February and excluding the territorial waters of Western Sahara from EU-Morocco fisheries agreement is a turning point in the struggle of the Sahrawi people for self-determination and independence, said Thursday, in Belgium, Euro-MP Paloma Lopez.

In a conference on the reality of the occupation in Western Sahara, to which also took part member of the representation of the Polisario Front at the European Union (EU) Saleh Sayed Mustapha and secretary general of the Belgian committee of solidarity with the Sahrawi people Hilt Teuwen, Lopez broached the action of the Western Sahara intergroup at the European Parliament, pointing out that it constitutes a platform for defending the Sahrawi peoples rights in the European institutions where the American lobby, supported by some European powers, is very present.

She hailed the resistance of the Sahrawi political prisoners, notably those of Gdeim Izik group.

For his part, member of the Polisario Fronts representation Saleh Sayed Mustapha broached the reality facing the Sahrawi people for more than 42 years in the refugee camps, particularly youth who are losing hope in the international community before its procrastinations to impose a political solution able to put an end to the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara.

He called to exert pressure on Morocco to bring it to negotiate with the Polisario Front. (SPS)

062/SPS/APS



A lioness mauled a woman to death Tuesday on a private game reserve in South Africa, according to an emergency service.

Netcare 911 paramedics responded to a call about the attack, which occurred about 11 a.m. just outside Dinokeng Nature Reserve in Hammanskraal town.Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan has said he will decide whether to extradite alleged Russian hacker Yevgeny Nikulin to the United States or Russia based primarily on where the most serious crimes were committed.

Pelikan told the Czech Chamber of Deputies he will also take into account which country requested extradition of Nikulin first, media reported on March 2.

Pelikan made his comments during a regular period of questioning from legislators on March 1.

"I will make a decision as soon as I am able to make it, because there are various processes for which I have to wait," he said.

Both of the criteria cited by Pelikan appear to favor the United States, which has accused Nikulin of more serious cybercrimes than Russia and put in its extradition request for the suspect first.

Nikulin, 30, has been under arrest in Prague since October 2016 based on an international arrest warrant issued by the United States, where he is suspected of hacking the LinkedIn and Formspring (Spring.me) social networks and the Dropbox file-hosting service in 2012-13.

After he was detained, Russia asked for his extradition, citing him as a suspect in a minor $2,000 online theft in 2009.

The U.S. request for extradition was filed on November 16, 2016. The Czech Justice Ministry later received a Russian extradition request dated November 16, 2016, based on an arrest warrant dated November 10, 2016.

Czech legislator Miroslava Nemcova said the the United States is seeking Nikulin in part because he likely is acquainted with Russia's cyberwarfare operations against the West. Russia's quick move to repatriate Nikulin attests to his potential value to Western intelligence, she said.

"They want to get him in Russia because I think they are rightly afraid that the Americans would get him and ask him things that would not be good for Russia," Nemcova said.

Pelikan confirmed to the parliament that President Milos Zeman asked him to extradite Nikulin to Russia.

"He asked me repeatedly and vehemently. I listened to it and presented my stance to the president, which I am not going to interpret here," Pelikan said.

He said he does not feel any pressure to decide in Russia's favor because of Zeman's request.

Nikulin's attorneys have pushed to return their client to Russia, arguing that he could not expect a fair trial in the United States.

Nikulin faces a maximum 30 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines if convicted on U.S. charges, including computer intrusion, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy, and trafficking in illegal access devices.

With reporting by Axios and Prague Monitor

Authorities in the Sunni-ruled kingdom of Bahrain say they have arrested 116 members of an armed Shi'ite militant network that was established and supported by Iran.

The Interior Ministry said the alleged militants planned to target Bahraini officials, members of the security authorities, and vital oil installations with the objective of disturbing public security and harming the national economy.

"Comprehensive investigations revealed the suspected terrorists were members of a network formed and supported by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the ministry said in a statement.

It said 48 of those detained had received training in camps belonging to Iran's IRGC and its armed wings in Iraq and Lebanon.

It said the IRGC and its affiliates, the Shiite militias Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq in Iraq and Hizballah in Lebanon, supported and financed the organization.

The Interior Ministry said police also seized explosives and weapons in their raids, including automatic assault rifles, pistols, magnetic bombs, and grenades.

It did not say when the arrests had been made.

The announcement of the arrests on March 3 came amid an ongoing crackdown on all dissent on the island, which lies off the coast of Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain, a Shiite Muslim majority country that is ruled by Sunni Muslims, regularly announces similar raids and blames Iran for instigating and training the alleged militants.

Tehran denies the accusations.

Bahrain has stepped up its crackdown on dissent since 2016, shutting down the main opposition parties, jailing or stripping citizenship from prominent dissidents, and placing a top Shi'ite spiritual leader under de facto house arrest.

Bahrain has seen a rise in violence since 2011 when Shiites carried out massive Arab Spring protests that were put down with the help of regional Sunni powers, led by Saudi Arabia.

Bahrains government denies that it discriminates against Shiites.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, BNA, AFP, and dpaReports from Pakistan say the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party gained control of parliament's upper house in a secret ballot on March 3.

Pakistans national and provincial parliaments were voting on March 3 in Senate elections that are seen as a test of the PML-N party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistans Geo TV and other local media report that candidates backed by the PML-N won 15 of the 52 Senate seats up for grabs, overtaking the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as the largest group in the upper house.

PPP candidates reportedly won 12 seats.

"PMLN now the single largest party in Senate as well," tweeted Sharif's daughter and presumed political heir, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who won a seat in the capital, Islamabad, said the senate victory vindicates Sharif's political "narrative" with voters.

Pakistani political analysts say that by working with allied politicians in the Senate, PML-N should have de facto control of the 104-seat chamber.

However, official results will not immediately show how well PML-N has done because some candidates were barred from running under the party's banner.

PML-N party officials say those candidates, running as "independents," are expected to pledge their allegiance to PML-N if they are elected to the Senate.

Lawmakers in the countrys four provincial assemblies  Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Baluchistan -- and the National Assembly were electing the 52 senators from among more than 130 candidates.

The vote came as Sharifs PML-N is in disarray after the Supreme Court in July 2017 disqualified Sharif from office due to corruption charges.

His party then changed the country's laws to allow him to resume his role as its leader.

Pakistan's election commission (ECP) rejected his nomination as head of the party but said that the party's lawmakers could contest the March 3 vote by lawmakers as independent candidates.

PML-N's leaders have been beset by corruption allegations, including against Sharif's younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif.

With reporting by dpa and geo.tvPresident Vladimir Putin said Russia won't take action against Russians accused of meddling in the U.S. presidential election if they did not break Russian laws.

In an interview with NBC News aired late on March 2, Putin said Russia has not been presented with official evidence or an extradition request from U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who last month indicted 13 Russians and three Russian companies for allegedly interfering in the 2016 election.

"We cannot respond to that if they don't violate Russian laws," Putin told NBC. "People who are well educated must understand that we in Russia cannot prosecute people if they have not violated Russian law."

"It takes an official request to the prosecutor-general of the Russian Federation. Give us a document, give us an official request," Putin said. "This has to go through official channels, not through the press or yelling and hollering in the United States Congress."

Putin's remarks confirm that Russia is not likely to hand over the 13 Russian citizens identified in Mueller's indictment. Russia does not have an extradition treaty with the United States.

Without help from Moscow, Mueller has little hope of pursuing his case against the suspects, who are accused of using a network of fake social-media accounts and targeted messaging to roil the U.S. presidential debate.

Those indicted, including a notorious so-called "troll factory" in St. Petersburg named the Internet Research Agency, allegedly worked for Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch with ties to Putin.

According to the indictment, some of the Russian operatives posed as American activists and helped organize street rallies against U.S. President Donald Trump's opponent, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

One of the Russians indicted, Mikhail Burchik, told the daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda that he plans to stay in Russia.

"I love my country. There are many beautiful places that you can go to in Russia," he said.

Based on reporting by NBC News and AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union if he had a chance to change Russian history, Russian news agencies reported.

Putin's remark rueing the loss of the Soviet empire on March 2 came one day after he asserted in an annual address that Russia has an arsenal of nuclear-capable weapons that no foe can defeat, in comments that raised concern about a new arms race like that between the Soviet Union and the West during the Cold War.

It was not the first time that Putin, who served in the Soviet-era spy agency the KGB, expressed regret over the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 2005, he called it the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century."

Putin's nostalgia about the Soviet system weeks before a March 18 presidential election he is expected to easily win are likely to be welcomed by millions of older Russians who also view the Soviet years nostalgically.

Taking questions from supporters in Russia's European exclave of Kaliningrad on March 2, Putin was asked what Russian historical event he would like to change.

"The collapse of the Soviet Union," Putin immediately said.

But in answer to another question -- if he could choose what period of history to live in -- Putin said he prefers to live in the present day, Russian news agencies reported.

"You see, all my ancestors in the past were peasant serfs, while I am the president," Russian state-run news agency TASS quoted Putin as saying.

Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and TASS

In this week's Rewind Robert Smith takes his monthly look at the happenings and personalities from the decade of the 1950's in the ongoing feature Years Ago. The Fifties was a great era of growth, excitement and memorable happenings in the sport of harness racing. It was a time of gradual change from a country fair activity to a major sport. His recollections including several old photos help to paint a 'picture' of those days gone by.

1950 - Thorncliffe Park Launches New Venture



A field of horses approaches the start of a race at Thorncliffe Park in 1950. Starter Cliff Bradley is perched in the back of a streamlined Cadillac starting gate previously used at Fairmount Park in Illinois. A portion of the crowd is visible in the background. This facility was equipped with lights but they were never used as night racing was not allowed in Ontario at this time. (Picture was a gift to me from Michael Burns Sr.) A field of horses approaches the start of a race at Thorncliffe Park in 1950. Starter Cliff Bradley is perched in the back of a streamlined Cadillac starting gate previously used at Fairmount Park in Illinois. A portion of the crowd is visible in the background. This facility was equipped with lights but they were never used as night racing was not allowed in Ontario at this time. (Picture was a gift to me from Michael Burns Sr.)

Ontario racing fans experienced an entirely new dimension in harness racing in July of 1950 when Thorncliffe Park located in the Leaside Park area of Toronto introduced an extended summer meeting that lasted seven weeks starting on July 3rd. The Thorncliffe complex was not new but had undergone numerous updates to meet the requirements of the times. It included pari-mutuel wagering for the first time in the Province and also featured a number of amenities such as a state-of-the-art Cadillac starting gate and a modern grandstand.

This meeting immediately attracted a number of the top horsemen of the day which of course meant that many of the best horses were available for weekly competition. That first year well-known horsemen such as Bill and Jack Herbert, Earl Rowe, Marshall Moore, Keith Waples, Harold Wellwood, Cecil Champion, Cliff Chapman and countless more soon occupied the updated stables which included breezeways where many people slept. The conveniences such as a track restaurant, blacksmith shops and racing silks supplied by the track were new to many. Thanks to a gentleman named Hal B. Watson, a noted racing journalist of the day, racing fans could follow the action from his daily column in the Toronto paper.



Oro G. Herbert is shown with all four feet off the ground as he sets the Thorncliffe track record of 2:04.1 for driver and co-owner Jack Herbert. He also held the 1-1/16 mile best of 2:14.1. Photo by Michael Burns Sr. Oro G. Herbert is shown with all four feet off the ground as he sets the Thorncliffe track record of 2:04.1 for driver and co-owner Jack Herbert. He also held the 1-1/16 mile best of 2:14.1. Photo by Michael Burns Sr.



While Thorncliffe operated for just four seasons ending in 1953, this venture which eventually blossomed into the Ontario Jockey Club started the future of the sport in Ontario that continues to this day, a span of almost 70 years. The list of those who actually competed at or visited Thorncliffe Park is today amazingly short. Thanks to famed photographer Michael Burns Sr., many pictures help to record those days.

1951 - Racing At Colborne, Ont.



Thor Grattan and driver Cliff Hie lead the field at the annual race day in Colborne, Ont. The pair were double heat winners that afternoon in 1951. Thor Grattan and driver Cliff Hie lead the field at the annual race day in Colborne, Ont. The pair were double heat winners that afternoon in 1951.



Oct. 20, 1951 - A day of racing was held at this small community in Northumberland County as it was on many occasions over the years. Three races, each consisting of two heats for a purse of $120.00 entertained the rather large crowd. Local horseman Cliff Hie of nearby Cobourg captured both heats of the Free-For-All as he piloted Thor Grattan to a double victory over a field of five. In the 26 Class Pace Thor Grattan's full brother, Hal Grattan Patch also took both heats with Jack Gordon in the sulky. Both horses are co-owned by the partnership of Hie & Gordon.

In the other race, a 20 Class Pace, two entrants shared wins. In the opener Rocket Hanover was home first for owner and driver H.G. Bone of Port Hope. In the second heat Turnabout was the winner for James McIntyre of Peterborough with Ed Stanbury handling the driving duties. Identically timed miles of 2:14 turned in by Thor Grattan and Turnabout were the fastest of the afternoon.

Like most small Town race meetings those who worked behind the scenes invariably made the day a success. At Colborne a gentleman named Hilton White did a great deal of work including serving as the track announcer. This fellow was the uncle of well-known horseman Nelson White. One year, despite the races being held in late October, it snowed. Hilton was visibly upset and exclaimed "It always snows at Colborne the day we have the races."

These small places have nearly all disappeared but are not forgotten.

1954 - London Free Press Feature At Batavia Downs



London Free Press writer Jack Parks (centre) appears trackside with a pair of winners who finished in a dead heat for win. On the left is Arch's Choice (Wm. Harvey) sporting his new cooler and on the right Gardner Hanover with driver Levi Harner. Batavia G.M. Herman Grannis is in the background. London Free Press writer Jack Parks (centre) appears trackside with a pair of winners who finished in a dead heat for win. On the left is Arch's Choice (Wm. Harvey) sporting his new cooler and on the right Gardner Hanover with driver Levi Harner. Batavia G.M. Herman Grannis is in the background.



Oct. 11, 1954 - For many years the London Free Press sponsored a special race at Batavia Downs. It was customary for Jack Parks the longtime horse racing journalist and predecessor of Harry Eisen, to be in attendance for the event and make a presentation. Coincidentally on more than one occasion a Canadian entry was the recipient of an inscribed cooler that made its way back home.

In the 1954 edition, an unusual event happened when a dead heat occurred. Reaching the wire at the same time was Arch's Choice in rein to well known Canadian driver Wm. "Ancaster Bill" Harvey and Gardner Hanover piloted by Levi Harner, a perennial top driver at the Batavia oval.

Unfortunately Mr. Parks had just one cooler which was presented to Arch's Choice but provision was made to supply the identical item to the owner of Gardner Hanover, Mr. T.J. Zornow of Pittsford, N.Y. At this time many Canadian-based stables spent their spring, summer and fall seasons between Buffalo Raceway and Batavia Downs.

1954 - Canadian Horses Of The Year Named

Based on a reader poll conducted by The Canadian Sportsman this year's various divisional leaders were named recently. They are as follows:

Horse Of The Year - Star Volo nicknamed "The Steam Engine" owned by J.P. Lachapelle of Joliette, Que. and driven by Francois LeBoeuf. A winner of over $20,000 he won 21 heats in 33 starts and set a new track record of 2:04 at Richelieu Park. Also high in the voting results was H B Chief who made 22 visits to the winner's circle for driver Jules Giguere.

Argyel Grattan, owned and driven by Duncan Campbell of Ailsa Craig, Ont., was named Ontario's Horse of the Year. His record of 2:02.2 set a new Canadian record at the newly-opened Old Woodbine course in Toronto. This marked his third straight year to top the polls and he was second in the National Polls. Other horses who drew votes included three-year-old Mr. Galvin, Jimmys Champ and Clark Herbert.

Voted the best in Western Canada was Eddie Riggs who scored 24 victories in 27 starts for owner driver Eddie Lutz of Mistatim, Sask. Now a seven-year-old he has recorded an amazing 70 wins in the past three seasons.

The trotting sensation Ben Boy was regarded as the class of the trotting performers at Woodbine and for the third straight year gained top marks. His victory in the Maple Leaf Trot was the highlight of his four-year-old campaign. Owned by Mrs. Ruth Wray of Schomberg the slick son of Van Riddell was trained and driven by Keith Waples.

1957 - Record Crowds and Wagering at Blue Bonnets

July 8, 1957 - Fans at Blue Bonnets were treated to a couple of top level events on this weekend as some of the best of both gaits were on display. In the featured $10,500 Guy H Pace Saturday honouring one of the Provinces all time greats, the winner was Bay State Pat in near track record time of 2:03.2 for driver Del MacTavish. Current record holder Ezra Dean with Harley Harrison up was second. Star Volo and Frenchy Leboeuf took down third place. A record crowd of over 14,000 watched all the exciting action and set a new Canadian betting record of $324,478.

Impressive as well in a $2,200 Handicap event was Smokey Online who scored in a snappy 2:03.4 for Vern Waddell who also owns. This marked his eighth win in 10 season starts and despite that the Western Canada based horse went off at better that odds of 5-1.



In the weekend's top trotting event Jeffrey Scott (2) shipped in from Yonkers to tackle the best local talent and with Clint Hodgins in the sulky prevailed over Kahla Key (8) and driver Jim Weiner in an impressive 2:03.4. The time equalled the track record currently held by Kahla Key. Finishing third in the $3,500 event was Lord Steward (5) and Dick Williams. In the weekend's top trotting event Jeffrey Scott (2) shipped in from Yonkers to tackle the best local talent and with Clint Hodgins in the sulky prevailed over Kahla Key (8) and driver Jim Weiner in an impressive 2:03.4. The time equalled the track record currently held by Kahla Key. Finishing third in the $3,500 event was Lord Steward (5) and Dick Williams.

Who Is It?

Can you identify this gentleman? The correct answer will be given during the coming week.Slovak authorities have released all seven people detained in connection with the murder of an investigative reporter, an event that shocked the Central European country.

Police detained the seven Italian suspects on March 1 in a probe of the murder of Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend, who were found shot dead in their home last weekend.

"During the legal timeframe -- 48 hours -- [police] checked and searched for facts needed for an indictment. After the 48 hours passed, the persons were released from detention," police spokeswoman Denisa Baloghova said in a statement released on March 3.

Thousands marched in the capital, Bratislava, and other Slovak cities on March 2, demanding quick action in the case that has shocked the country and shaken the government.

Kuciak had been looking into suspected mafia links among Italian businessmen in eastern Slovakia.

His last, unfinished article was published posthumously by Slovak and international media. One of the men named in Kuciak's report, which probed potential abuse of European Union subsidies and other fraud, had past links to people who subsequently worked for Prime Minister Robert Fico's office.

The murder has prompted demands from Fico's coalition partners for the resignation of senior cabinet members -- including Interior Minister Robert Kalinak, a close ally of Fico.

But Kalinak on March 3 said he had no plans to resign, raising tensions within Slovakia's governing coalition.

A junior party in the coalition, the Most-Hid party of mostly ethnic Hungarians, said after Fico rejected their call to resign that the party's leaders would meet on March 15 to discuss the future of the coalition.

The resignation of Kalinak, who has been linked to corruption scandals in the past, also is being demanded by the opposition.

Meanwhile, Kuciak was laid to rest in his wedding suit on March 3 in the northern Slovak village of Stiavnik, a day after his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova, was buried in her wedding gown in the northern town of Gregorovce.

The couple, both aged 27, were due to marry in May.

Leading Kuciak's funeral Mass, Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky told hundreds of mourners in the local Roman Catholic church that "if the murderer thought he was able to silence Jan, he was wrong.

"He achieved the opposite," Zvolensky said. "An attack on a journalist is also an attack on the freedom of our country. We must not allow it."The seven Italian suspects were detained during raids in seven locations in eastern Slovakia.

Police identified the detainees by their first names and initials and some of these appeared to match names of Italian businesspeople who were the focus of Kuciak's final report.

Police said one of the detainees was Antonino V.

According to the Slovak business registry, Italian businessman Antonino Vadala briefly owned a firm with Maria Troskova, a former model and an aide to Fico.

Troskova and the secretary of the country's Security Council, also mentioned in Kuciak's reporting, resigned on February 28 pending results of the investigation. Both Troskova and the secretary have denied any wrongdoing.

On March 2, Italy's former anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, said Italian prosecutors had warned Slovak authorities about "dangerous" infiltration by the powerful 'Ndrangheta organized-crime syndicate.

Franco Roberti said on Italian radio: "We warned authorities in Bratislava, but unfortunately they didn't heed us" about the 'Ndrangheta syndicate's expansion into Slovakia.

Roberti said the 'Ndrangheta, based in southern Italy, might have killed Kuciak and his fiancee because "there was no other way to silence" him.

Meanwhile, global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on March 2 warned EU leaders against undermining the security of journalists in the wake of Kuciak's murder.

The Slovak investigative reporter's assassination came just months after journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bombing in Malta after exposing crime and corruption on the Mediterranean island.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpaThere was something of a victory for the embattled Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) on March 2 when the IRPTs leader, Muhiddin Kabiri, announced that Interpol had taken his name off its wanted list.

It was a rare triumph for the IPRT, which just two weeks earlier saw one of its members in exile (as so many are) forcibly and extrajudicially returned from Istanbul to Tajikistan, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The removal of Kabiri from the Interpol Red Notice list is also a sign international law enforcement organizations are being more diligent in ascertaining whether requests from governments to declare their citizens wanted are genuine concerns for safety or political vendettas.

IRPT spokesman Mahmudjon Faizrahmonov welcomed the news of the removal of Interpol's Red Notice against Mr. Kabiri, a peaceful and moderate politician, and said Interpols decision was a setback for the Dushanbe governments efforts to portray its opponents as militants and terrorists.

Militants and terrorists is exactly how the Tajik government has described the IRPT, at least recently. The party was banned in September 2015 and not long after declared an extremist group.

That came after 18 years of fairly successful coexistence between the government and the IRPT. The two were combatants during the 1992-97 civil war, but the conflict ended with a peace deal that gave places in the government to the IRPT and its wartime allies.

The IRPT was the only registered Islamic party in Central Asia. The IRPT spoke against radical Islamic groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Iraq and Syria.

This stance by the IRPT was valuable to the secular government of President Emomali Rahmon since the Islamic partys authority to speak out against extremism, like the extremism in neighboring Afghanistan, resonated far more loudly and credibly with Tajikistans population than that of the government or state-appointed clerics.

It is against Interpol's constitution for individuals to be targeted because of their political or religious beliefsbut this has not stopped authoritarian governments like Tajikistan targeting political exiles.

But the IRPTs places in government gradually dwindled and the party lost its last two seats in parliament in elections on March 1, 2015, that some, including the IRPT, calimed were rigged. That June, the party had its registration taken away and when the allegedly renegade Deputy Defense Minister Abdulhalim Nazarzoda supposedly rebelled in early September 2015, Tajik authorities quickly connected Nazarzoda to the IRPT.

For the record, Nazarzoda was with the opposition during the civil war, but he left not long after the conflict began and only returned after it was over. He had been in the Tajik military since just after the war ended and had been a high-ranking officer since 2005, so there were questions about his strange decision to start an insurrection and even more questions about his purported ties to the IRPT.

Such questions did not matter to Tajik authorities, who then banned the IRPT and declared it an extremist group, just like Al-Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State militant group.

Kabiri was outside the country at the time, but 14 senior members of the party who were in Tajikistan after the party was declared an extremist group were arrested and given lengthy prison terms, including two life sentences, following what HRW called a flawed trial. Dozens, at least, of other IRPT members were also imprisoned and the Tajik government asked Interpol to place many of the IRPT leaders and members outside the country on the international wanted list.

But while Kabiri is free, there are concerns that IRPT member Namunjon Sharipov faces a real risk of torture and other ill-treatment in Tajikistan, according to HRW.

Sharipov is a high-ranking member of the IRPT from Tajikistans northern Sughd region. Since August 2015, he has been living in Istanbul, where he operated a teahouse, but on February 20 he called RFE/RLs Tajik Service, known locally as Ozodi, to say he had voluntarily returned to Tajikistan.

Sharipov said he planned to visit the northern town of Isfara and then return to Istanbul in about a week, but as of early March there was no word he had flown back to Turkey.

HRW said in its report about Sharipov that his son explained that on three consecutive days starting on February 2, the consul of the Tajik Consulate in Istanbul visited Sharipov at the teahouse, encouraging him to return voluntarily to Tajikistan.

Turkish police detained Sharipov on February 5. Family members were able to see him several times, but on February 16 he was apparently put on a plane to Dushanbe.

Sharipovs family and lawyer say Sharipov is being detained in Tajikistan and was forced to make statements like the one to Ozodi. HRW noted, On several previous occasions, Tajik activists who have been forcibly returned to the country have been forced to make such statements to the press under duress.

Kabiri and Sharipovs fates are different, but the sort of ordeals they have gone through were described in a report John Heathershaw and Edward Lemon authored in October 2017.

The authors said the Tajik government targets exiles by placing them on international wanted lists through Interpol and regional organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

However, there are also cases when exiles are forcibly transferred, or rendered, back to their home country.

Lemon, currently a postdoctorate fellow at Columbia Universitys Harriman Institute, told Qishloq Ovozi: It is against Interpol's constitution for individuals to be targeted because of their political or religious beliefsbut this has not stopped authoritarian governments like Tajikistan targeting political exiles.

Lemon said, Interpol has been reforming. In 2015, it announced that it would no longer issue Red Notices for those with confirmed refugee status. But Lemon added, Even after having a Red Notice delisted, not all national police agencies will remove your file from their own national databases and governments can also continue to target individuals by issuing 'diffusions,' arrest requests sent directly to member states without being reviewed by Interpol.

The Tajik government now calls the IRPT an extremist group, but when the IRPT was registered it was the second largest political party in Tajikistan with some 40,000 members and likely more than twice that many supporters. And it was a genuine opposition party.

With no strong opposition party remaining in Tajikistan, President Rahmon has made some interesting moves.

The IRPT was officially banned on September 29, 2015.

In December 2015, Tajikistans parliament, which was by then completely packed with members from pro-presidential parties, voted to give Rahmon the title of founder of peace and national unity  leader of the nation.

Rahmons daughter Ozoda was appointed chief of the presidential staff in January 2016.

In May 2016, a referendum was held on changes to the constitution that struck presidential terms limits -- Rahmon is currently serving his fourth term -- and lowered the eligibility age for a presidential candidate from 35 to 30. Rahmons eldest son, Rustam Emomali, turned 30 in December.

Rustam Emomali was appointed mayor of Tajikistans capital, Dushanbe, in January 2017.

And the Norway-based religious rights group Forum 18 just reported on February 26 that during 2017, 1,938 mosques were in 2017 forcibly closed and converted to secular uses.

Likely none of these recent changes would have gone uncontested if there had been a strong opposition party still present in Tajikistan.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.Police in Kyiv have raided a protest camp near the national parliament building, sparking clashes with protesters. The press service of the National Guard said 50 people had been detained in the action close to the Verkhovna Rada in the Ukrainian capital early on March 3. A spokesman later told Ukrainian media that six protesters and four police officers had been injured in the unrest, although details were still sketchy. Police later said they had seized nine grenades, an unspecified number of Molotov cocktails, and five smoke bombs during the raid.Police in Kyiv have dismantled a protest camp near the national parliament building, detaining more than 100 supporters of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili amid clashes that left at least 20 people injured.

Andriy Kryshchenko, head of the Kyiv department of the National Police of Ukraine, said 13 protesters and seven police officers sought medical attention for injuries they sustained in violence that broke out during the March 3 police raid on the tent camp near the Verkhovna Rada.

Authorities said nine grenades, an unspecified number of Molotov cocktails, and five smoke bombs were seized by authorities during the raid.

A reporter covering the event for RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service said police used pepper spray against him, even though his press pass was visible.

As police cordoned off the area, black smoke billowed into the sky as protesters inside the makeshift camp set tires on fire.

The tent camp was set up last year by supporters of Saakashvili, a former Georgian president who became the governor of Ukraine's Odesa region.

Saakashvili later resigned from the Odesa governor's post and went into opposition against President Petro Poroshenko. He was deported from Ukraine to Poland in February.

"Police in riot gear approached from two sides and detained almost all the people [in the camp]. Trucks started dragging apart and demolishing the barricades," lawmaker and Saakashvili ally Yehor Sobolev said.

A police statement later on March 3 said a total of 111 people were taken to a Kyiv police station.

Authorities said administrative cases were opened against four people and eight others were being held for questioning.

Earlier, Kryshchenko said the police action was part of an investigation into antigovernment violence outside parliament in February.

Authorities said 14 police were injured in clashes on February 27 with antigovernment protesters who tried to set car tires on fire near the parliament.

Authorities said protesters also threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police.

Afterwards, the Kyiv police force said a probe had been opened into the "assault on law enforcement officers."

The camp was an offshoot of a broader opposition movement that holds regular peaceful protests in Kyiv to demand the resignation of Poroshenko over stalled reforms.

With reporting from Interfax and ReutersUkrainian President Petro Poroshenko says gas deliveries to Ukraine have stabilized after Russian gas giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to the country earlier this week in the latest energy dispute between the two countries.

The difficult situation that arose due to the actions of Gazprom has been resolved thanks to the united actions of Ukrainians and the authorities. As of Saturday morning, we have a steep increase in gas supplies from Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, Poroshenko was quoted as saying by Ukrainian media on March 3.

Today, we have a stable gas supply. We have enough gas in storage facilities from our own production and imports, the Ukrainian leader added.

Kyiv and Moscow were drawn into a new gas dispute on March 1 after Russias state-owned Gazprom unexpectedly decided not to restart supplies for Ukraine, forcing Kyiv to reduce supplies despite freezing temperatures and leading to the closing of many schools and universities.

Gazprom said it had returned a prepayment to Ukraine and would not restart gas supplies because an additional agreement to the existing arrangements had yet to be reached.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman in a March 2 televised address attempted to reassure the public, saying that alternative supplies had been arranged after Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz said it signed an urgent contract with Polands PGNiG.

Hroysman said he expected the country's supply situation to be restored to normal within five days.

Gazprom's move follows a decision on February 28 by the Stockholm arbitration court stating that Gazprom must pay $2.56 billion to Naftogaz after weighing mutual claims and counterclaims related to gas supplies and transit after several years of commercial disputes.

Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller on March 2 said the court's ruling meant the company's gas deals with Ukraine would no longer be commercially viable, so it had no choice but to ask the court to terminate them.

Gazprom also has said it would terminate its gas contracts with Ukraine.

The European Union has offered to mediate to resolve the dispute.

With reporting by UNIAN and InterfaxThe United States and European powers are vowing a "firm response" to those responsible for recent alleged toxic gas attacks in Syria's eastern Ghouta, where hundreds of civilians have died in recent weeks.

Their warning came as the UN's human rights chief said on March 2 that the slaughter of civilians in Ghouta and elsewhere "are likely war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity."

In a telephone conversation on March 2, U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "must be held accountable," a German chancellery statement said.

"This applies both to the Assad regime's deployment of chemical weapons and for its attacks against civilians and the blockade of humanitarian support," the statement said.

In a separate conversation, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron vowed there would be "no impunity" for those responsible if further chemical weapons attacks occur, the French presidency said.

Macron "stressed there will be a firm response in the case of proven use of chemical weapons leading to the death of civilians, in close coordination with our American allies," the presidency said.

"France and the United States will not tolerate impunity," it said.

Independent observers and residents have reported several alleged chlorine gas attacks in eastern Ghouta in the last month, including one in which a child allegedly suffocated to death last weekend.

Trump ordered a massive bombardment of Syria's Shayrat airfield last April after reports of a sarin nerve-gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun that killed nearly 100 civilians. He said at that time that any further use of such banned weapons of mass destruction would prompt a similar response.

Washington this week asked the UN Security Council to set up a new inquiry into who is responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria after reports of the suspected chlorine use in eastern Ghouta.

A previous chemical weapons inquiry in Syria died in November when Russia refused to go along with a Western bid to renew its mandate.

UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein issued a warning on March 2 about the reemergence of chemical attacks in Ghouta as well as the fierce Syrian government bombing campaign that he said has targeted civilian areas and hospitals and killed more than 600 people since last month.

"What we are seeing in eastern Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria are likely war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity," Zeid told a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"Civilians are being pounded into submission or death," he said, warning that the perpetrators will not "get away with this."

"The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind," Zeid said.

Western nations that sit on the rights body drafted a resolution that condemns the government attacks and demands the immediate start of a monthlong truce across Syria that the UN Security Council has been seeking.

But action on the measure was put off amid disagreement from Russia and other countries about the wording, officials said.

Moscow and Damascus both denied that Syria is using chemical weapons or targeting civilians and hospitals in Ghouta.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, Interfax, and Reuters

Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovych said on March 2 that he never had a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort, despite Manafort's extensive work for his government.

Manafort, 68, is accused of money laundering, tax fraud, and banking fraud connected to work he and his partner Richard Gates did for Yanukovych's government from 2006 to 2014, when Yanukovych was ousted by pro-European Maidan street protests and fled to Russia.

In an indictment issued by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Manafort is also charged with acting as a lobbyist for Yanukovych's government without registering with the U.S. Justice Department.

"I always met with him at the same meetings I had with the rest of my advisers. We have never had personal contacts as such," Yanukovych said at a press conference in Moscow on March 2.

Yanukovych said he also "did not personally sign any contracts with Paul Manafort."

"I have not seen or heard Paul Manafort since I left Ukraine," he said, adding that he has never spoken about Manafort with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Manafort earlier this week pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Mueller's primary mission is to investigate alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign and alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

A longtime political consultant, Manafort became Trump's campaign chairman in June 2016 but was fired months later after revelations about the extent of his work for Yanukovych's Party of the Regions.

After Manafort left, Gates continued working with the Trump campaign and assisted Trump's team in the transition period after he won the election.

Gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges on February 23 and is believed to now be cooperating with the Mueller investigation.

With reporting by AFP and Interfax

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If youre unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your host. If you still need help you can always visit the WordPress Support Forums.In addition to restoring the pre-pregnancy shape of the abdomen, abdominoplasty ('tummy tuck') surgery with muscle repair can improve back pain and urinary incontinence after childbearing, reports a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Although abdominoplasty is classified as a cosmetic procedure, it also improves two of the most common physical complaints experienced by women after labor and delivery. According to the new research "Abdominoplasty has a proven functional benefit as well as a cosmetic benefit," comments lead author D. Alastair Taylor, FRACS, of The CAPS Clinic in Deakin, Australia.

Abdominoplasty Improves Common Post-Childbearing Symptoms

The study included 214 women undergoing abdominoplasty with repair of the abdominal muscles at nine Australian plastic surgery centers. Many women seek tummy tuck surgery to restore the shape and appearance of the abdomen after childbearing. The women's average age was about 42 years, with an average of 2.5 deliveries.

Before and after surgery, the women completed questionnaires rating their disability from back pain and urinary incontinence: two very common problems after childbearing. In the preoperative questionnaires, about 51 percent of women had moderate to severe disability from back pain, while urinary incontinence was a "significant concern" for 42.5 percent.

On follow-up questionnaires at six weeks and six months, scores for both problems showed major improvement. At six months, only nine percent of patients still had moderate disability from back pain. Urinary incontinence remained a significant problem for less than two percent of women.

Scores for back pain continued to improve from six weeks to six months after abdominoplasty, while urinary incontinence improved no further after six weeks. The women underwent several different types of abdominoplasty surgery; the improvements in back pain and incontinence were similar regardless of the technique used.

Nearly 128,000 abdominoplasty procedures were performed in the United States in 2016, according to ASPS statistics. Tummy tuck is sometimes performed as part of "mommy makeovers" to restore the shape and appearance of a woman's body after childbearing.

The new findings -- including before-and-after measurements in a large group of plastic surgery patients -- are consistent with previous case reports of improvement in back pain and urinary incontinence after abdominoplasty. These functional improvements may result from restoring strength and stability in the abdominal and pelvic region as the operation incorporates repair of the abdominal muscle separation (rectus diastasis) that can occur after pregnancy.

"By reducing the problems of back pain and incontinence, abdominoplasty with rectus repair leads to a better life for women after childbearing," Dr. Taylor comments. He believes that health insurance plans should recognize that abdominoplasty has functional benefits, beyond the cosmetic improvement offered.

"The results demonstrate that tummy tucks do have functional benefits, as well as cosmetic ones, particularly in the postpartum population," comments Editor-in-Chief Rod J. Rohrich, MD, in a featured video on the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery website. "If you are done having children, and still suffering from back pain or incontinence, you may consider an abdominoplasty as a surgical solution."Depictions of race and skin tone in anatomy textbooks widely used in North American medical schools could be contributing to racial bias in medical treatment, new research suggests.

Findings of the study, carried out by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Toronto (U of T), found dark skin tones are underrepresented in a number of chapters where their appearance may be the most useful, including chapters on skin cancer detection.

"We found there is little diversity in skin tone in these textbooks," said the study's lead author Patricia Louie, who began the research at UBC and is now a PhD student at U of T. "Proportional to the population, race is represented fairly accurately, but this diversity is undermined by the fact that the images mostly depict light skin tones."

For the study, researchers analyzed the race and skin tone of more than 4,000 human images in four medical textbooks: Atlas of Human Anatomy, Bates' Guide to Physical Examination & History Taking, Clinically Oriented Anatomy and Gray's Anatomy for Students.

The proportion of dark skin tones represented in all four books was very small. In Atlas, fewer than one per cent of photos featured dark skin, compared to about eight per cent in Bates', about one per cent in Clinically, and about five per cent in Gray's. More than 70 per cent of the individuals depicted in Clinically and 88 per cent in Gray's had light skin tones, while Atlas featured almost no skin tone diversity (99 per cent light skin tones).

The researchers argue that rates of mortality for some cancers -- breast, cervical, colon, lung, skin, among others -- are higher on average for black people, often due to late diagnosis.

With skin cancer, for example, physicians need to look for melanomas on nails, hands and feet, but the researchers found no visuals were provided in any of the textbooks as to what this would look like on dark-skinned patients.

UBC sociology professor and study co-author Rima Wilkes said the findings highlight a need to show greater diversity of skin tones in teaching tools used by medical schools.

"Physicians are required to recognize diseases in patients with a variety of different skin tones," said Wilkes. "When light skin-toned bodies are shown as the norm, physicians might miss signs on patients with dark skin tone because they do not know how these abnormalities will present."Federal immigration officials who launched a big enforcement operation this week in Northern California objected to the actions being labeled sweeps or raids, saying the government went after specific people and does not target aliens indiscriminately.

But a construction worker from the Central Valley told a different story about the four-day operation that was designed to counter Californias sanctuary policies and netted 232 undocumented immigrants.

Miguel Botello, 37, said he and three colleagues were stopped Sunday outside a convenience store in Atwater (Merced County) by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who asked to see proof of legal status, in what he called an instance of racial profiling.

The other three men were arrested, he said, and two have already been deported to Mexico.

They were not looking for any of us  they only stopped us because we are Mexican, Botello said Friday in a telephone interview, through a Spanish interpreter. There were other people arriving that werent Mexican, and (the officers) were not asking them anything. What else am I left to conclude?

Asked about the incident at a Circle K off Highway 99, ICE officials provided a statement that did not address Botellos allegations specifically, but said the agency does not use racial profiling.

Bryan Cox/Associated Press

Its not clear if any of the men might have been a target of the operation spotted at the store by the officers.

During targeted enforcement operations, ICE officers frequently encounter other aliens illegally present in the United States. These aliens are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and, when appropriate, they are arrested by ICE officers, the statement said. ICE does NOT target individuals based on religion, ethnicity, gender or race. Any suggestion to the contrary is patently false.

ICE had arrest warrants for many people who were detained in the operation. Officials said roughly half had previous criminal convictions.

Immigrants who are not targeted in advance by ICE agents but are discovered and picked up during enforcement actions, sometimes in homes or workplaces, are known as collateral arrests. But Botello described a more random scenario.

At around 8 a.m., he said, he and his three colleagues parked outside the Circle K so they could grab coffee and juice before work. Once inside, Botello said he noticed a group of men wearing bulletproof vests and carrying pistols. He figured they were police officers.

But when he and his colleagues walked back outside, they realized the officers were from ICE. It was the first day of the Northern California operation called Keep Safe.

Come over here, one of the officers said in Spanish, according to Botello. Do you have permission to be here?

Botello said the men were asked for their wallets, prompting one to admit to being undocumented. He said that as his own wallet was searched, an officer asked him if he had permission to be in the country. He responded that he did  that he has a green card.

He recalled the officer saying, I dont see any evidence of that, before Botello told him to keep looking. Finding the residency card, the officer said, This is fake, before laughing and later saying the papers were in order, Botello said.

His colleagues, though, were told they did not have permission to be in the country. Botello said they were fingerprinted with a mobile scanner, handcuffed and taken away. Later, he said, one of the officers told him ICE hadnt been looking for the men, but that it wasnt their lucky day.

Immigrant advocates in the Central Valley said they were disturbed by the account.

We are both angry and heartbroken for the individuals and families torn apart from ICEs clear case of racial profiling outside of Circle K, said Pastor Trena Turner, executive director of Faith in the Valley, a large nonprofit community group. We also see what transpired at Circle K as only a snapshot of what ICE did across our entire valley this past week: profiling, intimidating and terrorizing our communities.

Zach Nightingale, an attorney at the San Francisco immigration law firm of Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale, said ICE officers do not have the right to check individuals residency status without cause.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

You cant stop someone and randomly ask them for status. You have to have a reasonable suspicion, said Nightingale, who is not involved in the Atwater case. Ethnicity and appearance is not alone a legitimate basis.

After his colleagues were driven away, Botello was allowed to leave. He said he went directly to the Atwater home of one of the men who was arrested  36-year-old Joaquin Delapaz Alvarez  to find his wife, Leticia.

What happened? Did you guys forget something? she asked. She had called her husband that morning after hearing reports of ICE activity in the area, but he didnt pick up his phone.

They took him from me, Botello told her.

The couple have three children. Later that morning, Leticia Delapaz said, her husband called her and in a brief conversation said, Take care of yourself. Take care of my kids. I love you.

He told her that though he didnt have a criminal record, he signed a form expediting his removal from the country. She said ICE told him that if he didnt sign, he could be detained for months.

On Friday, Leticia Delapaz, who also spoke through an interpreter in a telephone interview, said she plans to move her family to Mexico to join her husband.

I dont see a future anymore, she said. I just have to figure out how to keep my family together and find happiness.

Her oldest son, who is 15, created a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise money for the move south. He wrote of his father, He has never been in trouble with the law in his life, he was an outstanding citizen, and this unjust act has left my family devastated.Natty in his well-tailored mechanics jumpsuit  perhaps a garment that has replaced round specs as the signature wearable for creative types  architect Kulapat Yantrasast was the man of the hour at Transformation, the Asian Art Museum gala on Thursday, March 1. Kulapat, whose first name serves as an identifier, has designed the $90 million transformation and expansion of the museum.

When I entered the party, Kulapat was talking with The Chronicles Tony Bravo, whod written a few weeks before about a night on the town with him. They were standing in the midst of the architects posse of some 20 or 30 people from New York whod come to support him and the museum.

Before he started work on the project, said Kulapat, hed come to San Francisco as a tourist, enjoying its food, fashion and art. Nowadays, his understanding of the Civic Center neighborhood has deepened. We want to be its cultural anchor, he said, to make the museum more visible and more connected to the city. When people walk around the Civic Center, they should see art before they go into the museum.

Also in the crowd: Anita Lee, widow of Mayor Ed Lee, greeted warmly by a swarm of well-wishers offering sympathy; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Director Neal Benezra; Fine Arts Museums Director Max Hollein; and San Francisco Opera Director Matthew Shilvock, just back from New York, where he saw his Brunhilde, soprano Evelyn Herlitzius, singing in Parsifal.

This didnt escape the notice of an elated Asian Art Museum Director Jay Xu, because his after-dinner remarks welcomed those fellow museum directors. It was a stormy night, and the roof of the tent flapped and crackled with the wind, as brightly colored projections moved over the heads of the audience. Together, said Xu, this group brings art to life for the citizens of San Francisco.

This project is a chance of a lifetime for any architect, said Kulapat, invited to the stage, The transformation is already happening. At that carefully calibrated moment, the overhead projections  stars and abstracts before that  changed mood completely, showing lively pictures of people moving. The transformed museum will be interactive and immersive, said the architect, and open to the Civic Center.

Akiko Yamazaki placed a winning bid of $50,000 for a trip to Moscow sponsored by Bulgari (the only auction item, hallelujah!), and four Hiplet Ballerinas in multicolored skirts performed their mashup of hip-hop and ballet en pointe.

And then, as the after-party began, most dinner guests, duly transformed and ducking under a canopy to avoid the raindrops, pranced home.

Around the corner from the San Rafael public library, the resident of the house with the topiary elephants in front has changed their outfits. Pussy hat has been replaced: One elephant spots a square dark toupee-like arrangement (a la Kim Jung Un), the other is topped with a yellow yolk-like patch (Ivankas dad).

The work of Bay Area photographer Linda Connor and Beijing sculptor Zhan Wang is side by side in Speak to the Stones, and the Stars Answer, a single exhibition at the Haines Gallery. The show opened on Thursday, March 1, and continues until June 2.

I stopped by a few hours before the official reception as the last works were being placed. Although there were still ladders around, and a couple of drills lying on the floor, the photographs and the sculptures have a kind of serene dignity; the gallery felt almost like a chapel.

Connors prints  some made of 19th century glass plates of photos of night skies, others landscapes, still others ancient holy places  are printed on aluminum, with matte surfaces that gently shimmer. The sculptures are metal, too, but made out of shiny stainless steel that reflects sparkling rays of light.

So both artists are concerned with light, and the works, said Cheryl Haines, walking around the gallery. They reflect a dialogue between two artists who have disparate materiality and approach the subject in a different way. Both, added Haines, explore ancient and contemporary notions of time.

A twisting Wang version of a scholars rock, a natural rock traditionally treasured by Chinese thinkers, is placed next to Connors photograph of a passageway but into stone in Petra. They are both memorials to the past, said Haines, both about beauty.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

Mom, its been

a really long time since weve gone

to Hawaii.

Adolescent boy dragged on hike through Joaquin Miller Park, overheard by Lars LarsonGo back where you came from is an insult hurled at anyone in the United States who is considered foreign or out of place. That such an expression exists in a country that prides itself as a nation built on the hard work of immigrants is telling. Worse, those who say to someone Go back where you came from assume that people belong somewhere and have some place to return to.

The idea that undocumented people can be sent back home also underlies the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agencys detention and deportation policy, as well as our immigration debate. But what happens when people have no home to return to?

As we know, many undocumented people were brought to the United States when they were little and grew up considering the U.S. home, but because their parents were undocumented, they too are undocumented. They might have arrived in the United States when they were a few months old and have no memory of their country of origin; their parents may no longer have family or friends there. But what we fail to discuss, or even acknowledge, is that they may be both undocumented and stateless.

Stateless persons have no formally recognized nationality or citizenship. They exist outside the realm of the nation state and have no legal or diplomatic protection from any nation. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees calls them legal ghosts. They have no travel documents. Their lives are on hold  sometimes for generations.

One of my students was born in Venezuela and grew up in the United States undocumented. He is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient. He is also stateless.

His parents fled the Hugo Chavez regime by escaping to Florida. As punishment for their betrayal, the Venezuelan government has refused to renew their passports  they have been rendered stateless for all practical purposes. If someone in his family gets sick or dies, they cannot return to help them or bury them. He is hoping the Trump administration will extend DACA and he will get to keep his temporary drivers license and permission to work.

If DACA is not extended and ICE detains him, he will most likely end up in one of its infamous for-profit immigrant detention facilities in the Southwest, which leaves people and their dreams to rot, sometimes for years on end, or he will be deported to Venezuela. But as soon as the plane lands in Caracas, the Venezuelan government will turn him back, arguing he is not a citizen. He will be deported to nowhere.

According to the UNHCR, there were 65.3 million displaced people globally in 2015, and we know that number is only growing. Of these, approximately 21.3 million were refugees, 40.8 million were internally displaced persons, and 3.2 million were asylum seekers. According to the UNHCR report, of the 65.3 million displaced, it is estimated some 10 million are stateless, most of whom are refugees.

If we transpose these numbers to the 12 million undocumented persons residing in the United States (this number has held steady for the past eight years as immigration has slowed down and the symbolic wall has gone up), it can be estimated that hundreds of thousands if not millions of people here are not only undocumented but also stateless.

While Dreamers have caught the national imagination because they tend to be upwardly mobile students or successful professionals, their cause is easy to defend and dominates in the ultra-politicized landscape in Congress. But the DACA umbrella covers only 690,000 people. What will happen to more than 10 million undocumented and often stateless immigrants like my student?

Millions of people will continue to live in the shadows, living with the sword of deportation hanging over their heads, inhabiting a ghostly world, awaiting their passports to nowhere.The horrific Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has outraged the nation and energized the gun control movement. Its also inspired California state legislators to propose a package of 10 new gun control bills.

The proposals cement Californias position as the countrys leader on gun control.

Compared with the rest of the country, California has relatively strict gun laws, including a mandatory 10-day waiting period for gun buyers and a recently passed voter initiative to restrict ammunition sales.

Studies show those efforts have made a difference.

According to the Brady Campaign, Californias mortality rate by firearm declined by 56.6 percent from 1993 to 2013  29.9 percent more than the decline in the rest of the nation. That time period overlaps with Californias adoption of important gun control measures like an assault-weapons ban and universal background checks of gun sales, including at gun shows.

But without action from federal officials and other state governments, California is unlikely to continue seeing dramatic drops in gun-related deaths.

Thats because even a state with Californias determination and resources can only do so much.

One example of the states limits is its Armed Prohibited Persons System. A dozen years ago, the state set up a database to alert law-enforcement officials when registered gun owners have been convicted of felonies, deemed mentally ill, received a restraining order or met another qualifying standard to be prohibited from owning firearms.

The statewide list has 10,226 people, and last year, the state Justice Department seized nearly 4,000 guns.

While the victories are real, the backlogged database system has also been plagued by a lack of resources, legal checks (without warrants, agents are only allowed to ask for permission to seize the guns) and the ease of getting firearms from out of state.

Weak firearm regulations in other states and at the federal level have undermined the effectiveness of Californias smart regulatory response to gun violence.

Still, California must do what it can to protect its own residents. The state has its own loopholes to close, as the package of bills shows.

The proposals include a strengthening of gun tracing programs (AB2222, from Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward) and an expansion of Californias assault weapon definition to include high-powered semi-automatic rifles without fixed magazines (AB1663, from Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco). Chius bill was held in committee last session.

State Assemblyman Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, is proposing to to allow mental health workers, employers, co-workers and school staff to petition a court to temporarily restrict a persons ability to access firearms if they believe the person is a danger to herself or others.

Under current state law, only family members and law-enforcement officers have that ability. (A similar 2016 bill was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown.)

Under AB2382, from Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson (Los Angeles County), the state would also require background checks for anyone buying a key part used for assembling assault weapons at home.

AB1927, a new bill from Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, would allow people to add themselves to the states Armed Prohibited Persons list if they feel they are a danger to themselves or others, and AB1968, from Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low of San Jose, would remove firearms from those whove been hospitalized for suicide prevention twice in one year.

Loopholes will remain in Californias gun laws even if Sacramento passes this entire package of bills, and, of course, the states efforts desperately need to be backed up by federal action. But state legislators are responding to a real need in this country for more restrictive gun measures, and real concerns from Californians about their safety in schools and on the streets.

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 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.SACRAMENTO  Three million Californians living in low-income areas across the state could see an infusion of private development dollars in their communities  including in nine San Francisco spots  under a little-known federal tax-incentive program.

The Opportunity Zone program included in last years GOP tax reform bill calls for states to designate U.S. census tracts with high poverty that would benefit from private investment. To lure investors, the program offers a significant advantage: They could defer or eliminate their federal capital gains taxes on any projects in those areas.

On Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown released a list and map of 798 census tracts across California that he says should be considered as Opportunity Zones. Nine locations encompassing 11 tracts are in San Francisco: at Treasure Island, Alcatraz, Angel Island, Chinatown, Visitacion Valley area, Mid-Market/Tenderloin, South of Market, Bayview-Hunters Point and around San Francisco State University.

Additionally, in the Bay Area, large swaths of Oakland, Richmond and Vallejo are being recommended, as well as parts of Marin City, Redwood City, Hayward and San Jose.

We hope this spurs or encourages more economic development in areas that historically or traditionally havent seen the kind of investments in business development and job creation that other parts of the state have been able to enjoy, said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance.

The governor has opened his plan to local governments, residents and businesses and will take comment until March 15. Then California would submit its recommendations to the U.S. Treasury Department, which gives final approval for inclusion in the program.

Under the federal program, Brown can designate up to 879 census tracts to the Opportunity Zone program. Additional areas are expected to be added during the public review.

Census tracts typically include around 4,000 people, meaning some areas of San Francisco that are being considered encompass just a few blocks.

There is no timing yet on when the program would launch, but it could be as early as this fall. Palmer said its unclear what if any role California would have in the program beyond designating the areas that would attract private investors with federal tax incentives.

The concept of the program is not new and has been pushed in bipartisan fashion for decades with mixed results, said Adam Looney, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution. Looney said the program as currently created has few strings attached on developers, who would receive a windfall in the form of tax subsidies for building in areas they may have already been looking at, such as low-income neighborhoods bordering affluent ones. He said that creates the potential for accelerating gentrification, an issue particularly troubling in the Bay Area where rising home and rent prices have pushed out residents.

That makes the impact on residents of low-income communities unclear, he said.

You dont know when a neighborhood gentrifies whether the current residents share in the new opportunities or they are forced to live elsewhere when rents increase, Looney said.

He said census tract data often put college campuses into low-income designations because students and graduate students are counted as poor. Under Browns recommendation, half of the Stanford campus in affluent Palo Alto is designated as a low-income area included as an Opportunity Zone.

That seems like almost a loophole in the designation, Looney said.

Opportunity Zones have been pushed by the think tank Economic Innovation Group and its chairman, Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster and first president of Facebook, who has said the program allows investors to make a positive impact on low-income communities while earning a profit.

John Lettieri, the senior director for policy and strategy at the Economic Innovation Group, said the program brings the economic recovery to areas that have not yet experienced it.

One of the most common themes in areas that are struggling is a declining stock of businesses and with that comes a loss of jobs and resources to pull themselves out of the decline, Lettieri said.

Concerns about gentrification are coming from the right place, Lettieri said, but mayors and governors can ensure local and state zoning laws direct investments to areas that benefit communities.

In California, he said, that could mean affordable housing projects.

This is coming at a time when they need to fill the gap and this will help, he said.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez

For public comment

Local governments and the public are invited to weigh in on areas proposed to be included in the Opportunity Zone program under Gov. Jerry Browns plan. Comments must be submitted by March 15.

http://dof.ca.gov/Forecasting/Demographics/opportunity_zonesProgressive Democrats are flexing their political muscles in California, pushing hard for their increasingly liberal agenda and doing their best to shove aside any candidates who could be viewed as moderates in one of the nations bluest states.

Young, diverse, progressive candidates are how were going to win in California, not through milquetoast corporate Democrats, said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Voters are fed up with the current system and want to know someone will challenge the rigged political system and rigged economic system.

But for Democrats desperate to flip conservative-leaning congressional districts now held by Republicans, theres concern that the partys move to the left may be taking them where most California voters dont want to go.

A January statewide poll of 1,000 residents done by the Public Policy Institute of California found that only 18 percent of Californias likely voters identified themselves as very liberal, compared with 31 percent who styled themselves as middle of the road. Among only Democrats, the progressive number rose only to 28 percent.

You have to have the middle to win, said Mark Baldassare, CEO of the institute and a pollster in California since 1980. Getting to the middle is critical to success in California.

But for the activists who filled the San Diego Convention Center for the California Democratic Party convention last weekend, that was a concern for another day.

Progressives showed their power as their delegates blocked what typically would have been a routine endorsement for 25-year Sen. Dianne Feinstein and pushed former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa into fourth spot in the partys endorsement for governor, despite recent polls showing him running a close second to Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The results of last Saturdays vote, with only 37 percent supporting a Feinstein endorsement is an astonishing rejection of politics as usual, Democratic state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, who is challenging Feinstein, said in a statement. California Democrats are hungry for new leadership.

Its not just Democrats who will vote on Nov. 6, however, and there are plenty of questions about whether all Californians are looking for that new leadership. The PPIC January poll found that Feinstein had a 47 to 17 percent lead over de Leon among all likely voters and a 67 to 19 percent margin with likely Democratic voters.

Feinstein running for re-election represents a seriousness, such as her service on the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees, said David McCuan, a political science professor at Sonoma State University. But she may be out of step with the changes going on in the California (Democratic) base.

Thats why Feinstein was shocked at the loud boos and harsh progressive attacks when she suggested in a San Francisco speech in August that Trump, with changes in attitude, had the potential to be a good president and that she was willing to work with him.

And when Republican Doug Ose, who dropped out of the governors race earlier this week said that with no GOP candidate in the Senate race, I will be wholeheartedly supporting Dianne Feinstein, that wasnt seen by progressives as a strong and welcome bipartisan appeal, but rather as a sign that Feinsteins policies score well with Republicans.

In the past, Democrats have been willing to give a bit on things we care about to get things done, said John Vigna, communications director for the state Democratic Party. Now were testing whether that dynamic is still there.

The endorsement results shouldnt have come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to Democratic politics, both in California and across the nation, where the 2016 presidential primary battle between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is still being fought.

On Friday, for example, a trio of progressive groups challenged the Democratic National Committee for what they said was the strategy by mainstream Democrats to court moderate Republicans and the billionaire class instead of the progressive wing of their own party, said Saikat Chakrabarti, executive director of Justice Democrats, a group founded by veterans of the Sanders campaign.

We will not create the world we believe in unless elected officials are willing to take clear, unequivocal stands for progressive values, added Heidi Hess, co-director of CREDO Action, a progressive organization.

In California, progressives have worked hard to take control of the state party. Last year, Eric Bauman, a longtime party officer from Los Angeles, barely held off Kimberly Ellis, a progressive activist from Richmond, in a bitter, raucous battle for party chair.

This year, former Sanders supporters, many elected as party delegates at the local level, used their growing clout to push hard against mainstream candidates like Feinstein, Villaraigosa and even state Attorney General Xavier Becerra and back their own hopefuls.

Were now seeing a more confident way of progressives using their influence, said Vigna, the party spokesman. While the anger is still there, its being used in a positive direction.

Progressive leaders are quick to deny any suggestion that a strongly liberal agenda is a disadvantage for Democrats running in Republican-friendly districts.

People across the state want change, but not the change they will get from Republicans  or even moderate Democrats, said Green, whose Progressive Change Campaign Committee has 140,000 members in California and 1 million nationwide.

What moderate Democrats get wrong is that feeling that Democrats need to moderate their message to win GOP districts, he said. Its just the opposite. We need to tear more into economic policy issues, the kitchen table concerns like housing costs, health care, wages and soaring credit card debt.

The progressive push is having an effect on even relatively moderate California Democrats. While Villaraigosa, for example, is working to run his campaign for governor to the right of Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor, hes also arguing that hes a progressive  but his own type of progressive.

The Villaraigosa campaign is saying to California that you have to define progressive as economic progress for more people, said Eric Jaye, a consultant for Villaraigosa. Antonio sees himself as a progressive, but it cant be just a slogan or a litmus test. It has to be about progress.

The battle for the future of the California Democratic Party is only going to get louder heading into the June 5 primary and the November general election, with progressives and their mainstream counterparts each convinced they have the answers the state needs.

California Democrats are in the middle of evolution, and no one is sure how it will turn out, Vigna said.Bill Swings big idea ran into trouble almost immediately after he thought of it 23 years ago.

Yet Swings widely rebuffed notion  to create a United Nations equivalent for the worlds religions to work together in peace  is today a million-person global powerhouse that educates children, fends off terrorist recruitment and, improbably, turns religious opponents into allies in 104 countries. So far.

How Swing effected change for the good around the world is a story of ingenuity and, some might say, extraordinary vision nourished by compassion.

As a bishop and leader of Californias Episcopal Church in 1995, the Rt. Rev. William Swing believed he was in a good position to rally the worlds religious leaders behind his United Religions Initiative.

His track record of successful activism also encouraged optimism. Hed flown into the civil war in El Salvador and helped arrange the release of 23 imprisoned church workers. Hed visited San Franciscos Castro district each week to hear the life stories of gay men being struck down by an unknown disease, and had held the Conference on Religions first AIDS response forum. Hed jump-started negotiations to build a new St. Lukes Hospital in the city and had begun Grace Cathedrals shelter program for 1,500 homeless people.

Now Playing: Video 1 of 2 Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Then, after Swing hosted the United Nations 50th anniversary service at Grace Cathedral in 1995, he conceived of United Religions and set off on a five-month quest with his wife, Mary, to introduce the cooperative idea to religious leaders of the world: the pope, the dalai lama, Jerusalems chief rabbi, Egypts grand mufti and the archbishop of Canterbury among them.

He was stunned when they expressed no interest.

But Swing had another thought: It dawned on me that the grassroots people of all faiths were the key, he said.

If those at the top turned him down, he reasoned, why not try those at the bottom? So he and Mary took another trip. They hired a staff, hosted interfaith events around the world  welcoming tribal members and atheists into the mix  and went $800,000 into debt.

Now, Swing is one of six nominees for The Chronicles 2018 Visionary of the Year award, which provides a $25,000 grant toward the winners work.

Swings work, the United Religions Initiative, isnt actually about religion.

We assume that the world has enough religions, he said. But we assume that the world doesnt have enough bridges between those religions to make the world better.

The system works through cooperation circles, and there are hundreds of them. Swing said anyone can start a cooperation circle with at least seven people and three different religions or traditions. Self-funded and self-governed, circle members choose a purpose  the arts, education, the environment, human rights or any other  and adhere to the main organizations principles, which are replete with such words as peace, justice, cooperation and respect.

Now Playing: Visionary of the Year Video 2 Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Some cooperation circles are vast, with huge budgets. Some are tiny. They pay no money to the organizations headquarters in the Presidio of San Francisco, which employs 37 people, and no money flows out to the circles, Swing said.

In all, the group calculates it has about 1 million participants. Its newest circle is Saudis for Peace, composed of Shiites, Sunnis and Christians in Saudi Arabia.

In Cameroon, a circle of Christians, Muslims and tribal members runs a computer lab so youth can see an alternative to becoming Boko Haram terrorists, according to the organizations website. A Middle East circle unites Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians in restoring the polluted Jordan River. And in Florida  one of 108 circles in the United States  Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist women have met for a decade, doing charitable work and opposing hate crimes.

When you devalue human beings, you can lynch them, you can gas them, you can line them up and shoot them, Swing said. You can destroy their villages and towns. Imprison them and torture them  all in the name of God.

Swings big idea was to offer something different.

He was nominated for the Visionary award by former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and Charlotte Shultz, the chief of protocol for California and San Francisco. The bishop married the couple in 1997.

The United Religions Initiative is one of the most constructive things going on anywhere in the world today, George Shultz said. He and Swing are in a cooperation circle called Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, whose eight members include Jews, Hindus and Christians.

People dont get together and talk about their religions. They talk about some problem they need to solve, Shultz said. Thats very important in a world where theres a lot of tension around religions.

Charlotte Shultz agreed. She called the organization  and its founder  extraordinary.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov

About VisionSF

This is one of six profiles of finalists for The Chronicles fourth annual Visionary of the Year award. The honor salutes leaders who strive to make the world a better place and drive social and economic change by employing new, innovative business models and practices. The finalists were selected by a nominating committee that included Emmett Carson, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Ron Conway, angel investor and philanthropist; John Diaz, editorial page editor of The Chronicle; Steve Malnight, senior vice president strategy & policy of PG&E, a program sponsor; Ken McNeely president of AT&T California, a program sponsor; Libby Schaaf, mayor of Oakland; Charlotte Shultz, chief of protocol for the city and county of San Francisco; and George Shultz, former U.S. secretary of state.

Chronicle Publisher Jeff Johnson, Editor in Chief Audrey Cooper and Diaz will select the winner, which will be announced in late March.

To read more: www.sfchronicle.com/visionsfA nitrate film reel with nine minutes of footage capturing San Francisco two weeks after the 1906 earthquake surfaced at the Alemany Flea Market, and this rare find reveals a startlingly clear view of a city in ruins.

Film historians say the series of clips were shot by the early San Francisco film studio the Miles Brothers and is a bookend to their most famous work "A Trip Down Market Street," a 13-minute silent film shot from a cable car days before the earthquake.

The new footage makes a similar trip down Market Street, from Fifth Street to the Ferry Building, but in this newly found footage many of the buildings lining the city's main thoroughfare have fallen to the ground.

The reel also includes clips showing a mob of horse wagons and carts and people waiting to get on a ferry to cross the Bay to Oakland, a blighted City Hall with its dome nearly destroyed, and damaged buildings being blown up with dynamite.

Film historian David Kiehn confirmed the origin of the film and has spent the past eight months preparing a digital version that will be premiered at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont on April 14 (tickets are $5 to $7).

"Miles Brothers footage shot after the earthquake is extremely difficult to find," Kiehn says. "They shot more footage than anyone else after the earthquake, almost 7,000 feet of it, I believe. Almost two hours of footage and practically none of it survived. This nine-minute piece is the biggest segment that I've seen anywhere and another great part of this footage is it re-creates 'A Trip Down Market Street.'"

VIDEO: Footage from the Miles Brothers "A Trip Down Market Street" taken before the 1906 earthquake

Kiehn also made headlines in 2010 when he challenged the Library of Congress' 1905 date on "A Trip Down Market Street," and using weather and vehicle registration records proved it was shot days before the big earthquake. His discovery was featured on "60 Minutes."

Nitrate film is highly flammable and delicate and Kiehn built an optical printer to take images of each frame and convert the film into a digital format.

"It's a very slow process, running it through the machine," he says. "It took 20 hours, an hour or two at a time. I had to be there at the machine nursing it through. There are 8,600 frames throughout the film. It took a few seconds to copy each frame."

The film was originally purchased by David Silver, who collects vintage cameras, at the Alemany Market in 2016, and he says he bought it from seller who was "standing there looking through a length of it with a lit cigarette hanging from his lips."

"We were an inch away from it going up in flames," Silver says.

On Jan. 18, 2017, Silver posted news of his find on the Facebook Group San Francisco Remembered founded by Nick Wright, writing, "For those of you who scream and flee in panic at the mere mention of nitrate, have no fear, the film is in splendid condition, no outward signs of chemical deterioration, and surprisingly little smell when I opened the Pathe can."

Nick's brother, Jason Wright, a photography historian and collector living in England, saw the posting, purchased the reel from Silver and enlisted the help of Kiehn.

"Eighty or 90 percent of it is completely unseen footage," says Jason, who owns Silver Shadows Gallery Ltd. "And 10 percent is much better quality [than the previously known footage]."

ALSO, New photos uncovered from 1906 S.F. earthquake

Jason explains that it's known this film was created as the Miles Brothers mentioned it among footage advertised for sale in the New York Clipper on June 30, 1906.

"I am just glad we could save this important film by getting it in the right hands," he says. "David Kiehn has done a fantastic job of digitizing it and now we just have to decide the best way to show it to the people of San Francisco after the initial screening on April 14."Provided by Squaw Valley-Alpine Meadows

An inbounds avalanche slammed into skiers on the slopes at Squaw Valley on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Skiers first reported the avalanche at 1:40 p.m. Five people, two women and three men, were hit by the avalanche. One suffered a serious lower body injury and was taken to Tahoe Forest Hospital for treatment.Theyve been married for only two years, but Joseph Amster and Rick Shelton say theyre 200 years old.

At least they were on Saturday. They were among the 19th century characters milling around the Old Mint for San Francisco History Days, put on annually by the California Historical Society, the mayors office and event company Non Plus Ultra. Thousands of visitors were expected to wander in and out of the Granite Lady for the free event that continues Sunday.

Exhibits around the building lured history buffs and curious amateurs with presentations on topics ranging from San Franciscos native Ohlone people to the 1906 earthquake and fire, which the Mint building survived.

A newly discovered nitrate film reel with nine minutes of footage capturing San Francisco two weeks after the disaster will be shown for the first time by film historian David Kiehn next month.

Amster and Shelton sat behind a booth for their Time Machine tours, in-costume walking tours of San Francisco.

The city has so much history, Amster said. I like to say the city is like an onion. You peel back a layer and theres another one.

Amster is really 62, but his character, Emperor Norton, was born in 1818. He came dressed in full costume: a navy blue uniform emblazoned with medals and topped with a colorful feathered hat. A longtime San Francisco resident, Joshua Abraham Norton earned a fortune as an investor in the city by the bay. But then he lost it all, went into hiding, and re-emerged on Sept. 17, 1859. He walked into the offices of the Daily Evening Bulletin and declared himself emperor.

And everyone went along with it. He ate for free at restaurants, people stood in his presence, he printed his own currency. And when he died, the city held one of the biggest funerals in its history.

Any other city would have kicked his ass out, right? Shelton said. But San Francisco embraced him.

Shelton was dressed as Countess Lola Montez. In full make-up, he had rouged cheeks, green and gold eye shadow, and wore a dress with a feathered headband to match, Born in 1818 in Ireland as Maria Dolores Elisa Gilbert, she became known as a Spanish dancer and changed her name after having an affair with King Ludwig I of Bulgaria. Her lovers also included composer Franz Liszt and author Alexandre Dumas.

She married San Francisco newspaperman Patrick Hull when she arrived to the city in the 1850s.

She got around, said Shelton, 64. I really identify with her. She had a lot of affairs. Had a lot of fun.

As performers went around in costume, guests at the history event marveled at unknown bits of the citys history.

In another room down the hall, Lorenzo Casas and Adriana Casas learned about the Ohlone, native people who lived along the shore of San Francisco Bay. They came from Fremont with their 6- and 8-year-old sons.

We want to make sure they understand our history. The history of San Francisco, Lorenzo Casas said.

In the basement, Oakland resident Paula Parker looked through flyers in a room promoting the Black Film Fest, where 16mm films would be playing later in the day.

Im a New Yorker. I love culture, Parker said,  You never know what youre going to come across.

Upstairs, Frances Knapczyk said she mainly marveled at people in Gold Rush costumes. It takes the imagination back to another era of San Francisco, she said. But, she noted, some things about the city havent quite changed.

It seems like its always been this place where a lot of different people from a lot of different cultures and backgrounds come together and try to enjoy life, Knapczyk said. A place where theres a lot of hope. A lot of possibility.Each year, the Friends of Noe Valley neighborhood association hosts Word Week, a weeklong community celebration of the written word. On the docket for this year is Language and Power, a reading and conversation to mark International Womens Day on Thursday, March 8.

Three poets  Cassandra Dallett, Natasha Dennerstein and Kim Shuck  will read from their works and discuss the empowering nature of innovative writing. Shuck is the poet laureate of San Francisco, appointed by Mayor Ed Lee in June 2017. The Castro poet works for California College of the Arts and publishes work inspired by her Cherokee and Polish heritage as well as by her experience as a fifth-generation San Francisco resident.When Krista Venero, an author who writes under the pen name K.L. Montgomery, bought ads on Facebook for a romance novel she published last year, she thought her marketing fell well within the bounds of the social networks policies.

The ad showed an image of a woman photographed from behind with a portion of her upper back exposed. It didnt seem particularly racy, certainly no more than an ad for Olay body wash, showing a womans bare back and legs, that Venero had recently seen.

Facebook rejected her ad, however, and when she disputed the decision, a representative told her that it implied nudity and that the company did not allow ads with a sexual undertone.

Facebook now says it incorrectly rejected Veneros ad, but the back-and-forth is an example of the social networks struggles over images of the human body. More precisely, as the Menlo Park company processes millions of ads a week through a mix of automation and human review, what is acceptable and what isnt, and who is making those decisions?

Venero now tends to make her ads extremely conservative, she said. They usually just have a man and womans face on them, she added. I do have one that has a mans chest, and Ive never had any problems with it. But a womans shoulder  we have a problem.

Venero is not the only one to complain that Facebook is inconsistent when deciding which images are sexually suggestive, particularly pictures of women. The company has flagged a photo of a woman in a T-shirt reading in dim lighting, for example, while allowing a provocative image of a mans bare stomach for an ad from a Facebook group dedicated to steamy romance novels called Beyond 50 Shades. That image, in which the man had his thumb on the inside of his pants, was incorrectly approved, a Facebook spokeswoman recently said.

April Ray, who helps run a book blog, Reading After Dark, was alarmed late last year when a photo of her was flagged as adult content. Ray was using the picture, which showed her reading in a dark room in a black T-shirt, as part of a promotion for the blogs Facebook page.

It definitely stung a little because it was my profile picture and Ive had it for three years now, and its just my face  Im wearing a regular T-shirt that I think I got at the Gap, Ray said. She said it had taken several days for her appeal to reach a person at Facebook. The photo was then approved, but it was too late for a contest her blog was running.

Facebooks ad practices have long been scrutinized, even more so after 13 Russians were indicted in February on charges they tried to disrupt the 2016 presidential election by, among other things, distributing divisive ads through the social network. But the disputes raised by Venero and Ray are indicative of questions raised by smaller advertisers, who rely on Facebook to market their work but often have to navigate the appeals process themselves.

Facebook prohibits adult content in ads, including depictions of people in explicit or suggestive positions and activities that are overly suggestive or sexually provocative. The rules also extend to implied nudity, excessive visible skin and images that are too focused on individual body parts even if not explicitly sexual in nature. On Facebooks website, all of the examples showed women.

Facebooks policies have the effect of sexualizing womens bodies in a way that is not necessary and very unhealthy for society, said Jillian York, director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which advocates digital privacy protections. She added that while the company allowed topless men, it took a strict approach to nudity of a female torso.

Joel Jones, Facebooks vice president of global marketing solutions operations, said that the company tended to be conservative when monitoring ads that people might find offensive but that its enforcement of adult content did not distinguish between men and women. Human reviewers are trained with examples that feature both men and women, Jones said, and he noted that more women appeared in ads  almost twice as often as men in a sampling during the previous 30 days.

For advertisers, debating what constitutes adult content with those human reviewers can be frustrating. Goodbye Bread, an edgy online retailer for young women, said it had a heated debate with Facebook in December over the image of a young woman modeling a leopard-print mesh shirt. Facebook said the picture was too suggestive.

When Goodbye Bread challenged the decision, a company representative replied the issue was the policy against ads that show a lot of skin.

The shirt is considerably transparent in the fact that the breast would be visible had it not been blurred, the representative said, adding that as a result, the nudity was implied.

When presented with the email exchange by the New York Times, a Facebook spokeswoman said that the image did not violate its policies on adult content and that the company had sent incorrect messaging to Goodbye Bread. The post, she said, actually violated a separate policy involving profanity because of another image in the same ad.

George Stamelos, a co-founder of Goodbye Bread, said fashion brands regularly dealt with mixed messages from Facebook on skin and suggestiveness in ads, but could often successfully appeal to human moderators. He also said Facebooks policies were unfairly applied to women.

I get bombarded with stupid ads for swimwear and stuff like that  every guy is topless with a six pack, and they dont have a problem with that, Stamelos said. During the summer, we couldnt advertise our swimwear collection on Facebook because we kept getting rejected for excessive skin.

Its sticky territory for a company of Facebooks size, particularly when there is intense scrutiny on gender inequality. It also raises questions about who, at a company where just 35 percent of the employees are women, is deciding whats suggestive.

Facebook declined to give rough estimates of how many people work on reviewing and approving ads or say where they are. In October, the company announced it was hiring 1,000 additional people to review ads in the wake of congressional hearings that examined the role Facebook played in helping spread disinformation during the 2016 election, including the impact of Russian political ads purchased on Facebook.

Jones of Facebook said the company set higher standards for ads than for regular posts from users because ads were proactively pushed out to people. He said Facebook was focused on improving our review protocols and automated systems.

Facebook, which counts more than 2 billion users worldwide, has frequently been accused of taking a conservative and, at times haphazard, approach to what types of nudity it finds acceptable.

In 2008, women began noticing that their photos of breast-feeding were being removed from personal posts as well as from private groups where women shared advice and tips on how to nurse their babies. Critics of Facebook have since argued that its policies against showing female nipples harm health initiatives that encourage breast-feeding.

In 2016, the company was criticized for censoring a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a young girl running naked after a napalm attack during the Vietnam War. Facebook rescinded its decision, saying, In this case, we recognize the history and global importance of this image.

Stamelos said he hoped Facebook would reconsider how it applied its policies to women and men, adding that he had seen the company take a harder line on its appeals recently. This is extremely problematic, especially considering the magnitude of Facebooks reach, he said.

Venero, the author, never got a response from Facebook about why her ad was rejected and the body wash ad was approved, she said. A Facebook spokeswoman said the company could not ask an automated system about those decisions.

I understand they have to prohibit content that really is disturbing, Venero said. But whatever their algorithms are that do this, or the humans in their department that look at these ads  they just arent consistent with it.In the debate over how quickly to make U.S. cars pollute less, the nations auto-parts makers are in open disagreement with the automakers that buy the countless transmissions, turbochargers and other components that make up modern automobiles.

Car manufacturers would like to roll back standards dating from the Barack Obama administration that mandate a deep cut in auto emissions. The rules, which require automakers to nearly double the average fuel economy of new cars and light trucks by 2025, are the single biggest step the United States has taken to combat climate change.

Automaker groups say the Obama-era rules fail to take into account the rising demand for larger vehicles, which pollute more and make progress on overall emissions more challenging. The Trump administration is reviewing the rules for possible revision.

But last week, five groups representing the countrys major auto suppliers urged the country to stay the course. In an unusual joint statement, the suppliers said, It is in the nations best interest that the United States continue to develop and manufacture the cleanest and most efficient vehicles in the world.

While they stopped short of directly criticizing automakers, which the parts suppliers rely upon for business, they came down clearly on the side of stringent emissions rules. Tailpipe standards should continue to make progress on reducing emissions and oil consumption while saving consumers money at the gas pump, the groups said.

At stake is a measure that the Obama administration estimated would eliminate as much as 6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions and save consumers more than $1 trillion at the pump over the lifetime of the cars affected. Together, the nations vehicles regularly emit more earth-warming gases than its power plants.

California, also a party to the talks over the Obama-era emissions rules, has been the most outspoken defender of stricter standards, drawing on its unique authority under the Clean Air Act to write air pollution rules that go further than those set by Washington.

The debate puts automakers and their parts suppliers, two industries whose interests would seem to be intimately aligned, on opposite sides of this fundamental issue. The reason: Parts suppliers have an incentive to push for cleaner standards, experts say, because tougher emissions rules would spur automakers to fill their vehicles with new, more efficient technologies, and the parts makers would profit from developing that gear.

Nexteer Automotive, for example, makes steering systems that are powered by electricity and not the vehicles engine, greatly reducing fuel consumption. The Michigan company had struggled financially before a surge in demand for fuel-saving technology under Obama-era emissions rules helped it rebound.

Nexteer is a member of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, which represents more than 1,000 auto suppliers. The association signed Thursdays statement together with four other groups that represent auto suppliers: Advanced Engine Systems Institute, the Emission Control Technology Association, the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association and the Aluminum Association.

In a sign of the sensitivity of the issue, Nexteer deferred to the groups statement and declined to provide a separate statement on the issue.

These suppliers are investing in technology for the next generation, said Luke Tonachel, director of the clean vehicles program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. And these standards are really important for providing that certainty these companies need to keep on making those investments.

Clean vehicle technology directly supports nearly 300,000 U.S. jobs, the NRDC estimated in a report published last year.

The Environmental Protection Agency, which sets emissions standards for light-duty vehicles, faces an end-of-March deadline to decide whether to review the rules. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which sets fuel economy standards, is also expected to release proposed rule changes in late March.Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is pumping an additional $125 million into his nonprofit computer research lab for an ambitious new effort to teach machines common sense.

The money for the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence will about double the labs budget over the next three years, helping to fund existing research as well as the new effort, called Project Alexandria. In the years and decades to come, the lab hopes to create a database of fundamental knowledge that humans take for granted but machines have always lacked.

To make real progress in AI, we have to overcome the big challenges in the area of common sense, said Allen, who founded Microsoft in the 1970s with Bill Gates.

Today, machines can recognize nearby objects, identify spoken words, translate one language into another and mimic other human tasks with an accuracy that was not possible just a few years ago. These talents are readily apparent in the new wave of autonomous vehicles, warehouse robotics, smartphones and digital assistants.

But these machines struggle with other basic tasks. Though Amazons Alexa does a good job of recognizing what you say, it cannot respond to anything more than basic commands and questions. When confronted with heavy traffic or unexpected situations, driverless cars just sit there.

AI recognizes objects, but cant explain what it sees. It cant read a textbook and understand the questions in the back of the book, said Oren Etzioni, a former University of Washington professor who oversees the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. It is devoid of common sense.

Success may require years or even decades of work  if it comes at all. Others have tried to digitize common sense, and the task has always proved too large.

In the mid-1980s, Doug Lenat, a former Stanford University professor, with backing from the government and several of the countrys largest tech companies, started a project called Cyc. He and his team of researchers worked to codify all the simple truths that we learn as children, from you cant be in two places at the same time to when drinking from a cup, hold the open end up.

Thirty years later, Lenat and his team are still at work on this common sense engine  with no end in sight.

Allen helped fund Cyc, and he believes it is time to take a fresh approach, he said, because modern technologies make it easier to build this kind of system.

Lenat welcomed the new project. But he also warned of challenges: Cyc has burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, running into countless problems that were not evident when the project began. He called them buzz saws.Ants, bees, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, rats  theres no shortage of creatures that can invade your space. If they do, think twice before hiring someone to evict your pests  usually you can take care of the problem yourself. If you do end up hiring a pest control firm, shop around  there are big differences in quality and you dont have to pay more for good service.

Overall, you can prevent  or control  most household pest problems by taking a few general steps: Cut off access to foods, keep your home as clean as possible, reduce or eliminate excess moisture, and seal cracks and other entry points.

Some steps to take for specific pest problems:

Ants: If you can locate the nest, just spray it with insecticide. If the nest is outside, follow the ants movements to and from food sources. If the nest is inside walls or otherwise inaccessible, cut off the paths the ants follow by caulking cracks and crevices. You can also apply ant spray along the lower part of window frames and around doors, and outdoors on pipes, posts and pillars leading from the ground to the house.

Carpenter ants: Because they are drawn to damp wood, youll need to prevent water from accumulating in your house. Clean gutters and downspouts, and cut tree limbs and shrubs that overhang the house.

Cockroaches: Keeping your home clean and dry is the first step. Caulk to seal cracks and other entry points. You can try sticky traps or bait stations. Sticky traps probably wont solve an infestation, but bait stations can solve a small one  but it may take a week because they dispense slow-acting poison. Boric acid is another effective roach killer. Blow it into cracks and crevices where people wont come into contact with it.

Mice and rats: Close off openings more than -inch in the foundation, around door and window frames, and elsewhere. After closing entry points, you may be able to bring a small infestation under control with traps. Peanut butter is effective bait. Place traps perpendicular to walls, with trigger ends toward the walls so rodents will run over them. Large infestations will require poison baits, which are usually anticoagulants. Be careful to place them out of reach of pets and children, and dont forget where they are.

Carpenter bees: A telltale sign of a problem is sawdust where the bees have been drilling into wood. You can apply an insecticide designed for flying insects or close off the nest and repair the damaged wood. Applying almond oil also provides a good temporary repellent.

Bedbugs: These are notoriously difficult to control. Sanitation wont prevent bedbugs or get rid of them. Youll probably need to hire a diligent, experienced exterminator, and they are likely to recommend a series of treatments. Its better to contract with a company that will perform a rigorous initial treatment and follow up with scheduled inspections and re-treatments for a year.

Termites: Most pests are unpleasant, but termites can wreck your house. If you hire an exterminator, be wary of operators that push bait systems. Because the bait stakes used to monitor termite activity are designed to attract termites, sticking several in the ground around the perimeter of your home likely will attract termites. These companies will require an expensive long-term contract to monitor the bait stations, and once the baits have done their job, the companies may use the evidence of infestation to sell you a warranty against future infestations.

If you decide to hire a professional exterminator:

Choose your pest control company carefully. Checkbook collected consumer ratings of firms theyd used and found substantial differences in quality. Some outfits were rated superior overall by 90 percent or more of their surveyed customers, but other companies received such favorable ratings from fewer than 60 percent of their surveyed customers.

Get estimates. Checkbooks shoppers found big price differences, and there was no relationship between what firms charged and customer satisfaction. Checkbook found companies that charge $150 or less for a single treatment for cockroaches, while others charge $250 or more. Some require long-term contracts that cost $400 or more, even though for most pests, a single treatment done well should suffice. You can often get price quotes over the phone or by email, and companies usually come to your house to give free estimates.

For termites, get several inspections because some companies have been known to recommend treatment when there is neither an active infestation nor a serious threat of one. If you need termite service, check whether the company will send a technician certified as a wood-destroying-object inspector who has met training requirements and passed a California exam. Ask companies whether they recommend treating only part of your home or its entire perimeter. Youll save big if a company can wipe out your infestation without a house-wide treatment. Because termite treatment is much more expensive than treatment for other types of pests, youll see even bigger overall savings by using a high-quality, low-cost service  perhaps $1,000 or more if you obtain several proposals.

For bedbugs, ask several companies for detailed proposals and pricing, with complete schedule and pricing of follow-up treatments.

Finally, ask companies to include with their proposals written guarantees that last for at least a year and include commitments to return and re-treat as many times as necessary to eliminate the infestation. If subsequent visits are to be billed on a per-visit basis, get those details in writing. Youll see big price differences.

Editors note: The Chronicle is partnering with Bay Area Consumers Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org, a nonprofit consumer group with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. Checkbook is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers it evaluates. You can see ratings of pest control firms, tips on solving pest problems yourself, and advice on finding and dealing with pest control firms until March 31 at www.checkbook.org/chronicle/pests.When a cryptocurrency startup that promised to revolutionize the fruit and vegetable industry shut down last month, it left behind one word on its website: penis.

When a virtual currency company called DateCoin recently tried to entice investors for its initial coin offering, it posted a Facebook ad that featured a reclining woman in a swimsuit with text over her body that read, Touch my ICO.

And after the North American Bitcoin Conference in January, which highlighted 84 male speakers and three women, the official conference party was held at a Miami strip club.

Virtual currencies and blockchain, the digital ledger that forms the basis of the cryptocurrencies, were intended to be democratizing and equalizing forces, buoyed by a utopian exuberance. But women who have been trying to participate in the gold rush are finding a lopsided gender divide. And some say the culture is getting worse, with the male-dominated culture buoyed by a new fleet of wealthy crypto speculators known as blockchain bros.

That means the budding world is already in danger of looking like the rest of the technology industry, where women are decidedly a minority. Some studies estimate that women account for only 4 to 6 percent of blockchain investors. That imbalance matters because the early days of an industry are often when the fortunes are made  and those big winners then choose whom to invest in and what to build next, launching a cascade of consequences.

Now, some early female investors and entrepreneurs are beginning to sound the alarm and push back.

Women, consider crypto, tweeted Alexia Bonatsos, a venture capitalist. Otherwise the men are going to get all the wealth, again.

Some crypto leaders are now organizing events, clubs and conferences to attract women to the industry. Bonatsos spoke at one such event last month in San Francisco. And Jalak Jobanputra, founder of the startup investment firm Future Perfect Ventures, and other blockchain developers gathered in New York to discuss the issue. They later announced that they would form a blockchain diversity advocacy group called the Collective Future and create a diversity pledge for crypto companies to sign as a show of commitment.

The early days are what decide the culture of an industry and who gets involved in making the decisions, Jobanputra said. She cited the venture capitalists who funded eBay and Amazon and whom they funded next.

Arianna Simpson, an early cryptocurrency investor, said the surge of interest in virtual currencies from male novices should remind women that it did not take expertise or a doctorate to thrive in the ecosystem.

Women always question if theyre qualified, she said. But look at these clowns around us.

The response to some of the events has been encouraging, some of the women said. Brit Morin, a San Francisco entrepreneur, recently held a blockchain gathering for women that sold out in an hour. She moved the meeting to a bigger venue, where all 500 seats sold out again. So she set up a livestream for the event; that evening, 16,000 viewers joined to watch.

We have an opportunity to rebuild the financial systems, Morin said. Women want to be part of that.

The resistance follows increasing outrage at the lack of diversity in virtual currencies, punctuated by the sexist incidents involving DateCoins Facebook ad and Prodeum, the blockchain-for-fruit startup. Neither company returned requests for comment.

The gender imbalance was also on display at last months North American Bitcoin Conference in Miami, which was organized by a prominent investor, Moe Levin. Levin originally scheduled 86 men and one woman as speakers. After complaints, he replaced two of the men with women to achieve what he thought should be enough: 84 men onstage and three women.

It just coincidentally happened that there were more men than women speakers, Levin said. Its not intentional not to include them. Its just we dont have time to include them.

When others in the cryptocurrency industry realized the conferences after-party would be held at a strip club, they encouraged Levin to change locations. He said the strip club was the most convenient and safest venue he could find.

Downtown Miami doesnt have a whole lot of event spaces, Levin said. And we needed a lot of security.

The year before, the conferences kickoff party featured underwear-clad models  painted gold and covered in bitcoin logos.

Moe does something just as sexist every year, said Rose Chan, who founded the World Banks blockchain working group and now runs her own cryptocurrency project. He switches it up, which actually means that he thinks about it.

One group of female investors said they had decided to boycott the conference in the future.

Levin said this reaction surprised him. Theres so many people who had a great time, he said.

At some women-in-crypto events, frustration is giving way to anger and sadness. On a recent night, about 50 young women interested in cryptocurrencies gathered at the Womans Club of Palo Alto. Some were engineering students at Stanford.

Over wine, they shared their stories  some had been mistaken for hired models, others propositioned during job interviews, and many men had not believed they were engineers at all.

Catheryne Nicholson, chief executive of BlockCypher, which provides infrastructure for blockchain applications, explained to some of the younger women why the gender situation had deteriorated.

Now theres a lot of money, and the men think, Oh, Im a whale now, she said. Theyre a little more full of themselves.

Karen Hsu, BlockCyphers head of growth, said she thought some of the gender concerns had been overstated. She said that at a recent conference, she had been asked if she was a speaker, which was validating.

It was nice because he didnt think I was a booth babe, Hsu said, referring to hired models who stand near the booths of startups to draw the attention of conference attendees.

Other women spoke about how the culture of blockchain was slowly wearing them down. Jay Graber, a developer at Zcash, a new cryptocurrency aimed at enhanced privacy, was wearing small green earrings she had made out of RAM sticks used in cryptocurrency gear. She said she had become interested in blockchain after joining the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, and she viewed the technology as a tool that could take power away from big central banks. Now she is not so sure.

I never felt insecure before I got into this space, Graber said. But I just realized there is no one else like me. It is a very hard feeling when you dont see anyone who is like you.

Graber said she had considered leaving the industry.

I have this perpetual sense of being on the outside of that conversation, she said. Its just a general state of alienation.You probably are a gun owner.

You might not actually possess a gun. But if you have a pension or a 401(k) or an investment in index funds, there is a good chance that, directly or indirectly, you own shares of one or more gun manufacturers.

Like it or not, that means that your financial incentives are at least partly aligned with those of gunmakers. And in general, the more guns they sell, the more money their shareholders  in other words, you  make.

The school shooting last month that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla., has intensified scrutiny on the ways in which financial institutions and other companies prop up the firearms industry, whether through lending money to gun companies or having marketing partnerships with the National Rifle Association.

Many companies have severed their ties to the NRA. Private-equity giant Blackstone recently contacted hedge funds that it owns, asking about gun stock holdings.

Here is how individual investors are financially connected to the gun industry  even if they do not realize it.

Pension funds: A number of state pension funds own shares in the gun makers. For example, pension funds for public employees in Florida, Texas, Wisconsin and Ohio all have stakes of less than 1 percent in American Outdoor Brands, formerly Smith & Wesson, which manufactures the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle that has been used in a number of recent mass shootings.

TIAA, which oversees retirement investments for educators and teachers, has small stakes in American Outdoor Brands and two other publicly traded gun companies. The pension fund for teachers in New York state also has small positions in gun companies Sturm Ruger and Vista Outdoor.

The investments represent slivers of the funds overall assets, but they nonetheless are generating debate. New Jersey lawmakers have moved to cut off investments in gunmakers by the state pension plan.

Index funds: Exchange-traded index funds, which are designed to track the performance of various market indexes, are all the rage these days. They hold shares of every company in whatever index theyre tracking. These indexes include the Russell 200 index for small companies and the Standard & Poors Aerospace & Defense Select Industry index.

That means these investment firms own the stocks, not because they see investment value in them, but because they are part of a broad stock index.

Two of the worlds biggest asset managers, BlackRock and Vanguard, are now among the top shareholders of three gun companies: Sturm Ruger, American Outdoor Brands and Vista Outdoor.

BlackRock has an 11 percent stake in American Outdoor Brands, while Vanguards stake is 8 percent. For Sturm Ruger, BlackRock owns 17 percent while Vanguard has 9.5 percent.

BlackRock said it would contact officials at the three firearms companies, asking about how they are responding to the shootings.

Vanguard has taken a more cautious stance. With 20 million clients, the firm said it is unrealistic to cater to such a wide variety of views on pressing social topics. We believe mutual funds are not optimal agents of social change, a spokesman said.

Vanguard does offer clients a way to screen funds for stocks that they do not want to invest in.

Stock pickers: While index funds are prominent shareholders of these gun companies, some large mutual funds  in which portfolio managers individually pick stocks  are also substantial owners.

One of the worlds biggest fund companies, Capital Group, which oversees $1.6 trillion in assets, has an 8 percent stake in Sturm Ruger.

A Capital spokesman said that the investment firm is engaging with gun manufacturers to understand their plans to ensure the safe use of these products.

And mutual fund giant Fidelity is the top shareholder of Vista Outdoor, with 15 percent of the company. The stake is held largely through Fidelitys actively managed funds.Turns out getting bitten by a seal isnt the only danger in swimming at Aquatic Park. Theres also a renegade yachtsman to contend with.

For more than 100 nights, Bryan Penningtons trimaran has been anchored without a permit in the protected cove of San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Swimmers say he has created a hazard by putting his boat in the marked lane and fouling the waters with human waste.

If he was cooperative and would move his boat out further, the impact of the sewage and the obstruction wouldnt be as great, said Reuben Hechanova, president of the Dolphin Club, as he sat on the stone bleachers at Aquatic Park watching swimmers maneuver around the boat maybe 50 yards away.

Seal bites we can deal with. The seal is at least transitory, Hechanova said. This person is permanent or at least has been so far. He is in our space, and it is a crime.

Pennington, 52, who said he is a world traveler, and a disabled American vet who is not wound too tight, maintains that his boat has as much right to be there as the swimmers and seals.

The rights of swimmers are not above the rights of mariners, Pennington said when approached in front of the Aquatic Park grandstand, where he keeps a kayak tied to a lamppost when hes ashore.

The man-made cove next to the historic Hyde Street Pier and protected from the waves by the crumbling Municipal Pier is under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. So far the standoff has involved the U.S. Park Police, the San Francisco Police marine unit, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which has cited Pennington for seven violations, including a felony for obstructing an attempt to board his vessel.

Aquatic Park Cove is not a marina. There are no facilities for pumping out waste. Rules allow a craft to anchor in the cove for a maximum of five nights in a row or 30 nights total a year. In either case, a permit is required for overnight anchoring. Pennington is allegedly in violation of all three.

Now the dispute has gone to federal court, where Pennington has pleaded not guilty to three counts of violating a permit requirement, each punishable by six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The Chronicle

When asked if he has a permit and how long he has been at anchor, Pennington answered, I cannot divulge. Im in trial, before walking off to a nearby Starbucks that he apparently uses as a land base.

The nuisance has been compounded by a series of bites suffered by swimmers in the cove during December and January, and attributed to a marauding seal or sea lion. This has compelled swimmers to stick close to shore to avoid hungry seals. Pennington also sticks close to shore, apparently to reduce the distance on his daily paddles to land.

If this were in San Francisco waters he would be long gone, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, a longtime swimmer and member of the South End Rowing Club. Peskin said club members have been bugging him to do something about Pennington and he, in turn, has been bugging the Park Service to do something about Pennington.

This has been going on for months, Peskin said. Every week passes, and he is still there.

The next hearing of United States of America vs. Bryan Pennington is March 15, and its implications are broader than just one man on one boat creating a nuisance for some cold-water swimmers.

If he gets away with it, said the Dolphin Clubs Hechanova, there will be a new invasion of squatters anchoring in the cove and polluting the waters.

Pennington maintains that he is a victim. His story is that he entered San Francisco Bay in September to sail the three bridges, Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond-San Rafael. At some point his Searunner 34 trimaran was involved in a collision with the San Francisco Police Departments marine unit.

Pennington then sailed his damaged vessel into Aquatic Cove, which he calls the safest harbor you can get, to wait for the SFPD to repair his boat. But the police report states that the marine unit had come to the aid of Pennington when his anchor became entangled, and there was only minor damage to a railing on his boat.

He dropped anchor Sept. 26, according to court records, and has been in the cove off and on ever since, for a total of 119 nights and counting, according to a letter of complaint filed Feb. 20 by Morgan Smith, acting superintendent for the maritime park. He has not left the cove for at least 70 days to pump out his sewage tank, according to the complaint.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

The Searunner 34 is built to sleep five and Pennington said he is comfortable and warm and can even build fires on board. His trimaran is easy to spot. It is the one with Move The Boat on its hull above the water line  graffiti Pennington maintains was scrawled by swimming club members. He also maintains they took his dinghy, forcing him to rely on a blue plastic kayak to reach shore. He wants his property back, his boat repaired and the graffiti removed.

Im not getting out of here until they fix my yacht, he said. Period.

Its not the first time Pennington has had trouble in harbor.

An earlier altercation in Santa Barbara involved harbor patrol officers, who tried to stop Pennington for questioning about trespassing on a dock.

Defendant then stepped back, assumed a martial arts stance, forcefully kicked officer (Richard) Hubbards thigh, kicked Officer (Ryan) Kellys shin and began to throw wild punches, reads the court record. Pennington had to be restrained with a taser and handcuffs.

Pennington was convicted of misdemeanor battery on a peace officer. But he appealed on the grounds that harbor patrol officers were not peace officers. His conviction was upheld on appeal but overturned by the state Supreme Court on the grounds that the primary duty of the harbor patrol was not law enforcement, therefore the assaulted parties were not peace officers.

Swimmers have reported being threatened by Pennington when encountered on land, and theyve reported seeing Pennington dump buckets of waste overboard. Twice his boat has slipped anchor and drifted, once striking the historic C.A. Thayer schooner, the other time hitting the Municipal Pier, according to superintendent Smiths report.

In response to all of this, two members of the Coast Guard and one park police officer boarded his vessel in February. Pennington was described in a report as being verbally combative.

His boat lacked registration and officers discovered buckets of human waste in the vessel.

One day later at a hearing in United States District Court, Pennington was unable to provide a permanent address or phone number. When later asked by The Chronicle where he is from, Pennington responded the planet Earth.

Park police are seeking a stay away order, that would give Pennington 72 hours to remove his boat from Aquatic Park. If he does not comply, police have requested that the judge allow the boat to be impounded.

We dont want that, said Capt. Jerry Marshall, of the U.S. Park Police. We want him to leave.WASHINGTON  Its taken just two weeks for Washingtons immigration battle to fade from blistering to back-burner. Lawmakers now seem likely to do little or nothing this election year on an effort thats been eclipsed by Congress new focus on guns, bloodied by Senate defeats and relegated to B-level urgency by a Supreme Court ruling.

Talks have gone dormant that sought a bipartisan package: A chance for citizenship for young immigrants brought to the country illegally and $25 billion for President Trump to erect his treasured wall with Mexico. Even a proposal dangling modest wins for both sides  a three-year renewal of a program protecting hundreds of thousands of those young immigrants from deportation in exchange for a $7.6 billion down payment for the wall  seems a longshot.

The prospects for immigration legislation, big or small, are very, very bleak, concedes Frank Sharry, executive director of Americas Voice, an immigrants rights group.

Distrust between the two parties has intensified, with each suspecting the other of weaponizing the impasse to rouse loyal voters for Novembers contest for congressional control. There are tactical rifts between Democrats and the coalition of liberal and immigrants rights organizations over how aggressively to force the issue, and differences between conservative organizations and some Republicans over the wisdom of even a narrow accord.

Looking to furnish political cover to rank-and-file Republicans, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., only want to consider immigration bills that have Trumps support. Democrats say Trumps portrayal of immigrants as threats who commit crimes and steal jobs, plus his vulgar references to their countries, shows hes not serious about compromise  yet leaves him pivotal for any deal.

There are certain people and certain countries that Donald Trump does not envision as part of Americas future, said No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard Durbin of Illinois. Until the president and the Republicans in Congress believe that deporting the Dreamers is so much of a political negative that they must do something, I think its unlikely that well move forward.

Rather than making new offers, Trump is blaming Democrats for the stalemate.

Im the one thats pushing DACA and the Democrats are nowhere to be found, he tweeted last week, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Hoping to recapture attention, immigrant and civil rights groups plan demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere on Monday. When Trump announced last year that he was terminating DACA, he gave Congress until that date, March 5, to replace it.

The program, which President Barack Obama created administratively without enactment of a law, lets immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children get jobs for renewable two-year periods. Its currently protecting 680,000 of them.

The Supreme Court last week erased that deadlines impact with a ruling that requires the administration to renew DACA permits while lower court challenges to Trumps action continue. Those lawsuits could drag on for months, easing pressure on Congress to act quickly.

Lawmakers are now fixated on last months shooting deaths of 17 students and faculty members at a high school in Parkland, Fla. The shift accentuates how rapidly priorities shift in Congress, fueled by todays hyper-speed news cycles and a president whose tweets and utterances add additional volatility.

Last month, the Senate rejected a Trump proposal offering citizenship to people protected by DACA, fully financing his wall, cutting legal immigration and ending a visa lottery for people from countries with low U.S. immigration rates. A bipartisan plan backed by nearly all Democrats included potential citizenship for DACA recipients and money for Trumps wall, barred the young immigrants from sponsoring their parents and left the visa lottery intact.

Neither side is showing any indication of sweetening its offer.

Weve offered the sun and the moon and that wasnt enough, said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the second-ranking GOP leader. I guess well see what happens.

Democrats face pressure from liberal groups like Indivisible and United We Dream to use coming budget legislation to crimp money for immigration enforcement programs. But with several Senate Democrats facing tough re-election fights in Trump-friendly states leery of that stance, the party has little leverage.

Clarissa Martinez, a policy chief for UnidosUS, an immigrants rights group, said Democrats should force votes on the issue to drive home how immigrants bolster the economy. She cited the repeated, doomed votes Republicans forced under President Barack Obama to repeal his health care law because they had a narrative they were building.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., whos joined bipartisan efforts to forge compromise, says hell try forcing a vote on his plan to extend DACA for three years and supplying three years of financing for Trumps wall.

But many Democrats oppose it, saying they abhor financing the wall in exchange for merely a temporary DACA extension. Groups like the Center for Immigration Studies that favor tight restrictions are also opposed, saying it would inscribe DACA into law, and conservatives such as Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, seem certain to block Flake.

Flake said hed keep trying anyway.

At some point were going to want to put this behind us, even if theres no deadline. I dont think this plays into our favor in the midterms, he said.SEATTLE  The Washington Legislature has voted to phase out marine Atlantic salmon aquaculture, an industry that has operated for decades in the state but came under heavy criticism after tens of thousands of nonnative fish escaped into waterways last summer.

After lengthy debate, the Senate passed the bill on a 31-16 vote Friday. The House earlier passed it on 67-31 vote and it now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat who has expressed support.

The bill would end state leases and permits for operations that grow nonnative finfish in state waters when current leases expire in 2022.

The bill targets Canadas Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, the largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon in the U.S., whose net pens in northwest Washington collapsed Aug. 19. Cooke currently has two leases with the state.

State officials last month blamed Cookes negligence for failing to maintain its net pens. They said the escape of the salmon put the states ecosystem at risk and fined the company $332,000. Up to 263,000 invasive Atlantic salmon escaped into Puget Sound, raising fears about the impact to native Pacific salmon runs.

Sen. Kevin Ranker, a Democrat who sponsored similar legislation in the Senate, said the state ban is a strong stance to ensure the protection of our marine environment and native salmon populations.

Joel Richardson, vice president of Cooke, said in a statement that the company was deeply disappointed with the bills passage, the potential impact on the industry and more than 600 rural workers and their families that rely upon salmon farming for their livelihoods.

Richardson told lawmakers last month that Cooke would be able to seek damages under a provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement if the measure passed. He said the bill would strip the company of its $76 million investment in the state in an unfair way.

Republicans who opposed the bill said it would put people out of work, shut down a vital industry and set a bad precedent. This is the wrong action tonight and Im just appalled that this is the direction were going, said Sen. Shelly Short, a Republican.

Washington state joins Alaska, which has banned commercial finfish aquaculture. Oregon and California do not have commercial salmon farming operations.A woman named Jamie Anderson who thought she would be reuniting with her lost Yorkie terrier was shocked to discover that the dog had been stolen by a stranger from the shelter.

The female terrier, named Olive, had slipped through a wooden gate at Anderson's home, but was found shortly after, according to Fox 40 in Sacramento. The good Samaritan who found the dog took her to the nearby Bradshaw Animal Shelter, only to find it was open yet.

Late for a college class, the Samaritan decided to give it a woman who told her that she'd turn in the missing dog for her. The woman was reportedly wearing scrubs, which led the Samaritan to believe she worked at Bradshaw.

But the woman didn't follow through. Instead, she picked up the dog, turned around, and left.

According to Fox 40, it's not an unusual practice. Animal shelter staffers are familiar with people who will sometimes wait outside of shelters to steal purebred and other dogs in order to sell them at a profit on Craigslist or elsewhere, to new homes or to people using them as bait for dogfighting.

In this case, as Sacramento County Animal Care Director Dave Dickinson said, the woman caught on surveillance taking the dog had recently lost her own Yorkie and said she intended to go through the process of adopting the dog, but "wanted to take her home first."

A man who had initially accompanied the woman to the shelter eventually wound up bringing Olive back later, allowing Anderson to reclaim her.

As Anderson said, "I got her as an emotional support dog because I had just lost my mom."

"We are thrilled to report that Olive has been returned to the shelter and reunited with her owner," Bradshaw Animal Shelter wrote on Facebook. "After posting the story to Facebook, local news outlets ran a story last night. The people in the photos saw the story, and decided they needed to return the dog to its rightful owner. They have lost a pet themselves and did not want another owner to suffer the same sadness and loss."

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

Squaw Valley ski resort reopened Saturday, a day after an avalanche struck five skiers and injured two of them.

Five of the resorts 29 lifts started turning at 9 a.m., said Liesl Hepburn, a spokeswoman for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows.

KT-22 will be on a delayed opening and the upper mountain at Squaw Valley is currently closed due to avalanche hazard, she said in an email.

The avalanche hit at 1:40 p.m. Friday, said Dispatcher Trek Sinclair of the Placer County Sheriffs Office. Five skiers were caught in the slide, and two were injured, one seriously.

The avalanche occurred just hours after a snowboarder was found dead at the resort. The body of Wenyu Zhang, 42, of Rocklin (Placer County), was found at 10:10 a.m. in the Squaw Creek area of the resort, said Hepburn. He had been reported missing Thursday night.

A major storm has blanketed the Sierra with heavy snow since Wednesday, periodically shutting roads and creating whiteout conditions in some areas.

With 6 feet from this storm and 8 feet this week, we have a lot of avalanche control to get done this morning, so we ask that guests are patient as we work to get terrain open safely and efficiently, Hepburn said Saturday.

Farther south, another avalanche partially buried three skiers at Mammoth Mountain on Saturday. None were injured. The resort said in a statement that it happened at approximately 10:15 a.m., while workers were doing routine avalanche hazard mitigation in a part of the mountain that was closed to skiers.

Avalanche debris traveled toward the bottom of the lift and ultimately crossed into an area that was open to the public, the resort said. The mountain was closed, and search and rescue operations started. There have been no reports of missing persons.SAN JOSE (BCN)

Police in San Jose have arrested a 12-year-old in connection with sending threatening text messages directed toward a middle school and several students.

The 12-year-old was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats, according to the San Jose Police Department.

On Thursday at 5 p.m., police received a call from Sylvandale Middle School students about threatening text messages they received.

Police said the text messages made direct threats to kill the victims and "shoot up" the middle school.

Investigators determined a 12-year-old Sylvandlae Middle School student was responsible for the text messages.

The student was arrested and book into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.OAKLAND (BCN)

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony today for a new 94-unit affordable housing development in the Fruitvale Transit Village.

The development, which is expected to be completed next year, is being built on a city-owned BART parking lot only steps away from the Fruitvale BART station, a major AC Transit hub and the planned Bus Rapid Transit line.

Schaaf said, "This day is deeply personal" because she has worked with others for many years to bring the project to fruition.

The mayor said, "BART has changed a lot" because at one point in the past it planned to build a huge parking lot near the Fruitvale station because "BART felt it had to protect its riders from this community."

The development is called "Casa Arabella" to honor Arabella Martinez, the founder and former chief executive of The Unity Council, which has worked with the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation and the city to increase the amount of affordable housing in East Oakland.

Martinez also recalled BART's plans to built a four-story parking structure that she and other community activists thought would separate BART from the community and result in an increase in crime and pollution.

Martinez said, "With the city's help we reversed BART's decision" and she thanked BART for working more closely with the community in recent years.

Martinez said, "I'm really honored and truly humbled by having Casa Arabella named after me. This is a community that I really love."

BART Board President Robert Raeburn said, "We have transitioned from the days of old" and said the transit agency's ridership at the Fruitvale station has increased by 2,500 passengers a day since the Fruitvale Transit Village was created in 2004.

Raeburn said transit-oriented housing that's being built at the Fruitvale station and is already in place or in the works at other stations "enhances the community and benefits the environment by reducing emissions" from cars.

Planners say the development will include 94 units, 92 affordable and 2 market rate, and house about 400 people. 20 units will be reserved for homeless veterans.

The affordable housing units will be rented to people who make 20 to 60 percent of the area median income.

In addition to managing the apartments, the Unity Council and the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation will provide onsite support services to residents, including a full-time resident service and workforce coordinator, who will connect residents with economic empowerment services, as well as a full-time veteran services specialist.

Funding for the development is coming from the city, the state, Alameda County, the Oakland Housing Authority, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, the California Municipal Finance Authority, MUFG Union Bank, Citi and U.S. Bank.

Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, whose district includes part of Oakland, said the development is important because "housing is the number one issue in Alameda County and the city of Oakland."

Chan said building housing where transit services are in place "creates a better quality of life for all of our residents."SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A man faces charges of murder and attempted murder after a shooting in San Francisco last month that took the life of another man identified by city officials as 28-year-old Milkon Isleyen.

San Francisco transient Joel Armstrong, 31, allegedly shot and killed Isleyen and attempted to kill another person and five police officers in events that unfolded on the evening of Feb. 16 and the morning of Feb. 17, according to police.

Prosecutors filed 19 counts against Armstrong, which in addition to murder and attempted murder of five police officers, include attempted murder of a civilian, assault with a semiautomatic gun, two counts of exhibiting a concealable gun in public, carjacking, unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, grand theft, petty theft and five counts of assault on a police officer with a semiautomatic gun.

Armstrong is in the county jail on no bail and is scheduled to appear in court again March 15.

Armstrong's arrest occurred following a shooting on Feb. 16 near Oak and Stanyan streets at about 6:30 p.m.

Police allege they did not find Armstrong at the scene but that Armstrong left by using a gun to carjack the driver of a 2012 Toyota 4Runner.

Early the next morning, police allegedly found the Toyota parked behind a recreational vehicle near Alameda and De Haro streets.

Police said that no one was in the Toyota but they allegedly found Armstrong inside the RV.

Officers surrounded the RV and ordered the occupants out. Police said three people and a dog came out, but Armstrong allegedly stayed inside, despite repeated commands by officers.

Police allege they heard two gunshots from inside the RV and they opened fire, shooting about 65 rounds at the vehicle.

Officers allegedly backed away from the RV and again ordered Armstrong to come out and he allegedly did at about 2:15 a.m.

Police and Armstrong escaped injury in the gunfire.

Cmdr. Greg McEachern alleges officers found a 9 mm gun inside the RV.

The seven officers who fired on Armstrong were wearing cameras on their uniforms. Police said five turned the cameras on before they fired on Armstrong and two turned them on after the gunfire.

All seven videos have been released to the public.

Police on Tuesday identified the officers who shot at Armstrong as Glennon Griffin, Anthony Sharron, Robby Wilkom, Matthew Nazar, Gregory Buhagiar, Steven Oesterich and Christopher Cotter.

###SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with a January San Francisco robbery of more than $21,000 in cash from a Powell Street convenience store, police said.

Anthony Sherwood, 21, of Daly City, and Lionel De Leon, 26, of San Francisco, were arrested Jan. 6 and booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of grand theft, first degree burglary, conspiracy, embezzlement and misdemeanor making a false report of a crime, police said.

Dezmond Tayeh, 24, of San Francisco, was arrested Feb. 20 and booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of grand theft, second-degree burglary and conspiracy, according to police.

The case began Jan. 2 around 10:50 p.m. when police responded to the 100 block of Powell Street regarding a robbery of a convenience store. A masked and gloved armed suspect had gone to the manager's office, demanding money from an employee, according to police.

The Night Investigations Unit responded and secured video surveillance and witness statements. Investigators identified three suspects and arrest warrants were issued for all three suspects.

The investigation allegedly revealed that two employees who were present at the time of the robbery actually were involved in the commission of the crime, according to police. The two suspects, Sherwood and De Leon, were taken into custody Jan. 6, police said.

Tayeh was arrested Feb. 20 without incident, according to police.

While arrests have been made, the investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. Tipsters may remain anonymous.

###OAKLAND (BCN)

Three reputed members of an East Oakland gang were sentenced this week to lengthy federal prison terms for their roles in the shooting an Oakland police officer in 2013 only hours after the shooting of a rival gang member in an ambush, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton sentenced Deante Kincaid, 33, who's also known as "Tay Tay," to 23 years in prison, Joseph Pennymon, 27, also known as "Junkie," to 18 years and Purvis Ellis, also known as "Bot," 31, to 20 years.

Last September Hamilton sentenced a fourth associate, Damien McDaniel, 27, to 33 years for his role in the same crimes.

McDaniel pleaded guilty last year to racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, prosecutors said.

Pennymon and Ellis pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder and discharging a firearm and Kincaid pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, assault with a dangerous weapon and brandishing a firearm.

Federal prosecutors said the four men all admitted they were gang members from East Oakland's Seminary neighborhood, which is known as "Sem City."

Acting U.S. Attorney Alex Tse said in a statement, "Ellis, Kincaid, McDaniel, and Pennymon and the Sem City criminal enterprise posed a significant threat to the public."

Tse said the sentences "assure the public that brazen acts of violence against our communities and the peace officers sworn to protect them will not be tolerated."

Prosecutors said Ellis, Pennymon, and McDaniel admitted they attempted to murder a member of a rival gang who they found on their gang's "turf."

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that on Jan. 20, 2013, the three men converged on the victim, who was standing at a bus stop, and fired 13 shots, striking the man in the forehead and leg.

In addition, Kincaid and McDaniel admitted assaulting an Oakland police officer the next day, according to prosecutors.

The officer had received a tip that the get-away car in the bus stop shooting was located at an apartment complex in East Oakland so he went to investigate and was attacked by McDaniel and Kincaid, prosecutors said.

The officer resisted the suspects' attack but Kincaid restrained him, struck the officer in the head, and threatened to kill him, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

McDaniel shot the officer in the arm when the officer refused to give up his service pistol, prosecutors said.

The officer suffered injuries to the head and forearm.

Federal prosecutors didn't identify the officer who was injured but in court documents, Oakland police identified him as Eric Karsseboom.

Karsseboom was one of two Oakland officers who were shot in January 2013.

436-7264Cold morning temperatures will persist through Monday throughout the Bay Area, posing risks to drivers, homeless people and animals, National Weather Services officials said.

Nightly temperatures are expected to plunge with isolated areas possibly dropping into the teens.

Saturday morning lows will be in the upper 20s to low 30s in outlying areas and in the mountains. Urban and coastal areas will see temperatures in the mid 30s to low 40s.

Temperatures Sunday and Monday mornings will drop as low as the mid 20s to low 30s in the mountains and outlying areas while urban and coastal areas are expected to drop into the low to upper 30s.

The cold weather will cool roads where black ice could form, making driving treacherous.

Weather officials said thunderstorms and snow in the mountains are possible, though the amount of snow will be limited at best. Still, weather officials said three to five inches could accumulate in some areas.

Light to moderate intensity thunderstorms are possible Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Weather officials said the cold temperatures means homeless people and people with limited shelter may suffer hypothermia.

Signs of hypothermia include confusion, shivering, difficulty speaking, sleepiness and stiff muscles. Everyone is encouraged to dress in layers, cover exposed skin and to limit their time outside.

Additionally, weather officials encourage residents to bring their pets indoors. Livestock may need shelter too.

The cold weather may damage crops, especially in interior valleys.

Tuesday will be warmer with a slight chance of rain from Tuesday through Friday, weather officials said.

A threatening social media post that named an unidentified school in Milpitas emerged through several levels of hearsay, according to the Milpitas Police Department.

The police department is continuing their investigation, which began Friday morning when they became aware of the situation, officers said.

The police department was in contact with the student who reposted the social media threat around 9:20 a.m. Friday morning, according to police.

That student was not able to provide information regarding the origin of the posting, but police are still working to identify the person or people responsible, police said.

Police will continue to provide extra security at Milpitas schools throughout the day, according to officers. The police department is working in conjunction with the Milpitas Unified School District to determine the credibility of the threat.

"Incidents such as these are taken seriously by the Milpitas Police Department and will be investigated to the fullest," police said.

No specific information about what social media channel the post was published on or what kind of language was used have been disclosed.

Alum Rock Union Elementary School District in San Jose began a similar joint investigation with their police department into a shooting threat that came in the form of an anonymous tweet on Wednesday, Superintendent Hilaria Bauer said.

The San Jose Police Department traced the tweet back to a 12-year-old girl, police said Friday morning.

San Jose police's Violent Crimes Enforcement Team served a search warrant at the girl's residence where they came into contact with her but did not detain her, police said. That investigation is still ongoing.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Friday again defended her recent warning to the community ahead of a large-scale operation by federal immigration authorities.

Speaking to reporters after a ground-breaking ceremony for an affordable housing project in Oakland's largely Hispanic Fruitvale district, Schaaf said, "I remain confident that my actions were both legal and moral."

White House officials have suggested that Schaaf may have engaged in obstruction of justice by warning the community before recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Northern California that resulted in the arrest of about 230 people.

"I find it difficult to believe even in today's America that informing people of their legal rights could be considered illegal," Schaaf said.

Schaaf has met with legal advisers and said she believes she acted "within the confines of the law."

"I did what I believe was right for my community as well as to protect public safety," Schaaf said. "People should be able to live without fear or panic and know their rights and responsibilities as well as their recourses."

Schaaf said she and her office have received some angry comments since she issued her warning but she hasn't received any death threats and isn't concerned about her safety.

According to Schaaf, "ICE's own data demonstrated that the majority of the people they've arrested had no criminal background," she said.

A man faces charges of murder and attempted murder after a shooting in San Francisco last month that took the life of another man identified by city officials as 28-year-old Milkon Isleyen.

San Francisco transient Joel Armstrong, 31, allegedly shot and killed Isleyen and attempted to kill another person and five police officers in events that unfolded on the evening of Feb. 16 and the morning of Feb. 17, according to police.

Prosecutors filed 19 counts against Armstrong, which in addition to murder and attempted murder of five police officers, include attempted murder of a civilian, assault with a semiautomatic gun, two counts of exhibiting a concealable gun in public, carjacking, unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, grand theft, petty theft and five counts of assault on a police officer with a semiautomatic gun.

Armstrong is in the county jail on no bail and is scheduled to appear in court again March 15.

Armstrong's arrest occurred following a shooting on Feb. 16 near Oak and Stanyan streets at about 6:30 p.m.

Police allege they did not find Armstrong at the scene but that Armstrong left by using a gun to carjack the driver of a 2012 Toyota 4Runner.

Early the next morning, police allegedly found the Toyota parked behind a recreational vehicle near Alameda and De Haro streets.

Police said that no one was in the Toyota but they allegedly found Armstrong inside the RV.

Officers surrounded the RV and ordered the occupants out. Police said three people and a dog came out, but Armstrong allegedly stayed inside, despite repeated commands by officers.

Police allege they heard two gunshots from inside the RV and they opened fire, shooting about 65 rounds at the vehicle.

Officers allegedly backed away from the RV and again ordered Armstrong to come out and he allegedly did at about 2:15 a.m.

Police and Armstrong escaped injury in the gunfire.

Cmdr. Greg McEachern alleges officers found a 9 mm gun inside the RV.

The seven officers who fired on Armstrong were wearing cameras on their uniforms. Police said five turned the cameras on before they fired on Armstrong and two turned them on after the gunfire.

All seven videos have been released to the public.

Police on Tuesday identified the officers who shot at Armstrong as Glennon Griffin, Anthony Sharron, Robby Wilkom, Matthew Nazar, Gregory Buhagiar, Steven Oesterich and Christopher Cotter.

San Francisco prosecutors, following an investigation into two separate officer-involved shootings, will not file charges against the San Francisco Police Department officers involved in those shootings, which took place in 2014 and 2015.

On Oct. 7, 2014 at about 9 p.m., Officer David Goff was alone on foot as he approached an Infiniti parked near 448 Bryant Street.

Police had been investigating auto burglaries in the area and officers were watching the Infiniti that was allegedly dropping off and picking up two people. Police believed that the occupants of the Infiniti were casing cars.

Officers saw the suspects break a car window, remove a bag and go back to the Infiniti.

As Goff approached the Infiniti to arrest the suspects and one of the suspects allegedly pointed a gun at Goff.

Prosecutors said Goff opened fire on the occupants, killing Oshaine Evans and injuring another suspect.

Prosecutors said following their investigation insufficient evidence exists to file criminal charges against Goff because he reasonably believed he was facing imminent threat of death or great bodily injury.

The gun Evans allegedly had was not loaded, but no evidence exists to suggest Goff knew that when he shot Evans. Prosecutors said rather evidence exists indicating Goff believed he was in grave danger.

Prosecutors have also cleared three police sergeants of any criminal wrongdoing in the death of Matthew Hoffman, who two of the sergeants shot on the evening of Jan. 4, 2015, in the parking lot of the Police Department's Mission District police station.

Investigators concluded that sergeants Michael Serujo, Nicolas Pena and Thomas Johnson acted in self-defense and in the defense of others when two of them shot Hoffman, who later died from his injuries.

The three sergeants were leaving the parking lot of the station at 630 Valencia St. when they found Hoffman allegedly trespassing in the lot.

Hoffman allegedly refused to leave, hid his hand under his sweatshirt and became confrontational with the sergeants after they repeatedly told him to leave the property.

Prosecutors said that Hoffman allegedly pulled what appeared to the officers to be a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the sergeants, prompting Serujo and Pena to open fire.

Prosecutors said police later learned that the "gun" Hoffman pointed at the sergeants was a Colt Defender airsoft BB gun that had allegedly been modified to look like a real gun.

According to prosecutors, Hoffman allegedly had three suicide notes on his phone. One was addressed to the officers, absolving them for killing him because he wanted to commit suicide.

A young Manteca man died in a collision on Patterson Pass Road east of South Vasco Road in Livermore early Friday morning, police said Friday.

Officers responded to a report of a collision around 5:30 a.m. and found that a vehicle traveling westbound on Patterson Pass Road had left the road and hit a tree on the north side of the roadway, according to police.

The driver, later identified as Christopher Lopez, 20, suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Investigators are asking anyone with information or video evidence to contact Officer Starr with the Livermore Police Department traffic unit at (925) 371-4853.

A garbage truck driver is dead after being struck by his own vehicle Friday morning in San Jose, according to the police department.

San Jose police officers responded to a crash on Camden Avenue at El Paseo Drive at 7:54 a.m.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

No information is available about the driver's identity or what caused the incident. The department's Traffic Investigation Unit is at the scene, police spokespeople said.

###FREMONT (BCN)

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a rash of auto burglaries that took place in Fremont's Pacific Commons Shopping Plaza area in January, police said.

Uriah Harris, 25, of San Francisco, was arrested Feb. 1 on suspicion of multiple burglary, identity theft, and unauthorized use of credit card offenses, according to police.

The case began when patrol officers got reports of multiple auto burglaries at the shopping plaza and the surrounding area Jan. 19, police said.

Officers recovered surveillance video from nearby businesses that helped them identify a suspect via license plate reader cameras, according to police.

Detectives also were able to get business video surveillance of the suspect using stolen credit cards from the businesses, police said.

Fremont police detectives spotted Harris Feb. 1 in the Berkeley Hills in the vehicle he allegedly was driving at the time of the thefts. The detectives called in East Bay Regional Parks police helicopters for assistance, and Harris was detained on the scene on the Fremont warrant.

Harris was booked at Santa Rita Jail on suspicion of the auto thefts and also for allegedly committing a felony while out on bail from an auto burglary arrest that had been made by U.S. park rangers, police said.

###SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Two men attacked a third man and stole his cell phone on Geneva Avenue near the Interstate Highway 280 off-ramp in San Francisco Thursday afternoon, police said.

Two men approached the victim in the 400 block of Geneva not far from City College of San Francisco around 12:42 p.m., according to police. One of the men pulled a knife and tried to stab the victim, who tried to protect himself from getting stabbed, police said.

It was only after the two fled south on San Jose Avenue that the 41-year-old victim realized his cell phone had been stolen, according to police.

The man's injuries aren't deemed life-threatening, police said. The suspects have not yet been found.

###MILPITAS (BCN)

A threatening social media post that named an unidentified school in Milpitas emerged through several levels of hearsay, according to the Milpitas Police Department.

The police department is continuing their investigation, which began this morning when they became aware of the situation, officers said.

The police department was in contact with the student who reposted the social media threat around 9:20 a.m. this morning, according to police.

That student was not able to provide information regarding the origin of the posting, but police are still working to identify the person or people responsible, police said.

Police will continue to provide extra security at Milpitas schools throughout the day, according to officers. The police department is working in conjunction with the Milpitas Unified School District to determine the credibility of the threat.

"Incidents such as these are taken seriously by the Milpitas Police Department and will be investigated to the fullest," police said.

No specific information about what social media channel the post was published on or what kind of language was used have been disclosed at this time.

Alum Rock Union Elementary School District in San Jose began a similar joint investigation with their police department into a shooting threat that came in the form of an anonymous tweet on Wednesday, Superintendent Hilaria Bauer said.

The San Jose Police Department traced the tweet back to a 12-year-old girl, police said this morning.

San Jose police's Violent Crimes Enforcement Team served a search warrant at the girl's residence where they came into contact with her but did not detain her, police said. That investigation is still ongoing.

###About me I'm Avi Green

From Jerusalem, Israel

I was born in Pennsylvania in 1974, and moved to Israel in 1983. I also enjoyed reading a lot of comics when I was young, the first being Fantastic Four. I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I don't expect to be perfect at the job, but I do my best. My profile

Archives - Archives - July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  A Malaysian official said Saturday that the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 by a U.S. company will likely end in June, as families of passengers marked the fourth anniversary of the planes disappearance with renewed hope that the worlds biggest aviation mystery will be solved.

Malaysia inked a contract with Ocean Infinity, based in Houston, in January to resume the hunt for the plane, a year after the official search in the southern Indian Ocean by Malaysia, Australia and China was called off.

Ocean Infinity started the search on Jan. 22 and has 90 search days to look for the plane. Malaysias civil aviation chief, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, said the 90-day term will spread over a few months because the search vessel has to refuel in Australia and bad weather could be a factor.

Azharuddin said the search is going smoothly and is expected to end by mid-June.

The whole world, including the next of kin, have (new) hope to find the plane for closure, he told reporters at a remembrance event at a shopping mall near Kuala Lumpur. For the aviation world, we want to know what exactly happened to the plane.

Officials have said there was an 85 percent chance of finding the debris in a new 9,650-square-mile search area  roughly the size of Vermont  identified by experts.

The plane vanished March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

The official search was extremely difficult because no transmissions were received from the aircraft after its first 38 minutes of flight. Systems designed to automatically transmit the flights position failed to work after this point, according to a final report issued in January 2017 by the Australian Transport Safety Board.

Family members lit candles on a stage Saturday and observed a moment of silence during the event.Fernando Antonio/Associated Press

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras  Honduran authorities have arrested an executive with a dam development company in the 2016 killing of indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, a crime that sparked an international outcry.

Roberto David Castillo Mejia, who at the time of the slaying was executive president of the company Desarrollos Energeticos SA, or DESA, was detained Friday at an airport in San Pedro Sula as he was about to fly to Houston, said Jorge Galindo, a spokesman for the prosecutors office.NEW DELHI  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis Hindu nationalist party on Saturday ended the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the communist party in a northeastern state and consolidated its position in two other states in important provincial elections.

An impressive win is expected to boost the prospects of Modis Bharatiya Janata Party when it seeks a second term in national elections next year. The BJP has been riding a wave of rising Hindu nationalism in the country.

With results announced for all 59 seats in Tripuras state legislature, the BJP had won a large majority to form a government on its own in the state, replacing the Communist Party of India. It also looked like it could win a majority with support from other groups in Meghalaya and Nagaland states.

The BJP won 35 seats in Tripuras state legislature against the CPIs 16 seats, according to Indias Election Commission. The remaining eight seats went to a regional group, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura.

The voting was a test for Rahul Gandhi, the 47-year-old heir to Indias Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, who took over as the main opposition Congress partys president from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, in December.

Modis BJP is currently governing 19 of Indias 29 states, compared with five by the Congress party. A coalition of communist parties and some other groups are ruling southern Kerala state, while small regional groups are heading the other states.

As his supporters beat drums and celebrated, Modi tweeted that the people of India were reposing their faith in the positive and development-oriented agenda of his party.

People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind, he said.

The CPI was facing decimation for a second time in recent years, with dissension in its ranks and no young leadership emerging. It was ousted from power from its main bastion, West Bengal state, in 2011 by a regional group that ended 34 years of its continuous rule there.

Neeraja Choudhury, a political analyst, said that despite ruling Tripura state for 25 years, the CPI failed to create jobs for young people and build more hospitals and other infrastructure.BRATISLAVA, Slovakia  Slovaks paid a final farewell Saturday to Jan Kuciak, an investigative journalist who was shot dead with his fiancee, with the archbishop declaring that the entire nation now wanted to know about Italian Mafia influence thanks to Kuciaks reporting.

A funeral Mass for Kuciak was said at the church of St. Francis of Assisi in the town of Stiavnik in western Slovakia, with his parents, friends and fellow journalists packing the aisles.

The bodies of 27-year-old Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were found last Sunday in their house in the town of Velka Maca, east of the capital, Bratislava. They had planned to marry in May.

Kuciak was reporting about the influence of the Italian Mafia in Slovakia and its possible ties to people close to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Two of Ficos associates had resigned last week because of the reports.

If the murderer wanted to silence Jan, he managed quite the opposite, said Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky, who led the funeral Mass. Theres not a single person who wouldnt know what happened.

The archbishop also said he can understand why many feel angry about the slayings. But believe that evil wont win  even if it might seem so now, he said.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched Friday in dozens of cities to honor Kuciak, with some demanding the resignation of Ficos government.

The FBI, Britains Scotland Yard, Europol and police forces from Italy and the Czech republic are helping Slovak police with the investigation.

Earlier Saturday, Police in Slovakia released seven Italians who were detained as suspects in the slayings. The seven men were taken into custody Thursday when police raided houses allegedly linked to members of the Italian Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

Police confirmed their release but gave no details. State prosecutors also declined to comment.

Tensions in Slovakias governing coalition are increasing over the slayings.

A junior party in Ficos coalition government  the Most-Hid party of mostly ethnic Hungarians  has called for the resignation of Minister Robert Kalinak.

After Kalinak, a close ally of Fico in their leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, said Saturday he had no plans to resign, Most-Hid announced that its leadership will meet March 15 to discuss the future of the coalition.

The ultranationalist Slovak National Party is the third member of the coalition.

The opposition has also demanded Kalinaks resignation, for he has been linked to corruption scandals in the past.1 Deadly fire: Authorities in Azerbaijan say at least 25 people have been killed in a fire at a residential drug treatment center in the countrys capital. Police said the fire broke out at 6 a.m. local time Friday in Baku and took three hours to extinguish. An electrical short circuit is believed to have sparked the blaze at the clinic, which occupies an old, one-story wooden building. Azerbaijans Health Ministry says 34 people have been rescued from the building and 200 patients and staff members were evacuated. Three people were hospitalized.

2 Russia military presence: Pro-EU leaders from Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia said Friday that the continued presence of Russian military in their countries was destabilizing. The parliamentary speakers from the three countries issued a joint statement at the end of a one-day security conference in Moldovas capital, Chisinau, voicing their worries about the Russian military presence in the three ex-Soviet republics. Russia has 1,000 troops and 500 peacekeepers in the pro-Russian breakaway republic of Trans-Dniester, a sliver of land in in eastern Moldova. Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008, which led to two breakaway Georgian regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, declaring independence. Russia has since been supporting the regions financially and militarily. Ukraine has been in a simmering conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 10,000 since April 2014.Under the best of circumstances, a Mideast peace deal is the Holy Grail of diplomacy, a goal that has eluded American presidents for generations.

With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to visit Washington this week, the mix of politics, personalities and historical grievances that has stood in the way of Israeli-Palestinian peace is even more combustible than normal.

President Trumps point man for mediation, Jared Kushner, is in the middle of a political firestorm, his plan remains a mystery and the Palestinians arent even speaking to the White House. If that werent enough, Netanyahu and Trump are both distracted by mushrooming legal investigations at home.

Its all contributing to an intensified pessimism in the U.S., Israel and the West Bank about prospects for a Trump-brokered initiative to succeed.

Kushner and a small team have spent the past year preparing a much-awaited blueprint for peace, but no details have emerged. Many in the region wonder whether the vaunted plan will ever come.

On the surface, Israels relationship with the White House has never been better, buoyed by the Jewish states thunderous support for Trumps decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and recognize the disputed city as Israels capital. The announcements only reinforced Palestinians impressions of Trump as biased against them.

The Trump administrations peace proposal is near completion, according to U.S. officials, but faces an uncertain future as Kushner recently lost his top-secret security clearance. Former negotiators say Kushners downgraded status probably will severely impair his ability to do the job.

Beneath the veneer of U.S.-Israeli unity, there is lingering disagreement and suspicion. Israel is increasingly worried that Trump is backsliding on a pledge to fix or dismantle the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Israel also is concerned that behind Trumps tough public stance toward Tehran is an acquiescence to Irans growing presence in Syria and influence in Lebanon.

The Israelis now are undoubtedly sounding the alarm, said Jonathan Schanzer, who researches Irans regional influence at the hawkish Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The assets the Israelis see on the other side of the border to its north  they are not happy.

Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday, in the middle of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference, which brings thousands of pro-Israel officials, lawmakers, activists and academics to Washington.MARSAWA, Syria  Turkeys prime minister said Saturday that Turkish troops have captured a strategic village in a Kurdish-held enclave in northwestern Syria, tightening its grip on Kurdish forces in the sixth week of its offensive on the area.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the Kurdish Afrin district has been surrounded by the military, special police and paramilitary forces, as well as allied Syrian opposition fighters.

We have cleared all areas near our borders of terror nests, he said at a rally in the central province of Konya, adding that Turkey would not cease its campaign.

Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters have been attacking Afrin from the north, west and east, and have formed a crescent around the district.

Turkey said it wants to oust the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, from Afrin. It considers the group a terrorist organization, an extension of a Kurdish insurgency within its own borders. Turkey said 41 of its soldiers have been killed since the operation began.

Associated Press journalists gained access to the Afrin district for the first time Saturday on a tour organized by the Turkish government, visiting a small village recently cleared of the YPG.

Captain Ahmed Taqtaq of the allied Syrian forces in Marsawa village said they seized control of three villages in the last 10 days, fighting some 50 Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Turkeys Red Crescent and emergency agency distributed beds, blankets and food to some 20 families in Marsawa, where walls were tagged with the logos of the YPG and other Kurdish groups.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syria conflict through on-the-ground activists, said fierce clashes were still ongoing in Rajo, in Afrins northwest. If confirmed, Rajo would be the largest center in Afrin to be captured since the Turkish offensive began on Jan. 20.

The offensive has heightened tensions between Turkey and its NATO ally, the United States, which backs the YPG fighting against Islamic State militants in eastern Syria. The U.S. has no troop presence in Afrin, but has said it fears the Turkish offensive could distract from the fight against militants in the east.

Near the Syrian capital Damascus, the government continued its offensive against eastern Ghouta, a rebel-held region, despite a Russian-ordered five-hour humanitarian pause. A U.N. 30-day cease-fire has failed to take hold.To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!British Airways Lost more luggage than any other major European airline last year, according to new statistics.

Britain's Air Transport Users Council said that for every 1,000 passengers on the British carrier, 23 bags went astray - the worst performance among 24 airlines who are members of the Association of European Airlines.

Across all the airlines, around 5.6 million bags went missing in 2006, an average of 15.7 bags per 1,000 passengers.

Among airlines which had worse than average figures were Germany's Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Alitalia.

About 85 per cent of the bags were returned to passengers within 48 hours, the council said, but some "never get returned at all".The working world is unfair to many women, yet even when they succeed, they must confront another series of challenges. Their hard-won successes are taxed in ways that men's are not.

The taxes I'm talking about aren't paid in dollars and cents or imposed by the government. They take the form of annoyance and misery and are levied by individuals, very often by loved ones. I call these impositions taxes because they take away some of what an individual earns, diminishing the joys of success.

Women are taxed in not so obvious ways for successful careers. Credit:Fairfax Media

A recent Swedish study of gender differences in the implications of victory for political candidates calls attention to this unfairness. While winning is the ultimate professional milestone for candidates, a source of elation and pride, for women it is often spoiled, according to the study, by Olle Folke, a political scientist at Uppsala University, and Johanna Rickne, an economist at Stockholm University.

Winning an election increases subsequent divorce rates for female candidates but not for men (This paper, like most of the social science literature, focuses on female-male partners.) These divorces are not the exclusive result of hard-fought campaigns. The study examined elections with very narrow margins of victories, in which winning was largely a matter of luck. These "lucky" winners also experienced higher divorce rates.Have you heard of the All-American prophet? The blond-haired, blue-eyed voice of god?

If not, you are about to.

With the smash-hit Broadway musical The Book of Mormon opening in Sydney on Friday night, there's a few options for getting your fill of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

You could pay up to $278 for a premium seat at Sydney's Lyric Theatre and bathe yourself in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's satirical take on the Mormon church and tap your foot along to the catchy tunes and self-consciously chuckle at the slightly offensive jokes.Record numbers of Americans living in Australia are considering a divorce from Uncle Sam because of US taxes on their Australian income, says a tax lawyer who advises Americans living abroad.

At the same time, a freedom of information request has revealed that details of $184 billion held in about 862,339 Australian bank accounts by US citizens living in Australia were provided to United States' Internal Revenue Service in 2016.

Karen and Frank Alpert gave up their American citizenship 18 months ago. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

The Australian lobby group Fix The Tax Treaty, which is fighting the tax treatment of US citizens living outside of America, obtained the information from the Australian Tax Office.

Fix the Tax Treaty's Karen Alpert, who lectures in finance at the University of Queensland Business School, said these accounts represent 6 per cent of the non-superannuation financial assets owned by all Australian households and businesses.The ACT government has yet to hire a director for their response team to the final recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, despite promising a report by June.

Positions for the team, including the director and senior legal policy advisors, were advertised earlier this month and only closed on Tuesday.

ACT attorney-general Gordon Ramsay says the response will be delivered as promised in June. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The ACT attorney-general Gordon Ramsay said the government would be "providing a government response to the Royal Commission's recommendations by June 2018".

"The government is developing a consultation paper on how to implement the Royal Commission's recommendations in the ACT."The ACT government is considering banning rent-bidding apps in Canberra as calls grow for the practice to be outlawed.

The government's decision comes as a recent online petition has already garnered several hundred signatures calling for a ban on rent bidding.

The ACT government is looking at banning rent-bidding apps in Canberra. Credit:Alan Porritt

The apps, such as RentBerry, RentWolf and Property Connect, involve prospective tenants taking part in an auction-style process to see who is willing to pay more to lease a property.

Tenant advocates have said the practice, which has been banned in Victoria and Queensland, would be "pouring petrol on the bonfire" of Canberra's rental market.ACT Policing has laid just six charges relating to the territory's new revenge porn legislation in the seven months since it was introduced.

Police data reveals three people have been charged since the laws were first introduced in August last year.

Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur says greater education is needed around revenge porn. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Out of the six charges there were four counts of threatening to capture or distribute intimate images and two for non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

Half of the revenge porn charges in the ACT have been laid in the past week, with a 47-year-old Gordon man facing court on Monday charged with three counts of threatening to capture or distribute images.The building company attached to the South Jerrabomberra project, formerly known as South Tralee, has admitted they "underestimated the complexities" of the project before selling blocks to the public.

Village Building Company has announced a "reset" on plans for the proposal in 2018, including scaling back dwellings by almost 40 per cent, from 1221 to 750.

Village Building Company's former managing director Bob Winnel, pictured in 2015 overlooking South Jerrabomberra. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

Fewer dwellings removes the need for a road connection to the ACT, which caused further delays in the long-running project due to the cross-border nature of the infrastructure.

The company sold blocks of land in 2014 to 144 people, but delays continued to plague the project and buyers were given the green light to back out two years later.A 12-month-old girl has been killed after being attacked by her family's dog in northern New South Wales.

The baby died on the way to hospital after emergency services were called to a home in Inverell about 2.30pm on Saturday.

Upon their arrival, paramedics and police found the child had suffered critical injuries and began treating her at the scene.

The familys Rottweiler dog was found in the backyard of the home by Gwydir Shire Council rangers. It has since been seized and impounded. It is not known whether the dog will be killed.Dion Detterer is a self-confessed nerd, a Star Wars aficionado who for the past few years has been tackling a PhD in computational biology to find answers for people with diseases that defy genetic explanation.

But right now, the 39-year-olds focus isnt on completing his doctorate, its on staying alive.

I just want to live my life, stay alive and contribute to the community, said Mr Detterer, whose head is rotated 80 degrees to the left and whose arms are permanently bent inwards.

Mr Detterer was born with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition that has caused his muscles to weaken and waste. When he was 25, he suffered a brain haemorrhage and was moved to full-time ventilation via a tracheostomy.This year was always going to be special. Those who started this protest 40 years ago, when blood was spilt, quite literally, on the asphalt of Oxford Street, couldnt have guessed that come today they could march up this storied strip of Sydney as husband and husband, wife and wife.

Daphne Dunne, 98, is a late convert. She started attending the Sydney Mardi Gras only last year, in support of her 1978er friends, and intends to keep coming back.

Daphne Dunne, 98, started attending the Sydney Mardi Gras only last year. Credit:James Brickwood

Its very colourful, the Kirribilli resident said from her prime position seat at Taylor Square. The outfits, of course, are her favourite part. They put a lot of work into those.A teenager has died after being thrown from the tray of a ute along Main Beach on North Stradbroke Island overnight.

The ute was being driven along the beach about 2am when the 19-year-old Point Lookout man was thrown from the back and died at the scene.

Police said the ute did not hit anything prior to the man falling out, while the driver four other passengers in the vehicle were uninjured.

A driver has also been killed on the Gold Coast after he rear-ended a truck.

The 24-year-old man, who was alone in the car, died at the scene of the accident in Stapylton just after 4pm on Friday. The truck driver was unhurt.Brisbane: It is alleged the woman, 20, jumped from the passenger side of a white van and flagged down a black van on Pappas Way on Saturday evening.

However, as she got into the black van, the white van rammed the vehicle a number of times and forced it into the gutter.

|t is alleged the 19-year-old then produced a knife and forced the woman out of the black van and into his vehicle before driving off.

Shortly before midnight, a member of the public spotted the van in Paddington Drive, Carrara, and called police.

The man was arrested at the residence and charged. He is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday. The 20-year-old woman was unharmed during the incident.The intensity of the flames meant those firefighters could not enter the building, on Graham Street, and instead acted to prevent the blaze from spreading, saving neighbouring properties.

Firefighters were called to the asbestos riddled house in Newport just after 2.30am to find the single-storey weatherboard fully engulfed by fire.

A father and three children escaped a blaze that destroyed their home in Melbourne's south-west on Sunday morning.

A fire destroyed this home in Newport on Sunday morning. Picture: Channel Seven News Credit:Channel Seven News

The man and three children living at the home had already self-evacuated to their neighbours place and all occupants were accounted for.

Within 90 minutes their house was destroyed and the fire under control.

By 7.30am Sunday morning, one fire truck and its crew remained on scene with fire investigators expected to arrive soon to determine a cause of the blaze which was believed to have started in the kitchen.

A Metropolitan Fire Brigade spokesman said the asbestos in the home posed no threat to those in the area.

He said firefighters involved in the incident would take steps to protect themselves, including having all their clothing bagged and taken away for treatment.A push is on within the federal government to renew, and significantly boost, the "absolutely essential" school chaplaincy program in this year's budget.

Fairfax Media has learnt dozens of Liberal MPs are lobbying senior ministers to increase funding for the $250 million scheme by 25 per cent, and make it a permanent, indexed commitment.

Liberal National Party MP Luke Howarth is leading the charge for an expansion of the school chaplaincy program. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The controversial initiative to insert religious chaplains into state schools - twice ruled invalid by the High Court - was introduced by John Howard, amended but continued under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, and cemented by Tony Abbott in the 2014 budget.

That budget committed more than $60 million a year to the project, affording an allowance of $20,000 per school for a religious chaplain to provide pastoral care and guidance for students.They are the jewels that have been worn around the world by Julie Bishop.

Designed by Brisbane-based jewellery maker and Liberal Party donor Margot McKinney, the expensive pieces have been worn by the Foreign Minister at black tie functions featuring the likes of former US president Barack Obama and the Duchess of Cambridge.

A single pearl necklace from the designer, who calls the Foreign Minister a "dear friend", can retail for $115,000, while a pair of pearl and blue topaz earrings can cost as much as $40,000.

Jewellery designer Margot McKinney, Julie Bishop and Olivia Newton-John at a G'Day USA event. Credit:Instragram

Fairfax Media has examined scores of Instagram posts by Ms Bishop in which she appears to be wearing more than a dozen different items of the jewellery. The deputy Liberal leader has posted pictures of herself wearing the pieces during meetings with high-profile world leaders and celebrities including, Prince Charles, US senator John McCain, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney as well as Obama and the Duchess of Cambridge.Ive parked miles away, squishing into a car-space the size of a walnut. Meandering back uphill to market I keep stopping to marvel.

The streets are impossibly, impassably narrow and crusted with tiny houses that seem either irrupted from the sandstone or glommed onto it like tidal flotsam. It could be some enchanting foreign hill town. Actually, its inner Sydney, Balmain.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:

I walk inner Sydney a lot, always struck by its extraordinary loveliness and, as I stride past the jammed-up traffic, by the sheer privilege of walkable habitat.

Yet, in light of Infrastructure Australias latest call to turn Sydney and Melbourne into more efficient money-making machines, this very loveliness leaves me sad.Kabul: An explosion near Australian embassy vehicles in the Afghani capital has shattered hopes for peace in the country two days after an unprecedented presidential offer to the Taliban.

The suicide car bomber struck on Friday, local time, killing a civilian and wounding 14 bystanders.

Two Australian contrators were injured in the blast, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed on Saturday afternoon.

The attack damaged numerous buildings but failed to harm its target, believed to be a NATO military convoy which sped past. It followed a suicide bombing on February 24 that killed three civilians and wounded a dozen when a man detonated a backpack filled with explosives in Kabul's fortified diplomatic zone.Exhibition of "Chitropote Bangabandhu and Bangladesh" begins



A ten-day exhibition titled "Chitropote Bangabandhu and Bangladesh" began on Friday night in the auditorium of Poet Sufiya Kamal of the National Museum.

As many as 70 paintings of artist Nazir Hossain are being displayed at the exhibition that will continue till March 11.

Eminent artist Hashem Khan inaugurated the exhibition.

Poet and film producer Dildar Hossain attended the function as the special guest with member of board of trustee of the national museum, poet Rabiul Husain in the chair.

Hashem Khan said the life of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujubur Rahman was depicted in the paintings of Nazir Hossain.

He described these paintings as extra-ordinary creative works, which are deeply linked to history and culture of Bangladesh.Jerusalem: Israeli police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for five hours on Friday over what news reports said was his possible role in a far-reaching bribery scandal allegedly involving the granting of regulatory benefits worth millions of dollars to Israeli telecom giant Bezeq.

It is the first time that Netanyahu has been investigated in connection with this case, which is said to involve a quid pro quo arrangement of positive news coverage for the Netanyahu family on the popular Walla news website, owned by Bezeq's majority shareholder, Shaul Elovitch.

The questioning came shortly before Netanyahu was scheduled to depart for the United States, where he is expected to visit US President Donald Trump on Monday.

This is the third, and possibly most serious, corruption case so far involving Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving prime minister.Boston: Ocean-facing homes on the US east coast could be destroyed by storm surge and waves, as north-eastern states feel the brunt of a powerful storm that has threatened to flood coasts from Maine to Virginia, officials have warned.

A nor'easter pounded the Atlantic coast with hurricane-force winds and sideways rain and snow on Friday, flooding streets, grounding flights, stopping trains and leaving 1.6 million customers without power from North Carolina to Maine. At least five people were killed by falling trees or branches.

In Boston, businesses near Boston Harbour spent the day setting up flood barriers and piling sandbags around their doors, while hundreds of flights were cancelled at New York's three major airports and Boston's Logan International.

A Marine dive team is transported along a flooded Sea Street, Boston, by front-end loader on Friday. Credit:AP

Extensive school closings were reported throughout the region and the federal government closed offices in Washington, DC.New York: The intrigue surrounding Harper Lee, the American novelist, has deepened two years after her death, as the unsealing of her will revealed that her assets have been placed into a secret trust run by her long-term lawyer.

Lee, who died aged 89 in February 2016, lived at the home she shared with her sister in Monroeville, Alabama.

Harper Lee, pictured in 2010. Credit:AP

Her book To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, still sells more than a million copies a year, generating some $US3 million ($3.8) in royalties, according to court documents.

In addition, Go Set a Watchman, her second novel, published half a century after her first, was the bestselling book of 2015 in America, selling more than 1.6 million hardcover copies.Middletown, New York: The director of the public library in this Hudson Valley town calls his assistant and security guard "Starsky and Hutch". They have been trained to spot signs of overdose in library patrons - paleness and shortness of breath when it is heroin; sudden collapse when it is fentanyl - and administer the drug naloxone.

They patrol the bathrooms and stacks at the Middletown Thrall Library, checking on anyone who is dozing.

Will Hopper, a security guard, patrols the stacks at the Middletown Thrall Library in Middletown, New York state. Credit:RYAN CHRISTOPHER JONES

"It's easier to call the police, to wait for EMS [Emergency Medical Service]," said the library director, Matt Pfisterer, who had to decide whether to use the overdose-reversing drug himself a few years ago, after he found a woman lying in the grass outside, unconscious and covered with ants.

"You don't know how they're going to react," he said. "But when it comes down to it, you ask, 'Do I want to see this person dying in front of me? No.' So you take the leap."On The Way

NASA

On March 3, 1969, NASA launched the Apollo 9 mission to test the first crewed Lunar Module spacecraft that would pave the way for future moon landings. See how the mission worked in photos here.

This Image: In preparation for the March 3, 1969 launch of the mission, the Apollo 9 consisting of Spacecraft 104, Lunar Module 3 and the Saturn 504 rides a crawler-transporter on its mobile launch tower from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39, Pad A at Kennedy Space Center.

Ready for A Mission

NASA

In March of 1966, three astronauts were chosen for the Apollo 9 mission prime crew: David R. Scott, command module pilot; James A. McDivitt, commander; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot.

Teaming Up

NASA

Three astronauts complete a fit and function test of the Apollo spacecraft 101 Command module. This astronauts  from left to right are astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart  were later named as the prime crew for the Apollo 9 space mission.

Seeing the Big Picture

NASA

Engineers created a model of the probe portion of the Apollo spacecraft's docking system to demonstrate how the Command Module connects with the Lunar Module through the drogue. The main docking structure becomes the tunnel astronauts travel from one module to another. The tunnel is made of a section of the nose of the Command Module and part of the top of the Lunar Module, which are both removed after docking is complete to create the tunnel.

In Position

NASA

Inside the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building at Kennedy Space Center, team members move the Apollo Spacecraft 104 Command/Service Module from its work stand onto the transfer stand. The module will soon be mated to Spacecraft Lunar Module Adapter-12 in preparations for the Apollo 9 mission on March 3, 1969.

Learning the Ropes

NASA

During water egress training at the Gulf of Mexico in November of 1968, the Apollo 9 prime crew  from foreground, astronauts James A. McDivitt, commander; David R. Scott, command module pilot; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot  sit inside an Apollo command module boilerplate.

Practice Prepares

NASA

In the Manned Spacecraft Center inside Building 260, the prime crew of the Apollo 9 space mission takes part in water egress training. Astronaut James A. McDivitt, commander, exits the boilerplate as astronauts David R. Scott, command module pilot and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot, wait in a life raft.

Additional Crew

NASA

November 6, 1968, the backup crew for the Apollo 9 mission  consisting of astronauts Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F. Gordon Jr., and Alan L. Bean.  undergo training. In the Manned Spacecraft Operations Building at Kennedy Space Center the an astronaut prepares to enter the Apollo 9 spacecraft for an egress test and an altitude run simulation.

New Equipment

NASA

At the Space Environment Simulation Laboratory, in Building 32 inside Chamber "A" prime crew members for the Apollo 9 space mission familiarize themselves with the extravehicular equipment. Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot for the mission takes part in the preparatory activity.

Countdown Practice

NASA

During a February 23, 1969 Apollo 9 Countdown Demonstration Test, the Apollo 9 prime crew  astronauts James A. McDivitt, commander; David R. Scott, command module pilot; and Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot prepare for the upcoming 10-day Earth-orbital space mission. The dress rehearsal for the crewmen takes place in the White Room at Launch Complex 39, Pad A at Kennedy Space Center.

Launch Time Looms

NASA

On March 3, 1969 the Apollo 9 prime crew enters a transfer van which carries them from the Kenned Space Center's Manned Spacecraft Operations Building to Launch Complex 39, Pad A where their spacecraft waits during the prelaunch countdown. Commander McDivitt invites Command Module Pilot Scott to enter the van while Lunar Module Pilot Schweickart walks behind with astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., chief of the Astronaut Office at the Manned Spacecraft Center. The Apollo 9 launch took place at 11 a.m. (EST).NEW YORK  A new exhibit at New York's Center for Jewish History chronicles the ties between Jewish culture and exploration of the cosmos, and includes some incredible artifacts from the history of astronomy and space exploration.

"Jews In Space" officially debuted at the center on Monday, Feb. 26, in partnership with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Walk through the exhibit halland you'll find rare 18th and 19th century rabbinic tomes on astronomy in Hebrew, German and Yiddish, as well as a dreidel, a Torah pointer, a traveling menorah and other religious artifacts that traveled into space with the first Jewish American astronaut, Jeffrey Hoffman. The exhibit also features mementos from other Jewish space travelers, memorabilia from science fiction, and a detailed timeline of Jewish accomplishments in astronomy and spaceflight.

The "Jews In Space" exhibit at New York's Center for Jewish History got its name from Mel Brooks' parody film "History Of The World, Part 1." (Image credit: Kasandra Brabaw/Space.com)

"Jews In Space" was a year and a half in the making. Curator Melanie Meyers' husband originally suggested the center create an exhibit on Jewish people and science fiction. At the same time, the exhibitions curator of the YIVO Institute, Edward Portnoy, was working on a collection of rare rabbinical materials from the 16th to 19th centuries and found several astronomy texts, Portnoy told Space.com. [Can You Keep Kosher or Halal in Space?]

Visitors explore the new "Jews In Space" exhibit at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan. (Image credit: Kasandra Brabaw/Space.com)

"After some research, it became apparent that there was a fair amount of material in the realms of traditional texts, science fiction, pop culture, science and actual space programs,: Portnoy said. "[Melanie and I] both love Mel Brooks, so the title became 'Jews in Space,' which was taken from a parody trailer that appears at the end of 'History of the World, Part I.'"

The "Jews in Space" exhibit in New York was inspired partially by rare rabbinical astronomy texts from the 16th to 19th centuries. (Image credit: Kasandra Brabaw/Space.com)

The exhibit pays homage to its namesake with memorabilia from Brooks' parody film, including a signed photo of the "Star Trek"-influenced Star of David-shaped spaceships featured in the movie. Although Meyers' husband originally envisioned a science fiction exhibit, it seems that no one is disappointed that the project took a turn toward space history.

"Who wouldn't want to celebrate astronomy and spaceflight? They're compelling topics," Portnoy said. "And also, perhaps, not quite the thing one expects from a Jewish historical institution."

The original suggestion to create an exhibit on Jews in science fiction was not lost, since the space exhibit features memorabilia from science fiction shows and books. (Image credit: Kasandra Brabaw/Space.com)

The Center for Jewish History will continue to celebrate the cosmos with several family-friendly events in the coming months. On April 15, the center will open early for visitors to view the exhibit and for children to take part in space-themed arts and crafts while the adults get a detailed tour of the exhibit from the curators. There will be another space-themed arts and crafts night on May 6 and then on the following day, May 7, five-time space shuttle astronaut Hoffman will be at the center to talk about his missions and what it's like to practice Judaism in space.

Included in the "Jews in Space" exhibit are religious artifacts that traveled into space with the first Jewish American astronaut, Jeffrey Hoffman. (Image credit: Kasandra Brabaw/Space.com)

Stay updated on space-themed events at the Center for Jewish History here.

Follow Kasandra Brabaw on Twitter @KassieBrabaw. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.A stunning video from space shows a winter storm  also known as a "bomb cyclone"  slamming into the northeast United States today (March 2). Flooding and sheets of snow and rain accompanied the storm, along with strong waves along the coasts.

The images from the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite)-East satellite show the storm developing and morphing since Tuesday (Feb. 27). Clouds concentrate over the east coast and linger there, obscuring the view below.

"Take this storm seriously!" the National Weather Service in Boston said on Twitter yesterday (March 1). "This is a LIFE & DEATH situation for those living along the coast, especially those ocean-exposed shorelines."

See more

The NWS added that people in "ocean-exposed shorelines" should pay special attention. The service forecast moderate to major flooding, with effects on buildings ranging from structural damage to total destruction.

The storm has roughly 80 million people along its path, with 22 million of those affected by a coastal flood warning, according to CNN. Winds by midday today were blowing faster than 50 miles an hour (80 km/h). Additionally, more than 3,000 flights in the United States were cancelled, particularly in the northeast airports of New York City, Philadelphia and Boston.

(Image credit: NOAA)

The storm is called a "bomb cyclone"; its name is a nod to the process -- "bombogenesis" -- that forms it. Bombogenesis happens when the storm's central low pressure plunges by at least 24 millibars (an atmospheric pressure measurement) in 24 hours, states the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This storm, however, was expected to lose between 30 and 35 millibars in 24 hours, Greg Carbin, branch chief of forecast operations for the NWS' Weather Prediction Center, told Space.com sister site Live Science.

Coincidentally, the GOES-East satellite captured this imagery just as a sister orbiter rocketed into space. Yesterday (March 1), the GOES-S satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Its ultimate destination is a location above the eastern Pacific Ocean. NASA and NOAA jointly operate the GOES satellites.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.Security Council resolutions are meaningful only when implemented

Antonio Guterres :

As this is the first time I have the opportunity to address a UN body after the Security Council resolution of last Saturday on Syria, allow me please to say a few words in that regard.

As you know I welcome the Security Council's adoption of a resolution demanding a cessation of hostilities throughout Syria for at least 30 days. But Security Council resolutions are only meaningful if they are effectively implemented.

And that is why I expect the resolution to be immediately implemented and sustained, particularly to ensure the immediate, safe, unimpeded and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid and services, the evacuation of the critically sick and the wounded and the alleviation of the suffering of the Syrian people. As you know, the United Nations is ready to do its part.

As I had the opportunity to say in the Security Council itself a few days ago, in particular eastern Ghouta cannot wait. It is high time to stop this hell on earth.

And I remind all parties of their absolute obligation and international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times.

And similarly, efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede these obligations. This is not to deny that we have made considerable progress in the past 70 years.

People around the world have gained progressively greater freedoms and equality. Conditions of profound economic misery and exploitation have been improved.

Women's rights have advanced, along with the rights of children, victims of racial and religious discrimination, indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities.

And perpetrators of horrific human rights violations have been prosecuted by international tribunals.

But it is also plain that the words of the Universal Declaration are not yet matched by facts on the ground.

In practice, people all over the world still endure constraints on - or even total denial - of their human rights.

Gender inequality remains a pressing issue - with untold women and girls facing daily insecurity, violence and violation of their rights. We are seeing a groundswell of xenophobia, racism and intolerance, including anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred.

Far right political parties and viewpoints are seeing a resurgence. Refugees and migrants are often denied their rights and unjustly and falsely vilified as threats to the societies they seek to join, despite the proven benefits they bring.

Outdated, law-enforcement only approaches to drug control have fuelled violence and human rights abuses and failed to decrease illicit drug use and supply.

And, in several cases, a heightened focus on counter-terrorism is eroding respect for fundamental rights.

The media is increasingly under attack in all regions. And the space for civil society - and human rights defenders, in particular - is shrinking and becoming ever more dangerous.

These are just general trends. There are also many specific examples of egregious abuses. The list is dispiritingly long, far too long for me to detail here.

But let me single out the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

I have travelled several times to Northern Rakhine. In my experience, the Rohingya are one of the most discriminated against populations in the world - and that was even before the crisis of the past year.

Deprived of nationality, they have been subjected to extreme brutality by military forces and others, and cast out of their homes and country in a clear example of ethnic cleansing.

They are under siege as a group - simply for who they are. And this is why I took the initiative to write an official letter to the Security Council about this issue.

And this is the first time since 1989 that a Secretary-General has taken such an action.

The Rohingya community desperately needs immediate, life-saving assistance, long-term solutions and justice.

I call on the Government to ensure unfettered humanitarian access in Rakhine State, and I appeal to the international community to support those who have fled to Bangladesh.

The international community needs to come together to support the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of refugees to their areas of origin or choice, in accordance with international standards.

The recent agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar can only lead to that reality through massive investment - not just in reconstruction, but in reconciliation.

And full implementation of the Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations is also vital.

To make human rights a reality for everyone, we need far more determined and coherent action. We must speak up for human rights in an impartial way without double standards.

And we must invest in human rights and recognize them as values and goals unto themselves - and not allow human rights to be instrumentalized as a political tool.

Member States have defined international human rights law and placed it at the heart of the United Nations. Yet there is still some resistance to support United Nations action on human rights. We must overcome the false dichotomy between human rights and national sovereignty. Human rights and national sovereignty go hand in hand. There is no contradiction.

The achievement of human rights strengthens states and societies, thereby reinforcing sovereignty.

If we had given much greater attention to human rights globally over the past two decades millions of lives would have been saved. That is why I appeal to Member States in all United Nations organs to consider how to strengthen support for UN action on human rights.

And it is why I am working - in the spirit of Human Rights Up Front - to ensure that the United Nations places defending and promoting human rights at the core of all our efforts.

An emphasis on human rights lies at the heart of conflict prevention, which must be our highest priority.

And the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review is for that an essential tool. It subjects every State, with no exceptions, to the scrutiny needed for accountability.

And it recognizes that all Member States can make improvements, and that UN system has responsibilities to support States in this regard. And yet, there is still a profound gap between our knowledge and action.

This is why it is imperative for this Council -and the United Nations as a whole - to focus much more on implementation and national follow-up. Human rights must be weaved into United Nations action at all levels - from analysis, to planning, to assessment and accountability for progress.

The Universal Periodic Review and the Treaty Body processes provide a tremendous resource of standards and guidelines.

And we must find streamlined ways to bring the outputs of these human rights mechanisms systematically into overall UN action and all our efforts to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

But, to uphold human rights and reverse the current backlash, we need to be better able to support Member States to implement the expert guidance coming from the human rights mechanisms.

We do this by helping to draft laws and policies in line with agreed standards and building institutional capacity to help safeguard these standards.

For example, we have assisted the offices of attorney generals to investigate and prepare for the adjudication of complex cases involving international crimes.

We help to develop national human rights institutions by supporting the sharing of experiences between human rights bodies facing similar challenges.

And we also support a vibrant civil society to promote inclusive, accountable and effective public institutions. And help victims of international crimes to claim their rights. All this requires funding.

Human rights are not a luxury; they are a collective responsibility that all Member States have signed on to.

One key element in upholding human rights, promoting accountability and exposing abuses is our support for civil society. I deeply admire the courage and sacrifice of human rights defenders. These individuals and organizations are our eyes and ears and conscience.

And we should all be deeply shocked and angered by the extent to which civil society actors suffer reprisals, intimidation and attack because of their work, including when they engage with the UN system and with this Council.

I will report on the challenges facing human rights defenders to the next session of the General Assembly.

For now, let me offer my personal condolences on the recent death of Ms. Asma Jahangir - a true champion of human rights.

As a Special Rapporteur of this Council, as a great citizen of Pakistan, and as a towering representative of the force of civil society, she devoted her life to the pursuit of the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

She also stood for the rights of women, reminding us again that women's rights are human rights. She was a great example to us all. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of the High Commissioner and to thank him for his service to the United Nations and the cause of human rights. High Commissioner Zeid has shown tremendous courage in highlighting human rights concerns in all regions. And he has shown equal dedication in working with governments to resolve those concerns.

The world counts on the High Commissioner, his office, and this Council to expose human rights violations wherever they occur and to press for change.

Let us use this 70th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to continue to advance this essential work.

(Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, in his address to the Human Rights Council).

Johannesburg, March 02, 2018 (SPS) -The African National Congress (ANC), ruling party in South Africa, on Wednesday welcomed the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) stating that the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement is not applicable to Western Sahara.

We welcome the declaration of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that the sovereignty and autonomy of the Sahrawi people must be respected and that Western Sahara and the adjacent territorial waters do not fall within the Moroccan fishing zone covered by the fishing agreement with the EU, said ANC executive Nkosi Zwelivelile grandson of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela and founder of the ANC.

This is a historic breakthrough for the Sahrawi people in their ongoing conflict with Morocco which must add the needed impetus so that resolution of this matter may be expedited, said Zwelivelile, recalling that The African National Congress has for decades had a principled position on the rights of the Sahrawi people and as recently as December at our 54th National General Conference demonstrated our support for the resolution of this longstanding issue.

I call on Morocco to not only accept and respect the outcome of this legal process but to extend a hand of friendship and brotherhood to their neighbours. This can usher in a new era bringing decades of dispute and conflict to a peaceful end, he continued.

Let us honour the legacy of one of the greatest freedom fighters of our time during this Nelson Mandela Centennial Celebrations Year (1918-2018) by elevating and advocating for the right to autonomy and self-determination for the Arab Sahrawi Republic, said Mandelas grandson.

In this connection, Zwelivelile said: We offer our hand in support and call on others in the region like Algeria who were so instrumental in South Africa's own liberation to extend the hand of cooperation, friendship and peace. This is a cataclysmic moment and we must not lose the opportunity to ensure that we advance the cause of justice and self-determination.

Let this historic judgement bring the parties together and determine a path to peace, reconciliation and a new dawn for democracy, stressed the ANC executive.

I appeal to the King of Morocco and the government to seize this moment and finally resolve this longstanding issue. I commend the brave Sahrawi people in their just cause and will continue to stand by them and mobilise support in South Africa, on the continent as well as in the world, concluded Zwelivelile.SPS

125/090/700Geneva, March 02, 2018 (SPS)  Algeria has renewed on Wednesday in Geneva during the 37th session of Human Rights Council, call for integrating a Human Rights section in the UN Mission for referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). It has also called for sending regular missions of the UN High Commission Office in the Sahrawi occupied territories.

The Foreign Ministrys general secretary, Noureddine Ayadi, who leads the Algerian delegation to this meeting, said that Algeria, "for more than four decades, has constantly recalled the UN historical responsibility regarding this territory and its population," adding that "the military occupation of Western Sahara and the denying of the fundamental rights of the people of this non-self-governing territory, notably their inalienable right to self-determination, deserve the full attention of our Council."

"The MINURSO, likewise the High Commission Bureau must monitor the respect of human rights in this territory, which is under the UN responsibility," Ayadi said.

This requirement is all the more timely as the human rights violations by Morocco in the Sahrawi occupied territories "are daily documented in the reports of international organizations and NGOs notably Amnesty international and Human Rights Watch".

The official said that the "human rights defenders are banned from entering Western Sahara occupied territories as reflected in the regular measures and recently taken by the Moroccan authorities."

Last week, "a Sahrawi human rights defender died in a Moroccan prison as the result of abuse and torture he was subject to in the different places of detention," he denounced.SPS

125/090/700Smara (Saharawi Refugee Camps), March 02, 2018 (SPS) - The International Conference on Nonviolent Resistance wrapped up Tuesday with a call urging the international community to set a date for a referendum on Western Sahara people's self-determination.

The participants in the international conference, named after the Saharawi martyr "Dida El-Yazid," stressed the need to support the peaceful resistance and uphold human rights in the occupied territories and end Morocco's systematic despoliation of Saharawi natural resources with the complicity of foreign countries and international companies.

They also emphasized the need to demolish the "wall of shame," which divides Western Sahara in two parts, considered as a crime against humanity.

The conference adopted all the decisions and recommendations made during the various workshops held on the sidelines of the event, mainly in relation to natural resources, human rights, Saharawi political prisoners in Moroccan jails, peaceful Intifada and the wall of shame.

The three-day conference was an opportunity to reiterate the nonviolent nature of Western Sahara people's struggle in the occupied territories.

It made it possible for the participating delegations to discuss various themes aiming at developing a joint working plan to continue the non-violent struggle against Moroccan occupation. SPS

125/090/700Thanks to a complex system of credits and deferment, Amazon won't pay any federal income taxes after topping $5.6 billion in income in 2017. The Seattle-based online retailer will end up paying out roughly $769 million in taxes for the year, but $724 million of that will be in foreign taxes.

That's according to an analysis of the online behemoth's 2017 10-K form, which "provides a comprehensive overview of the company's business and financial condition," according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Public companies are required to submit the form every year to the SEC in addition to quarterly updates (10-Q forms) and, when announcing major events shareholders should know about, the 8-K or "current report" form.

Matthew Gardner, senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, wrote about Amazon's tax bill that won't come due in a Feb. 13 blog post. Without being privy to the company's tax return, no one can say exactly how CEO Jeff Bezos and Co. avoided what could have been more than $1.3 billion in federal taxes based solely on the annual financial report, but there is information to be gleaned.

RELATED: City experts: Amazon's HQ2 search set off 'race to the bottom'

For example, Amazon took out a $917 million tax deduction on stock options exercised by current or former employees. Unlike wages, which are also deducted from any company's taxable income, the stock options don't require any cash expenditures by the company.

"Even though these don't represent as meaningful out-of-pocket expenses for the companies, they're still allowed to deduct the fair value of the stock options when they're exercised," Gardner told SeattlePI. "When somebody who has been given this right cashes them in, the company gets to deduct this from their taxable income."

Amazon's stock price closed at just under $1,512 per share on Tuesday.

Another ingredient in the low tax bill is likely capital expenditure depreciation, Gardner said, where companies are allowed to write off the cost of some expenses -- say those incurred while building a distribution center, for example -- up front. Those taxes are essentially shifted to future years' tax bills.

Some of the disclosures in the 10-K form are maddeningly vague. For instance, a table on page 65 lists a tax credit of $220 million, but there's no indication of whether or not those credits apply to federal, state or foreign taxes.

Bezos, a frequent critic -- and target -- of President Donald Trump, nevertheless earned a windfall from the Trump administration's U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, passed in December. Amazon readjusted estimates for taxes deferred under the old 35 percent corporate tax rate to meet the new tax law's 21 percent figure, which resulted in an estimated $789 million reduction for Amazon.

Gardner is quick to point out that there's no evidence that Amazon engaged in behavior that is unusual, let alone illegal. But he thinks it might be relevant for cities attempting to attract the company's second North American headquarters (HQ2).

"At a time when states all want to see HQ2 coming to them, but they don't necessarily have the cash to spend on tax incentives, it's potentially helpful for them to know that at least in 2017, Amazon doesn't appear to be a company that's excessively burdened by the workings of the tax system to begin with," he said.

Seattlepi.com reporter Stephen Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8313 or stephencohen@seattlepi.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @scohenPI.I ts hard not to associate the locales of Mustique, Balmoral and Klosters with the Royal family, after all these have been their go-to destinations for years.

Instead of a luxury trip somewhere warm each summer, the Queen and Prince Philip venture up to their Balmoral estate in Scotland for the month of August.

Indeed, they have been taking their annual holiday there ever since they got married  and it seems other royals have a few places they like to keep going back to as well.

Princess Margarets favourite spot was the island of Mustique in the Caribbean where she owned a villa. This is also a favourite haunt of the Middletons (the Duchess of Cambridges family) who have been known to visit the island around the end of January for Caroles birthday.

The Alps have long been a royal favourite for the winter months; Diana and Charles used to take their sons to the Klosters resort in Switzerland, whilst the Duke and Duchess of York used to own a chalet in the Swiss resort of Verbier.

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Elsewhere, many spots across Africa have been a cherished by many of the royals. The Queens father, King George VI, took the family on a visit to South Africa in the 1940s and Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth vacationed in Kenya shortly after they were married.

Princess Elizabeth, King George VI, the Queen Mother and Princess Anne in / PA Images

Kenya is where Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in 2010 and Botswana is where Prince Harry and his soon-to-be-wife Meghan Markle went on their first holiday together.W hat a week, eh? The Beast from the East has gone and battered England to the point where wed be very happy if we didnt see snow again for another couple of years, thank you very much.

While the flurries started out as beautiful, it quickly turned into chaos as commuters were stuck in trains overnight and Londoners everywhere were trying their hardest not to slip over.

The coming week promises warmer weather (even teasing us with double digits on Monday), and soon it will be like the Beast was never here.

So, if like us you actually already miss the snow, here are the worlds best snow hotels and igloos you can go and spend a night or two in.

1. Fell Centre Kiilopaa, Hotel Niilanpaa, Finland

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Located in the heart of Lapland this collection of igloos and snow chalets are the perfect way to immerse yourself in snow. Watch the northern lights from the comfort of the hotel, or indulge in a true Finnish tradition: the sauna.

2. Hotel de Glace, Quebec, Canada

Supplied

Located just outside of Quebec city, this hotel is made of entirely snow and ice. While there make sure you order a cocktail in a glass made entirely out of ice or stay in one of their 44 themed rooms. In case it gets a little chilly, the hotel also has a hot tub and sauna at your disposal.

3. Hotel Lac Salin Spa & Mountain Resort

Supplied

Situated in Livigno in the Italian Alps  guests will be able to spend a night in a gorgeous suite encased in snow as part of their stay, wrapped up in a warm thermic sleeping bag in complete solitude at the heart of the resorts dramatic Alpine setting.

4. Ice Hotel, Sweden

Supplied

Visit the worlds first ever ice hotel, built in the Swedish village of Jukkasjarvi. Each room has been sculptured by different artists around the world with a different themes such as the Crystal Forest Suite which has been designed to make it feel as if you are in a forest.

Unlike many other ice hotels that melt during the summer months, this one can be visited year-round.

5. Lapland Hotel Snow Village, Finland

Lapland Hotels

One of the original ice hotels, Lapland Hotel Snow Village have just added a new extension this year: they have partnered with HBO to create a truly unique Game of Thrones experience - a GOT-themed ice hotel.

Within the hotel you will find a number of Game of Thrones features like the Hall of Faces, giant ice dragon sculptures and even an Iron Throne made of ice.

6. Kakslauttanen, Finland

Kakslauttanen

Quite possibly the most romantic hotel on this list, staying in these glass-topped igloos will let you see the Northern Lights dance across the sky from the comfort of your own bed.PM's polls campaign violation of law: Moudud

Staff Reporter :

BNP Standing Committee Member Barrister Moudud Ahmed on Saturday accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's election campaign of violating the electoral law.

"No one can give promise of development after announcement of the election schedule as per law. Thus the Prime Minister is now taking the opportunity by throwing the words of development," Moudud Ahmed said while addressing a discussion meeting at Jatiya Press Club organized by Bangladesh Labour Party, a partner of the BNP-led Alliance.

He said, "Such type of election campaign on the part of the Prime Minister is totally immoral and unlawful. It is also contrary to the country's Constitution," Moudud Ahmed said.

He criticized the Election Commission for its inaction to the issue.

"Our Election Commission is spineless and totally loyal to the government," the former law minister said.

He asked the EC either to stop such practice immediately or to give the BNP equal opportunity.

"The prime minister has been seeking vote for 'boat' -- the electoral symbol of the Awami League, expending public money," the BNP leader said.

Moudud Ahmed alleged that the ruling quarters are liable for question papers leakage. They are destroying the nation's backbone by this.

Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, the Vice-Chairman of the BNP said, "If the government really wants to hold inclusive polls, it should free BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia from jail. She was sent to jail in a false case, which is clear to all."

BNP central leader Nitai Roy Chowdhury and Ad. Rafik Sikdar were present, among others, in the programme.

Dr. Mustafizur Rhamen Iran presided over the program.

N ine people have been arrested after "looters" were filmed apparently ransacking a Lidl in Dublin and tearing it down with a mechanical digger.

Social media footage screened on state broadcaster RTE showed heavy machinery being used to tear down the building in the southwest of the city.

Another film published by the Irish Independent showed people coming out of the supermarket with items that appeared to be from inside.

It came amid some of the worst snow storms to hit Ireland for decades.

A Garda statement said: "Following reports of burglary and theft of vehicles, Garda units deployed in the Tallaght district and nine arrests were made to date.

"Substantial damage was caused to a supermarket on Fortunestown Lane and further damage to another premises in Jobstown.

"All those arrested are currently detained at Dublin Garda stations. An incident room has been established."

A member of Ireland's ruling Fine Gael party, parliamentarian Colm Brophy, said: "I utterly condemn this mindless criminal behaviour that has been carried out in recent hours.

"I fully anticipate that the gardai will pursue the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law."

He added: "I am particularly mindful that these actions have taken place in the midst of a code red weather warning when our emergency services are at full stretch.

"Lidl is a much valued and appreciated employer in our community whose head office is on the Main Road in Tallaght.

"The type of outrageous behaviour we witnessed tonight has no place in our community."A teenage student suspected of shooting dead his parents at a Michigan University dorm room has been arrested after spending hours on the run.

The 19-year-old fled Central Michigan University after the alleged shooting, sparking a police manhunt with more than 100 officers - some heavily armed and wearing camouflage  on a day-long search.

James Eric Davis Jr. was arrested after he was spotted on a train shortly after midnight, according Central Michigan's Emergency Communication website.

The Universitys president George Ross thanked the campus, surrounding community police "who came together to keep each other safe and apprehend the suspect".

Manhunt: Police hunt for the teenage suspect after the shooting / AP

Friday's shooting at Campbell Hall happened around 8.10am on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students for the beginning of a week-long spring break.

The two killed in the incident were Davis' mother Diva Davis and father James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in Chicago.

Shooting: A crime scene response vehicle is parked outside Central Michigan University's Campbell Hall / AP

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldn't be confronted.

Hours after a campus lockdown, police started a "slow, methodical removal" of staff and students who were ordered to take shelter in campus buildings and were told the suspect "should be considered armed and dangerous."

Hunt: Michigan police officials searched nearby neighbourhoods for the suspect / Getty Images

Davis is believed to have fled on foot after the shooting wearing a hoodie. But Police said he had been shedding certain clothes while on the run.

Davis was taken to a hospital Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem, possibly an overdose.

The suspect was arrested on Saturday morning / AP

The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before a weeklong break. Parents who were trying to pick up students were told instead to go to a local hotel where staff would assist them while the manhunt was ongoing.

The school posted an alert Friday morning on social media about shots being fired at Campbell Hall. An automated phone message was sent to students.A n unqualified teacher who tried to recruit an army of children for an ISIS-inspired terrorist campaign across London is facing jail today.

Umar Ahmed Haque, 25, picked out targets including Parliament, the City, London's transport network, and Westfield in Stratford for armed attacks on innocent civilians, police, and embassy officials.

He tried to radicalise children to his cause by role-playing terrorist attacks during after-school classes at the Ripple Road mosque in Barking.

Haque had previously played ISIS propaganda videos to classes at the 3000-a-year Lantern of Knowledge Islamic School in Leyton, where he taught PE and Islamic Studies.

Nadeem Patel and Abuthaher Mamun were also involved in the plot

Despite having no formal qualifications, Haque was left free to teach up to 250 youngsters at two east London schools and the Ripple Road mosque over five years, police said.

After self-radicalising and bingeing on extremist material online, Haque forced his pupils to role-play attacks on police, aping the terror atrocities in London Bridge and Westminster.

He had also drafted a check-list for himself, noting he needed "serious men" including "3 leaders" and "100 fighters" as well as weaponry such as guns, knives, bombs, and a chainsaw.

Commander Dean Haydon, who leads the Met's anti-terrorism squad, said Haque built a "wall of silence" by convincing the children aged between 11 and 14 they would be tortured or murdered if they revealed the content of his lessons to others.

He was eventually caught on tape outlining his plans for terrorist outrages to a 19-year-old accomplice, Abuthather Mamun, revealing his desires to attack targets like Heathrow airport, Big Ben, and the Queen's personal protection guards.

Haque had been on the police radar since April 2016, when he was stripped of his passport after trying to fly to Istanbul.

But it was not until his arrest in May last year that the extent of his teaching activities were revealed.

"Haque is a really dangerous individual", said Commander Haydon. "His plan was to create an army of children to assist with multiple terror attacks around London."

Haque, from Forest Gate, was today found guilty by a jury of two counts of preparing to commit terrorist acts. He had already admitted possessing three copies of a terrorist publication a charge of dissemination of terrorist publications As he was dragged from the dock, he shouted out: "You will clearly see Islamic State establish itself in the Arabian Peninsula and that droughts will affect Europe and America. You will remember my warning."

The jury found Haque not guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and were deadlocked on another count of dissemination of terrorist publications.

Co-defendant Mamun, from Barking, who was also a teacher at the Ripple Road mosque, was convicted by the jury of helping him to raise funds for the terror plot.

Haque shared his plans with confidante Mohammed Abid, 27, who was today found guilty of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism.

A fourth defendant, Haque's neighbour Nadeem Patel, 26, had admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and was today cleared of conspiracy with Haque to possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The discovery of the terror cell has raised serious questions for education authorities and the Charity Commission, particularly around the oversight of Islamic schools and study groups.

Ofsted rated Lantern of Knowledge as 'outstanding' in November 2015, while Haque was taking classes, praising the school for its approach to safeguarding.

However, the fee-paying school plunged to 'requires improvement' in all areas after Haque's activites were uncovered.

The Charity Commission is also investigating the mosque in Ripple Road, which is not a formal educational establishment and does not have to employ qualified teachers.

Commander Haydon said parents, when told about the case, were "horrified" that Haque had been allowed in charge of classes.

"It's a fee paying school, they are paying significant amounts of money to send their children to this school and they expect them to be safe, with safeguarding measures, and taught by fully qualified teachers. In this case, they weren't", he said.

"He (Haque) had instructed the children not to say anything, they were almost paralysed with fear into not telling parents and not telling teachers. As a result, there was almost a wall of silence.

"He was preparing the children for martyrdom by making them role play terrorist acts in and around London."

Thirty five of the children affected are now being closely monitored for signs that the radicalisation has had an effect.

In a statement after the verdict, Ofsteds Deputy Chief Inspector, Matthew Coffey, said: It is of deep regret that this individual was able to work within the independent school system and expose his warped ideology to children.

Umar Haque engaged in highly sophisticated grooming of young, vulnerable children. We welcome the conviction and are fully supportive of the work taking place across Government to ensure people like Haque arent able to do this again."T his is the moment a man bravely dived into a frozen canal to rescue a stranger's drowning dog.

Tom Sullivan, 25, was sleeping at friend Louis Dook's house in Camden when they heard a commotion outside.

Mr Sullivan told the Standard: "He just shouted to me: 'There's a dog in the canal', and that was it, I was out there.

"I didn't really care, I stepped out and fell through pretty much instantly. I kept sinking back under every time I tried to help the dog up.

Mr Sullivan said he was in the water for 'a couple of minutes' / George McIntyre

I was probably in there for a couple of minutes but it felt like a lot longer.

"Eventually the dog owner and another passerby helped me climb out."

It was then that Mr Dook arrived with towels, coats and a scarf to wrap around Mr Sullivan.

They went back to the nearby apartment, where Mr Sullivan helped himself to a hot shower and some hot chocolate.

"I definitely felt like I'd earned that...it was a nice little bonus."

The incident comes as London Fire Brigade issued a warning for people to "stay well away" from frozen ponds, lakes, canals and rivers after a dog was rescued in Teddington on Wednesday.

Mark Hazelton, the Brigades Group Manager for Community Safety, said: We would urge all dog owners to ensure they keep their pets on a lead while out walking as this freezing weather persists.

"Usually when dogs run onto ice and get stuck, they will eventually get themselves back onto dry land.

"As soon as ponds and lakes freeze over we know there is a risk that people may make the mistake of walking on and falling through the ice.

"Some people take astonishing risks, especially pet owners whose dogs have gone onto the ice and young people who seem unaware of the dangers.

"Please, for your own safety, stay off of any frozen pond, lake or canal as there is a high risk it wont take your weight and when it's cold, hypothermia sets in rapidly and can prove fatal.D onald Trump has said the US "will simply apply a TAX" on cars made in Europe if the EU retaliates against trade penalties he is seeking on imports of steel and aluminium.

The EU is promising retaliation against American exports if Mr Trump follows through on his idea - as he says he will next week.

Mr Trump responded on Twitter: "If the EU wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on US companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the US.

"They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!"

He also railed against "very stupid" trade deals by earlier administrations and said other countries "laugh at what fools our leaders have been. No more!"

The US President faced global backlash after he said steel imports would face a 25 per cent tariff and aluminium 10 per cent.

Australia's trade minister Steven Ciobo said the tariffs would distort global trade and ultimately cost jobs.

"My concern remains that on the back of actions like this we could see retaliatory measures that are put in place by other major economies. That is in no-one's interest, he said.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker / AFP/Getty Images

Toyota said the move would "adversely impact automakers, the automotive supplier community and consumers".

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the European Union would take retaliatory action if Mr Trump went ahead with his plan.

He said: "We strongly regret this step, which appears to represent a blatant intervention to protect U.S. domestic industry."

Mr Juncker vowed Europe "will not sit idly while our industry is hit with unfair measures that put thousands of European jobs at risk."

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Presidents decision to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum "shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone."

She added Mr Trump has been talking about it "for decades, stating he is acting out of concern for Americans "who have been forgotten.L ess than one in 10 Britons feel more optimistic about Brexit than a year ago, a poll suggests.

Just eight per cent of voters felt the outlook for Britain's withdrawal from the EU had got better nearly a year after Theresa May triggered Article 50, while more than a third (37 per cent) felt less optimistic about it, and 47 per cent did not change their view, the ComRes/Sunday Mirror poll showed.

And it appears many voters were turned off by high-profile interventions this week from the Prime Minister, Jeremy Corbyn, Tony Blair and Sir John Major.

The big-hitters all made major speeches on Britain's withdrawal from the EU this week, and while they did not change most voters' opinion, more were turned off than enthused, according to ComRes's poll of 10,96 adults.

Theresa May delivers her key Brexit speech at Mansion House in the City of London

Less than one in 10 (nine per cent) had a better opinion of Mrs May after she set out her Brexit vision, while more than a quarter (27 per cent) said their impression of her had got worse.

But most voters backed her strategy of continuing to negotiate with the EU (33 per cent) to get the best exit deal for Britain, while less than a quarter (22 per cent) said she should walk away from talks.

Less than one in five (19 per cent) called for another general election so voters can choose between the Labour and Tory positions on Brexit.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Her Mansion House address was preceded by Mr Corbyn's speech setting out Labour's backing of a customs union with the EU.

But it left more than a quarter (29 per cent) of voters with a worse opinion of the Labour leader, while 13 per cent said their view of him had improved.

In a damning assessment of his strategy, more people thought he should have ruled out a customs union (19 per cent) than backed his approach (18 per cent).

But illustrating the difficult balancing act he faces uniting Labour Leave and Remain voters, 15 per cent said he should have gone further and backed single market membership while 16 per cent thought he should have said nothing and let the Tories fight it out among themselves.

Overall, more voters think Britain's negotiating priority should be securing a free trade deal (30 per cent) than controlling borders to curb EU migration (21 per cent), while 22 per cent called on the Government to ensure the country has the freedom to strike free trade deals around the world.

One in five (20 per cent) said the priority should be the freedom to make our own laws without Brussels' interference (20 per cent), while only 7 per cent thought an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland was key.This week's UK forecast

Here is the latest from Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell on this week's forecast for the whole of the UK.

He said: "The UK is on track for some really cold weather this week. It's not going to be record-breaking, but it'll be pretty exceptional - winds are going to make it feel minus 10C (14F) to minus 15C (5F) during the day.

"We will see the first signs of that tonight in the shape of snow showers working all the way down the east coast.

"That continues into Monday, with snow showers moving across the country during the day before reaching Wales.

"Winds are then going to strengthen and we could see some easterly gales through the eastern Channel and east Anglia by the middle of the week.

"That's going to make it feel really cold, daytime temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be struggling to get above freezing for most of the country."

He added: "By Thursday evening, there are growing signs there could be some significant snowfall across southern England.

"Unusually for Britain, the snow is going to be quite dry, so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions.T he parents of a newlywed among five Brits killed in a tragic helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon are suing the tour operator over his death.

Jonathan Udall, died in hospital days before his wife Ellie Milward after both sustained burns in the crash.

They were honeymooning with friends Becky Dobson, her boyfriend Stuart Hill and his brother Jason Hill, who were also killed in the February 10 crash.

According to the lawsuit filed on Friday, Mr Udell could have survived if Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters and manufacturer Airbus Helicopters had not negligently failed to install a crash-resistant fuel tank.

Jon Udall was celebrating his honeymoon with new wife Ellie / JustGiving

Lawyers for his parents, Philip and Marlene Udall, claim in the lawsuit filed in Nevada that their 31-year-old son would not have sustained "severe and catastrophic" burns if the Airbus EC130 B4 had been fitted the fuel system.

After the lawsuit was filed, lawyer Gary Robb said: "Mr and Mrs Udall deeply grieve for the loss of their son but their primary motivation now is to prevent anyone else from having to suffer the deadly burn injuries as their son did.

The helicopter erupted in flames after the crash / AP

"If this helicopter had been properly equipped with a crash-resistant fuel system, it would have allowed this young man to walk away injury-free."

They are also suing pilot Scott Booth, who was hospitalised in a critical condition, accusing him of negligence for crashing.

Grand Canyon helicopter crash - Victims named

Also named in the lawsuit are Papillon directors Brenda Halvorson and Elling Halvorson, president Geoff Edlund and chief operating officer John Becker.

The family allege they failed to ensure the helicopter was in a "safe and defect free" condition.

Becky Dobson, 27, was among three Brits killed in a helicopter crash at the Grand Canyon

They also accuse mechanic Matthew Hecker and its inspector Daniel Friedman of negligence over the state of the helicopter, in particular its tail rotor.

A coroner ruled Mr Udall and Ms Milward, 29, from Worthing, West Sussex, died of "complications of thermal injury".

Jason Hill, 32, was also among those who were killed

Ms Dobson, 27, Stuart Hill, 30, and Jason Hill, 32, all from Worthing, were said to have died at the scene of "multiple injuries".

Their friend, Jennifer Barham, 39, was also rescued and airlifted to Las Vegas's University Medical Centre.

Father remembers loving sons at memorial for Grand Canyon crash victims

The Udalls are asking for in excess of 195,000 dollars (141,000) in damages, as well as punitive damages and a jury trial.A student suspected of shooting his parents dead at a university dormitory "acted so strangely" the day before that campus police took him to a hospital for suspected drug abuse.

University police Chief Bill Yeagley said James Eric Davis Jr's parents had just picked him up from that hospital and brought him to his dorm to pack up for spring break when Friday's shooting happened.

He said the gun used in the shooting belonged to Davis' father, James Davis Sr, a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.

Central Michigan University is considered a gun-free zone, and Mr Yeagley said it would have been a violation of campus policy for Mr Davis Sr to bring a gun on campus.

Shooting: A crime scene response vehicle is parked outside Central Michigan University's Campbell Hall / AP

"We can make a lot of assumptions, but I'm not going to make those assumptions. But I can tell you for sure that the gun came from outside, in the parking lot, with (Davis Jr) through the building," said Mr Yeagley.

Davis Jr was arrested without incident shortly after midnight following a day-long search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms.

Authorities found him after someone aboard a train spotted a person along railroad tracks in Mount Pleasant, and called police.

Manhunt: Police hunt for the teenage suspect after the shooting / AP

Mr Yeagley said Davis Jr was under guard at a hospital on Saturday and would be moved to the Isabella County jail when he is discharged.

Mount Pleasant is nearly 300 miles from the family's hometown of Plainfield, Illinois. The shooting occurred on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students at the university for the start of a week-long spring break.

He said police first came into contact with Davis Jr on Thursday morning when he ran into a community police officer's office in his dorm "very frightened" and but "not making a lot of sense."

"He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him, and the officer calmed him down and tried to gain more information about what was going on.

Michigan shooting: Authorities stand on the campus of Central Michigan University during a search for the suspect / AP

"Mr Davis was very vague and he kept talking about someone having a gun," said Mr Yeagley, adding that Davis Jr said he had not actually seen the person with a gun.

"We said, 'How do you know he was going to hurt you if you didn't see a gun?' He was saying things like, 'It's just a feeling. I know it,"' the chief said.

Davis Jr eventually talked about riding in a dorm elevator with the person, and police went to talk to the individual Davis Jr had identified.

Mr Yeagley said when officers determined that the person posed no threat - and reviewed video from the elevator that showed Davis Jr and that person laughing - Davis Jr said he was fine and was leaving campus on Friday for the spring break.

Hours later, officers spotted Davis Jr in a dorm hallway with his suitcases. When officers tried to talk to him, he again was not making sense.

They asked Davis Jr to call his parents, which he did. An officer spoke to Davis' mother, Diva Davis, told them about her son's behaviour, their concerns about possible drug use and asked her whether he had a history of drug use, Mr Yeagley said.

"The mother said she too was concerned this could be drugs," he said.

Police released a photo of Davis Jr after the shooting and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but warned that he should not be confronted.

Yeagley said Davis Jr was not previously identified by campus officials as someone that others on campus were concerned about.

"Mr Davis was not ever reported, and we had no interaction that we're aware of with him in any negative fashion - with anybody - prior to this incident," he said.

University president George E Ross said the shooting left the campus and surrounding community traumatised.

"There were thousands of people who were sheltering in place yesterday and they will be dealing with this for the rest of their lives," he said.T he latest star to sit down for an in-depth chat with the most divisive man on television is Pamela Anderson.

The former Baywatch star is set to tell all about her Playboy past and vegan diet. Heres everything you need to know about her Life Stories chat with Piers Morgan.

Whats it about?

The Life stories format sees Morgan grill a well-known celebrity. In the past hes reduced Sharon Osbourne to tears and got Kim Cattrall to share her true feelings about her Sex and the City co-star Sarah Jessica Parker.

This time its Anderson in the spotlight, regaling Morgan with stories of a life in front of the camera.

Pamela Anderson discusses Kim Kardashian wearing fur

Does she reveal anything juicy?

The model shares her thoughts on the fallout from the Hollywood sex scandal, saying she hopes it doesnt stop men making the first move.

She also tells Morgan about the stalker who once broke into her house, tried on her Baywatch swimsuit and stayed for three days.

Why it controversial?

Almost immediately after filming Anderson hit out at Morgan, writing on her blog: Piers is notorious for trying to make everyone happy with a twist of tabloid journalism.

He knows his audience. I just wish differently.

Pamela Anderson - In pictures 1 /49 Pamela Anderson - In pictures Icon Sport via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images REUTERS AFP/Getty Images Getty Images AFP/Getty Images PA ITV BRAVO PA Pichichi / Splash News Getty Images PA Getty Images Evan Agostini/Getty Images for Chanel PA Archive/PA Images AP Dave Benett Dave Benett PA Archive/PA Images Getty Images Getty Images Reuters Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images for J/P Haitian Relief Organization Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images

But the broadcaster laughed off suggestions that the star was unhappy with the way she had been portrayed during an appearance on Loose Women.

Morgan told the panel: She hasnt seen the recording. We filmed for two and a half hours and showed video packages. Shes unpredictable and gives as much as she gets.

When is it on?Revised PSMP by 2041 unrealistic, experts say

Anisul Islam Noor :

As per the revised Power Sector Master Plan (PSMP)- 2016, over 82,000 MW power demand forecast until 2041 is unrealistic and abnormally high, experts said.

They, however, said the power demand would reach 61,000MW in 2041 if the double-digit domestic growth of economy is continued.

The revised PSMP- 2016 estimated the investment requirement of US$150 billion for increasing the power generation capacity and $25 billion for transmission capacity, its study report said.

The revised plan showed that the idle power generation capacity would rise up to 56 per cent in 2022 from current 18 per cent and would gradually come down to 14 per cent by 2041.

Representatives of two Japanese power companies presented a summary of the revised PSMP-2016 at a seminar in Dhaka recently. The companies-Tokyo Electric Power Services Co Ltd and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc-revised the PSMP-2016 with the increased demand forecast from 61000MW to 82000MW.

Japan International Cooperation Agency funding the project of preparation of the master plan for Bangladesh.

Mohammad Hossain, Director General of Power Division's Power Cell, said that the projection of power generation capacity requirement was quite unrealistic. "I am not convinced with the projections," he said.

A Power Development Board official said that idle or reserve power generation capacity above 20 per cent is not economically viable for any economy.

Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Energy Adviser M Shamsul Alam, also an electrical engineering professor, termed the revised PSMP-2016 as 'a demonstration of foolishness and ignorance'.

'It is simply a reflection of the government's wishful plans in power sector, not taken from a professional approach based on technically sound studies and estimates,' he said, adding that if implemented, the plan would cause huge wastage of resources and investments.

Shamsul Alam said that the recent double-digit growth in power demand was a bubble, which would not sustain even for the next two years.

The Rural Electrification Board is now showing 14 per cent growth in power demand through extending power connections in the country's poverty-hit areas, which is not sustainable unless industrialisation and commercial activities are expanded to rural areas, he said.

The CAB's energy adviser observed that the current power demand growth, 5-6 per cent, in Dhaka is only sustainable

The revised PSMP has projected per capita power generation at 2,400 units or kilowatt-hour per annum for being a developed nation by 2041, which was 1,500 units in the previous plan.Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia ZimbabweThe same people, Republicans and Democrats, who lied through their teeth for an invasion of Iraq in 2003, are doing it again for an invasion of Russia, sometime soon, so as to defend democracy. The US has by now swallowed up virtually all lands surrounding Russia, at least in Europe, the latest being Ukraine, and is placing its missiles now on and near Russias borders, which is to Russians like would be to Americans if Russia had swallowed up Canada and were placing its missiles there. But the lying holier-than-thou US Establishment accuses Russia of being aggressive when Russia holds war-games on and near its borders in order to prepare for a US-NATO invasion, which actually looks increasingly likely to them every day  and not because of Russian propaganda, but because of the US Governments actions.

Hillary Clinton clearly hated Russians and wanted to start a war against Russia by establishing a no-fly zone in Russias ally Syria (which Russia defends while the US invades and occupies Syria) so as to shoot down Russia's planes there, and then, when Russia shoots down US planes in retaliation, America would have its pretext for invading Russia itself so as to defend democracy against Russian aggression  but instead, Donald Trump became elected, and he has now turned out to be almost as much of a neoconservative as she was. This displays how extreme the grip is that the neocons, the Establishment and its many minions who dominate both of the two Parties and the press, now have.

An example of the Establishments holier-than-thou lies, is an article that appeared on February 22nd at the magazine, The National Interest, whose article-title is itself a marvelous deception, Averting the US-Russia Warpath (while the subliminal message there is: reasons why well probably have to invade Russia), and whose authors are three defense hawks, including James Northey Miller, of Harvard. He had been an Under Secretary of Defense during the Administration of the merely moderately neoconservative President Barack Obama  the President who in 2014 grabbed Ukraine, and who used Al Qaeda in Syria to lead the rebels there in order to try to grab Syria. (Ukraine had been friendly toward Russia and is now rabid against Russia; and Syria was and is allied with Russia; so, both of these two lands were American grabs, and the neocon Trump continues both.) Anyone who trusts the US Government to represent in international affairs the interests of Americas public, instead of the interests of America's billionaires, has been deceived by the Establishments (the billionaires' and their agents') virtually all-pervasive propaganda in America, and therefore needs a lot of re-learning about US history before understanding anything about US foreign policies. There is very good and sound reason why around the world the United States is considered, by far, to be the biggest threat to peace  because it is. (The Peter Kuznick book and Oliver Stone documentary Untold History of the United States, are the best cleaner-away of historical lies about US history from 1912 to 2012 that I know of  and the seeing or reading of that, will expose to anyone the mockery of historical truth which is represented in articles such as Averting the US-Russia Warpath.)

This ordinary, and profoundly deceptive, article starts:

FOR NEARLY twenty years following the end of the Cold War, military confrontation between the United States and the Russian Federation seemed implausible. Even during periods of tension, as during the Kosovo crisis in the late 1990s, few believed that disagreement between Washington and Moscow could lead to a serious crisis, no less war. Before the first decade of the new century had passed, however, Russian officials were accusing the United States of working to isolate Russia. Such apprehensions have mounted steadily in Russia in the years since. At the same time, Russian behavior, including interventions in Ukraine and Syria, military posturing and harassment in Europe, and interference in Western elections, has led many in the United States to conclude that, while a US-Russian conflict is by no means inevitable, the risk of such a confrontation is growing.

The Russian officials were accusing the United States, while there was supposedly actual Russian behavior, including interventions in Ukraine and Syria, military posturing and harassment in Europe, and interference in Western elections, which pretexts the Establishment is now debating with itself whether that will be sufficient to justify an American and NATO invasion, as response. This holier-than-thou and upside-down presumption, of Russian-government guilt and American-government innocence, is reeking throughout that pompous article; but whats even worse is that the reality is exactly the opposite of the story-line thats portrayed in it. The actual reality is: Ever since 24 February 1990, the US and its NATO allies have been pursuing secretly a continuation of the Cold War after the termination in 1991 of the Soviet Union, and of its communism, and of its counter-NATO military alliance, the Warsaw Pact; and the US plan has been to swallow up, first the former Warsaw Pact nations, and then the former nations (such as Ukraine itself) that were inside the Soviet Union itself, and then, any other foreign allies that Russia might still have (such as Syria); and, then, finally, to invade and conquer Russia itself. And, instead of helping those countries, the US Government has been destroying them.

Neoconservative, holier-than-thou, lying is so widespread in Americas newsmedia, theres practically nothing else than such deceptions about Russia, thats Fit to Print (or broadcast) in todays United States, and this is true in the media of both Parties, not merely the Republican media, or the Democratic media. This neoconservative consensus  the bipartisan ceaseless warmongering  is driven by the military-industrial complex (MIC) profiteers, whose companies main market is the American and allied governments (so that in order to increase their sales, more and costlier weapons must be purchased by those governments). Its the MIC-sick current style of capitalism: capitalism thats of, by, and for, the billionaires: a fascism thats merely called democracy. (By contrast, one area of commerce that Russia refused to privatize was its weapons-manufacturers  there arent any stockholders who pay politicians to increase the defense budget: instead, the Government itself is in control over that.)

Americas billionaires, and their many agents, are giving hypocrisy a bad name.The US has always favored free competition as a driver of progress. In his speech at the Davos Economic Forum, US President Donald Trump emphasized allegiance to the principles of free trade, which, he believes, has to be fair and reciprocal. He wants the world to promote it. The winner is whoever offers the best deal and politics should never be used to influence economic transactions. Thats what the US claims to stand for. What a pity it doesnt put its money where its mouth is!

Its no secret that Russian weapons are in high demand. Cheaper, more reliable, and more effective than those produced by other countries, they continue to dominate the global arms market. The conflict in Syria has helped Russian arms manufacturers hit pay dirt in the Middle East. America is free to compete and keep a level playing field, but thats not whats happening. All those nice words from the US and the lip service to its values get forgotten in favor of blatant pressure and intimidation.

Much has been said about Turkey choosing Russias famous S-400 air defense (AD) system to protect its skies. The system may not be compatible with NATO systems and officials from that bloc have expressed their concern over this, but Ankara has made its choice. On Feb. 24, the Hurriyet Daily News quoted a US official who declared that the possible acquisition of Russian S-400 systems would potentially expose Turkey to sanctions due to the new sanctions law recently passed by Congress. Simply put, abandon the deal or else. The Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) can impose sanctions and end arms sales to any country doing business with Russia. NATO has also warned Turkey of unspecified consequences should the deal go through.

In late January, Qatar announced its intention to acquire S-400s. It claimed the talks had progressed to an advanced stage. That decision was reversed literally within a few days. On Feb. 1, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced that his country would honor the American sanctions, which would include the S-400 deal with Russia. This statement was made right from Washington DC.

The US is trying to persuade Vietnam to buy American rather than Russian weapons.

On Feb. 22, State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert warned Iraq and other countries in a press briefing not to buy Russian weapons. As she put it, the US is making those governments aware of how they could run afoul of the CAATSA law and the potential repercussions as a result.

There was one other announcement that offers a good illustration of what fair trade a l'americaine is like. On Jan. 30, the State Department openly warned countries around the world of the potential repercussions of dealing with Moscow. It claimed real success in thwarting Russian defense exports, forcing Russia to come up several billion dollars short. A couple of "big countries" were reconsidering their defense purchases from Russia as a result of the US warning. The statement provided no details.

Its not just words. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview on Feb. 11 that he has information that the US is demanding, through its ambassadors, that Latin America, Asia, and Africa refuse to buy military equipment and weapons from us, promising that the United States will compensate for the equipment shortages in a particular country.

The international rules stipulated by the UN Charter and WTO documents mean nothing to America.

President Donald Trump plans to announce a whole of government approach aimed at easing export rules on American military sales abroad. This will include all weapons systems. The new policy to be made public this month is also expected to offer economic benefits for American manufacturers as part of a decision-making process that puts an end to human-rights considerations. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, and Syria are considering the purchase of S-400s. According to SIPRI, Russia's global arms sales have grown by 3.8 percent in 2016. Russian companies account for 7.1 percent of global arms sales, ranking third among world defense contractors. Ten Russian companies are listed in the SIPRI Top 100. The Russian arms-export policy is a success story, despite the US history of not playing fair.

These facts show that there is a wide gap between what America says and what it does. Whats fair to Washington is unfair to others. The double standards and hypocrisy are patently obvious. Turkey has said it wont succumb to the pressure. Iraq has been buying Russian weapons, signing deals without a backward glance at Washington.

One thing is certain. This policy undermines the credibility of the US as a trade partner who is ready to make fair deals. Nobody likes to be told what to do. The increasing pressure will strengthen the will to resist, thus producing quite the opposite effect of what is expected.

Photo: pinterest.comThe U.S. Army is once more reforming its basic training program to deal with complaints from unit commanders that too many of the new soldiers they were receiving were unable to perform adequately. The most common complaints were new troops who were undisciplined, physically unfit, lacked basic military skills that basic is supposed to impart and generally unsuited for military service. These calls for training reforms have been a common event since peacetime conscription was introduced after World War II. During the period of peacetime conscription parents, politicians and unhappy conscripts complained that that training was too dangerous or misguided in some other way and the army made changes. Then the changes proved to be the cause of unprepared troops who could not perform well in combat or got themselves killed and the army was called on to implement more effective training. After conscription ended in the early 1970s the problem gradually got worse because fewer politicians had any personal experience with basic training or military life but were called on by special interest groups or popular movements that saw military training as something other than a program to produce effective soldiers. In the last decade, as most American combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan came home, there were calls to make a lot of changes in recruiting and training and were, from a military sense, counterproductive. It has gotten so bad that the problems have to be addressed.

In peacetime a classic trigger for calls to change basic and combat training in general are training accidents that get troops killed. When these become a big news item commanders brace themselves for the usual flood of demands from media and politicians that something be done. Often the result is to forbid dangerous training activities and subtly let it be known that any officer associated with a fatal training accident can expect problems with their next promotion. Worse are situations where the politicians demand changes that have more to do cultural changes than death or injury during training and result in the same insistence that something be done or else.

This happens despite so many recent wartime experiences that prove once more that strenuous (and often dangerous) training saves you even more casualties in combat. This is nothing new. For thousands of years experienced combat troops have known that, "the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war." During World War II the U.S. Army surveyed the troops to see what they thought about their training, leadership, and a host of other items. One of the more surprising things to come out of these surveys was the feeling among combat troops that their training wasn't tough enough. World War II "basic" was generally quite intense, more severe than anything recruits experienced since the 1940s. But actual combat quickly revealed that even more intensity in that training would have been a big, often life-saving, help.

During wartime the troops get better. Practice and experience definitely have an effect. But during peacetime something worse happens. Not only does the lack of practice make the troops less ready to survive actual combat but the commanders have a vested interest in denying that there is anything wrong. The rot sets in rather quickly after a war has ended. Training for combat is not only a lot of work but it's also dangerous. Realistic training means some of the troops are going to get hurt or killed. This is a political no-no, at least in democracies. At the same time, a democracy demands accountability from its elected officials. If the taxpayers are going to fork over billions a year for defense they want to be reassured that the money is buying real, kick ass, combat power. That often results in unpleasant truths being hidden or just ignored.

When American troops entered combat in large numbers during the 2003 Iraq invasion, it quickly became clear that many troops were not ready. The reason for this was simple but generally ignored by the media and politicians. It all began in the 1990s, when basic training was changed from a conditioning process that turned undisciplined civilians into disciplined soldiers into something far less. Discipline is essential for military operations. In life and death situations, failure to act promptly and efficiently when ordered to will get you, and others, killed.

This destruction of basic training was not done on purpose but to accommodate the decision in the early 1990s to integrate men and women in basic training. For decades male and female recruits got their basic separately. By putting them together it became obvious that the women could not compete physically and psychologically with the men. But a new policy, pushed by many in Congress, declared that men and women were equal on the battlefield and should take the same basic training. When the military found this did not work, they (with the exception of the Marines, who resisted the political pressure and continued separate training) lowered the standards to suit the weakest women. Much of the yelling and verbal abuse delivered by drill sergeants was also eliminated, for while it turned the men into disciplined soldiers, it encouraged too many women to quit. After all, women did not join the army with any thought of combat but for a job. Most of the men did not get combat assignments either but everyone was aware that in a tight situation the non-combat soldiers might actually have to use their rifles, and the place to make that point was basic training. In effect, 1990s basic became the old, but kinder and gentler, female version that taught you how to wear a uniform, march in formation, and provided some familiarization with basic infantry weapons.

This change in basic training had a profound effect that no one wanted to admit. The army got around the most obvious damage by establishing two separate training tracks; combat and support. Only about ten percent of troops are in combat jobs and out of preference, these jobs are nearly all male. So the training for combat, which all of these recruits requested and volunteered for, remained pretty rugged and effective. It became easier to spot the combat troops, they were in better physical shape, behaved in a more disciplined manner. The 90 percent of support troops were about 14 percent female and most went through the less rigorous mixed gender training. After 2001 all training got more realistic and strenuous but after 2008 it went back to pre-2001 standards with even less emphasis on dealing with combat and more time spent learning how to be more sensitive.

Throughout all this it remained true that the support troops were much less disciplined and required much more supervision. This meant, among other things, that officers often did supervisory tasks that NCOs used to handle. And the men going into combat jobs, in effect, did basic over, the old fashioned way, when they were given their additional training for specific jobs (infantry, artillery, tanks). But the rest of the troops were less soldiers and more like civilians. It became harder to keep the troops on the straight and narrow.

As a result, all services liberally used "administrative discharge" (they literally fired troublesome soldiers) to get rid of most ill-disciplined troops or those who simply could not come to terms with being in the military. But this made it more difficult to keep units up to strength. Commanders were encouraged to fire fewer troops and, in effect, put up with many of their young men and women who had not been convinced by basic training lite that they were now in the military.

It got worse. The shrinking budgets in the 1990s generated a situation where more money could be put into developing new weapons, keeping unneeded bases open, upgrading barracks and family housing, funding the needs of single parents, or training. Something had to give and it was training, which was needed more than ever. But then, the loss would only be noticed if we went to war and American politicians were very much against any American casualties. Can't have a real war without someone getting killed, so training costs were cut. There was less money for using tanks, aircraft, or ships. Fewer spare parts were bought (a lot of spares were needed if you used equipment a lot). There was another reason for reducing training, doing it energetically tended to get troops killed or injured. This was more of a problem now that so many recruits were getting eight weeks of coed camp instead of basic training. So combat training for non-combat troops was avoided.

When there was a military operation, like Kosovo, units worldwide were stripped of competent troops and working equipment to fill the need. While much was said about having armed forces that could fight two wars at once, it turned out that the U.S. was barely able to support a few months of air operations over the Balkans. And the subsequent occupation of Kosovo with ground units left far more units elsewhere incapable of combat operations.

All that began to change after September 11, 2001, and the change accelerated after 2003. The combat deficiencies of non-combat troops became painfully obvious during the advance into Iraq. But now the trend is to back off on training and go back to getting the troops less ready for combat, so that we can repeat the same cycle again and again. What goes around comes around, it surely does. But after 2008 the military was ordered back to the 1990s and basic training lost track of the basics. Less emphasis was placed on physical fitness of recruits, meaning many graduated unable to pass the physical fitness test they would be taking after basic. Given the growing number of recruits who were overweight and out of shape this became a major complaint among unit commanders, second only to the lack of discipline. There was also a noticeable lack of combat skills. All of these items has been sacrificed to accommodate mixed gender basic training and more classroom instruction. That is being changed. The current Secretary of Defense is a combat veteran and led troops in combat. His predecessor had no military experience at all and that had become increasingly common since 1990s. It was the same with many senior civilian jobs in the Department of Defense and that meant proposed changes that decreased combat readiness had fewer people available to even point out the problems.

Another problem that began to show up in the late 1990s was the growing number of potential recruits would could not be accepted because they were too fat, too unfit in general, had drug problems or a criminal record. Ironically China, with its rapidly growing economy, had the same problems. China had introduced strict population controls in the late 1970s resulting in an extraordinary number of only children. The boys in particular were spoiled by parents and grandparents and when it came time for military service a growing number were too fat, two unfit and generally not worth trying to train. Similar problems in Russia where a plunging birth rate and growing use of drugs and other illegal behavior made many young men unfit for service. Military historians understand that the countries that can best deal with these issues will have a much more effective military.TICKERS: LUC, MPVD, NAR

Source: James Kwantes for Streetwise Reports (3/2/18)

Canada punches above its weight in the world of diamonds, says James Kwantes of Resource Opportunities, who discusses recent activity in the Canadian diamond mining scene.



Canada punches above its weight in the world of diamondsway above. Consider: the country is home to about 36 million people, or less than half of one percent of the world's population. Yet in 2017, Canada produced 14% of the world's diamonds by value, behind only Russia and Botswana.

The epicenter of Canadian diamond production lies in the frozen tundra of Canada's Norththe "Barren Lands," in author Kevin Krajick's words. Specifically, the Lac de Gras region, 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories' capital city. That's where prospectors Chuck Fipke and Stu Blusson discovered the kimberlite indicator minerals that let to Dia Met's 1991 diamond discovery. When Ekati went into production in 1998, it marked the birth of what has become an important northern industry.

The discovery of the Diavik diamond mine by Gren Thomas's Aber Resources in 1994 established that the Ekati find was no fluke. Diavik went into production in 2003 and quickly became one of the world's richest diamond mines. The discovery of diamonds in this inhospitable corner of the world, surrounded by only frozen lakes and tundra, is a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of Canada's diamond pioneers.

Two decades later, the Ekati and Diavik diamond mines are still churning out caratsand cash. More than $20 billion worth of diamonds has been mined at the two operations. The prized profit centers didn't escape the notice of the Washington Group, a private conglomerate founded by U.S. billionaire Dennis Washington. Last year the Washington Group paid about US$1.2 billion to snap up Dominion Diamond Corp., owner of a controlling 90% interest in Ekati and a 40% stake in Diavik (operator Rio Tinto Plc owns 60%).



The Diavik diamond mine in Canada's Northwest Territories

CANADA'S GROUND ZERO FOR DIAMONDS

And the Lac de Gras region remains a hub of activity for diamond production and exploration, well beyond Ekati and Diavik. The newest mine is Gahcho Kue, which began commercial production in March 2017 and is 51% owned by De Beers and 49% by Mountain Province Diamonds Inc. (MPVD:TSX).

North Arrow Minerals Inc. (NAR:TSX.V), Canada's most active diamond exploreco, is also zeroing in on Lac de Gras. The company has two projects in the region and both of them will see drilling this spring. The Loki project covers 8,600 hectares and is close to both Ekati (33 km away) and Diavik (24 km). North Arrow will drill about 1,000 meters on up to six targets in March.

Loki is a good example of a junior company benefiting from millions of dollars spent by a major while big money flowed into exploration. One of the six Loki targets is EG05, a diamondiferous kimberlite that Rio Tinto (Kennecott) discovered but never followed up on. The other targets were identified through airborne geophysics and electromagnetic surveys. At each target, pyrope garnets and other kimberlite indicator minerals have been recovered, but no source has been found.

At Dominion's Lac de Gras (LDG) joint venture with North Arrow, operator Dominion is ramping up for 2018 exploration, including spring drilling. Dominion has an approximate 67% interest in LDG, with North Arrow retaining 33%. The LDG JV covers a vast 125,000-hectare property to the south of the Ekati and Diavik mines and immediately east of Loki.

The "privatization" of Dominion Diamond Corp. translates into fewer eyes on the company, particularly its exploration initiatives. But Patrick Evans, Dominion's CEOappointed after the takeover is well-known in the diamond world. Evans is the former president and CEO of both producer Mountain Province Diamonds and explorer Kennady Diamonds (which was recently taken over by Mountain Province for $176 million).

DRIVE FOR DISCOVERY

Evans' exploration backgroundand his assertion that new diamond discoveries are critical to the viability of the Canadian diamond industrywill likely ensure that exploration remains a key focus for Dominion. In a 2016 talk at the annual Roundup Mineral Exploration conference in Vancouver, Evans lamented the "paltry" amount being spent on diamond exploration in Canada. The dearth of exploration threatens Canada's No. 3 position as a world diamond player, Evans said at the time.

Loki and the LDG joint venture represent North Arrow's most imminent potential catalysts. But North Arrow continues to advance its flagship Naujaat colored diamond project in Nunavut, which has a population of rare, valuable fancy yellow diamonds.

On Wednesday, the company announced it had recovered 64.25 carats from a 209.8-tonne mini bulk sample collected last year from three phases of the large Q1-4 kimberlite. The proportion of the more valuable yellow diamonds was consistent with an earlier bulk sample10.7% of the total by stone count and 21.2% by carat weight.

"It's encouraging, because it confirms the yellow diamond population exists in different phases of the kimberlite," said North Arrow CEO Ken Armstrong, noting that the results merit further work. "The size of the prize is large."

The next step, Armstrong says, is a large bulk sample at Naujaatperhaps as large as 5,000 to 10,000 tonnes. A sample of that size would answer remaining questions about the value of the diamonds and size-frequency distribution of the yellow stones, he said. It would also carry a large price tag: perhaps between $20 million and $30 million. Securing a joint venture partner would allow North Arrow to undertake the bulk sample without blowing out the share structure, Armstrong pointed out.



Rough diamonds from an earlier Naujaat sample

The diamond sector has faced some ups and downs in recent years, but mostly downs. One of the main issues has been large inventories held by industry heavyweights Alrosa and De Beers, which has suppressed rough diamond prices. There have been some high-profile scandals in the sector, tooIndian diamond magnate Nirav Modi fled India earlier this year and is currently being investigated for alleged bank fraud and money laundering.

However, the macro picture is improving, according to New York diamond analyst Paul Zimnisky. Inventory levels for both De Beers and Alrosa are at estimated three-year lows and demand remains healthy, according to Zimnisky's latest State of the Diamond Market report. On the supply side, no new mines are coming onstream in 2018 and Alrosa's production is forecast to decrease this year.

For a sector that has struggledand been bypassed by many retail investorsthere's a lot going on. The takeover of Dominion Diamond by a private group was a surprise to many; less so the purchase of Kennady Diamonds by Mountain Province, which had earlier spun out the exploreco. There are new and rejuvenated exploration plays, including Bruce Counts's newly listed Lithoquest Diamonds with its North Kimberley project in Australia. In the Northwest Territories, GGL Resources has revamped with the appointment of 25-year diamond veteran David Kelsch as CEO and an injection of capital from project generator Strategic Metals.

ENTER EIRA

But for diamond sector investors, perhaps the most interesting moves were made by Lucara Diamond Corp. (LUC:TSX.V) on February 25. Diamond veteran Eira Thomas was named Lucara's CEO and the Vancouver-based company announced a blockchain initiative that could improve transparency and efficiencies in the sale of diamonds in the one to 15-carat range, and eventually for smaller stones as well. Blockchain will not be used to sell the larger diamonds that have established Lucara's reputation and bolstered its treasurystones such as the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona and 813-carat Constellation.

Eira's most recent CEO gig was with Kaminak Gold, which was sold for $520 million to Goldcorp in 2016. Before that, Eira, the daughter of North Arrow chairman Gren Thomas, cofounded Stornoway Diamond Corp. and Lucara. Her partner on both initiatives was Catherine McLeod-Seltzer, who is joining Lucara's board of directors. The appointments mark a kind of reunion for Lucara's three co-founders: Thomas, McLeod-Seltzer and Lukas Lundin.



Eira Thomas was recently named CEO of Lucara Diamond Corp.

But before Stornoway, Lucara or Kaminak was Aber Resources. Hired as an Aber field geologist straight out of university, Eira was thrust into a lead role when a senior geologist left for another company. In the spring of 1994, the geologist and her exploration team raced the spring melt and drilled one final hole from a floating ice platform. The core had a 2-carat diamond embedded in it, and the rest is history. She later became VP Exploration for Aber, Dominion Diamond's predecessor company.

Eira's appointment as Lucara CEO strengthens already solid connections between Lucara and North Arrow. She remains a North Arrow advisor and large shareholder, and was critical in landing $2-million investments from both Ross Beaty and the Electrum Strategic Opportunities Fund L.P., which is funding North Arrow's current programs. There's a brother connection between the two companies, tooNorth Arrow CEO Ken Armstrong's brother John is Lucara's vice-president, mineral resources. His specialty is the assessment and analysis of diamond size and value distribution as well as deposit modelling. John Armstrong's partner Allison Rippin Armstrong, a corporate social responsibility specialist, is an advisor to North Arrow.

As for Eira, her association to North Arrow's flagship Naujaat project runs deep. It was Thomas who secured the Naujaat project (formerly called Qilalugaq) from Stornoway Diamonds and brought it to North Arrow, after stepping down as Stornoway's executive chairman. The Naujaat, Pikoo and Timiskaming projects were optioned from Stornoway on a JV basis, with North Arrow subsequently buying out Stornoway's stakes to secure 100% interests in Naujaat and Pikoo.



Bulk sampling the Q1-4 kimberlite at North Arrow's Naujaat diamond project in Nunavut

Assays are pending for 2,440 meters of kimberlite core drilled at Naujaat last fall. Further drilling later this spring will conclude the program at the 12.5-hectare kimberlite, the largest in the Eastern Arctic. Naujaat has an Inferred mineral resource of 26.1 million carats from 48.8 million tonnes grading 53.6 carats per hundred tonnes, from surface to 205 meters depth. Fall drilling established that Q1-4 remains open at depth and has a surface area of at least five hectares 305 meters below surface.

Further north, there are also drill plans at Mel, North Arrow's second grassroots discovery of a diamondiferous kimberlite field in Canada (Pikoo was the first). In October, North Arrow announced the recovery of 23 diamonds larger than the 0.106-mm sieve size from a 62.1-kilogram sample at the ML-8 kimberlite. The diamond body was discovered through the systematic tracking of a kimberlite indicator mineral (KIM) train to its up-ice termination. North Arrow has subsequently increased its Mel land position to 56,000 hectares through staking. Drilling will focus on ML-8 as well as other targets at the heads of three well-defined KIM trains.

James Kwantes is the editor of Resource Opportunities, a subscriber supported junior mining investment publication. Kwantes has two decades of journalism experience and was the mining reporter at Vancouver Sun, the city's paper of record.

Disclosure: North Arrow Minerals is one of three company sponsors of Resource Opportunities and James Kwantes owns North Arrow and Lucara shares, which makes him biased. Readers are advised that this article is solely for information purposes. Readers are encouraged to always conduct their own research and due diligence, and/or obtain professional investment advice. Dollar and $ refer to Canadian dollars, unless otherwise stated.

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Photos and graphics provided by the author.The commerce ministry has asked the government for clearance to take a long simmering dispute with Turkey to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) after prolonged discussions on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries have hit an impasse.

At issue is grant of GSP+ status by Turkey that Pakistan argues is an obligation given that Turkey and the European Union are part of a customs union. The ministry is arguing that out of the countries that enjoy GSP+ status with the EU, Turkey has extended the same status to all except Armenia and Pakistan.

Also, Pakistan has asked for a reversal of a set of additional duties that the Turkish government imposed on Pakistani products having high export potential in the Turkish market back in 2011.

In the seven rounds of FTA talks held since February 2015, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the matter of additional duties but no breakthrough has been achieved.

The products in question are cotton fabrics, apparel and home textiles, carpets, manmade fibres, plastics and footwear. The additional duties range from 20 to 50 per cent, bringing the total duties on these critical products to between 28 and 67pc when combined with other duties also applicable on them.

As a result, Pakistans exports to Turkey plummeted from $906 million in 2011 to $282m in 2017, a decline of 69pc.

The commerce ministry believes that the Turkish government is under an obligation to extend GSP+ status to Pakistan because the former is a member of the EU customs union, a demand that was first presented to the Turkish authorities in 2014. It was in response to this demand that the Turkish government proposed an FTA instead, talks for which were launched the following year.

In the seventh round of FTA talks in June 2017, Pakistan asked either for an extension of GSP+ status by Turkey or for the two countries to grant tariff concessions to each other, extending the lowest tariff that they may have granted to any other country under any FTA. For its part, the Turkish side, according to a source from the Pakistani team present at the meeting, proposed a 25pc reduction in the additional duties imposed in 2011, with the reductions spread over a five-year period and some of the duties possibly phasing out over 11 years.

Pakistan rejected that proposal, and the commerce ministry asked the top political leadership to intervene and press the Turkish side to show greater flexibility.

It suggested that if the intervention failed retaliatory tariffs could be imposed on Turkish products. None of the two recommendations were, however, adopted.

In December last year, the matter was again discussed at the meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey Joint Working Group, which is different from the FTA talks.

The Turkish side, according to the source present at the meeting, said it is not offering GSP+ status to other countries beyond those that already enjoy it.

Another attempt was made to achieve a breakthrough on the sidelines of the WTO ministerial meeting later that month in Buenos Aires, Argentina, again without any success. In fact at that event no meeting between the Pakistani and Turkish trade delegations could take place.

The FTA talks between Pakistan and Turkey have been extended twice. Originally they were supposed to conclude in 2016, but the date was extended to May 2017.

At present, no further meetings are scheduled, and the commerce ministry has formally asked the cabinet for permission to take up the Turkish refusal to either reduce its additional duties or extend GSP+ status in line with the EU, with the WTO, thereby elevating the issue to a trade dispute between the two countries.Medical Team of PNS HIMMAT Provided Medical Assistance to severely injured fisherman onboard Fishing Vessel in open sea.

PNS HIMMAT immediately responded to the emergency call by a Pakistani Fishing Vessel MASHALLAH, and provided medical assistance to injured fisherman onboard.

PNS HIMMAT medical team also provided medicines, bandages and edibles. Master of Fishing Vessel and fishermen onboard thanked for assistance rendered by Pakistan Navy.

Besides safeguarding maritime interests of Pakistan, Pakistan Navy has always been at the forefront to provide Humanitarian Assistance at sea.Dr Zafar Iqbal hacked

Attacker caught red-handed

Dr. Professor Muhammed Zafar Iqbal being taken to hospital after seriously injured in knife attack by an unidentified miscreant at SUST on Saturday.

Staff Reporter :

Noted writer and eminent academician Professor Dr. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was hacked by a youth in broad-day-light on the campus of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST) on Saturday afternoon.

"Zafar Iqbal is out of danger", Brigadier General Mahbubul Haque, Director of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital (SOMCH), told the media in the evening.

"He was sent to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital after conducting an operation at his head," the SOMCH director said.

Meanwhile, the renowned writer was also airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka at the Prime Minister's directive.

"The attacker stabbed him on the head from behind with a sharp weapon at Mukta Mancha on the campus around 5:30pm, our correspondent reports quoting the SUST Proctor Professor Zahir Uddin.

Zafar Iqbal was attacked by the unidentified man while he was speaking with some students during a two-day long fair organized by the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (EEE) of the university, he said.

The assailant hacked at on his head with a sharp sword from the backside in the crowded area during the concluding ceremony of a festival programme of the EEE Department, Prof. Zahir added.

Dr. Iqbal was rushed to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital immediately just after the attack, according to him.

The programme participants and students nabbed the attacker after he carried out the attack, he said. SUST Advisory and Instruction Director Md Rashed Talukder said the youth attacked Dr Zafar Iqbal at Muktamanch near Shaheed Minar area while he was approaching to attend the concluding programme.

The attacker's identity could not be confirmed by the university authorities and students, he said.

The victim's Personal Assistant (PA) Joynal Abedin said that Dr Zafar Iqbal rushed to the hospital with the injury at his head. His blood group is A+ (ve).

Meanwhile, the students staged a protest rally after breaking out a long procession demanding justice on the campus in the evening, witnesses said.

The attacker was handed over to police by giving a mass beating after detention from the spot, they said.

The students, relatives and well-wishers rushed to the hospital to Dr Zafar Iqbal, they added.

Abdul Wahab, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP), said that police have started the initial investigation of the attack.

A police constable named Ibrahim was also injured in the attack, he said.

Additional Police personnel were deployed on the campus and the hospital area to avert any untoward incident, the police official said.

Earlier, Dr Zafar Iqbal was received death threat by an unidentified miscreant over his mobile phone on October 12 in 2016, police sources said.

The text was 'Hi Unbeliever! We will strangulate you soon,' they said.

As per security step, the police headquarters provided three armed police personnel at night and two also in the day to ensure his security and safety. But he retuned the policemen after a few days.

The BNP strongly condemning the attack said that those who want fish in the troubled waters are behind the attack.

The attack on Zafar Iqbal sparked protests in different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Sylhet.

As a part of the protests, activists of Gonojagoron Mancha staged a demonstration at Shahbagh intersection in the capital.

Gonojagoron Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarker also announced programme for today (Sunday) in Dhaka protesting the attack.

Hundreds of students of Dhaka University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet also staged demonstrations on the campuses after hearing the news of the attack on Zafar Iqbal.





At least 28 people were killed in Friday's attack on the military headquarters of Burkina Faso, three security sources, two in France and one in West Africa.

Two of the sources said 28 people were killed and a third spoke of "around 30" dead in the attack in the capital Ouagadougou.

In a simultaneous attack, the French embassy was also targeted, leaving six assailants killed, according to the Burkinabe government.

The coordinated operation underscored the fragility of the Sahel nation, one of a string of African states struggling with a bloody militant insurgency.

Heavy gunfire broke out mid-morning in the centre of the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou.

Witnesses said five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the French embassy. The car was later seen ablaze.

At the same time, an explosion occurred near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural centre, which are located about a kilometre from the site of the first attack, other witnesses said.

Four assailants were killed in the embassy attack and two in the second attack, the government said.

"A certain number of gendarmes and soldiers" were wounded, but there were no known casualties among civilians, Information Minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou told the state TV channel RTB.

The attack "has strong overtones of terrorism," the minister said.

In Paris, French government sources said there had been no French casualties and described the situation in Ouagadougou as "under control".

The Paris public prosecutor said it had opened a formal investigation into "attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise", an expected procedural step after attacks targeting French citizens or interests.

Volatile region

Burkina Faso is one of a group of fragile countries on the southern rim of the Sahara that are battling militant groups.

The insurgency has caused thousands of deaths, prompted tens of thousands to flee their homes and dealt crippling blows to economies that are already among the poorest in the world.

On August 13 last year, two assailants opened fire on a restaurant on Ouagadougou's main avenue, killing 19 people and wounded 21. The attack remains unclaimed.

On January 15, 2016, 30 people, including six Canadians and five Europeans, were killed in a militant attack on a hotel and restaurant in the city centre.

Responsibility was claimed by a group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

France, the former colonial power in the Sahel region, has deployed 4,000 troops and is supporting a five-country joint force gathering Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

On February 21, two members of the French counter-terrorism force were killed by a landmine near Mali's border with Niger and Burkina Faso. Twelve French troops have died since the campaign, called Operation Barkhane, was launched in August 2014.

The United Nations also has a 12,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali called MINUSMA, which has taken heavy casualties. Four UN peacekeepers were killed by a mine blast on Wednesday in the centre of the country.

In a separate development on Friday, the specialist US website SITE, which monitors militant activity, said kidnappers had released a video of a 75-year-old French hostage, Sophie Petronin, who had been abducted in northern Mali in late 2016.

Petronin, who had been running an association helping Malian orphans, appears in poor health in the brief video.

Her kidnapping, hitherto unclaimed, was carried out by the "Support Group for Islam and Muslims". In the background, Macrons voice is heard on a loop, saying "I will protect you".Two people were shot dead Friday on the campus of a university in the US state of Michigan, setting off a manhunt for the suspected gunman.

Central Michigan University said the two people  killed inside the residence hall at the university, located about 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Detroit  were not students or staff but did not offer further details on their identities.

There were no other casualties.

University Police Lieutenant Larry Klaus said the incident as a "family-type domestic issue" and identified the suspected shooter as 19-year-old James Eric Davis, described as a university student.

The college campus in the city of Mount Pleasant in central Michigan was on lockdown hours after the incident as an expansive manhunt searched for the suspect.

Davis was known to law enforcement. Police took him to a hospital the night before for what was believed to be a "drug-related type of incident  an overdose or a bad reaction to drugs," Klaus told a news conference.

He was then released to hospital staff, Klause said.

Klaus said Davis was seen wearing a dark hoodie following the shooting. Police founda number of articles of clothing as he fled the campus north along railroad tracks, Klaus said.

The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said on Twitter sent special agents to assist.

The priority right now is the safety of those still on campus and I thank all first responders involved for their swift action, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said on Twitter.

Gun control debate

The shooting comes amid a renewed debate over pervasive gun violence and law enforcements role in stopping potential shooters, which was sparked when a teenage gunman killed 17 people at a Florida high school two weeks ago.

The gunman in that shooting had a history of run-ins with law enforcement, which have faced scrutiny over their failure to intervene despite multiple warnings.

It was unclear what kind of weapon the shooter in Michigan used or how he acquired it.

The state of Michigan allows for the concealed carrying of a handgun with a permit, but Central Michigan University does not allow guns on campus.

The reaction to the shooting was swift Friday morning, with multiple alerts going out on social media and mobile phones within minutes of the incident at 8:30 AM (1330 GMT), cautioning students and staff to shelter in place.

They remained locked down in classrooms and dormitories hours later. Classes were cancelled and visitors urged to stay away from campus.

With one day left before residence halls were scheduled to close for spring break, parents seeking out their children were told to go to a staging area at a nearby hotel.

"The university is taking all precautions. The number one priority right now is safety," said university spokesperson Sherry Knight.

In response to the shooting in Parkland, Florida, in which gunman Nikolas Cruz used a semi-automatic assault rifle, students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have made public appeals for change to permissive US gun laws.

President Donald Trump has called for training and arming some teachers, tougher background checks, and a potential increase in the minimum age for rifle purchases.

But the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby said that Trump was opposed to gun control after meeting with him on Thursday.AT&T has some mixed news for prospective customers. Starting today, the mobile giant will be implementing a few changes to their unlimited data plans' pricing and functionality.

To begin with, AT&T will be bumping up the cost of their basic unlimited data plan, dubbed "Unlimited Choice Enhanced," from $60 to $65 per month. The company will also be dropping the price of their higher-tiered, "Unlimited Plus Enhanced" plan from $90 to a mere $80. To be clear, these price changes are only going into effect for new unlimited data plan customers; existing customers will not see any changes to their monthly bills.

At any rate, these price adjustments come with a few service tweaks. Specifically, AT&T's Unlimited Choice Enhanced plan has had its 3Mbps speed cap for "overall Internet usage" eliminated.

Theoretically, this means customers will get faster data speeds in general with the exception of video playback which will remain locked to 1.5Mbps for 480p content. Unfortunately, AT&T will also be throttling Unlimited Choice Enhanced subscribers' connection speed if the company ever feels their network is too congested.

As for Unlimited Plus Enhanced subscribers, the new service tweaks are strictly beneficial. Previously, the Plus Enhanced plan's mobile hotspot functionality restricted users to 12GB of high-speed network connectivity before throttling their data speeds to 128kbps. Now, that limit has been increased to 15GB, giving users just a bit more breathing room before they will see a speed decrease.

Finally, Ars reports AT&T will be offering customers subscribed to either plan $15/month in "loyalty credits" to be put towards AT&T's various video services albeit with a couple of restrictions. For example, Unlimited Plus Enhanced subscribers can put the $15 towards DirecTV, DirecTV Now or U-Verse whereas Unlimited Choice Enhanced subscribers are limited to spending it on DirecTV Now.

You can learn more about AT&T's unlimited data plan changes on their official website."The Joint Declaration is a call to consolidate our voice, our weight to do positive things, to cooperate, and to make our way in the unjust world we live in today," Mexico's... | Read More'An audiobook is only good for me as a taste of the novel, a kind of aural blurb': writer Alec Patric. Credit:Eddie Jim Fellow literary fiction writer Mireille Juchau admits of struggling to cede control of the creative process. "The question of whether a novel can work as a spoken narrative is an interesting one  I would write differently for the voice, I'd be so much more economical! That said, I do have an internal sense of a character's voice  I know its rhythms and pace by the time I've got the character in. However, it's interesting to hear whether an actor picks that up or what they bring of their own to the work." Juchau, who didn't narrate the audiobook of her own novel, The World Between Us, spoke of the trickiness of her chosen narrator's task to navigate between six characters of different ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. Other authors like Clementine Ford chose to read their own work. After being invited by Audible, with whom she had the contract, Ford says she was put through an intensive process. "I recorded my audio book at the same time as I was proofreading Fight Like a Girl and can't stress how invaluable it was for authors to do a final edit by reading out loud. I picked up so many things that I wouldn't have if it was just my visual brain processing things." Actor and writer Ailsa Piper says what makes a good audio recording is first and foremost the actual book. Credit:Wend McDougall Krissy Kneen also read her own book, The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine, and felt the process equally draining, "I had to audition in Melbourne then flew back to Brisbane and when I landed they told me it was between me and an actor but if I wanted to do it I could, so I flew back to Melbourne the next day. Basically most of my fee went into the flights. I enjoyed the process. I kind of got quite competitive about doing it as quickly as possible and put in super long days. I liked the producer so it was fun to do but as I went on it shook my confidence as a writer. Seeing your work so closely exposes all the flaws."

Nick Earls says among the many advantages of audiobooks is 'a podcast audience waiting to be converted' to them. VOICE ACTORS For Ailsa Piper, an actor and writer who has narrated four books in the last 18 months (including her own travel memoir, Sinning Across Spain), what makes a good audio recording is first and foremost the actual book. It needs to be, she says, "a good story, well written". "Then [there's] the narrator  when there is a kind of chemistry between story and reader, it's as though the story only ever existed in this spoken form. That's difficult, that seamless unity. The producer  having someone on the other side of the glass who really knows the book and the capabilities of the narrator is priceless. Knowing when to let something roll, and when to intervene is both instinctive and learned, and the best of them are integral to a good outcome." Krissy Kneen recorded one of her own books: 'Seeing your work so closely exposes all the flaws.'

Piper was one of the judges for the ABIA Audiobook of the Year last year, and adds that there's a new trend towards sound effects. "I think it can be useful and fun, and loved some of them  but I also think that the central experience of a voice leading a listener to the writer's vision is the most essential component. That is a primitive and human relationship as old as time, and everything else is basically to enhance it." Nick Earls' latest publications, a five-piece suite of novellas called collectively Wisdom Tree, were translated into audio: each book read by a different voice actor. Earls was excited by the idea of casting for his series like one would for a TV drama and believed there was a ready podcast audience for audio novellas. Actor Rhys Muldoon, who has narrated both fiction and non-fiction, read the first in Earls' series, Gotham. "The key from a performance point of view was to make each character not only true to what's written on the page, but also sound different to every other character," says Muldoon. "It was important to keep those characters distinctive and to speak only how they'd speak. When I use a higher, faster register, the character sounds more youthful, and similarly with an older, possibly wiser character, I'll go into a deeper register." Muldoon says that reading the autobiography of the former Australian rugby captain John Eales was technically the most challenging gig he's tackled. "It was filled with a number of accents that were hard to get right  NZ, South Africa, English  various dialects  and Welsh." Calling himself "a servant of the authors", Muldoon elaborates, "I'm a bit like a sketch artist or court reporter and a friend they can trust to accurately tell the story. Sometimes I'm being very personal, and warm, and at other times I'm as dry and cold as a Soviet textbook on tin."

FUTURE TRENDSJust waste of money

SBUK recruits cyber security expert at a cost of 1,000 per day

Kazi Zahidul Hasan :

Sonali Bank UK (SBUK) Limited has employed a cyber security expert at a cost of 1,000.00 per day although it does not do any online banking.

He (cyber security expert) has been recruited as part of the bank authorities' long inherited unfair recruitment process in which they are prioritizing recruitment of foreign staff declaring Bangladeshi staff redundant.

The national flag carrier bank recently went through a redundancy exercise and held off further business development amid growing operational losses and implementing a new operating system and control process in line with the suggestions from British regulator.

The redundancy exercise, personally overseen by its chief risk officer Steven Boult, further weakened the financial strength of the bank as it had to count huge compensation for enforcing the plan.

SBUK's net loss before payment of tax stood at 296,006 in 2016 and 1,532,910 in 2015.

Sources said the redundancy exercise has been executed poorly axing dozen of its efficient officer and employees without any business needs analysis. It has cost the bank more money in the short, and long-term and putting business continuity at risk.

For an example, the bank's IT department had five staff in total, two managers and three workers. Yet when the redundancy took place Steven decided on letting go of the three workers keeping to two managers.

This made no sense from the business point of views and financial aspect as the three workers' salary were much lower than the two managers. The combined salary of the three workers was equal to the same salary of one of the managers.

Since the three workers have left other areas of the bank is suffering, what really makes things worse is Steven hired a cyber crime specialist at a cost of 1,000.00 per day. This is such a waste of money considered SBUK does not do any online banking therefore there is no need for this person. This person has a personal connection to Steven and hence the very high salary.

SBUK was established in 2001 with a paid up capital of 11.57 million. The paid up capital was increased to  25 million in early 2012.

The government of Bangladesh holds 51 per cent of the shares of UK Sonali Bank and 49 per cent by Sonali Bank Ltd, Bangladesh.

The principal aim of the bank is to provide wholesale banking to the Bangladeshi Banks and retail banking services (very limited) to the Bangladeshi community living in the UK.

"The bank plunges into deep crisis due to inefficiency of the top officials. They are more active to implement personal agenda rather than increasing business of the bank forcing it to incur huge losses in the last two years," a former SBUK official told The New Nation yesterday.CHINESE DATING WITH THE PARENTS



7pm, SBS Viceland

What really comes across in this If You Are The One spin-off, is how kind and sweet these young Chinese people are. With their parents getting in on the matchmaking via a lighthearted Q&A conducted by transgender actress Jin Xing, they pay homage to tradition while addressing the generation gap. Ignore the subtitles to simulate an international TV-watching experience.

Chinese Dating with the Parents: kind and sweet

DEATH IN PARADISE



7.30pm, ABC

This is the most important episode of this breezy murder mysteries series since Ben Miller passed the baton to Kris Marshall as the incoming Saint Marie inspector. Yes, it's time for another regeneration of the fish-out-of-water island cop. In keeping with the tradition of the role being played by a comedian, Irish comic Ardal O'Hanlon (Father Ted) is recruited while the team is on a case in London.SAFE HARBOUR



Wednesday 8.30pm, SBS

Showrunner Belinda Chayko (Secret City) has created an extraordinary response to the issue of asylum seekers in what is an instantly absorbing and thought-provoking four-part drama. The desperation, the misconceptions, the white privilege and embarrassment are laid bare in the meeting at sea of five Australian holidaymakers and a group of refugees. Their decisions, their betrayals and their losses are haunting.

Safe Harbour: absorbing

2018 SYDNEY GAY AND LESBIAN MARDI GRAS



Sunday 8.30pm, SBS

The dream team of Magda Szubanski, Joel Creasey and Patrick Abboud (The Feed) host this broadcast of the 40th anniversary of the LGBTI community's world-famous street parade. Screening one night after the event, which includes a performance by queer icon Cher, the feast of floats and fabulousness includes some background stories on the participants, including some of the pioneers of this celebration to remind us what it's all about.AUSTRALIAN SPARTAN



7pm, Seven

If the famously stoic Ancient Greek warriors had taken time out from slaying their enemies to indulge in such tomfoolery as this they would have left an entirely different legacy. In teams of three, trim, taut and terrific Australians try to stay atop various incarnations of the greasy pole for honour and cash. Edwina Bartholomew and Hamish McLachlan host. Wendell Sailor works the sidelines.

Australian Spartan: battling greasy poles

SEAL TEAM



10pm, Ten

As a study in the details of a military ambush in the Middle East, this American war drama is enlightening. In a replica of the bunker in which the most wanted terrorist since Osama bin Laden lurks, the team play several rounds of laser tag. It's all a bit of a teaser for the real deal, which presumably occurs next week. Elsewhere, soldiers grieve for a fallen comrade.MONSTER

Double episode series premiere 

11pm, SBS

Contradicting the popular image of Norway as a land of urbane sophisticates is this bleak and bizarre crime thriller set in a remote northern town where people are poor and ways are backward. Less unexpected is the storyline involving friction between the town's prodigal daughter, detective Hedda (Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes), and her a cute upstart cop from Oslo (Jakob Oftebro). Of the three stiffs that turn up in the establishing episode, one is exceedingly weird.

Monster: not so sophisticated

IDIOTSITTER



9.55pm, ABC Comedy

There's little to like about Jillian Bell's poor little rich girl, Gene, under house arrest, supervised and tutored by an earnest cash-strapped Harvard graduate, Billie (Charlotte Newhouse). She's childish beyond belief, cruel and anarchistic. The dialogue feels improvised, so believable is Billie's wordless exasperation. The only person gleaning any comedy from Gene's bratty behaviour and excruciatingly dumb retorts is Gene. There are no signs as yet that this hopeless situation is going anywhere.Amid the swirl of conflict and misunderstandings, betrayals and rejections that consume the commuters in this episode of Adam Zwar's and Trent O'Donnell's patchwork comedy sits Sam Simmons' lonely corporate loser, Lukas. His is a poignant storyline involving his dog and his phone conversations with his therapist that is nicely underplayed to leave a contrasting feeling of sadness.

The Good Fight: business is booming

With the Chicago murder rate on the rise, business is booming at the law firm that was strictly African-American until Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski from this series' predecessor, The Good Wife) turned up. The voice of her protegee, Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie), grows even huskier as she feels the heat from the Ponzi scandal. On the bright side, there is hope of reignited romance between Lucca (Cush Jumbo) and Colin (Justin Bartha).

SAFE HARBOUR



8.30pm, SBS

The casting of this superb local drama about a tragedy in the Timor Sea subtly invites comparisons between the two patriarchal figures. Both Ewen Leslie and Hazem Shammas play gentle men weighted by family responsibility. They even wear the same beard. But the self-absorption of the pampered middle-class Australian is a world away from the reality of the bereaved Iraqi immigrant. Theirs is just one disconnect in a masterfully woven web of intrigue.Cigarette butts and single-use plastics remain the biggest polluters in our waterways, with up to 1000 pieces of debris occupying each kilometre of Australian coastline, according to statistics from the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database.

The first of its kind in Australia, the database has recorded information about more than 10 million pieces of debris collected from national waterways over eight years, with more than 100,000 contributing volunteers.

Run by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, the database relies on "passionate" individuals, community groups and government agencies recording the types and amounts of litter found in their ongoing clean-ups.

Rubbish left at Bondi Beach attracts the interests of a large group of seagulls. Credit:Janie Barrett

Yet for Heidi Taylor, managing director of the foundation, the most worrying trend is that more than three-quarters of the recorded debris is plastic.Bags. Big brands like Hermes, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, YSL, Celine, Chloe are all doing amazingly well. The more a brand is hot in retail, the more it's hot for us. Jewellery is picking up; we see women investing more in statement pieces. We thought shoes would be a difficult category, but they actually sell very well because we pay a lot of attention to quality.

How do you select items?

After eight years we have a very strong knowledge of what the community wants. This desirability element underlies our back-office system. Our curators will put new products through an algorithm so we know if it is desirable or not. It can be a great brand but that product might not be desirable at all. Within that algorithm we integrate the quality of the piece and, of course, the authenticity. The purpose is to have a happy seller; there's no point to us saying yes to everything and disappointing the sellers.

How do you combat fake fashion?

We collect information from the seller about the product, where they bought it, and we ask them to take a picture of the authenticity details we need. We pay attention to first-time sellers; we'll have even more of a look at their behaviour. The community has a tool to flag potential fakes and if a product is flagged we take it off the site.My paternal grandfather, Henry, served in the war and worked as a tailor. He was a very elegant man and his wife Esma was a seamstress. They lived in Newcastle and moved to Bondi when my dad [painter John Olsen] was seven. Sadly, he became an alcoholic and we didn't see him much.

My mother, Valerie, was born in PNG. It was a brutal place, but so beautiful as well. Mum remembers sitting on her dad's shoulders and looking out at the tropical landscape. They lived in a grass house on the hill.

My maternal grandfather, Harold Strong, was from Wales, had a beautiful singing voice and was the first on and last off at Gallipoli. He was in the army and lived in Papua New Guinea before settling in Sydney. He was sad about the war and as he got older used to cry about all the friends he lost. He passed away in his sleep at 78.

My parents met at art school. Mum was Dad's second wife. They were the best of friends. She was a beautiful painter, more delicate than my father. She was very meticulous in the way she painted flowers and always had a magnifying glass in hand. She passed away in 2011 from an aggressive brain tumour. She was 78. Dad was heartbroken.

Dad has a very strong work ethic and instilled that in my brother, Tim, and me. He would get up early and take us for a swim before school at [Sydney Harbour's] Camp Cove. He is a fantastic cook, and nurturing. I never felt a sense of male and female roles at home as both my parents were artists and shared the duties. Dad would paint in the living room and Mum in the spare room.

Tim is two years older than me. When I was five we lived in an artists' commune in Melbourne's Arthurs Creek. We'd walk up dirt roads to our one-teacher school. Currawongs would swoop us and he'd protect me as we ran.

Tim owns a gallery in Sydney. We are still close. We had a lot of robust times together and argued as kids but we were protective of each other. As my father became more successful, we come under all kinds of scrutiny. We found a way to support each other so nothing impacted on us. I didn't realise Dad was a famous artist until kids started to tell me at school. His career was unfolding as we were growing up.

I used to spend a lot of time watching Dad paint. He allowed me to have a space in his studio where I could paint, too. He told me stories around the time Salute to Five Bells was being painted at the Sydney Opera House. He also loved to go early to Watsons Bay to pick up an octopus and bring it home. He'd put it on the kitchen table and paint it before he cooked it and we ate it. My dad is still a huge figure in my life. He just turned 90 and to this day goes into the studio to paint.If you're wondering if this semi-performative act of chicken roasting sounds familiar, allow me to assure you, it's because it is.

Ive done this a few times, but Im not super-confident, Lawrence told journalist Krista Smith of the roast chicken and vegetable dinner she had bubbling away in the oven, before adding, half -jokingly, I have ramen, so either way were fine".

Every young woman's imaginary best friend, Jennifer Lawrence, graced the cover of Vanity Fair this month. The interview, which was unleashed into the world - and the web - on Tuesday, took place in Lawrence's house in Los Angeles. If you think that sounds intimate, brace yourself, because the world's highest paid actress, and star of two billion-dollar movie franchises, was not merely the host - she was the cook.

Last November, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement, they revealed that the Prince's proposal took place over - you guessed it - a roast chicken dinner.

It was a cosy night, Markle told the BBC. We were roasting chicken. It was just an amazing surprise. It was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got down on one knee.

Oh, it was a very natural and super cosy evening at Prince Harry's little cottage ... at Kensington Palace. Markle said they were both participating in the roasting of the fowl, but if we turn our minds back to an interview the former Suits actress gave to Vanity Fair last year, we will note she called her roast chicken recipe a "game changer", adding that she had actually made friends after bringing it to parties.

Putting to the side, for the moment, just what level of blandness is required on behalf of these would-be friends and Markle to achieve a connection via the heating of bird flesh, I think we can safely assume that our Prince was probably doing little more than giving the gravy a weak stir. Largely because, well, the descendant of Henry VIII does not need to cook for friends.

All of which is perfectly fine, or it should be, because sometimes a roast chicken is just a roast chicken. But, it's curious, don't you think, that two of the most famous women in the western world should boast about cooking something so ordinary, so suburban, as a bird surrounded by vegies?Ten thousand years ago, a pioneering human farmer was struck down by a fever. A fever that would go on to cause the deaths of popes, emperors and millions of others, becoming one of the deadliest killers in history. The disease has been called by many names, but it is now known by its medieval Italian name Mal' aria, literally translated to bad air. Mal' aria, or malaria, was attributed to the air or vapours associated with swamps, marshes and other areas of stagnant water.

By the mid-1600s, people had discovered that extract from the bark of the Peruvian chinchona tree mixed with sweetened water (now known as tonic water) could ease and even cure malaria. The bark quickly became one of colonial Peru's greatest exports and it is likely much of Europe's colonisation efforts into Africa and South-East Asia was only made possible thanks to a stiff G&T.

Mosquitoes transmit the Plasmodium parasite from person to person. Credit:Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

We now know, thanks to the work of French scientist Alphonse Laveran in the late 1800s, that malaria is not caused by stagnant air, but is in fact caused by a type of unicellular parasite, called Plasmodium, that lives and feeds inside a person's red blood cells. The chemical quinine is toxic to the Plasmodium parasite.

Shortly after, Sir Ronald Ross observed that the parasite could be found in the guts of mosquitoes and discovered they transmit the parasite person to person, explaining the historic association with swamps, the breeding grounds of mosquitoes. By the mid 20th century, effective drug treatments and insecticides made eradicating malaria an attractive and achievable idea.Myanmar must take back Rohingyas: Lisa

US assures help in repatriation

Visiting Deputy Assistant to US President Donald Trump Lisa Curtis talking to media during visit to Kutupalong refugee camps in Cox\'s Bazar on Saturday. US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat is seen with Lisa Curtis.

Staff Reporter :

The United States has assured Bangladesh of all-out support for the safe, sustainable and dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.

Lisa Curtis, Deputy Assistant to US President Donald Trump, made the assurance after visiting the Rohingya refugee camp at Kutupalong in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar on Saturday.

"To solve this growing crisis, the US will always stand beside Bangladesh. All cooperation will be given to Bangladesh on the Rohingya repatriation issue. To this end, I came to see the Rohingya situation in Bangladesh on behalf of the US government," said Lisa Curtis while talking to reporters.

She said Myanmar must take back the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh after ensuring their security and dignity. "The US government continues the pressure on the Myanmar government in this regard. It will continue its persuasion of Myanmar until the Rohingyas return to their homeland safely, with security and dignity."

Trump's aide Lisa Curtis also said the US would keep continued insistence on Myanmar to create right conditions in Rakhine state for safe return of the Rohingyas with all facilities.

She also stressed the need for a sustainable solution of the problem in light of the recommendations of the Kofi Annan Commission.

Lisa Curtis, who arrived in Dhaka yesterday on a three-day official visit, deeply appreciated Bangladesh's decision to temporarily shelter more than 600,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and stated that Bangladesh "responded extremely well" to this unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

"The Bangladesh government definitely deserves praise for sheltering this huge Rohingya population," she said, adding, "This will remain as a rare instance in history."

She also mentioned that the presence of this huge number of Rohingyas created massive socio-economic and environmental challenges for Bangladesh.

Curtis reached the refugee camps with US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat around 10:00am and talked with the Rohingya refugees waiting at transit point of the Kutupalong refugee camp.

She left the camp for Dhaka around 2:00pm.

Replying to a question, Curtis said the United State was closely observing the situation arisen on Bangladesh-Myanmar border after Burma's deployment of additional troops along the borders of both countries.

"We understand the concern of the government of Bangladesh. So that we are watching it carefully and closely."Intricate ivory figurines, bracelets and other items were turned into powder at an ivory destruction event in Melbourne.

They once adorned an elephant: large incisor teeth used in battle, to gather food or to dig.

But human greed has turned the tusks, made of dentine, the bony tissue that forms the bulk of our teeth, into trinkets.

According to For the Love of Wildlife, an Australian animal welfare organisation, an elephant is killed for its tusk every 15 minutes.

On Saturday, the organisation crushed more than 120 kilograms of ivory items in the middle of Bourke Street Mall before about 100 cheering people. Most items were donated by the federal government and some by supporters.$103 million for the redevelopment of Loreto Kirribilli may seem somewhat obscene but the addition of two "vertical connection pods" should give the school a much needed lift. Stewart Smith, North Kellyville Correction: The "vertical connection pods" will be installed at Scots College, where the passcode will be "beammeupscotty". Meredith Williams Dee Why The "haves" just keep getting more and the divisions widen in our society from the very beginning of a child's life. It should not be reinforced by schools.

Janice Creenaune, Austinmer Though the facts are well-known, your editorial ("When schools look like resorts questions about funding must be asked", February 25) needs to be reiterated ad nauseam in the hope our national conscience might one day be aroused. The present system, found nowhere else, originated a century ago with the Catholic Church's refusal to allow its children to attend public schools, and a concurrent, subterranean political campaign to obtain government aid for its own. When other churches saw what they were missing they got on the wagon too. It is incredible that the churches, despite their espousal of fine principles of morality and ethics, have never acknowledged the unfairness and hardship inherent in the funding model, nor even said thank you, except to put their hands out for more. They are now "entitled", it seems. This is just one of many issues that condemn the country to mediocrity behind the more intelligent, compassionate, progressive nations. Jim Ayling, Kirrawee,

Australia must step up If, as reported, Australia wants America to remain involved in freedom of navigation exercises in the South China sea then it has to step up and be involved also, despite the possible economic flow on effects due to displeasing our major trading partner politically ("Back us against China: Trump", February 25). Gordana Martinovich, Dulwich Hill Berejiklian should walk the talk Be good if she were to walk the talk with our transport and housing problems, to name but two ("'Innovation is integral: Berejiklian's speech to US", February 25).

Steve Ngeow, Chatswood I wonder if she mentioned the ginormous cock-up she has made of Sydney's CBD and the selling of her soul to developers? Peter Miniutti, Ashbury Priceless Alice There have been many famous Alices in history, but The Vicar of Dibley's Alice Tinker will always be the funniest ("Gone too soon: Notting Hill and Vicar of Dibley actress dies", February 25). Her sweet-natured gaffes and puzzled expressions were simply priceless.

John de Bres Rose Bay Setting you on straight and narrow Does Jessica Irvine ("Join us lads, and dress to impress", February 24) "quaff" her hair from a glass or a mug? Arthur Cooper, Alstonville Turnbull's different tunesWhen Ms Morabito jumped out of the car to help her husband, the muggers ran off with the $900 cash and Mr Tehseens phone - also an iPhone X. It was a snatch and grab operation, Ms Morabito said. Police arrived some 40 minutes later and were not able to track the men. A similar event occurred in a neighbouring suburb the next day, this time targeting a woman with a baby and a toddler. The woman was ambushed when she arrived at Terry Court in Hampton Park to buy an iPhone for $1000.

Three men grabbed the woman and her sisters handbag, which contained her car keys, before running away through nearby wetlands. The trio in both instances has been described as of African appearance and wearing black hoodies. Victoria Police confirmed the robberies were being investigated. We are investigating similar Facebook robberies, a spokeswoman said. No one has been arrested yet.

Another Facebook Marketplace user, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she and her husband had a similar experience but were able to escape with their possessions intact. The woman was trying to sell her iPhone X via Facebook Marketplace on February 11, but sensed there was something dodgy about the transaction. We went into the street, saw an alley there were a few people hanging out in front of the houses, she said. The pair had arranged to drop the phone off at a home in Cranbourne North, but knew something was amiss the buyer said he would be walking through the park to meet them. We never got out of the car, she said.

The buyer blocked the sellers number when the couple refused to meet on the street. The woman, who is on a disability pension recovering from cancer, said she was now more wary of Facebook Marketplace. I probably wouldn't deliver anything ever again, she said. You cant be too sure nowadays. She still hasnt sold her iPhone, but receives similar calls and messages asking for her to deliver the phone.

Ms Morabito said she was unhappy at the police response after she made a report about the thieving trio. I sent [the police] screen shots of the sellers, details  My brother-in-law even messaged [the sellers] and got an address and phone number, she said. She said police did not take steps to prevent similar incidents. The detectives did nothing, absolutely nothing, she said. The Age contacted one of the alleged robbers, who denied his involvement.A man who lost sight in one eye after he was viciously assaulted in a Brunswick bar last May says he regularly drinks himself to sleep, endures constant nightmares and has been unable to work since the attack.

At a County Court pre-sentencing hearing for his two assailants, their victim Elliot Harvey, 26, demanded they look at him while he told the court of how the assault had ruined his quality of life.

I have regular panic attacks. Life is hard to enjoy and all my relationships are laboured. I often cannot sleep, Mr Harvey said as his partner wept openly.

I no longer enjoy the life I used to.The Education Department has overturned the expulsion of a student who allegedly sexually assaulted a teacher at a Victorian state school.

The student has been allowed to remain at the school and the traumatised teacher has had to leave.

The principal who tried to expel the student has also left the school.

The revelations follows a series of controversial Education Department rulings that have revoked the expulsion of students.

On Friday, the Andrews government announced it would overhaul the expulsion process to give principals and victims a greater say.Residents, businesses and police in the popular Great Ocean Road town of Lorne have been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.

The Age understands about 60 of the motorcycle gangs members, plus their families, have booked accommodation at a hotel in Lorne for the upcoming St Patricks Day weekend.

It is understood the hotel accepted the booking after police advised them not to. A number of other hotels in the town accepted bookings but then cancelled the gangs reservation on the instruction of police.

The popular Great Ocean Road town of Lorne will play host to 60 Hells Angels members and their families on St Patrick's Day weekend. Credit:Drew Ryan

The Grand Pacific hotel, where the gang and their families are booked, has facilities to cater for functions or conferences of up to 200 guests.Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce is not certain he is the biological father of Vikki Campion's baby. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Joyce claimed he was never asked by the Daily Telegraph - which revealed in early February that the couple were expecting a child - if the child was his. The story was widely followed by other media outlets, including the The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and ultimately led to his resignation from cabinet.

In an interview that calls into question a key factor in Mr Joyce losing the second-highest political office in the country, the Nationals MP told Fairfax Media the baby boy he and Ms Campion are expecting in April would be raised as mine but conceded the identity of the biological father was "a grey area".

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has slammed the initial reporting of his relationship with Vikki Campion, saying he was never asked if he was the father of his former staffer's unborn child and that the issue of paternity is not certain.

The backbencher said journalists did not check the apparent fact" he was the babys father against the pair's respective travel to see if Mr Joyce, 50, and Ms Campion, 33, were geographically together around the time of conception.

Mr Joyce conceded that the fact they were physically apart for almost all of the critical period in which conception occurred, meant the question of paternity remained "a bit of a grey area".

Mr Joyce said he had no intention of getting a paternity test.

His comments were volunteered on Saturday at his initiative with Ms Campion present for some of the interview. They followed an article in Saturdays Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, which reported the question of the babys paternity was part of the Parliament House rumour mill.

Mr Joyce said it was outrageous that a newspaper could breach the privacy of the pregnant Ms Campion by photographing her "crossing the road", and then splash her picture on the front page with the headline "Bundle of Joyce". He claims neither he nor Ms Campion were asked about the paternity at the time the photograph was taken and says no other questions about it were put to the pair.A house in the Canberra suburb of Narrabundah had suffered multiple burglaries. For the sixth time someone had broken in through a window and taken things from the bedroom of a nine-year-old boy.

This time the offender was caught red-handed, with a pillowslip full of the Lego  he was the nine-year-old boy from next door.

When police officer Rudi Lammers arrived, he decided not to follow the usual procedure. Instead, he sat down with the two nine-year-olds and asked the victim, What do you think we should do?

The reply surprised him. The victim tipped out half the Lego, and gave the rest to the thief. Then he said, Any time you want to play Lego, come over. But can you come through the front door? Because Dad gets really cranky when you come through the window.

Decades later, Lammers was approached by a man in a Canberra club who whispered in his ear, Do you know who I am? I am the Lego boy. That experience changed my life. He had stopped stealing and gone on to run a construction company.Security experts and former officials have warned about the long-term risks to Australia posed by the juggernaut status of Chinese firm Huawei as looks to build 5G mobile networks that will dramatically expand web connections to everyday life.

Fairfax Media understands there are significant concerns in Canberra about the Chinese giant having too much control over the worlds 5G network, which will provide mobile speeds at least 10 times faster than current networks to feed data-hungry future technologies such as driverless cars, robotics and virtual reality.

Fairfax Media understands the Turnbull government is in discussions with a range of other countries about the security concerns with 5G. But any decision to attempt to exclude Huawei would put the government in the difficult position of having to dictate commercial choices to Australian telco carriers.

One former security official who asked not to be named told Fairfax Media concerns revolved around, not just technical risks to core infrastructure, but also the dangers of Huawei having a global monopoly in such a strategically important industry.

Theres a bigger strategic question about industrial supremacy here, the former official said.Russian warnings against allies 'unacceptable': NATO

Journalists watch a live broadcast of Russian President Vladimir Putin\'s address to the Federal Assembly in a pressroom at Moscow\'s Manezh exhibition centre on Thursday.

Reuters, Brussels :

President Vladimir Putin's warnings to NATO allies are "unacceptable" and do not help efforts to calm tensions, the alliance said on Friday, a day after the Russian leader announced an array of new nuclear weapons.

Already angry at NATO's expansion eastwards into its old Soviet sphere of influence, Putin said in a speech on Thursday that any attack on Moscow's allies would be regarded as an attack on Russia itself and draw an immediate response.

While it was unclear which ally Putin had in mind, the US-led NATO said the speech, one of the Russian leader's most bellicose in years, did not help calm tensions that have surged since Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea four years ago.

"Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counterproductive," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement.

The Crimea crisis has given NATO a new sense of purpose, but the alliance insists its new deterrents in the Baltics and Poland are defensive.

"We do not want a new Cold War or a new arms race," Lungescu said. "All allies support arms control agreements which build trust and confidence, for everyone's benefit."

One particular sore point for Moscow is NATO's US-built missile defence umbrella across Spain, Poland and Romania, which the alliance says is designed to shoot down Iranian rockets.

Putin, speaking ahead of an election on March 18 that polls indicate he should win easily, said in his speech that new Russian technology would render such defences "ineffective".

But NATO said it was Russia that has a "continued military build-up from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean."

"As we have repeatedly made clear, the alliance's missile defence is neither designed nor directed against Russia. Our system defends against ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area," Lungescu said, in reference to the Middle East and further afield.

The NATO-Russia Council, which was briefly broken off in June 2014 after the Crimea crisis, is the forum in which Russian and NATO diplomats seek to air their grievances, although the West and Moscow remain at odds over eastern Ukraine. More than 10,000 people have been killed in separatist fighting that NATO accuses Moscow of directly backing.

The alliance issued a statement earlier today after defence chiefs met in Brussels to discuss their response to last weeks bombing by Russia.

Moscow said it is targeting fighters from ISIS, also known as ISIL, and other extremists but NATO says it is targeting groups such as the Free Syrian Army instead.

And they also called on Russia to explain why some of its fighter jets ended up in Turkish airspace.

A plane entered Turkey's airspace on Saturday, forcing Turkey to scramble jets, while another one is said by NATO to have gone into the airspace yesterday.

The alliance issued a statement earlier today after defence chiefs met in Brussels to discuss their response to last weeks bombing by Russia.

Moscow said it is targeting fighters from ISIS, also known as ISIL, and other extremists but NATO says it is targeting groups such as the Free Syrian Army instead.

And they also called on Russia to explain why some of its fighter jets ended up in Turkish airspace.

A plane entered Turkey's airspace on Saturday, forcing Turkey to scramble jets, while another one is said by NATO to have gone into the airspace yesterday.NATO members "strongly protest" and "condemn" incursions into Turkish and Nato territory, the alliance said.

It said: "Allies call on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians, to focus its efforts on fighting ISIL, and to promote a solution to the conflict through a political transition.

"Allies also note the extreme danger of such irresponsible behaviour. They call on the Russian Federation to cease and desist, and immediately explain these violations."

Moscow's unexpected move last week to launch air strikes in Syria has brought the greatest threat of an accidental clash between Russian and Western forces since the Cold War.

Russian war planes and those of the United States and its allies are now flying combat missions over the same country for the first time since the Second World War, with Moscow repeatedly targeting insurgents trained and armed by Washington's allies.

Turkey, a NATO member with the alliance's second biggest army, scrambled two F-16 jets on Saturday after a Russian aircraft crossed into its airspace near its southern province of Hatay, the Turkish foreign ministry said.

In a second incident, the Turkish military said a MiG-29 fighter jet - an aircraft used both by Russia and Syria's own air force - had harassed two of its F-16s by locking its radar on to them on Sunday as they patrolled the border.

A key policy to protect domestic violence victims who need to flee from rental properties is "in limbo", according to the NSW opposition which says the state government has let down the most vulnerable.

The government announced in July 2016 that it would overhaul the residential tenancy laws to ensure victims could terminate their leases immediately by providing evidence of domestic violence through an interim apprehended violence order or court order.

The changes were also going to ensure that domestic violence victims would not be penalised for property damaged, or rental debt caused, by a violent partner.

But the opposition says that, 18 months on, nothing has changed.From high-tech smart rings to simple printed QR codes, Aussies are finding more ways to pay for things at the counter and on the go.

Australians lead the world when it comes to embracing contactless payments, with "tap and go" accounting for more than one-third of all retail transactions, whether it be using contactless cards, smartphones or the new generation of wearables such as smartwatches.

Bankwest's Halo ring is essentially a Mastercard, but in a more convenient shape.

As credit card surcharges and minimum purchase amounts gradually disappear, contactless payments are becoming more practical for small purchases such as your morning takeaway coffee.

As wearables strive to become more fashionable, Bankwest is launching the $39 Halo smart ring which lets you simply wave your hand to pay for things at the counter. Waterproof to 50 metres, the ring doesn't require charging and isn't dependent on a linked smartphone, meaning there's no danger of a flat battery leaving you in the lurch.Now on CarsYeah.com Podcast: The Auto Channel's Co-Founder Marc Rauch

Cars Yeah is an online automotive talk show that aims to inspire automotive enthusiasts of all types and ages. Host Mark Greene, an incurable automotive enthusiast himself, loves interviewing automotive entrepreneurs who live a lifestyle around their passion for automobiles.

Mark's guests include: Artists, celebrities, journalists, authors, concours directors, racers, designer, builders, and more. Each episode takes his listeners on journey, gets under the "hood," and provides some inspiration. You can find over 850 Cars Yeah shows on the CarsYeah.com website and related outlets.







This week's guest is The Auto Channel's co-founder and co-publisher, Marc J. Rauch, who talks about his experiences as an automobile aficionado, as well as the challenges and successes of launching The Auto Channel online and broadcast TV network.

Marc Rauch is the Co-Founder of The Auto Channel television network that began in 1987. The Auto Channel dot com was launched in 1995. The Tach online entity is the internets largest automotive information resource with more than 2 million pages of content. Today Marc is the companys Executive Vice President and Co-Publisher. He is also a multi-award winning TV/Film Writer, Producer, and Director who has been a broadcasting and marketing executive for over 40 years. Marc is a leading advocate of alternative fuels and energy who writes and lectures on the issue. Hes presented testimony before a Congressional meeting on ethanol, was a keynote speaker at the Australian National Biofuels Symposium and spoke at the Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation forum on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Defendant Yoselyn Ortega on Friday. Photo: Susan Watts/NY Daily News via Getty Images

Marina Krims seven-hour testimony in the murder trial of the nanny who killed her two children in October 2012 has ended. By the time she left the stand, she was hyperventilating, weeping, and crumpled over. And as a court officer escorted her out of the room, her sorrow turned to rage. Youre evil! she screamed at defense attorney Valerie Van Leer-Greenberg. Krim was bent at the waist, putting her at eye level with the seated lawyer.

The officer pulled her toward the exit, about five yards away from defendant Yoselyn Ortegas seat, and Krim bent over and leaned as close as she could. Youre evil! she bellowed. Youre evil and you like this. You love this. Youre getting pleasure from this.

In the jury box, a young woman in a cowl-neck sweater hugged herself and blinked away tears.

Van Leer-Greenbergs cross-examination of Krim had contained a number of questions about what sounded like the nannys grievances: Had the religious Ortega been forced to work on Sundays? Did she ever get a bonus? Did Ortega and Krim have a disagreement about bottled water? After playing in a park sandbox, did Kevin Krim and his kids make a big, sandy mess?

I already talked about that, an openly exasperated Krim replied more than once, throwing up her hands and answering the questions through gritted teeth.

But it wasnt until ADA Stuart Silberg returned to ask clarifying questions about the witnesss testimony that Krim broke down.

When youre looking back at things like sand and water, he said of the banal domestic clashes that took place in the days before the killing, are you trying to find something you could have missed?

I dont understand your question, Krim said, breaking into tears. I dont understand your question right now, Im sorry about this. I dont understand. I know its a really simple question  I dont understand it. I dont know what she was fishing for 

Related Stories The First Day of the Nanny Murder Trial Sets the Tone for Whats to Come

During her opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Courtney Groves reminded the jurors that the prosecution does not need to prove motive in this case. Yoselyn Ortega concedes that she committed this crime  the only question left is whether she was criminally insane at the time. Still, Groves said, most of us are asking why Ortega would slaughter the children she had spent two years caring for. With Fridays testimony, Krim gave the court a glimpse of her own struggle with that question.

You said there was a story you wanted to tell, ADA Silberg said to Marina Krim during the redirect. In the year before she lost two children to violent crime, Krim explained, shed lost an unborn child to miscarriage. During her sisters wedding, on Labor Day weekend in 2012, Krim had been pregnant with a fourth child.

I dont remember exactly when, but I did end up telling my kids, she said. I never told my parents. But I did tell the defendant, because I figured Lulu would be so happy, she wouldnt be able to keep it in. So I told her  This was some time in September or October, I dont remember exact dates. And we were all really excited. I mean, for Lulu, this was her dream come true, to be the oldest sister of another baby. She was, like, the most maternal little girl in the whole wide world.

Kevin and I went to like my 12-week ultrasound  and the nurse came and started doing the ultrasound  and then it was really strange, I was like getting weird vibes  Just then a lawyer, began to interject. With her eyes squeezed closed, Krim shouted into the microphone: Let me tell my story, please! The room went silent. Eyes still closed, she continued: And the the doctor came in, and they said Id had a miscarriage. The baby was dead. And so  and so  I was really sad. But, you know, I also feel fortunate that I had three beautiful, beautiful kids. Beautiful kids who I really loved. So I still felt really lucky.

So I went home and I instantly told Lulu, because I knew she would understand. She had a few tears in her eyes, which broke my heart a million times. But I told her, you know, Ill have another one. Were going to keep trying.

And then I told the defendant  oh god, I forgot  when I told the defendant that I was pregnant, she did one of her overly emotional, exaggerated emotional things. She gave me this giant hug and she was saying, Oh my god, Im so happy, I love you, I love you, oh my god, I love you, I love you. Ortega was prone to emotional outbursts, Krim said, like the time the family had surprised Ortega with airline tickets to the Dominican Republic after shed mentioned not being able to afford going home.

And then when I told [the defendant] I had a miscarried? She didnt say anything. She didnt give me a hug. She just  she gave me no emotion at all. She actually looked mad at me  mad that I had a miscarriage. And I was like  I was like  oh my god  I had a weird [realization] like: Shes a narcissist. Its all about money. For the last time, she screamed into the microphone: ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY.

This sort of repeated, sustained outburst is not common, I gather. Its worse than TV, a courtroom sketch artist told me during a break-time chat in the hall. After the witness and jury were escorted out, Van Leer-Greenberg reiterated her objections to what she characterized as a very improper redirect examination. Due to the cacophony in the courtroom, Van Leer-Greenberg said she feared she was not heard. I heard it, Judge Carro replied. And I denied it. Yes, the lawyer acknowledged, but she wanted to make sure they were on the record.More than 100 killed since Philippine police returned to Duterte's drug war

President Rodrigo Duterte has told police and the military to not cooperate with the United Nations Special Rapporteur looking into accusations of Duterte\'s crimes against humanity.

AFP, Manila :

More than 100 drug suspects have been killed since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the police to rejoin his "war on drugs", an official said Saturday.

Duterte was elected in 2016 on a promise to eradicate drugs, and launched an unprecedented campaign in which-rights activists allege-as many as 12,000 people have been killed. Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao confirmed that 102 drug suspects were killed by police between December 5 -- when Duterte ordered the force to rejoin the drug war-and March 1.

In October last year, the president had announced that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency would replace the police in counter-narcotics operations following mounting public opposition, including rare street protests.

But Duterte, 72, also repeatedly said the anti-drug agency, with only around 2,000 officers, would not be able to effectively conduct the crackdown.

He eventually ordered the police back into the anti-drug campaign without any major reform of the force.

Bulalacao could not give comparative figures for the death toll before December 5, but according to figures released separately by the government, 4,021 "drug personalities" were killed between June 2016 -- when Duterte took office-and February 8 this year.

Activists allege that around 12,000 people have been killed in the drug war, many of them by shadowy vigilantes, and warn that the fiery president may be carrying out a crime against humanity.

In early February, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said she had opened a "preliminary examination" into the alleged abuses. In recent weeks, the Philippine government has said it is willing to let a UN Special Rapporteur into the country to look into the accusations.

But the foreign secretary has called for fairness in the investigation, and Duterte has told police and the military to not cooperate with the rapporteur.

"If they ask you about wrongdoing, do not answer. And if they ask you why, tell them: we have a commander in chief," Duterte told police and soldiers on Thursday.

Asked about this remark, Bulalacao said that if international investigators approach the police, "we shall refer this matter to the higher authorities."



A file photo of a Boeing 777-300ER, owned by Dubai carrier Emirates, takes off from Dubai airport on July 29, 2008. (Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty Images)

5 Injured as Emirates Airline Jet Stairway Collapses, Crashes Into Engine

Five people were injured when a boarding stairway collapsed at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

The Emirates airline flight EK615 was about to depart for Dubai, when the stairs collapsed, causing passengers to fall on the tarmac.

Four of the injured were passengers, Muhammad Latif, Kulsoom Beghum, Bilqees Akhtar, and Rafia Bibi. Bibi, a 59-year-old American citizen, suffered head injuries, The Express Tribune reported. A loader, only identified as Qamar, was the fifth injured.

All the injured passengers were taken to Benazir Bhutto Hospital, according to rescue officials.

@emirates looks like the engine is damaged for EK615. No news from the staff yet pic.twitter.com/1GFkVOB91o  Aquil Ahmed (@AhmedAquil) February 26, 2018

Photos from the scene showed the stairway toppled over on its side. Other pictures also show damage to the planes engine inlet.

EK615 has been delayed as a result and customers will be rebooked on alternate flights. Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our customers, crew and staff is of utmost importance and will not be compromised, the Emirates said in a statement reported by Khaleej Times.

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Amazing View of Airbus Atlas Sweeping Through ValleyBody of Man Who Drove Into Creek in Arkansas Found

The body of a man who accidentally drove his car off the I-55 highway and into a creek was recovered on Friday, March 2.

The driver, 20-year-old DeQuan Crawford, called Arkansas State Police for help as he was standing on top of his submerged vehicle, NBC affiliate WMC reported. According to a family member, he told them he couldnt swim.

Authorities said Crawford drove into Big Creek, just south of Turrel, at around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Mar. 1.

He was driving home from his job at the Nike distribution center in Memphis, according to CBS affiliate WREG-TV.

When emergency crews arrived at the scene on Thursday, however, they couldnt find Crawford. Using a magnet, investigators did manage to locate his car in the creek. But he was not inside.

Crawfords body was not found until the next morning.

TRAGIC UPDATE:

Dequan Crawford's body has been located, according to the sheriff. The coroner has been called to the creek, where family and friends are gathered. To all those who knew Quan, I'm so incredibly sorry for your loss. Y'all are in so many people's prayers. pic.twitter.com/LGF6v0yfq4  Zach Crenshaw (@ZachCFOX13) March 2, 2018

He was just loving, a loving kid, Cynthia Holloway, Crawfords mother, told WREG-TV. Everybody loved him. People he went to school with, played ball with, he was just all around well liked.

Cythnia said the last text she sent her son was please be careful, a phrase which she sent him every night. Crawford replied with the same response yes, maam.

[He was a] good guy. Never got into trouble, one of Crawfords cousins told FOX13.

THE LAST TEXT:

Quan's mother, Cynthia, texted him less than two hours before he crashed.

"Please be careful on your way home."

"Yes ma'm," he replied. Due to heavy rain & darkness, he lost control on I-55 & ended up in Big Creek. I will post updates in the morning. pic.twitter.com/955eH53XWr  Zach Crenshaw (@ZachCFOX13) March 2, 2018

He liked to laugh, joke a lot, another cousin said. Crawfords family think weather may have caused the crash. Most likely cause it was raining and so you never know cause we dont know everything that happened, his aunt Tarsha Ceaser told WREG. Cynthia and her sons step-father showed up at the accident scene where they waited for hours hoping for his rescue. They were not alone. Dozens of friends and family members, including Turrell Mayor Dorothy Cooper, were also there. Turrell is comprised of 656 citizens, Cooper told WMC. When one hurts, we all hurt. We came together in this time of sorrow. This is a sad situation. On Thursday night before the body had been found, Crawfords family formed a circle and held each tightly as the grim reality set in. From NTD.tv Recommended Video: Lucky Motorcyclist Narrowly Avoids Multi-Car CrashHigh School Teacher Suspended After Echoing Trumps Call to Arm Teachers

A New Jersey high school suspended a history teacher after he echoed President Donald Trumps proposal to arm teachers so they could protect students in case of a shooting.

Timothy Locke, 59, was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 22 after he told a classroom that teachers should be armed in case a shooting similar to the one in Parkland, Florida, should happen in New Jersey.

Locke told students at Cherry Hill High School East that if he was armed he would stand between his students and the gunman to defend them. President Donald Trump proposed arming properly trained teachers and paying them an annual bonus to carry weapons in school.

The classroom largely agreed with Locke, but one female student was so distraught that she had to be brought to the principals office by another teacher.

The bottom line is that I was very concerned about the security at my school, Locke told the Philadelphia Inquirer. I was adamantly concerned with the welfare of my students.

STUDENTS V SCHOOL BOARD: Cherry Hill HS students are planning to attend the district meeting tonight to defend their teacher, Timothy Locke. He was placed on leave after discussing school safety concerns in the wake of the FL deadly school shooting. (Picture: 2002 Yearbook) pic.twitter.com/YJOrhqjkQN  Lauren Dawn Johnson (@LaurenDawnFox29) February 27, 2018

Lockes suspension caused an outrage among students and parents, who staged a walkout on Feb. 26. Locke started teaching at the school in 2001 and is loved by many students.

The students love him unequivocally, Eric Ascalon, whose son, Zaiden, was in Lockes class last year, told the Inquirer. After the events in Parkland, there was no mention in the schools. There was no addressing the issue with students and the one teacher that brings up the concerns is suspended.

Locke has a 4.86 out of 5 star rating on the ratemyteachers website.

Ascalons son participated in the walkout and was taken to the principals office as a result. Several parents also participated in the protest, according to CBS.

Hundreds of students at a NJ high school staged a walkout over a teacher who was suspended for speaking about school safety concerns they want the reinstatement of history teacher Timothy Locke, a 59-yr-old Iraq War Air Force veteran via @theblaze https://t.co/mQlEpMhslN  Tim Gradous (@tgradous) February 27, 2018

One of the girls from East posted an amazing post on Facebook last night, and I knew they were marching and I said, good for them, I wanted to do something,' parent Rachel Kirkham told CBS.

Kirkham and her friend brought coffee and boxes of donuts to the protest.

I think it is amazing. It makes me think of Whitney Houston  the children are our future. This whole movement, I think it is incredible, Kirkham said.

Cherry Hill HS East seniors Justin Prechodko + Gabe Ritter show a petition they started this morning to bring history teacher #TimothyLocke back. Its gathered 500+ signatures so far. They call his placement of administrative leave an injustice. @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/6GOk9YY9fc  Anita Oh (@anita_oh) February 26, 2018

The local school district declined to comment on the suspension saying that it was a personal matter.

A senior at the high school, Justin Prechodko, is promoting a petition calling for Lockes return.

Mr. Locke is my favorite teacher, bar none, of all time. I just felt an injustice was done so I decided instead of being quiet Id step up. Thats what I learned from Locke: that youre never too small to step up, Predchoko told CBS.

From NTD.tv

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President Trumps First State of the Union AddressA Bangladeshi fruit vendor shows a jackfruit, one of the country's summer fruits to potential customers at his roadside stall on the outskirts of Dhaka on June 4, 2008. (Khan Godhuly/AFP/Getty Images)

Jackfruit Burgers: British Entrepreneurs Trying to Break Market With Pulled Pork Fruit

Tasting and looking like pulled pork, jackfruit has been tipped as the next big thing in the world of meat substitutes for the last couple of years.

As vegan and vegetarian options surge in popularity, now a British entrepreneur duo is trying to bring the jackfruit to the mainstream.

Currently, twice the cost of actual pork, if customers arent put off by the price, however, it might take them a while to get used to the strange smell, described as rotting onion.

But the founders of Project Jackfruit, Jordan Grayson and Abi Robertson, said once people try it, they love it.

Some people seem very nervous about it but once theyve been tempted and tried it they cant believe it, Robertson told MailOnline.

Just 23 years old, the two quit their jobs in London just one year after graduating, and began tinkering with jackfruit recipes and were finally ready to start manufacturing in October 2017, in India.

According to MailOnline, they plan to start supplying UK-retailers soon.

We couldnt understand why jackfruit wasnt readily available considering how much of it is wasted [75 percent in Indiaalone!] and how beneficial and just like meat it is, they wrote on their website.

As a meat substitute, they said jackfruit is much better for the planet and a great substitute for vegetarians and vegans. Jackfruit is even considered a miracle crop as it grows naturally in such a huge abundance, has high yield, and even survives in droughts.

However, although jackfruit might resemble the texture of pulled pork, according to fans, it doesnt replicate the nutrients of meat, being mostly fibrous and lower in protein.

Project Jackfruit is not the first to market in the world, following other companies set up over the last six or seven years. For example, the Jackfruit Company was set up in the United States in 2011. But it appears that jackfruit has been taken more seriously as a meat-substitute in the last two or three years.

The Western world isnt the only place that needs convincing of the benefits of jackfruit. In India, where it is known as the poor mans fruit, 75 percent of crops are left to rot.

Jackfruits are unwieldy and labor-intensive to prepare; one reason suppliers pitching it as a meat-substitute in the West often pre-prepare it.

In the case of Project Jackfruit, they offer pre-prepared pork burger substitutes and jerky.

According to National Geographic, a jackfruit can weigh on average about 35 pounds and can get as big as a hundred pounds.

Los Angeles-based chef Kajsa Alger, executive chef and co-owner of the mostly vegan and vegetarian restaurant Mud Hen Tavern, told National Geographic, Breaking down a jackfruit can be more labor intensive than butchering a piece of meat.

Its messy too. The fruit oozes a sticky white substance, and cooking preparation is a time-consuming, multistep process.

Basically, theyre big and uncooperative, Alger said.

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Timelapse Video Captures Ocean of Clouds Over Vancouver, British ColumbiaLawmakers Rip Schumer for Voting Against Judge Based on Skin Color

Congressional lawmakers lambasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) after he attributed his vote against a judicial nominee to the mans skin color.

In explaining his vote against Marvin Quattlebaum on Wednesday, Schumer said that too many of President Donald Trumps nominees have been white males. The nomination speaks to the overall lack of diversity in President Trumps selections for the federal judiciary, Schumer said, according to Fox News.

It is long past time that the judiciary starts looking a lot more like the America it represents, Schumer said. Having a diversity of views and experience on the federal bench is necessary for the equal administration of justice.

Schumer also complained that Republicans held up the nomination of two black judges for the same position during the Obama administration. One of these judges had a significant bond issue, while the other became the Chief Justice of the States Supreme Court.

I judge nominees on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Chuck Schumer should do the same, Sen. Lyndsey Graham (R-S.C.) wrote on Twitter. Ive known Chuck Schumer for years. He is not a racist, but this was an absolutely shameful reason to vote against a very qualified nominee like Marvin Quattlebaum.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) piled on the criticism.

Perhaps Senate Democrats should be more worried about the lack of diversity on their own staffs than attacking an extremely well-qualified judicial nominee from the great state of South Carolina, Scott wrote on Twitter.

Schumer said that the only reason Quattlebaum is being nominated is that Republicans didnt approve Obama-era nominees. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) countered Schumers claim with hard facts.

I hate to interrupt Senator Schumer with facts, Gowdy wrote on Twitter. But one nominee was withdrawn because of a significant bond issue, while the other became the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

The episode stands out because Republicans appear to have taken a trick out of the Democrat playbook to criticize Schumer for his divisive rhetoric. For years, Democrats have employed political correctness to attack Republicans on the grounds of identity politics rather than the merits of their proposals. Republicans rarely stood up to the attacks.

But political correctness taken to an extreme, as in Schumers case, borders on racism, and Republicans appear to sense the flawed logic and are hitting back in a way usually attributed to Democrats.

This is political correctness run amok. Voting against a highly qualified nominee because of the color of his skin does nothing to bring our country and nation together, Graham wrote. Frankly it is a massive step backward.

Quattlebaum is a partner at Nelson Mullins. His judgeship was approved on Thursday by a vote of 69-29.

From NTD.tv

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President Trumps First State of the Union AddressMan Claiming NYPD Cop Framed Him For DUI Gets $1 Million Payout

A New York man has won a $1 Million payout from the city for being wrongfully arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated.

In April 2015, Oliver Wiggins, 32, was driving in East Flatbush when his car was T-boned by a police SUV, the New York Daily News reported at the time. Wiggins said the police car ran through a stop sign before colliding into his car.

Wiggins took a breathalyzer test at the scene, which showed no alcohol in his system. A blood test conducted later likewise found no traces of alcohol.

When officers asked if he had been drinking, Wiggins replied that earlier he had consumed a Maltaa non-alcoholic malt beverage.

Wiggins in fact does not drink alcohol, said his lawyer, Scott Rynecki, reported the Daily News.

Yet Wiggins was still arrested and charged with driving while under the influence.

Responding officers reportedly wrote in the incident report that they observed signs which may indicate Wiggins was intoxicated: red and watery eyes, slurred speech, the odor of alcohol on his breath, and that he was swaying.

EXCLUSIVE: A Brooklyn man is $1 million richer after an NYPD officer falsely charged him with a DWI  even with a Breathalyzer test that showed no alcohol in his blood https://t.co/TGkYNeif2c pic.twitter.com/TMCXHFvpQM  New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 2, 2018

Wiggins told the New York Daily News at the time that he believed the officers were trying to cover up the fact that they were at fault in the collision.

I think the whole thing was insane, he said. They ran a stop sign and I think they were trying to hide that they caused the accident.

Three months later the prosecution dropped the charges against Wiggins after receiving the negative results from the blood test, the Daily News reported.

As a result of the incident, Wiggins had his license suspended, and was left to foot the repair bill for his 2004 Nissan Maxima because it was not covered by his insurance company due to his false DUI charge, the Daily News reported.

Wiggins also suffered significant injuries that require surgery to his wrist, said Rynecki.

So Wiggins filed a lawsuit against the city and the five police officers involved in the incident.

The suit was settled before trial, with the city paying the 32-year-old almost $1 million in compensation for his losses.

Settling this case was in the best interest of the city, a New York Law Department spokesman told the Daily News.

The events have reportedly prompted Wiggins to become a corrections officer, so he can enforce the law.

This situation really made him understand the power of the badge and that police have to be honest because thats how an innocent man can face frivolously charges, Rynecki said.

In July 2015, Wiggins lawyer wrote to the then-District Attorney requesting an investigation into the officers misconduct.

The Daily News reports that no charges have been filed against the officers involved, and they are still employed by the department.

From NTD.tv

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Texas Sheriff Andy Louderback Talks About MS-13The site of shooting at Central Michigan University is seen in this picture obtained from social media, Mount Pleasant, March 2, 2018 (Grant Polmanteer/via Reuters)

Update on Suspect Who Reportedly Killed Parents in Dorm

At least two people were shot dead in what authorities said was a domestic issue at a dormitory at Central Michigan University on Friday morning, March 2; police are searching for the gunman.

The two victims who were not students were found inside the residence hall at the university, located about 125 miles (200 km) northwest of Detroit, according to University Police Lieutenant Larry Klaus. He identified the suspect as 19-year-old James Eric Davis Jr., who is originally from the Chicago area, ChicagoTribune reported.

BREAKING NEWS: Police identify the Central Michigan University shooter as James Eric Davis, Jr., 19. https://t.co/HReCNERr2t pic.twitter.com/jiHXTE3IaD  Fox News (@FoxNews) March 2, 2018

Reports said that Davis shot and killed his parents. They were identified as Diva Davis, 47, and James Eric Davis Sr., 48, WILX-TV reported.

The report said that he shot and killed his parents a day after he went to the hospital for a drug-related offense.

Police said they were shot on the fourth floor of the Campbell Hall dorm.

An Illinois state lawmaker, Rep. Chris Welch, wrote about the elder Davis, who had been a police officer in the state. The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home. A sad day in Bellwood and across the 7th District. My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr. and his wife who were shot and killed this morning. May they RIP, he wrote.

Local police didnt confirm that they were Daviss parents.

The shooting at Central Michigan University today strikes close to home. A sad day in Bellwood and across the 7th District. My sincerest condolences go out to the family of Bellwood Police Officer James Davis Sr. and his wife who were shot and killed this morning. May they RIP. pic.twitter.com/B0cykAxFVv  Emanuel Chris Welch (@RepChrisWelch) March 2, 2018

Our campus is safe, Klaus said at a news conference on Friday.Were calling it a family-type domestic issue at this point. The university said no one was injured by the gunfire, Reuters reported.

Davis had contact with college police on Thursday night and was taken to a local hospital after an apparent overdose orbad reaction to drugs, Klaus told reporters.

Davis was considered armed and dangerous and campus police were investigating the incident along with local and state police, according to university officials. Klaus said Davis was seen wearing a dark hoodie following the shooting. Police found a number of articles of clothing as he fled the campus north along railroad tracks, Klaus said. Police told the public not to confront Davis, and they suspected that Davis was still in the central Michigan area, according to the Chicago Tribune. The priority right now is the safety of those still on campus and I thank all first responders involved for their swift action, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder wrote on Twitter. We wont have all the answers today, this will be an ongoing conversation but I can say that we will continue working hard to keep Michiganders safe and support these @CMUniversity students, he added. Central Michigan University is a four-year, public institution with more than 23,000 students. Reuters contributed to this report. Recommended Video: How Doctors in China Turn into MurderersFBI agents and police officers near the scene of a suicide near the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2018. (Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images)

Man Who Shot Himself Outside White House Dies

The man who shot himself outside the White House on Saturday has died, according to the DC Police Department.

Adult male has been declared deceased. We are working to notify next of kin. No further updates, the police department wrote on Twitter.

Update: Adult male has been declared deceased. We are working to notify next of kin. No further updates.  DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) March 3, 2018

The man approached the White House fence line, took out a concealed handgun and fired several shots. None of the shots were aimed at the White House, CNN reported citing a Secret Service spokesperson. There were no other injuries.

Secret Service Spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said that the man had a single gunshot wound to the head. Secret Service did not fire any shots, she added.

The White House was on a brief lockdown according to reporters on site.

Code Red at 1600 Penn. We are on lockdown at the White House. Reports of shots fired, Emerald Robinson with OANN wrote on Twitter. Our cameraman says he heard two shots. Waiting to find out more.

Were sheltering in place at the White House briefing room, NBCs Geoff Bennett tweeted. A report of shots fired near North Lawn, per a U.S. Secret Service agent. Trying to learn more.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida at the time of the shooting. They are expected back in Washington in the afternoon to attend the annual Gridiron dinner with members of the news media.

We are aware of the incident, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told CNN. The President has been briefed.

The Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department will lead the investigation. The man has been identified, but the information will be withheld from the public until his next-of-kin are notified.

Less than two weeks ago, a person driving a passenger car struck a security barrier near the White House.

The car did not breach the barrier. The female driver was taken into custody by Secret Service officers. There were no injuries and no shots fired during the incident.

From NTD.tv

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President Trumps First State of the Union AddressMissing Kentucky Police Officer Discovered Dead in Flooded Field

A police officer was found dead in a flooded field on Saturday morning, March 3, hours after he was reported missing.

Police officer Rodney S. Smith, 45, of Boaz, Kentucky, was discovered in Hickman City, Kentucky, police said. His body was found at around 5:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.

He was declared dead at the scene by the Fulton County coroner. Authorities also found the police cruiser that Smith was driving.

The State Medical Examiners Office is to perform an autopsy on the policemans body later on Saturday.

Smith was initially reported missing at 9:15 p.m. on Friday evening according to authorities. Kentucky State Police said they were informed, a Hickman City Police Officer was possibly missing in a flooded field on Bernal Avenue.

Police also warned the public to avoid the area because of the large number of resources deployed and the limited roadway access.

Several emergency agencies searched the area throughout the night and into the early morning.

It comes after flooding from the Ohio River earlier in the week left thousands without power in Kentucky.

Sad news out of #Hickman KY. A missing City of Hickman police officer has been found dead in a flooded field. 45 y/o Rodney Smith went missing yesterday. Hickman is located near the Missouri border in western Kentucky. @kystatepolice investigating. @wnkytv pic.twitter.com/OWW72mxCug  Max Winitz (@MaxWinitz) March 3, 2018

Smith is the second officer to drown in floodwater this week. The body of a Lebanon police officer was discovered in a flooded creek on Thursday, March 1, in DeKalb County, WSMV reported.

Joseph Bowen, 28, was driving to his DeKalb County home when his truck went down an embankment, hit a tree, then plummeted into a creek. His vehicle was carried a few feet down the flooded creek, according to the news outlet.

Sad news out of West Kentucky this morning. A city police officer who was last seen in a flooded field around 9 last night has been located. pic.twitter.com/2L7b5FXdFi  Lauren Adams (@WLKYLaurenAdams) March 3, 2018

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Timelapse Video Captures Ocean of Clouds Over Vancouver, British ColumbiaAn Adelie Penguin chick less than a month old, is protected by its parents while remaining in a recreated antarctic environment in the zoo of Guadalajara, Jalisco state, Mexico on Jan. 17, 2018. (Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images)

Scientist Discover Mega-Colony of 1.5 Million Penguins Hidden in Antarctica

Scientists found a previously unknown colony of 1.5 million penguins living in Antarctica.

The colony of Adelie penguins was discovered thriving on Danger Islands, on the Antarctic Peninsulas northern tip. Islands in the area are remote and surrounded by ice. The finding reverses scientists previous notion that the species was declining, The Independent reported.

Its a classic case of finding something where no-one really looked! The Danger Islands are hard to reach, so people didnt really try that hard, team-member Dr. Tom Hart from Oxford University, UK, told BBC News.

Until recently, the Danger Islands werent known to be an important penguin habitat, said Professor Heather Lynch, co-leader of the team that made the discovery, via The Independent.

Scientists curiosity was piqued when they spotted guano stains from images via NASA satellites. They then visited the islands to look for the penguins that caused them, and to record their numbers, The Independent reported.

And the sheer size of what we were looking at took our breath away, said Lynch, via BBC. We thought, Wow! If what were seeing is true, these are going to be some of the largest Adelie penguin colonies in the world, and its going to be well worth our while sending in an expedition to count them properly.

They made observations from the ground and used drones to observe the penguins from the sky. They found 751,527 penguin pairs, higher numbers than the entire Antarctic Peninsula combined, according to The Independent. They published their findings via Scientific Reports.

The water around the island boiled with penguins, said Professor Michael Polito, an ecologist at the Louisiana State University, via The Independent.

It puts the east Antarctic Peninsula in stark contrast to the Adelie and chinstrap penguin declines that we are seeing on the west Antarctic Peninsula, said Dr. Tom Hart, a penguin researcher at the University of Oxford, via The Independent.

From NTD.tv

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AFP, Buenos Aires :

An Argentine judge Friday said that ex-president Cristina Kirchner must face trial over alleged corruption related to the awarding of public contracts in her southern political stronghold of Patagonia.

Federal judge Julian Ercolini also ordered trials of ex-minister Julio de Vido and construction magnate Lazaro Baez-figures close to Cristina Kirchner and her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner.

The two were in power between 2003 and 2015.

Cristina Kirchner, De Vido, and Baez are suspected of "illicit association," "irregularities in the awarding of public contracts in the province of Santa Cruz," and having benefited from contracts awarded to Baez's Austral construction group to the tune of $2.4 billion, according to the Judicial Information Center (CIJ).

The date of Kirchner's trial has yet to be set. According to Argentine law, Kirchner-now a senator-can be tried and sentenced, but parliamentary immunity protects her from imprisonment. Baez and De Vido, meanwhile, have been remanded in custody.

Protesting her innocence, Kirchner-a 65-year-old lawyer-several months ago expressed her desire to appear in front of a judge to provide "definitive and public clarification."

The end of 12 years of Kirchner rule in 2015 opened the door for proceedings against Cristina Kirchner, related to two affairs in particular: a central bank operation to sell cut-price dollar futures toward the end of her presidency, and her alleged role in covering up Iran's alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center.

Kirchner, elected to the senate last October and leader of the Citizen's Unity coalition, is center-right President Mauricio Macri's primary opponent.



Lloyd Gunton, 17, was given a life sentence on March 2, 2018, for plotting a terror attack in the capital of Wales. (South Wales Police)

Teen from Wales Given Life Sentence for Planning Terror Attack on Justin Bieber Concert

A 17-year-old boy from Wales was given a life sentence with at least 11 years in prison on Friday, March 2, for planning an ISIS-inspired terror attack in the countrys capital last year.

Lloyd Gunton of Mid Glamorgan, Wales, was arrested last year just hours before a Justin Bieber concert in Cardiff on June 30 after searching the internet for details of the venues security.

Authorities found a backpack in his room with a knife and hammer in in it and a note written from the viewpoint of a martyr, calling himself a soldier of the Islamic State.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), he also researched places such as Cardiff Castle, the New Theatre, the Capitol shopping centre, and the Central Library as possible terrorist targets.

Police were alerted to the boy after he posted disturbing photos on social media site Instagram.

The photos were of terrorists, the black ISIS flag, and other images encouraging a terrorist attack in Cardiff. His Instagram password was Truck Attack, the CPS said.

Gunton denied plotting a terror attack, telling a jury last year he had a stupid interest in the gory and was curious about ISIS, the Guardian reports.

He also reportedly told the jury that he did not have a copy of the Quran, did not believe in Islam, and that he ate ham.

I wanted to see how easy it was for people who had an interest in terrorism to go online and get information, because the police and the government are trying to crack down on terrorism and radicalisation, he said, according to the Guardian. I wanted to see if it was possible, not for me, but from someone elses point of view.

His online behavior told another story, however.

His internet history included searches for Isis terrorist attacks, Police car UK armed response, how to create a terror attack, and driving a lorry into a crowd of people.

His history of violent extremism was traced back as far back as the summer of 2016, according to the CPS.

He also admitted to writing the letter that was found in his backpack and putting the knife and hammer in there with it. However, he insisted he did not intend to harm anyone.

On Nov. 27, he was found guilty of two counts of encouraging terrorism, two counts of possessing a record of terrorist information, and one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts.

The teenager, once an A-level student, had been diagnosed with autism.

Judge Mark Wall QC said that his autism diagnosis made him something of a loner and someone more easily impressed by the things you read on the internet, reports the BBC.

Wall said he was forced to keep Guntons sentence indefinite to assure that the boy did not have a chance to carry out an attack in the future.

Yours is not a condition from which you will recover, Judge Wall told Gunton.

It is important that, having been tempted to commit a serious offense such as this, you are under some form of supervision for the rest of your life.

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What is MS-13?L: Screenshot of The Social co-host Marci Iens tweet about her column in the Globe and Mail. R: Toronto Police staff-supt. Mario Di Tommaso

Toronto Police Refute Claims of Racism by TV Host Marci Ien

Toronto Police are challenging the Social co-host Marci Iens claim that she was pulled over and questioned by police because she is black.

Police argue that Ien was stopped because she rolled through a stop sign near a school.

Police officers took to social media to refute Iens charges outlined in an opinion piece published in the Globe and Mail Feb.26 titled The Double Standard of Driving While Blackin Canada.

Staff-Supt. Mario Di Tommaso said in a tweet addressed to Ien that he had viewed the squad car video of the incident and that it shows she was stopped because of her driving, not because of her ethnicity.

I have viewed the video footage of your vehicle stop, Di Tommaso wrote. You were stopped because of your driving behaviour. You failed to stop at a stop sign. It was dark. Your race was not visible on the video and only became apparent when you stepped out of the vehicle in your driveway.

I have viewed the video footage of your vehicle stop. You were stopped because of your driving behaviour. You failed to stop at a stop sign. It was dark. Your race was not visible on the video and only became apparent when you stepped out of the vehicle in your drive way.  Mario Di Tommaso (@SSuptMarioTPS) February 28, 2018

But in her Globe piece, Ien described pulling into her driveway and seeing the flashing lights of a police cruiser behind her. When she got out of her car, the officer told her to get back in and she was alarmed by his tone.

It happened again. I had to write. https://t.co/Sj1PjPFqrn  Marci Ien (@MarciIen) February 26, 2018

She said although she was scared she tried to remain calm, but at the same time she was frustrated and angry because this wasnt the first time she had been stopped by police.

For the third time in eight months, I was being questioned by a police officer  and I had broken no law, she wrote.

I dont deserve this. Not now, nor the previous times I had been pulled over. I want to let you know youre being recorded, he informed me. You failed to stop at a stop sign back there. Thats dangerous, theres a school there  lots of kids.

The officer let Ien off with a warning, without giving her a ticket.

I went on to tell him that this marked the third time in the past eight months that I had been stopped by police. Every time the initial questions had been the same: Do you live around here? Is this your vehicle? In every case, I wasnt issued a ticket, she wrote, adding that she told the police officer that if she had done something wrong he should give her a ticket.

Who you are doesnt matter; its what you are. If you are black in Canada, you are subject to a different standard and, often, seemingly, different laws, she wrote later in the piece.

Deputy Chief Shawna Coxon also challenged Iens claims, saying in a tweet, We are accountable. The whole event (incl. the traffic infraction) is on camera. The ethnicity of the driver is not visible until after she was pulled over, when she exits the car. The Chief invited her last night on @CP24 to come in & view the video.

Coxon later tweeted: These incidents are an opportunity for discussion and learning by everyone involved. Our relationships with people = communities. Our work in listening and building/ensuring trust can never be over.

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How Doctors in China Turn into MurderersU.S. President Donald Trump (R) and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker chat prior to the morning working session on the second day of the G20 economic summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 8, 2017. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Trump Threatens to Tax European Cars If EU Imposes Tariffs

President Donald Trump doubled down on his trade-war rhetoric on Saturday, March 3, and threatened to tax cars imported from the European Union if the EU moves to raise tariffs on American businesses.

If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S., Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!

The presidents tweet comes on the heels of an announcement this week that the United States plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. The leader of the European Union responded by threatening to impose tariffs on American products like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Bourbon, and Bluejeans.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, told German media that plans for the tariffs have not been finalized, but would target companies in states of key Republicans, New York Times reported.

None of this is reasonable, but reason is a sentiment that is very unevenly distributed in this world, Juncker said.

Trump campaigned on a promise to bring back American jobs and put U.S. interests first when it comes to international trade.

The United States has an $800 Billion Dollar Yearly Trade Deficit because of our very stupid trade deals and policies, Trump wrote on Twitter Saturday. Our jobs and wealth are being given to other countries that have taken advantage of us for years. They laugh at what fools our leaders have been. No more!

According to a Morning Consult poll, 59 percent of Americans agree that it is important that the president impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from China. Trump proposed a broad tariff that would impact all nations.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC that a broad tariff is necessary because a limited one would leave loopholes that countries can exploit by trans-shipping.

The reason that weve had to go this route is that the conventional trade methods cant solve the problem of systemic global over-capacity and global dumping, Ross said. It has to be broad, it has to be global in its reach to solve the fundamental problem.

Trump is expected to impose a 10 percent tariff on aluminum and a 25 percent tariff on steel next week.

The EU charges a 10 percent flat tariff on car imports from the United States. The U.S. tariff on imported cars is 2.5 percent. (pdf)

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President Trumps First State of the Union AddressNORWALK  The Norwalk Police Emerald Society Parade Committee has announced that Deirdre Daly, Connecticuts former United States attorney, will be the Grand Marshal at the 2018 St. Patricks Day Parade on March 10.

President Barack Obama appointed Daly to serve as U.S. attorney in 2014 and she was the first woman to be presidentially appointed the states top law enforcement officer and held the position for over four years, stepping down in October 2017.

Born in a nursing home in Dublin, Daly later lived and studied in Ireland as a college student. Im honored to be the Grand Marshal and thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate the rich heritage of the Irish people this Saint Patricks Day in Norwalk, said Daly. While U.S. attorney, I worked closely with the Norwalk Police Department and have great respect for the culture and leadership of the department.

Dalys family hails from Ireland. During the Great Irish Famine of the mid-1800s, like millions of other countrymen, her great-great-grandfather fled Ireland with his family in hopes of building a better life in America. His father soon died and his mother worked as a laundress in Manhattan, requiring him to leave school to work in a publishing company where he became a voracious reader.

Later, he had 12 children and served as mayor of New York City from 1893-1894. One of his daughters graduated from New York University Law School as valedictorian in 1899.

Dalys family has a history of public service. Her father, Michael J. Daly, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of bravery while a young man in World War II; her uncle, T. F. Gilroy Daly, served as a federal judge in Connecticut for over 20 years; and her grandfather, Paul Gerard Daly, was a decorated colonel who served in both World Wars.

Daly attended Dartmouth College and Georgetown Law Center. Early in her career, she served as a federal prosecutor in New York City, and later was a partner in a law firm in Connecticut, before returning to public service to work in the Connecticut U.S. Attorneys Office. Daly and her husband, Alfred Pavlis, have three sons and live in Fairfield, where she has lived for most of her life.

The parade steps off from Veterans Memorial Park and proceeds through South Norwalk beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday March 10.

The Norwalk Police Emerald Society is a nonprofit charitable organization.NORWALK  When someone seeks medical care for food poisoning in Connecticut, it triggers a series of actions designed to protect the health of the public.

A health professional follows up with an interview about what that person ate, and the incident is reported to the state in a system that local health departments can access in real time. And if another person falls ill after eating at the same place, the Department of Health is called and an investigation is opened into the restaurant.

Similar processes are in place for chicken pox, carbon monoxide poisoning, syphilis and 79 other conditions. Thats because theyre on the states list of reportable diseases, emergency illnesses and health conditions, which mandates which conditions must be reported by health professionals. Cases of West Nile virus, which killed three people in Connecticut between 2000 and 2016, must be reported.

But opioid overdoses, which claimed more than 1,000 lives in Connecticut last year?

Not on the list.

This is in spite of efforts by a local health official and nonprofits to have overdoses added to the list of reportable conditions.

Every year, the Department of Public Health Advisory Committee meets to review proposed changes to the list of reportable diseases. At the meeting for the 2018 list, David Knauf of the Darien Health Department, Jeff Holland and Ingrid Gillespie of the Connecticut Prevention Network based out of Stamford and Shane Lockwood of the Plainville-Southington Health District traveled to Hartford in an attempt to sway the committee. The local health professionals believed overdoses should be added to the list.

There is no mechanism for reporting overdoses. None at all, Knauf said.

This means that, even as an opioid pandemic sweeps Connecticut, the state has very little data on how many overdoses actually occur. At the end of the year, the medical examiner issues a report on how many people died from opioid overdoses. But that report does not include people who survive. Instead, health departments are forced to grapple with a problem that is largely unseen until its too late.

Because the opioid epidemic is rapidly evolving, it would help if departments could monitor overdoses, Norwalk Director of Public Health Deanna DAmore said. If overdoses were labeled a reportable disease, the information would come in directly to the departments. We have a system called Maven  so we could easily pull that information from the health department side.

Every letter written to the commissioner on the subject supported adding overdoses to the list. The level of attention was unusual for the committee, which usually proceeds without controversy. The state epidemiologist at the meeting said it was the first time hes had people testify ever for a request, Knauf said.

But when the updated list of reportable conditions was emailed out in January, the only condition that was added was ventilator-associated events, which can lead to pneumonia. The Department of Health did not respond to a request to comment on why opioid overdoses were not added to the list, but minutes from the meeting showed concerns over the best way to capture overdose information. Michael Parry, a Stamford Hospital doctor who was present at the meeting as an expert in infectious disease, said he believed that further discussions were probably needed about the optimal ways to gather data.

Now Knauf, Holland and Gillespie are lobbying state lawmakers to create legislation requiring that overdose poisonings be added to the list.

More Information Significant holes in overdose data In 2017, over 1,000 people died of overdoses in Connecticut. However, data on nonlethal overdoses is scant. In 2017, state police received 83 calls for service that resulted in the administering of Narcan. Twenty-seven of those were in the Western District, which includes Fairfield County. In the past two years, the Norwalk Fire Department has administered Narcan 18 times. See More Collapse

State Rep. Terrie Wood, R-Darien, said the public health committee planned to raise a bill within the next three weeks.

Its important to have the number of overdoses that do not result in death, she said. Because that number is unknown.

For years, legislators came up with a list of responsibilities for local health departments, Knauf said. And number one in the 10 essential services is to monitor the health status of the community to identify and solve local health problems. And to me, this screams for having data on local overdoses, in real time. Without that information, we cannot do the number-one defined responsibility that we have.

Congress is currently allocating $6 billion from the two-year federal budget for addiction recovery and mental health. It has yet to be determined what types of programs will receive that money, and when U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Rep. Jim Himes sat down with advocates from Fairfield County to hear their thoughts on how the funds should be used, some frustration was expressed at the lack of data.

We have great difficulty in getting real-time data on the magnitude of the issue because of the way overdoses are recorded or not recorded, noted Dariens first selectman, Jayme Stevenson.

However, some medical professionals believe that reporting opioid overdoses would not be enough.

Patrick Broderick, a doctor at Danbury Hospital who has worked in emergency medicine for three decades, said that he saw many patients with substance abuse disorders who had not overdosed.

The people who take Narcan for an overdose are really a fraction of the problem, Broderick said. He believed somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of the patients he saw in the emergency room suffered from a substance abuse disorder, which includes opiate abuse but could also refer to misuse of other drugs.

But he and Knauf agreed on one thing. What we can kind of generalize is deaths due to overdoses are just the tip of the iceberg, Knauf said.Currently Reading

SEEN: Near & Far Aid Spring Gala 2018GLEN CARBON  A 28-year veteran of the Glen Carbon Police Department has announced his retirement.

Glen Carbon Police Department Sgt. Paul Cates retirement was announced at the last regular meeting of the full Village Board.

Police Chief Todd Link said the announcement was both happy and bittersweet.

Paul (Cates) is retiring after 28 years of honorable, faithful and selfless service, Link said. He is going to be greatly missed, but this is a happy occasion because he is moving on and I want to say that I appreciate all that he has done for this police department and the community. He was a good sergeant, a good friend and a good man. You will be missed.

Glen Carbon Police Lt. Wayne White worked with Cates for more than 20 years.

When I first got to Glen Carbon, Paul (Cates) made a point to serve as my mentor. He worked hard to help guide me and as my career progressed, Paul was very supportive of me through my entire journey.

Cates was hired in 1990. During his time at the Glen Carbon Police Department he served as patrolman, as detective and as shift commander.

He served as the villages certified car seat technician, intervention officer, juvenile officer and as a field-training officer.

White said Cates is a true professional and exemplifies what community policing is about.

Anybody can put on a badge and run round and tackle bad guys. Paul has seen the bigger picture of what being a police officer is, White said. Its about showing the community and the people that you care about them, putting yourself on the back burner and others before you and hes demonstrated that throughout his career.

White said Cates developed Project Candy Cane, using his own time and the help of his family to bring Santa Claus to daycare facilities in Glen Carbon to pass out candy and gifts to children.

Cates also solicited funds and donations to make sure needy children and families had gifts during Christmas.

Paul sincerely cares more about others than himself, White said. Im proud to have served with Paul and will miss him but I am very thankful that I got to serve with him.

A visibly emotional Cates addressed the audience made up of family, friends and fellow police officers who were at the board meeting.

I wrote a speech, but I didnt bring it, Cates said. I looked at it and then realized, all I really needed to say was thank you. Thank you for allowing me to serve and I hope it was with honor.

Mayor Rob Jackstadt thanked Cates for his service to the community.

The thing that always struck me about Sgt. Cates was that he was so personable and had a village first attitude, Jackstadt said. He served with a high level of energy and enthusiasm and most of all was always professional. Thank you for you service to Glen Carbon.MODHUKHALI (Faridpur): Office-bearers of Modhukhali Press Club providing financial assistance to Zatin Master, a teacher at a simple function on Friday.The following companies are subsidiares of InterContinental Hotels Group: 2250 Blake Street Hotel LLC, 24th Street Operator Sub LLC, 36th Street IHG Sub LLC, 426 Main Ave LLC, 46 Nevins Street Associates LLC, Allegro Management LLC, Alpha Kimball Hotel LLC, American Commonwealth Assurance Co. 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The company operates through four segments: Global Solutions, Insights & Analytics; Capital Formation; Derivatives Trading and Clearing; and Equities and Fixed Income Trading & Clearing. The Global Solutions, Insights & Analytics segment delivers equities and index data, as well as integrated data sets for the proprietary and third party analytics to help clients in making trading and investment decisions. The Capital Formation segment operates Toronto Stock Exchange, a national stock exchange for the senior equities market; TSX Venture Exchange, a national stock exchange for the public venture equity market; and TSX Trust that provides corporate trust, registrar, transfer agency, and foreign exchange services. The Derivatives Trading & Clearing segment operates Montreal Exchange, a national derivatives exchange; clearinghouse for options and futures contracts; and various over-the-counter products and fixed income repurchase agreements. The Equities and Fixed Income Trading & Clearing segment engages in the trading operations of Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange, and TSX Alpha Exchange; and clearing and settlement of equities and fixed income transactions, and custody of securities; and provision of fixed income inter-dealer brokerage services. The company was formerly known as Maple Group Acquisition Corporation and changed its name to TMX Group Limited in August 2012. TMX Group Limited was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MoreRobotics and mechatronics

Joanna Hughes :

When Tetsuro Mori, a Japanese engineer, coined the term 'mechatronics' in the late 1960s, his combination of the terms 'mechanical' and 'electronics' became synonymous with engineering innovation. Indeed, the field of mechatronics is a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary sector that combines engineering, computer science and technology to innovate, improve and simplify systems and processes. Mechatronics have wide-ranging applications - from the manufacturing and mechanical engineering to education and healthcare technology. And studying mechatronics has never been more relevant - or rewarding.

One particularly hot subset of mechatronics? Robotics, which Pew Research Center predicts "will permeate wide segments of daily life by 2025, with huge implications for a range of industries, such as healthcare, transportation and logistics, customer service and home maintenance." Given its vast potential, it's hardly surprising that robotics earned a spot on Computerworld's roundup of eight "future-proof" IT careers.

RWTH Aachen University Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tobias Meisen sees big changes in the 21st-century workplace. "An old bit of wisdom already says that nothing is as uncertain as the future. The fact is that the tasks of today's engineers are already extremely diverse and can hardly be described in an overall package. The classic "mechanical" engineer will not exist anymore. The production engineer must be multitalented and needs to have a profound production-technological understanding both in the fields of engineering and IT-related topics."

About RWTH International Academy

If you're ready to take a major step in the direction of a bright future in mechatronics and robotics, RWTH Aachen University offers three exciting avenues to develop your knowledge-and your career possibilities.

Germany's best university for Mechanical Engineering (according to QS World Ranking 2017), RWTH Aachen is highly respected worldwide for its consistent innovative answers to global challenges of the future.

RWTH Aachen's official affiliate for executive education, RWTH International Academy offers courses in Engineering in cooperation with RWTH Aachen. Participants are taught by professors of the University who have vast experience in both industry and academia.

Which RWTH International Academy program is right for you?

Summer and Winter School Programs

For international Bachelor's and Master's degree students in search of opportunities to immerse themselves in a dynamic and world-class technical learning environment, RWTH International Academy delivers. In two, three or four weeks, RWTH's Summer and Winter Schools give aspiring engineers exclusive access to practical, state-of-the-art and internationally recognized education.

There's a reason why hundreds of international students come together to experience German engineering and student life in Aachen-and why 97 percent of Summer and Winter School alumni would recommend this experience to a friend. A recent participant from Japan described his time in Germany enthusiastically, stating that "RWTH International Academy Summer School was one of the most inspiring experiences in my life, both academically and socially. The lectures and hands-on sessions were elaborately designed, and the teachers were all happy to help us. The life in Aachen was quite comfortable and full of opportunities to meet wonderful friends."

Each year, two Summer Schools cover the fundamentals and challenges related to the engineering of mechatronic and robotic systems. The "Robotics for Future Industrial Applications" Summer School emphasizes the areas of communications, industrial robotics and multi-robot systems. Alternatively, with a focus on the mechatronic aspects of engineering and robotics, the "Mechatronic Systems Engineering and Product Innovation" Summer School explores core areas of mechanical engineering. Whichever Summer School appeals most to you, both programs invite motivated students to discover indispensable areas for future multitalented engineers.

Master's Degree Programs

M.Sc. Robotic Systems Engineering focuses on two main themes:

1) optimal application of robots

2) development and construction of new robotic systems.

Here is a quick overview of the main details:

 Awarded M.Sc. RWTH Aachen

 English-taught

 Four semesters (120 CPs) in total

 Covers mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer sciences

 Extracurricular courses: German language

 Impressive research facilities

 Intensive individual support, including personal career advice and company visits

 Two tracks: industrial (internship) or academic (research project)

Certificate Courses

Professional development is the key factor for advancing careers and even more so in the rapidly moving field of robotics. The implementation of intelligent robots into modern production facilities results in a growing demand for experts who know how to design, control and maintain these systems. Certificate courses at RWTH Aachen will help professionals bridge the knowledge gap in this fast-evolving field.

In less than a week professional engineers in mechatronics and robotics can learn from experts on specialized topics covering digital transformation, smart factories, cyber-physical systems and intelligent robotics, Big Data, machine learning etc. Course lecturers and speakers are experts from research and industry with extensive experience from projects with various industrial partners.

Professional education courses have more to offer than simple knowledge-transfer. The focus on practical application allows for the development of specific competencies. Moreover, practice-oriented examples increase participants' knowledge by applying theoretical content to actual business cases and individual case studies which reflect personal or company-related queries. Moreover, participants profit from excursions to industrial partners of the RWTH Aachen, visit test stands and experience the implementation of methods and concepts in practice. Courses are taught entirely in English and participants are awarded with an official RWTH Aachen certificate upon successful completion of the final examination.



(Joanna worked in higher education administration for many years at a leading research institution before becoming a full-time freelance writer. She lives in the beautiful White Mountains region of New Hampshire with her family).The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Read MorePrepare for multiple careers

Alyssa Walker :

Welcome to the new normal.

It's no secret that millennials are job hoppers. Over 42 percent of millennials change jobs every one- to three-years.

What does this mean? Employee retention challenges employers in ways they've never had to anticipate before.

While the single career path isn't dead, it's more likely that people will change jobs at least once.

Let's take a closer look at why so many people are changing jobs, and how you should prepare yourself to switch careers at least once in your lifetime.

Why are there so many career changes?

1. It's part of the economic model

Your economic longevity no longer requires that you work at the same place for the duration of your career.

The era of pensions has ended, unless your employer is a government agency or traditional establishment. Your retirement will hinge on a 401() or a 403(b), which you can rollover to new accounts wherever you work.

2. Learning in one career leads to discovering other careers

Your current career will give you perspective on another. Working for a marketing company? The skills you develop there can translate in innumerable ways from writing and editing to art curation, human resources, and other branches of management. There's no reason you can't explore other options once you start in one place.

It happens all the time-and employers have come to expect it.

3. People see the benefits of a career change

Curiosity about the world is a good thing. The job market is constantly changing, and the world with it. Knowing about different options, being curious about how you approach your job, and recognizing that the landscape of work is constantly evolving put you in a position for success-one that can be adaptable to change.

By seeing the benefits of being open-minded about your career, you can pursue diverse interests, work globally, and cobble together a career path that suits you and your goals.

How should you prepare yourself?

1. Make sure you want it

There's nothing wrong with not wanting to switch careers.

Here's why you should want a career change: there's no more opportunity for you-or no more opportunity that you want-to learn and grow in your current position; the positives, like salary, no longer compensate for the negatives, like long working hours; or everything is "fine."

If you feel like you want a change, make sure it's something you truly want and you're not just momentarily bored.

2. Think about what you want from a new job

Ask yourself a few questions:

 Do you feel like you need a challenge? More motivation?

 Do you want a big change in a new field, or a small change in your current field? Does this change require that you switch companies or organizations?

 Do you want more responsibility?

 Do you need more qualifications to get what you want?

 How will this change affect your financial situation? Your lifestyle?

By being honest with yourself, you'll make the best decision that suits you. The beauty of decisions? You can always change your mind. Be thoughtful.

3. Get new qualifications

If you're going for a significant career change that requires some new skills, start with an online course. Why? Online learning offers you flexibility and the chance for you to dip your toe in to see if you like this new field without sacrificing your current job.

Another way to get new qualifications? If you do a little digging, you can attend workshops and lectures, or potentially meet with someone currently in your desired field.

Your takeaway? The work world is always changing-and you need to be ready to change with it. Make thoughtful decisions and do your best.



(Alyssa Walker is a freelance writer, educator, and nonprofit consultant. She lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with her family).US tariff will weaken its industries

Xinhua, Canberra :

By imposing tariffs on imported products, the United States will weaken the industries it intended to protect, Andrew Forrest, founder and chairman of Australia's Fortescue Metals Group, said on Friday.

Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group is among the world top four iron ore producers.

"Whether or not there are tariffs put on certain products, remember that's happened since time immortal. Countries have been filling around with tariffs and protections," Forrest told Xinhua in an interview.

"What has always happened though is those countries who protect its certain industries have rounded up with a lot weaker industries."

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced to impose 25 percent of tariff on steel and 10 percent of tariff on aluminium products into the U.S. market.

Forrest said Australia stopped protecting its car industry but "we are now much stronger in the industries which we are best at." "Countries should specialize where their strongest (area) is."

Forrest said Trump's decision to place tariffs and protections all over the American economy is an attempt to "appease election promises."

"All the experienced commentators know that that'll really hurt the U.S. economy. So if there is a tariff here and tariff there, just trying to appease election promises, it doesn't worry me."

Australian government officials and media share Forrest's view on the U.S. tariff decision.

Trade and Investment Minister Steven Ciobo said on Friday that he felt disappointed with the U.S. move.

During his visit last week to the United States, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull raised this issue and tried to secure an exemption for Australian steel and aluminium exports to the United States.

Washington is yet to agree and is about to announce the details of the tariff policy next week.

"The imposition of a tariff like this will do nothing other than distort trade and ultimately we believe will lead to a loss of jobs," Ciobo said.

"If we do see trade sanctions put in place and retaliatory action from other major economies, that will dampen economic growth. The consequences of that are never good for anybody."

Australia's interests in the U.S. market in both steel and aluminium represent around 274 million Australian dollars (212 million U.S. dollars) for steel and 276 million for aluminium.

An article published on the Weekend Australian on Saturday said tariffs mean pain for all and the U.S. trade barrier will hurt American consumers first, as the cost for products from cars to chocolate candies, which use steel and aluminum for manufacturing and package, will soar as a result.



BD improved in graft ranking: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressing a huge public meeting at Khulna Circuit-House ground as Chief Guest on Saturday.

UNB, Khulna :

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said Bangladesh's position has improved in the world corruption index as the government took various steps to eliminate corruption.

"After coming to power in 2009, the government tried to eliminate corruption from Bangladesh. Now Bangladesh got its recognition, Bangladesh advanced two steps in removing corruption," she said.

Sheikh Hasina was speaking at the 58th Convention of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) at

Khalishpur here. During the BNP-Jamaat regime, she said, Bangladesh was on top of the world corruption index for five consecutive years. Hasina said, the government has taken steps so that the rule of law could be established. "We've taken proper steps so that people can get benefits of the rule of law," she said.

The PM also said the government has taken various measurers against militancy, terrorism and drug abuse.

Recently, Transparency International in its corruption perceptions index said Bangladesh has progressed by two positions and ranked 143rd out of 180 in the ascending order on the list of the most corrupt countries in the world in 2017. The country placed 17th on the descending list. The Berlin-based organisation also revealed that Bangladesh scored 28 on scale of 0 to 100.

Vietnamese President due today

UNB, Dhaka :

President of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang awaits a rosining reception as he arrives here on a three-day state visit on Sunday.

The Vietnamese President, who arrived in New Delhi on Friday

evening on a three-day visit, is coming here at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Abdul Hamid when the two countries are looking for a broader trade and investment ties. President Abdul Hamid will receive Tran Dai Quang as he is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4pm on Sunday by a special flight, an official told UNB.

Cabinet members, including Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, are also expected to remain present on the occasion. A smartly turned out contingent comprising members of Bangladesh Army, Air Force and Bangladesh Navy will give guard of honour to the Vietnamese President. He will be welcomed with a 21-gun salute.

Two tiny tots will present bouquets to President Tran Dai Quang. After the warm reception at the airport, the Vietnamese President will be taken to Sonargaon Hotel in a ceremonial motorcade where he will be staying during the visit. Bangladesh is looking for broader trade and investment ties with Vietnam and is preparing to make the best use of the upcoming visit of the Vietnam President. The two countries are likely to sign six to seven agreements and MoUs during the visit, officials said. "A big focus will be on trade and investment. Our target is to reach a US$1 billion trade," Bangladesh Ambassador to Vietnam Samina Naz told UNB.

She said, a big business delegation will accompany the Vietnamese President during his Dhaka visit. A business forum will be held at Sonargaon Hotel in the city on March 6.

Over 100 business representatives from Vietnam companies will interact with their Bangladesh counterparts and explore trade and investment potentials in Bangladesh.The sobering lesson of Kraft Heinz

In coming months, Kraft Heinz Co. is expected to make another blockbuster acquisition.

That will not be a high point in economic history.

The 2015 merger of Kraft and Heinz has been a bust. Stock in Kraft Heinz has dropped by 13.5 per cent since the merger. Revenues at the combined firm have flatlined and lately begun to fall.

Kraft Heinz is the brainchild of Warren Buffett and the three Brazilian billionaires whose private equity firm, 3G Capital, also merged Burger King and Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons, too, has entered the 3G models slow-growth phase.

In his latest chairmans letter to shareholders, released Feb.24, Buffett could cite many Berkshire Hathaway Inc. acquisitions whose sales and market share have increased, markedly in most cases.

The Berkshire method is to nurture growth at acquired companies, with adequate R&D budgets and funds for constant new-product development.

By contrast, 3G doesnt nurture growth but simply buys it with high-profile acquisitions. 3G quickly strips out costs, and doesnt stop to wonder why growth has stalled before making yet another huge acquisition.

3Gs answer to unmanageable size and lack of focus is to get still bigger. Making matters worse, 3G is doing this in the traditionally slow-growth food business, made still more challenging by changing consumer demands.

3G is also the worlds biggest brewer. Consumers are turning away from the mass-market blandness of Labatts Blue and Budweiser (and Heinz beans) in favour of locally made specialty foods and craft brews.

This cycle of mediocrity in business management will end, of course, when 3G eventually breaks itself up to unlock underlying value, as the boilerplate goes. At which point, the suppliers squeezed during the 3G years and the thousands of workers laid off, many in Southern Ontario, will wonder, What was that all about?

Answer: Apart from 3G as a drag on the economy, not much.

Rail chiefs are mending fences

The two giant North American railways where the late Hunter Harrison was most recently CEO have embarked on apology tours to assure alienated shippers that the causes of their annoyance with Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. and later with CSX Corp. are being addressed.

During his tenure at each of those Big Four railways, the U.S.-born Harrison, who died in December at 73, imposed a cost-cutting regime that was remarkably effective at boosting efficiency and profitability.

There was a price to pay for that reinvention.

CSX was unpopular with its customers during Harrisons brief CEO stint last summer. The new bosss abrupt closing of rail yards and idling of surplus locomotives caused delays in the CSX system.

In a recent interview, Jim Foote, Harrisons successor as CEO of CSX, said, I go to someones office with my hat in hand and say, Im sorry about last year, we screwed up and we didnt do a really good job for you.

CPR is also mending fences with clients irked during Harrisons four-and-a-half-year CEO tenure there, ending in January of last year when he moved to CSX.

Still, the unanticipated profitability that has characterized North American rail in the past two decades can be credited more to Harrison than anyone.

By the 1970s, rail operators were so bloated with costs and chronically insensitive to customers that rails viability was in question. And shippers that are honest with themselves about their earlier ways will tell you that Harrisons precision railroading spurred them finally to offer their own customers rapid response times and flexible scheduling, in tandem with Harrisons renaissance at no fewer than four major railways, including Canadian National Railway Co.

Were waiting for the Rotman, Western University or Harvard case study on how this moribund industry was transformed into a consistent money-spinner, a tome that would be instructive to managers across the economy.

E.U. to U.K.: You must pick the Canadian or Norwegian model

As Britain heads into the most difficult round of negotiations with the European Union on the Brexit divorce, the E.U. is insisting that a post-Brexit Britain adopt either Canadas or Norways relationship with the EU.

These are opposite ends of a spectrum.

The Canadian model is an EU-light association, while in crucial ways Norway is practically an EU member. The U.K. rejects both of those options, preferring a bespoke post-Brexit arrangement that Germany, France and the European Union have already dismissed as a non-starter.

With the new Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), Canada now enjoys free trade in goods with the worlds biggest economy. But CETA provides little access to the EU in services.

Norway, by contrast, has complete access to the EUs coveted single market. In return, Norway conforms with EU rules, European Court of Justice jurisprudence, and the EUs cherished labour mobility.

Mobility is anathema to Brexiteers. The ill-fated Brexit referendum was an anti-immigration vote. The most strident Brexiteers are xenophobes who want an end to Polish workers easily getting jobs in Manchester, and will forfeit a Liverpool welders current ability to take a job in Krakow without need of a visa or work permit.

The EU wont budge on the mobility principle.

But the U.K. government that wont budge either is a fragile one. Jeremy Corbyn, the U.K.s likely next prime minister if Theresa Mays shaky coalition government falls, has recently shown more signs of flexibility than May in conceding to some of the EUs basic demands.

Which leaves what Michel Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator, has called a Canada Plus solution. He hasnt defined it, but in coming weeks Canada Plus will be defined. And it will likely offer Britain the continued single-market access it craves, but only if post-Brexit Britain embraces labour mobility, workplace and environmental protections and certain other EU social-justice standards.

Read more about:Hip hop star Rick Ross was unresponsive and slobbing at the mouth when Florida officials responded to a distress call at his home early Thursday, records of the police dispatch reveal.

The rapper, who lives in Davie, Fla., was breathing heavily by the time emergency officials arrived at his residence at 3:43 a.m., and police noted he had boo bood on himself, according to Davie Police Department records obtained by the New York Daily News.

Police were unable to confirm whether Ross was transported to the hospital, though TMZ reported he was hospitalized, potentially for pneumonia. A source told the gossip website, meanwhile, that the medical scare was the result of a heart issue.

A family member of Ross, however, insisted to TMZ that the John rapper had not been hospitalized.

A representative for the rapper did not respond to a request for comment.

The 42-year-old Ross, whose real name is William Roberts, has suffered from seizures in the past, which was mentioned in the dispatch report. He experienced a pair of seizures in 2011 within a span of six hours.

Ross revealed in 2016 that he adopted lifestyle changes en route to losing 75 pounds.

Im still losing weight, and now Im starting to build hard muscle in places, Ross, who once weighed 350 pounds, told Mens Health at the time, according to People.OK!

Cover: Not only is the Duchess of Cambridge helping plan Meghan Markles bachelorette, shes also helping plan Meghans entire wedding. No word on the wedding night, but dont count Kate out for that either.

Sly like a Foxx: Jamie Foxx has gotten so good at pretending he and Katie Holmes arent a couple over the five years theyve secretly been a couple that now that theyve decided to stop pretending they arent a couple, it still kind of looks like they arent. Capiche?

Royal fashion: The Queen sits front row next to Anna Wintour at Londons fashion week. It is unclear who thinks who is getting the royal treatment.

In Touch

Cover: My favourite thing about this Kate plans Meghans bachelorette story is the insinuation that the Queen will give Meghan some racy underwear for her wedding. So, like... Queen Victorias Secret?

Going overboard: A cruise with the real housewives was apparently a nightmare and a brief article wonders why. A week on the high seas with the messiest, richest bitches in New York who make their money by hating each other, open bars and buffet food? What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

Pre-puptial agreement: I know were all worried about poor, sad, Jen and Justin after The Big Breakup, but wont somebody think of the dogs? They have four puppers between them and who gets which ones was apparently a bone of contention. (Woof. Sorry!) But visitation has been arranged and one presumes that the puppers know that even though mommy and daddy dont love each other anymore, they are heckin good boys.

Life & Style

Cover: This is apparently the craziest Bachelor finale ever. The Bachelor IS still about one ostensibly handsome man-child choosing between multiple beautiful women who can do better, right? And this is season 22 of that? That IS crazy.

Sister act of war: Kylie and Kim are at war and Life & Style provides a handy clip and save that tells you which Kardashians are on which side in said war. Kris is Switzerland. If Switzerland got ten per cent from each side, filmed every waking second of the war and armed both sides.

Read more:

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle invite 2,640 people to celebrate wedding

On The Bachelor, Arie says I love you to two women and an ex tries to get one of them back

Tabloids: The disappearing Kylie Jenner

Read more about:Call it an annual pagan fest. Call it the gay Super Bowl. The Oscars are that and more.

A hoity-toity high school reunion thats also the rare live moment (with a round-the-campfire ethos, basking in as-it-happens emotion), the yearly ceremony has also long struck me as two other things: a useful prism into its time  a long handrail for history  but also, strangely, a marker for our own years.

After all, we age as the celebrities age. More or less.

Cue the gallery of Jacks and Brads and Meryls in their various incarnations  memory laid upon memory  hovering like a string of cut-out paper dolls.

Read more:

Oscars 2018: The Stars reviews of Best Picture contenders in one place

Opinion | Vinay Menon: Jimmy Kimmel and Oscars need to keep it light, not enlightening

Opinion | Peter Howells Oscar picks: who will win, who could and who should

Looking at a long view of historical clips going back to the first ceremony in 1929, the communal slide show might look something like this: Roberto Benigni climbing over chairs and declaring that he wants to make love to everybody in the world . . . Liza Minnelli and Diana Ross in the ultimate diva showdown, with both vying for Best Actress in the same year . . . Marlon Brando shunning the Oscars when nabbing Best Actor for The Godfather and, instead, sending Sacheen Littlefeather on his behalf . . . Adrien Brody planting a wet one on Halle Berry . . . Ellen DeGeneress selfie . . . J-Law tripping . . . Sharon Stones Gap turtleneck (genius!) . . . Bjorks swan dress (were not worthy) . . . Grace Kelly toppling Judy Garland . . . Charlie Chaplin basking in a 12-minute standing O when he arrived to collect his honorary Oscar, two decades after leaving the States . . . Crash triumphing over Brokeback Mountain (grrrrr!) . . . La La Land being mistaken in a Best Picture fiasco (was it only a year ago?) . . . James Cameron bellowing, for all of eternity, Im the king of the world!

In the span of that retrospective, though, light a special candle for the 1968 edition, wont you?

Precisely 50 years ago was an Oscar night with interesting echoes for our own moment, which continues to stand as a watershed.

The drama back then  as any student of Oscar knows  started even before the orchestra wound up. Pencilled in for the night of Monday, April 8, that years ceremony was sidelined when Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down in Memphis just four days earlier. Initially, Oscar organizers pressed on as planned, until a handful of performers led by Sidney Poitier  star of two Best Picture nominees that year  declared theyd boycott if the ceremonies were held before Kings funeral.

For the first time, the event was postponed for two days, though of course the divisions in America couldnt help but loom over the proceedings regardless (sound familiar?). Bobby Kennedy was also shot a few months after the Oscars.

It wasnt just about the headlines, though. The crop of Best Picture nominees in 1968 themselves reflected a seismic tilt in tastes and sands shifting in the culture: a contest between Old Hollywood and New, the fading studio dinosaurs versus the bold counterculture brats, as film critic Ty Burr has described.

To sum it up, the inert, bloated musical Doctor Dolittle was up against four very different, very modern entries: the mixed-race family drama Guess Whos Coming to Dinner; the gritty racial morality play In the Heat of the Night (directed by Canadas Norman Jewison, which won Best Picture); the in-vogue postcollege ennui of The Graduate and, last but not least, the daring period pop violence of Bonnie & Clyde, an enduring counterculture touchstone.

The Graduate, for one, would make its mark in a number of ways. A sharply realized satire that made a star out of Dustin Hoffman (nominated that night) and ignited a new era of auteurs (for which Mike Nichols would be recognized as Best Director), it was also a movie that stayed in theatres for two years, as a report on NPR once noted, unimaginable these days, when movies only last a few weeks.

In terms of those cut-out dolls that Id mentioned? Well, the faces at the 1968 Oscars tell their own story. There we had, for instance, Cher attending alongside future ex-husband Sonny Bono in a pink and metallic satin gown. There, also, to present an award while working an effective side-pony, was the truly stunning Natalie Wood who, it should be noted was in between her two marriages to Robert Wagner, having married him to from 1957 to 1962 and again from 1972 to 1981 (and whose mysterious drowning in the 1980s is amazingly a hot topic again in 2018, with recent news that the case has been reopened).

Of all the notable couples, though, it was a missing duo that was perhaps most striking. Both Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were up for Oscars that year (for Guess Whos Coming to Dinner), but Hepburn didnt bother showing up (despite winning four times in total) and Tracy received a posthumous nom. Despite that, this ceremony would serve as a coda for their love story.

Marking their ninth collaboration in a movie over a 26-year period, Hepburn and Tracy filmed their final film at a time when the latter was frail at best. Indeed, just 17 days after the Guess Whos Coming to Dinner shoot wrapped, Tracy died. It was in the wee hours of the morning and he was making himself a cup of tea. In her memoir, released decades later, Hepburn described the moment: there was a sound of a cup smashing to the floor  then clump  a loud clump.

Yes, Hepburn had been living with the man she loved, caring for him around the clock. But amazingly, the level of discretion was such that the public at large didnt know about their relationship (even though they were widely recognized as a couple inside Hollywood). Unlike this era, when the digital age leaves no stone unturned, it wouldnt be until Hepburns autobiography Me: Stories of My Life  released in the 80s and only after Tracys wife, Louise, had died  that Hepburn spoke one word about the affair.

The broad strokes of their romance are by now, of course, well-trod lore (and would have been the stuff of sotto voce whispers at the 1968 Oscars): as a devout Catholic, Tracy did not divorce Louise, despite a long estrangement. Unconventional in every way  including in the shape of the relationship she succumbed to to  Hepburn herself was also indubitably complicated, famously wearing pants before they became fashionable for women.

After the death of her love, and in an effort not to draw any negative media attention for the family, Hepburn did not attend Spencers funeral though she did follow the hearse on a six-mile journey through the streets of Los Angeles, as she later revealed, pulling away just as it arrived at the church and then whispering quietly, Goodbye, friend, here is where I leave you.

But back to the Oscars. Other moments of note at the 1968 hoopla? Well, for one, it included Barbra Streisands first Academy Awards appearance (the next year, shed win one). The forever-in-fashion Audrey Hepburn, too, was accounted for, presenting an award sporting severe bangs and an empire-waisted gown made by her go-to, Givenchy. John Williams who, by now, has composed the scores for everything from all the Star Wars flicks to the first three Harry Potter movies to nearly every single Spielberg film, was there too for the first of 51 (!) Oscar noms to come. (It was for Valley of the Dolls. Hows that for trivia?)

And, finally, there was this: the night also provided the tableau for whats now known as the shortest Oscars speech in Oscars history. When Alfred Hitchcock  who famously did not win any statuettes for any of his iconic movies  accepted the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for creative excellence the director famously only had two words to say: Thank you.

It was a triumph in brevity. And just one of the reasons a ceremony held 50 years ago remains a classic.

Correction  March 8, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Bobby Kennedy was shot a few months before the April 1968 Academy Awards. In fact, he was shot two months after the Oscars.Hip-hop star Rick Ross was hospitalized in Florida early Thursday after being taken ill at his Miami-area home, police in Davie, Fla., confirmed.

Police and emergency teams were called to his home after he was found unresponsive, according to a dispatch report filed by police and sent to USA TODAY.

The report showed a 911 caller sought help for a man fitting Ross description in distress who was breathing heavily, slobbing out the mouth, and briefly combative.

Read more:

Rapper Rick Ross found unresponsive at Florida home

Davie police had no other information because the call to Ross home turned out not to be a law enforcement matter, said Sgt. Mark Leone, spokesperson for Davie police.

There were conflicting media reports on whether Ross condition was heart-related or respiratory-related or both. TMZ reported sources connected to the music mogul (real name William Roberts II) said he was hooked up to a machine controlling the function of his heart and lungs.

A hip-hop artist named Fat Trell posted on his Instagram that he just talked to Ross in the hospital but he was not on life support.

Representatives of Ross did not return calls or emails from USA TODAY.

Ross, 42, has a history of seizures, including two in one day in 2011. When he consulted a doctor, he was told to lose weight and give up sodas, which he did, but resisted giving up such favourites as chicken wings (he owns Wingstop franchises) and fried Oreos.

At one point he weighed 350 pounds but dropped 75, he told Mens Health magazine in 2016. Im happy, Ross said. Im still losing weight, and now Im starting to build hard muscle in places.

Ross also is famous for his feuds, as with fellow rap star 50 Cent, and for run-ins with police.

In 2015, he was arrested in Atlanta on a marijuana charge after he was stopped for a window tint violation. And two weeks later he was arrested again at his Atlanta home on kidnapping and assault charges by a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force. Earlier, in 2014, he was arrested by Greensboro, N.C., police after a concert because he allegedly failed to appear in court on a previous misdemeanour marijuana charge.

When Ross released his ninth studio album, Rather You Than Me, in March 2017, its track list had big names like Gucci Mane, Meek Mill, Future and Nas. But it was the lyrics that seemingly dissed Birdman and Nicki Minaj that had some listeners perking up their ears.

Friends and admirers of Ross sent out prayerful tweets, including Usher, LL Cool J, and Trey Songz.

I BELIEVE in the Power of Prayer Sending Prayers up for Rick Ross, tweeted Missy Elliot.

Hang in there boss. Working with u was one of the highlights of my career. The world has so much love for you. #prayersup for @RickRoss, tweeted Fergie.15 hurt in AL factional clash

UNB, Jhenaidah :

At least 15 people were injured and some 25 houses were vandalized during a clash between two rival groups of ruling Awami League over establishing supremacy at Sitarampur village in Sadar upazila on Saturday morning.

Officer-in-Charge of Harishankarpur Police Station Humayun Kabir said that clash occurred between the supporters groups of local AL leader and incumbent Harishankarpur union chairman Abdullah Al Masum and former union chairman Farukuzzaman Farid at Sitarampur village



around 8:30am. Later, the supporters of nearby two villages-Paranpur and Chandrajani also joined in the clash, leaving 15 injured and 25 houses vandalised, he said. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, he added.

Among the injured, five were admitted to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.

Police were put on alert in the area to fend-off any further unwanted situation, the OC said.OTTAWAFinance Minister Bill Morneau now says hes agnostic on proposals for a pharmacare plan after criticism that he was trying to dial back ambitions for a new program to ensure Canadians get the prescription drugs they need.

Morneau said Friday that hes not seeking to prejudge the outcome of a newly created advisory council that will be looking at the idea or dampen the scope of their recommendations.

Whats really clear to us is we need to get expert advice on how to do this best, Morneau said during a visit to Montreal to discuss the budget measures.

Tuesdays budget revealed the federal governments intentions to take a serious look at the creation of a national pharmacare plan. The Liberals launched an advisory council, led by former Ontario health minister Dr. Eric Hoskins, to recommend options for a Canadian model.

But on Wednesday, Morneau appeared to dial down expectations, saying any pharmacare strategy would only deal with the gaps and wouldnt throw out the system that we currently have.

That prompted the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union, Canadian Doctors for Medicare and the Canadian Labour Congress to write an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demanding Morneau be removed from the file.

They said Morneau has already decided it will not be a universal plan that covers all workers  to the detriment of Canadians, and the benefit of insurance and pharmaceutical companies, and, they suggested, Morneau Shepell.

They said it contradicts overwhelming evidence on the need for a universal program and undermines the work of Hoskins council before it begins.

It is our hope that insurance industry and pharmaceutical industry interests will not play a role in the implementation of universal public pharmacare, the letter to Trudeau stated.

On Friday, Morneau backed away from his earlier comments and insisted he would be open-minded about the councils findings. I am agnostic on the conclusions other than making sure that we get Canadians to a position where everyone has access to healthcare, he said.

We have enlisted experts to help us with that goal. Well do this and well get to the right conclusion for Canadians, he said.

Hassan Yussuff, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, told the Star that Morneaus office contacted him to reassure him that the finance minister had an open mind on pharmacare. Morneau personally spoke with Yussuf, who says the finance minister was clear that he was not prejudging the outcome of the Hoskins council.

Yussuff says he has also spoken with Hoskins, who Yussuff said conveyed that he has a wide mandate to make recommendations.

Yussuff said he was satisified after those conversations that the government will make this decision based on the evidence and the recommendations that Hoskins brings forward. And he believes it will be up to the Health Minister Ginette Pettipas-Taylor  not Morneau  to design the policy.

He clarified the CLC was not withdrawing its support for the letter but says the government has allayed its concerns at the outset.

Note March 5, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version to include the complete name of Canadian Federation of Nurses Union.

Correction - March 7, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Hassan Yussuffs surname.MONTREALMore than 20 former Bloc Quebecois MPs called on party leader Martine Ouellet to step down Friday, in a letter published in a Montreal newspaper accusing her of being intransigent and weakening Quebecs voice in Ottawa.

Meanwhile, the Blocs national office will hold a meeting Saturday to discuss the fate of seven of the partys 10 MPs who quit the caucus earlier in the week, citing Ouellets poor leadership style.

The letter, co-signed by ex-Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe, says Quebecs status is feeble within the Canadian federation, with a pro-Canada premier in Quebec City and an intransigent and divisive Bloc leader in Ottawa.

We understand how seven MPs left the party, reads the letter published in Le Devoir. Martine Ouellet weakens Quebecs voice in Ottawa at a time when it needs a strong voice.

She divides sovereignists at the moment when they need to be united. She has to go.

Ouellet, who doesnt have a seat in the House of Commons but sits as an Independent in Quebecs provincial legislature, has signalled she will not go.

A source in the Bloc told The Canadian Press Ouellets hand remains extended to the seven departing members and she is ready to welcome them back to the party.

The source said its unclear if the 12 members of the partys national bureau will take a final decision on whether to expel the seven dissident MPs and revoke their memberships on Saturday, or whether talks will continue after that time.

A spokesperson for the Bloc said Ouellet wouldnt react publicly to Fridays letter before Saturdays meeting.

The defections of 70 per cent of the partys caucus reflect an internal struggle in the party that has been going on for some time.

Party insiders say the tension is between those who aggressively want to pursue Quebec independence by bringing it up at every occasion, versus those who want to focus on files concerning Quebecs interests in Ottawa.

Louis Plamondon, who has been a Bloc MP for the last 25 years, is among the seven who quit the caucus.

Since Ouellet won the leadership, she gave most of the responsibilities in the party to the three most radical MPs, he said during an interview.

An example of her style, he said, is how she reacted to the news Quebecs shipyard wouldnt be getting another federal supply ship contract, while billions of taxpayer dollars went to other shipyards in the country.

Plamondon said Ouellet told the workers you know, if we were independent from Canada there would be no problem with constructing supply ships.

Thats not what workers want to hear, he said.

You have to respond to their preoccupations. And then explain why federalism serves Quebec badly. Her strategy is pure independence. Independence, independence, independence.

Read more about:The fate of how Torontos 2018 election will be run rests in the hands of Superior Court Justice Katherine Swinton.

On Friday, in a sunlit courtroom on the second floor of Osgoode Hall just steps away from city hall, the judge heard arguments about whether the court should consider an appeal of the citys new ward boundary structure.

In what may be an unprecedented move, the case contesting a city council decision, which was confirmed by a provincial tribunal, was brought by a sitting city councillor and a local resident.

A decision will be given at a later date.

Swintons judgment will be pivotal to how the municipal election on Oct. 22 will be run.

But there are pressing timelines. The nomination period for candidates to sign up and run for a council seat opens May 1  just two months from now.

The city approved a 47-ward structure recommended by independent consultants in 2016, which would increase the number of councillors by three. That decision was affirmed by the Ontario Municipal Board, a provincial tribunal that has the final say in land-use disputes, in December. That came just before a deadline to have those ward boundaries take effect for the 2018 election.

There are now two issues that have been raised in court: Firstly, whether the court should hear an appeal of the OMB decision, and secondly, how the 2018 election should be run.

The legal team for Councillor Justin Di Ciano, who represents Ward 5 (Etobicoke Lakeshore) and Tony Natale, a real estate broker who lives in the Davenport area, argued Friday the OMB erred in its decision.

An appeal can only be heard on the basis that there has been a specific error in law.

The citys lawyers argued that was not the case and that leave to appeal should not be granted by the court. They also argued the OMBs decision was not appealable to the court at all.

Lawyer Bruce Engell, representing Di Ciano and Natale, also argued that the city failed to pass a bylaw confirming the number of councillors on council, which he says creates a legal vacuum where 47 wards could be in place but only 44 councillors elected. Toronto council is currently made up of 44 councillors and the mayor.

City lawyer Glenn Chu responded saying a bylaw confirming one councillor be elected per ward has already been passed. The city has asked the court to confirm how the election should be run: With 47 ward seats up for grabs.

None of those issues have been decided.

Di Ciano and Natale argue that a 25-ward structure, which follows federal electoral districts, is superior to the council-approved 47-ward structure.

The OMB earlier agreed with the citys position that there were no clear and compelling reasons to overturn the council-approved 47-ward option.

Those arguments were rehashed in court on Friday.

Theres no reason to doubt its correctness or reasonableness, city lawyer Brendan OCallaghan said of the OMBs decision.

The 47-ward structure would see the area where Di Cianos family home is located cut out of the ward he currently represents. On Friday, he told the Star that did not factor into his decision to appeal the decision. He said he believes the 47-ward option was based on a flawed methodology.

A candidate does not have to live in the ward they wish to represent, they only have to be a resident of the city. Di Ciano won with 54 per cent of the vote in 2014.Peel Regional Police and Fire services battled explosions and a massive fire at a construction site near a seniors residence in Streetsville Friday night.

There were no reports of injuries late Friday, but more than 1,100 people in the area were without power and lights were off at nearby businesses and restaurants.

Police said a few residences directly across the street from the fire were evacuated, but residents were cleared to return home at 10:30 p.m.

Read more:

Painstaking investigation begins after massive Streetsville fire

After initially announcing an evacuation of the seniors residence across the street, police said the residents of the building at 175 Rutledge Rd. were on standby but were allowed to remain.

Residents are in a proactive position, being sheltered in place rather than being evacuated for the time being, they tweeted.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie spoke with the media at around 9:45 and said the building that burned down near Tannery St. and Joymar Dr. was the second phase of the Credit River Retirement Residence, which was under construction.

Crombie told CP24 in a phone interview that the fire had been contained and that the cause is unknown.

It looks worse than it is, she said. They know it wont spread any further.

Mississauga Fire Chief Tim Beckett said the explosions may have been caused by materials at the construction site, such as propane tanks, igniting.

Weve been very cautious with our staff, we have a big collapse zone, Beckett said, adding it took about 60 firefighters and 15 trucks to knock down the large, three-alarm blaze.

Strong winds also made the fire larger, and sent ash and embers into the air, he said.

Residents near the site of the fire said they heard explosions.

At some point it was really loud. I thought my windows were going to cave in, they were shaking, said Caroline Yanush, who lives across the street. I heard big, giant booms, my dogs were very scared.

Gordi Birsbin, another resident who lives nearby, said she saw multiple fireballs and heard one massive explosion that shook her house and several smaller ones.

Police said Mississauga Transit buses had been called in to assist in the case of an evacuation, and the fire department is monitoring air quality in the area.

A train on the Milton GO Transit line was forced to stop at Erindale GO because the fire is near the tracks at Streetsville GO station. Replacement buses were sent in, but the delay has been resolved.

By 9:15 p.m., dozens of fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers remained on the scene.

Theres not much left of the building. Its pretty much all burnt down, According to a Peel Police spokesperson.

Well clean it up and hopefully well start over again, Crombie said.

She also thanked the fire department and emergency services for their help.

Im very grateful tonight that all the seniors are safe and can return home.

Read more about:Months after Alloura Wells was found in a Rosedale ravine, a fundraising drive has started for the very vibrant transgender womans burial.

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $5,000 towards Wellss burial and tombstone. The funds will also sponsor a monthly support group for homeless transgender women through Maggies: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project.

Its great that we see that there are a lot of people who see the need to put Alloura to rest and give her the proper burial that she deserves, Monica Forrester, who created the GoFundMe page, told the Star.

Wells, who had been homeless for a number of years, was last seen in downtown Toronto in July 2017.

Her body was found in August in a ravine near Rosedale Valley Rd. The 27-year-old was found beside a tent with a pink purse. Her family reported her missing in November.

The police investigation continues.

Forrester created the GoFundMe page on Feb. 27. As of Friday afternoon, nearly 90 people had donated.

Alloura Wells was still in the morgue . . . we just felt like we needed to get her out of the morgue, get her cremated and back to the family, Forrester said.

Thousands of dollars have been raised for the very well known woman who was tight knit with the trans community, Forrester said.

Forrester said she met Wells in the Church St. area when Wells was 18.

She was a very vibrant trans woman that had a life ahead of her, Forrester recalled. She had goals and dreams just like everyone else.

The GoFundMe initially was raising money to cremate Wells, but Forrester said the City of Toronto would cover the expense.

Burials cost just over $3,000, said Anna Fiorino, spokesperson for Toronto Employment and Social Services. That expense includes funeral home services like preparing the remains and the casket, as well as the cemetery plot opening and closing.

Toronto Employment and Social Services provided 222 funerals in 2016, Fiorino said.

A public memorial was held for Wells in December.When the recess bell rings at McKee Public School in Willowdale, residents gazing out the windows of the highrise condominiums across the street are privy to a scene of joyful pandemonium.

Hundreds of children spill from the main building and four portables, spreading across the schoolyard in an explosion of pent-up energy. From above, they are colourful specks, laughing, shouting, chasing, climbing and sprawling in the snow.

But parents in the 120-unit building west of the playground cant cast a surreptitious eye on what their own children are up to. Because since the condos opened in 2004, children who live them havent been eligible to attend the school steps away from their front door.

Read more:

The GTA's population is booming  but not necessarily in the right places

Have your say

Like other elementary schools along the Yonge St. corridor near Sheppard Ave., McKee is full to the brim, thanks to a population boom in the area. With almost 800 students, it has doubled in size over the last decade and is now at more than 110 per cent capacity.

So instead of a three-minute walk each morning, public school students from 8 McKee Ave. and several other nearby buildings have to climb onto a yellow school bus for the trek to Lillian Street Public School, more than three kilometres away.

We have become recipients of unintended consequences from the urban density, says Vivian Leong, who can see the school from her balcony but cant count on her 9-month-old son Ethan being able to attend by the time hes in kindergarten.

We are so close to the school, its really ridiculous. It is baffling how planning and policy are made.

So many people are clamouring for spots at the school, which has impressive EQAO scores and a diverse multilingual population that includes many newcomer families, that staff conduct regular enrolment audits asking for proof of addresses. It has resulted in the departure of about two dozen students in the last three years, says principal Jeanette Lang.

The situation is one example of problems plaguing areas of the city targeted as high-density zones. Those include spots further south in the central corridor such as Yonge and Eglinton, as well as the western downtown core and more recently Leslieville.

While cranes and bulldozers erect homes for thousands of new residents, key infrastructure and amenities to meet the needs of these expanding communities  including schools, parks and transit  lag far behind.

Realtors carry on marketing their dwellings based on proximity to desirable schools. But builders are forced to stipulate on signs and in purchase contracts that children wont be guaranteed a spot in those classrooms.

Were really feeling the squeeze, says Melody Nguyen, member of the parent council at Elkhorn Public School near Bayview and Sheppard, which is 20 per cent over capacity. Elkhorn has five portables and has to hold assemblies in two shifts because it cant fit all its students in its small gymnasium.

Condos are springing up south and east of that school, and I have no clue where these kids are going to be going to school, says Nguyen, who has children in Grades 2 and 1 and third starting at Elkhorn next fall.

Local school trustee Alexander Brown says such haphazard planning means as long as theres a continued interest in living in the area, we could be piecing this together for a long time.

Overcrowding is one of the major issues he deals with as the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee for the area. And he stresses the implications ripple far beyond the classroom  whether its lack of space for extracurriculars, or the lost sense of community.

At McKee, staff and students use every inch of space. A technology lab overlooking the library was divided to create an additional classroom. Windowless storage rooms have been converted into colourful spaces with air filters and fans where English as a second language teachers work with individuals or small groups.

An addition was built four years ago, then four portables were added which now house the eldest students, in Grade 5.

When artificial turf was installed last year, part of the playground was left uncovered in the event that more portables are needed, which upset many parents, says Ali Youssefi, co-chair of the McKee parent council, whose son Kamyar is in one of the portable classrooms, where the kids also eat lunch.

Frankly, nobody wants their kids to go to classes in a portable, he said, citing air quality, low ceilings, and the lack of bathrooms and running water as major hindrances.

School zoning has been changed several times in the last few years to try to keep the school population in check.

There are so many condos being built on the Yonge corridor, and where are you going to put all these kids? says Youssefi.

Lang says her staff devote a lot of energy to managing the flow of students before and after school and during its staggered recesses and lunch hours, when kids eat in the gym in shifts. Working out timetables, classrooms and the use of outdoor space is an ordeal, ensuring Grade 5 classes arent losing instructional time with too many treks back and forth to the portables, minimizing chaos by keeping Grade 1 students in the kindergarten play area while outdoors, and creating proper spaces for the seven kindergarten classes.

Its a little bit of micromanaging, she says, adding that the kids are aware the school is jam-packed and co-operate with keeping an orderly flow.

Its been more than a quarter of a century since intensification pushed north on the Yonge corridor, aimed at easing congestion downtown. The planning strategy transformed the area near Sheppard Ave. into a beehive of condos, and continued marching further into North York, which has also seen a surge in sales of renovated homes with space for multi-generational families.

The density plan worked, but the crystal ball was cloudy about the nature of the growing population. While highrises shot up, it was as if nobody predicted  or planned for  the day they would eventually be full of children.

To a large extent school boards hands are tied.

There is no ability in law to oppose development on the basis that the local schools are unable to accommodate the new students, notes a staff report presented to TDSB trustees last month.

While school boards are among the many facilities that are notified about every application, they have no approval authority, which means having no space for students isnt a reason to delay or deny construction, says Giulio Cescato, manager of city planning for central North York.

So while developments may be put on hold for something like inadequate sewers, they dont wait for schools to catch up.

At the same time, its hard to predict the demographics of a new building accurately because by the time they are finished kids are aging in and out of the school system, says Cescato, who lives in a condo with his young son.

Its a guessing game at best.

Brown says its time to review planning at the provincial level and consider how to strengthen the voice of the local school board.

But even more important is the issue of why developers arent being forced to help pay for the costs of renovations, repairs and new schools for the clients that will inhabit their buildings, he adds.

In the past year, Willowdale has been at the centre of the movement pushing the province for changes to outdated rules that parents and local politicians say are hindering school boards and profoundly affecting students and families.

Its an issue that prompted the TDSB to file a legal challenge this week to have the Education Act amended.

The move is about levies called education development charges, which school boards are entitled to collect from developers for every new unit they construct  but only under certain conditions.

Under the current rules the TDSB is in an awkward situation. Its the countrys largest school board in one of the fastest-growing urban areas, but cant collect those fees.

Thats because any school board that isnt operating at full capacity across all its schools doesnt get the funds. And there are TDSB schools in other parts of the city that are under capacity, resulting in across-the-board surpluses of 34,582 elementary places and 21,302 in high schools.

The cost of this conundrum? Potential lost revenue of up to $350 million over the next 15 years, based on the number of units under construction, proposed or planned across the city, according to the board.

The province does designate money to boards for new schools and renovations through its capital funding priorities envelope, but the TDSB sees developer levies as a huge untapped source.

Its application for judicial review in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice this week argues the rules are unfair and discriminatory and contrary to the policy that growth should pay for growth.

While the board has a legal obligation to provide spaces for students, it cannot adequately plan or access necessary funds to accommodate those needs, says the application.

To parents like Ali Youssefi, it makes no sense that hundreds of children in Willowdale are bused out of their neighbourhoods and builders of the towers stretching into North York skies dont have to pony up because of half-empty schools elsewhere.

Youssefi was among almost 200 parents at a ward meeting last fall with Mitzie Hunter, education minister at the time, demanding the province loosen the rules. Trustee Alexander Brown, MPP David Zimmer and Councillor John Filion also attended the meeting, which prompted a city council motion calling on the province to fix the problem.

The province is putting pressure on boards to address their own cash shortfall by closing underused schools and selling the land. Even though it doesnt always make sense, because experience has shown that fickle demographic shifts can suddenly transform new pockets of the city into hot neighbourhoods, causing a resurgence in demand at languishing schools.

Besides, the spate of school closings in the last two years caused such backlash, particularly in rural areas, that the province put a moratorium on closures until it reviews the current decision-making processes.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board, meanwhile, is running at full capacity and does collect development charges for each unit once new development applications are approved.

But that doesnt solve the problem for the Catholic board either, which is also feeling the space crunch in Willowdale.

According to the TDSB legal application, the Catholic board has collected levies of more than $221 million since 2000 and is expected to collect $600 million or more in the next 15 years.

But under provincial rules, those funds are only for acquiring land  a restriction both boards and grassroots organizations like Fix Our Schools desperately want lifted at a time when Ontario schools are facing a $16-billion repair backlog.

So the levies cant be used to fix roofs, boilers and windows in many aging school buildings. Nor do they help finance creative alternatives that could make sense in dense neighbourhoods such as vertical schools that are part of condo complexes or other multi-use spaces.

One example is the new Canoe Landing project the railway lands, where both school boards and the City of Toronto are partners in a new facility that includes two schools that will open in September 2019 as well as a community centre and child-care facilities. Under an agreement struck years ago, the city has collected revenues from new developments in the area to fund the project and the boards lease the land from the city.

Elsewhere in the city though, the Catholic board is also in a pinch. As of last fall, it had collected enough eligible funds to buy 89 acres for new schools, but unlike suburban boards where parcels of land are often available near new housing developments, there are few options in the city.

Brown says the community is determined to make development charges an issue in provincial election campaign this spring, raising it at debates and candidate meetings, and are hoping for a meeting with Education Minister Indira Naidoo-Harris.

Some of the immediate pressure will be alleviated in the fall when a third-storey addition is completed at Avondale Public School south of McKee, adding another 322 spots and allowing it to accommodate 875 students.

An addition at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic School, finishing this spring, will more than double its current capacity to 700 pupils, and St. Antoine Daniel Catholic School will also have twice as many spaces when a new building opens its doors in 2020 that can handle 510 students.

But even with those new spaces, the area is still over capacity and projections by both boards show its only going to get worse.

Its not a hopeful situation for residents like Vivian Leong or her neighbours whose kids cant skip down the street to McKee each morning.

When the family moved in a couple of years ago, she figured the situation might change by the time they had a school-age child.

But even with Ethan four years away from kindergarten, shes not so sure.

Its disappointing.COURTICE, ON.For two months, Darlin and Gerry Bonchek have been trying to give their disabled grandson, Ben, answers about the fire that killed his entire family.

They want to make sure he knows that they didnt leave him on purpose, Darlin said, her voice shaking.

He asks a lot of questions, and he doesnt understand.

Darlin and Gerry, who are in their 60s and retired, had their world turned upside down on Jan. 8, when flames tore through their daughter Lindseys multi-unit home in Oshawa, killing her, her 9-year-old daughter, Madeline, her four-year-old son, Jackson, and another man, Steven Macdonald. Macdonald, 50, had gone into the burning home to try to save those inside.

Theres nobody left, Darlin said through tears. So hes going to be here with us.

Read more:

Family shares memories of mother, children who died in Monday blaze in Oshawa

Oshawa fire hero Steven MacDonald remembered for life of selfless acts

2 children among 4 people killed in Oshawa house fire

While processing their own grief at losing their daughter and two grandchildren, the Boncheks, who have a 29-year-old daughter with autism who lives with them in their Courtice home, have done everything they can to put Bens life back together.

They drive Ben, who is 16, to and from Oshawa every day, so he doesnt have to leave the school where he feels most comfortable. It gives him time. It gives him what hes used to, Darlin said. And while Bens at school learning, they spend time with their adult daughter, Carly, who is non-verbal. Darlin still doesnt know how to help her understand what happened.

I know she cared about them, but you cant explain to her where they are, she said.

When Ben asks what his mom and siblings are doing, his grandparents tell him theyre in heaven. They keep photographs and momentos of the family visible in the living room. Gerry walked through the sooty, blackened house multiple times with a flashlight, and brought home anything that could be saved. A local dry cleaner still has Madelines first communion dress.

Theyre doing everything they can to scrub the smell of fire from the gown.

Meanwhile, the International Association of Fire Fighters is taking a hard look at how the tragedy happened  as requested by the Oshawa fire fighters union. There was measurable risk on Centre St. before the fire broke out, according to a report it released this week. The census tract that the house was built inside has a disproportionately skewed number of fire risk factors when compared to the rest of Oshawa  a city about 60 kilometres east of Toronto.

Those include old and low-income homes, or ones with vulnerable populations.

Only one of the citys six staffed fire stations is within four minutes travel from the house, even under ideal conditions. That station is known as Station 1. Its typically staffed by three firefighters, one captain and one platoon chief. There are three others within eight minutes.

The report doesnt detail which stations responded on Jan. 8, when flames tore through the two-storey-and-loft residence. It would later be revealed by investigators that the house had no working smoke alarms  just wires and brackets jutting out from the spaces where they should have been, according to Ontario fire investigator Richard Derstroff.

The report recommends a a thorough risk assessment of Oshawa be undertaken. Oshawa Councillor Amy McQuaid-England spoke to media days after the fire, and said shed been asking the city to take action and increase fire safety and inspection for eight years.

The Boncheks pleaded with those reading their story to check their alarms and detectors, so this never happens to another family.

On Friday, a fresh dusting of snow blanketed the Centre St. house. The roof was blackened, a tipped-over baby pram was on the porch and snow-covered flowers covered the sidewalk. A single teddy bear lay on the pavement. The Boncheks dont know when the remains of the house will be torn down.

While they process what happened, others have jumped in to help. Darlins sister and her husband flew back from Mexico when news of the fire broke. Gerrys sister and her boyfriend collected clothing. Feed the Need, a food bank where Ben sorts items every Wednesday, crocheted him a blanket by hand.

And on Sunday, at 11 a.m, therell be a community fundraiser for Bens care at the Storie Park Clubhouse in Oshawa  billed as Help Rebuild His World.

The money donated so far, to a GoFundMe campaign run by their niece Rachel, has been put in a trust account for Ben. Their main added cost for his care right now is gas, to make sure his life isnt uprooted from Oshawa to Courtice. But that may change as the years go on. They spoke about having to rely on friends for help as they get older.

Darlin wished that Lindsey, who was 36, could see the outpouring of love for her and her kids.

She was a single mom, but she did her best, and I wish she could have known how much people cared about her, Darlin said, her eyes welling with tears once more. Because its been really, really great. People have been amazing.

In another familys world, another familys grief, echoes.

Alysha Macdonald, whose father, Steven, died in the blaze, is facing a big moment. On Friday, she shared that she and her fiance are anticipating their first baby in the coming days. Steven had been there for every doctors appointment throughout her pregnancy, up until January. He was always right by her side, she said.

My dad was our biggest support system, Alysha wrote in a message to the Star. Its been an adjustment.

While learning to go about their lives without Steven there, the pair have had a lot of support. They found a new place to live, and the landlord let them in early and had the fire department double-check their safety. They worry about that now, Alysha explained.

The Canadian Corps Legion donated a hall for Stevens celebration of life. Alyshas work gave her time off to grieve on top of maternity leave. People came forward to donate things for the baby, from strollers to play pens, to help them get back on their feet. Her hairstyling college wiped her remaining school fees, and offered whatever help they could give. Its honestly been so amazing how kind everyone has been through this, she wrote.

As motherhood gets closer, shes looking to the lessons she learned from her dad. He was more of my best friend than anything, she said. He cared for everyone in her life, even her friends and their children. He did everything for everyone, she told the Star. He was an amazing parent.

Lindsey, who would call and talk to her mom every day, always worked so hard, and was a good mom, her parents said. Jackson was a beautiful little boy, Darlin said. A baby photo of him being kissed on each cheek by his siblings is in the living room. And Madeline, equal part artist and mathematician, had just become a girl guide.

Her first badge, in bird watching, was being sent to her grandparents. And amid the teary discussion, Darlin remembered her granddaughter going outside, trying to get birds in the yard to land on her head, and she smiled.

Read more about:A Toronto firefighter was seriously injured after he plunged from the top floor of an abandoned building early Saturday morning while battling a fire.

At around 3 a.m., Toronto Fire arrived to a blaze on Mutual St., north of Gerrard St., and encountered a serious working fire, heavy flames and smoke, Acting Chief Jim Jessop told media at the scene after the fire was put out. During the firefighting operations, one of our staff, while conducting a primary search, ended up falling from the top floor of this building.

The building is a three-storey row house, and the firefighter in question fell roughly 9 metres and landed in an alcove, Jessop said. Although fire crews knocked the fire down quickly, the damage caused is extensive.

Paramedics received a call from Toronto Fire shortly before 3:30 a.m. and rushed to the scene to transport the injured man to hospital.

Jessop said hed personally visited the man in hospital, and that hes really happy to report that the firefighter, although suffering a number of fractured ribs, is expected to fully recover.

The worst nightmare for any senior officer in the fire services is getting the call in the middle of the night that one of our staff has been seriously injured, he said. But, candidly, this is the risk that our women and men face every night.

He said situations like this illustrate the challenges fire crews face when tackling fires in abandoned, unstable buildings.

Relieved to hear the injured firefighter is going to be OK, Mayor John Tory tweeted. Wishing him a quick recovery. Thanks to all our firefighters for the difficult and dangerous work they do to help keep Toronto safe.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASOIslamic extremists struck the French Embassy and army headquarters in simultaneous attacks of gunfire and explosives Friday in Burkina Fasos capital, killing eight people and wounding more than 80 others. All eight militants were slain by security forces.

The violence, which the government called a terrorist attack, marked a further deterioration in former French colonys perilous security situation. Islamic militants already have struck twice since January 2016 in the West African country, prompting criticism of the military response each time.

No group claimed responsibility for Fridays attacks.

One of the militants assaults destroyed a room in the army headquarters where senior officers were to have met but was relocated at the last minute, according to Security Minister Clement Sawadogo.

If the meeting had taken place in the first room, our army would have been beheaded, Sawadogo said, adding that some of the assailants wore military clothing and seemed to be aware of the planned gathering.

The French Embassy came under attack around 10:15 a.m. local time, with witnesses at the nearby state TV offices telling The Associated Press that the attackers had arrived in a pickup truck, shouted, Allahu akbar! and began shooting.

No one in the embassy was hurt, but a gendarme and the four attackers were killed, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in televised remarks.

Gunfire and explosions resounded for hours, subsiding by midday. Workers fled nearby offices and helicopters were seen above the embassy.

A similar attack unfolded at the army headquarters across town. The assailants also arrived in a pickup and starting shooting at soldiers, said Moussa Korbeogo, a trader at a nearby market.

Heavy smoke rose from the army joint chief of staffs office, where witnesses reported loud explosions. Windows were broken there and in nearby buildings.

Some of the soldiers ran into a nearby bank to seek shelter. Several were killed outside and inside the premises, Korbeogo said.

Five emergency centres to treat casualties were set up in hospitals, a military barracks and at a stadium in Ouagadougou, said Col. Amade Kafando, director general of Burkina Fasos army health unit.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with President Roch Marc Christian Kabore to express his condolences and support, and also to thank the countrys forces for their quick intervention. Burkina Faso is one of five countries in the Sahel contributing to the so-called G5 force in the region battling extremists.

Macron reaffirms his determination and the full commitment of France, alongside its G5 Sahel partners, in the fight against terrorist movements, according to a statement from the French leader.

The Paris prosecutors office said it has opened a preliminary attempted murder investigation into the attack because the embassy was among the targets, a French judicial official said on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media identified.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with Burkina Faso government and people. In a statement, he affirms the United Nations commitment to support Burkina Faso in its efforts to fight violent extremism and terrorism, sustain the security sector reform, promote national reconciliation and create the conditions for sustainable peace and development.

Ouagadougou has been attacked by Islamic extremists targeting foreigners at least twice in the past few years. Security forces have struggled to contain the attacks.

In August, extremists opened fire as patrons dined at a restaurant, killing at least 18 people. In January 2016, Islamic extremists attacked another cafe popular with foreigners, killing 30 people.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the 2016 killings along with the jihadist group known as Al Mourabitoun. But experts say the terror threat in Burkina Faso is increasingly homegrown.

The landlocked nation of Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. It shares a northern border with Mali, which has long battled Islamic extremists.

The northern border region near Mali is the home of Ibrahim Malam Dicko, a preacher who has claimed responsibility for recent deadly attacks on troops and civilians. His association, Ansarul Islam, is considered a terrorist group by Burkina Fasos government.

Among his objectives has been ending the use of French in regional schools. Forces backed by the French military have failed to capture Dicko.

But he is not the only threat. Northern areas near the border with Mali have been a regular target of attacks by various extremist groups, some of them vowing to step up the bloodshed in response to the recent deployment of the G5 Sahel force. The 5,000-member force combines troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania, with France leading the efforts to bring in international funding.

The countries troops join forces where they can. In response to the new violence in eastern Burkina Faso, troops from Burkina Faso and nearby Mali and Niger have increased patrols. Extremists are thought to be hiding in forested areas in the border region.

Longtime president Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising in late 2014, and a coup was mounted the following year but ultimately failed. Some critics say the military has suffered during the years of political upheaval.

During the 2016 assault, security forces waited for hours before trying to intervene.

Threats by Islamic extremists also moved into new parts of Burkina Faso in February with an attack by 10 people in an eastern town that killed an officer and wounded two others.

Increased attacks at the border with Mali have forced thousands to flee in the past year. An Australian doctor who had spent decades treating civilians was also abducted along this border and remains missing.

Read more about:WASHINGTONNearly a month after Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary, resigned amid accusations of domestic abuse, John Kelly, the presidents chief of staff, acknowledged on Friday he had stumbled in response to initial reports of the allegations.

We didnt cover ourselves in glory, Kelly, who had issued a statement in Porters defence, told a group of reporters gathered in his office. He said Porter had presented himself as the ultimate gentleman while he worked at the White House.

I never saw him mad or abusive in any way, Kelly said.

Read more:

Domestic abuse, the FBI and White House dishonesty: A timeline of the spiralling Rob Porter scandal

House panel launches investigation into White Houses handling of Rob Porter

Everything you need to know about the domestic abuse scandal thats plaguing Trumps White House

The White House has struggled to clarify who knew what about Porter and when. Kelly, who worked closely with Porter and eventually accepted his resignation, had declined to publicly clear up the matter, even as the case exposed internal frustrations with his sharp-elbowed attempts to end dysfunction in the West Wing.

On Friday, Kelly offered his version of the events, adding to the White Houses ever-winding timeline on Porter while leaving many questions unaddressed. This time, Kelly agreed with a chronology provided by Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, who said information about Porter had been delivered to the White House security office nearly a year ago.

Kelly also said Donald McGahn II, the White House counsel, had been unaware of an issue with Porters background investigation, even though Porter had mentioned to McGahn in January 2017 that he was worried that his former wives had damaging information against him.

Kelly did not say what was in the initial cache of information sent by the FBI last March, or what the bureau sent in subsequent bundles in July and November.

In the days after Porters resignation, multiple people familiar with the situation said top officials, including McGahn, Kelly and Joe Hagin, the deputy chief of staff, had learned in November that there were problems with Porters background investigation.

But Kelly said he had not personally known about accusations against Porter until the afternoon of Feb. 6. Over a few hours that day, Kelly said, he had issued a statement in strong support of Porter after Porters second former wife, Jennifer Willoughby, accused him of abuse. Kelly said Willoughby had made no mention of any type of physical abuse.

On Friday, Willoughby said Kellys comments added to my opinions of how poorly the White House has handled the situation for weeks, and questioned why her account was not enough for Kelly to fire Porter.

He didnt feel Rob should resign until he was accused of physical abuse. That is disturbing, she said in an email, adding: I had filed a protective order and called the police on several occasions and I detailed being pulled naked from the shower. That Gen. Kelly does not consider that abuse is terrifying to me.

Porter offered to resign Feb. 6, but how seriously Kelly took Porters initial offer remains unclear. Kelly said he then departed to Capitol Hill for a meeting on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program  Where did that go? he joked on Friday  but by the time he returned, Colbie Holderness, Porters first wife, had come forward with accusations of physical abuse. Kelly said he then accepted Porters resignation, emphasizing that was before he had seen the photos of Holderness black eye. No pictures, by the way, he told reporters.

On Friday, current and former White House officials disputed the timeline Kelly gave, and said Porter was never outright fired, as Kelly has privately suggested.

Kellys timeline still does not explain why Porter returned to the White House the next day, or why the White House said the next day that Porter would remain on staff for a time before leaving. But Kelly said he would take the blame.

I should have collected everyone that works here, Kelly said when asked about the fuzziness in the hours after the first report of abuse. All 1,100 people.

Read more about:War crimes likely committed in Syria's Ghouta: UN

Al Jazeera News :

The UN's human rights chief has warned that attacks on Syria's Eastern Ghouta probably amount to "war crimes" and that those behind the targeting of civilians will be held to account.

"I must emphasise that what we are seeing, in Eastern Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria, are likely war crimes, and potentially, crimes against humanity," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said at an emergency meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday. "The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done," he added. His comments come as some 400,000 civilians trapped in the besieged

rebel-held suburb of Damascus are subject to a campaign of bombardment by Syrian government and Russian warplanes, which has killed at least 674 people and wounded hundreds more just two weeks, according to the White Helmets volunteer group. Hussein said civilians were being "pounded into submission or death" in the Syrian government offensive and that aid was being prevented from entering the area. The UN official pointed to the prosecution of Serbian and Argentinian war criminals, as examples of justice being meted out to perpetrators of crimes against civilians. "The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind," he said.

Syria's campaign in East Ghouta has drawn international condemnation and an emergency UN ceasefire quickly failed to reign in its offensive on the Damascus suburb. The Syrian government has faced accusations of indiscriminate bombing of civilians, targeting of medical facilities and emergency workers, and the use of toxic chemical agents.

The White House appeared to soften its tone on gun-control measures Friday after President Donald Trump met privately with officials from the National Rifle Association the night before.

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House is still deliberating on what type of proposals it will support in the wake of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., in which 17 people were killed. She said Trump still supports raising the age limit to buy assault rifles to 21 from 18 but added that he understands there is not a lot of broad support for such a proposal.

I think he thinks it would probably have more potential in the states than it would at the federal level, Sanders told reporters at the White House.

On background checks, she said Trump does not necessarily support universal background checks but certainly improving the background check system. He wants to see what that legislation, the final piece of it looks like. Universal means something different to a lot of people.

Trump tweeted Thursday evening about the meeting, which was not listed on his public schedule. Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!

Trump had Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders shocked lawmakers from both parties Wednesday during an hour-long televised meeting at the White House in which he voiced support for far stricter gun control measures than most Republicans appear willing to support. At one point he accused lawmakers of being scared of the NRA.

Trump also has said he wants to arm some teachers and school staff with weapons to help fight back against perpetrators.

Sanders said Trump supports a bill from Republican Sen. John Cornyn, (Texas), and Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy, (Conn.), that would require federal and state agencies to report relevant criminal history records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Asked whether Trump made any promises to the NRA officials during their meeting, Sanders replied: Only that hell continue to support the Second Amendment. Thats not something that hes backed away from.

NRA executive director Chris Cox, who attended the meeting, echoed that sentiment on Twitter, I had a great meeting tonight with @realDonaldTrump & @VP. We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people. POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and dont want gun control. #NRA#MAGA

Sanders said Trump believes that raising age limits to buy guns would have more potential in the states than it would at the federal level.

And she said Trump will continue to talk with lawmakers. He wants to help move the ball down the field, so hes going to keep having calls with a number of different members on how we can do that, Sanders said.

Read more about:Police in Dublin, Ireland, say they have arrested nine people after a local supermarket was robbed with a digger during Storm Emma, the worst snowstorm to hit the U.K., Ireland and Northern Ireland in three decades.

Substantial damage was caused to a supermarket on Fortunestown lane and further damage to another premises in Jobstown, An Garda Siochana, Irelands national police and security service said in a news release on Friday.

Videos posted on social media by locals identified the supermarket as Lidl. Irish Times reported that a large digger was used to break into the building. Its bucket was repeatedly rammed onto the roof, causing it to partially collapse.

Eight men, between the ages of 24 and 47, were charged with theft, burglary and trespassing offences, Irish police said. A man in his 30s was also arrested for handling stolen property. Irish police say that the all those arrested during the robbery are currently detained at Dublin Garda Stations.

The loot occurred during Storm Emma, also referred to as the beast from the east, which shut most of Ireland on Friday and forced Britain to call in the army to help battle the worst weather the continent has seen in decades.

Absolutely disgraceful, stated one Twitter user.

People in the area will probably running low on supplies and needed this store and now it's been destroyed. Wankers.

Several others also tweeted about the difficulty Irish police faced getting to the scene of the robbery due to the storm.

Overnight blizzards left up to three-feet of snow across Ireland and Scotland. The storm knocked out Irelands entire public transport network, closing its airports and leaving roads extremely dangerous, Dublins municipal government told Reuters on Friday.

On Saturday, the Dublin City Council said that there are still are access issues on side roads and estates.

Crews will continue to clear roads. Additional operational staff are being brought in over the weekend to address footpaths in high priority areas only. Drivers and pedestrians are still advised to take care when moving around the City. The commencement today of many public transport services has enabled the opening of businesses across the City.

Some stores have opened their doors (corner stores and Starbucks), but several are still closed, said Mariah Colussi, a Canadian studying medicine in Dublin, in an email to the Star.

I cant speak for the conditions further inland, I have heard people outside of the city are essentially snowed in, Colussi said.

As a Canadian, I have definitely seen worse snow storms. However, we are more prepared in Canada to deal with the havoc. There are so many people in Dublin who are immigrants who have never seen snow before. Even citizens arent accustomed to handling large amounts of snow. At this point, there is a little over a foot of snow on my front walkway (and we dont even own a shovel to clear it!).MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.A 19-year-old student charged with fatally shooting his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory had been acting so strangely the day before the killings that campus police talked to his mother and then took him to a hospital for suspected drug abuse, authorities said Saturday.

University police Chief Bill Yeagley told reporters that James Eric Davis Jr.s parents had just picked him up from the hospital and took him to his dorm to pack up for spring break when Fridays shooting happened. He said the gun used in the shooting belonged to Davis father, James Davis Sr., a part-time police officer in the Chicago suburb of Bellwood.

Yeagley would not say whether the father had brought the gun to the universitys campus in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, when picking up his son, but he noted that Davis Jr. can be seen on video in the dorms parking lot with the gun before he entered the residence hall where his parents were shot about 8:30 a.m.

Read more:

Michigan student, 19, killed parents at university dorm, police say

We can make a lot of assumptions, but Im not going to make those assumptions. But I can tell you for sure that the gun came from outside, in the parking lot, with (Davis Jr.) through the building, Yeagley said.

Davis Jr. has been charged with two counts of murder and a weapons charge in the shootings, a university spokesperson, Heather Smith, said Saturday.

He remained under guard Saturday at a hospital where he was taken after his arrest, but will be moved to the Isabella County jail when hes discharged, Yeagley said.

Yeagley declined to say whether drugs were found in Davis Jr.s system. He also would not say what type of gun was used or whether it was Davis Sr.s service revolver. But he did say that it would have been a violation of campus policy for Davis Sr. to bring a gun on campus because only law enforcement on active duty or those with special permission can do so.

Davis Jr. was arrested without incident shortly after midnight following an intensive daylong search that included more than 100 police officers, some heavily armed in camouflage uniforms, authorities said. Authorities found him after someone aboard a train spotted a person along railroad tracks in Mount Pleasant, and called police, Yeagley said.

Mount Pleasant is about a 460-kilometre drive from the familys hometown of Plainfield, Illinois. The shooting occurred on a day when parents were arriving to pick up students at the university for the beginning of a weeklong spring break.

Yeagley said witness statements and video indicate that at the time they were shot, Davis Jr.s parents were in his fourth-floor dorm at the campus Campbell Hall simply packing up for spring break.

He said police had first come into contact with Davis Jr. on Thursday morning when he came running into a community police officers office in his dorm very frightened and not making a lot of sense.

He said someone was out to hurt him, someone was going to harm him, and the officer calmed him down and tried to gain more information about what was going on. ... Mr. Davis was very vague and he kept talking about someone having a gun, Yeagley said, adding that Davis Jr. said he had not actually seen the person with a gun.

We said, How do you know he was going to hurt you if you didnt see a gun? He was saying things like, Its just a feeling. I know it,  the chief said.

Davis Jr. eventually talked about riding in a dorm elevator with the person, and police went to talk to the individual Davis Jr. had identified. Yeagley said that when officers determined that the person posed no threat  and reviewed video from the elevator that showed Davis Jr. and that person laughing  Davis Jr. said he was fine and was leaving campus Friday for spring break.

Hours later, officers spotted Davis Jr. in a dorm hallway with his suitcases, Yeagley said. When officers tried to talk to him, he again wasnt making sense, Yeagley said, adding that the student was acting in a fashion that isnt reasonable or logical. They asked Davis Jr. to call his parents, which he did. An officer then spoke to Daviss mother, Diva Davis, told them about her sons behaviour, their concerns about possible drug use and asked her whether he had a history of drug use, Yeagley said.

The mother said she too was concerned this could be drugs, he said.

Following the shooting, police released a photo of Davis Jr. and urged the public to call 911 if they saw him but also warned that he shouldnt be confronted.

Yeagley said Davis Jr. had not been previously identified by campus officials as someone that others on campus were concerned about.

Mr. Davis was not ever reported, and we had no interaction that were aware of with him in any negative fashion  with anybody  prior to this incident, he said.

University president George Ross said the shooting had left the campus and surrounding community traumatized. There were thousands of people who were sheltering in place yesterday and they will be dealing with this for the rest of their lives, he said.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Davis Jr. was found along train tracks, not aboard a train.Justice of the peace admits to misconduct, Feb. 28

This is a perfect example of why justices of the peace in Ontario should have formal legal education and legal experience. Criminal defence lawyers have been calling for this for some time but the province has so far failed to act on their concerns.

Of the 14 justices of the peace appointed in 2016 in Ontario, only five had law degrees. The legal complexity of the job has been recognized in several provinces.

Alberta, Quebec and Nova Scotia have established a two-tier system. Only the upper tier of justices, which is comprised of lawyers with legal experience, are allowed to preside over trials and bail hearings. The lower tier, who do not require formal legal training, only perform administrative duties, such as oaths and marriages.

A private-members bill was tabled in the Ontario legislature in 2012 to establish a similar two-tier system here, but it never passed into law.

It is obviously time to act. I am not willing to allow an ex-school administrator, social worker or translator to decide whether I go to jail. Are you?

Greg Sheehan, MississaugaFirst Dumbledore. Now Elsa! Whats next, Dora the Gender Explorer? Why cant liberals just let kids be kids? These arent questions from my own paranoid mind. They are just a few examples of the many concerns parents expressed online this week after they learned that Elsa, the snow queen of the fantastical kingdom of Arendelle, and the protagonist of Disneys 2013 megahit Frozen, might have a female love interest in the movies sequel next year.

Relax, nothing is set in stone, or I should say, ice, quite yet. All we know at this moment, according to an interview Frozen writer and co-director Jennifer Lee gave the Huffington Post earlier this week, is that the films writers arent opposed to the idea of a gay Elsa. To give you a little background, the movies title song Let it Go has emerged as a coming out anthem for some LGBTQ youth, and Elsas indifference to handsome princes has led many fans to wonder if the character might prefer the company of princesses. In 2016, a hashtag appeared requesting Disney Give Elsa A Girlfriend. Which brings us to this week. When asked if Elsa will have a female love interest in the forthcoming film, Lee told the Huffington Post,

I love everything people are saying (and) people are thinking about with our film  that its creating dialogue, that Elsa is this wonderful character that speaks to so many people. It means the world to us that were part of these conversations. Where were going with it, we have tons of conversations about it, and were really conscientious about these things . . . Well see where we go.

While it isnt in any sense a full-blown endorsement of Elsa as a Sapphic snow queen, its obvious Lee is open to the idea, a reality that has a lot of social conservatives deeply spooked.

Ken Ham, the founder of Kentuckys Creation Museum, tweeted his disapproval on Wednesday. We shouldn't be surprised at how debased the world is, he wrote linking to a story about the potentially gay Frozen character. The petitions have begun rolling in too. This one, published on the website Life Site News, is so frantic it almost makes me feel sorry for the author. TELL DISNEY: Dont make Elsa a lesbian in Frozen 2!

And here I thought parents of young children would thank God for any reason not to attend the Frozen sequel, having suffered through the original film and its accompanying soundtrack a gazillion times. What better excuse could a socially conservative, Frozen-averse parent have to banish the voice of Idina Menzel from his car stereo, than conclusive evidence she is a cog in the homosexual indoctrination machine?

Who knew North American parents would rally with such force to protect the sanctity of a film they complain about incessantly.

The push to save Frozen leads me to believe that a) parents who complain about the Disney movie were lying to us all along and Frozen is not the bane of their existence but their reason for being alive. And b) they are terrified that a lesbian Elsa will be so cool and so fabulous  shell turn their daughters gay. Larry David wrote about this phenomenon in the New York Times in 2006. In a piece called Cowboys are my Weakness, he claimed he refused to see the film Brokeback Mountain because the homosexual, cowboy lifestyle would be so alluring to him, he would go gay immediately after seeing the movie.

Maybe these parents have a similar concern: one matinee viewing of Frozen 2 and previously boy crazy Kaylee is going to ask Santa to turn her into a lesbian snow queen for Christmas.

Lucky for Kaylees parents though, lesbianism doesnt work this way. A straight kid cant will herself to be a lesbian snow queen for the same reason a gay kid cant will herself to be a perfectly ordinary heterosexual. Trust me, I have willed myself to be both things at different times but I remain, sadly, a lesbian with no magical powers. Not that theres anything wrong with that.

But there is something very wrong with the notion that a gay Elsa would pervert an otherwise sexless story by merely existing inside it. Let me be clear: learning that gay people exist in loving romantic relationships is not tantamount to learning the ins and outs of gay sex. If you believe gay characters arent age-appropriate for little kids, you believe gay people arent age-appropriate for little kids. You believe were deviants.

But your homophobia isnt helped by the fact that lesbian representation in mainstream film is still mostly limited to steamy thrillers where at least one woman ends up dead, drug addicted, shunned from her community, or all of the above. In the upcoming lesbian drama, Disobedience, Rachel McAdams, possibly the least Semitic looking person in the history of civilization, co-stars as an Orthodox Jewish woman who embarks on a forbidden love affair with another woman. Will I line up to see this movie on opening night? Absolutely. Will it change the world? Not a chance. But Frozen 2 starring a gay Elsa would absolutely change the world, because a lesbian Disney queen with a female love interest sends the following message to millions of kids: hand holding, slow dancing, and maybe a peck on the lips  these chaste movie moments arent just for boys and girls. Theyre for everybody.

Emma Teitel is a national affairs columnist.Alaska's most famous dog race through its wilderness gets underway this week. Experience dog sledding in 360! Watch the video and then enjoy the webinar on Cryptocurrency investing. And as March honors women in history, TheStreet honors women on Wall Street. Listen to our special podcast report.

Good Morning Rewind Friends,

Grab a cup of coffee before you peer outside. That nasty Nor'easter left an ugly mess out there. The howling winds, churning seawater and as much as 10 inches of snow toppled trees, power lines and caused all sorts of travel problems.

Sigh.

Silver lining, though. There just might be a little snowmobiling in my future this weekend (The Iannuzzis are Yamaha (YAMHF) riders)!

The wintery mix even made a slushy mess of Wall Street's historic district. But, hey, Wall Street is getting used to getting walloped.

Wall Street's Nor'easter

What's there to say? It was a rough week.

Ok, second mug of coffee now. Positive thought: There were plenty of buying opportunities! As @JimCramer says there's a bull market for everyone. Were you among the bulls?

Alaska's Renowned Iditarod Race Begins

The famous dog race gets underway in Anchorage, Alaska this Saturday morning. As a Florida girl, I've always been fascinated with what has been dubbed the Last Great Race on Earth! I've often imagined what it would be like to be pulled through Alaska's frozen tundra and snowy wilderness by a team of very determined dogs. Some fun facts about this grueling 1,000 mile race.

Saturday is All Ceremony: There will be 67 mushers and their dogs leisurely traveling through the state's biggest city.

There will be 67 mushers and their dogs leisurely traveling through the state's biggest city. Reality Begins Sunday: The timed competition begins in Willow, Alaska (That's 80 miles north of Anchorage, in case you're wondering).

The timed competition begins in Willow, Alaska (That's 80 miles north of Anchorage, in case you're wondering). Controversy: The race is still reeling, following a 2017 documentary that accused the race of cruelty. Sponsors like Wells Fargo WFC ) - ) - Get Wells Fargo & Company Report

The race is still reeling, following a 2017 documentary that accused the race of cruelty. Sponsors like Wells Fargo History: The race is a tribute to mushers who carried supplies to extreme wilderness outposts in Alaska's early days.

The race is a tribute to mushers who carried supplies to extreme wilderness outposts in Alaska's early days. Unsung Heroes: Long ago, there was a horrific diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska. Twenty brave mushers and 150 dogs delivered the drugs to end the epidemic.

Long ago, there was a horrific diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska. Twenty brave mushers and 150 dogs delivered the drugs to end the epidemic. Leader of the Pack: Balto, the lead sled-dog, was honored with a bronze statue in Central Park, near the children's zoo in New York City. Now you know!

Experience the new Frontier Without Leaving New York

You might be surprised to learn that you don't have to travel to Alaska to ride a dog sled. Nope, you can actually experience the new frontier just a few hours north of New York City in the Adirondacks! In Lake Placid, a couple of mushers and their team of dogs will be waiting for tourists to show up so they can take a run around Mirror Lake. Trust me, it's well worth the twenty bucks. It's one of the most memorable things I've ever done with my family. Check it out below.

Viewer's note: 360 videos play best on Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers. On mobile, YouTube app for Android or IOS works best! Then use the wheel in upper left to navigate in 360 VR! Enjoy! (Thank you @MikeIannuzzi1@IannuzziVideo)

From One Frontier to Another...

Cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, are arguably the market's most exciting new frontiers.

How ready are you to build a Crypto Portfolio? Not really ready? That's ok!

TheStreet leveled the playing field during an exclusive hour-long conversation, Investing in Cryptocurrencies, with tips and advice on how to understand and make money on cryptocurrency.

TheStreet's Scott Gamm hosted the one-hour conversation with these top crytocurrency and blockchain experts.

James Altucher, noted cryptocurrency commentator and author

Eric Ervin, CEO of Reality Shares, the firm behind a new blockchain ETF

Oliver Pursche, chief market strategist at Bruderman Brothers. Oliver personally owns many cryptocurrencies

Kathleen Moriarty, partner at Chapman and Cutler, a financial law firm that also advises companies and investors in the cryptocurrency space

And you're in luck. Our Scott Gamm decided to share a few the exclusive excerpts from his private event. Watch below.

Wish you watched the webinar? No problem! Here's an instant replay Click here!

And Finally... (Watch the video above)

Alpha Rising's Special Report for Women's History Month is off to an amazing start.

And our first podcast of the series was so fun! My gal pal Tracy Byrnes hosted the lively conversation. She was joined by a terrific, smart group of women:

Anders Keitz, financial reporter covering corporate goverance

Michelle Lodge, senior editor, who knows all things retail

And our special guest, Sheila Ronning, founder and CEO of Women in the Boardroom

The series and the special report is a passion project for me. Something I wanted to create for many years, thank you @DaveCallaway for letting us do it @TheStreet

And did I mention, we're now on SoundCloud! Enjoy!

Don't forget, you can sign up forTheStreet Rewindvideo newsletter, as well as our other free newsletters including In Case You Missed It,Booyah! and more.

And hey, I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what type of videos you'd like to see from TheStreet and be sure to share your story ideas! Just email me at Julie.Iannuzzi@TheStreet.com or follow me @ JulesVideo on Twitter.

Until next weekend!

Julie Bennett Iannuzzi

Head of Video, Podcast Strategy & ProductionOn March 20, our communities will have an opportunity to vote on a ballot question asking residents to consider the County Schools Facility Sales Tax (CSFT). All voters across Madison County will be posed with this same question.

Under our current system, property owners carry the sole responsibility of funding school improvements. However, the CSFT would propose a one cent sales tax (on eligible items only) whereby a portion of the proceeds would go to lower property taxes and the other portion would go to improve and provide needed maintenance/repairs at our schools.

Currently, local school boards primarily use Health/Life Safety Funds to make these necessary repairs and improvements. Property taxes are increased as a result in many cases. If the CSFT is approved by voters, the Alton Board of Education has pledged that 50 percent of the tax proceeds will be used for school facilities and the other 50 percent will be used to offer residents property tax relief. Other Madison County school boards can determine how they will use tax proceeds.

Here are some other important items of note on CSFT:

*The sales tax question only allows qualified purchases to be impacted. Services are not taxed. In fact, anything that is not taxed currently, will NOT be taxed by CSFT. Other items NOT taxed include: Cars, Trucks, ATVs, Boats & RVs, Mobile Homes, Groceries/Unprepared Food, Medications (includes over-the-counter and vitamins), Farm Equipment and Parts, and Farm Inputs.

*The sales tax equates to one penny for every dollar spent on eligible items. For example, if you bought a $1 soda, you would pay one cent more. That extra penny then goes to improving school facilities and providing property tax relief.

*Commuters and visitors to Madison County (estimated at 30-40 percent of our county sales tax revenue) would also assist with their purchases in improving our schools.

*49 counties in Illinois have already passed the CSFT measure as a means to offsetting property taxes for their residents.

*The Alton Board of Education passed a resolution in February pledging that 50 percent of the revenue gained from CSFT would be used to offset property taxes while the other 50 percent would be used to make improvements to our schools. This would mean a reduction of $130 in property taxes on a $150,000 home.

*The three biggest needs for Alton Schools at the current time are: upgraded security measures, roof repairs/replacements, parking lot maintenance and HVAC improvements/repairs.

*The CSFT is considered by many as a shared tax because all consumers pay equally on the purchase of eligible items rather than school facility improvement being the sole responsibility of property owners.

*The law limits the use of the CSFT sales revenue. Some examples of what schools can use the monies for include: security, entrances, safety, disabled access, ongoing maintenance, architectural planning, durable equipment (non-movable equipment), fire prevention and life safety, energy efficiency, roof repairs, technology infrastructure, parking lots, additions, renovations & new facilities to name a few. The District CANNOT use the funds for direct instructional costs, textbooks, buses, detached furniture and fixtures, computers, electronic tablets, movable equipment operating costs (water, gas and electric), salaries and benefits.

Thank you for taking the time to inform yourself and others prior to the March 20 election. Should you have additional questions and seek more information, please visit altonschools.org or call (618) 474-2600.

Mark Cappel is superintendent of the Alton School District.I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it. -Casimir Pulaski

Im Polish on my mothers side. My grandparents were immigrants from the Krakow region of then-divided Poland, from the Austro-Hungarian controlled area.

I was delighted to be reminded when I returned to Illinois, that we celebrate Pulaski Day since the late seventies. I am particularly delighted as Poles were subjected to all sort of prejudice over the years. I think that Pope John Paul II did much to lessen the quick disdain heaped on them.

Casimir (Kazimierz) Pulaski, son of Count Joseph Pulaski, was born in Warsaw in 1745. At the tender age of fifteen, he joined his father and other members of the Polish nobility in armed struggle against both Russian and Prussian armed interference in Polish political life. He fought from 1768-1773, including capture for a time.

He went into exile in Germany and then on to France, where he was in desperate financial straits. In absentia he was sentenced to death for attempted regicide (actually attempted kidnapping of the king); then he traveled to Paris where he met Benjamin Franklin. Franklins vaunted persuasive ability induced him to support the colonies.

Pulaski, impressed with the ideals of a new nation, volunteered his services. Franklin wrote to George Washington describing the young Pole as an officer renowned throughout Europe for the courage and bravery he displayed in defense of his countrys freedom.

Lets be clear. This is a member of the nobility going to fight against the forces of the British Empire, not to support the nobility against an upstart revolution. In 1777, Pulaski arrived in Philadelphia where he met General Washington.

Later, at Brandywine, he came to the aid of Washingtons forces. His superior skill as a tactician was obvious to the fledgling American army, as he discovered the British flanking maneuver, found an escape route, and covered the retreat. In recognition of his skills, Congress appointed him Brigadier-General in charge of Four Horse Brigades.

Later in 1778, through Washingtons intervention, Congress approved the establishment of the Cavalry and put Pulaski at its head. Pulaski, who became known as the Father of the American Cavalry, demanded much of his men and trained them cavalry tactics, many of which he used in his fight for freedom in Poland.

Due to the awful finances of the infant American government, Pulaski often used his own personal finances, when allocations from Congress were scarce, in order to assure his forces of the finest equipment and personal safety.

Pulaski and his Legion were sent to New Jersey; they then went to the thick of fighting toward the end of the war south to Charleston, South Carolina. There he harassed the British and his defensive acumen took the British by surprise and at the cost of many casualties.

During the Battle of Savannah, 1779, General Pulaski charged into battle on horseback, and was mortally wounded. Pulaskis enemies were so impressed with his courage, that they spared him the musket and permitted him to be carried from the battlefield. Pulaski died several days later on Oct. 15, 1779, at age 34. The Pulaski Monument, erected in his honor, is located in Monterey Square, Savannah, Georgia, a nice change from the Confederate monuments.

I wish that we did not have to see people rise to their best in warfare. I wish the martial virtues could be demonstrated more regularly in the cause of peace. I wish that even a portion of strategic and tactical intelligence could be used in ways to promote human health and well-being.

David Crowley is pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Alton.BNP condemns attack on Zafar Iqbal

Strongly condemning the attack on Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) teacher DrMuhammed Zafar Iqbal, BNP on Saturday alleged that those who want to fish in troubled waters are behind it.

"We strongly condemn the attack on him; we never support such terror incidents," said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir adding, "We think the incident is part of another conspiracy of those who want to fish in troubled waters." The senior BNP leader came up with the remarks while talking to reporters at BNP chairperson's Gulshan office after concluding their senior leader's meeting. Renowned science fiction writer and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) teacher Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was attacked at a university programme on the campus on Saturday afternoon.



Looking for the vulture assist with Neolithic burials

1 year agoWilliam Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company had revenue of $466.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a net margin of 3.04% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share.

View William Lyon Homes' earnings history.The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA.How does an airline feed 250 passengers for 19 hours? How does it keep rice or noodles moist for that long? Serve a perfectly cooked medium rare steak on the plane? Or ensure that food is tasty, beautiful and fresh after making its way halfway around the world from kitchen to truck to plane to airplane seat?

Singapore Airlines invited SFGATE cameras out to its inflight kitchens for a look at how it pulls off this amazing feat for some of the longest flights in the world.

Once a quarter, chefs, airline executives and accountants gather in a nondescript beige building next to a Hampton Inn in Millbrae, California. They are there to view, taste and discuss the meals served on Singapore Airlines long haul flights to Asia.

This ritual has recently taken on added importance as the airline chooses meals for its "ultra long haul" flights. Currently, one of Singapore Air's longest flight runs between San Francisco and Singapore, a 16-17 hour odyssey on an Airbus A350-900.

Singapore Air also recently started flying its longest flight, between New York/Newark and Singapore, which clocks in at about 19 hours. Flights like that require new thinking about inflight dining.

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One new concept for ultra-long flights is something like an all-day-brunch or dine-on-demand plan in business class. This means that passengers don't necessarily have to dine when flight attendants push their carts down the aisles. Instead, they can choose from a wide variety of meals at any time during the very long flight.

For example, when you board SIA's SFO-SIN nonstop at 9:30 am, you can choose to have a dim sum or an omelet for breakfast. Or maybe you flew in from the east coast, and would rather have a steak for your first meal? Or maybe just a nice bowl of warm noodle soup. No problem.

As the flight approaches Singapore for a 6 pm arrival 17 or so hours later, some passengers may want breakfast after sleeping during the latter part of the flight. Others who may have slept earlier may be ready for a smoky barbecue sandwich or a bowl of fresh fruit.

If you know what you want before you go, premium economy and business class passengers can go to Singapore Air's website to "book the cook" and order from a special menu of items specially prepared on the ground and served on the plane when requested. (We checked out a few delicious menu items -- like fried prawns tossed with tangy mayonnaise and topped with candied walnuts-- during our visit- see it in the slideshow above.)

The current lowest fares for January flights on Singapore's two dailies between SFO and Singapore are about: $1,000 in economy, $1,600 in premium economy, and around $4,900 in business class. Singapore competes with United on this nonstop route, so fares rise and fall a lot. Singapore Air also flies from SFO to Singapore via Hong Kong using a Boeing 777.

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Be sure to scroll through the slideshow at the top for a look behind the scenes at the inflight kitchen and boardroom as execs and chefs taste meals and make decisions. The story is in the captions! You'll get a preview of what it will be like to dine aboard tone of he world's longest distance and duration flights.

What's the best meal you've had on a long distance flight? Would you rather eat or sleep on a flight to Asia? Tell us in the comments!

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

Chris McGinnis is SFGATE's senior travel correspondent. You can reach him via email or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. Don't miss a shred of important travel news by signing up for his FREE biweekly email updates!THE REV. JOSHUA VIS

Background: Vis was born in Sheldon, Iowa and raised in Portage and Holland, Michigan. He has a master of divinity from Western Theological Seminary, a master of arts from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament from Duke University.

He spent two years as a visiting professor of Bible at Central College in Pella, Iowa. Before that, he was a mission co-worker in Brazil for three years, employed by the Presbyterian Church, USA. He learned Portuguese and taught courses on the Old Testament at a Methodist University in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

He lives in Holland, Mich., with his wife, Nicoly, and daughters, Mahalia, 10, and Luciana, 5.

You have been the church engagement facilitator for Israel and Palestine in the Reformed Church in America since 2016. What are your responsibilities?

My work includes preaching and teaching, writing for my blog and sometimes other blogs, a podcast which sometimes covers Israel and Palestine and sometimes Christian theology, designing, leading and recruiting for trips. I seek to educate people on the Israeli-Palestine conflict in the hopes that they will become advocates for peace. I want them to see that the Israeli occupation is destructive, principally for Palestinians, but also for Israelis.

I do speaking events like this one. Mae Cannon and I recently spoke in Iowa and in Michigan.

You have been leading trips to Israel and Palestine for some time. How has the conflict there changed over the years?

My parents began working there in 2006. I first went there in 2001 to learn modern Hebrew and have been working there since then.

I began my role as engagement facilitator in June 2016. I educate people on the conflict and the Bible, working toward avenues of advocacy to help rebuild a demolished Palestinian home in the West Bank's Area C in 2019. The Israeli military controls the area and home demolition takes place with relative frequency. I hope to put together a group of Americans, and possibly Canadians, who can learn about the community. Having a group from the outside puts a certain amount of pressure on Israel to allow rebuilding and not demolish the home a second time.

The RCA is looking into a small business loan we can offer to someone in the West Bank.

What is life like for Christians living in Palestine?

There is a steady decline of Palestinian Christians. There has been a slow exodus from Gaza and West Bank. The situation is deteriorating not because of Palestinian Muslim and Christian relations but because both are struggling under the Israeli occupation. Jobs are scarce. Some Christians leave to get an education. They often don't return. The Christian community is generally better educated than the Muslims' and they tend to have more outside connections and opportunities to emigrate to Europe, South America, Canada and America.

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You, along with your father, the Rev. Marlin Vis, led an interfaith trip to Israel and Palestine in February 2017, which included 15 people from the Capital Region.

That was our first interfaith group. It was suggested by the Rev. John Paarlberg of the First Church in Albany and Barbara Dworkin, who is Jewish and an interfaith community leader.

There is real value of all three Abrahamic faiths going there together. Each is going to see and hear things differently. As a white Christian male, it is hard for me to see certain things, even though it is happening as a group. When we talked about the experience at the reflections period we had each evening, a Jewish or a Muslim person told me about something that had passed over me. There is joy in making relationships. The trip was enriching and also intense, spending 10 hours a day together for 10 days. This trip was the inverse of our regular trip with Christians, which is 70 percent historical, archaeological and religious and 30 percent about the current conflict. On our next trip in June, there will be an art camp and a fitness camp for Palestinian youth. We are planning a second interfaith trip in 2019 or 2020.

What is the format for the March 15 presentation at the Scotia Reformed Church?

My part is about the Bible and the conflict from a Christian perspective and it will also connect to a Jewish perspective on the conflict. Mae Cannon, who is executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, will discuss the competing narrative about the history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. She will also discuss the current realities of the situation, including the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the impact of the Trump administration's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

If you take the event as a whole, it is colored by the Christian perspective but the conflict involves people of all three Abrahamic faiths.

More Information Christian Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 15 Where: First Reformed Church of Scotia, 224 North Ballston Ave., Scotia Who: Mae Cannon, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, and Joshua Vis. How: Hosted by the Reformed Church in America, Churches for Middle East Peace and the Synod of Albany. More: The event is free and will include pizza and drinks. For more information, or make reservations, go to https://joshvis.com/event-signup-mar-15-ny/. See More Collapse

 Azra HaqqieBRIDGEPORT  A local nurse faces up to 60 years in prison when he is sentenced Friday for killing a college student and dismembering her body.

Jermaine Richards was found guilty of murder after two previous Superior Court juries deadlocked on whether he killed 20-year-old Alyssiah Marie Wiley of West Haven some time after April 19, 2013.

Richards is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Earl Richards.

Wiley, a sophomore at Eastern Connecticut State University, disappeared after leaving the Willimantic campus in Richards car. Twenty-seven days later  after a statewide search and appeals by her mother on television  Wileys partial remains were found in a wooded area at the end of Quarry Road in Trumbull, a mile and a half from Richards Bridgeport home.

Richards, a private-duty nurse from Bridgeport, had been dating Wiley since she had been in high school. But there was no physical evidence in the case  no blood residue or anything to show where or when Wiley was killed, no eyewitnesses and certainly no confession. Richards did not testify during the trial.

Instead, the state rested its case on the claim that Richards had the motive and the opportunity to kill Wiley.

All the evidence points to Jermaine, argued Senior Assistant States Attorney Ann Lawlor.

Wileys family and friends testified Richards was jealous and possessive.

Her sister, Chaharrez Landell, testified that a month before Wileys disappearance, Wiley had called her, panicked.

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He put me in a headlock and threw me on the bed and I couldnt breathe, Landell said her sister told her.

When Landell picked her sister up at the Norwalk home where Richards was working as a nurse, she said, Wiley was crying and said she wanted to break up with Richards but didnt know how.

Prosecutors Lawlor and Joseph Corradino presented a newly acquired photograph of Wiley sitting in a domestic violence seminar.

Jevene Wright, a high school classmate of Richards, testified that Richards told him he was upset because he believed Wiley was messing around, with an old friend.

She doesnt know who she is messing with, Wright recalled Richards telling him. Im a nurse and I know how to get rid of her.When you're a celebrity, you get free stuff. When you're an Oscar-nominated celebrity, you get even more free stuff. We're talking, of course, about the annual Academy Awards swag bag  the contents of which wealthy celebrities probably scoff at, but us laypeople love to ogle.

The freebies in this year's bag are appropriately egregious, and, sometimes, unsettlingly random. A 12-night all-expenses paid adventure in Tanzania? Sure. A pallet of Jarritos Mexican soda donated to the charitable cause of one's choice  say what?Washington

When deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein outlined the accusations against 13 Russians for meddling in the U.S. elections, he closed his rare public statement with a standard admonition that's tacked on to all Justice Department announcements of indictments.

"I want to caution you that everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty in court. At trial, prosecutors must introduce credible evidence that is sufficient to prove each defendant guilty beyond any reasonable doubt," Rosenstein said.

In any other case, ticking through the mechanics of due process would be perfunctory  an afterthought. But when Rosenstein spoke, it was a reminder that one of the most stunning attacks on American democracy might never be tested in court  the evidence never vetted, the defendants never heard from and the nation left wondering how credible the government's case is.

There's a good chance the 13 Russians charged with running an elaborate game of "information warfare" in the U.S. may never appear in court. With no extradition treaty with Russia, nothing can compel them.

But ethicists say the standard rules of conduct, keeping that evidence private until trial, might not be good enough for an attack at the very foundation of democracy.

"It's so serious, it's so core, the usual rules of explanation, the usual rules of transparency are going to have to be supplemented  it's part of the repair of the damage being done to the institutions (of American democracy)," said Arthur Caplan, head of ethics at the New York University School of Medicine. "The public trust needs to be repaired."

Russian operatives working for Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch with ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, used a network of fake social media accounts and targeted messaging to roil the national debate in the 2016 election, prosecutors allege. Russians working for the Internet Research Agency posed as American activists on both sides of the country's ever-widening political divide, the indictment contends, spurring real Americans to show up to protest in the streets.

The sweeping, 37-page indictment marked the first time the federal government identified specific culprits and included a wealth of information. But it also opened more questions, like which Americans were unwittingly helping the Russians.

In Texas, the leader of a group urging secession, publicly asked Mueller to declare that his group never contacted any Russian after it was revealed that a fake secessionist group, "Heart of Texas" was created by Russians on Facebook.

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Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, has argued that the chances special counsel Robert Mueller's evidence never sees the light of day increases the importance of congressional probes  which can more easily disclose its findings to the public.

In a typical case, evidence gathered by a prosecutor would be challenged by defense attorneys  exposing holes or inaccuracies in the case. Without a trial, that's unlikely.

"It's very important to preserve the rights of the defendant, even of these defendants. So until there is a trial, where the charges are presented and there is the possibility of responsibility, I'm not sure it would be right to release (evidence) where there is no possibility of cross-examination," said Michael Walzer, a professor emeritus of social science at the Institute for Advanced Study.

A spokesman for Mueller declined comment for this story.

Legal experts familiar with the challenges of trying to bring a case against foreign nationals who won't be extradited for trial said Mueller has a tricky balance to achieve between conducting his investigation and letting the public know what really happened.

"I think Mueller bringing these indictments at all is less about law enforcement and more of a public service announcement: 'Wake up, America. These guys are actively trying to make us hate each other!'" said Lester Munson, a visiting fellow at George Mason University's National Security Institute and former top staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.NORTH GREENBUSH  A LaSalle Institute student was charged with making a threat involving a weapon that was heard by his fellow students, town police said Friday.

The 15-year-old student made the threat Thursday, police said. School administrators reported the incident to police after making their own investigation.A bunch of Utah lawmakers thought it would be a good idea to make the legislative process more accessible by explaining it via the pop-culture poetry of our time: rap.

Set to the ultra-current 26-year-old strains of the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (aka Will Smith), the Utah House of Representatives' "Fresh Prints of Bills Here" is, in a word, irredeemable.

We're not sure what the worst part is, though -- and there's no way to put this delicately -- the video is whiter than the top of Orrin Hatch's head. (And yes, for those wondering, there are people of color in the Utah House.)

RELATED: Trump endorses Romney for Senate bid in Utah

Most of the lawmakers seem to have a very tenuous hold on the concept of rap, choosing instead to speak very loudly in voices that we can only assume are slightly more stilted than usual. Nineteen Republicans and one Democrat -- we're looking at you, Susan Duckworth -- stumble their way through a rather tortured explanation of how a bill becomes a law.

(If only someone had already written a song about that, this whole embarassing episode could have been avoided.)

Our "favorite" passage:

"In a legislators mind, an idea is raised/In the lawbook is where they spend most of their days/Draftin' out, maxin' out, hardly ever relaxin' all cool/And all introducing bills inside of House chambers."

Catchy, eh? But at least it explains the process super clearly for the lawmakers of tomorrow.

OK, there's no putting it off any longer, check out the entire video below:

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The Utah House of Representatives made a rap video about how a bill becomes law, and somehow it's worse than you would expect pic.twitter.com/Dq3U7RwGBu  Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) March 1, 2018

This is not the first time Utah lawmakers have stooped to such tactics. State Rep. Ken Ivory (R-West Jordan) rapped lyrics from the musical "Hamilton" while announcing a resolution honoring the show in March 2016.

Yo homes, smell ya later.

Seattlepi.com reporter Stephen Cohen can be reached at 206-448-8313 or stephencohen@seattlepi.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @scohenPI.Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.I was heartened to learn that former South Carolina Republican Congressman Bob Inglis has rethought the current conservative attitude on climate change ("Seeking conservative climate change converts," Feb. 19). Inglis' conversion came, in part, after a trip to Antarctica, where he was able to witness firsthand the actual effects of climate change. He is now spreading the word among conservatives and being met with the same enthusiasm that Galileo presumably got from the Vatican when he proposed that the Earth is round.

It would behoove every doubting politician to travel to Antarctica to see the impact of human activity on the environment and to trust the multiple measurements that indicate that climate change is well underway. But that would be unnecessary: so-called conservative leaders are well aware of the reality of climate change. They are cynically using their power to wring every last drop of cash out of the land, knowing full well that they are compromising their grandchildren's world.RIDGEFIELD  Its rare to find houses from the early 1800s still in good condition. Its even less common to find two houses from that period blended into one.

The Federal-style house at 143 Wilton Road West is just that. In the late 19th-century, the 1810 Benjamin Keeler house was added to its northern neighbor, the 1814 Lewis Nash House.

Thats special, said Jack Baldaserini, the listing agent for the property.

Its believed that Margaret Johnson, who immigrated from Ireland in 1872, is responsible for combining the two houses, possibly to accommodate tenant farmers in the area. In architectural documents prepared for the house, she was described as a savvy local real estate investor who was comfortable with complex transactions that involved the moving of buildings.

When Johnsons husband died in 1904, historians believe she moved into the 1814 part of the building with her widowed son and rented out the older portion at the back.

The house changed hands several few times in the early 1920s until the McCunns from Scotland bought it and gave it the look it has today, blending the exteriors and interiors to look like one and using logs to move the house back from the road. They also named it Hame, Scottish for home.

The McCunns added the circular drive and repositioned the house, which required redoing the facade so it would be uniform. Gables and sash windows were added to help create the illusion of symmetry. The work is believe to have been completed between 1923 and 1926, according to the architectural documents.

Its difficult to see where one house ends and the other begins by looking at the building today.

Its got a lot of charm, Baldaserini said.

Just inside the foyer is an open stairway and a center hall, offering a clear view from the front door to a Dutch door that opens to the backyard. At the end of the hallway and around a corner is a private den with built-in bookshelves.

To the left is a living room with a fireplace, accented in blues, part of the original house. To the right through a set of green doors is a large dining room, which Baldaserini suspects was the living room of the other house. The kitchen is off the dining room and has a corner table surrounded by windows overlooking a pond in the back.

Upstairs are four bedrooms, most of which are a step up from a large open landing, which Baldaserini describes as highlight of the home. Two of the rooms have five windows each, filling them with light.

For an old house, its very bright," he said.

The master bedroom, though not the largest room, has a back hallway leading to a bathroom and his-and-her dressing rooms.

On the table in the center hall sits a binder six inches thick , documenting the families who lived in the home over the years. The information was compiled by historians hired by the owner and comes with the house.

Its a living piece of history, Baldaserini said.

Another feature is the red barn accessed through a stone path in the backyard. The basement still has three stanchions remaining from the days when the property was a dairy farm.

A ladder in the corner goes to a trap door on the main level of the barn, which is used as a garage. The loft was converted to a workspace with chandeliers and multi-level wooden floors.

The kids used to put on plays here and play up here," he said.

Baldaserini said the 3.8 acres also enhance the property, which listed at $850,000.

She has beautiful grounds here with perennials, he said.Tipperary farmer and ICMSA president, Pat McCormack, has warned that the CAP 2020 Budget revealed recently would inflict damage on not alone Irish farming and agri-food, but on the rural communities backboned by that activity.

Such are the defects of the Budget released that Mr McCormack said bluntly that the plan must be rejected by Ireland out of hand.

The EU Commission has released a statement on their multi-annual financial priorities post 2020 with some commentators calculating the reduction in the CAP budget as being of the order of 30 per cent.

Its difficult to conclude that cuts of this magnitude are not directly related to Brexit and the reduction in overall budget resulting from the loss of the UKs contribution, he said.

But the outspoken farm leader maintained that the Commission was sending out precisely the wrong signal by cutting the CAP budget in a way that seemed to confirm the criticism of the most extreme Brexiteers, which was that UK taxpayers were effectively subsidising the EUs farmers.

What is particularly disappointing is that there is no sign that the Commission understands that CAP is a key EU policy not only for farmers, but for wider rural economies of member states and how they interact with their national economies.

CAP goes way past direct payments to the farmers concerned. It was designed to ensure the survival of an indigenous family farm system in the EU and to always ensure that the critical question of food security was within the control of the EU and individual member states. That we would always be in a position to feed the EU from within the EU.

In several important respects CAP has failed, he said. It had not stopped the ongoing destruction of the family farm system and our own here in Ireland was one of the last few remaining, while there was an argument that the direct payments had ended up being more of a subsidy to the multinational retail corporations that it enabled them to systematically underpay farmers for their products in the knowledge that the direct payments will just tide farmers over.

ICMSA has never been slow about highlighting the problems around CAP, but we equally have been forthright about the critically supportive role it plays, said Mr McCormack.

In the face of this kind of proposal from the Commission, theres no room for equivocation. Any proposal to cut the existing CAP budget would be a disaster for Irish farmers and the rural communities, like our own here in Tipperary, that depend on farming, and the wider agri-food sector which is a key driver of the Irish economy. That is not the opinion of ICMSA, that is a statement of demonstrable fact, he sad.

The Tipperary Town farmer said that, based on proposed reforms of CAP, it appeared that the EU Commission wanted farmers to do more in terms of regulatory requirements with a reduced budget.

This simply will not work and cannot be accepted under any circumstances by our Government, he said.Ireland South MEP Liadh Ni Riada has called on the Government to use its influence on the European Council to push for an Irish derogation regarding cuts to CAP.

Ms Ni Riada was speaking after meeting with ICSA general secretary Eddie Punch and national treasurer Dan Lynam in Brussels.

I had a constructive meeting with the ICSA, said the Sinn Fein MEP.

It's clear that we share many of the same concerns, particularly around CAP, Brexit and, crucially, the Government's approach to both these issues, said Ms Ni Riada.

She said that CAP was being threatened with a cut of up to 16 per cent which, she said, would have a devastating effect on Irish farmers.

Given the EU's own acknowledgement that Ireland was in a uniquely difficult position as a result of Brexit and stood to lose the most from it, she thought Ireland was in a justifiable position to push for a derogation from any cut to try and negate some of those negative effects.

The Government is in the best position to push this request forward through their position on the European Council but as we've seen they are loathe to make any sort of waves in Europe, she said.

The MEP said that an industry wide campaign, bringing together all farming bodies with the support of political parties to bring pressure on the Government may be the only thing that will make them move on this issue.

It's quite clear, especially given the revelation that just 0.3 per cent of the available LEADER Programme funding has been successfully accessed by communities, that this Government is not going to do anything for rural Ireland or Irish farmers unless they are pushed, she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Ni Riada accused the Government of strangling funding to rural Ireland in the wake of the discovery that just 0.3 per cent of the 2014-2020 LEADER Programme funding had been spent.

Ms, Ni Riada, who sits on the EU Budgets Committee, said it was clear the Government had been systematically suffocating the programme.

The Government's gross mishandling of the LEADER Programme has gone on for so long and has had so many different facets to it that the question must be asked whether the damage they are doing to the programme is a result of negligence or intent, she said.

Under the tutelage of Fine Gael and their Fianna Fail partners, LEADER had gone from being the envy of every other industry in the country, a bottom up, community driven fund that yielded tangible results for ignored communities, to an impenetrable bureaucratic nightmare so convoluted that smaller community groups didn't even bother applying for it any more, said Ms Ni Riada.

They have chipped away at everything that made it accessible to communities, and, then, of course, let's not forget last year's scandal in which they moved 10m out of the LEADER budget to pay for measures under the Local Improvement Scheme, she said.

Ms Ni Riada pointed out that this would not have come to light were it not for the the work of Sinn Fein TDs Carol Nolan and Martin Kenny, who discovered that the programme had only paid out 661,844 or 0.3 per cent of the 250m European Fund, as compared with 4.4 per cent of a 400m fund paid during the same 18 month period of the previous programme.

If this was not spent by December 2020, it went back to the EU, she said.A state trooper from the Florida Highway Patrol is in hot water after being caught  on film  racing a Lamborghini Aventador on a public highway. In the footage, the state trooper can be seen driving a Dodge Charger Pursuit and lining up side by side with the Aventador before both cars engage in a drag race in the middle of the day.

The Florida Highway Patrol is already investigating the incident, though its looking like someones going to get more than a slap on the wrist

Well, someones in trouble. The clip itself first popped up on Instagram over the weekend. Since then, its been viewed tens of thousands of times. Its also been featured in local newscasts, damning evidence that the state trooper driving the Charger Pursuit will have to answer for breaking laws that he was supposed to uphold. The Florida Highway Patrol is already investigating the incident, though its looking like someones going to get more than a slap on the wrist. "The Florida Highway Patrol has opened an immediate investigation about this incident, Lt. Thomas Pikul told NBC2. The trooper in question will be held accountable upon any findings of misconduct."

The race itself wasnt really a race. The two cars line up and then speed off, though it becomes clear early on that the Charger Pursuit was no match for the Aventador. The trooper eventually decides to throw in the white flag and give the win to the mighty Italian supercar.

Before anybody forgets, the Aventador can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds before setting off to a 217-mph top speed

The result wasnt a surprise considering that the Charger Pursuits two powertrain options are still no match to the one powering the Aventador. Supposing the engine under that police cars hood is the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine, it still produces just 370 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque. Combine that with its burly weight  4,522 pounds (2,051 kilos)  and you can see why it cant keep up to a supercar that features a 6.5-liter V-12 with at least 700 horsepower and 509 pound-feet of torque. Before anybody forgets, the Aventador can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds before setting off to a 217-mph top speed. Unless that Charger Pursuit happened to be a Decepticon, its not going to do well in a drag race against a Lamborghini.

Unfortunately for the state trooper, he not only got shamed by the Aventador, hes also now in the crosshairs of a police investigation that could lead to him losing his job.

References

Read our full review on the 2012 Lamborghini Aventador.

Read our full review on the 2014 Dodge Charger Pursuit.

Read more car video news.Porsche claims that the Mission E is better than the Tesla Model S. Thats hardly a surprise considering that the Mission E is a Porsche model. But Stefan Weckbach, the head of electric vehicles at Porsche , firmly believes that the Mission E stands out compared to the Tesla , so much so that he conducted an in-house interview detailing the guiding principles that make the Mission E of the future standard-bearer of the luxury electric car space when it hits the market in 2019.

All will be revealed when the Mission E goes on sale next year

With the Mission E set to launch in 2019, Porsche is already touting it as a better model than the Tesla Model S

Stefan Weckbach wasted little time essentially throwing down the gauntlet on the Tesla Model S. The interview he conducted covered a number of important items about the Mission E, beginning with the decision to develop it as a production model. According to Weckbach, that decision came as soon as Porsche unveiled the Mission E Concept at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The German automaker thought that it had an important model in its hands, one that would be capable of reshaping the companys future. A few years and over 1,000 dedicated employees later, the Porsche Mission E is close to finally becoming a reality.

With the Mission E set to launch in 2019, Porsche is already touting it as a better model than the Tesla Model S. According to Weckbach, the Mission E is better in two important criteria: performance and charging. Talking about performance, Weckbach described Teslas 0-to-60-mph times for the Model S Ludicrous, saying that the electric sedan can only achieve its advertised time twice. The third attempt will fail, he added. For its part, the Mission E will have reliable, repeatable performance, the kind that produces consistent performance that can also be maintained for long periods time.

The German automaker makes a good case here because its already developing the infrastructure to handle 800-volt charging for the Mission E

Another advantage the Mission E has over the Model S is charging. The German automaker makes a good case here because its already developing the infrastructure to handle 800-volt charging for the Mission E. With that kind of voltage, the company claims that its electric car can deliver 250 miles of range after just 20 minutes of charging. While its admittedly more impressive than the 480-volt capacity of Teslas Supercharger stations, the comparisons arent as black-and-white as Porsche makes it out to be. Still, the German automakers claims are impressive, even though it still has a lot of catching up to do as far as having high-capacity chargers in place.

At the moment, Tesla is miles ahead in that space with thousands of Supercharger stations set up all over the world. Porsche will have a lot of catching up to do, but it is moving in that direction. Porsche Cars North America CEO, Klaus Zellmer, has already confirmed plans to outfit its entire 189-strong dealership network in the U.S. with these 800-volt fast chargers. Likewise, the automakers Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia already has six of the fast chargers installed.

The car has the foundation, capabilities, and heritage to become a real threat to the Model S.

It is to be expected for Stefan Weckbach to tout the Mission E as a full-fledged Model S conqueror. The car has the foundation, capabilities, and heritage to become a real threat to the Model S. But until that day comes, were not going to shrug off everything the Model S has accomplished. The Porsche Mission E may very well be the conquerer Porsche says it is, but well only believe it when we see it.

References

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche Mission E.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche Mission E GTS.

Read our full review on the 2015 Porsche Mission E Concept.

Read more Porsche news.Our family will be traveling in Italy, Portugal & Spain this summer. Our family consists of 2 adults, and 4 children, ages 5, 7, 9 & 11 at the time of travel. I'd like opinions on using a Eurail pass from raileurope.com vs. buying individual train tickets. I know that using a Eurail pass allows my children to travel for free, and gives a discount since we are traveling as a group. However, I know that there are reservations required on some legs of our trip, and I'm not sure if the Eurail pass is valid for some of the more local places.

Here's the rough itinerary listing the days we are traveling by train (we are flying between some of the cities to save time).

- 2 days of train travel in Italy: 1.Day trip from Rome to Pompii/Vesuvius. 2. Morning trip from Rome to Venice, and out of Venice the same evening to Bergamo.

- 5 days in Portugal: From Lisbon Airport to Parede. We are staying in Parede for the 5 days and plan to visit Sintra, and possibly a day trip to either Tomar or Evora. (would love to visit Lousa and the Schist Villages, but I don't think this is possible unless we rent a car - another trip, I guess!).

- 5 days in Spain: flying into Barcelona - staying in Cubelles for the 5 days - taking 2 or 3 day trips (not exactly sure where yet, but some possibilities are Tarragona, Barcelona, Montserrat, & Girona). Our final day we will take a train to Madrid, spend 1 night there and fly home the next day.

So, which option would be the best use of our money - Eurail or individual tickets?Location will be the biggest consideration with these three, especially coinciding with Easter. Park Royal is across the street from the Barcelo, Dreams, and Las Brisas which are all on Tangolunda Bay, a 10 minute taxi ride from town. Binni and Holiday Inn are in Santa Cruz so if you want to be closer to town so you can walk everywhere, consider one of these two. However, there will be lots going on in Santa Cruz with Easter celebrations so may be noisier at Holiday Inn; Binni is farther away.

As for GF food, you shouldn't have a problem finding suitable food with lots of restaurants to choose from in Santa Cruz and La Crucecita that can accommodate. However, with AI, you may not have as many choices. We stayed at the HI a few years ago, and really liked all the AI food, whereas PR many years ago had terrible food. Best to check their latest reviews to see what recent guests are saying. We've never stayed at Binni so I can't comment.

In general, I've never found Huatulco busy, but Easter will definitely bring more people to the area. However, it has never been "crazy over crowded" in the 13 years we have been coming here and I don't think you will regret your choice.6 hours in the city (on the ground, no flights)

6 hours in the city (on the ground, no flights)

Layover posts are all redundant so I'm asking this with a concrete amount of time in the city.

All-day transit from Providence-T.F. Green to New York-Stewart. Bus arrives to Port Authority Bus Terminal just before 12:00 and other bus leaves from same place at 18:00. Planning to drop my bag off at Schwartz a couple blocks away and then adventure time.

Advice?

My preliminary research suggests Staten Island Ferry and Brooklyn Bridge Park for good views of Manhattan. Any other suggestions? Maybe some legendary fast food spots.

Thanks for your time!We are planning a trip to Costa Rica at the end of July into the first week of August. We are staying for 8 nights and flying into San Jose airport. It will be my husband and I and another couple that is coming with us. It is all of our first time to Costa Rica.

I've been doing some research but there's so many great areas, I just don't know how to narrow it down. We are looking into Airbnb's and thinking we might possibly stay half the time in one area and the other half in another. Is this a good idea?

We are interested in hikes, the rainforest, ziplining, beaches, animals, and other fun activities. We are very adventurous. We don't need nightlife/bars or anything like that though.

If you have recommendations for certain activities that are "must-do's" such as tours, animals, beaches, that will be greatly appreciated.

And of course, any help to narrow down the best areas to be looking at would be amazing! Thank you!I am planning a 10 day trip to Costa Rica. My itinerary is

SJO arrival - tortuguero for 2 nights, la fortuna 2 night, monteverde 2 nights, manuel antonio 2 nights, SJO and back home. I was going to rent a car entire time but it would save some money if we can rent a car for part of a trip. We would need a car to transfer from tortuguero to la fortuna and while in la fortuna, transfer from monteverde to manuel antonio. It seems public transport and guided activities can cover the rest. Is there a place to pick up or drop off the car in tortuguero, monteverde ? I assume there will be one in manuel antonio.

Thanks for your help in advance.Last time I did the that trip I caught a small back roads bus from Tra vinh through Ben Tre and onto HCMC, then caught the ferry to Vung Tau

The ferry service to Ben Tre from Vung Tau announced last year hasn't started yet. Companies often announce things as starting soon before they have govt approval.

It does have a good chance of happening as the govt has realised that water transport takes the load of the overcrowded highways.

Its difficult not to go through HCMC from Mekong to Vung Tau. Any diversion would entail extra klms negating any time savings.

The quickest way is to catch the bus to Hcmc during the midmorning, say 10am and arrive in HCMC before the afternoon peak hour rush.I can give you an example of 4 star plus,

We attended. A Wedding at the Ibis Styles Nha Trang, well that's equal to any 4 star hotel any where.

We stayed in the Nice Swan twice.....it's. only 2 half star the rooms are huge they are Clean, they are serviced every day, the bathroom was gigantic, the trouble is now there is a 40 story building going up beside it...such a shame. Our very first visit was at Novotel well that's the same as any Novotel any where in the world...

We try to stay in apartments now but our usual one was fully booked.

The one in Hoi An I'm not sure I think it's 3 star but it's huge and very clean...if you want you can go the whole way and go 6 star at Sixth Senses, and. Few others,,,but to me that's ridiculous,prices.Hello all.

Was not sure where to post as the question involve both coutries.......if this is not the right place please let me know and can be deleted.

Me and my wife are travelling for 4 weeks (we are in our early fifties). Please see below the itinerary I have so far.

Arrive in BKK --------- Siem Reap----------Hanoi----------Ha Long -----------Hue---------Da Nang-------- and from here that's where I am not sure what to do. We want to go to Phuket and stay a few days there and Phi Phi Islands but the flights are quite expensive. I have been checking on skyscanner for the flights, is there any companies worth to check?

Will it be better to stop in another city before go to Phuket? HCM? Will it be cheaper?

After Phuket we will fly to BKK so we can fly home (UK)

For your experience will you change the itinerary? Maybe not going to Hanoi after Siem Reap and finish in Hanoi and then fly to Phuket (starting the itinerary in the South and go all the way to North)

All suggestions and tips greatly appreciated . It's our first time in South East Asia and we are looking forward to!!

Regards

Fernando2nd - arrive into heneda airport & get limo bus to Shunjuku

3rd-7th - E hotel Shinjuku

7th-8th- Nine hours shinjuku (for experience)

8th-10th travel to Lake Kawaguchiko - bus from Shinjuku station.

10th - 14th - Kyoto. Travel from lakes to Kyoto by getting a bus from lake kawaguchiko to Mishima, train to Mishima (11,000yen 80 estimate) to Kyoto

14th - Kyoto - Koyasan

15th-17th Koyasan - Hiroshima

17th- Hiroshima - Kansai airport

I have researched and researched about what passes to get. But I just cant seem to figure it out! 2 week pass doesnt work out worth it as its around 300 but 7 day pass doesnt cover the amount of days from Mishima all the way back to Kansai. Jr 5 day pass doesnt work out enough days either.

Can someone please PLEASE help me. We are travelling soon and this is stressing me out :(Re: 6 hours in the city (on the ground time, no flights)

2. Re: 6 hours in the city (on the ground time, no flights)

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We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.There is no requirement to check in 3 hours before an international flight when youre a connecting passenger.

Actually, theres no requirement to check in 3 hours early for an international flight even if youre originating at JFK. Its a recommendation. And a good one, if youre checking bags.

But in any event, you dont have time to do anything outside the airport.

Read a book. Browse the shops. Have a meal or a drink. Get to your departure gate an hour before departure.- Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter's election victory was nullified by the High Court on Thursday, March 1

- The petition was filed by Independent candidate Bernard Kitur

- Keter was declared victor in the August 2017 elections with 28,923 votes

- The court ruled that Keter had violated the law when he campaigned beyond required time

The man who successfully filed a petition to overturn outspoken Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keters victory in last years general election has warned the legislator that he will completely destroy his political career.

Bernard Kitur who vied as an independent candidate, contested against Keter of the Jubilee Party and Isaac Kirwa of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Yaya amwandama mke wa mbunge aliyedaiwa kumtandika

Kitur who got 13,837 votes against Keters 28,923 said he was sure his competitor did not fairly win the August 8 elections and vowed to prove he was a better candidate when the by-election is held.

Bernard Kitur addresses the press outside High Court in Eldoret. Photo: Milan Kiplagat/TUKO

Source: Original

If Keter had to engage in electoral malpractices to beat an independent candidate in August, this time I am confident I will beat him in the Jubilee Party primaries. I am the one that will put the last nail in his political casket and serve Nandi Hills voters excellently, Kitur told TUKO.co.ke.

Kitur further challenged Keter to stop dragging the name of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto into his loss saying that he won the case on merit and had proven the former MP had not been validly elected.

I urge the Jubilee to allow us to participate in fresh nominations at the party level so that I can prove I am a better candidate. I am the sure antidote to his political venom and it is time that he accepts that his days are over, added Kitur.

READ ALSO: Twitter explodes after nullification of Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter

Kitur further alleged that his life was in danger, saying Keters followers and some hired goons were after his life.

I have received threats following the courts decision. My competitor's supporters say they will not allow me in Nandi Hills and I need protection from the government. I had to confine myself in a hotel for security purposes when the court was issuing the verdict, said Kitur.

He also urged the legislature to consider reviewing the elections laws and review downwards the cost of filing election petitions, saying the high costs were locking out a lot of people that had genuine issues over malpractices.

Speaking in Mosoriot, Nandi County, Keter accused DP Ruto for plotting his downfall terming the move as disastrous for the future of Jubilee party.

READ ALSO: A section of Eldoret residents turn the heat on Ruto after Alfred Keter's win was nullified

Alfred Keter who lost his Nandi Hills seat after a petition. Photo: The Star

The DP is squarely behind this, I wonder who will be behind him in 2022 when he will be seeking the top seat now that he is bringing down his foot soldiers, said Keter.

He said the executive and Jubilee Party leadership were planning to deny him a ticket for the by-election but assured his supporters he has a well-drawn plan to get his seat back even if it is formation of a new party.

Kitur took over as the petitioner in the matter after the initial applicant Robert Kemei sought to withdraw from the matter.

Justice Kanyi Kimondo concluded that Keter had broke electoral laws by campaigning beyond the set campaigning schedule and disadvantaged his competitors.

"The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission too is not a virtuous virgin, the returning officer overlooked the complaint by Kitur over Keter's extended campaigns and therefore tainted the fairness of the elections process. He acted impotent despite sufficient power to probe the complaint and instead directed the petitioner to report the matter to the police," read part of Kimondo's judgment.

Story by Milan Kiplagat, Nandi County

Kenya gets to keep Chief Justice Maraga - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko- Leaders allied to the NASA coalition have agreed to leave 2017 politics behind and let the country recover from the prolonged and exhausting electioneering period

- The opposition politicians also seem to have finally accepted Uhuru Kenyatta as the duly and legitimately elected president of the Republic of Kenya

- The leaders were speaking ahead a five-day post-election seminar in Mombasa where more than 300 MPs from both Jubilee and NASA were expected to converge

- NASA co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka and Kitui County governor, Charity Ngily, have also expressed their willingness to support and work with Uhuru's government

- The NASA coalition leaders previously held that Uhuru was not validly elected and that they only recognized former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as their president

National Super Alliance (NASA) members of Parliament and leaders seem to have changed tune from castigating President Uhuru Kenyatta to supporting his government and development agendas.

READ ALSO: Mount Kenya University

TUKO.co.ke can report that quite a number of politicians and leaders allied to the NASA coalition have finally agreed to move past the 2017 politics and let the country recover from the prolonged, emotive and exhausting electioneering period.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

"After a hotly-contested general election, which was followed by an emotive phase, it is time to have candid conversations that will help the country move forward," Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) chairman, John Mbadi, said during debate on MPs' post-election seminar in Mombasa.

ODM chairman John Mbadi was one of the opposition MPs he held that they will not recognize Uhuru Kenyatta as their president. Has he changed tune? Photo: Nation.

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While supporting the five-day Mombasa retreat, Mbadi agreed with his Jubilee counterparts to put their political differences aside and work for the nation. But he is not the only senior NASA member who appears to have soften stance.

NASA co-principal and Wiper party boss, Kalonzo Musyoka, has also been gradually warming up to the President Uhuru-led government that he had vowed not to lend legitimacy.

NASA co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka issued a statement praising Environment CS Kiriako Tobiko for burning charcoal burning in Kenya. Photo: Facebook/Kalonzo Musyoka.

Musyoka recently commended Uhuru's newly appointed Environment CS Keriako Tobiko for banning charcoal trade in Kenya.

Then there is Kitui County governor, Mama Charity Ngilu, who has also indicated that she is ready and willing to support and work with Uhuru.

Kitui County governor, Charity Ngilu, who has previously worked with President Uhuru Kenyatta's government, is ready to work with Uhuru again.Photo: Citizen TV.

According to an earlier report by TUKO.co.ke, Ngilu revealed that she had discussed the possibility of working with the Jubilee government.

Our candidates Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, who were the contenders withdrew from the repeat presidential race. We therefore have no business in that election because we do not have a candidate, she was quoted saying in 2017.

The NASA coalition leaders previously held that Uhuru was not legitimately elected and that they only recognized Raila Odinga as their president. From the look of things, it appears that is no longer the position held by at least some of them.

Do you support Raila Odinga's call for fresh presidential election? - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.keOn March 5, the defense ministers of Ukraine and the Kingdom of Sweden will hold a meeting in Kyiv.

This was reported by the press service of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine.

"Within the framework of the official visit of a delegation of the Defense Ministry of the Kingdom of Sweden to Ukraine, Defense Minister of Ukraine Army General of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak will hold a meeting with Defense Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden Peter Hultqvist on March 5," the report reads.

There will be also talks between the delegations of the Defense Ministries of Ukraine and the Kingdom of Sweden.

ishOne Ukrainian serviceman was killed and other two were wounded as a result of the enemy shelling in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas over the past day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministrys Spokesman for ATO issues Dmytro Hutsuliak said this at a briefing on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Unfortunately, one soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine born in 1984 was killed. We express our condolences to the relatives, friends and comrades of the deceased soldier," he said.

Hutsuliak adds that two servicemen were wounded, their health condition is satisfactory.

Russian-backed militants launched eight attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas over the past day.

ishUkraine fully meets its transit obligations to supply Russian gas to Poland.

President of the PGNiG Management Board Piotr Wozniak said this in a commentary to Polsat News.

"We follow the volumes of gas that are transited to Poland from Russia through the territory of Ukraine. We have not noticed any anomalies, the gas is supplied properly," Wozniak said.

Wozniak recalled that PGNiG had signed with Ukraine a short-term contract on the supply of small volumes of gas by the end of March.

"We are ready to supply more gas, and we informed the Ukrainian partners about this... We maintain a constant contact with the Ukrainian side and will lend a helping hand them. We will sell gas if the necessity arises," Wozniak said.

He added that Poland had enough gas both for its own needs and for supplies to Ukraine. As Wozniak informed, as of today, the Polish gas storage facilities are 46-47% full, i.. contain 1 billion 380 million cubic meters of gas.

olPower supply to the Donetsk water filtration station has been resumed, Head of the Donetsk Regional and Civil Administration Pavlo Zhebrivsky has said.

Power supply to the Donetsk water filtration station has been resumed. At present filters are being cleaned and the station will be fully put into operation by the evening, Zhebrivsky wrote on Facebook.

Referring to the chairman of the Avdiivka Ministry and Civil Administration, Zhebrivsky added that at present water is uninterruptedly supplied to the residents.

On March 2, the work of the Donetsk water filtration was terminated because of blackouts caused by combat actions.

iyPrime Minister of Moldova Pavel Filip welcomes the ratification of the Agreement on Joint Control on Moldova-Ukraine Border by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

The press service of the Government of Moldova reports this following the meeting of Prime Minister Pavel Filip with Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy, an Ukrinform own correspondent in the Republic of Moldova reports.

"The practical implementation of the Agreement on Joint Control on Moldova-Ukraine Border will contribute to strengthening of border security and intensification of cross-border cooperation," the statement reads.

The head of the government of Moldova stressed that the successful implementation of the tasks set had been made possible due to the intensification of the political dialogue between Ukraine and Moldova, noting the need to deepen this interaction in order to meet the challenges of the European integration of our countries.

olThe speakers of the parliaments of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have signed an open letter to the heads of the European parliaments on the assessment of the Nord Stream 2 project as a factor of destabilization as part of the inter-parliamentary security conference in Chisinau.

This was stated by Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy, according to the official website of the Ukrainian parliament.

"Two important documents were signed today [on March 2] - a joint statement by the heads of the parliaments of Georgia and Moldova confirming their commitment to European integration as a single and most effective mechanism for ensuring security, prosperity and long-term stable and democratic development in our countries, as well as an open letter to the heads of the European parliaments on Nord Stream 2's assessment as a factor of destabilization," reads the report.

According to Parubiy, it is necessary to change the approach and attitude towards Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

"Our countries, now suffering from occupation, defend the EU against aggression coming from Russia. So we must speak with one voice about our problems, about our needs and our position, in order to make our position clearer," he said.

Parubiy also said that he had offered his colleagues to create a trilateral parliamentary assembly between Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

opOn March 5-6, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Finland Timo Soini will pay a working visit to Ukraine.

Ukrinform learnt this from the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

According to the report, on March 5, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin will hold talks with Foreign Minister of Finland Timo Soini. The parties will discuss the issues of Ukrainian-Finnish bilateral cooperation, ways to counteract the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of Donbas and Crimea, as well as the energy security in Europe under conditions of Russia's gas blackmail, the Foreign Ministry informed.

In addition, Ukrainian Education and Science Minister Lilia Hrynevych and Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini are planned to sign the agreement between the Governments of Ukraine and the Republic of Finland on the implementation of the project "Finnish support for the reform of the Ukrainian school."

The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Finland will hold a joint press conference.

ishUkrainian wooden churches are ideal architectural buildings. In no other country is wood as a material so harmoniously used as in Ukraine, according to Mykhailo Syrokhman, art critic and researcher of Transcarpathian wooden churches.

The largest number of wooden churches in Ukraine is registered in Galicia. However, they are better preserved in Transcarpathia, where their number is smaller (60 out of the 110 churches can be considered ancient). In addition, Transcarpathian churches are known for their styles, which cannot found in any other region of Ukraine. In general, there are five main architectural styles, and several more local ones. In Transcarpathia there is also one of the oldest wooden temples, which is believed to have been built in 1470.

Q: What triggered this phenomenon of Ukrainian wooden churches?

A: There was a kingdom of wood. Everything was made of timber, from a long time ago. Therefore, temples became the apogee of the discovery of this material.

Q: There was a period when Ukrainian churches were actively compared with Japanese temples...

A: This is a very interesting comparison, and it is appropriate. However, in principle, everything in the world has its own parallels. The storeyed structure of Ukrainian and Japanese temples is purely external coincidences, but they exist.

There are also differences, for example, in the very principles of construction. The angle of logs in Ukraine is so simple, and it is so complicated in Japan. Ukrainian churches are the true architecture - what you see from the outside is the same inside.

Churches in Norway are strict, chopped  the Vikings! However, inside there is an unexpectedly dense carving, open hall, columns. Although, it would seem that there should be the same restrained space inside, some sort of similar asceticism. This is a certain dissonance. This is not the case in the Ukrainian church.

Q: Perhaps we should learn from France or Norway how to protect these perfect churches, should not we?

A: I agree. But the difference between us is that they have a strong state, which stands firmly on the fact that it is necessary to preserve what you have, that this is the most valuable thing. Our country has not had such a position for a long time, it only begins to emerge.

In general, there are three factors that have led to such a miserable situation with our wooden churches and monuments. The first is the non-participation of the state in preserving its historical monuments. On the other hand, people do not have the habit of abiding by laws. Therefore, they do not even protect what is protected by the law. We have another factor - the Moscow Patriarchate, which sometimes conducts hostile activities against the Ukrainian people - in the sense of preserving our monuments. As for the activity of the Moscow Patriarchate, it should be noted that Transcarpathia did not even have time to notice how the architectural face of the region has changed in recent years. They built so many churches of some strange type, which is completely unusual in this area - everything in the Moscow style. But there is a Ukrainian Orthodox tradition.

Q: Is it a kind of marking territory?

A: Yes, it means imposing and confirming the myth that this, they say, is their Russian, not Ruthenian land.

Q: And this concerns even not the construction of new temples. Last year, we had a scandal in Bukivtsiovo (a village in Zakarpattia region) when they changed the authentic form of the baroque dome to Moscow's "onion."

A: In general, there is such a trend that the churches with sharp domes "are not blessed," as they say. Therefore, it is necessary to change them to "onions." As for Bukivtsiovo, this is certainly a mistake, because if the authorities found the money, it is necessary to check how it is used. The regional state administration did everything well  they allocated money, found a master, and it turned out that they pleased the Moscow church. There was another story. The monastery in Bukivtsiovo turned to one master who made iconostases. It turned out that the carver was a Greek Catholic, and the priests canceled the order. They said that he would defile the iconostasis with his work.

Against the background of other regions in terms of roofing churches with metal, we still look good. Compared to our neighbors in Lviv region (a lot of wooden churches there have metal roofing), the situation in Ivano-Frankivsk region is generally catastrophic! All churches are tightly covered with metal, and the yards are either asphalted or concreted. Moreover, it does not matter whether the church is Orthodox or Greek-Catholic.

Q: Why was Zakarpattia region lucky?

A: Our churches were desecrated mainly in the 1990s - and then the regional authorities took a clear position: wooden churches should be preserved. And this destruction process has stopped. Moreover, it did not matter who was the governor. There was an understanding that this should be preserved. This somehow penetrated into our consciousness. They invented a slogan that Transcarpathia is a land of wooden churches.

Q: Is it possible to restore them?

A: Of course, it is possible. The law says that it is possible to oblige communities to give the monuments their original appearance. But here everything depends on glorious political will.

Q: You know, there are many problems in the state that "political will" does not care about the roofing of ancient Transcarpathian churches...

A: You know, the problem of what to eat and what to wear has always existed and will continue to exist. But the church exists, and then it suddenly ceases to exist due to someone's foolish actions.

Q: Why do you think the 1990s were the years of the greatest threat to wooden churches?

A: Chaos after the collapse of the Soviet Union, religious freedom...

In general, this should be a strategy - to return historical appearance to Transcarpathian churches if we are talking about the tourist development of the region. And this is possible. We need only understanding, will, and money. However, due to our attitude to nature, the landscape value of our region is constantly decreasing.

And there should also be an understanding that the church has a protected area of the monument  that is, in order not to install concrete fences, not to build stairs around the temple. As for the protection zone, this is a problem of most wooden churches. For example, Velyky Berezny district is known for masterpieces of the so-called Boyko architecture, but the situation with the destruction of authentication is catastrophic.

A recent example of unbridled barbarism is the story of the most beautiful Hutsul basilica in the village of Stebny. As soon as they found a patron who was going to restore the church at his own expense, the priest immediately began reconstruction work. This beauty was so distorted that a person with normal taste would escape from such a building.

Q: Do you inspect wooden churches now?

A: I have not done it recently. I do not want to be injured. I remember how beautiful these churches were.

Q: What will happen to churches? Will people protect and restore them?

A: Let's see. It's good that there are young people who are interested in these things, but this is a drop in the sea. It is necessary for the authorities to join this process. The secret is simple: we must be patriots of our country, region, district, village  that's it. We need to love our environment more than dollars. If a barn burns to the ground, prosecutors and investigators come, interview people, and conduct experiments. If a church burns down, nothing happens. They say it's not their business.

Tetiana Kohutych, UzhgorodUkraine's Embassy in Bulgaria has expressed its indignation at a statement by Russian Patriarch Kirill on Bulgarian national television on March 1 that the events in Donbas are a "civil war."

"We consider the patriarch's statement about a 'civil war' in Donbas as an anti-Ukrainian provocation," the embassy said in a statement on Friday, March 2.

Ukrainian diplomats expressed regret that "Bulgarian national television was used by the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church as a platform for spreading openly anti-Ukrainian statements synchronized with the official position of the Kremlin."

"The international democratic community has no doubt that occupation of part of Donbas was initiated and carried out exclusively by the Russian Federation, which actively encourages and fully supports illegal terrorist formations of militants - with weapons, career servicemen without insignia, military hardware, and 'humanitarian convoys,'" the embassy said.

opUkraine's top fugitive, ex-president Viktor Yanukovich showed himself to the public after a protracted pause. This time he didn't go to Rostov and gave a press conference downtown Moscow.

Tightened security measures outside the TASS news agency headquarters, double checks inside the building, no outside liquids allowed. Yanukovych enters the press room, accompanied by five bodyguards...

The PR reason to hold the presser is obvious. Team Yanukovych is once again trying to convince both itself and others that it's anyone but Yanukovych who is to blame for the Maidan killings in 2014. A fragment of an Italian documentary shows "snipers", allegedly Georgian nationals, admitting the guilt of shooting both at the Maidan protestants and Berkut riot police forces, and blaming current Ukrainian authorities for the carnage, claiming it was they who allegedly ordered the shooting.

There are dozens of journalists in the press room. The first four questions come exclusively from the Russian state-owned and state-affiliated media inquiring whether it was all really Maidan's fault. Viktor Yaunukovych, obviously pleased with this line, affirmatively, and extensively, responds that yes, of course, it is. Thus, he seals a sure spot for himself in the Russian Federal news prime time.

Basic messages of Yanukovych's speech completely copycat the Russian president's position. It's about Crimea, which "decided its fate itself," not a word about the Russian army, referred to as "polite people" back in the day

One of my Russian "colleagues" went as far as claiming that, as it turns out, not only is the government illegitimate in Ukraine, mass protests are unfolding in the country's southern and eastern regions demanding the return of their "legitimate" leader. To think about where a parallel reality people create can lead them

Basic messages of Yanukovych's speech completely copycat the Russian president's position. It's about Crimea, which "decided its fate itself," not a word about the Russian army, referred to as "polite people" back in the day. It's also about a "civil war" and the horrors of building up a state with the "Ukrainian core". Stones are thrown at the newly-adopted Donbas de-occupation law calling Russia an aggressor state and an occupier. Yanukovych, just like Putin, claimed the role of a major "peacekeeper" in Donbas  he seeks peace, but it can't be achieved "without direct dialogue" with Donbas "representatives". Yanukovych doesn't tell who these representatives actually are, only claiming that he is in a constant contact with them and even ready to initiate a meeting with Putin in this regard. By the way, the latter is not particularly interested in the life of his "guest", according to Yanukovych himself....

I managed to ask Yanukovych whether he feels fine blaming EU mediators and the Ukrainian opposition for violating the agreement of February 21, 2014. After all, on February 20, the Russian army had already launched a Crimea seizure operation, which is engraved on Russian military medals coined on the occasion. And on March 1, Yanukovych has already asked Putin to introduce troops to Ukraine. It turns out that the "legitimate one" requested that Putin "win back" Ukraine for him, bargaining off the Crimean peninsula.

The answer is almost a media sensation: Yanukovych claims he sent not one but two letters to his Russian counterpart.

One of them was the appeal which Russia's UN envoy Vitaliy Churkin waved at the UN Security Council. It said dead clear that Yanukovych was requesting that Putin "use the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to restore legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and protection of the Ukrainian population." Moreover, no matter how much Yanukovych tries to convince anyone today that he submitted his appeal to the Russian Foreign Ministry (this is the version of events that the Kremlin is promoting now), in March 2014 Putin said, "... We have a direct appeal ... of Yanukovych on the use of the Armed Forces to protect the life, liberty and health of Ukrainian citizens." In fact, Churkin couldn't be more clear either when he told the whole world, "Today I am authorized to report ... the President of Russia received the following appeal by President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych." Then he read the "appeal", adding that this is a photocopy of the original "appeal of the president of Ukraine to the Russian president."

The answer is almost a media sensation: Yanukovych claims he sent not one but two letters to his Russian counterpart

At the same time, the second document has never been published before, and Yanukovych's lawyers finally showed it. It justifies the deployment of occupation forces in Ukraine by the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation and the need to deploy a "peacekeeping police mission" with the help of the Russian army. Yanukovych asked to grant Russian armed forces the functions of evacuating and rendering humanitarian assistance to the population, tackling emergency situations and, what's especially spicy, ensuring the provision of "reliable information to the international community on the situation in Ukraine".

The experts are yet to assess the document closely. But both Viktor Yanukovich, who has long turned into Putin's shadow, and the Russian president himself, should refresh their memory a bit. The thing is that, immediately after Churkin's address at the UN Security Council in New York, on March 4, 2014, Putin held a special press conference in Moscow on the situation in Ukraine, where he publicly used the "Yanukovych appeal" to legitimize the invasion.

Both Viktor Yanukovich, who has long turned into Putin's shadow, and the Russian president himself, should refresh their memory a bit

Returning to the Yanukovych presser, it seems that over the past four years, he has come to almost believing in the total "righteousness" of the Kremlin, and now continues to be at their service. He neither repents, nor admits his guilt, nor even regrets that it was his policies that put Ukraine in 2014 on the edge of the abyss.

Roman Tsymbaliuk, MoscowThe enemy opened fire from 82mm mortars and infantry fighting vehicles' cannons near the village of Bohdanivka.

Russia's hybrid military forces mounted eight attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action (KIA) and another two as wounded in action (WIA).

Read alsoOSCE spots "Cargo 200" minivan near occupied Amvrosiyivka

"In the Luhansk sector, the aggressor fired 120mm mortars near the village of Troyitske. The invaders also violated the ceasefire from small arms near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska," the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations reported on Facebook on Saturday morning.

In the Donetsk sector, the Russian occupation forces repeatedly used 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers of various types and small arms against the Ukrainian positions near the town of Avdiyivka. In addition, the enemy opened fire from 82mm mortars and infantry fighting vehicles' cannons near the village of Bohdanivka.Apakan said people in eastern Ukraine want to return to their normal lives.

Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) Ertugrul Apakan on Friday welcomed the recommitment to the ceasefire made by the Trilateral Contact Group and other signatories of the Minsk agreements.

The recommitment, made in Minsk on February 28, is expected to come into effect at 00:01 on March 5, the OSCE SMM said in a press release.

Read alsoOSCE spots "Cargo 200" minivan near occupied Amvrosiyivka

"Spring is a time for renewal, and with this recommitment, there is an opportunity to renew the process outlined in the Minsk agreements and allow the civilian population in eastern Ukraine to once again live in peace," Ambassador Apakan said. "Recommitment, however, needs to be matched by concrete actions if the ceasefire is to hold in a meaningful and sustained manner, namely the withdrawal of heavy weapons, disengagement of forces and formations, and de-mining."

"People in eastern Ukraine want to return to their normal lives," Apakan said. "It is high time that they are allowed to do so."The situation in Luhansk and Donetsk regions is under control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On Saturday, March 3, the Ukrainian army recorded no shelling by militants in the Donbas war zone.

"Since day-start, the ceasefire has prevailed along the entire contact line in eastern Ukraine. As of 18:00 Kyiv time, there has been no shelling on our positions, while the Ukrainian army strictly adheres to the Minsk agreements," the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations said in an evening update.

Read alsoOSCE Chief Monitor Apakan welcomes recommitment to ceasefire in eastern Ukraine

"The situation in Luhansk and Donetsk regions is under control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Combat units performing their tasks on the first line of defense retain their positions and keep monitoring the enemy," reads the report.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Russia's hybrid military forces mounted eight attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as killed in action and another two as wounded in action.If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.Putin said U.S. authorities should send Russia's general prosecutor an official request.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Washington to send him hard evidence that his citizens meddled in U.S. elections, mocking accusations to date as "yelling and hollering in the United States Congress".

The office of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three firms last month with interfering in the 2016 presidential vote as part of what it called a conspiracy to support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton, as reported by Reuters.

"I have to see first what they've done. Give us materials, give us information," Putin said in an interview with NBC TV aired late on Friday, according to an English voice-over of his words.

"We can not respond to that if they do not violate Russian laws," Putin told NBC's Megyn Kelly, when asked whether Moscow would take action against the named individuals.

Read alsoPutin announces successful testing of brand new nuclear-powered missile

Kelly listed some of the accusations of Russian interference made by Mueller's office and other U.S. officials, including the spreading of false information online.

"With all due respect for you personally, with all due respect for Congress, you must have people with legal degrees, 100 percent you do," Putin said smiling.

He said U.S. authorities should send Russia's general prosecutor an official request.

"This has to go through official channels, not through the press or yelling and hollering in the United States Congress," Putin said.

The broadcast came a day after Putin announced an array of new nuclear weapons, in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

Putin is standing in March 18 elections that polls indicate he should win easily.German officials have said that the issue was definitively settled with Poland in 1953.

Germany could owe Poland USD 850 billion for damage it inflicted in World War II, the head of a Polish team assessing potential reparations said on Friday.

"We are talking about very large, but justified amounts of compensation for war crimes, for destroyed cities, villages, the lost demographic potential of our country," said Arkadiusz Mularczyk, from Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice party, according to Radio Poland.

Mularczyk heads a parliamentary team set up in September to assess the amount of potential compensation due from Germany, which invaded Poland in 1939, sparking World War II.

Read alsoPoland's controversial Holocaust law comes into force on March 1

"We are talking about large amounts. That's why Germany is pursuing a policy that challenges any claims and is conducting this policy around the world," Mularczyk told private broadcaster Polsat News.

Last year, an analysis by Polish parliamentary experts said the government in Warsaw is entitled to demand that Germany pay reparations for the massive war-time damage it inflicted on Poland.

German officials have said that the issue was definitively settled with Poland in 1953.

In a resolution adopted that year, the Polish communist government of the time recognised that Germany had fulfilled its obligations with regard to Poland and decided against seeking compensation.

But Poland's ruling conservatives have said that decisions made by the country's communist-era authorities are not still valid because they were made under pressure from the Soviet Union.China will allow domestic and overseas companies to issue bonds via the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges to fund projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, the country's securities regulator said.

BEIJING, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :China will allow domestic and overseas companies to issue bonds via the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges to fund projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, the country's securities regulator said.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said government-backed institutions in countries along the Belt and Road can also issue similar bonds in China, China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported on Saturday.

The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa based on ancient land and maritime trade routes.

Many of the projects under the program have so far been bankrolled by the Silk Road Fund, Chinese policy banks such as China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, and the China-initiated Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Foreign banks, including Citigroup, HSBC and Standard Chartered, have also been seeking to champion their role in the initiative. The issuing of bonds is one way of attracting additional funding.

Seven companies have gained the CSRC's nod to issue the Belt and Road bonds worth 50 billion Yuan (7.9 billion US Dollars) through the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, and four of them have issued 3.5 billion yuan worth of bonds, according to CSRC.National Commission on Human Development (NCHD) has enrolled 16,430 students in Balochistan at primary level to improve literacy level in the province under its 'Education for All' initiative.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :National Commission on Human Development (NCHD) has enrolled 16,430 students in Balochistan at Primary level to improve literacy level in the province under its 'Education for All' initiative.

NCHD, in collaboration with provincial education department, was operating 439 schools in 24 districts of Balochistan to ensure right of education to all at their doorstep. Official source told APP here Saturday that NCHD was working closely with education department and also providing assistance to them for the advancement of education in Balochistan.

He informed that NCHD was also providing equipment and conducting special trainings to teachers aimed at provision of education to disabled children in the less-developed areas of the country.President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Masood Khan has said that the Jammu and Kashmir issue is an international issue, not a bilateral issue as projected by India.

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) , President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Masood Khan has said that the Jammu and Kashmir issue is an international issue, not a bilateral issue as projected by India.

He was addressing a Kashmir Conference organised by Pakistani and Kashmiri community in Sweden late Friday, says a message received here on Saturday. The conference was also attended by Sereken Kose, Chairman Human Rights Group in the Swedish Parliament, Pakistan Ambassador Ahmad Hussain Dayo, Ch.

Pervez Iqbal Losar, Chairman European Union-Pakistan Friendship Federation, and Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Bhali, President EU-Pak Friendship Federation, Sweden. The President said that, contrary to the impression given by India, Kashmir was an international issue which must be resolved in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions by ascertaining the wishes of the Kashmiri people through a plebiscite.

India, he said, calls it a 'bilateral issue' not to resolve the issue sincerely but to keep the international community away from the dispute so that it can perpetuate its occupation of part of Kashmir by use of brute force, genocide and altering the demographics of the occupied territory.

In bilateral talks, whenever they could be held despite India's reluctance, India proved to be an unreliable interlocutor as it would either skirt around the issue or plainly refuse to talk on Kashmir issue substantively.

"The issue of Jammu and Kashmir impinges on peace and security of South Asia and the world at large because it is an unresolved dispute between two nuclear armed states. The conflict remains a live wire because of the massive human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir and India's constant violations across the line of control of the 2003 ceasefire arrangement", he said.

The President said that Sweden, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a responsibility to shine a spotlight on the Kashmir issue in the Council, an issue that is on the Council agenda.

Sweden, he said, has a special interest in the region because over the years it has been contributing troops and experts to the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

"This mission should have expanded and made more effective", said Masood Khan He also urged the Swedish Prime Minister and Swedish Parliament to raise with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the massive human rights violations in the Occupied Kashmir when he visits Stockholm on April 15, 2018 Serken Kose, Chairman of Parliamentary Group of Human Rights, said on the occasion that in the past a dialogue on the human rights situation in Kashmir in the Swedish Parliament has been missing because the focus has been mainly on the middle Eastern issues.

But from now on, he said, the Human Rights Group will develop this dialogue on respect for human rights in Kashmir with new ideas and perspectives. He said the Group would get the support of more friends within the Social Democratic Party and the Parliament to take cognizance of killings in Kashmir, other human rights violations, and especially fate of the human rights defenders.

Serken Kose said that human rights situation in any part of the world is a priority for the Swedish Parliament; and in Kashmir the entire population should be made part of a democratic solution in accordance with international law.

President Masood Khan demanded that the International community, especially the UN Security Council, should intercede to halt the India violations of ceasefire across the line of control which are resulting in killings and serious injuries of civilians, relocation of populations living in adjacent areas, and upward spiral in India-Pakistan tensions.

He said that for the solution of the Jammu and Kashmir the way forward was: to forge unity in our ranks, to proactively take the issue back to the UN, international community, and world parliaments, to leverage the clout of the diaspora communities in their new homelands, and to sue the media and communication networks strongly to project the true perspectives on Kashmir.

Sardar Masood urged the community members to work ceaselessly for politically and economically strong Pakistan because only a strong Pakistan can guarantee a just solution of the Kashmir dispute.

He also invited entrepreneurs from the community in Sweden to invest in Azad Kashmir as it was taking off economically in the areas of tourism, power generation, industry, agriculture, health and education. The prospects for investment in Azad Kashmir, he said, had brightened with the projects being implemented as part the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Livestock department of Rawalpindi, along with police, seized about 1720 kg unhygienic meat in the limits of Waris Khan here on Saturday.

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Livestock department of Rawalpindi, along with police, seized about 1720 kg unhygienic meat in the limits of Waris Khan here on Saturday.

According to officials, during the raid, three suppliers were also held besides discarding the confiscated meat.

A case has been registered against them and further proceedings are underway. An official told APP that nobody will be allowed to violate the law and strict action would be taken against such elements involved in deceiving people.(@rukhshanmir)

A Special Protection Unit is being formed in AJK soon exclusively for the safety and security of the foreigners engaged in the ongoing and forthcoming mega development projects in power generation and other sectors under the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor).

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) , :A Special Protection Unit is being formed in AJK soon exclusively for the safety and security of the foreigners engaged in the ongoing and forthcoming mega development projects in power generation and other sectors under the CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor).

This was disclosed by Inspector General of Police, AJK, Shoaib Dastgeer, while talking to a group of journalists here on Saturday. He was flanked by Mirpur Division police chief DIG Rashid Naeem, SSP Mirpur Riaz Hussain Bukhari and other senior police officers on this occasion.

IGP, AJK said that lot of required steps were being taken to improve the performance of the force harmonious to the need of the modern age for the safety and security of the masses of this region, which, he admitted, is comparatively much peaceful as compared to any part of the country vis-a-vis the rate of crimes.

Dastgeer continued that the government of Pakistan has accorded formal approval for emergence of the uniformed Special Protection Unit in AJK comprising at least 800 seasoned and trained security men, in three phases at the initial stage, to be hired on contact basis in the AJK police.

Shoaib Dastgeer stated that at present only 5 percent of the budget allocated for the AJK police was being utilized for operational expenditures whereas rest of 95 percent of the allocated budget goes in form of the salaries.

He continued that under the recent move by his office, the AJK government and the AJK Council has issued the special grant of Rs 10 million, (Rs 5 million each) for the repair of at least 25 police building projects across the region as well as for the petrol/diesel of the police vans fleet.

Besides, Rs Seven million funds were secured for the improvement of the performance of investigation and test / laboratory wings, he added. The IGP said that existing weapons will be replaced with the latest arms in the wake of the measures to make police well equipped and armed in line with the modern needs.

He underlined that the government has released grant of Rs three million for purchase of latest ammunition for the force. He underlined that all the utensils for the force including machinery, uniform, shoes etc.

would now be purchased in the future after getting checked and approved by the labs to ensure their required high quality. To a question, Shaib Dastgeer said that existing over 8300 police force was being added with three to four hundred new recruits including cops and the ASIs respectively through direct recruitment process and the AJK Public Service Commission to fill in the vacant positions at the time of requirement.

To another question, he emphasized the need of the existence of the Anti-terrorist Force Unit in AJK police. He underlined that the matter will be taken up with the central government by the AJK Government for the establishment of the Anti-terrorist Force Unit to combat against any attempt of subversion and terrorism in the region.

"We should always remain alert with professional preparedness to deal with any eventuality", the AJK police chief said. The IGP also admitted to continue making all the already-available police posts in various housing sectors in Mirpur city vibrant and alert to ensure the safety and security of the lives and properties of the local population and to swiftly deal with any eventuality to this direction.

Earlier, IGP addressed the darbar of the cops at local police lines and advised them to remain alert and vigilant round the close for performing their duties with the machinery zeal for the safety and security of the lives and properties of the masses through discoursing crimes and to maintain the rule of law through the best of their professional skills and abilities.

The DIG Mirpur range Rashed Naeem and SSP Mirpur Riaz Hussain Bukhari earlier, apprised the AJK police chief of the performance of the police force in Mirpur division and the district in line with the required needs.(@FahadShabbir)

Despite the debate over the years and indecisive action against lethal recreational activity of kite flying, the authorities concerned are at their wits end and seemed to have accepted it as a necessary evil

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Despite the debate over the years and indecisive action against lethal recreational activity of kite flying, the authorities concerned are at their wits end and seemed to have accepted it as a necessary evil.

Senator Taj Haider of Pakistan People's Party, while talking to APP stressed on legislators, educationists and rational segment of civil society to launch a comprehensive campaign against kite flying, terming it "the only way forward to deal with the problem." He however said it was responsibility of state to protect public lives by completely banning such a death-dealing activity."Only legislation may not help unless people are sensitized about their obligation on the issue," he suggested.

A Supreme Court Lawyer and member of Pakistan Bar Council, Maqsood Buttar, said that Homicide chapter of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) must be used against manufacturers of kite and fatal string. "There was no alternative for a human life and anti-kite flying laws should be implemented in letter and spirit".

"Had there been a forceful ban and implementation years back after strict legislation, the activity may have vanished up till now," he noted.

Mian Muhammad Tariq Mehmood MNA, however had his own view regarding "BASANT", he said banning a recreational activity is not a solution to the issue.

"The incidents of deaths and injuries can be curtailed by taking certain pre-emptive measures. "Some spots must be designated far away from the populous areas but this festivity must be allowed as it is a source of enjoyment for people", he added.

"The "BASANT" , a controversial kite-flying festival has been celebrated over the years across the country. The majority of the enthusiasts of this festivity belong to the Punjab province. The deadly chemical-coated string, aerial firing and accidents of youngsters chasing the kites on roads, has made it a somewhat murderous and controversial activity", he deplored.

Kite-flying goes on everywhere but neither it is completely banned nor fully authorised due to a mixed public reaction about the activity. However, it was imperative to form a result-oriented strategy by the authorities concerned to get an out of the box solution to the issue.ISLAMABAD, Mar 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Despite the debate over the years and indecisive action against lethal recreational activity of kite flying, the authorities concerned are at their wits end and seemed to have accepted it as a necessary evil.

Senator Taj Haider of Pakistan People's Party, while talking to APP stressed on legislators, educationists and rational segment of civil society to launch a comprehensive campaign against kite flying, terming it "the only way forward to deal with the problem." He however said it was responsibility of state to protect public lives by completely banning such a death-dealing activity."Only legislation may not help unless people are sensitized about their obligation on the issue," he suggested.

A Supreme Court Lawyer and member of Pakistan Bar Council, Maqsood Buttar, said that Homicide chapter of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) must be used against manufacturers of kite and fatal string. "There was no alternative for a human life and anti-kite flying laws should be implemented in letter and spirit".

"Had there been a forceful ban and implementation years back after strict legislation, the activity may have vanished up till now," he noted.

Mian Muhammad Tariq Mehmood MNA, however had his own view regarding "BASANT", he said banning a recreational activity is not a solution to the issue.

"The incidents of deaths and injuries can be curtailed by taking certain pre-emptive measures. "Some spots must be designated far away from the populous areas but this festivity must be allowed as it is a source of enjoyment for people", he added.

"The "BASANT" , a controversial kite-flying festival has been celebrated over the years across the country. The majority of the enthusiasts of this festivity belong to the Punjab province. The deadly chemical-coated string, aerial firing and accidents of youngsters chasing the kites on roads, has made it a somewhat murderous and controversial activity", he deplored.

Kite-flying goes on everywhere but neither it is completely banned nor fully authorised due to a mixed public reaction about the activity. However, it was imperative to form a result-oriented strategy by the authorities concerned to get an out of the box solution to the issue.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Saturday that democracy had won as senate election had been completed as per schedule.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Saturday that democracy had won as senate election had been completed as per schedule.

Talking to the media here, he said the successful holding of the elections helped strengthen democracy.

Sanaullah said PML-N backed candidates won 11 out of 12 senate seats from Punjab, adding that the PML-N's victory was actually the triumph of Nawaz Sharif.

The minister said that it was clear message that the country's future was linked with democracy and supremacy of the Constitution. He said the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif's role for strengthening democracy could not be igonred. The minister added results of senate polls had proved the popularity of the PML-N and Nawaz Sharif.Paris, TX (75460)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low around 70F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low around 70F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.:A total of four candidates of FATA have won their coveted berths in Senate by securing seven votes each here on Saturday in Senate elections.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :A total of four candidates of FATA have won their coveted berths in Senate by securing seven votes each here on Saturday in Senate elections.

According to unofficial results, Senator designate Hidayatullah, Hilal-ur-Rehman, Shamim Muhammad Afridi and Mirza Muhammad Afridi would represent FATA in Senate for next six years term.

Seven members of National Assembly from Federally Administered Tribal Areas cast their votes on Saturday while rest abstained from voting. As many as 24 candidates were vying for four seats.NAB Rawalpindi has arrest0ed Yasir Aziz accused of billions of rupees in Modarba case on the charges of corruption, corrupt practices and cheating public at large in the ploy of Islamic mode of investment.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :NAB Rawalpindi has arrested Yasir Aziz accused of billions of rupees in Modarba case on the charges of corruption, corrupt practices and cheating public at large in the ploy of Islamic mode of investment.

As per details, the accused is actively involved in cheating the public at large in the poly crime of taking money from people for investment, a statement issued here on Saturday said. The accused acted as finance secretary of M/s Elixir Group and signed the modarbat namas issued by the director Shahid Aziz (real brother of accused Yasir Aziz).

The members of public at large alleged in their claims that the accused yasir aziz took the investment and aided his real brother to misappropriate the money. The accused Yasir Aziz also tried to sell the properties owned by the accused Shahid Aziz.

Director General NAB Rawalpindi Irfan Naeem Mangi has said that the NAB is committed to eradicate corruption from the country under the dynamic leadership of Chairman NAB Justice Javed Iqbal so that the motherland could achieve the dream of Corruption free Pakistan as NAB strongly believes Accountability for All" Policy against Corruption.Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan Saturday expressed with confidence that PML-N would win all the 12 Senate seats from Punjab.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan Saturday expressed with confidence that PML-N would win all the 12 Senate seats from Punjab. Briefly talking to media outside Punjab Assembly here,he said that all the nominated candidates of PML-N would be victorious.

Law minister said that Opposition in PA could bag a seat if they would unitedly support and vote for a candidate,adding,"We are hopeful that we will win all the general seats as well". The minister said that there was a strong affiliation between Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the people, adding that this mutual bond and affection could not be damaged at any cost.Police have arrested a key suspect in the murder case of a government primary school headmaster in Kohat on Saturday.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Police have arrested a key suspect in the murder case of a government primary school headmaster in Kohat on Saturday. According to local police, the suspect was taken into custody from Mian Khel Bazaar of Kohat.

Murder weapon was also recovered from the suspect, the police added. The suspect has confessed to his crime during the course of interrogation, said the police and added that both the parties had some differences over matrimonial issue. On Friday, headmaster of a Government Primary School Qabil Hussain was shot dead when he was leaving for home at departure time.Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi performed the ground-breaking of the Rs12.5 billion four - lane Rawalpindi-Kahuta project Saturday, providing a fast link between the Federal Capital and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

KAhUTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi performed the ground-breaking of the Rs12.5 billion four - lane Rawalpindi-Kahuta project Saturday, providing a fast link between the Federal Capital and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

The Prime Minister was briefed by the DG National Highway Authority about the scope of the 28 km road and informed that construction on the strategically important link would begin soon and complete by May 2019.

The project would benefit a population of over two million and cater to a traffic of 14,000 vehicles per day. The average cost benefit of the road has been estimated to be Rs 4.6 billion a year over the next 25 years.

The road expansion starting from Kaak pul on the Islamabad Expressway would include a 6 km long Bypass at Sihala and a 9 km Bypass at Kahuta, before linking with Azad Pattan road in Azad Jammu Kashmir.

The project would provide shortest route for traffic between Rawalakot, Kotli and twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, would cut down on transportation costs, reduce travel time, particularly for agricultural products and other perishable items.

The project for dualization, rehabilitation and improvement of the 28.4 kilometre-long section has been divided in two packages. In the first package, a 16.5km section will be built from the Kaak pul Interchange to Trikiyan.

In the second package, a 11.9 km stretch from Trikiyan to Kahuta will be built. The project includes a four-lane fly-over at the Sihala railway crossing, Sihala and Kahuta bypass besides three bridges, one underpass and 50 box culverts.

The Prime Minister was informed that each 3.65 metres wide lane would have an inner shoulder of 0.6 metres and an outer shoulder of 2.5m. The road has been designed for a maximum speed in plain areas of 100kms per hour while in hilly areas it would be 80km/hr.

The commuters have been demanding up gradation of the existing two lane wide road, without any shoulder and was insufficient to accommodate the increasing traffic volume, leading to congestion and accidents. The Prime Minister was accompanied with Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarrar , Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for CADD Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana on Saturday congratulated newly elected senators of Pakistan Muslim League-N.

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Punjab Governor Malik Rafique Rajwana on Saturday congratulated newly elected senators of Pakistan Muslim League-N. In a press statement, he said that the senators would play their an important role for the supermacy of constitution and law.

Similarly, their role would also be very important for the progress and prosperity of the country and making lagislation. Earlier, he also met youngsters of Pakistan Muslim League-N at local circuit house.

Rafique Rajwana said that youth was an asset of Pakistan Muslim League-N, urging them to work hard for the party and convey message of the party leadership to the masses. They should not believe in grouping and strictly adhere to party's discipline, he added.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

WWF-Pakistan marked World Wildlife Day today by announcing the commencement of two new wildlife conservation initiatives that focus on addressing wildlife poaching as well as illegal wildlife trade in the country.

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :WWF-Pakistan marked World Wildlife Day today by announcing the commencement of two new wildlife conservation initiatives that focus on addressing wildlife poaching as well as illegal wildlife trade in the country.

This year's theme Big cats: predators under threat is relevant to Pakistan as the country is home to two critically endangered big cats, namely the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and common leopard (Panthera pardus).

WWF-Pakistan has been working on the conservation of these elusive big cats for over three decades by addressing key challenges to their survival particularly human-leopard conflict and habitat degradation.

Both species are threatened by habitat degradation, poaching, and conflict with communities. An awareness walk was also organized in collaboration with the Gilgit-Baltistan Forest, Wildlife and Environment Department to highlight the importance of predators in ecosystems.

Under the first initiative, WWF-Pakistan with support of WWF International and in collaboration with the Gilgit-Baltistan Wildlife and Forest Department by piloting Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART), a technology based frame-work to control wildlife poaching and illegal trade of snow leopard in Misgar Valley of Hunza district, Gilgit-Baltistan.

The project will focus on initiating a zero-poaching framework approach including SMART based patrolling and monitoring programmes in the valley. It will also build capacity of relevant stakeholders and engage local communities to control poaching and trafficking of wildlife.

With the introduction of this initiative, Pakistan becomes the first country to pilot the technology based zero-poaching framework. The second initiative focuses on assessment of existing field challenges and the availability of sufficient resources to officials of wildlife departments who work tirelessly to protect endangered and iconic wildlife species and their habitats.

The assessment will be conducted in selected protected areas of Pakistan including those falling within the snow leopard landscapes.

Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan said that the organization is taking concerted efforts for conservation of snow leopards, common leopards, Indus river dolphins and other endangered terrestrial and marine species in the country.

He also shared that human activities and the accompanying use of non-renewable natural resources have grown so dramatically that since the mid-20th century, environmental conditions that fostered development and growth are beginning to deteriorate.

He also mentioned the successful breeding of critically endangered Oriental white-backed vultures in captivity at the Changa Manga Vulture Conservation Centre, Lahore. He shared that this is the third year of successful breeding of the species in a row in Pakistan where two healthy white-backed vulture chicks hatched in January.

He emphasized the need to understand the scale of human impact on the vanishing population of wild species and develop a robust mechanism to address this issue. According to WWF's Living Planet Report, since 1970 to 2012 nearly 58 per cent of all vertebrates including fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals have been wiped out directly as a result of human appetite and activities.

If the prevailing trend continues by 2020, the planet will have lost two-thirds of its wildlife species. This can only be reversed if actions and investments which support wildlife conservation in the long run are accelerated and intensified.

The current theme of World Wildlife Day 2018 encourages youth around the world to rally together to address the major threats to wildlife including habitat degradation, pollution, over-exploitation, illicit trafficking and climate change.

WWF-Pakistan believes that the youth, future custodians of the environment and wildlife, can play a significant role in conservation and protection of wild species.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :War crimes are being committed in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Syria's capital Damascus, and the United Nations is compiling dossiers to prosecute war criminals for these heinous acts, a top U.N.

official has warned. "Civilians are being pounded into submission or death," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council during an urgent meeting Friday on situation in east Ghouta, where some 400,000 civilians are trapped amid daily airstrikes, shelling and the reported release of toxic agents, which have killed and injured hundreds of people in the past two weeks alone.

The UN human rights chief said: "The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done." He said that over the past four months, some high-profile perpetrators were brought to justice: Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic was convicted of genocide; Salvadoran Colonel Inocente Orlando Montano has been extradited to Spain to face charges related to killings in San Salvador in 1989; and two Argentinian former Navy Captains, Alfredo Astiz and Jorge Eduardo Acosta, were convicted for crimes against humanity committed between 1976 and 1983.

"The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind," Zeid said, noting that the Human Rights Council could have a real impact in ensuring that there would be justice " determined, inescapable and effective" for the suffering that has been inflicted on the Syrian people.

He also said that Syria must be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging all States to greatly increase their support for the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) set up last year with its mandate focused on ensuring that information about serious crimes is collected, analyzed and preserved, with a view to furnishing dossiers for future prosecutions.

He also strongly encouraged the Council to renew the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Friday called once again on those fighting on the ground inside Syria and all those who have influence over them to put their arms down and stop the war on children.

"Is our call falling once again on deaf ears? The children of Syria have been waiting for way too long. The world has failed the children of Syria so many times," Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the middle East and North Africa, told reporters at a regular briefing in Geneva.

Nearly a week ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that would have created an opportunity for hundreds of thousands of children to finally get respite from the brutal and unabated violence they have been living through.

"We all thought this was an excellent window for UNICEF and other partners to deliver urgent and lifesaving assistance to children in need wherever they are inside the country," he said. "But as the days went by, these hopes turned into illusions, the windows shut abruptly in our faces," he added, noting that violence continued in several places across the country, escalating in some and flaring up in others, despite the resolution's call for a 30-day ceasefire.The airport in Gibraltar closed Saturday after heavy winds damaged equipment, the British overseas territory's government announced, as strong gusts and downpours hit southern Spain.

Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :The airport in Gibraltar closed Saturday after heavy winds damaged equipment, the British overseas territory's government announced, as strong gusts and downpours hit southern Spain.

Gibraltar's government said flights to the Rock had been diverted to Malaga and passengers would then be taken by bus to the territory.

The government statement did not specify what equipment had been damaged in the airport.

The news comes with a mass of warm air from the Atlantic clashing this week in Spain with the so-called "Beast from the East," a cold weather front that blew in from Siberia, causing heavy snowfall in the north.

In the south, while the rain was welcome in a drought-prone area, the heavy wind caused damage and even one death. In the town of Hinojos, a 55-year-old municipal worker died this week, hit by a falling tree as violent winds swept the town.A lawmaker proposed allowing couples in China to have a third child at this year's political meetings known as the "Two Sessions," following a declining number of births in China last year.

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :A lawmaker proposed allowing couples in China to have a third child at this year's political meetings known as the "Two Sessions," following a declining number of births in China last year.

Zhu Lieyu, a National People's Congress (NPC) deputy and lawyer from the Guoding Law Firm in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, proposed that China should allow all couples to have a third child, warning that China will become a country with low fertility if the country fails to adjust its population policy, online media platform jiemian.com reported.

"There is a big gap between the effect and expectation of the second-child policy, as it did not result in a population blowout, but a decline in China's birth rate," Zhu added. Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics shows there were 17.23 million births in 201, the second year after China allowed all couples to have a second child, a drop of 630,000 compared to the previous year.

The birth rate in 2017 was lower by 0.52 percent compared with 2016. Although China had 17.86 million newborns in 2016, the highest level since 2000, Zhu said the population increase in 2016 was also due to couples avoiding having a child in 2015, the Year of the Sheep, as they believe it was an unlucky year for childbirth.

Huang Wenzheng, a demographics expert, said that he supports Zhu's proposal, but allowing a third child is far from enough in reversing the declining fertility rate. "What China really needs is to abandon its family planning policy to encourage more childbirths," Huang said.

He said that China's newborn population would continue to decline by the hundreds of thousands in the next 10 years, and the declining population would threaten China's economic development 20 years later if China continues its current second-child policy. Zhu said that a moderate population increase would help China solve the aging problem and help upgrade its economy.By AM Saturday, March 3, 2018 Share Tweet Share Share Email

The poet Pablo Neruda in 1952: He persuaded Chiles president to offer asylum to some of the mistreated Spanish patriots rotting in French internment camps. Credit Gamma-Keystone, via Getty Images





Women and children aboard the Winnipeg, bound for the Chilean port of Valparaiso

Homeland Security Ate My Speech

Darwins Ghosts.

Chile, like numerous other countries, has been debating whether to welcome migrants  mostly from Haiti, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela  or to keep them out. Although only half a million immigrants live in this nation of 17.7 million, right-wing politicians have stoked anti-immigrant sentiment, opposed the increased rates of immigration in the past decade and directed bile especially against Haitian immigrants.Immigration was a major issue in elections here in November and December. The winner was Sebastian Pinera, a 68-year-old center-right billionaire who was president from 2010 to 2014 and will take over in March. Mr. Pinera blamed immigrants for delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime. He benefited from the support of Jose Antonio Kast, a far-right politician who has been campaigning to build physical barriers along the borders with Peru and Bolivia to stop immigrants.Chileans arent alone in witnessing growing xenophobia and nativism, but we would do well to remember our own history, which offers a model for how to act when we are confronted with strangers seeking sanctuary.On Aug. 4, 1939, the Winnipeg set sail for Chile from the French port of Pauillac with more than 2,000 refugees who had fled their Spanish homeland.A few months earlier, Gen. Francisco Franco  aided by Mussolini and Hitler  had defeated the forces of the democratically elected government of Spain. The fascists unleashed a wave of violence and murder.Among the hundreds of thousands of desperate supporters of the Spanish Republic who had crossed the Pyrenees to escape that onslaught were the men, women and children who would board the Winnipeg and arrive a month later at the Chilean port of Valparaiso.The person responsible for their miraculous escape was Pablo Neruda, who, at the age of 34, was already considered Chiles greatest poet. His prestige in 1939 was indeed significant enough for him to be able to persuade Chiles president, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, that it was imperative for their small country to offer asylum to some of the mistreated Spanish patriots rotting in French internment camps.Not only would this set a humanitarian example, Neruda said, but it would also provide Chile with much needed foreign expertise and talent for its own development. The president agreed to authorize some visas, but the poet himself would have to find the funds for the costly fares of those emigres as well as for food and lodging during their first six months in the country. And Neruda, once he was in France coordinating the operation, needed to vet the emigres to ensure they possessed the best technical skills and unimpeachable moral character.It took considerable courage for President Aguirre Cerda to welcome the Spanish refugees to Chile. The country was poor, still reeling from the long-term effects of the Depression, with a high rate of unemployment  and had just suffered a devastating earthquake in Chillan that had killed 28,000 people and left many more injured and homeless.An unrelenting nativist campaign by right-wing parties and their media, sensing a chance to attack the presidents Popular Front government, painted the prospective asylum seekers as undesirables: rapists, criminals, anti-Christian agitators whose presence, according to one chauvinistic editorial in Chiles leading conservative paper, would be incompatible with social tranquility and the best manners.Neruda realized that it would be cheaper to charter a ship and fill it up with the refugees than to send them, one family at a time, to Chile. The Winnipeg was available but since it was a cargo boat it had to be refurbished to accommodate some 2,000 passengers with berths, canteens for meals, an infirmary, a nursery for the very young and, of course, latrines.While volunteers from the French Communist Party worked around the clock to ready the vessel, Neruda was gathering donations from all over Latin America  and from friends like Pablo Picasso  to finance the increasingly exorbitant enterprise. Time was short: Europe was bracing for war, and bureaucrats in Santiago and Paris were sabotaging the effort. With only half the cash in hand one month before the ship was set to sail, a group of American Quakers unexpectedly offered to supply the rest of the required funds.Through it all, Neruda was fueled by his love for Spain and his compassion for the victims of fascism, including one of his best friends, the poet Federico Garcia Lorca, who had been murdered by a fascist death squad in 1936.As Chiles consul during the early years of the Spanish Republic, Neruda had witnessed the bombardment of Madrid. The destruction of that city he loved and the assault upon culture and freedom were to mark him for the rest of his life and drastically change his literary priorities.After the fall of the Republic, he declared, I swear to defend until my death what has been murdered in Spain: the right to happiness. No wonder he proclaimed the Winnipeg to have been his most beautiful poem as it steamed away  without him or his wife, as they did not want to occupy space that was better occupied by those whose lives were in danger.And when that magnificent, gigantic, floating poem of his, after a hazardous voyage, finally reached Valparaiso, its passengers  despite the protests of right-wing nationalists and Nazi sympathizers  were given a welcome befitting heroes.Awaiting the penniless survivors of Francos legions was President Aguirre Cerdas personal representative  his health minister, a young doctor named Salvador Allende. Cheering crowds amassed on the dock, singing Spanish songs of resistance, gathered to greet the refugees, some of whom already had jobs lined up. And at each train station on the way to Santiago, they were met by multitudes offering them flowers and food, shouting that Spain was in their hearts.The refugees who came ashore on the Winnipeg would go on to help fashion a more prosperous, open and inventive Chile. They included the historian Leopoldo Castedo, the book designer Mauricio Amster, the playwright and essayist Jose Ricardo Morales and the painters Roser Bru and Jose Balmes, whose benevolent influence  and often friendship  would touch me and my wife personally in the decades to come.Almost 80 years later, those undesirables pose disturbing questions for us, both in Chile and elsewhere. Where are the presidents who welcome destitute refugees with open arms despite the most virulent slander against them? Where are the Nerudas of yesteryear, ready to launch ships like poems to defend the right to happiness, to food and flowers?It comes down to one desolate question that the men and women who were greeted like brothers and sisters by the inhabitants of a land they had never seen before, ask us today: Where on earth and on our many seas are the Winnipegs of the twenty-first century?is the author of the book of essaysand the novelHis articlewill appear in the Summer, 2018 issue ofmagazine.A version of this op-ed appears in print on February 22, 2018, on Page A10 of the National edition with the headline: A harsher turn on immigration in Chile.(@FahadShabbir)

Police used tear gas during clashes with anti-nuclear protesters at a waste site in northeastern France on Saturday.

MandresenBarrois, France, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :Police used tear gas during clashes with anti-nuclear protesters at a waste site in northeastern France on Saturday.

Demonstrators threw missiles at officers who have been blocking access to woodland at the Bure plant, halfway between Paris and Strasbourg, since a protest camp was dismantled 10 days ago. Lejuc wood was selected by France's radioactive waste agency (ANDRA) for exploratory drilling ahead of an application to create a nuclear waste storage site.

Police evacuated the forest of about 15 protesters during a major operation on February 22 during.

Saturday's rally began calmly with a march of about 300 people, according to police, as demonstrators held meetings and debates.

But during the afternoon a group of protesters, many wearing masks, headed for Lejuc wood, where scuffles broke out with police. Bure was chosen in 1998 to house a laboratory, 500 meters underground, in preparation for the burial of the most radioactive or long-lasting nuclear waste in France. As yet, no radioactive waste is on the site.(@ChaudhryMAli88)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for global action to ensure the survival of big cats that are increasingly in danger of extinction.

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Mar, 2018 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for global action to ensure the survival of big cats that are increasingly in danger of extinction.

"This year" United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said in his message marking World Wildlife Day, he spotlight falls on the worlds big cats," which include species such as cheetahs, pumas and snow leopards, found from Africa to Asia and the Americas.

"These charismatic creatures are universally revered for their grace and power, yet they are increasingly in danger of extinction," he continued, noting the massive decline in their numbers. Just over a century ago, some 100,000 wild tigers roamed Asia, while fewer than 4,000 remain today.

All the big cats are collectively under threat from habitat loss, climate change, poaching, illicit trafficking, and human-wildlife conflict. "We are the cause of their decline, so we can also be their salvation," Guterres asserted.

"The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include specific targets to end the poaching and illegal trafficking of protected species of wild fauna and flora." Last year, UN Member States adopted the third in a series of resolutions tackling wildlife decline.

"Ultimately, the solution to saving big cats and other threatened and endangered species is conservation policy based on sound science and the rule of law," noted the UN chief, adding the need that local people be given full consideration.

"When local communities and economies benefit from wildlife conservation, strategies are much more likely to succeed," he elaborated. "By protecting big cats, we also protect the landscapes they inhabit and the life they harbour, is a gateway to protecting entire ecosystems that are crucial to our planet's health," Mr.

Guterres pointed out. "Wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility," he concluded, calling on people around the world to "help raise awareness and to take personal action to help ensure the survival of the world's big cats and all its precious and fragile biological diversity." In his message, Yury Fedotov, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said that while "the cheetah is the world's fastest land animal - like other big cat species, it cannot outrun the threat of extinction." Fedotov maintained that this year's theme: "Big cats: predators under threat," is bringing much-needed attention to the urgent challenges faced by these majestic animals.

"Across the world, lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars, as well as many other big cat species, are under pressure due to poaching, lost habitats and disappearing prey," he detailed. UNODC is working to help countries criminalize wildlife poaching and trafficking as a means of protecting animals, including big cat species, and halting their tragic disappearance into history.

"Our collective roar of defiance must be aimed at the poachers, traffickers and all those who would destroy our natural heritage. We must not let them succeed," he exhorted. Fedotov wrapped up his message calling on everyone to "work with the international community to stop wildlife crime and prevent the world's big cat species from sliding into extinction." At an event at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Gabon, Germany, Kyrgyzstan and Thailand, and UNDP, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) UNODC, African Parks, Panthera, WCS and WWF, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed explained that SDG 15 highlights actions to reverse the loss of biodiversity across all regions.

"Biodiversity is disappearing at a thousand times the natural rate," lamented Ms. Amina, saying that the varied causes are all linked to the 17 SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. She observed that in many cases poverty, hunger and biodiversity loss are intrinsically connected.

"Protecting ecosystems and ensuring access to ecosystem services by poor and vulnerable groups are therefore essential to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger," he underscored. Calling conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biological diversity -an effective anti-poverty strategy, Ms.

Amina emphasized the need to better maintain the natural resources on which billions of people depend - especially the world's rural poor. "We must work resolutely to improve biodiversity conservation and to eliminate the associated mismanagement, illicit trade, corruption and trafficking," she said.

They say cats have nine lives. Our big cats are on at least number eight, she held sway, highlighting the need for a new paradigm to conserve and sustainably manage their habitats, one that acknowledges that economic growth is not in direct conflict with conservation. We need people-centred and planet-sensitive economic growth strategies that support environmental protection and wildlife conservation, she affirmed.

Indicating that wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility in which consumers, communities, policy-makers and businesses all have a role to play, she urged people all around the world to help raise awareness.

Let us act together to help ensure the survival of the worlds big cats and all of our planets precious and fragile biological diversity, Ms. Mohammed concluded.Welcome to the 33rd Annual EAU Congress in Copenhagen!From 16 to 20 March 2018, Copenhagen will host the 33rd Annual EAU Congress, the second annual EAU event to be held in this city since 1984. Remarkable growth has marked the Annual EAU Congress with more than 14,000 professional visitors and participants and an in-depth scientific programme. From live surgeries, state-of-the-art lectures, debates, hands-on training, symposiums, educational courses to abstract and video sessions, among other activities, the newest updates and leading opinions are presented and examined by 1,400 expert speakers and lecturers.

As part of the ongoing $620 million property-wide renovation, Palms Casino Resort will soon unveil Send NOODLES an Asian-inspired concept set to open March 8, 2018. The restaurant will join the latest culinary additions Lucky Penny Cafe and A.Y.C.E. Buffet on the casino floor and will showcase an authentic and imaginative Asian fusion menu, in an intimate, art-infused environment.

The name Send NOODLES, a play on the colloquialism send it or just saying yes to something, will also reflect the service in the restaurant in which dishes will be sent out in the order they are ready. Just send it! The restaurant features a robust menu with influences from Mandarin, Cantonese, Szechuan, Japanese, Korean and Thai cuisines as well as creative takes on American and Italian classics using Asian ingredients. Led by Executive Chef Francis Mo, the restaurant will serve vibrant dishes in a lively setting. Chef Mo has traveled the world and proudly brings to task over 40 years of experience in the culinary industry. From China to Japan, Spain to Germany, Mo found his way to the states in 1988 and 17 years later arrived in Las Vegas. He has worked across various high-profile kitchens in the city including Tao, Rice & Co, Andreas and Yellowtail.

Some of Chef Mos standout menu items include:

Crispy Chicken Bao with cucumber, daikon, gochujang, jalapeno and cilantro.

with cucumber, daikon, gochujang, jalapeno and cilantro. Tempura Green Beans with spicy aioli, unagi sauce, togarashi and toasted almonds.

with spicy aioli, unagi sauce, togarashi and toasted almonds. Udon Carbonara a clever take on the classic Italian dish served with udon noodles, peas, cha shu pork, parmesan, and furikake.

a clever take on the classic Italian dish served with udon noodles, peas, cha shu pork, parmesan, and furikake. Ramen Mac-N-Cheese ramen noodles, melted cheddar, smoked gouda, cream cheese and spicy rice cracker.

ramen noodles, melted cheddar, smoked gouda, cream cheese and spicy rice cracker. Dan Dan Mein with ground pork, tofu, cucumber, shiitake mushroom and peanuts.

with ground pork, tofu, cucumber, shiitake mushroom and peanuts. Chinese BBQ Noodle Soup with Cantonese thin noodle, choy sum, scallions  choice of BBQ pork, spare ribs or roasted duck.

with Cantonese thin noodle, choy sum, scallions  choice of BBQ pork, spare ribs or roasted duck. Bang Bang Broccoli with crispy, buttermilk-fried broccoli, TRUFF aioli, panko and scallions.

with crispy, buttermilk-fried broccoli, TRUFF aioli, panko and scallions. Nutella Honey Toast with vanilla and chocolate ice cream, honey, toast, Nutella sauce, and strawberries.

Complementing the allure of its cuisine, guests are immediately drawn into the space by two immersive art murals painted by famed Tawainese-American artist James Jean. The murals titled Alimental Thread were created by using acrylic paint and acrylic gouache (an opaque acrylic matte finish paint) and took the artist over 60 hours to complete. James Jean is an award-winning illustrator and painter; he is known as the cover artist for various books published by DC Comics, as well as for his work for films such as The Shape of Water and other brands including Prada, ESPN and Atlantic Records.Yim Tith, who was charged with crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the mass killings in 1970, may be released as lawyers argue over whether he falls under the courts jurisdiction.



Tith, who was acting chief of the Khmer Rouges Northwest Zone, was charged in 2008. Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge commander, has sought to have the court dissolved and urged the tribunal not to prosecute more perpetrators.



Differences between the Cambodian judges, who argue that Tith was not one of those most responsible for the Khmer Rouge regimes crimes, and international judges who are pushing for his prosecution, have led to a legal stalemate.



Tith was charged for his alleged role in the mass killings of the Khmer Krom, murder, extermination, enslavement, forced deportation, imprisonment, torture, persecution, forced marriage, and other inhumane acts.



The Cambodian judges can significantly slow the process as they hold majorities at each level of the court.



Observers said they do not believe that cases 003 and 004 will go to trial due to the strong opposition from Hun Sen.



Peter Maguire, author of Facing Death in Cambodia, said it was likely that Hun Sen would not allow the Tith case to proceed.



Moreover, irrespective of their malevolent acts, neither man qualifies as a senior leader, he said.



Once again, the UN is trying to expand their mandate to exceed the scope of the original agreement on the Khmer Rouge tribunal. ECCC officials continue to act as if these proceedings are little more than the application of laws to facts and that politics plays no role.



At this point, after more than a decade of humiliations at the hands of Hun Sen, UN leaders and the new heralds of the human rights industry would be wise to heed the words of American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.



Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American human rights activist and lawyer who lost both parents to the Khmer Rouge, said such a decision would be a disappointment.



And now we are concerned that the Khmer Rouge tribunal will not investigate Ta Tith. This is again a slap in the face of the Khmer Rouges victims, but we are no longer surprised the Khmer Rouge tribunal and by its shameful acts and its inability to deliver justice to the victims, she said.



Neth Pheaktra, a court spokesman, said the court was apolitical and that judges would make judgments based on the evidence at hand.



Tiths defense team will now have three months to respond in a final submission before the judges decide whether to move for an indictment.



The closing order would be an order to finally evaluate if the suspect who was asked to be investigated is under the tribunals jurisdiction.



Long Panhavuth of the Cambodia Justice Initiative, said the recent proceedings of the court had not removed uncertainty for the victims.



This development does not win the trust of the victims, public and donors, he said.Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has labeled the US ambassador to his country a liar, alleging some of the aid dollars Washington announced had been punitively withdrawn earlier this week were actually cut years ago.



The White House announced it would cut some $8.3 million in aid to Cambodia this week in response to a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the country that has seen the only viable opposition party dissolved and its leader jailed ahead of elections in July.



US Ambassador William Heidt wrote to Cambodias tax Chief Kong Vibol on March 1 to explain to him how the cuts would impact his department.



As a result, the United States government has suspended capacity building support to the GDT and its officials. Vibol wrote back the next day accusing Heidt of engaging in politics and claiming US assistance to his General Department of Taxation (GDT) had already ceased in 2016.



In a speech on Saturday Hun Sen seized on this point, invoking US President Donald Trumps tactic of dismissing criticism as fake news as he declared before there was only a lying press, but now there is a liar ambassador.



But I want to ask you his Excellency, [and] answer clearly, why aid ended in 2016 [to the tax department] and you just declared to suspend it in 2018? The meaning of this is a lie - like wind-and-smoke words. But the wind is truly political, he said.



The premier concluded Heidt was politicking on behalf of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which was the countrys only viable opposition before it was dissolved in November based on unsubstantiated allegations it was conspiring with the US to topple his regime.



What is the real intention on this issue? I dont understand. Perhaps it is difficult to answer. Do you have intention to damage Cambodias reputation? Hun Sen asked.



In a convoluted monologue Hun Sen seemed to suggest Heidt and the White House did not see eye-to-eye, claiming Trump was getting tired of lies despite the fact that the announced withdrawal of aid to the GDT came from the presidents office.

The White House said in that statement on Tuesday that it was ending several programs benefiting local governments, the GDT and the Cambodian military - entities that had all been linked to Cambodias recent anti-democratic crackdown.



English language newspaper The Cambodia Daily was forced to close after 24 years of operation in September following a GDT order to pay back taxes of $6.3 million - a sum the outlet said was concocted in order to shut them down.

Days later Radio Free Asias Phnom Penh news bureau also shut down due to similar pressure over their taxes and alleged government threats.



US embassy spokesman Arend Zwartjes told VOA on Wednesday that cuts had been specifically in response to these actions, however the embassy has not yet responded to inquiries regarding Hun Sens latest remarks as of press time.



Noting that the US had invested well over $1 billion to Cambodias development, the White House statement pledged to continue projects in other areas such as health, agriculture, mine clearance and civil society promotion.President Donald Trump says new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum are coming 'next week.' China reacts angrily to a plan to increase U.S. business ties with Taiwan. We meet the co-founder of a magazine aimed at Asian-Americans. Protests over plans for a Chinese-built railroad bridge in Kenya. Have protests led to more diversity in the Oscars?Cameroonian authorities say they have dismantled a network of child traffickers responsible for dozens of abductions in the region over the past several months. The network is said to have extended into neighboring Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad.



The operation intensified after three young children were found dead in the back of a truck, prompting angry residents to torch a hotel owned by alleged traffickers.



Hundreds of people are still visiting the neighborhood where the inn was razed last Tuesday by an angry mob in Cameroon's southern town of Kiossi, on the border with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.



Thirty-nine-year-old Vanessa Nzali was among parents of missing children who arrived in Kiossi Friday. She says she had traveled some 280 kilometers from Cameroons capital Yaounde when she heard that unidentified children had been found there by Cameroonian police. She says she immediately decided to travel to Kiossi to see if her missing 11-year-old daughter was among the children.

Nzali says four months ago she returned home from work and was informed by her neighbors that her daughter went to fetch water from a well and four men forced her into their car and drove off. She says her neighbors also told her there was a baby crying in the car.



Quetong Handerson Kongeh, the most senior Cameroon government official in the Ntem Valley administrative unit that includes Kiossi, says the inn was razed after a vehicle belonging to its owner was found with the three dead children who, as determined later, were aged two, four and seven years old.



"At about 2 p.m., their parents started looking for them and could not find them. These children had been kidnapped by some suspects who took them into an inn deep down into the quarter in Kiossi. They administered some toxic products and these children went off [died]. They now put these children inside bags and tied them, and put all of them in the back booth of a vehicle."



Handerson Kongeh says 15 people suspected to be members of a network of child traffickers operating in Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea were arrested when investigations were opened.



In 2016, the Yaounde-based Interpol office for central African states reported that thousands of children, alongside men and women, were forcibly abducted in Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo to be used as combatants, cooks, guards, sex partners, servants, messengers, and spies.

Patricia Asta of the local non-governmental organization Childrens Rights says child kidnapping has increased in Central African states because many childless couples and mothers are ready to buy from the black market. She says some are forced to serve as commercial sex workers, while others are recruited or kidnapped and then transported to far away places where they are forced to work as pickpockets, beggars and drug transporters.



Asta says within the past several months at least 26 cases of abductions have been reported to her NGO, with parents saying their children either were tricked, forced or persuaded to leave. She says they also have had cases of children who were held for ransom.



She says her organization has decided to educate parents to be vigilant. It is also asking all victims to join the associationss lawyers in legal processes that will protect and free children from predators who are out to target mainly naive teenagers. She says it is her wish to see to it that all child traffickers are punished.



Cameroon, according to the 2012 trafficking in persons report by the U.S. State Department, also is a source, transit, and destination country for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.China delayed a U.S. request for a U.N. Security Council committee to blacklist 33 ships, 27 shipping companies and a Taiwan man for violating international sanctions on North Korea, diplomats said Friday.

The United States submitted the request a week ago, a move it said was "aimed at shutting down North Korea's illicit maritime smuggling activities to obtain oil and sell coal."

The request coincided with the United States' imposition of its largest package of unilateral sanctions against North Korea,intensifying pressure on Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and missile programs.

China did not give a reason for placing a hold on the U.S.request. A hold can be lifted and is often used when a Security Council member wants more information, but sometimes it can lead to a permanent blocking of a proposed blacklisting.

The Security Council North Korea sanctions committee works on the basis of unanimity.

If the U.S. request is agreed to, the 33 ships cited by the United States, 19 of which are North Korean vessels, would be subjected to a global port entry ban. Countries would also be required to deregister the 14 ships that are not North Korean.

The 27 proposed companies and the one individual would be subjected to an asset freeze.

The Security Council has unanimously boosted sanctions on North Korea since 2006 in a bid to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, banning exports including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and capping imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products.

In October, the United States proposed eight ships for U.N. designation for smuggling banned cargo from North Korea. The committee agreed to ban four ships from ports globally, while Washington postponed a bid to blacklist the remaining four.

In December. the United States proposed 10 ships for blacklisting. The committee agreed to designate four, while diplomats said China objected to listing the remaining six.Sworn in on Feb. 1 as President Donald Trump's ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback sees his job as taking the most important topic in the world and making it come to life.

Brownback has been on the job for just a month, but he is trying to make his mark by calling out violations of religious freedom when and where he sees them.

WATCH: VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren interviews former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback

Brownback spoke to VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren on Feb. 27 for the program "Plugged In With Greta Van Susteren."

Van Susteren: Ambassador, nice to see you, sir.

Brownback: Good to see you, Greta. Its been a long time.

Van Susteren: It has. Welcome back to Washington.

Brownback: Thank you, thank you. Im glad to be in this position. Im not sure Im glad to be back, because, I love The (Great) Plains. But, glad to be here.

Van Susteren: All right, so tell me, what is this job?

Brownback: Its about religious freedom and its a about taking what I think is the most important topic in the world and activating it and making it come to life for people. Too many people live in a repressive religious regime where they cant practice their faith the way they want to. We believe as Americans that this is a God-given right and youre entitled to it wherever you are in the world and were activating that.



Van Susteren: So what do you do? How do you go about doing that?

Brownback: You know, its, its, kind of, theres granular and theres global. Really. Granular, we just got a guy out of prison that was a Vietnamese pastor. Its global in that were pushing countries to open up their policies for religious freedom. And its kind of soup to nuts between that. But thats really what the office does on as daily basis, those two things.

Van Susteren: Every faith? I mean the 

Brownback: Every faith, or no faith at all. The American Humanist Association comes to the roundtables that I have. And theyre saying look, we want to be free to not believe anything. And youre going, you know, thats your God given right. Thats the way, in my estimation, that God created the world, youre to be free. Youre free to do with your own soul or nothing at all.

Van Susteren: How do you reconcile with certain situations, like, take a country like Saudi Arabia, which, you got to be, got to be a Muslim, and, what if we dont agree, the United States and we say you got to have the freedom to choose, it just shouldnt just be, you shouldnt have religion imposed upon you. What do we do?

Brownback: Well, we put them on a special watch list, or we put them on a country of a particular concern, we highlight what policies theyre doing that pull away from that, we push them as hard as we possibly can. Now, theres a natural pushback that takes place in the system because our embassy in Saudi Arabia and other places say Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. We got other equities that were interested in here. But we push that you should provide for religious freedom in your country and that applies to friend and foe alike.

Van Susteren: But in the meantime, we also need their help in the world and we help them in the world, so we have a real conflict with a country, just generically, with their repression of religion or their intolerance of it. How do you sort of reconcile that with trying to, like, get things done in terms of religious freedom, yet we dont want to step on toes because we need their help another way?

Brownback: Well, how do you do it with a friend? Your friends, you got friends and you say But you really, I dont like you doing this. But youre my friend. Well, you stay being their friend but you really focus him and say Look, this is not right and here is why its not right and I think you always - People and countries act in their own self-interest. So I think you have to go to the country and say This is in your best interest to be religiously free. And we now have the studies that this will reduce terrorism in your nation if you allow religious freedom. It a common sense discussion as well. If I tell you I am not going to let you practice your faith. Im not going to let you do it. I want to force you  What will you do? For a lot of people who are religiously motivated, theyre going to fight you. And theyre going to find some way to fight you; where as if I invite you into the society and say bring your ideas to the public square theyre going to participate in the process. And so I think we take those sorts of ideas to people and countries like Saudi Arabia and say this is for your good to do this.

Van Susteren: Is there going to, is there going to I know youre new to the job, is there some sort of anticipated pushback, for instance, when were trying to tell another country that, you know, freedom of religion is very important. That its a basic human right. Is there some sort of pushback where they say, well, what about your country? Youve got this, whats been characterized as a Muslim travel ban. I mean, are you, do you expect to get pushback that we need to practice more of what we preach so to speak?

Brownback: Absolutely. I mean, thats the natural debate that takes place every day. And say, OK, bring your ideas to me, lets look at it, and heres why we did this. Now tell me, why you dont let people practice your/their faith, or why do you have them in jail, or why do you kill them, if they have an anti-conversion law. Is that right, and give me your rationale for doing that.

Van Susteren: Is there, hows the US doing? I mean, obviously, we dont put people to death for their religion, but there is some mocking of religion. Weve had the situation where recently the Vice President was mocked by a television show for his religion. Weve got, I think, that the, I dont think that the Mormon Church is pleased with The Book of Mormon, which mocks their religion. What about, what about here in the United States, how are we doing?

Brownback: And thats something this office doesnt deal with, intentionally. I helped write the bill, the law that created this office. And what we tried to do is get something that could have bipartisan support so that promotion in general for religious freedom internationally is something that both parties could agree with.

Van Susteren: So it doesnt, so your influence is not going to be in this, in the United States.

Brownback: Its not domestic. This office is intentionally, by law, not focused on domestic religious freedom issues, even though you could raise a hundred of them, and in my prior life, in former positions, I did. But this is about international religious freedom.

Van Susteren: What are you looking forward to doing in this job? What, sort of, as you, when you accepted the nomination, what did you think, like, this is something that Id really like to do, what part of it?

Brownback: Saving lives. I used to do this work while when I was in the Senate, would advocate for people are in jail. And once in a while you could get somebody out of jail and out of country and literally save their life. And it was a great day. I would also on a global basis really like to see the gates fly open for religious freedom around the world. I just so fundamentally believe that this is one of those rights that brings forth a number of other human rights. And I do think were at a moment where we you could see that start to take place. Youve got an administration interested in it, youve got now the studies that show this is the right way to go, youve got I think an alignment, and a lot of people in Congress interested in this, that you really could see this religion, religious freedom blossom around the world.

Van Susteren: What do we do about the situation, were at war with ISIS, and they persecute the Yazidis, and so what do we do? I mean, the Yazidis, we need to protect them from the persecution, but theyre displaced from their property, I mean, you have the intersection sort of, of the lofty goal of wanting to protect peoples life, liberty and practice religion, but then we have situations where we have war.

Brownback: Its a tough one, and I plan to go there. I have a trip planned soon, to go into that region in Northern Iraq where the Yazidis and the Christians were persecuted, where there was a genocide against them that took place. And right now the focus is how do we rebuild the area and have it secure enough that the Yazidis and the Christians can move back in. The security is the first, and then rebuilding and de-mining the area is going to be a key part of it, but theres quite a focus on that right now.

Van Susteren: You know its unbelievable, I was in that Iraqi area and saw what was being done to the Christians and the Yazidis near Mosul, and I mean, its just devastating. We have no concept here in the United States of how terrible it was for those people, or it is for them.

Brownback: I dont know if youve seen the movie 12 Strong, its about the 12 first guys into Afghanistan. The lead guy was a Kansan, going into that and he has to ride horseback into battle and its Hollywood and he says his kids really think hes cool now because he was played by Thor (actor Chris Hemsworth) in the movie, so you know, being cool to your kids. But theres a scene in there about religious persecution, when you have a real fundamentalist, militantized view of the religion he was practicing, and killing the father for allowing the children to be educated, the girl, the female children to be educated. And you hear the stories from the Yazidis and the Christians and the selling of women as property and just going thats, thats just un At your heart level, thats just ringing to you wrong as you hear it and you see it.

Van Susteren: Well, you see it with Boko Haram in Africa, where the little girls were kidnapped, and this was about a couple years ago, there were over 200 and the world was scandalized, as they should be, and an effort to get them back, but then it, sort of just fades, people forget about it.

Brownback: I dont know that they  I dont know that they 

Van Susteren: Theres just been another recent kidnapping. But sometimes, we, even the media, we sometimes, forget things.

Brownback: I suppose, but I dont think they do. Me taking this job, I left the governorship of Kansas last year to take this job, I had a number of Kansans say Im really happy youre doing this. And they didnt even know the office existed, some of them. But they had read in their church bulletins or things about what had happened at Boko Haram. They remember the people beheaded on the seashore by ISIS. They remember, that that image is burned in their head, and theyre going if the United States can do something against this and for religious freedom, Im for it and I want us to do it.

Van Susteren: What do we do about the situation, where you take the burka, where you can only see the womans eyes? And I think to myself, Boy, I feel terrible for those women but what do we do if the women want to practice that religion?

Brownback: Theyre free to do it.

Van Susteren: Free to do it?

Brownback: Free to do it.

Van Susteren: But how do we know the situation were, they cant get educated in some parts of the world because of their religion.

Brownback: Well, to me there, we ought to and we do as a government push for just a basic right to be able to learn, and to be able to prosper yourself. Countries make their own decisions about things, but to me, freedom of religion is something that really will help to spawn the rest of these rights as well, coming out of it.

Van Susteren: This law is relatively new, you helped pass it back in the 90s, so its relatively new, now, to me. Why? What provoked it?

Brownback: We didnt think the State Department was doing anything dealing with religion.

Van Susteren: Uh-oh, and and here you are.

Brownback: Yeah, here I am. In the belly of the beast. But we didnt and at the time, I remember Madeleine Albright coming to meet me afterwards, when I was in the Senate, saying Why are you so interested in these things? And I said to her its kinda like Paul says: Woe to me if I dont do something when you have the ability and you see these problems existing all over the world. And the problems of religious persecution havent gone down since 98. Theyve gone up. And theyve even gotten more violent since that period of time as you get more and more interaction of faith communities and minority faith communities in countries and people wanting to be free. So its like the Congress really had, was the early warning system. The State Department, who just didnt want to deal with religion, saying that just gets in the way of good policy, religion does, to where now theyre recognizing, this drives policy, because it drives cultures. Cultures determine policy. And so you really want to drive this issue of being free because it will drive a whole bunch of better policies in places.

Van Susteren: Well, you actually see that, I think, in the Myanmar situation, the Rohingya. Here youve got the Buddhists, and the Myanmar military who have done ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims, pushed about 680-thousand of them out of there into Bangladesh 

Brownback: And its religious cleansing too.

Van Susteren: But its religious, but its, its religious and ethnic.

Brownback: It is.

Van Susteren: And so, what do, sort of, do we go back to imposing sanctions on Myanmar? How do we stop that?

Brownback: Well, I mean its hard. But you have to start by calling it what it is. I mean this is religious cleansing. It would not be happening were these people not Muslim. If they were Buddhists, in all likelihood, this would not be happening today. And I think you start by calling it out for what it is. And then they say Well, its not really and they dont deserve to be here or this or that. I say come on guys, seriously? Would you be doing this to them if they were Buddhist? Would you? And if they cant answer that one straight, then I think you start working, obviously, with education, with calling it out around the world, you move forward with the sanctions on people, and you put pressure on and say: Were not going to stand for this and we dont care what religion it is. Were not going to stand for it and were going to call it out and were going to speak about it and were going to take actions.

Van Susteren: Do you see the administration interested in this Rohingya crisis? I mean, its so far across the world. Secretary Tillerson was one of the first to say ethnic cleansing, and I know Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has likewise done that. Is the US likely to impose sanctions on Myanmar, do you hear any discussion of that?

Brownback: I think youre likely to see a lot of actions. Its a tough one in the sense that 

Van Susteren: Let me interrupt. Its also bipartisan, in that Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, is very interested in this topic.

Brownback: Yeah, and a senator from Oregon very interested in this topic. A number of people are. But I think youre going to see actions taking place on this one and but I think the world is also, the United States, its a complex tug of back and forth because youve had this military junta in the place, but then you have Aung San Suu Kyi who moves in and is this breath of fresh air, but then you have this move. And youre going wait a minute, we dont want to hurt her and the move away from a military dictatorship, but you cant do this. This is religious cleansing. So I think that gets to be the tension of what you end up doing, but this is such a clear case.

Van Susteren: You know, its interesting is, that this countrys not perfect. No countrys perfect. But I dont know if people realize, when it comes to things like freedom of religion, how much luckier Americans are, people visiting our country, than some of these other places, whether its China or Myanmar or parts of the Middle East, they have no idea.

Brownback: The public announcement came out of, uh, me getting this position, I was at mass and took communion at noon and I was going to the press conference. And a man from Congo stopped me as I was leaving and he was an asyulee in the United States from Congo and found his way to Kansas. Dont ask me how, but hes a nice young man. And he said Im really glad youre doing this. He had a friend of his who was in one of the boats trying to get across the Mediterranean, as they were finishing up the trip, they, uh, they were asking if he was a Christian and he said yeah and they threw him out of the boat because the dominant religion in that boat was not Christian, and he died. These examples happen all the time. And theyre deadly. And thats why its just  Im just honored to be in the job and I hope I can help save some lives.

Van Susteren: Ambassador, nice to see you sir, thank you.

Brownback: Nice to see you again, Greta.

WATCH: "Plugged In With Greta Van Susteren"Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore urged the public Saturday to cooperate more closely with the countrys military, one day after an armed group carried out coordinated attacks on France's embassy and cultural center and on the West African country's military headquarters in the capital of Ouagadougou.

I would like to encourage the population to reinforce collaboration with our defense and security forces in our common fight against terrorism," he said in a speech on national television.

The Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM)  also known as Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa'al- Muslimin (JNIM) in Arabic  on Saturday claimed responsibility for the attacks in a message cited by Mauritania's Al-Akhbar news agency.

The group, a fusion of three Malian jihadist groups with previous al-Qaida links, have been behind several high-profile attacks against civilian and military forces since forming last year.

The government said eight soldiers were killed, as well as eight assailants  four at the embassy and four at military headquarters. Eighty others were wounded.

At the start of the Friday attacks, witnesses said, armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passers-by before heading to the embassy. An explosion occurred at about the same time near the military headquarters and the French cultural center about a kilometer from the embassy attack, witnesses said.

Aristide Voundi, a milkman who was near the army headquarters when the attack occurred, told VOA, "I heard a loud noise in that area, and I saw black smoke. My ears were buzzing. I got scared. I took off, and I saw people running. It was panic in the city."

Homemaker Sanou Safiatou said she was in the city when she heard an explosion, which triggered a scramble for shelter. "We were really afraid," and "the traffic was dense," she said. "It was chaos."

A prosecutor in Paris said an investigation had been launched into "attempted murder in relation to a terrorist enterprise."

The city has been attacked at least twice in the past few years by Islamic extremists targeting foreigners.



Burkina Faso is among a number of vulnerable countries in the southern Sahara region that are fighting jihadist groups.

VOA French to Africa service's Bagassi Koura contributed to this report.Just a few miles from the South Side Chicago neighborhood former president Barack Obama called home for nearly a quarter century, he spoke to a mostly supportive audience at McCormick Place Convention Center about his plans to give back to his adopted hometown.



Weve got a plan where over the next four years we are going to create $3 billion worth of economic activity. We are going to create over 5,000 jobs just in the construction, 2,500 jobs that will be permanent and ongoing, he told the crowd at the start of his latest public meeting about the project.



Though born in Hawaii, raised in Indonesia, and educated in New York City, former president Barack Obama has adopted the city of Chicago, his wifes birthplace, as his hometown, and the South Side of Chicago is where he got his start in politics as a community organizer in the 1980s, making it a logical location for the facility that will preserve his legacy.



Current plans for the estimated $300 million Obama Presidential Center place it near Lake Michigan at historic Jackson Park, which was designed and developed by the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in the late 19th century.

The roughly 21-acre campus would include a variety of different spaces the community could utilize with a large tower looming over the site as the centerpiece, which would house the Obama Presidential Museum.

Its estimated we might have as many as 700,000 people just going through the museum portion of this, Obama said. We are going to be able to make this a jewel not just for the South Side but for the entire city of Chicago.



Tone deaf



But not everyone on the South Side of Chicago is sold on the project.



I think over the past year since he was president he has to some extent forgotten the neighborhood where he started out as a community organizer,  says Professor W.J.T. Mitchell, who works for the University of Chicago, Obamas former employer.

Mitchell is one of 200 members of the faculty that recently signed a letter criticizing plans for the Obama Presidential Center at Jackson Park, not far from the Universitys campus.



It has to be shoehorned into a relatively small space that is already highly developed, Mitchell told VOA from his campus office. Its not adjacent to a commercial strip. Across the street is a high school and another school associated with the University. Its being shoehorned into an already highly developed historic space.



Mitchell, who would also like to see a Community Benefits Agreement with the Obama Foundation guaranteeing certain aspects of the development of the project would benefit the neighboring community, is an unlikely critic as he he considers himself a friend of the Obamas.



We were part of the same social circle of faculty and neighbors, he said. We had Thanksgiving dinner with them occasionally.



Despite that connection, he feels the Obamas have been tone deaf in developing the Presidential Center. He says despite breakout sessions at public meetings, there has not been enough public input.



Theres no public discussion where the community can say we have real doubts about this aspect, he said. Theyve been marketing it all along, and I think that in itself produced a kind of resistance. People dont like being sold under the rubric of we want your input.



Face-to-face meetings urged



Mitchell says he is supportive of the project being located somewhere on the South Side of Chicago, though not Jackson Park, and believes there would be less opposition and concern to the plan if Obama was more present in the neighborhood throughout the development process.



It would be really great if he would come back and spend some time talking to people face-to-face and not on jumbotrons, and not in huge auditoriums but actually meeting with small groups around the neighborhoods. He would learn something.



What I want to do is make sure that everyone is represented, Obama told the crowd at McCormick Place, adding that he was aware of the many criticisms of the project. He reiterated his intentions were to ultimately help the residents who live on the South Side.



Were not coming in here as a for-profit organization, he said. Im out there raising a bunch of money to get this thing built to get this thing up and running, and Im not taking a salary from the foundation, and Michelle and my motivations are entirely to make sure that the community benefits.



Benefits that could ultimately transform Chicagos South Side, which has more recently earned a reputation for its vacant buildings and increased crime something Obama hopes his presidential center can change, which is currently slated for completion  if the plans are approved  sometime in 2021.A powerful Noreaster storm pounded the U.S. East Coast with hurricane-force winds, snow and heavy rain that affected residents from Maine to North Carolina.

Police say five people have died from falling trees or branches, including a 6-year-old boy in Virginia and an 11-year-old boy in New York state. The other deaths took place in Virginia, Maryland and Rhode Island.

Airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights, mostly in the New York City area, and the federal government closed offices in Washington. Amtrak halted all its trains between Boston and Washington and even some trains south of Washington because of high winds, downed trees and areas of flooding.

The East Coast experienced wind gusts exceeding 80 kph (50 mph) with some of the highest gusts reported on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, at near 145 kph (90 mph).

The National Weather Service warned that travel is dangerous, especially for tractor-trailers and buses.

Seawater poured onto coastal streets in Boston, which recorded its highest tide since recordkeeping began in 1928, at 4.47 meters (14 feet). Residents were evacuated from the citys coastal suburbs.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called up the National Guard to help with the storm response.

The storm also knocked out power to more than 1.6 million homes and businesses from Maine to North Carolina and westward to Michigan.The mass shooting of 17 people at a Florida high school in February has reignited the long-running debate over gun laws in the United States. Here is a look at some gun rights and gun control groups in the U.S.:



Prominent gun rights groups



National Rifle Association

The NRA, which claims 5 million members, is one of the country's most powerful lobbying groups for gun rights. Founded in 1871, it seeks to educate the public about firearms and defend U.S. citizens' Second Amendment rights. It has directly lobbied for and against legislation since 1975.

The Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks data reported to the Federal Election Commission, says the group has made nearly $23 million in direct political contributions since 1989.



Gun Owners of America



Gun Owners of America was formed in 1975 to protect the rights of gun owners. The group says on its website that it sees "firearms ownership as a freedom issue."

The group has built a nationwide network of attorneys and says they've fought court battles in almost every U.S. state to protect gun owners' rights. It says it has also worked with members of Congress, state legislators and local citizens to protect gun ranges and local gun clubs from closure by "overzealous government anti-gun bureaucrats."

National Association for Gun Rights

NAGR was founded in 2001 and claims on its website that it is the fastest-growing gun rights group in America. The group says that it has 4.5 million grass-roots activists and that it focuses on educating gun owners about state and federal legislation that affects their gun rights

One of its main efforts is to advance "constitutional carry" legislation, which would allow people to carry weapons without first obtaining a permit. "Law-abiding people shouldn't be forced to get a government permission slip to exercise their right to self-defense. No one should be treated like a criminal simply for wishing to carry a firearm in defense of themselves or their family," NAGR says on its website.

The group also differentiates itself from the NRA. "Unlike the NRA, NAGR believes in absolutely 100% NO COMPROMISE on gun rights issues," it says.

Prominent gun control groups



Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

The Brady Campaign works to elect public officials who support gun control legislation and to increase public awareness of gun violence.

Named after James Brady, President Ronald Reagan's press secretary who was shot and nearly killed in a presidential assassination attempt, this group scored a victory in the 1990s with the federal assault weapons ban. (Legislative efforts to renew the ban failed, and it expired in September 2004.)

The group's stated mission is to cut the number of U.S. gun deaths in half by 2025, partly by working to implement background checks on all gun sales. In addition, the group wants to lead a new national conversation and "change social norms around the real dangers of guns in the home, to prevent the homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings that happen every day as a result."

Giffords

Giffords was founded by shooting victim and former Democratic U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords of Arizona and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly. It was originally known as Americans for Responsible Solutions.

Giffords' stated goal is to "research, write and propose policies that make Americans safer and mobilize voters and lawmakers in support of safer gun laws."

Giffords, who was shot in 2011, announced the formation of the group following the mass shooting of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.

Giffords and Kelly call themselves Second Amendment supporters, but are also committed to lobbying for expanded background checks, stiffer penalties on gun trafficking, and funding for research on the causes of gun violence.



Everytown for Gun Safety

Everytown for Gun Safety was founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Formerly called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the group lobbies for gun control legislation on a local and federal level and provides a support network for gun violence survivors.

On its website, the group says, "For too long, change has been thwarted by the Washington gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to take common-sense steps that will save lives."

The Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks data reported to the Federal Election Commission, says Bloomberg gave a total of $28 million to outside spending groups during the 2014 cycle to push for changes in gun control.Family members of the missing passengers aboard Malaysia Airlines aircraft MH370 that went missing in the southern Indian Ocean are marking the fourth anniversary of the planes disappearance at a memorial event in Kuala Lumpur.

The anniversary comes amid a renewed search effort.

The Malaysian government signed a deal in January with a U.S. exploration company to resume the search for the missing plane.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that Houston-based Ocean Infinity will search for the missing plane under a no-find, no-fee contract, meaning it will only be paid if it finds the Boeing 777 jetliner.

The company will be paid $20 million if the plane is found within 5,000 square kilometers, $30 million if found within 10,000 square kilometers, and $50 million within a 25,000-square kilometer area. The fee will be $70 million if it finds the missing plane beyond the 25,000-square kilometer area.

Malaysia Airlines MH370 vanished March 8, 2014, during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, with 239 passengers and crew on board.

Malaysia joined forces with Australia and China in a three-year, $160 million search for the jetliner that was called off in January 2017 after covering a 12,000-kilometer area. No trace of the plane was found, except for three pieces that washed ashore at various points along the Indian Ocean.Australia on Saturday urged Indonesia against any leniency toward the ideological leader of the Bali bombers as the government considers house arrest or other forms of clemency for the ailing radical cleric who is now in prison.

Wiranto, Indonesias top security minister, said Friday that a meeting of security ministers and police will make a recommendation on Abu Bakar Bashirs treatment to President Joko Jokowi Widodo.

Clemency, pardon, house arrest or just hospital treatment. It will be discussed in the near future and will be reported to the president, said Wiranto, who uses a single name.

Bashir, who turns 80 in August, was treated in a Jakarta hospital Thursday for pooling of blood in the legs, a common condition in the elderly known as chronic venous insufficiency, and later returned to prison.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said Thursday that the government plans to place Bashir under house arrest so he can be cared for by his family or transfer him to a prison near his hometown, Solo in Central Java, according to local media.

Bali bombing

His numerous sympathizers hope Jokowi will grant him a permanent release because of his poor health, a move that would help mend fences between hard-line Muslims and Jokowi ahead of a presidential election in 2019 but alarm allies such as the United States and Australia. Jokowis approval ratings remain high with the broader Indonesian public.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishops office on Saturday described Bashir as the mastermind behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreigners including 88 Australians.

Bishops office said in a statement that Australians expected justice to continue to be served to the full extent that Indonesian law allows.

Abu Bakar Bashir should never be allowed to incite others to carry other future attacks against innocent civilians, the statement added.

Bashir was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2011 for supporting a military-style training camp for Islamic militants.

The firebrand cleric was arrested almost immediately after the Bali bombing. But prosecutors were unable to prove a string of terrorism-related allegations. He was instead sentenced to 18 months in prison for immigration violations.

Case under review

Jokowis spokesman, Johan Budi, said the president will review the case, and house arrest is possible under the law.

He said a suggestion to pardon Bashir came from Indonesian Ulema Council chairman Maruf Amin and would require Bashir to apply for clemency.

That appears unlikely as it would involve Bashir recognizing secular authority. After being sentenced in 2011, he said he rejected the conviction because it was based on infidel law.Slovak authorities have released all seven Italians detained Thursday in connection with the murder of an investigative journalist, news website tvnoviny.sk reported Saturday.



The release took place before dawn local time. Charges needed to be brought within the statutory time limit of 48 hours and it is assumed that none were filed, the website reported. Police confirmed the suspects' release but provided no further details.



The suspects were taken into custody as part of an investigation into the murder of Jan Kuciak, 27, and his girlfriend Martina Kusnirova, who were found shot dead in their home near the capital, Bratislava, last Sunday.



Kuciak was about to publish an article on alleged high-level political corruption connected to the Italian city of Calabria's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia.



The seven Italian businessmen named by Kuciak in his report, which was published posthumously earlier this week, are Antonino Vadala, 42, Sebastiano Vadala, 45, Bruno Vadala, 40, Diego Roda, 62, Antonio Roda, 58, Pietro C., 26 and Pietro C., 54).



Investigators said Kuciaks death was "most likely" linked to his reporting.



Thousands attended candlelit anti-corruption protests and memorials held across Slovakia on Friday in reaction to Kuciak's murder.



Organizers estimated that about 25,000 people gathered in Bratislava, while thousands more paid tribute to Kuciak in other cities and towns across the EU country of 5.4 million people.With a day to go before polls open in an Italian election that has been marked by ugly anti-migrant rhetoric and marred by violence, the leader of the center-left Democratic Party and former prime minister Matteo Renzi warned voters that Italy is on the brink of being led by extremists and dangerous populists, and risks being dragged into a Greek-style economic meltdown.

He said Sunday's general election will be a choice between those offering growth and those who risk causing economic turmoil. I say to those who are undecided that this election is much more important than they want to make out; this election is a big divide between those betting on growth and an extremist message, Renzi said.

My appeal to the undecided is to think carefully. We ask the Italian people to think carefully, he said during a live forum organized by Facebook and ANSA, the public press agency.

His opponents in a rightwing alliance led by three-time prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, which includes Forza Italia and Matteo Salvinis anti-migrant, euro-skeptic Lega, lashed back.

They characterized his remarks as a desperate bid to shore up the vote of the ruling party thats collapsing in the face of their campaigning and under pressure from the maverick, anti-establishment Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S), which may emerge as the largest single parliamentary party from the election.

Berlusconis alliance is likely to secure the largest bloc of parliamentary seats but short of an overall majority, prompting political turmoil and weeks of deal-making to shape a coalition government, predict analysts.

Salvini and Berlusconi have a deal that if the Lega wins more seats than Forza Italia, then Salvini will take the prime ministers job in any rightwing coalition government that may be formed. Berlusconi, who is barred from holding public office until next year because of a tax fraud conviction, wants his former spokesman Antonio Tajani, currently the president of the European parliament, to be prime minister.

As Renzi delivered his warning, the leaders of CasaPound, an openly neo-fascist stand-alone party, urged followers to back the Lega on Sunday, arguing their votes would strengthen the far-right in Berlusconis alliance and help lead to Salvini becoming prime minister.

If he [Salvini] takes us out of the euro zone, out of the European Union and blocks immigration, we are ready to support him. Salvini should be premier, said Simone Di Stefano, the partys general secretary. He said CasaPound supporters need to understand that if they dont want to waste their vote, they should vote for the Lega.

CasaPounds public endorsement in the run-up to voting is being played down by Berlusconi aides and Lega officials, who fear the embrace by open neo-fascists will scare off moderate voters. It would be better if they remained silent, said a Berlusconi aide.

Promising a resurrection

Salvini, who has called for migrants to be cleansed from the streets, has adopted throughout the campaign a complex electoral strategy, seeking to appeal to the far-right, as well as center-right moderates. Midweek at a mass rally in Milan, he swore on the Bible and the Italian Constitution and held up a rosary saying, I swear to apply what is envisaged by the constitution and I swear to do it according to the teaching in the sacred gospels.

Calling supporters apostles, Salvini asked the Milan audience to go and spread his message, promising, this Easter will truly be about resurrection.

The mixing of Catholicism with an uncompromising anti-migrant message earned the rebuke of the Catholic prelates, including the archbishop of Ferrara, Gian Carlo Perego, who accused the 44-year-old Salvini of a serious exploitation of two important symbols, fundamental to the Christian experience. The archbishop of Milan, Mario Delpini, added his disapproval, saying at political rallies one should talk about politics.

But while seeking the backing of Catholic moderates, Salvinis call for a widespread migrant expulsion and his outspoken euro-skepticism have resonated with open neo-fascists. Lega candidates in local rallies have made little effort to push away neo-fascist support. The failure of the Lega to distance itself from groups like CasaPound has added to unease among some conservative nationalists in the Berlusconi alliance.

A candidate in the region of Lazio told VOA, This entanglement unnerves me and other moderate and liberal conservatives; we need clear water between us and those who worship Benito Mussolini, from political forces like CasaPound.

The right-wing electoral alliance is shot through with personal animosities and distrust. Salvini doesnt disguise his suspicion publicly that Berlusconi might, in a hung parliament, betray him and seek to run Italy with Renzi by forming a governing coalition consisting of Forza Italia and the Democratic Party, depending on seat mathematics. With Berlusconi, you always need to be careful, you need four eyes, he said Friday.

Bank and rating-agency analysts appear to be betting on a grand governing coalition being formed after Sundays polls. In investor advice they have sounded confident about the countrys economic outlook, suggesting that despite the carefree promises of tax cut and increased public spending that most parties have made on the campaign trail, the countrys high public debt will be kept in check and the structural reform efforts of the Democratic Party will continue.

Hung parliament predicted

Available opinion polls currently point to a hung parliament. While this would cause political uncertainty to persist, we would still see it as market-friendly, the authors of a BNP Paribas said last month. In their advisory titled Italy: Bullish view faces near-term risks, the banks analysts argued there was a high probability of a grand coalition being formed, which probably would prevent any sharp, debt-boosting tax cuts being adopted.

The rating agency Moodys worries about short-term uncertainty. Short of an M5S-led government, which current opinion polls point as unlikely, the main impact of the election in the short to medium-term may be the uncertainty created, if no coalition is in a clear position to form a government. Such uncertainty may potentially depress the positive consumer and business sentiment that is fueling the current economic growth, Moodys said.

The equanimity of the banks isnt shared by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who last week raised Brussels alarm about what might unfold in Italy. He made a gloomy forecast of ungovernability, warning of a non-operational government emerging, only to retreat in the face of criticism from Rome.

Other EU officials seem to be banking on Berlusconi being able to maintain political stability and order, an ironic bet, as when in office Berlusconi was considered the bete noir of Brussels officials.

While Italys election is worrying Brussels, it is delighting former Donald Trump aide Steve Bannon, who arrived in Rome this week to see the campaigning first hand. He told The New York Times, The Italian people have gone farther, in a shorter period of time, than the British did for Brexit and the Americans did for Trump.The suspected shooter in a double murder on the campus of Central Michigan University had been hospitalized a day earlier for behaving erratically, according to the chief of campus police.



Bill Yeagley told reporters early Saturday that 19-year-old James Eric Davis Jr., who allegedly shot his parents to death in a residence hall Friday, had been hospitalized for a few hours after campus police encountered him Thursday night "not really making a lot of sense," Yeagley said.



He said his officers suspected Davis may have been using drugs.



Yeagley said Davis's parents, notified by campus authorities about their son's behavior, picked him up from the hospital and took him back to his residence hall Friday morning. Thousands of students were heading home on Friday for the start of spring break.



Davis is alleged to have shot both his parents on the fourth floor of a residence hall around 8:30 a.m. Friday.



Officials at Central Michigan University said the two people killed were James Davis, Sr. and Diva Davis, both aged 47, from Illinois. Officials in Illinois said Davis Sr. was a part-time police officer.



Yeagley said video surveillance caught the younger Davis walking from a parking lot to a residence hall that morning with a gun in his hand. He said the gun was believed to have belonged to Davis Sr.



"We are not at all done with this investigation," Yeagley told reporters Saturday morning.



Davis was arrested early Saturday after a daylong manhunt. He was seen and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight, Central Michigan University (CMU) said in a statement. Law enforcement personnel responded and arrested him.



The episode put the CMU campus into lockdown Friday morning, trapping students in classrooms and dormitories until mid-afternoon, while police conducted an expansive search for the suspected gunman and were methodically removing students from campus buildings.



The shooting Friday morning came as parents were arriving on campus to pick up students for spring break. CMU said it has more than 23,000 students enrolled at the school.



A men's basketball game scheduled to be held on campus Saturday morning was moved to nearby Northwood University. It was closed to the public except for family members, according to the Mid-American Conference, which governs college sports in that region.



Friday's shooting came amid a fierce debate over guns that followed last month's deadly shooting at a Florida high school.



Congress is currently considering whether to enact tougher gun control measures, including expanded background checks, raising the legal age for buying guns, and a ban on bump stock devices that convert semiautomatic weapons to automatic weapons.A former dam development company executive has been arrested in the 2016 killing of renowned indigenous and environmental activist Berta Caceres, Honduran authorities announced Friday.

Two years after gunmen barged into her home in the city of La Esperanza, it was the ninth arrest in the case but the first of an alleged intellectual author behind the slaying of the Goldman Environmental Prize winner.

A Public Ministry statement identified the suspect as Roberto David Castillo Mejia, an electrical engineer who at the time was president of the company Desarrollos Energeticos SA, or DESA.

He is alleged to have been the person in charge of providing logistics and other resources to one of the material authors already being prosecuted for the crime.

Friends, family call for justice

Activists, friends and relatives of Caceres protested in the nations capital, Tegucigalpa, on Friday to mark the two-year anniversary of her killing and demand justice.

Caceres and her organization known as Copinh had opposed the companys Agua Zarca hydroelectric project on her Lenca indigenous peoples lands. She was recognized with the prestigious Goldman award for her activism in 2015.

Last October, an international team of lawyers issued a report saying her killing was the product of a coordinated plot four months in the making.

Based on an outside review conducted at the request of Copinh and Caceres family, the report suggested that dam company leadership ordered her assassination and concluded it was not an isolated incident.

Mexican activist Gustavo Castro Soto was also wounded in the 2016 attack.

Deadliest place for land defenders

Honduras is the deadliest country on the planet per capita for land defenders, according to the London-based watchdog Global Witness.

The group said in a report last July that 14 were killed there in 2016, including two other members of Copinh.Taylor Hill/WireImage(WASHINGTON) -- The Democratic Party continues to deal with the fallout of the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders feud as it heads into the 2018 election cycle -- issues that could potentially impact party unity heading into November.



The spat's spillover was evident at the organization's Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., on Friday as Democratic National Committee members discussed limiting the power of superdelegates and adding transparency to the budget process -- controversies in the party that came to light in the 2016 election.



A book by Donna Brazile, former interim Democratic National Committee chairwoman, revealed the strong ties between the DNC and Clintons presidential campaign, and the ways in which that relationship potentially hindered Sanders' bid for the nomination.



The claims sent shock waves through the organization and, for some Sanders supporters, served as proof that the internal processes were in need of reform.



Were moving very proactively and successfully to bring together the factions in the party and overcome the division, Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairman Jim Roosevelt of Massachusetts told ABC News.



The proposed reforms are part of the Report of the Unity Reform Commission, which addresses ways to increase participation in the presidential process and how to handle the role of the so-called superdelegates.



Leah Daughtry, the CEO of the 2016 Democratic National Convention and member of the rules committee, said its normal for a party to do a review process.



I think that, after every convention, there are issues that need resolving. Its a point of review where people sort of reflect on what happened, she told ABC News, particularly when were not successful in winning the White House.



The biggest issue before the committee members, who range from state chairs to party members, is what to do about the superdelegates, the unpledged delegates who can vote for whomever they want during the presidential nomination process and dont have to follow the will of the voters.



Sanders supporters complained in 2016 that superdelegates gave Clinton an unfair advantage. Ironically, those delegates helped Barack Obama win over Clinton in 2008 before supporting her eight years later.



The rules committee members have to tread carefully, as superdelegates consist of some of the most powerful members of the party -- former presidents, governors, members of Congress and DNC members. None of them would like to see their voting power diminish.



The commission report calls for a reduction of over 400 superdelegates, which is a nearly 60 percent reduction.



But a proposal in the rules committee meeting would not allow superdelegates to vote in the first round of ballots at the convention, but would allow them to vote on a second ballot, which happens when theres no consensus candidate. That proposal will be discussed further at next weeks DNC meeting.



Theres a clear consensus that the status quo will change, Roosevelt said of the superdelegates. Whether that impacts all automatic delegates or only the automatic delegates who are not members of Congress or governors remains to be seen.



He noted its a continuous issue because this is asking a group to limit its own power. Thats always a challenging question."



The commissions report also recommended the party operate in an open and transparent manner that would include presenting the DNC budget to the full membership at scheduled meetings.



Brazile, who served as interim chair of the party after Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned during the partys convention in Philadelphia, revealed in her book Hacks that she discovered the DNC was deeply in debt and basically run by Clintons campaign upon her arrival.



The commission made the budget recommendations in part because of her concerns.



Don Fowler, who chaired the DNC from 1995 to 1997, warned during the meeting that the partys budget can become a very sensitive political matter.



Many Democrats are concerned that if the partys spending plans become public, it would tip their political game plan for the upcoming election. Republicans would be able to see the spending plans for various states and election operations, such as get-out-the-vote efforts, and respond accordingly.



The purpose of the Thursday and Friday rules meetings were to take the temperature of committee members on the Unity Commissions recommendations before a deep dive is done on the final language, which could happen when rules members meet again at the DNC Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., next week -- or the final vote could come later this year at the summer meeting.



The Rules and Bylaws Committee has six months from the reports Dec. 8 submission date to review the matter before it makes a final recommendation to DNC members on what should be adopted.



The final date for that to happen is unclear. It could happen at the partys summer meeting  a date for which has not been set -- or it could have to wait until after the midterm elections, meaning the Clinton-Sanders fallout could haunt the party for months to come.



This was a well-thought-out series of reforms that will really help unify the party, said Jeff Weaver, the campaign manager for Bernie Sanders 2016 bid and a member of the Unity Reform Commission. It is very important for the party going forward to be able to win in the midterms and to be able to win in 2020 to have a unified party. And the way you do that is you try to achieve unity through reform.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.North Korea warned Saturday it would respond if the U.S. holds joint military drills next month with South Korea, contending they would hinder a recent thaw in relations between the two Koreas.



The thaw will be tested when the exercises, which were suspended for the duration of the Winter Olympics in South Korea, start in late March or early April.



A South Korean presidential security adviser said this week the joint exercises are set to begin in early April, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.



North Korea, whose official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has repeatedly described the drills as a threat.

"If the U.S. finally holds joint military exercises while keeping sanctions on the DPRK, the DPRK will counter the U.S. by its own mode of counteraction and, the U.S. will be made to own all responsibilities for the ensuing consequences," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said in a commentary.



The U.S. announced on February 23 it was imposing its most sweeping set of sanctions on North Korea in an effort to pressure the country to abandon its nuclear and long-range missile development programs.



South Korea plans to send a special envoy to North Korea in response to an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call Thursday.



The Olympic Games in Pyeongchang last month presented the two Koreas with the opportunity to engage after tensions between them had escalated over the North's missile program.Washington's cherished cherry tree blossoms signal the unofficial start of spring in the nation's capital, and it looks like it's coming a bit early this year.

The National Park Service announced Thursday that the projected peak date for the blossoms along the Tidal Basin would be March 17 to March 20.

Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said April 4 is the historical average date for peak bloom, which is the day when 70 percent of the blossoms are open in trees around the Tidal Basin.

This year's National Cherry Blossom Festival will run from March 20 to April 15.

Considered the world's largest U.S.-Japanese celebration, the festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki to the District of Columbia.United Nations aid agencies are gearing up for the first delivery in months of desperately needed humanitarian assistance to thousands of people trapped in the besieged Syrian enclave of Eastern Ghouta. Syrian authorities finally have given permission for the U.N. convoy to enter the enclaves town of Douma on Sunday.

The convoy will be carrying food, medicine and other crucial relief supplies from a number of U.N. and international agencies for 180,000 people. The U.N. Childrens fund, which is part of that convoy, will have supplies on board for 70,000 children.

Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, says nutritional and health supplies are a priority given the alarmingly high number of malnourished children in Eastern Ghouta.

We have seen the levels of severe acute malnutrition in Ghouta in the last few months multiplying by at least 10.... We have also health supplies on board. These are mainly midwifery kits to help ensuring that women who are giving birth are being properly assisted, Cappelaere said.

The United Nations reports about 1,000 people need to be evacuated from Eastern Ghouta to receive life-saving medical treatment. Cappelaere told VOA a number of children are among them, but unfortunately, no clearance has yet been given for this operation to proceed.

In Eastern Ghouta there are many children who have been seriously injured and who cannot be attended to with the available medical expertise, with the available medical supplies. And there are children who have illnesses that again cannot be treated any longer inside, and therefore need to come out, and if they cannot come out, there is a threat for their life.

Cappelaere regrets that the convoy will not carry enough supplies for all 200,000 children living in Eastern Ghouta. He says he hopes the humanitarian operation will become a regular occurrence so all of the 400,000 residents, including the children in this besieged territory, can receive life-saving aid.Australias smallest state, Tasmania, began voting Saturday in a local assembly election, with the incumbent conservative Liberal Party stirring controversy by promising softer regulations for gun ownership if it is returned to power.

The Liberals move to shore up support among gun owners and rural voters is a sensitive issue in Tasmania, as Australias worst mass murder took place on the island in 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at Port Arthur.

The state Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management Rene Hidding, wrote to firearms owners in early February promising a re-elected Liberal Party would extend gun ownership license periods by up to 10 years, reduce penalties for storage offenses and establish a council to represent gun owners.

1996 shooting

Following the 1996 mass shooting, Australia banned all semi-automatic rifles and all semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns, and introduced a restrictive system of licensing and ownership controls.

Australia has had no mass shootings since then and has held amnesties to encourage the handing in of unregistered firearms.

Anti-firearms advocates in the United States have pointed to Australias success in reducing gun crimes as an example that the United States could follow in response to a shocking series of school shootings.

Controversy on election eve

The controversy over plans to relax gun laws in Tasmania erupted on the eve of the election, after the contents of Hiddings letter to firearms owners became widely known.

Only a re-elected majority Hodgman Liberal Government can continue to provide Tasmanias lawful firearm owners with a supportive, responsible framework, the letter said.

The Liberals have primarily campaigned on jobs and the economy, and on Friday party leaders sought to reassure voters that their stance on gun laws was nothing to be alarmed about.

We are aware of the sensitivities around these issues and we are seeking to find the balance, one that supports our families that work in the rural sector but which is not inconsistent with national gun laws, Tasmanias premier Will Hodgman said in comments reported by the ABC on Friday.

The Liberals hold 15 seats in Tasmanias 25-seat House of Assembly and need to win at least 13 in this election to retain their majority.

Tasmanias population of 519,000 people have until 6 p.m. Saturday to cast their vote, with results expected to begin trickling in later Saturday night.Before a phone conversation this week to discuss the war in Syria and Russian nuclear arms, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump had not spoken to each other in more than five months.

That gap, described by diplomats on both sides of the Atlantic as shockingly long, underscores the challenge Merkel faces if she succeeds in forming a coalition government later this month and, as German officials suggest, tries to reset the relationship with Trump.

A strong believer in close transatlantic ties, Merkel was the go-to leader in Europe for both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush when Washington and Berlin were navigating the global financial crisis, Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and Irans nuclear program.

But her relationship with Trump got off to a frosty start and has never recovered.

Is trust lacking?

At a time of rising transatlantic tensions over trade, the Iran nuclear deal and NATO defense spending, some German officials and analysts worry the personal divide between the brash, impulsive president and cautious, analytical chancellor could lead to a further deterioration in bilateral ties.

Jan Techau, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund think tank in Berlin, described the five month gap as a very very bad sign. He saw no connection with the conservative chancellors struggle to form a new government more than five months after federal elections.

I dont think it has anything to do with the political limbo in Germany. It is a sign of a relationship where there is no trust, Techau said. If you dont have a personal relationship between the leaders to fall back on, it can be very difficult to stop the downward spiral.

Juergen Hardt, a senior lawmaker in Merkels Christian Democrat party, said: Especially in times of stress, when immediate communication is required, they need to be able to pick up the phone and find solutions. There needs to be a good personal relationship and a good working relationship.

In contrast, Macron

German government officials play down the prolonged radio silence between Merkel and Trump, noting that the chancellor has ratcheted back her contacts with many foreign leaders during the months of arduous coalition talks at home.

They say the dialogue between Germany and the United States at lower levels of the government remains strong.

Some question whether any foreign leader can influence Trump, who shocked his European allies again Thursday by announcing plans to introduce hefty tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, sending financial markets reeling on fears of a trade war.

Germany needs to make up for the vacuum at the top level by engaging on other levels, with Congress, with the states and with civil society, said Thomas Matussek, a former German ambassador to the United Nations and Britain.

Still, the contrast between Merkels icy start with Trump and the rapport that French President Emmanuel Macron has developed with the American president is stark.

Macron has gone out of his way to woo Trump with a mix of machismo and flattery. The two engaged in a macho handshake contest when they first met last May. Two months later, Macron hosted Trump at Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, dining with him in the Eiffel Tower.

Next month Macron will travel to Washington for the first official state visit by a foreign leader since Trump became president early last year.

Over the past five months, Macron and Trump have spoken by phone seven times, according to the Elysee. Over the same span, British Prime Minister Theresa May has spoken with Trump four times, according to Downing Street.

U.S. and German officials confirmed to Reuters that before Thursday, Merkel had not spoken with Trump since Sept. 28. She often spoke with Obama and Bush on a weekly basis, according to German officials, who could not recall a gap of more than a month with Trumps two predecessors.

Public opinion

A French official close to Macron rejected the notion that the French president and Merkel were engaged in a coordinated good cop, bad cop act with Trump, and noted that the chancellor had to take her more skeptical public into account.

German public opinion towards Trump is a catastrophe. It is much more violent (than in France), the official said.

A poll by the Pew Research Center last year showed that just 11 percent of Germans have confidence in Trump. Another Pew poll published earlier this week showed that 56 percent of Germans view the relationship with the United States as bad.

German officials still expect Merkel, who has continued to talk with Russias Vladimir Putin and Turkeys Tayyip Erdogan during times of acute bilateral tensions, to do her best to re-engage with Trump over the coming months.

The two will see each other at a G7 summit in Canada in June and at a NATO summit in Brussels a month later.

U.S.-German contacts may pick up if Merkel finally forms a new government. Social Democrat party members are voting on whether to endorse another four years of the grand coalition with the Christian Democrats, with the result of the postal ballot due Sunday.

Once there is a new government in place, all Cabinet members will engage. Expect a new wave of visits from Berlin to Washington, one senior official said.

But German officials say there are no current plans for Merkel to return to the White House, where Trump ignored entreaties to shake her hand during a meeting in the Oval Office a year ago. And there are no plans for Trump to return to Germany following his visit to Hamburg for a G20 summit last July.Turkish warplanes attacked pro-Syrian government forces Saturday in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin, killing at least 36 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed Turkish airstrikes in a statement but did not provide a death toll or say where the attacks occurred. The SDF is a militia alliance led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The British-based monitoring group said the strikes were the third such attack on pro-Syrian government forces in the enclave in less than 48 hours.

Pro-Syrian government forces arrived in Afrin last week to support the YPG, a month after the Kurds appealed for help. Since Turkish forces and allied Syrian factions began their assault on Afrin on January 20, they have advanced steadily.

The monitoring group said the Turkey-led forces have gained control of more than 20-percent of Afrin after capturing the town of Rajo in northwest Afrin on Saturday.

A military official with the Turkish-led operation said a mountain of strategic importance in the northeastern part of the enclave was also seized.

Turkey considers the YPG an extension of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for three decades. The PKK is also viewed as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the U.S.

At the same time, the YPG has been a key participant in a U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance in a campaign to defeat the Islamic State militant group in Syria.Police in Kyiv moved in to dismantle a protest camp near the national parliament building Saturday, detaining about 100 protesters amid clashes.

Police said six protesters and four police officers were hurt in the violence near the Verkhovna Rada in the Ukrainian capital.

"We have two court decisions to inspect and search this area. ... Then communal workers will clean it up," Andriy Kryshchenko, head of Kyiv police, told reporters at the scene.

WATCH: Kyiv police dismantle protest camp in Kyiv

Authorities said police seized nine grenades, an unspecified number of Molotov cocktails and five smoke bombs during the raid.

A reporter covering the event for RFE/RL's Ukrainian service said police used pepper spray against him, even though his press pass was visible.

Video uploaded on Facebook showed black smoke billowing into the sky as protesters set alight tires in an area police had cordoned off.

The tent camp was set up last year by supporters of opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili, a former Georgian president who was deported to Poland last month.

"Police in riot gear approached from two sides and detained almost all the people [in the camp]. Trucks started dragging apart and demolishing the barricades," lawmaker and Saakasvili ally Yehor Sobolev said.

Earlier, Kryshchenko said the police action was part of an investigation into earlier anti-government violence outside parliament in February.

Authorities said 14 police officers were injured in clashes on February 27 with anti-government protesters who tried to set car tires on fire near the parliament.

Authorities said protesters also threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police.

Afterward, the Kyiv police force said a probe had been opened into the "assault on law enforcement officers."

The camp is an offshoot of a broader opposition movement that holds regular peaceful protests in Kyiv demanding the resignation of President Petro Poroshenko over a stalled reform drive.

PHOTOS: Kyiv police dismantle protest camp in KyivThe U.S. State Department said Friday that it was making permanent its decision to cut staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, six months after it recalled a number of diplomatic staffers over alleged "health incidents" at the Havana facility.

The State Department announced its decision two days before a six-month legal deadline to either send diplomats back to Havana or make the reduction permanent.

Last year, U.S. diplomats in Cuba began complaining of memory loss, headaches and other unexplained symptoms that eventually affected at least 24 Americans at the embassy.

The State Department withdrew 60 percent of its diplomats from Havana as it searched for the cause. The United States has not blamed Cuba for the problems but has said the withdrawal was made to protect the health and safety of embassy staff and family members.

The embassy in Havana is now to be considered an "unaccompanied post," meaning diplomats working in Havana may not bring their families to live with them in Cuba.

The embassy now offers only emergency services to U.S. citizens. Cubans who want to apply for a visa to the United States must do so at a U.S. embassy in another country.

The decision to permanently reduce the U.S. diplomatic presence in Havana deals a blow to U.S.-Cuba relations at a critical moment: President Raul Castro is expected to step down in April, bringing the potential of fresh leadership to the island nation for the first time in nearly six decades.

Raul Castro took over from his brother, Fidel Castro, in 2008 after Fidel served 49 years as prime minister and president of Cuba.The United States and European powers are vowing a "firm response" to those responsible for recent alleged toxic gas attacks in Syria's eastern Ghouta, where hundreds of civilians have died in recent weeks.

Their warning came as the United Nations' human rights chief said Friday that the slaughter of civilians in Ghouta and elsewhere were "likely war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity."

In a telephone conversation Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "must be held accountable," a German chancellery statement said.

"This applies both to the Assad regime's deployment of chemical weapons and for its attacks against civilians and the blockade of humanitarian support," the statement said.

In a separate conversation, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron vowed there would be "no impunity" for those responsible if further chemical weapons attacks occurred, the French president's office said.

Macron "stressed there will be a firm response in the case of proven use of chemical weapons leading to the death of civilians, in close coordination with our American allies," the office said.

"France and the United States will not tolerate impunity," it said.

Independent observers and residents have reported several alleged chlorine gas attacks in eastern Ghouta in the last month, including one in which a child allegedly suffocated to death last weekend.

Airfield bombed

Trump ordered a massive bombardment of Syria's Shayrat airfield last April after reports of a sarin nerve gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhun that killed nearly 100 civilians. He said at that time that any further use of such banned weapons of mass destruction would prompt a similar response.

Washington this week asked the U.N. Security Council to set up a new inquiry into who is responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria after reports of the suspected chlorine use in eastern Ghouta.

A previous chemical weapons inquiry in Syria died in November when Russia refused to go along with a Western bid to renew its mandate.

U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein issued a warning Friday about the re-emergence of chemical attacks in Ghouta as well as the fierce Syrian government bombing campaign that he said had targeted civilian areas and hospitals and killed more than 600 people since last month.

"What we are seeing in eastern Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria are likely war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity," Zeid told a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

"Civilians are being pounded into submission or death," he said, warning that the perpetrators will not "get away with this."

"The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind," Zeid said.

Western nations that sit on the rights body drafted a resolution that condemns the government attacks and demands the immediate start of a monthlong truce across Syria that the U.N. Security Council has been seeking.

But action on the measure was put off amid disagreement from Russia and other countries about the wording, officials said.

Moscow and Damascus both denied that Syria is using chemical weapons or targeting civilians and hospitals in Ghouta.The U.S. Secret Service said a man shot himself Saturday outside the White House and medical personnel arrived at the scene to treat the victim's wound.

A short while later, Washington police said on Twitter that the man had been declared dead:

The man's identity was not immediately available.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were at their Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the time of the shooting and were expected to return to Washington later in the day.

The Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting the president and other national leaders, said in a Twitter post there were no other injuries.

The White House press office said "we are aware of the situation" and "the president has been briefed."

The White House was on lockdown as a result of the report of a shooting.

In an earlier Tweet, the Secret Service said it was responding to what were then unconfirmed reports of a shooting:

The shooting occurred as the U.S. is embroiled in debate over federal and state gun control laws following the February 14 fatal shooting of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.Armed police cordoned off Babourfields Stadium in Zimbabwes second largest city, Bulawayo, on Saturday amid reports that the Ndebeles were going to defy a court order blocking the coronation of a new king.

According to traditionalists, who went to the stadium to check the situation though they did not intend to defy the court order, they were not allowed to get inside the council-owned property by the police.

Chief Nhlanhla Khayisa Ndiweni told a group of people gathering outside the kings offices in the city that they should not feel defeated but victorious following the High Court order declaring the installation of a Ndebele king as unconstitutional.

Dont feel disappointed about this. In fact, we have shown them that we are people with strong cultural beliefs. They panicked in government, they panicked in the courts of law and we are still here to do what we are supposed to do. The day will come for us to install our king.

Bulelani Lobhengula Khumalo is the heir apparent to the Ndebele throne. The second and last Ndebele king, Lobhengula, disappeared in 1894.

His father, Mzilikazi established a Ndebele kingdom soon after he left Zululand then under the tight rule of Tshaka Zulu in South Africa.

A High Court judge on Friday issued an order blocking the coronation of the prince amid reports that the government was scared of having a Ndebele monarch in the country.

The country's constitution is silent on the position of a king.10 March. The Forgotten Project is organising a free guided tour of the cloisters, chapels and frescoes of three historic Roman hospitals: S. Spirito in Saxia, S. Gallicano and Nuovo Regina Margherita, at 15.30 on Saturday 10 March.

As part of the second edition of Forgotten, a street art project dedicated to the forgotten buildings in Rome, English street artist My Dog Sighs will create a mural on the exterior wall of the Nuovo Regina Margherita hospital from 12-18 March.

Nuovo Regina Margherita hospital with its 11th-century cloister

One of Rome's lesser-known treasures, the monastery of S. Cosimato in Trastevere dates back to the mid-11th century. It became a convent in the 13th century before being transformed into a city hospice in 1891 and then finally, in 1960, assuming its current role as the Nuovo Regina Margherita hospital.

Given the Forgotten Project's scope, at the end of the tour participants will be invited to leave their thoughts on the hospital wall, for My Dog Sighs to incorporate into his mural.

For more information about the Forgotten Project as well as the three other British street artists coming to Rome and the city's first Free Art Friday, see website. For details of the tour - which will be conducted in Italian with a meeting point at Borgo S. Spirito 3 at 15.30 - see Facebook event page.Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue.

The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website:

We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service.Love said she has not filed a complaint against Barkley, who is giving up his seat at the end of the year and running for the Montgomery County Council. She said she came forward after a former Montgomery County delegate mentioned the veteran lawmakers name on social media as an alleged perpetrator. And she said she hopes that making her allegations public will help fuel changes in the legislature, which only this year began tracking how many harassment complaints it receives and how they are resolved.The only name I knew for that edifice was the one my mother had always used: the Hungarian Whorehouse, Andrea wrote. By then old enough to suddenly realize the nickname was decidedly derogatory, I was perplexed as to why anyone would call it that (aside from the fact it was alliterative). My mother simply allowed thats what she was told.Nor is it likely to be good for the country. For what happens to an increasingly demographically sorted America when we no longer share even our basic commercial culture? If we cant even fly on the same airlines or drive the same rental cars, why should New York bankers and Silicon Valley engineers pay taxes that disproportionately flow to rural red states? Why should the sons and daughters of those rural areas disproportionately staff the military that defends them? And how are these two completely separate peoples to jointly decide on the running of one vast country?And you arent wrong. We have much to worry about right here. But armed militias arent roaming our streets the way they do there. We dont live in fear of rockets, napalm and chemical weapons being dropped on our homes. We arent cut off from food and medicine. We dont have to dig through rubble to find our children or our mother or that neighbor down the street who couldnt get around too well.Charlotte NC Shooting Range  Setting the Bar High

If you are new to the area or just want a place to hone your skills with an old-fashioned feel, then you might want to check out the Charlotte NC shooting range. This is where you will find traditional hunting as well as the latest technology at your fingertips. The indoor facility is clean, organized, and stocked with anything you need to be a success. From youth programs to military training, from the newest technology to the oldest bows and arrows, you are sure to find something that will fit your needs.

This range offers everything from youth programs to military training, from new technologies to the oldest bows and arrows. If youre looking for the very best in bow hunting equipment, this is the place to go. From bow hunting beginners to the most seasoned hunters, you will find it all at this one of a kind facility. With everything you need including bows, recurve and compound bows, arrows, shooting accessories and apparel, this is the place to be.

If you own your own business, this is the perfect place to advertise, display your wares and raise money for your favorite cause. If youve always wanted to start your own business, this great shooting range is the perfect setting to do it in. With all the benefits of a professional location, as well as being within a short driving distance from Charlottes professional downtown area, your business will boom. Your customers will come from all over the world, which is always a good thing when youre trying to expand. Its a truly win-win situation for everyone involved.The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is seeking to work more closely with global financial markets as it delivers its 2030 smart growth strategy, said Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Adnoc Group CEO.



Speaking at the Global Financial Markets Forum in Abu Dhabi yesterday (February 27), Dr Al Jaber said: We are making smarter use of our capital and will work with the financial markets as we proactively manage our portfolio of assets and capital to further unlock value from within Adnoc.



Dr Al Jaber made his comments during a panel discussion entitled Abu Dhabis transformation journey.



Adnocs engagement with the financial markets, Dr Al Jaber said, is an example of the new strategic partnership model the company is implementing. While Adnoc continues to appreciate all its partners, from East to West, he said, Adnocs new approach is centred on strategic relationships that deliver growth opportunities, market access, smart capital and strategic value add.



Dr Al Jaber cited Adnocs issuance of a $3 billion bond, backed by the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, and the partial listing of Adnoc Distribution, as examples of how Adnoc is taking a new, more dynamic approach to managing its assets and capital, adding that while Adnoc, as a holding company, would remain government owned, there will be a further co-investment opportunities, for those who recognize the mutual benefits in partnering with it.



Confirming plans for significant downstream investments, over the next five years, Dr Al Jaber said Adnoc is committed to becoming a leading global downstream player, through an ambitious domestic and international investment strategy, aimed at capitalizing on growth markets. Dr Al Jaber said Adnoc plans to build on the strong foundation it has created in Ruwais to develop the worlds largest integrated refining and chemical site, tripling petrochemicals production capacity to 14.4 million tonnes by 2025.



Inviting the financial community to join Adnoc on its journey and support its efforts in driving efficiency, enhancing performance and embedding a commercial mindset across its business, Dr Al Jaber stressed Adnocs downstream expansion would introduce new business and investment opportunities to a new category of investors, with a diverse range of growth, risk profiles, returns and yield.



There will be a mixture of equity and debt investment opportunities, including listed and private equity, fixed income, infrastructure as well as structured and project finance, for Greenfield and brownfield projects, he highlighted.



As part of Adnocs downstream expansion strategy, Dr Al Jaber confirmed, the company is in discussion with several potential partners, that offer new technologies, expertise and skills and who are attracted by Adnocs long history of successful partnerships and the long-term consistency, security and stability of the UAE business environment.



Adnocs Group CEO said the company is also taking steps to increase the spill over impact on the UAE economy from its smart investments, through its In-Country Value strategy.



This will expand domestic sector involvement across Adnocs value chain; create job opportunities, especially in the private sector; improve technology transfer and ultimately enhance the UAE private sectors competitiveness, by driving improved efficiencies and better performance.



In addition, Dr Al Jaber said, Adnocs focus on In-Country Value will encourage international partners to work more closely with local SMEs to maximize the use of local products, manufacturing and assembly facilities, services and local infrastructure.  TradeArabia News ServiceUnited Talent Agency / Contributed photo

Demetri Martin is a comedian who is full of surprises. He says things like, I was walking in the park and this guy waved at me. Then he said, Im sorry, I thought you were someone else. I said, I am.

Hes also a deep thinker, especially where food is involved: My favorite fruit is grapes. Because with grapes, you always get another chance. Because, you know, if you have a crappy apple or a peach, youre stuck with that crappy piece of fruit. But if you have a crappy grape, no problem  just move on to the next. Grapes: The Fruit of Hope.For about two decades, the nonprofit Music for Youth has offered free Saturday afternoon concerts for Fairfield County youth, featuring highly skilled professional performing artists from New York City and environs.

That comes to end with a free Finale Young Persons Concert on Saturday, March 10, when the fiery Russian piano duo of Primakov/Lavrova perform at the Pequot Library in the Southport section of Fairfield.

Music for Youth has presented concerts in the auditorium of Pequot Library for the past 24 years, explains director Misty Beyer in an email chat. The organizations mission has always been to excite, engage and ignite students of all ages.

The mission of Music for Youth, founded by the late Marianne Liberatore, is to foster a love and knowledge of classical music and world music in young people through free childrens concerts and music programs in local schools, thus encouraging the study, performance, and understanding of music by youngsters of all ages and backgrounds.

But, as times have changed, so has the focus of MFY, she added. We are moving our focus to education; So MFY will continue to work in the schools in Bridgeport and on the Emerging Young Artist series, its Meet the Orchestra series and the Friday Night Cafe for Young Artists.

Saturdays finale will be staged with two pianos, featuring a program that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Russian-born duo of Natalia Lavrova and Vassily Primakov was established in 2010. Each began their studies in Moscow, and later at The Juilliard School in Manhattan. They have performed extensively throughout the United States as Yamaha Artists.

A master class for advanced solo and duo pianists will follow the concert, Beyer announced. Registration is required; interested students are asked to email musicforyouthct@gmail.com for more information. There is a suggested donation of $35 for performing in the master class.

Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Ave., Southport section of Fairfield. Saturday, March 10, 2 p.m. Free for families; adults attending without children are asked to make a donation. 203-254-0123.With the third arrest made Friday in her sons 2016 killing, Laura Slinsky said shes glad the people who murdered him will finally be behind bars.

Tyreik Gantt, 20, of Stamford, was arrested Friday for his role in 18-year-old Shane Slinskys murder. Hes the third person arrested in this case.

On Aug. 27, 2016, 18-year-old Shane Slinsky was gunned down on Wood Terrace in Bridgeport. Slinsky was shot twice in the head. He was the sixth homicide of 2016.

Despite the initial belief by investigators in 2016 that Slinsky, of Stamford, was killed during a drug deal gone bad, that is no longer the case.

That was a working theory by police two years ago that we have publicly stated that we do not believe is what happened in this homicide, said Bridgeport police spokesman Av Harris on Friday.

Laura Slinsky, in a phone interview Thursday, stressed that the suspects lured her son to the area in an attempt to rob him. She said she believes her sons best friend may have even been set up to be involved in the murder.

My son was my everything. Now Im the mother of the child that was murdered, Slinsky said. He (Shane) was a great, great young man. Its sad. And all for what? For nothing.

But now, Slinsky said, whats important is that the public focuses on her sons killers.

Timeline of arrests

The first person to face charges in connection with Shane Slinskys murder was Jeremy Middleton, then 19. Middleton, Slinsky said, was her sons best friend.

Middleton, of Stamford, was arrested on March 10, 2017, and charged with felony murder, first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.

Onaje Smith, 19, of Bridgeport, was charged on Tuesday with murder, felony murder, first-degree robbery, carrying a pistol without a permit and third-degree larceny.

He doesnt have a soul in him, Laura Slinsky said of Smith, claiming he was the one to pull the trigger.

Gantt was arrested by Bridgeport police Friday, Bridgeport police Lt. Christopher LaMaine said. Laura Slinsky said Thursday she was told Gantt would be the third person to be charged in her sons murder.

Criminal history

The three charged in Slinskys murder have extensive criminal records, mostly featuring charges connected with robberies.

Middleton and Smith were frequently arrested in connection with the same robberies, court records and previously Hearst Connecticut Media reporting showed.

From where I stand, we should focus a little bit more on the fact that (they) are monsters, Laura Slinsky said.

On Oct. 20, 2016, Middleton was charged with possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana. Then, Middleton faced a slew of robbery-related charges.

Court records indicated the robberies took place from Jan. 9, 2017, to Jan. 27, 2017. On the final robbery charges, Middleton was also charged with stealing a firearm and possession of a pistol without a permit.

Smiths criminal record features several instances of robbery and larceny charges. Court records indicate these offenses took place between Jan. 9, 2017, and Jan. 25, 2017. He also had an arson charge on his record.

In one Jan. 2017 robbery, Smith allegedly shot a delivery man in the hand and the leg.

Then, on March 6, 2017, Smith was arrested again  just three days after police arrested Gantt.

Back then, police said, Smith and Gantt had been wreaking holy hell in the lower Fairfield County area.

Smith and Gantt were charged, in that case, for a bodega shooting on Stamfords West Side. The two were charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

Stamford police said, after the bodega shooting, that Smith and Gantt had been jailed on charges related other shootings in Stamford, Bridgeport and Norwalk.

I wish that the news would focus more on the bigger picture that theyre really, really bad young individuals, Laura Slinsky said. Theyve caused a lot of damage.

No closure

Laura Slinsky said she will never have a feeling of closure, despite knowing that the people who killed her son will be behind bars.

She said the sentences given to people in Connecticut for murder charges arent enough  citing a case where a 16-year-old killed a young mother in Bridgeport and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Its not enough, Slinsky said. You take a life and you still have your life.

With three people facing charges in her sons murder, there will be a lot of court dates for Slinsky to attend, she said. But she said she will do her best to be at every one.

My son isnt here. He doesnt get to have a voice, Slinsky said. So I have to go.

Though, Slinky said, she wont get closure, she feels some comfort in knowing the responsible will do time behind bars.

I have some kind of relief that another mothers child might be saved because theyve been put away, Slinsky said.Kind and caring Breda was always thinking of othersMazraati Academy, the first academy in Egypt and the Middle East offering specialised training courses in animal, poultry and fish production, was inaugurated by Dr Mona Mehrez, Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Animal Resources, Fisheries and Poultry.



Her participation reaffirms the support of Egyptian government for this initiative, which aims to bolster animal and poultry production in Egypt, said a statement.



The opening ceremony, which was held at the Greek Campus of the American University in Cairo, Egypt, was attended by 2,000 invitees.



During the Mazraati Academy launch ceremony, Wadi Group, one of Egypt's largest agribusiness groups, announced its sponsorship of the academy.



Tony Freiji Wadi, President and CEO, Wadi Group, said: The company has extensive regional and international experience in poultry production and related industries and services.



We seek to encourage initiatives and programmes that contribute to preparing new technical cadres to work in animal and poultry production, as well as aquaculture. Mazraati Academy is one of the most important initiatives that we proudly support, he said.



It is the first of its kind in the region to offer specialised training courses in these respective fields. We consider human resources the most important factor in modernising and developing food supply chains in Egypt and the academy shares our vision for the development of technical cadres strongly required in these disciplines, he added.



We are honoured to cooperate with Wadi Group, which has more than half a century of experience in poultry production and related industries and services, said Eng Mamdouh Al Amry, Mazraati chairman.



Wadi Groups support will enable us to spread our message among Egyptian youth who are interested in livestock and poultry production in the local market. Participation in free-of-charge courses is available for all. Each course takes from 1-2 hours divided into 5-10 minute segments each. There are no set criteria for selecting trainees, as all courses are, he said.



The lectures will cover animal production, marketing, poultry, feeds, manufacturing and others, and will be attended by large number of specialists in these fields in the Egyptian market, he added.



Wadi Group and other industry experts contribute to providing technical knowledge and scientific disciplines required for the Mazraati Academy. The academy aims to qualify technical cadres for the job market through a number of training courses specialised in animal and poultry production, vaccination, veterinary care, feeds, breeding, fish farms and others.



Following completion of the online courses, participants are required to pass exams in order to receive an attendance certificate.



The academy provides workshops and site visits to factories, poultry and fish farms, to give students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience on the topics they studied theoretically.



At a later stage, Mazraati Academy will prepare a database of qualified graduates so that specialised companies can recruit them for job vacancies, it stated.  TradeArabia News ServiceA lot has changed since 1929, when the Oscars made their Hollywood debut. This Sunday, the Academy Awards will mark their 90th ceremony with a renewed bid for cultural relevance, especially in the charged atmosphere coming out of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign and the #MeToo movement.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A lot has changed since 1929, when the Oscars made their Hollywood debut. This Sunday, the Academy Awards will mark their 90th ceremony with a renewed bid for cultural relevance, especially in the charged atmosphere coming out of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign and the #MeToo movement.

In the last two years, the Academy has pushed to recruit more women and people of colour. This cohort of younger, more diverse members joins a block of veteran voters who probably have to ask their grandchildren what "woke" means.

Its a demographic mix that could make for some unpredictable outcomes. Add in an eclectic year at the movie theatres and the wacky waywardness of the preferential ballot system (for the Best Pic category), and obvious frontrunners are hard to nail down.

The Shape of Water leads the nominations with 13, but even Guillermo del Toros wondrously fishy sci-fi fable is not exactly conventional Oscar fare. In a wide-open year, here are my picks for possible winners (and a few that I wish could win but probably wont).

Best Supporting Actor

Richard Jenkins (left) and Doug Jones in The Shape of Water. (Kerry Hayes / 20th Century Fox)

Christopher Plummer should get a degree-of-difficulty bonus for his work in All the Money in the World. He crafted his sly, malevolent portrayal of billionaire J. Paul Getty in rushed reshoots after being brought in to replace the disgraced Kevin Spacey.

Sam Rockwell, left, and Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. (Merrick Morton / Fox Searchlight)

Woody Harrelson and especially Sam Rockwell, an underrated and consistently interesting actor, do emotionally tough work as small-town police officers in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. But this is a divisive film, and even its supporters will be splitting their votes between the two men.

Willem Dafoe, better known for playing weirdos and goblins, gives a straight-up sweet performance as a decent man in The Florida Project.

But Im really hoping that Richard Jenkins, a steady-Eddy 70-year-old character actor doing lovely, quiet work as a misfit artist in The Shape of Water, might come up the middle.

Best Supporting Actress

Allison Janney as Tonya Hardings mom, LaVona Golden. (Neon)

Mary J. Blige will probably be passed over for her standout work in Mudbound, a Netflix original drama, not because of the calibre of her acting but because of Hollywood angst over streaming platforms.

Daniel Day-Lewis (left) and Vicky Krieps in the film Phantom Thread. (Laurie Sparham / Focus Features)

In Phantom Thread, a film that involves many unseen women propping up a solitary male genius, Lesley Manville manages to hold her own  quietly, magnificently  against Daniel Day-Lewis. Octavia Spencer reliably lifts even underwritten roles, and she actually gets quite a lot to work with in her not-the-usual "best friend" role in The Shape of Water.

Laurie Metcalf turns in an emotionally complicated, hugely relatable performance as a regular mother just barely holding it together in Lady Bird. But regular mothers are so often overlooked.

Monster mothers, on the other hand, grab our attention. The Oscar will probably go to Allison Janney for her big, juicy role as Tonya Hardings horror-show stage mom in I, Tonya.

Best Actor

Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour. (Focus)

Timothee Chalamet not only delivers a breakout performance in Call Me by Your Name, he also had a stellar red-carpet season. For some strange, gendered reason, however, the Academy loves beautiful young women but not beautiful young men.

Daniel Kaluuya does terrific work in Get Out, one of the years most buzzed-about films, but he himself is still a bit of an unknown quantity. (Maybe Black Panther will help change that.) Denzel Washington, on the other hand, is an industry fave but scored his nom for Roman J. Israel, Esq., an uneven film with almost no awards season cachet.

Actors Timothee Chalamet (left) as Elio and Armie Hammer as Oliver in Call Me By Your Name. (Mongrel Media)

Actors-actor Day-Lewis, who claims he is retiring from acting (again!), might seem due for a sentimental send-off from the Academy  except his work as a 1950s fashion designer in Phantom Thread has a fine-stitched fastidiousness that could turn many voters off.

That probably leaves Gary Oldman. Darkest Hour, a middling film that centres on one big performance, is  as several critics pointed out  basically the Great Man theory of history applied to acting. Oldmans blustering, bellowing, cigar-chewing, prosthetically transformed, tour-de-force turn as Winston Churchill dominates the screen in the most Oscar-baity way.

Best Actress

Frances McDormand in a scene from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. (Fox Searchlight)

Yes, heres Meryl Streep, as usual, but playing an endearingly un-Oscar-ish role in The Post. No accents, not much suffering, just a lovely subtle sense of a woman making a late-life transformation.

Saoirse Ronan (left) and Laurie Metcalf in the film Lady Bird. (Merie Wallace / A24)

Saoirse Ronan shines  almost literally  as the impatient, outspoken teen protagonist in Lady Bird. This is the third nomination for the 23-year-old Irishwoman, an almost Streep-like rate, but this might not be her year to win.

Margot Robbie throws herself into the titular role in I, Tonya, giving scorned 90s figure skater Tonya Harding a chance to finally tell her story. Sally Hawkins does extraordinary work as a mute cleaner in The Shape of Water, in which she says so much in what is essentially a silent role.

But its Frances McDormand in Three Billboards who will probably have the last word this year. Playing a grieving mother who refuses to stop talking about her murdered daughter, she is raw, angry and the best thing in a flawed film.

Best Picture

An Oscar for The Shape of Water would be a resounding win for genre pics. (Kerry Hayes / 20th Century Fox)

Of course journalists like The Post (heroic typing! emergency proofreading! the touching belief that "quality drives profitability!"). For many film fans, however, this fact-based story is solid but not standout Steven Spielberg. (Particularly if you saw Seth Meyers "Newspaper Movie" spoof first.)

Phantom Thread, set in the rarefied world of 1950s English couture, is an exquisite work of art about the human cost of exquisite works of art. I adored this delicate and perverse film, even though it made me feel shabby and underdressed, but I fear Paul Thomas Andersons masterwork is too peculiar for Oscar gold.

There are two perfect coming-of-age tales, Call Me by Your Name, an absolutely gorgeous tale of first love set in northern Italy, and Lady Bird, which takes place in the more prosaic setting of suburban Sacramento, Calif., but still has a warm, radiant beauty all its own.

There are also two Second World War films. Despite director Joe Wrights visual flair, Darkest Hour is a deeply conventional, keep-calm-and-carry-on historical drama, and it suffers in comparison to fellow nominee Dunkirk. Its hard to watch powerful old men arguing in smoky war rooms in Darkest Hour without thinking about the actual soldiers stranded on the beach in Dunkirk, in a film that brings extraordinary, visceral immediacy to the terrifying confusion of war.

Three Billboards wants to come off as the "gritty" Oscar choice. Attempting to combine pitch-dark comedy and social realism, this hard-hearted film ends up with neither. Worse than its tone-deaf take on the heartland, the story pretends to examine racism in America but really just uses race as a cheap plot device.

Lakeith Stanfield (left) and Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out, which would be a refreshing surprise if it won Best Picture. (Universal Pictures)

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An Oscar for either Get Out or The Shape of Water would be a resounding win for genre pics (horror-comedy and sci-fi-fantasy, respectively), which have historically been ignored by the Academy in favour of earnest historical dramas and worthy bio-pics.

The Shape of Water offers some truly sweet movie magic, but theres not a lot swimming underneath its beguiling surfaces. Get Out goes deeper, with its scathing indictment of racism, and with its unsettling sense that everyday happenings  like driving while black in a predominantly white area  are at the core of the storys terror.

With its 13 nominations, The Shape of Water has probably got the momentum, but Get Out would be a crackerjack surprise win.

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.caFor years, Charleswood residents Margaret Steele and Shahina Siddiqui were strangers separated by a city block until a medical clinic in Uganda brought them together.

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This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For years, Charleswood residents Margaret Steele and Shahina Siddiqui were strangers separated by a city block until a medical clinic in Uganda brought them together.

Now Steele, a member of St. James Anglican Church, and Siddiqui, president of the Islamic Social Services Association, help each other out, share rides and call each other friends.

"Weve had this connection for 10 years," Steele says of the joint Christian-Muslim efforts to raise funds for a medical clinic in Kyerima, Uganda.

"Weve opened up the doors to each other," adds Siddiqui, who lives a short walk from Steeles home.

Their relationship was sparked by a request to Winnipegger Pat Stewart from the people of Kyerima, Uganda, a community about 70 kilometres from the capital city of Kampala. One of 19 Anglicans from Manitoba visiting the Ugandan diocese of Buganda in 2007, the retired nurse recalls villagers taking her aside for a little chat.

"They took me to three acres of land next to the village and said the (Anglican) church was donating the land (for a medical clinic) and would I help them build it."

The Winnipeg-based diocese of Ruperts Land has a long-term companion relationship with the diocese of Buganda and delegations visit back and forth frequently.

The retired nurse promised her new friends she would think about it, and, upon returning to Winnipeg, realized this task needed many hands. She turned to women from the St. James parish, where she attended at the time, and also reached out to Siddiqui for connections to the Muslim community.

"After I got home, I thought, how am I going to manage this? but over there (in Uganda), it was Muslims and Christians together," Stewart says, explaining why she decided to make the fundraising an interfaith effort in Winnipeg.

Next weekend, Stewart and her Anglican friends join efforts with Siddiqui and the Muslim community for their third and final joint event to raise funds to build washrooms for the 10-room medical clinic. Outfitted with a dispensary, birthing area and exam rooms, the clinic building is nearly complete, but cant be open to patients until the plumbing is installed, Stewart says.

"The last time I spoke to them (in Uganda), I said this is the last fundraiser were having on this project," she says of the upcoming event, which could raise $10,000 if all the 250 tickets are sold. Like the first dinner 10 years ago, the meal includes a vegetarian main course catered by Charisma Restaurant and dainties provided by the Anglicans.

After a decade of planning events and learning about each other, the dinners organizers are united in their efforts, both for the clinic in Uganda and future projects in their hometown of Winnipeg, says Steele, who has visited several city mosques and attended a joint lecture series on Christianity and Islam last spring.

"Through this, we found new friends there," she says.

"Were friends and our communities can work together."

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"I think theres more of connected feeling," adds Stewart, who laments that more than 10 years has passed since the Ugandans requested her help.

"Were invested in one another with our feelings and emotions."

For Siddiqui, the clinic project has built strong personal relationships within the Christian community and developed friendships among neighbours. Already well-known in interfaith circles for her educational efforts on Muslim culture and beliefs, she believes working on a common cause like this strengthens interfaith work on the ground level and sets a precedent for more joint projects.

"Community is larger than my culture and my faith," she says. "Its my neighbours, my city, where I live."

Winnipeg Anglicans and Muslims host their final fundraising dinner for a medical clinic in Uganda, March 10 at 6 p.m., at the St. James Civic Centre, 2055 Ness Ave. Tickets are $40 (with a $35 tax receipt), available from St. James Anglican Church, 204-888-3489 or Islamic Social Services Association, 204-944-1560.

brenda@suderman.comEtihad Etisalat (Mobily), a leading telecom services operator in Saudi Arabia, has signed an agreement with Nokia Company to launch 5G tests for the first time in the kingdom.



The duo is collaborating in a strategic vision to develop 5G towards the next generation of advanced bandwidth network.



The MoU includes introducing new technologies in Mobily network like; 4.5G LET, and 4.9G, 5G, transport modernization for both optic and IP, fixed wireless access technologies including FastMile and wireless PON, said Ahmed Aboudoma, Mobily CEO, after signing the deal with Ashish Chowdhary, Chief Customer Operations Officer at Nokia, recently in Barcelona.



"We are working in Mobily to achieve one of the pillars of the Saudi Vision, in which the kingdom is seeking to increase high speed internet coverage in different regions of the country and enhance the quality of connection," he noted.



"In order to achieve this goal, we are currently working on signing a MoU with Nokia and other enterprises that has a track record in launching new technologies over Telecom Towers," he added.



This MoU comes as a contribution from Mobily to achieve one of most important goals of Kingdom Vision 2030, which focuses on setting up Kingdom technologies to be prepared for any new technical updates in the international Telecom industry.-TradeArabia News ServiceHey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Perhaps couples counselling would help.

The relationship between Manitobas Progressive Conservative government and its employees is, as they say, a complicated matter.

Since coming to power in 2016, Premier Brian Pallister has taken a tough-love approach to managing the provinces finances, a strategy that has produced some harsh consequences for the people who work for the government.

There have been layoffs, fierce downsizing via vacancy management and drastic reorganization of service delivery, all things that directly affect the way people do their work. The government also passed  but has yet to proclaim  a bill to impose wage freezes on its unionized employees.

On the other side of the relationship, you have public-sector unions engaged in a relentless, all-out public-relations war against the province in response to the austerity measures. Every time the province makes an announcement or launches an initiative, it can count on an incoming volley of arrows from labour leaders.

Combine all of that painful change brought forward from the government with the unabashedly hostile reaction from the unions and youve got a pretty rocky marriage.

At some point, someone in the relationship was going to have to extend an olive branch or find common ground. No organization can function effectively when there is so much distrust between employees and management.

On Wednesday, Pallister made his first attempt to find that common ground and build a new relationship. Sort of.

Flanked by Finance Minister Cameron Friesen and Fred Meier, the clerk of the executive council, Pallister unveiled a new "transformation" initiative to improve employee engagement and the overall level of service being provided, spur innovation and, in general, bring "joy" back into the working lives of civil servants.

After nearly two years of bad cop, the premier was clearly on a good-cop charm offensive. "Ive never met anyone who has been excellent at what they did unless they found joy in doing it," Pallister said. "And thats what were looking for."

How will the government bring joy back to the civil service? The details are pretty muddy.

Pallister talked about introducing new mechanisms such as balanced scorecards to help track government work and improve outcomes. However, that is not really a tool of workforce transformation. At best, its a commonly applied project-management or workflow methodology.

As for engagement, innovation and the overall employee experience, neither the premier nor his two colleagues could enunciate the specific measures that they would be bringing forward. Also muddy was the premiers assessment of the current state of the civil service, and how it got that way.

Pallister said his government spoke directly with more than 1,600 individual civil servants as part of its pre-budget consultations. That process revealed a culture largely created by the former NDP government that stifled dissent, suppressed innovation and instilled a sense of fear and dread.

The current governments bid to change that culture is something that is going to be embraced widely by civil servants. "They are excited about this process," the premier said.

There may be some truth to the assertion that the culture of the civil service eroded under NDP rule; such is the fate of long-serving governments. However, asking people to believe that the often-painful decisions unleashed by the current government have not contributed to the current culture is a hard argument to swallow.

Given the dire fiscal conditions it faces, the Tory government can claim with some justification that its measures are necessary. But it cant absolve itself of the effect they have had on civil servants. Nor can it escape the fact that its obvious contempt for unions is a complicating factor that will limit this transformation initiative.

In a positive step, Meier did meet with union leaders a week prior to Wednesday to brief them on the initiative. However, during his news conference, Pallister never once uttered the word "union." Neither did he discuss Bill 28, the wage-freeze law.

BIll 28 is likely unenforceable. If this initiative is about creating a new relationship with provincial civil servants, then it would be a wonderful time to walk back the bill as a gesture of goodwill. Lamentably, that doesnt appear to be part of the strategy.

A statement issued by Pallisters office after the news conference avoided the flowery language he used when he talked about bringing joy back to the lives of provincial civil servants. "Transformation is definitively not connected to wage negotiations," the statement said bluntly. As for Bill 28, the response got even more curt. "(The) wage freeze is about the PC government commitment to fix the provinces finances. It is a necessary part of our fiscal plan and we are not walking it back."

Again, its hard to see how civil servants can learn to trust an employer that believes wages in general, and a legislated wage freeze in particular, are somehow divorced from issues such as engagement. Salary is not the only component of a satisfying career, but its certainly up there.

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The government seems to have no plans to enact Bill 28, choosing instead to allow contracts to expire without resolution. Right now, the Pallister government is getting all the benefits of Bill 28 simply by slowing its response to expiring contracts to a glacial pace.

It deserves to be said that the Pallister government does not bear the responsibility for building a better relationship alone. Public-sector unions, as well, must be more strategic in the fights they choose, and the tone they adopt in public debate.

Although they may feel a moral imperative to speak out about austerity measures, public-sector unions may find that their relentless, public attacks against this government will only harden its resolve. Along with the formal relationship that exists between the unions and the NDP, the Tory government doesnt believe there is any reason to build bridges.

That means unions will have to be more thoughtful about their strategy if they are going to play a role in forging a better relationship.

For now, neither unions nor the government appear poised to make meaningful progress in creating a better culture in the provincial civil service. That wont happen until both sides demonstrate that they actually want something better.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.caFestival du Voyageur board president Simon Normandeau said Friday hes considering a run for the NDP nomination in the St. Boniface byelection.

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This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Festival du Voyageur board president Simon Normandeau said Friday hes considering a run for the NDP nomination in the St. Boniface byelection.

"Now that the festival is over, I am currently reflecting on the possibility of seeking the nomination in the St. Bonifaces constituency," said Normandeau, who is a French-language educator.

Greg Selinger will resign on Wednesday, after holding the seat for the NDP since 1999.

Premier Brian Pallister has said he will call the byelection by Sept. 8, within the six months allowed by law, but wont commit to calling it before summer.

Earlier this week, Blandine Tona, program co-ordinator at the Sexuality Education Resource Centre and a human rights activist, announced shell seek the NDP nomination.

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City Coun. Matt Allard said he wont run provincially for the NDP. Instead, hell seek re-election to city council in 2020.

Natalie Duhamel told the Free Press she wont try for the Liberal nomination. A constituency aide to Liberal MP Dan Vandal, Duhamel is the daughter of the late Liberal senator Ron Duhamel, and Carolyn Duhamel, retired longtime executive director of the Manitoba School Boards Association.

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont is considering trying for the St. Boniface seat, which he contested in 2003 against Selinger, but wants to see if the riding association prefers someone else. Winning the riding would give the Liberals four seats and party status, bringing in resources and additional publicly paid staff.

None of the parties has called a nomination meeting yet. The Liberals have their annual general meeting March 16 and 17, but have yet to release an agenda.

Selinger announced his resignation a week after NDP Leader Wab Kinew demanded he step down. Several female staffers raised complaints about inappropriate sexual misconduct by former cabinet minister Stan Struthers, under the watch of former premiers Selinger and Gary Doer.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.caOwners of high-rise buildings continue to struggle with Winnipegs enforcement of a 32-year-old safety bylaw that imposes steep fines.

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This article was published 2/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Owners of high-rise buildings continue to struggle with Winnipegs enforcement of a 32-year-old safety bylaw that imposes steep fines.

Three building owners went to city hall Friday to challenge fines of $15,000 each, including the Fairmont hotel.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The Fairmont hotel is facing $15,000 in fines from the city of Winnipeg.

For the Fairmont, it believed it was in compliance with the building code after undergoing extensive upgrades from 2009 to 2014.

However, the city sent a notice to the Fairmont in October 2016, indicating a fine of $5,000  but it was sent to a wrong address and never arrived at the hotel.

In December 2017, the city sent a second notice  the original $5,000 fine, plus another $10,000 fine  again to the wrong address, but this time, it was forwarded to the hotel.

"We take the life and safety matters very, very seriously at the hotel. Were in the business of housing people," Fairmont manager Drew Fisher told city councillors on the property and development committee.

"I struggle to understand how notices could be sent to the wrong address. We receive all of our tax bills. Im not sure why this (bylaw infraction notice) wouldnt come to us."

The problem can be traced back to councils budget meeting in March 2016, when the public was focused on possible police layoffs and skyrocketing water and sewer rates.

Without any details, council approved a budget plan that included a retroactive fine on large, older multi-residential properties that did not comply with the building code.

In late October 2016, the city contacted the owners of 325 buildings to tell them their properties were not in compliance with fire safety bylaw 4304/86.

The letter was accompanied with an invoice  a fine of $100 per suite in each building, with a minimum penalty of $500 and a maximum of $5,000.

The notice said if the building was not brought into compliance within a year, the fine would be assessed again, at twice the rate and would be doubled every subsequent year the property was not in compliance.

Property owners expressed shock at what they described as heavy-handed tactics.

The city assumed all the properties on the list were not in compliance, issued fines and put the onus on the owners to show either the buildings were in compliance or deal with the deficiencies within the year.

Owners have been appealing the fines on a regular basis, with the committee generally waiving the cost if the building is in compliance.

Coun. John Orlikow, chairman of the property and development committee, said officials in the planning, property and development department had taken no steps to inspect the properties for 30 years, explaining the 2016 fine was seen as a remedy to bring the buildings into compliance quickly.

Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) said only about 85 buildings remain to be dealt with, adding hes sympathetic to those owners who are facing expensive bills.

"Some of these properties just arent worth the expense thats required to bring them into compliance, but we have to do something," he said.

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"We have to work with those owners. We just cant keep charging them fines forever."

For the Fairmont (2 Lombard Place), the only deficiency was a sign missing from near the hotel elevators. Fisher said the sign was installed by the end of January.

The committee waived the $10,000 fine, but left the original $5,000 fine intact.

Representatives from the two other properties, a 99-unit condominium on Wellington Crescent, and an airport-area hotel, gave the committee their commitment the work needed to bring their properties into compliance would be completed within the next several months.

Councillors agreed to adjourn the appeals until later in the year.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.caAn organization representing the chief executive officers of Manitoba's largest corporations is worried the provinical government's proposed carbon tax could make local exporters less competitive.

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This article was published 2/3/2018 (1296 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An organization representing the chief executive officers of Manitoba's largest corporations is worried the provinical government's proposed carbon tax could make local exporters less competitive.

The Business Council of Manitoba is asking corporations receive a credit for carbon taxes paid to produce products for export.

KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Don Leitch, President and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba.

Don Leitch, the business council's president and CEO, said Friday the organization is not opposed in principle to a carbon tax, but notes it is not applied evenly across the country and is non-existent in the United States, a key destination for Manitoba goods.

"We're trading into a non-carbon (tax) jurisdiction. A lot of low-cost countries that we compete with don't have carbon taxes," Leitch said a day after meeting with Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen.

In a wide-ranging presentation to the minister, the business council (representing 82 of the province's most powerful business leaders) said while it's important to manage spending -- a preoccupation of the Conservatives led by Premier Brian Pallister -- the government must also present a clear plan for growing the economy.

Among its other key points:

-- The government should stop dragging its feet on approving a business plan for CentrePort Canada, a 20,000-acre inland port/industrial park in the northwest corner of Winnipeg and the RM of Rosser.

-- The business group endorses Manitoba Hydro's effort, through the Public Utilities Board, to obtain a 7.9 per cent rate hike due to Crown corporation's "dire" financial situation.

-- Speculation Manitoba may significantly reduce or eliminate its film tax credit and tax increment financing is already spooking some investors. The group supports the continuation of these measures.

Leitch said the carbon tax, which Manitoba has indicated would be set at $25 a tonne (roughly a nickel per litre on the price of gasoline), isn't a back-breaker for business on its own. However, added to a high provincial payroll tax and other issues, it becomes a problem.

"It's going to create difficulty. It's one more issue on the competitiveness side, so we have to address it," he said.

Leitch said businesses are prepared to absorb the proposed tax on goods sold domestically. But manufacturers and the transportation industry could be hit hard on the export side. Some 80 per cent of manufactured goods produced in Manitoba are exported to the United States.

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In a statement to the Free Press, Friesen said the government will provide details of its carbon-pricing plan in the March 12 budget. He also took a swipe at the federal government for missing an opportunity in its 2018 budget this week to "show the business community that they take the challenge of competitiveness seriously."

Farmers have also pleaded with the province to protect them from the competitive perils of a carbon tax. Others who could be disproportionately affected include low-income persons facing higher home-heating costs.

Leitch said CentrePort, which received all-party support in the Manitoba legislature when it was created a decade ago, is unable to make commitments to some potential investors because the province has yet to approve the latest version of its business plan, which has been in its possession for eight months. Access by CentrePort to certain Crown-held lands is among the issues the government is said to be considering.

"The government, quite frankly, has taken too long (to make a decision)," Leitch said.

A spokeswoman for CentrePort declined to comment Friday. A government spokesman said the inland port's business plan is being included in a comprehensive review of Manitoba's economic development efforts.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.caLEGALIZING cannabis will lighten the load of law enforcement officers and allow resources to shift to the fight against cocaine and opioids, Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth says.

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This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LEGALIZING cannabis will lighten the load of law enforcement officers and allow resources to shift to the fight against cocaine and opioids, Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth says.

On Friday, Smyth told the Winnipeg Police Board that jurisdiction over cannabis laws will fall into the lap of government, in particular the Liquor and Gaming Authority of Manitoba.

"I think well be fine, but there will be some churns as we transition," he said, adding he does, however, expect some glitches.

The federal government is on track to make cannabis legal in Canada this year, possibly by late summer.

Winnipeg city Coun. Ross Eadie, who sits on the police board, asked if removing black-market cannabis sales might prompt dealers to sell more harmful drugs, such as methamphetamine.

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"My concern is people doing this illegally will move into selling meth and well have more of it," he said.

The police chief said there is already an increase in crystal meth on city streets. "Im seeing (dealers) turn to meth already because meth is cheaper than cocaine," he said.

Smyth also said he expects that, after legalization, there will still be a black market for cannabis, similar to when prohibition on liquor ended 95 years ago.

"There will still be a black market for a while," he said, adding how lucrative it is will depend on government-set prices and how widely the legal product is available.

"If the price is artificially high, that will provide an opportunity for the black market," the police chief said. "Well have to wait and see how it goes. Im not overly worried."

 Bill RedekopThe University of Winnipeg has issued a statement about one of its former instructors, who is reportedly being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct at Concordia University.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 2/3/2018 (1296 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Winnipeg has issued a statement about one of its former instructors, who is reportedly being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct at Concordia University.

Jon Paul Fiorentino was on contract at the U of W in 2003, teaching at its Centre for Academic Writing, according to the university.

(According to Fiorentino's online resume, he taught academic writing at the Manitoba school from September 2003 to April 2004.)

Fiorentino also studied at the U of W in the 1990s, but did not graduate from the school, moving on to Concordia in Montreal afterward.

"In light of recent allegations of sexual misconduct by Fiorentino while employed at Concordia University, we encourage anyone from the UWinnipeg community with concerns, including alumni, to get in touch with our human rights and diversity office at 204-988-7508 or s.belding@uwinnipeg.ca," says a statement on the school's website.

"The University of Winnipeg strives to provide a safe and respectful working and learning environment for students, staff, and faculty. Misconduct of any kind is not tolerated on our campus."

Fiorentino is one of at least two professors being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct at Concordia, according to a CBC report.

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The Montreal university launched a third-party investigation after allegations of inappropriate relationships between professors and students, and predatory behaviour, surfaced online.

In an interview Thursday, Concordia spokesperson Mary-Jo Barr would not confirm whether Fiorentino was one of two men at the centre of the misconduct investigation. She did say he and Montreal-based writer David McGimpsey were no longer teaching classes.

Fiorentino has not responded to a Free Press interview request.

He grew up in Transcona before moving to Montreal. According to his online resume, he has written nine books, won numerous prizes and been reviewed by outlets across Canada, including the Free Press.

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @_jessbuJust one month before Italys national elections on March 4, Luca Minieros satirical movie Sono Tornato (Im Back) hit the screens all over the country. It imagined the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini returning to the Italy of 2018  and its timing was perfect.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Just one month before Italys national elections on March 4, Luca Minieros satirical movie Sono Tornato (Im Back) hit the screens all over the country. It imagined the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini returning to the Italy of 2018  and its timing was perfect.

"The Italians, unlike the Germans, never dealt with their dictator, they have never removed him," said Miniero. "Watching what is happening today in our country, I am convinced that if Mussolini came back, he would win the election." But of course, Mussolini isnt coming back. Its only Silvio Berlusconi again.

The Italian counterpart of U.S. President Donald Trump has already been prime minister four times and he has been banned from political office for six years because of a conviction for tax fraud. He is also 81 years old. But they forgot to put a stake through his heart  and Berlusconi is back in business as the man behind the right-wing coalition that may form the next government in Italy.

It certainly wont be the populist Five-Star Movement, which refuses to enter coalitions with other parties. According to the last opinion poll, it will emerge as the largest single party, with around 28 per cent of the vote, but thats not nearly enough.

The governing centre-left coalition, whose parties are running separately because of their many disagreements, will end up in about the same place. Its biggest member, the Democratic Party, will get around 23 per cent, but with various smaller allies it might make it up to 30 per cent. Again, not enough.

Whereas Berlusconis Forza Italia ("Lets Go, Italy"), running in tandem with the hard-right, anti-immigrant Northern League, could get as much as 40 per cent of the vote. If they then make deals with a few small parties that verge on fascism, they could form a majority government. Berlusconis great wealth, derived from his huge media holdings, would give him a dominant role behind the scenes in such a coalition, but he is legally barred from even running for parliament, let alone becoming prime minister. So who would it be?

The dark-horse candidate is Giorgia Meloni, the Trump-lite leader of one of the smaller parties, Brothers of Italy, but it would probably the Northern Leagues leader, Matteo Salvini. You might call Salvini Trump-heavy: he hailed The Donalds election as "the revenge of the people, of courage, of pride... and one in the eye for the bankers, the speculators and the journalists."

Italians are quite justifiably fed up with the way their country has been run in recent years. Unemployment is 11 per cent, but among the under-25s it is close to 40 per cent, and over 100,000 young people left the country last year in search of work elsewhere. Average family incomes, which fell dramatically after the 2008 financial crisis, have still not recovered to the 2007 level.

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But the biggest issue is immigration: in the past four years, Italy has received 600,000 illegal migrants  mostly from African countries  and all the major parties are promising to do something about it. Berlusconi talks bluntly about mass deportations and his prospective coalition partners in the Northern League actually put a number on it: 100,000 forced "repatriations" a year, presumably until they are all gone.

The outgoing coalition government has managed to cut the numbers arriving by making a deal with Libya, the point of departure for most of the migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean to Italy. In return for subsidies for the Libyan Coast Guard and various other considerations, the Libyans have been persuaded to try to stop the migrants from setting sail in the first place.

As a result, migrant arrivals dropped by a third in 2017. That ought to have won the centre-left coalition some credit with the electorate, but since the number of migrants who made it ashore last year was still 119,000, gratitude for the governments efforts was notably sparse. The centre-left coalition is the only major political grouping in Italy that has not fallen into the hands of populists  but that is why it is trailing both the others in the polls.

The Berlusconi-Salvini coalitions highly implausible commitment to send all the migrants home resonates strongly with an electorate that has had enough of politics-as-usual. The Italian constitution makes it very hard to form a majority government without an even broader coalition, so the result Sunday may well be a hung parliament and another election, but anger and despair could still give the two men victory.

Since Trumps election in November 2016, three western European countries  the Netherlands, France and Germany  have had elections in which nationalist, anti-immigrant parties that are hostile to the European Union, or at least to the euro common currency, have done better than ever before, but have not won power. In Italy, they may actually win.

Gwynne Dyer is an independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.The boycott of the National Rifle Association following its response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, came fast and furious.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 3/3/2018 (1295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

The boycott of the National Rifle Association following its response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, came fast and furious.

Car rental companies, airlines, trucking businesses, tech firms, insurers and a bank that issued an NRA-branded credit card all severed their relationships with the gun advocacy group within days of the shooting that left 17 dead.

Predictably, companies that cut ties  such as Atlanta-based Delta  faced their own backlash from NRA loyalists. In particular, the lieutenant governor of Georgia (and candidate for governor) threatened to "kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA."

Once again, companies are finding themselves caught in the middle of political conflicts that they might have preferred to avoid.

There is nothing new about consumer boycotts  Americans boycotted British goods in response to the Stamp Act in the years before the Revolution. But as Ive learned in my research on corporate activism, two things are different now. First, businesses are being targeted not just for their own actions but for the company they keep  in this case, relationships with the wrong kinds of customers. Second, the speed of the response is unprecedented.

Trouble in the supply chain

Activists have targeted corporations for generations based on their business practices.

One of the most famous corporate boycotts was launched against Nestlein 1977 because of the Swiss food giants marketing of infant formula in low-income countries  a practice which arguably continues today. The legendary boycott lasted seven years, until Nestle agreed to abide by global best practices. You can even read about it on the companys own website.

In the 1990s, activists started to target companies not just for what went on within their own corporate boundaries but further back in the supply chain. When the labor practices of Nikes contract suppliers brought activist scrutiny, according to a company official, the "initial attitude was, Hey, we dont own the factories. We dont control what goes on there."

But the first of many boycotts against Nike was followed by corporate efforts at reform, and the company now has a history of holding suppliers to account and cutting off those that dont measure up.

Today corporations like Nike take for granted that they will be held accountable for the actions of their suppliers and even for the policies of governments of countries where they do business. As corporations increasingly rely on contractors for core parts of their business, they are held responsible by ethically minded consumers for actions further back in the supply chain  even the provenance of the mineral tantalum in their electronic devices like smartphones.

And today, 40 years after its first major boycott, Nestle knows better than to disclaim responsibility when activists uncovered slave labor in their cat food supply chain.

Know thy customers

With the threatened anti-NRA boycott, corporate responsibility is extending in the other direction, to customers. Businesses can be held accountable not just for how their products are created but the character of the people or groups who use them.

Corporations routinely negotiate discounts for groups such as AAA, AARP, alumni clubs and others. Now these routine business decisions will be subject to an additional level of scrutiny: What does who we serve say about us?

Still, the speed and comprehensiveness of the anti-NRA actions were startling.

Within two days of a target list being posted on ThinkProgess, a number of major national corporations had dropped the NRA as a "partner." And the site keeps a running tally of companies cutting ties with the NRA.

Compared with the seven-year time scale of the Nestle boycott, or the multiyear boycotts of corporations operating in South Africa during the 1980s, this was something new. Social media previously enabled the rapid mobilization of street protests, including the Arab Spring and the Womens March on Washington. Now even the threat of mobilization on social media can lead companies to change quickly.

With us or against us

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Corporate action is increasingly transparent: Whether a company cuts or maintains ties with the NRA, the world will know it via social media. To paraphrase George W. Bush, either youre with us or against us, and it takes only moments to find out which.

The NRA boycott demonstrates that in an age saturated in social media and political polarization, politics will be inescapable for the corporate sector.

Moreover, what counts as "political" is encompassing an ever greater group of activities, ranging from which websites a companys ads pop up on to who its customers are.

In this new era, companies will be forced to choose their friends wisely.

Jerry Davis is a professor of management and sociology at the University of Michigan.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, ostensibly honoring the best films and performances of 2017, will be held Sunday evening at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Given that over the past five months the American film industryand not only the film industry!has been dominated by a trumped-up sexual misconduct campaign, one expects this will play a significant if not dominant role at this years awards ceremony. Presumably, no one will step out of line, no one will denounce the witch-hunt and spell out its right-wing character. That would be far too much to hope for. The event is generally as packaged and lifeless and embalmed as its organizers and producers can arrange it.

There are a few worthy films and performances up for awards, The Shape of Water (for best film, for Guillermo del Toro as best director, and for performances by Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer and Richard Jenkins), Steven Spielbergs The Post for best film, Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq., Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project, Mary J. Blige in Mudbound, Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird and perhaps Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, although the latter film is deplorable as a whole.

All in all, however, one looks forward to a spectacle of self-congratulation and self-absorption, heightened and policed by the #MeToo movement crusaders. Hollywood at its very worst!

But what if a quasi-miracle should occur, and some naive, misguided performer or writer or animator or costume designer or composer, not a bit concerned with its impact on his or her career, should blurt out the truth? What if he or she should decide to throw caution to the wind and decide to let the public in on what the whole dirty sex scandal has been about?

We all have our dreams. This year this is mine. A presenter or winner  perhaps, lets say, the more or less accidental recipient of some newly minted honorary award, whose remarks would ordinarily be ignored, steps to the microphone, a little nervously, clears his or her throat, and 

Members of the Academy [Fumbles for speech.]  I have written remarks here, somewhere. [Gives up.] Oh, never mind. It wasnt really what I wanted to say anyway  Lets begin again. Members of the Academy, well, lets try to be honest with one another for a change. Its very difficult, the atmosphere is pretty foul, but lets try for once. Mark Twain suggested that when in doubt, tell the truth. Good advice, I hope youll agree!

Whats going on here tonight and whats been going on since October is simply filthy and disgraceful. [Applause, boos.] Sexual assault is horrendous, a crime, but thats not what this is about. Harvey Weinstein was a convenient jumping-off point, thats all. And you know it. What began with Weinstein has become a full-scale witch-hunt, in some ways more pernicious than the McCarthyite purges of the late 1940s and 1950s.

Individuals have been essentially criminalized and disappeared on the basis of unsubstantiated, often anonymous accusations. Some of our more talented and intriguing performers have had their careers destroyed. Academy Award winners Kevin Spacey and Geoffrey Rush have been thrown to the wolves. Poor Louis C.K. has been turned into a non-person. You know your Julius Caesar, of course, dont you?:

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason.

Casey Affleck didnt dare show up here tonight. Only a few years ago most of you would have murdered a close family member to land a part in a Woody Allen movie. Now many of you are cheering on the sick and pathetic Mia Farrow. Shame on you! And where is Matt Damon, who had the audacity to point out there was a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation? Ben Affleck, Jeffrey Tambor, Garrison Keillor, perhaps James Franco, and Roman Polanski still!  these are the new criminals, the new demons. And as though it were not enough to destroy careers, you have nominated Christopher Plummer for best actor, which must be the first time someone has been honored for directly scabbing on a colleague.

And the result of all this has been more repression and more censorship. Women havent benefited, except for a few at the top. The conditions of working women havent been affected in the slightest.

What rotten hypocrites many of you are! Wouldnt it be lovely if all the details of your sex lives, including from 30 or 40 years ago, came to light? Would they be so irreproachable? Has any artistic community ever been renowned for its moral firmness and self-restraint? Show me one! This new puritanism is as reprehensible as the original one. Its the sanctimonious, censorious, self-centered upper-middle class in charge, God help us.

This same affluent middle class had no moral difficulty with Barack Obamas 540 murderous drone strikes, kill lists and endless wars in Libya, Syria, Yemen and beyond. This same crowd, made rich and especially stupid by the stock market boom, has no problem with the endless suffering of the poor and the working class, men and women, in the United States or anywhere else. These self-pitying loudmouths, many of them multi-millionaires, would have us believe that their daily torment is a world-historical occurrence.

Pardon me, if I dont take part in celebrating this well-promoted and well-remunerated bravery. These allegations, some or even many of them may well be truebut Ill stick my neck out, some of them are lies, self-serving, outright lies. [More applause, louder boos.]

This is a Democratic Party-New York Times operation, it goes hand in hand with the anti-Russian hysteria and Internet censorship. [What are you talking about?] Ashley Judd and Ronan Farrow, for example, are essentially Democratic Party operatives. They have no credibility whatsoever. All of these people supported Hillary Clinton, a warmonger in the pocket of Wall Street. Even if every allegation against Weinstein, for example, were true, he would not be one-hundredth the criminal that Clinton is, up to her elbows in the blood of the Libyan, Syrian and other peoples. [Gasps. Shouting in various parts of the auditorium. Youre insane, get off the stage! No, you have something there!] Just a few more pointsId like to finish, if you please. I realize you havent heard this kind of thing before, but it might be good for you.

What odious depths of conformism and cowardice there are in Hollywood! After the infamous blacklist and the anti-communist purges, the studios, the media and the film unions said it could never happen again. Theyd all learned their lesson, we were told. In fact, they learned nothing. Everyone here is once again toeing the line, chiming in with denunciations, scared to death, miserably trying to save their own skins. There doesnt seem to be the slightest concern with democratic rights, due process. Its revolting, and so sadly predictable.

You think your sex life complications are so fascinating, but most of the population is paying no attention. They have more important things to worry about. [Voice: Whats more important than us? Oh! Oh, listen to that!] Let me answer that.

In West Virginia, 30,000 teachers and school employees are on strike, defying the state government, politicians of both parties, their own treacherous unions. The working class has been suppressed for years, big strikes have become a thing of the past, and the result has been a sharp lowering of wages, the destruction of conditions, the impoverishment of millions. It has also had a terrible impact on art and film, which is connected in complicated ways with popular moods and movements, and nourished by rebellion and resistance.

When millions of workers break out of the straitjacket of the unions and the Democratic Party, it will have a shattering, healthy impact on the general atmosphere, including the atmosphere among the artists. From that point of view, what the West Virginia workers are doing is more important for the future of culture than 90 percent of the films honored here tonight. [Enough! Finish, finish!] One last word 

So, once again, dear members of the Academy, you wonderful, sweet people, as Charlie Chaplin, driven out of Hollywood by the Red Scare, commented years ago  Once again, allow me to register the strongest and angriest possible protest against the sexual hysteria and the entire effort of this rich, selfish crowd to impose their morals on movie making and on the movie-going public. I urge others to speak up and help expose this reactionary fraud.

And, as for this Oscar, I think you know what you can do with it!

Thank you for your time. [Stormy applause, violent denunciations.]Marine Le Pen, the leader of the neo-fascist National Front (FN), was indicted on Thursday for having posted three images of executions by the Islamic State (IS) group on her Twitter account in December 2015. Another FN deputy, Gilbert Collard, had been indicted on similar charges in January. His parliamentary immunity was lifted by the National Assembly in September, and that of Marine Le Pen two months later.

The two far-right legislators face significant prison sentences based on a draconian interpretation of a reactionary article of the Penal Code. The article specifies three years in prison and a 75,000 fine as punishment for spreading messages of a violent character, that incite terrorism, that are pornographic or tend to gravely harm human dignity  when this message is likely to be seen  by a minor.

The FN is the descendant of the French Nazi-collaborationist regime in Vichy. The WSWS systematically warns of the mortal threat it poses to the working class. However, the WSWS is clearly opposed to any suppression of freedom of expression by the state, including when it targets the far-right.

The indictment of two FN deputies is a dangerous attack on democratic rights. It is part of a vast operation to censor the Internet and undermine political liberties that threatens, above all, the working class and opposition to imperialist war. Just as the French state of emergency imposed after the 2015 Islamist terror attacks in Paris was used to repress protests against the Socialist Partys (PS) unpopular labor law, the state doubtless plans to use such measures against the working class and the danger on its left.

The complaint against Le Pen and Collard was launched by former PS Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. Le Pen said she had posted the pictures on her Twitter account out of disgust at the parallel established between IS and the FN by BFM-TV journalist Jean-Jacques Bourdin during an interview with the commentator on Islamic affairs, Gilles Kepel. Le Pen said she wanted to stress the contrast between the violent Islamism of IS and the supposedly parliamentary and more pacific neo-fascism of the FN under her leadership.

Cazeneuve called the pictures IS propaganda and  therefore an abject act, an abomination and a real insult to all victims of terrorism. Manuel Valls, the prime minister at the time, accused Marine Le Pen of playing with fire.

This attack on Le Pen was a cynical maneuver, through which the PS tried to maintain the hostility of official public opinion to the FN, while adopting much of the FNs agenda. The PS was hiding the fact that the 2015 terror attackers were in fact members of Islamist networks fighting NATOs proxy war in Syria, thus encouraging the population to adopt the simple equation between Muslims and terrorists promoted by FN officials. At the same time, the PS was imposing FN policies like the state of emergency, deprivation of nationality and calls for a military national guard.

As polls showed the FN profiting from the far-right turn of the PS, various pundits launched the claim that IS was trying to build up the FN, and vice versa. Bourdin took up this line during the interview with Kepel, declaring: Lets get back to IS. I would like to discuss the links, uh, between IS and the FN, well, the links, not the direct links between IS and the National Front, but this type of concentration on one identity, which finally is a community  of mind, because the idea of IS is to push French society to close in on its own identity.

This argument is fundamentally false. Islamist militias in Syria are linked to the state in France, as well as in other NATO countries. The FN maintained a complicit silence on this state of affairs, but responsibility for it lay above all with the ruling party, the PS. The rise of IS and other Islamist militias in Syria, like the Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front, flows from the decades-long intervention of the United States and the European imperialist powers in the Middle East, their occupation of Iraq, and their use of terrorist militias in a war for regime change in Syria.

For now, censorship is being aimed at a far-right party. But the charge against Le Pen, of having drawn attention on Twitter to crimes of anti-governmental militias in Syria, has many other targets. It can also be aimed at any left-wing, anti-war organization who would post images or videos showing the Syrian rebel groups operations to unmask the criminal character of the Islamist militias supported by NATO and Frances PS government against Damascus. In the final analysis, this threatens the rights of the entire working class.

Plans for the implementation of political censorship on the Internet are very advanced. Social media like Facebook and Twitter and search engines like Google already systematically censor the political contents of their sites or searches, working closely with Washington and the European imperialist powers.

Workers cannot in any way struggle against the rise of neo-fascism by supporting censorship organized by the capitalist state, as socialist organizations will be the main targets. During the 20th century, and particularly in the 1930s and during the rise of fascism, it was through attacking far-right organizations that the state machine forged the political instruments that were then used to persecute and suppress the organizations of the working class.

The charges against Le Pen and Collard will also allow the FN, a party whose tradition is the violent suppression of the organized working class and of socialism, to present itself yet again as a victim of the oligarchy and an anti-system party. This is its favorite tactic to win a hearing among broad sections of the population disgusted with the reactionary policies of the PS.

Le Pen has wasted no time in proceeding with this strategy. From the beginning of this story, I knew this was a case of political persecution, she said on Thursday. She added, this is an operation to kill freedom of expression.  If they find me guilty of this, it will be a medal that I will wear on my jacket.

Internet censorship is reactionary, and anyone claiming to struggle against neo-fascism by allowing it to be used against the FN is only spreading dangerous illusions. The struggle against neo-fascism will proceed through the mobilization of the working class in France and across Europe against war and neo-colonialism, for the defense of democratic rights, and against the social-democratic parties and their political satellites whose right-wing policies open a path for the far right.Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman has appointed Andre Miethig as executive assistant manager for food and beverage (F&B) operations.



With more than 10 years of experience in the hospitality catering sector, Miethig brings a fresh perspective to this important position.



We are very pleased to have Andre on board to further strengthen Six Senses Zighy Bays food and beverage scene, while fostering out of the ordinary dining experiences for our guests, said Aaron McGrath, general manager of Six Senses Zighy Bay. In his new role, Miethig will manage the day-to-day operations of the resorts food and beverage department, execute strategies to drive revenue and deliver the highest level of guest experiences.



In 2005, Miethig started his career with Steigenberger Hotel Deidesheim in Germany. This was followed by several positions in Vienna at the Grand Hotel, Palais Coburg, The Ring and The Intercontinental Vienna. He joined Kempinski Hotels in 2011 and held key leadership positions for the group in China, Seychelles and Germany. Prior to joining Six Senses Zighy Bay, Miethig was the F&B director at Gili Lankanfushi in the Republic of Maldives. - TradeArabia News Service

A 21-year-old developmentally disabled student was recently arrested and jailed in Rochester, New York for allegedly posting a threatening message to the Facebook page of a local high school.

Abigail Hernandez, a special education student in the Rochester school district, is one of several dozen students across the United States who have been arrested in a hysterical law and order crackdown in the weeks since Nikolas Cruz opened fire in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida killing 17 people, including 14 students.

According to local authorities Hernandez made a fake Facebook account named Martin Doll on January 15 and used her cell phone to post Im coming tomorrow morning and Im going to shoot all of ya bitches on East High Schools Facebook page. Hernandez was questioned by police without the presence of a lawyer or her parents and supposedly confessed to the crime. She was charged with making a terroristic threat and jailed on $15,000 bail.

Hernandezs case marks a particularly cruel intersection between the law and order reaction to school shootings and the Trump administrations expanding anti-immigrant crackdown.

Following her arraignment on February 21, Hernandez was supposed to be released on bail back to the care of her family but was instead scooped up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and sent to the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia, New York to begin removal proceedings against her.

Despite a Rochester City Court judges order on Monday that Hernandez be returned to the Monroe County Jail, where she could be released on bail, she remains in ICE detention locked away from her family with no immediate prospect of being released. "Hernandez-Arellano will remain in ICE custody while immigration charges are pending, Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for the agency told the Democrat and Chronicle.

Hernandez was just three years old when her family came to the United States from Mexico and she is presently in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In addition to facing charges for the terroristic threat Hernandez can be held indefinitely in detention until she is subjected to a forced deportation to a country she has not lived in since she was a toddler.

According to Hernandezs family, as a special-needs student she is in no way capable of making or carrying out the threat made on Facebook or of understanding the charges against her let alone the possibility of being deported to Mexico.

In an interview with the Democrat and Chronicle, her father Eufracio Torres, a bus driver who works 80-hour weeks, stated his daughter would not even be able to walk to the school that was threatened in the Facebook posting without assistance from others. Torres stated, You put my daughter (in front of our house) and say to go to East (High), she doesnt know how.

When Torres attempted to visit his daughter at the ICE Federal Detention Center he was told he could not see her unless she wrote a letter stating she wished to have visitors. Torres said that his daughter was incapable of writing such a letter, so ICE officials prevented him from seeing or speaking with her.

Both of Hernandezs parents are in the United States legally with green cards and her younger siblings are both American citizens. However, Hernandezs parents have been unable to obtain legal status for her due to her age when she arrived.

Residents across the region have responded with strong support of Hernandez and her family, horrified by the idea of a special needs person being imprisoned and potentially deported on such flimsy charges.

Cheryl Carleton, the mother of a student who has Down syndrome and attends school in the same district as Hernandez appeared at the courthouse for the court hearing and told reporters she was devastated for this family and the choices being made legally.Over the past week, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have sought to manufacture justifications for the Trump administration to implement its threats to launch an illegal war of aggression to totally destroy North Korea.

On February 27, a lengthy New York Times article featured allegations by unnamed United Nations experts that North Korea has been shipping supplies to the Syrian government that could be used in the production of chemical weapons. It asserted that possible chemical weapons components were part of at least 40 previously unreported shipments by North Korea to Syria between 2012 and 2017 of prohibited ballistic missile parts and materials that could be used for both military and civilian purposes.

The article claims the newspaper reviewed a 200-page report by the purported UN experts. It admits that the document has not been officially released and, according to a UN official cited in the article, there are no plans to publish it. The article further concedes that experts who viewed the report said the evidence it cited did not prove definitively that there was current, continuing collaboration between North Korea and Syria on chemical weapons [emphasis added].

In other words, the New York Times chose to highlight assertions contained in an unpublished report, without any other substantiation. The credentials of its unnamed authors are not identified, but they are eight, hardly impartial, members of a UN panel appointed to investigate possible violations by North Korea of the sanctions imposed upon it. Moreover, even the experts who allegedly read the report concluded that it proved nothing at all.

None of this prevented the New York Times from headlining its article: UN links North Korea to Syrias chemical weapons program. The newspaper repeats entirely unproven allegations that the Russian-backed Syrian government has used chemical weapons against rebel-held areas of the country. The sole aim of the article is to have readers conclude that sinister North Korean assistance is facilitating horrific crimes against civilians in Syria.

The article obviously has one intended audience, in particular. An entire layer of ex-liberals and ex-lefts, who in 2003 voiced opposition to the US invasion of Iraq, are today at the forefront of demanding that Washington step up its military operations to overthrow the Syrian government (see: A new left appeal for imperialist intervention in Syria). By linking North Korea to lurid claims of atrocities by the Syrian regime, the objective is to secure the complicity and support of this milieu for war against Pyongyang as well.

On February 28, the Wall Street Journal published a comment by former Bush administration official John Bolton that set out another rationale to justify a pre-emptive war.

North Korea, Bolton wrote, is an imminent threat to the United States because it possibly has the capability to arm an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead. He insisted it was a necessity of self-defense for US imperialismwith its 4,000 nuclear weapons, massive military apparatus and $18 trillion economyto attack North Korea. The US had to strike first and unleash fire and fury against a poverty-stricken nation of just 25 million people with a gross domestic product of barely $25 billion.

A war crime of historic dimensions is being prepared. American imperialism is not concerned about, or threatened by, the crude North Korean weapons programs. Its aim is to undermine China, which it has identified as its strategic competitor in Asia and around the world. One objective behind the plans to attack North Korea is to provide the US military with a testing ground for its newest hardware, including F-35 fifth generation fighters, conventional bombs such as the Massive Ordnance Air Blast, dropped for the first time last year in Afghanistan, and tactical nuclear weapons. A second objective is to turn the entire Korean peninsula into a US military staging base for a future war with China itself.

Preparations for war are very advanced. The day after publishing its claims about North Korea and Syrian chemical weapons, the New York Times reported on a classified military exercise held in late February in Hawaii. The exercise consisted of top military commanders brain-storming on how to totally destroy North Korea and reviewing the likely consequences of war.

According to the newspaper, the commanders were told the US military could expect 10,000 casualties in the first several days. Civilian casualties would likely be in the thousands or hundreds of thousands. Among issues the commanders considered were how many special forces troops would be needed to attack North Korean nuclear facilities; whether US airborne divisions could be relied upon to fight in the dozens of tunnels under the border between North and South Korea; and how to take down North Koreas air defences, so the country was totally at the mercy of constant American air bombardment.

The exercise underscored the complicity of the South Korean capitalist class and government in facilitating what would be a catastrophic war. A US attack, the New York Times commented, is almost wholly dependent on cooperation from South Koreanot only in committing its troops or other assets to the battle but also accepting the risk of widespread bloodshed on its civilian population if the North fires back.

There is, on the part of the American military-intelligence apparatus and its media mouthpieces, a calculated and horrifying purpose behind the continuous reports on the enormous casualties likely in a conventional war with North Korea. It is intended to justify using nuclear weapons on the same grounds that the Truman administration adopted in destroying the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945: it was necessary to save lives.

Comments by top Republican senator and Trump confidante Jim Risch during last months Munich security summit confirmed that a preemptive nuclear attack on North Korea is being not only contemplated, but actively planned.

Risch told a seminar that the Trump administration and US military had no plans for a bloody nose attack on North Korealimited strikes intended to destroy only its purported nuclear weapons facilities and capabilities. Such an assault would enable North Korea to launch a counter-attack.

And if you think about it, the senator continued, it absolutely makes sense. If this thing starts, its going to be probably one of the worst catastrophic events in the history of our civilisation. It is going to be very, very brief. The end of it is going to see mass casualties the likes of which the planet has never seen. It will be of biblical proportions.

Risch was clearly referring to strikes with nuclear weapons, including on North Koreas major cities, and the indiscriminate slaughter of millions of people. He told his audience: Anyone who doubts that this president isnt committed to that, I would suggest that they step back, take a breath, listen to what he has said, review the facts on the ground.The powerful strike of more than 30,000 West Virginia teachers and other school employees completed its first week on Friday. The teachers unions and state Democrats are scrambling to try to shut the walkout down and send teachers back to work Monday morning based on an agreement that rank-and-file educators have already rejected.

On Tuesday night, the leaders of the West Virginia Education Association (WVEA), the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia (AFT-WV) and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association (WVSSPA) announced a deal with the states billionaire governor, Jim Justice, and instructed strikers to return to work Thursday morning.

However, educators rejected the one-time five percent raise, which was not guaranteed, and the governors promise to set up yet another task force to address the long-term underfunding of the states Public Employee Insurance Agency (PEIA), which has resulted in impossibly high out-of-pocket medical expenses for teachers, school service personnel and other public employees.

On Friday, thousands of high school and other students converged on the state capitol for a demonstration to support their teachers. The rally was organized on social media independently of the unions and state Democrats. The call by a speaker from the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) for the mobilization of the entire working class behind the teachers, including preparations for a general strike in event of a strikebreaking injunction, was enthusiastically supported by the crowd.

Students joined an estimated 1,000 teachers and other school employees who continued their protests inside the state capitol. While the Republican-controlled House of Delegates approved the five percent raise by 981 on Wednesday, in the hopes that it would end the strike, Senate President Mitch Carmichael has not allowed the proposal to come to a vote in the Senate, saying he was not going to be boxed in a corner by protesters.

The student protest took place as sentiment to join the teachers strike grew among non-educational state employeeswho will get an even more insulting three percent raise under the proposal accepted by the unions. One state worker told the WSWS that the overwhelming sentiment [among state workers] is support for the teachers, and we all should be going out.

On Friday evening, the unions, working with state Democrats, sought to deescalate the situation, countering calls for an occupation of the Capitol by proposing instead a rally today, when the Senate is scheduled to reconvene.

Having already taken the measure of the unions, Carmichael may well want to provoke a confrontation with teachers and school employees and use court injunctions and possible mass firings, fines and even arrests. The aim would be to cow strikers and make an example of them, as Reagan did by firing 13,000 striking air traffic controllers in 1981.

The governor, state Democrats and unions fear that such a confrontation could provoke a social explosion, and that any effort to break the strike could result in mass defiance and solidarity actions to defend the embattled teachers.

In comments cited by the Charleston Gazette-Mail, Governor Justice said, If they dont do it tomorrow [Saturday], we spiral off into no mans land. In all honesty it has to happen tomorrow. This followed his comments last week, when he said, I really dont want to go to DEFCON 15, referring to military preparedness for all-out war.

Late Friday night, the WVEA issued a statement complaining that Carmichael had inflamed educators, parents and other citizens and created anger, distrust. This, the union said, had escalated an already volatile situation. The union ended the statement with a pathetic appeal for the senator to step up and be a leader.

The union officials, state Democrats and a significant section of the state Republicans hope that a five percent raise and empty promises of some future fix for the PEIA will be enough to get teachers and school employees to end their fight.

The local and national news media are seeking to reassert the authority of the WVEA and AFT-WV over the rebellious educators. An editorial in the Republican-leaning newspaper Charleston Daily Mail Thursday began: Here are some words for striking school teachers and service personnel that you wont see in the Daily Mail Opinion page very often: listen to your union leaders and return to work.

The editorial praised union leaders for knowing that a permanent fix to the complex issue that is PEIA cannot be done in a day, and understanding what the psychology of the striking crowd does not: that a lingering wildcat strike could do long-term, currently unforeseen damage to teachers, students and public education in West Virginia.

The New York Times, which studiously ignored the strike for days until declaring it dead when union officials signed the sellout deal with the governor, also chimed in with praise for the WVEA and AFT-WV officials. In an editorial, West Virginia Teachers Give a Lesson in Union Power, the Times ignored the strikebreaking role of the unions and tried to portray the strike, which has erupted against the unions, as a battle led by them.

The Times cited the Supreme Court case of Janus vs. AFSCME, concerning laws in some states that require public sector workers who do not belong to unions to pay the equivalent of dues. The West Virginia strike, it claimed, showed that public-sector unions have been the last bastion of worker strength.

The Times did not mention the statement by AFSCME lawyer David Frederick before the court, that union security is the tradeoff for no strikes. The actual role of the unionsin West Virginia and throughout the countryis not to lead struggles of workers, but to suppress them.

The West Virginia strike is at a crossroads. Whatever emerges out of the debate among Democrats, Republicans and union officials in West Virginia, it will not meet any of the demands of teachers. The political representatives of the ruling class are giving teachers a choice: either accept the agreement you have already rejected or face injunctions, fines and possible imprisonment.

The actions of rank-and-file teachers and other school employees have already pointed to an entirely different course. By rejecting the union-backed agreement with Justice and continuing their strike, they have taken a courageous stand in defense of the interests of the entire working class.

To defeat the conspiracies of the big business politicians, the struggle of teachers and school employees must be extended. This requires the formation of rank-and-file strike committees, independent of the unions, to appeal to every section of the working classminers, public employees, energy workers, hospital workers, factory workers, young people and othersto mobilize the full strength of the working class to back the striking school employees.

Mass meetings and demonstrations should be called and discussions held on preparing a general strike to defend teachers against injunctions and threats of firings, fines and jail time. Appeals must be made to teachers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Arizona and other states fighting to defend the right quality public education. This struggle must lay the basis for an industrial and political counter-offensive against austerity and social inequality.Jabal Omar Development Company, the largest listed real estate group in Saudi Arabia by market capitalisation, said it has signed a deal with Saudi Ground Services Company (SGS) to conduct a joint study on the possibility of building a passenger terminal in Makkah.

SGS' long experience in serving pilgrims makes them the right partner for this project," stated Yasser Bin Faisal Al Sharif, CEO of Jabal Omar, after signing the deal with Omar Najjar, the chief executive of SGS.

"We will be working together to explore the possibility of building a passenger terminal in the central district of Makkah that would serve Haj pilgrims and Umrah performers who arrive and depart from and to King Abdulaziz International Airport," remarked Al Sharif.

Najjar said that SGS always pursue effective and fruitful partnerships that would help the company to provide the best services to its clients and to the millions of pilgrims and Umrah performers who we serve every year.

"Our partnership with a leading company such as Jabal Omar is a good example for that," he added.-TradeArabia News ServiceAtlantis, The Palm, a five-star destination resort located on The Palm Island in Dubai, UAE, is celebrating its one million Facebook fans milestone with the launch of the worlds first social media suite to reward its loyal followers.



Launching on March 18 at the destination resort in Dubai, Facebook fans will be invited to book a free one nights stay in the Atlantis Fan Suite with bookings being taken every day until December 2018.



The unique room will offer breathtaking views of The Palm Island and will be specially adapted to suit a social media users every desire. Upon check in, guests will enter their Facebook log in at the door of the suite to unlock the room and can sit back and tune into the special Facebook Fan channel on the in-room TV.



Ravini Perera, the senior VP, sales, marketing and PR, said: "It has been such an achievement to reach the one million fan mark on Facebook and we felt now was the time to give back and say thank you to all of our fans for their continuous support and for sharing their content with us over the years."



"For those that need a little help during their stay, guests can poke their personal butler using a special in room intercom system. For those who want to share every moment of their stay with their friends and family, the suite comes with a special Facebook Live Lounge, where guests can place their handset on a stand and relax on the thumbs up shaped chair to record their messages," he stated.



Exciting additions extend to the bathroom, where a social media mirror is in prime position to message friends as you put your make up on and even the amenities from bath soaps to flip flops and shaving kits, depict catchy social media slogans, he added.



In addition to the complimentary stay, all guests to the Atlantis Fan Suite will receive a host of additional VIP amenities and experiences including unlimited complimentary access to The Lost Chambers Aquarium and Europe and The Middle Easts number one waterpark, Aquaventure, said Perera.



Guests will also receive Atlantis Imperial Club benefits worth over Dh3,000 per day, including VIP check in, breakfast, access to the Imperial Club lounges for daily afternoon tea and evening drinks and canapes, as well as a personal Concierge service, Kids Club entry, use of the exclusive Imperial Club Beach, plus much more.



"Atlantis, The Palms social media platforms receive an average of 2,500 posts tagging the resort every week and 147,762 uses of #AtlantisThePalm every year, and the variety of imagery and videos depicting every part of our resort in beautiful and creative ways is overwhelming," said Perera.



To book a stay in the Atlantis Fan Suite, Facebook fans can visit www.atlantisfansuite. All entrants must have liked the Atlantis, The Palm Facebook page to be eligible to book a free stay in the suite.



"We hope that our fans enjoy the Atlantis Fan Suite as much as weve enjoyed and valued their content and ongoing support," he added.



Atlantis, The Palm is no stranger to excellent social media content, in 2017, the iconic destination resort situated on The Palm Island in Dubai took the official title as Instagrams most photographed hotel in Dubai and The Middle East and fourth most snapped hotel in the world.



On average, the resort receives 350 images posted on Instagram every day, 4,500 posts tagging the resort on Facebook and Instagram every week and 147,762 uses of #AtlantisThePalm.



With social media fans across the world, the top 10 counties to interact with the resort include UAE, India, Pakistan, UK, US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Philippines and Germany.-TradeArabia News Service22-year-old Cassandritz Blanc is charged with two counts of premediated murder and abusing a human corpse.

By Latifah Muhammad

The search for a 19-year-old college student accused of shooting and killing his parents at a Central Michigan University dormitory came to an end early Saturday (March 3). James Eric Davis Jr. was arrested without incident following a daylong search by authorities in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

More than 100 officers were searching for Davis, who was considered armed and dangerous per a tweet from the city of Mt. Pleasant.

The teen was spotted and reported by an individual on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight, according to a bulletin on the CMU Emergency Communication website.

The shocking double homicide took place Friday morning, when the victims, James Eric Davis Sr., 48, and Diva Jennen Davis, 47, arrived on campus to pick their son up for spring break.

The University was placed on temporarily lockdown following the shooting. Officers from multiple agencies assisted in the search for the sophomore.

No one else was injured in the shooting.

Davis is a native of Bellwood,Ill. a suburb of Chicago. His father was a police officer and Iraq war veteran. His mother was a real estate broker and breast cancer survivor, according to the Chicago Tribune. The couple had at least two other children, an older son and younger daughter.

He was a good kid, always, a 20-year-old former high school classmate said of Davis. You would never expect something like this to come from James.

On the contrary, Davis college roommate said that he was not social at all, and very quiet.

Police have yet to determine a motive behind the slaying.

This post Central Michigan University Student Accused Of Killing Parents After They Came To Pick Him Up For Spring Break first appeared on Vibe.The early hours at the White House are reserved for two activities  sleeping or tweeting  and this morning, President Trump chose Twitter.

His target: Alec Baldwin, who often impersonates the president on Saturday Night Live. The 59-year-old actor recently told the Hollywood Reporter that playing Trump is agony. Every time I do it now, its like agony. Agony. I cant, Baldwin said. My wife and I agreed that were gonna give it everything we have [to help defeat Trump in 2020]. And then, if God forbid, he wins again in 2020, Im wondering, can I host a game show in Spain?

Those words did not sit well with the president, who responded by lashing out at Baldwin on Twitter.

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Arguably, the jab was deserved; Baldwin did insult the president in the interview. But Trump lost all his leverage with the tweet, thanks to his many mistakes. First, he misspelled dying, writing dieing. He then called Alec Baldwin Alex. Oddly enough, he drafted the tweet a total of three times, fixing the mistakes, but made the Alex mishap twice.

Twitter relentlessly mocked the president.

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Baldwin quickly chimed in, responding to the president with his own series of insults.

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That one had to hurt. And yet Trump did not reciprocate. Instead, the president attended a memorial service for evangelical leader Billy Graham. As for who won the Twitter battle  the internet has spoken: Alec Baldwin is crowned king.

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Watch: Jelena fans make Justin Biebers birthday all about Selena Gomez:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:Early riser Donald Trump has taken aim at Alex Baldwin and has claimed that he preferred Darrell Hammond, who previously played him on Saturday Night Live, in a deleted and subsequently spell-checked tweet-storm.

In a 5 AMtweet, the President of the United States of America said Baldwins SNL Trump impersonation was agony to watch. This comes a day after Alec Baldwin said that playing Trump was agony.

Alex [sic] Baldwin, whose dieing [sic] mediocre career was saved by his impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing DJT was agony for him. Alex [sic], it was also agony for those who were forced to watch. You were terrible. Bring back Darrell Hammond, much funnier and a far greater talent!

The tweet appears to have been quickly deleted, a rare step for the U.S. President, before replacing the tweet with Baldwins name and the word dying spelled correctly.

Baldwin has played the 45th Commander-in-Chief for two years, taking over for Hammond, who previously played Trump on the show. It is the latest war of words between the former reality host and the comedian; Trump previously called SNL, starring Baldwin, a one-sided, biased show, nothing funny at all, while Baldwin responded that Trump should be more presidential.

Trump is up early before heading to the airport, where he and the First Lady are expected to attend the funeral of Billy Graham before heading to Mar-a-Lago.

Related stories

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Stephen Colbert Thinks Donald Trump Just Might Take Guns Away To Beat Barack ObamaFox is making a splash the night ABC launches American Idol, airing a two-hour O.J. Simpson special with limited interruptions from a never-before-aired interview from 2006.

In O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession?, hosted by newswoman Soledad O'Brien, Simpson sits down with Judith Regan for what Fox is calling "a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred interview," where he "gives a shocking hypothetical account of the events that occurred on the night his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were brutally murdered."

According to the description of the special, Simpson "offers a detailed -- and disturbing -- description of what might have happened on that fateful night of June 12, 1994."

In the announcement, Fox -- the former home of Idol -- claims that the interview tapes had been "lost" for "over a decade." Simpson answers questions about what's been called "The Trial of the Century," where a jury acquitted him in 1995 of murder. He was later found guilty on two counts of murder in civil court and ordered to pay $33.5 million to the victims' families. In 2007, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas and in 2008, was found guilty on 12 counts of felony charges and sentenced to 33 years in prison. He was released on parole in October 2017.

Fox says that the two-hour special will also feature public service announcements on domestic violence awareness throughout the broadcast. Additionally, O'Brien, along with a panel of analysts, will discuss the interview, providing analysis and context for the previously unseen footage.

ET has learned that both the Brown and Goldman families are supportive of the project and that Simpson will not be profiting from the special.

Watch a sneak peek below.

O.J. Simpson: The Lost Confession? premieres Sunday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox. American Idol launches that same date and time on ABC.

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'American Idol' vs. 'The Voice': Inside the Singing Competition Showdown

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Related Articles:Kelly Ripa is wholeheartedly standing by her Live! co-host Ryan Seacrest after he was accused of sexual misconduct by a former stylist, allegations he has staunchly denied.

On Thursdays broadcast, Ripa, 47, stood up for Seacrest, 43, applauding his professionalism and saying she is looking forward to seeing him at the Oscars on Sunday, when he is set to host E! red carpet coverage.

I cannot wait to see you there, she said. I am very excited. And I just want you to know, you are a privilege to work with and I adore you. Speaking on behalf of all of us here, I know what a easy, professional, great person you are, and I feel very, very lucky to work with you each and every day.

The two hugged after her comments.

Seacrests former stylist Suzie Hardy has accused the producer and TV host of sexually harassing and assaulting her over the six years that she was employed by E! from 2007-13, including grabbing her crotch multiple times. The networks investigation into the matter, conducted by outside counsel, found insufficient evidence to support Hardys claims.

In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Seacrest accused Hardy of attempting to blackmail him.

Much has been said about the #MeToo and Times Up movement(s) and the importance of providing women and men with the opportunity to share their stories of workplace misconduct, in an effort to change our culture and the systemic inequalities that exist. I absolutely support this cause unequivocally and applaud all the brave souls who have come forward to share their stories, he said. Sadly, last fall I became one of the accused, which I promptly revealed proactively to the network involved and to the public. And to be equally clear, those accusations were then investigated by an independent third-party over the course of a two-month process and involved dozens of interviews that included me, the accused and countless others. Ultimately, my name was cleared. I eagerly participated in the investigation in order to demonstrate my innocence because I know my truth, and I believe in due process.

Story continues

Yesterday, Variety published a salacious story that revealed the specific claims against me for the first time  even though an independent third-party investigator found insufficient evidence to support the claims, he continued. Much to my dismay, Variety didnt speak with me or bother to speak with other credible witnesses or even ask for any of the evidence that was obtained during the investigation when offered, all of which clearly challenged the veracity of the claims made against me.

This person who has accused me of horrible things offered, on multiple occasions, to withdraw her claims if I paid her millions of dollars. I refused, he continued. I have worked extremely hard to achieve my success and I dont take my opportunities for granted. I dont want to accuse anyone of not telling the truth but in this case, I have no choice but to again deny the claims against me, remind people that I was recused of any wrongdoing, and put the matter to rest.

In response to Seacrests statement, Hardys attorney, Howard E. King of King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP, told PEOPLE: Not only is that false, but it is an attempt to smear the victim and divert attention from her very specific and supportable claims.

Earlier this week, a source told PEOPLE this week that Ripa is fully supportive and 110 percent behind him. His girlfriend Shayna Taylor has also spoken out in his defense, and spokespeople for both American Idol and iHeartMedia confirmed to PEOPLE they stand behind him.The parents of three teens were charged with three felony counts of child abuse Friday after police found the family living in a makeshift plywood shack, or box, without electricity or running water for four years.

Daniel Panico, 73, and 51-year-old Mona Kirk, were taken into custody Thursday after police discovered the family on the litter-strewn property in Joshua Tree, California, after a routine check.

The property has no electricity or water and the couples children, ages 14, 13, and 11, were living in a plywood shelter with a tin roof that was 20 feet long, 4 feet high and about 10 feet wide.

Authorities described the family as homeless; the children were not being held captive but the conditions were unsuitable and unsafe, according to authorities.

Mona Kirk & Daniel Panico were charged with three felony counts of child cruelty after deputies discover their children's living conditions

This time of year, its very cold at night, Cindy Bachman, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department told the Los Angeles Times. When that wind blows, it is freezing. These kids are living in a shelter made of wood and tarp and its 20 to 30 degrees at night.

The couple is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at 1:30 p.m.

Here are four things to know about the case:

1. The Rectangular Box Was Only 4 Feet High

Deputies were patrolling a remote area along the 7000 block of Sun Fair Road in Joshua Tree around 11 a.m. Thursday when they came across a trailer they thought was abandoned, as well as a large rectangular box made of plywood on the property, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs press release.

 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 there, deputies discovered that the litter-strewn property was occupied by Kirk and Panico and their children.

The family had no electricity or running water and they went to the bathroom in large holes around the property.

The deputies also learned that Kirk and the teens lived in a makeshift shack that was approximately 20 feet long by 4 feet high by 10 feet wide. Panico reportedly lived in a nearby trailer.

Story continues

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Also found on the property were approximately 30 or 40 cats.

2. The Children Didnt Have Enough Food: Authorities

According the the sheriffs office the teens had been living in the makeshift shack for four years and didnt have adequate food.

It was, according to the press release, an unsuitable, unsafe environment due to the conditions located on the property.

On Thursday, the parents were arrested and booked into the Morongo Basin Jail for willful cruelty to a child and were held on $100,000 bail. They have since been charged with three counts of felony child abuse.

Children and Family Services took custody of the teens.

3. The Box Was Divided Into Separate Rooms

According to the Los Angeles Times, the makeshift shelter where Kirk and the children lived was made of plywood and divided into separate rooms. One of the rooms was filled with mattresses. Another room contained a green sofa and a pile of dining room chairs.

The roof was made of tin sheets that were weighed down with rocks, and a mattress on the roof was used for insulation.

Authorities said the family was homeless and the children were not being held against their will.

Theyre homeless, Captain Trevis Newport told the Times. Its a shelter, the shape of a box  nowhere near what it sounded like when it came out.

4. Neighbor Says the Couple Shouldnt Have Been Arrested

A neighbor, Mike Reynolds, told CBS that the couple had lost their previous house and had bought the property in the 7000 block of Sun Fair Road with a goal of building a dream house.

His family, they lived not too far from here and they lost their house, Reynolds said. So he bought that lot and bought that trailers and moved up.

Reynolds said the family was poor and not criminals.

Theres people out there in the gutters raising their kids in less environment, in cardboard boxes and having to go to the bathroom in the gutters and they dont get arrested, he said. They need help but theyre not getting arrested. My goodness, hes living on his own property.Rap luminaries offered their prayers their colleague Rick Ross on Friday, after the rapper was reportedly hospitalized on Thursday.

 I BELIEVE in the Power of Prayer Sending Prayers up for Rick Ross, wrote Missy Elliott.

These Things Happen rapper G-Eazy:had a similar message on Friday, tweeting, Prayers for rick ross.

Also Read: Rick Ross Apologizes for 'Insensitive' Comment About Female Rappers, Plugs His New Show

God bless my brother Rick Ross, tweeted rapper/actor Fat Joe. Im praying to the highest level love you bro.

Three 6 Mafia founding member Juicy J offered, Prayers up for Rick Ross.

Ross was reportedly hospitalized after a health scare at his Miami home Thursday morning.

Also Read: Rick Ross on Why His Label Signs No Women: 'I Would End Up F-ing a Female Rapper' (Video)

According to a police report published by The Blast, someone at Ross home called 911 reporting a person at the residence as unresponsive, breathing heavy and slobbing out the mouth.

Citing sources, TMZ reported Friday that Ross has been placed on something called ECMO, which is used to oxygenate his blood outside of his body, before its pumped back into his body and is essentially a form of life support.

However, The Fader reports that Ross friend Fat Trel has denied the life-support report, posting on Instagram, JUS TALKED 2 MY BIG HOMIEHE GOODHE IN DA HOSPITAL BUT HE IS NOT ON LIFE SUPPORT.'

Also Read: Rick Ross May Have Revealed Identity of DJ Khaled's 'They'

TheWrap has reached out to Ross people foe comment on his condition.

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Related stories from TheWrap:

Rick Ross Apologizes for 'Insensitive' Comment About Female Rappers, Plugs His New Show

Rick Ross on Why His Label Signs No Women: 'I Would End Up Fing a Female Rapper' (Video)

Rick Ross May Have Revealed Identity of DJ Khaled's 'They'UPDATED 7:00 p.m. ET: TMZ is reporting that Rick Ross has been hooked up to a machine called ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) that's keeping him alive in a Miami area hospital's cardio unit after he was initially found unresponsive. Early indications point towards a heart attack, although at this time that's unconfirmed. His heart and lungs have been taken over by the machine he's hooked up to, meaning he's currently on life support.

The report has since been disputed by Maybach Music Group associate Fat Trel, who took to Instagram to say he spoke with Rick Ross. According to Trel, Ross is "good" and "not on 'life support.'"In the wake of the most recent mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the issue of gun safety and gun violence prevention have been top of mind for many. One such person is Jessica Mindich, founder of the Caliber Collection, who has been focused on ending gun violence since 2012, when she teamed up with then-Newark mayor Cory Booker on an initiative to turn melted-down guns into jewelry. We caught up with Mindich via email after her most recent gun shred in Detroit to hear about Caliber Collections plans for the future, the March for Our Lives movement and the beauty behind the brand thats destroying guns and turning them into jewelry full of hope.

Q: In your most recent shred, approximately how many guns were destroyed?

A: The most recent gun buyback we financed was in Detroit which resulted in 498 fewer illicit and unwanted guns on the streets of the No. 1 most dangerous city in America. Once the guns are processed through the Wayne County Sheriffs office, we bring in a welder and render the guns inoperable. We destroy them so they can never destroy again. Every part of these guns from the metal to the serial numbers is then turned into various forms of art by us, the Caliber Collection and our Raise The Caliber Partners and sold to finance future gun buyback programs in America.

Buy It! Brass Cuff With Diamond Newark, $275; calibercollection.com

Q: What is it like to watch the gun shredding process happen?

A: The day of the actual gun buyback is full of hope. Before the doors open, hundreds of men, women and children of all ages are lined up carrying one to three weapons, excited to have the opportunity to make their homes and communities safer. Gun buyback programs are the only way in America to turn in an illegal weapon with amnesty. It is also often a rare opportunity for law enforcement and community members hardest hit by crime and gun violence to collaborate. The day we destroy the weapons is full of very different emotions. As a torch hits weapons that have been used for so much destruction and intimidation the negative energy coming off of them is palpable. They represent generations of anger, pain, frustration and loss. They are so dirty. The chemicals that coat them are so toxic. But, in just a few hours they are transformed to basic metal and plastic. Our work stems from the belief that beauty can come from horror. So as the smoke clears we sort them to be distributed to our partners be transformed into art. Hope returns and the cycle begins.

Story continues

Buy It! Rose Gold Bangle Miami, $270; calibercollection.com

Q: What are the next cities on your agenda?

A: We are currently in conversations with several additional cities. We hope to make an official announcement soon. Currently we have Caliber Collections from Newark, Hartford, Detroit, Miami and San Francisco. We are so proud that we have been able to add value to existing public safety efforts to address gun violence in these communities.

Buy It! Steel Cuff Link Miami, $270; calibercollection.com

Buy It! D Cuff White-Gold Plated Detroit, $460; calibercollection.com

Q: Will there be anything planned around the March for Our Lives movement happening on March 24th?

A: I will absolutely be at March For Our Lives. It has been thrilling to see teens activated and having having such a powerful voice on this issue. So we wanted to give them a way to make an impact and get guns off the streets so we created a more affordable bracelet for them. Orange is the color of solidarity in the fight against gun violence in America. It may seem like a simple statement  but when we all act together, we cant be ignored. 100% of the profits from each bracelet is donated to the Caliber Foundation to help the victims and communities devastated by illegal guns in America.

Buy It! Raise the Caliber Wear Orange Bracelet, $10; calibercollection.comWatch news, TV and more on Yahoo View.



Tori Spellings youngest child is celebrating his first birthday  the day after police were dispatched over a disturbance at the family home.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum shares five children with husband Dean McDermott: daughters Stella, 9, and Hattie, 6, and sons Liam, 10, Finn, 5, and baby Beau, who turned 1 on Friday. Beaus birthday comes at a challenging time for Spelling, with a source telling PEOPLE the star is in a tough place.

On Thursday, LAPD officer Rosario Herrera told PEOPLE police received a call for service at 7:17 a.m. to Spellings Woodland Hills address, where officers subsequently responded to a disturbance call. Officer Drake Madison said the situation ended up being a domestic incident and that no crime was committed. He could not confirm who placed the call.

According to the audio dispatch call obtained by The Blast and TMZ, the issue involved a female with a possible mental illness. TMZ also reported Spelling, 44, called police Wednesday night because she thought there was someone breaking into her house, but it turned out to be McDermott, 51, coming home.

She can get very stressed, the source told PEOPLE of Spelling, noting that it isnt easy for her to juggle five young children at home.

The last year has been really tough on Tori, said another insider. She has a ton of pressure and stress, with the kids, work and her marriage. She internalizes a lot of her anxiety and she knows its not healthy for her. Of course shes going to get to a breaking point eventually.

Tori and Dean have their ups and downs, added the insider. But they love each other and family is most important to both of them.

Last year, the couple opened up to PEOPLE about how welcoming Beau on March 2 was like coming full circle in their relationship.

Story continues

Tori Spelling and baby Beau

Four years ago, a cheating scandal and sex addiction put the pairs marriage on the rocks, which resulted in McDermott entering rehab. The emotional damage inflicted on Spelling by the affair played out on her reality show, True Tori, and many friends and fans thought the actress would leave her husband. But Spelling told PEOPLE she never for a moment wanted to end things.

RELATED VIDEO: Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott Welcome Son Beau Dean

Everyone was saying, Divorce him! Why is she staying with him? That is weak,  she said. But my gut instincts just shut it all out, and I said, I love this man. If there is a way to work it out, I want to try to do that. 

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Welcoming baby no. 5 came to symbolize a fresh start.

Rebuilding our marriage took time, she said. And now, having a new baby, it makes sense. Its like a new baby in a new relationship.

I cant imagine life without Beau, added McDermott.Last July, Hope Hicks was with Donald Trump aboard Air Force One when they created a statement in response to press inquiries about a mysterious June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr., other top campaign officials and a Russian lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The statement said the meeting was about Russian adoptions.

Former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks tells PEOPLE Hicks, who resigned as White House communications director Wednesday, could be facing criminal trouble in regards to the statement. It is a focus of special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election, according to The New York Times.

If [Trump] is asking her, How do I cover up the fact that my son had this illegal meeting? and she says it is about a different subject, he discussed adoptions, that is criminal conduct, says Wine-Banks, and her liability for that criminal conduct, for being part of a cover-up, exists in or out of the White House, as does the presidents.

Jill Wine-Banks

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Hicks refused to answer most questions from Congress on Tuesday about her interactions with Trump, including the role she allegedly played in creating the statement.

Wine-Banks says that Hicks is hiding behind an improper use of executive privilege in order to not share conversations shes had with Trump.

RELATED VIDEO: PEOPLE Writer Natasha Stoynoff Breaks Silence, Accuses Donald Trump of Sexual Attack

There is no executive privilege for criminal conduct, says Wine-Banks.

For example, with Hope Hicks being involved with drafting the false report about the June meeting, that is not protected by privilege, she continues, and anything the president told her in connection with that drafting to the extent he dictated to that, she will have to testify about that.

Hicks did tell Congress Tuesday she told white lies on behalf of Trump, and when word got back to him about it, Trump reportedly called her stupid.

A day later, a tearful Hicks resigned.Photo credit: CMU

From Seventeen

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (AP) - Two people were fatally shot at a residence hall at Central Michigan University on Friday, and investigators were searching for a 19-year-old suspect considered armed and dangerous, according to the school.

Neither victim was a student at the university, and police believe the shooting "started from a domestic situation," the university said.

The school, which has about 23,000 students, was urging students to take shelter. It also said no other deaths or injuries have been reported.

The school posted an alert around 9:30 a.m. on its Facebook page about shots being fired at Campbell Hall on its campus in Mount Pleasant, which is about 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) north of Lansing.

An automated phone message from the school also was sent to students. The shooting occurred on the last day of classes before spring break. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says its agents are on their way to the campus.

You Might Also LikeLast week didnt go well for Paul Manafort. The former chairman of Donald Trumps presidential campaign was already facing federal criminal charges for an elaborate scheme to hide as much as $75 million from the U.S. government when Robert Mueller, the special counsel in the Russia investigation, named Manafort in not one, but two superseding indictments. The new developments left Manafort with the fearsome prospect of two separate trials, millions more in legal fees, and even more time in prison, beyond the many years he was up against. Worst of all, Manaforts co-defendant and longtime second banana, Rick Gatesthe former deputy chairman of the Trump campaign and head of the underwhelming Trump inaugurationpleaded guilty and agreed to provide testimony and information to Mueller and his team. When Gates walked out of the federal courthouse on Friday, he was practically beaming.

To me, the outcome could not appear more grim for Manafort. After practicing federal criminal law for 40 years as a prosecutor and defense lawyer, I had already thought the pending charges against him looked dead bang. They were assembled by some of the most high-powered prosecutors in Washington. They were intricately documented. Worse, they are unlikely to endear a jury to Manafort, who allegedly used his ill-gotten gains to pay for fancy cars, clothes from tony mens shops, and the upkeep on several houses. But as bad as things appeared, the addition of Gates as a witness ensures that prosecutors will be able to offer live narration for whats on all that dry paper. As I see it, Manaforts eventual trials will be little more than what is referred to in the trade as a slow pleaa milk run to a certain conviction.

Nonetheless, Manafort has announced his intention to fight on, making him the only key defendant in Muellers investigation not to plead guilty and cooperate with authorities (leaving aside the 13 recently indicted Russians who are unlikely ever to be seen again on U.S. soil). Its intriguing therefore to speculate on the thinking of the Manafort legal team, which, I believe, must be focused on the hope of a presidential pardon, despite the many risks and contingencies that such a strategy entails.

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That Mueller is eager to hear from Manafort cannot be doubted. Few in the inner Trump orbit are more likely to have light to shed on the Trump campaigns possible collusion with people of influence inside Russia. Manafort has long maintained close ties to Russia, not only through his work for the government of Ukraine, but also as a result of his own activities, which included investing with and representing Vladimir Putin crony Oleg Deripaska, an aluminum oligarch. Whats more, Manafort attended the infamous June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, arranged by Donald Trump Jr., during which they expected to receive dirt about Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian governments effort to back the campaign. Coincidence or not, it was only a few weeks later that the first tranche of hacked Democratic National Committee e-mails were published by WikiLeaks. Later that summer, it was Manaforts former lobbying-firm partner, Roger Stone, who made the ominous prediction that Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta, was next to get his time in the barrel. Podestas e-mails began appearing on WikiLeaks several weeks later.

Indeed, The Wall Street Journal reported that in the spring of 2015, U.S. spy agencies captured Russian officials talking about Manafort. After Manafort left the Trump campaign, the Journal said, American investigators obtained a warrant to conduct surveillance of Manafort as part of the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Probable cause would have been required to obtain the warrant, but the underlying evidence, which Mueller now must have, has never been revealed. So, given all this, what is Manaforts best option to save his skin?

Someone who prefers short odds would say that Manafort should go the hangout road, a term used during Watergate by President Nixon and his closest aides to describe the unpalatable option of telling the whole truth and accepting the consequences. But Manafort, by pleading not guilty and insisting on going to trialand by going out of his way last week to criticize Gates for cooperatingis sticking to a strategy that on the surface appears likely to find him living out most of his remaining days behind bars.

Over the years, Ive seen many potential defendants decide to just shut up and take it for a variety of reasons: fear for their lives, in mob, gang, and drug cases; a determination to be a stand-up guy, unwilling to lessen their time inside at the cost of others; and, on occasion, an unrelenting hatred for the prosecutors. Manafort, no doubt, may fall within these last two categories. F.B.I. agents armed with a search warrant, after all, picked the lock on his Alexandria, Virginia, apartment and invaded it last July, making off with a cache of business documents, folders, and computer files. (One of the damning allegations in last weeks new charges: among the documents the Feds found last summer were items the government had previously subpoenaed but which Manafort had claimed, in a letter, did not exist.)

There is a price to be paid, however, for refusing to entertain plea deals. Federal sentencing guidelines deal harshly with those who keep mum and go to trial. The reason? These defendants lose the automatic sentence reductions that come with acceptance of responsibility and helping prosecutors. Such guidelines give prosecutors substantial ability to manipulate, punish, or reward a defendant. Indeed, for Gates, the criteria call for a sentence of 57 to 71 months in prison. An unrepentant Manafort could face much longer, at least eight years by my estimate, and probably morea sentence that would be imposed upon the conclusion of trials that would end when Manafort is approaching the age of 70. A trial and guilty verdict, moreover, would not necessarily allow Manafort to remain silent forever. It is common these days for prosecutors to call convicted defendants before a grand jurywith the threat of even more prison time added for perjury if the defendants statements contradict evidence the prosecutor has in hand.

Thus, there seems to be another strategy behind Manaforts vows to fight on. And this is a legal posture aimed at an audience of one: Donald Trump.

Robert Mueller, presumably, still doesnt know what a truthful Manafort would have to saybut Trump does. If Manafort is, in fact, playing for a pardona route that even disgraced former N.S.A. chief Michael Flynn, whom Trump steadily defended, didnt takeit would speak volumes about how damaging Manaforts testimony could be to Trump or to those close to him, such as his son, Donald Trump Jr., and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. If Manaforts truthful testimony was simply going to absolve all of them of conspiring with the Russians, he could have made a deal long ago. Such testimony would have been as likely to earn an eventual pardon, once the smoke cleared. Manaforts problem, then, seems to be that Mueller may already have evidence of collusion that threatens to endanger him, his former colleagues on the campaign, and possibly Trump himself.

A pardon, on the other hand, would solve most of Manaforts problems. It would not only keep Manafort out of the penitentiary, but could also relieve Manafort of the prospect of forfeiting most of his riches, a punishment the latest indictments seek. Indeed, as president, Trump could encourage the I.R.S. to go easy on Manafort in reaching a deal on the taxes, penalties, and interest Manafort owes on $30 million in unreported income, a benefit that even the best-disposed prosecutor has no power to offer.

But betting on a pardon is the legal equivalent of a poker player drawing to an inside straight. Its a perilous strategy facing mighty long odds. Obviously, Trump could have pardoned Manafort before he was charged last October. But a premature pardon, even now, comes with hazards for both the president and Manafort. The first is political. Allowing the only guy who wouldnt talk to walk away unscathed is certain to enrage voters and could help the Democrats flip the House of Representatives in November. Fear of losing their seats might even force Republicans in the House to make some weak move toward impeachment.

The second major difficulty is a legal one. If Manafort were to be pardoned, he would lose his Fifth Amendment right to silence, since he would no longer have a reasonable fear of being prosecuted on the basis of what he said. Manafort would be quickly subpoenaed before a Mueller grand jury and again face a perjury trap.

Finally, a presidential pardon would only relieve Manafort of being charged in U.S. federal courts. New York State, however, has a strong money-laundering statute and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, according to press accounts, has already been investigating Manafort for that crime, in coordination with Muellers office. A perceived quid pro quoa pardon in exchange for silencewould push Schneiderman to immediately bring charges, a move that would instantly transform him into a heroic figure among Democrats and a national political force.

Manafort, therefore, seems to be playing the long game. One of the ironies of Manafort choosing to hang tough (instead of choosing to hang out) is that it literally prolongs the probe, since the Mueller team cant be expected to close shop before Manafort goes to trial. The earliest he could be pardoned would be after the midterms. Even then, there would still be the risk that Manafort would be summoned to testifymeaning that for such a gambit to work, both for Manafort and Trump, the president would also have to put an end to the overall investigation by firing Mueller and instructing the Department of Justice not to replace him. At the same time, how could Trump exonerate Manafort without pardoning Trumps son and son-in-law, who might also be at risk? As cover, Trump might well consider pardoning everyone who might be involved, even those he now might view as squealers, such as Flynn and Gates. Such a radical maneuver, however, would depend on Trumps willingness to face a furious Congress and, come 2020, an apoplectic electorate.

Another flaw in planning for a pardon: Manafort must gamble that the Democrats dont retake the House this November. If they did, Trump couldnt pardon Manafort unless he was willing to see Manafort called as the first witness in the impeachment inquiry the Democrats would be certain to commence. Looking at the twisted road to a pardon, its understandable why defendants like Flynn and Gates decided to just cut a deal.

Manafort, it seems, is the sort of man who likes to gamble. The sheer brazenness of the conduct he was charged with (creating shell companies and partnerships to hide Ukrainian payments and then wiring it to the people who remodeled or landscaped Manaforts homes, or creating phony income statements to obtain mortgages so he could keep up his lavish lifestyle) bespeaks a person with a ravaging appetite for money and luxurya balls-out player who believes he can get away with just about anything if he has the gall to try. In other words, hes the kind of man prone to defy traditional legal advice and reach for the brass ring of a pardon. A man, in fact, not unlike Trump himself.

Scott Turow, a Vanity Fair contributor, attorney, and best-selling author, is the author of Presumed Innocent, The Burden of Proof, Ordinary Heroes, and Identical. His most recently novel is Testimony.Four students in Volusia County, Florida were arrested on Thursday after sending violent threats to their schools. A total of 15 people have been arrested since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

On February 16, a 14-year-old boy at Creekside Middle School allegedly said that he would be the next school shooter. The incident was not reported until Thursday, according to authorities.

A female student at Deltona High School made a gun gesture with her hands and said: Bang Bang to two school employees. In that same school, another teacher found a gun in a 15-year-olds backpack, but no one was injured.

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The last reported incident involved a student at New Smyrna Beach High School, who reportedly drew a gun on a piece of paper and pointed it at another student, pretending to shoot him. All of the students involved were charged with the second-degree felony of threat to discharge a destructive device.

The Volusia County Sheriffs Office said they would force the teenagers and their families to hand over $1,000 or more in fees.

These kids must think we are joking like they always claim to be, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood tweeted on Thursday. We aren't. It stops being funny fast when you get locked up and end up owing us $1K or more.





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Since the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, there has been an average of 70 school threats per day recorded in the United States, according to the Educators School Safety Network. The organization found that Florida has recorded 31 incidents in the week after the shooting, which is the most out of any other state in the U.S.

Our research indicates that the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, is the latest of 81 school-based violent incidents and threats that have occurred in Florida just this school year, a statement on the networks website said. Of the 81 threats and incidents that have occurred in Florida this school year, 29 have happened in January and the first half of February alone.

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The network also listed its top five states of concern, with California at the top of the list due to a 62.5 percent increase in school threats since 2016. Next follows Pennsylvania with a 14.7 percent increase, New York with a 33.3 percent increase and Florida with a 3.3 percent decrease. Illinois rounded out the list with a 44 percent increase in violent threats.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekPolice arrested a 19-year-old man just after midnight Saturday, hours after his parents were found fatally shot in a Central Michigan University dorm building Friday morning.

The shooting occurred at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Campbell Hall dorm on the Mount Pleasant, Michigan, campus.

James Eric Davis Jr. was taken into custody after well over 100 police officers from multiple agencies were a part of a search for the suspect, who had been considered armed and dangerous, the Mount Pleasant Police Department said in a statement. He was arrested without incident, authorities said early Saturday.

Davis is listed as a sophomore at Central Michigan University, according to the Detroit Free Press.

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The university identified the victims as Davis parents, James Eric Davis Sr. and Diva Jeneen Davis, both 47 years old. Davis Sr. was a police officer and a 24-year veteran of the Illinois National Guard, the Chicago Tribune reported. No others were reported hurt.

Police believe the situation started from a domestic situation, the school said in a statement.

Some parents were on campus Friday to pick up students for spring break. The university, which has close to 23,000 students, remained on lockdown for hours Friday as police escorted students and parents off campus. Police told Mount Pleasant residents to remain on guard and stay indoors while police searched for the gunman.

Davis was in custody by 12:50 a.m. Saturday.

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Davis had been taken to a hospital Thursday night after a possible drug overdose or bad reaction to drugs, Lt. Larry Klaus of the university police said during a news conference Friday. He was later released back to the campus, but police could not confirm what type of treatment Davis had received.

Police had called on Mount Pleasant residents to help locate Davis on Friday. They offered a description and had asked the community to call 911 and avoid approaching the suspect should they see him.

Students tweeted that they received several automated messages from campus police warning them about an active incident on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, then a second alert that the gunman was still at large.

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Security cameras in the dorms common areas and exits filmed Davis leaving the building, heading north on the campus and running along train tracks, police said Friday, according to the Detroit Free Press. In a statement, university officials said that a witness on a train had reported seeing Davis while passing through the north end of the campus shortly after midnight.

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In a tweet on Friday, Illinois state Rep. Emmanuel Chris Welch (D) said the Central Michigan University shooting strikes close to home and offered his condolences to the Davis family.

The shooting rocked the Michigan campus little more than two weeks after a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people.

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This article has been updated with more information on the suspect and his arrest.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story mistakenly indicated the shooting occurred in Illinois.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Sebastien Roblin

Security, Middle East

"The report listed fifteen Syrian engineers among the dead, dozens of Iranians and three North Korean technicians."

North Korea, Iran and Syria: The Chemical Weapons Axis of Evil?

An article published by Janes in September 2007 would sketch out a very different explanation, which is generally accepted today with slight variations: Syrian and Iranian engineers had been loading mustard gas, a chemical weapon which causes horrifying blistering on skin contact, into a Scud-C ballistic missile when a fueling pipe burst. The resulting combustion not only produced the deadly blast, but released stocks of sarin and VX nerve agents throughout the facility, worsening the death toll.

On February 27, an article in the New York Times revealed that the United Nations had produced a two-hundred-page report detailing the transfer of components for the production of chemical weapons from North Korea to Syria. While it is uncertain whether the UN report will be released to the public, the Times details transactions after Syria supposedly destroyed its chemical-weapons facilities, including acid-resistant tiles in January 2017 (useful in chemical-weapon facilities), as well as special high-resistance valves and thermometers known for use in chemical weapons in August 2016.

Although these transfers do not amount to definitive proof because the components could theoretically have civilian applications, it is clear that Syria and North Korea resorted to extensive obfuscation through shell companies and ships registered in China or Malaysia to circumvent sanctions.

Of course, any lingering doubts over whether Syria was faithfully adhering to its agreement to destroy its chemical-weapons stocks were surely dispelled after Syrian warplanes dropped munitions loaded with sarin gas on the village of Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, 2017. Furthermore, 2018s intensification of chlorine gas-attacks shows that the Syrian government continues to practice chemical warfare against its civilians in rebel-held areas. However, chlorine gas has attracted relatively little attention; it cannot be regulated because it is produced with common industrial chemicals, and though attacks typically harm dozens of people at a time, the number of deaths is typically only in the single digits.

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Nonetheless, the Times article highlighted the key role North Korea has played in transferring chemical and other weapons to Syria, in exchange for badly needed cash or barter payments, a role dating back to the 1980s and 90s. However, this mutually beneficial relationship between pariah states has occasioned a curious number of hair-raising accidentswhich may not in fact be accidental.

Blowing the Doors Off the Syrian Chemical-Warfare Program

At 4:30 in the morning on July 25, 2007, a fiery explosion tore through a heavily guarded building a dozen miles southeast of Aleppo, Syria. The building was part of a complex known as al-Safir, one of five constructed by the Syrian government to produce and store chemical weapons. Al-Safir particular specialized in Sarin and VX, extremely lethal nerve agents that among other terrible effects disrupt the muscle responses necessary for breathing.

The shock of the blast was so great it blew off the facilitys heavy metal doors. Choking clouds of gas flooded through the surrounding complex, which measured five miles by two miles.

Some accounts claim that as many as two hundred were wounded or killed in the accident. Local medical staff could not cope with the disaster and it became necessary to summon outside help to the classified facility.

Publicly, the Syrian government claimed that the facility had been a conventional arms depot, and that temperatures exceeding fifty degrees Celsius had caused munitions to cook off in a chain reaction. But that didnt square with the timing of the explosion during a cool desert night.

An article published by Janes in September 2007 would sketch out a very different explanation, which is generally accepted today with slight variations: Syrian and Iranian engineers had been loading mustard gas, a chemical weapon which causes horrifying blistering on skin contact, into a Scud-C ballistic missile when a fueling pipe burst. The resulting combustion not only produced the deadly blast, but released stocks of sarin and VX nerve agents throughout the facility, worsening the death toll.

In some later variations on this story, the gas being loaded was also a nerve agent, and the missile was a longer-range Scud-D.

The report listed fifteen Syrian engineers among the dead, dozens of Iranians and three North Korean technicians. Indeed, North Korea had played a key role in supplying both Syria and Iran with chemical weapons and ballistic-missile technology with which to launch them at distant targets. The al-Safir facility had been constructed two years earlier with North Korean assistance.

North Korea produced its first ballistic missiles by reverse-engineering Scud missiles acquired from Egypt. It promptly developed an improved longer-range missile called the Hwasong-6, or Scud-C. According to defense analyst Bruce Bechtol in his book Defiant Failed State, in the early 1990s Damascus used money received from Saudi Arabia for its participation in the Gulf War to pay Pyongyang $500 million to purchase 150 Hwasong-6s.

North Korea later developed an improved variant with a range of around five hundred miles, designated the Scud-D, and delivered some to Syria 2000. One of these Scud-Ds crashed on Turkish soil during a test in 2005; upon analysis, it was discovered these were being modified for even greater range and accuracy. Much of the exchange in technical expertise was facilitated by personnel from the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center.

More Explosions, More Deaths

Ballistic missiles and chemical weapons are intrinsically dangerous technologies, and its entirely possible the disaster at al-Safir was simply an accident. The Assad government nonetheless investigated, and they reportedly concluded in private that sabotage had occurred. But by whom?

Bechtol and other commenters on the al-Safir accident typically make a connection to several other incidents that hint at ongoing efforts by Israel to sabotage Syrian and Iranian efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.

For example, prominent Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman later wrote in his book The Secret War with Iran that a senior Israeli minister had suggestively described the al-Safir explosion as a wonderful accident.

On September 6, 2007, less than two months after the explosion at al-Safir, ten Israeli F-15 jets fighters penetrated deep into Syrian airspace, escorted by F-16s and protected by a blanket of jamming and deceptive electronic-warfare countermeasures that disabled Syrian air defenses. As they approached a facility in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, commandos waiting on the ground highlighted targets with laser designators. The warplanes released more than thirty thousand pounds of bombs, destroying a Syrian nuclear reactor under construction there with North Korean assistance, bought at a price estimated to be equivalent to $12 billion. Ten North Korean engineers were among the dead.

Other accidents and unlikely deaths had befall others associated with the transfer of military technology between Korea and Syria. Notably, on April 22, 2004, a titanic explosion registering as a 3.2 on the Richter scale ripped apart a train in Ryongchon, North Korea, devastating the town. Officially the blast was triggered by electrical wires interacting with a cargo of ammonium nitrate, a substance used as a fertilizer in rockets and explosives, though curiously North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had passed through the station only a few hours earlier. Among the 161 dead were ten Syrian SSRC engineers.

Later in 2009, Syria would test launch another Scud D missile under the supervision of North Korean and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps technicians. However, the missile flew off course and killed twenty civilians; it is unclear if it was equipped with a conventional or chemical warhead.

Nonetheless, when these past incidents are considered alongside the recent UN reports, it becomes clear that the relationship between Pyongyang and Damascus is deeply rooted, and that the former will likely continue to transfer the means to produce deadly weapons to the latter in defiance of international sanctions and agreements.

Sebastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: Reuters

Read full articleAn asteroid up to 1600ft in diameter is set to fly by Earth in the early hours of March 7. Named 2017 VR12, NASA has called the object potentially hazardous.

But dont worrythe space rock shouldnt get closer than 900,000 miles from Earth. Thats far enough to stay safe, and maybe even close enough to watch on a home telescope.

Larger than the Empire State Building?

It is difficult to work out an asteroids size at great distance, but we can estimate. The asteroid is a mere point of light in our telescopes: we cannot resolve its size that way, Paul Chodas, manager of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Newsweek.

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Astronomers can guess the objects size from its brightness, but this can produce a wide range of results. A small but very luminous asteroid can look as bright as a larger but darker object.

3_2_Pyramid of Giza

Djehouty/Wikimedia Commons

As of 5.00 a.m. ET March 2, estimates from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the International Astronomical Unions Minor Planet Center put 2017 VR12 somewhere between 490 ft and 1600 ft in diameter. This means it could outstretch the Empire State Buildings 1450 ft height.

Even at its smallest estimate, the asteroid outstretches the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which, historians think, was a measly 480 ft tall (or 280 Egyptian Royal cubits) when first built.

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At its largest, 2017 VR12 is not that big for a near Earth object. The largest two, Chodas said, are about 18.5 miles acrossthats almost the size of Aruba. I would characterize 2017 VR12 as mid-sized, he added.

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3_2_Asteroid Ida

JPL/NASA

Rare opportunity for radar observation

Starting this weekend, astronomers will track the asteroid as it comes within the range of the Goldstone Solar System Radar in the Mojave desert and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. This should lead to a better guess at its size, shape and surface. They might even snap an image of the object, Chodas said.

2017 VR12 represents a rare opportunity for astronomersmost near Earth objects are too distant to be within range of the radar, or too small to provide a detectable echo, Chodas explained.

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Will I be able to see it?

Astronomers have a much better idea of the object's orbit than its size. Its close approach to Earth qualifies it as a potentially hazardous asteroid by NASAs standards. However, its orbit will keep it nearly four lunar distances from our planet.

Far enough to pass by safely, its still a pretty close encounter with an asteroid of this size. Its so close, in fact, you may even be able to catch it with a small home telescope.

3_2_Asteroid 1999 JD6 Radar images

GSSR/JPL-Caltech/NASA

It should make its closest approach to Earth at a speed of about 4 miles per second at 2.53 a.m. ET, give or take a minute.

It will get as bright as about 12 magnitude, easily visible to northern hemisphere amateur astronomers with moderate-sized telescopesperhaps even as small as six-inch telescopes, Chodas said.

Observers will still need a dark sky and a good ephemerisa precise prediction of where exactly to point a telescope given the time and your location on Earthhe added.

If you dont have a telescope or you cant find a clear, dark sky, you can watch the asteroid pass by online. The Virtual Telescope Project will show a livestream of the asteroids journey.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekNAIROBI (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab group killed five police officers early on Friday in northeast Kenya, in an area where the Islamist militants have in the past attacked military and civilian targets, a senior official said. "Four police officers and a reservist have died in the attack," said Eric Oronyi, deputy commissioner for Lafey sub-county in Mandera county. He said three other officers were wounded and one was in serious condition. "This is al Shabaab who carried out the attack because we are near the Kenya-Somalia border." Oronyi said the attackers had destroyed a mobile phone transmission mast to disrupt communications. Al Shabaab are fighting to topple Somalia's Western-backed central government and establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law. The group also conducts frequent assaults in Kenya, mostly in the region bordering Somalia, to put pressure on the Kenyan government to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Kenya is part of the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM, which is defending Somalia's government against al Shabaab. (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Kevin Liffey)Throughout the Trump administrations first year in office, the Environmental Protection Agency has been quietly scrubbing mentions of climate change and tweaking related language on its website  an effort critics have decried as scientific censorship.

The EPA is far from the only federal agency to get a Trump-era work over. But monitoring organizations say it has suffered the most extensive revisions over the past year.

These alterations, which began within days of President Donald Trumps inauguration, reflect a marked departure from the EPAs roots in an era of burgeoning environmental activism. In 1962, marine biologist Rachel Carson ignited an advocacy movement with her book Silent Spring, which warned that humans were poisoning their environment with pesticides, and, in turn, the environment would eventually poison humans too. The message, compounded by environmental disasters of that decade, attracted the sympathies of President Richard Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 in part to regulate the impact of human activities on the environment.

Nearly five decades later, the current administration is waging a blitzkrieg against the widely held consensus that human activity is a driving force behind climate change. This reorientation has triggered a purge of environmental websites, and especially, the EPAs, which once boasted readers had come to the right place for the latest information on climate change.

According to former government officials and EPA staffers, the level of scrutiny is without precedent. In the hands of an administration that has eschewed facts for their alternative cousins, the agencys site is increasingly unmoored from its scientific core.

In my experience, new administrations might come in and change the appearance of an agency website or the way they present information, but this is an unprecedented attempt to delete or bury credible scientific information they find politically inconvenient, Heather Zichal, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Global Energy Center, and previously President Barack Obamas top White House adviser on energy and climate change, tells TIME.

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The EPAs site is now riddled with missing links, redirecting pages and buried information. Over the past year, terms like fossil fuels, greenhouse gases and global warming have been excised. Even the term science is no longer safe.

Christine Todd Whitman, the EPA Administrator under George W. Bush, says the overhaul is to such an extreme degree that [it] undermines the credibility of the site.

The message theyre sending, particularly to young people, is that science doesnt matter, she tells TIME. Dont get me wrong  questioning is fine and good, but when you have overwhelming consensus on something, you concede to that. Undermining science means there is no basis on which to act based on fact, which is dangerous.

Scientists say the year-long overhaul has unraveled decades worth of research, while undermining the agencys mission, which promises to source the best available scientific information.

The idea that the science of climate change is in doubt  and that this justifies changing EPA websites  is simply false, Philip Duffy, president of the Woods Hole Research Center, tells TIME.

I see no way to avoid concluding that [the current EPA administration] places the interests of the fossil industry above those of the people it is charged to protect, he added.

During his campaign, Trump vowed to get rid of the EPA. Once in office, he proposed gutting the budget by 31%, appointed a notorious climate change skeptic to head it and issued a series of executive orders aimed at decimating any work deemed an impediment to energy production. He also immediately ordered the removal of climate change information from the site, according to Reuters.

Of the more than 25,000 web pages tracked by the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI) since Trumps election, they say the EPAs have been hit hardest. One section, which provided local communities with resources for combating climate change, disappeared for months only to resurface heavily redacted, including just 175 of its 380 pages.

Although the EPA did not return requests for comment, it said in a statement in April that it was removing outdated language on the website and acknowledged that content related to climate and regulation is also being reviewed.

We are currently updating our website to reflect EPAs priorities under the leadership of President Trump and Administrator Pruitt, says the error message now ubiquitous across the site.

Burying climate change information

When Scott Pruitts name emerged for the EPA administrator position, scientists raised concerns about the effect he could have on Americans access to climate science. Pruitt billed himself as the leading advocate against the activist agenda of the agency, which he sued 14 times. Now spearheading the EPA, Pruitt is seen as pivoting the agency away from environmental activism toward a more private business-friendly stance. He calls his approach a back-to-basics agenda that prioritizes engaging with partners, and implementing sensible regulations for economic growth.

Read more: Inside Scott Pruitts Mission to Remake the EPA

This shift in outlook is immediately apparent on the EPAs new homepage. The previous homepage welcomed viewers with a pledge that cleaning up our communities and taking action on climate change are among our priorities. Thats been replaced with an appeal to learn how EPA is increasing transparency and public participation in litigation against the agency.

But the changes go beyond rhetoric. After the EPA announced its website update last April, months after the alterations began, the Climate Change section was taken down.

This vast section had existed in various forms for over two decades. Initially launched as a section on Global Warming, it served as a hub for basic scientific background on what climate changes is and how human are contributing. What can we do about this change? it asked, and provided tools like a carbon footprint calculator and resources for teachers.

Humans are largely responsible for recent climate change, one page read, adding, The choices we make today will affect the amount of greenhouse gases we put in the atmosphere in the near future and for years to come.

Previously, the climate change section was accessible via the EPA homepage. Now, its URL  www.epa.gov/climatechange  prompts the message, This page is being updated.

(The screenshots and red underlines in the sections below are by TIME.)

The subdomain remains accessible through the January 19 archive of the website made by the EPA, which comes with a caveat at the top, this website is historical material that is no longer updated.

Many of the links contained within the climate change subdomain can still be found by individually searching for them. But if you dont know exactly what youre looking for it can be difficult, if not impossible, to unearth them from the labyrinthine federal site.

And some of the pages simply no longer exist. A search for the term climate change on EPA.gov produces just over 5,000 results. It used to produce more than 12,000.

Altering resources

This map provided regional breakdowns of the effects climate change is having on human health, water resources and local ecosystems:

It has now been replaced with this map:

Among the 56 states and territories on the new EPA in your state map, just 19 feature any mention of climate change. Out of those, only eight links are functional. Most lead to a 404 not found message.

Erasing resources for kids

Before making changes to the agency website, the EPA said it carefully archived all pages from the past administration. But according to EDGIs monitoring, at least one popular climate-related resource was not included in the EPAs January 19 archive: a Students Guide to Global Climate Change.

The Earth is getting warmer because people are adding heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere, mainly by burning fossil fuels, the 50-page site said.

Concerns about the incompleteness of the EPAs archive prompted some, including the Internet Archive and the City of Chicago, to create and host their own snapshots of the EPA as it existed before the Trump administration.

While this information may not be readily available on the EPAs website, in Chicago we know climate change is real, says the message pinned to the top of Chicagos archive.

Censoring word choice

Not all of the holes left by the EPAs scrubbing of climate change are so obvious. Subtle redactions and word choice adjustments are pervasive throughout site. At least one section has been subject to line editing that may escape notice except through a studied comparison.

On the page Learn about SmartWay  a Bush-era program to make shipping and logistics more environmentally friendly  the EPA used to mention freight transportations adverse effects on the environment, public health and climate. But the word climate has been scrubbed.

Similarly, the same page previously described how the growth of freight activity has negatively impacted the environment, resulting in more more greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions as well as CO2. All those terms have been erased, leaving only a truism about freight increasing.

Likewise, the phrase climate change and air pollutant has been wiped and carbon footprint was exchanged for, environmental footprint. Working to harmonize global carbon accounting methods became sustainability accounting methods.

According to the EDGIs careful scrutiny, most pages related to the SmartWay program have been subjected to such redactions with climate change phrases dropped in favor of more general terms that appear to minimize the sense of impending threat.

Consequences

As climate change continues bearing down, observers say the EPAs censorship is not only making it harder to create informed policy, its also possibly threatening lives.

This goes beyond marketing and beyond politics, Matthew Shudtz, executive director of the Center for Progressive Reform, tells TIME. People all over the world are losing their lives and their homes as a result of climate change.

Most climate change models predict extreme weather events like wildfires, droughts, and intense hurricane will become more severe and more common, and advise quick adoption of contingency plans. Trumps own Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, has acknowledged climate change will impact our security situation.

Yet, climate change resilience is no longer even listed as a goal of the EPAs sustainability plan. The removing, burying or redacting of climate change information also comes amid the agencys wider freeze on litigation and enforcement actions with reported delays or rollbacks on dozens of environmental regulations.

There is no more significant threat than climate change and it isnt just happening to people in far off countries  its happening to us, Gina McCarthy, the EPA administrator under President Obama tells TIME.

Censoring scientific data doesnt make its threats any less real, it hides the problem from the American people so the Trump administration can wage a dangerous assault on public health safeguards that protect all Americans. It is beyond comprehension that they would ever purposely limit and remove access to information that communities need to save lives and property.Violence has continued in all of at least four conflicts raging concurrently in Syria, inflating the death toll of a seven-year war that showed little signs of calming down anytime soon.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported Friday that military helicopters dropped leaflets with instructions on how civilians could exit the besieged Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, which has been under the control of rebels and jihadis opposed to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2013. Backed by Russia and Shiite Muslim militias supported by Iran, the Syrian troops have steadily gained on one of the few pockets of control remaining from the 2011 uprising against Assad.

Related: U.S. is losing a top Syria war ally once again, this time to Assad

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"What is happening at present is biting and taking some villages from the eastern side," a Syrian military commander told Reuters.

Western powers have blamed Russia, Syria and Iran for the growing death toll in eastern Ghouta, but the three have pointed the finger at insurgents shelling nearby Damascus and refusing to leave. This standoff at the United Nations, and others before it, have left world powers at a standstill as what began in March 2011 as a series of mass, sectarian demonstrations against Assad in Syria devolved into a multinational conflict with the U.S., Russia, Iran and Turkey among the top foreign forces behind local forces vying for power.

RTX50W67

Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Syria

The Middle Eastern, Mediterranean country has an Arab Sunni Muslim majority with ethnic minorities that included Kurds, Armenians and Turkmen, while Shiite Muslims, Christians and Druze made up the religious minorities. Since 1972, Syria has been headed by the Assad family, members of the Alawite Shiite Muslim sect. After his father's death in 2000, Assad ascended to the head of the country's Baathist government and, for a while, appeared to court the West.

Story continues

As unrest swept the region in 2011, however, Assad cracked down on protests in Syria. Clashes broke out between security forces and an opposition that took up arms. Violence worsened and the Syrian military was forced to cede large parts of the country to rebels and jihadi groups, but these gains have been largely recovered in recent years thanks to assistance from within and without.

Don't miss: Alec Baldwin Back As Trump On 'Saturday Night Live' To Mock POTUS For School Shooting Comment

The United States

The U.S. worked closely with Syria to end the civil war in Lebanon in 1990 and in the initial stages of the Iraq War and so-called "War on Terror," but relations have generally been poor. The U.S. and Syria have accused one another of sponsoring terrorism and, when the 2011 protests started, former President Barack Obama backed the opposition. Soon after, the CIA began training and arming rebel groups such as the Free Syrian Army. Turkey and Gulf Arab states, such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia also backed various armed groups.

As the Syrian opposition splintered and extremist groups began to dominate, U.S. support waned and recalibrated to independent Kurdish fighters battling a new foe, the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). The U.S. formed an international coalition and began bombing ISIS in 2014. The following year, the Pentagon established the Syrian Democratic Forces, a mostly Kurdish alliance that included Arabs and ethnic minorities.

The U.S.-led coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces swept through ISIS territory and claimed victory in October over the jihadi's de facto capital of Raqqa. The U.S.-Kurd relationship has become strained, however, as U.S. NATO ally Turkey invaded the northwestern, Kurd-held Syrian district of Afrin, and the U.S. has not moved to stop it.

GettyImages-672804948

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Russia

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Syria was a Cold War ally of the Soviet Union, buying Russian arms and giving Moscow a warm water port in the Mediterranean. In 2015, Russia staged a military intervention at Assad's request, ultimately shifting the momentum in the Syrian leader's favor. As the U.S.-led coalition battled ISIS in the north, Russian warplanes helped Syrian troops and pro-Syrian government militias retake key cities from insurgents, including the former commercial capital of Aleppo in late 2016, a development that compelled pro-opposition Turkey to join Russia and Iran's peace efforts the following year.

The Russian military also helped Syria reclaim huge chunks of desert from ISIS. The separate offensives of the Russia-backed Syrian military and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces battling ISIS met in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. The tense boundaries of control erupted into violence last month when U.S. airstrikes killed up to 100 pro-Syrian government forces, including Russian fighters, in an incident that both sides blamed on one another.

Iran

Syria and Iran have been close allies since Damascus backed Tehran in the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Fellow enemies of both Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Israel, they continued to forge ties into the new millennium and the Syrian government became particularly close to Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah.

Hezbollah mobilized in support of Assad shortly after violence broke out in Syria and Iran has summoned a number of other Shiite Muslim militias from local fighters as well as foreigners from Afghanistan and Iraq. These irregular forces have been on the frontlines against ISIS and rebels, including in eastern Ghouta, but the U.S. has also accused them of being proxies of Iran's growing footprint in the region.

GettyImages-913060690

OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images

Turkey

Syria sought to improve its relationship with northern neighbor Turkey in 1998 when it arrested and extradited Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocallan, whose group has waged a decades-long separatist insurgency against Turkey. These ties soon fell out as war erupted in 2011 and Turkey sided with opposition forces. It continued to do so as the U.S. switched support to Kurdish groups such as the People's Protection Units (YPG), which Turkey considered to be a PKK-linked terrorist organization.

Turkey has supported the once U.S.-sponsored Free Syrian Army in clashes with the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, of which the YPG was the dominant faction. In January, Turkey launched its so-called "Operation Olive Branch" sending troops and allied Free Syrian Army forces to oust the YPG from the northwestern Syrian border district of Afrin.

As the U.S. and Russia chose not to allow mutual partner Turkey to attack, Kurdish forces requested Assad's help in defending Syrian territory and convoys of pro-Syrian government fighters arrived in Afrin last month, forming an unlikely, perhaps temporary alliance of Syrian forces and complicating both the U.S. and Russia's interests in the war-torn country.

Syria Control of Terrain - 22 FEB 2018-page-001

Institute for the Study of War

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekToday in 5 Lines

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal killed a proposed tax break that would have benefited Delta Airlines after the airline cut ties with the National Rifle Association. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly defended his handling of the domestic-abuse allegations against former Trump staffer Rob Porter and offered his own timeline of the episode. In a series of morning tweets, President Trump exchanged insults with comedian Alec Baldwin and defended his position on trade. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended the funeral for the late Reverend Billy Graham in Charlotte, North Carolina. A manhunt is underway after two people were fatally shot by a gunman at Central Michigan University.

Today on The Atlantic

Promises, Promises: President Trumps proposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum are intended to protect American jobs and strengthen national security. Theyll probably fail on both fronts. (Annie Lowrey)

Cant Have Both: President Trump will have to choose between limiting low-skill immigration or restricting trade. (Reihan Salam)

Keep Out: Greenfield, Massachusetts has successfully fought to keep Walmart from moving into town. Now, the city is up against a much more powerful force: Amazon. (Alana Semuels)

The Consequences of a Trade War: Former President Richard Nixons leadership brought on a decade of stagflation. David Frum argues that Trumps tariffs might do the same thing.

Follow stories throughout the day with our Politics & Policy portal.

Recommended: Will the Last Person to Leave the West Wing Please Turn Out the Lights?

Snapshot

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence arrive at the funeral of Reverend Billy Graham in Charlotte, North Carolina. Andrew Harnik / AP

What Were Reading

Impeccable Timing?: Trump ally Carl Icahn reportedly sold $31.3 million in stock in a company dependent on steel, just days before Trump announced his plans to impose tariffs on steel imports. (Judd Legum, ThinkProgress)

Recommended: Trump Repeats Nixon's Folly

Why Do Billionaires Love Populism?: Amy Chua explains the alliance between self-dealing plutocrats and working-class voters. (Politico)

Story continues

Jared Has Faded: After 28 turbulent days, Trumps son-in-laws standing in the administration has fallen. (Philip Rucker, Ashley Parker, and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post)

Deep Breaths: President Trumps decision to start a trade war was reportedly born out of anger over other issues and caught White House staff by surprise. (Stephanie Ruhle and Peter Alexander, NBC News)

Good Luck: Democratic Representative Beto ORourke will likely challenge Senator Ted Cruz for his seat this fall, writes Heather Wilhelm, resurrecting Democrats foolish desire to turn Texas blue. (National Review)

Visualized

Study Up: The Department of Health and Human Services might soon start investing in gun-violence research. Here are the questions gun experts want answered. (Quoctrung Bui and Margot Sanger-Katz, The New York Times)

Question of the Week

On Monday, the White House announced that President Trump will host French President Emmanuel Macron in April for the first state visit of his administration. This week, we asked you which world leader youd invite to the White House for a formal visit. A lot of you said youd welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

She is an honest, strong, practical leader and cares for and believes in the rights of the common man and not so much for the 1%, Libby wrote in. Our country needs someone like her to help us out of the mess we are in at this time.

Recommended: What I Saw Treating the Victims From Parkland Should Change the Debate on Guns

A few people said theyd invite the leaders of Canada and Mexico together. Why? Robert K Whelan explained that the shared border, the long-term peaceful history, and the need for cooperation on trade matters are the most obvious reasons.

A number of readers said they would invite North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to repair Americas relationships with those countries. From Donald Dunklee: Why? Our allies are already our friends and work with us. We need to focus on making our world a safer place.

Finally, Liz wrote in to suggest that shed invite the leader of Wakanda, the fictional African nation from the comic and movie Black Panther: I think T'Challa would have a lot to teach us about building bridges, and it would show that Africa isn't full of you-know-what-hole nations.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for next weeks Question of the Week!

-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.Ouagadougou (AFP) - The capital of Burkina Faso came under multiple attacks on Friday, targeting the French embassy, the French cultural centre and the country's military headquarters, an AFP reporter and witnesses said.

Witnesses said five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the embassy, in the centre of the city.

An AFP reporter heard heavy exchanges of gunfire and saw a blazing vehicle, which witnesses said was the car used by the assailants. Police and army units were deployed in the area.

Other witnesses said there was an explosion near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural centre, which are located about a kilometre (half a mile) from the site of the first attack.

The French embassy confirmed that French interests were under attack.

"Attack under way at th French embassy and French Institute. Stay indoors," it said in a terse message posted on Facebook.

Burkina Faso is one of a string of fragile countries on the southern rim of the Sahara that are battling jihadist groups.

The insurgency has caused thousands of deaths, prompted tens of thousands to flee their homes and dealt crippling blows to economies that are already among the poorest in the world.

On August 13 last year, two assailants opened fire on a restaurant on Ouagadougou's main avenue, killing 19 people and wounded 21. The attack remains unclaimed.

On January 15 2016, 30 people, including six Canadians and five Europeans, were killed in a jihadist attack on a hotel and restaurant in the city centre.

Responsiblity was claimed by a group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which is known by its French acronym of AQMI.

France, the former colonial power in the Sahel region, has deployed 4,000 troops and is supporting a five-country joint force gathering Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

The United Nations also has a 12,000-strong peacekeeping force in Mali called MINUSMA, which has taken heavy casualties. Four UN peacekeepers were killed by a mine blast on Wednesday in the centre of the country.Dubai (AFP) - Bahrain said on Saturday that it had arrested 116 people accused of belonging to a "terror" cell allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

An official statement on state news agency BNA said that security services had in the process thwarted a number of attacks and seized large quantities of arms and explosives.

Authorities in the tiny Gulf state have cracked down hard on dissent since mass street protests in 2011 which demanded an elected prime minister and constitutional monarchy in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite majority kingdom.

Bahrain frequently accuses opposition figures of links to Shiite Iran, which denies supporting any bid to overthrow the government.

The statement charged that the cell planned to target leading security figures and carry out attacks on oil and other vital installations.

It accused those detained of being members of a cell formed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and said that as many as 48 of those detained had received military training in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.

They received training on the use of explosives, light arms, artillery and rocket-propelled grenades, according to the statement.

Police seized 42 kilograms (93 pounds) of high explosives, 757 kilograms of materials used to manufacture explosives, several Kalashnikovs and grenades, it said.

A key US ally and home to the US Fifth Fleet, Bahrain has drawn harsh criticism from international rights groups over its crackdown on dissent.

In January Bahrain police arrested 47 people on terrorism-related charges.

Dozens of Bahrainis have been jailed and stripped of citizenship since Arab Spring-inspired protests broke out in 2011.

Bahrain's parliament and king last year granted military courts jurisdiction to try civilians charged with "terrorism" -- a vaguely defined legal term.

The kingdom has also deported citizens whose nationalities had been revoked.

Last month Bahrain accused Iran of training and arming two men accused of bombing a Saudi Aramco oil pipeline outside the capital Manama -- an allegation Tehran dismissed as "false".(WASHINGTON)  The United States said Friday it was making permanent its decision last year to withdraw 60 percent of its diplomats from Cuba, citing a need to protect American personnel from what the State Department calls health attacks that remain unexplained.

In October, the department ordered non-essential personnel and all family members to leave Havana, arguing the U.S. could not protect diplomats from unexplained illnesses that have harmed at least 24 Americans. But by law, the department can only order diplomats to leave for six months before either sending them back or making the reductions permanent.

The six months expire Sunday. So the State Department said it was setting a new, permanent staffing plan that maintains the lower level of roughly two-dozen people  the minimum personnel necessary to perform core diplomatic and consular functions. The department also said that the embassy in Havana would operate as an unaccompanied post, meaning diplomats posted there will not be allowed to have their spouses or children live with them in the country.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed off on the permanent plan for reduced staffing out of concern for the health, safety and well-being of U.S. government personnel and family members, the department said in a statement.

We still do not have definitive answers on the source or cause of the attacks, and an investigation into the attacks is ongoing, the department said.

Cuba has repeatedly denied either involvement in or knowledge of any attacks, and has said its own investigation into the illnesses has turned up no evidence of deliberate action. The United States has not accused Cuba of perpetrating the attacks but has said Havana holds responsibility nonetheless, arguing that such incidents could not have occurred on the small, communist-run island without the knowledge of Cuban officials.Watch news, TV and more on Yahoo View.



As high winds bore down on Washington, the president lost his closest aide and saw his son-in-law humiliated. Fiercer storms may be round the corner

Donald Trump, at the White House in January. Photograph: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The god of giant metaphors struck on Friday. Winds of 65mph battered Washington, uprooting trees, cutting power to nearly half a million people and forcing the federal government to close. Donald Trump had to change his travel plans and fly via Dulles airport, where one plane had such a bumpy descent that, the pilot said, pretty much everyone on board threw up.

It was the apt end of a week that left the president, Lear-like, all but abandoned in a raging storm. Hope Hicks, an aide so close that she has been described as a surrogate daughter, became the fourth communications director to leave his administration. Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, was stripped of high-level security clearance amid revelations about potential conflicts of interest. The king himself fulminated on topics from gun control to trade tariffs, leaving courtiers scrambling to offer reassurances about his state of mind.

There has been disarray in the White House before but this time, observers said, the checks and balances that have provided a modicum of restraint appear to be crumbling, leaving Trump isolated, angry and ready to lash out. It is, they fear, not inconceivable that the worlds most powerful country is now being guided by instinct, by impulse, by whim and by mood swing.

This feels like its turned a corner and not for the better for the White House, said Rich Galen, a Republican strategist, once press secretary to Vice-President Dan Quayle.

As layers of this onion  the people who have seniority, who he listens to and who hopefully can talk him down  unpeel, there are fewer and fewer people to do that, which means he can operate on his gut, and he doesnt have the experience to do that.

Story continues

Since Trumps inauguration in January last year, there has been an ever-decreasing inner circle of trusted advisers. Back then, it seemed that three competing centres of power in the West Wing might provide a balance of sorts.

Jared Kushner listens as Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

First, there was Reince Priebus, the chief of staff and former chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC). But he struggled to bring order and was gone by July, replaced by retired general John Kelly.

Second was chief strategist Steve Bannon, who had no political experience but personified Trumps populist, nationalist base. His appointment was announced at the same time as that of Priebus, as if teeing up a palace rivalry. The men forged an alliance of convenience but Bannon stole too much of the limelight and was out by August. His philosophy lived on in Trumps abrupt announcement this week of long-term tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, spoiling for a trade war.

Third, in a less formal role, was Kushner, also a political ingenue. His vast portfolio, including pacifying the Middle East, became a running joke but was steadily curtailed. This week he suffered several blows that could prove fatal. Kelly downgraded his security clearance, denying him access to the presidents daily intelligence briefing, because he had not been permanently approved for the highest level of access.

In addition, it was reported by the Washington Post that officials from four foreign countries discussed ways to manipulate Kushner via his business arrangements. The New York Times said two companies made loans worth more than half a billion dollars to Kushners family property company after executives met him at the White House. The disclosures could leave him exposed in special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into alleged collusion with Russia.

Rick Tyler, a political analyst, said: Its appalling that anyone would leverage their time in government to enrich themselves or do personal business and Jared Kushner appears to have been doing that consistently. He ought to leave immediately. They are nothing but grifters.

Priebus, Bannon, Kushner: two down, one clinging on by his fingertips. Galen said: The issue with the three is that none had any White House experience. Priebus came closest with the RNC, but thats part of the problem getting worse and worse for the White House. There are fewer and fewer people. No one is banging on the gate wanting to work there because of the damage it will do to their reputation.

Gunning for a fight

Until now, Trumps defenders have insisted that people should focus on what he does, not what he says or tweets. The machine of government is ticking over, they have claimed, with victories including economic growth, tax cuts and the appointment of conservative judges. According to this view, the infighting and shenanigans at the White House are just background noise.

The press secretary, Sarah Sanders, told Fox News: If they want to call it chaos, fine, but we call it success and productivity and were going to keep plugging along.

Trump speaks at the NRAs Leadership Forum in Atlanta in April 2017. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

But this was one of Washingtons wildest weeks yet and, critics argue, there are signs that Trumps unchecked volatility is bleeding into policy. On Wednesday, before the TV cameras, he hosted a negotiating session with members of Congress on the issue of gun violence. To the dismay of his own party, he backed several Democratic gun control proposals and even said that in the case of mentally unstable people, authorities should take the guns first, go through due process second.

Tyler, a former spokesman for a pro-gun rights senator, Ted Cruz of Texas, described it as the single most disturbing thing hes said as president, likely to do exponentially more political damage than whos in and whos out at the White House.

The NRA are single-issue voters Rick Tyler

The NRA [National Rifle Association] are single-issue voters and will not take kindly to someone who talks one way on the campaign trail and then throws them under the bus, Tyler said.

That evening, according to an official quoted by NBC, the president became unglued. The NBC report said three unrelated events  Kushners humiliation by Kelly, Hickss nine-hour testimony to a congressional committee investigating Russian election interference and recurring exasperation at the attorney general, Jeff Sessions  left Trump angry and gunning for a fight.

On Thursday morning, he got it. The commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, an ally, arranged a meeting with 15 executives from the steel and aluminium industry. It did not appear on the public schedule and blindsided Kelly and other White House staff. Then Trump invited reporters in and, apparently off the cuff, announced plans to impose tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium imports.

The move caught the state department, treasury and Pentagon unawares, wiped hundreds of points off the stock market and rattled Americas closest allies.

In a flash, Trump had reverted to protectionist instincts that long predated his political career and that he championed during the election. He defied the protests of his economic adviser, Gary Cohn, and treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and tweeted unrepentantly: When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win.

There was a barrage of criticism from economists, Rupert Murdochs Wall Street Journal and Republican free trade advocates. Senator John Thune of South Dakota admitted wryly: There is no standard operating practice with this administration. Every day is a new adventure for us.

Late on Thursday, Trump appeared to change his mind again, this time on gun control after a meeting with NRA leaders. The erratic behaviour continued when he turned his ire on Saturday Night Live star Alec Baldwin in a misspelled 5.42am tweet that said: Alex Baldwin, whose dieing mediocre career was saved by his impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing DJT was agony for him.

The reality TV president is now in high definition. Michael Steele, a former chairman of the RNC, said: Thats the space Donald Trump has been trying to get to since the day he became president. Now with Hope [Hicks] gone, he doesnt have the voice in the room saying, Mr President, we have to think about this. Now when he wants something done, it gets done.

The loss of Hicks, 29, who occupied the desk closest to the Oval Office, will leave a void. Along with Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump, she was one of the last survivors of the Trump Tower days and has been dubbed the Trump whisperer, soothing the presidents ego with constant affirmation and loyalty. She reportedly admitted telling white lies on his behalf.

What happens when he faces the kind of genuine crisis that hits a lot of presidents early in their term? Larry Jacobs, University of Minnesota

But even she had enough, joining the cascade of departures. Steele added: Its consistent with anyone who generates chaos. Its like a bunch of marbles. You shoot into a group of marbles and some of the marbles get bumped out of the circle. The problem Trump has is finding more marbles to put in the circle. With the departure of Hope Hicks this week, the president is missing one of the marbles.

More could follow. NBC reported that Trump is preparing to replace the national security adviser, HR McMaster, next month, though officials deny this. There is also speculation over the future of Cohn, Sessions and Kelly, who bungled the handling of domestic violence allegations against a close aide, Rob Porter, and whose attempts to regulate Trump are said to have exhausted the presidents patience.

West Wing morale is understood to be at an all-time low and recruiting high-calibre replacements is becoming harder. Bill Galston, who worked on policy in the Bill Clinton administration, said: If you value your reputation, you now should have learned that you cant serve in this White House and emerge untarred.

His poll numbers have brightened slightly

Increasingly isolated and mercurial, pining for the team spirit of the 2016 presidential election campaign, Trump is yet to be tested by a national security emergency. Thousands of miles away, adversaries such as Russia and North Korea stoke fear of nuclear conflict.

Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, said: Trump has the greatest turnover of any modern president in his inner circle. Its almost impossible for him to govern because of the chaos. They are staggering from one crisis to another.

The thing that worries people is what happens when he faces the kind of genuine economic or international crisis that hits a lot of presidents early in their term?

As the US capital reeled from another bomb cyclone of a week, one significant piece of news came and went quickly. Trump named digital strategist Brad Parscale as campaign manager for his re-election bid in 2020  an election he could still win thanks to diehard supporters who care little for Washington intrigue.

Jacobs said: His poll numbers have brightened slightly in recent weeks and the economy is gradually improving. Despite the chaos and cycles of problems in the White House, I wouldnt describe his political prospects in the same way.

A key Trump ally, the Newsmax chief executive, Chris Ruddy, told the Guardian he saw the president in Florida on Friday.

He was in a very good and relaxed mood, Ruddy insisted. Im a little bewildered by these reports hes angry and in personal turmoil. I dont see it.

The last couple of times Ive talked to him in the last two weeks hes been in a very good mood. He specifically references the positive poll numbers and the economy doing well.

Ruddy also disputed the reported timeline of the tariffs decision  one that he personally disagrees with  saying he heard two weeks ago Trump was moving in that direction.

I dont think it has anything to do with the staffing changes, he said. Hes used to a lot of changes and transformations. Hes perfectly fine with things happening as long as he thinks hes on the right track.Twice-yearly testing as part of womans sentence for killing newborn is being described as first decision of its kind

The mother, who is not being named, was diagnosed with non-psychotic pregnancy denial and dissociative amnesia. Photograph: Getty Images/Westend61

A Canadian woman who pleaded guilty to killing her newborn baby will have to take a pregnancy test twice a year as part of her sentence, in what is being described as the first decision of its kind in Canada.

The court heard that the 43-year-old woman from Montreal, whose name is being withheld to protect her children, gave birth at home in 2016 to her fourth child. She had not realised she was pregnant.

Her partner found the woman in their bathtub, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The baby appeared to have been wounded and had been placed in a plastic bag. After three days in the hospital, the baby died from asphyxiation.

The mother was later diagnosed with non-psychotic pregnancy denial and dissociative amnesia. She pleaded guilty to one count of infanticide in November.

On Thursday, a Quebec court judge handed down a 20-month sentence of house arrest as well as three years of probation. The judge also ordered the woman to submit the results of her pregnancy tests to her supervising officer while under house arrest and then to her probation officers for three years.

The condition  believed to be the first time in Canada that a judge has ordered pregnancy tests  was agreed to by both the defence and prosecution, her lawyer told reporters.

In this particular case, I find that all the circumstances called for it, and my client accepted it, said Joseph La Leggia. The woman would not be prevented from having another baby, he added, but the tests ensure that there will be no more denial of pregnancy as there was the last time.

The case marked the second time in recent years that the woman had failed to realise she was pregnant. The first time she found out she was 32 weeks pregnant after an injury forced her to visit a hospital, according to the Montreal Gazette. Her pregnancy was subsequently monitored and the baby was not harmed.

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Prosecutors had argued that sending the mother to prison would penalise her three children by depriving them of their mother. Citing a report from youth protection authorities, the judge noted that the woman posed no risk to her other children.

The accused is described as a gentle, patient and responsible mother, said judge Linda Despots. Despite the amnesia, she feels a strong sense of guilt. She expresses great suffering and describes the situation as a tragedy.A dramatic rescue unfolded during an apartment fire in Russia, where brave firefighters dashed in to save a resident's cat.

Video footage from the Volgograd blaze shows a firefighter rushing to provide aid to the feline, which appears lifeless.

While remaining enviably calm, the first responders give the cat chest compression and oxygen as the crying pet owner begs them not to stop.

After two heart-thumping minutes, a miracle: The cat begins to breathe on its own.

What's more, the kitty even manages a meow as it is given back to its owner.

While the cat avoided tragedy in the flames, which broke out Monday, three people were reportedly killed.

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Related Articles:Rennes (France) (AFP) - French town councillors have agreed to sell the Catholic Church a statue of late pope John Paul II that sparked a diplomatic row with Poland.

The bronze statue has stood in a car park since a Russian artist gifted it to the small northwestern town of Ploermel in 2006.

But in October France's highest administrative court ordered town authorities to remove the cross overhanging it, on the grounds that it breaks a 1905 secularism law.

The decision sparked debate over France's tradition of secularism, or "laicite", which tightly restricts the public display of religious symbols and is fiercely defended by many French.

The laws regularly prompt public debate over issues affecting Muslims such as the wearing of the veil, but is also sometimes invoked in debates over Christian symbols, such as Christmas nativity scenes.

Last year, tens of thousands of people signed online petitions protesting the removal of the cross and Poland's then prime minister Beata Szydlo offered to have the statue of the Polish pope shipped there to "save it from censorship".

Local mayor Patrick Le Diffon's solution was to sell the statue, which looms 7.5 metres (25 feet) tall over the car park, to the Catholic Church for 20,000 euros ($24,000).

It will be moved a few dozen metres down the street onto a piece of Church-owned land next to a Catholic school, where it will still be visible to the public.

Secular activists challenged the statue through the courts even before it went up, and have hailed the October court ruling as a victory.

"It's what should have happened from the start," said Andre Le Beherec, head of the local Freedom of Thought association which took town authorities to court.

Even the rightwing former mayor who put the statue up, Paul Anselin, said ahead of the vote that he backed the sale simply as a means of ending the saga.

"We have to move on from this situation," said the 87-year-old former paratrooper.

But he regretted the fact that the town was selling off a statue that had been offered as a gift.

"Selling presents, it just isn't done," he said.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

UPDATE: 10:50 a.m. EST Authorities announced that they are looking for 19-year-old James Eric Davis, Jr. in connection with the shootings.

Central Michigan University confirmed that two people were fatally shot at Campbell Hall. The two victims were not students, according to the university. Police believe the the incident transpired from a "domestic situation," the school said in a statement.

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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said he is "in constant contact" with Michigan State Police as the search for the suspect continues.

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UPDATE: 10:40 a.m. ESTThe City of Mt. Pleasant tweeted out details about the alleged suspect, asking the campus community to call 911 with tips.

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Original story:

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Central Michigan University reported possible shots fired Friday, advising students to shelter in place shortly after 9 a.m. local time while authorities conducted a search for the suspect.

Suspect is still at large, the campus alert system sent in a message. Please shelter in place where you are.

The school did not immediately return Newsweeks request for comment. According to initial reports from local news outlets, two people were shot near the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, one of the universitys dormitories.

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At around 9:30 a.m. local time, the alleged shooter was still on campus, according to the university newspaper. Surrounding schools in the area reported lockdowns.

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In a statement to Central Michigan Life, Sherry Knight, associate Vice President with University Communications, said classes have been canceled and the campus is on lockdown.

The Mount Pleasant Public Safety Office released a statement to local news outlets.

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Campbell Hall MCU

Google

Suspect is armed and dangerous, described as a black male, Mt. Pleasant Public Safety told Alex Jokich, a local television reporter for CBS-FOX affiliate WWTV-WWUP. City buildings are locked down and not accessible to the general public.

Students also started tweeting about a possible shooting, letting family and friends know their location and safety status. Videos also began circulating of police searching the campus.

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Central Michigan University is a public college located in Mount Pleasant in Isabella County, about two hours northwest of Detroit. More than 20,000 students are enrolled in the school.

Campbell Hall, where the shooting took place, typically houses upperclassmen, according to the school's website.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekJames Eric Davis Jr, who police have identified as the shooting suspect at a Central Michigan University residence hall: AP

A student suspected of killing his parents in a Central Michigan University dormitory has been arrested.

James Eric Davis Jr, a 19-year-old student, is suspected of shooting dead both his parents after being released from hospital for an alleged drug-related health problem.

Diva Jeneen Davis and James Eric Davis Sr, both 47, were killed after shots were fired in Campbell Hall residence on the university campus.

The suspect was picked up by police after he was spotted on a train passing through the north end of campus shortly after midnight.

The 20,000-student university  which is located in Mount Pleasant around two hours northwest of Detroit  confirmed the fatalities on Friday morning.

Police described the shooting on the university campus as starting from a domestic situation.

The incident occurred on the last day of classes before the universitys spring break.

Parents who were trying to pick up students were told to stay off campus and go to a local hotel.

All the schools in the Mount Pleasant area, as well as the university campus, were put on lockdown as police searched for the suspect.

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The student was said to have been taken to a hospital on Thursday night by campus police because of a drug-related health problem.

He was released from hospital on Friday morning just before the shooting took place.A leading voice for the Chinese government has taken aim at Washington policies that he said were outdated and biased against Beijing, and he did so using a quote from one of the U.S.s most famous civil rights leaders.

Wang Guoqing, a spokesman for the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference tasked with advising Chinas government on behalf of its parliament, said Friday that Chinas expanding role in international affairs was an inevitable part of its political rise in recent years and said that attempts to portray it otherwise were based in prejudice, discrimination and enmity, according to the Associated Press. Responding to a question regarding Western accusations of Chinese infiltration abroad, Wang quickly shot down the charge as being concocted to distort Chinas true intentions.

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Regretfully, we see that certain people in the West, their bodies are in the 21st century, but their brains are still stuck in the Cold War era, Wang told reporters, according to Reuters.

He then channeled Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister who championed civil rights for African-Americans and challenged the U.S. government before being shot dead in 1968.

Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they dont know each other; they dont know each other because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated, Wang said, quoting an excerpt of Kings 1958 book on the iconic Montgomery bus boycott that took place years earlier.

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GettyImages-3288649

William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images

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World War II allies the U.S. and China fell out after the latters government was forced into exile in Taiwan by a Communist takeover in 1949. The newly formed Peoples Republic of China sided with the Soviet Union as the Cold War grew hot, and backed North Korean troops against U.S. and U.N.-supported South Korea in the 1950s. It wasnt until 1972, the year President Richard Nixon met Chinese Communist Chairman Mao Zedong, that the U.S. recognized Beijing as the sole representative of China.

The U.S. and China, now the worlds two leading economies, have often struggled since to reconcile their political differences. Tensions were exacerbated by former President Barack Obamas decision to focus Washingtons foreign policy more closely on the Asia-Pacific, where China claimed vast swathes of the regions disputed seas and has been accused of building artificial, militarized islands to enforce these claims.

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President Donald Trump has also charged China with unfair trade practices and currency manipulation, but an increasingly powerful Chinese President Xi Jinping has largely deflected. Xi, whom many have described as the most influential Chinese leader since Mao, may rule indefinitely as the Communist Party moved to strike the presidential two-term limit from the constitution.

RTX4ZR6A

Jason Lee/Reuters

Xi has undertaken large projects to reform his military and expand Chinas historic trade routes throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. The U.S. has met these endeavors with suspicion and, along with Russia, Trump charged China with challenging American power, influence and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity as well as pursuing greater political and military power at the expense of democracy in his America First National Security Strategy.

Chinas parliamentary season began March 2. Wang also defended his countrys economic practices a day after Trump risked a trade war by imposing a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports. The senior Chinese official said it was the U.S. that fellow World Trade Organization members were complaining about.

What concerns many WTO members is precisely the United States, which adopts unilateralism and speaks with a unilateral voice, Wang said, according to AP.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBy Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's annual parliament gathering kicks off on Monday as an ever-stronger President Xi Jinping presses ahead with efforts to ward off financial risks without undermining the economy. The run-up to the National People's Congress meeting has been eventful, with the ruling Communist party announcing on Feb 25 that it was eliminating the two-term limit for the presidency. The move is expected to be ratified by parliament, paving the way for Xi to serve indefinitely. China also seized control of the once high-flying and acquisitive Anbang Insurance Group Co Ltd and said it had prosecuted the group's chairman, the most dramatic move yet in Beijing's effort to curb risk in its financial system. China's annual parliament meeting is poised to reinforce Xi's resolve to ward off financial risks to ensure the economy's ascent, even as concerns grow about possible policy repercussions from his expected extended stay in power. Stability is the watchword this year as Xi pursues his grand vision of turning China into a "strong power" on the world stage by 2050 and becoming a "modestly prosperous" nation by 2020. Ahead of the meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC), which starts Monday, authorities have stepped up a crackdown on big-spending conglomerates, following a year of financial deleveraging that has targeted risky shadow finance. "Preventing risk is the most important task and we will keep the economy on a steady footing," a government policy adviser told Reuters ahead of the annual gathering. Around 3,000 delegates from across the country will meet at Beijing's Great Hall of the People for roughly two weeks. In addition to removing presidential term limits, the parliament will also approve China's economic targets, the restructuring of various government departments, and the appointment of several key officials, including a vice president, vice premiers, and a new central bank governor. Liu He, a Harvard-trained economist and trusted confidant of Xi who is visiting Washington this week amid worsening trade tensions with the United States, is expected to become a vice premier in charge of economic and financial issues. He has also emerged as front runner to head the central bank, the People's Bank of China (PBOC). "Should Liu He become the PBOC chief, China may move towards a super regulator model, which will give the central bank more power to combat financial risk," Tommy Xie, China economist at OCBC Bank in Singapore, said in a note. STEADY GROWTH TARGET EXPECTED At the opening of the parliament, Premier Li Keqiang will announce annual economic targets in a state-of-the-nation style address. China's 2018 growth target is expected to be kept around 6.5 percent - the same as in 2017. The government may target a budget deficit of 3 percent of GDP or slightly lower in 2018 under a pro-active fiscal policy, while keeping a tight grip on money supply in line with a "prudent and neutral" monetary policy, policy sources said. Rising trade tensions with the United States could pose a threat to China's export machine, which helped propel the economy to 6.9 percent growth last year, the first acceleration since 2010. Beijing is likely to press ahead with its deleveraging drive this year, but it may also seek to limit damage to the economy, which is showing signs of slowing due to pollution curbs and rising funding costs, policy sources said. LONG-TERM POLICY RISK WORRIES Policy insiders expect the pace of economic reforms to remain gradual in 2018, which marks the 40th anniversary of China's landmark economic reforms and opening up under former leader Deng Xiaoping. China has been focused on tackling mounting debt, housing risks and industrial overcapacity, and some analysts have said it should concentrate instead on what many see as excessive state intervention in the economy. While an extended term in office for Xi and more centralized financial regulatory oversight are seen by many observers as helpful to maintaining policy stability, some also worry that ending presidential terms limits signals a dialing back of political and economic reforms. "People are relatively confused about the general environment for reforms. After 40 years of reforms, things have become more blurred," said a policy insider. "It is likely to make foreign investors more skeptical regarding China's increasingly distinct political and economic model," Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics, said in a note to investors. "Longer term, it seems reasonable to worry about the quality of policy in an increasingly centralized political system." (Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Tony Munroe and Philip McClellan)By Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Sergio Fajardo, a front-runner for May's presidential election in Colombia, likes to draw diagrams to explain his vision to revive the South American country's economy and bridge the chasm between its rich and poor.

With a wad of paper always close at hand, the long-haired Ph.D. mathematician covers pages with neat illustrations that outline his plan to heal a polarized population if he is elected to replace President Juan Manuel Santos.

As the country moves into a period of tentative peace with the FARC Marxist guerrilla group, Fajardo says education is the means to harness the potential of Colombia's 50 million people and Latin America's fourth-largest economy.

Vast numbers of Colombians still cannot read or write, leaving them with few economic opportunities, he said.

"I was a professor for 25 years," the former mayor of Medellin said during an interview, before pulling out his drawings. "I have them with me. They're always with me."

Wearing his trademark jeans and open-neck shirt, the 61-year-old refused to be drawn on whether he lies on the left or right of the political spectrum, saying his actions speak for themselves.

In the last few presidential polls, Fajardo has oscillated between first, second and third place.

He faces a political challenge from Gustavo Petro, a former member of the now-defunct socialist M-19 rebel movement, who is riding high in polls.

On the right, he must also contend with Ivan Duque, a young senator with backing from powerful ex-President Alvaro Uribe.

A first-round vote will be held on May 27. If none of the candidates get more than half of the valid votes, a second round will be held in June.

Petro and Fajardo are heralded by some as the modern face of politics in a government long-controlled by conservative parties. For others, they represent leftist threats that will turn Colombia into another Venezuela.

Story continues

"That's false. It's a lie," said Fajardo, a former governor of Antioquia province, challenging such critics to provide any evidence from his time in office.

Some criticise Fajardo for taking on too much debt to pay for education and housing while governor, but he has pledged to stick to budgetary rules meant to reduce Colombia's fiscal deficit if elected.

"I was born into a privileged family and because of that, I had opportunities," said Fajardo, the son of an architect. "I developed very early the conviction to fight so that which was a privilege for me is a right for everyone."

FIVE PILLARS

Fajardo describes his vision for Colombia as based on five key pillars: reconciliation, civic culture, security, the fight against corruption and education.

Colombia has always been divided along social lines, with wide gaps between the haves and have nots.

But since Santos began negotiations in 2012 to end a five-decade-long civil war with the FARC, lines were drawn between those who wanted the accord and those who sought to crush the rebels on the battlefield.

Peace was declared in late 2016 and Fajardo has billed himself as the next leader to build on that foundation.

"I am the person to bring reconciliation ... The alternatives would mean Colombia returns to confrontation," said Fajardo.

The father of two would need to reinvigorate an economy weakened by a drop in global oil prices. Although growth is improving, a new government will have difficulty funding post-conflict and other spending incentives.

Fajardo admits the need to cut duties for businesses but also to expand the tax base by eliminating some exemptions.

His economic plan also includes the creation of 1.5 million jobs, productivity increases and reform of pension system, though he promises not to raise the retirement age. He wants to avoid a repetition of what happened in Chile, where pensioners felt shortchanged by the highly-privatised system.

"Economic development is a component of human development," said Fajardo, adding that he would fill government coffers by combating corruption.

"For every peso we take away from corruption, that is a peso that goes into education," he said, noting he could boost GDP by one percentage point each year just by fighting graft.

(Reporting by Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta; editing by Daniel Flynn and G Crosse)The Colorado House expelled one of its members over sexual harassment accusations on Friday in a vote so fraught that two representatives said they wore bulletproof vests.

It was the first time in over a century that the states House of Representatives has expelled a member.

Former Democratic state Rep. Steve Lebsock, who switched to the Republican Party an hour before the decision, was expelled in a 52-9 vote, The Denver Post reported. Three women, including a member of the state House, have accused Lebsock of sexual harassment and filed formal complaints against him, but he also faces anonymous allegations.

Before the vote, two state lawmakers revealed that they were wearing bulletproof vests to protect themselves from Lebsock.

Lebsock threatened to take me down, said state Rep. Alec Garnett (D), assistant state House majority leader.

I fear for retaliation. I am in the chamber of the House of Representatives, and Im wearing a bulletproof vest because I fear retaliation for telling the truth and standing up for victims of sexual harassment, Garnett added. Ive been wearing it for three weeks.

State Rep. Matt Gray (D) also said he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

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State Rep. Faith Winter (D), one of the women accusing Lebsock of harassment, first contacted Garnett for help in 2016, he said. She accused Lebsock of using explicit and suggestive language in a sexual proposition, and said he became angry when she turned him down, according to The Denver Post.

An emotional Lebsock pleaded not to be expelled before the vote. He also said he would have protected members, not harmed them.

I am an honorably discharged Marine Corps veteran, he said tearfully. And if someone walked in here  members, you would have had me here to protect you. Even the ones that dont like me. Im just hoping you know that.

State House Speaker Crisanta Duran (D) had informed the Colorado State Patrol, which provides security for the House, that there could be trouble, The Denver Post reported.

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I am just so happy that this chamber took action, Winter said after Lebsocks ouster, Colorado Public Radio reported. Todays vote was a courageous vote.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Two weeks after the Valentines Day shooting in Parkland, Florida, allegedly by an assault weaponarmed teenager, that left 17 people dead, the outcry from the general public has pushed companies to cut their ties with the National Rifle Association. Now, some companies are raising the age limit for gun purchases from 18 to 21 years old.

The moves are in line with public opinion in the United States, where the majority of Americans support stricter gun control. A CNN poll put such support at around 70 percent.

As the debate over gun control continues to rage on Capitol Hill, where President Donald Trump, Democrats and Republicans may soon vote on a bill that decides whether 18 is too young to buy a weapon, here are the companies that have announced they will refuse to sell rifles to anyone under the age of 21despite the NRAs objections.

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03_02_Gun_Reform

Joe Raedle/Getty

L.L. Bean

Outdoor retail company L.L. Bean is the latest to say it will no longer allow U.S. citizens under the age of 21 to purchase rifles or ammunition. It announced on Friday that it would no longer sell guns at its largest store.

The announcement came after continued social media pressure from activists and the general public against companies selling weapons to people as young as 18.

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Carolyn Beem, L.L. Bean's spokesperson, said the company sells guns at only one store, its flagship in Maine, and sells only guns suitable for hunting, not assault rifles like the one used by Nikolas Cruz in the mass shooting.

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Kroger

In spite of the NRAs opposition to it, Kroger, Americas largest supermarket, will no longer sell firearms at its Fred Meyer stores, it announced on Thursday.

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Recent events demonstrate the need for additional action on the part of responsible gun retailers. We are raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase firearms and ammunition in all of our Fred Meyer locations that sell firearms, the company said in a statement.

Kroger said it had already stopped the sale of assault-style rifles at its stores in Oregon, Washington and Idaho several years ago. It is now no longer accepting orders at its store in Alaska.

Walmart

Americas largest retailer and biggest seller of firearms announced Wednesday that it would limit the sale of guns to those over the age of 21.

In light of recent events, weve taken an opportunity to review our policy on firearm sales, the company said in a statement.

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Walmart had outlawed the sale of assault rifles at its stores in 2015, so the age restriction will apply to other weapons. It said its ban several years ago was due to lower customer demand, refusing to enter the gun control debate. This time, it tied its decision to the shooting in Florida.

While teenagers may not be able to purchase a handgun until they are 21, they are still able to buy semiautomatic rifles, like the ones used by Stephen Paddock in the Las Vegas massacre, at specialty gun stores. Paddock had modified several semiautomatics to fire like automatic weapons before shooting down onto civilians from his Mandalay Bay Hotel room.

Dicks Sporting Goods

The companys executives announced on Wednesday that it would be raising the minimum age for firearm purchases, regardless of local laws. They said its store also would stop stocking assault-style rifles.

Edward Stack, the companys chief executive, said that the Florida shooting and activist movement that followed were the motivating factors behind Dick's decision.

When we saw what happened in Parkland, we were so disturbed and upset, Stack told The New York Times. We love these kids and their rallying cry, Enough is enough. It got to us.

Stack continued, Were going to take a stand and step up and tell people our view and, hopefully, bring people along into the conversation.

Dicks is one of the biggest gun retailers in America, so its decision is significant.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekCompanies have severed ties with the NRA or moved to tighten up sales of guns but whether their actions will lead to reform is unclear

Guns for sale inside of Dicks Sporting Goods store in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Corporations  at least according to the US supreme court  are people too. And it seems in the wake of last months horrific school massacre in Florida they have had enough with Americas seemingly endless cycle of mass shootings.

Driven by popular outrage over the last week companies across the spectrum have severed ties with gun lobby group the National Rifle Association (NRA) or moved to tighten up sales of guns in ways the federal government has consistently failed to do.



While companies usually try to steer clear of political debate this is not the first time that US corporations have successfully pushed liberal social issues in recent years. Big companies including Apple and Bank of America have backed same-sex marriage and forced North Carolina to water down a bill that forced transgender people to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate.



But despite the fact that most Americans are in favour of greater gun control, it has proved depressingly difficult to push Washington or the gun companies and their retailers to tighten up ownership rules. There is no doubt, however, that after the murder of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, the pressure for action is mounting.

Following that massacre on 14 February protesters have taken to social media demanding change and later this month they will take to the streets.

The initial campaign to force companies to stop offering discounts to NRA members has been a success.

The NRA claims to have 5 million members  the figure is disputed  but those numbers were not enough to stop companies including Delta, United Airlines, Alamo, Hertz and Best Western to drop their NRA deals.



The NRA  a potent force in US politics  called them cowardly, but the backlash has continued. On Wednesday Dicks Sporting Goods and WalMart, two of the countrys largest gun retailers, moved to tighten up sales of guns. WalMart said it would no longer sell any gun to anyone under 21 years of age, raising that from 18. Dicks immediately ended sales of all assault-style rifles like the one used in Florida in its stores.



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We did everything by the book, Dicks CEO Ed Stack said of accused Florida shooter Nicolas Cruz, who bought a gun from his company, although it was not used in the killings. We did everything that the law required, and still he was able to buy a gun. And when we looked at that, we said the systems that are in place across the board just arent effective enough to keep us from selling a gun like that. And so weve decided were not going to sell the assault-type rifles any longer.

In part, this campaign has been driven by the extraordinary response from survivors of the Florida shooting. Parkland students including Emma Gonzalez have emerged as media stars in the wake of the tragedy and are organizing a march on Washington in support of greater gun control later this month. Gonzalez now has 1.15 million followers on Twitter, nearly twice as many as the NRA.



David Hogg, another survivor, has used his Twitter feed to call on FedEx, which offers NRA discounts, to sever its ties and for Amazon to drop NRATV, the gun lobbys digital channel.



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This is the moment when business leaders across the country get to decide if they want to stand on the right side of history, said Shannon Watts, founder of gun control group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Mothers make the majority of spending decisions for their families, and we want to shop with businesses that care about the safety of our families  making this a smart business move, too.

Robert Spitzer, professor of crime, law and policy and gun control at the State University of New York at Cortland, said corporations can have an impact on the national debate, precisely because corporations do not normally jump into the political fray. They seem to be sensing that the great middle of America is being roused and moved, that the NRA is seen as ever more marginal, dogmatic, and unyielding, so there is both a PR and commercial reason for them to stake out their recent public positions. It is a notable moment that helps keep this issue in the news, he said.

But the backlash from pro-gun rights lobbyists and politicians has only just begun.

In Georgia lawmakers dropped a jet fuel tax break that would have benefitted Delta after its decision to drop NRA discounts.



I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back, Casey Cagel, Georgias lieutenant governor wrote on Twitter after Deltas announcement.



Companies have fought to change the gun debate before. Most notably Smith & Wesson (now American Outdoor Brands), one of the worlds biggest gun manufacturers.



After a teacher and a dozen children were killed in a mass shooting in Litteton, Colorado, in 1999, the US government sued Smith & Wesson. To settle the case, the company agreed to a set of voluntary reforms including child safety triggers and the development of smart guns that could only be fired by the owner.



But the NRA was not having it and gun groups organized a boycott that effectively ended the agreement.



This time gun reformers are hoping things will be different. Even Donald Trump, who styles himself as a very strong supporter of the second amendment has said it is time for change - although the NRA claimed he had backtracked on Thursday night.



Will it work? Spitzer, author of five books on gun control, is not sure. Its too early to tell. If pressed, Id say no, but the atmospherics are different, at least for right now.Viewers of Blue Planet II have no doubt gotten emotional during the first six episodes of the BBC America series, but Saturdays new installment, Our Blue Planet, will hit home in a different way  it makes it personal.

Much has changed since the 2001 debut of the original series, starting with our understanding of how humanity is affecting the oceans. The oceans are more fragile, perhaps, than we thought before. Thats something that dawned on us during the making of the series, Blue Planet II executive producer James Honeyborne tells us. What we wanted to do in the [penultimate] episode was really inspire people, not make them feel they couldnt do anything about it. Its an inspirational story of heroic individuals, scientists, conservationists, whoever they are, who are out there working hard, tirelessly, in pursuit of making the oceans a healthier place again. And thats vital for us, because the planet needs a healthy ocean. Thats fundamental to life on Earth.

As you see in the sneak peek above, change can start with one person, like Len Peters, who has worked to save endangered leatherback sea turtles, the largest of all turtles, on Trinidad. Coming ashore to lay their eggs makes them an easy target for hunters. Peters began patrolling the beach at night to protect them (and was cursed and threatened with a machete for it). He encouraged tourists to visit the turtles and trained locals to be their guides. He continues to speak in schools to cultivate the next generations appreciation for the leatherbacks, which have now made a comeback on the island.

Scientist Steve Simpson uses a multidirectional hydrophone to record the sounds of the reef. Scientists have recently discovered that many fish on the coral reef rely on sound at key stages in their life  and that manmade noise is interfering with this. (Photo: Roger Munns/BBC)

Another fascinating sequence shows just how much scientists still have to learn. Marine biologist Steve Simpson is studying how fish in coral reefs use sound  pops and grunts and gurgles and snaps  to communicate with each other. While filming the family of talkative saddleback clownfish we saw earlier in the series, Simpson floated a decoy coral trout, one of the clownfishs main predators, near the familys anemone and recorded the large females alarm calls. But that discovery has led to a serious worry, narrator Sir David Attenborough says in the episode. When a small motorboat travels overhead, the fish become distracted. Unable to make themselves heard above the noise of boats, the family cant warn each other of danger, and so they are now vulnerable to attack, Attenborough explains.

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Simpson uses a model of a coral trout to record and study alarm calls in coral reef fish. (Photo: BBC 2017)

Were changing that world because of the sound were making, producer Orla Doherty tells us. We didnt know this stuff even maybe five, 10 years ago. Theres so much going on down there that weve just got no idea about.

Some discoveries are particularly painful. In this weeks episode, Australian marine biologist Alexander Vail, who introduced the Blue Planet II crew to the tool-using tuskfish nicknamed Percy the Persistent, who we saw earlier in the series, admits he cried in his mask when he saw that 90 percent of the coral at Lizard Island had bleached in 2016. Warming seas can cause corals to lose their colorful algae, turning them white.

Scientist Alexander Vail studies the reefs around Lizard Island on Australias Great Barrier Reef. While filming Blue Planet II, the team witnessed the worst bleaching event ever recorded on the Great Barrier Reef. (Photo: Yoland Bosiger/BBC)

I think what was so devastating for Alex was this is his backyard. This is literally where he grew up, Honeyborne tells us. Hes been snorkeling out there since he was an adult, and to see it devastated for the first time was shocking for him, and then to know that it was part of this huge picture of very fast change that appears to be happening  Im sure his tears were very real. This is an unfolding situation that were in now. Probably half the worlds coral has been bleached to some extent in the last three years, and the impacts are great. Back-to-back bleachings [in 2016 and 2017] had never been recorded before. So for him, it was kind of an unprecedented disaster. Every time it happens, the corals become weaker.

The Big Blue episode of Blue Planet II has already covered how prevalent plastic is, and how it travels from ocean to ocean, but this week, we meet Lucy Quinn of the British Antarctic Survey, who catalogs the plastic objects wandering albatross chicks have regurgitated after being mistakenly fed them by their parents. As you see in the clip above, a plastic toothpick can be fatal.

Everywhere we went, we saw plastic. Plastics are there in every ocean, and the extent of the problem is grave and huge and far-reaching, Honeyborne says. The really big bits of plastic are a problem in terms of entanglement. We were filming in British Columbia when we found a whale that had been entangled in the plastic fishing lines that link those pots. We stayed with that whale for a day until the emergency services were able to come out and cut it free. Theres the ingestion issues: Plastic bags, for example, get eaten by a large number of creatures, including turtles and albatrosses, and are clearly a threat. And that one toothpick  that was shocking what that did to that albatross chick. Every albatross chick feels so precious, doesnt it? Just one disposable, single-use plastic killed it. Then, of course, as plastics break down, they become much smaller micro plastics, and they get eaten by all sorts of sea creatures, were now discovering. Theyre finding plastics on the deepest trenches on the planet. Were finding plastics inside the bodies of filter-feeders, like edible mussels and things like that. A lot of this is emerging science. Scientists are looking very intently at how the small bits of plastic interact with toxic pollutants, chemicals in the oceans, and are these plastics that are being ingested toxic? We dont have all the answers here. We dont know to what extent this is entering the food chain, but it is clearly a sort of cutting-edge issue that needs exploring. (See: The possibility of a mothers milk being contaminated posed as one potential cause of death for a newborn pilot whale calf in the Big Blue episode; the mother refused to let go of its body for days as she mourned.)

A scientist uses lasers to measure a whale shark, the largest fish in the ocean. In the Galapagos Islands, scientist Jonathan Green is trying to unravel the mystery of why large pregnant females arrive there every year. Protecting their migration routes is key to the speciess survival. (Photo: Jonathan Green/BBC)

Of course fishing is a danger too. In this episode, shark biologist Jonathan Green of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project says its estimated that thousands, or tens of thousands, of whale sharks are taken every year. To save them, hes trying to solve the mystery of where they give birth  and what route their migration takes  to get those waters protected. A lot of these big sea creatures are long-distance migrants. They travel over thousands of miles of ocean, like the whale sharks do. Thats on the high seas and is largely unregulated and unpoliceable, Honeyborne says. Thats potentially a big issue for these creatures if theyre being hunted. Marine-protected areas are, if theyre well-managed and policed, effective at being able to reestablish and repopulate populations of sea creatures.

An orca targets the nets of a Norwegian fishing vessel looking for an easy meal. Entanglement in fishing gear  nets and lines  is thought to be the single biggest threat to whales and dolphins around the world. (Photo: Audun Rikardsen/BBC)

Saturdays episode profiles one such success story: Back in the late 1960s, herring had all but disappeared from the fjords of Norway, and orcas were being killed because they were viewed as fishermens rivals for the fish. But by regulating the fishery and protecting the whales, both populations are now thriving  so much so that a billion herring pour in during the winter, attracting 1,000 orcas that strategically hunt in pods (as we saw in the first episode of the series).

The message Blue Planet II wants to leave viewers with is there is hope  if we take action. We asked [the scientists] all the same question: How do you feel about the future? Unanimously, they were all optimistic. You could ask yourself, is that just part of the human condition? But no, I dont think so, Honeyborne says. What we do know is that the oceans have an incredible capacity to bounce back, in terms of their health. A really good example of that in the U.S. is Monterey Bay, where 50, 60 years ago, it was fished to a point where it was polluted and all the big animals in there had been hunted or chased away, and the whole ecosystem collapsed, died. Yet today, when you go there, its one of the greatest spectacles in the oceans. The ocean does have a capacity to recover, if we just take that pressure off it and just give it a chance.

Blue Planet II airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. on BBC America.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:Declassified intelligence documents released Thursday reveal that a mentally disturbed teenager attempted to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II while she was visiting New Zealand in 1981.

The contents of the documents have led to claims that police tried to cover up the attempt, New Zealand news website Stuff reports. Subsequently, New Zealand police have launched an examination of the original investigation and case file.

While the Queen was touring the South Island city of Dunedin on Oct. 14, 1981, Christopher Lewis, then 17 years old, fired a single shot toward the Queens car, according to papers from the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS). No one was harmed.

Lewis confessed the crime to police who found a .22 rifle and used cartridge in the building where he shot the gun. Police feared the incident would jeopardize future royal visits, so they sought firearms and robbery charges, the documents suggest.

Lewis did indeed originally intend to assassinate the Queen, the intelligence service said in the papers, which were released following a media request. However (he) did not have a suitable vantage point from which to fire, nor a sufficiently high-powered rifle for the range from the target.

Police told the public the gunshot sound was a sign falling over.

Lewis claimed to be part of a right-wing organization called the National Imperial Guerilla Army, though police concluded the group only had three members, Agence France-Presse reports.

Lewis, who was later convicted for a string of serious offenses, was in jail for murder when he killed himself in 1997.

The release of the documents follows the recent publication of the Stuff series The Snowman and the Queen, which details the story about Lewis and his attempt to kill the Queen.Georgia state lawmakers retaliated after Atlanta-based Delta said it would no longer offer discounts for NRA members: Getty Images

Delta Air Lines' chief executive has said the company is not taking sides in the gun control debate, even though its decision to no longer offer discounts for National Rifle Association (NRA) members put it in the centre of it.

Our objective in removing any implied affiliation with the NRA was to remove Delta from this debate, CEO Ed Bastian told employees in a memo, which was titled Delta and the school safety debate.

Georgia state lawmakers had not taken kindly to the Atlanta-based companys decision to sever ties with the NRA. In a move that was largely viewed as retribution, they dropped a jet-fuel tax break that Delta wanted from a tax bill they passed on Thursday.

While Delta's intent was to remain neutral, some elected officials in Georgia tied our decision to a pending jet fuel tax exemption, threatening to eliminate it unless we reversed course, Mr Bastian said. Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale.

We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature, he added.

Republican Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle had tweeted earlier this week: I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA.

Following the dustup, leaders in multiple states have invited Delta to move their headquarters.

But Mr Bastian maintained in the memo that Atlanta is Deltas home despite the state legislatures decision.

And we are supporters of the 2nd Amendment, just as we embrace the entire Constitution of the United States, he added.

Delta is just one of several companies that have distanced themselves from the NRA following a mass school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead.

United Airlines has also said it would no longer offer discounted rates for members of the powerful gun-rights lobbying group.Teachers in West Virginia went on strike this week to fight for better pay, but they havent forgotten about their students. Despite being in the middle of protests, the teachers handed out food to low-income students to ensure that they never go unfed while the schools doors are closed.

A lot of our students depend on school breakfast and lunch as some of their most consistent meals, Jennifer Wood, from the West Virginia American Federation of Teachers, said in an interview with Today. Our teachers wouldnt feel comfortable if their students werent taken care of.

According to West Virginia residents, the extra support didnt just come from educators alone:Longyearbyen (AFP) - Designed to withstand a nuclear missile hit, the world's biggest seed vault, nestled deep inside an Arctic mountain, is undergoing a makeover as rising temperatures melt the permafrost meant to protect it.

Dubbed the "Noah's Ark" of food crops, the Global Seed Vault is buried inside a former coal mine on Svalbard, a remote Arctic island in a Norwegian archipelago around 1,000 kilometres (650 miles) from the North Pole.

Opened in 2008, the seed bank plays a key role in preserving the world's genetic diversity: it is home to more than a million varieties of seeds, offering a safety net in case of natural catastrophe, war, climate change, disease or manmade disasters.

But warmer temperatures have disrupted the environment around the vault. In an unexpected development, the permafrost, which was meant to help keep the temperature inside the vault at a constant -18 Celsius (-0.4 Fahrenheit), melted in 2016.

"The summer season was (warmer) than expected. We had water intrusions in the (access) tunnel that could be related to climate change," Asmund Asdal, one of the seed bank's coordinators, told AFP.

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, scientific studies show. And while Europe is at the moment experiencing a subzero cold spell, the North Pole recently registered above-zero temperatures, 30 degrees higher than normal.

Scientists say warm spells like this are occurring with increasing frequency in the Arctic.

Norway recently announced it would contribute 100 million kroner (10 million euros, $12.5 million) to improve the repository in a bid to protect the precious seeds.

"We want to be sure that the seed vault will be cold throughout the whole year, even if the temperature continues to increase in Svalbard," Norway's Agriculture Minister Jon Georg Dale told AFP.

The vault's raison d'etre was recently highlighted by the war in Syria, when scientists were able to withdraw seeds after a seed bank in Aleppo was destroyed in a bombing.

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- Swirling waters, thick doors -

To access the heart of the vault where the seeds are stored, authorised visitors must first pass through heavy doors and a concrete, 120-metre (393-foot) tunnel, giving the chilling impression of delving into an Arctic abyss.

The tunnel leads to three cold chambers protected by locked gates. Inside each one, seeds from all over the world are stored in sealed plastic boxes labelled with the country of origin and the variety.

Outside, nothing betrays the presence of the storage site so vital to humanity, apart from a monumental entrance: the narrow cement-and-steel rectangular portal juts out of the snow-covered mountainside, illuminated with artwork made of mirrors and bits of metal that create a colourful prism visible for miles around.

On the mountain, workers' cabins dot the slope amid construction cranes and machinery, soiling the otherwise pristine white landscape.

Renovations to shore up the fortress are already under way. The improvements will enable it to "handle the climate for the next decades", said Dale.

The access tunnel will be reinforced, and a cabin will be built near the site to house the technical materials that can generate heat -- to prevent a recurrence of melting permafrost.

At the foot of the mountain, the fjord's swirling waters are a worrying indication of the state of the climate, according to Marie Haga of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, one of the seed vault's three partners alongside Nordic gene bank NordGen and the Norwegian government.

"When I came after 1985, the fjord was completely frozen," she recalled.Champa Patel

Politics, Asia

The International Criminal Court is now jumping into the fray.

Duterte's Drug War Is Facing Another Legal Hurdle

After winning a landslide victory in June 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte immediately fulfilled a campaign promise and instigated a so-called war on drugs. He publicly endorsed the arrest and killing of suspected drug users and sellers. He even went as far as to promise the police that there would be no repercussions for their actions.

International human rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch have documented that 3906 suspected drug users and dealers died at the hands of the police from 1 July 2016 to 26 September 2017. Unidentified gunmen have killed thousands more, which brings the total death toll to more than 12,000. This is an incredible increase from the six-month period before Duterte assumed power in which 68 people died at the hands of the police in drug-related incidents. There has been a wider ripple effect: hundreds of thousands of people have given themselves up to the police in the fear that they may be targeted next.

Fatou Bensouda, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced that there would be a preliminary examination on extrajudicial killings in the context of police anti-drug operations. This is an important step forward for the many victims, advocates and international supporters who argue that justice is not possible within the Philippines when the highest levels of government have promised to protect the police from repercussions. But there are three challenges to a successful investigation: the credibility of the ICC, procedural challenges, and expectations.

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Duterte has previously called the ICCs credibility into question, saying the organisation was hypocritical and useless and daring the ICC to take him to court. He has also threatened to withdraw his countrys membership of the organisation. Since news broke of the examination, Duterte has complained about the focus being on him instead of on other countries such as the United Kingdom, United States and places in the Middle East. Closer to home  where Duterte continues to enjoy high levels of popularity  some organisations argue that the ongoing Rohingya crisis in Myanmar is genocide and that the ICC should be involved. Duterte has also made this comparison himself.

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There is a danger that the two distinct cases could be reduced to a simplistic binary of why the Philippines must be examined instead of Myanmar. There is a strong case for ICC involvement in Myanmar, but unlike in the Philippines, any progress on this front is difficult. Myanmar is not a party to the Rome Statute, so the Court has limited jurisdiction over any crimes committed. Additionally, while the United Nations Security Council can refer situations to the ICC, it is highly unlikely that China would allow this to happen in the case of Myanmar.

There are also several procedural challenges to overcome. Preliminary examinations can be notoriously slow, so quick proceedings after the examination are essential to ensure justice for any victims of international criminal law violations. This is made difficult in the Philippines, where the President himself is implicated in the possible crimes that have taken place. The Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have agreed to provide data to the ICC, but whether they will cooperate fully is questionable. Furthermore, given that Duterte has promised cover to those who have committed any wrongdoing, it is unclear how witnesses  often speaking at great risk to themselves  can be adequately protected.

Perhaps a greater tension is the issue of complementarity. In practice, the ICC will only hear cases where the state is unable or unwilling to do so. Dutertes spokesperson Harry Roque has argued that domestic law provides a framework for investigations in the form of the 2009 Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity.

There are relatively few drug-related cases pending in Philippine courts and no one has yet been held accountable for drug-related killings. The current administration has shown no serious willingness or ability to address the alleged crimes. Given that the aforementioned Law also states that a president enjoys constitutional immunity during their tenure, it is even more difficult to believe that domestic courts could thoroughly investigate all aspects of the case.

The final challenge is managing expectations. Preliminary examinations can take years to conclude  the ICC examination on alleged war crimes in Colombia began in 2004 and yet remains uncompleted. Furthermore, a preliminary examination is just that  preliminary. It only considers whether there is a reasonable basis for commencing an investigation into alleged crimes according to the criteria set out in the Rome Statute: jurisdiction, admissibility and interests of justice.

That does not mean that the preliminary examination is not important. The victims of the alleged abuses should not be ignored and there is a vital need for an international independent enquiry. Advocates for human rights should continue to push for the preliminary examination to happen in a timely manner but also prepare for some of the challenges ahead.

Champa Patel is the Head of Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House (The Royal Institute of International Affairs).

This article originally appeared on East Asia Forum.

Image: Reuters

Read full article(The story was refiled to corrects paragraph 6 to say .. one week later ..not.. one month later) CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's top court on Saturday dismissed all outstanding legal challenges to a deal transferring two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, a day before a visit by its crown prince. The plan to cede the islands to Riyadh, an ally which has given billions of dollars in aid to Egypt, was announced in 2016 and became mired in political protest and legal action. The Supreme Court ruled that no other court had jurisdiction over the matter, blocking two opposing verdicts - one by the Supreme Administrative Court, which was against ceding control of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, the other by the Court of Urgent Matters, which looked to void that decision. "The signature of the representative of the Egyptian state on the maritime borders agreement between the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly an act of sovereignty," the Supreme Court said in a statement, adding that approving the deal was down to Egypt's legislative body. Prince Mohamed signed the deal on behalf of the Kingdom before becoming crown prince. Egypt's parliament backed the deal in June, and Sisi ratified it one week later. Opponents say Egypt's sovereignty over the islands dates back to 1906, before Saudi Arabia was founded. Saudi and Egyptian officials say the islands belong to the kingdom and were only under Egyptian control because Riyadh had asked Cairo in 1950 to protect them. Saudi Arabia has supported Sisi since he toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, and legal wrangling over the Red Sea deal was a source of tension between the two countries. Opposition to the deal has been a problem for Sisi, sparking the only major street protests since he came to power in 2014 and becoming a rallying point for opposition figures that have been marginalized during his rule. Sisi stands for re-election this month in a vote he is almost guaranteed to win after all serious challengers dropped out, including a rights lawyer who shot to fame after successfully challenging the islands deal in court. (Reporting by Mohamed Abdellah and Haitham Ahmed; Writing by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Hugh Lawson)Southeast Asia and Europe pledged Friday to speed up efforts for an elusive free trade deal, vowing to support open markets in the face of growing US protectionism under Donald Trump.

EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom said a deal would "send a strong signal to the world" after Trump's plan to put tariffs on steel and aluminum sparked an outcry among American trade partners, including Europe.

Trump said Thursday he would sign off on the measures next week, sending stock markets into a tailspin.

The 28-member European Union and 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been discussing a free trade deal for years, first launching talks in 2007 but abandoning them two years later.

The two sides last year agreed to put the deal back on the agenda and have been hammering out their positions before the process formally begins.

In the interim, the EU has struck a free trade deal with ASEAN member Singapore and has started talks on bilateral pacts with other states in the bloc.

"These agreements are important in their own right but they are also part of a bigger picture. We see them as building blocks on the way to broader integration," EU Trade Commissioner Malmstrom said at a forum of Southeast Asian and European business executives in Singapore.

"A regional agreement between us will send a strong signal to the world, a signal that the EU and ASEAN... will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of open trade."

Malmstrom also slammed the US tariff plan and warned the EU was not ruling out taking "retaliatory measures".

"We must be very careful in using the term trade war. But it is definitely not a good development what happened yesterday," she said.

Cambodia's Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak told the forum that an EU-ASEAN trade deal would be "more beneficial for all of us, especially Cambodia.

"I believe that the (free-trade deal) negotiations should relaunch as soon as possible."By Danilo Masoni and Kit Rees

MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) - European shares fell to six-month lows on Friday after Donald Trump said the United States would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, prompting worries about a global trade war.

Such concerns sparked a broad sell-off in Europe, weighing particularly on the export-oriented German DAX index, which fell 2.3 percent to a six-month low.

The broader pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) benchmark was down 2.1 percent, surpassing a low hit in early February during a brutal sell-off in global equities, also hitting a six-month low.

Trump said duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium would be formally announced next week, sparking concerns about retaliatory moves from major trade partners such as China, Europe and neighbouring Canada.

"Markets are spooked more by the aggressiveness of the message and by its potential of sparking an extended trade war rather than just by the scope of the measures' economic impact," said JCI Capital fund manager Alessandro Balsotti, noting how steel and aluminium account for just 2 percent of U.S. imports.

All sectors were trading in negative territory, with autos (.SXAP) down 2.3 percent, weighed down by a near-6 percent slump in Italian-American car maker Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI) on concerns that the U.S. tariff move could increase its raw material costs.

Elsewhere, Germany's Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), Daimler (DAIGn.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE) and France's Peugeot (PEUP.PA) fell between 1.6 to 2.4 percent.

Steel and aluminium stocks were also generally lower, with ArcelorMittal (MT.AS), Salzgitter (SZGG.DE) and Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL) all down 0.9 to 5.2 percent.

Trump officially has until April 11 to announce his final decision and an analyst at Jefferies said they expected the final policy to be more nuanced due to a mounting pushback from domestic steel consumers and foreign steel suppliers.

They said it still remained unclear which countries and products would be targeted by the measures.

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Swedish radiation therapy equipment maker Elekta (EKTAb.ST), up 13.2 percent, led gainers on the STOXX after it reported above-forecast earnings, while IMI (IMI.L) dropped 8.5 percent as its trading update disappointed.

The STOXX ended the week down 3.7 percent ahead of events this Sunday in Italy and Germany that could raise new jitters over the political future of Europe, as Brexit talks with the UK continue.

Italy is holding a general election, and Germany's SPD party will announce the result of a member's poll on a deal to renew a "grand coalition" government with Angela Merkel's conservatives following an inconclusive election last year.

So far this year Italy's benchmark index (.FTMIB) has managed just a 0.3 percent gain, while Germany's DAX is down 7.8 percent.

"The FTSE MIB is one of the worst performing markets in Europe ahead of Sundays general election in Italy," David Madden, market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said.

"Political opinion is divided in the country, and the polls are pointing to no clear winner. The markets are essentially pricing in a hung parliament."

(Reporting by Danilo Masoni and Kit Rees; Editing by Mark Heinrich)By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A former president of the Vatican Bank has been ordered to stand trial on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, the Vatican said, the highest ranking Holy See financial official to be indicted. A statement by the bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), said the former president's legal counsel was also indicted. The two are Angelo Caloia, 78, who was president of the IOR from 1999 and 2009, and lawyer Gabriele Liuzzo, 94. A third person who was originally under investigation, former IOR director general Lelio Scaletti, died several years ago. Caloia and Liuzzo have both repeatedly denied wrongdoing. They were not immediately available for comment on Friday. The bank said "unlawful conduct" by the three was carried out between 2001 and 2008 during "the disposal of a considerable part of the institute's real estate assets". It said damages had been estimated to be more than 50 million euro and that the IOR would be seeking compensation for damages. The trial is due to start on March 15. Reuters reported exclusively in December 2014 that the Vatican's top prosecutor, Gian Piero Milano, had frozen millions of dollars in accounts held by the three men. They were suspected of embezzling money while managing the sale of 29 buildings sold by the Vatican bank to mainly Italian buyers between 2001 and 2008, according to a copy of the freezing order reviewed by Reuters at the time. In the freezing order, Milano said the men regularly under-represented the proceeds from real estate sales in the Vatican bank's official books. The men allegedly received the difference between the real sale prices and the amount officially recorded separately and often in cash, according to the order. Some of the proceeds were deposited in a Rome bank account that was not registered on the IOR's balance sheet, the prosecutor said. An estimated 57 million euros were allegedly siphoned off illegally between 2001 and 2008. The bank's internal investigation into the alleged scam begun in 2013 by then-president Ernst von Freyberg, a German businessman. Freyberg commissioned an independent audit of the sale of properties that had been owned by the bank after noting suspicious accounting procedures under previous administrations. Feyberg, who was president until 2014, began an overhaul of the bank, which for decades was embroiled in numerous financial scandals. Thousands of accounts were closed and last year Italy put the Vatican on its "white list" of states with cooperative financial institutions, ending years of mistrust and providing an endorsement of efforts by Pope Francis to clean up finances. Moneyval, the monitoring body of the Council of Europe, has said in several evaluations that while the Vatican has made great strides in cleaning up the IOR and other financial departments, it needed to be much more aggressive in bringing cases to trial. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Hugh Lawson)KABUL (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber struck on Friday in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing one person and wounding 14 bystanders, officials said, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attack came two days after President Ashraf Ghani offered to start peace talks with the Taliban, and just over a month after an ambulance packed with explosives was detonated in the city center, killing about 100 people. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the cause of the explosion was a car bomb in the city's Qabl Bai area. One person had been killed and 14 bystanders wounded, he added, with all the casualties civilians. Bismillah Tabaan, commander of police in the city's ninth district, said it had been a suicide bombing. The intended target was not clear, but a statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry said the explosion took place near Australian embassy vehicles as they were traveling in the city. It said no one from the embassy had been harmed. Much of the center of Kabul is already a zone of concrete blast walls, razor wire and police checkpoints, but security has been tightened even further in the wake of the Jan. 27 ambulance attack and another attack on the city's Intercontinental Hotel earlier in the month. (Reporting by James Mackenzie and Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Paul Tait, Clarence Fernandez and Kevin Liffey)By Nadoun Coulibaly

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Attackers in Burkina Faso's capital killed eight people and wounded dozens more in a coordinated assault on the army headquarters and French embassy that France's foreign minister said was likely carried out by "terrorist groups".

West Africa's arid Sahel region is suffering a spike in violence by militant groups, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, that is drawing an increasingly aggressive response from countries including France and the United States.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which is the third major assault on Ouagadougou in just over two years.

Previous attacks were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso's participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.

"Everything suggests that this attack was carried out by terrorist groups," Jean-Yves Le Drian told LCI television. "France is determined to relentlessly fight these terrorist groups that want to destabilise the (West Africa) region and who are a serious danger to our security and interests."

Burkinabe state television said the unidentified gunmen killed five soldiers and wounded 64 at the military headquarters. Two members of Burkina Faso's paramilitary gendarmes were killed defending the embassy. President Roch Kabore tweeted that the death toll had risen to eight.

Le Drian said that there were "numerous" Burkinabe victims at the army headquarters, but that no French nationals had been killed in the simultaneous attacks.

The national police said in a statement that eight gunmen were killed: four at the embassy and four at the army headquarters. Two attackers were captured, according to military source and state television.

Witnesses said masked gunmen attacked the downtown army headquarters at around 10 a.m. (1000 GMT).

"I saw people with sacks on their backs attack the guard. Then I heard the explosion. I saw soldiers flee the army headquarters building running," witness Kader Sanou told Reuters.

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The explosion inside the headquarters shook surrounding buildings, set the compound on fire and sent up a thick column of black smoke.

Panicked residents fled the city centre on foot or motorbikes as dozens of Burkina Faso soldiers and armoured vehicles took up positions in the area.

A Reuters reporter saw an ambulance entering the army compound.

FRENCH TARGETS

Around two kilometres (1.24 miles) away the French embassy also came under attack after a van sought to break through the buildings' barrier. Le Drian said the damage at the embassy was relatively minor.

France's defence ministry said French special forces, which have a base in the country, were used to protect French citizens and secure the embassy.

Police also took up positions near the offices of the prime minister where gunfire was also reported.

A Reuters reporter said gunfire had largely ceased by noon.

The French targets attacked are symbolic given that President Emmanuel Macron chose to outline his Africa strategy, including the fight against militants, in Ouagadougou in November.

Burkina is a former French colony and, like several others countries in west and central Africa, retains close security and trade links with Paris. The landlocked country of around 19 million exports cotton and gold.

Macron, who spoke to President Kabore by phone, condemned the attack and said Paris was fully committed to the region, where France has some 4,500 soldiers as part of a counter-terrorism force since it intervened against militants in Mali in 2013.

Islamist groups have stepped up attacks in major cities in West Africa the last few years, including deadly assaults in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger.

Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people last August during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 in which 30 people were killed.

Five countries - Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali and Mauritania - backed by France, launched a new taskforce last year to tackle Islamist militants in the region, to which international donors have committed half a billion dollars.

(Additional reporting by Aaron Ross in Dakar, Souleymane Ag Anara in Niamey and John Irish, Emmanuel Jarry, Jean-Baptiste Vey, Sophie Louet and Richard Lough in Paris; Writing by Joe Bavier, Edward McAllister and John Irish; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)Stiavnik (Slovakia) (AFP) - Slain Slovak investigative journalist was laid to rest in his wedding suit on Saturday as hundreds of mourners packed a Roman Catholic church in the northern Slovak village of Stiavnik, an AFP journalist reported.

Kuciak's burial comes a day after his fiancee Martina Kusnirova was laid to rest in her wedding gown in the northern town of Gregorovce. The couple, both 27, were to marry in May.

The ceremony began with the reading of a poem written by Jan for his fiancee that he had planned to read at their wedding.

Kuciak was gunned down as he was about to publish an article raising possible political links to Italian businessmen with alleged ties to the 'Ndrangheta supposedly operating in Slovakia.

Just hours before his funeral Slovak police released seven Italians detained after they were named by Kuciak in his explosive report on alleged high-level corruption linked to Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia.

Leading the funeral mass, Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky told mourners that "if the murderer thought he was able to silence Jan, he was wrong.

"He achieved the opposite. An attack on a journalist is also an attack on the freedom of our country, we must not allow it."

Slovak Police commander Tibor Gaspar, has said the motive behind his murder was "most likely" related to Kuciak's investigative journalism.

In Italy, prosecutors have suggested that the 'Ndrangheta may have been behind the killing of Kuciak and his fiancee whom police found dead at their home near Bratislava on Sunday.

Their murder has raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It comes just months after the October 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.

Thousands flocked to candlelit anti-corruption protests and memorials held across Slovakia on Friday.

Organisers estimated that around 25,000 people gathered in the capital Bratislava, while thousands met in a dozen other cities and towns across the EU and NATO country of 5.4 million people.

Story continues

Thousands of mostly young Slovaks joined anti-graft rallies last year demanding the dismissal of senior government and police officials for alleged foot-dragging on fighting graft.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the opposition of using the murder as a "political tool to get people out on the streets and gain power".

Two of his close aides were for forced to resign Wednesday after Kuciak alleged they had ties to Italians purportedly involved with the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate. Both have denied any wrongdoing.Republican Senator Marco Rubio represents Florida, where the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas high school occurred: Getty Images

Republican Senator Marco Rubio has unveiled a new gun and school safety plan, which will add to the growing number of bills already introduced to combat gun violence in the wake of another mass shooting.

President Donald Trump has called for a comprehensive bill to address gun issues, but he is unlikely to get what he wants given the increasing amount of proposals from members of Congress.

Members of Congress have faced more pressure to find a solution to prevent mass shootings after an alleged 19-year-old gunman on Valentines Day open fired at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas high school in Florida, killing 17 people.

I also know that there is widespread support and agreement that we must act now, as soon as possible, to prevent another tragedy like Parkland, Mr Rubio said while speaking on the Senate floor.

The Florida senator outlined six bills that he either supports or will be introducing, including creating gun violence restraining orders that would enable law enforcement or family members to get a court order to prevent an individual deemed dangerous from purchasing a gun. It would also enable family or law enforcers to remove a gun from those individuals possession.

I wanted to come here ... and announce a comprehensive plan ... a series of measures that I believe could prevent these attacks before they happen, Mr Rubio said.

He added that he believed each of the ideas should all enjoy bipartisan support.

Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided on gun issues, causing what appears to be a continuous stalemate over measures in Congress that may restrict gun access. Any measure needs at least 60 votes in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 51-49 majority.

Other measures that have been proposed focus on background checks. One such bill, introduced by Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, offers financial incentives for state and local governments to report information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Story continues

Some Democrats have argued that the narrow Cornyn-Murphy bill is not comprehensive enough to address gun safety in an era when shootings have become normal. Meanwhile, a succession of Republicans have said they were unwilling to move ahead on anything but the most modest proposals.

On the first day students of Stoneman Douglas returned to school following the shooting, several legislators gathered at the White House to discuss school safety and gun legislation.

Many ideas, some good & some not so good, emerged from our bipartisan meeting on school safety yesterday at the White House, Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday. Background Checks a big part of conversation. Gun free zones are proven targets of killers. After many years, a Bill should emerge. Respect 2nd Amendment!

Senate Republicans have already rejected the Presidents call to combine multiple gun proposals into one.

Mr Cornyn, who is leading the Republican response to gun violence in the upper chamber, told reporters after the White House meeting that he still favours a limited approach, according to The Hill.

A comprehensive bill is much less likely to receive 60 votes than a narrowly-focused bill.

Also on Thursday, three senators introduced a bipartisan bill to ban bump stocks, devices that effectively make semi-automatic rifles fire like a machine gun.

They asserted that legislation is still needed despite Mr Trumps promise to sign an executive order making the devices illegal.

I am encouraged by the presidents directive to the Department of Justice to regulate these devices, but a temporary regulatory fix is no substitute for permanent law, said Republican Senator Jeff Flake, one of the bills sponsors, in a statement.Paris (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his US counterpart Donald Trump vowed there would be "no impunity" in the event of further chemical weapons use in Syria in a telephone call Friday.

The leaders also urged Russia to put "maximum pressure" on its ally Damascus to commit to a United Nations ceasefire, warning of an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis in war-torn Syria.

Macron "stressed there will be a firm response in the case of proven use of chemical weapons leading to the death of civilians, in close coordination with our American allies," a statement from the French presidency said.

"France and the United States will not tolerate impunity."

The rising pressure on Damascus and its key ally Moscow comes after new reports last weekend of suspected chlorine use in the battered rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta.

France has repeatedly warned that evidence of further use of chemical weapons in Syria is a "red line" that would prompt French strikes in a brutal seven-year conflict that has drawn in foreign powers from Russia to Turkey.

Washington has asked the UN Security Council to set up a new inquiry on chemical weapons attacks, for which the Syrian regime has repeatedly denied responsibility.

In Eastern Ghouta, hundreds of civilians have been killed since the Syrian army began new air strikes on February 18 in a bid to root out Islamist rebel groups, sparking global outrage.

A five-hour daily "pause" announced by Moscow on Monday has led to a reduction in the bombardment, but it falls far short of the UN ceasefire agreed through a Security Council resolution Saturday that has yet to be implemented.

Macron and Trump pledged to "work together to allow the resolution to be put in place to allow a ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian aide and evacuation of the injured", the French statement said.

The UN Human Rights Council is to hold an emergency meeting on Eastern Ghouta on Friday after dozens of aid trucks were unable to reach 400,000 suffering civilians a day earlier.

Aid workers have warned of dire medical needs in the enclave and the urgent need to evacuate the many sick and wounded.Photo: Legalfling/Getty Images

#MeToo is more than a public reckoning, its a movement thats reshaping the culture of America. Through public testimonies, online or in real life, women (and men) are fortifying the boundaries between yes and no, and reinstating the long-forgotten rules that govern our bodies.

It may be cathartic for those affected, but the movement is reshaping society: changing the way women farm, govern, act, teach, and mother, among many other things. Above all else, its emphasized that crossing the line, whether into sexual harassment or full-blown rape, will no longer be tolerated.

And now, as is so often the case in our tech-friendly world, theres an app to prove it.

LegalFling is an app that allows users to instantly catalog their consent with a partner on a user-friendly, brightly colored interface that not so subtly mimics online dating sites like Tinder. The apps tagline, plastered on its bright-pink homepage, offers a simple directive: Get explicit about sexual consent.

Safe sex is not only about using physical protection, the site reads. Its about consenting to what will happen in the bedroom. Still in beta, its powered by Live Contracts, a Netherlands-based startup that allows users to create instant, easy-to-understand, legally binding contracts in minutes.

LegalFling seems, based on its design, to be aiming to make consent as sexy as swiping on Tinder. Sex should be fun and safe, but nowadays a lot of things can go wrong. Think of unwanted videos, withholding information about STDs and offensive porn reenactment. While youre protected by law, litigating any offenses through court is nearly impossible in reality, the site reads. LegalFling creates a legally binding agreement, which means any offense is a breach of contract.

Relying on blockchain, a technology that encrypts data, the contracts are only accessible to the two people involved, and the claim is that they are 100% safe from hacking. Initially, the app seems like a smooth, user-friendly solution. First, it has users apply their own preferences whether theyll allow explicit photography, for example, or whether theyre into BDSM. Then theyre ready to send a fling (request) to the next person theyre getting up close and personal with in their contact list.

Story continues

The fling itself can be sent through Whatsapp, Facebook messenger, or a simple text. It seems easy enough, right?

But a closer look at the mechanics of the process raises some red flags. Just like Tinder or Bumble, users choose to X a request for consent (swipe left) or heart it (swipe right). The implication is that a heart is yes and an X is no. This, according to the company, is how you can get sexual consent with one tap.

Tapping yes constitutes a legally binding agreement. Legalfling is quick to note on its website that someone can absolutely change their mind after selecting yes. No means no at any time. Being passed out means no at any time, it reads. Revoking consent is always done verbally at any time and without giving a reason. You never use the app to revoke consent. In case the rules of consent were not honered (sic), the app can be used afterwards to secure a statement and get professional help.

Its a helpful explanation, but one that still fails to answer a large number of questions. Such as, what happens if either individual feels pressured to sleep with someone because he or she has already said yes? Or what in the middle of sex, someone who says yes changes their mind? Could the consent be used against them?

So while the idea of a consent-focused app may seem like a win, the reality may be more complex. Experts arent necessarily enamored with the idea either. In an interview with The New York Times on Friday, relationship and technology expert Dr. Michelle Drouin called the process completely unrealistic, and expressed concern that it limits the fluctuating emotion surrounding consent.

It would be very awkward within the context of an intimate encounter to be like, Wait a second, Im changing my mind on the app and also with you, Drouin told the Times. Shes not the only one whos wary. In an article for Gizmodo, reporter Melanie Ehrenkranz called LegalFling a deeply flawed representation of sexual consent, one that simplifies consent in a one-time checklist.

According to Planned Parenthood, consent is technically defined as actively agreeing to be sexual with someone. In order for something to qualify as consent, the organization says that it must be freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific. Although LegalFling incorporates some of these aspects into its app, its tough to be enthusiastic with a single swipe. Its also difficult to prove that its a response that was freely given, with the option that it may be reversed.

So while the the app has potential, it may need to rethink some things before hitting the mainstream. If not, it may turn out to be a weapon used against individuals, instigating the nightmare it was designed to prevent.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.



Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward continues to make incredible progress since his gruesome ankle injury on opening night. A few weeks after a picture emerged of Hayward out of his leg brace, the 27-year-old decided to give fans another update Friday.

Hayward posted a video of himself dribbling and taking shots on his Instagram page.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The team has been quiet about Haywards timetable for a while now. As our own Ben Rohrbach noted, the team did not include the term season-ending anywhere in their statement about his surgery. That has led to some speculation about whether Hayward could return in time for the postseason.

Given the brutal nature of Haywards injury that still seems far off. Even if Hayward cant make it back in time for the playoffs, its encouraging to see him looking normal after what happened in the teams opener.

(Yahoo Sports H/N: SB Nation)

Gordon Hayward is already looking great after his devastating ankle injury. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

More coverage from Yahoo Sports:

      

Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_CwikGuatemala City (AFP) - Guatemala's Constitutional Court has rejected a local lawyer's attempt to prevent the government from moving its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, as the US plans to do, a court spokesman said Saturday.

Spokesman Santiago Palomo told AFP that the high court's five magistrates turned down a request from lawyer Marco Vinicio Mejia, who argued in a petition filed in January that the embassy move was contrary to international law.

The decision in December by President Donald Trump to transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city of Jerusalem has drawn widespread condemnation, with critics saying it damages hopes for a negotiated Middle East peace.

Only seven small countries -- including Guatemala and Honduras -- sided with the United States and Israel on a nonbinding December 21 UN General Assembly resolution rejecting Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales however soon followed Trump's move, making Guatemala the first country to do so.

Morales, who made the announcement on Facebook, said that Guatemala was a nation of "Christian thought," adding that "Israel is our ally and we must support it."

In his brief, Mejia argued among other things that an order issued over social media like Facebook carried no legal standing.

The court said in its ruling that "the circumstances" did not make it "advisable" to grant an injunction, though it suggested that the matter was not definitively resolved.

US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Wednesday thanked Morales for his support on the Jerusalem question.

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel said she has received calls from the Palestinian Authority asking for Guatemala to reconsider its stance.

But the country's position, she said, was irreversible.By Gustavo Palencia TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran authorities on Friday said they arrested a high-ranking executive of a hydroelectric company on Friday on charges of helping plan the murder of indigenous environmental activist Berta Caceres two years ago. Roberto David Castillo, executive president of Desarrollos Energeticos (DESA), was arrested at an airport in the north of the country, Honduran prosecutors said. DESA had been pushing for the construction of a dam that was opposed by Caceres Castillo "was in charge of providing logistics and other resources to one of the perpetrators already prosecuted for the crime," Public Ministry spokesman Juri Mora told Reuters. Reuters was not able to immediately contact Castillo or his lawyers. In a statement, DESA denied involvement in the crime and said Castillo is "innocent," adding that it "rejects this decision that comes from international pressure and smear campaigns of various NGOs on the company." Caceres, a 43-year-old teacher who won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize, was shot dead at her residence on the night of March 2, 2016. Castillo is the second alleged mastermind captured for her murder. Eight other people, including company employees, hired assassins and members of the army, have been arrested and tried. Honduras has seen repeated confrontations between indigenous populations with mining and hydroelectric operations. President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who won reelection in December in a vote marred by fraud allegations, has sought to boost investment in such ventures. Members the activist group that Caceres led gathered Friday in front of prosecutors' offices in the capital to demand the arrest of more prominent local businessmen they allege are connected to the crime. (Editing by Leslie Adler)La Esperanza (Honduras) (AFP) - Honduran authorities said they have arrested an energy company executive allegedly behind the high-profile 2016 murder of prominent environmental activist Berta Caceres.

Police detained electrical engineer Roberto David Castillo Mejia "as the intellectual perpetrator" behind Caceres's murder, the prosecutor's office said in a statement Friday.

Officials said Castillo had served as CEO of the company Desarrollos Energeticos (DESA) -- which Caceres actively campaigned against over plans to build a hydroelectric dam -- at the time of the activist's slaying.

He was "responsible for providing logistics and other resources to the perpetrators," the statement said.

Caceres opposed DESA's plans to construct the dam across a river upon which indigenous communities depended.

Two masked gunmen fatally shot the activist at her home in La Esperanza, northwest of the capital Tegucigalpa on March 3, 2016. She was 44.

Her murder sparked international outrage and highlighted threats to Honduran activists.

At least eight other people have been arrested in connection with the homicide -- among them employees of DESA -- but Caceres's family has repeatedly demanded the masterminds be brought to justice.

In a statement issued after his arrest, the company said that "Castillo, like all members of DESA, are totally dissociated from the unfortunate incident that ended the life of Ms Berta Caceres."

"We respectfully request the immediate release of Mr David Castillo," read the statement.

DESA's dam project is currently suspended, but it has not been canceled.

- A "visionary" leader -

Caceres "taught us to defend the river, the land and the forest -- we are not going to surrender," said Paulina Gomez, a member of the Lenca indigenous community, as she rallied some 400 marchers over a loudspeaker late Friday along the main street of La Esperanza.

Story continues

Demonstrators included Lenca members in western Honduras as well as relatives of the late activist.

More events honoring Caceres are planned for Saturday in La Esperanza, located 110 kilometers (63 miles) west of the capital Tegucigalpa.

The slain activist's mother, Austra Berta Flores, told AFP that Honduran Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla has rejected her demand to name an international commission to investigate the murder.

Flores also claimed that Castillo visited Caceres before the murder "to try to intimidate and bribe her" into halting her protest actions.

Caceres's daughter Olivia Zuniga, a member of the Honduran Congress, said she would introduce a measure to cancel the dam project as well as 48 other contracts to build dams in western Honduras.

The Honduras branch of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Twitter said it "continues to express its support for the family" of Caceres and "efforts to seek the truth" on the anniversary of her death.

The Americas branch of the British charity Oxfam described Caceres in a tweet as "a visionary indigenous, environmental and feminist leader, adding: "we must also continue the struggle for justice."

Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at the Human Rights group Amnesty International, said Friday that failure to resolve the Caceres case "sends a chilling message that human rights defenders can be killed with impunity if they dare question those with power in Honduras."

Another Rights group, Global Witness, named Honduras the deadliest country in the world for environmental human rights defenders.

Honduras has been rocked by political crisis for months, and dozens of people have been killed and hundreds jailed since President Juan Orlando Hernandez was declared the winner of the November 26 run-off election.

Supporters of defeated opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla accuse Hernandez -- who has the implicit backing of the United States -- of setting up a "military dictatorship," and insist that the election was stolen.DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Friday said he remained concerned that British Prime Minister Theresa May did not fully recognise the implications of leaving the European Union's customs union and single market.

May in a Friday speech urged the EU to show more flexibility in talks on a relationship after Brexit, saying Britain realised it could not get all it wanted but she believed an ambitious trade deal was still possible.

"She (May) has given a number of important reassurances today, which I welcome," Varadkar said. "However I remain concerned that some of the constraints of leaving the Customs Union and the Single Market are still not fully recognised."

Varadkar said he particularly welcomed May's "clear commitment" to Northern Ireland's 1998 peace agreement and to a December agreement to avoid a hard border between the region and the Republic of Ireland.

He said in the speech May recognised that the UK will face hard choices "given constraints between some of the UK aims and the consequences of withdrawing from the European Union."

But while he welcomed May' bid to secure a very close relationship with the EU after Brexit, that London needed to provide "more detailed and realistic proposals."

(Reporting by Conor Humphries; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)Photo credit: Getty

From Esquire

Were living in a sensitive age, Cuke, and Im not altogether sure youre fully attuned to it.

- Mayor Frank Skeffington, The Last Hurrah

I cut my teeth doing political reporting in and around the State House on Beacon Hill in Boston. I have a healthy inbred respect for the many and varied forms of political grift, graft, brigandage, and chicanery. My gob is not easily smacked. My flabber is not easily gasted. That said, this latest news out of Camp Runamuck, as brought to us by The New York Times, is both beyond my comprehension and completely off the damn hook.

Joshua Harris, a founder of Apollo Global Management, was advising Trump administration officials on infrastructure policy. During that period, he met on multiple occasions with Jared Kushner, President Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, said three people familiar with the meetings. Among other things, the two men discussed a possible White House job for Mr. Harris. The job never materialized, but in November, Apollo lent $184 million to Mr. Kushners family real estate firm, Kushner Companies. The loan was to refinance the mortgage on a Chicago skyscraper.

Even by the standards of Apollo, one of the worlds largest private equity firms, the previously unreported transaction with the Kushners was a big deal: It was triple the size of the average property loan made by Apollos real estate lending arm, securities filings show. It was one of the largest loans Kushner Companies received last year. An even larger loan came from Citigroup, which lent the firm and one of its partners $325 million to help finance a group of office buildings in Brooklyn. That loan was made in the spring of 2017, shortly after Mr. Kushner met in the White House with Citigroups chief executive, Michael L. Corbat, according to people briefed on the meeting. The two men talked about financial and trade policy and did not discuss Mr. Kushners family business, one person said.

Story continues

It has not been a good week for the Dauphin-in-Law. First, he gets his security clearance pulled, at least in part because oligarchs from foreign lands considered him the biggest sucker on the planet. Now, hes at the center of a steaming pile of corruption so blatant that it would have embarrassed Ferdinand Marcos. If hes at all smart, hes spending hours in front of a mirror, repeating the phrase, To the best of my recollection, over and over until he can appear sincere.

Photo credit: Getty

It is important to note for the historical record that this story broke at around quarter-to-Maddow on a Wednesday night on which the news had been dominated by the departure of source-to-the-stars Hope Hicks from the highly temporary job of White House communications director. (I hear veteran rock drummer Stumpy Pepys already has submitted a resume.) Meanwhile, elsewhere in the plague-riddled business empire that bears the president*s name, in Panama, the employees in one of his properties are in the middle of an armed standoff with police over their paychecks. From the LA Times:

Many had been at the hotel since its opening in 2011 and said they had been drawn to work there because of Trump brand - which the building's new owner says has become a huge drawback... Led by Miami-based private equity fund Ithaca Capital, the owners of the hotel units voted to remove Trump's name from the building and fire his hotel management company. Ithaca's manager, Orestes Fintiklis, has alleged financial misconduct by Trump Hotels dating back years and has said Trump's statements on immigration have rendered his brand toxic in Latin America. Trump Hotels has refused to acknowledge its termination, citing a commitment by Fintiklis not to challenge Trump's contract when he bought 202 of the 369 hotel units at the property last year. When Fintiklis, who is also head of the hotel owners' association, invited a team of Marriott hotel executives to tour the property last year, Trump Hotel staff ran them off.

So, as I see it, he shouldnt still be a businessman because hes the president*, and because hes president, hes an even worse businessman. None of this is the way anything is supposed to work.

Photo credit: Getty

But, returning to young Jared, its pretty plain that a spit is being prepared for him at Bob Muellers House of BBQ, right next to the one on which Paul Manafort is currently revolving. The only way truly to judge what Mueller is doing is to see whats leaking out, likely from defense attorneys and witnesses with nothing to lose. Whats plain is that nothing is out of bounds.

Hes looking into every dark corner of the family business, and the family business is nothing but dark corners. The family business is the context in which young Jared thought he could have an equity billionaire in for lunch, discuss a White House job, and then take a loan from the billionaires company to bail out his doomed real-estate business, and in which young Jared not only believed nobody would notice, but also that nobody would care. Its all about money, aint a damn thing funny.

You got to have a con in the land of milk and honey.

You Might Also Like



Can we look at the premiere photos please? I looked like I had electroshock therapy. ~ Jennifer Lawrence. (Photos: Getty)

Jennifer Lawrence attended the Red Sparrow premiere in New York City on Monday  and some were worried about her rather wide-eyed intense red carpet appearance. In a Wednesday interview with Andy Cohen, Lawrence blamed it on having too much to drink while filming Watch What Happens Live ahead of the premiere.

I did get drunk at your thing, Lawrence told Cohen during Sirius XM interview. Can we look at the premiere photos please? I looked like I had electroshock therapy.

And theres more 

ALSO SEE: Why is Meghan Markle always touching her hair?

I did get drunk at your thing, Lawrence told Cohen during Sirius XM interview. (Photo: Andy Cohen and Jennifer Lawrence at the SiriusXM Studios on February 28, 2018 in New York City.)

After filming Watch What Happens Live, Lawrence made an appearance on The Late Show with

Stephen Colbert where she subsequently took shots with the host.

The combined drinking is likely what lead to the rather awkward premiere photos.

ALSO SEE: 59-year-old Angela Bassett stuns on red carpet

After WWHL, Jennifer Lawrence then made an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where she says she took shots with the host. (Photo: Getty)

In my head, I was like, Im a goth queen but I looked like a goth queen on crack, she said about the photos. My eyes were like Im not drunk!

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram!A bill to end child marriage is being delayed over concerns about parental rights. (Photo: Elva Etienne via Getty Images)

A bill to stop child marriage in Kentucky was stalled by a conservative group this week, leaving some state lawmakers furious. But the group said they just want to protect parents rights in the process.

State Sen. Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville) introduced Senate Bill 48 after she learned that Kentucky has the third-highest rate of child marriage in the country, just below Texas and Florida, according to Insider Louisville. From 2000 to 2015, more than 10,000 children were married in Kentucky, according to the Tahirih Justice Center.

Donna Pollard, a leading advocate for the bill, told the Courier Journal that she was married at 16 to an older man who had sexually abused her since she was just 14. She said she was encouraged to marry by her mother, who had been wed at just 13 years old herself.

She described her former husband as a perpetrator who regularly abused her.

I felt just completely and totally trapped, said Pollard, who is now divorced.

The so-called child bride legislation would bar marriage for anyone under age 17 and require judicial approval for a 17-year-old to wed. Under current law, 16- and 17-year-olds can marry with parental permission, and children can marry even younger when theres a pregnancy involved, Insider Louisville explains.

Passage of the bill would seem easy enough. But late Wednesday, Adams tweeted that a vote on the legislation had been stalled. She told Insider Louisville that the Family Foundation of Kentucky, a conservative group that lobbies on social issues, was behind the delay.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Eileen Recktenwald, the executive director of the Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, also expressed her disgust.

This is legalized rape of children, Recktenwald told the Courier Journal. We cannot allow that to continue in Kentucky, and I cannot believe we are even debating this in the year 2018 in the United States.

Mary Kunze, a spokeswoman for the Family Foundation of Kentucky, told HuffPost that the group supports the bill overall, but wanted changes to the provision allowing a 17-year-old to get married with a judges consent. Kunze said they wanted it to make clear that a parent must also agree to the marriage.

Story continues

We just want the language cleaned up, Kunze said. The compromises have all been made. Were hoping the bill can come back this next week.

Adams told Insider Louisville that the bill is being adjusted, but she had one caveat: Many times the parents are the problem, pushing their kids into the arms of a predator.

The story has been updated with comment from a Family Foundation spokeswoman and the headline has been adjusted to make clear that the foundation opposes child marriage.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Photo credit: kyliejenner / Instagram

From ELLE UK

Almost a month after we were introduced to Kylie Jenner's first born, who we swiftly learnt was called Stormi Webster, we have been treated to new pictures of the pair together.

Having had a tightly under-wraps pregnancy, only seen retrospectively by fans through her birth announcement video, we haven't been able to follow 20-year-old Jenner on her journey to motherhood.

Since the beauty mogul gave birth to her and boyfriend Travis Scott's (real name Jacques Webster) first child together, the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan has been slightly more open.

So far we have had glimpses of little Stormi's hands and feet through Jenner's social media accounts, and have learnt that the baby, who already has a make-up line in her honour, looks a lot like her mother did as an infant.

Now, Jenner has given us even more access to both herself and Stormi, one month after the brith.

Photo credit: Instagram

The Californian beauty used her Insta stories to share some pictures of her post-baby bod in her underwear.

Photo credit: Instagram

Filming into a mirror the designer flicked her hair and sat on the floor, captioning the video '1 monthhhhhh'.

Photo credit: Instagram

She then posted a picture of herself and the little one with the caption 'baby girl', which she then put on her main feed in an Insta slideshow.

She captioned the pictures, 'my angel baby is 1 month old today' confirming that the baby swaddled in a bunny baby grow is, in fact, Stormi.

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Unsurprisingly the picture has garnered over 8 million likes, which isn't bad for Stormi's first full Instagram outing.

The snap also captures a diamond ring on Jenner's engagement finger. Although we have already seen her wear a diamond ring on this finger before (in her birth announcement videos), this one looks different, more bridal one might say...

Could wedding bells be ringing in the not too distant future for Jenner and her rapper beau?

It wouldn't be the most surprising thing to happen in the Kardashian-Jenner clan, that's for sure.

You Might Also LikeThe health of the last surviving male northern white rhino in the world is deteriorating, raising fears the subspecies will soon be completely extinct.

Sudan, one of only three northern white rhinos alive, is gravely ill following an infection in his right hind leg. According to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where he lives with the remaining two female northern white rhinos, the 45-year-old is starting to show signs of ailing [and] his future is not looking bright.

The aging rhino made headlines last year when he was declared The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World by Tinder as part of a joint fundraising campaign by the dating app and the conservancy in a bid the protect the animal from extinction.

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Facebook/Ol Pejeta Conservancy

In a statement, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy said: At the end of the 2017, Sudan developed an uncomfortable age-related infection on his back right leg. It was immediately assessed by a team of vets from around the world, and responded well to treatment, healing quickly.

He resumed normal movement and foraging habits over January up to mid-February, with his demeanour and general activity improving significantly.

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Recently, a secondary and much deeper infection was discovered beneath the initial one. This has been treated, but worryingly, the infection is taking longer to recover, despite the best efforts of his team of vets who are giving him 24-hour care, with everything possible being done to help him regain his health.

We are very concerned about himhe's extremely old for a rhino and we do not want him to suffer unnecessarily.

Even before Sudan became gravely ill, his chances of fathering offspring with the two femalesFatu and Najinwere virtually impossible. In March 2015, he was found to have a very low sperm count, making natural conception extremely difficult, reports Live Science.

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Conservationists are hoping that other techniques including vitro fertilization (IVF) may still give some hope.

The three surviving white northern rhinos, along with another male who has since died, arrived at the conservation site in Kenya from a Czech zoo in 2009.

According to Save the Rhino, the subspecies once roamed freely across large parts of Central Africa including Uganda, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Numbers for all species of rhino went into decline due to colonial-era mass hunting and changes to their natural habitat due to urban development across the continent.

Poaching also helped their rapid decline in the 1970s and '80s, with northern white rhinos soon becoming extinct in large parts of Central Africa. Civil wars in countries such as the DRC and Sudan also contributed to the decline in population as a result of increased poaching and other fallouts from the conflicts.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekLawyer Robin Rosenzweig and her husband, investor Elliott Broidy, are accused of trying to scuttle a Justice Department investigation into money laundering. (Photo: Allen Berezovsky via Getty Images)

Emails and documents an anonymous group leaked to HuffPost this week appear to show a Los Angeles lawyer asking for more than $80 million to scuttle a Department of Justice investigation into a multibillion-dollar scandal involving Van Gogh paintings, the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, the prime minister of Malaysia  and the lawyers husband, a Republican National Committee deputy finance chair Elliott Broidy, trying to use his influence with the Trump administration to help.

Broidy and his wife, attorney Robin Rosenzweig, deny any wrongdoing.

Its definitely a hack, Rosenzweig said of the emails, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Theyve hacked attorney-client privileged documents.

Broidys assistant also said that Mr. Broidy has been a victim of a hack.

HuffPost has not been able to identify the people who leaked the documents, who call themselves L.A. Confidential. We expose people associated with hollywood, the group said in an email. Its not clear what the groups motivations are.

After HuffPost provided Rosenzweig with the leaked emails and documents, she said she didnt recognize some of them  although she did not identify which ones looked unfamiliar. Rosenzweig (who also goes by Robin Broidy) and her husband are conducting a personal investigation, she said.

The dossier, as the leakers called it, demonstrates Broidys clear and continued fascination with a topic of great financial interest to his wife and one of her prospective clients.

The story starts in July 2016, when the Justice Department filed civil forfeiture complaints seeking to recover more than $1 billion in assets allegedly acquired with funds misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state-owned development company established by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. The Justice Departments complaint stated that Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian businessman, had laundered in the U.S. more than $400 million stolen from 1MDB. The 1MDB funds was allegedly used to buy real estate, Van Gogh and Monet paintings, and a private jet, and to finance The Wolf of Wall Street.

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Malaysian investigations into 1MDB found no wrongdoing on the part of the company or Najib, the prime minster, according to The Wall Street Journal. Najib, Low and 1MDB have denied any wrongdoing, and 1MDB has said it will cooperate with any investigations into its business.

But the Justice Department was still pursuing Low, and he needed help.

(Photo: HuffPost)

Its not entirely clear how Low and Rosenzweig first got in touch. On March 12, 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump took office, Rosenzweig wrote up a draft agreement in which she would agree to work for Low.

Please feel free to call or email me or Elliott with any comments or concerns you have, she wrote in an email, referring to her husband.

In the draft agreement, Rosenzweig proposed that Low would pay her and her firm, the Colfax Law Office, $8 million upfront. The deal would also give her and the firm an incentive to work fast: Low would pay an additional $50 million if the firm succeeded in settling the Matter  the DOJ investigation  within a year. That figure jumped to $75 million if the firm succeeded within 180 days.

(Photo: HuffPost)

(Photo: HuffPost)

Rosenzweig later adjusted the draft agreement to provide for a flat fee, after learning that success fees and a non-refundable retainer fee are not legal in New York, she wrote to her husband and a consultant working on the case.

The emails given to HuffPost do not indicate whether Rosenzweigs firm ever finalized an agreement to provide services to Low.

(Photo: HuffPost)

Although Broidy pleaded guilty in 2009 to giving New York public pension officials nearly $1 million worth of illegal gifts to help his venture capital firm make a deal with the pension fund, its easy to see how Low could have benefited from working with the couple. Broidy has close ties to Trump and the Republican Party. During the 2016 presidential race, he served as a vice chairman for the Trump Victory Fund. He gave more than $160,000 to the Republican National Committee last year. One month after Rosenzweig wrote the draft agreement with Low, the RNC announced that Broidy had been named a national deputy finance chairman, along with Michael Cohen and Louis DeJoy.

In May, Rosenzweig indicated that her law firm would need to enter into a contract with Pras Michel, a friend of Lows and a member of hip-hop group The Fugees. According to the emails, Low wanted to pay Rosenzweig through Michel. Michel and his publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After Rosenzweig started working on an agreement with Low, her husband began circulating talking points that described efforts to convince the Justice Department to halt the Malaysia investigation.

In August 2017, Broidy sent an assistant at his investment firm an email titled Malaysia Talking Points *Final.* The email does not note who wrote the talking points or who was expected to deliver them, but they appear to be drafted from the perspective of a Malaysian official in preparation for a meeting with a U.S. official. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Malaysia two days later as part of a Southeast Asia tour. And Trump hosted Najib, the Malaysian prime minister swept up in the 1MDB scandal, at the White House in September.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

(Photo: HuffPost)

The talking points email laid out four priorities  the first three being North Korea, counterterrorism cooperation and the economy. The fourth, however, was 1MDB, and it included five main points (emphasis ours, misspelling theirs):

1. 1MDB message on all levels this is being handles by Saudia Arabia and Abu Dhabi, and Malaysia. 2. Malaysian Attorney General has publically announced that no American has been harmed by any 1MDB transaction 3. The involvement of US prosecutors [in 1MDB] has caused unnecessary tension American, and could cause a negative reaction among Malaysians 4. Malaysian Attorney General have publically announced no harm has been caused to any investors 5. Finally, I will send Malaysian Attorney General ahead of my visit to the US in September to meet President Trump. I would like an introduction to Attorney General Sessions.

The person who drafted the talking points also wrote, Secretary Tillerson may mention Elliott Broidys name. If he does, I will confirm that I know Elliot [sic] and that he wants a closer relationship between the USA and Malaysia.

At the time, the Justice Department was escalating its efforts to go after Low and the development fund. Prosecutors asked the federal court to stay the departments civil lawsuits and announced a criminal probe into 1MDB in August.

(Photo: HuffPost)

Months later, Broidy was still focused on the matter  and appeared to be upping the pressure. On Jan. 5, 2018, Broidy sent himself an email titled Rick Gates: Talking Points, a possible reference to a former Trump campaign aide, who pleaded guilty last month in an unrelated conspiracy case. The email includes an explicit description of an effort to persuade the Justice Department and the White House to reverse course on the Malaysia graft case (again, emphasis ours):

1. We are working with the DoJ to counter the previous Administrations case against 1MDB in Malaysia. I have put a strategy in place to contact parties both at the DoJ and the NSC [National Security Council] to find a resolution to this issue. 2. I am in the process of scheduling a meeting with the assistant attorney general who has the oversight for the Malaysia case. She is a Trump appointee and can be helpful. [Broidy may be referring to Rachel Brand, who was the associate attorney general at the time, not an assistant attorney general.] 3. As I informed you earlier, in my discussion with the President, he committed to getting this issue resolved. It is important that I take his lead but will continue to communicate the importance of this issue. 4. The President very much wants to see you re-elected and wants this issue to be resolved. He has reiterated that to me. 5. It is also helpful to know that a new attorney will be confirmed shortly that will also have some jurisdiction over the matter, and was formerly the #2 general counsel at Boeing. [This is presumably a reference to John Demers, then the nominee to head the Justice Departments National Security Division.] It will be easy to brief him on the matter and get his involvement. 6. I am working on this issue from several angles and we will work to get this done as quickly as possible.

Those points were similarly to five laid out in another document created by an unknown author and shared with HuffPost.

I am in the process of scheduling a meeting with Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand who has the oversight for the Malaysia case, the document reads in part. She is a Trump appointee and viewed as the only true Trump appointee currently at DoJ.

Brand resigned from her position last month and could not be reached for comment.

In addition, the National Security Division of DoJ is involved and President Trump has appointed John Demers (formerly of Boeing) to that position, the document continues, referring to the man who became assistant attorney general for the National Security Division last month. He is awaiting his confirmation but will be confirmed shortly. I will also meet with John. He will be an instrumental figure in the resolution of the Malaysia issues.

(Photo: HuffPost)

A representative for Broidy and Rosenzweig told HuffPost that neither of them wrote the text in the emails describing interactions with Trump and Justice Department officials. Chris Clark, the couples lawyer, told The Wall Street Journal that the couple did not discuss Lows case with Trump, his staff or anyone at the Justice Department. The Justice Department declined to comment and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The investigation into 1MDB  and Low  continues. Just this week, at the request of U.S. authorities, Indonesian police seized a luxury yacht in Bali tied to the scandal.

Lows location is currently unknown, according to Reuters. His company in Hong Kong did not respond to a request for comment.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story indicated Broidy was a convicted felon. While he pleaded guilty to a felony in 2009, he was convicted of a misdemeanor as part of a plea deal.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Insecurity in Mali "continues to rage" and is progressing toward the center of the country, according to an interim UN report.

Members of Plateforme, an armed pro-government coalition, and the CMA rebel alliance, who were signatories to a 2015 peace deal, are seeing "progressive decline of their influence in areas traditionally under their indirect or direct control," said the report which was to the Security Council and seen by AFP on Friday.

"Such loss of territorial control, adding to the increasing fragmentation of armed groups along ethnic lines and the subsequent multiplication of non-signatory armed groups, represent currently the main threat to the implementation of the agreement," it said, referencing the peace deal brokered in Algeria in 2015.

The report's authors added that drug, human and arms trafficking remain rife in Mali, and despite the 2015 deal, "the humanitarian situation in the north and center of the country remains volatile, unstable and a marked deterioration persists."

"Across the country an estimated 4.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance," they said.

The situation in Mali is a key factor in the creation of the multinational, anti-jihadist G5-Sahel force, which the report says goes hand in hand with the "intensified terrorist threats of the ISGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara) and Ansar al-Islam."

Jihadists have ramped up their activities in central Mali in recent months, targeting domestic and foreign forces in violence once confined to the restive north.

Four UN peacekeepers were killed on Wednesday when a mine exploded under their vehicle in central Mali in a deliberate attack, capping a bloody week for civilians and security forces in the West African nation.By Gina Cherelus and Jonathan Allen (Reuters) - A student at Central Michigan University suspected of shooting to death his parents inside a campus dormitory during a domestic dispute on Friday was still at large, authorities said, and the campus remained largely shut down. The two victims were found inside a residence hall at the university in Mount Pleasant, about 125 miles (200 km) northwest of Detroit, said Lieutenant Larry Klaus of the university's police force. University and police officials identified the suspect as 19-year-old James Eric Davis Jr. "It was an isolated incident, but we had two people that were killed in a residence facility. That's traumatic, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said at a news conference hours after the Friday morning shooting. "We will not stop until we resolve that issue and (have) caught this person." Davis had been taken to a local hospital on Thursday night after an apparent overdose or "bad reaction to drugs," Klaus told reporters. The two victims were James Davis Sr. and Diva Davis, both 47, university officials said on Twitter. James Davis Sr. was a police officer in Bellwood, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, Emanuel Chris Welch, an Illinois state lawmaker, said in a post on Twitter. The shooting led authorities to order a lockdown of the campus, which has more than 20,000 students, and police also warned Mount Pleasant residents to be on guard. On Friday afternoon, police began escorting people who wanted to leave the campus, but all events were canceled until further notice and Saturday classes were called off, university officials said in a statement. The incident came just over two weeks after 17 students and educators were killed by a 19-year-old gunman with an assault-style rifle at a Florida high school. Davis was considered armed and dangerous, officials said. Local and state authorities were assisting campus police in investigating the shooting and searching for the gunman. "Right now, we do not know where he is," Klaus told reporters. Police in patrol cars and helicopters scoured an area of apartments north of the campus, according to video posted online by reporters on the scene. (Reporting by Gina Cherelus and Jonathan Allen in New York, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler)The teenager suspected of fatally shooting his father and mother in a Central Michigan University dorm room on Friday was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning, local authorities announced.

Law enforcement personnel responded and arrested the suspect without incident, a statement on the universitys website said Saturday. The 19 year old, identified as James Davis, Jr., was taken into custody after being spotted on the north end of campus.

The victims have been identified as Bellwood, Illinois police officer James Davis, Sr. and his wife Diva Davis. Michigan State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch tweeted his condolences to the family, calling it a "sad day" and posting a picture of Davis, Sr.

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The shooting happened just before 9 a.m. Friday on the fourth floor of Campbell Hall, a residential tower. Authorities later released a photo of Davis, Jr., saying he was spotted on surveillance footage leaving the dormitory where the bodies were found. The teen is listed as a sophomore in school's student directory.

No students, faculty or staff were injured in the shooting, which police have described as a family dispute and an isolated situation. The gun Davis, Jr. allegedly used in the shooting belonged to his father.

Authorities told media that the teen had been taken to a hospital on Thursday night for a drug-related incident but did not release additional details. They described him as armed and dangerous.

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Do not approach the suspect, do not go looking for the suspect, warned Jeff Brown, a public information officer with the Mount Pleasant Police Department, in a Friday morning news conference. If you see him, call 911 immediately.

Suspect in Central Michigan

City of Mount Pleasant

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Parts of the campus continued to be on lockdown well into Friday evening while police worked to evacuate other areas. Sherry Knight, an associate vice president with the universitys communication department, told the campus newspaper that classes had been canceled.

The shooting at the Michigan university comes less than a month after 17 people were killed at a Parkland, Florida high school. Fear and rumors spread quickly on Friday morning as many students were preparing to depart for Spring Break. The university alert system sent a flurry of messages to the campus community, advising students to stay indoors and follow lockdown procedure. Many took to social media to express their concerns about yet another shooting happening at a school.

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Campbell Hall MCU

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George E. Ross, Central Michigan University President, told students he didn't want them to hold back their emotions.

I would encourage them to talk about it," Ross said during a press conference. "I dont want them holding it inside. I want them to share. Thats where the healing begins.

Central Michigan University is a public college located in Mount Pleasant in Isabella County, about two hours northwest of Detroit. More than 20,000 students are enrolled at the school, which prohibits firearms on campus grounds.

People who reportedly knew Davis, Jr. said in interviews with local media that they were baffled by the reports. By all accounts, the family is described as loving and caring and Davis, Jr. is described as a "good kid."

"He wasnt a thug. He wasnt constantly in trouble with the police," said Deantre DeYoung, a high school friend of the suspect, in an interview with The Lansing Journal. "Whatever situation went down between them, it has to be more than him being a bad person, because as a family they loved each other. I know that for certain."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekFlorida Senator Marco Rubio on Thursday announced a series of modest gun control measures he either endorses or plans to introduce in the wake of the mass shooting at a high school about an hour's drive from his Miami office.

Rubio called the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks ago "the result of a massive multi-systemic failure" as he outlined new legislation for background checks and school safety on the Senate floor.

"It is this failure which I hope we will focus on by addressing the shortcomings and vulnerabilities in our current laws and in our current policies," he said.

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"I wanted to come here today for a few minutes and announce a comprehensive plan," he said. "A series of measures that I believe could prevent these attacks before they happen."

Rubio, who the NRA gave an "A+" rating and $3.3 million in contributions over his career, proposed six bills aimed at preventing another tragedy like the one that occurred in Parkland.

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One potential bill he detailed was an iteration of what are commonly referred to as "red flag laws." In Rubios version, law enforcement would be able to seek a court order, or "gun violence restraining orders," to remove firearms from people suspected of posing a threat to themselves or others. (Taking a shot a Trump, who on Wednesday expressed support for unlawfully removing guns from people prior to due process, Rubio added, "to be clear, the due process in such a situation would be on the front end, not on the back.")

Rubio also announced his plan to introduce a "Lie and Try" bill. The measure would require the FBI to alert local law enforcement if someone within their jurisdiction who's barred from purchasing a firearm tries to do so and fails a background check. Such individuals could then be prosecuted.

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The senator said he would also look to crack down on "straw purchases," or when people purchase weapons for an individual who can't legally do so.

RELATED: Here's Why the NRA Is So Powerful and Why Gun Control Advocates Have Reason for Hope

David Jolly, a Republican and former Florida Congressman who introduced a modest gun bill after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, applauded Rubio for taking up the gun control debate but said his "comprehensive plan" amounted only to "incremental change."

"We need to give credit to any Republican willing to approach any kind of reasonable gun control," Jolly told Newsweek. But, he added, "Rubio's proposals do nothing to address where I think the American people's priorities are right now."

"Hes trying to put a lot of passion behind incremental changes. I think right now the American people want comprehensive gun reform," Jolly continued. "They want comprehensive and universal background checks and an assault weapons ban."

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Jolly said that while the willingness to cross the NRA is commendable, Rubio's proposals fall shy of real change and amount to little more than political obfuscation.

"The American people see through these kinds of false screens and incremental changes are just insufficient," he said.

Rubio's proposed regulations did not address raising the minimum age for buying a rifle or limiting high capacity magazines, reforms the NRA opposes and Congressional Republicans have not broadly supported.

"These reforms do not enjoy the sort of widespread support in Congress that the other measures announced today enjoy," he said.

His statutes may not be particularly drastic, but they are passable, Rubio said.

"I believe these ideas will all enjoy bipartisan support," he said. "These are ideas that I outline not just because they work but because I believe we can pass them."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekCairo (AFP) - Media in Egypt faces increased scrutiny and restrictions by authorities ahead of a presidential election this month incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will dominate, critics say.

The president, addressing media, warned on Thursday against "defamation" of security forces, a day after his prosecution warned it would take legal action against "false news."

Egypt ranks 161 out of 180 countries in press freedoms according to watchdog Reporters Without Borders' 2017 Press Freedoms Index.

The government's warnings to media are not new.

Sisi, a former army chief elected as president in 2014 a year after toppling his Islamist predecessor following mass protests, had previously asked the media to exercise caution in criticising officials.

But in recent months, authorities have blocked about 500 websites, including media outlets like Al-Jazeera and the local Mada Masr, while journalists have been arrested.

A reporter for the Huffington Post's Arabic website was detained last month after publishing an interview with prominent dissident Hisham Geneina who mentioned the existence of documents that are damaging to senior state officials.

At least 29 journalists are in detention, according to Reporters Without Borders, including some accused of working for media affiliated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.

Some of the restrictions are unprecedented.

"Egypt has never seen an (internet) blockage since the start of the internet," said Mohamed Taher, a researcher with the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression in Egypt.

Authorities did cut off the internet for a day in 2011 as they tried to stifle an uprising that ousted strongman Hosni Mubarak, but did not seek to permanently ban scores of websites.

- Blackout -

The government has not confirmed or denied its role in the blackout, but Taher said internet providers do not block websites without a request from authorities.

For some outlets, the measure has impacted their operations. One site, Masr Al-Arabia, had to reduce staff by 60 percent, according to Adel Sabry, an editor.

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"Many sources refuse to speak to a blocked website," he added.

The government has also increased criticism of foreign media, which had been a frequent target of attacks by politicians over the years.

It often accuses foreign journalists of biased coverage of the country, especially when it comes to human rights abuses.

The government's State Information Service called for an official boycott of the BBC last week after a report on abuses in which a woman claimed her daughter had been forcibly disappeared by security.

The daughter later appeared in an interview on a local television station, saying she had run away, married and had a child. The BBC said it stood by the "integrity" of its reporters.

The report appears to have prompted the prosecution statement saying its lawyers would take action against outlets that publish "false news" and "news and rumours that harm public safety."

Much of the domestic media is seen as generally pliant, and criticism of Sisi is rare.

"There is no direct instruction or censorship, but (journalists) censor themselves" out of fear or opportunism, said a journalist who works for a large private channel, and requested anonymity.

Rights activists say the authorities have become more restrictive in general, showing little tolerance for dissent.

In the run up to the poll, Sisi's would be rivals have been sidelined or withdrawn from the race, saying it would not be a fair election.

One of them, former armed forces chief of staff Sami Anan, was detained shortly after announcing his candidacy.

The military accused him of illegally standing in an election while still a registered reserve officer.The National Rifle Association and its allies have found their political influence under fresh scrutiny as gun control advocates push for new restrictions and corporations sever their ties in the wake of the deadly high school shooting last month in Parkland, Florida. But outside the gun control debate in Washington, membership in the NRA and gun rights groups across the country, which includes more than five million Americans, is spiking, according to people familiar with the numbers.

The spike isnt a surprise, as such increases happen whenever people feel their Second Amendment rights are under threat, and many groups reported similar surges after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. But as gun control groups seek to use the anti-NRA backlash to mobilize their grassroots, recruitment this time seems to have taken on a more urgent tone.

Wake up people and see whats happening!!!!, Charles Cotton, a member of the NRA Board of Directors, wrote on a message board, TexasCHLforum.com, a site described as the focal point for Texas firearms information and discussions, earlier this week. [Former New York Mayor Michael] Bloomberg and Hollywood are pouring money into this effort and the media is helping to the fullest extent. Weve never had this level of opposition before, not ever. Its a campaign of lies and distortion, but its very well funded and they are playing on the sympathy factor of kids getting killed. If you really want to make a difference, then start recruiting NRA members every single day.

The NRA better be 15 million strong soon, or this is only going to get worse, Cotton, who didnt respond to a request for comment, added on the message board.

Representatives from over a dozen gun rights organizations and shooting associations in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia told TIME they have seen membership rise since the Feb. 14 shooting left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. And two people familiar with the workings of the NRA, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss membership numbers, said that since the shooting the NRA has also seen more people than usual join, renew memberships or donate money as President Donald Trump and other Republican Party leaders have signaled an openness to gun control policies that are anathema to the powerful group. A spokesperson for the NRA, which says on its website that it has more than five million members, didnt respond to requests for comment.

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Activists hold up signs at the Florida State Capitol as they rally for gun reform legislation in Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 26, 2018.

As soon as anti-gun attacks started coming in on Twitter, Facebook, and in the media, we began to hear from people who didnt even own guns who wanted to join up or contribute out of solidarity in defense of the Second Amendment to the Constitution, said Patrick Parsons, who heads the Georgia Gun Owners, an independent gun rights organization in Georgia. Parsons said the groups membership, which he estimated at 13,000, had increased by 1,000 over the past two weeks, and that he had been working around the clock taking calls, answering emails from interested people, sending out new member packets.

Dudley Brown, the president of the National Association for Gun Rights, estimated his organization  which claims more than 4.5 million members and supporters on its website  estimated online membership applications at his organization could have grown by 30% over the last week, a number he expected to rise after Trump this week called for comprehensive gun reform legislation, including raising the age limit for buying certain weapons to 21. The Connecticut Citizens Defense League, which has a membership of almost 29,000 people, said it typically gets 15 or 20 applications a week, but received almost 200 in the last week. Gun Owners of America, which says it has 1.5 million members, amassed hundreds of new members in the last week, according to an official at the organization familiar with membership numbers who spoke on condition of anonymity. The organization said it has seen its membership grow by thousands since the Las Vegas shooting last October. Don Turner, the President of the Nevada Firearms Coalition and NRA member, estimated membership renewals and requests had increased by 20 percent at his organization since Parkland, although this is an increase he said he did not witness after the shooting in Las Vegas.

Gun owners themselves werent being demonized [after Las Vegas] Turner explained. But after the Florida shooting, there was a definite push to demonize honest gun owners and to demonize the NRA. And I think thats whats provoked their response.

A model walks the runway during the NRA Concealed Carry Fashion Show in Milwaukee, on Aug. 25, 2017.

Read More: With Gun Sales Down, the NRA Told Republicans Its OK to Talk About Gun Control

After the deadly 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when the gun control debate also reached a fever pitch, the NRA said it had gained 100,000 members in 18 days; NRA executive Wayne LaPierre announced that May that the organizations membership had reached 5 million, although that claim is impossible to independently verify since membership rolls and figures are not publicly released. NRA tax filings from 2013, published by ProPublica, show that in 2013, overall revenue increased by more than 35% from the previous year, with a nearly $10 million increase in contributions. Revenue from membership growth from 2012 to 2013 increased by nearly $70 million, and the percentage of membership dues contributing to total revenue growth increased from 42 percent to 50 percent, the tax filings show.

Experts who closely watch gun rights groups said that while the NRA has remained silent about its membership numbers after the latest shooting, the rise in membership of other groups demonstrates the grassroots mobilizing power that is key to the NRAs influence. Its not just a gun lobby, its much bigger than that, said Scott Melzer, a sociology professor at Albion Colege who has spent almost a decade researching the NRA and is the author of Gun Crusaders: The NRAs Culture War. It relies on the support of a very large and activist membership base, and that base and that movement is connected to the broader conservative movement.

Gun rights activists said the membership increase is also fueled by a feeling that public rebukes such as corporations ending partnerships with the NRA are simply publicity stunts. There is no one. NO ONE. Who joins the NRA for a discount on a rental car, Cleta Mitchell, an NRA member and former Oklahoma state lawmaker who sat on the NRAs board from 2002 to 2013, said in an email. She was referring to Hertz ending its discount program for NRA members.

A general view of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as staff and teachers prepare for the return of students in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 27, 2018.

You can rest assured that the NRA will not lose a single member as a result of this, Mitchell said. If anything, it should spur people to join the NRA as a means of demonstrating that we who believe in the Second Amendment will not be bullied by these left wing multi-billion dollar corporations.

Read More: Inside the Republican Partys New Direction on Gun Restrictions

But as Cotton, the NRA board member, noted on the Internet forum, the spike in membership reported by these gun rights groups are are coming at the same time that some gun-control proponents are hoping the Florida shooting and the high-profile activism of the student survivors may finally push Congress to act. The gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety said it has fielded inquiries from over 125,000 volunteers since the shooting, and received over $1.5 million in unsolicited donations in the immediate aftermath. And a new poll shows support for gun control in the country has reached its highest level in 25 years. So while these gun rights groups may be gaining members, its ultimately unclear if that will make a difference.

The gun lobby is very good at marketing themselves and guns in the wake of mass shootings, said Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action. They specialize in exploiting shooting tragedies. No, Im not surprised [about memberships increasing] but at the end of the day it doesnt really matter, because the vast majority of Americans support stronger gun laws and gun safety.By David Minsky

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Reuters) - Nine students from the University of California, Santa Barbara suffered an apparent mass overdose of prescription opioids at a party and were taken to a local hospital, police said on Friday.

The incident began when sheriffs deputies and paramedics responding to an emergency call found a young man unconscious in the back seat of a car at about 10 p.m. Thursday night, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Other students at the gathering told deputies that the victim, who was rushed to a local hospital, had ingested alcohol along with unknown amount of the pain reliever Oxycontin, the sheriff's department said.

Deputies on the scene discovered a second male who had stopped breathing and exhibited signs of an overdose. They revived him with a nasal spray dose of naloxone, a drug used to temporarily block the effects of opioid narcotics, before transporting him to the hospital as well, the Sheriff's Office said.

Seven more students, all of whom had taken a blue pill, were ultimately found exhibiting symptoms of an overdose at the residence, according to the Sheriff's Office, and were taken to the hospital.

Eight of the students have been released from the hospital. The remaining student was expected to be released later on Friday, the sheriff's department said.

A university spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19,410 people died from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in 2016. Experts say that mass overdoses in one location are extremely rare.

(Reporting by Dave Minsky in San Luis Obispo, California,; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Leslie Adler)Sebastien Roblin

Security, Europe

It can get around U.S. missile defenses.

We Now Know Why Russia Wants a 100-Megaton Nuclear Torpedo

In a speech on March 1, 2018, Russian president Vladimir Putin detailed a half-dozen invincible new Russian weapons under development, which he assured would give his nation the ability to launch unstoppable nuclear attacks on the United States. The speech, which was met with cheers by the audience, was accompanied by a video presentation that included an animation of a separating nuclear warheads raining down on Florida, apparently in the vicinity of President Trumps retreat in Mar-a-Lago.

The bellicose rhetoric is surely intended to rally political support for Putins reelection on March 18, as well a reflection of Moscows own insecurity, stemming from fears that new U.S. ballistic-missile defenses may eventually render Russias nuclear deterrence ineffective. Putin pointedly highlighted new systems that would circumvent BMD capabilities such as long-range cruise missiles and a hypersonic glide vehicle.

Perhaps the most novel of the weapons Putin described was an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle codenamed Status Six or Kanyonbasically a long-range nuclear-armed drone torpedo that does not rely on remote guidance. Development on the weapon predates the fall of the Soviet Union. For years there had been some debate as to whether there was real substance to the program, but the emerging consensus is that the new nuclear torpedo is quite real.

In September 2015, the Pentagon included the Status Six in its nuclear posture review. Just two months later, Russian media accidentally leaked an image detailing the weapons performance, and a prototype weapon was reportedly tested in December 2016.

Putins speech largely spelled out capabilities for the torpedo in line with what had previously been claimed. Supposedly the Kanyon carries an enormous one-hundred-megaton nuclear warhead which could be launched at a coastal city (think New York or Los Angeles) or a fleet at sea. The resulting underwater detonation could create an apocalyptic five-hundred-meter-high tsunami wave of irradiated water that would contaminate anything it fails to smash into oblivion.

Story continues

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The huge torpedoes would be mounted on older Oscar-class or newer Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. However, the subs wouldnt have to get very close to hostile shores if the claimed range of 6,200 miles is accurate.

The Status Six would supposedly be capable of diving as deep as one thousand meters under the sea, and tearing through the water at fifty-six knots. For comparison, few military submarines are designed to dive deeper than five hundred meters. Furthermore, current U.S. Navy Mark 48 torpedoes have a speed of fifty-five knots, making interception unlikely. NATO lacks antisubmarine weapons designed to intercept a target so fast and deep.

Putin also claimed that the Status Six would be highly stealthy and undetectable. However, according to a submarine officer interviewed by Dave Majumdar, a torpedo heavy enough to carry a hundred-megaton warhead would likely be quite noisy. Thus, the Kanyon seems more likely to be very difficult to hit rather than impossible to detect.

The Cold War Nuke That Almost Blew Up the Caribbean

Russias renewed interest in nuclear torpedoes represents a full circle of sorts. When the Soviet Union developed its first nuclear warheads, its longest-range delivery system was the Tu-4, a reverse-engineered B-29 bomber. But the Tu-4 could not fly far enough to hit most of the continental United States. Instead, Moscow considered using submarines to attack coastal cities and naval bases with a nuclear torpedo. The concept resulted in the huge T-15, which measured 1,550 millimeters in diameter (nearly three times the diameter of a standard heavyweight torpedo) and weighed forty tons. But the Russian Navy never liked the concept, and the designs flaws meant that it was not operationally deployed.

Instead, the Soviet Navy developed the standard-sized 533-millimeter T-5 nuclear torpedo for use against naval targets. Instead of directly hitting enemy warships, the idea was for the nuclear blast to capsize and irradiate two or three enemy vessels in one fell swoopor knock out a lone enemy submarine underwater without having to ascertain its exact location. You can see a recording of a Soviet nuclear torpedo test here for an idea of what it would look like.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the captain of the Soviet submarine B-59 actually ordered the firing of a T-5 at U.S. shipsonly to be countermanded by his onboard superior officer, the storied Vasili Arkhipov. Thus, the little-known nuclear torpedo almost triggered an apocalyptic conflict without even giving Khrushchev or Kennedy a chance to intervene.

The United States developed its own nuclear antiship torpedo, the wire-guided Mark 45 ASTOR, but eventually phased out the weapon in favor of more effective conventional torpedoes.

Russias Submarine Doomsday Weapon

The Kanyon project is descended from the earlier T-15. But what exactly is the purpose of the intercontinental submarine torpedo, when Russia already has hundreds of nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)?

Yes, the United States Ground-based Midcourse Defense system may be capable of defending against a limited attack by less sophisticated ICBMsbut it surely cannot protect against Russias vast arsenal of more sophisticated weapons that deploy decoys, engage in evasive maneuvers and separate into multiple-reentry vehicles (MIRVs).

However, Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military and researcher at CNA corporation, argues thats not looking far enough ahead. Missile defense may intercept a large percentage of a second [retaliatory] strike arsenal, not today, but 2030 years from now. Countries dont think about today, they think about where technology is going based on investment and development. The US is pouring billions into missile defense. [Adversaries] are thinking about the credibility of their deterrent much further down the line.

The T-15 was conceived as a first-strike weapon designed to secure victory in a nuclear war. In Kofmans view, Status 6 has a fundamentally different purpose: it is a third-strike weapon, designed to inflict unacceptable damage even in the event that an American first strike degrades Russias ability to retaliate with ICBMs.

In other words, even if the United States could mitigate Russias missiles through a combination of preemptive attack and ballistic-missile defenses to absorb whatever survives, its drone nuclear torpedoes could still wipe out large coastal cities, even if only a few days after the missile barrage.

Some analysts have noted that it would be difficult for Russia to reliably maintain remote control a drone submarine designed for such long-distance missions, particularly at its reported maximum diving depth. What if Russia decided to call off the nuclear torpedo strike, or wished to use them as a sort of ticking time bomb to influence negotiations? This article by defense writer Robert Farley reviews some of the limitations imposed by using an AUV in a strategic role, as does the earlier piece by Dave Majumdar.

However, Kofman argues that remote control is not the point of a strategic weapon like the Status 6, and that the technology behind it need not be particularly exotic.

This is not an adjustable counterforce weapon, and as Putin advertised, it is meant to be very deep diving, which tells you that nobody will be talking to it once it is launched. However, hitting fixed targets the size of cities is about the simplest thing to do these days. Los Angeles doesnt move very much. The only issue to work out for such a weapon is navigation, and waypoints, but that doesnt strike me as a particularly difficult.

Some analysts still hold that the Status Six may instead be intended as an antiship weaponindeed, the video presentation by Putin showed the torpedo wiping out a U.S. carrier task force, before switching to animation depicting an attack on a metropolisor that it even may be a multipurpose platform with applications in underwater reconnaissance missions. However, the prominence which the weapon system has been showcased in Russian media leave little doubt that Moscow intends for the Status Six to be noted abroad, so as to enhance Russias deterrence.

The United States may attempt to develop new torpedoes and improved undersea surveillance technology in an attempt to develop an undersea counterpart to its ballistic-missile defenses. However, as has proven the case with ballistic-missile defense, it is generally cheaper and easier to ramp up the capabilities of offensive weapons than to develop defenses to counter them.

Therefore, the Status Six project may simply represent the latest layer to the long-standing reality that any nuclear exchange would impose unacceptable costs on both participants, regardless of whether there is a victor or not. However, there is already alarming evidence that national leaders might overestimate or misunderstand defensive capabilities, whether or not those defenses could reliably defend against a city-destroying attack.

Indeed, Moscows fascination with new nuclear-weapons systems appear to stem from its fears that without a reliable nuclear second-strike capability, it will be not listened to, to quote Putins words.

I suspect that they are worried what a combination of non-kinetic and kinetic means could do to their nuclear deterrent, Kofman wrote me, and they perhaps lack confidence that it is sufficient. Ultimately, powers struggle to know how much is enough.

Sebastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Read full articleThe top lobbyist for the National Rifle Association hinted late Thursday that President Donald Trump had cooled on his own plans to support gun control measures.

Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRAs lobbying arm, said on Twitter he had a great meeting with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday and reaffirmed neither want gun control.

We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people, Cox said after the meeting. POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and dont want gun control.

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The president himself followed up the note with a tweet saying he had a Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office with the group.

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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Friday that Trump promised the NRA he would continue to support the Second Amendment but that the background check system is something that hes still very much interested in improving.

Sanders didnt clarify what specific gun policies the president would support but said that conceptually, he still supports raising the age to 21 [for being able to purchase firearms]. But he also knows theres not a lot of broad support for that.

The move may signal that Trump has already taken an abrupt about-face from his own proposals to widely expand gun control legislation, including the adoption of more stringent background checks on some weapon purchases and the restriction of firearm purchase for some young people. The president first announced those plans in a surprising meeting with a group of lawmakers on Wednesday, which included his suggestion that law enforcement be able to seize guns from the mentally ill without first going to court.

I like taking the guns early, the president said. Take the guns first, go through due process second.

He also accused Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) of being afraid of the NRA.

Trumps proposals were a vast departure from the stance taken by the NRA, which has long opposed any legislation meant to rein in access to firearms. Democrats, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, appeared delighted at the presidents suggestions.

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You saw the president clearly saying not once, not twice, not three times, but like 10 times, that he wanted to see a strong universal background check bill, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said after the meeting, according to The New York Times. He didnt mince words about it. So I do not understand how then he could back away from that.

Its unclear how Trump now feels about such proposals after his meeting with the NRA. HuffPost has reached out to the White House for comment.

This story has been updated to include comments from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.An expose in a Vatican magazine Thursday revealed the plight of many nuns exploited as cheap labor and denounced the practice by the Catholic Church.

"Some of them serve in the homes of bishops or cardinals, others work in the kitchens of church institutions or teach," the article reads, according to the Associated Press. "Some of them, serving the men of the church, get up in the morning to make breakfast, and go to sleep after dinner is served, the house cleaned and the laundry washed and ironed."

The magazine, Women Church World, is a monthly supplement of the Vaticans daily newspaper LOsservatore Romano. The article relied on the accounts of anonymous nuns who described working essentially as unpaid or underpaid servants to the men of the church.

Trending: Vladimir Putin's Video of 'Invincible' New Nuclear Missile Used 10-Year-Old Footage

Catholic nuns are part of different religious orders and typically take vows in service of religion that often include poverty and celibacy.

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Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/GETTY

In the eyes of Jesus we are all children of God, but in their concrete life some nuns do not live this, and they experience great confusion and discomfort, said one nun described as Sister Marie, according to The New York Times.

Don't miss: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Update 1.3: Game Plus Mode and Blade System Changes

Sister Marie lamented that [nuns] are rarely invited to sit at the table they serve.

The article, The (Nearly) Free Work of Sisters, describes how in addition to often having to serve male members of the church, womens work is undervalued in general.

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The entire March issue of the magazine is dedicated to women and work. The magazines editor Lucetta Scaraffia, has long been an opponent of what she has called misogyny in the church.

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Thomas Coex/AFP/GETTY

Until now, no one has had the courage to denounce these things, Scaraffia, told the Associated Press. "We try to give a voice to those who don't have the courage to say these words.

Pope Francis, who is seen as one of the Churchs most progressive leaders, has spoken out about the plight of women. In a 2016 address, he said nuns should be working in service to the church, not servitude.

Let these ... sisters go to the schools, into the neighborhoods, with the sick, with the poor. This is the criterion: a work that involves service and not servitude, said the Pope.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekShortly before the release of Darkest Hour, Joe Wrights acclaimed film about Winston Churchill, a private screening was held for members of Churchills family. Among those who attended was Nicholas Soames, Churchills grandson, who knew his grandfather when he was an old man.

He reserved particular praise for the commanding performance of actor Gary Oldman, who plays Britains wartime prime minister and is a favorite to win an Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday night.

There have been brilliant Churchill actors before, Soames told the Express after the screening, like Robert Hardy, and there have been some absolute snorkers  but I think Gary Oldman has absolutely nailed it. They each have their own way of doing it, but his portrayal of my grandfather is very vivid. One of the very best.

Darkest Hour is a heady cocktail of history and drama, casting the real-life Churchill in the mold of a Shakespearean protagonist  a whisky-fuelled belligerent whose strengths are equally matched by flaws. At times arrogant, at times petulant, he is also witty and occasional even endearing.

But was he like this in real life?

The answer reveals a great deal about both Churchills character and outlook. Britains wartime prime minister was a complex mesh of a man  a result, perhaps, of his unorthodox upbringing. Grandson of a duke, born in Blenheim Palace and educated at the elite Harrow School, he was an archetypal late-Victorian aristocrat. Yet he was an aristocrat with a twist. His mother, Lady Randolph (nee Jenny Jerome), was an American-born socialite  an eccentric, thrice-married political activist who wrote plays for Londons West End theatres. Thanks to her parenting, Churchill knew how to play to many different audiences.

The same could be said of Darkest Hour, which owes much of it strength to a fine script by the Academy-Award nominated writer Anthony McCarten. The narrative roars us through the first week of May 1940, with Churchill bullying his ministers into rejecting any negotiation with Hitler.

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McCartens self-professed devotion to research and historical fact is admirable. Much of the film could indeed have come straight from the archives. Churchill certainly did bully and cajole his fellow parliamentarians into adopting his fighting spirit, and Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, did indeed want to keep open the channels of negotiation with Hitler.

And we can perhaps forgive the movie for eschewing historical accuracy in favor of dramatic tension on certain occasions, such as when Churchills predecessor as Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, is wrongly portrayed as an appeasing pacifist whose views are unchanged since he concluded his infamous Munich Agreement with Hitler. But when a more grievous historical fault occurs in one of the most striking moments in the film, when Churchill leaps from his chauffeur-driven car and descends into the London Underground, its worth paying attention. Churchill does so, suggests McCarten, because he is keen to hear the wartime opinions  and seek the advice  of ordinary Londoners. The problem is not that this exact moment is fictionalized, as such set pieces are to be expected in a film, but rather the incorrect conclusions it might lead one to draw about the real man at the center of the movie.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

Its a memorable piece of drama, with Churchill chatting convivially to everyday folk on the underground train before launching into a stirring recital of the Lays of Ancient Rome by Victorian essayist Thomas Macaulay. This, in itself, is highly implausible, but McCarten nudges it further into the realms of fiction by having a young black Londoner step forward and finish Churchills recitation with flawless perfection.

It is most unlikely that any of the working class people on that underground train would have had access to the same privileged education as Churchill, and therefore be in a position to quote Macauley by rote, but that is not why Nicholas Soames picked this moment as the only scene in the film that struck a duff note. The idea of my grandfather on the Underground is absolutely preposterous, he said. Hed never been on a bus in his life. He much preferred the comforts of a 1936 Rolls Royce Phantom III, driven by a starch-collared Whitehall chauffeur.

Equally preposterous is the idea of Churchill canvassing Londoners on their views about British foreign policy toward Hitler. McCarten insists that this is the kind of thing he did right through the war.

Such meetings were not recorded in his meticulous desk diary, and Id wager a box of Romeo y Julieta that he never did such a thing  ever. Churchill certainly kept his finger on the political pulse, as does every successful politician, but he did not consult with the traveling public about their views on Hitler, and certainly not in the spring of 1940. By the time he was installed as Prime Minister on May 10 of that year, he saw himself as the self-assured maestro of an orchestra that was there to do his bidding.

We know this because he said as much in an oft-quoted passage from his memoirs: At last I had the opportunity to give directions to the whole scene. I felt as if I was walking with destiny and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.

It is an inconvenient truth that Britains greatest prime minister had neither the need, nor desire, to formulate policy based on the views of working class commuters traveling on the London subway. However, much we might like to view Winston Churchill as a man of the people, he was no such thing. This uncomfortable fact is a reminder that life is often more complex than Hollywood would have us believe.

Giles Milton is the host of the Unknown History podcast. His books include the bestselling Nathaniels Nutmeg and, most recently, Churchills Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. He lives in London.UPDATE: March 2  Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has issued an apology for his comments regarding Obamacare supporters. The tweet appears below.

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PREVIOUSLY:

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is apparently sick of people who support affordable health care.

On Thursday, the Republican politician called supporters of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, the stupidest, dumbass people Ive ever met, according to Salt Lake City station KSTU.

Hatch made the comments during a speech about the recent GOP tax overhaul that repealed the health care laws individual mandate, according to The Hill.

The insult came after Hatch referred to that wonderful bill called Obamacare.

Now, if you didnt catch on, I was being very sarcastic, he said.

Hatch then called the Affordable Care Act the stupidest, dumbass bill that Ive ever seen.

He added:

Now, some of you may have loved it. If you do, you are one of the stupidest, dumbass people Ive ever met. This was one of them  and there are a lot of em up on Capitol Hill from time to time.

Hatchs comments came the same day the Kaiser Family Foundation released a poll saying the Affordable Care Act was popular with 54 percent of the population.

Thats the highest level of support since the law was enacted in 2010, according to The Hill.

Hatch spokesman Matt Whitlock tried to put a Band-Aid on the senators Obamacare insults.

The comments were obviously made in jest, but whats not a joke is the harm Obamacare has caused for countless Utahns, Whitlock told KSTU.

In January, the 83-year-old Hatch announced he would retire from the Senate at the end of 2018. He has served in the office since 1977.

You can watch Hatchs comments below:

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's ruling party gained control of parliament's upper house in a secret ballot on Saturday, local media said, in a boost for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party ahead of a general election due in summer. The result may revive the political fortunes of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has clashed with the judiciary since the Supreme Court ended his premiership in July by disqualifying him from office over undeclared assets. "PMLN now the single largest party in Senate as well, Masha'Allah," tweeted Sharif's daughter and presumed heir, Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Candidates backed by PML-N won 15 of the 52 seats up for grabs, overtaking Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as the biggest group in the upper house, according to Geo TV channel and other media. PPP candidates won 12 seats. Working with allied parties in the senate, PML-N should have de facto control of the 104-seat chamber. Lawmakers from the four provincial assemblies and the federal parliament voted in secret on the new senators, who are due to serve six-year terms. Unlike the last senate elections in 2015, lawmakers were not even allowed to take their phones into the assemblies during the vote. Winning control of the Senate could enable the PML-N to change the constitution to make Sharif eligible to hold office again when the party contests a national election due later this year. PML-N has not spoken about amending the constitution, but it has been on a collision course with the judiciary since the Supreme Court ousted Sharif from power. Last month the top court again disqualified Sharif by removing him as head of PML-N, the political party he founded. Sharif has been deeply critical of the judiciary, accusing it of a conspiracy to hurt his party and Pakistan's civilian leaders. Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who won a seat in capital Islamabad, told media that the senate victory vindicates Sharif's political "narrative" with voters. The official results will not immediately show how well PML-N has done because a number of candidates were barred from running under the party's banner after Sharif was removed from office. Those candidates, who will be running as "independents", are expected to pledge their allegiance to PML-N if they are elected to the senate, PML-N party officials say. Under Pakistan's constitution a bill cannot become law unless it is passed by both upper and lower houses of parliament. (Reporting by Drazen Jorgic and Syed Raza Hassan; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Hugh Lawson)Paul Teutel Sr. Slapped with Fraud Lawsuit

Paul Sr.'s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad decade continues

With reality TV star Paul Teutul already scheduled to appear in court later this month due to the foreclosure of his multi-million dollar New York State home, the last thing he needed was another lawsuit. Unfortunately for Paul Sr. that's exactly what happened. According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Teutuls business partner and investor Thomas Derbyshire has accused Teutul of sabotaging a 2015 American Chopper reboot project, allegedly squandering the $3M Derbyshire had invested in the show on personal expenses.

Back in 2015, Derbyshire and Teutul had reached an agreement on a 49/51-percent partnership (with Derbyshire getting the 51-percent) to work on a show called Orange Country Choppers: American Made for the A and E network. Not long after the initial agreement, Derbyshire alleges that Teutul tried to go back on the contract and change it to a split 50/50 deal.

Additional claims become a little more amusing as they consist of allegations such as Teutul at one point held up production for an entire week because he opted to go on a last minute fishing trip at his upstate New York property. Derbyshire also says Teutul outright refused to work with Hells Angeland weirdly enough Sons of Anarchy actorRusty Coones, despite Teutul previously agreeing to do so in his contract. Teutul also supposedly used part of the money to pay his son Michael's salary, something that was obviously not in the contract with Derbyshire.

The End: American Chopper Canceled

Being the businessman he is, Teutul also managed to arrange a myriad of side contracts - none of which Derbyshire was made privy to. One was with a dog food company that agreed to donate product to Teutul's girlfriends animal rescue project in exchange for getting its logo on screen. Another side deal he made was for a free car-lift from a company in exchange for mentioning said company and showing one of its lifts.

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IMG_7307

Paul Teutul was quick to deny any wrongdoing whatsoever via his own court filings. Teutuls rep Paris DJon, from the very reputable sounding HYPE Projects Agency, told Page Six, As we have previously stated as far back as April 10th of 2017, unfortunately, Mr. Derbyshires interpretation of said events is without merit and with the timing of Orange County Choppers much anticipated return to television tomorrow night the timing is very suspect of once again untrue allegations.

The case is still ongoing, but things arent looking great for Paul Sr. right now.

Source: Page Six

Photo: Frank SchwichtenbergDemocrats rejoiced last month when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court redrew the states congressional districts, ruling that the GOP had gerrymandered the map unconstitutionally. The courts move made Democrats competitive in several more districts than they would have been under the Republican plan.

But it also transformed Pennsylvanias 16th Congressional District from one where Democrats had a shot at winning to one that looks like it will stay solidly red. Democrat Christina Hartman, an establishment favorite running there, announced Wednesday that she would be withdrawing from that race and running in the adjacent 10th District instead.

Her move potentially sets up a fight between Hartman, a well-funded candidate with big endorsements, and several candidates who put in months of grunt work before the 10th District race became competitive enough to attract national attention.

One of the contenders is Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson, a 26-year-old African-American woman and former congressional aide who served in President Barack Obamas administration as a budget adviser. Corbin-Johnson, a staunch progressive who has campaigned in relative obscurity for six months, has little campaign cash and few national endorsements to show for her efforts. But she has attracted a devoted cadre of grassroots volunteers.

Her being a minority female has really inspired a lot of strong women, said Torry Tyler-Bragg, a community activist of Native American descent who is based in York, Pennsylvania.

Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson speaks at a local Women's March on Jan. 22, 2018. (Photo: Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson)

Before Hartman announced her decision this week, she called Corbin-Johnson.

The call rubbed Corbin-Johnson and her campaign the wrong way, illustrating a growing rift in Democratic primaries. On several occasions in this election cycle, local activists and the candidates they support have bristled at the machinations of well-funded candidates and their establishment backers.

In the call, Hartman noted that it would take enormous resources to unseat the incumbent, Rep. Scott Perry (R). She then assured Corbin-Johnson, who has struggled to raise funds, that she would be welcome on her team if Hartman wins the nomination.

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Corbin-Johnson and her team interpreted Hartmans call as, essentially, a proposal to Corbin-Johnson that if she dropped out, she could get a job on Hartmans campaign.

Corbin-Johnson, who was born in York and raised there by foster parents, took umbrage at the notion that an outsider could swoop into the race and presume to have it locked up by virtue of her financial resources.

Hartman wants a clean shot at the primary, and was hoping that she could patronize her way to victory, said Ezra Kane-Salafia, a spokesman for Corbin-Johnsons campaign.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has not endorsed Hartman, but her previous bid in the Lancaster-area district had the backing of virtually every prominent Pennsylvania Democrat, including former Gov. Ed Rendell. Hartman won those high-profile endorsements despite underperforming Hillary Clinton in the district in 2016 with similarly robust backing and financial resources.

For Collective PAC, a group that supports black political candidates, Hartmans alleged conduct illustrates a tendency of Democratic leaders to resist diverse candidates based on outdated notions of general-election viability. The PAC has already taken the DCCC to task for thus far failing to endorse any black House candidates as part of its Red to Blue program targeting GOP-held districts.

There are systemic and institutional challenges women of color face when running for Congress, and right now the Democratic establishment is not committed to addressing this inequity, said Quentin James, a spokesman for Collective PAC.

The primary in Pennsylvanias 10th is not the only contest where friction between establishment and insurgent Democrats has overlapped with a perception of insensitivity toward black candidates.

The Washington Post reported Friday that the DCCC met with local Democratic Party officials in Pennsylvania about encouraging progressive candidates to drop out of a race in an Allentown district that new borders have made more attainable for Democrats. One of those candidates, Greg Edwards, a progressive black pastor, told the Post he felt unfairly singled out for removal as the contests only candidate of color. The DCCC told the Post it had similar conversations about several candidates in Pennsylvania besides Edwards.

Hartman, for her part, says her call wasnt meant to convey to Corbin-Johnson that she should leave the race.

Christina meant to relay that should she become the nominee, she would work to earn Shavonnias support, said Hartman campaign spokesman Mike Wilson. Should Shavonnia become the nominee, Christina would work her heart out to ensure Shavonnia goes to Congress. Thats all.

Hartman also says she made the call because she wanted to express gratitude to Corbin-Johnson for sharing voter data after the state Supreme Court ruling moved some of her voters into what was then Hartmans district.

To Corbin-Johnson and her staff, though, Hartmans appreciation doesnt mitigate what Corbin-Johnson sees as the insulting nature of the call. For example, Hartman did not wish Corbin-Johnson luck or otherwise imply that the contest remains competitive, according to Kane-Salafia.

When a new candidate from outside the district contacts Shavonnia on the day that she announces insinuating that Christina is the presumptive winner or that Shavonnia should end her months-long campaign to join team Hartman, it is difficult to see how that is anything but directly disrespectful, Kane-Salafia said.

While Hartman is not legally required to move to the 10th District in order to run there, her campaign said she plans to settle on a new home there in the coming days. Hartman has touted her support for womens reproductive rights, immigrant rights and environmental stewardship, as well as improvements to the Affordable Care Act.

Corbin-Johnson is likely the most left-leaning candidate in the race, campaigning on adopting a compassionate, public health-based approach to the regions opiate epidemic, enacting Medicare-for-all and combating income inequality.

George Scott, a former U.S. Army officer, is running on a more moderate platform. And Alan Howe, a retired career Air Force officer, promises to fight to end the war on drugs, which he regards as a hopeless failure.

On Wednesday, public health scientist Eric Ding also announced his entry in the race.

With the addition of previously excluded parts of Harrisburg, as well as Hershey and Carlisle, Pennsylvanias 10th District is more favorable terrain for a Democrat than its predecessor, Pennsylvanias 4th.

But it remains an uphill battle for the party, particularly against Perry, the three-term GOP incumbent. Donald Trump won in the old 4th District by 21 percentage points, but he would have won in the new 10th by 9 points, according to a New York Times analysis. And the districts partisan voter index went from R+11 to R+6, according to the Cook Political Report, which compiles the figure to show how a district voted in the presidential election compared to the country as a whole.

This article has been updated with information about Edwards and the DCCC.

Also on HuffPost

Conor Lamb Nomination

Conor Lamb reacts to winning the Democratic nomination for the 18th District seat inside Washington High School gymnasium, where the nomination convention was being held in Washington, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 19.

Saccone Greets Trump

Rick Saccone, the Republican candidate in the special election for Pennsylvania's 18th District, greets President Donald Trump upon arrival at Pittsburgh International Airport on Jan. 18. Trump held a rally in support of the GOP tax cut legislation that doubled as a campaign event for Saccone.

Tim Murphy

The special election was prompted by the sudden resignation of Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.). Murphy, who opposes abortion rights, was caught telling a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair to get an abortion.

Pennsylvania's 18th District is geographically diverse. It includes affluent suburbs south of Pittsburgh like Mt. Lebanon, pictured here, as well as rural areas and old mill towns.

Pennsylvania's 18th District also includes rural areas like this stretch of road between Houston and Burgettstown.

Ted Skowvron, a 93-year-old World War II veteran and retired union crane operator, is angry about President Donald Trump. At an event for Democrat Conor Lamb at the American Legion post in Houston, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 13, Skowvron braved the snow and below-freezing temperatures to encourage Lamb to take on the president.



"I just wanted to let you know: Get in there and get him out. Cuss if you don't do it. I'm coming down myself," Skowvron said. "The way Trump talks to people, the way he's treating the world ... He's ruining the country," Skowvron added.

Alex Nakoneczny, 67, a retired coal miner, and Greg McIlheny, 67, owner of Shelley's Pike Inn Diner, are staunch Democrats who planned to vote for Conor Lamb in the special election without knowing much about him. They both supported Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary and believe he would have defeated Trump in the general election, though they were happy to vote for Hillary Clinton.



Trump performed well in the area because young people supported him, according to Nakoneczny. "They're tired of all these promises," he said. "Everybody's promising 'em, nobody's ever doing nothing."



Nakoneczny continued: "As much as Trump sucks, he's telling you, 'I'm putting yinz first. I'm doing what you wanna do.' But he's not doing it the right way, ya know what I mean?"

Tina Dhanse, 48, a supervisor at the local Salvation Army, was not sure how she planned to vote in the special election. Her partner, Don Snedeker, 49, a truck driver, leans conservative, but never votes because he believes it could lead the government to sign him up for jury duty, which would cause him to miss work. Dhanse voted for Donald Trump in November 2016 because he was new to politics.



"I'm like, 'You know what: Let somebody in who's been in business that seems to know what he's doing because he's not broke," she recalled. But Dhanse has heard that the GOP tax legislation is "not gonna really do much for the middle class."



"The people that make a million dollars, they should be able to give a little more to make businesses give raises. People can't live on $7.25 an hour," Dhanse added. "And the minimum wage hasn't changed for how long? Thirteen years or something like that."

Wes Donahoe, 29, is a medical equipment repair specialist in Jeannette, Pennsylvania. He voted for Libertarian Gary Johnson in the 2016 election and didn't know enough about the special election candidates to decide how he would vote. But he is pretty satisfied with President Donald Trump, including the tax cut bill, which he believes will help him and most people in the middle class.



At the same time, Donahoe said the corporate tax cuts will probably not prompt companies to create new jobs. "Just because a company is getting more tax breaks doesn't mean that there's more demand for [their] production or service or anything," he said.

Robert Lintz (left) wishes he could retire, but the 74-year-old does not have a pension or a 401k, so he puts up billboards when the weather is warm enough. He lives on a $1,500 Social Security benefit and another $300 to $400 from the billboard work in warmer months. "I'd just like to be able to afford stuff," he said.



Lintz, a lifelong Democrat, voted for Barack Obama but left the top of the ballot blank in 2016. He said he would have rather voted for Mickey Mouse than either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. "I don't think there is a party for working people any more," he said. "They're all the same. Call it Republicats and it would be right now."



Hearing Lintz opine at the McDonald's in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, Don Dowler, 72, walked over. Dowler, a retired union member, voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and is inclined to vote Republican in the special election. But if Dowler heard the Republican candidate is anti-labor, he said, "That might affect me, yeah. It depends which way he goes."

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Mandres-en-Barrois (France) (AFP) - Police used tear gas during clashes with anti-nuclear protesters at a waste site in northeastern France on Saturday.

Demonstrators threw missiles at officers who have been blocking access to woodland at the Bure plant, halfway between Paris and Strasbourg, since a protest camp was dismantled 10 days ago.

Lejuc wood was selected by France's radioactive waste agency (ANDRA) for exploratory drilling ahead of an application to create a nuclear waste storage site.

Police evacuated the forest of about 15 protesters during a major operation on February 22 during.

Saturday's rally began calmly with a march of about 300 people, according to police, as demonstrators held meetings and debates.

But during the afternoon a group of protesters, many wearing masks, headed for Lejuc wood, where scuffles broke out with police.

Bure was chosen in 1998 to house a laboratory, 500 meters underground, in preparation for the burial of the most radioactive or long-lasting nuclear waste in France. As yet, no radioactive waste is on the site.Photo: Instagram/woahvicki

Victoria Waldrip, also known by her 1.4 million Instagram followers as Woah Vicky, was arrested Saturday after an altercation with security at a mall in North Carolina.

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The controversial 17-year-old recently gained internet fame for claiming that she is black. In a YouTube video posted in August, Waldrip tells her followers that she took an Ancestry.com test that she says revealed she is 25 percent black.

My whole entire life, my mom kept telling me, Youre white, youre white, and I never believed her because I knew I was black, she said in the video. This whole time I knew it, I knew I was a black girl. So I just consider that to be my birthday because its just a very exciting holiday for me.

After her discovery, the Atlanta native began posting videos and photos including the N-word.

The police report lists her as white. It also indicates that Waldrip kicked an officer, according to Action News Jax.

The teen was charged with trespassing, assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and delaying or obstructing an officer. The incident caused mass panic among the mall-goers, giving rise to several reports of an active shooter in the area.

Waldrip shared her account of the altercation with police and her arrest on her social media.

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A person can be heard repeatedly yelling at police, What is wrong with you?

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In one Instagram post, she is seen showing off the words Zone 6, which is the police patrol zone that includes much of Atlantas east side and many of citys street gangs, that she had written on the inside of her bottom lip, Action News Jax reports.

Waldrip posted another video after she was released on bond. She looks excited while reuniting with her uncle, who is black. The bond was set at $500.

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They cant hold me forever! They racist! Black lives matter! Waldrip yells in the video.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.



Rapper Rick Ross has been hooked up to a machine that is taking over the function of his heart and lungs, TMZ is reporting.

Ross was hospitalized early Thursday morning after he was found unresponsive in his Florida home by police and emergency teams, according to Billboard.

An ambulance took the 42-year-old Florida native to a hospital, where he was treated for respiratory issues.

Officials told the Blast they considered the call serious because Ross has a history of seizures, and a 911 caller said that Ross was just nodding his head.

TMZ is reporting that Ross is being treated in the hospitals cardiac unit.

Doctors are reportedly treating him with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a form of life support in which blood is oxygenated outside of the body before its pumped back into it.

Rick Ross at the Grammy Awards on Jan. 28. He's reportedly on a heart-and-lung machine at a Florida hospital. (Photo: Steve Granitz via Getty Images)

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Beirut (AFP) - Government forces seized territory inside Syria's rebel enclave Eastern Ghouta Saturday, intensifying fighting as tens of thousands of civilians in the besieged enclave near Damascus awaited urgently needed aid.

On another front in Syria's seven-year civil war, Turkish air strikes killed 36 pro-regime fighters in a Kurdish enclave near Turkey's border.

Syria's war has killed more than 340,000 people and spiralled into a complex conflict involving world powers since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Russia-backed regime forces have since February 18 killed more than 640 civilians -- including over 150 children -- in a ferocious bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, one of the armed opposition's last strongholds in the country.

Following a deadly wave of air strikes and shelling, fighting on the ground has intensified in recent days, and the regime now "controls 10 percent of the besieged Eastern Ghouta region", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said late Saturday.

Regime forces have advanced steadily since Thursday, the Britain-based monitor said earlier, recapturing four areas in the east and southeast of the enclave as well as two air bases.

"Regime forces and their allies have intensified their attacks on rebel positions in the past 48 hours," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.

The progress has been rapid through mainly agricultural land, he added.

"The terrorists will soon taste defeat in Ghouta," said Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan.

Eastern Ghouta's 400,000 residents have lived under siege since 2013, facing severe food and medicine shortages even before the latest offensive.

- 'Scorched earth policy' -

The fighting on the ground comes after Russia on Tuesday started a daily five-hour "humanitarian pause" in the enclave -- a move that falls far short of the 30-day ceasefire demanded by the UN Security Council.

Story continues

The ferocity of the bombardment initially lessened but it has continued to claim lives, and trucks loaded with desperately needed aid remain unable to enter the enclave.

Thousands of civilians are surviving on meagre stocks, and medical staff are struggling to treat casualties with inadequate medical supplies.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "grave concern" about the humanitarian situation in the area in a telephone conversation late Saturday, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.

"The UN convoys must immediately deliver medical assistance and food aid to the besieged population," the French Presidency said.

The UN Human Rights Council postponed voting Friday on a British resolution condemning the crisis in Eastern Ghouta, after member states failed to agree on a final text.

Moscow has offered safe passage to non-combatants wishing to leave the enclave during the pause, but no Syrian civilians have left since Tuesday, the Observatory says.

The Russian military said in a statement that no civilians exited via the established corridor on Saturday.

Government fighters are trying to advance inside Eastern Ghouta to cut off the main town of Douma and its surroundings in the north of the enclave, as well as isolate the southeastern area of Al-Marj, Abdel Rahman said.

Jaish al-Islam, a main opposition group in the region, accused regime forces of carrying out a "scorched earth policy" as they progressed into the enclave.

- Deadly Turkish strikes -

In the northwest of the country, there was more bloodshed in the roughly six-week offensive by Turkey and allied fighters against Kurdish militia now backed up by pro-government Syrian forces.

Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters battling alongside the Kurds in the enclave of Afrin on Saturday, the Observatory said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll.

The two-storey building where the fighters were located was completely eviscerated, an AFP correspondent reported, with several burnt-out vehicles visible among the rubble.

The Observatory said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours.

They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said.

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters on January 20 launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Pro-regime fighters joined the Kurdish militia inside Afrin a month later, after the Kurds appealed to Damascus for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

The YPG has been a key component of the US-backed SDF, a Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to Afrin or to nearby regime-controlled areas.Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled his nations next generation of nuclear weapons, each engineered to slip behind Americas vast network of early warning and defense systems.

Announced Thursday in a nationally televised speech to Russias Federal Assembly, the new arsenal serves as direct response to the U.S. governments decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 and its continued expansion of ballistic missile defenses, Putin said.

The four innovative weapons, which included a drone undersea torpedo capable of traveling undetected for thousands of miles and a low-flying invincible cruise missile, were featured in separate 1980s-style animated videos that played to thunderous applause from the awestruck audience.

But could any of those weapons work in the real world? And even if they did work, should American citizens be concerned by Putins new claims? The answer from the U.S. government appears to be: No.

We werent surprised by his statements, Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White told reporters at the Pentagon. And the American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared.

Heather Nauert, State Department spokeswoman, called the videos cheesy, and said President Putin has confirmed what the United States Government has known for a long time.

Indeed, as TIME documented in February, Russia is in the midst of overhauling its nuclear forces, including new ICBMs, ballistic-missile submarines and modernized heavy bombers. Its also practicing nuclear snap drills that involve missile launches from the air, land and sea.

One of those new missiles Putin discussed was the massive RS-28 Sarmat ICBM which boasts countermeasures designed to elude U.S. antimissile systems. The video showed the liquid-fueled missile was so powerful it could arc over the North Pole or the South Pole to strike the U.S. continent. The southerly route, almost unheard of, would evade American missile defenses.

Story continues

The weapon is unquestionably the most realistic of the four Putin unveiled, but makes little practical sense. The U.S. ground-based missile defense system is set up to intercept one or two missiles headed for the United States. There are just 44 interceptors, arrayed in California and Alaska. The idea is if a rogue nation, such as North Korea, launched a single ICBM toward an American target, it could be destroyed before striking down. Russia, if it wanted, could easily overwhelm the system by blasting off dozens of missiles.

Our missile defense has never been about them, White said Thursday at the Pentagon.

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The Pentagon previously documented two more of Putins weapons in the Nuclear Posture Review released last month. The Trump Administration wrote at length in the 100-page document about Russias growing arsenal, including the undersea drone torpedo.

The weapon is designed to stalk the ocean floor for thousands of miles, emerge alongside an enemys coastline and detonate a nuclear warhead. In theory, it would send radioactive slurry into the air raining down on towns and cities for dozens of miles within its radius.

The technology is conceivable, but difficult to master. Drone submarines cannot receive satellite commands when submerged, which differs from drone aircraft that are remotely flown through GPS signals and data links. So the undersea nuclear torpedo would need a sophisticated onboard navigation system and advanced sense-and-avoid technology to autonomously steer away from rocks jutting from the seabed. The Russians have yet to publicly demonstrate any of this.

The Nuclear Posture Review also noted another one of Putins big reveals, known as a hypersonic glide vehicle, which would hypothetically soar at unbelievably high speeds. The term supersonic means that an object is traveling faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 1. The term hypersonic means a vehicle is going five times that speed or more.

Putins new-fangled weapon is designed to hit Mach 20. At that speed, an aircraft would go from Los Angeles to New York in less than 12 minutes. No aircraft has been able to overcome the engineering challenges to maintain those high speeds for much longer than a minute or two, let alone the aerodynamic stresses associated with zig-zagging across the globe. Its doubtful that the weapon is anywhere near operational.

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One of the weapons not previously documented by the U.S. government was a new cruise missile powered by a miniaturized nuclear reactor, which would give it a virtually unlimited range. The video showed it zipping over a mountain range, careening the south Atlantic Ocean before hair-pinning around South America and heading toward the U.S. Pacific coast.

Once again, the technology is far-fetched. The U.S. flirted with similar scheme, known as Project Pluto, during the Atomic Age of the 1950s and 1960s, which was under development at the Nevada Test Site. It was unsuccessful for a litany of reasons, according to Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear weapons analyst with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, Calif.

The nuclear-powered ramjet was literally deafening to people on the ground and left a trail of radioactivity from the unshielded reactor, he writes at Foreign Policy. The United States couldnt even find a suitable place to fight-test this monster. Officials worried that if it went off course from the Nevada nuclear test site, it might crash into Las Vegas.

There have been countless technological breakthroughs in the past half-century, but would still pose a daunting challenge for Russian engineers to produce a nuke-powered missile that could be relied upon to hit its target.

To many in the U.S. government, Putins claims on weaponry were not intended to be realistic threats, but rather mere propaganda.

Its part of the standard playbook, Republican Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. And we should expect more of the same.Berlin (AFP) - German police said Friday they had arrested Andrei Kovalchuk, the alleged mastermind of a plot to smuggle cocaine to Russia from Moscow's embassy in Argentina.

The unusual case came to light last week when Argentine police said they had seized nearly 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of cocaine worth some $62 million (50 million euros) hidden in suitcases in the Russian embassy school.

Russia's ambassador had raised the alarm after discovering the drugs in December, prompting the joint operation by the two countries' law enforcement agencies.

Three Russians, including the embassy's former maintenance manager, were detained in Moscow in December, the ministry said. Argentina has also detained two suspects.

A sixth man, Kovalchuk, was believed to be the man who ran the smuggling ring.

On Thursday night, Berlin forces swooped on the alleged mastermind.

"He is now in police custody," said a Berlin police spokesman.

Prosecutors in Berlin said the 49-year-old Russian national was detained as part of an international investigation spearheaded by Moscow.

"The allegation: founding of a criminal organisation with the aim of smuggling cocaine from Argentina to Russia," said the prosecutors on Twitter.

Russian news agency Interfax, quoting a source close to the Russian investigation, said Moscow would seek the extradition of Kovalchuk, and that proceedings "could take months, maybe more".

- 'Smear campaign' -

The case has sparked controversy in Russia, where the media has raised questions over contradictory official accounts of the joint operation snaring the drug ring.

Argentina's Security Minister Patricia Bullrich had claimed the gang had sought to use the Russian diplomatic courier service to fly the cocaine to Europe. But Russia's Foreign Ministry denied that the diplomatic pouch was involved in the plot.

After Argentinian police tweeted images of a Russian aircraft used in the sting operation that bears the number of security council chief Nikolai Patrushev's plane, the Kremlin denied involvement of any of its fleet.

Story continues

Questions were also raised over the whereabouts of the cocaine, with some reports speculating that it had been flown to Moscow in the sting operation, even though Argentinian police said the drugs had been replaced by flour.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday lashed out at what he called "targeted efforts to smear" the operation, RIA Novosti state news agency reported.

Ryabkov attacked journalists and bloggers for what he described as "dreaming up all kinds of non-existent versions".

Argentinian investigators believe the cocaine, described as of "very high purity", likely originated in Colombia or Peru.

It was destined for Russia as well as likely Germany, where Kovalchek lives.By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian operatives attempting to discourage U.S. energy production posted thousands of messages on social media supporting environmental activists in their campaign to limit oil and gas projects, a report by Republican lawmakers said on Thursday.

On Facebook and Instagram, for example, a picture of a real protestor fighting against Energy Transfer Partners' <ETP.N> Dakota Access Pipeline was presented with a panel written by Russian operatives that said "Americans have been stealing from Native Americans for more than 500 years."

The lawmakers' report linked some 9,100 posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram between 2015 and 2017 to operatives including the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, a Russian propaganda arm known for its trolling on social media.

It was one of three firms indicted on Feb. 16 by a U.S. special counsel investigating intelligence agency allegations of Russian tampering in the 2016 election, charges Moscow denies. Thirteen Russians were also charged, the court document describing them as having "had a strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system."

Representative Lamar Smith, the Republican head of the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee and a denier of climate science, said that Russians benefit by stirring controversy about U.S. energy production because the administration of President Donald Trump is trying to expand oil and natural gas exports to Europe. Russia has traditionally been a major energy supplier to that market.

Democrats on the panel and environmentalists criticized Republicans for focusing on energy policy instead of election meddling.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the panel's report.

"The American people deserve to know if what they see on social media is the creation of a foreign power seeking to undermine our domestic energy policy," Smith said.

Story continues

The report said information provided by Twitter showed more than 4 percent of all tweets by the Internet Research Agency were related to energy or environmental issues, compared to 8 percent of its tweets on the elections.

A specialist on energy and foreign policy said the postings likely had little influence on U.S. energy markets.

"It's almost impossible to change U.S. energy policy through a social media campaign," said Brenda Shaffer, a professor at Georgetown University, "a campaign would have to affect both the state and federal levels to be effective."

Trump has called investigations into possible cooperation between his presidential campaign and Russians a political "witch hunt."

"To ignore known meddling in the very foundation of our democracy while focusing solely on Russia's influence on the U.S. energy market, a market that is currently booming, seems irresponsible at best," said Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, the top Democrat on the science committee.

Naomi Ages, a climate campaign director at Greenpeace, said Smith was "ignoring the very real threats of election interference and climate change to once again waste taxpayer money muddying the waters."

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; editing by Grant McCool)(Adds Egypt presidency, date of visit)

CAIRO, March 2 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman is to visit Egypt on Sunday to meet President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in his first public foreign trip since becoming crown prince last year, Sisi's office said on Friday.

The three-day visit will start on March 4, with the Saudi crown prince then travelling to London on March 7 and the United States, Riyadh's closest Western ally, on March 19.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia have strengthened ties since Sisi took power after ousting the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. Cairo supports Riyadh in its fight against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen and last year joined a Saudi-led boycott of Gulf state Qatar and agreed to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi despite widespread criticism at home.

Prince Mohammed has purged the Gulf Arab kingdom's economic and political elite in a crackdown on corruption last year, after becoming crown prince in June.

A Saudi government spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Egypt visit. Egypt's presidency gave no further details.

The visit comes weeks ahead of an election in which general-turned-president Sisi is seeking a second term and as Egyptian forces fight to crush Islamic State militants in the Sinai Peninsula.

Sisi is virtually guaranteed election victory after opponents have been jailed by Egyptian authorities, leaving only one little-known candidate who has publicly supported him.

As Egypt clamps down on internal dissent it has sided firmly with Saudi Arabia on key foreign policy issues, including the face-off between the Sunni kingdom and its Shi'ite foe Iran. (Reporting by John Davison, Abdel Nasser Aboul Fadl and Stephen Kalin in Riyadh Editing by Janet Lawrence and David Goodman)President Trump gestures as he makes a joke about his hair during remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Feb. 23, 2018, in Oxon Hill, Md. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

For President Trump, it has been a week to forget.

Even by the standards of a White House beset by multiple investigations, routine allegations of ethical lapses and an agenda that, in and of itself, keeps news organizations struggling to keep pace, the seven-day span from Friday, Feb. 23, through Friday, March 2, stands out.

Friday, Feb. 23

In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump announced new U.S. sanctions against North Korea, and said that if those dont work, well have to go phase 2 and phase 2 may be a very rough thing, may be very, very unfortunate for the world. But, hopefully, the sanctions will work.

As the nation continued to grieve for the victims of the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre, Trump reiterated his view that arming teachers would deter shooters, despite news reports confirming that a uniformed sheriffs deputy on duty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School failed to take action against the shooter.

President Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference. (Photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened, Trump said at CPAC.

But Fridays real bombshell came from special counsel Robert Mueller, who obtained a guilty plea from former Trump aide Rick Gates as part of a deal that ratchets up pressure on former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. The cooperation of Manafort, who has been indicted on a variety of bank, tax and conspiracy charges but maintains his innocence, is considered key to Muellers investigation into ties between the campaign and the Russian government.

Saturday, Feb. 24

The House Intelligence Committee released a redacted Democratic memo that rebutted claims made in an earlier Republican memo of FBI surveillance abuses during the campaign.

The Democratic response memo released today should put to rest any concerns that the American people might have as to the conduct of the FBI, the Justice Department and the FISC, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in a statement.

Indeed, the new memo undercut several of the claims made in the GOP version, including the most significant: that a FISA court granted a warrant to surveil former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page based on the so-called Steele dossier.

Story continues

With the memo dominating headlines, Trump headed for a safe harbor: An interview with Fox News Jeanine Pirro, during which he lashed out at Schiff, calling him a total phony and a bad guy, and then blamed his own Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not investigating the Democrats on the committee.

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Monday, Feb. 26

During a meeting with many of the nations governors at the White House on how to make schools safer from mass shootings, Trump made news with the announcement that he had secretly met with National Rifle Association leaders Wayne LaPierre and Chris Cox over the weekend. The president then summed up his get-together with the NRA officials:

Dont worry about the NRA, theyre on our side, Trump said. Half of you are so afraid of the NRA, theres nothing to be afraid of.

During that same meeting, Trump raised eyebrows when imagining how he would have responded to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

I really believe Id run in there, even if I didnt have a weapon, Trump said. I think most of the people in this room wouldve done that too. Because I know most of you. But the way they [the sheriffs deputies who failed to confront the shooter] performed was really a disgrace.

Tuesday, Feb. 27

With critics blasting his statements on the Parkland school shooting, another long-simmering potential conflict came to full boil: the status of Jared Kushners security clearance, which reportedly was downgraded from Top Secret to Secret  a virtually useless designation for a top presidential aide  as part of chief of staff John Kellys housecleaning of White House staffers who had not cleared their FBI background checks.

The New York Times also reported that Trumps Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary, Ben Carson, had purchased a dining room set for $31,000 using taxpayer funds.

Also Tuesday, White House communications director and Trump confidante Hope Hicks testified before the House Intelligence Committee that she had, on occasion, been required to tell white lies for the president. Hicks also followed a similar script to that of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in citing executive privilege when asked questions about the transition period between Trumps election and inauguration.

White House communications director Hope Hicks leaves the U.S. Capitol after attending the House Intelligence Committee closed door meeting in Washington, Feb. 27, 2018. (Photo: Leah Millis/Reuters)

Wednesday, Feb. 28

A mid-September trial date was set for Manafort, meaning that his high-stakes case will officially overlap with the final months of the 2018 midterm elections. The judge also reprimanded Manafort for violating a gag order and speaking about the charges against him publicly. With the investigation gaining steam and Mueller having secured the cooperation of a third aide to Trumps presidential campaign, the president again took to Twitter to vent his frustrations with Sessions.

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The days biggest news, however, came at a White House meeting with Congress on the subject of making schools safer. Again and again, Trump confounded lawmakers by appearing to embrace Democratic positions on background checks and raising the legal age for purchasing some weapons. He went so far as to recommend seizing guns from people suspected of dangerous tendencies without a court order  a prima facie violation of the Fourth Amendment that drew the wrath of Trumps staunchest supporters.

Late Wednesday, the White House suffered another blow, when Hicks surprised political observers in announcing she was stepping down from her role as communications director. Hicks, who was considered one of Trumps closest confidants, was the fourth person to hold that job since the administration took office.

Thursday, March 1

In a relatively minor Trump administration scandal, EPA head Scott Pruitt announced that he would no longer fly first class on government business. Like Carsons lavish furniture purchase, Pruitts travel budget had come under fire, furthering the perception that the president had not drained the Washington swamp.

Meanwhile, Trump continued to sow confusion about his position on gun control, holding a second meeting with the NRA in a week. Officials of the organization hastened to assure its members that the president did not really believe what he had clearly stated the day before.

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Trump himself avoided specific legislative commitments.

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Reportedly unglued over the flood of negative headlines in recent days, Trump abruptly called a meeting to announce Thursday that he was imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum, catching members of his own administration off-guard. The stock market sagged and many Republicans were nonplussed at the news. Perhaps no rebuke was stronger than that issued by the Wall Street Journal, whose lead editorial began, Donald Trump made the biggest policy blunder of his Presidency Thursday by announcing that next week hell impose tariffs of 25% on imported steel and 10% on aluminum.

Galvanized coiled steel at ThyssenKrupp steelworks in Duisburg, Germany. (Photo: Lukas Schulze/Getty Images)

Friday, March 2

The president further alarmed Republicans and Democrats alike Friday with tweets that seemed to bespeak a deep misunderstanding of trade deficits and economic policy.

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As predicted, the European Union announced that it would impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Levis blue jeans and bourbon whiskey in response to Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs. In total, the EU tariffs could total $3.5 billion should the president not change his mind.

Read more from Yahoo News:Stiavnik (Slovakia) (AFP) - Slain Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak was laid to rest in his wedding suit on Saturday as police released seven Italians detained after they were named in his explosive report on alleged high-level corruption linked to Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia.

Kuciak's murder has raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It follows the October 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.

Kuciak's burial in the northern Slovak village of Stiavnik came a day after his fiancee Martina Kusnirova was laid to rest in her wedding gown in the northern town of Gregorovce. The couple, both 27, were to marry in May.

The ceremony began with the reading of a poem written by Jan for his fiancee that he had planned to read at their wedding.

Leading the funeral mass, Bratislava Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky told hundreds of mourners packed into the local Roman Catholic church that "if the murderer thought he was able to silence Jan, he was wrong.

"He achieved the opposite. An attack on a journalist is also an attack on the freedom of our country. We must not allow it."

Slovak Police commander Tibor Gaspar, has said the motive for murder was "most likely" related to Kuciak's investigative journalism.

In Italy, prosecutors have suggested that the 'Ndrangheta may have been behind the killing of Kuciak and his fiancee who were found dead at their home near Bratislava on Sunday.

Kuciak was about to publish an article that raised possible political links between Italian businessmen operating in Slovakia and the 'Ndrangheta.

- 'Political tool'? -

Hours before the funeral, police released seven Italian nationals named in Kuciak's report and who were detained on Thursday, a day after it was posthumously published.

Police investigators said that after "checking the facts" they were unable to bring charges within the legal 48-hour detention period.

Story continues

Thousands flocked to candlelit anti-corruption vigils for the murdered journalist held on Friday across Slovakia, an EU and NATO country of 5.4 million people.

Leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico has accused the opposition of using the murder as a "political tool to get people out on the streets and gain power".

The latest protests echoed a wave of anti-graft rallies by mostly young Slovaks last year demanding the dismissal of senior police officials and ministers in Fico's government for alleged foot-dragging on fighting corruption.

The seven Italians were taken into custody on Thursday in police raids in the eastern town of Michalovce.

Slovak media reported that among those held was businessman Antonino Vadala -- the owner of several companies -- and some of his relatives, alleged by Kuciak to have links to the mafia and contacts in the Slovak government.

- One million euro reward -

The allegations in Kuciak's report triggered an angry rebuke from Fico, who showed reporters stacks of euro bills totalling the one-million-euro ($1.2-million) reward he has offered for information that could lead to the killers.

Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said on Facebook on Thursday that Italian police, Europol, the FBI and Scotland Yard pledged to help Slovak investigators.

Two close Fico associates were forced to resign after the article was posthumously published on Wednesday, while one minister quit in protest.

Echoing opposition parties, the leader of Most Hid, a junior partner in Fico's three-party coalition, has also demanded Interior Minister Robert Kalinak resign.

The party said Saturday it would meet on March 12 to decide whether to quit the coalition after Kalinak refused to step down on Saturday.

- 'Dangerous' insults -

Fico once told journalists they were "dirty, anti-Slovak prostitutes", but he vowed his government was committed to the "protection of freedom of speech and the safety of journalists" in the wake of the murder.

Christophe Deloire, secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP he had asked Fico on Friday in Bratislava to "clearly express his regrets" for having publicly insulted journalists, something the RSF chief called "dangerous".

Fico's office later issued a statement saying that there was "no call on the PM to apologise to journalists", denying Deloire's claim.

But contacted by AFP, Harlem Desir, the Freedom of the Media representative at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, confirmed that Deloire had called on Fico to apologise to journalists.

The European Parliament is expected to send a fact-finding mission to Slovakia as early as next week, German MEP Ingeborg Grassle said on Saturday.Its not often that a microscopic organism gains celebrity status, but thats exactly what tardigrades have managed to accomplish. The tiny organisms, often called water bears due to their stout body shapes, have gained popularity thanks to their undeniable cuteness and incredible resiliency. Considered micro-animals, tardigrades are thought to date back as far as 530 million years and theyre still around today. Now, an entirely new species of the tiny creatures has been discovered in a rather unlikely place: a parking lot.

A scientist from the Keio University in Tokyo gathered the groundbreaking specimen from a chunk of moss in a city parking lot and, after closely examining it under a microscope and sampling its DNA, realized it was a first-of-its-kind discovery.

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The new tardigrade species, called Macrobiotus shonaicus, is only slightly different from many other known species, but its stunted legs make it easily recognizable under a high-powered lens. The species also has a unique egg shape with protrusions that researchers believe may help them attach to surfaces. A paper on the discovery was published this week in PLoS One.

As a whole, Tardigrades are an incredible group of animals. Various species have demonstrated the ability to live in incredibly harsh conditions, and they are capable of going into a dormant state and then reanimating years or even decades later. Researchers have pushed them to the limits and been consistently surprised with their ability to withstand extreme temperatures and even space travel.

There are well over 1,000 different species of tardigrade on record, so the discovery of a new member of the family isnt entirely shocking. However, its remarkable to think that a never-before-documented animal could be lurking right under your nose without you even realizing it.

Tardigrades are as close to indestructible as it gets on Earth, Rafael Alves Batista of the University of Oxford told National Geographic. But its possible that there are other resilient species examples elsewhere in the universe.

Story continues

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See the original version of this article on BGR.comUPDATE: March 13  The University of California, Los Angeles published full video of a public event featuring Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Friday after the Treasury Department gave the university permission to do so.

UCLA uploaded the video online in response to a public records request from BuzzFeed reporter Steve Reilly.

Mnuchin addressed hissing from the audience during his opening remarks, reminding them, You guys get to hiss at me, I dont get to hiss at you. He continued to field more hissing from protesters and answer questions that were critical of the Trump administrations economic policies from the audience for the remainder of the event.

The Treasury Department initially declined to provide its consent for the videos release. On Friday, the department reversed its original consent withdrawal, according to BuzzFeed.

Our prior objection was providing a platform for the non-student protestors, who sought to disrupt the event, at the expense of the otherwise thoughtful discussion, a department spokesperson said in a statement to BuzzFeed.

PREVIOUSLY:

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin doesnt want you to see what happened when he spoke at the University of California, Los Angeles on Monday.

The Burkle Center for International Relations invited Mnuchin to speak with Marketplace public radio host Kai Ryssdal for an open discussion on the Trump administration, its policies and the U.S. economy at the university. The public event went so poorly, however, that Mnuchin asked UCLA not to publish any video of it, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

But with so many people in attendance  at least 400, according to the Los Angeles Times  video of the treasury secretary dueling with the crowd inevitably leaked.

Marketplace published a full audio recording and transcript of the discussion, in which the audience can be heard hissing and criticizing the secretary.

At one point, Mnuchin deflects the hecklers by dismissing them as students.

Story continues

Well, I think theyre going to get more tired than I am, he said in response to hissing from the crowd, according to Marketplaces transcript. So, you know, thats kind of  oh, yeah, Im dealing with students, I forgot. Theres a lot of students.

As seen in the footage shared with The Washington Post and on social media, young people in the audience  including at least one boy who said he was in the sixth grade  openly criticized the Trump administrations tax cuts, which many said benefit only the very wealthy.

Many people can be heard hissing at the treasury secretary during the event, while others yell loudly at him. Campus police officers arrested three people, two students and a former student, who loudly denounced Mnuchin during the event.

ABC 7 reporter Josh Haskell filmed video that shows the officers physically picking up these protesters from their seats and carrying them away. The Daily Bruin campus newspaper identified the three as members of The Revolution Club of UCLA. In the videos, a voice can be heard telling one of the protesters that she would be removed if she did not stop speaking.

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One video from the event shows a young boy confronting Mnuchin over President Donald Trumps tax overhaul, which he says cut taxes for the wealthy, which makes them even richer.

The boy, who said he was in sixth grade, received encouragement and applause from the audience.

The middle-class tax cuts are small and lasts for just eight years, but the corporate tax cuts were permanent, the boy said. How is that just?

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Mnuchin also took issue with Ryssdals questions during the discussion.

When asked by Ryssdal about how the administrations tax plan is going to improve economic growth to 3 percent in the U.S., Mnuchin said the host seemed to have a bias because of his choice of words.

Heres the exchange, according to the transcript:

Ryssdal: Help me understand then with some specificity how youre going to do that. Because the numbers that were engineered by the White House and the Council of Economic Advisers that went into the tax plan were, Were going to get 3 percent. Heres how, as opposed to, These are our policies, which is going to get us to 3 percent. Mnuchin: Well, you must seem to have a bias because youre using the words engineered, so you obviously think that it was the policy the policies were created. Again, what I would say is we fundamentally believe that we will have economic growth ... . And were already seeing this. By the way, were seeing companies give millions and millions of workers bonuses all as a result of this. And for people who are getting these thousand-dollar bonuses, these are not crumbs.

Mnuchin, a former partner at Goldman Sachs, faced bad press last year after an investigation revealed that he and his wife, actress Louise Linton, used taxpayer money to charter private planes for seven official trips. In one instance, Mnuchin had requested to use an Air Force jet to fly him and his wife to France, Italy and Scotland for their honeymoon.

The Burkle Center said it originally had an agreement with the Treasury Department that gave the university permission to publish video of the event on the centers website, according to the L.A. Times.

After the event, the Treasury Department withdrew its consent.

A spokeswoman for Mnuchin told The Wall Street Journal that the treasury secretary welcomed the chance to speak and discuss important economic issues.

She added: He believes healthy debate is critical to ensuring the right policies that do the most good are advanced.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

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Also on HuffPost

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.War crimes are being committed in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Syrias capital Damascus, and the United Nations is compiling dossiers to prosecute war criminals for these heinous acts, a U.N. official announced Friday.

Civilians are being pounded into submission or death, Zeid Raad Al Hussein, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, during a debate on the situation in eastern Ghouta.

The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done," he continued.

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Over the last several weeks, human rights advocates have decried the deteriorating human rights situation in eastern Ghouta, where nearly 400,000 civilians are trapped as the city is pummeled with air strikes. Meanwhile, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's attempts to reclaim the city from rebel factions and whole neighborhoods have been razed to the ground. Hundreds have been reportedly killed since mid-February.

926410276

HAMZA AL-AJWEH/AFP/Getty Images

Some human rights experts say the conditions in Syria resemble those of some of the most notorious conflicts of the 1990s, namely the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia and in Rwanda. Likewise, it took years for the international community to intervene when civilians were trapped and living under constant sniper fire in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. Following these crimes, many United Nations members pledged that they would never again allow such bloodletting on their watch.

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Story continues

In 2005, the U.N. General Assembly announced that governments have a responsibility to protect their citizens from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

"The concept of the responsibility to protect drew inspiration of Francis Dengs idea of 'State sovereignty as a responsibility' and affirmed the notion that sovereignty is not just protection from outside interference  rather is a matter of states having positive responsibilities for their populations welfare, and to assist each other," the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention states.

For many, the situation in Syria is a disappointing reminder that the international community isnt always ready to act when civilians are suffering. Pundits have been penning op-eds for years asking when the international community's refrain "never again" will be put into policy.

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"Were saying 'never again' as we watch a genocide unfold in real time in Syria," human rights advocate Kristin Wright wrote in 2014.

"Syrias long war has reached its Srebrenica moment," Roy Gutman, co-editor of a book on war crimes and who reported from Bosnia during the wars, wrote on Friday.

Zeid noted that some high-profile war criminals are being brought to justice. Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, nicknamed the butcher of Bosnia, was extradited to the Hague in 2011 and was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity late last year. He is currently serving a life sentence.

Likewise, a former colonel from El Salvador, Inocente Orlando Montano, was extradited to Spain to face charges for the 1989 massacre of six Jesuit priests and two others.

The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind, Zeid said, issuing a warning to people in Syria committing war crimes or crimes against humanity.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBy Paul Carsten

ABUJA (Reuters) - Suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 11 people including three aid workers in an attack on a military barracks in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state late on Thursday, according to two security reports seen by Reuters.

The raid in the town of Rann marks the latest high-profile assault by the jihadists in the northeast, coming less than two weeks after militants abducted 110 girls from a school in the town of Dapchi in neighbouring Yobe state.

The United Nations confirmed three aid workers, all Nigerian nationals, were killed in the attack in Rann, near the Cameroon border, and said a female nurse was missing, feared abducted. It was concerned other civilians may have been killed or injured.

The whereabouts of two midwives are also unknown, according to an International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman, who said no Red Cross staff were injured or missing.

Four soldiers and four police officers were killed, according to the Nigerian security reports.

The militants, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and truck-mounted guns, initially overpowered soldiers in a firefight at the military barracks, but the armed forces later regained control, according to the two reports.

The attack was a further setback for President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office in May 2015 vowing to improve security and who has repeatedly asserted that the Boko Haram insurgency has been defeated.

Buhari said the attack showed Boko Haram was "godless, brutish, and utterly to be despised".

"No true religion advocates hurting the innocent. To now further attack and kill those offering humanitarian aid is the height of bestiality," he said in an emailed statement.

SEARCH FOR ABDUCTED GIRLS

His statement was issued hours after the government said it was extending to neighbouring countries the search for the girls taken in Dapchi, which is some 400 km (250 miles) west of Rann.

Borno state, where Rann is situated, is the epicentre of the nine-year-old insurgency, which aims to impose a strict interpretation of Islam in the northeast of Africa's most populous country. More than 20,000 people have been killed and some two million forced to leave their homes since 2009.

Story continues

Two of the aid workers who died were contractors with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), working as coordinators at a camp for 55,000 displaced people in Rann, the United Nations said.

The third was a doctor employed as a consultant for UNICEF.

"We call on authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice and account," Edward Kallon, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, said in a statement.

IOM official Mohammed Abdiker said staff were "outraged and saddened" by the death of their colleagues.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said it had suspended its work in Rann following the attack and evacuated both national and international staff.

Attacks on aid workers are rare, but not unheard of, in Nigeria. In December, four people were killed when a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy was ambushed in Borno state.

Boko Haram held a swathe of territory in northeast Nigeria around the size of Belgium in late 2014. It was pushed out of most of that land by Nigeria's army, backed by troops from neighbouring countries, in early 2015.

Although it has failed to control large areas of land since then, the group continues to carry out suicide bombings and gun raids in northeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

The camp for displaced people in Rann was bombed in a Nigerian Air Force strike last year, killing up to 170 people.

(Additional reporting by Tom Miles and Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Gareth Jones)By Paul Carsten ABUJA (Reuters) - Suspected Boko Haram militants killed at least 11 people including three aid workers in an attack on a military facility in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state late on Thursday, according to two security reports seen by Reuters. The raid in the town of Rann marks the latest high-profile attack by militants in the northeast, coming less than two weeks after militants abducted 110 girls from a school in the town of Dapchi in neighbouring Yobe state. The United Nations confirmed three aid workers, all Nigerian nationals, were killed in the attack in Rann, near the Cameroon border, and said a female nurse was missing, feared abducted. It said it was also concerned other civilians may have been killed or injured. Four soldiers and four police officers were also killed, according to the Nigerian security reports seen by Reuters. The militants, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and truck-mounted guns, initially overpowered soldiers in a firefight at the military facility but the armed forces later regained control, according to the two reports. The attack is a further setback for President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office in May 2015 vowing to improve security and who has repeatedly said the Boko Haram insurgency has been defeated. The government said on Friday that it was extending to neighbouring countries the search for the girls taken in Dapchi, which is some 400 km (250 miles) west of Rann. [nL0N1P300A] Borno state, where Rann is situated, is the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, which aims to impose a strict interpretation of Islam in northeast Nigeria. More than 20,000 people have been killed and some two million forced to leave their homes since 2009. Two of the aid workers who died were contractors with the International Organization for Migration, working as coordinators at a camp for 55,000 displaced people in Rann, the United Nations said. The third was a doctor employed as a consultant for UNICEF. "We call on authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice and account," Edward Kallon, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, said in a statement. Mohammed Abdiker, of the U.N. International Organization for Migration, said staff were "outraged and saddened" by the death of their colleagues. Attacks on aid workers are rare, but not unheard of. In December, four people were killed when a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy was ambushed in Borno state. Boko Haram held a swathe of territory in northeast Nigeria around the size of Belgium in late 2014. It was pushed out of most of that land by Nigeria's army, backed by troops from neighbouring countries, in early 2015. Although it has failed to control large areas of land since then, the group continues to carry out suicide bombings and gun raids in northeast Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. The camp for displaced people in Rann was bombed in an accidental Nigerian Air Force strike last year, killing up to 170 people. (Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Nick Tattersall, William Maclean and Peter Graff)WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria next week on his first trip to Africa as the top U.S. diplomat, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday. During his March 6-13 trip, Tillerson "plans to discuss ways we can work with our partners to counter terrorism, advance peace and security, promote good governance, and spur mutually beneficial trade and investment," the department said in a statement. His itinerary includes a meeting with the leadership of the African Union Commission, which is based in Addis Ababa, the statement said. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Lisa Lambert)(Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

SAN MARCOS, Texas  On a warm morning late last July, Chuck Yarling yanked a baby blue swim cap over his head and put down his cane. His friend Richard Blakely grasped him by the tricep and helped him hobble to the edge of Spring Lake, where he plunged feet-first into chilly water.

The race Yarling was attempting required him to swim 500 meters and then cycle 12 miles, which would have been a cinch five years earlier. Yarling, a thin, sharp-chinned 72-year-old Vietnam veteran with bright hazel eyes, completed 110 triathlons between 1983 and 2012. In his most active year, 2009, he finished 14 triathlons.

Then the largest West Nile virus epidemic in Texas history erupted in 2012, after an abnormally warm and wet winter and spring. Yarling was one of more than 1,800 people in the state infected. The mosquito-borne virus attacked his spinal cord and brain, causing excruciating pain, deafening him in one ear and temporarily paralyzing his legs.

During his long recuperation, Yarlings once-powerful legs withered to thin sticks. His neurologist doubted hed ever race again. Even five years later, Yarling still suffered from balance problems that caused him to wobble on his bike.

Chuck Yarling steps off his old triathlon bicycle, which he attached to a stationary bike stand on his patio outside his home in Austin. (Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

But Yarling was determined to resume racing. Hed gotten permission for Blakely to assist him during the swim-bike race in San Marcos. As Yarling swam, his friend ambled along the shoreline. Some 20 minutes later, at the end of the swimming course, Blakely hauled a gasping Yarling out of the water, then helped him pull a black-and-white racing shirt over his head and climb on his bike. He gave Yarling a push, the way a parent helps a child learning to ride, and watched him pedal out of sight.

Yarling planned to follow a route that wound north and west of Spring Lake, a 12-mile, hilly gauntlet, steamy with the heat of the summer sun. Somewhere out there, hed either fulfill an ardent desire, or hed come crashing to the ground.

Yarlings diagnosis and long recovery may seem like simple bad luck  wrong mosquito, wrong time. But scientists say climate change is increasing the odds of bigger outbreaks. Mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile fever, said Dr. Robert Haley, who directs the epidemiology division at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, are just one of the many health risks that are rising with a warmer climate. Higher temperatures allow the West Nile virus to replicate more quickly inside the bodies of mosquitoes, and mosquitoes bite more frequently when its hot.

Story continues

The higher your temperature, Haley said, the more explosive these epidemics can be.

Climate change is what makes Yarlings story not just the tale of a triathletes comeback. Its also a warning that a warmer world is amplifying the risk of disease.

A Mosquito-Borne Plague

West Nile fever is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the mainland United States, producing a few thousand reported cases each year. In most people, infection causes no or only mild symptoms. But in a small fraction of patients  particularly those over the age of 60, like Chuck Yarling  the virus invades the nervous system, where it can cause convulsions, comas, polio-like paralysis and death.

Identified in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937, the virus was first reported in New York City in 1999. It likely arrived in the U.S. from Israel, but precisely how it migrated across the Atlantic remains unknown. Texas experienced an epidemic in 2003, but by 2011, the virus seemed to have nearly vanished, Haley said. That year, the state reported only 27 cases.

But then the weather turned wacky. In Dallas County, the outbreaks ground zero, the winter of 2011-2012 brought heavy rains but not the usual hard freezes. That spring was the states hottest on record.

The abnormal weather was consistent with a changed climate in Texas, where intense rainfall has grown more common and the average temperature has risen 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit above last centurys average, according to state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon.

And the weird weather likely enabled an unusually large number of mosquitoes to survive the winter and get a head start on infecting humans, Haley and a team of researchers later concluded. The spread of disease, the researchers wrote in a study of the epidemic, appeared to have been precipitated by an extreme weather pattern.

Haley believes that even in the absence of climate change, a few people in the Dallas area probably would have contracted the West Nile virus in 2012. But it almost certainly would not have grown into so large a human epidemic, he said.

By the end of 2012, the virus had sickened at least 5,674 U.S. residents and killed 286 people.

Trophies, plaques, ribbons, medals and other mementos from Yarling's triathlon racing career are displayed at his home. (Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

A Brush With A Deadly Disease

In 2012, Chuck Yarling was working as a math tutor and training for his next race. An avid social media commenter and occasional writer for the now-defunct conservative site Examiner.com, he expressed his fears about political correctness and the Obama administration. I am concerned, he wrote online, about how much power is being concentrated in our federal government.

He and Richard Blakely, a fellow Vietnam veteran, had been buddies for more than 40 years. The two men had the habit of meeting every week at the Santa Rita Cantina, a Tex-Mex restaurant near Yarlings home in Austin where they always sat at the same table.

On the afternoon of Aug. 16, 2012, Blakely drove to the Santa Rita Cantina as usual. But Yarling didnt show up. Blakely stopped by the apartment where his friend lived alone. Yarlings truck was parked out front, but he didnt answer a knock.

Blakely went to get help, and a maintenance supervisor was able to find an apartment window that wasnt fully locked. Inside, the supervisor discovered Yarling collapsed on the bedroom floor, his skin burning hot to the touch. They called an ambulance.

When Yarling woke up at the Texas NeuroRehab Center in Austin, his sister was in the room. Yarling was so disoriented that he barely recognized her. What the fuck am I doing here? he recalled wondering. And then: When am I going to race again?

In neurologist Dr. C. Jack Fraims opinion, the answer to the second question was never. The virus had inflamed Yarlings brain and spinal cord, causing back pain so excruciating that he spent days weeping. The virus had also caused paralysis in his legs and feet, requiring Yarling to use a wheelchair. The doctor believed that at most, his patient would eventually move with the assistance of a walker.

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Yarling winces as he ties his shoes before exercising at the fitness center in his apartment complex. (Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

I remember being fearful of that for him because of his prior history of being, you know, Triathlon Guy, Fraim said. He worried Yarling would become suicidal.

Yarling was depressed. He spent three months in rehabilitation centers, where he relied on nurses for everything, including changing his diaper.

After a while, he said, you really dont give a crap about much of anything.

The Hazards Of A Warmer World

Its difficult to predict exactly how the West Nile virus will behave in a climate-changed future. Epidemics result from an ecological dance between a virus, mosquitoes, human beings and birds, which also host the virus. Any small change  a mutation, a shift in bird migrations, a difference in human behavior  could alter the rhythm of that dance in surprising ways.

But Haley, the Dallas epidemiologist, worries that future outbreaks, fueled by a warmer climate, will grow bigger and endanger more people. Hes so alarmed about climate change that hes started giving lectures on the subject to medical audiences, warning that disease outbreaks, heat waves, weather disasters and other climate-related threats are a major human health problem.

Its much more serious than most people realize, he said.

But even as doctors sound the alarm, many Texas leaders have shown reluctance to acknowledge the threat to state residents. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has disputed the idea that humans are causing the problem.

Like his states conservative politicians, Yarling seems unconcerned by scientists warnings.

There is no such thing as a man-made global warming, he said. Its all a myth.

As for what did cause his illness, Blakely worried that Yarlings grueling triathlon prep may have been a factor. Days before he collapsed in his bedroom, Yarling had completed a strenuous training workout. Maybe that had worn down his body enough that it couldnt fend off the virus. It was a possibility, Yarling thought. But he was also sure that his physical fitness had ultimately saved his life.

In December, Yarling moved in with Blakely and his wife. Blakely refused to allow his friend to remain in a funk. He drove him to appointments. He took him shopping.

He made me become mobile, Yarling said.

Four-and-half months after Yarling was first hospitalized, a visiting physical therapist helped him stand up from his wheelchair and take a few steps with a walker.

Richard Blakely helps Yarling stand up after dining together at a Mexican restaurant in Austin. (Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

Now, Blakely had a new way to push Yarling. When the physical therapist wasnt around, hed help his friend stand. While Yarling inched forward, Blakely rolled a wheelchair behind, ready to catch him.

As the months passed, balancing upright remained an elusive skill. But in the pool, Yarling could defy gravity. In May 2013, he swam 100 meters for the first time since his illness.

I moved my big toe on my left foot! he wrote to his Facebook friends a month later.

Nearly a year passed. I walked 100 feet today with two canes!!! he wrote. Even I am immensely surprised and elated.

One night, Yarling dreamed that he was running in his first triathlon since the illness. But the road was slippery, and the fictitious officials called off the race before he could finish.

In June 2017, five years after the West Nile epidemic began, Blakely helped Yarling get back up on his bicycle for the first time. The bike rolled, and Yarling stayed upright, flying faster under his own muscle power than since before the virus attacked.

Yarling exercises on his old triathlon bicycle, which he attached to a stationary bike stand on the patio outside his apartment. (Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

It was only five weeks later that the pair awoke before dawn to drive to San Marcos. After Blakely watched his friend ride away on his bike, he waited at the side of the race course. An hour passed, and he began to worry. One of Yarlings competitors, a woman hed passed while swimming, zoomed toward the finish line.

He should have been faster than her on a bike, Blakely muttered. Putting his hands to his hips, he peered at the horizon.

At last, Blakely spotted a thin cyclist wearing a familiar black-and-white racing shirt. As Yarling pedaled closer, Blakely could see that his friends right leg was splattered with blood.

You OK? a race volunteer called.

I had two crashes and some cuts to my skin, but other than that, Im fine, Yarling replied.

Twice, he explained, hed needed help from race workers to start rolling again after falls. But he refused to quit.

After medics cleaned Yarlings wounds and applied gauze, Blakely brought a shot of whiskey to his cot in the medical tent. Yarling downed it. Hed placed dead last, but hed finished the race.

I feel glorious, he said, beaming.

Yarling reacts to a text message from his friend Richard Blakely. (Photo: Tamir Kalifa for HuffPost)

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

President Trumps proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports have alarmed markets, suppliers and manufacturers around the world, but U.S. consumers may not feel the impact until next year.

Thats because it takes time for the higher cost of raw materials to work its way through the supply chain. But once those costs kick in, consumer prices for big-ticket consumer items like autos and appliances could start rising as much as 10% next year, according to Bill Selesky, an analyst who covers Ford Motors at Argus Research, an investment research firm in New York City.

There will be little effect for consumers in 2018, but they may begin to feel the impact in 2019 and 2020, Selesky says. What would happen in the mid to late term is that prices could rise from 5 percent to 10 percent, and these are numbers that make people open their eyes and take notice.



As a result, it might make more sense for consumers to buy a new car or big appliance this year.

If you think youre in the market, then you might want to buy right away, says Dan Ikenson, director of trade policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Demand for autos might be artificially inflated and drive up prices anyway.

The true impact, however, wont be known until the Trump Administration releases details of the proposed tariffs sometime in the coming week. President Trump has proposed a 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on aluminum, but that could be watered down or more narrowly focused by the time the final plan is worked out.

The word planned is the operative term here, says Joseph Minarik, Senior Vice President and Director of Research for the Committee for Economic Development, a D.C.-based public policy group. The Presidents economic staff was unprepared and exactly how this will take effect is still unclear.

Selesky agrees. I dont think these are the final numbers. If something gets enacted it will be modified, he says.

Story continues

Whatever tariffs end up being imposed, the impact on prices could take months to materialize.

I think the countries involved would want to see how they will be impacted financially by these tariffs, Selesky says. If the tariffs stay the same after 12 months, I think countries will retaliate.

Then there are supply-chain logistics that come into play.

Many U.S. manufacturers may have products that are waiting to be sold in lots and warehouses. They also may have raw materials like steel and aluminum stockpiled.

There are cars produced, cars in inventory," Ikenson says "There is steel in inventory and a lot of the bigger carmakers are insulated by year-long contracts which has already been priced out.

Still, there are plenty of unknowns when it comes to tariffs.

Things that seem relatively trivial come into play, like do the tariffs impact products currently on the high seas or sitting in ports waiting to be processed through customs? says Minarik, who worked in the Clinton administrations Office of Management and Budget.

Tariffs also can have ripple effects on the rest of the economy, often with unforeseen consequences.

Since steel and aluminum are used in autos, appliances, airliners, pipes, building infrastructure, beer cans and soup cans, there could be price increases across the economy, Ikenson says.

Fleets of trucks could be impacted, the cost of travel, the cost of food, even the cost of your restaurant experience could go up, he adds. In an economy where you tax [steel and aluminum,] you have a much larger ripple effect.

In a statement to Consumer Reports, Ford Motors said, Despite the fact that Ford buys the vast majority of its steel and aluminum for U.S. production in the U.S., this action could result in an increase in domestic commodity prices  harming the competitiveness of American manufacturers.

And the Miller Coors brewing company also warned of rising prices and the impact to American workers.

Like most brewers, we are selling an increasing amount of our beers in aluminum cans and this action will cause aluminum prices to rise and is likely to lead to job losses across the beer industry, the brewery says. We buy as much domestic can sheet aluminum as is available. However, there simply isnt enough supply to satisfy the demands of American beverage makers like us. American workers and American consumers will suffer as a result of this misguided tariff.

Although the tariffs are meant to protect U.S. steel makers, Ikenson says they can have harmful effects on the wider economy.

For every one job in the steel industry there are 60 jobs in the steel using industry, Ikenson explains.

Selesky agrees that the consequences can outweigh the benefits.

Be careful what you wish for," he says. "A potential trade war could create more problems than it initially solves.







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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2018, Consumer Reports, Inc.Donald Trump appears to be backpedalling on gun control after the National Rifle Association insisted the President did not want to implement policies he had seemed to endorse.

The apparent U-turn comes after Mr Trump accused lawmakers of being petrified of the NRA, who had great power over them, but less power over me.

On Wednesday, the President shocked both allies and opponents after calling for a beautiful bill that would expand background checks on gun buyers, prevent mentally ill people from accessing firearms, and restrict teenagers from buying assault weapons.

Most surprisingly for gun rights proponents, Mr Trump said he supported giving law enforcement the ability to take the guns first, go through due process second.

But Chris Cox, the NRAs chief lobbyist, suggested the President had reversed his position following a White House meeting, and wanted safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people.

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[Mr Trump and Mike Pence] support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and dont want gun control, he wrote on Twitter.

Later on Thursday evening, the President tweeted that it had been a good (great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA.

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The comments will spark fear among Democrats and gun control supporters that the 71-year-old was doing what one Republican described as agreeing with the last thing that was said to him.

During a bipartisan meeting on school safety, Mr Trump repeatedly berated politicians for failing to act on gun control.

Some of you people are petrified of the NRA. You cant be petrified, Mr Trump said. His comments suggested he was keen to break with the pro-gun lobbys position on gun rights following the Parkland high school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead.

Ben Sasse, a Republican senator for Nebraska, condemned Mr Trumps initial comments supporting increased gun control.

Strong leaders do not automatically agree with the last thing that was said to them, he said. We have the second amendment and due process of law for a reason.

Were not ditching any constitutional protections simply because the last person the President talked to today doesnt like them.Early Friday morning, while markets reeled over his tariff announcement and Russia unveiled new missiles designed to attack America, President Trump finally said something that made sense.

Sadly, it was nothing to do with policy. Instead, he addressed who should impersonate him on Saturday Night Live.

We have known for years that Trump disapproves of Alec Baldwin's lippy, squinty impression of the commander in chief, but it took some brave honesty from head of the United States executive branch to give Lorne Michaels some desperately needed casting advice.

SEE ALSO: This Donald Trump-Alec Baldwin 'deepfake' video is beyond disturbing

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It took two years, but he finally said something that we can agree with. Well, not the fact that Alec "Jack Donaghy" Baldwin's career is mediocre. But it's certainly true that Darrell Hammond, now the voice of SNL's intro, has typically done a much more believable and comedic version of Trump. And we wouldn't be sad at all to see Baldwin replaced.

But before you stand and applaud the former reality TV star's opinion, you should know that he first tweeted it out with some extremely glaring errors.

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Wow. The fact that he chose to delete this tweet, fix it, and resend it really speaks to his conviction on this issue. We wish he had the same commitment when it came to gun control.

We're not sure what led to this early morning tirade against Alec(x?) Baldwin, but we're also sure it was Fox News.

Despite the initial stumbling block of typos and grammatical confusion, Trump's tweet quickly caught a round of support.

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Many more, however, were simply confused that the 45th person to hold the highest office in our land chooses to spend his time in this manner.

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#FreeHammond

UPDATE: March 2, 2018, 11:58 a.m. EST

Feeling besmirched, Baldwin felt the deep, dramatic need to respond to Trump on Twitter's turf with a mini tweet storm of his own.

Story continues

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Surely, this will once and for all settle this matter.President Donald Trump may yet again reverse his stance on gun control after meeting with the powerful National Rifle Association gun lobby on Thursday.

The president met with the group along with Vice President Mike Pence after accusing Republicans of being afraid of the NRA and the power they wield on Capitol Hill during a bipartisan White House meeting discussing tougher gun laws Wednesday.

Trump and the vice president support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and dont want gun control, tweeted the NRAs executive director Chris Cox after the meeting. We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people, Cox wrote.

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03_02_Trump

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Questions about Trumps stance on the Second Amendment arose after he said guns should be taken away from the mentally ill without due process during Wednesdays meeting.

The NRA opposes several other measures Trump backed during the meeting with lawmakers. The president called for the age limit to buy assault weapons like the AR-15a weapon used in the mass shooting that left 17 dead at a Florida high school last monthto be boosted from 18 to 21.

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The NRA has asked the president directly not to back the measure in any gun reform laws. Yet Trump accused Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey and others in his party on Wednesday of being too afraid of the NRA to add it to a bipartisan gun control bill they have put together.

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Trump also appeared to back a potential ban on assault weapons proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinsteina measure the NRA strongly opposes.

The gun lobby supports the presidents proposal to arm teachers who go through training. He has also proposed issuing an executive order to ban bump stocksa gun accessory that increases a weapons rate of fire.

Story continues

Read more: Trump won't need to run in 2020 if he backs taking guns from mentally ill without due process, says Fox's Laura Ingraham

NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said most of the ideas discussed at the White House made for great TV" but would make for bad policy that would not keep our children safe.

Joe Biggs, an NRA member and head of Rogue Right, a hard right news startup, called Trump's proposals "the stupidest fucking thing Ive ever heard in my life."

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"Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!" Trump tweeted after meeting with the gun lobby group Thursday. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called new gun laws an "ongoing process" during Thursday's press briefing.

The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month has sparked outcry from students at the school and members of the public for lawmakers to take actions that will prevent further massacres. Yet lawmakers are unable to agree on what a bill should contain.

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Without consensus on what a gun reform bill should look like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will turn to other matters next week. I'm hoping there's a way forward, he said.

Senate Majority Whip Republican John Cornyn dismissed Trumps meeting with lawmakers as brainstorming and likened it to Legislating 101. Trump, he said, is not the one who is going to come up with a plan.

Obviously, he's important, Cornyn said of the presidents input, but it's our job to write the legislation and he either vetoes it or he signs it.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekConsumer demand for guns is plummeting because Americans are no longer scared that the president will take away their guns.

American Outdoor Brands Corp, maker of Smith & Wesson firearms, has said demand is falling to new, lower levels, after years of increasing sales under President Barack Obama, Bloomberg reported.

The company recorded a 32.6 percent drop in net sales compared with last year, while its rivals have also been struggling. In February, 200-year-old gun maker Remington filed for bankruptcy, beset by reduced sales and ongoing lawsuits linked to the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre, during which shooter Adam Lanza used one of the companys weapons.

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In light of the new figures, American Outdoor Brands lowered its annual sales target by $63.5 million, to $599 million.

GettyImages-857644240 Guns for sale Las Vegas

ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

In December, company CEO Jack Debney warned that fear-based buying was no longer buoying the market under Trump. Falling demand was forcing gun makers to discount heavily. Despite events such as 2017s Black Friday, which set a record of 203,000 background checks in one day, sales remain subdued.

FBI firearm background checks are used as a proxy for national gun sales. The number of checks performed have increased in 13 of the last 14 years, reaching a record 27,538,673 in 2016. This fell 8.4 percent to 25,235,215 in 2017.

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The falling trend looks likely to continue this year. The number of checks in January 2018 was 2,030,530, down from 2,043,184 in January 2017.

The U.S. has the highest gun ownership rate in the world, with 101 guns for every 100 Americans. Although gun sales rose consistently during the Obama years, most of these sales were to existing owners, reacting to his appeals for more stringent laws after several mass shootings during his time in the White House.

Story continues

Gun ownership in the U.S. is highly concentrated. Only around 30 percent of Americans say they own a firearm, but 66 percent of owners have more than one. Of these multiple gun owners, 29 percent own more than five guns. Just 3 percent of Americans own 133 million guns between them.

GettyImages-866380872 Gun sale

JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

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Gun enthusiasts' confidence in a Republican president may yet turn out to be misplaced. During his presidential campaign, he assured voters, I love the Second Amendment. However, his stance on gun controlif he had onemight have changed.

This week, Trump stunned his party and the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby by coming out in favor of tighter gun controls. At one point, he even suggested that authorities should be able to Take the guns first, follow due process second, when disarming people considered to be a threat, such as those with mental health issues.

Trump has been considering gun law reform following the February 14 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.

The NRA has come under considerable public pressure for the influence its lobbying has cultivated in Washington, D.C. The NRA spent $5,122,000 on its lobbying efforts in 2017, the highest ever annual total.

Several large companies have severed their ties with the organisation following the Florida tragedy, and large gun retailers have been taking assault-style rifles off their shelves.

GettyImages-674911622 Trump Gun

Scott Olson/Getty Images

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWashington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump on Thursday advocated the death penalty for drug dealers, escalating his tough-on-crime rhetoric amid an opioid crisis that kills an estimated 200 Americans a day.

"The drug dealers, the drug pushers, they are really doing damage," Trump said during a White House meeting on the crisis.

"Some countries have a very, very tough penalty. The ultimate penalty and, by the way they, they have much less of a drug problem than we do," Trump said.

His comments echo rumors around the White House of Trump speaking in glowing terms about the policies of deeply controversial Filipino leader Rodrigo Duterte.

His rule has coincided with a rash of extrajudicial killings, supposedly targeted at drug dealers, which are being investigated by the International Criminal Court.

"We need strength against pushers and drug dealers," he said. "You have to have strength and you have to have toughness."

"So we're going to have to be very strong on penalties."

"We have pushers and drug dealers that don't -- I mean they kill hundreds and hundreds of people and most of them don't even go to jail."

"If you shoot one person, they give you life. They give you the death penalty. These people can kill 2,000, 3,000 people and nothing happens to them."Washington (AFP) - US President Donald Trump said he will sign off "next week" on tariffs on cheap steel and aluminum imports, which he insists harm domestic producers -- defying opposition in the White House and reviving fears of a trade war.

Here are reactions from around the world to Thursday's announcement:

- Canada -

"Any tariffs or quotas that would be imposed on our Canadian steel and aluminum industry would be unacceptable. Any such decision would have an impact on both sides of the border," said Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, who told parliament the situation was being followed "very carefully."

"It is entirely inappropriate to view any trade with Canada as a national security threat to the United States. We will always stand up for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses," added Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, pointing out the United States' $2 billion surplus in steel trade with Canada.

"Should restrictions be imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum products, Canada will take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers," she said.

- European Union -

"The EU will react firmly and commensurately to defend our interests," was the response of European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.

"The Commission will bring forward in the next few days a proposal for WTO-compatible countermeasures against the US to rebalance the situation," he said in a statement, referring to the World Trade Organization.

He added the initiative seems to be "a blatant intervention to protect US domestic industry and not to be based on any national security justification."

"We will not sit idly while our industry is hit with unfair measures that put thousands of European jobs at risk," he said.

- United Kingdom -

"We are engaging with the US on what this announcement means in practice. We have been clear that we are particularly concerned by any measures that would impact the UK steel and aluminium industries," a spokesperson for the British government told AFP.

Story continues

"Overcapacity remains a significant global issue and we believe multilateral action is the only way to resolve it in all parties' interests."

- Germany -

The German steel industry federation WV Stahl said the protectionist measures "violate the rules of the WTO" and will have a major impact on the country's steel market.Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

President Donald Trump narrowed the scope of his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but consumers could still see higher prices on some cars and appliances next year.

The president signed proclamations this week imposing a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, effective March 23. But in a significant concession, he left out two big U.S. trading partners--Canada and Mexico--and left room for other countries to negotiate ways to avoid the tariffs.

Excluding Canada and Mexico means prices on big-ticket consumer items could rise 2.5 to 5 percent next year rather than up to 10 percent as originally feared, says Bill Selesky, an analyst who covers Ford Motors at Argus Research, an investment research firm in New York City.

"There will still be an impact, but not to the same degree," Selesky said.

Even with the potentially smaller price increase, Dan Ikenson, director of trade policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, says that consumers might want to consider buying a car or appliance this year rather than waiting. A 2.5 percent increase for a $30,000 car is $750.

"Even if the tariffs are applied more narrowly, there will still be a higher cost to steel and aluminum," Ikenson said. "Combine that with rising demand for autos in a growing economy, and prices will likely be higher next year than this year."

Trump has made the Canada and Mexico exclusion dependent on a successful renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. If those talks fail, and the president decides to impose tariffs on those countries after all, prices could increase by up to 10 percent next year, says Selesky.

Canada is the number one source of imported steel to the United States, while Mexico is among the nation's top foreign suppliers.

Tariffs Timeline

Whatever happens, consumers won't feel the impact until next year because it takes time for the higher cost of raw materials to work its way through the supply chain.

Story continues

Many U.S. manufacturers may already have products that are waiting to be sold in lots and warehouses or have raw materials such as steel and aluminum stockpiled.

There are cars produced, cars in inventory, says Ikenson. There is steel in inventory, and a lot of the bigger carmakers are insulated by yearlong contracts, which have already been priced out.

But once those costs kick in, prices for big-ticket consumer items like autos and appliances could start rising.

Uncertainty Abounds

The true impact, however, may not be known for some time because the tariffs announced this week could be modified further.

The tariffs are being imposed under the auspices of national security, giving the administration flexibility to make changes whenever it wants, Ikenson says.

"Trump said 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum, but if you start excluding countries, that might bump the tariffs number up to 40 percent for imports from places like China," he says.

Mexico and Canada account for about 50 percent of U.S. steel imports, he says, while China accounts for just over 2 percent.

Further complicating the calculation is the fact that steel is not really a commodity in the same way as, for example, oil.

"There are many, many different grades and they're used in different products. The anti-corrosive steel that goes into a car is 50 percent more expensive than raw steel," Ikenson says.

Then there is the question of how much steel (or aluminum) goes into a product.

"A car is usually 25 percent steel, while an oil pipe is 100 percent steel," he says.

Whatever the impact, it could still affect a broad swath of the economy.

Since steel and aluminum are used in autos, appliances, airliners, pipes, building infrastructure, beer cans, and soup cans, there could be price increases across the economy, Ikenson says.

Fleets of trucks could be impacted, the cost of travel, the cost of food, even the cost of your restaurant experience could go up, he adds. In an economy where you tax [steel and aluminum], you have a much larger ripple effect.

In a statement to Consumer Reports, Ford Motors said, Despite the fact that Ford buys the vast majority of its steel and aluminum for U.S. production in the U.S., this action could result in an increase in domestic commodity pricesharming the competitiveness of American manufacturers.

In the end, Ikenson says, consumers will feel the impact in 2019, but the severity of the impact will be depend on the products consumers purchase, what countries are impacted by the tariffs, and the final tariff numbers.

Tariff Action, Tariff Retaliation

I think the countries involved would want to see how they will be impacted financially by these tariffs, Selesky says. If the tariffs stay the same after 12 months, I think countries will retaliate.

But retaliation threats are already flowing from across the Atlantic with European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker announcing that the confederation of European nations could slap tariffs on everything from American-made Harley-Davidson motorcycles to Kentucky bourbon. Even Florida and California oranges would be in the crosshairs for European tariffs.

Tariffs also can have ripple effects on the rest of the economy, often with unforeseen consequences.

Although the tariffs are meant to protect U.S. steelmakers, Ikenson says they can have harmful effects on the wider economy.

For every one job in the steel industry there are 60 jobs in the steel-using industry, Ikenson says.

Selesky agrees that the consequences can outweigh the benefits.

Be careful what you wish for, he says. A potential trade war could create more problems than it initially solves.

The MillerCoors brewing company warned of rising prices and the impact to American workers.

Like most brewers, we are selling an increasing amount of our beers in aluminum cans and this action will cause aluminum prices to rise and is likely to lead to job losses across the beer industry, the brewery says. We buy as much domestic can sheet aluminum as is available. However, there simply isnt enough supply to satisfy the demands of American beverage makers like us. American workers and American consumers will suffer as a result of this misguided tariff.

The National Retail Federation, a retail trade association, on Thursday said it was concerned about the planned tariffs.

The retail industry is extremely concerned by the administrations apparent desire to ignite a trade war, where the net losers will be the very people the president wants to help," the federation's CEO, Matthew Shay, said in a statement released during the President's announcement.

"A tariff is a tax, an unnecessary tax on every American family and a self-inflicted wound on the nations economy," he said.

"Consumers are just beginning to see more money in their paychecks following tax reform, but those gains will soon be offset."





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2018, Consumer Reports, Inc.Beirut (AFP) - Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll.

The two-storey building where the fighters were located was completely eviscerated, an AFP correspondent reported, with several burnt out vehicles visible among the rubble.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours.

They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said.

Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20, when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help.

The Observatory says Turkish-led forces control more than 20 percent of the enclave after seizing the area of Rajo in the northwest of Afrin on Saturday.

They also seized a strategic mountain in the northeast of the enclave, a military official from the Turkish-led operation said.

Ankara says the YPG is a "terrorist" extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

The YPG has been a key component of a United States-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance that has been fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria.

The Observatory says more than 140 civilians have been killed in Turkish bombardment since the start of the assault, but Turkey denies the claim and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since the start of the operation, either to the town of Afrin or to nearby government-controlled areas.The Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ advocacy groups are launching a television ad campaign across the nation Friday demanding that impulsive president Donald Trump drop his attempt to ban transgender service members in the military.

The 30-second spot will run on morning shows on CNN, MSNBC and Trumps go-to network, Fox News.

The total ban on transgender troops demanded by Trump last summer is currently blocked by federal court rulings and has been criticized by military leaders.

The ad, titled Patriots, features quotes from officials slamming the ban as unconstitutional and harmful to national security. An impulsive president tweets that transgender Americans wont be allowed to serve, the ad says. But decorated military leaders say theres no reason to single out these brave heroes.

Matt Thorn, president and CEO of OutServe-SLDN, one of the sponsors of the ad, said in a statement that trans service members deserve a commander-in-chief who values their commitment, their honor, their courage to this country, and their willingness to risk their lives in defense of its freedoms.

Trumps plan had been set to go into effect March 23, but its future is uncertain in light of the court rulings.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last month delivered his recommendations concerning trans troops to Trump, but details have not been revealed.

The secretary of defense made his recommendation to the White House, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Dave Eastburn told HuffPost. The recommendation was a private conversation between the secretary and the White House, and the contents of the conversation will remain private.

Reports have suggested that Mattis would urge Trump to allow transgender troops to remain in the U.S. military. Trumps announcement took the Pentagon by surprise. The Pentagon had lifted the ban on transgender service members in 2016 after completing an exhaustive review of its military readiness policies.

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The Trump administration has been sued by nine individuals and Lambda Legal, Outserve-SLDN, HRC, Gender Justice League and the American Military Partners Association. All of the organizations are sponsoring television campaigns along with a full-page ad in USA Today and 32 Gannett newspapers around the nation.

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The Pentagon said in December it would again accept openly transgender recruits Jan. 1 because of the court rulings  but reluctantly.

This policy will be implemented while the Department of Justice appeals those court orders, a Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement. The Department of Defense 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.

The first openly transgender recruit has signed up to join the military since the court rulings blocking the ban, the Department of Defense confirmed Feb. 23.

Also on HuffPost

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.The State Department announced Friday that the U.S. embassy in Havana would withdraw 60 percent of its personnel permanently, after mysterious sonic attacks affected several diplomats.

The embassy will continue to operate with the minimum personnel necessary to perform core diplomatic and consular functions, similar to the level of emergency staffing maintained during ordered departure, the State Department said in a statement, according to Reuters. The embassy will operate as an unaccompanied post, defined as a post at which no family members are permitted to reside.

The decision comes six months after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the department would pull out most of its personnel from Havana, as a result of the 24 diplomats who were injured from the inexplicable attacks that occurred between November 2016 and August 2017. In separate incidents, 19 U.S. citizens who traveled to Cuba reportedly experienced symptoms similar to those suffered by government personnel; a travel warning was issued for the island on September 29.

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YAMIL LAGE/AFP/Getty Images

The staff reductions would have a big impact on U.S.-Cuba diplomatic relations, according to officials cited by ProPublicaespecially for Cubans who want to travel to the United States. A decision memorandum was submitted to Tillerson last week, which included a proposal to keep an emergency staff of 18 diplomats in Havana. Department regulations stipulate that a temporary evacuation of personnel can only last six months before becoming permanent; March 4 would have been the deadline to send some diplomats back to their jobs or reduce staff.

Since September, most of the visa processing has been suspended in Cuba, while issuing of immigration visas has been transferred to Colombia, The Miami Herald reported. Cubans must fly to a third-party nation to request tourist and other non-immigrant visas.

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Likewise, the number of American tourists travelling to Cuba has dropped after the State Department warned U.S. citizens to "reconsider" visiting the island, the publication added.

The State Department still hasnt reached a conclusion as to how its staff was affected. The FBI reportedly ruled out any evidence that supports the use of sonic waves against American staffers in Havana, according to an Associated Press report on January 9. Nevertheless, the department blames the Cuban government for not having protected its personnel.

Meanwhile, Havana has adamantly rejected any involvement in the sonic attacks and expressed doubts about how these incidents took place, the Herald reported. The events also led to the dismissal of 15 Cuban embassy officials in Washington last October.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekBy Jeff Mason and Greg Lacour

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - U.S. evangelist Billy Graham, who preached to millions and counselled presidents in his 70-year career, was remembered as a man who loved his family and the Bible at a funeral on Friday attended by President Donald Trump in Graham's native North Carolina.

The service at his religious centre was a mix of Bible readings, tender family memories, songs and words meant to inspire. About 2,300 people gathered beneath a canvas tent emblematic of Graham's 1949 Los Angeles revival that marked his breakthrough as a religious leader.

Graham, who died on Feb. 21 at age 99, lay in honour at the U.S. Capitol this week in recognition of a clergyman who became the first noted evangelist to take his message to the Soviet bloc when its communist regimes were hostile to organised religion.

"Just a few days ago, my father followed Jesus all the way to heaven," son Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said at the funeral.

He said the man seen by millions around the world preaching the Bible was the same man at home. Billy Graham asked his children to read him the Bible because he loved to hear God's word, other family members said.

"He was faithful. He was available and he was teachable," son Nelson Ned Graham told the service.

Trump, a Republican, sat with first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, in the front row.

The president spoke with family members ahead of the funeral, including Jean Ford, Graham's sister, but was not among the speakers at the service.

Graham will be buried in a pine coffin made by Louisiana prison inmates and laid to rest next to his late wife, Ruth, at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte.

His headstone will carry his name, dates of birth and death and the inscription "Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" above a reference to John 14:6. The Bible passage reads: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

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Graham became the de facto White House chaplain to several U.S. presidents, most famously Richard Nixon.

The evangelist found himself at times in controversy over his disapproving stand on gay rights, as well as over a secretly recorded conversation with Nixon in which the cleric complained that Jews had too much influence on the U.S. media.

(Additional reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; writing by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Osterman)MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A blast last month on a tourist ferry in the Mexican beach resort of Playa del Carmen was caused by "an explosive device" that injured passengers, including U.S. tourists, the U.S. embassy in Mexico said on Thursday. A security alert posted on the embassy's website warned American citizens to exercise caution and said Mexican authorities continued to investigate the blast. Two more explosive devices were found attached to another ferry on the island of Cozumel on Thursday, local media reported, saying marine troops had secured the scene. The Ministry of the Marina did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Quintana Roo state prosecutors office said federal agents were investigating the cases. The federal attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Quintana Roo state port authority said on Feb. 21 that the initial signs were that a mechanical failure had caused the explosion in Playa del Carmen that injured at least 18 people. Local media reported up to 25 people had been hurt, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. Local media also reported that a drug gang had taken credit for the blast. The same company, Barcos Caribe, operated both the ferry in Playa de Carmen and Cozumel, and is owned by the father of former Quintana Roo state Governor Roberto Borge, who is facing corruption charges, local media reported. Barcos Caribe did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Borge, from Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), was extradited in January from Panama to face charges of embezzlement and abuse of public office. Borge has denied the allegations. (Reporting by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Peter Cooney)The U.S., the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and fighters supportive of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have all recently engaged in battles with one another in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, but recent developments have pulled both pro-Syrian government fighters and U.S.-backed Kurds away from this battle and united them against a new, common enemy.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, a secular and largely Kurdish group established by the Pentagon in October 2015, has been the leading ally of the U.S. in Syria since relations with the mostly Sunni Muslim Arab opposition trying to overthrow Assad since 2011 fell out. As Washington's priorities shifted from regime change to defeating ISIS, the Syrian Democratic Forces served as the vanguard to U.S. ground efforts to fight the jihadis, which have been largely defeated by both pro-Syrian government and U.S.-led campaigns as of late last year.

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Turkeyan unsteady U.S. ally in the Middle East and fellow member of the NATO Western military allianceconsidered a number of Kurdish militant groups operating within the Syrian Democratic Forces to be terrorist organizations on par with ISIS. In January, Turkey launched a joint offensive with the former CIA-backed Free Syrian Army to dismantle Kurdish control over the northwestern enclave of Afrin. As result, thousands of Kurdish fighters have reportedly left their positions in the east and the U.S. has struggled to mediate between two of its allies in Syria.

"The Coalition maintains that any partner effort in Syria not directed at defeating Daesh is not helpful," a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement sent Thursday to Newsweek, using the Arabic-language acronym for ISIS.

"We are aware of the departure of some SDF forces from the Middle Euphrates River Valley and continue to point out the potential costs of any distraction from the Defeat-ISIS fight," he added.

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The coalition also said that Syrian Democratic Forces commander General Haval Mazloum was now arranging his fighters "to meet the demands of a complex situation and we acknowledge his leadership decisions under our long-standing approach of working by, with and through our partners to achieve the lasting defeat of Daesh and ensure Syrian answers to Syrian challenges." It stated that "no other force could have achieved such a rapid defeat of Daesh, followed by the flourishing of local, representative government."

The dominant faction of the Syrian Democratic Forces, however, is the People's Protection Units (YPG), one of the Kurdish militias that Turkey has linked to a violent, decades-long insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Awkward clashes have frequently broken out between the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Free Syrian Army, the premier recipient of the CIA's doomed "rebel train and equip program" intended to oust Assad, who the West has accused of human rights abuses.

These tensions grew as ISIS lost out to the pro-Syrian government and U.S.-led campaigns in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. Addressing U.S. support for the YPG, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned in January that "the fight against terrorism cannot be won by siding with one terrorist organization against another" in a Newsweek op-ed.

The crisis erupted shortly after the U.S.-led coalition suggested days later that it was forming a 30,000-strong border security force to be maintained by the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. Turkey vowed to crush the "terror army" and rallied its Free Syrian Army allies to launch the so-called "Operation Olive Branch" that, despite fierce resistance, has made slow gains in Afrin over the past month.

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The Pentagon pushed back, saying "the Afrin operations are impeding the task to eliminate ISIS" and refusing to remove U.S. troops deployed in the Kurd-held city of Manbij. Ultimately, the U.S. acknowledged Turkish concerns about potential Kurdish infiltration of the border and has not moved to halt the Turkish offensive. Russia has provided support to Kurdish forces in the past, but saw Turkey as part of its own efforts to solve the seven-year civil war in Syria and also declined to intervene directly in Afrin.

As neither the U.S. nor Russia would risk their relationship with Turkey by attempting to stop the attack and Syrian Kurds watched U.S. abandonment of Kurds in Iraq, Syrian Kurdish leadership reached out directly to Assad, with whom they had a complicated relationship, but one less hostile than their connection to Turkey and its Free Syrian Army allies as of late.

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Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

"Who's going to fight and die for us when we're not a reliable ally?" David L. Phillips, director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia Universitys Institute for the Study of Human Rights, told Newsweek.

"They turned to Assad, who's no friend of the Kurds, but we gave them no choice," Phillips added. "Make no mistake, the Free Syrian Army is a jihadist force. They mutilate the bodies of Kurdish fighters. The idea that we'd see the Free Syrian Army as anything but a terror army is ludicrous."

Describing the relationship between the YPG and the Syrian government as a "transactional reliance" that could potentially help Kurds achieve greater autonomy in a post-war Syrian constitution, Phillips said the U.S. had effectively chosen the interests of Turkey and its allies over those of the Kurds.

The YPG has fought both alongside and against Syrian troops throughout the seven-year civil war, but the Kurdish community's hopes for autonomy and their U.S. backing has kept them mostly apart from Damascus. Like Turkey, Syria also labeled the YPG a terrorist organization and Assad's father and predecessor actually won Turkey over by extraditing PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1998. The militant leader's face has been frequently featured on the flags and uniforms of the YPG and its allies.

As the war progressed, the younger Assad has since viewed Turkey as the greater enemy, due to its support for Syrian insurgents and incursion into Syrian territory. After a deal was reportedly reached last month between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces, pro-Assad convoys arrived at the frontlines of Afrin.

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A Russian military intervention in support of Assad in September 2015, a month before the Syrian Democratic Forces were officiated, helped the Baathist Syrian leader once again emerge the primary political actor in Syria. The momentum behind the 2011 uprising dissipated with infighting and growing jihadi influence among opposition groups. After devoting a substantial amount of resources to various insurgents, the U.S. too cut assistance to those insisting on fighting Assad instead of ISIS.

As the U.S.'s new top partner, the Syrian Democratic Forces stormed the de facto ISIS capital of Raqqa in October. The following month, the Syrian militarysupported by Russia and various allied militias, many of which were local and international Shiite Muslim forces backed by Iranretook the eastern jihadi stronghold of Deir Ezzor, where some Syrian troops had been trapped under siege for more than three years. Reports of violence arose on lines of control shared by the Syrian Democratic Forces and pro-Syrian government forces, but they remained minor. Since the Afrin front opened on the other side of Syria, however, the dynamics have changed.

The Syrian Democratic Forces included a large number of Arab fighters in addition to Kurds and other ethnic minorities, but Kurds have always filled out its leadership positions. The Kurdish flight northwest threatened to leave the largely Arab component of the Syrian Democratic Forces active in Deir Ezzor in disarray.

The result could spell disaster as fresh tensions over nearby oil fields have pitted the mostly Arab factions of the Syrian Democratic Forces against pro-Syrian government fighters. U.S. strikes on pro-Syrian government forces earlier this month left up to 100 dead, including Russian citizens. The U.S. said these clashes were provoked by pro-Assad forces trying to take back natural resources previously seized by ISIS, but Russia and Syria have said the U.S. was the aggressor and was protecting the jihadi group.

AfrinCampaign20180226

Institute for the Study of War

Syria Control of Terrain - 22 FEB 2018-page-001

Institute for the Study of War

"In a way, ISIS belied important geopolitical differences that are now becoming clearer. ISIS was a great unifier in the sense that virtually all international actors opposed the group and were therefore prepared to set aside differences to work towards this common goal," Max Abrahms, assistant professor at Northeastern University and expert on international terrorism, told Newsweek.

"As ISIS has waned, though, we are seeing strategic links fray and diverges to grow sharper between the U.S. and Turkey, Russia and the U.S., the U.S. and Iran, and the costs of Washington siding with the Kurds is getting tested," he added.

Abrahms also pointed out recent reports indicating that Turkish airstrikes have killed pro-Syrian government forces, escalating what has grown into a war between states in which the U.S. has no clear position. With Kurdish support dwindling and with the Syrian government's outreach campaign increasingly winning over the mostly Arab tribal areas of Deir Ezzor, even U.S. military leaders have cast doubt on Washington's ability to strike the final blow against ISIS and maintain a serious stake in Syria's future.

In his testimonial to the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command head General Joseph L. Votel echoed the coalition's words in calling the Syrian Democratic Forces "the most effective force on the ground in Syria against ISIS," as The New York Times reported.

"We need them to finish thisto finish this fight."

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekGENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations has suspended aid work helping tens of thousands of people in northeastern Nigeria after an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants left three humanitarian workers dead and at least three others missing, possibly kidnapped. The suspension of aid work in the town of Rann, which hosts a camp for 55,000 people displaced by the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency, was announced late on Friday in a statement from the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General. The suspected militants killed at least 11 people, including the three aid workers, in an attack on a military barracks in Rann in Borno state late on Thursday, according to two security reports seen by Reuters. "At the time of the attack, over 40 humanitarian workers were in Rann," said the UN statement. "All humanitarian personnel have been evacuated from Rann, and all humanitarian deliveries in the area have been temporarily suspended." Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres on Friday said it had suspended its work in Rann following the attack and evacuated both national and international staff. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by Hugh Lawson)UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A Congo-based Ugandan rebel group is to blame for three attacks on United Nations peacekeepers, including one in December that killed 15 Tanzanian troops, the United Nations said on Friday. The Dec. 8 attack, which also killed five Congolese soldiers and wounded another 53 peacekeepers, on a U.N. base in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled eastern borderlands came amid a rising wave of violence in the mineral-rich area. A special U.N. inquiry also looked at two other attacks on Tanzanian peacekeepers, on Sept. 16 and Oct. 7, 2017. The investigation concluded "the three attacks against the U.N. peacekeepers were carried out using a similar modus operandi and that all available evidence points to the ADF as the attacker," the United Nations said in a statement. The U.N. peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, is still searching for one peacekeeper missing after the Dec. 8 attack. The ADF has operated inside Congo since the 1990s. Congolese and U.N. troops have conducted repeated offensives against it, but the group always managed to bounce back. It is considered one of the most lethal of Congo's dozens of armed bands. The U.N. investigation "found a number of gaps in the training and posture of MONUSCO." "The mission did not have an actionable contingency plan to reinforce and extract its peacekeepers," the U.N. said. "Issues of command-and-control, leadership and lack of essential enablers such as aviation, engineers and intelligence were also major obstacles and need to be addressed urgently." Congo and Uganda launched an offensive against the ADF in January that the United Nations warned last month could force nearly 370,000 people from their homes. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Tom Brown)Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Friday urged schools to close and factories to cut production after Russia refused to restart natural gas deliveries, while residents shivered as the country strained to save on gas supplies.

Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine were supposed to restart on Thursday following a foreign court ruling aimed at ending years of disputes between Kiev and Moscow, including two halts to Russian gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine.

But Russia's Gazprom gas giant unexpectedly refused to resume deliveries, returning the prepayment for supplies made by Kiev, claiming amendments to a contract had not been completed.

The decision coincided with freezing temperatures all over Ukraine, and the government called on Friday for measures to reduce consumption.

"Starting today, we recommended ... to stop the work of kindergartens, schools and universities," energy minister Igor Nasalyk told lawmakers.

And he urged Ukrainian companies to adjust their operations to save gas, while power companies were ordered to switch to fuel oil where possible.

Nasalyk said these savings measures would be in effect until Tuesday, when temperatures are expected to rise.

- Proxy for political disputes -

Gazprom director Alexei Miller said Friday that the company would immediately turn to the Stockholm arbitration court to break its contract with the Ukrainian operator Naftogaz, Russian news agencies reported.

A ruling by the same court last year was meant to halt disputes over gas prices and shipments, which had often been a proxy for political disputes between Moscow and Kiev.

The court set a price and ordered Kiev to resume purchases it had cancelled after Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine.

Naftogaz said Friday that Gazprom had not only refused to resume deliveries meant for it, but lowered the pressure in gas pipelines by 20 percent and minimised sales to other customers.

Gazprom was trying to portray Ukraine in a negative light and suggest that it was willing either to let its own population freeze or make it out to be "an unreliable transit company that takes the gas away" from European countries, Naftogaz said in a statement.

Naftogaz later said it had signed a contract with Poland's PGNiG for urgent gas supplies to the end of the month.

Gazprom is a major gas supplier to Europe, but still relies to a certain extent on pipelines that transit through Ukraine.Geneva (AFP) - The UN Human Rights Council on Friday postponed voting on a British resolution condemning the crisis in Syria's besieged rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta, after members-states failed to agree on a final text.

The British draft introduced at an emergency council session calls for immediate humanitarian access to the area, where a controversial truce unilaterally declared by Damascus-ally Russia has been unable to produce a breakthrough.

The draft also instructs war crimes investigators from the UN-backed Commission of Inquiry for Syria to conduct an investigation into alleged atrocities in the area, battered by a Russia-backed regime assault that began February 18.

The British text specifically condemns "the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian authorities against civilians in the Syrian Arab Republic, including against the people living in Eastern Ghouta".

The proposal, perhaps unsurprisingly, faced opposition.

Russia does not currently hold a seat on the council -- which has 47 members rotating on three-year terms -- but it took the floor as an observer state to condemn the text, as did the Damascus government.

The session opened with speech from UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who said that "what we are seeing, in Eastern Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria, are likely war crimes, and potentially crimes against humanity."

He also warned the perpetrators that they will not "get away with this."

"The wheels of justice may be slow, but they do grind", Zeid said, reiterating his call for the Syrian conflict to be referred to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Dozens of nations and multiple civil society groups took the floor to speak out about the crisis affecting some 400,000 civilians in Eastern Ghouta, subjected to a government siege since 2013.

After multiple amendments were proposed to the British text, the council's rotating president, Vijoslav Suc of Slovenia, was forced to postpone a vote until Monday.Jason Blackstone

Security, North America

The SM-6 offers many possibilities.

This Upgrade Will Make the Super Hornet Deadlier Than Ever

In the Navys recent budget request, the Navy finally funded the design an acquisition of conformal fuel tanks for the Super Hornet. With the potential to extend the range of the Hornet with a low drag external fuel tank, the tanks can either expand the range of a Super Hornet or free up two high capacity weapons stations by replacing the two external tanks currently used on almost every flight. One option would help to restore a long-range interception role that has been missing from the Navy since the retirement of the Tomcat in the 2000s. With four capacity weapons stations available on the Super Hornet, the SM-6 Dual I SAM could be modified to serve as a long-range air to air missile, much like the Standard SM-1 was modified to serve as an anti-radiation during the Vietnam War.

Since the retirement of the Tomcat from carrier decks in 2006, the Navy has lacked an interceptor with the ability to engage targets capable of carrying long-range cruise missiles. With the death of the Soviet Naval Bomber Force at the end of the Cold War, there has not been a country capable of operating more than a handful of cruise missile carrying bombers. In the past few years, the threat scope has changed dramatically, as Soviet operations have expanded, and the Chinese bomber force has been modernized with the introduction of the Badger H-6K. The Navy does not have an interceptor capable of shooting the archer before he shoots his arrows. A Super Hornet with three external fuel tanks and a full air intercept load of 6 AIM-120D has rather limited effective combat radius of around 400 miles. As a result, the maximum engagement range of the Super Hornet/AIM-120D combination less than Tomcat/Phoenix combination from the 1990s.

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The Navy currently has two products in development that can address this new long-range cruise missile threat: The Block III Super Hornet with conformal fuel tanks and the SM-6 Dual II missile. The Block III Super Hornet in development will include conformal fuel tanks that will allow the Block III Hornet to have an increased combat radius while freeing up the high capacity weapons stations 4 and 8. A Block III Hornet with the conformal fuel tanks will be able to carry 4 SM-6 Dual II missiles and 6 AIM-120D missiles along with a single external fuel tank on weapons station 6 to a combat radius of 510 miles.

The SM-6 Dual II missile currently in development by the Navy is capable of engaging both air and surface targets out to a range of 130 miles when launched from the surface. The missile is about 15 feet in length and 1,800 pounds, and so can be accommodated on four weapons stations of the Super Hornet, weapons stations 3, 4, 8, and 9. In a Block II Super Hornet, weapons stations 4, 6, and 8 are normally occupied by external fuel tanks, but on a Block III Hornet, with weapons stations 4 and 8 freed, an SM-6 can be carried on the 4 stations mentioned earlier.

The process of qualifying the SM-6 Dual I to be carried on a Super Hornet should not be needlessly complex. The SM-6s predecessor, the SM-1, was similarly modified from a naval SAM to an air-carriage configuration. This process took around two years to create an operational product. The SM-6 has been designed to be easily updated using software updates, as evidenced by the newly enabled ability to engage surface targets. Capt. Michael Ladner, program manager, told USNI News in 2014 that several new missions could be added via software-only upgrades. In addition to being easily reconfigurable, the SM-6 has been shown to work with the Navys fighter datalinks by the engagement of an aerial target utilizing targeting data provided by an F-35 in 2016. A short development process would allow the SM-6 to be qualified for Super Hornet use by 2020.

There are some additional benefits beyond providing a counter to the emerging long-range cruise missile bomber threat. At first instance, the SM-6 would provide a much longer range air-to-air missile than the AIM-120D and help to bridge the gap between the AIM-120D and the longest ranged Chinese and Russian AAMs that are either in development or newly in service. The SM-6 would also provide a more effective anti-ship weapon to the Super Hornet. Notwithstanding, it is a smaller warhead than the Harpoon, the SM-6 provides a much larger kinetic punch than the subsonic AGM-84 Harpoon due to its Mach 4 speed, is more survivable against modern CIWS systems due to its high speed and has a longer range. If the SM-6 were to be acquired in large quantities for airborne use, the per unit cost of the missiles would drop dramatically and allow the missile to be purchased in larger quantities for use in the original SAM role. Additionally, the employment of the SM-6 on the Super Hornet would allow potentially allow for the Super Hornet to widen the engagement range of a carrier strike group in the BMD role.

This modification is a low risk, low cost endeavor that could provide a much greater engagement range of the current carrier strike group against air threats and should be explored soon and taken seriously.

Jason Blackstone is currently an attorney in private practice related to patents and technical issues. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in both Physics and Journalism and a focus on strategic issues and foreign affairs, and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

This article originally appeared on Real Clear Defense.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Read full articleChicago (AFP) - Authorities in the US state of Missouri announced Thursday a second criminal inquiry into the activities of Governor Eric Greitens, who is already accused of blackmailing his former mistress with an explicit photo taken without her consent.

The new criminal probe concerns the activities of The Mission Continues, a veterans charity founded by Greitens in 2007, and whether it improperly coordinated with his 2015 election campaign for fundraising purposes.

It comes on top of an expanding investigation by the city prosecutor in St Louis into Greitens, who was arrested last month after a grand jury issued a charge of criminal invasion of privacy after allegations that he blackmailed a woman with whom he was having an affair.

He is facing calls to resign from both fellow Republicans and Democrats, and a separate investigation by the state's legislature which could lead to impeachment.

"The Attorney General's Office has an open inquiry into the charitable activities of The Mission Continues," spokeswoman Loree Anne Paradise said in a statement emailed to AFP.

The probe was connected to "consumer protection and charitable registration and reporting laws," she said.

Greitens was criminally charged last week in connection with allegations that he took a photograph of his former mistress blindfolded, tied up and partially nude, and threatened to expose her if the affair became public.

He faces trial in May on a felony invasion of privacy charge.

The governor had admitted to the affair prior to taking office, but denied any wrongdoing. He and his surrogates have also criticized the St Louis prosecutor that charged him, saying she was motivated by politics.

The Republican-led Missouri House formed a committee Monday to investigate Greitens over the allegations surrounding his affair.

Greitens' attorney and The Mission Continues charity did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Washington (AFP) - The United States is to permanently scale back its mission to Cuba after what it alleges were series of mystery "attacks" on the health diplomats, the State Department said Friday.

The Havana embassy had already been operating with a reduced staff since September 2017, when diplomats and family members were evacuated after suffering brain injuries.

This "ordered departure status" will expire on Saturday but, rather than re-staffing as before, the embassy will now be declared an "unaccompanied post" where staff are not joined by families.

"The embassy will continue to operate with the minimum personnel necessary to perform core diplomatic and consular functions, similar to the level of emergency staffing maintained during ordered departure," the department said.

Cuba's communist government has angrily denied that it had anything to do with any attack on US personnel, and US officials have been unable to determine the cause of the injuries.

It also accused the US on Friday of scaling back its mission for political reasons, not security concerns.

This decision "is politically motivated and has nothing to do with the safety of US officials in Havana," said Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, US director of Cuba's foreign relations ministry.

But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Cuba is responsible for the safety of diplomats on its soil, and US officials insist Havana must have some idea who or what is behind the "attacks."

In all, at least 24 US envoys and family members fell ill with symptoms that resemble concussions but with no exterior signs of trauma, leaving investigators baffled.

The issue has poisoned any attempt to move forward with the fragile detente achieved between the former Cold War foes, who re-opened their embassies in 2015 for the first time since 1961.

Initially, US agents suspected the Americans had been targeted by some sort of acoustic weapon, although in public senior officials were more cautious, speaking only of "health attacks."

The first suspected attack has been traced back to November 2016 and the last two took place in mid-August 2017, even after Washington had protested to Havana and had withdrawn some staff.By Ana Isabel Martinez and Andrew Cawthorne CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela on Thursday postponed its upcoming presidential vote to May 20 in a move cementing an opposition split as socialist incumbent Nicolas Maduro seeks re-election despite an economic crisis and global censure. The national election board said it had pushed the vote back from the original date of April 22 following a pact between Maduro's government and some opposition parties. The main opposition coalition is boycotting the poll, saying it is a farce intended to legitimize a "dictatorship." Maduro's two strongest opposition rivals, Leopoldo Lopez and Henrique Capriles, are both barred from standing, and most Venezuelans view the election board as answerable to Maduro. Western nations and a dozen Latin American neighbors have reprimanded Maduro's government over unfair conditions for the vote, and the United States is considering imposing sanctions on the OPEC member's crucial oil sector. Breaking with the main opposition coalition, however, one prominent opposition leader, Henri Falcon, has launched his candidacy. The 56-year-old former state governor believes he can win, even without the coalition's election machinery behind him, by taking advantage of widespread dissatisfaction with the ruling socialists over a fifth year of grueling recession. However, opposition supporters in the camps of Lopez and Capriles have called Falcon a "sellout" and are urging voters to stay away from the polls to isolate Maduro and de-legitimize what they say will be a rigged win. "Sadly, Falcon succumbed to the temptation of participating and playing the dictatorship's game," said Juan Pablo Guanipa, a leader in Capriles' Justice First party. 'GET RID OF MADURO' Government stalwart Jorge Rodriguez said Thursday's agreement with Falcon's Progressive Advance party, and some other movements, was evidence of a reconciliatory spirit that undercut foreign criticism of autocratic rule in Venezuela. "Venezuela is a model democracy for the whole world," Rodriguez, who is communications minister, told reporters at the election board headquarters. Luis Romero, who leads Falcon's party, said the only way to bring about change was via the polls, and not through protests similar to those that caused nearly 130 deaths last year. "Venezuelans want to get rid of Maduro, but not by killing each other in the streets," he said, also speaking at the election board in downtown Caracas. As well as a change in the date, Falcon is demanding reforms of the pro-government election board, U.N. observers, and the end of state handouts close to voting booths on election days. He told Reuters he may pull out if guarantees are not given. A former military man who broke with the ruling socialists in 2010, Falcon styles himself a center-leftist favoring business-friendly policies with strong social welfare programs. Maduro is campaigning on a pledge to stay loyal to predecessor Hugo Chavez's self-styled "21st century socialism." In a broadcast on Facebook on Thursday, Maduro said Venezuela's minimum wage was rising 58 percent as of March 1 to 392,646 bolivars a month, or $1.84 according to DolarToday, a website that closely tracks the black market rate. Maduro also lifted Venezuelans' food ticket allowance 67 percent to 915,000 bolivars a month, the equivalent of $4.29. Bucking most analysts' consensus, several polls have shown Falcon stands a chance of defeating Maduro. A survey of 1,000 people in early February by Datanalisis said that in a two-way race Falcon would defeat Maduro by 45.8 percent to 32.2 percent of likely voters. Maduro says Venezuela's election system is clean, and accuses the United States of leading a right-wing international conspiracy to end socialism and take over his nation's oil. The election board said on Thursday that local and state legislature votes will also take place on May 20. (Additional reporting by Corina Pons and Deisy Buitrago; editing by Matthew Lewis and Tom Brown)victorias secret

Victoria's Secret media relations

Victoria's Secret's PINK line is peaking as the company sees slower sales growth and smaller market share by other players, a Jefferies analyst found.

Shares of L Brands, the parent company of Victoria's Secret, dipped after it reported a weaker-than-expected first-quarter forecast.

The company still beat Wall Street's expectations, posting an adjusted $2.11 earnings per share on revenue of $4.82 billion.

View Victoria's Secret parent L Brands' stock price move here.

Victoria's Secret's PINK line  considered the company's strongest growth engine  is "peaking," a Jefferies analyst said.

Its parent company L Brands' choice to keep giving out promotions is devaluing the brand and raising customers' expectations that they can keep buying cheap products at Victoria's Secret stores, said Jefferies Analyst Randal Konik.

The lingerie chain is "losing pricing power" because it is offering cheaper bra options that "is driving [average revenue per unit] pressure, while training customers to pay less," he said.

He was also critical of the company's use of promotions for its PINK brand, which does not need as many promotions as Victoria's Secret lesser known and more expensive products, Konik maintained.

In an earlier note, he warned, "With PINK being used as a main driver in many VS promos it's clear the company is down to its last carrot to keep customers from fleeing to competitors."

Meanwhile, American Eagle Outfitter's Aerie line is gaining market share due its emphasis on "realistic beauty standards." The company has posted 15 consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales, Konik said.

Konik also argued L Brands is holding too many Victoria's Secret stores in the US, exposing the brand to lower declining mall traffic that will impact its sales performance.

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Much of this weakness is reflected in L Brands' fourth-quarter earnings released on Wednesday. "In 4Q at VS, store traffic remained challenged, lingerie comps remained weak, merch. margins declined due to incremental promos, and PINK barely posted positive comps," he said.

L Brands' stock took a hit despite the company posting quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street's expectations. The company reported adjusted earnings of $2.11 per share, above analysts' expectations of $2.04 per share, and revenue of $4.82 billion that was in-line with forecasts, according to Bloomberg data.

However, the company said that it expects 2018 full-year earnings to be between $2.95 and $3.25 per share, and first-quarter earnings to be between $0.15 and $0.20 per share, below Wall Street's expectations.

"This forecast reflects the benefit of a lower tax rate due to tax reform legislation and an incremental investment in wages and benefits, principally for hourly associates, of approximately $100 million," the company said in a statement.

Konik believes L Brands shares are still overvalued. He gave shares a price target of $30 per share, roughly 30% below their current level.

L Brands stock price

Markets Insider

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SEE ALSO: Victoria's Secret is 'down to its last carrot to keep customers from fleeing'Officials in Panama dispatched riot police to break up a brawl on Wednesday after a violent confrontation erupted over a Trump hotel.

In a video published by the Associated Press, a manlater identified as a Trump Hotel employeeis seen pushing and slapping another man in a hallway. A scuffle then ensued, and another man tried to smack a person holding the video camera.

The Trump Organization and the hotels majority owner have been fighting over control of the property, and the dispute turned violent on multiple occasions this week.

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During a previous confrontation on February 24, Trump Hotel employees reportedly stopped the hotel's owners from entering a room with the hotel's computer servers. The owners responded by cutting off the electricity, leaving the hotel's telephones and Internet disabled.

It is reportedly the fourth time that police have been called to the Trump hotel over the past week due to physical confrontations.

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The buildings majority owner has been trying to fire the Trump Organizations management team. The hotel owners association hand-delivered termination notices to the Trump International Hotel and Tower on February 22, according to a Panamanian legal complaint. Trumps employees, however, are refusing to leave.

The hotels majority owner, Orestes Fintiklis, has brought a complaint to the U.S. District Court, where he accused the Trump Organization of trying to bully the property owners into maintaining a previous management agreement.

Trump is attempting to create a circus by threatening people with baseless fraud and conspiracy claims that entirely lack merit and have already been rejected by the Panamanian courts, the lawsuit reads. In other words, Trump is being Trump.

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Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images

In January, the Associated Press reported that Trump's administrative team had kicked out a group of Marriott hotel businessmen who were coming to view the property with the intention of potentially replacing the Trump Organization team.

The Trump Organization released a long statement on February 26 accusing Fintiklis of having launched a coordinated attack to physically take over the management of the Hotel.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWest Virginia teachers strike Teachers and school personnel celebrate after the state Senate approved a bill to increase state employee pay by 5 percent at the capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Tuesday, March 6, 2018. The lawmakers unanimously approved the pay raises for teachers and troopers, after the governor reached a deal to end a teacher walkout that shuttered the states schools for nine days. (Photo: Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP)

Its back to school in West Virginia. Teachers across this poor Appalachian mountain state are returning to the classroom Wednesday, March 7, jubilant after their governor signed a 5 percent pay raise ending their nine-day walkout.

Teachers expressed relief and exhilaration by breaking out into song Tuesday after legislators approved the pay raise bill that a conference committee agreed to hours earlier, ending their strike.

And now the states 35,000 public school employees can get to work  and 277,000 students, to the books.

The West Virginia teachers, some of the lowest-paid in the country, had gone without a salary increase for four years. They appeared to have strong public support throughout their walkout. (AP)

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.A week and a half after a gunman took the lives of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a group of protesters assembled in a city minutes away. Carrying signs and a megaphone, they stood outside the headquarters of Kalashnikov USA, a company that manufactures versions of the AK-47 assault riflea popular firearm, though not the same one the Parkland shooter used. One woman held a sign saying, Nyet, not here, with a hammer and sickle. And, if not for the American sanctions against Russia, the facility would not even be there.

AK-47s are weapons of war, and its being manufactured in our own backyard, said Mitchell Stollberg, the chairman of the Broward County chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, and the organizer of the February 25 rally. Then to find out that it was a Russian company makes it even worse.

Kalashnikov USA started as an importer of firearms from Kalashnikov Concern, a Russian company. That changed after former President Barack Obamas administration imposed sanctions on certain Russian companies in 2014, because of the countrys interference in Ukraine. The list included Kalashnikov Concern. In a statement at the time, the Russian company said the sanctions go against the interest of American consumers.

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Kalashnikov Concerns history dates back to an armory established under Russian emperor Alexander I in the early 19th century. Now named after Mikhail Kalashnikov, the Russian lieutenant general who developed the AK-47, the company describes itself as the largest Russian manufacturer of assault and sniper rifles, guided artillery projectiles and precision weapons. It also makes civilian hunting shotguns and sporting rifles, and says it produces 95 percent of small arms in Russia. Fifty-one percent of the company is state-owned, and private investors own the rest.

03_03_Kalashnikov_Parkland_shooting

Joe Raedle/Getty

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After the sanctions, Kalashnikov USA began manufacturing its own weapons, including a version of the AK-47. We started with the proven AK-47 design, utilizing the Russian Heritage of the long stroke, gas piston, rotating bolt design, the company says on its website. To this legendary firearm, we added the American Innovation.

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Kalashnikov USA decided to relocate from Pennsylvania to Florida in 2015, with a 40,000-square-foot facility, according to Pompano Beach city records. A spokesperson once told Floridas Sun Sentinel that the company expected to sell primarily to overseas buyers, and, in May 2017, the manufacturer announced it had started sending out shipments.

But less than a year later, Kalashnikov USA is now under scrutiny for not only producing and selling AK-47s but also doing that so close to where the Parkland shooting occurred, even if the proximity is a coincidence. (The manufacturer does not produce the AR-15, the weapon used in Parkland.)

The February 14 shooting has renewed calls for gun control. In a meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, President Donald Trump expressed interest in firearms legislation. But in a tweet the next day, he seemed to suggest otherwise, writing, Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA! Trump has spoken at at least two NRA conventions, and the association supported his 2016 presidential campaign.

Representatives for Kalashnikov USA did not respond to requests for comment.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWashington (AFP) - White House Chief of Staff John Kelly on Friday admitted the Trump administration's early handling of classified information and gatekeeping of sensitive secrets was not up to snuff.

Kelly told journalists that he had his "eyes opened," after joining the White House in July last year, by the way people were treating documents and the number of staff who had access to secrets.

Painting a picture of a neophyte staff of outsiders, unfamiliar with Washington and learning how to run the world's preeminent superpower, Kelly said he moved to bring habits in line with the Pentagon and military, where he served for decades.

"In terms of the handling of classified material" he said the White House "wasn't up to the standards that I'd been used to."

"Nothing illegal," he added. "But it wasn't quite up to the standards."

"Most of the people here in the White House had never worked in government before," he explained.

On Donald Trump's path to the White House he repeatedly pilloried his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, for storing government emails on a private server, suggesting that was a national security risk.

Kelly also admitted that his initial concerns sparked a further crackdown, when he noticed that around 35-40 White House staffers had top secret clearance and did not need it.

That top level of clearance is often used in the Situation Room and for the nation's most closely guarded secrets.

Kelly also noticed that many staff did not have final clearance and were working as FBI background checks were ongoing.

"I'm having my eyes opened here" he said.

"Of the people who are here, what is the percentage that are still on interim clearances?" he asked, "and the answer to that was a fair number. It was a lot."

"A couple of spreadsheets worth of people," he added. "More people than I was comfortable with."

Story continues

The issue of clearances would ultimately engulf the White House, leading to -- according to other sources -- Jared Kushner having his clearance downgraded.

That downgrade raised questions about what may be holding up his background check and whether he can continue to lead Trump's efforts to negotiate Middle East peace with only "secret" not "top secret" clearance.

Kelly also admitted that the White House's handling of staff-secretary Rob Porter's departure amid allegations of domestic abuse was not ideal.

"We didn't cover ourselves in glory in how we handled that."Dave Majumdar

Security,

Keeping capacity alive. Not letting top talent die out, Kofman told The National Interest. That means the feeding defense industry and S&T [science and technology]. Even if you dont really have missions.'

Why is Russia Building Nuclear Powered Cruise Missiles? The Answer: Capacity

During a March 1 speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin rolled out several new novel strategic nuclear weaponssome of which might seem outlandish. Among these weapons are the Status-6 nuclear-powered intercontinental range torpedo and a new nuclear-powered nuclear-tipped cruise missile. While the Russians seem to genuinely believe that they need ways to counter the United States missile defense system, there are easier ways to defeat those nascent defenses. Is there another factor driving Russias new developments?

Part of the reason the Kremlin is pursuing these new weaponsapart from genuine concern about American missile defensesis the Russian military industrial complex, which is perpetually in search of new projects. In the case of these weapons, the Russian defense and nuclear energy industries played a large role in convincing the Kremlin to proceedand by some estimates, Russian industry might have had the dominant role.

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As here in the U.S.indeed, everywherethats tough to break out, Olya Oliker, senior adviser and director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The National Interest.

Everyone always looks to justify their program with whatever the threat is. In many, if not most cases, they truly believe that their pet program is the right response to the threat. At the same time, services and individuals have relationships with defense industry, which also feeds into this dynamic.

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Michael Kofman, a senior research scientist specializing in Russian military affairs at the Center for Naval Analyses, suggested the almost half the impetus for new projects such as Status-6 and the nuclear-tipped cruise missile came from industry. The reasons are simple.

Keeping capacity alive. Not letting top talent die out, Kofman told The National Interest. That means the feeding defense industry and S&T [science and technology]. Even if you dont really have missions.

Nikolai Sokov, a senior fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Montereya former Soviet and Russian nuclear arms control negotiatorsaid that the Russian and Soviet system before it was complex.

The defense industry always wants to push new big contracts and always comes to the military saying, see what we could do, just give us money. Its the same here (the entire MD [missile defense] deployment story is a testimony  the system clearly needs more R&D), Sokov told The National Interest.

But then there are checks on that  Congress first of all. Sometimes it does the job of screening new toys, sometimes it does not, depending on the variety of reasons (again, with MD its political and ideological reasons that made serious debate on the advisability of MD deployment next to impossible). Its the same in Russia, but there the system is more centralized and the governmentPutin, but not just himare ready to buy into new toys. They have displayed a propensity to fund a lot of programs, even though these could be judged unnecessary or too expensive given budget constraints; theyd rather extend deadlines and keep funding at lower levels than refuse a program.

The situation in Russia has started to improve somewhatbut there are still very few checks on the Russian defense industry.

Now, the MOD [Ministry of Defense] has become better with controlling costs. They really bargain with the industry, so they are more successful with keeping costs more reasonable than is the case with the Pentagonone of the reasons Russia can do so much with so much less money, Sokov said. But the military itselfservices first and foremostusually find it hard to refuse new toys. With checks beyond the military weak, you got what you see. One example is the rail-mobile Barguzin. I was truly surprised when they canceled it last year  a sign that there are at least some checks in the system.

But the problem for Russia is the structure of its defense industry.

The other side of the coin is the nature of the defense industry itself, Sokov said. Its not just contracts for them, its also the fact that the production capacity largely inherited from the Soviet Union is still highly specialized. Not as specialized as was the case then, but nonetheless In the absence of defense contracts, many enterprises would have to be shut down. Thus, defense contracts are also a means to keep plants open. This is why Putins statement about the need to increase the share of non-defense production at defense enterprises to 30 percent is so significantno one has paid attention, thoughthey are still trying to force defense enterprises to diversify and become less reliant on defense budget money.

But Russia does have a genuine need not only to reform its defense industry but also to reequip its forces to replace its Soviet-era hardware. All this, of course, is against the background of the genuine need to reform and retool, Sovkov said. Russia does need a completely new army and has started down that path pretty late  about a decade ago[former Russian Defense Minister Anatoly] Serduykovs reforms, no matter how badly they now talk about him in Russia. So, there is a genuine need in new weapons. Its just that, in my view, they are going overboard. This especially concerns futuristic projects.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.

Image: Creative Commons.

Read full articleYellowstone National Parks hot springs are more than just evidence of a massive supervolcano brewing deep beneath the Earths surface. The boiling hot, acidic springs are also home to a unique virus that could one day create medicines that target specific organs or even tumors in the future.

Scientists have now documented this lemon-shaped virus in a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A Weird Virus

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Rebecca Hochstein, now a postdoctoral researcher at University of Minnesota, found the peculiar virus, known as Acidianus, lurking in buckets of water she'd taken from the untrodden backcountry of the hot springs. She and her team used a combination of two technologiescryo-electron microscopy and x-ray crystallographyto see the virus and watch how it behaved.

What they observed surprised them. The virus is a shape-shifter, transforming from a lemon shape into a long cylinder. The cylindrical form looks like bricks connected by ropes, according to the researchers.

The researchers have some thoughts on the purpose of the cylinder shape. They theorize that it might allow the virus to "squirt" its DNA into the cell it's infecting, said Martin Lawrence, study co-author and chemistry professor at Montana State University in a statement.

A New Delivery Route for Medication

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REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

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If that suspicion is correct, then the virus might someday be used as a medicine. That possibility stems from how viruses function. That squirting of genetic material is how viruses gain a foothold into living cells. Once inside a host, DNA or RNA can be replicatedwhich means the virus replicates, too.

Story continues

But an emerging field of research looks at using viruses to deliver medicine instead of their own genetic material. By turning viruses into a vessel for medicine, lifesaving treatments could reach specific parts of the body.

This understanding could potentially be adapted for technological uses, Lawrence said in a statement. If we could load these virus shells with a different cargo, say a drug, and target it to a particular place in the body, such as a tumor, it could then deliver the drug to just that specific location, making the drug more effective, or reducing side effects.

Plus, the way this virus can survive in a scalding hot and acidic hot spring is appealing for biotech companies, according to Mark Young, co-author and plant sciences and pathology professor at MSU.

Navigating the Dangers of Yellowstone

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REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

The field work was far from a walk in the park.

The hot springs that we go to can be a little dangerous, Hochstein told Newsweek. Natural underground pipes flowing with scalding hot, acidic water can shift unpredictably, causing gaps that make the surface vulnerable to collapse. Signs lining the boardwalks in the tourists sites near hot springs warn visitors to stay on the trails. You have to be really careful where you step, said Hochstein.

Hochstein headed far from well-trodden trails, boardwalks, bathrooms and parking lots. To stay safe, she stayed along the tree line, using a sampling pole to test the ground ahead.

It doubles as a big stick where you can pound the ground ahead of you and make sure it doesnt sound hollow, Hochstein said. And then, step gingerly.

The virus has been difficult to study because it cannot be grown in a lab. But the research is continuing and soon enough, a capsule made from it could carry your medication.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from NewsweekWhen Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki recently said during the Munich Security Conference that there were also "Jewish perpetrators" in the Holocaust, it came as a shock to anyone even slightly acquainted with the gruesome details of the Final Solution. When the Polish government passed the law to criminalize any insinuation that the Holocaust was in any way a crime committed by Poland as a nation, it caused uproar.

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But whereas it is a shock to most of us, it is worth acquainting ourselves with the contemporary origins that gave rise to such a pernicious revision of history and that have now been enshrined into law. This law is only the culmination of a school of thought that has been rampant for the best part of two decades.

After the Holocaust, Poland viewed itself, justifiably, as a victim that had been sandwiched between two monstrous tyrants since 1939 - Hitler and Stalin - both of whom had absolutely no regard for their blood.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (Photo: AFP)

Its government had fled into exile in London and there had been no homegrown Nazi puppet regime installed akin to the likes of Vidkun Quisling in Norway or Marshal Philippe Petain in Vichy France.

It was, after all, a German decision to establish the death camps on its soil and crimes against Jews could ostensibly have been attributed by Polish posterity to that which was forced upon them by Berlin: The blackmailing, the draconian collective punishment liberally meted out if orders were not obeyed, the threat of death, torture, incarceration and the like.

Moreover, many Holocaust survivors from Poland or those who witnessed the Poles behavior testify to the fact that they knew some risked everything to save Jews. But none, to the authors knowledge, have said that they lived through a period in which atrocities against Jews could be solely ascribed to German coercion.

Moreover, the Poles had been responsible for some grisly pogroms after the war - the 1946 Kielce pogrom among them - in which Jews, dead and alive, found themselves strewn in the city after the bloodletting.

Polish PM says there were 'Jewish perpetrators' in the Holocaust

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For Poles, the period - which has yet to expire - of national introspection on what their role as a nation was during the Holocaust, is one which was exposed in a book published in 2001 by Jan T. Gross: Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne.

By examining an isolated example of when an entire community of some 1,600 Jews was wiped out in the Polish town of Jedwabne on July 10, 1941 by their fellow neighbors who employed the cruelest methods, Gross attempted to highlight the fact that regular citizens did voluntarily, and with notable alacrity, collude with the occupying Nazi regime, with their wanton levels of violence far exceeding those that could perhaps be forgiven on the premise that they were under Nazi duress.

In horrific detail, Gross described how the Jews were beaten, bludgeoned, decapitated, and burned alive, among other things, by regular neighbors.

Zofia Kossak-Szczucka - hardly enamored with Jews herself - wrote down in May 1942 her revulsion at Polish indifference to Jewish suffering. In addition to Ukrainians and Germans, in many localities, the local Polish population took part as volunteers in the monstrous executions. This is only a scintilla of primary evidence of Polish collaboration in the extermination and abuse of Jews.

The book electrified Poles and demanded that they engage in deeper historical national self-examination. The Polish historian and Polish foreign minister between 1997 and 2000 Bronislaw Geremek, told the historian Abraham Brumberg after its publication:

When the first reactions to the revelations about Jedwabne appeared, it seemed as if we were in for another of those familiar exercises in self-defense, for another passionate cry that we are not guilty, that the world is against us, and the like. It took some years for these first waves of indignation to subside - though of course not disappear - and for a serious debate to take shape.

Since then, the indignation never dissipated as Polish citizens, if not the nation, wrestled with their ancestors documented complicity, and sometimes their own for those old enough. Particularly those on the far-right political camp, politicians in Poland attempted to swing back against the perceived onslaught on the nation, by adopting nationalistic sound bites and hurling accusations of falsifying history.

Holocaust survivors protesting the legislation outside the Polish Embassy in Israel (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

One journalist, Anna Bikont, said that the residents of Jedwabne believed that the Jews themselves committed the horrific crimes against their own people following orders from the Gestapo.

Gross had spewed off, they said, a list of unpatriotic conclusions predicated on mountains of selective evidence. For years thereafter, it was of little importance to the embittered Poles that the Institute of National Memory (IPN) which, sponsored by the government, had been tasked with identifying crimes against the Polish people, announced that while Germans had helped in the massacre, the responsibility for the bloodshed ultimately rested with the Poles.

After the IPN submitted its findings, nationalist parliamentarians such as Antoni Macierewicz slammed the failure to prosecute Nazi and Communist crimes and the propensity to blame Poland.

Cardinal Jozef Glemp from the Second Vatican Council demonstrated his disgust by refusing to attend a memorial for the Jedwabne victims until Jews apologized to Poles for their sins. Such statements were indicative of the fact that a residue, at the very least, of anti-Semitism had simply not evaporated in Poland.

In addition to the well-known traditional blood libel sins for which Jews are held responsible, Glemp was also referring to the narrative that Poles who persecuted Jews often did so to take revenge for the latters perceived collaboration with the Soviets.

Shocking to us though it may be that the current Polish prime minister could have made such an outrageous accusation and told an Israeli journalist that there were Polish perpetrators as there were Jewish perpetrators, it should be clear that this conviction holds true in Poland among larger segments of society due to the ongoing debate. This is difficult for many westerners to comprehend, but the narrative gathered greater momentum after Grosss book, which is why Morawiecki was able to say it so calmly, without any hint that he understood that the comments were even slightly controversial.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki takes question from Israeli journalist Ronen Bergman (Photo: Bayerischer Rundfunk 2018)

Right-wing elements in Poland are bitter and angry. Indeed, their nation had been simultaneously dismembered by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, chewed up by their occupiers, spat out and then gobbled up by the Soviet Union once again.

When Grosss account of Jedwabne was published, it became a thorn in the nationalists side, posing an obstacle to them wiping the slate clean and offering a narrative of a heroic, rather than a monstrous, Poland.

A cursory glance at the phrasing of the law makes abundantly clear that this is an attempt to exonerate the Poles of their crimes and shift the blame to the Ukrainians, who arguably have a far worse record toward Jews during the Holocaust.

Participating in the extermination of the Jewish population and genocide of citizens of the Second Polish Republic...also constitute a crime committed by Ukrainian nationalists and members of Ukrainian units collaborating with the Third Reich, the law says.

This conveniently makes no mention of Polish nationalists and members of Polish units collaborating with the Third Reich, such as the Holy Cross Mountains Brigade, to which Prime Minister Morawiecki saw fit to recently pay his respects in Munich despite their collaboration with the Nazis.

Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki pays his respect at the Holy Cross Mountains Brigade memorial in Berlin

Moreover, contra the Polish governments claims that the law will not inhibit or prohibit anyone from highlighting the crimes of Polish citizens, the law as it is currently framed contains semantic ambiguities that undoubtedly enable for an elastic legal definition of what it means to accuse the Polish nation.

Whoever claims publicly and contrary to the facts that the Polish Nation or the Republic of Poland is responsible or co-responsible for Nazi crimes committed by the Third Reich  or whoever grossly diminishes the responsibility of the true perpetrators of the said crimes - shall be liable to a fine or imprisonment for up to 3 years. The sentence shall be made public.

This means, therefore, that even using phrases such as Poles helped the Nazis in their murder of Jews is now open to interpretation. What does Poles mean exactly? Can it not be interpreted as a reference to the nation as a whole? Surely, it can. According to the law, will this word, without the inclusion of the word some, now constitute a transgression? It is quite conceivable that it will, but time will tell.

Gross wondered how the revelations about Jedwabne will be processed in Poland when it becomes public knowledge. We are now seeing how.A video released by the left-wing Yesh Din, Volunteers for Human Rights organization Friday showed a Border Policeman throw a stun grenade at a couple escaping their home in the Burin village near Nablus, while the father carried an infant in his arms.

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The event took place near 3pm Friday, according to the group, when IDF soldiers and Border Policemen arrived at Burin's outskirts. It appeared Palestinians began congregating in the region because two Israeli citizens came near the village from the direction of the Givat Ronen outpost.

Yesh Din footage of the grenade throwing incident (: " ")

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The soldiers and policemen then allegedly began attempting to disperse the Palestinians using gas and stun grenades. A grenade got into the home of a local family, Yesh Din said, and several of its occupants suffered from smoke inhalation.

The Yesh Din footage showed a Border Policeman throw a stun grenade at Palestinian parents carrying an infant (circled) (Photo: Yesh Din)

An ambulance was then rushed to the scene to remove the wounded, the left-wing organization said, but a Border Policeman nevertheless threw a grenade at the house's escaping occupantsdespite the fact one of them was carrying a young child.

The Israel Police responded to the video, and said it showed only "a partial, edited image. During violent riots that broke out on the scene and appeared to have been 'edited out,' dozens of rioters threw rocks at soldiers near and around the home.

"At one point a Red Crescent ambulance sought permission from the force's commander to remove a man from the home near which the Palestinians rioted, and (the commander) acquiesced and allowed for immediate evacuation despite violent, active riots in the vicinity.

"During the evacuation, the force noticed two suspects attempting to flee the scene in which dozens of rioters congregated only a short time earlier, and in response one of the soldiers threw a single stun grenade at them.

(Photo: Yesh Din)

"The Palestinian fled the scene with his back to the Israeli force and they therefore could not see he was carrying a baby. Running in that manner is typical of rioters, who throw stones at soldiers at risk to their own lives and then attempt to escape the scene in order to evade arrest at any cost. Had the force noticed the baby, needless to say they would have acted otherwise."

In the midst of Friday's disquiet, an IDF officer was lightly wounded earlier when a stone hit his upper body during riots in Hebron. He was taken for medical attention at a Jerusalem hospital.

Some 600 Palestinians demonstrated in several places in the West Bank while throwing stones and burning tires. Some 400 Palestinians protested at the same time near the Gaza border and threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at the border fence.

The IDF said two of the riots' main instigators near the strip's border were hit by soldiers' fire.Starting Saturday night, March 3, and until Thursday, March 15, significant infrastructural works will be carried out near the entrance to Jerusalem, affecting traffic in the vicinity of the capital's main entrance route, Highway 1, and leading to many central traffic arteries being blocked.

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Works will be carried out as part of the " Jerusalem Gateway " project, set to become one of Israel's biggest business quarters in the years to come.

As part of the works on the project, Shazar Boulevard will be cordoned off between the Nordau and Agrippas junctions from March 3 until March 8. Between March 10 and March 15, the junctions will be reopened but traffic may still be disrupted somewhat.

Works on the Jerusalem Gateway project will heavily impact traffic arrangement near the capital's entrance in the next two weeks (Photo: Adi Rozenberg)

The public is asked to avoid arriving to the aforementioned areas during the time period and to use either alternate routes or public transportation.

In anticipation of the expected changes to traffic arrangement, parallel roads have been extended and unique routes allocated to facilitate the flow of traffic in the intervening period.

(Photo: Adi Rozenberg)

The alternate roads include Rabin Boulevard, HaNassi HaShishi Boulevard, Heichal HaMishpat Street and Herzl Boulevard. In addition, unique lanes were allocated to serve as replacement for the Shazar route's closure between Nordau and Agrippas until works complete.

The project's engineers said that blocking the capital's central roadway was essential to the works' progress, and that when they conclude the entrance to Jerusalem will be transformed to Israel's largest and most advanced transportation hub, alongside a lively business and cultural quarter expected to add 60,000 new jobs.

(Photo: Adi Rozenberg)

The exact outline chosen for the works, they added, was carefully selected while taking into accounts locals' needs and minimizing disturbance to their daily routines. In addition, in order to assist as much as possible both residents and people arriving and leaving, a Whatsapp hotline will be set up, in addition to the municipal hotline that will continue to provide service.

Some NIS 1.4 billion will be invested in the Jerusalem Gateway project, which will stretch some 300 dunam. The new quarter will include business, tourism, hospitality, leisure and cultural centers and will also include a transportation hubincluding high-speed rail, two light rail lines, public and private transportation lanes, bicycle routes and verdant, expansive public areas.The steel is set against the stone.

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A new Israeli Border Police guard tower stands at the base of the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City.

It's a noticeable part of the landscape and an example of Israel's increased security presence at the ancient entrance to the Muslim Quarter, which in the recent past has been a flashpoint for violence.

New Border Police guard tower erected outside Damascus Gate (Photo: The Media Line)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Damascus Gate a "symbol of terror" in June 2017, following a deadly shooting and stabbing attack in which a Border Police guard was killed nearby.

Israeli police and security officials announced the enhanced security measures last summer, including new observation and police posts, more surveillance cameras and additional guards.

To this end, the Damascus Gate guard tower will be used as a police checkpoint and to conduct weapons searches.

The Media Line first inquired about the work in mid-February, when laborers were still welding the guard tower and separate observation posts had just started being crafted. The work is expected to be completed by mid-March.

Israeli border police standing watch will then switch from their temporary platforms to the new permanent observation posts that are square, built of stone and covered with a steel roof. Theyre set on opposite sides of the Sultan Suleiman street entrance leading down the limestone staircase to Damascus Gate.

"At the moment, due to the fact that we've seen a large number of attacks, the stands have been set up in order to maintain the safety of our officers and border police," Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Media Line. He said the guard towers will provide an "overall perspective and view of the area working together with the CCTV cameras above, giving vital and critical information to prevent attacks."

Last June, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan revealed there had been, to that point, 32 terror attacks in the area of Damascus Gate since the beginning of 2015, adding that Israel would be introducing "unprecedented" counter-measures including adding additional cameras, police posts and even changing the topography of the gate.

"Within that specific area, police officers have been injured and attacked," Rosenfeld asserted to The Media Line, noting that several major bus terminals near Damascus Gate contribute to the large daily volume of people going to and from the Old City, which, in turn, increases the risk of attacks by so-called "lone wolf" assailantsunaffiliated with any terrorist group but rather carry out attacks on their own volition.

While some people on a recent sunny afternoon walked by the new guard tower without looking at it, others did stop to inspect. "This makes me sad and angry," east Jerusalem resident Diana Abu Ramadan, flanked by her two children, told The Media Line. "We are shocked by this. We dont like it."

Another east Jerusalem resident, Abdullah Farhat, told The Media Line that he understands why the new guard tower and observation posts are being erected. "People have come with knives and attacked," he stated while observing the steel tower under construction, the sound of electric saws piercing through the air. "This is for the (Israeli) soldiers because they have big problems here."

Still, Farhat said he was concerned about how the new security structures will affect the daily lives of people who travel through the Damascus Gate.

In fact, some Palestinian leaders have raised objections to the new towers and posts, concerned about the over-saturation of police in the area.

Accordingly, while Minister Erdan declared, "Damascus Gate is going through a revolution," it may not be a transformation that many people want.

Article written by John T. Huddy.

Reprinted with permission from The Media Line.The municipality of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip inaugurated a campaign Thursday to encourage citizens to tackle the problem of multitudes of stray dogs prowling the cityoffering a ten shekel award for each one killed.

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The municipality put out a public announcement, which said, "Due to the proliferation of stay dogs attacking residents, children and farmers, the Beit Lahia municipality announces it will award ten shekels to any man who kills a stray dog and notifies the municipality of the deed."

Due to the precipitous economic situation in Gaza, a campaign of this nature may greatly motivate locals interested in earning a quick payoff, seeing as the purchasing power of ten shekels is much greater in Gaza than it is in Israel.

Illustration. The Beit Lahia municipality offers NIS 10 for every stray dog killed (: shutterstock)

Each dog killed and brought to the municipality's center for the campaign will award its killer ten shekels, with no limits placed on the number of dogs each resident is allowed to kill. The campaign also placed no limitations on the methods used to put down the canines, with all means considered acceptable so long as the dogs are brought in dead.

Beit Lahia's campaign aroused a fair amount of criticism among Palestinians, who found it cruel and inhumane. "It's a senseless decision," a Palestinian named Mohammad Awad wrote in response. "The municipality will bear responsibility for any resident harmed by such a move. (The municipality) is the one who should be carrying this out, if stray dogs cause so much damage to residents."

"Why kill?" another resident wondered. "Animal rights should be respected. Give them food and shelter."

A commenter named Mohammad Basha wrote that he "adamantly opposed the measure. Why not create an organization whose role is caring for strays, neutering or spaying them in order to prevent them from procreating and then handing them over to anyone who wishes to raise them as pets?"

Not all voices heard in the debate were against the motion, however. One man was outraged with the responses decrying the campaign, many of which were written by residents of other Arab countries. "To all those who speak out about the need to create dog shelters, Gaza residents live in tents without a roof over their heads, but you don't shout about that. It's hypocrisy by both you and your governments!" the irate Gazan wrote.CAIRO  Sudan will send its ambassador back to neighboring Egypt on Monday, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said, two months after withdrawing him amid heightened tensions.

Khartoum has not explained why it recalled Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim early in January. But disputes over the ownership of the Hala'ib Triangle border area and Egyptian suspicion of a Sudan-Turkey naval agreement have strained ties.

"Relations between our people and our countries are historic and maintaining them is a responsibility. Setting them on the right path is a duty," Ghandour told Reuters on Saturday.

A committee including the foreign ministers and heads of intelligence from both countries met in Cairo last month in an attempt to cool tensions.

Sudan has accused Cairo of political meddling and banned imports of Egyptian agricultural products last year.MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin told Washington to send him hard evidence that his citizens meddled in US elections, mocking accusations to date as "yelling and hollering in the United States Congress".

The office of US Special Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three firms last month with interfering in the 2016 presidential vote as part of what it called a conspiracy to support Donald Trump and disparage Hillary Clinton.

"I have to see first what they've done. Give us materials, give us information," Putin said in an interview with NBC TV aired late on Friday, according to an English voice-over of his words.

"We can not respond to that if they do not violate Russian laws," Putin told NBC's Megyn Kelly, when asked whether Moscow would take action against the named individuals.While the Syrian civil war is apparently winding down, fighting will most likely not conclude in 2018, since the Russians or the United Nationsin their attempts to reach a political settlement to engender calmhave thus far failed in fostering accord between all of the disparate factors and interests involved. They can't even get them all to sit down at the same negotiating table.

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The military image on the ground is nevertheless coming into sharper and sharper focus, and it can be determined now that the military coalition supporting the regime of President Bashar Assad has prevailed. Russia, Iran and their proxies have succeeded in reinstating the president who butchered his own people across Syria's land. Or what's left of it.

It can also be determined that despite the fact that the Islamic State has suffered a mortal blow when it lost its self-proclaimed caliphateor territory under its control in Syria and Iraqthe jihadist organization still perseveres, and continues fighting on the field and for the hearts of believers.

US President Trump (center) must act in Bashar Assad's Syria or Russian President Putin (L) will (Photo: AP/EPA/Reuters)

We may also determine that the Sunni Muslim rebel groups, which sparked the civil war to begin with, have long since lost any hope or chance of deposing Assad. They are still trying to defend a handful of enclaves they were able to hold onto from the war's beginning and continue their infighting. Each of them is supported by a different regional patronTurkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and so onmostly to further their own interests.

Lastly, it can be safely said that the Syrian Kurd YPG militia, which has shown impressive capabilities at waging war, buttressed as it was by American advisers and Special Forces, has become a significant military and political factor in the Syrian arena.

Ceasefire collapsing in eastern Ghouta ()

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YPG, in fact, was the only force on the ground that ran the Islamic State off from its main strongholds east of the Euphrates River (as both the Americans and Europeans bombarded from the air).

The Kurdish militia made no bones regarding displaying its intention to create a countryor at the very least an autonomous districtin northern Syria, with its capture of two enormous enclaves near the Turkish border, one east of the Euphrates and the other west of the river.

Kurdish militias in Iraq. The Kurds are the only force to engage the Islamic State in ground offensives (Photo: AP)

However, this pushed Turkey to invade and further widened the split between the two NATO alliesthe United States and Turkey.

What's Erdogan afraid of?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers the Syrian Kurdish moves a direct strategic threat to his country's national security, mostly born of the fear that a countryor even Kurdish autonomyin northern Syria will serve as a model and basis for the demands of the considerable Kurdish minority in southern Turkey.

That aside, the Turks well remember the tight, years' long cooperation between the Syrian Kurdish YPG and the Turkish Kurdish PKK. On numerous occasions, PKK combatants left for terror attacks on Turkish soil from territory owned by Syrian Kurds and returned to same when Turkish security forces closed in on them.

The regime of Bashar Assad's father and predecessor Hafez Assad turned a blind eye to this cross-border collaboration and, at times, even supported it, causing Turkey and Syria to reach the brink of war 20 years ago.

The Turkish streets, as well as the Ankara political opposition, well remember that. Erdogan has thus been afforded wall-to-wall support when he flagrantly flaunted warnings from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and sent the Turkish army, along with Free Syrian Army Sunni Syrian rebels groups loyal to him, to invade the Kurdish enclave in northwestern Syria.

Turkish President Erdogan oversaw an invasion of Syria to head off the creation of an independent Syrian Kurdish state (Photo: EPA)

The invasion's main goal was to prevent the creation of an independent Syrian-Kurdish political entity on the Turkey-Syrian border (in addition to the Iraqi Kurd autonomous region near the Turkey-Iraq border). Another goal was to institutionalize a "buffer zone" ensuring the safety of southern Turkey residents from hostile forces and terror groups (such as Islamic State) that may attempt to carry out attacks against them from within the failed Syrian state.

The Syrian Kurds' response to the invasion was also almost academic. They contacted Bashar Assad and invited forces loyal to him to enter Afrin in the enclave's center to prevent the Turks and their allies from overtaking it.

While the Syrian Kurds have their own score to settle with the Assad familywhich never recognized them as citizens with equal rights, neglected them and even slaughtered them on occasionthe Turks are much worse than the Alawites, who after all are themselves a minority in need of support from other minority groups such as Christians, Druze and, yes, Kurds as well.

PM Netanyahu obliged to rethink matters

It's arguable whether the Turkish invasion of Syria is justified and whether it does not infringe on the norms of international law. What is clear, however, is that Erdogan has taken such a drastic move to begin with because Ankara is genuinely fearful of the political and military settlement put together at the end of the Syrian civil war posing a real, strategic threat to Turkey's national security.

Israel's lots are not drastically different from Turkey's in that regard. Jerusalem also fearsand rightfully sothat the coming days will set in stone facts on the ground in Syria that will adversely impact Israel's national security and the safety of its people.

Remnants of the Israeli F-16 jet down by Syrian antiaircraft fire. IDF should not attempt to invade the Syrian Golan Heights (Photo: AFP)

This isn't to say that the IDF should invade the Syrian Golan Heights and the Damascus Basin to prevent entrenchment of Iran-affiliated militias and creation of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile bases (similarly to action undertaken by the Turkish army in its Operation Olive Branch underway against the Kurds in northwestern Syria).

The new situation forming in Syria and the international arena, however, necessitates the prime minister and Israel's security chiefs to rethinkstrategically and tactically, politically and militarilythe means and operating methods needed to prevent Syria becoming an Iranian puppet and launch pad for precision-targeted missiles and armed Shiite commando corps' incursions into Israel.

Moreover, Iranian entrenchment in Syria will significantly increase the threat posed by Lebanon and also create a serious threat to aerial and maritime traffic both to and from Israel and its offshore gas rigs. In other words, the country's economic well-being and energy independence are at stake here.

Qasem Soleimani's entrenchment plan

An article published by the New York Times last week dealt with the entrenchment of foreign actors in Syria. A later Fox News report included a map showing Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah and Shiite militias (some 20,000 Iraqi, Afghan and Pakistani forces operating with direct Iranian funding and oversight) hold several dozen bases around Syria already.

The bases aren't large, and most of them are far from the Golan Heights and are mostly used for incursions, intelligence collection and logistics in the fight against what rebel groups are still combating Assad's regime.

Map of the Iranian bases in Syria published by Fox News (Photo: Fox News)

If Commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force Qasem Soleimani had his way, however, Iranians will expand these "installations" to real air, land, sea and intelligence bases.

Soleimani also intends for the bases to be close enough to the Israeli border to enable forces to reach the Golan Heights boundary within a single night in order to steal across it and raid Israeli communities.

That won't be happening tomorrow, nor will it happen all at once. The Iranians have a list of priorities as to what they wish to achieve in Syria. First, they wish for their client, Bashar Assad, to regain the maximal amount of land and stabilize his rule using Iranian and Russian help. The Iranianstogether with Hezbollah, other Shiite militias and what's left of the Syrian armygive Russians the "boots on the ground" needed to expand the territory the regime is attempting to retake.

Doing so enables Soleimani to break ground on an open land corridor from Tehran to Beirut through Iraq and Syria, which will enable Iran to become a strategic-military force to be reckoned with in the eastern Mediterranean, to expand the northern front against Israel and to move military assistance to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza through the sea.

Commander of IRGC's Quds Force Soleimani touring Syria. Soleimani is presiding over the creation of a land corridor from Tehran to Lebanon

This land corridor in effect already exists, but has several bottlenecks on the Iraqi-Syrian border, which the Americans and their Kurdish allies could snap shut at any moment.

Moscow, Tehran chasing money

The economy is at the very top of Iran's priorities at the moment. Tehran has invested some $15 billion in Assad's regime, its army and the fundamental needs of its people (such as fuel) throughout the civil war. The Iranian regime is eager to see a return on its investment, pressured as it is by public opinion.

To that end, Tehran is demanding Assad provide licenses to extract oil, gas and phosphates from the rich fields of the Euphrates Valley and eastern Syrian deserts, for the benefit of Iranian economic companiesmost of which are either tied to the Revolutionary Guard or outright owned by them.

They are also demanding a portion of the port of Tartus, to export what they produce in the war-torn country, while also gaining a strategic naval foothold.

Assad's no sucker, though, and has only massive debts in his state coffers. He also has a family that has gotten used to making a nice living and accruing vast sums of money in Swiss bank accounts at the expense of the Syrian man on the street and the country's modest natural resources.

President Putin embracing his vassal, Syrian President Assad. Putin's friendship comes at a steep price (Photo: AP, Presidential TV)

The Syrian president is therefore loath to give the Iranians what they're asking, not least of which because Russia's President Vladimir Putin is also demanding his cut of the shriveling pie.

The Kremlin knows full well no entity exists willing to foot the bill for the hundreds of billions required to restore Syria from its current ruins, and Russia therefore understands to look elsewhere for Russian economy's salvation.

Nevertheless, Putin wishes to cover the expenses of his country's military involvement in Syria and is therefore demanding licenses for prospecting for oil and phosphates.

This is in addition to the naval and air bases Russia was awarded in the Mediterranean's basin. Assad knows well he can haggle with the Iranians, but that he shouldn't even try with Putin.

IDF operating, but it isn't enough

Putin isn't the only one attempting to shape the Syrian "day after", however, with the Iranians, Assad's regime, Kurds and Turks all entering the fray. The Americans are also there, acting covertly to prevent Islamic State from returning to the land it has lost and to prevent the Iranian land corridor from forming.

The Pentagon is planning to create a coed force of 30,000 Kurdish Syrian combatants to that end, set to operate as a "border police" in northeastern Syria and on the border with Iraq. That's at the top of the American defense establishment's priorities list.

PM Netanyahu (R) is lobbying in Moscow and with President Putin on behalf of Israel's interests (Photo: EPA)

Generally speaking, it may be said that all of the entities involved in stirring the Syrian pot are smelling an impending political settlement and moving to promote their own political and economic agendas through same. Who's looking after Israel's interests, you may ask? Mostly the IDF, assisted by diplomatic lobbying by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Presidents Putin and Trump.

The IDF is operating on two channels: using covert inter-war operations it chips away at Iranian entrenchment in Syria and Hezbollah's acquisition of quality weapons. It may also be assumed that humanitarian assistance to "local entities" in the Syrian Golan Heights, the Druze included, has produced several strategic benefits in intelligence and routine border security.

Netanyahu's lobbying at the Kremlin, meanwhile, ensures Russian forces on Syrian soil stay out of those inter-war operations and that Putin declines to provide the Syrians and Iranians alike with weapons curtailing the Israel Air Force's freedom of operation.

Both the Russians and Israel are operating according to the same guiding principle, which says that each side makes sure to not harm the other party's vital interests.

As for the future, it appears pressures Assad has been exerting on the Syrians have narrowed down the Kremlin's willingness to turn a blind eye to IDF preventative operations.

PM Netanyahu (L) should force US President Trump to act in Syria (Photo: AP)

The White House, for its part, doesn't even grant Israel that benefit, instead allowing the Russians to administer both all of the military moves and ceasefires and lead political settlement efforts.

As a result, Israel is not only absent from the political arena but also lacks a serious diplomatic leverage over future negotiations. Netanyahu's lobbying in Moscow and inter-war operations, when it comes down to it, will fail to prevent the grievous harm that may come to our vital interests in the north if Iran is able to entrench itself there.

The conclusion is that Israel needs to bang on the desk in Washington and demand President Trump get his country heavily involvedboth diplomatically and possibly militarilyin goings-on all across Syria and not merely east of the Euphrates.

Doing so will also serve Jordan's strategic interests as well as those of other countries in the pro-Western Sunni Arab camp. Abandoning the Syrian arena to the Russians, however, will eventually allow the Iranians to reach their own strategic goals.

With all due respect, but the ceremonial opening of another bureau for the American ambassador to Israel in Jerusalem will do nothing to promote Israel's existential strategic interests by even one millimeter. If Trump is a true friend of Israel, as he claims, he must prove it in Syria. And he must prove it now.SEOUL  North Korea threatened on Saturday to "counter the US" if the United States holds joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the drills would harm reconciliation efforts on the peninsula.

The United States is due to start joint exercises in early April, a South Korean presidential security adviser said this week according to Yonhap news agencythe latest in a series of drills that the north has regularly described as a threat.

"If the US finally holds joint military exercises while keeping sanctions on the DPRK, the DPRK will counter the US by its own mode of counteraction and the US will be made to own all responsibilities for the ensuing consequences," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said in its commentary.

On Feb. 23, the United States said it was imposing its largest package of sanctions to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs. President Donald Trump warned of "phase two" that could be "very, very unfortunate for the world" if the steps did not work.BEIRUT  Turkish warplanes struck pro-Syrian government forces in the northwestern Afrin region of Syria on Saturday, killing at least 36 of them, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It said this was the third time in 48 hours that Turkish warplanes had struck pro-government forces that entered Afrin last week in support of the Kurdish YPG militia as it fights to stave off an offensive by Turkey and allied Syrian militias.The first suit has been filed Friday under the Polish Holocaust Law , which went into force just a day earlier, against an Argentinean newspaper that used the photo of anti-communist Polish resistance fighters, taken after World War Two, in an article dealing with a 1941 massacre of Jews in the Polish town of Jedwabne

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The suit, pressed by a group called the "Polish League against Defamation", accused the Pagina/12 newspaperone of Argentina's three biggest dailiesand the article's writer, Federico Pavlovsky, of "action intended to harm the Polish nation and defame Polish soldiers."

The article dealt with the Jedwabne pogrom. For dozens of years after the war, Polish communist authorities attempted to cover up the role played by Poles in the massacre, choosing instead to point the finger at Nazi special units.

The December Pagina/12 article that led to a suit being pressed against both the paper and the writer

A report published by historian Jan Tomasz Gross in 2011, however, claimed that the Poles carried out the massacre themselves, in which some 1,600 Jews were killed.

Interestingly, as first pointed out by the website Notes from Poland on Twitter, the article went up in mid-December, a month before the law was voted on in Polish parliament and a whopping three months before it went into force, bringing to light some questions regarding attempting to enforce it retroactively.

Nevertheless, the contentious Polish Holocaust Law asserts that any utterances ascribing responsibility to Poland for crimes against humanity committed during the Holocaust will be considered a crime, punishable by up to three years in prison.

While the law has already gone into force, Poland has made it clear it will not be enforced until talks with Israel conclude and a decision is reached in the country's constitutional court , which will then refer the law to President Andrzej Duda for reinspection.

Last week, Poland's parliament postponed a session dealing with whether to dedicate a memorial day to Poles who saved Jewish lives during the Second World War. Those opposing the measure claimed the timing was inopportune, considering the controversy engendered by the Holocaust Law.United Nations human rights experts released a statement calling Israels plan to expel Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers a violation of international law with respect to human rights and refugees rights. They called on Israel to immediately cease its implementation and change the plan.

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We are concerned that the plan will seriously harm the rights of the Eritreans and Sudanese, according to international human rights law, they stated in their declaration. The signatories are independent researchers working voluntarily under the auspices of the UN Human Rights Council. Their expertise is in the human rights in Sudan and Eritrea, human rights of refugees, racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

Protesting expulsion near Holot (Photo: EPA)

The declaration stated that Israels plan grants a temporary stay from expulsion to certain people, including particularly vulnerable immigrants, but their concern is that it can be annulled at any time and children and families can be included in the expulsion as well.

It also stated that some 20,000 out of 34,700 Eritreans and Sudanese in Israel must choose between leaving the country and indefinite imprisonment in Israel.

Assistant Professor of Law at UCLA Tendayi Achiume deplored the discriminatory nature of the policy: I am deeply concerned that this policy specifically targets individuals from sub-Saharan Africa. By singling out Eritrean and Sudanese nationals, the policy clearly breaches the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of race and national origin, she said.

The experts said the policy perpetuates the stigmatization of non-citizens as illegal infiltratorsa term that has been widely used by public officials in the debate about migration.

The use of such terms reinforces and further legitimizes discriminatory public discourse and racist attitudes towards migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, especially those from sub-Saharan Africa, Ms. Achiume added.

(Photo: Shahar Shoham)

The experts are also alarmed that the policy foresees the indefinite detention of those who refuse to leave Israel. The detention of migrants should be an exceptional measure of last resort and respect procedural safeguards: it should be ordered by a court of law and be determined case-by-case, it should last for the shortest period of time, it should only be applied when no suitable non-custodial alternatives are available, and children should never be detained for immigration purposes, whatever their status or the status of their parents, they said.

In light of the secrecy surrounding the third country destinations, the UN experts expressed concern that returnees might not be afforded adequate and effective protection.

We call on Israel to respect the absolute prohibition of refoulement, which entails an obligation not to return a person, whatever their status, to a country where there are substantial grounds to believe that the individual would be at risk of being subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or other serious human rights violations, they said.

In this context, the experts also noted the lack of sufficient guarantees ensuring that Eritreans and Sudanese are not deported from third countries to their country of origin. We express great concern about the safety of thousands of Eritreans and Sudanese and the risks they face if returned to their home countries, said the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Ms. Sheila B. Keetharuth, and the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Mr. Aristide Nononsi.

The UN experts have been in contact with the Israeli government to clarify the situation.

In November, 2017, the UN High Commissioner on Refugees criticized the governments policy, even before it received final approval.CAIRO - Egypt's top court on Saturday dismissed all outstanding legal challenges to a deal transferring two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, a day before a visit by its crown prince.

The plan to cede the islands to Riyadh, an ally which has given billions of dollars in aid to Egypt, was announced in 2016 and became mired in political protest and legal action.

The Supreme Court ruled that no other court had jurisdiction over the matter, blocking two opposing verdicts - one by the Supreme Administrative Court, which was against ceding control of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, the other by the Court of Urgent Matters, which looked to void that decision.Lebanese actor and director Ziad Itani was arrested in November on accusations of cooperating with and spying for Israel. It is now evident that Itani fell victim to a plot hatched by Major Susan Hajj Hobeiche, the former head of the Lebanese Anti-Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Bureau who was arrested Friday.

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Itani was accused of being recruited by a female Israeli intelligence agent and that the two exchanged information. According to reports in Lebanon , he was asked to contact senior Lebanese political officials in order to advance normalization with Israel.

Susan Hajj Hobeiche

The agent allegedly sent him a list of 29 names of Lebanese government ministers in order to determine which of them Itani knew. In addition, it was announced that Itani received between 500 and 1,000 dollars a month for his services and that he admitted to the charges under questioning.

Ziad Itani (Photo: AFP)

Susan Hajj was arrested on charges that she hired a hacker to forge the conversations between Itani and the Israeli agent in order to frame Itani, whom she blames for her ouster from her previous post, as a spy for Israel.

We all must ask forgiveness from Itani who has never abandoned his Arab and Beiruti identity for a single day, said Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouk on Twitter. It is not enough to declare his innocence. He is a patriot and we are proud of him.A 59-year-old Palestinian farmer travelling near the Gaza security barrier was shot dead Saturday by an IDF force defending the IsraelGaza border near Khan Yunis at the southern part of the Strip, Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement.

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Officials in the strip say the farmer, Muhammad Abu Jamea, was critically wounded and succumbed to his wounds shortly after.

According to the IDF, a Palestinian suspect approached the southern Gaza perimeter fence and fled after an IDF force "fired warning shots." The IDF added they were "checking the Palestinians' claim that the man was hit."

IDF soldiers near Gaza border

On Thursday, IDF forces have neutralized an explosive device disguised as a Palestinian flag placed near the border fence in the southern Gaza Strip.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the device was placed there two and a half weeks ago during Palestinian demonstrations, along with a similar charge placed in the region that detonated last month, wounding four soldiers.

Palestinian sources reported the Israeli Air Force attacked several targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the detonation, some of which were Hamas outposts. The attacks seemed to mostly target the outposts and rocket launch nooks and armament storages. No Palestinian Islamic jihad assets were targeted.Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reports that a farmer, Mohammed Abu Jame (59) was killed by the IDF near the border fence east of Khan Younis on Saturday. The IDF reported that forces fired warning shots at a suspicious person who was approaching the fence and that he fled. They are looking into Palestinian reports that the man was hit.Ahead of his trip to the United States, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will meet US President Donald Trump and discuss first and foremost the matter of Iranian sanctions and nuclear project as well as its involvement in regional conflicts.Under the best of circumstances, a Mideast peace deal is the Holy Grail of diplomacy, a goal that has eluded American presidents for generations.

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With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to visit Washington this coming week, the mix of politics, personalities and historical grievances that has stood in the way of Israeli-Palestinian peace is even more combustible than normal.

PM Netanyahu (L) and US President Trump (Photo: Reuters)

President Donald Trumps point man for mediation, Jared Kushner, is in the middle of a political firestorm, his plan remains a mystery and the Palestinians arent even speaking to the White House. If that werent enough, Netanyahu and Trump are both distracted by mushrooming legal investigations at home.

Its all contributing to an intensified pessimism in the US, Israel and the West Bank about prospects for a Trump-brokered initiative to succeed.

Kushner and a small team have spent the past year preparing a much-awaited blueprint for peace, but no details have emerged. Many in the region wonder whether the vaunted plan will ever come.

On the surface, Israels relationship with the White House has never been better, buoyed by the Jewish states thunderous support for Trumps decision to relocate the US Embassy in Jerusalem and recognize the disputed city as Israels capital. The announcements only reinforced Palestinians impressions of Trump as biased against them.

A mediator will have to mediate between two semi-equal parties. Otherwise its not a mediation process, said Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to Washington, in a recent Associated Press interview. You have to level the field and level your relationship between the two sides in order to be an honest mediator.

Jared Kushner (Photo: MCT)

The world may soon be able to judge for itself.

The Trump administrations peace proposal is near completion, according to US officials, but faces an uncertain future as Kushner, the Trump son-in-law leading the effort, recently lost his top-secret security clearance. Former negotiators say Kushners downgraded status probably will severely impair his ability to do the job.

Beneath the veneer of US-Israeli unity, there is lingering disagreement and suspicion.

Israel is increasingly worried that Trump is backsliding on a pledge to fix or dismantle the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Israel also is concerned that behind Trumps tough public stance toward Tehran is an acquiescence to Irans growing presence in Syria and influence in Lebanontwo Israeli neighbors.

The Israelis now are undoubtedly sounding the alarm, said Jonathan Schanzer, who researches Irans regional influence at the hawkish Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The assets the Israelis see on the other side of the border to its north they are not happy.

Nevertheless, its in Netanyahus interest to keep such disputes out of the public eye, said David Makovsky, a former State Department official who worked on Mideast peace negotiations. The Israeli leader faces multiple investigations related to allegations of bribery and corruption.

Its important for him not to run afoul of Trump, said Makovsky, now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Its necessary for him to show hes not so engulfed by his own legal problems that hes not functioning as a leader.

Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday, in the middle of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference, which brings thousands of pro-Israel officials, lawmakers, activists and academics to Washington.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at a Revolutionary Guards parade (Photo: EPA)

Vice President Mike Pence, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Trumps envoy to Israel, David Friedman, will give speeches, and each is likely to hammer away at Iran.

Israel views Iran as an existential threat and Netanyahu has repeatedly implored Trump to  fix it or nix it  when it comes to the nuclear deal. That agreement, negotiated by the Obama administration and other world powers, rewarded Iran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief for curbing its nuclear program.

Critics, including Netanyahu and Trump, say Tehran got too much for too little. Among the remedies theyre advocating: removal of several of the deals clauses that allow Iran to gradually resume advanced nuclear work starting in 2024.

Trump has said he wont renew US waivers for sanctions when they next expire on May 12 unless European countries agree to a new deal that would force them to punish Tehran if the Iranians resume advanced nuclear work. He wants tougher inspections and penalties for Iranian missile testing. He also wants Europe to punish Irans support for the anti-Israeli militant group Hezbollah, Yemens Houthi rebels and Syrian President Bashar Assads government.

Israeli officials are most immediately concerned about Irans missile work. They want US and European commitments to punish Iran for work on medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel and Irans Arab rivals. The Europeans have balked, citing UN restrictions that focus only on longer-range projectiles. US officials negotiating with Britain, France and Germany appear to agree with the Europeans, prompting the Israeli concern.

Trumps Mideast peace aspirations arent any more certain. After winning praise in Israel for his Jerusalem proclamation, he made clear the Israelis would have to make concessions , too. He hasnt said what those might be.

You won one point, and youll give up some points later in the negotiation, if theres ever a negotiation, Trump said in January.- The fight against crime has intensified in Ghana following bouts of armed robbery cases

- There has been a massive shake-up in the police force as all seven top officials of the police have been reshuffled

- One of the steps against crime is the deployment of the military on principal streets of Accra

Following recent cases of armed robbery in the country, the Ghana Police Department has introduced some drastic measures to deal with crime and insecurity once and for all.

The information minister, Mustapha Hamid, has revealed that government will be deploying a joint police and military task force across all major streets in the capital of Accra.

READ ALSO: Comedian Ghana Boy goes blind; appeals for support

Also, the Ghana police service has issued drastic changes in the top hierarchy of the police which has seen all seven top positions in the police department reshuffled.

Below are some drastic measures the national security council has introduced to tackle crime once and for all.

1. Deployment of heavy military personnel across the major streets of Accra.

2. Special police raids at some parts of the country so as to scare all criminals away.

3. Lighting up the entire cities and communities through a special lighting program. This is to make it uncomfortable for armed robbers to attack.

4. Massive surveillance across all banks and Forex bureaus including mobile money joints.

5. Installation of CCTV cameras at all banks and other financial institutions.

6. Massive surveillance of all CCTV cameras in the country through a special monitoring program.

7. The security personnel will crack down on citizens using mounted sirens on vehicles illegally.

Meanwhile, the public is being entreated to stay calm as all these security reforms are aimed to deal with crime in the country. Ghana recorded close to 80 cases of armed in January 2018 alone as compared to 60 cases in 2017.

READ ALSO: All there is to know about actress Maame Serwaas 5-year deal with Silvanus Records

Records by the Ghana Police Service reveal that the ratio of security officials to civilians currently stands at 1 policeman to 500 Ghanaians. This troubling reality falls in sharp contrast with the success stories of various African countries who have a satisfactory of police per civilian ratio.

Who is going to be Ghanas next top pastor?

Send us a message via our official Facebook and/or Instagram page to get it published on YEN.com.gh

Source: Yen- A Colombian is asking Ghanaians to not be bothered about cases of crime

- Mc Dementor says the crime at Colombia is more intense than that of Ghana

- There have been drastic interventions to deal with crime in the country

Colombian rapper, Mc Dementor, says Ghanaians would have to be content with the security system.

Reacting to the recent robbery attacks in the country, Mc Dementor says Ghana's rate of insecurity cannot be compared to developments in his hometown country, Columbia.

READ ALSO: 7 drastic actions by Flagstaff House to kill crime in Ghana

Making some comparisons with Ghana and Columbia, the budding rapper argued that whereas Ghana is crying over two to three cases of armed robbery, Columbia suffers about 8000 cases of armed robbery on a daily to weekly bases.

Ghana recorded close to 80 cases of armed in January 2018 alone as compared to 60 cases in 2017.

Records by the Ghana Police Service reveal that the ratio of security officials to civilians currently stands at 1 policeman to 500 Ghanaians.

This troubling reality falls in sharp contrast with the success stories of various African countries who have a satisfactory of police per civilian ratio.

Click here to find out the drastic steps government has tak

Who is going to be Ghanas next top pastor?

Send us a message via our official Facebook and/or Instagram page to get it published on YEN.com.gh

Source: Yen- Police officials at Haatso in Accra have gunned-down two armed robbers

-These robbers are said to be part of those terrorizing residents at Oyibi

- There is a wild manhunt for armed robbers in the country as cases of armed robbery increases

Police officials have confirmed the killing of two suspected armed robbers at Haatso, a suburb of Accra.

The Accra regional commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah, says this was as a result of a shoot-out these armed men, Raymond alias Dragon and Kwame alias Mafia, opened at the police.

READ ALSO: Taxi driver knocks down 3 armed robbers at Osu

DCOP Geroge Alex Mensah reveals that these gunned-down robbers were part of those attacking and killing residents at Oyibi after the disturbing Kwabenya jailbreak. These arrests follow a play out of robberies in Accra and Tema by armed men in the country.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that most robbers arrested by the police are nationals from Nigeria and other neighboring countries. In fact, recent arrests by the police in Accra saw alleged robbers with Nigerian names included. These persons are Godsgift Nwangaga, Ufuah Princewill, Okoro Amune, John Ani and Prince Nwangaga.

According to the investment banker, Evron R. Hughes, the issue of high robbery cases is linked to a "lack of an effective internal (country-specific) identification system (unique identifier of persons) and tracking of persons (in terms of addresses, including hotels) and also a fairly integrated ECOWAS crime database".

Earlier on, the Ghana police service arrested two suspected armed robbers who were picked up on their way back from a raid.

One of the suspects, 24-year-old, Mohammed Iddrisu Ziblim, was arrested on his way back from a robbery operation in Accra.

YEN.com.gh is gathering that some of the items retrieved from the two suspects include two pistols, one G3 rifle, 15 rounds of ammunition, two face masks, two pairs of hand gloves, a pair of scissors, a machete, five mobile phones and a bag.

Also, there has been a massive reshuffle in the police service following recently armed robbery attacks. A crucial press release by the police service shows that 11 powerful police officers and head of departments have been reshuffled to other fields of the department.

An official at the most powerful position in the police department, COP/Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, who until recently was in charge of operations in Accra is now the director general in charge of research and planning.

Just moments before the press statement was released into the public, YEN.com.gh understands that the vice president convened an emergency meeting with all seven security heads in the country on the drastic measures needed to tackle the menace of crime in the country.

READ ALSO: Taxi driver knocks down 3 armed robbers at Osu

What this means is that there will be heavy military and police deployment to major streets in the capital. YEN.com.gh is also gathering that "Operation calm life" has also been equipped to flush out all criminals in the country as the joint police-military force gets deployed across the country.

Meanwhile, the public is being entreated to stay calm as all these security reforms are aimed to deal with crime in the country.

READ ALSO: Taxi driver knocks down 3 armed robbers at Osu

Ghana recorded close to 80 cases of armed in January 2018 alone as compared to 60 cases in 2017. Records by the Ghana Police Service reveal that the ratio of security officials to civilians currently stands at 1 policeman to 500 Ghanaians.

This troubling reality falls in sharp contrast with the success stories of various African countries who have a satisfactory of police per civilian ratio.

Who is going to be Ghanas next top pastor?

Send us a message via our official Facebook and/or Instagram page to get it published on YEN.com.gh

Source: YenDr Syed Zafar Mahmood for TwoCircles.net

Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech on the occasion of the Jordanian Kings visit to India in the presence of a thousand plus Indian Muslims in New Delhis prestigious Vigyan Bhawan evokes an aura of a paradigm shift from his erstwhile perceived policy.

Modi admitted that many faiths have prospered in the Indian soil because of which the Indian message of peace and love has reverberated in the world. He relished basking in the unified divine light permeating every particle.

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The PM fondly recollected Delhis Sufi backdrop and the Urdu origin of the capitals name. He spoke of the socio-cultural diversity being the basis of Indias openness and the Indian national pride emanating from its mosaic legacy.

Modi juxtaposed the festive essence of the colourful Holi, the upcoming Good Friday and Buddha Jayanti as well as the not too distant month of Ramadan followed by the festival of Eid-al-Fitr that teaches us sacrifice and mutual bonhomie. Indian democracy is a celebration of our age-old plurality, he added.

Lauding the Amman Islamic Declaration and Jordans Prince Ghazi bin Mohammads book A thinking persons guide to Islam prime minister Modi wished that the Indian Muslim youth has the Holy Quran in one hand teaching him high morality and computer in the other empowering him through modern science and progress.

The fragrance of ideas and the sweetness of Mr Modis language used in Vigyan Bhawan do aesthetically soothe the Indian Muslim senses but before long the community rolls out of its ephemeral drowsiness and begins collating the present with the past before visualizing the future.

Modis 1st March 2018 music to the ears is at wide-angled variance with his earlier pronouncements pitching Shamshans against Qabristans and, yet earlier to that, repeatedly and aggressively bundling up all Indian Muslims under the censorious and offensive epithet of Mian Musharraf.

In his first address in parliament after taking over as PM, Modi had said some sympathetic words for the low economic condition of Muslims. A little later while responding to a foreign news anchor he had expressed faith in the Indian Muslims national loyalty. But, apart from that, all through the four years of his central rule, there have not only been umpteen individual physical attacks on Muslims but on many fronts, the country can make out that there has been a sustained effort to show Muslims down and hurt the Muslim causes and sentiments,

One tends to conjecture that the latest cosmetic change of track is caused by the recent electoral reverses and dwindling dividends of the policy of communal polarization  in multiple states  as well as the urge to salvage the tarnished world image of being anti-minority.

Add to that the massive general loss of small private businesses due to demonetisation and the uncontrollable cancerous spree of the half-baked GST regime. Top it with several big financial ransackers and pilferers on the run.

This profusion of contravening factors seems to have strategically though transiently sobered down the primitive, ungracious march towards Hindu Rashtra mellowing it down and camouflaging it with lukewarm conciliatory tones.

Nonetheless, the Indian Muslim wishes that such conclusion is counter-factual and that there is a genuine change of heart. In that case, the community expects the prime ministers candy-coated epilogue to be followed up by ground level actions which are as follows:

1. Censure, haul up and punish those television channels who organize aggressive debates and other programs encouraging communal hatred in India.

2. Publish a status report of all the cases of lynching since 2014.

3. Stop mistreating the madrasas in UP.

4. Dont unleash NIA against genuine interfaith lovers.

5. Publicly disown terms like love-jihad and Ghar-wapsi which have been coined to insult minorities.

6. Publish the statistics of atrocities committed against women of different faiths in India since Independence including the burning and killing for dowry as well as triple talaq. If warranted, based on statistics, make special laws against the evil practice.

7. Accept the minority character of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia and stop opposing it on flimsy grounds.

8. Maintain constitutionally mandated distance from the RSS, its affiliates and similar other organizations and publicly disapprove and discourage their anti-minorities rhetoric and posturing.

9. Publicly accept that Surya Namaskar is a Hindu worship and should not be forcefully imposed on all and sundry.

10. Both Yoga and Namaz have the effect of lifting up the soul and toning up the body. Encourage both of them equally and simultaneously.

11. Publicly embrace the constitutional secularism. Stop derisive pronouncements against this sacred statutory enshrinement.

12. There are youths who are put behind the bars on allegations of terror links but are ultimately declared by the courts as innocent. Financially compensate their sufferance and fine and punish those who proceeded against them with an ulterior motive.

13. There are a large number of persons displaced as a result of communal disturbances. Restore them to their homes, hearth, agricultural fields and vocations.

14. The Select Committee of Parliament on Waqf Properties (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Bill 2014 had only seven Muslims out of its thirty members. Its recommendations were made in haste and are based on unverified claims, over-ruling the strongly argued objections of the ministry and without answering these objections. Reconstitute this Select Committee ensuring the presence of at least three fourth of its members being Muslim. Re-examine and reconsider the various clauses of the Bill. Restore the original bill and get it passed.

15. Resuscitate and revive the joint mechanism of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Central Waqf Council for dealing with the Waqf properties under the ASI control. Ensure its mandatory quarterly meetings and follow up.

16. Vacate the Waqf properties that are under unauthorized government control and restore these to the Waqf Boards.

17. Bring out a white paper on (a) Haj Subsidy and (b) sea pilgrimage between India and Saudi Arabia. That would clear up many cobwebs and would guide the Government as well as the Muslim community.

18. Provide bridge course options for encouraging madrasa graduates to join the national educational mainstream not only in 3-4 Muslim predominant universities but across the country.

19. Implement Sachar Committees recommendation of Alternate Admission Criteria for undergraduate admissions.

20. Setting aside preconceived notions, positively re-consider the RBI recommendation on permitting windows for interest less banking.

21. De-reserve those parliamentary and assembly constituencies and local body wards where Scheduled Castes are in small percentage and, instead, reserve those where they are in highest percentage, as required by law.

22. Delete para (3) from the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order, 1950 and make the Scheduled Caste definition religion-neutral as recommended by Justice Mishra Commission.

23. Ensure at least one minority member in each panel of UPSC civil services interview and every other government selection panel at central and state level.

24. In Kashmir, Assam and Muslim predominant districts of other states take affirmative actions to educate the loitering children and mainstream the unemployed youth. Encourage public-private partnerships and subsidize the private educational initiatives in these areas. Reduce the requirement of land for opening schools and colleges there. Ensure publication of government job advertisements in local languages there. Ask employment bureaus to camp there on the eve of special recruitments.

Such and similar other ground level follow up of the prime ministers speech on 1st March 2018 can hopefully be the basis for his garnering support of the Muslim community which is definitely not sold out to any political grouping.

*The author is President, Zakat Foundation of India.Hyderabad, (IANS): Upset over the authorities denying permission for a rally to protest killings in Syria, leader of a Muslim group in Telanganas Warangal town attempted suicide by consuming poison.

In a video webcast live on his Facebook account late on Friday, the youth vent his anger over the police denying permission for the rally to condemn the massacre of innocent people, including children in Syria.

Mohammed Nayeem later took out a bottle from his pocket and consumed its content, saying he was ending his life. He was later rushed to a hospital. Police said his condition was stable.

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The youth is the Warangal district chief of Muslim Hakkula Porata Samithi (Struggle committee for rights of Muslims).

He said the organisation had sought permission to hold a peaceful rally and the police had initially agreed to allow the same. Later, the police officials refused to give permission.

Nayeem said he was feeling helpless as he was not even allowed to condemn the massacre in Syria and express solidarity with the victims.

He alleged that the political leaders have vested interests and they were not at all bothered about raising their voice for the community or supporting a just cause.

Earlier on Friday, he had made a bid to immolate himself by dousing kerosene. However, other members of the organisation prevented him from taking the extreme step.By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net

Several citizens of Varanasi, the Loksabha constituency of Narendra Modi, and activists in the region fear and sense that the Uttar Pradesh government is planning to repeat the 1992 Babri Masjid episode by expanding the compound of ancient Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi.

The ancient Vishwanath temple  which has been demolished and rebuilt many times  was last demolished by Aurangzeb in 1669 CE, who built Gyanvapi mosque at the runis of the temple. After several failed attempts to rebuild the temple by demolishing the newly built mosque, it was Ahilyabai Holkar who constructed a new temple adjacent to the mosque in 1780.

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But since the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the mosque and the temple both have landed in conflict at several times in the History. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposed an expansion of the Temple corridor and revealed his plan to connect the temple directly with the Ganga river, which flows about half a kilometre from the Temple. The plan, which was originally introduced in 2009 by the then state government but was later withdrawn, demands the acquisition and demolition of 167 houses at a length of 450-metres in order to connect the temple and the Ganga.

The plan, which has been facing numerous protests since its inaction, almost puts Gyanvapi Mosque devoid of any residential support, thus more vulnerable to threats and nationalist politics, says Sunil Kumar Jaiswal, a 45-year-old cosmetics seller near the temple.

Jaiswal said, When you build a compound of about half a kilometre around a temple in conflict with a mosque, it is easy to figure out what you are planning to do. Jaiswal said that he does not think the government may take a step identical to 1992, but this is apparently going to put the mosque and the devotees in danger.

Sanjeev Kumar, a leader of Aam Aadmi Party, told TwoCircles.net, The thing here is that the state has proposed and enacted a plan, but it does not look like that the plan belongs to the government. It feels that the plan particularly belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party and its Hindu nationalist agenda.

Varanasis newspapers are filled almost every day with the stories about the proposed plans with two conflicting stories placed side by side. The district administration has been saying for long that no houses and homes would be demolished without consent, but alongside the same, half a dozen houses have already been demolished and rest have been marked with red paint for further action. Sanjeev said, If the government continues to show a two-faced nature, how can one not think that religious freedom of a particular sect is at stake?

Not only Sanjeev, many others in the area have raised the same concern. A theatre artist, who lives in the same area, said on the condition of anonymity, I do not have any problem with demolishing a mosque or rebuilding it again. But here, people are lying to us. The government is giving us false notions that it wants to restore the old Temple, but we all know where the old Temple was. So if it wants to restore the old Temple, what action it could take to do the same?

I see a big compound where hundreds of Karsevaks could fill in, and that is not the projected purpose of the Temple, he added.

The eagerness of UP government can be understood with the fact that Yogi Adityanath himself has been monitoring the project, and he conducts a meeting with officials during his every visit to Varanasi. In fact, such has been the eagerness of Yogi Adityanath in this issue that a veteran journalist from the area threatened with committing suicide if the demolitions went ahead as planned.

The Hindutva current is strong in Varanasi, and we think that government is taking advantage of the same. But many people are not able to understand the situation they are just trying to save the heritage and their houses, said Lalta Prasad, a 76-year-old resident of the Bansfatak area, where the Temple gate is situated.

Prasad further said, And I hope they dont get the chance to understand it and that the protests continue like now. My fear is that if they will understand the real issue, they may happily give away their houses to another apparently violent episode.

The protest by the residents is gathering pace in city and various political parties are pouring in to extend their support to the protestors. Prajanath Sharma, district president at Indian National Congress, did not admit to the rumours and speculations, but said that the now the people living there are facing their worst fears.



Just a few days back, Waseem Rizvi, the Chairman at UP Shia Waqf Board, asked the Sunni Waqf Board and concerned authorities to happily give up the mosques which were built by demolishing temples, not to the surprise, Gyanvapi mosque was counted in his list.

The BJP-led state government may take political advantage by expanding the temple, and many believe that it will be harsh to assume that the state will back or moderate activities like that of 1992. But a new fear may settle in when a mosque will be out alone in the open compound which will probably be filled with the saffron-clad cars and vehicles of top leaders of the Yogi and Modi government. Our aim is to share good music with people who love it as much as we do. If someone feels hurt or damaged by the postings, just let us know.

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Welcome and have fun.Saudi Arabia aims to build a defense industry at breakneck speed, and its ready to look beyond its traditional Western allies for help. As Bloomberg writes in an article "Saudis Want to Make Their Own Weapons. Russia Is Eager to Help", the oil-rich kingdom has long been a favorite customer of arms sellers, especially American ones.

President Donald Trump announced $110 billion in deals during his trip there last year. Now, 32 year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to make weapons at home, and hes set an ambitious goal: Half of Saudi procurement is supposed to be done locally by 2030, from about 2 percent today. The Saudis will need partners -- which means opportunities for Western companies, who were energetically exploring them at an arms fair in Riyadh this week. But theres a potential catch. For joint ventures to work, U.S. and European governments may have to sign off on transfers of technology.

"Other partners"

In case theyre reluctant to do so, the Saudis are making it clear that they have other options. Theyre already planning to buy the Russian S-400 air-defense system, under a deal that would let them manufacture related products at home. The prospect of more such agreements is likely to alarm American policy makers, who worry about losing ground to Russia and China in the Middle East. We will very carefully evaluate what our partners can bring to the table, Andreas Schwer, head of Saudi Arabian Military Industries or SAMI, said in an interview Tuesday at the Riyadh fair. We wont hesitate to go to second-tier suppliers or other potential partners, if they have full governmental support and no restrictions, said Schwer, previously an executive at German defense group Rheinmetall AG. Saudi Arabia could end up with other partners, and with less U.S. involvement than some people would like, he said.

Filling the gaps

One of those people just delivered a warning to Congress on precisely this issue. Russia and China are seeking to fill in perceived gaps in U.S. interest by increasing defense cooperation and sales of their equipment to our regional partners, General Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 27. Russias influence in the Middle East has soared since 2015, when its military intervention in Syria swung the civil war in President Bashar al-Assads favor. Chinas economic role in the region is expanding, as it signs deals with Iran and seeks to get involved in rebuilding Syria. Unlike America, the Saudis have cordial ties with China and Russia. The former is one of its best oil customers, and the latter increasingly its partner in regulating world oil output. Both countries are competing with a U.S.-backed group, headed by Westinghouse Electric Co., to win nuclear-power contracts in the kingdom. And both have expressed interest in getting a piece of the action when the Saudis put a stake in Aramco up for sale. (So has Trump, who tweeted that the oil giants IPO should be in New York.)

"Many have reconsidered"

To be sure, Saudi-U.S. ties have deeper roots. They stretch back to before World War II. And Trump has assured Saudi leaders that hes keen to sign more defense deals. But close relations have been accompanied by skepticism on the American side about Saudi military capabilities. Doubts have been fueled by the kingdoms struggle to defeat poorly equipped rebels in Yemen, over three years of war that have taken a heavy civilian toll. Some members of Congress have opposed weapons deals with the Saudis, and transfers of nuclear technology. One longtime U.S. ally in the neighborhood has already angered Washington by switching arms suppliers. NATO member Turkey is buying the S-400 from Russia. During a visit last month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his opposition clear. America has been advising countries around the world that they could fall afoul of U.S. sanctions by going ahead with arms purchases from Russia, Tillerson said. Many have reconsidered.

"Special arrangements"

For now, American companies are in pole position in a lucrative market. Saudi Arabia has earmarked 210 billion riyals ($56 billion) for military spending in 2018, the biggest budget item. Raytheon Co. is among the firms set to help build the domestic industry, and estimates it will earn $7 billion of revenue from localization of Saudi defense projects over five to seven years. SAMI will let its joint-venture partners retain operational leadership and the top executive jobs, Schwer said. Still, export controls could be a hurdle for some American companies, and they may have to win over their own countrys politicians, according to John Bottimore, an executive at the U.S. unit of BAE Systems Plc. Weve got to work with our government to understand what can and cant be transferred, or what can be transferred under certain types of special arrangements, said Bottimore, whos vice president of international business development. That is probably the biggest challenge from the U.S. side.In late February, the victims of the tragic events in Azerbaijani Sumgait were remembered in the post-Soviet space. Three decades have passed since the riots, which are known as Sumgait pogrom on ethnic grounds, but there is still no unity of opinion on what caused the events of February 27-29th, 1988 and who is responsible for them.

Political scientist Sergey Kurginyan speaks about what and why happened in Sumgait: "In the late 1980s, I arrived in Baku. The events unfolding there had absolutely nothing to do with either the officialdom or the propaganda of our democratic opposition. I can say with all responsibility that when Armenians were brutally murdered in Sumgait, they were mocked and there were some ritual actions committed, it was done not by Azerbaijanians, but by outsiders, hired representatives of the international private organizations".

"We know these representatives by their names, we know the structures they worked for then and work for now. These people were killing Armenians, involving Azerbaijanis to do so, then they were killing Azerbaijanis, involving Armenians to do so, then confronted Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The uncontrolled tensions were starting to unveil. We saw it all, we saw who stood behind it, the political scientist said.

According to him, the picture was horrifying, but the most horrifying was the other thing: "The fact that democracy and liberal myths that had nothing to do with this were perceived as the ultimate truth, as something self-evident, as something absolutely correct, they had already controlled consciousness. All these viruses had already bitten into the consciousness, and the crowds fled in the right direction, towards their own death, to their own miseries, to their own ultimate ill-being, in which they later found themselves. "Yesterday, Baku hosted the Russian-Azerbaijani "Youth Against Extremism and Radicalism" round table, organized by the North-South political center, the "Sodruzhestvo" press club and the Azerbaijan University of Languages with support of with the Russian State University for the Humanities.

Organizers of the event belive that destructive ideas that are being spread in the youth environment can't be affected by borders and require coordinated response from law enforcement bodies and societies of our countries. It's a common problem for Russia and Azerbaijan, which can be resolved through cooperation not only among law enforcement officials, but also cooperation between civil societies, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, expert community and the media.

In an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, director of the International Studies Institute of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), doctor of historical sciences, professor Stanislav Chernyavsky, said: "In many countries, government and public focus on situation with children, elderly, pensioners, while young people are perceived as someone energetic, self-sufficient, as people who are able to do anything by themsevles. But it's not like that - young people are in the most difficult situation. Azerbaijan and Russian adopt youth programs, however, after talking to students, I see their helplessness, lack of faith in their own strength."

Speaking about cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan in the field of youth policy, he noted: "We ofter cooperate. When you board Baku-Moscow or Moscow-Baku plane all you can see aroung you are young people, who visit these countries for various reasons - someone wants to do business, some people are studying in universities. When it comes to our university, the Azerbaijan Youth Organization of Russia (AYOR), headed by Leyla Aliyeva, is very active. Our relations are very good, friendly."

Speaking about the round table, Fikret Sadikhov, political scientist and professor at the Western University, told Vestnik Kavkaza: "We're facing broad extremism: terrorism, occupation of territories, aggressive separatism, creation of separatist groups, organization of separatist acts, including in the territory of Azerbaijan. Public is worried about these factors. Meetings like today's round table bring clarity to the situation, facilitate exchange of opinions, develop joint ideas, proposals, lay foundation for future projects. This problem is urgent. It requires an integrated approach, because it's a threat to both national security and socio-political stability. Current measures aren't enough to resolve this problem. This is a long-term process, but it must be carried out consistently, systematically and continuously."Iran has always realized the U.S. could quit the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program and got ready for it, Irans Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai said in an interview with TASS.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran, despite the pessimism regarding the Western countries positions, has been moving forward the negotiations process on JCPOA, and, of course, has always realized the Wests possible violations, especially by the U.S., and thus has got prepared for the U.S. quitting the deal," TASS quoted the diplomat as saying.The guided missile was neutralized by the personnel of the rescue center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in Chechnya, the republican department of the ministry reported, specifying that the missile had been waiting for this for more than 20 years.

It is reported that the rocket was found outside the village of Makhkety, in the Vedeno district. It was there since the 1990s when the anti-terrorist operation was carried out in the republic.

Following the discovery of the missile, a special squad from Rostov-on-Dons rescue center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations came to eliminate the missile, Kavkaz Segodnya reports.In Dagestan, the 95th anniversary of the birth of poet Rasul Gamzatov will be celebrated soon, the interim head of the republic, Vladimir Vasilyev, issued a corresponding decree.

In accordance with the decree, the regional government was instructed to form an organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the celebration, to develop and approve an action plan and consider the issues of the financing of the celebrations.

The local governments of municipal districts and urban districts are encouraged to participate in the preparation of the festive eventA native of the village of Khuchni (Dagestan), teacher of the Department of Mountain Training, Survival and Orientation of the Military Institute of Physical Culture, Senior Lieutenant Temirlan Temirkhanov is preparing to participate in the expedition to the North Pole in the framework of the expedition of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the press service of the Ministry of Dagestan reports.

The representative of Dagestan in St. Petersburg, Hasan Hasanov, presented Temirlan Temirkhanov wth the state flag of the republic with the instruction to hoist it at the North Pole in honor of the republic, in the name of its glory and prosperity.Yesterday, Moldovan capital Chisinau hosted a conference prepared by the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM).

According to a source from the Ukrainian Parliament, the main reason for the event was the development of a counter-Russia concept.

The Atlantic Council of the USA headed the conference, the representatives from Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine also arrived. It should be emphasized that GUAM member - Azerbaijan, which is a strategic partner of the Russian Federation, refused categorically to participate in the event with an anti-Russian agenda.

Visitors to the conference noted that the event turned out to be a complete failure. It didn't happen to be successful from the very beginning: at the very start, the sound went out in the building, then the light was cut off due to which it was impossible to conduct a live broadcast with foreign speakers.

Despite the fact that at the very beginning of the conference there were not enough seats in the room, the unpreparedness of the reporters surprised even the sighted Russophobes, and already by lunchtime, the hall was almost empty, although the event was scheduled for completion only in the evening.

One of the sponsors of the conference was Frontera Resources LTD, which in 2016 acquired 40% of the territory of Moldova "for geological exploration of hydrocarbons," Moldavskie Vedomosti reported.Russias Gazprom announced yesterday it has been forced to immediately break its contract with Ukraines Naftogaz for the supply and transit of natural gas, RT reports.

The decision concludes a three-year dispute between the two companies. The announcement followed the verdict of the Stockholm Arbitration Court which heard the dispute. This week the court ordered Naftogaz to pay Gazprom $2 billion, while ordering the Russian company to compensate Naftogaz to the tune of $4,673 billion.

Head of Gazprom Alexei Miller as cited by RIA Novosti, said that the court made an asymmetric decision, violating the balance of the parties interests.

The arbitrators justified their decision by the sharp deterioration in the Ukrainian economy. We are categorically against Ukraines economic problems being solved at our expense, Miller said.

He added that at the present time, the Russian side considers the extension of contracts economically unviable.

On Thursday, Gazproms deputy chairman Alexander Medvedev told journalists the company wont send shipments of natural gas to Ukraines Naftogaz as of March 1 after the sides failed to reach an agreement.

The legal battle between Gazprom and Naftogaz in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce had rumbled on since June 2014. Most of the Russian companys claims against Naftogaz relate to fines for insufficient withdrawal of gas by the Ukrainian side in accordance with the take-or-pay rule. Gazprom also demanded payment of the debt for gas delivered to Ukraine between May and June 2014, plus fines. Naftogaz pushed for a retroactive change in the price of gas, the reimbursement of overpayments and a repeal of the ban on reselling Russian gas.The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia has launched an investigation into the murder of journalist Giorgi Sanaia on the basis of alleged new circumstances in the case, InterPressNews reported.

According to the statement released by the Prosecutor's Office, "on the grounds of the newly revealed circumstances, the Prosecutor's Office of Georgia launched an investigation into the murder of journalist G.S. that took place on July 26, 2001, under article 108 of the Criminal Code of Georgia (premeditated murder).

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia studied initial information, interviewed convict K.S., as well as the family members of the killed journalist, and decided to launch an investigation given the newly revealed circumstances in order to objectively and thoroughly verify the spread reports. The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia will conduct all necessary investigative and procedural actions and will inform the public of the results of the investigation," reads the statement.On the day of the 26th anniversary of Kazakhstan's accession to the United Nations, an official ceremony was held at the UN Headquarters for signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons by the Republic of Kazakhstan, AzerNews reported citing Kazinform.

The agreement was signed by the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, Ambassador Kairat Umarov, in accordance with the authority granted to him by Decree, No617 of 9 January 2018, of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.The international community should continue encouraging parties to the conflict in Yemen to a dialogue, giving up is unacceptable in that issue, Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Ethiopias The Reporter, TASS reports.

"Our position remains unchanged, and we see that putting an end to Yemens conflict featuring the "Arab coalition," may be possible exclusively in a dialogue, to respect interests of Yemens all political forces," the Russian minister said on Saturday.

"However, it would not be possible to restore national accord there in an instant," he continued. "The opposing parties have accumulated too many claims to each other, though sometimes they may be groundless."

"In the current situation, Yemens factions are not ready to face a constructive discussion of ways to overcome the contradictions, and this, in fact, is the main problem in context of the crisis settlement," the foreign minister said. "However, this should not be a reason to give up the attempts in this direction."

Moscows position is that the international community, and first of all the UN, "should continue encouraging Yemens protagonists to restrain from violence and get to the negotiations table."Russias Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev offered condolences to Azerbaijans Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade over victims in a fire in Baku, the Russian governments press service said on Saturday, TASS reports.

"On behalf of the government and myself I am offering condolences over the numerous victims in the fire in central Baku," the telegram reads. "Please pass our support and sympathy to all the families and friends of the victims, and wishes for soonest recovery to the injured."German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump about Syria, and both sides agreed that Syrian government forces and their Russian and Iranian allies must abide by a U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution, her office said Friday, ABC news reports. Germany appeals "to all parties to the conflict to fully implement this U.N. resolution and we see a particular responsibility on the part of Russia," he added.

According to Merkel's office, both she and Trump also expressed concern about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unveiling of new weapons systems Thursday "and their negative consequences for international arms control efforts."The U.S. anti-Russian sanctions are not only illegal, but also affecting the world, Russia's presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Saturday in a comment on Washington's decision to extend the sanctions against Russia, TASS reports.

"We have never initiated those sanctions, and we consider them illegal, affecting not only peoples of our countries, but the entire world," he said.

The press secretary continued by saying sanctions and their extension is not on the Kremlins agenda.The head of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, Alexander Novak, and the vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union, Maros Shefovic, held a telephone conversation during which the EC representative conveyed the concerns of Ukraine following the results of the Stockholm arbitration, the Ministry of Energy reports.

Minister Novak assured that the gas transit from Russia to Europe is not under threat, the transit remains as reliable as it was in the past," the agency said, noting that Novak and Shefovich confirmed their readiness to maintain close contact, RIA Novosti reports.Washington is incoherent in its statements on Russia that came in the wake of President Vladimir Putins State of the Nation Address, Head of Russias Federation Council (upper house) International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev said, TASS reports.

According to the senator, the United States is trying, on the one hand, to justify an increase in its military spending to fight the threat allegedly emanating from Russia, and, on the other hand, it needs to reassure its citizens.

"The United States response to yesterdays State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly has so far been restrained, to be more precise, contradictory. In particular, the US Department of Defense said they were not surprised to hear reports about new types of weapons being developed in Russia. However, it would be even more inaccurate to present [President] Vladimir Putins speech as some kind of challenge to the US or anyone else," Kosachev said. He noted that there is nothing new in the fact that the army is working on modernizing weapons.

"US military officials and propagandists are now addressing a twin challenge with the exactly opposite objectives: on the one hand, to take advantage of the situation, including the Russian presidents address, to scare its population and the Congress and receive as much money as possible for new weapons. However, on the other hand, they need to reassure people too, because it turns out that America has got involved in what it is now a cold conflict with the only power threatening the very existence of America," the parliamentarian added.The employees of the municipal services of Kiev dismantled the tent camp near the Verkhovna Rada after the police arrested the supporters of the ex-president of Georgia, the former governor of the Odessa region, the leader of the opposition movement Rukh Noviikh Syl Mikhail Saakashvili.

It is reported that this morning the police came to the tent camp for investigative actions, searches, but the protesters resisted. The police received the permission to conduct the investigative actions from the court.The ex-president of Georgia, the former governor of the Odessa region, and now the leader of the Ukrainian opposition movement Rukh Novykh Syl, Mikhail Saakashvili called on his supporters to conduct the all-Ukrainian march on March 18th.

"I propose to conduct the all-Ukrainian peace march demanding the resignation of Poroshenko, Avakov, Lutsenko and the immediate holding of elections. We will have two weeks to prepare well and in no panic," he said, noting that a calm but powerful people's force should pull the oligarchy away from power, put an end to corruption and give Ukraine the opportunity to develop freely.President Donald Trump has extended the sanctions against Russia and Russian individuals by another year. The sanctions were imposed by former President Barack Obama in March 2014, in response to the political crisis in Ukraine.

In a letter required under the National Emergencies Act, Trump notified Congress that the White House will continue treating the situation in Ukraine as an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, as defined by Obamas Executive Order 13660, dated March 6, 2014, RT reports.

The US has been gradually expanding the list of people and entities under its Russia sanctions over the years. The latest addition of 21 individuals and nine companies was announced in January 2016.

Trump's letter also notes that without a notification from the White House the sanctions would have automatically expired on the anniversary of the original executive order.

This is the second time this week that policy decisions made by the Trump administration were aimed at Russia. On Thursday, the State Department approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kiev, pending approval by Congress.

The original sanctions restricted travel of certain Russian individuals and officials to the US. The sanctions were later expanded to prohibit business dealings between any US persons and those individuals, as well as Russian financial services, energy, and defense industries.

Executive Order 13685, dated December 19, 2014, further expanded the sanctions to address the Russian occupation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, and prohibited any US persons, wherever located, from investing in Crimea. It also banned imports and exports of goods, services and technology to and from the region.Today, the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Vladimir Puchkov, sent a telegram to his colleague from Azerbaijan, Kyamaledin Heydarov, with condolences in connection with a fire in Baku. The relevant information was published on the website of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation.

"With deep sorrow, I received the news of the fire that occurred in the Khatai district of Baku, which resulted in numerous human casualties. I express my sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Emergency situations and on my own behalf and wish you a speedy recovery. We mourn together with you," the message reads.This is the Year of the Dog.

Dogs have a place in the life and culture of Viet Nam.

In the past they were most often working animals, providing protection.

Now, dogs are often loving companions to their owners.

Phuoc Buu

The country has welcomed the Lunar New Year, and 2018 is the Year of the Dog.

The dog is the favourite domestic animal of the Vietnamese. As the country celebrates the New Year, stories about dogs can be heard everywhere.

In ancient times, when life was completely dependent on farming and husbandry, the Vietnamese used to keep six domestic animals  dogs, horses, goats and pigs, as well as buffalo and chickens. As in many countries around the world, dogs were the closest among these to humans, and they always shared the living space of people, while the other animals lived in sheds or cages.

Dogs were raised for both domestic and farming and husbandry needs. At home, they assisted people in looking after their property; while in the field, they helped to drive away attackers from the cultivated land. Psychologically, dogs acted as companions for those working alone in the wild or in the fields.

The dog thus has its own position in Vietnamese culture. According to one study, dogs find mention in almost 70 Vietnamese proverbs and sayings, some of which are commonly used by the people in their daily communications.

Cho ngap phai ruoi, or The dog got a fly in its mouth while yawning, refers to a coincidence or someones achievement being caused by luck. Cho gia giu xuong, or The old dog holds the bone, describes an incapable person who is nevertheless greedy for a position or property.

Proverbs also mention the bites of a dog. Cho can ao rach, or Dogs bite the torn shirt, describes a troubled person getting into another trouble. Cho can can giau, or The angry dog bites the fence, refers to a person overreacting in anger. Cho cai can con, or The bitch bites her babies, describes the cruelty of a woman towards her children.

Many Vietnamese raise dogs at home. Some treat them with love and care, while others can be cruel. Some proverbs involving dogs also have an insulting denotation. Perhaps Meo ang cho iem, or "Whorish the cat, meretricious the dog", is the most typical, used to describe a couple engaged in an indecent relationship.

The Vietnamese also worship dogs. Residents of many localities across the country during the era of the monarchy created and worshipped stone dogs, placing them in front of community temples, home entrance gates or at an altar in their front yards.

They believed that dogs lived with them in yang life, while stone dogs accompanied their yin life. Many people lit incense and placed food on the dog altars, just as they did with their ancestors whom they worshipped.

Legend states that people in that era also prayed to the stone dogs, asking for fairness in their personal disputes, just as they did with their gods.

In the local religion, dogs are presented as part of a holy Vietnamese animal: the nghe, an animal with a dogs body and lions head. The nghe is considered to be the only truly Vietnamese holy animal and is typically used in feng shui arrangements and decorations in religious buildings around the country.

Nghe are presented in different sizes, shapes and decorative patterns and were cast in stone, iron, or bronze across several dynasties.

Today, the Vietnamese continue their love affair with dogs, but not everyone raises them the same way. Many raise dogs at home in traditional ways in the role of a domestic animal, while others have learned the concept of raising dogs as pets from Western culture.

Those who follow the domestic-animal tradition often raise dog species that are endemic to Viet Nam, including cho co, or the Canis genus dog. Some others feel a little freer to raise dog breeds ranging from Canis to Berger.

Pet owners adopt all kinds of dogs, from the tiny teacup dog to the large Tibetan mastiffs, from aggressive bull dogs to graceful poodles. The trend is popular among both wealthy middle-aged men and young singles.

However, the consumption of dog meat in the country has to some extent destroyed the dog-loving reputation of the Vietnamese.

When the writer made a presentation in Phnom Penh at a workshop for regional journalists, he was teased by a group of Thai and Cambodian reporters for not upholding the nature of the Vietnamese as he had denied consuming dog meat. The reporters said, A Vietnamese is one who drinks a lot and eats dog meat as a normal meal.

It is shameful for all Vietnamese when many Thai in Chiang Mai accuse them of stealing pets when their dogs go missing, because of the presumption that the demand for dog meat in Viet Nam has driven up the incidence of dog thieves in Thailand.

Last November, the Asia Times carried a story titled, "Not everyones best friend in Vietnam", unveiling the cruel trade of dogs to meet the demand for dog meat.

In Viet Nam, scores of cases have been registered of dog owners being killed or injured while protecting their dogs from dog thieves. At the same time, many dog thieves were beaten to death or suffered injuries when they were caught trapping dogs in villages.

The continued demand for dog meat has produced a new type of criminal  dog thieves  while the purpose of raising dogs has changed. In the past, dogs watched their owner and their home, but recently, owners have been forced to watch their dogs to protect them from dog thieves.

Throughout history, the Vietnamese have never had a tradition of eating dog meat. Only certain communities in the northern delta considered dog meat a specialty for private parties in their homes or on special occasions.

This writer hopes the consumers of dog meat in the country will reconsider this betrayal of our four-legged friends. Further, he holds them responsible for the new type of criminal attacking the community and those who protect these loyal animals.  VNS





GLOSSARY

The dog is the favourite domestic animal of the Vietnamese.

A domestic animal is one that serves people and is looked after in a home or on a farm.

In ancient times, when life was completely dependent on farming and husbandry, the Vietnamese used to keep six domestic animals  dogs, horses, goats and pigs, as well as buffalo and chickens.

Ancient means to do with long ago.

To be dependent on something means to need it to survive.

Husbandry refers to animal husbandry and means raising animals.

At home, they assisted people in looking after their property; while in the field, they helped to drive away attackers from the cultivated land.

Cultivated land is land on which crops are grown.

Psychologically, dogs acted as companions for those working alone in the wild or in the fields.

Psychologically means to do with how the mind affects human behaviour.

According to one study, dogs find mention in almost 70 Vietnamese proverbs and sayings, some of which are commonly used by the people in their daily communications.

Proverbs are well-known sayings.

Cho ngap phai ruoi, or The dog got a fly in its mouth while yawning, refers to a coincidence or someones achievement being caused by luck. Cho gia giu xuong, or The old dog holds the bone, describes an incapable person who is nevertheless greedy for a position or property.

A co-incidence is an event at which two or more things happen at the same time, without any planning.

Someone who is incapable is not able to do things.

Some proverbs involving dogs also have an insulting denotation.

An insulting denotation is a line of words that has a meaning that intends to be nasty.

Perhaps Meo ang cho iem, or "Whorish the cat, meretricious the dog", is the most typical, used to describe a couple engaged in an indecent relationship.

Whorish means of low morals.

Meretricious means trashy and cheap.

Residents of many localities across the country during the era of the monarchy created and worshipped stone dogs, placing them in front of community temples, home entrance gates or at an altar in their front yards.

A monarchy is a system in which royals, such as kings, queens, princes and princesses are in charge.

Many people lit incense and placed food on the dog altars, just as they did with their ancestors whom they worshipped.

Incense is something that is burned to make a pleasant smell.

An altar is a table in a place of worship on which special things are presented.

Ancestors are people in the generations before you, such as your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents and so on.

Legend states that people in that era also prayed to the stone dogs, asking for fairness in their personal disputes, just as they did with their gods.

Legends are traditional stories that are handed down from one generation to the next.

An era is a period of time with a particular feature or characteristic.

Disputes are differences.

Nghe are presented in different sizes, shapes and decorative patterns and were cast in stone, iron, or bronze across several dynasties.

A dynasty is a time when generations of the same family ruled.

Many raise dogs at home in traditional ways in the role of a domestic animal, while others have learned the concept of raising dogs as pets from Western culture.

A concept is an idea.

Those who follow the domestic-animal tradition often raise dog species that are endemic to Viet Nam, including cho co, or the Canis genus dog.

If a type, or species, of dog is endemic to Viet Nam it is found there and nowhere else.

Pet owners adopt all kinds of dogs, from the tiny teacup dog to the large Tibetan mastiffs, from aggressive bull dogs to graceful poodles.

Aggressive means wanting to fight.

However, the consumption of dog meat in the country has to some extent destroyed the dog-loving reputation of the Vietnamese.

Consumption is the act of using something, in this case by eating it.

This writer hopes the consumers of dog meat in the country will reconsider this betrayal of our four-legged friends.

When a betrayal happens, someone who you trust causes you harm when you expect their support.

WORKSHEET

Find words that mean the following in the Word Search:

An action a dog might take to protect itself, or its owner. The calendar that features the Year of the Dog. The material that many dog ornaments that are placed in front of community temples are made from. A type of dog that is very small. The number of domestic animals that Vietnamese people kept in ancient times.

n e w s p a p e r q l z a t y i b m d o t x p l f e c h n c c s p h l u f a o l i t i c s b a n u c g b n n c h s e s a x u d f u c v i n x t r g p h m b u a o i r i v y g m t b i t e h u c s b o y k g s i x s e h b c e s d p b v c y g k k

ANSWERS:

 Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2018

1. Bite; 2. Lunar; 3. Stone; 4. Teacup; 5. Six.On March 3, the Republic of Bulgaria celebrates the 140th anniversary of its liberation. Charge dAffaires Marinela Petkova of Bulgarian Embassy to Viet Nam sends a message to celebrate the friendship between the two countries.

One of the oldest countries in Europe, founded in 681 AD, Bulgaria has endured difficult times and risen to establish itself as an active and trustworthy actor on the international scene  living in peace with its neighbours.

This was Bulgarias stance when it assumed on January 1, 2018, its first ever Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Using the opportunity at hand to use its term at the helm of the EU to accelerate joint efforts in certain areas of importance, Bulgaria has put forward as a key priority the need to provide tangible European perspective for its neighbouring countries of the Western Balkans, and to ensure comprehensive regional connectivity.

For Bulgaria, to lend a hand to all the Western Balkans countries on their European path, based on their fulfilment of the criteria and their merit, aspires to maintain sustainable peace and security throughout Europe.

The other three main priority areas of the Presidency include the future of Europe and its young people to be realised through economic growth and cohesive policies, digital economy and skills needed for the future and security and stability for a stronger Europe, including more effective management of migration policies.

We strive to fulfil the above by forging consensus and finding common solutions, as the slogan of the Bulgarian Presidency United we stand strong goes back not only to the history of our own statehood but reminds us of the strength that comes from unity and solidarity.

Parallel to Bulgarias aspirations within the EU are Viet Nams and ASEAN member states efforts to build a prosperous regional community through consensus and balance.

Viet Nams impressive rate of social and economic growth and its constructive foreign policy position the country as a valuable international partner with increased regional significance  with hosting APEC 2017 the latest attestation to that.

The constructive engagement of Bulgaria and Viet Nam in the multilateral fora offers further avenues for co-operation, grounded in the frameworks of the enhanced partnership between the European Union and ASEAN and within the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), with focus on connectivity projects, economic development and trade, people-to-people contacts and ties in education and research.

The Bulgarian Presidency of Council of the European Union will aim to contribute to the efforts of the EU in strengthening ties with partners in Asia, including through widening the scope of free trade deals and partnership agreements, as well as addressing common security, reconstruction and development challenges.

Bulgaria places a strong emphasis on further utilising the existing formats for greater Europe-Asia co-operation. For Southeast Asia this would mean a reinforced EU-ASEAN Dialogue and a strengthened and value-added ASEM process.

There is particular interest to take ASEM co-operation further, as it offers concrete opportunities for flexible, equal footing, across the board. It is important to build upon the good practices within the ASEM areas of tangible co-operation like innovation, youth, connectivity, identifying projects that meet the sustainability criteria and moving forward on issues such as digital trade and e-commerce.

Given the importance Bulgaria attaches to the ASEM process we are hosts of two high level meetings within the ASEM platform  the 8th ASEM Culture Ministers Meeting on March 1-2 and the 13th ASEM Finance Ministers Meeting on April 26.

As we mark the National Day of Bulgaria here in Viet Nam, we proudly celebrate 68 years of diplomatic relations and friendship between its peoples. Nowadays, the Bulgarian Embassy in Ha Noi is a constant witness of the resilience of this relationship. It comes from many of the thousands of young Vietnamese who lived and studied in Bulgaria and who have ever since referred to Bulgaria as their second homeland. The vibrant Viet Nam-Bulgaria Friendship associations in the cities of Ha Noi, HCM City and Hai Phong are the core of this community.

Today Bulgaria and Viet Nam exchange regular visits at the highest political levels. Their national assemblies collaborate through the established Groups of Friendship. Economic co-operation has been guided through the yearly meetings of the Joint Economic Commission. The ties between the local authorities have been strengthened by direct city-twinning agreements.

Striving to secure rich bilateral ties Bulgaria and Viet Nam have the potential to carry on the relationship into an outward-looking, advanced, multifaceted and multilateral co-operation for the benefit of our both peoples, with the conviction that in the modern world, official relations between states must be surpassed by creating one prosperous community of friends.  VNSNEW DELHI  President Tran ai Quang, his spouse and the high-ranking delegation of Viet Nam on Friday visited Bodh Gaya city in the state of Bihar, the first destination in their three-day State visit to India.

The Vietnamese leader came to Bihar state before arriving in New Delhi later the same day.

Receiving Minister of Agriculture in the Government of Bihar Prem Kumar, President Quang expressed his delight visiting Bihar state, one of the most sacred places of Buddhism.

He stressed that Viet Nam and India boast long-standing relations in culture and religion when Buddhism entered Viet Nam thousands of years ago and now continues to develop and deeply impart its values to Vietnamese people. This is also a foundation for the intensive cultural and people-to-people exchange and the close-knit friendship between the two countries.

He expressed his belief that the Bihar administration and people will continue preserving the beautiful values of Buddhism and creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens and Buddhist monks and followers to visit the state.

The visiting leader also asked Bihar state to bolster cooperation with Vietnamese localities in the fields that it is strong at.

For his part, Minister Prem Kumar affirmed that the India visit by President Quang reflects Viet Nams attaching of importance to the cultural and religious links with India.

Bihar will create the best possible conditions and ensure security and safety for the Vietnamese to visit Bodh Gaya, he noted, voicing his wish for stronger spiritual tourism co-operation with Viet Nam.

The official also said he is impressed with the Southeast Asian nations achievements in all spheres, including agriculture. As one of the Indian states with the biggest agricultural production, especially rice and corn, Bihar wants to cooperate with Vietnamese localities in this area.

Also on Friday, President Quang, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation visited Viet Nam Phat Quoc tu (Vietnam Bouddha Bhumi Vihara), the first Vietnamese temple in Bodh Gaya. The leader praised the monks of the pagoda for helping to popularise the values of Vietnamese Buddhisms culture in Bodh Gaya, the biggest Buddhist centre in India.

The same day, the spouse of President Quang, Nguyen Thi Hien, visited the Siddhartha Compassionate School in Bodh Gaya.  VNSNEW DELHI  Viet Nams President Tran ai Quang held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday, during which both leaders highly valued the intensive and extensive development of relations between Viet Nam and India over the last 45 years, since the countries officially established diplomatic ties, and reiterated their close-knit friendship.

The talks were attended by Viet Nams Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Chairman of the Presidential Office ao Viet Trung, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh, and other senior officials.

The Indian representatives included Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Nripendra Misra, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish.

President Quang expressed his pleasure on visiting India and congratulated the Indian State and people on their remarkable achievements over recent years, especially high and stable economic growth as well as major strides in science-technology and Indias increasing role and position in the region and around the world.

For his part, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Viet Nam on its accomplishments in nation building and development, particularly in its successful hosting of the APEC Year 2017.

After speaking of the strong development in relations between the two countries, and reiterating their close-knit friendship, the leaders agreed to fully implement high-level political commitments and the approved documents on political ties.

The countries will also strongly tap their potential and advantages so as to intensify co-operation in all spheres. They will increase mutual visits at all levels and enhance co-operation between their Parties, States, Governments, parliaments, localities and people.

To boost bilateral trade to US$15 billion in 2020, the leaders agreed to carry out breakthrough solutions, including diversifying export goods of their potential and strength, minimising trade barriers, closely consulting with each other on trade policy, and expanding aviation and navigation connectivity to facilitate trade activities.

They also agreed to exchange development aid packages in fields in which they can make breakthroughs, such as infrastructure, human resources and science-technology, while improving research and development capacity.

President Quang noted Viet Nam wanted to welcome an inflow of investment from big Indian businesses, particularly in renewable energy, infrastructure, education, and information technology.

The two sides agreed to strengthen defence-security co-operation, especially in English language training, capacity building, skill training, technology transfer, preferential credit provision, and hi-tech crime prevention.

The Vietnamese leader welcomed an upcoming visit to his country by the Indian defence minister, appreciating the high priority India has placed on defence ties and continuing support for Viet Nam in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

The two leaders affirmed the importance of raising awareness among young Vietnamese and Indian people of the long-standing cultural and religious ties between the two countries, thus promoting people-to-people exchange and mutual understanding.

President Quang lauded Indias support for Viet Nam implementation of a project to conserve and embellish the My Son holy site, as well as the countrys future assistance in preserving the Cham towers in Ninh Thuan Province.

While comparing their notes on regional and international issues of common concern, Quang and Modi agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, stability and aviation and navigation freedom; settling disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and fully respecting diplomatic and legal procedures.

They also underlined the need to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon achieve a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Modi affirmed that India would continue to promote the implementation of its Act East Policy to boost co-operation with the Asia-Pacific region, noting that Viet Nam is a priority and plays a key role in this policy.

The two sides agreed to support each other at international and regional forums, especially in running for seats in important agencies of the United Nations, and in sharing initiatives on global issues to realise the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

After their talks, President Quang and PM Modi witnessed the hand-over of co-operation agreements signed during the visit, including a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two sides ministries of industry and trade on economic and trade co-operation; an Action Plan on agricultural collaboration in 2018-2020; and an MoU on co-operation between the Viet Nam Atomic Energy Institute and the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership.  VNSThe automated customs system is expected come into operation at all seaports and airports by the end of the third quarter of 2018, according to the Viet Nam Customs. Photo baohaiquan.vn

HA NOI  The automated customs system is expected come into operation at all seaports and airports by the end of the third quarter of 2018, according to the Viet Nam Customs.

The system will accelerate the connection and information exchange between the agency and businesses, the Tien phong (Vanguard) newspaper reports.

Viet Nam National Single Window (NSW), which allows trade and transport-related businesses to declare information and submit documents in standardised forms to complete all legal requirements concerning import, export and transit, has established the connections among 11 ministries and State agencies. Nearly one million dossiers lodged by more than 19,200 enterprises have been processed via the system as of the end of February.

After being piloted at seaports in the northern coastal city of Hai Phong and HCM City , the NSW will be widely implemented at airports in localities.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade collaborated with the department in connecting the certificates of ASEAN goods origin (C/O form D) and information on ASEAN customs declaration (ACDD) with four other ASEAN member nations including Singapore , Malaysia , Indonesia and Thailand . The draft decree of issues related to NSW and ASEAN Single Window (ASW) will be completed and proposed to the Ministry of Justice by the Viet Nam Customs.

The automated customs system will be operated at all seaports and airports in 11 provinces and cities including Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, HCM City, Ba Ria  Vung Tau, a Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh inh, Khanh Hoa and Can Tho. Based on the evaluations of efficiency conducted by provincial and city customs departments, the system will establish connections for information exchange among the State agencies and about 180 enterprises, said Le uc Thanh, deputy head of Department of Information Technology and Customs Statistics.HCM CITY  HCM City authorities are calling for private investment to widen Nguyen Duy Trinh Street in District 9, which runs up to Phu Huu Port.

Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the city Peoples Committee, who visited the street for a first-hand look on Thursday (March 1), said it needs to be widened to improve traffic but also create favourable conditions for enterprises operating in the vicinity of Phu Huu Port.

So they should share the responsibility with the authorities, he said.

The current problem is lack of funds. So, the city is looking for private investors to fund this project.

Though the city has otherwise temporarily stopped BT projects pending a review, Tuyen instructed the Department of Transport to study the project and make a report to the Peoples Committee for carrying it out in BT mode.

The International Transportation and Trading Joint Stock Company will lend the city VN 300 billion (US$13.5 million) without interest for three years for the project.

Nguyen Duy Trinh will be widened to 30m.

It now has only two lanes and is just 7m wide. It is invariably clogged during rush hour and this also affects nearby areas such as the streets leading to Cat Lai Port and the Ha Noi Highway.  VNSHA NOI  Hoang Xuan Son, an old man, is sitting on the bed to drink a cup of wine, just as he does every day.

The 69-year-old man lives in a small house with his wife on Ha Nois Phung Hung Street .

I drink alcohol every day. I can not live without it, Son said.

Everday, he drinks over one litre with some meat only. Sometimes, he does not eat any rice for a week, Nguyen Thi Cay, Sons wife, told the Viet Nam News.

For many years of drinking, his health has declined sharply and now he cannot walk by himself. He was blind two years ago but definitely not going to see the doctor for a check-up. He is on the bed all day, she added.

Many men drink alcohol every day. They drink for fun, for sadness or for any other reason. The burden weighs on their relatives, especially women and children.

Cay said she was very sad but she did not know what to do and had to accept this life.

She refuses to buy wine for him so he seeks help from neighbours.

If he was too drunk, he shouted and insulted me and our children as well as our neighbours, she laments.

Two years ago, their house caught fire because he smoked while drunk and accidentally let his cigarette drop onto the blanket.

Many men like Son have suffered alcohol-related illnesses.

Nguyen Van Minh (not his real name) is just 48 years old, but he looks like an old man at the age of 60 with a gaunt body.

He is being treated at Addiction Department of the Central Psychiatric Hospital I because his liver was damaged by drinking too much alcohol over a long time. He also suffers kidney and liver failure.

Minh said he began drinking alcohol since he was 20. He was also sacked for drunkenness.

I drink wine everyday, about two litres a day. I spend all my money on alcohol, Minh told Lao ong (Labour) newspaper.

All my familys daily expenses are covered by my wife.

He said he has also been in traffic accidents due to drinking alcohol.

His wife said it took him six months in Hospital 103 to give up drinking. But after coming home for a week, he drank again as soon as he met his friends.

Health experts have raised concerns over the negative health impacts of alcohol after seeing an increased drinking rate among the Vietnamese population and an increased volume of alcohol consumed in the country.

The latest report, produced by Ministry of Industry and Trade, shows that Vietnamese people drank more than 3.9 billion litres last year, a 10 per cent increase over 2016, and it is expected to increase to 4.6 billion litres in 2025, putting the country in the top 10 global consumers of alcohol.

Nguyen Trung Cap, head of Emergency Department of the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital , said that alcohol was an indirect cause for at least 30 diseases affecting many parts of the body including the nervous and digestive systems. Alcohol can severely affect foetuses in the womb, and both the mental and physical development of drinkers.

Every month, nearly 300 patients visit the hospital for liver disease, he said.

Vu Thi Hue, from Yen Bai Province, said her husband was just diagnosed with liver cancer due to drinking too much wine.

She said that he used to drink a lot and often hit her when drunk.

Now he is ill so I have to work hard to earn money to care for him and our children, Hue said.

A recent study by the Preventive Health Department has confirmed that alcoholic drinks are the major cause behind domestic violence and child abuse in Viet Nam , where beer and liquor consumption has been on the rise.

According to study, alcoholic drinks contributed to 34 per cent of all reported violence and abuse cases, the Thanh nien (Young People) newspaper said.

Many children said they witnessed or suffered abuse from parents who had alcoholic drinks and also were beaten and suffered physical pain.

Le Xuan ong, an expert from the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender-Family-Women and Adolescents, said to prevent domestic violence, it was important and necessary to limit the use of alcohol, but that that alone is not enough. It would be even more effective if awareness of gender equality was raised to promote the enforcement of domestic violence law.

Some plans to limit alcohol consumption have been discussed. As fortunes rise and interest in beer, cocktails and the like grows accordingly, the publics perception of alcohol consumption will take a long time to change.  VNSby Hue Ninh

Mr Toan was taken to Cancer Hospital K. in Ha Noi a month ago. His two sons: Phuong, the elder brother, and Binh stayed in the clinic to look after him, each a day at a time. Hao, the formers wife, and her younger sister-in-law, were both exempted from visiting due to their poor health. Still though, every two days Hao, who had just given birth weeks before to a baby boy and some twenty kilometres from Ha Noi, came to the clinic on motorbike to visit her father-in-law. Binhs wife, who lived in the country, was suffering from stomach problems and rarely visited him.

Although the old patients lung operation was planned for the following day, Hao was busy taking care of her little boy while she had such a high fever that she was unable to visit her father-in-law. All she could do was phone her husband to ask if he might come home for dinner.

Oh no! Im looking for board and lodging for lots of relatives here, he answered.

During the old mans long stay in hospital, in addition to his relatives and neighbours, many people from all walks of life came to visit him: association and ex-office representatives, war veterans and his childrens and grandchildrens schoolmates. From eleven oclock to two in the afternoon, they all, one after another, in group or each individual, surrounded him. Many days, he couldnt finish his lunch or nap. Instead, he just shook hands, answered their questions and accepted envelopes of money. Due to this exertion his operation was postponed to give him another month to stabilise his health.

During that time, Phuong, besides caring for his father, had to earn more money for the old mans illness and welcome and provide the visitors with board and lodging, even pocket money for some.

Oddly enough, Phuongs younger aunt, who had been ill for a long time, at the news of Mr Toans treatment in Ha Noi, immediately left home to visit her elder brother and to get a check-up, on Phuongs dime.

What possessed her to behave so selfishly? Hao complained to her husband. Caring for Dads disease in the hospital is hard for us! Worse still, now so many guests hace come, expecting us to look after them! she added.

Its our moral obligation, darling, Phuong said to his wife. Money doesnt matter much. Were willing to spend it. Besides, they all come to Dad out of their love and respect for him. This speaks volumes for rural people, honey, he went on.

Sometimes, he was so busy and tired that he had to phone her for help: to take a few of the relatives home, which frustrated her. Not long after childbirth, she was up to her ears in different jobs: taking her post-graduate course, breastfeeding her baby boy and working at the office. Whats more, their relatives movements to and fro between her house and the hospital made her house so busy.

Unfounded rumours had it that sometimes the relatives were abandoned in the big city due to Phuongs work.

What we need is the visitors understanding. But we never get it, exclaimed Phuong. They treat us like hot, steaming garbage because we live in the city, he added in a sad voice.

* * *

Mr Toans operation was mere days away. The numbers of visitor coming to him increased with every passing day. They all looked forward to meeting him again, if the worst came to the worst.

Hao was in two minds. She couldnt decide whether to visit him, as she had a high fever. Not until late at night, would her husband return home, exhausted.

Darling, get some votive offerings to ask our ancestors for blessings, he told her before going to bed one night.

Yes, certainly!

Tomorrow your mother will arrive, he added.

Oh dear, what for? Shes still very ill!

Its her decision. Take care of our child. Burn a few joss-sticks for her safety.

She was going to ask him more but she felt dizzy before collapsing into bed. Sudden, the phone rang noisily.

My dear, if youre still unwell, youd better take a few painkillers so you can visit your father-in-law! Haos mother said on the phone. If anything happens to him during the operation, youll be sorry your whole life, my beloved daughter.

Following her advice, Hao decided to visit him, even though she was sweating heavily and coughing terribly due to smoke and dust. Reaching the hospital, she found everybody having lunch in its cafeteria.

Mr Toans operation would be performed to remove a tumor in the morning. Nobody was allowed to see him in the operating theatre. After lunch, they gathered at a roadside refreshment stall nearby to disparage urban life in an aggressive manner: fruits and vegetables contaminated with toxic chemicals, air and water polluted with dust and smoke, food prepared in an unsafe manner, stuffy and dim houses, streets crowded with heavy traffic and pavements in disorder and so forth and so on.

Im here just because of my seriously ill uncle; otherwise, Id never set foot here again, one elderly man observed scornfully.

Look, there are no-smoking notices on the walls of all public buildings, yet smokers can be seen everywhere, even in this hospital lounge. They just smoke and smoke, regardless of the dirty looks I give them, remarked an old woman.

Hao glanced at her speechless mother-in-law, weary and dreary, with a small CD player in her hands. Amida Buddha! Amida Buddha! I had no affection for your father a long time ago for he has made me so miserable all my lifetime. Amida Buddha! Amida Buddha! The reason for my visit is to avoid everyones contempt for neglecting my obligation, thats all.

Although Hao was exhausted, she tried to show that she was strong and ready to help if necessary.

A moment later, Phuong came to the stall to tell the visitors that his fathers operation had been a success and he was now in the post-surgery room. Yet, except for medical workers, no one else was permitted to visit.

Suddenly, his phone rang while he was jotting down the names of those present. It was his uncles wife saying that she was sorry for being unable to reach the hospital to congratulate Mr Toan on his successful operation.

Dear Mum and Phuong, you dont need to stay here any longer. Youd better go home as soon as possible, he mumbled.

Both of them returned home; each, to their place of course.

Poor old woman, reaching home, she fainted! Her grandchild had to ask a district clinics GP to aid her.

As for Hao, she felt so tired after her trip home that she needed an IV drip.

Yesterday, Binhs wife visited Dad with her little kid, Phuong told his wife the following day.

Really? She was being treated for her stomach issues while her little child is still unwell. Worse still, it took them lots of time to get to the hospital. Whats the use of visiting Dad? she said surprisingly.

What an idea! Its the thought that counts, you see, said Phuong. Since Dads operation, you havent called him to enquire after his health! reproached Phuong.

Youve told me about his illness every day! I dont need to know any more, she objected angrily.

Thats not the issue! Your concern would please him.

Suddenly, Phuongs mobile phone rang. It was Binh. Ive just come back home. My wife and child are in district hospital. Youd better return to Hospital K. to see to Dads health, he urged his elder brother.

Phuong collapsed on the floor. At once Hao took him to the local clinic.

Your husband had a stroke, concluded the doctor on duty.

During her husbands treatment, Hao did not dare to let anyone know anything about his illness. She was afraid that if their relatives would visit him like in Hospital K., the next person to go to clinic would be herself.

* * *

When Mr Toan left Hospital K., he recovered from the operation with few complications. His wife held a party with twenty trays full of food for their relatives and neighbours to mark the event. Furthermore, Phuong had recovered from his stroke. The sum of money saved up for my Dads X-ray treatment has been left unused. So, it should be given to charity, he declared.

Back at home in the city, Phuongs family was given a lot of rural things: chickens, fish, eggs, vegetables of all kinds, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, beans and groundnuts.

We got these gifts because of our kindness offered to our relatives from the country, you see? he told his wife.

But we wont be able to finish all of this! she said. Every time you come back from the country you bring back all this crap we cant use, she criticised him.

I accept the presents to please my relatives. I also pretend Im thrilled to receive them. We can throw them away if we dont use them, he laughed.

What a sham! she blurted out.

Although she made fun of her husband, she knew he wouldnt change. She was well aware that when her husband counted which relatives were present in the hospital, his action was merely tit-for-tat, something everyone did. Is that a matter of score keeping or attachment? she asked herself.

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our constitution," Henri Falcon said. "We are here because we want to play fair."

Venezuela's presidential election candidates, including incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and opposition candidate Henri Falcon, have signed the electoral guarantees agreement at the National Electoral Council (CNE) headquarters in Caracas.

Saying he wants to become "the president of national reconciliation," Maduro reaffirmed his commitment to the ratified Democratic Coexistence Agreement for Venezuela, which came as a result of dialogue between the government and the opposition in the Dominican Republic in February.

Maduro, after signing the electoral guarantees agreement Friday at the CNE headquarters, said: "I am prepared to comply with the ratified agreement in the Dominican Republic and expand guarantees for a fair, participatory and high-level electoral campaign."

Maduro also called for unity in the interest of the Venezuelan people and harshly criticised the groups which have chosen to boycott the election.

"Some political parties do not want to participate in the elections because they know that we are going to win them," he said, insisting that all parties should act in the interest of Venezuela and "put aside their differences."

Maduro also criticised external players threatening Venezuela's sovereignty: "Neither (Pedro Pablo) Kuczynski nor (Juan Manuel) Santos nor (Donald) Trump should stick their noses in the sovereignty of Venezuela; the presidency elects the sovereign people of the country."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signs the agreement at the National Electoral Council headquarters in Caracas. PHOTO: @PresidencialVen

The agreement approved on Thursday is a "ratification of the Dominican Republic agreement," Maduro said.

Meanwhile, former Lara state governor Falcon  expelled by the opposition MUD coalition after registering his candidacy on Tuesday  said the majority of Venezuelans want a peaceful resolution to the nation's woes.

"We are committed to peace, democracy and the accurate fulfillment of our constitution," Falcon said. "We are here because we want to play fair and respect the will of the majority of Venezuelans who seek a peaceful change. We are here because we are committed to peace."

The agreement also establishes that the legislative and municipal elections will also take place on the same date as the recheduled presidential elections: May 20.

Six people have registered as candidates for the presidential elections: current President Nicolas Maduro, Falcon, Reinaldo Quijada, Francisco Visconti, Luis Alejandro Ratti, and the evangelical pastor Javier Bertucci.Podcasts - Forum

Forum: State Senator Andy Manar









The Forum with David Jenkins



Guest: State Senator Andy Manar



Topics: Senator Manar's reaction to the Governor's budget address, what's next for the General Assembly, and an update on school funding.



Push Play or Right-Click here to Download MP3

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReadyNSI"We have been in business since 1986, providing quality products and services to the petrochemical, OEM and municipal industries, so it was important to work with a leader in ISO certification."

HOUSTON, TX, March 03, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Qualaco, Inc., a Houston, Texas-based consulting firm providing clients in the gas and oil industry with quality management systems, has assisted R.B. Mosher Co. of Dickinson, Texas with successfully attaining ISO 9001:2015 certification. The eight-month process assisted the master stocking distributor of Titan flow control and Pennant steam products with better serving the myriad of large and small industries in its network, including oil and gas refineries, paper mills, chemical plants, agriculture, heating and air-conditioning facilities, de-watering entities and municipal plants.



"We have been in business since 1986, providing quality products and services to the petrochemical, OEM and municipal industries, so it was important to work with a leader in ISO certification processes," explains Travis Mosher, VP of R.B. Mosher Co. "We found that leader in Qualaco, a company that has definitely helped our efforts in the area of increasing awareness to end users and suppliers of our vast inventory, while improving our availability to provide quality service and solve costly problems."



The 2015 certification specifies requirements for a quality management system when an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and when an organization aims to enhance customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system, including processes for improvement of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.



"All the requirements of the ISO 2015 standard are generic and intended to be applicable to any organization, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provides," adds Lori Lyerly, President of Qualaco, Inc. "As a quality management consulting firm specializing in the design of quality management systems for businesses such as R.B. Mosher, Qualaco provides various methodologies and tools to help them achieve ISO certification; in so doing, we demonstrated to R.B. Mosher representatives that they can create an ISO quality management system that will save the company time while positively affecting its bottom line."



According to Qualaco personnel like Lyerly, R.B. Mosher's operations, with the benefit of ISO certification, will run more smoothly and its leaders will be able to eliminate defects and potential defects in its day-to-day procedures.



Qualaco's additional areas of certification expertise include ISO 14000, TL, ISO 50001, ISO/TS 29001 and Nuclear Certifications.



About Qualaco



Qualaco, Inc. is a Houston consulting company that focuses on providing clients in the oil and gas industry with quality management systems. The experienced and knowledgeable professionals work closely with clients to help them achieve ISO 9001 certification, the company's primary mission in working with clients being to help businesses understand the value of such certification and implementation.



Qualaco's corporate offices are located at 3934 Cypress Creek Parkway in Houston and can be reached by calling (855) 919-1623. For more information visit www.ISOQualitySystem.com or email [email protected].



# # #Kathryn Hughes at The Guardian:

It is this ability to read closely in the interstices of culture that makes Beard such an invigorating guide. A case in point: she introduces us to the Edwardian artist Christiana Herringham, who travelled to Hyderabad to record the fading Buddhist paintings on the cave walls at Ajanta before they finally succumbed to age and bat guano. On her return to Britain she produced a lavish book containing exquisite reproductions of the best images, all worked up from her meticulous tracings. Exquisite but fallacious. For what Lady Herringham had imagined she had seen on the cave walls was the Indian equivalent of Renaissance religious art, and she set about filling in its gaps and ambiguities accordingly, using colours and shapes and narratives that would have made no sense to the original pilgrims.

Yet Beard makes it clear that Herringham was no cultural colonialist. She understood the religious significance of the art she was trying to save and, once home, was racked with guilt that she might have disturbed a holy shrine. Whats more, given her great support for suffrage and her founding of the National Art Collections Fund, which still saves paintings for the nation today, in another kind of historical narrative she would be held up to us as a heroine, a proto-modern on the side of the angels.

more here.ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) -- The day after he sparked outrage among free trade advocates by announcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, President Donald Trump doubled down on his decision by tweeting his rationale for imposing them.



During a cable news appearance this morning, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross didnt go as far as Trump did, but he did defend the tariffs by saying steel imports are a national security issue.



Economic strength is military strength, Ross, himself a former steel magnate, said.



He also downplayed the effect on domestic markets that the new tariffs will have, saying they are no big deal and bringing props along to make his point.



Ross held up cans of soup, beer and soda, which he said he had bought that morning, saying the tariffs would only increase the cost of those products by tenths of a cent. He added the case would be similar for the steel in cars.



Who in the world is going to be too bothered?" he asked of the potential new cost.



But this position isnt sitting well with many members of Trumps own party, including those on Capitol Hill.



Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., released a statement shortly after the presidents early morning tweet, pushing back on his assertion that trade wars are good.



Trade wars are never won. Trade wars are lost by both sides. Kooky 18th-century protectionism will jack up prices on American families -- and will prompt retaliation from other countries. Make no mistake: If the president goes through with this, it will kill American jobs -- that's what every trade war ultimately does.



Playing on one of Trumps frequent campaign slogans about winning, Sasse concluded his statement by saying, So much losing.



Sasse was not alone in his criticism, as many other Senate Republicans urged the president to reconsider his decision Thursday.



Tariffs on steel and aluminum are a tax hike the American people dont need and cant afford. I encourage the president to carefully consider all of the implications of raising the cost of steel and aluminum on American manufacturers and consumers, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement.



Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., issued a statement calling the decision a big mistake.



Republicans found a sympathetic voice on the other side of the aisle in Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who seemed to respond to Trump's tweet Friday by saying on a cable news show, "To say that trade wars are a good thing is just wrong."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.Eva Hoffman at the NYRB:

The past, in Poland, is not a foreign country; it is morality drama and passion play, combining high ideology and down-and-dirty politics. One recent manifestation of historys significance has been the creation of several ambitious and architecturally inventive museums dedicated to central events and themes in the Polish past. Since the beginning of this century, four houses of history have opened in Warsaw and Gdansk, attracting many visitors and contributing to the development of neglected neighborhoods. At the same time, the museums have inspired sharp controversies over such topics as freedom of cultural expression, the relationship of Polish to European identity, and interpretations of Polish-Jewish history.

At a time when Poland, with its unexpected hard-right turn and defiance of democratic principles, is once again a matter of European concern, these impressive institutions offer rich clues to the conflicts unsettling the Polish polity and the passions that historical disputes continue to arouse. Apart from undermining the independence of the judiciary and public media, the ruling Law and Justice party has now introduced a law making it a criminal offense to accuse the Polish nation of complicity in the Holocaust.

more here.The Orland School superintendent is telling parents there is no threat against Orland High School.



Despite a social media 'frenzy' set off by an online post. It warned that a student was threatening to shoot up the school. But Superintendent Ken Geisick says it's not true, and that every campus in Orland is safe today. School officials said this student actually formerly attended the school and is now in a treatment facility out of state

The district is in contact with law enforcement and the treatment facility.

While Geisick said there is no reason for students to stay home today, in light of the school shootings in Florida, he said it's important to stay vigilant and aware of our surroundings, and to report any concerning behavior.Redding, Calif -- Interstate 5 makes up a big portion of traveling from southern to northern California.

The latest storm, however, has made the drive in the northern stretch more dangerous.

Drivers heading up and down I-5 could see winter like conditions near the O' Brien exit, with accidents hitting Salt Creek Road.

"If you are definitely heading up there and have a vehicle  a lot of these new cars you cant put chains on .. So if you cant put chains on dont go," said CHP Officer Morton.

For Lynn Bowe who is traveling from out of state, these warnings were enough to put a halt on her weekend plans.

Well we thought we might go to see Mt. Shasta but guess what .. We arent going to go there because theyre advising us to not drive up there its too snowy " said Bowe.

But for Redding locals, who have enjoyed a drier Friday, they say the rain, if it comes, wont stop their plans.

I'm kind of used to this kind of weather lived her all my life so were just getting through it," said John GaminoNamibia and Zimbabwe politicians confront new technology

Following the recent Twitter-Facebook inspired revolutions in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and other Middle East countries, Namibian leader, President Hifikepunye Pohamba, has sent a strong warning to his partys inner circle. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Zimbabwe, political propaganda are increasingly dependent on text messaging with Mugabes party being the latest to jump on the bandwagon.







As hundreds of thousands of Egyptians in Cairos Tahrir Square celebrated the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak on 11 February, some held up mobile phones to snap photos of the crowd, others sent Twitter messages to their friends and a few wielded signs proclaiming, Thank you, Facebook.











Hama Tuma, Ethiopian author, poet and journalist, has been active in the political and human rights struggle in Ethiopia and Africa since the sixties. His satirical essays under the general title of African Absurdities have gained support from many quarters. Some of his books (English and Amharic) have been translated to French, Italian and Hebrew.









Of Western hypocrisy, Obdurate tyrants and Changing times

As the Bob Dylan song goes, the times they are achanging. But, do the lowly tyrants and dictators of our world, or those Western powers who are bonded to their hypocrisy, double standards and greed, see eye to eye with good old Bob?







Chi Mgbako is a Nigerian-American human rights professor, lawyer, and writer based in New York City. A graduate of Harvard Law School and Columbia University, she has conducted human rights fieldwork, advocacy, and teaching in Ghana, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. She has published in the areas of womens rights, justice sector reform, and contemporary politics. She is currently clinical associate professor of law at Fordham Law School in New York City where she directs the Walter Leitner International Human Rights Clinic.









The architecture of maternal death

How basic architectural design can aid in the fight against maternal mortality

The architectural design of two newly built public maternity hospitals in Malawi, which has one of the worlds highest rates of women dying in childbirth, seeks to respect the human rights of birthing women and has had a significant impact on Malawis maternal health care system. Ill-designed government-run maternal health centers litter many poor countries and contribute to unacceptably high maternal death rates. Theres a pressing global need to design public maternity units that uphold the dignity of socially disadvantaged women.

Tarek Meguid, M.D., is the former head of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Bwaila Hospital and Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Chi Mgbako is clinical associate professor in the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice at Fordham Law School in New York City.







The arrest of former Cote dIvoire president Laurent Gbagbo on 11 April after a bloody weeklong battle in the heart of Abidjan has been greeted with jubilation by supporters of the internationally recognized president, Alassane Ouattara, and relief by the international community. In this exclusive interview in his New York office, the Ivorian ambassador to the UN Youssoufou Bamba affirmed his governments intention to bring Mr. Gbagbo to court, criticized the international community for inaction and called for an urgent international response to the countrys humanitarian crisis. This interview was conducted a few days before the final battle.

Photograph: UN Photo / Mark Garten











Struggling for Democracy in Guinea-Bissau: Drug Trafficking, Military and Politics

Dr. Landry Signe is a Banting Fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He won the Award for the Best International PhD Dissertation bestowed by the Center for International Studies and Research (CERIUM).







South Africa: A dish way to cook in compliance with Kyoto protocol

Sun Fire Solutions presents a range on innovative Solar Lighting systems especially suitable to African not easy conditions of life. What is most important is the fact that this South African innovative technology is respectful to what the earth is requiring from its residents in term of attention and protection.







Ethiopia: Govt Launches Green Economic Funding Facilit

The Climate Resilient Green Economy Facility (CRGEF) was launched on September 10, 2012, with the intent of supporting the governments vision of attaining a middle income economy with low carbon growth by 2025.







Obama: Another family portrait!

Obamas family celebrating is second mandate in Kenya.







Health corner South Africa: an eye on Jacob Zuma! Saturday 10 November 2012 The eight South Africans political parties that form the opposition agree to table motion of censure against the South African president, Jacob Zuma.

South Africa: 40 years sentence, the heavy price for a rhinoceros horn trader!

Johannesburgs court sentenced a rhino poacher to 40 years in prison; a heavy price to pay that might have a symbolic and discouraging impact for environmental conservation.Thabo Mbeki: The relationship between African and its ex-colonizers is illegal!

Charity begins at home, and Africans need to take the first bold steps to deal with problems affecting them instead of depending on the west. Former South African President, Thabo Mbekis message was met with a resounding applause at the 6th edition of Africities in Dakar, Senegal.







New York Forum Africa 2013: The ICC, judicial colonialism in Africa?

At a debate on "independence" in Africa during the second edition of the New York Forum Africa 2013 in Libreville, Gabon, the Rwandan minister for foreign affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo, called into question the role of the International Criminal Court. The chief prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, tried to defend the judicial institution that she directs.















A timely kiss of life by a Kashmiri Pandit Kuldeep Raina, a Master in Computer Applications, saved nearly dying Kashmiri Muslim on Delhi metro. (Reports jknni.com, 01 March, 2018) A heart patient travelling from Delhi to Ajmer in UP was brought back to life with chest compressions and mouth to mouth resuscitation. Raina, emotionally attached to his motherland, later termed the incident as some divine intervention.

Kashmiri Pandits, true nationalists, religiously upheld culture, ethos, music and traditions of Kashmir from times immemorial. One hundred percent literate community contributed towards education of illiterate Muslim majority considered to be an historical achievement. Traditionally, Pandits and Muslims have lived for hundreds of years amicably sharing peace and solidarity.

Satish Rainas nostalgia reminds him of the memories of a paradise lost; refreshing breeze of snow-clad high peak mountains, songs of birds and all that the Switzerland of Asia is famous for the world over. Raina painfully mentions his ninety-five year old mother though flaccid but strong in retrospection narrating her sentimental attachment she cherishes about Maej Kasheer (Mother Kashmir).

Her words full of anguish, very touching and heartrending narration is hard to endure when she says "Hatba Mohanlal; czhe wante mey, asi kayizi pouew Kashiri nearun; naar hassa chhu yeti asmaane wasaan; keah goym keah goym, tim sheen koh aeas behtar; waeh Bhagwane; mey gaczhe soi panin shiehij awreyn aasen. Yeti be sahal paeth praan trawaha. (O Mohanlal, tell me why did we have to leave Kashmir; it is like burning hell coming down from skies; Gosh, those snow-clad mountains were lot better; O, God I need to go back to my comforting cremation ground; where I would complacently leave for the hereafter)

Pandit Raj Nath Turki writes to his friend Engineer Mushtaq Banday from Jammu stating that I came here in end July, 1990 that too when Indian security forces at Karan Nagar asked us to leave. The facsimile of original letter is published at Kashmir-issue.com/kashmiripandits.html . Turki very clearly is pained to leave his homeland and is observant of the sinister conspiracy hatched to create a mischief unprecedented.

Late Dilip Padgoankar, former editor Times of India, in conversation with Saeed Naqvi, a leading Indian journalist quipped "Kashmiri Pandits are being fooled". Padgoankar further stated that Kashmir is a mixed problem of complex geo-political circumstances, and political will. While criticising government of Indias appointment of various interlocutors whose hands are tied as they all have to abide by certain boundaries those cannot be crossed. He even made a mention of the promised word accepted as factuality locally and on international level.

Professor Manohar Nath Tickoo makes no bones about his migration from Kashmir saying "the fact remains that not a single Muslim forced us to leave. I and my neighbours never wanted my family to leave but there was definitely a massive psychological fear created by unknown agencies against the Kashmiri Pandits which forced us to leave. I believe that Kashmiri Pandits should have remained in the Valley and fought the freedom struggle with their fellow Muslim citizens.

Emotional Pandit Jai Krishen Bhat thanks Kashmiri Muslim boy for saving his son during flash floods in Kashmir which killed over four hundred and rendered hundreds of thousands homeless and says "Let me thank an unknown Muslim young boy who helped my son to come out of flood water in Indra Nagar Sun Rise Villa. The gentleman promised my son what may come I will help you. I can only pray may God bless him".

Aditya Sinha Editor-in-Chief of Bombay based DNA India refutes the claim of certain quarters saying "The J&K relief commissioner, says there are 38,119 families comprising 1.42 lakh persons registered as migrants. Another 21,684 Pandit families are registered outside the state, most of them in Delhi; thats another 80,000 persons.

The government also says 219 Kashmiri Pandits were killed since 1989; Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti puts the figure not much higher at 399. It is no argument to say these numbers do not give the real picture, because by the same token you would then have to accept the claim that the governments figures on killed or missing Kashmiri Muslims is vastly underestimated. Needless to say, 399 killed does not equate to genocide, another term used loosely by conservatives when describing the Kashmiri Hindu plight".

The Indian leader Sardar Vallabhai Patel had rightly envisioned that "Kashmir is a slippery ground" as Patel had understood the difference between right and wrong. Pandit Nehru taken for a ride by the likes of Kauls, Damodhars, Peshins, Kotrus Kilams etc. was forced to put is heart out to keep on saying "People seem to forget that Kashmir is not a commodity for sale or to be bartered. It has an individual existence and its people must be the final arbiters of their future" and Nehru also said,

"If we did anything of the kind our government would not last many days and there would be no peace....it would lead to war with Pakistan because of public opinion here and of war-like elements coming in control of our policy".

The fact also remains that Kashmiri Pandits must return to their homes and live comfortably without any fear with their Muslim neighbours like they did in 1947 when whole of Indian sub-continent was burning and Dogra army assisted by drill masters of Jammu under Master Jis command were on a rampage killing more than three hundred thousand Muslims in cold blood. Why Kashmiri Pandits left Kashmir is a subject amply explained by nationalist Pandits emotionally attached to Motherland.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus weeklong official visit to India, started February 17, 2018, is yet to meet any important dignitary of Prime Minister Modis government. (Reports CNN, February 20, 2018). The sojourn is considered a total disaster in Indian political circles. All the excitement and lustre for the trip to TajMahal or Mahatma Gandhis ashram, turned into a no love lostsituation.

The warm hunky-dory relations the two countries enjoyed back in fifties onward gave independent India a way forward especially in the fields of Atomic Research in Mining and Energy, nuclear power plants and smart cities projects. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) acquired the name after Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the pioneer laying the foundation stone for Indian nuclear program.

Sale of Uranium, business deals with Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation and Canada-India Reactor of 1960 facility developed a newly bonded relationship between the two countries; also enjoying joint workshop on nuclear security or collaboration in smart cities projects. Canadian education and private sector offered India help in college system and further economic growth as well. The two governments have also a Memorandum of Understanding for cleaning up the Ganga River.

The history tells us that Indian economic relations saw removal of penalties imposed on India in seventies when Canadian uranium offered for peaceful purposes was used in an Indian nuclear weapons test in breach of the agreement signed between the two countries. Nearly after four decades of active political disconnect, Canada is back in business selling uranium to India. India and Canada had signed a nuclear agreement in the year 2010.

Canadas Kashmir support

Historically Canada has always supported Kashmir right from the days of General McNaughton backing proposals of UNSC and the Resolutions adopted on August 13, 1948 and January 05, 1949. McNaughtons proposals contemplated an agreed program of progressive demilitarization on either side of the cease-fire line. Army withdrawal, disbandment and disarmament in such stages as not to cause fear to populace at any point.

Governments of India and Pakistan was to reach an agreement by January 31, 1950 on progressive steps taken in reducing and redistributing the forces to the minimum level complete with the maintenance of security and of local law and order. India turned a deaf ear to all these efforts made on international level.

The erstwhile Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially issued statement that Kashmir is an unresolved issue, considering intensification of systematic human rights violations against civilians a matter of concern. The agencies in India went into a panic mode and a smear campaign ensued to tarnish Kashmirs freedom struggle.

On a usual course of stone-pelting incident, fights between Indian army and Kashmiri populace, a stray stone hit Canadian High Commissioners car who with his family was on holiday visiting ski-resort Gulmarg in Kashmir. Grabbing the opportunity, the incident was blown out of proportion to discredit Kashmir uprising though the intended target of the stone was not the Canadian High Commissioner. The High Commission official later stated, it would be misreporting facts if someone said it was an attack on the Canadian envoy as such.

In the recent past Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited India receiving the famous symbolic Modi bear hug upon landing in New Delhi. Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau also on an official visit was made to look a low-key affair attaching almost no importance. It is also reported that Donald Trump Jr., the son of US President Trump, who is in India on a private visit to promote real estate deals attracts more attention though he does not hold any position in the US government. However, according to an official statement released by the Indian government Prime Minister Trudeau is due to meet with Modi on Friday February 23, 2018) in Delhi.

While Canada is part of the US led coalition carrying out air-strikes against the ISIS, India has not joined this group. But the Indian government is believed to be looking out for those who are joining the ISIS or are trying to get in touch with the terror group to offer its help.

There are few factors responsible for India to show indifference to visiting Canadian dignitary. Prime Minister Modis apparent cold shouldering of Trudeau was significant as it is widely known in Indian circles that Trudeau administration is sympathetic to Khalistan political movement.

It so happened that an Indian CRPF police officer T S Dhillon was refused entry to Canada (May 18, 2017) on the grounds that he had served an organisation engaged in terrorism and gross human rights violation. The action prompted a huge reaction in India saying "such characterisation is completely unacceptable".

Canada has 1.4 percent of Sikh population (468,000), a small but very influential number of people who support the idea of Khalistan, a separate state for Indian Sikhs. Indian army soldiers stormed into the holiest Sikh site Golden Temple Complex in 1984 to crush rebellion by Sikhs demanding creation of Khalistan (A homeland for Sikhs). In retaliation a Sikh security guard assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi spilling violence over into Canada when an Air-India plane carrying 329 people aboard was hijacked and bombed.

The National Defence Minister of the Crown Harjit Singh Sajjan, a Sikh by faith, is the Canadian politician responsible for the management and direction of all matters relating to the national defence of Canada. The Queen of Canada is the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces and has final authority. Minister Sajjan derives his political strength from the Sikh vote bank in his political constituency leading to hold the prestigious Defence Portfolio.

Prime Minister Stephen Harpers Foreign Minister John Bairds Kashmir comment that Kashmir problem needs a solution. The pro-Khalistan movement in Canada gaining strength day by day as a small minority of Sikhs have managed to reach out to other communities with the dynamism, hard work and political acumen.

Jagmeet Singh, a criminal defence lawyer by profession, the incumbent New Democratic Party elect Canadas first non-white political party leader, a practising Sikh, is set to lead left-wing opposition against PM Justin Trudeaus Liberals in 2019 federal election on permanent basis. Sikhs in general are impacting the political scenario of Canada across the board. The main political strength derived from Sikh electorate makes it impossible for a Sikh leader to avoid or ignore the wholehearted support for Khalistan.

To draw a comparison maintaining the balance of trade; Indias top exports to Canada in the list are Medicaments, Crustaceans: Fish frozen, chilled or fresh, Iron & non-alloy steel, Vegetable saps and extracts, heterocyclic compounds with nitrogen hetero-atom(s) only, -compounds containing an unfused pyrazole ring (whether or not hydrogenated) in the structure, furnishing articles like bedspreads, Cast iron & steel, Rice, T-shirts & other vests, bed & table linen.

Imports, on the contrary from Canada to India include Gold, Solid fuels manufactured from coal, Petroleum oils, Minerals, chemical fertilisers, Newsprint, Diamonds, Iron Ore and Chemical wood pulp.

Hindu Business Line reported (April 19, 2017) that Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan hinted at strengthening defence ties between Canada and India. Canadian arms-makers are looking to expand in India and as Minister Singh stated that Warship HMCS Winnipeg frigate will soon be coming to India.Alabamians are ready for restrictions on guns, including background checks and raising the age to buy assault rifles to 21, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., said Friday.

"People in Alabama love their guns, but they also love their children," Jones told CNN's Dana Bash during a discussion at Birmingham's Civil Rights Institute sponsored by the Faith and Politics Institute. "And they like to be safe in theaters, and they like to be safe in churches, and I think there is common ground."

Jones said he was making those comments as a proud gun owner, adding that his wife believes he has too many firearms. But he said there needs to be a balance between gun rights and gun safety, and called on his Democratic colleagues to side with incremental progress instead of being stubborn.

"I'm the kind of person that believes especially in an issue like this, if we can make any progress ...it opens the door to so many others," he said. "We got to get something done, don't get me a list of things that have to be done ... let's not cut our nose to spite our face. I went into the Senate with my eyes open about partisan politics ... but i think we are moving in a way that gets things done."

Jones likened the current gun control debate to the #MeToo movement that started during his Senate campaign against Republican Roy Moore in that young people are raising their voices in the same ways that women are.

"I think they're going have a huge impact. I felt like .. we may have reached that tipping point with not only regard to firearms but to school safety," Jones said. "People look at the tragedy and say its the tragedy that all of a sudden called us to action [but[ we've never had a group of students like we have at Parkland."

The Florida students are "going to get people talking," Jones said, "and their voices are going to be heard all the way to the election in 2018."MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder appeared for a press conference at Central Michigan University and called for the community to come together and help each other with safety after a 19-year-old man was suspected of shooting and killing two people on the fourth floor of the university's Campbell Hall.

It was the second press conference held on Friday in relation to the tragedy and many details emerged in between both.

James E. Davis Jr., a sophomore at the college, allegedly shot and killed a man who shares the same name as him, James E. Davis Sr., and his wife. Officials have not confirmed or denied if these are the student's parents. He remains at large.

The senior Davis worked as a police officer in the village of Bellwood near Chicago and those who knew him offered condolences on social media.

CMU Shooting: Updates from Police Update from police on Central Michigan University campus shooting. Posted by MLive.com on Friday, March 2, 2018

"This was a terrible incident," Snyder said. "It was an isolated incident."

The governor urged people to contact law enforcement if they see something that could help them apprehend Davis Jr.

"We will not stop until we resolve this issue and caught this person," Snyder said.

Snyder also urged staff, students and community members to support each other during difficult times.

"In addition to capturing this person, the priority has been on how well we can support the students, the parents who have gone through this event. How well we can support the residents in the Mount Pleasant area.

"Everyone is working together to do whatever we need to do to do the apprehension of this person and then to safely make sure we can get students, faculty and staff home."

Snyder said that school safety is not just about K-12, but also colleges and universities, and that there will be a continuing dialogue.

"There is a commitment to do what's right," Snyder said.Video footage showing dozens of pigeons lying dead on the ground and others limping was released Friday by an animal rights group that secretly filmed members of the Alabama Forestry Association taking part in a live pigeon shoot.

The video, which was shot legally from a drone, shows a man taking pigeons from a cage and throwing them into the air as participants circled the field waiting to shoot. Footage taken from the ground after the event was over shows close ups of pigeons limping, crawling, as well as many dead.

"We rescued as many as we could before nightfall," said Steve Hindi, president and founder of Showing Animals Respect & Kindness (SHARK), an animal rights group based in Illinois. "It was heartbreaking to leave knowing so many more were out there suffering. These birds are not eaten. The wounded are left to die slow, painful deaths from their wounds, predation or starvation."

"The people from the Alabama Forestry Association aren't hunters - they're sociopaths," added Hindi.

The Alabama Forestry Association, which is an education and lobbying group, did not respond to messages from AL.com asking for comment.

D.J. Schubert, a wildlife biologist at the Animal Wildlife Institute in Washington D.C., said that in these types of shoots, that have no meaningful purpose, the pigeons often experience excruciating deaths after being wounded. "Many die from infection in the worst way," said Schubert, who used to protest live pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania. "Hunters should be worried about their image because they look like thugs. Killing defenseless animals from close range for sport is not a good look."

SHARK first heard about the pigeon shoot after a flier was given to them advertising the event, which was aimed at raising money for the Alabama Forestry Foundation, which is the education arm of the association. Tickets cost up to $1,000 a person.

SHARK collected the pigeons from the field in West Mobile and left them on land at the Alabama Forestry Association. It's unclear what happened to then after that.

While there are a many Alabama laws that deal with cruelty against animals, it appears as if pigeon shooting is not illegal. There are also no federal laws that prohibit pigeon shooting. There are some laws that prohibit the killing of birds, but pigeons are exempt.

"Our argument, however, is that this does violate common decency as it causes extreme cruelty to living beings and is killing just for the sake of killing," said Hindi. "If it isn't illegal, it certainly should be.Law enforcement officers in Walker and Jefferson counties recently arrested two teenagers after a threatening post made the rounds on Snapchat.

Authorities have not released the names of the teens but did say that both were homeschooled. One resides in Walker County and the other lives in Jefferson County. Both had previously attended schools in Jefferson and Walker counties that were notified of the threat.

A school resource officer in Jefferson County contacted law enforcement in Walker County after he saw an image on Feb. 16 of one of the teens holding a toy semi-automatic rifle with the caption "Round 3 Florida" followed by four laughing emojis.

It was later determined the teens did not have the means or the desire to commit any violence, according to a post on the Walker County Sheriff's Department Facebook page.

Both teens were transported to the Walker County Juvenile Detention Center.

"No classes were disrupted and there is no threat or danger to our schools from these two juveniles at this time," said Walker County Sheriff James Underwood in the statement. "The District Attorney's Office is reviewing this case to determine if either juvenile should be transferred for criminal prosecution in adult court. Both are currently under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. I appreciate SRO Deputy Drake notifying us quickly and realizing that this is a shared responsibility that we all have in keeping our schools safe."

Schools in Alabama have been on high alert since the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The attack killed 17 people and was the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook.

"Unfortunately it is common for threats to increase following a national tragedy such as the Parkland shooting in Florida," Underwood said. "In today's age, a majority of the threats are made on social media. Law Enforcement must follow up and investigate threats like these, as legitimate. All threats must be taken seriously. Everyone knows you don't falsely yell 'fire' in a crowded movie theater or mention a bomb on an airplane. In the same manner, school threats create a substantial amount of public alarm and require mobilization of law enforcement resources. We ask parents to please take this time to talk to your children about the appropriate uses of social media."It started with a Tweet. Second-graders from Hayes K-8 school in Birmingham tweeted at U.S. Sen. Doug Jones on Feb. 8, asking him to visit their after-school tutoring program, Start the Adventure in Reading, or STAIR, of Birmingham.

We need your help! Our students would LOVE to meet @SenDougJones to show him what they've learned this year at STAIR. Please RT to help get the message to him! #Birmingham #ChildhoodLiteracy pic.twitter.com/AS2N37ChgJ  STAIR of Birmingham (@stairbirmingham) February 8, 2018

Before the day ended, Jones tweeted back a video response from his office in Washington, D.C., thanking students for the invitation. "It really pumped me up. It made my night," Jones said in the video, and promised to visit as soon as he could.

On Friday, Jones made good on his promise, visiting students in the STAIR program at Oliver Elementary School in Woodlawn.

Jones and his wife, Louise, in honor of Read Across America Day, read Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go" aloud to more than a dozen second-graders who are currently being tutored through the program.

Jones told students reading is an important skill, and that he had to do a lot of reading in his job as a U.S. Senator.

The children were excited to meet Jones, handing him colorful handwritten posters thanking him for visiting.

Jones was equally excited to meet them. "These kids are just incredible. They have this desire to learn," he said. "They are just anxious to get started in life and there's no better way than to learn to read."

Jones complimented the STAIR program on the work they've been doing in Birmingham City Schools for nearly 20 years and encouraged others to get involved.

Speaking to the television cameras, Jones said, "For everyone listening and seeing this tonight, I want to encourage folks to contact this program, contact STAIR, and let's volunteer. They could reach so many more kids in this area if they had more volunteers."

"I promise you, you will get more out of it than the children will." Jones said.

Oliver Elementary Principal Selena Florence was equally complimentary of the STAIR program.

Students in the program have benefited greatly, Florence said. "We have seen a huge impact as far as how well our kids are able to read, their fluency, their comprehension as they read."

Florence, too, said she would like to see the STAIR program expand. "I would love for every second-grader to have a volunteer that comes and reads with them. That would be amazing."

Jones' call for volunteers surprised STAIR's Executive Director Liz Edwards. "It gave me chills," she said. She said she hopes Jones' call for volunteers inspires action.

Students are currently on a waiting list to be tutored, and other schools in Birmingham would like to start a STAIR program if more volunteers can be found.

"We know that if we could just double the number of tutors," Edwards said, "then we could double the number of students."

The program runs from September through the end of April. This year, Edwards said the program is serving 200 students in 13 Birmingham City Schools. Each student has two tutors, she said, and each tutor meets with the student one hour each week. In that sense, STAIR gives students two caring adults beyond their family and their classroom teacher.

"We know that in our classrooms, our teachers have a lot of demands on them," Edwards said. "Even the best teacher can't get around to every student in the classroom." STAIR's one-on-one approach allows students to work on the skills they need to develop, she said, supporting what happens in the classroom.

Edwards said reading scores for students in the program improve by an average of 90 percent. But there are benefits beyond the improvement in test scores, she said.

The student's self-esteem improves as does their confidence, she said. "They have another positive influence."

Robyn Gulley has been tutoring at STAIR for three years, since she, as a senior at Ramsay High School, helped launch the program at Tuggle Elementary School. Gulley, now a sophomore at Birmingham-Southern, said she has gotten as much out of tutoring students as she feels she's given to them.

"I had no idea how much going and tutoring a student every week would leave me walking away wanting to work harder and be better, for them."

Supporting young students is important, she said. "If a student doesn't feel like they are capable of achieving something great, they have someone who believes in them. Someone who's going to tell them 'you're going to be amazing'."

For those who may be on the fence about volunteering with the program, Gulley said, "It's only one hour a week."

"I think this is an hour you wouldn't regret investing in the life of a second-grader," she said. "You have no idea how investing that one hour of your life can empower and change the life of a student."When I see Jeff Sessions now, I can't help but think of Milton.

No, not John Milton, 17th century author of "Paradise Lost." Sessions doesn't serve in heaven nor rule in hell. He gets the worst of both realms.

Which is why, when I think of Sessions, I see in him Milton Waddams, that poor, muttering sap from "Office Space," forever in search of his red Swingline stapler.

And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm quitting, I'm going to quit.

Sessions, like Milton, was ostensibly hired to serve a purpose. Milton was brought into his suburban office hell to collate pieces of paper. Sessions was appointed to the Justice Department to collate people for swift deportation.

Each has a fanatical obsession with rules.

I told Bill that if, if Sandra's going to listen to her headphones while she's, while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn it down because I enjoy, listening, at a reasonable volume.

Both made the mistake of believing their bosses saw them as people. Both believed they deserved respect. Instead, each has reaped the contempt and cruelty of a hostile boss and been banished to a cold, dark corner.

And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were married.

And Sessions, like Milton, doesn't seem to know exactly what to do about his predicament, except to stay put at his desk.

Any maybe this is where the parallel ends. While Bill Lundberg -- a sentient, upright tube of Brylcreem -- almost certainly would have voted for Donald Trump, he isn't Donald Trump. His arrogance makes him confident. He doesn't move Milton to the basement and off the payroll because he hates him. He just doesn't care. He's indifferent.

Trump is a lot of things, but he's not indifferent. Not about our boy Jeff. He hates Sessions now because Sessions, like Milton, is the one guy he can't seem to fire.

And he took my stapler, and he never brought it back and then they moved my desk to storage room B and there was garbage on it, and I really don't appreciate garbage.

For someone who lifted himself into a second-life of celebrity with the catchphrase "You're fired!" it has been remarkable how few people Trump has actually terminated.

Many in the White House have tried to outlast their cohorts, all for the opportunity at some sort of personal benefit. None seems to be in the job for anyone but themselves. But as Milton said, the ratio of people to cake is too big, so most wind up leaving of their own accord in last-ditch attempts to salvage careers, if not dignity.

The real-life Trump doesn't fire people. He makes their lives hell, on purpose or not, until they quit. With Sessions, Trump is making him purposely miserable -- demeaning him on Twitter, sub-Tweeting him in stump speeches, calling him Mr. Magoo behind his back, and calling him a disgrace to his face.

The only thing Trump hasn't done to Sessions, it seems, is move his desk to the basement like Milton and order him to kill some rats while he's down there.

But Sessions just won't quit, no matter how many times he's threatened to do so.

Ok, that's the last straw.

If Trump were going to fire Sessions, if he were able to fire Sessions, he would have done it already.

If Sessions were going to quit, he would have quit by now.

Instead, they are locked into bringing this meandering plot to a satisfying close -- by fulfilling a promise Milton's made over and over again while no one listened, while no one took him seriously.

"I'm going to set the building on fire."

Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group. You can follow his work on Facebook through Reckon by AL.com.Ashya King is cancer free: monstered parents rejoice in sons life

Truly incredible and heartening news reaches us: Ashya King is cancer free. In 2014, the sane among us looked on aghast as the State declared that it not the parents knew what was best for the terminally ill child with a brain tumour.

Hampshire Police obtained a European arrest warrant for Ashya Kings parents, Brett and Naghmeh King, alleging neglect. The media saddled up and invited us to join the hunt for the family whod removed their son from Southampton Hospital in defiance of doctors orders as they sought pioneering proton therapy on the Continent. The treatment was not offered in Britain. The Kings feared the chemotherapy and radiotherapy the NHS had scheduled for the son would leave him brain damaged or kill him.

As the police hunted the Kings, so did we. The Mirror said Ashya had just 24 hours to live. Assistant chief constable Chris Shead told us: It is vital that we find Ashya today. His health will deteriorate rapidly. Ashya is in a wheelchair and is fed through a tube. The feeding system is battery operated and that battery will run out today. He must continue to be fed through the tube by someone with the relevant medical training.

The message was clear: the parents had placed their child in mortal danger. The Kings were oddball parents who belonged to a millennial religious cult. They must be stopped. The Mirror, which was not alone in calling on us to nark on the Kings, told readers: Anyone with information about Ashyas whereabouts should contact Hampshire Constabulary on 101, quoting Operation Aquilion.

It worked. Police got the Kings. The parents were arrested in Spain and locked up. Their five-year-old son was placed with strangers in protective custody. He was made a ward of court.

And then, after the police-enabled, media-amplified hatchet job had snared the Kings, the CPS withdrew the European arrest warrants against the blameless couple it had terrorised for daring to say no. The Kings had not wilfully neglected their son. It was nonsense to say they had done. The Kings looked after their flesh and blood with skill and love. They had recharged the feeding tubes battery and got him the right food. The family was freed. The High Court said they could take their son to Prague for proton therapy.

Fast forward to today and Brett King is reading a letter from the cancer specialist at Southampton General Hospital: Dear Mr King I am pleased to say there is no sign of any tumour recurrences and there is nothing that requires any urgent intervention.

Who knows whats best for you children, then? And why does the State assume its not the parents?

Paul Sorene

Posted: 3rd, March 2018 | In: Key Posts, News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink(ANSA) - Rome, March 2 - The controversial redundancies of close to 500 workers at an Embraco fridge-component-making plant near Turin, with production set to be shifted to Slovakia, have been put on ice, the company and Industry Minister Carlo Calenda said on Friday. Italy referred the case to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who vowed to be intransigent if it turns out that Slovakian incentives to lure the company there constitute illegal State aid.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has also intervened in the case of Embraco, a Brazilian unit of US multinational Whirlpool.

"An agreement for the suspension of the dismissals has been reached to allow time to work on the reindustrialization (of the site), which Embraco and Whirlpool have committed themselves to," Calenda said.

"We are satisfied. Now the aim is the reindustrialization". The FIOM trade union said the workers salaries were guaranteed for the rest of the year. "We have confirmation that the dismissal letters for 2018 have been put on ice pending the reindustrialization (plan)," said Lino La Mendola of FIOM's Turin branch.

"The salaries should be fully covered for this year.

"We expect a solution from January 1, 2019 onwards too.

"There must be a solution that stops the threat of any workers being kicked out against their will.

"We won't sign up for redundancies".

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The administrator has been notified and will resolve the problem ASAP.Sharmas witch doesnt just bite off chunks of humans she doesnt like, but also poor, little street dogs.

Rating:

Cast: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rajat Kapoor, Rithbhari Chakraborty, Mansi Multani

Director: Prosit Roy

There are certain things top Bollywood actresses just dont do. They dont, for example, play flesh-chomping chudails with a mouth that drips blood and a face thats a mess of cracking, rotting skin.

Nagins avenging the murder of their slithering, beloved Nags is as far as they will go in the revenge-seeking supernatural world. Angry and hissing, yes, but never ugly and repulsive.

Thats because, a), bhootnis are unseemly; and b), because things stick.

After playing a witch or a pret aatma who preys on innocent, unsuspecting humans, it is very likely that the next time the actress puts her manicured hand on the heros shoulder in a KJo or an Adi Chopra film, everyone in the hall will freak out in unison, scream and run straight to Shah Rukh Khans Mannat to save him from the chudails chungal.

But Anushka Sharma clearly doesnt scare easy.

She has put her own money into producing Pari: Not a Fairytale, a film set in Kolkata where she plays no ordinary witch, but the last one in a long, insidious line of Ifrits  women born, raised and devoted to carry on the bloodline of Shaitan.



Pari begins with Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee), an awkward, reserved, decent man meeting a prospective wife, Piyali (Rithbhari Chakraborty), a talkative, straightforward nurse who believes in the calming powers of anulom-vilom.

Soon after their meeting, as Arnab and his family are heading home, theres an accident and Kuttewaali Budhia, a destitute women in a burqa, is declared dead.

While the accident takes Arnab and the cops to her hut in a secluded patch of forest where they find her daughter Rukhsana (Anushka Sharma), the mark on the dead womans arm creeps out a worker at the morgue and he dials Professor Qasim Ali (Rajat Kapoor).

There on unfolds the story which began in a town in Bangladesh, about the Kayamat Andolan, the professors accident while trying to kill the unborn of an Ifrit, a female soldier of the scary, bad one.

The flashback conjures up a pagan world where pregnant women are chained and then, one by one, dunked into a bathtub and their child aborted.

The professor has been on the lookout for the one that got away because, you see, the chain, the Aulad Chakra, needs to be broken.

Soon, Rukhsana lands in Arnabs house, all dirty and bloody and quaking with fear.

He takes her in, feeds her, brings her clothes, teaches her how to dunk a biscuit in tea and the child-woman, while watching cartoons and clipping her nails that grow at an alarming rate, slowly begins to fall in love.

But Rukhsana also, once every few days, moves like Wolverine to prey on some living thing to spit out the poison that keeps building up inside her.

There is much leaping about, hanging upside-down, quaking at the sight and sound of anything that is godly, and some sudden YIKES!! moments. But the movie  together with its excellent camerawork and the gentle but haunting background score  isnt so much interested in scaring us as in telling us of the transformative powers of love.

Though her sharp light-eyed stare is scary, Rukhsana is, eventually, sad, heartbreaking almost.

Paris story, though rooted in patriarchys sadiyon purana fear of powerful women, doesnt show the witches doing much evil stuff except, for the sake of their survival and love, bite a few pain in the necks. Mostly it shows Ifrits as being sexually liberated and driven  whatever their age, they brazenly tempt men with sex. Nice.

In fact, in a movie that has terribly regressive genesis and annoying pageantry that panders to misogyny, theres a lot of clever detailing of characters.

Rajat Kapoors Prof. Qasim Ali is a very compelling character, and the actor plays it with delicious ambiguity. He seems, at once, scholarly and more powerful, vindictive and evil than the women he is pursuing with a chain saw.

The films narrative style is controlled and stylised. Theres a slow, gradual revelation of who Ifrits are, what Rukhsana is capable of. While the movie lovingly builds up the fear factor, revealing her Vampire-like traits, it also serenades Arnab and Rukhsana. And the climax neatly ties together Piyalis past with Arnabs present.

Parambrata Chatterjee is very good, and Rithbhari Chakraborty screams very nicely. But the film belongs to Rajat Kapoor and Anushka Sharma.

Sharmas witch doesnt just bite off chunks of humans she doesnt like, but also poor, little street dogs. And she does it with sumptuous joy and at chilling speed.

Thats brave, very brave indeed for a leading Bollywood actress. And scary.

I wondered if, after watching the film, Virat Kohli skipped a beat at night when Anushka extended her hand to switch off the bedroom light.

I would have.She also said there was 'no rethinking as of now' on the AFSPA in J&K and several insurgency-hit states in the Northeast.

Sitharaman said that security forces are 'eliminating' the infiltrators at the LoC before they could sneak into the Indian side but added that it would be not right to say that no one manages to infiltrate. (Photo: File | ANI)

New Delhi: The armed forces are "proportionately" retaliating to Pakistani actions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and effectively containing cross-border infiltration, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday.

She also said there was "no rethinking as of now" on the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), which has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir and several insurgency-hit states in the Northeast.

The act gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations in disturbed areas.

There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in J-K and the Northeast to withdraw it.

Asked about the situation in Maldives, Sitharaman said "we are watching it".

On the situation along the LoC, she said, "We are able to contain infiltration to a large extent. We are also able to retaliate proportionately (to Pakistani actions)."

She said security forces are "eliminating" the infiltrators at the LoC before they could sneak into the Indian side but added that it would be not right to say that no one manages to infiltrate.

The LoC has remained volatile since 2017.

According to official figures, 860 incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops were reported in 2017 as against 221 the year before.

Six Army personnel and a civilian were killed in an attack on the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on February 10.

The attack on the camp had come days after four Army men were killed in Pakistani firing in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

After the Sunjuwan attack, Sitharaman had said that Pakistan would pay for the misadventure.

Following the spate of attacks, the Army had given "full freedom" to locals commanders of the army along the LoC to effectively retaliate any act of violence by Pakistani troops, Army sources had said.

They said the Indian Army has been inflicting heavy casualties to Pakistani troops while replying to Pakistani shelling along the LoC in the last few weeks.

Asked about demands to withdraw the AFSPA from J-K and certain states of Northeast, Sitharaman said, "there is no rethinking on it as of now."

In January, Army Chief Bipin Rawat had also said that time has not come to rethink on AFSPA.

"We have never been strong in applying the force the way it could be applied (under AFSPA). We are very concerned about human rights. We are absolutely concerned about collateral damage," he had said.The police forces are continuing with the combing operation to nab those Maoists who escaped.

Bodies of slain Maoists who were killed in an encounter near Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district bordering Telangana. (Photo: Asian Age)

Bhadrachalam: Ten CPI Maoists and a constable of the Greyhound commando force were killed in an encounter in the forested areas of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district bordering Telangana in the early hours of Friday.

Six women were among the rebels killed in the clash that took place in Tadapalagutta-Pujari- Kanker forest area, about 40 km from Venkatapuram police station in Jayasankar-Bhupalapalli district of Telangana.

An AK-47, one SLRs, two single bore rifles, five INSAS rifles, one .303 rifle, one pistol, three claymore mines and six rocket bombs and two solar plates, and seven kit bags, a Sony radio, empty cartridges, live ammunition of different calibre, party literature and Rs 41,000 cash have been recovered from the encounter site.

The Greyhound constable who died in the fight Susheel Kumar, is a native of Vikarabad. The bodies of two of the Maoists, one a woman, were shifted to Bhadrachalam and placed in freezers in the area hospital.

None of the slain Maoists have been identified. But it is speculated that Haribhushan, CPI- Maoist Telangana secretary, and his wife Sammakka were among those killed. It is also suspected that Haribhushan's sister Bharathi and his brother Ashok were in Bhadrachalam.

Amber Kishor Jha, superintendent of police of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district said, "We have not identified any of the slain Maoists. The remaining eight dead bodies will be shifted on Saturday morning."

Autopsies of the deceased will be conducted in Bhadrachalam in all cases as per a High Court order, in the presence of two senior medical officers and a forensic expert. The autopsy process will be recorded on video.

According to the police, a joint operation of the Telangana and Chhattisgarh police was underway early on Friday morning and ran into a group of Maoists who opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the death of the

Greyhound constable Sushil Kumar. The police returned fire, which killed 10 Maoists. The police forces are continuing with the combing operation to nab those Maoists who escaped. Police believe four other Maoists were injured in the incident.Buoyed by the formation of governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making a bid to expand its footprints in the region.

Voters wait in a long queue to cast their votes at a polling station in Dimapur, Nagaland. (Photo: PTI)

Agartala/Kohima/Shillong: The counting of votes for the Assembly elections in three Northeastern states  Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura  will be held on Saturday amid tight security, officials said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as a strong contender in all the three states and two exit polls have predicted that the party would dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura and consolidate its position in the other two states. While the Congress has been ruling Meghalaya for 10 years, the Naga People's Front (NFP) has been in power in Nagaland since 2003, except for a three-month period of President's rule in 2008.

Buoyed by the formation of governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP is making a bid to expand its footprints in the region.

Counting would begin from 8 am in all the states amid tight security, Election Commission officials said. While Tripura went to the polls on February 18, elections were held in Nagaland and Meghalaya on February 27.

Though the strength of each of the Assemblies in the three states is 60 members, voting was held for 59 constituencies.

While a CPI(M) candidate died in Tripura, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate was killed in Meghalaya, which resulted in countermanding of the polls in one seat each in the two states.

In Nagaland, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio was declared elected unopposed.

In Meghalaya, the Congress fielded 59 candidates, while the BJP put up nominees in 47 constituencies. For the first time, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma is contesting from two seats.

In Nagaland, the BJP has joined hands with the NDPP that was floated by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. The NDPP is contesting on 40 seats and the saffron party on 20.

The Congress, which has given three chief ministers to Nagaland since the state's inception in 1963, is contesting only in 18 seats, two less than the BJP.

The election process in Nagaland had started on a difficult note. Following a no-poll diktat from the Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations that advocated "solution (to the Naga political issue) before election", political parties initially kept away from the poll process.

Though the filing of nominations started on January 31, the first batch of 22 contestants filed their papers only on February 5, the penultimate day for filing of nominations.

There was a heavy rush of nominees to file their nomination papers on the last day, February 7, and finally after scrutiny and withdrawal, 227 candidates were in the fray for the Assembly elections in the state.

"Adequate security measures have been made for the counting centres. Counting halls were also ready. General observers and police observers were appointed for all the counting halls," Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Tripura Tapas Ray said.

In Nagaland, 349 tables in 17 centres across the state would be set up for counting tomorrow, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Abhijit Sinha, said.

Votes would be counted in presence of the candidates and agents under the supervision of the respective district returning officers and assistant returning officers, state Additional CEO N Moa Aier told PTI.

Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer F R Kharkongor said a three-tier security arrangement has been made at all the 13 counting centres and 11 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed here for the counting process.According to media reports, a penalty of Rs 500 was also slapped on the parents, under Section 180 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

In all these cases, vehicles have been seized, and the minor driver and parents are being summoned to attend counselling at the Traffic Training institute and later prosecuted. (Photo: Representational | File)

Hyderabad (Telangana): A special magistrate court sent 10 parents behind bars for a day for allowing their minors to drive motorcycles in Telangana's Hyderabad city.

According to media reports, a penalty of Rs 500 was also slapped on the parents, under Section 180 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

Amid a massive crackdown against underage driving, a 14-year-old was also sentenced to remand for one day in a juvenile home, media reports added.

In all these cases, vehicles have been seized, and the minor driver and parents are being summoned to attend counselling at the Traffic Training institute and later prosecuted.

The campaign to curb underage driving follows close on the heels of another campaign to curb drunken driving in the city.

In 2017, police recorded 130 accidents involving minors and many of them turned out to be near-fatal and in some cases caused death.INSV Tarini is likely to depart Cape Town on March 14 and return to Goa in April, on completion of the voyage.

The vessel is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: An all-women crew leading the Indian Navy Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini on Friday docked at a port in Cape Town in South Africa, during the last phase of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe, the Navy said.

The expedition is being covered in five legs, with stop-overs at Fremantle in Australia, Lyttleton in New Zealand, Port Stanley in Falklands, and Cape Town in South Africa.

After reaching Cape Town, the vessel has covered the first four legs of its voyage.

The crew encountered rough seas and extremely cold temperature coupled with stormy weather conditions, making the circumnavigation highly daunting, the Navy said in a statement.

The vessels passage through the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans so far, has witnessed winds in excess of 60 knots and waves up to 7 metres high.

This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. The vessel is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had flagged-off INSV Tarini from Goa on September 10.

The vessel has covered 1,75,00 nautical miles from Goa, crossing the equator on September 25, Cape Leeuwin, the southernmost part of Western Australia, on November 9, and Cape Horn off Chile on January 19, 2018.

The indigenously-built INSV Tarini is a 56-foot sailing vessel, which was inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year, and showcases the Make in India initiative on the international forum.

The expedition titled Navika Sagar Parikrama, is in consonance with the national policy to empower women to attain their full potential. It also aims to showcase Nari Shakti on the world platform and help in transforming societal attitudes and mindset towards women in India by raising visibility of their participation in challenging environs, the Navy said.

The crew has also been collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department, as also monitoring marine pollution on the high seas.

They would interact extensively with the local populace, especially children, during the port halt to promote Ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.

INSV Tarini is likely to depart Cape Town on March 14 and return to Goa in April, on completion of the voyage.BJP had not declared any CM candidate, it is believed that Tripura BJP president Biplab Deb would succeed CM Manik Sarkar.

BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav and Tripura BJP chief Biplab Kumar Deb display victory sign as they celebrate with supporters after party's victory in Tripura Assembly elections results in Agartala on Saturday. BJP's win marks an end to 25 years of CPI-M government rule in the state. (Photo: PTI)

Guwahati: The Left Fronts 25-year-old rule in Tripura came to an end on Saturday with BJP and its alliance partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) sweeping the assembly polls by winning 43 seats and leaving CPI(M) at distant second with 16 seats only.

It was a huge turnaround for BJP, which had no MLAs in the 60-member House and had got only around 1.7 per cent votes in the assembly elections in 2013.

The Congress, which over the years had played the second fiddle in the state and has been in power twice, has failed to open its account and its candidates forfeiting their security deposits on majority of the seats.

Crediting the favourable results to the hard work of party workers of Tripura in the last three years, Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was one of the key architects of BJPs victory in Northeastern states, said that merger of Trinamool Congress' Tripura unit with the BJP was the most significant factor which consolidated the opposition and anti-CPM votes across the state.

Though, BJP had not declared any chief ministerial candidate, it is believed that Tripura BJP president Biplab Deb would succeed chief minister Manik Sarkar.

Deb, a gym instructor-turned-politician, thanked the people of Tripura for their overwhelming support and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah with the party's showing. "I am ready to take the responsibility. I will not run away from taking any responsibility," he told reporters when asked if he would accept the task of chief ministership.

However, the BJP leader reiterated that the BJP Parliamentary Board, which would meet in New Delhi in the evening, would take a final decision on the next chief minister of Tripura.

"I have already been given a bigger responsibility, the partys state presidentship, which I have been fulfilling to the best of my ability," Deb said.

Deb said the people of Tripura favourably responded to the BJP's call to root out the CPI(M) government, which has been ruling the state for more than two decades. "People responded favourably to our call call 'Chalo Paltai' (Let's Change)," he said.

Deb said that the next government's priority would be all-round development of Tripura and people voted for the BJP as there had been total backwardness in the state under the Manik Sarkar government. "The word development does not exist in the dictionary of the CPI(M). Our government will provide good governance and time-bound implementation of all developmental works," Deb said.

The BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said, Our Parliamentary Board will meet in New Delhi and take a call on issue of selecting the chief minister.

It is significant that BJP contested Tripura elections on local issues and ignored its Hindutava plank in the campaign. This was more visible when party brought Maharaja Colonel Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarman Bahadur of the Manikya dynasty into focus. The last reigning monarch of the princely state before it merged with the Indian Republic in 1949, Bir Bikram is credited with planning the kingdoms capital of Agartala, initiating land reforms, reserving vast tracts of land for Tripuras tribal population, building Agartalas first airport and setting up one of the countrys first municipalities and university.

The BJP in-charge of Tripura Sunil Deodhar who played the key role in victory of the party, said, Maharaja Bir Bikram was a vikas purush, an extraordinary man. He did so much for Tripura but has never received that kind of attention. We are trying to get him the Bharat Ratna. We are also trying to ensure that the Agartala airport is named after him.

The BJP strategists laid focus on non-development of the frontier state where unemployment and non-compliance of pay commissions recommendation for state government employees became a major issue.

In fact of the three states, Tripura was also the most keenly watched for being the last Left bastion in the country. The 69-year-old outgoing chief minister Manik Sarkar, has governed Tripura since 1998. A politburo member of CPI(M), he had been at the helm for the fourth consecutive time.

Besides tapping into the youth, the BJP made aggressive best efforts to break the CPI(M)s stranglehold in 20 seats reserved for tribals, which possibly turned the ride in its favour. The BJP led alliance has succeeded in winning all the 20 tribal reserved seats. The IPFT general secretary Mewat Jamatia has won from the Asharambari seat with a massive margin of 7,000 votes.

It is significant that BJP had contested 50 seats in the last assembly polls in 2013 and its candidates forfeited their deposits on 49 seats. However, with just 1.87 per cent of votes, it failed to win any seat in the state. The CPI(M) had won 49 of the 55 seats it contested while the Congress managed to win 10 out of 48 seats it contested.

Though, CPM was voted out of power, it succeeded in retaining 43 per cent vote share whereas BJP made significant jump in vote bank by securing 42.8 per cent votes from its dismal performance of 2013 in which it has got 1.5 per cent of votes. The BJP got the lead with vote share of its alliance partner IPFT, which polled 7.7 per cent votes

The Left, after voted out of power in a statement, The BJP has, apart from other factors, utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections. The BJP was able to consolidate all the anti-Left votes, virtually appropriating the erstwhile main opposition party, the Congress. The partys polit bureau also thanked the 45 per cent people that supported the Left Front, and said it would take remedial measures after carefully examining the reasons for its loss.Mamata Banerjee said she wonders if BJP would be able to continue at Centre after Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Kolkata: Discounting BJP's massive success in the Assembly Elections in Tripura West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of winning the neighbouring state with the help of outsiders, money power and the central para-military forces.

Hitting out at BJP President Amit Shah for his next targets of winning three more states  West Bengal, Odhisa and Karnataka the Trinamool Congress supremo wondered if the BJP would be able to continue at the Centre after the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

Mamata Banerjee, who recently said she would be happy if the CPI(M) would win the Assembly Elections in Tripura, revealed that she gave an offer to Congress President Rahul Gandhi of an alliance and seat-sharing which was rejected.

Blaming the Congress and the CPI(M) she observed that it was not the BJP's victory in Tripura. The CPI(M)'s arrogance and the Congress' failure were the results of the assembly polls, she noted adding that had the Congress not turned down her proposal for an alliance, the results may have been otherwise. Hinting at foul play she alleged that something unnatural has happened in the Tripura polls which has made its results a mystery.

I do not see any reason for the BJP to be emphatic over its victory in the Assembly polls in Tripura. The CPI(M) bagged 45 per cent of the total votes. It is no less. And the BJP got 50 per cent votes. What you are not saying is that in the North Eastern states power is grabbed with the help of source and force whoever stays in power at the Centre. I have only one objection which I spoke about in the Assembly recently, she said at state secretariat Nabanna on Saturday evening.

Mamata Banerjee alleged, They (BJP) spent huge amount of money. Many incidents took place over EVMs. They brought outsiders to Tripura apart from misusing the central forces there. But I need to know why the CPI(M) did not protest. The CPI(M) totally surrendered itself to the BJP. Had they not surrendered, the results would not have been bad. There was a difference of only five cent votes. While the Congress suffered failures, the CPI(M) surrendered.

The Trinamool chief claimed, If you ask about the Congress' failures, I would say that I bought a change in 1987 in Tripura. It is not that change did not take place ever there. It is wrong which is being circulated in the social network. After the change in 1987 in Tripura the atmosphere was set for another change in 1992 when Prime Minister Narsimha Rao imposed the President's Rule at the behest of the CPI(M). Had it not been so, the Congress would have come to power then again.

She added, So there are instances in the history. Incumbency creeped in as the Left Front has been in the politics for a long time. Had the Congress given a tough fight, the difference bagging of four-five votes would not have been a big matter. In that case the BJP would have got only ten seats. Today I disclose that I made a request to the Congress. I personally told Rahul Gandhi: Look we are new in Tripura and we are yet to do anything there. I urged him to take part in the fight jointly Congress and Trinamul alongwith the hill-based parties.

The West Bengal chief minister reasoned, But they did not do it. I even suggested them for a seat adjustment which covered 14 seats to be contested by us and 16 others to be contested by the hill-based parties while the Congress would contest in 30 seats. This would have led to the creation of a platform. Had the platform been created, the difference in vote percentage would not have happened. But the Congress did nothing. I do not know why the Congress supplied oxygen to the BJP.

She mentioned, I am saying all these now because I gave it a thought and I pursued it also. I do not know at whose advice they did not accept my proposal. As a result the Congress vote percentage now stands at around two per cent. It is shame for them because they were the opposition party there.In last couple of years in Northeast politics, BJP has come up from the far fringes and decisively bagged 5 states.

As his supporters beat drums and danced with joy, Prime Minister Modi tweeted that the people of India were reposing their faith in the positive and development-oriented agenda of his party. 'People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind,' he said. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday ended the 25-year uninterrupted rule of the Left Front government in Tripura, landed on the winning side in Nagaland and was looking to scramble a post-poll alliance in Meghalaya which threw up a hung Assembly, much to the consternation of the ruling Congress.

In the last couple of years in Northeast politics, the BJP has come up from the far fringes and decisively bagged five states  Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland. A few days of parley, or even hours given the BJPs alacrity to stitch together post-poll alliances, will make the fate of Meghalaya clearer. Mizoram is the only state among the seven sisters that is still out of the BJPs basket. Ruled by the Congress, Mizoram goes to polls later this year.

As his supporters beat drums and danced with joy, Prime Minister Modi tweeted that the people of India were reposing their faith in the positive and development-oriented agenda of his party. "People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind," he said.

Tripura:

The biggest upset was Tripura which has been ruled by the Left Front since 1993. Its chief minister Manik Sarkar, he with the lowest bank balance and a squeaky-clean image, has ruled the state from 1998.

The Red Fort crumbled under an aggressive attack by the BJP that pushed all its frontliners into the campaign battle, charging the Left of sustained corruption, inability to develop the state and disappointing its aspirational youth by failing to provide opportunities.

In alliance with the tribal party, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the BJP swept to power with 43 seats, and left the Left licking its wounds with 16. BJP has got majority on its own with 35 seats.

Also Read: Shunya to Shikhar: Modi thanks northeast for choosing BJP after poll win

It was a huge turnaround for the BJP, which had no MLAs in the 60-member House and had got only around 1.7 per cent votes in the Assembly elections in 2013.

The Congress, which over the years had played second fiddle in the state and has been in power twice, failed to open its account and its candidates forfeited their security deposits in majority of seats. The Congress had 10 seats in 2013.

Crediting the favourable results to the hard work of party workers of Tripura in the last three years, Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was one of the key architects of BJPs victory in Northeastern states, said that merger of Trinamool Congress' Tripura unit with the BJP was the most significant factor which consolidated the Opposition and anti-CPI(M) votes across the state.

The BJP contested Tripura on local issues and ignored its Hindutva plank in the campaign. This was more visible when the party brought into focus Maharaja Colonel Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarman Bahadur of the Manikya dynasty. The last reigning monarch of the princely state before it merged with the Indian Republic in 1949, Bir Bikram is credited with planning the kingdoms capital of Agartala, initiating land reforms, reserving vast tracts of land for Tripuras tribal population, building Agartalas first airport and setting up one of the countrys first municipalities and university.

The BJP strategists laid focus on the non-development of the frontier state where unemployment and non-compliance of pay commissions recommendation for state government employees became a major issue.

Also Read: Left fort demolished in Tripura, Biplab Deb likely to be next CM

Besides tapping into the youth, the BJP made aggressive best efforts to break the CPI(M)s stranglehold in 20 seats reserved for tribals, which possibly turned the tide in its favour. The BJP-led alliance has succeeded in winning all 20 tribal reserved seats.

Last elections, the BJP contested in 50 seats and forfeited deposits in 49. The CPI(M) had won 49 of the 55 seats it contested while the Congress managed to win 10 out of 48 seats it contested.

Though the CPI(M) was voted out of power, it succeeded in retaining 43 per cent vote share whereas BJP made significant jump in vote bank by securing 42.8 per cent votes. Its alliance partner IPFT, which polled 7.7 per cent votes

Nagaland:

In Nagaland, the BJP will form the next government with its new ally the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) as the combine is hovering around the half-way mark in the 60-seat Assembly.

Union Minister and BJP in-charge for the state Kiren Rijiju indicated today the party may also align with its erstwhile ally NPF which has come a close second today. Rijiju said, "The NPF has already passed a resolution on alliance with the BJP".

The Congress has drawn another blank here, with zero seats, down all 8 from last time.

Also Read: Victory shows northeast endorses Modi's leadership: Amit Shah

The BJP-NDPP combine and the NPF were tied 29 seats each till last results.

The BJP was part of the NPF-led government in Nagaland till the Assembly elections but parted ways to join hands with the newly-formed NDPP.

The Union Minister of state for home said the BJP's victory in Nagaland was a historic one as people have shown tremendous love and affection for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reposed full faith in his vision for Nagaland.

"The BJP has been working with the agenda of development and will continue to do so in Nagaland too," he said.

"It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence have prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves," Prime Minister Modi said. He thanked the people of Nagaland for supporting BJP and its allies.

"I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit," he said.

Meghalaya:

This state provided the Congress some consolation, which emerged as the single largest party but did not get the numbers to form government.

The Congress has ruled the state for the last 10 years, eight of them headed by party senior leader and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma. The Congress got 21, 10 short of a simple majority. As it became clear the state was headed for a hung Assembly, senior Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel rushed to Shillong. Inability to react on time cost the Congress two states last year as the BJP carted away the throne in record time.

The National Peoples Party, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma and now led by his son and lawmaker Conrad Sangma, is a partner of the BJP and a member of the NDA.

Also Read: NE poll results: BJP dethrones Manik 'Sarkar' in Tripura, gains in Nagaland

The BJP, which had won no seats in 2013, won two this time. Its other ally United Democratic Party won 6 seats. Eleven seats have been won by others and these MLAs will be soldiers of hard-nosed political negotiations in the coming days.

Prime Minister Modi said the welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for his government.

These impressive wins by the BJP is expected to boost the prospects of Narendra Modi when he seeks a second term next year.

The voting was a test for Rahul Gandhi, the 47-year-old Congress chief, who took over from his mother Sonia Gandhi in December.

The BJP currently governs 19 of India's 29 states, compared with five by the Congress party. Regional parties rule other states.Canadian MP Randeep S Sarai claimed that he has seen Atwal at public events, but does not have any other relation with him.

'Ive seen him around but I dont have anything beyond socially when we see him at media events or at public events. I dont have any other relationship with him,' the MP said.

New Delhi: Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) Randeep S Sarai asserted that he is not a 'scapegoat', and claimed that he 'did not invite' Pro-Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's reception dinner in New Delhi.

In an exclusive interview to Surrey Now-Leader, when asked if he is, figuratively, falling on a sword, Sarai said, "Look, I took full responsibility as soon as I found out that this had happened and I, you know, the name came from my office, I should have vetted them before I forwarded them, I should have looked a bit more diligently at it, I am a new, young Member of Parliament, a rookie you can say so obviously I am learning from my mistakes".

He claimed that he has seen Atwal at public events, but does not have any other relation with him.

"I didnt invite the person (Jaspal Atwal). Hes a media personality; hes associated with Media Waves, the radio, and hes there for, around everywhere. We did go on his radio pre-election, kind of during the writ period time, afterwards Ive been on it a couple of times, hes been around socially in the community here in Surrey for years now," Sarai said

"Ive seen him around but I dont have anything beyond socially when we see him at media events or at public events. I dont have any other relationship with him," the MP added.

Randeep Sarai also stated that he has no intention of stepping down from his job. He, however, took full responsibility of the fiasco.

"I was eleven years old and Im the oldest in my staff, everyone else in there is in their early twenties. We should have vetted better, we should have been more diligent but none of us, instead of doing that we were pretty preoccupied in organizing myself, for myself to go to the visit and I just forwarded the names that I received. I take full responsibility, Ive as you know stated that and I should have done better, I should have searched the names up and done my due diligence better," he said.

For the unversed, Atwal was invited to dine with Prime Minister Trudeau, during his visit to India in February, at a formal event hosted by Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel.

The invite was later rescinded.

Atwal was convicted of the attempted murder of Punjab minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1986.Meanwhile, the Government has revoked the passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

Mumbai: A special PMLA court in Mumbai on Saturday issued non-bailable warrants against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in connection with the PNB fraud case.

The Central bureau of Investigation (CBI) had directed Modi to mandatorily join the investigation from next week after he claimed that he could not join the probe as he had business commitments abroad.

The central investigating agency also asked the celebrity diamond merchant to contact the High Commission of the concerned country and said that the CBI will arrange for his travel.

Modi, Choksi and others are being investigated by multiple probe agencies after the fraud came to light recently following a complaint by the Punjab National Bank. The complaint alleged that they cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of Rs 11,400 crore, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

Nirav along with his wife Ami, brother Neeshal and Mehul Choksi left India in the first week of January before the Punjab National Bank accused them of committing the fraud. They have not returned to India since then.

Meanwhile, the Government has revoked the passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.Modi said election after election, people are reposing their faith in positive and development oriented agenda of NDA.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday thanked the people of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura where BJP has won in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BJP remains committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of people of Northeast. In his twitter, Modi said, "People of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have spoken! I thank the people of these states for supporting the good governance agenda and Act East Policy of BJP and our valued allies. We remain committed to working towards fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of the people."

Also Read: Manik Sarkar to Modi Sarkar: BJP 1, Left 0 in first direct face-off in India

The Prime Minister said, "Time and again, election after election, the people of India are reposing their faith in the positive and development oriented agenda of the NDA. People do not have the time or respect for negative, disruptive and disconnected politics of any kind."

BJP has won the Tripura election with a thumping maority. BJP has bagged 43 seats out of 60 seats in Tripura while Left has managed to win mere 16 seats.

The Prime Minister said his party will not leave any stone unturned in transforming Tripura. Modi said, "2018 Tripura election will be remembered as an epoch-making one! What my sisters and brothers of Tripura have done is extraordinary. No words will be enough to thank them for the phenomenal support towards @BJP4Tripura. We will leave no stone unturned in transforming Tripura."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BJP's win in Tripura is not an ordinary electoral victory. He said, "This journey from Shunya (zero) to Shikhar (top) has been made possible due to a solid development agenda and the strength of our organisation. I bow to every BJP Karyakarta (workers) for working assiduously on the ground for years."

The Prime Minister further said that the historic victory in Tripura is as much an ideological one. Modi said, "It is a win for democracy over brute force and intimidation. Today peace and non-violence has prevailed over fear. We will provide Tripura the good government that the state deserves."

The Prime Minister also expressed his gratitude to the people of Meghalaya for supporting the BJP. He said, "The welfare of Meghalaya is of utmost importance for us. I appreciate the BJP Karyakartas (workers) for their continued efforts in the state to serve the people."

Narendra Modi also thanked the voters of Nagaland for their supporting BJP and its "valued ally" Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). Modi said, "I assure my sisters and brothers of Nagaland that we will continue to work for the progress and prosperity of Nagaland. I applaud the tireless work of the local BJP unit."A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

'It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways....It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast,' Shah told a press conference. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

New Delhi: Celebrating BJP's win in the Northeast, BJP president Amit Shah took a swipe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who flew to Italy to be with his grandmother on the Holi weekend. "Italy mein chunao bhi toh hai (Italy is holding elections too)," he mocked at Rahul at the press conference.

As the gathering of reporters burst into laughter, the BJP chief chuckled, "I got a WhatsApp message that there are elections in Italy. I don't know..."

Rahul Gandhi, who took the baton of Congress party from his mother Sonia in December 2017, declared on Twitter on Thursday that he was off to Italy to visit his 93-year-old grandmother. The announcement meant that the party chief would not be in the country for the results of the elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland - the second big day of counting since his elevation.

Rahul became the Congress president just two days ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections in December last year.

"My Nani is 93. She's the kindest soul ever. This Holi weekend I'm going to surprise her! I can't wait to give her a hug....," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet before setting off for Italy.

Also Read: Modi's policies, Amit Shah's strategies led to NE win: Adityanath

BJP chief Amit Shah said that the Congress has been rejected in all the three Northeastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland. He said it is the BJP that is doing the celebrating today, after demolishing the Manik Sarkar-led CPM government in Tripura and pulling ahead in Nagaland with its new ally. It is also in with a chance in Meghalaya.

Amit Shah further said BJPs victories in the Left's citadel Tripura and Nagaland were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership by the people of the Northeast.

A jubilant Shah said the BJP's golden era would be when its wrests West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties.

"It is a day of joy for me and crores of BJP workers. The victory of the BJP is important in many ways....It is an endorsement of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the people of the Northeast," he told a press conference.

Amit Shah ruled out the possibility of the BJP, whose NDA partner National People's Party has won 19 seats, engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. The two NDA allies had, however, contested the elections separately. BJP has won two seats in the state where the Congress has won 19 seats so far and was ahead in two.

"Where is the question of 'tod-phod' (horse-trading). The Congress does not have a majority there," he said.The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Vietnam President Tran Dai Quang with his wife Lady Nguyen Thi Hien during a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang on Saturday received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

He was received by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon his arrival.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to Twitter and said, "And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome @RashtrapatiBhvn in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM @narendramodi."

And this is how we welcome our esteemed guest! Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang was accorded a ceremonial welcome @RashtrapatiBhvn in the presence of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind and PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/QKpc9pHELd  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) March 3, 2018

Vietnamese President, who is on a three-day visit to India, arrived in Delhi on late Friday evening.

He aims to strengthen their partnership to ward off China's growing influence and will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Quang is also expected to interact with prominent Indian businessmen.

The Vietnamese President is leading an 18-member delegation, including ministers, party leaders, and businessmen.

On a related note, Prime Minister Modi had visited Vietnam in 2016, a year before the two countries celebrated 45 years of honouring diplomatic ties.

During this visit, the two countries signed 12 agreements in a wide range of areas covering IT, space, double taxation and sharing white shipping information.

India had also extended a USD 500 million Line of Credit to Vietnam for facilitating deeper defence cooperation between the two sides.The Tejas is a supersonic, lightweight, all-weather, multi-role fighter designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea combat roles.

New Delhi: Scotching recent media reports that the government has shelved the plan to acquire the homemade Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) fighter, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said during an informal interaction on Saturday that the Tejas plan is on and the government has not ditched it.

We are not ditching it, not shutting it down. On the contrary, we are looking at an upgraded and strengthened version of the Tejas. The IAF will have a combination of single engine fighters and Indias Tejas will hold importance. I reject the idea that Tejas has been ignored by us. We want Tejass Mk-II version, the minister said, adding that the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which makes the Tejas, has been asked to produce more aircraft at a faster rate. We want them to produce much more. We have to increase production from the 6-8 that we make a year.

The Tejas is a supersonic, lightweight, all-weather, multi-role fighter designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea combat roles. It is expected to plug a vital gap in IAFs might that is suffering from a critical shortage of fighter squadrons. The government had already ordered for 83 HAL-made Tejas fighters.

At present, about 70 per cent of the LCA components are manufactured in India.

It is meant for the Navy as well, the minister said. More than a year back, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had slammed the aircraft. The LCA Navy in its present form does not meet the naval qualitative requirements to be a carrier-based aircraft... It doesnt meet the weight and thrust ratio requirement to be able to take off with full weapon load, he had said.

Talking about the export potential of the aircraft, Ms Sitharaman said that many countries have evinced interest on it. We are talking to HAL and finding out if we can outsource some of the work to domestic producers and also if we can export it to others.

On the Rafale aircraft deal that has snowballed into a controversy on grounds of alleged corruption, the minister dismissed the possibility of the Rafale deal going the Bofors way.

Do not even compare it (Rafale deal) with Bofors. There is no scam here, she said, adding that she will only welcome it if the Congress raises the issue during the Budget Session of Parliament that reconvenes from Monday.

In the late 80s, a deal for Swedish Bofors artillery guns had severely impacted the political fortunes of the then ruling Congress.

Asked if the government was thinking of reviewing the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in operation in Jammu and Kashmir and certain areas of the Northeast, the defence minister said: At this stage, there is no rethinking on AFSPA in J&K and the Northeast.

The controversial AFSPA enables security forces to shoot at sight and arrest anybody without a warrant in disturbed areas of the Northeast and J&K. For quite sometime, there has been a demand from various quarters, including civic society organisations, to withdraw the law or at least dilute it.Modi said the BJPs impressive performance in Tripura was the peoples answer to fear, lies and confusion being spread against his government.

New Delhi: As the BJP demolished the last bastion of the Left in Tripura, looked like it would comfortably form the government in Nagaland with allies and had performed impressively well in Meghalaya, the saffron leadership said that the mandate reflected how the party will perform in forthcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka and the crucial battle for Lok Sabha in 2019.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi compared the dawn of BJP rule in Tripura with the rising sun which is saffron in colour, and the outgoing CPI(M) government with sunset whose colour is red, BJP president Amit Shah asserted that Tripuras results have proven that the Left is not right for any part of the country.

Addressing party workers at the BJPs newly constructed headquarters after the announcement of poll results in the three states, Mr Modi, thanking the people of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, said, I have always said that the love and blessings of the people showered on me will be returned with interest, the interest is development.

Both Mr Modi and Mr Shah said the poll results were a tribute to the partys workers, many of whom have been victims of the Lefts political violence.

Mr Modi said the BJPs impressive performance in Tripura was the peoples answer to fear, lies and confusion being spread against his government.

In comments laced with sarcasm, Mr Modi targeted the Congress, saying it was never so diminished as a party as it is now, and took an apparent dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying some people grow in designation but shrink in stature. In contrast, he said, BJP chief Amit Shah rose by leading the party to victories in many states.

In Tripura, speculation is rife that the partys state unit chief Biplab Deb could be the chief ministers of the BJPs first government in this northeastern state. Mr Shah, sources said, is likely to visit RSS headquarters in Nagpur on Sunday to meet its supremo Mohan Bhagwat. The RSS crucial meeting, Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, is scheduled for next week.

In Tripura, the BJP got a majority on its own and won over two-third seats with its ally, Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT). In Nagaland it is in a position to form the government where two biggest regional parties see it as an ally. In Meghalaya, which has thrown up a hung Assembly, the BJP is hopeful of forming a government by cobbling together an alliance.

Mr Shah said that the BJP will share power with its ally, IPFT, which represents the states tribal region, despite getting a majority on its own.

Hailing Modi governments Act East policy and thanking the partys cadres for their hard work in the three states whose polling results were declared on Saturday, Mr Shah predicted that the BJP will wrest power from the Congress in Karnataka and asserted that for all those who used to claim that the BJP is not pan-India, the party has finally become an Akhil Bhartiya party.

Mr Shah said that the BJP and its allies now rule 21 states and said that the party will attain its golden period when it forms governments in Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha.

Hailing Mr Shah as the architect of poll victories, Mr Modi said though the festival of Holi saw many colours on Friday, on Saturday saffron was the predominant colour.

During his speech, the Prime Minister paused for a while when azaan rang out from a nearby mosque. The crowd chanted Bharat Mata Ki Jai when the prayer stopped, with the PM joining them before resuming his speech.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, Mr Shah dismissed the Lefts claim that the BJP had used money power in Tripura polls and said that this allegation was being hurled because the Opposition can no longer blame electronic voting machines due to use of voter-verified paper audit trail system. He announced that the party will celebrate Vijay Utsav across the country on Sunday.

Rejecting the Congress charge that the BJP will resort to horse-trading in Meghalaya, Mr Shah said the verdict is against the Mukul Sangma government and took a swipe at the Congress for sending its two central leaders to the state. Mr Shah also took a dig at Mr Gandhi, who is in Italy. He quipped that Italy is holding elections too and added that he had received a message about it on WhatsApp.

Noting that the BJP and its ally had won all 20 seas reserved for tribals in Tripura, Mr Shah recalled how his party had got only 1.3 per cent votes in 2013 Assembly polls, and had lost its deposit in all but one seat. However, this time party got nearly 43 per cent votes while its ally got close to 8 per cent.

Hailing the BJPs performance from shunya (zero) to shikhar (zenith), Mr Modi said that during his recent visit to Puducherry he told the Congress chief minister, V. Narayanasamy, that the Congress leader will soon become a specimen as his party will be in power only in his state by June after losing Karnataka, which goes to polls in April-May.

Congress popularity was never on a decline as it is today, Mr Modi said and added that BJP workers must be alert that they do not allow Congress culture in the party.

Referring to Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh, Mr Modi said neither he nor they (Congress) consider the other their own. He is a swatantra fauji (independent soldier), said the PM about the Punjab CM.

Later, the BJPs parliamentary board felicitated the PM. The board also decided to send Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Jual Oram as party observers to Tripura, Union minister J.P. Nadda and general secretary Arun Singh to Nagaland and Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and K.J. Alphons go to Meghalaya to elect the leader of the legislature party.A man wearing a helmet to conceal his face was recorded on security cameras as he shot her in the chest.

Bengaluru: A special police team probing journalist Gauri Lankeshs murder took a man into custody for questioning on Friday, nearly a fortnight after his arrest on a charge of possessing a pistol and live bullets here.

KT Naveen Kumar, reported to be in his late thirties, was caught by the organised crime wing of the state polices central crime branch on February 18.

A native of Mandya district about 100 km from Bengaluru, Naveen Kumar was suspected to be on his way to sell the firearm.

Senior police officer MN Anucheth said the Special Investigation Team had taken Naveen Kumar into custody for interrogation on Friday. He, however, declined to give any more details. Reports in local media have described Naveen Kumar as someone with links to extreme right-wing groups.

Gauri Lankesh, 55, a critic of right-wing ideology and a fierce advocate of secularism, was shot dead at close range by unidentified men outside her home in Bengaluru on the night of September 5 last year. She edited Lankesh Patrike, a weekly newspaper.

The probe team was set up by the Karnataka government after the police was sharply criticised for failing to make any progress in the murder of the senior journalist shot dead outside her Bengaluru house.

A man wearing a helmet to conceal his face was recorded on security cameras as he shot her in the chest.Experts say ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized people.

Witnessing and hearing stories about racism can impact your health. The feelings evoked can make you ill if not processed.

The recent news of Tina Fontaines trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal systems commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance.

This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized people.

Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girls wrists and ankles; a childrens aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language.

The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives.

Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health.

As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health.

My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism  in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports.

Violence is a continuum

Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous populations health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities.

The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes  one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis.

We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racisms effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the US are more illustrative.

In one US study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against a lot. This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against a lot had higher declines in kidney function.

In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in US Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans.

Biases in research

These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the US, the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce scientific data to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide statistically significant evidence on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally.

In Black communities no one is immune from racism  from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed.

The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence.

For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Quebec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Quebec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour.

Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched.

The realness of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the disadvantaged, the poor, the lazy and the needy. Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success.

When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements.

Health impacts

Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues.

The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and unexplained drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions.

The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities.

Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the helper and the helped, resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health.

The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured.

As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results.

The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of super resiliency instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation.

The burden on Black and colonized folks bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing.

Possibilities for change

Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action.

The directorates effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples.

Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities  to support communities impacted by these same injustices.

What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children?

What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white?

What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities?

What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities?

The article written by Roberta K. Timothy, Assistant Lecturer Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University, Canada originally appeared in The Conversation.Its likely that many women on active duty didnt realize they were pregnant or receive prenatal care early in their pregnancies.

The rate of preterm births was twice as high in the small group of soldiers who had recently returned from deployment when they delivered. (Photo: Pixabay)

Military women who give birth within six months of returning from deployment are twice as likely to have premature babies compared to other soldiers, a US study suggests.

Researchers examined data on 12,877 births to US soldiers from 2011 to 2014 and found that, overall, 6.1 percent of these deliveries were premature. But for mothers who had returned from deployment within the past six months, 11.7 percent of deliveries were premature, versus just 5.9 percent of births to mothers who had completed their deployments more than six months earlier.

Active duty soldiers, including those in this study, tend to be a group of younger, fit, adults - a population that is generally free of the health issues and chronic diseases that might lead to complicated pregnancies and premature onset of labour, said lead study author Dr. Jonathan Shaw of Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

It is therefore striking that the rate of preterm births was twice as high in the small group of soldiers who had only recently returned from deployment when they delivered, Shaw said by email.

Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37 weeks are considered full term. Approximately one in 10 babies born in the US are premature, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the weeks immediately after birth, preemies often have difficulty breathing and digesting food. They can also encounter longer-term challenges such as impaired vision, hearing and cognitive skills, as well as social and behavioural problems.

At a time when more women are serving in the military and combat roles for them are expanding, little research to date has looked at the effects of service on reproductive health, the study authors note in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

While the current study didnt examine what caused the preterm births, its possible that stressors such as inadequate or disrupted sleep, psychological stress, trauma or grief during pregnancy might play a role, Shaw said.

One can reasonably imagine several such stressors may be at play when service women transition geographically, physically and emotionally from deployed life back to the US, Shaw said.

Deployment on its own didnt appear to make a big difference in the chances of a preterm delivery when women delivered more than six months after they returned, the study found.

But compared to women who never deployed, mothers who did and who also had babies within six months of returning were 64 percent more likely to have preemies and the risk rose with multiple deployments.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) didnt appear to influence whether women had a preterm delivery, the study also found.

One limitation of the study is that researchers lacked medical records for the babies and lacked information on how many weeks premature the infants were and what medical issues might have contributed to their early birth, the authors note.

Even so, the results highlight the importance of reproductive healthcare access for military women, said Dr. Daniel Grossman, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco who wasnt involved in the study.

The study findings add yet another reason why it is critical that service women be given reproductive health counseling and access to the full range of contraceptive options to help them prevent unplanned pregnancies, Grossman said by email.

Women cant deploy if they know theyre pregnant or stay in the theater of operation when they become pregnant, and some women may choose to hide their condition to avoid being reassigned, noted Karen Weis, a retired US Air Force colonel and researcher at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.

Its likely that many women on active duty didnt immediately realize they were pregnant or receive adequate prenatal care early in their pregnancies, Weis, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. Younger women in the military, like other young women, are also less likely to use contraceptives consistently or effectively, increasing their risk of unplanned pregnancies.

In other words, the issues go far beyond deployment, Weis said by email. The military is made up of young individuals that come from the larger US population, and the issues impacting the US as a whole affect the military.The gang used to look for minors at busy places like railway and bus stations in Delhi-NCR, pick them up and sell them to buyers.

Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang trafficking minor girls with the arrest of four persons and rescued three underage girls. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a gang trafficking minor girls with the arrest of four persons and rescued three underage girls.

A 14-year-old girl had been reported missing on Friday from Geeta Colony area in Shahdara.

Efforts were on to locate the girl after registering a case, said Nupur Prasad, DCP(Shahdara).

Acting on human and technical intelligence, police managed to rescue the girl from Palla village in Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh within 24 hours, she said.

The girl was produced before a child welfare committee and her statement was recorded.

It was found that she was sold for Rs 4 lakh to 32-year-old Neeraj.

In the case registered earlier, other relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO Act were added, she said.

Neeraj was arrested and grilled by police.

He disclosed that the girl was sold to him by Anuj and his wife.

Both were arrested along with another accused Babloo, she said.

Two other minor girls were rescued from the house of Anuj.

A separate case was registered in this connection.The police booked 4,634 two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets while 1,164 were fined for triple-riding on motorcycles and scooters.

Out of 1,918 cases of drunken driving, 608 cases were from the southern part of the capital, a senior police official said on Friday. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

New Delhi: Over 9,300 people were booked for different traffic violations, including over 1,900 for drunken driving, across Delhi on the occasion of Holi.

Out of 1,918 cases of drunken driving, 608 cases were from the southern part of the capital, a senior police official said on Friday.

The police also booked 4,634 two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets while 1,164 were challaned for triple-riding on motorcycles and scooters, he added.

A total of 1,589 people were booked for other violations, the police said.

The Delhi Police had on Thursday made elaborate arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during Holi celebrations and deployed a huge number of personnel to maintain law and order, and prevent violation of traffic rules in the city.

Traffic police teams with interceptors and PCR, and local police officials were stationed at strategic intersections all over Delhi to check drunken driving, over-speeding and other violations, officials added.The boat bearing registration number IMUL-A-0507-CHW had left Sri Lanka on February 14 with a five-member crew for fishing.

Mumbai: Coast Guards western command launched a rescue mission and saved an injured Sri Lankan fisherman near Suheli Par Island, in Lakshadweep on Tuesday. A request from Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre, Colombo was received at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Mumbai for assistance of an injured fisherman onboard Sri Lankan fishing vessel which was fishing at 100 Nautical Mile west of the island.

The boat bearing registration number IMUL-A-0507-CHW had left Sri Lanka on February 14 with a five-member crew for fishing. One of the crew members, Malwatta Pathirannehalage Sunil Shantha, 47, had suffered a deep cut injury.

The distress call was received on Tuesday at about 10 am from the director general operations of Sri Lanka Navy intimating that the condition of the injured fisherman was not stable and the fishing boat was 98 nautical miles from Chenyakara lighthouse. ICGS Samar located the Sri Lankan fishing vessel at around 9 pm on March 1 and the medical team onboard Coast Guard ship administered necessary first aid to the injured fisherman Shantha. The injury was an 8 centimetre long and 1.5 centimetre deep cut on the back of the head, said Avinandan Mitra, Coastguards PRO.

Considering the critically of the injured fisherman, he was taken onboard ICGS Samar and after administering local anaesthesia, a surgery was conducted to stitch his scalp by the Medical Officer.

ICGS Samar along with the patient later left for Kochi for further treatment. The ship is likely to reach Kochi by on Saturday. MRCC, Colombo was informed to take further necessary administrative arrangements.The CM has asked L&T to accelerate the project which will be beneficial for the BJP in terms of upcoming elections.

The CM has asked L&T to accelerate the project which will be beneficial for the BJP in terms of upcoming elections.

Mumbai: The proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea has got the state governments nod. In view of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections scheduled next year, work on the memorial is likely to begin in June 2018, said sources. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis is said to be keen on completing the reclamation work for the memorial before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, they said.

PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah had recently conducted a meeting of CMs and deputy CMs of BJP-ruled states in New Delhi, where election strategy was discussed.

PM Modi reviewed the progress of union government and state government schemes and asked all CMs to accelerate projects important for the BJP.

With the Shiv Sena having declared going solo in the elections, the BJP will have to fight the party. Considering the elections, the Shivaji Maharaj Memorial is important and the CM has given top priority to the project, said sources.

The CM said, The government has got all sanctions for the project and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) company has got the contract to erect the Shivaji Maharaj Memorial, where the tallest statue in the world will be installed. The company should start work before June and complete it as fast as possible.

The government had invited tenders last year and L&T was the lowest bidder. But the company had quoted a price that was very high when compared to the governments expectations. Hence, the issue was pending for a long time. Now, after negotiations, the company is ready to complete the work for Rs 2,500 crore, said sources.

If reclamation work is completed within a few months, the BJP can take political credit and have something to show before the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

The CM has asked L&T to accelerate the project which will be beneficial for the BJP in terms of upcoming elections.On Saturday however, Mr Sawant raised doubts over the chief ministers offices explanation.

Mumbai: The Congress has demanded the resignation of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for endangering the services of the municipal commissioner and Mumbai commissioner by asking them to participate in the River Anthem video by NGO, River March. Opposing the participation of these officers, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant cited the Maharashtra Civil Services Act 1979 and the All India Civil Services Act 1967.

Mr Sawant alleged that the music company, T-Series, has professional relations with the CMs family members as the companys logo can be seen throughout the video.

The CM participated in the River Anthem video of River March, where his wife Amruta Fadnavis can be seen singing in the video; and BMC chief Ajoy Mehta and Mumbai CP Datta Padsalgikar can also be seen participating. The Congress has raised questions over the participation of these officers and the CM in the video. On his part, the CM has clarified saying that there is no commercial intention and that participation has only been for the good cause of cleaning of rivers.

On Saturday however, Mr Sawant raised doubts over the chief ministers offices explanation.

According to the press-note of the CMO, the officers participated on their own. But the Mumbai CP could be seen in uniform in the video. How is it possible for officers to wear their uniforms when participating in such activities! Also, both are serving officers under the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS). Therefore, it is violation of article 13 (1) (F) of the All India Civil Services Act of 1968.

There should be strict action against them according to the rules and the CM should take moral responsibility for this and resign from his post, demanded Mr Sawant.ED counsel Hiten Venegaonkar on Thursday argued before the court that three summons had been issued to Modi.

Mumbai: The Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Saturday issued a non- bailable warrant (NBW) against diamantaire Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, owner of the Gitanjali Group, in the Rs 12,700 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.

Both have been decl-ared absconders since the case was registered in February.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had moved an NBW against them in court.

The Special PMLA judge M. S. Azmi also allowed the EDs application seeking LRs to seven countries  Malaysia, Armenia, France, China, Japan, Russia and Belgium  in connection with the case.

ED counsel Hiten Venegaonkar on Thursday argued before the court that three summons had been issued to Modi.

But in all three replies, Modi had sought pardon from making a personal appearance before the investigating officer and asked the ED to ask him questions via e-mail, which according to the agency unacceptable.

Venegaonkar also told the court, This court has powers to issue NBW, as it has done in the past in the cases of Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya. Meanwhile, the CBI court on Saturday granted the CBI plea seeking arrest of Gokulnath Shetty, then deputy manager (now retired) of PNB in connection with the issuance of a fraudulent Letter of Undertaking (LoU) to Choksi-owned firms to the tune of Rs 6138 crores.

The five accused  Manoj Kharat (single window operator), Hemant Bhat, (authorised signatory for Nirav Modi), Bachhu Tiwari (chief manager incharge of forex and Shettys supervisor), Yashwant Joshi, (manager, forex) and Praful Sawant, PNB official, whose job was to check swift daily have been sent to 14 days judicial custody.

In its remand copy, the ED stated that, It was informed by the PNB in writing that there are more than 150 LoUs amounting to Rs 6498 crore, which are falling due with effect from January to April and all these were issued in 2017 by Shetty. The amount is likely to go higher also. It said that Shetty admitted that the set of bills of earlier LoUs of Modi firms were returned to the parties once payment of LoUs was settled.

"The messages were put up to Shetty by Kharat and thereafter they were putting it to Tiwari. However, since they were hand in glove, no action was taken to enter these LOUs in the CBS system of the Branch, the agency said in its remand.In Nagaland, the BJP is heading towards a coalition government with the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Peoples Party (NDPP).

The Bharatiya Janata Party is displaying the proverbial fire in the belly, keen to fight every battle and win them too. The appetite for victory seems to have paid off, with the party posting a handsome victory in Tripura, dethroning the 20-year-old CPI(M) government headed by Manik Sarkar. In Nagaland, the BJP is heading towards a coalition government with the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Peoples Party (NDPP). In Meghalaya, the BJP has become a power to reckon with due to its impressive showing along with the local allies, though the Congress remains the single largest party. It is natural that the BJP leaders crow about their performance in the gains made in the three states, and those away from the ground in these places are likely to read the victories of the BJP as the triumph of Hindutva and saffronisation. But it would be a blunder to describe the BJPs success in these states as the spread of the saffron footprint in Indias Northeast. The truth is that it is not Hindutva  read Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the rest of the ideological family  but the BJP, the political outfit that happens to be in power at the Centre, which has made these inroads in the region.

The BJP has two faces. Hindutva is one and the other is that of a party in power at the Centre, which is nationalist but not Hindu nationalist. The party has refrained from using the Hindutva card openly in Tripura, but it may use it to entrench itself in the state. The RSS had been working there for years, and it is to be remembered that the Congress had flirted with the RSS while opposing the Communists. The BJP has no option to present a different face in Nagaland and Meghalaya, where the majority is Christian. The only way to win over the people in these two states is to play the pluralist India card, where these two Christian-majority states can remain safe and distinct. The inveterate critics and ideological opponents of the BJP will have to read the fine print, as it were, in the election results in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

There is also not much of a contradiction in the BJPs position. It can propound the majoritarian and intolerant Hindutva in the Hindi heartland, and even in places like Assam and Tripura in the Northeast, but it will have to acknowledge the non-Hindu and strictly tribal composition of the population in the other two states. The general unstated doctrine of the party would be that as long as large parts of India remain Hindu politically and culturally, the presence of Christian-majority states in the Northeast do not pose any threat to the idea of Hindu India, which goes by the unconvincing label of cultural nationalism. It would be foolish to expect the BJP to become a broadbased national party which accepts religious and cultural diversity like the Congress does, though it should be noted that the Congress pluralism is partly cynical and opportunist and partly ideological. So the cries of despair which are likely to rise from the metropolitan centres of the country saying that India is now totally saffron should be swiftly discounted.

There is also the need to deconstruct the myth of the BJP as a juggernaut which has been riding triumphant across the country. All the victories in the state Assembly elections after 2014, with the party being run as a duopoly of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, is really a case of anti-incumbency. In Maharashtra, it was a Congress that was in power for three terms that was defeated. In Assam, as well as in Haryana, the Congress was in power for a decade. People look for alternatives in a democracy. The BJP was able to offer a stable alternative, and people took it. It should not come as a surprise then that the 20-year-old CPI(M) government in Tripura had to go because the BJP offered an alternative. It can well be asked why the Congress could not grab the same opportunity. The Congress played the soft Hindutva card over the years in Tripura, and it could not succeed. The victory of the BJP in Tripura is partly an ideological victory for Hindutva.

The defeat of the CPI(M) in Tripura should not be interpreted as the death of the Left in the state. But the climb back is not going to be very easy. It was bad for the party, and it is so for any political organisation, that it was in power for such a long time. Power isolates political parties. It seems that honesty and absence of corruption will not satisfy the people. People want development, and that seemed to have been absent. There could be many reasons for this, and it is not the failing of the CPI(M) alone. The fact that parties in power at the Centre have always discriminated against state governments under other parties has been a major factor as well. It can safely be said that the defeat of Manik Sarkars government is not a sign of failure as much as the people of Tripura saying with due respect that they want change.

Can the Left stage a political comeback if it has lost two of its traditional bases  West Bengal and Tripura? As a matter of fact, this should force the Communists to expand their base rather than be complacent with their strongholds in these two states.

The BJP, on the other hand, is reaching its limits of expansion. It cannot hope to maintain its winning streak for too long and it cannot hope to keep what it has won without being challenged. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh under the BJP and West Bengal under the Left Front till 2010 are aberrations. Change is the natural dynamic of democracy.The ordinance is, both, a blot in and a blot on the Constitution.

Absolute monarchs wield legislative and executive power. Democracies do not and cannot. It is amazing that the framers of Indias Constitution blindly endowed the governments at the Centre and in states with the power to legislate, albeit in emergent circumstances for a limited period and subject to ratification by the legislature. The conditions were soon overlooked. Ordinance raj came to stay.

The excuse was that a huge country needed this power in case of emergency. But Britains Parliament gave no such legislative power to the Canadian government when it enacted the British North America Act, 1867, nor did the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, 1900. Why was India singled out? The clue lies in Indias constitutional history.

Under the Government of India Act, 1858, enacted after the 1857 uprising, legislative and executive power was vested in the governor-general assisted by an executive council. A grain of popular element was introduced by the Indian Councils Act, 1861. A legislative council presided over by the governor-general made laws. It was a unitary system. The Government of India Act, 1919, retained the unitary system but allowed the governor-general to make ordinances in cases of emergency for six months. They would have the same force as an act of the central legislature. The condition was in case of emergency.

This was different from the governor-generals power to certify a bill, which the legislature refuses to pass, as one essential in the interests of the country. It had to be approved by the British Crown. In the case of an emergency, the governor-general passes the ordinance immediately subject to Londons power to disallow it rather than wait till the central legislative Assembly expresses its refusal  a cumbrous situation. Governors-general used this power to promulgate ordinances even while the Assembly was in session.

The Government of India Act, 1935, conferred responsible government in the provinces; but the federal part never came into force. It split the ordinance where the governor-general had to act on the advice of ministers  this part never came into force  and when he acts without the advice of ministers. Additionally, he had the power to enact a governor-generals act. Governors in the provinces also got the power to promulgate ordinances.

The framers of the Constitution adopted the ordinance mindlessly with its colonial baggage. It was a tool forged in London to help override whatever limited powers the central Assembly chose to exercise, if it affected British interests. The ordinance mechanism was devised in 1919 because the central Assembly was set up. This continued till Independence, in a modified form after the Act of 1935.

The ordinance continues to this day. Article 123 of the Constitution empowering the President to promulgate ordinances, stipulates: If at any time, except when both Houses of Parliament are in session, the President is satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary for him to take immediate action he may promulgate such ordinances as the circumstances appear to him to require. Recess of Parliament is one condition. The other is the honest belief on the governments part that circumstances had arisen after Parliament went into recess, which render it necessary for him to take immediate action.

In 1969, Justice J.C. Shah noted in the Supreme Court that exercise of the power is strictly conditional and pointedly remarked: Determination by the President of the existence of circumstances and the necessity to take immediate action on which the satisfaction depends, is not declared final. In 1980, the court said, That power was to be used to meet extraordinary situations and not perverted to serve political ends.

The only abuse the Supreme Court nullified was re-promulgation. That the government should even contemplate an ordinance to legislate the triple talaq ban reveals a lot.

Ordinances are open to judicial review, but on limited grounds. The Supreme Court ruled that the test is whether the satisfaction is based on some relevant material. The court... will not determine the sufficiency or adequacy of the material. This is wrong.

The court ought to have ruled that circumstances which could not possibly justify the conclusion that immediate action was necessary render the ordinance unconstitutional. It did not. Seventy years after Independence, India remains chained to the doctrine of subjective satisfaction which Britain, where it originated, discarded long ago.

The ordinance is, both, a blot in and a blot on the Constitution. No court can erase it. But the Supreme Court can insist on proof of the existence of circumstances which render immediate action necessary; not merely desirable or convenient.

By arrangement with DawnThe European Commission has called Trump's plan a blatant intervention amounting to protectionism.

The European Union is considering applying 25 percent tariffs on USD 3.5 billion of goods - a third steel, a third industrial goods and a third agricultural - to "rebalance" bilateral trade, EU sources said. (Photo: Representational | File)

Brussels: Europe has drawn up a list of US products from bourbon to Harley Davidson motorbikes on which to apply tariffs if US President Donald Trump follows through on a plan to impose global duties on aluminium and steel.

The European Union is considering applying 25 percent tariffs on USD 3.5 billion of goods - a third steel, a third industrial goods and a third agricultural - to "rebalance" bilateral trade, EU sources said.

"We will put tariffs on Harley-Davidson, on bourbon and on blue jeans - Levis," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told German television.

"We are here and they will get to know us. We would like a reasonable relationship to the United States, but we cannot simply put our head in the sand."

Trump said on Thursday the United States would apply duties of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminium to protect domestic producers.

Read also: 'No exclusions' for countries from Trump tariffs: US official

The European Commission has called Trump's plan a blatant intervention amounting to protectionism.

The European Commission has said any counter-measures would conform to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Trump tweeted on Friday that trade wars are good and "easy to win".

Brussels will join other countries in challenging the measures at the WTO and says it will also look into safeguards.

Safeguard measures, last deployed in 2002 in response to steel import duties set by then US President George W. Bush, would be designed to guard against a flood of imports resulting from the US tariffs set to be formally announced next week.

However, they would have to apply to selected steel grades from all countries and so would hit producers from China, India, Russia, South Korea or Turkey.

US steel makes up less than 1 percent of EU steel imports.

The EU sees itself as a global counterweight to a protectionism-inclined Trump, sealing a trade deal with Japan, which had been part of a planned trans-Pacific trade alliance Trump withdrew from on his first day in office.

Full-scale retaliation would go against its long-standing message that global trade should be free - as well as fair.

Clemens Fuest, the president of Germany's Ifo economic institute, told the Bayerischer Rundfunk broadcaster "a clear answer, but a limited one" was required in response.

Data from European steel association Eurofer shows the United States was the destination of about 15 percent of Europe's steel exports in 2017.

The 3.4 million tonnes crossing the Atlantic is about 2 percent of EU steel production. Including tubes, the figure is 5 million tonnes, which Eurofer said could be cut in half by the US measures.

Arcelor Mittal, the world's biggest steelmaker with sizeable European and US operations, said it was assessing the likely impact, while adding governments were right to take a tough approach to unfair trade.

Turkey's steel exporters association said it did not expect a major impact. Its exports make up more than 5 percent of US steel imports.

Analysts from Jefferies said the actual measures announced next week could be more nuanced than an across-the-board 25 percent tariff for steel, which it said was politically unfeasible and viewed as a direct tax on U.S. consumers.

Europe, they said, was likely to respond quickly with safeguard measures.

BSC analysts said the short-term impact for Russian steel stocks should be limited and said the measures were a "zero issue" for aluminium producer Rusal.

The Thomson Reuters European steel equities index fell 1.7 percent on Friday, while London Metal Exchange aluminium prices were trading flat at around USD 2,150 a tonne.

Commerzbank said that even if the United States achieved its goal of reducing imports by implementing steep trade tariffs, the impact should be limited.

"The planned reduction in US imports accounts for only just shy of 3 percent of global imports in the case of aluminium. The equivalent figure for steel is only roughly 1.5 percent," said the bank.The Crimea crisis has given NATO a new sense of purpose, but alliance insists its new deterrents in the Baltics and Poland are defensive.

'Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counterproductive,' NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement. (Photo: AFP)

Brussels: President Vladimir Putin's warnings to NATO allies are "unacceptable" and do not help efforts to calm tensions, the alliance said on Friday, a day after the Russian leader announced an array of new nuclear weapons.

Already angry at NATO's expansion eastwards into its old Soviet sphere of influence, Putin said in a speech on Thursday that any attack on Moscow's allies would be regarded as an attack on Russia itself and draw an immediate response.

While it was unclear which ally Putin had in mind, the US-led NATO said the speech, one of the Russian leader's most bellicose in years, did not help calm tensions that have surged since Russia seized Ukraine's Crimea four years ago.

"Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counterproductive," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement.

The Crimea crisis has given NATO a new sense of purpose, but the alliance insists its new deterrents in the Baltics and Poland are defensive.

"We do not want a new Cold War or a new arms race," Lungescu said. "All allies support arms control agreements which build trust and confidence, for everyone's benefit."

One particular sore point for Moscow is NATO's US-built missile defence umbrella across Spain, Poland and Romania, which the alliance says is designed to shoot down Iranian rockets.

Putin, speaking ahead of an election on March 18 that polls indicate he should win easily, said in his speech that new Russian technology would render such defences "ineffective".

But NATO said it was Russia that has a "continued military build-up from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean."

"As we have repeatedly made clear, the alliance's missile defence is neither designed nor directed against Russia. Our system defends against ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area," Lungescu said, in reference to the Middle East and further a field.

The NATO-Russia Council, which was briefly broken off in June 2014 after the Crimea crisis, is the forum in which Russian and NATO diplomats seek to air their grievances, although the West and Moscow remain at odds over eastern Ukraine.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in separatist fighting that NATO accuses Moscow of directly backing.

"NATO is pursuing a twin-track approach to Russia: strong deterrence and defence, combined with meaningful dialogue. We are committed to delivering on both tracks," Lungescu said.Putin showed tests of a new missile complex of a type that he said is not owned by any other country.

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin boasted Russia has developed a new generation of hypersonic missiles in his state-of-the nation address on Thursday, warning global powers they must now reckon with Moscow's military might.

The strongman, who is standing for a fourth Kremlin term in March, displayed a series of hi-tech video montages of weaponry manoeuvring across mountains and oceans, even heading over the Atlantic.

The president quoted a speech he gave back in 2004 saying that Russia would develop a new generation of weaponry, a promise that he said has now been fulfilled. No one really wanted to talk to us basically. No one listened to us then. Listen to us now, Mr Putin said, prompting a standing ovation from the audience of top officials including defence minister Sergei Shoigu and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

Mr Putin showed tests of a new missile complex of a type that he said is not owned by any other country. The hypersonic missile system can fly at 20 times the speed of sound and manoeuvre up and down, he said, This makes it absolutely invincible for any forms of air and missile defence, he boasted, calling it an ideal weapon.

Russia has also began experimental use of a new small air-launched missile system called Kinzhal, or Dagger, that flies at 10 times the speed of sound with an unpredictable trajectory towards its target, Mr Putin said.

He added, I think, prospective air and missile defence systems.Posted 3/2/18

Our sympathy is with the family of Barbara (Parrack) Harless. She died the day before her birthday on Feb. 23. She would have been 75. She was the daughter of Bert and Alice Parrack. Her husband was A circular letter from the foreign secretary. The 60th anniversary of the Lhasa uprising is commemorated at the end of March. "Delicate moment in relations between India and China". A second note clarifies that the leader of Tibetan Buddhism is "free to conduct religious activities in India".

New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An internal circular letter from the Indian foreign secretary to all of its government officials and political leaders has been leaked in which it asks them to "avoid participation in any event that may require the presence of the Dalai Lama". Not only that, the same note emphasizes that it is "a very delicate period in the context of relations between India and China".

Celebrations are planned at the end of March, in many parts of the Indian territory, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Lhasa uprising in Tibet, which forced the leader of Tibetan Buddhism into exile. However, Beijing has always accused the Dalai Lama of being a "dangerous separatist" and a "wolf dressed as a monk".

The directive that has caused a stir was written on 22 February by Vijay Gokhale, secretary for Foreign Affairs, and addressed to P K Sinha, Union Cabinet Secretary. In turn, Sinha has issued provisions for all government officials. In the latter he affirms that "participation in events involving Buddhists in exile is not desirable". Gokhale then wrote that such participation "must be discouraged".

Last year a territorial dispute on the Doklam plateau in Bhutan threatened relations between the two Asian Giants which, albeit slowly improving, are always at tipping point. In particular, Beijing has never forgiven New Delhi the fact that it welcomed the Tibetan government in exile, which resides in Dharamshala, in Himachal Pradesh.

In an attempt to stem the wave of criticism, yesterday the Foreign Ministry issued another note specifying that the Tibetan spiritual leader is "granted every freedom to bring his religious activities to India". The dicastery statement states that "India's position on His Holiness the Dalai Lama is clear and coherent. He is an illustrious religious leader and is deeply respected by the people of India. There is no change on this position".by Vladimir Rozanskij

In a two-hour speech marking the end of his term of office, the Russian president said he foresaw a future of well-being, security, and peace. He highlighted Russias renewed dignity and pride. "We are not threatening anyone, he said, whilst showing the countrys new weapons and defence systems.

Moscow (AsiaNews)  Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday gave the traditional closing speech of his term in office, which is also the main event in his re-election campaign ahead of the 18 March presidential election. This time the Federal Assembly, the joint session of the two houses of parliament (state Duma and Federation Council), met outside the Kremlin, in the great hall of the Manege building near the new imposing monument to Prince Vladimir the Great, the baptiser of Kievan Rus, 1,030 years ago. Among the dignitaries present, the white tiara of Orthodox patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev) stood out in the front row.

For days, many observers have wondered why the president was almost inactive during the ongoing election campaign, unlike his opponents who were busy on the campaign trail, especially Pavel Grudinin, the head of major agricultural enterprise. The so-called "strawberry king" is the Russian Communist Partys candidate in lieu of Gennady Zyuganov, the Partys secretary who was its presidential nominee for more than 20 years. Opinion polls give him an honourable 17 per cent, tendentially upward to 20. Conversely, Putin's popularity has dipped below 70 per cent (in 2012 it reached 71 per cent), closer to 60, which would entail a serious waning of his authority.

The outgoing president, who is trying to be re-elected for a fourth time, has shown a general lack of interest in the election. In his address, he sought to show himself as unconcerned about the results of the upcoming elections. Laying out the results of his administration, Putin expressed his detachment by saying "No matter who is elected," a nod to a possible successor, but very unlikely that it wont be him.

The Russia he rebuilt in the past 20 years, according to his words, has achieved sustainability and stability in almost all areas of life," and this makes the issue of democratic succession quite irrelevant, since the goals he set out have been met. "Russia, he said, ranks among the worlds leading nations with a powerful foreign economic and defence potential."

Russias undisputed leader in the third millennium then cited the countrys growth figures, not so much those of the last six years, but since 2000, when he first came to power. In all areas, from work to family, from demographic recovery to housing, from health to education, Putin's Russia has made tremendous strides and has met, according to the president, the goals he set out to achieve. The next step is very simple: double, triple, multiply all the parameters, especially through the technological revolution.

Without indicating any concrete economic measure, nor any reform plan, Putin promised to bring the country to unprecedented levels of security and well-being, on the basis of "the unity of Russian society and, most importantly, on the huge potential of Russia and our talented and ingenious people." Roads, bridges, airports, from the Crimea to the Arctic Circle, where navigation capacity will increase ten times by 2024, "Russia must not just become the worlds key logistics and transport hub, but also, which is very important, a global centre for the storage, processing, transfer and reliable protection of large volumes of information, so-called big data." In a few years, the whole country should be connected to the most effective and rapid Internet systems, even in the most remote villages and regions.

Putin did not however utter a single word about domestic and foreign oppositions, ongoing conflicts or anti-Russia sanctions. He referred to them in his own, isolationist way, by boasting that "We do not need anything".

His speech, which lasted two hours, gave the president the opportunity to focus in great detail on military matters. Reproaching the US for its stubbornness in the new arms race, the president blamed himself for one mistake: too much patience with the Americans, trying to dissuade them.

Now Russia has adjusted its aims, developed new weapons and new systems, which Putin presented in showy videos that give the country back its dignity and display its influence in the world. "The operation in Syria has proved the increased capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces. Now there is no reason to be humiliated by international partners.

"We are not threatening anyone, he said, and we are not going to attack anyone or take away anything from anyone with the threat of weapons. We do not need anything. Just the opposite. I deem it necessary to emphasise (and it is very important) that Russia's growing military power is a solid guarantee of global peace.

Now we have to be aware of this reality and be sure that everything I have said today is not a bluff  and it is not a bluff, believe me  and to give it a thought and dismiss those who live in the past and are unable to look into the future, to stop rocking the boat we are all in and which is called the Earth.

Now, for Putin, the 21st century is in the safe hands of the Great Russia.Solutions ak2019 Level 1 (Contributor)

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We need your help! Please help us improve our content by removing questions that are essentially the same and merging them into this question. Please tell us which questions below are the same as this one:





Hi everyone,



I applied for 457 visa on April 2017 and got refused on 2nd March 2018. I got the mail from immigration which states



" On of the criteria for the grant of a Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457) is an approved nomination. Your prospective employer, EMPLOYER NAME does not have an approved nomination for you at this time. As a result, your visa application is unlikely to be successful."



Immigration has given me 28 days to withdraw my application. Is the my fault or the sponsors fault not to have nomination? What should I do next ?



Suggestion Required.



Thanks in Advance.Mueller's net is tightening around Trump's inner circle  and maybe Trump himselfPosted 3/3/18

Colonial Springs Healthcare Center, a 134-bed long-term care facility in Buffalo, recently was recognized by the Missouri Local Area Network for Excellence for its low rates of antipsychotic use Harold Pierce covers education and health for The Californian. He can be reached at 661-395-7404. Follow him on Twitter @RoldyPierceJoseph Luiz can be reached at 395-7368 or by email at jluiz@bakersfield.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @JLuiz_TBC.Supreme Court of Nevada. THE STATE OF NEVADA, Petitioner, v. THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF CLARK; AND THE HONORABLE JENNIFER P. TOGLIATTI, DISTRICT JUDGE, Respondents, JEFFREY LYNN BAKER, Real Party in Interest. No. 71621 Decided: March 01, 2018

BEFORE THE COURT EN BANC. Adam Paul Laxait, Attorney General, Carson City; Steven B. Wolfson, District Attorney, and Dena I. Rinetti and Ryan J. MacDonald, Deputy District Attorneys, Clark County, for Petitioner. Philip J. Kohn, Public Defender, and Mike Feliciano, Deputy Public Defender, Clark Comity, for Real Party in Interest.

OPINION

By the Court, STIGLICH, J.:

At issue in this petition is a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confront a witness who testifies against him. In Chavez v. State, we held that when a witness testifies against a defendant at a preliminary hearing but subsequently becomes unavailable to testify at trial, the witness's prior testimony is admissible at trial so long as the defendant had an adequate opportunity to cross-examine the witness at the preliminary hearing. 125 Nev. 328, 337, 213 P.3d 476, 482 (2009). The question presented in this petition is whether a defendant had an adequate opportunity to cross-examine a witness when, immediately after the State's direct examination at the preliminary hearing, the defendant waived his right to continue the preliminary hearing. We answer in the affirmative because the Confrontation Clause guarantees an opportunity to cross-examine; it does not bestow upon defendants a sword to strike adverse testimony that the defendant declined to contest.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Real party in interest Jeffrey Baker stands accused of one count of sexually motivated coercion and eight counts of lewdness with a child under the age of 14. At the preliminary hearing, Baker's cousin, C.J., testified in detail regarding two instances in which Baker attempted to engage her in sexual activity. The first instance occurred when C.J. was 11 years old; the second when she was 13. Baker was well into his 20s on both occasions.

During the preliminary hearing, when C.J. finished testifying, the justice court said, All right. Cross. Instead of beginning cross-examination, Baker's attorney asked for the court's indulgence as he conferred off the record with the prosecutor. He then announced: Today pursuant to negotiations, Mr. Baker will unconditionally waive his preliminary hearing. In district court he'll plead guilty to one count of attempt[ed] lewdness with a minor. After canvassing Baker, the justice court accepted his unconditional waiver of the remainder of the preliminary hearing.

At the district court arraignment two weeks later, Baker presented his signed guilty plea agreement. The court questioned Baker as to whether he understood the consequences of pleading guilty; he indicated that he did. Then the court asked if Baker was pleading guilty because he in fact attempted to commit a lewd act upon C.J. Baker equivocated before answering in the negative: It's not true. The court rejected Baker's guilty plea and ordered the State to prepare an amended information reinstating the original charges.

One week later, C.J. committed suicide. The State moved to admit at trial the transcript of C.J.'s testimony at the preliminary hearing. The district court denied the motion, finding that Baker did not have an adequate opportunity to cross-examine C.J. at the preliminary hearing. The State challenges that order in the present writ petition.

DISCUSSION

We exercise our discretion to consider the State's petition

[B]ecause a writ of mandamus is an extraordinary remedy, the decision to entertain a petition for the writ lies within our discretion. Gonzalez v. Eighth Judicial Dist. Court, 129 Nev. 215, 217, 298 P.3d 448, 449-50 (2013). A writ of mandamus is available to compel the performance of an act that the law requires  or to control a manifest abuse or arbitrary or capricious exercise of discretion. State v. Eighth Judicial Dist. Court (Armstrong), 127 Nev. 927, 931, 267 P.3d 777, 779 (2011). The writ is appropriate when there is not a plain, speedy and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law. NRS 34.170. Because the State cannot appeal a final judgment in a criminal case, see NRS 177.015(3), the State has no remedy in law to challenge the district court's evidentiary ruling. See Armstrong, 127 Nev. at 931, 267 P.3d at 780. We therefore exercise our discretion to consider the State's petition.

The Confrontation Clause does not prohibit the admission of C.J.'s testimony

The State argues that the district court arbitrarily and capriciously exercised its discretion when it denied the State's motion to admit C.J.'s testimony from the preliminary hearing. For the reasons set forth below, we agree.

The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment guarantees that [i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right... to be confronted with the witnesses against him. U.S. Const. amend. VI. In accordance with that right, prior testimony from a witness unavailable at trial is admissible only if the defendant had a prior opportunity for cross-examination. Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36, 68 (2004).

In Chavez v. State, we held that a preliminary hearing can afford a defendant an adequate opportunity to confront witnesses against him pursuant to Crawford. 125 Nev. 328, 337, 213 P.3d 476, 482 (2009). The adequacy of the opportunity to confront will be decided on a case-by-case basis, turning upon the discovery available to the defendant at the time and the manner in which the magistrate judge allows the cross-examination to proceed. Id. Applying that test to the facts in Chavez, in which a victim of sexual assaults died after testifying at a preliminary hearing but before trial, we noted that nearly all the discovery was complete at the time of the hearing, and the magistrate judge allowed Chavez unrestricted opportunity to confront [the witness] on all the pertinent issues. Id. at 341, 213 P.3d at 485-86. We therefore concluded that admitting the witness's testimony at trial did not violate Chavez's Confrontation Clause rights. See id. at 341-42, 213 P.3d at 486.

The tragic facts of this case are similar to those in Chavez. When C.J. testified against Baker at the preliminary hearing, discovery was nearly complete. Baker had transcripts of C.J.'s statements to law enforcement, a copy of the Declaration of Arrest, the crime report, the victim's mother's handwritten voluntary statement, and the detective's case report. In sum, the discovery was sufficient for Baker to have cross-examined C.J. See Estes v. State, 122 Nev. 1123, 1140, 146 P.3d 1114, 1126 (2006) (As [the defendant] obtained the police report during discovery, he had the opportunity to cross-examine [the victim] on the report's contents ).

The sole relevant difference between this case and Chavez is that Baker chose not to cross-examine the witness who testified against him at the preliminary hearing. He was not denied an opportunity to do so; there is nothing in the record to suggest that the court impeded or discouraged cross-examination. We see no reason to differentiate between a defendant who cross-examines a witness at the preliminary hearinglike the defendant in Chavezand a defendant, like Baker, who chooses not to. [T]he Confrontation Clause guarantees an opportunity for effective cross-examination, not cross-examination that is effective in whatever way, and to whatever extent, the defense might wish. Chavez, 125 Nev. at 338, 213 P.3d at 483 (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Hinojos-Mendoza v. People, 169 P.3d 662, 668 (Colo. 2007) ([W]here a defendant chooses not to take advantage of the opportunity to cross-examine a witness, the defendant has not been denied his constitutional right to confrontation.); Clark v. State, 808 N.E.2d 1183, 1189-90 (Ind. 2004) ([A]lthough the accused must have an opportunity to cross-examine the witness during the face-to-face confrontation, the opportunity does not have to be seized or successful. . . (internal quotation marks omitted)); State v. Nelson, 725 P.2d 1353, 1357 (Utah 1986) (It is the opportunity to cross-examine that is guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions, not whether that opportunity is exercised.).

We recognize that this court has previously indicated that three conditions must be met before testimony from a preliminary hearing may be used at a criminal trial: first, that the defendant was represented by counsel at the preliminary hearing; second, that counsel cross-examined the witness; third, that the witness is shown to be actually unavailable at the time of trial. Hernandez v. State, 124 Nev. 639, 645, 188 P.3d 1126, 1130 (2008) (quoting Drummond v. State, 86 Nev. 4, 7, 462 P.2d 1012, 1014 (1970)); see also Grant v. State, 117 Nev. 427, 432, 24 P.3d 761, 764 (2001); Funches v. State, 113 Nev. 916, 920, 944 P.2d 775, 777-78 (1997); Aesoph v. State, 102 Nev. 316, 320, 721 P.2d 379, 381-82 (1986). All of these cases derive from Drummond, in which we tried to reconcile dicta from two United States Supreme Court cases decided in the 1960s. 86 Nev. at 7, 462 P.2d at 1014. But neither Drummond nor the cases cited above addressed the issue of whether an opportunity to cross-examine suffices when no actual cross-examination occurred. See Grant, 117 Nev. at 432 n.5, 24 P.3d at 764 n.5 ([W]hether mere opportunity is sufficient has not been addressed since in most cases, the witness was actually cross-examined.). Therefore, because those cases did not turn on whether an opportunity to cross-examine is sufficient for confrontation purposes, statements addressing that issue are noncontrolling dicta. See Armenta-Carpio v. State, 129 Nev. 531, 535, 306 P.3d 395, 398 (2013) (declining to apply the doctrine of stare decisis to statements from a prior opinion that went beyond answering the limited question that was before the court). We see no reason to adhere to that dicta when the Supreme Court has since clarified that prior testimony from a witness unavailable at trial is admissible as long as the defendant had a prior opportunity for cross-examination. Crawford, 541 U.S. at 68 (emphasis added).

Our holding today is a straightforward application of Chavez: when deciding whether a preliminary hearing afforded a defendant an adequate opportunity to confront witnesses against him, key factors include the amount of discovery available to the defendant at the time of the hearing and the extent to which the judge allowed the defendant a thorough opportunity to cross-examine the witness. Chavez, 125 Nev. at 337, 339, 213 P.3d at 482, 484. Today we hold that, when a defendant declines an opportunity to cross-examine a witness at a preliminary hearing, the defendant was not denied a thorough opportunity to cross-examine. Id. at 339, 213 P.3d at 484. Because the justice court offered Baker an opportunity to cross-examine C.J., and Baker possessed all discovery relevant to her testimony, Baker had an adequate opportunity to confront C. J. at the preliminary hearing such that admitting her testimony at trial does not violate his Sixth Amendment rights. Id. at 342, 213 P.3d at 486. In denying the State's motion to admit C.J.'s testimony on Sixth Amendment grounds, the district court misapplied Chavez and, in so doing, manifestly abused its discretion. See Armstrong, 127 Nev. at 931-32, 267 P.3d at 780.

CONCLUSION

The Confrontation Clause guarantees defendants an opportunity to cross-examine witnesses who testify against them. It does not give defendants a sword to strike adverse testimony that the defendant chose not to contest. Baker received ample discovery at the time of the preliminary hearing, and he was not denied an opportunity to cross-examine C. J. Accordingly, we grant the petition and direct the clerk of this court to issue a writ of mandamus instructing the district court to vacate its order denying the State's motion to admit C.J.'s testimony and enter an order consistent with this opinion.

FOOTNOTES

. We do not disturb the remaining two conditions set forth in Drummond. The first conditionthat the defendant be represented by counsel at the preliminary hearingis consistent with Chavez in that an unrepresented defendant is unlikely to have had an adequate opportunity to confront witnesses against him. 125 Nev. at 337, 213 P.3d at 482. The third conditionthat the witness be unavailable at the time of trialis mandated by statute. NRS 51.325(1).

. Having resolved this writ petition, we lift the stay entered on December 1, 2016.

Stiglich, J.

We concur: Douglas, C.J. Cherry, J. Gibbons, J. Pickering, J. Hardesty, J. Parraguirre, J.The public is invited to Southern Adventist University for EXHBT: Senior Graphic Design Show on Thursday, March 15 at 6 p.m. in the John C. Williams Gallery on the second floor of Brock Hall. The event will feature the work of senior graphic design students in the School of Visual Art and Design.The students have crafted this philosophy statement: "Some people speak through words; we speak through designan extension of our personalities put on display for all to see. Join us on our artistic journey, showcased in this exhibit.Light refreshments will be served and the design students will be available to explain their work.Friday marks the 11th year that Hixson High School has celebrated Read Across America.

"Each year, Hixson invites successful community members, several of whom are Hixson High Hall of Fame inductees, to read to the schools seniors. The visiting readers select their reading material for the event," officials said.



The visitors share with Hixson students the value of reading and how books have influenced their lives.

Suzanne Rushworth, a social studies teacher at Hixson High, has sponsored the event from its beginning. She is retiring at the end of this school year, so Commissioner Greg Martin presented her with a proclamation of appreciation from the Hamilton County Commission for her efforts to improve literacy.



Mrs.





Rushworth expressed her appreciation and praise to the participants who take the time to visit the school to read and inspire young people.This years list of readers included:Pam Ladd*-CEO PartnershipKaren Glenn- director of STARSDr. Greg Martin*- County commissioner, District 3David Franklin-attorneyRobin Posey*- Community FoundationLesley Scearce - CEO, United WayState Senator Bo WatsonState Representative Gerald McCormickMarty Haynes*- property assessor for Hamilton CountyWilliam Cordell STARS programDr. Nikolasa Tejero*- UTC music professorMarcia Kling  television celebrity*Hixson alumni and in the Hixson High Hall of FameIn Proverbs 23, God asks a series of generic questions that are basically directed at all of mankind. The questions are rhetorical. A certain answer is expected. He doesnt usually spell out the answer, but He does in this case. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?" (Proverbs 23:29-35 NIV)

I wish that the Bible contained a verse that says pointblank, straight out, that drinking alcohol is absolutely wrong, a sin against man, and a sin against God. But it doesnt. I dont know why it doesnt. I can only guess (note the danger in guessing) that God intends its use in moderation to somehow be a blessing to us. Wine is used in many places in the Bible as symbolic of joy. However, Proverbs 9, 20, 21, 23, Leviticus 10, Romans 14, etc. point out the dangers of drinking alcoholic beverages especially in excess. My observations, as a former public school teacher and as a pastor, lead me to the obvious conclusion that intoxicating agents (alcohol and other drugs) are a terrible blight on society. Without a doubt intoxicants lead to much crime. Intoxicants are contributing factors in many murders, car wrecks, child abuse cases, spousal abuse cases, accidental deaths, etc. A desire/need to purchase intoxicants leads many to a life of thievery. Often they steal from people they know, family members, friends, co-workers, employers, etc. Thus they destroy relationships, ostracizing themselves from the only people who have a reasonable chance of helping them to deal with their real problem. As I think back over my lifetime, I do not remember ever seeing a situation where intoxicants were a blessing to anyone directly or indirectly involved. I do, however, recall multitudes of times where intoxicants were the direct cause of tragedies.

In 2009, I wrote these words: In a few minutes, I will leave this keyboard and head to a local hospital. I will visit a man much younger than myself. He is in intensive care, close to death, unable to communicate, unable to eat. He has no injury or sickness other than that caused by excessive alcohol consumption. He is following in the footsteps of his father. What shall I say to his mother or his 5 year old daughter? Will I be able to give any comfort? What should I have said to another young father with whom I studied the Bible one evening last week, who told me that he had drunk a couple of beers right before our meeting? What should I have said in the past; what shall I say week after week as the needy come into our food pantry, when it is obvious that the use of intoxicants has brought them to this lowest of all levels of poverty? What can I say to the man whose use of intoxicants in moderation leads his child to use in excess? What can I say to the man whose child was killed by a drunk driver?

It seems to me that the Scriptures make it plain that we ought to treat intoxicants as they would a poisonous snake.Emilian Kayima, the police spokesperson

There have been several unsolved murders and disappearances in Uganda and now the public is saying ---enough is enough.

They want dictator Yoweri Museveni and his police and security forces to explain who are the people behind these murders?

The bodies of at least 24 brutally murdered young women have been discovered over the last year in and around Kampala the capital of Uganda.

In some cases the Uganda authorities would link these murders to preposterous theories such as "relationships going sour" or "ritual" killings. Many families also complain that police officers extort money just to provide them with information about the status of the investigations which in any case are going nowhere.

Things are so bad that the U.S. State Department has issued a warning to Americans traveling to Uganda even though dictator Museveni is considered an obedient U.S. client. "Exercise increased caution in Uganda due to crime. Violent crime, such as armed robbery, home invasion, and sexual assault, is common, especially in larger cities including Kampala and Entebbe. Local police lack the resources to respond effectively to serious crime," warns the State Department.

All the murders remain unresolved. Records reviewed by this reporter from the so-called Flying Squad Unit (FSU), a department of the Uganda Police Force (UPF), show that the murders are classified as: related to political coercion and abductions for ransom. Many of the files are blank. "Some arrests were made, and some cases are progressing well," said Emilian Kayima, the police spokesperson. "We are in court. Many of them are remanded.

Asked for details about the arrested suspects and which specific cases he was referring to he said: "I will avail you with the details tomorrow."

Rest assured this reporter will keep following up.

"We have spent over 16 million shillings in search for my sister. Some security agents have turned the family into a cash machine where to get free money," said Kirabira Shakuru, who cried while being interviewed, said. She was referring to her sister Saidat Kabanda. Sixteen million shillings is about $4,480, which is a fortune in a country where the World Bank estimates per capita income at about $670.

She is understandably terrified by the thought of it all. The bodies of Saidat's best friends, Patricia Nansubuga and Harriet Nantongo were discovered months ago. Both had sharp sticks inserted into their vaginas, perhaps as cover to make the murders appear as ritual killings.

It does not help that there is an open power-struggle going on between Uganda's Police commander Gen. Kale Kayihura --until now Museveni's hated enforcer-- and Gen. Henry Tumukkunde, the minister in charge of security. Even the police officers who try to remain above the corruption are affected by this struggle between the men who are supposed to maintain law and order and stability. A Reuters news story speculates that it's a sign that the dictator of 32 years Gen. Museveni has lost his grip.

Since October last, government agencies, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and Internal Security Organization (ISO) arrested over six top police officers and detained them in at Makindye Military Police facility. Those still under military detention include: former head of Special Operations Unit, Senior Superintendent of Police Nixon Agasirwe; Commandant of the Police Professional Standards Unit, Joel Aguma; Flying Squad Operative, Faisal Katende, Crime Intelligence chief Magada, and others.

Saidat Kabanda, 32 years old, was last seen in the first week of January 2016 on her way for Friday prayer, according to her family.

Saidat graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics. The family hoped that she would be their breadwinner. The little money they had has been drained by police officers who extort them with promises to solve Saidat's disappearance.

The family of Ibrahim Setaala Semugenze, a 31 year old lawyer, is also demanding that police solve the mystery behind his disappearance. Setaala worked with M/S Ajungule & Co. Advocates and doubled as a director at Bwebajja-based Sab Restaurant. He went missing in January 2016. "If he's dead, we need to know and his body handed back to us," one relative, who broke down in tears, said.

Fatuma Sendagire Nabiwemba, a senior prosecutor with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who disappeared in December 2017, resurfaced last month. According to well-placed sources a large ransom was paid for her freedom. Efforts to talk to her, including her immediate bosses were declined.

Another victim, Francis Ekalugar, 49, an accountant who worked with Case Clinic wasn't so lucky. Ekalugar went missing on January 2, 2018, whilst on his way to the bank with 15,000,000 shillings, or $4,200. Ekalugar's body was days later discovered burnt beyond recognition more than 10 miles outside Kampala.

Susan Magara, 28, a daughter of John Magara the director of the Bwendero Dairy Farm in Hoima, disappeared on February 7, 2018, near her residence in Lungujja, a suburb of Kampala. There are reports a ransom of $1 million had been demanded for her freedom. Her body was discovered on February 25, 10 miles outside Kampala.

Here are the names of some of the murder victims: Ayebazibwe Hellen, Birungi Maria, Kasowole Aisha, Komugisha Faith, Kyandali Juliet, Mulondo Beatrice, Mulondo Desire, Nabatanzi Edith, Nabiranga Maria, Nakachwa Teddy, Nakasinde Aisha, Nakimuli Rose, Nakintu Sarah Nakajo, Nalima Sarah, Nalule Jalia, Namazzi Joan, Nampijja Juliet, Namusisi Peninah, Nansubuga Gorett, Nansubuga Patricia, Nantongo Harriet, Wanyana Norah.

The most notable feature--most come from central Buganda region.